《The Beginning After The End》


 c-1: Prologue: Start

    "The Continent of Dicathenprises three major Kingdoms: The Forest Kingdom of Elenoir in the North, The Underground Kingdom of Darv nearing the southern border, and The Kingdom of Sapin, located on the eastern border of the continent. There also exists the Beast des, of which arge percentile remains a mystery. Not much of the Beast des have been traversed due to the abundance of beasts hostile to travelers as well as each other. Yet, every year, countless expeditions have been made due to the tempting riches one could reap......."


    "flip"


    "....The Kingdom of Elenoir is the homnd of the Elf race, located deep in the Forest of Elshire where thick mist naturally forms deterring all but the elves, who, with their acute senses, can navigate freely..."


    "flip"


    "...The Kingdom of Darv is awork of underground passages and enormous caves that can span up to several kilometers, whereupon the Dwarvin race reside."


    "flip"


    "....The Kingdom of Sapin is easily thergest and most popted region in the continent. While this Kingdom is primarilyposed of humans, there are also many merchants from the Dwarvin race, tradingmodities of many..."


    "flip"


    "...While the Beast des house countless monsters and creatures, they also contain wondrous treasures with long forgotten origins, obtainable by those who dare to seek them. There are records, written by adventurers and mercenaries, about dungeons andirs of powerful entities that can make even the most generous priest into a greedy..."


    "flip"


    "....Between the Forest of Elshire and the Kingdom of Sapin lies the Grand Mountain range which spans across roughly 90% of the continent, separating the North and East from the West and South ..."


    "flip"


    "While the Kingdom of Darv and Sapin hold a symbiotic rtionship for resources, the Elves seclude themselves and act aggressively towards every other..."


    "flip"


    Closing the worn covers of what seemed to be an encyclopedia of this world, Arthur rubbed the bridge of his nose with his pudgy fingers, downcast, while emanating a gloom that was almost tangible. He let out an audible half-sigh that only seemed appropriate with his toothless mouth...


    "PHUUUUUK..."

 Chapter 1: The Light At The End of The Tunnel

    I never believed in the whole "light at the end of the tunnel" folly where people, after experiencing near-death experiences, would startle awake in a cold sweat eximing, "I saw the light!"


    But here I am currently at this so-called "tunnel" facing a ring light, when thest thing I remember was sleeping in my room (others call it the royal chamber).


    Did I die? If so, how? Was I assassinated?


    I don¡¯t remember wronging anyone, but then again, being a powerful public figure gave others all sorts of reasons to want me dead.


    Anyway...


    Since it didn¡¯t seem like I was going to wake up anytime soon, while I slowly gravitated towards this bright light, I might as well go along with it.


    The journey seemed to take an eternity; I half expected a choir of children to be singing an angelic hymn, beckoning me towards what I hoped would be heaven.


    Instead, my vision of everything around me turned into a blur of bright red as sounds assaulted my ears. When I tried to say something, the only sound that came out seemed to be a cry.


    The muffled voices became clearer and I made out a: "Congrattions Sir and Madam, he¡¯s a healthy boy."


    ...Wait


    I guess normally, I should be thinking along the lines of "Shit, was I just born? Am I a baby now?"


    But strangely, the only thought that seemed to pop up in my mind was, ¡¯So the bright light at the end of the tunnel is the lighting through into the female vag...¡¯


    Haha... let¡¯s not think about it anymore.


    Assessing my situation in rational king-like manner, I noticed, first of all, that wherever this ce was, I understood thenguage. That¡¯s always a good sign.


    Next, after slowly and painfully opening my eyes, my retinas were bombarded with different colors and figures. It took a bit of time for my infant eyes to get used to the light. The doctor, or so it seemed, in front of me had a not-so-appealing face with long, greying hair on both head and chin. I swear his sses were thick enough to be bulletproof. The strange thing was, he wasn¡¯t wearing a doctor¡¯s gown nor were we even in a hospital room.


    I seemed to have been born from some satanic summoning ritual because this room was lit only by a couple of candles and we were on the floor over a bed of straw.


    I looked around and saw the female who pushed me out of her tunnel. Calling her mother should be fair. Taking a few more seconds to see what she looked like, I¡¯d have to admit she¡¯s a beauty, but that might have been caused by my half blurry eyes. Rather than a morous beauty, I would better describe her as lovely, in a very kind and gentle sense, with distinct auburn hair and brown eyes. I couldn¡¯t help but notice her long eyshes and perky nose that made me want to just cling to her. She just permeated this motherly feel. Is this why babies were attracted to their mothers?


    I peeled my face away and turned right to barely make out the person who I assumed was my father by the idiotic grin and teary eyes he gazed at me with. Immediately he said, "Hi little Art, I¡¯m your daddy, can you say dada?" I nced around to see both my mother and the house doctor (for all the certification he seemed to have), roll their eyes as my mother managed to scoff, "Honey, he was just born."


    I took a closer look at my father and I can see why my lovely mother was attracted to him. Besides the few loose screws he seemed to have by expecting a newborn to articte a two-syble word (I¡¯m just going to give him the benefit of the doubt and think he said that out of the joy of bing a father), he was a very charismatic-looking man with a cleanly shaven square jaw line thatplimented his features. His hair, a very ashy brown color, seemed to be kept trim, while his eyebrows were strong and fierce, extending in a sword-like fashion meeting to a V shape. Yet, his eyes held a gentle quality, whether it was from the way his eyes drooped a bit at the end or from the deep blue, almost sapphire, hue that radiated from his irises.


    "Hmm, he isn¡¯t crying. Doctor, I thought newborns were supposed to cry when they are born." I heard my mother¡¯s voice.


    By the time I finished checking ou... I mean observing my parents; the wannabe doctor simply excused himself saying, "There are cases where the infant does not cry. Please continue resting for a couple of days Mrs. Leywin, and let me know if anything happens to Arthur, Mr. Leywin."


    The following couple of weeks after my journey out of the tunnel was a new kind of torture for me. I had little to no motor control over my limbs except being able to wave them around, and even that got tiring quickly. I realized all too grudgingly that babies don¡¯t really get to control their fingers all that much.


    I don¡¯t know how to break it to you guys, but when you ce your finger on a baby¡¯s palm, they don¡¯t grab it because they like you, they grab it because it¡¯s like getting hit in the funny bone; it¡¯s a reflex. Forget motor control, I can¡¯t even excrete my wastes at my discretion. I was not yet the master of my own dder. It just... came out. Haa...


    On the bright side, one of the few perks that I became happily ustomed to was being breastfed by my mother.


    Don¡¯t get me wrong, I had no ulterior motives whatsoever. It¡¯s just that breast milk tasted a lot better than baby form and has better nutritional value, okay? Er... please believe me.


    The Satanic demon-summoning ce seemed to be my parent¡¯s room and from what I figured, the ce that I was currently stuck in was, hopefully, a ce in my world from the past, when electricity hadn¡¯t yet been invented.


    My mother quickly proved my hopes wrong as, one day, she healed a scratch on my leg from when my idiotic father bumped me against a drawer while swinging me around.


    No...Not like, band-aid and a kiss heal, but a full blown, shining light with a faint hum from her freaking hands type of healing.


    Where the hell am I?


    My mother, named Alice Leywin, and my father, named Reynolds Leywin, at least seemed to be good people, hell if not the best. I suspected my mother was an angel because I¡¯ve never met such a kindhearted, warm person. While being carried on her back by a baby cradle-strap of some sort, I went with her to what she called a town. This town of Ashber was more of a glorified outpost, seeing that there were no roads or buildings. We walked on the main dirt trail where there were tents on both sides with various merchants and salesmen selling all sorts of things¡ªfrommon, everyday necessities to things I couldn¡¯t help but raise a brow at, like weapons, armor, and rocks... shining rocks!


    The strangest thing that I couldn¡¯t seem to get used to was the people carrying weapons like it was a luxury designer bag. I witnessed a man of around 170cm carrying a gigantic war axe that wasrger than him! Anyway, mother kept talking to me, probably to try to get me to learn thenguage faster, while shopping for the day¡¯s groceries, exchanging pleasantries with various people passing by or working in the booths. Meanwhile, my body turned against me once again, and I fell asleep... Damn this useless body.


    Sitting on thep of my mother who was caressing me in her bosom, I was intently focused on my dad who was currently reciting a chant, which sounded like a prayer to the earth, for close to a good minute. I leaned in closer and closer, almost falling off my human seat while expecting some magical phenomenon, like an earthquake splitting the ground or a giant stone golem emerging. After what seemed like an eternity (trust me, for an infant who has the attention span of a goldfish, it was.) Three adult, human-sized boulders emerged from the ground and mmed against a nearby tree.


    What in the name of...that was it?


    I iled my arms in anger, but my idiot father interpreted that into a "WOW" and had a big grin on his face saying, "Your daddy is awesome huh!"


    No, my father was a much better fighter. When he put on his two iron gauntlets, even I feltpelled to drop my underwear (or diaper) for him. With quick and firm movements that were surprising for his build, his fists carried enough force to break the sound barrier, but were fluid enough to not leave an opening. In my world, he would have been ssed as a high-tier fighter, leading a squad of soldiers, but to me, he was my idiot father.


    For what I learned, this world seemed to be a fairly straightforward on filled with magic and warriors; where power and wealth decided one¡¯s rank in society. In that sense, it wasn¡¯t too different from my old world, except for theck of technology and the slight difference between magic and ki.


    In my old world, wars had be an almost obsolete form of settling disputes between countries. Don¡¯t get me wrong, of course there were still smaller scale battles and armies were still needed for the safety of the citizens. However, disputes concerning the wellbeing of a country were based on either a duel between the rulers of the their country, limited to making use of ki and closebat weapons, or a mock battle between toons, where limited firearms were allowed, for smaller disputes.


    Therefore, Kings weren¡¯t the typical fat man sitting on the throne ignorantlymanding others, but had to be the strongest fighter to represent his or her country.


    Enough about that though.


    The currency in this new world seemed pretty straightforward from the exchanges my mother had with the merchants.


    Copper was the lowest form of currency, then silver, followed by gold. While I had yet to see anything costing as much as a gold coin, normal families seemed to be able to live off of a couple copper coins a day just fine.


    100 Copper = 1 Silver


    100 Silver = 1 Gold


    Everyday involved honing my new body, mastering the motor functions residing deep within me.


    Thatfortable regimen soon changed.

 Chapter 2: The Encyclopedia of Mana Manipulation

    I was a king. I could have my country¡¯s army assemble at my feet, kneeling down with the snap of a finger. I¡¯ve outdueled mypetitors from different countries as well as my own people to settle disputes and maintain my position. In terms of swordsmanship and controlling ki, I was second to none, for having personal strength was essential to bing a ruler in my past world on Earth. Kings weren¡¯t born, but raised. Yet, I couldn¡¯t think of a prouder moment in my two lives than now.


    I can crawl baby!


    ¡¯Till now, I had to make do with the stories mother would tell me while trying to make me fall asleep. I grumbled out noises ofint when she stopped too early. My father would sometimes sit me on hisp while idly talking to me about his old days, which gave me some hints as to what kind of world this was and what it was filled with.


    Reynolds Leywin, former adventurer, (apparently that¡¯s a viable upation in this world) had quite a lot of experience in this field. He was a part of several parties that went on expeditions to search for treasure and fulfill missions they acquired from the Adventurer Guild. He eventually settled down when he met my mother at the Kingdom¡¯s border in a city called Valden. He proudly told me how my mother fell head over heels for him at first sight when he visited the town¡¯s Adventurer Guild hall that she had been working at at that time, but I suspected it was the exact opposite from how my mother pped him across the back of the head and told him to stop telling me lies.


    My name was Arthur Leywin now, by the way. Art for short, which, as a former King, sounded a little too cute, but hey, after getting a glimpse of myself in the metal sheet they used as a mirror in the washroom, I looked absolutely adorable. I got my mother¡¯s glowing auburn hair while my eyes were a bright azure color, inherited from my father. I don¡¯t know how my facial features are going to turn out as I mature, but as long as I don¡¯t turn out fat, it¡¯ll be okay.


    Watch out futuredies! Prepare to be heartbroken!


    After weeks of attempting to crawl, yet only achieving an uncoordinated scuffle in ce, I had finally seeded; even managing to sneak into the family¡¯s library/study room while my mother was hanging theundry out to dry. Mother rued the day I started to be mobile, sighing, "I swear, you¡¯re going to be as hard to manage as your father."


    ______________________________________________


    I closed the encyclopedia and situated myself morefortably on the ground... basically I justid on my belly because crawling and sitting upright was so damn tiring.


    Pondering over what I had just read, this world seemed pretty underdeveloped. From what I could infer, there didn¡¯t seem to be much technological advancement. The only source of transportation appeared to be horse-driven carriages, that varied in size for ovend use, and ships with sails for rivers.


    Weapons were freely allowed and not really regted unless you were visiting the royal family or people that held authority. For God¡¯s sake, it continues to baffle me every time I see people carrying weapons while shopping for groceries.


    Sure, in my previous world, Earth, there were soldiers and guards who carried concealed weapons, despite that, they weren¡¯t for the purpose of killing, but to deter crimes from happening.


    Here, though, I witnessed a thief who stole a couple of items from the armory store the other day get shed in the back by arge, bald mercenary carrying a polearm. Moreover, the bystanders even went as far as to apud that oversized monk as the thiefid there dying.


    A simrity that both this world and my previous world shared was the system of monarchy. The continent of Dicathen had Kingdoms, each ruled by a king and his royal family. Unlike Earth though, the king was chosen based on lineage; the title passed down from the son of the King, to his son and so on.


    After scanning through the encyclopedia, there didn¡¯t seem to be much information on other continents besides the one we were currently in. I found this a bit odd since there were ships that carried goods and passengers across the continent by river. I just assumed that maybe the technology on ships haven¡¯t been developed enough to sail across oceans.


    One thing that was going to be hard to get used to was the whole premise of magic in this world. If we were talking about superhuman powers, sure, the countries on Earth relied on such people.


    On Earth, practitioners learned how to condense and utilize the innate ki that they had in their body. Think of it as a muscle if you will. Repeatedly breaking the ki center down through exhaustion followed by rest would cause the ki center to grow stronger, allowing ess to a bigger pool of ki. The ki would then be channeled throughout the body via special veins or meridians and utilized for the strengthening of the body and weapon.


    In this world, instead of ki, it seemed to be called mana and the more surprising thing was that it existed in the atmosphere. Thus, Practitioners, or Mages, would use the surrounding mana and draw it into their bodies, ultimately condensing it in their mana core. In my old world, ki only existed and formed inside the body. Whether ki had never existed in Earth¡¯s atmosphere in the first ce or ceased to exist because of the pollution caused by humans, we¡¯d never know.


    On Earth, while practice was incredibly important, the size of a user¡¯s innate ki center was even more important because the limited amount of ki one had in his body was all one could work with. Did that mean that one¡¯s innate mana core size wouldn¡¯t matter as much because of the avable mana in the atmosphere?


    The bigger the cup, the more you can hold, right?


    In my old world, even though my ki center wasn¡¯t thatrge, I was considered a prodigy at channeling and utilizing my ki effectively to make up for my not so sufficientlyrge ki center. With the way I utilized every bit of my ki, I was able to be the strongest of the elite division of Duelists, earning the right to be King.


    Now, if I could still practice the way ki practitioners used their ki, but with mana that was both present inside the mana core and in the surrounding atmosphere, couldn¡¯t I essentially double... no... triple the strength that I had before?


    The next book that I managed to pull from the bottom shelf, exined a couple of questions for me.


    "Beginner¡¯s Guide for the Privileged Mage"


    "While the power to control mana isrgely gic, there are many cases where children of Magie out unable to sense the mana around them. A recent census showed that roughly 1 in a 100 children are able to sense mana, but the extent of which could only be tested when their mana core firstpletely developed¡ªanywhere from their early adolescence tote teen years. It will be apparent when a mage first awakens by the initial repellence of the surrounding mana when their mana core manifests . This results in a translucent barrier forming around the awakened thatsts a couple of minutes."


    Flipping through the pages, I found something that caught my attention.


    "...Mana can be used in a couple of ways. The two mostmon methods of utilizing mana are: enhancement of the body with mana (augmenter), and emission of mana to the outside world (conjurer)..."


    ".... augmenters are mostmonly seen amongst warriors who utilize mana, channeling it through their body to strengthen themselves and their attacks."


    "... The practice of conjuring is seen in Mages, who, after utilizing their mana, can cast spells to give off a certain effect on the surrounding area or directly at a target."


    Weaknesses and Limitations


    "While augmenters can possess incredible strength, defense and agility, their weakness lies in their limited range..."


    "conjurers possess unfathomable powers, being able to bend their surroundings to their will. However, such powerse with limits. Unlike augmenters, who utilize most of the mana in their own mana cores, conjurers need to borrow mana from the outside world, in addition to their own mana core, to exert mana into their surroundings in the form of a spell."


    "While both types of Mages, or Mana Maniptors, for the more scientifically urate term, depend on and are categorized by their mana core, augmenters and conjurers also have different ways of measuring their aptitude."


    "flip"


    "An augmenter¡¯s prowess or talent is measured by the strength of the mana channels in their body, which measures the speed and efficiency in relocating their mana from their mana core into various parts of their bodies..."


    "...A conjurer¡¯s power and talent,paratively, is measured by the power of their mana veins, which indicates the speed and effectiveness of absorbing mana from the outside world to cast a spell."


    "flip"


    "...Mages (Mana Maniptors) are typically categorized into one of these two divisions since attempting to be proficient in both from an early stage is incredibly time consuming and inefficient. Most are born with a skewed difference in their mana channels and mana veins..."


    "...augmenters do not need very strong mana veins because they mostly utilize the mana from their cores, while conjurers do not need very powerful mana channels because they do not release their mana into their own bodies."


    "As proficiency level rises, the distinction between augmenters and conjurers lessens naturally, but that is only so at an advanced level..."


    Hmm... So my idiot father seems to be a decentlypetent augmenter and a less than average conjurer.


    That healing light though... What was my mother?


    "flip, flip, flip"


    AHA!


    "There are a few, rare deviants. The two most well-known types of deviants are elemental deviants and Emitters. While there are still some undiscovered, ones that are highly sought after are the Emitters, moremonly known as healers. Healers possess the rare ability to cast their unique restorative mana unto others, directly, recovering injuries and impairments."


    Wow... mother is the best.


    Fundamentals of Conjuring


    "The proper steps of utilizing mana for conjurers is to gather the surrounding mana in the area, drawing it into your body, then, after circting it into your mana core to stabilize and purify the atmosphere¡¯s diluted mana, you channel it into an appropriate conductor (a staff, wand, ring, of some sort) with the incantations as a mental controller for your will into shaping the mana into whatever spell you want..."


    "flip"


    "...The more powerful the spell, the longer it will take to draw in surrounding mana, store it in your mana core, where it is condensed and purified, and finally channel and release..."


    "flip"


    "Because conjuring involves exerting focused mana into a particr spell, conjurers will notice that they have a special aptitude of certain elements (Air, Water, Fire, Earth), but with proper training, can be adequate in the basics of all elements.


    "flip, flip"


    Fundamentals of Augmenting


    "Unlike conjuring, much less time can be spent gathering the surrounding mana. Efficient use of augmenting requires speed and precision in the use of the mana from your core and less from the mana in the atmosphere.."


    This was where it clicked.... augmenting was very close to using ki, except you could also draw mana in from your surroundings. The reason why there weren¡¯t any kinds of conjurers in my old world of Earth was because there was no mana in the atmosphere to draw from and create a phenomenon.


    My gaze tensed as I read on.


    "...augmenting requires proper distribution of mana into different parts of the body, depending on how the user sees fit. While it seems simple at a nce, augmenting requires much insight into the individual¡¯s own body. Being able to utilize the mana channels efficiently requires years of both mental and physical practice."


    "flip"


    "Because augmenting involves extracting mana in its purest form from the user¡¯s mana core, there are no highly notable distinctions in an elemental sense at an early stage. However, augmenters are able to control their mana more freely, resulting in vastly different forms of fighting through augmentation."


    "flip"


    "The phenomenon called ¡¯Bacsh¡¯ urs in both types of practitioners. For augmenters, it urs from depletion of the mana core, causing extreme bodily pain, depending on how strenuous the damage to the mana core is. For conjurers, bacsh urs from overfilling of the mana core. This is caused by overuse of spells beyond the practitioner¡¯s capacity, or using a spell too powerful for his or her mana core to handle."


    Closing the book, I propped myself up on my butt, digesting the overload of information that I had just read.


    Because of the uncanny simrities between the ki center from my old world and the mana core in this world, I found it hard to believe that you needed to be a young adolescent to manipte mana. In my old world, children could already meditate and sense the ki scattered inside their bodies. Once the ki migrated into a single ce, the ki center would form.


    Testing my hypothesis, I began meditating, trying to sense the mana in my 7 month old body when...


    "There you are! Art, honey, are you having trouble taking a poopy?"


    Mother! I¡¯m about to begin my journey to be the greatest mage in the world! Do not make me out to be a constipated infant!


    Picking me up and gently cing me in her arms, I was forcibly taken away to have my diaper changed, which, surprisingly, was full by the time I noticed.

 Chapter 3: Head Start

    ALICE LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    Arthur had to be the most adorable baby, and I¡¯m not saying this because I¡¯m a doting mother.


    No.


    Him and his scruffy little patch of glowing auburn hair and yful eyes, that almost radiate blue light while his gaze, at times, seemed almost... intelligent.


    No no, I told you, I¡¯m not a doting mother. I n to be a strict and just mother. I can¡¯t rely on my husband to teach little Art anymon sense. For God¡¯s sake, he tried to teach my baby how to fight when he could barely crawl.


    I know this little rascal would turn out just like his father if I left him be. As soon as he started crawling, I was so proud I was on the verge of shedding tears, but I didn¡¯t know how much of a handful he¡¯d be as soon as he became mobile.


    I swear, there¡¯s not a single moment where I can take my eyes off of him before he crawls into the study room. How weird. We made sure to buy him lots of stuffed animals and wooden toys to y with, but he always ends up going to the study room. THAT, at least was directly opposite of his father, seeing how Reynolds almost gravitates away from texts longer than the weekly newspaper.


    Looking at how excited he got when we went out to town, I decided to go shopping for food once every other day instead of twice a week.


    No no, I told you, I¡¯m not a doting mother. This is for his education of the outside world and for fresh food in the house. Yeah haha...that¡¯s it.


    My son seemed to be interested in a lot of things. I can¡¯t get enough of seeing his head, that seemed so disproportional to his little body, turning left and right while trying to take everything around him in. He seemed particrly intrigued by his father¡¯s practices.


    Reynolds was a prettypetent adventurer back in the days. Being a B-ss adventurer by the age of twenty-eight was actually a pretty fast climb. Acquiring an E-ss rank, the lowest rank, required taking a test to prevent us from sending eager but ignorant adolescents to their deaths. As for the higher ranks, I¡¯ve only seen a couple of A-ss adventurers in my years of working there and I¡¯ve yet to see an S-ss adventurer, assuming they actually exist.


    Working at the Adventurer Guild, or what we just called the Guild Hall, back then in Valden, I got to see too many eager teens. I swear, I was surprised they didn¡¯t float away from having their overly inted egos get to their heads.


    At least they were ambitious.


    One time, I was assigned to proctor a basic practical exam, where the examinee had to simply demonstrate fundamentalpetency in their mana maniption, but before the test had even begun, the kid fell straight onto his back because the sword he was carrying had been too heavy for him.


    Talking about airheads, Reynolds sure came off as one back then. The moment he saw me in the Guild Hall, his jaw literally dropped and he just stood there until the guy in line behind him elbowed him to hurry up. He hurriedly wiped away his drool and managed to mumble a "... h.. hi... can I trade in th...the stuff for the mission?" I just giggled as he turned beet red from embarrassment.


    He managed to gather up the courage to ask me out for dinner and we just hit it off from there. Even now, I can¡¯t help but smile when I see his droopy, blue puppy eyes looking at me.


    Art somehow wound up with both of our redeeming traits, making him that much more adorable. You should see him when I have to change his diapers. I don¡¯t know why, but he would start turning red in his cheeks and cover his face with his tiny little fingers.


    Could babies his age even get embarrassed?


    The nextndmark that made it to my baby journal, which is purely for educational purposes, by the way, and not because I am a doting mother, was when he first said mama.


    He said Mama!


    I told him to say "mama" again and again, just to make sure I didn¡¯t hear wrong. Reynolds sulked for the entire day because Art said "mama" before "dada."


    Haha, I won!


    The rest of the year went by pleasantly with my son sticking by me wherever I went and frequently looking out the window to see his father practice after dinner. I¡¯m d Reynolds gave up being an adventurer and instead took up a post as a guard nearby for our town. Being an adventurer may have brought in more money, but not knowing when or if my husband woulde home was not worth any amount of extra money. More so after that incident...


    To our relief, Little Art never got sick, but oftentimes, I would find him sitting still on his butt while closing his eyes. At first, I thought he was having trouble relieving himself, but after checking the first couple of times, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    How strange, I didn¡¯t know what to make of it. I thought babies his age were supposed to be energetic and flighty, but after his episodes of escaping to the study room, he seemed to spend a lot of time sitting still, almost meditating.


    I was worried at first, but although it would happen a couple times a day, it onlysts for a couple of minutes and Art would seem strangely happy afterwards. The way he holds his arms up and looks up at me makes me just want to gobble him up.


    *Ahem* Not a doting mother.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    About two years have passed since I made my difficult journey to the study room.


    From then, I had been constantly trying to gather the little bits of mana spread out in my body and focus it in an attempt to form a mana core. Let me tell you, it was a slow and arduous task. I would find myself having an easier time trying to learn how to walk on my hands and eat with my feet in this damnable body than trying to will my mana core to condense.


    I could see why the book said that it¡¯ll take until at least the adolescent age for a person to ¡¯awaken.¡¯ If I had let the mana particles in my body move by themselves, it would take at least a decade for them to gravitate towards each other to form anything remotely close to a mana core.


    Instead... A perk in having the mental capacity of an adult meant that I had the cognitive ability to consciously will my mana particles together. This was something I did as a child in my past life in school, where they taught you from childhood to learn how to control ki. Essentially, it¡¯s being able to sense the ki, or mana now, in your own body and force them together near the sr plexus. If left alone, the particles will eventually slowly float towards each other anyway, but I¡¯m just grabbing the feathers and shoving them into the twill sack instead of waiting for them to float down by themselves, figuratively speaking of course.


    Daily rituals consisted of me trying to spend as much of my limited energy as possible on gathering my mana while avoiding suspicion from my mother and father. My father seemed to think that throwing a child into the air would be quite enjoyable. While I understand there would be a kind of adrenaline effect that may excite some people, when mana was used to reinforce his arms, and I got thrown into the air like a high-speed projectile, the only feeling I had was nausea and a traumatic fear of heights.


    Fortunately, my mother had a pretty firm handle on my father, but my mother scared me sometimes. I often caught her staring at me, half drooling, looking at me like I¡¯m some kind of premium meat.


    I tried to adapt to my body by only talking in very simple sentences. After I first said "mama" to let her know I wanted more food, she almost burst into tears of joy. It¡¯s been a long time since I received this sort of motherly affection. Since then, I limited myself to just trying to talk enough to get the point across, no grammar necessary.


    Besides that, the pace of my training was strenuous and slow, but I was getting a pretty big head startpared to everybody else so I wasn¡¯tining.


    These past two years, have not gone to waste, for I finally gathered all of my mana into my sr plexus and was in the midst of condensing a mana core when...


    *BOOM*

 Chapter 4: My Life Now

    REYNOLDS LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    My baby boy!


    I was so happy we had a son. I wonder when can babies start training? When did I start training again? Man, I can¡¯t wait to teach my baby boy all about magic! I hope he turns out to be an augmenter like his old pops. I may know the basics of conjuring, but I can¡¯t do anything practical with it except use it as a form of mental exercise.


    Alice, on the other hand, is one of the most talented people I¡¯ve ever seen. Even as an Emitter, she¡¯s exceptional. Back then, after she agreed to date me, she joined my party and we went on missions together. Her restorative powers were amazing in and of itself, but what shocked me the most was when she used an area of effect spell, which healed all allies inside. Talk about one of a kind! And I¡¯m her husband!


    Hehe... I still don¡¯t get tired of saying that.


    Back in the good old days before we had to settle down, we would go into Beast des and hunt for mana beasts. Mana beasts were various unique animals and creatures born with the ability to absorb mana into their bodies and create their own mana core, which we call beast cores.


    Beast cores had an unlimited amount of uses, making them very valuable and highly sought after. Of course, the higher the sses of beast cores, the more valuable they would be. Mana beasts were ssified anywhere from E ss (the domesticated fanged bull used for meat and leather), to your SS ss monster. I can¡¯t tell you much about those, simply because I¡¯ve never seen nor heard of one, but supposedly they do exist.


    Rule of thumb, you should always assume that mana beasts are stronger than humans of the same ss. Simply because, even if we take mana out of the equation, a beast¡¯s physical body was much stronger than the average human¡¯s.


    While the Beast des were dangerous, as long as you were cautious and didn¡¯t get lost, it was pretty easy to keep yourself out of trouble. The stronger beasts tended to be deeper in dungeon-like underground caves or nearer to the core of the des. The first few tens of kilometers around the perimeter of the Beast des were pretty well mapped, and as long as you were at least a C ss adventurer, you¡¯d be fine.


    Once in awhile, there would be missions posted up that required a couple parties of adventurers. Those were usually for trying to clear and map the harder dungeons that weren¡¯t fully explored. If a mana beast had the power to create its ownir and have other mana beasts serving him, then you could bet there were treasures to be gained.


    I tell my son Art all about this life, telling him this and much more so I can brainwa... I mean... nudge him to at least gain some experience as an adventurer when he gets older.


    I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do if little Art never awakens. Oh God, it doesn¡¯t matter how long it takes, as long as he can train to be any kind of mage, I¡¯ll be a proud and happy father.


    It¡¯s pretty easy to tell what type of mage someone will be when they awaken, because when augmenters, conjurers, and deviants form a translucent barrier, the mana behaves differently around them during that time.


    Augmenters, when they first awaken, form a sort of repelling force around the barrier, signifying that they have dominant mana channels in their body. Conjurers, on the other hand, form a vacuum of mana around them, which means that their mana veins are much more dominant. Of course the degrees of the pushing force and vacuuming force depends on their talent in either category.


    I don¡¯t mean to brag, but when I first awakened, at the early age of twelve, by the way, I was sleeping and the pushing force made me levitate for a good couple of minutes! Enough force to lift a human body?


    If it wasn¡¯t for that time... I¡¯m sure we wouldn¡¯t have settled down this fast.


    Anyways, as soon as he awakens, I¡¯m going to train him. If he ends up bing a conjurer, I think I can get him a tutor from the main town since Alice and I aren¡¯t adept enough to be teaching him...


    ...Is what I said but...


    *BOOM!*


    Currently, 3/4th of the house is gone...


    What happened?


    Luckily, I was with Alice in the front yard for a bit after dinner, but... Art....Little Art was still in the house...


    "ARTHUR!"


    Alice¡¯s face drained of all blood as I saw her go pale, eyes wide in disbelief and worry. I nudged my wife down while covering her with a temporary shield that wouldst for a few minutes.


    I rushed towards the direction of the explosion, shielding my body with ayer of mana over my skin. The debris was constantly thrown towards me as I reached deeper into the source of the explosion. After fighting my way through the scraps of what was left of my house and several pieces of rocks, I saw it.


    My son had the all but noticeable translucent barrier flickering around him. Better yet, the repulsion of his awakened powers was what caused this explosion. He was floating in the center of a crater that cleared 3/4th of our house, as well as our entire backyard.


    Haha...


    My legs gave out and I justnded on my knees while my jaw hung loose. My son was almost three years old when he awakened. Only three...


    I didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry


    "Reynolds! Honey!"


    I nced back at my wife with my mouth still agape from shock. She managed to slowly make her way towards me after the remains of the explosion settled and there was no more danger.


    She was making half-steps towards me, covering her face with her arms to shield what she could from the strong pushing force still emanating out of Art.


    "Reynolds! What happened? What¡¯s going on? Where¡¯s Art?"


    Still unable to find the strength to speak, I simply pointed towards the direction of our son.


    While confused, she looked at the direction I was pointing at and all she could manage to whisper was, "Oh my..."


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    Wow I feel great!


    Feeling refreshed at my breakthrough, I closed my eyes to sense my newly formed mana core. My sweet little mana core!


    "ART! OH MY BABY! Are you okay?"


    I spotted my mother rushing towards me while my father was on the ground kneeling.


    What did he do this time that caused him to get punished by mother?


    My mother lifted me up and hugged me, almost to the point where my underdeveloped ribs gave out.


    I managed to squeal out a "Mom, no cry. What¡¯s wrong?"


    She didn¡¯t answer me and continued sobbing while cradling me. My father arrived next to her, patting her back and patting my head as well, giving me a weak smile.


    After a brief moment of confusion, I peeled my head away from my mother¡¯s bosom and I looked around to see that we were standing in the center of a giant crater, with most of our house gone.


    ...What the fuck?


    Who did this? Who had the audacity to destroy the home of a King?! The perpetrators will rue this day! I will hunt them down day and night and not rest until...


    "Congrats, Art honey. You awakened, Champ."


    "..."


    "..."


    I did this?


    In my old world on Earth, a simr phenomenon happened when a youth awakened. A clear barrier appeared around the awakened and a small pushing force would surround the barrier. I¡¯m guessing, though, that the repelling force in this world was lot stronger because of the mana in the atmosphere, something that wasn¡¯t present back on Earth.


    As once a King of integrity, I decided on apologizing for this... er.. situation.


    "I¡¯m sorry Mom, Dad. Am I in trouble?"


    "Haha... No Art honey, you¡¯re not in trouble. We were just worried about you. I¡¯m d you¡¯re alright." My mother managed to chuckle through half teary eyes.


    My idiot father, on the hand, was a lot more excited.


    "My boy is a genius! Awakened at the age of less than three! This is unprecedented! I thought I was fast, but jeez!"


    So a couple of moments of a picture perfect atmosphere was broken when a neighbor passing by screamed, "What in the world?!"


    "Haha, we better clean this mess up," my father said as he grinned, rubbing the back of his head.


    ________________________________


    A couple of weeks had passed since then. We decided to keep my awakening a secret for now. My father managed to contact a couple of his past Adventurer party members to help rebuild the decimated part of our house while we stayed in the nearby inn. With conjurers raising the ground for the foundation and augmenters doing the grunt work, the house didn¡¯t take too long to finish. The beauty of magic! Surprisingly, none of my father¡¯s ex-party members seemed to question why our house blew up.


    That seemed to say a lot about my idiot father.


    During the middle of reconstructing our house, my birthday came around (May 29). My parents woke me up that morning with a present, and what seemed to be a loaf of....bread(?) in their hands.


    Ahh! It was a cake!... would¡¯ve been easier to tell if it wasn¡¯t ck.


    Opening the present box to find a carefully carved, wooden sword, I hugged both my parents, thanking them for the present and the cake.


    This surprised me because my parents hadn¡¯t bothered celebrating my past two birthdays, so I assumed this world didn¡¯t really celebrate such an asion. Iter found out that birthdays are celebrated starting at the age of 3 because of a tradition from a long time ago when babies were more susceptible to death before the age of three.


    How medieval.


    Another thing I took an interest in noticing.


    Seeing children, as well as teens working on farms with their family and on forges as apprentice cksmiths made me realize there was no mandatory form of a structured education system. Any sort of rudimentary education was provided by their families (just basics like reading and writing).


    As soon as I turned three, my mother began giving me lessons for a set time, teaching me how to read and write. ying the role of a genius son, I pretended to learn quickly, to her delight, so I could read harder books in the library without drawing suspicion.


    Thesest couple of weeks passed by in a sh. After awakening, my father taught me the basics of mana maniption and how to start training in it as best as he could. He tried to simplify it as much as possible so that a toddler could understand, I guess, but if it weren¡¯t for my adult-levelprehensive abilities, I don¡¯t think I would¡¯ve retained much.


    The basics are as follows:


    An easy way to know measure your strength lies in the color of your mana core. Starting off, the mana core would be ck, due to the body¡¯s blood and other impurities mixing with the mana particles as they formed into a mana core. As the mana inside the person¡¯s body bes purer and the impurities get filtered out over time, it¡¯ll change into a dark red color. From there, the colour of the mana core would get lighter; from dark red, to a red, and then to a lighter red.


    The order goes as follows: ck, red, orange, yellow, silver, and then white.


    From the red mana core until the yellow mana core, the colors split into three shades (Dark Orange, Solid Orange, Light Orange). Rule of thumb, the lighter the mana core¡¯s color, the purer one¡¯s mana core was and the more power they would have ess to.


    While the lessons with my father proved useful, I was getting impatient at the pace we were moving at. I asked mother a couple dayster, "Mom, can I get books on magic?"


    Since my mother still had some connections in the Guild Hall (Adventurer Guild), she managed to acquire a pretty wide collection of books on basic mana maniption, as well as fighting with different weapons. Some of them were just books with only simple words and mostly pictures of the basics on how mana was condensed, but I ignored those. My mother gave me a strange look because the books that I¡¯d been looking at were on a higher level. She assumed I wouldn¡¯t even be able to understand most of the words in there and tried to cajole me into reading some of the simpler books, saying that it would be easier to understand, but eventually she relented.


    A typical day would involve taking reading and writing lessons from mother and augmenting training with my father. After he covered the basic theory and application of augmenting, we started physical training. Seeing how my body was too small to start sparring, we opted with running, and body workouts. I think seeing my three-year-old body trying to do a pushup would be the funniest thing, but my father did a good job holding in hisughter.


    When I¡¯m not taking either of these lessons, I usually stayed cooped up in the newly improved library, reading and meditating to further condense and purify my mana core.


    As the year passed by with not much happening outside of my typical schedule, my father spoke up while we were having dinner one night.


    "Honey, I think it¡¯s time we get Art a proper mentor."

 Chapter 5: Let The Journey Begin

    A *ng* drowned out the silence as my mother dropped her fork onto her te.


    "What? Reynolds! Arthur isn¡¯t even four yet! No! Besides, you said if our son was an augmenter, you¡¯d be able to teach him!" Mother spoke with evident desperation.


    "I, also, never expected our son to be this much of a prodigy in mana maniption. Who has ever heard of an awakening at the age of three?" Father responded a lot more calmly.


    "But that means he¡¯ll have to leave home! He¡¯s only four, Reynolds! We can¡¯t have our baby leave home at such an early age!"


    "You don¡¯t get it. When I observed his body while he meditated, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that all of this was natural to him. Alice honey, I¡¯m holding my son back by trying to teach him something he can do in his sleep."


    Thus began my parents¡¯ quarrel.


    They went back and forth, basically repeating their initial points; mother kept saying that I was too young, father saying that they couldn¡¯t hold me back from reaching my full potential, h h.


    In the meantime, I was ying a game of war with my food, the peas attacked for the Mother Empire, while the carrots of the Father Nation desperately defended theirnd.


    Finally, my parents settled down and my father turned to me.


    "Art, this is concerning you, so you have a say in this as well. How would you feel about going to a big city and having a teacher?"


    Fantastic...


    I apuded the effort for trying to make this fair, but I don¡¯t think he realized that he was trying to ask a four-year-old to make a decision that would ultimately change his life...


    Trying to conclude this little argument, I suggested, "Can I at least try meeting some mentors and have them see if I need to be tutored or not?"


    *Silence*


    Did I step on andmine? Was I not supposed to be this articte in my sentences at my current age? Are they mad because I didn¡¯t choose a side?


    Having no confidence in keeping a poker face, I looked down and waited for their response.


    Thankfully, none of my fears were on their minds. My mother finally spoke, quietly she muttered, "We¡¯ll at least formally have his mana core and channels tested. We can figure out what to do from there."


    As my father nodded in agreement, we began making preparations the next day. When I said what I didst night, I assumed that we¡¯d be going to a nearby town or a city, maximum a day¡¯s worth of travel away, to have me tested by a qualified mage but boy was I wrong.


    We were making preparations for a three-week-long journey. A journey via horse-drawn carriage through the Grand Mountains to something called a teleportation gate which will get us into a city called Xyrus.


    A book that I had read popped into my mind. I recalled reading about a floating piece ofnd built by an ancient organization of conjurers for the sole purpose of housing the most prestigious Mage Academy. A city waster built around the academy; both the City and the academy were named after the leader of the organization - Xyrus.


    How was it possible to keep a piece ofnd, hundreds of kilometers long, afloat? Maism? Then thend beneath the city would be affected by it. Did the city have its own gravitational field?


    Anyway!


    This journey was going to be long. It¡¯s times like these that I wished modern transportation existed. In order to get to the city, we¡¯d have to enter through one of the designated teleportation gates in the Grand Mountains, otherwise, it would easily take months to travel across towns to reach the gate below the actual city, which floated near the border of the Kingdom of Sapin and Darv.


    One reason why my father pushed for us to go on this journey now was because his ex-party members had recently stopped by and were on their way to the city of Xyrus. Going now, with them, meant that we would have three augmenters and two conjurers, along with my mother, who was a rare Emitter and my father, a B-ss augmenter. While the mountain range didn¡¯t have any mana beasts, there were still the potential dangers of bandits and wild animals.


    While my mother and father took care of packing all of the necessities, I packed my wooden sword and two books (Encyclopedia of Dicathen and Foundations of Mana Maniption) for the journey.


    By mid morning, we were ready to head out.


    After tying my knapsack, containing my books and a couple of snacks, to my back and strapping my wooden sword to my waist, I grasped my mother¡¯s hand and followed my parents to meet their ex-party members.


    Although I¡¯d heard about them asionally from father, I never visited home while they were rebuilding it, so it would be my first time meeting them.


    The information I learned from my father about the party members of Twin Horns consisted of the following:


    Helen Shard: Female augmenter, specializing in magic archery.


    Adam Krensh: Male augmenter, whose main weapon was the spear.


    Jasmine mesworth: Female augmenter, who specialized in speed with dual daggers.


    Ang Rose: Female conjurer, specializing in Wind Magic.


    Durden Walker: Male conjurer, specializing in Earth Magic.


    We reached the inn they were staying at in Ashber and saw them out in front, near the stables.


    My father, after hugging his ex-party members, eximed, "Fes, I want you guys to meet my son, Arthur! Go on Art, introduce yourself."


    Giving a slight half bow while looking up at them, I introduced myself.


    "Hello. My father has told me great things about his fellow Twin Horns members. Thank you for traveling with us to Xyrus. We¡¯ll be in your hands."


    "HAHAHA, what is this? Such manners! Are you sure he¡¯s your son, Rey?"


    The one to respond was the Spear wielder, Adam. Taking a closer look at him, he seemed like the energetic, talkative type. While fairly good-looking, he had bright red hair tied in a messy poof at the end, almost like a me, and a couple of bangs escaping from the hair tie, he reminded me of some sort of vagabond. His eyes were bright and almost seemed like they were alwaysughing. The first thing I noticed though, was the scar across his nose, reaching both cheeks.


    I felt myself getting picked up.


    "A...Isn¡¯t he just too precious? You should be d that he doesn¡¯t look like you Reynolds."


    Peeling my face away from what felt like a memory foam death trap before she suffocated me in those gigantic breasts, I took a good look at the woman who was trying to kill me. Boy was she pretty. I mean, while not as pretty as my mother, she gave off the whole "royal princess" vibe with her long blond hair that came to a curl at the ends and radiant green eyes that drooped slightly.


    Just as my hands were about to give out and my face about to enter the twin abyssal hills, a strong pair of hands grabbed me by the knapsack strapped to my back, whisking me away from the well-endowed woman.


    "Ang, you¡¯re hurting him," a deep voice grunted.


    There I hung, like a kitten being carried by his mother by the scruff of his neck, unable to move.


    My eyes stayed fixedly on the giant.


    Easily passing two meters in height with a staff strapped to his back, the giant carefully lowered me back onto the ground and tidied my clothes gently.


    How genteel.


    I imaged riding on his shoulders like a mighty steed the whole way. I looked up at him, my eyes getting bigger as I pondered.


    He had very narrow eyes and eyebrows that nted down, giving him an almost innocent face,pared to his enormous body that stretched passed two meters. The short, scruffy ck hair on his headpleted the shaggy dog image on him.


    Dusting my clothes off, I turned to face the woman that looked slightly younger than everyone else. Straight ck hair that was half-tied at the back with a ribbonplementing her red, half-open eyes and curt-looking lips, making her seem very brusque.


    "Mhm" she slightly nods and then turns away.


    Ah... a woman of few words. How charming.


    My eyes fixed on her as she walked away towards the stable, I spotted two short daggers strapped to her lower back, just above the hips.


    Thest member of the Twin Horns was Helen Shard. She patted my head lightly and shed a charming smile at me. The word that I would use to describe Miss Helen would be sharp. Sharp eyes, sharp, perky nose, thin red lips, and a t chest, almost boyish with her shoulder length hair tied tightly at the back. I can¡¯t help but be charmed by her charismatic ambience. She seemed to exude this ¡¯we-can-do anything-if-we-believe¡¯ atmosphere from her pores that made her practically glow. Clothed in light leather armor covering her ches- I mean... breasts, with her bow and quiver strapped to her back, I couldn¡¯t help butpare her to an elf, but quickly abandoned that thought after I seeing her rounded ears.


    I hopped onto the carriage furthest back with the help of a little mana reinforcing my legs. Lately, I¡¯d gotten the hang of using my mana to reinforce my body. I had yet to fully test what I was capable of, for fear of giving my parents a heart attack by showing off too much, but it was getting a bit more natural to direct my mana from my core through my mana channels.


    After our party finished loading in all of our travel necessities into the two carriages we were taking, we strapped in what I thought would be horses. It turned out, this world had domesticated mana beasts called Skitters for transportation. These giant lizards, with spikes across their backs and powerful ws, were D-ss monsters that were a lot more efficient to use, albeit more expensive, than horses when travelling mountain terrain.


    Let the journey begin!


    ______________________________________


    By nightfall, the once distant mountain range seemed to have doubled in size. I wondered how big the Grand Mountain Range would be when we reached the foot. Needless to say, I was excited to get out of the tiny outpost that was my hometown, Ashber.


    We eventually stopped to set up camp near a small cluster of boulders. It was a good spot with the rocks blocking off nearly all of the wind and lot of scrap wood from fallen branches to use as campfire.


    The one thing I detested the most about this body was how much sleep I required. Despite being asleep for most of the way, I still felt a bit heavy-eyed after being awake for a mere few hours.


    After setting up a couple of tents around the fire, my father and mother had begun conversing with the Twin Horns about old times when Helen sat down next to me and said nonchntly, "I heard your pops say that you¡¯re some kind of genius mage... Is it true you¡¯ve already awakened?"


    Not knowing how to respond, I just replied with the truth.


    She began asking me how I felt when I had awakened and what color my mana core currently was. By this time, a couple of curious ears perked up as Adam asked, "Hey Reynolds, do you mind if I test little Art?"


    If I could¡¯ve interjected, I might¡¯ve said something along the lines of, ¡¯Maybe mock-fighting with someone my age isn¡¯t a great idea since a normal three-year-old¡¯s greatest aplishments at this point would be sessfully going up and down stairs with alternating feet, walking in a circle, and if he was really coordinated, bncing on one foot for several seconds,¡¯ but I guess these thoughts had never urred to anyone here.


    Both my father and mother seemed at least a bit hesitant at first, but trusting their oldrade, my father just replied, "Alright, but be careful. I haven¡¯t had the chance to teach him how to properly fight yet. We¡¯ve just been doing light strength and mana exercises ¡¯til now."


    Adam got up from his makeshift log seat and looked around until he found a short stick he felt satisfied with.


    "Come here Kid. Haha, let¡¯s see what you¡¯re made of!"

 Chapter 6: Up The Mountain

    I didn¡¯t know if his goal was to beat some sense into the kid he assumed had gotten an inted ego since he heard I was some sort of genius or if he was genuinely trying to gauge my strength, but by the smug grin he had on his face while looking down at me (even if it was only natural for him to physically look down at me, it still irked me), I assumed it might¡¯ve been for the former reason.


    Retrieving the wooden sword I received as a present from my parents, I walked to the edge of the camp where Adam was waiting near a small clearing.


    "You know how to reinforce your weapon right, genius?" he asked, emphasizing thest word.


    By this time, my father already sensed that Adam was just trying to put on a show of dominance into his little boy, but he just watched, knowing he wouldn¡¯t hurt me too much.


    Many thanks dear father.


    My mother looked a bit more anxious as she kept ncing back and forth between me, Adam and my father, keeping a firm hold onto her husband¡¯s sleeve.


    Well at least mother was here to heal me if I got hurt, right?


    I focused my gaze on Adam, who was just around 5 meters away from me. Images of my past life, dueling other kings with my country and loved ones at stake, popped up into my head. My eyes narrowed, restricting my vision to only the man in front of me. He was the opponent now.


    I willed mana into my legs and dashed forward with both my hands gripping the wooden sword to my right...


    His smug look still present, Adam prepared to block my horizontal swing when I feinted and used a special footwork I developed in my old world that I used for dueling. Almost instantly, I blinked a foot diagonally to his right. Curse this body! I couldn¡¯t perfectly execute the skill because of the height and weight differencepared to my old body. I wasn¡¯t used to this 40 pound, 110cm. body. While I didn¡¯t reach the area I was aiming for, unfortunately for Adam, he already prepared his wooden stick to block my swing from the other direction so his right side was unprotected.


    His smug look all but vanished and was reced by a look of surprise, with his eyes opening wide, as he realized what was about to happen.


    Swinging my wooden sword to his open ribcage, I reinforced my wooden sword with mana at thest moment to conserve my mana, because I knew I was definitely at a disadvantage against a veteran like him.


    The look of surprise on Adamsted all butsted a split second before he pivoted his right foot with almost inhuman speed. I squatted in time to dodge his upward swing and switched my stance from a thrust to a spinning swipe andnded a blow on his left ankle using all my momentum. His ankle gave out at that moment, throwing Adam off bnce.


    Or so I thought.


    He actually did a full on split, followed by a roundhouse sweep with his legs as soon as he was on the ground.


    This body won¡¯t be able to take a hit like that, so I jumped up to dodge his legs when, from my peripheral view, I saw the sh of brown from his wooden stick.


    With no time to use the de to block the swing, I thrust the pommel of my sword, timing it so Adam¡¯s wooden stick and the end of my handle would sh.


    Newton¡¯s Third Law of Motion suddenly came into mind.


    For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction


    And boy was the opposite reaction painful. While I did block the blow sessfully, my 4-year-old body couldn¡¯t withstand the force of the blow and I flew before gracefully skidding on the ground like a t rock on ake.


    Thankfully, I reinforced my whole body before I took the blow or I would¡¯ve seriously gotten hurt.


    Groaning, I sat myself up and rubbed my throbbing head. I looked up, only to see seven stupefied faces staring at me.


    My mother recovered first, shaking her head. She rushed towards me and immediately mumbled a healing spell around my body.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Durden thumping Adam¡¯s head with enough force to make him stumble forward. Heh~


    "Art honey, are you okay? How do you feel?"


    "I¡¯m fine Mom, don¡¯t worry."


    Adam¡¯s voice cuts in, "Haven¡¯t taught him how to fight my ass! How the hell did you train this little monster?" he groaned, still rubbing his head.


    "I didn¡¯t teach him that," my father managed to mutter.


    He shook himself out of the stupor and came next to me to ask if I was okay. I just nodded my head.


    My father picked me up and gently lowered me back down where I was sitting before and squatted down in front of me so he was eye level.


    "Art, where did you learn to fight like that?"


    Deciding to feign ignorance, I said, putting on a nonchnt face, "I learned by reading books and watching you dad."


    I don¡¯t think saying, "Hey dad, I was the King Duelist representative of my country from a world where diplomatic and international issues are settled by battles. I just happened to be reincarnated as your son... Surprise," would get a hearty reaction from him.


    "Sorry for roughing you up there little buddy. I didn¡¯t expect I would need to use that much strength to get you off me."


    Seeing Adam apologize gave me just a bit of a better impression of him. I guess he wasn¡¯t a total jerk.


    I heard a faint voice from my side. "Your fighting style is... unique. How did you do that step after the feint?"


    Wow! Twoplete sentences! That was the longest string of words Jasmine said this entire trip by far.


    I feel so honored.


    "Thank you?" I responded.


    I reorganized my thoughts before trying to exin in steps what I did.


    "It¡¯s a simple technique really. Since I was feinting to Mr. Krensh¡¯s right side, I ced my right foot forward as thest step before the feint. There I instantly focused my mana into the right foot, pushing myself back, and at the same time I bring my left leg behind right, aimed at an angle towards where I wanted to go, focusing mana into my left foot this time, but with more power than when I used mana on my right so that I don¡¯t propel myself backwards instead of the direction I want to actually go to."


    That was a mouthful.


    I looked around to see Adam, Helen, and even my father head towards the clearing, trying to test out what I just exined.


    When I turned back to face Jasmine, I only saw her back as she rushed towards the clearing as well.


    Mother sat down next to me, patting my head with a gentle smile on her face that seemed to say, "you did well." Ang came up to me too, burying my face, or rather my whole head, in her bosom, cheerfully eximing, "Cute AND talented aren¡¯t you? Why couldn¡¯t you have been born earlier so that this sister could snatch you up herself!"


    Blushing, I willed myself away from those breasts that I suspected to have their own gravitational pull. Those...weapons were dangerous.


    My guardian angel, Durden, was a lot calmer about all of this and just gave me a thumbs up. He¡¯s so cool.


    The night passed as the four idiots spent most of the time trying to master the feint step while I slept in the tent with Mother.


    ________________________________________


    A couple of days passed as we finally managed to make it to the foot of the Grand Mountains, which, by the way, sure lived up to its name.


    Along the way, only Helen managed toy down her pride and ask me for some rification on the feint step. I went over it slowly, exining what the timing of the interval between thest right foot and the left foot should be and how to properly bnce the output of mana into both feet so you could go the way you¡¯re aiming. The whole time, I could almost see the ears of the other three idiots getting bigger as they tried to suck in the information that I gave her, nodding while taking mental notes.


    The first one to seed was Jasmine. She seemed like the cold, genius type. I guess it was true.


    She pulled me aside one day, nearly blushing, while I was taking reading and writing lessons on the back of the carriage with mother and asked me to watch.


    We had to take a small stop so the carriages wouldn¡¯t leave us behind. After sessfully demonstrating the feint step to me, I apuded saying "Amazing! You learned it so quickly!"


    It¡¯s one of the most basic techniques I developed, but I wasn¡¯t going to tell her that.


    She responded curtly saying, "It was nothing", but the upward curvature of her lips and the slight, proud twitch of her nose showed otherwise.


    Haha, she¡¯s happy.


    By the time we had arrived at the foot of the Grand Mountains, all four of the idiots managed to learn the technique, changing it slightly to fit their own fighting style.


    The next step of the journey was ascending up the mountains. Luckily, there was a path around two carriages wide that circled around the mountain, eventually leading to the teleportation gate at the top.


    The front carriage included Durden, holding the reins in the front, with father besides him to keep himpany. This carriage held most of our luggage. Helen was currently seated on the top of the second carriage, the one I was riding in, scouting for any abnormalities. Ang sat in the back carriage with my mom and me, while Adam walked behind us, keeping guard. While Jasmine steered the carriage, I kept noticing how she turned her head back and stared at me, almost making *jiii* sounds. Is she expecting me to show her other techniques or something? Every time I met her gaze, she quickly turned her head back to the front.


    Is she five?


    Speaking of age, I turned 4 on the first leg of our journey to the foot of the Grand Mountains. I don¡¯t know when Mother prepared a cake, or where she even put it (or if it¡¯s even edible!), but I didn¡¯tin, put on a big smile, and thanked her and everyone else. While everyone gave me a hug or a pat on the back, Jasmine surprised me then when she handed me a short knife, simply dering, "Present."


    Aww she cares! I¡¯m tearing up.


    Fortunately, our journey up the mountain was rather uneventful. I spent a lot of my time reading my book on mana maniption, trying to find more discrepancies between mana and ki. So far, it seemed pretty simr except that, in rare cases, an augmenter¡¯s mana usage could take on the property of elements. Reading on, I noticed that for beginners who were able to dabble in this, it wasn¡¯t as distinct as what you might see when conjurers casted spells, but more like the quality of each distinct element.


    For example, an augmenter, assuming he has an innatepatibility with fire, would have mana that showed an explosive quality when used. Water would naturally have a smooth, flexible quality. Earth would have a firm and rigid quality. Finally, Wind would have the quality of a sharp de.


    That¡¯s strange. Back in my old world, these kinds of qualities in ki had nothing to do with elements, but rather depended on how you utilized your ki. Shaping the ki into points and edges would give it the so called "wind element," while storing up your mana into a single point and bursting it at thest moment would give it the "fire element" and so on. Sure, practitioners had preferences and were naturally better at practicing one style more than the other, but I wouldn¡¯t go as far as to say it was rare. Only the most basic use of ki involved reinforcing the body and weapons.


    I would have to test this with mana in the future. Being stuck in a 4 year old body with constant supervision by suspicious adults made practicing really hard.


    I kept reading on when suddenly, Helen¡¯s rmed voice rang in my ears.


    "BANDITS! PREPARE TO ENGAGE!" she shouted, as a rumble of footsteps came from our right and rear.


    "Submit, O¡¯ wind and follow my will. Imand and gather you around in protection. Wind Barrier!" Instantly I feel a gust of wind forming a tornado around Mother, Ang, and I. Then the gust bent into a sphere around us.


    Ang was holding out her wand, concentrating on keeping the barrier active while arrows constantly bombarded the barrier, only to get redirected to a different direction.


    My mother pulled me in close, trying to shield me using her body from whatever might get through. Thankfully, her efforts didn¡¯t seem to be necessary as the barrier held strong.


    In a matter of seconds, the tarp covering the carriage was torn to shreds and I get a better view of the situation at hand.


    We werepletely surrounded.

 Chapter 7: How I Wished

    Just from what I could see, there were at least thirty bandits. Our current situation was unfavorable at best, as both our path forward and our retreat back were blocked off by bandits wielding swords, spears, and other close ranged weapons. On the mountainside to our right, there were archers positioned atop a cliff, their bows aimed at us, while only the steep edge of the mountain with the looming fog beckoned to our left.


    Jasmine, Durden, and my father seemed to be fine, with no visible injuries, but Helen had an unhealthy paleplexion that seemed to be a result of the arrow jutting from her right calf.


    A bald man with multiple scars deforming his face and a body of a bear carrying a giant battle axe spoke out. "Look what we have here. Pretty good catch boys. Leave only the girls and the kid alive. Try not to scar them too much. Damaged goods will only sell for less," he snorted with a smirk that revealed a nearly toothless mouth.


    Damaged goods...


    I felt my body temperature rising; tensing from a smoldering anger I haven¡¯t felt towards someone in a while.


    Being sheltered in the bubble of my home had almost made me forget that any world has its own share of trash like him.


    I was ready to rush towards this brute, almost forgetting the fact that I was now in a four-year-old¡¯s body when my father yelled out, "There are only 4 mages and none of them seem to be conjurers! The rest are normal warriors!"


    Faint mana fluctuations around a person¡¯s body made mages distinguishablepared to normal humans, only apparent if studied closely. As for whether they were an augmenter or conjurer, making an inference based on physical structure and the weapon they were holding gave me a pretty solid idea.


    I could visible see how quickly my father reverted back to his former adventurer days when he had once led the Twin Horns as his expression held the wisdom that could onlye from experience. He donned his gauntlets, shouting, "Safeguard Formation!"


    Adam quickly arrived behind us as he faced the back of the road, spear pointed, while Jasmine and Helen came to our left with both of their weapons unsheathed, facing ahead. My father and Durden faced the mountainside, positioning themselves to protect us from the archers overhead. Meanwhile, Ang maintained her position, preparing another spell as she kept her wind barrier active.


    "Gather and guard my allies O¡¯ benevolent Earth; do not let them be harmed!"


    [Earth Wall]


    The ground rumbled as a four-meter earthen wall transmuted up from the ground curving up in front of Durden.


    Using that moment, my father burst forward, raising his gauntlets in a guard position against the arrows towards the enemy archers.


    Momentster, Ang finished her spell and unleashed a torrent of wind des, aimed at the front and back of the path. That was apparently the cue as Adam and Jasmine shadowed behind the wind spell, arriving in front of our distraught enemies that were covering their vitals against the flurry of des. Helen remained, her arrow nocked and bow drawn, imbuing the tip with mana that shined in a faint blue light.


    It didn¡¯t take a genius to realize that this arrangement was ideal for protecting valuable goods or people. With twoyers of protection from the conjurers and an archer mage ready to snipe anyone who managed to cross the assaults of Adam, Jasmine, and Father into the defense line, it was a standard, yet, well thought out formation.


    "Warrioring your way, Helen!" Adam shouted as he dodged the swing of a mace, delivering a precise swipe to the jugr of the unfortunate bandit. His eyes widened as he dropped his weapon, desperately trying to seal the fatal wound with his trembling hands as blood spurted out through the gaps between his fingers.


    Mother was holding me firmly in her bosom as she tried to shield my eyes from the scenes of gore happening around us. Fortunately for me, she wasn¡¯t looking down at me so she didn¡¯t realize that I could see fairly clearly.


    Meanwhile, a scruff, middle-aged man wielding a machete lunged towards Ang, hoping to disrupt the spell. Although the wind de spell didn¡¯t seem all too powerful, it provided a painful distraction that was keeping us on equal footing, despite ourck in numbers.


    I tried to free myself to block the man before he got in range to attack Ang, but before I could pull myself away from my mother, it was already over.


    The fierce sound of the show came only after the arrow had done its job. Helen¡¯s shot had carried a force powerful enough to pierce through the armored chest of the machete-wielding bandit and lift him up and back a half-dozen meters, nailing him into the ground.


    I took a brief moment to take a mental note: wise men ought not to piss off Helen.


    Helen¡¯s eyes narrowed as she nocked and drew another arrow. Focusing, I could faintly see the mana gathering into her right eye as she shut her left. Soon, another reinforced arrow streaked through, followed by a sharp hiss, ignoring all opposing air resistance as it closed in on another enemy fighter.


    This man vaguely resembled a smaller Durden, except more muscr and more angr of a face. His brows furrowing in concentration, his giant sword, which was the his height, had somehow reached the arrow in time, generating a sound of a bullet hitting metal. The enemy fighter slid back, but wasn¡¯t harmed as he anchored his greatsword into ground, using it to bnce himself. However, before even had the chance to smirk in content, a second arrow pierced through his forehead. It was a grim sight, seeing the light drain from his eyes.


    Jasmine was engaged in an intense duel against an augmenter, whose weapon was a long chain whip. It looked like Jasmine was at a disadvantage since the range of her two daggers wascking. She was doing all she could to dodge the erratic movements of the whip.


    By now, it was evident the enemy had realized how much she was struggling as he jeered while licking his lips. "I¡¯ll make sure to treat you real well before we sell you off as a ve, little missy. Don¡¯t worry, by the time I¡¯m done training you, you¡¯ll be begging to stay with me," he hissed, followed by another lick of his lips.


    The very thought made me shudder, but, at this point, all I could do was clench my fists in frustration. Against a fighter, I had a chance; against an adult augmenter? I didn¡¯t have the confidence in winning.


    It pained me to stay in the protection of everyone while they risked their lives? I tried toe up with ways to help, but, so far, none came to mind. I could only grit my teeth and endure.


    Surveying the battle, I saw that the earth wall was holding strong, none of the arrows being able to prate through. Focusing on Durden, I watched his left hand that was directed towards the earth wall as he maintained a constant flow of mana to keep it from copsing. He formed a narrow slit in the middle of the wall to gain vision on my father and the archers scattering, trying to run away.


    "Take heed, Mother Earth, and answer my call. Pierce my enemies. Let none of them live."


    [Rupture Spike]


    After a brief dy, a dozen spikes began shooting up from the ground at the bandit archers. While a few managed to dodge, many of the bandits were impaled, their screams onlysting a couple of moments before dying.


    Durden looked recognizably drained from that spell; his jaw clenched as beads of sweat ran down his pale face..


    It was at this moment that I noticed my mother had taken out a wand. Her her trembling fingers were fumbling with it before she shook her head and stuffed it back into her robe. In the wand¡¯s stead, she held onto me tighter.


    There was no one from our side injured besides Helen, who had bound the wound on her calf. Fortunately the arrow wasn¡¯t lodged in too deep, thanks to Helen¡¯s mana reinforcement; by the time she wound it, the bleeding had stopped, but throughout this whole time, my mother had a constant look of paranoia, her face pale with worry. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that her hand kept reaching for the wand in her robe until she decided to draw it back,st minute. Her eyes never stayed fixed to one ce, always turning left and right, trying to look out for anything that could harm us.


    While a little confused at first, I dismissed it; mentally concluding that, since she wasn¡¯t an adventurer for too long, unlike my father, she was simply not used to situations like.


    The battle wasing to its peak. The bandit group had not suspected that every one of our group members would be a capable mage. Because of that calction error, all of the melee fighters were dead, the only ones alive being the four mages and a couple of scattered archers on the run.


    Jasmine was still having trouble with the perverted chain user, but the arrogance on his face was wiped clean by this time, with a couple of nicks and cuts on his body dripping blood.


    Adam was engaged with a dual-sworded augmenter. His fighting style reminded me of a snake, with his flexible maneuvers and sudden attacks.


    He should be considered one of the rare elemental augmenters with a water-attribute style.


    Reinforcing the shaft of his spear to be flexible, his attacks were a mirage of quick thrusts and fluid swipes. The battle looked to be in his favor; the dual wielder had wounds that were profusely bleeding as he desperately tried to parry the onught of attacks.


    A thundering crash shifted my attention away from Adam¡¯s battle. My father had been knocked down against the debris of what was now left of the [Earth Wall] spell and was struggling to pick himself up as blood dribbled down from the side of his lips.


    "Dad!!" "Honey!"


    I rushed out of the wind barrier, kneeling in front of Father, my mother following immediately behind. I could see the panic written on her face as she nervously contemted what she could do.


    I didn¡¯t know why she wasn¡¯t healing him, maybe because she was so startled, but just when I was about to suggest it, my father cut me off.


    "Cough! Alice, listen to me. Don¡¯t worry about me. If you use a healing spell right now, they¡¯ll realize what you are and try that much harder to capture you. They¡¯ll be willing to sacrifice a lot more if they know!" he stressed, his voice in a low whisper.


    After a brief, trembling hesitation, my mother took out her wand and began chanting. I would¡¯ve assumed that her stammered chanting was caused by seeing her husband injured, but for some reason, it felt like she was almost... afraid of using her magic.


    Father turned to me after giving up trying to persuade his wife.


    "Art, listen carefully. After the healing spell activates, they¡¯re going to try to capture your mother at all costs. After I¡¯m healed enough, I¡¯m going to engage the leader and try to buy more time. I think I can beat him, but not if I have to worry about protecting you guys. Take your mother back down the road and don¡¯t stop; Adam will open up a path for you."


    "No dad! I¡¯m staying with you. I can fight! You saw me! I can help!" Consideration for being mature eluded me. It seemed like at this moment, I was really acting like the four-year-old I was on the outside, but I didn¡¯t care. I wasn¡¯t going to leave behind my family whom I¡¯ve grown to love and friends who I¡¯ve bonded with so much this past week and a half.


    "LISTEN TO ME, ARTHUR LEYWIN!" Father agonizingly roared. This was the first time hearing his voice like this; the kind of voice that one would only use for desperate measures.


    "I know you can fight! That¡¯s why I¡¯m entrusting your mother to you. Protect her and protect the baby inside her. I¡¯ll catch up to you after this is over."


    His words shook my mind like thunder.


    Protect her and protect the baby inside her...


    Suddenly, everything clicked. Why she was acting so paranoid. Why she was clutching me and making sure nothing got even close to us. Why both Durden and Ang were guarding us with defensive spells, instead of just one of them.


    My mother was pregnant.


    "I was nning on telling you when we arrived in Xyrus, but..." Not finishing his sentence, father just looked at me sheepishly; still pale from the blow he received from the bald, axe-wielding boss.


    "Okay, I¡¯ll protect Mom."


    "Atta boy. That¡¯s my son."


    My mother finished her chant at this time and both she and my father glowed in a bright golden-white light.


    "Sonova¡ª One of them¡¯s a healer! Don¡¯t let her get away!" the leader roared.


    I quickly grabbed my mother¡¯s arm with both hands and tugged at her to move while reinforcing myself with mana.


    We reached the area Adam and the dual-wielder were battling a dozen meters down the road.


    "Art, hurry down, I got him!" Adam barked as he kept his opponent at bay.


    The dual-wielder was obviously frustrated by the inability to neither reach me nor mother because of Adam. We hurried down the slope when I heard a faint *wizz* sound to our left. Acting on instinct, I jumped up, bringing my wooden sword up and reinforcing my whole body and the sword to withstand the blow of the iing arrow.


    A splintering crack resonated as the arrow met the wooden sword. Fortunately, the arrow wasn¡¯t reinforced with any mana so, even though the force pushed me back, I was able to regain bnce mid air by using the force of the shot by rotating my body and redirecting the arrow away. Inded on my feet a bit less impressively than I wanted to, throwing away what was left of my wooden sword.


    "What the¡ª Ugh!"


    ...Was all I heard from the assant before he was promptly impaled by an arrow fired by Helen.


    "GO!" she eximed, nocking in another arrow and firing it at the leader of the bandits to support my father.


    That was weird.


    Currently, Jasmine, Adam, and my father, along with Helen, were each fighting a mage.


    Wasn¡¯t there four?


    "Damien! Forget the n, don¡¯t let them live!" The leader barked out.


    Who was hemanding?


    "... respond to my call and wash all to oblivion!" a faint voice finished chanting.


    [Water Cannon]


    From the mountainside, one of the scattered "archers" had his hands brought together, aimed at me and mother. We were tricked. He had camouged himself during the chaos. He wasn¡¯t an archer or even an augmenter. He was a conjurer!


    Shit!


    I didn¡¯t have much time to react as a huge sphere of pressurized water, at least three meters in diameter, shot towards us, increasing in size as it neared.


    My mind raced trying toe up with options.


    To my immediate right was my mother, and to my left were Adam and his opponent not far off; and behind me, of course, was the edge of the mountain. Even if I could dodge this, mother wouldn¡¯t be able to and she¡¯d be forced off the ledge of the mountain.


    What should I do?


    "Dammit!" I let out a roar unfit for a four-year-old!


    Willing all of the remaining mana left in this cursed body, I tackled my mother, propelling both of us out of the way.


    I quickly realized my forty-pound-body didn¡¯t carry enough momentum to push both of out of range of the water cannon.


    No choice!


    If I was going down, I was going to make sure to take that bastard down with me!


    I channeled mana into my arms and pushed my mother farther down, out of range. In that moment, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as my mother¡¯s eyes slowly widened in panic and disbelief. She might get a pretty bad bruise from the push, but minor bodily injuries were the least of my problems at that moment. If she didn¡¯t want to get hit with another spell I had to get rid of this conjurer.


    Unsheathing the knife Jasmine gave me from my waist, I imbued it with mana. What I was trying to do I had only done with ki in my old world, never with mana.


    After willing mana into the knife, I threw it like a boomerang, aiming it at the conjurer, who was still concentrating on the water cannon. Barely curving around the edge of the giant cannonball of water, I heard the firm thud of the knife meeting skin.


    The mage let out a shrill howl of pain followed by a string of curses indicated that the mage wasn¡¯t dead.


    Losing concentration, the mage¡¯s water cannon lost shape, but unfortunately, there was still a surge of water strong enough to push me off the cliff.


    Time for n B.


    n B was just in case my initial throw couldn¡¯t kill him. I managed seeding in the gamble of n B, and that was creating a thin string of mana attaching the knife, currently engorged somewhere in the conjurer¡¯s body, to my hand.


    I tugged back on the mana string just as the spell rammed against my body like a brick wall, knocking every ounce of air i had in my lungs and most likely breaking my ribs. Like a fish caught on the line, I could hear the mage¡¯s scream over the gushing tide of water as he was helplessly dragged down with me by the force of his own spell.


    Even as my vision began darkening, I was able to see the battleing to an end. Father and Helen had just managed to kill the leader. Ang, providing Jasmine with backup, allowed them to put the whip-user on hisst stand. Meanwhile, i spotted Durden as he was desperately conjuring a spell in order to save me, but I knew it was toote; the spell had knocked me too far away.


    Still, I wasforted in the fact that everyone will be okay. Maybe the only thing I would regret being unable to see my baby sibling.


    With that, I felt the cold grip of sleep steal me away.


    Damn... I had always wanted to be an older brother.

 Chapter 8: Questions

    The blurred sight of a familiar setting made me blink a few times to reconfirm that what I was seeing wasn¡¯t a dream. From the looks of it, I seemed to be back in my old body. Getting up from the couch that I was sitting on, I left my room in the castle. A young maid, who had been waiting for me just outside, greeted me respectfully immediately on sight.


    "G-good morning King Grey."


    I didn¡¯t even bother ncing towards her direction, walking as she followed a couple meters away.


    Reaching the courtyard where all of the trainees were lined up with swords held in front of them I turned my attention to the instructors yelling at them about proper stance and breathing. When one of them saws me, he immediately turned and gave a firm military salute, with the other instructors and trainees following suit.


    I simply motioned for them to continue before continuing. Reaching my destination, I pushed open the double doors, arriving in front of an aged man with a head of thick white hair that matched his long beard, and emerald eyes that shined with a sense of cunning wisdom and knowledge. He was the head of The Council, Marlorn.


    While I held the position of "King" I couldn¡¯t help but consider myself as just a glorified soldier. The one¡¯s who actually governed the country, managing the politics and economy, was The Council


    So what was came of my position as King?


    The title of King meant that I was actually more of a one-man army. Due to the decreasing numbers of children born and limited amount of resources, The Councils of each country assembled and, after countless months of discussion and arguments, came to the conclusion that if wars continued to exist, we would eventually wipe ourselves out.


    Getting rid of war would lead to two major oues: decrease in the death count, leading to a poption growth, and a decrease in destroyed harvestablend and resources from the result of nuclear arms. The solution that they came up with and enacted was to rece wars with a different form ofbat.


    What reced wars became known as the Paragon Duels. Whenever there was a dispute on a level that impacted the state of the country, a Paragon Duel would be dered, with each country sending in a representative that they deemed was the strongest.


    Looking up, Marlorn eximed with the standard fake, picturesque smile that seemed to be an inborn trait amongst politicians, "King Grey! What brings you to my humble dwelling?"


    "I¡¯m retiring."


    Without even giving him the chance to react, I unclipped my badge, a piece of metal so sought after by every practitioner, and mmed it on his giant oakwood desk, walking out the door.


    What have I been living for all these years? I was an orphan who had been brought up in a camp designed to raise duelers. I was twenty-eight, yet I¡¯ve never dated, never loved. I¡¯ve spent my whole life until now solely for the sake of being the strongest.


    And for what...


    Admiration? Money? Glory?


    I had all of that, but never in a million years would I choose to have that over what I had in the town of Ashber.


    I missed Alice. I missed Reynolds. I missed Durden. I missed Jasmine. I missed Helen. I missed Ang. I even missed Adam.


    ...Mother...


    ...Father...


    "COUGH!! COUGH!"


    I opened my eyes again, with towering trees and dangling vines filling my vision as Iy on my back. However, this time, the excruciating pain that I was weed by told me I wasn¡¯t dreaming.


    Where was I?


    How was I alive?


    I tried to getting up, but my body doesn¡¯t listen. The only thing I was able to manage was turn my head, and even that involved a series of throbbing pains in my neck.


    Looking to my right, I spotted my knapsack. I slowly turned my head to my left, gritting my teeth through the pain.


    My eyes widened at the sight and I immediately had to resist the urge to vomit. To my left was what was left of the conjurer I had dragged down with me. A pool of blood surrounded the corpse, whose body probably had more broken bones than ones still intact. I could see the white bones of his ribs jutting out of the sunken cavity of the chest with a pile of his entrails beside him. His limbs were sprawled out at unnatural angles, with the mage¡¯s skull shattered in the back with some brain matter oozing out along with blood.


    His face was frozen into an expression of surprise and disbelief, except for hispletely red eyes, as a trail of dried blood was still visible from his eye sockets. I couldn¡¯t turn my head away fast enough. With my already weakened body being assaulted with both the gruesome sight and repugnant smell, I vomited what was left in my stomach until I was left gagging dry heaves.


    Even in my past life, I had nevere across such a badly mangled corpse. With the nauseating stench and insects feasting on the gore, I couldn¡¯t help but feel sick. With parts of my face and neck covered in my own regurgitation, I finally managed to turn my head to rid my sight of the mage¡¯s grotesque remains.


    How was I still alive?


    I couldn¡¯t help wondering what had happened while I was unconscious. Clearly, the mage was alive up until thending... so what happened to me?


    I should look very simr to this corpse right about now, maybe even worse, but not only was I okay, I don¡¯t even seem to have a broken bone.


    I pondered over the possible answers until I was interrupted by a strong grumble from my stomach.


    Again, I tried getting up, fighting through my body¡¯s protests; the only parts of my body that seem to be listening to me as of now was my right arm and my neck up. I willed mana into my right arm and used my fingers to w my way, dragging my body, to reach my knapsack. It couldn¡¯t have been more than a meter away, but it took over what felt like an hour until I finally managed to reach it. Pulling it closer to me, I rummaged through it with my only able hand until I found what I was looking for: the dried berries and nuts my mother had packed!


    I seeded in pouring a mouthful of the snack that I brought only because of my mother¡¯s insistence. My throat, surprised by the sudden flood of food, responded by leaving me in a choking fit of coughs, leading me to another round of agony in my body. Fumbling for the water sack inside my knapsack, I slowly poured a bit of the water into my mouth before cing another handful of the snack into my mouth. Tears rolling down the sides of my face and into my ears, I continued chewing on the dried rations until passing out again, using my knapsack as a makeshift nket.


    My eyes fluttered open as I stirred awake from the brisk bite of cold. Looking around, the position of the first rays of light peaking through the mountains me it was dawn.


    This time, I was able to get up, but only with the help of mana. I carefully inspected all of my body, making sure everything was in ce before allowing myself to rx.


    First thing¡¯s first. I made my way to the corpse of the mage while trying to avoid looking at the heinous injuries that caused his demise. Spotting the knife I was looking for, I quickly jerked it out of his thigh.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how long I would have to be here so having a weapon was critical.


    ¡¯Oh, you¡¯re awake.¡¯


    I instantly got into a fighting stance, gritting through the pain from the sudden movement, with my knife in hand, turning to face the carcass.


    I swear to God if this corpse is the one that¡¯s talking...


    A melodic chuckle made me look around for the source of the voice.


    ¡¯Do not worry. You won¡¯t have to worry about that corpse reanimating.¡¯


    The voice that seemed toe out of nowhere had a dignified, yet soft quality emanating a sense of royalty. It was powerful and resonant, yet silky and soothing sound that made you want to trust it.


    Still on guard, I managed to mutter a less than elegant response.


    "Who are you? Are you the one that saved me?"


    "Yes, to your second question. As for the first, you will soon find out when you arrive at my dwelling."


    This voice seemed awfully sure that I would try and find it.


    As if reading my thoughts, she continued, "I am the only one that will be able to get you home from this ce, so I advise you to make haste."


    That jerked some sense into me. That¡¯s right! I had to get back home! Mother! Father! The Twin Horns! My baby sibling! Are they alright? Did they reach Xyrus safely?


    If the voice could really take me back home, I had no choice but to find it.


    "Ahem, dear uhh... Mr. Voice. May I ask for the directions to your location so that you may bless me with your presence?"


    The voice let out another soft chuckle before replying with, "Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little rude to call ady ¡¯Mister¡¯? And yes, I¡¯ll show you the way."


    Ahh... so it was ady.


    Immediately, my vision shifted into a bird¡¯s-eye view. Zooming out, a location that was roughly around a day¡¯s trip to the east came into sight and lighted up before my vision shifted back to normal.


    "I rmend departing immediately. It will be a lot safer traveling during the day than when it gets dark." Gently chided the voice.


    "Yes Ma¡¯am!" I quickly picked up my knapsack before trotting towards my destination.


    It became less painful with each step and, by mid-morning, I was only left with a few aches here and there. Whatever thatdy did was some powerful magic. I¡¯ve never heard or read of casting a spell with that much of a distance. Or maybe she left after casting the spell right before Inded? Then how could she have known that we were falling, and why did she only save me? The more I tried to solve the mystery, the more questions I seemed to end up with.


    Hearing a faint gurgling sound, I headed towards the direction, spotting a narrow stream.


    "Yes!" I eximed.


    I was absolutely filthy. My face and neck still had the stench of stomach acid, while my clothes were torn and caked with grime. Almost sprinting, I cannonballed into the stream, vigorously scrubbing clean my face and body. Taking off my clothes and after briefly washing them, Iid them down on a nearby rock to dry. After finishing the refreshing bath, I walked towards my still damp clothes when...


    ¡¯Kukuku... how pleasantly carefree.¡¯


    Reflexively, both my hands shot down to cover my precious area as I hunched my back, trying to make my body as small as possible.


    ¡¯Don¡¯t worry, there wasn¡¯t much to see.¡¯ I shuddered as I almost felt the Voice wink at me.


    How rude! My pride...


    Grumbling, I almost wanted to argue that my body wasn¡¯t developed, but I chose to ignore the Voice and put on my clothes.


    ¡¯Aww... don¡¯t pout. I apologize,¡¯ the Voice stifled augh.


    Calm your mind, Arthur. A king must be calm...


    After I put on my clothes, the perverted voice seemed to go silent. Not minding too much, I rummaged through my bag and dug out thest of my dried rations. Water wasn¡¯t going to be a problem for a while since I had just refilled my water sack, but I would need food soon; hopefully the voice would provide me with something.


    Looking around, I begin wondering where I was. Since I fell off the mountain towards the east, I must be near the elves¡¯ domain. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m in the Forest of Elshire because I¡¯m not surrounded by fog. Was I in the Beast des? No. There weren¡¯t any mana beasts... I spotted a few rabbits and birds, but I¡¯ve yet to see anything else. Something even stranger that I noticed a bit before was the abundance of mana in this ce. It was mostly due to the richness of mana that I was able to recover from my initial state so quickly. Although that still doesn¡¯t exin how I survived in the first ce, I hoped that the source behind the voice would tell me.


    I should hurry.


    Aside from the fact that there was no road, it turned out to be a pretty uneventfully peaceful trip, with minimal obstacles and terrains I had to go around. As I drew near the location of the voice, the density in mana was getting richer and thicker. Ignoring the temptation to stop and absorb the surrounding mana, I ventured on. Training wasn¡¯t important right now. I needed to get home.


    Since everyone probably assumed that I was dead, I couldn¡¯t help but worry about Mother and Father. Not so much physically, but for their mental health. I¡¯m concerned Mother and Father wouldn¡¯t forgive themselves for my death. The only thought thatforted me was the fact that my mother was pregnant. Yes. At least for the sake of my unborn brother or sister, they¡¯d stay strong.


    I reached the area where the Voice directed me towards, but I was unable to see anything besides a cluster of rocks surrounded by a cluster of trees.


    ¡¯I¡¯m d you were able to make it here safely,¡¯ the Voice echoed confidently, as if it already knew I would.


    "Nice to meet you uhh... Ma¡¯am? Miss. Rocks?


    ¡¯I¡¯m not a rock, nor a cluster of them. There is a crevice between the back of the adjacent rocks. That¡¯s where I¡¯ll be,¡¯ the Voice chuckled.


    Looking around, I managed to spot the small gap, about the width of an adult, between two of therger rocks that were leaning against each other. The slight breezeing out from the crevice told me I had found what I was looking for. If it weren¡¯t for the Voice directing me to this exact location, I would never have even noticed the small fissure.


    ¡¯Child. Go on and enter through the crevice, but strengthen yourself with mana before you do.¡¯


    I can finally meet Mother and Father soon!


    Without a second¡¯s hesitation, I slipped in through the gap easily while willing the mana to strengthen my body.


    I had expected a tform to step on but instead, I immediately plummeted down the dark hole.


    The voice had failed to warn me that I was going to be doing a vertical fall.


    ¡¯I guess that was why she mentioned using mana to me¡¯ was the thought that ran through my head as I descended, screaming at the top of my four-year-old lungs.


    Rubbing my butt, groaning, I slowly supported myself up.


    "We finally meet child."


    I felt the blood drain from my face as my mouth gape open and eyes bulge. Feeling lightheaded as my legs failed to support me, I crumbled back onto my aching butt, staring at the one who¡¯s been helping me this whole time.

 Chapter 9: Ones Held Dear

    "W-What are you?" I managed to stammer out.


    Despite having lived two lives, what my eyes saw, my brain refused to believe. A monster, for ack of a better word, which easily towered over ten meters high, was seated cross-legged, on a crudely carved throne of jagged stone with an armzily supporting its head. With petrifying red eyes that gazed down at me, while menacing, carried an oddly tranquil quality. Two massive horns protruded out the of sides of its head, arched down and around it¡¯s skull, curving up to a point near the front, reminding me of something almost akin to a crown. It had a mouth with two fangs peeking out of its lips and while its body was adorned in a sleek ck armor that had neither decorations nor embellishments, it still glowed with the quality of a priceless treasure.


    Reiterating the fact that I was once a king, still, this being that stood before me now made me embarrassed of even having the nerve to call myself one. No, the one sitting on that giant throne was a being that would make even the most unfaithful heretics bow down in submission.


    Yet here it was, in all of its glory... with its head resting on its arm, while its other hand nonchntly scratched its nose.


    What I had failed to notice until now, though, because of the dim lighting in the cave and its body beingpletely ck, was that this being had a gaping hole in the side of it¡¯s chest, blood continuously oozing out.


    "We finally meet," it repeated with azy half smile that revealed a row of pointed teeth.


    I tried getting up, but failed halfway and end up back on my butt, my face still ck from the shock of what my eyes were seeing.


    "Bugs will fly into your mouth if you keep it open that wide."


    Great. At least it has a sense of humor.


    "As for what I am, I won¡¯t say anything more than what you can see from looking," the horned humanoid monster said with its eyes seeming to gaze straight through me.


    "..."


    "It is going to take to a while for me to open a dimensional rift that will transport you to your house, so until then, just be patient and wait here. There are special roots that grow here. You will be able to live off those until I finish," it sighed.


    That¡¯s right. That¡¯s what I was here to do. I managed to regain a bit of myposure and I stood up, walking a little closer to the being.


    Giving a courteous bow, I replied, "Thank you for everything you¡¯ve done for me and what you will do. If there is any way I can repay you, I will do for you whatever is in my power."


    "Such good manners for a child. Do not worry; I am expecting neither a favor nor your gratitude. I am simply doing this for my own amusement. Come! Sit here closer to me and keep mepany. I haven¡¯t talked to anyone in a while," the beingughed, patting an area of its throne for me to sit on.


    I climbed up the tform rather awkwardly, forgetting to use mana to just jump up, and I propped myself on the throne next to the being.


    "Uhh... excuse me for being rude, but you don¡¯t exactly look like ady. How should I exactly address you as?" I said, making eye contact with the being.


    "You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t exactly look like ady, now do I? I wonder why I said that. My name is Sylvia," she replied, letting out a soft chuckle.


    This giant demon lord-like monster looked like anything but a Sylvia to me, but I chose to keep that to myself.


    "Elder Sylvia, do you mind if I ask a few questions?"


    "Go ahead young one, although I may not be able to answer everything."


    I immediately rattled off all of the questions that had been on my mind ever since waking up and after meeting Sylvia. "Where is this ce? Why were you here all alone? Where did youe from? Why do you have that huge wound? ... Why did you save me?


    She patiently waited for me to finish before replying.


    "You must have had a lot on your mind. The first question is easy to answer. This ce is a narrow zone that is between the Beast des and the Forest of Elshire. No one knows of this ce because I¡¯ve been warding off anyone who came close, although the cases are rare in the first ce. You, young child, are the first to enter into this domain," she easily exined.


    "Please call me Art! My name is Arthur Leywin but everyone calls me Art! You can too!" I blurted out before shutting my mouth with my hands, confused as to why I was acting like an excited child.


    "Kukuku... Very well child, I will call you Art!" Her red eyes zed, looking afar while answering my next questions.


    "Continuing on to your second question. I am here alone simply because I have no one left to be with. While I do not think telling you everything would be wise, I will tell you that I have many enemies that desperately wish for something that I have; myst battle with my enemies left this wound. As for where Ie from... very far away, haha."


    There was a moment of pause before Sylvia continued on, this time her eyes looking straight at me, almost studying me.


    "As for why I saved you... even I do not fully know the answer to that question. Perhaps I have been alone for far too long and I simply wished to have someone to talk to. I first noticed you when your party was engaged in battle with the bandits. When you fell off the cliff to save your mother, I feltpelled to save you, thinking it was a waste for such a good child to die. You are very brave. It is rare for even an adult to be able to do that."


    I shook my head. "I was scared too and I didn¡¯t have much of an option. I just wanted to save my mother and my baby sibling inside her." I didn¡¯t know if it was from the gentle way she talked or because of how big and powerful she seems but in front of her, I seemed to turn into a child. No, I was a child in front of her.


    "I see... Your mother was pregnant. You must miss them dearly. Rest assured, your family and party are safe. As for where they have gone, my sight cannot reach far enough to tell anymore."


    "..."


    A wave of relief washed over me as I had to do my utmost to keep tears from falling.


    I see, they¡¯re safe. This new life brought about emotions I had thought never experienced in my previous life.


    "Thank God. Th-they¡¯re alive...they¡¯re okay..." I let out sniffle.


    Sylvia¡¯s giant hand reached down as she softly patted my head with a finger.


    The day passed by with me conversing with Sylvia, picking up some roots in between to eat that looked and tasted very simr to potatoes but were ck in color.


    We talked about all sorts of things to pass the time as she prepared to open a portal. At one point, she asked me how I was able to use mana so well at my age.


    "I was under the impression that amongst humans, the earliest mage to have awakened so far was the age of ten, and even then, because the child couldn¡¯t grasp how to use it, there was very little he could do with it. Yet, not only have you already formed your mana core, but, by the way you use your mana, you seem to be more efficient than a lot of full-fledged mages."


    I just shrugged, feeling oddly proud by herpliment. "My parents said I was a genius or something. I can read really well and I get what the pictures and words in the books are saying."


    A few more days trickled by as Sylvia continued preparing the portal.


    In a regretful tone, she exined one day, "The spell will take some time in order for it to bepletely safe. I do not wish for you tond in a destination you are not familiar with. Even one inconsistency can lead to you being transported a couple hundred meters off the ground. Please be patient; you will be able to see your loved ones soon."


    I nodded and said that as long as I knew they¡¯re alive, I was fine with waiting. It beat trying to climb back up the edge of the mountain.


    These past couple of days, while I trained my mana core and chatted with Sylvia, I noticed a few things.


    Sylvia really made me think of the clich¨¦, "Don¡¯t judge a book by its cover." Contrary her intimidating appearance, she was kind, gentle, patient, and warm. She reminded me of my mother, in the way that they both scolded me while being tender when I did something wrong. I mentioned how the mage that I fought, as well as the other bandits, deserved worse deaths than they had when she suddenly flicked my forehead..


    Even though she was gentle, a flick of a finger from someone over 10 meters high was nothing to make light of. I was sent tumbling on the ground before angrily spouting, "What was that for?"


    Picking me up and setting me on her armored knee, she said in a soft but pained tone, "Art. Perhaps you are not wrong in that those bandits did deserve death; even I chose not to save that mage you fell with for the same reasons. However, do not let your heart be clouded with continuous thoughts of hatred and the sort. Continue on proudly with your life and gain the strength to protect your loved ones from harm. Along the way, you wille to face situations like before, maybe even worse, but don¡¯t let the grief and rage corrode your heart but move on and learn to better yourself from those experiences so it won¡¯t happen again."


    I blinked, a bit stunned by the fact that I was being lectured on morals by someone that looked like the epitome of evil herself. Strangely, it stuck to me as I just responded with a nk nod.


    Another thing I noticed was that her wound seemed to be getting bigger. At first, I found it somewhat odd that she could still be alive with a gaping hole on the side of her chest, but I grew numbed to it. That is... until a couple days ago, I noticed the wound seemed to be bleeding a more profusely. Sylvia tried to hide it at first with her hand, but it was growing more and more obvious.


    Noticing my concerned gaze towards the wound, Sylvia gave me a weak smile and said, "Do not worry little one, this wound festers from time to time."


    One day, as I was meditating and using strict movement techniques to better control my mana, Sylvia suddenly interrupted, "Art. Try absorbing mana while you are making movements. Ideally you should be able to absorb at least a fraction of the mana you would during meditation while you are fighting. Although you would be spending mana faster than you can absorb mana, you will be able to prolong the usage of your mana."


    That brought about memories of me thinking about this exact idea. I had forgotten about testing my hypothesis since I wasn¡¯t able to move as freely as I could now. I was used to having absorption of mana and the maniption of mana as two separate things that I hadn¡¯t stopped to think about the possibilities in this new world.


    "Let me try," I nodded.


    "Humans have a very linear mindset in regards to mana and find it hard to deviate from anything that already works. Practice hard now though, because you can only acquire this skill while both your body and mana core are immature. Even mana beasts learn to do this naturally, but humans awaken much toote and in most cases, their bodies are not adept for this ability when they first awaken. Considering you are so young, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem if you practice," continued Sylvia with a proud puff of her nose.


    I had to admit that, like testing most theories, it was extremely difficult at first. It reminded me of the exercises my caretaker at the orphanage had showed us when I was younger, the ones where you tried to make each of your arms do something different... except much harder.


    Practicing this essentially meant being able to fight proficiently while still maintaining a constant inward flow of mana. Sylvia¡¯s only advice was that, ording to her, an exceptional mage must be able to split his thinking mind into multiple segments in order to process information at efficient speed. While I¡¯ve never had a teacher tell me to split my mind, I tried doing as she said. Needless to say, I had never tripped over my own body so many times in this and my previous lifebined.


    This, at least, seemed to get a few hearty chuckles of amusement out of Sylvia.


    Two months had passed since then as I kept Sylviapany with stories of my family and the town I was born in, while continuing to improve in the technique thanks to Sylvia¡¯s patience and my diligence.


    Sylvia refused to tell me the name of this skill, so I named it myself: Mana Rotation.


    Over this period of time, it would be an understatement to say I¡¯ve merely gotten close to Sylvia. She had treated me like her own blood grandson and, in response, I¡¯ve grown attached to this demon lord grandmother. It was because of our growing rtionship that I wasn¡¯t able to simply ignore what was happening.


    It was frustratingly clear that her wound was growing worse as the portal responsible for taking me home was bing more distinct.


    "Sylvia, please tell me what¡¯s happening to your wound? Why is it getting worse? It wasn¡¯t like this before! You saying it was only a fester every now and then was clearly a lie! This isn¡¯t going to go away on it¡¯s own, it¡¯s actually getting worse!" I frustratingly voiced my concern one especially bad night after she had vomited a pool of blood.


    I paused for a second, struck with realization...


    Why didn¡¯t I notice this before?


    She had been getting worse while creating the portal.


    In order to send me home...


    She was sacrificing her life so I can meet my family.


    Sylvia let out a deep breath, knowing that I had realized what was going on. Managing a sheepish smile, Sylvia whispered, "Art. Yes I am dying. But I will get angry if you me yourself, thinking that you are causing this. I have been dying for quite a while now. You are doing me a favor by allowing me to leave this forsaken cave a bit faster."


    As soon as she finished speaking, a bright golden glow radiated out of her body. Shielding my eyes from going blind, I tried to focus on the shape forming from where Sylvia once sat. In ce of the ten-meter titan-like figure was a dragon evenrger. From her snout to the end of her tail, she was a d in a pearl white coat of shimmering scales. Beneath her iridescentvender eyes were glowing golden runes that marked her neck and ran down to spread around her body and tail like a sacred engravings. These markings reminded me of a very elegant, almost celestial, tribal pattern, branching out harmoniously and with purpose like carefully ced vines. The dragon¡¯s wings were pure white adorned with white ded feathers so fine and sharp that they could put swords forged by master smiths to shame.


    The golden light enveloping the dragon dimmed until it fully reced the once titan-shaped being.


    "There now... Do I look a bit more like a Sylvia?" Sylvia let out a toothy smirk.


    "S-Sylvia?? Y..you¡¯re a dragon?" I said.


    "Now That I am in this form, we do not have much time. Yes, I am something you humans refer to us as ¡¯a dragon¡¯. The reason I am dying is because I had been inflicted with this wound after narrowly escaping from my captors. I had sensed one of them approaching dangerously close a few days ago, so I feel that my time of hiding is drawing to an end. This form will alert them of my location, which is why I only have time to exin what is necessary. I am giving you this to take care of from now on."


    One of her ded wings unfolded and revealed a translucent, rainbow-colored stone the size of two fists. With a myriad of colors and shades, this stone resonated an aura that made me hesitate in holding it, as if I wasn¡¯t worthy.


    Without waiting for me to respond, she continued, "Everything will reveal itself when the timees so just hold onto this and do not let anyone know that you have this. Most will not know what it is but everyone will be attracted by the aura it emits."


    Sylvia then proceeded to pluck a feather from her wings with her w and hand it to me. "Wrap the stone in this to conceal it."


    After doing as told, the once divine radiant stone merely appeared to be a smooth white rock, pretty, but ordinary.


    While I was studying the feather-encased stone, I was suddenly pushed back as Sylvia¡¯s snout gently brushed against my chest where my mana core was.


    Taken aback, I looked up to see Sylvia¡¯s purple eyes and the gold markings ze brighter than they had when she first transformed. As the markings grew dimmer and then disappeared, Sylvia pierced her tongue into my core and wisped out a golden smoke that crackled in sparks of purple.


    A sharp yelp escaped my mouth as I blinked, confused and surprised. I continued to just stare at her as she moved her head back, leaving a trail of blood from a hole in my worn down shirt. My sternum had bled, but when I ran my hand through the area, there was no wound.


    Sylvia¡¯s expression had grown visibly pained and weak; it was apparent even for a mighty dragon that was even bigger than her previous illusion. What caught my attention, though, was that her once shimmering purple irises were now just a dim yellow with the beautiful runes that flowed across her face and body now gone.


    Before I had the chance to ask what she had done, a giant explosion interrupted me.


    I whipped my head up to see that the ceiling of the cave had been blown off and what came into vision was a figure that reminded me of Sylvia¡¯s previous form.


    d in sleek ck armor and a blood red cape that matched its eyes. The figure¡¯s pale grey skin matched the clouded sky in the background. The horns were different, though, as this entity had two horns that curled down and under its ears, lining its chin.


    Sylvia immediately covered me with one of her wings in time to protect me from the falling debris and probably keep me hidden from our visitor.


    "Lady Sylvia! I advise you to stop your stubbornness and hand it over. You¡¯ve already caused us quite the trouble after hiding yourself! If you submit, the Lord may even heal your wound," the entity reasoned impatiently.


    Immediately after he had finished speaking, the world around me seemed to pause. Everything but Sylvia and myself, the colors of the world were as though it was being seen through an inverted lense. What surprised me the most was that everything was still. The entity, the clouds behind him, and even the falling debris of the ceiling.


    Ignoring the enemy, Sylvie casually peeked underneath her wing. "I¡¯ll open the portal now. I didn¡¯t have the time to make it go directly to your home but it should take you to a ce with humans nearby. Do not let him see you and do not look back," she whispered, her eyes solemn.


    I ignored Sylvia¡¯s instructions after I heard what the entity had promised. "Sylvia! Is what he said true? If you turn yourself over, will you be able to live?"


    "Do not trust his honey-coated words. It will be worse off for you if you are found right now. As for me, I would rather die than go back to where he is," Sylvia said, impatience and anger mixed in her voice.


    "No! I won¡¯t let you die here. If you refuse to go with him, then please, juste with me!" I begged.


    "Unfortunately I cannot go with you. You will forever be in danger if any one of them finds out you have had contact with me. I need to stay here."


    Sylvia gently wiped my cheeks with a w, her draconic eyes lined with what I saw as tears.


    "You asked me once, why I chose to save you. The truth was to satisfy my own greed. I wanted to keep you as my own child even for just a little bit. I intentionally prolonged the transportation spell because I wished to spend more time with you, but it seems I didn¡¯t even have the chance to finish it. I¡¯m sorry, little Art, for my selfishness but I have onest request to make... can you be my grandson and call me grandmother just this once?"


    "NOO! I don¡¯t care about all of that! I¡¯ll say it as much as you want if youe with me! Grandma! Grandma! You can¡¯t! Not like this!"


    "I-I-I... Please, I¡¯m begging you, juste with me. I-I don¡¯t know what you did but everything is frozen right now; we can escape! Please, Grandmother, don¡¯t go. Not like this!" I held on to Sylvia¡¯s w, desperately trying to pull her away with me.


    In myst moment with her, Sylvia¡¯s face blossomed into such a beautiful smile that I swear I thought I saw a human.


    I could barely make out the words she said, before she pushed me into the portal.


    "Thank you my child."

 Chapter 10: Road Ahead

    The trip through the dimensional rift invoked a very peculiar sensation. It felt as if I was trapped in the middle of a fast forwarded movie scene. My surroundings were whizzing by in an indistinct blur of colors as I sat on my ass, staring nkly off in the distance with no more tears left to cry.


    The ground Inded on cushioned my fall with a pile of leaves and vines. It didn¡¯t matter, though. Even if Inded on jagged rocks, I probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed.


    I remained in same, seated position I was in during the trip, not even bothering to take in my surroundings.


    She was gone.


    I would never have the chance to see her again.


    Those two thoughts triggered another wave of emotions as I heaved out dry sobs.


    I began recalling the near four months we had spent together; how caring she was, treating me like her own blood. I didn¡¯t care that she had prolonged sending me home so that I would stay with her. Through the short time I had been with Sylvia, she taught me so much and given me insight that I had beencking sinceing to this world.


    Sumbing to the faculty of my mind that desired sleep in order to cope with the pain, I curled up into a ball where Inded when a searing pain props me back up.


    The burning sensation spread from my mana core throughout my body until a voice echoed in my head.


    "Ahem! Testing, testing... Ah good! Hello Art, this is Sylvia."


    My heart fluttered as I instantly responded to the voice. "Sylvia! I¡¯m here! Can you hear..."


    "If you¡¯re listening to this right now, it means I have shown you what I actually am..."


    Ah, it was some kind of recording that she had infused into me when she gouged that small hole into my mana core.


    "... You¡¯re nowhere near ready right now to know the whole truth. Knowing you, if I were to have told you who that figure in the sky had been, you would have brashly tried and fight. Little Art, you are barely passed the age of four. Upon looking at your mana core, I have realized that you have a rare talent seeing that your mana core is already dark red in color. I will leave you with this: I have infused with you my unique will. This is something iparable to a normal beast will. Your future progress as a mage depends on how well you will be able to use my will that is embedded into your mana core..."


    Was that why the purple in her eyes and golden patterns disappeared?


    "The moment your mana core reaches a level past the white stage is when you will hear from me again. At that time, I will exin everything and what you do from there is your choice."


    There was a stage past white?


    "Lastly, Art... I know you may be in grief, but remember that you have your family to look out for and the stone I entrusted you with. My only wish is for you to embrace the joys and innocence of childhood, train hard, and make your parents and I proud. Do not go chasing after shadows in a fit of rage. Killing the ones that are responsible for my death will neither bring me back to life nor make you feel better. There is a reason for everything and I do not regret what has happened. With this, I bid you farewell for now. Remember, protect your family and the stone, study what I have left you, and enjoy this life, King Grey."


    "..."


    That name and title was from my previous world.


    She had known the entire time...


    Did she discover something in my mana core? Was she able to look into my memories? So many questions but the only one who could answer them was gone.


    I refused to move for a long time, staying in my cozy fetal position, deep in thought.


    Sylvia was right. She had said all of this knowing what my life back in my old world was like. I can¡¯t make the same mistake of living for the sake of solely pursuing strength. I wanted to be strong, but I also want to live my life without regret. I want to live a life that Sylvia would be proud of. I don¡¯t think she¡¯d be happy even if I reached whatever stage was after white while living a life of only training. No, I needed to hurry and reach my family.


    But before that... where the hell was I?


    Looking around, trees that towered high over my head surrounded me. There was a dense fog that loomed thickly a couple centimeters off the ground, filling the air with nearly palpable moisture.


    Trees and an unnaturally thick fog...


    I sank back on my butt, crestfallen at what this could only mean.


    I was in the Forest of Elshire


    A disheartened sigh escaped from my mouth as I picked myself up.


    It seems like I won¡¯t be meeting my family anytime soon. It had been over four months since I had fallen off of the cliff. My family had most likely either gone back to Ashber or had maybe even decided to stay in Xyrus.


    I didn¡¯t have any sort of provisions except for the clothes on my back and the strange stone that was wrapped in Sylvia¡¯s feather. This cursed fog limited my vision to about a few meters around me. While reinforcing my eyes with mana helped quite a bit, that didn¡¯t solve the even bigger problem of how to get out of this ce.


    I reinforced my body, enabling mana rotation that had be second nature to me by now. Right now, I could only absorb about roughly twenty percent of what I could do while just meditating, but I couldn¡¯tin.


    The only downside to mana rotation was that it wasn¡¯t a recement for strengthening your mana core. In order for me to purify my mana core and get it to the next stages, I need to solely focus on gathering mana, from both my body and the surrounding atmosphere, and use that to get rid of the impurities little by little. One notable thing I felt was that after getting my mana core to dark red, the amount of mana I could store inside increased significantly. While the size doesn¡¯t increase, I¡¯m guessing the purity allows more mana to be stored.


    I climbed a few branches up the nearest tree and situated myself once I got high enough. I focused mana into only my eyes, enhancing my vision even further.


    What I was looking for wasn¡¯t a way out but more so for any signs of humans. Sylvia had said that I would be teleported close to humans so I was hoping that there may be adventurers traveling through here that would direct me out, or even escort me.


    After about ten minutes of searching, jumping from tree to tree, I found what I was looking for.


    I hopped a few more trees, feeling quite proud of my primate nimbleness, stopping at a branch just a few meters away. Hiding myself behind the thick trunk, I observed the group of humans.


    Something was off.


    I hid myselfpletely behind the trunk and closed my eyes, imbuing mana into my ears.


    "NOOO! HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP! MOMMY! DADDY! NOOO I¡¯M SCARED!!!"


    "Someone shut her up! She¡¯s going to attract attention!"


    *THUD*


    "Quick. Put her in the back of the carriage. We¡¯re only a few days away from the mountain range. We¡¯ll be safer then. Don¡¯t rx and keep moving."


    "Hey, Boss? How much do ya reckon she¡¯ll sell for? Elf girls go for a lot, don¡¯t they? Hehe, she¡¯s a child too so a virgin at that! I bet she¡¯ll fetch us a lot of money, huh!"


    ve traders!


    I carefully took a peek to spot the small-sized carriage, enough to tightly cram in about five or six adults. I turned back around just in time to see a middle-aged man hauling a little girl into the back of the carriage. She looked to be around six or seven, with a silvery hue in her hair and the trademark pointed ears that elves were known for.


    What should I do? How were they even able to kidnap one in the first ce? The Elshire Forest¡¯s magical fog was supposed to disorient the senses of even the most capable mage.


    After a few more seconds of observing, I found my answer.


    Attached to leashes were mana beasts that looked like a mix between a deer and a dog, with antlers that branched out, looking like aplicated satellite. They were mentioned briefly in the encyclopedia I had always carried with me. The forest hounds were native to the Forest of Elshire and could navigate even better than the elves could.


    How those brutes acquired forest hounds, I had no idea but I needed to think of a n.


    Option one: Steal one of the forest hounds and have it lead me out of the forest.


    Option two: Kidnap the kidnapped elf girl to have her lead me out of the forest.


    Option three: Kill all of the ve traders and set the elf girl free, then take the forest hounds and have them lead me out of the forest.


    Pondering for a couple of minutes, I¡¯m faced with a dilemma. Option one would be easiest, but it didn¡¯t sit right with me to just leave the elf girl.


    But then again, who knows... maybe she¡¯ll get bought by a kind old man who will free and take her back to her home.


    ...Fat chance...


    Option two had the obvious w that, once I saved the elf, she wouldn¡¯t lead me out of the forest and just insist on going back home and the ve traders probably wouldn¡¯t take it too kindly. Option three had the best oue, but was by far the most pain in the butt, considering that there were four of them and only one of me. Because of the fog, I couldn¡¯t sense if any of them were mages but it was safe to assume that at least one of them would be. Being able to capture an elf in the forest meant that they were either very lucky, or were professionals.


    After letting out another deep breath, I couldn¡¯t help but notice how often I sighed these days. Option three it was.


    After hours of observation, I had learned enough about them to make a move. I waited until nightfall to take my n into action. Despite their rustic appearances, the ve traders were surprisingly vignt; they never built a fire and always kept two people on guard at all times.


    After stirring up the forest hounds with a carefully thrown rock, I made my move as soon as one of the two on guard went around to the other side of the carriage to quiet them.


    The one that stayed behind was sitting on a fallen log, fiddling with something in his hands while the other two were sleeping inside the tent. Carefully, jumping to a branch directly above the carriage, I prepared for my attack.


    My first target would be the one that had gone to quiet the forest hounds first.


    I dropped down with a quiet thud behind one of the ve traders. This man had a verynky build. While lean muscles were visible, he didn¡¯t seem too strong and was only armed with a long knife.


    Startled by the soft thud,nky turned around probably expecting a curious weasel or rat. His face twisted into a mixture of surprise and amusement when he saw me, a four-year-old child in ragged clothes.


    But before he had the chance to even speak, I lunged upward towards his neck. I infused mana into the de of my hand, turning it into a sharp edge. This was called the swordless art in my old world but here it would be more urate to call it a wind attribute technique.


    He flinched back reflexively, his hands trying to reach where his face was to guard against the boy shooting towards him.


    It was toote.


    I take a quick swipe at the jugr, taking his vocal chord out along with his carotid artery. A stream of blood sprayed out of his neck immediately as Ind behind him, supporting his lifeless body and gently cing him down to avoid making noise. Just as expected, the forest hounds that had just been calmed down by the Lanky jolted back awake at the stench of blood causing them to howl and bark.


    "Ey Pinky! Can¡¯t even calm the hounds...What the?!"


    I had already picked up... Pinky¡¯s knife and was waiting for him at the back corner of the carriage.


    While the other ve trader¡¯s attention was directed at the corpse of Pinky, currently being eaten by the forest hounds, I jumped out from behind and stabbed the side of his neck with the knife.


    The hounds quieted down while devouring the two corpses. As I headed towards the tent to dispose of the remaining two in their sleep, a shrill cry ruined my ns.


    "HELLLLP! MOMMY! SOMEONE! ANYONE! PLEASEE!!"


    Son of a... why now of all times?


    On cue, I heard the rustle of the tent as the two ve traders that were left hade out. "Pinky! Deuce! The kid is awake! What the hell are you guys..." He barked, still half asleep.


    I swallowed down the inappropriate urge tough at the ridiculous names of the ve traders, and hid myself behind a tree next to the carriage and infuse mana into Pinky¡¯s knife.


    Sensing something was amiss, the two remaining ve traders carefully stepped around to the other side of the carriage where their eyes bulged upon upon witnessing their two formerpanions being eaten by the forest hounds.


    Using this chance, I attacked the nearest one when his gaze whips back at me and instantly swings his short sword at my face.


    Dodging the sh, I dropped low and dashed toward him, trying to get in the range of my knife. I swung, reinforcing more mana into the knife,nding a clean wound through his right leg¡¯s Achilles¡¯ heel.


    "Gah!!" he let out a pained howl as he dives desperately out of my range before I could do any further damage.


    "Danton, be careful! I think this brat is a mage," the fighter, whose tendon I just severed, cried.


    I turned my attention to Danton as he pulled out his sword from its sheath and lower into a defensive stance.


    "You see all sorts of crazy things these days! Looks like a huge sack of gold just showed itself in front of us, George! I bet he¡¯ll get us almost as much as the elf," he let out a crazed chuckle.


    These bastards didn¡¯t even care that I just killed their party members.


    Danton¡¯s body glowed faintly as he reinforced his body with mana. As he advanced towards me, his lips curled into a confident grin on his square face.


    George was out of the fight with that crippled leg, but this augmenter was going to be trouble.


    The augmenter named Danton suddenly jumped above me, his right arm poised to throw a punch. I could only guess that his only reason for not using his sword was to not damage his "goods". While I¡¯d normally be offended, in this case, overconfidence made it much easier for me so I didn¡¯tin.


    I jumped back in time to avoid the blow strong enough to leave a small dent in the ground as I threw my knife at him. I used the same trick as I did with the conjurer I dragged down with me off the cliff but this mage was a more careful. He disrupted the mana string with his sword and grabbed my knife with his free hand.


    Shit.


    I was in a bad position right now. Danton wasn¡¯t tall but his reach was still a good amount longer than mine. He also had a sword, which he now deemed it necessary to use, that further increased his range.


    Wasting no time, Danton dashed toward me and threw back the knife that I had justunched at him. I easily dodged, but not in time to react for his next move as he swiped my ankle with his sheathe. As I stumbled to regain bnce, he used that chance to grab ahold of my ankle and flipped me upside down.


    His confident face crumpled as I punched the hand that was holding onto me as I concentrated mana. I used a fire attribute technique, releasing all of the mana focused on my fist and aimed for the weak joint of his wrist.


    A loud crack, followed by a howl of profanities indicated the attack was enough.


    His broken wrist released my ankle and Inded awkwardly on my back. Quickly jumping up to my feet, I picked up Pinky¡¯s knife and used the chance to charge towards the wounded Danton. While he was still preupied by the pain from his wrist, he angrily cursed, "You¡¯re DEAD now you piece of shit! I don¡¯t care if I can¡¯t sell you anymore!"


    His left wrist was wounded, leaving a gap in his defense. I willed more mana into my feet and arrived in range, about tond a solid hit to his side, when I see him furiously swinging his sword down.


    He fell for it!


    I quickly pivot with my left foot in ce, spinning to my right. Dodging the swing by a hair¡¯s breadth, I enter into my knife¡¯s range to his right side, open because of hisst desperate swing.


    He immediately tried to jump back but I ced my right foot behind his leg making him lose his bnce. In one quick thrust, I jabbed my knife below his armpit, through the gap between his ribs and into his lungs.


    He was easy to finish off after his breath was copsing from the wound.


    I was now left with the immobile George.


    I couldn¡¯t use Danton¡¯s sword since it was toorge and heavy for my body so I made use of Pinky¡¯s knife onest time and swiped George¡¯s jugr. The poor fighter couldn¡¯t really contest or run away with his useless leg and died with a look of disbelief. Much like his tworades, fed to the hounds.


    It seemed that the elf girl knew that there was fighting going on by eerie quiet.


    I climbed up onto the back of the carriage where she was locked and I spotted her shivering in the corner with dirty rags minimally covering her privates. She studied me in surprise and doubt, her eyes almost saying, "He can¡¯t have been the one who save me, right?"


    I untied her as she remained silent, her swollen turquoise eyes never leaving my face.


    Tired and feeling gross, I helped her up and simply stated, "You should go back home now."


    "Hic...hic..."


    She probably didn¡¯t know whether I was an enemy or friend until now, but once the word ¡¯home¡¯ was said, a look of relief washed over her tense face and she broke down.


    "Hic! I was so scared! They were going to sell me! Hic! I thought I was never going to see my family again! Hic! WAAAAAA"

 Chapter 11: To and Fro

    It had felt like a good hour before the little elf girl was finally able to settle down. I didn¡¯t me her; being forcibly kidnapped would cause trauma even for adults, even more so since she seemed to be only a bit older than I was.


    As sat next to her,forting her, I realized how bizarre of a scene this made. A four-year-old boy tenderly patting the head of an elven girl in the back of a carriage as four bloody corpses were being devoured by beasts just next to them.


    "W-What happened to those bad guys?" she sniffled, her voiceing out a bit nasally.


    Not knowing if telling the seven-year-old about killing was appropriate, I simply dismissed it by telling her, "Er... they ran into a very unfortunate ident."


    She studied the hesitant expression on my face with the raise of a brow, only to look back down and whisper, "Serves them right." Looking closely at her now, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that she carried all of the necessary features that would allow her to blossom into quite the beautyter on in the future.


    With long gunmetal gray hair that I mistook for silver in the sunlight, the girl¡¯s disheveled state couldn¡¯t mask the innate beauty that she seemed to radiate from her pores.


    A pair of gleaming teal eyes shaped like perfectly rounded almonds quivered as her perky nose was so red from crying that it matched the color of her rosy lips. While all of her individual facial features seemed to be carefully molded gems, on the fair creamy skin of her face that was the canvas, it brought her features into a surreal, almost phantasmal work of art.


    Of course, this was me just observing her from spectively as a gentlemen and king who enjoyed beauty in the world. I wouldn¡¯t go as far to say I was "checking her out".


    I helped her up to her feet before speaking again.


    "Those people that tried to kidnap you aren¡¯t going to chase you anymore. That being said, do you think you can make it to your home by yourself?"


    Instantly, her eyes retracted in fear as a panicked expression spread throughout the rest of her face. As tears welled up and both her hands clenched tightly to my shirt, even an infant would be able to tell what her answer was through her actions.


    "Look, I need to get home too. Aren¡¯t elves generally safe in this forest?" I let out a sigh, trying to pry open her ws¡ª I mean fingers¡ª from my shirt.


    She violently shook her head, much like a dog drying itself, and rebutted, "Beasts only scared of adults...Parents warned me that children will get eaten by hounds or tree golems."


    I would normally be pretty amazed about something like a tree golem, but it was bing pretty hard to find something that surprised me after witnessing a demon king metamorph into a dragon.


    I rubbed the bridge of my nose, trying toe up with a solution for all of this.


    "How long does it take to get to where you live from here?"


    "..."


    Still holding onto my shabby shirt, she looked down and admitted, "... I don¡¯t know."


    I held in the temptation to let out another sigh, since the poor girl looked like she was about to cry already, and agreed to take her back home.


    The Kingdom of Elenoir was quite a long ways north so my only hope was that there would be a teleportation gate there that can could me back to somewhere, anywhere, in Sapin.


    I instructed the elf girl to wait inside the carriage while I gathered some necessities; the main reason being, I didn¡¯t want her to see the mangled carcasses of the ve traders when even I found it hard to stomach. Finally finding a backpack small enough for me to wear without it dragging on the ground, I carefully folded and stuffed a small tent inside, along with a leather water bag and some dried rations. I picked up Pinky¡¯s knife from the ground where I fought Danton and George and strapped it to the front of my waist to bnce the awkwardlyrge equipment on my back. Before heading back into the carriage, I freed the forest hounds after realizing that, while they were able to pull a carriage, they weren¡¯t able to be ridden.


    I thought briefly about riding the carriage to the elven kingdom but thought it was too dangerous and we would stick out like sore thumbs in the forest.


    "Let¡¯s head out now," I said, trying to sound more enthusiastic for her sake.


    "En!" She nodded, hopping out of the carriage as I led her away from the carriage where all of the dead bodies were.


    I learned a lot about the elf girl along the way. For one, her name was Tessia Eralith and she had just turned five, which meant that she was about a year older than I was, albeit physiologically that is.


    Tessia was also a pretty reserved, if not shy, girl. She was very polite to me, considering that younger than she was, and neverined, making her a very agreeable travelingpanion. Perhaps, if I wasn¡¯t traveling in the opposite direction of my destination, I would have actually enjoyed having her with me.


    With the sun setting and the fog thickening we pitched the tent underneath the sprouted roots of a particrlyrge tree for the night.


    I couldn¡¯t fit any of the supporting rods in the backpack so used the long rope I brought with me instead and tied on two of the roots and hung tent canvas over it, weighing down the ends with moss-covered rocks. After I finished setting up the tent, I took out a couple of dried rations and handed some to her.


    "...Thank you very much." She gave a slight bow.


    "You know, you don¡¯t have to be so polite to me. I am younger than you and I¡¯d feel a lot morefortable if you aren¡¯t so on edge." I replied, my cheeks full of dried food.


    "O-okay, I¡¯ll try!" she let out a shy smile as she held back a chuckle.


    I began wondering if she had been raised by very strict parents. Maybe it was simply an elf custom and by telling her to be morefortable with me, I was inadvertently inviting her to marry me. Giving her a shrug, I resumed stuffing my face with more food.


    We sat underneath one of the roots of the tree next to our tent and continued chatting.


    "C-can you tell me about the human kingdom?" She suddenly asked, her eyes sparkling in curiosity..


    "What did you want to know?"


    "What is a human city like? How are humans? Is it true that all male humans are perverts and have more than one wife?"


    I choked on the dried fruits I was chewing on, spraying them out before they got caught in my lungs.


    "No. Although it isn¡¯t against thew, only nobilities and the royal families tend to have multiple wives." I said afterposing myself, wiping my mouth.


    "I see now!" Her eyes seemed to say, still sparkling.


    Do you really?


    I go on, exining a bit about the town of Ashber and my family, to pass the time before I asked as well.


    "What is it like living in Elenoir?"


    "Mmmm...." She pondered a bit before finding the words to exin.


    "I don¡¯t think it¡¯s too different from what you told me about where you grew up, except the children all have to go to school to learn about our history and how to read and write. When we awaken, we get mentors assigned to us and we be their disciple. From there, a lot of it is just training with your master."


    "I see..." I mutter, pondering about the different education systems of the humans and elves. While the educational method of the elves were a lot more advanced and undiscriminating, it only worked because the elven kingdom was much smaller and tight-knitpared to the human kingdom, but it just went to show how culture made such a big difference in the future generations.


    Getting up from the ground, I held my hand out to help her get up. I noticed her hesitation when she turned a little red, but I assumed it was just my eyes ying with me in the dark.


    "Sleep in the tent, I¡¯ll keep guard next to you outside."


    I see her thinking for a little as her eyes were fixed on me, full of resolve.


    "I don¡¯t mind sh-sharing the tent, if you¡¯re okay with it." She tried to sound nonchnt but her voice gave betrayed her..


    "It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not that sleepy right now anyway," I replied a lot faster than I had meant to.


    "...Okay," she sulked. Did her ears just droop a little?


    Making sure she went inside the tent, I leaned against the massive tree trunk and began meditating.


    I started inspecting my mana core. Sylvia left me with something she calls her "will" but how does that affect my mana core? Inspecting even closer, I notice, ever so faintly, some markings in my mana core when,


    "A-Arthur?" Tessia¡¯s head poked out of the tent.


    "Is there something wrong?" I asked, turning my head to face her.


    "W-well! You see... beasts will more likely appear if they notice you because they will see that you are a child. Therefore, I propose that for our safety, it would be better for you to ce inside the tent." At this point, Tessia had covered her face with the tent¡¯s opening p, peeking with only one eye.


    "Pft~ Tessia, are you scared to sleep by yourself in the tent?" I chuckled.


    "A-absolutely not! I was just suggesting, for both of our safety, what the best choice would be!" she insisted leaning out, nearly tumbling out of the tent.


    "If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll hide up in the tree and continue to be on the lookout. You know... for ¡¯our safety¡¯," I winked.


    "Uu..." She hid back herself inside the tent before muttering softly, "...I¡¯m scared to sleep by myself."


    Smiling to myself, I opened the p and crawled inside the tent.


    Caught by surprise, Tessia let out a small yelp before immediately lying down with her back to me. Seeing how red her ears were, I easily could see myself enjoying teasing the poor elf.


    After a few silent moments, she peeked over her shoulder. "Can I hold onto your shirt?"


    Seeing her trembling, I remembered that she was just a child. I couldn¡¯t imagine how hard it must have been for her; getting kidnapped, being separated from her family and carried off, not knowing if she¡¯ll ever see them again.


    Scooting closer to her, I gave her head another soft pat as she turned her body and clutched the edge of my tattered shirt. Her eyes closed in content and after a few minutes, I hear her breathing turn rhythmic, as I began drifting off to sleep too, still sitting up.


    My eyes fluttered open on its own and it took a few seconds to remember where I was. I looked down to see Tessia¡¯s head on myp, her body curled upfortably.


    Gently shaking her awake, I whispered, "Tessia, we should head out now."


    She slowly stirred awake, but when she realized the position we were in, her body shot up with a surprised shriek. "I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to... w-was I heavy?"


    "Don¡¯t worry about it. Let¡¯s fold up the tent," I replied with a wry smile. Her cheeks slightly pink, she nodded in response and we began packing everything up before resuming our journey.


    A few more days had passed by fairly uneventfully when, out of nowhere, I was struck with deep aches in my abdomen. The first pains urred on the third day of the trip; We were inside the tent, Tess already fast asleep, when a sudden searing ache spread from my sternum. It disappeared soon enough, but even that brief moment caused a pain that left me in shivers.


    Besides that, the most exciting urrence was when a couple of forest hounds tried to get close, but a throw of my mana-reinforced knife chased them away.


    Nights passed as I continued sleeping in the tent with Tessia and her growing morefortable around me, at leastfortable enough not to get embarrassed every time she woke up. Our conversations became more natural and had less awkward silence as she began joking around with me, even teasing me about the way I talk; in her words she said that I "tried too hard to sound like an adult." Fortunately, my worries that the wave of pain might ur again went . our pace wasn¡¯t impeded by any tree golems or even stronger mana beasts looking for children to snack on.


    "Can you tell how far we are from Elenoir now, Tessia?" I asked on a particrly clear morning on the fifth day of our journey?


    Her elongated ears twitched as she began surveying her surroundings. Suddenly, she ran to a particrly crooked tree and ran her fingers over the trunk. A few minutes of silence went by before she came, visibly excited.


    "That tree is one I used toe with my Grandfather sometimes! I remember carving my name into the trunk of the tree when he wasn¡¯t looking. We¡¯re not too far anymore! I think that if we quicken our pace a little bit, we¡¯ll be able to make it by tonight!" she said, pointing to the tree.


    "Sounds good," I answered, following behind her. As lovely as the journey had been, I needed to make my ns to somehow get home, and that wouldn¡¯t be possible until I got her home.


    Although, I admit, I¡¯d probably miss her after this.


    "Arthur? You said your family and the people close to you called you Art. I feel that, through this journey, I have gotten close enough to call you that as well." We were crossing a stream atop a moss-covered log bridge when she suddenly stopped. "So... can I call you Art as well?" Tessia turned around, revealing a wide smile.


    "Hmm? Sure, I don¡¯t mind," I said, returning her smile.


    "You¡¯ don¡¯t mind¡¯? Tch, you could sound a bit more enthusiastic..." she stuck her tongue out at me.


    "I would be honored to be called Art by you, your highness," I made a bow gracious enough for a noble despite my tattered clothes.


    "Hehe, and you may also have the honor to call me Tess," she giggled, curtsying back at me before turning back around and hopping off the log.


    We continued on the rest of the day, with only a few quick stops to rest ourselves and replenish our stomachs. Constant use of mana rotation had kept my body from being strained, but it was obvious that Tess was growing more weary.


    After ourst quick rest on a soft patch of moss, we continued forward for thest stretch. Tess and I had gotten a lot closer on this journey; the once shy and reserved elf girl showed bright smiles that were contagious despite our less thanfortable conditions. She would continue teasing me too, saying that I should call her older sister since she was a whole year older than I was. I teased her back, imitating her when she was crying, rubbing my eyes and yelling, "WAAA~ MOMMY, I¡¯M SCARED!" This turned her bright red. She smacked my arm before she started to pout. Crossing her arms and lower lip protruding, she stomped off before yelling, "HMPH! Meanie!"


    It was dusk now and the fog around us seemed to be getting thicker. My sense of direction was all but useless in this sted forest. Enough so that, if I were to get separated from Tess, I could wind up travelling in circles without even realizing it.


    She suddenly turned to me, her face a mixture of happiness and hesitation before she muttered, "We¡¯re here."


    Looking around, the only things visible were clusters of trees and fog. Confused, I was about to ask where we were, but I stopped myself when I saw Tess cing both her palms on a tree and muttering a chant.


    Suddenly, the fog around us was sucked into the same tree and what came into vision was a giant wooden door that seemed to be propped up by itself on the ground.


    Tess grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door. When she opened it, I was reminded of the portal that Sylvia had pushed me through. The experience didn¡¯t feel any better the second time but I at least knew what to expect. As we softlynded on our feet, arriving at our destination, I immediately rummaged through my bag to make sure I still had the stone Sylvia entrusted me with. It was only after confirming that it was still there did I finally look up and take in the scene around us.

 Chapter 12: Meeting

    Pristine.


    That was the word that popped into my head as I gawked at the elven city. It appeared we had directly teleported right past the gates. What I saw before me were buildings that seemed to be built out of a jade-like material. These jade buildings were so wless and smooth that each seemed to be carved from a single, huge stone.


    Making this ce look even more awe-inspiring were the huge trees that intertwined with the buildings, filling this whole city with a more distinctive and organic ambience. Looking up, I see homes built on unnaturally thick branches extending out of the massive trunks evenrger than the buildings with smoke drifting out of their chimneys.


    The entire ground inside this city was covered in a lush field of soft moss, with only the narrow sidewalks and the main road paved with smooth stone. The dense array of branches that fanned out from the trees covered most of the city in a canopy of shade, but there was a warm, luminescent glow throughout the city thanks to numerous floating orbs of light situated in every corner and street.


    While I stood, ck-jawed, still processing the world around me, a shadow whizzed in front of me suddenly, jolting me awake.


    Tess was still holding onto my hand when a group of what seemed like guards arrived out of nowhere. These elven warriors emanated a dignified air, all dressed in coordinated ck suits with green trimmings and a golden shoulder guard on their left shoulder. These five guards all carried a rapier strapped to their waist. I mentally noted that these guards had no sensible aura radiating out of them.


    augmenters and conjurers both naturally emit a faint aura from their bodies. The fact I wasn¡¯t able to sense any mana leaking meant one of two things: Their mana cores were at a high enough level where I wasn¡¯t able to sense it, or they had enough control over their mana to not let any leak out. Either way, it meant that these guys were as impressive as their attire made them look.


    The guards ignored my presence as they suddenly kneeled in front of Tess In unison. "We wee back the royal princess."


    "..." My gaze flicked back and forth between the guards and Tess and I¡¯m reminded of the time when I jokingly called Tessia ¡¯your highness¡¯.


    Tessia was actually the princess of this whole kingdom?


    When I tried to let go of Tessia¡¯s hand she suddenly squeezed her hand tighter. In a voice so cold and apathetic that I mistook her voice for someone else¡¯s, she said, "You may rise."


    They stood up with their right fist still crossing their chest when the knight in front speaks. "Princess, we arrived as soon as we saw that the royal teleportation gate had been used. The King and Queen are..."


    Before he could finish speaking, I heard a cry not too far away.


    "My baby! Tessia, you¡¯re okay! Oh my baby!"


    Running towards us was a middle aged man and woman. From the crown on the man¡¯s head and the tiara encircling the woman¡¯s forehead, I assumed that they were the King and Queen.


    The King¡¯s tall, built body was uniformed in a loose, decorated robe. His emerald eyes were pointed upwards and his thin lips were tensed, matching his short, military style hair.


    While the King had a dignified but somewhat reserved appearance, the Queen was breathtaking. Although she was a bit past her youthful stage, her age couldn¡¯t mask the beauty that she was. Her round eyes shimmered a light blue hue, contrasting well with her lush, pink colored lips. Her silver hair was curled down, iling past her back as she ran towards us, her well-proportioned figure visible underneath her dress.


    The mother¡¯s cheeks were lined with tears as the father had a tense expression that looked like he was holding back tears as well.


    I turned my gaze to see Tessia¡¯s face visibly soften as she started tearing up as well. I let go of her hand and gently pushed her towards her parents, feeling a little sentimental myself.


    Tessianded in the arms of her mother who started sobbing at this point on their knees, both burying their face in their daughter¡¯s shoulders.


    Thest to arrive was an old man well past his prime. His facial features are all sharp, with a gaze that could kill someone on contact. His hair was pure white and was tied in the back, face cleanly shaven. This elderly man didn¡¯t say anything, but his eyes did warm up a little when he saw Tessia.


    It took a several minutes for Tessia and her parents to settle down. In the meantime, the guards were ring at me with daggers in their eyes, as even the elder was eyeing me curiously.


    The King finally stood up and while his eyes were red, he still carried an air of dignity. "As the King of Elenoir and the father of Tessia, I must apologize for this unsightly appearance of mine and more importantly, I wish to thank you for escorting my daughter back home safely," he stated, his voiceing out a bit hoarse. "Please apany us to our home so that you may rest. After, you can tell us what happened."


    His tone was gentle but implied that there wasn¡¯t really an option, so I simply nodded in consent. As I was about to follow behind them, Tessia came to me and grabbed my hand again, filling the surrounding people with expressions of shock. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle ufortably as I scratched the side of my head, unable to muster up the appropriate words for a situation like this.


    After a strenuously awkward ride that seemed a lot longer than it actually had been, we arrived at the castle. Rather than a castle, however, it looked to be an enormous tree. This tree, that probably needed at least a few hundred people locking arms to encircle it, was made of a white stone that, I could only guess, had gone through a petrification process somehow.


    Stepping through the front doors of the tree, I was pleasantly surprised to see how impressive the interior of this castle was. There were two curved staircases that created a circle, with a gigantic chandelier floating in the middle of it. This chandelier seemed to be made of the same orbs of light that were dotted throughout the city.


    I had told the King and Queen that it wasn¡¯t necessary for me to rest and would rather tell them as soon as we arrived, so that¡¯s what we did.


    Not even washing up, the weing crew was all situated around the rectangr dining table downstairs. Tessia¡¯s father was on the far end of the table with me directly opposite of him. Tessia¡¯s mother sat perpendicr to her husband, with Tessia seated right next to her. The grandpa was sitting across from the mother and daughter, leaving a pretty big gap between us, while the five guards stood off to the side behind the King.


    With both his elbows resting on the table, fingers intertwined, the King was the first to speak. "Child. What did you say your name was?"


    "Forgive me for thete introduction. My name is Arthur Leywin, and Ie from a remote town in the Kingdom of Sapin. A pleasure to make your acquaintance King, Queen, Elder, and gentlemen." I stood up and bowed slightly at each of them individually before sitting back down.


    Discussion wasn¡¯t going to progress if they were going to treat me like a child.


    Both the King and Queen and the guards in the back showed evident looks of surprise from my mature behavior, while even the grandpa had an amused smirk on his face; Tessia giving me a shy smile.


    Regainingposure, the King continued on. "It seems you are much more mature than your age. Forgive me for assuming. My name is Alduin Eralith and this is my wife, Merial Eralith and my father Virion Eralith. As for what happened, please tell us. We would like to hear your side of this."


    Waving off the apology, I began telling the story. I made sure to be very vague in telling them how I got inside the Forest of Elshire in the first ce; I simply told them I had gotten separated from my family after running into bandits, only managing to survive out of luck.


    Inevitably, I had to tell them I was a mage. This was followed by another wave of looks of utter disbelief from everyone, including Tessia. Because of theck of obstacles we ran into on our journey back, I never really had the need to use mana so I didn¡¯t bother exining.


    One of the guards told me that I was a liar and to prove that I was actually a mage when, unexpectedly, Tessia¡¯s grandfather shut him down. He then sped his hands together on the table and looked at me with a renewed, eerie interest.


    I quickly moved on, telling them how I had spotted a carriage and observed them carrying a tied up child into the back of a carriage before going off.


    At this, the King mmed both of his hands on the table, his eyes narrowing into a menacing re.


    "I should¡¯ve known it was humans..."


    I corrected his mildly racistment and said, "They were ve traders. Them and bandits alike prey on, not just elves, but humans as well, speaking as a victim myself."


    This caused the King to shut his mouth before sitting back down, letting out a soft cough.


    "I didn¡¯t ask Tess... *ahem* the Princess this, but I am curious as to how ve traders even got their hands on the princess of this kingdom," I queried, almost calling Tessia by her nickname. I didn¡¯t think calling her something so informal as Tess would sit right with everyone present.


    At this, the King almost looked embarrassed before saying, "My wife and I had a bit of a disagreement with Tessia and she decided to rebel by running away. We had decided to let her cool off a bit before fetching her back because we knew where she usually stayed when she pouted, but unfortunately, she ran into some hu... ve traders."


    Ah... runaway princess. I sneak in a small grin at Tess and she responded by sticking out her tongue, face flushed.


    I zed over the details of the fight with the ve traders.


    "Luckily, I had caught the ve traders by surprise and managed to dispose of them before untying the princess and escorting her here."


    "So a four-year-old managed to ¡¯luckily¡¯ kill off four adults, one being an augmenter at that, and you simply wave it off like it¡¯s no big deal," chimes in the king¡¯s father seated across from Tessia, leaning back on the chair so only two of the legs are touching the ground.


    "Yes. Half of them were asleep and the two were simply not on guard so disposing of them was not too challenging," I refuted back.


    The elder just responded with azy shrug of his shoulder.


    After finishing the events, I cleared my throat before asking what I came here for. "As I have mentioned, it has been almost two months since I have seen my parents. I do not n to intrude on your kingdom for long as I wish to meet them quickly, so I was wondering if you guys had a teleportation gate that could take me to the City of Xyrus or anywhere inside Sapin."


    "You¡¯re going to leave already, Art?!" Tessia shot up from her seat, face stricken with panic.


    Both her mother and father gave each other a baffled look as they mouthed ¡¯Art¡¯.


    The elder just shot snide grin at this and chuckled, rocking on his chair.


    "I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate for a human such as myself to be inside this Kingdom for too long, Princess. Besides, I wish to make sure that my family is safe and tell them I¡¯m okay as well," I answered, giving a sheepish smile.


    The King responds back for Tessia. "It has been a couple hundred years since thest human has stepped foot into the Kingdom of Elenoir and you, Arthur, are the first human to be in the capital of this Kingdom, the City of Zestier. However, saving our daughter and taking the trouble to apany her all the way back to us entitles you with a proper reward..."


    I take a quick peek at Tessia and see her head down, her gunmetal silver hair covering her face.


    "...Unfortunately, the teleportation gate linked with the Kingdom of Sapin opens only once every seven years, for the Summit Conference between the three races. Since thest Summit was two years ago, it¡¯ll be another five years until the gate will function," the King continued.


    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a deep breath in disappointment.


    "However, we are more than willing to send a group of guards to escort you back home. You are correct that it may not be wise to stay in this kingdom for too long. While some are tolerant, many hold animosity towards humans because of the war long ago." He shed a brief, sorrowful smile at this.


    I nodded in agreement. At least I¡¯d be able to safely go back home.


    "For now, please make yourself at home here. We will have your escorts prepared by tomorrow morning. I do advise you not to wander around outside in the city though, for the reasons mentioned earlier."


    The King snapped his finger and an elderly elfdy in a tan maid uniform rushed out, leading me to my room.


    The room I was led to wasrge, but elegantly simple in furnishings. While the only furniture consisted of a couch, tea table, bed, and dresser, each looked to be handcrafted out of wood by seasoned craftsmen. As soon as I got into the room, I closed the door behind me, stripped and went straight for the bathroom. The shower was a pleasant surprise; it was a simple waterfall that seemed to naturally flow from the ceiling and drain back out in the floor. However, the constant flow of water that didn¡¯t seem to ever turn off was a surprisingly pleasant temperature, just warm enough to rx my body and pores.


    As I finished dressing into a very silky robe just for your top and short pants, I ced the stone Sylvia left me inside the chest pocket inside my robe and once again, tried to study my mana core.


    About thirty minutes in and making only minimal progress, I hear a knock on my door.


    "Coming!"


    Opening the door, I¡¯m greeted by a pouting Tessia who threw a light punch at my chest.


    "You dummy! Why did you act all unfriendly when you were with my family back there," she harrumphed, slipping past me and sitting on my bed.


    "Well first of all, you didn¡¯t mention to me that you happened to be the princess of this entire kingdom!" Shaking my head, I gripped Tessia¡¯s hand and pulled her out of my room. Kids or not, I didn¡¯t think her parents were going to like her being in a boy¡¯s room.


    "Come on, show me around the castle! I won¡¯t get the chance to visit this ce again." I immediately regretting saying this.


    I hear a slight sniffle as Tessia suddenly broke down into tears, trying to talk while sobbing.


    "Art! I don¡¯t want you to *Sniff* leave..."


    "...You¡¯re the first *Sniff* person I¡¯ve gotten ever close to..."


    "..."


    I just gently patted her head while she was rubbing her eyes with the arm not holding onto my hand.


    As we continued walking in silence, except for Tess¡¯ soft sniffles, we made it outside, in the courtyard at the back of the castle. The floating orbs were giving off a dim, luminescent glow, lighting up the well-kept garden in a gentle atmosphere.


    I couldn¡¯t help but imagine how differently this scene could¡¯ve been yed out if we were ten years older.


    Before I even had the chance to finish my thought, A tantly clear killing intent bombarded my senses. Millisecondster a faint glimmer gave off the position of a projectile aimed at Tessia. I pushed the still crying princess out of the way and I prepared to parry the projectile with a mana infused hand.


    At that instant, a figure in ck was facing my back, his right arm in a stance to attack. Grabbing the projectile, I immediately spun myself to block the assassin with whatever was thrown at me. To my surprise, I was face to face with Tessia¡¯s grandfather.


    I jumped back out of range from before angrily shouting, "What the hell! Why are you trying to kill us?"


    "Kid. It may hurt a little but I doubt that toy you¡¯re holding could kill anyone," he chuckled.


    I looked down at my hand to see a pencil sized projectile with both ends blunted and coated in ayer of something close to rubber.


    I was tricked!


    "Haha! Nice reaction, nice reaction! I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d catch my little present and use it to block my next attack! Truly marvelous! However, your usage of mana was mediocre at best!"


    He proceeded to throw me a wooden sword fit for my size as he took out a wooden sword of his own, just a bit bigger.


    "Here Ie!" Not even giving me the time to get in a stance or even the chance to ept his impromptu training, he dashed towards me.


    This crazy old bat!


    I lowered stance and , instead of being defensive, Iunched myself at him as well, elerating my speed to throw off the timing of his swing. Aiming for the fingers gripping his sword, I swung upward, reinforcing my entire body.


    Right before my sword came into contact with his hand, I was met with only air as he disappeared from my sight.


    Whipping my head back, I spotted him a couple meters apart from where I was standing.


    "You¡¯re a scary little brat, aren¡¯t you? Looks like I¡¯ll have to be a bit more serious!" the grandpa smirked.


    His speed increased even more. Even with my previous life being a life of only training and battles, I was only barely able to keep him in my sight. However, being able to see him and being able to respond to his attacks are two different things.


    I felt like a sandbag as I could only curse at my own body.


    I was able to block one move of his out of every three hended on my body.


    Screw technique, this old bat was messing with me through sheer speed. The only reason I was able to somewhat keep up was by using sword techniques and footwork to minimize my movement, along with the fact that, because of my size, I was a small target.


    After about ten, long minutes of being treated like a wooden training post, I started noticing some patterns in the grandpa¡¯s attacks.


    As he shed behind me about to do a horizontal sweep to my legs, I put all of my strength into my legs and leaped back with my sword tucked into my armpit pointing at his head.


    With a solid thud created from my blownding, the old bat stumbled a little before gaining bnce.


    "HAHAHAHA! I guess I deserved that one!" heughed, rubbing his swollen forehead.


    Throughout all of this, Tessia was surprised at first but after realizing it was just a spar, she settled down. She used this chance, though, to jump out and stomp towards the elder.


    "Grandpa! You hurt Art too much! You should¡¯ve gone easier on him!" Pinching the elder¡¯s side.


    "AHH! That hurts little one. Haha I¡¯m afraid if I went easier on Arthur, he¡¯d be the one bullying me!" he gently answered as he picked up his granddaughter.


    He shed in front of me and suddenly ces his right palm into my sternum.


    "Just as I thought. Your body is in a dangerous state..."


    I stared nkly at him. Through constant use of mana rotation and meditation, my body should be a lot healthier than even the most well-fed four-year-old.


    Virion, noticing my doubtful gaze, pressed his palm on my sternum at a certain angle, triggering a familiar searing pain.


    "Your mana maniption is good for a beginner despite your age, and your sword techniques and fighting experience are frightening enough to make me wonder what sort of life you had led to learn all of this." His eyes narrowed. "But you failed to mention one critical thing in your story earlier."


    I could feel my heartbeat beginning to rise as I started to suspect that he found out about Sylvia.


    "I¡¯ve decided. Arthur, be my disciple!" He nodded, throwing me entirely off guard.

 Chapter 13: Q & A

    I just stared at him, dumbfounded.


    What was this old bat saying?


    "What? You can¡¯t be serious, right?" I managed to blurt out.


    He just tilted his head in response, "Why not?"


    "F-for one thing! I¡¯m a human! Is it even allowed to have humans in this kingdom? Also, I need to make sure my family is okay and tell them I¡¯m still alive," I refuted.


    At this, the grandpa went silent as he pondered a little bit before speaking again.


    "Living here isn¡¯t a problem as long as you¡¯re under my name. As for your parents... Brat, is it an absolute necessity to meet them in person?"


    It was my turn to ponder this time.


    "I mean, I guess it isn¡¯t strictly a necessity for me to meet my parents in person. Although I miss them, the most important thing is finding out how they¡¯re doing and letting them know that I¡¯m fine if they are as well," I answered.


    "Thene with me tomorrow morning; be outside the manor by six in the morning, sharp."


    Before he turned to leave, I stopped him, "Wait! I don¡¯t get why you want me as your disciple. Also, you sound awfully hurried. Isn¡¯t it possible for me to go back home and spend a bit of time with my parents beforeing back here to train under you?"


    "I want you to be my disciple because I see your potential. Kid. An uncountable number of people have asked me to take them in as their disciple, from rich to poor, from young to old. But do you know how many I¡¯ve taken in so far? None! These new generation brats bore me. Just because some of the wealthy noble brat¡¯s parents thought their kid was special, they thought they were qualified to ask me to be their mentor"


    I just furrowed my brows, not knowing where Tessia¡¯s grandpa is going with this.


    "... You¡¯re different. I know you have exceptional talent in mana maniption and only God knows how but you possess better technique than even I, but that isn¡¯t the reason why I decided on teaching you. Brat...I need to ask you. How are you a beast tamer?" Any sort of amusement that had been on his face previously was all but gone as his sharp facial feature emitted a deathly gaze.


    "beast tamer? What are you talking about?" I was really confused. Although it was getting well into the night and the elder had already sent Tessia in to sleep, it didn¡¯t seem like this conversation was going to end soon.


    "Let¡¯s go back inside and talk," he said, leading me to a living room with couches and a roaring firece.


    Sitting down on a couch, he continued. "Let¡¯s start from the beginning. I assume you know that mana beasts possess mana cores just like humans, elves and dwarves right?"


    I nodded at this.


    "Right. Just like mana beasts, humans, elves and dwarves possess qualities in their mana cores that are distinct to their own race."


    He picked up a piece of paper and began drawing a chart.


    Water - Ice


    nt


    Earth - Gravity


    Magma, Metal


    Fire - Lightning


    Wind - Sound


    "These are the four basic elements and their higher forms. The higher forms¡ªIce, Metal, Lightning, Sound¡ªcan only be controlled by mages especially adept at a particr basic element, i.e. a deviant. This is where the distinct racial qualities lie..." He wrote a brief description under each race


    Humans


    Human mages possess the ability to manipte all four basic elements and are the only race capable of having deviants that can control the higher form of their adept element. They also have deviants that can even transcend the four basic elements, like healers (emitters), making their mana cores the most diverse.


    Elves


    Elven mages can only manipte water, wind, and earth but with much higher affinity. We also have a special trait distinct to our race that allows very pure-blooded mages to control nts. However, elves don¡¯t have deviants that can manipte water, wind, and earth into their higher forms.


    Dwarves


    Dwarven mages can only manipte earth and fire but, like elves, they possess a much higher affinity to those two elements. Their distinct trait lies in the fact that all dwarves are able to mold and bend metal, while some deviants possess the special ability to manipte both earth and fire into magma, something even human deviants are not able to do, much less elves. However, they can only manipte those two basic elements and, like elves, do not possess the ability to control the higher form of the basic elements.


    "Wait I¡¯m not getting all of this. Why can¡¯t humans manipte nts and magma?" I asked while reading his handy info chart.


    "Good question. Only elves can manipte nt, which is the only form of nature that is alive, because of our lineage being highly affinitive to the nurturing elements. Only the Dwarf race can manipte magma and metal because, like us elves, their lineage makes them highly adept to the constructing elements."


    I started subconsciously rubbing the bridge of my nose as my brain whirled.


    "Okay. I get the differences between the three three races, but what does that have to do with me being a beast tamer? What does that even mean anyway?"


    "I¡¯m getting to that brat!" he barked.


    "Mana beasts are different from the three humanoid races because each species have their own special characteristics. Listing all of them would be endless so I¡¯ll give you a simple example. Mages, adventurers or not, are ssified: E, D, C, B, A, AA, S, SS ss. This ssification is the same for mana beasts as well. Take the sonic hawk. They are B ss beasts that possess incredible speed while in flight. They all have to affinity for wind and sound. These attributes are innate in their mana cores. Regardless of their affinity, if these mana cores are taken out and given to a human or elf mage that specialize in the wind element, their training will go by much faster than just cultivating mana from their surroundings but that¡¯s it."


    I impatiently waited as elder Virion gulped down a ss of water before continuing.


    "...However! When a mana beast reaches A ss or higher, they have the ability to pass on their ¡¯will¡¯, or ability to be more precise, to one person. I called you a beast tamer earlier because you have a mana beast¡¯s will in your mana core and from my estimation, not just any will but an S ss mana beast¡¯s will if not an SS ss will. I¡¯m only able to sense this because I¡¯m a beast tamer as well, although the beast¡¯s will that I tamed was an AA ss beast, the shadow panther."


    So that¡¯s how he was able to be so unusually fast.


    Noticing the look of revtion on my face, Elder Virion just chuckled. "Yes brat, I was able to bully you that badly by utilizing my Shadow Panther¡¯s will. But I only used around 50% of my speed." He shot me a wink.


    He was able to go even faster?


    Everything was beginning to make sense; the strange, faint markings that appeared on my mana core after Sylvia gouged through it and how she said my future progress would depend on understanding her power.


    My eyes welled up with tears as I lowered my head, trying to keep my tears from falling.


    "You must have been through a lot, child. I¡¯m not going to push you for an answer, but the reason why it is urgent for me to guide you is because you don¡¯t have much time." He said in a warm but stern voice.


    "What do you mean?" I sniffled, looking up at him.


    "The power from your mana core is too strong for your immature body to handle. Let me ask you this, boy. Have you recently felt a burning paining from your mana core." The look on my face must¡¯ve confirmed his suspicions because he nodded solemnly. "If you don¡¯t learn to control your new mana core, it¡¯ll destroy your body." His eyes looked straight at me, dissolving any doubt I may have had.


    "..."


    "I understand. It seems I have no choice but to be under your guidance. However, I don¡¯t think I would be able to focus on training without making sure that my family is all right and that they know I¡¯m safe too. You mentioned something about that earlier?" I say, trying to put my emotions under control.


    "Haha! Just call me Grandpa from now on. My first disciple should at least be able to call me that. And who knows, maybe I¡¯ll be your grandpa-inw." He shot me another wink.


    He chuckled as my eyes widened in response before continuing. "We¡¯ll go see an old friend of mine tomorrow that¡¯ll take care of your worries. What I need from you starting now is your utmost diligence. Even I¡¯m not sure how long it¡¯ll take for you to master the basics of your beast¡¯s will. In my two hundred years of living, I¡¯ve never seen such a young mage, let alone a beast tamer at that. You¡¯re going to bring big changes into this world brat. I just know it."


    I just scratched my cheek, my cheeks hot from embarrassment.


    "Go to sleep now brat! Tomorrow is going to be a long day. You¡¯ll need the rest."


    I got up and bowed before wishing him goodnight. "Goodnight...Grandpa."


    He chuckled, waving me off and I plopped into my bed, too tired to even get under the covers.


    ____________________________________


    I roused from my sleep, grunting, feeling a heavy sensation weighing down on my body.


    Were they my worries? My burdens? The expectations ced on me? Are these weighing down on me even as I slept?


    "G¡¯ morning Art! Wake up!"


    I opened my eyes and see that my burdens have taken the form of a lovely youngdy very simr in appearance to my friend Tess.


    "Come on sleepyhead! You need to meet grandpa soon! H-hey! Don¡¯t go back to sleep!" She bounced up and down, still straddled on top of me.


    Did she not know how indecent this may look to others? Haa...the innocence of youth.


    "I get it! I¡¯m up, Tess! Please get down from my stomach so I can get up," I groaned, still half asleep.


    "Hehe~ Art, your hair looks funny. Hey hey, is it true you¡¯re going to be staying here for a while? Grandpa told me this morning! I¡¯m so happy! You¡¯re really staying, right? Right?" Tess eximed with a wide smile pasted on her cute face.


    How the hell was she so energetic this early in the morning?


    Trying to tame my bed hair, I responded, "We¡¯ll know for sure after my trip with Elder Virion, but most likely, it seems I¡¯ll be bothering you for a bit longer, Princess."


    She stabbed my side with her finger, "Not Princess! Tess! T.E.S.S.! I¡¯m going to get upset if you don¡¯t treat me better."


    Damn it, she looked so cute with her pouting face.


    "All right, all right! I have to shower and get ready so unless you want to see me naked, I think you should leave the room, Tess." I waggled my eyebrows lewdly.


    "Eek! I¡¯m leaving you pervert!" I could see her ears turn scarlet as she scurried out of the room.


    I didn¡¯t think that¡¯d work so well. My four-year-old body hasn¡¯t even matured any of its "manly parts" anyhow.


    I just shrugged and hopped into the shower to get ready, making sure to keep the feather-wrapped stone inside my robe.


    As I made my way down the flight of curved stairs, a butler opened the front door for me and I spotted a small carriage with Grandpa Virion and Tess inside.


    "Father! It is not appropriate for a human to be residing within this kingdom!"


    "Alduin is right, Elder Virion. Although saving Tessia is something I will forever be grateful for, having a human stay here goes against all traditions."


    I heard The King and Queen talking to Grandpa Virion as he iszily leaned back inside the carriage.


    "BAH! Screw traditions! I¡¯ve taken a liking to that brat and so has Tessia, haven¡¯t you child," he snorted.


    "G-grandpa! It¡¯s not like that! He¡¯s just..." her voice trailed off at the end, face glowing.


    "Hahaha! Anyways! He¡¯s going to be under my direct guidance from now on so make sure to let everyone know that he is not to be trifled with!"


    "F-father..."


    "ENOUGH! This is not up for discussion! Oh brat! You¡¯re here! Come! We should hurry!" His expression changed into a smile immediately after seeing me.


    I nodded and hopped into the carriage, avoiding the frowns that the King and Queen were giving me.


    ______________________________________


    A little into the journey, I asked Grandpa Virion. "Hey Gramps, where are we headed anyway? You said we were meeting a friend of yours, right?"


    "Haha! Gramps eh? Well aren¡¯t you awfullyfortable with me now. Good good! As for where we¡¯re going, it¡¯s a surprise." He threw in a wink.


    Tessia has fallen asleep with her head leaning against my shoulder. She must have been tired from waking up so early.


    "Take good care of her, Art. She grew up in a very lonely environment," he quietly mutters, a look ofpassion filled his eyes as he looked at his sleeping granddaughter.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Growing up as the only princess of an entire kingdom is very stressful, too much for a child to handle. Growing up with no close friends, it was hard on her. She had gotten hurt too many times by people pretending to befriend her, only to use her for their personal gains. This has made Tessia into someone cold and distant to those around her. Imagine how surprised we all were when we saw you two holding hands." He continues.


    "Yeah, I noticed when I heard her talk to the guards," I added.


    "Arthur. Tessia has shown more expression, more smiles andughs, now than she ever had growing up; around you, she finally seems more like a child. For that, I thank you." He patted my other shoulder.


    This was the first time Grandpa Virion ever initiated physical contact with me besides sparring, which caught me by surprise.


    The carriage came to a gentle halt before the driver opened our carriage door to inform us of our arrival.


    "Hey Tess, we¡¯re here," I whispered, gently nudging her.


    "Mmm..." She eventually stirred awake and we get out of the carriage, arriving at what could only be considered a dainty hut.


    "Hey, you old witch! Come out!" Grandpa Virion suddenly yelled while knocking on the door.


    Suddenly the door flew open to reveal a hunched elderlydy with grey hair that seemed like it was struck by lightning and wrinkled eyes that were strangely a mixture of multiple colors, all blending together. Dressed in a simple brown robe, she peered down at me with a studying eye.


    "Took you long enough to get here!" she scowled.


    "Hahaha! Arthur! Let me introduce you to Rinia Darcassan. She¡¯s a very special deviant amongst us elves," Grandpa Virion announces.


    "It¡¯s good seeing you again, Virion. Charming as always, little Tessia," she smiled, patting Tess¡¯s head.


    Looking at me, she stuck out her hand. "We finally meet young Arthur. I am Rinia. A Diviner."

 Chapter 14: What’s To Come

    Grandpa Virion, Tessia, Rinia and I were currently all situated around a circr table with a jar of water in the middle.


    "Umm... Elder Rinia? You said that you were a diviner, correct? I¡¯m a little lost as to what it is you can do. Gramps said that I¡¯d be able to find out if my parents are okay by seeing you." I asked, staring curiously at the jar of water.


    "Kekeke! Gramps huh? Virion, you¡¯ve really let yourself go if you¡¯re letting youngsters like him call you that," she snickered.


    "Bah! He¡¯s an exception! If any other brat dares to call me something like Gramps, I¡¯ll have them hung upside down and beaten with a cactus!" he grinned back, looking at me.


    How painfully descriptive.


    ring at me, she barked, "Brat! You don¡¯t even know where your parents are but you want to travel all over Sapin, find them and thene back to train? You¡¯d be already dead by the time you make yourself back here."


    I looked at Grandpa Virion. Did he tell her? Almost as if he knew what I was thinking, he chuckled. "I didn¡¯t tell Rinia any of this. There isn¡¯t much you can hide from her, but usually she doesn¡¯t bother looking into a person. What made you so nosy Rinia?" Gramps said, directing a worried gaze towards the elderlydy.


    "You and I both know he¡¯s special. So special, in fact, that there are parts of his life that even I can¡¯t see. Arthur, whatever the beast that passed its will onto you is, it¡¯s not an ordinary beast. Limiting it to an SS ss wouldn¡¯t give it justice." She pondered for a bit before continuing.


    "Enough about that, though. Arthur, you¡¯re here to see your parents so that¡¯s what I¡¯ll help you do. Close your eyes for a moment and picture your parents. Focus on their appearance and their mana signature. I¡¯ll take care of the rest."


    I closed my eyes and imagined thest scene I had of them both together: my father badly wounded and my mother healing him.


    "Okay, you can open your eyes now."


    I looked at her to see the color of her eyes swirling. The water was floating out of the jar and was swirling around, forming a spiraling disk. Suddenly, I see my parents in the water.


    The chair I was sitting on is flipped back as I bolted up, leaning as close to the table. I saw my mother and father together, sitting around a dining table. It didn¡¯t seem to be our home in Ashber. My mother¡¯s face was a bit paler and was currently saying something to my father. I could see she¡¯s lost a bit of weight but otherwise looked pretty healthy. Her stomach! It¡¯s pretty evident now that she was pregnant by the fairly noticeable bulge on her belly. My father looked the same! He¡¯s wearing some kind of uniform now though and was sporting a beard.


    I could feel hot tears running uncontrobly down my face at this point, as I didn¡¯t dare peeling my eyes off of the image of my parents.


    They¡¯re alive! They¡¯re doing okay! They¡¯re fine.


    "T-thank you Elder Rinia. Thank you truly for showing me this," I managed a sniffled stammer.


    She looked a little ufortable at my sincerity and just waved it off.


    "Ahem! Let me see where they are now."


    The image zoomed out and I could see the outside of where they¡¯re living. Just as I had suspected, it was definitely not our home in Ashber. Zooming out even more, I could see theyout of the city that they¡¯re staying in.


    "It seems like they¡¯ve made their home in Xyrus. That makes things simpler for us." She says, a content look on her face.


    Tess, obviously worried about me crying, was patting my back but her gaze didn¡¯t leave the swirling water.


    "Art¡¯s parents..." I faintly heard her mumble.


    Grandpa Virion pped his hands together and stood up.


    "Okay! Arthur! Let¡¯s let your parents know that you¡¯re alive!"


    ording to Grandpa Virion, strict regtions controlledmunications between the Kingdom of Elenoir and Sapin. However, Rinia, being a diviner not discovered by the Kingdom of Sapin, allowed us a certain unregted freedom in a sense.


    "How this process will work is that I will pour some of my innate mana into you, establishing a temporary link. When I give you the signal, start speaking as if you¡¯re talking to your parents. It¡¯s important to know that they will hear your voice inside their heads so they may not believe what you¡¯re saying at first. Make sure to get them to believe that it really is you that¡¯s speaking to them and that they¡¯re not going crazy. Remember, we¡¯re just doing this to let them know you¡¯re still alive. I¡¯m going to emit your voice directly into both your parents¡¯ minds. I can¡¯t keep the connection up for long so say what you need to within two minutes," she asserted, a serious gaze from her eyes.


    Nodding at this, I prepare myself as well.


    "Begin... NOW!"


    Her whole body began glowing the same color as her eyes and I could see the same glow spreading onto me as well.


    Taking a deep breath, I started talking.


    Hi Mom, hi Dad. It¡¯s me, your son Arthur. You¡¯re probably really surprised that you¡¯re hearing my voice inside your head, huh? Well there¡¯s a reason for that. Before that though, I want you to know that I¡¯m alive and safe. Again, I¡¯m alive and well Mom, Dad. I managed to survive the fall off the cliff and I¡¯m currently living in the Kingdom of Elenoir with the elves. Please don¡¯t tell anyone else this. I don¡¯t have much time so I¡¯ll only say the things most crucial. A friend of mine is a deviant like you mom, except she¡¯s a diviner so I was able to see how you guys are doing just now as well. She is also the one that is allowing you guys to be able to hear my voice. I want to go back to you guys as soon as possible but I can¡¯t right now. No, I¡¯m safe and alive right now but I have a sort of er... illness inside my body that I need to get rid of before I am able to go back. Don¡¯t worry, as long as I stay here and have the elves treat me, I¡¯m 100% okay. So please, don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be able to talk to you guys like this again, but what¡¯s important is that I¡¯m alive and I know you guys are as well. Dad, Mom, both of you guys should be hearing my voice right now so confirm it with each other if you still can¡¯t believe this. Remember; don¡¯t tell anyone where I am right now. Better yet, just keep it as if I was still dead to make things simpler. It may take months or even years for me to be able to go back but just be sure that I WILL be going back home. I love you guys *sniff* so much and I miss you. Stay safe, and Dad, make sure to keep Mom and my baby sibling safe. Mom *sniff*, please make sure dad doesn¡¯t get into trouble. Your son, Art."


    I had trouble keeping my eyes open from the tears that continuously poured down. I simply stood silent, rubbing my eyes as I did all I could from breaking down. The glow faded around both of us and Elder Rinia copsed back into her chair, sweating and pale.


    "Elder Rinia, I don¡¯t know how to thank you for this," I managed to croak out.


    "Train well and continue to cherish those close to you, child. That¡¯s how you¡¯ll thank me. Also! Don¡¯t forget to drop in once in a while. This grandma here gets lonely kekeke~!" She answered with a weak smile.


    I gave her a tight hug, making her almost jump, she eventually sumbed to my cuteness and hugged me in return before shooing all of us away.


    While we were walking out, I noticed Tess pouting a little, looking at my chest.


    _____________________________________________


    By the time we had arrived back at the castle, it was already dark. A maid greeted us on arrival, but before I had the chance to go back into my room, I saw the king and queen.


    The king came up to me first.


    "Arthur, I know you overheard what we were saying earlier today and I apologize for that. Years of being a King has made me a bit old fashioned and I was unreasonably stubborn on you not belonging here."


    The queen continued for her husband, holding my hands in hers.


    "You are now Elder Virion¡¯s first disciple. This gives you more than enough reason for all of us to ept you. Even if that fact didn¡¯t exist, you still saved our daughter. Please consider this ce your home. I know you miss your parents dearly but if I can be of any constion, don¡¯t hesitate and treat me as you would your own mother," she said, giving me a sincere smile.


    "Papa! Mama! ..." Tess says with her hands covering her mouth. She then ran up to them and hugged them both.


    I smiled back, thanking them as well. They were good people. Good people that were simply looking out for their kingdom.


    Smiling behind us, Grandpa Virion nodded at all of us in approval before eximing, "Brat! Training starts tomorrow so sleep early!


    ____________________________________________________________


    I woke up from an immense pain covering my body. Cold sweat had already covered my body as the feeling of my body burning intensifies.


    "AARGH!" I clutched my body tight, trying to endure when the door suddenly swings open and Grandpa Virion runs towards me.


    "It¡¯s getting worse..."


    He ced both hands on my sternum, where my mana core is located, before starting to emit his own mana into me.


    Slowly, the pain subsided and I was left panting, my clothes drenched in sweat.


    "T-thank you," I managed to wheeze out.


    Without looking up, he replied, "It¡¯s a bit early, but let¡¯s start training now."


    Looking out the window, I noticed that the sun had yet to even rise. I probably wasn¡¯t going to be able to fall asleep again so I nodded and follow him out into the courtyard.


    Sitting cross-legged, he took a long look at me before exining, "Until now, you¡¯ve been purifying your mana core and manipting your mana using your mana channels. While, for normal mages, this method is sufficient, for beast tamers, we can¡¯t rely on this approach. Instead, we do something called assimtion."


    I sat down facing him. My face must¡¯ve tipped him off that I had no idea what he was talking about.


    "Haha! Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll know soon enough. What it essentially is, is integrating the mana from your core directly into your body¡¯s bones and muscles, hence the method, assimtion. Unfortunately, throughout the period of assimting, your mana core won¡¯t develop at all, but that isn¡¯t the point of this. Once the mana from your new core is absorbed throughout your body, you¡¯ll be able to start utilizing whatever power your beast¡¯s will had."


    So this is what Sylvia meant! Throughout this whole journey through the Forest of Elshire and meeting the royal family and Grandpa Virion, I couldn¡¯t help but think that Sylvia had somehow nned all of this out.


    "Slowly release the mana out of your core and don¡¯t be tempted to use your mana channels. Instead, let it seep out into your body and slowly have all of your muscles and bones absorb the mana. This will take time and effort, but throughout this process, your mana core should reject your body less and less," Virion instructed. "There isn¡¯t much I can help you with for the first part of your training except making sure your mana is distributed evenly throughout your body and relieving you when your body spasms like earlier."


    Training continued on with me meditating, dispersing the mana out of my core and into my body. I had gotten the hang of it after a few days but I realized how long of a journey this would be. Directing my mana to form a core when I was an infant took a couple of years but this was doing the exact opposite except with more mana and an extra step further of assimting the mana directly into the muscles and bones.


    I didn¡¯t leave the castle during this time because I wouldn¡¯t know when my body would act up again. I was really grateful for Grandpa Virion for sticking by me throughout this time. Unfortunately for Tess, this left her very little time to y with me. The times I wasn¡¯t meditating, I was resting in my room, my body aching from being imbued with mana. However, that didn¡¯t stop her from simply barging and chattering on about her day.


    After several weeks of assimtion, my body acted up less frequently and I was allowed to go out into the city. So after promising Tess that I¡¯d go touring around the city of Zestier, I went to sleep.


    _________________________________________________


    Waiting outside my room was an adorably dressed Tess. She was wearing a white sleeveless sundress and a white sheer cardigan over it. The light pink colored sun hat she wore over her head was decorated with a pale flower, giving her a very fresh and doll-like appearance.


    "Took you long enough! Hurry, let¡¯s hurry!" She grabbed my hand, half dragging me as I fought my aching body to keep up with her pace.


    Seeing the city once again didn¡¯t distill the amazement I had when I had first arrived at Zestier. As we got off the carriage and start walking, we took time to visit the numerous stalls and stores that the city had to offer. While the two of us were met with a lot stares from the fact that a human child is holding hands with their kingdom¡¯s only princess, it was a feeling I was used to since my previous life so it didn¡¯t bother me. What bothered me, however, was that, while most of these gazes only held curiosity, some stares were filled with tant hostility.


    Coming out of the armor shop, I had just moved out of the way for someone when an elven child bumps my shoulder.


    "Hmph! Well if it isn¡¯t the human brat that Elder Virion has taken under. I¡¯ve heard all about you. Gross, I got human germs on my clothes," he snidely remarked, a look of disgust pasted on his face.


    It is fairly obvious by the clothes of this child, who couldn¡¯t be much older than Tess, and the attendants, along with the group of friends following behind him, that he was a noble.


    After spending so much time with Tess, I had almost forgotten how immature children were. I couldn¡¯t help but think that, whether they were an elf or a human, spoiled nobles always seemed to act as if they¡¯ve been taught out of the same manual.


    He then turned to face Tess, his facing transforming into a well-practiced smile as he offered her his hand. "Princess, it is below your level to be with this human brat. Allow me to escort you around." He urged, expecting Tess to receive his hand.


    Not even looking in his direction, Tess linked her arm with mine and coldly retorted, "Art, let¡¯s go. There is a bug in that direction and I don¡¯t want to identally step on it with my new shoes."


    As I was pulled away, I nced back, shooting the noble kid a look of pity, which seemed to infuriate him even more.


    "Hold it brat! I¡¯m not done with you!" He shouted, running up to me and gripping my shoulder.


    "I heard you¡¯re pretty talented for a human mage. Around here, I happen to be a pretty well known genius myself. My mana core has already reached red stage and aside from water maniption, my mother said that I¡¯ll soon even be able to manipte nts!"


    I responded with my most sincere, yet tantly sarcastic expression of surprise and worship. "Oh my word! Princess Tessia! It seems we are in the presence of pure genius here. I am not worthy!"


    Tess let out a giggle, not even bothering to hide her amusement.


    "I¡¯ll be sure to give you proper respect Lord Genius of the Elves. So if you¡¯ll excuse us..."


    As I started leading Tess away, a handkerchief flew past us,nding on the ground.


    Turning back, I see the noble brat¡¯s face, red as a tomato, ring at me as the attendants and friends all let out quiet gasps.


    "How dare you initiate a duel with the disciple of Elder Virion. You may be of noble blood, Feyrith, but you should still know your ce! Take it back," Tessia ordered, her eyes narrowed in a re.


    "I¡¯m sorry, Princess, but my father has taught me never to let my pride be stomped. Arthur, ready yourself for a duel or retreat with your tail between your legs knowing that your actions reflect your mentor as well. The choice is yours." Feyrith puffed his chest, withdrawing a wand from under his cape.


    Some of the people nearby had overheard and had already started to gather around us. Tessia looked uncertain about all of this, but just nodded my head and took a few steps away from us.


    I didn¡¯t want to cause a scene since I was a visitor, but after weeks of stifling meditation, my body was actually eager for the chance to fight.


    "Princess, please do the honor of initiating the duel," the noble brat said as he began polishing his ck wand with his sleeve.


    I could see Tess rolling her eyes as she took another step back. "Let the duelmence."


    While my mana core was still in the early stages of dark red, I could feel mana strengthening every fiber of muscle I flexed as I dashed towards Feyrith.


    It was over in a second. He was too cocky and didn¡¯t even take the necessary precautions to find out whether I was an augmenter or conjurer and by the time I was in arm¡¯s length, he hadn¡¯t even begun his chant.


    As my palm sank into his gut, all he managed to let out was a sharp breath of air being forced out of his lungs before flying back tumbling on the floor. I was d that I had used my palm because as soon as my hand made contact, I felt a sturdy chainmail underneath his clothes.


    Feyrith¡¯s attendants and friends eyes grew wide as Tessia quickly ran to me and pulled me away.


    Later, Tessia exined to me that, in a duel, there were certain unsaid customs. One of these customs was to let the challenger make the first move. The other was that informal duels between nobles were only a demonstration of magic, not actual fighting. This got a goodugh out of Gramps when he found out, saying that the duels between nobles were utter foolishness and apletely inurate way to measure someone¡¯s magical prowess.


    All in all, what Feyrith had meant when he initiated the duel was to simply take turns showing off each other¡¯s respective magic talent.


    It was disappointing to realize that the look of shock from everyone around us wasn¡¯t from my fighting prowess, but from the fact that I ignored the customs of the duel.


    Since then, I chose to stay in the manor most of the days keeping myself out of trouble, as I lived a rigorous lifestyle that followed consisted of meditating with Grandpa Virion in the morning, spending a little time with Tessia in the afternoon and training by myself at night. During this time, I¡¯ve sent messages to my parents every once in awhile to let them know I was still alive and that I miss them dearly.


    Like this, three years had passed.

 Chapter 15: The Other Side

    REYNOLD LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    I couldn¡¯t believe it.


    My son. My son was gone.


    "NOOOO!" "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO."


    Durden had to hold me back before I jumped off the cliff myself to save my son.


    I knew it was toote. I knew what could¡¯ve happened had already happened but I couldn¡¯t just stand still, not doing anything.


    "Let me go! My son! He could still be alive. Let me save my son! Please."


    Durden wasn¡¯t budging and Adam came to help hold me back too.


    "Please Rey. You have to hold it together. There¡¯s no easy way to tell you this but it wasn¡¯t possible for him to have survived that fall." The always yful andx Adam had a solemn expression on his face and couldn¡¯t even meet my eyes.


    "Adam is right. Pull yourself together. Your wife needs you, Rey," Durden also muttered.


    They¡¯re right. They¡¯re absolutely right. Yet. Why is my body not listening to me? Why can¡¯t I gofort my wife.


    "AAAAHHHHHHH!!!" I broke down before everything went ck.


    Waking up, I noticed Helen holding a wet towel over my head.


    "You¡¯re finally awake," She said, a sympathetic smile on her face thatcked confidence.


    I ignored her and sat up, burying my face into my hands.


    "This isn¡¯t a dream is it? Please tell me I¡¯m going to wake up to see my boy ying with Jasmine and Adam."


    "..."


    "I¡¯m sorry..." were the only words she managed to say before she started sniffling as well.


    The p of the tent opens as Durden made his way inside.


    "Reynolds. I can¡¯t begin to imagine how much it must hurt for you, but right now, your wife needs you. She¡¯s ming herself, Rey. She thinks you hate her for losing your child," he said, his red eyes evident that he was having a hard time as well.


    "..." Unable to muster up any words in response, I turned away from Durden.


    All of a sudden a felt a sharp jerk as I was pulled back. Just as my eyes caught a glimpse of Durden¡¯srge hand, my vision blurs and a stinging pain was throbbing on my cheek where he had smacked me.


    "Reynolds! We had to stop Alice from killing herself! This isn¡¯t the time to be moping! Get off your sorry ass and take care of the one that¡¯s actually alive!" he growled.


    This was the first time I had seen the usuallyposed Durden this infuriated.


    I managed a stiff nod, my brain still throbbing from the hit, as made my way to my wife¡¯s tent.


    I spotted my wife curled up under a nket with Ang by her side, patting her gently.


    I gave a meaningful look to Ang. Understanding what I wanted, she simply nodded before excusing herself out of the tent.


    "...Alice"


    "..."


    "Honey. Can I see my wife¡¯s beautiful face?"


    "...child" I faintly heard her mumble.


    "What was that honey?" I responded, patting her back.


    "I killed our child!" She bolted up and turned to face me.


    "I killed our son, Reynolds. It was my fault! I-if I wasn¡¯t there, he could¡¯ve dodged that. He could¡¯ve lived. He sacrificed himself to save me *sniff* it was my fault."


    I pulled my wife toward me and held her tight, softly kissing the top of her head over and over.


    I kept my eyes shut tightly, keeping myself from crying as she continued sobbing into my chest.


    We just sat like this for a while until her sobs turned into dry whimpers.


    *Hic*


    "You don¡¯t hate me?" I was barely able to hear her whisper.


    "How could I ever hate you? Alice. I love you and I always will."


    *Hic* *Hic*


    "...I miss him so much, Rey." She began sobbing againt.


    I clench my jaws, willing myself to stay strong in front of my wife.


    "I-I know honey. I miss him too."


    The rest of the journey was a slow and arduous one. Not physically. No. 1 I felt like even the wild animals knew of our emotional torment as they steered clear away from us. Our group advanced in quiet. Any of Adam¡¯s attempts at trying to lighten up the mood met with a crushing silence. Even the cheerful Ang bore a solemn face throughout the rest of the journey.


    Alice and I fell asleep togetherst night together in each other¡¯s arms. I managed to console her and it helped me as well. I needed an excuse. I was the one that had sent Arthur to protect Alice. I kept trying to find people to me but the ones that were actually at fault were already killed. Revenge had already been taken. Now, all I was left with was this dark hole of emptiness and regret. The only thing that was keeping Alice and me sane was our unborn child. For that child, my child, I had to endure. I wasn¡¯t going to make the same mistake I had made with Arthur. He was only a child but I sent him off to protect my wife against fighters and even a mage. I had no one to me but myself.


    We arrived at the floating city of Xyrus through the teleportation gate with no furtherplications; as though God was mocking us by saying we¡¯ve been through enough. The Twin Horns were supposed to separate from my wife and I from here.


    "You guys sure you¡¯ll be okay?" Adam gave us a rare concerned look.


    Durden added, "We don¡¯t mind staying with you guys for a couple more days. I know you originally came to this city for Arthur but..." He never finished the sentence.


    "It¡¯s okay. You guys have your agenda. Alice and I have all of our basic necessities and money to live off of for a couple of weeks. Keep your guys¡¯ positions updated in Guild Hall." I waved them off, trying to force a smile.


    "Will do. Take care guys. We¡¯ll see each other soon." Durden replied, hugging the both of us.


    The girls also gave Alice a warm hug after saying their goodbyes to her. After they had left, I turned to my wife, giving her a serious look.


    "Alice, what do you say about living here from now on?"


    Giving me a confused look, she replied, "What about our home in Ashber? We just got it all fixed up. A lot of our stuff is still there."


    I shook my head at this. "I think it¡¯ll be better for us to have a fresh new surrounding. Our home in Ashber has too many memories of Art. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to get over it if we stay there. We¡¯ll hire some merchants to deliver some of our stuff from Ashber here to us."


    She looked down as she decided before giving me a small nod. "What about a job? How will we afford to live here? This is a very expensive city to live in, Rey," she added, a worried look on her face.


    For once, I was able to muster up a real smile, a sincere smile that seemed so rare these days. "I know an old friend that lives here. He¡¯s asked me to be his guard numerous times years back and we still keep in touch from time to time. He¡¯s a fairly renown merchant in this area and has arge manor. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll have a ce for us to stay. They¡¯re good people, Alice."


    She looked a little doubtful at first but after arriving at the manor and seeing me hugging my old friend, her worries lessened.


    "Rey! My friend! The hero who saved my life! What brings you to this little city?" A thin bespectacled man in a suit eximed as he let go of me, patting my arms.


    Vincent Helstea, around 1.7 meters in height with a thin frame for a body. He was a man of brains, not brawn. Vincent was a normal human but a very sessful one at that. The Helstea House had been in the trading business for generation. While their family had been on the decline for a few generations, Vincent single-handedly brought his family¡¯s asset to an all new high after building the first Helstea Auction House in Xyrus andter building several auction houses within neighboring cities.


    We had met when he was on one of his trips to a more remote city to build an Auction House when he ran into trouble with bandits. I was there with him at that time, fulfilling the escort mission that the Guild had assigned me. After saving him, we hit it off pretty well.


    The maid that answered the door left after she saw Vincent hugging me. Soon after, his wife and daughter came out as well, curious as to what all themotion was about.


    "Tabitha! Meet my dear friend Reynolds and his wife Alice! Alice, Reynolds, this is my wife Tabitha and this here lovelydy is my daughter, Lilia," Vincent eximed, picking up his daughter. She looked to be the around the same age as Art was, with lovely hazel eyes that remind me of a kitten and long brown hair, braided. My heart ached as I thought about how beautiful a youngdy she¡¯ll grow up to be in the future. A future she still had...


    Forcing myself away from my dark thoughts, I greeted myself, "Tabitha! It¡¯s great to finally meet you. Vince had told me so many great things about you during our trip together to Eksire City. What a cute daughter you guys have."


    After my wife introduced herself and exchanged pleasantries with Tabitha, Vincent urged us into the living room to getfortable.


    "So what brings you here, Rey. Last time you sent me a letter, you said you got yourself settled all the way up in Ashber." He said, handing Alice and me a ss of wine.


    I took a deep breath and told them the story through gritted teeth.


    "I had no idea. I¡¯m so sorry for your loss," Vincent managed to mutter. His wife had her mouth covered with her hands. "I wouldn¡¯t know what to do if I lost Lilia. Is there anything I can do for you?"


    At that, I awkwardly scratched my cheek and asked, "You asked me several times to teach your Auction House¡¯s guards a thing or two about magic. Is that offer still up in the air? If it is, you would be doing me a huge favor. I really just need enough to rent a small house around here and live a simple life. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t my wife to go back to the old house in Ashber where Arthur was born and raised in."


    A big grin appeared on Vincent¡¯s face. "Nonsense! No friend of mine is going to be sleeping in a small hut. As a matter of fact, I was actually looking for someone! We just renovated our Heltea Auction House so it could amodate three times as many people. With that, we got a fresh new batch of augmenter recruits that really need some work around the edges. You would be perfect to shape them up a bit, Rey. Can you do me a huge favor and work for me?" He put on a desperate face.


    I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle in response; he had just turned around my initial desperate offer into me, doing him a favor. Nodding, I shake his outstretched hand and discussed the deal.


    Even though I was restless to start working, Vincent wouldn¡¯t allow for it, saying we needed time to get situated in order for me to be at the best state to work. Vincent also firmly insisted that we live with them in the manor. He told us how Tabitha and Lilia were alwaysining about this ce being too big and empty. Reluctant at first, Alice and I eventually got ourselves situated in the left wing of the manor. Vincent was more than lenient, saying we could have a couple of rooms, in case we want any more babies in the future. Tabitha had to pull her husband away by his ear as he grinned, waving us goodbye.


    Another unforeseen blessing was how well Alice and Tabitha hit it off. I was worried she¡¯d be lonely when I had started working but Tabitha had a lot of free time as well and just took care of Lilia so having Alice around really brightened up her day; because of this, my wife had greatpany too and a source of distraction. Once work started, I was busy training the new recruits. These mages were not the most talented, but they were willing to work hard. After pounding the essentials into their heads, I felt like they¡¯d make a pretty solid team of guards in the course of a few months. Of course, all of the elite mages, both conjurers and augmenters, were attending school at Xyrus Academy so the ones that don¡¯t want to be Adventurers ended up being hired by rich nobles, like Vincent, as guards, which was also much safer.


    It had been a few months now since Alice and I had first arrived in Xyrus. During this time, we were able to slow grow ustomed to the city life. Alice¡¯s belly seemed to be gettingrger by the day and, while she still had reurring nightmares about losing Arthur, having Tabitha and Lilia around really helped her through that. Just getting back home, I was weed by the delicious smell of beef stew. Vincent and Tabitha had gone out on a date while Alice promised to watch over Lilia with the maids, so it was just the two of us having ate dinner tonight, Lilia already tucked in.


    "This beef stew looks amazing Alice. What¡¯s the special asion today?" I grinned at her.


    She smiled softly. "It¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve cooked for you. This used to be yours and Art¡¯s favorite dish."


    Her face turned downcast, but before I had the chance to console her...


    ¡¯Hi Mom, hi Dad. It¡¯s me, your son Arthur...¡¯


    My mind froze. This was Art¡¯s voice. No. I was just hearing things. I looked at Alice while the voice continued to talk in my head. Her face was in distraught as she began looking around. Was she hearing voices too?


    ¡¯...Again, I¡¯m alive and well, Mom and Dad. I managed to survive the fall off the cliff...¡¯


    What is going on? My son is alive? Kingdom of Elenoir? Illness?


    ¡¯...It may take months or even years for me to be able to go back but just be sure that I WILL be going back home. I love you guys *sniff* so much and I miss you. Stay safe, and dad, make sure to keep mom and my baby sibling safe. Mom *sniff*, please make sure dad doesn¡¯t get into trouble. Your son, Art.¡¯


    I looked at my wife again.


    "You just heard the voice now too, right Rey?" she blurted, her voice edged with desperation. "Please, tell me it wasn¡¯t just me that heard his voice."


    "Y-yeah. I just heard Art¡¯s voice." I replied, unable to still make sense out of all of this.


    "H-He¡¯s alive! Honey! Our baby is alive! Oh my goodness..." Alice had fallen on her knees as her voice trailed off into weeping. She was crying while she had a smile that told me her tears were from joy.


    Hell, even I was crying right now. My son was alive! "Our son is alive!!!" Iughed out madly.

 Chapter 16: Next Step

    "Hey, Art! Hurry up! We¡¯re going to bete!"


    "AAAGGHHHH!! Tess! Stop! I give! I GIVE!" I cried out.


    Tess finally got off of me, letting go of the leg lock she had in a firm grip.


    "Can¡¯t there a gentler way of waking me up, Tess?" I grumbled, massaging the feeling back into my leg.


    "It¡¯s getting harder and harder to wake you up in the morning! I have to do something, right? Besides, you should be grateful such a prettydy is waking you up every morning." She fluttered her eyes at me.


    "I find the maids here plenty pretty, thank you very much." I muttered under my breath.


    She must¡¯ve heard because that earned me a firm squeeze to the side.


    Where did the shy Tess that was too scared to sleep alone in the tent go; the sweet Tess that begged me not to go? Bring her back! I liked her better!


    Something I realized in my three years of living in Elenoir was that elves awakened much earlier than humans did. Whereas the average age for a human is around thirteen years old, elves awoke around the age of ten.


    Tess had awakened fast, even for an elf. It happenedst year and boy did she awaken with a bang. It wasn¡¯t as big as when I had first awakened but she had managed to destroy her room upstairs, fall down, and create a small crater from the implosion in the kitchen right below. Since then, she¡¯s been joining me in training with Gramps. All I can say is, since awakening, she¡¯s be a lot more confident and bold, in more bad ways than good. She knows how strong my body was so she had no hesitation in using me as her sandbag as she tried new spells that she learned from Grandpa Virion and other conjurer teachers. What she just didn¡¯t seem to get after all of my cries was that I still felt pain dammit!


    As for me, today was a very special day because, after three years, I was finally able toplete the assimtion of mana into my body. It was almost my birthday so while Tess had turned nine a couple months ago, I¡¯ll be finally turning eight. During this time, I wasn¡¯t allowed to absorb any mana from my surroundings and only allowed to use my innate mana formed from my mana core to spread it into my body. Today was the final step that took ce once a beast tamer finished his assimtion.


    I skipped showering and just changed into a more presentable robe, tucking the stone, into my robe before heading out into the courtyard with Tess.


    "Finally awake now, eh Art? How did your wife wake you up today? Haha!" Grandpa Virion mused as he sipped his tea on the small table outside.


    "Ugh, wife? Where? I didn¡¯t know you could marry demons. You¡¯re turning her into a monster, Gramps," I groaned.


    Luckily Tess wasn¡¯t able to overhear as she came outside just moments after.


    "She¡¯s going to grow up into a fine woman, Art. Better sweep her off her feet before it¡¯s toote," He chuckled, lifting his teacup in a toast.


    Tess just blushed at that and elbowed my side.


    "AGGH!" Why? What did I do?


    "Hahaha! Art! Are you ready? Today is finally the day. After this, you¡¯ll be a true beast tamer, not like those lucky adventurers that just have a beast will," He emphasized, arms crossed.


    I gave him a firm nod while Tess headed to the table Gramps was sitting on to watch.


    It wasn¡¯t much of a ceremony. All it consisted of was Gramps exerting arge amount of mana into my core. This would trigger arge surge of mana that I would have to direct and spread into my body.


    "Do you remember the basic phases of beast tamers, Art?" he quizzed.


    I recited the basics that Grandpa Virion pounded into me these past years. "All beast tamers have a different number of forms that they can will their bodies into. The number of forms depends on the strength of the Beast¡¯s will that is left in the mana core. The first phase, that all beast tamers have, is Acquire. In this phase, the Tamer can utilize a small portion of the inherent ability that their beast has. The second stage is Integrate, where the Tamer¡¯s body wholly infuses with the Beast¡¯s will, allowing a much better control over their beast¡¯s inherent abilities."


    "Correct! The phases that the beast tamers are able to unlock simply shows how much they can utilize their beasts¡¯ will. The stronger the beast, the harder it is, but at the same time, if the tamer can¡¯t get insight, then it is also impossible to get past the first phase. One thing to note, however, is that, not always is the Integrate stage more powerful than the the Acquire. The Acquire phase is tapping into a specific inherent ability of your beast¡¯s while Integrate is a much more all-epassing power up using your beast¡¯s will," he reminded, his face deathly serious.


    "While I didn¡¯t tell you earlier, now that you are about to be a true beast tamer, you should know is the differences in how a beast tamer¡¯s will is acquired. If the beast is killed and his mana core is extracted with its will still intact, a mage can absorb the will and try to gain insights. That mage would be considered a forged tamer. While it is a lot easier and straightforward to be a forged tamer, the probability of gaining insight is very rare and limited. One of the reasons it took me so long for me to be able to break into the second phase was because I am a forged tamer. I consider myself lucky to even be able to break into the second stage though. Arthur, you are one of the extremely rare legacy tamers; where the beast willingly imparted its will onto you."


    Continuing on, he exined, "Art, my first phase doesn¡¯t really make me that much faster, but I¡¯m able to erase a bit of my presence and blend myself into the shadows. You haven¡¯t seen my second phase, right? Watch carefully. It took me over ten years for me to make a breakthrough into this phase."


    Feeling a powerful surge of mana surrounding his body, I couldn¡¯t help but involuntarily cringe. All of a sudden, the mana around his body seeped back into him and my eyes widened.


    Grandpa¡¯s skin turns pitch ck. Even the whites of his eyes became ck while his irises turned sharp and glow yellow. His tied white hair became unbound and was also a shiny ck color. The aura that surrounded him makes me shudder and take a step back.


    "This is the Integrate phase. I¡¯m going to sneak up behind you. Pay attention," He growled, his voice much raspier than before.


    Was it really sneaking up if he tells me... was what I was thinking when he disappeared from my vision. I couldn¡¯t feel his presence at all but I when looked behind me as I had been told to do, his finger was already pressed against my jugr as he looked down at me with his glowing yellow eyes.


    Fast. It seemed like instant teleportation but I knew it wasn¡¯t by the skid mark from his initial position. It was speed that even I couldn¡¯t keep up with. Not even close. No. The scary part wasn¡¯t even his insane speed. It was hisck of presence. Even directly behind me, I couldn¡¯t sense where he was.


    He turned back to normal, his face slightly flushed as Tessia began pping as if this was a show.


    "Whew! Using that form always takes a toll on me. After training with it for a couple decades, I¡¯m able to keep the form on for a bit less than an hour. During my Acquire phase, I am simply channeling a small portion of my beast will and I¡¯m able to borrow the the speed and stealth of the shadow panther. However, with my Integrate phase, not only did my speed and stealth rise, so did my senses to keep up."


    I nodded in agreement.


    "Good! Let¡¯s begin the ceremony," he replied, sping his hands together.


    We stood face to face, only an arm¡¯s length apart. Tess was now leaning forward in excitement, as we were about to start.


    "Just let your manae out freely. Don¡¯t try to control anything. I¡¯ll restrain you if necessary so it¡¯s crucial that you keep a rxed state of mind and rouse the particles of mana you assimted all these years," he instructed.


    After a nod in response, he then began exerting mana into my core, flooding my core with his mana along with mine.


    Instantly, I began feeling a warm sensation, like a hot gust of air was flowing in and out of my pores.


    As I felt my body reaching it¡¯s limit, a loud explosion startles me out of my concentration, only for me to see Gramps getting thrown back and Tess falling back on her chair and rolling back as well.


    An unbearable pain immediately surges from my body, as if my very skeleton was trying to crawl out of my skin. Without even the strength to scream my vision darkens. I weed the darkness because i knew it would relieve me of my pain.


    Waking up back in my bed, I sat up feeling surprisingly refreshed. Sitting to my side,ying her head down on my legs was Tess. Looking at her sleeping like this, it reminded me of when I had escorted her back home after saving her from the ve traders.


    Grandpa walked in soon after and he sat down on the other side of the bed, not bothering to wake up his slumbering granddaughter.


    "How do you feel brat?" His lips curl up into a half grin.


    "I should be asking you that, Gramps. I saw you getting sent flying; even Tess was knocked back."


    He just let out an embarrassed chuckle. "I have to admit I wasn¡¯t expecting that great of a force. I know you probably have a good reason for not even telling me what kind of beast gave you its will but is I¡¯ll ask just one more time. What sort of beast gave you it¡¯s will?"


    Scenes of my time with Sylvia ran through my mind, one of them being her telling me never to tell anyone I had met her. However, Virion was probably only the few people I could actually trust, and he had the right to know. If it wasn¡¯t for him, I probably wouldn¡¯t be alive.


    "...Well, using her own wolds, it was what we called a dragon that had passed her will to me."


    A thick silence had filled the room as Virion¡¯s face was frozen in the same stricken expression he had when I told him. He began mumbling to himself, the only words I could make out being ¡¯possible¡¯ and ¡¯never happened¡¯.


    "D-dragon..." he managed to wheeze out, his eyes staring nkly at me.


    "Dear lord... a D-dragon Tamer. In my life, I¡¯ve never thought I¡¯d be able to see the birth of a Dragon Tamer...I-I¡¯m even the one that trained him! HAHAHA! A Dragon Tamer!"


    Tess woke up from the now senile Virion and looked at him, confused.


    He suddenly grabbed both my shoulders and looked at me intently. "You did right in keeping this a secret. Do not tell anyone else. This power of yours has to be kept a secret until you have the strength to protect yourself and those around you."


    "I¡¯m beginning to believe that more and more, Gramps," I responded seriously.


    "Good! Although I would like to know the whole story, but I am more than satisfied with what you¡¯ve told me for now." He smiled back.


    "What is it Gramps? What did Art tell you? Uu...not fair, keeping secrets from me." Tess started pouting at this point.


    "Hahaha, you¡¯ll know when the time is right little one. Arthur! I have good news. The teleportation gate that is supposed to open in two years will be opening early. There is a tournament that will be held in the city of Xyrus in four months. This tournament will be a very important event for the future because both the dwarves and elves are sending youths as representatives for both the tournament and as a preliminary student to your human academy. During the tournament, we can sneak you back into Sapin without the humans knowing at that time," Gramps eximed with a smile on his sharp face.


    "Really Gramps? I can go home soon?" I shot out of bed.


    I would finally be able to see my parents again! I had been sending messages to my parents every once in awhile through Elder Rinia but after seeing them through the water divination technique, I wasn¡¯t able to see them again.


    "Y-you¡¯re going to be leaving soon, Art?" Tessia asked, her face crestfallen.


    "Yeah. I have to meet my family soon. Don¡¯t worry though! I¡¯ll visit you again! And maybe you cane visit me in Sapin!" I said, hoping to cheer her up.


    "We still have four months, Arthur! Until the day the teleportation gates open, I expect you to train harder than before, brat! Your mana core hasn¡¯t developed at all these past three years from the assimtion you had to do. Don¡¯t focus on only training your beast¡¯s will. That should only be used as a trump card. Understood?"


    He was right. Although I have yet to activate even the Acquire phase of my dragon will, I knew that using it would only bring unwanted attention. I shouldn¡¯t use my beast¡¯s will if possible.


    Continuing, Grandpa pped my back and said, "Now! Take a bath and then rest. You reek of something rotten, brat. Little one, let¡¯s leave Arthur alone so he can recuperate."


    I noticed Tess still looking depressed by the sudden news of my leaving. Growing up and living with her for three years had given us a bond that was as close to siblings and while she was only nine years old, the fact that she was already showing signs of blossoming into a beautiful woman did make me feel a twinge of regret that I wouldn¡¯t be here with her as she grew up.


    "Tess! Cheer up okay? I¡¯ll still be around for a few more months and even after I leave, it¡¯s not going to permanent. I hope you can somedaye and meet my parents too." I gave her a sincere hug.


    "Eeep! W-what are you?" I can almost see the steaming out of her head as she turned bright red. Suddenly, she pushed me away and ran out.


    "Ah! Youth! Haha, sleep well, brat!" he chuckled, shaking his head while closing the door behind him.


    Was Tess going through puberty already?


    I hopped back into bed, feeling toozy to take a shower right now.


    "I¡¯ll justy down for a little and then take shower." I muttered aloud.


    *Rustle* *Rustle*


    I wonder if it¡¯s windy tonight. I usually didn¡¯t hear the rustling of leaves.


    *Crack*


    Okay... that was an unusual sound


    I sat up to look around, trying to locate where the sound ising from.


    *Crack* *Crack*


    I turned my gaze towards where I had left my robe on the chair.


    "Kyu~" "Kyu~"


    Kyu?


    My robe was making "kyu~" sounds? My brows furrowed as I tried to assess what¡¯s going on.


    *Crack! * "Kyu~!"


    The stone!

 Chapter 17: Companion

    I jumped out of my bed and carefully rummaged through my robe to locate the gem that Sylvia entrusted me with.


    "H-haha...Holy shit..." I breathed out as I fell back on my butt, staring at what used to be the rainbow-colored gem.


    "Kyu~!"


    The stone wasn¡¯t a gem...


    It was an egg!


    And what used to be an egg was now something that I couldn¡¯t put into one word.


    The first thing that hade into mind was that it was a dragon. It looked sort of like a dragon to me, but at the same time, it didn¡¯t. It was all ck. It kind of reminded me of a small kitten but with scales. It was sitting on all fours, studying at me with its head tilted to one side. The sclera that would usually be white in the human¡¯s eyes was ck, like Grandpa Virion when he uses his second form, except its irises were a bright red instead of yellow. The pupils were sharp slits that would normally make it look menacing, but with the body of something akin to a small feline animal, it just looked adorable. The most noticeable difference between a dragon like Sylvia and this little... thing was that it had two horns on its head. The horns looked identical to the illusion that Sylvia had been before she revealed to me that she was a dragon. It curved outward around its head and then, sharpening into a point in the front.


    Its head was shaped like a cat¡¯s but the snout was a just a little bit more pointed, otherwise the same. The tail, though, looked exactly like Sylvia¡¯s tail. It was a reptilian tail that had two red spikes at the end. Along the spine of this hatchling were also small red spikes that matched the color of its eyes. It didn¡¯t have wings but where the wings should be located were, instead, two small bumps.


    I could see that its belly didn¡¯t have scales, though; it looked sort of leathery.


    The newly hatched creature suddenly let out a toothless yawn, toppling on its back after losing bnce.


    And in response, I was flushed with the overwhelming urge to embrace this creature.


    "Kyu?" It locked its sharp eyes at me with intelligence that didn¡¯t match its appearance.


    "H-hi there little fe, I¡¯m Arthur." I stretched my hand out towards it as if it were a dog that needed to know my scent.


    "KYU!" It jumped off of the chair and onto myp, gazing up at me.


    I could feel my hands twitch as I suppressed the urge to squeeze it. Unlike the majesty and fearsomeness that Sylvia had, this creature was dangerous in a different sense.


    Unable to hold in the urge, I carefully petted the adorable menace. The scales were surprisingly soft and the red spikes that ran down its back felt like rubber. I guess young animals, whether humans or monsters were all squishy and soft. It started purring, closing its eyes.


    I could feel the tension on my face melt as I let out a softugh. "Hehe..."


    It rolled onto its back, asking for a more thorough rub. The belly felt like a very soft leather, making it very smooth to rub. I took a closer look at its ws and found it interesting that it looked closer to paws than actual ws. The only thing that was hard were its horns, which were surprisingly sharp as well. I couldn¡¯t help butpare it to the beak a bird would use to crack itself out if its shell.


    "Aren¡¯t you just a cute lil fe?" My smile widened while petting this adorable newborn, to the point where it seemed intoxicating.


    After a little bit, I couldn¡¯t help but think of what to name it, which made me realize I didn¡¯t even know the gender of this mysterious creature.


    "Kyu~!" Suddenly the newborn shot its tongue out and licked the underside of my left forearm.


    "Ah!" I reflexively tried to move my arm back from the scorching sensation, but before I could, a glowing ck light began enveloping my arm.


    The prickling pain subsided fairly quickly so I just waited. The creature pulled its tongue back, revealing a ck marking on my forearm.


    It looked a lot like the tribal markings that covered Sylvia before she passed on her will to me but the shape of this pattern was that of a wing. Just one open wing, but it was made up of several dashes and sharp curves that branched out, making it look very intricate and mysterious.


    I was only eight but I already had a tattoo. I¡¯m such a rebel.


    ¡¯...Mama~?¡¯


    The creature was looking up at me with its mouth closed.


    What? I obviously heard a voice just now.


    ¡¯Mama?¡¯ This time I heard it clearly in my head.


    Was this...telepathy?


    Shaking my head helplessly, I responded vocally, "I guess I¡¯m your mother. But I¡¯m a boy so you should call me papa."


    ¡¯Papa!¡¯ It suddenly jumped up and licked my nose.


    I¡¯m a rebel with a tattoo and a child.


    Aftermunicating with the creature for a bit, I hade to realize a few things. I guess after the mark had appeared on my forearm, a sort telepathic connection was established. The voice I heard in my head from the creature sounded like a girl¡¯s so I¡¯ve decided to name her Sylvie after her real mother.


    "Syeevy?" she responded with her head tilted.


    Picking her up and bringing her close to my face, I smiled at her, "That¡¯s right! Your name is Sylvie."


    She nuzzled her nose to mine while closing her sharp eyes.


    Another thing I realized was that Sylvie had a pretty high intelligence for a newborn. She already seemed to have the mental capacity of a 2-3 year-old child. While we¡¯remunicating telepathically, I knew she¡¯s not necessarily talking to me in English but I just understood it as that. It was a very odd feeling, not knowing the words she¡¯s actually saying but knowing what she meant. Besides simple words like "papa", most of the thoughts shemunicated with mee through as emotions. I was able to get the gist of what she meant by how she felt.


    "Okay Sylvie! I need to wash now. Do you want toe with me?" I said while setting her down.


    "Kyu?" She tilted her head again while she looked up at me. I felt like she was asking me what "wash" was so I justughed and took her with me.


    Getting into the shower, she seemed to cry out ¡¯NOOOOOOO¡¯ as she wailed a shrill "KYUU!"


    "I guess you don¡¯t like water that much, do you Sylvie?" I chuckled, setting her down out of the shower.


    Sylvia shook herself off like a wet dog and plopped down on the floor next to the shower, her tail wagging, observing me as I finished washing up.


    Her behavior sort of reminded me of a mix between a dog and a cat. Never would I imagine her lineage to be that of a mighty dragon. Of course, this was assuming that she actually Sylvia¡¯s child.


    That got me thinking though.


    Was Sylvie really a dragon? She sure looked kind of like a baby dragon...


    Why was shepletely ck when Sylvia was pure white? What baffled me the most was the fact that Sylvie had horns eerily simr to that horned, demon king illusion that Sylvia was at first and also to the demon that confronted her.


    I got out of the shower and dried myself off. No use thinking about all of this now; how was I going to exin this to Gramps and Tess, though?


    As I got out of the bathroom, Sylvie toddled behind me, ¡¯kyu¡¯ing me to not leave her behind.


    I gathered up the pieces of the shell that Sylvie came out from and set it aside. Then I wrapped the feather that was encasing the stone around my forearm to cover the marking that little had Sylvie left.


    Four months. In four months, I would be able to see my parents. I wonder if they¡¯d still recognize me.


    Sylvie must¡¯ve felt the longing emotion of my parents because she cuddled in close to my face and licked my cheeks.


    "Thanks little Sylv." Petting her horned head, I fell asleep.


    ____________________________________________


    "KYAAAAAA!"


    "What is it? What happened? Who¡¯s there?" I jumped up on my bed, using my pillow as a makeshift sword, bed hair aze.


    "Omygosh! What is this? It¡¯s so CUTE! Kyaa!"


    I turned my attention to Tess who was holding onto the squirming Sylvie.


    "Kyu!!" It cried. ¡¯Papa, help!¡¯


    Letting out a defeated breath, I fell back into bed.


    Come back my beautiful sleep...


    "Her name is Sylvie and she just hatched from her shell yesterday. You should let go of her, though. It looks like she doesn¡¯t like being strangled," I muffled through the pillow that I covered my head with.


    It¡¯s too early in the morning.


    Sylvie had finally freed herself from Tessia¡¯s grasp and was ring at her while she hid herself behind me.


    "Grrrrr..." Sylv let out a high-pitched growl.


    "Don¡¯t worry Sylv, she¡¯s a friend," I said while petting her head, giving up on going back to sleep.


    "She¡¯s adorable!" Tess was literally drooling over my cautious hatchling. I could see heartse out of her eyes as she was inching herself closer to us, her hands twitching lewdly like a predator¡¯s.


    "Okay, now you just look scary, Tess. Get out of my room so I can change," I instructed while pushing the perverted princess out of my room.


    I changed into a loose robe and pants. As I was putting on my shoes, Sylvie jumped onto my head and nestled herself, hitching herself a ride.


    "Kyu!" She sure sounded happy.


    I walked downstairs, saying good morning to the confused and shocked maids that couldn¡¯t take their eyes off the top of my head.


    They all ended up having the same expression as Tess, though. I ended up having to pick up my pace as I started fearing for our safety.


    "Gramps! We¡¯re here!" I shouted at Grandpa Virion sipping tea while reading something.


    Turning his head, he smiled, "Ah! Art you¡¯re here! Why was Tess fussing about some sort of pet that ..."


    His cup drops when he noticed the horned ck lump sitting on my head.


    "T-that¡¯s..." He continues to stutter something iprehensible.


    "What is that?" He finally managed to ask, his eyes never leaving the top of my head.


    "Er... I think she¡¯s something like a dragon, although I¡¯m not entirely sure myself," I responded unconfidently.


    "Kyu?" I could tell Sylvie was cautious about Virion through our mental link.


    Tess came through the door into the courtyard practically bouncing up and down.


    "You said it¡¯s a dragon? But it¡¯s so cute! Art! Can I hold her? Can I? Can I?" she begged, eyes sparkling.


    "Grrr~" Sylvie started hissing at her mortal enemy as her ws started stabbing into my scalp.


    "AH ow ow OWOW! Sylvie your ws!" I tried peeling her off my head but she wouldn¡¯t budge.


    Grandpa Virion, who was half dazed, still trying to make sense out of the creature on my head, finally spoke up. "If that really is a dragon, how did youe across an egg? How did you get it to hatch?"


    "The dragon that left me her will entrusted me with a stone that I thought was just a valuable gem. I didn¡¯t even realize what it actually was until it hatched. What do you mean by get it to hatch?" I was confused now as well.


    "Supposedly, dragon¡¯s eggs, assuming it really is one, aren¡¯t just able to hatch just through the passage of time. It is said that the dragon inside must feel that something capable of protecting and loving it was close by in order for it to hatch. Even then, there must be a very close bond between them," he exined.


    Trying to think of what might have triggered the hatching, I almost immediately came to the conclusion.


    "Activating the will, Gramps! I think that¡¯s what made here out!" I eximed.


    He scratched his chin, slowly nodding. "That is a viable exnation. The draconic races haven¡¯t been seen for hundreds of years, with only limited records of them so I can¡¯t say for sure. No use thinking about it now, though! Just be sure to keep the hatchling close by at all times. While it does look very like a creature of the draconic races, I would be the one of the only few that would be able to make that connection. Most people wouldn¡¯t know that creature was a dragon, so it should be fine by just feigning it off as a sort of rare mana beast."


    After that matter was settled, I ced Sylv on the ground beside me while I began training. The next step in my training for the next four months would be learning to utilize the power of Sylvia¡¯s will that she left me, as well as condensing my mana core into the next stages.


    "essing the first phase is simple, yet may take a lifetime ifprehension of your beast will does note naturally. While your mana core is only dark red, your body right now should already be beyond that of a dark orange stage mage. After the ceremony, you should feel a small area inside of your mana core that holds the will¡¯s power. That is where your beast¡¯s will is stored. essing the Acquire stage should ur through your own learning, not through being taught. Through my experience, the best way to trigger your beast will is to continuously be inbat.


    "Makes sense to me," I replied, already stretching my body.


    "Good! Let¡¯s fight!" he instructed with a confident smirk on his face.


    The days went by quickly for me as I waspletely immersed in training. I was able to ess my first phase but I wouldn¡¯t be able to use it in an actual fight until I gained more control over it. Virion also taught me how to conceal my beast will so other mages can¡¯t notice. After the assimtion, the speed of my mana cultivation went through leaps and bounds.


    During this time, there didn¡¯t seem to be any changes in Sylvie except that she had gotten a little more intelligent. Her vocabry was still limited but it was a lot easier for us to understand each other. I went out together with Tess a lot. She had dragged me out with her every free time we had, trying to make as many memories as possible before I left. Like that, the four months that seemed so far away had now passed.


    Dressed in a simple olive-green long sleeve and ck pants with the feather wrapped around my forearm, I came out of my room.


    "Arthur! Remember to take care! We¡¯ll find some way to contact you somehow and update you. Take this with you so you can navigate through the Forest of Elshire if you¡¯re ever in the area. Or maybe you can just find another princess to lead you back." He winked while handing me a small silver ovalpass.


    "Uuu... Grandpa!!!"


    "OUCH! Little one! It was a joke!" Grandpa Virion yelped while rubbing his side.


    "While Alduin and Merial will be going in a separate carriage as the heads of this kingdom, Tess and I won¡¯t be going. This will be thest time we¡¯ll see each other for now. Until next time, Arthur!" He grabbed me in a strong hug, almost knocking Sylvie off of my head.


    "I¡¯ll miss you Art! Remember toe visit again! Uu~ don¡¯t go chasing after human girls okay? Promise me, okay?" She sniffled, tears lining her eyes.


    I hugged my dear friend and patted her head as well. "We¡¯ll see each other again! You better be stronger than me the next time we meet Tess! With Gramps teaching you, you have no excuse!"


    She gave me a feeble nod, unable to form words because of her constant sniffling.


    I waved goodbye to the both of them and followed behind Merial and Alduin after they gave me a sympathetic smile. I hadn¡¯t really gotten the chance to spend much time with the King and Queen but we were morefortable with each other now. I hoped that next time, I would be able to grow closer to them.


    I got into the carriage that the elf representatives were taking, while the king and queen were escorted into a separate carriage.


    "Well look who it is! If it isn¡¯t the human brat! Did the royal family finally kick you out of the Kingdom?" An elf boy dressed in a very decorated purple robe smirked.


    "Uh... I¡¯m sorry but do I know you?" I felt like i knew who this elf was, but I couldn¡¯t quite ce my finger on where we had met. Meanwhile, Sylvie was growling, pointing her horns in his direction.


    "I¡¯m the noble you mercilessly attacked while defying the customs of the duel!" He bolted up angrily, pointing an using finger at me.


    It suddenly clicked. "You¡¯re the bug I sent tumbling!" I yelled out in realization, a bit louder than I had meant to.


    "Y-you dare...!?" His face turned bright pink as his ears twitched profusely in anger while a few elves behind desperately tried to cover their snickering.


    "Aha sorry, sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to say that. I never did learn your name though," I chuckled, extending a hand to him.


    Face still red, trying to preserve as much of the little dignity he had left, he rejected my handshake and dered in a pompous tone, "My name is Feyrith Ivsaar III, descendent of the noble Ivsaar family! You may have won while we were both children, but were we to duel again, I would win easily."


    A young elf girl that looked a few years older than Feyrith piped in, saying, "You can just call him Feyfey like we do."


    "D-don¡¯t tell him that!" Face turning an even darker shade of red, Feyfey turned his head away from me and took a seat.


    I sat down next to Feyfey and gave him a sympathetic pat on his shoulders that were slumped in defeat.


    As we our carriage went into the teleportation gate we were greeted by the now familiar sensation of being in the middle of a fast-forwarding film.


    "We have arrived in Xyrus!" The driver announced.


    Taking a quick peek out, I noticed we were surrounded by a parade of people all politely pping at our entrance. This tournament was supposed to be one of the biggest turning points throughout the continent. It wasn¡¯t just gathering all of the gifted youths together, but also building a future where they could also learn under one roof. It was exciting venture that the leaders of the continent were taking, but also a scary one that would also, in no doubt, be filled with dispute and hostility.


    The driver pulled the carriage close to a small gap between two buildings after passing through the crowd and signaled to me in the back that this would be the best time to leave without being noticed.


    I say bye to Feyfey and the rest of the representatives and wish them luck. Feyfey merely whipped his head away but also made a slight waving gesture. Jumping off the carriage with Sylvie still on my head, I made my way through the alleyway as I tried remembering the home my parents were staying in.


    After around an hour of making my way around going around, I finally managed to find the huge manor that my parents were supposed to be residing in.


    "We¡¯re home Sylv. We¡¯re finally home," I muttered shakily under my breath.


    "Kyu?" she said as if saying, ¡¯I thought we were at home before.¡¯


    I took careful steps walking up the flight of stairs and took one deep breath. Dusting off my shirt and pants I knocked on the giant double doors.

 Chapter 18: Family

    It was a strange feeling being more nervous now, meeting my family, more than when I first appointed a king while in the midst of the most powerful people in the world.


    "Whew~ let¡¯s do this Sylvie."


    "Kyu" She responded, my excitement spreading to her.


    The dull sound of metal nging on metal rang surprisingly loudly.


    Unexpectedly, I could hear the faint pitter-patter sounds followed by a childish voice. "Coming~!"


    A maid opened the door together with a little girl. Immediately upon seeing me, she hid behind the maid.


    The maid looks at me curiously, evidently surprised to see an eight-year-old knocking on the door of a noble¡¯s estate.


    "Ahem, nice to meet you. My name is Arthur Leywin. I was informed that my family is currently residing in this manor. Do you mind if I speak to them?" I give a slight bow, Sylvie rocking on my head.


    Before the confused maid could even respond, I heard an all too familiar sound in the background.


    "Eleanor Leywin! There you are! You have got to stop running to the front door every time someone..." My mother stopped mid sentence and dropped a small bowl of what looked to be food for... my sister.


    I look down to see the girl with dazzling brown eyes, looking at me with innocent curiosity. Her light ash brown hair shimmered with a much prettier quality than Father¡¯s but I knew who she had gotten the color from. Her hair was tied into two pigtails on the side of her head above her ears.


    I struggled to peel my eyes away from my little sister and turned to face my mother. My vision going blurry as tears filled my eyes, I said one thing I knew she was waiting to hear.


    "H-hi Mom. I¡¯m home." I gestured a small, awkward wave, not knowing what to do if she couldn¡¯t recognize me.


    Fortunately, my fear didn¡¯te true and she raced towards me at a speed I swear was faster than Grandpa Virion¡¯s, but that might¡¯ve just been because of my blurry vision.


    "Oh my baby! Arthur!!" She arrived in front of me and copsed on her knees, her arms around my waist, gripping with all her strength, afraid that I might disappear again if she let go.


    "You are alive! The Voice... I knew it was you! *sniff* You¡¯re back now! Yes, you¡¯re home now. Arthur, my baby!" That was all she managed to sputter out before breaking down into a bawl.


    I couldn¡¯t even manage aplete sentence before shut my lips tightly in order to hold back my sobs.


    I couldn¡¯t help but think while my head was buried in my mother¡¯s shoulder: you could be an all powerful, immortal tyrant but when you were in front of your loved ones, the ability to control emotions betray you.


    I kept repeating in half gurgled sentences that I was alive and that I was home, that I wasn¡¯t leaving. My mother was a flurry of emotions. She was happy that I was back and alive, she was mad that I couldn¡¯te back sooner, she was sad that I had to be away from them and how hard it must have been for me all at the same time.


    At one point, Eleanor walked to us and started patting Mother¡¯s back. "Mama. There, there. Don¡¯t cry." But after unsessfullyforting her, she began crying as well.


    "Arthur!" I turned my head, face still wet with tears to see outside the sprinting figure of my father drenched in sweat. I guess the maid had told him I was back.


    He didn¡¯t stop as he reached us and simply slid on his knee, hugging all of us as we all almost toppled over.


    "Arthur! My son! Look how big you are. Oh my God! You¡¯re back, you¡¯re back!" My father was cupping my head in his hands to get a better look at my face. He broke down while cing hisrge hand on the back of my head, bringing my forehead to touch his.


    Our little family reunion continued on. My mother sobbing uncontrobly, embracing me, and my oblivious little sister crying with her, as my father and I just looked at each other with tears in our eyes, all of us d that we were finally together.


    Eventually, we had all managed to settle down.


    We were sitting on a couch, my mother right beside me with Eleanor on herp. Father was sitting on a chair he pulled up, facing me, his elbows on his knee as he leaned forward. Mother was holding my hands and still tearing up every time she got a look at my face.


    "Are you okay now? Did you at least eat three meals a day? You slept while dressing warmly everyday right? Oh my baby. Look how big you are now." Tears escaped her eyes as she squinted and smiled.


    She was stroking my hair as she nted a soft kiss on the crown of my head. "Thank God you¡¯re back. I¡¯m so happy," she whispered, her voice still trembling.


    Eleanor was looking curiously at both Sylvie and I while the baby dragon was sitting up next me attentively observing the three unfamiliar humans.


    My father was looking at Sylvie with a curious expression but he didn¡¯t mention her. Turning his gaze to me, his eyes softened and he kept shaking his head, repeating how big I was now. It must be a pretty fulfilling yet miserable feeling for a parent to see how big his son had gotten but not being there with him the whole time to witness it.


    "Ellie, say hi to your big brother. He was away for awhile but he¡¯ll live together with us from now on. Come on, say ¡¯hello¡¯." My mother gently urged my sister.


    "Brother?" She tilted her head, reminding me of a confused Sylvie.


    She cupped her hands over my mother¡¯s ear and whispered something inaudible.


    "Haha yes, that big brother. The one I always told stories about. He¡¯s the one."


    My sister¡¯s eyes started sparkling as she looked back to me. I couldn¡¯t help but now wonder what stories Mother had told her.


    "Hai Brother~!" She beamed, waving both of her little hands at me.


    "Hello Eleanor. It¡¯s nice to meet you... sister." Iughed, patting her head in response.


    Father spoke up now. "Arthur, we were devastated after that incident, and we barely believed it when youmunicated to us through our heads. Tell me, how¡¯d you survive the fall?"


    It took awhile for me to exin everything from the beginning. I withheld some information that I thought might not be good to tell them just yet. I exined to them that I subconsciously wrapped myself in a protectiveyer of mana and I was lucky enough to hit a bunch of branches on the cliff beforending in a stream. From there on, I told them about meeting Tess and how she was almost kidnapped. After saving her, she led me to her Kingdom and I stayed there.


    "You said something about an illness that kept you froming back sooner. What was all that about? Are you cured now?" My mother chimes in, a look of concern on her face.


    Shaking my head, I exin, "You don¡¯t need to worry about that anymore. I guess there was a sort of instability in my mana core that made it so I had episodes of pain. It was really bad at first but luckily there was an elder that knew how to cure it. The process was slow but he assured me it wasn¡¯t threatening if treated consistently."


    Relief reced the prior look of worry and she silently patted my head again.


    "So what¡¯s the story with this little friend of yours?" My dad just chuckled, finally bringing Sylvie up.


    "Haha, while I was travelling, I stumbled into a mana beast¡¯s den. It was only the mother and she was badly injured. A little bit after I was there, she died. While I was looking around, it seemed like she was guarding something so I picked it up thinking it was something valuable but I didn¡¯t know it was an egg. She hatched only a couple of months ago so she¡¯s still a baby. Say hi to Sylvie."


    I picked her up, holding her body so her limbs dangled like a kitten¡¯s.


    "Kyu~!" She purred, as if saying hi to everyone.


    I didn¡¯t exactly tell my family a lie when I said this but I had already promised myself to tell them everything only when I was older and more capable.


    I then asked them to update me on everything that happened to them after we had separated. The only thing I was able to tell from seeing them through the water divination the first time was that they lived here in Xyrus, but nothing more so I was exceptionally curious.


    After Father exined what happened since then, my mother chimed in. "That¡¯s right! The Helstea family had gone on a trip but they should be arriving back today. They¡¯re going to be so surprised when they see you, Art!"


    I turned to face my mother. She hadn¡¯t changed much since Ist saw her. The only thing that I did notice was that she¡¯s lost a bit of weight and was slightly paler inplexion. My heart ached since I knew this was caused from stress and depression after losing me. Father¡¯s body was actually much more built now. Coupled with his beard, he looked a lot more rustic than he had before. I guess working as an instructor for the Helstea Auction House guards had gotten him in shape as well.


    "Dad. What color is your mana core now?" I asked while Sylvie made her ce back on the top of my head, tail swishing in content.


    A confident grin emerged from his face as my father proudly replies, "Your old man broke through from the light red stage a couple years back and is a dark orange mage."


    I raised my eyebrows in surprise. At the age of early thirties, my father was doing pretty well for himself. The average mage that didn¡¯t attend school usually stagnated at the light red stage, maybe dark orange if they were lucky. Of course it was different for the elites who had a much purer lineage and had ess to better resources, but for a standard mage, my father was doing well.


    He then asked me, leaning closer, "I bet you only asked me so you could brag yourself. Let¡¯s hear it, what stage are you at now?"


    Scratching my cheek, I mumbled, "...light red."


    My father had already been leaning forward on his chair, but after hearing that, he stumbledpletely out of his chair. Even my mother let out a gasp in surprise.


    "Holy shit!" my father eximed.


    "Shet!" Eleanor echoed,ughing at my father falling.


    "Honey! What did I say about cursing in front of Ellie?" My mother reprimanded while blocking my sister¡¯s ears.


    "Haha Sorry. Sorry! Ellie don¡¯t listen to what your father just said." He then turned back to me.


    "My son is still the same genius he used to be. Come on. Have a quick spar with your old man." My father grinned menacingly while sping my shoulders.


    "Dear! He just got home! Let him rest." Mother pulled me back.


    "It¡¯s fine Mom." I gently ced my hand on top of hers, giving her a reassuring smile.


    "Men! Always trying to fight! Isn¡¯t that right, Ellie?" My mother shook her head helplessly.


    "Papa and Brother are men!" Echoed Ellie, trying to mimic our mother¡¯s expression.


    Both father and Iughed this time. It was really good to be back.


    We all get up to move to the backyard when I hear the door open.


    "Rey! I just heard your son was alive. What the hell is going on?" I see a thin proper man with sses and parted hair in a suit sweating, with what I assumed to be his wife and daughter running behind him.


    "Vincent, everyone! I would like you to meet my son, Arthur! He¡¯s back Vince, Haha!"


    My father wrapped his arm around the man¡¯s shoulder.


    "Arthur, this is Vincent, my old friend and the person I now work for. This is his house so introduce yourself before we start wrecking it," he grinned broadly.


    Bowing to a ny-degree angle, I introduced myself. "It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Arthur Leywin. I¡¯m not sure what my family has told you about me, but I was in contact with them for a while back. I was also the one that told them to not tell anyone until I get back, so I apologize for the confusion. Thank you for taking care of my family all of this time." This man was the one that housed my family in their toughest time. As far as I was concerned, I owed him and his family dearly.


    "Y-yeah, It¡¯s really no problem. I¡¯m d that you¡¯re alive and safe." He adjusted his sses as if making sure he was really speaking to an eight-year old. "Meet my wife, Tabitha, and my daughter, Lilia," he continued, pushing them forward so they were in front of him.


    "It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you ma¡¯am, Lilia" I bowed again, Sylvie introducing herself too with a "Kyu!"


    Tabitha gave a kind smile in response. "Great to have you in our home, Arthur. Say hi, Lilia! Arthur is your age so don¡¯t be shy."


    The girl named Lilia spoke up, pointing hesitantly at the creature on my head. "W-what¡¯s that! It¡¯s so cute."


    "This is an infant mana beast that I¡¯m bonded with. Her name is Sylvie. Sylvie, get down and say hello."


    Sylvie leaped off my head and mewed at Lilia.


    "Oh my gosh!" Lilia squealed.


    "Rey, what did you mean by wrecking my house?" Vincent asked after peeling his eyes off of Sylvie.


    "We were just on our way to the backyard. Arthur and I are going to have a little spar. Want toe?" He chuckles.


    Vincent sputters incredulously, "W-what? Are you serious? Your son just got home and you want to fight him? Besides, your son can¡¯t be older than eight. What are you going to spar with him for?"


    "Don¡¯t let my son¡¯s age fool you! He¡¯s already a light red stage augmenter!" my father harrumphed proudly, puffing his chest.


    Vincent just shook his head. "Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Rey. Your eight-year-old son has already awakened, and he¡¯s gotten past three stages? Even the snobby genius brats that get admitted into Xyrus academy are barely at the dark red stage, and that¡¯s when they¡¯re eleven or twelve!"


    My father justughed louder in response before he added while leading us to the backyard, "You¡¯ll see. Besides, I have a little surprise as well."


    We put proper distance between each other on therge grass lot outside.


    "Ready when you are," I smiled, setting Sylvie off to the side next to the audience, which consisted of the rest of my family and the Helstea family.


    "Be careful, Art! You may be a light red stage but your old man is still at a higher stage than you!" He pounded his two fists together, giving me a confident smirk.


    I spotted Vince, who was still shaking his head in disbelief.


    "Come!" My father taunted, getting in an offensive stance.


    Let¡¯s see how much my training with Grandpa Virion had paid off.


    My body, already strengthened through assimtion, responded to mana much more acutely than it had before. Before my father had the time to prepare, my fist was already in range of his body.


    Even my hearing was more sensitive now as I could hear Vincent mutter faintly, "What in the..." along with several gasps by the others.


    My father responded immediately as I could sense mana spreading throughout his body.


    Feigning a punch, I twist my torso and go for a high kick, but was promptly blocked by my father¡¯s left arm.


    It was obvious he didn¡¯t expect my kick to be so powerful because his arm flung back from the blow, opening his guard. However, before I was able to make use of that opening, he used the momentum to chop his right hand at my body.


    It was obvious that I was now in a disadvantageous position, but with a full previous lifetime of fighting had already prepared me on how to counter him.


    I took his chop with my left forearm and right palm to soften the blow, and also to create enough space for me to slip inside.


    My body wasn¡¯t big enough for me to shoulder-toss him so instead, I grabbed his right arm and kicked the back side of his right knee.


    Losing bnce, he fell forward as I used my mana-imbued body to throw him. Unfortunately, he regained bnce too quickly and I had no choice but to put some distance between us before he got a hold of me.


    "Well I¡¯d have to say you¡¯re better than all of the mages I¡¯ve trained! Your old man¡¯s going to get serious now, though! Be careful." He put on a more serious face. It was apparent to both of us that we had both been holding back.


    The mysterious fact about mana formed inside the core during the earlier stages was that it differed depending on how augmenters and conjurers used it.


    While expensive, many parents choose to have their newly awakened child tested to see what element that they were most adept at by using a special device. A conjurer¡¯s attribute became very noticeable depending on what type of elements they had an easier time casting.


    For augmenters, however, it was a lot less obvious because most of their attacks were focused on using mana to enhance their bodies. However, even augmenters had differentiations in how adept they were in certain types of elements. One quick example was culmination of gathering mana into a single point and releasing it in an explosive attack. While no visible mes were involved, an augmenter who had an easier time utilizing mana in that manner would typically be considered a fire-attribute mage.


    That was only applied in the beginning.


    While it differed per person, after a certain threshold in one¡¯s mana core andprehension of the element, he or she could be utilize mana in a way to actually pertain to the user¡¯s attribute. For conjurers, this meant that they could start slowly progress away from the training wheels of chanting and start shortening their verses or evenpletely foregoing it in the element that they were adept at.


    For augmenters, it would be much more noticeable because they could begin manifesting their elemental attribute instead of manipting mana in a manner corresponding to their elemental attribute.


    For example, before breaking through, a fire attribute augmenters attack would simply carry a more powerful explosive burst, while wind attribute augmenters would find it easier to manipte mana into faster and sharper attacks.


    However, upon sufficientprehension, the augmenters¡¯ element attribute would actually influences their attacks physically. Earth-attribute augmenters could learn to produce a gauntlet of earth and can even learn to create small seismic shocks by stomping their foot, while wind-attribute augmenters could be taught to release small des of wind and create a vacuum effect in their punches, and so on. All of these were essentially techniques that mages could utilize upon sufficientprehension of their respective element.


    Of course, conjurers still had the major advantage of being able to influence a lot more of their surroundings. Their range was also a lot farther, but their weakness was still the vulnerability that they had the process of chanting as well as their bodies that weren¡¯t naturally protected by mana.


    Because of these differences, both types of mages that could break the threshold are much stronger than mages that couldn¡¯t, and ultimately determined the talent and future aplishments they could achieve.


    While conjurers could innately control elements because of how proficient they were at absorbing nature¡¯s mana with their mana veins, augmenters are different.


    For every one attribute augmenter there was, there were ten that wasn¡¯t. There were cases of attribute augmenters that never break the threshold and be fully-fledged elemental attribute augmenters. This was where proper schooling came into y; with enough guidance from early on, mages would more likely be able to be led toprehension of their elemental attribute.


    His two fists ignited, bursting into fiery gloves of scarlet. This control over his fire element was novice, apparent from the steaming from his body. This meant that there was unnecessary mana being spread out throughout his body.


    I had learned early on that my father was a fire attribute mage, but after reaching a bottleneck for years while being busy as a father, he was able to reach the orange stage and, more impressively, was able to break through in hisprehension in fire. He could now be considered as an official elemental augmenter, or elemental for short.


    I shot him a proud grin, before readying myself as well.


    "Impressive, Dad... but now it¡¯s my turn."

 Chapter 19: Peaceful

    In the world I hade from, elemental augmenters were merely practitioners of different sects. The Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind Sects consisted of their own techniques that utilized their element.


    What had allowed me to be King in my old world was by knowing how to fight in all four different practices of the elements. Trante that here and I¡¯d be a sort of quadra-elemental mage, if that even existed. Of course I did have my preferences. My weakest was earth and wind while my strongest was fire and water. I hardly used wind and even less of earth except for slight support. No. I was feared in battle because of my mastery in the twoplete opposite elements of Water and Fire.


    While I was training with Gramps, I had tested out a numerous theories that I had kept in my mind. One thing I had learned very quickly during that time was that I had absolutely no talent for conjuring. Grandpa brought over an elven conjurer one day when I had asked him to get someone to teach me the basics and I ended up nearly killing myself.


    augmenting and conjuring were very different in one sense, and very simr in another. An augmenter could potentially have the ability to do what conjurers were capable of and vice versa. However, this only came with advanced breakthroughs in the top mana core stages as well as a much higher form ofprehension in the respective element.


    I had thought that maybe I could bypass that fundamental rule and be both a conjurer and augmenter. I just regretted that I had to learn the hard way how that wasn¡¯t possible. Another theory I had tested was my potential ability as a deviant. Grandpa Virion and Tess had both been shocked speechless after they found out I could manipte all four elements, but after the four months of trying to see if I could control any of the higher elements, I received mixed results.


    ___________________________________________


    "Try not to be too surprised!"


    Crackling sounds popped in the air around me as my hair stood on its end by the electric current coursing through me. There were currents of yellow lightning enveloping me as I prepared to attack.


    "What the..." My father had almost stopped his attack after the shock had left unfocused. Before giving him the chance to recover, I dashed towards him, leaving a trail of charred grass and earth behind me. I blinked behind him, concentrating lightning into my fist as I go in for a hook.


    A frightening explosion urred as my fist collided with his. While my father had managed to block my attack the recoil pushed him into a nearby tree.


    Getting back to his feet, my father imbued his arm in fire before looking at me. We both stayed silent, our gaze enough to tell each other our intent. As he lunged towards me with a speed fearsome for his size, I readied myself as well. As soon as my father got in range, he let out a flurry of precise jabs as my assimted body, coupled with the nerve enhancing effect of the lightning coursing through me, was able to dodge each one with minimal movement. Lightning and fire intertwined as I parried and dodged his fists, each of his jabs growing faster and sharper; he truly was my father.


    I was at a severe disadvantage because of my height and reach and my father wasn¡¯t one who¡¯d let that opportunity go wasted. He kept his optimal distance instead of carelessly getting close as I did all I can to get in range. As I parried each of his fists, I fired small bursts of lightning, slowly whittling down the feelings in his arms. My father didn¡¯t notice until it was toote, though; his swings and jabs were bing dull and sloppy. Seizing the opportunity, I ducked under his swing and prepared for an uppercut and just when my fist was about to make contact, my father¡¯s knee was positioned just below my jaw.


    It was a stalemate.


    The tension from the spar immediately dissipated as my father sped my shoulders. "Ow!" he let out a surprised yelp.


    I still had electric currents surrounding me, giving him a little shock. I smiled back as I dispersed my mana, allowing my father to pick me up. While I was able to finally break through into the world of deviants, I was still a beginner. I had a lot to work on for my lightning attribute magic since this was somethingpletely new to me as well. As for ice attribute magic, it was even harder for me at the moment. Using either of them required an excessive amount of mana, most of which was wasted on inept utilization. I was also bound by a strict limit on the duration of use, with lightning magic for about three minutes, and for ice, even less.


    While, right now, using lightning attribute magic was more of a liability on myself than an asset, in the future, this definitely wouldn¡¯t be the case.


    The reason why only very few mages were able to transcend the basic element that they were adept in and into its higher form was that the higher form waspletely different and iparably more difficult. Of course, while me being able to learn both lightning and ice within four months probably didn¡¯t back up this point, need I remind you again that I was aplete beginner in these higher forms of elements. While my old world helped me gain knowledge and understanding to transcend into the higher forms of the elements, my old world experiences didn¡¯t prepare me for after I had be a deviant.


    As for sound and gravity, I had yet to produce any favorable results. In order to even take the first step, a mage needed to understand the link between the basic elements into its higher form. After that, the mage¡¯s body needed to be able to naturally understand this link and harmonize the structure of the mana from the basic element to its higher form. For wind and earth, even if I had somehow be able to grasp the link between the basic to its higher form, my body wouldn¡¯t be able to change the structure of the mana particles.


    My theory held true when I realized I wasn¡¯tpatible to wind and earth in this world as well.


    The energy from my body was drained and as soon I my father puts me back down, I copsed on my butt. It was then that I had the chance to finally notice the dead silence surrounding my father and I.


    My father had always been the type to easily ept facts and he knew I was already some sort of monstrous genius so me being a deviant didn¡¯t really surprise him all too much. However, this hardly applied to everyone else here. The only one that seemed fascinated was my sister, but that was simply because she didn¡¯t really get what had happened. She was probably used to seeing Father fight so nothing outside of that really registered as odd. Vincent and Tabitha¡¯s faces are all in sync: faces pale, jaws ck, eyes wide. My mother had her hands covering her mouth in shock, while even Lilia knew that what I did wasn¡¯t normal.


    Compared to my father¡¯s excited yet unsurprised eptance, this reaction was more so within my expectations.


    "Haha... Surprise!" I threw up my arms,ughing weakly.


    "Kuu~!" Sylvie scampered towards me, giving me a concerned gaze, as if asking, ¡¯are you okay Papa?¡¯


    Vincent was the first to speak up.


    "D-deviant!" he managed to spew out.


    "My god..." Tabitha just sighed in astonishment.


    "So, Art. When exactly did you learn that new trick?" My father asked, more in curious tone than one of shocked bewilderment. Shaking his head while ruffling my hair.


    "Not too long ago Dad. I can barely control it, though," I replied sheepishly.


    We all made our way back into the living room where we all situated ourselves around the dining table.


    "Rey... your son. Do you realize the kind of future he has? He¡¯s only eight but he¡¯s already stronger than a veteran B rank Adventurer," Vincent said, hardly able to contain his excitement.


    My father scratched his head. "This is crazy. I thought that him awakening at the age of three was already terrifying but to think he would be a deviant as well."


    "What? He awakened at the age of three?!" Tabitha cried out, bolting up from her seat.


    My mother just nodded at this. "Arthur managed to blow up most of our house in the process."


    Both my father and Vincent leaned back, sinking in their chair as they let out a synced sigh..


    "Papa? Are yoo okay?" Eleanor poked Father in the cheek.


    Laughing, Father picked her up off of Mother¡¯sp, "Haha, yeah I¡¯m okay princess."


    Vincent got up from his chair now and looked seriously at us, arms stretched out on the table.


    "Rey, how about enrolling your son in Xyrus Academy?"


    "What? You can¡¯t be serious, right? He¡¯s only eight!" my father refuted, sitting up on his chair.


    Tabitha chimeed in. "Rey, Alice, I think your child is more than capable of exceeding at Xyrus."


    "I thought that only noble geniuses were allowed to attend Xyrus Academy?" Mother responded, concern etched into her face.


    Excitedly, Vincent voiced out, "I can handle that! I do a lot of business with the Director of Xyrus Academy so she¡¯ll be lenient in the enrollment process."


    "B-but the school fees are much too extravagant for us to handle," Mother argued, still doubtful of the idea of sending me.


    "Alice, that should be the least of your worries. We will be d to pay for the fees. Arthur¡¯s talent is immeasurable. Who knows what he can aplish. Even if we don¡¯t pay, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d find nobles that would beg to sponsor him." Tabitha held Alice¡¯s hands in her own for reassurance.


    "Ahem! Do you mind if I have a say in this?" People seemed to forget that the person¡¯s future they were trying to decide was right here with them.


    "I have just arrived back home today. Can I spend a bit of time with my family before I decide whether to go to school or not?" I gave a meaningful gaze to Vincent.


    "O-of course. I apologize. Haha. I guess I was too excited there for a moment."


    He justughed weakly before sitting back down.


    "Thank you." I gave the Helstea family a smile.


    I turned my head to face my mother. "Mom, where do I sleep?"


    "Oh yes! I almost forgot! You¡¯ll have your room next to Eleanor¡¯s in the left wing. Come on, let¡¯s all go up now, it¡¯s gettingte."


    Sylvie had already fallen asleep on my head and my baby sister was nodding in and out of her dream world while we were discussing my future.


    Today had been a long day.


    Mother and Father lead me to the room I¡¯d be living in from today onwards. It was a lotrger than my room in Ashber but still decorated in a homey fashion. While the furnishings did leave a lot of open space, it worked perfectly for since I needed some space to train.


    As I settled Sylvie down on the bed, Mother and Father sat down next to me.


    "We¡¯ll go shopping together tomorrow. We need to get you some clothes." My mother ran her fingers through my hair.


    My father squatted down in front of me, grabbing my arm. "Arthur, whether you¡¯re a genius or not, you¡¯re still my son and I¡¯ll be proud of you and love you regardless of circumstances." His face was unusually serious. It wasforting knowing that they would always treat me as their son instead of their "little genius".


    I quietly nodded in return. I thought of revealing the full extent of my abilities but I decided that it might be safer to do it in baby steps.


    Before he stood back up up, he pinched me cheek and gave me an evil smile. "Besides, I know you held back on me with your lightning magic today. Don¡¯t think that you fooled me! We¡¯ll do a rematch soon.


    My mother just chortled at this, "I swear, all you guys think about is fighting."


    She looked at me with aforting smile in her eyes. "Your father is right, though. No matter what kind of genius you are, you¡¯ll still be my baby boy."


    "Haha. Can¡¯t I be your adolescent boy now? I¡¯m eight and a half now Mom!" I grinned back at her.


    "Nope! You can¡¯t!" She just retorted before the both of them left my room.


    "Get some rest now. Let¡¯s go shopping with your sister tomorrow. It¡¯ll be a great chance for you guys to bond." My mother said before closing the door behind her.


    I don¡¯t even have the energy to wash up. I just plop into bed, bouncing the slumbering Sylvie, who whines at me before nodding off to sleep.


    Today was a long day. It was a good, long day.


    With a smile stered on my face, I followed Sylvie into aforting sleep.


    _____________________________________________________


    I woke up the next morning to my baby dragon licking furiously at my face.


    "Haha I¡¯m up Sylv, I¡¯m up!"


    "Kyu~!" She was hopping up and down on top of me, a feeling of excitement radiating from her.


    I thought of Tess. I had never thought I would miss being woken up by her spartan methods. I wonder how she was doing?


    Tess had be my closest friend growing up, and while she had turned a bit fierce, she was still the same kind-hearted Tess that worried about me and took care of me while I was in Elenoir.


    I took a quick shower, dragging my smelly dragon with me. She cried in distress at the warm water drenching her but I didn¡¯t relent and soon after, we were both sparkling clean.


    "...kyu" Sylvie moaned, plopped down on my bed, exhausted from struggling.


    "Don¡¯tin! Both of us were filthy and we didn¡¯t wash yesterday either."


    I hear a knock on my door, so I quickly put on the rest of my clothes.


    "Coming!" I said, my shirt still over my head.


    Opening the door, I looked down to spot a shy Eleanor, looking down, with her foot rubbing something on the ground.


    "Well hello there, Ellie." I squatted down so I was eye level with her, giving her the most gentle smile I could muster.


    "G-g¡¯morning Bruhder. Mama told me to w-wake you up." She muttered, her head still down.


    "Haha I see! Thank you very much little sister," I eximed while patting her head. This seemed to get a good response out of her as she started blushing a little.


    "Can you take me down to the kitchen?" I asked, holding out my hand.


    "En!" She nods excitedly and while she hesitated for a second, she grabbed my hand and pulled me along.


    Sylvie followed behind us, trotting while taking a look around at her new surroundings.


    I¡¯m met with a pleasant smell of bacon as we entered the kitchen. Inside, I spotted Tabitha and my mother cooking something as they chatted. Lilia was sitting down at the table already, her legs swinging, obviously waiting for breakfast.


    "Good morning Mom, Ma¡¯am, Lilia!" I announced.


    "G¡¯morning!" "Kyu!" Both Ellie and Sylvie echo.


    "Ah! Ellie managed to wake you up! I remembered having the hardest time waking you up even when you were a baby, Art. I swear you slept like a log." My mother chuckled as she ced some eggs into arge te.


    "Did you sleep well?" Smiled Tabitha as she tossed the bowl of sd she had in her hands.


    "I slept great, Mrs. Helstea."


    "Hi, Ellie! G-good morning Arthur... " Lilia softly said as her voice trailed off after meeting my gaze.


    I smiled and return the greeting.


    Breakfast was great. Mother mentioned that usually the maids are the ones to cook but she wanted to cook today for me. It had been too long since I had mother¡¯s cooking and I now realized how dearly I had missed it. I made sure to give some of the meat to Sylvie who didn¡¯t hesitate to gobble whatever entered her mouth, including my finger. Eventually, Ellie and Lilia both wanted to try feeding her so I told them to go ahead. Needless to say, Sylvie warmed up to both of them a bit more after being fed by them.


    "The carriage is waiting out front so just leave the dishes in the sink and let¡¯s head out!" announced Tabitha.


    Xyrus was an amazing city. I couldn¡¯t help but stare at the different sights that came into view as we travelled down the main road. I could see magic shops, armories, spell books, and even beast core shops! There was everything a mage could ask for. Adults and children were all dressed extravagantly while luxurious carriages passed alongside ours. Some buildings were several stories high, making this city seem a lot bigger and denser than Ashber. I could also see children a couple years older than me all wearing simr uniforms, some ck while some grey and red. I could only assume by their pretentious demeanor that they were students of Xyrus Academy. While uniforms in my old world were meant to protect the financial backgrounds to lessen discrimination, here, it seemed that the uniforms themselves worked as a sort of gold medallion that they could show off to the rest of the world.


    We had eventually reached the fashion district of Xyrus. It was here I learned that shopping for clothes with females took a harder toll on my body than training with Grandpa Virion, and even the thought of his training regimen had left me in cold sweat.


    I was used as a mannequin for each of the girl¡¯s own preferences in style. My mother wanted to dress me in simple clothes, while Tabitha wanted to transform me into some sort of prince. Even Lilia and Ellie made me try on some clothes.


    "You need to look good since you¡¯re my bruhder!" She announced loudly, her hands on her hips.


    Sylvie could feel the exhaustion radiating from me so shefortingly perched on my head, as if to gloat.


    I ended up with ten different sets of clothes, half from Mother and the other half from Tabitha. Both Mother and I tried to stop Tabitha from buying me anything but she scolded us, yfully said, "Just think of it as an investment. Besides, I¡¯ve always wanted a son," while winking.


    We looked around more after towing our bags of clothes into the carriage. I was excited to see the armory. I had really wanted a decent sword to start practicing swordsmanship again; It was apparent that my skills diminish after such a long break from proper training. The girls didn¡¯t want that, though, and I was forced to go into different jewelry and gem stores instead. I guess I would have to visit the armory with Father next time.


    Eventually, we arrived back home, my physical and mental strength depleted by the time father came back home soon after.


    "How was your day, Son?" He chuckled, taking a seat next to me on the dining table.


    "I never thought shopping could be so utterly tiring," I groaned.


    As if hearing myints, Vincent and Tabitha sat down across from us.


    "HAHA! I heard you got beat up by a bunch of women today, Arthur!" Vincent eximed.


    I just feebly nod while Tabitha smirked at looks at Mother, "The little prodigy of yours isn¡¯t as big of a deal as I thought he was." Lilia and Ellie giggled at this.


    "I will admit that a woman¡¯s endurance can not be matched when they¡¯re out shopping." I just wryly refuted.


    My father and Vincentughed harder at this and nodded their head in agreement.


    The sound of a doorbell followed by a couple of knocks gets everyone¡¯s attention.


    "Ah! Looks like she¡¯s here!" Vincent perked up.


    The look on everyone else¡¯s face told me that Vincent was the only one who knew what was going on.


    Vincent came back, leading an elderly woman into dining room.


    "Rey, Alice, Arthur, I know you guys said that you want to put off school forter but I just couldn¡¯t hold it in. Everyone. Meet Cynthia Goodsky! She¡¯s the Director of Xyrus Academy."


    Noticing the slight twinge of annoyance on my face, Vincent immediately said, "Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t bring her here to make you go to school right away. I just wanted her to meet you."


    The Director gave me a smile that I couldn¡¯t quite understand the meaning of and held out her hand. "Nice to finally meet you, Arthur."

 Chapter 20: Proclamation

    Xyrus Academy, an institution hailed as the most exalted sanctuary for any of the would-be-mages privileged enough to have both the background and talent to enter. There were several other academies scattered throughout the Kingdom of Sapin, but needless to say, the level between those second-rate schools and Xyrus was insurmountable.


    That was the kind of titan Xyrus Academy was. Those who qualified to graduate from this academy were guaranteed a prosperous future and life. It was rumored that the top graduates could even be honored guards, instructors or military leaders for the Royal Family, for the King of the entire race of humans on this continent. Of course, some choose to go the more humble route and focused on research by joining one of the mage guilds. However, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that students of Xyrus Academy were hailed as the true elites, even among nobles.


    Now, here I was, standing in front of the said academy¡¯s Director. Normally, any eight-year-old¡ªhell, any person¡ªwould be ecstatic to be in the presence of someone so affluent, but I couldn¡¯t help let out an expression of annoyance at the unexpected guest.


    She was a very talldy, standing around 1.7 meters, well above the average for the females here. She held herself in a very upright, poise manner. She wore a simple, yet elegant robe of navy blue,ced with gold threading. She sported a conjurer¡¯s hat, an essory that looked like an oversized traffic cone that amplified the absorption rate of the surrounding mana but oftentimes came with other functions. Strapped to the side of her robe was a wand that was a crystalline white color with a fluorescent gem attached. Even my ignorant eyes could tell that this wand was extremely valuable. Surprisingly, her face had very soft features that reminded me more of a friendly grandmother next door than an all-important figure of power, but the aura she had around her made her seem fairy-like; her wrinkles unable mask the attractive face that she had. The crow¡¯s feet etched on the outer ends of her brown eyes actually amplified the attractiveness of her smile when she introduced herself.


    "Nice to finally meet you, Arthur," She said holding her hand out.


    What was I supposed to do in this situation? Was I supposed to shake it or is someone of power like her expecting me to kiss her hand or something?


    I just went with the safe route and shook her hand.


    "Err... Nice to meet you too, Director."


    The Director seemed a little taken aback by my introduction.


    "Arthur! You¡¯re being rude! I¡¯m so sorry for my son, Director Goodsky. He just returned home and is ignorant about formal customs." My mother pushed my head down with her hand while bowing herself, getting on one knee.


    Apparently, when meeting someone of high standing, it was customary to get on one knee and shake the hand, while bowing.


    How stupid.


    "Kukuku, no it is quite all right. No offense taken at all. And please, Arthur, call me Cynthia." She let out a politeugh with her free hand covering her mouth.


    "I¡¯m sorry to intrude on you at such ate time but unfortunately, the only free time I could make was after my meeting tonight. I hope you don¡¯t mind," she exined, looking at my parents.


    "Nonono, we¡¯re thankful that you¡¯d be willing to take the time out just to visit our son." My father was the one to speak this time.


    By the amount of formality I had started wondering if this granny couldpare to Grandpa Virion.


    Director Cynthia nodded at this. "True, it isn¡¯t very often that I take a house trip to visit a potential student. Otherwise, even with a hundred bodies, I wouldn¡¯t be able to fit the time."


    "However, Vincent is a good friend and has contributed greatly to Xyrus Academy. So when he had excitedlye up to me about a prodigy that is living in his home, I couldn¡¯t help but get excited as well. I must say that my curiosity got the best of me. Do you mind leading me to an open space so I can see a demonstration?" She continued on, her gaze fixed at me in an assessing manner.


    "Can I at least eat din...Ouch!" My mother pped me in the butt before I could finish my sentence.


    "Of course! Please follow us, Director Cynthia." My mother ushers me, leading Director Cynthia while the rest followed.


    My dinner...


    Sylvie, who had been hiding underneath the dinner table from the unfamiliar human, trotted behind me, causing Director Cynthia to raise an eyebrow.


    "Oh my... What a lovely mana beast. I assume it is your contracted beast, Arthur?" she asked me inquisitively while kneeling down to get a closer view at Sylvie.


    "Yeah, she hatched a few months ago. Her name is Sylvie," I simply responded, my mother¡¯s hand still grabbing onto the back of my shirt to keep me from escaping.


    "I have to say, while it ismon for nobles to buy beasts to contract, I have never seen a mana beast like yours."


    Shrugging my shoulders, I exined, "I¡¯m not exactly sure what she is either. Her mother seemed to be some sort of scaled wolf like creature. She was already gravely wounded when I stumbled into her nest. She was protecting her egg."


    She reached to pet Sylvie but she scampered away and climbed on top of my head.


    "Sorry, she¡¯s a bit shy around strangers."


    "I see. Well enough about her. Let us see if what Vincent said wasn¡¯t just exaggeration. He didn¡¯t tell me much except that you¡¯re an augmenter, saying the rest would be a surprise." She let out a wry smile, making Vincent blush.


    We had arrived at the backyard and everyone took seats, giving us enough space, Sylvie struggling to escape the grasp of my little sister, whom I entrusted her with.


    "You¡¯re not going to use your wand?" I started stretching.


    "It isn¡¯t very fair of me to be using a weapon when you yourself are empty handed as well, right?" She gave me a wink.


    She made a solid point.


    I stomped my right foot into the ground and a piece of the ground the size of my body thrusted up. My hands arezily in my pocket so I kicked the rock at Director Cynthia¡¯s direction.


    A wind wall appeared instantly in front of her, knocking up the rock I had just kicked high into the air.


    Ooh, Insta-casting.


    I guess she wasn¡¯t just a director that sat in front of her desk signing papers.


    Her brows raised in surprise by the sudden attack I threw at her, but she quicklyposed herself. I could tell she hadn¡¯t been expecting an elemental attack from me, especially since she knew I was an augmenter.


    I willed a gust of wind underneath my feet and propel myself to her.


    Her expression grew even more surprised as I easily jumped up three meters into the air with the help of my wind attribute skill as a swirling whirlwind enveloped my right fist. Using the boulder that had just been knocked up by the Director as a foothold, I kicked off it to gain enough momentum to hopefully break through her barrier.


    The collision of her our two spells created an erratic current of wind, forcing the audience to cover themselves.


    The collision blew me back, but Director Cynthia remained steady on her feet. Before I was able to rpose myself, the director had already finished her next move as gusts of wind swirled and shaped themselves into four twisters the size of small trees. Without even a visiblemand from her, the twisters shot themselves towards me.


    Gathering wind attribute mana around me, I will a small tornado to form around me, spinning the opposite direction of Director Goodsky¡¯s spell. Using the centrifugal force generated by my cyclone, I began spinning along with it, using my hands to create des of wind.


    The sh between the four twisters and my cyclone created a small crater but otherwise didn¡¯t do me any harm besides making me very dizzy.


    "Impressive. It seems like I will have to take you just a bit more seriously."


    Instantly I¡¯m knocked back, my ears ringing and my vision unsteady.


    She was a deviant... a sound mage at that.


    I steadied myself, taking a nce at my opponent who was staring back at me with a mildly impressed expression on her face.


    My head began spinning, trying to think of different possible moves I could take to win, but she had me in a checkmate. Suppressing my pride and stubbornness, I took a seat on the ground, admitting defeat.


    "That should be enough for a demonstration, right, Director?" I rubbed my temples.


    "Yes... That is quite sufficient," she muttered. There was a long pause as she began studying me with a newly found interest.


    She regained her senses and made her way towards me when I hear my father¡¯s voice.


    "A-Arthur... You know how to use earth and wind attribute spells as well?"


    "What do you mean, ¡¯as well¡¯?" Director Cynthia interrupted, herposed look turning into a look of confusion.


    My mother continued on for my baffled father.


    "H-he, my son, we thought he was a fire elemental. He¡¯s a deviant as well that can use lightning magic!"


    I could hear Director Cynthia¡¯s breath turn short, and for the first time, her expression of someone truly in shock.


    "S-surely you jest... you mean to say that he is capable of controlling three elements?"


    "Four actually. I can control all four," I cut in. Everyone was going to find out anyway. This wasn¡¯t something that I could, nor wanted to hide.


    "Earth and wind are my weakest elements. I¡¯m a lot more adept in controlling fire and water. I also happen to be deviants in both those elements, although I had just began training in them." I got up to my feet, shaking off my dizziness from the previous attack. I wasn¡¯t expecting a sound user so I didn¡¯t bother enhancing my ears. The director was quite cruel, though. If my body hadn¡¯t gone through assimtion, my hearing would have been quite damaged.


    No one responded back to what I had just said, the only sound nearby being the clich¨¦d chirps of crickets. It was understandable that they¡¯d be this surprised, but I was getting tired of the shocked expressions.


    The noble figure that controlled the most prominent school in the continent, stumbled forward, barely making it to a chair. Then, unexpectedly, she beganughing. She started off with a low chuckle, but that soon escted into a wildugh of what seemed to me like sheer joy.


    Finally, turning back to me, she said, "Arthur, If I may repeat, you are a quadra elemental capable of controlling two higher elements, correct?"


    I¡¯m also a Dragon Tamer, but that¡¯s about it. I wonder how they would react if I told them that.


    "Correct," I immediately answered, not bothering to borate.


    "Please demonstrate." Director Cynthia¡¯s eyes grew menacing and the once friendly grandmother now had the look of a veteran killer as she raised her hand, the mana around her fluctuating.


    Suddenly, a vacuum of wind began sucking me towards her as a visible sphere of wind formed in her other palm.


    This woman...


    I willed water into my right palm and a condensed ball of fire in my left. She wanted to see so badly; I¡¯d just have to show her.


    Combining the two opposing skills together, I created a massive cloud of steam,pletely enshrouding the both of us from everyone else¡¯s sight.


    The cloud of steam didn¡¯tst long against the wind mage, but it did give me enough time for me to create a spear of ice. I quickly repositioned myself after throwing the spear of ice just as the steam dissipated. As expected, the director easily blocked my ice spear just before I was in range tond a fist encased in lightning. However, just like before, I was blown away by a powerful sound wave. Fortunately, I had reinforced mana over my ears, but there was no way for me to get near her.


    "Whew! I must say that I¡¯m thoroughly convinced! You pass, Arthur Leywin." She pped her hands, breaking the silence.


    Getting back up, I dust myself off. This demonstration had left me with a mixture of feelings. I was frustrated on one hand that there were figures I couldn¡¯t even touch, let alone defeat. However, for the first time, I began seriously considering the potential value of learning at Xyrus. If I could have a professor that was on a level near Director Goodsky, my magic would make leaps and bounds.


    "Sorry for hiding this from you guys," I said, turning to my parents. I was a bit worried that that my parents might be angry for keeping this from them, but fortunately, my father took it pretty well.


    "My son is the first ever quadra elemental!" He scooped me up by my armpits and swung me around like he did when I was an infant.


    Suddenly, the traumatic memories began popping back up.


    "Please Art, no more secrets." My mother just wryly smiled, concern still etched on her face.


    I couldn¡¯t promise her that, but I¡¯d like to believe it was for her protection, not for my convenience.


    "Forget a quadra elemental, in this continent, there aren¡¯t even any tri elementals but you, Art..." Tabitha chimed in, her voice trailing into a sigh.


    "Is Bruhder strong?" My sister chimed in, still clutching onto Sylvie.


    Patting her head, the Director nodded. "Your brother has the ability to be very strong, little one."


    "Heehee!" She had a proud look on her face, as if she was the one gettingplimented.


    Vincent¡¯s face was still a picture of disbelief as he still was in the middle of processing everything. As Lilia made sure her father was alright, she took a quick nce towards my direction with a mixture of astonishment and a little fear on her face.


    I didn¡¯t me her.


    My father set me down and I turned to Director Cynthia, giving her a stern gaze, a gaze that I knew didn¡¯t fit an eight-year-old.


    "Director Goodsky. There¡¯s actually a reason I didn¡¯t hide my capabilities today."


    Picking up on the seriousness in my voice, she nodded in understanding. "I had a hunch that you weren¡¯t just brazenly showing off your skills, Arthur. You seemed too sharp for that."


    Agreeing with her, I responded, "There are only a few benefits I can gain from attending your school. One is learning how to utilize my Lightning and Ice elements. However, that is something I can learn on my own with due time. No. The main reason I would attend your academy, if I chose to at all, is for protection. Right now, I¡¯m not strong enough to protect everyone. However, you hold a position of power and influence that can provide safety for my family and I, at least until I can gain the strength to protect them myself."


    "Arthur! You¡¯re being rude to Director Goodsky! How can you..."


    "No, it¡¯s fine Alice." Immediately after she said this, the director mumbled a soft chant before speaking again.


    "Arthur, I believe you hold the ability to make changes in this world. For that, if you¡¯re willing to attend Xyrus Academy and be a rightful citizen that will do anything to protect hisnd, then I will abide by any criteria you set." Director Goodsky¡¯s voice was clear and determined.


    "Very well, I will learn what I feel is valuable from the sses your school offers and train my own powers. As long as you give me the tools and freedom to do so, as well as keep my loved ones safe, then I will consider you as an important benefactor," I promised.


    Director Goodsky¡¯s lips curve up into a smile as we shook hands. At this, I¡¯m suddenly able to hear the voices of everyone else again. Looking at the director, she gave me wink.


    By the confused looks of everyone around us, I could only assume that what Director Goodsky had done was make everyone else unable to hear our voices.


    rifying for everyone who couldn¡¯t hear, I said aloud, "I will abide by our agreement when I enroll in your academy."


    "Oh? Were you not nning on enrolling into my Academy anytime soon?" The Director as well as every other adult had looks of puzzlement on their faces.


    "I don¡¯t n on entering Xyrus Academy until I would be of a normal age to actually attend. No. I¡¯ve decided to enter your academy on my twelfth birthday, a very average age for one to enter your Academy. I assume that will not be a problem?" I tilted my head.


    "Goodness! That¡¯s in a little over three years. Arthur, do you have any ns on what to do until then?" I figured Director Goodsky wouldn¡¯t be so epting on prolonging my education for over three years.


    I turned to face my parents again, since it was up to them to allow me or not.


    I looked up at the night sky, stars shining. Unlike my old world, theck of bright lights truly made the star-glittered night beautiful. Turning my gaze back to where my family was, I answer.


    "I¡¯d like to be an adventurer."

 Chapter 21: Everybody Wins

    "No! Absolutely no way! Arthur! Do you know how dangerous it is to be an Adventurer? You¡¯ve just gotten back after we all thought you were dead and now you¡¯re saying you want to go get yourself killed out there? No way! Absolutely not."


    My mother was on the verge of tears while she said this. She had never been good at controlling her emotions. Eleanor was besides her, clutching onto her leg.


    "Mama, don¡¯t be angry. Bruhder not bad a person! Uuu... Mama, don¡¯t cry."


    Director Goodsky had left the manor after my announcement. I could tell she still wanted to ask me a lot of questions but we excused ourselves to have a family talk. We were currently inside my parent¡¯s room with my mother standing up in front of me, forbidding me to even think about doing anything remotely dangerous.


    Father was a bit more rational. I could tell he didn¡¯t like the idea as well, but he couldn¡¯t really see any reason for me not to be an adventurer besides my age.


    I wasn¡¯t going to debate with my mother. She was saying all of this because she was worried and I could never me her for that. It was something I had expected and I wanted to slowly ease her into the idea, but the meeting with Director Goodsky threw the timing off of everything .


    After being silent the whole time, my father finally spoke up. "Honey, let¡¯s hear Arthur out at least. I¡¯m not saying I agree to him bing an adventurer but don¡¯t you think we should at least listen to what he has to say?"


    "How can you still say that after what happened that day!" my mother yelled, breaking down into a fit of sobs.


    I looked to my father for answers, curious about what she was talking about, but he simply shook his head andforted my mother.


    It seemed like a good hour before she had calmed down enough for us to speak again.


    I grabbed my mother¡¯s hands. "Mom. I wasn¡¯t nning on leaving tomorrow. I was looking forward to spending a few months at home with you guys."


    She was still silent, but her face softened a little at that and I just gave her a warm smile, Sylvie followed suit and began licking her hand.


    "What I meant by bing an adventurer was so that I can get some experience. After being in the Elf Kingdom for three years, I missed a lot about what I should know about this world of ours. I just thought that bing an adventurer would be the best way to gain some practical experience," I urged, not letting go of Mother¡¯s hands.


    "I understand where you¡¯reing from, Arthur. Although I was a bit older, I was also itching to get some real life experience in fighting as soon as I awakened as a mage," he reminisced. "But your mother is also right in that it is dangerous, and unpredictable."


    My mother nodded her head vigorously at this.


    I stayed silent for a little bit as I pondered.


    "Dad. Mom. What if I were to have some sort of guard or supervisor with me? Would that make you feel a bit more at ease with this whole idea?"


    "..."


    "Hmm... You know, that¡¯s not a bad idea." I could almost see the gears in my father¡¯s head wind as he began thinking of potential candidates.


    "B-but... I still won¡¯t be able to see you for three years!" My mother began to protest again.


    Shaking my head, I say to her. "Mom, I¡¯m not going to go on long trips or go on dangerous missions to faraway ces. I¡¯ll try toe back every few months, maybe even more frequently than that, depending on what I do."


    "Bruhder, are you leaving?" My sister had an expression as if she had just been told that Santa didn¡¯t exist.


    I started to panic. "Nono Ellie I¡¯m staying here. You¡¯ll be seeing your brother a lot from now on, okay?"


    Apparently, both my mother and father had told Eleanor a lot of stories about me and how strong and smart I was. One of Ellie¡¯s favorite bedtime stories was how I saved Mother from a bunch of bad guys on top of a cliff and that I got hurt so it¡¯ll take me some time toe back home. Eventually, I had be some sort of hero to my sister.


    I look back at my mother. Her face was considerably more at ease after talking about this. I guess she had just assumed the worst-case scenario and thought I wanted to y the world¡¯s strongest evil at the age of eight or something.


    "Why did you want to be an Adventurer before even going to school anyways? Wasn¡¯t it usually the opposite?" my mother softly muttered.


    "Dad¡¯s reason was a part of it; I want to test my skills out in real life situations. Also, Mom, I want to at least try to fit in with everyone when I go to school. It would be a lot harder to fit in if I began school at the age of eight. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to make much friends with such a big age difference."


    It was a very pitiful excuse, but, for once, my mother gave me a look of understanding. I guess it was a mother¡¯s worst nightmare for her child to be a loner.


    It wasn¡¯t aplete lie because I said it thinking of Sylvia¡¯s dying wish. She had wanted me to enjoy life and have a life not just of training. This was a promise that I nned on keeping no matter what.


    "Besides, I¡¯m going to be here for a couple of months anyway. Who know, maybe you¡¯ll get sick of me by then and throw me out before I even get the chance to leave," I winked at my mother.


    That earned me a thump on the head but she chuckled as well. "You! You¡¯re just like your father at times like these. Thank God you at least have my intelligence." She gave me a big hug, leaving me with a warm feeling that I still wasn¡¯t used to.


    "Hey! What about my intelligence! He was gifted with my adept abilities in fire too!" My father protested.


    "Hmph! My son got his deviant powers from me." Mother just turned me away from my father and just stuck her tongue out at him.


    "Ellie too! Bleh!" My sister copied my mother and stuck her tongue out at my devastated father.


    "Sniff! No ones on my side." He just yfully cried, trying to hug his my daughter. This left us all in a fit ofughter.


    The next day was a Sunday, leaving my father with the day off. Both the Leywin and Helstea family were dining together for breakfast. "So did you guys settle on what to do about Arthur?" Vincent asked, half chewing on his omelet.


    Tabitha shook her head; "I swear. Sometimes, I have such a hard time believing you¡¯re a noble with your horrible dining habits, dear."


    "Kukuku, don¡¯t worry. At least your husband¡¯s better than mine. Remember that one dinner party where Rey spit out his food fromughing so hard? I had to use Ellie as an excuse to leave the table because I was so embarrassed," My mother just sighed.


    "Cough! Anyways! Yes, after talking about it yesterday night, we agreed to let him be an adventurer under some conditions, Vince." My father just lightly blushed as he tried to switch back the topic.


    "Oh? What conditions?" responded the curious Tabitha as she was cutting the omelet into smaller pieces for Lilia.


    "He¡¯s not going to be an adventurer until after his birthday, which is in three months. We also decided on having a guard with him on his missions. Besides that, I feel like he¡¯ll be smart enough to manage the rest on his own. Of course, thest condition is that he¡¯ll be visiting as often as possible," my father exined, working on the rest of his roast beef.


    "Do you have anyone in mind for who his guard is going to be? Heck, is there even a guard that is capable of guarding him? I feel like Arthur would be the one protecting the guard!" He just chuckled at the ridiculousness of an eight year old protecting a grown, veteran adventurer.


    My mother answered him, looking at my father, "We haven¡¯t really thought of a person that fits the criteria. Rey and I thought we could use one of the Helstea Auction guards, but we couldn¡¯t reallye up with anyone."


    "Can I have more omelet please?" My sister chimed in with her fork raised in the air.


    "I got it!" My father stood up from his sudden revtion, making me almost choke on the piece of meat that was in my mouth.


    "The Twin Horns will being back from an expedition in a dungeon soon. I received a letter from the Adventurer Guild Hall that says they should be back within two months! It¡¯s perfect! Why did it take so long for me to think of this? We can just have one of the Twin Horns to look after you. Arthur! You still remember them right?" My father¡¯s eyes shined in excitement.


    "Hey! That¡¯s not a bad idea!" My mother said from the kitchen, her voice implying the rarity in my father having a good idea.


    Handing a piece of meat to Sylvie who was perched on myp with her front two paws on the table, I responded too. "Of course I remember them. That sounds like a great idea Dad. Do they know I¡¯m back?"


    "No, unfortunately, I haven¡¯t had the chance to send a mail to them yet. I was nning on doing that today." My father sat back down, scratching his head.


    Vincent chimed in on the conversation after finishing off his breakfast.


    "Arthur, you said to Director Cynthia yesterday about not showing your powers to anyone until you enroll into Xyrus Academy, right? How were you nning on doing that while you¡¯re an Adventurer?"


    "Ah yes. I¡¯ve been meaning to get to that," I said while picking up a strawberry with my fork. "I nned on keeping my identity hidden as an adventurer. I¡¯ve read that there were many members of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild that went by aliases, not revealing their identities to the public." Unfortunately, since there was no way of masking the appearance of Sylvie, I would just have to do a good job of hiding her. Thankfully, she was small enough to fit inside a cloak if the pocket was big enough.


    "Mmm... I see." Both Vincent and Tabitha nodded at this.


    With that, breakfast ended and we all separated.


    Father went to the Guild Hall to send a letter to his old party members while my mother and Tabitha went shopping, taking Ellie and Lilia along with them. They asked me toe as well but I politely declined the offer to endure the suffering they call a pastime event.


    I washed up and headed towards the right wing of the manor, where Vincent¡¯s office was.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    "Yes?"


    "It¡¯s Arthur," I answered.


    The door opened to reveal Vincent with a curious look on his face. "Ahe in! What brings you here Arthur? You¡¯ve never reallye into my office before."


    "Ah yes. There is a certain matter I wish to talk to you about today, which is why I visited," I said while looking around at the piles of documents on the floor and on his desk.


    VINCENT HELSTEA¡¯S POV:


    Was this child really only eight years old?


    Shivers ran down my spine at the tone of his voice. Why was I so nervous at the mention of a ¡¯certain matter¡¯ he wanted to talk to me about?


    "What sort of matter is it?" I just asked, my face turning a bit more serious.


    "I would like your help in obtaining a few items that might be hard to find elsewhere." Continuing, he sat down and said with his eyes looking straight at me. "I need a sturdy hooded cloak or robe and a mask that can cover my entire face. It¡¯s imperative that the mask has the function of changing my voice."


    It wasn¡¯t hard to figure out why he wanted these items. As the owner of the Helstea Auction House that attracted even the highest of nobles and even the Royal Family, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to get these items. The mask might be a little tricky because a sound elemental artificer would need to be the one to make this but it could be done.


    Yet... why is there such a heavy feeling in this room?


    I couldn¡¯t quite ce my finger on it...


    That¡¯s it!


    Why was this eight-year-old child giving off the same pressure as the time I was next to the King of Sapin himself?


    No. The atmosphere now was even heavier than when I was with the king.


    He was clearly asking me for a favor. But it felt as though he is gauging me, almost as if he was trying to evaluate where to put me on his list of ¡¯people to keep alive¡¯.


    I had never felt this from him, but that was probably because I had only ever seen him with his family.


    I quickly replied, wanting to get it over with. "Sure, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem getting those things. The mask might take a bit of time but I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have it before you be an Adventurer."


    His slight nod actually filled me with relief. I had nobles that waited in line to introduce themselves to me but this kid...


    "Is there anything you would need my help in for in exchange? I would feel bad just asking for this without anypensation." He responded.


    I felt a little sweat forming above my brows. "I-it¡¯s fine really. I owe your father a lot, actually. He may be working for me but the way he trains my guards have really lessened the number of problems that happen during the auctions."


    This was the truth actually. Rey had be an irreceable part of the Helstea Auction Houses. His leadership and charisma amongst the guards he trains is first ss. I owed him when he saved my life and I owe him and his family now. Even with the generous sry that is well above the average and letting his family stay in our house, I still felt that it was actually a bargain on my part. Both Tabitha and Lilia have been happier now than ever after Rey moved in with Alice and had Ellie. I had always been filled with guilt for not being able to spend as much time with my family as they wanted but things were a lot better now.


    "Hmm, speaking of training, that actually gives me an idea," He muttered while looking down.


    I¡¯ve noticed quite a while ago that, when Arthur started thinking, he had this look... this look where his gaze focused afar and his brows furrowed; the subtle crease near his lips and the slight twitch of his nose made him appear to be thinking of something above what normal human intelligence would be capable of. It was the look of a true intellectual. Sigh. It¡¯s hard to believe that he was the same age as my little Lilia.


    "Allow me to start training your daughter to be a mage." He put down thisndmine as if he was just talking about the weather.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    "I had been meaning to start teaching my baby sister in mana maniption soon. It wouldn¡¯t be too much trouble to include Lilia in these lessons. I noticed that both you and Lady Tabitha are not mages so it might be impossible for her to awaken by herself, but if we start now, I think she¡¯d be able to awaken around the average age," I said.


    My statement was met with silence. I looked up to see Vincent drop the stack of papers had been fumbling with nervously. His face was frozen in ce as I could hear his heart beating faster.


    "C-can I truly believe what you just said? Can you really allow my daughter to be a m-mage?" He asked after a seemingly long moment of silence.


    "Sure. It¡¯ll be a long process but it¡¯s definitely possible. Er... I will have to ask you to keep the lessons on a low profile though. I would hate to be bombarded with doting parents asking to make their children into mages," I just chuckled, trying to lighten up the tension.


    He nodded furiously after failing to form a coherent sentence..


    "Sincerely... there would be no greater happiness than seeing my daughter be a mage," he managed to stammer out, tears on the verge falling down.


    "Great! Then I¡¯ll leave the items we discussed to you! Now, allow me to excuse myself out. Sorry for intruding in on your work."


    I walked myself out of the room, picking up the sleeping Sylvie from myp.


    I¡¯m d that worked out well.

 Chapter 22: For Them

    LILIA HELSTEA¡¯S POV:


    I¡¯m shopping with Mommy and Lady Alice and Ellie. Ellie seemed a little bit disappointed that her brother didn¡¯t want to join us so I was holding her hand tofort her.


    "Hey Ellie. Do you like your big brother that much?"


    "En! But he¡¯s a meanie for not shopping with us. I wanted to dress him up more," she pouted.


    "Do you like me better or your big brother?"


    After some time of thinking she just responded, "Umm...I like both!"


    "Kukuku. Lilia, what are you asking Ellie?" My mom asked, pulling my other hand. "Lilia, what do you think of Arthur?"


    "Uuu he¡¯s a little scary. How is he so strong, Mommy? I thought kids like us couldn¡¯t be mages until we¡¯re all grown up?" It wasn¡¯t fair. I¡¯ve always dreamt of bing a mage and making Mommy and Papa happy.


    My mom looked at Lady Alice, "I guess it¡¯s because he¡¯s a very gifted child. But Alice, do you really have no problems with everything he told you? I don¡¯t mean to butt in on your parenting but doesn¡¯t it just seem a little too weird? How did he get so powerful during this time? You¡¯ve told me that he was pretty good at fighting even before the bandit attack."


    I saw Lady Alice shake her head. "Of course I know he¡¯s hiding a lot of things. He probably doesn¡¯t know but it¡¯s pretty obvious when he¡¯s lying. He tends to focus his gaze on one point and his voice turns monotone when he lies. It¡¯s pretty cute how he thinks he¡¯s being sneaky actually. ¡¯Sigh¡¯, Tabitha, I know he¡¯s keeping things from us and so does Rey, but we agreed on giving him some space until he¡¯sfortable enough to tell us himself. I guess that¡¯s just what it means to be a parent. I know he doesn¡¯t mean any harm so all we can do is just support him until he¡¯s ready."


    "Lying is bad!" Little Ellie dered.


    I agreed with her on that. "Yeah Ellie! Lying is bad!"


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    I start concentrating on my mana core, distracted by a series of unexinable sneezes. I was getting too impatient with my training. I wanted to hurry up and get to the previous level in my past life but that wasn¡¯t happening as fast as I wanted it to.


    The little fight with Director Goodsky made it all too real for me. I was too inexperienced and weak. It didn¡¯t really affect me until now, but I¡¯m wasn¡¯t used to fighting the way mages fought in this world. The fact that there was nothing like conjurers in my previous world made fighting one a lot more difficult.


    My concentration wavered while my mind shed back to my past life. The scene on that foggy night when the orphanage¡¯s head caretaker, the closest thing to a mother figure I had, was shot. I was still young at that time, but if I think back now, that was probably the reason I had started training like a madman. Head Mother was the one that picked me off the streets, giving me a steamed bun. After that, she took care of me, taught me how to read and write, scolded me and taught me basic manners.


    I didn¡¯t want to be a king; I just wanted vengeance. I just wanted to be strong enough to kill the ones responsible for the death of the person who had taken care of me... who had loved me. It was never as simple as that, though. It had turned out that the ones responsible for killing the orphanage head caretaker, along with other leader figures of the various orphanages, were the military from another country.


    I realized then that no matter how powerful an individual was he was still just one person. I needed authority along with my power. Bing a king then served its purpose. The first thing I did when I was appointed King was destroy that country. I bloodied my hands with the corpses of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and millions all together. The cruel thing, though, was that no matter what kind of revenge is taken, it didn¡¯t change what had happened to her. She still had died an unjust death.


    This life was going to be different. I wasn¡¯t going to let the ones I treasured suffer.


    Sylvie nudged her wet nose at me, a concerned gaze fixed on my eyes. ¡¯I¡¯m here, feel better¡¯ was what she seemed to say to me.


    Petting her head, I stirred myself out of my unpleasant memories.


    I washed myself off,ughing at the crying Sylvie who still hated getting wet. I was d I had her by my side. It wasn¡¯t healthy for me to be alone thinking by myself for too long.


    Just on time, the girls got back from their shopping trip by the time I had finished dressing up. I hopped down the stairs to greet them.


    "Hmph! Brother is a meanie!" My sister just puckered her lower lip with her arms crossed.


    "Is it because I didn¡¯t go shopping with you, Ellie? I¡¯m sorry." I patted her turned head, which made her tense her face as she forced herself to keep from smiling.


    "How was shopping Mom, Lady Tabitha? Did you guys buy a lot of stuff?" I asked, my hand still on my sister¡¯s head.


    "We didn¡¯t buy much, just a couple of new outfits for Ellie and Lilia," my mother responded.


    At this time, I heard a storm of footstepsing toward us. Vincent arrived beide us with an excited look on his face. His eyes were a little red and he had an uncontainable smile on his face.


    "You guys are finally here!" He said picking up his daughter and kissing her cheek.


    "Honey, why are you so flustered? Have you been crying? "What is going on?" Tabitha had a bewildered look on her face from confusion and worry. Vince did look a little crazy right now.


    "You didn¡¯t tell them yet, Arthur?" He faced me, the goofy smile still pasted on his face.


    Shaking my head, I chuckled, "I just got down as well. I was about to tell them."


    "Tell us what, baby?" My mother had a look of concern as well. Mothers never liked not knowing what was going on.


    "I discussed with Mr. Vincent about teaching Ellie and Lilia mana maniption starting today. Of course, only if Lady Tabitha was okay with it."


    "..."


    Tabitha just shook her head, looking at her husband. "W-wait, hold on. Is this some sort of prank? If it is, it¡¯s not funny."


    "No ma¡¯am. I know both you and Sir Vincent aren¡¯t mages but it is possible for Lilia to be one." I gave her a sincere look.


    "N-no way. I¡¯ve never heard of a method for teaching someone mana maniption. I¡¯ve been taught that it¡¯s up to the child¡¯s innate talent to awaken by herself. Why haven¡¯t I heard anyone else teaching kids then?"


    Tabitha had a lot harder time believing that Lilia could be a mage than her husband. I didn¡¯t me her though. Vincent didn¡¯t even question me, which was surprising. The biggest worry for a mother from a noble family was the future of her children and in a society where mages are the elites, the Helstea¡¯s lineage, no matter how rich they were, would get more than a few looks of pity.


    "I¡¯ve never heard of anything like teaching a child mana maniption either, Art. How do you n on doing this?" my mother quizzed.


    "Mom, you guys all know how I awakened at the age of 3 right? I still remember what happened and why it did. I¡¯m going to do what I did on myself to them. I¡¯ll have to test them before I can even start but for Ellie, I¡¯m 100% sure she¡¯ll be able awaken and for Lilia, around 70%," I answered. The probability was higher than what I said for Lilia but I didn¡¯t want to get their hopes up too much. There was still a chance she wouldn¡¯t be able to awaken.


    "Heavens. T-this is. Give me a minute. I need to sit down." I noticed Tabitha¡¯s knees were wobbling as she made her way to the couch.


    "This isn¡¯t going to be an instant thing. It¡¯ll take a few years for them to awaken on their own after I teach them."


    The Helstea parents just nodded at this and I turned to face the confused Lilia and Ellie.


    "Ellie, Lilia, can you guys sit down on the floor over by the firece?" I instructed, guiding them into the living room. "I want you guys to sit in your mostfortable position, back to back. Leave some space so I can sit in between."


    Ellie was still a little clueless as to what was going on, but Lilia had gotten the gist of what was happening and I could see the determined look on her face. Ellie sat down with her legs stuck out in front of her while Lilia sat in a moredylike position with both her legs tucked in to her left side.


    "Okay. Before I do anything, I want you guys to close your eyes and concentrate. If you try really hard, you¡¯ll be able see some spots of light. Do you see it?" I ced myself between them now as Tabitha, Vincent, and my mother were all staring intently.


    "..."


    "N-no... I don¡¯t really see anything," I heard a murmur from Lilia. I expected much but I turned to see everyone having looks of panic on them. Ignoring them, I turned to face my sister and asked her the same thing. I was less afraid of her seeing the light, but not recognizing what to actually spot.


    Thankfully, she responded, "Bruhder, I think I see a small pretty light!"


    The next step involved doing something that only I was capable of doing. I had to will mana of all four elemental attributes at once into their bodies. Doing this, they would be able to see a lot more clearly the specks of mana that were scattered in their body.


    "Okay I¡¯m going to start now. You guys will feel a little feverish but I want you guys to endure it and just focus on the specks of light." As soon as I said that, I willed my quadra elemental mana into them.


    The reason that all four elements had to be exerted unto them was because the mana that had yet to gather and form a mana core was at its purest form, meaning that all four elements needed to be exerted at the same power into their bodies to trigger any sort of responses from the dormant mana inside them.


    "Eep!" "Hng!" Lilia and Ellie yelped out a little in surprise.


    "I-I think I see some of the lights! They¡¯re so pretty!" eximed Lilia.


    "Wow! So many!" Echoed my little sister.


    "Okay, this part is important, I¡¯m going to help you guys with this part but your job is to try and connect all of the little lights okay? Do you get that Ellie? Pretend that all of the little lights are friends and they need to meet together. Can you do that for me, Ellie?" This was the trickiest and longest part and I had to make sure that they understood what to do.


    "O-okay! I think I get it!" "The lights are friends? Okay!"


    I remained in my position for over an hour to trigger the dormant mana in their body, at least to the point that they would be visible enough for them to manipte and gather.


    Taking a deep breath, I removed my hands from their back, instructing them to continue gathering the little lights until the lights disappear.


    "How is it? D-do you think Lilia will be able to be a mage?" Both the Helstea parents are a mess. They had anxious looks on their faces while Vincent was nervously chewing on a fingernail. I looked at my mother and even she had a hint of uneasiness in her eyes.


    I responded with a wide smile. "Don¡¯t worry, both Lilia and my little sister should awaken as a mage within a few years. My n was to do this with them every day for the few months that I¡¯ll be home. By then, they should be capable of training on their own to form a mana cor..."


    Tabitha didn¡¯t even let me finish as picked me up into a big hug. "Oh thank you thank you thank you. My baby will be able to learn magic! Oh my goodness I was so worried what her future would be since both of us aren¡¯t mages. *Sniff* Uuu... thank you so much, Arthur."


    Vincent¡¯s face was streaming tears as he kept his gaze on his daughter meditating. My mother patted my head silently, giving me a proud smile.


    It wasn¡¯t as big of a deal for Ellie to be a mage since our whole family could use magic. The chances of her never awakening would have been slim to none even if I didn¡¯t do anything; I was just speeding up the process. I had figured the faster she learns magic, the faster she would be able to protect herself.


    The two girlssted a couple of hours before the mana I exerted dispersed out of their body. Surprisingly, Lilia actuallysted longer than Ellie. She definitely had more willpower than my four-year-old sister.


    My father came a bit after from the Guild Hall and was ecstatic for the Helstea family that they were going to have their first mage in the family.


    Picking up Eleanor and rubbing his beard on her cheek, my father just cooed, "Aww, my little baby is going to be strong like her older brother! Promise me you won¡¯t be stronger than father, okay? Or he¡¯ll be very sad."


    My mother justughed at this while my sister just giggled, pushing Father¡¯s face away. "Papa! Your beard tickles! St~op, hehe!"


    We had a great dinner party that night. Vincent and Tabitha went all out on the delicacies leaving my mouth watering and Sylv drooling right next to me. We ended the night with everyone merry, Vincent going around offering drinks to even the maids and butlers.


    The following days had consisted of condensing my mana core and my elemental skills along with my dragon will¡¯s powers. This was a mind-numbingly slow process and I felt myself stagnating because of theck of stimtion.


    I spent a few days out of the week sparring with Father but I could tell he was afraid of hurting me, always holding back even when it was unnecessary.


    Besides my training, I spent a couple of hours everyday watching over my sister and Lilia while they continued their journey to form their cores. It was a strenuous process and I could see my sister being a bit more impatient with the training but I did my best to help her through it by making games out of it.


    During this time, I got to talk to my mother about her abilities as an Emitter. I asked how she was able to learn it and train it when there were so few Emitters and she smiled at me mysteriously, saying how a woman needed to have a few secrets of her own.


    I guess I would have to ask her again when she was feeling less secretive.


    Two weeks before my birthday and the start of my career as an Adventurer, I was startled by loud, obnoxious knocks on the front door. Opening the door, the faces of the all too familiar group made my lips curl up.

 Chapter 23: Royalty

    REYNOLDS LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    As I absentmindedly took a sip from my cup of coffee, a scalding sensation startled me out of my daze. Vince and I were seated around the small table on the outside patio as we discussed some business ns on the Helstea Auction House. The topic had shifted towards the security parameters and how we were currently approaching the stages where it was necessary topletely restructure and enhance the guard teams.


    Alongside capable nonmage adventurers, we had recently managed to recruit a few long range augmenters, making up an extremely powerful addition to the security. While it was still widely prevalent for augmenters to go the melee route due to functionality and ease, ranged augmenters, like archers and crossbowmen, continued to be a much more powerful asset in defensive settings. Vince poked at me a few times whether conjurers should be employed for the uing event.


    "Hmmm...I know how beneficial it¡¯d be to have conjurers that could set up barriers and help support the augmenters, but I¡¯m against it." I took another, more careful sip from my cup.


    "You mind borating? You just said how helpful it¡¯d be to have them," he rebutted as he rhythmically stirred his tea.


    Setting down my cup, I replied, "If we¡¯re just talking about firepower, I¡¯d be all for it, but you know it¡¯s not as simple as that, Vince. It would affect team morale having even a few conjurers in a team of augmenters. You know yourself how snobby most conjurers can get. I swear they think they¡¯re angel incarnates; most of them think of augmenters as some sort of primitive beasts for using their hands to fight. Even if we do manage to find a few that aren¡¯t so rotten, the team would start thinking we¡¯re hiring conjurers because I don¡¯t trust them."


    Vince¡¯s gaze was focused nkly on a stained smudge on the table; it was obvious what he was thinking. "You have a point. I left youpletely in charge of the security aspects, so we¡¯ll go with what you say, but we need to be absolutely sure the 10th Anniversary Helstea Auction goes well. Even the Royal Family will be there this time. We can¡¯t let anymotions get too big."


    I simply nodded in agreement, giving my friend an appreciative smile.


    "Oh right! We need to take your son with us to the Tenth Anniversary Auction. He had mentioned he wanted a sword, right? I didn¡¯t know you had taught him how to use the sword. I expected the boy to take after you on the infighting style you¡¯re so good at with your gauntlets."


    "Sigh. I never taught him how to use the sword, Vince. He¡¯s already had a grasp of sword fighting since he was four years old," I let out, disbelieving the words that came out of my own mouth.


    "You can¡¯t be serious... Lilia was still scared to go down the stairs by herself when she was four," a bewildered Vince sputtered.


    I continued, "He apparently learned by watching me train and reading books on swords. Vince, that¡¯s not even the part I care about. It¡¯s when we spar, though. His gaze when we practice, his reactions and fighting style. I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m sparring with my eight-year-old son. It feels like I¡¯m fighting some veteran sword master. The only reason I can handle him right now is because his body is still immature, but the way he reacts to my moves...it¡¯s something that onlyes with decades of experience in life-or-death fighting."


    "Mmm...I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I sometimes find myself wondering if your son is actually only eight. Are you scared of him, Rey?" he asked seriously.


    "No. That¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve be more and more sure of. No matter what, he¡¯s still my son. I know he cares deeply about his family, too and that¡¯s all I could ask for as his father."


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    During these past two months, it was evident that there had been progress in Lilia¡¯s and my sister¡¯s mana maniption. It was no longer necessary to infuse my mana into them anymore, so they were able to train by themselves now. Of course, it would still take a few years for them to form a mana core¡ªespecially Ellie and her short attention span¡ªbut I did drill into the both of them the importance of keeping their training a secret.


    I didn¡¯t need to remind my parents and the Helstea family that keeping this a secret was important, but it was tantly obvious that the four of them were excited for the day Lilia and Ellie would awaken.


    Sylvie had been sleeping much more these past two months, but there were changes that became noticeable. For one, her intelligence was rapidly increasing. Her thoughts to me were more intricate and containedplicated emotions that went past just ¡¯hungry¡¯ or ¡¯sleepy.¡¯ In the few short months after she was born, it felt like she had gained years of emotional intelligence.


    One major change had happened recently; she learned how to transform.


    Okay, it wasn¡¯t really something as drastic as transformation, but she was able to manipte her body a little. It felt like it happened so suddenly. I had been pondering how to hide her appearance in the days toe when she growsrger. She had been beside me when she started whining and scratching herself as if ufortable. The next thing I knew, her red spikes began retracting while her horns got smaller. It was a mind-blowing surprise. Now, most of the time, Sylvie just kept her spikes and horns retracted, making her look more like a cute, ck scaled fox with little horns.


    Throughout this time, both Vincent and Tabitha had insisted on giving me more gifts as thanks. Even if I wasn¡¯t able to acquire the cloak or mask, I had been nning on training Lilia. After all, she¡¯s part of the family that helped my family, so as far as I was concerned, there was nothing to lose in helping them. After numerous refusals, we had finally settled on something they could get me: a sword.


    My body had finally grown big enough to properly handle a small sword without awkwardly toppling over at the slightest mishap. It wouldn¡¯t be bigger than an adult-sized dagger, but it finally allowed me to train my swordsmanship with something other than a wooden stick. We had decided to make it a family event and have both my family and Vincent¡¯s family go visit the Tenth Anniversary Helstea Auction.


    Waiting in the living room downstairs for my father and Vince to get ready, I heard an obnoxious knock from the front door.


    Sheesh, knocking once is plenty.


    I let out a slightly annoyed shout that I¡¯d get it since I was close by, anyway. No need to trouble the maids when I was right next to door.


    "Who¡¯s ther¡ªOOF!"


    I was hit with the nostalgic sensation of getting smothered by a pair of foam pillows. A ssic way of assassination, but shouldn¡¯t it be used while I¡¯m sleeping?


    "Oh my goodness! You were alive! Look how big you¡¯ve gotten! I¡¯m so sorry, Art! I wasn¡¯t able to protect you! I¡¯m so d!" thedy sniffled.


    "Mmfph! Mmmfph!"


    "Ang, I don¡¯t think he can breathe..." Aforting voice pointed out.


    "Eep! S-Sorry!" Ang squealed.


    Peeling my face away, I smiled at the sight of mypanions. "It¡¯s so good seeing you guys again!"


    My giant guardian angel, Durden, patted my head and I saw his narrow eyes getting watery, triggering a tear from me as well.


    Adam smacked me on the butt. "Little brat! You know how devastated everyone was because of what happened? It¡¯s good to see you again, hehe."


    "You¡¯ve gotten better-looking, Arthur." I turned to see the charismatic Helen Shard with her signature bow still strapped to her back squat down in front of me. She lightly pinched my cheek and gave me a sympathetic smile before standing back up.


    Suddenly, I¡¯m embraced again, but this time, I was thoroughly surprised. "Sniff."


    It was Jasmine. That cold, aloof Jasmine. She kept mute as she just tightened her arms around me, letting out soft sniffles.


    I couldn¡¯t resist the urge to pet her head when she suddenly peeled herself away from me, her face scarlet. Quickly standing up and trying to regainposure, she shot me an embarrassed nod and turned away.


    At this time, Sylvie woke up from her nap on the couch and trotted towards us.


    "Woah! What is that?" Adam eximed. The rest of the Twin Horns had the same expression of surprise as even Jasmine turned back to look at the mysterious mana beast.


    "She¡¯s my contracted beast, Sylvie," I announced while my bond hopped on top of my head.


    "Holy crap! You already have a contracted beast? Do you know how valuable it is to have a bond? Oh man, I¡¯ve been trying to look for a beast to tame these past few years but with no luck. The ones that they sell are way too expensive, too, lucky brat!" Adam was practically pulling his hair out in jealousy.


    "Bonds," or "contracted beasts" for the official term, were highly sought after by both types of mages. It was a bit more advantageous for conjurers since, while the master prepared spells, the bond would be able to protect them. However, it was also very useful for augmenters as well, who often sought after beasts to contract them as mounts or a partner to have their back.


    "What¡¯s with all themotion down...Ah! You guys are here!" My father, wearing his uniform, leaped down the flight of stairs and rushed toward his ex-party members.


    He was giving all of them a hug as my mother and sister came down soon after.


    "Everyone! It¡¯s so good seeing you guys again!" my mother eximed. She didn¡¯t have the chance to say anything more as the girls all threw themselves at her and start drooling over my baby sister, both of whom were dressed very nicely for the event. My parents hadn¡¯t seen the Twin Horns for almost as long as me, so everyone was just as excited.


    "Oh my goodness! Alice, Ellie looks just like you! She¡¯s going to grow up to be so pretty!"


    "...Cute."


    "Rey is going to have his hands full soon with potential candidates kukuku. Can you tell me how old you are?"


    "Four!"


    The girls were a jumble of excitement and estrogen as they ogled Ellie.


    Vincent came down soon after with Tabitha and Lilia. The mother and father duo were matching in a ck suit and dress while Lilia was sporting a flowery dress under a warm cloak. After everyone introduced each other, it was decided that the Twin Horns woulde with us to the Helstea Auction House for the Tenth Anniversary event. On the way there, I filled them in on what had happened after the fall. My dad exined to them the basics in his letter, but they were dying to know the details. They were quite shocked when they learned I was in the Kingdom of Elenoir for over four years.


    The ride was pretty short, so I wasn¡¯t able to finish telling them everything before we got off.


    The first thought that hade to mind upon arrival was that Vincent really put in a lot of work into this. The Helstea Auction House was breathtaking. It was rather misleading to even call it a house as it towered high above any of the other buildings nearby. I¡¯ve been to many national and historical monuments that were created by the most famous architects, but this was on a different level. I suspected that they had a lot of help from Conjurers from howrge it was. The Auction House was a magnificent theatre with intricate designs all over. The main doors were over 4 meters in height and were made from petrified wood with carved designs on it. Compared to the naturalistic and elegant designs that I saw in the Elf Kingdom, this was moreplicated and grand. It was in the shape of a half-cylinder with detailed stone sculptures of different weapons as supports.


    We arrived early, so only the workers and guards were present, preparing for the event. The inside was equally, if not more stunning. The front door opened to a path that stretched out to a stage on the other end. To our left and right, there were rows of escting seats made from a rather luxurious burgundy leather that could fit over ten thousand peoplefortably. Upon looking up, I noticed that there were incased booths at the very top of the rows of seats and even higher, there was a single room attached to the ceiling and back wall with ss surrounding it, giving a clear view of the stage. It was easy to guess that those booths, as well as the single room, was for the VIP.


    Turns out, that VIP room on the ceiling was the room we¡¯d be seated in. Father and the Twin Horns, who had decided to help my father and the guards to prepare for any unwantedmotions or outbreaks, were the first to separate from us. Vincent separated from us after as he barked out orders at the workers and readied the hosts to greet the more important guests.


    Tabitha led us to the room, making usfortable inside the carefully-designed and furnished area that was meant for only the most distinguished and wealthy guests. There was a wine rack and a few reclining seats and tables with closer seats by the window. I made myselffortable on a seat closest to the window.


    The auction house was soon a panorama of cheerful and excited noise, as more and more people, who were no doubt people of some sort of influence, began filling the lower seats. There were some groups that seemed more distinguished than the rest who were personally escorted by the hosts to their booths. No doubt, they were some of the more affluent nobles in the Kingdom.


    Growing bored of the hordes of overdressed nobles chatting eagerly amongst themselves, I shifted my attention to Lilia as she was teaching some sort of pping game to Ellie. I couldn¡¯t help but smile myself as the both of them broke into a fit of giggles when either of them messed up and were flicked gently in the ear as punishment.


    Time passed by rather slowly until Vincent came back, leading a group of unfamiliar people inside.


    The first toe in behind Vincent was an elderly man with long, deep-red hair that was aged with streaks of grey. His back was ramrod straight with broad shoulders that took off years in his appearance. The man¡¯s eyes were stern with harsh, sword-shaped eyebrows, giving him an undeniably eye-catching presence. He was wearing a red robe lined with white fur around the cor and had a cane that shined brighter than any silver I had previously seen. Trailing closely behind him was ady that looked a few years older than my mother. While my mother had a lovely, sweet, friendly ambience, thisdy¡¯s facial features reminded me of an ice sculpture; refined, elegant, noble and of no ws, but also cold and devoid of emotion. She was wearing a shimmering silvery-white dress thatplimented her dark blue hair that draped over her shoulders like a well-kept tapestry.


    Behind thedy of whom I assumed was the man¡¯s wife were two younger kids that could only be their kin. The older child, a boy that looked to be about the age of thirteen or so, took more after his father. With his serious brown eyes, straight brows, and his short mahogany hair that had a shiny luster just like his father¡¯s, it was apparent as to what he would look like a few decades down the road. Despite his fierce looks, however, there was a sort of unrefined charisma that was different from his father¡¯s. It was the sort of charisma that would make him the center of any group.


    The younger one, a girl that looked to be about my age, surveyed the room carefully before locking eyes with me.


    It would still be a couple of years until she started maturing, but needless to say, the potential was there. I couldn¡¯t helpparing her to Tess. They would both grow to be captivating to the men around them, but in very different ways. Tess was the lovely girl next door, with herforting almond-shaped eyes that glowed a bright teal. Her peaches and creamplexion and rosy cheeks. Her unique, gunmetal hairplimented her eyes, giving her a mysterious, yet approachable aura.


    No, this girl was theplete opposite. Her porcin whiteplexion was a canvas for her meticulously carved facial features. Her pratingly sharp eyes that seemed much too mature for her age was a dark brown shade that appearedrger because of her long, thickshes. Her hair was a ring ck, which she got from her mother. Compared to her dark hair and eyes, however, her small lips were covered in a soft pink shade that gave life to her doll-like appearance.


    It was hard not to wonder how they would grow up to be; whether mother nature would make them bloom or wither.


    Peeling my eyes off of the girl in front of me, I focused on the three guards that followed after the picturesque family.


    "I didn¡¯t know we would be in here with guests, Vincent," the man said, neither harshly nor kindly.


    "I apologize, Your Majesty! I assumed you wouldn¡¯t mind having a few other people with you. You remember my wife, Tabitha, right? Well, these are our close family friends," he introduced, waving his arm in our direction.


    After regarding us for a moment, his lips curled up into a smile. "If they are your friends, Vincent, then they are mine as well."


    "It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. At least we¡¯ll have somepany besides these guards," thedy giggled.


    I raised an eyebrow in surprise at the sharp contrast in the woman¡¯s personality to her appearance. She seemed much more weing, despite her intimidating looks, than her husband.


    "Everyone, as you all may know, I¡¯d like you all to meet the King and Queen of Sapin. Introduce yourselves to King ine yder and Queen Prisci yder and their children, Curtis and Kathyln."


    At this, my mother¡ªwho was holding my sister¡ªTabitha, and even Lilia, dropped down, genuflecting. I caught on and lowered myself a momentter as well.


    Giving us a nod, the King gestured for us to stand. "No more of this, now. No need to be stiff, we¡¯re just here for the auction, after all."


    As I got back up, Sylvie peeked her head out from under my robe where she was sleeping, surveying curiously the new faces.


    "Kuu?" she chirped, tilting her head.


    I thought I heard a gasp from one of the guards in the rear, but I wasn¡¯t able to tell since their faces were covered.


    "Oh my! What a cute little mana beast!" Queen Prisci¡¯s face brightened up at the sight as she made her way towards me.


    The King and the two children¡¯s eyes looked towards my direction as well.


    The guards took a step forward as well, making sure they were close enough to react in case something happened to the Queen.


    "She just hatched a few months ago. Her name is Sylvie. Come out and say hello," I responded.


    "Kyu~!" she cooed while hopping out of my robe and stretching her body like a cat.


    "I assume this little mana beast is your bond, young man?" The King came closer, kneeling down to get a closer view of Sylvie.


    I just gave a wordless nod. It should be fine with Sylv¡¯s appearance the way it is. "How fortunate you are to have a mana beast. Even infant ones are not easy to tame, yet she looks to be very obedient."


    "Well we¡¯re able tomunicate mentally, so it¡¯s more like a mutual agreement rather than obedience," I simply shrugged.


    "What? You mean to say that you are under an Equals Contract?"


    We all turned our heads to face the source of the voice. It was one of the hooded guards behind the children.


    Damn, did I say something I wasn¡¯t supposed to?


    "Umm, I¡¯m not sure what that is, but she was the one that initiated the contract, so I think so?" I shrugged, hoping to switch topic.


    Was it that big of a deal who formed the contract?


    "Let me take a closer look at your bond!" the hooded guard eximed, creeping closer to us.


    Before I could decline, the King stepped in.


    "This isn¡¯t the time nor ce to study someone else¡¯s pet. You¡¯re being rude, Sebastian." His gaze turned harsh as he rebuked him.


    "My apologies..." he said, hoping I¡¯dplete the sentence.


    "Arthur. Arthur Leywin," I finished, giving a curt bow. As he and his wife gave me a small smile, we took our seats in time to hear the clear voice dering that the auction would start soon.


    A cold shiver made me turn back just to see Sebastian, who had taken off his hood, staring intently at Sylvie, who was nestled on myp.

 Chapter 24: Auction

    "Ladies and Gentlemen! May I say that it is of the highest honor for me to be here tonight? All of you are gathered here today for one reason and one reason only, I presume? It is to have the chance to obtain rare and valuable items in this auction!"


    Apuse thundered in enthusiasm at the old gentleman¡¯s ardent introduction.


    "If everyone in the audience would now kindly turn to face the back room at the very top, we have a few exceedingly important figures that have decided to bless us with their presence. Please join me in weing the King and Queen of Sapin!" The auctioneer was the first to flick out the tail of his suit and genuflect. The audience immediately followed suit, lowering themselves respectfully in a bow since they couldn¡¯t kneel in their seats.


    The King and Queen, in response, stepped out towards the window in front of me and waved their arms slowly in a practiced motion.


    "Next, the one that made this whole event possible. Please give a big round of apuse for Vincent Helstea!"


    The auctioneer¡¯s introduction was followed by another round of apuse as Vincent stepped up next to the King and Queen, giving a deep bow in return.


    I remained seated, looking down below at the crowds of people who were supposed to be of much higher ss than me, but I couldn¡¯t help but look at them as if they were...


    No... I shouldn¡¯t think like that. I¡¯m not a king anymore. Hell, I haven¡¯t even gone through puberty yet. No point in acting like someone who didn¡¯t exist anymore.


    I turned my gaze toward the King and Queen, studying them. Despite the stoic expression the King always carried, he didn¡¯t have a domineering demeanor. He had a charismatic and strong presence, making it easy to believe that a majority of the citizens of Sapin would respect him, but that was it. He didn¡¯t earn his seat; his father had given it to him. The yder family had been the Royal Family since the founding of Sapin. I wasn¡¯t surprised to see that King yder¡¯s mana core was only at the red stage.


    Turning my gaze over to the Queen, something caught my eyes that I didn¡¯t really notice at first. Strapped to the backside of her dress was a white wand. I couldn¡¯t sense her mana, which meant she was either carrying an artifact that could hide it or she was at a level high enough where I couldn¡¯t sense it.


    Queen Prisci caught me observing her and gave me a discerning smile, revealing her pearl white teeth. Her smile threw me off-guard, making me flinch and quickly turn away. I could feel how hot my face was, making it all the more embarrassing. The word beautiful wouldn¡¯t do justice as a means of describing her. However, one thing I had noticed ever sinceing to this world was the fact that Icked any sort of sexual attraction towards these older women. At first, I had thought that it might¡¯ve been due of theck of necessary hormones currently in this prepubescent body, but the more I thought about it, I felt like it boiled down to the fact that my mother was just a bit younger than I had been before being reborn into this world.


    I had never really been interested in human psychology but it was interesting noticing that women associated with the same age group as my parental guardian made them unappealing sexually. Maybe that was just me; no way to tell.


    Of course, that also didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d go for children my age like Tess, Lilia, or even this ice princess here. They could be the very personification of beauty itself, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that their mental level was that of a child. This was the reason I wasn¡¯t able to see Tess as anything other than a friend or a sister to me, even when she was so obvious in showing her attraction towards me. Maybe when she¡¯s older and more mature, I would start thinking about it.


    Sigh. Being popr sure was a hassle.


    "...kuu." I looked down to see Sylvie staring at me cynically, her eye half-open, judging eye seeming to say ¡¯are you serious?¡¯


    "Haha..." I couldn¡¯t help butugh in embarrassment as I pushed Sylvie¡¯s face in a different direction to redirect her hurtful stare with my hands to block her hurtful gaze.


    Arge hand lightly squeezed my shoulder. "Arthur, a sword is up for auction right now. Tell me if you want it so I can put in my bid. Don¡¯t worry about the price either! Perks of being the owner of this ce," Vincent whispered.


    "Thank you." I turned my attention to the item being auctioned off.


    "This short sword was forged by a master smith who is also a fire artificer, ensuring that the quality during the forging process is top ss. The core of this weapon is made from the core of a Thunder Hawk mana beast. Reinforcing this sword with just a little mana will produce currents of electricity around the edge of the de, enhancing its cutting power and even having a mild paralyzing effect! The bid will start at fifty gold!"


    Excited cries erupted immediately as nearly every noble boy who sought to be a mage tugged at their parent¡¯s sleeves, begging them to bid. I remained motionless, my head propped up on my arm as I inadvertently let out a yawn. There was arge screen that magnified the items so the audience in the back was able to see. However, while the little shock ability could be handy, it was obvious that the sword itself was subpar at bestpared to the de I had wielded in my previous life.


    Vincent had been constantly shifting his gaze between me and the weapon, hoping I would at least be interested in the weapon that most people would kill over.


    I shook my head in response.


    "No worries! That was just the start! Let me know when you find something you like. Oh! I almost forgot. I have the items you wanted in the back. I¡¯ll have one of the workers deliver it to me after this event is over," he whispered, leaning closely to so only I could hear.


    My ears perked up as I abruptly turned to him. "You managed to find a voice-altering mask as well?"


    "It took a bit longer than I expected but I finally managed to find one. I also got you a coat made from a nightmare fox that should make it harder for the wearer to be registered to the unsuspecting eye. I thought it would be something you would want so I snatched that too while I could," Vincent replied softly, shooting me a wink.


    "That¡¯s more than what I had hoped for." The mask was essential for me to be an adventurer, but the coat would no doubt be useful as well.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it and just stay safe. I¡¯m the one that has to deal with your family if something happens to you, you know," he chuckled.


    I just smiled wryly at this fact. No. I wasn¡¯t going to give my family a reason to grieve again like I had done to them before.


    There were a few interesting items along the way. There were several beast cores, most of which were B-ss or lower. The prices for those were astronomical. Even a C-ss core was around fifty gold, and each ss multiplied this figure exponentially. There were a few more artifacts and cores but none of those were things I wanted.


    The King himself bid on a few of them, winning an A-ss beast core. It wasn¡¯t until a mage actually absorbed the core that they would find whether a beast core still contained a will or not. Chances were slim to find a core that still had its will still intact; even if it did contain the will, it had to bepatible with the user. Most beasts, however, had already passed it on to one of its offspring or instinctively chose to disperse their will before dying.


    I guess the King was hoping to get lucky. The Queen, on the other hand, bid on a mana absorption ring and a couple other items useful for conjurers.


    As we approached thetter half of the auction, the items began increasing in value. As more and more items were sold off, my interest started to deplete until arge, square container, covered by a sheet, was rolled out onto the stage by a few workers.


    I couldn¡¯t help but grow agitated as the auctioneer removed the sheet, revealing a cage full of females chained together with only a dirty sack to cover their private areas.


    It disgusted me as so many noblemen frantically began bidding on the young female ves that were soon stripped to show their assets like animals. I realized that being born in a small town with people who disagreed with the idea of having ves had made me almost forget the fact that ves actually existed in this world.


    My world abolished very hundreds of years ago, so the idea of owning a ve was something that I just couldn¡¯t get used to.


    Memories of killing the ve traders that had abducted Tessia came back to mind. If I hadn¡¯t been there to rescue her, what would¡¯ve happened? A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of Tessia being abused by a corrupt aristocrat. Now that I think about it, didn¡¯t I inadvertently prevent a war from happening between the humans and elves?


    The taste of metal in my mouth brought me back to reality. Realizing that I had bit down too hard on my lower lip, I quickly wiped the blood off of my lips with my finger.


    Tabitha and my mother had solemn faces at the sight of the ves, but they simply shook their heads and focused their attention on Ellie and Lilia instead. Even though the Helstea family was a very prominent noble house, they opposed the idea of keeping ves and opted to simply hire maids and butlers.


    Vincent¡¯s face shed with guilt but he quickly regainedposure. I¡¯m sure he was against this, but it couldn¡¯t be helped that the poprity and demand of ves were too high.


    Turning my head, I spotted the prince murmuring something to the little princess, but I couldn¡¯t guess what from her expressionless face.


    This was bing tedious. I was beginning to think that it would be better to hold off on getting a decent sword for now and just settle for a decent practice sword until my body matured a bit.


    Getting up from my seat, I leaned back, stretching my stiff body when I spotted the hooded guard named Sebastian eyeing Sylvie with a disturbing twinkle in his eyes.


    The beady-eyed, bony conjurer underneath that hood continued impatiently fiddling with his metal staff as his eyes stayed greedily fixated on my bond.


    After a few moments, he noticed that I was ring back at him. Letting out a stifled cough in response, he straightened his robe as he spread out his normally hunched shoulders to make himself look bigger. Staring down at me, he had the audacity to let out a smug grin, as if he had every right to do what he was going to do.


    This foolish plebeian has the audacity to...


    VINCENT HELSTEA¡¯S POV:


    It was a pity Arthur wasn¡¯t able to find a suitable sword.


    No matter. There are enough swords in storage; I¡¯m sure he will take a liking to at least one of them.


    "Your Majesty, I hope you¡¯re finding it worthwhile to visit this humble auction house of ours," I assured, lowering myself.


    "This ce and event was anything but humble, Vincent. And yes, I¡¯m not sure how you managed to secure an A-ss beast core from a silvercoat bear, but you¡¯ve managed to build quite thework. Let¡¯s just hope that the beast will is still intact." He sped my back excitedly with his hand.


    "Don¡¯t get your hopes up too much, Dear. You know how rare it is," I could hear the Queen mutter quietly in response.


    The Queen turned back to resume her conversation with Alice and my wife. They seemed to be discussing something about the kids.


    His Majesty and I turned our attention back to the main stage when, all of a sudden, a terrifyingly oppressive presence filled the room, constricting my body.


    I tried my hardest to move, to try and find the source of this domineering bloodlust, but my body refused to obey.


    What the hell was going on? This was the most secure area in the entire building with the King¡¯s guard inside, as well as my own, securing the outside of the room.


    My breathing turned shallow as the overbearing pressure continued gripping at my insides.


    I could feel beads of cold sweat slowly rolling down my face as if they, too, were afraid.


    With much effort, my body relented a little and I was able to turn my gaze slightly to see if they knew what was going on.


    While they were at least able to move their bodies, it was clear that they were just as confused as I was.


    I had no idea what to expect next. I had assumed that I would live for quite a bit longer, yet here I was, at death¡¯s door, trying to struggle out of his icy grasp.


    What in Hell¡¯s name was happening?


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    Damn it. I lost control.


    I quickly turned away from the pale-faced Sebastian currently shaking on the floor, hoping no one had noticed.


    I had only meant to give Sebastian a little scare, not to terrify every person in the room.


    Taking a quick peek around, I let out a small sigh of relief after seeing that my mother and sister were okay. My sister was startled and crying, but they were both far away enough to not get directly affected.


    I didn¡¯t think it would be this bad with this body of mine.


    This was the first time letting my killing intent loose. Even when I was up against the ve traders, I had chosen not to emit any kind of intent in order to catch them by surprise.


    The King¡¯s augmenter guards had their weapons unsheathed and positioned to defend around the royal family by the time I had withdrawn the pressure I had exerted onto the room.


    "Who¡¯s there? You dare try and attack the royal family?" the King roared as he pushed his wife and children behind him. Queen Prisci had her wand out and was silently muttering a spell as she herded her frightened children, as well as my mother and my sister, Ellie, behind her husband and the guards.


    Vincent used an artifact in his hands to call for more guards inside and had the others scout the area for any assassins that may be, or had been, nearby.


    Time ticked slowly for me as everyone in the room was in a state of panic and tension. My mother had grabbed me, holding firmly onto me and my sister as guards ran around with weapons held close.


    My father had stopped by, but, after making sure that we were okay, left to try and search for the mysterious attacker.


    It wasn¡¯t until they confirmed killing an intruder on the roof of the auction house that everyone had calmed down.


    I let out sigh of relief, but unlike everyone else, my relief wasn¡¯t for the fact that the intruder had been killed, but the fact that I had been provided with a convenient scapegoat.


    Thank you, intruder on the roof. Your sacrifice was not in vain.


    "Oy Sebastian. How could a royal guard fall on his arse by a little intimidation from an intruder? You¡¯re going to die early like this." A hooded augmenter holding a spear shook his head, trying to sound tough in front of hisrades.


    "I merely slipped!" Sebastian snarled, pping away the hand that one of the guards held out.


    He regarded me suspiciously for a moment but said nothing else as he turned away in disdain.


    "Now! For the final item we have up for the lucky individual fortunate enough to acquire this!" The auctioneer¡¯s dramatic voice echoed from below as another cage covered by a silky cloth was dragged onstage.


    Everyone in the room was still noticeably tense from the initial shock of an intruder, but their attention was now focused back onto the stage after Vincent announced he had been killed.


    After a dramatic pause, the tarp covering the cage was removed, revealing a small feline animal the size of arge dog.


    The auctioneer bellowed at that exact moment, "An infant world lion! For those who are ignorant of this magnificent mana beast, an adult world lion has the capability to at least be a B-ss mana beast. I dare say that if taken care of well, this infant world lion could even be an A-ss mana beast! Do you know what this means? Taking care of and treasuring this fine beast will allow its master to be a legendary beast tamer!"


    The audience below us erupted into a frenzy as hands shot into the air, bidding without even waiting for the auctioneer. To my surprise, King yder smacked the ss with his hand as his eyes stayed glued to the mana beast.


    Having never traversed to the Beast des, I was intrigued by cub as well.


    Sebastian walked over to the edge of the room as well to get a better view of the mana beast currently on disy. However, he merely let out a dissatisfied snort before walking back, getting another greedy eyeful of Sylvie.


    I normally wouldn¡¯t have minded someone bing jealous of the fact that I had a bond, but it was obvious that Sebastian had intentions to try and take my bond away from me. Needless to say, my patience with his borderline perverted leering was growing increasingly thin.


    "Now, now! I won¡¯t be able to start the bidding until everyone gets settled!" The auctioneer shook his fingers with a satisfied grin stered on his face as he waited for the crowd to sedate.


    As the bidders all reluctantly settled, the auctioneer finally announced the starting bid. "We will start at one hundred gold!"


    Back in Ashber, ten silver coins were more than enough to feed a family of four for a year. Of course, there were obviously luxury foods that totaled astronomical amounts, but simply by going off of that standard, one hundred silver coins, which amounted to a single gold coin, would be more than enough to feed a family of four for ten years.


    Growing up in the humble outpost of a town, I had never realized how much money was truly spent by the affluent ss.


    Immediately, the price for the world lion soared. Soon, it passed four hundred gold and the bidders had no intention of stopping.


    "500 gold!"


    "550!"


    "600!"


    "700!"


    "1000 gold coins!" the King bellowed into a voice-amplifying artifact.


    Simply by hearing their king¡¯s voice, the crowd¡¯s incessant bidding stopped. It was obvious that, while there were plenty who could afford to bid higher, they were more debating on whether it was worth bidding against their own king.


    It didn¡¯t seem fair once the King stepped in, but he at least had the decency to put up a high enough price.


    After the auctioneer counted off, the price was eventually settled at a thousand gold coins or one white-gold tablet; something I¡¯d only seen in books and pictures.


    Vincent walked up to the King with his hand held out. "Seems like no one wants to bid against you, King yder," he congratted.


    "One white-gold tablet shouldn¡¯t be too unfair, right?" the King joked as he peered back down onto the stage, obviously excited.


    "Thank you for the consideration," Vincent chuckled in defeat. "What are your ns with the new royal pet? Will you use it for yourself, or perhaps give it to your son?"


    "While tempting it is for me to acquire a bond, I¡¯m thinking of giving it to Curtis..." he said casually. "Of course, that all depends on how he does," he finished, patting his son¡¯s head.


    "D-Dad!" Prince Curtis, whose face had visibly brightened at his father¡¯s first remark, stuttered out in worry.


    Queen Prisci, adding fuel to the fire, added, "Curtis, I remember you¡¯ve been cking off on your sword lessons."


    "Ah! Mom! That was supposed to be a secret!" The fierce-looking prince tugged on his mother¡¯s sleeve as his eyes switched been his mother and father.


    "Mama, can I have a pet?" Ellie asked.


    "Haha! I don¡¯t know. Mana beasts only want to be pets for nicedies," my mom teased.


    "Ellie is nice! Right, Brother?" She pulled on my sleeve, sending me out to battle on her behalf.


    "Hmm? Who knows." Shooting her an evil smile, I ced Sylvie on my sister¡¯sp before she started crying.


    The Tenth Anniversary event ended without any furthermotion besides the one that I caused, and the guards escorted all of us back downstairs.


    Upon reaching the storage room behind the stage, Vincent handed me a package wrapped in a ck cloth. The items that the King purchased were being hauled to the carriage by some of the workers.


    "Thank you." I epted it graciously.


    "For everything you and your family has done for us, this is hardly enough," Vincent replied. "Arthur, we have some swords in the back if you want to take a look while you¡¯re here. They might not be anything special, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to find a solid sword tost you until your body finishes growing."


    "Oh! Are you nning on taking lessons with the sword?" The King inquired, putting a hand on his son¡¯s shoulder. "My boy has just started learning as well. Maybe you two can spar one day."


    "Swords are merely a hobby for me, Your Majesty. I would never hope to amount to the same level as your son," I replied, turning back to redeem Vincent¡¯s offer.


    "Your Majesty, Prince Curtis would only be infected with bad habits if he began sparring with meremoners," Sebastian¡¯s hissy voice rang.


    As I turned back to retort, my father and the Twin Horns came into view.


    "Ah, you guys are here! How did you enjoy the Auction?" my father eximed, picking up Ellie after showing his respects to the King and Queen.


    My father pulled Vincent aside as he and the Twin Horns began debriefing about the event.


    "Your Majesty. If I may have a word with you," I heard Sebastian say as he leaned closely to the King¡¯s ear.


    After a few moments, King yder shot his royal guard an irritated nce, but let out a sigh.


    As the two walked towards me, it was obvious what they had just discussed by the way Sebastian wasn¡¯t even looking at me, but instead, at my bond.


    However, instead of talking to me, the King called upon my father.


    The King smiled at him, but his eyes remained stern. "I never did catch your name. You must be this young boy¡¯s father, correct?" he affirmed rather than asked.


    "My name is Reynolds Leywin and yes, that is the case. What might be the matter, Your Majesty?" my father replied, lowering himself slightly.


    "Sebastian, here, has been a royal guard for a while now and has helped our family an uncountable amount of times."


    His voice stayed rxed he spoke to my father, but the condescension in his tone was still apparent. "For the exemry services he has provided me, and therefore the country, I do feel the need to reward him at times. You see; he has taken a fancy to your son¡¯s bond. I know it¡¯s not easy to sever a contract and I¡¯m sure the boy has grown close to his little pet, but I would be more than willing hire a mage to take care of the contract andpensate you and your family for the troubles."


    "Y-Your Majesty," my father stuttered, caught by surprise by the severe request. Taking a nce at me, he turned back to the King. "I must apologize, Your Majesty. Neither I nor my wife had anything to do to with my son¡¯s bond. He had acquired it himself, so I cannot speak on my son¡¯s behalf on matters of his bond."


    "Hmm," the King turned his attention to my direction, regarding me loftily, and I suddenly realized that I was returning his gaze. He realized, then, that for the entirety of their conversation, I had been staring icily at him and his guard.


    "Boy. Didn¡¯t your father teach you to lower your gaze when speaking to someone of your superior?" Sebastian snarled in disdain as he mmed the end of his metal staff to the ground.


    "Sebastian, silence!" The King held up his hand. Besides the royal family and their guards, the King¡¯s request had caught the attention of the rest of my family as well as Vincent¡¯s.


    "Hello, child." The King approached, standing an arm¡¯s length away from me. "I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve just heard me speak to your father so I won¡¯t repeat myself. How about it? My royal armory would certainly have a sword befitting that of any aspiring knight."


    Not wanting to make a bigmotion, I swallowed back the profanity that was itching to spew out of my mouth. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your gracious offer, but I must refuse. A simple sword could never rece Sylvie."


    "How dare?"


    "Sebastian!" King yder roared. Turning back to me, he spoke again with a much more impatient tone. "How about a trade then? The world lion cub that I just purchased for your bond?"


    "Father!" Curtis scurried over to his father, pulling on his sleeve. "I thought the mana beast was mine?"


    Ignoring his son, the King waited for my response.


    "Perhaps I didn¡¯t make myself clear. I do not wish to give, sell or trade my bond," I reiterated, failing to mask the annoyed expression on my face.


    "I have asked you twice, child, for a favor. Twice," he emphasized, his tone growing grave. "I will ask you once more; will you give me your bond?"


    The air was tense as everyone¡¯s attention was directed at me. Sebastian gave me a menacing look from bloodshot eyes, just waiting to be released. The rest of the royal guards were on standby near the two, carefully observing the situation.


    "Then let me ask you a question in response, Your Majesty. How much are you willing to sell your children to me?" I asked coolly, never batting an eye.


    Thrown off-guard, the King wasn¡¯t able to respond to the seemingly random question. "You have asked me twice and I have rejected you both times, yet it seems your pride won¡¯t allow you to ept my refusal. You don¡¯t seem to be aware of what you were asking me, so I hoped to rify using my question instead. How much money should I give you in return for your son or your daughter, King yder?" I rephrased, without wavering.


    I heard the sharp whistle of a sword leaving its scabbard. "Insolent peasant! You dare insult the King and his family?" a guard roared as he charged at me before anyone had the chance to respond.

 Chapter 25: Aftermath

    As the sword arced towards me, I noticed that it had a faint glow of mana surrounding it. Augmenting his sword to attack an eight-year-old... this guy really showed no tact. The hood covering the guard¡¯s face was blown back as he charged towards me, revealing a rugged veteran¡¯s furious expression.


    Faces of horror could be seen clearly from those around us. The Twin Horns desperately tried to make their way towards the guard when they saw him attack me, to stop him from cleaving me in two. Even the King looked surprised at the unprecedented action of his guard, while the Queen had already frantically started reaching for her wand.


    My eyes stayed focused on the guard that was about to swing down, but I was quite rxed. Whether or not it was because he was angry, or because the training the royal guards received was mediocre, his attack was rushed and full of openings. I didn¡¯t even need to will mana into my body to deal with him. I took a step forward with my right foot as his sword swung down towards me, then reached up and grabbed the space on the grip of his sword between the cross-guard and his hand.


    I proceeded to pivot on my right foot, using the momentum of his swing, while my body was parallel to the guard¡¯s. His reinforced sword whistled harmlessly through the empty space where I¡¯d just been, creating a small fissure in the ground, and conversely embedding his sword in it. In one smooth movement, I quickly struck him in the jaw, which he hadn¡¯t bothered to guard with mana. The force of my upward punch,bined with his downward movement from his swing, created an impact much stronger than I¡¯d expected. The guard only managed to let out a low grunt before he crumpled to the ground.


    My attention immediately focused, then, to Sebastian. As I had expected, the dense fool was silently muttering a spell as his beady eyes locked intently with mine.


    SEBASTIAN¡¯S POV:


    ¡¯That impudent brat! He needs to learn his ce! When the King asks for something, it isn¡¯t a request; it¡¯s an order! How dare he not only refuse, but also reprimand our noble King! That brat doesn¡¯t deserve his equals contract! I personallye from a family of pure conjurers; elite mages capable of bending nature to their will. I don¡¯t have a contract with a beast at all! Yet, that brat has a beast that was capable enough to form an equals contract at such a young age! That means that the beast¡¯s level is least A ss!¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but grind my teeth in frustration.


    ¡¯I¡¯m the one that deserves the magnificent steed that that beast will grow to be! And yet, he refused me? He refused the King?¡¯


    "Insolent peasant! You dare insult the King and his family?" Harry let out a roar as he charged towards the brat, his sword brandished high up in the air.


    ¡¯Yes! Kill that brat! I guess augmenters do have their uses at times. Hahaha! After that brat¡¯s dead, that ck mana beast will rightfully be mine!¡¯


    Yet, before I could even start cheering for him, he¡¯d been knocked out.


    "..."


    ¡¯What the hell? How did that useless, half-witted fool manage to knock himself out? Ugh... I guess I¡¯ll have to handle this brat by myself.¡¯ As I began taking out my staff, I noticed the brat walking towards me.


    I had to hold back augh. ¡¯He¡¯s actuallye towards me? Is he asking to die?¡¯ Well, I didn¡¯t really care at this point. That non-mage ¡¯Vincent¡¯ was a close friend of the King, but I¡¯ll probably just get off with a light punishment for killing an insignificant brat.


    Whatever bothersome punishment he served me would be well worth it after getting my hands on the brat¡¯s mana beast.


    As I began silently chanting a spell, I couldn¡¯t help but grow irritated as he continued to approach me. Was he such a fool that he couldn¡¯t tell that he was about to die?


    However, a twinge of unease began forming at the pit of my stomach. This boy, no background or power to save him, had such confidence. Why did I feel like this brat, who¡¯s only half my height, was somehow looking down at me; as if he was the one that was superior.


    However, much stronger than my unease was harsh contempt for having something that I had been searching so hard for. ¡¯You¡¯re just trying to make me want to kill you more, aren¡¯t you, brat?¡¯


    He arrived in front of me just as I was about to finish my Fire Spark spell.


    All of a sudden, a piercing crunch sounded from beneath me before I dropped to my knees.


    "..."


    ¡¯That¡¯s weird. Why did I suddenly lose bnce?¡¯


    I nced down, only to see someone¡¯s knee bent inwards, along with the bones, tendons still attached, sticking out of the skin.


    ¡¯T-t-that¡¯s my leg!¡¯


    "GAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"


    "M-MY LEG! MY LEG!! AHHHHHHHH!"


    IT HURTS! IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS! I¡¯ve never felt such excruciating pain in my life! Why should a noble conjurer like myself need to feel pain?


    ¡¯W-Why is no-one helping me?¡¯ As I frantically looked around, it was apparent that everyone was somehow frozen. They weren¡¯t just surprised, but actually frozen in ce.


    It was then that I noticed that the colors of my surrounding had been flipped, or reversed. ¡¯Have my eyes been clouded from the pain?¡¯


    "This space won¡¯tst long, so I¡¯ll make it quick. I¡¯ll tell you rightnow that it would be best for both of us if you stopped your hopeless pursuit of my bond. I don¡¯t wish to make an enemy of this Kingdom¡¯s leader, thus I¡¯m giving you onest chance."


    The boy was speaking in a manner that made mepletely forget his age. The tone of his words, coupled with the way he articted them, carried both power and dignity, caused a terrifying sensation that I had felt before.


    ¡¯It was him back in the room!¡¯ As I thought this, the pressure bore down on me, forcing me to fearfullyply.


    He turned his back to me as he walked away, taking a few steps forward, before suddenly ncing back at me.


    He looked at me with an emotionless face, his eyes seeming to pierce straight into my brain like a hot needle, actually making me wince in pain.


    ¡¯No... No, no, no... I can¡¯t breathe! I-I¡¯m scared!¡¯ The torturous pain had been somewhat numbed. Instead, I could feel a warm sensation between my legs as my body epted its fate of death.


    His eyes continued to bore down at me in tant disgust as I tried to stop my body from shivering.


    He looked at me as if I was simply an insect, and slowly mouthed,


    "Know. Your. ce."


    KING GLAYDER¡¯S POV:


    While the implication of his message towards the King of a country was provoking, this eight-year-old¡¯s reasoning and argument fascinated me.


    Even though Sebastian was a loyal guard that had served us for decades, it was beneath me to make this kid give up his pet. And yet, I still promised him beforehand that I would. Who would I be if I were to go back on my word?


    Then, everything went south. ¡¯Do the Royal Knight Guards only amount to this much...? To rush in simply because of an eight-year-old¡¯s provocation?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t bring my personal Temr Knights, thinking that there wouldn¡¯t be any trouble, but I couldn¡¯t have guessed that these fresh trainees would cause this much trouble...


    Although it surprised me, I quicklyposed myself. What¡¯s done is done. If a royal guard was to kill this child, the public might pity him and his family for a couple of days, but ultimately the fault would lie in the child¡¯s parents for getting in my way.


    It was a pity that this kid¡¯s family was friends with Vincent. Cutting ties with the auction house owner may turn out to be... a bit inconvenient, in the future.


    Yet, outside of all expectations, the eight-year-old disyed a series of movements that couldn¡¯t be more impably executed even if a Tempar Knight had done it. So deftly did the boy knock out my Royal Guardsman.


    ¡¯Harry, you fool. How inexperienced do you have to be that you even forgot to reinforce your body?! The only thing you¡¯re doing is give a bad name to the Royal Knights of Sapin!¡¯


    "KYYAAAAAAAAAA!" I instantly turned my head in the direction of the shrill scream.


    My wife was staring wide-eyed at something behind me, causing me to turn around to get a better look.


    ¡¯How is Sebastian, who was fine just a second ago, now on the ground clutching his left leg like that? His leg has several shards of bone sticking out, yet he¡¯s just ring daggers at the boy?¡¯


    The conjurer fumbled for his staff on the ground and as soon as he grabbed it, pointed it at the boy while starting to mumble a spell.


    "Enough, Sebastian!" I roared at him. Did this ignorant fool not know that all of this stemmed from his greed for a child¡¯s bond?


    I grabbed his staff and snapped it in half. Sebastian just looked at me in shock¡ªas if I¡¯d betrayed him.


    This pathetic ingrate...


    "Stand down! This matter is over," I growled menacingly at him as we locked eyes.


    ¡¯He is in the presence of a King! No matter how much he has gotten used to it, it¡¯s best that I remind him that I can end his life on a whim.¡¯


    As soon as I finished this thought, the boy fainted. His family and, what I can only assume were his friends, immediately rushed towards him. I sighed. ¡¯Settling this incident will be rather tiring.¡¯


    I could see that the boy¡¯s family and friends were struggling not tosh out at me.


    ¡¯How wise of them to know their ce in front of their King.¡¯


    Thinking about the trouble this had caused, and what it will take to deal with it, I let out a deep breath.


    "I imagine that that boy needs to be treated; please excuse yourselves so that we can settle this matter another time," I announced as I guided my wife and children outside, leaving the two pathetic clowns that I¡¯d been foolish enough to once call Royal Knights to be picked up by his teammates.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    ¡¯Gah! My head!¡¯


    I pried open my eyes, curious as to where I was, but everything was blurry. As my vision slowly cleared, I carefully turned my head to the right and to the left.


    It was my room.


    "Kyu!" Sylvie woke up almost immediately and began licking my face. ¡¯You¡¯re awake! You¡¯re awake!¡¯ she chirped, her tail wagging fiercely.


    "Mmm...? Oh, you¡¯re finally awake!" My mom had her head in her arms as she leaned on my bed.


    "The doctor said that you probably fell unconscious from shock, and that you¡¯d wake up soon. However, I didn¡¯t think ¡¯soon¡¯ would be eight hours." She ran her fingers gently through my hair, giving me a soft smile.


    It was evident from her red eyes that she¡¯d been crying for a while. A bitter taste filled my mouth in regret from making her worry again


    "What happened after I passed out?" I willed myself to sit up, cing the excited Sylvie on myp.


    "We all left shortly after you fell unconscious. No one was in their right state of mind, thus the King excused himself first. Your father is downstairs with the King¡¯s representative. They¡¯re in the living room discussing what happened." Her eyes quivered in worry.


    I simply nodded in response and got out of bed. My body still felt heavy from using the first phase of Sylvia¡¯s Draconic Will, so I limped slowly downstairs with Mother after she checked in on Ellie, who was asleep in her room.


    As we made our way downstairs, I could hear my father, along with an elderly man¡¯s hoarse voice.


    Upon seeing me, the representative suddenly stood up, giving me a slight bow, a bit of a relieved look on his weathered face. My father¡¯s back was facing me, so he only turned to look when he saw the old man start to get up.


    "My son! You¡¯re awake!" He hurled himself over the couch and wrapped me in a bear hug, his hand cupping the back of my head.


    "Yeah Dad, I¡¯m fine. What¡¯re you guys talking about?"


    "This representative came by with a few gold coins as a ¡¯token of apology¡¯ from the King. ¡¯For the small incident¡¯," my father answered through clenched teeth.


    "The Royal King has also ordered me to inform the Leywin family that both guards that attacked Arthur Leywin have been stripped of nobility," the representative added, his voice cracking.


    "For almost killing my son, the King just gave them a p on the wrist, and then waved them goodbye?" My father couldn¡¯t help but be livid from the frustration.


    "Father, it¡¯s all right! Look, I wasn¡¯t hurt. Let¡¯s just end this matter." I squeezed my father¡¯s hand, giving him a reassuring look.


    The King seemed like a decent enough character, but in times like this, I guess his priorities lie elsewhere.


    The representative just looked at us matter-of-factly¡ªas if it was a given that whatever the King had done was the right thing.


    Letting out a sigh, I took a seat. ¡¯I¡¯m too tired for this crap.¡¯


    Casting aside the issue, I asked about Sebastian, in case he¡¯d said anything. "What happened to that Conjurer? The one who had his knee broken?"


    The representative just shook his head a little. "We don¡¯t know. Our experts hypothesized that it was due to the mana that the Knight attacked you with ricocheting and hitting his knee."


    I just shrugged at this. Looks like the matter was settled more easily than I had expected.


    After the elderly representative left¡ªmainly because my father had grown impatient with his attitude¡ªhe turned around and gave me a grin.


    "Good job knocking out that Augmenter. That¡¯s my son!" He put his fist out in front of him, which I promptly pounded with my own fist, smiling.


    "Where are the Twin Horns anyway? I thought they¡¯d be here."


    My mother answered me while chuckling, "We had to keep them away from this, otherwise they might¡¯ve really turned into wanted criminals."


    Iughed at this, but I could tell that it was something they were genuinely worried about by the helpless look on my father¡¯s face.


    ording to my mother, the Twin Horns were waiting at a nearby Inn. My father told me that we¡¯d head out there tomorrow for breakfast, and would discuss me being an adventurer with them. I nodded at this and went back into my room. My birthday was in less than two weeks. I¡¯d finally be able to make my first mark here in this world.


    As I sunk back down in my bed, I stared at the palms of my hands, idly thinking about the events from earlier. This was the first time I¡¯d used Sylvia¡¯s Draconic Will. These past years that I had spent studying Sylvie¡¯s will, before assimting it into my body and practicing it for four months, had caused me to sigh in wonder at just how powerful Sylvia was.


    I was just tapping into the ocean that was Sylvia¡¯s powers. Unlike Grandpa Virion, who could only get a speed boost and blend into his surroundings, being a legacy tamer allowed me to ess a lot more of Sylvia¡¯s powers at stage one.


    What I had used on Sebastian was something that I decided to named ¡¯Distortion¡¯. I could basically separate myself from time and space for a brief moment. Although I couldn¡¯t alter anything around me, it did give me time to assess my situation. Earlier today, I¡¯d exceeded my limits by using Distortion on another person as well. This had allowed me to get by unnoticed from the King¡ªfor now. I wasn¡¯t strong enough to act against him yet.


    My current limit with Distortion, before I received any bacsh, was two seconds. However today, I had used it on another person, as well as had prolonged it to five seconds. I¡¯d done all that just to scare that bug named Sebastian. I¡¯d used up all of my mana and passed out for half a day¡ªjust to terrify a bug. Maybe it would¡¯ve been better to kill him.


    No, I couldn¡¯t think like that anymore. Causing meaningless deaths just for my convenience wasn¡¯t something that I should do in this world. I needed to be different in this world.


    I shook my head. I had a lot of time. Since I had so much time, I needed to be patient.


    I unwrapped the package that Vincent had left beside my bed, only to see apletely white mask that was able to cover my entire face. It was a simple mask, with two sharp eye slits that curved upwards; it reminded me of a fox¡¯s eyes. There was no nose or mouth hole; just a singr blue streak that ran straight down the left side of the mask, through the left eye slit.


    I tried the mask on, which somehow stuck to my face without the need of a strap. I also tried on the midnight blue coat, which turned out to be a little long. After strapping on the coat, it suddenly shrunk to fit my body perfectly.


    I couldn¡¯t help but be embarrassed; I felt like some sort of wannabe assassin or vignte.


    "Ahh, ahh. Testing. Testing." The tone of my voice surprised me. It soundedpletely different. My immature, high-pitched voice had be a rich, baritone.


    "Kuu?" Sylvie just looked at me curiously, causing me tough and take off my getup.


    "Aren¡¯t you excited? Don¡¯t you want to get a little bit of action as well, Sylv?" I patted her head, as my head swam with images of being an adventurer.

 Chapter 26: Partners In Crime

    "So... who¡¯s it going to be?" My father took a sip of his coffee, setting it down on the round wooden table we were all seated around.


    We had been currently just finished eating breakfast with the Twin Horns party., who The group had chosen a rather modest inn full of lively chatter. As they conversed while eating breakfast, while my Mother was currently busy wiping off the remains of food chunks bits of food that had managed to escape my sister¡¯s mouth off of her.


    "Kuu!" Sylvie hopped up onto the table, with her head held high. Even without her mentally transmitting, everyone was able to make out that, ¡¯I¡¯m enough to protect Papa!¡¯, everyone was able to tell that that¡¯s what she was thinking.


    "Sylviee! Come here~!" My sister waggled a piece of meat in front of Sylvie, tempting my legendary dragon bond, who instantly began to drooling like a starving puppy, right before she leapt into my sister¡¯s arms.


    When I saw this, I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the thought of Sylvie wagging her tail at a bandit smart enough to simply lure her away with a piece of meat.


    Apparently my father¡¯s ex-party members had just finished a dungeon exploration with several other parties, so they had some free time before their next mission or quest. Thus, it wasn¡¯t really a matter of if they had the time, but rather if any of them wanted to.


    Adam, who was spoke up first while polishing the tip of his spear, was the first to speak up., "Babysitting doesn¡¯t really fit my style, so I¡¯ll pass on this. Besides, I feel like, with my personality, Arthur might kill me in my sleep one day."


    Despite the joke, my father responded with a solemn nod. He knew what kind of temperament Adam had, and in-turn knew that they weren¡¯t likely to get along with each other.


    "I was hoping that Durden or Helen would apany Arthur. Honestly, although I can¡¯t offer much, but Alice and I are more than willing topensate you guys in whatever way we can if you do this."


    "Don¡¯t talk like that, Rey, we¡¯re all family here. I, for one. would love to apany him and watch him grow, anyhow," the gentle giant responded, his narrow eyes bing even smaller as he smiled.


    "Durden is right. You, of all people, should know that we aren¡¯t doing this for the money. Besides, we managed to get quite a bit of treasures off from of ourst dungeon raid." Helen said, shaking her head.


    Suddenly, a silent hand shot up, making everyone at the table turn to look.


    "I would like to volunteer."


    "J-Jasmine? You, you want to go with Arthur?" Ang sputtered, looking at her brusquepanion in shock.


    Ang had made it clear about how eager she was to apany me, but I felt like Ang would be a greater source of danger than any of the possible threats of an adventurer. I tried to lightly hint that she might not be the most suitable but even I was surprised that Jasmine would take the initiative to apany me.


    "Hmm... Logically speaking, Jasmine is the most suitable person to protect Arthur. Durden only specializes in offensive area of effect spells. Although II do want to go with Arthur too, but I feel that maybe I¡¯m probably not the most suitable person since protecting someone isn¡¯t really my strong suit." Helen just scratches her head.


    "Jasmine, are you really okay with going along with Arthur?" my mother asked, concerned.


    Giving my mother a determined look, she looked at my mother with a determined gaze as she nodded firmly in response.


    "Pfft! Thedy says she wants to go, let her go. She¡¯s the only Augmenter among us that has an elemental affinity! She just reached the dark yellow stagest year, and coupled with her wind attribute, I think she¡¯d be the best suited." Adam said after a let out a chuckle as he leaned back on his chair.


    "Hmm... For Arthur¡¯s safety, I guess I¡¯ll just have to step down from this. It¡¯s a pity though." Durden just scratched his head, clearly disappointed.


    "Sorry, Durden, I know how much you care about Arthur." My father put an arm on therge mage¡¯s shoulder.


    "Maybe I¡¯ll join the Twin Horns on a dungeon raid in the future!" I eximed. Durden just smiled at this, giving me a nod as he tousled my hair. The rest of the Twin Horns chuckled merrily as we finished up our conversation.


    It was decided that, in a week¡¯s time, I would go with Jasmine to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and register myself. I¡¯ would automatically start off as ant the E ss adventurer after passing a simple test and could, depending on how well I do on any missions or on quests I take, raise my ss ordingly.


    Getting back home, I spotted Lilia downstairs ¡ªmeditating¡ª right as when a maid was gently ced a cup of water by her side.


    "Uu... Lily no fair! Training without me!" My sister rushed past my side and plopped down into afortable sitting position to start her mana maniption training as well.


    As far as I could tell, it would take the both of them a few more years to actually form a mana core, but at the pace that Lilia was going, it was easy to imagine that she¡¯ would awaken around the average time most children did.


    On the other hand, Ellie didn¡¯t have the patience for training, and grew bored after an hour or two, so it would take her a lot longer. That¡¯s fine though, I wouldn¡¯t want her to be a mage too early, as; she would attract too much unwanted attention. I¡¯ would be proud if she could simply can form a mana core by the age of nine or ten.


    Putting away my jacket, I turned back to face my father, who was still making his way up the stairs. "Dad, can we go to the Auction House again? I¡¯d like to pick out a sword? We never had the chance to after the incident, and I¡¯ve wanted to start practicing."


    "Yeah, I have a few things I need to tell my team there anyway. We¡¯ll ask the carriage driver to stay for a little bit, so go wash up."


    ________________________


    Both Lilia¡¯s father and mother were already waiting for us at their auction house. It was my first time seeing either of them after the incident so I was faced with another long string of questions from the two of them regarding my health. After much coaxing and reassuring them that I was fine, we finally went inside. I could tell that Vincent had been less than thrilled by the treatment the King had shown regarding this incident, but at this point, just like how the King felt towards me, I only felt apathy towards the man. It was clear that he had not put me into any sort of consideration besides that of a less-than-insignificant child, which suited me just fine for now.


    The King¡¯s representative had told us that night that both the augmenter that had attacked me and Sebastian had been stripped of their nobility. Vincent merely scoffed when my father told him this, though.


    Rolling his eyes, the auction house owner spat out that their sentencing was nothing butforting lies. "Bah! Men like them... as soon as they get their wrists pped, and they just take a rxing break for a bit, they¡¯ll It won¡¯t be long before they¡¯ll have their positions back."


    I noticed my father tightly clenching his fists, but these sort of politics were all too familiar to me.


    Father went off with Vincent to meet the guards, while Tabitha took our carriage back to take care of Lilia, leaving me with only Sylvie search for a sword.


    Perched on my head, my bond curiously looked around the cluttered storage hall, littered with vaguely sorted crates and shelves of misceneous goods. Vincent had told me that the Helstea Auction House stored a lot of goods, most from different merchants and adventurers, and others from remote ces, including the Dwarf Kingdom.


    There had been almost no business transactions done with elves ever since the war over a neutral territory had reached a stalemate. Over the years, rtions between the two races were said to have gotten better, to the point of even having a friendly tournament, but it would be a slow process before the enmity is actually ceased. This was a pity since elf weapons, which wereparatively lighter and thinner, would¡¯ve been perfect for someone of my physique.


    Something I had learned while living with the Eralith family in Elenoir was that, while both weapons and armors forged by dwarves were considered the highest ss because of the race¡¯s innate mastery in the field, elves had their specialties in bows as well as conjurer staffs and wands.


    Most of the enchanted weapons were bid during the event yesterday, so the only things left were regr weapons that would eventually be sold in stalls, which was fine for me; I wasn¡¯t looking for anything special, just dependable.


    Peering through the endless rows of shelves and racks, I picked out a few to test. It didn¡¯t take long before I stuffed it back on the shelf it came from, malcontent by the crude workmanship of the swords. The bnce between the de and the grip had all been off and were shaped sloppily with no mind for executing all but simple swings or thrusts.


    I didn¡¯t think of myself as overly nitpicky, but after hours of scouring through the room, it was clear that my taste in swords had be too particr.


    Sylvie, growing bored of the repeated actions of removing a sword, swinging it a few times, and unhappily putting it back in ce, hopped off my head and began having her own little adventure.


    I treaded deeper into therge storage hall, passing the shelves and racks of the more appealing des on disy and arriving at a section where sheathed swords were simply crammed in barrels.


    One thing I noticed about the swords in this world was that they fell into a couple of categories:


    There were therge swords, either the wide heavy swords, or the long ymores. Many warriors and offensive augmenters preferred these behemoths because of the raw power that could be generated through a single swing, but others considered the weapons savage and unrefined.


    The more bnced swords, seen mostmonly used by knights and adventurers alike, were the broadswords. These were generally wielded with one hand, coupled with a shield in the other, but there are two-handed varieties. These swords provided the most bnced and versatile performances and were the standard swords to begin learning swordsmanship.


    Thest category of swords were the lighter and thinner des. Weapons like sabers, curved single-edged swords¡ªwhich my world called katanas¡ª and rapiers as well as daggers all fell into this category. Sabers, katanas, and rapiers were focused on speed and precision while daggers were often used as a concealed weapon or dual-wielded for more versatile and acrobatic styles of fighting.


    Even if the weapons here were second rate, the inner swordsman in me couldn¡¯t help but bubble in excitement.


    However, it didn¡¯t take long for that bubble to pop. Letting out a defeated sigh from my fruitless search for a sword, I mindlessly swung the in short sword I had picked out earlier and barely deemed eptable. I would have to settle for this sword if I couldn¡¯t find anything else.


    Giving up on the search for a better sword, I made my way into the misceneous section where they held different types of weapons. I could see various unique, albeit inefficient, weapons that looked like they were designed by a child.


    Navigating through the aisles, I couldn¡¯t help butugh aloud as I came across something very simr to what my world called nunchucks. There was even a morning star that was so heavy that, even after augmenting myself with mana, I struggled to lift it off the ground.


    "Whew! Looks like a dead end Sylv." I sat down on the ground, leaning against a gigantic shield as Sylvie continued to trot about.


    Suddenly, Sylvie let out an eager chirp.


    Making my way towards my bond, I spotted Sylv digging through a pile of weapons. A cloud of dust soon epassed us as Sylvie continued searching for something.


    Making another excited squeak, she used her front paw to point at an unremarkable ck rod.


    It was less than a meter in length and just looked like some sort of walking cane.


    "This wasn¡¯t what I was looking for Sylv," I sighed, but she hopped to me, nudging me toward the ck stick.


    Relenting, I walked over and picked it up, surprised by the weight of the rod that looked much thinner now that it was in my hand.


    While it seemed to be made of some kind of polished wood, it weighed a lot more than just a simple walking stick.


    Holding it up, I took a closer look, inspecting the rod more carefully.


    The stick had a matte coat to it, not reflecting any light at all, while the whole rod was smooth to the touch.


    While unnoticeable at first, I could see intricate indentations that formed a design throughout the pole, but other than that, I couldn¡¯t¡¯ find anything special about it.


    Sylvie continued gazing at the rod in my hands, her golden eyes twinkling as if she had found a national treasure.


    Finding nothing remarkable about it, I tried swinging it.


    It felt good.


    The weight was distributed in a way where it was bnced like a sword, even more so than the short sword I picked out as a backup. Taking another swing made me confident that this rod¡¯s bnce was too purposeful for it to be just used as a walking stick or a staff.


    Excitement growing inside me once more, I willed mana into my eyes. I had hoped to notice something with enhanced vision and my hopes came to light. t was so faint that I only noticed it after reinforced mana into my eyes; even then, I was only able to spot it because I was looking for it.


    Even more faint than the indentation markings over the pole, was a small line that seemed to separate two parts of the stick.


    "..."


    This was a sword!


    I immediately tried to pry the sword out of its scabbard, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. Even with my body reinforced with mana, I wasn¡¯t able to muster the strength to pull it out.


    Don¡¯t tell me this was some sort of Excalibur that I had to be worthy of...


    Pushing away the silly though, I infused fire attribute mana into the sword, but still, no use.


    After half an hour had passed, I realize that elemental attribute mana was not the answer.


    ...No way... what if...


    I activated Dragon Will. I didn¡¯t use its power but simply infused the Will into the sword. And, despite all of the previous struggle to pry the sword out, a light tug was all it took for the sword to glide out of its sheath.

 Chapter 27: Worth Fighting For

    The sword slid soundlessly from its sheath to reveal the t de.


    I couldn¡¯t help but swallow back a lump of air as I fell into a trance, staring at the weapon much too beautiful to be considered an ordinary weapon.


    The narrow de was straight and thin like a rapier¡¯s but had a double edge, making it fit for shing as well as thrusting. As the keen edge of the de curved smoothly into a sharp tip, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that there were no markings¡ªthat the de had been sharpened. The weight and bnce of the sword was a bit off in my opinion but it was still much better than the crude tools I had picked up before. However, even this w was overshadowed by the breathtaking quality and color of the de.


    The translucent teal hue of the de seemed to almost generate a luster of its own, even inside the dim storage room. There was a stark contrast to the matte-ck scabbard and handle, making the color of the de all the more radiant. Despite the fact that the de was so narrow and thin, a few tests on a nearby iron container confirmed its durability and strength.


    I could say with confidence that, even in my old world, there wasn¡¯t a de as well-forged as this. Was this sword truly meant for beast tamers or was its criteria even more particr? I thought as I looked down at Sylvie.


    Titling her tiny head, Sylvie let out a happy chirp in response.


    Studying the de more closely, I spotted a small engraving inscribed on the de near the grip.


    Dawn¡¯s Bad W.K. IV


    As soon as those words left my lips, a searing pain abruptly shot out from where I was gripping the sword, making me drop the weapon.


    There was a gash that had already been cauterized across my palm. I was hesitant to pick the sword back up again, but when I did, I could see the faint remains of my blood getting absorbed into the handle of the de.


    "Kuu!" Are you okay, Papa? Sylvie trotted next to me, pawing my leg, concerned.


    I¡¯m fine, Sylv. After scratching the underside of my bond¡¯s chin, I gave the sword another swing. This time, the point of bnce of the sword aligned perfectly to match with my undeveloped body. Even the handle of the de seemed to have grown smaller to fit in my hand, as if it was made for me.


    There were some extraordinarily valuable staffs and wands that had the ability to bond with a single user, allowing better maniption of mana between the weapon and master, but I¡¯d never heard of a sword doing something like this.


    Picking up the sword, I pondered over the man, whose initial was "W.K. IV." Who was this person and how was he capable of forging such a sword?


    I realized how much time had passed as my father¡¯s faint voice snapped me out of infatuated trance. Quickly sheathing my new sword, I made my way back to where my father was, Sylvie hitching a ride on top of my head. On the way back, I made sure to pick up the short sword I chose for back up.


    "Well? Did you see anything you liked?" Vincent, who had been talking with my father, asked.


    I nodded, holding up the short sword to him, "I found this sword and, after a few swings, I¡¯ve grown to like it. Is it okay for me to take this one?"


    Vincent took the weapon from my hand, drawing the sword from its scabbard. "Hmmm, not the best quality sword but it is solid and won¡¯t break easily. Rey, what do you think?"


    My father epted the sword, studying its de, grip and guard before taking a several swings and thrusts. "The bnce isn¡¯t the best but I think it¡¯ll be good as a first sword. What¡¯s that stick you¡¯re holding onto, though?"


    Trying not to make a big deal out of it, I gave casual shrug. "I tripped over this really sturdy stick on my way back here. Do you mind if I take this back home to practice with, Uncle Vincent?"


    "Ah that old thing! I remember one of my merchants telling me how some senile old man just handed it to him, mumbling something about finding a worthy master. We had a few of our inspectors check if there was anything special about it, but for all they were able to find out, it was just a sturdy, hard cane. It¡¯s been gathering dust here so if you think it¡¯ll do you some good, go ahead and take it," Vincent answered, lightly squeezing my shoulder.


    Sess.


    ****Kingdom of Elenoir****


    TESSIA ERALITH¡¯S POV:


    "Haaaaaaaaaaa...." I let out an exaggerated sigh, looking out the window from my room. My hands were getting numb from leaning my head on it for so long, but I didn¡¯t want to move as I only grew more annoyed.


    How dare he! Stupid Art!


    Finally willing myself to get up, I let out my pent up frustration by kicking the wall.


    "Ouch!"


    Stupid Art! This is his fault too!


    Cradling my aching foot, I wiped the tears that had welled up in my eyes, unsure of whether it was from the pain of my foot or my loneliness.


    I had just gotten back from Grandma Rinia¡¯s home. It was hard, but I was finally able to guilt-trip her into letting me spy¡ªI mean, make sure that Art was doing okay.


    I should be happy that he¡¯s with his family and everything... but doesn¡¯t he miss me?


    He looked too happy! And who¡¯s that girl? Wasn¡¯t Art acting a little too nice to her? That cunning girl even got Art to teach her how to manipte mana!


    He never taught me!


    That Arthur... When I get my hands on him, I¡¯m going to give him a piece of my...haa... who am I kidding, I just want to see him.


    It¡¯d been a few months since he had left but after getting so used to seeing him every day, those months had felt like years.


    "Maybe I should¡¯ve treated him more nicely while he was here," I muttered aloud.


    I couldn¡¯t help but cringe remembering all of the times I had physically abused him, just as an excuse to touch him.


    But that wasn¡¯t my fault! It¡¯s his fault for being such a thickheaded idiot!


    Mama and Papa were quite proud that Feyrith, the noble brat who messed with Art, and his sister were able to ce in the top five during the trialpetition that they had with the humans, but I couldn¡¯t care less. It was just a show to boast our strength to the humans and dwarves anyway.


    Grandpa had mentioned that the actual Continental Tournament¡ªwhich was what the humans decided to call it¡ªwould happen every five years from now on. Did that mean I would have to wait five years to see Art? Five whole years?


    "Uuu...." This sucked. The only thing that kept my mind off of Art was training. My goal was to be stronger than Arthur. The next time we meet, I wanted to surprise him by how much I¡¯d grown. Maybe then he¡¯d see me in a different light.


    Stupid Arthur, I repeated. Even though he was younger than me, he still treated me like a kid.


    Even though I¡¯m the older one...


    I held up the water-filled orb that Granny Rinia gave to me as a present. She was able to capture a scene and integrate it into the orb so that it would constantly show an image of Arthur¡¯s face.


    "Dummy!" I cursed at the bubble, poking the sphere where the image of Arthur¡¯s cheek was.


    Suddenly, the door flung open. "Young one, I have good¡ª"


    "Grandpa! What did I say about knocking?!" I squealed, quickly trying to hide the orb behind me. However, by the sly grin on his face, I knew that he had already noticed.


    "I see you¡¯re using that orb well," he snickered as his usual, stern expression was reced by that of a wily fox.


    "Stupid Grandpa!" I reached for my pillow nearby and flung it at him before he could see how red my face had turned.


    "Don¡¯t mind, don¡¯t mind! I would rather enjoy having Arthur as a grandson-inw, anyhow! But isn¡¯t it a little too early for that now?" He roared out inughter as he continued teasing me.


    Whipping my head away from Grandpa, I did my best to hide my embarrassment, unable to let out anything other than a frustrated grumble in response to his ridicule.


    "Don¡¯t pout now! I¡¯ve got some good news for you, Little One." I turned my head slightly just to indicate that I was listening.


    Letting out another heartyugh, he spoke. "Now, what if I said that you could have the chance to attend the same school that Arthur will be attending¡ª"


    My body spun so fast that I grew dizzy. "Then I would say that you¡¯re the best Grandpa ever!" I cut him off before he even finished speaking. "You¡¯re not lying to me, right?" I grabbed Grandpa¡¯s sleeve and tugged it hard.


    I heard a chuckle from the doorway. "Did you tell her, Father?" Mama and Papa walked into the room, smiling.


    I turned to them, "Mama! Papa! Is it true? I can go to school with Arthur?"


    "Calm down, Tess," my mother gently chided as she patted my head.


    "Your Grandfather has close ties with the current Director of Xyrus Academy. He got in contact with her recently and she was excitedly telling your Grandfather about how there will be a genius quadra-elemental augmenter attending her school in three years¡¯ time," my father added.


    "Who else besides Arthur is a quadra-elemental augmenter? I instantly knew, but of course, I didn¡¯t say anything about me training him. That is a little secret I n on surprising her withter on," he let out an evil grin.


    "Why is he waiting three years before going to school? Isn¡¯t he more than fit to go now?" I tried to speak casually, but my excitement had me grinning to my ears.


    "Well, she did mention something about him wanting to be an adventurer," Grandpa mused.


    My mother gently squeezed my hands. "The important part is that this gives us enough time. We¡¯re still trying to negotiate terms to have a trial run for the integration of the younger generations of elves and dwarves to attend school together with the humans at Xyrus Academy. The King of Sapin agreed that the only way to start mending our rtionship was by allowing the younger generation to form bonds with each other," she exined.


    "You¡¯d better train hard, Little One. A lot is riding on this. I¡¯m willing to bet that Arthur had chosen to be an adventurer before attending school so that he could get some real experience in fighting. After he¡¯s done, he¡¯ll be at the age a typical student would be in, so stay on your toes. He¡¯s going to be popr, so if you don¡¯t snatch him, some other lucky girl will." Grandpa shot me an evil wink.


    "Father, I think that¡¯s enough teasing now. Look, Tess is about to cry!" I could barely make out my father shaking his head through my watery eyes as I tried to stay strong.


    ****Kingdom of Sapin****


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    "HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARTHUR!" everyone cried out in unison.


    The whole Helstea house was decoratedvishly with festive ornaments and woven threads as the Twin Horns and the Helstea family as well as my own gathered together to congratte my ninth birthday.


    "Thank you all for bearing with me!" I gave a deep bow as Sylvie mimicked me, nodding her small head.


    The dinner turned out amazing as the chefs went all out tonight. My mother made sure to include some of my favorite dishes, some of which she made herself.


    A panorama of noise filled the halls:ughter of the kids, the clinking of wine sses and busy footsteps of maids and butlers. The table was pleasantly loud as Adam belched loud jokes and made fun of some of the members with their embarrassing moments while exploring the dungeon.


    "Adam, you seem to forget the time when a horned mole snuck up under you while you were taking a piss in the dungeon. As I recall, you got so scared, younded straight on your back, peeing on yourself like a fountain," Jasmine coolly said as she casually continued sipping her tea, not even bothering to look at the petrified Adam.


    "Pfft!" The food in my mouth sprayed out as I tried to contain myughter. My father tantly roared withughter, nearly falling back in his chair as he pointed his finger at the frozen Adam. Even Vincent had his face buried in his hands as he tried to keep fromughing.


    "No! Y-You! I thought n-no one was awake when that happened?!" Adam¡¯s face turned ghostly pale and his shoulders slumped in utter defeat. Meanwhile, the women just shook their heads in embarrassment at the men¡¯s behaviors.


    All in all, everyone was having a great time. Ellie chimed in eager to tell all of us about her adventures in learning how to read and write, trying to be a part of the grown-up conversations as well, while Lilia just giggled and agreed.


    After dinner, everyone migrated to the living room where the fire had just been lit and area filled with a smoky fragrance.


    "Happy Birthday again, Son. This present is from your mother and I, and of course, Ellie as well." My father handed me a package wrapped in cloth while Mother was holding back Ellie, who¡¯s fidgeting fingers were eager to unwrap the present.


    Opening it, I saw a fingerless glove meant only for my left hand. It was ck and simple but embedded on the top of the glove were 3 white stones.


    "Your father hunted the material for the glove and I imbued my healing spells unto those three white stones. Each of the stones carries a single-use spell. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be useful to have some safety measures while you go out on missions." My mother looked at me with sad smile. I could tell she still wasn¡¯t ready to send me off.


    "Thanks Mom, Dad, Ellie, I love it. This¡¯ll be really useful for me." I gave each of my family members a big hug. Putting on the glove, I could tell how sturdy the material was, not to mention that the three healing spells would be extremely useful in a tight situation.


    "Ahem! Next is us!" Vincent pulled out a small box. He dramatically got down on one knee and opened the box, revealing two silver rings, one in, and one with a small clear gem.


    "..."


    Uhh.... Where was he going with this?


    "Honey! Stop teasing the boy!" Tabitha smacked Vincent¡¯s shoulder while he held in hisughter.


    "Okay, okay! Arthur, this is more of a present for your family than you but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll appreciate it as well."


    "This ring," Vincent pulled out the in ring, "Is what you will be wearing, while this ring," he handed the gemmed ring to my mother, "Is what your mother will be wearing."


    Tabitha continued on for him, "Alice, while Arthur is wearing the ring, you¡¯ll be able to tell whether he¡¯s okay or not. The in ring is able to keep tabs on the mana cirction that naturally flows in a mage¡¯s body. If the natural mana flow stops, the ring you¡¯re holding, Alice, will glow red and emit a high-pitched sound."


    "We thought really hard on what Arthur may need during his time as an adventurer, but Lilia was actually the one that brought up the possibility of giving a present that¡¯ll help him and his family. Unfortunately, the rings can¡¯t do much more than that but I thought this would bring you some peace of mind Alice, Rey." Vincent shrugged his shoulders.


    My mother teared up while clutching onto the ring. "Oh Tabitha, Lilia, thank you!" She hugged the both of them in a tight embrace. "Thank you, Vincent." She gave Vincent a deep bow while he shook his hands, saying how this was nothing much.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile, looking at my mother.


    If this ring could free my family from constantly worrying about me, then this was the best gift I could ask for. But I couldn¡¯t help but be concerned at the psychological presence wearing the ring would have on my mother; she might end up checking it religiously.


    "Well how are we going to beat that, guys?" Adam chimed in. My guardian angel Durden walked towards me, handing me a roll of parchment.


    "You see, we also thought along the same lines as the Helstea family. We couldn¡¯t really think of what to give the little monster so we decided on this!" Adam waved his arm in a dramatic manner.


    "Those two scrolls are sound transmission scrolls! I¡¯m not going to borate on how expensive these were, because they were extremely expen¡ªouch!" Jasmine smacked Adam on the head.


    "Cough! Anyways! With this, you now have a one-time source ofmunication. Just infuse mana into the scroll, Arthur, and you¡¯ll be able to send a message to the other scroll. After the holder of the other scroll receives it, Mama Leywin, she can then send the reply! After the reply is sent and the other person listens to it, the parchment will then turn to ashes! TADA! You¡¯re wee!" Adam gave a dramatic bow.


    The members of the Twin Horns were all taking turns talking smack about Adam¡¯s egotistical performance, but they gave my family a warm smile.


    I could tell my mother and father¡¯s moods had turned a whole lot better after knowing that they wouldn¡¯t be sending their son off to who knows where without knowing how he was doing and what would be of him.


    I gave each of the Twin Horns and the Helstea family a hug, thanking them for the presents. Lilia turned beet red while Tabitha just giggled at her.


    Honestly, I already had what I needed, but the ring and scroll would be an invaluable source offort for my family, which I was worried about the most.


    Soon after, my parents¡¯ ex-party members all left to go back to their inn. The Helstea family went back upstairs when Lilia started dozing off, tired from the long day, leaving me with just my parents. Ellie was asleep while cuddling the snoring Sylvie. I was already all packed up, prepared to leave tomorrow morning and meet up with Jasmine in front of the house. Tonight would be thest chance to have a real talk before I left.


    "Tomorrow is the big day, Son. Are you excited?" My father sped my shoulders. My father¡¯s eyes were lined red as I could see him holding back some tears.


    My mother had given up on holding back her emotions and kneeled down to give me a big, bear hug, her face buried in my chest as she sniffled.


    "I¡¯ll be fine Mom, Dad. I promise I¡¯ll try to be back home every chance I get. If anything happens, you¡¯ll be able to know."


    After talking about my life and the dangers of being an adventurer, my parents ushered me back into my room. I plopped into bed and stared at the ceiling, Sylvie asleep next to me. I had a family and now, I had people who loved me. I had people that cared about me for who I was, not for the position I had. It was a nice feeling that I would never want to give up. I¡¯d fight for it and make sure to treasure this emotion that I was devoid of in my previous world. For that, I needed to better myself. More so than when I had been a king.

 Chapter 28: Examination

    "Crying won¡¯t work! Shouldn¡¯t you be used to water by now, Sylv?"


    "Kyuuuuu..." Sylvie finally escaped from my grasp and scurried out of the shower, still dripping.


    "Haa..." I shook my head as I finished washing up by myself.


    Wearing nothing but a simple t-shirt and pants, I took onest look at the room I had been living in for the past few months, imprinting the image. I put on my glove and ring, packing the coat and mask along with a few other necessities into my bag. I strapped both Dawn¡¯s Bad and my short sword to my waist before walking out.


    "Trust in Jasmine when things get rough. She may be the youngest but don¡¯t doubt her strength and experience as an adventurer," my father advised as he pulled me into onest¡ªfirm¡ªhug.


    "Why are Brother and Sylviee leaving? No! Stay here!" My sister was now struck with realization that I wouldn¡¯t be home for a while. She was clutching my waist and refused to let go as she used the weight of her body to anchor me down.


    "Honey, your brother will be back, okay?" My mother attempted to console her.


    "Nonononono! Stay!" my sister demanded. She had refused to listen to excuses and began shouting with tear-filled eyes.


    Kneeling down, I wrapped Ellie in my arms as I patted her back. "I know you¡¯re a big girl now. Can you protect Mom and Dad while I¡¯m gone for a bit, Ellie?"


    "UUuuu...hic...I can protect them..." she replied in a muffled voice, burying her head into my shoulder.


    Letting go of her, I studied my baby sister¡¯s face, wiping the tears streaming down her cheeks.


    "Atta girl. Your big brother is going to be gone for a little bit but I¡¯ll be back. I feel a lot better that we have someone strong like my little sister here to protect the house."


    "Yes!" she seconded eagerly, her eyes filled with a newfound determination.


    Patting her head, I gave Mother and Father onest hug.


    "We¡¯ll miss you. Don¡¯t forget to keep the ring on your finger, okay?" My mother squeezed me tightly.


    "Stay safe and know your limits, Arthur." Father ced a hand on my shoulder and stared at me, waiting for a response.


    Know my limits, I repeated to myself, giving my father a firm nod.


    After the partings were finished, I made my way down the front stairs to where Jasmine had been waiting.


    I waved them onest goodbye, gesturing to my sister, who was waving both her hands as she bit her lips to keep from crying, to cheer up.


    "Let¡¯s go, Jasmine," I dered while putting on the mask and coat.


    She replied with a terse nod as we began heading downtown to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild Hall.


    ______________________________________


    The Guild Hall was not what I had expected it to be. A vivid image of a ce filled with thugs seated around wooden tables downing beer was what I envisioned. Instead, it was a building filled with prestige and luxury. A marble structure towered over us like a sacred museum. Once inside, it was clear the amount of work that had been put into the intricately designed interior. There were tables made from metal where I could see other adventurers giving us a passing nce. The whole ce had an ambience of extravagance that didn¡¯t suit me, much less some of the barbarian-looking adventurers here, but I simply continued my stride.


    "Wee! How may I help the two of you?" The female receptionist¡¯s rehearsed smile gleamed a pearly white.


    Before I had the chance to reply, Jasmine slid a piece of parchment towards the woman.


    "I would like to sponsor him for a rank examination." Her face remained expressionless as she said curtly.


    "Y-Yes! I understand," the receptionist answered, nodding her head fervently as she handed back the piece of paper. "Please,e over this way."


    Getting up from her seat, the women opened the door beside us from the other side. As we entered, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the hushed murmurs around us.


    "Oy, there¡¯s someone taking a rank examination," someone whispered.


    "It¡¯s just a girl and some masked midget, though," another hoarse voice mocked tantly.


    I held in any questions I had and simply followed the clerk in silence. Passing through the door, we were led past the row of seats behind the ss counter where the receptionists were stationed and into a small room.


    The office was minimally decorated with two leather couches positioned to face each other. On the far end of the room was a dark, wooden desk facing the door; a slender man was seated behind the pile of neatly-stacked papers, jotting down something with a quilted pen.


    Roused by the sound of his office door being opened, the man looked up to reveal a sharp and angr face. The head of ck hair I had been staring at was parted down the center and reached just past his thin neck. Behind his rimless and thick sses were a pair of sharp eyes that regarded us intently.


    "A-ss Adventurer, Jasmine mesworth has requested this..." the clerk¡¯s voice trailed off as she eyed me cautiously. "...gentleman to be taken in for a rank examination."


    "Yes, I¡¯m quite aware of who Miss mesworth is. You may wait outside, Mary." The slender man waved her away as he stood up from his seat. "Miss mesworth, how are you these days? I met with your father not too long ago."


    Jasmine simply gave a terse nod, that barely resembled a bow, as the man approached us. Her expression had gotten sharper sinceing into this room, but at the mention of her father, Jasmine¡¯s hands clenched into fists.


    "Anyway, it is a pleasure to meet you." The man shifted his attention to me, finally acknowledging my presence. "My name is Kaspian deheart, and I am in charge of this branch. I take it that you must have some sort of close rtionship with Miss mesworth. Is there a name I can address you by?" His gaze darted up and down as he quickly assessed me.


    "Kuu!" Sylvie answered in my stead.


    I had made Sylvie transform back into her original form during my time as an adventurer so her horns protruded and her red spikes were visible.


    "I go by Note," I answered gruffly. The name didn¡¯t mean much and was made fairly mindlessly based on the blue streak that went through the left eye slit; it had reminded me of a single half note.


    Kaspian¡¯s eyes widened in surprise but he quickly recovered, responding with a casual smile. Other than that, seeing a mana beast didn¡¯t seem to surprise him, which I assumed was because of his line of work. "Yes! Well... Mr. Note, we will proceed with Miss mesworth here as your sponsor. Do you know how this will work?"


    Shaking my head, I let him exin. "An Adventurer of B-ss or higher has the right to sponsor a new adventurer for an examination. Depending on how well you do, this exam will give you the opportunity to be ced into a suitable rank. This way, you can avoid the needless struggles of starting from the very beginning. The rank exam will consist of only a practical portion. Now, judging by your weapons, I can assume that you are either a fighter or augmenter, yes?" He looked quizzically at the ck stick tied to my waist below my short sword.


    "Yes."


    "Okay! Usually, there would be a quick application along with an inspection of your mana core before the exam but since it is Miss mesworth here sponsoring you, I will waive that," he continued as he opened another door at the far end of his office. "Mary, take these two to the examination hall."


    "Y-Yes!" The receptionist, who had been waiting outside the room, entered hastily and led us toward the back door. "Please, Mr. Note, Miss mesworth, right this way."


    I peered at Jasmine through my mask as we made our way down the long corridor. Was this the reason why she wanted to be the one to follow me? The mesworth House was mentioned with a fair degree of respect, but what exactly was the mesworth House?


    I was forced to squint as my eyes tried to adjust to the sudden change in brightness as we exited out of the dark passage. As the blinding glow subsided, I was able to make out the details of the hall we were in. The brightly lit area was an indoor, dirt-floored arena with standard theater seats that appeared more like exaggerated stairs. While most of the seats were empty except for the scattered ten or so people, there was a tense atmosphere as everyone¡¯s eyes focused on the two people at the center of the arena.


    "Please, follow me to your seats. There are quite a number of examinees today so if you would remain seated until the examiner calls your name, it¡¯ll really help speed up the process." The receptionist gave us onest, quick, bow before scurrying back down the rows of stone seats.


    cing Sylvie between Jasmine and me, I leaned forward to get a better view of the two fighters about to duel. Jasmine simply leaned back in apathy with her legs crossed.


    "Haht!" therger, bald man roared as he swung down his polearm. It was obvious that he was at a disadvantage against his opponent. The man he was fighting was of average build with short ck hair and a jagged scar that ran down his cheek, but he was easily dodging all of the bald man¡¯s wide swings.


    The scarred fighter had an apathetic expression much like the one Jasmine had. He didn¡¯t even bother using the broadsword he had in his right hand as he continued weaving around his bald opponent¡¯s brash attacks.


    Face red in frustration, the bald fighter bellowed, "Take this!" The fact that he had announced his next attack meant that he was either confident or he was simply an amateur. In this case, it seemed to be thetter.


    The polearm he had brought up high above his head suddenly began glowing a dim orange as a heat wave surrounded his weapon. The scarred man¡¯s expression changed from boredom to mild surprise.


    "Hell Smash!" the bald man roared as he hacked down. Just like how conjurers chanted spells to focus their intent, many augmenters also chose to do something simr, like vocalizing the name of their attack. However, for such a simple move, it seemed excessive.


    Even from up here, I could make out the scarred man¡¯s derisive sigh as he simply held up his broadsword to take on the attack.


    The sharp ring of metal meeting metal echoed throughout the arena. However, the sight of the polearm spinning up high in the air made it fairly easy to determine who the winner of the exchange was.


    Therge cueball of a man was gawking down at his empty hands, apparently surprised that his ace attack was so easily dealt with.


    "Your skills as a polearm wielder is nonexistent and your battle senses are lousy... and that¡¯s me being nice. You depend too much on physical strengthpared to your mana reinforcement, which throws your attack¡¯s bnce off. It says you¡¯ve just turned thirty-five but you¡¯re now only at the dark orange stage. I would normally put someone of your caliber at E-ss but seeing how you have a fire affinity, if that little heater move you just did can even be called fire, I¡¯ll pass you as a D-ss...barely." The scarred examiner¡¯s assessment was curt and to the point, but I couldn¡¯t have agreed more with him.


    "Next! Diane Whitehall!" the scarred man bellowed as the bald examinee dispiritingly made his way back to his seat, picking up his polearm along the way.


    "Yes! Coming!" A woman on the other side of the stadium scampered down the rows of seats, nearly stumbling along the way.


    She was a freckled girl that looked to be well into her teens. She had her curly brown hair tied back and was wearing a standard conjurer¡¯s robe that looked more like a fancy bathrobe. She fumbled to get her wand out of her belt, but managed to get in position without dropping it.


    Snickers and giggles spread through the arena from the scarce audience, shrinking the girl¡ªDiane¡ªeven more so in embarrassment.


    "What a waste of time. Just fail this girl," a boy¡¯s voice to my left caught my attention just in time for me to see him mockingly shake his head.


    The boy didn¡¯t look much older than me, which surprised me. I hadn¡¯t expected there to be someone so young trying to be an adventurer. While he was also wearing a conjurer¡¯s robe, it was on a different level; it really did make Diane¡¯s robe look like a bathrobe inparison. With his embellishments and other fineries, it was apparent that he was a noble. With medium-length blond hair that covered his ears and was trimmed to set just above his dull, green eyes, it was easy to tell that he was an attractive boy. By the permanent smirk stered onto his face and the way he lifted his chin just a tad so he was always looking down at everything, I¡¯m sure he thought of himself as a superstar.


    However, what caught my eyes was the polished white, wooden staff that was by the boy¡¯s side. Embedded at the very top of the staff was arge ruby-colored gem that sparkled in the stadium lights.


    He was a fine example of someone that rubbed me the wrong way, so I chose to turn my attention back to the stage.


    The scarred examiner that had examined the bald augmenter was sitting down, reced by a woman. The person, who I assumed was the conjurer¡¯s examiner, wore a conjurer¡¯s hat in the shape of arge cone that set a shadow covering most of her face.


    Tilting her hat back, I was able to see the instructor¡¯s pale face. Her thin eyes darted around at the audience before she let out a loud cough to have everyone settle down.


    "Ahem! Diane Whitehall, age eighteen, a conjurer at the solid orange stage with a single specialization in water. Let us begin." The female examiner threw the notepad towards the scarred examiner and held up her grey staff.


    Once a conjurer had reached the orange stage, it was apparent where his or her specialty lied. Instead of wasting time trying to be adept at all four elements, it was much more efficient to focus solely on the element of their highest affinity. Single specialization, in her case, meant that she relied primarily on water spells. Dual specialization and up, there would be a strict test to see if you really were adept at two elements.


    Instantly, the freckled examinee murmured a spell, conjuring a bubble of water to surround her.


    The basics of battling as a conjurer was setting up defensive measures. They did this since most weren¡¯t proficient in reinforcing their bodies with mana.


    Diane¡¯s examiner, however, didn¡¯t cast a defensive spell but instead chose to go on the offensive.


    "Sandstorm!" the pale examiner shouted as a gale of sand whirled around the freckled girl and her defensive water bubble.


    The gust of sand merged with the water, turning Diane¡¯s defensive spell into arge orb of mud. "Release!" The mud bubble burst at the examinee¡¯smand. Jumping back, she muttered another spell while a pressured ball of water began forming at the tip of her wand.


    [Aqua Cannon]


    The sphere of water burst out in a zing speed towards the pale examiner.


    Rather than defending against the spell, the examiner nimbly dodged the water sphere. Thinking back, I had realized that this was the first time watching a duel between two conjurers. This mock fight would be a good way to study the differences in fighting styles between long range conjurers and melee augmenters.


    "BURST!" the freckled teen screamed while she swung her wand down. The condensed ball of water exploded just as it zipped past the examiner, filling the stadium in a cloud of dust.


    The noble brat that was mocking the girl earlier was shaking his head in disdain.


    "She¡¯s not bad," Jasmine mumbled beside me.


    The small dust cloud that covered the instructor from view began clearing up to reveal that she wasn¡¯t there.


    Suddenly, the examiner emerged up from the ground behind Diane, and her staff lightly thumped the top of the examinee¡¯s head.


    "Eek!" Diane jumped forward in surprise.


    "I must say, your control is quite decent, Miss Whitehall. You were a little overconfident in yourst spell chain, not preparing any defensive measures, but overall, the efficiency in mana control and cast speed was good. C-ss!"


    Diane let out a sigh of relief. Being a C-ss adventurer at her age was a feat she could be proud of.


    "Next! Elijah Knight!" The Conjurer examiner announced.


    "Here..." A couple rows away to my right, a boy that looked even younger than the blonde noble, stood up. He looked somewhat unapproachable, with short-trim jet-ck hair that came down to cover half of his forehead. He had a very serious expression underneath his framed sses that made him look more mature than his actual age. The boy wore a simple beige long-sleeve and ck pants and didn¡¯t have any sort of weapons on him. I half-expected him to be an augmenter but the fact that the examiner didn¡¯t switch out meant otherwise.


    Suddenly, a clerk that was keeping notes at the side ran up to the examiner and whispered something into her ear.


    The pale-faced examiner¡¯s thin eyes widened before quickly regaining herposure.


    "Elijah Knight, age ten. I have been just notified of your special status. As of now, you are a B-ss adventurer."


    B-ss at his age and he didn¡¯t even need to get tested?


    I could see looks of disbelief on everyone¡¯s faces. Even the augmenter examiner¡¯s face was in surprise as he craned his neck to get a better view of the boy in question.


    The solemn boy merely made a small bow and sat back down without a word.


    "Next! Lucas Wykes!" the examiner continued.


    "Hmph! Guess it¡¯s finally my turn!" The blond-haired noble boy jumped up from his seated position and leisurely made his way down to the stage, staff in hand.


    The examiner looked down at her notes but this time, her voice sounded evidently surprised. "Lucas Wykes, 11 years old. Conjurer at the.... light orange stage! Single specialization in fire."


    What? He¡¯s already at the light orange stage? How is that even possible?


    Without even bowing, Lucas leanedzily against his staff.


    "Let us begin," the examiner dered, obviously a bit vexed by the boy¡¯sck of respect.


    At her signal, Lucas immediately jumped back as he chanted a spell. "Arise, my protector!"


    [me Guardian]


    A pir of fire erupted in front of him, fading to reveal a two-meter tall humanoid made of mes.


    "Looks like we have a special little talent today. As expected of someone from the Wykes Family," the augmenter examiner whistled in awe.


    The me guardian sprinted towards the examiner, leaving smoldering footprints in its path as Lucas started to cast another spell.


    So he does have some skill to back up his ego.


    The female examiner was obviously a bit impressed but she responded skillfully with a wave of her grey staff and a few words to ignite her spell.


    [Earth Tomb]


    Three triangr nes of solid earth shot up from the ground, trapping the fire guardian inside a pyramid of rock.


    It was a good response. The me guardian would naturally disappear once it used up the limited amount of oxygen inside the tomb.


    Lucas chortled in response, however, as he finished his chant. "Toote, Miss Examiner."


    [Ember Wisps]


    The ruby stone embedded on his staff shined a dazzling orange as a spark burst up in the air. The seemingly harmless spark exploded like a firework, separating into dozens of small, floating tendrils of fire. The tendrils remained afloat all around the stage, surrounding the both of them.


    "The boy is good," Jasmineplimented, giving a rare sign of approval.


    The examiner¡¯s face turned serious now.


    I was a little confused on the purpose of those floating embers, but my question was soon answered.


    "Expulsion!" Lucas raised his staff above his head as he continued dashing backwards.


    Suddenly, the dozens of fire tendrils radiated a bright red before shooting out beams of fire at the examiner.


    The examiner aimed her staff down at the ground below her as she calmly continued chanting. The surface around her glimmered a bright yellow as multiple pieces of earth began emerging from the ground.


    [Stone Shard Field]


    The glowing rocks darted into formation to block thesers of me. Only, it didn¡¯t just block thesers, but redirected them towards Lucas.


    "Release!" Lucas paled as he desperately yelled. The wisps in the air disappeared but the mes that were already shot out were still heading towards him.


    Pointing his huge staff at the multiple trails of mes rapidly approaching him, he let out another spell.


    [Fire Twister]


    A cyclone of fire justrge enough to surround him generated from the ground. The trails of me got caught up in the vortex of the fire tornado, merging into it.


    "Pierce," the examinermanded with a fluid motion. The rock shards that had redirected the mes wobbled before they shot forward at the me tornado Lucas was hiding within. Therge shards of rock bulleted through the fire tornado, shredding it out of existence. The shards stopped just short of the angry but trembling Lucas, who was shielding himself with his staff held in front of him.


    "How dare you! This preposterousck of decency for a mere rank exam should be recorded and dealt with ordingly!" Lucas cried out with baleful eyes. His once creamyplexion were a few shades lighter as ayer of sweat covered his body.


    "Calm yourself, Mr. Wykes. I have enough control to keep myself from skewering arrogant little children," the examiner calmly reassured, leaving Lucas to silently utter curses at the woman.


    "Your control and creativity in thebinations of your spells are excellent. As long as you stay cautious and know your limits, you will have a great future ahead of you, Mr. Wykes. I think it is safe to say that you can be ced into B-ss. Do you agree, George?" She turned to the augmenters¡¯ examiner.


    He gave a simple shrug in response, indicating he had no problems with it.


    Whatever wrongful actions Lucas had used the examiner of seemed to have disappeared into thin air as Lucas, once again, wore a smug grin at the final oue.


    "Woah!"


    "Another little monster!"


    "Damn, I want to just go home!"


    "What is with today¡¯s crowd?"


    The few members of the audience all cried out andined in envy, as some of the other audience members that have already taken the exam murmured excitedly amongst their peers.


    "What did you blundering apes expect? Did you guys think I was on your level?" Lucas taunted aloud as he dusted off his robe.


    He made his way back to his seat before the examiner, who wasn¡¯t even tired, switched ces with the augmenter examiner named George.


    The scarred man got up, stretching his body like azy cat. Casually high-fiving the other examiner as he walked past her, he stared at his notes.


    "Next examinee, Note! Pleasee down!" he bellowed without looking up.


    Jasmine ced a hand on my shoulder. "Good luck."


    Giving a firm nod in response, I walked down the steps, leaving the worried Sylvie in Jasmine¡¯s care.


    "It seems you¡¯re here to be tested under special conditions, seeing as there isn¡¯t any information here written about you. Okay! Let¡¯s see what you¡¯re made of." George regarded me with a curious stare, trying to look through my mask¡¯s eye slit to see who I was.


    The examiner smoothly unsheathed his sword, as did I.


    "Begin!" he announced while lunging at me. The thrust was aimed directly at my head, most likely intended to scare me.


    Instead of dodging back or ducking, I faced the iing tip of the sword and took a step forward, willing mana into my legs. Tilting my head just enough for the t of the de to graze harmlessly past my mask, I brought my sword up in one, swift motion.


    George¡¯s sharp eyes widened by my counter as he desperately retracted in hopes to make it in time to block my swing, but the tip of my sword was already pressed against the man¡¯s throat. The examiner immediately stopped, afraid that any sudden movement and my de might actually embed itself into his neck, regardless of mana reinforcement.


    "Enough," a voice interrupted. "Stand down, George. I¡¯ll be the one to test this particr examinee."


    Turning my head, I saw the thin, bespectacled man named Kaspian walking toward us from the corridor Jasmine and I hade in from.


    "S-Sir? You will be personally examining this participant?" George backed away from my de as casually as possible, but a bead of blood rolled down his neck.


    "I apologize if this sounds presumptuous, but is there really a need for an AA-ss to lower himself to test an examinee? I will be more than enough to assess this applicant!" he continued, quickly wiping the blood off with his hand.


    Kaspian¡¯s gaze lowered to George¡¯s neck, silencing the examiner. The man, regardless of what he assumed was a simple blunder on his part, was visibly baffled by the fact that the head of this branch would be the one to test me.


    It would be a lie to say I wasn¡¯t surprised as well. Someone ssified as an AA-ss adventurer was at a much higher level of strengthpared to an A-ss. As the ss ranks increased, each jump was exponential, meaning thatpared to D-ss to C-ss, the jump from A-ss to AA-ss was uparable. Being an AA-ss adventurer signified that you had the strength of ten A-ss adventurers, and that was just a rough estimate.


    He should be on a whole other tier of strengthpared to other humans. I was curious as to what stage his mana core was, but there was no way for me to see without him finding out.


    "His sponsor has deep ties with me so I feel obligated to test him personally," he chuckled as his right hand reached towards a thin rapier on his waist.


    Waving away George, the two of us stood at the center of the dirt arena.


    "Let us begin."

 Chapter 29: Changes In Dicathen

    I held my shortsword just above my waist, ready to attack or defend. The array of sounds that filled the arena were soon drowned out as my focus centered solely on the man standing in front of me.


    The man named Kaspian, the one in charge of the biggest Guild Halls, held the menacing rapier lightly with his right hand. He stood upright, making figure eights with the tip of his de while letting out a little hum. Yet, he had no openings. The baleful pressure of his bloodlust was tantly let loose as he dared to let out an innocent smile.


    Memories of fighting inside the dueling arena in my previous world shed to mind as the air grew tense between us. My focus sharpened to their limits. The only sounds that came through my ears were those made by Kaspian: his de whistling in the air, the crinkled sounds of his thin clothes, and the controlled breaths he took. My body screamed to take caution against this man.


    I could feel my hands tremble ever so slightly, not from apprehension, but from excitement. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d find an opponent of this caliber so soon. This battle wasn¡¯t to the death but I knew it would different from the spars I had with Grandpa Virion back in Elenoir.


    "I knew from first nce that you would have to be assessed in a different manner. I hope you don¡¯t take this... special treatment to heart," Kaspianmented as he lowered his stance.


    In that brief moment, I analyzed every piece of useful information that I could about this man. His reach was longer than mine by about a foot, while his stance indicated that he primarily relied on thrusts rather than swings. Just from the amount of mana I could sense swirling near him, it was safe to assume that he wouldn¡¯t make any careless mistakes.


    "Please prepare yourself. I wouldn¡¯t want the person Miss mesworth sponsored to lose too quickly."


    He sprang forward, leaving a trail of dust behind him as he closed the gap between us. In one fluid motion, he lunged his rapier like a coiled spring, using the momentum of his initial step.


    I twisted my head to avoid the stab, but a few strands of my hair were cut off.


    "Excellent dodge," he mused, retracting his rapier in preparation for his next attack.


    Immediately following up with an angled lunge, I held up my scabbard. A sharp thud echoed throughout the arena from the sh and I was thrown off-bnce. It seemed like I was still unable to use the full extent of my previous knowledge in swordsmanship with this undeveloped body.


    I recovered from this setback by pivoting myself, using the momentum from his attack to whirl mycking body to generate a powerful swing.


    Kaspian leaned back just moments before my sword reached his head, but a thin red line appeared across the tip of his nose.


    His thin eyes widened in surprise but he recovered instantly. I took advantage of that split second, bringing my sword back to produce a sharp, upward swipe at his unguarded legs.


    My de reflected the arena lights, producing a silver arc as it whizzed through the air.


    However, my opponent was able to reposition his sword to defend against my swing. The sharp ring of metal on metal made both Kaspian and I cringe. The both of us seemed to have had the same intent as we both used the opportunity to gain distance. Only a handful of seconds passed during the deadly exchange, but each of us came out with only minor injuries. I switched my sword arm since the impact of ourst blow produced a sharp vibration that made my right hand tremble.


    The realization that I was still unustomed to fighting in this body was all too apparent as I coaxed my hand.


    "I must apologize for underestimating you. I shall be a bit more serious now." Kaspian¡¯s voice was calm but his face expressed a certain degree of seriousness that wasn¡¯t there before.


    His sharp eyes gleamed with a powerful killing intent that could only be present in someone who had years of fighting under his belt. His rapier was aimed toward me, but as he brought it closer toward him, the de began glowing with a silvery hue.


    "Ha!" Letting out a sharp breath, he thrust out his rapier, piercing the air in front of him.


    The hairs on the back of my neck rose as my body screamed for me to run away. I instinctively pivoted myself away from where my opponent had lined his attack. A sharp pain burst from my shoulder as hot blood seeped into the sleeve of my robe...


    "Seems like Miss mesworth has picked up someone worthwhile after all," Kaspian acknowledged.


    As far as I was concerned, this wasn¡¯t some assessment anymore. Whether he had expected me to dodge or not, he had aimed for my heart.


    Would I have been able to defeat him easily if I had the body of my past life? I wasn¡¯t sure. There were too many factors that yed into this; the quality of our swords, the use of long range mana maniption that didn¡¯t exist in my old world...


    Taking a moment to charge his next attack, he let out two more consecutive thrusts, but I knew what to expect.


    He was creating sharp bullets of wind, which were near-invisible. However, it didn¡¯t mean that they were impossible to dodge. By the timing of the thrust to when it had reached my arm from his previous attack, I was able to gauge the speed the spell travelled.


    The spell travelled in a straight path based on the direction of his jab, so while the speed of the spell was frightening, there were holes to take advantage of.


    I ducked underneath the first bullet of wind as it barely grazed my hair. I parried the second bullet with the t of my de, redirecting his spell away from me. Immediately after, I willed mana into my legs and dashed toward Kaspian.


    I had to shorten the distance between us now that I knew he had a long range spell at his disposal, but I knew even in terms of meleebat, it would be a hard battle.


    I had a body that was more than several inches shorter than what I had been used to when sword fighting and a much smaller pool of mana to utilize. So even with the assimtion of Sylvia¡¯s dragon will making my body tougher, I didn¡¯t have that much of an advantage against a veteran fighter with a body enhanced with mana.


    The only advantage I had was the fact that Kaspian didn¡¯t know what I had up my sleeve.


    Focusing mana into my free hand, I ran my fingers down the de of my sword, imbuing it with fire. Approaching him, I swung down to release an arc of fiery red.


    I could see the concentration on Kaspian¡¯s face as he willed more mana into his rapier until it, once again, glowed in a silvery white. He fanned away the mes with a powerful swing, leaving an ever-so-slight window for me to take advantage of.


    Gathering mana into the sole of my left foot, I molded the spell to manifest into the proper form.


    [Piston Stamp]


    A session of fiery explosion erupted underneath my foot, propelling me directly beside Kaspian.


    "How¡ª" was all he could manage. His mouth agape, his rapier was still held up from his defense against my previous attack that I had used as a feint.


    My position wasn¡¯t optimal; I hadunched myself a foot more than I had wanted to, but it was enough.


    Without enough time to form a proper spell, I simply strengthened my body with mana as I thrust my sword forward.


    However, even as the distance between my de and Kaspian shortened, I could make out the words that the Guild Hall manager was chanting. "Gather and unleash!"


    [Gale¡¯s Vortex]


    I was barely able to rescind my attack and jump away as an intense swirl of airstream burst out from Kaspian, surrounding him in a protective twister.


    The Guild Hall manager was hidden from view within the twister of wind and debris, allowing me some time to prepare for his next attack.


    The spell was released to reveal Kaspian, sweating and panting, with his sword arm tucked closely to his side like a snake about tosh out; his left arm was stretched out¡ªpalms open¡ªaimed directly at me .


    He was obviously chanting as the de of his rapier began glowing even brighter in silver.


    "Pierce those who stand against me!" he roared as his rapier disappeared into a blur of countless thrusts.


    [Skyfall Torrent]


    This was just an exam, right? Was he actually trying to kill me?


    "Screw this," I muttered to myself as I concentrated thest of my remaining mana deep into the sensory and motor neurons in my body.


    [Thunderp Impulse]


    One of the few techniques I had managed to develop using knowledge from my previous world while training with Grandpa Virion. A technique that used liaghtning affinity mana to run currents of electricity throughout my nerves, quickening my reflexes to a superhuman extent. The average human had a reaction time of around 0.3 seconds, but there were trained fighters that could get it down to 0.2 or even 0.15 seconds.


    Using Thunderp Impulse, my reaction time was able to shorten to about 0.05 for a brief amount of time.


    My pupils contracted as the hairs on my skin stood up on end due to the electric currents.


    I could hear the sharp whispers of the air bullets shooting towards me as I readied myself to dodge them.


    "Release!" Kaspian screamed.


    The torrent of ar bullets suddenly dissipated, rendering his spell to a harmless draft of wind.


    "I may have gotten a bit carried away with testing your limits," he apologized, sheathing his sword. The Guild Hall manager immediately turned away and headed toward the exit as I released my spell as well.


    "From the fact that you were so adamantly withholding your full abilities until the end, I can only assume that you wish to be ced at a lower rank," he said, continuing his stride without turning his back. "Note. B-ss."


    "Just before disappearing into the passageway he hade from, Kaspian turned his head and looked me in the eye, one of the lenses on his sses cracked. "I¡¯m sure you have no problem with this?"


    I merely nodded my head in agreement, watching him walk out of sight down the dark corridor.


    "That was thest examination for today! Please go to the front desk to receive your adventurer¡¯s card. Everyone is dismissed!" the augmenter examiner shouted out as he and the other examiner both rushed after their boss.


    KASPIAN BLADEHEART¡¯S POV:


    I arrived at my desk and before I even have the chance to take a seat, the two examiners in charge of today¡¯s cements bombarded me with questions.


    "George, Emily, take a seat and don¡¯t talk all at once," I sighed, sinking heavily into my chair.


    "Sir! What was with today¡¯s examinees?" George immediately shouted out. "Three B-ss adventurers right off the bat in a day? This kind of situation is unheard of. Not to mention that two of them were kids! Light orange at the age of eleven... has that ever urred amongst humans?"


    Emily nodded fervidly in agreement.


    "Do you remember what happened half a year ago here in Xyrus?" I asked.


    "Around six months ago should¡¯ve been the time when the first tournament amongst the three races took ce, right?" Emily answered.


    "Yes. The Adventurer Guild workers will all know soon, so there isn¡¯t much of a point in hiding this; I was just notified of this a couple of weeks ago as well. The ban on elves and dwarves bing adventurers has been lifted and today¡¯s batch included some of the representative examinees." I pulled out a thin file from my desk drawer.


    "S-Sir, do you mean to say that all three of them were either dwarves or elves?" George¡¯s eyes had widened to a frightening degree as he expressed his shock.


    "Lucas Wykes is a half-elf that has been residing in the Kingdom of Sapin. The information on his birth is ssified but if I had to guess, he was probably a product of an elf ve. The Wykes Family has always had a bad reputation for dabbling in nefarious ways to breed better mages for their house. He¡¯s an unusual case, though, being able to be so adept in me affinity, despite his elf lineage. He awakened at the age of eight, which is fast, even amongst elf standards, and was sent here for a sort of trial run. The Wykes no doubt expended a lot of money into buying beast cores and other resources to quicken his growth." I flipped to the next page.


    "Elijah Knight. He¡¯s quite the mystery. ording to the file, his origin is unknown. He was, however, raised amongst dwarves at a young age. He was sent as one of the first representatives from the Kingdom of Darv to assimte into the human kingdom."


    "Howe he wasn¡¯t tested, Sir? The clerk only told me to just put him into B-ss," Emily asked, her voice higher than usual from excitement.


    "Elijah awakened a few months ago, so he¡¯s only now barely reached the dark-red stage. As for why he was allowed to be a B-ss adventurer, it probably has to do with the person backing him up. I don¡¯t have any say in his case, so we can only let him be. I¡¯m curious as to what his abilities are, though." I shook my head, putting down his file.


    "As for that masked augmenter from today, to be honest, I have no idea who he is. He wasn¡¯t recorded as any of the representatives on the list. I was simply curious as to what kind of person Miss mesworth would be willing to sponsor."


    "mesworth...as in that mesworth House? The famous house that is known for birthing the strongest fire attribute mages?"


    I put away the file and regarded them seriously, adjusting my sses. "I told you all of this because you will find out soon anyway. However, I trust that you guys will refrain from telling others until the announcement is officially made across the country?"


    With fervent nods from both of them, I dismissed my two employees.


    I was left to ponder over today¡¯s events.


    That masked augmenter. His techniques were not the standard skills that most fire attribute mages used. Even his style with the sword... it was something that made me shiver.


    Regardless of all this, however, I couldn¡¯t help but get a sense that his movements were off somehow. Based on the movements that came off as awkward at times, it felt like he was somehow restrained, or even ufortable with his own body.


    I dismissed my needless thoughts and began going over the pile of unread documents.


    I couldn¡¯t help but grin to myself; this continent was changing. There would be a lot more interesting events happening from now on.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    The same receptionist that had led us to the examination site handed me my bronze-colored adventurer¡¯s card at the front desk.


    From E-ss to B-ss, the card was a copper color, while starting from A-ss, it would change to silver, then gold for AA ss, then white for S ss.


    "Do you have a close rtionship with Kaspian, Jasmine?" I asked after putting away my card, Sylvie asleep on my head.


    "He¡¯s an acquaintance of my father," she said simply with a cold chill to her voice.


    I didn¡¯t dig for any further answers. She obviously didn¡¯t have any positive feelings regarding the man. Changing the subject, I asked my adventuring partner, "So what should we do next?"


    She pondered for a bit.


    There were several options. We could do missions that were at, or below, our ranks. These missions included a variety of tasks, from guarding to acquiring specific items. We could also transport ourselves to the Beast des and explore while hunting down mana beasts. Or...


    "Dungeon-exploring," Jasmine answered, a faint smile forming on her face.

 Chapter 30: Sword and Body

    Sylvie let out an excited chirp at the idea of exploring a dungeon but I remained silent, staring at the two swords strapped to the back of my waist.


    Today¡¯s battle with Kaspian confirmed a lot of things for me. I¡¯d spent too much time adjusting to and learning this world¡¯s magic system. Assimting with Sylvia¡¯s Beast Will, honing my Lightning and Ice Attribute techniques along with all of the other elements. I had been so engrossed in the fact that this world made it capable of actually producing physical manifestations of elements that I neglected my foundations, the very thing I was best at, which was physicalbat.


    In my past life, I had used the simplest techniques to utilize the most of my meager ki pool. With that and my sword, I had been able to rise to the top. Dicathen offered so many more possibilities but if I was to truly excel and be the best in this world, I was going to have to not only use my gifts in this life, but my experiences from my previous life.


    In the midst of my thoughts, I felt someone bump past my shoulder. Looking up, I caught sight of the blond noble named Lucas strutting past me amongst his entourage of guards and servants.


    "You¡¯re not bad for an augmenter, but that¡¯s all you are. Don¡¯t get cocky because we happen to be in the same ss. Even in the same ranks there are levels, and you would be at the bottom. Know your ce,moner!" Lucas spat venomously. The blond boy let out a smirk while intentionally leaning his head back so he could look down on me. The fact that his height was a fair bit shorter than mine just made him look silly.


    What clich¨¦ behavior for an annoying side character.


    Not bothering to argue with him, I just faced back to Jasmine. "Let¡¯s go to the portal."


    ________________________________________


    Crossing through the teleportation gate, my senses jolted from the scenery. The City of Xyrus had the most teleportation gates among the cities since they were the only way one could enter it, it being a floating city and all. The one we crossed led us directly to the front entrance of the area known as the Beast des.


    The chirps of birds, asional cries and roars of beasts, and the constant sound of water flowing filling the background all created an enticing symphony of nature. The sight of tall trees and numerous hills covered in various nts and shrubs made it hard to believe that this beautifulndscape was filled with magical beasts capable of killing even the strongest mages. However, because of abundances of natural resources on the outskirts, it was mostly only the lower rank beasts that inhabited this area.The deeper an adventurer traversed, the more mysterious and treacherous thendscape turned, filled with theirs of powerful beasts that have amassed their treasures and power in the solitudes of unexplored regions in the Beast des.


    I took a sip of the crisp air as Jasmine arrived behind me through the teleportation gate when, suddenly, Sylvie hopped off my head and scurried off.


    "Wait, Sylv! Where are you going?" I called after her, dumbfounded.


    Sylvie transmitted a vague response; I could feel her emotions of excitement as she sent out thoughts about her ns to train as well.


    The fact that my bond had never left my side ever since she had hatched until now filled me with unease, but after realizing that I was able to sense her whereabouts, I calmed down.


    "She¡¯ll be okay. Mana beasts have a natural instinct to grow stronger. She must¡¯ve felt very suffocated being in a sheltered environment all of her life," Jasmine exined, walking next to me.


    Putting her hand on my shoulder, she signaled for us to start moving. "There¡¯s a ce I wish to visit first before going to a dungeon. We have to hurry though; it gets a little more dangerous at night."


    Willing mana into her body, Jasmine bolted off into the distance, her wind attribute mana propelling her even faster.


    I followed after her, forming two gales of wind below my feet as I dashed after her. I made sure to keep tabs on Sylvie but it wasn¡¯t much of a problem since both she and I were mentally linked. Even as the distance grew between us, the connection remained strong, and I was able to sense that Sylvie was catching small prey, her ecstatic mood affecting me as well.


    The journeysted a few hours and it began to grow dark. The only reason I had been able to keep up with Jasmine, even when she was at dark yellow stage, was thanks to the use of mana rotation throughout the way. This skill had be almost second nature to me now as I utilized it unconsciously whenever I exerted mana.


    Byte evening, we had cleared through a dense forest and arrived at a small clearing. Surrounded by trees, there was a small field of grass with a stream of clear water flowing through it.


    "We¡¯ll camp out here for a few days," Jasmine announced as she set down her bag and took out a couple of items.


    "Weren¡¯t we going to a dungeon right away?" I set down my bag as well.


    She simply shook her head, picking up a few branches of wood and gathering them together.


    I went into the forest, finding some decent-sized branches to make a fire with. After a bit, we had a fire crackling and popping in the middle of our camp. Making myselffortable, I removed my mask and sat silently by her, next to the fire.


    Trying to break the silence, I asked Jasmine, "What made you want to be an adventurer?"


    "..."


    Her gaze never left the fire and after a few minutes of more awkward silence, I just stared back at the me, assuming she didn¡¯t want to answer.


    "I wanted to get away from my family." I almost missed what she said from how quietly she spoke amidst the wood of the fire snapping fiercely.


    "I see... were you on bad terms with your family?" I responded, my eyes focused on the fire.


    "..."


    "The mesworth House was a major contributor to the war against the elves. Our house has provided many powerful mages, both conjurers and augmenters. Our lineage in the fire attribute element was second to none. We took great pride in this, because fire is considered to be the most powerful of the elements," she stated monotonously.


    Despite her short sentences, this had been the most Jasmine had talked in one sitting.


    "But Jasmine, aren¡¯t you a..." I looked up at her as she nodded in response.


    "Since early on, when I had first awakened and started training, my family tried to test my mana for fire affinity. I went through various tests so they could see how my mana was exerted and how it flowed through my mana channels." She took a pause and poked at the fire before continuing on. "When it was made clear that I had no aptitude for the fire attribute, my family regarded me as lesser."


    "..."


    I didn¡¯t know how to respond to her. For the first time, the always aloof and cold Jasmine seemed...vulnerable.


    "I¡¯m sorry for what happened..." was the only response I managed to utter.


    Shaking her head, she gave me a faint smile. "The Twin Horns have treated me well and I don¡¯t dislike what I am."


    I nced at her palm as Jasmine formed a small swirl of wind, different emotions running through her face as she peered at her hand.


    This world was a ce of discrimination and ssification. The hierarchical roots imbedded into thisnd would never truly disappear. Normal humans were considered second-rate people, while even amongst mages, augmenters were discriminated against by conjurers. It went further than that where, unless one was a deviant or a dual element specialist, some elements were considered "higher ss" than others.


    Being born from a family of powerful fire attribute mages, she was discarded as inferior because of the elemental attribute she had; something that most mages would kill to acquire. She was a dark yellow augmenter skilled in fighting and mana maniption at the ripe age of 24. Many would consider her a genius but from the standards she grew up with, she considered herself lesser.


    We ced more wood tost through the coldest parts of the night andid out our sleeping bags a few feet away so we could still feel the heat.


    Laying down, I pried into my mind to feel Sylvie¡¯s presence. She was a good distance away but I could tell she was safe. She sent me a thought of confirmation, saying not to worry and that I should stay safe as well.


    Eyes closed, I waited to drift off when I heard Jasmine mumble something.


    "...It¡¯s weird. When I talk to you, it doesn¡¯t feel like I¡¯m talking to a child."


    I didn¡¯t respond. Pretending to be asleep, I hoped she wouldn¡¯t push further for a reply.


    _____________________________________________________________


    "Good morning." Jasmine was up and cooking something over the fire by the time I had gotten up and out of my sleeping bag.


    My stomach rumbled to remind me that I hadn¡¯t eaten since yesterday afternoon as I looked hungrily at the skewered fishes being grilled on the fire.


    "Good morning! You should¡¯ve woken me up, Jasmine. There¡¯s no need for you to do all of the chores on your own."


    "...I tried waking you up... You wouldn¡¯t budge." Her half-closed eyes that give off an apathetic stare regarded me with concern. "If I didn¡¯t hear you breathing, I would¡¯ve mistaken you for a corpse."


    "Haha..." I let out an awkward chuckle. "I¡¯m sorry, I really need to fix that."


    After devouring the grilled fish for breakfast, we put out the fire. Using the nearby stream to wash myself and my clothes, I put on my mask and swords, assuming we¡¯d go hunting for some mana beasts around the area, when Jasmine stopped me.


    "Your opponent for these few days will be me."


    "Huh?" I couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at the turn of events. We came all the way here to spar?


    "This area is close to the dungeon we will be exploring, but for these days, I want you to focus on fighting me. I noticed that your fighting style seems... awkward at times. Like, you know it in your head, but your body doesn¡¯t listen to you... or something like that."


    Unsheathing her two daggers, she pointed one at me, continuing, "We won¡¯t use any kind of mana for these next few days while sparring."


    I hadn¡¯t expected Jasmine to catch on to what I had been worried about, but it was a good opportunity.


    "Good idea," I replied, unsheathing my shortsword.


    "Use your other sword..." Jasmine¡¯s eyes flickered toward Dawn¡¯s Bad.


    "How did you know this was a sword?" I wasn¡¯t nning on hiding my weapon from her but I was still caught off guard.


    "Knowing you, that ck stick should be something more than just a cane or a practice stick," she shrugged, walking a few steps closer to me.


    Giving her a confirming nod, I tossed the shortsword near the campfire.


    As the sword soundlessly glided out from its scabbard, the translucent de glowed a light teal as it reflected the sun¡¯s strong rays.


    Holding it out in front me, I positioned myself. "Ready when you are."


    "Y-Yeah," Jasmine stuttered as her eyes remained glued to Dawn¡¯s Bad.


    We dulled the edges of our weapons using mana before beginning. Without mana strengthening my body, I realized just how much I had been neglecting myself. After a few swings, my arms felt heavy and my legs trembled as they pushed feebly off the ground.


    This was my mistake. I knew of the limits that my juvenile body had, but instead of trying to fix my shorings, I chose only to mask it using mana.


    While magic in this world was capable of many things, it should be only used as a supplement to your abilities, not a recement to cover them.


    I lunged out with a sharp thrust aimed at Jasmine¡¯s sternum. Even though our swords were coated to prevent fatal injuries, it would still leave bruises and even broken bones if taken lightly; this made the sparring experience much more intense and real.


    Jasmine swung her two daggers down in an outward arc, parrying my lunge and knocking the de of my sword into the ground.


    I brought my rear foot forward to maintain bnce as my teal de sunk into the ground below her. However, by that time, Jasmine had already brought her daggers back into position to follow up with a quick, downward sh.


    Prying out my sword, I immediately pivoted my body to the side to avoid the overhead sh. As her daggers grazed harmlessly past my loose shirt, I kicked her arm away and stepped away into a morefortable distance.


    My arms were burning from the quick, consecutive movements as I positioned my sword in a defensive stance.


    "It¡¯s my win," Jasmine said, sheathing her two daggers deftly into their scabbards attached to her thighs.


    "You¡¯re right," Iughed as I dropped Dawn¡¯s Bad on the ground. We had sparred for a little less than five minutes but my arms and legs screamed in protest from overuse. Massaging my forearms, I picked my de back up and slid it back into its ck sheath.


    The duel had ended with me with the upper hand, but I didn¡¯t have the strength to proceed. It was my loss.


    "Hey Jasmine, I think I¡¯m going to need more than a couple of days to work this out," I confessed with a chuckle.


    Her lips curled up slightly as she nodded in agreement.


    I had three years before I¡¯d attend Xyrus Academy. During my time at school, I would have plenty of chances to focus on studying mana.


    I knew what my priorities were at this time.


    Making a rough calction in my head, I held up two fingers. "Two years, Jasmine. I¡¯ll dedicate two years to getting my body truly adjusted to sword-fighting without relying on mana."


    "That¡¯s it?" she said, surprised.


    "Just watch," I smirked.

 Chapter 31: Last Leg

    ****Dragonspine Inn****


    INSIGNIFICANT ADVENTURER¡¯S POV:


    "Hey hey, did you hear about the rumor going on?" I asked as I put down my mug of beer.


    A burly man sitting at the same table finished off his ss before mming it on the table. "If you¡¯re talking about that famous masked swordsman, I say bullshit!"


    From his flushed cheeks to his zed eyes, it didn¡¯t take a genius to tell he was drunk.


    "No, apparently it¡¯s true! An acquaintance of mine supposedly once teamed with him. He¡¯s traveling with Jasmine mesworth, so it¡¯s hard to miss him." A skinnyd with his hair tied in a bun came over to our table to join in on the gossip.


    "So? What did your so called ¡¯acquaintance¡¯ say about him?" The drunkard eximed, getting impatient.


    "Well, they went together to explore a minor dungeon that had been cleared before. Apparently, he¡¯s pretty short! I think the rumors are true in that he¡¯s not a mage." The thind just shook his head in wonder.


    "Bah! I call bullshit! It¡¯s either that masked swordsman is an augmenter, or the rumors are just exaggerated! Did you hear some of the stories going around about him? There was even one rumor that he solo-cleared a dungeon by himself! Is that even possible? B-ss augmenters can¡¯t do that, even if it¡¯s a low-level dungeon, and you expect me to believe an ordinary swordsman can?" The drunkard waved his empty mug for a refill on his beer.


    "Yeah man, I would take some of those rumors with a pinch of salt. That solo-clear rumor... didn¡¯t the guy also say that Jasmine mesworth went in with him? She probably helped him inside, right?" I took another sip, feeling a little lightheaded.


    "Right, right? I¡¯m telling you dunderheads, that swordsman is probably not even that strong! Half those rumors are probably rumors of Jasmine mesworth! That half-wit warrior dares to call himself a swordsman? Bring him here! I¡¯ll take him on any day!"


    Things were getting loud as the burly drunk was getting more and more intoxicated. The hottest topic these days amongst adventurers were about the masked swordsman. Some stories had said that he was Jasmine mesworth¡¯s apprentice, but that was a little far-fetched. It was made known that he took a rank exam to ce into B rank, which was already rare enough. More shocking than that, though, was he was now at A ss! Moving a full rank up in two years¡¯ time?


    I just shook my head as I pitied myself. Here I was, a borderline C-ss adventurer. I had failed the exam to move up a ss three times these past three years. Once you gathered enough merit points from going into dungeons andpleting missions and quests, adventurers were allowed the chance to move up a ss upon passing an exam.


    The exam differed for each ss, but supposedly, to go into the A rank, which was the first ss considered ¡¯elite.¡¯ the examinee had to fight two-on-one with two A-rank adventurers andst for ten minutes.


    The weird thing was that when some of the rumors had reached the examinees that were there with the masked swordsman when he took his exam, they all said that he was an augmenter. The rumor got so big around him because everyone who had been on a dungeon exploration with him had said that he never used mana but was still a monster.


    The burly man was sobering up a little now, and was just annoyed by the fact that a midget swordsman was supposedly better than him. He was a Veteran B-ss augmenter after all; I could imagine that was a pretty big source of pride for him.


    The squeaky door to the pub opened and I dropped the fork that was in my hand as I saw a figure entering.


    "Well speak of the devil! The little midget swordsman everyone¡¯s hyped up about is here! Where¡¯s your little guardian?" The burly man got up from his seat with a snide grin on his face, cheeks still red.


    The very same masked swordsman, the one responsible for all of the crazy rumors...he was here in the flesh!


    I saw his blue eyes underneath the mask look up at the burly man with an unknown expression. He was wearing a simple ck coat that came down to his mid-thigh, the hood on the coat covering up what the mask couldn¡¯t. If I were just passing by, even with a mask and two swords, I probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed anything particr about him, but when you looked carefully, he was an odd sight. The masked figure stood at about 1.6m, which wasn¡¯t that tall. He had a very slim figure underneath his coat, which either suggested he was a normal person, or a conjurer. Strapped behind him was a normal short sword on top and a sleek ck stick on the bottom. I couldn¡¯t help wondering if he was actually a conjurer, and that was his staff.


    After casting a nce at the drunkard that was calling him out, the masked man simply walked past him, uninterested, as if he wasn¡¯t worth the time.


    "Hey bastard! Are you ignoring me? Just because you¡¯re a little famous for your bullshit rumors, you think you¡¯re better than me?" The drunkard hit hisst straw as he unsheathed the giantsword from his back and held it above his head to swing down.


    "C-Calm down! You know you¡¯re not allowed to kill someone in here!" I tried to quell the man, holding my arms up to stop his sword from swinging, but the masked man didn¡¯t even turn back and just kept walking towards the front counter.


    This pissed off the drunk even more as he augmented his body and sword, which both emitted a silvery glow, pushed me aside, and swung down at the masked swordsman.


    A thundering explosion resounded, and I stared in horror, imagining the bloody corpse that was probably cleaved in two from the force of that blow. However, contrary to what I expected, the sword had created a small crater next to the masked man, missing him by just a hair¡¯s breadth.


    Whew... At least the drunk had enough sense to not kill the man; he probably just wanted to scare him.


    I stood back up about to calm the burly man down from swinging again, but when I turned to him, I saw that his face was twisted into a shocked, seething expression.


    "GRAAH!" He swung his sword again, lifting it out of the small depression he had made on the ground. The customers that were seated in the dining room of the inn were all staring now, some even cheering for gore.


    With mana reinforcing the burly man¡¯s body and his greatsword, no matter how drunk he was; his power and speed were no joke. He attacked with a flurry of swings that obliterated the wooden seats and tables in the way but no matter how much he had attacked, his sword always missed. The man¡¯s sword was met with empty air as the masked swordsman dipped and swayed to avoid everything. The crazy part though was that he didn¡¯t take a single step from his position.


    After about a minute-long barrage of attacks by the burly man and his greatsword, he was sweating profusely as his face wrinkled his frustration, but he was more cautious now as he took a step back.


    "Is dodging the only thing you can do? I guess your guardian did all of the hard work for you while all you did was run away!" The man gave him a menacing smile, still confident that he could win against the masked man. He put both hands on the grip of his sword and swung again, this time, much faster than his previous attacks.


    With a sharp ng, the burly drunk¡¯s greatsword that probably weighed more than the masked man himself was sent flying but I didn¡¯t know how. The sound made it seem like the sword had been met with metal from another sword but I couldn¡¯t see it. I didn¡¯t even see the masked swordsman pull out his weapon.


    "Are you done?" the masked man asked.


    "A-Aah..." was the only sound I heard from the drunk before we all dropped to the ground.


    Suddenly, I felt like I was deep underwater. I couldn¡¯t breathe and the surrounding air seemed to want to crush me.


    "..."


    What was this?


    I-I¡¯m scared...


    I¡¯d heard that some elite fighters were able to produce a killing intent that could scare mana beasts away, but what the hell was this? Was there such a thing as a killing intent that could actually kill people?


    Slowly turning my head to face the masked man who was obviously the source of this bloodthirst, I felt the blood drain from my face as I stared at him.


    I couldn¡¯t tell what sort of expression he had under his mask but I didn¡¯t need to. There seemed to be this dark, baleful aura bursting out of him. I could¡¯ve sworn it felt like that dark aura around him was alive and raging. The killing intent wasn¡¯t even focused on me but I had to will myself to keep from wetting my pants.


    I witnessed, then, the sorry state that the drunk was in. His eyes were wide and his body stiff, as if he was petrified. He was muttering something and I could see tears streaming down his cheeks while the crotch area from his pants were a darker shade.


    Suddenly, he retracted his bloodthirst and I could breathe again. I desperately took in deep gulps of air and ended up coughing. I could see the other adventurers and the workers of the inn doing the same, some in a worse state than I was.


    The masked man turned back to the counter and faced the trembling waitress at the front desk as her face was a full three shades lighter than it was before.


    "I believe there¡¯s a sack of rations under the name ¡¯Note¡¯ that a friend of mine ordered not too long ago," the masked man spoke, his baritone voice clear and precise.


    "Y-Yes! I¡¯ll get that for you right away!"


    He gave a slight nod to the waitress as she handed him a sack of food, and he left as the whole inn just watched him go off, not daring to make a sound.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    "What took so long?" Jasmine divided the food and put it into each of the pouches attached to the saddle of our horses.


    "Ah, I had a little quarrel with one of the adventurers at the inn! Haha." I scratched my head as I hopped on my brown mount.


    I could feel Jasmine staring at me suspiciously, her half-closed eyes imagining what sort of mischief I had created.


    "Don¡¯t mind, don¡¯t mind! I didn¡¯t make a big deal out of it! I didn¡¯t even hurt the guy!" I just waved my hand, trying to persuade Jasmine from going back to Dragonspine Inn.


    Jasmine just shook her head and mounted her horse as well, snapping at the reigns to go.


    "Haap!" I did the same as we headed towards our destination.


    As we traveled, I thought back to thest two years. Jasmine wanted me to get to A ss as soon as possible to explore the dungeon we were heading towards today. Along the journey to raise my ss, she¡¯d ranked up as well, bing an AA-ss Adventurer. There was still quite a bit of a level difference between her and Kaspian but she did improve a lot during these two years. When we weren¡¯t on missions or exploring low-ss dungeons, we were sparring. At night, I made sure to meditate for at least a few hours before I went to sleep. During these past two years, I broke through into the light orange stage, which I counted as a sess considering how much time I had spent meditating.


    No. The biggest improvement throughout this period was definitely my body. Not using mana made me take a step back and remember how to use my body and sword efficiently so I could be that much better when I augmented myself. I couldn¡¯t say I was at 100% in terms of strength, since the physical reach of my limbs and my muscles are not as developed as they had been when I was an adult, but I no longer felt awkward or restrained when I fought now. I fine-tuned some of my sword techniques to better fit my current body, which I¡¯d need to improve along the way.


    It was far from an easy ride, and I had scars on my body to prove it, but I knew it was worth it. Coupled with my dragon will-assimted body and the use of mana rotation, I could finally be at ease in knowing that I was on the right track for the future.


    Jasmine had gotten stronger than ever before, too. While journeying with her, I had noticed that her biggest w was in her swordsmanship. Growing up, only learning fire attribute skills for a little while until she was deemed unfit, she had been on her own in learning how to best control her swords to fit her wind attribute skills.


    I wasn¡¯t the best at wind but that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t teach her a few tricks. She passed the AA ss examination by utilizing the new skills I had taught her, along with her double-de techniques that she had developed on her own. I wanted to take the AA ss exam as well, but the merit point requirements made it so I would need toplete a lot more missions and clear many more dungeons before being eligible.


    I sent out a mental transmission to Sylvie. She¡¯d been acting strange ever since we hade to the Beast des. We would normally always keep in touch, but for some reason, she didn¡¯t want toe meet me yet, even when I had gone back to Xyrus to visit my family. Every time I told her toe back, she responded by saying there was something she needed to finish beforeing back. Despite all of that, however, I could definitely tell how much she¡¯d matured over the course of the years. We were now able to hold conversations and her emotions had developed to be muchplex than before, sometimes to a fault.


    While I went home a few times during the first year, sincest year, it¡¯d taken too long to make the trip back to Xyrus ande back to the dungeons. Instead, we stuck to letters and meeting my parents every so often at Guild Hall, where the transportation gates were. My mother had been pretty dissatisfied by this fact but she understood to a certain extent. I could tell my father had been keeping up with his training because he had broken through into the solid orange stage now, which was impressive for someone his age. I could still recall the goofy grin he had stered on his face as he made sure to point out who I had gotten my impressive talent in mana from.


    They¡¯d also told me a lot about what was happening at the Helstea House. My sister was still quite a bit away from forming her mana core, but I was surprised when I had learned that Lilia awakened a couple of weeks ago. Her awakening caused her bed to implode, which was about average for a mage. Her parents were ecstatic by this to say the least, and didn¡¯t wait to enroll her into Xyrus Academy. After being tested, while her mana core had been measured to be about average, it turned out the efficiency of her mana veins were excellent. She had a high capacity to absorb mana from her surroundings, which was essential for all conjurers. The fact that Lilia would be my senior at school when I started going next year was amusing.


    "We¡¯re here," Jasmine announced, snapping me out of my thoughts. At her signal, the two of us brought our horses to a slow trot into a small clearing in the woods.


    The clearing that was surrounded by tall trees, and where the dungeon entrance was located, was littered with a group of adventurers clearing their camp, some checking their weapons as they got ready to go in.


    "I guess we¡¯re stuck with more augmenters," an all-too-familiar voice rang as he clicked his tongue. Getting off of my mount, I made my way towards the group of adventurers when the blond fire conjurer from the examination site shot me a distasteful look. Jasmine followed behind me as an armored augmenter stepped forth and held out his hand in front of him, gesturing for a shake.


    "Please don¡¯t mind Lucas and let me introduce you to the party. My name is Reginald Brooks, and I¡¯m an A-ss augmenter. I am an earth attribute yellow stage core that specializes in using a hammer." He pointed at the giant warhammer lying on the ground where the group stood.


    Studying Reginald, the man had short, messy brown hair that matched his eyes. His square jaw that was covered in a thick beard, coupled with his near-two-meter height and broad shoulders made for a very intimidating man.


    The augmenters in the group, excluding Jasmine and me, consisted of Reginald, Kriol, and Brald. Kriol was a very defensive, water attribute augmenter that only wielded a gigantic shield as his weapon. He was a head shorter than Reginald with arge belly that indicated the man loved his beer by the barrel. I could tell he was strong, though, by how firm his body was overall, despite his belly that squeezed out of his armor.


    Brald was a very noble-looking man that stood just a bit shorter than Reginald. He wore a white, metal armor that covered his shoulders and chest only, with a luxurious mantle flowing behind him. With trimmed blond hair and sharp, hazel eyes, he seemed like a realdy-killer. To my surprise, he was a real gentleman and offered us handshakes and a rather innocent smile.


    "I go by Brald and just became an AA-ss, light yellow stage augmenter. I am a fire attribute augmenter that specializes in the broadsword and shield. I¡¯ll be the one to lead us today." He beamed, shying away after meeting eyes with Jasmine.


    After the augmenters introduced themselves, the conjurers stepped up. Including Lucas, there were four other conjurers. One of them was anky man and the other, a girl, while thest one was the serious-looking, bespectacled ck-haired boy that I had seen at the examination site.


    What was his name again...?


    "My name is Elijah Knight. A-ss, dark orange stage conjurer... single specialization in Earth," he said tersely.


    I couldn¡¯t help but eye him carefully. There had to be more than that. He wouldn¡¯t be able to get by with skipping the exam and being ced into B rank by just being an earth conjurer, no matter how young he was.


    The beady-eyednky man that looked well into his thirties came forth next. He had a smug look on his face despite his less than attractive appearance, with his crooked nose and greasy brown hair parted down the middle. "Ahem! I go by Oliver and I am an A-ss, dark yellow stage conjurer. I am an emitter deviant, specializing in healing." He stuck his jaw out smugly as he crossed his arms in content.


    Despite his attitude, it was reassuring to have a healer in the party.


    "Hi! My name is Samantha but you guys can just call me Sammy! Dark yellow stage, A-ss conjurer with a single specialization in water at your service!" She threw in a wink in my direction. Samantha looked to be around her mid-twenties and was an attractive woman but by her attitude, I¡¯m sure she was aware. She had wavy blond hair that flowed down her shoulders and light blue eyes that looked almost grey. Her eyes were big and round; making her look deceivingly innocent, and her petite heightplimented that fact well. The girl constantly swayed her hips as she switched the leg she was putting her weight on, attracting sideway nces from the men nearby; Oliver was especially engrossed.


    "Jasmine, light-yellow stage, AA-ss augmenter. Wind attribute with dual swords," my partner said without batting an eye.


    "Note, light orange stage, A-ss augmenter. Fire attribute with specialization in sword," I added impatiently.


    Brald smiled at us, "Wee, you two! I¡¯m certainly d to have another AA ss in the group!" The other two augmenters nodded in agreement while Oliver and Lucas¡¯s apathetic faces showed they didn¡¯t care. When asked for an introduction by Brald, Lucas practically spat out that he was a fire-specialized conjurer who was at dark yellow stage. Through all of this, Elijah kept his stone face while I was already beginning to grow annoyed by the constant nces Samantha shot at me, trying to look through the mask somehow.


    "I can¡¯t help but ask. Mr. Note, there have been various rumors about you saying that you are not an augmenter, yet you clearly just announced that you are," Reginald queried, picking up his giant hammer and holding it up on his shoulder.


    "I haven¡¯t been using my magic for a while due to personal reasons. That must¡¯ve been the reason why those rumors came up." I just shrugged without breaking stride.


    Noticing that I didn¡¯t want to indulge their curiosity, he coughed ufortably and set up the formation for the party.


    It would basically be Brald in the front, since his shield and sword style was the best fit for the front line. Beside him were Reginald and I, who both specialized in offense. Guarding the rear was Kriol with his gigantic shield to prevent us from getting nked and Jasmine beside him, ready to kill anything that may get past him. We were all in charge of protecting the four conjurers with Oliver in the dead center, the most protected, since he was our healer.


    "We should head out immediately," Brald dered. He assumed the position as the leader since he was the front line and the only other AA ss besides the quiet Jasmine.


    This dungeon was deemed AA ss, meaning parties with only A ss and above were allowed to enter. Brald recently found out that there was a hidden tunnel that led to an unexplored portion of the dungeon, which we would be going into today; this meant that most of our dungeon-exploring would be through uncharted areas. Everyone unsheathed their weapons while even the conjurers wiped their smug expressions as we stepped into the dungeon named by the first explorers: "The Dire Tombs."

 Chapter 32: Dire Tombs

    Stepping into the dungeon, I felt the temperature suddenly drop as we descended down a gradual slope. I stood adjacent to Brald, who had his shield up and his sword drawn.


    Jasmine and I did some research on the Dire Tombs dungeon we were in now. It was a unique ce, even amongst the mysterious dungeons. The beasts that made their homes here had been described in the records as "undead." I¡¯d never heard of mana beasts that coulde back to life. Because of this, one of the hardest aspects of clearing this dungeon seemed to be the endless amount of undead mana beasts.


    Digging deeper, some adventurers and mage guilds even spected that inside the bottom of this dungeon might be a special artifact that was able to reanimate dead mana beasts, but no one had been able to prove it.


    Clearing the dungeon meant that the area had to be explored. It was different from conquering the dungeon, where the mana beasts inside had been defeated and the treasures looted.


    This dungeon had been cleared¡ªor at least it was, until Brald had discovered the hidden passage¡ªbut never defeated.


    "We¡¯re approaching the first level of the dungeon, stay on guard. The mana beasts here aren¡¯t strong, but there¡¯ll be a lot of them. Don¡¯t waste your time trying to collect the mana cores from the beasts...they don¡¯t have one," Brald dered, lowering his stance.


    I heard a faint muttering from Oliver, our healer, who was already beginning toin about theck of rewards from this dungeon.


    While the goal of defeating a dungeon was usually to loot the umted treasures high-level mana beasts had amassed through their lives, most of the profit usually came from collecting the beast cores on the way down. In most cases, even if parties couldn¡¯t defeat or even clear a dungeon, they were still able toe out with a hefty sum from just the beast cores, which could be sold for a high price depending on their level.


    One of the reasons this dungeon had been unpopr, and why our party was the only one inside the dungeon was because the mana beasts here had no cores. This meant a big chunk of revenue from trying to clear the dungeon would be gone.


    Suddenly, a steady growl filled the dungeon hall.


    Narrowing my eyes, I focused on the source of the sound. We had just reached the end of the descending passage and into an underground cave norger than fifty meters in diameter. Looking around, the whole cave was glowing in a dim, blue color. Above us, the cave was covered in stctites, threatening us with their sharp, gleaming tips.


    Out from the spaces between the stctites fell two dozen mana beasts that looked likerge bats, except with four limbs recing what normally would¡¯ve been wings. The hollow body of the bat-like mana beasts had their ribs fully visible and inside it, where the beast core should¡¯ve been, was a cracked rock.


    I guess it was true.


    "Batrunners! They¡¯re not strong but they attack in groups. Minimizing the use of our mana is going to be the key inside this dungeon! Get ready!" Brald roared over the growling of the batrunners, all of whom were positioned to pounce, their patches of fur standing on end and their teeth bared.


    "Form and torment the foes around! Fire Cyclone!" I heard a yell from behind me and I realized it was Lucas who had casted the spell.


    Suddenly, four twisters of fire swirled to life around us, filling the cavern with a wave of heat.


    As the fiery cyclones spread out, sharp yelps and pained whimpers echoed from the mana beasts.


    Many of the batrunners had been engulfed by the fire tornadoes and were charred to ashes. The ones that were fortunate enough to escape the tornadoes had fled, trying to circle around and attack us.


    I could hear Brald click his tongue, dissatisfied that Lucas had just ignored his orders and casted a spell that wasn¡¯t necessary.


    The fire cyclones had killed most of the batrunners and the ones left had been badly burned, making it easy to defeat the rest.


    "Next time, follow orders and don¡¯t waste mana like that. Your spell was overkill," Brald growled over his shoulder before marching ahead.


    Lucas just rolled his eyes, "I don¡¯t see the problem. We killed them fast enough so that everyone else could save their mana."


    Shaking his head, Brald ushered us forward to the other end of the cave. As we continued forward to the location of the next room, the rather sickening sound of bones crunching and flesh gurgling made us all turn our heads back.


    To my surprise and disgust, the batrunners that had just been killed began to reanimate, their bodies snapping into ce as the ones that had been burned just seemed to rise up again from their ashes.


    Dire Tombs...What an unfortunately fitting name for this dungeon.


    We chose to ignore them and advanced into the next room while Elijah quietly casted an earthen wall over the entrance so that the batrunners couldn¡¯t follow us.


    The opening on the other side of the cave led us through another dark corridor just wide enough for four people to go through at once.


    I could tell everyone was a bit more rxed upon leaving the first cave but I couldn¡¯t shake an uneasy feeling.


    As if to answer me, a barely-discernable click and faint whistle caught my attention.


    I immediately drew my sword and sidestepped in front of Samantha.


    My shortsword blurred as I instinctively parried the projectiles aimed towards Samantha, the sharp ring of metal on metal echoing through the dim corridor.


    "Th-Thank you..." Samantha muttered mindlessly. Even under the dim blue lighting, I could tell that her face had paled as the metal spikes that almost killed hernded on the ground, harmlessly, beside her feet.


    "Something¡¯s wrong...there were no trapsst time." Brald picked up one of the pointed spikes to study it but was baffled.


    "I don¡¯t think they were traps but strategically ced mana beasts, which doesn¡¯t make the situation better," I said, noticing the faint scuttle of the small beasts on the walls.


    "Stay alert, everyone," Brald said, kicking the spikes to the side. Jasmine already had her twin daggers guarding her vitals before Reginald and Kriol readied their weapons. Samantha inched a bit closer to me, her hand pinching my sleeve as her free hand gripped tightly at her wand.


    Fortunately, we reached the end of the hall with no other traps deterring us. The next cave was simr to the previous cave, but twice the size and littered with suspicious holes all over the ground.


    "Don¡¯t get near the holes. They¡¯re geysers that shoot extremely hot streams of gas up. It should be fine as long as you¡¯re not in direct proximity of the st," Brald announced as we all looked for any signs of mana beasts.


    As if on cue, the cave trembled, shaking the sharp stctites overhead to a nerve-wracking degree. Forcing my attention from the wobbling spikes, arge figure erupting from the ground.


    "Was that herest time, Brald?" the pot-bellied Kriol asked in a worrying tone as we all peered up at the mana beast.


    The creature resembled a worm, except it was thick enough to easily swallow any one of us here, whole. With a glowing red hide and countless rows of teeth encircling the hole that I assumed was the mouth, it was impossible to guess how long this creature was since its body was still mostly underground.


    "N-No, it wasn¡¯t¡ªI don¡¯t get what¡¯s happening. It doesn¡¯t make sense for new mana beast species to enter a dungeon like this." Our handsome leader had a wavering look, his mask of confidence all but gone.


    "Cheh. It¡¯s not a big deal. It¡¯s just an oversized insect," Lucas quipped from behind.


    We braced ourselves for its strike, but to our surprise, the gigantic red worm didn¡¯t attack us. Instead, the beast burrowed back underground, leaving in its path another gaping hole.


    "It doesn¡¯t seem to be after us," muttered Elijah while his sharp, bespectacled eyes studied the hole the giant worm had left.


    The red worm-beast was now burrowing itself into the walls of the cave, creating more holes from all different angles, but it never confronted us.


    "Are we just going to stand around watching the worm dig or are we going to go?" Oliver, ournky emitter, shoved Brald out of the way, fearlessly taking the lead as he strode towards the other end of the cave.


    It was obvious not just to me, but to everyone else that Oliver¡¯s brazen attitude was to show off in front of a certain party member.


    "Get back here! We need to assess what¡¯s happening before we go across!" Brald barked, his face furrowed in agitation at the arrogance disyed by the conjurers. As our leader stepped forward to go after him, a thundering rumble shook as the entire cavern fizzed with the sound of a boiling kettle.


    "Lucas! Heatwave Barrier, now!" I roared at the confused, blonde noble.


    Just as I yelled out themand, fumes began filling the cavern.


    The holes. The holes that were here since the beginning and the holes littered across the ground, roof, and walls made by the giant worm all trembled before released a fiery torrent of deadly gas.


    "Damn it," I cursed. The giant worm was making the holes in order to kill us, and we just let it happen.


    I managed to pull Brald, who was just at arm¡¯s length of me, back in before he had the chance to run after Oliver.


    Just as the barrier was erected, a st of a mustard-yellow gas bombarded us. Lucas¡¯s barrier trembled against the pressure but Samantha managed to gather her wits in time to help him out with a water barrier of her own just beneath Lucas¡¯s.


    The two barriers of opposing elements sizzled, making the area inside the spell a makeshift sauna. Despite the crude teamwork, however, the barrier held, leaving us sweating but intact, until the st of gas began to subside.


    However, due to the strength of the gaseous sts that filled the cavern, I lost sight of our idiot healer.


    As both Lucas and Samantha released their barriers with stifled breaths, the horrid scene came into view.


    The only thing left of Oliver was bones, as blood and pieces of flesh still stuck to parts of his charred skeleton. All of his possessions had beenpletely destroyed by the acidic gas except for the bright-emerald gem that was once embedded at the tip of his staff.


    "Shit!" Brald cursed, gnashing his teeth as Samantha stumbled backward from the ghastly sight.


    Oliver didn¡¯t mean much to us as a person but he was our healer. That idiot ran off, not even casting a protection spell on himself.


    "Let¡¯s move out!" I ordered as everyone remained silent. I went ahead and picked up the gem, studying it beforeparing it to the gem that Lucas and Samantha had on their weapons.


    The gem embedded on Lucas¡¯s staff was of much higher quality than the gem Oliver had. However, there were apparent ws on the sapphire gem fashioned to the tip of Samantha¡¯s wand, so I tossed the emerald stone to her, telling her to rece it with his gem.


    "Note is right, we need to move before another eruption urs. That giant worm beast is making more holes. I don¡¯t think our barriers will hold for another wave," our leader stated as he stepped in charge once more.


    I nced back at Jasmine who just solemnly nodded at me. Even if her face remained expressionless, her knuckles were white from clutching too tightly to her daggers; it wasn¡¯t just me that was frustrated by the turn of events.


    We were halfway through the cave when Elijah, who was behind me, asked, "How did you know that the cave was going to explode with steam like that?" Everyone¡¯s eyes shifted toward me, waiting for my answer.


    "I didn¡¯t," I replied without turning back. "I knew that something was about to happen, but even I didn¡¯t know exactly what."


    The giant worm that had been constantly burrowing in and out of the cave, creating more holes, suddenly stopped in front of us, blocking the exit. Without warning, it whipped its head forward and smashed at the ground we were standing on.


    Kriol, who was positioned at the back, lunged forward and, with surprising harmony with Samantha, created a water barrier that cushioned the blow before they were sent tumbling back. However, this gave enough time for Elijah to erect arge ring of rock to erupt, cuffing the worm to the ground.


    "Impact st!" Reginald bellowed as his giant hammer glowed a bright yellow. Jumping up, he spun his body, creating momentum before smashing his hammer directly at the worm¡¯s head.


    With a deafening explosion, the worm¡¯s whole body shook as Reginald¡¯s mana-infused attack sent a shockwave to the beast¡¯s body, creating ripples on its red hide.


    However, the attack did little but destroy the earthen binding that Elijah had conjured, freeing the giant worm. The giant mana beast iled its body, knocking away Reginald and Brald, who was also nearby.


    I managed to pull Elijah out of harm¡¯s way before charging at the beast myself. The giant worm shivered, then unleashed a shower of acid spittle at me.


    I drowned out the panicked yells of myrades, telling me to run away, as I advanced toward the worm. I dipped and weaved my body, sidestepping the deadly globs of yellow saliva thatnded inches away from my body.


    Once I was close enough, I drew my shortsword, willing mes to surround the de as I activated mana rotation.


    "Sear," I muttered under my breath.


    The mes that surrounded my de wisped away, leaving the metal glowing a fiery-red.


    I swung my red de at an iing blob, scattering it away with the t of my de. The beast¡¯s acid spit scattered, some of it burning through my clothes but leaving me otherwise unharmed.


    Making onest lunge, I tore through the underside of the worm, welding the wound as my de burned through the flesh.


    The worm let out a shrill screech as it began iling wildly. Jasmine followed up and jumped over me as she stabbed her two daggers into the smoldering gash that I had just created.


    With another shriek, the giant worm escaped back into the hole it had emerged from.


    "The oversized worm wasn¡¯t even strong." Lucas just shook his head, disappointed, when all of a sudden, we heard another rumble.


    I was afraid of this; the worm wasn¡¯t trying to kill us¡ªit was trying to dy us in time for another eruption from the holes.


    The familiar howl of a boiling kettle once again reverberated throughout the cavern.


    I whipped my head to Lucas but just from a single nce, I knew he couldn¡¯t erect his barrier in time as he stared nkly at the walls.


    Muttering the incantation, I leaped toward the blonde brat.


    [Phoenix¡¯s Cape]


    A surge of a dark-red fire surrounded my body, protecting me and Lucas against the deadly gas. I looked back in relief to see that Jasmine had erected a swirling aura of wind around her that dissipated the torrent of acid steam.


    As the howl of gas quieted and the room cleared, my team starteding back into view, one by one.


    Kriold came into view first; he had managed to protect Elijah under his gigantic shield augmented with water. Both of them had red sores on their bodies and some on their faces but they were rtively uninjured.


    Brald appeared on the ground, his right arm clutching his other arm that I couldn¡¯t quite see. Upon closer look, I couldn¡¯t help but curse aloud. It seemed like Brald only augmented his shield in mes instead of his whole body to protect Samantha because his sword arm was obliterated from the elbow down. Reginald looked a bit worse than Kriold and Elijah, but Brald was by far in the worst shape.


    Our leader¡¯s sword was on the ground as his stump of an arm had been burned ck at the end.


    "Let¡¯s go!" Brald yelled through gritted teeth. He slung the shield on his back and picked up the sword with his remaining hand.


    We immediately made a break for the exit to arrive in another dim hallway, much wider than thest one.


    Everyone remained silent as we tried to gather our breaths. Samantha had ripped out a part of her robe and was fashioning a bandage for what was left of Brald¡¯s right arm. Kriol slumped against his shield as Reginald and Jasmine sat upright against the rock walls.


    Looking around, everyone¡¯s faces had sunken. We weren¡¯t even halfway through the dungeon but had already incurred such damages, with our healer dead and our leader critically injured.


    "This is why I said to stay alert, Lucas! If you had stayed focused and reacted in time to set up a barrier, we wouldn¡¯t be in this state¡ªI wouldn¡¯t be in this state!" Braldshed out venomously but with good reason. His career as an adventurer was probably gone after this. He¡¯d most likely be demoted from his ss once the guild found out about his crippling injury.


    "Don¡¯t me me! It was your fault you couldn¡¯t protect yourself in time!" he spat back, standing up.


    "Are you fucking kidding me? Note had to save your ass! You didn¡¯t do shit and you¡¯re saying it¡¯s my fault?" Brald snarled, picking up his sword.


    "Enough!" I roared, instilling mana into my voice.Therge corridor echoed with my voice, as both Brald and Lucas immediately snapped their mouths shut in surprise.


    "There are a couple of choices we need to make. Reginald¡¯s body is a bit burnt. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that bad but Brald, you need to make the choice of whether you want to continue or not. We¡¯re only a bit more than an hour from the surface so you can probably make it back up by yourself," I stated, staring at our leader through the slits of my mask.


    "I¡¯ll keep going. This will probably be myst dungeon raid so I might as well make itst," he grumbled, cradling his right stump.


    I turned my gaze to the noble boy who had his chin held high and proud as if he¡¯d done nothing wrong. "Lucas, get your act together. It doesn¡¯t matter whether you¡¯re a dark-yellow core or God himself. Right now, the only thing you are is a liability. If you¡¯re going to continue acting out on your own, you might as well just go on by yourself."


    He red back at me with a baleful look but kept to himself, whipping his head away from the group.


    "Samantha and Elijah. We need you guys to stay focused and alert to set up a barrier at a moment¡¯s notice," I continued, getting a nod of affirmation from the two of them.


    "Let¡¯s get a couple hours of rest before we continue on." I sat down next to Jasmine, taking out a sack of water from my bag.


    The group remained silent as my gaze kept turning to Brald. Through the hours that some of us had used to sleep, our leader had been reduced to a state of dread and angst.


    Suddenly, Brald got up from where he was seated and walked over to me. "I think you should take charge of the group."


    Looking up at him for a moment, I studied the lifeless eyes of our leader. "Okay."


    After a few hours, we got up with our mana somewhat replenished and continued marching down. This hall wasn¡¯t as long as the previous ones but at the end of the hall was arge, double door with unfamiliar runes etched all over it.


    "I-I don¡¯t get it. Even this part is different. There was never a door here," Brald groaned, shaking his head.


    "The only thing that was the same was the first cave, where the batrunners had been," he continued, analyzing the runes. He tried to touch it but with his dominant hand gone, he just swung his stub hollowly at the air. After he realized what he was doing, he cursed aloud and walked to the back.


    "Well, no useining about it now," Reginald shrugged, lifting up his hammer. "I don¡¯t know what those runes or symbols are but there are cracks all over them. I doubt they¡¯ll do much now," he said as he swung his hammer.


    The impact his silver hammer made against the old, metal doors created a shower of sparks as a deep thud boomed.


    Reginald was visibly shocked by the sturdiness of the door as ity intact.


    "Impact st!" The door shuddered this time, but stayed firm.


    "Impact st!" The blow this time was harder and the door clicked before opening just a little. Stepping forward, Reginald gripped at the slight opening and pried the doors open.


    I couldn¡¯t see what was on the other side, but the burly augmenter took a step back as he muttered, "What in the..."

 Chapter 33: Dire Tombs II

    On the other side of therge doors was a beautiful meadow that stretched out far beyond my view. As we all peered agape at the brightly lit field of grass that glittered like polished emeralds, for a moment, the fact that we were underground seemed like a dream.


    "Let me guess, this field wasn¡¯t herest time either," Reginald muttered as his eyes stayed glued to the enrapturing scenery in front of him.


    Brald let out a sharp breath as he continued to stare at the field. "N-No, nothing of the sort."


    After mumbling something indiscernible, Reginald let out a sigh of resignation and stepped through the door. The rest of us just exchanged hesitant nces before following after the hammer-wielding augmenter.


    Stepping into the meadow, I studied therge area. I almost thought that we had stepped through some teleportation gate out of the Dire Tombs until I looked up to see the rows of stctites high up on the ceiling. The deposits of calcium that littered the ceiling of this cave glowed brightly, to the point where I had to squint to make out any details.


    What I found suspicious, though, was the very fact that a space like this could exist underground. There were no pirs visible and this area stretched for at least a few hundred meters in all directions. With such an extensive open field with no supports holding it up, I was surprised that this ce hadn¡¯t been buried in rocks.


    "Wow! It¡¯s so pretty!" Samantha gasped, her head constantly turning to take in the view.


    Tall trees and bushels of shrubs dotted the field. Even I couldn¡¯t help wanting to justy down and rx here but ever since we walked through the door, the hairs on my body had been standing on end, as if my body wanted me to stay alert.


    Everyone¡¯s guards seemed to be down except for Jasmine and Elijah, whose eyes kept darting around as if searching for anything suspicious.


    "Something¡¯s off. Keep your guards up, everyone." I remained vignt with my shortsword out and my left hand on the grip of Dawn¡¯s Bad, which was still sheathed.


    "Are you sure? I don¡¯t even hear anything, let alone see much besides the grass and trees," Kriol asked dubiously. I could tell he was a bit doubtful but he followed my advice and raised his shield.


    I continued examining our surroundings to see what was making me feel so tense. The light that radiated from the stctites glowed much brighter than the ones from the previous caves. There was also a thin veil of hazeyered over the meadow but that was it. There was literally nothing else besides the nts and this mist.


    What am I missing?


    However, soon enough, the mist around us began to gradually grow more dense, eventually thick enough so that I could only make out the shapes of everyone around me.


    Suddenly, a deep thud broke through the silence hovering around the mist.


    "ra? Is that you? H-How are you alive?"


    I whipped my head to the direction of the voice in time to see that Kriol had dropped his gigantic shield and was holding his arms out, reaching desperately at something in the distance.


    "I knew you couldn¡¯t be dead, ra! Stay there! I¡¯ming to get you!" Kriol bolted off, leaving his shield behind him.


    "Damn it, Kriol! Stop, it¡¯s dangerous!" I cursed, trying to warn him, but his figure faded out of sight within the ever-growingyer of fog.


    All of a sudden, something grabbed ahold of my arm and jerked me.


    "I think the mist is an illusion." I heard Jasmine¡¯s voice right next to me, but even with how close she was, it was bing hard to make out details inside the haze.


    "I thought so too." I clicked my tongue in frustration. "Everyone! Stick together! This mist is ying tricks on your senses. Samantha, barrier!"


    Eventually, they were able to gather, using the sound of my voice as their destination. Huddling together, we discussed our ns for clearing through this cavern inside a sphere of water.


    "Who¡¯s ra?" Samantha asked, confusion evident on her face.


    Reginald shook his head. "It...It¡¯s Kriol¡¯s fianc¨¦e. But it¡¯s impossible for her to be alive. I saw her get killed in a dungeon with my own two eyes. We even cremated and buried her ashes together!"


    It was obvious that Reginald and Brald were both shaken up. The three had partied before numerous times, so the name ra wasn¡¯t news to them, and hearing Kriol go after his dead fianc¨¦e wasn¡¯t exactly the best of news either.


    "What the hell is going on?" Lucas cursed under his breath. His knuckles were white from how hard he was gripping his staff, and it looked like he was doing all he could to keep his wits together.


    "Jasmine. Do you have a spell that can create a wind strong enough to clear this mist around us?" I turned my head to my partner, hoping she could give me some good news. We didn¡¯t have any wind attribute conjurers here besides her.


    She answered, lowering her gaze. "Not strong enough to clear it all away, but I can make a path."


    We gave her space inside the barrier of water as she began preparing her spell. Soft gusts that glowed a greenish hue began swirling around her, gathering around her hands. Her straight ck hairshed wildly around her as the swirls of wind circled her arms, growingrger.


    While an augmenter¡¯s biggest disadvantagepared to their counterparts was the limited range of their spells, after a certain level, augmenters were able to store and exert enough mana to use ranged techniques. Of course, the power and efficiency at this stage would be vastly inferior to a conjurer of the same level, but even the fact that she had enough control over her mana to do this showed talent.


    The mist around us grew thicker, limiting our field of vision to about a meter away from us. The once peaceful field of grass now emanated an ominous pressure, almost as if this mist wanted to swallow us alive.


    "Clear my enemies from my path with an ever-raging howl," Jasmine chanted, struggling to keep the frenzied wind in tow.


    [Storm¡¯s Gale]


    The condensed whirlwinds swirling around Jasmine¡¯s arms collided as she pped her hands together. The impact of the two tornadoes expanded and burst forward, shredding the mist into a clear path in front of us.


    However, the once excited looks on everyone¡¯s faces turned pale at the sight before us. The tornado revealed a path, but also uncovered something else.


    Tentacles of vines and branches were quickly making their way towards us.


    "Enough of this!" Lucas pushed Jasmine aside and swung his tall staff at the wave of vines advancing towards us and muttered a spell.


    "Crescent Ember!" he shouted,shing his staff. The bright me that glowed on the tip of the staff expanded, shooting arge de of fire.


    With a fiery explosion, the slithering vines and branches flinched back, but other than a scorched impression where the spell had hit, they were unaffected.


    "Shit! What kind of trees aren¡¯t afraid of fire?" Brald hissed as he ignited his broadsword into a fiery tornado and charged into the wave of vines that were approaching rapidly.


    "Samantha! Elijah! Lucas! Support us!" I barked, willing mana into my body and sword as well.


    Jasmine rushed next to me, both daggers unsheathed and glowing brightly. The spell she had used to clear a path had drained a lot of her mana, but it didn¡¯t do much as the mist had already filled the path the tornado spell had created.


    Reginald stayed behind to protect our Conjurers as they casted spells.


    Brald let out an unintelligible battle roar as he continued mindlessly hacking away at the endless wave of vines that seemed to manifest out of nowhere.


    The vines, however, were regenerating faster than Brald was cutting them as the one-armed adventurer was getting buried deeper and deeper inside the torrent of vines.


    "Fool," I cursed under my breath. Whether he had just gone reckless or he wanted to die here in battle, I couldn¡¯t help but doubt that he was an AA ss adventurer.


    Augmenting my sword in fire as well, I made my way to our one-armedpanion, hoping I would make it in time to support him before he got himself killed.


    Concentrating on the fire dancing wildly around my sword, I condensed the augmentation so that just a thinyer of bright red enveloped my sword.


    [Searing Edge]


    Lashing my molten-hot weapon at the vines continuously shooting themselves at me, a pile of dismembered branches began forming around me.


    I kept tabs on Jasmine to make sure she was okay but she seemed to be fine on her own, her body spinning furiously like a cyclone of des, mincing any vines that came in her direction. Brald was having a harder time as more and more gashes began oozing fresh blood on his face and body.


    "¡ªspread and burn!"


    [Liquid ze]


    Lucas finished his spell first as he unleashed a spray of red liquid from his staff while Reginald continued blocking the iing vines that targeted our conjurers.


    The three of us jumped back to stay out of the way of the spell. I had to hand it to the noble brat for still thinking straight despite the situation. The spell, Liquid Fire, wasn¡¯t as powerful as the actual fire spells but it spread quickly and, if not doused, would eventually envelop everything in its way.


    The spellnded on the torrent of vines, but before the liquid fire was even able to spread, the mist around us gathered toward the spot where the spell hit the vine. With a loud hiss, the spell was doused by the moisture from the mist.


    I could see Lucas¡¯s face pale as sweat rolled down his neck. From the state he was in, it was safe to assume that this spell had exhausted all of his mana.


    [Crater]


    Elijah held out his staff as he finished the spell. The ground underneath the wave of vines crumbled and a hole, meters deep, formed, deterring the vines from reaching us for now.


    [Aqua Siphon]


    Samantha fell to her knees as she released the powerful spell.


    Aqua Siphon was a frightening spell that sucked the surrounding area of its water. The only drawback of this spell was the amount of mana it used for the limited amount of space it could affect.


    The rampant vines that were crawling out of the crater Elijah had conjured began withering at a rapid pace as the moisture was sucked out from them.


    Before the withering could spread, however, the rest of the mist surrounding the cave swirled and gathered, sucked in by the vines. The shriveled, brown vines were once again turned a healthy green, filled with vigor, and seemed angrier than before.


    "N-No way..." Samantha¡¯s face drained of color as she slumped in resignation.


    The positive, however, was that the mist that had surrounded us was being absorbed into the huge wave of vines, clearing our limited view.


    As the vines continued to hungrily consume the mist, we were all finally able to see what exactly it was we had been going up against.


    Standing more than twenty meters tall, high above our heads was a colossal mana beast. With a humanoid structure that oddly resembled a centaur, it towered over us like a massive building.


    While it seemed to be made uppletely of densely packed and intertwined vines, the top half of its body was that of an armored man holding a drill-likence that came to a menacing point just over our heads. Its lower body was that of a horse, but rather than legs, its limbs consisted of the countless vines we had been battling against. Two green eyes peered down at us, filled with unbridled enmity.


    I swallowed hard, staring mindlessly up at the imposing figure. For thest hour, the seven of us had been literally battling against the toes of this mana beast.


    "I-I¡¯ve read about a monster that looked something like this," Samantha stuttered in horror, sinking to her knees inplete resignation. "I think th-that¡¯s an S ss mana beast called the e-elderwood guardian!"


    "It can¡¯t be, right? What the hell would an S ss mana beast be doing here?" Reginald almost dropped his giant hammer as he peered up at the elderwood guardian in dread, and with good reason too. An S ss mana beast meant that it was on par with an SS ss adventurer or at least ten S ss adventurers.


    "I-Isn¡¯t that Kriol?" Reginald eximed as he pointed a shaking finger at the lifeless torso and legs sticking out of the body of the mana beast.


    "W-We¡¯re doomed..." Brald had a crazed expression on his face as he beganughing madly at the giant mana beast. He had already lost his arm and he was worn out from the fighting. This was probably thest straw for the veteran adventurer.


    "We have to run." Jasmine yanked my hand, gesturing me to run back in the direction of the doors we hade from.


    "What about them?" I called out, my eyes glued to the elderwood guardian.


    She remained silent, tugging harder for me to move.


    I knew that rationally, it made the most sense to get away from here as fast as possible. Hell, I wasn¡¯t even close to any of them, and I certainly wasn¡¯t chummy with Lucas. But it wouldn¡¯t be right to betray their trust in me as their leader.


    Suddenly, the elderwood guardian thrusted his giant drillnce at us, creating a gale of wind just from its movement.


    [Earthen Shield]


    Elijah conjured a t wall of earth from the ground, angled slightly so that the force of the drill would be parried away from us.


    A thunderous explosion resounded from the impact as the beast¡¯snce shattered the thick, earthen b.


    Picking up his hammer, Reginald charged forward, seizing the opportunity that Elijah had created. His giant warhammer glowed a brilliant yellow as he roared out in desperate resolve. "Go back to the damn hole you crawled out from, you oversized tree! Impact Barrage!"


    The giant hammer began vibrating fiercely in his hands as he unleashed his attack down at the elderwood guardian¡¯snce.


    It felt like a warship had just fired a massive storm of cannons as the whole cavern shook. The sheer force of Reginald¡¯s spell had reduced the beast¡¯s weapon to shreds.


    Just as he was about tond on the ground, the broken vines that made up thence whirled like tentacles and surrounded him. "GAAAH! HELPP!! NOOOO!"


    The tendrils that had once formed the giantnce swirled around to mold back into its original shape, eating up Reginald in the process. The gruesome sound of bones snapping resounded from within the weapon as the tendrils continued to intertwine, slithering around each other like pythons toplete the shape of thence.


    Samantha, who had been preparing a spell to our left, lurched forward and heaved what little food she had consumed sinceing down here as the sound of Reginald¡¯s body being ground filled the cavern.


    Damn it all.


    Thence had formed back into its original shape, with the addition of Reginald¡¯s body and weapon inside it. Looking up, I could see that the elderwood guardian didn¡¯t have a mouth but just from the look in its eyes, I felt like it was gloating, refreshed by the fact that it had caught one more insect that had been bugging him.


    I grabbed Samantha, who had been petrified from shock, and lifted her up on my shoulders. "Jasmine! Grab Brald and let¡¯s run! Lucas, Elijah! You have to try and block any iing attacks until we can make it out of here!"


    Jasmine picked up the one-armed adventurer who was stillughing psychotically and we look back to see that the elderwood guardian was looking directly at us.


    "We need to move!" I barked, hurrying everyone. However, just as I willed mana into my body, a st of fire hit me square in the chest, sending me flying back as Samantha tumbled off to the side.


    While my body, reinforced with mana and from the assimtion of Sylvia¡¯s Dragon Will, prevented me from sustaining serious injuries, my breath had been knocked out from the almost point-nk spell cast by Lucas, the only one possibly capable of doing this.


    Furious and baffled by the sudden betrayal, I had to practically peel my eyes away from the blond brat that was already running away to look for Jasmine. She had been knocked back much farther from the spell and was unconscious, but she didn¡¯t seem to be dead.


    "What the hell are you doing?" Elijah cried out for the first time, pointing his staff at Lucas who was already almost at the entrance of the cave.


    "You think I¡¯d risk my life to help all of you escape? Be honored that you¡¯ll be the valiant heroes that stalled the beast enough for me to escape! I¡¯ll tell everyone all about your courageous deeds!" he scoffed, turning back just to shoot me an arrogant smirk before conjuring a smokescreen.


    Another deafening crash reverberated as the ground split around us from the force of the elderwood guardian stabbing itsnce where Lucas had just been. The smokescreen subsided, but Lucas was already gone, closing the door behind him.


    "That spineless ass!" Elijah cursed, holding his sses in ce as the cavern continued to tremble from the force of the beast¡¯s attack. The endless vines that made up the mana beast¡¯s limbs managed to climb out of the crater left from Elijah¡¯s spell and approach us.


    Suddenly, the elderwood guardian let out a baleful roar, gripping my body with a fear iparable to any of the other mana beasts I had faced before. Its green eyes turned a menacing red and the tendrils that made up its body turned gray and disassembled to form a tsunami of vines, destroying everything in its path as it made its way to us.


    "HAHAHA!" Brald¡¯s maniacalughter faded as a wave of vines consumed his body.


    Elijah¡¯s usual terse expression was nowhere to be found as his face ckened, turning several shades lighter, while Jasmine was still unconscious from taking Lucas¡¯s spell directly. The fact that she was still knocked out meant that Lucas managed to hit her before she had the chance to reinforce herself with mana.


    I started calcting the options I had left. Even if I were to use the first phase of my beast¡¯s will, I wouldn¡¯tst long enough to save everyone and carry them out.


    I bit my lip, frustrated that I allowed myself to fall into such a crappy situation. I had no choice but to use it.


    I didn¡¯t know how severe the recoil of using it would be but I had no choice but to try.


    Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, searching deep within my mana core for the source of Sylvia¡¯s slumbering power. Releasing it, I was met with an almost strangling amount of energy as my body burned.


    The world around blurred as a near-palpable aura of different colors enveloped me.


    "Phase Two," I let out a strained whisper. "Dragon¡¯s Awakening."

 Chapter 34: Dire Tombs III

    Undergoing Dragon¡¯s Awakening seemed to startle Sylvie, who was now frantically asking me what had happened from wherever she was.


    It¡¯s fine, Sylv. I want you to stay away for now and if anything happens, go back to the Helsteas¡¯ house for me.


    ¡¯No! I¡¯m going to go towards you now, Papa. Hold on!¡¯ I could sense Sylvie getting closer but she was still a few dozen kilometers away.


    Stay away, Sylv! Please! I need someone to tell my family what happens just in case, I transmitted, the voice in my heading out desperate.


    I didn¡¯t know if I was going to make it out of this alive, and I didn¡¯t want my family wondering what happened and why the ring activated.


    ¡¯Be careful...¡¯


    Thanks, Sylv.


    One of the abilities of my first phase, Acquire, allowed me to temporarily separate myself from the space and time around me, which seemed to also be one of Sylvia¡¯s innate skills. That phase was limited in many ways because I wasn¡¯t a dragon. The limited mana I had ess to, as well as the physical burden the ability ced on me, restricted what I could actually do when I activated the ¡¯Acquire¡¯ phase.


    The most efficient way to best use this phase¡ªI realized when I was training with Grandpa Virion¡ªwas by utilizing the Thunderp Impulse spell alongside it. I would activate my first phase in short millisecond bursts while the reaction time of my body was increased dramatically from the lightning-attribute skill; this allowed me to react and counter almost anything. That was the most efficient way I could think of, since I couldn¡¯t affect anything that was "frozen" while the first phase was activated. Even though I wasn¡¯t able to keep it up for long, that was my biggest trump card. The fact that the first phase of my beast will wasn¡¯t noticeable by those around me made it all the more useful.


    I thought back to the time at the auction house when I had first used the ¡¯Acquire¡¯ phase on someone else. Sebastian wasn¡¯t able tomunicate with anyone besides me since I separated us from the time and space of those around us. I onlysted a few seconds before I ended up crippled in bed the next day.


    Right now, though, was one of those times when my first phase wouldn¡¯t be so useful. No matter how fast I could react to this tsunami of vines, I wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge or escape from it in one piece.


    There was no other choice.


    As I unleashed the dormant power of Sylvia¡¯s will deep inside my mana core, I felt every pore in my body open as a surge of mana began raging in and out of my body.


    The space around me distorted and the ground below my feet began cracking from the mana surrounding my body.


    Color drained from my vision as I was only able to see in shades of gray. The only colors I was able to see were from the numerous particles of mana in the atmosphere around me, all shimmering ording to their corresponding elements.


    The surge of mana that had been rampaging around me suddenly got sucked up andpressed into my body as the feeling of insurmountable power overwhelmed me. The sense of superiority over everything, living or not, in this universe, almost drove me crazy. I suppressed the growing temptation to obliterate everything around me out of sheer mania.


    "Kuh!" I gasped aloud.


    The mana in the atmosphere seemed to bend to my will, as if even nature was now under mymand.


    Phase Two. Dragon¡¯s Awakening... Integrate.


    The golden runes, the same markings that Sylvia once had, ran down my arms and back with a burning sensation. I could see my hair growing longer, flowing down to my shoulder, as the once auburn color of my hair turned a bright luminescent white, swaying from the swirl of energy constantly epassing me. In a way, it was like my body was bing more like Sylvia¡¯s.


    After calming the voice inside my head that suggested I go on a rampage, I examined my surroundings. Jasmine and Elijah were the only ones left. Elijah was beside Jasmine now, who was still out of breath and sweating in pain, supporting her with his shoulders. Elijah was staring at me with a dazed expression, his once serious face almostical as his sses drooped down his broken nose.


    Another thunderous crash jolted my attention back to the task at hand.


    The tsunami of vines that made up the elderwood guardian expanded as a face formed within the wave. The face bore down at me balefully, ignoring everyone else but me. The mana beast that once looked at us like we were insects now disyed a trace of fear.


    "Let¡¯s y," I growled, revealing a smirk.


    The world moved around me in slow motion as I leaped, willing wind into the soles of my feet. I instantly cleared the distance between the elderwood guardian and myself as the storming gale I propelled myself with left a crater bigger than the spell Elijah had used.


    [Thunderp Impulse]


    A surge of ck lightning coiled around my body as I effortlessly dodged the thousands of vines that shot out at me.


    Every vine that the tendrils of ck lightning touched instantly disintegrated and withered away, but for every vine that crumbled, dozens reced it. Using the vines that were shooting at me as a foothold, I breezed through the onught of thorn-covered vines as thick as my body, drawing nearer to the core of the elderwood guardian.


    I could already feel the recoil from using the second phase as my body began trembling and I held back the need to vomit blood.


    It was time to end this.


    "White fire," I muttered.


    My hands ignited and became engulfed in a zing white me that seemed to freeze the moisture in the air around it. This was the most powerful offensive skill that I had in my arsenal, but one that was also the hardest to control. While my Lightning Attribute skills were focused more towards one-on-onebat, I geared my ice attribute techniques for a more widespread form of destruction, just in case the situation arose.


    The white fire aze in my hands grewrger as I absorbed the now-visible specks of water attribute mana particles into my body. Using thest of my strength, I released my final skill.


    [Absolute Zero]


    The elderwood guardian, who was in the form of a giant wave of entangled vines, rapidly became encased in ice as the very atoms that made up the mana beast froze in ce where the white fire had spread.


    Exploding forth the ck lightning around me, deadly coils of dark electricity traced through the frozen tsunami of vines and instantly shattered it, leaving only the beast¡¯s mana core.


    The second phase wore off as I heaved out a mouthful of blood. As my body began plummeting down, I couldn¡¯t help but admire the beauty of the shimmering fragments of ice that once made up the legendary S ss mana beast; It had the surreal effect that one would only see in a dream.


    As my consciousness faded, thest thing I heard was the distant echo of Sylv¡¯s cry in my head.


    ______________________________________________


    As soon as I woke up, I immediately wished I could be unconscious again. An intense wave of searing pain spread all over my body, leaving me helplessly immobile as a stream of tears rolled down my cheeks. I vomited both blood and the remains of the little food I had eaten since arriving at the dungeon. Every muscle, every pore, every fiber of my body felt like it was getting sawed slowly by a scalding de.


    Without even the strength to utter a cry of pain, I just cursed miserably in my mind.


    "You¡¯re awake!" A voice called out from beside me.


    Focusing all of my will into staying awake, I ignored the voice.


    After a moment of hollow silence, I managed to to utter a few sounds.


    "G-Glove. My glove," I practically coughed out, turning my head to the side so I wouldn¡¯t choke on my own blood.


    "What about your glove?" I could see Elijah¡¯s face now as he removed the glove my parents had given me from my hand.


    "B-Break one of the c-crystals on the glove and give... me." I almost passed out from the pain again, but before I did, Elijah managed to understand and follow my stuttered instructions.


    A pleasant surge of soothing light enveloped my body, and the once unbearable pain eased enough so I could calm down a little. I tried to get up but my body, once again, refused to listen. Lying motionless on my back, I assessed the situation now, since my cognitive abilities were no longerpletely focused on enduring the pain.


    Around us, it was dark and cramped, with the only source of lighting from a small fire in the middle of our small group.


    "Where¡¯s Jasmine?" I croaked, struggling to turn my neck as I searched for her. As another wave of pain clenched at my insides, I was reminded of the time when I was four and had fallen off the cliff.


    Good, friggin¡¯ times.


    Elijah pointed to other end of the small shed we were huddled in. "She¡¯s over there."


    Just barely lifting my head, I was able to spot Jasmine lying against the far wall. Her face was wrinkled in pain as beads of sweat littered above her brows.


    "She was hit a lot harder by Lucas¡¯s spell and her body wasn¡¯t fortified with mana. I had a medical kit on me so I treated the external burn on her belly but I think the burn had caused some internal damage." Elijah looked wearily at Jasmine, straightening his sses.


    Turning my head back, I could see that the boy wasn¡¯t in great shape. His usual trim, ck hair was now a bird¡¯s nest as cuts and trailed of dried blood covered his face and body. His nose, that had been broken had turned a sickly purple and his clothes were shredded.


    He was hurt and tired, but he was able enough to get out of here. Yet, he stayed, ignoring treating his wounds while focusing his efforts on keeping Jasmine and me alive.


    I wanted to thank Elijah for helping us but I held off until I could talk inplete sentences; if I told him now, it would onlye off as strained and pathetic. Until then, I could only simmer in my own fumes, thinking of that spineless, traitorous worm called Lucas.


    "Use my glove on Jasmine too. Crack another one of the gems on it and press it against her wounds," I exined through gritted teeth.


    "Got it." Elijah shuffled over to Jasmine and I heard a faint hum from the light that brightened the small cave we were in.


    Jasmine¡¯s ragged breathing had turned noticeably steadier. Using my limited strength to look at her again, I saw that her previous strained expression had calmed.


    "I think she¡¯ll be fine with a few hours of rest." A rare smile escaped Elijah¡¯s terse face.


    ¡¯Papa! You¡¯re awake now! Are you okay? I¡¯m almost there!¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s voice chirped in my head.


    I¡¯m fine now. I thought you said you had to finish up something... are you done with that? I asked my infant dragon.


    ¡¯...No. I¡¯m almost done, though! I¡¯ll find you after I¡¯m done! I miss you, Papa...¡¯ The disappointed voice of Sylvie almost tempted me to just tell her toe here now, but I held it in. I could feel the changes in Sylvie¡¯s body somehow, and I knew she was going through something important.


    "I didn¡¯t think that the legendary masked swordsman, Note, would be someone around my age." My bespectacledpanion¡¯s voice stirred my train of thought.


    "My mask!" My voice turned a little frantic as I noticed for the first time that my face was bare.


    "S-Sorry. It got blown off while you were falling. I couldn¡¯t help looking while I was moving you two to safety." I saw him scratch his cheek, something akin to embarrassment expressed on his face.


    "What about my sword? Did you see the ck stick that I carried around?" My eyes darted around through the dim lighting.


    I spotted the outline of my sword as Elijah pointed a bit to the right of the sleeping Jasmine. "Yeah, it¡¯s beside Jasmine. I didn¡¯t know if it was valuable or not but I kept it just in case."


    I just let out a deep breath, a rather heavy weight lifted from my chest. "Thank you... for everything. For saving Jasmine and me and retrieving my sword when you could¡¯ve easily escaped by yourself. Thank you."


    "Haha... If I left you in that half-dead state, that would¡¯ve put me on the same level as that ass, Lucas, then wouldn¡¯t it?" He shot me a grin.


    "Heh, not nearly." I let out a painedugh.


    Elijah inched closer, sitting down next to me now. "Why did you stay anyways? I saw Jasmine pulling you to escape. I felt like you two could¡¯ve escaped at that time."


    I couldn¡¯t help but pause at his question. "A king never betrays the people who trust him." I winked, which made him scoff. "And..." I hesitated, "...I promised someone very important to be a better person and to cherish the people around me."


    "Pfft. You sound like an old man. We¡¯re pretty young...I wonder what kind of life you had until now to have promised someone that," Elijah¡¯s tense face was a lot more rxed now, his once stone face full of life.


    "I sometimes wonder myself, haha. How long have I been out for anyways?" I changed the subject.


    "It¡¯s hard to tell but definitely more than a day. Jasmine woke up a few times in between, but just barely enough so I could feed her," he answered, leaning back on the wall.


    I wiggled myself up painfully to sit against the wall as well, Elijah helping me, when I noticed that the wall was made of metal.


    "This doesn¡¯t seem to be naturally made. Where are we?" I feel the cold surface of the wall, tracing it back to the ground.


    "I conjured it. I think the elderwood guardian¡¯s body was supporting the whole level of the cave we were in. After you defeated it, the ceiling crumbled, and once younded on the ground, I built a small shelter to keep the rocks from burying us alive." He let out a sigh. Until now, he hadn¡¯t given away a single trace that he was a deviant, and a rather particr one at that.


    Instead of being surprised, though, my mind somehow felt at ease. Ever since I had met him, something had felt weird. Like we had held some sort of connection somehow. I guess him being a deviant was the reason why. "I thought only dwarves were able to manipte metal... and even then, I was taught that they could only manipte existing metal, not create and conjure it."


    "So much for keeping secrets, eh?" Elijah chuckled, sinking further down, a tired look on his face.


    "Tell me about it," I scoffed with a grin, holding in the pain as my body protested at even the slightest movements.


    "All right...but you have to tell me what the hell you did back there as well. Your hair turned white! A-And your eyes...they were glowing purple. There were these glowing symbols that appeared on your body too!"


    I didn¡¯t know that my eyes had turned purple, but merely nodded in agreement and let him continue.


    "I¡¯m from the Darv Kingdom, but I¡¯m not really sure where I originally came from. The elder that took care of me since I was little always avoided the subject of my parents so I never got a clear answer. The only memories of my childhood came in painful shes that feel like they¡¯ve been locked away somehow. About a year ago, when I had awakened, I created such a big implosion that my whole room just vanished. After getting trained for a little while, I found out I was abnormally better in earth attribute spells than any other elements... like, to the point where I wouldn¡¯t be able to cast anything but the most elementary spells in water, fire, or wind...even now." Elijah stared nkly at the palms of his hands.


    "Since I had awakened, my mana core has been condensing all on its own at a rapid pace. I don¡¯t even need to meditate for some reason. The elder that took care of me sent me to the Kingdom of Sapin as a representative and told me to make a name for myself and get along with the humans, but honestly, I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m doing this. After I broke into the dark orange stage, I had this weird feeling surge up in my body and before I knew it, a field of metal spikes conjured around me. I happened to be alone when it urred so thankfully, I didn¡¯t kill anyone... but ever since then I¡¯ve been pretty careful... and scared. Scared of what I am and scared of what I can do. I was excited at first about how strong I could be, but even now, I can barely control my powers. You know... I thought maybe I was half-dwarf at one point, but I-I just don¡¯t know what I am anymore."


    I stared at Elijah, noticing that his hands were trembling as he quickly squeezed them into fists to control himself.


    I justid back, silently. I wasn¡¯t going to pretend like I understood him, and anything I said now would just be empty words offort.


    "Sometimes, I get this feeling.... like what I can do right now isn¡¯t even the limit. I know it may sound weird but I get this itch that there¡¯s something more to me deep inside, and that once I can control that power, I¡¯ll know what I really am...I¡¯m sorry, haha...this ended up being a therapy session for me, didn¡¯t it?" And like that, the bespectacled boy that tried so hard to keep a stern, cold fa?ade turned out to be fragile on the inside.


    I gritted my teeth as I willed my broken body to sit upright to face Elijah. Peering into the boy¡¯s eyes, I saw a trace of desperation but also gentleness, and a firm pride in himself that reassured my decision. Years of being a king, representing my country, meeting all different kinds of people¡ªI got the hang of being able to see the type of person someone was, and my impression of Elijah was that he could be someone I could trust.


    "I¡¯m a quadra-elemental augmenter with two deviances: ice and lightning," I stated in an even tone. Before he had the chance to even react to thendmine I had just set off, I continued. "I¡¯m also a beast tamer. What you saw back there was me releasing my beast will."


    The hand that Elijah had been leaning on slipped and his head crashed against the cold, hard steel.


    "Holy¡ªOuch!" He got back up, rubbing his head.


    "I thought I was a freak but I guess you win. W-Wait... how old are you?" he asked.


    "I turned eleven a couple of months ago."


    "No way! I¡¯ll be twelve in a few months! I don¡¯t know my exact birth date but the elder just made my birthday the day he found me, January 10th. You know my name is Elijah, but I don¡¯t know yours. What¡¯s your name?" He stuck out his hand as a sign of friendship.


    Grasping his hand, I responded with a pained smile. "Arthur. Arthur Leywin, but just call me Art."


    For the next several hours, we exchanged stories. Elijah¡¯s childhood wasn¡¯t that eventful before his awakening. He stayed with the elder since the dwarf children weren¡¯t too fond of mingling with humans. Because of that, Elijah had spent most of his time reading various books. Listening to him talk and just hearing about his life, I could understand why he was a lot more mature for someone his age. He only talked with adults¡ªmostly the elder that took care of him¡ªand just living in a society where almost everyone would rather not have anything to do with you made him grow up a lot faster than he should have.


    I broke thest gem of the glove to relieve the pain again when Jasmine woke up. As soon as her eyes opened and she saw that I was awake, she shot up and pulled me into a firm, and agonizing, hug. I was about to say something when I felt drops of tears fall on my neck.


    What the hell, I could endure a few more seconds of pain.


    "I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t protect you..." was all she could manage to say as she held back her sobs.


    "It¡¯s okay, Jasmine. I was the one being stubborn. I¡¯m sorry I dragged you into this mess with me." I patted her back.


    Had she always been this small?


    Knowing her since I was a child, I had always assumed she was bigger than I was, but in my arms now was a frail woman.


    After she had regained herposure, I shakily stood up to my feet, cing a hand on Jasmine and Elijah¡¯s shoulders. "Let¡¯s go home, guys."

 Chapter 35: Rash Actions and Limits

    With both Jasmine and Elijah supporting my powerless body, we had managed to make our way back to the surface of the cavern where we fought the elderwood guardian. The once serene field of grass was in ruins as toppled trees and fallen stctitesy scattered and splintered amongst fissured grounds.


    "Do you think anyone else survived?" I asked, carefully scanning the mess around us.


    "Well, Reginald and Brald were both frozen together with the mana beast from thest attack you used. I wasn¡¯t close enough to save Samantha either, after she got knocked off of you andnded near the elderwood guardian. I conjured a metal shelter to keep her safe from the debris but I¡¯m not sure if she was able to survive," Elijah reported.


    Between the after effects from using the second phase and worrying about Jasmine, I was a bit ashamed to say that I hadn¡¯t really thought about the rest of the party. I guess when I didn¡¯t see anyone else in the shelter with us, I immediately assumed they didn¡¯t make it.


    "I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to help Samantha in time, even if she is alive by the time we find her under all of this mess," I sighed. "We still need to find the elderwood guardian¡¯s beast core."


    "I think I¡¯ll be able to help with the first problem." Elijah knelt down, cing a palm on the ground. "Give me a few minutes."


    "Scan," the bespectacled boy muttered as a thin wave of mana spread out of his hand.


    [Earth¡¯s Pulse]


    The spell that Elijah had just invoked, as far as I knew, was usually made to scan the ground for signs of approaching enemies. Usually, the caster would be able to hear footsteps and, if he was that skilled, perhaps distinguish the number of footsteps. However, to epass not only the surface of the floor, but the ground beneath it, I couldn¡¯t help but be more and more intrigued by this boy.


    After a few, tense minutes, Elijah¡¯s furrowed brows lifted into an expression of surprise. "I know where Samantha is and her heart¡¯s still beating!"


    A sleek, metallic tent rose from the ground at Elijah¡¯s invocation and opened up in front of us to reveal Samantha.


    By the state the conjurer was in, she was just barely hanging in there. Both her legs had been broken clean in multiple locations from where the elderwood¡¯s tendrils had grasped her. Splinters of white jutted out from the bloody mess that were her legs as a milky, yellow pus indicated that her wounds had already be infected.


    The good news, if we could even call it that, was that only her legs had incurred serious damage. The rest of her body had cuts and bruises but was otherwise unharmed.


    Elijah¡¯s face contorted in horror at the sight as he immediately turned around and lurched forward to vomit.


    Jasmine rushed towards her and knelt, not knowing what she had to do to help her.


    Limping toward Samantha, I checked her neck for her pulse and ced a hand on her forehead. "Well, she doesn¡¯t have a fever yet and her pulse is steady enough where I don¡¯t think her life will be in danger anytime soon. The silver lining is that she¡¯s unconscious."


    "Some silver lining," Elijah coughed as he convulsed into another dry heave.


    As Jasmine carefully cradled the unconscious Samantha in her arms, I thought back to when the peppy conjurer had made attempts at striking up a conversation with her. With the two of them being the only girls, Samantha was relentless in her pursuit at befriending the brusque Jasmine. Eventually, Jasmine had started to respond, even smiling at times.


    I thought about our next course of action. If we wanted to get Samantha to safety, I would need to give up on looking for the beast core for now. However, with Samantha in her state and my body being barely capable of standing on its own, the best thing to do was for Elijah and Jasmine to take Samantha to a medic beforeing back down for me.


    "Elijah," I called out to my friend, who was now gasping for air.


    Just as I was about to give my instructions, a thundering roar rumbled throughout the cavern, shaking a few stctites loose from the ceiling.


    "What now?!" Elijah groaned, more in resignation than in fear.


    ¡¯Papa! I¡¯m here!¡¯ Sylv cried out in my mind.


    "It¡¯s okay, Elijah," I coaxed, as Jasmine lowered the dagger she had already unsheathed.


    Despite the childlike voice that rang in my head, the dragon that stood before me was far from anything akin to a child.


    I let out a whistle. "Wow, Sylv. You gained weight... and height, and width."


    Sylvie, the small cat-like dragon that had always sat on top of my head was now almost the spitting image of the dragon I named her after.


    Her body wasn¡¯t asrge as Sylvia¡¯s, but it was still over eight meters long. I could now say with full confidence that Sylvie was indeed a dragon. Her scales had an obsidian-ck sheen, reflecting the light from the dungeon in an almost divine way. The two horns that sprouted out of her head were sharper and even more menacing than the titan¡¯s horns I had seen years ago. With wings simr to Sylvia¡¯s¡ªexcept with pitch-ck feathers¡ªand blood-red spikes that protruded along the ridge of her spine, she exuded a menacing, if not baleful, aura around her. The once adorable face and muzzle of hers was now elegant and sharp, her ck sclera and yellow irises reminding me of a particrly bright topaz shining in the dead of night.


    Sylv¡¯s powerful limbs¡ªarmored with jagged spikes at the elbows and knees¡ªlifted as she approached me with a graceful poise, despite herrge size. She lowered her head that was asrge as my torso, bringing her snout close to mine.


    Suddenly, her snake-like tongue shot out as she licked my face with the force to lift me from the ground.


    "My God, your breath is foul, Sylv," I sputtered, barely able to keep myself upright.


    ¡¯Hehe!¡¯ Sylv¡¯s childish giggle rang in my head.


    "I-Is that a wyvern? But it has four limbs. I-It can¡¯t be, right? Is that a d-d-d¡ª"


    "I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s a dragon," I finished for the dumbfounded Elijah.


    He stared up at the sight of the fearsome beast, his face filled with more horror than when he had seen the elderwood guardian.


    Jasmine, who had already known about my bond, was still trembling at the sight of my juvenile dragon as she clutched Samantha close to her chest.


    "Elijah, this is my bond, Sylvie." I stretched my hand out to rub my dragon¡¯s snout, causing her hind leg to thump the ground in pleasure.


    I couldn¡¯t help but chortle at how little Sylvie had changed on the inside despite her dramatic transformation.


    Turning to face Elijah, I put on a grim face. "Jasmine already knew about this, but I want you to promise to keep this a secret as well. Dragons have been thought to have been extinct for centuries now, so if anyone were to suddenly see Sylvie... well, you know what greed can do to someone."


    Elijah nodded frantically in response, his sses hanging loose on his crooked nose.


    "We need to hurry, though. It worked out well that Sylvie came when she did. Let¡¯s move Samantha on Sylvie¡¯s back." I was barely able to stand up on my own now, but walking more than a few steps was out of the question.


    I watched as Elijah and Jasmine carefully loaded the unconscious conjurer onto Sylv¡¯s back before they helped me up as well.


    It was decided that only Samantha and I would ride Sylv to the first cavern of the dungeon while Jasmine and Elijah would follow close behind.


    The journey back up only took a few hourspared to the full day we needed when we had travelled down.


    ¡¯Sylv, can you still transform?¡¯ I asked as we ascended up toward the entrance of the dungeon. My mind was spinning, trying toe up with a way to protect her from greedy nobles in case she couldn¡¯t, but thankfully, she said that she could still change into a miniature form.


    ¡¯What did you do during this time, anyway? How did you grow so quickly?¡¯ I sent Sylv while lying down against her long neck.


    ¡¯I hunted a lot of monsters and ate their mana cores! I missed you a lot. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t protect you while you were here.¡¯ Another gust of wind formed beneath us as she pped her wings down, elerating towards our destination.


    It seemed like her body wasn¡¯t able to grow without consuming mana cores, which reminded me of the beast core the elderwood guardian had dropped. At this point, I could only hope that it would stay hidden from adventurers until I went back down.


    When we arrived at the first cavern¡ªwhere the batrunners had been¡ªI preparing myself to fight a couple of them in this crippled state. However, to my surprise, as soon as the batrunners saw Sylvie, they became so terrified, they simply buried their heads in the ground off in the opposite corner of the cave.


    Jasmine and Elijah arrived a little less than an hourter, both heaving for breath. Sylv¡¯s body illuminated as she shrank back down into the size of a kitten at my mention, but I noticed the change in her appearance even in this form. Her red spikes had disappeared and she was pitch ck¡ªapart from her sharp yellow irises. All-in-all, she resembled a demonic, but harmless, ck cat.


    Sputtering out a series of pained coughs, Samantha stirred awake. As soon as she had be conscious enough to feel the pain in her legs, her eyes widened as she gasped from the agony. She had her arms wrapped around herself as she trembled.


    "Y-You guys all made it," she croaked, her body trembling, and her face contorted from the pain. Her face was pale and I could tell she was beginning to burn up by the cold sweat that rolled down her forehead. Her lips were white and cracked as deep bags weighed down beneath her once bright eyes.


    "Stop talking," I ordered. "You need to save your energy. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll get you help soon."


    Ignoring me, she carefully reached into her robe, pulling out my mask and something else. "Look what I f-found."


    "That¡¯s¡ª" Elijah careened close to Samantha¡¯s hand.


    "The elderwood¡¯s beast core," I finished, gently taking it from Samantha. "Nice work. I¡¯ll hold onto this until I get the chance to sell it. I think splitting it amongst us would be the best way."


    "Are you kidding me?" Elijah shook his head. "I don¡¯t want it."


    "Me neither. You deserve it, Arthur," Jasmine agreed.


    "What? You guys don¡¯t want¡ª"


    "I¡¯m just happy to be alive. I think it¡¯s fair that the one who killed it gets to reap the rewards," Samantha whispered, her consciousness wavering.


    I studied the dull green stone, webbed with intricate lines of gray. "Thanks everyone."


    Samantha¡¯s lips curled up into a faint smile before she fell asleep again in Jasmine¡¯s arms.


    I put the mask on my face and turned my gaze to my guardian. "Jasmine, can you and Elijah go first to the Guild Hall and get help back down here? I¡¯ll stay here with Samantha."


    With a nod from the two of them, they headed out back up to the surface. Since it would take them at least four hours to send the message and arrive back, I nned on absorbing the elderwood¡¯s beast core. With the aid from the powerful core¡ªand with my body that had been assimted with Sylvia¡¯s will¡ªI predicted that I should be able to make a full recovery by the time they came back.


    Before I began my meditation with the the beast core, I took out the parchment I had received from the Twin Horns and recorded a message, telling my parents that I¡¯ll being home soon.


    Forcing my unresponsive body into a cross-legged position. I took a deep breath with the elderwood guardian¡¯s beast core in my hands, all the while thinking of what I should do with Lucas.


    It wasn¡¯t enough for me to just settle for petty revenge. I wanted to do something more. He was from a very powerful family of notorious mages and his blood gave him a certain amount of protection from the elves. Of course, with my connections with the royal family, I didn¡¯t think it would matter much, but the Wykes family that he was a part of could make things moreplicated than I wanted them to be.


    I didn¡¯t have much time to dwell on my options as I was stirred out of my meditation by the sound of footsteps approaching.


    Judging from the uniforms, it was easy to assume that the people that filed in were the medics Jasmine and Elijah had sent. Within the group of medics was Kaspian, thenky head of a Guild Hall branch. He was snapping orders at the medics and the few guards that he had brought along to protect the medics, just in case.


    Hiding the mana core I couldn¡¯t finish absorbing, I watched as the medics worked on Samantha. They used a mixture of herbs to anesthetize her and pushed back the bones into the right ce. The field of medicine wasn¡¯t that advanced in this world so I wasn¡¯t sure that they would be able to fully heal Samantha¡¯s legs, but I realized my worries were unnecessary when I saw an emitter begin working on her.


    Kaspian walked towards me as I stood up. "Good evening, Mr. Note. I didn¡¯t expect for us to be meeting like this. Ms. mesworth has told me the situation and I know how you must feel."


    "Oh, do you now? Then would you kindly inform me the current location of Lucas so that I may properly respond to his actions against our party?" I replied through gritted teeth. Despite Kaspian¡¯s mild tone, I knew that he had personallye here to stop me from going after Lucas.


    "I must advise you, Mr. Note, to refrain from taking actions against Mr. Wykes... right now." He shook his head, confirming my assumption.


    "And why not ¡¯right now¡¯? My identity is a secret and I have the capability to easily erase that bug¡¯s existence. Do you think you have the power to protect him from me?" My gaze was unrelenting as I took a step toward the thin man.


    "Of course, I know I don¡¯t possess the power to fight against you when you¡¯re at your full strength, but I assure you that I can pose a threat to you right now," he calmly replied, straightening his sses. "But even if I could, I wouldn¡¯t need to. Mr. Note, I am warning you because¡ªbelieve it or not¡ªI carry the obligation to care for you since you are affiliated with Ms. mesworth, even if she is the estranged daughter of the house. The Wykes are the type of people that will carry out revenge in the most extreme and brutal manner. Assuming that you do kill their precious son, Lucas, I know right now, you do not possess the power to kill the whole Wykes House. Even if they don¡¯t know your identity, that won¡¯t stop them from killing anyone that has had anything to do with you. This includes Ms. mesworth and the people she¡¯s affiliated with, the Twin Horns. Going further than that, I believe the Wykes will further their revenge against you by going against all of the people close to the Twin Horns party, which includes Reynolds Leywin and his family."


    I could feel the blood running down my fists as my nails dug deeper into my palms.


    He had me.


    "Like I said, Mr. Note, I wish to be on your side. What I said about the Wykes Family is all from previous events in the past so I can assure you that they will stop at nothing from wiping out anyone that had to do with you, even if it they weren¡¯t directly rted. Until the day you hold the power and authority to protect the people you care for from them, I must advise you from acting against them for now. With that, I¡¯ll take my leave. The Adventurer, Samantha, must be taken back to a facility to be properly cared for." Giving me a curt bow, he walk away towards Samantha, leaving me with a bitter taste in my mouth.


    I could onlyugh at the pitiful state I was in. He was right. Until I could wipe away the whole Wykes House, it would be dangerous for my family and friends if I acted against them. No matter how much of an asshole he was, it wasn¡¯t worth risking my loved ones.


    Through clenched fists, I swore to myself that Lucas would regret this day.


    Elijah and Jasmine appeared soon after with solemn expressions, obviously overhearing the conversation I had with the Guild Hall leader.


    Each cing a consoling hand on my shoulders, Elijah and Jasmine followed me out of the Dire Tombs with Sylv trailing close behind.


    We arrived at the Guild Hall located on the outskirts of the Beast des about two hourster. Samantha was resting in the recovery facility as Jasmine, Elijah and I were sprawled on the couches in a private room. Kaspian had temporarily moved from his office in Xyrus to this branch and was seated behind the desk in the room when the door suddenly flew open.


    "You guys managed to make it out alive!" Behind a group of barrel-chested adventures posing as guards was Lucas.


    Kaspian, seated a few feet away from us, leaned his head on his hand¡ªvexed at the boy¡¯s impertinence¡ªas he locked gazes with me to remind me of our discussion.


    Both Elijah and Jasmine sprang up from their seats, weapons aze as I remained in my seat. It took an amount of self control that I never knew I had to stop myself from lunging forward and skewering the brat to the door he darede in through.


    At this point, I couldn¡¯t tell whether he was that confident or just in stupid for not just betraying us, but mocking us immediately after.


    I guess he wasn¡¯tpletely dumb, since he had the sense to at least bring some backup.


    Lucas took a step forward, pping the guard in front of him to move out of the way. "I wonder how you managed to escape from that terror of a beast. Did you have to sacrifice someone else to save yourselves? That whore, Samantha, is a cripple now, but she¡¯s alive so I don¡¯t think it was her. I don¡¯t see Brald, though... don¡¯t tell me you sacrificed hi¡ª"


    Before he had the time to finish his sentence, my fingers had already let go of the shortsword I had hidden behind me.


    The next moment, Lucas let out a shrill scream as he clutched his right ear, blood leaking through the spaces between his fingers.


    My backup sword that I had picked out from the Helstea Auction House had impaled itself deep into the wall behind Lucas, barely missing the head of the guard that stood behind him.


    At the sounds of the hollow thud and scream, the guards whipped around to make sure their boss was okay before turning back to me with weapons held ready.


    I stood up from my seat and walked steadily towards the pale Lucas, the entire room deathly silent.


    "W-What do you think I¡¯m paying you for?! Get him!" Lucas hissed, pointing at me with a trembling finger as his other hand still gripped his bleeding ear.


    The guard closest to me lifted his axe in position to split me in two when I quickly used the scabbard of the shortsword I had just flung at Lucas to respond.


    A sharp snap rang as the end of my scabbard met with the guard¡¯s fingers. With a pained howl, he let go of his axe as he instinctively nursed his broken fingers.


    Before the rest of the guards could react, I lunged myself towards the frightened Lucas. I could hear Kaspian gasp behind me in fear that I would cross the line, but my hand merely went to my sword impaled into the wall right behind the boy.


    The blonde noble¡¯s eyes nearly bulged outside of their sockets as his face was just inches away from mine.


    "My apologies. I merely dropped my sword and wanted it back," I whispered, my voiceing out deeper and more threatening, thanks to my mask.


    I pried the de out of the wall and sheathed it back into the cover I had used to break the guard¡¯s fingers. Turning around, I sat back on the couch, nonchntly motioning at Kaspian.


    On cue, the guild leader hastily responded. "Now, now! Mr. Lucas, your ear is bleeding heavily. Let me escort you to the medical room to get that fixed up."


    Gently herding the noble brat and his guards out of the room, he turned back to me with an exasperated expression.


    "You did well," Jasmine broke the silence, taking a seat as well. "But I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve made enemies with one of the strongest houses in the Kingdom of Sapin."


    "That¡¯s fine. He won¡¯t take action from what happened today. Despite that conceited attitude, Lucas is cautious. He knows that right now, if he doesn¡¯t go against me, I won¡¯t do anything more."


    Leaning forward, I gripped tightly at the ck sword I had refused to unsheathe until the end. I vowed silently that this wouldn¡¯t be the end.

 Chapter 36: Precautions

    KASPIAN BLADEHEART¡¯S POV:


    After escorting the runt of the Wykes House, I arrived back to my seat, tempted to burn the towering stack of paperwork that had umted over the past few days. After taking a deep breath, I slid a parchment from the top of the pile when the faint creak of the door tugs at my attention.


    It was that adventurer, Note. Closing the door behind him, his warbled baritone voice whispers out in a barely-discernable sound.


    "Mr. deheart, you haven¡¯t forgotten what you said about wanting to truly help me, correct?"


    I sharp chill runs down my spine; his seemingly harmless words stabbed into me like a looming threat. Ignoring my angst, I held my stoic facade, straightening my sses before responding. "Of course. Your personal connection to Mrs. mesworth, as well as your own potential, had been regarded favorably by the Guild."


    The masked adventurer, whose identity¡ªor even age¡ªI could not guess, nodded his head. I knew he was somehow connected to the Leywin household but even a thorough background search had turned out fruitless.


    "Good," he answered. "I n to take a very extensive break from being an adventurer, Kaspian, so I would like to implore you for a favor."


    The way he talked sounded anything like an imploration, but I motioned for him to continue.


    "Please, go on," I said, my curiosity aroused.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    After the whole debacle regarding Lucas and his unwholesome actions down in the dungeon, there were a few things that needed to be settled.


    For one, Lucas was to be tried for his ¡¯un-adventurer-like¡¯ conduct, which needed to be held in front of a panel of judgesprised of high-rank guild workers.


    Seated in the descending gallery of a small amphitheater-like room, I faced the panel along with Lucas as the elderly robed men behind the raised desk looked through their notes.


    After a seemingly endless moment of unnerving silence, one of the elderly men that was taller than the four beside him stood up and cleared his throat. "On behalf of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and the panel that is present here, I hereby dere the conjurer, Lucas Wykes, formally stripped of his A ss ranking for sabotage and endangerment of his party members during a dungeon excursion. Furthermore, he is prohibited from re-enlisting as an adventurer until otherwise stated by the Guild. You may now hand in your card."


    A thick-bearded panel member beside the one that had just spoken banged his gavel, creating a loud echo across the room as Lucas begrudgingly handed his enchanted card.


    While normally, the sentencing would be filled with anxious family and friends, Lucas and I were the only ones present besides the judges. I hade to the conclusion that this was to keep news that could nder the Wykes House¡¯s name contained, but after hearing Lucas¡¯s verdict just now, I thought otherwise. Normally, what Lucas had done, down at the Dire Tombs, would be enough for him to be sentenced to imprisonment¡ªon top of getting his title stripped. However, the vague addition that the elder made at the end, about him being prohibited from bing an adventurer until otherwise stated left for a lot of loose ends.


    I could only hold my tongue back and wait for this crooked sentencing toe to an end. Despite the ratherx sentence that Lucas had been given, the noble half-elf brat had an expression stitched on his face as if he¡¯d just swallowed a live frog.


    The only silver lining I could see in this was Lucas¡¯s family beating some sense into the twerp for shaming his family¡¯s name.


    Lucas had been pretty riled up from my brazen act of retaliation back at Kaspian¡¯s office. Ever since then, I¡¯m sure he had nothing but boiling rage pent up in that little body of his, but after learning from Kaspian that I had defeated the elderwood guardian, rather than escape from it, his rage-fueled vendetta had been filled with doubt.


    "Next to be put on trial is the augmenter, Note. Faced with the clear enmity with Lucas Wykes and possible the whole Wykes Family disyed by the act of aggression against Lucas, on behalf of the panel and the entirety of the Adventurer Guild"¡ªthe judge nced at his peers to his left and right¡ª"I hereby dere a temporary ban from Xyrus City during the entire duration of Lucas Wykes¡¯ attendance at Xyrus Academy."


    The gavel, once again, boomed throughout the room. To my right, I could feel Lucas¡¯s gaze bore into me as he waited for my reaction.


    Putting on my best angry voice, I leaned forward on the podium. "Sir! I object to this punishment! Why am I to be reprimanded for Lucas¡¯s betrayal at the dungeon?" I mmed my fists down on the bench in front of me. All the while, even from my peripheral view, I could see Lucas¡¯s anxious face turn smug from my discontent.


    I knew revoking his license didn¡¯t mean much to him and with me "out of the way," he didn¡¯t have to worry about anything.


    "This is not a discussion! We are aware of the circumstances, which is why we chose not to revoke your license. You will be allowed to continue being an adventurer as long as we do not catch you near Mr. Wykes or his family." The judge¡¯s stern face glowered fiercer as his sharp gaze pierced through my mask.


    "Wait! What about his identity? Wouldn¡¯t he be able to easily take his mask off and slip through inside the city and potentially harm me or my family?" Lucas raised his finger at me, now confident enough to push me down even further.


    "We have already decided to have his identity recorded once this sentencing is over, Mr. Wykes. You will not be allowed to know of Mr. Note¡¯s identity for obvious reasons of ill intent against him or his family while select Guild Hall mages will keep tabs on Mr. Note¡¯s whereabouts, masked or not. This is not up for debate. This sentencing is over," another judge dered. All five of them stood up and left before either of us had the chance to refute.


    Clicking his tongue, Lucas whipped his head, sending me a threatening gaze before walking with his entourage of guards that were waiting outside the door. Before stepping out of the room, he looked over his shoulder and shot me a look of haughty derision. "If you know what¡¯s good for you, you¡¯d best be at least five towns over from me at all times."


    "Idle threats as you run away make you seem petty, boy," I shot back. The problem child of the Wykes House turned scarlet as I turned back around to be escorted by the guards. Behind the raised desks that the panel of judges were seated behind was a narrow door that opened with a touch.


    "No need to trouble yourselves, gentlemen. I know you all have been dying to get back. I¡¯ll escort Mr. Note here out through the back with the guards," the judge who had spoken throughout the trial said.


    The rest of the panel must¡¯ve ced a lot of trust in the man because the four of them graciously left just as we were about to head back. Stepping through the doorway, I readjusted my mask to make sure it wouldn¡¯t slip off as one of the judges let out a sigh.


    "I trust that this little charade was to your satisfaction, Mr. Note?" His sharp white eyebrows furrowed even deeper.


    "Your acting was bit over the top, but I think it was fairly well done," I shrugged. "Thank you for your cooperation."


    Shaking his head, he gave me a helpless look. "No need. It wasn¡¯t on your behalf that I did this. I sincerely hope that I can trust you not to cause any further trouble? We will not be able to hide the truth from the Wykes Family forever, but as long as you do not go against them, they won¡¯t bother with you."


    "I¡¯m more careful than I look, Your Honor." I dipped my head in a quick bow. "Kaspian mentioned that there would be a passageway where I can safely remove my ¡¯identity¡¯, right?"


    "Yes. Your acquaintances await you on the other side." The judge fumbled around with a couple of the books on a nearby shelf and suddenly a passage opened up from the ground.


    "I bid you farewell, Mr. Note, and I do hope that you will not forget this act of kindness from the Guild. I predict that there will be a time when we will call upon you for a favor, and it would be much appreciated that you remember what we did for you today."


    "I see the top heads of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild are sly and crafty," I let out a chuckle. "At least you have the sense to know who to back. I¡¯ll remember."


    I stepped down the stairs leading to the brief underground passageway as one of the guards closed the entrance behind me.


    Opening the door on the other side, I was greeted by a rather painful head-butt from Sylvie.


    "Gah!" I breathed out, clutching my stomach.


    "Kyu!" Sylvie chirped as she scuttled to the top of my head. ¡¯How did everything go, Papa? Is it over now? Can we go home?¡¯


    Jasmine and Elijah greeted me as well with a faint smile on their faces. "Everything¡¯s over. Let¡¯s go back home," I said to everyone.


    Elijah asked, "Did you not want to visit Samantha?"


    "I think it¡¯d be better if I don¡¯t visit her. Jasmine, maybe you should stop by the hospital next time to check up on her?" Jasmine, who had remained silent the whole time, gave a slight nod as we continued walking.


    We trekked across the border of the Beast des toward the nearest teleportation gate. While I had a few mental conversations with Sylvie, both Jasmine and Elijah stayed silent until the site of the gate came into view.


    "Well, I guess we should split ways here, right?" Scratching his untidy ck hair, Elijah shifted nces between Jasmine and I with a forced smile.


    "What?" I spouted in surprise. "You¡¯re noting with us, Elijah? Did you have something you needed to do?"


    I automatically assumed that my newfound friend woulde with us, but thinking back, I remembered that he wasn¡¯t from the Kingdom of Sapin.


    "W-What? I mean, I don¡¯t really have anything nned but are you okay with meing along with you? Elijah seemed taken aback by my surprise.


    "W-What? I didn¡¯t really have anything nned but is it really okay toe along with you?" He straightens his sses and coughs, trying to cover his embarrassed face.


    "Well you and Jasmine should go through the portal separately from me, just in case anyone suspects something, but I thought it¡¯d be good for you to stay with us for a bit before we go to school," I scratched my head.


    "We? I-I don¡¯t understand. I never had ns to go to school." Elijah¡¯s eyes seemed even more lost behind his sses than before so I filled him in.


    "Well, seeing as your goal is to make a name for yourself in Sapin, it doesn¡¯t hurt to get yourself an education from Xyrus Academy," I smirked.


    Elijah looked at me as if I had misspoken while even Jasmine raised a brow at my idea.


    "I¡¯m sorry, I still don¡¯t follow. How would I even get into the school? I mean... I might have the qualifications but not the background. Even the fact that I¡¯m from Darv wouldn¡¯t give me any leeway to get into the school."


    Putting an arm around his neck, I leaned against my friend. "Don¡¯t you worry about a thing, my bespectacled little nerd. Let your big brother take care of the small details."


    "What big brother? You realize that I¡¯m older than you, right? And what does ¡¯nerd¡¯ mean, anyway?" Elijah chortled, throwing a light jab at my ribs. "Besides, I¡¯m not so sure about the idea of going to school with so many students. How would I even fit in after spending my life with those antisocial dwarves?"


    Just to sweeten the deal, I added, "You know, Lucas is going to be attending Xyrus Academy. Are you okay with me having all the fun?"


    "I agree with Ar...Note. You can always go back to being an adventurerter." Jasmine nced around to see if anyone heard the mistake she almost slipped out.


    "Okay!" he relented as I squeezed him harder. "If you can somehow get me in, I¡¯ll go! Besides, someone¡¯s going to have to hold you back from murdering Lucas on the first day of school!"


    "Good! Jasmine, can you take Elijah back to Helstea Manor? I have something I need to do first. I¡¯ll catch up to you guys!" I pushed them toward the portal just a bit ahead.


    Jasmine nodded wordlessly and led Elijah away. After they were out of sight, my smile disappeared as I let out a small sigh.


    "Come out," I called out calmly.


    With a swish, Kaspian appeared beside me with his sheathed rapier tied to his waist.


    "I am d you took some precautions by sending the two of them away first," Kaspian nodded approvingly.


    "Thanks for getting the judge to y along with the act. Lucas shouldn¡¯t be suspicious anytime soon," I replied with a nod.


    "My pleasure. At this point, I¡¯m simply d that this has been solved without anyone dying." Kaspian chuckled, but I sensed his words were serious.


    "I¡¯m d you think that way," I answered.


    "Anyway, here¡¯s a little parting gift from me," the Guild Hall manager said, handing me a small pouch.


    I pulled at the drawstrings, opening the red sack he had given me. Inside was a heap of gold coins enough to make a countryside boy like me faint.


    However, I remained silent behind my mask and thanked him for the gift. As I turned and walked away, Kaspian called out from behind. "I advise you to use it to take appropriate precautions, Mr. Note. It¡¯d be unwise to let your guard down, thinking you¡¯ve cleared the mountain."


    Without looking back, I raised an arm and waved back at Kaspian, heading towards the teleportation gate myself with Sylvie perched on my head.


    Elijah attending Xyrus Academy wouldn¡¯t draw too much suspicion. Jasmine was close with the Helstea Family now, so having her vouch for Elijah would seem natural. I would make sure not to draw Dawn¡¯s Bad whenever I was with Lucas on the journey. The only problem was that the brat would be sure to recognize Sylvie; he¡¯d seen the small, feline form of Sylvie back at Guild Hall, after all.


    "Sylvie?" I asked in concern as a bright glow emanated from atop my head. Taking her off my head, I could see my bond transforming once more.


    Her pitch-ck scales turned white as the horns sprouting from her head hadpletely receded. The scales on her lizard-like tail extended like fur as the scales on her body thinned out as well. As the bright glow subsided, I looked in surprise to see that my bond had once more taken on aplete transformation. The feline-lizard form that she once had been was nowhere in sight, reced by the form of a fox. As I carefully ran my finger through her back, I could feel a soft pelt where her scales once were. Upon closer inspection, I could see that her fur was actually incredibly thin scales that took on the appearance of a soft coat over her body. Sylvie¡¯s body was almostpletely covered in a snowy white pelt as her nose, paws, and the tips of her ears remained ck.


    ¡¯Is this better, Papa?¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s voice rang in my head as she curled up in my arms.


    "How many forms can you change into?" I asked, astounded.


    ¡¯I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m tired,¡¯ she replied. ¡¯Good night.¡¯


    "Y-Yeah... Good night, Sylv," I muttered aloud, still baffled at her mysterious abilities. Did all dragons have the ability to alter their forms sopletely? I knew her main form was that of a dragon, like the one we saw down at the dungeon, but being able to change her color and size even more wholly than her miniature ck form was astounding.


    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a wry smile at how conveniently my biggest problem had been solved.


    Before going into the town the teleportation gate was in, I casted a weak electric current into the air to make sure I wasn¡¯t being spied on like I had been earlier. After confirming that I was alone, I removed my mask and coat behind a tree, cing it inside my bag.


    Reaching the small town that looked more like an outpost, I weaved my way around the crowd of heavily-armored adventurers and robed merchants calling out the goods that they had collected. Clutching my sleeping bond tightly, I made my way to a random merchant and quickly sold my worn and chipped short sword for a few silver coins. Dawn¡¯s Bad, my unimpressive-looking ck stick, was still strapped tightly across my waist as I practically tumbled my way in through the front doors of an artifact shop.


    "Wee to Ecvius Artifacts," the store clerk said on impulse before looking at me. "Oh, hello little boy, are you lost?"


    ying along I shook my head, wiping the sweat off my brows. "No, my father just asked me to buy something for him since we¡¯re about to leave town."


    "Aww," the woman cooed behind her desk. "How old are you?"


    "Eleven," I replied, shing an innocent smile.


    "And you¡¯re already going on errands by yourself?" she smiled.


    "Well, I have my pet here. But she¡¯s sleeping," I replied, cheerily holding up Sylvie, already getting tired of acting like a kid.


    "I see, well how can I help you?" The storedy sped her hands eagerly.


    "I¡¯m looking for a small dimensional storage artifact," I answered, surveying the tidy little shop filled with trinkets.


    "Oh..." The store clerk looked at me in surprise but she quickly went to the back room behind the desk. "Here we are!"


    Thedy brought out a small box filled with a few cases. "This is where we keep all of our dimensional storage artifacts," she answered, unlocking the box. "Was there a particr size that your father wanted?"


    As she opened containers one by one, bracelets, rings, nes and other essories sparkled from the various gems that adorned them.


    Just like the books I had read about the dimensional storage artifacts, they all seemed to be essories that one could easily carry around without it being suspicious. This was because these particr artifacts had the ability to store and preserve items inside it, depending on its quality. Some highly-valuable dimensional artifacts were able to hold a wagon¡¯s worth of storage inside and its weight wouldn¡¯t even change.


    The prices of these items were astronomical, but for people carrying valuable goods all the time, it was well worth it for them.


    None of the books I had read really went into detail on how you could actually create one since most were handed down for generations, but one method was carefully splitting the storage space in a particr dimensional storage artifact and creating multiple lesser artifacts out of it.


    "I just need one big enough to store this," I replied as I held up Dawn¡¯s Bad for her to see, my eyes still focused on the few dimensional artifacts she had out.


    "Hmmm... if it¡¯s only that, I think this ring should do it," she said, picking out a particr ring. I looked down to see that she had chosen an extravagant gold ring with a diamond imbedded into it, alongside other smaller gems.


    "Do you have any that are less mboyant?" I said, giving the ring back to her.


    "Hmmm." Scratching her head, shebed through the box once more. "Aha! How about this?"


    I opened the small box she had given me to see a dull, silver band inside.


    "This ring¡¯s storage capacity is actually better than the gold ring I showed you before, but the smith that forged this insisted on leaving the ring in this in state. This ring probably has enough space to fit your stick and arge luggage bag inside," she dered proudly, shing me a very business-like smile.


    I didn¡¯t waste any time in my decision. "I¡¯ll take it."


    After haggling with the insistent woman, I managed to buy it for a handful of beast cores that I had picked up over that past year along with two hundred gold coins¡ªand that was only because that was how much my ¡¯father¡¯ had given me.


    My total savings now consisted of a few silver coins and the S ss elderwood¡¯s beast core that I had already partly used. I let out a deep, depressed sigh, reminiscing of the times when I could live happily with just a couple of copper coins back in Ashber Town. If Kaspian hadn¡¯t given me the a hundred gold coins to use to ¡¯take precautions with¡¯ as I left, I wouldn¡¯t have had enough to even afford one.


    After slipping the ring into my right thumb, since it was too big for any of my other fingers, I willed mana into both the ring and my sword. Instantly, the ck sword glowed and got sucked up into the ring. I did the same with my mask and coat that was inside my bag and proceeded towards the teleportation gate Jasmine and Elijah had gone through at the center of the town.

 Chapter 37: A Son, Brother, and Friend

    As I stepped into the teleportation gate, the familiar nauseating sensation hit me. I could never get used to the teleportation gate, despite the number of times I went through it; the feeling of being stuck in a space where I had no control just didn¡¯t sit right with me.


    Anxiously twiddling the dimension ring loosely dangling on my thumb as the blurred scenery zipped by, I couldn¡¯t help but get a headache just thinking about how how careful I would have to be once school started; I bought the ring so my sword wouldn¡¯t be in in view. While I never used my teal-ded sword as an adventurer, I did have it strapped to me in its dormant form at all times. I also caught Lucas eying it a few times with curiosity while we were in the dungeon together. If he saw it again on my person, it would be a dead giveaway.


    Arriving at the other side of the gate in Xyrus, I heaved a big breath.


    I was home.


    Catching a carriage home, I passed by the Academy I would be attending. The premise was enormous and just looking at it from the outside, anyone could tell how much time and resources the Kingdom had put into this ce. It seemed like its own separate world inside of the city, with various structures andndscapes changing throughout as I rode along the smooth roads.


    "Sir, we have arrived at Helstea Manor." The driver got off and opened the door for me, tipping his hat as I stepped down gently, careful not to arouse my slumbering bond as I handed by driver a few copper coins. Taking onest look, I walked up the stairs I had be so familiar with.


    I cradled Sylvie with one arm, feeling for the gentle expansion and retraction of her stomach to make sure she was just sleeping. Ever since her transformation, she had been fast asleep, filling me with unease. After prodding at my bond¡¯s mind once more, I knew she was okay¡ªjust sleeping heavily.


    I hadn¡¯t even made it up the stairs when therge double doors flung open with a loud thud. In the center of the entranceway, a little girl stood with her hands resting on her hips like a scolding mother. On her face was an expression I couldn¡¯t quite describe; she appeared to be scowling, but shes of excitement and joy leaked through her obvious facade.


    With the same half-scowl-half-delighted expression, she gracefully leaped down the flight of stairs and bludgeoned me in the gut with the crown of her head.


    I quickly raised my arms to get Sylvie out of harm¡¯s way, but I couldn¡¯t save myself as the wind quickly escaped from my mouth.


    For a moment, we were both silent as I gently stroked Ellie¡¯s hair as her face remained buried in my chest.


    "Welfom vack," she mumbled.


    "Sorry?" I tried to pry my sister off me, but her arms squeezed harder around my waist in refusal to let go.


    Ellie looked up with red, tear-filled eyes as she clung onto me like a baby ko. "I said wee back, Big Brother."


    "Thanks, Ellie. Good to be back," I replied with a smile. "Now how about you let me go?"


    "That depends"¡ªher almond-shaped eyes narrowed¡ª"are you going to leave again?"


    Letting out a chuckle, I shook my head. "No, I¡¯m not."


    "Then I¡¯ll let go." Releasing me from her grasp, she quickly wiped away her tears with her sleeve. She looked at me once more, this time, with a more lively expression. "Come on, let¡¯s go inside!"


    She scurried back up the stairs, motioning for me to follow. As I trailed behind her, I couldn¡¯t help but remember how much she¡¯d grown from when I had first met her aftering back from the elven kingdom. Ellie should be about eight right now. Her birthday was a few months before mine so there was always a period where she¡¯d only be three years younger than me. For most people, that wouldn¡¯t matter, but for some odd reason, Ellie never failed to mention after her birthday that we were only three years apart.


    As my train of thought shifted to her age and maturity, a sudden realization struck me like lightning. My sister, with her puppy-like eyes that shined brightly in a light sand color, and perky little nose that had be more defined as she lost more of her baby fat, was blossoming into a cute youngdy.


    This meant that, in a few years¡ªif not sooner, boys would start gaining interest in her.


    And when they started gaining interest in her, they¡¯d begin making moves.


    It¡¯d start with little things like sharing lunches during snack-time at school. Then it¡¯d escte into holding hands.


    Then, after gettingfortable, the cheeky bastard might try to sneak a quick peck on my sister¡¯s cheek!


    After the cheek, it¡¯d...


    Oh no.


    My eyes widened in horror as my mind zipped through the future years of Ellie¡¯s adolescence into full womanhood. I couldn¡¯t help but imagine my poor baby sister getting flocked by testosterone-filled boys that only knew how to think with their endocrine system.


    I shook my head, trying to dislodge the cancerous thoughts, vowing to myself that I would dly carry out whatever torturous deed is necessary to any boy¡ªwith even a speck of filth in their degenerate minds¡ªwho dared to make a move on my sister.


    "Arthur!"


    The sound of my mother¡¯s voice snapped me back to reality. She and my father came running forward, both with relieved and joyful expressions lined in their faces.


    My father, whose body seemed to even be muscr despite his age, scooped me up with a bright grin.


    "My boy!" he beamed. "You haven¡¯t grown at all!"


    "Your beard¡¯s longer, old man. Trying to match the wrinkles on your face?" I smirked, wrapping my arm around my dad¡¯s neck.


    "Hey! That¡¯s my husband you¡¯re talking about!" my mother chided as my father put me back down. "Nowe here."


    My mother wrapped her arms around me in warm embrace. As she let me go, I could tell by her red eyes that she was trying her best to keep her tears back.


    "Sorry for worrying you," I said, seeing the pain in her eyes.


    Sniffing a sob back, she looked up and quickly wiped away a stray tear before smiling at me. "You take just after your father, you know that? Always getting into trouble, always worrying me. W-When the ring activated..."


    She stopped talking as tears rolled down her cheeks. Still, her smile never went away as she chided me, her eyes peering at me with love and worry.


    My father wrapped his arm around Mother¡¯s shoulder, pulling her close. "Your mother couldn¡¯t sleep for days after the ring activated. We both knew you wouldn¡¯t have died that easily, but it couldn¡¯t stop us from worrying."


    "I¡¯m sorry for worrying you," I repeated as my heart dropped to my stomach.


    "Thankfully, the status on the masked swordsman, or Note, was updated at Guild Hall, saying that you and your party arrived at the branch near the Beast des," my father continued, tousling my hair with his free hand.


    Ellie, who was hiding behind Father for some reason, took a peek out from behind him.


    "I seem to cause nothing but concerns for you guys," I said with a wry smile before looking at my sister. "I¡¯m sorry, Ellie, for being away so much and making Mom and Dad cry."


    "I forgive you," Ellie sniffled, hiding behind our father again.


    "It¡¯s a parent¡¯s job to worry for her children," my mother soothed. "Although, you seem to be fulfilling your end of the bargain a little too well."


    My mother, taking a nce at my little sister, turned to me and whispered just loudly enough for everyone to hear, "And don¡¯t worry about your sister. She was waiting by the window the whole day since your friend, Elijah, came in with Jasmine."


    "Mom!" Ellie gasped. "That was supposed to be a secret!"


    My little sister clung hard onto my mother, making her submit as we allughed.


    "I guess that¡¯s my cue?" Elijah chimed in from the top of the stairs leading to the second floor. My newfound friend had been waiting for our little family reunion to end with Vincent and Tabitha.


    "Took you long enough to get here. Did you decide to take a small tour beforeing here?" Elijah joked as he hopped down the stairs.


    "I wanted a break from your unsightly mug," I retorted, giving him a snide grin. "Where¡¯s Jasmine, anyway?"


    "She already went back with the Twin Horns," he answered, removing his sses and wiping them with the end of his shirt.


    Looking at the bespectacled young man, it was hard for me to recall how inexpressive and cold he appeared to be when I had first seen him in the testing grounds.


    "Arthur Leywin! The prodigious son returns!" Vincent sped my back, locking his arms around me with a tight bearhug.


    "We¡¯re d you¡¯re back safe, Arthur." Tabitha followed behind him, pulling me into avender-scented hug as well.


    "Thank you," I smiled, dipping my head. "For everything, I mean. Taking care of my family and allowing us to stay¡ª"


    "Ah," Vincent interrupted with a finger held up. "You¡¯re going to make this old man sad if you act so formal. Come now, I thought you had finally warmed up to us!"


    "He¡¯s right, you know," Tabitha joined in. "Please, Arthur, your family is a part of our family. No need to distance yourself with formalities. Just think of us as your aunt and uncle."


    "You¡¯re right," I smiled, stopping myself from apologizing once more.


    At her words, I realized that there was one person absent from the Helstea Family. But before I could ask, Vincent caught my gaze and let out a chuckle.


    "If you¡¯re looking for Lily, she¡¯s not here." Vincent had a wicked smile on his face while Tabitha rolled her eyes at him.


    "Lily got epted into Xyrus Academy. She started attendingst fall after she turned twelve," Tabitha filled me in.


    "Wow," I beamed. "So she¡¯s really learning to be a mage! I¡¯m d!"


    Tabitha nodded at this. "Yes. She really wanted to be here when you came back to tell you herself but unfortunately, spring semester started, so she¡¯s stuck in the dorms until break."


    "But it¡¯s all thanks to you, Arthur! Never would¡¯ve figured, after generations of nothing, that a mage would be born into the Helstea House! Nowe¡ªall of you¡ªno need to stand around here when we have a perfectly good set of couches in the living room!"


    After being herded into the next room over, we began discussing my time as an adventurer.


    There were some details that I left out for my family¡¯s sake¡ªI exchanged nces with Elijah when I skipped the part where Lucas betrayed us¡ªbut other than that, I made sure to fill them in to the best of my ability.


    My sister, who was sitting cross-legged on the couch across from me with Sylvie sleeping in herp, was wide-eyed the entire time as I recalled the dungeon experience with Elijah. Her eyes practically sparkled at the fantasy-like fable, but it wasn¡¯t just her that became enraptured by the story.


    The audience couldn¡¯t believe it when Elijah continued the story on for me and told them about how I had defeated the elderwood guardian. They refused to believe us until I finally pulled out the beast core. It was then that they were forced to swallow their doubts as they stared in awe at the dull green orb that was smaller than my fist.


    "Speaking of core. Dad, what stage are you at?" I asked.


    Giving me an embarrassed chuckle, he answered, "I¡¯ve been stuck at the bottleneck of the dark orange stage since you left. No matter how much I meditate and purify mana, I can¡¯t seem to break through."


    "Perfect. Use this then." I tossed the core to my father, catching him by surprise. "I had to use a bit while I was healing but there should be enough in this beast core to help you break through."


    Handling the small orb like it was made godsent, he shook his head with a frozen expression. "Son, I can¡¯t. This is something you fought for with your life. I can¡¯t just take this from you."


    I was prepared to shove the orb down my father¡¯s throat when my mother chimed in. "Honey, I¡¯m sure Arthur isn¡¯t giving this to you on a whim. If he wants you to have it, it¡¯s for a good reason."


    "Listen to your wife, Rey. The boy must have his reasons. You¡¯re his father, for God¡¯s sake. Get stronger, it¡¯ll help me as well!" Vincentughed.


    Tabitha just chuckled at this. "Alice, your son brought quite the present."


    "For the amount of worrying he caused me, I¡¯m still weighing whether it was worth it!" my mother joked, exchanging augh with her friend.


    "You have to catch up to me, Dad. You can¡¯t let your son leave you in the dust, right?" I smirked, attracting confused gazes.


    My father looked up at me. "Don¡¯t tell me..."


    "Yup"¡ªI leaned back on the couch¡ª"Light orange stage."


    Vincent¡¯s eyes practically bulged as his wife let out a sharp breath in awe.


    "Sweet mother of¡ªthat¡¯s just ridiculous," Vincent breathed out, shaking his head.


    My family took the news a lot better, indicating that they were used to their monster of a son.


    My father held up the elderwood¡¯s beast core with a renewed fervor in his eyes. "Don¡¯t cry when your old man beats you down the next time we duel, then."


    "You¡¯re on," I grinned back.


    We shifted topics after a few more awestruckments by Vincent and Tabitha.


    The next order of things had to do with Elijah. He had told everyone about his background before I had arrived but left it at that. I exined to my family and the Helstea wife and husband that he was both a close friend and a benefactor who saved both Jasmine¡¯s life and mine.


    "How would you feel about sponsoring Elijah so he could attend Xyrus Academy with me?" I finally said.


    ¡¯I¡¯ll have to talk it over with Director Cynthia, if I can make that old woman squeeze in some time for me, but I don¡¯t see why not!" Vincent answered with a grin. His eyes twinkled underneath his sses as he studied the anxious Elijah. From the stories he¡¯d heard today, there was no doubt that the inner businessman in him had red in excitement.


    Investing in future generations of mages was arge part of what rich folks did in order to maintain their power and statuster on.


    Vincent excused himself first, saying that he was going to write a letter to the Director of Xyrus Academy right now. My father went out into the backyard, saying he was going to start training immediately, so it was just my mother, Ellie, Elijah, Tabitha and myself left in the living room.


    My mother and Tabitha took turns squeezing out more details from when I was adventuring before my mother insisted I have a checkup from her to make sure I didn¡¯t have anysting wounds.


    I told her I was fine and that I¡¯d put the glove she gave me to good use. She didn¡¯t seem too happy about the fact that I had actually been in a situation where I had to use it on myself but she was just d I was still in one piece.


    I talked a bit more with my baby sister. She was curious as to why Sylvie changed appearance and why she was sleeping. After exining that she was tired from the adventure, I realized how drained I was.


    "Mom, Aunt Tabitha, I think I¡¯m going to head up with Elijah as well. I¡¯m a bit worn from the journey."


    "Of course. Don¡¯t forget to wash up before sleeping." My mother smiled at us as Elijah respectfully wished everyone a good night.


    "Goodnight, Brother! Goodnight, Elijah!" my sister chimed, carefully handing me my bond.


    After we excused ourselves, Elijah and I headed up to my room. "Elijah, you wash up first; I¡¯m going to organize my things."


    The maid brought the set of sleepwear I asked for and I absentmindedly walked into the bathroom to give it to Elijah.


    "Hey! I¡¯m naked!" Elijah yelped, snapping me out of my thoughts. My friend nearly slipped on the damp floor as he fumbled to cover himself.


    "Rx, Princess. I can hardly make out your shape because of the steam," I lied as I left the bathroom.


    With his ck hair dripping on the floor, Elijah walked out of the bathroom, the set of pajamas I had given him and a small absorbent cloth draped over his shoulders.


    "Dang. I didn¡¯t realize how great a warm shower is," Elijah sighed, his eyes covered by his fogged-covered sses. "Your turn."


    Elijah was right, the hot water was pure bliss on my bare body. After quickly washing myself, I carefully cleaned Sylvie with the damp washcloth. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was because she could sense that I was near her, but she didn¡¯t stir at all from her sleep.


    Laying side-by-side in the onerge bed that upied one side of the room, Elijah and I began talking.


    "Is this line of pillows between us really necessary?" I asked, cing Sylvie on the pillow above my head.


    "Shut up. It¡¯s weird already that two boys are sleeping on the same bed," Elijah retorted, stacking more pillows between us.


    I couldn¡¯t help but realize that, in the mind of a twelve-year-old boy, being ufortable in this situation wasn¡¯t odd.


    "Would you have preferred that I was a girl?" I smirked, shifting in my side of the bed to getfortable.


    Elijah¡¯s head popped up from the other side of the pillow wall. "Do you think we¡¯ll learn a lot at Xyrus Academy?" Elijah asked, ignoring my snide remark.


    "Who knows? I imagine it¡¯ll be a little boring, no? Both of us are well above the skill level of the first years there."


    "But there will be people from all those powerful families. I imagine there will be a few who are on my level, right? I¡¯m really excited to learn how to start controlling my powers. I¡¯m d that Xyrus has a lot of famous mages to learn from," Elijah gushed, his face lit with excitement.


    "Yeah. I think it¡¯ll be useful learning more about lightning and ice attribute skills." I look down at my hands. These hands had grown a lot faster than I imagined. Just a few years ago, my hands were that of an infant. Just like my abilities, my body would continue to grow and mature. The thought of that, along with experiencing everything I couldn¡¯t in my past life, filled me with excitement.


    "Hey," Elijah called out, interrupting my train of thought. "Have you thought of what you¡¯re going to do about Lucas?"


    "Lucas has no idea who I am," I replied. "And until I¡¯m confident that I can confront his whole family, I¡¯ll have it stay that way for the time being. Traininges first."


    "Well you know you can count me in. Lucas is probably going to have it out for me when he sees me but he doesn¡¯t think too much of me," Elijah replied. "I still can¡¯t believe that ass tried to sacrifice all of us so that he could escape."


    "He is an ass," I agreed. "But we¡¯re probably going to meet more people like him along the way, maybe even worse."


    Elijah was silent for a moment, hidden behind the stack of pillows between us inside our dark room. Suddenly, his head popped up once more and he stared seriously at me.


    "Hey, Arthur. Do you think I¡¯ll find a girlfriend at Xyrus?"


    Caught off guard, I let out a cough.


    "Wow, your train of thought is really all over the ce," I let out before breaking into a fit ofughter.


    Even with only the dim, pale light of the moon lighting up our bedroom, I could Elijah¡¯s face turn red.


    "I¡¯m being serious, you ass!" he eximed, smacking me with one of the many pillows between us.


    "For such a serious-looking guy, you sure worry about normal things," I chuckled. "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll meet some ck-haired girl with sses. Then you two will get married and make cute little babies with ck hair and sses and live happily ever after."


    "Do you think babies are born with sses or something?" Elijah snorted. "Besides, I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t have any trouble getting thedies with your disgustingly prince-like features."


    "Am I smelling a hint of envy?" I joked.


    "You¡¯re smelling just a hint?"


    "Meh, don¡¯t worry. The girls our age just look like babies to me," Iforted. "I won¡¯t take your thunder, my four-eyed friend. Until you find yourself a nice girl, focus on getting better control of your powers."


    "You¡¯re right," Elijah muttered from the other side of the bed. "Thanks."


    "What was that?" I asked, not making what he whispered.


    "Nothing, you ass. I hope you fall on your face while you sleep!" he snapped.


    "Good night to you too," I grumbled, turning to my side.


    My mind, which was once filled with various thoughts on the future, faded into a dull blur as sleep overtook me.

 Chapter 38: In the Meantime

    The dim ray of the rising sun managed to peek through a gap in the deep burgundy curtains right over my eyelids, waking me up rather pleasantly. Rubbing my crusted eyes, I took a moment to silently take in my surroundings. The Helstea Manor wasn¡¯t built with attackers in mind, so the exposed stone walls were rather thin, instead, allowing for more windows. The room I had been upying wasrge but hardlyvish, with only arge dresser to upy the center of one wall and a desk situated in the corner of another. The only luxury I indulged myself in was the fact that I had my own private washroom, with a heated water supply¡ªsomething I realized to be truly rare in this world.


    Shifting my nce to the unabashed figure of Elijah sprawled out beside me in bed, I shook my head with a smirk. The pillow fort that my friend had insisted on at first had long gone out of trend. Whether it was due to the fact that he had be morefortable with me, or because building a pillow wall every night seemed to be hassle, I never asked.


    Carefully getting out of bed, I gently stroked Sylvie¡¯s head, making her gingerly stretch out like a cat. My bond had ended up sleeping for four days straight before eventually awakening. She exined to me that changing forms like she had a few days before would put a bit of a toll on her body, which was the cause of her deep slumber.


    Sylvie stirred awake for a few seconds before letting out a yawn and curling back beside my pillow. I walked over to the dresser, unhinging a thicker robe to wear over my sleepwear to fight against the frigid morning air that I had be unustomed to.


    It was only a little past dawn so the manor that seemed to always be bustling with maids and my little sister was still very peaceful, with the only noisesing from the few cooks in the kitchen getting ready for the day. Not bothering to wash up, I made my way to the backyard where I felt fluctuations in mana. As expected, my father was busy training, absorbing the S ss beast core I had retrieved from the dungeon.


    Not wanting to disturb his training, I found a ce to sit next to him and I began studying his aura. My father, Reynolds Leywin, ex-party member of the Twin Horns, was stuck at a bottleneck¡ªunable to exceed past the dark orange stage.


    Over the past few days I¡¯d been back home, I had spent a lot of time overlooking the mana cirction in my father¡¯s body, as well as Elijah¡¯s.


    As expected, Elijah¡¯s mana veins, the veins responsible for absorbing mana from the surrounding atmosphere, were incredibly wide. My father, on the other hand, had much more developed mana channels, the arteries that allowed diverse distribution of mana throughout the body, since he was an augmenter. However, while its been developed to its limit, it was hardly exceptional.


    "Ah! You¡¯re up early today, son. Why didn¡¯t you say anything?" My father got up, wiping the sweat off of his face and neck with a towel he had on hisp.


    "I didn¡¯t want to disturb your training, Dad. How are things going?" I got up as well and began stretching.


    "It took a few days, but finally finished absorbing the rest of the beast core. For some reason, though, the core didn¡¯t crumble." He handed the S ss core back to me with a curious look on his face. Usually, after the purified mana stored inside the beast core is depleted, the beast core would crumble into fine dust.


    Thinking it peculiar myself, I put it into my pocket to studyter.


    My father had been doing little else except eating and sleeping for an hour or so during the process of absorbing the beast core. At first, not much difference in levels could be felt, but looking at his aura now, I could see a noticeable change.


    Noticing my inquisitive look, he shot me a smirk and tossed me his dirty towel. "Your father has now passed the dark orange stage into the solid orange stage."


    I gave my father an exaggerated round of apuse as he began flexing his muscles in demonstration of his aplishments.


    "Congrats, Dad. Now that you¡¯re at solid orange stage, I think it¡¯ll be okay to teach you something I¡¯ve been messing around with." I tossed the towel onto a nearby chair.


    Giving me a curious look, he beckoned for me to continue.


    Focusing a tiny bit of mana into the palm of my right hand, I will a small me to ignite. "Here is the most basic me attribute technique you learn, Ember." I shoot the small me from my palm toward the towel that was hanging off the nearby metal chair.


    As expected, the small me, by the time it reached its target, was so diluted that all it left was a tiny ck soot mark in the middle of the white towel.


    "If you¡¯re talking about mana theory, it¡¯s not anything new to me, son. For augmenters, since we produce mana from within our bodies, the farther the mana travels away from us, the more diluted and weaker it bes."


    "I wasn¡¯t trying to demonstrate mana theory. That¡¯ll be for next time, Dad." I wagged my finger at him, earning myself a hard thump on the head.


    Rubbing my head, I willed another small portion of mana into the palm of my hand. I ignited another me but whereas the first time the color of the me was bright red, this one was orange. "Now watch, Dad." I shot the small me, that was the same size as the previous me, at the towel once more, but this time, it burned a small hole through the towel.


    My father didn¡¯t show much of a reaction. "Didn¡¯t you just add more mana into the me to make it stronger?"


    Shaking my head, I exined. "If I added more mana, the me would be bigger. Dad, did you notice the color of the me?"


    "Yeah, the color was a bit lighter¡ªmore orange." He scratched his head, trying to piece this puzzle together.


    "That¡¯s the key! What I did just now was a technique that is considered a high level spell used by conjurers." I grew excited as I began exining it to him.


    "You see, fire¡¯s temperature¡ªor more urately¡ªthe rate ofbustion, depends on a mix of different things: the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere, thermal radiation, the type of fuel being burned, the oxidation of the fuel and so on. The so-called ¡¯fuel¡¯ being burned, in this case, is fire attribute mana. What I discovered while ying around with it is how versatile this ¡¯fuel¡¯ can be. That orange me, Dad, was a me much hotter than the previous one, making it even stronger." I stopped to take a breath.


    My father shoots me an expression as if I had just talked to him in Hebrew but he seemed to have understood thest portion of my exnation. "So what you¡¯re saying is that, by using the same amount of mana, I can produce an even hotter me for my techniques?" He fiddled with his beard while pondering.


    "Exactly! Watch, it can go even further." I demonstrated again, this time producing a yellow me, which left an even bigger hole in the towel, with the ridges still ame.


    I didn¡¯t stop there. Thest demonstration took a bit more time, since I had to manipte, very carefully, the fire attribute mana in my palm. After a couple of minutes, I produced a dim blue me, which made my father¡¯s eyes go wide. Upon throwing the blue me at the towel, the towel instantlybusted and the fire spread rapidly, eating away at the towel until only ashes were left.


    "Are you sure you¡¯re my son?" My father gave me a suspicious eye before smiling.


    Smiling back, I replied, "I must¡¯ve gotten Mom¡¯s brain, right?"


    Just then, Elijah walked in, his hair a bird¡¯s nest and his sses crooked. He cast a drowsy nce toward us, taking in the sight of me clinched in a headlock by my father who was squeezing hard at my nose as I tapped in resignation.


    "What are you guys doing?" he said as he yawned, rubbing his eyes.


    "Training." We replied in unison, my voiceing out nasally through my pinched nose.


    I gave my father a few key pointers in controlling the structure of his me attribute mana so he could produce higher-level mes. Changing the structure of the attribute mana was basically the essence of chanting a spell. Using vocal incantations could condition the brain to change the structure of the mana in the atmosphere to create a spell.


    While settling into a meditative position, my father asked, "Son, why did I have to achieve solid orange stage in order to learn this though?"


    "The higher your mana core stage, not only do you have arger pool of mana to draw from, the purified mana inside of you bes higher quality, so you can have more control over the miniscule properties of it," I rified, turning my focus unto Elijah.


    Nodding in understanding, my father resumed his training, holding his right palm up and willing mana into it.


    Elijah¡¯s training was a bit slower. What I realized with Elijah was that his control over his main element, Earth, was unstable, metal even more. It wasn¡¯t so much as a problem with mana maniption of earth attribute mana, but more so the quantity. Elijah¡¯sck of control over the strength of his power made it so he couldn¡¯t make precise and coordinated spells.


    One thing that continued to baffle me about Elijah¡¯s magic was how unfair it was. Earth was powerful, yet limited in the sense that conjurers and augmenters alike could only make do with the earth that was essible to them. Most of the time, that wasn¡¯t a problem, but it still gave a certain amount of predictability in the attacks that earth mages used.


    Elijah, on the other hand, seemed to have the ability to change the structure of molecules and change them into earth. The closest thing I could think of that may exin it was something akin to alchemy. Elijah, for example, could summon earth spikes from trees and buildings made of wood. A limitation is that he wasn¡¯t able to conjure earth spells from water or thin air, but his capability to so easily change the structure of earth and its properties was frightening, even to me.


    When I thought about the possibilities of how his powers could be used, I thought of the spell, Petrification. When normal earth conjurers used the petrification spell, it was actually just using the surrounding earth to form around the target, "petrifying" him. Elijah, on the other hand, if he became adept enough, could literally change a human into stone.


    I shook my head to dismiss my frightening thoughts. At this point, I was just d that Elijah was a friend, not a foe.


    Elijah¡¯s training consisted of ying around with a small ball of earth. He had practiced doing different things with the small ball of earth: rotating it really fast, changing the shape of it, expanding it, condensing it, splitting it into different pieces, etc. This way, he could train both his mana control and shorten his incantations by learning the so-called "theory" of how the spells worked.


    As my father and friend concentrated on their training, I headed back to my room, leaving the two of them alone. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the sight of my bond sleeping so defenselessly on my pillow. She was most likely still recovering from her transformation, observing the amount of time she still spent sleeping; fortunately, these periods of slumber had been getting shorter.


    Sitting on the edge of the bed, I took out the beast core my father had returned to me, probing it with a string of mana. The mana inside had been depleted so I was curious as to why it hadn¡¯t dissolved. However, upon probing a bit deeper, a sharp pain in my left arm made me drop the beast core.


    "What the hell?" I rubbed the rune on my arm that I had always covered underneath Sylvia¡¯s feather. Carefully picking up the beast core again, I probed it once more, even more intrigued than before. Suddenly, inside the vast ck space of the beast core that I was studying, the shadowed figure of the elderwood guardian that I almost lost my life to appeared, bowing at me with itsnce pointed directly upward.


    "A beast will!" I trembled in excitement as I clutched harder at the invaluable prize I had obtained from the dungeon. What would happen if I were to integrate with two beasts? Was that possible? Would I then have two? Or would this one rece my Dragon¡¯s Will?


    While I was thinking of these things, a sudden feeling interrupted me. It wasn¡¯t as intimate as the mental transmissions I had with Sylvie, but a primitive form ofmunication. Realizing that it was from the will of the elderwood guardian, I injected more mana into the beast core, hoping it would somehow allow me to have a better connection with it.


    "I see," I muttered aloud. A feeling of disappointment washed over me as I let go of the beast core. From what the elderwood guardian was trying to express, if I were to try and absorb this beast¡¯s will, only the stronger of the two would end up being left. It made sense, but what I didn¡¯t understand was, why wasn¡¯t my father able to absorb the beast¡¯s will?


    I realized the answer almost immediately after remembering what Grandpa Virion, that crazy old elf, taught me a few years back. There was the matter ofpatibility between the beast¡¯s element and the mage¡¯s element attribute.


    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a small smile knowing who to give this to.


    ¡¯Good morning, Papa! Why are you smiling?¡¯ Sylvie cuddled up on myp and let out a purr as I stroked her fur-like scales.


    "I¡¯m just thinking of how fun school is going to be," I answered.


    "Brother! Wake ...oh!" My sister mmed the door open but after seeing me awake, she just stood by the door.


    Walking up, I patted my sister¡¯s small head with a smile. "Let¡¯s go eat!"

 Chapter 39: Introspection

    "Whew." Wiping the sweat off my body with a towel I then hung nearby, I put my robe back on. I stood on the backyard patio with only the full moon illuminating the area. Sylvie was curled up beside me, her now white fur heaving up and down, matching the pace of her breathing.


    With everyone else asleep, I had the peace of training to my heart¡¯s content. These past few weeks, I¡¯d been doing little outside of training myself as well as helping the growth of Elijah and my father, with a few pointers for my baby sister as well.


    Ellie hasn¡¯t been training much but her progress was still pretty decent. I predicted that she¡¯d awaken around eleven if she kept at her pace, maybe even ten if she actually started trying more. I found it oddly satisfying when I watched my sister y with the friends she had made at the School for Ladies, a small ss of noble young girls gathered together to be taught etiquette and basic household skills. Early on, I learned that this general poption believed that "proper" and "refined"dies should have both the manners and grace of a queen, while still being able to cook and sew for her husband.


    In the world I lived before, women worked just as much as men, and the whole "women should stay at home" saying became taboo, often incurring the wrath of many females and other males alike if said aloud.


    However, the things Ellie learned in school seemed to only be reserved for the public, because though Ellie was asleep now, she¡¯d made a fuss beforehand, saying she wouldn¡¯t go to bed if I didn¡¯t stay with her until she fell asleep.


    I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle when Ipared that spoiled behavior to the refined, graceful fa?ade she¡¯d put on in front of her friends, acting alldy-like and whatnot. I¡¯d almost burst outughing when she addressed me as "dear honorable brother" in front of the couple of girls her age at her tea party.


    My sister¡¯s birthday wasing up soon and I could tell she was eagerly wondering what present I would give her. Knowing her, she would probably love whatever I gave her as long as I gave it some thought, but with my personality, I wanted to give her something functional as well. The problem was, I was out of money. This sted dimension ring costed me all the gold I earned as an adventurer.


    I thought a little bit about what I could do to earn money when something came to mind. One obvious advantage I had was the fact that my mind contained ideas and inventions that hadn¡¯t been developed in this world yet.


    With a satisfied grin on my face, I turned back to training. There were two things I was focusing on outside of developing my mana core, which I estimated would reach dark yellow stage by the time school started in autumn. One was training heavily on my lightning and ice attribute skills, which were by far my strongest assets.


    I decided I¡¯d keep my fire, water, lightning and ice skills a secret during my stay at Xyrus Academy. Being an adept dual-elemental augmenter was the most attention I would want during my years there, and since Lucas had only seen me use fire elemental skills during the dungeon excursion and at the testing grounds, it¡¯d be even harder for him to fit the pieces together if I only used earth and wind magic. If I purposely didn¡¯t train my earth and wind magic at all until I entered the academy, it¡¯d be more than enough to pass off myself as a mere ¡¯talented genius¡¯ that wouldn¡¯t raise too many eyebrows.


    I opened one of the books I brought with me from the library. I managed to find some of the limited books on deviation skills, containing a few segments on lightning and ice. It seemed that, for lightning, there were two main methods that augmenters opted to. One was internal, and the other was external. Because of the unique properties of lightningpared to other elements and their deviants, there were some individuals who focused on using internal lightning skills, which was stated as much more difficult.


    Thunderp Impulse was one of the internal lightning techniques that I had developed, which could be seen as the stepping stone into much more powerful skills. The book only went on to say that, for internal lightning users, most reached a ceiling quite early on before ultimately switching to external techniques. This meant that internal lightning skills hadn¡¯t been developed enough for people to actually find advantages in it.


    This was also the route that I chose to go. While I would have some external lightning skills under my belt, I knew from experience just how much more powerful internal skills werepared to the external counterparts. Of course, it may not be as shy but what I wanted wasn¡¯t a dazzling light show¡ªI wanted absolute power. It¡¯d take time and patience to develop but I already knew the rewards would be tremendous as I imagined the levels above just using a small current of lightning to quicken my reaction.


    As for my ice elemental skills, I wanted to focus on a wide range skills to fight against multiple opponents. Thebination skill of White Fire and Absolute Zero was my strongest skill, which I could only use under the massive power-up I got from the second phase of my Dragon¡¯s Will, Integrate. I imagined that, for now, even if I had the technique and theory down for either lightning or ice, I¡¯d need to be in the Integrate phase if I wanted to use the more powerful skills.


    I couldn¡¯t help but grow a little impatient at this fact but there wasn¡¯t much I could do now except train. I had so many advantages but I was still dissatisfied with the level of power I had. I could say with confidence that, if I were to fight against the former me from my old world, I would win. The amount of mana in this world and the fact that I had Dragon¡¯s Will alongside mana rotation, I could easily overpower my previous self. However, the world I was in was filled with dangers much greater than the dangers in my old world, so growingcent would end up being detrimental.


    I picked up the other book that I brought, which was on beast wills. I¡¯d already read it once so I skipped to the part on training it, which made me sigh in helplessness. I saw thising, but I couldn¡¯t help but grow disheartened when I read it the first time. It seemed that the best way to train the beast will acquired was being taught by the beast itself. The only other alternative mentioned was to study thoroughly about the beast itself so the beast tamer could learn and practice the traits of the beast.


    Option one was obviously out of the question, seeing as Sylvia either died or be hostage to whatever being that ck-horned figure was. Option two had its limit as well. The fact that I could even use one of the ¡¯acquire¡¯ skills and even go into Integrate phase was because of the perks in being a Legacy Tamer, where a certain amount of insight came alongside the Will. Even for a dragon, she seemed so unique; I couldn¡¯t even imagine what sort of powers she had. I wished she had left me some clues as to what some of her powers were before everything happened.


    "Snap out of it!" I said aloud while smacking both of my cheeks. Bringing myself down on what I didn¡¯t have wasn¡¯t going to solve anything.


    Besides training my lightning and ice attribute magic, the other skill I wanted to learn was magic cancetion.


    The theory was that elemental attribute mana was manipted, whether through the form of a spell or through extensive knowledge of the skill, into the projected destination or into the caster¡¯s own body. Speaking very technically, these mana particles were basically coded to affect either the atmosphere or the specific target to produce a certain oue. There was a very small dy from when the mage casted the coded mana particles and when those particles had an effect and formed the spell.


    During that dy, if I was able to potentially disrupt those mana particles with mana of my own, I would be able to discreetly terminate the spell without it even forming.


    While in theory that sounded amazing, there were several problems. One, in order for this to even work, I would have to know what spell the opponent was using. That wasn¡¯t a problem when the conjurer or even the augmenter chanted the spell, but in cases of mental chanting, or even instacasting, I would have to know what the spell was by the makeup of the mana during the near split-second the manipted mana particles were cast before it took effect and formed a spell.


    This required learning a tremendous amount of spells and figuring out which skills could effectively cancel them out. Just thinking about that left me with a headache. Most spells could be figured out with magic theory but being able to almost instantly think of the correct spell to counteract the opponent¡¯s meant I needed to know it by heart. However, I knew that mastering this skill would be a priceless asset, especially for someone like me, who was able to manipte all four elements.


    I picked up my books and towel with one hand and picked up Sylvie with the other and headed back up to my room. Vincent offered another room for Elijah but my parents wouldn¡¯t allow it since he was a Leywin guest, which meant he should just stay in one of our rooms. As apromise, I asked them to just bring in another bed for Elijah, since the room was more than spacious enough.


    Returning back to my room, Elijah was already fast asleep, straight on his back with his arms folded on his chest, as if he was lying in a coffin.


    Even when he slept, he looked like such a straight and proper fellow. Elijah was a good friend and it helped that our personalitiesplimented each other. Elijah was pretty peculiar. Despite his straightced, stern appearance¡ªmainly due to the hair and sses¡ªhe was a very emotionald. He was logical in a way where he had set principles that he never strayed from, making him very honest and trustworthy, but when it came to people and rtionships, he often thought with his ¡¯heart,¡¯ leaving him quite vulnerable if people chose to take advantage of him.


    As for me, whether it was because I lived and remember my previous life, I could only see myself as analytical and somewhat scheming. I had to admit that I had a hard time trusting peoplepletely and always tried to think a couple steps ahead. I somewhat regretted theck of innocence I hadpared to normal eleven-year-olds, but one thing I had grown to realize was that, when it came to the few close rtionships I did have, I would be very invested in them, almost to a fault. Did it have something to do with being an orphan in my previous life? Because the only close person I had was the caretaker that picked me up and waster killed?


    Even as a King, I couldn¡¯t say with confidence that I had been the most mature, and in many aspects. I would even say I wasn¡¯t very King-like, but one thing that I couldn¡¯t change was the amount of importance I had to those I held dearly.


    After taking a quick shower, I sunk into bed, causing Sylvie to stir in her sleep. She cuddled by me and started breathing steadily again, and the slow rhythm of her breaths lulled me to sleep.

 Chapter 40: New Winds

    "Brother wake up!!!!"


    "Oof!" I groaned, the wind forcefully expelled out of my lungs as my sister jumped on top of me.


    Rubbing my sore sternum, I gasped out, "Ellie, you¡¯re not a little kid anymore. You¡¯re going to seriously hurt me one day."


    "Are you calling me fat, Brother?" Ellie feigned a gasp.


    "Extremely," I added, tossing her off of me. My little sister let out surprised squeal as I tickled her.


    This little rascal, only learning useless things at that school for properdies or whatnot.


    After a tear-filled surrender by my sister, I turned to see Elijah already showered and clothed, his sses still clouded from the steam. "I swear, you sleep like a log, Art. Your wife is going to seriously have to use spells to wake you up when you get older."


    "Shaddup," I slurred, too tired to make a wittyeback.


    After quickly washing my face and fixing my hair to a barely-presentable degree, the four of us, with Sylvie on top of my head, headed downstairs.


    ¡¯I wonder what¡¯s for breakfast. I hope it¡¯s meeeaaat,¡¯ Sylv pondered excitedly, her little fox head swaying side to side in anticipation.


    "Good morning, you four! You guys are just in time," my mother called out to us from the kitchen as the maids were preparing the table. Even though there were cooks in the manor, my mother found it imperative to at least prepare breakfast for us. So, as Tabitha helped her with the meal, the maids set the table and cleaned up afterwards.


    After I came back, my family, as well as Vincent and Tabitha, both noticed the apparent change in appearance of Sylvie. I tried ying it off as her naturally transforming after digesting a lot of beast cores, but I had the sense that my parents and the Helsteas knew Sylvie wasn¡¯t just your average mana beast; hell, I¡¯d sometimes catch them talking to her like she was a human.


    "Good morning, boys¡ªand good morning, my little princess. Did you guys sleep well?" My father, who was talking to Vincent, turned to us, giving my struggling sister a bearded kiss on her cheek.


    "Ew, Dad! That tickles!" She pushed him away, wiping the spot she was kissed.


    "Did you guys sleep well?" Vincent asked, half-smirking as he watched my father dote on Ellie.


    "Good morning Aunt Leywin, Aunt Tabitha, Uncle Vincent and Uncle Reynolds," Elijah announced before he sat down next to me. He¡¯d stopped calling my parents "Lord" and "Lady" as he got closer to them, eventually calling everyone either "Aunt" or "Uncle."


    After saying good morning to everyone, I got back to my seat and started eating a ham and vegetable omelet with a very light soup.


    While eating, my father suddenly spoke up with a mouth full of eggs. "That reminds me. Kids, if you don¡¯t have any ns, do you want to go with us to City Square? There¡¯s a big announcement in the Capital City of Etistin where the King and Queen reside but a couple of artificers are going to put up a live projection of the broadcast in City Square."


    "Honey, please don¡¯t talk with your mouth full," my mother gently scolded before getting back to her conversation with Tabitha regarding thetest rumors on some mutual acquaintances. It seemed like she was getting along quite well with the nobledies of Xyrus, seeing as the both of them often go out to brunch meetings and afternoon shopping trips.


    "Sounds good. Elijah and I don¡¯t have anything nned today anyways, right?" I turned to my friend who was wolfing down his second omelet. He shot me a thumbs up¡ªhis cheeks filled with food.


    "I wanna go too! Can I, Mom?" Ellie leaned forward on the table towards my mother.


    "You have school today, Ellie. You can hang out with your brother after," she answered, nudging my pouting sister back down into her chair.


    "Uncle Vincent. I remember you mentioned something about how you were going to visit a famous researcher that has ab in Xyrus. Do you mind introducing me to him after we watch the announcement today?" I said in between bites of food.


    "Ah, you mean Gideon? Has he caught your interest? He¡¯s not just a researcher but a well-known inventor and artificer as well! He¡¯s the one responsible for designing the ships we use for rivers as well as a few other well-used artifacts! I do have some business with him anyway so it wouldn¡¯t be a problem taking you. Was there something specific you needed from him?" he quizzed, the intelligent eyes behind his sses shining with curiosity.


    "Not something I need, but more of something to discuss. I thought he would find it valuable." My vague answer caught his interest all the more.


    "Well, he¡¯s not the type to meet new people but I¡¯m sure I can get him to pop his head out of his hole if I¡¯m with you," he nodded to himself.


    "Great! Looking forward to it." I focused back on my empty te. Looking down, I caught Sylvie scarfing down thest of my omelette.


    ______________________________________________


    The City Square, which was usually bustling with a lot of activity, was abnormally packed with both normal civilians and nobles alike. On the side of therge clock tower, there were four orbs creating a square while underneath these floating orbs, there were two artificers with their brown robes. The less-than-attractive clothing signified that they didn¡¯t do their work for glory and fame, but it didn¡¯t keep the mages from chanting with unnecessarily grand gestures, hands waving as if they were conducting a symphony.


    Sylvie was fidgeting on top of my head, taking in all the sights and the huge crowd of people gathered. It was only Elijah, my father and Vincent that came with me, as the women in the house had other ns.


    As more and more people gathered, a crackled image began forming with the four glowing orbs as its corners. Suddenly, the fuzzy image became clearer, the mirage of colors forming into the image of the yder Castle.


    "The three Kings and Queens of the different countries in our beloved Continent of Dicathen have gathered here on this memorable day!"


    I see a very fancily-dressed man with a thick grey beard announce to an audience that looked to be in the hundreds of thousands, judging by the space the people took up.


    "Attention Humans, Elves, and Dwarves alike, I go by ine yder. While most of you know me as the King of Sapin, today I speak not as the King of Humans, but as one of the representative of the Continent of Dicathen!"


    The hundreds of thousands of people all kneeled, some going on all fours in worship at the sight of the King. The blurry projection bes clearer and zoomed in closer to the balcony of the Castle. There, I could see the King of Sapin in the front with the Queen of Sapin, Prisci yder, seated behind him alongside a few other important-looking figures. My eyes widened as I spotted Alduin and Merial Eralith, the King and Queen of Elenoir, with Grandpa Virion standing behind them with his arms crossed and his white hair tied neatly behind his pointed ears. Beside them are two representatives of the Dwarves, bothvished in extravagant clothing much toorge for theirpact figures; I assumed that they were the king and queen.


    "Today marks the beginning of a new era in this Continent we call our home. I assume many of you are aware of the existing problems between the Humans and the Elves while even the Dwarves were considered just business partners. However, that is not the way we wish to continue. The representatives of all three kingdoms¡ªyour leaders¡ªhave met together many times over these past few years in an effort to unite our races. Two years ago, we had agreed for all three races to be able to be adventurers. It started out with just one or two representatives, but now it has expanded. It brings me a smile when I see parties with humans, elves, and dwarves alike, working together towards amon goal. Last year marked another big milestone where Xyrus Academy weed students from the Kingdom of Elenoir and the Kingdom of Darv so that the new generation of mages can make friends and memories with not just humans, but all three races. We all understand how difficult it may be for some of us to adjust after constant enmity between us. However, we urge you to let go of the past and the discriminations you may hold, and think beyond that, if not for yourself, but for your children and the future of this continent."


    There was another big round of apuse with a roar of worship and adoration apanying it. King yder sat down and Alduin Eralith, the King of Elenoir and Tessia¡¯s father, got up from his seat and cleared his throat before speaking into this world¡¯s version of what seemed to be a microphone.


    "It is an honor to speak on behalf of everyone here on this unforgettable day. As King yder so adamantly stated, I am also in agreement about the future of our continent. For some people, this may not hold much interest but for many who yearn for adventure and new ces to visit, I can wholeheartedly say that this continent is filled with many unknowns. An obvious example is the very Beast des residing just beyond our borders. While an uncountable number of adventurers have ventured out into the Beast des, it is not an exaggeration to say that not even half of it has been traversed. While the mana beasts have not left the Beast des, who is to say that just because they haven¡¯t yet, they never will? Even in our own homnd of Dicathen, there are ces so dangerous, no one dares to explore, but what if I were to say that even greater mysteries and dangers are out there?"


    King Eralith paused for a brief moment while the crowd in Etistin and the crowd here in the City Square of Xyrus filled with the sound of murmurs.


    "That¡¯s right! You have not heard wrong, fellow citizens of Dicathen. We are announcing today, February 10th of the 1005th Cycle, that we have found evidence of another continent."


    The crowds erupted into a mor of noises, some angry, some afraid, but everyone curious. Even my own hands shook in excitement as my father and Vincent looked at each other in shock.


    "Please. We ourselves don¡¯t know very much, so your guess is as good as ours. What we do know is that, out there¡ªpossibly within reach in a few years¡¯ time¡ªis another continent that may or may not be hostile. There have been evidence of them trying to reach us as well, but on both sides, it seems that our current technology does not permit us to travel that far."


    The crowd shown in the Capital was in chaos until the dwarven king rose from his chair and trotted towards the microphone.


    "QUIETTTTT!!!"


    The dwarven king roared into the voice-enhancing artifact.


    "As Alduin said, we don¡¯t know much. However, in these times of uncertainty and possible threats in the future, wouldn¡¯t you guys all agree that standing beside one another is what¡¯s best for this continent and our people? Your children can be in danger as well. Thest thing we want is to fight amongst ourselves. Our appearances may be different and our cultures may sh, but remember this...we are all born in this continent of Dicathen. I for one am proud of that and hope that future generations will feel the same way. What about you?"


    The crowd remained silent at first but a couple of ps triggered a huge boom of apuse as cheers and whistles broke out. The Dwarf King wasn¡¯t as eloquent in his words as the two previous kings that spoke, but his words had a very strong impact. Even Elijah next to me was pping excitedly as Sylvie continued to watch the screen in curiosity.


    "The process of joining our three races and kingdoms will take time and much effort, but today, we will be anointing six individuals¡ªindividuals that we, the three kings and queens, believe to be the most courageous, tactful, smart and powerful."


    From the back of the podium, six warriors came out: two elves, two humans and two dwarves. d in refined white armor that varied slightly for each person, they walked up and knelt down on one knee.


    The three kings each made their way in front of the six kneeling knights and took out from a small ornamental box, six rings. King yder of the humans presented the rings to the two elf knights while the Dwarf King presented it to the two human knights. Finally, King Alduin of the Elves ced the rings on the two Dwarf knights, stating that they stand and bow to the crowd. As the cheers exploded, King yder went up and spoke once more.


    "These six individuals will henceforth be granted the title of the Six Lances. Each Lance signifies the ties they hold not to their Kingdom, but to the entire Continent. This is a truly historical moment as the first Lances have been anointed. These six individuals¡¯ main goal will be towards the well-being of the Continent, whether that be exploring dangerous and unknown dungeons in the Beast des, as well as working alongside us, the rulers of this Continent, to ensure that our home is protected when the timees that we are met with foreign hostilities from a different Continent."


    Once more, the crowd roared as many began throwing flowers and the hats that they were wearing up in the air. As the crowd in Xyrus began moring in excitement, I couldn¡¯t help but think to myself. I knew that such theories as herd mentality or crowd psychology hadn¡¯t been defined in this world, but the leaders of our country knew exactly how to exploit the emotions of the mass.


    "Lastly, while the title of being one of the Six Lances may be prestigious andparable to even ourselves as kings and queens, this title also brings upon a great burden and danger. Children of the new generation that seek to be the future protectors of this Continent, strive to be one of the Six Lances! Grow strong and noble as not even the heavens are the limit!"


    With that, the four orbs making up the corners of the projection floated down as the image of the announcement faded. Thest thing we heard were the chants of, "Long live the King, long live Dicathen!"


    Beside me, I heard Elijah muttering to himself, "Wow... the Six Lances... That sounds awesome." The children within the crowd already started y-acting the scene of the anointment, shouting with their friends that they too have be one of the Six Lances and are going to go out and fight evil.


    A part of me wanted to be excited as well. Hell, I was excited! The prospect of a new continent to explore with different people and maybe even different races intrigued me to no end. However, I was quite cynical of this whole thing. Sure, the points they made were quite valid, but in the end, they were just baselessly making this new continent themon enemy so that all of the races of Dicathen could unite. It was an old tool used by many kings, but an effective one that worked.


    Still... my heart as, not just a king, but a warrior and mage thirsting for adventure and excitement, thumped harder and harder.


    "Not even the heavens are the limit," I repeated under my breath.

 Chapter 41: I’m Not That Nice

    As we plowed our way through the crowds in City Square, I overheard various conversations about the Lances. These Six Lances were more than just a group of overpowered mages; they would soon be the very symbol of this continent. Composed of twonces for each race, they were impartial towards all humans, elves, and dwarves. I had to hand it to the three royal families foring up with such a bold n. With such a glorified incentive¡ªor rather, goal¡ªI wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this stirred up a new era of mages.


    It was fairly obvious that the kings purposely put a bad light on this new continent so that this mysterious potentialmon enemy would be the reason for the three races to unite. Looking at it logically, there could be great advantages, such as trading raw material, knowledge on magic and artifacts, and different technology, but this could also potentially create apetition between the humans, elves and dwarves¡ªeach of them trying to get to the new continent first to im the new resources. While this propaganda-esque maniption didn¡¯t quite sit well with me, it beat the consequences of going with thetter choice.


    My father stepped into the carriage, waiting for us at the edge of City Square, instructing the driver to first take him to the Helstea Auction House.


    "I have a few things to take care of so I¡¯ll meet you guys back hometer tonight. Don¡¯t cause too much trouble, Son." My father gently gripped my arm and patted Sylvie, who was on top of my head.


    At the sight of my father¡¯s carriage leaving our view, Vincent beckoned for a public carriage with a wave of his hand. Finally, an unpainted, wooden carriage pulled by two horses stopped for us with the driver tipping his hat as a silent introduction.


    "Please take us to Gideon¡¯s facility," Vincent prompted, directing the driver to our next destination. About thirty minutes into the drive, the scenery shifted from tall buildings into small houses with signboards reading "Artifacts" and "Elixirs" on many of them.


    I stared out the carriage window, making a mental note of stores that I would want to visitter on, until Vincent¡¯s voice stirred me out of my daze. "We¡¯re at the part of the city where all of the artificers gather. You¡¯ll see a lot of neat gadgets and other useful aids for mages if you guys want to check it out sometime."


    This had sparked Elijah¡¯s interest, apparently, because he asked the driver to stop at the nearest artifact store. "I¡¯m going to look around for a bit and see if I can find anything worth buying," he informed before excitedly stepping out.


    ¡¯Sylv, go with Elijah while I visit Gideon with Uncle Vincent,¡¯ I transmitted to Sylvie, who was on myp. Tilting her fox-like head, she gave me a curious look but didn¡¯tin, hopping out of the carriage after Elijah; I might be just overthinking, but I didn¡¯t want a genius researcher like Gideon eyeing Sylvie.


    "Do you have any money?!" I shouted out at him from inside the carriage as we leave him, realizing that normal twelve-year-old boys shouldn¡¯t have that much money.


    "Unlike someone, I¡¯ve been saving the money we earned from the dungeon!" He patted his chest pocket and shot me a smug grin.


    "Well, no need to kiss and tell," I shrugged, leaning back in the carriage seat.


    About an hourter, after we passed through the densest part of the city, we arrived at a fairlyrge building. This building was a single story but was quiterge in width, which was rare to see in a clustered city like Xyrus.


    "We¡¯re here!" the driver announced as he opened the door for us.


    Hopping out of the carriage after Vincent, we made our way to the unadorned front door. After a few firm knocks, an old man with a handlebar mustache and dressed as a butler appeared, not opening the doorpletely.


    "Greetings. Master Gideon is not¡ªah, hello, Master Vincent, pleasee in," he greeted, motioning us inside. Judging by the stern expression the butler had for a split second before realizing who we were, I¡¯d have to guess that this Gideon person wasn¡¯t very weing of guests.


    As we stepped inside, a foul mixture of metal, herbs, and rotting material bombarded my nose. While the exterior of the facility was hardly grandiose, the inside was even less appealing to look at. The whole ce was a mess with tools scattered with no order, piles of discarded clothes and other misceneous items littered across the floor, and rather intriguing and unfamiliar raw materials stacked high atop shelves. There were also microscopes and other tools that appeared vaguely familiar to the ones in my old world.


    "Himes! I told you not to let anyone¡ªOh, it¡¯s you, Vincent. I see you¡¯vee to bother me again." From the dim corner of a back room, a very short, hunched man made his way over.


    Taking a closer look at the supposed genius inventor/researcher/artificer, I could say for certain that he definitely looked the part. His curly hair that looked like it¡¯s been struck by lightning more than onceplimented the beady eyes with dark bags under them. Hisplexion was pale and he had a pair of goggles hanging on his neck paired with a dirtyb coat.


    "Haha! As weing as ever, Gideon." Vincent shook his head, giving his acquaintance a helpless smile and handshake.


    "Bah! Don¡¯t even start! This past year, the Royal Families sent in over a dozen messengers asking for a way to start traversing the ocean to reach the new continent! I haven¡¯t had a chance for a decent sleep in months!" The hunched entric iled his arms in disgust as he started pacing around.


    "Is it really true that they found evidence of another continent, Gideon?" Vincent asked quietly, leaning closer to the inventor.


    "Hoho! That, myd, is actually a truth those snobby Royal Families are telling for once. I was the one to study the evidence! All I¡¯ll say is that the new continent has better artificers and perhaps even better mages than ours." His beady eyes disappeared as his wicked grin widened to reveal a set of yellow teeth with remnants of whatever he had eaten for hisst meal.


    "What makes you say that?" Vincent pushed, taking a seat on a stool besides Gideon.


    "The Royal Family took back the evidence for safe-keeping, but that ¡¯evidence¡¯ was an artifact. Even I couldn¡¯t figure out everything it does, but this artifact was attached to a bird-like mana beast that had never been seen in Dicathen before. This bird-like mana beast had the ability to camouge almostpletely against its surroundings. The only way we were able to catch it was because an adventurer identally shot it down while he was actually aiming for a nearby squirrel he was hunting to eat. Not only that, but one of the functions I was able to figure out from the artifact was that it was able to record and store moving images. The artifact was the size of my palm and it could do what four big magic projection crystals could and more! Tell me, why would someone from our continent need to record videos?" He leaned towards Vincent too so that the two of them were only a hand¡¯s width apart.


    "Fascinating!" Vincent sighed as he rubbed his chin.


    "So... who¡¯s the little bugger you brought? Your mistress¡¯s son?" Gideon waggled his eyebrows lewdly at Vincent.


    "Oh God... Don¡¯t even make jokes like that. Tabitha would kill me... quite literally, I¡¯m afraid. No, this is Arthur. I consider him a nephew of mine." He ced a hand on my shoulder.


    Giving a respectable bow, I introduced myself. "Arthur Leywin, son of Reynolds Leywin. Hello, Mr. Gideon. Uncle Vincent has told me many great things about you and your work."


    "Quite the etiquettes for a little booger. How old are you?" he mused, studying me with his beady eyes.


    "I¡¯ll be turning twelve in May," I answered simply.


    "I see... So, why did you bring him here, Vincent? I don¡¯t take on students or disciples, you know." He puffed his chest out condescendingly.


    "Actually, I would like to know for myself why he wanted toe." Vincent turned to me.


    "Mr. Gideon, the fact that you have messengers from the Royal Families visiting you, I can assume that your work is quite influential, correct?" I put on the air of a respecting youngd.


    "Of course! They¡¯re a pain but I receive quite a lot of money from them!" He stuck his chin out and I could almost see his nose getting longer from his pride.


    "Perfect." Without saying anything more, I pick up arge piece of parchment lying on the ground and sketched out a blueprint. It took a while for me to think of an idea to sell without it changing the world too much. This world relied heavily on magic for a lot of the bigger tools and machines. That was primarily one of the reasons they couldn¡¯t build a ship capable of travelling long distances. No mages had an infinite source of mana and trying to carry along enough mages to power up a big ship would be impractical.


    I could feel both Vincent and Gideon¡¯s hot breaths on the back of my neck as they peered closely at my drawing.


    After about half an hour, I finished drawing a rough draft of a steam engine. I didn¡¯t draw in some of the keyponents so that Gideon wouldn¡¯t just steal my idea; I would draw those in after the negotiations wereplete.


    "Th-This is...this..." His beady eyes widened two-fold as he snatched the paper away so he could study it in depth.


    "Of course... why didn¡¯t I think of this? There was this solution as well!" I could see his hands trembling as his nose practically touched the parchment.


    Suddenly, his eyebrows furrowed and his gaze darted all around the paper. "I feel like something¡¯s missing..."


    I gently took the paper back and rolled it up. "I did leave out some key details that I will more than happily include... once our negotiations are over." I put on an innocent smile.


    "Are you really just a twelve-year-old?" His gaze became sharp but after a few seconds, he let out a helpless sigh. Even Vincent looked baffled by the turn of events but he handled it better since he knew what kind of person I was.


    "Yup! Can you show me some of your most precious artifacts? Uncle Vincent told me you make some of the best!" I smiled, tucking the parchment inside my robe pocket.


    "Himes! Bring mytest works!" Gideon barked. Soon after, the poised butler with the handlebar mustache appeared, with him, a protected case the size of an adult, sealed with something even I didn¡¯t recognize.


    Gideon whispered something into the lock while cing both hands on it. After a brief moment, the lock glowed and folded itself into different shapes before opening. Inside the case was an array of various enchanted weapons.


    Gideon spent some time going over each of the weapons and what they were capable of. The quality of these items were several levels above the ones sold at the auction house. I knew that each of these weapons were invaluable and iparable to the ones sold in shops and forges, but they didn¡¯t quite fit the bill. I looked at some of the wands to maybe get for Elijah but none of them suited him.


    As I shook my head, the mad scientist grumbled something foul.


    Gideon eventually led us into a hidden storage room with precious gems and raw material that made even my eyes twinkle in greed. "This is an ironite diamond, one of the most valuable gems found on this continent. It has properties capable of storing a lot mana to use in case of an emergency." Gideon studied my face, hoping for an expression of satisfaction to appear, but it never did.


    Gideon let out a defeated sigh. "Himes, can you bring me the pendants?" he asked, rubbing his temples.


    "But Master, this was made so that¡ª"


    "I know! Just bring it!" Gideon interrupted the baffled Himes.


    Eventually, Himeses back holding a small case with an even more intricate lock on it.


    "These are some of the products I made for the Royal Family. They¡¯ve been asking for life-protecting artifacts in case of any danger." He just shrugged his shoulder, any sense of confidence he once had nowhere in sight.


    I picked up one of the two identical pendants to take a closer look. The main jewel was a very soft, yet radiant pink color carefully ornamented and decorated in a thin white-gold chain.


    "I had some of the best designers work on the actual piece itself so it would be err... ¡¯suitable¡¯ for the Royal Family," he rified.


    I willed a bit of mana into the pendant and when I did, I was vaguely able to see the outline of a mana beast I¡¯d once read about. "This is made from a phoenix wyrm," I muttered.


    "You were able to figure that out?" Gideon became even more intrigued as his eyes carefully studied me, trying to figure out exactly what more I was capable of.


    Continuing on, Gideon exined, "While the phoenix wyrm isn¡¯t nearly as rare as the dragon species, this particr breed is still a high S ss mana beast. They aren¡¯t really known for their power andbat capabilities but their unique ability to preserve their own life. When the phoenix wyrm is attacked, its pink scales will elongate and harden around them, forming a sort of cocoon."


    This caught my interest.


    "However, that¡¯s not even the best part. When the super hard cocoon they¡¯re protected in breaks, they deplete all of the mana in their beast core to instantly transport themselves to wherever they know they¡¯re safe. It¡¯s a very unique ability that I¡¯ve only seen in the phoenix wyrm. These two pendants are probably the most valuable artifacts I have. The jewel itself is made from the beast core of the phoenix wyrm and also small fragments of its scales, allowing it to reproduce the life-preserving effects of the beast, to a certain degree," he continued.


    "How many times will the user be able to utilize the effects?" I asked, studying the pendant even more closely.


    "Honestly, I¡¯m not too sure. The yder Family presented five of these beast cores that had been kept over time for generations. However, they didn¡¯t know what exactly these mana cores were capable of; they only knew that they were extremely valuable. They had already been studied and none had the beast will, but still, the value of just one of these beast cores cost more than normal S ss cores. The first of the five I made was a failure, not showing the ability at all. The second and third showed its ability once before turning to dust. I imagine since the mana core doesn¡¯tpletely deplete itself to transport a human, it¡¯ll work at least twice like the previous two cores I used to make the pendant did." He shifted his gaze from the pendants to me with hopeful eyes.


    "These are for the yder Family, right? Is it really all right for me to take these when the yder Family provided the raw materials for it?"


    "Well, like I said, they don¡¯t know what exactly those beast cores could do so if I just make a good recement life-preserving artifact, I think it¡¯ll be fine. Of course, if you choose to trade your blueprint for something else, that¡¯d be even better," he revealed another toothy grin.


    "Haha! I¡¯m not that nice, Mr. Gideon. I¡¯ll take these two pendants." I unrolled the blueprint and filled the rest of the keyponents that I had left out.


    "Sigh...you¡¯re putting me in a tough position but I know that you¡¯re doing me a charity by giving me these blueprints. With this, I imagine that our people will be able to reach the new continent before they reach ours." He studied the blueprint before folding it and carefully putting it in his pocket.


    He turned back to me, his gaze not looking at me as if I was a child but more so an equal. "Where did youe up with this idea, though? What are you really nning, Arthur? Did you want to speed up the process for the voyage to the new continent?"


    I onlyughed and headed out the door, the silent Vincent, who was still bewildered by the turn of events, trailing behind me.


    "Like I said, Mr. Gideon, I¡¯m not that nice of a person. I only wanted to get my little sister a good birthday gift," I answered without looking back, waving the small case that had the two pendants inside before getting into the carriage.


    The journey back home was silent for the first half until Vincent finally spoke. "Not only a genius augmenter but a brilliant inventor? What exactly was it that you drew out for Gideon?"


    I exined in simple terms. "I drew the blueprints for a steam engine, which is capable of producing quite a lot of power by using steam produced from specific material that exists on this continent. With that and some modifications so that it could be interchanged with fuel powered by mana, traversing a long distance shouldn¡¯t be a problem."


    "From what magical star were you born under?" Vincent shook his head.


    "Please, this was an idea I got from somewhere else and I just tweaked it a little to make it work better. Please don¡¯t make too big of a deal out of this to my parents," I begged, looking at the two beautiful pink pendants again.


    "Well, your parents probably wouldn¡¯t even make a big deal of something like this considering how abnormal you are," he shrugged, chuckling to himself.


    Luckily, no one was home, so I carefully hid the case after wrapping the two pendants individually. My sister¡¯s birthday was next week and then there would only be a few months left until my twelfth birthday, and eventually, the new year of Xyrus Academy. Even though I wouldn¡¯t be that far from my family while I was at school, I would certainly be limited in how often I could visit them, so my main goal during this time was to ensure that my family could take care of themselves in case anything bad happened.


    I knew I was probably overthinking everything but I preferred to be on the safe side when it came to my family. For that, I was willing to sell even my soul.

 Chapter 42: A Ball

    The ballroom inside the Helstea Manor had beenvishly decorated with colorful string tapestries hung along with other fine embellishments on the tables and stage to match. The borate cement of the orbs that made up the chandelier sparkled, creating a serene ambience as the guests started entering through the towering front doors.


    I was dressed very formally for the special birthday party the Helsteas and my family decided to throw for Ellie. While this world did have formal wear that were very simr to tuxedos from my old world, this world did not have ties. Instead of ties, handkerchiefs were wrapped underneath the cor and tied fashionably. Sporting a ck suit with a white-cored shirt underneath, the only bit of color in my ensemble was the light blue scarf I had tied underneath the shirt cor. I wanted the ck handkerchief but my mother insisted that I should wear blue to entuate the color of my eyes.


    With my gaudy blue scarf and windswept hair that had been thoroughly cemented by whatever paste was made to style it, I felt like some sort mboyant show dog.


    Since the ballroom was located in the opposite wing from our rooms, Ellie had no idea that we were throwing her this party. She was under the assumption that the both of our families were going out to a fancy restaurant so she was excitedly getting ready with our mother and Lilia, who came back for the asion.


    Sylvie was sleeping inside my room, her body still getting used to the big change she underwent recently. She resisted going to sleep until she had my verbal guarantee that I would save her some leftover food.


    "Wee. Pleasee in." Putting on a gentlemanly smile, I weed my little sister¡¯sdy friends she met at school, a duty I was assigned by my mother and one I wasn¡¯t too fond of.


    Met with shy giggles and red faces, I kept a gentle smile on as more and more guests started trickling out of their carriages, apanied by a driver and a chaperone.


    The attendees of my sister¡¯s party consisted of her female friends, the female friends¡¯ chaperones, which were an older group of people, and either my parents¡¯ friends or Vincent and Tabitha¡¯s friends. By eight in the evening, most of the people on the list had arrived and my mother notified the maid that she and my sister would being down shortly.


    "Well aren¡¯t you dressed all neat and spiffy?" I turned around back toward the door to see Gideon in his signature brownb coat¡ªa cleaner one at least¡ªand a set of new goggles hanging on his neck.


    "This is quite a pleasant surprise, Mr. Gideon." My smile must¡¯ve tipped him off because he grumbled under his breath before replying, "You darn well knew that I would try and see you again, didn¡¯t you?"


    My smile never wavered as I use my hand to guide him towards the refreshment booth. "I¡¯ll admit it was unexpected of you to utilize my sister¡¯s birthday to meet with me though."


    "Bah! You and I have a lot to talk about and don¡¯t you forget, I¡¯m not leaving you until I¡¯m satisfied!" He, once again, began grumbling before trotting over to the refreshment booth, asking for an alcoholic drink right off the bat.


    Elijah, who I saw talking with a chaperone girl that was a bit older than us, walked towards me, his shoulder slumped.


    "My third time trying to strike a conversation with a girl and they all so kindly made convenient excuses to go elsewhere," he sighed, his crooked sses further emphasizing his dejection.


    Before I had the chance to start teasiforting him, I was interrupted by a loud voice.


    "Everyone, please get ready! Lady Alice and Eleanor are both on their way here!" the maid announced before she signaled to turn off all of the lights.


    "...Mama, I thought we were going to go out for dinner? Where are we..."


    "SURPRISE!" a synchronized chorus of voices eximed.


    With the chandelier sparkling on and an array of artifacts popping off in colorful lights, my little sister¡¯s confused face turned from initial surprise to pure joy. Her eyes widened and cheeks blushed red as her hands instinctively went to cover her gaping mouth.


    She didn¡¯t have too long to indulge in her moment of astonishment as her schooldy friends all ran up to her and gave her hugs, almost carrying her away along with Lilia, giving me a meaningful gaze before disappearing.


    "Good job weing all of the guests, Art." My mother came up to me, gently patting my head before some of her friends pulled her away to leave me wandering. I spotted my father with Vincent and some other importantly dressed figures, talking business and other various uninteresting topics.


    Waiters walked around, handing out tters and cups of various foods and drinks. I was munching on something akin to a bite-sized sandwich when the melodic chime of a ss being rung pulled my attention. My father, wine ss in hand, was onstage, his cheeks slightly rosy and his eyes rxed.


    "Ahem! Before the party officially begins, I would like to thank you on behalf of my precious daughter foring here tonight!" As my father spoke, I spotted my sister blushing in embarrassment as her friends giggled and pped at this joyous asion.


    "Please start the music!" My father signaled towards the back of the stage where five musicians stepped out with their instruments. I was surprised to see that the instruments looked nearly identical to the string family instruments in my world, with two violins, one vi, and one cello musician stepping out with a pianist behind them. The piano was shaped a little differently and as they started ying, the sound it produced was much deeper and richer than a regr grand piano.


    "It would bring great joy to see my beloved son and daughter have the first dance!" My father raised his ss higher, his eyes narrowing into a tipsy grin as he requested something that could potentially be disastrous to this party. I turned to my mother, who bore a look stricken with panic, because neither her nor my father had ever given either of us dancing lessons.


    I caught my sister¡¯s face, petrified in horror, as she realized she could be a total embarrassment on her birthday. Keeping calm, I took confident strides towards where my sister and her friends stood.


    "Will you honor me with your hand for a dance?" I bowed, slipping off my gloves and cing a hand out in front of me; I heard various squeals and giggles from her friends but I ignored it.


    Ellie, still fretful at the turn of events, couldn¡¯t find the words, so she just nodded her head, epting my hand and eliciting a round of apuse.


    As soon as she was in my hands, a crowd formed around and their apuse died down as the soft flow of music became louder and filled the room. The music was slow and rhythmic, making it easy to follow along. Her once panicked face gradually turned calmer as she realized she just needed to follow my guidance.


    My right hand holding onto hers and my left gently ced on her fragile waist, we circled around, her light coral dress fluttering gracefully. Each step she took mirrored mine as we waltzed around the small dance floor formed around us by the dazed crowd. I was calm and poised, dancing and swaying to the song with grace, since dancing had been something I was required to learn for any formal asions as a king.


    I couldn¡¯t embarrass myself as a figurehead for my nation now could I?


    My sister¡¯s face gradually shifted from a tranquil calmness to an excited glee as she truly began enjoying our dance. Her skin glowed from her smile and perspiration, giving her a radiant feeling to the crowd. Twirling her around as if we had rehearsed for a grand performance, the musicians yed along with our dance as if they were drawing inspiration from us. As thest verse of the song wasing to an end, she followed my lead well,ing to a beautiful halt synced perfectly with the musicians.


    The apuse and cheers of the audience¡ªsome of the more intoxicated adults even whistling¡ªwashed up the soft panting of my sister as the both of us bowed, hand in hand.


    "That was wonderful!" "Truly splendid!" "What a great performance!" Sounds ofpliments and praises from all around us caused my sister¡¯s smile to grow even wider as we soaked in the limelight.


    "Brother!" My sister couldn¡¯t hold in her excitement as she jumped into my arms, almost knocking me down in surprise. Her innocent and pureughter rang contagiously as she flung her arms around my neck.


    "Holy crap! That was great! Where¡¯d you learn to dance like that, Art?" Elijah ran up to us, his narrow eyes gleaming in excitement underneath his sses.


    I just gave him a shrug before gently cing my sister down. Giving her a pat on the head I said, "Happy Birthday, Princess." Giving her a yful wink before my intoxicated father picked her up.


    "Haha! My beautiful princess and my handsome son! What a great performance!" My father must¡¯ve been drinking more because he was even more flushed than he had been on stage.


    "Owowowow!" My father let out a howl of pain as my mother pulled him down from his high horse by grabbing his earlobe. "Do you understand the disaster this could¡¯ve caused if Art didn¡¯t happen to know how to dance?" She whispered.


    "I learned from Jasmine while being an adventurer. I thought it¡¯d be useful!" I lied, only getting rid of half the suspicion of my keen mother.


    "Don¡¯t mind, don¡¯t mind!" He managed to wheeze out as my sister, who was put back down, scurried off to her friends. My still-angry mother dragged my intoxicated father by the earlobe back to where the adults were.


    ELEANOR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    "Your brother is so handsome! I¡¯m so jealous! I wish my brother was like him; he seems so nice!" The friends I¡¯d made at school were allplimenting Brother and me about the dance.


    "Hehe! I told you he was great!" I couldn¡¯t help but smile with pride at being Brother¡¯s only sister.


    "Yeah, he¡¯s awesome! I bet the both of you practiced a lot for that dance! It looked SUPER hard." My best friend, Nicole, was really excited.


    "U-Umm yeah! But our teacher was really good so we got it down really fast!" I lied, looking down. I thought it would be weird for them to know that only Brother knew how to dance, not me, when it should be the other way around.


    My heart was still beating really fast from the dancing. It was really tiring but also really fun because Brother led me through it so well that I felt like a professional dancer.


    "You¡¯re grinning really big, Ellie," Nicole smirked at me, elbowing me with her arm.


    "Hehe! Let¡¯s go get some food!" I needed to look busy so some of the guys here wouldn¡¯t ask me to dance.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    I slumped in a corner, a ss of apple cider in my hand. The dance gave all the more reason for the adults and chaperones toe and greet me, some hinting for a dance. Putting on a smile and speaking in a higher pitch than usual to sound more respectful could get tiring.


    I spotted Elijah dancing with a girl that looked around our age¡ªmaybe a year younger¡ªprobably one of the older friends of my sister.


    I guess he finally managed.


    "Hey, you must be the Arthur that everyone¡¯s talking about." A blond-haired boy, rather tall and poised, leaned against the wall next to me.


    "Then I guess I must be." I managed a faint smile while I took another sip of my cider.


    "My friends are all jealous of you for stealing the attention from the girls here," he snickered while sticking out his hand. "My name is Jarrod Redner. I heard a lot about you from Lilia at school."


    "Ah, you guys both go to Xyrus. As you already know, I¡¯m Arthur Leywin, pleased to make your acquaintance." I received the handshake before my eyes spotted Lilia, who came towards us after seeing us together.


    "Before she gets over her, am I to assume you guys are either dating or that you like her?" I said in a low voice so that only we could hear.


    "You¡¯re pretty sharp, aren¡¯t you? Yeah, we¡¯re part of the student council together, she being the secretary and me, the treasurer. I¡¯m trying to pursue her and I¡¯ve expressed that many times already." He let out a sigh before smiling and waving at Lilia.


    "She may look a little in, but she¡¯s a good girl, that Lilia. I hope you treasure her well," I said simply.


    "Well I hope to get the chance to do that someday since she¡¯s rejected me all three times so far." He chuckled, a hint of disappointment escaping his face.


    "Hey Arthur! I¡¯m so sorry I couldn¡¯t get the chance to say hi to you at all today! I¡¯ve been so busy since as I got here earlier, and you were busy with preparing too!" Her face was flushed and by the way she spoke so quickly and excitedly, I was beginning to understand why Jarrod came up to me.


    "I¡¯ll leave you two alone." Jarrod solemnly walked away, a hint of jealousy in his eyes, not even looking at Lilia as he passed her.


    "You look beautiful today," I noted, clinking my ss of cider with her ss before taking another sip.


    "O-Oh... I mean, thank you!" Lilia was really jumpy as she started fiddling with her turtleneck light green dress that was embellished with frills and subtle trimmings. I hadn¡¯t seen her since before she started attending Xyrus. Lilia had matured a lot this past year and a half, her childlike face slowly bing a bit more refined.


    We started talking a bit more about her school life when I started teasing her. "You must be pretty popr at Xyrus. Do you have a boyfriend yet?" Even my sister would sometimes tell me about boys who liked her, gloating that she was popr.


    "N-No, of course not! I don¡¯t have anything like that yet, haha." Lilia was desperately waving both her hands, signaling ¡¯no way,¡¯ which made meugh.


    "You¡¯re still young so take your time and meet the right guy. But you better bring him to me first so that I can approve before you start dating him!" I poked her in the arm.


    A shred of dejection showed on her face before she quickly covered it up, saying, "Yeah, I will! Just don¡¯t be too hard of a judge!"


    "Ahem, mind if I borrow the, youngd?" I looked up to see Gideon walking up to us, something akin to a polite smile strewn across his usually scowling face.

 Chapter 43: A Ball II

    It was obvious Gideon¡¯s abrupt intrusion caught Lilia by surprise, but she replied evenly with a polite smile.


    "Of course. I¡¯ll see youter then, Art!" She waved at me, bowing towards Gideon before running off to the heart of the party.


    "You know that young female cohort of yours likes you, right?" Gideon scratched his cheek awkwardly as his gaze followed Lilia¡¯s figure.


    "I know," I responded simply.


    "You two seem to get along, though. You¡¯re not going to do anything about it?" he pressed.


    "She¡¯s someone that has had her life changed by me. More so than the feeling of like or love, it¡¯s something more akin to gratefulness that she feels. She doesn¡¯t know that now, butter in the future, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll distinguish the two on her own," I answered with a shrug, taking another sip of my cider.


    "You know, even when you say something disgustingly conceited like that, it doesn¡¯t sound vaining from you." Gideon smirked, taking a small sip of his wine.


    "Because I don¡¯t mean it in a conceited way. To her, I am something like a hero who saved her life. She may have fantasies about a rtionship between us like any young girl about her idol, but that doesn¡¯t mean she is in love with that person; it¡¯s more of an infatuation," I exined. "Anyway, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not here to give me love counseling. What is it that you wanted to discuss?"


    "Why does it feel like I¡¯m talking to someone my age? But yes, you¡¯re right. How did your sister like the present you so kindly took from me?" He changed the subject, sitting down on the floor while leaning against the wall.


    "Received aspensation, not ¡¯took,¡¯" I corrected, wagging my finger. "And I haven¡¯t given it to her yet. I will,ter."


    "Right. Well, after refining the blueprint and creating a n, I sent it in to the Council of Dicathen. They approved it and it is undergoing a construction n right away," he announced, his usual joking manner nonexistent.


    After the founding of the Six Lances, the Three Kings and Queens of Dicathen hade together and announced to the public that the current monarchy of each of the three kingdoms would be changing into one Council for all of Dicathen. This decision wasn¡¯t really up for debate but it did bring some groups to rebel against it. For now, the location of the Council of Dicathen was unknown with the only source ofmunication avable through some trusted individuals while major broadcasts were publicized through each City¡¯s Governor.


    "Congrattions. I¡¯m sure they rewarded you well for that," I said sincerely, holding up my ss.


    "Bah, money is just a means to an end for me. Gold is but a uselessmodity that only has use in buying stuff actually useful to me. But you¡ªyou¡¯re an asset that I do not want to let go. What is it you want, brat? Money? Power? Knowledge? I can give you all of that if you are more open to me about what you know as well." He got up, his beady eyes gleaming with curiosity.


    "I don¡¯t intend to change how the world works for my own benefit. This Continent is doing just fine without any of it," I retorted, making my intentions clear.


    "So you¡¯re saying you have ideas for inventions capable of changing how this world works? Fascinating..." His ears must¡¯ve only heard what he wanted to hear because I wasn¡¯t getting through to him.


    Imbuing mana into my voice, I growled in a low tone so only he could hear. "Mr. Gideon, let me make it clear that I¡¯m not here to indulge your selfish curiosities."


    The tone in my voice appeared to have shook him up a bit, as he nearly jumped.


    "Well you sure sobered me up real quick. Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right. How about a give and take then? I¡¯m not asking for world-changing inventions like that steam engine you gave me. I just want to get to know how you think, really. I¡¯ll be your personal benefactor for whatever you need. Really, I¡¯m desperate, brat. Don¡¯t make this old man plead anymore." Surprisingly, His voice sounded sincere this time.


    This was what I nned for but I didn¡¯t want to give in to his wishes too easily, so I persisted. "Can I take your word for it?"


    "Of course! What do you take me for? I¡¯m a man of my word. You¡¯re quite a family man so I understand why you were so interested in that Phoenix Wyrm ne. I may not be a great mage but I know my way around artificing and magic implementation theory. Hell, you need some allowance for school, right? So how about it? Yeah?" His beady eyes and electrocuted hair made him look even more pitiful.


    Sticking my hand out, I shot him a business smile that I¡¯m sure made him think twice for what he had just gotten himself into.


    The party eventually came to an end after the bell rang for midnight, making it officially my sister¡¯s birthday. After more dancing, eating, drinking, and present-giving, the guests slowly started leaving, allowing the maids to finally start cleaning the ballroom.


    My parents gave my sister a pair of beautiful hair ties with ornamental bells that were silver on first nce but reflected a glimmering array of colors underneath the light. My sister excitedly asked my mother to tie her hair for her into twin ponytails.


    Despite the sess of the party, my sister had been pretty disappointed that the Twin Horns couldn¡¯t make it to her birthday since they were currently in a dungeon. However, she got over it quickly after seeing the wrapped boxes in my hands.


    "Happy birthday, little sister." I gave her my present and handed the other box, which wasn¡¯t as prettily decorated, to my mother.


    "Wow! It¡¯s so pretty!" My sister was ecstatic at the precious ne, though she probably would never know how much it was worth.


    "Th-This is gorgeous..." My mother¡¯s reaction was actually even stronger than Ellie¡¯s, her eyes locked on to the light pink gem embedded on the white gold chain.


    "Keep it on at all times, okay?" I said directly to my sister, but I also looked at my mother so that she would catch my drift.


    "Where in the world did you get something like this, Son?" My father was still a little tipsy but he was fully functional.


    "I¡¯m sure you met Mr. Gideon, right? I¡¯m going to start working for him while he teaches me various things about magic. He gave me this as a token of my apprenticeship." It wasn¡¯t a lie but it wasn¡¯t exactly the full truth either.


    "Well, I¡¯ll have to greet him one more time and thank him for taking care of you. I can¡¯t believe my boy is going to attend Xyrus Academy soon! You¡¯re going to kick some butt out there, right? Ow!" My mother smacked him upside the head at thest statement and gave me a big hug, my sister following suit.


    "Thank you for these presents. We¡¯ll both keep them on, right Ellie?" She hugged my sister too.


    "Yeah! We¡¯re matching now!" she chirped, a newfound glow on her face. I was d that she liked it, but more importantly, relieved that she¡¯d be safe. That was all that really mattered that this point.


    _________________________________________________________________


    After my sister¡¯s birthday, my daily life had turned very repetitive. My birthday passed by as well, and although the Twin Horns couldn¡¯t make it, their dungeon exploration leading them to the depths of the Continent, we did hear back from them at Guild Hall, indicating that they were still alive and okay. My birthday was nowhere near as grand as Ellie¡¯s but I had no qualms with that.


    Only a few people aside from my and Lilia¡¯s family came, Gideon included, of course. He gave me exactly what I asked for, which was a seal for my attribute mana for fire and water.


    "While it¡¯s a little gaudy, keep this bracelet on at all times when you want to hide your mana attributes. It¡¯s still a trial product from me, so be careful. The two charms on the bracelet can each hide and seal one elemental attribute¡¯s mana from being sensed and gauged by others. By gods, I still can¡¯t believe you were a quadra-elemental augmenter but..."


    I¡¯d gotten a lot closer to Gideon over these past few months and, while he was quite entric and quirky, he was a sincere and trustworthy person. However, I hadn¡¯t indulged him in much besides my abilities as a mage, which he took as quite a shock.


    My birthday was, all in all, a quiet and pleasant time with my family. Elijah and I quickly went back into training, and while his abilities had be a lot less powerful, he had be a lot more adept in controlling his Earth and Metal conjuring. Still, he had a lot to learn if he was going to catch up to me, but we both had time.


    As for me, training was going by steadily. I was nning to only use earth and wind attribute mana, which probably ounted for twenty percent of my actual power, but that didn¡¯t mean I nned onying low and hiding myself at school. Why not enjoy the benefits of being a handsome and prodigal dual elemental augmenter? I had a family that I had to make proud, right?


    Elijah was much more eager to go to school than I was, expressing on many asions what kind of "hot" female friends he¡¯d make. I kept telling him that we were only twelve and that girls weren¡¯t "hot" at our age, but he filtered that out and said he was going to try and woo the older girls as well.


    My father¡¯s training resumed, albeit a bit slower after he used all the benefits from the beast core I¡¯d brought, but he did manage to level up his fire augmentations, and his skills and abilities became a light orange rather than red like most other fire augmenters.


    Like I expected, the beast will didn¡¯t react to Elijah when I gave it to him. He couldn¡¯t even sense anything, bing confused as to why I still had it.


    With Ellie enjoying school and bringing a closer group of friends over more often and my mother and Tabitha enjoying the free time of being housewives, life couldn¡¯t be any more content. Seeing how peaceful and happy they were, I would give my life to make sure itsted as long as possible.


    The eventful day in the Dicathen Calendar, marking the day the first steam engine ship called the Dicatheous would set sail on a voyage to the other Continent, also marked another important day.


    The Dicatheous was scheduled to set sail tomorrow, which was also the day both Elijah and I would start our first day of Xyrus Academy.


    Dear Readers: As volume 2 hase to an end, I¡¯d like to just thank you all for your wonderful support and amusingments. Sorry for mere two chapter release¡ªI promise that the releasing pace of this novel will get faster. I hope everyone will continue enjoying the uing adventures of Arthur and co. Also, please don¡¯t forget to leave a review here for hesitant onlookers to see!


    Thank you,


    TurtleMe

 Chapter 44: Xyrus Academy

    "Wake up!" a shout pierced through my ears.


    Air was forced out of my lungs as Elijah oh-so-tenderly pounded my sternum with the force capable of resuscitating a corpse.


    I threw the sleeping Sylvie at him in hopes that she¡¯d protect me from my aggressive roommate.


    "Sylvie! It Hurts!" Elijah howled. As expected, my startled bond had instinctively started wing at Elijah¡¯s face until she calmed down.


    "There has got to be a better way to wake me up besides physical pain," I grumbled, rubbing my stomach.


    "You¡¯re telling me. Do you know how hard it is to wake you up? And you reward me by throwing Sylvie at me? Even if she isn¡¯t in her full dragon form, do you know how sharp her ws are?" He winced, gingerly touching the shallow scratches that Sylvie had inflicted.


    "Anyways! We¡¯re going to bete if you don¡¯t hurry up and get ready. I¡¯ve already washed up so get your butt out of bed." Elijah stood on top of my bed, pushing me off with his foot.


    "Let¡¯s go wash up, Sylv!" I pretended to be excited as I grabbed mypanion and headed over to the shower.


    ¡¯No! Papa, I don¡¯t want to shower! I¡¯m cleaaan!¡¯ "Kyuuuu!" The desperate wails of Sylvie merely escaped out the other ear as I hauled her inside. Sylvie now had fur, or very thin, long and soft scales that were very simr to fur. This meant that she attracted dirt like a ma, so washing her more often had be a necessity.


    "Brother, are you awake?" Ellie opened the door as I was changing. Elijah was at least fully dressed but I only had my bottom half clothed.


    "How do you like your big brother¡¯s awesome muscles?" I flexed my body in different poses.


    "Eww! All I see are skin and bones, Brother." She just shook her head, giving me a hard stare that seemed to question whether I was the same brother she so admired back on her birthday.


    "Anyway, Mom told you guys to hurry up and get dressed so we can eat." Ellie closed the door behind her without waiting for a reply.


    I let out a sigh as I started buttoning my shirt. She was so cute at her birthday party. Kids grow up too fast.


    The uniforms that Xyrus had sent us weren¡¯t too out of the ordinary. For me, it consisted of a white dress shirt, a grey vest, a maroon string we tied around our necks underneath the cor, and a pair of tailored navy dress pants. There was also a gold pocket watch attached to a chain on my vest¡¯s breast pocket, overall giving me a very schrly look.


    Elijah¡¯s uniform, on the other hand, had a much sharper design. His ck zer had white trimmings that matched his ck pants. Instead of a string, he wore a ck square-end tie with one white stripe, indicating that he was a level one student. With his white dress shirt underneath and a badge with a crossed sword and staff etched intricately over the breast pocket, he looked dashing.


    Instead of the usual tools a conjurer carried, Elijah, instead, had fashioned a ck two-part band on his index and ring finger. These two bands were connected by a thin ck chain, which gave him a very gothic look, especially now that he¡¯d recently purchased new sses that were a bit more fashionable. He made it pretty clear to me that this would be his debut in finding a girlfriend so he took great pride in how he looked, although he always grumbled on about how no matter how much he tried, he would always be in my shadow.


    I gave him a helpless shrug, but I took a mental note to thank my mother and father for their genester.


    Taking a good look at both Elijah and myself in the mirror, I could tell how much we¡¯d matured physically. The once nerdy Elijah from two years ago was now gone, a much sharper and cooler appearance recing him, which oddly contradicted his personality.


    As for myself, my eyes were a rich sapphire color that almost seemed to glow, my hair a fiery auburn color that contrasted well with my eyes. Bluish eyes and reddish hair made me realize how coincidental it all was. What were the odds that my defining traits aligned with the two base elements I was most adept at? My facial features were a lot softerpared to Elijah¡¯s but while soft and kind, they also looked poised and elegant.


    I studied my face as if it weren¡¯t my own. Even after twelve years in this body, I hadn¡¯t gottenpletely used to my appearancepared to the rather normal face I had in my old world.


    "Are you sure you made the right choice, Art? I can¡¯t believe you wanted to go in as a schr mage. I thought you would for sure go in as a battle mage like me," Elijah remarked as he styled his hair. The trim straight ck hair that he had was now shorter and styled to the side.


    "And I can¡¯t believe one of the main reasons you wanted to attend Xyrus as a battle mage student was because it had cuter girls." I pped him firmly on the back while giving him a perverted smile.


    "Shut up... Just watch. The new and improved Elijah will be popr and find a girlfriend that can only make you drool in jealousy!" He adjusted his zer, taking onest look at himself. Obviously satisfied by his appearance, he walked towards the door while I followed. Sylvie hopping on top of my head and her small ws dug into my scalp to keep grip, worrying me ever-so-slightly that I might bald prematurely.


    "Took you boys long enough to get ready! Who are you guys trying to impress?" My mother wagged her finger at us while Tabitha, who was in an apron matching my mother¡¯s, started giggling.


    "Good morning, boys. Hurry up and eat. Lilia is going to be up onstage for the orientation since she¡¯s part of the student council. She¡¯s probably nervous by now so make sure you cheer her on." Tabitha sat down across from us next to Mother and Ellie.


    "I see the both of you are wearing the nes I gave you," I noted while my mouth was still full of oatmeal and fruit.


    "Yup, why wouldn¡¯t I when it¡¯s such a beautiful piece of jewelry? I wish your father had half the amount of sense that you do," my mother sighed, fiddling with the Phoenix Wyrm ornament.


    "All my friends are jealous because of how pretty it is! Be sure to get me things like these more, okay Brother?" Ellie leaned forward on her chair as she talked excitedly.


    "Sure," I dismissed, trying to calcte exactly how much something like the pendant would actually cost.


    "Umm, Aunt Alice? do you mind healing my face before we go to school? I don¡¯t want my debut at school to go wrong because of these cat scratches." Elijah turned his gaze to Sylvie who stuck her tongue out in reply.


    "Still fighting with Sylvie?" my mother grinned. "Come here and let me take a look at that." She ced a hand in front of Elijah¡¯s face and whispered a faint chant until a glow started emanating from her fingertips. A few momentster, the small scratches on his face disappeared as Elijah let out a content sigh.


    "Thanks, Aunt Alice." Elijah leaned back in his chair and continued eating breakfast.


    My father came in, quite evident he had been training from the beads of sweat rolling down his face. "Sorry I¡¯mte for breakfast! I was in the middle of a small breakthrough!" He eagerly sat down and looked at Elijah and me. "Wow, my two boys are already going to school. I can¡¯t believe it. Looks like we raised Arthur well, right honey?" My father smiled broadly.


    "What do you mean ¡¯we¡¯? I was the one that raised him," my mother scoffed, giving him a sly grin.


    "I guess the only times I raised my children were when they got into trouble then?" My father raised a brow.


    "As long as you know," my mother stated matter-of-factly, causing the whole table to chuckle.


    The only ones missing were Vincent and Lilia. Lilia had to go to school a few days earlier since she had to do some work for the student council but Vincent had been more and more busy these days as he was part of the managementmittee for the ship, Dicatheous, setting sail today.


    "I was pretty surprised when you said that you wanted to attend Xyrus as a schr mage though, Art," my father brought up while scarfing down his eggs.


    "Yeah, both are good choices but, in the end, battle mages are the ones that get all the glory," Tabitha sighed. Lilia was a battle mage as well despite disagreements from both Tabitha and Vincent. The two of them wanted Lilia to be a schr mage since it would be a lot less dangerous in the future but Lilia was persistent on making a name for herself.


    "I¡¯ll still take some general sses on mana battling whenever I can to loosen my muscles but there¡¯s not much for me to learn if it¡¯s just fighting tactics," I chuckled.


    "Not much to learn... If any of the students heard you say that, you¡¯d get beat up¡ªno wait, if the could even beat you up." Elijah justughed to himself at the thought of the massacre the school would have if anyone picked a fight with me.


    "Please control yourself to a degree, Arthur. There are members of very influential families attending that school. You wouldn¡¯t want to create trouble for Tabitha¡¯s family," my mother chided, her face filled with worry.


    "Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be sure to only moderately beat people up!" I saluted while stuffing my face with more oatmeal, Sylvie stealing the fruits mixed into it. My mother just shook her head but my fatherughed, just as a maid walked in.


    "Mr. Arthur, Mr. Elijah, the driver says that we should leave now if you are to make it on-time for the orientation ceremony," she said while bowing.


    "Well, off we go!" Elijah finished thest bite of his ham and stuffed some greens into his mouth before standing up and straightening his ck zer.


    I stood up and walked around the table to where my mother and Ellie sat. "Mom, Ellie, before I leave, I need you guys to show me your index finger for a bit."


    "Huh?" My mother looked at me, confused, but nevertheless showed me her index finger while my sister unhesitatingly followed suit. I took a quick poke at both their index fingers with my mana-imbued finger, just enough for a droplet of blood to form on the tips of theirs.


    "Put the blood on the nes." The seriousness in my voice made them silently concede despite their initial surprise. They both ced their index fingers on their respective nes and the blood on the tip of their fingers got absorbed into the jewel immediately.


    "These nes are now bound to you so only you two can wear them. They¡¯ll protect you just in case me or Dad isn¡¯t there, but still keep yourselves safe while I¡¯m gone, okay?" I gave the both of them a strong hug and my sister teared up a little bit. I hugged my father and Tabitha as well, my father holding me firmly in his strong arms.


    "Be good, boys, and don¡¯t worry about us," my father said.


    "Come visit whenever you can and keep in touch!" My mother added before letting us off.


    "Bye Brother, bye Elijah! Be safe!" my sister shouted out to us as we walked down the stairs.


    "Your luggage is in the back of the carriage." The driver bowed and opens the door for the both of us.


    "Destination, Xyrus Academy!" Elijah pointed his finger to the sky as if making a deration before getting inside the carriage.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile, looking back at my old home, as I stepped inside the carriage that would bring me to my new one.


    ___________________________________________________________________


    The ride to Xyrus Academy wasn¡¯t too long since it was in the same city, but the campus itself was enormous, so going in through the main gate took some time.


    There was an abundance of other extravagantly decorated carriages, some twice as long as normal carriages, with low-ranked mana beasts pulling them.


    "Pshh... what a bunch of show-offs," Elijah grumbled as he watched pompous-looking students, confidently stepping out of carriages, with decorated weapons to signify that they were either a conjurer or augmenter.


    Our carriage was quite luxurious as well, but that was from the standpoint ofmoners. Compared to those richly decorated carriages of major families, ours weren¡¯t nearly as eye-catching.


    "We have arrived, Master Arthur, Master Elijah." The driver opened the door for us and we stepped out, the both of us inhaling a deep breath of the campus air.


    "Huh...the air tastes the same here...Thought it¡¯d taste better," Elijah said while smacking his lips.


    "Don¡¯t be stupid." I pushed my friend forward as we followed the crowd of students walking on the bright marble path.


    "Holy mother of..." Elijah¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked almost vertically up at the building in front of us. The enormous white building that had runes etched covering it left even me astounded.


    "Let¡¯s go in." I snapped Elijah back to his senses and we walked in alongside the other new students attending this school for the first time.


    Once inside, I winced by how loud it was. Thousands of excited students chattered away, some with friends that they hade with, some with people they were meeting for the first time.


    "LET¡¯S FIND A SEAT!" I needed to shout for Elijah, who was right next to me, to hear. Eventually, we found a seat in the middle of the auditorium near the back rows.


    Looking around more carefully, I was surprised at how many dwarves and elves I spotted, chatting away with those around them.


    "Wow, I¡¯ve never seen full elves until now. Looks like it¡¯s true that all three races can fully attend this academy now." Elijah excitedly looked around, scouting for potential soul mates amongst the crowd. I couldn¡¯t help but shake my head at the expected behavior, unable to see these students as anything other than little kids.


    Getting bored of looking around me, I focused my attention on the stage where it was still empty except for a single podium. Suddenly, a sharp blur focused into form and I saw Director Goodsky standing behind the podium. She wasn¡¯t wearing the oversized hat that conjurers normally wore like she did thest time we met almost four years ago. Instead, she wore an elegant white circlet that matched her white robe, appearing much more refined than the witch-like impression she had given off on our first encounter. Director Goodsky had her eyes closed but when she opened them, she seemed to be peering straight into me, sending shivers down my back. Smiling, she raised her hand slowly while her eyes remained locked onto mine.


    By this time, many more of the iing first years noticed her and began talking even louder, some cheering, but when Director Goodsky¡¯s hand reached the level of her head, suddenly, everything went dead silent.


    Looking around, everyone had expressions of surprise, because while everyone¡¯s lips were moving, no sound was heard from anyone in the audience.


    "Excuse me for my rudeness but I do hate speaking up. Not good for my throat, no it is not," she said in a pleasant voice that¡ªwhile soft¡ªwas heard perfectly clear, even from here in the back row.


    "I wee everyone here, the future leaders, schrs and powerhouses of Dicathen, to this humble academy. I am Cynthia Goodsky. Please call me Director Goodsky and do not be afraid to say hello when I walk around campus. I am no good with speeches so I stand here before you mages today to say hello, and introduce to you the Student Council that represents this academy and takes part in making important decisions along with me. Please give them a warm wee." She waved her raised hand and one by one, members of the council started walking out.


    I first saw Jarrod walking confidently, looking straight ahead, his pretty boy face eliciting a wave of shrill screams from the girls in the audience. Behind him, a very yful, cheery guy came out waving at the audience and beaming us a bright smile.


    "Look, look! There¡¯s Lilia! We need to cheer!" Elijah stood up and shouted at the top of his lungs and I followed him, yelling her name as well. Her shy demeanor was nowhere to be seen as she walked calmly towards the center of the stage, where she gave small bows in each direction. There was no way she could see us or make out our individual cheers but we still gave it our all to cheer on our friend.


    Behind her walked out a tall student with long, parted bangs. His face was frozen into what looked like a stern grimace with a sharp gaze that seemed to be looking down on everyone, giving him a rather pompous appearance. While the cheers for him wasn¡¯t as loud as it was for Jarrod or the cheery guy, he, nheless, strode with practiced grace.


    Finally, thest to arrive actually made the crowd silent. The unmistakable gunmetal silver hair that reflected the lights in the auditorium gave her a serene glow as her peachy-creamplexion made the boys around me gape. She turned to face the audience so that her round, turquoise eyes captured the hearts of every boy in this auditorium.


    She was only thirteen...right?


    I had a hard time believing the girl I couldn¡¯t see as more than a kid had matured enough to catch me off guard. Her face still contained a childish innocence but the way she carried herself made me doubt that this was the same girl I had known since near-toddlerhood.


    While still a little taller than Lilia, she was quite a bit shorter than the serious-looking guy next to her, but her posture made her seem bigger and grander than everyone else on the stage. Taking a deep bow, she came back up while tucking part of her hair behind her pointed ears, her face emotionless as a doll¡¯s.


    "My name is Tessia Eralith, and I am honored to stand here as this academy¡¯s Student Council President."

 Chapter 45: You Dare?

    The iing students of all three races that were cheering for each of the Student Council members fell silent when Tess walked in. With her gunmetal silver hair swaying behind her as each of her dignified steps echoed throughout the silent auditorium, she single-handedly changed the atmosphere inside this entire building.


    As she bowed and tucked her hair behind her ear, a roar of apuse erupted as both males and females alike cheered with admiration. I thought the cheers wouldst a lot longer but as soon as Tess started speaking, it was as if each of the students in the crowd covered each others¡¯ mouth so that they could hear her voice.


    "My name is Tessia Eralith, and I am honored to stand here as this academy¡¯s student council president."


    Murmurs started after the crowd once again cheered for our beautiful president. Next to me, a scrawny human boy spoke excitedly to his friend beside him.


    "That¡¯s the Princess Eralith I was talking about. My older brother told me she¡¯s been on campus sincest year as a direct disciple under the Director and will start formally attending this year with us!" He leaned into his friend so only he could hear but the volume at which he spoke betrayed him.


    "Th-That means she was the first non-human to set foot on this campus. Wait... she¡¯s only a first year and she¡¯s already the Student Council President? Is that even possible?" His friend, whom I couldn¡¯t really see, spoke louder and louder with each word, causing the neighboring students to hear as well.


    "Yeah, I heard of her as well! She¡¯s supposedly a super-genius of some sort, right?"


    "Why the hell is she so damn pretty when she¡¯s talented as well? This isn¡¯t even fair..."


    "I wonder what I would have to do to get her to even look at me?"


    The audience was filled with different talks about Tess but while, for the males, it revolved around how much of an unobtainable star she was, for the females, it was a mixture of admiration and envy. Sylvie was going crazy on top of my head as she recognized Tess down onstage.


    "Kyuu~" ¡¯Papa! That¡¯s Mama! She¡¯s down there! Let¡¯s go say hi!¡¯ Sylv was jumping up and down so I picked her up and wrapped my arms around her.


    ¡¯Who¡¯s your Mama!?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but sigh in defeat at her excitement. Tess became pretty close to Sylvie a bit after hatching so I could see why she was so fond of her... but ¡¯Mama¡¯?


    "Woah..." Elijah, who I had stopped paying attention to, firmly gripped my arm with both of his hands as if he needed me to support him from fainting.


    "Woah," he repeated. For how smart he looked, he sure acted like an idiot at times like these.


    "You okay there, Elijah?" I lightly nudged his head but it just bounced like a bobblehead toy.


    "...Art...I think I¡¯m in love." He suddenly released the hands that had firmly gripped my arm to link arms with me, as if to imagine I was Tess.


    Okay, this is getting out of hand. I released my bond to attack and she promptly locked her jaw on the top of Elijah¡¯s head, causing him to start screaming more from surprise than pain.


    "Oh, sorry..." With Sylvie still dangling on the crown of his head, Elijah let go of my arm and started focusing on the stage below again.


    As the crowd settled down enough for Tess to start speaking again, Director Goodsky silently disappeared.


    Tess spoke eloquently enough to surprise even me. She was only thirteen, yet she had the ability to draw the crowd¡¯s full attention with her unadorned words filled with maturity. She spoke about the principles of this academy, how this was a holy ground where students should feel safe to walk freely around. Tess emphasized the discipline one would face if anyone hurt another student outside of a consented duel.


    "While I may be a first year as all of you are, having given the privilege to be inside the academy a year longer made it all too apparent to me that there is deeply embedded discrimination against the schr mage students by the battle mage students. I, for one, will not tolerate any sort of aggression or bullying based on the trivial fact that one is a schr mage student." Tess¡¯ voice never wavered as she stood behind the podium.


    The crowd grew a little noisy at this statement, as everyone present had heard rumors of the hardships one may face as a schr mage student.


    "Starting this year, while uniforms and the upper courses required may be different, for the first two years, general education, that contains a mixture of both schr mage sses and battle mage sses will be mandatory, for better assimtion between the two different types of students. After the two years are up, one may choose to switch their education specialization by taking a test, although it will be quite a difficult one." Thisst statement drew in dissatisfiedins from amongst the students in the crowd. While both Elijah and I didn¡¯t have to take a test due to my special connection with Director Goodsky, most students, regardless of background, had to test for either a schr mage or battle mage position.


    To get in as a schr mage, an iing student only needed a basic foundation of magic, which was mana gathering. While they had to take a written exam to test their mental acuteness, the practical portion of the exam was much more simple. battle mage students, however, had a much stricter practical exam, and actually performed basic spells or techniques depending on whether they were a Conjurer or Augmenter. It may have seemed like a cakewalk for someone like Elijah, Tess, or me, but I admit it could be quite a challenge for someone who had just awakened.


    The tall, stern-looking student stepped up next, silencing the crowd with a wave of his hand.


    "My name is Clive Graves and I am your Student Vice President. As the President mentioned, this year contains many changes. Along with the assimtion and freedom to move between the two student types, there will also be no limit on how long a student can attend this academy. While in the past, the professors here pushed students to graduate after four years, it is bing more and more apparent that many graduating mages¡¯ capabilities are bing less than satisfactory. Therefore, the Director has dered that instead of a time limit on graduating, in order to graduate from Xyrus Academy, one needs to fulfill a list of requirements and pass the graduation exam.


    While the conditions to graduate have be many folds harder, the time limit to graduate has increased to ten years. In that time, we fervently hope to produce top ss mages in both theoretical andbat fields. We wee everyone here¡ªhumans, elves and dwarves alike¡ªto this Academy." Clive bowed, the rest of the Student Council following him.


    Thest part of the announcement wasn¡¯t exactly news for any of us. It was announced quite recently though, which made me think that it had something to do with the new Continent. Was this Academy being used to produce higher quality mages in case of a future battle against the new Continent?


    "That¡¯s the firstborn son of the famous Graves family! Make sure you don¡¯t get on his bad side," the boy next to me whispered, again, in a pointlessly loud volume.


    After finishing up the ceremony, all the new students were dismissed to their dorms. Filing out of the auditorium, my eyes unconsciously looked for Tess, but she was nowhere in sight. Outside, the trees arched over the marble walkways producing small showers of fall-colored leaves. The students were all excitedly chatting amongst their peers, getting to know new people. Walking deeper within the campus to where the dorms were, I saw a few female students pass by Elijah and I, doing a double-take back at us and giggling with their friends.


    Elijah sighed. "I feel like I be significantly less better-looking when I¡¯m next to you." Elijah¡¯s shoulders hunched as we walked along side-by-side, Sylvie pitifully patting Elijah¡¯s head from on top of mine.


    "Well, even if moste after me, some of the girls will have to eventually settle for you, right buddy?" I teased, giving him a yful wink.


    "Screw you." He hit me on the stomach as the both of usugh.


    Suddenly, a loud explosion startled the both of us as well as the students walking around nearby. Something was happening at the end of the marble walkway. After a quick exchange of nces, Elijah and I shot off.


    "I don¡¯t see how a short-ass dwarf like you can even hope to be a proper Augmenter. Why don¡¯t you stick to forging some weapons for real warriors like me?"


    "What da hell didja say? Who do ya think ya are, anyway?"


    I stopped running a good distance away and shook my head when I realized what was going on. It was just stupid posturing between two students. The explosion had been made by the human, hitting his fist on a nearby tree with mana.


    "Couldn¡¯t this be dangerous?" Elijah looked around where some of the students had to deliberately walk around the two of them, just in case they started fighting. We were amongst thest to leave the auditorium so most were already deeper within the campus or inside their dorms, so there weren¡¯t many people around but if they did start fighting, some of the students in the vicinity may get caught up in the mess.


    "They wouldn¡¯t dare do something like fight on the first day, right? Let¡¯s just go." I tried to nudge my friend to a roundabout route avoiding the two arguing students.


    "Come on, we have nothing to do besides unpack anyway! Let¡¯s just see how good they are. Look, the human looks to be a second level augmenter." He pointed at the brawny human.


    Looking at them, both the dwarf and human students had battle mage uniforms, but the human had two stripes on his tie while the dwarf only had one.


    "My name is Nics Dreyl! Dere the duel, short-ass, so we can start! Or are you all bark and no bite?" the human smirked, cing his right hand on the badge pinned to his left breast.


    "Tch! Yer gonna be sorry." The dwarf that was a head shorter than his opponent with a bulky build looked awkward wearing the zer uniform but the way he carried his giant battle-axe with ease told me he was more than what the single stripe on his tie told us.


    The metal badge on both the human and dwarf glowed brightly as the dwarf ced a hand on his badge and started chanting. "I dere a duel between me, Broznean Boor, and Nics Dreyl!"


    "I ept the duel!" The two badges glowed different colors until they synced together, producing a loud ¡¯ping¡¯ sound.


    The badge on the battle mage uniform and the pocket watch on the schr mage uniform acted as artifacts for the dueling system, creating a barrier around the users that could take a certain amount of force. When the barrier broke, the duel was considered over, and the other party the winner. It took around 24 hours for the artifact to charge another barrier where, during that time, dueling was prohibited. Mages of a higher level weren¡¯t allowed to issue a duel with lower levels to keep it fair, which was why the human had to taunt the dwarf to start the duel.


    The human mage took out dual swords from his dimension ring and got into a stance as the people around start backing up to avoid getting caught up in the fight.


    "Go dwarf!" Elijah started cheering in favor of Broznean, getting dirty looks in the process.


    I studied the two augmenters and saw that the level two human was a red core stage mage while the dwarf was still at ck stage. This should be interesting.


    "HAAP!" The human student roared as his two broadswords glow a dim yellow color and the earth surrounding him started trembling.


    "JAH!" The dwarf leaped up and propelled himself forward by pushing off of a nearby tree, charging his battle-axe as well with earth attribute mana.


    "Ooh! Both are earth-attribute augmenters, Art!" Elijah got more excited as leaned closer towards the fight as Sylvie curled up, sound asleep on my head.


    "Tremor Smash!" the dwarf shouted, cing his left palm on the head of his axe and making the dull glow condense.


    With a resounding boom, the power of the blow from the dwarf forced the human to skid back, even as he blocked with both swords. I could see his arms shaking as he grimaced.


    The human boy lowered his two swords and dashed towards the dwarf who was already in a defensive stance. The dual swords scraped along the ground. As he got into range, he swung up, a trail of earth followed along, creating twin des of earth after each sword.


    Not bad. While it wasn¡¯t surprising that the dwarf could already use his earth attribute element, it surprised me that a human in the red stage could already augment his earth attribute to that degree. He was talented in that sense.


    "Shatter!" The dwarf¡¯s body glowed yellow as he stomped his right foot hard onto the ground, creating a ripple around him that broke the earth de approaching him into fragments. The dwarf blocked the human¡¯s two actual des with his axe but got a little scrape on his arm from the upward swing.


    "Earth Pir!" Nick eximed. Following the upward swipe, he stomped hard with his leading foot directly in front of the dwarf, creating a pretty fragile column of rock from the ground that hit the dwarf squarely in the stomach.


    "Oof!" The dwarf¡¯s body lifted into the air from the force of the blow and his shield broke with loud shattering sound, signaling that the duel was over.


    Cheers went off from the humans that gathered but the dwarves amongst the audience groaned in embarrassment.


    Elijah just sighed and started to leave but before I turned to follow him, I saw a slight smirk on the human¡¯s face as he once again imbued mana into his two des.


    That fool wasn¡¯t nning on finishing it with that. He was going for the final blow.


    If I were to use a long-range technique, that¡¯d create even more problems, but if I went there and directly interfered, everyone would know my face.


    I was partly frustrated that Elijah couldn¡¯t figure out that the human was going to cast another technique. If Elijah interfered with a spell, it would be more natural since he was a conjurer.


    There was this way, too. Sorry, Tess.


    "Is that the student council president I seeing over?" I deliberately yelled louder so that the human boy that won the duel would be startled.


    Just like I anticipated, he clicked his tongue and put his swords back into his dimension ring, jerking his eyes around to find the president.


    The crowd that was talking amongst their friends, analyzing the duel, all started looking around for Tess.


    "Where¡¯s the student council president?" Elijah stretched his neck above the crowd to look for her.


    "Oops! I must¡¯ve been mistaken!" I just shrugged my shoulders and turned to walk past when a hand firmly grasped my shoulder.


    "Are you picking a fight with me or something, brat?" It was the human that was just dueling; Nick or Nicole or whatever.


    "Yeah! What the hell, man?! Getting us excited for nothing!" I saw some of the humans evidently disappointed at not being able to see their idol in person.


    "I thought I saw her. Once again, my bad." I used my hand to peel his hand off my shoulder, giving him a wink.


    "Yeah, your bad." He snatched his hand away before he walked off, spitting on the ground in front of my feet.


    "You know, a good piece of advice if you want to graduate. I don¡¯t think killing that dwarf boy would¡¯ve done you any good." I stood still as Sylvie spat directly at the back of his neck.


    He instantly whirled back around with his two swords in his hands once again. I could almost see a vein bulging out of his forehead like it would in a cartoon.


    "Pfft." Oops, I shouldn¡¯tugh in this situation. I took a quick nce back and saw that Elijah was just shaking his head, knowing it was toote.


    "You dare¡ª?" The thirteen-year-old boy with swords toorge for his immature body dashed towards me in a manner I found clumsy, preparing to cross-chop with his two des, his face bright red in anger.


    I raised an eyebrow as I lifted one hand up to stop the blow. Why make myself look foolish?


    Just as I prepared to shatter his two swords, a voice stopped him straight in his tracks. It was the voice that all of the new students heard not too long ago, and the voice probably every male had fallen in love with. It was also the voice of my childhood friend.


    "Do you dare?"

 Chapter 46: Not Quite As Planned

    The face of the dual-wielding boy visibly paled as he froze at the unmistakable voice. I turned to see that the whole student council was walking towards us through a gap created by the students.


    Taking calm but hurried strides in the front was Tess, her doll-like face expressionless. Behind her, I spotted Lilia, who gave me a worried look.


    My attacker immediately recalled his two des into his dimension ring and gave a respectful bow towards them, sweat beading down his forehead.


    "What is going on, Arthur?" Jarrod is the one that spoke up, making everyone in the crowd raise an eyebrow in surprise.


    "Looks like the schr Mage knows someone from the student council."


    "No wonder he was acting so cocky just now."


    "Pfft. Did you see him raise up his arm like he was going to stop the attack with his bare hands?"


    I couldn¡¯t help but roll my eyes at the whispers from the crowd. Even for preteen children, I had expected them to be taught manners to some degree since they were all from influential families.


    "No, nothing much happened, although you should go take a look at that dwarf student lying over there¡ªBoznean, I think that was his name." I pointed over to the tree where the dwarf was still groaning while clutching his stomach.


    Elijah walked towards me, hoping to distill the situation. "Hi, Lilia. Sorry, we ended up getting caught up in this little scuffle after the duel between them ended. No harm done!" He gave a slight wave at her as he started talking while directing his words at Tess, her face still shrouded in a mask of apathy.


    "Still, this student was about to attack you when a duel wasn¡¯t even issued. This is a serious offense." Lilia stepped up, her gaze a bit sterner as she pulled out a small notebook and jotted something down.


    While Lilia, Jarrod, and Elijah were talking about what exactly happened, Tessia¡¯s piercing eyes drilled into me, as if she was expecting me to do something. Honestly, even with extended life experience, I have no confidence in what to do when it came to these situations.


    Did she want me to treat her respectfully as the student council president? Did she want me to treat her as a childhood friend? Did she want to keep our past rtionship a secret as a whole?


    ¡¯It¡¯s Mama!¡¯ Sylvie ¡¯kyu¡¯d¡¯ on top of my head, and I had to firmly tell her to hold still and not go to her.


    Meanwhile, the crowd was getting more and more rowdy, the males doing the best they could to get a better look at Tess, hoping to engrain her image into their memories to use in times of loneliness or longing.


    "You. I believed I asked you a question. Do you dare?" She took a step forward, her eyes boring down on the second-year student. I was thinking that the student was technically a level higher than Tess, but when I took a look at the ribbon that was tied neatly underneath her cor, it had two stripes as well.


    "N-No. Of course I would never dare break the rules like that. I simply wanted to scare the boy¡ªI had nned to stop before my weapon would hit him. But seeing that I was still acting rashly, I apologize," he said, shooting me a threatening re as he bowed to Tess.


    "Leave." Her eyes continued to look down at him as he shuffled a good distance away before he turned around and ran out of sight, a few of the boys in the crowd following after him; most likely the ones that fanned the me in this whole scuffle.


    "And you! Why are you starting a fight with a senior on the first day of school? You should know your ce! No matter how rowdy he may have been, he is still your senior and he didn¡¯t break the rules when dueling with the other student. Furthermore, he is a battle mage student while you are a schr mage student. Did you not pay attention to my speech about discrimination between the two sects of students here? Yet, you still chose to interfere, making these types of problems apparent on the first day!" She knit her arms tightly as her stern gaze bore down on me, her face flushed with either anger or embarrassment¡ªwhich of the two, I couldn¡¯t tell.


    "What?" My gaze narrowed as I asked, unsure if I heard her correctly.


    I took a step forward this time, and I could see Elijah¡¯s eyes widen in horror as he realized I was going to go past the point of no return.


    "Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but it seems to me like you¡¯re lecturing me based on a presumption you drew from thest five seconds of stumbling upon this situation. Are you really lecturing me, right now?" I took another step forward and I could see Tess¡¯s once haughty face beginning to crumble.


    "He was about to seriously injure or even kill that dwarf lying there right now, after the duel system broke. If I hadn¡¯t stopped that arrogant brat, you would¡¯ve had to deal with a murder case, not an unregted fight between two students," I continued, my voiceing out louder than I had wanted to.


    "I apologize for the trouble I¡¯ve caused, Student Council President," I said icily, stunning everyone, including Tess.


    As soon as I turned around, a hard lump formed in my throat from the guilt. I had just mocked the students for their immaturity, but here I was, acting the same way. I had forgotten that Tess was just a thirteen-year-old girl, yet I had expected her to act in a way that even I couldn¡¯t.


    Elijah followed closely behind as I kept walking, my pride keeping me from turning back around.


    What a lovely reunion.


    "Hold it, first year." Clive Graves ran towards me, grabbing me by the arm as he tried to spin me back around. "Were you raised in a cave? Are these the manners your mother taught you growing up? Do you even know who she is?"


    Holding firm, I stopped and looked at him over my shoulder.


    I knew from first nce that I would¡¯ve never gotten along with him, but his words somehow had the power to irk me more than most fools. Was I raised in a cave? Was he seriously deprecating my mother?


    "Let go." The malice dripping in my voice startled even Elijah as he instinctively took a step back. Clive immediately released my arm, jumping away as he guarded himself with mana.


    I took a quick nce at Tess and realized she¡¯d fallen down, more from surprise than out of fear. There was a brief moment where I asked myself if I should help her back up, but as a crowd quickly formed around her to make sure she was okay, I simply let out a sigh and continued my way towards the dorm. Elijah trailed behind as gasps and startled murmurs resounded behind us.


    "President Tessia, please get back up! Are you okay?"


    "Who the hell was that? I think Treasurer Jarrod called him Arthur, right?"


    "Oh man, he is so screwed. He just told off the student council president of the academy."


    Elijah took a few hurried steps to catch up to me, eventually walking by my side. "You know what you just did, right? Man, you sure love attracting trouble, don¡¯t you? First the dungeon and now this?" He shook his head but continued to follow me as he reassured me nonverbally that he¡¯d remain by my side.


    I almost chuckled at the fact that no one knew my history with Tess until another wave of guilt twisted my insides. Maybe I was bit too harsh on her¡ªno I was definitely too harsh on her. She¡¯s still just a little girl! I shouldn¡¯t have lost my patience just because she acted her age.


    As the guilt consumed my thoughts, I pped my cheeks and decided to let nature take its course¡ªbecause that was always the best course of action to take in a rtionship.


    School should at least be this exciting, right? Iforted myself. I wasn¡¯t really mad at her, but for some reason, my patience had grown thin at that moment. I knew I should reconcile with her before it became too awkward but I got the feeling that the timing was going to be an issue.


    Elijah and I had managed to make it to our dorm building without further trouble. There were two male dorms and two female dorms within the academy. The two set of dorms were separated by underssmen and upperssmen. Underssmen were students that were still taking their general education sses. These students were then moved into the upperssmen dorms after they¡¯d finished their general education courses and had formally decided on what type of student they were going to be.


    The underssmen dorms were simple, to say the least. It was clean and well-kept butckluster in terms of furniture or decorations. It was a warm beige-colored interior with stairs that went all the way up to the top floor, where each floor contained a narrow hallway lined with rooms.


    "Room 394. We¡¯re here!" Elijah unlocked the door by cing his palm on a round stone above the handle. It looked to be a simple artifact used to read basic mana signatures. As soon as he had opened the door, Sylvie bolted into the room, immediately making a nest out of one of the beds.


    The room wasn¡¯t nearly as fancy as the one in the Helstea Manor but had a very homey feel. Walking in, to our right were two closets and to our left was a small bathroom crammed with two adjacent sinks, a shower and toilet.


    Two beds were ced side by side, separated by a nightstand ced against the left side of the wall while on the right side was a long drawer for folded clothes. The sleeping area and the studying area were divided by a wall that came up to our waist, with three elevated steps leading to an arrangement of desks and couches. The two desks were ced against walls opposite of each other so we would be seated facing away while studying. A long couch was positioned against the miniature wall, separating the desks from the beds. The far side of the wall was made almost entirely of ss, which instantly attracted me towards it. The view epassed a big portion of the campus, which was currently a canvas of fall colors. Looking at it from here, I would have no idea that this ce was an institute for mages without being told so.


    I took a seat on the couch, somewhat excited about the days toe. Sylvie leaned against the window, looking out at the view.


    "Ahh! We didn¡¯t even have dinner yet but I¡¯m already pooped! I wonder whose fault that is?" Elijah jumped on the far bed that was right behind the couch, the one that Sylvie hadn¡¯t imed as hers.


    I fell onto the couch, my body practically melting from fatigue. My eyes zed over, staring off into the sky outside my window until I noticed the pile of luggage cases that were brought in by our driver beforehand. Letting out a sigh, I turned away and denied their existence, dreading the hours of unpacking toe.


    TESSIA ERALITH¡¯S POV:


    GAAHHHHHH! I screwed up. I screwed up. I screwed up. I TOTALLY screwed up!


    I buried my head into my pillow and screamed my lungs out in frustration.


    "MMMMMMMFFFFFFFFFPPPHHH!" We were supposed to have an emotional, romantic reunion! Well, it was emotional, but in theplete opposite direction! Why did I even say all of that anyway? Why did Ish out at him? I know Art would never pick a fight without a reason but I just went and told him off on something I didn¡¯t even see! Gah!! I¡¯m so stupid!


    I bet he hates me now...


    Why did I say that! I even brought up my speech! Bahhh! I must¡¯ve sounded like such a snob! But still, we were in a crowd like that and he did have some fault in themotion. B-But...


    I¡¯m sure he hates me now...


    If Art just greeted me or even just talked to me normally, I wouldn¡¯t have said that! That¡¯s right! It¡¯s all Art¡¯s fault! He even ignored me when I came all the way there to help settle the mess he was in! He didn¡¯t even say hi! I wasn¡¯t expecting a full-blown hug or even a k-k-kiss or something! Just a ¡¯long time no see, Tess,¡¯ would¡¯ve been fine! Who was that ck-haired guy that reminds me of a raven, anyway? Is he his friend? Best friend? It seemed like the both of them knew Lilia and Jarrod! Gahh! This is so frustrating!


    I screamed into my pillow again in hopes of releasing some of my frustration. "MMMMMFFFFFF!"


    A sudden knock on my door jolted me upright.


    "This is Clive...I¡¯m here to check up on you. Are you feeling okay?" I heard the muffled voice through the door.


    I quietly cleared my throat before I responding. "I¡¯m fine, thank you." I used my ¡¯public¡¯ voice, as I called it, which made me sound much colder.


    "Who was that first year, anyway? I can¡¯t believe he dared lecture you like that when you were trying to give him advice! Should I talk to the director about this? We could get him punished and¡ª"


    "It¡¯s fine, so leave. Don¡¯t go to the director, either...that¡¯s an order." I spoke harsher than I usually did to get the point across. How dare he badmouth Art. Only I can badmouth him.


    I fell back onto my pillow after I heard the faint sound of his footsteps leaving. Dorms were separated by gender and ss while before, it was separated by the type of student you were. For the student councils though, we each had our own room in a building that was right next to the Director¡¯s office. It was ufortable living with guys in the same house, but Lilia was here, and the guys were generally okay, so I didn¡¯t mind too much.


    Stupid Arthur. Did you know how much I wanted to scream out your name and run to you when I saw you in the audience? Even if he was far away, how could I ever miss that bright auburn hair with a mana beast resting on top of his head! Sylvie looked really different from when she had first hatched but that didn¡¯t surprise me. The fact that she was a dragon was something that should¡¯ve shocked me but with Art, nothing he ever did could surprise me... he was just like that.


    "Haaa...." I didn¡¯t even have the energy to scream in frustration anymore. I wanted to me Art for all of this but I knew he wasn¡¯t all at fault. He probably wanted to keep our rtionship a secret for me since I was a public figure here. But still... Why was Art only dumb when ites to a girl¡¯s heart?


    Dummy...


    I hope he doesn¡¯t hate me...


    There were so many questions I wanted to ask him too. What has he been doing? How was his time as an adventurer? Did he get hurt anywhere? Did he miss me? Did he think of me at all these past four years?


    I wanted to brag to him how much stronger I¡¯d gotten too... After directly training under the director, my skills as a conjurer improved by leaps and bounds. I would¡¯ve trained under Grandpa, but it wasn¡¯t the best idea because he was an augmenter, which limited what he could teach me. He taught me the basics of mana maniption but as far as going down the route of a conjurer, the director knew a lot more. She was also familiar with the differences in elves and humans, which helped her train me specifically.


    Grandpa knew I had great potential because, when I first awakened, I created an implosion that blew up my entire room and part of the downstairs kitchen. That was back when Art used to live with us. That was when I had to wake him up every day too.


    I sniffled.


    Oh no. I shouldn¡¯t start crying. Art wouldn¡¯t hate me just for that, would he? I should just clear things up with him and apologize. He wouldn¡¯t ignore me, right?


    ¡¯Curse his ignorance and insensitivity towards the female heart!¡¯


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    I watched idly as Sylv took a nap beside me on the couch, her tiny body heaving up and down with each tiny breath.


    "It¡¯s not like you to explode like that all of a sudden though, Art. It would¡¯ve made more sense for you to just ignore her and walk off, right?" Elijah was still lying down in his bed, his hand propping his head up as he faced me.


    "Well, I admit I shouldn¡¯t have exploded but I couldn¡¯t help¡ª"


    We both turned our heads to the door when two brisk knocks interrupted our conversation.


    "That¡¯s strange, who would want to see us on the first day? Maybe our neighbors are just saying hello?" Elijah got up to answer the door.


    "Who is..." After a brief silence, I turned to see Elijah frozen still. Getting up to see what was going on, I saw Director Goodsky standing nonchntly at the door, smiling at me.


    "Good evening, Arthur. Elijah. May Ie in?"

 Chapter 47: Wiser Than The Wise

    "D-D-Director Goodsky! I-It¡¯s an honor to meet you in person." Elijah gave a forceful bow that looked almostedic towards the ever-graceful Cynthia Goodsky.


    He lifted his head back up too quickly, almost dropping his sses in the process while the director gave a polite smile, the crow¡¯s feet around her eyes adding to her charm.


    "Pleasee in, Director Goodsky. Elijah, stop blocking the doorway." I pulled out the chair from my desk, motioning for the director to take a seat on the sofa.


    "I told you to call me ¡¯Cynthia.¡¯" She pouted as she almost floated past Elijah and took a seat on the couch, the door closing on its own. The amount of harmony she had with the wind element continued to amaze me, as the air around her almost seem to bend to her will without even amand.


    "I don¡¯t think it would be wise of a twelve-year-old with no background to be on a first-name basis with the director of the most prestigious academy in this continent." I chuckled as I took a seat on my desk chair while she sat cross-legged on the couch cushion, her back straight and proper.


    "My...your bond has changed a lot in appearance since thest time we met. Intriguing." Cynthia tried to hold Sylvie, who was curled on the couch, but she hopped out of her reach and nestled herself on top of my head.


    "Haha, as shy as before, I see." She gave Sylvie onest studying look before turning her gaze to me. "Hmmm...how peculiar. I seem to only sense wind and earth attribute mana inside of you. Are you, by chance, using a seal?" She tilted her head to the side while Elijah stood ramrod straight behind her, as if in front of amanding officer in war.


    I lifted my left arm to reveal my bracelet with two charms dangling on it to answer her question.


    "Can¡¯t say I¡¯m not disappointed. I was hoping to go around unting you as my little prot¨¦g¨¦ but I guess even a dual elemental augmenter is rare enough to do so. Though you bing a schr mage student was something that I definitely expected." She let out a soft chuckle.


    "I was nning on paying a visit to your office to update you on some things but it saves me the trouble with youing here, I guess. I¡¯ve probably made an enemy from a not-so-friendly family while I was an adventurer so I don¡¯t want to give him any reasons to suspect me, at least not right now." I leaned back in my chair, studying the two charms attached to my bracelet.


    "Yes, I¡¯ve read the reports on the case between Adventurer Note, and Adventurer Lucas Wykes. Quite a troublesome foe you¡¯ve managed to procure. Since they are a military house, I do have a certain amount of authority over his family, but they have too many hidden workings that continue to elude us." Director Cynthia rubbed her chin, trying to think of a solution.


    "It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t consider that an urgent matter. He¡¯s just a chore I¡¯ll have to get around to finishing someday. If I do something rash now and it blows back to my friends and family, that¡¯s when it will be a problem. I would actually like your help with another matter." I put my elbows on my knees as I leaned forward towards Director Cynthia.


    "Please speak," she kindly replied.


    "I want to take higher level mana theory sses, especially those on deviants," I stated simply.


    "Hmm... That wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to do, but Arthur, wasn¡¯t one of your main reasons for attending this academy to fit in with your peers?" She eyed me in a scrutinizing manner.


    "I don¡¯t mind taking these extra sses on top of my normal ones, where I would be with students my age. I¡¯m just impatient to learn a bit more about deviant mana maniption since I¡¯ve hit a ceiling on that recently." I almost blurted out, ¡¯since there was no deviation magic in my old world.¡¯


    "Fine. I can make that happen, and I can even give you a pass to permit you to observe the upper ss top mages¡¯ mock battles as well." She sounded magnanimous but I only eyed her suspiciously.


    "Okay... So what¡¯s the catch?" I raised an eyebrow.


    "Arthur, I¡¯m heartbroken! I only wanted to do this for your growth!" She over-exaggeratedly ced a hand on top of her heart, as if genuinely offended.


    "Art! You¡¯re being rude to the director!" Elijah looked a little panicked, as he couldn¡¯t see the director¡¯s facial expression as she did this.


    I smiled at her, waiting silently for an answer.


    Goodsky sighed. "Very well. Of course I believe it¡¯s only fair to receive somepensation for doing these kinds of favors for you," she caved in, baffling Elijah.


    "I hope you don¡¯t say something absurd like joining the student council." I shook my head.


    "I heard of your little bout with the princess earlier," sheughed as my face turned a bit red in embarrassment.


    "I didn¡¯t expect the ever calm andposed Arthur Leywin to explode like that. I guess Princess Eralith is a bit special?" She was still snickering at my embarrassment.


    "Wait, what does she mean by that, Art?" Elijah walked towards us so he could see the both of us now, although he remained standing out of respect towards Cynthia.


    Before the Director answered, she looked to me to see if I was okay with it. After giving her an unconcerned shrug, she told Elijah. "Your best friend also happens to be the childhood friend of our lovely student council president." The Director¡¯s lips curled up into a sly grin, as if she was just a teenager telling some rich gossip.


    I was a little worried that Elijah¡¯s jaw might unhinge by how much his face cked. I could see a mixture of emotions, from shock to betrayal to envy, all in his face.


    "How? When? What?" He couldn¡¯t produceplete sentences as he tried to wrap his head around the whole situation.


    Ignoring him, I turned back to Cynthia. "How did you find out, anyway?" I asked, curious. "I¡¯m not surprised that you know but it shouldn¡¯t be something you could just randomly stumble upon either."


    "Haha, about that... Virion Eralith happens to be an old acquaintance of mine. I didn¡¯t tell anyone else, but I did excitedly mention to him that my academy would be receiving a gifted quadra-elemental mage in a couple of years. He and I were quitepetitive since way back, but he took the news quite calmly, which made me suspicious. However, I didn¡¯t find out until I took in his granddaughter as my disciple. Do you know the first thing she said when I took her in?"


    I could tell she was trying to hold in herughter, but why? I just shook my head in defeat, my face bing even a deeper shade of red.


    "¡¯When is Arthur Leywin going to start attending this school?¡¯" Director Cynthia said in a high-pitched voice, attributable to a younger Tess. For how grand and mysterious she might seem to everyone else, here she was,ughing like a preteen, taking joy in my embarrassment.


    "What? Art! How do you know her?" I could tell that Elijah practically wanted to choke the answers out of me but was holding it in since the director was still here. Although, she probably wouldn¡¯t have minded.


    "Eventually, I pieced two and two together. Really...Being trained by Virion, I feel somewhat betrayed, Arthur." She put on a pouting face again.


    By this time, Elijah had just sunk into his desk chair, giving up, done with life.


    "I don¡¯t mean to intrude in on your love life but she thinks very highly of you, Arthur. I¡¯m sure she didn¡¯t mean toe across as the way she did earlier. My training regimen is not easy and the few that have tried before her have failed. The reason she is able to keep up and continue to train under me is because of her desire to catch up to you, Arthur. Even you must realize that you acted quite immaturely back there." She caught me off guard, suddenly scolding me like a disappointed mother.


    "Yeah. I know how dumb I acted there as well, no need to remind me." I sighed, leaning further back into my seat.


    "You will make up with her soon, right? I¡¯d hate to see my disciple disheartened while she trains." She smiled at me gently before continuing. "What I want from you is not to be in the student council, but actually be a part of amittee that is going to start this year. The disciplinarymittee."


    I knew she would want me to do to something like this. "Forget it. I don¡¯t need the theory sses. I¡¯ll just teach myself from the books in the library." I shook my head.


    "The books on deviants aren¡¯t essible to underssmen and even for upperssmen, you need to show that you are a deviant¡ªsomething you can¡¯t do right now, right?" She calmly refuted my ns.


    "Being part of this disciplinarymittee or whatever...how does that make sense? I¡¯m a new student that¡¯s in this academy as a schr mage, What would the other members think, anyway?" I tried to reason.


    "While they might not agree at first, with some time, I believe you will be more than capable of changing their minds, even with your self-ced handicap." Director Goodsky threw in a yful wink, seemingly dead set on going through with this.


    "Arthur, unlike the student council members that are chosen on a broader criteria, the disciplinarymittee will be strictly based on strength. Your responsibilities won¡¯t nearly be as much as the student council, and being in the disciplinarymittee will give you the chance to work with students, some of which are also deviants, that are all strong in their own fields." Her arguments were getting stronger.


    "You mentioned that the disciplinarymittee members are based on strength¡ª" Before I finished my sentence, she cut me off.


    "No, Lucas Wykes will not be on the disciplinarymittee if that is what you are curious about. Arthur, this opportunity is something that other students would take as an honor. I insist on you taking it." She leaned in, her face a bit more serious now.


    "..." My head bent down as I thought things over. On top of regr and extra sses, I would have to domittee work, putting a big strain on my individual training time, which I was still figuring out where to do in secret.


    As if she read my mind, she threw out her final offer. "Since the amount of work may be a bit too much on top of ss and independent study, how about I offer you ess to a private training facility where you won¡¯t need to worry about anyone intruding." She pointed at my bracelet.


    "Please, Arthur, I really feel like this could be a good deal for the both of us in the long run." Her face softened a bit as she showed sincerity.


    I started thinking about how being in the disciplinarymittee would fit into my ns, and finding no particr detriment in agreeing to this, I answered. "Fine, I¡¯ll agree to be a part of the disciplinarymittee." My shoulders loosened as I let out a sigh.


    "Good! Since sses start tomorrow, I will give your new schedule to your first period professor. Here is your new uniform I prepared in the case of good news. The knife is just meant to be the symbol of the disciplinarymittee, but it is quite expensive so do take care not to lose it." She gave me a wink as she threw me a tailored uniform with a sheathed knife and strap. It irritated me that she already had this prepared before she came in, even if it was ¡¯just in case¡¯.


    It dawned on me that even with my previous life and this life put together, both Grandpa Virion and Director Goodsky would still be older than me; after all, I only lived until myte thirties, around where I was getting past my prime as a duelist. I¡¯d been so caught up in the fact that I had two lives that it didn¡¯t ur to me that there were still people here that were older. Of course, I still had the advantage over traditional mages here because where I came from, the ¡¯magic¡¯ usage was a lot more advanced.


    The advantage that the older mages from this world had have, however, was that they were used to the amount of mana in the atmosphere here and had mastered it to a certain degree.


    I guess even with two lives, there was still bound to be someone wiser.


    I involuntarily shook the thoughts out of my head, causing Director Goodsky to tilt her head in curiosity.


    "Now that the matter I¡¯vee to settle is settled, I shall take my leave! Enjoy your first dinner here and do please patch things up with my dear Tessia as fast as you can. I don¡¯t want my precious disciple to keep moping." She wisped away, leaving me wondering why she didn¡¯t just enter like that. It was probably to respect our privacy or something.


    As soon as Director Goodsky left, a shadow loomed over me as Elijah peered down at me, his facial expression akin to a demon¡¯s.


    "You¡¯ve got some exining to do." And I swore I thought I saw pointed teeth as he smirked evilly.

 Chapter 48: Attention

    I couldn¡¯t help but pat Elijah on the shoulder, as it looked like his soul was about to escape from his mouth. There were shadows underneath his lifeless eyes, his sunken cheeks making him look like a hollow skeleton.


    "There, there..." I sighed. Even Sylvie took pity on him as she hopped off of my head andnded on his, biting the crown of his head to stir him awake.


    His ghastly eyes bore into me as he turned his head. "... Not fair," he mumbled.


    "What?" I leaned in closer to better hear what he was whispering.


    He leaned in closer to me, his lips almost touching my ears. "IT¡¯S NOT FAIR, GODDAMMIT!"


    "AHH!" I jumped in surprise as my ears start ringing. "What the hell! Don¡¯t shout in my ear!" I stirred my pinky inside my ear canal to wipe away the stray spit that had beenunched inside by my bitter friend.


    "Looks, talent, and even luck with girls! Why do you have everything?" He ced both of his hands on my arm, a concentrated expression across his face.


    Confused by this seemingly random action, I asked, "What are you doing?"


    "...Trying to see if I can absorb some of your Arthurness," he mumbled, still concentrating.


    "Are you dumb?" I shook my head, waving his hands off of me.


    On our way to the dining hall a bit down from the dorms, I exined briefly to Elijah how I met Tess¡ªhe really hated how I called her that¡ªinside the Forest of Elshire. The whole time I was telling him the story, from living inside the kingdom of Elenoir¡¯s Castle with Tess to learning mana maniption from her Grandfather, I could almost see my words pierce through him as his life slowly drained from him.


    "Do you know how attractive dwarves are, Art?" He leaned in a bit too close forfort while the both of us kept walking.


    "H-How much?" I peeled my head back from my overly emotionalpanion.


    "NOT. AT. ALL," he said matter-of-factly. "The sense of beauty that dwarves hold is theplete opposite of humans, Art! I may have been raised in their kingdom but there will nevere a day when I can empathize with their definition of ¡¯attractive.¡¯"


    Iughed, unable to wrap my head around what an attractive female would look like to the dwarves, but I asked anyway. "Haha! borate for me how devastating your life was."


    "When I turned eight, my grandfather, the elder who took care of me, introduced me to whom he hoped would be my future wife. The whole week prior, he was going on and on about how beautiful and elegant she was. When she showed up, I swear I thought I was looking at a man, Art." His body shivered from the thought of recalling his past nightmare.


    "Her name was Helgarth, and I swear she made me fear for my chastity. Her square jaw, her trunk-like, veiny limbs, her long, thick nose...She had a s-stubble on her upper lip, Art. She had FACIAL HAIR at the age of nine, Art!" Elijah was shaking me at this point, as I couldn¡¯t stopughing.


    "Okay, okay, I get it! You were a very deprived young boy who started going through puberty much too early for his age." I shrugged with my palms up while trying to calm my fit ofughter.


    "You spend your childhood filled with masculine woman who go around showing off their bulging arms and see how you turn out when you see normal girls." He shook his head, returning back to his lifeless self.


    "Well... You are in the most prestigious school as a battle mage student, and you¡¯re probably at least a full stage ahead of anyone in our ss, so just show off your skills. You¡¯re bound tond someone, somehow," I said, optimistically.


    "Your pity is literally hurting me." He sighed, making the both of usugh.


    "I personally like your new uniform better," Elijah mentioned as he studied me. "It makes you seem more strong and unapproachable somehow." He nodded in agreement at his own statement.


    The new uniform I received from Director Cynthia wasn¡¯t too different in terms of looks from my Schr Mage uniform.


    It wasposed of a white dress shirt with a single ck stripe on the mid-arm above the elbows, and a light gray vest. Both the new vest and dark gray pants were made from a different material though, with special engravings on the inside that made me suspect that it had protecting qualities to it. In ce of my pocket watch on the breast pocket, however, was a strap that went across my chest and snugged in around my shoulder, holding my sheathed, silver knife over my heart. A gold string reced the red string that I had tied around, underneath my cor, giving my whole attire a more royal look.


    I looked down and let out a sigh. I had to admit that the uniform did look good, but I didn¡¯t like gaudy clothes like this. There was also an outerwear piece that I was supposed to receiveter when it was properly fitted for me.


    "So, what are you going to do about the disciplinarymittee?" Elijah asked me a bit more seriously.


    I tilted my head, not knowing what he was implying. "What do you mean?"


    Shrugging his shoulders, he looked forward, realizing we were almost at the dining hall. "I mean, I know you¡¯re already part of this newmittee and all, but are you going to really take it seriously and stuff? It sounds like a lot of work."


    True. The director wanted me to be a part of this newmittee but didn¡¯t really specify what exactly I had to do. "I¡¯ll try my best. I might as well give it my all since I¡¯ve decided on going through with it, right? Besides, Ellie is going to be attending this academy in a few years. I need to do my best to pave a path for her so when she doese, it¡¯ll be easier on her." I opened the door, weed by the students¡¯ indistinguishable conversations and the hearty aroma of meat and herbs.


    As the both of us stepped in, the hall turned quiet and I could feel the stares of the students as they studied us. Ignoring the res and the asional curious nces, we made our way into the line and got our food, situating ourselves in a back corner.


    "Looks like you¡¯re already popr, Art." Elijah smirked as he picked up a piece of roasted meat with his fork.


    "What can I say?" I gave an arrogant hair flip and the both of us startedughing.


    "Ah! Don¡¯t forget that we have the club rush tomorrow morning!" Elijah said, his mouth full of meat.


    I let out a sigh at this. "Oh yeah... I have to go to the auditorium pretty early tomorrow. The disciplinarymittee is being officially announced before the club rush starts tomorrow." I yed around a bit with my vegetables before trying to give them to Sylvie, who promptly rejected them.


    Director Cynthia had left me a note with a couple instructions along with the new uniform.


    "That means you¡¯re going to meet the rest of the disciplinarymittee! How exciting! Wake me up before you leave then."


    "Will do." I picked up a piece of roasted meat for myself but Sylvie stole it before it reached my mouth.


    We conversed about the clubs Elijah should join and the sses we had. As it turned out, the disciplinarymittee met every morning, which irked me. Looks like I¡¯ll finally break my poor sleeping habits.


    Besides that, my daily ss schedule consisted of: Fundamentals of Mana Theory, Practical Mana Maniption, and Basics of Artificing.


    After lunch was when my upper division sses would start. Those sses were Deviant Magic Theory I, Team Fighting Mechanics I, and Spell Formations I.


    During the fall semester, there were a lot more upper division sses for battle mage students while the spring semester sses consisted of a wider variety for schr mage students.


    Most students only took 3-4 sses a semester but I was essentially loaded with double the sses, myst ss ending at 7 in the evening, not leaving me any time for clubs. As for Elijah, we only had Fundamentals of Mana Theory together; his other ssesprised of Basic Chain-Casting and Mana Utilization I.


    Clubs geared towards upper-division students met before lunch, since their sses were all in the evening, and vice-versa for underssmen. "Maybe I should join a hand-to-hand fighting club. I heard that more and more conjurers are trying to be at least a bit adept at close-range fighting, just in case," he pondered while shoving another piece of meat into his mouth.


    "Mmm yeah, I heard that from my father. He¡¯s been telling me that there are some conjurers that wants to be recruited to learn close-ranging fighting, though I don¡¯t exactly know how that¡¯d work." I wondered why I didn¡¯t feel full even when my te was empty, but then I realized that I¡¯d barely eaten any of the meat thanks to Sylvie, who was now ¡¯kyu¡¯ing in satisfaction on top of my head.


    During our meal, the both of us could tell that people were conversing about us, with looks being shot every now and then from random people. However, none of them actually came up to us until now.


    A group of students, all with battle mage uniforms, walked up to our table,pletely ignoring my existence. The leader of the group, a tall male with wavy brown hair that was parted in the middle, stuck his hand out to Elijah.


    "My name is Charles Ravenpor II, born from the famous Ravenpor Family. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of it, right? I couldn¡¯t help but notice you spending time with someone beneath you. I¡¯m being especially courteous today in letting you be in our group." His chin stuck out, confident that Elijah would take his hand.


    "You should be honored to be part of the Ravenpor Group," one of the groupies echoed in the back.


    "The Ravenpoop Family? Never heard of a family named after a bird¡¯s feces. Have you, Art?" Elijah looked at me with a very clueless look, making meugh through my nose.


    "No, but I¡¯d be very embarrassed to be in family like the Ravenpoop, even if I did know of them." I tried to hide my smile as I yed along in this immature exchange.


    Some of the students nearby who were listening in on our conversation started snickering.


    "Y-You... How dare you mock a prestigious family like the RavenPOR House?" Charles mmed his fist on our table, emphasizing his house name, which made themugh even more.


    "I am a second ss student that should be shown respect! I reached out to you, a newbie, because I didn¡¯t want a battle mage student to lower himself by being with a schr trash student, but you instead spit in my face like this?" His hand was already twitching to reach for the wand strapped to his right leg.


    Elijah looked him dead in the eye and refuted, "First of all, it¡¯s schr MAGE student. Arthur is just as much of a mage as any battle mage student. Second, why would I go with someone who tantly looks down on my best friend and roommate? Third, it¡¯s obvious you¡¯re not here out of kindness towards me but here because of hostility towards Arthur, so stop your childish show and go piss off."


    I had to admit that when my friend put on a serious expression, coupled with his naturally sharp features, he did look quite scary.


    Issuing duels inside a facility not meant for battle was prohibited so using magic inside the dining hall would result in quite a big punishment, but that didn¡¯t seem to stop Mr. Ravenpor here.


    Wind gathered around him as he struggled to keep his anger under control. "Jack!" he roared, the wind settling down around him as he called forth one of his minions.


    A boy that had a face that looked around 13 but a body that looked too big for his age stepped up from the back.


    "Show these brats how things work around here," he growled, stepping back.


    Jack looked a little hesitant but Charles barked that he¡¯d be properlypensated, making Jack reveal a wicked grin as he fit a wed gauntlet over his fists.


    "Sucks for you," he simply smirked, cracking his neck before splitting the table in half.


    The dining hall was in amotion by now as the students all gathered around, some standing up on the tables to get a better view.


    Elijah protected his face in surprise as the table split into pieces but I remained unfazed, my legs crossed as I took a sip from the water cup I was holding, while even Sylvie had fallen asleep.


    "Are you crazy?! This is a dining facility!" Elijah shouted as he stood up to face Jack, who cracked his wed fists.


    "Don¡¯t matter. Boss is going to take care of everything anyway. Keep your teeth clenched now." He smirked as his right fist glowed with non-attribute mana.


    He was a second-ss student as well by the two stripes on his ck tie, but even without an attribute, his core was still dark orange, which, for his age, was pretty damn good.


    Elijah¡¯s right hand glowed, his two rings a dim yellow as he prepared a spell, but I¡¯d already noticed that Jack¡¯s pitiful killing intent was directed towards me, not my friend.


    I didn¡¯t even look up and prepared to settle this quickly but once again, before I got the chance to do anything, vines shot out from the ground and wrapped tightly around Jack.

 Chapter 49: Reminisce

    It only took a couple of moments for the vines topletely encase Jack. As he struggled to break free, the vines twisted tighter, turning his face into an ugly shade of purple.


    While most were confused, Charles seemed to know exactly what was going on as his face paled and he immediately stepped away from themotion he¡¯d created. Elijah was a bit surprised as well, his head turning left and right to see who used the spell, but the person responsible had yet to show herself.


    Standing up, I faced the suffocating Jack, who¡¯d given up his struggle against the vines. The atmosphere in the dining hall turned tense as everyone stayed silent, waiting for the perpetrator of the spell to show up. Giving Elijah a meaningful nce, I silently lifted my arm, cing my palm on the vines as I released the spell. Holding back on the amount of mana I used, I willed a sharp gale of wind from my palm.


    [Torrent]


    The Ravenpor groupies behind Jack covered themselves against the sharp gale as they got caught in the attack as well. With the spell, I so graciously freed Jack from the vines that were choking him, but in the process, shredded his clothes as well, leaving him the same way he came out from his unfortunate mother¡¯s womb.


    Jack plopped to his knees, coughing and gasping for air. Without either a word or a change in expression, I turned and walked towards Charles, who was still trying to discreetly make his way out of the dining hall. He was by the wall, almost in front of the main doors, when I unsheathed the Disciplinary Committee knife I received from the director, imbued wind mana into it, and threw it. The knife cut through the air and pierced through his zer, pinning him against the wall.


    "What the hell?" He yelped as I came face to face with him.


    "Maybe it¡¯s just me but I find it pathetic when brats like you whoe from noble families beat your chest for something that you never even earned. Before bragging about how powerful your family is, bepetent enough to at least not embarrass them." I pulled out the knife he was struggling to remove in one swift swipe and left through the door, not looking back.


    The brisk autumn air greeted me as I closed the door, my breath bing visible in a cloud in front of me.


    ¡¯It¡¯s Mama!¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s head shot up from atop my head.


    I ignored my bond, looking up at the night sky illuminated by countless star as I spoke out loud. "You know, you could¡¯ve killed him if I didn¡¯t disrupt the spell."


    Just a few meters away to my left, the familiar voice responded. "I was going to cancel it once he passed out. Besides, I know you were going to handle it."


    "Oh, now you leave it up to me? What stopped you from doing the same this morning after the ceremony?" I snickered.


    "..."


    I walked toward the figure that was leaning against the wall of the building, her face and other recognizable features masked by the shadow of the starry night.


    By her silence, I could already picture what sort of troubled expression she had on her face. I stood in front of the figure, close enough to see her face, but she was looking down so I could only see the crown of her silvery gunmetal hair that seemed to shimmer in the moonlight.


    "Ahem," I awkwardly coughed, covering my mouth with a fist. The silence between us felt like an eternity. Finally, she nced up, revealing her face as she fiddled with her hands behind her back.


    "..."


    "I¡¯m sorr¡ªOww!"


    The awkward atmosphere surrounding us instantly dissipated as we head-butted each other in our attempts to bow in apology at the same time.


    I couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter as I rubbed my throbbing head. "I think I heard my skull crack just now."


    "Shut up." Tess massaged her head too as she continued to look down her shoulders began trembling and I heard a sniffle.


    I squatted down so I could see my childhood friend¡¯s face. "Tess. Are you crying?" I teased, gently wiping her tears with the inside of my sleeve.


    "I-It¡¯s because it hurts..." She sniffed, her eyes continuing to avoid mine as she let me wipe her face.


    "Did it hurt that much?" I softened my voice as I stood back up, gently patting the ce where my head hit her.


    "Yes! It hurt a lot!" Smacking my hand away, she buried her face in my chest, wrapping her arms around my waist as she began crying.


    The seconds seemed to elongate as I felt her body tremble from her erratic breaths and hups. I looked back at the night sky, feeling my face burn as I clumsily returned her hug.


    "I-I th-thought you h-hated me." I could barely make out what she was muffling with her face still buried in my chest in between her sniffling


    "Even if there are times when I get mad at you, I would never hate you, Tess," I said gently.


    "I-I don¡¯t want that."


    "Don¡¯t want what?"


    "I don¡¯t want you to get mad at me either!" she mumbled into my chest.


    "Well this time, I was in the wrong. I shouldn¡¯t haveshed out at you like that." I suddenly realized that I didn¡¯t really treat Tess like everyone else. While I didn¡¯t feel a reason to get mad over most people¡ªbesides my family and Elijah¡ªTess was probably the only one capable of making me act genuinely, even if that was sometimes immature.


    "No! I was wrong too! I-I shouldn¡¯t have called you out like that in front of all of those people! B-bBt it was because I have to be the strict student council president in front of everyone, you know?" Her face looked desperate as she finally looked up, her concerned eyes red and a little puffy from crying.


    "Art! You should¡¯ve seen everyone¡¯s faces after you¡ªoh my heavens..." Elijah, who only saw the shaded outline of my back, came running towards me, until he spotted who I was with.


    Realizing that Tess was still wrapped tightly around me, I couldn¡¯t help but give him an embarrassed look.


    "I-I¡¯ll see you b-back at our dorm..." he stammered out before darting off, nearly tripping over his own feet.


    "Haha. Tess, I think it¡¯s about time you let go of me." I smiled as I watched her face turn crimson.


    "O-Oh right." She immediately let go of me, taking a step back as her gaze shifted down, too embarrassed to look at me.


    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a softugh at how my childhood friend really hadn¡¯t changed. "Do you want to take a little walk with me?" I gave her a smile as Sylvie jumped off from the top of my head and into her arms.


    "Kyu!" ¡¯Long time no see, Mama!¡¯


    TESSIA ERALITH¡¯S POV:


    Each of his steps were light and confident, as if always certain of his direction and purpose... Was it the way he walked?


    Those eyes that looked calm and poised, yet still a little yful... Was it his gaze?


    The way it glowed even when it was this dark outside... Was it his smile?


    What made me this stupidly attracted to him? He¡¯s just another boy! Another, rather talented, rather well-mannered and slightly better-looking, boy. That was it!


    What was it about him that made me be so foolish around him and why did I keep doing things to embarrass myself in front of him?


    I unconsciously let out a defeated sigh.


    "Is something wrong?" He looked at me with concern. His gentle voice sending shivers go down my spine.


    "N-No! Nothing¡¯s wrong, haha!" I felt my face turning red again so I started petting Sylvie faster as a distraction. Gosh dangit!


    I could feel his eyes studying me as we walked along the marble path, the only source of light from the moon, peeking between the trees that arched the walkway. Thest time we had met, earlier today, we barely spent a few seconds together before things got bad, so it¡¯d really been almost four years since we¡¯dst seen each other. I would¡¯ve stared at him too but I knew I was going to turn bright red, so I just keep my gaze down.


    I wondered if he looked at any other girl like this. I wanted his attention all to myself, just like now. I stopped myself before I sighed out loud again.


    We started talking about what we¡¯d both been doing these past few years. His time as an adventurer was really exciting but I couldn¡¯t help but be a little disappointed that he had been with that girl named Jasmine the whole time.


    "Pfft!" The corners of Art¡¯s eyes crinkled as he revealed his bright smile.


    "W-What?!" I held Sylvie up in front of me defensively.


    "It¡¯s just that I¡¯m enjoying the different expressions you¡¯re showing me while I tell you my story." I caught a glimpse of his eyes, making me turn red again. This was getting ridiculous.


    I would¡¯ve been pretty cold if I didn¡¯t have Sylvie as a heating pack, but Art didn¡¯t look cold at all. I wondered if being a beast tamer made his body stronger in these situations too. I started getting embarrassed as I remembered hugging him for so long.


    He was really warm, though.


    As we kept talking, I got a little less tense. I told him a bit about my training with Grandpa but I focused more on when Grandma Cynthia was my teacher.


    "You call her ¡¯Grandma¡¯?" His head tilted a little in curiosity.


    Nodding, I replied, "She told me to call her that since I was her only disciple and since she didn¡¯t have any children."


    "I see..." He pondered.


    I continued on about the strict training I had to go through and how it was hard for my nt attribute magic to improve because of theck of reliable teachers. Although there weren¡¯t any other races that could manipte nt attribute mana, even amongst elves, there were very few people that were adequate in nt magic. While some noble lineages did have the capacity to learn it, they ended up focusing on another element instead because of how hard it was for them to learn nt magic.


    "So you ended up bing a dual specialist in nt and wind, huh? Wow, I knew you¡¯d be a talented mage." His genuine look made me feel proud. I often got embellished praises from all sorts of different important figures but just a simplepliment from him made me this happy.


    He continued, "It makes sense that Director Goodsky is teaching you then."


    I wanted time to stop as we reached the front of the dorms. Why were the dorms built so close to the dining hall? It should¡¯ve been on the other side of the school...


    "We should both get some sleep. It¡¯s gettingte and tomorrow is a big day." He patted my head.


    I would¡¯ve enjoyed it a lot more if it didn¡¯t make me feel like he was treating me like a kid.


    "Y-Yeah, you¡¯re right. Congrattions on bing a disciplinarymittee member, Art." I tried my best to smile but I started over-thinking how I looked.


    Fortunately, he just grinned back as Sylvie hopped back on top of his head. "Thanks." I stared at his back as he started heading to his dorm. But to my surprise, he turned back arounds.


    "I almost forgot!" He took my hand and brought it up, cing something from his pocket into my palm.


    "Here! This will probably help you a lot." Letting go of my hand, he gave me a yful wink before turning back toward the dorms as Sylvie waved her small paw at me.


    He didn¡¯t even give me a chance to thank him.


    Looking down, I studied the small, dull green orb. It didn¡¯t seem special at all, but it did mean a lot to me just because it came from Art. Knowing him though, this wasn¡¯t just some sort of decoration he wanted me to have.


    "I wonder..." I willed a bit of mana into the orb and almost dropped it in surprise, my hands trembling uncontrobly.


    "Th-This is...!"


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    ¡¯Papa, you¡¯re really happy. Is it because you made up with Mama?¡¯ Sylvie teased me as I walked up the stairs and back to my dorm room.


    ¡¯Can it, Sylv. And can you stop calling her "Mama"?¡¯ I pinched my dragon bond¡¯s ear, making her squirm.


    "Room 394! Finally..." Tessia and I had been walking pretty slowly and had stopped in between while we talked so it was prettyte at the night. I opened the door carefully, just in case Elijah was asleep, but I almost jumped in surprise to see him sitting cross-legged, facing the door, his eyes bloodshot.


    "Err... I see you¡¯re still awake." I waved awkwardly.


    "Hell yes, I¡¯m awake." He crossed his arms and used his chin to point at my bed, signaling me to sit.


    "Haa...Go on." I sighed helplessly as I let my best friend release his barrage of questions.


    ___________________________


    It was almost four in the morning when he was finished, the two of us sprawled out on our beds, tired both physically and mentally while Sylvie had fallen asleep hours ago.


    "I can¡¯t believe you were h-hugging her." I saw him shake his head while hey on his back.


    "I told you, I¡¯ve known her since she was five. It¡¯s not surprising that she¡¯d be morefortable around me," I simply stated.


    He shook head again. "After you left, some of the students suspected that it was the president that used the vine spell since she was the only one that could use it to that degree. Do you know all of the things the students called her?" He got up and looked at me.


    "What did they call her?" I asked, a bit interested.


    "There were two I heard the most." He leaned in closer. "One: The Untouchable Princess," he stated.


    "Untouchable? Why? Is she that much stronger than everyone else?" I asked.


    Ignoring me, he said the other. "Two: Lunar Goddess."


    "Huh? Why Lunar Goddess?" I chortled at the juvenile nicknames.


    "Because she¡¯s like the moon, Art. The moon looks so close that you can grab it, but no matter how much you try, you¡¯ll never touch it. But you! You t-touched the Moon! You hugged the moon!" he iled his arm in defeat and plopped back into bed.


    "Go to sleep," I retorted.


    We were both too tired to even try to wash up, and my head was already hurting at the thought of how tired I would be in the morning, but memories of what happened tonight had kept me up. I kept wondering if I had done the right thing in the dining hall. It was a habit I¡¯d acquired from being a king¡ªto overthink my past actions and always n my future actions. To my side, I could hear Elijah fast asleep, mumbling something about the moon again.


    _____________________________________


    "Wake up!" I smacked Elijah on the stomach as I finished fastening the shoulder strap for the knife that represented my status as a disciplinarymittee member.


    "Oof!" Elijah bolted up in surprise but groaned once he realized how tired and in pain he was.


    "I can see why you don¡¯t like being woken up like this," he mumbled as he rubbed his stomach.


    Smirking at my friend, I walked to the door. "I¡¯m leaving now so hurry up and get ready. I¡¯ll see you in first period." Without looking back, I gave him a wave and headed towards the auditorium. I was supposed to formally meet all the other members of the disciplinarymittee in the small waiting room inside the auditorium, so I was a bit excited as to what kind of people they might be.


    Sylvie "Kyu-ed" in excitement as well as she swayed her head from side to side. After today, everyone would know that I was part of the disciplinarymittee. I grinned at myself after imagining what the Ravenpor group¡¯s face would look like after bing aware of what my different uniform meant today.


    Arriving at the back entrance to the auditorium, I straightened up my shirt, vest and strap, and opened the door, feeling tired, sleepy, curious, and a bit excited.

 Chapter 50: Disciplinary Committee

    As I opened the door to the back entrance of the auditorium, I was met with an unexpected greeting.


    My hair was blown back by a bloodcurdling roar as Sylvie had to cling onto me to avoid falling off. Along with the deafening shout of the mana beast that greeted me came bullets of saliva that showered my face and upper chest.


    "There, there." While wiping off the spit of the mana beast, I nonchntly proceeded to pet its face, which was inches away from my own. This mana beast stood about two meters high on all fours. Its body was covered in thick dark brown fur and a deep red mane circled its head. Two pointed, vicious teeth spouted out from above its jaw, making it all the more menacing, butpared to Sylvie¡¯s dragon form, I could only see it as an overgrown kitten.


    Even Sylvie looked at the mana beast with little interest as she just settled back on top of my head.


    "Woah... he wasn¡¯t surprised at all..." From behind the mana beast peeked out a student that looked to be a couple of years older than I was. He had very dull, light gray¡ªalmost white¡ªhair that reached over his brows. He had narrow eyes that were virtually slits and a smile on his face that didn¡¯te off as pleasant but more so mocking.


    Though lean and tall, his overall frame looking quite frail. What stuck out the most, however, was that his uniform was very different from mine and any other I¡¯d seen so far. He wore a loose, dark gray oriental-style robe that covered his arms and came down past his torso, ck pants, and a golden sash tied around his waist. Peeking out of the inside of his robe was the insignia that all of the disciplinarymittee members had to carry around¡ªthe silver knife. Something felt a tad off about him¡ªsomething that made me wary.


    "You must be thest DC officer to arrive! My name is Kai Crestless, a fourth-year! Just call me Kai." His expression didn¡¯t change at all, his eyes still narrowed and lips still smiling, but he put up his arm in a weing gesture, revealing hands that werepletely wrapped in bandages so that it looked like he had gloves on.


    "Hello. My name is Arthur Leywin. Pleased to make your acquaintance." I shook his bandaged hands.


    "Bah! Another frail-looking pretty boy! Why aren¡¯t there any more real men in thismittee?" Looking around, I found where the voice came from and couldn¡¯t help but remember what Elijah had told me yesterday before dinner.


    A female dwarf that came up to my chest with limbs as thick as tree trunks hopped down from where she was sitting and came up to me. The only indications that told me she was female were her long brown hair and high-pitched voice, neither of which suited her masculine appearance.


    "Looks like we¡¯ll be working together, so I might as well introduce myself. I¡¯m Doradrea Oreguard, a first-year, like yerself. Let¡¯s get along, ey?" she said simply while firmly smacking my back, sending a jolt throughout my body. What power.


    "Arthur Leywin. Nice to meet you," I replied, rubbing my back.


    "Well,e on now! Follow me. Kai and I waited in the front to see who thest guy was going to be. The rest of the DC officers are in the other room. Director Goodsky didn¡¯t really give us any details so everyone is curious." She led me through a hall, Kai following behind us with the mana beast.


    "Everyone! Thest guy is here!" Doradrea shouted at the top of her lungs as we reached a room at the end of the hall.


    Inside the gigantic room that I figured was used to hold events, I saw five other figures.


    Without further ado, I walked up closer to greet them all at once. "My name is Arthur Leywin and I just started attending this academy as a schr mage student. I am a dual-elemental attribute augmenter capable in wind and earth." I offered a curt bow.


    "Arthur Leywin?" The first voice that spoke up sounded surprised. Looking back up, I saw a boy that appeared to be around seventeen. He had deep, mahogany-colored hair that spiked out, making him look almost like a lion himself. His fierce sword-shaped browsbined with his strong brown eyes produced a striking gaze. It took me a couple of seconds but I soon realized who he was.


    "If I remember correctly, you must be Prince yder?" The longer I looked at him, the more confident I became that he was Curtis yder, son of Sapin¡¯s king.


    "I can hardly call myself a prince now ever since the three kings and queens dismissed their titles and became The Council. Just call me Curtis." He spoke very charismatically, his deep voice carrying a certain depth. His expression was a bit troubled though, no doubt because his father¡¯s guard did cause some problems for me thest time we met.


    "Nice to see you again, Curtis. You must be a fifth-year now, right?" I responded cheerily, which eased the troubled look he had.


    "Yup! fifth-year fire attribute augmenter as well as a beast tamer. Nice to see you again," he announced as we grasped hands. Curtis¡¯ uniform looked much more intricate than Kai¡¯s loose-fitting robe. His outfit reminded me of an old-fashioned military uniform without the cap. His ck zer had dark gray ents and gold buttons. A military cord attached from his right shoulder to the cor of his zer, giving a refined yet fierce air to him.


    "Ahh, that world lion that greeted me must be the one your father acquired at the auction several years back." Everything clicked as the mana beast that so kindly greeted me sat down behind Curtis.


    "Ah... did Kai use Grawder to scare you?" He shot a look at Kai who just shrugged back. "Anyways, yes. I remember you were with us when we purchased him as a cub. We formed an equals contractst year after he reached A ss." He tried to sound humble but I could tell he was extremely proud to call himself a beast tamer. I didn¡¯t mind because it really was a great feat he had aplished, especially since he was able to form an equals contract instead of a master-servant contract with his beast.


    "Looks like your bond changed a bit as well! Although it didn¡¯t really change much in size." He rubbed his chin while studying Sylvie, who had fallen asleep on my head. Just by analyzing his internal mana cirction, Curtis didn¡¯t seem to have gone through assimtion since the World Lion¡¯s beast will wasn¡¯t too strong on him.


    "Yeah, her growth rate seems awfully slow," I said indifferently.


    "It¡¯s okay! Even though there are quite a bit of students here that have bonds, most of them aren¡¯t beast tamers and not many of them even have equals contracts." He patted my shoulder, trying tofort me.


    Looking closely, Curtis and his world lion looked oddly simr. Curtis¡¯ hair and Grawder¡¯s mane were ofparable color and both of them had a fierce look.


    "Ah, right! You remember my sister, Kathyln, right?" he continued. The pretty, petite ck-haired girl gave me a silent bow. She was dressed very simrly to his brother except instead of pants; she wore a skirt that came down above her knees, much like all the other girls in this academy. The only girl I¡¯d seen so far that hasn¡¯t worn a skirt was Doradrea, which I had noints about.


    "Nice to see you again." I gave a simple bow in response. She had grown to look more and more like her mother. The stark contrast of her wless porcin skin and her jet-ck hair, dark eyes, and longshes made her look like a doll.


    "Nice to meet you once more, Arthur. I am a first-year as well,ing in as a schr mage student. I am a single specialist conjurer in ice attribute magic." She bowed once more, her expression set like stone.


    I see... She¡¯s a deviant!


    "I guess I¡¯m next, although the order is off! My name is ire! ire deheart. After the new changes in the school grade system, I¡¯m considered a sixth-year battle mage student with dual attribute in fire and wind, and I¡¯m also the leader of the disciplinarymittee! I¡¯m an augmenter like yourself, so just ask me if you have any questions!" This upperssman oozed positivity and passion from her very pores. She wasn¡¯t nearly as pretty as Tess or Kathyln but she did have her own charm, with her scarlet red hair that came down to her chin. ire wore a military-style uniform as well but instead of golden cord like the yder siblings, both her shoulders had gold epaulettes, which were basically ornamental shoulder pads along with an embellished cor that went up around her neck. That, along with her light gray and gold-ented skirt with knee-high boots gave her uniform a much more royal feelpared to my simple one.


    I tried imagining myself in a uniform like ire¡¯s or Curtis¡¯ and I shuddered at the thought. While it looked great on her, I was d that the DC officer uniforms were tailored to each of their preferences and that Director Goodsky made mine much simpler.


    It took me a second to register but I suddenly remembered why her name sounded so familiar. "Are you perhaps rted to Kaspian deheart?" I questioned.


    "Oh? Do you know my uncle?" She tilted her head to one side.


    "No. I¡¯ve just heard many great things about Kaspian deheart¡¯s strength from my father¡¯s ex-party member." I gave her a warm smile as she nodded in understanding.


    "I see. Well, I received training from my uncle as soon as I had awakened so many of my techniques are simr to his. Of course, I still have a long way to go, though." I saw her ce a hand on the golden hilt of the rapier strapped on her left side.


    "Long time no see, Arthur Leywin!" a tall blonde elf that looked to be a couple of years older than me walked up, crossing his arms while he looked down at me.


    "I apologize... Do I know you?" I really had no idea who this elf was until Sylvie mentally transmitted who he was.


    "Ah! You¡¯re Feyfey!" I pointed at him in surprise. Boy, did he get big. He was at least a head taller than me and he turned out to be quite the pretty boy.


    Feyfey¡¯s face instantly turned beet red as he ced both hands on my shoulders. "It¡¯s FeyRITH...Feyrith Ivsaar III. And although I¡¯m a first-year like you, I¡¯m still a couple of years older than you so don¡¯t call me by nicknames. I¡¯m a water specialist conjurer, by the way." I could see veins popping from his forehead.


    "Haha! Long time no see!" I eximed as I shook his hands. He just looked at me, bewildered. His uniform waspletely ck with gold stripes across his shoulders. It was simpler than everyone else¡¯s but it suited him well.


    "Last but not least, this is Theodore Maxwell!" ire got in between Feyrith and I and directed my attention to thest member.


    "Hmph! Seems like the disciplinarymittee has stooped low enough to recruit twerps." Theodore stood up and I swore I thought he was a bear. He stood at about two meters high at least, easily around the same height as Grawder. His uniform was just a vest that was unbuttoned, revealing his bulging muscles. By the tear marks on the arm openings of the vest, I could assume it wasn¡¯t originally designed as a vest.


    He stood in front of me and ced a hand on my shoulder.


    Suddenly, I felt the weight on top of me increase several times over as my feet began sinking, the floor around me beginning to crack. This was a deviant capable of manipting gravity.


    My body was able to withstand it thanks to the assimtion I had gone through with Sylvia¡¯s dragon will but I still definitely felt my body begin to protest. I strengthened my body further with mana as I lifted his hand off of my shoulder, my eyes dead set on Theodore.


    He wanted to test me?


    "Hmph." Feeling the cold, wordless gaze I gave to him, Theodore released his skill and walked away, muttering, "Not bad."


    A whistle sounded from the cluster of students.


    "Arthur has guts. Feyrith crumbled to his knees when Theodore did that to him." Kai snickered from the side.


    "Hey, I¡¯m a conjurer and Arthur is an augmenter! Please do notpare me to brutes like you guys," heshed out, his face red from embarrassment.


    "Now, now! I¡¯m excited as to what this semester will bring us! We¡¯re going to be a team from now on, guys! We¡¯ll get lots of chances to bond and get closer, so look forward to it!" ire piped up in a cheery voice as she puts her hand out.


    "I¡¯m looking forward to it!" Kai put his bandaged hand on top of ire, his face still a mocking smile.


    "Aye! Sounds like we¡¯re going to have some interesting times!" Doradrea got on her toes as she put her beefy hand on top of Kai¡¯s.


    "Haha! Yes! Let¡¯s do our best!" Curtis ced his hand in as well, Kathyln wordlessly following suit.


    I¡¯d just met everyone and I was already tired. "I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be a st," I breathed out while cing my hand on top of Kathyln¡¯s. Sylvie ran down my arm and ced her paw in as well.


    Theodore put his massive hand on top of Sylvie¡¯s and my hand, making the whole circle stumble a step forward. As Theodore gave a silent nod, ire gave us a big, confident smile and shouted, "TO US! THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE!"


    "AYE!"


    ______________________________________________


    "Before the club rushmences, the student council would like to formally introduce to you, the students of this academy, a group that was personally picked by the director in hopes to resolve and prevent disputes amongst students as well as enforce penalizing measures for troublemakers. While the student council¡¯s main job is to help the director make sure this academy and the events held run smoothly, this group¡¯s job allows them to use magic appropriately to uphold the peace and safety of students, whether against other students or trespassers. Please join me in weing the disciplinarymittee!" Tessia¡¯s voice rang at herst words.


    The auditorium filled with apuse as the red curtains we stood behind were raised. We stood there, shoulders square and hands glued to our sides. I had to admit that with people like Curtis with Grawder behind him, Theodore, ire and even Feyrith, we were an impressive sight in our color-coordinated uniforms.


    I took a peek at Tessia and I realized she was staring at me but as soon as our eyes met, she quickly turned her head away. As we stood in front of the students of Xyrus on the stage, side by side, we pulled out our knives and held them out in front of us so the insignia showed. Unsheathing our knives, we proceeded to do a small, choreographed routine before saluting the crowd.


    ire spoke out on behalf of the disciplinarymittee with a short speech before we all headed out towards the back of the stage, leaving the crowd with mixed emotions.


    For some students, the disciplinarymittee meant to serve as a shackle that prohibited their spoiled behavior. For others, the disciplinarymittee served as an aegis, protecting them from the threat of harm.


    Either way, it would be an interesting school year.

 Chapter 51: Classes and Professors

    "Hey isn¡¯t that one of the DC officers? I think his name was Arthur, right?"


    "Isn¡¯t he only a first-year? How was he able to get into the disciplinarymittee? Does he have connections or something?"


    "Stupid. Even if he had connections, I hear everyone from the disciplinarymittee needs to be really strong."


    "He¡¯s kinda cute, no?"


    "Yeah, he¡¯s totally my type."


    "That white fox on top of his head is so adorable!"


    I sat towards the back of the ssroom with Elijah next to me. The constant murmurs and whispers that echoed against the walls made my head hurt. The professor for our first ss, Fundamentals of Magic Theory, had yet to arrive, allowing the discussions of this morning¡¯s ceremony to ceaselessly go on.


    "Look at how popr you are, Mr. DC Officer." Elijah nudged me with his elbow while giving me a sarcastic smirk.


    Before I had the chance to respond, the person who I assumed was the professor, walked in with confident strides.


    Our professor seemed pretty young¡ªat most, in his mid-thirties. He had well-parted brown hair that he kept neat and styled. His face was freshly shaven to reveal a narrow jaw. He was on the thinner side, but in no ways out of shape. His proportions were good for a conjurer, which I could tell by the wand strapped to his side.


    Using the folder he was holding as a gavel, he thumped it on the front podium before speaking. "Now, now... I realize that there are many wonderful things to talk about, but you guys aren¡¯t very good at gossiping. If the person of topic is in the same room and can hear what you are saying, then it really isn¡¯t gossip now, is it?" He looked in my direction and gave me a wink, making me shake my head in defeat.


    Some of the students gossiping shrank down in embarrassment but most of the students justughed.


    "My name is Professor Avius and I must say that it¡¯s great to meet you all. While this is technically a basic ss and some may think that it is unnecessary, I, on the other hand, believe this ss is the foundation for what will make you a great mage. We won¡¯t be doing much casting but there will be fun assignments and projects that I will assign along the way, so look forward to it!"


    With that, the ss erupted in a synchronized groan at the thought of doing projects. I couldn¡¯t imagine what sort of projects he was going to assign twelve to fourteen-year-olds but it should be rather easy.


    "On that note, I think today is a rather fine day to have a lecture! No one¡¯s going to get any younger so absorb as much knowledge as you can while your brains are still fresh! Take out your notebooks and writing utensils!" His thin face wrinkled as he smiled.


    Elijah adjusted his sses and promptly took out a fresh new notebook and pen while eagerly writing the title of the ss and today¡¯s date.


    I just leaned forward and rested my chin on my hand as I began to listen.


    "Today¡¯s topic will focus on the segregation between conjurers and augmenters!" He wrote messily on the chalkboard. "There is a deeply embedded discrimination against augmenters by conjurers on the premise that augmenters are ¡¯brutes¡¯ or ¡¯savages¡¯ that can only fight by getting themselves dirty." He used his fingers to air quote. "This is a rather uneducated stigma that everyone should get rid of right here and right now." He leaned forward, his face turning serious.


    His words caused a few murmurs of disagreement and some of acknowledgement.


    "Coming from the point of view of a conjurer, it is silly to say that we are above augmenters because our bodies are more suitable for influencing mana remotely as this is an advantage we have only while we are in lower levels." He scribbled some key points on the chalkboard. "When a mage¡¯s mana core, conjurers and augmenters alike, reaches the silver stage, the ability to manipte mana bes much more unrestricted. There bes less of a distinction between the usage of mana veins and mana channels because the purity of mana that is produced from our mana core enables us to freely manipte mana remotely and directly." He underlined ¡¯remotely¡¯ and ¡¯directly¡¯ while circling the point, ¡¯less of a distinction.¡¯


    I heard Elijah ¡¯ooh¡¯ in understanding and furiously scribble the statement into his notebook.


    Hmm... This professor at least knew what he was talking about. While training, I¡¯d be more and more aware that the higher the stage you reached in your mana core cultivation, there indeed was less of a true distinction.


    "So tell, me ss. If, in the end, two mages¡ªone conjurer and one augmenter, both reach the silver core stage, who would have the advantage? I, for one, say that it¡¯s is either evenly matched or that even the augmenter would have an advantage." This statement creates even a louder protest from the students.


    "Before you shoot me down, think about this. Until the silver stage, assuming that we have both the talent and necessary luck to get there, both conjurers and augmenters train in developing their magic. However, augmenters also trained in hand-to-handbat, refining their bodies along with their skills since the time they awakened, which was usually during the prepubescent age. As the augmenter bes stronger and reaches thetter stages of his core, he will continue to develop his long-range skills, although it may be inferior to conjurers at this point. However, once the Augmenter reaches closer and closer to the pinnacle of his core development, casting long-range spells will be more and more natural while the augmenter will still naturally keep hisbat skills. So, tell me... are conjurers really the more noble, more dominant type of mage?"


    "Some old-fashioned mages continue to believe that conjurers remain the prevailing mana maniptor but Director Cynthia, along with many other influential figures in this continent are trying to establish ways to inhibit this belief. I implore you youngsters to keep this fact in mind. augmenters, don¡¯t get hot headed because of this topic since, at this stage, you are still clearly at a disadvantage against conjurers. Conjurers, don¡¯t just mope around at this news and develop yourbat skills. While it may be harder for you to defend yourselves without the naturalpetency in forging mana around your body internally, that doesn¡¯t mean there is no way to use spells to strengthen your body. So learn how to fight hand-to-hand." He closed his notes and stopped talking, leaving a moment of silence for us to digest what we just heard.


    "Any questions?" he said softly, giving us a sincere smile.


    Elijah¡¯s hand immediately shot up and the professor pointed at him to ask away.


    "Professor, if what you¡¯re saying is true, what is really the end result between the two category of mages when they reach the silver stage or even higher?" he asked seriously, not a hint of my usual girl-thirsty friend in sight.


    "Good question...Elijah Knight." He looked down at his notes before he responded. "The end result is two mages with different preferences in styles of fighting. The conjurer at this stage will be able to imbue their body with mana just like an augmenter can at lower stages, but their fighting style will lean more towards long-rangebat, consisting of manyyers of spells to trick and weave around an augmenter who may be more adept if they get close." He wrote down some of the major points in his exnation.


    "As for the augmenter, while long range spells will be more natural for them, just like the conjurers at this stage, they usually lean more towards fighting up close and using projectile spells more straight-forwardly. Augmenters, after all, are not as ustomed to remotely fighting like the conjurers who, in order to distance themselves from close-range threats, prepare manyyers of spells through multi-casting and chain-casting." He circled the keywords for us to remember.


    Elijah just nodded in understanding as he again wrote down, almost word for word, what the professor just exined.


    The ss ended with a few more minor questions from various ssmates. As the giant bell tower rang, the professor wrapped up the discussion and we prepared for our next ss.


    "I¡¯ll see you at lunch then?" Elijah asked while he packed up his bag.


    "Sure. The person who gets there first saves the other a spot in line." I patted my friend on the back before leaving through the door.


    As I walked through the densely packed hall, I sensed some gazes here and there after they recognized my appearance and uniform. On the way to my next ss, which was Practical Mana Maniption, I realized that there were quite a bit of students who had bonds. Most weren¡¯t so impressive, like the horned rat I saw on a student¡¯s shoulder, but there were some ratherrge beasts that students were proudly showing off. This boy who looked to be around 15 was riding on top of a giant lizard and had his chin proudly out. I didn¡¯t even know what that lizard was called but from the amount of mana it had inside its beast core, it couldn¡¯t be more than a C ss mana beast.


    When I arrived to my next ss, I noticed that theyout of this room was very different. It was shaped like a miniature arena, with a battling tform in the middle, encased in a barrier field, and rows of seats circling around it.


    I made my way to a random spot and sat down. ¡¯I¡¯m hungry,¡¯ Sylvie grumbled as she began impatiently thumping her head on top of mine. ¡¯Yeah, me too; lunch is still a bit away though, do you want to go and catch something?¡¯ Sylvie nodded and scurried off at a speed that startled me. She was surprisingly fast when it came to food.


    More and more students started filling the room after a few minutes. While most were first years, there were some second years that decided to take this sster.


    "May I sit here?" I turned my head to find Kathyln in her disciplinarymittee uniform standing beside me.


    "Sure, go ahead." I moved my bag that I had on the seat next to me so she could sit. Her expression didn¡¯t change but she did give me a slight bow before removing her notes, carefully straightening out her skirt in a refined manner before taking a seat.


    "Well, look who we have here! If it isn¡¯t Princess Kathyln and my rival, Arthur Leywin." From the front of the door, Feyrith confidently walked towards Kathyln and I.


    Since when did he be my rival... and a rival in what, exactly?


    "Aren¡¯t you loud this morning." I leaned my head on my hands as I looked at him.


    "Well, it is a fine morning today. Didn¡¯t themencement ceremony today make you excited?" he harrumphed as he took the seat on my other side.


    Why was he sitting next to me? I thought he wasn¡¯t very fond of me.


    "While it is a bitte into the morning, it is still technically the morning so...Good morning!" A rather upbeat, bulky man wearing a light armor pped to get everyone¡¯s attention. He looked more like a low-ss adventurer instead of a professor but when I inspected his mana core level, I was surprised to see that he was light yellow stage.


    "Well, we have quite the crowd of students. I know my ss is always popr but I¡¯m honored to have this many students! My name is Professor Geist. Weedies and gents, and wee DC officers. It is a privilege to have you in my ss." I couldn¡¯t tell whether he was being sarcastic or not when he directed his little wee at us but I chose to not mind it.


    "This is Practical Mana Maniption, or PMM as I like to call it. That means we will be doing things very practically! Practically, in my definition, means through example, because what better way to learn than through hands-on experience, right?" His deep bass voice boomed throughout the ss, waking up anyone that might¡¯ve still been sleepy, which included me.


    "I understand that most of you are first-years and that many of you have just awakened not too long ago. However, parents have been more and more dedicated in teaching their children as soon as they awaken before they even send them here, so even that assumption is mostly inurate. However, for the sake of equality, I shall assume that every first year is a beginner in mana maniption, of course with the few exceptions, i.e. the three sitting right there." He pointed to the three of us while giving us a wink, drawing attention to us from everyone inside the room.


    "I¡¯m sure everyone, including myself, is curious as to what sort of level in ability our newly formed DC has. They are the ones that are going to be protecting the students here in this academy after all, right?" Several shouts of agreement spawned from around the room.


    I inwardly sighed, realizing that this professor was going to make this ss a real pain in the ass for me. I saw even Kathlyn¡¯s brow twitch in annoyance on her usually expressionless face.


    "Hmph! Well. if Professor Geist insists, I shall volunteer myself on behalf of the disciplinarymittee to demonstrate the ability that our group, that was personally picked by the director, possesses." Feyrith got up from his seat and ced his right hand over his heart in a proud manner.


    Sigh...


    "HAHA! That¡¯s more like it! Feyrith, correct? Come down to the stage," he gestured.


    Feyrith elegantly hopped down from his seat onto the battle arena in the center of therge ssroom. Some of the students cheered for him while others were eager for blood.


    "Hmm, if my guess is correct, you are a light orange stage conjurer with water specialization, correct? Pretty good for a fifteen-year-old, even as an elf." The professor rubbed his chin, studying him.


    "Yes! By the fact that I cannot sense your mana core level, I assume that you must be quite a bit of a higher level than myself. It is an honor to receive your tutge." While Feyrith¡¯s response was very well-mannered, he had a slight tone of arrogance, as if implying that even if the professor was a higher level, he could stand his own against him.


    "Of course! I am at light yellow level stage, after all! To make things fair, I will only use long range attacks in this demonstration." He took out a two-handed sword from a dimension item he had attached to the buckle of his belt and stabbed it into the stadium behind him.


    I could tell Feyrith was about to protest that it wasn¡¯t necessary but before he could, Professor Geist held his hand up. "Please. If I were to lose, I would at least have an excuse, right? Please cut this old man some ck." He winked at him as the other students startedughing.


    He sounded sincere but I could tell that he was confident in winning against Feyrith, even with this handicap.


    "Feyrith is going to lose," Kathyln said softly.


    "Oh really? How can you tell?" For me, it was just a gut feeling but it seemed like Kathyln saw something that I didn¡¯t.


    However, she didn¡¯t respond, so I just went back to watching the mock battle that was about to start.


    "Let me quickly set up the barrier before we begin so that our audience is safe from mana projectiles." The professor mumbled a few incantations and a space around the arena started glowing dimly.


    "Let us begin!" He grinned as Feyrith took out his wand and prepared for a spell.


    "Water Serpent!" A stream of water circled around Feyrith and soon took the form of a giant snake. "Flood Domain!" Feyrith instantly set off another spell immediately after the water serpent spell formed. Soon, a pool of water rose up to their knees on the arena, and the water serpent dove into theyer of water surrounding both Feyrith and Professor Geist.


    A domain spell was a higher-tier technique that was used to make the territory more advantageous to the casting mage.


    "Fireball," Professor Geist said to my surprise.The low-tier spell that every fire attribute mage learned formed in Professor Geist¡¯s palm but rather than the normal reddish-orange color, the spell glowed a dim blue.


    It amazed me that an augmenter was able to figure out and apply the theory behind the properties of fire when even the smartest conjurers had trouble efficiently using it.


    The blue fireball shot out of Professor Geist¡¯s hand and flew towards Feyrith, who had no idea how strong that spell actually was.


    "You¡¯ll have to do better than that, Professor!" Feyrith confidently flicked his wand up and manipted theyer of water on the ground to form a thick wall of water in front of him. At the same time, the Water Serpent spell Feyrith conjured erupted out of the water beside Professor Geist and lunged at him.


    Our professor enveloped his left arm in a blue me and braced against the force of Feyrith¡¯s spell. As the water serpent struck Professor Geist, a cloud of steam erupted, hiding him from view.


    Meanwhile, the blue fireball smashed into the wall of water, creating a sharp hiss as our professor¡¯s spell bore through Feyrith¡¯s defense, making its way towards my fellow DC member.


    Feyrith¡¯s face paled as he realized he was defenseless against the fireball but he was able to react in time to form anotheryer of water in front of him to minimize the damage.


    "Oof!" The fireball, now reduced to the size of a fingernail by the time it reached Feyrith, still left a hole in the protective uniform he was wearing, knocking him back a couple of steps before he stumbled onto his butt.


    "Do you surrender?" Professor Geist gave a wide grin as he walked out of the cloud of steam while juggling two more blue fireballs in his hand.


    "Y-Yes...I concede." Feyrith had his head down in shame as he trudged back to us, his uniform soaking.


    The students were all mumbling about how the DC wasn¡¯t that great, doubting whether we actually had the capability to protect them.


    "You did well, Feyrith." I patted the elf¡¯s back. He did well considering he didn¡¯t know what he was up against. What was this professor trying to do by making a fool of us here? Did he just want to boost his ego by picking on his students?


    "Would anyone else like to volunteer?" he stated while looking at Kathyln and I. I was about to raise my hand but was startled when Kathyln suddenly shot up from her seat and spoke. "Please guide me well," she said simply before lightly hopping down into the arena.

 Chapter 52: Classes and Professors II

    "Kathlyn yder. I must say that it is an honor to have your presence in my humble ss." Professor Geist gave a deep, exaggerated bow. "Please do not hold whatever the results may be in this ¡¯demonstration¡¯ against me," he continued, putting on a pitiful face.


    Her cold expression unwavering, Kathlyn just nodded, drawing her staff out from the dimension ring on her pinky.


    "Very good! Let us proceed!" The Professor pped, fire igniting from between his palms.


    Without a word, she lifted her sky blue staff. Before Professor Geist had a chance to unleash his fireball, two javelins of ice formed around Kathlyn.


    "Shoot." I heard my fellow disciplinarymittee officer mutter before the javelins fired towards our professor.


    So she decided to go the offensive route to keep Professor Geist from attacking her.


    A faint smirk crept up on our professor¡¯s face as he lifted his hands that were still ame, ready to block the ice spears.


    As soon as the ice javelins touched the fire on his palms, they instantly melt, disappearing slowly as a sharp hiss resounded.


    "Ice Javelin," she muttered again, and this time, instead of two, five spinning javelins formed near Kathlyn.


    "Shoot." Her expression remained icy, like a coiled serpent ready to spring.


    "Haha! Impressive! As expected of our princess!" Professor Geist grinned, the ss leaning forward to get a better view of this intense battle. Since most of the students were first-years, they weren¡¯t at the level where they¡¯d be able to conjure something like this, let alone almost instantly.


    Our professor concentrated as the five spears shooting toward him, ready to pierce through if not countered.


    "Ember Wisps!" The spell he prepared finished in time as Professor Geist jumped back, releasing small, floating orbs of blue mes.


    Wasn¡¯t this the spell Lucas used during his rank examination?


    "Break," Kathlyn muttered, and she willed her five ice javelins to shatter into an uncountable amount of small, sharp shards of ice.


    "Fire!" Professor Geist, his face not nearly so smug as before, willed his orbs of blue fire to shoot at his opponent. Kathlyn, on the other hand, was so focused on finishing her final spell that she ignored the iing streams of blue fire about to hit her.


    "Ice Tornado!" Her voice filled with a faint panic as she realized upon finishing her spell that she was about to receive the brunt of Geist¡¯s attack.


    PROFESSOR GEIST¡¯S POV:


    That idiot! Why didn¡¯t she defend herself instead of trying to finish thest spell?


    As the tornado of ice shards began to whirl around me, I became nervous. I wasn¡¯t scared of this fancy spell; I was scared that she might be gravely injured from my attack.


    Wasn¡¯t itmon sense for a conjurer to have ayer of defense in battles? I chose a rtively easy spell to counter and the fact that she was a deviant specializing in ice made it all the more easy for her. Did she want to win so much that she chose to forego that?


    I cancelled the spell but only the ember wisps disappeared. The streams of blue fire that they shot at the stupid princess was still heading her way.


    Damn it. I¡¯m screwed.


    Scorch Field.


    I willed ayer of heat around my body to melt the shards of ice circling me. I was left with some light scratches but I didn¡¯t care. What happened to the princess? I didn¡¯t hear any screams from the other students. Maybe she was okay?


    Damn... I should¡¯ve stopped after making a fool of the elf.


    After theyer of ice shards that were blocking my view melted, I immediately tried to find the princess but instead, I found thest member of the three DC officers in my ss, Arthur Leywin, in front of Kathlyn, who was still covering her face with her arms in panic. His palm was out in front of him while his other arm wrapped protectively around the princess.


    His eyes... I couldn¡¯t help but involuntarily tremble from the baleful re that pierced through me. It felt even sharper than those ice spears that the princess threw at me.


    "I think this little game of yours has gone on long enough, don¡¯t you think?" His expression stayed icy, the innocent fa?ade that I now knew he usually kept nowhere in sight as his domineering gaze looked at me without remorse. Was this his true face?


    "While I am thankful for your concern over the princess, it was unnecessary, as I had it all under control." No way was I going to lose face right here, on the first day, in front of all of my students.


    "Under control?" Arthur¡¯s brow slightly twitched and I could sense his annoyance. Was I the only one feeling this pressure? This wasn¡¯t normal. AA ss mana beasts didn¡¯t even exude this much pressure.


    "Yes. Do you think that I, a professor at this esteemed academy, would actually put one of my students in harm¡¯s way?" I said calmly. There was no proof! Today was all just a little mistake.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    This ingrate really nned on insisting that he had this all under control. I already knew from watching Lucas that once the remote spell from the wisps were shot, they couldn¡¯t be cancelled. Then again, there was no proof since I¡¯d blocked it.


    "I see... then in that case, allow me to take the ce of my colleague in this ¡¯demonstration.¡¯"


    "Haha...well, if you insist. I seem to have scared the princess a little too much with myst spell. I should¡¯ve cancelled it earlier if I knew you were going to interrupt. Now, some of my students may misunderstand that I was trying to actually hurt her."


    Even now, this pathetic excuse of an instructor was trying to defend his position. I could already tell from the various murmurs around the ss that most of the students already believed what he was saying.


    I turned back to Kathlyn. "You¡¯re okay. Do you think you can make it back to your seat on your own?" I gently stirred her from her stupor.


    "Y-Yes... I¡¯m really sorry." For the first time, I saw a change in Kathlyn¡¯s expression. She looked really embarrassed, her porcin white skin flushing a light red as she turned away to go back to her seat.


    "Then please guide me well." I turned back to Professor Geist and drew Dawn¡¯s Bad. The translucent teal de triggered gasps and mutters of amazement as even Geist looked at my sword, wide-eyed in wanting.


    "Quite the nice weapon you got there. Since you are an augmenter, I suppose it would be fair to let you choose which method you would like for me to fight with." He shrugged his shoulders helplessly as he walked towards his sword, which was embedded into the ground.


    "It doesn¡¯t matter," I responded simply.


    I could see a vein popping in annoyance from our professor as he looked back at me.


    "I Insist," he retorted.


    "Then please go with what you¡¯re more confident in." I took a couple steps forward, my face still peering deep into him, studying his every movement and action.


    Scum or not, this professor was still a light yellow ss veteran augmenter. The fact that he had the insight to use blue fire meant he was pretty capable.


    I saw the once grinning professor scowl as his face turned a bit red. I could tell he really wanted to leave an amazing impression on his ss, and so far, I wasn¡¯t giving him much face.


    "Very well then. I¡¯ll be sure to go easy on you." The upper portion of his face betrayed his lighthearted smile.


    Pulling out his sword with ease, Geist made his way towards me as well, his de dancing around him gracefully as he handled it with little effort.


    He blinked towards me without warning, swinging his de down with a force that wasn¡¯t exactly ¡¯easy.¡¯


    His sword was imbued in ayer of blue fire, the heat that radiated from it making deadly. After parrying his initial surprise attack, I used wind attribute mana to keep the trail of fire away from me.


    Since I was only able to use wind and earth mana, I had to really think about how to best utilize my assets to ovee a stronger opponent. While it would¡¯ve been easy to use blue fire myself, I didn¡¯t have that option right now.


    His bombardment continued, the force of each swing and stab getting faster and stronger, as if trying to test the limit I could handle. Every time I parried or dodged his attack with ease, his next attacks would be kicked up a notch.


    I wasn¡¯t using any spells to receive his attacks, just mana strengthening and pure sword technique, which seemed to frustrate our professor even more.


    "I¡¯m sure the disciplinarymittee aren¡¯t only made of rats who keep dodging and running away," he said loudly, putting on a joking face.


    "Is there really a need for me to attack when our esteemed professor can¡¯t evennd one on a first-year student?" I countered, putting on an innocent face.


    He didn¡¯t answer, his lips contorted in anger instead. By this time, a couple of the students had already caught on that this wasn¡¯t just a simple demonstration, some whispering if they should call the director or the student council over.


    Professor Geist¡¯s attacks became fiercer as he started implementing several spells along with his attacks.


    "me Pir." A stream of blue fire shot up from the ground beneath me as I instantly sidestepped to avoid it, countering him with a concise strike to his neck.


    Catching him by surprise, he jumped back a lot further than he had to, in order to dodge my de, a bead of sweat forming on his brow.


    "Even rats be deadly when cornered, Professor." I shot him a snide grin as I immediately closed the distance between the two of us.


    Appearing right next to him, I willed wind mana around the de of my sword as I prepared a spell. Each swing I took formed a still path of wind, confusing Professor Geist who was still able to block my blows. Every swipe, every lunge, and every swing I took created an almost transparent path of air in its trajectory.


    Professor Geist wasn¡¯t trying to put on an act of confidence anymore, concentration was etched on his face as he tried to block my flurry of attacks.


    He was reaching the edge of the arena as each blow from me forced him to take a step back, the mes on his sword flickering helplessly upon receiving each attack.


    It was about time to end this.


    I willed the surface of the ground where he was about to take his next step to concave in, making him slightly lose his bnce. As expected of a veteran augmenter, he stumbled for a split second but was able to soon regain his bnce. However, that split second was all that I needed.


    [Tempest]


    The dozens of trails of wind that were produced from each of my mana-instilled de suddenly glowed and shot out. My assault reached its climax as the speed of my attacks increased, my de bing barely visible. All the while, the spell I had just activated, Tempest, followed behind each of my attacks, making my barrage a chain of both sword and sharp des of wind.


    "AHHH!" Overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of attacks that he couldn¡¯t hope to blockpletely, he stumbled onto his butt and rolled out of the arena.


    The protective barrier that blocked all spells from going through flickered and cracked as my tempest spell bombarded against it until finally, the barrier broke with a sharp sound. It had been strong enough to block all but onest de of wind from my spell, which grazed my professor¡¯s neck, producing a trickle of blood.


    Fortunately, the Professor¡¯s mana-imbued body was strong enough so that my deadly des of wind only grazed him, but he still sat t on his back, his face pale in fright and knees shaking as I buried my de in the ground right next to his carotid artery.


    Pulling out my sword and putting it back into my dimension ring, I look down at our professor. "Thank you for your guidance."


    As if on cue, the bell rang, and I walked out of the room, leaving the entire ss¡¯s eyes wide and jaws ck.


    "...A-Arthur." I heard a soft voice from behind me. It was Kathlyn running towards me with Feyrith following behind.


    "I have to admit, you were impressive back there, Arthur. As expected of my rival." Feyrith crossed his arms, but his face looked a little disheartened.


    Putting an arm on the elf¡¯s shoulder, I said to him, "You did good out there, Feyrith. If you knew the type of spell that the professor was using, I know you would¡¯ve prepared more preventive measures."


    "O-Of course! If I knew that the specific spell he would use was a lot stronger than I anticipated, I¡¯m sure I would¡¯vee out as the victor in the end," he said, but the faint smile on his face showed that he appreciated my faith.


    I turned to Kathlyn, who was still a bit shaken up. "Are you an idiot?" I said to her, flicking her lightly on the forehead.


    She looked at me in utter shock, and even Feyrith looked a bit panicked.


    "If you chose to defend yourself instead of focusing so much on beating the guy, you wouldn¡¯t have put yourself at risk like that. Don¡¯t be so stubborn and think things through more carefully. You know... you¡¯re awfully emotional for someone whose face never changes." I gave her a yful smirk before walking to my next ss, leaving the princess in a daze while Feyrith panicked, thinking of ways to console her.


    "Kyuu!" ¡¯Ah~ I¡¯m full! How was ss, Papa?¡¯ Sylvie scurried on top of my head and settled in, messing up my hair.


    ¡¯Meh, it was okay.¡¯ I simply think, patting my precious bond.

 Chapter 53: Classes and Professors III

    While walking to my next ss, I couldn¡¯t help but be a bit frustrated with myself. I had been impatient back there, only wanting to overpower Professor Geist to end it fast. Using only my wind and earth attributes, I couldn¡¯t end it as easily as I¡¯d wanted to. I guess being blessed with too many gifts had made me be a bit too impertinent. In reality, I¡¯d yet to reach the pinnacle of strength in this continent even though I definitely had enough advantages that would allow me to reach the top. With that mindset, I needed to stopparing myself to students my age and think bigger. My only hope was that the upper division sses would offer insight into mana maniption that I couldn¡¯t pinpoint on my own.


    I was rather interested in my next ss, Basics of Artificing. Artificing was something that never existed in my old world. I was sure there were relevant ties to technology used in my old world but the premise of manipting and coding mana to have specific uses designated to an object would be new to me.


    Upon entering the ssroom, I was pleasantly surprised to see that theyout of the room was that of aboratory. Beakers, containers, different types of ores and various gadgets filled the room, making it all the more authentic.


    I was somewhat relieved to see that there was no one I knew in this ss, giving me peace of mind. As students started filing in and sitting next to acquaintances and friends, a girl that looked to be about my age walked by and stood next to the stool beside mine.


    "I-Is this seat taken? If it is, I¡¯ll move somewhere else!" I didn¡¯t know why she looked so panicked but I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at her innocent personality.


    "No, the seat isn¡¯t taken. You¡¯re free to sit there if you wish." I said with a weing smile, taking a seat myself.


    The girl was ordinary, to say the least. Her thick round sses magnified her eyes and the freckles underneath them. Her curly hair looked like it had a life of its own, as it was forcibly tied into a ponytail down her back.


    Compared to girls like Tess and Kathyln, whom everyone fawned over¡ªand for good reason¡ªshe was rather in. But for some reason, it wasfortable around her.


    "Th-Thank you..." she muttered with her head faced down. "...mily."


    "What was that?" I leaned in closer to hear herst sentence.


    "Emily! My name is Emily Watsken! Please be my friend¡ªI mean, please to meet you!" Her eyes widened, stunned at her own words.


    I shared her expression before I burst out into augh.


    "Sure. My name is Arthur Leywin." I grasped her hand and couldn¡¯t help but be surprised by how coarse her palm was.


    "O-Oh! I¡¯m sorry! It probably feels gross, right?" She retracted her callused hand while her face turned a bit red, entuating the freckles on her cheeks.


    "No, it¡¯s quite fine. I have calluses too. See?" I held my sword hand out to reveal the hardened lumps on my palms


    "Wow...you¡¯re right! You must practice a lot! It¡¯s no wonder you¡¯re in the disciplinarymittee. I really admire that! For me, I really love artificing, so I end up fiddling around with a lot gadgets. Unfortunately, it makes my hands get this rough." She scratched her head, her sentences bing faster as she got morefortable with me


    "Really? I rather admire people like you. I¡¯m jealous that you have such a passion for artificing. The only thing you get better at when fighting is destroying and killing, but the better you get at artificing, the more things you can create." I looked down at my own callused hands.


    "Woah... that¡¯s deep." I saw Emily readjust her thick sses while she pondered what I had just said in her head.


    "Haha, I ended up saying something unpleasant. I apologize." The ss was getting pretty loud as the room filled up with eager students, most of which were here as a schr mages.


    "No no no! It wasn¡¯t unpleasant at all! Just, it¡¯s not something you hear every day from a twelve-year-old." She desperately shook her hands to gesture that it was okay.


    "You say that as if you aren¡¯t a twelve-year-old yourself," I snickered as I looked at her.


    Slumping in her chair, she lets out a sigh. "True... It¡¯s because I¡¯m apparently a genius of some sorts. I don¡¯t really get why people say that but people don¡¯t really treat me as a child anymore after I created the projection disy artifact."


    "Wait what? You¡¯re the one that invented the disy used to show the kings¡¯ and queens¡¯ announcement?" I stood up from my stool.


    "Mhmm, well only a part of it... I tinkered around with some of the things in my parents¡¯b and I made the basic designs a couple years back." She scratched her curly hair again.


    Sinking back into my stool, I let out a deep breath. Holy crap. She built something like that when she wasn¡¯t even 10!


    "Well, I must say that it is an honor to be in the presence of a genius such as yourself." I give her a smirk, bowing my head in mock fealty.


    "Oh, please. Don¡¯t you start now too! Besides, you¡¯re quite famous too, you know!" She gave me a smirk as her sses reflect the ssroom light, making her look like an evil scientist.


    "Really? I¡¯ve tried very hard toy low. I guess that didn¡¯t work." I leaned my head on my hand.


    "Pfft. Well joining the disciplinarymittee as a first year sure didn¡¯t help."


    "There are other first year students in themittee as well," I refuted.


    "But not humans! You and Princess Kathyln are the only ones, and the Princess has been hailed as a prodigy since she awakened. That leaves you, a mysterious human freshman that has a bond with a white fox-like mana beast and no background, also able to overwhelm andpletely demolish a professor that is a veteran adventurer at the light yellow core stage." By this time, she was leaning closer and closer to me.


    "What? How do you already know about what happened with Professor Geist?! That literally happened fifteen minutes ago!"


    "Kyu!" Sylvie echoed in protest at being called fox-like, although that essentially was what she was.


    "Don¡¯t be so surprised! This is a magic academy, after all. News travels fast and gossip travels even faster. I bet you some people in this ss already know what happened." She smirked while wagging her finger.


    "Oh God... You know, I noticed you¡¯re awfully talkative nowpared to when you stuttered your greeting when you first came in." I couldn¡¯t help but realize the change in her personality.


    "Shut up! I s-suck with strangers, okay? Besides, I don¡¯t usually get along with new people this easily. You¡¯re different, though! It was easy to getfortable with you since we¡¯re really simr." She harrumphed, crossing her arms over her undeveloped chest.


    "Simr in what way?" I raise a brow.


    She grinned broadly, "We¡¯re both freaks!"


    I rolled my eyes at her conjecture but realized that, because of how high her intelligence was, I was morefortable with her than other kids my age.


    As I was about to respond to her statement, the ssroom door swung open and I saw a familiar face.


    "Greetings, plebeians! Please feel honored to have me, Professor Gideon, as your teacher for this ss!" The crazy scientist skedaddled his way onto the podium while the pair of goggles that were hanging from his neck bounced up and down.


    As he gazed through the ssroom with a condescending eye, he eventually reached Emily and me.


    "AH! Well, if it isn¡¯t Arthur. I had no idea that you would be in my ss!" He sped his cheeks in an obviously fake way, making me shake my head.


    "And my oh my, getting along with Miss Watsken! I must say you two would make quite the team! Good good! Let¡¯s begin the first day of sses by a little introduction of myself!" He smiled, writing his name in big letters behind him.


    The lecture continued on with Gideon rambling on about how remarkable he was for the following hour and a half. Most students, myself included, were half asleep but Emily¡¯s eyes sparkled as she absorbed every bit of information that came out of Gideon¡¯s thin lips. I guessed even a genius like her respected Gideon in the field of artificing. Made me almost want to admire him.


    Meanwhile, Sylvie was curled up on the desk in front of me, using my arm as a pillow, when an olive green owl suddenly flew in from the window,nding on my shoulder.


    "Kyu!" Sylv jumped up in surprise and growled as the owl just calmly grooms itself.


    "Well, it seems like Director Goodsky is beckoning you, brat!" Gideon walked up to me, massaging his hunched shoulders.


    "You shouldn¡¯t keep her waiting. Shoo! Off you go!" He pped my back as he continued on talking about how great he was.


    Emily leaned in, not surprised. "I told you not to underestimate how fast news travelled!"


    "Yeah, yeah..." I walked out of the ssroom, hearing some of my ssmates begin their discussion about what happened.


    "Now... where was Director Cynthia¡¯s office again?" I scratched my head.


    As if he understood, the owl flew off of my shoulder and began flying towards the right, gesturing us to follow.


    "Kyu!" ¡¯Papa, he¡¯s dangerous!¡¯ Sylvie warned me, her fur standing onend.


    The campus was fairly empty as most of the students were either in ss, training on their own, or in their dorms. Getting caught up in the beautiful scenery of this campus, I realized a littlete that the owl hadnded on a statue in front of a building that I assumed was the director¡¯s office, waiting for me to enter.


    Opening the door, I headed inside while the horned owl perches itself on my shoulder again, making Sylvie hiss and throw paws at it in warning.


    "I see that Avier has personally guided you here. Odd... I have never seen him get sofortable with a stranger before." Professor Goodsky, who was sitting behind her desk, rested her head on her hands as she looked at me but studied Sylvie in particr.


    "Is there something you needed from me, Director?" I take a seat in front of her desk as Avier, the green owl, left my shoulder and perched on the window ledge behind Cynthia.


    "Yes. I called you here regarding the little ¡¯demonstration¡¯ in Professor Geist¡¯s ss." Her expression remained unfazed as she mentioned the trouble I must¡¯ve caused her.


    "Ah... There were some situations beforehand regarding that, actually..." Before I could exin, Director Goodsky lifted up her hand to interrupt.


    "We¡¯ve just dismissed Professor Geist from our academy. Princess Kathyln personally stepped forth and exined, telling me what exactly happened. Of course I had to get some people to verify her testimony but everyone agreed that the professor was a danger to students." She nodded, cing a couple of documents in front of me.


    Wow, she worked fast. This incident happened less than two hours ago, but she already managed to handle and fire that professor.


    As if she knew what I was thinking, she smiled and added, "It helps move things along when you get the final say in all matters regarding this academy. I have to say, though, that I have never seen the princess so worked up as she was today. When she came in, she had a slightly angry expression on her face, which, by her standards, is quite serious. You must understand how surprised I was. Hoho!" Director Goodsky covered her mouth with a hand as she chuckled softly.


    "Really now? I didn¡¯t think that princess could even show emotions." I grinned as well.


    "Yes. You must¡¯ve made quite an impression on her, because she defended you quite fervently, leaving Professor Geist no room to defend himself." She gave me a wink.


    When I shook my head helplessly, Director Goodsky justughed, responding, "You¡¯re quite thedies¡¯ man, Arthur. It¡¯s going to be a problem if you steal the hearts of both princesses! Who knows, you might be the cause of our next civil war! Hahaha!"


    She seemed quite amused by something that could devastate the thin bnce that this continent had. I wanted to just dismiss the thought, but when I imagined the two princesses fighting it out, I shuddered. I didn¡¯t have the mental capacity to handle even one of the princesses, let alone both of them.


    "You know, it¡¯s not really considered young to get married at the age of fourteen or fifteen. I¡¯m sure Tessia will have developed into quite a fine youngdy by then." She teased me even further.


    "No thank you. I don¡¯t see myself bing romantically involved anytime soon. Besides, they¡¯re still just kids. Maybe I¡¯ll start thinking about it when the girls my age be a bit more mature." I shrugged.


    Leaning forward, the director studied me. "Hoho, the way you say it makes me think that you¡¯ve already matured, Arthur."


    "Well, even you must admit that I happen to be a lot more mature than people my age," I responded, leaning back into the chair.


    "True, but women do tend to mature faster than men," Director Goodsky stated matter-of-factly.


    "I¡¯m still wondering why I got called in here. I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t just bring me here to tell me that everything was settled and to get married." Sylvie hopped off my head and chased after Avier, who was grooming itself on the window.


    "Arthur! I feel like you¡¯re bing to see me as someone who always has an ulterior motive at hand." She gave me an offended look.


    "Haha! I do, because we¡¯re awfully simr in that way, Director." I gave her a wink, making her smile as well.


    "Dear me. If that is the case, then I believe I¡¯ve made the right decision," she responded.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Arthur, what do you think about being the professor for your ss, Practical Mana Maniption?" She sped her hands, studying my expression.


    My eyes widened at this. "You¡¯re not serious, right?"


    "Oh, I¡¯m quite serious, Arthur," she said, her expression unfaltering.


    "Is that even allowed? I¡¯m a student not even finished with his first day of school. Can I be a student and a professor at the same time? What about my other sses?" I began shooting out arguments as to why this wouldn¡¯t work.


    "Please, no need to get so worked up. It¡¯s quite simple, actually. Is it allowed? Yes, as long as I say it is. Although this specific situation has never urred, there are cases of highly qualified upperssmen that teach basic courses. As for your other sses, your schedule wouldn¡¯t really change. You would just be teaching that one ss, for that period." She gave me a business-like smile.


    I began thinking. Director Goodsky wasn¡¯t doing this for her benefit. She would be sure to get a lot ofints from noble parents protesting why a first year was teaching a ss. I, on the other hand, would have a lot more time on my hands, because teaching the course would require a lot less work outside of ss.


    "I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re doing this, Director."


    "Well, a spot just opened up and you were the one that defeated the previous professor. Doesn¡¯t that give you enough qualifications to enter? Besides, I¡¯m really not doing this for some ulterior motive, Arthur. You don¡¯t have to be too suspicious. This is up to you. I won¡¯t push you into this, but I believe that it would be a good opportunity to build a sort of standing for yourself without having to go around conquering professors. If you wish to further enjoy teaching after this semester, I can give you more sses to teach! I¡¯m sure there are a very limited number of sses that would be of use to you anyway" she chuckled.


    Standing up, Goodskyid a gentle hand on my shoulder. "The choice is yours."

 Chapter 54: It’s a Pleasure

    Pondering what the director had said, I just sat there, my eyes nkly staring at something off in the distance. Like she¡¯d mentioned, there was no real benefit for her to hire me as a professor, which is why I found it so suspicious. It was so ingrained in me to be wary of other people¡¯s motivations no matter who they were. I guess as a figure of authority and power, you naturally be suspicious of everyone around you, which was why I couldn¡¯t fathom why she¡¯d asked me to do this.


    Practical Mana Maniption was a ss that didn¡¯t have any extra work to grade, which would make it even easier for me to just teach the ss. Even if it wasn¡¯t easier, it would help build a good position for myself and would be a lot more interesting. Seeing as how I probably couldn¡¯t escape attention from the students anyway, I might as well do things a bit differently. Of course, I didn¡¯t n on revealing my full set of skills to anyone just yet, but I didn¡¯t see the point in trying to bepletely inconspicuous anymore, especially after today.


    "...Arthur?" I snapped out of my thoughts to see that Director Goodsky was looking at me with a rather worried expression.


    "Ah, yes. Although I¡¯m not sure howpetent I¡¯d be in that kind of role, I¡¯d like to try my hand at being a professor." I looked over the document stating my duties and responsibilities as a teacher.


    "I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do an excellent job," she smiled.


    Looking at her, I asked, "Were there any other sses that Professor Geist taught besides mine?"


    "Fortunately, no. We hired him this year after he retired from being an adventurer. For this semester, the other professors and I decided to only have him teach one ss, as a sort of test run." She shook her head at the pitiful results he¡¯d produced.


    "Before I sign, I have onest question," I stated as I read over the final paragraph of the document.


    "Go on," she urged.


    "Wouldn¡¯t it be counterintuitive that I¡¯m not allowed to hurt students while being part of the disciplinarymittee?" I quizzed.


    "Ah, good question. The ¡¯not hurting students¡¯ rule is for inside the ssroom. While the situation is always investigated for every case, as long as it is for the safety of other students, such as using a certain degree of force to quell a fight or suppress a rampant student. As for outside of ss, during your disciplinarymittee duties, I¡¯ll trust your judgment on that."


    With that, I nodded and signed the document. "I expect great things from you, Arthur, and I¡¯m sure I¡¯m not the only one." She gave me a gentle pat on the shoulder before ushering me to go eat lunch.


    CYNTHIA GOODSKY¡¯S POV:


    "Whew, what is it about that boy that always keeps me on my toes? Negotiating with him is more heart-straining than dealing with the royal families. What is your take on him, Avier?" My bond gentlynded on the arm I held out, his intelligent eyes pondering what to say.


    "He is... different. Do not view Arthur Leywin as a child. Whether it is mental acuity or emotional maturity, there is much more to him than the eye can see." The clear words that came out of my bond didn¡¯t seem natural from the movement of his beak.


    "What makes you so certain?" I leaned back in my seat.


    "His bond. That white fox¡¯s true form should be that of a dragon..."


    I bolted up from my seat. "What?! How is that possible? How do you know?"


    "It is because we are of the same kind. I may be of a lesser species of dragons but Wyverns are still the dragons¡¯ descendents." Avier went back to grooming himself.


    "Are you saying that bond of his is more powerful than you?" I couldn¡¯t help but be utterly baffled by all of this.


    "No, that child has yet to mature. She shouldn¡¯t have hatched more than a few of years ago. However, I suspect that when she does develop, my strength will not be evenparable to hers," he stated matter-of-factly.


    I couldn¡¯t imagine anyone stronger than Avier. The fact that he was my bond was only because he grew a liking to me when I happened by him, deep in the Beast des. He usually did his own thing and I didn¡¯t dare treat him like pet, but the fact that Arthur¡¯s bond was actually a dragon and that it seemed so subservient to him made me wonder what that boy really was.


    "Do not make him your enemy, Cynthia. If treated with trust and respect, he will be the greatest ally, but if betrayed, he may be the cause of this continent¡¯s demise." With that warning, Avier flew off.


    I leaned forward in my seat, rubbing my throbbing temples as I recalled what happened a couple hours back.


    ___________________________________________


    "Director Goodsky, I request that you remove the boy named Arthur Leywin from my ss!" One of my professors mmed the door open as he stormed inside.


    "Professor Geist, you look shaken up. What¡¯s wrong?" I was taken by surprise by the sudden intrusion.


    "The boy has no respect for me, his professor! Please do not listen to any of the rumors that you may hear. I¡¯m being framed!" The man¡¯s wide face was filled with desperation and anger.


    Two brisk knocks sounded from the door.


    "Pleasee in," I stated. At least this person had the decency to knock.


    "I apologize for the intrusion, Director." The petite Kathyln gave me a small bow before walking up next to the now pale-faced professor.


    "What¡¯s the matter, Kathyln?" I leaned forward, taking a look at the both of them.


    "This sorry excuse for a professor needs to be fired," she said expressionlessly.


    Professor Geist grabbed Kathyln by the arm, pulling her close to him. "How dare you! ¡¯Sorry excuse¡¯? Me?"


    "You dare touch me with your filthy hand?" Her expression didn¡¯t change, and she somehow seemed to be looking down at Professor Geist.


    "Professor, I suggest you immediately remove your hand or else, whatever the case may be, it will not be in your favor." I stood up at this point. Using force to get your point across was deplorable.


    He immediately let go of Kathyln¡¯s arm before talking. "Ahem... as I was saying. Please do not take to heart the rumors that you may hear. I swear that this was all a misunderstanding and that I¡¯m being framed."


    "I have not yet heard of any rumors. Do you mind indulging me, Kathyln?"


    "This scum dares to pick on students to feel good about himself. Even ignoring the fact that he utterly humiliated Feyrith, if Arthur didn¡¯t step in, I would¡¯ve..." Without finishing herst sentence, she red at the professor.


    I turned to Professor Geist, who was desperately denying this usation. "I¡¯m telling you that it was a misunderstanding. I simply wanted to demonstrate in front of the ss the level the disciplinarymittee is at; you know, for the other students to know."


    "If that was simply what this was, then there would be no reason for you toe into my room and insist that Arthur be removed from your ss." I couldn¡¯t help but sigh internally at the thought of handling this dilemma.


    I turned to my secretary, who had peeked in to see what the fuss was about. "Tricia, please gather information for me from Professor Geist¡¯s ss regarding this incident."


    My brte-haired assistant bowed before running off.


    "Now, please be patient as this is sorted out. I will do my best to be just about this." Before I was able to dismiss the two of them, Princess Kathyln walked up to me.


    "I trust that you will handle this fairly, but just know that, if it wasn¡¯t for Arthur, you wouldn¡¯t be handling this professor¡¯s ethic case but a student¡¯s injury case. MY injury case. I bid you good day, Director." She turned around,pletely ignoring Professor Geist, who was taken aback by herst statement.


    _____________________________________________


    Recalling the testimonies I received, it seemed like Arthurpletely overwhelmed Professor Geist. While this professor¡¯s personality never did sit well with me, his skills were more than enough to teach a basic mana maniption ss. Even while being a light yellow core augmenter, and a quite capable one at that, he had beenpletely defeated by a twelve-year-old.


    I let out a sigh in regret that I didn¡¯t measure the level of the boy¡¯s core while he was just here.


    A twelve-year-old defeating a veteran adventurer using only his wind and earth attribute mana, which I remembered him mentioning were his weakest, and who also had a bond with a dragon. What more was there to him? If I asked, would he tell me?


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    "Art! Over here!" I saw Elijah waving at me across the dining hall.


    I noticed he was sitting with a girl when I came over.


    "This is Charlotte! Charlotte, this is my best friend and roommate, Arthur Leywin." He stood up, gesturing the both of us to shake hands.


    "Hi Arthur, I¡¯ve heard a lot about you." She gave a coquettish smile while twiddling her hair.


    "Mmm... It¡¯s a pleasure," I responded brusquely before focusing my attention on Elijah.


    "How were your sses?" I asked my friend while I fed Sylvie a piece of broli.


    "Kyu!" ¡¯Noo!¡¯


    "Aww~ your little mana beast is so cute! Do you mind if I pet it?" Charlotte got awfully close to me, almost leaning on me while she reached for the top of my head.


    But before she got the chance to pet the growling Sylvie, I grabbed her wrist.


    "Sorry, she doesn¡¯t like strangers touching her." I looked her dead in the eye, making her blush by how close her face was to mine.


    "O-Oh, I¡¯m sorry!" She shrank back, focusing back on the food.


    Seemingly ignorant of what was happening, Elijah responded, his mouth full of food. "sses were great! I especially like my basic chain-casting ss and mana utilization ss. Although for mana utilization, I feel like the professor that¡¯s teaching is going over the exact same thing that you told me to do. By the way, I met Charlotte in my chain-casting ss! She¡¯s really good!"


    "Haha, please, you¡¯re making me blush." Charlotte put on a bashful face as she squirmed in her seat.


    "..."


    "Anyways, how were your sses?! I heard you already beat up a professor! What happened to keeping it cool, man?" He gave me a smirk while he pointed his fork at me usingly.


    "Yeah, about that, so I ended up bing a professor for that ss," I responded coolly, shoving a piece of meat in my mouth while avoiding Sylvie¡¯s attempts at trying to steal it.


    Elijah spluttered the food he was chewing towards us as I instinctively leaned back, trying to get out of range.


    The girl named Charlotte screamed as received the brunt of my friend¡¯s attack.


    "Elijah, that¡¯s gross." I wiped some of the stray food particles that I couldn¡¯t manage to avoid from my face.


    "Sorry, sorry...what? You¡¯re going to be a professor?" He wiped his mouth before trying to wipe Charlotte¡¯s face, but Charlotte rejected the offer.


    "Mm... I ended up recing the professor that was teaching the ss. So you may now call me Professor Leywin." I smirked at my friend.


    "Professor, my ass. But maybe I should ditch my ss sometime and go to yours. It¡¯d be interesting to see you teach," he retorted.


    As we continued talking, I grew annoyed at the flirting attempts from Charlotte, and even more annoyed at the fact that Elijah was clueless about it all.


    "Oh yeah! Charlotte and I were going to go to Downtown Academy to do some shopping. Do you want to join us?" he asked nonchntly.


    "Yes! Arthur, you should join us." She leaned in closer again. There was a small strip on the corner of the academy where fancy restaurants and cafes, along with shopping booths were located for the rich nobles to spoil themselves. With that, you could imagine how enormous the academy was.


    "I have three more sses, remember? I¡¯m taking the upper division sses after lunch."


    Elijah just shrugged at this. "Oh yeah, I forgot. No big deal! I guess it¡¯ll just be me and Charlotte."


    Charlotte smiled awkwardly at Elijah¡¯s happy-go-lucky face and responded, "Ah, sorry. I totally forgot that I had other ns today. I¡¯m so sorry! We should definitely go next time, though! All three of us! Bye."


    With that, she walked off, leaving my friend and I alone at the small dining table.


    "I guess she was really busy." Elijah looked a bit disappointed.


    Oh, Elijah...


    Leaning close, he asked me in a serious voice. "So, what did you think about Charlotte? She¡¯s pretty, huh?! Do you think I have a shot with her?"


    Oh, Elijah...


    "I think you can do better, buddy." I patted my clueless friend on the back as we walked out of the dining hall together.


    Elijah decided that he wanted to go to the library after his ns suddenly washed away, so after walking him there, I made my way to my first upper division ss, Team-Fighting Mechanics I.


    The ssroom, or should say field, to be more urate, was on the other side of the academy, where all of the upper division sses were held.


    The "room" consisted of a huge grass field with several obstacles ced randomly, encased by high walls with runes engraved in them. On top of one of the walls was a separate little room protected by a ss encasing. I assumed that the room was used as a viewing tform for the rest of the students.


    I saw some students had arrived before me, talking to each other, and I immediately noticed some familiar figures.


    "Ah! I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d be in an upper division ss, Arthur." Curtis yder waved at me as soon as he realized who I was. Grawder, Curtis¡¯ bond, was lying with his eyes closed right next to him.


    "Yeah, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have a ss with you. Please take care of me." I grasped his hand.


    "Good to see you again, Arthur!" ire deheart put her arm around my neck while smiling brightly. "We have to do our best not to embarrass the disciplinarymittee, right?"


    "Haha, I¡¯ll do my best. Is this everyone that¡¯s going to be in the ss?" I replied, turning back to Curtis. I heard that this ss had a fairly small number of students, and that it was one of the most popr sses.


    "Hmmm, there should be a few... ah, there theye!" Looking back, I saw several more students and I couldn¡¯t help but smile wearily.


    "Princess Tessia is as beautiful as always, isn¡¯t she?" I heard one of the students murmur.


    Walking this way amongst the small group of students was Tessia Eralith, my childhood friend, and Clive Graves, the student vice president.


    She noticed me and I could tell she was about to greet me but she noticed that I had an older woman¡¯s arm around my neck, so instead, she shot me a re before snapping her head away, pouting.


    Clive, oblivious of why she got angry, straight up gave me the death re as his narrow eyes became even sharper.


    "Good afternoon, Princess Tessia!" Not bothering to remove the arm around my neck, ire smiled and waves at Tess.


    "Pleasure," she responded, her expression fierce.


    After she walked past us, she secretly snuck in a pinch to my side, jolting me up.


    "Hmm, I wonder if she¡¯s in a bad mood today," ire pondered.


    It¡¯s because of you!


    As ire removed her arm from my neck, I turned to see someone behind us in the back of the group. As soon as I recognized who it was, my face started burning in anger while my clenched fists turned white. It was Lucas Wykes.

 Chapter 55: Match Start

    My body couldn¡¯t help but tremble in suppressed anger at the thought of being in the same ss as that brat Lucas, and of all sses, a team-fighting ss. The sick irony of having that traitor in a ss focused on learning team cohesion in battles almost made me want tough.


    Our eyes met but he looked at me apathetically, like I was an insect on the ground.


    "Good! Everyone¡¯s here!" a loud voice suddenly booms over the field. As all of the students started turning their heads to locate where the voice hade from, I looked straight up to see a massive hawk-like mana beast hovering over the field.


    This beast was at least 4 meters long and its wingspan was well over 8 meters. With its sharp talons tucked underneath it, the beast slowly made its descent, revealing a well-toned woman with a giant sword strapped to her back, standing up on the back of the hawk.


    "Wee! My name is Professor Glory, and I will be the one teaching all of you brats! This re Hawk is Torch, my precious bond."


    The first thing I did was measure the stage our professor¡¯s mana core was at, but upon trying to inspect her level, I felt a sudden sharp pain in my head as Professor Glory whipped her gaze at me. Giving me a confident smile, she gazed down in my direction. Hopping off of her re Hawk, she made her way around the group of students in her ss. Studying each of the students she passed, she took a closer look at some of them before making her way towards me.


    It wasn¡¯t unusual for mages to build defenses around their core stages, especially the higher level ones. It was also a lot more difficult to hide which element they used, since the mana particles of their element naturally surrounded them. Most don¡¯t find the need to hide their elemental attribute so it wasn¡¯t a big deal even if they couldn¡¯t, but needless to say, it was surprising to see how strong Professor Glory¡¯s defenses were.


    I couldn¡¯t tell what her core stage was or even her elemental attribute. While I got the hang of masking my core stage level, I needed to use seals in order topletely hide my elemental attributes. I wasn¡¯t sure whether she used seals like I did but one thing was for sure: she knew I was the one inspecting her.


    "I have to say, you guys have set the bar pretty high for all of the other sses," she announced after inspecting Lucas. She took quite a bit longer to inspect the disciplinarymittee and the student council members, nodding every once in awhile.


    "Well if it isn¡¯t my newest colleague, Arthur Leywin. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you," Professor Glory gave me a yful grin, as if she was itching to tease me.


    The students started murmuring amongst the group in confusion.


    One of the male upperssmen raised his hand. "Professor Glory, what do you mean by colleague?"


    "Ah! Most of you probably saw him at themencement this morning but this boy is a freshman disciplinarymittee officer. A real prodigy if I do say so myself. He¡¯s also a newly appointed professor for the Practical Mana Maniption ss that you guys all took during your underssman years." She gave me a firm pat on the back.


    "WHAT?!!"


    "You can¡¯t be serious, Professor!"


    "If that brat is a professor then I¡¯m the king of this continent!"


    "What has this academy turned into, to ept a freshman as a professor?"


    "How is that even possible? Even the best upperssmen these days don¡¯t get picked to be professors, but that first year did?"


    The various noises of protests made me sigh. They were bound to find out eventually but it would¡¯ve taken the upperssmen a bit longer to find out this news, considering they didn¡¯t really get much information about the lower division sses.


    "GRRRR~" Sylvie¡¯s fur stood on-end as she growled warningly at the group of students. ¡¯Papa is stronger than all of youbined!¡¯


    Everyone had seen Sylvie by now, whether it was from passing through the academy or at themencement ceremony earlier today so no one really cared much about the tiny mana beast on my head that could turn big enough to swallow them whole.


    "Now, now! Before we jump straight intoints, we should have more faith in the director¡¯s decision. He has qualified to some degree by beating the professor that taught the ss previously!" She shot me a wink.


    "But Professor Glory! The underssmen professors aren¡¯t all that great anyway! I bet some of the upperssmen students here could beat most of them!" Another round ofints issued on, making me grow sleepy. Must¡¯ve been the fooda setting in from lunch.


    "Haha! To be honest, I¡¯m itching to test how strong you really are, boy! Unfortunately, Director Goodsky made it clear for us to not do that. So! These students here will test you in my ce!" She put her hands on her hip, grinning in anticipation.


    By now, I noticed a sudden raging fire burning in some of the male students¡¯ eyes as they looked at me. I could almost see the words they were thinking etched into their face.


    ¡¯I¡¯m going to kill this bastard.¡¯


    ¡¯Who does this brat think he is?¡¯


    ¡¯Murder, murder, murder, murder...¡¯


    ¡¯I¡¯m jealous. Why is he good looking too? He needs to die.¡¯


    The female students, on the other hand have a look in their eyes that scared me even more. Their stares remind me of hyenas looking at fresh meat as they almost drooled over the ¡¯goods¡¯ that I suddenly became to them.


    Taking a nce at Tess, I notice that she has a surprised look on her face, her lips curling slightly in pride, but when she noticed that I was looking at her and quickly nced away, her ears a little red.


    Sigh, you know... it¡¯s not weird for you to talk to me.


    Clive, on the other hand, scowled in contempt while Lucas looked at me with his brow raised in renewed interest, as if I had gotten promoted from an insect to a mammal.


    "Director Goodsky told me to take it easy on my upper division sses until I adjusted to school. This is my first day, after all," I tried to ease my way out of this. Fighting against these hormonal teenagers wasn¡¯t going to end well.


    "Oh,e on! That¡¯s no fun now, is it? In order to get proper respect, a certain amount of skill needs to be shown, you know? It¡¯s just to prove to us that you are actually capable of being in this upper division ss. Isn¡¯t that right, ss?" she shouted.


    "Yeah!"


    Was this a military boot camp or something? Why was there always a reason to prove myself in whatever situation came up?


    "Sigh... What did you have in mind, Professor Glory?" I said in defeat. This wasn¡¯t going to end and I didn¡¯t want to waste my breath in arguing with people who didn¡¯t want to hear logic.


    "Fear not! I am a just and fair woman!" she harrumphed.


    Just and fair, my ass.


    I felt as if she had just read my mind because she wrapped her well-built arm around my neck and squeezed. Unlike the Twin Horns¡¯ Ang¡¯s chest, hers was muscr and hard, not much different from a man¡¯s.


    "We will start off this semester by ying a little game! Aren¡¯t I so nice?" By the look on her face, she was the most excited about this. Continuing on, she said, "So! What kind of game should we y... a mock team battle? War?"


    "How about having the three disciplinarymittee officers on the same team, Professor? I feel like that could be a good way to let us work on teamwork as well," Curtis raised his hand as ire nodded in agreement next to him.


    "Hmmm, not a bad idea!" she responded while rubbing her chin.


    "But Professor, both Curtis and ire are top students in this academy! It wouldn¡¯t be fair to have both of them on the same team as him," a tall, ck-haired teen argued.


    "That¡¯s true.... Aha! I got it! For the DC team, we will have Arthur y the role of king, the match resulting in an immediate loss if he gets put out of battle. I think that should be fair. Now, what about the other team?" As if she was talking to herself, she started muttering off possible candidates when a hand raised.


    "Professor. How about having the student council president and I as their opponent?" Clive suggested.


    "What?" Tess turns her head to Clive in surprise. But before she had the chance to object, Professor Glory sped her hands.


    "OHH! Now things are getting interesting! But it would be unfair to have only the two of you against the three of them." She looked around the group of students.


    "I think the president and I will suffice if the immediate loss rule affecting Arthur Leywin is implemented," he said seriously.


    "I¡¯ll volunteer to be on the Student Council Team," Lucas Wykes said calmly while leaning on his staff.


    "Hmmm, Mr. Wykes, our other genius freshman... Very well! It would be a good chance to see your abilities in action as well!" I could tell she had a twinge of doubt. Maybe she¡¯d heard some rumors about him.


    Some of the other students groaned in disappointment that they didn¡¯t get the chance to beat me up and be on the same team as the student council president but everyone was clearly excited to see the match.


    "The match will have a time limit of 30 minutes, where we will have a short discussion and a breakdown of it afterwards. Please gear up!" With that, a pile of what looked like exercise gear dropped to the ground out of Professor Glory¡¯s dimension ring.


    Turning serious, she began exining. "This is special equipment designed by artificers to measure the amount of damage that is dealt. This equipment will activate, releasing a shrill noise, if the damage it takes passes the threshold that¡¯s encrypted into it. If anyone chooses to ignore this warning and continues to fight or cast spells, it will lead to immediate expulsion from my ss and other possible consequences regarding your stay here as a student. This rule goes for any upper division fighting ss in this academy, so engrave it into your guys¡¯ brains. All of you are at the level where protecting yourselves with mana shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Let me reiterate this but, this equipment won¡¯t protect you so don¡¯t rely on it as a source of protection," She announced to everyone else in the ss as well. Clearing her throat, Professor Glory shouted. "Do I make myself clear?!"


    "YES!""


    "Good! Now, the six of you gear up." She got back on her bond while the rest of the students headed towards the viewing tform.


    Curtis came up to me and patted my back before picking up his gear. "Well, it seems like we¡¯re going to have an early practice session! Let¡¯s do our best, Arthur. I still remember you wanting a sword back then. Let¡¯s see how good you are!"


    "We can¡¯t embarrass the DC name now, can we? I¡¯ll make practice extra hard for anyone who doesn¡¯t meet standards!" ire grinned evilly while grabbing her gear.


    Clive and Lucas walked past me, ignoring me as I went after them to pick up my gear. The gear consisted of a tight jacket and a series of straps that I wrapped around my legs and arms.


    I was having trouble putting on the arm wraps when Tess silently came up and helped me bind the straps around my right arm.


    "Is it okay for Princess Tessia to be helping me like this?" I smirked while letting her help me.


    Shooting me a re, she tightened the straps, jerking my arm towards her. "Can it, Mr. Genius. They¡¯re over there anyways. Sigh...I can¡¯t stand acting like I don¡¯t know you." Her gaze softened.


    "You know, they¡¯re going to find out eventually. Why try so hard hiding it?" I shrugged.


    "You mean... you don¡¯t care? Grandma Cynthia mentioned to me about you wanting to keep a low profile so I thought..." Her face lostposure as she started stuttering.


    "Pff... Well I haven¡¯t been doing a very good job of that, now have I?" I couldn¡¯t help but snicker, confusing Tess even more.


    "It¡¯s okay. There are just a few things I mainly wanted to hide. As long as those remain a secret, the rest doesn¡¯t really matter. For one, do you notice anything?" I stuck out my chest to let her analyze me.


    "I don¡¯t get what... Ah! I can¡¯t sense your¡ªmfff!"


    She was getting too loud so I had to cover her mouth. Leaning closer to her face, I whispered, "Yup, that, and Sylvie¡¯s true identity as well. I¡¯m keeping most of my abilities a secret for now so you have to do your part as well. Maybe keeping the fact that I visited your kingdom a secret might be a good idea but you don¡¯t have to ignore me, Tess." I let go of her mouth and patted her head, making her flush and push me away from her.


    "Y-You¡¯re too c-close," Tess muttered under her breath as she¡¯s tilted her head down.


    "Are you guys done flirting over there?" Professor Glory¡¯s voice from above surprised the both of us as I quickly finish adjusting the straps.


    "Ah! Arthur. I suggest you leave your bond in a safer ce if she¡¯s not capable of assisting you during the battle like Curtis¡¯ bond." She pointed towards the viewing tform.


    "Kyu!" Sylvie cried in protest.


    "I think it¡¯ll be better for you to sit this one out, Sylv," I said while patting her small head.


    ¡¯Aww... Okay.¡¯ She jumped off my head before scurrying off out of the field.


    Tess just finished putting on her gear as I went up to her. "Let¡¯s both do our best. I want to see how much you improved."


    Giving me a confident smile, she said back, "You better watch out then," before running off to the other side of the field where Clive and Lucas were.


    I headed towards Curtis and ire. ire was stretching while Curtis mounted on top of his World Lion, Grawder.


    "Even with Grawder, we¡¯re still at a disadvantage because they have two conjurers and Clive is a long range augmenter. The fact that it¡¯s an instant loss for us if your gear activates gives us a seriously limited set of options." ire leaned on her unsheathed sword while stretching her leg back.


    "You¡¯re right. ire and I don¡¯t really know anything about your fighting style so we¡¯ll match your pace. We¡¯ll take priority in protecting you while we get in range to do some damage." Curtis responded while petting Grawder.


    I looked for Tess, Clive and Lucas and spotted them a few dozen meters away. Seemed like we were going to be target practice for them until we got in range. This would be fun.


    I couldn¡¯t help but grin as my blood boiled. It would feel good giving Lucas a few good blows during the match, although I could only imagine that both Lucas and Clive were thinking the same thing.


    I took out Dawn¡¯s Bad, making sure to not take out its sheath, as both Curtis and ire readied their weapons as well.


    "That¡¯s a beautiful sword you have there, Arthur," ire whistled as she stared at my de. Then she released a fierce battle aura as she infused both wind and fire attribute mana into her body.


    I had to admit that Curtis also looked pretty damn impressive wielding his dual double-edged swords while mounting his bond.


    I turned forward as well, imbuing wind and earth mana into my body and sword. My hair and clothes fluttered as the ground beneath me pulsed to mymand.


    Professor Glory¡¯s powerful voice echoed through the battlefield, signaling us to begin.


    "LET THE MATCH COMMENCE!"

 Chapter 56: This Is Going To Hurt

    On Professor Glory¡¯s signal, the three of us dashed forward. Curtis, who was mounted on top of Grawder, was to my left and ire was to my right, both a bit ahead of me.


    Tess, Clive and Lucas all split up as soon as we charged. Tess circled around the left side as she prepared to take on Curtis, while Clive dashed around the right side to confront ire before she reached him.


    Straight ahead, I saw Lucas calmly waiting for me, his face twisted into a haughty sneer that seemed to say ¡¯I don¡¯t need to get ready for you.¡¯ Whether it was at the Dire Tombs or even now, Lucas¡¯ arrogance had no limit. I still remembered when he betrayed us by using us as live bait so he could escape. Even then, he had the same sneer he had now.


    Tess was probably going to beat Curtis and I wasn¡¯t sure who was stronger between ire and Clive but I¡¯d worry about thatter. Wind and earth bent to my will as I infused more mana, activating mana rotation as well. Lucas wasn¡¯t weak. His mana pool was bigger than mine, but that didn¡¯t mean he was stronger than me.


    "Will you be alright by yourself against Lucas?" I heard Curtis shout as he dashed towards Tess.


    ire looked back at me in slight worry as well until I gave them a silent nod. She nodded back and focused on the student vice president.


    Lucas sensed a bit of the killing intent I purposely let out to shock him out of his pedestal as he began quietly chanting a spell while dashing backwards to get more distance between us.


    Soaring up ahead, I felt Professor Glory¡¯s keen eyes studying me as I closed the gap between us. I took a deep breath and blocked out everything else. As far as I was concerned, this was a fight between Lucas and me. Narrowing my eyes in utmost concentration, each powerful step I took created small craters in the ground as the wind whistled around me.


    Lucas let out a chortle before he released his spell. "Inferno¡¯s Cage!"


    The spell reminded me of the Ember Wisp spell that both Lucas and Ex-Professor Geist had used, but it was a lot bigger. The orbs scattered and floated in ce around the both of us, creating a dome made of fire.


    Don¡¯t tell me...


    With a confident smirk, he snapped his finger and uttered, "Activate."


    The orbs glowed in response before spewing out bullets of fire. If it was a spell on the level of Ember Wisp, I would be able to close the gap while dodging the fireballs, but this was insane. Dozens of fire sts were locked in on my position and fired at a constant rate,ing from all directions. If I hadn¡¯t train my body and fighting techniques during my time as an adventurer, I doubted that, no matter how fast I was, I would be able to dodge everything. Without even giving me a chance to take a step closer to my target, I was forced to dodge and block every iing missile constantly bombarding me.


    Inferno¡¯s Cage...whoever came up with this spell deserved a sword up the ass to feel what a pain it was to deal with. On top of the constant fireballs and streams of mes that locked in on me, the heat inside this dome was wearing me down. Without my fire attribute mana or water attribute mana, there was no direct way to counter the heat inside. Using fire attribute mana to make my body more immune to fire or even using water attribute mana to directly cool my body were both out of the question.


    "Keep running around, monkey. Do you think it¡¯s even possible for the peasants of the mages to actually have a chance against someone like me? I can¡¯t wait to step on you to crush whatever speck of confidence you had just because you became a DC member and a professor. I thought this ss would be a waste of time but now I know why I was brought here. It was to crush you." His little pretty boy face was wrenched in an ugly expression as he sneered.


    ¡¯Are you okay, Papa?¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s concerned voice echoed into my head after feeling how frustrated I was at the moment.


    Yeah, I¡¯m fine Sylv. Don¡¯t worry about me. How¡¯s everyone else doing? I send back.


    ¡¯Mama is winning against Curtis and ire is winning against that serious-looking guy,¡¯ she responded.


    Okay, just tell me if something unusual happens. I turned my focus back to the fight. Dodging the me bullets and the asional streams of fire was easy but I couldn¡¯t get closer to Lucas. I would release a wind de and some spikes of earth at Lucas but either the orbs that made up the dome destroyed it or Lucas just blocked the spell with one of his.


    What is with this kid¡¯s mana pool? Does he not have a limit to how long he can keep this spell up? No, calm down, Arthur. You don¡¯t want to be impatient. Think. How can I use wind? Wind? What is wind? It¡¯s the movement of air, right? What is air? Oxygen? Nitrogen? So am I able to control oxygen and nitrogen as well? If so, how?


    I was growing frustrated at myck ofprehension in my wind and earth elements. Now was as good a time as any to try andprehend. It wasn¡¯t just enough to shoot wind bullets or wind des because Lucas had already prepared several levels of fire shields around himself.


    I wasn¡¯t thinking outside of the box when I used wind. Even with mana rotation, I didn¡¯t have the necessary mana to form a tornado big enough to swallow the fire shooting at me, and even if I did, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able tost longer than Lucas. What was I missing?


    "Keep squirming! I¡¯m sure I can get away with it if a couple of fireballsnd on you, even after your gear activates. You know, since I can¡¯t cancel the sts from the orbs once they¡¯ve been released," He shrugged nonchntly as the shields around him block any spells I fired at him.


    Think, Arthur. Let¡¯s focus on fire. What does fire need for it keep burning? It needs oxygen. Could I get rid of the oxygen around me so that the fire couldn¡¯t reach me? Then what would happen to me? Would I be able to breathe?


    PROFESSOR GLORY¡¯S POV:


    Hmmm... Lucas... he¡¯s better than I¡¯ve heard.


    Inferno¡¯s Cage was a pretty tough spell to master, yet he was able to cast it while running backwards. Seriously, he was barely thirteen and he could already use a domain type spell. Haa... the world sure wasing to a change, with a half-elf like him using fire attribute magic, and even Princess Tess¡ªthey were all monsters. I got shivers down my back imagining how strong they¡¯d be by the time they graduated from here.


    But that brat, Arthur... What the hell was he? Lucas Wykes, since he awakened a few years back thanks to his elf lineage, I could sort of understand the level of control he had with his spells. Tessia Eralith, her being of pure elven lineage from the royal family guaranteed that her skills were a few levels above anyone anywhere near her age. But Arthur?


    As soon as he shed through the field to confront Lucas, I felt cold sweat. The way both the wind and earth naturally gravitated and danced around him¡ªhe wasn¡¯t controlling the elements to hismands like typical mages did. No, he was in perfect harmony with the mana surrounding him, as if the elements were mere extensions of his limbs.


    Seemed like that brat Lucas was taking Arthur seriously. Good thing too, or he probably would¡¯ve lost instantly. Currently, the spell Inferno¡¯s Cage epassed both Arthur and Lucas in arge dome of fire. I could tell Lucas was a bit worn out after using it, but this was a continuous spell that he could leave activated until he ran out of mana, which I didn¡¯t feel would happen anytime soon. The dome made up of tiny orbs of fire was like a death trap used by conjurers to gain the advantage against augmenters or agile mana beasts.


    The tiny orbs could shoot out beams and bullets of fire anywhere inside the dome, leaving the augmenter upied enough so that the conjurer could cast more spells, uninterrupted.


    I focused my gaze over to Curtis yder and Tessia Eralith. As expected, Curtis was having a hard time. I had the chance to observe the elf princess practicing with our director once, and I had to say, the way she battled was exquisite. She was a conjurer but her staff was actually a sharp de made of a special wood that was lighter but harder than most metals. Casting buffs on herself and using spells in sync with her movement, she danced around the vines she conjured with a speed faster than even some trained augmenters from the wind aiding each motion and action.


    She fought in a mixed style of both conjuring spells and using closebat so she had no notable weakness. Compared to my masculine way of fighting, I could only admire how graceful and beautiful her style was.


    ire deheart, on the other hand, was gaining the advantage on our student vice president. Clive was a rare long range augmenter that wielded a short bow capable of firing arrows at an almost unbelievably fast pace. Usually, he would be at an advantage against most augmenters but ire was a bad match-up for him. Miss deheart¡¯s style mimicked that stick, Kaspian. With her dual elements, she created spears of wind and fire from her rapier. She had yet to reach his level but with constant training, I was confident she could surpass her uncle.


    I turned my attention back to the most intense battle, which was definitely Arthur and Lucas¡¯. I noticed that most of the students were watching their fight as well, in awe from both of their abilities.


    "Hmm?" I couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow at what was happening. That was strange. Arthur was getting hit by the fireballs now. At this rate, even with protection from mana, his gear was going to activate.


    He had dodged them so effortlessly just a minute ago too. I focused more mana into my eyes to get a better look. The dome of fire surrounding them blocked a lot of the view but I could still sort of make out the fight. It seemed like Arthur was trying to do something. Was he holding his breath? What was he trying to do in this situation?


    "Torch! Fly down a bit lower!" My bond descended as he angled his massive wings to keep himself level.


    As we slowly circled around the huge fire dome that surrounded a third of the field, I began noticing some changes. Around him, for every three or four fire st that scraped or hit him, one wouldpletely extinguish before it reached him.


    "No..." A smile crept up on my face as I continued observing him. "Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s actually trying to learn how to manipte air in this situation right now..." I covered my mouth as I continued to smile in wonder. "That little monster... he has guts, I¡¯ll give him that."


    Air maniption was a variation of wind magic, albeit a much harder one. Breaking down theponents of any element and trying to directly manipte it is something only the most keen and sensitive mages can do, and that¡¯s while meditating in a perfectly calm and peaceful environment. After years of practice through meditation, the mage might begin experimenting in real life situations like incorporating it into spells.


    The blue fire technique was a perfect example of that. It took years of meditation to reach the stage of stably summoning blue mes and even longer to do it fast enough for it be of use in actual battles.


    This little beast was skipping a few steps and trying to incorporate apletely new technique in the middle of a battle? My hands trembled in excitement at the thought of being able to witness the development of a mage that can perhaps be the pinnacle of power in this school¡ªno, maybe even this continent!


    "GROOOOAAAAAARR!" Turning my attention at the sound, it seemed like Princess Tessia and Prince yder¡¯s battle was reaching its climax.


    Curtis yder¡¯s uniform was full of small gashes and nicks. I must admit that Curtis had done fairly well against the only disciple of our Director Goodsky, although it was most likely because of his bond that he was able tost this long.


    "You¡¯ve forced me to do this, Princess Eralith! Please be careful! PHASE ONE! KING¡¯S WRATH!" I heard Prince yder roar as his body glowed.


    Oh! He activated the acquire phase of his beast¡¯s will. Curtis rarely chose to use his beast¡¯s ability because he didn¡¯t really consider it his own power. I had to hand it to him for having the right mentality. It was said that some beast tamers chose to only use their unique powers instead of honing their own. Because of that, while still strong, they never really improve themselves in the long run. In order to utilize the most of the beast will, the user himself needed to strengthen his own power.


    As he activated his beast will¡¯s first phase, a noticeable transformation urred in him. While the amount of visible change differed by the person, Prince yder¡¯s change was visibly apparent. Both his deep red spiky hair and eyebrows became longer and messier while the straps that wrapped around his arms tightened from his muscles expanding. His extended canines became visible as he roared.


    I whistled.This sight never failed to impress me.


    When I shifted my gaze to Princess Tessia, though, who was standing on top of a series of vines, her face looked unnaturally pale. That¡¯s odd, it didn¡¯t look like she took any damage.


    I was quite a bit away from Tessia and Curtis¡¯ battle since I was encircling Lucas and Arthur¡¯s, but with mana-infused eyes, I could make out even the beads of sweat rolling down the princess¡¯ face.


    "This is my most powerful attack. If you can take this on, I¡¯ll admit my defeat! Please prepare yourself!" Prince yder¡¯s voice became a lot louder and huskier after activating his beast¡¯s will. He was a ferocious sight to behold on top of his bond, Grawder.


    "WORLD HOWL!" A serious amount of mana gathered in front of the mouth of Prince yder as he invoked his breath attack. The world lion had a powerful move that they used as ast resort against enemies more powerful than them. It was a beam of condensed earth attribute mana that could shred anything in its way if not blocked properly.


    A little worried, I looked at Tessia again, and I could see her mumble an incantation when the worst case scenario happened.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    Goddamn it! This is frustrating as hell! I could only grimace and try harder as I continued to try and manipte the air molecules surrounding me. I had little sess so far but I felt like I was onto something here. Lucas, noticing this, clicked his tongue and started chanting spells again.


    "me Guardians!" he shouted.


    I let out a small grin as I realized he was reaching his limit. Then again, so was I¡ªor more urately, so was mybat equipment. I wasn¡¯t sure when this thing would start screaming its rm so I had to finish this fast.


    As the me soldiers gained on me, Sylvie¡¯s worried voice boomed in my head, ¡¯PAPA! Something¡¯s wrong with Mama! She¡¯s going to get hit by a powerful attack and she¡¯s not doing anything! This is really bad! Should I go help, Papa?¡¯


    Dammit!


    ¡¯NO! You can¡¯t do anything while you¡¯re in that form!¡¯ I shouted back in my head.


    I could sense the feeling of desperation from Sylvie, making me all the more anxious.


    "NOOO!!"


    I took a quick nce up to where I heard Professor Glory¡¯s scream and noticed she¡¯d gone full speed to where Tess and Curtis was.


    ¡¯Papa! She¡¯s not going to make it in time!¡¯ Sylvie echoed back, sounding even more worried than before.


    Dammit!


    [Dragon¡¯s Will, Phase One. Static Void.]


    My knees almost gave upon activation of the first phase of Sylvia¡¯s beast will as the color of everything became inverted. This ability to shift myself outside of the world¡¯s time and space came with a limit. I couldn¡¯t affect anything outside of myself unless I chose to bring it in here with me.


    "I don¡¯t have time," I said to myself.


    As I dashed through the gap between the orbs that made up the dome created by Inferno¡¯s Cage, I passed by the frozen professor on top of her mount, Torch.


    Quite a bit ahead I saw Tess, already fainted and falling from the conjured vine she was standing on, clutching her abdomen as a massive breath attack released by yder was almost upon her.


    Sylvie was right. If I had left it to Professor Glory, she wouldn¡¯t have made it in time. I could only purse my lips in dread as I imagined my precious friend dying.


    I sped up, my vision growing blurry as I ran out of energy. I was almost at my limit.


    Fuck. Hold on, Arthur. You can do this.


    I made my final dash towards the area where Curtis and Tess were fighting and as I jumped off a crumbled vine, I wrapped my body around Tess and create a barrier around the both of us with the little mana I had left.


    Haa.... This is going to hurt.


    I released my first phase and as the world reverted back into its original color, I felt a tremendous searing pain on my back. But before I could even scream, my vision faded, and thest thing I heard before passing out was the shrill sound of my gear activating.

 Chapter 57: Family Gathering

    PROFESSOR GLORY¡¯S POV:


    I¡¯m toote! Damn it! What happened to her? Why did she suddenly copse? Is something wrong with her mana core? Why now?


    I could only watch in horror as Prince Curtis¡¯ breath attack made its way towards Princess Tessia. With absolute no defenses around her, would she live? If so, would she even be able to continue being a mage? Forget mage¡ªshe might have to live crippled for the rest of her life!


    I could feel tears well up in my eyes as I desperately made my way towards them, but I knew I wasn¡¯t going to make it. What would the consequences be? I would be happy if it just ended with me getting fired. I was more concerned that this would start a civil war. During this important time in the continent, was I going to be the cause of the split between the three races?


    As Curtis¡¯ World Howl engulfed the princess, I screamed in dread. A look of shock crossed Prince yder¡¯s face as he realized after releasing his attack that Tessia was already unconscious. There was no way, though. There was no way to stop the attack.


    After what seemed like hours, the beam slowly dissipated, and what I saw shocked me even more than the worst possible scenario I imagined.


    In utter incredulity, I just stammered. "A-A-Arthur Leywin?"


    How the hell did he get there? Just moments ago, he was upied with Lucas inside Inferno¡¯s Cage. Instant teleportation? Was that even possible?


    No... no no... no... that wasn¡¯t possible.


    I jumped off of Torch as soon as I got close enough and rushed towards Arthur and Princess Tessia. Arthur was in bad shape. Most of his clothes were disintegrated, with only patches of his uniform intact and a strange bandage around his left arm. He was bloody all over and I could see deep gashes near his sides where a rib bone was visible. His body was wrapped around the princess and from what I could tell; he¡¯d used most of his mana to protect her. Thanks to that, she was almost unscathed.


    The rest of the students all rushed out of the viewing tform and made their way here. Fortunately, the princess was okay, but Arthur needed immediate attention. But as soon as I got close enough to try and help them, Arthur¡¯s little bond stopped me in my tracks.


    "Grrr..." Normally, I¡¯d find the small white fox that rode on top of Arthur¡¯s head cute, but right now, the killing intent it was giving off was anything but. The amount of pure menace radiating from that little fox was no joke. It seemed to be protecting its master and Princess Tessia.


    "It¡¯s okay little buddy, I¡¯m only trying to help." I tried to slowly ease my way closer but its growl only got louder. Torch, who was normally unafraid even in the chaos of battle, held me back with her beak clutching the back of my shirt.


    "P-Professor, I-I didn¡¯t mean to. I mean, I didn¡¯t think Princess Tessia would suddenly faint." Curtis ran to me, his face pale in fright.


    "It¡¯s alright, I know. I don¡¯t know how, but Arthur managed to protect the Princess. His bond won¡¯t let me get close to them though." I clenched my fists in frustration. Arthur needed immediate attention. Why was his bond risking his master¡¯s life by doing this? What was it trying to protect?


    Curtis tried to get to Arthur and Tessia but failed as well, so we all just stood around the two of them. Every attempt at getting even a step closer to Arthur and Tessia resulted in the bondshing out at us. "Someone get Director Goodsky!" I barked out. Some of the students regained their senses but when they were about to leave, a loud screech filled the air.


    From above, a green owl soared down andnded in front of Arthur¡¯s bond.


    "Kyu!"


    "Hoo~"


    "Kyu kyu~"


    "Hoot!"


    "A-Are theymunicating?" Prince yder couldn¡¯t help but stammer out in confusion.


    "I-I think so?" I scratched my head at this. Could mana beasts of different speciesmunicate with each other?


    As we all stood there, watching a white fox and a green owl ¡¯talk¡¯, a couple of minutester, Director Goodsky arrived looking quite flustered.


    "Oh my." She kneeled in front of the two of them but this time, Arthur¡¯s bond didn¡¯t do anything to stop her.


    "Director Goodsky..." Before I had the chance to tell her what happened, she stopped me.


    "Please. I¡¯ll hear what happenedter. Taking these two to the infirmary is top priority. I will take them myself. Go contact Guild Hall and have them send over their top healers," she said while levitating Arthur and the princess.


    I gave her a nod before getting on top of Torch.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    "COUGH! COUGH! Aughh..."


    I woke up to a jolt of searing pain throughout my side, causing me to erupt in a fit of coughs. My whole body felt immersed in a concoction of different kinds of pain, from the stabbing pain to the burning pain to the throbbing pain with the asional tearing pain radiating over my entire body.


    Without the strength to even scream, I was left gritting my teeth as I clenched the side of the bed I was lying on.


    They really needed to hurry up and invent anesthesia.


    A few minutester as I got a little more used to the agony my body was in; I feebly turned my head to see Sylvie sleeping next to me.


    "How are you feeling, Arthur?" Director Goodsky¡¯s familiar voice came from the other side of the bed.


    Without the strength to turn my head again, I whimpered, "Never better. Why do you ask?"


    "If you have the will to answer sarcastically, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be okay," she chuckled


    If I had the strength to roll my eyes at her, I would have.


    "How¡¯s Tessia?" I asked, my voice hoarse.


    "Well, good news is, Tessia is in a much better state than you." She let out a sigh.


    "...Her body can¡¯t handle her beast will, right?"


    "How did you know?" Director Goodsky came around so she could face mepletely.


    "Because I was the one that gave the beast will to her." I tried to sit up but the pain from my body made me stop almost immediately.


    Continuing what I was saying, I gritted my teeth to bear the pain. "Make sure no one knows that Tessia has a beast will, at least for now. I¡¯d help Tessia with the assimtion myself if I was able to but I¡¯ll leave her to you." I could tell she wanted to ask more questions but she held back for my sake.


    "Once I got you both back into infirmary, I didn¡¯t let anyone else see either of you besides the healers. I contacted the royal family, as well as your own, though. They should being soon. I assumed that she acquired the beast will from Virion but to think it was from you...Get some rest, Arthur. Though your body is unusually strong and I don¡¯t think there will be any repercussions from moving around soon, it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry." She headed to the door but turned back before leaving. "Thank you for saving Tessia."


    I gave her a weak smile as I slumped back to sleep.


    _______________________


    The next time I stirred awake was from Sylvie licking my cheek. ¡¯Papa, are you feeling better now?¡¯


    I must¡¯ve been having a nightmare because I was drenched in sweat.


    "Honey! Art is awake!" I heard my mother¡¯s voice to my left.


    Turning my head was a lot easier if I ignored the pain.


    "Hey Mom, when¡¯d you guys get here?" I gave her the best smile I could muster up.


    "Are you okay? Director Goodsky didn¡¯t really tell us what happened yet. How did you get hurt so badly on the first day of school?!" I could tell she wanted to hug me but she held herself back after realizing I probably wasn¡¯t in the best state for that.


    My sister rushed to the other side of the bed and leaned forward. "Brother!! Are you okay now? Does it hurt?" My eyes widened in horror as I noticed that she was about to ce her hand on my body to probe me but before she was able to, Mother stopped her.


    "You¡¯re already getting into fights, Son?" my father smirked.


    "You should see how the other guy looks," I grinned back, making himugh.


    My mother just gasped at this and started actually imagining what the other person must look like.


    "He¡¯s only joking, Mrs. Leywin." Coming in through the door was Director Goodsky with the whole Eralith family, including Tess, who was looking a lot better.


    "Th-This..." My father took a step back in surprise as my mother gasped, covering her mouth.


    "Pleased to finally make your acquaintance, Mr. and Mrs. Leywin," Alduin Eralith, Tessia¡¯s father and the former king of Elenoir, grabbed my stunned father¡¯s hand and shook it.


    "We have always wanted to meet the parents of Arthur. It is such a pleasure to meet you in person." Merial, the former queen of Elenoir and Tessia¡¯s mother, Merial Eralith hugged my mother, who still had her hands over her mouth in disbelief.


    Merial then went to Ellie and patted her head gently. "You must be Arthur¡¯s little sister. You¡¯re so adorable!"


    "I-I saw you guys at the announcement a couple of months back..." My father¡¯s speaking skills seemed to drastically decline in front of them, which I found surprising since they didn¡¯t react this much even towards the king and queen of Sapin.


    "Greetings. I go by Virion Eralith, and I am your son¡¯s former teacher." He shot me a cheeky grin as he grasped my father¡¯s hand.


    Without the energy to even retort, I just smiled helplessly back as my father and mother¡¯s gazes switched back and forth between the Eralith family and me.


    "H-H-H-Hello! My name is Tessia Eralith. It¡¯s a pleasure to m-meet you! Please take care of me! I¡¯m Arthur¡¯s childhood f-f-friend and I¡¯m not sure if he talked about me with you but I really am!" Tessia bowed so her body was at a full ny-degree angle, her voice a mixture of respect and panic. She quickly got back up with her hair draping over most of her face and as she tried to fix her hair, I could see her face bing more and more red.


    At this, my parents became a bit more surprised, but my mother looked at me with a coy smile that suggested she was onto something and kneeled in front of Tess.


    "I see. Well aren¡¯t you the prettiest girl I¡¯ve ever seen. Please take good care of my son. As you may know, he¡¯s the type to get into trouble a lot, so it¡¯ll really help me if I know he has someone like you next to him, now and in the future." My mother shot her a wink as she stroked Tess¡¯ hair.


    I wasn¡¯t really sure what Tess really heard but she was definitely overthinking everything. Eyes widening as her already red face turned a shade brighter, she responded in a voice that was an octave higher than usual. "Y-YESS!!!" she beamed while nodding vigorously.


    My father was still clueless as to what was going on but I could only internally groan. Leave it to my mother to instill misleading thoughts like this in a thirteen-year-old girl.


    After getting back up, both my mother and Merial broke out into a fit of giggles while my sister began pouting, presumably because our mother said that Tess was the prettiest girl she¡¯d ever seen.


    "How are you feeling, brat?" Virion took a seat on the edge of the bed as he gave a pat to Sylvie who went back to sleep. Tess, regaining her senses, walked up to me too with a worried expression.


    "Heh...I can beat you in a fight right now, Gramps." I tried to hold in the coughs that were about toe out but I couldn¡¯t.


    "I¡¯m so sorry, Art. If it wasn¡¯t for me, you wouldn¡¯t have been..." I stopped her mid-sentence and poked her gently between her eyebrows with my finger.


    "Don¡¯t furrow your brows, Tess. Your face will turn ugly." As the strength in my arm gave out, I slumped back down and took a deep breath.


    "Gramps, did you take a look at Tess¡¯ mana core? How¡¯s everything looking?" I couldn¡¯t help but be worried since I knew exactly what she was going through.


    He gave me a soft smile. "Luckily, her body seems to be a lot morepatible with the beast core than your body was when you first integrated. By the way... How the hell did you manage to pick up an elderwood guardian¡¯s beast core?" He leaned in forward and spoke in a hushed voice.


    "By killing one, of course." I gave him a weak smirk.


    "You¡¯re joking...no...you¡¯re joking, right? You¡¯re telling me that you killed an S ss mana beast?" Grampa¡¯s usually stern face was round in astonishment as he got even closer, our faces almost touching.


    "You¡¯re too close, Gramps. I can smell what you had for yourst meal...wait. How long have I been out for?" I couldn¡¯t get a grasp on how much time had passed.


    "From what Cynthia told me, it¡¯s been a bit more than a day since you passed out. You missed your second day of ss." He let out a sigh.


    "Oh no... I guess I can forget about shooting for perfect attendance..." I gave a weak elbow to his arm, making him chuckle.


    Tessia giggled as well as she took a seat on the bed too.


    "I¡¯m telling you! I¡¯m Arthur Leywin¡¯s best friend! We¡¯re like brothers! If I can¡¯t visit him, then who can? I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s true!!" I heard a familiar voice echo in the distance and I couldn¡¯t help but chortle at my friend.


    Director Goodsky, hearing this as well, signaled to the security to let him through.


    "ARTHUR! You okay, man?" He rushed towards me, totally oblivious to the other people in the room.


    "You¡¯rete. And you didn¡¯t even bring any food with you?" Letting out an exaggerated sigh, I just slightly shook my head.


    "Haaa... I guess you¡¯re fine if you can talk like that." Elijah let out a sigh as relief washed over his face.


    I started smiling as his head came back up and recognized who the other people in the room were. My friend¡¯s face contorted from relief to terror as he realized that, besides my family, the Director of the academy and the whole Royal Family of the Kingdom of Elenoir were also in the room.


    "Uhh...oh my..." His ck jaw failed to form words.


    "Pfft, Hahaha...oww...haha!" My stomach felt like it was being wrangled as I couldn¡¯t stopughing.


    "Gramps, Mr. and Mrs. Eralith, I¡¯d like you to meet my closest friend, Elijah."


    "P-Pleased to meet you! Sorry for being so rude just now!" Elijah immediately bowed, almost dropping his sses.


    After everyone got acquainted with each other, my parents continued to chat with Tess¡¯ parents at the other side of the room. Gramps finally left me alone and started catching up with Director Goodsky after wringing me of all the details and telling me to make time for him once I¡¯m better to further discuss everything else.


    "Brother. Who¡¯s prettier, me or her?" Ellie pointed at Tess and gave me a serious look.


    "You guys are both pretty ugly to me." I just shrugged helplessly but I regretted it as soon as the words left my mouth.


    "OWW! That seriously hurts right now!" I groaned as the both of them pinched and twisted the skin on my arm.


    "Tess, like I said, Elijah is a close friend of mine. You guys should get along." I said through gritted teeth, my arm still throbbing, moreso from the state of my body than the power of my sister and Tess¡¯ pinches.


    "Sorry, I never formally introduced myself to you. I¡¯m Tessia Eralith, Arthur¡¯s closest friend." She stuck out her hand and as Elijah epted her handshake, he responded, "I¡¯m Elijah, Arthur¡¯s best friend. Nice to meet you." Sparks flew between them as they red at each other inpetition.


    I just rolled my eyes as my sister giggled. I was getting tired from being awake for even this long, my eyelids beginning to weigh down heavily.


    Director Goodsky, noticing this, announced to everyone, "Now! I think we should give Arthur some more time to rest. His life isn¡¯t in danger but he should be very tired right now."


    "Son,e visit home after you¡¯re all healed up, okay?" My father grasped my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before herding my family out.


    "Get plenty of rest. Okay, dear?" my mother said as she headed out. Tess¡¯ parents said their brief goodbyes while patting me softly on the arm before following out after my parents.


    "We¡¯ll catch up soon, brat." Virion ruffled my hair, making me wince, and towed Tess and Elijah out with him.


    "Haa..." I looked at Sylvie, who was still fast asleep.


    As I was about to close my eyes, the door squeaked open once more.


    "Did you leave something, Tess?" Spotting from the corner of my eyes, I didn¡¯t bother turning my head.


    "Hey Arthur..." She arrived next to me and nced back at the door.


    "Hmm?"


    "You said you couldn¡¯t really move your body, right?" I could see in my peripheral view that she was fidgeting a little.


    "I can probably only turn my head and lift my arm for a little bit, why?" As I turned my head towards her, my eyes widen in surprise as I realized that Tess¡¯ face was just inches away from mine. Her eyes gazed at me with an expression I¡¯d never seen in her ever and before long, I felt her lips as she closed her eyes.


    The soft, warm sensation of her lips on top of mine caught me by surprise but my body didn¡¯t let me react. Instead, I spotted a small mole in the outer corner of her left eye that I¡¯d never noticed before.


    As she pulled away, her eyes locked onto mine. Then she quickly turned her head and ran out of the room, leaving me more dazed than when I had first woken up.

 Chapter 58: Feelings and Old Memories

    TESSIA ERALITH¡¯S POV:


    I kissed him... I k-kissed him!


    As I ran out of the room, I could feel the temperature in my face rising rapidly. That was my first k-kiss! I wonder if he liked it? Did I do it right? My face didn¡¯t look weird as I kissed him r-right?


    I stopped in the hall and looked at my reflection in the window. I stood right in front of it and pretended to kiss Art again to see how I¡¯d looked.


    "EEK! NOOO!!" Banging my head on the window in embarrassment, I could only groan at the thought of how weird I must¡¯ve looked to him. As I looked outside through the window with my forehead still glued against it, I touched my lips with my fingers.


    His lips sure were soft. They were a bit chapped since he was so hurt but it felt nice.


    "Hehe..."


    I noticed that my face in the reflection showed a perverted grin.


    Oh God, I¡¯m turning into a pervert. I wonder if I came on too strong? What if he didn¡¯t like it? What if he thinks I¡¯m some sort of pervert now?


    "UGHHH!" I slumped down to my knees as my forehead slid down the window.


    Wait. How was I supposed to face him now? Things were just getting better too! Did I just ruin everything? What if he ignored me now, when he saw me?


    A throbbing ache thumped in my chest as tears started welling up in the corners of my eyes. I wouldn¡¯t be able to bear it if Art ignored me like that.


    Should I go back to his room and pretend it was all a joke? I imagined myself bursting in the room,ughing and pointing at him. "Got you! Hahaha! You really fell for it!"


    Am I stupid? I groaned again at the stupidity of it all.


    No! You did the right thing, Tess! Things would never progress if I left it up to Art! He still treats me like a child every time we¡¯re together. It was for the best!


    "Yeah!" I fist pumped the air to encourage myself but I still let out a big sigh at the thought of him not liking me.


    "Tch!" Who cares?! If that stupid Art chooses to ignore me, I can just find someone better than him! He wasn¡¯t that great anyway! He¡¯s just a teeny bit better-looking than average. He¡¯s only slightly better than mediocre in magic, right?


    Sigh. Who was I kidding? I couldn¡¯t imagine myself with anyone else but Arthur. Sure, over the years, there were nobles that tried to impress me and tried to get close but they didn¡¯te close to Arthur.


    That stupid Art! He¡¯s such a yer! "¡¯Don¡¯t furrow your brows, Tess. Your face will turn ugly,¡¯


    " I said in a mocking tone, imitating him.


    Tch! Making my heart skip a beat for no reason! That stupid yer!


    "GAH! Who cares if he doesn¡¯t like you, Tess! It¡¯s his loss! What don¡¯t you have? You¡¯re a talented mage! You¡¯re also pretty smart and popr too, right? Not to sound conceited but you¡¯re not a bad-looking girl either, right? Arthur is the one that¡¯s missing out if he doesn¡¯t snatch you up!" I pointed at my reflection as if she¡¯s a different person.


    I wondered what kind of excuses I could make to talk to Arthur. There were plenty of excuses! His Mother personally asked me to watch over him, yeah! A-And also, the beast core assimtion! I could just ask him to help me with it since he was the one that gave me the beast core! It was only right that he took the responsibility, right?


    Sigh...


    I took onest look back at where Arthur¡¯s room was before I slumped back to my dorm.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    I k-kissed Tess...


    I kissed Tessia Eralith, a thirteen-year-old girl. Wasn¡¯t this a crime? Was I a criminal? No, I had to calm down. I was in the body of a twelve-year-old boy. Why did I feel so guilty then? I shouldn¡¯t, right?


    She was the one that kissed me after all! I was the victim here! Making a move on me while I was in this vulnerable state...he sure was smart, that Tess. As I stared nkly at the door she¡¯d left through, my shaking hand finally reached my lips and I justy there, dumbfounded, touching my mouth as my mind couldn¡¯t help but recall the soft, moist touch of her lips.


    This was wrong. Yes, I was technically only twelve years old, but with the mental age from my previous life and this lifebined, I was almost 50! Even assuming that I had kidste, Tess would still be around the age of a daughter if I¡¯d had one.


    Goddammit! All of this was because of this ursed body! These raging hormones in my body right now! The reason I was feeling so guilty was because I actually enjoyed it. It felt nice when Tess kissed me. It shouldn¡¯t feel nice and I shouldn¡¯t enjoy a kiss from a little girl, but I did.


    I groaned, half from pain and the other half from thinking about what was going to happen between Tess and I. Knowing her, she was probably over-thinking a lot of things right now and she was going to be really ufortable around me.


    I almostughed at the thought of what people might think of Tess when she was with me. If someone didn¡¯t know any better, they might even assume that she hated me since she was the type to act cold when she didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Something told me that if I didn¡¯t clear things up with her, there would only be more misunderstandings.


    How should I clear things up though? It¡¯s not like she confessed or anything. Should we date? No, no, no. Did kids our age even know what dating was?


    I looked back and thought of the time when I was twelve in my past life. When I was twelve, my life was filled with only training. Being raised in an orphanage and getting sent to an institute solely dedicated to raising duelists, I couldn¡¯t say that I really had any experience dating.


    We were too young anyhow, right? I was technically only twelve in this body! Was this body even capable of reproducing yet? Oh God, now you¡¯re overthinking this, Arthur.


    Haa... it wasn¡¯t like I hated Tess. I was actually quite fond of her. She was still immature in some senses, but I shouldn¡¯t let that be an excuse right?


    "What do you think, Sylv?" I poked my sleeping bond as her body slowly heaved up and down with her breaths. I was surprised she hadn¡¯t woken up when Tess kissed me.


    As I yed with my bond¡¯s ears and paws, my breaths began to synchronize with hers, and I soon fell asleep.


    _________________________________________


    Over the past couple of days, quite a few people came to visit me while my body was recovering. Curtis came by and asked if I was okay. I only shot him a grin and said that his move was pretty damn strong, making himugh. ire deheart also stopped by to check on me and kept me up-to-datemittee meetings so I wouldn¡¯t be totally lost when I went back.


    To my surprise, Kathyln came by herself instead of with her brother. She asked if I was okay and I swore, she had a worried expression on her face. I was more surprised by that than anything else. I could tell everyone had a lot of questions. Curtis looked like he wanted to ask me something a few times but he held back because of my condition. Even Professor Glory came to visit, with basket of fruits in hand.


    "I¡¯ll tell you now, Lucas has been pretty heated up in ss. I can¡¯t me him, though. To him, it must¡¯ve felt like he was beating you in every sense, but you suddenly disappeared and appeared a few hundred meters away instantly." She paused before continuing. "H-How did you do it anyways? I¡¯ve never seen anything like that. You should know that even Director Goodsky isn¡¯t capable of what you just did. Instant teleportation was always thought of to be a myth. Yet, here you are, a twelve-year-old..."


    By this time, I was able to sit up without it hurting that much, so I lifted myself up just enough to be at eye-level with the seated Professor Glory.


    "Growth isn¡¯t stopped by ack of talent or a series of unfortunate luck. Growth is stopped once the person limits his own ability to grow. With that said, I believe everyone has a secret or two they wish to keep to themselves." I sunk back down in my bed, leaving Professor Glory confused and without a means to respond.


    Director Goodsky visited once. I asked what was happening to the ss I was supposed to be teaching and they said that, for now, Professor Glory volunteered to take on the extra ss as a substitute until I was better. She didn¡¯t stay for long and came mainly to update me on how Tess was doing.


    "As her assimtion continues, she¡¯s bing more and more stable. These past couple of days, she has only had one more fit," she stated.


    "Thanks for taking care of her, Director." I gave her a smile.


    "Don¡¯t thank me, Arthur. She is my precious disciple, after all. Ahh, that reminds me. I will be out of the academy for a couple days on some business. Since Virion has gone back, I need you to help Tessia with her assimtion until I am back. Can you do that for me?" she said, not waiting for an answer before leaving through the door, as if the question was a mere formality.


    "Uh, yeah. S-Sure, I can do that." I shook my head helplessly at this. I wasn¡¯t sure if Director Goodsky really has errands to run but she was definitely giving me an excuse to meet Tess.


    My body¡¯s recovery rate was a lot faster thanks to the assimtion of Sylvia¡¯s Dragon Will into my muscles and bones. I also spent this time while recovering to meditate and develop my mana core. I was at the threshold of breaking out of the dark yellow stage but it would take a bit more time until I could reach solid yellow. I would still feel a bit weak, but thankfully I nned on leaving the infirmary and resuming normal school life starting tomorrow. My body felt stiff from being in bed for so long.


    Hearing a strong knock on the door, I called, "Come in." I turned my head as Sylvie hopped off the bed and padded towards the door.


    "I came to visit you!" My father had a wide grin on his face as soon as he noticed how much better I looked than before.


    "Hey, Dad." I smiled back as Sylvie ¡¯kyus¡¯ in greeting before hopping back up next to me.


    Taking a seat, my father caught me up on everything going on at home. We talked for quite a bit of time and I realized howfortable it was to talk to my father. Family sure was different than anyone else. The fact that he didn¡¯t have any ulterior motives, no n, no secrets, wasforting. He just wanted what was best for me.


    After a brief period of silence, I asked him something that had been bothering me. "Hey, Dad. Howe Mom never really uses her magic? I mean, she healed small wounds for me when I was little and stuff, but that was about it. I remember you telling me how great of an emitter she was."


    Looking at my father, I was surprised that his usual bright face turned a little sullen.


    "Your mother...she carries a lot of weight in her heart." Letting out a deep sigh, he continued.


    "I know you¡¯re mature enough to know this but I want you to be patient. She¡¯ll tell you when she feels ready, so I want you to wait for her to tell you directly." He ruffled before we changed topics.


    "How¡¯s everyone doing at home anyway?" It hadn¡¯t been that long but it still felt like it¡¯d been awhile since I¡¯d spent some time with my family.


    "Oh, you know, your mother is busy mingling with her friends. Your sister, though, she¡¯s bing quite a handful." He chuckles to himself.


    "Maybe we had it too easy raising you, but I sometimes just don¡¯t know what to do with Ellie." Scratching his head, I notice some wrinkles that hadn¡¯t been there before.


    "Just give her some space. She¡¯lle around." Patting my father¡¯s arm weakly, I repositioned myself as I felt my body cramping up.


    "I should let you rest, Son." He pinched my nose softly and quietly left through the door, leaving me wondering what could possibly have happened with Mother that she became too traumatized to use her powers.


    "Kyu?" Sylvie asked me what I was thinking of and I just shook my head. "It¡¯s nothing, Sylv. I hope."

 Chapter 59: First Day On The Job

    "Easy... take it slow. There you go." Elijah supported me back up. It¡¯d been exactly one week since I had gotten injured and also since thest time I¡¯d walked. Even with mana circting throughout my body, strengthening my limbs, I still felt rather sluggish.


    "Kyu..." Sylvie looked at me with as close of a concerned face she could have for a fox-like mana beast. She was walking beside me instead of curling up on top of my head, afraid that I wouldn¡¯t be able to hold her up.


    Elijah came over to my hospital room as soon as his first period was over. I would be starting off my day as a professor for the Practical Mana Maniption ss and I wasn¡¯t so eager in my current state. With my legs giving out every couple of steps and my back and sides burning, I barely had the strength to get to the ss, let alone teach it.


    After slowly getting used to walking, I stopped leaning on Elijah for support and used Dawn¡¯s Bad as my walking stick. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle because of the ill-humored irony. I remember how I had thought that this sword was nothing more than a walking stick when in fact, it was a priceless sword. I shook my head at the fact that my assumption back then had actually been a foreshadowing of my current situation.


    Elijah wrapped the handle and sheath in a white bandage both forfort and for safety from suspicious eyes. Here I was, a twelve-year-old, already using a cane to support myself from falling.


    "Are you going to be okay by yourself? Maybe I should at least help you out in between sses today?" Elijah¡¯s face wrinkled in concern as he stuck close by me, ready to catch me if I stumbled.


    "I¡¯ll be okay." I didn¡¯t have the confidence to say that I wouldn¡¯t fall, but I didn¡¯t want to keep Elijah constantly by my side.


    As we arrived in front of the ssroom, Elijah¡¯s brows were still furrowed underneath his sses, and I knew he was hesitant to let me go by myself.


    "Arthur. Let me help you."


    I turned my head around to see Princess Kathyln run toward me, away from her group of friends. Without giving me a chance to respond, she ced her arm around my waist as she dipped underneath my free hand so I wouldn¡¯t just be using on my walking st¡ªsword, as support.


    "Uhh... okay. Thank you." I shrugged at Elijah, who stood with jaws agape. He held up two fingers as he mouthed the word ¡¯princesses¡¯ but I just shook my head and turned back to make my way inside my room.


    "I heard our new professor is finallying today!"


    "Oh really? I liked Professor Glory, though."


    "Anyone should be better than Professor Geist, right?"


    "You never know, we might get an even more dangerous weirdo this time."


    "Hey, isn¡¯t that the disciplinarymittee officer that beat Geist?"


    "Why is he limping?"


    The various discussions the students were having all changed to murmurs about me as soon as I walked in.


    "I¡¯ll be fine now, Princess Kathyln. Thank you." I eased my arm off of her shoulders.


    "You need help up the stairs..." Her expressionless face didn¡¯t match the concern in her voice. I just shook my head and motioned for her to go first.


    Sylvie followed close behind as I walked to the middle of the room, taking small hops towards the moveable podium that was ced in the center of the small stadium.


    "Whew..." I let out a deep breath in relief as I put all of my weight on the podium that stood a bit too tall for my height.


    Looking up, I spotted Feyrith in one of the desks with a curious expression on his face. As soon as Kathyln reached her desk, I spotted her looking back, trying to find me. She also gave me a confused look when she realized that I¡¯d never gone up the stairs behind her and instead, moved to the middle of the room.


    By this time, the conversations amongst the ssmates centered around me diminished as more and more of the young mages began wondering what I was doing leaning against the professor¡¯s podium.


    "I¡¯m not sure how many of you know my name, but I believe that most of you at least know who I am. My name is Arthur Leywin, a disciplinarymittee member, the only son of two wonderful mages, a doting brother, and your new professor. Let¡¯s get along."


    I counted down in my head, predicting when the ss would erupt. Almost exactly in sync, the entitled students that filled the ssroom stood up in disbelief and some in anger as they shouted to stop kidding around and get back to my seat.


    "You expect us to believe that a brat like you is our new professor?" one of the second-years eximed.


    "Stop messing around and get back up here! Who do you think you are?" one short first-year barked.


    I let out a pained breath as I relished the thought of being able to teach this ss while lying down.


    This would be a lot easier if Professor Glory or Director Goodsky let the ss know that I would be teaching beforehand. She should have at least given me an official document to prove that I was the new professor, but knowing her, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Director Goodsky did this on purpose.


    It, at least, seemed like something she would do.


    "Mmm... would you guys believe me if I said that Director Goodsky appointed me to be the professor for this ss for the remainder of the semester?"


    "Get real!"


    "Stop joking!"


    "Shut up!"


    Another round of protests resounded within the room as the students grew rowdier.


    Looking to my fellowmittee members, I could see Feyrith¡¯s sharp face, filled with a mixture of incredulity and doubt, while Kathlyn wore a perplexed expression.


    "Don¡¯t get so cocky just because you beat the old professor! Do you think you could¡¯ve won if Princess Kathyln and Feyrith didn¡¯t tire him out?" a different second-year jumped down andnded on the stage with a loud thud.


    The student had a pretty big build, and judging from the poor cirction of mana in his body, he was probably at the level of being able to augment only some of his body.


    He took long strides towards me, preparing to carry me off the stage. Feyrith stood up, ready to jump on the stage as well to stop the big guy but I just shook my head at him.


    Misunderstanding my gesture as a taunt, he roared, "You shaking your head at me now? Who do you think you are?"


    Half of the students were a bit nervous, not wanting to get caught up in another drama during ss, while the other half was cheering Mr. Brute on.


    Shifting my gaze back down at the boy approaching me, I uttered a single word.


    "Sit."


    Suddenly bombarded with arge influx of mana, therge student crumpled to his bottom with enough force to slightly shake the stage we were on.


    The room grew deathly quiet as I hobbled over to the confused and embarrassed student sitting upright on his behind. Standing over him, I remained silent, giving him a moment to let it sink in to the oaf what sort of position he was in.


    "Director Goodsky didn¡¯t bother giving me any official documents proving my im, but like it or not, I will be teaching this ss."


    I stepped over the student and made my way to the other side of the silent room.


    "If any of you has a problem with this, you can take it up with this cute little fox here, though I guarantee that she will easily wipe the floor with any of you." I scooped up Sylvie below her armpits and show the entire ss.


    The students looked at one another, unsure of what to do, so I continued speaking. "For those who want to leave, I won¡¯t stop you¡ªin fact, I¡¯ll even allow you to be put into another ss of your choice. However, if any of you here are even a tiny bit curious as to what this little boy here with a limp can teach you, feel free to stay." I pointed at the door and waited a few seconds, but whether it was because of my little demonstration with the second-year or because they were afraid, none of the students actually left.


    "Now... If you¡¯ll please go back to your seat, student, I¡¯ll begin my lesson." I peered at the second-year that had jumped down to eagerly show off his limited ability.


    His face turning beet red, the student quickly got up and scrambled back up to his seat. As he did so, I took my time slowly limping back to the center of the stage and leaned on the podium that Sylvie had jumped up on.


    "Since this is a Practical Mana Maniption ss, I¡¯ll ask a practical question. What is the best way to utilize mana in the surrounding atmosphere?" I scanned through the seats filled with students when almost instantly, a beak-nosed human student with a ponytail shot her hand up.


    "Mana is best utilized by absorbing the mana naturally formed in the atmosphere into the mana core where it can be condensed and purified for use when spells or techniques are cast." She gave me a smug look, obviously proud of her answer.


    "Good. Now, as you all know, the difference between augmenters and conjurers lie in the fact that augmenters mostly use the mana in their cores via their mana channels while conjurers directly absorb mana from the surrounding atmosphere via their mana veins. So... why do both types of mages have to meditate and absorb mana if only the augmenters actually utilize the mana they absorb into their core?" I quizzed, not looking at anyone in particr.


    "..." The same girl¡¯s confident hand shrank down as she pondered over the answer.


    "While augmenters incorporate mana into physical attacks, thus reducing the amount of mana used, conjurers manipte the space that the spell is casted in directly, consuming more mana. Because of that, conjurers use the purified mana in their mana core as a reserve to avoid bacsh," Kathyln answered, her face rxed as she remained seated.


    "Correct. Then thest question of the day: is the color of a conjurer¡¯s or even an augmenter¡¯s mana core a truly urate way of measuring the level of the mage¡¯s power?" I leaned forward, shifting my weight from my left leg to my right.


    I hold in my chuckle as Kathlyn¡¯s usuallyposed face scrunched in deep thought. "That¡¯ll be your homework for today. Everyone,e down to the stage and line up! I want the conjurers to my left and augmenters to my right."


    After a few grumbles ofints, eventually everyone made their way to one side of the stadium, all lined up side by side, facing me.


    "For this exercise, I want everyone to initiate the most basic spell of your affinity. Conjurers, no wand," I stated.


    For augmenters, the most basic spells taught all came in a very simr form. For fire affinity augmenters, it would be Fire Fist, which was igniting a small ember covering their fist. For wind, it would be Whirlwind Fist. For water, it would be Aqua Fist, and for earth, Boulder Fist. After mages were able to manifest their elements, the augmenters¡¯ first step was learning to integrate their element into their hands, the limbs they were most ustomed to using.


    The fact that these royal mages were even allowed to attend this school was because, thanks to their lineage, they had high talent and usually had the ability to manifest their elements early on. It took my father more than twenty years in order for him to manifest an actual me, but these twelve to fourteen-year-olds were already capable of this. That was the difference in genes, something that even I found to be undeniable.


    As for the conjurers, the most basic spell involved gathering a specific elemental mana into a sphere and shooting it. For fire specialists, that would be in the form of the spell, Fireball. For wind, it would be Wind Bullet. For water, Water Bullet, and for earth, Stone Bullet.


    Conjurers had it easier since they didn¡¯t have to directly form the element in their bodies, but absorb the specific mana particles around them and use that to invoke the spell. Why conjurers had specializations in different elements had to do with how well they were able to sense the specific elemental mana particles around them and utilize it.


    I leaned my head on my palms as I watched both types of mages prepare their spell.


    The augmenters in the ss all began concentrating with their dominant hands clenched into fists. A few long secondster, their spells became visible as their respective elements enveloped their fists. The time it took for the augmenters varied but not by much.


    The conjurers in the ss all began softly chanting as the space in front of their palms began glowing different colors, depending on their elemental affinities. Unsurprisingly, the time it took Feyrith and Kathyln to form the spell in front of their hands was much faster than everyone else.


    The only difference between the augmenters and conjurers in their spells was that the augmenters¡¯ elements surrounded their fists while the conjurers¡¯ elements gathered in front of their palms.


    "Now, augmenters, I want you to try andunch your spell in front of you. Conjurers, I want you to try and absorb the spell you conjured into your hand." I gave them an innocent smile as they stared at me nkly.


    After a few seconds, they realized I wasn¡¯t joking so, one by one, they began their attempts at a concept very foreign to their nature.


    I watched as the augmenters all failed in their attempts. Some roared as they iled their arms while others tried to chant to no avail. It got to the point where it became almostical as one student thought roaring out ¡¯fire¡¯ would do the trick.


    The conjurers weren¡¯t any better as all of them ended up getting cut, burned, wet or bruised. After about ten minutes of struggling, most gave up and looked at me usingly; even Feyrith and Kathyln had expressions of doubt.


    "This is stupid. We all know that only high level augmenters can cast long distance spells!" one of the augmenter students cried.


    "Yeah! And what¡¯s the point in absorbing back a spell we prepared and conjured anyway?" an elven student whined as she cradled her hand.


    Leaving Sylvie on top of the podium, I hobbled to the opposite side of the stage, away from the students.


    Taking a brief moment to concentrate, I aimed at an open space between the conjurers and augmenters.


    A gust of wind formed around my hand before shooting out past the students. By the time it reached the metal wall behind them, the bullet of air dissipated harmlessly.


    One of the students retorted, "Big deal, but most augmenters can do that once they reach orange stage."


    "True, it¡¯s not hard to do that, but¡ª" I raised my other arm and shot a stream ofpressed air directly out of my palm. The attack whistled as it hit the wall behind the students once more, but this time, the wall caved in at the pressure, forming a small crater. "¡ªhave you seen any augmenters do that at the orange stage?"


    The students, startled by the impact of the supposedly same spell, whipped their heads back and forth between me and the wall.


    "I can¡¯t urately demonstrate what would happen when conjurers are able to absorb the spells that they invoke, but trust me, it¡¯ll only help you."


    I staggered back to the podium and grabbed my bond. "That¡¯s it for today. Try ande up with the answer to the question and practice what I just told you to do. See you tomorrow."


    I gave them onest wave as I left the room. Once outside, I could hear the students inside erupt in excitement.


    "How¡¯d I do, Sylv?" I asked, letting go of my bond.


    ¡¯Not bad. But I could do better,¡¯ she replied brightly, walking by my side.

 Chapter 60: Confrontation

    I took a deep breath as I sat outside on a nearby bench. Realizing that I ended ss a bit too early, I noticed the campus was fairly peaceful with most students still in their ssrooms. It¡¯d been awhile since I¡¯d felt this weak, but getting up and walking around definitely helped.


    I sat idly, watching Sylvie chase after a butterfly through thewn in front of me when I heard footsteps approaching from the right.


    "Is this seat taken?" I turned my head to see Princess Kathyln leaning forward so her face was level with mine.


    "No, go ahead." I said as I slowly scooched a bit to my left to make room for her. She carefully ced her handkerchief over the bench and took a seat on top of it, straightening out her rumpled skirt. We sat there, silently, as both of us just watched Sylvie finally capture the agile butterfly that was now struggling in her paws.


    "I heard about what happened from my brother... I¡¯m sorry." Her voice grew quiet at the end of her sentence.


    I kept my eyes focused on Sylvie but responded with a soft chuckle. "Why are you saying sorry as well? Even if it was your brother¡¯s fault, which it isn¡¯t, he already apologized."


    "It¡¯s just... I feel like my family owes you many apologies. For what happened with Sebastian and my father as well. That time at the Auction House... he¡¯s not usually like that but he was shocked as well at the turn of events and he needed to keep his image and..." For the first time, I witnessed Kathyln getting flustered as her usualposed face became flushed, her expression panicked as she tried to make me understand.


    "I think this is the first time I¡¯ve seen an actual difference in your expression, Princess. It¡¯s a nice change." I snickered as she blushed even brighter, turning her body away from me.


    "...Please, don¡¯t mock me, Arthur. I didn¡¯t expect you to be this type of person," she said with her head still turned.


    "Oh? What kind of person did you expect me to be?" I tilted my head in curiosity.


    "W-Well, when I first met you at the auction event, I noticed you held yourself with much maturity..." she murmured, not turning back around.


    "You noticed how people hold themselves when you were barely eight years old?" Reading the posture of a person was something keen adults barely learned how to doter on with years of meeting many different kinds of people.


    "Yes... being the only princess of a kingdom, you end up acquiring that skill fairly quickly. Also, with both my father and brother being quite the characters, I felt like my mother and I were the only normal ones at times." By this time, Princess Kathyln turned back to face me.


    "Oh? I didn¡¯t really find anything unusual about your brother. He seemed quite charismatic." I remembered meeting Curtis for the first time at the Auction House. Compared to then, he¡¯d matured quite a bit.


    "Yes, he¡¯s gotten a lot better, seeing as he¡¯s able to apologize to you. That would¡¯ve been very hard for him a while back because of his pride." She let out a sigh as the both of us spectated Sylvie¡¯s little battle with another bug. "When I first saw you, I noticed right away that you were very different from everyone else. How should I say this? I was very intrigued by you..." Her head lowered a bit as she continued speaking.


    "Haha... is that right? I thought the opposite since your face had no reaction or change the whole time." I let out a softugh in reminiscence, remembering the event that happened four years prior.


    "I apologize. I-I¡¯m not the most proficient in using my facial muscles effectively." I found it cute as she pushed her cheeks up and down with her fingers in an attempt to forcefully make different expressions.


    "Tell me about it. I was beginning to think you were wearing a mask by how stiff your face was." I felt her gaze on my face when I smiled, making me feel a little awkward.


    "...I will practice." Princess Kathyln suddenly nodded to herself as I noticed her expression looked slightly more determined than usual.


    "Pfft! I¡¯m not sure if this is something you can practice. Just don¡¯t force your emotions down and let your face move the way it wants to ording to how you feel. When you feel sad, your face will naturally want to frown. When you¡¯re happy, your face will naturally want to smile. Like this!" I overexaggerated the expressions on my face as I switch from an ugly frown to a bright smile, causing her to suddenly turn away from me.


    Oops. Did I overdo it?


    KATHYLN GLAYDER¡¯S POV:


    I couldn¡¯t show any weakness. As the only girl in the royal family besides my mother, I had a duty to uphold. When males came to visit me, hoping to gain my favor, I wouldn¡¯t show any weakness they could use against me. That was my fight.


    I couldn¡¯t read minds, but it wasn¡¯t hard to see that all of the males that came to me, both my age and ones a lot older, had ulterior motives. Royal lineage, superior ability, and physical appearance... the things that all people believed would make their lives easier were shackles that robbed me of the freedom I wished to have.


    Yet, here I was, with a boy my age that was so much more talented and sought after, yet still so... bright. He shined with a brilliance that made me want to be like him. What made him so different from me? How was he still able to express his emotions freely without being afraid of how others would view him?


    I couldn¡¯t control myself from letting out augh as Arthur contorted his face like that. He looked so silly.


    I immediately covered my mouth after giggling, trying to hide my smile.


    "See! That wasn¡¯t so hard!" His exaggerated smile turned gentle,forting me.


    "I should teach stuff like this instead of Mana Maniption, right?" He let out a painedugh as he leaned down to pet his bond that was sitting between his legs.


    "That reminds me. The wind bullet spell that you used to demonstrate seemed almost like a conjurer¡¯s spellpared to the second one you used. How exactly did you do it? I am also curious as to why you made the conjurers try and absorb the spell back into their bodies. I have never heard of conjurers doing that." I went on like an excited child about the questions that filled my mind, making me embarrassed.


    "Whoa! Is that why you came up to me? Is this what you were after?" He leaned away from me, shocked.


    "N-No! Of course not! That was never my intention!" Oh no! I wasn¡¯t like the men that came after me with some motive. I just saw him sitting there and wanted to... why did I ask to sit next to him?


    I realized my hand was slightly touching his arm so I pulled it back quickly.


    "Heh, I was obviously joking, Princess. I¡¯m not sure if I should tell you though. It wouldn¡¯t be very fair of me to give you the advantage like that, right?" He gave me a little wink that made my chest feel heavy all of a sudden. What was that?


    "I-I guess you are right. It would be unfair to give me answers to the homework you assigned," I responded quietly.


    "Mmm... well, I guess I can give a little pointer for a fellow disciplinarymittee member. Watch now." I look up to see him concentrate as he lifted both his hands, palms up.


    His left hand began to glow as soft winds swirled, surrounding his hand. As for his right hand, only a small portion in the center of his palm glowed. The wind that gathered towards this hand didn¡¯t surround his entire hand, but instead, swirled into a sphere just above his palm. With a brief flick of his wrists, he shot out the small gusts of wind in both hands forward.


    The wind that surrounded his left hand dissipated after a few meters but the spherical wind that he conjured with his right hand shot out several times farther before dissipating with a soft ¡¯pa¡¯!


    "There is your hint for the augmenter¡¯s homework. As for what I assigned the conjurers, think backwards." He got up as I contemted what he¡¯d just done.


    "I should get going now. Let me know if you need more lessons on facial expressions." He gave me an exaggerated scowl, then a perverted smile, making me almostugh again.


    "Aww... you didn¡¯tugh this time. Too bad." He slowly walked off with his bond scampering next to him. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit empty as I sat alone on the bench that now seemed too big for just me to sit on.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    "Psst. I heard you got hurt on the first day of ss. Are you okay?" Emily¡¯s thick sses shifted down as she leaned forward next to me, whispering in the middle of ss. We were learning about the basicponents that made up different types of artifacts.


    All of a sudden, a piece of chalk flew straight at Emily, disappearing somewhere into her curly hair.


    Gideon gave a light cough, his hand still stretched out after throwing the chalk at her. "Miss Watsken, please enlighten the ss on the variousponents in a basic light-producing artifact."


    "The basic light-producing artifact is made up of the basic foundation crystal, Florenite, found abundantly near the outskirts of Sapin and also in the Kingdom of Darv. After Florenite is refined, it will constantly let out a dim light so in order to control the output of the ore..."


    "Ok ok, that¡¯s enough. Sheesh, I just asked for the material." Gideon grumbled something under his breath as he cut Emily mid-exnation.


    Giving a light shrug, she took out some paper to write on while she made futile attempts to scavenge the piece of chalk buried somewhere deep in her hair.


    We exchanged notes for a bit, writing to each other about what happened. I tried skimming over the details but that didn¡¯t really seem to work with her.


    Eventually, because of theck of details from my side, she wasn¡¯t really able to piece anything together, leaving her frustrated and curious.


    "Something seems off..." She eyed me as we left ss after packing up our things. For homework, we were already assigned some sort of mini project where we had to assemble a light-producing artifact, or LPA for short.


    "You¡¯re overthinking things, Emily. I¡¯m more worried about the project that Gideon already assigned us. I¡¯m so lost after missing the first week." This was actually true. My critical thinking abilities and vague knowledge of technology from my past allowed me to make connections and understand more than most first years, but everyone was grumbling about how this ss was one of their hardest. Leave it to that entric Gideon to teach a basic ss as if it were several levels higher.


    "Meh, I already have a couple LPAs I made lying around in my dorm anyway. Might as well put them to use." She adjusted her oversized backpack and we headed over to grab lunch.


    "Wow... you could probably ace this ss in your sleep." I shook my head as I picked up a tray and grabbed some food.


    "Kyu!" ¡¯Get more meat, Papa!¡¯ Sylvie hopped on top of my head in protest when I picked up some vegetables.


    "Ok ok." I went back and picked up a few more pieces of meat when Emily looked at me with a weird expression on her face.


    "Can you understand what your bond is saying?" She lifted her sses up in ce as she looked up at Sylvie.


    "Can¡¯t all bonds?" I asked.


    "No, not at all, actually. They can understand their emotions to a certain extent but not... verbal cues." Her eyes squinted as she took a closer look at Sylvie.


    Pushing her head back with my finger on her forehead, I responded, "That¡¯s what I meant. I only felt my bondining and I just inferred that it was because I picked up vegetables. You¡¯re overthinking things again, Emily."


    "Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right. She¡¯s cute though." She just shrugged and picked up more food for herself.


    "Ah! There you are, Art! Director Goodsky wants...Oh, hello." Elijah stopped in his tracks as he realized I was with a friend.


    "Hey, Elijah. This is Emily. Emily, Elijah." I said with my mouth half full with a piece of stewed beef.


    "Nice to meet you! Emily smiled and stuck out the hand that wasn¡¯t carrying her food tray.


    "A pleasure to meet you," Elijah responded as he shook her hand, a look of curiosity on his face. "Anyways, Art. You need to...uh... head over to your training room. Director Goodsky, remember?" He gave me a look, signaling that it was urgent.


    "Oh... wait, now?" I looked at my food.


    "Yes. Now." He gently pushed me towards the door while I tried to scarf down as much food as I could. Sylvie swept a big portion of the meat with her tongue as we ced the tray next to the trash bin.


    "You two get acquainted! I¡¯ll be leaving first!" I waved at my friends as they waved back.


    I remembered Director Goodsky telling me where my private training room would be while I was in the hospital room. Supposedly, the mana density was supposed to be a lot higher there, making it easier to train.


    "I wonder what Director Goodsky wants. I should give her a mouthful about ss today," I said to no one in particr as Sylvie and I made our way towards the room.


    All of the rooms were underneath the library, where a staff member had to lead you. Usually, upperssmen were allowed to borrow a room for a couple of hours to train but I was lucky to have a private one all to myself.


    There were two entrances in the library building: one to the actual library, the other to a sort of waiting room for all of the training facilities. Opening the entrance to the waiting room, I walked slowly past some upperssmen before arriving at the front desk. "Hi, my name is Arthur Leywin." I didn¡¯t exactly know what Director Goodsky wanted so I hoped that thedy at the front desk would know what to do once I told her my name.


    "Ah, yes! Today is your first time visiting the room, correct?" Thedy had a very refined suit, reminding me of a concierge at some fancy hotel.


    "Yes." I nodded in response as she bent down and opened a drawer.


    "Please ce both your palms on this stone. Make sure all of the tips of your fingers are t." In both hands, she held out a t tablet with various inscriptions etched onto it.


    Doing as told, I felt a brief numbing sensation spread over my hands as she activated the tablet.


    "Perfect! I¡¯ll show you to your room. Please follow me." Leading me to a room in the back where a scarred man about two meters tall and holding a spear guarded the door, the front deskdy ushered me forward.


    The room that the scarred man guarded was actually some sort of elevator put together by various gears, which I assumed were powered by either mana cores or some other mana-producing ore.


    "Wow. This is my first time riding in something like this." I said in awe, reminiscing thest time I rode in an elevator.


    "Fufu, yes. Not many of these exist yet. The genius artificer Gideon, who is currently a professor here, built this device. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of him?" She said, admiring the elevator herself.


    "More than heard of him. He¡¯s actually one of my professors. With the way he teaches his ss, I wish he wasn¡¯t such a genius." I gave her a wink, making her giggle.


    "Here we are! Make sure to remember how to get to your room. Since I¡¯ve registered you to your room, you are allowed toe in anytime you wish," she said while guiding me through the halls.


    "That scary scarred man won¡¯t stop me?" I asked, pointing up with my sheathed sword.


    "Hoho, no. He won¡¯t stop you. Ah! We¡¯ve arrived." We reached the end of the hall where there was arge set of double doors without any handles.


    "This door seems different from all of the other ones." I turned my head back topare.


    "Yes. Director Goodsky seems to ce quite a bit of precedence in your training." She gave me a charming smile.


    "Yet she doesn¡¯t even bother to tell my ss who their new professor is," I muttered under my breath.


    "Excuse me?" Thedy tilted her head in confusion.


    "It¡¯s nothing. So how do I open this?" I responded while Sylvie jumped off my head and excitedly hopped in ce in front of the double doors.


    "If you ce either of your palms against the door, it will open automatically. If you need any further assistance, there is amunication device inside where you can contact me. If you are hungry, I can also send someone over to bring you some food." She bowed, waiting for me to open the door.


    "Thank you. What was your name?" I turned my head, my hand raised, ready to open the door.


    "Please call me Chloe. I wish you a fruitful training session." She said, her head still down.


    "Got it. Thanks again, Chloe." I turned back and ced my right hand on the double doors. With a loud engine-like noise, the area where I ced my palm glowed as streams of light branched out. Eventually, the light dimmed and the door slid open to reveal a room very different from what I imagined.


    I turned my head back but Chloe was already gone. Sylvie ran off before I could even take a step forward and as I looked inside the room, the sudden brightnesspared to the dim hall made me squint. My vision soon adjusted and, as I lowered my hand, my eyes spotted a familiar figure, fidgeting in ce as Sylvie scurried up her leg.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was from the sparkling brightness inside the room or the fact that this room looked more like a huge natural wonder rather than a training facility but my childhood friend looked stunning. Tess, who was cuddling her cheek against Sylvie on her shoulder, stood before me, wearing a very loose, white training robe.


    "H-hi," Tess said with her head lowered and eyes looking up at me.


    I stepped forward as the door closed behind me. The floor underneath me was grass, and there was a rather big pond with a waterfall as well. Huge boulders and trees surrounded us, making me feel as if this was a dream. Snapping out of my momentary daze, I scratched my head with the hand that wasn¡¯t holding Dawn¡¯s Bad.


    "Hey, Tess." I gave her an awkward smile.


    "S-Should we get started?" Tess put Sylvie down on the ground before she shyly started removing her robe.


    "W-Wait, what? Get started with what?" I almost tripped backwards as I saw her bare shoulders.


    "The assimtion! Grandpa told me that it work better if you help me through bare skin!" Her face was bright red as I realized she had her breasts covered in some gauze.


    Ah right... the assimtion...


    Wait, what?


    Freaking Gramps, what are you making your granddaughter do?!


    "Gramps told you that? Y-You don¡¯t need to take off your clothes for the assimtion, stupid! He was messing with you!" I covered my eyes with my hand.


    Calm down, Arthur. She¡¯s just a 13-year-old. Looking at her like this is a crime!


    "S-Shut up! How was I supposed to¡ªUGH..." Tess fell to her knees before she was able to lift her robe again.


    I ran as fast as my injured body would let me as I put Dawn¡¯s Bad back into my dimension ring. Kneeling down next to her, I ced my palm on her warm, pale back. Her robe was down, revealing everything from the waist up with the exception of her breasts and a portion of her back, which were covered by the gauze. As I felt her body tremble in pain, I couldn¡¯t help but notice how frail she looked. I guess it was because I knew how strong of a mage she was; I¡¯d forgotten that she was still just a young girl¡ªphysically, at least.


    Taking off the seal on my wrist, I willed mana into my childhood friend. Using all four elements, I controlled the mana to spread throughout her body, counteracting the manaing from the Elderwood Guardian¡¯s beast will. What Gramps did while I was assimting was just easing my pain, but by using a bnced mixture of mana from all four elements, I was able to essentially help her body fight against the beast will.


    I never tested this but it was based on the same principles I used to help awaken Lilia and my sister.


    Her ragged breathing soon calmed down, her trembling gone as she began panting from the relief. As I gently lifted her robe over her frail body, I walked over to the pond and sshed my face with its cold water.


    I needed to calm myself down.


    After a few moments, I felt my heartbeat slowing down but reacted again when I heard Tess making her way to me, Sylvie trotting behind her.


    Sitting down on her legs next to me, she stared at me, her flushed, tired face still sparkling, as if she wanted to say something. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke to me in a firm voice.


    "Art, can we talk?"

 Chapter 61: Romantic Idiot

    "Art, can we talk?" As she resolved herself, the slight trembling in her voice disappeared.


    "Sure. It seems that there¡¯s a third party at work here trying to make us talk anyways." I sat back, leaning on my arms, my face dripping with the fresh water.


    "About the k-kiss¡ªare you mad?" Tess¡¯s face was bright red, revealing how nervous she feltpared to her terse expression.


    "I¡¯m not mad. I was surprised, but I¡¯m not mad." I would¡¯ve be lying if I said I hadn¡¯t noticed Tess showing feelings for me since all the way back when I lived with her in Elenoir.


    There was brief silence where I could tell Tess was waiting for me to say something, except I didn¡¯t know what to say at this moment.


    If it was as simple as choosing between liking or disliking Tess, of course it leaned heavily toward the former, but this situation wasn¡¯t as ck and white as that. While I knew it wasn¡¯t unnatural for children, especially of royalty, to get married at the age of thirteen or fourteen, there was another factor that came into y here: I could only see this girl in front of me as a child.


    I held back the urge to let out a deep breath.


    I began to question the use of being so experienced in fighting and politics when I didn¡¯t even know where to start when it came to something as basic as love¡ªor whatever this was.


    "Arthur, what are you thinking about?" She leaned closer as her brows furrowed more deeply. The intensity in which she was staring at me made me ufortable but this issue wasn¡¯t something I could keep pushing aside.


    "Tess, we¡¯ve known each other since we were four. The first time I saw you, you were getting kidnapped after you had a fight with your parents. The first thing you did when I saved you was cry your heart out. After we made our way back to your kingdom, I was fortunate enough to be able to stay in your castle, where your grandpa and eventually even your parents warmed up to me. Even now, your family and mine get along to the point of it being weird..." I took a deep breath before I tried to continue.


    "I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re trying to say." Tess had an impatient look on her face.


    "Tess, we¡¯re still so young. I mean, I¡¯m only twelve and you¡¯ve barely turned thirteen as well! I know that it¡¯s not weird for a girl your age to get married since you¡¯re royalty, but I mean, I don¡¯t have that background." I realized I was stuttering a bit.


    "Art. I know you well enough and right now, you¡¯re just making excuses. You and I both know that what I meant wasn¡¯t to get married right away. I-I just want things to progress. Even back in Elenoir, you just treated me like I was a kid! It¡¯s been almost eight years since then, Art... I have a lot to learn but I don¡¯t consider myself such a child anymore." Her stern gaze turned soft as she desperately tried to reason with me.


    "It¡¯s because I¡¯ve known you since we were both children that it¡¯s harder for me to see you as anything more, at least right now, Tess. It hasn¡¯t even been that long since we met after such long time as well." I could feel my argumenting out more and more as petty excuses but I stood my ground.


    Tess¡¯s bangs covered her face as her head turned to the ground. She suddenly sprung to her feet, her face red and tense, as if on the verge of tears.


    "So, you¡¯re telling me that all this time, you haven¡¯t once thought of me as anything more than a childhood friend?" she asked through pursed lips.


    I averted my gaze, unable to keep staring at her.


    I didn¡¯t know how to respond. Of course there were times when I had to ask myself if I was supposed to reciprocate the feelings Tess had of me back then, but my conscience firmly stopped me. While I had spent twelve years in this body, acting¡ªfor the most part¡ªmy age, I still had memories of the near-forty years I had spent in my previous life. With memories of the children at the orphanage I had grown up in calling me ¡¯Uncle¡¯ whenever I visited, I couldn¡¯t help but picture Tess as one of those kids.


    "I see," she whispered, taking my silence as the answer. Tess whipped around and stomped off towards the door of the training facility.


    As she opened the door, she said without turning around, "You know, Arthur. You¡¯re so confident in so many things. Magic, fighting, using your brain. You¡¯re so confident in everything you do because you¡¯re good at them. But, you know what? There are things you¡¯re not good at. You¡¯re not good at confronting your feelings. You always put on a mask and pretend you¡¯re happy or apathetic when you can¡¯t handle a certain situation. I think in that sense, you¡¯re a lot less mature than even the so-called ¡¯children¡¯ you see in this academy. You¡¯re just using your confidence in your strengths to mask the insecurities you have in things you know you¡¯re not good at!"


    As the door closed behind her, I was left with an eerie silence that not even the sound of the waterfall could cover.


    ¡¯Papa¡¯s a dummy...¡¯ Sylvie curled up a couple of meters away, turning away from me.


    I sat in front of the pond, stunned by herst words. I had to admit that in some ways, maybe Tess was more mature than I was. Even in my past life, aside from being a great fighter, I wasn¡¯t that impressive of a man. I had the charisma and character to appeal to the masses but when it came to interpersonal rtionships, I considered myself mediocre on a good day. I grew up avoiding longsting rtionships, seeing them as nothing more than a burden that would eventually be used against me. In order to be the best, I had to have no weaknesses, and having a lover would¡¯ve eventually led to my demise.


    I¡¯de to realize this even more sinceing into this world. Having family that I would happily die for reminded me of how truly weak I was. If someone were to kidnap any one of my family members, no matter how strong I personally was, I would be at their beck and call.


    The thought of having a lover, someone I could call my other half, was a wonderful thing, but it was also something that truly scared me.


    After clipping back the bracelet that sealed my fire and water elemental attributes, I made my way back to the surface and headed towards my next ss. How was I supposed to face Tess in my Team Fighting Mechanics ss? Even Sylvie was pouting on top of my head because I¡¯d made Tess angry.


    _________________________________________


    "Good to have you back, Art." ire ran to me, giving me a firm p on the back.


    "Are you feeling a bit better?" Curtis also caught up to us, Grawder following behind him.


    "I¡¯ll probably have to sit out for a few more sses, but I¡¯m okay," I replied, giving him a weak smile as we arrived at the field.


    "Good to see you walking, Mr. Leywin!" Professor Glory beamed as she spotted the three of us arrive but when she was about to walk over to us, a rather malicious intent radiated from beside her.


    Lucas had a harsh look on his face as he took big, confident strides towards us.


    I matched my gaze to his, neither of us looking away as he approached me. Gripping my shirt up by the cor, he pulled me close to his face.


    "I think we need a rematch." His effeminate face was a sight to behold as he scowled, my nose only a few inches away from his.


    Gripping his wrist, I replied, my face stone cold and eyes deadlocked to his. "This is a pretty rude way to ask for something." I gripped hard enough to make his hand lose strength, but I didn¡¯t stop there. I surged a st of mana at the boy, making his knees give out.


    Grimacing in pain, Lucas mumbled inaudibly and soon had orange mes conjured in his free palm, ready to fire at me.


    "That¡¯s enough!" Professor Glory roared as she shoved her sheathed sword between us.


    "Arthur, go rest in the viewing tform. You¡¯re not to take part in any activities in this ss until you¡¯re fully healed¡ªDirector Goodsky¡¯s orders. As for you, Lucas, you need to calm down. Whether you want to settle your petty grudge with a fight or with a hug, do it after Arthur is fully healed. Now is not the time." She let out a sigh as she nudged me towards the viewing tform. After walking for half a day, I didn¡¯t need my sword to lean on but I couldn¡¯t walk at a normal pace either.


    Heading back, my eyes unconsciously searched for Tess but she was nowhere to be found. "Professor Glory, where¡¯s Princess Tessia?"


    "She stopped by not too long before you came saying she wasn¡¯t feeling well. She said she would make up ss somehow but she seemed off so Clive took her back to her dorm. Why? Do you know anything?" Professor Glory asked.


    I lied, shaking my head.


    "You can get up to the viewing tform without starting another fight, right? Just rest up for a couple more days." She ced a gentle hand on my shoulder before running back off towards the rest of the ss.


    I watched the ss split up into different teams and get in various formations for different circumstances. In scenarios like sieging, conjurers yed a crucial role so augmenters got into a much more defensive position, focusing solely on protecting the long-range caster. In scenarios where gueri fights were necessary, only one or two augmenters remained close to the conjurer as the rest went off on their own.


    The ss was only a week in so it was very basic but it was obvious that Professor Glory knew what she was doing. The ss grasped the lessons well while even having fun. It was a nice sight to see but my mind strayed off to earlier today. I didn¡¯t regret the things I said, but I had to question whether I had actually said it well.


    My next ss was the ss I was actually looking forward to the most: Deviant Magic Theory. Unfortunately, our professor, Professor Drywell, ced utmost importance on covering the basics first, so even after a week had passed, she was barely covering the foundation of Deviant Magic.


    "Whenever deviant magic is involved, there is a much bigger stress on the price of your magic. Why do you think that is? It¡¯s because deviant magic, like its name, is deviant from the natural elemental mana pool that is evident in our world. The mana that surrounds us is made up of only fire, wind, earth and water mana. Deviant magic thates from the higher form of these four elements have a much greater cost, as I would like to say,pared to the four original elements because there is no such thing as lightning, nt, gravity, metal, magma, sound, or ice mana surrounding us in the atmosphere. In order to produce these phenomena in our spells, the mage must be able to directly alter their parent element and manipte it into its deviant form." Professor Drywell chattered on. She was a very ageddy and although she had the image of a nice quiet grandmother, she never stopped talking.


    "Professor! But gravity, lightning, metal, magma, sound, and ice all exist naturally in our world as well. Why doesn¡¯t our world produce these types of mana then?" an older girl asked.


    "Good question, young one! Honestly, no one knows for sure why that is! Many mana theorists believe that because a certain set of conditions must be met for those deviant elements to ur, mana directly corrted to them does not exist. Then there are always exceptions such as fire, where it certainly does not just spontaneously manifest without cause. Perhaps that is why most mages believe fire to be the highest form of normal magic, because it is so close to being deviant magic itself," Professor Drywell exined as she paced around the lecture hall.


    "Deviant magic that strays even further from the four main elemental mana in our worldes at even a greater cost. All of you know what emitters are. They are healers, essentially. The mana that they utilize does not fall under the category of water, earth, fire, or wind. Instead, I would dare say that there exists a holy element, or light element, to be more urate. Emitters gain little benefit from absorbing mana from the atmosphere because there is no light elemental mana within our world. Instead, they work to condense and purify the mana that forms in their mana core so that even when less mana is used, there is still a substantial effect in their spells." I could tell Professor Drywell was running out of steam because her voice was getting breathier.


    After she finished the day¡¯s lesson, we had a short Q&A session but no one really had any questions to ask out of fear that ss would never finish. Eventually, Professor Drywell released us and I trudged on to myst ss, Spell Formations I.


    Most of the students in this ss were conjurers but some of the smarter augmenters knew that they could gain benefits to their skills by taking this ss. Our teacher, Professor Mayner, was a schrly-looking man with a monocle and his hair parted down the middle. His mustache was well-trimmed and over his suit, he wore a white gown.


    "Wee, students. I was notified by Director Goodsky that a student named Arthur Leywin will begin joining us for ss, am I correct?" He looked around, his monocle catching the re from the light in the ssroom.


    "Yes, I¡¯m Arthur Leywin, please guide me well." I gave a small bow as he nodded in approval.


    "Very well! You did not miss anything too important, Mr. Leywin. We were going over the different types of spell formations, from individual spell incantations to group spell formations. Care to tell us what you know about spell formations?" He adjusted his monocle as he approached me, his back straight.


    "To my knowledge, spell formations are the conjoining and/or altering of basic spells and skills in order to produce a different phenomenon, whether that be to the user himself, or the specific point in space the spell was invoked," I answered.


    "A most solid answer indeed, Mr. Leywin. Very good." He pped his hands once before he went back to the front of the ss where he began the lesson.


    "I would first like you all to imagine a scenario. Imagine a world where everyone could read everyone¡¯s mind. The fleeting thoughts that can make even the purest man seem perverse or the nicest woman seem cruel are allid out in the open for others to read. I believe that that world would house the best mages ever known." The ss waited, confused, for the professor to make his point but he moved on.


    "I¡¯lle back to thister, but for now: why do conjurers and even augmenters chant spells? It is not the words that invoke the spell or technique. Instead, the words influence the caster¡¯s consciousness, filling his mind with the correct ¡¯suggestion¡¯, if you will, that molds the mana into the desired spell." The sound of everyone furiously scribbling in their notebooks filled the room.


    Professor Mayner was a great speaker and he kept the ss engaged with the material he was teaching.


    "To give a rather humorous example; if I were to say to a girl that liked me, ¡¯I have always loved you,¡¯ you can bet that there will be some sort of reaction from the girl I say this to. The ¡¯incantation,¡¯ which was ¡¯I have always loved you,¡¯ triggers the response, or the ¡¯spell,¡¯ from her, whether that is blushing, crying, a smile, etc." The ss roared withughter at the metaphor, but I couldn¡¯t help but wince.


    "All in all, if the caster can control his consciousness to mold the mana into his desired spell, then incantations can be greatly shortened or they might not even need them at all. The reason augmenters don¡¯t need to focus so much on chanting is because the spells they use almost always directly involves them using their own body. Conjurers, on the other hand, have to cast much more precise andplicated spells, which require these incantations so that their spells don¡¯t be totally different with a switch of a thought. That is why I said that if there was a world where everyone could read each other¡¯s minds, that world would also have the greatest of magicians. Why? Because they would have absolute control over their thoughts."


    The ss went on and while the professor was a great lecturer, I wasn¡¯t able to focus as my mind kept shifting back to Tess and her piercing words as she left.


    Hiding my insecurities with my confidence...


    Was that what I was doing? Was I using the fact that I was a lot better at magic than everyone else as an excuse to avoid confronting what I was actually bad at?


    Perhaps I was being a hypocrite. I was going on about how I couldn¡¯t see Tess as anything more than a child but I was actually the one that needed to grow up, at least in a certain sense. Getting stronger in my strengths didn¡¯t exactly fill in my weak points, it just made them that much more apparent inparison.


    Tess was young. She was also innocent, but that didn¡¯t mean she was ignorant. Maybe I was the ignorant one.


    "ss is over! Have a great night, students. I shall see you all tomorrow!"


    Even as I was walking back to my dorm, my mind was all over the ce, almost tripping over myself various times.


    Damn it.


    I changed directions to where the student council dorms were. Running as fast as my body would let me, I arrived at the building that was much fancier than my dorm hall.


    I¡¯m here. How do I meet Tess? It¡¯s not like I can just shout out and call for her...


    ¡¯Papa, Mama is over there.¡¯ Sylvie pointed east with her paw and without questioning, I ran in that direction.


    "I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m okay! Please, just let this go, Clive." I heard Tess¡¯s voice in the courtyard near the fountain.


    "No! How dare that brat make you cry. I knew he would only cause trouble! His poor upbringing is definitely the cause. I can¡¯t imagine why Director Goodsky even allowed that peasant in this prestigious academy, and as a disciplinarymittee member, no less!" I could vaguely make out Clive¡¯s thin frame as he held Tess by her wrist.


    Clive noticed me approaching and his face contorted into a scowl. "What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing here? You dare try and meet Princess Tessia after you¡¯ve made her this unwell? If it were up to me, I¡¯d kill you right now!"


    Ignoring the thin, stern-looking vice president, I looked at Tess, who turned away. "Tess, can I have some of your time?"


    "You¡¯re ignoring me?!" Clive roared as he grabbed my shoulder.


    As if a fly was constantly buzzing around my ear, I lost my patience. "Piss off," I growled, bombarding him with mana the same way I had done with Lucas.


    Releasing a bit too much, Clive was pushed back, stopping only after tumbling into a nearby tree.


    "Y-You! Wh-What..." Too flustered, Clive was unable to produce anything more coherent as my gaze never left him.


    "Stop. It¡¯s not worth causing a scene over." Tess got in between Clive and I and took my hand, leading me out of the courtyard.


    As I tried to keep up with her quick steps, I nearly tripped, my injured body still unable to do anything more than walk.


    "H-Hold on Tess, we¡¯re going too fast. I¡¯m still hurt." I managed to say in between breaths.


    "Oh, I¡¯m so sorry." Tess nced back, her stern expression softening for just a second before hardening again.


    We were in an alley between the director¡¯s office and the student council¡¯s dorm when we stopped. After Tess let go of my hand, she took a step back and waited for me to catch my breath.


    "Well? What do you want?" Tess asked, her gaze fierce.


    "..."


    "Tess. There were a lot of truths in what you said to me earlier. To a certain extent, I think I did know how you felt about me but I was always afraid to face it. Magic and fighting are so much simpler. The more you train, the better you get, and the better oue you see. Emotions like this don¡¯t work that way, especially for me." I looked at Tess but her expression didn¡¯t change.


    "Maybe you think I was making excuses when I said we were too young, but that¡¯s really how I feel. Maybe you think you¡¯re ready and maybe you are, but I know I¡¯m not. I understand that we¡¯re close in age but everyone matures at a different pace." My mind worked furiously, trying toe up with the right words to say without telling Tess that I didn¡¯t feel right going out with her when I had a mental age over thirty. "I care about you and I missed you when I came back home¡ªI should¡¯ve said this earlier and I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t, but I hope you don¡¯t hate me for this."


    "You¡¯re beating around the bush," Tess responded, her expression softening.


    "I can¡¯t have a rtionship with you right now," I said firmly.


    Tess raised a brow. "Right now?"


    "Maybe when we¡¯re older?" I said, making my statement sound more like a question.


    My childhood friend clicked her tongue, crossing her arms. "You say that like I¡¯m obviously going to wait for you. Anyway, I bet you¡¯re just saying that to make time to find some other girl."


    My mind immediately pictured a thirteen-year-old me locking arms with a woman the same age as my mother and I immediately shook my head.


    "I won¡¯t be dating anyone anytime soon," I reassured.


    "How do you know? How am I supposed to trust that you¡¯re not going to go and fall for someone else even if I do wait for you? I¡¯m not sure you¡¯ve noticed but I can be really selfish. If you say all of this now and then go out and frolic with some other girl..." Tess¡¯s voice trailed off as she began to tremble. "I¡¯d rather you just say you don¡¯t see me as anything other than a friend then¡ª"


    For one second, I shut off my conscience and managed a light peck on her lips. I suppressed the inner voice that screamed in disapproval and backed away from Tess, my face burning, truly feeling like a twelve-year-old boy in this moment.


    "I hope this will buy me some time because that¡¯s about the limit of what I can do," I said as I quickly wiped my mouth with my sleeve, unable to look Tess in the eye.


    There was no sound so I took a peek up only to see Tess in a daze, her eyes glossed over as her middle and index fingers touched her lips.


    "Tess?" I whispered.


    My childhood friend blinked and quickly removed her fingers from her lips. "Fine. But you better watch out, though¡ªI¡¯m pretty popr! If you make me wait too long, someone else is going to take me!"


    "Deal." I smiled in relief from finally sorting things out with Tess when she suddenly went up on her toes and kissed me on the cheek.


    I immediately retracted, surprised. "Tess, I thought I said¡ª"


    "Don¡¯t worry, stupid. That was just a thank you for saving me in ssst week." She stuck out her tongue before turning around and running off into her dorm.


    Sylvie, who had witnessed everything from atop my head, snickered.


    Zip it, Sylv. Letting out a deep breath, I walked back to my dorm. I wondered if my childhood friend was willing to wait a few years... or even a decade, but I chose not to think about it any longer.


    Tomorrow¡¯s problems will be solved by tomorrow¡¯s me.

 Chapter 62: My Team

    TESSIA ERALITH¡¯S POV:


    Arriving at my room, I jumped into bed, my hands covering my burning face.


    I couldn¡¯t help but let out soft shrieks of delight as I rolled back and forth across my sheets.


    "Hehehehehe..." Oh no. I wasughing like a pervert.


    But...but Art finally kissed me. He kissed me!


    "Heehee..." Not being able to calm down, I wrapped myself in my nket as I rolled around. The image of him leaning forward to kiss me filled my head, forcing my lips to curve up. It felt different from when I¡¯d kissed him. I couldn¡¯t quite exin it but it was definitely a better feeling.


    "I could get used to this..." I identally muttered aloud as I softly rubbed my lips. I rolled across my bed again in embarrassment as I recalled the event again.


    I began to imagine what our marriage would be like. I wanted it to be super pretty. I wondered how our kids would look? Arthur was good-looking and I wasn¡¯t ugly either. It should be fine, right? But in order to get kids, we needed to...


    I could almost feel steaming out my ears as I imagined it. I mean, I learned about how babies were born from my home tutor but...


    Nonononono it¡¯s too early! And besides... Arthur wanted me to give him some time. I wondered what he meant by that? Did he mean we were going to act like tonight never happened?


    I didn¡¯t want that!


    But was I allowed to get mad at him for that? Was I being too hard on him? I knew he had my best interest at heart but I couldn¡¯t be so wishy-washy about this, right?


    What if another girl really did end up liking him too and he chose her? I was just a violent, spoiled girl after all; why would he choose me?


    The more I thought about it, the more disheartened I became. It¡¯s, okay Tess. We¡¯re both still really young. Even if it does take time, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll work out eventually, right?


    Gah! Stop discouraging yourself and let¡¯s just sleep, Tess!


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    I¡¯d been getting used to having Sylvie wake me up. Usually a loud mental shout was enough to wake me up but today, I was woken up by a sharp bite on my nose.


    "Kyu!"


    I groaned as I woke up, rubbing my throbbing nose as Sylvie went back to sleep after doing her job. Sylvie seemed to be a lot more active at night as she took frequent naps throughout the day.


    After washing up, I watched Elijah, still breathing loudly in his sleep while I had to wake up this early. We couldn¡¯t have that now, could we?


    "Good morning!" I pped my sleeping roommate on his behind.


    "Ah! What? Huh?! What¡¯s going on?" Apparently, the sudden impact made him panic, because he got into a defensive position with his right hand straight out, ready to fire at his attacker.


    "Nothing! Just saying good morning." I shrugged, strapping on the knife to my disciplinarymittee uniform.


    "Ugh... I have another two hours before ss starts. You woke me up just to say good morning?" Elijah groaned as he wrapped himself with his nket into a makeshift cocoon.


    "Yup! I¡¯m off to my first disciplinarymittee meeting!" I took onest look to make sure I wasn¡¯t forgetting anything when Elijah popped his head out from underneath his nket.


    "Did something good happen? You¡¯re a little bit too happy. It¡¯s unsettling." Whether it was because he was studying me or just trying to focus his vision on me since he wasn¡¯t wearing his sses, Elijah squinted his slightly puffy eyes.


    "You¡¯re just imagining things, Elijah," I said with a light chuckle, quicklycing my boots before heading towards the door.


    "Suspicious..." he mumbled before sumbing to his body¡¯s demands to go back to sleep.


    Making sure no one was around, I jumped off the building and used wind augmentation to cushion mynding. Sylvie just floated down, which looked really silly to me with her oversized ears flopping against the wind.


    Landing on top of my head with a soft plop, I took some time to test my body out with some stretches. I couldn¡¯t say I was in great condition, but the improvement since yesterday made me nod in satisfaction. It was times like these that I really felt the effects of going through the assimtion of Sylvia¡¯s dragon will.


    Which reminded me...I¡¯d have to help Tess with her assimtion. How was I supposed to act around her anyways? I couldn¡¯t believe I kissed her yesterday.


    Thinking back, I realized that even in my past life, I¡¯d never gone past the point of kissing and it was always the other party that initiated. I¡¯d never had an interest in falling in love. Rather, I feared love. I even avoided the aspect of unattached sexual rtionships because I feared that the start of a physical rtionship could lead to emotional attachments. I secluded myself in training aside from public appearances and fights, making sure I didn¡¯t have anyone I held in importance, anyone that could be used as a tool against me.


    What I¡¯d learned most from this world wasn¡¯t the magic or the fighting. No, what I¡¯d realized was that this life has forced me to open up my calloused heart and allow people to hold significance to me. What this also meant was that I had to be stronger than my past self since I had people to protect this time.


    Lost in my thoughts, I almost passed by the Disciplinary Committee Room. The DC had ess to one of the bigger rooms in the academy so that it could double as a training room as well. I was a bitte since I woke up a littleter than expected but it wasn¡¯t too loud so I hoped I wasn¡¯t thest one there.


    As I opened the door, Curtis flew and crashed into the wall next to me with a thud!


    "Still too weak!" I saw Theodore Maxwell¡¯s disappointed face, his right fist raised.


    "Ah, Arthur! You¡¯re here!" ire deheart, who was spectating the duel from the side, waved her hands.


    "Ugh... I can¡¯t believe I still can¡¯tnd even a single hit on you, Theodore. Oh, hey Arthur." Curtis turned his head towards me while rubbing his back.


    "Do you need help?" I put my hand out while Sylvie wagged her tail but Curtis just shook his head.


    "No, I¡¯m okay. Besides, the duel isn¡¯t over yet." Curtis grimaced as he got back to his feet and picked up his sword.


    Taking a seat next ire on one of the couches, I watched as the duel between Curtis and Theodore resumed.


    "HAH!" Curtis charged forward after augmenting his sword in a zing fire but just as he was about to get into Theodore¡¯s range, Curtis sidestepped instantly, leaving a charred footstep behind before appearing to Theodore¡¯s right.


    Theodore¡¯s reaction was almost immediate as he lifted his brawny right arm at an uncanny speed.


    "Fall!" Curtis¡¯ assault failed as he crumbled to his knees, his swordnding heavily on the ground in front of Theodore.


    Theodore had a smirk on his face but it soon turned serious as he realized Curtis¡¯ n.


    "Explode!" Curtis shouted in a strained voice.


    The sword that wasn¡¯t burning but glowing a dim red shined brighter until mes exploded in all directions.


    ire focused on the smoke, assuming both the sword and Theodore was covered inside, but I tapped her shoulder and gestured for her to look up.


    Theodore was in the air with his arms a bit burned and steaming but otherwise unharmed. Using gravity magic on himself, Theodore slowly floated down as he concentrated on his next spell.


    Curtis was back to his feet with his sword in hand, already preparing another spell. I noticed Grawder restlessly swinging his tail from the other side of the room.


    "All right! I think it¡¯s time to stop!" ire stood up and pped her hand but it didn¡¯t seem like either one of them heard her even speak. She sighed exasperatedly. "Kai, care to help me?" ire nced back at the narrow-eyed, smiling man.


    "Got it, Boss." Kai¡¯s sleeves covered his arms so I didn¡¯t know what he had hidden but with a swing of his arms, thin metal strings shot out towards Theodore and Curtis, forming a makeshift metal fence between them.


    Even after augmenting my eyes, I couldn¡¯t make out any specific elemental attribute in his skill, making me wonder exactly what he could do.


    Both Curtis and Theodore stopped their spells and turned their heads towards Kai in confusion.


    "Boss¡¯ orders. Let¡¯s stop the duel now, shall we gentlemen?" Kai¡¯s smiling face remained unchanged as he retracted the numerous strings back into his sleeves.


    "What did Kai do just there?" I asked ire who was shaking her head at Curtis and Theodore.


    "No one really knows. He keeps it a secret and from what I can tell, there isn¡¯t any specific elemental attribute in his mana whenever he uses his skills," she responded while shrugging.


    "Have you taken an interest in me, Arthur?" Kai came behind me, leaning his head forward past my shoulder so his smiling face was right next to mine.


    "Hardly. Just a bit curious as to what you just did there. It didn¡¯t seem like you were manipting metal, or using sound to control the metal strings," I responded while pushing his face away from mine.


    "So cold. I¡¯d tell you but unfortunately, if I did, I¡¯d have to kill you," he replied nonchntly, making me lift a brow.


    "Oh? Is that a threat?" I challenged.


    Noticing that the conversation was taking a turn for the worse, ire butted in.


    "Looks like we¡¯re still missing quite a few people! Feyrith, Kathyln and Doradrea still aren¡¯t here¡ªah, there they are!" she said as she pushed the both of us towards the door.


    Feyrith was having a little quarrel with Doradrea about something while Kathyln came in behind them. I raised my hand to wave at Kathyln but as soon as our eyes made contact, she immediately turned her head away before walking off in another direction.


    "Ah Arthur, my rival! Have you healed? I believe we still need to duel but I think it would be better to hold that off until after I finish working on a spell I¡¯ve been practicing! It¡¯s not because I¡¯m scared to lose to you or anything. Just giving you more time to recover." Feyrith came up beside me, putting his arm on my shoulder as he let out a heartyugh.


    "Now that everyone is here, I¡¯d like you all toe sit down so we can start the meeting." ire ushered us towards the round table on the second floor.


    The room consisted of two levels. The lower level was just a wide area with all sorts of equipment and also an arena for practice matches. To the side next to the equipment, a flight of stairs led to a second floor balcony that overlooked the lower level. The second floor was furnished with a chalkboard, some cabs, and a big, oval table with exactly eight seats.


    ire sat at the very end of the table with the chalkboard behind her while Kai and Theodore sat to her right and left. I didn¡¯t really know if there was an assigned seating arrangement so I remained standing, waiting for everyone else to sit down first. On Kai¡¯s side sat Curtis and Feyrith while on Theodore¡¯s side sat Doradrea and Kathyln. The only seat avable was directly opposite of ire¡¯s seat so I just settled there and waited for the meeting tomence, my drowsiness from being up so early slowly overtaking my body.


    I nced over at Sylvie who hopped off my head and began ying with Grawder until our leader began talking.


    "This is the first meeting with everyone present, as well as the first day we will actively start duty," ire announced in a serious voice.


    "Although this is the first year thismittee has existed, I¡¯ve been working with Director Goodsky and our student council president on how we should efficiently structure and run the disciplinarymittee in order to create an environment that will not tolerate bullying, dissented duels, as well as intruders. For that, we decided to split the disciplinarymittee into two teams. These two teams are separated by underssmen and upperssmen. The upperssmen¡ªTheodore, Curtis, Kai and myself¡ªwill split into pairs and watch over the campus in the morning since we don¡¯t have sses. The underssmen¡ªKathyln, Feyrith, Doradrea and Arthur¡ªwill also split into two teams and go around campus in the afternoon while the upperssmen have sses." ire began writing all of our names on the board, divided into the teams she had already decided on.


    Before I had the chance to raise my hand, ire already knew what I was about to say and interjected.


    "Since Arthur is taking both upper division and lower division sses, he will be waived from that duty. However, he is to be on standby at all times in case backup is needed. Also, I¡¯ve gotten permission from Director Goodsky to allow you to be 10 minuteste to sses, so just take your time between sses and be on the lookout for any trouble." She smiled in satisfaction as I put my arm back down.


    "That being said, I¡¯ve already discussed the matter of who will be scouting the campus alone between the underssmen and Kathyln has volunteered to take on this task. Kathyln, remember that even though the upperssmen are in ss, we will still help you. You are a part of the disciplinarymittee so if you¡¯re caught in a situation where you¡¯re not confident in being able to handle it yourself, call for help." She turned her gaze to Kathyln while saying this. The princess simply nodded while Curtis wore a slight look of concern on his face.


    Feyrith raised his hand. "How are we going tomunicate with each other?" Feyrith raised his hand


    "We haven¡¯t told you guys yet but if you imagine any of the members in the disciplinarymittee while cing your hand on the insignia on the sheath of your knife, the recipient¡¯s knife will emit a bright light and a soft shock, notifying them who is in trouble. Each of the members¡¯ knives has a distinct color so remember them well." While ire announced this, she began writing the different colors our DC knives would glow.


    ire - Pink


    Kai - Silver


    Theodore - Yellow


    Feyrith - Green


    Doradrea - Dark Red


    Curtis - Red


    Kathyln - Blue


    Arthur - ck


    I wondered how a ck light would look. Everyone else¡¯s colors were pretty self-exnatory and corresponded with their elements for the most part. It seemed like Feyrith got the green color because he was an elf.


    "Thest matter of business is surveince at night. I know that this might be a bit too much for one person so we¡¯ll be taking turns in pairs with this task." Our leader looked around in case there were any disagreements.


    "Can I volunteer to take over my sister¡¯s shift as well? Call me overprotective but I¡¯m notfortable knowing Kathyln might be in danger while I¡¯m fast asleep." Curtis spoke up while scratching his head but looked at me specifically.


    "Are you sure you can handle that, Curtis? It¡¯s going to be tough doing two people¡¯s shifts at night," ire asked.


    I looked over at Kathyln, noticing that she wanted to interject but she kept her thoughts to herself.


    "Kathyln is my partner for night duties, right? I can do it by myself," I spoke up, knowing the real reason Curtis wanted to take over his shift. I could sort of understand from his perspective, being an older brother myself.


    "You don¡¯t have to..." Kathyln spoke as she stood up but I could tell she was conflicted and couldn¡¯t find the words to say after.


    "Hmm... well, since Kathyln is scouting by herself during the afternoon, I think this would be fair. Okay, I¡¯ll allow it, but Arthur, Kathyln, I can already tell you two are the type to try and handle things on your own. However, I¡¯m ordering you both as the leader to call for help immediately as soon as you think you need it." She leaned forward on the table, stating her conditions in a firm voice.


    "Got it," I promised as Kathyln nodded.


    "Okay, since all of the technical matters are settled, you guys are free to leave or stay here and practice until sses start. The room will always be open for DC members so think of this as a second house! I¡¯ve already camped here for a couple of nights, haha!" ire scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.


    I let out a deep breath in relief. Looks like I could have a little less than an hour of sleep before my first ss started. There were a couple of couches that looked perfect for a power nap on the lower floor.


    Curtis gave me a meaningful pat on my back before he headed down but as I followed behind him, I felt a tugging on the waist of my pants from behind.


    "Let¡¯s spar for a bit, pretty boy! I¡¯ve sparred with everyone else here but you." Doradrea shot me an excited grin as she dragged me from behind onto the designated sparring arena.


    "I¡¯m still not fully healed, Doradrea. I don¡¯t think this is the best idea," I groaned as I was dragged helplessly.


    "Stop being a baby! The best way to get rid of that soreness is to move around, don¡¯t you know?" She let me go and walked over to the other side of the arena.


    ire walked towards us, giving me an apologetic look. She was about to stop the spar when Theodore walked past her and approached Doradrea as she was stretching.


    "Move it," he growled.


    "Aww... no fair." Doradrea grumbled as she slumped her shoulders, disappointed.


    Great. A muscr male reces my muscr female opponent.


    ire just sighed in defeat. "All right but Arthur is injured so this will only go on for a minute. Let me activate the barrier this time so we don¡¯t have any more cracked walls."


    Sylvie, who was riding on top of Grawder, asked if I¡¯d be okay so I just nodded in response.


    I may be injured but I was excited since I¡¯d wanted to duel against Theodore as well. I figured fighting against deviants might help me learn a thing or two from them.


    "Anything you want to say before we start?" Theodore asked while he cracked his neck.


    "Sure. Can I call you Theo if I win? It¡¯s only fair for me to give you a nickname since you already gave me one, right?" I shot him a smirk while I stretched my still aching body.


    I could literally see veins popping on his head, as everyone¡¯s face twisted into a horrified expression.


    "You sure are full of yourself, twerp. Fine, but if I win, you¡¯re going to be my little minion for the rest of your school life." He had a confident smile on his face as the rest of the DC members all got situated around the arena.


    "Remember, this duel willst one minute or until someonends the first hit. That¡¯s final!" ire barked as she unsheathed her sword and stabbed it in the ground.


    The both of us nodded in consent before ire signaled for the duel to begin.


    Theodore immediately took off, charging at me like a frenzied bull. I augmented my body using wind attribute mana to skirt around the arena, keeping my distance. Theodore¡¯s gravity magic wasn¡¯t something to take lightly since his powers had simultaneous offensive and defensive powers.


    While it usually took a bit longer to use earth magic while using wind magic, I was able to muster up shards of earth the size of my leg in time to kick them at Theodore. I shot out the shards of earth at different lengths to gauge how far he was able to use his gravity maniption.


    Theodore didn¡¯t really get what I was doing as he kept charging at me, growing more and more frustrated from me running away and kicking rocks at him.


    "Do you think I¡¯ll let you keep running around?" he roared as the rocks that I kicked towards him all started floating.


    Theodore thrust himself toward me during the short span that he decreased the gravity around him, increasing his speed tremendously.


    Holding in a smile, I put my n into y. Manipting the earth around me onest time, Iunched a boulder the size of my body as I jumped away from my opponent.


    With the area of decreased gravity surrounding him, Theodore was able to easily smack the boulder over him, but during the brief moment where his vision was blocked by the rock, I dashed toward him.


    Enveloping wind to condense below my feet, I shot toward him at a speed that caught Theodore by surprise.


    [Draft Step]


    Using the technique that I had thought up by drawing inspiration from the flicker step technique, I elerated toward him with the help of the strong gale behind me.


    Theodore¡¯s initial expression of surprise turned into a cocky grin as he clenched his fist.


    "Fall," he snarled. The sudden change in gravity knocked the wind out of me as I had to fight to keep my body from mming into the ground.


    With a victorious grin on his wild, unshaven face, he took onest step to get in range for the final blow when I shot him a smirk and pointed upwards with my finger in response.


    The boulder that Theodore knocked up fell directly on top of him from the abrupt change in gravity. The weight of the rock from the increased gravity ttened Theodore t on his stomach in an almostical position.


    "STOP!"


    ire got in between the two of us as she made sure Theodore, who already regained consciousness, was okay. By that time, Theodore had already shoved the rock off of him as he silently dusted his uniform. He would probably get a nasty bruise on his back but his mana-enhanced body allowed him to avoid any serious injury¡ªthe rock wasn¡¯t too big after all.


    "Good duel, Theo." I walked up to him and patted my opponent on the shoulder before bouncing out of the room with Sylvie trotting behind me.


    Let¡¯s go find a bench to take a nap on, I sent to Sylvie.

 Chapter 63: Baby Steps

    "Did you guys do your homework?" I sat down on top of the podium so I could get a better view of the ss while I fixed my hair.


    I¡¯d slept through most of my Fundamentals of Mana Maniption ss so I felt a lot better. Looking around from the center of the stage, I saw my students nce desperately at each other in hopes that one of them had the answers to the questions I asked them yesterday.


    "Looks like there¡¯s no choice but for me to answer the question," Feyrith finally sighed before standing up.


    "The mana core is an excellent way to easily and urately measure the level of the mage¡¯s power because it is corrted with how much effort and time that mage has spent on condensing and refining mana from their surroundings into their core." He finished off with a swish of his hair while sitting down.


    "No." I hopped off the stage and walked toward the shocked Feyrith.


    "It certainly is an easy way to gauge the mage¡¯s power but it¡¯s far from urate. Princess Kathyln, if you see an ordinary fighter that stood at two meters and weighed almost three hundred pounds full of muscle, what is your assessment on that fighter?" I turned my gaze toward the princess that was sitting next to the embarrassed elf.


    "I can expect the fighter to have robust strength," she finally said after pondering the simple question.


    "Correct! All we can tell is that the oaf is probably freakishly strong. Does that say anything else about hisbat ability? Yes, he¡¯s strong, but in order to be a greatbatant, there are other factors such as agility, technique, mental fortitude, experience, etc. The stage a mage¡¯s mana core is only determines how much ¡¯muscle¡¯ he or she has, but it doesn¡¯t exin much else in regards to the other factors. Refining your mana core to higher stages is still important, of course, but if that¡¯s the only factor you use in gauging your opponent¡¯s level, you¡¯re setting yourself up for defeat." I saw some students start jotting down notes so I caught my breath.


    The pretentious student with sses raised her hand after she finished writing down her notes. "Question!" she dered.


    "Yes, Miss Myrtle?" I found it amusing how much her name suited her character.


    "If trying to sense the opponent¡¯s mana core isn¡¯t an urate way of gauging his or her level, what do we do?" she asked with an expression that made it seem as if she was testing me.


    "You don¡¯t. Just assume that the opponent is stronger than you. Gauging the mana core stage of anyone should just be used to satiate your curiosity but nothing beyond that. Even if sensing the mana core level could urately gauge the fighting strength of your opponent, what are you going to do if your opponent¡¯s fighting strength is lower than yours? Go easy on him? Pick on him because you know you¡¯ll win? What do you do if his fighting strength is higher than yours? Run away? Chances are, if you¡¯re in a situation where both of you are actively sensing each other¡¯s mana core, then running away won¡¯t be an option." I paused for a minute.


    "Being overconfident because you found out that your mana core is higher than your opponent¡¯s can make you careless and getting scared if your opponent¡¯s mana core is higher than yours can make you feel hopeless. Bottom line is, life isn¡¯t so simple that you can urately know whether or not you can beat someone based on the color of their mana core. There are cases of fighters beating careless mages because the mages got sloppy from being too arrogant. Always assume the opponent is stronger than you and try your best. If that opponent is weaker than you, then you put an end to the fight quickly to save him the humiliation. If that opponent is stronger, congrattions, you¡¯ve ovee the mental limit you guys have been holding onto all your lives." I felt like some inspirational speaker rather than a lecturer.


    I walked back to the podium where Sylvie was now taking a nap and continued speaking.


    "Now, for the next piece of homework. Any of you figure out what I didst ss with the two wind spells?" I asked, leaning back against the podium.


    A hollow silence filled the room.


    I let out a sigh. I guess being spoon-fed answers all their lives really took a toll on their critical thinking skills.


    "I¡¯ll do a little demonstration for the augmenters¡¯ answer first." Rolling Sylvie to the side, I took out two pieces of paper from underneath her. I crumpled one of the papers into a small ball and showed it to the ss.


    "Watch." I put the ball on my right palm and inhaled deeply, building the suspense.


    "Fwoo." Utilizing all of the air in my lungs, I managed to blow the crumpled ball of paper about a meter away from me.


    The students stared at me with nk faces from the anticlimactic oue.


    Holding my fingers up to silence any students about to argue what the point of that was, I rolled the other paper I had into a makeshift tube. Packing the ball tightly into the back end of the tube, I inhaled deeply one more time.


    Letting out another deep breath, the crumpled ball of paper shot out more than fifteen feet in front of me before bouncing on the ground.


    The faces of some of the students lit up in understanding while others voiced their surprise. I couldn¡¯t help but grin as the students all brightened up and took notes. Princess Kathyln furiously scribbled in her notebook while Feyrith stared nkly at the ball of paper on the ground.


    "Since many of you seemed to understand what I just did, can someone please enlighten the rest of the ss?" I asked as I picked up the pieces of paper I had littered.


    "It has to do with concentrating mana into a small point, thenpressing it and shooting it out, right Professor?" A timid girl with a huge spear next to her responded in a hushed tone.


    "Correct! Augmenters are raised to utilize the plethora of mana channels they have so we unconsciously use a lot of our mana channels for many of our spells, diluting it. It doesn¡¯t matter so much when you use it on your body but the spell is weakened greatly when attempting to cast a long-range spell." I demonstrated by widening the paper tube I rolled up. Blowing through one end, the ball I put inside loosely just dropped down in front of me.


    "It¡¯ll be hard to get used to at first but being able to better control your mana channels will help you greatly. Now, the Conjurers¡¯ turn." I picked up the crumpled piece of paper I shot out again.


    "Since conjurers naturally have much fewer mana channelspared to mana veins, they naturally shoot their spells in apressed form, whether it¡¯s out of their body directly, or by affecting an area to have the mana alter it into the form of their desired spell. What conjurers need to do is utilize the raw amount of mana they can absorb topensate for theirck of mana channels. Close your eyes and try to imagine this." The students looked at one another, confused, but they lowered their gaze nheless, waiting for my next instructions.


    "Imagine both conjurers¡¯ and augmenters¡¯ bodies to be pools of water. We¡¯ll say that leaves are particles of mana. For an augmenter¡¯s body, picture small bundles of leaves being dropped in various locations over the pool. While these bundles may be small, because there are so many, they begin to spread and join the other leaves that spread from other directions until the surface of the water is covered in leaves. That is the essence of body enhancement. Now, for conjurers, imagine just one gigantic ball of leaves drop into the pool of water. Because ites from a single location, it may take longer for it to spread, but in the end, the leaves will still be able to cover the surface of the pool. That is how body enhancement should work for conjurers." The ss remained silent as they opened their eyes and pondered over what I had just said.


    "The reason why all of you conjurers injured yourselves while trying to absorb the spell you conjured is because you didn¡¯t use the mana from your core. The only mana that you¡¯repletely immune to is the mana refined in your mana core. Even that, after your mana influences the environment into a spell, can hurt you. Therefore, conjurers will need to utilize both mana from the atmosphere and mana from their mana core for a spell and integrate it into their body, or drop the big pile of leaves to make it spread over the pool of water." As I finished exining, I motioned for the ss toe down onto the stage and start practicing. For the rest of the ss, I went around helping them while giving them little tips on how to better visualize what they needed to do.


    After the giant bell rang, Sylvie stirred awake and hopped on top of my head as I dismissed ss. I was surprised when I overheard some students grumbling to their peers that the ss was too short.


    I took the long route to my next ss to take up more time while I did a broad surveince. I messed around with sending very faint pulses of wind to try and use it as a sort of three-dimensional radar but it proved to not be as useful as I thought it would be. Earth Pulse was also of little use since I could only detect the very basics, like how many people were in the area, not if they were actually inbat or not. Even worse, the buildings and trees diluted the uracy.


    I arrived at Gideon¡¯s sste but he just motioned for me to hurry on to my seat before he resumed talking.


    "Hey. Why are you sote?" Emily whispered to me.


    "Disciplinarymittee duties. I have to go around school until ten minutes after ss starts," I responded, lowering my voice so Gideon wouldn¡¯t hear.


    "All right! Let¡¯s get in pairs and work on our project. The materials are in the back but don¡¯t all of you go at once." He took a seat and began reading over something while the ss got up to collect the materials needed for the Light-Producing Artifact. I was about to walk over as well when Emily stopped me.


    "I already have all of the materials we need for an LPA. Let¡¯s just get started." She rummaged through her oversized bag, finding the various necessaryponents. Afterying out all the things we needed, she looked at me and motioned for us to start.


    Building the LPA wasn¡¯t easy but Emily seemed fairly impressed by how fast I had caught on. Even if she was only a twelve-year-old, her being a genius and all made me a bit happy.


    The rest of ss was spent tinkering around with some of the various parts of artifacts that Emily had brought with her until Gideon dismissed us. As I was about to leave, he grabbed me by the back of my shirt and pulled me toward him.


    "Brat. Let¡¯s catch up sometime. We have a lot to talk about." He gave me a devious grin but otherwise just patted me on the back.


    "Mhmm. We should grab some tea, Professor." I waved back before leaving the room with Emily.


    ¡¯Papa, Avier told me to head over to the training room again.¡¯ Sylvie thumped my nose with her paw to grab my attention.


    Is Avier Director Goodsky¡¯s green owl? How can you talk with it? I asked my bond but she didn¡¯t really know why either.


    "Hey Emily, I have to head over to the library so I¡¯ll be skipping lunch. Go ahead without me!" I waved at my friend.


    "Do you want me to go with you?" She looked at me but I just shook my head.


    "It¡¯s fine. Go find Elijah for me! He¡¯ll be lonely if I¡¯m not there." I shot her a smile before running off in the direction of the library/training rooms.


    "Good afternoon, Mr. Leywin," Chloe greeted me with a professional smile and a bow before motioning me to the back door.


    "Nice to see you again, Chloe," I smiled back, following behind her with Sylvie wagging her tail on top of my head.


    After passing by the scary man, I made my way downstairs without the help of Chloe this time. Hopefully Elijah won¡¯t be too bored hanging out with Emily, right Sylv?


    "Kyu~" ¡¯He¡¯ll be okay!¡¯ my bond reassured me.


    Reaching my room, I ced my right palm against the cold, giant doors, and a bright light once again greeted me.


    "Boo!" Tessia jumped from the side of the door with her hands out wide.


    "Hey, Tess," I responded casually.


    "Aww... you weren¡¯t scared. No fun," she grumbled while catching Sylvie who had jumped off my head.


    "You¡¯ll have to try a lot better than that. Come on, let¡¯s get started with your assimtion." I pushed her toward the center of the training room. It was amazing how dense the air was with mana in this roompared to outside. Even the very fact that there was grass and a waterfall put me in awe every time I came in.


    "How¡¯s your body been feelingtely? Are you still getting symptoms of rejection from your Beast Will?" I asked while Tess took a seat near the pond.


    "I haven¡¯t gotten any since thest time we were here," she responded but turned quiet afterwards.


    Tess looked over her shoulder and stared at me, batting her long grey eyshes. "Hey, Art?"


    "Hmm?"


    "I¡¯m sorry."


    "For what?"


    "Well..pared to you, I¡¯m so emotional and so I feel like you get overwhelmed and just end up following my selfishness." Tess¡¯ gaze shifted down as she said this.


    "Ah, so you do know," I smirked in response, earning me a smack on the arm.


    "We¡¯ve known each other for how long, Tess? At this point, you can trust that you¡¯ve seen all sides of me, even the ones I don¡¯t want to show. Even knowing that, the fact that you ept me and have patience with me, I¡¯m grateful. Don¡¯t ever think that what I¡¯m doing is out of obligation." Ruffling the downhearted princess¡¯s hair, we began the assimtion.


    Tess¡¯ mana core hade a long way. At her age, being a solid orange stage conjurer was on the level of a genius. While she wouldn¡¯t able to refine her mana core until the assimtion was over, it shouldn¡¯t affect her too much. While mine took years, I estimated that with my help, it should only take a couple more weeks for her topletely assimte with the elderwood guardian¡¯s beast will.


    "Let¡¯s end it here today." I patted Tess¡¯ back to signal that we were done.


    "Thanks." Tess shot me a shy smile as we both sit in the grass, the only sounding from the waterfall and Sylvie¡¯s soft breathing.


    "I-I know you said to give you time but...do you think I can maybe hold your hand right now? Just for a bit? If not, it¡¯s okay¡ªI won¡¯t be mad." Tess averted her gaze to avoid mine. While her bangs covered her face, she couldn¡¯t hide her red ears poking out.


    I gently grabbed Tess¡¯ right hand with my left and squeezed gently. While our fingers weren¡¯t interlocked, the warmth from her hands spread onto mine.


    "Is this okay?" I tried to take a peek at Tess¡¯ face but she quickly turned her head away. I couldn¡¯t help but smile helplessly when she nodded her head in response.


    For a couple of seconds, time seemed to go slower as we just sat there, hands locked. It intrigued me that such a seemingly impractical action could fill me with a sense of calm.

 Chapter 64: Field Trip

    For the past several weeks, nothing noteworthy happened, yet I was kept busy enough to not have time to visit my family. Disciplinarymittee duties took up all of my remaining time not designated to school and training.


    The ss I taught had a harder time than I expected when it came to "divergent training," which was what I decided to call it. The whole aspect of focusing mana into a single point proved to be difficult for all of the augmenters in the ss while reabsorbing a conjured spell was an even more arduous task for the conjurers.


    So far, out of the augmenters, only a student named Benson managed to do anything remotely close to what I had in mind. As for the conjurers, only Kathyln seeded in reabsorbing her spell and enhancing her body. Even then, she only seeded in augmenting her hand. Feyrith was a close second as he was the only other student on the brink of sess.


    My Deviant Magic Theory ss had been moving along quite slowly as our professor explicitly exined that she would cover new material after we finished our mid-semester tests. Since a semester was sixteen weeks long and we¡¯d only gone through four weeks of school, it¡¯d take another four weeks until she¡¯d start going over what I wanted to know.


    "Are you excited for the ss dungeon excursion this weekend?" Tess leaned in closer as she asked.


    The two of us, along with Sylvie, were inside the training room during lunch. I had just finished helping her with assimtion. By my estimation, Tess needed about one or two more weeks to fully assimte, which worried me because, until then, her magic use would be very limited.


    "Hmm? Eh, we¡¯re only exploring the first three floors, right? I doubt we¡¯ll find anything worth getting excited over." I just shrugged.


    This Saturday, we were to have a one-night trip to the outskirts of the Beast des with our Team-Fighting Mechanics ss. Professor Glory received permission from Director Goodsky on the condition that we were not allowed to go past the third floor of the dungeon we nned on exploring.


    The dungeon was a minor one and a popr site for new adventurers since the mana beasts in the upper levels were only E ss, so Professor Glory thought it would be a great way to have the ss get in some real life team-fighting mechanics practice.


    "Pshhh... You¡¯re no fun. I bet you¡¯re actually really nervous that we¡¯ll be in the Beast des. I heard about it a lot from Grandpa. He says that it¡¯s filled with a lot of mysteries and wonders but also dangers. Grandpa said to never truly trust any source of information about the Beast des because it always changes." Tess got lost in her thoughts, fantasizing about how exciting our short trip was going to be.


    "We¡¯re going to be fighting against real mana beasts! Can you believe it? I mean, I¡¯ve fought against a couple in Elshire Forest while I was training with Grandpa but I heard mana beasts are different in the Beast des. You know, more vicious. We¡¯re going to be sleeping in the dungeon too! That¡¯s so exciting!" Her eyes began to sparkle as she imagined camping underground, surrounded by mana beasts.


    Giving her a soft flick to her forehead, I woke up Tess from her dreand. "Just remember, you¡¯re probably not even at half your strength right now and the assimtion isn¡¯t going to bepleted in time for the ss expedition. Don¡¯t get full of yourself."


    "Oww... I know, I know! Sheesh, you don¡¯t have to baby me so much." She pouted while rubbing her forehead.


    "Do you remember when we slept together in the same tent?" My face turned into an evil grin as Tess¡¯ face turned red immediately.


    "Kyu?" Sylvie tilted her head in curiosity since she hadn¡¯t been born when this happened.


    "What did you say again? Ahh!" Putting on a frightened face, I look at my blushing childhood friend.


    "¡¯A-Arthur? W-Well! You see... beasts will more likely appear if they notice you because they will see that you are a child. Therefore, I propose that for our s-safety, that it would be better for you to ce inside the tent,¡¯" I said in a high-pitched voice, mocking Tess.


    "Uuu! You asked for it!" She jumped on top of me and started poking me hard as I continuedughing.


    "Owowowow! Hahaha~ okay! I¡¯m sorry, I give, I give! Tess... hahaha... I¡¯ll stop!" Tears formed in my eyes as I continuedughing and crying in pain.


    "Kyuu!" ¡¯Me too, I want to y too!¡¯ Sylvie hopped around us.


    Eventually, she came to a stop as Iid panting on the ground, catching my breath, with Tess sitting on top of me. Looking at my childhood friend, I noticed that her face was still red. Realizing almost immediately what sort of position we were in, I couldn¡¯t help but get hot as well, as Tess lowered her head closer to mine.


    "Hoho~ I see you two are getting along well. Virion will surely be happy." The voice caught the both of us by surprise and Tess immediately got off me while we distanced ourselves from each other in embarrassment.


    Director Goodsky walked up to us with an amused look on her face. How she got in without either of us noticing was beyond me but I couldn¡¯t hide the awkwardness in my face as she looked at me.


    Saving us some face, Director Goodsky changed the topic. "Fufu~ how is the assimtion going?"


    "It-It¡¯s going well! Art helped me a lot these past couple of weeks and I feel a lot better! I haven¡¯t been feeling any pain from the rejectiontely and as long as I don¡¯t use magic too much, I think I¡¯ll be okay!" The flustered Tess scrambled her words as she iled her arms to hide her embarrassment.


    "She should be fully assimted with her beast will in about a week or two," I rified after calming myself.


    "Hmmm..." Director Goodsky nodded at me before kneeling down in front of the still red Tess. Gently cing her hand above Tess¡¯ stomach, Director Goodsky closed her eyes to sense Tess¡¯ mana core.


    After a brief moment, she retracted her hand and nodded, satisfied. "Good, good. I¡¯m d that there were no troubles along the way. I knew I could trust you, Arthur," she said to me before getting back up.


    "Where have you been these past couple of weeks though, Director? You were always in contact from what I heard, but I noticed you haven¡¯t been inside the academy for a while now. Did you just get back?" I said, tilting my head. My eyes couldn¡¯t help focusing on the small cut she had on her other hand.


    "Ah, yes. I¡¯ve been away for some personal reasons. I am back now though, soe to my office if you need anything." Director Goodsky quickly covered her hand and gave me a soft, grandmotherly smile. "I better get going now, though. I have a lot of work to catch up on. Be sure not to overexert yourself, little one. Be especially careful while you are inside the dungeons. One should never underestimate even the lowest level mana beasts." Director Goodsky gently patted Tess¡¯ hair before disappearing with a wisp.


    "S-So what are your ns after this?" Tessia said, trying to break the awkward silence that the Director had left us.


    "After sses, there¡¯s an emergency meeting for the disciplinarymittee since Curtis, ire and I are going to be away from campus over the weekend. We¡¯ll have to work on some of the details in case an emergency arises while we aren¡¯t here. After that, I¡¯ll probably go back home for the first time in a while and sleep there. I¡¯ll get back to campus by tomorrow morning in time to head out for the excursion. What about you?" I said while leaning back.


    "Well, Professor Glory said there won¡¯t be any ss today since she wanted us to rest before the excursion tomorrow so I¡¯m free until the student council meeting. We have to go over a couple of things on the agenda since both Clive and I won¡¯t be there either." Tess responded a lot more calmly now. I had to admit she looked pretty cute, sitting on the ground and ying with Sylvie¡¯s paws.


    After spending a bit more time talking to Tess, I eventually had to leave to go to my remaining sses. Even though we didn¡¯t have our Team-Fighting Mechanics ss, my other two sses seemed to drag on forever as we already started reviewing for our mid-semester exams.


    "That will be it for today, ss. Remember to keep up with your studies instead of procrastinating and cramming for everything the night before. I know you all love doing that," Professor Mayner said sarcastically as he handed out some review sheets on basic spell formations. After myst ss was over, I trudged on towards the disciplinarymittee room with Sylvie weighing down particrly heavily on my head tonight.


    "I trust that you guys will be able to handle keeping the academy in check while the three of us are out. We¡¯ve been through a couple of the emergency procedures these past two weeks so I¡¯m confident that everything will be fine. As you all know, Kai is inmand while I am out. Remember that Director Goodsky is back and on campus so if things go for the worse, don¡¯t hesitate to have her help, although, unless it¡¯s serious, I doubt there will be a need to. Dismissed!" ire pped her hands as the rest of us got up.


    "Twer...I mean, Arthur. I want another practice match with you." Theo ced a hand on my shoulder as I headed down the stairs.


    "No! It¡¯s my turn. You lost to himst time so I get to try now!" Doradrea squeezed between us and looked up at me with her masculine face.


    "That didn¡¯t count! It was a lucky break that he just had, that¡¯s all." Theo refuted, his face red from both anger and embarrassment.


    "No can do, Theo, Doradrea. I¡¯m going home to my family tonight. My driver is already waiting for me outside of the academy," I shrugged, hopping down the stairs without giving them the time to convince me to stay.


    "You have the protection ring that Father gave you, right? Use it immediately if you feel like you¡¯re in trouble. Promise me that, okay?" I heard Curtis worriedly nag his younger sister. We¡¯d be leaving early tomorrow morning so tonight was probably thest time he¡¯d be able to see her until we got back Sunday night.


    Kathyln just responded with a silent nod, her face expressionless as always. She caught me looking at the both of them and quickly turned her head away. Curtis left his sister and walked towards me.


    "I¡¯ll see you tomorrow morning then, Arthur. I heard Professor Glory was thinking of assigning teams. Let¡¯s join the same team if we can," he said, giving me a fist bump to the arm.


    "Yeah, sounds good." I offered a friendly nod. Before walking out I gave everyone a wave goodbye.


    It was already pretty dark outside with the only source of lighting from the soft glow of the floating orbs. The campus grounds gave off a very mystical feeling at night, totally different from how the world was in my previous life.


    Upon reaching the main gate to the academy, a familiar driver was waiting for me. "Good evening, Mr. Arthur. I take it that you have prepared everything?" he said while taking off his hat and giving me a slight bow.


    "Yeah. The meeting ran a littlete so let¡¯s leave right away." I got into the carriage after my driver opened the door for me.


    I dozed off during the ride back home so it felt like the familiar Helstea Mansion came into view a lot faster than I¡¯d expected.


    "We have arrived, Mr. Leywin. Have a great night." Opening the door, the polite driver tipped his hat once again as I stepped off the carriage. Walking up the stairs brought up nostalgic thoughts of when I¡¯de back from the kingdom of Elenoir and when I came back from the Dire Tombs. This was probably the first time I wasing back home in a while without giving my parents a reason to worry for my life.


    Before even having the chance to knock, the giant front door swung open and an Ellie missile shot out at a speed that surprised me.


    "BROTTTHERRR! Wee hommeeeee!" Ellie wrapped her arms around my waist as I mustered up the strength to keep the both of us from toppling down the stairs.


    "Kyu!" Sylvie hopped off my head and onto Ellie¡¯s, licking her face.


    "Haha~ that tickles, Sylvie!" My sister unwrapped herself from me as she held Sylvie and tickled her back.


    "I was wondering what the noise was; you¡¯re back a littlete, Son!" My father leaned against the front door and gave me a grin.


    "The meeting ran a littlete. It¡¯s been awhile, Dad." I gave my father a hug as my sister followed behind me, still cuddling with my bond.


    "Ah! You¡¯re back, Art. You must be so tired." My mother, who was upstairs, ran down and wrapped her arms around me.


    "Hey, Mom. Yeah, I¡¯m back." I smiled, epting the family love I cherished so much.


    "How¡¯s your body? Are you all better now?" My mother examined my body, lifting up my shirt and turning me around to make sure I didn¡¯t have a wound left on me.


    "Haha, I¡¯m fine now. You¡¯re worrying too much." I gave her aforting smile but I couldn¡¯t help but remember the short conversation I had had with my father about why my mother wasn¡¯t able to heal me back then. However, I quickly shook the thoughts from my head. I was sure there was a reason and the only thing I could do was wait for her to tell me.


    "Brother, how long are you staying?" Ellie was practically hopping around me as we all headed towards the living room.


    "I¡¯m leaving early tomorrow morning." I let out a sigh.


    "Wha~at? Why?" My sister¡¯s face visibly saddened, her shoulders slumping at my response.


    "Yeah, why are you leaving so soon?" my father chimed in, taking a seat on the sofa.


    "One of my sses has an excursion to the Beast des tomorrow for one night. We leave in the morning so I¡¯ll have to head out pretty early at dawn." I was already tired at the thought of waking up that early.


    "The Beast des?!" My mother¡¯s face turned pale with concern. I wasn¡¯t surprised since I¡¯d almost died thest time I was in the Beast des. Even my father had a worried look on his face.


    "Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re only going to be on the outskirts and our professor will be with us at all times. Besides, I still have the ring." I pulled out the ring that the Helstea family had given us from my pocket. The ring used mana cirction to indicate to the other ring-holder whether I was still alive or not. I kept it off while I was at school since I didn¡¯t really have a need for it but I brought it just in case.


    "But still... is it mandatory for you to go?" My mother furrowed her brows, the concern refusing to leave her face.


    "We¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s one of the lowest-ranked dungeons and we¡¯re not allowed to go below the third floor anyways." Iforted my mother.


    She still wasn¡¯t entirely happy with the whole situation but she just kept silent, giving me a hesitant nod. The four of us spent a few more hours just catching up while Sylvie fell asleep on Ellie¡¯sp. Ellie was apparently doing well in herdies¡¯ school while my father and mother both still looked very healthy and in love. It¡¯d only been a few weeks since I¡¯dst seen them so there weren¡¯t really any surprises. Upon my asking where the Helstea family was, Father said that Vincent and Tabitha were both out for a couple of days on a business trip to a different city.


    Eventually, my parents ushered my sister and I into our rooms since it was prettyte. I almost fell asleep while taking a shower and after drying myself; I couldn¡¯t help but let out a big sigh of relief as I sunk into bed.


    It was good to be back home.


    Before I could get toofortable, a series of knocks sounded from my door.


    I turned my head, too tired to get up, and I saw a small head peeking out from the other side of the door.


    "C-Can I sleep with you tonight, Brother?" Ellie walked in with her arms clinging onto a stuffed animal.


    "Sure," I smiled, lifting the nket next to me so she could get under.


    "Hehe, yay!" Ellie jumped into the bed, making herselffortable. The bed was more than big enough for the both of us but she scooted in close and faced me.


    "Goodnight." Patting my baby sister¡¯s head, the both of us fell asleep to each other¡¯s steady breaths.

 Chapter 65: Widow’s Crypt

    "BROTHER! WAKE UP!!" My sister¡¯s voice pounded through my head as she screamed at the top of her lungs directly next to my ear.


    "What? What¡¯s going on?" My eyes still half-closed, I whipped my head back and forth to see if there was an emergency.


    "Sheesh! You suck at waking up, Brother." Ellie probably woke up not too long ago, evident by her bedhead.


    "Haha, you hair looks crazy." I shot her a grin as I ruffled her hair.


    "Eek! Stop it! Your hair looks weird too!" Hopping out of bed, my sister ran out of my room, reminding me to wash up.


    "Aye aye!" I gave my sister an exaggerated salute, making her giggle, before going downstairs.


    Sylvie woke up on her own from my sister¡¯s shouting but her eyes kept blinking slowly as she unstably toddled behind me.


    After washing up, I made sure I had a few basic necessities on me. This included my seal bracelet, my dimension ring with Dawn¡¯s Bad stored inside, the other ring used to signal my mother if I was in trouble, and the feather Sylvia left me that I used to cover Sylvie¡¯s bond mark on my forearm.


    The feather wasn¡¯t necessary to cover the mark, but I liked to keep it on me just as a memento. Having a part of Sylvia with me alwaysforted me.


    Walking downstairs, my nose picked up on the soft scent of a meaty soup. When I reached the kitchen, I spotted my parents and little sister sitting around the table, drowsiness still evident on their faces from being up early at dawn.


    "Hope you don¡¯t mind. The chef is cooking breakfast for you. We¡¯re probably going to go back to sleep after we see you off." My mother gave me a tired smile.


    I pulled up a chair and took a seat next to Ellie. "Not at all. In fact, you really didn¡¯t have to wake up and see me off."


    "Be vignt, no matter how easy you think the dungeon may be. It¡¯s called a dungeon because you never know of the dangers inside," my father warned me, his bedhead aze.


    Looking at my mother, the strain on her face was hard not to notice as she struggled for the right words. "...Just, please be careful, Arthur. I know how strong you are but I can¡¯t stand it every time I see you hurt, it¡¯s just that..." Her voice faded at the end.


    "Hmm?" My mind shed back to what my father had said in the hospital room back at Xyrus Academy; the event that made her unable to heal anyone seriously injured.


    "It-It¡¯s nothing. Just be safe.... and keep your eyes on that girl, Tessia, as well. You have to protect her if things get tough, okay?" Giving me a gentle smile that didn¡¯t seem to reach her eyes, she reached forward and patted my head.


    The house chef brought in my food at this time, which consisted of dry bread and a creamy soup that I assumed was used to dip my bread in. After Sylvie had a nibble on the bread, she whined and just curled up again. By the time I¡¯d finished, the sun was starting to peek out from the mountains.


    "Are you going to being home right after your dungeon excursion?" my father asked after giving me a hug.


    "No, not right after. I¡¯ll be back for a whole week next week though, for break. There¡¯s some kind of special festival going on in the city, right?" My professors had all announced it a few weeks in advance that once every ten years, there was a phenomenon that urred. Supposedly, during that entire week, the mana density in this continent reached its peak, giving mages the resources to make breakthroughs and even allowing non-mages to experience what it¡¯s like to feel mana. For that week, sses were cancelled and students were allowed to either stay on campus or go back home to meditate and train as much as possible.


    "Ah, right! The Aurora Constete is happening next week. So you¡¯re going to stay here for the festival too?" My mother¡¯s mood brightened.


    "Wow! A whole week?" My drowsy sister perked up at this and pulled on my sleeves.


    "Yup, that¡¯s the n. Let¡¯s all go to the festival together." Looking at my family, I gave them a smile and hugged my sister and mother before walking down the stairs.


    "Be careful!" my mother shouted onest time while waving. Waving back at them, I stepped inside the carriage. Once inside, I followed Sylvie¡¯s lead, catching up on my sleep until we arrived.


    __________________________________________________


    "Arthur!" Stepping out of the carriage, I spotted Curtis waving at me, his smile wide and genuine.


    "How was your trip back home? Did you get to catch up with your family?" ire patted me on the back when I reached the group of students waiting at the front gate.


    "Good, you made it!" Professor Glory gave me a smile too as she began her headcount. Looking around, besides Curtis and ire, I saw Clyde, Lucas, and a few other students that I never really paid attention to. I did one more quick check but didn¡¯t see Tess, and by the frantic look on his face, neither did Clyde.


    "Sorry I¡¯mte!" Once Tess ran through the front gate, she caught her breath, her face flushed and hair messy.


    "You¡¯re thest one, Princess Tessia. We can start heading out now." Professor Glory took note of everyone¡¯s presence once more and nodded in satisfaction before turning around and leading the ss of fifteen students to the teleportation gate.


    I nced back to see Tess walking alongside Clyde when she caught my gaze. Giving me a shy smile of affirmation, I replied with a small wave but otherwise continued making small talk with Curtis and ire until we arrived at the gate.


    The guard stationed at the gate adjusted the settings as he asked our professor a few questions. After several minutes, Professor Glory signaled for us to enter through the gate one by one, stepping in herself after all of us. Again, my stomach turned from the feeling of traveling through, but luckily, the trip neversted more than a few seconds.


    "Wee! I assume for most of you, this is the first time you guys have stepped foot in the Beast des, correct?" Professor Glory chimed while cing her hands on her hips.


    "Hmph. I¡¯ve been here countless times. I was an A-ss adventurer after all." Lucas stepped forth with his chest out. With this, a couple impressed murmurs from the students made Lucas even more arrogant until Professor Glory replied.


    "Ah, yes. I¡¯ve heard from Director Goodsky that you were indeed an adventurer. I¡¯ve also been notified that you had your license revoked due to ssified reasons." Raising an eyebrow, Professor Glory continued on.


    "Tch. It¡¯s all because of that damned masked bastard." The professor didn¡¯t hear Lucas mutter under his breath as he leaned against his staff.


    "Right now, we¡¯re near the edge of the Grand Mountains. If we walk a few hours this way, we¡¯ll arrive at a famous pub of gathering called Dragonspine Inn. Back when I was an adventurer, that was the ce to chat and get information on various mana beasts and dungeons. We¡¯ll be going to a rather low-level dungeon so don¡¯t worry too much. I will also be with you at all times but I¡¯ll refrain from helping unless it is absolutely necessary so don¡¯t look to me for answers." Professor Glory waved her right hand and from her dimension ring appeared a small pile of ck cloth.


    "These are shawls that you guys will need to wear inside the dungeon. The dungeon we¡¯re exploring is called Widow¡¯s Crypt. It¡¯s a fairly straightforward dungeon without any traps or mazes so don¡¯t worry about getting lost. It is, however, very cold in there, which is why you need these shawls. The mana beasts you¡¯ll mostly be facing are nasty little creatures called snarlers. There are two types of snarlers in this dungeon that you¡¯ll need to be wary of: the minion snarlers and the queen snarler. The minion snarlers are the ones you guys will be facing. Their queen burrows to the bottom floor of the dungeon so you won¡¯t see it, but just know the difference. You¡¯ll see what the minions look like once we go inside, but for now, we¡¯re going to split you up into three teams of five." As Professor Glory finished informing us, she pulled out a small piece of paper from the inside of the shawl she was wearing.


    "I¡¯ve already decided on how teams will be split so take a step forward as I call you. Curtis, ire, Dorothy, Owen, and Marge; you guys will make up the first team." Our professor motioned for them to pick up their shawls and step to the side. She then called the next five students, which left me with a bitter feeling.


    "That leaves us with Arthur, Lucas, Clive, Tessia and Rnd." she said as she pointed at the pile of shawls left.


    I had to be in the same team as Lucas again? Was she doing this on purpose? No, there were only fifteen students in the ss and she had no idea that I was an adventurer before. But she was also the one that stopped my little scuffle with Lucas.


    Debating whether or not to ask to change with someone, I ultimately decided to stay after remembering what my mother said this morning. Even if she hadn¡¯t said it, I didn¡¯t trust Lucas being in the same team as Tess. I should be there just in case.


    "Any questions? No? Okay, then it¡¯s settled. It shouldn¡¯t take us more than two hours to reach the dungeon entrance so let¡¯s hurry." With that, we took off, taking long strides amidst the thick trees covering most of the sunlight.


    We all traveled in silence, most of the students scared that they might attract unwanted attention from the mana beats that might be nearby. Soon, the trees cleared up as we began descending down a slope.


    "We¡¯re almost here. There¡¯ll be a ce to stay on standby next to the dungeon so don¡¯t go inside." With that, our professor stepped to the back, doing a headcount again while each of us carefully slid down the steep slope leading to the dungeon entrance.


    "Before we go in, are you sure you want to bring your bond inside the dungeon, Arthur?" Professor Glory shot me a concerned look.


    What do you say? Do you want to go hunting since we¡¯re at the Beast des anyway? I mentally transmitted to Sylvie.


    ¡¯Sure!¡¯ With that, my bond hopped off of my head and disappeared into the woods for the wrong reason that everybody else was thinking right now.


    "Good choice, it¡¯ll probably be safer if she stays out here andys low." Professor Glory gave me a nod before climbing up onto a rock so she could see everyone.


    "Now. Split off into your groups and get to know each other. You guys have probably seen what everyone in your group is like from ss but share your strengths and weaknesses. Communication and trust is vital in team-fighting. You¡¯ll also have to decide on a leader before we go inside." As our professor took a seat on the rock, our group came together and sat in a circle. While everyone looked at each other, not wanting to speak, the only one in our group that I didn¡¯t really know, Rnd, spoke up.


    "Ahem! My name is Rnd Alderman and I am a water attribute augmenter! My hobbies are rxing, shopping, going on dates with pretty girls and..."


    "No one asked for your hobbies," Clive interrupted while massaging the bridge of his nose in irritation.


    "Well someone¡¯s a little grumpy. Anywho... My strength is in mid-range fighting, using a water whip skill that was passed down from my family. My weakness is close-rangebat. Next!" he finished, tossing the imaginary baton to me, who was sitting to his left.


    "Arthur Leywin. I¡¯m a wind and earth attribute augmenter. I¡¯m adept at all ranges but prefer mid-to-close," I stated simply, looking directly at Lucas who was across from me.


    "Clive Graves. Wind attribute augmenter specializing in long-distance fighting with a bow. I don¡¯t really have a weakness," he said tersely.


    "Lucas Wykes. I am a conjurer with a single specialization in fire. As for strengths and weaknesses, let¡¯s not bother going over that." Rolling his eyes, he just leaned back as he sat cross-legged.


    Sensing the hostility in the air, I noticed Tess looking a little ufortable. "Tessia Eralith. I am a conjurer with a dual specialization in wood and wind. My strong suits are middle-to-close-range fighting..." Letting her voice trail off, our group became silent, as we all knew what the next topic would be.


    "I elect myself to be the leader." Lucas was the first one to speak.


    "Oh? By what standards do you see yourself as the leader of this group?" I tilted my head, giving him an innocent look.


    "By strength of course. Let¡¯s be real... I can beat any of you guys in a fight. Isn¡¯t it natural for the strongest one to be the leader?" Lucas shot back, looking back at me incredulously.


    "I vote for Tessia! She¡¯s the only girl and is pretty, so I like that. We can even name our team the Queen and Knights!" Rnd had this sparkle in his eyes as his mind wandered off into his own little fantasynd.


    "I also think that Princess Tessia should be the leader, ahem... not for the same reason of course, not saying that she isn¡¯t pretty but I mean... Since she is the Student Council President." Clive ended up looking down as he mumbled, his flushed cheeks looking unnatural on his serious face.


    "Wait I don¡¯t want to be the leader! How about Art...thur? Arthur Leywin," she voiced, shaking her hands in defense.


    "I also think that Tessia should be the leader." I raised my hand up as everyone ignored herment. I didn¡¯t mind just as long as Lucas wasn¡¯t the one leading.


    "Tch. Idiots." Lucas just rolled his eyes once more before we all got up.


    "All right, since it seems like everyone is done, let¡¯s head in. Brace yourselves once we get inside, it¡¯s going to be chilly!" Professor Glory announced before stepping inside the entrance, which appeared to be a narrow stairway leading into darkness.


    In a single file line, we all started making our way down the stairs and I could swear that the temperature dropped noticeably with every step we took.


    "W-W-W-What the hell? W-W-W-Why is it s-s-s-so c-cold?" Rnd managed to say in between his chattering teeth.


    "Augment yourself, you dolt." I heard Clive¡¯s voiced from behind. It was really dark so I couldn¡¯t really see anything more than the vague outline of each person.


    As we walked down the stairs, I felt something grip my wrist but before I pulled away, I realized what it was. Looking back, just a step behind me, I could see the vague outline of Tess¡¯ head. Even without seeing, I could tell she was already blushing by how warm her hand was. Passing off her gesture as a result of feeling scared, we walked silently down the seemingly endless flight of stairs.


    Even without augmenting myself, the frigid temperatures in the dungeon was bearable due to my assimted body, but as the dungeon got brighter, that soon changed. A gust of piercing cold air blew through the opening at the end of the tunnel, forcing me to shield myself with the shawl. As my eyes adjusted to the change in lighting, I couldn¡¯t help but be excited, seeing the first floor of the Widow¡¯s Crypt.


    The cavern stretched out for hundreds of yards, making me wonder how it even supported itself. The stone that made up therge cavern sparkled with a dim blue light as a thinyer of ice covered the floor and even formed icicles on the ceiling. Looking closely, I could see the nearly transparentyer of moss that covered the cavern walls and ceiling, enveloping this floor in a serene light.


    "That¡¯s odd, usually, we¡¯d see a fair amount of snarlers already. Why don¡¯t I¡ª"


    All of a sudden, hideous noises began echoing all around us. Peeking out from behind the numerous boulders and from small caverns spotted around the walls of the cave were an uncountable amount of beady red eyes.


    "Th-That¡¯s a lot of snarlers..." I could hear Rnd gulp as his eyes widened. It wasn¡¯t just him that was shocked at the sight but everyone in the ss. Even Curtis and ire looked. I looked at Professor Glory and from her expression, I didn¡¯t think she anticipated seeing this many snarlers either.

 Chapter 66: Widow’s Crypt II

    Even amongst mana beasts, snarlers were hideous creatures. With a thick grey fur coat, their 140cm bodies looked like muscr mini goris. Their faces, though, were a mix of a boar¡¯s snout and tusks with beady red eyes and long ears. With their thick and powerful protruding jaw, you wouldn¡¯t think they were only E stage mana beasts upon first nce.


    "GRRRRRRRR"


    "SSNNNNRRRKKK"


    "GRAAHHK! GRAAHHK!"


    As dozens and dozens revealed themselves from hiding, the snarlers started snapping their jaws while letting out low growls.


    "P-Professor... are there supposed to be this many s-s-s-snarlers?" one of upperssman females in the other group stammered out.


    "This is so odd. Even in the lower floors, there are never this many snarlers bunched together." Professor Glory braced herself and stayed firm. Because of the low morale in our ss, if even our professor took a step back in hesitation, everyone would panic.


    "There are a lot of them but they aren¡¯t impossible to handle. However, since this is just a ss excursion, I think it¡¯s best to go back up, just in case. Safety is priority right now." Just as Professor Glory started slowly ushering everyone back towards the stairs, a fireball flew past her and exploded in a crowd of snarlers.


    As the fireball exploded, six snarlers all shot out in different directions andy motionless.


    "See? These nasty little beasts are weak. Professor, don¡¯t tell me you brought us all here just to go back? Even a small fire spell was enough to kill six of them," Lucas scoffed as he lowered his staff.


    I could tell Professor Glory was still hesitant because of the unusual amount of snarlers suddenly appearing on the first floor.


    "I-I think we should try and train here, Professor." Curtis had a determined look on his face as several other students, because of Lucas¡¯ disy, gained confidence as well.


    The snarlers that have alle out seemed a bit frightened now, as they warily keep their distance, studying us with their unintelligent eyes.


    "Okay, but if I feel that something isn¡¯t right, we¡¯re immediately out of here, understood?" With a stern voice, she waited for the ss to agree to her condition.


    When she received a round of nods, she said, "Good. Split into your teams and take different parts of the floor. We don¡¯t want any friendly fire happening in here. And Lucas, if you do something like that again, there will be consequences." Professor Glory shot a menacing look towards the cocky blond, making him reluctantlyply.


    "Prince Curtis, take your team and make your way towards the left side of the cave. Princess Tessia, take your team to the right of the cave and hold your ground. Thest team, with me. I¡¯ll be keeping an eye on you guys at all times but stay vignt and don¡¯t underestimate the snarlers, especially in these numbers." With that, Professor Glory motioned for the two teams to rush forward.


    "Arthur, I want you to be the vanguard since you¡¯re the best at close range. Clive and Rnd, you guys take positions to his left and right behind him and make sure he¡¯s covered. Lucas, stay in the center between Arthur, Clive and Rnd; I¡¯ll cover your back. We¡¯re going in the diamond position we learned in ss!" As soon as we headed towards the miniature army of snarlers, Tess¡¯ shy self all but disappeared as her student president side took over.


    "GRRRAHHKK!!"


    "KHHRRAAA! KRRAAH!"


    "Oh fuck, fuck, fuck." Rnd, obviously intimidated by the fifty-odd snarlers all snapping their jaws at us, took out his weapon, which just looked like a handle of a sword.


    Clive also took out his metal short bow from his dimension ring and drew it back. Where the arrow should have been was a long metal needle wrapped in gusts of wind.


    I take out Dawn¡¯s Bad as well, which was still wrapped in white cloth. I left it sheathed and lowered myself, getting ready for a quick draw in case any of them suddenly jumped.


    "Spread and destroy! Ember wisp!" As we approached the horde of snarlers, Lucas released one of his favorite spells that soon started floating around us.


    "CRRAAHK!!" Reaching just 5 meters from the horde, I tucked my sword in tightly to my waist and prepared to draw as more than ten of them jumped towards us.


    Dashing even faster, I leaned forward even lower and augmented the sword still inside its sheath. Augmenting a wind to umte inside, I had to use all of my strength to keep my de froming out of its sheath until thest minute. With the same theory as a loaded spring, I waited until I was just in front of the airborne snarlers before I released the pressurized de.


    As the speed of my de broke the sound barrier with a loud boom!, I winced in pain as I felt my shoulder dislocating. That skill worked a lot better than I thought it would...I really shouldn¡¯t experiment with skills in actual battles.


    The front line of the snarlers both in the air and on the ground was either knocked back or cut in half but I couldn¡¯t follow up with anything as my right arm dangled, dropping my sword.


    "GRHHAAK!" Several more snarlers took the ce of the fallen and galloped towards me, using all four limbs now.


    Several arrows whizzed by me and promptly impaled some of the snarlers that almost reached me.


    I look back and gave Clive a nod before picking up my sword with my left hand. As I looked to my left, Rnd was wielding a whip made of water as he gripped the handle he brought out in the beginning. The water whip whirled erratically as some attacks missed the target by arge margin, making me think that Rnd was still learning his family¡¯s art.


    The cave glowed in red and blue as different fire spells went off from both our side and the other teams¡¯ sides. The snarlers were trying to surround us as they began spreading out and keeping their distance. The ember wisps that Lucas summoned were still shooting off small streams of fire but the snarlers were getting crafty, throwing chunks of ice from the ground at the wisps in hopes of extinguishing them.


    Tess spotted me clutching my arm as she¡¯s fought off two snarlers. "Arthur, are you okay?"


    "Um... I think I¡¯ll be fine." I gritted my teeth and positioned my right arm between my legs as I prepared to pop the shoulder back in.


    "Gah!" I couldn¡¯t help letting out a cry as I forcibly repositioned my arm in ce.


    The skill I hadn¡¯t even named yet worked a lot better than I thought, managing to kill over fifteen snarlers at once. Too bad my body wasn¡¯t able to withstand the force just now.


    The snarlers weren¡¯t very strong, but after about thirty minutes the seemingly endless numbers that never dwindled were taking its toll on us. Clive and Rnd were sweating profusely while Tess turned a bit pale. Even Lucas¡¯ spells were bing a lot less mboyant as he had to keep in mind the limit of his mana pool now.


    "Is it just me or are there more snarlers now than there were in the beginning?" Rnd shouted as he managed to kill three snarlers with the help of Clive.


    "I think you¡¯re right. The numbers aren¡¯t adding up." Clive responded as he looked at Tess for further instructions.


    Between the corpses on the floor and the ones still kicking, the numbers, just on our side, added up to roughly over one hundred. That was more than double from the beginning.


    "I think we should head back over to Professor Glory. We¡¯re not going to be able to keep fighting like this for much longer," Tess announced. As we made our way slowly back to where the entrance to the dungeon was, it seemed like the other team had the same idea.


    Professor Glory noticed all the teamsing towards her so she made her way to us, cleaving snarlers left and right with her sword.


    "Professor, I don¡¯t think we can keep going like this. The snarlers keeping!" Tess shouted over the waves of snarlers.


    "Teams! Follow your leaders! We¡¯re going back up!" Without hesitation, Professor Glory motioned for us to head back up the stairs when we hear a loud crash.


    The icicles and stctites, along with other rubble from the roof of the cave came crashing to the ground as two figures came floating down, pping theirrge wings to hold themselves steady.


    "Are you kidding me? What are the queen snarlers doing on this floor?" Professor Glory didn¡¯t bother holding in her rage as she took out another giant sword from her dimension ring.


    "ss, make sure to not let any of the minion snarlers get in my way. I¡¯ll handle the two queens. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on but I¡¯m getting you guys out of here if it¡¯s thest thing I do." With a click of her tongue, she pulled something from around her neck and threw it on the ground. As the ne shimmered and then turned grey, the mana fluctuating around Professor Glory changed.


    She was using a seal!


    "Prepare to back up Professor Glory! Don¡¯t let any of the snarlers get past us!" Tessmanded as she held her ded staff out in front of her.


    "Aye! Vanguards, protect the conjurers!" Curtis stepped up, brandishing his sword and shield.


    I took a step forward too, gripping my sword with both hands to support my throbbing shoulder. There were ten of us in the front as Lucas, Tess and three other girls started chanting spells. My eyes couldn¡¯t help but focus on Professor Glory as she wielded two giant swords, one in each hand. Fire and what looked like sand rapidly circled around her two swords as Professor Glory chanted inaudibly.


    The fire and sand began intertwining as the two queen snarlers, both a few timesrger and nastier, with wings, began cautiously surrounding Professor Glory. The queen snarlers¡¯ front two limbs had four long, sharp ws that glistened in a coating that I assumed was poison.


    "HAAAHP!" Professor Glory, her two giant swords aze with fire and sand, charged towards the smaller queen snarler, beginning the battle.


    I held back on using spells, choosing to simply hack and sh my way against the snarlers by augmenting my sword. Their thick coat offered them a little resistance against spells and attacks but it didn¡¯t take much to kill them. What became more of a problem was the corpses of the snarlers. Their dead bodies began piling more and more around us, getting in the way of our attacks. Looking around, I was relieved to see that the vanguards were still holding up. Both Curtis and ire had minor scratches and bruises, but they were in much better shapepared to the other students.


    I took a nce back and what I saw caught me by surprise. Professor Glory was pushing the queens, who were estimated to be on the upper spectrum of B-ss bosses, back, by herself. What surprised me more was the way she did it. She was obviously a dual elemental augmenter in earth and fire, but she was producing projectiles that looked like ice shards...


    No... looking carefully, it wasn¡¯t ice. It was ss!


    A small scratch on my arm brought my attention back to the fight in front of me but my mind couldn¡¯t ponder how Professor Glory was able to do that. I knew about superheating sand but in order to produce that amount of heat while still battling...


    "KRRAAAAAAAHHHH!" The ear-deafening cry made us turn our heads back. Professor Glory just managed tond the finishing blow on the smaller queen. Our Professor wasn¡¯t in the best of shape, her armor scratched and dented in various ces while blood trickled down her cheeks.


    "All right!"


    "NICE!!"


    "Go Professor!"


    The defeat of one of the queens dramatically boosted the morale of the ss as each of the students¡¯ renewed vigor allowed us to fight back harder against the snarlers that seemed to generate spontaneously.


    "GRRRRAAAAAAHH!!!"


    Upon seconds of hearing a loud crash, Professor Glory flew past the front line andnded hard against a wave of minion snarlers.


    Allowing myself a few seconds to look back, a wave of nausea hit me as my eyes glued onto the sight of the bigger queen snarler, gorging on the corpse of the fallen queen.

 Chapter 67: Widow’s Crypt III

    As therger queen began devouring the smaller one, I couldn¡¯t help but be perplexed by what was happening in this dungeon. There were more than ten floors here, with minion snarlers inhabiting all but the tenth floor, where the queen snarler dwelled. The reason this dungeon was considered a beginner dungeon was because the queen never left the tenth floor, allowing for easy training up until the veryst floor.


    Although the queen snarler was a B ss mana beast, arge party of E ss adventurers was still capable of defeating it.


    Which brought another question to mind: Was it normal to have more than one queen in the dungeon? From what I had read, queen species were very territorial, and aggressive to any potentialpetitors that threatened their den.


    Professor Glory didn¡¯t really think much of it but I couldn¡¯t help but be bothered by it. This brought me to myst inquiry. How were those two queens so much stronger than they normally should be?


    I could understand Professor Glory having a hard time against two B ss mana beasts that were considered dungeon bosses, but she shouldn¡¯t be losing. An A-ss adventurer was supposed to easily dispose of the kind of queen snarler I had read about.


    "Why is that one so much stronger?" Professor Glory got up as she groaned, cleaving a few minions out of her way.


    As I fended off waves of snarlers, my attention kept on drawing back to the queen snarler eating its former ally.


    "Professor, does this usually happen?" I asked.


    "Well, I¡¯ve heard that some species of mana beasts do indulge in cannibalism but I¡¯ve never really seen this particr case. Why now of all times, I have no idea." Shaking her head, she picked up her other sword and made her way towards her opponent.


    As the queen snarler finished consuming her fallenrade, a bizarre change urred. Its once grey fur turned jet ck and the small horn on its forehead that I failed to notice at first curved upwards, growing substantially. The once beady red eyes turned sharp and menacing¡ªalmost psychotic¡ªas it began foaming from its mouth as well.


    Professor Glory didn¡¯t say anything but I knew that there was a growing sense of doubt in her mind as the beast charged at her. Until now, getting back home safely was considered just a matter of time, but even I couldn¡¯t help but shiver involuntarily from the murderous intent that exuded from the queen.


    "Professor! We can¡¯t... keep this up!" Tess shouted hoarsely amidst the growls and hisses of the enemy.


    Her condition didn¡¯t look too good and brought to my attention a rather obvious problem we were now facing.


    "Everyone! No more fire spells! The entrance of the cave is blocked so our supply of oxygen is limited!" I roared out.


    From the burnt pile of corpses umting, the air was bing thick as some of the weaker students began coughing uncontrobly.


    The queen and Professor Glory were at a stalemate, with our professor drifting towards the losing side. As I focused on the main battle, I could see that the fighting style of the queen snarler hadpletely changed. There was no trace of hesitation or sense of self-preservation. Each attack itshed out at Professor Glory was with the intent to kill without caring for its own body. Usually that should¡¯ve been its downfall, but that unique queen snarler¡¯s ck fur was able to absorb most of the damage from our professor¡¯s attacks.


    "Arthur... I think... my mana core is beginning to... act up." Tess, who was a few meters behind me, fell to her knees as she began clutching her abdomen.


    Damn it.


    ¡¯Papa! What¡¯s wrong? Are you okay?¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s voice popped in my head.


    We ran into a problem, get here as fast as you can and head down the stairs, I responded before focusing back on what was happening here.


    Several factors began weighing down on my mind now and I began to feel a sense of nostalgia from my trip to the Dire Tombs. Did I have the power to clear the mountain of rubble blocking the front entrance to the stairs? And even if I did, should I just take Tess and escape by ourselves?


    No. Tess would never forgive me if she knew that I left everyone else in here to escape.


    Then after opening a way back up, should I stay behind and help Professor Glory kill the mutated queen snarler?


    Whatever decision I chose to make, the first thing I had to do was remove this rubble. It was important that I cleared a path back up in one try, since it was obvious the queen wasn¡¯t going to let us all escape.


    "Professor, keep the queen busy. I¡¯ll try to open a way out of here for us!" Professor Glory had to work even harder to keep up with the queen since she couldn¡¯t use any fire techniques. After giving me a nod of affirmation, I got to work. Tess wasn¡¯t in any state to help and everyone else was too busy fending off the army of minion snarlers. Lucas had to resort to using heat spells to try and deter the snarlers since oxygen levels were bing more and more scarce.


    I would have to do this by myself. I had to calcte this well. If I were to use arge enough fire spell in this state right now and fail, we were all going to suffocate in here. Water? Ice? There were too little water elemental mana particles in this cave to release anything strong enough to drill a hole through the mountain of rock. The once ice-filled cave was now dry and arid with a thickyer of smoke being produced from some of the burnt snarler corpses.


    That left me with wind and earth, or a mixture of both, but even with the level I was right now, I wasn¡¯t confident in being able to produce a powerful enough attack. I thought of maybe using phase two, but with Tess in the condition she was in right now, I had to stay conscious, at least until we got out of this dungeon.


    Was there really no other option? As my mind began spinning for possible solutions, I saw Professor Glory receive a prettyrge blow to her right arm.


    ¡¯I¡¯m almost there, Papa! Hold on!¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s voice gave me an idea.


    That¡¯s it!


    "Curtis! I need your help right now!" I roared across the battlefield.


    "Arthur, I don¡¯t think I can afford to¡ª"


    "Come, now!" I barked back before he could refute.


    Curtis was a bloody, grimy mess, but from the shallow wounds on his body, it was obvious that the blood on him wasn¡¯t his.


    "What is it?" He panted heavily. I could tell he was exhausted by the wear on his face and body. His shield was badly dented and his sword was slick with blood, dulled from repeated use.


    "Do you think your beast will ability, World Howl, is strong enough to clear the rubble?" I turned his head to snap him back to attention.


    "Arthur, I don¡¯t think I have the mana to even go into my first phase." He shook his head hopelessly.


    "Just answer the question. Is it strong enough?"


    "Y-Yeah, if I had enough mana, I could potentially produce a st bigger than the one in the mock team battle where you, um, got injured." He scratched his head, confused by where I was going with this.


    I thought about maybe directing the st at the queen snarler but even if it were strong enough to kill it, it would be impossible to urately catch only the queen and not Professor Glory. It was safer to just go with this n.


    "Okay. I want you to not question what I¡¯m about to do. Just focus on going into your first phase and producing a st strong enough to clear that mountain of rubble. Got it?" The amount of urgency and authority must have gotten through to Curtis because he just nodded and turned around.


    Taking off my seal and putting it in my dimension ring, I made sure to control the amount fluctuation in the mana as to not tip anyone off. Everyone was upied with the snarlers but if I didn¡¯t control the mana release like Professor Glory did after she released her seal, I would draw attention from the queen snarler.


    Feeling the untapped pool of mana that I now had ess to, I ced both my hands on Curtis¡¯ back.


    From the amount of mana I willed into Curtis, the prince involuntarily dropped to one knee before he was able to adjust his body to the sudden bombardment of mana.


    Mana transference had been studied for many years ording to professors and many of the books in the library, but it was a hopeless cause for them. They believed that if a mage had the fire attribute, receiving mana from another fire attribute mage should be possible, but after countless tests and failures, they deemed it imusible; the reason being that even if someone was specialized, the mana inside their bodies weren¡¯t purely of just that element. Hypothetically, if someone was able to condense and refine their core to the highest sense, then they could transfer mana with another person core of that same level and element. Other than that, it would be impossible. Except for me.


    The fact that I was able to manipte all four elements allowed me to adjust and mimic and input the types of mana and the ratio of each element of the person I was transferring to. It was sort of like what I did for my sister and Lilia when teaching them mana maniption in their bodies but on a much bigger scale. Of course I hadn¡¯t perfectly mastered this so it was inevitable that I¡¯d be wasting a lot of mana, but this was our best bet.


    As I began slowly controlling and limiting the amount of each elemental mana particles I transmitted to Curtis, I couldn¡¯t help but grit my teeth in self-deprecation at the turn of events.


    There were so many small signs that I chose to ignore, thinking that it would work out fine, and that I could handle it. Was I treating this life I had right now for granted? Being fortunate enough to have this amount of power at my age definitely made me lose my past sense of rationality to a degree.


    No longer a king, tied down by rules and politics as well as my own physical capabilities, I¡¯d be careless. In this world, the limits to my potential were boundless. Reaching white stage or even further wasn¡¯t a dream but a matter of time and effort.


    The thing that appalled me the most and what I hated to admit was that I was, in a sense, a bit like Lucas. I was nowhere near as much of a jerk as him and I had people I actually cared for besides myself, but I was bing arrogant; arrogant to the extent of carelessness.


    "I-I don¡¯t know what you just did, Arthur, but I feel great. I think I¡¯ll be able to go into my first phase!" the prince eximed, bringing me back to reality. I sensed the change his body was going through as he began to transition into his first phase.


    Mana fluctuated erratically around him as he released his beast will. I jerked my hands back in pain as Curtis released his first phase. Confused, I tried transferring mana to him again but the rejection from his body was even stronger than the first time.


    Did the mana from his beast will reject my mana?


    Before I had the chance to try again, Curtis began gathering mana for his World Howl technique.


    He crouched, lowering his center of gravity to withstand the recoil of the spell, the mana from both his body and the atmosphere gathered in front of his open jaw.


    During this time, I rushed to where Tess was curled behind the front line and scooped her up. Getting Tess out of here was first priority. I was partly to me for this mess. I should¡¯ve done a better job in preventing something like this from happening in the first ce.


    With a beastly roar, Curtis unleashed his powerful breath attack, but the mutated queen must¡¯ve sensed that something was wrong because it immediately changed its target from the wounded Professor Glory to Curtis.


    "Oh no you don¡¯t!" Bellowing at the top of her lungs, Professor Glory leaped up and grappled the mutated queen in flight, hoping to deter it from reaching Curtis.


    With a thundering explosion, Curtis¡¯ spell sted arge hole through the rubble, clearing a path to the now visible stairway entrance back to the surface.


    "Everyone, head to the stairs!" I roared through the sound of rocks falling and snarlers growling.


    "Go now!" Professor Glory shouted as well as she struggled to hold her own against the queen snarler.


    The exhausted ss made one final push towards the entrance as Professor Glory held the queen at bay, the wall of snarler corpses obstructing the ones alive for a brief moment.


    "ire, I¡¯m trusting Tess to you." I handed Tess to ire, who seemed to be in the best shape right now.


    "You¡¯re not nning on staying, are you? You can¡¯t be serious. As yourmanding leader in the disciplinarymittee, I forbid¡ª"


    "Just go..." With the limited amount of time we had, I released a sharp killing intent to get my point across, making her flinch backwards in surprise.


    Helping the drained Curtis back to his feet, I pushed both of my disciplinarymittee teammates toward the front entrance of the cave before turning back to where Professor Glory was fighting.


    "Why the hell did youe back, Arthur?!" I could almost feel the amount of frustration in my professor¡¯s voice as she snapped at me through gritted teeth.


    "We¡¯re going to need both of us to kill this thing." Taking Dawn¡¯s Bad back out from my dimension ring, I unsheathed it.


    "You better hope this thing kills me because you¡¯re going to regret not following my orders," she responded, blocking a blow from the queen¡¯s sharp ws.


    "Hey, I¡¯m a professor too, remember?" I gave her a weary smile before making a sharp swing with my de.


    "You¡¯re too smart for your own good, Arthur." She smiled back while shaking her head. The situation didn¡¯t seem too good as the mana transference had made me use most of my mana. If it weren¡¯t for mana rotation, I probably would¡¯ve gotten bacsh already.


    While battling the queen and keeping her busy enough so the rest of the ss could get out safely, I noticed that thest one here was Lucas. Our eyes locked for a brief moment before he turned his head back and disappeared into the entrance.


    I could¡¯ve sworn I saw him snort before he turned away.


    As the fight continued, I managed to sever one of the queen¡¯s wings so it wasn¡¯t capable of flight any longer, but its thick fur was preventing us from doing anything more than giving it shallow wounds. This mutated queen, standing almost ten feet tall on its hind legs, was filled with wounds from both Professor Glory and I, but it didn¡¯t seem to bother it at all.


    "I don¡¯t think we can kill this thing!" I shouted to Professor Glory, who was on the other side of the queen snarler.


    "We¡¯ll need to at least bind it somehow so we can escape. I don¡¯t think the queen will follow us out of the dungeon!" she responded as the queen howled in anger.


    "I need you to keep it busy for five seconds, Professor." I repositioned myself so Professor Glory was in view.


    "Okay." She didn¡¯t question what I was about to do as she unleashed another burst of mana out of her core.


    As Professor Glory leaped toward the mutated queen, I put my sheath back into my dimension ring and grasped my sword with both hands. With the seal gone, I used thest of my mana to will lightning into Dawn¡¯s Bad.


    Without mana to strengthen and empower my movement, my dash toward the queen snarler felt like a crawl.


    "Move!" At my signal, Professor Glory leaped out of the way as I stabbed my sword into an already existing wound that I had managed to inflict just earlier between its shoulder des.


    The crackle of electricity prying its way in through the seam caused the queen to erupt into a high-pitched shriek as she began to spasm.


    "Let¡¯s go!" Without even being able to pull my sword back out from the queen snarler, Professor Glory grabbed me by my waist and carried me toward the front entrance.


    As the hordes of minions got in our way, Professor Glory shed through until we reached the front entrance.


    Suddenly, a dark shadow passed over us. "H-How?" Professor Glory could only gasp as both of us looked up. The queen, with my sword still embedded in its spine, somehow recovered enough to make one desperate leap to keep us from escaping.


    "Hurry!" I was currently dangling on top of my professor¡¯s shoulder as I tried to snap her out of her shock. With the mutated queen snarler almost upon us, we barely managed to avoid its sharp ws before shended hard on the ground.


    Without the luxury to even look back, we made our way past the minions and into the hall when I spotted the mutated queen crawling her way toward us. I guess myst attack did some damage because it wasn¡¯t freely mobile¡ªinstead, it awkwardly limped toward us, using its ws to drag its body.


    Reaching the end of the hall where the stairs began to ascend, I noticed something odd about the queen snarler that was just a couple meters away from us.


    Every bit of that mutated queen was odd, but this was different. As it reached closer and closer to the top of the staircase, where we were, its face and body began pulsating. Tumors began growing sporadically in random parts of its body and face.


    Don¡¯t tell me...


    Before I was even able to finish my thought, the queen burst apart in an explosion of guts, blood, and shards of exoskeleton.


    Before Professor Glory could even turn around, the force of the explosion pushed her forward, and she lost her grip on me.


    As if that wasn¡¯t bad enough, the explosion caused by the queen opened up arge hole beneath it.


    "Arthur!" Through gritted teeth, I heard my professor¡¯s desperate cry as she reached her hand out for me, but it was toote. I could feel myself growing weaker from the force of the queen¡¯sst desperate attempt.


    "Save Tess!" I called back out weakly before using thest bit of mana I¡¯d been gathering for the short amount of time to augment my body.

 Chapter 68: Widow’s Crypt IV

    After what seemed like hours of falling while being knocked between various rocks that fell along with me from the explosion, I spread my arms and legs, desperately trying to find anything to grab to stop myself from bing a stter mark on the ground. The speed at which I was dropping kept me from stabilizing myself on my own, but fortunately, my right hand was able totch onto a jutted tree root. Unfortunately, that was also the arm that had been dislocated not too long ago so the sudden jolt sent a sharp pain up my arm that made me wish I¡¯d just fallen t on the ground instead.


    Dangling helplessly by my right arm that felt as if it were going to rip off at any moment, I desperately sent Sylvie a mental transmission.


    Sylv. Are you there? I fell quite a bit aways but I¡¯m still okay. Do you sense where I am?


    I waited for a minute but there was no response¡ªI couldn¡¯t even sense my bond. I immediately began worrying that something had happened to her, but with the queen snarler dead and the rest trapped inside the dungeon, it was unlikely. It was more reasonable to conclude that I was either too far down, or that this area was warded off and sealed from the outside, or more urately, the surface.


    By the extent of my drop, I doubted I was on any of the immediate floors below it, causing me to wonder if the explosion had unveiled a hidden passage to some room somewhere inside the dungeon.


    Thinking back on the explosion caused by the mutated queen snarler, I couldn¡¯t help but think how odd it had been. The st wasrge, but I got the feeling that the explosion wasn¡¯t meant to kill whoever was near it. If that were the case, my body, along with Professor Glory¡¯s, would be in a much worse state than it was now.


    "Ugh," I groaned as I continued hanging off my limp arm, feeling myself lose grip. I let out a couple quick breaths to ready myself before I used the remaining strength in my right arm to pull myself up just enough for my left arm to take its ce.


    Through gritted teeth, I resisted the temptation to just let go and leave it up to God or the gods or any gods, whatever they worshiped in this world, if any.


    After a quick assessment of my body¡¯s condition, which was in fairly good shape besides my right shoulder, I tried to survey my surroundings, except all I could see was darkness. It wasn¡¯t as simple as it simply being dark; it was pitch ck. That feeling of when you shut your eyes so hard that it seems like different lights were oozing around in your vision or that feeling where no matter how hard you squinted, your eyes couldn¡¯t adjust¡ªthat was what I was feeling right now.


    As I activated my mana rotation, I dispersed the mana I had covering my body to only my left arm. I had to use this "break time" to gather as much mana I could. Augmenting what little mana I had into my eyes in hopes to see something, I was rewarded with only darkness.


    I¡¯m not blind... am I? I couldn¡¯t help but think to myself as I augmented my eyes again.


    Just tofort my needless worry, I break one of the most basic rules in situations like this. I produced a small fire on the tip of my right index finger.


    Looking at the warm red and orange flicker of fire on my fingertip, I breathed in relief before extinguishing the me.


    While vision was an important thing, thest thing I wanted to do in a dark ce like this was draw attention to myself. Now that the enemies here, if any, knew of my location, I needed to move.


    Since I couldn¡¯t see, I used wind to sense the type of space I was in right now. I had no idea how narrow or wide this hole that I was in was, but I assumed it wasn¡¯t too wide since I hit quite a few objects along the way while falling.


    Sending out short, soft bursts of wind, equidistant, around me, I figure out that this ditch, for ack of better words, had a diameter of about 10 meters. The scary part, however, was that I couldn¡¯t even sense how far down I was and how much further I had to go down until I had a floor to walk on.


    What I had to decide now was whether to try and climb back up or make my way down. By how much I fell and all of the other debris that fell down along with me, chances were that the opening at the top would already be covered. With Sylvie not answering from outside, I had no way of knowing if she could open up an exit for me.


    That only leaves me with going down.


    I sighed.


    No matter how rational and level headed I was, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit anxious in this situation. More so than the immediate dangers in front of me, a situation like this, where I couldn¡¯t see anything or even sense any life forms, made me more edgy. In the case where the army of snarlers was in front of us, I knew what I had to do and I could think of how to deal with it. Right now, I could neither imagine nor predict what might happen in the next couple of seconds, making me all the more tense.


    Augmenting both my hands with earth attribute mana, I¡¯m able to bury my hand into the side of the giant abyss-like hole, creating a handhold for myself. I positioned myself t against the side with both my hands dug into the wall to keep myself from falling.


    In a steady motion, I pulled my augmented hands out of the side of the wall and allow myself to fall before I wed my hands into the wall again to stop. The amount of stress it put on my arms made me cringe every time but this would be the fastest way to make my way down.


    Gripping, letting go, gripping, letting go, gripping, letting go. I had to keep my body t so I don¡¯t start falling away from the wall. I also couldn¡¯t wait too long before I had to grip the wall again because it would be a lot more dangerous to try and slow down after picking up too much speed.


    I let out pulses of wind every now and then to try and see how much farther I had to go down. Even after around 3 hours of gripping and letting go, ording to my internal clock, I had yet to sense a floor anywhere close beneath me.


    How deep is this fucking hole? Without even the luxury to vent my frustration aloud, I was left to rant inside my head using words even the most vulgar of adults would find inappropriate.


    I knew that everyone warned adventurers about the dangers and unpredictability of dungeons but both the Dire Tombs and even this supposedly low-level dungeon had proven to cause me more trouble than the times I adventured with Jasmine without the use of magic.


    I mean, what were the chances that the one time I go to a D ss dungeon supposedly filled with E ss monsters, a freaking army decides to wee us on the first floor?


    The minion snarlers hadn¡¯t even been that bad, to be honest. We were stupid for using so much fire magic when we had no venttion but I had handled most of them without even using mana.


    That mutated queen had been the problem. How the hell did she get so strong? Was it because she ate the other queen? Was it even possible to just get instant power-ups like that?


    As I continued debriefing to myself the events that urred earlier, I kept gripping and letting go of the stone wall, falling down further into who knows where I was now.


    I let go of the wall and fell down, timing myself before burying my augmented hands into the wall again. However, unlike before, my hand wouldn¡¯t go inside.


    "What the..."


    I desperately tried wing at the wall but even with the augmentation in my hand, I wasn¡¯t able to make even a scratch into the wall.


    The surface of the wall was different now. It was smooth¡ªtoo smooth to be natural.


    I was picking up speed as I persistently tried to bury my fingers into the wall, hopelessly.


    This isn¡¯t working.


    Careful to make as little noise as possible while I continued falling, I rhythmically let out pulses of wind around me, as a sort of makeshift echolocation. Through sending out faint pulses and measuring how long it took before it hit a surface, I could locate, in my head, potential footholds and handholds to make my way down.


    Easier said than done. The theory worked great in my head but trying it without practice proved harder than I imagined. There were few handholds I could try and hang myself from but my makeshift echolocation technique wasn¡¯t as urate as I wished it would be.


    I ended up narrowly missing a lot of the potential supports and it just became harder as I picked up speed.


    Fortunately, I still didn¡¯t sense the floor anywhere close to me so I had time, but if I fell down any faster, even if I could grab onto a support, I wasn¡¯t sure if my arms would be able to take the stress from the abrupt stop.


    As I continue fumbling my arms against the wall to search for anything that may slow down or stop my fall, I was finally able to sense the ground.


    Damn it... This isn¡¯t good.


    I had about 200 meters before my body became a puddle on the ground. That left me with about... six seconds?


    Damn it all.


    Turning around so that the wall was to my back, I gathered all the mana I saved up ¡¯til now. It would take about 4 seconds to focus enough mana into the spell.


    Wind Bullet. Stretching my arms out in front of me, I unleash a barrage of fist-sized bullets ofpressed air to the other side of this giant hole I was in.


    If I could create enough force to push myself back against the wall, I would be able to slow down enough to survive the fall. I no longer cared about keeping noise to a minimum.


    The air bullets boomed as they collided into the wall about 10 meters away from me, My body pressed harder and harder against the wall behind me from the recoil of the spell, and I couldn¡¯t do anything besides grit my teeth as I felt the back of my uniform and my skin burning off due to the friction.


    I could feel myself approaching the bacsh stage but I just desperately let out all of the mana I could muster up while using mana rotation. As the air bullets continued colliding against the other side, pushing me back harder and harder into the smooth wall, I approached the ground.


    50 meters...


    40 meters...


    20 meters...


    I see a faint light!


    10 meters...


    5 meters...


    "AAHH!!" I felt myself slowing down as the burning pain coursing through my back became numb.


    Two meters before I reached the ground. I let out onest,rge pulse ofpressed air straight below me.


    My eyes bulged and the only sound I could make was a painful cough as I met the ground, a jolt shooting straight up my body.


    I rolled forward as soon as I could, trying to spread out the pressure as much as possible, but it wasn¡¯t enough.


    Head spinning, I struggled to stay conscious as my vision blurred.


    My vision!


    As I lifted my head up from the ground, faint lights illuminated the area, allowing my blurring vision to get a sense of where I was. I seemed to be in a passageway of some sort, with small lights along the sides. Further down the hall came a brighter source of light.


    "Wh-Who¡¯s there?" a female voice echoed.


    When I open my mouth, only coughs came out.


    I tried answering the frightened voice but again, my voice failed me.


    "Please... I need help," she murmured.


    Again, nothing came out as my vision continued to fade in and out. I tried getting up but utterly failed.


    "...Hold....on." My voice came out raspy and weak but she heard me.


    I heard harsh, forced breaths from her before she replied with a weak, "Okay."


    Sylvia¡¯s dragon will was working wonders as I felt my body healing itself. My back was scorching from sliding down the wall and my legs felt like they¡¯d been torn apart and taped back together, but I was able to stand up within thirty minutes.


    Looking around to where Inded, I couldn¡¯t help but shake my head at theplete darkness that loomed above me from where I came from. Around me were shattered stones and, I think, a limb of the queen snarler that exploded. Near the limb though, my eyes noticed a reflectioning from under a pile of rubble.


    Making my way there slowly, a smile crept up on my face as I realized what it was. My sword! Good old Dawn¡¯s Bad was soon retrieved and safely back inside my dimension ring after digging it up and pulling it out of the shallow pile of rocks on top of it. I put the torn limb of the mutated queen snarler inside my dimension ring as well, hoping to study it if I ever made it back up.


    Thinking optimistically, I realized I wasn¡¯t in too bad of a shape. I managed to slow myself down enough so I didn¡¯t have any broken bones. The shock went through the spine and rattled my brain, making me almost lose consciousness but considering the circumstances, I felt like it could¡¯ve been a lot worse. My mana was now beginning to recover and with my legs functioning, I made my way to the voice that seemed to have gone silent.


    "Hello?" I walked through the passageway, using the wall as support.


    "I¡¯m... here." The voice seemed even weaker than it had been half an hour ago.


    Making my way towards the growing light at the end of the hall, I called out to her again.


    As I reached the end of the tunnel, my vision took a few seconds to adjust from the change in brightness after being ustomed to utter darkness for so long.


    "This... cough... way."


    "..."


    Before I could respond, I almost fell back as I stumbled in horror from what I witnessed.


    The warzone created by the hundreds of snarler bodies scattered and piled on top of each other seemed like it was from a children¡¯s picture bookpared to the scene that I couldn¡¯t seem to peel my eyes away from.


    Corpses. Corpses of humans, elves, and dwarvesy dead and some in pieces around the cavern that would¡¯ve been considered beautiful otherwise.


    The once green grass-like moss spread over the ground was dyed red while the stream crossing through the cavern had floating bodies with blood spreading around them.


    There were around forty-fifty corpses spread out in the cavern with their weapons next to them. The damage done to their bodies revealed torture as some had their limbs torn apart and others had cuts all over their beheaded bodies.


    I heard her cough again. "Are you... still there?" The weak voice came from my left.


    "I can¡¯t see... oh..." My heart dropped and I couldn¡¯t even finish.


    The woman that was lying against the wall of the cavern was probably in a worse state than the carcasses spread around, split apart.


    The woman, an elf, it seemed, had most of her limbs torn off. Where her right arm and both legs should¡¯ve been were holes, cruelly sealed by burning the wounds. Her eyes were gone as dried blood that streamed down from where her eyes were stained her cheeks. In the woman¡¯s abdomen, right where her mana core was, a sleek ck spike was impaled through her and once again, sealed.


    "You... How?" I dropped to my knees in front of her as I inspected her. Looking at her carefully, I felt like I¡¯d seen her somewhere. I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on it but I recognized her face. Where did I...


    The Six Lances... The Six Lances! She was one of the six strongest mages in all of Dicathen, chosen to represent the Continent.


    "You¡¯re one of the sixnces!" I couldn¡¯t help but sputter out.


    "Indeed I am..." She let out a ragged sigh.


    "As for how... If you¡¯re asking me how I¡¯m still alive in this state, it¡¯s because he left me alive." Her eyebrows furrowed and the dried blood crusted in between her eyelids crumbled, letting out a faint stream of fresh blood from where her eyes once were.


    "He?" I felt like I was asking stupid questions but I was so lost.


    "Yes, he. He called himself Vritra." With her left hand, the only limb she had left, she slowly reached for something behind her and pulled it out.


    Inside her hand was a sleek ck stone fragment of some sort. As I squinted my eyes and analyzed it, I was suddenly reminded of my time with Sylvia.


    As the memory clicked and the pieces were put together in my head, my hand squeezed tightly around the ck shard as my whole body shook from anger.


    I remembered why this ck stone looked so familiar.


    It was part of the horn of one of the ck-horned demons that Sylvia first disguised herself as, and also the very species that killed her.

 Chapter 69: Widow’s Crypt V

    "Can I keep this?" I asked before realizing that my palm had been bleeding from grasping the shard of the horn too hard.


    The elven woman, despite her condition, let out a hoarse chuckle after my question, catching me by surprise. Raising an eyebrow, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what was going through her mind and how admirable she was for her ability to stillugh considering her situation.


    "You¡¯re looking at me as if I¡¯ve gone insane," she said as she struggled to turn her head toward the sound of my voice.


    "No, not insane. Admirable, if anything," I replied.


    "You¡¯re a weird one too, asking a dying soldier if you can keep something like that. Keep it. It won¡¯t hold any value to me anyway." She let out a sigh and suddenly, her face looked as if it had aged twenty years by the grave expression she wore.


    "I don¡¯t even know your name, kid, but I¡¯m going to die soon. There¡¯s no need to try and be sensitive about that fact." The elven warrior let out a ragged breath but her expression remained firm.


    "My name is Arthur, and... yeah. Unfortunately, there doesn¡¯t seem to be any way for me to save you." I put the ck shard inside my dimension ring. "I¡¯m sorry."


    "I guess it just wasn¡¯t meant to be then. Since I don¡¯t have a lot of time, I¡¯ll tell you as much as I know." My chest felt heavy as she so easily casted aside her hopes and epted her fate.


    "My name is Alea Triscan, as you figured out. I am one of the of the sixnces and the corpses that you probably spotted upon your arrival were my troops. Eachnce was in charge of a battalionposed of top mages." She let out another heavy sigh, and for once, I was d she wasn¡¯t able to witness the gruesome ughter that¡¯d turned this once beautiful ce into a grave of mangled corpses.


    "After themencement of the sixnces a few months ago, I had been training them to work as a team to clear dungeons and other unknown areas. The sixnces rarely go on missions together, unless we are to explore an S ss dungeon or above," she continued after pausing for a gulp of air.


    "From the direction of your footsteps earlier, it seemed you came in from a different entrance. This ce is actually connected to three dungeons. Which dungeon did youe from, Arthur?" Alea wiggled her body, struggling to prop herself up against the wall.


    "I came with my ssmates and professor from the Widow¡¯s Crypt. Everyone else was able to make it back out, but I guess I wasn¡¯t so lucky." I took a seat against the wall next to Alea as I surveyed the carnage disyed before me. I was able to vaguely imagine what¡¯d happened by how the bodies were positioned and where they had sustained their fatal injuries.


    "I¡¯m not sure how old you are, Arthur, but no one should have to see something like this," Alea whispered, her voiceced with remorse.


    "My age probably won¡¯t corrte too well in regards to situations like this, but you are right. No one, regardless of age, should have to see something like this."


    Her breathing became more ragged and sporadic but she held on.


    "My troops and I came from an A ss dungeon named Hell¡¯s Jaw. We were assigned to investigate the dungeon after getting reports of inconsistent sightings inside. The adventurers that hade back alive were ones who frequented the dungeon for training. The ones that made it back were barely alive and they all spoke about how the beasts residing within suddenly became stronger and fiercer. Was that the case for the dungeon you came from as well?" Alea asked, her wordsing out slower than before.


    "Yes. Just on the first floor, an army of minion snarlers weed us. The minions weren¡¯t bad but two queen snarlers showed up. One of the queens, after eating the other queen, turned from gray to ck and its strength jumped a few fold. I suspected this was the cause."


    "What do you mean you suspected?! Are you saying you¡¯ve seen that demon before?" Alea¡¯s limp body suddenly sprang up as her head turned back toward me, shock evident in her voice.


    "I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s the same one, but yes," I responded frankly.


    "The same one? You think there¡¯s more than one?" Alea¡¯s already pale face drained to an even whiter color.


    "I don¡¯t have definite proof, but I suspect that the one you saw, Vritra, is just one of the horned demons out there somewhere," I replied, recalling that night where I had gotten separated from Sylvia. The ck demon with its horns curving downwards said something about causing them trouble. It was just spection, but I suspected that there were probably more of them.


    My mind began to spin as I pondered over the different possibilities and reasons as to why they were doing this. Was this all for Sylvie or some greater cause?


    I remembered when Sylvia had given the stone to me that I had to protect it at all costs. That "stone" turned out to be an egg, and of a dragon no less. Was Sylvie such an important existence that the horned demons had to go this far for?


    "What... are you thinking of, Arthur?" Alea let out a strained cough as fresh blood escaped from the sealed wound where her mana core once was.


    I always found it intriguing that, while beast cores were capable of being harvested and used as tools to enhance mana, human mana cores weren¡¯t. When a mage died, their mana core shattered and the mana umted inside dispersed. Was it because we gathered mana from the atmosphere that this happened?


    There seemed to be a deeper meaning when I thought of how humans didn¡¯t need their mana cores in order to survive, while our mana cores were dependent on us being alive. This world seemed to revolve around whether you were a mage or not, and if you were, how strong you were. I couldn¡¯t help but think that the God of this world wanted to tell us that life was more important than magic, which should be an obvious statement, but a statement which the people of this world seemed to have forgotten.


    Before I lost myself deeper into the aspect of a higher being, Alea¡¯s ragged coughing snapped me back to reality.


    "Are you okay?" That was a dumb question. Of course she isn¡¯t okay.


    "When my team reached the first floor of Hell¡¯s Jaw, there was nothing off about it; the mana beasts were the same ones that were recorded. It was when we reached the final floor where the master of the dungeon made its den. The Hades Serpent, which was an AA ss mana beast, should¡¯ve been something I could¡¯ve beaten myself fairly easily." There was no trace of boasting or overconfidence in her tone. It was just a fact to her.


    "The Hades Serpent, which was known for the blue fire spouting along its long spine, looked different. At first, we were confused because it didn¡¯t look like it had any mes at all, but when we looked closer, the reason we couldn¡¯t see the mes against the ck walls of the cave was because the mes themselves were ck.


    "It looked like thick smoke flickering wildly along the spine of the hundred-foot serpent. That particr Hades Serpent also had a ck horn jutting out of its forehead while its scales, which were recorded as being a matte grey color, were a sleek ck..." Taking a deep breath, I noticed Alea shivering.


    "The fight was gruesome. I lost five of my men to that Hades Serpent. The fight took several hours but I was able to kill it. When we tried to retrieve the beast core though, it wasn¡¯t there." She broke into another fit of coughs so I ran toward the pond and soaked what was left of my uniform inside. After rinsing it, I allowed the fabric to absorb as much water as it could before walking back to Alea.


    "Open your mouth," I instructed.


    She hesitated for a moment but she eventually did as she was told. As I gently squeezed my soaked uniform over her mouth, the water trickled into her mouth.


    She let out a small yelp in surprise at the cold liquid but soon after, began fiercely gulping down the water. She whispered a small thank you before continuing on with her story.


    "Although we were tempted to go back to the surface, we hadn¡¯t managed to figure anything out, so we started searching for clues inside. One of my men used a spell and found that there was a hidden tunnel underneath a thinyer of earth. After crossing the tunnel, we arrived here..." As Alea¡¯s voice trembled at herst words, tears mixed with blood streamed down the closed eyelids where her eyes used to be.


    "H-He was here...when we reached this cavern. I still remember the way he looked at us. Those scarlet eyes..." After letting out a trembling breath, she continued.


    "My team and I... no one knew what that monster was so we did what our instincts told us to do. We raised our weapons.... that was our first mistake. I can still picture it so clearly. His pale gray skin. His face... it was beastly yet, it looked almost...human. He looked at us and smirked, exposing his sharp fangs. What threw us off was when he talked..." Her voice fell into a whisper.


    "Mm," I responded, just to let her know I was still there.


    "He wasn¡¯t even surprised to see us there. Vritra, he... that thing, just looked at us before..."


    "Before?" I asked, sitting upright.


    "He gave us two options." Tears and blood continued to stream down her once beautiful face as she willed herself to finish.


    "He looked straight at me, as if he knew instantly that I was the leader, and told me that he¡¯d let me walk out unharmed if I¡ª"she choked back a sob, her only hand clenched white into a fist, "¡ªif I dismembered each of my teammates, one by one, in front of him."


    The ridiculous offer would¡¯ve infuriated anyone but looking at the state Alea was in right now, I didn¡¯t have the confidence to say she had made the right decision. Maybe her teammates would¡¯ve wanted her to kill them quickly instead of being tortured the way they were.


    "What was the other option?" I asked, gently wrapping my hands over her clenched fist.


    "He just... scoffed at us and said ¡¯...or you can try and fight.¡¯" Her blood-mixed tears stained the torn remains of her clothes as she continued to softly cry.


    Unable to find the words tofort her, I just kept my hands wrapped tightly around her fist. Moments trickled by with only the sound of running water and Alea¡¯s silent sobs breaking the deathly silence.


    "We didn¡¯t... stand a chance," she whispered, huping.


    "I hate to make you relive the scene, but I need as much of the details as possible, Alea." I gently stroked her hand to try and calm her.


    "He had one horn in the middle of his forehead... that curved backwards sharply." She tried her best to talk calmly.


    "One horn?" So there really was more than one horned demon. Was it a n? A race?


    My heart began beating uncontrobly from just imagining a whole raceposed of horned demons; just one of them could wipe out one of the sixnces and her team.


    "Y-Yes. My strongest single point attack only managed to create a small chip in that horn." Alea seemed like she wanted to ask me something but she continued on, her breath getting shorter.


    "He... It ... Vritra was able to use magic¡ªmagic that seemed to defy themon sense of any magic I¡¯ve ever seen." Alea¡¯s lips began to quiver.


    "What kind of magic did he use?"


    "Metal. ck metal. He was able to instantaneously conjure metal spikes, des, any sort of weapons from the ground and himself. I don¡¯t even know how to describe it properly. It was over too quickly. Half of my team was dead in the first wave of attacks he unleashed with a simple flick of his wrist. When the ones that were still alive attacked him, he didn¡¯t even bother to dodge... tes of ck metal instantaneously materialized and blocked whatever attack that managed to get near him."


    I felt my face tense as I tried to visualize what Vritra¡¯s, and possibly the powers his whole race, possessed. It seemed to be conjuring but on apletely different level. The way she described it made it seem more akin to manifestation or even creation of a certain phenomena rather than affecting the mana particles that already existed.


    How was that even possible though? Were they capable of just skipping steps in the fundamentalws of magic in this world, or were they simply more knowledgeable and able to do this through a special skill?


    My head immediately turned toward Alea at the sound of her coughing. It was worse than before. She coughed up blood.


    "Vritra... He left after leaving me like this. I¡¯m not sure if he knew someone was going toe, but thest thing he said before going was his name... and that Dicathen was going to be a warzone..." As blood dribbled down the corner of her mouth, she turned her head toward me.


    "This may sound preposterous but can you do me a favor?" Alea let out a faint smile, revealing her teeth, stained with blood.


    "Sure, anything." I expected her to leave me with an item or message, perhaps for a loved one back home or maybe to her family.


    "... hold me?" she mumbled.


    I leaned in closer, only hearing thest part. "Sorry. I didn¡¯t quite catch that."


    "I always thought that I didn¡¯t need anyone... as long as I was strong enough. I never had a family or lover... to depend on... but you know? I-I really don¡¯t want to die alone right now..." Alea bit her trembling lower lip. "Can you hold me?"


    Without saying a word, I gently wrapped my arms around Alea¡¯s fragile neck and waist, leaning her head against my chest.


    "I¡¯m scared," she muttered. "I don¡¯t want to die..."


    I stayed silent, gritting my teeth as I, again, was unable to find the words tofort her. Softly patting the back of Alea¡¯s head, I felt her breathing be weaker and weaker, and momentster¡ªshe passed away in my arms


    ---------------------------------


    Hello! Author here :)


    This concludes the end of Volume 3 of The Beginning After the End.


    I originally nned on just releasing the 1st volume of this novel on here but because of many demands, I chose to extend the release.


    Unfortunately, I¡¯m going to have to take a hiatus from posting on here for the time being. I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯ll be posting on here again but if you can¡¯t wait, you can either continue reading this novel for free on my website (tbatenovel) or for the most edited versions, either on Tapas.io or Amazon.


    Thank you for showing this novel so much love!

 Chapter 70: An Unfamiliar Burden

    My teeth were clenched the whole time as I willed a hole in the earth below us. Carefully cing Alea¡¯s cold, lifeless body into the center, I slowly covered her, using her weapon as a makeshift gravestone.


    I couldn¡¯t evenugh at the sick irony that this dungeon happened to be named the Widow¡¯s Crypt...


    Wordlessly, I spent some time burying each of Alea¡¯s fallenrades. The once beautiful caveyered with a glossy bed of grass and a pond that glittered like shattered ss now looked like a nationalndmark of the fallen; the crude mounds of dirt and weapons for grave markers gave this ce an eerie ambiance.


    After finishing up the makeshift graves, I dragged my not-so-willing legs back to where I buried Alea. Kneeling, I ced my hand on the mound of dirt covering the once famousnce. She was considered the pinnacle of power here, no doubt respected and feared by many. However, to me, she was simply a girl¡ªa lonely girl, regretful of the fact that she never had someone to love and someone to love her back.


    As I looked at her in her final moments, a sense of dread dawned on me. She was almost exactly the same as I was from my past life, except she wouldn¡¯t be reborn into a different world. With my immediate reincarnation after my previous life ended, I didn¡¯t have the chance to even reflect on how I had lived. In Alea¡¯sst breaths, she had broken down and sobbed, crying that she didn¡¯t want to die like this.


    "Damn it..."


    I rubbed my eyes as tears unknowingly began streaming down my face, indignant in her stead at how her life came to an end.


    Sending out another mental transmission to Sylvie, I sighed in defeat when I didn¡¯t hear a reply. Slumping back down against the jagged walls Alea and I had leaned against, I recalled everything the fallennce had informed me of. From the information she was able to gather, there were a couple of spections I could make.


    One, there was more than just one ck-horned demon. How many, I wasn¡¯t sure. My only hope was that there wouldn¡¯t be many. If one of them could easily kill ance or gravely injure a dragon like Sylvia, then I was out of my league.


    Two, they were definitely after something. I wasn¡¯t sure what, but my mind kept wandering back to the egg Sylvie hade from that the demon had called a "gem." If they really were after Sylvie, then avoiding them indefinitely wasn¡¯t going to be possible.


    Three, there was going to be a war in Dicathen. This continent would be in danger and we definitely weren¡¯t prepared. When the demon told Alea that there would be a war, though, I felt the underlying exnation that the ck-horned demons weren¡¯t from this continent. Was the new continent that we just uncovered filled with these demons? I shuddered at that thought. Hopefully that scenario wouldn¡¯te true.


    However, the more I contemted, the more certain I became that there probably weren¡¯t that many ck-horned demons. If there truly was a race filled with super-powered demons, then they would¡¯ve already annihted this continent with ease instead of sneaking around different dungeons and infecting the beasts. They were obviously uncertain of whether they could take on this whole continent so they were going about it discreetly, at least for now.


    What bugged me was trying to figure out when the war would be. There was no marked calendar and no way to guess. Was waiting the only thing I could do... what we could do?


    A sharp pain in my hands made me realize how hard I was clenching my fists, leaving me to watch the drops of blood running down my forearm.


    What I was slowly learning, and what Alea¡¯s death reinforced, was the realization of how valuable the rtionships I had with my families, with Tess, and with my friends, were. What I didn¡¯t have in my past life were loved ones I would give my life to protect. I had that now, but I don¡¯t have the strength to protect them; not for what was about toe.


    For the amount of potential I had, I was gettingcent. That needed to change.


    I recalled Sylvia¡¯s message for me after she teleported me into Elshire Forest. Her message still rang clearly in my head; her voice echoing that I would hear from her again once my core reached past the white stage.


    That was the most certain method I currently knew of to be able to get some reliable answers on what was going on. I was still unable to break from the threshold of dark yellow stage though. After yellow was silver, and then white. I still have a bit to go.


    A ferocious roar sounded, echoing off the cavern walls. ¡¯Papa!¡¯


    My head perked up as I heard a loud crash soon after from the direction of where I fell. Picking myself up, I dashed towards Sylvie¡¯s voice.stopping in front of a cloud of dust and calling out to her.


    I¡¯m here, Sylv, are you okay? I covered my face with my arms as the cloud of dust instantly blew away, revealing my precious bond in her full glory.


    My heart thumped in excitement as I saw my dragone into view.


    Sylvie had be even more fearsome than when I saw her at the Dire Tombs. Her scales weren¡¯t glossy anymore like before¡ªinstead, they were now a dignified matte ck. Her two horns had grown even longer, going past her snout, and another pair of horns protruded underneath them. If she looked crudely fierce back then, the feeling I got now was more akin to awe. She appeared as majestic as she did deadly. The spikes she had running down her back were no longer there and rather, because of that, she seemed more refined. Her gem-like iridescent yellow eyes pierced through me, making me doubt that she was the one who had just called me Papa.


    ¡¯Papa! You¡¯re okay!¡¯


    Distilling all of the bewilderment that had kept me from approaching my bond, she, once again, lifted me up from the ground with the force of her lick.


    "Haha! You got bigger again, Sylv!" I beamed a childish smile. Hugging the snout of my dragon, Sylvie let out a deep purr as she rubbed herself against me, and just for a moment, I was able to forget everything I¡¯d just been through.


    Lifting me off the ground with her snout, she ced me on her muscr broad back.


    ¡¯Hold on, Papa! Let¡¯s get out of here.¡¯ With a powerful snap of her wings, a raging gust formed underneath us and we were instantly propelled into the air. For some reason, the sudden force didn¡¯t affect my body as Ifortably rode on the back of my ten-meter long dragon.


    During the flight back up, my bond and I caught up on everything that happened while we were separated. She didn¡¯t really understand everything about the demons and the uing war but she did get the sense that whatever was about to happen wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡¯Don¡¯t worry. Whatever happens, I¡¯ll be with you!¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s innocent response left me chuckling.


    Like a narration from a children¡¯s book, she announced a bit about what she¡¯d been up to, which was, not surprisingly, fighting beasts and consuming beast cores. I really needed to be there with Sylvie the next time she trained; I was curious as to what she was capable of. Sylvie didn¡¯t really know the distinction between the levels of mana beasts so I was left pondering over how powerful she really was.


    ¡¯Hmph! I¡¯m really strong!¡¯


    "Haha, I know I know." Patting the hard scales on Sylvie¡¯s neck, we soon arrived at the entrance of the dungeon.


    As wended in front of the ruined staircase leading up to the surface, I took a nce back to see the hundreds of minion snarler corpses. Sylvie transformed back into her fox form and leapt on top of my head, taking a couple of spins before perchingfortably in my hair.


    Augmenting mana into my body, I lightly jumped from broken stair to broken stair, careful not to copse the fragile remains of the staircase that was once worn down to an ivory smoothness.


    A full moon greeted us as we reached the surface and, as expected, there was no one here. I breathed an outward sigh of relief knowing that everyone else made it back safely to Xyrus.


    It¡¯ll be a several hour trek to the nearest teleportation gate so I decided to hurry. However, making sure there wasn¡¯t anyone hiding nearby, I released a pulse of wind around me. Taking out the seal from my dimension ring, I carefully inspected it. As I was about to put it on, an image of Alea shed into my mind. I took out the ck fragment of the demon¡¯s horn¡ªthe horn of the demon that killed her.


    Instead of putting on the seal, I took a deep breath and put the seal back into my dimension ring.


    My stomach tightened and my eyes narrowed as a churning sensation stirred inside me. No more hiding. I had bigger things to worry about now. I couldn¡¯t be bothered with stressing over something like this. This demon horn shard would be my constant reminder of that.


    ¡¯What¡¯s that, Papa?¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s head popped up as her paw tried reaching for the ck shard.


    "It¡¯s my goal, Sylvie," I grimaced as determination swelled up in the pit of my stomach. Patting my bond¡¯s furry little head, I began my trip back.


    ____________________________________________


    Needless to say, the guard in charge of the teleportation gate looked fairly startled when he saw me. He must¡¯ve received orders to be on the lookout for me because, as soon as he verified who I was, he hurriedly began making multiple calls using the artifact he had on hand.


    Quickly ushering me through the gate, I arrived back at Xyrus feeling a little queasy as Sylvie slumbered on the crown of my head. There was a driver waiting for me on the other side. Giving me a sympathetic smile, he tipped his hat before opening the door for me.


    My mind wasn¡¯tpletely there as I kept thinking of the future. For the first time in both of my lives, I felt a heavy burden weighing down on me. The pressure of keeping my loved ones safe; I¡¯ve never had that even while I was a king. The weight of a country I had no affection for in my previous life couldn¡¯tpare to the few lives I would give my everything for in this one.


    When I reached Helstea Manor, I stopped in front of the giant double doors. Somehow, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to knock on the doors to my own home.


    What would my family¡¯s expressions be? It seemed like every time I went out, all I did was worry them.


    Taking a seat on the top of the stairs, I just let out a sharp, bitter sigh. Looking up at the night sky, I could see the faint colorations that supposedly signaled theing of the festival. The sky turning blue, yellow, red and green indicated when the Aurora Constete would begin. My eyes focused on a solitary cloud, slow-dancing above me without a care in the world. What an envious position to be in.


    "Son?"


    Lost in my thoughts, I didn¡¯t even hear the door open behind me.


    "Hi Dad, I¡¯m back." I gave him a weak smile.


    "Why didn¡¯t youe in? We heard from the teleportation gatekeeper that you arrived at Xyrus." My father took a seat next to me when I didn¡¯t respond. "Your mother will be fine, Art," he said warmly, gently patting my back.


    "I worried you guys again, didn¡¯t I? It feels like that¡¯s all I¡¯m really good for nowadays," I chortled, knots churning in my chest as I said this.


    I turned my head to my father and saw him gazing up at the sky like I had been just moments ago.


    "She really loves the Aurora Constete. Your mother may not seem like it, but she¡¯s strong, Arthur, even more so than me. If you think that all you¡¯ve given us are worries, then you¡¯re wrong. Both you and your sister have given your mother and I so much more than we could¡¯ve hoped for."


    "I know that you¡¯re not like the normal children your age; hell, I¡¯ve known that since you were born. I don¡¯t know what sort of destiny you¡¯ll be caught up in, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be anything you can¡¯t handle." The skin around his eyes wrinkled as he gave me a reassuring smile.


    I stayed silent, unable to form the right words.


    "What I don¡¯t want you to do is feel like you¡¯re being a burden on us. All of this guilt that you¡¯re feeling right now, the weight that you¡¯re probably feeling¡ªI want you toe to us so that we can be there for you. I don¡¯t ever want you to feel like you can¡¯te home, that you aren¡¯t wee. As long as you have the use of your two legs, I expect you toe home whenever you can and let us love you. That is our right as your parents. Okay?" My father ran his fingers through his trim, auburn hair in a gesture that revealed how he wasn¡¯t used to saying things like this. And just like that, the weight I felt umting inside slowly dispersed.


    "Got it, Dad." I managed a more sincere smile this time and he responded with his signature foolish grin.


    "Come on, let¡¯s go home. Once inside, a more ferocious beast than anything you¡¯ve ever faced awaits," my father whispered darkly before both of us broke out into a fit ofughter.

 Chapter 71: Evolving

    When we stepped inside the house, the temperature seemed to have suddenly dropped. In contrast to the icy atmosphere, though, my mother¡¯s fiery gaze pierced down at me from the top of the stairs, the corners of her eyes struggling to keep her tears from rolling down her cheeks.


    "Hello, Mother, I¡¯m... back?" Cold sweat permeated through my pores as a pressure akin to an S ss mana beast weighed down on my very soul.


    I had to admit, I wasn¡¯t looking so sharp. My body was a canvas of nicks and scratches and my hair probably looked like it had been struck by lightning repeatedly, as if one strike wasn¡¯t to its satisfaction. The entire back of my uniform was nonexistent from when it was sandpapered away as I fell down the hole.


    "Arthur Leywin..." My mother¡¯s voice dripped with frost.


    Before she had the chance to say anything more, a familiar voice instantly broke the tension in the room.


    "BROTHHERRR!" My baby sister bolted down the stairs past Mother, stumbling on the way down, and took a leap into my chest, her arms immediately clinging around me with the strength of a python on steroids.


    "Erk! E-Ellie, it hurts..." my voice came out raspy as I gently patted my sister¡¯s head.


    "A teacher came and said you... you were lost," Ellie managed in between sniffles.


    My sister rubbed her face against my chest while attempting her almost incoherent string of words, as if wanting to burrow herself inside me.


    Sylvie had stirred awake at this point. With her ears drooping down, she consolingly licked my sister¡¯s cheek.


    "I know... I¡¯m sorry for worrying you guys...again." I looked up at my mother as I said this, my voice dropping to almost a whisper.


    I could tell by her expression that she was torn between whether to scold me or just be happy.


    Maybe she would do both.


    My father took this chance to walk over to my mother and gently lead her down the stairs,forting her.


    "There¡¯s a time to be angry, Honey, but now isn¡¯t the time. Look, it¡¯s your son. He¡¯s back." My father¡¯s soothing voice eased the tension between my mother¡¯s brows. As her expression softened, so did her will.


    Breaking down into sobs, she wrapped her arms around me from the side, triggering a chain reaction, thus, causing my sister who was still wrapped around me to begin bawling her eyes out yet again.


    My mother¡¯s sobs made her soliloquy almost indiscernible; she seemed to switch between cursing God to thanking him.


    "It¡¯s not fair...


    "Why is my son the one that keeps getting so hurt?


    "Thank God, you¡¯re safe!"


    My father and I made eye contact and he gave me a reassuring half-smile while he gently patted my bawling sister and mother, both of whom were angrily thumping me with their trembling fists, crying.


    Their fists didn¡¯t particrly hurt but each shaking strike seemed to gnaw away at me; the guilt ate away at my insides, as I stood there, motionless, biting my quivering lower lip.


    It took about a good hour before they calmed down; both my sister and mother reduced to a state of heavy panting and constant hups.


    Somewhere in the middle of our scene, I spotted Lilia¡¯s mother, Tabitha, peeking from upstairs. I could tell she wanted toe down andfort my mother and sister but before she could, Vincent pulled her back, giving me a meaningful nod.


    Eventually, we got ourselves situated in the living room. My sister¡¯s breathing was still erratic to the point of worry, her arms wrapped around Sylvie. My mother was a bit better as her swollen eyes probed for any serious wounds before cing a gentle hand on my chest.


    "... And let Heaven and Earth heal." As she ended her chant, a soft white glow enveloped my body.


    Almost immediately, I felt a soothing warmth covering every wound, even the ones I didn¡¯t know I had.


    As the healing glow dissipated along with my injuries, I looked at my mother¡¯s concentrated face.


    I wanted to ask.


    Why could she use her healing powers now?


    How was she able to heal Dad when he had been struck by the mage on the way to Xyrus? I still remembered her desperately healing my father as he ordered me to take my mother and run. That was before I¡¯d fallen off the cliff.


    But I bit my tongue and forced a smile. My father was right; I should wait for her to tell me first.


    My mother let out a sigh before taking her hand off my chest. She stared at me, and gave me one more firm, wordless hug.


    We eventually began talking about what happened. My father took a brief moment to tell me how Professor Glory had visited and told them what had happened to me before she had to hurry back. All the while, my sister sat wordlessly on the couch, curled up with Sylvie, as she seemingly stared at a particr spot on the ground in front of her.


    On my end, I tried not to make a big deal of what transpired for the sake of my mother. I skimmed over the fight with the minion crawlers, telling them how there was just a bit more than we expected.


    Both my parents gave me a face that told me they didn¡¯t believe it was that simple. They knew me too well.


    How much was I supposed to tell them?


    My mind lingered towards the fragment of the demon¡¯s horn that floated inside the dimension ring I was twisting with my thumb.


    The scene shed through with such rity, as if stered to my brain. The dismembered corpses... The river of blood... Alea...


    Taking a deep breath, I told them the full story. All of it...


    ...at least, until where Inded.


    I never understood why those old stiffs from the Council in my previous world used to say ¡¯ignorance is bliss¡¯ ...until now.


    Nothing good woulde out of knowing everything I witnessed at the bottom of that dungeon earlier today.


    My mother¡¯s hoarse voice broke the silence that followed after my story.


    "When Professor Glory came in yesterday during the middle of the night, she was wounded and tired, but from her expression, I knew she wasn¡¯t even thinking about that."


    "She said that you stayed behind with her to save the ss. She told me you were a hero. But you know what? I didn¡¯t care." Her voice barely made it to a whisper as she trembled slightly.


    "More so than some hero, I just wanted my son toe home without being half-dead every time. What if one of these days..." My mother couldn¡¯t finish her sentence as tears began streaming down her face once more.


    "Art, you¡¯re only twelve, but why does it feel like I¡¯ve almost lost you so many times already?" Her voice choked.


    Words failed to form again as I stared nkly at a particr mole on my mother¡¯s arm. How was I supposed to respond? Her question felt like a trap with no right answer.


    "Honey, that¡¯s enough." My father reached for Mother¡¯s hand and grasped it tenderly.


    I realized that, just like how I was growing, my parents were growing as well. My father¡¯s once immature, haughty side had been molded into a mature and gentle demeanor. He was still the same father that cracked jokes, but he had ayer of depth now that most likely came with raising my sister.


    My mother had always been on the mature side but through the years, she¡¯d be a bit more refined. Associating with the Helstea House and with Tabitha and Vincent¡¯s friends had made her more elegant, but right now, she seemed to have reverted back to an earlier age when her emotions weren¡¯t as stable.


    I didn¡¯t me her. I would probably be tempted to lock Ellie indoors if she ever came home even half as wounded as I had earlier today.


    The rest of the conversation went by a bit morefortably. Tabitha and Vincent came down after noticing that things seemed to have settled. I hadn¡¯t seen them in quite a while so after greeting them, we all took some time to catch up.


    Soon, Ellie was nodding off to sleep so I carried her to her room, leaving Sylvie with her. Even in her sleep, my sister still sniffled from crying so much. Through the night, she didn¡¯t say a word. I knew that this episode had been pretty traumatic for her. A professor actually visited them, after all, and told them that I was missing. If not for the ring that my mother wore telling her that I, at the very least, had not died, she probably would¡¯ve fainted.


    It might actually have been worse for my mother, in this case, to have the ring. All she could do was stare at the ring, waiting for it to notify her that her son had died. What kind of mother would be fine after going through that?


    Getting to my room, I slipped out of my tattered uniform and washed up. I nted my face directly against the current of the warm, gushing water, almost wanting it to erase what had urred earlier in the dungeon. Alea¡¯sst moments kept pounding into my skull, a constant reminder of how weak I was.


    The image broke as two short knocks tapped against my door.


    "Can Ie in?"


    "Sure," I replied.


    My father entered, closing the door behind him before taking a seat next to me on my bed.


    "Arthur, don¡¯t mind too much what your mother said tonight. She may have said she didn¡¯t want a hero but we are both proud of what you did back there in the dungeon. Knowing that my son isn¡¯t someone who would abandon his allies is something I can take absolute pride in."


    I always knew when my father was serious because he would call me by my full name instead of my nickname, Art.


    "I don¡¯t know what really happened back there in the dungeon and I won¡¯t ask, but just know that I¡¯ll support whatever you decide to do."


    I struggled to swallow the knot that formed in my throat upon hearing my father¡¯sst sentence. It was supposed to be a supportive statement but all I felt was a sour taste in my mouth.


    Without giving me a chance to respond, my father stood up and ruffled my hair. Opening the door to my room, he turned his head and gave me a goofy grin before walking out.


    I didn¡¯t immediately go to sleep when he closed the door behind him. Instead, I sat cross-legged, and began doing something I haven¡¯t done seriously in a long time¡ªtrain.


    ____________________________________________


    The dark yellow core inside the pit of my sternum had cracks all over it, signaling that I was about to break through soon.


    The various noises of the night were drowned out as I keenly focused on the activity going on inside me. Wind, Earth, Fire, Water... these were the basic elemental attributes that mana contained, but that was it; they were merely attributes.


    When mana circted inside the core and throughout the body, it wasn¡¯t distinguished as anything other than simple mana. Like the ki in my old world, it was formless, attributeless, and pure. Over time, mana adapted to its surroundings and formed attributes. For example, near regions in the north where there was much more snow and water, magic pertaining to those elements would obviously be stronger due to the attributes of the mana. The mana, depending on the environment, slowly changed and contained attributes to better exist there.


    As mages, we were able to absorb, purify and guide mana with our will into different shapes and forms that we called "spells."


    The purer our mana core was, the higher the capability we had in manipting the existing mana inside us. As to how well one utilized their mana, that would depend on how creative, sharp, and skillful the mage was in battle.


    The whole aspect of elementsy in the underlying fact that everyone had elements that they were naturally more sensitive to¡ªbeing able to manifest and shape that pure, attributeless mana into an element being the cause.


    Alea, along with the other Lances, was most likely a white core mage, capable of causing widespread devastation if she truly wished to. Yet, Alea had been so easily defeated and killed by that ck-horned demon.


    Every pore in my body took part in absorbing the surrounding mana as the mana inside my core swirled fiercely.


    I imagined the sound of the outeryer of my core cracking as the bright yellow underneath the crumbling outer shell was revealed.


    As I let out a deep breath, I stood up and opened my eyes to stare deeply at my hands. I willed mana out of my body and it began circting around me.


    Letting out an unsatisfied tch, I sat back down again and began cultivating once more. It took me almost the entire night to break through when I had already been on the brink anyway.


    How much more did I have to train in order to even be on par with those demons? If even a white core mage had to give her life to merely chip off a fragment of the demon¡¯s horn, what stage did I have to get to?


    What would happen after breaking past the white core stage?

 Chapter 72: A Confusing Day

    I decided to stay home one more day before heading back to school. I was going toe back next week for the Aurora Constete, but I guess Mother and Ellie had developed some sort of trauma, that I was going to somehow get hurt every time I left home.


    I knew that I had people to inform but I owed it to them to be there.


    As a change of pace, I was determined to spend time with my family, namely my mother and sister. Father left at dawn for work after checking up on me so it would just be myself and the girls. Tabitha decided to tag along and after a rather brief discussion; they wanted to go shopping. It was fairly apparent to me that they wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer.


    Sigh...


    I could at least use that chance to take a detour, after, to Xyrus Academy. I knew that everyone was safe ording to what my parents heard from Professor Glory, but I shouldn¡¯t keep them in the dark about what happened to me for an extra day. I was also a bit worried about the condition of Tess¡¯s assimtion.


    I lost count of the many ces we visited after the umpteenth store but I didn¡¯t dare show my displeasure in front of the girls. While browsing through the stores, I realized how ignorant I was. The fact that the only time I¡¯d visited the shops was a bit after I was first reborn into this world, struck me; this, coupled with the fact that I had no noteworthy equipment besides my sword, made me contemte getting new equipment. I still remembered the time when I was slung on Mother¡¯s back and got to see all of the small tents filled with merchandise back up in the tiny town of Ashber.


    Most of my childhood was spent in the Kingdom of Elenoir, more specifically, inside the castle. Even the previous time I went shopping with thedies, we went directly to the fashion district so nothing appealed to me. There were some items with protective capabilities from either their material or from runes etched into the inside, but nothing powerful enough to catch my interest.


    "Aunt Helstea, are there stores where they sell something that can help me train faster?" I asked while we headed inside a store that exclusively sold scarves.


    "Hmm? You mean elixirs? Of course." Tabitha gave me a confused look as if I had asked some sort of trick question.


    I¡¯d never used the elixirs here, but if they were anything like the drugs some practitioners used in my old world, then I didn¡¯t want to go anywhere near them.


    "There¡¯s actually a small elixir and medicine shop around the corner if you want to go take a look while we shop for some scarves..."


    That was all I needed to hear before strategically bolting out the store.


    "Thank you! I¡¯ll meet you in front of the store!" I shouted while running out after carefully dropping the bags I was assigned to carry.


    "Kyuu!" ¡¯Don¡¯t leave me!¡¯


    I saw Sylvie extend a paw out towards me in a desperate attempt to escape Ellie¡¯s firm hold on her but I just gave her a look of condolence before running off.


    Your sacrifice will not be in vain, I saluted.


    After turning the corner as per instructions, my face crumpled up in bewilderment.


    This was a store?!


    The corner I turned at led me into a narrow alleyway thugs probably used to mug unsuspecting passersby. At the end of the narrow alleyway was a dingy shack that even rats would find too revolting to live in. The wooden nks that made up the store looked like they had been painted with moss and fungus as a musty, stale air emanated out, drifting towards me. At least itplemented the sickly green weeds creeping out from the bottom of the store as if even they didn¡¯t want to be stuck there.


    WINDSOM¡¯S POTIONS AND MEDICINES


    I had to tilt my head to read the etched title on the angled sign, which had been barely dangling on a single nail.


    Did they really sell potions and medicines there? I would be less surprised if they sold bottled diseases and poisons.


    "Spare some change, youngd?" A haggard voice startled me out of my stupefied state.


    Beside me sat a pale old man with a hand reached out towards me, palms up.


    I immediately took a step back in surprise, instinctivelyyering my body with mana.


    How did I not sense this old man that was almost right next to me?


    "You look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost, youngd. I¡¯m but a mere aged man asking for some change." The old man¡¯s face wrinkled as he revealed a pearly white smile that didn¡¯t match his ragged state.


    "Ah yeah, sure." I reached in my pocket for a copper coin, using the opportunity to take a closer look at him.


    With a thick, ubed bed of pepper-tinted hair that fell down to his slightly hunched shoulders, he looked up at me with milky eyes. The old man¡¯s wizened face, though, didn¡¯te off to me as weak and weary, but intelligent and bright, for some reason. I could tell that this man was probably very handsome in his youth, which all the more made me feel a bit disheartened seeing him end up like this.


    "Many thanks, youngd." His gnarled hands nimbly grabbed the coin out of my hand with a speed that surprised me.


    Between his middle and index fingers was a coin that was silver instead of copper.


    Shit! I gave him a silver coin by mistake! That was a hundred copper coins!


    "Wait... I meant to give you this..." I reached into my pocket again and when I made sure that this time, the coin in my hand was indeed copper, I looked back up to see that the old man was gone.


    "What the f..." I stood there, bewildered for the third time in thest 5 minutes.


    My money...


    After letting a helpless sigh escape my lips, I took a step forward towards Windsom¡¯s potion shack. I reached for the handle of the wooden door that seemed like it would break upon mere contact when I felt a concentration of mana from the copper doorknob.


    Coating my hand in mana, I wrapped my fingers around the knob, preparing to turn it, when a stiff jolt coursed through my hand and up my arm. Thankfully, the mana protecting my hand helped me from pulling away so I forcefully twisted the knob, opening the door.


    As soon as the door unlocked, the shock stopped as well. Pushing open the creaking door, I¡¯m weed by a breeze of something indescribably horrendous. The stench was so strong that it immediately triggered a stream of coughs from me.


    "Oh, a customer! What can I do for you?" a familiar voice weed me.


    "You!" I couldn¡¯t help but point my finger at him in both anger and confusion. It was the same homeless old man that disappeared after taking my silver coin!


    "What brings you in here?" He looked at me with an innocent expression.


    I sighed in frustration. "Can I just have my coin back? I need that money to buy some stuff I need... and besides, you said you were homeless." I stuck my hand out towards him.


    "No, no... I said I was but a mere aged man. Based on the environment where you met me and by my appearance and demeanor, you assumed I was homeless." He wagged his finger at me in a scolding manner, as if I was the one in the wrong. "How about this, you can pick one item here for free as a thank you for the present," he continued in a magnanimous manner as he twiddled my silver coin between his fingers, mockingly.


    My brows twitched in annoyance but I calmed myself down and quickly took a scan around the sorry excuse of a store.


    "Are you sure there are even items here worth a silver coin?" My voice came out with a twinge of frustration in it.


    "Of course! I don¡¯t give this chance to just anyone, you know. You just have to choose carefully." The old man¡¯s eyes gave off the excited twinkle of a second-rate gambler with a winning hand.


    I rubbed my temples to try and calm the boiling rage stirring up inside of me.


    The elderly should be respected, Arthur.


    The elderly should be respected...


    By this time, my nose had be ustomed to the mysterious stench that had the power to drive even the most ferocious mana beasts away. Taking a look through the shelves caked with dust, I became more and more amazed at how this ce was still even running.


    "Don¡¯t you ever clean this ce, old man?" I asked as I slid my finger along one of the shelves. I could probably build a snowman out of dust with the amount collected here.


    "Are you asking an aged man like myself to do manualbor?" He gasped sarcastically, putting on a horrified expression.


    "Nevermind." I couldn¡¯t help but roll my eyes at this man. I couldn¡¯t gauge him and that made it all the harder for me to trust him.


    Making my way past the half-open boxes blocking the path, I went towards the shelves near the back of the store.


    While scanning through the various vials and containers filled with either murky liquid or colored pills, I was startled by a figure sitting on the top of the shelf.


    Dammit, what was with this ce?


    I couldn¡¯t sense anything inside here until it was right in front of my nose.


    The figure became more apparent as I focused on it; it was an almost pitch ck cat. The only part of its body that wasn¡¯t ck were the tuffs of white fur in front of its ears, but that wasn¡¯t what caught my attention. It was the cat¡¯s captivating eyes. Eyes that seemed as if it held the universe inside them. They looked like mirrored night skies with bright twinkling stars sprinkled inside them, with white, vertical slitted pupils glowing like a crescent moons.


    As I stayed fixated on the cat¡¯s bewitching eyes, the cat peered back down at me from the top of the shelf with a sense of obvious superiority before it turned back and walked away.


    Shaking my head, I focused back on the various bottles and containers when a small ck box catches my attention.


    Picking up the in box, roughly about the size of something you would use to store small jewelry, I tried to open it. With a small click, the hinge came undone to reveal a small ring inside it. I brought the ring closer to my face when the ¡¯gem¡¯ embedded into the ring suddenly squirted something out towards me.


    Instantly, I whipped my head to the side so the stream of clear liquid missed andnded behind me.


    It was water.


    "Tch... you dodged it." I turned my head back to see the old man grumbling while still fiddling with my silver coin.


    "..."


    At this point, I felt like if I stayed any longer, I would lose my sanity. First, the shocking doorknob... now, this squirting ring. This old man sure loved his pranks... even his cat looked down on me.


    But I was determined. If I could get anything inside this store for free, I was going to get the most valuable item inside this store.


    I must¡¯ve spent at least an hour inside, justbing through elixirs that I didn¡¯t need. Why would a twelve-year-old need an elixir for hair growth?


    "Kyu!" ¡¯Papa! I¡¯m here!¡¯


    A white blur whizzed past the door that was left open andnded on my head.


    "Kuu!" ¡¯Papa, you left me!¡¯ Sylvie puffed while smacking my forehead with her paw.


    You survived,rade! I smiled, rubbing her tiny head.


    "Old man, I can¡¯t find anything I..." I began to say but the expression the old man had on his face made me stop. He was the one that looked like he saw ghost this time because his already pale face became whiter. His milky eyes that sagged down from old age looked like full moons, his expression stricken.


    "We finally found..."


    "You okay, old man?" I waved my hand in front of him. The shop owner shook his head and let out a cough.


    "Yes, I¡¯m quite alright." His voice quivered a bit, confusing me.


    "Anyway, old man, I can¡¯t find anything worth taking back with me. Can¡¯t you just give me back my money?" I grumbled as I took onest scan through the store.


    "You really don¡¯t have an eye for anything." He walked out from behind his counter and strolled to one of the shelves in the front corner of the store.


    "Ah, here we are." Without even looking back, he tossed back to me a small ball about the size of a marble. It wasyered in dust but when I wiped it clean, it was clear with specks of different colors floating inside it.


    "What is this?" I asked as I brought the orb closer to my face to study it, making sure it wouldn¡¯t spray me with water.


    "Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s something you¡¯re going to need. Now scat. Teasing you bores me." He shooed me off.


    "Okay, okay." I walked out of the store on my own, taking onest look back at the old shack.


    As I strolled out of the narrow alleyway, I spotted the ck cat gazing at me and then Sylvie before turning away as if it had lost interest.


    Thinking little of it, I reached the intersection out of the alley and turn the corner to see my mother and sister sitting down at a table with Tabitha.


    "Hi Brother!" Ellie waved while holding a drink with her other hand.


    "Did you find what you were looking for?" Mother asked as she put down her refreshment as well.


    "I...think?" I scratched my head. I put the clear orb inside my dimension ring to study itter but I couldn¡¯t help but think that it wasn¡¯t anything special.


    "Oh really? That store is considered famous for having quite the variety of elixirs and medicines to help with training. Most of the students in Xyrus go there to shop for training materials." Tabitha got up, picking all of the shopping bags off the floor.


    "What? That shabby old ce?" I replied, surprised that a bunch of rich snobby brats would go out of their way to shop at a rundown shack.


    "Shabby? What are you talking about?" My mother and sister got up too, handing me their bags nonchntly.


    As we walked towards the alleyway, Tabitha turned the corner first and pointed at the shop.


    "I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s shabby," she said, a bit confused by myment.


    "Really? If that¡¯s not shabby then I don¡¯t know..."


    My jaw dropped along with the shopping bags I was holding onto.


    In ce of the previous narrow alleyway leading towards the worn-down shack was a marble-paved roadid out towards a three-story building with a gold sign that read:


    XYRUS ELIXIRS

 Chapter 73: One Fallen

    Throughout the rest of the shopping trip, I was in a daze as my thoughts lingered on the transforming alleyway.


    Was I already bing senile?


    "Mom... Aunt Tabitha... Do streets in Xyrus... er... move on their own?" The statement sounded as crazy as I thought, even though it came from my own lips.


    "Huh? Moving streets?" I could almost see the manifestation of question marks on top of their heads as they gazed quizzically at me.


    "Ahaha.... Never mind." I let out a sigh as I looked back at the street where Xyrus Elixirs now stood.


    "Did something happen at the elixir store, Arthur?" Tabitha asked.


    "You didn¡¯t cause trouble in there, did you?!" my mother followed.


    "Do you assume I cause trouble every time I¡¯m away, Mother?"


    "Of course," both my mother and sister responded in unison.


    Ouch.


    I clutch my chest over heart as I put on a hurt expression, getting augh out of everyone.


    The rest of the shopping trip went by without any other urrences that broke thews of matter or physics. My new DC uniform had to be ordered from school since it was different from the rest of the school¡¯s outfits so I didn¡¯t have anything else I needed to buy.


    My mother and sister, along with Tabitha, once again tried to use me as a human mannequin. This time, even the teenage store clerks joined in while asionally taking peeks through the changing room curtains with staresparable to starving animals looking at fresh meat.


    Was it weird that I feared for my life more so on these asions than when I fought in dungeons?


    After hours of shopping, the staggering amount of clothes that filled the numerous bags were probably enough to open up a small store. Fortunately, the driver came by every hour or so to relieve us of the bulk of our purchases.


    Out of that pile, the only clothes that belonged to me were a set of sleepwear that I found to be toofortable not to buy. Supposedly it was made from the wool of a particr type of mana beast.


    The sun began its further descent from the edge of the city, reminding me that Xyrus was indeed a floating plot ofnd.


    As we reached the carriage waiting for us on the other end of the shopping district, I noticed that there was a separate wagon attached to the back, holding all the clothes and essories we (they) bought.


    "Mom, I¡¯m going to stop by Xyrus before heading back home," I said after cing thest of the bags I was holding onto the carriage.


    "Why? Is something wrong?" A jolt of panic shed in my mother¡¯s eyes.


    "Haha, no. I just thought it wouldn¡¯t be good to keep everyone wondering if I was dead or alive," I chuckled.


    "Ahh, it was just that. Go on then, of course you should tell everyone that you¡¯re back safe and sound. Just don¡¯t make any other detours on the way back," my mother responded, pinching my nose as she gave me a stern look.


    "Gotcha!" My voice came out nasally as I replied.


    Sylvie and I watched as everyone climbed into the carriage and left. Waving back to my sister who was yelling that I had to be back in time for dinner, I turned and headed towards Xyrus Academy.


    _________________________________________


    Xyrus Academy wasn¡¯t too far from the shopping district but it was still a bit of a distance to travel on foot. The sun was beginning to set as we made our way to Director Goodsky¡¯s office, which was on the top floor of the second highest building in the school, losing only to the bell tower that served as a useful lookout post for the Disciplinary Committee.


    As the academy towers got closer, I willed mana into my body and jumped up to the roof of a nearby building. Skirting from one building to the next, the view around me became an indistinct blur, the only thing clearly visible being Sylvie, who was racing alongside me, enjoying the breeze.


    Making our way to school in silence, my mind began wandering.


    It was when my mind wandered that I thought of things that I would rather not think of.


    The scene of Alea¡¯sst moments shed through my mind. How she, in all of her glory and mightiness, had still been afraid of dying... dying alone. What if the one that I held in my arms hadn¡¯t been Alea but Tess?


    My body shivered at the thought.


    How was she doing? Was she well? Did her assimtion go through all right? What if something went wrong...


    No. You can¡¯t think like that, Arthur. Positive thoughts...


    Gritting my teeth, I willed more mana through my body and sped up.


    Without the seal inhibiting me, I felt the deep influence of mana surrounding everything. I ran faster, as fast as I could possibly go, as if running away from my own thoughts.


    The wind bent to my will, pushing me forward as the earthen surfaces of the buildings almost seem to resonate and keep me in bnce by its own will. The moisture in the atmosphere kept me cool and even the small mes from themps burnt brighter as I passed them by.


    I¡¯d noticed before but the more my mana core evolved, the more sensitive I became to mana; I could even go as far as to say I was bing more integrated with the mana around me.


    I thought back to when I first met Virion. I wasn¡¯t nearly as sensitive to mana back then, but even I could tell that, around him, the mana would fluctuate and move to amodate his presence. Even though both Virion and Director Goodsky were wind attribute mages, the way they influenced the mana around them were vastly different.


    For Director Goodsky, the mana formed light breezes of wind that danced around her; for Virion, it was the opposite. The mana affected the air around Gramps bypletely expelling any wind in his vicinity. It wasn¡¯t as apparent normally, but when he switched into fighting mode, it felt like even the air was afraid to move near him.


    If that sort of phenomenon urred naturally from just a silver core mage, what would it be like if they broke through to the white stage?


    I felt a twinge of regret when I realized that Alea was the only white core mage I¡¯d seen in person so far. Yet, because her mana core waspletely shattered by the ck spike that pierced through her, even the mana disregarded her, as if she was no longer loved by nature.


    "Kyu!" ¡¯We¡¯re almost here!¡¯


    Sylvie¡¯s chirpy voice snapped me out of my thoughts as I focused my gaze onto the lighting out of the window of Director Goodsky¡¯s office.


    Sylvie,e over here.


    My bond jumped into my arms as I prepared to take off. The academy ground had a barrier that repelled anything with a mana core or beast core that wasn¡¯t permitted to enter. It wasn¡¯t all that powerful since its main function was to notify if there was anyone passing through unauthorized. I had my DC uniform in my dimension ring, along with the knife that was used for authorization, so I wouldn¡¯t set off the rm; Sylvie, on the other hand, might, if she wasn¡¯t attached to me.


    Concentrating the mana from my core and willing it to take the form of wind underneath the soles of my feet, I leaped off the edge of the building¡¯s roof I was on with as much strength as I could muster.


    "HAAAAAAAP!"


    I felt the building almost giving out as a whirlwind sprung up and propelled me higher. I must¡¯ve been about 100 meters in the air when I realized that by the trajectory and speed I was traveling, I probably wasn¡¯t going to make it all the way to the building.


    "HOLD ON, SYLV!"


    As the anxiety faded, excitement boiled in me as I yelled over the gushing wind that attempted to drown out my voice. Feeling Sylvie¡¯s paws clinging to my shirt, I held her tighter as well.


    Biting my lip with concentration, I drove all of my unwanted thoughts away.


    Shifting my body weight so that my feet were right underneath me, I turned in midair, and released a roundhouse kick.


    [Draft Step]


    I activated the skill I¡¯d used against Theo that allowed me to elerate or change direction by using an opposing force of wind to push against my feet. Of course, this time, it consumed a lot more mana as I was basically changing direction mid-air and at a much greater speed, but I got the oue I hoped for.


    With the speed boost I got from Draft Step, I was once again on a collision course straight towards the rooftop of the building Director Goodsky¡¯s office was in.


    "!!!!!!!!!!!"


    Whether it was due to being drunk from the adrenaline rush, or just me trying to forcefully get rid of the depressing memories that were always haunting me in the back of my mind, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a soul-cleansing roar. The sensation of flying through the air like this was different from when I rode on Sylvie.


    Just as I realized that I hadn¡¯t quite nned mynding, my body already shot through the air and noisily crashed against several unidentified objects. Despite destroying some of the roof, I somehow managed tond on my feet. As expected of me.


    "KYU!!!" ¡¯THAT WAS FUN! LET¡¯S DO THAT AGAIN!¡¯


    Sylvie hopped in circles around me as she continued chirping for a second round.


    Patting the dust off of my clothes, I looked up.


    From the edge of the building, I was able to see a sight I was never able to experience even in my past life.


    Xyrus was a floating city; I seemed to constantly forget this fact. I was able to see the edge of the city where isted clouds floated nearby. I continued to be mesmerized as the rays from the setting sun hit the clouds at an angle that made them appear fiery red. Contrasting against the sun-kissed sky below was a curtain of serene purple¡ªthe atmosphere.


    "Kyu..." Sylvie propped her head up on the ledge as she gazed silently as well.


    The word breathtaking wasn¡¯t just an expression in this case. It was as if Xyrus City was floating on an endless sea of soft marigold that blended harmoniously with the starry night above. That sort of view, that only seemed to be present in fairy-tales, was only made possible due to the city¡¯s high elevation.


    I took out a metal ne from my dimension ring and began mindlessly fiddling with it.


    ...


    For the time that I stood there leaning against the ledge of the building, I was almost able to forget about what happened back in the dungeon; for that brief period of time, the world seemed perfect.


    "Quite the view, isn¡¯t it?" a familiar aged voice echoed from behind.


    "It is..." I replied without turning back.


    "It¡¯s my most treasured spot, you know... Ie here often when I want to rest my mind," she breathed.


    "Mm."


    "I see you made quite thending. I¡¯ll have to have Triciae clean all this up."


    "I apologize for that, I¡¯ll help as well."


    "I heard your battle cry. I suspect the whole school will be wondering what happened."


    "Haha..." I let out a stifledugh.


    "..."


    I expected Goodsky toe join us, but instead, she stayed where she was.


    "You¡¯re not going to ask me how I¡¯m still alive?" I asked as my eyes stayed glued to the view of the horizon.


    "It seemed like it wasn¡¯t a good time to ask. I am just d that you are alive and well." Goodsky¡¯s voice was quiet, almost feeble.


    "I¡¯m well?" I asked myself under my breath.


    "Am I well?" I repeated, loud enough for her to hear, a tinge of sadness evident in my tone.


    "..."


    I looked down at the ne I was fiddling with. It was a small bloodstained te of metal attached to a crude chain. Engraved on that te was a picture of sixnces forming a circle; underneath that insignia were the initials:


    A.T.


    Tracing the letters with my thumb, I scoffed at how much it looked like a dog tag¡ªthe same as those worn by soldiers during ancient times in my old world to identify them, just in case their corpses were mangled past the point of recognition.


    "...What exactly happened down there, Arthur?" Director Goodsky¡¯s voice was hesitant as she asked this.


    Turning to face her with the best half-smile I could muster, I threw the tag over.


    "This was what happened," I replied as Goodsky let out a soft gasp with one hand covering her mouth, while the other held the ne.

 Chapter 74: A Will’s Last Breath

    CYNTHIA GOODSKY¡¯S POV:


    The Council had handed this simple adamantine tag, engraved with the owner¡¯s initials, to each of the Six Lances. This idea had actually been thought up by the members of the Six Lances themselves.


    When they requested this, they exined to The Council that they needed something made of an almost indestructible material so that even if their bodies were obliterated, the ne would still be intact and used as a sort of identification. It would be a memento for them¡ªa sort of grim reminder that they could die at any time.


    In contrast to the grim faces of the Six Lances, I distinctly remember that The Council had joked with them, asking if there was anything even capable of destroying their bodies past the point of recognition. I recalled chuckling alongside them, even though I knew...


    Even though I knew that...There were beings capable of wiping out the crownednces off the face of this.


    But why... why am I seeing this tag so soon? It was too early. They shouldn¡¯t be moving this early. I estimated that it would take at least another 15 to 20 years before they would start making their move.


    I thought I had time.


    I thought we had time...


    "Director?" Arthur¡¯s inquisitive voice shook me out of my daze.


    "Ah, yes... Arthur, do you mind if I hold onto this? It would be safe for me to assume that The Council would want this back." I took careful notice of the tone of my voice to make sure I wouldn¡¯t arouse suspicion from Arthur. The boy was just abnormally sharp.


    "Things are changing, aren¡¯t they." It was supposed to be a question, but by the tone of Arthur¡¯s voice, it sounded like a statement with implied conviction.


    Was it wise for me to tell him? Or rather, did he already know something?


    "Yes, but it isn¡¯t something for you to worry about. Not yet, at least." I knew my smile andforting words wouldn¡¯t reach him.


    "Arthur, you may forget sometimes¡ªhell, even I tend to forget at times¡ªbut you are still a child. A strong child with limitless potential, yes, but a child nevertheless. Let us adults take on the burden for now; your time wille, whether you wish for it or not." As I said this, I realized this message was more for myself than for Arthur.


    Yes, he was a child. It wouldn¡¯t be fair for him to be involved in the affairs of the Continent... but if he already knew...


    "Did you perhaps... see whatever Alea fought against?" I had to choose my words carefully to make sure that my question didn¡¯t give anything away.


    "No, I didn¡¯t." The answer was said with full confidence, but for some reason, his answer made me second-guess myself.


    However, no use in suspecting the boy. It wouldn¡¯t make sense for him to hide anything about an event like this.


    Still... I was d he didn¡¯t seem to have figured anything out.


    "I see... Well, enough about this topic. You must be worried about how everyone is doing." I let a soft, relieved smile escape as I said this.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    The director¡¯s response somehow left a bad taste in my mouth. She sounded almost... relieved at my response.


    "Yeah, how is everyone doing?" In the end, I decided to move on. There was no point in being skeptical of everyone around me. I¡¯d just assume she skipped out on asking the details for my sake.


    "As you may have already deduced, your ssmates weren¡¯t all too injured. We had them sent to the guild infirmary hall to be cared for and thankfully, most were able toe to school today. Professor Glory was actually the most wounded, but she refused to be healed until all of her students were treated. I heard she even paid a visit to your family to notify them of your disappearance after transporting everyone back." Director Goodsky chuckled.


    "That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good... And how is Tess doing?" I inquired.


    Goodsky¡¯s face wrinkled a bit as she disyed obvious hesitation.


    "Tess... Tess is okay," she replied. I could tell she chose her words carefully.


    "What exactly do you mean by that?" I raised a brow, urging for a proper response while an uneasy feeling started to stir within me.


    "There were some...plications... in the final stages of her assimtion. Virion is currently looking after her but she has yet to awaken." Her voice was quiet as she spoke.


    "Complications?" My voice came out a bit fiercer than I intended it to be.


    "You need to understand that the final leg of assimtion is when the Beast Will struggles the hardest. Right now, Tessia and the elderwood guardian are fighting for control. Thus far, there has never been a case where the receiver of the will falls into aa to this extent. Based on our theory, there seems to be something particr about the Beast Will you gave her, Arthur," replied Goodsky earnestly.


    What... was this my fault? I put Tess in danger...? A flurry of thoughts raced through my mind as I tried to think of an exnation as to why such a thing urred.


    There was something particr about the elderwood? What was it? Yeah, it was strong, but was it stronger than other S ss mana beasts? I wouldn¡¯t know since it had been my first time fighting one.


    Particr...?


    My mind shed back to the dungeon, and more specifically, what Alea had told me. She had mentioned that the ck-horned demons were causing the monsters to mutate and grow stronger.


    Was that what had happened? Had I given Tess a potentially corrupted beast core? No, I couldn¡¯t have. I remembered Alea exining how the beast core of the serpent she defeated had mysteriously disappeared. Shouldn¡¯t that have happened to the elderwood guardian¡¯s beast core as well then?


    "Arthur? Are you okay?" Director Goodsky¡¯s concerned voice stirred me from the deep abyss of my thoughts.


    "Yeah, just thinking," I voiced as my eyes zed over at the night view of the city.


    "In any case, Virion is currently looking after her in your training room. Would you like to go visit them now?" Director Goodsky gave me a reassuring smile.


    "Yeah, I¡¯d like that."


    "Mmm... then go on ahead, because even I have not been updated on the situation. Virion has not let anyone in, but I feel like you¡¯d be an exception. I must make a trip to The Council to inform them of what happened." Goodsky suddenly looked infinitely older as she mentioned The Council.


    "Is it okay for Grandpa Virion to not be present during the council meeting?" I asked.


    Director Goodsky shook her head before replying, "Virion is in no state to be bothered with this matter when his precious granddaughter is currently unconscious. And besides, him being there with Tess is the only reason Alduin and Merial can stand to be away from their daughter and remain with The Council."


    "I see. Okay, well I hope you keep me informed on this matter." I made my way to the door.


    "My only concern is that you may have to be a lot more involved this time than you¡¯d wish to be." Director Goodsky breathed a sigh before a gust of wind enveloped her and whisked her away.


    __________________________________________________


    As I made my way down by riding the elevator, Sylvie stirred from her sleep.


    ¡¯I feel Mama.¡¯


    As I walked slowly towards the training room that had been assigned to me, my feet seemed to weigh a lot more than they should. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯d react if Tess were injured. The only reason I felt it wasn¡¯t necessary to visit everyone else right away was because I assumed everyone would be safe.


    ¡¯I said, "I feel Mama!"¡¯ Sylvie thumped my forehead with her paw.


    "I know!" I waved her paw away before turning my focus back to the giant double-door entrance that drew nearer.


    "Ouch." The skin under my dimension ring suddenly burned as if something inside it wanted toe out.


    Ignoring it, as I had more pressing matters, I ced both my palms on the surface of the door and pushed it open.


    As soon as the door swung open, an unfamiliar sinister aura visibly surged forward in an attempt to trap me. This dark fog felt like thousands of thorny vines as it coiled around my arms and legs.


    "WHO¡¯S TH... ARTHUR?" Amidst the noticeably dark wave emanating from a particr focal point, I heard Grandpa Virion¡¯s husky voice boom.


    "Yeah, it¡¯s me, Gramps! What¡¯s going on?" I yelled past the sound of what reminded me of the crashing of an ocean¡¯s waves against a cliff.


    "God, am I d you¡¯re still alive, brat. I think I¡¯m bing somewhat thankful for your cockroach-like tenacity, HAHA! Come over here, I need your help!" Still confused by what was happening, I chose to ignore Gramps¡¯ slightly insulting metaphor and walked carefully towards him. The aura was getting stronger, and I felt my skin start to bleed from small tears, which cut through my clothes.


    Willing mana to shield both Sylvie and I, I made my way towards the source of the aura using Grandpa Virion¡¯s hazy figure as a guide; each step felt like I was pushing against a reinforced wall.


    "What in the... Tess?!" As I got closer, I could faintly make out the figure, lying in front of Gramps¡ªthe source of this aura.


    When I finally reached Grandpa Virion, I winced from the searing pain, caused by my dimension ring, that seemed to have gotten stronger. Gramps wasn¡¯t in good shape; his pale face was drenched in sweat as he tried his best to suppress the oppressive aura emanating from Tess to little avail.


    I took a closer look and what I saw made my eyes widen in surprise. Tendrils of vinespletely enclosed the figure I assumed was Tess. The thick dark aura made it hard for me to make out what it was until now.


    "How much time has passed on the outside, brat? I think I¡¯ve been holding in this foul aura for a day or so since she came back from the dungeon." He gave me a weary chuckle.


    "What¡¯s happening to her, Gramps?" I didn¡¯t remember anything like this happening back when I was assimting with Sylvia¡¯s dragon will.


    "Honestly, I¡¯m not sure Typically, the purpose of assimtion is to enable the host¡¯s body to gradually withstand and control the beast will¡¯s power, but in this case, it seems to be the opposite. I¡¯m beginning to worry that this beast¡¯s will is trying to take over Tess¡¯ body." Grandpa Virion¡¯s shaking voice was filled with unease.


    "How is that possible? I¡¯ve never heard of something like that happening." My brows furrowed as I contemted the possible cause. My thoughts kept going back to the mana beasts that had been corrupted by the ck-horned demons.


    "I¡¯m not so sure, brat. I feel like that Elderwood you fought might¡¯ve been mutated." Virion¡¯s hoarse voice indicated that he was most likely at his breaking point.


    I was ready to take over for Gramps, ignoring the burning sensation from my ring that was evidently growing more painful.


    It happened even before my hands touched the surface of the cocoon Tess was in.


    I could instantly recognize the sound of flesh tearing as I instinctively shifted my body in hopes to dodge in time.


    "KYU!!!" ¡¯PAPA!¡¯


    "OII, ARTHUR!"


    Both Sylvie and Virion¡¯s voices sounded muffled through the pounding of my eardrums.

 Chapter 75: Order Of Power

    A stain of blood began spreading through the remains of my shirt as I barely managed to dodge the spear of twisted vines aimed straight for my heart.


    My heart pounded with a force strong enough to break out of my ribcage from the thought of death looming before me. I almost died. This sensation felt different from the other near-death experiences I had had. It was almost instantaneous; I could¡¯ve died in that split second, and it would¡¯ve been because of Tess, no less.


    I knew women were dangerous.


    Barely dodging the tendril, I grimaced at the feeling of blood trickling down my cheek.


    I almost chuckled at theical situation stirring in my mind. Grandpa Virion¡¯s hands were literally on the cocoon, but as soon as I got near her, a flurry of spear-like vines automatically locked onto me for the kill? I knew that, deep down, Tess was still mad at me.


    I parried the next dark, spear-like tendril before things became even worse. The cocoon that wrapped around Tess began expanding as an uncountable number of vines began surfacing from the ground beneath her.


    "Kuu!" ¡¯Papa, you¡¯re okay!¡¯ I heard Sylvie chirp near Gramps.


    Grandpa Virion¡¯s shoulders loosened as he let out a sigh of relief. "I thought you almost died, brat. What¡¯s happening now?"


    "Yeah, that was... a little too close forfort, and I honestly have no clue what¡¯s happening now, Gramps. Maybe your granddaughter doesn¡¯t like me so much anymore." I managed to shoot him a smirk, making him chuckle despite the situation we were in.


    After another thickyer of vines intertwined around the existing ones that formed Tess¡¯ cocoon, dozens of tendrils began positioning themselves to, once again, shoot at me. Just me.


    "Kuu..." ¡¯What do we do?¡¯


    Sylvie, who was perched next to Grandpa, tilted her head in confusion, since the ¡¯enemy¡¯ was her ¡¯mama.¡¯


    I want you to stay with Grandpa Virion. She¡¯s only aiming at me for some reason.


    After dodging the discharge of tendrils, I positioned myself away from Gramps and Sylvie. Gramps was drained of all his mana from suppressing the dark aura for almost two days straight while Sylvie was better off not interfering until I knew exactly what the implications would be.


    What¡¯s more, ¡¯Tess¡¯ was bing more creative in her attacks; her next wave of tendrils were evenced with sharp thorns. The more I avoided the spears of vines, the more sure I was that the beast will was dead set on trying to kill only me. It also wasn¡¯t helping that my ring was burning to an almost unbearable degree.


    Could it be that the elderwood guardian¡¯s dying will was hoping to gain redemption from me since I was the one that defeated him down in the dungeon? If that really happened to be the case, I hoped I lived long enough to find out.


    Frustrated, I withdrew my sword from my dimension ring, but as I did, something else came out with it.


    While Dawn¡¯s Bad appeared promptly in my hand, a small shining orb shot out of the ring towards the cocoon.


    It was the orb that that homeless storekeeper had given me!


    The clear orb, about the size of a marble, sparkled with an array of colors as it bolted towards the erging cocoon.


    What the hell?


    Grandpa Virion noticed it too but he only gazed at me in confusion, probably thinking that I had done it intentionally.


    Streaks of light escaped from the crevices in between the vines as the orb sunk into the cocoon.


    Before we even had the chance to wonder what was going on, an explosion urred from within the cocoon, revealing a menacing, naked, ck-haired Tess.


    As the orb sunk into her stomach where her mana core was, Tess¡¯ sicklyplexion went back to normal... no, beyond normal. Her now wless pearl skin seemed to literally radiate as her ck hair turned back into its original gunmetal silver hue.


    Her physical appearance wasn¡¯t the only thing that changed. As the orb disappearedpletely inside her abdomen, Tess¡¯ unconscious body waspletely covered in an aura I had never seen before¡ªdistinctly different from the usual mana existent in the atmosphere, in an almost mystical way.


    Surrounding her was a scorching meprised of brilliant emerald gems. Millions of green, leaf-shaped embers made up this unique aura. As the emerald aura expanded, the once-ck vines turned a serene jade green. Even as the mesmerizing aura drew nearer, for some reason, I didn¡¯t fear it. Before it reached any of us, the aura shrunk back and dissipated.


    As Tess¡¯ figure fell, I jumped up and took out the coat I used while I was an adventurer, swiftly wrapping it around her bare body as I held her in my arms.


    The dark aura that filled the training room waspletely gone, and more importantly, Tess was safe.


    "Mmm...not now, Arthur. Too soon," Tess mumbled as her face revealed a coquettish smile.


    ...She was most definitely safe.


    "Pfft! Hahahaha!" Relief washing over me, Iughed. Iughed full-heartedly at Tess¡¯ sleep talk and just at the fact that she was okay.


    "TESSIA!" Grandpa Virion came running with Sylvie dangling from his long white hair.


    "She¡¯s okay, Gramps. She¡¯s just sleeping now." I set her down and fell onto my butt as all the strength I had left, left me.


    Both Sylvie and Gramps began meticulously inspecting the slumbering Tess before they heaved a sigh of relief as well.


    "...She is okay." Gramps slumped down next to me while Sylvie curled up next to Tess. For a brief moment, we just nkly stared at the other end of the training grounds, too tired to even think.


    "..."


    "So did you get a good eyeful?" Turning my head, I could see Grandpa Virion¡¯s smirk grow so wide that I was rather surprised his lips didn¡¯t tear.


    "She¡¯s thirteen!" I groaned as I fell back on the soft grass-like moss.


    "Almost fourteen," he corrected as he shifted a his softening gaze back towards Tessia.


    "I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay, brat. This girl would¡¯ve been devastated if she found out you hadn¡¯t made it..." He paused.


    "...And thank you... for saving my granddaughter back at the dungeon, and now." Virion¡¯s voice grew softer, almost mumbling, as he said this.


    "What makes you think I saved your daughter, Gramps?" I replied without getting up, using my hands to support my head.


    "Call it a grandfather¡¯s intuition. With your abilities, I know that if you only thought of yourself, you wouldn¡¯t have ended up in dangerous situations like these. So again, thank you." The sincerity in his voice was confirmed as his eyes met mine.


    "Ugh, forget it. Don¡¯t get so serious like that all of a sudden, you¡¯re scaring me." I rolled to my side, my back facing Grandpa Virion.


    "So when did you get back? Your family knows you¡¯re alive, right?" Gramps replied.


    "Of course. I got homest night and even spent some time with my family earlier today..."


    Silence hovered between us for a few seconds before I spoke again.


    "Gramps, I¡¯m sorry. I-I should¡¯ve rushed back. I just assumed that she¡¯d be fine once she woke up since she crossed thest leg of assimtion with her beast will back at the dungeon. If I had known things could go wrong like this, I would¡¯ve rushed here as soon as I got back." I turned back to look at Virion, almost pleadingly.


    Back when I was assimting with Sylvia¡¯s beast will, I remembered Virion exining to me how there was one final wave of struggle from the beast will before the assimtion waspletely over, how that was normal...


    I should¡¯ve prepared for the worst.... I almost lost her today.


    This thought scared me a lot more than I would¡¯ve ever believed possible in my past life.


    "Your parents probably had their fair shares of worries raising you, huh?" Unexpectedly, Grandpa Virion let out a soft chortle.


    "Wha... yeah, I guess," I responded, thrown off by his sudden question.


    "You did good in going to your family first. Tessia has her family to take care of her... she¡¯s not alone, you know. You probably thought of this when you decided to spend the day with them. Your family probably needed you to be there for them as well, since you gave them quite a scare. Don¡¯t forget that and don¡¯t be sorry that you spent that much needed time with your family." Grandpa Virion patted my back, consolingly.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. I was thankful that he knew me well enough without needing an exnation, or an excuse...


    Again, a tranquil silence hung over us until I finally got around to asking the question that had been wing the back of my mind.


    "Hey, Gramps... how much do you know about the Six Lances?" I asked as my gaze focused on Sylvie, who ended up falling asleep, curled up next to Tess.


    "...The Six Lances? Why the sudden curiosity?" Virion asked after a while.


    I didn¡¯t respond.


    "What exactly do you want to know about them?" epting my silence, he responded tactfully.


    "How strong are they?" After a bit of thought, I started off with a simple question.


    He let out a slow, elongated breath. "Brat, let me start by asking you this: how strong do you imagine white core mages to be?"


    My brows furrowed as I began calcting how many mages it would take to hold down a single white core mage. Since it took roughly around twenty solid-yellow core mages to hold off a single silver core mage, would it take less silver core mages than that to beat a white core mage... or was the power level increase exponential?


    "I¡¯m not really sure, Gramps," I finally said, defeated.


    "To make it easier for you, we¡¯ll use myself as A figure of measurement. I don¡¯t ever recall explicitly telling you this, but I¡¯m a mid-silver core mage. It would take roughly around ten of me to keep one mid-white core mage at bay, and that¡¯s being optimistic." Grandpa Virion let out a chortle.


    "Ten of you..." I muttered under my breath.


    "Now, Cynthia is high-silver. Even after being generous, it would take around six or seven of her to keep one mid-white core at bay." He shrugged as he spoke.


    "..."


    I couldn¡¯t imagine my current self being able to defeat that many Virions or Goodskys. Perhaps if I were to release the second phase of my dragon¡¯s will, I might be barely able to contend with three Grampa Virions, however, the drawback would be tremendous.


    "I don¡¯t get it... where did these abnormally strong figurese from, and why haven¡¯t they decided to just take control of a kingdom? I mean, with their strength, it¡¯s not like any king or queen can give them much of a fight. What¡¯s been keeping the royal family in power when there are white core mages capable of ughtering them and their armies rather easily?" I asked, trying to make sense of this world¡¯s government system.


    "You have an excellent point. You¡¯re right¡ªby strength alone, the Six Lances, or any white core mage for that matter, could probably wipe out a kingdom on their own." He nced over at Tess to make sure she was still sleeping.


    "Before I say anything more, this will need to be kept an absolute secret from Tessia. I want her to stay ignorant of these rather... dark matters... at least until she¡¯s older." Grandpa Virion had a tender smile on his face as he looked at his granddaughter.


    "Mm. I¡¯ll keep it a secret." I nodded.


    "I¡¯ll exin where they came from after, but the strength of each one of the Six Lances... They are now above that of regr white core mages, but before being knighted, most of them were actually only Silver core mages." Gramps spoke with a faraway, peaceful expression.


    "Huh? That makes no sense..." I was about to rebut.


    "Brat, do you think the royal family, without any major powerhouses in line for the throne, could stay in power since the beginning of the three kingdoms?" His peaceful expression disappeared as he peered at me with a face clearly depicting his mixed feelings.


    He continued, "This is ssified information shared only to the royal families of each respective race, but I¡¯m telling you because, somehow, I know you¡¯ll need this information in the future and I know you¡¯ll be able to handle it..."


    He let out a heavy sigh that seemed to contain a bit of his very soul.


    "Do you believe in deities?"

 Chapter 76: Manifest Destinies

    The world of my past, the world where I came from, still oftenes to mind. It was a life of istion for me but it wasn¡¯t as if I loathed every moment of my near-forty years there. I especially enjoyed visiting the orphanages and ying with the children. Of course, most of the boys considered sword-fighting and ki training forms of y, so whenever I went, I ended up spending hours teaching them.


    I remembered one day rather explicitly, when a boy in the orphanage - ah right, Jacob was his name - asked me a question.


    "Brother Grey, do you believe in God?" he had asked, looking up while tugging on my sleeve.


    I¡¯d never believed in God, or whatever higher being some of the people believed in. How could there be a god in a world where your level of martial strength determined how you could live your life. Parents who birthed physically weak or crippled babies were considered humiliations, often ridiculed by others behind their backs. Those babies, even if they did grow up to live past adolescence, would never be able to amount to anything. They would have about as much recognition as a fly buzzing in someone¡¯s face: annoying, better off dead, useless.


    Even a woman, no matter how beautiful and charismatic she was, would only amount to a high-ss prostitute if she didn¡¯t have at least the minimum strength needed to be considered ¡¯mediocre¡¯ amongst practitioners. Even those old bastards in the council, that sat on their asses all day and used everyone like pawns, were once grand fighters and famous figures.


    How could a god exist in a world like that? Even if a god or deity existed in my previous world, he certainly wasn¡¯t very merciful or loving, let alone fair.


    When that child, Jacob, asked me if I believed in God, I couldn¡¯t answer. These children believed, like I once did, that there was a higher power watching over them... protecting them.


    Again, in this world, I was asked a simr question, but by someone much older than me.


    Did I believe in deities...some sort of higher powers that were above us and unreachable?


    "..."


    "I¡¯m not sure. Do deities exist?" The words ¡¯...in this world?¡¯ almost slipped from my mouth.


    "Haha! I¡¯ve been asking that question all my life, but I¡¯ve started to think that deities might still exist," Grandpa Virion let out a heartyugh.


    "What made you change your mind?" I tilted my head in curiosity.


    "Her." I thought Virion pointed his finger at Tess, but I realized it was the sleeping Sylvie he was directing his gaze at.


    "Wait, Sylvie? You think Sylvie is a deity?" Almost choking on my spit, I directed my gaze back at Gramps.


    "Brat, deities are different from what religious books say about gods. Deities are beings that are able to ascend from what we consider their mortal bodies and fully harmonize with mana. Dragons, at least, what I¡¯ve read about them, are beings that can naturally be deities. They can¡¯t be ssified as just S ss, or SS ss mana beasts; if youpare it to mana cores, deities would be at the level one would reach after breaking out of white core stage." Grandpa Virion looked down at his own two hands as he said this, letting out a scoff.


    "Here we are, elves, humans, and dwarves alike, at most, barely able to tap into the power of a white stage mana core. Yet, there may be beings still existing that can easily level mountains and flood valleys... Haaa~" Again, Grandpa Virion had that faraway look.


    He closed his eyes for a while before slowly opening them again, his gaze shifting towards me.


    "You¡¯ve read about the war between the three races, as well as the most recent war between the humans and elves, butpared to those two wars, this continent was much more chaotic and dangerous in ancient times. The three races were nomadic back then, always on the run from mana beasts. The humans, elves and dwarves all travelled separately due to shes in appearance and culture, but whenever any of the races met, we were on fairly good terms...we had to be; we exchanged information and traded raw resources that we picked up along the way. This is now known as the Beast Era, where the mana beasts were rampant and ruled the continent."


    "I don¡¯t understand. Why didn¡¯t we use magic to drive the mana beasts away? I could understand maybe avoiding A-ss mana beasts and up, but I don¡¯t see why we were so helpless." My brows furrowed in confusion.


    "It¡¯s not that we didn¡¯t, it¡¯s that we couldn¡¯t. Brat, have you ever noticed the painting in the main hall of the Royal Pce in Elenoir?" He suddenly switched topics.


    "You mean that enormous painting in the living room? I mean, I noticed it at first but I couldn¡¯t really make sense of it so I just disregarded it." I let out an awkwardugh, scratching my head.


    "Every one of the three Royal Pces has a painting simr to that one; it is a depiction of a powerful deity gifting us with the tool to ovee the mana beasts and put an end to the Beast Era." I couldn¡¯t tell how Virion was feeling as he said all this, his expression still a mixture of various emotions.


    No matter how ridiculous this sounded to me, Gramps¡¯ tone showed me he wasn¡¯t joking as he said this, so I stayed quiet and let him continue.


    "This deity appeared in front of three people, and they were the forefathers of what are now the three royal families. He bestowed our ancestors with six artifacts, which were distributed equally amongst the three ancestors that were chosen by the deity to be kings. For the humans, the head of the yder family at that time received two; the dwarves, the head of the Greysunders family received two; andstly, for the elves, the ancestor of my Eralith family also received two." Virion couldn¡¯t help but smirk after looking at my expression.


    "Huh? Why would this so-called ¡¯deity¡¯ just give the three races these treasures?" I sputtered incredulously, not able to hold it in.


    "Let me get to that, brat," he reprimanded.


    "Remember, this was ages before I was born. This knowledge is passed down from king to king and my guess is that information may have been exaggerated or skewed in certain directions along the way, but this is what I¡¯ve been taught. The three kings weren¡¯t meant to use the three pairs of artifacts bestowed by the deity themselves, but were instead meant to bestow them onto their two most powerful subjects under a soul oath through a sort of knighting ceremony. With these powerful artifacts given to their strongest warriors, the three races were meant to use the power of the artifacts to protect themselves as well as gain the upper hand in dominating the mana beasts and other ancient monsters of the time," he exined.


    "I would assume that giving three races super powerful artifacts just begs for chaos and war, rather than protection. I¡¯m not so sure about the elves, but if you at least look at some of the humans, greed isn¡¯t exactly a rare thing," I chortled, shaking my head.


    "Well, funny you say that because that¡¯s what happened. The artifacts did indeed allow the elves, humans and dwarves to work together during that period to further expand their area of dominance. A lot of the mana beasts were either killed or driven off to what is now known as the Beast des, putting an end to the Beast Era. However, shortly after, greed did get ahold of the three kings and their subjects. Besides the incredible power the artifacts gave to its wielders, it gave them insights on how to utilize the source of energy that makes up the world, which we now call mana. With this, the users of the artifacts taught it to those who they deemed capable, thus, giving rise to the very first batch of mages. Drunk on power, the concept of harmony dwindled and soon led to internal strife due to greed," Virion looked at me with a painful smile before continuing.


    "The three pairs of artifacts bestowed had different attributes and were divided between the humans, elves and dwarves respectively, segregating us all even further. The distinct features in specialization between the three races we have today are supposedly due to the artifacts. The dwarves, who reasoned that because they were the beings closest to the earth, believed that they should naturally be the rulers of the continent. We elves reasoned that because we were the closest to all living things, we should be the rulers of the continent, while the humans, who were able to train and utilize all of the four major elements, believed that the deity naturally wanted to make them the rulers of the continent." Virion looked back at Tess to make sure she was still asleep.


    "The first war, whichsted longer than the time they drove the mana beasts into the Beast des, was what led to the segregation of the three races as well as the formation of the three kingdoms. The second war, which you¡¯re more familiar with, happened between the humans and the elves. So... going back to the question of where the Six Lances came from, can you take a guess?" he tested.


    "Wait... so those six artifacts that were bestowed upon your ancestors by the so-called deity were given to the Six Lances?" y mind raced as pieces of the puzzle began to fit. "And the artifacts are the reason why they were able to rise past the silver core stage and be white core mages, as well as the reason why they aren¡¯t able to go against the Council since they are soul-bound, just like the previous users who were tied to the first kings," I eximed aftering to a revtion. Everything clicked.


    "The Lances were most likely chosen amongst candidates that were brought up closely by the royal family of their respective race, and after they were deemed worthy, they were bestowed the artifact along with the soul oath that bound their lives to the kings," I continued.


    "Exactly. They were secretly raised as candidates to each wield an artifact. However, it wasn¡¯t until the discovery of another continent that the three races decided that they needed to unify." Grandpa Virion had a distant look on his face as he exined.


    "Onest question. So were the artifacts given to figures in the past as well? Howe we¡¯ve never heard of them?" I was sitting up by this point, thoroughly focused on the conversation and leaning forward as if it were possible to receive information faster this way.


    "Yes, but this is the first time they were publicized. In the past, wielders of the artifacts were always protecting the king and his family from the shadows. It is only now, after the unification of the continent that we decided to publicize the wielders. Of course, no one else knows that they got their strength through the power of the artifacts. If that secret were to be let out, it would most likely cause a coup d¡¯etat; the greed of numerous silver core mages desperate to surpass their limits is not to be looked down upon. Who knows to what extent some might go? Maybe even destroying the entire royal bloodline in hopes to be the new masters of the artifacts," Virion paused again before turning to stare at Sylvie again.


    "I imagine your bond has the capability to be a deity. I¡¯m not sure how long that would take and if we¡¯d be even alive when that happens, but Arthur, you need to get stronger. Call it my own senile intuition but I feel like changes are going to happen soon... enormous changes. I just hope that I¡¯m wrong." This was the first time I¡¯d seen Grandpa Virion have such a worried look on his face.


    My mind shed to the message that Sylvia had left within me after teleporting me to Elshire Forest¡ª how I would hear from her again when I reached the stage past white core. I was beginning to think that maybe these so-called deities weren¡¯t as fictional as I believed them to be.


    "Mmmm... what¡¯s going on? Why am I sleeping on the ground?"

 Chapter 77: Good To See You

    VIRION ERALITH¡¯S POV:


    What in the name just happened? What was that bizarre aura around Tessia? What did the boy do anyway?


    I was just barely able to see that orb shoot out and get sucked into my granddaughter¡¯s body. It seemed sort of like an elixir, but I wasn¡¯t really able to tell...


    Anyway, I was just d that she was safe now.


    I almost felt bad for the boy; he had just crawled back up to the surface after falling into an underground dungeon¡ªgods know how deep¡ªand now he had to deal with all this.


    Was I doing the right thing revealing all this information to Arthur?


    There was a bitter taste left on my tongue after I finished exining everything to the boy; I sometimes forgot that he was actually younger than Tessia.


    It was odd, though. I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on it, but more and more, my instincts told me that despite his monstrous ability in mana maniption andtent potential as a mage, his cognitive acuteness, his mental capacity that didn¡¯t belong to a prepubescent child that would make this brat so scary in the future, currently, his level of power had not caught up to his intellect.


    "Mmmm... what¡¯s going on? Why am I sleeping on the ground?"


    My ears perked up immediately at the sound of my granddaughter¡¯s feeble voice.


    "G-Grandpa? Where am... ART!!!!"


    My arms were already stretched out wide, ready to embrace my one and only beloved granddaughter, but oddly enough, instead ofing into her grandfather¡¯s arms, her body bolted away from me and towards the boy.


    My granddaughter... you¡¯re going the wrong way.


    "ARTHUR!!!! You¡¯re alive!!" Tessia almost knocked the boy back down onto the ground from how fast she flew into his arms.


    Meanwhile, my arms stayed outstretched.


    Maybe the passing breeze would ept my embrace...


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    As Tess¡¯ faint voice reached my ears and her teary eyes locked onto mine, she bit her lower lip to keep herself from breaking down, and I stood there at a loss. A wave of different emotions, half of which I didn¡¯t even know I could feel, washed over me.


    "ARTHUR!! You¡¯re alive!" Her face was already buried in my chest as she finished her sentence.


    "Yeah..."¡ª I gently petted her hair¡ª"I¡¯m alive."


    I turned to Virion, and I swore I could almost see his petrified body crumbling to bits, his lonely arms stretched out.


    His head turned like a badly oiled robot, revealing his gaze, which was anything but automatonic by the image he projected.


    Traitor.


    Grandpa should stille first.


    You¡¯re dead to me, brat.


    These were the thoughts that might as well have been tattooed across his forehead by how tantly his foul mood was leaking out.


    Giving Grandpa Virion a sympathetic smile, I looked back down at Tess, who was still in my arms. Only when my old robe that had been wrapped around her body slipped slightly off her bare shoulder did I remember she waspletely naked underneath.


    "Kyu!"


    Sylvie was bouncing up and down, trying to get Tess¡¯ attention as thetter clung onto me like glue, but to no avail.


    "Thest thing I remember was you handing me over to someone. I can only recall bits and pieces of what happened after because I was in too much pain then. B-But I heard broken pieces of conversations about how you didn¡¯t make it out," she said as her arms still clung onto me like an infant ko. The way she looked up at me with those tear-filled eyes made me almost lose myself.


    "I¡¯ll fill you in on what happened, but for now"¡ªI peeled her off of me, wrapping her tighter with the only piece of clothing covering her¡ª"let¡¯s get you decent, Princess."


    "What are you talking..." was all she managed to say before looking down, her eyes widening in horror.


    Tess let out a horrified scream that shook the room, and without even the chance to react, Grandpa Virion, Sylvie, and I were knocked back by a surge of mana that seemed to havee out of nowhere.


    I managed to recover in time,nding on my feet. As I looked to my side, I saw that Virion and Sylvie were both uninjured. Surprised, but uninjured.


    Not even caring about the throbbing pain in my chest, I stared, ck-jawed at the sight before us.


    Tess was at the epicenter of a storm of translucent emerald green vines, dozens of meters in length, all snapping and whipping around chaotically. What was even more strange was that it looked more like an extension of the bright green aura surrounding Tess, who was now curled up in the fetal position.


    "Th-This... mana formation of this magnitude... shouldn¡¯t be possible for her!" Grandpa Virion¡¯s stood there, gaping.


    "You have got to be kidding me," I mumbled to myself.


    Cupping my hands, I yelled out, "Tess! You need to calm down!"


    "Shut up, shut up, shut up! Go away! I can¡¯t believe you didn¡¯t tell me I was n-naked!" she screamed, her eyes still shut tightly in embarrassment. Something told me that those semi-transparent tendrils responded to her emotions because they were swaying even more fiercely right now.


    "Didn¡¯t you learn that telling a screaming girl to calm down never actually calms her down?" Grandpa Virion said, shaking his head in mock disappointment.


    Of course... I¡¯m the ignorant one I guess.


    What good was having been a king? Psh... only the strongest in my country? What good does all of that do, Arthur, if you can¡¯t even quell the anger of a thirteen-year-old girl?


    "Tess! It¡¯s your grandfather! Open your eyes!" Virion shouted this time.


    "Huh?"


    As Tess peeked out from one eye, she finally realized what was happening.


    "What¡¯s going on? What is all of this?" The flustered Tess looked to us for help.


    "Try controlling your emotions, it¡¯s making your mana flow go out of control," I tried to exin in a more reasonable tone.


    Tess looked to Virion, who was nodding in agreement with me.


    As realization dawned on her, Tess closed her eyes and began meditating, and the translucent emerald vines slowly dissipated, fading out of sight.


    The three of us rushed to where Tess was curled up as soon as the vines, that seemed to be made up of pure mana, disappeared.


    "Quick, Gramps, check her mana core."


    I was going off a hunch, kind of scared to hear the truth.


    "That¡¯s just what I was about to do, brat." Virion rolled up his sleeves and imbued some mana into his palms.


    "Wait! Art, turn around!" Tess was obviously out of breath but she was also aware that something was different with her body.


    "Sigh... I already saw everyth¡ª"


    "NOW!"


    "¡ªyes ma¡¯am."


    "Psh...former king? More like whipped dog," I mumbled to myself as I turned my back to them.


    "I-It can¡¯t be... Ha ha ha... W-What in the world?" I heard Virion¡¯s trembling voice.


    "What? What is it? What stage is her core at, Gramps? Dark yellow? Don¡¯t tell me... she¡¯s at solid yellow like me?" I was itching to turn around.


    "Half a step away from Initial Silver. She almost broke through into the initial silver stage."


    "What?" I whipped my head back, causing Tess to wrap the robe covering her even more tightly.


    Ignoring Tess¡¯ re and protests, I put my hand on her abdomen... over the robe.


    He was right... Even when sensing directly, I couldn¡¯t recognize the extent of her mana core, which meant she was at a higher level than I was.


    Both Gramps and I fell straight to our bums in utter disbelief.


    She broke through out of Light Orange and into the Dark Yellow stage not too long ago. That meant she skipped through all of Yellow and straight into Initial Silver?


    This gravity-defying news was hard for me to swallow. I took my body¡¯sposition for granted; because I was a quadra-elemental mage, it was a lot easier for me to break through, but it had be distinctively harder to get past bottlenecks once I reached the Dark Yellow stage. Not to mention the fact that I broke through at age 3¡ªmuch earlier than everyone else.


    The "gifted" students in this academy have ten years to pass the final exam in order to graduate. There was no set stage that a student¡¯s core had to reach in this time but on average, alumni tended to be around Light Orange stage by the time they graduated. After reaching that stage, they would be given a seat among the upper echelons of practically anywhere they went.


    For even the most talented dual-elemental mages, it should take exponentially longer for them to make breakthroughs if at all, but Tess had just been able to break thatmon sense and skip straight past the threshold just before breaking into the Initial Silver stage. That was potentially a couple decades of cultivation condensed into a mere fortnight...


    The absurdity of it all...


    "What the hell did you give her, brat?" Virion asked. "I¡¯ve never heard of a beast will tempering a mana core. Or did it perhaps have anything to do with that orb you threw at her?"


    "Grandpa, what did you mean by ¡¯half a step away¡¯? What orb?" Tess echoed, puzzled by our conversation.


    "I-I thought it was just some kind of elixir..." I was at a loss for words.


    What the hell was that vanishing elixir shop?


    "Arthur, if there ever was such an elixir that could do what that orb did just now, wars would break loose in hopes to win it," Grandpa Virion shook his head, still in shock as he imagined everything he¡¯d just told me. "How did you get your hands on whatever orb that was anyway?"


    Oh, you know, I got it from a homeless-looking fellow that owned a disappearing Elixir shop...


    "Ha ha ha haha... I got it for a silver coin, Gramps."


    Virion gawked at me incredulously. By his expression, I bet he would¡¯ve been less surprised if I told him I stole if from a god.


    "I don¡¯t exactly know myself. I kinda got that orb from a peddler but that¡¯s as much as I know..." I let out another smallugh in helplessness.


    "Can you tell me what¡¯s going on? You guys weren¡¯t actually being serious right?" Tess immediately began focusing on her mana core. "No way... m-my mana core is light yellow now... and it already has so many cracks on it," she said as her voice trembled.


    "H-Honey... you¡¯re actually a peak light yellow core mage now," Grandpa Virion mumbled, almost whispering.


    Tess¡¯ eyes rolled back as she fainted, her body slumped against Sylvie¡¯s back as my bond moved just in time to catch her.


    "This girl just can¡¯t stay awake..." I grumbled as I positioned her morefortably on the grass floor.


    "She¡¯s sure to be exhausted after having gone through all of this; her body was under constant stress, and breaking through more than three stages at once took a toll on her mind as well. I guess the realization was the tipping point." Virion let out a chuckle as he picked her up.


    "I¡¯m going to take her back to Elenoir through the gate. She needs some rest, and I¡¯m sure my son and daughter-inw are still worried. Kukuku, I¡¯m kind of looking forward to how they¡¯ll react to this. Sigh~ Imagine... Princess Tessia, a silver core mage at the age of 13," he boasted with a wide grin on his face. "Do you want toe with me?"


    "I¡¯ll pass on that. I know Tess is safe, and she knows I¡¯m safe as well; that¡¯ll have to do for now. We¡¯ll catch up when she returns to school," I replied.


    "Mm. I have a meeting with The Council that I¡¯ve been avoiding ¡¯til now, so I won¡¯t get to see you for a while. Get some rest, boy." Grandpa Virion threw me wink and walked out of the training room with Tess in tow.


    She was at a higher level than me now...


    My mind kept going back to the homeless man and his elixir shop. Was the orb he gave me really the reason she was able to break through like that? There wasn¡¯t any other exnation otherwise.


    "Kyuu~" ¡¯Papa, I¡¯m hungry!¡¯ Sylvie hopped back onto the top of my head and kept thumping my forehead inint.


    "Haha, me too, Sylv. But before we go back, let¡¯s visit your Uncle Elijah," I replied, rubbing my bond¡¯s ears.


    "Kuu..." ¡¯...But, food.¡¯


    _______________________________________________________


    "Arthur!" Elijah roared as he nearly head-butted me.


    I had an eerie sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, but this scene wasn¡¯t nearly as heartwarming.


    "There there. Yes, I¡¯m still alive. You can¡¯t get rid of me that easily," I said in constion, patting my best friend¡¯s head.


    "I know..." he sniffled. "You¡¯re like a cockroach."


    This brat...


    I peeled him off of me; again, very simrly to how I¡¯d done just thirty minutes ago, but the person in front of me this time had a string of mucus hanging out his right nostril, the other end of the slippery secretion attaching itself to my shirt.


    A friend... my best friend. Elijah was an entity I had now in this life that I had so wanted in my previous one. A person I could let loose and be a child with again, no matter how old or grand I was before.


    "Haha! It¡¯s good to see your disgusting face again, pal," I grinned at him, patting him on the shoulder.

 Chapter 78: Allies?

    CYNTHIA GOODSKY''S POV:


    Standing before the heavy iron doors, I took a deep breath. Beyond this entrance were the six former kings and queens of this continent. It wasn''t their titles that were making me apprehensive, but more so the fact that they were ultimately the ones who would shape or destroy the future of this continent.


    Even with an augmented hearing spell, I was unable to clearly hear what was being discussed on the other side, leaving me to wonder what their course of action might be.


    What was I to tell them?


    What was I able to tell them? I truly had to be meticulous in the words and actions I used.


    I''d only gotten a glimpse of the consequences I would face if I didn''t abide and I knew there was no way around it.


    It just wasn''t worth it¡­not at this point.


    Was there really no other way to avoid this? Was I to just sit and watch this peaceful continent that I''d grown to love crumble without being able to do anything?


    It couldn''t be helped; I''d deviated too far from what I was originally supposed to do.


    My hopes in establishing myself and the foundations of Xyrus Academy up to what it was today was for the sake of this continent. That we might have some hope¡­


    It''d been too long since the time of war, though. Students wanted to get strong; not to protect and fight for what was right but for their own conceited pride. It''d been an ongoing struggle to not only shape up the level of magic in this continent, but also instill proper values.


    The only thing I could do for this country now was prepare the next generation as well as get rid of anything that might hinder their ns. I''d been personally getting rid of more and more spies that were being sent out from my homnd.


    They were getting impatient. I could tell by some of the toxic traces affecting the dungeons that they were beginning their next phase.


    It was beginning to be rather difficult for me to keep up my current pace, though. I could tell Arthur was bing rather suspicious at times. I had been careless in exposing the wound I received from one of the affected mana beasts.


    I was just not sure anymore¡­


    Was I doing the right thing? Would what I was doing even give us a chance?


    I once thought so, but I wasn''t so optimistic anymore.


    Sigh¡­


    The two mages standing guard on either side of the door were carefully observing me, probably wondering why I wasn''t going in. I noticed one was at the Initial Silver core stage while the other, slightly thinner mage, was at the Mid-Silver core stage; they would be considered peaks in this continent, but only in this continent.


    I signaled to the guards that I was ready to go inside, letting them inform The Council.


    "You may enter," the knights announced, opening the doors fully.


    "¡ªAND I SAID THAT WE CAN''T JUST BE LYING HERE ON OUR ASSES WAITING FOR MORE DEATHS! ALDUIN, MERIAL, WHY AREN''T YOU SAYING ANYTHING?! ONE OF YOUR LANCES IS DEAD!" I saw Dawsid Greysunders, former king of the dwarves, standing up with his finger pointed at Alduin Eralith, former king of the elves, who was seated with his arms crossed and eyes closed.


    "Calm yourself, Dawsid. Before we rashly try and hunt down whoever or whatever killed Alea, we need more information. This might be somehow linked to themunication failures with the Dicatheous. What if, like we suspected, the unknown continent is involved and we end up¡­ Ah, Director Goodsky. We received your sound transmission; please, have a seat." ine yder, the former king of the humans stretched his arm to direct me to a nearby empty seat.


    "Yes, but it seems that my message was unnecessary," I responded while taking a small bow before sitting down. King Greysunders also reluctantly took a seat in the chair that seemed a bit too big for him.


    "Yes, Alduin was alerted almost immediately after Alea passed; unfortunately, we have no way of knowing how she was killed. Do you happen to know anything, Director Cynthia?" Merial Eralith, former queen of the elves, as well as the mother of my only disciple, asked me.


    I should''ve realized that they might''ve already known thanks to those bestowed artifacts I was informed about.


    "I apologize. Truth be told, I was not the one that found her body." Taking out the adamantium tag that belonged to Alea, I handed it over to Lady Eralith.


    "Who was it that found her body? We need to bring that person here." undera Greysunders, former queen of the dwarves, mmed her palms on the table we were situated around.


    "That¡­ may be a bit troublesome," I said, hesitantly. "You see, the person that found her body was one of my students, and that was only by ident."


    "No matter! Just bring that student here. We need as much detail about this disaster as possible before we can start slowly unfolding it to the public," Lady Greysunders continued.


    "I ensure you that the student does not know any more than what we might be able to guess. This student simply stumbled into the scene after the battle was long over," I replied while shaking my head.


    "Still, are you sure he wasn''t hiding anything from you?" King Eralith spoke up solemnly.


    "This student is but a child that recently enrolled. He has no reason to hide any details from me. I fear he will only be more intimidated if we brought him here, causing him to make up details to gain The Council''s favor," I lied.


    I didn''t want to involve Arthur in all of this. Not yet. He wasn''t ready.


    "Cynthia offers a valid point. There''s no use interrogating a student that might make up facts to feel like a hero. Besides, she already questioned the student," Prisci yder, former queen of the humans, defended.


    "Yes, I was even able to find the scene of Ale...Code Aureate''s death," I hurriedly replied. Maybe they would be able to find something. Indirectly helping them like this might prove to be fruitful.


    The n that I was informed of before I hade here seemed to have hastened for some reason, but I knew for a fact that it would still take years before the first course were toe to fruition. Until then, I had to somehow indirectly help them prepare for whatever wasing. Hopefully, I had enough time.


    "All right. Then the next course of action is settled." King yder motioned for a secretary toe. "Dispatch our best tracking mages. We''ll have them find any sort of evidence that the perpetrator might''ve left. In the meantime, what is the current status of the remaining Lances?"


    "Yes, Your Highness, our best trackers are already assembled and ready. As for the Lances, Codes Zero, Ohmwrecker, and Balrog were the first to arrive. We''ve received word that Code Thunderlord and Code Phantasm entered the premise not too long ago," the secretary hurriedly announced with his head bowed.


    "Good. We''ll update them soon. Until then, make sure not a single word gets out that one of the Lances was killed," King yder finished his statement while looking at me.


    "Rest assured, the student is not the type to let this information out so easily. I will be sure to make it of utmost importance that he keeps the information he has a secre," I answered back at The Council that was waiting for me to respond.


    After I was escorted out, Lady Eralith followed along and pulled me aside, away from everyone''s view. "Director Cynthia. How''s my Tessia? I''ve yet to hear back from my father-inw," her voice quaked with concern.


    I shook my head. "I was not updated with the situation either. However, Tessia has both Arthur and Virion looking after her. She should be okay, Merial."


    "Mm, I hope so. I''ve barely been able to focus on everything going on because of Tessia''s condition. Let me know as soon as you''re updated. This way, at least Alduin and I will have the peace of mind to focus on this mess," she says while handing me a sound transmission scroll.


    Sound transmission devices were exceedingly costly so most did not have ess to one, but The Council always had these in stock to send and receive information quickly.


    "I''ll be sure to tell you as soon as I find out." I gave her a reassuring smile before letting her go back to the meeting hall.


    _________________________________________________________________


    Five silhouettes could be seen waiting in the dimly lit chamber on the bottom-most floor. Although the shadows covered the five''s faces, their voices could be clearly heard.


    "So Alea died already?" a well-built man scoffed as he leaned against the back wall with crossed arms.


    "Bairon¡­ watch your tone," an authoritative, icy voice rang from a proportioned slender figure sitting with one leg over the other.


    "It can''t be helped that I''m irritated; her dying so pathetically is trampling on the Lances'' name," the man replied.


    "Poor Alea. Mica feels bad for her," a sweet voice chimed from a figure whose body resembled that of a child.


    "Me too. I''ll miss sharing cream puffs with Alea..." sighed a woman, whose seductive figure could not be hidden by the shadows.


    "It''s improper to pity a General Alea. She died ance''s death after all," a gruff voice sounded from another figure.


    "Well I can''t help it when Alea''s death was a pitiful one, old man," the child-like figure pouted back.


    "Nevertheless, it would be wise of you to act your age and not your infantile appearance," he replied calmly.


    "Olfred, you jerk!"


    "Now now, don''t pick on our cute Mica," she chastised as she wrapped her arms around Mica.


    "A-Aya, your lumps of¡ªmmmph¡ªfat are choking Mica!"


    "Stop acting like hyperactive children. As the strongest mages in this country, this shouldn''t phase us!"


    "Oh my, Bairon''s cranky again today."


    "Tch¡­ says the cow that has no sense of time, getting here thetest."


    "Enough. What did The Council say our next course of action was?"


    "They are still discussing. It seems that unlike our king, the human and elf leaders seem to only care for their own," the oldnce replied.


    "Mica disagrees. King Greysunders is pretty selfish too."


    "It''smon sense that, as the king that has most influence throughout the continent, King yder takes into ount the elves and dwarves well."


    "Mica thinks Bairon should stop acting like he''s our leader."


    "And I think that you should know your ce. You have neither the background nor strength to talk that way to the next head of the Wykes¡ª"


    "Everyone¡­ let''s all get along. Let''s not make Varay mad," Alea coaxed gently.


    "¡­"


    "Sorry¡­"


    "Tch¡­"

 Chapter 79: Meanwhile

    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    "Hey, Art. I thought we were heading to your home; where¡¯re we going?" Elijah turned to me after noticing we¡¯d taken a different turn on the way back to Helstea Manor.


    "There¡¯s a ce I need to stop by first. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be a quick detour," I answered, quickening my pace even with Sylvie on my head.


    Elijah broke into a jog behind me. "Wait up!"


    When we reached the destination, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a disappointed breath, my shoulders dropping.


    "I thought so," I mumbled to myself.


    "Xyrus Elixirs? Did you need to buy something from here? It¡¯s almost midnight; of course it¡¯s closed." Elijah cupped his eyes over the front ss door, hoping to spot someone inside.


    "It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s head back home," I replied. As I was about to turn away from the building, a shiny object, caught in the crevice of the aged alley leading to Xyrus Elixirs, caught my attention.


    As I kneeled down to retrieve it, my eyes narrowed. It was an orb simr to the one used on Tess, except, instead of rainbow speckles inside, there were golden kes floating within. Attached to the small marble-sized orb was a crudely written note:


    Your little Princess will probably need this


    "What are you staring so intently at?" Elijah leaned over my shoulder to see.


    I crumpled up the piece of parchment and quickly shoved the orb inside my dimension ring.


    "Let¡¯s head back home first, Elijah. I¡¯ll need to tell my family that I might have to miss a couple more days of school. Go back to the academy tomorrow and tell everyone that I¡¯m okay." I patted my best friend¡¯s shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile in response to his concerned expression.


    "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll tell you about everything after." With that, Elijah gave me an epting nod back.


    -__________________________________________________________


    KATHYLN GLAYDER¡¯S POV:


    After finding out what had happened down at the dungeon from my brother, I was shocked. I almost wanted to me him, to me Professor Glory, to me someone but I knew it wasn¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault.


    Arthur is going to be okay, right? He¡¯s just that type of person. No matter what situationes up, he always returns with thatzy smile on his face that, for some reason, calms me.


    "You¡¯re being foolish, Kathyln," I berated myself as I walked down the marble street to the disciplinarymittee room. My thoughts lingered on Arthur as I imagined his grateful expression after heroically saving him... had I been there.


    I shook my head, trying to snap out of my delusions. "No, no. It¡¯s not my job to look after him. Besides, he already has the student council president."


    A few faint giggles from students passing nearby sent blood rushing up to my cheeks as I veered in another direction.


    I¡¯m confident that he¡¯ll be okay! I convinced myself. I¡¯m sure of it...


    "Gah!" I heaved out before I quickly covered my mouth, surprised that I¡¯d let out such a barbaric sound. After checking that I was alone in the alleyway between two buildings¡ªa shortcut I had discovered to the disciplinarymittee room¡ªI exhaled a sharp breath of relief.


    Maybe it was from the stress these days as a disciplinarymittee officer. I had assumed things would stay quiet after the formation of themittee¡ªalmost to the point of wondering if we were even needed¡ªbut recently some unforeseen circumstances had been brought to our attention.


    ire deheart, our leader, pulled each of us aside a few days ago. While exining the cause, she implied that Arthur was an undeniable factor that led to this.


    I wanted to rebut then, but I decided to hear her out. ire had been secretly gathering information with Kai, who specialized in stealth. From what she¡¯d exined, it seemed that there was a radical group dissatisfied with the direction the academy was heading toward recently.


    This group was made up of only humans, and from the few faces that Kai was able to catch a glimpse of, they were all from rather high-up noble families.


    One particr noble that had been spotted was named Charles Ravenpor. His father was on rather close terms with mine, but strictly for business. Father would always grumble in dissatisfaction after having a meeting with Mr. Ravenpor because of how ill-mannered and self-centered he was.


    While I was jealous of ire¡¯s unwavering confidence that Arthur was still alive, she was also relieved that Arthur wasn¡¯t here at the moment because he was supposedly one of the main reasons this radical cult-like group had started. There was a big faction from this group that thought Arthur did not belong in this academy because of his "humble" background. The fact that he was a professor on top of having the privilege of taking upper division sses fueled the already built-in hatred that some of the envious royal students had.


    We weren¡¯t allowed to confront them as of yet because of theck of evidence, and the fact that they hadn¡¯t really done anything bad yet, but from the looks of it, there were even some professors of this academy supporting them, making it all the more difficult to rashly make a move.


    It wasn¡¯t until a few days ago, though, that some of the radical group members started to act. Denton, one of my ssmates that shared the same period in Arth¡ªProfessor Leywin¡¯s ss, was the victim. He had actually been one of the students that strongly opposed Professor Leywin teaching a ss that was so important in building foundations as this. However, he¡¯d warmed up to him¡ªrather, he looked up to him now.


    Hopping up on a storage crate to clear the fence, I looked down at the isted building of the disciplinarymittee. Looking behind, I could see the tip of the statue where Denton had just been found three days ago, battered and naked while hung upside down, for all of the passing students to see, a note covering his privates instructing him to drop out of the ¡¯plebeian¡¯s ss¡¯ if he didn¡¯t want this to happen again.


    It turned out that he had been taken to one of the narrow alleys between the back buildings and beaten up by the radical group. From what ire told me, they wanted to "teach" him how to properly use mana, since they didn¡¯t really think Arthur was be good enough to nurture the "potential" that he had. Denton ended up bing a target dummy for various spells when he resisted.


    Director Goodsky was still away so her assistant, Tricia, and Professor Glory had ended up pulling him down and making sure he was okay.


    Since then, having no choice but to act on behalf of Director Goodsky, Tricia had been trying to quell the anger from various elven and dwarven parents who thought this had to do with racial discrimination since the victim was an elf.


    Needless to say, Denton was taking a break from school for the time being.


    Why was this happening? What was the point of doing this? What good did dividing students like this do? Did these students have such low self-esteem that they needed to bring down anyone they thought was better than them to feel better about themselves? Why was it that the more power and privileges someone had, the more greedy they became?


    Was it naive of me to wish for everyone to just work together for our continent?


    To top it off, a dark and gloomy atmosphere had clung to the disciplinarymittee room since the ident with Arthur. ire and my brother hadn¡¯t spoken at first, the both of them ming themselves, while everyone remained frustrated because our actions were so restricted. Now, everyone was on high alert; all of the disciplinarymittee upperssmen were out for surveince during the morning and afternoon while Feyrith and I took watch in the evening, with one of the upperssmen helping us out instead of going to ss.


    Kai tried to find out their meeting spots but as soon as he had a lead, those ces would always change. It seemed as if they were always one step ahead of us, always relocating so somece new.


    The professors were useless. Most of them were all talk in front of the dissatisfied elven and dwarven parents, saying they¡¯d do their best to find the culprit, but not being able to take direct action because the human parents were also dissatisfied due to their children being used of racial discrimination.


    In the end, the professors were too tied in their little game of tug-of-war to be of much help. As they tried hard to be on both sides, they ended up being on neither.


    That was the problem with a school so heavily funded by the parents of the students. The only one that had the authority to oppose them directly and openly was Director Goodsky, and she was nowhere to be seen.


    It seemed as if her disappearance had allowed this radical group to now openly create a disturbance... because she wasn¡¯t here to stop them.


    I finally made it to the disciplinarymittee room and walked up the stairs, the echo of ire¡¯s voice getting louder the closer I got.


    "Things are escting faster than we thought. I had a feeling that this would be the case¡ªthe group is trying to create as much of an uproar before Director Goodsky gets back and then go into hiding temporarily after," ire announced while leaning forward with her arms on the table. The dark bags underneath her eyes told me she hasn¡¯t rested since getting back.


    I took a seat after everyone acknowledged me with a nod, too frustrated to verbally greet me. I couldn¡¯t help but notice it¡ªthe seat where Arthur usually sat, empty. But now wasn¡¯t the time to brood. I turned my attention back to the group just as my brother began to speak.


    "I talked to multiple professors about the situation like you asked, but it seems you were right. None of them were willing to actively help in finding the crux of the problem. They¡¯re turning a blind eye to all of this because of our ck of evidence,¡¯" my brother reported through gritted teeth, running his fingers through his hair.


    "We already know who one of the members of the groups are so why not just take that rat out and interrogate him? I doubt he has the balls tost even a couple of minutes before spilling out some secrets," grunted Doradrea while leaning back in her chair.


    "Already tried that but Charles Ravenpor is never by himself these days; he¡¯s always surrounded by at least fiveckeys. It¡¯ll be impossible to take action secretly with them there. Besides, we need to think about our actions from the entire academy¡¯s perspective. No matter how many things we could get away with, it wouldn¡¯t look good if a student was just taken in by us without proper reason," Kai argued, shaking his head.


    Theodore pounded his fist on the table, tipping over a cup of water. "What the hell is the point of having something like the Disciplinary Committee if we can¡¯t do anything in cases like this?"


    "It can¡¯t be helped. We know too little about what this group is nning on doing and more importantly, what they¡¯re capable of. We have too little information on them and it doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s only a few of them," ire sighed as she sat back down.


    "...We need to wait for Director Goodsky toe back," I said.


    "Of course that would be the best thing to do, but we have no idea where she is let alone when she¡¯lle back," our leader responded.


    "If only Arthur was here," I mumbled aloud.


    I immediately regretted what I said as my brother¡¯s expression turned crestfallen as I mentioned him. They were both there and they were trying to stay strong. After getting the students back to the hospital, my brother told me that Professor Glory was nning on going back down with a reconnaissance team to look for Arthur. She¡¯d said that there¡¯s a high probability that he was still alive if he survived the fall because most likely, all of the mana beasts in the dungeon were on the first floor.


    "Kat, I¡¯m sorry, but we just can¡¯t factor in Arthur as an element." My brother tried his best to fake a smile.


    "...He¡¯lle soon." I must¡¯ve said this aloud by mistake because everyone, even Theodore, gave me a pained look.


    "Umm, excuse me?"


    Every one of the Disciplinary Committee members, including myself, whipped our heads at the unexpected voiceing from the first floor of the room.


    It was Arthur¡¯s best friend, Elijah.


    "Ah, you¡¯re Arthur¡¯s close friend, right?" ire, who immediately softened her expression, motioned him upstairs.


    "Yes, I¡¯m sorry for intruding. I got to school a bitter than I expected but it¡¯s great that you guys are all here. Listen, I know you guys are worried about Ar¡ª"


    Arthur¡¯s friend was cut off by a series of thunderous explosions that shook even the reinforced walls of this room.

 Chapter 80: Meanwhile II

    ELIJAH KNIGHT''S POV:


    Holy crap¡­


    What the hell is going on? All I did was miss half a day of school; suddenly Denton gets hung up, butt-naked, and now a building''s on fire?


    We had all just rushed out of the disciplinarymittee room after hearing the explosion. Initially I thought that it was a spell gone wrong or something of that nature, but...


    This looked more like a purposeful act of terrorism.


    Who would do this? Why would someone do this? What was going on?


    "Damn! It''s them again," I overheard Theodore say, as if he''d predicted this.


    The ''them'' that Theodore was talking about¡ªwas he possibly referring to the same people that beat and humiliated Denton?


    KATHYLN GLAYDER''S POV:


    I remembered one time being lectured as a child by my home instructor. I had little memory of why I was chastised, but from what I was told, I had refused to participate in ss with some of the other nobles'' children; apparently, my mother had thought it was a good idea for me to make friends while I was learning.


    That hadn''t work out as smoothly as she had hoped it would because I ended up throwing a tantrum on the first day, saying that I didn''t want to make friends with them because they weren''t princesses like me.


    Ignoring the kindly knitted words of discipline from the home instructor, I had barged into my room and mmed the door shut, refusing toe out.


    Later that afternoon, after the other noble children and home instructor had left, my mother knocked on the door even though there was no lock.


    She sat down next to me on my bed and ran her fingers gently through my hair; even though I couldn''t remember how I responded, what she had said to me left such asting impression that, even as a six-year-old, I can still almost recall her exact words:


    "My little Kathyln, I know you think you did nothing wrong; everyone gets angry and fights for what they believe in. What I want you to know, my little baby, is that before you are a princess, you are a person. It doesn''t matter if it''s a king, a servant, a powerful mage, an elf or a dwarf. A person is a person.


    "Everyone is different and that is what makes everyone special in their own ways. Don''t hate someone for something that they can''t change. What if people didn''t like you because you have round ears or because you have beautiful white skin? Or a perky little nose?"


    She proceeded to tickle me in each of the parts she mentioned, leaving me in a fit of giggles.


    My mother was sensible and smart but not in the least bit cold like her appearance sometimes implied. She cared for everyone as people, not as humans, elves, or dwarves. She disciplined my brother and me heavily when it came to any type of discrimination, whether it was by social sses or race.


    At the sound of the explosions, all of us bolted up from our seats and immediately headed outside. I couldn''t help but cringe, tightening my fists in both frustration and disappointment upon seeing the disastrous sceneid out before us.


    There was a thick cloud of smoke rising from the area near the center of the campus.


    Behind me, I could hear ire click her tongue as she continued to mutter a string of curses under her breath.


    Half of the recently-constructed building was up in mes while the other half was crumbling down, copsing beneath its own weight. There were students evacuating out of the building while some capable staff members and professors nearby were already going into the building to look for those stranded or stuck.


    "I should''ve known they would aim for this building at some point," Theodore swore aloud as he stomped his foot into the ground.


    We hurriedly made our way to the site.


    This building was named Tri-Union Hall. It served as both a museum and a monument for the alliance between the three races. My mother, who argued heavily to persuade the rest of the Council to erect this building was the happiest when it was first built.


    She had exined to me that it had been built to be both a symbol as well as a ce for the three races to learn about the differences in each other''s cultures.


    For it to have been a target, my assumption could also only lean towards the same radical group that had been creating a mess these days.


    I strained my eyes, holding my tears back.


    ire ordered Kai to alert the rest of the professors and staff. When she ordered Feyrith and I to help the mages who were already there to put out the fire before it brought down the whole building, I couldn''t help but notice his expression turning from angry to dejected.


    I almost wanted to apologize, as if it was my fault. Doradrea didn''t seem to take this whole event to heart but I could tell Feyrith wasn''t as emotionally strong. I wanted him to know that not all humans thought like this but somehow the words got caught in my throat. I was never good at expressing my thoughts like my mother... or Arthur.


    While supporting the professors that went inside the copsing building, I spotted the Student Council, minus the president, making their way towards the scene as well.


    Without even the time to exchange hellos, we all got to work. The water attribute mages helped put out the fire while earth and wind attribute mages kept the building from copsing. A couple of other student mages were already chanting spells in harmony by the time we got there.


    I haven''t used water attribute spells as frequently after bing ustomed to using the more powerful ice attribute ones but I was still fairly familiar with the spells because of the affinity they had for each other.


    "Everyone, step aside!" From behind, a couple of professors were rushing toward us, wands already unsheathed.


    After a few moments of mute chanting, one of the professors that taught an upper division magic warfare ss, Professor Malkinheim, conjured a thick cloud of mist around the whole building.


    The other professor, one that I didn''t recognize, supported Professor Malkinheim and used the moisture from the mist cloud, which now surrounded the building, to evoke multiple water streams. The size of these two spells from just two professors were more than three times that of the meticulously prepared spells conjured by over ten students.


    Within ten minutes, the monstrous fire was out and other professors were rushing inside while chanting spells which raised support beams made of earth to hold up the crumbling portion of the building.


    As expected of professors¡­ they were on a different level.


    This train of thought led me to be reminded of the time Arthur hadpletely overwhelmed Professor Geist before taking over his ss. Just how strong was Arthur then? What would he do in this situation?


    Shaking my head, I reprimanded myself for thinking of Arthur again. Why did he pop into my mind so often? I needed to stay strong for when hees back.


    He was going toe back, right?


    I began chanting again when I spotted a group of students hastily making their way out of the scene. I thought nothing of it at first until I got a glimpse of the student within the group¡ªit was Charles Ravenpor.


    Even from this distance, I could tell he was nervously darting his eyes around as he made his escape from the scene. When his eyes met mine, he quickly whipped his head around and quickened his pace.


    Before I had the chance to do something, Theodore, who had been helping an injured student, spotted him as well, and without even a word, augmented his body before furiously dashing towards Charles.


    "Someone help!" Charles shrieked. Unexpectedly, the group surrounding him did nothing to aid Charles, as he was easily grabbed and picked up by the cor, almost choking; instead, they acted frightened and confused.


    Keeping my wand at the ready, I followed behind my brother who was also rushing towards Theodore and Charles.


    "We need to ask you a couple of questions. If you would so kindly cut the crap ande with us," growled Theodore as he dragged the iling Charles.


    I usually didn''t condone Theodore''s rash behaviors, but this time¡ªexcuse me for these crude thoughts¡ªI was hoping he would be a bit rougher with Charles. A small part of me, a very tiny part, wanted to stoop down to their level and use the same barbaric antics the radical group had to make a statement.


    However, before Theodore had the chance to do anything else, a voice interrupted us.


    "What''s the meaning of this?!" Professor Malkinheim barked as he blocked Theodore''s path.


    Professor Malkinheim was of a scrawny build, with his main features being a balding head and a beak-like nose. You could tell the professor was rather conscious of hisck of hair by how hebed back the hairs growing on his side to try and cover up the bald spot on the crown of his head.


    Professor Malkinheim wouldn''t physically be able to hold someone as thickly built as Theodore down, but he had his needle-thin wand pointed directly at Theodore.


    "I should be asking you the same thing, Professor!" Theodore snarled back as Charles, who was helplessly lying on the floor, wore a pleading look on his face.


    "I wasn''t aware that the prestigious disciplinarymittee officers were mere thugs that would try to drag an innocent student away," Professor Malkinheim reprimanded as his wand remained fixed on Theodore.


    "Innocent? Ha! This brat has been seen multiple times with the radical group you''ve been having such a hard time capturing. It can hardly be anything short of guilt by association. What, are you protecting a criminal right now?" I could tell Theodore was at hisst straw as the ground underneath him started crumbling from his gravity infused mana.


    "S-Someone save me from this brute! I''m innocent! I s-swear!" Charles, who was still on the ground trapped in Theodore''s grasp, started whimpering as the ground underneath him started giving out as well.


    "Theodore, I understand how you feel, but this isn''t the right way to do things. Taking in a student without any evidence besides your word will lead to repercussions from parents and maybe even the Council. Please, we can''t afford to be rash right now." The voice came from another professor who''d helped extinguish the mes; she got in between Professor Malkinheim and Theodore, trying to quell the tension.


    "Professor Genert is right. Theodore, we can''t go out of line right now. Too much is at stake to be reckless. Besides, there are more important things to do than this. We need to make sure that no one had been left inside that building," Curtis said, his face a mixture of frustration and helplessness.


    Wordlessly, Theodore threw the quivering Charles Ravenpor back toward his groupies and shot Professor Malkenheim onest threatening look before walking away. Professor Malkenheim just clicked his tongue in response and walked in the other direction after yelling at the students who were spectating to disperse.


    I shifted my nce towards Charles Ravenpor, who was getting carried away by his friends. His disheveled bangs were covering most of his face but there was an unmistakable smirk stered below his nose.

 Chapter 81: Meanwhile III

    ARTHUR LEYWIN''S POV:


    The night before~


    "Do you really have to leave again? You just got here." My mother heaved a sigh as she looked at me from the other side of the dining table.


    "Brother, you''re going away again? Are you going to almost die again?" my sister asked with a straight face, making hertter question sting all the more. I could tell she was pouting by how her left cheek slightly puffed out more than usual despite her trying to keep a poker face.


    "Eleanor! Don''t say such things to your brother," my mother chastised as she pinched my sister''s cheek.


    "Arthur, I consider you grown up now. I know that your decisions were made in consideration of your family. Father supports your decision to go... since it''s for the sake of your love," my father affirmed as he gave me a thumbs up, the edges of his lips curling upward.


    "Oh God, Dad, please stop," I groaned at the misunderstanding of being taken as some kind of hormone-induced pubescent that had just been caught with a girlfriend.


    "Hehe!" A giggle escaped from my mother''s lips. Despite her efforts to try and quickly cover her mouth and resume a serious face, it was already toote.


    I could feel my face burning so I just looked down, shaking my head, unsure of which was worse: my parents worrying about me, or them teasing me like this.


    Meanwhile, Elijah quietly sat next to me, wide-eyed, sucking his lips in to make sure he didn''tugh as well; his expression seemed to to be saying, ''I''m not doing anything wrong. Nope!'' making me sigh all the harder.


    "Kyu!" ''Papa will be fine! I''m going to protect him this time!'' Sylvie hopped up and down on top of the table.


    "It''s only going to take a couple of days, and I''ll be with Grandpa Virion. Nesides, next week is the Aurora Constete, so I''ll be back home for a while. Like I said in the beginning, this matter is serious," I tried convincing my parents who were already lost in their own imaginations.


    "Well, we can''t keep babying you forever. You are growing up, I guess, in more ways than one. Just remember that it''s better to take things slow, Art. Though, I''m sure you''ll at least do better than your father," my mother mused as she looked helplessly at my father who got caught off guard by this surprise attack.


    My father, who had been doing his best in both his duty as a guard instructor and in his training, looked like he was just stabbed as the teasingments pierced through his body.


    I couldn''t help but give them a wry smile before looking at Elijah.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll let everyone know that you''re still alive anding back soon," Elijah responded as he put his hand on my shoulder while giving me a rather dubious thumbs up.


    "I will be back soon," I reiterated while letting out a doubtful breath.


    I stood up, giving each of them a final hug, which had be a sort of customary thing to do in our family. Sylvie, who was caught in my sister''s grasp, struggled to break free.


    Taking a quick nce at both my mother and sister, I made sure they still had the Phoenix Wyrm nes on them just in case.


    Seeing the white-gold chains twinkle around their necks, I said onest goodbye to all of them and went into the carriage waiting for me outside, Sylvie scampering behind me.


    Inside the well-suspended carriage pulled by arge horse, I began fiddling with the gold-speckled orb, trying to glean what exactly it was.


    Every time I tried imbuing mana into the orb though, there wasn''t any sort of response or reaction, almost as if it was just what it appeared to be¡­ a marble.


    Clicking my tongue in frustration, I put the orb back inside my ring. The ride to the teleportation gate would most likely be the only time I would have to get some sleep so I tried to make the most of it.


    It is necessary, King Grey...


    It is of utmost importance to bring stability to our country...


    To show the people of our country, YOUR country, that you are their King and that you fight for us, it is necessary to kill her...


    Kill her, King Grey, so that the world will know not to trifle with your country¡­


    Kill her...


    I shot up from the carriage seat, gasping for air. The sound of my pounding heart hammered all the way up to my head and I felt the cold air, which leaked inside the carriage, against my sweat-filled forehead. It took me a bit to realize that I had just been dreaming. Sinking back down into my seat, I wiped the cold sweat off my brows as Sylvie, who must''ve fallen off of me when I woke up, jumped back onto myp with a worried gaze.


    As I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that would help me get rid of the disturbing memory I had forgotten for a while, I felt Sylvie''s rough tongue on the back of my hand.


    "It''s okay, Sylv. I''m fine," I assured her while petting her ears.


    Why did that memory have toe up now¡­


    Unable to fall back asleep, I talked to Sylvie to pass the time. It started from small conversations about her time when she was training by herself to teaching her about the various objects and scenery we passed in the remaining duration of the carriage ride. Throughout the months, Sylvie''s mental growth had been rapidly increasing. Her knowledge and maturity had long passed a human of her age.


    I wished at times that there would be more opportunities to train with my bond. Having seen Curtis and his World Lion in duels, I could tell that they spent numerous hours training together.


    When we arrived at the destination, the moon was still high overhead, illuminating the warmly lit floating city of Xyrus. The guard stationed in front of the gate leading to Elenoir Kingdom hurried over to us with his left hand gripping the pommel of the sword strapped to his waist.


    "State your reason for passage and proof of verification," the rugged guard demanded as his left hand eased off his sword, seeing that I was just a kid.


    For some reason, his voice sounded vaguely familiar, and not just in a he-had-amon-voice sort of way. Shrugging it off and pushing that nagging thought towards the back of my mind, I focused on the situation at hand.


    Uncertain of what to say, I remembered that I still had the silverpass Virion gave me way back when I was a child. It had the insignia of the Eralith family so maybe it could be use as sufficient proof.


    Wordlessly, I stuck my hand in my pocket and took out thepass from my ring outside of the guard''s view and showed it to him.


    "Hmm, I asked for the rea... th-this is the¡­ right this way, sir. My apologies for being so disrespectful. I had no idea you had such close ties with the royal family." The crude expression was nowhere to be seen as he bowed down and hurriedly went back to the gate, activating it.


    After the runes around the portal entrance glowed and started humming in a low pitch, he jogged back to us with an apologetic look on his face.


    "Unfortunately, the gate can''t immediately take you to the inside of the kingdom, but it will be in a rtively close vicinity to one of the entrances," the guard disclosed contritely, as if it was his fault.


    "Mmm, that''s fine. Thank you," I nodded.


    Hmm¡­ it seemed this was more than just a simplepass.


    The humminging from the portal intensified, while the ancient magic runes opened the portal. I turned my head back to see the guard giving me an exaggerated bow.


    As my right foot stepped into the portal and I felt the familiar sensation of my body getting sucked in; the guard looked up.


    The rugged-looking guard with scars etched on his face was gone, recing it was the old man from the elixir store.


    With a cheeky grin, he gave me a wink before saying, "Have a safe trip, youngd."


    CYNTHIA GOODSKY''S POV:


    When I reached a clearing in the woods, I heard the faint mumbling of chants with my enhanced hearing.


    [Wind Cutter]


    Dozens of nearly-transparent des ofpressed air whizzed towards me at a frightening speed.


    Of course it was only natural that all of these spies would be wind mages.


    I stood still, waiting for the wind des to reach me before releasing a sound barrier.


    Unscathed, I continued walking while I finished my second spell.


    [Pulse Field]


    The unlucky birds and rodent in the vicinity fell victim and dropped dead from the trees they were hiding in; along with them, a few unprepared spies also took the brunt and fell from their own hiding ces, clutching their ears in agony. I had all of their locations.


    Before I had the chance to send out another spell, I was forced to dodge a needle that managed to avoid my senses until thest second. Taking a quick look down, I could tell the projectile was coated with poison.


    "Avier, take the ones to my right," I stated monotonically.


    ''Aye,'' my bond confirmed back through mental transmission.


    Avier descended from the moonlit sky, and before long, I could hear the brief groans and howling of the spies that became prey.


    A pity that their screams would never be heard.


    On my side, I had to control myself to keep at least a few of them alive and able so I could get some information out of them.


    In the end, only one managed to survive long enough to be questioned...


    "GAAAAAAAAHHH!" the spy that was currently underneath me wailed.


    It was fairly simple to torture him after destroying his mana core. Without magic protecting him, his body were simply too frail. I proceeded to crush his bones from the inside after giving him the chance to answer my questions. He remained unrelenting.


    "Heh! You think I''ll tell anything to a traitor? You made a big mistake. They''re slowly regaining their... former strength. Just from the questions you asked, you assumed this continent had decades left, huh? Pfft! the people of this continent... will have less than ten years before the war begins." He smirked, spitting the blood congealing inside his mouth at my face.


    My cheeks couldn''t help but cramp at the confirmation of my fears. Pushing down my frustration, I ced my hand on the injured spy''s head.


    His voice choking on the blood umting in his mouth, he croaked, "Long live the¡ª"


    His voice was cut short as liquid brain matter began leaking out from his ears and blood started dripping down his other orifices as the sound pulse I inflicted on the inside of his skull mashed his brain.


    Dropping the lifeless body on the ground, I let out a sigh. Turning back, I made haste to my next destination, careful to avoid the corpses scattered on the ground.


    "Do you mind cleaning up the mess, Avier?" I said apologetically.


    "Human meat is too stringy for my taste, but I suppose it will have to do for now." As my bond said this, his owl-like body began to glow before transforming into his wyvern form.


    With only the moonlight illuminating the woods, the crunch of bones echoed loudly as Avier feasted on yet another batch of spies that hade from my homnd.


    I let out a disappointed breath of air from the fruitless night as I wiped the blood off my face while changing my outer attire. My years on this continent had made me too soft. The apathy that I had once built towards death and torture was gone¡ªrecing it with a sour taste in my mouth, just from killing a few brainwashed soldiers.


    But even still¡­ this was too easy¡­


    Were they just a diversion?


    Avier, who rarely let me ride on his back, carried me off to our next destination. I just hoped that my suspicions weren''t correct.

 Chapter 82: At Last

    ELIJAH KNIGHT¡¯S POV:


    By the time the DC officers and Student Council got out of the meeting with the professors, it was alreadyte into the night.


    I took that chance to tell them all what I couldn¡¯t earlier¡ªthat Arthur was alive and safe.


    "Yes! I knew it! I knew he¡¯d survive." ire had sunk down in her chair as she covered her face with her arms, probably to hide the stray tears that were sliding down her cheeks.


    Curtis just let out a huge breath of relief as he leaned back against the wall; but it was Princess Kathyln¡¯s reaction that caught me off guard.


    For once, I could visibly see her face brighten as she studied me to make sure I wasn¡¯t lying. I could almost see her chocte-colored eyes twinkle as they turned up and a rare smikle formed.


    "Thank God," she muttered over and over under her breath after I reaffirmed the information with an awkward nod.


    "As expected of my¡ªsniff¡ªrival. Mhmm." The elf that kept insisting that he was Arthur¡¯s rival had a presuming look on his face as though he was the one that saved Arthur or something but the mucus leaking from his nose betrayed his expression.


    "Heh, I knew the twerp wouldn¡¯t die from just a fall," the bear leaning back on his chair scoffed. Theodore tried to y it off casually but the half-grin he tried to hold back told everyone that he was quite d.


    Kai, I think that was his name, responded very indifferently with a smile that looked superficially drawn.


    "Looks like I¡¯ll get my duel after all." The buff midget, too ugly to be deemed anything but an "attractive" dwarf, nodded in anticipation, her arms crossed to show off her bulging veins.


    Ugh, I¡¯m recalling some unpleasant memories again.


    Fairly obvious that they were all relieved, they didn¡¯t mind that he wouldn¡¯t be back to help out with the situation at hand for a bit longer.


    Just the opposite¡ªit felt like they wanted this whole fiasco taken care of before Arthur and Tessia got back.


    This was odd because, more so than the professors here, I felt like Arthur would be able to do something about this mess if our Director didn¡¯t get back in time.


    I had told the Disciplinary Committee officers about Arthur after the Tri-Union Building site was under control. Luckily no one died and only a few students were mildly injured. An emitter brought over from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild healed them and they were taken to the treatment ward where, before their parents came, they¡¯d given their ount for what happened inside.


    The atmosphere within the academy had taken a turn for the worse as there was a clear split between the students now. The newly admitted elves and dwarves were furious, generalizing that all humans were racist brutes, while the prideful human students had no intention of taking the me for the actions of others.


    The few human students that did feel bad for what had happened ended up being ostracized by both sides. In the end, they just took a neutral stance, too afraid to say anything since at this point, the situation was too vtile; everyone was trying to find someone else to me.


    It was weird how people acted more recklessly when they banded together, like they got strength from each other. Both sides became more vocal after the building was put out and almost turned physical until the professors told them all to disperse.


    Restless at this whole event, I ended up stopping by the training room that Arthur had allowed me ess to. I normally didn¡¯t use it, but since both Arthur and Tessia weren¡¯t here, I decided it would be okay.


    The guard eyed me funny but the front deskdy named Chloe was friendly enough to escort me personally into the room.


    "Haaa..." I let out a deep breath as I felt my mana core tremble in excitement to let loose.


    Unlike Arthur, I¡¯d been learning a lot since I came to this academy; a lot of practical aspects applicable to my magic seemed to work differently for mepared to others.


    One thing I noticed was that meditating didn¡¯t do much for me. My mana core developed and strengthened at its own pace and any conscious effort to refine more mana from the atmosphere didn¡¯t seem to help.


    Even without any real effort, I broke through into the light orange stage but after reaching this stage, I just couldn¡¯t seem to make any gains.


    I clenched my hands into fists and then released, repeating this motion as if my hands weren¡¯t my own.


    [Earthen Spear]


    I felt mana well up in me at the activation of the spell and immediately a rock spike shot up from the ground a couple meters in front of me.


    [Earthen Spear]


    I cast, this time with more mana imbued into the spell.


    Two thick spears of earth shot up at an angle in front of me. To be honest, even casting with the name of the spell was unnecessary for me. It just be a habit for me so that I could keep a firm vision of what I wanted to evoke but if I practiced more, maybe I could even instantly cast multiple streams of spells at once.


    [Stone Barrage]


    This time, the ground underneath me crumbled as chunks of earth began levitating. After a couple moments of concentration, I willed the rocks to shoot forward.


    Only four of the ten rocks I shot actually hit the tree that I deemed the target, making me a bit disappointed.


    If I couldn¡¯t meditate to strengthen my mana core like everyone else, I might as well get better at controlling the spells at hand.


    I learned in my Mana Utilization ss what affinity towards a certain element exactly meant. For a mage with very little affinity to fire, it basically meant that mage had to be a lot more precise in conjuring the spell, which also meant that the vocal incantation of the spell needed to be longer. Each verse of an incantation that we chanted shaped the type of phenomenon we wanted to ur. For the rock bullet spell, a mage with little affinity would need to have a verse for each step he took: beginning from the shape of the rock, the density, where it would be made from; if you added in a spin to the bullet you would need to have a verse for that as well. Not forgetting the initial trajectory of the spell either, or if you wanted the rock bullet strengthened so that it would pierce the target, or explode upon impact¡ªall of these would add up to a pretty long chant.


    All these "factors" of the spell could easily just be imagined by a mage that had great affinity to the element. Mages stuck with the element that they had the highest affinity towards so that they could best utilize their mana and mental capacity.


    For me, the earth below me felt like an extension of my body; maybe it was because I grew up with dwarves but I always had this nagging thought in the back of my mind that even amongst them I wasn¡¯t normal. I didn¡¯t mean not normal in a genius sort of way like Arthur was, but in a freak-of-nature sort of way.


    Well, I guess Arthur was sort of a freak of nature in his own way...


    It was an odd little train of thought. Those facts about my body or my disposition weren¡¯t top-secret stuff, but I didn¡¯t explicitly tell anyone either. I considered telling Arthur about the differences in my body, but I always missed the timing and it just didn¡¯t seem urgent enough to pull him aside and tell him.


    It was good in a way because I felt like maybe, just maybe, I could some day catch up to Arthur if I trained hard enough.


    Yeah, I know he was a solid yellow quadra-elemental mage with a dragon¡¯s will and he somehow had freakishly superb skills in closebat but hey, a guy could dream, right?


    I conjured more spells, half to practice, half to relieve the pent up frustration. I wanted to catch up to Arthur, not because I wanted to be better than him, but because I wanted to help him. I felt like he always had his own battles he was facing. As his best friend, I wanted to have his back, whether through good times, or through war. I didn¡¯t know what sort of things he was going through but if I was going to be with him, I needed to get stronger.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    I wanted to turn back, but it was toote; I was already inside the portal. The trip through the transportation neversted longer than a few moments of unpleasant dizziness but this time, it felt longer... no. It WAS longer.


    "Kuu..." Sylvie, who stuck to my head like glue began trembling.


    ¡¯It feels wrong, Papa,¡¯ Sylvie transmitted, her inner thoughts traced with worry.


    The journey through the transportation gate looked as though you were fast-forwarding to your destination. You¡¯re standing on a tform as a blur of different colors race by as the background gets lighter and lighter until you disappear into the light, exiting out the other end. It was a peculiar sensation that I couldn¡¯t seem to describe in words but this time, it was different.


    The space around us distorted into a blur of colors like usual but instead of getting brighter, the color around of us drained and turned dimmer and dimmer, until it was pitch ck.


    ¡¯Papa, I¡¯m scared.¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s trembling on my head was the only way I knew my bond was still there.


    This was the first time Sylvie had told me she was scared. There were times when she was on guard, or alert, but she was never frightened.


    The sensation of travelling through the gate that normally made me nauseous also ceased so I tautly augmented a ball of me above my palm.


    "What the hell..." It was bizarre. The ball of fire that was supposed to be giving me at least some sort of vision didn¡¯t do anything. Almost like trying to color in a red ball on a ck piece of paper, it had no effect on the pitch ck darkness.


    An unsettling feeling loomed over me. I crumbled to my knees and instantly augmented my body with mana.


    I was scared.


    What sort of monster was here that had a thick enough malicious intent to make me fall to my knees?


    I couldn¡¯t stop shivering and the mana in my body dispersed, refusing to listen to me from theck of mental control I had over myself.


    For the first time in a long while, I felt like a child¡ªan actual, helpless child in front of the boogeyman.


    "Who¡¯s there?" I tried my best to roar but my shaking voice betrayed me.


    Just then, a pair of eyes came into view out of nowhere. I knew exactly whom this pair of eyes belonged to. I was sure of it; yet, it didn¡¯tfort me or help me in knowing at all.


    The pair of glowing white eyes speckled with stars, that captivated me the first time I saw them, grew close. An authoritative voice that was devoid of emotion pierced through me, as if he was speaking directly into my ear.


    "Atst. We now have a bit of privacy to peacefully converse."

 Chapter 83: Benefactor

    LUCAS WYKES¡¯ POV:


    "And what the hell is this supposed to be?" I raised an eyebrow, looking around inside the dimly lit room that reminded me of some crudely built wine cer.


    It was that poor excuse of a mage from the Ravenpor House that brought me here, telling me that it would be something I¡¯d be interested in.


    I normally would¡¯ve sted that sod away when he talked to me so arrogantly, like he was doing me a favor; but I was quite curious, especially after the explosion at the Tri-Union Building earlier today.


    "Wee to one of the many humble dwellings that we use to hold our meetings," said a coarse voice. I was surrounded by at least sixty hooded figures, but only the one sittingzily in the middle while addressing me had a mask on.


    It was a in white mask with two small eyeholes and a smile crudely drawn where the mouth should be. The mask was rather simple enough but the simply drawn smile gave off a sinister feel.


    Charles Ravenpor, who was next to me, put on his own hooded robe and knelt down on one knee with his head bowed.


    "My lord, I have brought Lucas Wykes like you asked," he said in a careful, hushed tone.


    "Ahh, the famous Mr. Wykes, here in the flesh! So d you could join us for our little...crusade!" heughed, averting his attention from Charles.


    I looked around. "I¡¯m not here to join anything. I came here out of curiosity, but I¡¯m not impressed. Who are you supposed to be, anyway? You don¡¯t seem to be a student... Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re a professor?" I scoffed.


    "How dare you! You should be grateful that we even considered letting a mutt like you join us!" one of the hooded figures to my right hissed.


    "A mutt?" I echoed back, feeling a vein bulging from the side of my forehead.


    I soundlessly prepared a spell for the ingrate who dared to mock me, but before I could finish the chant, the man behind the smiling mask snapped his fingers.


    Suddenly, the hooded snob that call me a mutt let out a shrill howl as hebusted into mes.


    I couldn¡¯t help but click my tongue. Even for instant casting, that was fast... frighteningly so.


    "Now, now. That isn¡¯t a very courteous thing to say to our newest member, right?" As the masked man, who was stillzily sagged down on his earthen throne, spoke, the fire had already burned through the boy¡¯s robe, burning his skin.


    "F-Forgive me! I was wrong. I apologize! P-Please!" he begged as he desperately tried to crawl toward the masked man. Meanwhile, the other hooded figures were too scared to do anything to help him.


    Turning away from the hooded figure still screaming in pain, I faced the masked man. "Before I decide whether I want to even join this little cult of yours, what is it you¡¯re trying to aplish, and why do you even need me?"


    I couldn¡¯t sense his mana core but it didn¡¯t seem like I was on the same level as him.


    "Circumstances make it unable for me to personally act for now, so I need some capable mages in order to thoroughlyplete my ns. You see, I hate leaving loose ends," he exined as he used an arm to prop his head up.


    "Taking advantage of your director¡¯s absence, it is the opportune time to act so that by the time shees back, it will all be toote," he continued. After snapping his fingers again, the fire suddenly disappeared, leaving the boy twitching from the pain.


    "And as for what I hope to do, let¡¯s just say that my goals coincide with these folks and I simply thought that it¡¯d be nice to kill two birds with one stone. Everyone here is a dissatisfied human noble that once took pride in the fact that this academy was meant only for the purest of lineage. While you may be a special exception to this case, I would still like to have you on board," he answered inly.


    "Besides, the whole ¡¯ept all¡¯ motto that this academy now follows makes me want to barf. Don¡¯t you agree, Mr. Wykes?" As he said this, the hooded figures all nodded fiercely in agreement. Just from his tone, I could tell that this guy was smirking behind his mask.


    "Whether they make you want to barf or not doesn¡¯t matter to me. Why waste my time and energy on bugs I could squish at any time? The peasants that were able to weed their way into this academy aren¡¯t any better than the low-ss adventurer thugs that go around blindly iling their weapons. Even the nobles that were brought up in the most pampered conditions aren¡¯t worth crap to me. If this is all that you have to say, then I have no reason to lower myself to be put on some leash and takemands from you," I snapped at him, turning my back.


    "Lucas, what a hurtful thing to say. How could you everpare yourself to some sort of dog tied to a leash?" He covered his mouth with his hands, sarcastically, like he was actually surprised.


    "It seems like what I¡¯ve heard is true. That you are a rather prideful mage that looks down on people of low birth. Did your friend, Arthur Leywin, not prove you wrong in this aspect?" The coarse voice yfully egged me on, making me stop in my tracks.


    I whipped my head around. "What did you¡ª"


    "It doesn¡¯t take a genius to figure out that, although you were hailed as a prodigy in the field of magic and have been pampered with elixirs and strengthening methods since your awakening, you aren¡¯t a match for the child, Arthur Leywin," he shrugged, holding his hand up.


    I could feel my fists whiten in frustration, but he cut me off before I was able to refute.


    "The sad thing is, he was never even trying. I bet even you always had a nagging suspicion that he had always been holding back, hahahaha!" He erupted into a fit ofughter as he clutched his stomach, legs kicking in the air.


    "Who do you think you are?" I growled.


    My body was already glowing as mana spilled out from my mana core, ready to fire at him, but I never did. This throbbing sense told me to not mess with him, like it was... hopeless.


    No! I¡¯m Lucas Wykes of the Wykes Family!


    But who the hell was he and why did he talk like he was here the whole time, watching over us?


    "I told you. I am but a mere benefactor that came here for the betterment of thisnd." As he said this, he got up and gave an exaggerated bow with his arms spread out.


    Sitting back down on his crude throne, he continued, "Mr. Wykes, I believe that, even if our views aren¡¯t the same, we could have some sort of mutual benefit in this."


    "Go on," I said through gritted teeth.


    He ignored the fact that I was stillpletely surrounded by fire attribute mana, dangerously close to releasing it.


    "Soon, I will be able to personally take part in this and when I do, I want topletely shatter the frail glue holding the three races together. However, until that timees, I need your strength to help run things smoothly," he exined.


    "How do you personally n on splitting up the three races and why would you think that doing this would even benefit me in any way? Besides, you think The Council and the Lances were made just for decoration?" I argued.


    "The Council is tied up with various things at the moment, and I¡¯ve taken extra precautions to make sure that your director is held up and out of reach. The field is set, Mr. Wykes, so let me ask you this¡ªhow would you like to have the ever so cautious Arthur Leywin fight you at his full strength, and for you to obtain the necessary power to defeat him even then?" He lifted his hand up, beckoning me toward him.


    "How do you know about Arthur?" I pried, growing more cautious.


    The man in the mask shrugged. "It¡¯s obvious that I¡¯d do at least some research on my lovely recruits. So how about it... the power to defeat even your beloved Arthur?"


    I remained silent, unable to make heads or tails out of this character.


    "As long as you agree, I promise that you will get your hands on a level of power that you never thought was possible," he continued.


    I looked at the hooded figures and could tell that they were interested as well, but stayed quiet due to the fear of bing the next victim of the masked man¡¯s ¡¯discipline.¡¯


    This was all too good to be true.


    "If what you say is true and he has been cautiously hiding his powers to the extent that he has, how are you going to get him to fight me at his best?" I scoffed, unwilling to believe.


    "Quite simple, actually, and it is also a task that I need to get done as well so it works out. Arthur is only human and he holds great importance to his family and his friends, but particrly more so to one person," he says as he lifted his index finger up, the smile on the mask most likely matching the sinister expression he had as well.


    "Tessia Eralith..." I whispered, unable to hide the smirk on my face.


    "Yes! Tessia Eralith! An elf! In this sacred Xyrus Academy, an elf is the leader of the students! Do all of you think this is right?" he bellowed at everyone so his voice echoed in the small dungeon.


    "NO!" the hooded figures all roared in unison.


    "She may not be here yet but I reckon she will soon, and most likely with Arthur. Don¡¯t you think that maybe a bit of elf princess blood being shed ought to get your buddy ¡¯ol pal, Arthur, riled up?" he sneered as his hands ignited in mes.


    I never cared for the elf princess besides thinking that she suited my tastes. I let her be since her body hadn¡¯t even matured yet but it did seem like something was going on between her and Arthur. Who did he think he was anyways, to think that he deserved someone like the princess of the elven kingdom?


    He was just a lowly peasant.


    As I began ying through the possible scenarios in my head, I couldn¡¯t help my lips from slowly curling upwards as I imagined his precious little lover¡¯s life in my grasp as Arthur begged me to stop. The brat who always thought he was better than I was...on his knees.


    I wondered if he¡¯d lose his sanity if I were to slowly bleed her in front of him?


    I began licking my lips in anticipation. "Why the hell not!"

 Chapter 84: A Greater Scale

    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    "Atst, we finally have a bit of privacy to peacefully converse," a voice rang in my ear.


    As soon as it spoke, the space around us began warping. Sylvie¡¯s trembling became so severe that I couldn¡¯t keep her perched on my head and had to hold her firmly in my arms.


    Suddenly, in the midst of the chaos that was forming around us, we were in a nk white room.


    I stared dumbly around my perimeter but couldn¡¯t find the words to express my confusion. Without being able to muster up even a voice to curse in surprise, I just idly waited.


    In this white cube, it was only me, a quivering Sylvie, and the source of the all too familiar speckled pair of eyes.


    By the time my eyes were able to adjust to the sudden brightness, I could make out the cat taking in a deep breath.


    "Haa..."


    Did it just sigh at me?


    As I continued to kneel while clutching my bond, the cat I had seen at ¡¯Windsom¡¯s Potions and Elixirs¡¯ started shaking its head at me after a little while.


    It really was the same cat I saw back then...


    The peculiarly eye-catching cat was sitting in a poised manner, its tail swaying hypnotically as its eyes locked onto mine. As the cat¡¯s gaze bored deeper into me, I began feeling like some sort of raw material being appraised by a veteran merchant who was deciding whether to buy me out or not.


    I snapped out of my daze and began looking for the old man to pop out. As I was about to say something aloud, the cat started glowing in a golden white light that spread over its entire body.


    Interrupted, I just kept my mouth shut and waited for the surprises to end. For some reason, I felt like no matter what I did at this point, I couldn¡¯t stop whatever was about to happen. It was an instinctual reaction that for some reason I just couldn¡¯t ignore.


    While the aura and demeanor of this cat was heavy and oppressive, I knew that it didn¡¯t want to hurt me; otherwise, I would¡¯ve been dead already.


    The golden-white light began to change its shape and erge, changing from the form of a cat to that of a human.


    As if it was made of ss, the sparkling human-shaped glow shattered into fragments of light, revealing someone I couldn¡¯t recognize.


    "Greetings. I go by Windsom," the man sniffed deprecatingly.


    The man that had transformed from a cat spoke with an elegance that matched his appearance. On the top of his sculpted face was a bed of short tinum blond hair that was neatly swept to the side. His deep-set eyes, that had not changed from when he was a cat, almost seemed to touch his permanently furrowed brows. There was a sense of nobility in his gaze as he continued to lock onto me.


    While neither burly nor muscr, his square shoulders, underneath a military-like uniform he¡¯d conjured after transforming, told me he was a warrior... a fighter like myself.


    His thin lips tightened as he let out another sigh of disapproval through his sharp nose. Peering down at Sylvie and me, he spoke again.


    "I felt this form would be more appropriate for our conversation," the man announced matter-of-factly.


    I opened my mouth to say something but I held back. If he¡¯d just disclosed he was Windsom, then what about the old man who stole my money? Was the man I originally thought was the owner of the elixir store just my own incorrect assumption? Then who was the old man? Windsom¡¯s attendant?


    Composing myself, I let Sylvie down and stood up.


    I dusted my clothes off and responded, "Before, we continue, I¡¯d like to confirm a few things."


    "..."


    Windsom tilted his head to the side, thrown off by my sudden sharp and incisive tone.


    "Since you lured me here for a reason and with Tessia as bait, is it safe to assume that she¡¯s alright?" I asked, taking the glittering marble ball out from my dimension ring.


    After a slight pause, he replied, nodding, "Yes, your little elf princess is fine. I had already taken precautionary measures before you made your way here. She should be recuperating to a certain extent with her grandfather back at the elf kingdom.


    That, on the other hand"¡ªWindsom pointed at the marble in my hand¡ª"is for you to keep."


    It was my turn to be surprised.


    "For me?" I asked.


    "Yes. Do you know how hard it is to acquire an elixir pearl of that quality? Yet it went to waste on your little lover. In fact, it was too strong for her, which was why I had to waste another precious elixir to keep her body from...well, exploding." He let out another deep breath as he regarded me with the arrogance of a noble discussing politics with an ignorant bumpkin.


    "Excuse me? Explode?" I sputtered, about to refute.


    While taking a couple of steps toward me, he interrupted, "Well, I suppose without it, she would¡¯ve been dead by now so it wasn¡¯t aplete waste. Still, don¡¯t give that one away and take the time to absorb the elixir pearl with your bond. It¡¯ll help with your training quite a bit."


    Sylvie tilted her head in confusion while taking a look at the marble in my hand. Her shivering seemed to stop after Windsom controlled the pressure he was releasing.


    I shook my head at this. "Shouldn¡¯t it bemon courtesy to tell me exactly what is going on? Who or what exactly are you? Why did you bring me here?"


    "Patience really isn¡¯t a strong suit of yours, now is it? Very well, if I were to introduce myself in a way that would be easy for you toprehend it¡¯d sound a little something like this: Ie from thend of asuras and am what you lesser races call a ¡¯deity.¡¯" Windsom¡¯s eyes remain unwavering as he said this.


    "Deity? The deities that supposedly blessed the three races with artifacts that basically allowed them to eventually use magic?"


    "Yes yes," he nodded impatiently. "Keep in mind that what I¡¯m about to tell you dates back centuries ago, with any form of records or ounts having been destroyed or possibly having never been written in the first ce. It is in our best interest that we keep it this way.


    "The extent of knowledge that you have lies in what the former elf king had told you. A deity blessing the three races with a set of artifacts that eventually allowed future generations to learn what you now call ¡¯magic.¡¯ That was just the oue of what had happened prior; something that no one on thisnd knows about," Windsom continued narrating with his back ramrod straight, like he was lecturing a ss.


    I stayed silent, letting him continue.


    "As you lot have recently discovered, there exists another continent in this world. The only two bodies ofnd that makes up the two ends of this world have always existed and have been protected and watched over by us. We asuras are and have been governed by a doctrine, a noblesse oblige of sorts if you put it simply, since the beginning of our existence. We are not toy a hand on the lesser races inhabiting thend below, making sure only to act in times when either of the two continents fall out of bnce or are on the brink of extinction." He let out a sigh as he turned his back toward us. "That was, until we found out that this sacred rule had been broken."


    The look I had on my face must¡¯ve given my thoughts away because Windsom replied, "I can imagine the multitude of questions you may have but the information that I¡¯m sharing with you currently is only what you will need to know at this point. We have time, although not much of it, and telling you too much now will only distract you."


    Not much time?


    It will only distract me?


    Him telling me this only flooded my mind with even more questions, but I just took a deep breath and signaled for him to carry on as Sylvie kept looking back and forth between the two of us in confusion.


    He gave a nod back and continued.


    "Despite how you may refer to us as deities, we are far from gods... or rather, we¡¯re far closer to you than you think. Much of the economy in Dicathen and crya was originally mimicked after the systems of mynd Epheotus, thend of asuras."


    Epheotus and crya...


    "Of course, while Epheotus isn¡¯t nearly asrge as either of the surface continents, much of how the gears of society work isparable. Epheotus was once divided into three factions that were made up of multiple ns in each of them. Boiling it down quite a bit, the ruling n of each faction had their own nuance in ideals, which congregated the other ns to join either of the three factions. While ideals may have been different, every n of asuras still kept to the paramount creed that we were not toy a hand against the lesser races. However, after Agrona, the sessor of the Vritra n, came into power, things quickly changed."


    The name Vritra rang in my mind like thunder. Vritra wasn¡¯t the name of the ck-horned demon but the name of its n?


    "What was this Agrona like and what happened to the Vritra n?" I leaned forward in anticipation.


    I could tell Windsom had to pause for a bit to gather his thoughts. "The Vritra n had always been an anomaly. It¡¯s simplest to imagine them as scientists of sorts. While their innate magic is unique and versatile, it was never as powerful as the other ns¡¯ mana arts. However, coupled with their genius minds and insatiable curiosity, they were always one of the central ns."


    "If they¡¯d always been one of the stronger ns, howe things became so different once the Vritra n came into power?" I queried.


    "A n being strong and a n bing a leader of a faction are two different things. Again, think of the Vritra n as scientists, as researchers. The n had very little interest in anything other than gaining knowledge and insight on utilizing mana. Like ivory tower residents, they were secluded knowledge seekers that only pursued what they could not yetprehend; the previous head of the n was even more so fervent in his quest to ovee the impossible. However, Agrona... he was different. While charismatic and intelligent, he was arrogant and power-hungry. He believed that the asuras were never meant to watch over the lesser races but rather rule over them as their gods," he rified.


    Windsom¡¯s face tensed as continued speaking. "After Agrona began leading the Vritra n, however, their strength abruptly increased unnaturally. No one could figure out how Agrona could advance the Vritra n¡¯s mana power in such a short time. Eventually, through their rise in power, they were able to rally up more ns to share his ideals and the Vritra n soon led a faction on par with either of the other two existing factions.


    "It was onlyter that we found out that Agrona and a few other of the Vritra n had secretly been making trips to the Continent of crya. While it wasn¡¯t forbidden for us to go down to Dicathen or crya as long as we concealed ourselves, their movements and behaviors were eerily suspicious. After the other two factions found out about this, they sent out scouts to figure out what they were up to." I could see Windsom¡¯s knuckles whiten by how hard he was clenching his fists.


    "Agrona and the Vritra n had been inhumanely torturing the lesser races by experimenting on their bodies to find different ways to enhance their own abilities..."


    Scenes from my past shed in my mind at this. The different dungeons bing corrupted, traces of the ck-horned demons that kept appearing all clicked together at Windsom¡¯sst statement.


    "Being brutally honest, this information was enlightening and all, but what does this have to do with me? Why tell me all of this? I can¡¯t imagine what could make a deity or asura or whatever single me out to reveal something as important as this."


    "You¡¯re right. Besides your own abilities, which are barely noteworthy by our standards, there really shouldn¡¯t be a reason to tell you all of this. The only reason I do so is because of your ties to us," he answered, pointing down.


    "Kyu?"


    I subconsciously stepped in front of Sylvie to protect her.


    "We¡¯ve been searching for Lady Sylvia for years with no sess, yet after finally finding traces of her mana, it led me to a little boy with her exact mana signature; what¡¯s even more shocking is that, after watching over him, he held in his hands a deity. Arthur, you are currently bonded with the child of my master¡¯s only daughter, and the granddaughter of the highest level of power in the leading faction of Epheotus."

 Chapter 85: Lineage

    The fact that all of this was somehow connected to Sylvia didn¡¯t surprise me. If anything, it just confirmed everything that I had presumed until now.


    But...


    Lady Sylvia...


    The daughter of the highest position of power in and of deities...


    Even with my status as a king in my previous life, a figure of such stature would be someone I could only kneel down in submission to.


    A dry lump caught in my throat as I stared down at my bond. Of course, the possibility of Sylvie being the actual child of Sylvia was always there, but due to the circumstances of her being chased by the ck-horned demons... the Vritra n, I could never confirm. The fact that Sylvie¡¯s appearance looked vastly different from her mother also didn¡¯t help.


    Grandpa Virion¡¯s voice suddenly popped into my mind. He was the one that confirmed that Sylvie was a dragon. From what he told me and what I¡¯d read, while dragons were extraordinarily rare and powerful, nothing mentioned them being higher beings, let alone Asuras.


    "So are the dragons written down in past texts actually deities?" I inquired.


    Windsom faced me, letting out an impatient sigh. "No. While there are lesser races that have descended from us deities, it is rather offensive topare us. I will put aside the biology lesson for another time, but there are general facts you do need to know. While there are special exceptions due to innate differences in each n, in most cases, deities have three main forms. The humanoid form that I am in currently, a draconic form which is most likely the form that Lady Sylvia had used to pass down her will to you, and a third form which integrates both humanoid and draconic aspects."


    "Then you¡¯re saying that Sylvie has a human form?" I couldn¡¯t help but point a finger at my bond in exasperation.


    "Yes, but Lady Sylvia must have cast a seal on her own daughter, because the mana signature that she is producing is not nearly the same as it should be. Arthur, how did youe to meet her?"


    "Before Sylvia was killed or taken away by the ck-horned demons, she gave me a stone that turned out to be what I figured was an egg," I clicked my tongue. Exining this made me recall some unpleasant memories.


    "ck-horned demons?" Windsom tilted his head.


    "It¡¯s how I describe them because of their appearance. From what you told me just now, though, they seem to be what you call the Vritra n."


    "Indeed, the Vritra n is known for their prominent onyx horns... While this was one of the most probable oues, it also means that there is very little hope that she is alive. Arthur, Lady Sylvia undoubtedly put a seal on her child in hopes that the Vritra n would not be able to find her." For once, there was a twinge of emotion on Windsom¡¯s face that wasn¡¯t annoyance. I could see the sadness zed over his eyes as he took a moment to gather himself.


    "So does that mean deities are usually born in a humanoid form?" I couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    "Yes. Our draconic form uses up a lot of our mana so we spend most of our time in our humanoid form. However, just like how I can shift into the form of a smaller animal, Lady Sylvia¡¯s daughter seems to be in that form to conserve energy."


    "You keep referring to her as Lady Sylvia¡¯s daughter, but she has a name. It¡¯s Sylvie. I named her after Sylvia," I pointed out. "Also, is it possible for Sylvie to turn into her humanoid form now?"


    At this, Windsom merely shook his head before responding. "Most likely not. The humanoid form is the most natural for us, so if Lady Sylvia¡¯s¡ªLady Sylvie, was able to transform into this form, she would¡¯ve done so already."


    There was a torrent of questions flooding my mind now that I knew for a fact that Sylvie was an Asura. Imagining her in a human form was hard enough, but what did it mean for us since we were bonded? Did Asuras bond to each other in Epheotus? Although Sylvie was the one that initiated the bond, it wasn¡¯t something that I could imagine doing with someone that looked like a human.


    I knew Windsom would say something along the lines of, ¡¯I¡¯ll only tell you what is necessary for you to know right now,¡¯ so I pushed those thoughts aside and pressed on what we talked about earlier.


    "So since Sylvia, the daughter of a very important figure to you deities, did give her will to me, that makes me automatically involved in this uing fight that you guys are most likely going to have with the Vritra n and co., right? Also, the fact that Sylvie, the granddaughter of the so-called very important figure, is bonded to me begs another question... Are you nning on taking her back to Epheotus?" My eyes narrowed as I tried to read Windsom¡¯s expression.


    "Yes. Dumbing it down quite a bit, that is the essence of what I exined to you. You may or may not have figured out just how mysterious and powerful Lady Sylvia¡¯s powers are. Even if you were able to unlock some of the mana arts only she could use, I doubt you were able to tap into a fraction of her true abilities. Arthur, even Asuras would drool in greed at the thought of receiving Lady Sylvia¡¯s powers. While even she wasn¡¯t able to fully control them, her powers had...have the potential to outstrip her father¡¯s." There was a look of longing and respect in this Asura¡¯s eyes as he exined all of this.


    "As for taking Lady Sylvie back to Epheotus, while that was indeed our immediate preference, we have decided on a different route. Arthur, we will be entering into war with the Fallen ns, the forces led by Agrona and his Vritra n, soon. After thest war, both sides sustained immense casualties and had no choice but to settle for a truce. Agrona agreed not to touch Dicathen, but in return, we had to give up the Continent of crya to him.


    "While our forces may have stronger powerhouses, they possess too many unpredictable factors with the experiments they had time to explore during this period. The truce is losing its power as the Fallen ns continue to grow their troops. We have already found traces of Agrona¡¯s troops in this continent. While the upper echelons of Epheotus would never verbally admit it, we need help, and your future potential can y a crucial role in this. As long as you, Arthur Leywin, agree to be our ally, there will be no need to separate you from Lady Sylvie."


    Even though Windsom was asking me for a favor, the way he looked at me dead in the eye made me feel like he was presenting me a role of the highest honor.


    He had me. There really wasn¡¯t much of an option for me to choose. If I declined him, he would forcefully take Sylvie away and Dicathen would still most likely end up bing war torn. With that, my family and friends would be in danger whether or not I became their ally.


    He was basically implying that I was going to be involved in this war one way or another. The choice was up to me on how directly I wanted to fight against our mutual enemies.


    Letting out a scoff, I agreed. "Since this war involves the entirety of this continent anyways, I would be an ally to you whether I agreed or not today. Rather, what you are asking for is if I can be a pawn under your control."


    "I can¡¯t disagree with your statement. You¡¯re wise for your age, Arthur," Windsom smirked. "I take it by your answer that you agree to our proposal. This war will change the entire bnce of this world. If Agrona and his forces are able to take over this continent as well as all of its resources, there wille a time when even Epheotus will be in danger. That being said, we will need to prepare you. Your mana core is rather well-developed for your age, which is a good sign. But training you will have toe after you¡¯re able to at least reach the white stage. With the resources we will provide you and yourprehension skills, I can¡¯t imagine it to take too long. After that, we will need to take both you and Lady Sylvie to Epheotus to train under the most optimal cond¡ª"


    "Hold on, I¡¯m going to Epheotus? Your home? Thend of Asuras?" I nearly shouted, bbergasted.


    "Of course. Do you think that my master will stand idly now, knowing that he has a granddaughter? Arthur, you are thest one to have seen Lady Sylvia. On top of that, she has passed on to you, her mana signature. You may not realize what that means but to us Asuras, it would be metaphorically pulling out your own mana core and giving it away. If she was forced into a state where she had no choice but to do this, we have no choice but to assume she has passed away."


    I didn¡¯t answer.


    "There isn¡¯t much I can help you with directly for now except provide for you some resources to strengthen your mana core. During this time, I also have things to investigate and prepare for. I will continue to drop by from time to time and check up on you, whether I let you know I¡¯m there or not will be at my discretion."


    "Okay, since it seems like this whole meeting ising to a close, can I just ask you one thing?" I held my hand out to stop him.


    "Go ahead."


    "Howe it took so long for you to find me? If her mana signature basically transferred onto mine, wouldn¡¯t either you or the Vritra n have pinpointed me pretty easily?"


    "Because of that," Windsom pointed at my arm. "When she first passed on her will, or mana signature, to you, it didn¡¯t show right away. You probably went through a phase where you had to get your body ustomed to it, right?"


    I just nodded at this.


    "Well after it did, I¡¯m not sure how shortly after her daughter was released from her seal but when you put one of Lady Sylvia¡¯s feathers around your bond insignia, it hid the presence of her will. I¡¯m sure you only put that on your arm to hide the insignia mark or maybe because you thought it made you look cool¡ª"


    "It was to hide the insignia mark," I immediately replied.


    "Nevertheless, you did well in doing this." Windsom shook his head. "Let me take you to where you were actually headed to now. I¡¯m sure the elf princess misses her prince dearly."


    Even though his face stayed straight, I could feel the sarcasm in his voice. Sylvie and I wordlessly followed the Asura as the room we were in began distorting once more.


    WINDSOM¡¯S POV:


    As I watched the child and his bond go through the gate, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a strained breath.


    Every time I saw her, a mixture of emotions would boil up inside of me, making it difficult for me to stay calm. I wondered how Master would feel when he sees her. I could imagine how conflicted he might feel seeing the child of his precious daughter and the man that did that to her...


    There woulde a time when we would have no choice but to tell Arthur everything about his bond. About Lady Sylvia¡¯s daughter and the lineage she holds...

 Chapter 86: Elven Kingdom

    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    "Ugh..."


    I stumbleding out of the teleportation gate as I pressed my fingers firmly against my temples to keep my head from popping.


    Sylvie scampered next to me, happy to be out in the open again.


    "Kyu~" She let out a big stretch on the grass before looking up at me, signalling that she was ready.


    ¡¯That man was scary, Papa,¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s voice rang in my mind.


    "Yeah, he didn¡¯t reallye off as easygoing to me either," I responded.


    The ce wended was a familiar one. It was near the area where Tess first led us in order to get inside the Kingdom of Elenoir. Of course, this time, we were going to have to knock on the front gates like most people. It wasn¡¯t too much of a problem to get inside the kingdom now that the three races were more or less in harmony.


    Every time I thought of the word ¡¯race¡¯ I could hear Windsom saying in his annoyingly serious voice how we were the lesser races.


    As much as it irked me, he wasn¡¯t wrong. Compared to the Asuras, even I could see the innate differences between him and me, and from what he led on, it didn¡¯t seem like he was the strongest of Asuras either.


    "Well, I guess you know who your mother is now, at least."


    "Kyu?" ¡¯Mama? Aren¡¯t we going to see Mama right now?¡¯


    "No, not that Mama. I mean, Tess isn¡¯t your mother! Sheesh!" I eximed.


    Sylvie only tilted his head as she looked at me in confusion before scampering around again, leaving me flustered at my bond.


    As we made our way to the front gate, following alongside the outer walls of the kingdom, we passed the asional carriages and wagons followed by people either transporting the goods inside or guarding it.


    The economy was rapidly changing since the union of the three races. Opening up borders so that merchants can travel and trade with each other had led to a lot of unique goods bing avable in all three kingdoms. Once we reached the entrance into the kingdom, there was a line of people either riding horses and mana beasts or in carriages, waiting to go inside.


    Sylvie hopped on my head as I got to the end of the line beside a group of what looked like mercenaries most likely trying to sell the raw material they managed to obtain.


    "Ey! Looky at the lil¡¯ brat! Why you so far from your mama, lil¡¯ boy? You lost?" a rather tall and thin, almost emaciated, man in leather armor toorge for him, hooted as he bent down.


    "Roger, you¡¯re going to make the boy cry with that ugly face of yours." A girl that looked to be in her early twenties jumped off the end of the carriage she was sitting on and pulled Roger back.


    "There is nothin¡¯ wrong with my face!" Rogershed out at his female cohort. "Besides, this brat looks to be some sort of rich noble brat! I betcha if we bring him back to his parents, they¡¯ll reward us big time!"


    "You haven¡¯t said anything. Are you lost, boy?" asked another man, one that looked to be in his early thirties with a body built like it was meant to wrestle elephants, pushed aside the drooling Roger that was staring at me like I was a money bag.


    "No, sir, I¡¯m not lost. I have some business here," I replied.


    "Business here, my ass! Don¡¯t go trying to sounding all snooty-tooty. I bet you just ran away from your momma. Duke, let¡¯s just grab this twerp and take him to the Guild Hall," Roger smirked as he slowly made his way towards me.


    I let out a sigh as I contemted whether it was worth the effort to shove this bag of bones into the ground.


    "Grrr..." Sylvie, who was perched on top of my head again, stood up, baring her teeth at the malnourished mercenary.


    These fools were actually thinking of basically kidnapping a child here in the open...


    While my stance remained the same, I imbued a thinyer of mana around my body just in case.


    "Roger, Duke. Leave the boy alone," a hoarse voice came from inside the carriage.


    "Erk. It¡¯s the boss." Roger froze in his tracks with a reluctant expression.


    "Tch. Let¡¯s head back to the carriage, Roger," Duke clicked his tongue and gave me onest curious nce before turning his broad back to me.


    I just rolled my eyes and stayed put in the line for travelers without carriages that need to be inspected first.


    ¡ª


    "Sorry, Boss. I know you how you like to keep face, but this time, it would¡¯ve been a totally legit excuse! I mean, all we would do is keep the brat from talking and eventually, we¡¯d just put him in the Guild Hall and sack in a nice reward."


    "Sir, while Roger isn¡¯t the brightest guy most of the time, I think he was right in that boy was actually from a wealthy family judging by his uniform and the peculiar bond on his head. If you didn¡¯t stop us, I think we could¡¯ve¡ª"


    "Fools! You think I was protecting the boy? I was protecting you two dolts from him!"


    "..."


    "Both of you guys are mages, yet you still couldn¡¯t see the clear differences in power? Even I wasn¡¯t able to sense the level of his mana core!"


    "But Boss, even if the boy was a mage, he couldn¡¯t have awakened more than a couple of years ¡ª"


    "Shut up. Just know that if you guys had stepped out of line just then, even I wouldn¡¯t have been able to save you."


    ¡ª


    After the first moment of reluctance in letting a possible runaway child into their kingdom, the guards erased their doubts when I showed them the Xyrus Academy crest since showing the royal family¡¯s crest might attract a bit too much attention for my tastes. Before entering, however, the elven guards did give me a stern warning that the use of magic was prohibited in all but the most extreme cases.


    I didn¡¯t have the time to explore around much while I was being trained by Gramps so seeing all of this was new to me.


    The city that we had entered was bustling with an almost chaotic mixture of people from all around the continent,ughing and haggling around different stands and small shops. The Elven Kingdom of Elenoir was different from the Human Kingdom of Sapin; since the entire kingdom was walled off, the cities were more like giant districts rather than separated settlements.


    Since the royal family¡¯s tree castle was located in the far end city of the kingdom, it took me a couple of hours of traveling via a small transport carriage.


    The driver dropped us off at the border just before the castle since not just anyone would be allowed directly inside. A major difference from thest time I came here was that there were now guards around the perimeter of the castle as well. While I¡¯m sure they always had guards and security, they weren¡¯t so tantly ced to ward off intruders like they were now. Again, most likely an oue of the kingdom opening its doors to the other races.


    "Stop. Little boy, I think you¡¯re a bit lost," a burly elf held his hand out and warned. He looked at me curiously before stopping his gaze at Sylvie who was now next to my foot.


    "No, I know exactly where I am. If you¡¯d be so kind as to let me through, it¡¯d be much appreciated," I replied without taking a second nce at the guard while pulling out thepass with the royal family¡¯s crest Grandpa Virion gave me back then.


    "How do you have this?" The burly guard squinted his eyes in suspicion as the other guards gathered around me.


    "I thought that having thispass meant that a member of the royal family entrusted it to me." I couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh.


    When was thest time I was ever given a smooth passage these days? Starting from the teleportation portal to the mercenaries and now here.


    "This brat. Is he being sarcastic with us?" another guard growled.


    "Sigh... just please inform either Princess Tessia or Elder Virion that a boy named Arthur Leywin is here to see them. They¡¯ll know who I am." I took a few steps back and leaned back against one of the stone statues in front of the manor.


    All of a sudden, a loud BOOM! pierced the air as part of the castle exploded and chunks of the building fell down on top of us.


    "What the hell is¡ª"


    As the other guards jumped out of the way to avoid the debris, the one that questioned me didn¡¯t have enough to time react after turning around.


    I heard him click his tongue as he focused mana into his body, positioning himself between me and a falling piece of the castle wall.


    While his attitude was crude, I guess he wasn¡¯t a bad person.


    With currents of mana already flowing inside of me, I conjured a gale to circle around us, instantly encasing us in a dome of wind.


    [Wind Barrier]


    The debris most likely wouldn¡¯t have killed any of the trained guards but even with mana augmentation around their bodies, it wouldn¡¯t have been a pretty sight.


    I kept my spell active, noticing the gaping face of Guard Number One switching his gaze back and forth between me and the wind barrier.


    All of a sudden, a familiar figure jumped backwards down from the ledge of the explosion site,nding just next to us.


    "You guys alright down... Ah! Arthur, good to see you again, brat! Sorry for this, but you¡¯re going to need to give me a hand." As Grandpa Virion returned his focus to the site of the explosion, I dispersed my spell.


    "Gramps, what¡¯s going on? Was there an intruder?"


    "Bah! You think I¡¯d be having this much trouble if it was just an intruder?" Virion clicked his tongue in frustration.


    "Then who¡ª"


    Another explosion sounded from the site.


    "Grandpa! Stop this thing!! I can¡¯t control i~~~~t!"


    Out from the giant hole in the mansion appeared Tess, surrounded by dozens of emerald green tendrils made of mana swaying sporadically, destroying everything it hit.


    Of course.


    I couldn¡¯t help but curse under my breath. I initially med Windsom since he was supposed to have cured her of the beast will that was trying to take over her body; paying attention, however, since Tess was still conscious and quite rowdy, I deduced that she most likely couldn¡¯t control the mana she released even while awake and aware.


    "Tch. That aura is pretty frightening. Those tentacle-like vines protect Tess as well as attacks anything within its range. Even if I try cutting it, more tendrils take its ce. Brat, I¡¯ll support you from the back. Try to reach Tess; my techniques aren¡¯t really useful for anything other than assassinating and right now, we need a way to overpower this aura."


    I gave Virion an affirming nod and took a step forward, concentrating more mana around me.


    "Elder Virion. We can assist as well! Please instruct us on¡ª"


    "No! You guys would be useless against her. Just clear the area and make sure no onees near here." Grandpa Virion waved his hand without turning back.


    I took a peek at the baffled guards. When I checked their mana core levels earlier, they seemed to be around the solid to light orange stage, which would be considered top tier considering their ages.


    "But Elder, the child is¡ª"


    "Go. Now! I don¡¯t have time for this," Grampa Virion growled.


    These elites that were probably never called useless in their lives muttered in confusion, looking at me with peculiar eyes before clearing the way.


    "You know, Gramps, they probably still could¡¯ve helped."


    "The less people that know about my granddaughter¡¯s powers, the better. At least at this point. Now focus, brat," he breathed, keeping his gaze on Tess.


    "Aye aye, sir," I smirked.


    "Let¡¯s go!"


    At Grandpa Virion¡¯s signal, we made a break for Tessia, who was on the edge of the mansion.


    Augmenting my legs in wind attribute mana, I waited until a condensed gale formed underneath my feet beforeunching off from the ground.


    Even though Tess¡¯ back was facing us, the tendrils responded as soon as we got close. Immediately, the vines that were erratically swaying straightened up and shot themselves at us.


    "Keep going! I¡¯ll cover you!" Grandpa Virion shouted from the back.


    While I had my back turned to him, just by the change in his voice, it was obvious that Grandpa Virion had initiated the first phase of his beast will.


    The two of us hacked our way closer and closer towards Tess, who was struggling to gain control over the emerald green aura surrounding her.


    I stuck with using wind spells, afraid that the aura would conduct any lightning attribute spells. Since we were in a mostly wood environment, I also held back on any fire spells.


    As soon as our wind des severed the tendrils, they dissipated, another batch of tendrils taking their ce.


    It wasn¡¯t working.


    I took a deep breath, relying on Grandpa Virion to cover me for a couple of seconds.


    After finishing my chant, I felt a sizeable drain on my mana, along with a slight tingling sensation coursing throughout my body.


    [Thunderp Impulse]


    The tendrils that were evidently growing in number appeared to be overwhelming us in slow motion. Having the luxury to take a nce back, even Grandpa Virion¡¯s attacks slowed down enough where I could see his movements.


    Dodging the tendrils, I avoided wasting mana on other spells until I reached Tessia.


    Every step forward at this point involved me dodging at least five tendrils, until I finally reached arm¡¯s length of the troublesome princess.


    Grabbing her by the waist, I prepare my final spell.


    "Eek! A-A-Arthur?" Tess squealed in surprise.


    Before I had the chance to respond, the tentacles suddenly retracted and gathered around the two of us before springing us off the mansion through the hole made by the explosion. With my technique still active, I was able to react in time to hold onto her before the two of us skyrocketed up into the air.


    "KYYYAAAAAHHH!" Tessia¡¯s voice echoed loud enough for the whole kingdom to probably hear.


    "Hold on tight!"


    Locking my arms around her, I surrounded her in ayer of protective mana before casting my spell.


    [Absolute Zero]


    The amount of time it took to cast my spell took a lot longer without using the second phase of my dragon will.


    As theyer of frost slowly spread out from around us, freezing the tendrils trying desperately to separate me from Tess, I had to keep my concentration to the max to keep the spell going.


    "Break!" I roared before taking a kick at thepletely frozen tendrils, shattering it into countless shards of shimmering little diamonds.


    It was a gamble to try and freeze the tendrils that Tess manifested and, like expected, my spell wasn¡¯t strong enough topletely freeze everything, but I was able to separate the tendrils from their source of fuel, Tess.


    Tess had a zed look in her eyes as she hung onto my neck, mesmerized by the thousands of falling ice shards reflecting the amber lights of the city.


    Our eyes locked and Tess immediately blushed.


    I gave her a yful wink in response.


    "Hi there."

 Chapter 87: Winding Down

    TESSIA ERALITH¡¯S POV:


    Tell me I¡¯m dreaming...


    Thest thing I remembered was trying to release the first phase of my beast will. Grandpa had been really surprised after he checked my mana core, saying that my body was somehow already fully integrated with the elderwood guardian¡¯s beast will.


    I didn¡¯t fully understand why Grampa had been so surprised, but I remembered Arthur taking a few years to fully integrate with his.


    Does this mean I¡¯m catching up to him?


    No, we were just kids at that time, but he was able to smoothly integrate. Grandpa told me how amazing that was.


    It wasn¡¯t fair.


    Every time Grandpa talked about Arthur, all he had were words of praise. If it had been any other person, I would be jealous.


    But it¡¯s okay; he¡¯s mine anyway...


    Well, not yet...


    But soon, he will be!


    ...Hopefully.


    Stupid Arthur! I wanted to impress him by being able to control the beast will he gave me.


    So much for that... Ipletely failed and even destroyed part of the castle!


    Oh my gosh... Mother and Father aren¡¯t going to be too happy when they see this...


    And then he showed up...


    Arthur just had to make his appearance at the worst possible time.


    Now he¡¯s holding me like some I¡¯m some sort of damsel in distress! Though, begrudgingly, I couldn¡¯t deny that I was in a sorry state...


    I can¡¯t look him in the face. I know if I look at him, I¡¯ll start blushing.


    Don¡¯t look, Tess! Don¡¯t look! Don¡¯t¡ª


    Dang it, I looked!


    "Hi there." Arthur gave me a charming wink with his blue eyes.


    I could feel my own face burning like an oil-dipped candle but I couldn¡¯t seem to peel my eyes away from his gaze until wended.


    "Sh-shouldn¡¯t you put me down now?" I managed to stammer out, giving it my all to keep my voice from cracking.


    There was a twinkle in his eyes as he yfully smiled at me while he put me down. I knew he was enjoying my embarrassment.


    Ugh...


    "Are you okay, Tess?" Grandpa caught up to Arthur and me. He was sweating and had minor injuries from where my beast will¡¯s aura hit him but otherwise, thankfully, he looked fine.


    "Yes, Grandpa. Sorry for causing this mess." My gaze lowered to see that Arthur¡¯s right leg was bleeding through his pants.


    Oh no! He¡¯s hurt! I really messed up this time...


    Before I even had the chance to apologize, a stinging pain suddenly radiated above my brows.


    "Oww! Wha¡ª" I stared wide-eyed at Arthur who had suddenly flicked my forehead.


    "I¡¯m just d our troublesome princess isn¡¯t hurt. Right, Gramps?" Arthur said infort.


    Even though he teased me like this, his worried gaze couldn¡¯t help but make me feel warm inside.


    "Yes, my troublesome little granddaughter is fine. That¡¯s all that matters. Who cares if she destroyed half of a historic mansion passed down in our family," Grandpa smirked.


    I felt like I had shrunk half my size in embarrassment as both my grandfather and Arthur broke out intoughter.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    It took a while for Tess to be able to look me in the eyes after I had let her back down. As soon as Gramps called the guards back, we left the manor for them to keep watch. While the royal family¡¯s mansion was still standing strong besides the gaping hole in the corner, due to security reasons, Virion arranged for us to be taken to an inn, where it was easier for the guards to keep an eye out for any potential harm.


    "I should let my son know about what happened in case he and his wifee back early from the meeting. They¡¯ll probably assume the worst case scenario." Gramps let out a deep sigh.


    He rubbed his temples as we sat down on a leather couch at a separate lounge in the first floor of the Spiral Ivy Inn.


    I won¡¯t lie. It was a pretty enjoyable sight once we got inside. Since it was just around dinner time, the inn was filled with indistinguishable babble and tters of tes and utensils. Once they saw us, it felt like someone muted the entire inn. Before us were the baffled faces of the inn workers and customers that dropped everything, including their jaws, as they witnessed the former king of the kingdom, disheveled in appearance, carrying his granddaughter, the princess, apanied by an unknown human child.


    Fortunately, the inn manager quickly raced out, beating back all of the nearby elves and merchants courageous enough to horde us, and escorted us to the VIP lounge.


    "I must apologize for this, Elder Virion. We weren¡¯t expecting a visit from someone of your status or else we would¡¯ve surely made amodations." The manager¡¯s posture was deliberately lowered, one hand cupping the other. "Might I ask what brought you to our humble inn?" he continued on.


    "The manor is a bit... messy at the moment. We¡¯re fine here for now; just have a room for us to stay." Gramps waved the manager away after setting down Tess, who had fallen asleep on the way here. You could almost see a tail fiercely wagging from the ever-attentive manager upon receiving Virions directions, and he nodded like a puppy that had just gotten a treat from his master.


    I got myself settled on the couch facing Virion¡¯s andid down the sleeping Sylvie who had been quietly snoring in my arms long before we got here. "So what happened back there, Gramps?"


    "You wouldn¡¯t believe this, brat. I examined her mana core the other day and guess what... her body was already fully integrated with the Elderwood Guardian¡¯s beast will!" Virion leaned forward. The excitement in his sharp eyes contrasted how softly he spoke to not wake Tess up.


    "You can¡¯t be serious... How can her body be fully integrated with an S ss beast¡ª" I stopped mid-sentence, remembering what Windsom had said. Were the orbs that he gave to Tess responsible for this unprecedented phenomenon?


    "What¡¯s wrong? Why did you stop talking all of a sudden?" Virion raised a brow.


    "No, it¡¯s nothing. I was just thinking. Gramps, is that why Tess tried to release the first phase of her beast will?"


    Virion let out a wryugh at this while he scratched his cleanly-shaven chin. "We both got a little ahead of ourselves in thinking that Tess would be able to control her powers because her body was already integrated."


    While the integration between the beast will and the host was essential in order for the body to fully adapt to a mana beast¡¯s will, especially for one that was at a higher stage than their own strength, it was also a training process of sorts. Through the integration process, you became ustomed to how the beast will might affect your body and how you could control its powers, even if it was just a little bit.


    Tessia was able to skip this long and arduous process, whether fortunately or not, preventing her from bing exposed to what effect the beast will could have on her when released.


    "It¡¯s fine now that everything has been settled, but Tess needs to be more careful when using her beast will. It could be dangerous for her and everyone around her if things escted like they had today." I sank back into my seat, taking a long look at the sleeping princess.


    "Mmm. I was thinking the same thing. Maybe getting a seal to suppress her mana until she¡¯s able to better control her beast will would be best. It¡¯s a shame that there¡¯s no specific seal for beast wills; I worry that she won¡¯t be able to protect herself while her seal is on. Even if it was removable, she would be practically defenseless without mana protecting her for a period of time," Virion let out a deep sigh.


    "You could always give her some sort of protective artifact. If that¡¯s not enough to keep peace in your mind, I¡¯ll be there too, Gramps. I won¡¯t let anything happen to your precious granddaughter."


    "Oh, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d protect Tessia even if she wasn¡¯t my granddaughter," Virion shot me a teasing wink.


    We discussed a bit more about the potential powers that Tessia¡¯s beast will might have until the both of us were too tired to continue on. Tessia stirred awake every now and then while Sylvie was so deeply asleep that the only indication that my bond was still alive was the rhythmic expanding and contracting of her belly.


    We found ourselves in a luxurious suite with more than enough bedrooms for each of us upon reaching the uppermost level of the inn. The rooms werevishly decorated in ornaments and trinkets with the walls intricatelyid out with vines, giving the ce a very fairy-like ambience.


    Virion set Tess down inside one of the rooms and came back out to the living room as he poured himself a concoction from a bottle that I assumed to be some sort of liquor.


    After wishing him a good night, I tossed Sylvie onto the bed as she kept sleeping, unfazed, while I changed into the loose silk robe that was hung up on a hook. Taking a deep breath, my mind ran through the events of today. After the intense happenings as ofte, I finally had some time to consolidate my thoughts. With some time to think, I divulged myself in what I seemed to forget to do since being born again into this world. I began to strategize.


    When I wasn¡¯t training my own strength, I was constantlying up with different methods of handling my problems. It was essential toe up with a backup n in case things went wrong, and a backup for the backup n for when n B went horribly out of line. I hated to admit it, but there were times when I caught myself regressing in the way I handled things. As the world around me became some sort of exaggerated fairytale, my mindset also turned into that of an immature and shallow child-like protagonist.


    Streams of if-then scenarios yed out in my mind as I thought back to what I discussed with Windsom. If things were really happening as the Asuras made it out to be, then I needed to prepare in advance. Advancing my mana core would be the easy part. I was more worried about what I¡¯d have to leave behind, at least temporarily, while I started training.


    Before I left, I¡¯d have to make sure that my family, Elijah, Tess, Grandpa... that they¡¯d all be protected enough so that when the war started, they could be rtively safe if I was not there.


    I thought about my sister, Eleanor. She was still making progress on awakening but it¡¯d still be maybe a year or two before she¡¯d be able to start learning magic. She and Mother had the protective charms I gave them, but that was just for that one, life-threatening situation. It wouldn¡¯t save her repeatedly.


    After running through different options, an idea dawned on me. It might be better at this point to maybe find a bond for Ellie. But it couldn¡¯t just be any bond or there wouldn¡¯t be any meaning to it. The mana beast needed to be strong enough and protective enough so that it could protect my sister¡¯s life...and maybe asionally discourage the weak-willed boys that were audacious enough to try and woo her.


    My lips curled up as I began picturing it. The more I thought about it, the more I came to like the idea.


    Hey, it¡¯s pretty normal for a caring brother to get his younger sister a pet that could potentially maul anyone that gets within three feet of her... right?

 Chapter 88: A Will’s Unwillingness

    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    Tess didn¡¯t wake up untilte into the afternoon of the day after. Virion had left in the morning to deal with what had happened to their home, and left a note on the other side of my door telling me to take "good care" of Tess until he got things sorted out. It normally would¡¯ve sounded serious if not for the winking face he crudely drew at the bottom of the note, making me question what exactly Gramps¡¯ definition of taking good care of someone was.


    And furthermore, what was going on inside his crooked head.


    "Grandpa?"


    I was meditating on the living room floor with Sylvie still sleeping on myp when Tess came out, rubbing her half-opened eyes, bedhead aze.


    "A-Art? Where¡¯s Grandpa?" Flustered after realizing it wasn¡¯t Virion who she had called out to, Tess quickly turned around, frantically matting down her hair.


    "Good morning, or rather, good afternoon." Smiling, I got up and handed her a ss of water. "Your Grandpa went back to your house in the morning to get everything sorted out."


    "Oh. Maybe I should go too... I was the one responsible for all of this, afterall."


    "There¡¯s nothing either one of us could do. Don¡¯t worry too much for now. Virion and your parents will probably be back hereter tonight. We¡¯ll go back to my house in Xyrus after making sure everything is okay since we have to go to school tomorrow," I exined.


    "Still... there must be something I could help out¡ª wait, what? I¡¯m going to your house?" She still had her hands glued to the side of her head when she reeled back in surprise, once again unleashing her bedhead in all of its glory.


    "Yup. Virion asked me yesterday. It¡¯ll be easier that way, and it¡¯ll probably be morefortable than staying at this inn."


    "I think my heart would be a lot morefortable staying here."


    "Well, none of your family will be able to be here with you, so I¡¯m sure Virion would feel a lot more reassured if you stayed with my family until we get to the dorms," I rebutted.


    She remained quiet for a moment before timidly nodding in consent. Even with her hair reminding me of an unkept lion¡¯s mane, she was still somehow cute.


    "Kyu!"


    Sylvie woke up to the lingering scent of food and leeched a few bites to eat from Tess.


    After finishing her breakfast, the princess sat down next to me on the living room floor where I was training and pet Sylvie, who made herselffortable on Tess¡¯p.


    "Hehe, so cute," Tess cooed as she rubbed my formidable draconic Asura¡¯s belly.


    "Tess, what did it feel like when you activated the first phase of your beast will?" I asked.


    "Umm, it felt like a sudden surge of power spilled out and surrounded me. Then, all of a sudden, I couldn¡¯t really move my body," Tess exined. "It felt like I was trapped in someone else¡¯s body, but I wasn¡¯t really scared though, for some reason."


    "Mmm," I nodded.


    The beast will wouldn¡¯t attack its host so it made sense for Tess to have ack of fear. It didn¡¯t make sense, though, for the beast will to have such a strong sense of defiance. Even if she skipped the integration stage, Tess¡¯ body still had fully fused with the beast will. The will might be difficult to control and to use properly, but it shouldn¡¯t have gotten that out of hand. Ironic as it sounded, it felt like the beast will had its own...well, had its own will.


    "I want you to rouse the elderwood guardian¡¯s beast will." I kneeled down in front of her before instructing.


    "W-What? Is that safe?" Tess looked up, her eyes widening.


    "It should be; you¡¯re not going to initiate the first phase. Just get a sense for the beast will inside of your mana core and let it stream out into the rest of your body. That way, I¡¯ll be able to sense more clearly what¡¯s going on." I scooted until I was at arm¡¯s length of Tess, making the princess shuffle away.


    Wasn¡¯t it her that so boldly initiated a kissst time? Why was she being so shy now?


    "I¡¯m going to have to ce my hand on your abdomen, Tess. Don¡¯t move," I sighed, scooting closer.


    "You make it sound like touching a girl¡¯s belly isn¡¯t anything serious," Tess pouted, clicking her tongue.


    "It¡¯s not if it¡¯s for the sake of training."


    "Tch..."


    As she began meditating, I ced the palm of my hand on her abdomen. Closing my eyes as well, I began examining her mana core. Soon enough, as Tess began to release the innate mana from the beast will, a flood of emerald-green particles of mana flooded over the golden gray specks of wood and wind attribute mana that circted inside her body.


    Tess had a strained look as beads of sweat rolled down her cheeks. Small sparks of mana began bursting out of her body as her cramped face told me she was doing her best from releasing the beast will¡¯s power which seemingly wanted to break loose.


    "Tessia, it¡¯s okay! Stop now!" I hurriedly yelled.


    As the princess began trying to recall the beast will back into her mana core, she began convulsing. I put my hand back to her mana core to try and sense the activity going on inside of her body, and I couldn¡¯t help but be shocked.


    The elderwood guardian¡¯s beast will, which upied Tess¡¯ mana core and was integrated with the rest of her body, was fighting back trying to take control over the rest of Tess¡¯ innate mana.


    What was going on? How could the beast will go against the host¡¯s will like this? This was different from Tess actually manifesting the first phase of her beast will and having that go out of control. The beast will¡¯s mana particles were still inside of her body when this happened.


    A rather crudeparison popped into mind while thinking of this. People of this world didn¡¯t really suffer from this, but from my world, non-practitioners who couldn¡¯t reinforce their body with ki suffered from diseases and illnesses. While there were horrible diseases that aged the body twice as fast or burned the organs from the inside, I would have to say that the scariest disease would be the Drackins Virus. This virus would sread through the nerves and make the victim lose control of their limbs and eventually, their mind. Since the virus couldn¡¯t infect practitioners, it was contained fairly quickly, but even then, the epidemic thatsted a year had over three hundred thousand fatalities.


    This phenomenon that was happening to Tess reminded me of something akin to that virus. Just like the Drackins Virus, the beast will¡¯s mana particles weren¡¯t integrating and reinforcing Tess¡¯ body, but instead weakening the mana formed from her own mana core. It didn¡¯t seem to the degree of taking over Tess¡¯ body and mind at this stage, but it was still eerilyparable.


    As the internal battle between Tess¡¯ innate mana and her beast will ensued, I could sense the mana levels in her core slowly dwindling. The beast will was clearly less rampant than when we were at the training grounds back in Xyrus Academy; whether that was thanks to the help of Windsom, I couldn¡¯t be sure. However, I doubt even Windsom predicted that the elderwood guardian¡¯s beast will that I acquired would be such an unpredictable outlier.


    As Tess continued to fight, trying to contain the beast will that wasn¡¯t even fully released, I gathered some mana into her body as well, making sure to incorporate all four elemental attributes so it wouldn¡¯t be rejected, before transferring it directly to her mana core. While I didn¡¯t give as much mana to Tess as I did to Prince Curtis back down at the dungeon, I still felt a tangible drain from my core.


    Meanwhile, Sylvie circled around us, warily, knowing that something was wrong. She tilted her head and peeked around me, trying to get a better view of what was going on until Tess copsed on her back, her chest rising and falling from the shortage of breath.


    "Well, that didn¡¯t go quite as nned," I huffed, leaning back on my arms as well.


    "Tell...tell me about it. I don¡¯t get what¡¯s wrong though. It feels like I¡¯m holding onto a gate, trying to keep some sort rabid monster caged inside from breaking free."


    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a wryugh at the uracy of such a metaphor. Tess¡¯ mana core quite literally was serving as the "cage" that kept the rabid beast will froming loose.


    With still a pile of questions unanswered, we decided not to touch the elderwood guardian¡¯s beast will for the time being. We were either going to have to find an unconventional way to have her gain control over this power or have her be stronger in order to properly keep the beast will in check.


    Grandpa Virion, along with Tessia¡¯s parents, Alduin and Merial Eralith, arrived at the inn suiteter in the evening. Needless to say, the former King and Queen of the elves were relieved, seeing for themselves that their daughter was safe.


    The five of us and Sylvie, who was curled up on myp, sleeping, situated ourselves on the couches before getting into the topic of what¡¯s toe.


    We discussed briefly about what happened exactly at the castle, but when Tess tried to chime in, Virion cut her off and exined in her stead. Gramps yed the whole thing down, mentioning that part of the explosion was actually his fault and that he was just trying to test the limits of Tess¡¯ beast will.


    I sat there, perplexed for a moment as to why he might have been hiding the true reason, but when our eyes met, his gaze told me that he would exinter.


    It was decided that, while the Eralith Castle was being rebuilt, the family, minus Tess, would stay with Rinia.


    Now that was a name that I hadn¡¯t heard in a long time. I owed a lot to the granny that had the extremely rare gift of foresight. She was the one that allowed me to make contact with my parents after first arriving at the Kingdom of Elenoir after rescuing Tess at the time.


    "Arthur, why don¡¯t we go together to Rinia¡¯s house before you and Tessia set out for Xyrus? The journey is a bit far after she moved but since you saw her as a child, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d appreciate it if you came by and said hello," Merial chimed. "She is going to be very surprised at how much you¡¯ve grown."


    "I¡¯d like that," I responded back with a nostalgic smile reaching my cheeks.


    "Ooh, I haven¡¯t seen Grandma Rinia in a long time too!" Tess leaned forward, her expression indicating that she was looking forward to it as well.


    "Hmm, while you¡¯re at it, having her get a good read on you should be a good idea." Virion¡¯s gaze was focused on some random spot on the ground as he pondered at the idea.


    Alduin nodded in agreement before saying, "Yes, I think so too. Father, I remember you telling me how Rinia was rather interested in Arthur¡¯s future."


    After that, it was decided that before leaving for Xyrus early in the afternoon, we¡¯d stop by Grandma Rinia¡¯s house, or cottage, to be more precise.


    Needless to say, it was odd. I, myself, was sleeping on the same bed with Grandpa Virion while Tess and her parents slept in the other room. I was rather fine with it but sleeping in the same quarters as the royal family of the elves would put anyone else on pins and needles. I still wanted to sleep in the living room, forfort¡¯s sake, but Gramps refused, saying that only through sharing tight quarters did men truly bond.


    That and bathing together in the nude...


    Supposedly...


    Elves have some weird customs.

 Chapter 89: A Stroll

    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    As we made our trip to Rinia¡¯s cottage, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh in awe at how perfect a spring morning it was¡ªsimply one of those scenes that you couldn¡¯t help but appreciate. As it was just past dawn, the morning air was still cool and crisp. On both sides of the road, bright morning dew on the moss-covered rocks sparkled from the sun¡¯s rays peeking through the old trees that towered over us.


    The carriage we were riding in hardly shook from the even, marble-like paths smoothed from centuries of use. Sylvie was a ball of excitement as I had to grab her by the tail a couple of times to keep her from jumping out of the carriage to catch the passing butterflies and birds.


    "Arthur, I have to say that your bond continues to intrigue me." Alduin Eralith raised an amused brow as Sylvie promptly shot out and grabbed a passing bird with her jaw.


    "Now now, leave the boy and his pet alone. In such a vast and mysteriousnd as ours, you can¡¯t be so surprised at things like this," Virion chided at his son with a wagging finger.


    "I¡¯d normally agree with you as well, Grandfather, but Arthur¡¯s bond really is uniquepared to all of the other mana beasts I¡¯ve seen. Even though it¡¯s an infant, its gaze twinkles with intelligence." Merial leaned in closer to Sylvie, who was still chewing on the bird she took down.


    "Don¡¯t forget that Sylvie is super cute too!" Just as Sylvie let out a satisfied belch, Tess picked her up and hugged her.


    "Bahaha! I can¡¯t help but worry that my granddaughter will one day choose her precious bond, not by its strength but by its appearance!" Virion howled inughter, making everyone but the princess snicker in agreement.


    The trip was fairly long, even with a mana beast pulling the carriage. Tess soon fell asleep with her head against her mother¡¯s shoulder, as Merial slept alongside her daughter with her head leaning against Tess¡¯.


    "Arthur, I told my son already but where we¡¯re headed, it¡¯s not a normal cottage. Rinia chose to iste herself near the edge of the kingdom. As for why, she wouldn¡¯t tell me, butst time I chose to make an unannounced visit, I almost died from the traps and defenses she had put up," Virion spoke in a hushed voice.


    I raised a brow at Virion¡¯s serious tone. "For what reason does Elder Rinia need to protect herself to this extent?"


    "My guess is as good as yours. I told her that we were visiting this time, so it should be safe, but I want you to watch out for any signs of intrusion. The fact that she needed to set up all of these precautions means that there are people out there to be cautious of."


    My mind immediately went to her unique abilities as a deviant, however, no one but a handful of trusted people should¡¯ve known about it.


    "Okay." I nodded solemnly.


    Soon after the conversation, Gramps had also fallen asleep with his arms crossed and head bobbing, leaving only my bond, the driver, Tess¡¯ father and myself, awake.


    Sylvie had her front paws against the window of the carriage in hopes to catch more unlucky birds, her tail wagging rhythmically.


    Alduin had a rxed look on his aged face as he gazed vacantly at the moving scene outside the carriage. I knew that each of those wrinkles and creases came from the burden of being a king and now a leading figure of the continent.


    "I feel like I¡¯ve never had the chance to properly thank you," he said as his eyes still stayed focused outside the carriage.


    "For what, sir?" I replied.


    "For taking such good care of my daughter. From what she and my father tells me, Tessia made it out of some dangerous situations thanks to you." Alduin turned his head and looked at me for a brief moment before revealing a weary smile.


    "It¡¯s nothing, sir. Tessia has helped me a lot of times as well."


    "Oh? Like how?" He tilted his head.


    I had to think to for a second before responding. "In keeping me sane at times."


    "Not exactly what I expected a thirteen-year-old boy to say, but when ites to you, I can¡¯t help but see you as an adult." The former king smirked before shifting his gaze back outside.


    "Your words are kind."


    "I somehow feel utterly confident that you will be able to protect my daughter in my and my father¡¯s stead."


    My eyes narrowed in thought at the meaning of his statement, but before I could say anything, Alduin just chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.


    "Just an overprotective father¡¯s thoughts running wild. Don¡¯t mind me, Arthur... but say, have you ever thought of one day marrying Tess?"


    "Sir?" I said, taken aback by the sudden shift in course of this conversation.


    "I mean, sure, she¡¯s a bit rough around the edges and Merial and I may have spoiled her a bit, but she¡¯s a good girl! I bet she¡¯ll be quite the looker given a few years."


    "I thought that traditionally, elves dated and married a lotter¡ª"


    "Ha! Tradition? At how fast Dicathen is changing, there¡¯s no room for tradition," Alduin scoffed. He then bent forward, leaning his arms on his knees. "Arthur, do you like my daughter?"


    There was a lingering silence as I thought about my words carefully. Despite his amiable attitude and the casual atmosphere inside the carriage, Alduin was still the acting king of Elenoir. There was no denying that my attitude and care toward the elf princess was different from anyone else¡¯s, but it was still impossible for me to ever assuredly act on those feelings at this stage. There were times when I was surprised at my own reflection because of how young I was; to be able to ovee the mental boundary of age that I subconsciously put up myself would mean I would have to stop seeing Tessia as a girl and see her as a woman.


    Locking gazes with Tessia¡¯s father, I answered with confidence. "I do, but I also find myselfcking to confidently say I know what ¡¯like¡¯ and ¡¯love¡¯ actually mean. I hope the answer wille with time, but until then I¡¯d like to improve myself before thinking of asking for your daughter¡¯s hand in marriage."


    "Good answer." The king nodded thoughtfully. "You have your head in the right ce despite theck of years under your belt."


    "More so than you when you were his age," a soft voice chimed from beside Alduin.


    "You were awake, dear?" the king asked with an expression as if he¡¯d been caught sneaking into the desserts cab.


    "Just for thest bit of your little ¡¯man talk¡¯," she smiled.


    ¡¯Hehe, I knew Papa liked Mama.¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s voice rang in my head, surprising me.


    I turned to the queen, afraid that Tess might¡¯ve heard as well, but fortunately it seemed that unlike her mother, Tessia was a rather heavy sleeper.


    TESSIA ERALITH¡¯S POV:


    He admitted it! I almost shouted out loud in excitement.


    Arthur finally said it! He said he likes me. Well... he said ¡¯I do¡¯ after he was asked, but that¡¯s good enough!


    Way to go, Dad!


    Oh no, keep your eyes shut, Tess... keep your eyes shut.


    Slow down your breathing.


    Shoot, I wonder if he can hear how fast my heart is beating. His hearing can¡¯t be that good, right?


    I was so happy that I woke up when I did. I wasn¡¯t going to pretend to be asleep at first, but I got scared when I heard Father talking about me.


    He¡¯s so cruel... how can he say that I¡¯m rough around the edges...


    ...and that I¡¯m spoiled! I¡¯m not spoiled!


    It would be embarrassing to wake up just then, so I kept my eyes closed, but who would¡¯ve thought that my father would ask if Arthur liked me... and that Arthur would actually admit it!


    He¡¯d only said that once, and that was after I got angry at him. At that time, he surprised me when he kissed me all of a sudden.


    Hehe...


    Oh no, don¡¯t smile, Tess.


    "We¡¯re here, Tess. Come on, now, wake up." My father¡¯s voice saved me as he gently shook my shoulder.


    "Mmm... We¡¯re here already?" I made my voice more wispy, trying to sound like I had just woken up.


    I couldn¡¯t look at Arthur in the eye when he turned his gaze to me so I quickly got out of the carriage and stretched.


    "Ahhh! That was a good nap!" I said a little more loudly than I needed to.


    Sylvie hopped out of the carriage after me and stretched as well, opening her mouth in an audible yawn before darting her head, taking in her new surroundings.


    I looked around too, but I was confused when I didn¡¯t see a cottage, or any sort of sign that a person lived here. All that surrounded us were trees and grass, with thick bushes that blocked any sort of path there might¡¯ve been.


    "Umm, Grandpa, are you sure we¡¯re in the right ce?" I asked as I continued searching for anything remotely close to a house.


    "We have to walk a bit further, but it¡¯s near here. Let¡¯s go." Grandpa took the lead with my father and Arthur following close behind, while Mother ushered me forward as well.


    Sylvie scampered alongside me, her head darting back and forth in different directions, as if it sensed something, making me a bit nervous.


    As we made our way deeper into the forest, the number of branches we had to maneuver around and curtains of vines we had to push aside increased. I wanted to ask if we were really going in the right direction but the determined and serious look on everyone¡¯s faces made me swallow myints.


    "Honey? Is something wrong? The atmosphere is a bit chilly..." Mother¡¯s voice trailed off as she hesitantly followed behind Father and Grandpa next to me.


    "Mm? Ah, yes. Everything is fine! Just being cautious is all." My father seemed to have snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of Mother¡¯s words.


    "Stop." Arthur suddenly put up his hand up abruptly, his other hand gripping the hilt of his sword that I didn¡¯t even notice he had until now. Grandpa, who was beside him, froze, lowering himself as Father carefully inched his way towards us.


    I could hear it now in the dead silence.


    The faint rustle of leaves that seemed to be getting closer to us.


    Snap.


    Grandpa whipped his body toward the direction of the sound.


    I noticed myself scooting towards Mother for protection. With my mana core unstable because of my beast will, I felt defenseless for the first time in a long while.


    My mother was also wary at this point. Both she and Father had their weapons out and at the ready. My mother¡¯s thin wand glimmered in a rose gold hue as my father¡¯s favorite saber was already unsheathed.


    Snap!


    The sound was a lot closer this time and it seemed to being from our right. Unknowingly, I nced at Arthur to find his eyes on me, probably making sure I was alright. Sylvie was right next to him with her white fur on its ends, making her look bigger.


    And then we all saw it. The curtain of vines to our right began rustling and a hunched figure covered in shade stepped out from the dense forest.


    I could tell everyone was on their toes, ready to retaliate at whatever came out, but before anyone had the chance to, a clear voice rang from the shadowed figure.


    "What are you lot doing out here looking like fools? Come on, you guys arete!"


    The shadowed figure finally stepped into a ray of light that peeked through the trees, revealing an all too familiar figure.


    "Grandma Rinia!" I couldn¡¯t help but exim in relief.

 Chapter 90: A Cursed Blessing

    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    Supposedly, Grandma Rinia¡¯s cottage wasn¡¯t too much farther from where we were. After our brief greetings and a firm hug from the aged elf that I hade to appreciate, we made our way to her dwelling ce.


    "You¡¯ve grown into quite the handsome youngd, Arthur. If I was just a hundred years younger, I might¡¯ve snatched you up for myself," Rinia teased.


    It was disturbing to say the least to hear this from a woman who was several decades older than me, but since it came from her, I just grinned back.


    "Well, I¡¯d have to see how you looked when you were a hundred years younger."


    "Hmph! Ask Virion how stunning I was! Men would swarm over me as soon as I was in their sights!" Rinia ced one hand on her hip and used her other to flip her braided hair.


    "It¡¯s true, Arthur. My mother would tell me how all of the girls her age would be jealous of Aunt Rinia," Tess¡¯ mother giggled.


    "Bah! She was above average at best!" Virion waved off.


    "Well, of course there was only one girl to have ever caught Virion¡¯s eye..." Rinia¡¯s voice trailed off and by the look on her face, she seemed to have regretted bringing it up.


    I looked around,pletely lost. The gloomy forest we were treading through seemed all the more dismal by the sudden change in the air. I nced at Tess and she seemed ufortable, but more so confused than depressed like everyone else.


    "...I¡¯m sorry, Virion. I was a bit insensitive." Rinia ced a hand on Virion¡¯s sunken shoulder.


    "It¡¯s... It¡¯s fine. I should be the one who¡¯s sorry. I know how you felt as well," he dismissed.


    We continued on with only the crunching of fallen leaves and the snapping of twigs filling the silence. My gaze was focused on Sylvie, who was having a st looking for lifeforms underneath the moss-covered rocks and logs.


    As her tail wagged furiously in excitement, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a small smile in content, despite the sullen atmosphere.


    Sneaking a quick peek at Gramps, my mind started itching with questions that I knew I shouldn¡¯t ask. Rinia, who apparently saw this, gently ced her hand on my shoulder and gave me a strained smile.


    As we stepped into a small clearing, the roaring sound of running water filled our ears. It was as if the trees surrounding this area had acted as a barrier, blocking off all the sound. In view, we could now see a wide waterfall cascading down a marble white cliff into a small pool of water about six meters in diameter.


    "Wow, I didn¡¯t know a ce like this existed," Tess gaped in awe.


    "Father, wasn¡¯t this the ce you used to take me to when I was a child?" Alduin asked while he looked around.


    "I see you still remember. Yes, you used to loveing to this ce." Virion let out a small smile as he reminisced.


    "It¡¯s beautiful..." Merial breathed.


    It was beautiful, indeed.


    There wasn¡¯t much sunlight that was able to reach this small clearing, making the area seem more surreal. The thin rays of light that were able to peek through the thick tree tops created spotlights that made the moss, grass, and all of the nt life glimmer. The waterfall streamed down the white cliff without any intrusion, making it a clear curtain of water.


    "We¡¯re here." Rinia stated as she stepped up.


    Wordlessly, we all followed her as I half-expected her to conjure a cottage from the ground.


    It wasn¡¯t as fancy as that, though. Instead Rinia let out a few inaudible chants with her hands raised, lifting roots from underneath the pond into a makeshift bridge leading into the waterfall.


    Carefully stepping onto the grimy roots, Rinia took the lead with us following close behind. With a wave of her arm, she swept the waterfall to the side. However, before doing anything else, she looked around, as if to make sure no one was spying on us.


    After letting out a sharp breath, Rinia ced her hand on the cliff behind the waterfall,which now started to glow with unrecognizable runes.


    Just like that, the white marble cliff opened up like a sliding door to reveal a passage deeper inside.


    "Don¡¯t conjure up any light. We¡¯ll make our way through the dark," instructed Rinia, as if directly referring to me.


    I lost track of how many turns we made, relying only on Rinia¡¯s voice as our guide.


    "Left."


    "Right."


    "Right."


    "Left."


    Finally we could see a flickering light at the end of the umpteenth leg of the tunnel.


    "Wee to my little cottage."


    With the sparse amount of light, I could barely make out the faint smile Rinia had.


    By this time, I had no idea where we were, but the homey little hut that couldn¡¯t be any bigger than a single room in the Eralith Family¡¯s castle was weing to my eyes.


    "Whew." Tessia squatted down as she was able to finally release her tension.


    "This...this is quite the ce, Aunt Rinia." Alduin slid his hand against the wall of the cave the hut was in.


    "Where are we?" I couldn¡¯t help but ask as I inspected our surroundings as well.


    "Somewhere in the elf kingdom," was all she said as she made her way into her hut.


    Lighted by a few dim shining orbs in the corners of the cave, the ce Rinia called home reminded me of some sort of dungeon used to hold the worst criminals, not a ce where a close friend of the royal family would reside.


    "I¡¯m sure you have your reasons, Aunt Rinia, but was it really necessary to shut yourself in a ce like this?" Merial frowned as her eyes focused on the hut Rinia just went inside.


    "Just an olddy being overly cautious. Don¡¯t mind me! It¡¯s actually quite cozy once you get used to it." Rinia¡¯s head popped out of the hut¡¯s sheet door.


    "Can I see inside too?" Tess had Sylvie wrapped in her arms as she curiously eyed the interior of the hut.


    "Of course! Everyone,e inside." Rinia waved us in.


    We all looked at each other in doubt, but Virion just herded us all in while saying, "Come now, the ce isn¡¯t going to eat you up. It¡¯s quite roomy inside, despite its appearance. Let¡¯s get something to drink! I¡¯m quite famished."


    Once we settled down into the minimally designed disaster shelter that was Rinia¡¯s new home, I sunk into the couch. Leaning my head on my hand, I must¡¯ve nodded off because when I woke up, everyone was also asleep.


    Rubbing my eyes, I got up to see that Rinia was the only one still awake, sipping on something that smelled like an herb tonic.


    "They won¡¯t be awake for a while, Arthur. Let¡¯s have a talk," Rinia said simply without even looking at me. She gestured for me to sit in the chair across from her as she continued sipping on her tea.


    "Well, from how you probably drugged everyone but me, I¡¯m guessing this is something that only I can know?" My eyes narrowed, but I trusted Rinia. Besides, if she wanted to kill us, I was sure that with her powers of foresight, she already could¡¯ve done so.


    Wordlessly, I sat down and leaned back, waiting for the aged elf to speak.


    "Despite the unforeseen circumstances, you¡¯re quiteposed, Arthur." Rinia¡¯s tone seemed to say she expected this.


    "I¡¯m sure if you wanted the worse to happen, it would¡¯ve happened already," I shrugged.


    "Mm."


    "..."


    "A logical assumption," nodded Rinia. "Now, where do I begin?" she sighed. "Well, let¡¯s begin with a small lesson on my powers as a Diviner."


    My ears perked up at this. Learning about a rare deviant form of magic didn¡¯te often, as textbooks only held a limited amount of information about them.


    Noticing the interest on my face, Rinia continued. "As you may know, unlike regr mages who draw forth power from the mana particles in the atmosphere, deviants have to find their own source of power to fuel their magic."


    I nodded in agreement.


    "For example, your mother, an Emitter, has the ability to heal herself and others in a way elemental recovery spells can¡¯tpare to."


    I nodded to this as well. There were various recovery spells that could be learned by water, wind, and nt attribute mages. Unfortunately, fire and earth didn¡¯t have any innate healing attributes, so it was impossible to create a recovery spell out of them. All in all, though, the recovery spells were still weak and couldn¡¯tpare to the healing that Emitters were capable of.


    "Emitters have mana cores that naturally umte a special type of mana that is used to power their spells. Throughout my life, I¡¯ve met quite a few deviants, each with unique properties in their magic. They all have one thing inmon though, different from an elemental deviant such as yourself. Each of the deviants have their own pool of mana that they use to power their deviant magic." She looked a little absent-minded as she said this.


    "It must be an inconvenience for them since they can¡¯t draw in mana from the atmosphere," I added.


    "It sure is. After interviewing many deviants, they would all tell me how difficult it was to learn even basic elemental spells since they did not have mana cores that could harness the mana particles in the atmosphere. However, with their deviant powers, it made up for this handicap."


    There was a moment of silence where I could only hear the soft snoring of Sylvie in Tess¡¯ arms before Rinia spoke again.


    "As for Diviners, it¡¯s quite different. First of all, our powers can awaken at any point in our lives, which is quite different from conventional mages and other deviants. Our powers mostlye in erratic bursts where, quite often, blurred images and clips of the future simply sh through my mind. Sometimes they¡¯d be useful, but most of the time, they were too vague and minute to make anything out of. These little shes of the future don¡¯t expend any mana at all, actually."


    I stayed silent, an eerie feeling creeping up on me.


    "If you were to sense my mana core, I actually have quite a normal mana core, capable of harnessing and refining the mana particles in the atmosphere, which is why I¡¯m quite adept at water attribute magic myself," Rinia eximed mockingly. "Doesn¡¯t seem like a very useful power if I can¡¯t control it, now does it?" she continued.


    "Then what about the the spell that you used to allow me to locate my parents and even speak to them when I was little?" I questioned.


    "Ah, that¡¯s a nifty little spell I made that involves my unique powers as a Diviner, but not really. You see, Arthur, true divination is reading the future¡ªknowing when and where something is going to happen."


    I was getting lost. "Then if that is your true power as a Diviner and you said your mana core doesn¡¯t power that magic, how do you¡ª"


    "With my own lifespan," she cursed.


    "We Diviners shorten our own lifespans each time we choose to consciously look into the future. That is the true power of a Diviner. Everything else are just useful little spells that can¡¯t be considered anything more than hat tricks."


    I sat there, wide-eyed, not knowing how to respond.


    "What we talked about earlier, Virion¡¯s only love and wife, was another rare Diviner that was much more powerful than I was. Her unconscious divinations and prophecies would be much longer, much more detailed than mine, and much more frequent at that." Rinia¡¯s reminiscent smile faded as she continued speaking.


    "Coupled with her physical beauty and graceful temperament, she was the envy of every female elf of our generation. She was the pride of our kingdom and an idol to the citizens.


    "Things were looking perfect as she fell in love with Virion and the two got married in a beautiful ceremony. However, Fate wasn¡¯t as kind to her as everyone thought."


    I couldn¡¯t help but grimace at the tone of this tragedy-in-happening.


    "At this time, the war between the Kingdom of Sapin and Elenoir had begun to die down, with the talk of a treaty in the air. However, the King of Sapin at the time made ast ditch effort to do as much damage to our kingdom as possible before the signing of the treaty. He carried out a n to extinguish the future heir to the throne."


    "You mean..."


    "Yes, Virion was the sole target of an assassination mission carried out by the King himself," Rinia spoke in almost a whisper.


    "..."


    "Mockingly, his wife was repeatedly tormented by visions of Virion¡¯s death. Her unconscious prophecies told her little of how Virion would die and every time she did something to try and change the future, the oue only led to a different cause of death. Virion knew the toll of his wife using her powers, but she did so anyway behind his back, out of desperation to keep him from his inevitable death."


    "Every time I use my powers to look into the future, I can feel the days, weeks, sometimes even months being drained out of my body. I could only imagine how terrible it must¡¯ve been for her to repeatedly use this cursed power for the one she loved."


    I didn¡¯t know what to say, and even if I did, it would have been insensitive to say,ing from someone who didn¡¯t know what it felt like.


    Rinia¡¯s eyes glistened from the tears that she had been holding back.


    "In the end, she was able to keep Virion alive long enough for the peace treaty to be signed, but having burned up so much of her lifespan to protect the man she loved, she died a few months after in his arms with her youthful, beautiful appearance reced with an aged, sickly elder."


    "Do you know who that Diviner was, Arthur?" She looked up with a stream of tears rolling down her right cheek.


    "She was my sister."

 Chapter 91: The Start

    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    Her words rang out in my ear like a giant gong that was rung at the beginning of every year. They say the people with the widest smiles hide the most pain in their hearts. I shifted my gaze over to the sleeping Virion and remembered the times that he joked around with his cheeky grin.


    I had no idea the pain that he had gone through...


    I felt like some pubescent teenager that thought the world hated him. I was ignorant of the fact that there were others who might¡¯ve suffered from deeper pains than I had.


    No words left my mouth after what Rinia said, only focusing on the ever so slight tremble of my fingers.


    "The reason I bring this up isn¡¯t to elicit pity or sorrow from you. I tell you this so that you¡¯ll realize the gravity of what I¡¯m about to inform you of next." There was a stern conviction in her voice that made me look back up.


    Elder Rinia paused, as if readying her heart before she spoke. "I used my powers to intentionally look into your future, Arthur."


    After all she told me, what she just said weighed on me all the more. "What? Wh-why?" was all I could stammer out before Sylvie sleepily walked towards me and hopped onto myp, falling asleep again, leaving the both of us with a brow raised.


    "Seems like your bond is immune to the herbs I gave her," she chuckled.


    "Yeah, she probably just fell asleep naturally," I replied with a half grin.


    "Well, continuing on, even before the day I first met you when you were a child, I had been getting glimpses of your future; never enough to make sense of it, but it was odd to have so many visions of a specific person. It has never happened before. " Rinia shifted in her seat.


    "As you may already be aware, Arthur, things are changing on this continent. Dicathen is going through a new era. We¡¯ve already experienced the beginning of it with the unity of the three Kingdoms and the unveiling of the Six Lances, but that¡¯s just the beginning. Through all of these changes that are going to happen, you always seem to be in the center of them somehow, Arthur." The elderly Diviner locked eyes with mine.


    "Then moving to this remote hideout..." I started to say.


    She just gave me a slight nod. " With the knowledge I gained from looking into the future... your future, it seems like I¡¯ve made some enemies."


    "What exactly is it that you learned from looking into my future?" I asked.


    "Here¡¯s the tricky part. Telling you too much of what I saw can affect even the oues you want. On the other hand, telling you too little defeats the point of me looking into the future in order to find a better oue," she sighed.


    "How do you feel though, Rinia? You just gave up some of your life in order to see my future... are you okay?" I couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    "I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ve lived long enough, anyway. I might as well use some of it to help the future." Rinia waved her hand dismissively.


    "I hate sounding like some old fortune teller warning the hero to be careful and other sorts of generic advice that he can pick up from anyone, but it pains me to say that I can only do that much." I could tell she was trying to make light of the situation to ease my guilt.


    "Arthur..." Rinia¡¯s tone became serious, almost foreboding, "You will face many hardships. Whichever future you decide, that will remain constant. You will have enemies and you will have obstructions in your path, but through all of that, what I can leave you with is that you need to have an anchor, an end goal. What is it you want to aplish in your life? That will be what determines your path."


    This sounded more like a motivational speech than a prophecy, but as if she had read my mind, Rinia continued.


    "Be grounded, Arthur, and I¡¯ll leave you with these two things. One: people do bad things for good reasons, so don¡¯t just take them for what they do on the surface and keep your mind sharp. Two: oftentimes, the scariest enemy isn¡¯t the one on the throne, leading the forces, but the abandoned soldier that has nothing to lose; for that, stay wary and don¡¯t be overconfident." Rinia¡¯s voice became a soft whisper as she warned me, leaving an ufortable silence in the room.


    "I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t say anything more, but all I can say is to follow and trust your instincts. You are a particrly sharp fellow and I know you¡¯ll make the right choices, but sometimes, the right choice isn¡¯t always the best choice."


    ________________________________________


    The talk with Rinia ended, leaving me with a rather bad taste in my mouth, like one would get after taking a spoonful of a bitter tonic. Helpful and necessary, but bitter nheless.


    Rinia woke everyone up soon after, with me pretending to have been asleep with them as well. Rinia made some excuse that she identally mixed in some herbs for rxation that were a lot stronger than she anticipated. No one seemed to mind and we continued on with a light lunch that Rinia prepared out of edible nts and mushrooms. It tasted good despite theck of meat, but by Sylvie¡¯s reaction, I¡¯m sure she would disagree.


    It was prettyte in the afternoon by the time we finished eating and had to get on our way. A bigger surprise than the fact that Rinia¡¯s home was in the center of a mountainside cliff was the fact that, through a secret door and passage, she had her own teleportation gate.


    Since teleportation gates were made in ancient times, supposedly with the help of the deities, or Asuras, as I now know, it wasn¡¯t possible to make any more. Virion wasn¡¯t as surprised as everyone else, including me, but knowing Rinia¡¯s powers, I could only shrug and realize that this was something within her abilities.


    After saying our goodbyes, Tess, Sylvie, and I went through the gate. Along with the dizzy feeling after crossing, we were weed back to the edge of Xyrus City by guards that had their spears pointed at us.


    After realizing that the unknown crossers were teens who had the Xyrus Academy uniforms on, they quickly lowered their weapons.


    "We apologize, the portal you wereing from was read as an unknown gate, so we didn¡¯t know who or what would pop out from the other side. It¡¯s rare, but there have been times when mana beasts identally stumble through a teleportation gate somewhere deep in the Beast des," one of the guards, that seemed to be the leader, said, although his eyes still watched us with a studying gaze.


    "It¡¯s fine. We came from one of the other cities of Elenoir and the guard did mention that he was having troubles with the gate from time to time," I shrugged.


    With an understanding nod, the guards let us go and since there was no carriage waiting for us, the three of us walked to the nearest stop and found a carriage to take us. The sun was already setting and I could see the color distortion in the sky as the Aurora Constete was sooning to its peak. It was a lot easier to see it from the floating city than through the dense trees in Elenoir.


    "Wow, the Aurora Constete really is beautiful every time you see it," Tess said in awe.


    "Kyu~" ¡¯The sky is colorful!¡¯ Sylvie also sat at the edge of the carriage, her small head gazed up in appreciation.


    When we made it back to the Helstea Manor, Sylvie scurried up the stairs leading to the door and scratched at it. As Tess and I followed her up, the door opened, revealing a person that I didn¡¯t expect to see.


    "Jasmine?!" I stopped where I stood and gasped.


    "Long time no see," my mentor from my adventurer days replied, with the only visible sign on her expressionless face that she was happy to see me, the slight grin she had.


    Before I had the chance to say anything more, the rest of the Twin Horns came, one by one, each with a big grin on their faces as they saw me with a girl they¡¯d never seen before.


    "You¡¯ve grown," Durden said with a warm smile on his wide, tanned face.


    "Look who we have here! Mr. Hotshot bringing home ady," Adam Krensh, the wild-looking vagabond spear user cooed, leaning on the edge of the doorframe.


    "Wow, look who¡¯s be more of a man." Helen Shard, the archer, still as charismatic as before, winked at me.


    While they all stayed at the top of the stairs, waiting for us toe up, Ang hopped down the stairs herself and picked me up in a bear hug.


    "Look how cute you¡¯ve gotten!!" she squealed as she waved me around, my legs dragging helplessly on the cement stairs since she was too short topletely pick me up off the ground.


    "Mmmfph mmmh!" Any hopes to articte words failed as the abyss of her well-endowed bosom absorbed my face.


    "I-I think you should let go..." I heard Tess stammer out as she tugged on the side of my uniform.


    "Look who we have here! Aren¡¯t you the cutest little elf!" Ang Rose put me down like discarded waste and picked up Tess, who let out a squeal in surprise.


    My family soon came out and greeted us with open arms with my sister, Eleanor, who already had Sylvie in her arms.


    I was eager to catch up with the Twin Horns over dinner since I hadn¡¯t seen them in over a year, but I could tell Tess was kind of ufortable with all of this. She already felt a bit out of ce being in my home, but with the unexpected guests that she¡¯d never seen before, she was feeling all the more tense and awkward.


    My mother and sister tried to make her feel morefortable, but since she was being awkward with me as well for some reason, she couldn¡¯t take it, and told everyone, after apologizing, that she had to go back to school first for some Student Council work that she was sorely behind on.


    "Are you really going back to the academy?" I asked.


    "I¡¯ve missed too much school and work has probably piled up by now. Thank you guys for your hospitality and I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t stay longer." Tess made a curt bow and followed after the driver that came to get her.


    I went outside with her, uncertain if I should go with her or not.


    "Don¡¯t worry about me! I¡¯ll admit it was a bit ufortable for me in there, but that¡¯s not the main reason I¡¯m going back. I really am behind on Student Council work and I feel bad since even Lilia is still at school. It wouldn¡¯t be right of me to be in her home rxing while she¡¯s working, right?" Tess gave me a reassuring smile.


    "You¡¯re right, but I¡¯m just worried since Gramps said that you still had to rest. Your mana core still is a bit unstable, even with the seal that Rinia gave you before we left. I¡¯d just feel morefortable if I was near you in case something happened." I scratched my head, a rather doubtful feeling itching up on me.


    "I have no reason to use magic at the academy for the time being anyways. Besides, you¡¯reing back to school tomorrow. I think I¡¯ll be able to survive until then," she gave me a yful wink, distilling the previous awkwardness she had.


    "Alright, but be careful." I lightly bonked her head, getting a light punch in the stomach in reply.


    TESSIA ERALITH¡¯S POV:


    "Whew." It was getting harder and harder to keep a straight face in front of Arthur. If I;d stayed and talked to him any longer, I felt like my face was going to burn like a candle.


    My body felt out of sync because of my mana core; It affected my body, as if somebody tilted the world just slightly enough to throw me off bnce, but I didn¡¯t tell Arthur this since he¡¯d just get overly worried.


    After closing my eyes for what seemed like a couple of seconds, I was already close to the school gate.


    "Thank you!" I said to the driver.


    He gave me a friendly nod in reply, tipping his hat, before driving back toward Lilia¡¯s house.


    Right after stepping through the barrier and entering the gate, the atmosphere seemed to have changed drastically. My body tensed immediately, as if signaling my brain that there was danger nearby.


    "Hoho! You¡¯re here...ALONE? Pfft! This is going to be easier than I thought! Yes, it is!"


    The throaty voice surprised me. I immediately whipped my head toward the source of the voice.


    "Lucas? Lucas Wykes?" I gaped.


    It surely was Lucas, but something was off... well, a lot of him was off. His skin was gray, first off, and the way his body spasmed randomly made him look more like a rabid monster than a student.


    I wanted to move, but I couldn¡¯t. The pressure and bloodlust he was giving off didn¡¯t allow me too. All my body could do in response was shiver.


    "Hehe... I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re here alone, no I can¡¯t! It¡¯s nice seeing you again, Princess! As beautiful as ever, yes you are!" Lucas approached me with jagged steps.


    This wasn¡¯t Lucas anymore... The feeling I got from him was more of a deranged mana beast than his usual egotistical self.


    Seeing the expression on my face, his face tilted as he revealed a toothy grin. "Why don¡¯t you y with me until Arthur gets here?"

 Chapter 92: Collapse of Xyrus

    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    Tess leaving for school left me with a rather uneasy feeling, but, needless to say, we still enjoyed the night. The Helstea Manor was in a festive mood, with barrels of liquor brought up from the cer by Vincent himself. Lilia¡¯s father was getting the most enjoyment out of this, along with my father, who were both in an inebriated state before I even got home. It turned out that the Twin Horns had made a detour on their series of expeditions in the Beast des to visit us during the Aurora Constete. It meant a lot to my parents just being able to see their oldrades again and share a drink or two as a toast to old times and embarrassing memories.


    After my father and Vincent, Adam Krensh was the next to be intoxicated, his flushed cheeks almost matching his fiery red hair. It was rather fascinating witnessing everyone¡¯s alcohol-induced habits since my mother and Tabitha wouldn¡¯t allow me to drink alongside them. Adam was your typical loud and rowdy drunk, seeming to lose enough coordination for an infant to be able to wrestle him to the ground and win.


    Ang Rose began to lose all sense of personal space as she conversed with me with her cheeks stuck to mine. It didn¡¯t help that every spoken word was apanied by two or three hups, making it almost impossible to decipher what she was trying to say. Tabitha ended up having to peel her off of me and ¡¯kindly¡¯ escort the coquettish mage up the stairs by the back of her cor.


    I had a hard time containing myughter while Durden Walker soon became drunk as well. What surprised me the most was when he opened his eyes. The usual narrow shapes that looked more like slits became a stern mono-lidded dictator¡¯s surprised expression. It didn¡¯t help that his eyebrows that were normally nted down were now furrowed into an upward tilt, making his overall expression a mixture of intense focus and uncontainable surprise. He would take on this gruffmanding tone when speaking, and for the past hour or so before passing out, he was spouting out training drills to one of the empty barrels of beer while participating in the exercises himself.


    I couldn¡¯t tell whether my former guardian, Jasmine mesworth, was drunk or not until she came up, eyes glossy and unfocused, and started repeating to me how much she thought of me and how worried she was as to whether or not I was adjusting to school well. Eventually, everyone retired to their respective rooms. Mother towed my father, who was cradling a bottle of what smelled like whiskey as if it were a newborn, back into their room. Tabitha did the same for her husband as well. My sister went to sleep with Sylvie quite a while ago in her room, leaving only Helen Shard, the leader of the Twin Horns, and me in the war zone that was once a dining room.


    "Quite the party, wasn¡¯t it? I¡¯m sure this wasn¡¯t exactly how you pictured your reunion with us to go," Helen let out a contained giggle.


    Iughed in response. "With everything that¡¯s been going on these days, it was nice seeing everyone let loose."


    "Your parents told us briefly about everything that has happened to you since we were gone. You seem to be doing a fairly good job of taking on your father¡¯s role in worrying your mother." The faint smirk that curled on Helen¡¯s lips suggested she was reminiscing the past.


    "It seems to be the one skill that I seem to be getting better at without even trying."


    "If only it were like that for me with mana maniption," Helen sighed, making us bothugh.


    We moved to the living room after the maids started showing up and cleaning the dining room. There, we sat with only a coffee table separating us as we continued talking and catching each other up on what had happened in our respective lives.


    It was the first time I¡¯d talked to Helen for this long, but it wasfortable, and she talked to me as if she were talking to an adult, not someone who had barely hit his or her teens. She had an eloquent way of speaking that wasn¡¯t usual for an adventurer; she seemed more suited to lead strategic meetings, not be on the front lines, fighting.


    "If you don¡¯t mind me asking, Arthur, what level is your mana core? I can¡¯t seem to even sense your level anymore." Helen lifted her feet from the coffee table and leaned forward as she asked this.


    "Solid Yellow," I answered simply. I didn¡¯t want to sugarcoat or try to downy my level to someone as observant as Helen.


    "I see. Congrattions, sincerely." Helen had a mixed expression on her face, one where she was trying to hide her disappointment, but failed. She wasn¡¯t disappointed in me, but herself, because even though she more than double my age, I had surpassed her by quite a bit.


    "It seems like you are made for bigger and greater things, Arthur. With the discovery of a new continent and all, I suspect that this small academy will only be able to hold you down for so long. We should get some rest." She gave me a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes and left after giving me a firm pat on the shoulders.


    Copsing on my bed without the energy or will to even wash, Iid there, thinking about everything that had happened in my life. Was it just a coincidence that I was sent, or actually born into this world as it was going through so much change?


    Was I really some clich¨¦ protagonist from a bedtime fairy tale that they always read to us at the orphanage? I couldn¡¯t help but scoff at the thought of being some bored god¡¯s source of entertainment as he toyed with my life in the name of my being ¡¯The Chosen One.¡¯


    Was I in the hands of some god as a chess piece to make the world run as he saw fit? I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that would help me get rid of these thoughts. The thought of my fate being under someone else¡¯s control didn¡¯t sit right with me. Turning to my side, I chose to dust these fears away... life was already so unexpected, why make it moreplicated?


    ELIJAH KNIGHT¡¯S POV:


    "Get down!" I roared as I conjured an earthen wall between the mana beasts and the other students behind me.


    "ATTENTION RENOWNED STUDENTS OF XYRUS ACADEMY!" a rather high-pitched grating voice echoed throughout the campus. "AS YOU MAY ALL BE AWARE, YOUR INSTITUTION IS CURRENTLY UNDER ATTACK BY MY LITTLE PETS. NO NEED TO FEAR FOR I AM BOTH JUST AND MERCIFUL!" The voice seemed to taunt us as he said this because there was a dwarven student in the jaws of a discolored ck-fanged wolf, a B ss mana beast.


    Even as I conjured up a rock spear underneath the belly of the ck-fanged wolf, it still had the time to take the student¡¯s life before copsing. Gnashing my teeth, I looked away from the dimming gaze of the dwarf that pleaded with his eyes before passing away. If I didn¡¯t have experience as an adventurer, I would¡¯ve thrown up as the student¡¯s insides spilled from the fatal wound caused by the mana beast.


    Instead, I calmed myself, using a brief meditation technique that I had learned from ss that steadied the flow from my mana core before scouting for any other students to save.


    "HUMAN STUDENTS, AS LONG AS YOU RAISE BOTH YOUR HANDS AND SWEAR YOUR ALLEGIANCE TO ME, THE MANA BEASTS WILL NOT ATTACK YOU! ELVES AND DWARVES, DO NOT STRUGGLE AND ALLOW MY PETS TO DESTROY YOUR MANA CORE AND YOU WILL BE FREE TO LEAVE!" The voice let out a derangedugh that sent a shiver down my spine. It was enjoying the carnage that was going on in this school that had been so peaceful just hours before.


    Although the radical group had been escting their terroristic activity, this was on apletely different level. It happened so suddenly that there was no way to prepare for an event like this. As far as I could tell at this point was that this stage of their n had been meticulously executed. There were no ces to escape to and no way to call for help.


    The once clear barrier formation that kept any intruders, including mana beasts, from entering the campus had already turned into a translucent red cage, making the sky look like it was dipped in blood, keeping anyone or anything from leaving.


    I didn¡¯t know who the voice belonged to, but his motives were clear. He was willing to take human captives, but wanted all nonhuman mages either dead or incapacitated. I could see pirs of smoke from different buildings of the academy where fights were happening. From time to time, I locked eyes with some of the Disciplinary Committee members as they were fighting off several mana beasts, acknowledging each other since we had no time to brief each other on the situation elsewhere.


    There were obviously traitors in the academy, because some of the professors were now being held off by other professors while cloaked figures, as well as the mana beasts, were taking care of the students.


    It was strange; I¡¯d seen some of the mana beasts while I was an adventurer, but the only thing different about them was the coloration, orck of color to be more exact. Except for their matching red eyes, all of the mana beasts that flooded Xyrus Academy looked like they had had their colors drained, leaving them in different hues of gray.


    I couldn¡¯t tell how many hours had passed since the invasion started, but there were no signs of help arriving for some reason, like we were closed off from the rest of Xyrus.


    I trudged on through the campus quad where bodiesid limp and pools of blood formed around them. This academy was supposed to be a safe haven for future mages of this continent. It pissed me off more than anything that there hadn¡¯t been proper measures implemented for this type of scenario. Since the unification of the three Kingdoms, did The Council not think that there would be enemies?


    Just as I was about to follow after a cloaked figure into one of the alchemybs, a throaty growl caught my attention enough to avoid a thorned growler¡¯s jaw. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t avoid its pounce and was hammered into the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of me.


    "Grrrrr," as the giant, furry lizard-shaped mana beast¡¯s saliva drenched my uniform, its red eyes were staring at me, as if waiting for me to do something.


    "Screw off!" I grunted as I simultaneously conjured a pir from the ground,unching the two-meter long mana beast in the air before it flipped agilely to regain its ground.


    Before I had the chance to do anything more, a sword flew down from the sky, skewering the thorned growler¡¯s head to the ground. The mana beast squirmed helplessly for a couple of seconds before its body also sank to the ground lifelessly.


    "Thanks," I grunted, too tired for pleasant formalities. It was Curtis yder who came down from the top of a nearby statue to retrieve his weapon, his bond, a world lion, following briskly behind him.


    "No problem. You should get somewhere safe until we get reinforcements. It¡¯s too dangerous out here in the open," he said, nodding back.


    "I¡¯ll be fine. There are too many enemies for you guys to handle while I hide. I can still help." I bandaged my bleeding arm that had been cut open just now with a torn sleeve and turned my back to follow after the cloaked figure.


    Suddenly, a sound that could only have been amplified with mana boomed like thunder. I couldn¡¯t even hear myself scream as both Curtis and I reeled in pain. The ear-numbing ring from the watchtower¡¯s bell didn¡¯t reverberate in my chest. I felt it in my feet as the whole earth shook from it.

 Chapter 92: Bird’s Cage

    ELIJAH KNIGHT''S POV:


    As the ear-splitting sound of the bell tower faded into a dull ring, the owner of the same grating voice, who was most likely the cause of all this, cleared his throat before speaking.


    "AHEM! TESTING¡­ AH AH¡­ PERFECT!" The sound wasing from the bell tower near the center of campus. "STUDENTS AND FACULTY MEMBERS OF XYRUS ACADEMY¡ªI WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME ALL OF YOU TO JOIN US FOR THE FINAL CEREMONY. I ADVISE EVERY ONE OF YOU TO MAKE YOUR WAY TOWARDS THE BELL TOWER, AS THIS IS SOMETHING YOU GUYS WON''T WANT TO MISS! DON''T WORRY, MY LITTLE PETS WON''T BITE ANYMORE~ I PROMISE."


    Curtis and I gave a quick nce and nod at each other. "Get on, quick!" From atop his world lion, Grawder, Curtis beckoned with his left arm stretched out.


    Grawder let out a dissatisfied grunt, but otherwise kept to himself as I hopped onto his back behind Curtis, and we immediately headed towards the bell tower. In hope of easing some of my injuries, I used this time to circte mana towards the deeper wounds.


    As we got closer to the bell tower, I could see shes of spells going off in the vicinity. "What do you think is going on?" Curtis asked. I couldn''t see his face, but from just his voice I could imagine the sort of anxious expression he had on his frustratingly handsome face.


    "Some of the students and professors are firing spells at the bell tower," Imented with the obvious, not knowing what else to say.


    "It looks like there''s some sort of barrier surrounding the bell tower," Curtis pointed out as a translucent wall flickered after receiving a spell cast by a professor.


    It wasn''t long until we came into full view of what was happening for the ''main event.'' There was arge stone tform that hadn''t been there before, most likely erected by magic. The once wless marble floor around the bell tower, which marked the center of the academy, was cracked and splintered with pools of wet crimson blood. Various species of discolored mana beasts had gathered around the tform, waiting patiently, almost robotically, ignoring the frightened students just outside the barrier.


    [Earthen Javelin Barrage]


    [Supernova]


    [Thunder Spear]


    [Windde Twister]


    After a jumbled drone of chanting, several high-leveled spells were cast in the direction of the bell tower, but despite the huge manifestations of elements bombarded onto a single point, the mana shield that closed off the bell tower only fizzed harmlessly before eating up all of the spells. Seeing that leaves of the trees on the inside of the barrier had not the slightest rustle proved how imprable this barrier was.


    There was arge crowd of both students and faculty members in front of the bell tower, who were both injured and scared, unsure of what to do as the professors made fruitless attempts at breaking through the protective field.


    "Stay here while I try to find the rest of the DC members," Curtis instructed before dropping me off near the front of the barrier. Before I could say anything, Grawder raced off with his master riding on his back, leaving me anxiously waiting for something to happen.


    The crowd of dishevelled students were all anxiously chatting with their friends and peers about the disaster that fell upon them today. Some were crying, while other red-eyed students had already passed that phase and were waiting with hardened expressions. I could only wait as well. With the cage keeping us from leaving the academy grounds and mana beasts that seemed ready to jump and devour any who disobeyed, I could see the hope in their eyes flickering away. We were prisoners of this massacre, awaiting our sentence.


    Although most of the students in the crowd seemed only lightly injured and battered¡ªindicating that they''d caved in rather quickly¡ªthere were a few fighters whose injuries were more serious. Fortunately, some of the professors were adept in the field of healing. While they couldn''tpare to Emitters, they were able to save a few lives today.


    "WELL IT SEEMS THAT EVERYONE ALIVE HAS MADE IT TO THE GRAND FINALE OF TODAY''S SHOW! I THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING!" The high-pitched tenor had a piercing quality that made everyone turn their attention back towards the bell tower.


    He appeared... as if manifesting out of the shadows. The source of the jarring voice that sounded like rusted nails scraping against a chalkboard. He wore a gaudy red robe, decorated with an unreasonable amount of jewelry, reminding me of some second son of a king¡ªa figure who was so down the line of power that his only defining aspect was his inherited wealth. The man wore a rather creepy mask that didn''t match his attire. It was a simple white mask with two slits for his eyes, and a crudely drawn jagged smile the color of blood. Behind his mask was a head of crimson hair that flowed past his shoulder des.


    While he had his hands behind his back, it looked like he was holding something, but I couldn''t make out what it was because of his shadow.


    At the sight of the bold figure, the murmuring of everyone ceased, creating a rather eerie atmosphere. A deafening silence descended upon the crowd as all eyes fell on the mysterious masked man, depicting both curiosity and fear of what he would do next.


    Drip. Drip. Drip. The sound of small droplets sshing on the ground echoed through the entire space, further adding to the uneasy suspense.


    All of a sudden, an earthen spear barrelled directly at the masked culprit. Unfortunately, its trajectory ended as it smashed into the protective shield, shattering into pieces.


    Unfazed, he stood there as students began chanting in desperate hopes that somehow, the barrier had weakened enough for us to break through.


    Strings of curses were shouted out at the masked figure as everyone realized that it was impossible to break through. I heard familiar voices cry out insults and profanities as they didn''t know what else to do at this point.


    "Pfft¡­" The man''s shoulders bobbed up and down as he tried to contain hisughter.


    "PUAHAHAHAHAHA!" His manicughter, unaided by mana, echoed throughout the area, somehow drowning out everyone else''s voices.


    I could see a mixture of emotions in the students'' and professors'' faces: fear, anger, desperation, confusion, frustration, and helplessness as they were all stunned into silence by the abruptughter.


    It was then that the masked man tossed the object he was holding behind his back onto the floor.


    With a dull thud, the spherical object rolled into view close enough for the people in the front to see.


    It was a hea...


    It was a real head.


    It wasn''t the sound of water dripping that I heard, it was blood from the head.


    It took my mind a couple of seconds of nk staring to process what was going on before a wave of nausea hit me like a bat.


    I threw up.


    Over and over again.


    The stench ofst night''s dinner mixed with an acidic twist made me gag more until I was left with only dry heaves and watery eyes.


    By the time Iposed myself, I could see students and professors alike either looking away, pale-faced, or clutching their stomachs as they continued vomiting on the ground.


    I didn''t want to look again, but my eyes were itching to look back at the decapitated head. When I saw it again, I noticed it was a dwarf''s. I''d seen her before, but hair covered some of her face as a pool of blood expanded from underneath with only the bone of her spine jutting out...it was so white.


    I was drawn to the gore. My mind was screaming to turn away, but my eyes stayed fixated on the gruesome sight as everything else blurred out of focus.


    As his disturbingughter continued, his whole body shaking in delight, a booming howl caught everyone''s attention.


    "NOOOOOOO! DORADREA!" I spotted Theodore as he roared, charging furiously towards the masked man. He knocked aside the students that weren''t quick enough to get out of his one-man stampede.


    "DORADREA!" Theodore screamed, his voice cracking as he hammered his fists against the translucent barrier.


    There were only two sounds that could be heard. It was the sound of delightedughtering from the masked man, and the sound of Theodore''s thunderous pounding against the barrier.


    BOOM!


    It was one of the Disciplinary Committee members¡­


    BOOM!


    The same group Arthur was in...


    BOOM!


    A crater formed underneath Theodore as the marble floor around him continued to crumble and cave under the pressure of his might. As he continued smashing against the barrier, blood began streaming down his arms as his hands were shattered by his own strength. Despite that, the fury never left Theodore''s eyes as his icy gaze never left the masked man.


    "COME OUT HERE AND FIGHT ME, YOU COWARD!" Theodore howled, a deranged look shrouding his eyes.


    Suddenly, the masked man stopped hisughter and removed his mask. His face was narrow and sharp, with skin that glowed in a hue of gray. In spite of the sharp and the attractive features he boasted, it was hard to miss the crazy, almost psychotic expression that seemed to have been permanently ingrained into his being. His face was wrinkled in a scowl as he tilted his head to the side, as if he was confused by Theodore''sst statement.


    "Coward? Me?" The masked figure began walking towards Theodore with the easy arrogance of someone who knew that everything in the world existed for his taking, every one of his steps seeming to drive a nail into the minds of everyone present.


    "Yes, you! Stop hiding behind this barrier and fight me!" He growled back, blood continuing to drip from his broken hands.


    "Coward? Me? The mighty and reborn Draneeve¡­ hiding?" The person called Draneeve blinked out of view and appeared in front of Theodore with a speed so fast, Theodore wasn''t even able to react as Draneeve pulled him to the other side of the barrier. He threw the Disciplinary Committee member easily onto the erected tform.


    Caught off guard, Theodorended less than elegantly on his back before squirming to his knees, having trouble putting weight on his crippled hands.


    Again, Draneeve blinked in a sudden sh of speed and squatted down to face Theodore. "Why don''t you fight me now?" A sinister smirk curved on the red-haired man''s face.


    With a desperate yell, Theodore jumped up, bringing his leg down, executing a heel kick towards Draneeve''s shoulder.


    BOOM!


    As the tform splintered and a cloud of dust formed, it was obvious that Theodore had imbued enough mana into his leg to crumble a building.


    There were a few cheers from the students as we all waited for the cloud to clear. I too hoped that the attack was enough to warrant cheering, but I knew it wouldn''t be that easy.


    A howl of pain amidst the cloud of debris rendered the cheers moot as we waited with bated breath. As the dust cleared, none of us were prepared for what we saw.


    It wasn''t a secret to everyone here that Theodore was a deviant, capable of using mana to manipte gravity. Just from the fact that the stone tform shattered like ss, we knew that Theodore hadn''t held back during his attack just then, but what we did not expect was for Theodore''s leg to still be positioned atop Draneeve''s shoulder where itnded... except... Draneeve was fine. Theodore''s leg, however, had been snapped cleanly in half.


    We all stood there with our mouths agape. Even the professors were baffled by the clear difference in strength between the two. Theodore''s strength would''ve even made the professors do everything that they could to dodge the attack, yet this mysterious man here had taken it head on ande out unscathed despite the freshly made fissures.


    "Come on! The Great Draneeve isn''t hiding. Let''s fight!" The smirk never left his face as he kicked Theodore away like rag doll.


    "I''m fighting you like you wanted, right? What''s wrong?" Draneeve tilted his head again in mock confusion as he continued to beat Theodore into a stupor. His face was no longer even recognizable as he was pummeled to a bloody and broken mess. The rest of us couldn''t even do anything¡­ only watch as our fellow schoolmate was tortured right in front of our eyes.


    "....cker," Theodore managed to croak before vomiting out blood.


    "Hmm? What was that?" Draneevended another solid kick to his side, a loud crack of a broken bone apanying it.


    Lifting his battered head, Theodore looked straight up into his assant''s eyes with a look of pure hatred and disdain before he spat the blood congealed in his mouth at Draneeve''s foot.


    I could see veins popping on Draneeve''s forehead but he simply took a deep breath as he ran his fingers through his red hair, peering down in disdain at the bloody mess that was Theodore like a squashed insect.


    "I see you still have a bit of fight left in you! Hmm¡­ it is too bad though, you seem to be on the verge of dying from blood loss. Let me help you with that."


    "GAAAAAAAHHHH!" The gurgled scream was all I could hear as Theodorebusted into crimson mes at the snap of Draneeve''s fingers. That was all he did¡­ snap his fingers.


    He snapped them again, extinguishing the mes, leaving a charred and smoking carcass.


    I realized by this time that my hands were covered in warm crimson from my nails digging into the flesh of my palms. I was useless at this point. Even if I ended up seeding in breaking the barrier, wouldn''t I just end up like Theodore?


    "Pfft! See! I helped him! He''s not bleeding anymore, right? PUAHAHAAHAHA!" His cacklingugh filled the area as he began pping for himself in amusement.


    Seeing that none of usughed along, he just shook his head. "Oh poo~ you guys are no fun. Rx, I left him alive for now."


    I peeled my eyes away from Theodore''s decimated body to see Curtis being held back by the other members of the Disciplinary Committee. His mouth was covered by ire who had a trail of tears streaming down her anguished face. The princess, Kathyln, was holding onto her brother''s arm with her head down so I couldn''t see her expression. I couldn''t see that elf, Feyrith, and the other member, the mysterious one with the narrow eyes. I think his name was Kai¡­


    "NOW! I apologize to you all for the dy! Without further ado, we will nowmence with our main event! Fes, bring them out!"


    As Draneeve grandly waved his arm like some conductor, the frozen mana beasts stirred and sat up straight as a line of hooded figures, covered in robes, came out from the bell tower, each dragging with them a student.


    It was when I saw her that my mind came to a stop.


    I felt like I was suddenly swimming in thick syrup as my hand pressed hard against the barrier. I fell to my knees and just stared out in front of me, in a daze.


    Being dragged by her hair, her face battered and bruised while her clothes torn and messy¡­ was Tessia.

 Chapter 93: Chosen Ones

    CLAIRE BLADEHEART''S POV:


    I held onto Curtis, sping my hand over his mouth in desperation. My vision blurred as tears continued to well up and stream down my cheeks.


    We couldn''t¡­ I couldn''t do anything.


    The disciplinarymittee members were in charge of preserving the safety and order within Xyrus Academy. I was handpicked by Director Goodsky herself to take on this vital duty, and with the exception of Arthur, I was assigned the task of choosing the members and leading them.


    I was their leader, yet I had let all of this happen¡­ I let in a spy.


    I was ignorant of the fact that all of our movements were being leaked to the enemy.


    I was responsible for the state Theodore was in right now. Even if he made it out of this alive, he would never be able to walk on his own two feet again.


    I was responsible for Feyrith getting captured.


    I was responsible for the death of Doradrea Oreguard.


    ...


    I should''ve noticed by how the radical group seemed to know of our every move and effortlessly slip past us on each asion. I guess subconsciously, I believed that my team members would, without a doubt, be loyal.


    Because of my naive assumptions, we were the first to get attacked. It had happenedst night, when the soft, dim light of dawn peeked out over the horizon. We had been busy preparing for the full-scale battle that woulde eventually, finalizing the emergency evacuation n after constructing makeshift safe houses out of basements and old ssrooms for students to barricade themselves in.


    We had all agreed that this might be going a bit overboard, but I now realized that it wasn''t even close to enough.


    Restless, everyone had decided to let out some steam by training. It was Kai''s idea. He suggested that we erge the area of the training barrier so that everyone could practice without the students, who were all on edge from the recent events, being startled by the sounds of spells and weapons colliding.


    We had never erged the training barrier before, but nevertheless, I didn''t find anything wrong with his suggestion, so I let Kai supervise the barrier while the rest of us trained inside it.


    When the barrier formed, it took on a reddish sheen that normally never appeared. Thinking back, the training barrier Kai erected by using the artifact was a miniature version of the cage that was now surrounding the entire academy.


    That''s when we were attacked. Kai had let them in; it was as simple as that. That sly bastard was the one who gave away all of our ns to the radical group while feeding us false information.


    Kai had his hands full keeping the barrier up so that no one outside could hear the sounds of battle. We were outnumbered three to one yet we were on the verge of winning. The radical group mages were strong, but my team members were stronger. We would have broken free and warned the school¡­ but he had to show up.


    As soon as he stepped into the barrier, whatever advantage we had had disappeared. I just couldn''t believe he''d been a part of this¡ªno, I''m lying. It was definitely possible for him to be a part of this. What I couldn''t believe was that it was actually him.


    He single-handedly turned the tides. He was a gifted mage before and if it wasn''t for his twisted and conceited personality, I would''ve definitely wanted him to join the Disciplinary Committee. He was talented, but a lot of his breakthroughs came from the overuse of elixirs and other synthetic drugs that would result in dire consequencester. This was the rumor, anyways.


    But he was on another level. The mana fluctuation around him wasparable to that of professors''¡ªno, beyond them. It was odd though. The abundant mana surrounding him was erratic, chaotic almost; there was so much mana being forcibly generated that it overflowed. I wasn''t sure if that was the cause, but even the color of his skin and hair took on a different tint.


    The amount of mana was unnatural for someone barely hitting the age that most humans would begin to awaken. This reminded me of Arthur; he might even be stronger than him presently, however, I knew for certain that whatever led him to this state wasn''t anything natural.


    Needless to say, we weren''t much of a match for him. Chantless casting, multicasting, an endless well of mana¡ªeven if he was alone, I felt like he could''ve held up against all of us together.


    How was it possible for him to have be this strong? was the persistent thought that kept running through my mind, poking at me.


    "You call yourself a student of this academy? Out of all people, I would''ve assumed your pride wouldn''t allow you to be some dog of a crazy terrorist group, Lucas," I spat out in disdain. "I now see that I was wrong."


    I could see that I had hit a nerve as his smug expression darkened, but before he got reckless like I had hoped, Kai intervened.


    "Lucas, he wants this done quick and clean. Don''t forget the mission," the narrow-eyed augmenter said curtly, his face tensed in concentration from trying to keep the barrier up.


    Kai had ignored our repeated hateful shouts prying for the reason of his betrayal, only opening his mouth to keep Lucas in check.


    At this point, it would be impossible to get out by trying to beat him; our goal was to create an opening in the barrier.


    While battling, we intentionally aimed our spells at the same spot without them noticing, but the barrier was a lot stronger than we had anticipated.


    After defeating three of them, Feyrith was the first to get captured and pulled away by the other radical group members, but by then, we had managed to make a crack on the surface of the barrier, a gaprge enough for us to fit through. But not all of us were able to escape. Through gritted teeth, we had to leave behind Doradrea, along with Feyrith, who stalled the radical group long enough for us to escape.


    It hadn''t feel like we escaped, no¡ªit felt like we were let go. I could still clearly remember the smirk etched onto Lucas'' face as he stood there, looking down on me like an insect he released because he didn''t want to trouble himself with the mess.


    By the time we made it out, it was already toote. Our battle had taken time, and during that time, the academy was already locked in a cage and under attack by both the radical group and mana beasts.


    Director Cynthia had not returned and by the time we found some of the Student Council members, they had been assaulted as well, although they seemed to be in a better shape than us. Clive seemed especially grateful that the Student Council President was still not back from her trip. The Student Council Secretary¡ªLilia, I believe¡ªasked me worriedly if Arthur was okay, and was relieved to find out he wasn''t inside the academy.


    It was demoralizing for us as some of the students we tried so hard to fight for simply gave in and sided with the enemies.


    But I couldn''t me them.


    It was us that failed in our jobs to protect them.


    ...


    "Please, Curtis¡­ please." I continued begging, choking back a sob.


    "Please, stop. You can''t." I bit my lower lip.


    "Please¡­"


    Curtis'' thrashing settled, but I could still feel him trembling with rage. I removed my hand from his mouth and noticed that there was blood; it was Curtis''.


    He had been biting on his lips so hard, he''d bitten into them.


    "I''ll kill him¡­" I heard Curtis mutter, his voice shaking.


    "Curtis, please... just wait. I can''t have you charging out like Theodore. We can''t lose you too." I tried to keep a firm tone as I spoke, but I didn''t sound convincing even to myself.


    "Wait? Are we supposed to just wait while we let him kill Theodore and Feyrith? Huh? Like how he killed Doradrea?" he spat out in a growl, his voice pitched low and quiet.


    My chest contracted from the venom in Curtis'' words, but before I could say anything else, a sharp sound stopped me.


    Curtis held onto his left cheek, stunned.


    Kathyln''s eyes were red and swollen, her longshes still wet with tears. Her expression was a knot of grief and frustration. Her usual impassive expression was nowhere to be seen. Her hand was still held up in front of her from where she had just pped her brother.


    The strike wasn''t loud, nor was it that strong, but I could tell by Curtis'' expression that the light p from his sister struck deeper and harder than any bludgeon could.


    "Brother. We need to think of a way save them. We need to make a n to protect everyone here. We need to stop that monster, but we can''t do any of that if you''re like this¡­ or if you''re dead." Kathyln''s gaze was unrelenting, her every word piercing through not just Curtis, but through me as well.


    She was right, we needed to get our act together. We needed to think of a n.


    I looked around the crowd in front of the bell tower and behind us, thinking of a way to escape to Director Cynthia''s room to see if there was anything that could help us in there, but robed figures stood guard while the mana beasts tensed up, ready to pounce onto anyone that tried to make a run for it.


    It was then that they brought the captives out, and it was then, that I saw Feyrith being dragged out, beaten and unconscious.


    As everyone stared solemnly while the row of robed figures, each holding onto their respective prisoner, silently trudged out, it took me a few seconds from this distance to realize that one of them... was the Student Council President.


    ELIJAH KNIGHT''S POV:


    The scene yed out in slow motion for me.


    I rubbed my eyes just to be sure, but no matter how many times I rubbed and blinked, her figure wouldn''t change. While disheveled and matted with dirt and blood, there was no mistaking that distinct gunmetal hair.


    My mind raced as a part of me wrestled to figure out what had happened and how she appeared here while another part of me was still in denial; She wasn''t supposed to be here. She was supposed to be with Arthur.


    Whispers and mutters began to explode as soon as the students and faculty members alike realized that one of the prisoners was the Student Council President and the other a member of the Disciplinary Committee.


    "Shhhhh." Draneeve waved his hand theatrically for us to settle down before continuing. "I''m sure all of you are just dying to know what is going on, but before I exin, I''d like to introduce myself."


    He took a few steps forward and straightened his robe,bing his hair back with his fingers. "As I mentioned earlier, I go by Draneeve."


    He made a dramatic pause, as if expecting a round of apuse. When nothing happened, he just shrugged and continued.


    "I know that at this moment, you guys may see me as some sort of bad guy. I wouldn''t be surprised, what with the attacks and the deaths, but I assure you, I am on your side."


    That ridiculous statement caused an uproar, as jeers and shouts reverberated through the crowd.


    "Silence."


    His voice couldn''t have been louder than a low growl, but the weight of that one word and the immediate pressure following it froze the crowd to a mute.


    "As I was saying¡­My name is Draneeve and I havee to save you all." Draneeve spread his arms in a grandiose manner, his robe fluttering from the wind, making him look pretty impressive.


    No one said a word, too afraid of what he might do; all of us simply waited for him to continue speaking.


    "You see, Ie from a farawaynd. This farawaynd is a cruel, cruel ce for the weak. Yes, I am talking about all of you. Those gathered here are considered the ''elite,'' whose backgrounds and potentials make you the future of this continent, but from where Ie from, you guys. Are. Simply. Trash." Draneeve''sst words were spat out in a mocking stato.


    "That being said, I have made this extremely long and tiresome journey to prepare those I deem worthy so that when my lord bes this continent''s new ruler, you guys will have a ce in his kingdom and not be tossed aside like the trash you currently are."


    I nced back to see everyone just looking around, confused. By the expressions on some of their faces, they looked to be in disbelief. Not just surprised, but they sincerely looked like they thought this whole thing was some big prank.


    "To those who stand in front of me today, congrattions on being the ones chosen to be honored pawns of the new ruler of this continent. Lukiyah, step forth and show them a glimpse of the newfound powers you have been bestowed."


    Lukiyah?


    No¡­ It couldn''t be¡­


    The figure that had been holding onto Tess by her hair stepped forth, dragging her with him. I bit my lip, struggling to keep calm. Underneath his hood, he seemed to be looking for someone before he stopped; I could feel his eyes on me. I stood transfixed as he removed the hood of his robe.


    Confirming my suspicions, it turned out to be Lucas Wykes.


    His eyes seemed to beughing as he continued to stare at me.


    Slowly, the edge of his lips curved up as he tugged Tessia up by her hair, just enough so her neck was next to his face.


    His mocking gaze never left mine as Lucas ran his tongue slowly¡­gratingly up her neck to her ear, only to stop and wink at me.


    Any sort of inhibition controlling my rage disappeared at that instant, leaving me with just enough sanity to curse out.


    "LUCAS, YOU SON OF BITCH! HOW DARE YOU!" My vision reddened as my mind began to numb. Suddenly, as if some inner force pushed my consciousness out, my body felt like it wasn''t mine anymore... like I was an entirely different person simply spectating my body from behind.


    ''Kill.'' A voice echoed in my head.


    I had never felt a sensation like this before, but I knew that whatever was controlling my body knew how to use my powers better than I could myself.


    ''Kill.''


    It was a peculiar feeling that I knew wasn''t normal. It felt like the monster that I had been trying to keep locked up had switched ces with me.


    My vision distorted and constantly pulsed from what I assumed to be adrenaline. I couldn''t hear anything besides the beating of my heart. My body seemed like a shell controlled like a puppet by someone that wasn''t me.


    ''Kill.'' The voice was getting stronger.


    What the hell was happening to me?


    ck spikes ruptured from the earth around me, hurting some of the students who couldn''t move out of the way fast enough.


    I felt the need to at least apologize but my body was fixated on Lucas.


    ''Kill, kill, kill!'' My mind felt like it was going to split open from the pain.


    I walked rather unsteadily towards the ingrate that couldn''t be described with just profanity. As I approached the barrier, I worried whether or not my body would be able to break through, but it turned out to be an unnecessary concern. Some sort of ck sma suddenly engulfed my hand and as my bodyid it against the barrier, the ck sma slowly began to dissolve the barrier as easily as fire melted butter.


    I could make out the surprised expression on Lucas'' face, but the expression on Draneeve''s face was far more unexpected. His expression paled, twisting and contorting in a way that I could only make out to be fear. He held his hands out in a cating manner, as if trying to calm me down. At that moment, the dozens of mana beasts all sprung out to attack me, but it was futile. At the flick of my wrist, the ck spikes shot from the ground, skewering the discolored mana beasts mid-jump.


    Was this me? I had never seen magic like this before. It was unnatural, almost evil in a way. Like it was a power meant solely for killing and destroying.


    My body ignored the dead mana beasts and slowly drew nearer towards Lucas, who had now lost his bemused expression, reced by furrowed brows and a tinge of unease in his eyes. The other robed figures decisively released their grip from their prisoners and was about to collectively rush towards me, but for some reason, Draneeve stopped them. I couldn''t hear what he was saying, but Draneeve seemed to be almost pleading as his hands constantly gestured in hopes to calm me down.


    Suddenly, a sharp pain that seared into me like a burning de made my body go rigid. I don''t know how I knew this, but it felt like my body was reaching its limits.


    No. Not yet. I knew I couldn''t control my body, but at this point, I desperately wanted my body to at least to kill Lucas like it had nned to.


    My body began staggering, each step seeming to slowly be more unsteady.


    Almost¡­


    My body put up its hand and a ck spike shot out towards Lucas. The spike that looked to be at least an arm''s length couldn''t kill Lucas like I had hoped, but its speed was fast enough to the point where Lucas couldn''tpletely dodge the projectile.


    Lucas tumbled back from the force of the blow and I could barely make out the ck spike sticking out of his right shoulder.


    Just one more¡­


    My vision dimmed and my body stilled; I seemed to be losing consciousness. I looked once more at Draneeve, who looked more confused now, and before my consciousnesspletely faded into the darkness, I thought I saw him. I may have just been hallucinating, but I thought I saw my friend.


    I thought I saw Arthur, but that may have just been my wishful thinking.

 Chapter 94: Arrival

    CLAIRE BLADEHEART''S POV:


    Humility. Loyalty. Resoluteness. Courage.


    These were the words instilled in me even before I understood what they meant. These were the four qualities that were necessary in order to have a heart as sharp as a sword. This was the creed of the deheart family.


    Ignorant as I was as a child, I had truly believed that I would be able to follow this sacred doctrine my family was built upon¡­ no matter what the circumstances.


    How truly ignorant I was.


    This was the thought that wed at my mind, making my heart ache as I stood helplessly, watching¡­ simply watching.


    Simply watching as Theodore was beaten and burned into an unrecognizable state.


    Simply watching as Elijah fearlessly tried to defy, despite being unaided, a figure so powerful I could only submit and hope¡­ hope that I''d somehow make it out alive.


    Even with my eyes fixed on the scene, I had trouble registering what exactly was urring, much less believing it to be real.


    What all of the student mages here could not hope to do, what all of the professors here failed to aplish¡ªElijah, single-handedly, had achieved.


    I had never deemed him as anything more than Arthur''s silly friend. He had given me the impression of being easy-going, almost ditzy at times, but not at this moment. After he had cursed aloud at Lucas, his demeanor shifted into someone unrecognizable.


    As thoughtless and downright mad as he may have been, that ditzy friend disyed what I couldn''t.


    As if Elijah''s enraged cry had released his soul, Elijah''s body seemed almost lifeless as his shoulders slumped and his head hunched forward. I couldn''t help but look away when suddenly a st of ck metallic spikes shot out of the ground. I thought Arthur''s friend had already died, but I realized it wasn''t Draneeve or any of his henchmen that invoked the mysterious spell; it was Elijah that casted it.


    The spell he had used then was unusual, almost unnatural, but it was when he ced his palm on the surface of the barrier¡ªwhen a ck me magic began coiling around his hand, melting the transparent barrier like it was butter¡ªthat a cold chill ran down my spine.


    Seeing that mysterious magic destroy something so easily when not even the professorsbined could scratch it, I felt hope. Maybe he would be able to end this. It was also then, alongside this feeling of hope, I felt an almost tangible contempt for myself.


    I looked down to realize my hand had unconsciously gripped the hilt of my sword. I couldn''t help but scoff at myself. What use was this sword of mine if fear rendered me unable to even take a step forward?


    Looking back up, I fixed my eyes on Elijah. He swayed as he walked, almost staggering like he wasn''t really in control of himself. Anyone that tried and opposed him was almost instantly pierced by a ck spike. The speed at which each spell was casted shouldn''t have been possible. They couldn''t even be called spells, but more of an automatic defense mechanism.


    I had never heard of something like this before, much less seen it with my own eyes¡ªmagic that was so unnatural¡­ sinister... evil.


    What confused me, and probably everyone else present, was how Draneeve behaved towards Elijah. Elijah was killing his mana beasts left and right; he had already killed three of his robed underlings. He should''ve been angry¡ªdownright furious at him for opposing his ns, but instead he looked¡­ afraid.


    I was only able to make out parts of what Draneeve was saying to Elijah as he frankly ignored the mastermind of this disaster, making his way towards Lucas.


    I heard him several times repeating how he didn''t know¡­


    I also thought I heard him refer to Elijah as ''sir''... no, that couldn''t be right.


    After his useless attempts at calming Elijah down, Draneeve started barking out orders to his robedckeys, telling them to noty a hand on Elijah. It was a strange sight as our fellow student was trying to kill his allies but the leader was ordering his allies not to fight back.


    The other students were baffled at all of this, not quite sure what to make of it; some were voicing their doubts on whether he was actually on our side, perhaps suspecting that Elijah was actually in league with Draneeve. This was until he copsed on the ground, his final attempt at killing Lucas ultimately unsessful.


    While at first, we were too shocked by Elijah''s sudden outrage and disy of cryptic powers to move, some of the professorsposed themselves enough to realize that the fracture in the barrier made by Elijah at least gave us a chance to fight back.


    This thought had already crossed my mind. I knew that with all of the mana beasts either dead or badly injured and Draneeve partially upied with Elijah''s body, now was the perfect chance to retaliate.


    I knew this, yet my feet stayed nailed to the ground beneath me. I knew this, yet I was still afraid¡­


    "Students, clear a way!" An arcane professor led a small group of professors toward the hole in the barrier. The students absentmindedly shuffled out of the way. While many were too discouraged to want to join them on their crusade, the image of Doradrea''s decoted head and Theodore''s lifeless body burnt in their minds, some students still gathered the courage to try and join them.


    Clive was one of them. I spotted him rushing towards the professors, his hands already wielding his bow and arrow but the professor in the back stopped him from going with them.


    "Fools," I whispered under my breath. It was still hopeless. Did the professors think that they could now somehow beat Draneeve? They should know better than us. Was it their sense of duty that was driving them to their deaths like this? Or was it their pride preventing them from being rational?


    Was being courageous akin to dying a fool''s death? Was that what the deheart creed wanted from me?


    Kathyln must''ve heard me. Her red eyes, still quivering, were looking at me, as if I had an answer.


    But I didn''t. I knew my limits and I knew only a fraction of what my enemies were capable of and even that was enough to rob me of any confidence to unsheathe my sword.


    Like from an overused story my mother would always read to me before sending me to bed, the professors marched towards the fracture in the barrier like heroes on an expedition to save the princess from the evil magician.


    I could see the arcane professor, whose ss I tookst semester, in the lead. Behind him was the spell formations professor who taught underssmen. There was one professor that I couldn''t recognize following a few steps behind with a crooked wooden staff. Then joined Professor Glory. She caught my eye and gave me a firm, solemn nod before taking out a second sword from her dimension ring.


    The look she gave me then sent chills down my spine. It was a look that I had never actually seen before, but one that my instincts knew¡ªit was the look of someone epting her death.


    The deheart creed wed its way up into my mind.


    Humility. Loyalty. Resoluteness. Courage.


    Damn it.


    Thinking of this caused a mixture of emotions within me: frustration, forcking the resolve and loyalty a deheart should disy for her academy; shame, forcking the courage to fight alongside them; and ignorance, for foolishly believing that I had what it took to be a leader of the Disciplinary Committee¡­ to be a deheart.


    I shook my head in hopes to clear my dark thoughts.


    Living through this would give me another chance to redeem myself, would it not? I couldn''t be courageous, loyal, resolute and humble if I was dead.


    I turned my attention back to Draneeve, who had kneeled next to Elijah. It looked like he was checking for signs, making sure that Elijah was still alive, carefully, almost tenderly, like a royal attendant would for his king. Our professors, prized mages throughout the entire content, were promptly ignored as he barked out further orders to his robed subordinates to prepare something.


    Finally, getting up as he carried Elijah''s limp body in his arms, Draneeve began walking towards the back of the stone tform where several robed men were fumbling with what looked like an oddly shaped anvil.


    "Lukiyah. Change of ns. You will take care of the ones ignorantly approaching and dispose of these¡ª" he nced down at the students captured, his eyes stopping at our Student Council President, "¡ª trash."


    "I will be heading back first. I expect you to follow us through the gate promptly after," Draneeve continued, the pompous expression he once had nowhere to be seen.


    "Why are you bringing that along with us?" Lucas started to say, but his voice ended in a gasp as his eyes bulged out. The arrogance on Lucas'' face left him in a second as he crumpled to his knees, sweat dripping down his face.


    "You are but a mere tool. You will do as I say, no questions asked, and if you continue to disy this sort of ignorance again, there will be consequences." Draneeve''s voice wasmanding and sharp, different from how it was when he first revealed himself.


    Lucas'' face struggled to remain firm as he wed at his heart until Draneeve kicked him, toppling him over on his side.


    "Say it!" he growled.


    Even from here, I could see Lucas'' jaw clenched angrily, but he convulsed and repeated through gritted teeth, "I¡­ am¡­ but¡­ a¡­ mere¡­ tool."


    "It is ready, my Lord," one of the robed mages near the anvil announced.


    "Hmph." Draneeve proceeded, leaving Lucas heaving, trying topose himself before getting up.


    We all watched as this happened. Even the professors, brave enough to march towards a mage so powerful that he yed with a Disciplinary Committee member like he was a ragdoll, were stunned as he crumpled a mage to his knees with just a thought.


    Professor Glory was the one to catch on that something was amiss. She pointed towards Draneeve, who was heading towards the anvil that was now glowing, crying out, "We can''t let him leave!"


    The four professors rushed through the hole in the barrier when a pir of fire, as thick as one of the support beams in the academy hall''s main entrance, shot up in front of them.


    Lucas was still recovering, his face still lined with pain as he looked at the four professors. The desperate expression on his face was now gone, though, as he walked confidently towards the professors, conjuring another pir of me using his other hand.


    By this time, it was already toote. Draneeve and a group of his robedckeys were now gone, taking Elijah with them, leaving behind a glowing anvil-shaped object.


    "Lucas! How dare a student of this academy be involved in such acts of terrorism?" Professor Glory roared as she imbued mana into both of her swords. The rest of the professors also held up their weapons, the arcane professor already muttering a spell.


    A manic grin spread on his face as he started cackling, sounding more like a rabid animal than a man. "How dare I? You think you guys are anywhere near the level I am now at? How dare you speak to me as if you are my equal! You are merely bugs that need to be squashed!" As he spoke, the mana around him began swirling even faster, veins appearing on Lucas'' thin, gray arms.


    Thus the fight began. The glimmer of hope, that I had now that Draneeve disappeared, faded as I watched my professors get tossed around. The spells Lucas used weren''t special, but the amount of mana he exhibited and the control he had over them was truly terrifying. Simple and obvious implications of multicasting only allowed for each spell that was used in congruence with another to be harder to control and weaker in power.


    Even casting two spells at once consisted of essentially splitting your consciousness to mold and manipte the mana differently. Since Professor Glory focused more of her skills in her swordsmanship with mana augmentation, she could barely initiate three spells while some of the more well-versed professors could cast four spells at once.


    Yet, Lucas was easily casting six spells. He was surrounded by a ming sphere that shielded him from any of the professors'' magic as four offensive spells had already knocked out the spell formations professor. A two meter ming knight was fighting on par with Professor Glory, keeping her, who stood as the vanguard, from protecting her teammates. It was cruel to watch as Lucas easily overwhelmed thebined efforts of four professors.


    "What are we standing here for, we need to help them!" Curtis voice stirred me from my daze. His clear eyes, shaking with rage and impatience, peered deep into me.


    He was right; it was my duty.


    I was the leader of the Disciplinary Committee.


    I shifted my gaze towards the bell tower. I saw Feyrith and Tessia along with the other students that were captured. I saw Theodore; he could still be alive. We could still save him if we acted now.


    Lucas was upied with the professors and only a few of the robedckeys stayed behind. It was my duty. Yet, why couldn''t I still move? Was my body so deeply entangled in the vine of fear?


    "Gah!" A pained cry made all of us turn our heads.


    It was Professor Glory.


    She was lying on the ground, grasping her side, as a puddle of blood slowly spread from underneath her.


    I was reminded of how she looked at me before crossing the barrier. Her eyes told me she knew she could die, but it wasn''t a look of resignation, but one of determination. She was definitely afraid, but she was doing what she could in hopes to give the other students here a chance to live.


    "You''re right." I tore through the shackles that had bound me to my spot and took a step forward. Unsheathing my sword, I locked eyes with Curtis as he got on Grawder, and he gave me a firm nod, his eyes reflecting the same determination that Professor Glory had given me.


    I looked for Clive and a few other students I knew who were capable enough to be of use before going through the barrier.


    The robedckeys that were keeping us from escaping had already gone through to aid Lucas, so I was able to spot Clive helping some of the professors lead the students away from the area.


    Curtis and I, along with a friend from Professor Glory''s ss, stood as vanguard, with Kathyln and Clive riding on Grawder.


    "D-don''t!" I barely managed to hear Professor Glory croak, her eyes wide in fear, when we were attacked by the robedckeys. They were somehowpletely covered under their robes, with even their faces hidden by unnatural shadows. I had just blocked an earthen spike with my de when another robed figure jumped up from behind me, knocking me down.


    Rolling away, Ished out my sword at the robed man, slicing him where his throat should be. I felt it too¡­ the sensation of my de on skin. Ye, the robed man neither stopped nor flinched, his gray hands reaching out for me, mana surrounding them.


    Just then, Curtis'' bond tackled the robed man from the side, knocking him away. "Are you okay, ire?" Kathyln extended a hand to help me up after casting a spell to immobilize the enemy, when I heard a shrill howl from where the professors were fighting Lucas.


    It was the arcane professor as he was being held up by his neck by the me guardian Lucas conjured. His neck was steaming as the smell of burnt skin filled the air even all the way here.


    As the arcane professor struggled to free himself, his screams were eventually reduced to throaty gasps as he desperately kicked and thrashed wildly at the fiery knight summoned by Lucas.


    I would never forget the look on his face as his body fell limp. I tore my eyes away as the professor''s body caught on fire, burning through his clothes and skin as he was cooked alive for everyone to see.


    I had to push my desire to run away. Was my choice wrong? I knew that professor. I still remembered the time he showed me a picture he had taken with his three-year-old daughter. I had told him it was a waste of money since getting a portrait would''ve been much cheaper, but he just grinned stupidly, cradling the picture like it was really his child.


    What would happen to his family now?


    I felt the dire urge to vomit but I was barely able to hold firm. Still, I was dazed enough to almost get hit squarely in the chest by a me ball shot from another robed man. Barely managing to parry the spell and kicking him away whilending, I used this chance to survey the situation.


    It was chaos as the professors that weren''t fighting against Lucas were trying their best in leading the remaining students away from this area. Around me, I saw Curtis with Kathyln riding on top of Grawder.


    Over by the bell tower, I spotted Clive, who had just picked up Tessia from the ground, being knocked away by one of the injured mana beasts. The other few students that I''d brought along with me from Professor Glory''s ss were doing their best against the remaining five robed mages.


    To my right were the remaining three professors, and about a dozen meters away was Lucas, fighting them. Among them, Professor Glory was badly injured, her bloody right hand pressed against where her right kidney should be with her free hand barely able to hold onto her sword.


    Gritting my teeth, I ran towards Clive. I knew what Professor Glory would have wanted me to do. I had to save the students while they were keeping Lucas busy.


    Gathering mana into my de, I picked up speed, muttering a chant.


    [Burning Lance]


    Spearing the discolored grizzly wolf that had Clive pinned down, I helped him back up when a strong force lurched me off of the ground.


    Clive''s sharp eyes widened and his lips mouthed my name, but strangely, I couldn''t hear a sound.


    It wasn''t just him; I couldn''t hear any sounds.


    And that''s when I saw a stone spike protrude out of my stomach.


    Dropping my sword, I looked down and touched it. There was blood.


    My blood.


    Suddenly, sounds came back in a barrage, shouts and screams filling my ears.


    My eyes nced back and forth between my bloody hands and the spikeing out of my stomach. I wanted to turn my body around to see what had happened, but I realized my feet were dangling in the air.


    Looking down, I could see the giant spike that had skewered me up off of the ground.


    I saw Curtis push aside the stunned Clive as he made his way towards me.


    "ire!" I saw Curtis shout, but this time, it just sounded muffled, almost as if I was listening to him from a different room.


    Scenes moved slower as I saw Kathyln jump off Grawder and dash towards me, both of her hands covering her mouth in shock.


    Kathlyn''s voice was the same inaudible, muffled noise that only differed in pitch from Curtis'' voice.


    I tried to say something, but all that I could manage was a wet gurgle.


    I thought of my father. His firm gaze. His eyes that drooped slightly from age. He had been the one who told me the importance the deheart name represented. Would he be proud if he saw me now?


    Just as I felt everything fading, I heard it¡ªa blood-curdling roar piercing through the heavens.


    It was a deep, rumbling thunder that shook the ground and the spike that was lodged through me with it. Even at the brink of death, I still somehow felt fear. It wasn''t the sort of fear that kept me from moving like earlier, but one that made my body want to instinctively bow in reverence.


    In this state of near death, I thought for a moment that I had somehow hallucinated this sound, but then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it.


    The unmistakable figure of a winged beast that every adventurer¡ªevery person¡ªhad once hoped to catch a glimpse of.


    It was a dragon.


    It was nothing remotely close to anything from the drawings my mother had showed me in books to scare me as a child. No, this dragon made those look cute inparison.


    With two horns protruding from each side of its sharp head and iridescent eyes that could freeze even a veteran adventurer, it was a manifestation of both sovereignty and ferocity. While most of the books I had read as a child described a dragon''s scales as precious shiny jewels, this dragon''s scales were such a rich, opaque ck that it seemed to make its shadow look gray inparison.


    But as impressive and awe-inspiring as the dragon, that looked to be the size of a small house, was what made my heart truly tremble in fear: the boy below it.


    It was the boy with the unmistakable auburn hair and familiar uniform. Each step he took, he walked with the most subtle, faint, yet solid confidence I had ever seen.


    And seeping from his very pores was a rage so tantly uncontained that I could only fear for whoever it was directed toward. The very air seemed to avoid his presence as the earth beneath him crumbled under his might.


    All of a sudden, I couldn''t help but let out a chokedugh at how foolish I was forparing him to Lucas. As my senses dimmed, my only thought was relief that I wouldn''t have to witness what he would do to those that crossed his path.


    My only regret was not being able to see Lucas'' expression of defeat in the end.

 Chapter 95: The Calm Before

    LUCAS WYKES'' POV:


    Staring down at the professors struggling to stand back up¡ªthe very mages that I strove to be¡ªit was clear to me that their lives were in my hands. With my newfound powers, these so-called "elites" were now nothing more than ants to me.


    Enhanced cognitive processing capabilities for higher levels of spell casting.


    A nearly unlimited pool of mana for me to ess and utilize.


    Heightened reflexes along with strengthened physical prowess and dexterity.


    The elixir that Draneeve had given me really fulfilled its purpose. Just like he had promised, it truly brought forth my full potential.


    It was obvious since early on that I was a gifted mage. However, being outshined by my older brother, Bairon, my aplishments were never able to satisfy my family''s expectations. I had lived my childhood chasing after his insurmountable shadow, but no longer; I felt like I had finally surpassed him.


    Easily wiping out the distinguished professors of this academy, it felt like I had actually transcended the realm of mortals, iparable to even the highest of human, elven, and dwarven mages.


    ¡­ so why was I feeling this way?


    This feeling of an icy w gripping my innards, slowly twisting, slow freezing my insides.


    The palpable pressure in the air seemed to make the force of gravity in the vicinity stronger as he approached.


    Beads of cold sweat began forming, drenching my clothes, as I unknowingly took a step back.


    Was I afraid?


    That was impossible.


    With my newfound powers, I was invincible. I was all-powerful. I was perfect.


    "Wee to the party, Arthur. You''re just in time," I jeered, satisfied with the calm timbre of my voice.


    He said nothing as he continued his way toward me at a suspensefully slow pace.


    My gaze shifted from Arthur to the obsidian dragon behind him. I had read in a book that the dragon race had already gone extinct from being hunted down. I would normally be more taken aback, but at this point,pared to the terrifying intensity emanating from Arthur, his dragon looked no more threatening than amon lizard.


    His steps never faltered, never swayed, as he approached the bell tower. I couldn''t make out what sort of expression he had; his eyes were covered by his bangs.


    The atmosphere was deathly silent, as even the senseless mana beasts that Draneeve controlled instinctively knew to prostrate in submission.


    "Impressive pet. Did you think it could help you now? Look around you! All of this¡ªit was done by me! The professors that were so highly regarded? I stepped on them like disease-ridden pests," I chuckled, taking a few steps toward the boy I once regarded as my equal.


    The dragon behind him let out a deafening roar that made the surrounding audience wince in fear, but I didn''t.


    No. As much as I hated to admit, it wasn''t the dragon that gave me this feeling of unease; it was Arthur.


    Unaffected by my taunts, he wordlessly made his way towards me.


    Some of the students had already defeated Draneeve''s minions, only a few mana beasts remained on my side. However, they were petrified in fear; whether that was due to Arthur or the dragon, I would never know.


    As he got closer, it dawned on me...


    He wasn''t even looking at me. His gaze had never been directed at me!


    My feet stayed glued to the ground, stunned, as he simply strode past, ignoring me and everyone else here.


    How dare he!


    I could easily crush him right now; he should be pleading, begging for me to spare him and his friends.


    But instead, he had the audacity to treat me like air?


    My clenched fists turned white.


    Passing by everyone else he knew, disregarding his dying or dead peers and friends, Arthur kneeled down in front of the elf princess. His dragon craned its neck down towards her as well, and for that long breath of a moment, there was only silence.


    Knowing exactly what to do, my lips curled up into a smirk. Let''s see him ignore this.


    "She was crying for you, you know," I taunted.


    No reaction.


    "Oh sure, she stayed strong at first. It made it all the more satisfying seeing her break down," I chuckled.


    His shoulders twitched a bit.


    His dragon looked back at me, its eyes piercing me with a ferocity that might''ve frightened me before.


    "You see, I wanted to y with your little elf princess more, but Draneeve told me not toy a hand on her. I was going to disagree at first but an idea struck me¡ªwhat better way to break you than have youy helplessly on the ground as you watch me cripple the girl you care for so much?" Myugh echoed throughout the academy as everyone else watched, unable to even muster up the courage to utter a word.


    The dragon let out a grunt and looked like it was about to charge at me when it abruptly froze.


    My face twitched in rage as Arthur continued to wordlessly cling onto his little elf lover. He still chose to ignore me?


    "Arthur Leywin! You dare ignore me?" I roared. "You think you''re so much better than me? Let''s see you go easy on me now! I''ll break every bone in your body so you can only cry helplessly as I desecrate Tessia right¡ª"


    My words got caught in my throat as the ground abruptly splintered and crumpled underneath Arthur like a sheet of paper, making me stumble.


    I regained my bnce and looked back up at Arthur, whose back was still facing me as he gentlyid the elf princess back on the ground. All of a sudden, I was hit with the same sensation as earlier¡ª the frigid, emotionless grip of a demon, twisting at my insides, wringing the air out of my lungs.


    As if the wind had been knocked out of me, air escaped my throat as choppy and shallow gasps.


    Unable topose myself, I looked down at my hands to see that they were trembling.


    I realised it wasn''t just my hands but my whole body shuddered uncontrobly from the very core.


    What was happening to my body? Why was I reacting this way towards some boy my age? It should be impossible for him to be stronger than me, yet... what was this sense of¡ª


    He turned around.


    I would never have thought that something as simple as eye contact could be so terrifying until his pale blue eyes, sharp as a knife, met mine, and the remaining air in my lungs was sucked out.


    And suddenly, I realized what I had been feeling the entire time, the word to describe the emotions I couldn''t grasp...


    No! I refuse to admit this!


    I ignored the inaudible scream of protest deep in my mind that was begging me to flee, to escape in the opposite direction from him.


    "Oh, am I finally worthy of your attention?" I spat out mockingly, struggling to keep my voice from shaking.


    "Lucas." Arthur was a peasant who had such a banal background that his existence would normally amount to less than a retired mule, while I was born into the Wykes family, which birthed the most talented mages this continent had seen. Yet his voice rang with such ring authority that it made me almost kneel on impulse.


    "I thought of you as nothing more than a mere wasp I deemed unnecessary to kill," Arthur continued with a chill edge to his voice as he once again began walking towards me.


    "But even the holiest of saints would swat it down, without hesitation, if said wasp so much as dared to sting him." His cold, emotionless eyes, empty and frozen, never broke contact with mine as a tangible bloodlust gripped at my limbs like shackles.


    He wasparing me to a bug. No, he truly saw me as a bug. Yet any words of rebuttal or protest refused to leave my mouth.


    Why¡­


    It wasn''t supposed to be like this. My powers should now be greater than his. So why was this happening? How could a boy a year younger frighten me more than Draneeve? How many legions of men and beasts did he have to murder in order to possess such suffocating, oppressive killing intent?


    Even the very earth seemed heedful of Arthur as the ground sunk down with each step he took.


    My heart pounded harder and harder against my ribcage as if it wanted to break out and escape. My vision blurred as cold beads of sweat rolled down from my forehead into my eyes.


    Tearing my gaze away from Arthur, I focused on Tessia. The dragon had curled up protectively around the elf princess, leaving me no opening to make use of her.


    Silently, as Arthur advanced closer, I saw it. In his eyes was a raging tempest, so hungry to create mayhem, just barely contained.


    But I was Lucas Wykes, second-born of Otis Vayhur Wykes! Elite mages of Xyrus Academy had been brought to their knees by my overwhelming strength. Arthur was nothing but a lowly peasant¡ªhis only luck was being born with a decent talent for magic!


    My mind snapped into a state of desperation and frenzy as I fought down the burning desire to run. Him, scare me? Never. I would rather die than plead for my life.

 Chapter 96: The Storm

    ARTHUR LEYWIN''S POV:


    Tessia was okay...


    Bruises and scrapes were visible on her smooth, pale skin. Thankfully they were only surface wounds.


    She was okay.


    It seemed like she had been drugged with an anesthetic to keep her unconscious temporarily...


    Yes, this was better. That way, she wouldn''t have to be awake for all of this¡­


    She wouldn''t have to witness what I was about to do.


    Sylvie, protect Tess. I''ll be enough to handle him, I reassured my bond.


    This was my fault. I was a fool for letting Lucas live this long. This world had made me soft.


    My head continued to pound as I walked towards Lucas.


    Nothing else mattered. Not now. Not until I took care of the pest.


    "S-Stay back!" Lucas stammered, a crazed look visible in his eyes.


    He prepared a spell as he retreated. I wonder if he''d realized that his spells were in fact eating away at his lifeforce. It didn''t matter; I''d kill him before he did himself.


    [Hell''s Rain]


    He released his spell, dozens of ming orbs scattering and floating around, growing increasinglyrger.


    He continued to grin madly as his body visibly withered at the burden of the spell. The red ming spheres turned blue as he further refined his magic.


    It seemed as though he was nning on taking not just me, but half the school down with him.


    ''Papa¡­'' Sylvie''s worried voice echoed in my mind.


    It''s fine.


    I could let him kill himself with his own spell right now, but he didn''t deserve that; that would be too merciful a death for him. I needed him alive, at least until I got some answers.


    I wanted to destroy him instantly, but the attack¡ªthe whole disaster¡ªcouldn''t have been done by Lucas alone. Someone had to have forcibly overexerted his mana core¡ª to the point where even if I didn''t kill him now, he would probably die on his own.


    Whatever it was he had taken made it possible for him to convert his life force into mana, thus draining him of his vitality. The odd discoloration of his skin and the mana beasts present were too much of a coincidence to not assume that it had something to do with the Vritras.


    "By the look on your face, it seems you don''t know what''s about to happen. Do you think you coulde out of this alive?" Lucas hissed, drooling from the side of his mouth.


    "Die!" he spat, releasing his spell.


    The dozens of ming blue orbs, each capable of burning down a building, shot towards me like cannonballs.


    I let out a crisp breath and muttered, "Second Phase."


    [Dragon''s Awakening]


    My vision shifted into monochrome, the only colors I could register being the particles of mana.


    [Absolute Zero]


    The very air seemed to freeze as a curtain of white me erupted around me before I was bombarded with Lucas'' spell.


    I didn''t have much time left in my second phase before the recoil hit. I needed answers before that happened.


    As the cloud of steam and debris began to clear, I could make out Lucas'' figure, the deranged look on his face wiped clean, reced by one of utter shock.


    "H-How is that p-possible? N-No, it wasn''t supposed to be like this. How are you suddenly able to use ice-attribute magic?" he babbled, as if he had just seen a ghost.


    Unrelentless, Lucas began chanting another spell, which surprisingly, by the amount of mana gathered in his right hand, was more powerful than the one prior.


    "CREATION FORM!"


    [Infernal Lance]


    It was a type of spell I''d never seen before. As mana congregated, it manifested into a ming blue partisan spear. What amazed me was that the mana particles hadn''t simply formed the shape of a spear, but instead seemed to have transmuted into an actual burning spear.


    "I hope you survive this one too. That way, you can watch as I make your precious princess kiss my feet!" he jeered,unching the ming spear.


    [ck Thunder]


    I shot out a condensed bolt of electricity with my right hand, while catching the shaft of Lucas'' spear with my left.


    My arm lurched back from the force as an audible hiss resounded from the cloud of steam that rose due to the mesh of fire and ice.


    "Gahhh!" Lucas'' shrill howl pierced through my ears. "My arm! It hurts! My arm!" he screamed.


    I continued walking towards Lucas who was still pawing at the empty space where his left arm used to be.


    "White Fire," I muttered, and my left hand ignited in a pearl-colored me.


    I was less than a foot away from Lucas as he continued to back away from me. "''Desecrate''? ''Kiss your feet''?" I recited through gritted teeth.


    "This¡­ this isn''t fair! L-Lightning magic? You''re a q-quadra-elemental¡­" Lucas'' voice trailed off as he stared in disbelief, his lips trembling as he noticed my lightning-d arm.


    "Yes, I am."


    Lucas'' bloodcurdling scream tore through the air as I gripped his remaining arm. The me surrounding my left hand began to spread, slowly freezing his arm down to the very molecules.


    Tightening my grip, his arm shattered like ss as Lucas stared at the crumbling shards of what used to be his left arm.


    "N-No¡­ How dare you! I''m Lucas Wykes!" he spat out as fell weakly on his behind, his legs pushing away from me.


    Kicking him to his back, he gave me a venomous re, any trace of sanity gone. cing my foot on his right leg, I pinned him down.


    He wasn''t a human anymore. Not at this point.


    [Downforce]


    "GAHHHHH!"


    Lucas spat out a mouthful of blood, his leg crumpled into a mess of crimson. Shattered bone fragments dotted the pool of red as it seeped through the cracks in the ground made by the increased gravitational force of my augmented foot.


    Another bone splitting crunch echoed through the surrounding atmosphere before a shrill howl of pain promptly followed as I did the same to his other leg.


    Just like how the Vritra had left Alea, limbless and slowly dying, inside the depths of a dungeon, it was only befitting to do the same to someone so vile.


    Picking Lucas up by the scruff of his uniform, I pped his face to get his attention. "Who was responsible for all of this?" I asked.


    As his glossy eyes met mine, his expression deformed into a scowl before he spat blood at my face.


    "You think you''ll get any sort of answers from me? Puahaha! I''ll tell you this, though! That ipetent fool you call your best friend¡ªhe''s gone! They took him away to who knows where! I''ll bet he''s dead already! Hahah¡ª" I dropped him on the ground, "¡ª Ugh!"


    I had been so worried about Tessia that it hadn''t registered in my mind¡ª the fact that Elijah had been caught up in all of this as well. I lifted my gaze as I scanned my surroundings for the first time since i had arrived. I could see the numerous students and professors peering at me with the unmistakable expression of fear. Yet, out of all of those faces, Elijah really was nowhere to be seen.


    "Where did they take Elijah?!" I roared out, hoping someone¡ªanyone¡ªwould answer.


    "They went through there," a hoarse voice spoke out¡ª it was Clive. He pointed to an odd anvil-shaped contraption that had an abnormal amount of mana particles fluctuating in and around it.


    "Who was it that took him?"


    "A mage that called himself Draneeve," Clive replied, picking himself up.


    Was it a portal? Were my suspicions correct? Did the mastermind behind this reallye from the continent of crya?


    "It doesn''t matter. He''s probably dead, anyways. And so will be the rest of you, when hees back!" Lucas snickered as blood continued to leak from his two crippled legs.


    Looking at Lucas, a talented mage raised with the notion that his worth only amounted to his strength, who was ring at me with neither guilt nor remorse for his actions and betrayal, I couldn''t help but pity him. Almost.


    Lucas could''ve truly tortured and crippled Tessia if I had arrived toote. His earlier words still rang in my mind, haunting me with images of what could''ve happened if I hadn''t made it in time.


    I ced my foot between his mangled legs at the only extremity left on his body besides his head¡ªthe only ce he could have any sort of attachment to.


    "W-What are you doing?" His voice was tinged with a trace of fear.


    I looked him dead in the eye and responded with what only seemed appropriate, "Taking measures to ensure your filth won''t spread to the next generation."


    His eyes widened at the impending realization as the stubs of his arms iled. He opened his mouth to say something but...


    "May your sufferingst onto your next life," I recited indifferently.


    [Downforce]

 Chapter 97: Outcome

    ARTHUR LEYWIN''S POV:


    The firm, mana-imbued stamp of my foot against Lucas'' pelvic region created a cacophony of snapping bones, squelching flesh, and splintering gravel, apanied by a mind-numbingly shrill screech.


    At this point, Lucas, an aplice responsible for so much havoc and death¡ªthe one that drove me to this point¡ªwas now nothing more than a dying body. His mouth frothed, with only the whites of his eyes showing, as he continuously mumbled incoherently. I lifted my leg up from the blood-soaked pomace of the one that dared to harm those dear to me, and once again, I was d that Tess was asleep for all of this.


    The disaster that had befallen us was over. The perpetrator that had killed three professors and was responsible for the deaths of many more was now fatally wounded, slowly dying.


    Yet no one rejoiced. There was still fear in everyone''s eyes, except, when it was once directed toward Lucas, it was now directed toward me. In the midst of this silence was a palpable tension radiating from everyone present, student and staff.


    It had been a long time since I received stares like these. I relished it then, priding myself in my domineering strength, but now, only a helpless sigh escaped my lips.


    A searing pain spread throughout my body as I was forcibly reverted out of second phase. My hair shortened as my long, silvery-white hair changed back to its normal short, auburn shade. The runes that ran down my arms and back faded as my vision returned to normal, although strained.


    The recoil hit me a lot less this time than when I went up against the elderwood guardian. Although I didn''t pass out, I hadn''t used my mana very efficiently. While trying to make a statement, I used gravity magic which strained me since, without the help of my beast will, I normally wouldn''t be able to use it.


    Still, I was barely able to keep my body from toppling over as I lifted my hand to deliver the final blow when a sudden piercing ring interrupted me, drawing my, and everyone else''s, attention.


    The red-tinted barrier that surrounded the school shattered from above. The broken fragments of the barrier fluttered down, reflecting the vibrancy of the Aurora Constetion that was almost in full bloom, in the night sky; the bloodstained academy instantly turned into a scene from a fairytale.


    Descending amongst the shimmering rain of the broken barrier shards were three figures. Even before I could make out their identities, the terrifying pressure they radiated told me exactly who they were.


    The Lances.


    "...ther," a strained, gurgled gasp escaped from Lucas.


    With my attention focused on the Lances, I didn''t realize he had gained enough awareness to speak.


    Looking down, I noticed Lucas'' eyes fixed toward the Lances; he spoke again, this time more distinctly.


    "B-Brother¡­"


    Before I could even react to what he had said, a sudden surge of light struck me in the chest, barreling me straight into the bell tower with such force that I broke through the mana-enforced wall, buried underneath the rubble.


    Vomiting up blood, and what felt like my intestines, I tried pulling myself out, but it felt as if my entire body was glued against the wall. Confused and disoriented, I tried to make out, with my blurred vision, the one who casted the spell.


    It was one of the Lances. I wasn''t able to make out much more than his indistinct figure through my unfocused eyes, but before he was able to fire another shot, I caught sight of Sylvie, unleashing a st of fire at him.


    ''Sylvie, no. You can''t fight them,'' I called out to her, my voice sounding weak even in my head, but it was toote. He blocked the st like it was a toy ball before one of the other Lances trapped Sylvie in a dome of ice.


    Even though every bone in my body felt like it was getting sawed in half and my head felt as if it had been punctured repeatedly, I was able to make a bit more sense of what was happening.


    From her modestly curved figure and long white hair, the Lance that had trapped Sylvie in the cage of ice was female, and from the looks of it, Sylvie wasn''t able to break or melt it. Despite the position I was in, I couldn''t help but feel relieved that she had only been caged. It sure as hell beat the other options that the Lance could''ve chosen.


    Meanwhile, the Lance that had attacked me had kneeled down beside Lucas. He seemed to be fairly young¡ªmaybe in histe twenties¡ªand looking closely at his face, from the high-bridged, straight nose up to his narrow eyes, there was a very distinct resemnce to Lucas.


    Thest, much older Lance didn''t waste any time to gather and organize the remaining students and professors. He was already interviewing some of the students, nodding in response to their ounts and turning his head to look at me.


    Whether it was because of how disoriented I was, or of how worried I was for Sylvie, It took me until now to piece it all together: Lucas had called out ''brother'' to the Lance that attacked me¡­


    Before I could even curse my own bad luck, the Lance I could only assume to be Lucas'' brother stormed towards me as his body released a torrent of yellow lightning.


    "Death is not enough for the you. To do something so atrocious to a Wykes, to my brother..." He didn''t speak loudly. In fact, it almost sounded calm, yet his voice carried an rming rity that felt as if he had spoken directly into my ear. A storm of electricity trailed around him, dancing like restless cobras craving to be released as he made his way towards me.


    I tried to move my body, but after a few desperate struggles, I realized I had been essentially crucified to the wall by what seemed like electromaism.


    Despite the situation, I couldn''t help but praise the amount of control he had over lightning. For him, there was no need to concentrate on manipting mana into lightning like I had to. Lightning simply bent and danced to his will like it was another limb on his body. Turning my gaze towards Sylvie, who was still desperately trying to escape from the ice cage, and back to the lightning-d Lance, I finally realized just what white core mages were capable of.


    "Bairon, you are not toy a hand on him," the older Lance ordered as he finished talking with one of the professors.


    "Hah?" Bairon turned his head over his shoulder to look back. "That boy tormented and humiliated my brother before killing him, Olfred, and you''re saying that I am not to harm him? Do you wish to go against me as well?" The coils of lightning surrounding Bairon thickened, obliterating anything they touched.


    "The boy was the one who saved everyone here from your brother. And since when did you grow enough hair on your balls to think that you could challenge me?" the man named Olfred spat back.


    I used this chance to try and shift back into second phase, hoping I could gather enough strength to at least escape, but it was useless. My body wasn''t even able to gather mana at this point.


    Turning my attention back to the two Lances, I could tell that Bairon was visibly confused. Still, whether it was because of his pride or his doubt, he chose to persist. "Do not test me, Olfred. I am in no mood to participate in your folly. My brother died in my arms; it is only just that I do what his killer did to him." He whipped his head, ring back at me with pure venom in his eyes.


    Bairon began making his way towards me again when suddenly, two coal-ck knights erected from the ground beside him, pinning him down.


    "Olfred!" Bairon roared as he struggled in the grasps of the two knights that seemed unaffected by the lightning surrounding him.


    Bairon suddenly unleashed a shockwave, knocking away the two stone knights before he charged towards Olfred, lightning manifested around his ttened hand, turning it into a cracklingnce. Olfred had already turned his entire right arm into a gauntlet of hardenedva, but just as the two were about to exchange blows, the female Lance appeared between them.


    "Enough." Instantly, both Bairon and Olfred were trapped up to their necks in a coffin of ice. There was no gradual decrease in temperature of the air or water in the atmosphere to trigger the freezing process. The space around the two Lances simply froze, and despite the gauntlet ofva surrounding Olfred''s right arm, the ice didn''t even hiss or steam.


    "Bairon, you are not the one to make this decision. It is up to the Council to determine what to do with the boy¡­ and the dragon," she said, not a tinge of emotion in her voice, to a degree at which Kathyln suddenly seemed like the protagonist in a soap opera inparison. Even as she stared at my giant obsidian dragon, there was no emotion; she regarded her as something akin to amp post.


    Assuming that the two had cooled down, the female Lance dissipated the coffin of ice, when Bairon suddenly whipped around and shot a bullet of lightning directly at me but was immediately blocked by an ice wall conjured with a swift motion of her hand. Fluidly, the femalence swung her arm towards Bairon''s neck as a thin sword of ice manifested in her hand, drawing a crisp arc as she shed, just deep enough to draw blood. She kept her de pressed against Bairon''s throat.


    "Insubordination will not be tolerated," she said tersely as ice slowly spread from the tip of her de onto his neck.


    By this time, I had already given up on escaping. If I had thought that me shifting into second phase gave me a chance at running away, I rescinded that statement as I watched the female Lance manhandle the other two with frightening speed.


    Bairon eventually relented, not missing the chance to give me one more deathly re.


    I won''t lie¡ªI might''ve winked back at him.


    After less than an hour, the Lances had gathered enough information from the witnesses to piece together what exactly had happened. This granted me the privilege of being graciously unmaized by Bairon and, instead, having my legs and arms shackled together in cuffs of ice. I found the chance, during that time, to tell her that the dragon was my bond, and, for the first time since seeing her, she had a change in expression: a slight raise of her left brow. She freed Sylvie from the cage as soon as she transformed back into her miniature fox form, chaining her to my shackles as well.


    After leaving me, guarded by one of Olfred''s summoned knights, Bairon and the female Lance worked topletely destroy the barrier as the older Lance gathered all of the students and professors with the help of his other ten summoned knights.


    I couldn''t help but admire the barrier that covered the school. It was very well-devised, seeing as it allowed ess, but restricted everyone from going back out; moreover, the Lances had to break the barrier first, which meant that it most likely restricted who was allowed to enter.


    Tess, as well as all of the other captives, were still unconscious during the whole ordeal. Eventually, after the two of thempletely destroyed the barrier, a team of mages sent by the Adventurer''s Guild and Mage''s Guild hurriedly made their way to the scene, promptly healing all of those who needed immediate attention and taking away everyone who had been injured to a medical facility.


    It was chaos; sobbing families of the students involved, people that looked like reporters furiously scribbling into their notebooks, and noisy bystanders all gathered around the front gate of the academy, hoping to get a better glimpse of what had happened.


    Fortunately, the two guilds had taken precautionary measures to make sure no one came too close to the academy at some point. There were gates erected all around the campus to keep anyone from trespassing, with uniformed guards stationed every few meters or so.


    Forced to stay behind until further instructions were given, I made sure to keep close to the female Lance so that Bairon had no way ofunching another quick attack at me.


    "ARTHUR!"


    I whipped my head to find the source of the familiar voice. After a few moments of looking around, I found my family waving at me from behind the gates. Even from this distance, the look of concern was visibly etched onto the faces of my parents as my father even tried to jump over the gate, only to get held down by one of the guards.


    I could tell my sister had been crying as she was clutching onto my mother''s sleeve. Next to her was Vincent and Tabitha who, I assumed, were searching for their daughter.


    "Am I allowed to talk to my family?" I asked the female Lance, my voiceing out a lot more feeble than I expected.


    Bairon immediately replied, "After what you did to my brother, you think you have the right to make requests like¡ª"


    "Boy, I''ll take you to your family," Olfred interrupted. I didn''t have the strength or the freedom in my limbs to properly walk, so Olfred''s summon had to carry me there. Being held over the shoulder like a sack of rice wasn''t exactly the way I wanted to appear in front of the crowds of people present, but I was in no position to say otherwise.


    The summoned knight let me down surprisingly gently in front of my family. Olfred stood behind me, turning his back; whether he did that out of courtesy or out of caution that Bairon might shoot at us both from the back, I frankly didn''t need to know.


    There was a tense moment of silence as they stared at me, unable find the right words. Taking a look at my body, I cursed under my breath. I had dried blood crusted around my mouth and clothes from when I had vomited blood, and both of my feet were dyed in a crimson red. My clothes were in tatters and I was as pale as I felt. All in all, I looked like a homeless vampire that had just feasted on someone and then proceeded to dance in their pool of blood.


    "Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. Hi, Ellie." I tried to smile, but that seemed to make them even more worried.


    "Arthur, my baby, a-are you okay?" My mother stretched her arm through the fence and I gripped her hand.


    "Son, what happened in there?" my father asked, worry creasing into his furrowed brows.


    "I''m fine, Mom. I''ve seen better days, but I''ll be okay with a bit of rest. And even I don''t know everything myself, Dad." I shook my head, tightening my grip on my mother''s hand to reassure her.


    I turned my gaze to Ellie, who was still looking at me with an expression that still seemed to be deciding whether to be angry, sad, or relieved.


    "Why are you cuffed?" my father spoke again, his eyes on the transparent shackles that bound my feet and hands to each other.


    I didn''t know how to respond. I didn''t want to simply tell them I had killed someone and was probably going to be under investigation. My father might understand, but I didn''t want to have to say it in front of Mother and Ellie.


    As I was looking for the words to properly exin, I noticed the female Lance approaching with an open scroll in her hands.


    I stood back up awkwardly due to the shackles binding my feet to face the female Lance.


    Without making eye contact, she began reading aloud from the scroll. "Arthur Leywin, son of Reynolds and Alice Leywin. The Council has decreed that, due to your recent actions of excessive violence and the inconclusive circumstances involved, your mana core will be restrained, your title as a mage will be stripped, and you will be incarcerated until further judgment..."


    The crinkled sound as she rolled up themunication scroll echoed through my mind, clearly audible despite the massive crowd gathered around me. She finally looked up to meet my gaze. "...effective immediately."

 Chapter 98

    Chapter 98


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    ¡°Arthur Leywin, son of Reynolds and Alice Leywin. The Council has decreed that, due to your recent actions of excessive violence and the inconclusive circ.u.mstances involved, your mana core will be restrained, your t.i.tle as a mage will be stripped, and you will be incarcerated until further judgment.¡±


    ¡°... Effective immediately.¡±


    Followed by those words from the femalence¡¯s mouth were three distinct reactions from the people around me. The first reaction was made by the curiously ignorant. They eyed me with looks of perplexion, studying my appearance as they tried to fit me with the edict that had been read aloud by the femalence:


    Inconclusive circ.u.mstances.


    Excessive violence.


    I could feel their cautious skepticism as they silently tried to figure out how a boy, who was barely a teen, could cause the Council itself to issue the verdict instead of the city governor.


    The second reaction was made by the ever-foolish faces of the all-epting crowd. Those that blindly worshipped the Council as well as all forms of higher authority. They took the words written on themunication artifact as G.o.d¡¯s truth and looked at me with eyes of condemnation. Their whispers could even be heard from where I was standing as their eyes narrowed into a disdainful re,believing that I was somehow responsible for everything that had happened inside the academy.


    The third reaction was one that I had thought I would only receive from my family. No. To my surprise, the students and faculty that were involved in the incident¡ªthose that had the strength to still speak¡ªall cried out in protest. Because my family was the closest, I could hear them the most clearly.


    ¡°Incarcer... Your Honour, there must be some sort of mistake,¡± my mother voiced out from behind the fence.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure that there is an exnation for all of this. My son would never... there must be an exnation for all of this,¡± my father amended, knowing perfectly well what I was capable of.


    There were other outcries of protest: some from students I recognized as well as from those who were simply stating the truth; all of which were ignored by the femalence.


    ¡°This makes no sense! How dare you punish the one who actually did some good. If it wasn¡¯t for Arthur, younces wouldn¡¯t have had anyone left to save!¡± I turned my head towards the source of the voice. To my surprise, it was Kathlyn yder. She was marching in my direction with unbridled fury in her eyes; an expression I had neither seen nor expected from her.


    ¡°I will see to it that my mother and father will rescind this decree at once¡ª¡±


    ¡°Your father and mother were the ones, along with King and Queen Greysunders, that had voted in favor of this judgment,¡± the femalence promptly interrupted. While her words were respectful, her expression and tone could only be depicted as indifferent and rude.


    Before Kathlyn could get any closer, her brother held her back. I couldn¡¯t hear what he had told her but the princess finally relented, her face still red and body shaking.


    I knew that no matter how much I try to reason with the femalence, she wouldn¡¯t listen. Letting me go wasn¡¯t her decision to make.


    ¡°Can I speak to my family onest time before you take me?¡± I asked, my voiceing out more sullen than I had wished.


    After receiving a terse nod from the femalence, I walk back to where my parents were leaning against the fence. For a few seconds, we just stared at each other, not knowing how to begin.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so sad, guys. Things will be better after this misunderstanding gets cleared up.¡± I let out a wide grin, hoping to mask my uncertainty. I had allies within the Council, but there were too many unknown factors at work here. I wasn¡¯t so worried for myself as I was for Sylvie. To have a dragon alive in our continent wasn¡¯t a matter that could be waved off.


    My facade must¡¯ve faltered when I was focusing on my thoughts; my parents¡¯ expressions changed as both of them gazed at me, wide-eyed and afraid.


    ¡°Y-you... you honestly have no idea if you¡¯ll be able toe back to us, do you?¡± I couldn¡¯t meet my mother¡¯s eyes as she stuttered, her voice dripping with worry; I, instead, focused on her hand, her fingers were deathly pale and her nails red from how hard she was clenching onto the iron fence.


    ¡°Brother... you¡¯re not going to anywhere, right? This is all a joke, right? Right?¡± Ellie¡¯s face was a pale shade of crimson and I could tell she was doing her best to keep from breaking into sobs.


    I kneeled down so I could be at eye-level with my sister. As I studied her childish face, I could hardly believe that she was already ten. One of my biggest regrets was not being able to be by her side as she grew up. I had met my sister for the first time when she was four, and even after that, I was only with her for weeks at a time. While looking at her, I could only hope that the next time I see her wouldn¡¯t be when she was a teen... or an adult.


    I got back up, prying my gaze from Ellie whose face had been so tensed up that her lips were almost white. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely return home.¡± I turned back around just in time for my eyes to water without their notice.


    Thence named Olfred conjured a stone knight beneath me, lifting me up as the femalence separated me from Sylvie, carrying her in an orb of conjured ice. Approaching us was Lance Bairon carrying the wrapped corpse of his deceased younger brother as his gaze continued to pierce through me with pure venom.


    Like that, we departed. Bairon informed the others that he would be making a detour to his family¡¯s house to deliver Lucas¡¯ body for a proper funeral.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if bing a white core mage came with the ability to fly, but all three of thences were capable of flying without the need to invoke any spells, including the conjured knight that was carrying me.


    My eyes stayed fixed on Xyrus Academy as it grew increasingly smaller the farther we flew. The ce itself didn¡¯t mean much to me, but my time at the school inside the floating City of Xyrus had been one as an ordinary student mage. I was considered gifted then, but I was still just a student. As the distance between me and the academy increased, I had the notion that I was leaving my life as an ordinary student behind.


    We travelled wordlessly through the sky as all attempts to start a conversation had been shot down. As gentle as they were in how they treated me, to them, I was still a prisoner waiting to be judged.


    ¡®Papa, what¡¯s going to happen to us?¡¯ Sylvie voiced in my head.


    ¡®I¡¯m... not sure, Sylv. Don¡¯t worry, though. We¡¯ll be okay,¡¯ I rea.s.sured. Even without her replying back, I could sense the emotions she was feeling: uncertainty, fear, confusion.


    It was impossible to tell exactly how far we had travelled South, as all I could see below us was the Grand Mountains that divided the Continent of Dicathen in half.


    ¡°We should stop here for the night.¡± The femalence descended into the mountains as Lance Olfred and the stone knight carrying me followed shortly after.


    Wended in a small clearing on the edge of the Grand Mountains facing the Beast des. I was still chained together so I sat leaning against a tree, watching Olfred erect a campsite out of the earth.


    ¡°Hold still, Arthur Leywin.¡± Without waiting for me to respond, the femalence mped an artifact over my sternum. Instantly, I felt mana drain out of my core as the device sunk deeper into my skin.


    ¡°Ugh. My magic won¡¯t help me escape from you guys, so why the sudden precaution?¡± I asked through gritted teeth. The sensation of your mana being forcibly contained wasn¡¯t a pleasant feeling.


    ¡°There are other ways you can make trouble,¡± she replied tersely before taking the sleeping Sylvie and retreated into one of the stone huts that Olfred had conjured.


    ¡°How could I even...¡± I muttered under my breath, annoyed.


    ¡°It¡¯s because we¡¯re so close to the Beast des.¡± I turned my head towards Olfred, who took a seat on the ground next to me as he let out a sigh.


    ¡°You guys are the Lances, though. Are you saying that there are mana beasts that even you guys aren¡¯t capable of beating?¡± I asked, a little taken aback by his approach.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t met one so far, but the Beast des hold many mysteries that even the Lances have to be wary of, especially at night, when the more powerful beasts roam. Despite our powers, boy, we¡¯re still humans, so we can still die. With all of the strange eventsing happening these days, one can never be too careful.¡± There was a brief silence that was only apanied by the low howling winds.


    ¡°What am I doing, telling all of this to a little kid,¡± he sighed.


    I just shook my head. ¡°Probably because you¡¯ve been stuck with miserablepany for the past few days.¡±


    I was surprised when the oldnce erupted into a fit ofughter. ¡°You¡¯re right about that, boy. Let me tell you, spending time with Varay and Barion together is more stress-inducing than any SS-.s.s mana beast I¡¯ve ever fought.¡±


    Varay. So that was the femalence¡¯s name.


    ¡°Let me ask you this, boy. I¡¯m curious as to how you became such a capable mage at your young age.¡±


    ¡°How do you know I¡¯m capable? You¡¯ve never seen me fight,¡± I challenged.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard Bairon tell me about his younger brother, the one you killed. I¡¯d also gathered stories from the students while helping some of them just now too,¡± he answered, a curious look depicted on his aged face as he studied me.


    We spent a bit more time talking to each other, but, while Olfred seemed amiable, he was also very guarded. I wasn¡¯t able to pry out any sort of information from him except those that I could find out on my own. He conversed professionally without revealing anything crucial, as did I. In spite of our little dance of social intricacy in the form of polite conversation, there was a subtle tension between us as he weaved my questions into jokes. We tiptoed around each other with our light words as we tried to, at least, procure hints to satisfy our curiosity. After an hour of fruitless effort on both sides, Olfred suggested I get some sleep.


    As expected of the Lances; while Olfred wasn¡¯t as outright distant as the others, he was, in a way, more mysterious.


    Olfred hadn¡¯t been so kind as to make me a stone hut as he did for himself and Varay. Without a shelter and the protection of mana, the sharp winds sent chills throughout my body, making myself as small as possible as Iy curled against the tree.


    I must¡¯ve fallen asleep at some point because I was rudely awakened as a stone knight picked me up like a sack of rice.


    ¡°Hi, best friend,¡± I patted the conjured golem indifferently as I was whisked away back into the air.


    ¡®Sylv, how are you holding up?¡¯ I asked my bond.


    ¡®I¡¯m okay, Papa. It feels a little stuffy in here though, but it¡¯sfortable,¡¯ Sylv replied.


    Her emotions were linked with mine so I was careful in making sure not to leak any of the worry that I was feeling to her by ident. I wasn¡¯t so much worried about what the Council would do to me; it was my Asura bond that I was worried about.


    As we flew over the Beast des, I realized just how big our continent was. The diverse terrain of the mana beasts never ended. We pa.s.sed through deserts, gra.s.nds, snow-capped mountains and rocky canyons. It wasn¡¯t once or twice that I spotted a mana beastrge enough to be seen clearly from where we were flying.


    Olfred and Varay constantly released a surge of killing intent, warding off all of the mana beasts within our vicinity. Still, there were more than a few times where we took a detour while the twonces withdrew their auras.


    I couldn¡¯t help but think that Varay had put the mana restriction artifact on me so that I don¡¯t purposely attract the attention of dangerous and territorial mana beasts. I had tomend her, as that was something I would probably do to get away. I was curious, though, whether I had the ability to survive this deep in the Beast des or not.


    My internal debate didn¡¯tst long as Varay suddenly stopped. She took out themunication scroll that she had used to read the Council¡¯s sentencing before carefully looking around.


    ¡°We are here,¡± she said.


    I looked around in the sky but it was tantly obvious that the only thing around us were the birds dumb enough to venture close to flying humans.


    Just as I was about to speak my mind, Varay held up her hand as if she was searching for something in the air. With a soft click, the sky split apart to reveal a metal staircase.


    Olfred let out a smirk upon seeing my gaping mouth.


    ¡°Wee to the Council¡¯s floating castle.¡±

 Chapter 99

    Chapter 99


    My eyes stayed fixed on the iron staircase aged with dents and rust, until the roar of mana beasts below shook me from my daze.


    ¡°Looks like some of the more keen mana beasts have sensed the castle. We should hurry if we don¡¯t want any unnecessary trouble,¡± Olfred voiced out to no one in particr.


    Peering down from the sky, we could faintly make out the subtle movements of a few huge mana beasts that were shrouded in the dense cl.u.s.ter of trees.


    ¡°Mm,¡± replied Varay, neither agreeing nor disagreeing but simply epting his point.


    The stone knight, that had me slung over its shoulder, gently lowered me onto the base of the flight of stairs before crumbling into sand and reconstructing itself into a cape as it fastened itself around Olfred¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°We dwarves always carry a bit of dirt with us wherever we go,¡± Olfred winked at me upon noticing my surprised expression.


    The door closed behind us, and while I thought we would be surrounded by darkness, a moss-like substance covering the walls began glowing with a soft, blue light.


    Varay dissipated the ice cuffs that shackled my legs together so I could walk on my own and took the lead while Olfred followed closely behind us. We must¡¯ve trudged on for at least an hour up the seemingly endless flight of stairs when I voiced out my frustration.


    ¡°Is there no faster way to go up than climbing this absurd amount of stairs?¡± I sighed. My body might be stronger than most humans even without my mana core due to the a.s.simtion process I had gone through, but I was still growing impatient at the wasted time.


    ¡°Magic cannot be used at all of the entrances,¡± Varay answered immediately, a hint of impatience in her already cold voice.


    I let out another deep breath and trudged along silently. Stealing a nce at my bond, as expected, Sylvie was sleeping a lot more than usual due to her recent transformation to her draconic form. Windsom had exined to me about the different forms that Asuras could utilize depending on the situation, but I never knew how much of a toll it took on Sylvie to release her draconic form. It couldn¡¯t be helped, however, since Sylvie was basically a newborn in the eyes of deities who could live for what I can only imagine to be thousands of years, if not more.


    Lost in my thoughts, I hadn¡¯t realized that Varay had stopped.


    ¡°Oof,¡± I let out a surprised grunt as I b.u.mped into her. The femalence was just a tad taller than me but I was a step below her so my face had only hit her back. However, my arms were cuffed in front of me and they had hit somece a bit more... intimate.


    I hadn¡¯t thought much of it, but to my surprise, Varay reacted in a way I would not have expected. She let out a rather effeminate little squeal as she jumped forward. Whipping around to face me, I could see her face sh in embarra.s.sment and surprise before immediately contorting into a fearsome re that could drench someone in cold sweat.


    Collecting herself, she turned back around and ced her hand at the end of the stairwell before muttering softly, ¡°We are here.¡±


    Gazing behind me, Olfred just gave an amused smirk before shrugging his shoulders and nudging me forward.


    A ring light seeped through the crevice of the wall that had split apart. As my eyes adjusted, I could finally make out what was ahead. A brightly lit corridor with an arched ceiling stretched from where we were, walls covered with mysterious designs carved onto every visible facet and corner. The engraved runes made the corridor seem more like a memorial etched with names of the deceased than a luxurious decoration; each engraving and design seemed to hold a purpose and meaning. There were simple chandeliers hung from the ceiling every few meters apart, but while the hall was brightly lit, The white light gave off a cold, emotionless feel, reminding me of the hospitals back in my old world.


    ¡°Now that we¡¯re inside the actual castle itself, it is best not to converse with us or any of thences,¡± he whispered with an unusual chill to his voice as we entered through the rather crudely-made door


    We walked in silence, with only the echoes of our footsteps filling the hall. On either side were doors that didn¡¯t match the metallic corridor; there were doors of different colors and material, all quite distinct from one another. The corridor didn¡¯t seem to have an end, but luckily, Varay stopped us at a seemingly random door to our left along the way. She knocked on the door without pause until it swung inward, revealing an armored bear of a man.


    I took a closer look at him.


    ¡°My Lords,¡± the guard immediately knelt down with his head bowed.


    ¡°Rise,¡± Varay replied cooly. The guard stood back up, but did not make eye contact with either of the twonces. Instead, his gaze was fixed on me as he regarded me both curiously and cautiously.


    ¡°Tell the Council of our arrival.¡± Olfred waved the guard away impatiently. The armored man took another quick bow and disappeared behind a hidden ck door that looked to be a part of the wall.


    After a few minutes, the guard came back out and fully opened the door for us, allowing us in. ¡°Lance Zero and Lance Balrog have been given permission to meet the Council, along with the prisoner named Arthur Leywin.¡±


    I looked at Olfred, raising a brow. As he walked past me, he muttered, ¡°Bah. Code names,¡± as if embarra.s.sed.


    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a wry smile before trailing behind the twonces. Whatever awaited ahead would most likely determine my future, but all I could think of was what the code names for all the othernces were.


    As I pa.s.sed the guard and stepped through the hidden door, I could immediately sense the change in the atmosphere. We were in arge circr room with a high-rise ceiling that seemed to be made entirely of .s.s. The room was simply decorated, with only a long, rectangr table at the very back. Six chairs, each seated with one of the members of the Council, were facing the three of us as they looked at me, every one of them with different expressions.


    ¡°¡°Your Majesties.¡±¡± Olfred and Varay both bowed towards the Council as the former kings and queens rose from their seats. Not knowing what exactly the custom dictated in situations like this, I followed after the twonces and bowed as well.


    ¡°Ignorant! Do you think of yourself on the same level as the Lances? You should take a knee at the very least as a sign of respect,¡± a husky voice boomed. I looked up to see that it was the former dwarf king, Dawsid Greysunders.


    He sported a bushy brown beard that spilled from his chin and covered is upper torso. He had a barrel of a chest covered by an endorned leather armor that seemed like it was restraining his muscles rather than protecting them. However, looking at his soft, uncalloused hand twiddling the gold wine flute, I had second thoughts as to whether those muscles were ever put to use, or if they was simply just for show.


    I had a hard time controlling my face as it contorted into a look of annoyance, but before I could rebut back, I caught sight of Alduin Eralith, Tessia¡¯s father and the former elf king. He gave me a quick shake of the head, with a worried expression on his face.


    Clenching my jaw, I relented. ¡°My apologizes, Your Majesties. I am but a boy from the countryside, uneducated in the ways of proper manners,¡± I said through gritted teeth, taking a knee.


    ¡°Hmph.¡± He plopped back down on his seat, crossing his arms. Even as he sunk back into his chair, it was impossible to ignore the st.u.r.dy frame that the former dwarf king had. The veins on his arms stretched with every little movement. Paired with a great bristling beard and dark, heavy eyes, Even as a dwarf, he looked muchrger than he really was.


    ¡°Now, now. I¡¯m sure the journey had been long and everyone¡¯s eager to get started. Varay, uncuff Arthur.¡± Curtis¡¯ father, ine yder was the one that had just spoken. The femalence dissipated the frozen cuffs that bound my wrists but let the slumbering Sylvie inside the frozen orb, as I surveyed the rulers of this continent. It had been years since Ist saw ine and Prisci yder, but besides the few extra wrinkles, little had changed about them. I noticed that the former queen did look a bit fatigued, but her expression did not give that away at all.


    It was the first time seeing the former dwarf queen but she was just as I had expected¡ªmanly. She had a defined, square jaw with sharp eyes and dark hair pulled straight back into a ponytail. Her broad shoulders strained the fabric of her simple, brown blouse as she stayed seated upright on her chair.


    Alduin and Merial Eralith, however, seemed to have aged the most. While it had merely been days since I hadst seen them, I wasn¡¯t surprised, since their only daughter had been the center of Draneeve¡¯s act of terrorism.


    The twonces that had escorted me here took a few steps back from me as I looked up at the Council.


    Alduin Eralith spoke up with in a gentle tone, his expressioning off as almost guilty for bringing me here. ¡°Arthur Leywin. Before we begin, I would like to thank you, not as a leader but as a father for saving my daughter¡ª¡±


    ¡°And need I remind you that we are here as leaders of this d.a.m.ned continent, not fathers?¡± Dawsid interjected, pounding his fists on the table. ¡°This boy mutted one of his fellow schoolmates before killing him. Shall I read the description one of the scouts so kindly sent to us?¡±


    Prisci shook her head, trying to quell the situation.


    ¡°Dawsid, I hardly think it¡¯s necessary¡ª¡±


    ¡°Both legs, crushed into mush past the mid-thigh. Left arm, dismember and cauterized past the elbow. Right arm, frozen and crushed. Genitals...¡± As the former dwarf king continued to read off of the scroll, even he seemed to have a hard time saying what wasing up next. ¡°Genitals, along with the pelvic bone, crushed and¡ª¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s enough, Dawsid,¡± Alduin warned.


    ¡°It seems I¡¯ve made my point. Yes, it¡¯s all convenient and everything that this boy happened to save the entire school, but it did not justify the torment he put his schoolmate through. To me, I can only see this as him using this whole fiasco as an excuse to get revenge on someone who he¡¯s clearly had enmity with since the past,¡± Dawsid said coldly.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be saying that this boy¡¯s main motive for delving blindly into such a dangerous scene was just to seek revenge. And even if he did, what of it. You can¡¯t prove to anyone here what Arthur¡¯s motives were. He did what we couldn¡¯t do in times of need and that was potentially save every student inside Xyrus,¡± Alduin barked back, his face turning more and more red.


    ¡°Yes, and that is why I¡¯m not suggesting we kill the boy. We just need to merely cripple him as a mage.¡± It was the former dwarf queen that spoke this time. The cold indifference in her voice seemed to even make her husband falter for a moment.


    ¡°What my wife, udera said, is exactly my thoughts as well. This boy is too dangerous if left alone. Imagine if he and his pet dragon decides to make enemies out of us...¡±


    My ears perked up at the mention of Sylvie.


    ¡°My G.o.d, do you hear yourself? You sound like a paranoid criminal. ine, Prisci, what do you have to add to all of this?¡± Tessia¡¯s mother, asked, shaking her head, disconcerted.


    ¡°Merial, my husband and I both agree with you on this, speaking as a parent,¡± Prisci said evenly, her distant gaze switching back and forth from Sylvie and I. ¡°But, it is best to consider the Greysunders¡¯ view as well. What they say, they say with the entirety of the continent at stake.¡±


    ¡°So what, we cripple the boy and kill the dragon, all for the off chance that the boy might harbor ill feelings toward us and decide to get revenge?¡± Alduin nearly yelled as he stood up, facing the other leaders.


    ¡°Alduin, know your ce! Don¡¯t think you are on the same level as us just because you sit here. May I remind you of your inability to even take care of your ownnces?¡± Dawsid growled menacingly as he pointed usingly at the former elf king, ¡°This continent is potentially at the brink of war and you were careless enough to lose one of our biggest trump cards!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesties. Was I brought here to simply hear my judgment or am I allowed to¡ª¡±


    ¡°You will not speak until you are instructed to!¡± Dawsid roared, cutting me off. ¡°I refuse to any ims this boy is trying to make. He could say that the G.o.d of Iron himself spoke to him and ordered him to do all of this but it does not change what he had done and what he will be able to do if left alone. The scouts are still in the middle of gathering ounts from the witnesses.¡±


    ¡°I see no point in me being here if I am not even allowed to speak and give my ount on what happened and why it happened the way it did,¡± I did my best to control the volume and tone of my voice, but I could tell it wasing out a lot sharper than I had wanted it to.


    ¡°You¡¯re right! There is no need for this prisoner to be here. Olfred, lock him up in one of the lower cells and keep him there until further orders. Also, lock his pet in a vault.¡± udera Greysunders responded for her husband, waving her hand toward us.


    ¡°Dawsid, udera, the Council is not for you to run and order as you see fit. Aya!¡± Alduin growled. Behind him, a figure masked in the shadows kneeled, awaiting amand.


    ¡°Stand down, elf! Remember that you only have onence at your disposal.¡± There was heavy tension as the elf king and dwarf king locked eyes.


    Alduin was the one to concede as he reluctantly sat back in his chair. For a brief moment as I was picked up by Olfred¡¯s stone knight, our gazes met. I could see the unrelenting determination in his gaze as he gave me a firm nod. I bit my tongue and chose to stay silent.


    It was obvious that the former dwarf king and queen were all for crippling me, while the yder¡¯s remained neutral since much is still unknown. I was going to have to rely on Alduin and Merial if Sylvie and I were going to get home unscathed.


    As the stone knight carried me through a different door and down a flight of stairs, I tried to talk to Olfred with little results.


    Taking a look around, it seemed like your typical castle dungeon where prisoners of war and traitors were held. I was in just one of the many cells, but much of the area was covered by shadows that the light of the few burning torches couldn¡¯t reach.


    ¡°This will be your cell, Arthur. Your bond will be ced elsewhere.¡± The summoned knight carrying me suddenly crumbled into dust upon reaching my dungeon chamber. Inded rather unimpressively on my knees and elbows as Olfred shut the metal cage.


    ¡°Ouch, he could¡¯ve warned me,¡± I muttered aloud, brushing the dust off of my knees.


    ¡°That voice. A-Arthur? Arthur Leywin?¡±


    My head bolted up at the sound of the feeble, yet familiar sound.


    ¡°Director Goodsky?¡±

 Chapter 100

    Chapter 100


    ¡°Director Goodsky?¡± I sputtered incredulously.


    ¡°Y-yes. Although, ¡®director¡¯ doesn¡¯t seem to be appropriate anymore seeing as how I was stripped of that t.i.tle. Who would¡¯ve imagined I¡¯d meet you in here, Arthur,¡± she replied weakly, and by the audible pant in her speech, it seemed as if she had suffered considerably.


    ¡°Stripped of your t.i.tle? I don¡¯t understand. What is going on here? Why are you here, Director?¡± I leaned against the metal bars of my cage in hopes to hear her more clearly. From the source of her voice, I deduced that her cell was diagonally opposite my own, but because of the way the torchlights were set up, most of the cells were still in darkness.


    ¡°We will get to thatter. Arthur, how did you end up being locked up? With your ability, I a.s.sumed you would be able to fend well enough for yourself or at least escape if necessary.¡± There was a hint of despair in Cynthia¡¯s voice as she asked me.


    ¡°Tessia was held captive by Lucas and I had to use most of my mana to fight him. When two of thences appeared, I didn¡¯t have enough strength to escape,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°I...I apologize, I don¡¯t quite follow. The half-elf boy, Lucas?¡±


    It was obvious that Director Goodsky wasn¡¯t aware at all of the recent happenings at her own academy, which I found unsurprising since she would¡¯ve surely been there to help if she had known. I filled her in as detailed as I could in the quiet of the dungeon, only being able to a.s.sume that her silence was indication that she was fervently listening.


    It was hard to tell whether the other cells had prisoners inside as well, but the information I was revealing wasn¡¯t exactly confidential so I caught Goodsky up until the events of what had just happened with the Council.


    ¡°Can you describe for me how exactly the boy, Lucas, seemed to you when you fought against him?¡± Goodsky asked.


    ¡°Apart from the ma.s.sive increase in his mana maniption capabilities, I noticed that his physical appearance was different as well. Let¡¯s see, he had this sickly, gray skin tone as well as dark lines, which I a.s.sumed to be his veins, running down his face, neck and arms. His hair color had changed too; it wasn¡¯t blond like I remembered it to be, but it was more of a dusty ck and white color. The Wykes family had always been known to have a keen fondness of elixirs, no matter what the side effects may have been¡ª¡±


    ¡°No elixir on this continent has the capabilities to enhance the user¡¯s mana core that drastically Arthur. And, you weren¡¯t able to catch a glimpse of what the leader of this whole disaster looked like?¡± Director Goodsky interrupted, her voice edged with frustration.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t arrive in time to see him. Why?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to confirm some things, but I think I already have a basic understanding of the whole situation. I knew it was bound to happen, but not this soon. They¡¯re moving forward with the n much too quickly.¡± I could hear the director¡¯s footsteps echoing as she paced insider her cell.


    ¡°What do you mean you knew it was bound to happen? Who are ¡®they¡¯? Director Goodsky, I¡¯m beginning to have a nagging suspicion that I truly hope I could denounce as simply myck of judgement...¡±


    There was a brief pause from both of us where only the flickering snaps of the torches¡¯ mes broke the still silence of the dungeon.


    ¡°I cannot say, Arthur. I am bound by forces beyond anything either one of us can hope to go against. I am truly sorry.¡±


    ¡°A binding? Huh, I see. How convenient. And is there a way to remove this binding?¡± I asked in response, sounding more sardonic than I had meant to.


    ¡°I have searched for decades on this matter, and all were futile,¡± Director Goodsky let out a deep breath, ignoring my tone.


    ¡°Then the reason you are locked up here is because...¡±


    ¡°From what you have told me and based on what I already know, it seems I have been made a scapegoat that the Council wishes to utilize as a convenient excuse for all that has happened recently.¡±


    ¡°Why would the Council need a scapegoat?¡±


    ¡°I cannot say the reason for this as well,¡± she replied. There was clear frustration in her tone, but not directed at me, but rather at herself. ¡°Arthur, it is painful for me to continue talking about this. Even the very thought of mentioning what I know to someone activates the curse. We should both get some rest; heaven knows we¡¯ll be needing it.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I stepped away from the metal gate and leaned my back against the rigid, stone wall of my cell. Even without the artifact binding my mana core, I was still unable to use any sort of magic here.


    With nothing else to do, my mind began racing with different thoughts.


    We were inside of a floating castle located above one of the deepest ends of the Beast des. a.s.suming that I could escape with Sylvie and Director Goodsky, would we even be able to make it out of the Beast des alive? Sylvie was out of the question since her recent transformation had left her in a state only slightly better than a hibernating bear. Goodsky was a silver core wind mage, which might be enough for us to fly back.


    I backtracked my n after realizing the three of us would still probably get wiped out. On our way here, the twonces had to constantly release a strong killing intent to ward off any beast. Even then, they were cautious enough to hide all of our presences at times. It would be near suicidal to think we can simply fly over the entire Beast des.


    After what seemed like hours of deliberation, I could only click my tongue in frustration and roll over on the cold floor to try and get some sleep. It was impossible after all. It was bing harder and harder to push down the sensation of hopelessness creeping up the more I continued to n for our escape.


    BLAINE GLAYDER¡¯S POV:


    ¡°What the h.e.l.l was that, yder? I thought we had an agreement?¡± the former dwarf king barked out after mming the door of my study.


    ¡°Yes. I am well aware what the agreement is. Rest a.s.sured, you will have my, and my wife¡¯s, vote, Dawsid. However, even you cannot make me spout out such irrational usations at the boy who had just saved the entire future generation of this continent, including my children,¡± I responded icily, pouring myself a .s.s of aged liquor.


    ¡°And, I¡¯m saying that there will be no future generation if you do not side with me! Arthur and his bond has to go. That was the agreement. They have to be brought back to Him if we¡¯re going to even have a future in this continent.¡±


    ¡°I know what the stakes are, Dawsid. I do not need you badgering me every moment you feel insecure. What you and I are doing is betraying the entire poption, you realize that, yes?¡± I hissed, staring at the dwarf who wasn¡¯t much taller than I was even when I was seated.


    ¡°It¡¯s not considered betraying if this continent was already bound for annihtion. ine, you and I both know what is going to happen to Dicathen, regardless of whether we try to save it or not. We have to look beyond that and try to salvage what¡¯s important to us,¡± he consoled, his hands gestured in a cating manner.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you tell yourself to sleep at night, go ahead. What we¡¯re doing is abandoning our people so that we can save our own a.s.ses,¡± I scoffed, shaking my head.


    ¡°That is what I tell myself! What He promised isn¡¯t a bad deal! Your family will all live and serve Him just like my family will.¡±


    ¡°And what of our people, Dawsid? What will He do with the citizens of Dicathen? If even the Kingdom of Sapin and Darv aren¡¯t safe after we promised allegiance to Him, what will happen to the Kingdom of Elenoir?¡±


    ¡°Bah! The elves have always been too old-fashioned and righteous for their own good. That old geezer, Virion, would never allow Alduin to side with Him. It¡¯s a shame too, but, unlike us, the elves won¡¯t realize what being a leader truly means. Just imagine, ine, the technology, the riches that He and his people will bring to Dicathen! Immortality, unrivaled martial strength, and infinite wealth will no longer be just a fantasy for us, but be only a matter of time!¡±


    ¡°Mind your words. I am following Him because of my family. Do not lump me together with the likes of you, who is abandoning your own race for the sake of personal gain. Im sure you can imagine what He will most likely do once he arrives. What will be of the rest of the three races? Most likely either a genocide of some form, or if he¡¯s smart, he¡¯ll make them all his ves.¡±


    The former dwarf king was rendered speechless by my response; his mouth moved as if he was trying to refute my argument, but no audible words came out.


    ¡°Nevertheless, my wife¡¯s love for our children seems to heavily outweigh that of the entire human kingdom, and my duty to preserve the yder blood will always triumph, so rest a.s.sured, we will side with you. Hopefully, my ancestors will forgive my actions as this will be the only way to save the yder line,¡± I sighed in defeat.


    Dawsid lifted his hand up, about to pat my shoulder when I gave him a sharp look. Feigning a dry cough, he excused himself, leaving me to my own dark thoughts in the silence of my study. Staring nkly at the extravagantly decorated room, furnished with rare wood carved by master carpenters, embellished with rare gems and metals worth more than a small town, a sense of dread and guilt began surfacing in my stomach.


    These luxuries meant nothing to me. All my life, what I wanted was to be the strongest mage to make my father and my ancestors proud. Yet, it was tantly obvious that my talent as a mage was subparpared to even countryside peasants. Only through spending an enormous amount of resources on mana strengthening elixirs and aids was I able to barely break into the red stage. Even towards my own wife and children, I caught myself harboring feelings of scathing envy.


    I had always been ashamed by this but there was little else I could do. Even having control over the twonces did not help my feelings of inferiority, instead, it was a daily reminder for me that in order to properly rule over my own people,I needed to be guarded at all times because I wasn¡¯t strong enough to fend for myself.


    Was I truly making this decision for the safety of my family and myself, or, like Dawsid, hungered and yearned for power iparable to other mages? Being at the pinnacle of where my people would fear and respect me solely because of my strength, and not due to the protection thences I had in my control; was that what I truly wanted?


    After an hour of contemting, I realized in my inebriated state that no amount of alcohol could wash this miserable feeling away. I stumbled over my own feet and toppled onto the ground. Losing my grip on the .s.s I was holding onto as I fell, it shattered on the floor ahead of me; the shards embedded themselves into the arm I used to break my fall with. I could only curse in frustration at my own inability. How pathetic was I, stumbling and being cut by mere .s.s. Had I been born more talented, more powerful...


    I picked myself up, ignoring the bloodstains on the ground, leaving the shards of .s.s in my bleeding arm while staggering to my bedroom. I could smell the stench of liquor in my breath as I let out a deep breath.


    Memories of when I had first met the boy shed in my mind as I trudged towards the door that now seemed so far away. Even before my children started speaking of Arthur from school, he had left a deep impression, enough for me to see him as a figure of great importance in the future. Perhaps the only thing greater than his strengths as a mage was his poor luck in being involved in this conspiracy.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, boy...¡± I mumbled under my breath. ¡°I would like to believe that it is for the good of this continent that you be a sacrifice.¡± Even as I said this, the words sounded empty to my ears. I had hoped saying it aloud would provide some sort of self-a.s.surance, but what I felt for Arthur wasn¡¯t grief or sympathy.


    Stronger than the feelings of a king sacrificing for the greater good...


    Even stronger than the weight of a yder trying to keep his bloodline alive...


    I felt this soothing sensation of my dark envy being resolved with the death of this boy. I loathed myself for this, but what of it? I am ine yder, fourth of his name, yet my talents as a mage don¡¯t even amount to a single droppared to the ocean that is Arthur Leywin. Why should that boy of no origins carry a power that is better fit for me?


    I unlocked the door and wobbled unsteadily, denying the maids rushing to help me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, boy,¡± I mumbled again. ¡°It is for the greater good...¡±


    ¡°For my greater good.¡±

 Chapter 101

    Chapter 101


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    The silhouette of an enormous castle shrouded in darkness continued growingrger but whether I was approaching the castle or the castle was moving towards me, I had no idea. As the silhouette grew closer, I was gradually able to make out the details of the castle: the fluttering house g resting on the top of the highest tower, the splendid fountain carved with intricate features, the high gates with sharp spikes and barbed wire.


    Little by little, the shadows covering the castle receded, exposing more of the castle¡¯s exterior. I could see the image of a ming phoenix on the house g and crows gathering atop the gate. However, a horrendous feeling began creeping up my back, the closer I drew. I arrived below the towering gates and locked eyes with a particrly grotesque crow. It regarded me for a few seconds but then let out a caw and resumed its feast.


    What was it eating?


    I couldn¡¯t see from the bottom of the gate, but for some reason, I felt a need to know what the ravens were eating.


    This unrelenting urge to find out...


    I began climbing up the gate, ignoring the spikes from the barbed wire digging into my hands. The higher I climbed, the more crows gathered atop the gate, joining in on the festivities. At some point, I became shrouded in crow feathers so much that I could only see ck. I roared out for them to disappear, but no sound came out. Despite the inaudible shriek, the flock dispersed, revealing what they had been so eagerly consuming.


    It was the decapitated heads of Tessia and my family impaled on ck spikes. There were chunks of flesh missing from their face. Without their eyelids, their milky eyes seemed to stare distantly as their lip-less mouth hung open.


    As I reached for them, to remove them from the spikes their heads were skewered on, all of their gaze suddenly focused on me and they screamed at me, revealing the insects that had burrowed themselves inside of their mouths.


    ¡°ALL YOUR FAULT!¡± The sudden volume of their voices made me lose my grip on the gate and I was sent falling down as their lifeless eyes continued to stare at me.


    I bolted up from the stone ground I had been lying on. Cold sweat had already drenched my clothes as I sat there heaving for breath.


    It was just a dream.......


    I stared down at my hands to find out that they were trembling. As I tried to control my breathing, an unfamiliar voice startled me to my feet.


    I whipped my body towards the sound, only to be staring at a darkened figure in the corner of my cell.


    As she stepped out towards me, I was able to see who she was.


    ¡°Hi, there,¡± the woman said coaxingly, except her mouth wasn¡¯t moving. Her voice had a soothing timbre that tickled my ear.


    It dawned on me that the woman who had just spoken was Alduin¡¯s remainingnce. I had caught a glimpse of her earlier today, except, just like before, she was covered in a cloak that hid her appearance.


    What surprised me more was the fact that despite how close she was to me, I wasn¡¯t able to sense her presence at all. It reminded me of when Virion released his second stage of his beast form, except, it seemed as natural as breathing for her.


    ¡°Do not talk. I bring you a message from King Eralith,¡± she whispered from underneath her cloak, leaning close to me as she handed me a piece of paper.


    I read through it as soon as the letter was in my hand.


    Dear Arthur,


    While exnations and apologies for the recent events concerning the disaster at Xyrus Academy are in order, I fear the scale of this incident is much deeper and more sinister than what it appears to be on the surface.


    You do not have much time. Come a few hours, the Council will deem you and Cynthia Goodsky as the perpetrators of the act of terrorism that had befallen on Xyrus. Director Goodsky will be sentenced to public execution, but you and your bond will only be imprisoned. I¡¯m sorry I could not help you much in this matter; my voice simply cannot win against the unified front of the dwarves and humans.


    What I¡¯m about to tell you next is something that was not meant for my ears. I have yet to find all of the missing pieces, but what I did hear between King yder and Dawsid, was that they are nning on delivering you to someone. I do not know who, but it seems to be the only reason why they¡¯re keeping you alive and intact. I have already sent my father, along with a few escorts, to take your family to a hidden location where they¡¯ll be safe from those who wish to do your family harm or use them against you. Think of it as a smallpensation for all that you¡¯ve done for Tessia. I hope this, at least, gives you some ease of heart. Even if mynce can free you from your cell, once you step outside, all of the othernces will be notified. My apologies as this is all I can do for you for now. Stay strong and be firm.


    Alduin Eralith


    As soon as I folded the letter, it crumbled into ashes between my fingers. Looking back up, the femalence named Aya, that I had expected to see, was no longer there, disappearing as quietly as she had appeared.


    I had to admit that there was a heavy burden that had been lifted from my chest. The safety of my family had been a concern for me the entire time. Due to the information pa.s.sed on from Windsom, the Council¡¯s behaviour since our first meeting made me question the possibility of the Vritra ying a part in all of this. However, now that the Council had decided on the public execution of Director Goodsky, I was almost certain that the Vritra were involved.


    I had originally suspected the Wykes house being involved by somehow tilting the odds against my favor for killing Lucas; they were a family of high wealth and influence after all. But the Wykes family has no reason for involving the Director of Xyrus Academy. Even if Goodsky wasn¡¯t from an influential family, her name alone bears weight all over the continent. The Wykes family alone wouldn¡¯t be able to influence the Council enough to make them do something so rash like condemning her to public execution. Even if pushing the me on Goodsky would ease some of the burden the Council would face from the public, her death wouldn¡¯t be worth it...


    Unless there was a third party involved calling the shots, either bribing or forcing the Council.


    Letting out another deep breath as I sat down, thoughts of how I had refused to grow attached to anyone in my past life because I didn¡¯t want any weaknesses came to mind. Shaking my head to try and disperse the thoughts, I leaned my back against the cold wall, thinking anding up with a n.


    _____________________________________________


    ¡°Get up!¡± a sharp baritone voice snapped.


    My eyes fluttered open at the abrupt bellow and nging of the metal gate.


    Rolling to my stomach, I push myself up, stretching the aching bones in my body from sleeping on the hard, stone ground.


    I expected to see Olfred since he was the one that had brought me to the cell, but instead, I had the unfortunate pleasure of waking up to Bairon¡¯s happy face; and by happy, I meant a scowl of impatienceced with a hatred for my very existence basically written on his face. I don¡¯t me him, since I had been the one to kill his younger brother, but I sensed, for some reason, that his death wasn¡¯t the only reason for his tant animosity.


    ¡°The Council is waiting,¡± Bairon spoke sharply, opening the gate. Thence grabbed my arm roughly and half dragged me out of my cell after binding my arms and attaching the sealing artifact back on my chest.


    ¡°Good morning to you as well. I see you¡¯re not much of a morning person,¡± I chuckled, trying to keep myself from falling as he continued jerking my arm.


    Thence said nothing in response, though his cold re spoke volumes. As we made our way towards the exit, I noticed that the cell Director Goodsky had been held in was open.


    We arrived in front of a different room from yesterday; therge double doors that towered high enough to admit giants were closed shut, with m.u.f.fled soundsing from the other side.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how much I¡¯m looking forward to the trial,¡± Bairon said, his jaws tensing, while his grip on my arm became even tighter.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be sure to treat your family with the same sentiments you showed mine.¡± Thence turned to me, his lips curling upwards in a smirk, just enough to reveal his sharp canine.


    Had I not received the letter earlierst night, I might¡¯ve actually been worried, but knowing they were safely hidden and that for now the Council needed me alive and intact, his empty threats didn¡¯t mean much.


    ¡°Are you honestly trying to pick a fight with a thirteen-year-old?¡± I shook my head, using my best expression of disappointment.


    A sharp tug lifted me from the ground and suddenly, I was face to face with Bairon. ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand what¡¯s about to happen to you right now. You¡¯re going to either end up dead or wishing you had died while your pet is going to be a prized pet for one of the kings. You think this only affects you? I¡¯ll make sure your family and anyone you even remotely cared about faces a miserable death.¡± he spat out as my legs dangled above the ground.


    ¡°Yes yes, the great Lance Bairon is going to take vengeance for his lunatic younger brother, who chose to go to the dark side and kill innocent students, by tormenting the teenager who put him out of his misery and killing his family too. All hail Lance Bairon!¡± I tried acting surprised, but I suspected my monotonous voice gave it away


    I could see his right hand ball up into a fist, but he just clicked his tongue in disgust, tossing me back onto the floor with enough force to send me rolling towards the tall double doors. Dusting myself off as best as I could with my arms tied in front of me, I remained seated, leaning my head back on the doors as I gave Bairon a wink.


    Either Bairon didn¡¯t see or he chose to ignore me, but as I was about to say something, I heard faint soundsing from the other side of the doors. After a.s.simting with Sylvia¡¯s dragon will, my entire body had been strengthened, including my senses and reflexes. It wasn¡¯t to the point where I would be able tost a few minutes against ance without magic, but my hearing was strong enough to vaguely make out some familiar voices inside the protected room.


    ¡°...perpetrator of...¡±


    ¡°...refusal to answer...¡±


    It seemed like the Council was about done with the sentencing for who I could safely a.s.sume to be Director Goodsky.


    ¡°... sentenced to public execution.¡±


    Thest statement rang particrly loud from Dawsid¡¯s booming voice.


    After a moment of silence, the tall doors I was leaning against suddenly swung inward without a creak, causing me to tip backwards. Looking up from the floor, I spotted the same guard, who had admitted Varay, Olfred and I during the first Council meeting, regarding us without any emotion.


    ¡°The Council is ready,¡± the guard said, shifting his gaze from me to Bairon.


    Picking myself up, I was able to lock eyes with the former director of Xyrus Academy as she was escorted back out by two guards.


    Her gaze was firm but her jaws were tensed in suppressed anger as she pa.s.sed me by.


    Keeping my expression deadpan and unreadable as I trudged towards the Council, I studied each of their faces.


    Sitting down on the single chair, wordlessly, I waited for them to start. Bairon appeared behind ine yder and as the double doors shut with a loud thud, the room was filled with an eerie silence. The Dwarf King was the first to speak, his eyes glued to the stack of papers he had begun shuffling through.


    ¡°Boy, let it be known that the Council is merciful. Even though your heinous actions against a fellow schoolmate would normally result in at least the incapacitation of your mana core, we agreed that since your actions were for the sake of the greater good, your sentencing will instead be as followed: Arthur Leywin is to be stripped of his previous t.i.tle as a mage all and the benefits thate with. He is also to be imprisoned until further notice.¡± Dawsid spoke in a grandiose manner, as if he actually thought of himself as benevolent.


    There was a brief silence; I suspected the Dwarf King was waiting for me to shower him with grat.i.tude and other forms of ttery before he spoke again.


    ¡°Is there anything you would like to say?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°Just a few questions...Your Majesty. While my first punishment is apparent enough, what do you mean by imprisoned until ¡®further notice¡¯?¡± I tilted my head.


    ¡°Upon the next few weeks, we¡¯ll be monitoring how the disaster at Xyrus Academy is faring with the victims and their families. As soon as we see that enough time has pa.s.sed and the memories of your actions have more or less dissipated from the public¡¯s minds, we will release you. Think of it as a sort of provisional detainment instead of imprisonment,¡± ine exined, mustering up a smile that didn¡¯t quite reach his eyes.


    ¡°I see. Fair enough, I suppose. What of my bond?¡± I asked. As soon as I was released from my cell this morning by Bairon, I had triedmunicating with Sylvie, only to be met by silence.


    ¡°The Council is already being kind enough to let you live, yet you ask for more?¡± undera snapped, banging her thick palm on the raised desk.


    ¡°Keeping your bond is another issue, Arthur. Part of the sentencing where you lose your rights as a mage means that you will no longer be able to keep your bond.¡± Alduin had been the one to tell me this. Had it been anyone else, I would¡¯ve reacted differently, but reading the subtle meanings in his intonations and words, I knew he was only trying to keep me from trouble..


    As our eyes stayed locked for a few more seconds, I forced a stiff nod.


    ¡°I understand, Your Majesties.¡±


    ¡°Good. Bairon, take him back to his cell but keep him chained up,¡± ine waved us away. I studied the expressions of everyone there onest time. While ine¡¯s face was more self-a.s.sured than yesterday¡¯s trial, his wife still looked pale with guilt. The dwarves were both haughtily arrogant, making me more certain that they were the ones most involved with the Vritra while the Alduin and Merial both wore stoic expressions as masks.


    I could tell Bairon was furious but he stayed silent throughout the trip back to my cell. I decided it was best not to antagonize him in his current state so I remained mute as well.


    I had expected to be taken to the same cell I was in before, but I was instead brought down to a different holding ce. With an actual bed and toilet, I would¡¯ve mistaken it for a room if it weren¡¯t for the bars that kept me from escaping.


    After tossing me inside with a bit more strength than necessary, thence left wordlessly. My arms were still chained together in front of me while the artifact stayed embedded into my chest, limiting my abilities.


    I couldn¡¯t tell how many hours had pa.s.sed or whether it was night or day since there weren¡¯t any windows, but as I sat there patiently, the sound of soft footsteps approached.


    ¡°It seems you were expecting me,¡± the voice sighed.


    My lips curled upwards as I gazed upon a strikingly familiar face.


    ¡°About d.a.m.n time, Windsom.¡±

 Chapter 102

    Chapter 102


    DAWSID GREYSUNDER¡¯S POV:


    ¡°Hehe... hehehe,¡± I pursed my lips, trying to contain theughter building up inside me.


    ¡°Cheers, My Love, for the madness that will soon being to an end.¡± I held up my goblet as I leaned forward.


    ¡°Cheers.¡± My wife smiled back, touching my .s.s with hers to make a hollow ¡®clink¡¯.


    Leaning back in the leather armchair much too big for myself, I relished the dry taste of fermented fruits that cost me about as much as a small house. Admiring the extravagant rings on each of my fingers, sparkling against the candlelight, I couldn¡¯t help but smile widely.


    ¡°Just think, undera. After this, no longer will our people be stuck in holes at the bottom of this continent. With His new rule, we, along with our people, will be there to serve directly beneath him. Dwarves will no longer need to be tools that ve away, forging weapons for the humans. We will be the chosen race that will lead this underdeveloped continent into a new era alongside Him,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Was He really that powerful, Dear? You are the only one that has had directmunication with this ¡®being¡¯. What was he like?¡± my wife leaned her head on her arm, gettingfortable.


    ¡°It was nothing like I¡¯d ever imagined. I¡¯ve had my share of time fighting mana beasts when I was younger. Unlike the old dwarves that stick to their traditions, I carried no pride in the weapons that I had built. What satisfaction was there in watching someone mindlessly swing the weapon you poured your blood and sweat into crafting? No, the only weapon I ever finished, I had made for myself. Using my war axe, Full Cleave, I yed hundreds of mana beasts of all .s.ses. There were some that could send shivers straight down my spine with just a pa.s.sing nce, while others could petrify even the strongest of mages with a re¡± ¡ªI took another sip from my .s.s¡ª ¡±Yet, when he first made himself known to me, I couldn¡¯t breathe. My head felt like it was getting pounded by hammers while my whole body stung as if each pore was being stabbed by tiny needles. I¡¯ve lingered at the gates of death countless times, but nothing had ever made me so fearful.¡±


    Looking down at my hands, I see that they were trembling. ¡°I told you this before, but I truly felt like I was facing a G.o.d. I had this overwhelming notion that he didn¡¯t need me in order to achieve his goals, yet he was giving me this chance. He chose us, My Love. He chose us,¡± I whispered.


    ¡°I believe you, My Dear. And when he takes rule of this Continent, what was it that he promised us again?¡± My wife scooted next to me, cuddling against my arm as herrge hands wrapped around my waist.


    ¡°He promised us everything we could ever hope for: vast wealth, magical capabilities that are beyondprehension, more people to serve us, and best of all, an eternity to enjoy them all. undera, I can finally, once again, swing Full Cleave. No more will this crippled body of mine hinder me,¡± I said, my voice growing louder the more excited I became.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, My Dear. Truly, being in the Council is hindering your full potential,¡± my wife cooed, coaxing me as she rubbed my belly.


    I leaned further back, enjoying her touch. ¡°Hah! We three kings have a joke we say to one another. We joke around how the three kings of this generation allck the talent and potential as mages, calling it the Dicathen¡¯s Kings¡¯ Complex. Screw them! Unlike the other two, I was once a great mage. Being an orange core mage by the time I was at my prime, I would have soared to greater heights if it wasn¡¯t for that d.a.m.ned incident that left me in this pitiful state.¡±


    What I never told my wife was that the ¡®incident¡¯ happened because I had some fun with a peasant girl.


    I unconsciously licked my lips as I recalled that night. It would¡¯ve been a lot more enjoyable if she wasn¡¯t screaming so loudly.


    I don¡¯t know how her husband found out, but he was crafty enough to get me alone, even using his own wife as bait. Of course, I ended up killing the both of them to hide my little secret, but not before he was able tond a wound on me that would forever cripple my mana core. ¡°Curse them! They should have just quietly epted their fate; in fact, they should¡¯ve seen it as an honor!¡± I cursed. To have put me in such a pathetic state, even torturing and killing them wasn¡¯t enough.


    ¡°Dear, hush! The dwarves all respect you and you know that,¡± my wife scolded gently, snapping me out from my bitter memories.


    ¡°Respect? Bah, bull t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es! They all grudgingly obey me because of the twonces I have in my possession. I can feel it. Their eyes when they look at me, I know that they¡¯re thinking: ¡®Why is such a weak dwarf leading us?¡¯ ¡®He was just born lucky. He doesn¡¯t deserve the crown andnces.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Then we can kill all those that had once looked down on you, simple as that. And you will do it with your own two fists.¡± My wife moved her hand up, stroking my beard with her thick fingers as she looked up at me, her soothing smile entuating her powerful square jaw. ¡°You forgot one thing, though.¡±


    ¡°Of course. He also promised us fertility. We will finally be able to have sons and daughters of our own to carry on the Greysunders blood. In fact, why not see if he has already blessed us with it.¡± I put down my wine .s.s and shifted my body to face my wife. As I looked deep into her dirt brown eyes, I dug underneath her clothes to feel her warm, coa.r.s.e skin. I could feel her shudder from my touch as I continued softly rubbing her back, slowly reaching lower and lower.


    As her eyes closed in pleasure, I used my other hand to untie her thin gown. When I slipped my hand underneath her top, she gasped in surprise from the chill of my fingers on her firm, exposed bosom.


    I slipped off her gown to reveal her defined shoulders, smiling at the mesmerizing sight. I never understood the tastes of human and elf men, all wanting thin women. A real woman has to have muscles like these.


    My wife inched closer impatiently as I took my sweet time undressing her; coaxing her as I spread her legs¡ª


    Bang!


    The door to our room mmed open, only to show my guard, who had been stationed outside, looking wide-eyed at us.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this!¡± I roared. ¡°How dare you barge in without¡ª¡±


    Like a wooden nk, the guard leaned forward and dropped to the ground without a word. Upon realizing that there was a hole through his back where his heart should¡¯ve been, I immediately sprang up from our previous intimate posture.


    He was dead.


    ¡°My greetings, Greysunders.¡± A cold, hoa.r.s.e voice filled my ears. As I took a step back, I could see my wife quickly redressing, fumbling as she herself got off the couch.


    ¡°How dare you barge into this room? Do you know who I am?¡± I screamed, fear filling the very depth of my soul as I stared at the figure. I couldn¡¯t make out his features from the shadows of where he stood.


    ¡°That is of no importance. You two are the only infestations I need to take care of,¡± he spoke evenly.


    Just as a light shed towards us, a wall of moltenva intersected just in time to stop the intruder¡¯s attack. However, I could taste the blood that trickled down from the tip of my nose into my mouth from the glowing needle that was barely stopped in time by mynce¡¯s magic.


    ¡°Ol-Olfred! How could you let someone just barge into my room?¡± Stumbling backwards, my firm rebuke to mynce ended up sounding much more like a frightened whimper.


    ¡°My apologies, Your Majesties. I do not know how he managed to get in but I have notified Mica as well. The intruder will not be leaving,¡± mynce stated. Even as he gave my wife and me a curt bow, his eyes never left the shadowed figure.


    Mica was the secondnce under mymand. While she wasn¡¯t as obedient as Olfred, her skills as a mage was enough to allow me to be lenient with her.


    ¡°Good, good. T-take care of that intruder right now! I want him alive if possible!¡± I pointed my finger at the figure, hoping my wife wasn¡¯t able to see that it was trembling fiercely.


    ¡°I seek only for the Greysunders¡¯ heads. Needless bloodshed is not my desire,¡± the voice spoke coolly.


    I backed up against the wall involuntarily when he spoke. For some reason he left me feeling terrified. No, now with Olfred is here and Mica on her way, I should have nothing to worry about.


    ¡°Unfortunately, the thing I seek is your head,¡± Olfred hissed, his limbs bing engulfed in mes as he manifested mana into them.


    The bright mes emitted from mynce as he dashed towards the intruder revealed thetter¡¯s features, and knowing exactly who I was facing did not quell the fear inside me. Instead, it made me even more horrified.


    He was elderly, with long, white hair tied tightly into a ponytail, flowing down like a stream of liquid pearl. Yet, despite his age, he stood, poised, with his hands elegantly ced behind his straight back. Both of his eyes were closed, bringing further emphasis on a third, unblinking eye in his forehead that glowed a radiant purple.


    [Magma Knights]


    As mynce casted his spell in a whisper, five soldiers made of magma were instantly conjured from beneath the intruder. However, as they reached for the elderly man, they crumbled into pieces with merely a faint blur of the intruder¡¯s arm.


    Olfred continue to conjure magma knights but each time they arose, they were just as quickly diced into little pieces by a movement too fast for my eyes.


    ¡°Bestow onto me,¡± Olfred chanted through gritted teeth.


    [h.e.l.l¡¯s Armor]


    Mynce¡¯s bodypletely erupted into dark crimson mes as he approached the intruder. As the mes subsided, I could see the intricate armor made of magma that had covered Olfred. Glowing red runes intricately covered the armor, as a cape of billowing fire flowed down his back.


    ¡°Haha! This is what you get for being so arrogant! Die!¡± I cheered manically. A crazed smile formed on my face as I watched mynce about to destroy the intruder that had left me in such a pathetic state.


    Olfred¡¯s first blownded squarely on the intruder¡¯s face, evenpletely decimating the wall behind him with the shockwave. My fist clenched in excitement as I awaited to see the b.l.o.o.d.y mush that his face should¡¯ve now be.


    However, as the dust cloud faded, I felt my mouth hang open from shock. The intruder¡¯s face was intact and unblemished, yet Olfred¡¯s armored arm was snapped in two,his fist reduced to a b.l.o.o.d.y pulp. I could see splinters of whiteing out of his knuckles from where his bones snapped.


    ¡°I admire your skills for a lesser being. Your powers could prove useful for the future of this continent, but now, you are only an irritant.¡± As the intruder spoke, he manifested a thin, glowing de from the tip of his finger.


    His next movement was so quick, it seemed as if he had teleported, but he was simply moving at such a monstrous speed that my eyes couldn¡¯tprehend.


    The intruder blinked a few feet to where Olfred stood on guard, and the tip of his glowing saber gently touched the center of mynce¡¯s armored chest.


    ¡°Break.¡±


    The h.e.l.l¡¯s Amor, ranked one of the highest fire-attribute defensive spells, shattered into dust. Blood spewed out of Olfred¡¯s mouth as he was flung across the room and into the wall that I was backed up against.


    I could only stare nkly at the scene. A shiver ran down my back as I felt the intruder¡¯s unblinking eye on me.


    My throat was too dry to even swallow, let alone utter a word. As I looked at the trembling figure of my wife, an earth-shattering sound made me whip my head back.


    ¡°h.e.l.lo King and Queen. Mica is sorry that she¡¯ste!¡± a familiar voice chirped from within the cloud of dust.


    ¡°M-Mica! Your King was almost killed! Hurry up and dispose of that man!¡± I spouted out, holding onto my wife.


    Mica was an anomaly amongst dwarves. She didn¡¯t have any of the usual traits that would make a dwarvendy attractive. She was short but thin, with pale creamy skin instead of the usual bronze skin that was so admired.


    Her features made her appear as if she was a feeble human child, her slightly pointed ears the only indication that she was really a dwarf. Despite her meagre appearance, her abilities in gravity maniption was monstrous. Wielding a giant mace more than triple her size, she was able to freely control the weight of anything within a certain radius.


    As the dust cloud dissipated, I could see that the intruder hadpletely dodged Mica¡¯s surprise attack.


    ¡°Another annoyance.¡± The intruder¡¯s voice sounded a bit more put off this time, but that could¡¯ve just been me.


    Before he could make his way towards me, the ground crumbled around him and mynce.


    ¡°Wee to Mica¡¯s world. Don¡¯t die!¡± mynce giggled as she easily swung her giant morningstar.


    ¡°Excellent gravity maniption,¡± the intruder nodded as he approached mynce. I could tell Mica was caught off guard when her opponent so easily walked towards her, each of his steps creating a deep imprint as the floor tiles cracked from the increased gravity.


    Even with my life in danger, a nagging feeling of jealousy sprouted. This is what I desired¡ª power to fight like this; to be at the apex of strength and magical capabilities.


    ¡°How can you move so easily? Your body weighs more than four tons!¡± Mica hissed as she slowly retreated, maintaining a careful distance from him.


    ¡°Is that your limit?¡± The man asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡± mynce responded, not expecting a question in response.


    ¡°It seems it is.¡±


    ¡°What limits? Mica has no limits!¡± mynce yelled as she jumped up for her final attack. Imbuing more mana into her weapon, I could see slight ripples in the s.p.a.ce around it due to the distortion of gravity. ¡°Eat this!¡±


    Her mace swung down with a force that I suspect could bring this entire castle to the ground, but the intruder simply lifted a single finger in response, effortlessly stopping the otherwise monstrous strike.


    A wave of hopelessness overcame me Despite the magnitude of mynce¡¯s power, I knew she couldn¡¯t win.


    I scrambled to my feet. I can¡¯t die here. I need to escape.


    From the corner of my eye, I saw a sh of light as the intruder formed a glowing de that pierced through Mica. From what I could see, there was no wound from where she was shed, but it must¡¯ve done something to her since she fell to the floor with the whites of her eyes visible, her mace crashing heavily onto the ground.


    That useless brat couldn¡¯t even provide me with enough time to escape.


    The intruder turned to face my wife and I with his thin glowing de..


    undera shrieked with her finger pointed menacingly at the figure, ¡°Y-you don¡¯t know who you¡¯re messing with. My husband will soon be the new right hand of Agora of the Vritra, an almighty deity¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± I hissed, striking her face before she could finish.


    ¡°Asura. There are no deities in this world, only asuras,¡± the man corrected as he slowly approached us.


    ¡°P-please, have mercy and spare me O¡¯ Great One.¡± I could feel a growing warmth between my legs as I got on my knees and begged.


    ¡°Do you want to live?¡± he asked as his single eye looked down at me.


    ¡°Y-yes! Please! I¡¯ll do anything!¡± I pleaded as I tried to wrap my head around the situation at hand. Who, in this continent, could possibly dispose of a white core mage so easily?


    ¡°I see that Agora failed to choose his p.a.w.ns with proper caution,¡± he continued, his voice filled with contempt.


    ¡°Please, I¡¯ve never even met him. He only called out to me, threatening to kill my wife and my people had I not obeyed. I-I beg you. This was all against my will,¡± I pleaded, prostrating myself on my hands and knees as my forehead touched the warm puddle of my own urine.


    ¡°Very well. Release the twonces that you have in your possession from the oath,¡± hemanded, his voice even and cold.


    ¡°R-release?¡± I stuttered.


    ¡°Yes. Is that a problem?¡± His single eye narrowed.


    ¡°No, of course not.¡± I took off the artifact that I had always kept around my neck and imbued my mana signature into it. As I released the oath, blood dribbled down the corners of my mouth.


    I was instructed by my father to never undo the oath, that it could and should never be undone. However, my life was at stake here.


    As both Olfred and Mica glowed a faint red indicating that the artifact¡¯s bind has been released, I looked back at the intruder.


    ¡°T-there! I did it.¡±


    ¡°Good. They were unfortunate to have such a poor master, but they will be useful pieces in the uing war,¡± he responded, nodding as he looked at the twonces.


    ¡°N-now please. Let me go.¡± I hated how my voice sounded so weak and desperate.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did I say I¡¯d let you go?¡± As I looked up, there was a change in his expression; for the first time a small smirk formed on face.


    I tried responding but nothing came out.


    No words... no sound... no breath...


    Looking down, I could see the gaping hole in my throat and all I could do was stare at him, my jaw ck. As my vision faded, I peeled my gaze from the intruder and nced at my wife. She was staring back as she reached desperately for me, a hole in her chest while blood soaked her thin gown.


    Everything darkened. I could feel a cold hand grasping my soul, pulling me away from my body.


    ¡°Let the game of chess begin.¡± The intruder¡¯sst words echoed from afar as my consciousness drifted into whichever level of h.e.l.l the hand decided to take me.

 Chapter 103

    Chapter 103


    Chapter 103: Peculiar Congregation


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    There was an expression of ever-so-slight amus.e.m.e.nt reaching the raised brow of Windsom¡¯s sharp eyes. The asura, still donning a military-esque uniform paired with a trim, side-swept hairstyle to match, held out my bond.


    ¡°Sylvie!¡± I eximed. I bolted up from my seat but was extra careful in picking her up out of Windsom¡¯s hand. Upon careful inspection, there were no visible wounds on her body, and by the rhythmic breathing, it seemed that she was simply asleep.


    Letting out a relieved sigh, I carefully ced my sleeping dragon on my head before regarding the asura standing before me.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I gave him a meaningful nod to which he responded with a look a parent would give to one¡¯s child after he or she had misbehaved.


    ¡°I had known you were rash, but to think you would get yourself and Lady Sylvie caught so soon, and by the ones involved with the Vritra no less,¡± he reprimanded.


    ¡°To be fair, I was saving the academy from the Vritra,¡± I half shrugged, as if that would validate my actions.


    ¡°You need to understand that you and Lady Sylvie¡¯s safety should take the most precedence as of now.¡±


    ¡°Windsom, there were people inside that academy whose life I considered more important than my own.¡± My face grew stern, reflecting the resolve in my voice.


    Windsom regarded me for a moment before speaking again. ¡°Was it for the Elf Princess?¡± he asked as if he already knew the answer.


    ¡°It-it wasn¡¯t just for her,¡± I defended, my voiceing out a lot more unconfident than I had wanted.


    ¡°No matter,¡± the asura sighed. ¡°What¡¯s done is done. Speaking of this, what I do not understand is why the perpetrator of the incident took your friend, Elijah, with him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either...¡± I was at a loss as well, and no matter how many times I pondered about it inside my cell, I couldn¡¯te up with a reasonable exnation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I repeated. ¡°But I need you to help us out of here, Windsom. I need to find out where they took Elijah and¡ª¡±


    ¡°And what? Save him?¡± the asura cut in, his deep-set eyes cold and prating. ¡°You can¡¯t even escape from this ce but you think you have the ability to save him?¡±


    After letting out a deep breath, he lowered his voice and continued. ¡°Besides, I know roughly where the man named Draneeve took your friend.¡±


    ¡°Really? Where?¡± I unknowingly grabbed onto his sleeve as I said this.


    ¡°After investigating the artifact left at Xyrus Academy, I suspect it was a teleportation device that Draneeve had used to escape, along with your friend Elijah... as well as the device he had used to...¡±


    ¡°... to get here,¡± I finished the sentence, a feeling of dread growing inside me. ¡°They took Elijah back to crya, didn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± he replied, his voice cold.


    I slumped back against the wall, staring at my feet as neither of us spoke for a while.


    ¡°Windsom, following my train of thought, I was going to suggest that I follow Elijah to crya in the hopes that he would still be alive so that I can save him. You would then probably going to respond by telling me that I shouldn¡¯t even dream of it since I¡¯d get killed as soon as I step foot...¡± I looked back at him and a truly rare moment dawned on me where I had no answer. ¡°So what do I do?¡±


    ¡°Well I wouldn¡¯t say you¡¯d die as soon as you stepped foot,¡± the asura smiled slightly, hints of empathy evident in his usually cold voice. ¡°But yes, it would be suicide. Luckily, the p.a.w.n the Vritra n had sent left before you arrived, otherwise they would be much more wary of you. As of now, they hold an interest in you enough for them to want you in their possession, alive, but if they find out that you actually have Lady Sylvia¡¯s innate will as well as her daughter, then I¡¯m afraid even the asuras will have a hard time keeping the two of you safe.¡±


    ¡°What am I to do then? Just give up on my best friend?¡± I countered. ¡°I calcted the possibility of receiving aid from the Elf King and I also knew you¡¯d help us escape, but even thus, there wouldn¡¯t be a safe ce for us to stay. Considering that the Council is working for the Vritra, I would either have to stay where my family is hiding, or burrow somewhere deep within the Beast des.


    ¡°Staying hidden with my family, I wouldn¡¯t be able to train without revealing my mana signature to thences, endangering my family and Tessia¡¯s. If I choose to go to the Beast des, I most likely wouldn¡¯t survive long enough to get any reasonable training done.¡± I thought of the echoes of the giant mana beasts that we pa.s.sed on our way here, and how even thences were cautious enough not to brazenly mow through.


    ¡°You seem to have quite a good grasp on the situation at hand,¡± the asura acknowledged, giving me a terse nod. ¡°How much have you managed to connect the Vritra with the Council?¡±


    ¡°Enough to reasonably suspect that the ones most closely connected to the Vritra were the Greysunders. The humans seemed to be favoring the opinion of the dwarves as well, but I have a hunch that they are reluctant,¡± I thought aloud.


    ¡°Impressive,¡± Windsom admitted. Sliding back his left sleeve, the asura looked at his watch. ¡°Arthur it is about time we¡ª¡±


    ¡°Who are you.¡± a voice interrupted.


    Both Windsom and I turned our heads to see that it was Bairon.


    ¡°It seems he has finished taking care of things,¡± Windsom muttered softly to himself.


    ¡®How did you get in here?¡± Thence¡¯s eyes narrowed as his nce flickered between the asura next to me and the supposedly locked up dragon on top of my head. Despite how rash Bairon had acted with me, I realized that he was actually very cautious and level-headed under normal circ.u.mstance. He regarded Windsom with caution, not leaving any openings in his stance even when they were separated by a reinforced cage.


    ¡°I asked how you got in here,¡± Bairon growled, his eyes glued on the mysterious visitor. ¡°Are you with the other intruder?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Windsom replied indifferently, taking a step toward thence.


    ¡°Then an exnation is no longer necessary.¡± Bairon raised his fist like a loaded cannon as the gathered electricity crackled and popped around his arm.


    [sh Ray]


    I frantically jumped out of the way, upon knowing what wasing. Windsom had forgotten to remove the artifact strapped to my chest, disabling my mana flow. If I were to get hit with that spell, there wouldn¡¯t even be ashes left to bury.


    A condensed sphere of electricity shot out from thence¡¯s fist, disintegrating the reinforced metal bars as if it were tissue. However, Windsom stayed glued to his position as the spell rapidly approached him.


    I braced myself for when the ball of lightning would collide with the asura, but as Bairon high-level magic reached Windsom, the asura simply reached up and caught the spell as if were a rubber ball.


    I knew, undoubtedly, that Windsom would be able to handle the attack, but even I didn¡¯t expect it to be done so easily.


    Crushing the orb of condensed lightning in his palm, he turned to me, gesturing with a flick of his head. ¡°Looks like we have our way out.¡±


    I let out a snort ofughter, but before we could say anything else, Bairon had already reached Windsom.


    ¡°Child. There is no longer a reason for you to fight me,¡± Windsom said coolly as he easily dodged the barrage of strikes and kicks imbued with lightning. Unlike me, Bairon¡¯s lightning magic seemed to mostly consist of external spells.


    [Thunder Lance]


    Bairon activated a spell in the midst of his attacks, conjuring five spears made of lightning to stab down at Windsom.


    I had moved in the cell to avoid the brunt of their fight, but as I continued observing, it looked to me like Windsom was actually... bored.


    ¡°Enough.¡± With a simple flick of his arm that seemed slow inparison to Bairon¡¯s rapid session of attacks, thence¡¯s face was buried in the ground. The entire cell shook as a spiderweb of cracks split the reinforced floor, Bairon¡¯s sunken head being the epicenter.


    From catching his spell to burying his face, Windsom was doing a fine job humiliating one of our continent¡¯s strongest mage.


    ¡°Heel,¡± Windsom said impatiently as thence struggled to free his head from the ground. Although Bairon¡¯s face was scratched and a little b.l.o.o.d.y, he was otherwise unfazed.


    ¡°Bairon, stand your ground.¡± My ears perked at the familiar voice. It was Varay, the femalence that had encaged Sylvie, and was capable of going up against twonces herself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. He¡¯s with the intruder!¡± Bairon spouted, turning to face his fellownce.


    ¡°HE is a deity, not someone you can be addressing so flippantly!¡± Varay snapped back, her voice particrly cold. ¡°My apologies, O¡¯ Great One. Our King humbly asks for your presence.¡±


    Despite knowing what Windsom was, it still stunned me to see Varay actually bow to someone. Inparison, Bairon had such a look of confusion that it was actually pretty amusing.


    ¡°D-Deity?¡± Thence stuttered stupidly.


    ¡°Correct. And now that you know what I am, ignorance is no longer an excuse,¡± Windsom answered, looking down harshly at Bairon. ¡°Bow.¡±


    By the way Bairon¡¯s head mmed into the ground again, it looked like Windsom had done something to forcibly make him kneel, but it was a pleasant sight to see nheless.


    We were led back to the room where my trial had taken ce, except this time I wasn¡¯t chained. Bairon had very reluctantly broken my shackles and removed the artifact inhibiting my mana flow after the whole fiasco ended.


    A different guard fromst time opened the door for us, revealing the people inside the room.


    ¡°W-Wee.¡± King ine was the first to speak, rising from his chair. Hisplexion, along with Queen Prisci¡¯s, was almost sickly as they sat around an oval table that hadn¡¯t been there previously.


    Sitting adjacent to the human king and queen were Tessia¡¯s parents, Alduin and Meralith, along with their hoodednce that delivered the note to me the night before . Both the King and Queen of the elves acknowledged me with an ufortable greeting, but otherwise stayed silent. Also sitting on the table was Director Cynthia, who wore a baffle expression topliment her disheveled appearance.


    When I locked eyes with the man sitting next to her, I unknowingly leaped back on guard. All of the hairs on my body stood on end as every fiber of my being begged for me to run away from the elderly man that had a single eye on his forehead.


    ¡°Arthur. It is okay,¡± Windsom consoled.


    I found it odd that the Greysunders weren¡¯t present, but the rest of the people inside of the room, minus the one person I didn¡¯t know, rose up from their seat and gave a small, respectable bow to Windsom.


    Acknowledging their gestures, he motioned for me to take a seat with him at the table. As I sat down next to Windsom, I could feel the gears in my head turning, trying to make heads of the situation at hand. Here I was, sitting next alongside the Council and theirnces; Director Cynthia, who had been a prisoner sentenced to death; and a man, whose ident.i.ty I had no clue about.


    There was a palpable tension in the room, enough to drive a normal person out of this room in sweat and fear. I had ced Sylvie on myp during this time so I was currently petting her when I heard someone rise from their seat.


    Unexpectedly, the one to get up was the man I had instinctively wanted to escape from. It seemed as if he had three eyes, yet two of them were closed. His white hair was tied in the back, reminding me of Virion when I had first met him.


    ¡°For those who do not know who I am¡±¡ªthe purple eye on his forehead focused on me¡ª¡°I am Aldir.¡±


    ¡°Windsom and I have been sent here to give you lesser beings a chance of survival in the imminent war with the Vritra,¡± the asura continued without pause.


    ¡°So, just as we feared, there really will be a war...¡± Alduin spoke aloud as if he was simply voicing his thoughts.


    ¡°I have done the first step of discarding the corrupted. My role here now is to oversee the remainder of what you lessers call ¡®the Council¡¯ and instruct you on the necessary preparations to fight against the Continent of crya.¡±


    As soon as the word corrupted came out, both ine and Prisci yder froze, theirplexion bing paler.


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty. If I may say something...¡± ine was the one to speak, and by the manner of his speech, it seemed that something must have happened to make the King appear so meek. ¡°You have clearly shown us your capabilities, enough for me to believe that you are not someone of this realm. The difference in our abilities are to the point where I am unsure of why you would need us. Can¡¯t you simply go to the Continent of crya and defeat the Vritra?¡±


    ¡°What did that other asura mean by discarding the corrupted?¡± I leaned towards Windsom, whispering in his ear.


    ¡°The Greysunders have been eliminated and theirnces are now under my control,¡± Aldir answered in Windsom¡¯s stead.


    Everything made sense. It seemed like the asura killed the ones working directly for the Vritra while leaving the yders with some sort of warning. That was why the human King and Queen were such a nervous wreck.


    ¡°And as for your point, King yder. Yes it would be simple enough to gather the asuras and personally fight against the Vritra. However, the Vritra n, along with the three other ns that are under theirmand were all former asuras that have broken ourw. Even we can no longer calcte how much stronger they have truly be. Moreover, a battle of that magnitude will undoubtedly level the world. And that¡¯s me being conservative,¡± Aldir continued as he faced the frightened King.


    King yder responded with stunned silence as we all tried to imagine the magnitude of a battle that could sink continents.


    Aldir continued speaking, ¡°We asuras and the Vritra n had agreed upon a treaty where no higher beings can directly attack one another or interfere with any lesser beings. Instead¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hold on. Doesn¡¯t the fact that you killed two ¡®lesser beings¡¯ go against your words?¡± I cut in.


    The asura¡¯s glowing, purple eye narrowed as it peered into me, but after a brief moment Aldir¡¯s lips curled into a smirk.


    ¡°Dicathen had received no direct aid from us asuras, but is now up against a poption governed directly by Agrona of the Vritra. Even with my actions, he wouldn¡¯t be rash enough to break the treaty for us simply evening out the ying field,¡± Windsom answered in Aldir¡¯s stead.


    ¡°What of the ck-horned demons that have been invading ournd for years? One was even responsible for killing ance!¡± I countered.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the owner of this fragment?¡± Director Goodsky was the one to answer, holding up the ck fragment of the horned being that killed Alea Triscan.


    ¡°Boy, I see it wasn¡¯t a lie when Windsom said you are not simple. The being responsible for killing thence, and the ones that have snuck into this continent are not asuras. Those monsters were once lesser beings such as yourself that have gone through countless experiments,¡± Aldir spat, obviously disgusted.


    ¡°So there are monsters that are not asuras capable of destroying the strongest mages in our continent? Is it even possible for us to win?¡± Merial Alduin, Tessia¡¯s mother spoke for the first time.


    ¡°Yes, but they are limited and Agrona¡¯s precious trump card in this war. Now that he knows of my presence, he will not dispatch them so recklessly as before.¡± Aldir sat back down, his whole body turned toward me.


    ¡°Think of me as a general in this uing war. It is for the asuras¡¯ best interest that we are able to defend this continent. Now, Windsom, isn¡¯t there something you and the boy have to do? I will take care of the rest here. We require countless preparations before we could defend ourselves¡±


    Giving the three-eyed asura a nod, Windsom pulled me up, leading me and the sleeping Sylvie out of the room.


    ¡°Something we have to do, Windsom? Isn¡¯t it important that we partic.i.p.ate in the discussion? Shouldn¡¯t we be there in the room as well?¡± I asked as I followed the asura.


    ¡°That is not your fight. Aldir knows what he is doing and will do his best to prepare you lessers for the imminent war. When that timees, if you do not want to be useless, we need you stronger.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense, so what are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°First, we¡¯re going to visit your family. You will need to say your goodbyes to them.¡± The asura¡¯s back was still facing me, making it unable to determine whether he was joking or not.


    ¡°Goodbyes? What goodbyes? Where will I be going?¡± I pulled back the asura¡¯s arm, surprised as he turned around so easily.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking you and Lady Sylvie to the homnd of the asuras. Your training will be held in Epheotus.¡±

 Chapter 104

    Chapter 104


    Chapter 104: The Great Eight


    ¡°Am I allowed to know all of this?¡± I questioned, removing a sharp branch out of my hair.


    We were currently hiking through a familiar part of Elshire Forest after Windsom had teleported us nearby. It took me only a few moments upon arrival to realize that I had been to this part of the forest before with the Eralith family; we were headed towards Elder Rinia¡¯s hideout.


    ¡°You have been given permission to stay in Epheotus so you will figure it out sooner orter. While memorizing the information that I¡¯ve told you isn¡¯t necessary, it is always beneficial for one to know the culture, mannerisms and politics involved when in unfamiliar territory. Especially if you have to interact with the important figures of said ce.¡± Windsom advised, not bothering to turn around as he continued pushing branches and vines out of his way. ¡°But I have a feeling that you already know the importance of that.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I smirked. ¡°But knowledge without understanding is but a sword stuck in its sheath. Now, you¡¯ve told me the what, Windsom, but you¡¯ve yet to tell me the why.¡±


    ¡°Very true,¡± he admitted. ¡°Do not worry, we¡¯ll get to that soon enough.¡±


    I went on. ¡°Okay, so there are sev... no, eight races of asuras in Epheotus. Each race consists of multiple ns, but only one n within their respective race are t.i.tled as one of the High Eight?¡±


    ¡°The Great Eight,¡± the asura corrected immediately.


    ¡°What race was the Vritra n?¡± I tried to imagine multiple times in the past what sort of creature the Vritra n might be, with their horns and greyplexion, but nothing came to mind.


    ¡°The true form of the Vritra n is that of a fearsome serpentine asura called the Basilisk. It will be good for you to take note of the races and n names of the Great Eight.¡±


    ¡°What became of the Basilisk race after the Vritra n and other Basilisk ns¡¯ betrayal? I pressed on, swatting a particrly annoying insect that had probably thought my ear would make a good resting spot.


    ¡°Excluding the fact that the Vritra n was reced by a lesser n as part of the Great Eight, some of the more radical races pushed to annihte whatever remained of the Basilisk race. Fortunately, the ties between each race reach far back in history; friends of the remaining Basilisk ns stood up for them. In the end, measures as drastic as a genocide were never taken; it would be foolish for a whole race to bear the crimes of a few, after all.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t discern what Windsom was thinking as he told me all of this. The inflection and tone of his voice didn¡¯t match what he was saying, his words sounding almost sardonic.


    ¡°I see...¡± I continued walking, looking at my dirty boots crunching on fallen leaves and broken branches. ¡°How were the Great Eight selected anyway?¡±


    ¡°The ns of the Great Eight have almost never changed. For example, even though the Dragon race has the fewest number of ns, the Indrath n, the n of my master and Lady Sylvia, has been the part of the Great Eight since the beginning of our history. However, even to this day, the strength of the Great ns are grades above the rest of the others. This is about the closest thing to an answer I can give you.¡±


    We continued to rally back and forth as we made our way towards Elder Rinia¡¯s hidden shelter, Windsom mostly quizzing me on the names I needed to know. I was able to process most of the information fairly quickly, but my sleep-deprived and starved state took a toll on my ability to retain information.


    ¡°Anyway, not to sound like a brat, but couldn¡¯t you have brought us any closer? If you teleported us from an airborne castle in the middle of the Beast des to Elshire Forest, I¡¯m sure you could¡¯ve teleported us a few miles closer...¡±


    ¡°The home of the Diviner Elf that your family is currently taking refuge in is surrounded by a fairlyrge barrier that I did not wish to agitate. Teleporting through it might¡¯ve caused a ripple in the barrier, which might give away the location of everyone inside.¡±


    ¡°Ah... my apologies then. I¡¯m a little on edge in my current state,¡± I responded, scratching my head.


    We had just gone through the waterfall that hid the entrance to Elder Rinia¡¯s home when I spoke. ¡°So let me get this straight. Agrona, current head of the Vritra n, led his race out of Epheotus to crya, where he had been experimenting on the lesser races, and dered himself Eternal Ruler?¡±


    ¡°A rather tasteless t.i.tle to give to oneself but, in essence, yes,¡± the asura confirmed.


    ¡°Then this treaty that you guys talked about earlier; if the Vritra n, along with the other ns of the Basilisk race, are asuras, shouldn¡¯t they be forbidden to directly act in this uing war?¡± I asked, trying to keep track of how many turns we took in this maze of a tunnel.


    ¡°Yes, but that was never the problem¡±¡ªWindsom stopped walking and turned back towards me¡ª¡°Arthur, didn¡¯t you ever once wonder why the asura races didn¡¯t just kill the Vritra n and the ns following them? There are seven other races after all.¡±


    ¡°Of course I have, but didn¡¯t you say something about the consequences that would affect the lesser races that were living in crya?¡±


    ¡°I did, but what I had not informed you of was that the treaty was not our first course of action. After Agrona and his follower¡¯s escape, the Great ns, excluding the Basilisk race, came together for the first time, regardless of factions, and formed an a.s.sembly of the leaders of each Great n. The leaders decided to send a small division with our elite asuras to quickly dispose of Agrona and his followers.¡± Windsom paused for a moment, and even with his stoic expression, it was obvious that he was deliberating on whether to express what was on his mind.


    The asura eventually let out a small sigh and conjured a small barrier around us. ¡°Arthur, what I¡¯m about to disclose to you must stay with you; this information is known only by a few members of the Indrath n.¡±


    I nodded, locking eyes with Windsom as I waited for him to continue.


    ¡°Everyone in Epheotus believe that Lady Sylvia was somehow captured and held prisoner somewhere, but it was actually Lady Sylvia who voluntarily went with the elite division tasked with killing Agrona Vritra and the ns that followed him.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I eximed, my voiceing out a lot louder than I had meant it to. ¡°How does that make sense? She went on a mission into enemy territory without knowing what to expect? That mission was basically suicidal. No way your master, Sylvia¡¯s father, would¡¯ve let her go.¡±


    ¡°Of course Lord Indrath didn¡¯t allow her to go,¡± Windsom growled. ¡°What I¡¯m saying is Lady Sylvia concealed herself and followed after the elite division. By the time they were aware of Lady Sylvia¡¯s presence, it was already toote to back out.¡±


    There was a long pause before either of us spoke again.


    ¡°So what ended up happening to the asuras sent by the leaders of Epheotus?¡±


    ¡°What none of the leaders had expected¡±¡ª Windsom¡¯s face contorted in disgust as his hands formed a fist¡ª ¡°Agrona, that cunning snake, was waiting with an evenrger army of Basilisks and lesser races that had the same innate magical abilities as them.¡±


    It took only a moment for me to realize what his words implied. ¡°The Vritra n was interbreeding with the lesser races of crya,¡± I whispered.


    The asura only nodded in return, before continuing. ¡°Apparently, Agrona and his followers had been interbreeding for quite some time, seeing that there were well over tens of thousands of the mutts waiting for our battalion.¡±


    ¡°So the band of elite asuras you guys sent were outnumbered...¡±


    ¡°Tremendously outnumbered,¡± he stressed. ¡°And the element of surprise that we thought our warriors would have had was rendered moot.¡±


    ¡°What befell them in the end?¡± I murmured, more so wondering myself than expecting an answer.


    The asura shook his head in response. ¡°Communication was lost soon after the battle started. While we are certain that their side took a considerable loss in numbers, we can only specte that the brigade of our elite asuras, the pride of their respective ns and races, were either killed or captured.¡±


    I was silent as thoughts on how Sylvia managed to escape filled my mind.


    Windsom¡¯s next words snapped me out of my daze. ¡°Lord Indrath was furious after being told by Agrona himself that his only daughter had been killed in battle. If it had been up to him, my master would surely have waged war, ignoring the consequences. However, the rest of the Great ns were against it and pushed for a treaty.¡± Windsom turned around and resumed walking again.


    ¡°The treaty was eventually formed between the two sides, forbidding the asuras to act directly because of the coteral damage it would cause if a full-scale war were to ur between the seven asura races of Epheotus and the Vritra n¡¯s army of basilisks and lesser, half-breed mutts.¡± There was an obvious spite in his voice, but his expression had turned back to normal.


    As I began thinking again, I realized how much of a disadvantage Dicathen was in. This treaty had been in ce since generations ago, and even though it prohibited asuras and the half-breeds from directly partic.i.p.ating in the battles, who knows how many of the so-called ¡®lesser races¡¯ of crya had blood of asuras mixed in with theirs.


    I wanted to ask why the other asura races didn¡¯t do the same and interbreed with the lesser-races, but if it took centuries for the mad genius Agrona toe up with a way to interbreed an asura with a lesser race, then the other races probably haven¡¯t found a way how. I doubt that, even if they could, most would be against breeding with the lower races because of their own morals and pride.


    ¡°Wait. So the ancient six artifacts that you guys gave to the people of Dicathen...¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was our way of giving the people of this continent a sword and a shield. We knew that the powers and knowledge contained within those artifacts would ignite a revolution for your people. We were right, but we only found out through recent events that it hadn¡¯t been nearly enough. It is Lord Indrath and the other Great ns leaders¡¯ wish that, with our direct intervention, we can equip the mages of this continent with enough strength to defend this continent from Agrona. We fear that if Agrona gets ess to the inhabitants of this continent, the Vritra n will gain enough fighting power to overthrow Epheotus.¡±


    ¡°And this is where Ie in. A stronger chess piece that the Great ns can utilize to gain the upper hand in the uing war,¡± I sneered, crossing my arms.


    ¡°Well, I would think of it more as, us training you to defend your family and homnd,¡± Windsom countered, his lips curling upward ever-so-slightly.


    ¡°Meh, I prefer the mutual benefit over questionable acts of altruism anyhow,¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°I guess you still don¡¯t trust uspletely,¡± Windsom said, studying me with a curious eye before asking, ¡°On a side note, how do you n on informing your family of our... ns?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Windsom. I thought a lot about how I should break it to my parents while I was in jail,¡± I winked, walking past the asura and toward the flickering fire-lighting from the end of the tunnel.


    __________________________________________________________


    As we approached the end of the tunnel, I could see the shadows of a few people surrounding a fire. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the sight of myrge warrior of a father scrubbing dishes near the underground stream as Elder Rinia, my sister and my mother were concentrated on a simmering pot over the fire.


    ¡°Something smells delicious! Did you make enough for me?¡± I yelled out, causing everyone to whip their heads in my direction.


    Each of them had a different reaction as they realized who it was that spoke. My father dropped the dented pan he was scrubbing, my mother and sister simultaneously bolted up from the makeshift chair that they were sitting on, while Elder Rinia simply gave me a meaningful smile as she continued peeling the potato in her hand. The only one that I didn¡¯t see was Tessia, but I wasn¡¯t sure if she was even here or not.


    In seconds, I was wrapped in the embrace of my family as my mother and father checked my body for any signs of injuries while my sister¡¯s gaze went straight toward the sleeping Sylvie in my arms.


    ¡°Is Sylvie okay?¡± She asked, concernced in her voice as she held my bond in her arms.


    ¡°Your brother just escaped from prison and you don¡¯t even ask if I¡¯m okay?¡± I croaked, pretending to be hurt.


    ¡°Mm... you always seem toe back alive anyway,¡± she shrugged, focusing her attention back to Sylvie. This caused a snort ofughter from my father as my mother did her best to chastise my sister while trying to hide her smile.


    I felt a sharp pang in my chest at my sister¡¯s callous words. Where was the sweet child that stuck to me like glue and shed tears whenever she couldn¡¯t see me? Is she already at the rebellious stage?


    It seemed that someone had already informed my family that I would be visiting them soon, and going by expressions, I would bet that it was Elder Rinia.


    My parents were interrogating me on the full details of what exactly happened, but stopped dead in their tracks all of a sudden.


    The soft footsteps that echoed through the tunnel stopped behind me, and I took no hesitation in introducing the person.


    ¡°Everyone, this is the person that helped me through everything while I was imprisoned... and also my prospective master.¡±


    I waited for some sort of reaction, but my parents and sister were still silent, frozen in ce as their eyes were still glued to the figure behind me.


    ¡°Ahem, tone it down.¡± I turned behind me to see Windsom look at me in confusion before his eyes widened a bit in understanding.


    ¡°My apologies,¡± he replied, and the air around us changed back to normal. I had gotten used to the pressure the asura normally gave off, but to a normal mage, it would be suffocating.


    My mother and sister fell on her knees while my father stumbled, barely keeping himself on his feet.


    Elder Rinia, who was a bit farther away, stood up and gave a deep bow toward Windsom. I¡¯m not sure if she knew his ident.i.ty, but she, at least, seemed to understand that the unknown person was not someone ordinary.


    ¡°Wee to my humble abode. Please, make yourselffortable.¡± The elderly elf spoke in a well-mannered, respectful tone that I¡¯ve never heard her use before.


    Windsom simply nodded in response, filling the tunnel with silence except for the crackling of the fire.


    My father was the first to speak. ¡°Firstly, th-thank you for helping my son. I know that he can be a handful.¡±


    The asura actually let out a faint smile at this before speaking. ¡°It seems your child has caused you many worries.¡±


    ¡°And will continue to do so in the future,¡± my mother finished as my father helped her and my sister back up. ¡°But Arthur, what did you mean by prospective master?¡±


    ¡°Alice, your son just came back from a long journey. There¡¯s plenty of time for this topic after he¡¯s gotten something inside his belly,¡± Rinia scolded, ushering everyone back around the fire.


    Thankful for the chance to finally eat something, I sat down, impatiently blowing on the hot stew to cool it down.


    Windsom declined on eating but sat down with us as he idly looked at the fire. Once everyone had finished their meal, my father began informing us what had ensued on their side.


    Virion had apparently taken Tessia and Lilia somewhere else to properly mend their injuries. The Helstea family followed him to look after their daughter, which exined why only my family was here. Elder Rinia teased that I would be able to reunite with her in a few days, which caused everyone to crack a smile.


    Eventually, everyone had run out of things to chatter about idly, leaving the cave silent once again. I could tell my parents were now expecting my reply to their previous question.


    Turning my gaze over to Windsom, he stared back at me, expecting the same thing. Scratching my head in a motion, that I felt had be a habit during awkward circ.u.mstances sinceing to this world, I spoke up.


    ¡°Elder Rinia. Is it alright for me to speak to my parents in private?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± the diviner gave me a warm smile.


    ¡°What about me?¡± My sister chirped, still cradling my bond in her arms.


    ¡°Sorry, Ellie.¡± I shook my head as I headed inside the tent first.


    My parents came in after me, looking a bit confused.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your master going to join in?¡± my father asked, looking back outside before closing the p.


    ¡°There is something the two of you need to know of first.¡± The timbre of my voice and expression on my face silenced them from asking any more questions as they sat down in front of me.


    ¡°Before we begin, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve thought long and hard about telling you ever sinceing to this world.¡±

 Chapter 105

    Chapter 105


    Chapter 105: When Ignorance Is Bliss


    There was a lingering silence following my words as my parents tried to process what I had just said.


    ¡°Coming to this world? What do you mean, Honey? You were born here... I-I don¡¯t understand,¡± my mother replied as she reached out to me. She held my hands tightly, as if she was afraid I would wisp away if she didn¡¯t.


    My father, on the other hand, stared at me silently, waiting for me to continue. Taking a deep breath, I squeezed my mother¡¯s hand and spoke with aforting smile.


    ¡°Of course I was born here, Mom; I¡¯m yours and Dad¡¯s very own flesh and blood. Trust me, I remember better than anyone else when I was born,¡± I chuckled, arousing another confused look from my parents.


    ¡°I was transported, reborn... I¡¯m not quite sure exactly what, but something happened and I was taken from my world and brought into this one.¡±


    ¡°Wai-wait a minute, Son... you¡¯re going to have to back up¡ª¡±


    ¡°Art, what are you talking about? Another world? A-are you okay? Did your master tell you this? Where is thising from?¡± my mother cut in as she scooted closer, examining my head... probably for signs of a concussion.


    ¡°No, Mom. My master doesn¡¯t know this; no one but you guys know any of this. I don¡¯t know the correct term for this ¡®phenomenon¡¯ either. I¡¯ve thought about this for a while but my best guess is that it¡¯s something akin to a reincarnation,¡± I exined.


    ¡°Arthur, did something happen to you after they took you away? Did they hurt you in some way? Come here, let me try and heal¡ª¡±


    ¡°Honey, the boy is fine. Arthur, go on,¡± my father encouraged, but my mother persisted.


    ¡°No, Rey, our son is not fine. He¡¯s spouting nonsense about another world and reincarnation. Art, let me¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alice! Let the boy speak.¡± My father snapped in a voice I¡¯ve never heard before, stunning both my mother and I.


    So I exined...


    I described the world that I came from, the role that I yed there, and the rtionships that I had with an excruciating amount of details to make sure that they knew I couldn¡¯t have made this up.


    Throughout it all, my parents stayed silent for the most part. My father would ask questions here and there, but his face remained expressionless. My mother, however, was obviously shaken up; her face pale, the trembling of her hands increased as my story progressed.


    I couldn¡¯t tell how much time had pa.s.sed, but by the fact that I felt mild pangs of hunger in my stomach, it seemed like I had been talking for several hours.


    ¡°King Grey...¡± my father mumbled, running his fingers through his hair as he leaned back in his chair.


    ¡°So the fighting, your talent in magic¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the ki system in my old world worked simrly to certain aspects of mana in this world,¡± I finished for him. ¡°And as for the fighting... you get the idea.¡±


    ¡°Then ever since you were born, you were able to understand what we were saying? You remember everything?¡± my father asked, letting out a deep sigh.


    I simply nodded in response.


    ¡°Hehe...¡± my mother chuckled.


    My father and I both turned our gaze to her. To our surprise, my mother startedughing. My father wrapped his arm around her, but she just nced us delusionally.


    ¡°I-I get it. This is all a joke, right? Hehe... Oh, my son. Art, you almost got us there, right Rey?¡± she said, smiling. However, neither of us responded and her smile faded, her eyes searched for any cues that would confirm her belief. When she couldn¡¯t, she grabbed my hand as she stared at me with a look of desperation.


    ¡°This is a joke... right? Arthur Leywin, tell me this is a joke. You can¡¯t really be... some former king that died and was transported into the mind of my unborn child, right? RIGHT?¡±


    ¡°I... don¡¯t know exactly what happened, but I¡¯m not joking,¡± I replied, unable to look her in the eyes.


    ¡°No... No, no, no. This... No, this isn¡¯t happening. Rey, don¡¯t tell me you believe all of this? Our son is sick; something must¡¯ve happened to him while he was gone ¡ª no, something definitely happened. Rey, say something! Say that our son is sick!¡± My mother grabbed onto my father¡¯s arm, pulling on his sleeve as tears started rolling down her pale face.


    ¡°Honey...¡± Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, my father held my mother close to his chest. He looked up at me and motioned me to leave the two of them alone.


    I wanted to hug my mother, tell her that I was still her son, but I couldn¡¯t muster up the courage to do either. Opening the tent, I walked out without saying anything, leaving my parents alone.


    Elder Rinia, Windsom and my sister all looked at me as I walked towards them, but the look on my face probably stopped them from asking anything. Even my pouting sister held her tongue as I sat down next to her and the slumbering Sylvie in front of the fire.


    Time pa.s.sed slowly, with my mind feeling like it was trying to swim through a particrly viscous syrup.


    Was telling them the right decision? What did they think of me now? Did they still think of me as their son, or would they inevitably grow distant...


    Noises blended together incoherently and everything besides the fire that I was staring at grew out of focus. Yet, my head immediately snapped back when the sound of the tent p opening reached me.


    My father came out of the tent, suddenly looking a lot older than before. I had expected my mother toe out right after, but my father shook his head.


    ¡°Ellie, can you stay with your mother inside the tent?¡± he asked, motioning for me to follow him.


    ¡°Here you go. Feel better, you p.o.o.p.¡± My sister stuck her tongue out as she carefully handed me my bond. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a smile tug back on my lips as I watched her skip towards the tent.


    cing Sylvie atop my head, I followed my father into the tunnel Windsom and I had arrived through. I concentrated on the sounds of our echoing footsteps until my father finally decided to speak.


    ¡°Your mother... she¡¯s sleeping right now,¡± he announced with a sigh.


    ¡°Is she okay?¡± I kept a few steps distance from my father, watching as he idly kicked a pebble as he walked.


    ¡°She was... in quite shock, to say the least.¡±


    ¡°So you guys believe me?¡±


    ¡°Unless you¡¯ve suddenly developed a fond taste for sick gags, you have no reason to lie to us about this. Besides, it all makes sense now: the early awakening, your brilliance as a fighter and a mage... it all makes sense,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± My eyes stayed glued to the pebble bouncing on the uneven ground.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not!¡± my father eximed, turning around.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t easy news to swallow, Arthur. All of the memories we had as a family in the past, was that all a facade of how you thought the son we wanted would¡¯ve been? How am I supposed to act around you now? You were once technically older than me, yet you¡¯re here as my thirteen-year-old son!¡± he continued, looking at me desperately for answers. ¡°A-And your mother... your mother nursed you as an infant! She mothered a middle-aged man thinking he was her own son!¡±


    I stood silent, unable to reply. Everything he said was true after all. My father¡¯s fists were clenched so tightly that blood was dripping between his fingers. His expression was ghastly; from the trembling frown on his face to his furrowed brows, his emotions were clearly visible on his face. Fear, anxiousness, frustration, and confusion... they were all there.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but are you really our son, Arthur? Or did you take over the unborn baby that would¡¯ve been our son during your reincarnation, or whatever it is that happened to you!¡± He blurted. His eyes widened immediately as he covered his mouth his hand.


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean that,¡± he stammered. Letting out a deep breath, he whispered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Arthur... I¡¯m just very confused right now.¡±


    ¡°Like I said earlier... the truth is, I really don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know who or what brought me to this world, and why it did. You¡¯re right, Da... Reynolds. I could¡¯ve killed the fetus inside... I don¡¯t know how this ¡®process¡¯ that brought me here works,¡± I stated cooly, swallowing back something particrly hard in my throat.


    He winced when I addressed him as Reynolds and was about to say something, but just closed his mouth.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to keep hiding this from you guys, but now I¡¯m questioning whether I made the right choice,¡± I murmured, letting out a dryugh.


    ¡°This is what I wanted to tell you guys for so long, but never had the courage to. I wanted to say this before I left.¡±


    ¡°Left? You¡¯re leaving?¡± my father responded.


    ¡°Yeah, and I think that under the current circ.u.mstances, it¡¯ll be good to spend some time apart,¡± I went on, a certain aloof edge filling my voice involuntarily.


    ¡°...How long will you be gone?¡± My father asked.


    ¡°At least a few years.¡±


    ¡°That long, huh?¡± he replied as he stared down, no sign of him stopping me or forbidding me to go.


    Turning around, my chest was aching and my head was throbbing with an intensity I had never experienced before. Humans... no matter how powerful we could potentially be, we were still so fragile.


    ¡°You know, I never had any memories of family in my old world. Growing up in an environment where no one truly loved me, and in turn, being calloused and distant to everyone made me an unrivaled fighter, but a c.r.a.ppy person. Ever sinceing to this world, the two of you, andter Ellie, taught me something I had never known. I may not be the strongest fighter or mage in this world, but I¡¯m h.e.l.l of better person now than I ever would¡¯ve been in my previous life. I¡¯m sorry for the hurt I caused. Thank you for making me a better man... and thank you for loving me as your son.¡± Still with my back facing my father, I headed back to where Windsom was. I simply walked on, hearing the m.u.f.fled sobs of my father as he stayed behind, I struggled to keep my own tears in as well.


    I got back to the main cave to see Windsom and Rinia discussing something. Elder Rinia was holding onto something wrapped in a nket, and I could¡¯ve sworn that it moved, but I chose to ignore it. Windsom had just taken his hand off whatever was bundled inside the nket and noticed me approaching.


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve wrapped things up. Are you ready?¡± Windsom¡¯s glittering eyes studied my expression carefully as he got up.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you going to say goodbye to your family?¡± Rinia chimed, setting down the nket carefully on her seat.


    ¡°No need. I¡¯ve already sorted out everything I needed to here. I leave them in your care.¡± I gave her a curt bow and was about to follow after Windsom when Rinia grabbed me. Her eyes glowed with a mysterious hue as I silently waited for her to speak when she suddenly ced her hands on my cheeks.


    ¡°Arthur, please. Your expression is frightening, it is unbefitting of someone as kind hearted as you. I can only begin to understand the gravity of the uing battles thaty ahead of you, but do not fall back to your old ways. You know best that the deeper you go into that pit, the harder it will be to climb back out,¡± she said as her eyes faded back to normal. pping my cheeks gently, she turned me around and nudged me towards Windsom.


    ¡°Now go. I¡¯ll take care of things here,¡± she said with a soft smile.


    Windsom retrieved a disk-like object far toorge to fit in his pocket and dropped it on the ground. Then, the asura p.r.i.c.ked his finger and let a drop of his blood fall on the disk. Immediately, it expanded and shot out a column of light that reached the ceiling.


    My mind was still on what Rinia had just said when I turned around to Windsom and asked, ¡°Was there something wrong with my expression?¡±


    ¡°Your expression reminded me of the Pantheon Asuras of Epheotus. They are a race of fine warriors that have learned to close off their emotions in order to fight with the most efficiency. A very useful technique indeed,¡± Windsom nodded in approval. ¡°Now, let us go. Are you sure you have tied your loose ends here? I need your full concentration once we¡¯re in Epheotus.¡±


    I nced at the cave onest time before taking a deep breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Hugging Sylvie tighter in my arms, I epted Windsom¡¯s hand as we stepped into the column of golden light.

 Chapter 106

    Chapter 106


    Chapter 106: Logic¡¯s Biggest Foe


    REYNOLDS LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    I hated myself for what had happened. A part of me wished I had told Arthur that it was okay... that he was still family.


    But a bigger part of me, the part that I hated, wished he would¡¯ve just never told us.


    I had known since early on in Arthur¡¯s life that he was different. He had always been much moreposed and mature for his age, and even when he acted his age, it seemed... rehea.r.s.ed. Since early on, his actions always disyed a certain sense of foresight; there was always a reason he did something, a goal or n of some kind.


    Maybe due to that, I was so caught up on his reason for telling us this. Wouldn¡¯t it have been better for everyone, even for himself, if he had kept it a secret? What was the reason? What was his goal?


    Why was it so hard for me to ept this? Was it because it went against my own pride? My own selfish pride that maybe, just maybe, I had sired and raised a genius that only came once in a millennium?


    The signs were always there. His strange behavior from an early age, his unexinable prowess as a swordsman and talents as a mage.


    Again... Did I subconsciously choose to ignore all of those signs so I can maintain my petty ego? Deciding just to ept the fact that that my own flesh and blood, my... son, could be so b.l.o.o.d.y impressive.


    I couldn¡¯t help butugh at myself at how difficult it was to say ¡®son¡¯, such a simple term of endearment.


    It took me a while to drag my sorry feet back to the cave. Looking around, the only one I could see was Elder Rinia, who was cradling something by the fire. I nced at the tent my wife and daughter was in, but for some reason I couldn¡¯t bring myself to go inside. Instead, I sat down next to our benefactor.


    ¡°He left, you know.¡± The aged elf¡¯s eyes remained glued to the bundle of nkets she was cradling in her arms as she spoke.


    ¡°I figured,¡± I sighed, feeling like a child being scolded.


    ¡°I was afraid of the day when he would tell you.¡±


    ¡°Y-you knew, Elder Rinia?¡± I peeled my eyes off of the fire and turned to the elf seated next to me.


    ¡°I see many things, but only for that boy do I have to grind my old head to try and piece together what is in store for him.¡± She met my gaze, her eyes dim with weariness.


    ¡°Heh, he¡¯s hardly a boy,¡± I scoffed, leaning forward as I got lost in the mes dancing in front of me.


    ¡°Bah! He¡¯s still a child to me, much like how you¡¯re still a child as well,¡± Elder Rinia chortled back. Leaning back carefully in her seat, she continued. ¡°I always found it amusing... the preconceptions people have about age and intelligence: The older someone is, the more wisdom he or she should possess, and the more intelligent someone is, the more logical he or she should be. Pair those two traits up, and the intelligent senior should be some cold, calcting shrewd... don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Noticing my puzzled expression, she revealed a soft smile and gently set down the bundle she was holding and leaned closer to me.


    ¡°Do you see me as a cold, calcting shrewd?¡± The aged elf gave me a wink.


    ¡°No, of course not. But... I don¡¯t get what this has to do with Arthur,¡± I stammered back, caught off guard.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you wishing Arthur would¡¯ve just kept his mouth shut? That you would feel better ignorant of who the boy really is? I bet you were also wondering why the boy told you in the first ce, right?¡±


    Before I had the opportunity to reply, the aged elf poked me softly in the chest... right where my heart was.


    ¡°The heart remains the brain¡¯s biggest foe. Well actually, for men, the brain¡¯s most formidable foe is probably...¡± Elder Rinia¡¯s gaze dropped below my waist. When I realized where she was referring to, my immediate instinct was to cross my legs, but I soon found myselfughing alongside the old elf.


    Elder Rinia straightened up and continued. ¡°As I was saying, emotion¡ªthe heart¡ª constantly shes against things like validity, efficiency, utility... anything logical. That¡¯s what gets us hurt or even killed, yet, we can¡¯t seem to help it. It makes us lesser as an individual, but greater as a group.¡±


    ¡°So... Arthur was running more on emotion than logic when he told us this?¡±


    ¡°Bah! How could I know what he¡¯s thinking?¡± She shook her head, ¡°I do know this, though. I¡¯ve known the boy since he was a mere toddler in this world and he¡¯se a long way since then. Much of that cold sh.e.l.l of his has slowly melted. Perhaps his ing out¡¯ was arge step he had to take to break out of that sh.e.l.l he once found safety andfort in.¡±


    Elder Rinia got up and stretched painfully before handing me the bundle of sheets she had been cradling. ¡°Hold on to this for me so that I can prepare some food for your wife. I suspect she won¡¯t have much of an appet.i.te but she still needs to care for her body.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Elder. What is this, anyway?¡± I bowed slightly before asking.


    ¡°Arthur¡¯s master only told me it was a gift for the Leywin family.¡± There was a mysterious grin on her face causing me to be helplessly curious as to what it could be.


    After carefully peeling away theyer of nkets, I couldn¡¯t help but gape.


    It was a mana beast, an infant mana beast to be more precise. The small bear-like creature was dark brown except for two dark spots above its eyes that made the beast look like it was scowling and a tuft of white fur on its chest.


    ¡°A! So cute! Papa, what is it? Can I keep it?¡± Ellie¡¯s sudden exmation startled me, nearly making me drop the mana beast.


    ¡°Honey, you scared me! And, I¡¯m not sure if¡±¡ªjust then, the mana beast woke up and locked eyes with my daughter¡ª¡°it¡¯s a good idea...¡±


    My voice trailed off as both my daughter and the beast¡¯s eyes began glowing a faint gold. I sat still, witnessing what I could only a.s.sume to be the bonding process. I had yet to bond with a mana beast, but both Arthur and Ellie now have.


    I sighed to myself, bitterly acknowledging the fact that it would be better for my daughter to have a bond to protect her as the image of me riding atop a mighty bear mana beast into battle slowly crumbled.


    The glow subsided from both their eyes as a gold insignia imprinted itself onto my daughter¡¯s right cor bone.


    The bear-like mana beast stretched out its arms, as if wanting to be picked up by Ellie, and let out a soft whine.


    ¡°Hehe! I¡¯ll name you Boo,¡± my daughter giggled as she picked up the mana beast.


    ¡°B-Boo?¡± I sputtered, imagining the ferocious mana beast it¡¯ll grow up to be being called something so cute.


    ¡°Yup! Because the ck spots make him look like he¡¯s always mad! So, Boo!¡± she dered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go help out Grandma, Boo!¡± My daughter skipped off, just to stop and turn around. ¡°Oh, right! Papa, Mama is awake.¡±


    I immediately got out of my seat and made my way to the tent. Elder Rinia¡¯s tent was muchrger inside than it appeared to be from the outside. Quietly stepping into our room that was separated by another p, I smiled when I saw my wife sitting up.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± I gently asked, taking a seat next to her.


    ¡°How long have I been sleeping for?¡± she groaned, rubbing her temples.


    ¡°Only for a few hours.¡± I put my arm around her and pulled her close so she could rest her head on my shoulder.


    ¡°W-Where¡¯s Arthur? Is he... gone?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I held her tightly as she began trembling.


    ¡°Am I a terrible person, Rey?¡± she sniffed.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not. Why would you ask that?¡±


    ¡°I-I called Arthur sick. I didn¡¯t take him seriously when he told us his secret... I didn¡¯t want to take it seriously!¡± She looked up at me, the corner of her eyes filled with tears.


    ¡°That¡¯s normal. I wouldn¡¯t trust anyone who could easily ept what Arthur had told us,¡± I consoled, gently running my fingers through her hair.


    ¡°Then am I a terrible person for doubting whether Arthur is our son?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I wanted to tell her no, but how could I when I called myself terrible for thinking the exact same thing? The pain and hurt I¡¯ve been feeling ever since learning the truth about Arthur was from the selfish desires and dreams I ced on the child I called my son. Alice was the one who actually birthed Arthur. She went through the stress, difort and pain of pregnancy for nine months before enduring the agony ofbor. She nursed him, fed him, took care of him when he was sick and taught him the ways of this world. Now, everything she knew about the child turned out to be a lie...


    I bit my quivering lip, trying to keep silent.


    I needed to be the strong one...


    I needed to be the one that my wife could rely on...


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± my wife suddenly whispered. Her head was still leaning against my shoulder so I couldn¡¯t tell what sort of expression she had.


    ¡°You did nothing to be sorry about, Honey. We... we just need time to sort out our feelings. Arthur knew this, which was why he told us before he had to leave.¡±


    ¡°How long will he be gone for?¡± she asked. I might¡¯ve been hearing wrong, but my wife¡¯s voice sounded somewhat brusque as she asked.


    ¡°He said a few years,¡± I replied, expecting Alice to be surprised. Instead, she gave me a slight nod as she muttered, ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Alice, what¡¯s wrong?¡± I pulled my wife an arms length away, trying to get a better look at her face. Her eyes were dull, almost lifeless, as she refused to make eye contact with me.


    ¡°I wonder what our son would¡¯ve been like if Arthur hadn¡¯t taken over?¡± she mumbled looking at the ground.


    ¡°A-Alice... please don¡¯t say that. Don¡¯t ask something like that,¡± I said, my voiceing out in a sort of whimper.


    ¡°Would he have been courageous and outgoing like you? Or maybe he would¡¯ve been a bit more careful and shy like me...¡± she continued, tears rolling down her cheeks.


    ¡°H-Honey, don¡¯t. Just don¡¯t...¡± Tears began rolling down my face despite doing all I could to steady my voice. ¡°Arthur is... Arthur...¡±


    ¡°Arthur is what? Our son?¡± My wife met my eyes and I could see how desperate she was... how lost she was. ¡°If you haven¡¯t noticed, Rey, not once have we referred to Arthur as our son since we started talking!¡±


    I specifically remembered opening my mouth, trying to refute, but no argument came out; no sound, no words... only silence.


    I took a deep breath and wiped the tears off of my wife¡¯s face before speaking. ¡°Just as it is for you, It¡¯s hard for me to confidently call Arthur our son. Hopefully, that¡¯ll change the next time we see him, but Alice, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that we have considered him family for over thirteen years now. Weughed, we fought, we celebrated, we shed tears together. Isn¡¯t that what brought us close? Not the blood running through us, not who we once were in the past, but what we went through together?¡±


    Embracing my wife tightly, I continued talking. ¡°Remember when Arthur sacrificed his life for you in the mountains on our way to Xyrus? He did that expecting to die that day. You know very well he wouldn¡¯t have done something like that if he didn¡¯t consider you important. So don¡¯t dwell on the ¡®what if¡¯s and let¡¯s try to ept what¡¯s happening around us.¡±


    I could feel my wife trembling in my arms as she broke down and cried. I now remembered where I recognized that dull, lifeless look Alice had in her eyes. It was the same look she carried after we thought Arthur had died. It was her trying to escape reality.


    We sat there for a while in each other¡¯s arms until our tears ran dry and our sobs were reduced to soft whimpers.


    ¡°Alice, you¡¯re not a horrible person. Believe me, I¡¯ve thought worse than you. But it is going to take us time to wrap our heads around this...¡± My voice trailed off as I held my wife¡¯s face and gazed deeply, studying every detail of the woman I loved.


    ¡°S-stop staring. I must look disgusting right now,¡± she croaked, her voice hoa.r.s.e from crying.


    ¡°You¡¯re beautiful,¡± I stated while staring at her puffy red eyes and runny nose.


    My wife softly closed her eyes and leaned forward. I pressed my lips gently against hers when Ellie¡¯s voice rang just outside the tent.


    ¡°Mama! Are you feeling better now? Let me show you Boo!¡±


    ¡°Now now,e y with Grandma. Your parents are... resting, yes resting!¡± Elder Rinia¡¯s voice rang just outside the tent as well.


    ¡°Aww, okay. Come on, Boo. Let¡¯s y with Grandma!¡±


    Alice and I locked eyes in what felt like a long time and she finally smiled.


    ¡°What is this ¡®Boo¡¯ that Ellie is talking about?¡± my wife asked, raising a brow.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter.¡± Shooting her what I supposed to be a wink with my swollen eyes, I wiped another stray tear from her face and resumed where we had left off.

 Chapter 107

    Chapter 107


    Chapter 107: A Grudging Tolerance


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    I wasn¡¯t sure what I was expecting out of and inhabited by beings that were basically considered G.o.ds to us. For some reason, in my imagination, grand and fantasticalnds were always constructed out of gold, diamonds or some other precious material.


    In my old world, even the homes of the most influential figures were designed with the intention of practicality more than anything else. The most important figures were mostly warriors after all, and our tastes were rather simple. Things like furniture made from the hides of precious beasts were unnecessary and only sought after by the rich merchants and politicians whose sense of self-worth were directly proportional to their wealth.


    Thus, exiting from the golden column of light and stepping into the realm of asuras could only leave me wide-eyed and breathless.


    My mood was sour and I was still wallowing in regret over the recent decision I had made, but one nce at thend Sylvia and Windsom hade from was all it took for me to temporarily forget about my troubles and future hardships I would have to endure.


    It felt as if I had been transported to a different; a where it wasn¡¯t the inhabitants that had constructed the buildings and manors, but one where the earth andnd forged itself to be worthy enough to be resided in.


    The towering castle in front of us seemed to have been birthed from the earth itself as there were neither signs nor indications that it had been shaped or molded. Sophisticated designs and runes made from what looked like precious minerals covered the walls of the castle that stood high enough to be seen from kilometers away. The trees bent and tangled together in arches to create a corridor that led to the entrance atop a bridge, shimmering in an array of translucent colors.


    Peeling my eyes off the castle itself took a great effort, the iridescent bridge was no easier, but I was finally able to at least collect myself enough to take in my surroundings.


    Windsom had transported us on top of a mountain cluttered with trees that reminded me of cherry blossoms. The familiar trees were in full bloom, with shimmering pink petals that seemed to dance as they floated down to the ground. The vibrant bridge that stretched out in front of us led to another mountain of which the castle seemed to have been carved from. Evidently, the mountain was pretty high up as the clouds covered everything underneath the bridge, with two mountain peaks that stuck out like two inds in an ocean of hazy white.


    ¡°Wee to Epheotus, or more specifically, the Indrath n¡¯s castle.¡± Windsom walked towards the castle, stepping on the bridge of precious minerals that any mortal king would wage wars for, before ncing back and beckoning me to follow.


    Taking a deep breath, I trailed behind the asura, carefully cing my right foot on top of the incandescent surface of the bridge. The bridge was semi-translucent like stained .s.s.. As I stepped on the structure, a deep feeling of fear washed over me, which was a surprise since I have never had a fear of heights. It might¡¯ve been due to the fact that there were no supports holding up the bridge that easily spanned a couple hundred feet.


    ¡°Indrath n? You mean we¡¯re at the home of Sylvia¡¯s family?¡± I asked. I had decided to trust in the colorful bridge rather than imagine what would happen if it were to abruptly break. Walking alongside Windsom, we made our way towards the castle.


    ¡°Yes. Lord Indrath hadmanded that I bring you and Lady Sylvie to him upon arrival,¡± the asura replied. I found it amusing seeing the usually cool and aloof Windsom smoothing out the creases on his robe anxiously.


    ¡°Anyst tips before meeting this almighty lord of lords?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, even I do not know what to expect; this situation is rather peculiar after all,¡± he answered, tidying his hair.


    Letting out a sigh, I nced down at Sylvie sleeping in my arms. I was beginning to grow worried by how much she slept, the only thingforting me being her rhythmic breathing.


    The doors to the monstrous castle were just as proportionately terrifying. They were tall, not just to a thirteen-year-old boy, but tall enough to admit giants and... well... dragons.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t any guards or watchmen?¡± I asked, looking around the open doors.


    ¡°Of course there are. They were watching us while we were crossing over the bridge. Nowe, we shouldn¡¯t keep Lord Indrath waiting.¡±


    As I stepped off the bridge and into the castle, the feeling of angst went away, instead I was drenched in cold sweat at the realization that it wasn¡¯t the height of the bridge that had scared me but whoever, or whatever, had been watching me as we crossed it.


    The interior of the castle didn¡¯t disappoint as it was just as magnificently crafted as the outside. Ceilings were unnecessarily high with arches that looked to have been carved out of the mountain. The walls themselves were adorned with intricate detailing, as if they told a story. Yet, considering howrge the castle was, it was eerily quiet.


    ¡°This way. The Indrath n is waiting for you.¡± Windsom seemed to be on edge as he kept fixing some part of his attire while we walked.


    ¡°Wait, the entire n is waiting for us?¡±


    ¡°Yes, now please, let us hurry,¡± the asura sighed, as he went ahead of me into a particrly intimidating corridor.


    Again, shivers ran down my spine, but this time, I was able to see the source. At the end of the corridor, were two figures guarding the door. I wasn¡¯t able to make out much of their appearance as they were shrouded in darkness from the shadows cast by the corridor¡¯s lights. However, my instincts had already kicked in, desperately trying to convince me to run as far away as possible from these two shadowed figures.


    I was reminded of the time I was in front of the Elderwood Guardian, however, I had a feeling that in front of those guards, the S .s.s mana beast that I almost died to would only be cannon fodder.


    Windsom and I eventually approached them. Reaching the door, I was now able to discern the two guards¡¯ features. One was a female with an amiable expression on her face. She looked rather tomboyish with her green hair cut short to just underneath her ear, but the distinct curves noticeable below her light leather armor showed otherwise. The man next to her looked much fiercer, with sharp eyes and a scar that jaggedly cut crossed his cheek. The only visible weapon I noticed on either of them was a short dagger strapped to each of their waists.


    ¡°Elder Windsom. I see you finally brought the human boy,¡± the female guard grinned. The male guard stared at Sylvie and looked up at me in a studying gaze. ¡°Is it appropriate for a human child to be carrying the Princess?¡± he asked disapprovingly.


    ¡°Let it be, Signiz. They are bonded,¡± Windsom dismissed. ¡°Now... are you guys going to let us in or not?¡±


    The two guards looked at each other briefly before giving Windsom a brief nod. As the two of them faced the door, the aura they emitted increased significantly, enough for it to be nearly palpable. Only a few seconds had pa.s.sed but beads of cold sweat rolled down my face as my breathing became shallow and jagged.


    The two guards each held onto one of the door handles and pulled it open. I could only imagine how heavy it was since the two guards were struggling to pry it apart. Finally, with a loud ck, the towering door slid open, revealing what I a.s.sumed to be the Great Hall... and staring right at me, seated on a zing white throne, was a man who looked to be no older than twenty.


    Windsom immediately stepped past me into the room and kneeled.


    ¡°My Lord,¡± the asura addressed, bowing his head. Lord Indrath wasn¡¯t what I had expected him to be like in the least. He had a cool, almost mellow feel to him, sporting a silvery cream-colored hair that was neither long nor short. He would be considered an attractive man by any means, but he wasn¡¯t exceptionally stunning either. I couldn¡¯t really tell what his build was underneath his white robe but he didn¡¯t look particrly robust. His eyes reminded me too much of Sylvia for myfort, but while Sylvia¡¯s eyes were stillpa.s.sionate, his were hard. Lord Indrath¡¯s eyes were purple as well, but even from here, I could see the colors change shades.


    Realizing that I had been staring for far too long, I followed suit and kneeled as well. While my head was down, though, I couldn¡¯t help but peek around the room. Standing to the side of the great hall were figures of all ages and sizes staring at me, some disdainful like the prior male guard, while others with simple curiosity.


    Each of the figures that were standing around Windsom and I emanated auras that would make even the most powerful mages in Dicathen faint and froth in the mouth, yet, the man seated on the throne that burned in a shimmering white fire emitted none. Even after trying to consciously sense him, I couldn¡¯t even feel his presence. Even with the fact that I was able to see him, I had trouble believing he actually existed if my eyes weren¡¯t directly focused on him.


    ¡°Stand.¡± His voice soft and silvery, yet sharp like a knife in a way that it was both gentle and imposing. Rising to our feet, we walked towards the throne, with Sylvie still in my arms. I could feel the eyes of everyone following me, judging my every movement. I was reminded of when I was still an orphan fetching groceries for our house at a nearby market. It felt much like how the adults looked at me then, the res and tant disgust as if I was some sort of disease that they needed to avoid.


    Seconds slowly ticked by as we waited for the man on the throne to speak, yet he only stared wordlessly at me and Sylvie with an expression I couldn¡¯t interpret.


    My eyes hadn¡¯t left Lord Indrath as he had been studying me so when I felt Sylvie in my arms suddenly disappear and reappear in his arms, my immediate reaction was a clumsy and baffled astonishment.


    ¡°What the?!¡± I spouted. I reflexively tried to reach out for my bond until Windsom ced his hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°What. Am I not allowed to hold my own granddaughter?¡± Lord Indrath retorted, holding Sylvie in one hand. Lifting her up so he was eye-level, Lord Indrath turned her around while inspecting every angle of my sleeping bond.


    ¡°I see you have done nothing to train her. Her mana levels are insultingly low, and by how she¡¯s in a hibernating state right now, it seemed that you had strained her.¡± Lord Indrath¡¯s eyes narrowed and pierced through me, only my pride keeping me from taking a step back.


    ¡°My apologies, My Lord. I should have trained Lady Sylvie while I was in Dicathen. If it is to your liking, I can start her training now as well.¡± To my surprise, Windsom had defended me, bowing once again in front of the creamy-haired man on the throne.


    ¡°No need. I will personally look after... Sylvie,¡± Lord Indrath dismissed, shaking his head. With that, a wave of surprised gasps and soft murmurs filled the great hall as the other members of the Indrath n whispered to one another excitedly.


    cing a finger gently between Sylvie¡¯s eyes, Lord Indrath mouthed something inaudibly. His eyes glowed, and suddenly Sylvie jolted awake, her eyes glimmering in the same shade of purple as her grandfather¡¯s.


    ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡®Papa? Where am I?¡¯


    The nostalgic voice that I hadn¡¯t heard in days filled my head. Sylvie was obviously confused by the unfamiliar scene and by the fact that a man she had never seen was holding her so intimately.


    ¡®We¡¯vee a bit far away, Sylv. How are you feeling?¡¯ I transmitted back, a smile forming on my face.


    ¡®Sleepy~ Can I go back to sleep, Papa?¡¯ I could see Sylvie¡¯s eyes struggling to stay open as she blinked wearily before fully closing.


    ¡°Lord Indrath. Win... Elder Windsom had already exined to me what is needed of me, but he has yet to fill me in on why exactly I was to be brought here. If it is simply for training purposes, isn¡¯t some remote dungeon in Dicathen a suitable ce?¡± I asked, impatiently waiting for him to hand me back my bond.


    ¡°I have deemed you a necessary piece that will help us against Agrona and his army. I take it that you have already understood the mutual benefit in winning the approaching war, yes? Having said that, it will be the most beneficial to have several specialists to help Windsom in training you during your stay here. Think of it as an honor since only the most talented of the younger generations would get the training that you will get.¡±


    ¡°How will you know when the war will be approaching? How much time do we even have?¡± There were way too many uncertainties for me to be able tofortably train.


    ¡°That is for me to worry about. Focus on your training and I will notify Windsom when it is time for you to go back to your homnd. That is all,¡± Lord Indrath replied, signaling to Windsom to take me away.


    ¡°Wait, what about Sylvie?¡±


    ¡°She will stay with me until her training is over,¡± he said matter-of-factly.


    ¡°What? How long will that take? I won¡¯t be able to see her until then?¡±


    Lord Indrath¡¯s brow twitched impatiently as he simply shooed us away with his hand. Before I could respond, Windsom squeezed my arm tightly, dragging me out of the great hall.


    After pa.s.sing the two guards I angrily shook my hand out of Windsom¡¯s grasp. ¡°What was even the point of that meeting? I went in there to have Sylvie s.n.a.t.c.hed away and be looked down on by all of the Indrath n? That was humiliating!¡±


    Letting out a sigh, Windsom replied, ¡°The rtionship between you and the asuras is very peculiar and could only be summed up as... let¡¯s say... a grudging tolerance. The very fact that we have no choice but to rely on a lesser being is a wound on our pride. Do not worry, both you and Lady Sylvie will not be mistreated. Like Lord Indrath had mentioned, you are important to us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure he said ¡®necessary piece¡¯,¡± I scoffed, stepping back onto the bridge we previously crossed.


    Windsom¡¯s lips curled into a faint smile. ¡°Come, there are some people I want you to meet.¡±

 Chapter 108

    Chapter 108


    Chapter 108: Ones Closest To G.o.ds


    ¡°No! I said left foot out at a forty-degree angle. Your center of gravity should be aligned with your right heel since that is your pivot foot, do you understand, stray?¡± The instructor had just cracked his whip to get me in proper position as he went around the .s.s.


    Gritting my teeth, I silently obeyed, adjusting my left foot toply with my instructor¡¯s wed technique. If I hadn¡¯t, it would only mean a dy in whatever sc.r.a.ps of dinner we were given since we weren¡¯t to be fed until everyone had perfectly gone through the stances and forms from the day¡¯s lessons.


    Days at this ¡°inst.i.tution¡± had consisted of eight hourbat training, which I found somewhat wed, then meditation to nurture our ki centers for around ten hours after. The remaining six hours were split amongst eating, washing and sleeping. Students whose centers had developed enough to learn ki techniques were separated from the rest of the group and ced into specialty .s.ses depending on their apt.i.tudes.


    Those that were not able to awaken their ki centers were to be ¡°relocated¡±, of which I hadter realised that it really meant ¡®to be disposed of¡¯. For me, I had followed the instructor¡¯s training regimen to the bone for the allotted eight hours. During the time given for meditation, I would sleep for the remaining two hours after actually only meditating for the first eight, using the time we were given to sleep to unlearn all of the garbage that the instructors had regarded as martial art and train in my own techniques.


    The only useful information that the instructors had taught us were the vital spots in a human; the weak points. Their techniques were a brutish, senseless way of trying inflict damage to those points without any regard to how the opponent might react. They taught in a way where, as long as one follows the proper steps, the user will reach their target and inflict pain on him or her. Like I said... senseless.


    I hid the fact that my ki center had been cultivated enough to learn ki techniques for as long as possible sinceI knew that once I advanced to the higher level .s.ses, it would give me less time for me to train on my own. My one stroke of luck at that time, I admit, had been stumbling upon a ki technique book for hiding the user¡¯s presence. I had engulfed the words in that book like it was fresh water in a barren desert. The technique manual was a low grade one, but I had practiced the technique to such a degree that it provided me with the ability to sneak into the library where they held all of the ki techniques.


    Now that I think back, I probably wasn¡¯t that tall in my previous life due to the fact that I had only slept for eight to ten hours a week because of how much time I had spent reading and practicing the techniques. I knew it would¡¯ve been useless for me to try and learn all of the techniques, so I had narrowed it down and studied only the ki arts that would most benefit me in the long run.


    I¡¯ve realized that, while the library had been secured, it wasn¡¯t really heavily guarded; the reason being that, even if a student were to have trespa.s.sed inside, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to figure out on their own how to learn the techniques. Much like the manual I had stumbled upon for hiding the user¡¯s presence, the other ki technique manuals had been filled with terms and jargon that no orphaned child or teenager would¡¯ve known.


    That means, all I had to go off on to learn the techniques were the crudely drawn pictures that showed the necessary steps in learning and using the ki art.


    It didn¡¯t strike me then, but reflecting back on it now, it would¡¯ve been easy to discern that I was nothing short of being a prodigy. Just by studying the pictures of the man (I¡¯ll name the man Joe.) demonstrating the steps for the ki art, I was able to grasp how the ki was supposed to flow inside my body to properly execute the technique.


    The first ki art I had learned after breaking into the library was a series of ki enhanced footwork techniques that I had practiced until the soles of my feet almost showed my bones. The technique looked like a tap dance sequence without proper ki flow, but once I had managed to input the proper flow of ki into the appropriate appendages at the appropriate time, I was able to evade, reposition, sneak behind, basically teleport within a limited range.


    I still remember using that ki art, the technique I mastered and fine-tuned to make it even better, to defeat the same instructor that had whipped me so many times for no good reason.


    The look on his face when I had my wooden sword pressed against his sweating neck, I can still vividly recall. His wide, astonished eyes shaking as his mouth hung agape trying to string together words to form a petty and convenient excuse that would allow him to save some face.


    Even as I was on the road to be King, the foot technique that I had mastered and made my own left me with nicknames like Untouchable, G.o.dSpeed, Mirage, etc.


    However, when I hade to this world, there was little use for it once my mana core advanced enough. I was hardly within range to use the technique that I had once relied so heavily on and it seemed so much simpler to just conjure a wall to block whatever projectile was hurled towards me. With mana being so abundant and all, I had never needed to regte and control my mana output.


    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Present


    It¡¯s amusing how the human brain recalls moments of the past. All the memories that the person wishes to forget is somehow ingrained even deeper into the hippocampus.


    This seemingly ancient memory of my previous childhood times had been suddenly evoked as if my life shed before my eyes just as a simple low sweep from my opponent¡¯s kick shattered both of my legs simultaneously. As I copsed onto the ground, I failed to dodge another sharp jab that dislocated my right shoulder. I was all but defenseless as I shifted nces between the man who had overwhelmed me to such an enormous degree and my severed left arm that he had in his hand.


    Windsom had told me that the pain felt in this domain was greatly diminished. If that was truly the case, how much more agonizing would these wounds be if It actually happened to me?


    The one responsible for my current mortal injuries approached me with a mixed expression, giving me a terse nod as he snapped his fingers. ¡°Enough,¡± he said as the world faded into ck. And, like that, I was awake again with all of my limbs attached and unbroken.


    I immediately crumpled to all fours and hurled the remainder of myst meal as I heaved for breath. My vomit immediately dissipated in the small sapphire pond I had been meditating in. I wasn¡¯t sure if I was wet because of the magical liquid that I was surrounded in or because of the profuse amount of sweat and grime that I had discharged from the stress.


    ¡°No, let me continue,¡± I managed to choke out in between gasps.


    ¡°The human boy has admirable willpower. How much time has pa.s.sed, Windsom?¡± the same deep and controlled voice as the one that had broken most of the 206 bones in my body asked calmly.


    ¡°About five minutes have pa.s.sed out here,¡± Windsom said tersely.


    ¡°So roughly an hour has pa.s.sed for us in there.¡± The lean man with a shaved head remarked in a way that was neither disappointed nor proud, just matter-of-factly. I regarded the two asuras¡¯ conversation with a weary curiosity while wiping vomit off of my lips.


    ¡°Again,¡± I demanded desperately, sitting back up in the meditative posture Windsom had taught me in the middle of this sacred pool.


    The shaved-headed asura nodded approvingly and sat down facing me in the exact same position as I was in and traded nces with Windsom, signaling him to start.


    Once again, the glowing sapphire liquid rose up around us and enveloped the asura in front of me and myself. I was soon engulfed in the familiar scorching sensation that had overwhelmed me thest few dozen times we did this, and again, my vision had darkened as I waited anxiously for myself and the asura to reappear in the h.e.l.l that is the mental training facility where I had just been killed


    My thoughts slowly trailed back a few hours before all of this, when we had just left the Indrath n¡¯s castle.


    Upset would be a mild way of describing my state of mind after Lord Indrath had decided that I wasn¡¯t fit to see or evenmunicate with my own bond during the period of our stay. He made it explicitly clear that my presence would hinder the progress of Sylvie¡¯s recovery and training.


    It was on odd feeling being separated so entirely from Sylvie. Usually, even when my bond was sleeping, I would still feel her presence. Suddenly having that yanked away again just like that time in the Widow¡¯s Crypt dungeon made me feel empty, almost as if a limb had been pulled off.


    ¡°Come, there are some people I want you to meet,¡± the asura paused and then went on. ¡°Well, just one person specifically I want you to meet, for now.¡±


    Even after crossing the bridge, Windsom did little to exin the location of our training grounds, keeping mostly silent as we scaled down the steep mountain. As we climbed down, the atmosphere drastically changed. Color was lost as we were surrounded by a dreary canvas of grey stones and rotten woods. The sea of clouds that seemed so far down was now just above us, and it seemed that theyer of haze was the border between heaven and what felt like purgatory.


    We must¡¯ve intentionally trekked down the steepest side of the mountain since we were vertically climbing down most of the time. Windsom had vaguely exined to me how the use of mana arts to venture down was forbidden; something to do with tradition and being worthy. Because of this tradition, the journey that would have taken us minutes elongated into hours.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Windsom announced evenly with no sign of fatigue inside this zone of increased pressure and low air density. He was staring intently at a dead root that jutted out of the crevice between two stones.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to train here?¡± I muttered in between breaths, staring at the insignificant root that Windsom seemed so fixated on.


    ¡°Hold on to my hand,¡± he replied, ignoring my question as he reached out towards me.


    As soon as I had a grip on his hand, the asura yanked me towards him, swinging me towards where the root was stuck. Before I even had the time to yell out in surprise, however, the scene changed and I was in some sort of small cave, the same cave that I was in now.


    Windsom appeared behind me shortly after, and took the lead, heading towards the glowing pool that I had been staring at.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Kordri,¡± Windsom suddenly greeted to no one in particr.


    ¡°It is nice seeing you as well, Elder Windsom. And you must be the human, Arthur Leywin, correct?¡± Just then, a figure that I could swear was not there before was suddenly right in front of us. It was the same shaven and lean asura that had sat down in front of me just now.


    This man was by no means distinguishable or remarkable in any way. He reminded me much of a monk; someone who had chosen to let go of the worldly ways, except he wasn¡¯t dressed in a robe but a light, tight-fitting tunic. The only unique feature he had was his four hazel eyes, but even that fact seemed to be somehow in. Every one of his four eyes exuded a calm wisdom that differed from Lord Indrath¡¯s silently terrifying gaze.


    ¡°Yes, nice to meet you,¡± I replied after quickly regaining myposure.


    ¡°Arthur, this is my close friend, Kordri. He is of the Thyestes n of the Pantheon asura race just like Aldir, who you met back at the floating castle in Dicathen,¡± Windsom introduced. He had taught me about the eight asura races and the affiliated Great ns. The Pantheon race was the only race of asura that was versed in what I coined as neutral-type mana art.


    The Basilisk race, the race that the Vritra n was from, was the only race that was capable of decay-type mana art. The remaining six asura races, including the Dragon race that Lord Indrath, Sylvia, and Windsom are a part of, hold distinct creation-type mana art.


    While the Dragon race are feared for the aether mana art that is so unique and mysterious, it is still considered creation-type. Of course the asuras¡¯ terms for creation, neutral, and decay type mana arts differ for each race but I just standardized it for my own sanity.


    There was no time for us to go over what the special qualities each race held since that was when we had arrived to Elder Rinia¡¯s home, but I had a feeling that I would be learning itter on.


    ¡°Has Lord Indrath truly granted you the aether orb?¡± Kordri¡¯s even voice snapped me out of my train of thought as he looked anxiously at Windsom.


    ¡°Yes, it is right here.¡± Windsom then took out a sphere shaped object the size of his palm, revealing it to Kordri.


    ¡°Lord Indrath is truly investing much into this human,¡± he sighed, admiring the orb.


    Windsom looked back to meet my eyes, giving me a ¡°I told you so¡± gaze before turning back.


    ¡°Arthur,e and sit here with us. I¡¯ll exin to you how your training will begin.¡± Kordri motioned for me with his hand as he sat down.


    ¡°Windsom spected that it would be best for your training to start with me instead of of him because of a few reasons. First, your body and mana core are not nearly strong enough to handle the sort of training that even young asuras are capable of. If resources were not readily avable at our disposal, it would take you at least a few decades in order for you to physically absorb anything taught by us.¡± The asura named Kordri looked at the orb in Windsom¡¯s hand before continuing. ¡°Fortunately, we have the aether orb.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is this aether orb?¡± I knew he was expecting me to ask this.


    ¡°Arthur, you may not know this, but the Dragon race is regarded as the asura race deemed closest to being G.o.ds. Yes, actual G.o.ds. The reason being is the fact that we hold the ability to manipte aether. Aether is a material, that flows throughout the entire universe. As you know from receiving Lady Sylvia¡¯s will, aether contains the power to manipte even time and s.p.a.ce itself, as you recently experienced from Lord Indrath. Much of the possibilities of aether remain iprehensible to even the Indrath n, but one artifact that has remained in our possession since the beginning of our n history is the aether orb. The aether orb is a treasure that had allowed our n to gain glimpses of the power that aether holds. One being the ability to separate the body from the soul.¡± Windsom regarded the orb with an almost reverence as he tenderly held onto it.


    ¡°The orb also has the power to manipte time. With these two abilities that the aether orb holds, it will be possible to train you at a rate and efficiency that should be impossible otherwise. Because of the close rtionship that the Thyestes n and Indrath n has, Lord Indrath had at one point gifted us with the temporary usage of this treasure,¡± Kordri continued for Windsom.


    ¡°Remember me telling you that Lord Indrath has ced a significant amount of resources into making sure you will be ready for the uing battles? Along with the orb, Lord Indrath has allowed us to use his exclusive training grounds. The aether-rich liquid inside that pond will help elerate your training and heal wounds that you will incur throughout this process. Kordri here is a talented and highly respected teacher in the Thyestes n. He will be responsible for the first portion of the training.¡± Windsom gave Kordri a stern nod as the two of them stood back up.


    ¡°So what exactly will we be doing for the first portion of the training?¡± I asked, almost timidly.


    Windsom replied, his voice sounding almost devious.¡°You will be fighting against Kordri in a soul state, and you will be dying. Over and over again.¡±

 Chapter 109

    Chapter 109


    Chapter 109: Snail¡¯s Pace


    ¡°Trust in your body, Arthur. As long as you are able, your body will be the only thing that will not fail you.¡± As Kordri¡¯s words rang softly in my ears, a piercing pain had forced my eyes open as I looked down to see Kordri¡¯s hand jutted out of my chest, unbloodied.


    ¡°Dammit.¡± As the word left my tongue, the all too familiar sensation of being sucked out of the soul realm, once again, overwhelmed me.


    As soon as I awoke back in the cave, my hands shot to my chest, prodding for a hole that wasn¡¯t there.


    I fell to my back in the shallow pool. ¡°How long this time, Windsom?¡±


    ¡°Two minutes,¡± he replied. ¡°Arthur, the more you are forced out of the soul realm, the more time is wasted in your training. Even if an hour out here equates to about roughly twelve in there, it will not be enough if you are expelled every few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t me me, me your friend that is killing me once every those few minutes,¡± I groaned. It was impossible to get used to the sensation of dying. Even if my physical body wasn¡¯t getting injured, the trauma-inducing stress on my mind would be enough to make even veteran fighters go insane.


    I¡¯m not exactly sure what the two asuras were thinking, putting a teen through this sort of nightmarish training.


    ¡°I am doing only what you are able to handle,¡± Kordri responded, almost as if reading my mind. ¡°The child is resilient, though. It makes me curious why that is. Even young asuras who don¡¯t die nearly as often as you do have a hard time coping with the stress.¡±


    If I had to guess, it was probably due to the fact that my mental strength was abination of two lives, but even with that, this training was beginning to take a toll on me.


    Windsom nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°Even I grew worried at first by the number of times Arthur had been expelled from the soul realm due to deaths.¡±


    ¡°Well, time to get training again. Are you ready, Kordri?¡± I gave my body onest stretch before sitting back up.


    Letting out an amused chuckle, he gave me a nod. ¡°I will always be ready, Greenhorn.¡±


    ¡°Remember, Arthur, while you are training in the soul realm, your physical body will also be refining your mana core. The longer you are able tost in the soul realm, the faster your cultivation will go. Don¡¯t overexert yourself; it has only been a week into your training. We still have some leeway, but not if you take on more than you can handle,¡± Windsom cautioned as he activated the Aether Orb.


    Kordri and I were, once again, in the same gra.s.sy field that expanded endlessly into the horizon. It¡¯s been eight days since I had started this tortu¡ªtraining. Since one hour outside equates to twelve in here, that means a full twenty-four hours out there trantes to twelve days in here. Even counting the time spent out in the physical realm eating, sleeping and resting after dying too many times in the soul realm, I have spent over a few months in this gra.s.nd training with the even-tempered and patient monk, Kordri.


    ¡°I can tell you are well-versed in physicalbat, Arthur, but you have be overly reliant on the usage of mana arts, or what you lesser races call magic. By my guess, you are much more ustomed to shorter battles and duels. Proper conservation and distribution of mana was never a priority, right?¡± Kordri spected.


    ¡°More or less. I¡¯m only thirteen, remember?¡± I countered innocently.


    ¡°Sure.¡± The asura shrugged, shooting me a look that told me he didn¡¯t buy it. ¡°You are only human, meaning you are bound by the limitations that follow. You are a long way from reaching white-core stage let alone the integration stage. Because of that, my job is to train your body. After all, the less mana you expend on protecting yourself, the more leeway you have in other areas of use. Now let us begin, I¡¯ve wasted enough time with my rambling.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± I answered, getting into a defensive stance. Kordri¡¯s figure vanished and reappeared arms length in front of me.


    The first time I hade to the soul realm for training, I was killed in the first blow, unable to even react. Even when I wasn¡¯t killed, I jolted awake at the slightest blow because my soul wasn¡¯t used to taking on injuries. The second, third, fourth, all the way up to the twenty-eighth time, I had been thrown out of the soul realm in the first hit. But on the twenty-ninth time, I was able to dodge, just barely... well... enough to persist until the second hit. Residing and training in the soul realm was difficult, to say the least. Only after a few weeks of dying in the soul realm was I able tost long enough to actually call it training.


    Kordri followed up his left jab to my neck with a right elbow to my sternum. It was only when we fought that I was reminded of how terrifying Kordri was. His meek temperament disappeared, reced by a cold, ruthless warrior capable of killing me over a hundred times in the span of a few seconds.


    The asura¡¯s limbs seemingly vanished due to the high speed in which they were moving. The only reason I was able to dodge was because Kordri¡¯s attack pattern was always the same. Of course this was done on purpose; the asura had explicitly told me the ch.o.r.eography of his strikes, never once deviating from that since the beginning of our training. It was pathetic that I was barely able to dodge an attack that I already knew wasing, but that was the difference between us.


    Beads of sweat flew off my face and body as I was scantily able to keep up with Kordri¡¯s onught. Seconds melded together increasingly slower to form minutes as my sense of time dulled. Desperation was evident as I progressively made more mistakes the longer we fought. I had yet tond a single blow on him since the beginning of the training. In the months I spent fighting Kordri, all my strikes had met with thin air.


    ¡°Good! you are keeping up longer than usual. Do not get sloppy, Arthur. Remain patient and bide for time if you do not see an opening,¡± the asura shouted as he simultaneously continued striking and easily dodging all of my feeble attempts tond a hit.


    I made a blunder at that moment. Kordri¡¯s sequence of attacks were strategically ced so that if I didn¡¯t dodge it by just a hair¡¯s breadth, I wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid the next attack.


    While I did dodge his spinning elbow, my movement had been toorge. I was instantly met with a low sweep that I couldn¡¯t avoid due to leaning too far back to dodge his previous blow.


    I chose to give up my left foot in response, knowing I wouldn¡¯t be able topletely dodge the sweep. As expected, the crunching blow shattered my left ankle but I continued dodging.


    Even in here, where I knew it wasn¡¯t real, I didn¡¯t want to die.


    ¡°Sloppy, but nice follow up. Do not grow desperate and stay levelheaded,¡± he repeated, executing his next blow.


    Even with my broken ankle, I was able to somehow dodge more of Kordri¡¯s restrained attacks until he did something he hadn¡¯t done before.


    I was expecting a forward knee to my stomach like he had always done after a right strike, but instead, he shifted his body to perform a roundhouse kick.


    I wasn¡¯t able to dodge his left leg but I was able to keep myself from dying instantly. Instead of his kick snapping my neck, it had connected squarely with my jaw.


    The world tumbled around me as I felt myself skipping like a t rock on ake¡¯s surface before tumbling to a painful stop on a bed of particrly tall gra.s.s.


    I wasn¡¯t able to talk due to the bottom half of my face beingpletely mutted and it took most of my mental capacity to suppress the excruciating pain, but that didn¡¯t stop me from good-naturedly extending a middle finger at my mentor.


    Responding with a smirk, he helped me up. ¡°You managed to not get yourself killed,¡± he said, seemingly impressed. ¡°Rest until your soul state is healed.¡±


    Even as he said this, I could already feel my body, or my soul state, recovering. The broken fragments of my bones fused together as torn muscle fibers, tendons, and ligaments reattached themselves. While people who haven¡¯t experienced such a sensation might think that the act of healing so fast would beforting or soothing, it was actually just as painful, if not more, than the injury caused.


    I kept telling myself that experiencing agony like this will be usefulter on, hoping it would get me through this torture every time we trained, but I was on the verge of breaking.


    It had barely been over a week, yet, because of the time distortion in this world, to me, months have pa.s.sed. My progress as a mage had always been unrivaled, so training here like this, where my biggest achievement in these past few months had been staying alive for longer than five minutes against someone purposely restraining himself, I couldn¡¯t help but be frustrated and impatient.


    ¡°We should take a break frombat training for a while.¡± Kordri¡¯s sudden statement took me by surprise. Seeing as he specialized in hand-to-handbat, I wasn¡¯t sure what else he would be teaching me.


    ¡°What do you mean? Am I not learning fast enough?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. Actually, your ability to grasp andprehend is frightening, coupled with your stubbornness, it is no wonder that your potential as a mage is beyond anyone else¡¯s. However, because of that stubbornness of yours, I¡¯m afraid you are going to unwittingly break down if we keep going at the current pace,¡± my trainer answered as he sat down.


    ¡°Break? I thought the realm inside the Aether Orb wouldn¡¯t allow me to die? And besides, with the regeneration speed of my soul state, as long as you don¡¯t kill me instantly, I should be okay, right?¡±


    The four-eyed asura lifted his gaze and regarded me sternly. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about damaging your body, Arthur. I¡¯m talking about injuring you here,¡± he said, tapping his head.


    ¡°So hurting me psychologically?¡± Perhaps it was the same stubbornness that Kordri had just talked about or ayer of pride that had made me ignorant of this possibility, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to agree with him.


    ¡°Arthur. You are constantly experiencing death while training here with me on a daily basis. More so than that, death has no longer be the endpoint but the precursor for a level of pain that even asuras can find daunting.¡± Kordri got up from the ground as he exined. ¡°Even if it won¡¯t damage your body, that kind of trauma will start to get in the way of producing the sort of fighter I am trying to train you to be. When we¡¯re talking about this level of pain, too much of it and your body will instinctively try to save itself, regardless of whether you want it to or not. Just enough pain, and it will be your most reliable sword and shield.¡±


    I thought about my trainer¡¯s words for a moment and understood where he wasing from. However, I thought of myself as an exception, having lived through two lives. Call it arrogant, but I felt like I could take it. ¡°Honestly, Kordri, I¡¯m fine, we don¡¯t n¡ª¡±


    I didn¡¯t even have time to consciously process what had happened. One moment, we were talking, the next moment, an overwhelming sense of dread crashed down on me like a tsunami. The next thing I knew, I was several meters away from the asura with Dragon¡¯s Bad, my sword, held tightly in my grasp. My eyes focused back on Kordri, only to see the asura with a flower in his hand.


    He didn¡¯t say anything... he didn¡¯t need to.


    Just as I let my guard down, Kordri¡¯s figure flickered and vanished, and without even a trace of presence or intent, a searing pain made me look down.


    My mentor¡¯s hand had, once again, pierced straight through my chest. As I tried to pull myself away from him, I fell down.


    The asura withdrew his hand and kneeled down to be level with me. Giving me a gentle smile, he continued, ¡°Even the G.o.ds may not know what sort of life you had truly led, but it is because of your past experiences that this could happen. You trust too deeply in your instinct, Arthur, and while it is a useful tool, it should not be relied on wholeheartedly. Small steps, Arthur. You have much to be taught, but much to unlearn as well.¡±


    As he ruffled my hair, I thought again of the time I was in the inst.i.tution during my past life as an orphan; the times I had to teach myself from little useful information and tools I could gather. I realized that, for the first time in both lives, I have finally gained an actual mentor. A mentor wise and powerful enough that I can, even with my unique past and monstrous potential, be a student hungry to learn.


    ¡°Do you understand, Arthur?¡± Kordri asked as he got up and extended his hand.


    ¡°You bet.¡± I epted his hand and pulled myself back to my feet. My body still trembled, but whether it was from the lethal wound in my chest, the excitement of my future prospects or the antic.i.p.ation from being under skilled mentors; I had a feeling it was a mixture of all three...

 Chapter 110

    Chapter 110


    Chapter 110: The Lost Art


    He was a monster... a true predator.


    That was the only thing that came to mind when he released the shackles he put on himself for my safety; when he released that petrifying pressure.


    The paralyzing fear slowly spread through my body like a snake¡¯s deadly venom. I clenched my sweaty hands, tightening the hold on my sword. The soft des of gra.s.s rippled, swaying leisurely because of my trembling feet. The muscles in my legs continuously twitched, fighting the impulse to whirl around and sprint away. Salty blood filled my mouth as I bit down on my bottom lip. Holding my de up, I approached the thickening aura emitting from my teacher.


    A burning fire in the form of sweat stung my azure eyes, but I dared not to blink. Slowly, painfully, my brain sent signals, picking up my feet, and moving them in a cautious, but steady gait as I walked into the manifestation of fear itself.


    ¡°I¡¯ming, Arthur. Prepare yourself!¡± the voice rang clearly within the cloud of menacing air.


    I forced my tightened jaw to rx and let out a barbaric roar despite alreadycking the air to breathe, dispelling some of the chilling fear gripping my insides. ¡°d.a.m.n it all!¡±


    The teal de in my hands dulled as I drew near Kordri, as if even my sword was afraid. But I kept walking, each step feeling as if I was trying to wade across a pool of undried cement.


    Finally within range of my de, I cleaved down, hoping to end this in one strike. Of course, it didn¡¯t. Kordri parried Dawn¡¯s Bad like it was a foam stick, creating an arc with his de as well. Just as my sword was about to hit the ground, I used the momentum to spin myself, whirling my de back around at Kordri¡¯s knees.


    Another failed attempt.


    Kordri¡¯s short sword easily blocked mine, stopping it just short of his leg. Knocking Dawn¡¯s Bad away, my teacher threw a swift kick at my face. I could hear the sharp whistle of air as I dodged in time to bring my sword back up to an upward swipe.


    Kordri turned his face to the side so my de whizzed harmlessly by his ear.


    ¡°Your movements are getting better, even with my aura¡¯s suppression,¡± my instructormended. I knew he was justplimenting me, but seeing him have the leisure to talk while dodging came off as annoyingly smug.


    It was bing harder to breathe as I realized I was almost at my limit. One more desperate lunge toward Kordri was all I could manage before Dawn¡¯s Bad fell to the ground, my hands unable to hold onto it any longer. I fell to my knees, my legs giving out soon after, and I was left choking for air inside the confines of this h.e.l.lish aura.


    ¡°Not bad.¡± As Kordri¡¯s voice reached my ears the pressure disappeared. Without the suffocating aura affecting me, my body desperately sucked in air.


    Over a month had pa.s.sed in the outside world which meant about a year has pa.s.sed in here. A year of continuous, torturous training with Kordri¡¯s short lectures being the only breaks I had.


    Over the course of the month that had actually pa.s.sed, I have had no contact with Sylvie. The number of times I have been dying and forced out of the soul realm have drastically reduced. The liquid that surrounded my body and Kordri¡¯s put us into a mockatose state, even supplying us with the nutrients needed to stay healthy.


    Thest time we had left the soul realm was about four months in here, which tranted to a little short of two weeks outside.


    Kordri had kept me busy, but even then, I couldn¡¯t help but long for my family and friends. There were so many matters that I felt like I had put off, continuously filling me with regret upon recollection. Elijah had been taken away to who-knows-where and I wasn¡¯t even sure if he was still alive. I also don¡¯t know whether Tessia had awoken, moreover, had left my family on such bad terms...


    I knew that training right now was the best thing to do, but it ate away at me whenever I thought about it. It didn¡¯t help that, during the year I was in here for, the only thing I had to show for it was being able to endure Kordri¡¯s killing intent, or ¡°King¡¯s Force¡± as he called it, long enough to have a short exchange before plopping to the ground like a dead fish.


    ¡°H-How... How long... did Ist?¡± I breathed out, finally able to form words as I rolled onto my back.


    ¡°You¡¯re improving,¡± he replied, dodging my question.


    I sat up, turning around to face him as I continued to catch my breath. ¡°Not long enough, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t dwell on the seconds. We are not seeking a specific duration, understand?¡± He said sternly, more a statement than a question.


    ¡°Now, again, but this time, no weapons.¡±


    ¡°Again?¡± I let out a sigh, picking up my trusted de and sheathing it.


    Kordri tossed his own sword onto the gra.s.s before exining, ¡°I know you prefer swordfighting, and I have to say that your de, Dawn¡¯s Bad, is a fine partner to have, but as a mage, hand-to-handbat continues to be the most versatile and adaptive form of fighting. If you have the patience to learn, that is.¡±


    ¡°Once I have drawn out the maximum potential of your human body, my role as your teacher will beplete. For the sake of theing war, I will mold your bones, develop your muscles, and train your mind to its limits so that you will be the knight that protects your continent and your loved ones,¡± Kordri continued, putting some distance between us. ¡°It is obvious that you have had training in meleebat, much more than a normal child. However, like I have said before, your fighting style is more suited for dueling against a single opponent.¡±


    I nodded in agreement. In my previous life, a majority of my fights were in the form of duels since that was the custom there. Wars were rarely held, and even if they were, Kings were not to directly partake in them. After all, our lives were too valuable to risk.


    ¡°Since asuras are not allowed to partake in this war, their descendents, the mixed-bloods, will be their strongest forces. Your primary duty in this uing war will be to take care of those mutts that the Vritra n will send as generals or as special teams. You are incredibly strong, Arthur, but so are they, and do not think that they¡¯ll line up and take turns fighting you. Expect to be put in a situation where you will be surrounded by enemies with asura blood coursing through them,¡± Kordri affirmed as he calmly circled around me with his hands behind his back. ¡°Of course, unlike now, you will not have the restriction of mana usage ced on you so you would be free to wreak havoc. However, you will also have to to take into ount that there might be ally soldiers or even civilians nearby. What will you do then? When ites down to it, physicalbat,ced with proper and precise mana usage, will be the most efficient and dependable way of disposing enemies. Especially if they are on a much higher caliber than the mages you are familiar with.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± I got into an offensive stance with my leading hand rxed and my right hand curled into a fist by my jawline.


    ¡°The first lesson i had taught you was how to stay alive. More specifically, you were to get a grasp of fighting at higher speeds while trying to dodge a set routine of attacks. While I won¡¯t tell you how much I have restricted myself when fighting you, I would say that your agility has improved to a level that I deem adequate. Your lesson, after that, was fighting under conditions of substantial pressure. Combat under the effects of my King¡¯s Force, or killing intent as you call it, has strengthened your tolerance a considerable amount these past few months. There is room for improvement in both areas, but for now, it is time for the third segment...¡± Kordri¡¯s voice trailed off as he came to stop in front of me.


    ¡°Your field of vision is too narrow, too focused.¡± Kordri¡¯s voice resounded in my ears as if he was right behind me as I watched the figure of Kordri I had been concentrating on wisp away.


    Realizing that it had been an afterimage, I whipped my head back but I was toote. A clean blow to my back sent me tumbling forward, causing me to take in a mouthful of gra.s.s. It was at nonsensical times like these that I couldn¡¯t help but admire how realistic the soul realm was. The chunks of gra.s.s and dirt in my mouth tasted exactly like how I had imagined they would.


    I stood back up, groaning as I stretched my back. ¡°I thought we weren¡¯t allowed to use mana,¡± I said, spitting out the gra.s.s in my mouth.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t use mana. Remember, my physiology is fundamentally different from yours. I will restrain myself but it is inevitable that I will be naturally faster, quicker, and stronger than you. Nowe,¡± he instructed, beckoning me with his hand.


    I immediately propelled myself towards my instructor, putting professional short distance sprinters to shame as I got within range to attack. I could definitely feel that the mechanics of my body had improved while training with Kordri. My rear foot rotated as I spun my hips to create as much momentum as possible into my strike. Unleashing my right fist, I could feel all of my muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones working in harmony, like a well-oiled machine. Without even relying on mana, I was able to generate enough power in my punch to surprise Kordri.


    As he dodged my blow in thest second, I could see a Kordri¡¯s lips curl up slightly as he unexpectedly ducked underneath my right arm.


    Never had I been thrown so swiftly, so helplessly, and so painfully as that moment. As I coughed from having the wind knocked out of me, Kordri held his hand against my neck as if it were the edge of a sword. Squeezing my own ribs in fear that it would crumble apart if I didn¡¯t, I heard my mentor¡¯s voice.


    ¡°I have to say. That was a very nice punch, Arthur. How much strength do you suppose you used releasing a strike of that power? Do you think you can do that for two days, three days straight? Can you do that for hours on end without pause and little sustenance in your body to give you that energy?¡± Kordri kneeled down to a.s.sess the damage on my body. ¡°How much energy do you think I spent tossing you? I have to say, because of how powerful your strike was, the less energy I had to expend.¡±


    Gritting my teeth to bear the pain, I sprung back up to my feet and took a stance.


    ¡°Energetic today, aren¡¯t we? Good,¡± he replied, beckoning me once more.


    Heeding his gesture, I approached and took a posture as if I wouldunch the same punch as I had done just before. Instead, I used the punch as a feint and jumped up,unching my right knee to his jaw.


    Again, Kordri¡¯s movements were different from before. I had been used to exchanging strikes with the asura, but this time, Kordri used his left hand to gently shift the direction of myunched knee, pushing himself to my right side simultaneously. In a quick, fluid motion, my mentor grabbed the cor of my shirt behind my head and executed a drop throw, propelling me to the ground, head first.


    The world turned ck for a moment and my ears rang fiercely when I woke up. Carefully, I stretched and ma.s.saged my neck, surprised that it hadn¡¯t snapped cleanly in half from the force of his toss.


    Maybe it was because of the blow to my head, but I suddenly recalled this type ofbat art. aiki...do, yes, it was simr to aikido. It was ancient form ofbat that was lost due to a decline in traditional martial arts after contemporary forms ofbat became more widely used. After bing a king in my previous world, I had ess to numerous archives pertaining to martial arts and the art of dueling. I had nced briefly through a book on the art of throws but took little interest in it besides the concept of capitalizing on the momentum of one¡¯s opponent. Of course, I made much use of that knowledge, but did little to learn the art of throwing; it seemed too inefficient at the time.


    ¡°We had talked about proper conservation and distribution of mana when in prolonged battles, correct? Well, it goes without saying that it should be the same for your body as well. No matter how much mana you have flowing within you, it cannot act as a battery to power up your body. Mana, just like a sword, is a tool to control and utilize. Your body is the centerpiece that brings the tools together to create a true warrior. Now, you are healed, yes? Come,¡± Kordrimanded.


    Wordlessly, I got back to my feet and dashed once more towards my mentor.


    ¡°Your body holds the capabilities of being all kinds of weapons,¡± Kordri exined, getting into an offensive stance. ¡°For example, your fist can be a hammer or bludgeon, powerful enough to destroy walls,¡± he said, throwing a simple punch.


    Dodging his first strike, I lowered my center of gravity and released a punch towards his sr plexus.


    In a smooth, liquid motion, Kordri pivoted himself, wrapping his own arm around the arm I had just attacked with and redirecting my fist with the flick of his wrist. ¡°It can also be a whip that locks and deflects the opponent¡¯s attack.¡±


    ¡°Your hands can be des, your legs, axes, all depending on the user,¡± Kordri said as he whirled around and ced his palm on my back. ¡°And it can also be a cannon, capable of sting your foes to pieces. Defend yourself with mana, Arthur. I will allow it,¡± he instructed.


    I wrapped my body tightly in a coat of mana, focusing more on the area where Kordri¡¯s palm was ced.


    The deafening st of the sound barrier being broken almost distracted me from the pain that spread throughout my body as I hurled through the air like a bullet. It was impossible to tell how many bones I had broken, how many organs had copsed as my vision darkened and I felt my body being sucked out of the soul realm.


    When I opened my eyes, I was in the familiar cave again, drenched in the mysterious liquid as well as my own sweat and probably my tears. A wave of nausea then hit me as if Kordri had actually just punched a hole through my sternum as I buckled forward and heaved out whatever was in my stomach.


    ¡°Ugh,¡± I moaned, trying to collect myself. Kordri was still in front of me, giving me an expression of what I guessed was sympathy, but shifted his gaze behind me.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here,¡± he said, standing up.


    Turning around, my vision pa.s.sed the sight of Windsom and focused on the figure of someone I didn¡¯t recognize. A boy, standing over five feet tall, looked to be about seven at most, took a step toward us and bowed respectfully in my direction. His head was also shaven like Kordri¡¯s, but he only had two, nut-brown eyes. He was skinny but not sickly so, with a nice, toned body that didn¡¯t match his childish face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for myteness, Master,¡± the boy said, lifting his head, before tilting it as he regarded me. I could see his eyes giving me the once over and, when he locked eyes with me once more, shot me a look of haughty derision.


    It seemed beneath me to get angry at a kid who was younger than my sister, so I just raised a brow and turned back to face Kordri.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the kid?¡± I asked una.s.sumingly.


    ¡°Arthur, I¡¯d like you to meet Taci... your new training partner.¡±

 Chapter 111

    Chapter 111


    Chapter 111: Good Night


    ¡°Training partner?¡± the kid echoed before I had the chance to respond. ¡°Master, I thought you told me toe here so that I could get a chance to finally receive some individual training...¡±


    ¡°Taci, you will also be training as you spar with Arthur here, nowe here so we can begin.¡± Kordri gestured toward the obviously dissatisfied child.


    ¡°Master, what benefit wille from training with this... lesser being?¡± he grumbled, shooting an annoyed look at me.


    I thought of it as odd, hearing a child haughtilyin using diction and syntax that didn¡¯t suit his babyish appearance or undeveloped, tenor voice.


    ¡°Arthur¡±¡ª Kordri stressed¡ª¡°has been receiving special training from me. Sparring with him will help with your development. You also have the rare honor of training using the Aether Orb, yet, you darein?¡±


    ¡°N-no, I would never defy your instructions, Master. This pupil only finds it beneath Master to waste your time training a mere human when the Thyestes n has many pupils awaiting your mentorship,¡± the child named Taci rified, lowering himself to another bow.


    I didn¡¯t want to stoop down to his level and be offended by the child, but I had to admit he had a rather special knack for p.i.s.sing people off.


    Letting out a defeated sigh, Kordri continued, ¡°Taci, you are one of my most talented pupils, but it is your arrogance that will hinder you. Windsom, will you be okay keeping up the Aether Orb with an additional person?¡± Kordri turned to Windsom who was seated on the other side of the pool holding the orb.


    ¡°Three people won¡¯t be a problem,¡± the asura nodded in response, shaking his head as well at the child in front of him.


    Keeping my immature thoughts to myself, I returned to my meditating position inside the pool. The child jumped in as well, ignoring me as he sat down so the three of us formed a triangle. Once again, we were inside the same gra.s.sy setting as we had been since the beginning.


    ¡°Arthur. While the Pantheon race all differ in their utilization of what you call ¡®force-type mana¡¯, Taci here has been training in the special arts of the Thyestes n. Like I showed you a few times recently, one of theponents of ourbat art lies in swift, precise strikes, coupled with throws that take advantage of momentum and center of gravity. By relying on our senses to perceive where the opponent is distributing their weight and momentum, we match our attacks to properly take advantage of their strengths. By doing this, we use little effort to dispel their attacks, and conserve our strength for when we attack,¡± my mentor exined.


    Taci had his arms crossed besides Kordri, not taking his eyes filled with contempt off of me.


    ¡°When learning this, even our own disciples are forbidden to use mana until they can properly disy the basics of our techniques. I am not saying this to boast, but our n¡¯s fame came from the deadliness of ourbat art. When looking at a master, you will see that our form of fighting is both fierce and fluid, like a deadly cyclone. I have only shown you a glimpse of this, Arthur, but I want you to train by fighting against Taci,¡± Kordri continued as he turned his attention over to the child. ¡°Taci, you are to use your full strength to fight against Arthur; do not worry about fatal injuries or death here.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but roll my eyes at the tantly delighted smirk on Taci¡¯s face as he was told this. However, his smug expression immediately disappeared by what his master said next. ¡°Arthur, you are not to use any mana. I will not be applying any pressure on you as of now, but expect it toeter on. You are also not allowed to attack him at all, but simply block and deflect. The only form of offensive maneuvers you are allowed to make are throws.¡±


    ¡°M-Master? This doesn¡¯t make any sense?¡± Taci stuttered, shocked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be cing restrictions on me instead of the human? By doing this, do you mean to say that, without these handicaps, he would be able to defeat me?¡±


    ¡°Taci, I am growing tired of your pitiful whining. Are you doubting me?¡± Kordri¡¯s eyes grew sharp as he spoke. There was no mercy shown in his expression, immediately shutting Taci¡¯s mouth as he frantically shook his head.


    I never had the chance to indulge in this feeling... this satisfying sense of victory over a c.o.c.ky kid when his parent unexpectedly sides with me.


    ¡°Now, begin.¡±


    KORDRI¡¯S POV:


    Simply saying that I was surprised would be a lying; no, the more urate word would be astonished. I had a feeling that it might end up this way, but not this soon. Arthur Leywin... what a truly mysterious individual.


    Taci, while only seven years of age, disyed an unusual amount of talent from the beginning. He had covered the basics of ourbat art in a quarter of the time it took for the rest of his .s.s. His mana distribution was still rough but improving at a rate that even the n elders couldn¡¯t help but admire. He was to be the next generation¡¯s star. Yet even with all of the restrictions ced, Arthur was still holding on¡ªno, it was more than that now¡ªArthur was slowly beginning to keep up.


    In the span of only a few days inside the soul realm, Arthur had begun to match Taci. He, who had not even learned the truebat art of the Thyestes n, was absorbing knowledge like a starving beast and making it his own.


    Despite the speed and power of Taci¡¯s attacks, Arthur was able to persist against him. Through each punch, kick, sh and throw that Arthur faced, his steps, his shifts, his movements... they were all bing faster and sharper as if his body was instinctively shaving away unnecessary movement. His improvement was at a speed that could be easily discernible even to one not trained inbat. How is this possible? What sort of past did he experience? How many people had he fought in order to develop this aberrant level of perception?


    In my years as both a warrior and mentor, I had nevere across a feeling like this before. I have trained hundreds in the art ofbat, from young to old. I¡¯ve nurtured pupils that hadter be leading figures in the Thyestes n, but even then, training this boy, Arthur, had introduced me to a sensation that I¡¯ve never felt before.


    Constantly, as I taught him, I had noticed the feeling of excitement, awe, and pride welling up; emotions that I did not even feel towards myself. It was simr to that of unearthing an unknown, yet obviously precious, gem. Arthur was still dull and rough, but with each buff, he shone brighter and brighter. There was no telling what the final product would look like, but it was this longing to find out that made it so exhrating, yet regrettable. Was he going to have the chance to develop to his full potential? Or will he run out of time first?


    Had he been born an asura, he would be a prominent member amongst even the highest echelons of power. However, the G.o.ds have ced him to be merely a p.a.w.n; utilized until no longer needed. Such a pity.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    This arrogant brat. If it weren¡¯t for these restrictions, I would¡¯ve painted the gra.s.s with your blood and tears.


    These past few days had been filled with nothing but frustration and resentment at myself for the fact that I was unable to do anything against him. Taci, obviously annoyed by his master regarding him so lowly, coupled with the innate condescension he had over my race, led to me being tossed around like a rag doll and eating too many strikes for my temper to contain.


    While his attacks weren¡¯t on the level of Kordri¡¯s in terms of fluidity andpact precision, due to his attacks and movements being reinforced with mana, they were at a level faster than I was used to.


    I almost lost my life on the first strike, but was able to dodge only from the fact that his body gave away his next attack. With the amount of experience that I had with fighting and dueling from my past life and this one, I was able to somewhat antic.i.p.ate what the opponent would do next based on his posture and movement. This skill worked less depending on how capable of a fighter the opponent was, but Taci, while well-versed in his n¡¯s form of martial art, was stillcking in fighting experience.


    Unlike fighting with Kordri, who had no openings or ws in any of his micromovements, Taci was basically telephoning his next move. Dodging, however, was a whole different problem. While his attacks had openings, they were still at a level above anyone that I have faced. If it wasn¡¯t for the amount of experience I had over the kid, I would¡¯ve been thrown out of the soul realm already. The power and sheer speed of the onught could make any S-.s.s adventurer curl up in utter subjection.


    The force of his strikes caused the air around him to whistle and every time I parried his blows, my arms would throb in pain.


    Clicking my tongue, I ignored the pain and persisted. It wasn¡¯t enough to just be fast. I needed to be faster than him. In order to do that, I needed to lessen my movement. The only way I could dodge sessfully without using mana was to cut down my maneuvers to the bare necessities. If I couldn¡¯t do that, I would soon be overwhelmed.


    ¡°You should go back to your kind instead of wasting my Master¡¯s time,¡± Taci cursed as he unleashed another barrage of strikes. Much like myself, he seemed to want to hit me squarely instead of merely tossing me to the ground.


    I didn¡¯t have the same luxury to respond so I just gritted my teeth and focused even harder.


    Faster.


    ¡°My mother and father had told me how weak lesser beings were; it looks like it¡¯s true. I don¡¯t understand why we asuras were given the awful job of looking after you guys,¡± he growled as he turned, releasing an upwards knee jab.


    I felt a sharp pain in my ear as I was barely able to dodge the full brunt of the attack with a simple turn of the neck.


    Faster.


    I couldn¡¯t tell how much time had pa.s.sed; I was used to sparring for hours with Kordri, but this seemed much longer. As Taci continued his relentless a.s.sault, my body soon became a canvas of cuts and bruises.


    Not enough, faster.


    The asura child was obviously growing frustrated as he began trying to go for throws as well. I could see his hand extend out in a w, hoping to grip at a weak point. By now, however, I was beginning to grow ustomed to his movements so dodging became easier. His strikes that once pa.s.sed by me in a blur, were bing apparent.


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the Vritra n and their disgusting half-breeds, my master wouldn¡¯t have to be stuck here teaching you, hoping a dog could learn something meant for asuras,¡± the brat spat venomously as he grew more annoyed.


    Even faster.


    Sweat began stinging my eyes, impeding my vision. des of gra.s.s flew around us as our steps and movement lifted chunks of dirt into the air.


    Faster, d.a.m.n it!


    My body was beginning to protest as my mind grew dull. It was beginning to make sharper movements due to the fatigue in my body. Each time I dodged, my body jolted in pain.


    What was I supposed to do? I wasn¡¯t used to fighting for this long and dodging attacks of this caliber was wearing me down at an even greater pace than usual.


    If I lowered my speed, then I would bear the full brunt of Taci¡¯s childish rage, but I wasn¡¯t sure how much longer I could continue to hold out.


    My mind whirled trying to think of an answer. Think, Arthur. What had Kordri stressed this whole time? Conservation and proper distribution of mana and energy. Taci¡¯s form of fighting wasn¡¯t as concise as Kordri¡¯s but since he was reinforcing his body with mana, he wasn¡¯t tiring as easily as I was.


    Fluidity.


    Yeah, fluid. Arthur, you dumba.s.s, Kordri had given you the answer. Be fluid, but stay fierce. Like a cyclone.


    Even with a clear idea in my head, it was horrifying trying to implement it when one mistake could easily be the death of you. Even in the soul realm, it was still scary.


    Taci was also showing signs of wear as his once smug face became lined with a tensed exasperation. His bombardment never slowed, however, as he continued his storm of strikes and grabs.


    Don¡¯t just dodge. Do more. Look for an opening in his attacks. Follow his movements and go along with it, not against it.


    Another cut appeared on my cheek from Taci¡¯s strike as I failed to execute the movement I had thought of in my head properly.


    Not fast enough, Arthur.


    His kick from the sidended squarely on my rib, spinning me off bnce.


    I bit down on my lip to keep myself from buckling in pain. I knew that a few ribs were broken, which meant that an organ or two were probably punctured.


    Faster.


    Don¡¯t go against his movement. Conserve energy. Be fluid.


    Taking advantage of the fact that he had finallynded a solid hit, Taci immediately followed up with a right straight, his fist reinforced with a purple aura.


    ¡°Say good night,¡± Taci¡¯s snide voice rang.


    My brain screamed for my body to duck, to cover my vitals, to avoid this. .h.i.t. But if I merely dodged, it would be impossible to avoid his next attack.


    I Ignored my instincts, using the momentum from Taci¡¯sst kick, whirled my body counterclockwise, as his fist headed towards me. At the same time, I raised my right hand, timing it so that it would meet with his.


    If I failed in grasping the right timing or speed of this maneuver by a millisecond, my head would probably get blown off, but I buried those thoughts and focused.


    Time seemed to slow as my right hand grasped his right wrist. I immediately lowered my center of gravity and slung his arm over my shoulder as I maintained the spin of my body. I could feel the force of his punch as Taci was hopelessly lifted from his feet.


    Using the power of his own blow, I redirected his attack and propelled him to the ground.


    What I didn¡¯t expect was my throw to produce a crater the size of a house. There in the middle of the devastation was Taci, sprawled out and gurgling blood, with the whites of his eyes showing.


    I copsed to my knees trying to catch a breath, as I realized that the broken ribs had punctured one of my lungs. While I normally don¡¯t condone bullying someone younger than myself, looking down at the sorry state of the brat, I let out a satisfied grin.


    ¡°Good night.¡±

 Chapter 112

    Chapter 112


    Chapter 112: Newfound Goal


    He overextended his punch; don¡¯t dodge, Arthur, duck under and move in.


    Her kick is too high, she¡¯s off bnce; exploit that.


    The left hook was thrown prematurely. Lean your head back an inch.


    That strike is slow enough; I need to grab that. Parry it, grab ahold of the palm and twist.


    Watch out for the low sweep, but don¡¯t jump. There¡¯s a follow up attack that would be waiting for you if you do. Move in towards the kick where it won¡¯t have much power.


    An attack ising from behind. Don¡¯t waste time to look back; use his shadow instead.


    Kick iing towards the face, and another aimed at the ribs. Their attacks are bing more coordinated.


    I need to lower my body to dodge the kick aimed at my head and block the one aimed at my ribs. Use the force of the kick to get pushed away from the current disadvantageous position.


    ¡°Time!¡± Kordri¡¯s voice thundered, bringing all of us to a freeze.


    ¡°d.a.m.nit!¡±


    ¡°So close!¡±


    ¡°We could¡¯ve had him if you had given us one more minute, Master!¡±


    Of the four of them, only Taci didn¡¯t say anything, only clicking his tongue in dissatisfaction before turning away.


    ¡°Enough! It is four against one and you guys still dare toin after being unable tond a single, solid hit on Arthur? I should have you lot retrained from the basics!¡± The four-eyed asura rebuked. Turning his attention to me, he shot me an acknowledging smile. ¡°How do you feel, Arthur?¡±


    Returning his smile, I replied, shaking off the stinging pain in my wrist from blocking thest attack. ¡°Never better.¡±


    About four months have pa.s.sed in the outside world, meaning that I had trained in the soul realm, thanks to the Aether Orb, for nearly four years. While my body had only aged a year physiologically, a bit more than three years have gone by training under the tutge of Kordri.


    These three years, I had done nothing besides honing my body, my reflexes, and my acuity forbat. My fourteenth birthday had recently pa.s.sed and it was ringly obvious just how much stronger I had be, to the point where my pastbat abilities seemed about as coordinated as a toddler first learning to walk.


    Kordri had also helped refine my mana to aid inbat but hadn¡¯t taught me anything new. Whether it was because of physiological differences between humans and asuras or just the fact that he didn¡¯t want to or wasn¡¯t allowed to pa.s.s on the Thyestes n mana arts to a non-n member , I chose not to ask. I merely trusted Kordri and absorbed whatever he did teach instead.


    To this day, I wasn¡¯t sure what exactly the Thyestes n mana arts was and what it was able to do, but that didn¡¯t matter. Just the fact that I had progressed to this level of physicalbat was something I was thankful for.


    As the soul realm that we had been training in grew dark, I opened my eyes to the familiar sight of the cave I had been in, physically, for the past year.


    ¡°Thanks again for helping me train, guys.¡± I stood up and gave a respectful nod to the four, novice Thyestes n children.


    After about the first year inside the soul realm, sparring with just Taci was proving to have a limit, so Kordri brought over more training partners to the point where I was fighting on par with Taci and three other young children of the Pantheon asura race.


    Of course the four of them weren¡¯t constantly inside the soul realm like I had been. Because of that ¡°unfairness¡±, as they constantly pointed out, I had been able to catch up to them eventually.


    The four of them, including Taci, kept a distance from me outside of training, often showing their displeasure at the thought of helping a lesser race train; it didn¡¯t help that I had be stronger than them. Of course, this was considering the fact that they weren¡¯t allowed to use their abilities to the fullest. Kordri had made it explicitly clear that we were to use mana only for strengthening our bodies; anything outside of that would be considered foul y.


    ¡°Master Kordri. Thank you for training me up until now,¡± I turned and bowed respectfully after we both got out of the pool of blue liquid back inside the cave.


    ¡°Mmm, it was a treat for me as well,¡± the shaved-headed asura replied.


    Giving my body a thorough stretch, I turned to face Windsom. ¡°When is the next portion of our training?¡± I asked as I mentally searched for signs of Sylvie. This past year, I wasn¡¯t able to sense, let alonemunicate, with my bond. It had be a custom to search for her every time I was thrown out of the soul realm, but each attempt proved fruitless.


    ¡°Huh? Ah, we will start the next portion of training soon.¡± Windsom had the same discerning gaze as Kordri, which confused me.


    I raised a brow, shifting my gaze back and forth between the two asuras. ¡°Is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong...¡± Kordri replied as he tilted his head, studying me like a piece of abstract art.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that you have not changed,¡± Windsom finished.


    My heart began thumping louder at his words. What hasn¡¯t changed? My initial thought turned to my mana core, but that wasn¡¯t it. My mana core had advanced recently from out of the early light yellow and into thetter levels of the light-yellow; meaning, I had progressed past more than a full stage, starting from the solid yellow stage that I had previously been at before starting my training here. Windsom had alsoe into the soul realm to watch the progress of my training every now and then so he should be well aware of the level I¡¯m currently at.


    ¡°Arthur, while training under the Aether Orb can be tremendously beneficial, it is strictly forbidden to be used on children, or even young adults. You can guess why, right? The time difference between the two realms can cause a psychological discement on a person not yet fully developed mentally,¡± Windsom exined.


    ¡°I was actually firmly against the use of the aether orb for that reason,¡± Kordri confessed. ¡°Even Lord Indrath was somewhat reluctant to have you train using the Aether Orb, in fear of the consequences. However, because of the deficit of time before the war, there was no choice.¡±


    It took me by surprise when I heard that Lord Indrath would care for my well-being. That wasn¡¯t the impression I had received when I had met him.


    ¡°Which is why I¡¯m somewhat astonished at the fact that there is no change in you, Arthur. Your speech, your demeanor, your mentality; they are no different from what they have been before the training began,¡± Windsom began. ¡°Essentially, four years have pa.s.sed since you have entered, but neither during the times you have been brought back out nor now, have you disyed any changes a normal child should have had.¡±


    I mulled over this for a moment. It made sense now why Kordri hadn¡¯t let Taci and the other Thyestes n children stay in the soul realm. The only reason why I wasn¡¯t affected by this phenomena was because I already had the mentality of an adult since my birth into this world.


    ¡°Windsom, you said yourself that I felt different from other children. I¡¯d been pretty ahead of my age, mentally, for pretty much my whole life; to the point where I grew ustomed to purposely conforming to the people of my age to socially adapt,¡± I answered atst.


    ¡°Well, it matters little to us. In fact, it is for the better that this regimen of training did not produce any unwanted ramifications.¡± Windsom looked mindful at first, but rxed as he let out a sigh. ¡°Kordri, thank you for spending much of your time and energy into training Arthur. Anyone else, even amongst asuras, would be subparpared to your expertise in close quartersbat,¡± the asura added, turning to Kordri.


    ¡°No thanks are needed. Arthur needs to be well trained if he is to have a chance against those mutts.¡± Kordri ced a firm hand on my shoulder and squeezed. ¡°Remember that the mages in crya have been taught and guided by asuras. Mana arts in that continent is generations more advanced than in Dicathen. So do not get overconfident from the fact that you are receiving this sort of training. It frustrates me deeply that our hands are tied like this, but if we don¡¯t want a war that can destroy the verynd we live in, it is up to you and your peers to fight.¡± Kordri¡¯s usually indifferent face wrinkled into a grave expression.


    After saying our goodbyes, Kordri and his four pupils left first, leaving only Windsom and I inside the unnaturally quiet training cave.


    As I sat down on the cold floor of the cave, idly stretching my body while peeking every now and then at Windsom, I couldn¡¯t help but try to guess what the asura was thinking as he regarded me so closely.


    Trying to break the palpably thick silence, I asked Windsom something that had been desperately on my mind. ¡°So, have you heard any news of Sylvie? Is she doing okay?¡±


    ¡°Lady Sylvie will be fine. No one would dare mistreat the direct kin of Lord Indrath besides Lord Indrath himself,¡± he answered casually, despite the fact that thest bit of his statement sent a pang of worry down my stomach.


    Choosing not to dwell on this topic any longer, I simply nodded and continued stretching my body. Because I wasn¡¯t physically using my body within the soul realm, it had grown stiff. Muscle ma.s.s hadn¡¯t dwindled due to the mysterious liquid I had been submerged in, but I had noticed that my hair had grown much longer than I was used to.


    I still didn¡¯t know the full capabilities of the Aether Orb but the chance to train under these conditions would most likely nevere again, so I had to make the most of it.


    ¡°Here. I just received this from a messenger of Lord Indrath. It seems like Aldir wrote of the events happening in your continent currently. I thought you might be interested.¡± Windsom spoke evenly as he handed me a few pieces of parchment filled to the edges with immacte writing.


    It was the first time receiving any sort of information from Dicathen. Four months had pa.s.sed since I started my training, and the more time flew by, the more concerned I became of the well-being of everyone.


    Had the war started yet?


    What were they doing to prepare themselves for the uing battles?


    What measures were they taking to protect themselves?


    Questions like these and many more filled my head, often distracting me during training until I was smacked back to attention by the four pupils or Kordri himself.


    What Kordri said before leaving had sent shivers down my spine in sudden realization. The continent of crya was sure to be more advanced in mana maniption than Dicathen was. Even with the help of asuras now teaching a handful of capable mages on how to better utilize their mana, it wouldn¡¯t be enough if the enemy¡¯s armies were truly as strong as I was imagining them to be.


    In that sense, I often thought of my training with Kordri to be an inefficient use of time. Of course what I had learned would make me a greatbatant in any battlefield, but considering my capabilities, I wondered sometimes if it would be better for me to hone my long-range mana utilization. Of course, conjuring wasn¡¯t my specialty, but with my quad-elemental disposition and the amount of raw mana I possessed,pared to other mages, I felt like it would be better for me to learn long range mana arts that were capable of leveling fields instead of learning to destroy enemies around me one at a time. But thinking back to my past as amanding leader, it wasn¡¯t the number of soldiers that posed the biggest threats. No, the ones that presented the most trouble were either leading them or the few elite fighters capable of prating through our forces. I couldn¡¯t worry about every single insignificant fish; I would just have to trust in our army to handle them.


    Putting aside my concerns, I eagerly plucked the paper from his hands and inhaled the words written on the wrinkled paper.


    ¡°...¡±


    It seemed that it was made known to the higher ups that Goodsky was formerly a spy sent directly by the Vritra n on behalf of crya. Arge portion of the written report was actually on Goodsky¡¯s intel on the political structure of crya, which surprised me since she was the one who told me of the powerful binding that kept her from even having the intentions of revealing information.


    I put aside my suspicions for now and focused back on the report.


    Because of the tangible presence of asuras in crya, much of the hierarchy had be centered around the purity in one¡¯s blood. Basically, the closer someone was to that of the asura lineage, the higher status one would hold in that continent. It seemed rather simple and shallow at first, but was Dicathen or any other world different? Of course, the purity in lineage wasn¡¯t as apparent in our continent, but it was rather easy to see the distinction between those of ¡®n.o.ble¡¯ blood and ordinary people.


    I was willing to bet that the higher the purity of their asura blood, the stronger their ability as a mage would be. As a few generations pa.s.s, it was easy to predict that there would be a clear division in .s.s based on this fact alone.


    It went on to say that she herself possessed very limited knowledge besides the general hierarchy of the elite figures that Agrona himself took care into raising and a.s.sembling. One part caught my eye. ¡°So the information that Direc... Cynthia Goodsky provided us, these so-called ¡°Four Scythes¡±, am I to a.s.sume that these will be my targets?¡± I asked without taking my eye off of the report.


    Aldir noted further down that, of the potential obstacles, these so-called Scythes and their respective retainers under theirmands were of the highest priority.


    ¡°Ultimately, yes. But read on. What the cryan spy, Cynthia Goodsky, mentioned next is troubling, to say the least.


    I did as I was told, and surely enough, the next the paragraph of the report made me curse underneath my breath.


    ¡°...based on the purity in color, density and concentration of lingering mana within the horn fragment retrieved from the site where former Lance, Alea Triscan, was killed, Goodsky has a.s.serted that it belonged to a prime-blood of the retainer level of one of the Four Scythes ,¡± I read aloud. I a.s.sumed that the prime-blood was someone with mixed asura, more specifically Basilisk, blood.


    My mind shifted towards the night I saw the remains of Alea. I still remembered thest words we had exchanged after she gave me the very fragment Goodsky had mentioned. This meant that there was a retainer for each of the Four Scythes. Four retainers that were capable of easily dispatching a Lance and four more who were at a level even above them.


    Reading on, there was little else that was of significant importance. There were mentions of armored ships being built from a coalition between the humans and dwarves, as well as towering fortresses being built around harbored cities. Aldir also wrote the recounts he had received of sightings of someone who was perhaps from crya but other than the fact that there was a clear tension throughout the continent, little else had happened.


    I could only begin to imagine the scale of this uing war. This wasn¡¯t a war between the struggles of two rival countries, this would be two enormous continents sending millions of soldiers to fight for theirnd.


    After letting out a deep breath, I gathered the pieces of parchment and stacked them neatly before handing them back to Windsom.


    There was a mixture of emotions brewing inside me. News of Dicathen had definitely put my mind at ease. The newly acquired knowledge pertaining to the power of our enemies, on the other hand, sent a cold chill down my spine. However, despite this, I was excited and determined. I finally had a goal, a solid number of enemies to work with. It would be hard to get all of them, but I wasn¡¯t fighting random drones or ambiguous opponents that I knew nothing about; I now had an objective and I had my targets.


    ¡°Windsom, let¡¯s start the next portion of training,¡± I a.s.serted, standing up and straightening my back.

 Chapter 113

    Chapter 113


    Peering down from the edge of the cliff we were currently standing on, I couldn¡¯t help but grow anxious. The forest looked like one giant bush that spilled over the visible horizon, with the cluttered trees blocking any view of whatid below. Large birds and other fearsome winged species hovered over the dense collection of green, diving in and retrieving their meal every so often. What scared me more than them, however, were the asional roars that echoed in the distance. I could only imagine howrge they must be if they were able to shake or even bring down trees that blocked their paths as they traversed through the thick wilderness..


    ¡°This is where you will be training,¡± Windsom announced, his gaze still fixed on the forest.


    ¡°Of course it is,¡± I sighed, making sure that the sack slung over my shoulder was fastened tight.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± After replying with a quick nod, the two of us jumped off the cliff, spreading mana through our body while trying to keep bnce against the harsh winds that blew around us.


    Right as we were about to plunge into the scores of trees, I willed an updraft beneath my feet to decrease the speed of my fall.


    As Windsom and Inded deftly into the massive realm of woond, the atmosphere changed drastically. The ground beneath my feet was soggy, like walking on foam, and as I ced my weight down, the damp earth relented, hugging my boots and gently releasing them with each step I took.


    My nose was bombarded with scents from the abundant foliage, mixed in with the underlying damp smell of moss, dirt and decay from fallen lumber.


    ¡°You have given me everything except for the items in your bag, correct?¡± The asura confirmed, holding his palm out in case I missed something.


    ¡°Everything I own is in that dimension ring, which isn¡¯t much. Anything else you wish to take from me? My clothes? A kidney or lung perhaps?¡± I quipped, looking around at my surroundings.


    ¡°Amusing,¡± the asura replied tly, taking out a book from his cloak. ¡°Now, since you were so adamant on the fact that you haveplete mastery over your internal mana control¡ª¡±


    ¡°I simply said it wasn¡¯t necessary to waste time training that explicitly,¡± I countered.


    ¡°Anyway, I will consider your level sufficient upon retrieving me these three things.¡± He pointed at the open book.


    ¡°Pelt of a raptor squirrel, the beast core of a silver panther, and the ws of a titan bear,¡± I read the list aloud, absorbing the ck and white drawings of each of the mana beasts.


    ¡°... and these items will prove, somehow, that I am ready to learn more about the will Sylvia had left me with?¡± I handed the book back to him.


    ¡°In a way. Of course, on the condition that you not use any external mana arts whatsoever. Ah, and you are to wear this at all times,¡± Windsom added, handing me a bell roughly the size of my fist.


    ¡°I really do have to question your idea of training,¡± I sighed again as I held up the silver bell, triggering a series of vibrant rings way too loud for a single bell to make.


    ¡°Let me know when you¡¯ve collected all of the things on the list by breaking the bell.¡± He turned around, preparing to leave, but stopped. ¡°Oh, and I rmend getting the items in that order.¡±


    Just like that, he was gone, leaving me alone in this forest with nothing but a bell, some nkets, and a leather pouch filled with fresh water.


    I had no idea what exactly Windsom was trying to aplish by having me hunt for these items, but if that was what it took to speed up the training process, then that was reason enough.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see. First on the list is the pelt of a raptor squirrel,¡± I mumbled quietly to myself. It seemed easy enough aside from the fact that I had to capture one in a fairly good condition.


    I pondered over the three items that Windsom requested. If this was some form of a test to measure my internal mana maniption, that meant that these mana beasts possessed skills, which require me to have a certain level of mastery over them. The fact that it was some type of squirrel most likely meant that it was near the bottom of the food chain. If that was the case, then in order to protect itself, it probably had some sort of defense mechanism, like most preys, to avoid getting eaten.


    ording to the picture, the raptor squirrel looked like any other squirrel, except with more prominent hind limbs, three, thin tails, and beady eyes. Observing my surroundings, I had yet to see any sort of wildlife.


    Concentrating mana into my eyes, I enhanced and increased the range of my vision. Nothing.


    I was constantly on the lookout for any indication of fauna while making my way towards the other end of the forest. Several hours had passed but still, no signs.


    ¡°This damn bell!¡± I yelled louder than I had meant to. As if constantly mocking me, the bell rang at the slightest movement I made, deterring any creatures froming near me.


    As the sky darkened so did my mood; all that I had to show for the passing of time was my frustration at theck of progress. Deciding to call it a night, I made camp out of the hollow trunk of a fallen tree.


    To my irritation, sounds of small animals, hidden in the veil of darkness, came out around my campsite as soon as Iid down.


    As I tried to get back up, the tinkle of the bell reverberated loudly through the otherwise silent night, causing the creatures to scurry away swiftly.


    ¡®I¡¯ll start fresh tomorrow,¡¯ I decided with a sigh, burrowing back inside my nket as a chill breeze flowed through the log I was nestled in, and through my clothes, shriveling me up.


    A ray of light somehow made it past theyer of leaves and branches and onto my face, rousing me from my slumber. I stayed hidden inside the log, though, keepingpletely still so as to not agitate the bell. However, after a few hours, it was obvious that the bell wasn¡¯t the only reason the raptor squirrels were keeping clear of me.


    The mana beasts that were at the bottom of the food chain had probably developed extremely acute senses that made up for itsck of vision to avoid predators, which was why, even when I was nearly asleep andpletely frozen, they still kept their distance.


    For now, hiding my presence was my best bet at hopefully luring the raptor squirrels out. How to catch them, I would have to figure that out after.


    After a brief search, I found a decently situated shrub close to a clearing that was thick enough to hide inside. Making myself asfortable as possible within the stiff branches and prickly leaves, I waited.


    Rescinding all of the mana I had constantly circting around my body, I stayed motionless and observed. Because of the assimtion with Sylvia¡¯s will, my body was a lot sturdier than most humans, but I still felt a bit vulnerable leaving my body unprotected in these unfamiliar grounds.


    Minutes soon bled into hours as I waited. It wasn¡¯t enough to retract your mana; I realized that it was absolutely necessary to clear your mind and intent when dealing with preys. I could feel my breathing soften, almost disappearing as I exhaled in ordance with the asional breeze that flowed by.


    Finally, the fruits of mybor showed as a tiny snout popped out from one of the other bushes, curiously sniffing around for signs of danger. Soon, a few raptor squirrels scuttled about with their three tails constantly twirling around like antennas, desperately trying to find some food before predators caught wind of their presence.


    I knew it was impossible to catch the first item on my list today, so I used this opportunity to test some things out. I started by emitting just a bit of mana; the raptor squirrels responded immediately by raising their hind legs to elevate their tails. They had obviously sensed the minute fluctuation of mana and were a lot more tense, some even scurrying away.


    As I kept testing their limits, I learned three things: The first was that leaking even a bit of purified mana didn¡¯t necessarily drive them away, but rmed them to a degree where it would be impossible to try and catch one. Exerting too much purified mana would undoubtedly lead them to immediately flee. The second interesting thing I learned was that internalizing mana inside my body did not trigger their rm signal, but too much concentration and focus did cause my intent to bleed out, causing them to scatter. Thest thing I learned, and perhaps the most useful, was that external mana flow did not startle or even prompt them to take notice.


    I learned this as I sat, hidden, meditating. When I was absorbing the surrounding mana, there were no signs of agitation from the raptor squirrels. It was only when I began actively purifying and condensing the mana that they began to notice something was wrong.


    The testing took the whole day since I had to change locations every time I made them flee, but with these three observations, I finally had something to work with.


    ¡®I wonder if Sylvie is doing okay with her training,¡¯ I thought as I wrapped my nket around me back inside the hollow log I decided to use as a makeshift tent. The same worries that I always carried ran through my mind as soon as I had some time to think. How was my family? How was Tessia? How was Elijah? Was he even alive? If so, would I ever get the chance to save him?


    It seemed like I had been lost in my own thoughts through the whole night, but at one point, my eyes snapped open to the soft glow of the morning sun.


    After packing my scarce belongings, I filled my pouch with a puddle of morning dew that had formed from nearby leaves and made my way to a clearing.


    Today¡¯s goal wouldn¡¯t be observing or even catching a raptor squirrel. I wanted to test a little idea that I had based on the three observations yesterday.


    As I stood in the center of a small clearing surrounded by nts, with mushrooms I had picked up along the way that raptor squirrels ate; I put my theory into action.


    Because my physiology was that of an augmenter, the mana channels, responsible for effectively spreading purified mana from my core throughout the rest of my body, were much more prominent than my mana veins, which were used to absorb unpurified, atmospheric mana into the body.


    However, for this technique, I had to bnce the output of purified mana from my mana core through my mana channels and the input of atmospheric mana through my mana veins.


    With a perfect bnce, I should be able to utilize mana without anyone, or anything, being able to sense that I was. That is in theory, of course.


    My mana veins were naturally much more under-developedpared to my mana channels so I started by matching the output of mana to the amount that I was able to input. The feeling was somewhat simr to when I first learned Mana Rotation from Sylvia, but much harder.


    The longer I practiced, the more evident it became that it wasn¡¯t as easy as I imagined it to be. A certain finesse was needed to uratelye to a point of equilibrium between the two opposing actions, despite doing it while standing still; attempting this while moving would be a whole other mountain.


    My perception of time had gotten lost somewhere in the middle of my practice, but to my surprise, when I opened my eyes for the umpteenth time, there were finally raptor squirrels eating from the pile of food that I had picked up.


    However, my delight was brief, because as soon as my concentration slipped, they were immediately aware of the mana fluctuation that I had been trying to camouge.


    ¡°Yes!¡± I pumped my fist. This was good progress. One of the downsides was that, my mana supply ran out... fast. I would be able to practice this for only a few minutes at a time before I had to stop and resupply my mana core.


    Even the fact that I was almost at silver-core stage didn¡¯t help because of the excess mana being thrown away at improper utilization of this impromptu technique.


    The next morning, I kept to my routine and practiced in the middle of the same clearing. It wasn¡¯t until the fourth day that I felt like I had enough control to try moving while keeping up this technique.


    By the end of the week, I was able to slowly move around but because of the bell tied to my waist, even when they couldn¡¯t sense mana, they fled. But I already thought of this. If all it took was hiding my presence, I wouldn¡¯t have needed to find a way to utilize this technique.


    I needed to master this technique in order to use mana in bursts, pouncing on the raptor squirrels before they could react to the sound of my bell.


    Drawing a line in the soft dirt and positioning myself in front of a designated tree as my target, I practiced.


    I stopped right when my bell rang. My goal was to reach the tree by the time the bell chimed, so for this, I needed to utilize enough mana to instantaneously move at a speed fast enough to not shake the bell, all the while bncing the input and output flow of atmospheric mana and my purified mana in order to camouge my presence from the raptor squirrel¡¯s tail.


    ¡°Again.¡± I turned and walked back to the starting point after hearing the bell.


    ¡°Again,¡± I repeated to myself.


    As I continued, I realized that I was essentially aiming for something simr to the technique Kordri had once used when he was sparring with me. Controlling mana flow and power while manipting your own presence to either hide or emit it, throwing off your opponent¡¯s senses.


    Erasing your presence by using the barely traceable atmospheric mana to mask the output of your own mana, and instantly gaining speed to reach your opponent. Was this the skill that Windsom had been trying to test?


    Again, I would try, and again I would fail to reach my goal. But with each attempt, the distance between the tree and I shortened before the bell jingled.


    It was just one step, but so much concentration and precision went into getting it even partly right.


    However, this single, instantaneous step, coupled with the form ofbat that I had been taught by Kordri as well as the sword art that I had developed myself, could undoubtedly be an important trump card.


    I remembered how disoriented and helpless I had been when Kordri had used this skill, erasing his presence as he attacked, while the next instant, he would emit his presence only to shift positions and throw me off. Although the asura wasn¡¯t using his mana in the same way as what I¡¯m attempting to do, his innate power could be easilyparable to that of someone in the silver core stage.


    ¡°Almost,¡± I encouraged myself, positioning myself for another attempt.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how many hours had passed since the dense cluster of trees covered most of the sky, but I sunk down against the tree.


    Days passed by as I continued practicing, until...


    ¡°Hehe...¡±


    Iughed meekly in victory as I stared at the depressed, dirt trail that I had made from the days of mastering this skill. While the rest of the ground was littered with leaves and broken twigs, only the thin trail I had been constantly dashing back and forth on was paved clear.


    I tried getting up, but my legs trembled in protest, too worn out to carry my weight. Still, I felt good for the first time in a while sinceing to this godforsaken forest. ¡°I¡¯ll wipe out those stupid raptor squirrels to extinction,¡± I dered triumphantly.


    <strong>WINDSOM¡¯S POV:</strong>


    ¡®What is the boy nning?¡¯ I thought to myself, keeping a fair enough distance from him. I had left him unattended for two weeks, thinking it would be plenty of time for him to have caught a raptor squirrel.


    From the fact that I wouldn¡¯t have been able to find him in this forest without the help of the bell I had given him, it was obvious that he had mastered erasing his presence. Despite this, Arthur had yet to catch a single squirrel.


    The raptor squirrels were swift and highly perceptive. Since their eyes were bad, they relied on their acute nose to sniff for food and their tails to sense any sort of mana fluctuation or even movement in the area. If their tails detected a high concentration of mana or even a minute change in mana levels in the area, it would be difficult for even an asura to catch one.


    However, beyond that, the raptor squirrels were rather simple-minded. After erasing his presence, if the boy were to stay absolutely still with some bait in his hands, it would be easy for him to catch one. Yet, the boy hadid out food in front of him, instead.


    ¡®Well, he learned the necessary skill that I wanted him to learn,¡¯ I shrugged, but for some reason, my gaze was still glued to the boy, as if waiting for something astonishing to happen.


    The boy stood unmoving as he continued to wait patiently for a raptor squirrel to draw near.


    In the blink of an eye, the boy had suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of the raptor squirrel with his hand stretched out.


    ¡°He...¡± my voice trailed off in awe.


    Right when the boy was about to grab ahold of the raptor squirrel, however, the bell I had given him rang and the raptor squirrel darted away just outside of Arthur¡¯s grasp.


    ¡°Gah!¡± The boy yelled, obviously frustrated as he kicked the pile of food he had gathered to lure in the raptor squirrel.


    There was no way he could move at that speed without using mana, but...


    I couldn¡¯t sense it.


    That means, he wasn¡¯t simply just erasing his presence by withdrawing his mana and hiding his intent. He had been effectively using his own mana while covering it with the pure mana surrounding him


    Mirage Walk. It was a rather crude shadow of it, but Arthur had definitely just seeded in the first step of Mirage Walk. It was a movement technique to put it simply, but it was also much more than that. Mirage Walk was the essence of what made the Thyestes n reign over all of the other ns within the Pantheon race.


    For a mere human boy to be able to grasp the fundamentals for a mana art that even took me years to grasp... and this was with Kordri secretly teaching me despite his n¡¯s strict secrecy regarding their mana arts.


    For him to be able to get this far just by watching Kordri...

 Chapter 114

    Chapter 114


    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:</strong>


    ¡°Finally,¡± I whispered, too quiet for the silver panther to hear.


    There it was, cautiously sniffing around as it approached the raptor squirrels I had killed and ced carefully to lure it out. My ever-so-elusive target.


    My eyes locked onto therge, gray cat that I had named wed because it had four, long gashes across its back. wed and I had gotten close during the time spent trying to hunt for silver panthers. This particr oversized cat was by far the most cunning of the silver panthers that I hade across and the most arrogant; which was why I had decided that wed would be my target.


    I focused back on the cat just a few meters away from me as wed stopped and looked around, ready to escape at a moment¡¯s notice.


    I patiently waited for him to draw near, making sure to keep any traces of my presence hidden. Coalescing the raw mana around me with the purified mana inside my body, I prepared my attack. As I gathered mana in my legs and right arm, I lowered myself carefully into an ideal position since he couldn¡¯t see me anyway, making sure I didn¡¯t set off the bell.


    The muscles in my calves and thighs twitched in anticipation at the thought of finally being able to catch that elusive cat. Right when wed bent down to continue its lunch, I propelled myself forward and struck at a speed that would¡¯ve shocked my old self.


    The distance I near-instantly cleared from my initial position to where I now was - in front of wed - measured out to be roughly six meters, but somehow wed had already disappeared before my attack could connect.


    My augmented fist sunk deep into the soft dirt floor, the silver panther nowhere in sight.


    ¡°Damn it! Again?¡± I cursed, impatiently prying my buried hand from underneath the ground.


    ¡®Where did I go wrong? How could it react so fast?¡¯ I thought as I looked back at where I was initially positioned. The location was close enough for me to cover instantaneously. I was well-hidden inside the bushes, and I had even gone through lengths to mask any smell from my body that might set it off. It was all supposed to be perfect. My execution of the technique I had been training in was near perfect.


    I kneeled down, inspecting the pawprints of wed and my own footprints. I was missing something, but what?


    I could see where Inded after using Burst rtive to where wed had been positioned, but something about the markings on the ground didn¡¯t add up.


    Settling down against a nearby tree, I closed my eyes, reying the scene in my mind to see if I could figure out where I went wrong.


    ¡°Windsom wouldn¡¯t have made me acquire a silver panther beast core unless it proved to teach me something different than hunting raptor squirrels,¡± I said aloud. ¡°In terms of speed, the raptor squirrel was definitely faster than a silver panther. So why couldn¡¯t I kill one?¡±


    Arriving at no satisfying conclusion, I decided to make my way back.


    Looking at the remains of the raptor squirrels wed had been feasting on, I clicked my tongue in annoyance. Not only was I unable to capture wed, but there were also barely any scraps left of the raptor squirrels for me to eat.


    After packing what was left of the mangled squirrel, I wiped the dirt and blood off me at a nearby stream. Seeing as I only had one set of clothes, I tried to make sure it stayed clean, but through the weeks of hiking and training in these woods, my wardrobe had be tattered.


    ¡°Arthur, you are not easy to look at,¡± I said derisively to my reflection in the stream. My hair was disheveled and much longer now, my bangs reaching all the way to my chin. The bags underneath my eyes had turned purplish fromck of sleep. All in all, little remained of my former, hygienic self; recing it was some unintelligent-looking brute.


    It was hard for me to believe that more than a month had passed since thest time I had any actual interaction with someone other than the animals I had caught.


    Windsom had visited me the night I had finally been able to capture a raptor squirrel. He hadn¡¯t said much with his permanently disinterested expression except that the technique, or rather, the preface of it that I had self-taught, was called Mirage Walk. He had disappeared soon after, leaving me by my lonesome to eat the lean meat of a raptor squirrel¡¯s hind leg.


    The next morning, I had set out in search of the next prey on my list, a silver panther. However, it had be fairly obvious during the weeks that I had spent inside the forest, training to catch more raptor squirrels, that there were no signs ofrger mana beasts at all.


    Thus, leading me to venture out further into the woods despite the dangers that might¡¯ve followed. It wasn¡¯t until about three weeks of trekking deeper into the forest that I had begun seeing different species of mana beasts;rger ones as well.


    I would¡¯ve cleared more ground in those three weeks had I not been using the journey itself as a form of training.


    Burst or Burst Step.


    That was what I had decided to name the first sequence of Mirage Walk. Windsom had only mentioned that what I had done to catch the raptor squirrel was only a mere introductory step of the actual essence of Mirage Walk, but he had refused to divulge any more information than that. However, seeing that the technique I used had certain steps or levels to reach full mastery, I had decided to name this first tier Burst Step.


    I had traversed through the forest, using the abundance of trees as a natural obstacle course to practice, hoping to gain some insight to improve the skill.


    Going through with this training had made me realize how much concentration, coordination, reflexes, control, and agility one needed to utilize the full potential of Mirage Walk properly. I had seeded in capturing a raptor squirrel with Burst Step only because I had made the necessary preparations to be able to. It had been a t clearing with no obstructions to get in my way. The distance was short, and within view, it had no time even to react.


    However, trying to travel through the lush greenery, congested with trees and uneven ground, to get a foothold using only Mirage Walk had made me feel as though I was an infant again, except this time with my feet tied together. It was terribly frustrating, tripping over the slightest misstep, even the faintest miscalction in trajectory resulted in a not-so-elegant tumble and a face full of mud; slowly and painstakingly, I made my way deeper into the woods.


    It had been over a week since I first arrived at this particr domain. The mana in this area was much denser than where I had been before, which was probably one of the reasons why it was so appealing to higher level mana beasts.


    And here I was, still with nothing to show for besides the number of tears in my shirt and holes in the soles of my boots.


    As I finished washing myself, I inspected the leftover meat I had brought back. ¡°This isn¡¯t enough,¡± I sighed looking up at the sky.


    Dusk had spread a thin veil of darkness over the forest, but it was still light enough to hunt. Iid out some mushrooms I had picked along the way and waited, crouching underneath arge root eight meters away. With my level of mastery, I could clear almost ten meters in an instant using Burst Step without triggering the bell.


    As I waited, keeping my presence hidden, I observed carefully for any signs of movement. There was faint sound of rustling, but it came from above me, somewhere up in the trees. ncing up, thest glint of sunlight reflected off the eyes of the predator. It was some sort ofrge, ck bird.


    As the forestpletely darkened, the bird and I waited, hoping for any signs of our next meal.


    Finally, I locked onto the figure of a lone raptor squirrel. Before the squirrel drew close enough to be in range for me to kill, the ck bird had already decided to take action.


    I barely glimpsed the faint shadow of the bird diving down; no noise made whatsoever. It wasn¡¯t unnaturally fast like the raptor squirrel or silver panther, but at night, it was near impossible to see this predatory bird.


    As the ck blur drew closer to the unsuspecting prey, something unexpected happened. The bird, nearly invisible to the naked eye, spread its wings and let out a loud crow.


    The squirrel immediately jumped, but the crow seemed to have been expecting that because, instead of swooping down where the squirrel had been, it stretched out its talons to where it leaped away.


    That whole scene looked as if the squirrel simply leaped into the ws of the bird, wanting to be its next meal.


    I had lost my meal to the bird, but I gained something much more valuable instead.


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Hoping to be able to put my n into action, I waited again. As I predicted, the bird had finished its meal and was waiting patiently in a different tree. The bird¡¯s wingspan alone was aboutrger than mine so I knew that one squirrel wouldn¡¯t be enough.


    About half an hour passed when another raptor squirrel finally emerged. As its three antenna-like tails surveyed for danger, it cautiously approached the small pile of mushrooms.


    On cue, I saw the swift blur of ck out of the corner of my eyes.


    Not yet.


    It happened again. Right when the ck bird swooped down and stretched out its talons, the raptor squirrel appeared as if it jumped right into the bird¡¯s grasp.


    Now!


    Using Burst Step, I cleared the eight meters between us, and before the ck bird had even the chance to react, I reached for its neck.


    The bird let out a surprised crow as it pped desperately to escape my hand. To my surprise, however, the greedy bird never let go of its meal even as I snapped its neck.


    ¡°Yes!¡± I couldn¡¯t seem to wipe the smile off my face as I made my way back to my camp with my two trophies. I was happy that I would have something tastier to eat than the tough and lean squirrel meat, but I was even more satisfied with the fact that I had figured out how wed and the rest of his brethren had been escaping from me every single time.


    It didn¡¯t take long for me to get back to my camp, which was just a hollow log I had covered with branches and leaves to protect me from the rain.


    Eagerly plucking the feathers off of the bird so that its fat-coated skin would still be intact, I grilled it over the fire I had made alongside with the skinned raptor squirrel. Chewing on the tender meat of the bird¡¯s thigh, I started thinking.


    I had uncovered two things as I saw the ck bird capturing the raptor squirrel: First, the bird was stealthy and swift, but its speed couldn¡¯tpare to that of a raptor squirrel. It was able to because it knew that when it made itself known, the squirrel would try to flee in a particr direction. The second thing I had deduced was the significance of my involvement in this. As a third party spectator, I was able to see the bird beforehand, and I immediately knew what its motives were even before it had attacked, something the squirrel had no way of knowing.


    ¡°But this still doesn¡¯t exin how I can catch wed,¡± I muttered to myself, ripping out another bite of grilled fowl.


    Based on all of my failed attempts, I knew by now that wed and the rest of his kind had some hyperacute intuition that allowed him to react near instantly at the sight of my movement. I also knew that, unlike the bird and squirrel that I was feasting on, wed was smart. There had been several asions where he would get close enough to me that I knew he was mocking me, but as soon as I got in a stance, he fled even before I could execute Burst Step. He was smart to a level where he knew he could evade me, but not fight me face-to-face.


    Finishing thest of my meal, I walked over to the side of my camp where I had cleared some space for me to train.


    I stood at the edge of the open space and imagined wed to be lurking at the other end. ¡°How am I supposed to catch a cat that reacts as soon as I try to approach it?¡±


    Approach... approach? That was it! It was just like the ck bird! The bird had tricked the squirrel by intentionally exposing itself, using it as a feint to get the squirrel into the air where it couldn¡¯t change direction.


    Even when Kordri, an asura, had used Burst Step, it was still essentially still a single step. Corresponding muscles were still used to propel himself towards me. Even though the essence of Mirage Walk was to conceal fluctuation of mana to throw off the opponentpletely, I still had to move the muscles that were responsible for making that one, incredibly fast, step.


    But what if I could get rid of that?


    What if I could almost entirely void the motion needed for me to make that step? Appearing as if I had truly teleported from even a standstill position.


    If I could do that, I could, in theory, feint wed.


    But how do Ie up with a way to make Burst Step into something that would bypass the need to control the muscles mechanically?


    I¡¯d imagine if I were any other mage or mana maniptor in this world, I would¡¯ve thought of it as impossible, but I had one crucial advantage: Knowledge from my past life.


    Due to my mediocre ki center, I had studied in-depth about the human body, namely the working mechanics of what went into essentially putting the human body into movement. It was through this knowledge that I had been able to fully utilize the little ki I had inside me to be a king.


    Shutting my eyes, I used the entirety of my concentration as I spread mana throughout every crevice, no matter how micro, of the inside of my body.


    When I opened my eyes, the sun was already high up in the sky. Sweat and grime covered my body as I slowly stretched my stiff body that had been standing still for hours. But I was happy. Ecstatic.


    Not only had I reached a breakthrough to get me at the very peak of the light yellow stage, but I had also figured it out.


    ¡°I got it,¡± I grinned.

 Chapter 115

    Chapter 115


    The quadriceps located at the front of the thighs; they were responsible for pushing the thigh and leg forward. The hamstrings were the quadriceps¡¯ opposing muscles, responsible for bending the leg and moving it backward. The glutes were crucial toplete the backward movement of the step. The abdominal muscles would contract during each forward step. The calf muscles, albeit smaller, were actually among the most heavily used muscles that propelled the body forward as the foot pushed off the ground. These were just the primary muscles.


    The secondary muscles that also needed to be taken into ount were the stabilizing muscles located around the pelvis. These series of muscles formed a crown around the pelvis, which included the internal and external abductors, I think they were called, the lower abdominal muscles and the spinal muscles located in the back. The tibialis... something, the thin strip of muscle that helped you flex the ankle in order to move the foot towards the knee, was also used to make sure the foot wouldn¡¯t tten, creating a greater chance of scraping against the ground or an object.


    The body had an intricate muscr system that worked in pairs, each responsible for half of aplete movement. The biceps flexed when the arm curled towards the shoulder, while the triceps triggered when the arm straightened out. The mechanisms inside the body were even moreplex when putting the body into motion, such as walking, running, or jumping.


    This knowledge hadn¡¯t been all that useful until now because of my rather exceptional physique in mana. However, in the case where I needed to further evolve the first sequence of Mirage Walk, I would need to utilize all of this knowledge and a step above that, eventually putting it into application.


    ¡°Damn!¡± I lifted my arms to catch myself as I toppled forward onto the pile of leaves I had fashioned into a bed.


    Noticing that the sun had already set, I went back to my camp and retrieved a few strips of squirrel meat that I had smoked prior so that I didn¡¯t have to keep hunting.


    ¡°I really wish I could use the aether orb for this,¡± I muttered, looking down at the charred, tasteless meat in my hand.


    I had made significant progress since I first put on hiatus my hunt for wed and devoted all of my time and energy into training this past week, splitting the days into practicing Burst Step and refining my mana core. The remaining two or three hours were used for sleep.


    However, the more I practiced, the more I hungered to master this movement technique. With the tweak I had made using my previous knowledge of human anatomy, Mirage Walk would be even more refined, theoretically. Not only would it be instant and versatile, but it would also be as deadly as it was elegant.


    The basics of Burst Step that I had first seeded in executing looked almost like a wide leap, granted that it was still incredibly fast. This was because, although mana couldn¡¯t be sensed under the effects of Mirage Walk, there was still a stance and a series of motions that needed to be made in order for the human body to be able to take that step.


    Kordri, even as an asura, using Burst Step in his human form, also couldn¡¯t ignore the mechanisms of his body despite his superior physique.


    What I was working my way towards was consciously and deliberately manipting mana, channeling it into specific muscles at a certain progression with precise timing to artificially trigger a sequence in my body that mimicked the use of muscles without actually having the need to maneuver.


    If I could get the timing and output of mana controlled perfectly, I would be capable of something even Kordri couldn¡¯t do¡ªexecute Mirage Walk in, but not limited to, an orthostatic or standing position.


    ¡°Gah, even thinking about it was confusing,¡± I relented. Finishing my dinner, I headed back to the clearing I had crudely optimized in thest week.


    Standing about five meters away from the bed of leaves that was made to soften my fall, I concentrated. Willing mana to manipte my muscles was a lot like using your thoughts to make a dummy move. Most of the movements that people do were automatically done; I didn¡¯t have to think of what muscles I needed to use to breathe. However, since I would be using a mediating factor, mana, in order to generate an action from my body, it was like learning to move all over again.


    ¡°Ugh.¡± I spat out the mouthful of leaves and wiped my tongue with my sleeve. Getting back up, I returned to my initial position and concentrated again, disregarding the increasing aches in my legs.


    I had somewhat seeded in propelling myself using the bare minimum amount of movement, buting to a proper stop was another, huge obstacle that I was having trouble oveing.


    Just like how a toddler couldn¡¯t control how far or high he jumped, using mana to manipte the inner workings of my body had made it hopelessly difficult for me to control.


    However, at least the initial step and the very foundation of Mirage Walk where I manipted atmospheric mana to conceal the fluctuations of mana in my body had be much easier for me. I still needed to bnce the capacity of my mana veins to my mana channels for me to better control this, but I didn¡¯t have time for that now.


    After I had properly hidden my presence, I imagined the muscr system in my body. Recalling all the muscles responsible for using Burst Step, I tried once again.


    Interrted parts of the body required for movement lit up on the imaginary figure of myself in my head to better conceptualize the specific order that I had willed the mana to trigger. I could feel the corresponding muscles pulse as mana coursed through in the sequence I hadmanded. With just the slight shift of my left leg and the aid of mana, thendscape around me blurred as I executed Burst Step from a standing upright position.


    Despite the mana I had willed to reinforce my legs from the stress, a sharp pain coursed through my lower body.


    ¡°Woah!¡± I yelped as I tumbled forward onto the pile of leaves once again.


    I had failed again ining to a full stop. Even if mana could help me with the initial burst of speed, it was much harder to stop in the exact position and location that I had wanted to.


    Letting out a defeated sigh, I continued practicing.


    As the sun sank and a crescent moon shifted into view, Iid there in the bed of leaves staring vacantly at the night sky. Raising my hand, I pinched at where the moon appeared to be with my fingers. The moon looked so small from here... how small did I appear to be to the moon?


    I focused on the left arm that I had lifted, staring at the feather Sylvia had given me to cover the orb with and the dragon will she had imparted to me.


    This, and Sylvie, were all I had left of the asura that had saved me, taken care of me, and protected me as a child. Would training like this really allow me to hear from her again, eventually?


    Reminiscing my time with her had made long for everyone else. Despite how poorly we had parted, I missed my family.


    ¡°Enough, Arthur.¡± I pped my cheeks and sat up from the pile of leaves. There were only so many hours in a day, and I couldn¡¯t afford to waste more out here in this godforsaken forest.


    Taking a deep breath, I began cultivating my mana core. It had been a slow process once I got to the light-yellow stage. I was chipping away at a mountain with only a spoon in my hand, but there was definite progress.


    I got lost in the ever-cumbersome process of absorbing, purifying, and refining when the familiar chirps of morning birds snapped me out of my meditation.


    I was covered in sweat and grime as my body expelled the impurities in my mana core, making me not only filthy but hungry as well.


    Looking at the remains of smoked meat I had left, I would have to hunt today. After gnawing through the remainder of my charred squirrel, I packed my water pouch and departed.


    Keeping my mind cid and my presence hidden with Mirage Walk, I slowly trekked deeper into the dense forest. It had been harder for me to find wildlife near camp, so every time I hunted, I needed to go a bit deeper.


    By the time I noticed, however, I realized that the forest had gotten much quieter. Birds chirped in the nearby distance, but there were no signs of raptor squirrels or other mana beasts in the vicinity


    ¡°Hmm,¡± I muttered, surveying the area. Releasing the use of Mirage Walk, I concentrated mana into my ears. I wasn¡¯t able to hear anything at first, but after a few minutes I caught on to a faint noise. It sounded like a growl. I couldn¡¯t tell how far away it was, but the sound was familiar; there was a silver panther nearby.


    I got a little closer, making sure to hide my presence again. I enhanced my hearing once again, but this time, I was able to make out more noise. I could hear the faint gurgling sound of running water, and a bit past that to the northeast. What I also noticed was that it wasn¡¯t just one silver panther. There were two panthers in the same vicinity.


    ¡°That¡¯s odd,¡± I noted. My understanding of the silver panthers, from what I¡¯d seen so far, was that they were territorial amongst each other and hunted by themselves.


    Perhaps they were fighting over territory? That would certainly exin theck of prey in the vicinity...


    Implementing Mirage Walk again, I hastily made my way towards the ensuing battle. I couldn¡¯t help but grin at my luck.


    My spection had been correct; as I stealthily approached the sound of the silver panthers, I spotted their distinct silver coat near a small clearing of trees alongside a cliff. It was impossible to tell how deep down the fall was from here, but just from the fact that there was a good two hundred yards from here to the other end of the chasm, and I couldn¡¯t see the ground meant that if those silver panthers fell off, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for me to retrieve their bodies.


    Hiding behind a nearby tree, I observed. It was easy to figure out that they were clearly hostile to one another, but what caught me by surprise was that one of the silver panther was wed; the distinct scars on his back made him easily distinguishable. His opponent, on the other hand, was unfamiliar to me. He was clearlyrger, but by the fresh wounds on its face and side, it seemed like wed had the upper hand.


    As the two mana beasts slowly circled each other, they let out a low gnarl, baring their sharp teeth.


    The opponent was the first to make a move. Therger cat pounced with its ws held high as it let out a fierce snarl.


    wed reacted instantly, dodging the swipe and countering with his teeth. I became captivated by their fight. Since silver panthers had innately elerated reflexes and intuition, their exchanges were a relentless flurry of continuous dodging and countering, neither of them incurring any deep wounds. However, for every gash that therger panther had made, wed had given him three in return.


    As their battle continued, I didn¡¯t know why, but my heart began pounding restlessly. I was anxious about something, afraid. I had been so caught up in their duel that I didn¡¯t realize how deadly quiet the forest had be, almost mute. There were no sound of birds chirping or mana beasts moving; there wasn¡¯t much as a rustling sounding from the trees as if even the wind was afraid of something.


    wed seemed to have noticed as well because he began behaving very cautiously. His fur was standing on end, his tail sticking straight up as he constantly sniffed for something. Therger cat, unaware of the disturbance, took advantage of the opening and pounced at wed. Dodging his opponent, wed instead turned and started running away.


    I didn¡¯t get it. There was something going on, but I couldn¡¯t sense any other presence from here. Why did wed run away like that when he was winning?


    Putting aside my wariness, I took action against therger silver panther that remained. He was injured, and his escape routes were limited because of the cliff.


    Spotting me, therger cat began growling, lowering itself into a posture to flee. It knew instinctively that, in its state, it had no chance against me.


    The air around us grew heavier as it became harder to breathe, but I maintained my stance.


    Now!


    The moment I lifted my foot up, the silver panther leaped to the side.


    ¡°Got you,¡± I smirked. Ignoring my protesting legs, I executed Burst Step from my standing position, using the fake step as a feint to get him to move. My surroundings blurred, my eyes focused only on the movement of the wounded mana beast. I had seeded in cutting him off, but the distance I had cleared was insufficient by just over a meter.


    As I lost my bnce, I desperately grabbed onto the panther¡¯s neck with my arms and held on tightly.


    ¡°Gah!¡± My body jerked unnaturally from the abrupt change in direction and I left was hanging onto the silver panther with all of my strength.


    ¡°You¡¯re mine!¡± I hissed between my teeth as I used mana to strengthen my hold on him. My only hope was to choke him.


    The panther I was riding on let out a vicious snarl as it whipped its head, trying to throw me off but I endured. Its sharp ws tore at my clothes, ripping fresh wounds on my sides and legs before it buckled feebly fromck of air.


    Just when I thought the panther was about to relent, it suddenly jerked. As if possessed, it used thest of its strength to throw itself backward. By the time I realized what it had done, the ground underneath us was gone as we plummeted down the steep gorge.


    Hurtling down, I was reminded of a very simr scene from when I was just a toddler, thrown off the edge of the mountain in order to save my mother.


    A thousand scenarios ran through my head as I struggled to decide on the best option to take. The silver panther that had dragged me down to hell was out cold from my choke and was helplessly falling beneath me.


    Uttering a string of curses, I slowly bnced myself on top of the unconscious mana beast and exerted mana into my legs. The scene around me was a constant blur from the speed that we were dropping.


    ¡°Windsom would understand!¡± I convinced myself aloud as I propelled myself off the panther.


    With the push, I had slowed down but not nearly enough, and there was no ce to grab onto on the edge of the cliff.


    Another scene shed into my head; it was the time when I had fallen down the hole in the dungeon, Widow¡¯s Crypt.


    ¡®Was falling down deep chasms going to be some sort of reurring theme in my life?¡¯


    A surge of wind gathered into my palms as I stared straight down at the approaching ground, concentrating on coalescing my mana into the spell.


    Now!


    [Typhon¡¯s Howl]


    Releasing the spell gathered my palms, the st of wind surged toward the ground, a deafening screech echoing throughout the steep ravine.


    Gritting through the pain in my arms as they held the brunt of the strain from the recoil, I continued exerting mana into the spell.


    I could feel the force of the spell negating my fall as I came to a slow hover. Suspending Typhon¡¯s Howl, I dropped down the remaining few meters onto the ground in the center of the st radius.


    A thick cloud of dust had arisen from where my spell had collided with the dirt floor, impeding my vision. Masking my mouth and nose from the debris in the air, I began making my way out of the dust cloud when an earth-shattering roar resounded.


    After the thunderous howl had subsided, the ground shook once again at the sound of heavy footsteps approaching me.


    The force of each resonating stomp threw me off bnce. Immediately, I dashed toward the edge of the gorge, praying to whatever divine being that ruled this realm that the cause of such devastating sounds were from an earthquake.

 Chapter 116

    Chapter 116


    As I made my way toward the edge of the ravine, desperately looking for any ce to hide, a deep thud shook the ground. A surge of wind then blew toward me, dispersing the cloud of debris that had been my only source of cover.


    It was toote to hide.


    Whipping my body to face my new enemy, I waited for thest of the dust to clear. Heavy footsteps approached my direction and the suffocating pressure I felt from the top of the cliff had been magnified tenfold.


    Out from the fog of rubble, the shadowed figure stepped out into full view, leaving me all the more confused.


    Letting out another devastating roar, it took another step toward me. ¡°For two meals to fall in front of my home just before my deep slumber, how lucky of me.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to expect whening face to face with the titan bear, but I sure as hell didn¡¯t expect it would be half my size and have the ability to talk. Titan bear my ass, there was nothing ¡®titan¡¯ about it. Maybe it was just a cub? In which case, this was a good opportunity.


    I stood my ground, not knowing how to proceed. I would¡¯ve rather avoided a direct confrontation with this mana beast until I knew more about it. The pressure the beast had emitted was no joke, despite its appearance. If this titan bear was only just a cub, I wouldn¡¯t want to have anything to do with a full grown one. Or maybe it was an adult titan bear, and it had the ability to alter its size like Sylvie?


    The titan bear looked down, regarding the dead panther in front of him before turning his gaze back to me. ¡°This meal isn¡¯t going anywhere. I should start with you,¡± the beast, less than a meter tall, growled, licking its lips.


    There was no way for me to get out of this without fighting. Lowering my stance, I prepared to fight. I had expected the titan bear toe charging at me, but it stood in ce.


    Abruptly, the mana beast thrust its paw in my direction, somehow propelling me backward.


    The bell tied to my waist rang mockingly as I tumbled on the hard ground.


    ¡°Guh!¡± I gasped for breath, relieved that it wasn¡¯t blood that I had just choked out.


    ¡®What the hell was that? It felt like I was shot in the stomach by a cannon.¡¯ Getting back on my feet, I concentrated on the titan bear that was about ten meters away.


    ¡°Ooh! A tough meal,¡± the bear snickered. The sight of a bear, no higher than my elbow, standing on two legs and speaking coherently was an odd sight, but I had no room to be amused.


    His attack just now was definitely some kind of long range spell, but I couldn¡¯t understand why I had felt no mana.


    The bear slowly lifted his paw, as if mocking me. As soon as the titan bear swung down, I activated Mirage Walk and used Burst Step.


    My jaw clenched as I gritted through the ache that had intensified throughout the past several days.


    A sharp pain suddenly came from my left leg. Looking down, I could see fresh blood flowing from a gash on the back of my calf.


    I had expected the attack to be like thest one, but this invisible spell had taken the form of something sharp.


    This attack as well; I wasn¡¯t able to sense it.


    The smile on the titan bear¡¯s face was gone. It seemed like he wasn¡¯t expecting me to dodge another one of his attacks.


    ¡°Stop running!¡± It growled, swinging his paw once more.


    Immediately dropping to the floor, I narrowly avoided the sh attack, the severed tips of my hair sprinkling down on my nose.


    It was a risky gamble, but through thatst attack, I was able to figure it out. When he shed with his paw, the attack that was released was also a sharp sh. When he punched with his paw, like he had for the first move, a blunt force was shot out.


    The titan punched at me from the distance, sending another invisible cannon my way. Even when I concentrated mana into my eyes, I wasn¡¯t able to see the attack, leaving me no choice but to blindly throw myself out of the way.


    The mana beast¡¯s spell hit my side and I felt ribs cracking. Not giving me time to prepare again, the bear swung his other paw, releasing another spell immediately after his first one.


    I made too wide of a movement to dodge the previous attack for me to be able to avoid this one as well.


    Gritting my teeth, I willed more mana to protect my body, waiting for the brunt of the next attack.


    The force of the titan bear¡¯s spell knocked me off the ground. Blood spurted from my chest as four horizontal gashes formed just below my cor bone.


    ¡°Damn,¡± I coughed out, suppressing the searing pain. I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle any more direct hits.


    I needed to get close to it, but to do that, I needed to be able to dodge the titan bear¡¯s attacks.


    The titan bear, aware of my vulnerable state, began smirking confidently again. I wasn¡¯t sure how the titan bear was able to manifest those nearly imperceivable spells, but there was one way of discerning it.


    Standing back up, shakily, I waited. To the titan bear, it must¡¯ve looked like I had given up because its smile got even wider as it began licking its lips again in anticipation.


    Just as the titan bear lifted its paw up, I firmly kicked the ground in front of me, creating a cloud of dust, covering me from view.


    Four slivers immediately sliced through the dust cloud I had made between the beast and me, allowing me to just barely see how wide the attack was before I immediately used Burst Step to avoid it.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I spat through gritted teeth from the sharp pangs of protest in my legs.


    Rolling on the ground and back onto my feet, I prepared myself again. I knew the hitbox of one of his attacks now, and I could make do with that. However, I still needed to be able topletely dodge the attack in the least amount of movement as possible if I¡¯m going to dodge all of his attacks and clear the distance between us.


    Thoughts of Kordri¡¯s training popped into my head, and I couldn¡¯t help but reveal a helpless smile. Either this was some big coincidence, or Windsom was indeed a calctive devil.


    I glimpsed the impatient titan bear release another attack, this time with a thrust of his paw. I immediately kicked up another cloud of dust to buy time, but the bell attached to me constantly gave away my position. Reacting immediately as a hole tore through the cloud of dust, I forced another Burst Step.


    ¡°The more you run, the more painful it¡¯ll be for you and the less of you there¡¯ll be left for me to eat.¡± The mana beast let foul chuckle that didn¡¯t match his cute appearance.


    ¡°Okay! I won¡¯t run anymore!¡± I stood still with my hands up.


    I could clearly make out the almost human-like expression of a triumphant sneer on the bear¡¯s face as it casually released another slicing attack with the swipe of its paw.


    I barely had the time to swallow back a choke as I executed the modified Burst Step I had been working on.


    As I willed mana into the proper muscles at the precise timing while strengthening my bones to help withstand the force of this abrupt stimtion, I heard a sharp crack from my legs before I was hit with the all-too-familiar sensation of high-speed motion just as the titan bear¡¯s blunt spell pressed against my chest.


    My body shifted less than a meter to the right, and the attack that was supposed cave my chest in just barely grazed my left shoulder.


    Even more blood began flowing out from the deep gash on my left leg from the sudden pressure I had exerted to use Burst Step; a small crater had formed beneath my legs from the sheer force of the movement. Despite the sess of my new movement skill, the explosion of pain that was growing increasingly unbearable had filled me with doubt.


    Through sheer will and my own stubbornness to win this fight against my unruly body, I choked down the pain as I concentrated more mana to my lower body.


    The titan bear stared at me, confused at first but it¡¯s gaze soon turned sour as it narrowed its eyes in irritation.


    Before it had the chance to release its next attack, I kicked at the ground again, creating a cloud of debris to separate us.


    I had less than a second to dodge the bear¡¯s attack once it passed through the dust cloud, and I was willing to bet the next assault wouldn¡¯t be just a single attack.


    In the midst of this game of dodging the lethal attacks, I had figured out the basis of sessfully implementing my new Burst Step. Just as I had to coordinate the mana in my muscles to propel my body, I had to mirror the progression of mana flow in my body to stop the movement as well.


    The ground underneath my feet had sunken, once again, due to the force I had to expel in order toe to a stop, but it had worked again.


    The cloud of dust I had created was torn into pieces a flurry of attacks from the titan bear headed straight at me.


    Burst.


    My vision blurred as I propelled myself to the right. The rigid ground cracked at the force of mynding about two meters away. The first step had me gritting in pain but using Burst Step again had sent an explosion of agony through my lower body as the muscles and bones inside me nearly gave out from the stress.


    Just as the bell rang, giving away my position, I locked my mouth into a determined snarl and swallowed back any screams of pain that were building up in my throat, and executed Burst Step once more to reach my opponent. The titan bear¡¯s head spun at the sound of my bell, but by that time, I had already closed the gap.


    The bear¡¯s dark eyes widened as its maw opened in surprise. Through the haze of pain, I let out a brash smirk. Mana had already been concentrated into my fist to the degree that it was glowing slightly.


    The titan bear iled back. ¡°Wai¡ª¡±


    My augmented fist buried itself into tiny bear¡¯s stomach, creating a loud thud on impact before the mana beast¡¯s body shot towards the edge of the ravine, crashing into the rocky cliff from where I fell.


    My legs, numb from the pain, finally relented and the cold ground was soon pressed up against my cheek. Using thest of my remaining strength, I tore off the bell from my waist and crushed it in my hand before my vision darkened and an alluring call beckoned me to sleep.


    WINDSOM¡¯S POV:


    Arriving down at the gorge, I inspected the scene. There was a silver panther sprawled out, dead, with the ground dyed in blood beneath it. Nearby boulders had deep gashes while there were craters in the ground and wall surrounding them.


    ¡®What exactly had happened here?¡¯ I spotted the boy on the ground and a crater depressed onto the cliff that surrounded this ravine.


    ¡®The boy came all the way down here?¡¯ Arthur was in a rather pitiful state. Tearing off thest of his tattered clothes, he had at least three broken ribs, and the gashes on his chest had reached too deep to be considered a mere flesh wound. However, the most concerning injuries were surprisingly on his legs, as they had be blotched with a sickly purple and red color from extensive internal bleeding. I couldn¡¯t make out the gravity of his wounds, but it had to be treated soon.


    ¡®Was it wrong of me to have left Arthur alone like this? Lord Indrath had ordered me to give the boy some room to grow on his own, but seeing the state he was in now, he could¡¯ve died.¡¯


    After treating the boy, I focused my attention on the creature in the center of the st radius on the ravine¡¯s rocky wall.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± It looked like the cub of a titan bear, but that didn¡¯t make sense. A cub of this size didn¡¯t even have the strength to defend itself; it shouldn¡¯t have been able to injure the boy like this.


    A full grown titan bear would stand at least three meters tall, possessing superior defense with its thick coat, but even a full grown one wouldn¡¯t be able to cause this much devastation...


    Unless...


    Just as I took a closer look at the titan bear cub, its body started writhing unnaturally. Suddenly, its stomach bulged before a ck tentacle erupted from inside the dead mana beast, wriggling frantically before it slumped.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Despite the situation, a content smile formed on my face.


    ¡®That exined everything, but to think that Arthur was able to defeat one,¡¯ I sighed.


    Demon leech. It was a truly rare specimen that was as intelligent as it was foul native only to Epheotus. By itself, it was weak, but when ittched onto a mana beast, it was able to possess its body and strengthen its host¡¯s core to ridiculous degrees.


    Seeing howrge the demon leech had grown inside the cub, it was easy to guess that this monster was definitely levels stronger than a mere titan bear.


    The boy was lucky that the cub¡¯s body was still fragile. If the leech had possessed a full grown titan bear...


    There was no use postting alternate possibilities. I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t done with intent, but Arthur had done right in aiming for the stomach of the cub since this was where the demon leech resided. If the leech had had the strength to make its way to Arthur¡¯s body while he was unconscious, even Lord Indrath wouldn¡¯t have been able to save the boy without crippling him.


    Prying the demon leech from inside the corpse, I crushed the parasite in my hand.


    ¡°Here you are.¡± Left in my hand was a shiny white orb that the demon leech had been refining inside the titan bear.


    I picked up the boy, cing the white orb inside his mouth. ¡°Your difficulties have paid off for you tremendously, Arthur.¡±

 Chapter 117

    Chapter 117


    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:</strong>


    Even before I was able to open my eyes, the first thing I became aware of was the soft creaking of footsteps on old wood. Echoes of groaning floorboards resounded in my ears, allowing me to get a vague grasp of the size of the room I was held in.


    An array of intoxicating smells¡ªrich with unfamiliar herbs and spices¡ªbombarded my senses, distracting me from anything else. Opening my eyes, the first thing to wee me was the underside of a cottage roof. Besides the parched coarseness of my tongue fromck of water, my body felt fine; or at least, I thought, until I tried moving.


    To my horror, there was no response when I tried to lift my legs; there was no sensation or feedback when I tried moving anything from the waist down. I immediately lifted the nkets covering my lower body, only to see that my legs had beenpletely bandaged and fashioned tightly to a wooden splint to keep them from moving.


    ¡°Your legs are fine, Child. I just had to numb them so that you wouldn¡¯t be up all night from the pain,¡± a gentle, yet slightly brittle voice stirred my attention.


    Turning to the origin of the kind voice, I was met with a tender smile from a woman well past her youth, seasoned with the signs of refined aging. While wrinkles marked her face, they did nothing to hide her dignified and graceful demeanor. Dressed in a simple gray robe to match her hair tied tightly in the back toe down in a braid, my caretaker approached me with sparkling eyes.


    Letting out a sigh of relief at her words, I sank back down in the bed. ¡°How do you feel, Child?¡± she cooed, cing a warm hand on my forehead.


    I blinked uprehendingly. Thest thing I remembered wasnding a solid blow on the titan bear before passing out. I turned my head around, scanning my surroundings. I was in a spacious room, well-lit and heated by a fire crackling in a stone firece. Beside it was a small kitchen muddled with pots and pans of all sizes either hanging on the wall or stacked high on top of each other. Besides the worn upholstered couches ced around the firece and a small dining table in front of the kitchen, there was little else inside this cottage.


    ¡°Confused, are you?¡± the aged woman chuckled.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I replied hoarsely before breaking down into a fit of coughs. The woman promptly got up from her seat beside me and came back with a mug of lukewarm water. After a few deep gulps of what tasted like liquid heaven, I felt confident enough to form cohesive words.


    ¡°Thank you...¡±


    ¡°¡ªMyre. You can simply call me Myre, Child,¡± thedy finished for me, taking the empty mug from my hands.


    As I sat there, a searing pain started creeping up my legs, as if a liquid fire had soaked them.


    Mistaking my pained expression for fright, Myre let out a soft chuckle. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t eat you. Although, I did technically kind of steal you away from Windsom. Lucky I did, though. If I had gotten my hands on you anyter, I¡¯m afraid your legs would¡¯ve taken a lot longer to heal.¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not that. My legs...¡± I managed to voice out through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Seems like the medicinal rub has lost its effect already." cing the mug down on the nightstand beside me, Myre began to lift the only thing keeping me from beingpletely naked.


    My hands immediately reached down to cover myself between my legs, which prompted another soft chuckle from my caretaker. Carefully folding the sheets so that only my legs were exposed, she gently hovered her hand over my bandaged legs.


    As Myre began unwrapping the bandages, I was able to finally see the full extent of injuries my legs had incurred. I couldn¡¯t help but grow puzzled by the sight of my bare legs. Scars that I never had were strewn across both legs. My knees and ankles had the most cuts, but what confused me most was that these scars looked as if they¡¯d been on my legs for years.


    Cold sweat began forming on my forehead as the pain in my legs got worse. Myre began carefully inspecting every inch of my legs afterpletely removing all of the bandages.


    After a satisfied nod to herself, she brought over a bucket filled with a very pungent herbal liquid. I wordlessly observed my caretaker as she diligently cut and soaked strips of cloth and bandaged my legs with nimble fingers. I couldn¡¯t help but fall into a trance from her rhythmic and dexterous movements.


    ¡°Elder Myre¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please, Arthur, I would much prefer if you just called me Myre,¡± she cut me off, her attention still focused on my legs.


    ¡°Er, Myre, how long have I been unconscious for?¡± I asked, afraid that by my seemingly repaired legs, I¡¯d been out for a long time.


    ¡°Just over two nights, My Dear." As she finished recing thest bandage on my left calf, she turned to me, her misty green eyes studying me. ¡°Now, how does that feel?"


    ¡°Much morefortable. Thank you,¡± I assured gratefully as the pain began subsiding from the cold gel-like liquid soaked into the new bandages.


    epting my gratitude with a cid smile, she gathered the used cloth and dumped it in a basin filled with water. After pouring some salt-like powder into it, she lifted her dress and stepped inside, using her feet tounder the used cloth.


    ¡°Myre, you must be exhausted. Let me wash that for you,¡± I hurriedly expressed as I willed mana into my hand, preparing to manipte the water in the basin.


    ¡°No no, it¡¯s fine, My Dear. Doing this gives these old bones a chance to get some exercise." She waved my help away with one hand as her other still held the ends of her dress.


    As I continued staring nkly at her stomping on the drenched cloth, I couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Myre, am I¡ªare we¡ªstill in Epheotus?"


    ¡°Why of course we are, Child. Where else would you have been able to mend the sorry state of your legs?¡± Myre answered, maintaining her rhythmic stepping in the basin.


    ¡°My apologies, it¡¯s just that...¡± My eyes fell to her feet.


    ¡°Oh. Well, I suppose it would be easier to do everything I have been doing with mana arts, but what fun is that? Even as asuras, there are things that magic can¡¯t simte. For example, the coldness of the water between my toes as the wet cloths wrap around my feet. What fun is waving your finger to move the water to do that for you?¡± she expressed, giving me a wink.


    Her words baffled me, but I couldn¡¯t hope to understand the perspective of an ancient race where magic was ingrained into their very being. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just that waking up in this state was rather confusing to me. Not to be rude, and I¡¯m very thankful for your meticulous care, but I just thought that maybe healing mana art would have quickened the process of my recovery."


    ¡°If a simple healing spell had been cast on you, you¡¯d be barely limping, and your bones would¡¯ve taken on an entirely different shape,¡± the elder chuckled as she willed a towel into her hands with a snap.


    Walking towards me, she curled her lips into a mischievous smile. ¡°Besides, I did use mana art to mend your legs.¡±


    Myre flicked her arm at me and, faster than I was able to react, an icy st seared through my chest.


    I immediately sprawled back on the bed, wide-eyed as I stared at the silvery mist that had engulfed the wound I had gotten from the titan bear. As the fire diminished, the once bleeding gashes across my rib cage began healing rapidly.


    A musicalughter snapped me out of my daze, and I nced down to see Myre failing to hold in her amusement. ¡°Gets them every time!¡± she sighed, her hands still enveloped in the silvery mist.


    ¡°H-How?¡± I blubbered, my fingers tracing the once open cuts that grew smaller and becamepletely encrusted in scabs.


    ¡°Ady needs to have her secrets, My Dear.¡± Her voice softened as she coquettishly pressed a finger to her lips. Despite her old age, I couldn¡¯t help but blush diffidently at her yful behavior.


    Coughing down my embarrassment, I sat back up, albeit covering a little more of myself with the nket. ¡°Thank you for treating me, Myre, as well as your hospitality. I know there isn¡¯t much room here."


    ¡°Not at all. Besides, this old cottage isn¡¯t where I live. I merely use this ce to get some peace and, from time to time, treat a patient,¡± she smiled, handing me a bowl of warm soup. ¡°I don¡¯t treat just anyone you know, but I wanted to meet the human boy who is supposedly the savior of the world,¡± she dered grandly before shooting me another wink.


    Replying with a weak chuckle, I took a careful sip from the bowl. Immediately, a savory brothced with refreshing hints of herbs enveloped my tongue, enticing me to greedily take anotherrge gulp before setting it down on the nightstand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even try to get up tonight. The wounds on your legs weren¡¯t as simple as the little gashes on your chest. It took hours for your legs to get back in that state, so just get some rest; that is your biggest priority,¡± Myre warned. ¡°There is water on the counter within arm¡¯s reach, and if you have to use the bathroom, there is a chamber pot right beside the bed. Good night, My Dear.¡±


    Myre left me to my thoughts with the only source of light, the mes, writhing in the firece. It seemed like I had just closed my eyes for a second, thinking back to the silver me she had conjured, when I was jerked awake from another pang of sharp throbs. The pain wasn¡¯t as intense as it had been when Myre had changed the bandages for me, but it was agitating enough to keep me from falling back asleep. The cottage was almostpletely dark aside from the few strands of moonlight that made it through the thatched roof.


    The fire had long gone out, with only a faint, smoky aroma left. I wasn¡¯t sure to what degree my wounds had healed, but I grew restless at the thought of idly wasting away time.


    Abandoning the idea of going back to sleep, I sat back, upright, and began doing the only productive thing I could do in this state: meditate.


    As I concentrated on the mana core swirling deep in my sternum, a st of unfamiliar energy weed me. Suddenly, the mountain that I had been chipping away at to reach the silver core was but a t in, rolled out like a map for me to cross.


    Absorbing mana from my surroundings, I tentatively began refining when the alien energy began hungrily sucking in the mana I had absorbed and coalesced it with my mana core. The light yellow hue of my core started glowing as mana surged throughout my body, filling my veins, muscles, bones, and skin with a fiery energy.


    I could feel myself shivering uncontrobly as my core began glowing brighter until it wasn¡¯t yellow, but instead, a bright silver.


    The untamed energy that had been raging inside my body continued to chip away at theyers of my core, making my silver core grow brighter and brighter with each influx of energy that hit. I held my breath, afraid that even the slightest shift would halt the rapid progression of my mana core. Eventually, the mysterious energy source that had refined my mana core to the peak of mid-silver stage subsided.


    Just when I thought the transformation had finished, the sharp scream of a metal ng filled my ears. As if an invisible wall that had been restraining my mind was gone, my body forcibly shifted into the second phase of Sylvia¡¯s Dragon Will.


    Prying my eyes open, I could see the golden runes emerging from my arms and shoulders. To my surprise, the glowing runes began changing, their design growing moreplex as they shaped themselves into some kind of ancientnguage. My disheveled hair started changing colors from my naturally auburn hair to white, then back to auburn again.


    The furniture inside the one-room cottage started trembling as straw and splinters fell from the roof, filling the room with more rays of moonlight. However, despite the pots and pans nging against one another, the only sound that filled my ears was the high-pitched ring.


    While my hair changed back to its original color, the newly-formed runes on my body glowed brighter as the color began to drain from the world. Soon, the only colors I was able to see were in the minuscule particles floating around me. But something had changed. During the times that I had used Dragon¡¯s Awakening, I was only able to see four colors: one for each of the four elements. However, specks of purple were dotted abundantly within the array of blue, yellow, red, and green.


    After using this form to kill Lucas, I thought I had gotten better at controlling the harshpulsions that came with using the second phase of Sylvia¡¯s will. However, the will seemed to reject my body more than ever, until I couldn¡¯t bear the agony of my body ripping itself apart anymore.


    I released Dragon¡¯s Awakening, and as if a bucket of water had been thrown to douse a raging fire, all of the energy, power, and pain that had been growingrger andrger inside me abruptly vanished. An eerie silence surrounded me as I was left feeling confused, powerless and frail despite the progress my mana core had made.

 Chapter 118

    Chapter 118


    ¡°So it¡¯s true.¡± I turned my head to see Myre leaning against the entryway. ¡°You truly have inherited Realmheart...¡± The asura¡¯s voice was both solemn and sentimental as it trailed off.


    ¡°Excuse me? Realmheart?¡± I echoed as she approached me with slow steps.


    ¡°The physical manifestations disyed from you tapping into Sylvia¡¯s powers, My Dear¡ª the iris glowing purple and those unmistakable glowing runes imprinted on the body. Even within the n, it is rare. Realmheart¡ªor The Realmheart Physique¡ªis an ability that only the Indrath n bloodline can possess. Tell me, Child, were you able to see them?¡± the asura pressed as her eyes stayed glued to the faint markings which continued to fade from my arms.


    Myre reached out and tenderly ran her fingers along the runes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t understand. See what?¡± I replied, snapping her out of her daze.


    ¡°Were you able to see all five of the colors that make up the physical realm?¡± The asura had an expression I couldn¡¯t quite make out as she awaited my answer.


    I thought back to the array of colors that floated around me while in my second phase. ¡°I think so...¡±


    ¡°The Realmheart Physique was named by the ancestors of the Indrath n because, in this form, the user¡¯s attunement with the physical realm is said to be unparalleled. While the ability itself does not hold much strength, the power to activate Realmheart allows the user to gain knowledge and insight that those without could never hope to have,¡± Myre exined. ¡°Which goes to say that knowledge truly is power.¡±


    I reflected back to when I had first used Realmheart against the elderwood guardian. I had assumed that the form was a just a power boost, allowing me to gain ess to more mana, but from what Myre had just exined to me, it seemed like using Realmheart actually just allow me to utilize mana with much more efficiency. ¡°There is one thing I don¡¯t quite understand. When I used the second phase¡ªRealmheartst time, I was only able to see four colors. Why am I now able to see the purple particles?¡±


    Myre pondered for a moment.


    ¡°Are you not allowed to tell me about this as well? It seems like none of the asuras want a lesser being learning their techniques and secrets,¡± I sighed, disappointed.


    ¡°Mmm, we asuras are prideful beings indeed. Even amongst the members of the same race, we asuras stay secretive and greedy, the Indrath n particrly so.¡± Myre chuckled for a bit then gave me an inquisitive look. ¡°I won¡¯t say that I¡¯m different from all of them, but I¡¯ve lived long enough and experienced far too much to care about such frivolousness. If you¡¯ll be content with an olddy like me, I¡¯ll be happy to teach you a thing or two.¡±


    I honestly didn¡¯t expect her to go as far as offering to teach me, but taking no chances, I immediately bobbed my head in consent before she could change her mind.


    ¡°Good! Now... practical lessons won¡¯t be possible in your current state, but I think a more theoretical approach might be good either way,¡± Myre answered, tapping her chin with a finger.


    Myre exined to me the fundamentals of mana itself and how it affected the world, or what she referred to as ¡°the physical realm.¡± Much of what she went over was something I had already known to a certain degree. However, the way she strung her words together and exined everything in such an easily digestible manner, it was obvious that she was much more knowledgeable than any of the professors at Xyrus Academy.


    She went on, rifying how it wasn¡¯t natural for lesser beings or even asuras to manipte raw mana. Mages with a certain affinity to an element had a much easier time absorbing the atmospheric mana that coincided with their particr element. However, in the end, it still had to be absorbed and refined in order for to be utilized. To someone with the Realmheart physique, a fire-affinity mage will appear to be absorbing only the red mana particles, but afterpleting the refining process, the mana would appear white when first used. This was why body-strengthening spells could be used regardless of what type of affinity a mage was.


    ¡°So if, in the end, mana that is absorbed and refined turns white, howe it¡¯s not possible for them to utilize different elements?¡± I inquired.


    ¡°Good question.¡± Myre seemed pleased by my interruption, rather than annoyed. ¡°It is impossible to control the specific type of element that a mage absorbs, so it is inevitable that the mage will naturally take in the mana particles that his body is most inclined towards.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say that a mage¡¯s affinity is towards water; during the process of refining raw mana, the amount of water element his body absorbs will be disproportionatepared to the other elements. So, even though the end result is a purified white mana, during the stage where that mage refined the water elemental mana his body absorbed, the raw mana altered his body to be more predisposed, and his mind to be more insightful of that particr element.¡±


    It must¡¯ve been obvious that I looked a bit confused, because she exined it in more detail.


    ¡°Remember when you conjured your first remote spell, whether that be a stream of fire or a sphere of wind? You had to concentrate much more in order for the spell to manifest in the proper form, right? Even infant asuras are taught to verbally chant spells to help them concentrate and visualize what they want. However, after so much time absorbing and refining a specific element, the need to visualize and chant bes much easier andes more naturally.


    Going back to the water-affinity mage scenario, that mage¡ªno doubt¡ªwould have to concentrate on the shape, proportion, density, and even the speed ofunch if he were to execute a fireball. However, that same mage will have no trouble raising a stream of water, separating it into multiple orbs and casting it to barrage down on an enemy with just a flick of his wrist. Why?¡±


    ¡°Because of the influence that absorbing a majority of water element had on the mage during the refining process,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Correct! Being exposed to a particr element for so long, the mage would no doubt gain insight during their meditation.¡± Myre continued on about this subject, stressing heavily again that asuras and lesser beings alike could not manipte natural mana. After hours passed unheeded on the subject of mana, Myre finally brought up what I had wanted to know most about: aether.


    Rather than start from the beginning, Myre asked, ¡°Can you tell me what you know about aether?¡±


    I proceeded to exin what little I knew about aether and the times I had experienced the phenomena that aether produced: the instances where I was able to freeze time using the first phase of Sylvia¡¯s will and how I had trained using the aether orb.


    ¡°Aether is fundamentally different from mana; this much is clear to anyone. While both entities make up the world that we live in, aether works very differently than mana. To what degree, no one has a solid answer. Some have spected that aether is the building block that the world is made of, while mana is what fills it with life and sustenance. More simply put, aether would be the cup, while mana is the water that fills it.¡± Myre held up a ss cup, filled halfway, for me to see.


    ¡°It is quite easy to manipte the water inside without mana, but much more difficult to change the shape of the cup without breaking it. Quite a crude analogy, I know,¡± the asura smiled as she began slowly shaking the cup, stirring the water inside.


    Shaking my head, I responded, ¡°No, it helps a lot.¡±


    ¡°Good. Well, despite the many spections and theories, even the Indrath n, hailed for being the most adept in utilizing aether, has no solid theory that can justify what they are able to do. What they did have that no one else did, was the ability to physically detect aether through the use of the Realmheart Physique.¡± Holding the ss close to her face, Myre dipped a finger in the water. ¡°Those in the physical realm cannot sense aether. Everyone alike knows that there arews that hold our world together, just like this ss that holds the water. However, it is impossible for them to fathom the boundaries that exist to keep order in the world.¡±


    ¡°Then the purple particles I saw when I used Realmheart...¡± I said, trailing off at the end.


    ¡°Yes, My Dear. That was aether.¡± Myre smiled. ¡°Through the use of Realmheart, you are able to see the ss cup from within, the boundaries of this world.¡±


    ¡°Now, I can go on to exin the history of how aether came to be slowly studied, but I doubt that will be of any use to you. You just have to know that you possess a skill that even asuras would kill for. However, I suspect that there will be certain limits because your body is not of the dragon race. But the true power of Realmheart lies in the ability to gain insight while in the form.¡±


    ¡°I noticed that while I use Realmheart, I be a lot stronger. At first, I thought it was some sort of power boost that the form gives, but it¡¯s more of a big improvement in control,¡± I confirmed with Myre, who nodded in reply.


    ¡°Yes, especially for you, who has the strangeposition of being quadra-elemental,there is a vast difference in mana maniption using Realmheart. But let¡¯s set aside the aspect of mana for now. Not to sound biased, but control over mana is much more linear than aether. For mana, the greater your core is, the more water you can manipte,¡± she continued, still using the ss-of-water analogy. ¡°Your insight and mental aptitude is how many ways you can manipte the water inside. However, through the maniption of aether, we can control the cup itself. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°How would you manipte the world itself?¡± I pressed.


    ¡°It¡¯s be habit to say ¡®manipte,¡¯ but in actuality, it is more important to think of it as influencing aether. And you¡¯ve already had a taste of this quite a few times, My Dear. Windsom had mentioned you being able to stop time for a brief moment.¡± Myre set the cup down and distanced herself from where I was.


    ¡°Yes! That was actually the first ability I was able to use with Sylvia¡¯s will!¡± I eximed.


    ¡°The control over time, aevum; the authority over space, spatium; and the influence over all livingponents, vivum...¡± Myre recited. ¡°These are the threeponents that make up aether.¡±


    This was knowledge that I might perhaps nevere across again, so I hungrily absorbed every word the asura was saying.


    ¡°No matter how powerful, how insightful, and how lucky a practitioner may be, he will only be able to master one path. Ancestors of the Indrath n have lived all their lives trying to gain insight on one of the three paths, only to realize that they don¡¯t have the capability of mastering it. However, over time, we¡¯ve realized a way for some asuras to know where their aptitude lies,¡± the asura confessed.


    ¡°How?¡± We had reached the climax of the story and I was greedy for more.


    ¡°The runes that run down the body from using Realmheart.¡± Myre closed her eyes and went silent.


    A palpable force suddenly pushed down on my shoulders, forcing me to use my arms to keep myself sitting up on the bed. The air turned thick and heavy as I stayed seated on the bed in awe. The pressure that Myre was emitting was neither violent nor ferocious like Kordri¡¯s had been, yet, in terms of level, it was much more overwhelming. I had no confidence that I would be able to muster up the will to fight against her¡ªthat much was clear. It was as if I could almost see her transforming into dragon form.


    Golden runes began carving down her bare arm but they looked very different from mine. Whereas mine appearedplex and detailed, her runes flowed like branches of an elven tree, or interconnecting streams of water being woven together.


    Myre finally opened her eyes and stared at me with an icy gaze of radiantvender. ¡°These runes are different for each Realmheart user, but the markings, when studied, show that I am of the vivum path. And that is also why I could heal you.¡±


    I found myself unable to muster a response as I stared in awe. Her very presence felt different than mine when I had activated Realmheart; the runes that ran down her arm were much more vivid and brightpared to the dull glow I had when I used this profound power, and her eyes seemed to almost pulse, as if they had a mind of their own.


    ¡°Now, My Dear, activate your Realmheart,¡± the asura gently nudged, despite her intimidating presence.

 Chapter 119

    Chapter 119


    An indescribably chilling sensation burst out from within my mana core as I activated Realmheart. Liquid frost coursed through my veins, desperately seeking a way out of my body. I watched the golden runes begin to form on my arms, glowing hotly against my frigid skin as my vision began to achromatize.


    ¡°I was only able to catch a glimpse of what your runes looked like earlier, but it truly is fascinating,¡± Myre mumbled to herself as she studied me.


    Remaining seated and motionless as my caretaker continued to inspect the engravings on my body, I couldn¡¯t help but be enthralled at what I was experiencing. This was the first time that I had actually taken a step back to study the changes in my perception while using Realmheart; watching the different particles move as if they each contained intellect and a goal in mind made me realize why magic was more urately described as ¡°mana maniption¡± in this world.


    Testing out a hunch I had in mind, I willed a small ember to appear at the tip of my finger. Sure enough, the red particles around me began to react as I conjured the fire. Even though what I had used was the refined mana from my core, there was a definitive response to the particles around my finger. I did this using spells from different elements to see the response in the particles, but no matter what I did, only the purple specks remained unchanged.


    ¡°Having fun, are we?¡± The asura was still in her Realmheart form as well. Her soft purple eyes peered through me as the edges of her lips curled upward in amusement.


    ¡°How is it that I¡¯ve never noticed this?¡± I asked, more to myself than to her.


    ¡°It¡¯s understandable that you would assume that this form was some power-up rather than a means to observe and study what cannot normally be perceived.¡± Letting go of my arm that she had been examining, Myre took a few steps back. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure how long you¡¯re able to stay in this form now that you¡¯ve broken through to a stage where you can sense aether, but there are a few things I want you to see before you release Realmheart.¡±


    The asura raised a hand in front of her for me to see, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Suddenly, the purple particles around us that had refused toply to my will slowly began to drift towards Myre. The movements of each tiny glimmer of purple seemed to differ from one another. Rather than manipting mana, it appeared more like the asura was herding in a legion of tiny fireflies toward her hand.


    ¡°As I mentioned earlier, aether behaves fundamentally different from mana. You will be met with only failure if you try to manipte aether as you have done with mana. Let me reiterate my point with the cup-of-water analogy since it has worked so well for us until now. You can drink, gargle, and spit out water as long as you know how, but you would be a fool if you tried the same thing with the cup. Aether is present all around us, yet it is the very boundary that confines us to the limits you and I have,¡± she exined as the particles of aether began drifting around the hand that she held up until it waspletely enveloped. ¡°Vivum, the influence over all livingponents. This is the very power I had used to piece back together your shattered legs.¡±


    The silver mist that Myre had shot out at me in demonstration earlier looked like a purple cloud surrounding her hand while I was in Realmheart. However, when she released her influence over the aether, the tiny particles dispersed back to their original space.


    ¡°I saw the aether gathering in your hand, but how does that form into vivum? How did that heal my legs?¡± A million and more questions were running through my head. On one end, being able to witness and perceive this spectacle was truly a good fortune, but seeing this just filled me with frustration at myck ofprehension.


    ¡°Subsequent to finding out that my affinity lied toward the branch of life, I studied vivum for centuries. However, even then, I am unconfident that I would be able to exin to you what you truly wish to know,¡± she confessed solemnly. ¡°What I can exin with certainty is limited.¡±


    ¡°I want to learn.¡± I stared at her, determined to grasp what I could.


    While her eyes remained solemn, a slight smile formed. ¡°Very well. First thing you need to know is that, unlike mana, you cannot absorb aether; you are merely changing its presence and influence to reality.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean a core isn¡¯t needed to be able to influence aether?¡±


    ¡°An individual¡¯s core is what connects the body to the physical realm, so while aether isn¡¯t directly manipted in the way that mana is, the mana core is crucial,¡± she responded. While Myre¡¯s words were simple enough, they reflected a deep wisdom that couldn¡¯t bepared to mine.


    ¡°You will realize your path when the timees, but since you are still in the beginning stages of your cultivation, it is best not to overwhelm you with knowledge that is unnecessary for now,¡± she continued, smiling gently at me. ¡°For now, just know that after a certain extent, your cultivation will cease to depend on the rote ability to refine mana, but depend on gaining insight into knowledge that cannot be passed down.¡±


    I pondered over her cryptic words. My brain was itching with questions but I knew now wasn¡¯t the time to be asking them.


    She nodded in contentment as I waited for her to continue. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this is mere coincidence or fate, but there is a reason why you can¡ªas limited as it is¡ªutilize aether. Can you guess what it is?¡±


    ¡°I thought it was because of Sylvia¡¯s will?¡± I answered.


    ¡°It is partly because of Sylvia¡¯s will that you are able to bear the burden of aether, but not the reason you are able to manipte it.¡±


    There was only one other answer that came to mind. ¡°Is it because I¡¯m able to manipte all four elements?¡±


    ¡°Precisely!¡± Myre praised. ¡°It is through the ability to gain insight into all four of the fundamental elements that we were able to take a look beyond the water and realize the ss cup that we are held in.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean dragons are much stronger than the other races?¡± I remarked.


    Shaking her head, the asura rified. ¡°We certainly hold a fair advantage over the other race. We dragons have the ability to control aether, but to what extent? Even the most powerful dragons are only able to scratch the boundless surface of what aether can possibly do. However, the other races hold much deeper insight into the element that they are predisposed topared to dragons.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure how long we had been talking but I began to feel my strength leaving me from using Realmheart. Noticing my strained expression, Myre expressed that it was okay for me to withdraw the ability.


    Color began permeating back into the world as I released Realmheart, and as always, the runes were thest to disappear. ¡°So, Myre, have you found out what ability of aether is best suited for me?¡± I asked, letting out a relieved breath.


    ¡°Yes, but before you get too excited, allow me to forewarn you that even I cannot predict whether or not you will be able to consciously control aether like we can. Even though you do possess the ability to manipte all four elements and have gained both a dragon¡¯s will and the Realmheart Physique, you are still a human.¡± While her message was harsh, her words held no pretension or condescension.


    ¡°I see,¡± I muttered. I would¡¯ve been lying if I said I wasn¡¯t disappointed. In a world of not just humans but other races¡ªmore powerful ones¡ªthat coexisted, I was beginning to see this invisible ceiling that I had been ignorant of in my past life.


    ¡°Like I had mentioned before, you cannotpare aether to mana. Aether can be thought of as an organism, almost sentient, that needs to be coaxed and coerced into action. Because of this, the maniption of aether ces a heavy burden on the caster. You¡¯ve probably felt this every time you used the time maniption ability.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. And no matter how many times I¡¯ve used it, it doesn¡¯t get any easier,¡± I confessed, leaning against the wooden headboard of my bed.


    ¡°And I doubt it ever will. My dear, although I¡¯m unsure as to why the ability to manipte time, albeit briefly, showed itself to you, you were never meant to go down the route of aevum.¡± Taking out a pen and a small parchment from the nightstand drawer, she began drawing some symbols. ¡°Arthur, you were able to tap into aether maniption only because of Sylvia¡¯s will, but I imagine that you weren¡¯t able to get a grasp of how it works.¡±


    ¡°In terms of theory, I still have no idea as to how it urs,¡± I acknowledged reluctantly. Using the first phase of Sylvia¡¯s will allowed me to stop time for a brief moment but whenever I had used that ability, it felt like I was simply looking at a manuscript in a foreignnguage: I knew what it looked like, but I had no idea how to read it or what it meant.


    ¡°This is why.¡± Myre held up the small paper she had been writing on, revealing an array of familiar symbols. ¡°Just like Sylvia had, you were meant to control the very fabric of the boundaries that keeps the physical realm in ce; you are of the spatium genus.¡±


    Despite the revtion, I wasn¡¯t happy. Not at all. ¡°But, as you¡¯ve said, regardless of this knowledge, it¡¯s still fairly possible that I wouldn¡¯t be able to consciously control this ability.¡±


    Myre regarded me with a solemn gaze but didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°From what you¡¯ve told me so far, I was only able to even use the time maniption ability because it was pre-embedded into the will that Sylvie imparted to me before she was killed.¡± I was doing my best to contain my frustration, but my voice was growing steadily louder. ¡°Please, Myre. Tell me what I need to do. So far, everything you¡¯ve told me about this grand ability is that I have the qualifications for it, but because of the physical limitations of my species, I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the burden!¡±


    The asura stayed quiet for long time, doing nothing else butbing softly through my ruffled hair. ¡°I truly pity you, Child. You have such an overwhelming potential for greatness, but your capacity is hindered by something you cannot control. The reason I told you everything that I have is not to mock you for something you will never be able to aplish, but rather to encourage you to do something beyond the ordinary. Even as you progress into the white stage and beyond, you may be unable to control aether like dragons can, but that does not mean you do not have that ability at your disposal. Knowledge is an immeasurable strength that can ovee the boundaries that even asuras ce on themselves.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯m sorry for taking my frustrations out on you. I know you only mean to do what is best for me,¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Yes, my child. Only what is best for you,¡± she echoed. When I looked up at Myre, however, her face was lined deeply with an expression of sorrow.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Arthur. I have broken many rules by imparting all this knowledge to you. This knowledge can certainly be used against the dragon race if it fell into the wrong hands, so please believe me when I say that I truly do wish for what is best for you.¡±


    I still couldn¡¯t figure out why Myre had shown so much care for me since the beginning, but if there was one thing I had learned in my previous life, it was being able to read the intentions of those around me. The asura meant well despite the fact that we knew very little of each other.


    ¡°Even if Realmheart cannot be utilized to its full extent, it can be an irreceable asset in theing battles through its sensory functions. With Realmheart, your ability to manipte all four elements, as well as your remarkablebat prowess, you have many tools at your disposal to take advantage of...¡± Myre¡¯s voice trailed off, filling me with apprehension for her next words.


    ¡°But?¡± I asked.


    Letting out a deep breath, she took a moment and stared into my eyes. ¡°But this movement technique that you¡¯ve created, the one that ced you into my home in that horrid state...cannot be one of them.¡±


    As if her words weren¡¯t clear enough already, she rified for me once more.


    ¡°Never use that technique again.¡±

 Chapter 120

    Chapter 120


    Even at Myre¡¯s ominous warning, I had remained silent¡ªnumb, almost. I had a hunch that this might¡¯ve been the case after ending up here, but her words made this predicament all too real.


    My mind spun, trying to weave together a string of reasons to refute the asura¡¯s verdict. However, none came to mind. Regardless of how much mana I infused to strengthen my body, what I was doing with Burst Step was directly stimting the muscles to such a degree that, apparently, it would tear them¡ªand my bones¡ªto pieces.¡±


    ¡°I always thought this world held the potential for limitless possibilities, and magic would be at the epicenter of it all. But I see now that no matter where you end up, there is always a ceiling, keeping those who wish to venture into the unknown caged in,¡± I sighed, looking up at the wooden ceiling above us.


    ¡°I know that you spent a lot of time developing this mana art, and it¡¯s rude of me to pry this secret out of you, but how does your movement technique exactly work?¡± Myre queried, a twinkle of interest apparent in her hazy green eyes.


    I first told her how I came across the idea of the skill. Myre already knew the foundations of Mirage Walk, which the Thyestes n had engineered, which saved me some time. I then exined the basic mechanics of how I improved Mirage Walk from its initial concept. Mirage Walk was simply a passive skill that was used to hide the user¡¯s mana fluctuation. Recounting the months I had spent trying to get even a consistent handle on Burst Step sent a painful ache down my chest as it finally hit me that all of that was for naught.


    It had been the first time I had developed a mana art that went beyond the boundaries of this world, since it was only possible with the knowledge I had from my previous life. But I couldn¡¯t her that. Instead, I told her how I first came across the idea...¡±


    ¡°Fascinating,¡± said Myre, deep in her own thoughts. ¡°To utilize the intricacies of the body to such a degree... I would¡¯ve never thought of something like that.


    ¡°I was shocked to see your body in such a state at first, but after you¡¯ve exined to me how this movement technique worked, it¡¯s a wonder that your legs haven¡¯t been permanently crippled,¡± she continued, still in awe.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now, does it? I can¡¯t use this skill without shattering my body and tearing up my muscles, so I¡¯ll have to think of some other way to prepare for this uing war,¡± I shrugged, trying to keep my bitterness from showing on my face. ¡°Feel free to use it, Myre. As a thank you for healing my legs.¡±


    ¡°My child, I have to say that I have very little confidence in being able to replicate what you¡¯ve just exined to me. The sheer amount of control and intricate fine-tunings that one would need to properly execute this Burst Step is beyond my grasp,¡± she confessed with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ve growncent with old age. I have sought out the hidden mysteries of vivum, abandoning the practical uses of mana long ago. Rest assured, the secrets of this skill will end with me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Her words offered littlefort to my current dilemma. ¡°Myre, I¡¯m feeling a bit drowsy since I haven¡¯t had the chance to sleep...¡±


    ¡°Of course, my dear,¡± the asura answered immediately. Casting onest sympathetic gaze, she blew out the candles lighting the room, and left.


    With the absence of firelight, the hut darkened, and my eyes could only make out the thin pirs of moonlight that made it past the thatched roof. The specks, dust, and ashes from the smoldering remains in the firece danced in the streams of soft, white light, filling the small space with an alluring ambience.


    Telling Myre that I wanted to sleep was a lie. Sleeping was thest thing I wanted to do; I had already wasted enough time as it was.


    I closed my eyes, analyzing my current situation.


    My breakthrough into the silver core stage was more than a pleasant surprise since my core was refined to the mid-level stage. The amount of mana I could now utilize through this advancement, along with the help of Mana Rotation, was several times higher than it had previously been sinceing to this continent. My hand-to-handbat abilities had also made quite a leap forward thanks to Kordri, which, coupled with my sword mastery, would ce me easily into the AA-ss as an adventurer even without the use of elemental magic.


    Despite all of this, however, I had little to show in terms of improvement in magic or mana arts. I was hoping to learn a thing or two about how mana was manipted differently by asuras, but so far, I had learned next to nothing in that area. The asuras had provided me with a great means to train in the best environment possible to make sure I was heading in the right direction, but they seemed less than willing to impart any secrets to their fluency in mana maniption.


    Mirage Walk was the only technique I had managed to piece together, and while it was an important asset, it would have little impact in arge-scale battle.


    There was an inevitable connotation of mystery and wonder when it came to mana maniption; not nearly as much as aether, but still there. While Dicathen was a ce of unimaginable sights and possibilitiespared to my previous world, it goes to say that,pared to Epheotus or even crya, my home continent was an infant in terms of knowledge andprehension of mana.


    There were actual asuras that resided in crya, and it¡¯s safe to assume that, through the ages, they¡¯ve imparted their knowledge of mana to the inhabitants. Coming from the perspective of a war leader, if Agrona wanted to take over Dicathen, he needed enough forces to not only sessfully invade our continent, but also enough to protect his n from the asuras of Epheotus who, I can safely assume, were eagerly waiting for the Vritras to show some sign of weakness.


    To be able to sessfully aplish his goals, he needed the lesser races of his continent to be stronger than the ones in Dicathen. While the cryan forces would be limited to how many they could afford to send on the long expedition across the sea, or through other means, what I wanted to know was how much more powerful they were.


    I became curious of the exact intel that Cynthia Goodsky had provided to the asuras and leading figures in Dicathen. I was sure they were making proper defensive measures, but until I was briefed on the avable intel, I would be left to blindly wonder about the enemy forces¡¯ abilities.


    It was daunting as my thoughts shifted over to the capabilities that the Four Scythes and their retainers held. The report that Windsom had ryed to me said that a retainer was capable of wiping out a team led by a Lance.


    Was I able to kill a retainer with my level of power right now? I wasn¡¯t sure. Alea Triscan, the Lance who had been killed, was at the white stage. Although her mana core development was due to the artifacts bestowed onto each of the Lances, it still gave her a considerable amount of raw power to utilize. To be able to so easily kill her, even with the skills that I have harnessed during my training here, I knew better than to underestimate a retainer.


    The rest of the night was an indistinguishable mixture of vague lucidness and moments of fitful sleep. Before I knew it, the cottage was filled with a warm light from the morning sun.


    Reaching over to the empty pail by the side of my bed, I put it on myp. Using mana to gather water into my palms, I sshed my face in hopes to stir myself awake.


    ¡°I take it that you had a rough night?¡± Myre¡¯s voice chimed from the edge of the hut.


    ¡°Can you tell?¡± I joked, feeling a bit more refreshed from the crisp water.


    ¡°The shadows beneath your eyes have practically reached your chin,¡± she chuckled, walking over to me.


    Removing the sheet covering me, she carefully began unwrapping the bandages on my leg. I noticed that her eyes had turned the samevender shade as they had when she used Realmheart as she inspected me carefully.


    ¡°Good, the bones in your legs have been set in ce well enough for me to fully treat them now. I had to work in parts in case the bones and muscles decided to start mending improperly.¡± With that, Myre¡¯s hands began glowing the same silvery hue from when she demonstrated her use of aether. She ran her hands down my legs, leaving traces of the silvery mist behind. Slowly, the mist began prating through my skin and sinking into my legs.


    At first, there was only a slight tingle as my once-numbed legs began getting their feeling back. However, it wasn¡¯t long until that mild tingle intensified into an excruciating pain that seemed to sear through every inch of my legs. If I hadn¡¯t known that Myre was actually mending my legs, I would¡¯ve been tempted to cut them off right then and there. The fact that I had been holding in the need to urinate didn¡¯t help the sheer difort followed by the waves of escting pain.


    My legs didn¡¯t feel like they were getting healed. Instead, it felt like the asura was growing me a pair of new legs in the most painful way possible.


    ¡°Gah!¡± I let out a choked cry as I wed at the bed in hopes to distract myself from the pain.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve warned you about the pain, but I¡¯m basically forcing your body to heal itself at a hyper-increased rate. With the broken tendons and muscles trying to reattach themselves to the bones, you can guess why you¡¯re feeling the way you do.¡± The asura held her attention to my legs as beads of sweat began forming above her thin brows.


    The painsted for approximately ten minutes until it started to slowly subside. By the end of the treatment, I was gingerly flexing my toes. With the consent of Myre, I brought my legs to the edge of the bed, carefully putting on weight one foot at a time before I tried standing up. Immediately, my legs buckled at the unustomed weight, as I fell on my side.


    ¡°Be careful. Your legs are fully healed, but you¡¯ve lost a lot of muscles in your lower body through this treatment. You might not be used to how weak they are.¡± Myre spoke evenly.


    ¡°There¡¯s no pain or difort, at least,¡± I replied, unable to hide the excitement in my voice. My legs did feel weaker, but that would only be temporary. I had full control.


    ¡°This does not change the fact that you cannot use Burst Step anymore. I will not be able to mend you when you are in Dicathen and each time, it¡¯ll be harder for me to heal them.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± I tried my hands again at the simple task of standing up; this time I was able to keep myself upright, although my legs did start trembling. After an hour or so of steadily hobbling around inside the cottage, leaning against the nearby furnitures and walls for support, I knew what I had to do.I immediately went outside to the back of the cottage to relieve myself, spending a few minutes outside to stretch, taking in the crisp morning air that smelled of dew.


    ¡°I thought about what you said yesterday, my dear,¡± Myre spoke out from the porch. ¡°Concerning your inability to act on the information I disclosed to you.¡±


    Shaking my head, I replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, Myre; I said that out of frustration. What you told me was something that I would never be able to learn elsewhere. To the point where I realized how far behind Dicathen is in terms of knowledge of mana.¡±


    ¡°Compared to how short it has been since the inhabitants of Dicathen began experimenting with mana through the artifacts we gave them, they¡¯vee a long way.¡± Walking out of the hut, she waved for me to follow, making her way towards a perfectly tended and trimmedwn of grass.


    ¡°Even I am limited in what I am allowed to disclose, but since this is something you already have, nudging you in the right direction is all I¡¯ll be doing,¡± she said, standing a few meters away from me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not following,¡± I replied, studying our surroundings. There was nothing around except dense clusters of trees towering over us, making the cottage and trimmed frontwn look very out of ce.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already told Windsom that I¡¯ll be borrowing you for a bit longer.¡± The air changed around us, and near instantly, Myre activated her Realmheart. The light-gold runes glowed softly beneath her sleeves as her misty green eyes shifted into a radiantvender. ¡°Now, my boy, using whicheverbination of every magical spell you have under your belt, hit me with all you have.¡±


    Looking at the frail and thin Myre standing in the field of grass, I hesitated at hermand. However, a dreadful pressure erupted from the same frail-looking asura that wiped out any concerns I had of injuring her. It felt more like I¡¯d be the one in danger if I didn¡¯tply with her instructions.


    ¡°Okay.¡± I gathered mana into my hands, but before they could even form the spell I had intended to conjure, Myre¡¯s voice rang from a distance.


    ¡°In your right palm, you¡¯re preparing apressed water sphere while your left hand will shoot a small gust of wind. Child, I asked that you hit me with all you have.¡±


    She had been spot on.


    Ignoring her taunts, I fired my two spells and immediately concentrated on the area beneath her feet.


    ¡°You are nning on rupturing the ground under me, which is a clever idea, but I would appreciate it if you didn¡¯t ruin the grass,¡± she interjected after casually avoiding my two spells. Myre stomped the ground softly and before my spell could even take effect, she had already cancelled it.


    My mouth gaped just a bit before I regained myposure. My mind shifted back yesterday when she exined how Realmheart could be utilized to heighten perception, but I had never expected it to be to this degree.


    ¡°Like I said. This is an ability that you already have,¡± she chuckled, tapping her temple. ¡°I¡¯m simply going to be nudging you in the right direction.¡±

 Chapter 121

    Chapter 121


    ¡°You didn¡¯t look out for the spell behind you, my dear,¡± Myre reprimanded. ¡°Proper interpretation of mana fluctuation starts with sensing the spells right when they affect the physical realm. Then you utilize Realmheart to urately determine what form it will take. Even if your opponent chooses to vocalize their spell, what they are imagining is actually what will affect the size, shape, and duration of their spell. Even then, some mages might use a vocal projection as a feint to trick their opponent.¡±


    I was able to make sense of her advice, but it was bing harder to stay conscious as I lost more blood from the gaping wound that went through my vicle. The asura continued debriefing the mistake I had made that led me to have this wound, all the while healing me by using aether. This wasn¡¯t the first time something like this had happened¡ªor even the seventh time for that matter¡ªsince starting my training. Through the numerous times I had failed in properly analyzing the flow of mana before it had materialized into a spell, I noticed that her healing through the use of aether was fundamentally different than that of my mother¡¯s healing spells.


    The limits my mother¡ªalong with any other healing mage¡ªhad were nonexistent to Myre. She was able to rid ailments, close gaping holes, even grow missing limbs, which had begged the question: why didn¡¯t Myre simply cut off my legs and grow me a new one?


    From what Myre had exined to me, it seemed like using aether past a certain threshold came with costs. It didn¡¯t happen for all of the spells she did, or even most for that matter. However, the use of aether to grow a whole new limb meant that she had to extract the aether that was sustaining the life of something, or someone, else.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking when you¡¯re faced with the spells, child.¡± The asura¡¯s voice startled me into focus. ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself and try to counter the spell before it manifests. It took me decades to get it right, and that was considered fast amongst us dragons. Now, shall we call it a night?¡±


    Looking up at the sky, a thinyer of orange in the horizon was all that was left of the sun as night continued to take over.


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± I smiled, trailing behind into her small cottage.


    It was surprising how the weeks had gone by unheeded thanks to the endless training andpany from the elderly asura.


    There was one thing that had be ringly apparent over these past few weeks training with Myre, however: the docile and mild temperament that the asura had apparently feigned while she was nursing me back to health was all a lie. She made for pleasantpany during any other asion, but on the training grounds, her true personality became exposed, revealing a demonic entity that made even Kordri¡¯s training seem like a puppy-petting session.


    Worst of all, because of her expertise in healing through aether, there was little holding her back. She had a saying that she had repeated on numerous asions that still haunted me in my dreams: ¡°The best medicine for an injury is preventing one from happening in the first ce. So if you don¡¯t want me to injure you, prevent it.¡±


    She would say that with the same sly smirk before hitting me with a colorful array of spells that I was forced to read and dodge using Realmheart.


    It wasn¡¯t only practical training, though. She had taught me what to look out for when a spell was about to manifest. Depending on the type of spell that would form, the mana particles would start fluctuating differently, so it was crucial to know what exactly you were looking at in the brief window. Needless to say, it was a lot like learning a newnguage¡ªexcept your life depended on it.


    It was frustrating at first, to the point where I even asked if it was possible for Windsom to let me use the aether orb to conserve time, but she spoke against it; something to do with the aether orb not allowing me to get an urate grasp of how mana worked in the physical realm.


    However, to Myre¡¯s surprise, I was able to make leaps and bounds in regards to what I dubbed as mana interpretation. ording to Myre, what took her half a year had taken me a bit shy of a month. I was nowhere near ready to use it in a real battle, but the fundamentals were there. Just like reading a book, I had the words down, but being able to speed-read would take months, maybe years.


    These past six weeks, every morning would start off with mana analyzation as Myre shot out different spells of varying elements up in the air, and sometimes, directly at me. Continuous use of Realmheart while training in this fashion had allowed me to somewhat increase the duration of this ability, but not by much.


    In the afternoon, I would debrief on the mistakes that I had made and the nuances that I should watch out for to get a better prediction of what the spell might form into. Myre was meticulous in her exnations about why mana behaved the way it did, which helped the progress of my training.


    After that, I would train by myself, going through the different forms that Kordri had instilled in me as I shadow-sparred. At night, before I went to sleep, I would always make sure to train my mana core, but after thatst huge breakthrough I had made, there had been no drastic change in my core.


    Just as the two of us had finished eating a simple stewed beef for dinner, a clear knock rang from the wooden door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Myre called out as she took a careful sip from her mug.


    ¡°Excuse my intrusion,¡± the familiar voice responded as he opened the door.


    It was Windsom.


    I couldn¡¯t say I was happy to see him despite the fact that I hadn¡¯t had contact with the asura for months. The ever-so-poise asura with his tinum-blond hair cropped short and trim unexpectedly lowered himself to a knee, genuflecting with obvious respect towards Myre.


    I had figured Myre had a certain level of influence within the Indrath n based on her powers and the fact that she was even able to keep me here despite the training I was supposed to be undergoing with Windsom. However, for him to be showing that much respect to the elderly asura sent some questions through my mind.


    ¡°I apologize foring without notice, but Lord Indrath has already arranged for Arthur¡¯s next instructor, and he is waiting rather impatiently for his student.¡± Windsom¡¯s gaze lowered as he spoke.


    ¡°Very well, I do wish to keep tabs on the child, so there would be no problems if I popped in every now and then, right?¡± Myre¡¯s question came off as more of an irrefutable deration by her tone.


    ¡°Of course not. Now, we must get going¡±¡ªWindsom¡¯s gaze turned to me, indicating for me to get ready¡ª¡°So if you¡¯ll excuse us.¡±


    ¡°You should go, Arthur. Remember to continue your training with Realmheart.¡± Myre ran her fingers through my hair that had grown long enough to be considered a mane.


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll have it mastered by the next time we see each other,¡± I teased, exposing a childish grin.


    Following Windsom out of the cottage, we made our way through a dense cluster of trees that surrounded Myre¡¯s little hut.


    While walking, I couldn¡¯t help but notice Windsom¡¯s gaze as he regarded me curiously.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± I asked, stepping over an exposed root.


    ¡°For Lady Myre to take the time to not only heal you but to train you as well...¡± His voice trailed off as he shook his head. ¡°Your luck continues to amaze me.¡±


    I ducked under a particrly low branch. ¡°Who exactly is Myre, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Lady Myre,¡± Windsom stressed. ¡°And I¡¯m not in the position to tell you if she hasn¡¯t told you herself.¡±


    ¡°You know, when I first met you, I figured you were pretty up there. Now, not so much,¡± I chuckled as we continued deeper into the forest.


    ¡°Watch your tongue, human. Even if I was the lowest of asura rank, I¡¯d still be stronger than any of you lesser races in Dicathen,¡± Windsom retorted.


    ¡°My bad. I guess I struck a nerve?¡± I held my arm up in concession.


    Exasperated, Windsom merely shook his head in silence. We soon reached the teleportation gate that Windsom had set up, glowing in radiating light as it reflected the destination it was set to.


    ¡°Remind me again why you set the gate so far from the cottage?¡± I asked, approaching the gate.


    ¡°Lady Myre¡¯s protection field ends here,¡± he said simply as he dipped his right foot in through the glowing circle. ¡°Nowe. Your instructor isn¡¯t one for waiting.¡±


    As Windsom¡¯s body disappeared through the gate, I followed immediately after. Over the years, I had gotten used to the dizzying sensation of traveling through this method.


    As I stepped out of the teleportation circle onto the sand-strewn ground, I couldn¡¯t help but gaze in awe at the vastly differentndscape we had traveled to. We were at the bottom of what appeared to be an enormous crater with imposing walls, carved by nature, towering over us on all sides. It looked like water once filled this giant hole at one point in time, but the only traces left now were the silver, ribbon-like fissures that lined the walls at varying heights. nt life¡ªlife in general¡ªseemed nonexistent as the harsh, arid air cut into my face. The uneven floor that spread across acres on end appeared to be constantly moving as the wind blew and spun debris in no particr rhythm or pattern.


    ¡°So my next training session is going to be here?¡± I confirmed, my voice quivering at the thought of spending weeks, or even months here. Because of the constant teleporting between my different training grounds, I couldn¡¯t get a clear grasp of the continent of Epheotus; if I hade here under better circumstances, I would¡¯ve wanted to explore thend of asuras.


    ¡°You¡¯ve spent this past half-year training mostly in augmented meleebat. To put it simply, you¡¯ve honed different skills in key aspects necessary to fight in a war. Now, you¡¯ll start fitting everything together into a cohesive style that utilizes your elemental magic and your meleebat skills.¡± As the asura exined, he seemed to be searching for something as his eyes scanned over the distance.


    ¡°And this instructor will help me do this?¡± I surveyed around us as well.


    ¡°Ah, he¡¯s here,¡± Windsom announced, ignoring my question.


    ¡°So this is him? He¡¯s the pup that¡¯s supposed to be the hero, leading Dicathen to victory against the Vritra-raised armies and their disgusting little Lessurans?¡± A deep, bass voice reverberated clearly from the top of the gorge.


    The insect-sized figure standing on top of the crater¡¯s edge, shadowed from the sun shining at his back, leaped up, growingrger as he descended like a meteor toward us.


    Uponnding, an explosion of sand and debris made both Windsom and I shield ourselves. As we waited for the dust cloud to clear, arge hand shot out from inside the cloud and lifted me off the ground. Even as I struggled using mana, the giant hand¡¯s grip around my waist refused to relent.


    As I was pulled into the cloud of debris, a firm, deep voice resonated, shaking me to my very core. ¡°Hello, Pup.¡±


    As the cloud dissipated, I was able to make out the source of the voice and the one I¡¯d been trying to hopelessly free myself from.

 Chapter 122

    Chapter 122


    In either of my lives, I¡¯d never seen a beast like this before. The beast that had grabbed me seemed to be made entirely out of polished stone. Instead of eyes, two hollowed-out cavities radiating a pale glow that studied me with intelligence. With protruding mandibles that reminded me of an ape¡¯s, the beast let out a deep rumble, trembling the very organs inside my body.


    By how far my feet were dangling off the ground, it was easily over five meters tall. However, despite the situation I was in, under this terrifying presence emitted by my captor, I couldn¡¯t help but stare in awe at what I beheld.


    There was no w in the beast¡¯s stone hide. It was as if the very earth had painstakingly polished this monster for millions of years, etching away any of the ws it once could¡¯ve had. The glossy stone that made up the gigantic ape¡¯s body and face glittered like the ocean against the afternoon sun, enveloping it in an almost holy aura despite its grotesque form.


    Suddenly, cracks began surfacing on the beast¡¯s body, splintering off into endless branches as the same pale light of its eyes surfaced from the thin fissures.


    The giant hand that wrapped around me loosened before crumbling into fine sand, just like the rest of the beast¡¯s body. I fell to my feet as I watched the mound of sand, formerly the stone beast, slowly begin spreading onto the ground.


    From the remains of the artictely conjured golem stood a thin, frail-looking man dressed in a shabby white coat. ¡°From your expression, I¡¯m guessing that didn¡¯t scare you¡ªonly surprised you at best,¡± he muttered, clicking his tongue in annoyance.


    ¡°Arthur, I¡¯d like you to meet Wren. He¡¯s going to be your instructor for quite a while, so get acquainted.¡± Windsom had an amused sparkle in his eyes as he said this.


    Out of all the asuras I had crossed paths with, Wren was by far the most unremarkable. With the body frame of a malnourished shut-in underneath his oversized coat, he stared at me intently, heavily hunched. The deep bags drooping beneath his half-closed, tired eyes were almost as dark as the greasy ck hair that fell over his face like wet seaweed, obviously left unwashed for days. That, coupled with the uneven stubble that spread across his chin and cheeks made for a man who would be looked down on by even the dirtiest of vagrants.


    Still, I knew better than to judge a man, much less an asura, by his outward appearance. Hell, without a decent shower or haircut in months, I had no right to say anything.


    Dipping my head, I formally introduced myself to my new instructor. ¡°Nice to meet you, my name is Arthur Leywin. I¡¯ll be in your care.¡±


    ¡°Windsom,¡± the asura shifted his gaze, ignoring me. ¡°What are the ramifications that the human society ces on one who is tardy?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me? Ramifications?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A severed finger or toe, perhaps? No, that seems a bit severe. Imprisonment or social istion seems more appropriate,¡± the hunched asura muttered to himself as he rubbed his stubbled chin.


    ¡°What are you talking about? There aren¡¯t any ramifications or consequences for being a bitte!¡± I sputtered incredulously.


    ¡°What?¡± The asura looked genuinely surprised. ¡°None at all? No punitive actions are taken whatsoever for such behavior?¡±


    ¡°It is looked down upon, but no, there are no formal charges one faces for beingte,¡± Windsom intervened.


    "How odd. For races that have such a minuscule lifespan, I would¡¯ve imagined you guys ced more importance on time more than anything else. Such a backward race, you humans," he murmured.


    Despite his rude words, there was a truth to them. I couldn¡¯t help but stifle augh at the apparent irony of us "lesser races."


    As the thin, shabby-looking asura continued to take mental notes, I couldn¡¯t help but shoot a questioning nce at Windsom.


    ¡°Regardless of my ignorance on the social intricacies of human conduct, we should move on to why you¡¯re here. As well as why I¡¯vee to this god-forsaken crater at the tip of a mountain.¡± Waving his hand as if to discard his needless thoughts, the asura approached me.


    ¡°Arthur, was it?¡± my new instructor asked.


    ¡°Mhmm.¡±


    ¡°I want you to strip.¡± The asura¡¯s gaze was unrelenting as he tapped his foot with impatience.


    ¡°Of course you do,¡± I muttered quietly under my breath.


    ¡°What was that?¡± He snapped.


    ¡°Not a single thing.¡± Letting out a sigh, I stripped down to my underwear. ¡°Is this good enough, or would you like to study my family jewels as well?¡±


    ¡°The supposed savior of the lesser beings has quite the mouth,¡± Wren replied sardonically. He began circling me, poking me with his finger now and then. When the asura saw the white feather that Sylvia had left me wrapped around my arm, he removed it.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I eximed.


    ¡°Dragon¡¯s feather. Truly a crafting material too rare to be wasting as an arm warmer, don¡¯t you think?¡± the frail asura marveled.


    ¡°Crafting material?¡± I echoed, curious.


    ¡°The feathers on our wings are a particr type of scale that have many unique properties. From the day we are born, we never shed the feathers that make up our wings, so for a dragon to deliberately give someone his or her feathers signifies trust and affection,¡± Windsom answered.


    Wren handed the long feather back to me. ¡°I never knew,¡± I replied, looking at the long, white feather that felt silky between my fingers.


    ¡°Howe Myre didn¡¯t tell me about this?¡± I turned to Windsom.


    ¡°She must¡¯ve had her reasons,¡± the asura answered in a dismissive tone.


    Wren resumed his inspection, asionally cing a finger or two over the major arteries and counting to himself.


    ¡°Spread your arms out,¡± Wren suddenly ordered. I did as told, hoping that abiding hismands would hasten the process.


    I entertained myself with the amusing and slightly embarrassing fact that I was in the middle of a barren crater with two asuras watching me, almostpletely naked.


    The hunched asura continued to study me, muttering random numbers to himself. The afternoon sun cooked my skin as I continued to be examined like someboratory mouse until Wren finally spoke again.


    ¡°We¡¯ll start by firing a basic spell from all of the elements you can conjure. Use only your right hand to release the spell.¡± The asura ced his palm on my sr plexus and grabbed my right wrist. ¡°Begin!¡±


    I fired off a series of simple spells in no particr order: fire, water, ice, lightning, wind, then earth.


    After I had finished, Wren began muttering to himself once again.


    We continued testing with increasinglyplex spells. Wren instructed the very form he wanted me to conjure the spell into, down to the very diameter of the stone pir I was to erect from the ground.


    Windsom quietly watched throughout the whole process, never uttering a single word unless asked. Whatever ufortableness or embarrassment I had during the beginning of this in-depth analysis was gone by the time the sun fell.


    ¡°Basic measurements and calctions are ounted for,¡± Wren announced, letting out a groan as he stretched his back and neck. ¡°Moving on to effective use of mana arts in battle.¡±


    Suddenly, he whipped around and pointed a long, pale finger at me. ¡°Boy! Fire a spell over there. Quick!¡± The asura¡¯s crackled voice rang as his finger shifted, pointing to a small, earthen golem that he had just conjured up.


    On instinct, I turned to face the golem onmand and gathered mana into my palm, manifesting it into a bolt of electricity that I fired at the target. The dummy golem shattered upon impact, crumbling into a small pile of rocks just about twenty meters away from where we were.


    Without a change in expression, the pale-faced asura whipped his body in a different direction and pointed about thirty meters away, erecting another golem. ¡°Again!¡±


    I conjured another spell in my palm, but as I prepared to fire it, a heavy blow struck the back of my left leg, jerking me to my knee. The spell I had manifested in my palm shot out into the sky, missing the golem by a long shot.


    Behind me was another golem that Wren had erected, standing with its arms crossed. Annoyingly enough, the golem had an arrogant grin etched into its faceless head.


    Meanwhile, my instructor was staring at the bolt of fire that sailed across the sky, waving it goodbye.


    ¡°You missed!¡± he gasped in feigned surprise, his eyes remaining half-closed.


    ¡°So you¡¯re one of those guys,¡± I cursed under my breath. I ced my palm on the golem, and with a few thoughts, it glowed bright red before crumbling into ashen remains. ¡°Again,¡± I echoed through gritted teeth, standing back up on my feet.


    ¡°A tough one,¡± he whistled, taking out a small notebook and pen from his coat and scribbling something down.


    From the very beginning, Wren hade off as an entric¡ªreminding me a lot of Gideon¡ªexcept I now knew that he was on a different level of weird than the old scientist back in Dicathen.


    ¡°Look, you¡¯ve been making me do menial tasks all day. I¡¯m fine with that, but I¡¯d be more patient and willing if I actually knew what you were trying to figure out with your measurements and notes,¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°I doubt you¡¯d be able toprehend what I tell you.¡± Wren shook his head, waving dismissively at me.


    ¡°Try me,¡± I challenged, still virtually naked.


    He exined that he¡¯d been making calctions and spections based on the milliseconds it took for mana to move ordingly within my body before it manifested. Besides the condescending tone he had used throughout his exnation, his insights were brilliant.


    ¡°There¡¯s still a lot to ount for that you didn¡¯t measure, though,¡± I interjected. ¡°We still need to ount for the environment that we¡¯re in right now. I find myself mostfortable using fire and water elemental spells, but water-affinity mana iscking in this area.¡±


    ¡°Of course I put all of that into ount. How long do you think I¡¯ve been doing this for?¡± Wren¡¯s condescending gaze shifted, however, as he stared at me curiously. ¡°How old did you say you were?¡±


    ¡°Nearly fifteen now,¡± I answered, calcting in my head how long it had been since I came here.


    ¡°Huh. Not entirely brainless, I guess,¡± Wren shrugged.


    I¡¯d known the asura for less than a day, and I already knew that this was as much of apliment that I would ever get from him. ¡°So what¡¯s next?¡±


    ¡°More tests. We¡¯ll continue with a long range mana maniption analysis,¡± Wren answered, looking around. The crater had turned dim, with only the moonlight shining above our heads.


    Suddenly, the ground trembled underneath us. Out on the edge of the crater to our right were more golems. Even from here, I could make out hundreds of the human-sized stone golems approaching us.


    The golems, much like the giant one that had first appeared, glittered in the dim moonlight as they marched in our direction.


    I couldn¡¯t help but ask in awe, ¡°How many golems can you conjure at a time?¡±


    ¡°Depends on theplexity of the golem but those guys, a few thousand or so. Now, go all out.¡± Wren pointed his fingers at the golems, indicating for me to blow them up.


    As the army of golems continued to draw closer, I activated Realmheart. I could feel my lips curl into a smile as the almost addictive feeling of my senses integrating with the world¡¯s mana filled my body.


    I unleashed everything I had in my arsenal, raining down an array of spells as Wren observed me scrutinizingly.


    These golems were much sturdier than an average golem, but I managed to destroy the few hundred that Wren had conjured in less than an hour. I controlled my breathing as my chest continued to heave. I was tired, but destroying a few hundred golems did just the trick to relieve some of the stress I had.


    ¡°It¡¯s as you said, Windsom. What a peculiar child he is. To have Realmheart, as well as a decent control over the elements at his age...He makes an excellent test subject.¡± For the first time, Wren¡¯s face contorted into something akin to a smile.


    ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± I asked, letting out a deep, content breath.


    ¡°Having fun, are we? It¡¯ll start being less fun once they start hitting back,¡± Wren snickered. ¡°Anyway, I still have to take into ount the physical capabilities you possess. Windsom told me you¡¯re quite adept with a sword and you¡¯ve recently learnedbat under Kordri¡¯s instructions. So I¡¯ll be taking those facts into ount as we begin our next phase.¡±


    ¡°I understand, but for how long am I going to be naked?¡± I asked, looking at the pile of clothes that was now partially buried in debris.


    ¡°I¡¯m analyzing every movement you make so it¡¯d be better if you stay unclothed,¡± he answered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not exactly filled with pleasure looking at your bare skin, either.¡±


    Letting out a faint smile, I responded, ¡°Veryforting.¡±


    ¡°Anyway. Let me take a look at the primary weapon you would use in a battle.¡±


    Windsom had passed on the dimension ring I always kept my sword in to Myre when she was taking care of me; she had given it back to me after I was healed. Taking out Dawn¡¯s Bad from my ring¡ªstill inside its scabbard¡ªI handed it to Wren.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what I was expecting from the thin asura when handing the de to him. But I wasn¡¯t expecting him to burst outughing upon seeing my weapon.


    The mysterious de that I had stumbled upon looked like an ordinary ck stick when it was still inside its sheath. Because of this, Wren might¡¯ve mistaken it for a toy. ¡°Here, let me show¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know what it is, boy! Windsom, did you know of this when you asked me to train him?¡± Wren turned to the white-haired asura behind me.


    ¡°I had an inkling,¡± he confessed.


    Wren gripped Dawn¡¯s Bad in both hands and began to tug on it.


    ¡°It¡¯s not going to unsheathe. Only I¡¯m able to...¡± my voice trailed off as I watched, wide-eyed, at the sword being drawn effortlessly by the thin asura.


    The sword that I had paired with was only supposed to open at mymand. However, even I was only able to unsheathe it in the first ce because of Sylvia¡¯s Dragon Will. ¡°H-How?¡± I stuttered beforeing to a realization. ¡°Is it because you¡¯re an asura that you can draw the sword I¡¯ve bonded with?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the asura answered, holding my sword up as he inspected its translucent teal de. ¡°It¡¯s because I made this sword.¡±

 Chapter 123

    Chapter 123


    Chapter 123: Battles In Various Scenarios


    ¡°Wait, you made this sword?¡± I echoed with obvious skepticism. Sinceing across such a mysterious sword, I had often wondered who this W.K IV was. More than once had I scoured through the library of Xyrus Academy in hopes to find the smith with those initials, only to be met with disappointment and a dizzying amount of royal names.


    ¡°Was I speaking a differentnguage?¡± Wren replied curtly, his eyes still inspecting Dawn¡¯s Bad.


    Ignoring his quip, I changed my approach. ¡°Okay, so assuming that you did forge this sword, what was it doing in Dicathen?¡±


    Until now, I had assumed that my sword was of dwarven origin because of their specialty in this craft. A dark, bulky, bear of a man with a thick beard and bulging arms covered with hair and hands hardened with callouses had alwayse to mind when imagining the maker of Dawn¡¯s Bad; the typical stereotype associated with smiths and other metalworkers. Instead, this bony man that looked like he¡¯d get tired holding a pen for too long stated that he had forged this sword.


    ¡°Dawn¡¯s Bad was one of my experimental weapons¡ªmore or less a failure. I tossed it away in the Beast des of your continent on one of my visits to gather minerals, assuming that no one would be able to even tell it was anything other than a ck stick, much less open it. To think that it had somehow ended up in your possession...What are the odds?¡± The asura actually began to calcte the probability of this before I interrupted him.


    ¡°A failure? I¡¯ve never seen a sword of better quality and make in my life. What makes it a failure?¡± I pressed.


    ¡°As much as apliment your words may be,paring my weapons¡ªno matter how poor in quality¡ªto the primitive tools used by you lesser races only insults me.¡± He clicked his tongue. ¡°I had forged this sword as more of a one-size-fits-all weapon. I must¡¯ve been drunk when I thought that was a good idea. This sword just came out to be a sharp tool, nothing more, nothing less.¡± Wren finally pried his eyes off of the sword and exchanged nces at Windsom. ¡°But this makes things interesting.¡±


    Looking over my shoulder, I could see Windsom¡¯s stoic face break into a smile as he replied, ¡°I thought it might. So what do you think after meeting him? Will you do it?¡±


    ¡°What is going on?¡± I interrupted, lost. I began to grow afraid that the asura might im back his weapon or even dispose of itpletely for the sake of his pride. There was no doubt that I would never find a sword of this quality despite it being a ¡°failure.¡±


    ¡°Arthur, I brought you here to Wren to aplish two things. The first one, I had mentioned earlier. While his methods are unconventional, Wren has an usually keen eye in the practical theory ofbat. The second reason was in hopes that Wren would produce a sword that is a better fit for your own unique form ofbat.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡± I turned to Wren. ¡°You¡¯ll really forge a sword for me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t forge swords, brat. I create them. And I only came to train you because I owed a favor to Lord Indrath. His favor didn¡¯t extend to wasting my time, making a sword for a lesser being.¡± Wren slid Dawn¡¯s Bad into its scabbard. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m going to hold onto this sword for now.¡±


    ¡°For now? So you¡¯ll give it back to me?¡± I confirmed, still apprehensive.


    ¡°Boy, Dawn¡¯s Bad might be just a sharp tool, but it still chose you. I¡¯m not proud of this particr piece, but I¡¯m not going to take it away from you,¡± he replied. The asura then stretched his arm in front of him and a sword suddenly emerged from the ground below. Grabbing the sword by its hilt, he tossed it to me. ¡°For now, use this while training. I created it to measure the movements the user produces and the force of the impact it receives.¡±


    ¡°And you can just summon it from the ground at any time?¡± I asked, holding the seemingly normal shortsword in my hands.


    ¡°Out of everything I¡¯ve done so far, you¡¯re surprised by this?¡± Wren shook his head, motioning his hand at me. ¡°Let me also hold onto the dragon feather.¡±


    ¡°What? Why this too?¡± I retreated, sping my hand over my arm to cover the white feather.


    ¡°Do you find an innate urge to question everything I do?¡± the hunched asura snapped.


    I reluctantly handed over the white feather over to Wren, scratching the scar I received after being bonded to Sylvie. Without the feather to cover it up, I felt bare, as if my skin had been removed.


    Wren tucked the feather into his coat. ¡°Now, I¡¯m aware that you lesser beings need much more sleep than we do, so get some rest.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so we¡¯re spending the night out here in the center of this barren crater?¡± I asked, looking around.


    ¡°Who said anything about we? Windsom and I have matters to attend to. And besides, there¡¯s not always going to be a fluffy bed waiting for you during war, so I¡¯m doing this for you.¡± The asura had a wicked smirk on his face as Windsom conjured a teleportation gate.


    ¡°Try to get some rest, Arthur,¡± Windsom advised just before stepping into the gate.


    As the glowing runes making the teleportation circle faded, it grew eerily quiet. The asional whistles of wind were the only sounds to be heard as I let out a sigh. Slipping my dusty clothes back on, I conjured up two bs of earth to form a makeshift tent.


    I must¡¯ve knocked out as soon asid my head against the pile of rocks I had gathered because a violent tremble caused me to smack my head against my stone pillow, jolting me awake in pain. I lowered the stone tent that I had created to be startled by the sight of countless golems encircled around my camp. Each of them wielded a different weapon but they all raised their weapons above their stone heads and swung down in unison.


    My body acted on autopilot as I instinctively raised a dome of earth to protect me. With an explosive thud, the dome had crumbled and the debris fell on top of me. I was still dazed by the situation when Wren¡¯s amplified voice resounded from above.


    ¡°You will never truly be at rest while you¡¯re in the middle of a war, kid. You need to get used to fighting effectively in a suboptimal state. Now, strip your clothes and resume battle.¡±


    ¡°That damned lunatic,¡± I cursed. I could still hear the movements of the golems around me, waiting for me toe back up.


    Gathering mana around me, I waited for them to draw in as close as possible. Once their footsteps were in range, I released my spell.


    [Gale Force]


    Instead of aiming it at them, I released the spell on the ground below me, creating arge cloud of sand and debris to cover me. Some of the closer golems were shoved back by force, giving me enough space to maneuver around as the sand covered their vision of me.


    I lunged myself at the nearest golem, raising my testing sword in one fluid swipe. I knew that Wren wanted to mimic the environment of war, so I acted as if the golems were actual humans. I shed at the golem¡¯s jugr, and as expected, the golem fell on the floor, spewing a red liquid from its wound.


    Another golem¡ªthis one wielding arge halberd¡ªcharged at me from behind. As it lowered its stance to thrust its weapon at me, I pivoted with my sword in position to parry the head of the halberd. However, even with a body strengthened with Sylvia¡¯s will on top of mana, I was thrown off bnce at the force of the stab. I spun to alleviate some of the momentum caused by the blow, but I had no time to breath as another golem shoved me with his iron shield.


    Annoyed, Ished out with a punch, my fist d in lightning. The metal shield crumbled and the golem was shocked to the ground. Just then, the golem wielding the halberd swung his weapon at my head.


    However, another golem, one of a different color, blocked my attacker with his shield.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have allies in battle, Arthur. As one of the main yers in the battle, it¡¯ll be up to you whether you choose to be on the offensive¡ªplowing through the lines of enemies¡ªor staying near your team, keeping them alive.¡± I saw Wren overhead, floating in the sky as he sat on an earthen throne along with Windsom.


    The battle resumed as the pile of golem corpses stacked on top of one another on the battlefield. I imagined the anthropomorphic summons made of stone as humans instead. The scene back in the dungeon, Widow¡¯s Crypt, shed to mind, leaving me a little nauseous.


    As the hours drove on, the mock war that Wren had me endure began taking its toll. I understood more and more why gaining this experience was so crucial.


    I had experienced wars only from the backline, strategizing for different scenarios on a macro level. Now, being in the middle of the battlefield, there were so many factors that differed from the usual duels that I had grown ustomed to since my previous life: the corpses and severed limbs that one could trip over, the blood that umted on the ground to form puddles that one could slip on. Even with the bright colors indicating the different sides the golems were on, it was easy to identally swing at an ally in the heat of a battle, creating a mental toll on reckless attacks that could potentially put allies in harm¡¯s way.


    As much as I hated giving credit to the entric asura, Wren did well creating an optimal learning environment. I wasn¡¯t sure what sort of magic he had used, but the red liquid that the golems bled were very simr to that of blood. Soon, as the corpses of both enemy golems and ally golems increased and the blood-like liquid dyed the ground, a foul smell exuded the battlefield.


    I realized how precious my mana reserves were as the hours of continuous battle dragged on. Even with my mana core at the mid-silver stage and my use of Mana Rotation, I had to know how to conserve my usage of magic. shy, long-range spells were better left to the conjurers in the back line as I spent my mana protecting myself and only in cases of emergency.


    Throughout the battle, Wren shouted out pointers, advising me to avoid being herded into a corner as I continued to mow down enemy golems. Every now and then, golems that were stronger than usual would pop up, throwing me off guard as they massacred the golems on my side. I didn¡¯t want to admit it, but I was positive that Wren could easily conjure a golem capable of killing me if he wanted to.


    The day ended when I was able to take down all of the major golems that Wren had been so kind to distinguish with golden crowns on top of their heads.


    ¡°That was brutal,¡± I sighed,ying t on the ground. I was in an almost constant state of battle from the moment I was rudely awakened, with no chance to eat, drink, or even pee.


    Dinner was spent around a fire after Wren casually removed the golems and fake blood with a swipe of his hand. We began by debriefing the battle; Windsom had yet to return from wherever he and Wren wentst night, so it was only Wren that was present to point out the mistakes I had made, from the minor ones to the potentially fatal ones.


    ¡°The total number of casualties on your side was 271 golems, while the other side had 512. Not an impressive victory considering the level I had made the golems on the enemy side,¡± Wren read off from his notes.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because they look like stone goris that I feel no empathy for them, regardless of whether they¡¯re on my team or not,¡± I countered, biting into a tofu-like substance that Wren had given me to eat.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Go to sleep now. Tomorrow isn¡¯t going to get any easier,¡± Wren replied as he jotted down some notes.


    I had grown used to Wren¡¯s sharp way of talking, as if even his words were a scarcemodity. Turning away from them, I conjured a makeshift bed of soft sand and hoped that the next time I was awakened wouldn¡¯t be by an army of golems.


    My thoughts ran amok during this period of rest. I thought about my role in the previous world. While there were a lot of ws in the way the world was governed in my past life, I had to admit, things were simpler for me. When the oue of nearly all problems rested on just one battle, it was ck or white. Wars almost never happened unless it was a multi-country dispute. Even then, mass-scaled battles happened in controlled environments to minimize the death counts. This uing war wouldn¡¯t have that. There were too many shades of grays to be ounted for.


    I spected on the different scenarios that could potentially happen because of this war. What would the casualties be? And to what extent should the end outweigh these casualties? I pondered. I had no one I cared for back on Earth. However, was I willing to sacrifice my loved ones for the ¡°greater good?¡± Undoubtedly not.


    I didn¡¯t remember falling asleep, but I hardly did these days. To my surprise, I was able to get a good night¡¯s rest. While my arms and legs ached from overuse, there were no golems on sight, leaving me more suspicious than relieved.


    Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream from behind made me whip around. What I saw bewildered me just as much as it filled me with horror.


    With two, ck horns gleaming menacingly against the morning sun, an asura of the Vritra n stood over me. Covered from the neck down inpletely ck-ted armor, the basilisk in human form opened his lips into a triumphant grin to reveal a row of jagged teeth, and in his grasp was someone I thought I would never see here.


    I was barely able to form a word as another gut-wrenching scream was ripped out from the Vritra¡¯s hostage. ¡°T-Tess?¡±

 Chapter 124

    Chapter 124


    Chapter 124: Preparations


    ¡°Arthur! Please, help!¡± Tess choked out a desperate scream as I stood there, petrified at the turn of events. It really was Tessia Eralith. From her long, gunmetal-grey hair, to her turquoise eyes filled with tears, my childhood friend had somehow been dragged here from Dicathen.


    Tess sputtered into a series of pained coughs as the basilisk tightened its grip around her waist.


    Wasting no time, I charged at the ck-horned asura with the practice sword Wren had left me. The repercussions of such a reckless course of action passed unheeded as I drew in, sword aze.


    [Realmheart]


    The familiar burning sensation spread through my body as I activated the rare blood-trait skill of the dragons. My sight altered into an enhanced, mana-focusing vision and golden-white runes glowed brightly beneath my clothes.


    I drew forth the rampant energy from within Sylvia¡¯s dragon will.


    [Static Void]


    This was the first time I had used the skill I had unlocked with the first phase of Sylvia¡¯s will. I could see the purple specks of aether suddenly trembling around us as they buzzed into formation. Suddenly, the world stopped around me. The Vritra¡¯s face was stuck in a menacing smirk while Tess was paused with her hair iled about, mid-scream.


    I could feel the seconds draining away my energy as I dashed towards the Vritra. Arriving right in front of my enemy, I released Static Void as soon as I was in position to strike at the hand grasping Tess.


    The horned asura had no time to react at my attack as the de of my sword sliced right through its forearm.


    The horned asura let out an infuriated roar as he clutched his wound. I pried open the fingers that were still gripped around Tess¡¯s waist and gently set her down on the ground. She was unconscious and ghastly pale, but still alive and breathing.


    The basilisk¡¯s severed hand was still spilling blood profusely, but when I turned to face my foe, he had already reced his severed appendage with a metallic w.


    I kept close to Tess with my right hand gripping my sword and my left hand preparing a spell. I could see the yellow, earthen particles gathering at the tip of the basilisk¡¯s false hand. I used the full extent of the limited knowledge I had gained from reading mana movement from Myre as I readied my counterattack as well.


    As expected, the tips of the basilisk¡¯s wed fingers exploded toward me. Just as the five earthen spears elerated, I raised my hand and fired a condensed burst of electricity. Three of the five earthen finger spears shattered upon impact as I parried another spear with the t of my de. I began gathering mana into my legs to charge at the basilisk by impulse, but an unsettling sensation crept up; thest spear was way too off course to have been aimed at me.


    I whipped my head back to see the dark, earthen spear about to impale the unconscious Tess when I activated Static Void once more.


    It felt like someone was stabbing needles into my heart as I raced toward my childhood friend. My mind whirled in fear and near-panic as Iid out my options. I could step in the path of the spear and use my body to shield Tess, but the injury I would sustain from the blow would leave me unable to protect her from the basilisk immediately after. I could also extend Static Void to epass Tess and push her out of the spear¡¯s path, but spreading the effects of Static Void to include another person would take a massive toll on my body.


    I chose to go with the third option. Dropping my sword, I grabbed the spear that was paused mid-flight at Tess with both hands and braced myself.


    Releasing Static Void, my body lurched forward as I tried to stop the earthen spike the size of Tessia herself with my bare hands. With a desperate spurt of strength, I managed to hold onto the speeding spike, my hands barelyrge enough to get a firm grip, long enough to drive it off-course.


    The earthen spear that the basilisk fired buried itself from the ground just inches away from where Tessy, creating a web of cracks from the sheer force of the impact. My hands were bloody and raw from gripping onto the speeding projectile, and my breath was pained and unsteady. Myre had been right. No matter how much I practiced Static Void, because my body wasn¡¯tpatible with using aether to effect time, it would always put an enormous amount of strain on my body.


    However, with the level that I was at currently, I needed to use all of the tools I had in order to have a fighting chance with a basilisk. The thought of both Tess and I in the cruel state that a basilisk had left Alea, the formernce, down in the dungeon, filled me with dread.


    Each breath felt like there was a fire in my lungs as I positioned myself between the approaching two-horned basilisk and the unconscious Tess. I picked up my sword with a grimace at the pain and poured mana into it. Despite the strain my body had incurred from activating Realmheart and using Static Void twice, my mana reserves were still abundant thanks to the constant use of Mana Rotation.


    I could maybest long enough for either Wren or Windsom to arrive, but the problem was that for whatever reason, this basilisk was focused on harming Tess. I was contemting my next course of action when it all clicked.


    ¡°Wren, enough of this!¡± I roared, stabbing my sword into the ground.


    Nothing happened at first and, for a split second, I was afraid I had been wrong, but the towering basilisk stopped abruptly in his tracks before crumbling into fine dust.


    Behind me was another mound of fine sand where the golem in the shape of Tess had been.


    ¡°You caught on rather quick. I was hoping to see how you yed out the situation a bit more.¡± Wren emerged from the rocky ground, dusting off his shabby white coat.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard not to catch on with such an absurd scenario, Wren. I hope you don¡¯t get a kick out of doing things like this,¡± I retorted, disgruntled.


    ¡°How does one receive a kick from training? Improper teaching methods, perhaps? Is it a disciplinary action you lesser beings do to one another?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s an idiom¡ªnevermind,¡± I sighed, shaking my head at the confused asura.


    ¡°Regardless of your illogical expression, what I did was for your benefit. Look at the state you¡¯re in now; you¡¯ve expended most of your energy on recklessly attempting to save that elf,¡± Wren grunted.


    ¡°Look. I know it wasn¡¯t the best course of action, and I hate to say it, but there are people that I consider more important than anyone else, including myself.¡± I held my gaze firmly as Wren continued to study me.


    ¡°Hmm. Well, familial bonds and mates are important, even for asu¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? Mate? Tess isn¡¯t a mate.¡±


    ¡°Oh? From what Windsom told me and by your reaction, I was sure that her importance went above that of just infatuation. You two haven¡¯t yet engaged in carnal intimacy?¡±


    ¡°No! I haven¡¯t engaged in... carnal intimacy yet! Look, this is beside the point, Wren.¡± I could feel my face beginning to burn as the asura pondered his miscalction.


    ¡°Huh. My apologies then.¡± Wren shrugged, his expression as apathetic as before. ¡°Well, my point is that, in war, there wille a time when your enemies will try and exploit whatever weaknesses you hold. Considering that you will be one of the main powers on Dicathen¡¯s side, all the more so.¡±


    ¡°Trust me; I know that.¡± shes of my previous life came to mind at this subject. I knew that there would be a point in time when the values of this life, the ones that went against my principles as King Grey, woulde to hinder me.


    ¡°Then I suppose it¡¯d be pointless for me to go on. Expect more training and tribtions like these, boy. Part of why I was tasked to nurture you out of your diapers is because I can single-handedly create all sorts of scenarios,¡± the hunched asura exined as he idly fiddled with his unruly hair.


    Having lived two different lives, I wanted to refute his statement about me being in diapers, but I remembered that even with thebined span of time I¡¯d been alive for¡ªin both worlds¡ªI¡¯d still be much younger than any of the asuras I had met so far.


    Taking a deep breath, I sat down on the ground. ¡°So you can just create a dummy of anything using the earth?¡±


    ¡°Not anything. I wouldn¡¯t be able to mimic the properties of water using earth, but mostly, yes,¡± the asura answered, sitting down on an extravagantly golden throne he conjured without even a snap of a finger.


    I thought back to when I had faced the fake basilisk. Every detail of both the ck-horned asura and Tess had been spot on. However, there were two things that gave it away. One was that the golem of the basilisk couldn¡¯t emit the amount of pressure and killing intent it normally would. However, that wasn¡¯t what threw me off. Besides the probability of a basilisk holding Tess all the way here in Epheotus being almost nonexistent, under the influence of Realmheart, I was able to see the mana fluctuation of yellow earthen particles all over the basilisk and Tess. I couldn¡¯t figure it out at first because I failed to stay levelheaded, but as I realized what was happening, I was about ny-percent sure.


    ¡°Is it impossible for lesser beings to reach such a level of insight to perform the level of mana arts asuras are capable of?¡± I wondered aloud.


    ¡°It goes against my nature to rule anything as impossible, so I¡¯m just going to say that it is highly improbable. You of all people shouldn¡¯t be so worried about probabilities though.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, the fact that you¡¯re a walking testament to how skewed probabilities can be. With your innate ability toprehend the workings of the four main elements as well as some of their deviating elemental forms coinciding so neatly with the fact thatprehension of all four elements is necessary to unlock the mysteries of aether that you¡¯ve been so kindly bestowed by the very princess of dragons, every bit about you is an outlier, boy,¡± Wren exined. ¡°Even asuras don¡¯t have that much innate talent and luck.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s your way of cheering me up, thank you,¡± I chuckled, getting back up to my feet. ¡°Now, what¡¯s next on our to-do list?¡±


    ¡°Before that, boy, give me your dominant hand.¡± Wren got up from his makeshift throne and walked towards me.


    Spreading my right hand with my palm facing up, I stared at the asura curiously. I could never read his face since he always had the same tired expression, like he¡¯d drop to the floor snoring at any moment.


    Taking out a small, ck case the size of a fist from his coat pocket, he opened it and held out a small, pyramid-shaped, opaque gem. ¡°This is a mineral called an lorite. Now, by itself, it¡¯s a rather rare but useless piece of rock. However, with the right refining and synthesizing process that I will keep to my grave, it is capable of doing something remarkable.¡±


    ¡°As in, speeding up the training process of the user?¡± I guessed.


    ¡°Remember when I said I don¡¯t forge swords, but create them?¡± the hunched asura asked, still holding out the tiny gem in front of me.


    I nodded in reply.


    ¡°Well, with the use of this small little gem and the right tools, I can essentially grow a weapon.¡±


    ¡°Grow? As in, grow like a tree?¡± I reiterated, sure that I had heard wrong.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the asura sighed, scratching his head. ¡°I swear, you get surprised by the most odd things. You hardly bat an eye at the fact that I can conjure a near perfect replica of your mate¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not my mate,¡± I cut off.


    Rolling his eyes, he continued, ¡°Yes, your elf lover that you have yet to copte with, but you get shocked by the fact that I can grow a weapon?¡±


    Letting out a defeated breath, I motion for him to continue.


    ¡°Normally, I would use the feedback from years, decades even, worth of constant observation of how you fight, in order to get the proper information to create a weapon that perfectly suits you, but because of the circumstances surrounding you, I¡¯m going for a bit of a gamble by doing this,¡± Wren rified.


    ¡°What do you me¡ª¡± A sudden, sharp pain cut me off as the asura suddenly stabbed the gem into the center of my palm.


    ¡°Gah! What are you doing?¡± I winced as Wren continued burying the opaque gem deeper into my flesh until it waspletely submerged under my skin.


    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry, I forgot to count to three,¡± he jibed, rubbing my blood that¡¯d gotten on his finger on my shirt. ¡°I synthesized the lorite with a portion of Lady Sylvia¡¯s feather as well as a scale from Lady Sylvie. These are both indispensable parts of what make you who you are. By doing this, I¡¯m going to hope that some of the unpredictabilities will be ounted for.¡±


    ¡°What would be so unpredictable?¡± I asked as I studied the small hole in my palm where the gem was buried.


    ¡°Every movement, action, thought, and change in your body will all factor into how your weapon will manifest. Even I have no idea how your weapon will turn out,¡± the asura confessed. ¡°If it evenes out as a weapon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not quite following along, Wren. Why do it this way if the oue is uncertain? And besides, I thought you weren¡¯t going to make me a weapon?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re going to need more than just a sharp stick to get by in the future if you¡¯re going to be facing those ingenious basilisks from the Vritra n and whatever spawn they conjure up,¡± he grumbled.


    The asura¡¯s face turned solemn before continuing. ¡°And it¡¯s because we don¡¯t have that much time.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I thought that I would have about two years left before the war starts?¡± I stared at Wren as an uneasy feeling crept up from the pit of my stomach.


    There was a hesitant pause from Wren as he deliberated on what to say next.


    ¡°Kid, Windsom just received word from Aldir about the most recent news of Dicathen.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Before I say anything else, Know that I¡¯m telling you this against Windsom and Lord Indrath¡¯s wishes. I want you to make the logical decision. With the help of the aether orb in some portions of the training, it¡¯ll still take about a year before the lorite manifests itself into a weapon. You¡¯ll also need that much time to strengthen yourself for the war.¡± Wren¡¯s face creased with something akin to worry as he exined.


    ¡°Just tell me,¡± I pressed.


    ¡°Arthur, although the full army has yet to arrive...the war has already started.¡±

 Chapter 125

    Chapter 125


    Chapter 125: The Calm of War


    <strong>TESSIA ERALITH¡¯S POV:</strong>


    ¡°I can fight, Grandpa!¡± I yelled, mming my palms on the table.


    ¡°And I¡¯m telling you that you can¡¯t,¡± he snapped back as his eyes stayed glued to the document he was reading, refusing to meet my gaze.


    ¡°Enough, Tessia. Your grandfather is right. The risk of putting you out on the field is much too high and unnecessary right now,¡± Master Aldir¡¯smanding voice cut in.


    ¡°But, Master! Even you said yourself that I¡¯m much stronger than I was before!¡± I argued, ignoring my grandfather.


    ¡°And that is still not enough.¡± The one-eyed asura¡¯s tone was matter-of-fact.


    I could feel my face burning hot as I did all I could from keeping my tears at bay. Refusing to let them see me cry, I stormed out of the study as Grandpa called out for me.


    I marched down the long, narrow hallway lit by widely-spaced torches that flickered brightly against the cobblestone wall. I banked a left near the end of the hallway, reaching two, solid-iron doors guarded on either side by an armored augmenter and a well-dressed conjurer.


    ¡°Princess? What brings you here?¡± the conjurer called out, her voiceced with concern.


    ¡°Please open the doors,¡± I ordered, my eyes focused on the center of the entrance. Despite my sour mood, I couldn¡¯t help but stare in awe at the unique doors that guarded this castle. I remembered that when it was firstpleted by Professor Gideon, even Master Aldir had been pleased by the craftsmanship.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, we haven¡¯t received any notice from Commander Virion or Lord Aldir that anyone would be leaving,¡± the armored augmenter muttered as he traded uncertain nces with hispanion.


    ¡°Open the doors, she¡¯s supposed to run an errand with me,¡± a familiar voice echoed from behind.


    ¡°General Varay!¡± Both guards saluted in unison before lowering themselves into a respectful bow.


    Turning around, I let out a relieved smile at thence, who had be more like an older sister to me these past two years.


    The elegant, yet intimidatingnce approached me with a steady and purposeful gait, her tight-fitting navy coat trailing gracefully behind her. Varay¡¯s left hand rested on the pommel of the thin sword strapped to her waist as she nodded at me with her usual aloof expression.


    The two guards immediately went to work opening the double doors. The conjurer mumbled a long incantation as the augmenter went to work pulling the various knobs and levers all over the intricate doors.


    ¡°Thank you, Varay.¡± I hugged her arm as we headed inside the room.


    Once inside, the iron double doors closed behind us with a loud thud. While the room was heavily secured with a unique mechanism on the door that required aplex pattern of spells and precise movement of locks to open, the area it was guarding wasn¡¯t nearly as noteworthy. The small, rather musty cylinder room was all but empty except for a single teleportation gate and a gateman in charge of controlling the gate¡¯s destination.


    The elderly gateman stood up straight at our sight, dropping the book he had been reading to pass the time. ¡°General Varay, Princess Tessia, what can I do for you?¡±


    Varay looked over her shoulder, waiting for me to speak.


    ¡°Etistin City, please,¡± I responded.


    ¡°Certainly!¡± The gateman went to work, mumbling over the ancient runes that allowed suchplex magic.


    The gate, a stone tform with aplicated sigil that marked the center of it, began glowing different colors before it focused on its directed location.


    ¡°All ready. Please take this emblem for identification when you use the gate at Etistin. This will be the only way the gateman over there will let you return to the castle,¡± the elderly gateman said as he handed the two of us a small metal locket with the three-race insignia on it.


    ¡°Surely they¡¯d know who we are, right?¡± I asked as I tucked the locket in the inner pocket of my fitted robe.


    The gateman shook his head. ¡°Security has tightened throughout the continent because outside attacks have be more frequent. Even though Etistin is still quite a distance away from the Beast des, Commander Virion has employed stricter measures just in case.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I let out a sigh as I stepped up to the tform where the teleportation gate stood. ¡°Are you sure you want toe with me to babysit me, Varay?¡±


    ¡°I just finished my lessons with Princess Kathlyn so a little break for me is fine,¡± she answered back curtly, stepping up behind me.


    Our surroundings distorted as soon as we stepped into the gate, my vision being filled with a blurry montage of luminescent colors.


    We arrived in seconds to the city that was once the humans¡¯ capital in the country of Sapin. I remembered from school that the city was built on the western coast of the continent back then to be out of reach from the dwarven and elven countries as well as to keep as far away from the Beast des as possible.


    However, almost years ago, after the war was announced, King yder basically tore down the city, as well as all the neighboring ones, and had it built back up as armored forts; this was in anticipation of the army of crya most likelying toward this side.


    ¡°Princess Tessia and General Varay!¡± the two gatemen eximed in surprise as they both gave a deep bow.


    ¡°We¡¯re not here on official business. Please, rx,¡± I coaxed, smiling at the guards who all had concerned expressions. We left the secured room where the the gate was ced, stepping out into the busy streets. The both of us hid our faces underneath our woolen hoods to keep from attracting needless attention.


    Outside, the streets were filled with a panorama of bustle and noise. Merchants wheeled their carts through the wide street as the vendors and entertainers that had set up small tents and canopies on either side of therge, main road were haggling with the housewives. Ever since Etistin was demolished and rebuilt as a military city, the economy relied on the soldiers and their families that were stationed here. Smiths and other craftsmen travelled here knowing that their work would be in high demand. Merchants soon went out of their way to set up shops here because of the ever-growing poption that derived from how many soldiers were stationed.


    Just walking down the street, you could see the soldiers, whether they were burly augmenters or lean conjurers, marching with weapons in hand. They all wore the same moss-green and silver uniform with the Triunion emblem that had be the official symbol of Dicathen.


    ¡°Was there anything specific you wanted to do?¡± Varay asked as she slowed her pace to match mine.


    ¡°Not particrly.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I just wanted some fresh air and to be away from everyone in the castle.¡±


    ¡°Keep your sword out and ready at all times, Tessia,¡± Varay said, pointing to my empty waist.


    Letting out a sigh, I replied, ¡°I¡¯m here with you, right? And besides, this city is like the farthest point from all of the fighting.¡±


    Etistin was rebuilt to be the veryst line of defense against the cryan army seeing as its location was farthest away from the battle and in an ideal location with most of its sides facing the ocean.


    Our main forces had actually been sent out into the Beast des to explore dungeons because that was where the cryan forces had been popping out from. From what Grandpa Virion had deduced from their investigations, the unnatural urrences that had happened over the past ten years, including the death of one of ournces, Alea, were for the purpose of setting up hidden teleportation gates in the depths of the dungeons. It would be hard for them to instantly teleport an army, but with enough time and enough individual teleportation gates, the cryan forces could muster up enough soldiers and mages to do considerable damage if they didn¡¯t prepare beforehand.


    After this news came to light, Master Aldir and my grandfather had to strategize on the defenses around the Beast des.


    ¡°In times of war, it¡¯s necessary to always be ready for the worst case,¡± Varay replied.


    I didn¡¯t want to argue any further so I took out my sword from my dimension ring and strapped it to my waist underneath my wool cloak. ¡°Happy?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Satisfied.¡±


    ¡°So how is Kathlyn and Curtis doing with their training?¡± I asked quietly, stopping by a stall that had a particrly beautiful set of handcrafted jewelries.


    ¡°Bairon tells me Curtis is determined and hardworking, but that their progress is slow. He has definitely made progress but even as a beast tamer, hisprehension of mana is only average at best. Princess Kathlyn, on the other hand, is moving along well in her training. I was told she was always a bit more gifted than everyone else, and from these two years, I understand why,¡± Varay answered, looking apathetically at the jewels she had no fondness for.


    ¡°Well not more than everyone else,¡± I corrected when a dull ache gripped at my heart.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I forget at times that the boy is your guys¡¯ age. Arthur is an anomaly of a whole different level, no doubt.¡± Varay nodded at herself. ¡°I can only imagine what level he will be at when hees back after training with the asuras.¡±


    Even through her expressionless face, it was easy to tell that Varay was a bit envious of Arthur. After all, training with the asuras on a higher level than even Master Aldir was something that someone could only wish for in their dreams.


    However, I knew firsthand how harsh the asuras were just from the dozen or so lessons I had received from Aldir over these past two years. Imagining myself under constant supervision by Master Aldir sent shivers down my spine.


    As we continued walking down the main road, I admired the imposing outer walls that surrounded the whole city. I could barely see the small figures of guards patrolling on top of the wall from where I was standing. The city had been rebuilt so that the buildings build on the center of the city were the highest. The buildings and homes surrounding it all lowered the farther out someone went so that conjurers and long range augmenters could easily go on top of any of the buildings and have a clear shot at their enemies without fear of obstruction. Of course, this was only if the enemies were able to break in through the thick, mana-enforced walls that surrounded Etistin.


    ¡°Do you think the cryan army will be able to make it all the way here?¡± I asked, still staring at the outer walls. ¡°I heard from Grandpa that Director Cynthia said crya is to the west of Dicathen. Doesn¡¯t that mean this ce is closest to our enemy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but she also said that they had no effective way of transporting significant amounts of soldiers across the ocean, which is why they¡¯re going for a more discreet method ofing through teleportation gates that they had set up all over the Beast des,¡± she answered as she veered off to look at some of the weapons on disy at a nearby forge.


    ¡°I see,¡± I mumbled. I felt bad for Director Cynthia, who had been confined for these two years. While Master Aldir was able to break enough of the curse that had bound her from releasing any information about her homnd so that she could divulge some intelligence, Director Cynthia still ended up in aatose state. At the expense of her consciousness, the woman who was once in charge of Xyrus Academy was able to tell us some critical information regarding her homnd. Now, she was simply lying, barely alive, in a room constantly taken care of by a nurse.


    Much of the business regarding the war had caused a strain in my rtionship with my grandfather. While he had always looked scary, Grandpa had always been the nice, embarrassing man who just wanted what was best for me. After he had taken on the role ofmanding the militant forces with Master Aldir, who operated only in the shadows, his personality became darker and more strict.


    I hated that it had to happen, but I didn¡¯t me Grandpa; at least I was able to see him more often than my mom and dad. My parents and Kathlyn¡¯s parents were working the social front, doing everything they could to further strengthen and implement action from the cities. With the King and Queen Greysunders both killed, the dwarves were in rebellion, so our parents were working to, once again, gain their allegiance.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± someone suddenly yelled as he ran headfirst into me.


    With my thoughts totally upied elsewhere, my body ran on instinct as I grabbed his wrist while I pivoted my body. cing my foot in front of his, the person tripped and I had him pinned down with my sword half-unsheathed, pressed against his throat, when I saw the person¡¯s face.


    ¡°Emily?¡± I sputtered, rmed.

 Chapter 126

    Chapter 126


    Chapter 126: Calm of War II</h3> <hr />


    ¡°P-Princess?¡± she eximed, even more surprised than I was.


    I quickly sheathed my sword and released my friend. Emily Watsken had been the only girl my age besides Kathlyn that I had spent any considerable amount of time with. Her master, Gideon, came in and out of the castle when he wasn¡¯t engrossed in new gadgets and inventions that he believed could help out in the war.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Emily. You just came kind of out of nowhere and my body reacted on its own,¡± I apologized, helping her gather the tools and books she had been carrying before I flipped her so gracefully on the ground.


    ¡°No, I should be more careful, haha! I was carrying way too many things and my sses slipped so I couldn¡¯t really make out where I was going. Besides, that was kinda fun. You know, in an abrupt and slightly brain-rattling sort of way,¡± Emily assured, her voice a bit shaky. Noticing the dark-hairednce next to me, she stiffened before bowing. ¡°Hello, General Varay.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Miss Watsken,¡± Varay nodded as she remained upright with no intention to help.


    Emily tied back her thick, curly hair that had exploded out of its ponytail state because of me. As I stacked the items on Emily¡¯s arms, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the worn out pieces of paper filled with scribbles that had fallen out of her tattered notebook.


    ¡°What are you and Professor Gideon working on nowadays, anyway? I haven¡¯t seen you at the castle in a while,¡± I took on some of Emily¡¯s load once the stack of books had started reaching her face.


    ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t call him Professor. My nutjob of a master can hardly be considered sane, let alone an educator of the future generations,¡± Emily huffed, letting out a tired sigh.


    ¡°Well, he was still a professor at Xyrus for a point in time before all of this happened,¡± I pointed out as I walked alongside her.


    ¡°Yeah, so you know as well as I do how many students were taken to the infirmary because of all the explosions and fires he¡¯s caused in that limited ¡®point in time,¡¯¡± Emily muttered as she used the stack of books she was holding to push her sses back up.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had it rough, haven¡¯t you?¡± I chuckled, bumping her gently with my shoulder.


    ¡°I swear, I think I¡¯ve lost count of how many times I¡¯ve had to dig up my master from a pile of debris and useless junk after an explosion he¡¯d caused. Anyways, I was getting these observation notes that a team of adventurers had written back to Master Gideon. Do you want toe along?¡±


    ¡°Can I?¡± I asked, turning my head to Varay for consent. Giving me a curt nod in response, I agreed to follow along.


    ¡°How have you been these days anyway, Princess?¡± Emily asked as we weaved our way through the main road.


    ¡°Drop it with the ¡®Princess,¡¯ Emily; you know I hate that,¡± I scolded. ¡°And I¡¯ve been terrible. You have no idea how suffocating it is inside the castle.¡±


    ¡°Oh sure. The halls are pretty narrow and the ceilings are much too low for a castle,¡± she agreed, clumsily sidestepping a passerby.


    ¡°Ha, ha. You think you¡¯re so clever.¡± I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m a delight!¡± she puffed proudly. ¡°Besides, try being stuck with someone like Master for hours a day and see what that does to your sense of humor.¡±


    ¡°Oh, woe is you! You¡¯re a real damsel in need of a better social outlet.¡± I stuck my tongue out at her. Emily did the same as we eventually broke out into a fit of giggles.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious, though. You have no idea what it¡¯s like being stuck in a castle with an asura and an overbearing grandfather that can make taking a breath of air seem like a dangerous activity.¡±


    ¡°Ew, sounds suffocating.¡± Emily¡¯s face cringed.


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°But don¡¯t be so rough with your grandfath¡ªI mean, Commander Virion,¡± she amended, casting a quick nce back at Varay. ¡°After how you were kidnapped and almost killed, I can only imagine how he and your parents must¡¯ve felt...¡±


    ¡°I know. I try not to be, but when he has me caged up like a bird, I can¡¯t help it. Training has been the only way for me to let out my stress, but with more and more sightings and attacks from the cryan forcesing out of the Beast des, no one has the time to train with me.¡±


    Emily puffed out her cheeks, trying to think of a response. We eventually took a turn into a less crowded street, Varay sticking close behind us like a shadow in case anything were to happen.


    ¡°Oh yeah, any news about Arthur?¡± Emily asked.


    ¡°You mean besides the same old news that Master Aldir repeats like a neurotic mimic bird?¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°He is training. That is all you need to know,¡± Emily recited in a deep voice exactly the same way she had when I told her thest time.


    ¡°Yup!¡± I giggled.


    There was another gap of silence in our conversation when Emily asked in a hushed whisper. ¡°What about Elijah?¡±


    A sharp pang ran through my chest at the mention of that name, not because I was sad, but because I could imagine how guilty Arthur must be feeling.


    ¡°No news. Honestly, I have no idea why Elijah was taken to crya alive,¡± I confessed, clutching tightly onto the books.


    It was my fault in a way that this happened to Elijah. I barely knew the guy aside from the fact that he was Arthur¡¯s closest friend. From what others that witnessed the scene had described, it seemed like he¡¯d tried to save me before he was taken.


    It was obvious that Elijah had tried to save me for his best friend; for all we knew, he could¡¯ve been tortured for information or taken hostage to lure Arthur or maybe just even killed. I knew some of these possibilities were a bit of a stretch, but it scared me to think that this happened to him because of me.


    What¡¯s worse was that, more than feeling sorry for Elijah, I felt like I was more scared that Arthur would hate me because of this¡ªbecause of what happened to his best friend. I thought I was strong; ever since I had received the elderwood guardian will from Arthur, I felt invincible¡ªeven when I couldn¡¯t fully control it. How foolishly naive I was. I should¡¯ve listened to Arthur when he told me he¡¯de with me to school. I should¡¯ve been more ready.


    These were the thoughts that made my nights often sleepless, but they were also the thoughts that drove me to train harder. Train so I would be strong... train so that I wouldn¡¯t be a liability to anyone.


    ¡°¡ªssia? Tessia?¡± Varay¡¯s voice jolted me out of my thoughts.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± I looked up to be suddenly face-to-face with thence.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Emily asked from my side, her voiceced with concern.


    ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah, of course I am. Why do you ask?¡± I muttered as Varay wordlessly ced a hand on my forehead.


    ¡°Not sick,¡± she said simply before giving me some space.


    ¡°You kind of seemed dazed,¡± she said as we approached arge, square building. ¡°Anyways, we¡¯re here.¡±


    As we approached Professor Gideon¡¯s and Emily¡¯s workce, I couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the structure. It wasn¡¯t impressive in the traditional sort of way but it really was a sight to see. The square structure was only one story high, but in order to go through the front entrance, you needed to go down a flight of stairs, indicating that there was at least one level underground.


    With thick and imposing walls, it seemed more like a shelter civilians would go to in case of a disaster than a research facility.


    ¡°Come on. These books are getting heavier by the minute,¡± Emily called out from ahead.


    The three of us went down the stairs and through a metal door simr to the one that guarded the teleportation gate inside the flying castle.


    Emily set her things on the ground and ced both palms at different locations on the door. I couldn¡¯t hear what she was mumbling, but soon, streams of light glowed brightly from where her hands had been ced and the single door unhinged with a loud click.


    Going inside, my senses were overwhelmed. There was a frenzy of movement from workers and artificers as sounds of metals nging against one another echoed along the building. Therge building was one gigantic space, separated only by moveable partitions dividing different projects that were simultaneously going on. Throughout all of this, I couldn¡¯t help but keep my nose pinched at the indescribably pungent smell.


    ¡°What is this stench?¡± I asked, my voiceing out nasally.


    ¡°What isn¡¯t this stench!¡± Emily shook her head. ¡°So many different minerals and materials are being either melted or refined that it¡¯s hard to discern the smells apart.¡±


    Even Varay cringed as we went further down the stairs.


    ¡°Damn it, Amil! How many times do I have to drill into that thick skull of yours that you can¡¯t keep those two minerals in the same container! They¡¯ll draw each other¡¯s properties out, and I¡¯ll be left with two useless hunks of rock!¡± a voice exploded all the way from the back corner of the building.


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s my lovely master¡¯s voice,¡± Emily sighed as she motioned for us to follow.


    As we made our way to the source of the harsh voice, we bumped into the man who I could only assume was Amil by his shaken expression and the fact that he was holding a box full of rocks.


    ¡°E-Excuse me,¡± he croaked, his voice cracking. ¡°Oh, h-hello Emily. Tread carefully around Master Gideon; he¡¯s a bit on edge today.¡±


    The poor man gave us all a quick bow, barely even looking at us as he hurriedly ran off to fix his mistake.


    Continuing our little tour of Emily¡¯s workce, an elderly gentleman that had been talking with a group of several men in the traditional brown robes that most artificers wore turned around as he heard us approaching. His eyes lit up as he made his way toward us after dismissing the group of men.


    Judging by his wardrobe, I would¡¯ve normally assumed he was just a butler, but something about the way he carried himself and the respect the men back there showed him told me it wasn¡¯t that simple.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Princess, General, and Miss Emily. I¡¯m d you came back so quickly, Master Gideon is waiting for you.¡± The gentleman dipped his head in a little bow and led the way after taking the items that Emily and I had been carrying.


    ¡°Thanks, Himes. Is Master in one of his moods again?¡± Emily asked, following closely behind the butler.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so, Miss Emily. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s only agitated waiting for these,¡± he answered, holding up the pile of leather-bound notebooks.


    We made our way through the maze of partitions until we arrived at a particrly closed off space enclosed in the corner by rather high partitions. As soon as we entered through the tiny opening between the dividers, we were met by Professor Gideon, who practically pounced at the notebooks Himes was carrying. The genius artificer and inventor looked the same as he always had, with the same, lightning-struck hair, beady eyes, and brows that seemed permanently furrowed together. The wrinkles on his forehead did seem to be even deeper than before, just like how his dark circles somehow continued to grow darker.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you too, Master,¡± Emily mumbled. She turned to me and Varay, giving us a shrug.


    At first, I wanted to explore the facility, but as Professor Gideon progressed through the stack of notebooks with breakneck speed¡ªpractically tearing apart the pages as he flipped through them¡ªmy curiosity drove me to stay and wait. It seemed like Emily and Varay both had the same thoughts I did, because they were both staring intently at Professor Gideon as well.


    Suddenly, after going through about six notebooks, he stopped on a particr page.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Professor Gideon mmed his hands on his desk before scratching furiously at his unruly hair.


    We stayed silent, not knowing how to respond. Even Emily stared wordlessly, waiting for her master to say something.


    ¡°General, can you make a trip with me?¡± Professor Gideon¡¯s eyes stayed glued to the notebook as he asked this.


    ¡°I¡¯m currently with the Princess,¡± she answered simply.


    ¡°Bring her along too. Emily, youe as well,¡± Gideon responded as he gathered the pile of notebooks and scattered pieces of paper on his desk.


    ¡°Wait, Master. Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°The eastern coast, on the northern border of the Beast des,¡± the inventor answered curtly.


    ¡°Commander Virion has prohibited Princess Tessia from venturing out. Having here¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then leave her here. I just need you or another general toe with me in case anything happens, which will be unlikely,¡± he cut her off as he continued gathering his things. ¡°We just need to leave as soon as possible. Emily, bring me my usual inspection kit.¡±


    Emily scurried out of her master¡¯s makeshift office. Varay took out amunication artifact from her dimension ring when I quickly grasped her hand.


    ¡°Varay, I want to go,¡± I said, squeezing thence¡¯s hand.


    Varay shook her head. ¡°No, your grandfather would never allow it. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°But Aya is out on a mission, and Bairon is still busy training Curtis. Please¡ªyou heard Professor Gideon, he said nothing¡¯s going to happen,¡± I insisted. ¡°Besides, Professor Gideon seems to be in a hurry!¡±


    ¡°Damn right I am, now let¡¯s go. There¡¯s just something I need to confirm with my own eyes. We¡¯ll be back before the day is over,¡± Professor Gideon reassured as he put on a coat.


    I could see thence hesitating so I drove in onest nail. ¡°Varay, you¡¯ve seen me train for thest two years. You know how strong I¡¯ve be,¡± I said, my gaze relentless.


    After a moment of deliberation, Varay let out a sigh. ¡°Then you must obey my everymand while we are on this trip. You fail to do that and this will be thest time I help you get out of the castle.¡±


    I nodded furiously, eager to explore a part of the continent I had never gone to before, regardless of how short the trip would be. As soon as Emily arrived with arge ck bag in tow, we set out.

 Chapter 127

    Chapter 127


    Chapter 127: Washed Up Omen</h3> <hr />


    The only stop we made was at the stable to pick out a few horses for our trip after going through the teleportation gate. We needed to go a bit out of the way to find horses ustomed to going through teleportation gates, which caused Professor Gideon to fidget with impatience.


    The man was a nervous wreck throughout the trip. He said very little after going through the teleportation gate, only snapping at the reigns of his ck steed to go faster. Soon, we arrived at a rather thin trail with the Forest of Elshire to our left. I could see the thin fog spilling over onto our trail, making the road look kind of creepy. To our right, there was a thin stream that acted as a fence, marking the border of the Elshire Forest and the edge of the Beast des.


    Emily sat behind Himes on a white stallion as I rode with Varay on a particrly gentle brown horse, leaving us with little else to do but talk. However, we rode in silence most of the trip; it was hard to talk over the sound of our horses¡¯ hoofbeats clicking on the ground.


    Eventually, the familiar, briny smell of the ocean filled the air. I could almost taste the salt on my tongue from the growing breezes that whipped against my face. While the weather was cool, it was obvious that it was growing much more humid, fast. My shirt began sticking to my skin, leaving me ufortable and grimy.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost here!¡± Professor Gideon yelled over the howl of the wind. Soon, the trees that made up the dense, magical forest began spreading apart, and eventually clearing up to a wide in of wild grass and shrubs.


    The ocean came into view, quickly widening from the horizon as we drew closer to the edge of the shore. The strength and speed of the winds grew stronger the closer we got to our destination, soon drowning out the sound of our horses¡¯ gallop. Large rocks began popping up more and more on the field of grass that sandwiched us on both sides until we had stopped our horses on the edge of a rocky ledge that overlooked the shore.


    I had to shield my face with the hood of my cloak against the sharp, sand-filled winds that cut against my body. I was about to ask if we had arrived when I spotted something unnatural on the coast.


    It was a humongous boat, or rather, what was left of it. As the wavespped against its metal exterior, I couldn¡¯t help but feel like I had seen it before, when it suddenly popped into my mind.


    ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that the Dicatheous?¡± I gasped, peeking out from underneath my cloak as I turned to Professor Gideon.


    ¡°No,¡± he said, his voice barely audible against the wind. ¡°It¡¯s worse.¡±


    ¡°Wait, it¡¯s not the Dicatheous?¡± I asked, taking another nce at the familiar ship to make sure.


    While I wasn¡¯t able to see the departure of the monumental ship because it ovepped with the start of my second year at Xyrus Academy, I had seen it when it was still being constructed. I could still remember quite clearly the first time I hadid eyes on the mysterious craft that spewed ck smoke like some sort of metallic dragon. To be able to carry hundreds of people and still traverse the unknown dangers of the ocean, it was hard to believe it at that time.


    ¡°What do you mean worse?¡± Varay cut in as she surveyed our surroundings, her hand resting firmly on the pommel of the thin sword strapped to her waist.


    ¡°Leave the horses here. We¡¯ll need to go on foot if we want to get to that wreckage site.¡± Ignoring us both, Professor Gideon swung his leg over his horse, dismounting rather clumsily. ¡°Emily, Himes! Grab the bag!¡±


    I opened my mouth to ask again, exasperated by how constantly the professor kept doing things at his own pace, disregarding everyone else. However, with a consoling squeeze on the shoulder from Emily, I just let out a sigh and we followed Professor Gideon. The old inventor was already making his way down the rocky slope to the shore rather nimbly despite how wet the rocks were. Varay and Himes trailed closely behind, both of them with their necks stretched, looking for any signs of danger as they easily hopped from one stone to another.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need the shippletely out of the water. Can either one of youdies do the honors?¡± Professor Gideon turned his head, switching nces between Varay and me.


    My hand shot up in the air.


    ¡°Let me tr¡ª¡± I volunteered excitedly before remembering what Master Aldir had constantly warned me about. ¡°I mean, Varay should do it.¡±


    Thence gave me a sympathetic look before getting to work. The task wasn¡¯t hard for her; with a simple wave of her hand, she swept the tides back enough to reveal the whole ship, then she took a moment to conjure a wall of ice around the remains of the wreckage to keep the water from spilling back in.


    Varay made an opening in the ice fortress for us to enter through and almost immediately after crossing, I stopped to gaze in awe.


    Perhaps it was because I had only seen the Dicatheous during its construction, but many of the features I remembered about the ship, from itsrge metal frame and multiple cylindrical pipes, undoubtedly resembled thisrge contraption. Regardless, neither of these two metallic monstrosities looked nothing like the wooden sailboats that I was ustomed to.


    Further inspection of therge craft led me to notice the reason why it had been stranded here, partly sunken, in the first ce. Apart from the more obvious dents that had deformed the base of the ship, there were rows of puncture marks as well.


    ¡°Don¡¯t those kind of look like...bite marks?¡± I marveled, walking toward the side of the ship.


    ¡°Dang, imagine how big the monster was to have a mouth that could take a chomp at this,¡± Emily sighed.


    I couldn¡¯t help but grow more and more curious the longer I studied the giant boat. If it truly was not Dicatheous, then what was it? Who had built it? For what purpose did ite to this continent?


    Another observation I drew was that, while the thick metal frame had incurred fairly substantial damages, it didn¡¯t seem... old. There weren¡¯t any signs of rust that I knew happened to most metals left in ces like this for too long.


    ¡°Well then, on we go,¡± Professor Gideon grunted, stepping into one of therger holes that had punctured through the bottom of the ship.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Varay held up her arm to halt the professor. Before he could respond, thence sent arge pulse of mana through the abandoned ship.


    ¡°No signs of life,¡± she confirmed.


    ¡°An unnecessary precaution, but thanks,¡± Professor Gideon grumbled, climbing into the hole at the base of the ship.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go too far ahead, Master!¡± Emily ran in after him, her eyes practically twinkling in excitement.


    Looking at Varay, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the faint traces of concern on her normally expressionless face. Even after checking for any potential dangers, there was still something worrying thence.


    Upon stepping inside the ship after Himes, my nose caught on to the acrid smell of wood rotting. The air was heavy and warm, and bitter to the tongue, forcing me to breathe through my nose despite the less-than-pleasant aroma of molding lumber.


    The lower levels were spacious, with not much inside except for the columns of iron¡ªsome broken, others bent¡ªthat had once supported the ceiling. Shattered remains of wooden crates littered the floor but whatever was inside most likely had either perished or been washed away by the ocean water.


    I could see the old inventor studying the remains of whatever he could find before he and Himes climbed up the metal stairs leading to the next floor up. This left me, Emily, and Varay to explore the abandoned vessel on our own ord; only, we had no idea what it was we were searching for, and why we were here in the first ce.


    After finding little else of interest, we weaved through the mounds of seaweed and sand that had infiltrated the ship and followed after Professor Gideon and his butler to the floor above.


    It was easy to figure out that the bottommost levels of this abandoned ship had been used as mostly storage, but the strange thing was that everything was destroyed. Varay had been the one to point it out, but even if she hadn¡¯t revealed that fact, I would¡¯ve still put together the traces. On the metal floors¡ªwhere shattered remnants of itemsy scattered¡ªwere ckened marks of what looked like soot; someone or some people had deliberately wiped all traces of what could¡¯ve been used as valuable pieces of information.


    ¡°Looks like whoever was on this ship didn¡¯t want anyone knowing who they were,¡± I said, kicking some debris in hopes of finding anything of value.


    Varay looked around, but stayed close to Emily and I, in case something were to pop up.


    ¡°What¡¯s weird is that even the upper floors here are damp for some reason. How did the watere all the way up here when the ship was only half-sunken?¡± Emily pointed out, running her hand along the wooden floor, only toe up wet.


    ¡°That¡¯s because, until a few weeks ago, this ship was fully submerged in the ocean.¡± We all looked over our shoulders to see Professor Gideon and Himes walking down the stairs from the floor above us.


    ¡°Which is why no one had seen this ship, despite its size, until recently,¡± Varay concluded.


    The inventor simply nodded as he and Himes made their way to us. ¡°The journal I was reading earlier was written by a group of adventurers who wereing back from a scouting mission. They had taken the same route to reach their destination, but it was only on the way back that the tides had receded enough to reveal this.


    ¡°I see. Master, then what do you think happened to all the crewmembers that were on this ship?¡± Emily asked. ¡°Do you think they all drowned?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Professor Gideon shook his head. ¡°There would be at least some remains of human bodies left on this ship.¡±


    Emily and I exchanged nces, not quite catching on to what the old inventor was getting at.


    Letting out a sigh, Professor Gideon squatted in front of the ckened mark on the floor and scratched at it with his finger. ¡°It means you¡¯re right, Princess. The people on here definitely did not want them seeing this ship, let alone whatever and whoever they had inside.¡±


    ¡°That means that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes. Either they all escaped and are out there somewhere...or perhaps, their captain oh-so-kindly nudged them off the ship.¡±


    ¡°I had a hunch when I first saw the ship but does that mean...¡± Varay¡¯s voice trailed off as she stared intently at Professor Gideon.


    ¡°After reading the report, I wished dearly to whatever divine being was watching over us that my guess would be wrong, but I don¡¯t think it is,¡± he sighed.


    ¡°What¡ªwhat is it? What is going on?¡± I butted in, their solemn tones filling me with unease.


    ¡°I had assumed that the crew of the Dicatheous went through some troubles when we lost contact with them a few years back, so when I read the the report, I thought maybe¡ªjust maybe, the crew had somehow repaired the ship and almost made it back. But the materials used to build this, down to the very frame of this ship, differ ever-so-slightly in design.


    ¡°Aftering here, I¡¯m positive that this ship isn¡¯t, and never was, the Dicatheous. It¡¯s still a little rough around the edges, but the technology put into this ship was top secret, known only to me and few of the key designers,¡± Professor Gideon exined.


    Emily drew in a sharp breath, her eyes wide with fear as the horrifying reality began to dawn on everyone here. ¡°Master, you can¡¯t mean to say¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly what I mean to say,¡± Professor Gideon interrupted. ¡°Think about it¡ª the fact that there are no corpses, no personal belongings left behind. There are almost no discernable traces that anyone has ever been here. Why? Because the leader of this ship didn¡¯t want their enemy to know that they are capable of making this. And with good reason; the very fact that this exists changes the very dynamics of this war.¡±


    ¡°And by war, you mean...¡± my voice trailed off into silence. I locked eyes with Varay and she nodded, her eyes stern and grave. My hands trembled as I brought them up to my mouth.


    Professor Gideon sprung up from the ground, handing his bag to Himes. ¡°Yes, Princess. It means that crya has, in their arsenal, the ability to build ships capable of carrying whole battalions across the ocean to Dicathen.¡±

 Chapter 128

    Chapter 128


    Chapter 128: Necessary Resolve</h3> <hr />


    <strong>VIRION ERALITH¡¯S POV:</strong>


    ¡°Damn it!¡± yder cursed, mming his fists down on the long rectangr table we were currently gathered around. ¡°And you¡¯re absolutely sure about this, Gideon?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, Your Majesty, the part about the ship belonging to the cryan Army is merely a spection on my part. However, I am absolutely sure that the ship we have juste from is not the Dicatheous,¡± the old inventor answered.


    It hadn¡¯t even been an hour since Gideon, Varay and my granddaughter had arrived to the castle. After Varay told us about the information they had found, everyone, including King and Queen yder, were summoned. With the arrival of the asura, Lord Aldir, and my son and his wife, who had been in negotiations with the dwarves, the meeting was hastily put into motion..


    ¡°What makes you so certain?¡± yder pestered on.


    Gideon let out a harsh sigh before continuing. ¡°Because, during the construction of the Dicatheous, I had ced markers throughout the base of the ship¡ªkind of like a signature, if you will.¡±


    ¡°A signature?¡± my son, Alduin, echoed.


    ¡°Well, the Dicatheous was an invention that I took most pride in. I wanted future generations to know of my work,¡± he confessed, scratching his nose in embarrassment. ¡°At any rate, out of all the exposed frames that I scoured in this ship, none of them had the marking. In fact, entirely different substances were used to construct the frame.¡±


    ¡°Damn it all!¡± ine yder swore once more, getting up from his seat.


    ¡°Calm yourself, ine,¡± I quipped.


    ¡°Calm myself? Did you not just hear Gideon¡¯s words? I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t just keep calm after finding out that our enemy is capable of sending tens¡ªno, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and mages across the ocean. It¡¯s bad enough that we¡¯ve been having trouble sniffing out those bastards from inside the dungeons of the Beast des, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Lord Aldir asserted, silencing the human king at once. ¡°Varay, what are your thoughts on the matter?¡±


    ¡°While I have no extensive knowledge on the construction of the Dicatheous, I agree with what the artificer thinks. Theck of evidence on the ship alone tells us that whoever was on the ship didn¡¯t want anyone finding out who they were,¡± thence affirmed, standing against the wall behind Prisci yder.


    ¡°What do you suppose the probability is that this was a trap, or rather, a strategy on their part to get us to think that they have the technology to send ships filled with soldiers to Dicathen?¡± I voiced aloud to no one in particr.


    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s possible that might be the case.¡± Gideon was the one to answer as he mulled over the hypothetical scenario.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ine came back to the table, delighted at the fact that the worst-case-scenario might not be the only future of this war. ¡°It makes sense! If the cryans made us think that they had the ability to make these ships, then it would force us to split our troops!¡±


    ¡°That might be so, but the location where the ship had washed up makes me uncertain. If the cryan¡¯s goal was really to divide our forces, it would make more sense for them to leave it somewhere along the western coast¡ªwhere they would want us to think they will attack. Also, that cove, where the ship was found, is much too inconspicuous of a ce to have them hope that we¡¯ll somehowe across it. With the tide levels changing so frequently and the bedrocks constantly corroding, it¡¯s a miracle that we were able to find the ship in the first ce,¡± my son rebutted.


    The meeting hall was quiet for a moment until Lord Aldir spoke up. ¡°Whatever the probability might be, the question is, is it worth the risk? The cryan, Cynthia, was under the impression that her people were trying to amass an army over time within the depths of the Beast des, but it would be foolish to blindly believe that that was the only move the Vritras had nned. I have known a few from the Vritra n; they are intelligent and cunning adversaries. It¡¯s unlike them to act so linear in their strategy.¡±


    ¡°Whatever the case, we have no choice but to prepare ourselves for a two-pronged attack,¡± I concluded, rubbing my temples. ¡°Alduin, Merial, how are the discussions with the dwarves faring?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re still skeptical toward the notion of fully cooperating, but they¡¯ve agreed to send some of their shapers to help in the fortification of the walls along the Grand Mountains,¡± Merial answered as she handed over a pile of papers to me.


    ¡°Good,¡± I nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a start. We¡¯ll need as much help from their mages to reinforce the gaps that the Grand Mountains don¡¯t cover between Sapin and the Beast des.


    ¡°Merial, allow me and my wife to join you in your next visit to the Kingdom of Darv. With this news, we¡¯ll need help from the dwarves if we¡¯re going to fortify the cities along the western coast in time. Besides, we were closer to the Greysunders than you two. Perhaps the dwarves will be more inclined to cooperate with us there.¡± Both ine and Prisci looked uneasy as their nces flickered between my son and his wife, and at Lord Aldir, the one who had actually killed the traitorous Dwarven King and Queen.


    ¡°That sounds like a good idea. We¡¯ll need the dwarves¡¯ help if we¡¯re going to win this war. I think they¡¯ll be more apt to help us after they find out our enemies have the capability of sending thousands of soldiers across the ocean,¡± I voiced. ¡°Now, if everyone will excuse me, I¡¯m going to get some rest for the first time in a few days.¡±


    I dipped my head at Lord Aldir and dismissed everyone else with a wave. Walking out of the meeting hall, I let out a deep breath. Despite the two years that Lord Aldir had been here, it was still stifling being near the asura.


    He had done much to prepare us for the war, and had been tactical in his approach. He barely showed himself at meetings, often teaching me one-on-one so that I could be the one to head the war. With his insight on bothrge-scale and small-scale battle tactics, we¡¯ve been doing a good job keeping the fights away from the general public. However, if Gideon¡¯s spections are true, then it won¡¯t be long until everyone, soldier or not, would be involved one way or another.


    ¡°Commander Virion,¡± a soft voice came from behind.


    I turned around to see Varay walking toward me, her expression full of concern.


    ¡°Commander, allow me to apologize for allowing Princess Tessia toe along. I know that your exact orders were for me to keep her away from danger but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Varay, it¡¯s fine.¡± I held up my hand to stop her. ¡°I know how she can be, and to tell you the truth, I¡¯ve been expecting something like this to happen from her. Now, off you go; Little Princess yder must be waiting for you.¡±


    Thence¡¯s face still showed traces of concern and guilt, but with another wave, she lowered her head in a bow and went off in the direction of the training grounds.


    Taking a left down the long corridor, I stopped in front of a particr oakwood door. Taking another breath, I held my hand up in a fist and knocked thrice.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± the muffled voice of my granddaughter called out from inside.


    I cleared my throat. ¡°It¡¯s your grandfather.¡±


    ¡°I want to be alone,¡± she replied instantly.


    ¡°Come now,¡± I sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡±


    There was only silence at first, but after a few seconds, I heard the faint sounds of approaching footsteps. The reinforced wooden door opened just a crack as my granddaughter¡¯s eyes peeked through from the other side.


    ¡°Are you going to scold me for going to the ship with Varay?¡± she asked, her mouth hidden behind the door.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±


    The child regarded me silently, her brow raised in suspicion. ¡°Because I was the one that forced her to take me.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yes, I figured as much.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m not going to apologize for that,¡± my granddaughter pressed on as she tried to hold her stern gaze.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°W-Well good.¡± Her expression faltered as she looked confused.


    I took a step back from the door. ¡°Now, will you take a walk with your grandfather?¡±


    I waited for my granddaughter as she closed the door and timidly trailed behind me like a shadow.


    ¡°This way.¡± I gestured with my head. ¡°There¡¯s something I want to show you.¡±


    We walked down the corridor in silence as I hummed a small tune.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s the luby that Father used to sing to me,¡± my granddaughter eximed.


    ¡°Well who do you think taught it to him?¡± I chuckled. ¡°My mother, your great grandmother, used to sing it to me when I couldn¡¯t sleep at night. I sang it to your father whenever he was too scared to go to sleep. But don¡¯t tell him I told you this.¡±


    The child giggled as she nodded. ¡°Where are we going anyways, Grandpa?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough, Child.¡± We took another turn and descended a flight of spiral stairs, stopping in front of a set of doorsrge enough to easily admit giants.


    cing a palm in the center of the door, I released a wave of mana. The locks and mechanisms that kept the room secure clicked in rapid session as scores of intricate patterns unravelled themselves into ce. As the sounds receded, the door slid open to reveal arge earthen field surrounded by mana-enhanced metal. Off to the side was another door that was the same material as the wall around it.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost here,¡± I said, pointing to the door.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been inside here before. What¡¯s this room for?¡± my granddaughter asked as she looked around.


    ¡°This is the ce where thences, guild leaders, and I get trained by Lord Aldir. The asura set it up himself so that it could withstand even the attacks of white-core mages; of course, that is only Lord Aldir is here with us to activate it. But before you go on exploring, there is something you need to see.¡± I pushed open the door to the room inside the isted training arena.


    The inside of the room had nothing but a few chairs, a drawing board, and an empty screen with a visual recording artifact in front of it.


    ¡°Take a seat, Ch¡ª¡± I stopped myself as I stood next to the artifact. ¡°Take a seat, Tessia.¡±


    My granddaughter nted herself in the chair in front of me, facing the white screen. She looked at me with uncertain eyes and for a second, I just wanted take her back to her room where she¡¯d be safe.


    Letting out a deep breath, I turned on the visual recording artifact. A bright light shot out from the front and onto the screen, projecting a moving picture recorded from the battlefield.


    ¡°This, Tessia, is what the war is like.¡± I moved out of the way and let her watch.


    It was a particrly brutal battle in the depths of a dungeon where the cryan soldiers had been setting camp. There had been hundreds of mages and warriors that had been waiting for further orders. Our men had little idea of what they would be walking into while the cryan side had already received warning from their scouts that enemies would soon arrive.


    I could see the horror in my granddaughter¡¯s eyes, watching with jaw ck as the massacre went on. Our side had lost over fifty in the first few seconds but even after we had recuperated, the battle was bloody and intense. Fresh corpsesy sprawled all over the ground as mages and warriors alike continued to shoot and at each other. Even without the sound, I could clearly imagine the screams from the injured and dying.


    The video ended abruptly as the mage holding the artifact had been killed in that moment. There was a moment of silence as both my granddaughter and I mulled over the images on the screen.


    ¡°This was a real life recording from a battle just five days ago. We lost two hundred men and twenty mages in that battle alone out of the four hundred we sent down into that dungeon. I was the one who had given them the order to go down, and it¡¯s on my shoulders that they¡¯re all dead.¡± I locked eyes with my granddaughter, my gaze cold and unyielding.


    ¡°The war has only just begun, but I have already done things¡ªmade choices¡ªthat I will never forgive myself for. As your grandfather, this is what I want to keep you away from,¡± I said, pointing to the screen. ¡°It is my selfishness as your grandfather that I want to keep you safe and away from harm, regardless of how much of an asset you may be in battle.¡±


    Tess lowered her gaze. ¡°Grandpa...¡±


    ¡°Tessia. You are, no doubt, a tremendously talented mage and, with the training that you¡¯ve undergone these past two years, would be a force to be reckoned with in the war. But no matter how powerful you are in a war, you are only one person. All it takes is one mistake, one small blunder. That is why I¡¯ve forbidden you to take part in any of the battles... until now.¡±


    ¡°Until now?¡± My granddaughter looked up. I couldn¡¯t help but just stare at her tiny face. It felt like just a week ago that she was still sitting on myp, chirping ¡°grandpa¡± with her hands held high.


    ¡°Tessia. Even after seeing just a glimpse of what you will have to endure, do you still want to be a part of the battle?¡± I asked, walking over to the back of the room.


    My granddaughter¡¯s expression hardened as she stood up. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Picking up two dulled training swords from the rack, I tossed one to her. ¡°Then prove your resolve.¡±

 Chapter 129

    Chapter 129


    Chapter 129: Concealed Burdens</h3> <hr />


    ¡°So you understand the rules of this battle?¡± I confirmed, gripping the edgeless sword in my right hand.


    ¡°Grandpa...¡± My granddaughter¡¯s eyes softened as she hesitated. However, from my unrelenting expression, she hardened herself, raising her sword. ¡°I understand.¡±


    I nodded approvingly. ¡°Integrate.¡±


    My body burned with untamed excitement as I released the second form of my beast¡¯s will. As my skin and even my clothes darkened, wrapped in a veil of shadow, I took a step toward Tessia.


    With my heightened senses, I could hear the quickening pace of my granddaughter¡¯s heartbeat as she waited for me to make a move.


    As far as I was concerned, the battle had already begun.


    Closing the gap between us, I thrust the pommel of my sword into Tessia¡¯s stomach. Lurching forward in response, I could tell from the force of impact that she had taken a step back in time to decrease the strength of the blow.


    Putting distance between us, any trace of uncertainty had been wiped clean off the child¡¯s face as her eyes now regarded me as an opponent.


    ¡°Good,¡± I let out a growl as I slowly circled around her. Tessia¡¯s heartbeat steadied as she prepared herself.


    ¡°Acquire,¡± she muttered as a thinyer of emerald green enveloped her like a second skin. The aura around her then exploded out from under her feet, spreading through the grass.


    I jumped back in time to avoid a root as thick a tree that erupted from the ground beneath me. The entire ground affected by the aura soon became a web of dense vines that spread around the child like snakes protecting their master.


    Tessia was already advancing towards me, dashing atop a trail of vines that led toward me, her sword shining a brilliant green.


    I couldn¡¯t help but reveal a smile at the outright pressure her domain contained from the perspective of an opponent.


    I held my sword up as I easily sidestepped another thick tendril. Using the thick roots as stepping stones, I augmented my sword in time to meet Tessia¡¯s de.


    Our weapons shed, producing a shriek as sparks were sent scattering into the air. Using her forward momentum, I fell back, grabbing onto her sword hand as I stamped her leading foot to stop her from regaining bnce.


    As she fell forward, I prepared to twist her into a throw when a thin vine wrapped itself around the child¡¯s waist, preventing her fall.


    Using the vine to keep herself afloat, Tessiashed out with both her feet to send me flying back.


    Blocking her kick with the t of my de, I was unable to contain my excitement, eximing, ¡°Haha! Your control over your beast will has gotten much better!¡± If it was anyone else, I¡¯d be impressed if they had managed to defend against her unorthodox counter.


    Releasing more mana out into my limbs, I shed toward Tessia, avoiding the barrage of tendrils meant to protect their master.


    We exchanged blows on top of the ever-changing terrain of roots that wriggled and convulsed at my granddaughter¡¯s beckoning. Tessia moved gracefully atop the vines, easily using them as tforms to maneuver in all directions. Her movement and swordy utilizing both her beast will and wind attribute spells resembled an elegant dance in the air, as if every step, swing, and lunge she executed had been choreographed. I couldn¡¯t be more proud of my granddaughter, who had matured so much as a mage¡ªshe hade far, that much was certain However, letting her win too easily would only make hercent.


    Her domain transformed the surrounding area to her advantage. However, if her opponent was as quick and agile enough as I was, he¡¯d be able to take advantage of the vines as well, and use them as a route to get to Tessia. My fighting style especially, which consisted of erratic movement to utilize the full potential of the shadow panther¡¯s innate stealth, excelled in this environment.


    Soon, both the tendrils and Tessia were having a hard time keeping up with my movements as I constantly flitted atop the wave of vines that my granddaughter had conjured.


    The child was nearly in range of my sword and she had lost track of me, but just as I stretched my arm out to swing, she sunk into the depths of the vines below us. As Tessia disappeared inside, the countless tendrils beneath me began congregating to one spot.


    I quickly hopped away as the green tendrils gathered to form a protective sphere around what I assumed was Tessia.


    For a second, I was afraid that she had lost control again likest time. But as the shell of vines burst apart, I could whistle in admiration at the sight of my granddaughter.


    ¡°You did it!¡± I eximed, my voiceing out much huskier than normal because of the integration.


    ¡°Hehe!¡± My granddaughter pointed her sword at me with a wide grin on her face. ¡°Be careful, Grandpa!¡±


    Her body, now covered in a thick, emerald aura, coiled around her. Tessia¡¯s fair skin had lightened to a pale, ivory tone while her hair and even eyebrows had changed to a forest green shade. The child¡¯s turquoise eyes shined brighter, with intricate markings spreading around her eyes making her seem...otherworldly¡ªcelestial, almost.


    As sheunched herself toward me, the translucent aura surrounding her already beganshing out attacks. While Tessia¡¯s pressure didn¡¯t contain the same bloodlust Arthur or other experienced mages and warriors had, it was still a shocking improvement to her previous,ckluster aura.


    I had already known that Tessia¡¯s beast will was much more powerful than mine and that, in directbat, my beast¡¯s will had the disadvantage. However, I couldn¡¯t resist the urge to go head to head with my granddaughter at her strongest¡ªshe, who had been training so relentlessly these past two years to not be a burden to anyone close to her.


    Tessia had no use for the training sword as the translucent green aura surrounding her molded itself into two emerald des in her hands. As she spun into a flurry of shes with her dual mana swords, I couldn¡¯t help but be overwhelmed by the never-ending whirlwind of attacks. She hacked and twirled relentlessly, sometimes looking for openings, other times making them. Tessia wasn¡¯t a master in the art of dual-wielding, but the openings she had, her aura would defend. It wasn¡¯t just the two des in her hands that were her weapons¡ªshe was able to mold her aura into almost whatever shape she saw fit.


    Just when I thought I had found an opening, the aura enveloping her would mold into another weapon to block my attack as Tessia continued her bombardment.


    Fresh nicks and cuts emerged from my body, sshing drops of blood on the grass around me as I avoided with all my wit, wondering why I had been stupid enough to think that taking her head on would be a good idea. What put me at unease was that it seemed like the child was incurring damage as well; blotches of red had spread from underneath the tight-fitting blouse she wore for fighting.


    However, I soon noticed that the emerald aura covering her had be thinner and more transparent. The glowing runes embellishing the child¡¯s face receded as her face crumpled in a painful cringe.


    As her movements dulled and her attacks slowed, I grabbed her by the arm and buckled her legs from behind her knee, gently bringing her to the ground as the rest of her beast will aura dissipated.


    ¡°I-I...lost. I couldn¡¯t do it, Grandpa. I couldn¡¯t evennd a clean hit after all of that,¡± she panted, gasping for breath. As my granddaughtery sprawled out on the field of grass covered in cuts and bruises acquired, not from me, but from the intensity of her beast¡¯s will, I couldn¡¯t help but imagine her out in the battlefield; the state she would be reduced to in battle where her opponent had no intention of looking out for her well-being.


    Getting rid of such poisonous thoughts, I sat down beside her.


    I studied the child¡¯s face silently for a moment, but with a resignated sigh, I shook my head. ¡°Out on the battlefield, you are to address me as Commander, not Grandpa.¡±


    Tessia¡¯s eyes lit up brighter than when she had released her integration phase. ¡°Does that mean...? Th-Thank¡ª¡±


    ¡°But!¡± I interrupted. ¡°I have a few conditions.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she replied, her gaze firm.


    ¡°You must still get both your mother and father¡¯s consent. You must also keep in mind the gravity of who you are. Whoever is leading your team or battalion will definitely mention it, but it is up to you to not be a liability. If your teammates are under the impression that you cannot take care of yourself, I will have you rescinded from the fight immediately because the ones around you will be too concerned for your safety to act effectively in battle. Is that clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tessia nodded feverishly.


    ¡°Oh, and also. Try not to be caught in a situation where you need to use your second phase. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s because you haven¡¯t fully learned to control it, but that form makes you too reckless,¡± I added, thinking to when she had attacked me madly, relying solely on her beast will to defend her.


    ¡°Master Indrath told me that too. He said that the beast will that I had assimted with is different, although he couldn¡¯t really put a finger on why,¡± the child admitted.


    As we both got up and headed back out of the training room, I stopped her to say onest thing. ¡°Child. From here on out, I can no longer be your grandfather. The actions I had taken and the decisions I had made concerning you have always been for your safety and happiness. However, now that you are a soldier, I must treat you like one. Whether it is me directly giving you an order, or another person in charge of the team you are in, you must keep in mind that the orders given will not ce your safety above all of Dicathen. This is my final warning to you.¡±


    My granddaughter looked at me, studying the pained expression I had on my face, then buried her face into my chest into an embrace. ¡°It¡¯s okay Grand¡ªI mean, Commander. Dicathen is my home and I will do whatever it takes to protect it and the people I love.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know,¡± I mumbled. ¡°That is what I am afraid of.¡±


    After shooing her away, I remained in the training grounds for a bit longer before heading to a different room on a lower floor.


    Approaching the isted room down on the lower level beneath the basement of the castle, the sharp smell of various medicinal herbs filled my nose.


    I opened the door at the very end of the narrow corridor.


    ¡°C-Commander Virion! My apologies, I was not expecting anyone to visit,¡± the middle-aged nurse said as she frantically scrambled out of her chair.


    ¡°No need to apologize, Anna; I came here on a whim. How is she?¡± I asked, lowering my gaze to the woman lying unconscious in bed.


    ¡°I just finished administering the necessary supplements to keep her body healthy. Physically speaking, she is in great shape, but no matter what we try, we can¡¯t get her to wake up,¡± Anna sighed, cing a hand gently on Cynthia¡¯s arm.


    ¡°So same as always?¡± I let out a faint smile. ¡°Anna, do you mind giving me some time alone with her?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I mean¡ªnot at all! I¡¯ll get out of your hair. Take your time!¡± she answered, hurriedly heading towards the door as she picked up some trash on the way out.


    Slumping down on the wooden chair beside the bed, I closed my eyes. This wasn¡¯t the first or second time I hade here. It seemed like, these days, I came to this room whenever I wanted some time alone or wanted to get away from the suffocating pressure the war continued to afflict on me.


    ¡°My old friend. How goes your slumber? I¡¯m not sure you knew this but I think the cryan Army is capable of building steamships and is most likely using them to transport tens of thousands of soldiers. I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t know. After all, you were already here when the Dicatheous began construction,¡± I sighed, staring nkly at Cynthia¡¯s peaceful face.


    ¡°You know, I just gave permission to Tessia to start fighting in real battles. Can you believe it?¡± Iughed aloud. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯d be pretty surprised by that choice if you were awake right now. But... I was afraid. I knew how much she wanted to make a difference and be a part of the fight, and I know how stubborn she is. I was afraid that she¡¯d run away and go off to fight, even without my consent. I just thought that if she was going to actually take part in this war, it should at least be under supervision.¡±


    I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. ¡°That¡¯s probably a lie. I think, more than that, I just didn¡¯t want her to keep hating me. Pft! And I just told her that I¡¯m going to treat her as a soldier, not my granddaughter. What a load of bullcrap, right?¡± I scoffed, shaking my head.


    ¡°But still, It¡¯s hard, Cynthia¡ªdoing all of this, I mean. I stepped down as king because I wanted to avoid doing what I¡¯m doing right now. And what I¡¯m doing right now is on a much bigger scale. I have an asura making sure I am fit emotionally, mentally, and physically to lead this war while all of thences and guild leaders answer to my beck and call. Is it pathetic of me to want nothing more than to sit in my garden, watching my granddaughter grow up peacefully? What sort of cruel joke is it to send my own granddaughter to battle?


    ¡°Alduin and his wife, ine and Prisci...they¡¯re all doing what they can to help, but in the end, they turn to me for orders now that Lord Aldir has condemned me as the only fit leader.¡± I let out another deep, trembling breath as I ran my hands down the length of my face. ¡°Cynthia, I¡¯ve already lived a few dozen years longer than my wife. I don¡¯t want to live longer than my child and grandchild. I don¡¯t think I can take it.¡±


    I reached my hand out toward Cynthia, afraid that she might crumble at my touch. Finally, I gathered the courage to finally ce my hand on top of hers. ¡°I never apologized to you. Even after Lord Aldir removed the curse on you, I had the feeling that something was wrong. You knew, didn¡¯t you? You knew that it wasn¡¯t fully removed and that you might die if you revealed information about crya, about the Vritra, right? I think I sensed that fact as well, back then. But I didn¡¯t stop you. For a chance to gain the higher ground in this war, I allowed you to sumb to this state...¡± I stopped talking, trying to keep my voice steady. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry for that. I shouldn¡¯t have let you do that to yourself. There might be people that shun you for being a spy, but I would never. You chose to go stand up to your own people to help ours. Making that choice makes you stronger than anyone else here.¡±


    I rose from the chair, quickly rubbing my eyes with the ends of my sleeves before heading out. Turning back, I took onest nce at my old friend. ¡°The true war is going to start soon. I won¡¯t be able toe back down here for a while, my friend, but I promise you that after this war is over, I will do whatever it takes to wake you back up.¡±

 Chapter 130

    Chapter 130


    Chapter 130: From Princess to Soldier</h3> <hr />


    <strong>TESSIA ERALITH¡¯S POV:</strong>


    ¡°Darvus, switch positions with Stannard!¡± I swung my de, creating an arc of wind that knocked away the armored gnoll¡ªa nasty mana beast that was more like a bipedal, rabid dog¡ªthat had tried to catch me off guard.


    ¡°Careful, Leader! If you die on us, your grandfather will murder us all!¡± Darvus warned, a wide grin visible underneath his dented helmet.


    ¡°Bite me!¡± I snorted, parrying the downswing of another assault mage¡¯s axe with my sword. ¡°Do you want me to count all of the times I saved your ass?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t start a battle you can¡¯t win, Darvus!¡± Caria mocked as she nimbly dodged a spiked club, following up with an uppercut at a fanged orc¡¯s jaw.


    ¡°Stannard, have you found the pack leader yet? These gnolls just keeping out of nowhere.¡± Darvus twirled two hatchets beforeunching them at a nearby gnoll.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± our blonde-haired mage called out from behind.


    ¡°Hey, Leader. I¡¯m thinking we should fall back. The numbers are too much for just our team to handle without overexerting ourselves.¡± Darvus unclipped his tworge battle axes from his back and decapitated arge orc.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re right. We should at least fall back into the range of our conjurers.¡± I thrust my thin de underneath the seam of the armored gnoll¡¯s breastte. Its rabid, dog-like face contorted in pain as it crumpled to the floor.


    ¡°Those lucky wand-wavers, sitting behind the lines and firing off spells while they gossip with each other,¡± Darvus grumbled as he caved a sword-wielding gnoll¡¯s chest with the blunt end of his axe.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Stannard eximed. ¡°That¡¯s degrading!¡±


    Ignoring my team members¡¯ints, I hopped back next to Stannard. ¡°Stannard, I¡¯m going to hold them down. Go all out, okay?¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± he acknowledged. ¡°Darvus, Caria, better get out of the way!¡±


    Sheathing my sword, I released the first phase of my beast will to strengthen my spell. cing my palms on the ground, I concentrated.


    [Ivy Prison]


    A wave of vines shot up from the ground, entangling both therge orcs and the gnolls that wereing through an opening on the far side of the cavern.


    Stannard, the frail-looking mage beside me, aimed a device that looked like a narrow crossbow at the horde of mana beasts now rooted to the ground. As he inserted a small orb into the tip of his arrow-less crossbow, his pale blue eyes narrowed in concentration.


    The embedded gem glowed bright red as he waited for the right timing. As soon as both Darvus and Caria had cleared out of the way, Stannard unleashed his attack.


    [Propulsion st]


    Like a cannon gone mad, a fiery st exploded from the tip of Stannard¡¯s device, nearly blowing the small-framed mage off his feet.


    We all stared nkly at the scene in front of us; orcs and gnolls burned as the wave behind them were trapped in the wall of fire ignited by their ownrades¡¯ bodies.


    ¡°Another new spell you mixed up?¡± Darvus queried, his eyes still looking at the fiery ze just a dozen meters away.


    ¡°Yup!¡± Stannard replied, strapping his device across his shoulder. ¡°The rebound is a bit painful though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you that you should train your body more with me,¡± Caria wagged her gloved finger at him.


    ¡°And I¡¯m telling you that there¡¯s no way in hell that I¡¯d train with you, youpact package of savagery!¡± Stannard retorted. ¡°I still have nightmares about that day!¡±


    ¡°Guys, let¡¯s save the banter for when we¡¯re back with the rest of the other teams. That fire won¡¯t hold them back for long,¡± I cut in. With that, we headed back through the narrow corridor we hade from, making sure there weren¡¯t any mana beasts following us.


    After making our way back through the long cavern, I saw the flickering purple light that indicated the main base¡ªthe ce that I¡¯d called home for the past few months.


    ¡°I wonder what food they¡¯ll have ready?¡± Darvus mused, licking his lips.


    ¡°Probably the same old mush they call ¡®food.¡¯ I swear, the cooks purposely make it as unappetizing as possible so no one will want seconds,¡± Stannard sighed as we drew closer to the purple light.


    ¡°Any chance that our leader, that we love and appreciate so much and also happens to be a princess, can hook her precious teammates with some real food?¡± Darvus asked with a twinkling look in his eyes.


    ¡°Gross!¡± Caria cringed beside me. ¡°If you want to beg for favors, you¡¯re better off covering your face while you do so.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t hate me because I¡¯m beautiful, shorty!¡± Darvus stuck his chin out so we could truly behold his rugged but sharp face. The human would be considered objectively handsome despite his unkempt appearance and self-inting attitude.


    ¡°I¡¯m petite! And I¡¯m cute too! Right, Tessia?¡± she snapped back at him before turning to me and grabbing my arm.


    ¡°Oh please. Stannard here is what you call petite. He can pass off as a ten-year-old, after all. You, on the other hand, are just short and barbaric.¡± Darvus stuck out his tongue.


    ¡°Is there really a need for you to include me in your squabble!¡± Stannard eximed, offended. He was always sensitive whenever someone called him short or small.


    ¡°Guys! Who cares if we¡¯re pretty, cute or handsome? We¡¯re in a dungeon, covered in blood, sweat and grime. Is there really a need to look attractive down here?¡± I sighed as we reached the iron wall protecting the camp.


    ¡°Tch. As expected of someone who¡¯s been blessed with true beauty. Our leader would never understand the hardships that normal girls have to go through to find a man,¡± Caria pouted.


    ¡°Stop it. What true beauty?¡± I scoffed, shaking my head.


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Darius agreed. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the fact that you¡¯re Commander Virion¡¯s precious granddaughter, and the fact that you could easily beat me up, I¡¯d have already made a move on you.¡±


    ¡°I can only beat you with my beast will activated,¡± I retorted.


    ¡°s, our love is still not meant to be. I prefer my women unty and easy,¡± Darvus sighed with longing.


    ¡°Gross,¡± Caria and I said in unison.


    After knocking on the mana-enhanced iron wall, a slit opened in the middle and a pair of sharp eyes regarded us for a moment.


    As the eyesnded on me, they widened. ¡°Princess Tessia!¡±


    ¡°Yes, now please open the door,¡± I replied, looking up at the flickering purple light inside thentern bolted to the ceiling.


    The metal slit closed and the purple light changed to red, indicating to clear the way.


    Just then, the dark wall split apart at the seam in the middle. The harsh grinding of metal on stone echoed off the walls of the narrow cavern until the doors opened enough to admit us one at a time.


    As we stepped through the doorway, the warmth of several burning fires in earthen pits and the smell of indiscernible herbs and meat greeted us. The narrow hallway we had juste from opened up to a massive cavern with a naturally formed vaulted ceiling high above us. High up near the ceiling,rge holes were dug into the walls where archers and conjurersy inside, ready to fire at any intruders.


    Artificial light from orbs lined the walls far below them to brighten the immense cavern that over a hundred soldiers and mages had set camp in. An underground stream gurgled near the side of the cavern, providing fresh water for all of the soldiers stationed here.


    ¡°Wee back, Princess.¡± The sentry guarding the door bowed. I waved him off with a quick nod as my teammates followed close behind me.


    After arriving at the small space where my team and I had set up camp, I went directly inside the tent Caria and I shared and gathered a new set of clothes and a towel.


    Opening the p of the tent, I could see Darvus trying to light a fire while Caria watched Stannard disassemble and clean his crossbow-like weapon. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at how far the four of us hade in these past three months.


    I still distinctly remembered when I had first been introduced to this group after gaining my grandfather¡¯s approval to go out to battle. Darvus, fourth son of the rell House, was azy, spoiled, arrogant ass. But he was also an exceptionally talented prodigy in mana control and had the reflexes to match.


    The rell Family had been a distinguished family for centuries, known for their unique and secretive style of augmented axemanship. Despite a history of fooling around and skipping out on training, from what Caria had told me, the wild-haired Darvus was still a far better axeman and fighter than any of his older brothers. His father, tired of his son¡¯sckadaisical attitude toward everything, had sent him to battle after Darvus had reached the solid-yellow core stage.


    It was a nightmare in the beginning; Darvus looked down on me and considered me a liability after taking one look. Even after I had beat him down, having to resort to using my beast will, he still saw me unfit as a leader and did as he wanted. He only really cared about two things, and that was flirting with sleezy women and watching out for his childhood friend, Caria.


    ¡°Tessia? You know, you look pretty silly with just your head sticking out of the tent,¡± Caria said with her head tilted.


    ¡°Ah, no, I was about to get out. I¡¯m going to take a shower,¡± I replied, somewhat flustered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too long, Princess. The longer you wash, the more tempted I get to peek,¡± Darvus called outzily, lying on his side by the fire.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll make sure to have you locked up every night with those old, pot-bellied men you love so much,¡± I threatened, carrying my clothes and towel over my shoulder.


    ¡°Can you stop with those indecent taunts?¡± Caria snapped as she kicked the arm that Darvus had been leaning his head on, causing the axe wielder to smash his head on the hard stone ground.


    ¡°Gah! Oww! Can we not always resort to violence, you vicious little mouse?¡± Darvus cried, rubbing the side of his head.


    ¡°You were asking for it,¡± Stannard chuckled from his seat, putting down his weapon. ¡°Darvus, where did you put the beast cores we collected?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re over there,¡± he grumbled, pointing to the bag by their separate tent.


    As I made my way toward the stream, I nced over my shoulder to see Caria rubbing her childhood friend¡¯s head, making sure he was okay. I wonder when she is going to gather the courage to confess to Darvus.


    Caria Rede was just as headstrong as Darvus, if not more, but also bright and optimistic despite the harsh environment she was raised in. The Rede Family served the rell Family for many generations, but when Caria¡¯s mother had failed to produce any males, Caria, the oldest of the daughters, was raised as if she was a male, trained to protect a member of the rell Family: Darvus.


    This girl, who had the appearance of a thirteen-year-old and was actually only a few years older than me, had been the glue that held the team together. Caria was bright, cheery and sensitive of her surroundings, which served as great traits to keep Darvus and I from cutting each other¡¯s throats. It was only after about a month or so that she confided in me that she had been helplessly in love with her perverted andzy childhood friend. Needless to say, I was shocked at first, but I couldn¡¯t help but empathize with her as a girl who had feelings for a boy that only saw her as a little girl that needed protecting.


    Apart from her role as the mediator in our group, she truly shined in the battlefield. Even after fighting in battles for over three months, I¡¯d yet to see anyone as agile, nimble and flexible as Caria. Her weapon was an artifact that took the appearance of a pair of gloves. However, when activated, they transformed into gauntlets reaching all the way up to her shoulders.


    Going inside an open stall that had been conjured at the edge of the stream, I stripped my filthy clothes, careful not to irritate the scratches and bruises I¡¯d gotten from thisst battle. Dipping my body into the cold, flowing stream at the far end of the enclosed room, I hurriedly wiped myself with the cleansing herb I had brought. I had to constantly be moving to fight the brisk water. After washing myself and the clothes that I had fought in, I dried myself and changed into a fresh attire, keeping the towel wrapped around my head.


    Arriving back to my camp, I huddled closely beside the fire, gingerly defrosting myself from the torturous shower. Darvus was nowhere to be found, most likely flirting with some of the female conjurers stationed to guard the main base. I could see Caria¡¯s butt sticking out from our tent as she rummaged through her belongings, leaving only Stannard and myself by the fire.


    ¡°You should wash up as well. You don¡¯t want your wounds to get infected,¡± I advised, facing my back toward the fire so my body could be evenly roasted.


    ¡°Ugh, I swear, fighting mana beasts is less painful than taking a bath in that near-frozen stream,¡± Stannard grimaced. ¡°I guess I should, though. Let me finish up with this beast core first.¡±


    I nodded in reply. I watched the blonde-haired boy, concentrating as he chanted a spell while clutching firmly at a beast core we had extracted from one of the gnolls.


    Stannard Berwick, thest member of our team, had left a very distinct impression after his assessment. Professor Gideon was actually the one that had introduced him to my grandfather. When the dainty-looking boy that appeared no older than Caria stepped down at the training field, all three of us had our concerns. He was a dark-yellow stage conjurer at the time, and had a dual affinity for fire and wind. This was good and all, but Stannard also had a deficiency in his mana core that prevented him from storing the usual amount of mana a yellow stage mage normally would¡¯ve been able to.


    At first, I thought that having Stannard in the backlines like the other ¡°wand wavers,¡± as Darvus called them, would¡¯ve been better because his condition. However, Gideon guaranteed that the boy would be useful to have as a teammate on the frontline. As it turned out, Stannard was a very peculiar type of deviant. His unique ability allowed him to somehow store actual spells into beast cores. However, he was the only one who could activate this prepared spell, otherwise, we¡¯d all be carrying bags of loaded beast cores.


    Seeing Darvus approaching our camp, I called out to him. ¡°The ever-so-sexy-and-suave Darvus from the rell Family couldn¡¯t get a date tonight?¡±


    ¡°Haha, the sheltered elf princess is getting better at sarcasm,¡± he snorted. ¡°And it¡¯s not that I couldn¡¯t but because there were no girls worthy of myself.¡±


    ¡°You know, you¡¯re only hurting her by doing this,¡± I sighed, pointing to Caria, who was still inside the tent.


    ¡°Why would she care what I do with women?¡± Darvus asked, his brow raised in confusion.


    I shook my head. ¡°Never mind, you dolt.¡±


    Caria came out of the tent at that moment with dried fruit and meat in her arms. ¡°I finally found where I hid these!¡±


    Darvus let out an eager gasp as he eyed the food. ¡°Why would you hide these?¡±


    ¡°So that our ever-so-sexy-and-suave teammate doesn¡¯t inhale it all at once,¡± Stannard chimed, putting down the beast core he had just finished.


    ¡°Not you too,¡± Darvus groaned.


    As we allughed, a familiar voice called out to me from behind. ¡°Princess!¡±


    Turning around I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the unexpected surprise. ¡°Helen?¡±

 Chapter 131

    Chapter 131


    Chapter 131: Reunion</h3> <hr />


    Seeing the familiar face of Helen Shard, leader of the Twin Horns that Art¡¯s father had once led, I excitedly waved at her and the rest of the Twin Horns behind her. ¡°Hi Guys!¡±


    I gave the leader of the Twin Horns arge hug before greeting the rest of her party.


    ¡°Guys, I¡¯d like you to meet Helen Shard, Durden Walker, Jasmine mesworth, Adam Krensh and Ang Rose of the Twin Horns. I¡¯ve told you about them before, right?¡± I pointed at my teammates, introducing them as well. ¡°This here is Caria Rede, Darvus rell, and Stannard Berwick.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Madam.¡± Darvus rushed over to shake hands with Ang, the Twin Horn¡¯s conjurer. ¡°Darvus rell, fourth son of Darius rell, and I must say that you are a sight for these sore eyes of mine.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, typical,¡± Caria whispered. He goes straight to the one with therge...¡± She didn¡¯t finish her sentence as she merely cupped the space in front of her chest exaggeratingly.


    I looked down at my own breasts. I had never really cared about my figure, but looking at the two boys practically drooling over Ang¡¯s womanly figure, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if even Art preferred...


    ¡°How long have you been here, Princess?¡± Helen¡¯s voice snapped me back to reality.


    ¡°Huh? Oh, we¡¯ve been here for about three months now, I think,¡± I replied. ¡°And please, just call me Tessia.


    ¡°Sorry. We¡¯ve only met a few times and they were all brief so I thought it¡¯d be rude,¡± she chuckled.


    ¡°Did you just get here?¡± I asked, my eyes shifting toward the sight of both Stannard and Darvus trying to flirt with Ang.


    ¡°This afternoon. We were at The Wall for about four months before our party was sent here to help out with the scouting,¡± she exined as I motioned for her to have a seat beside me around our crackling fire.


    The Wall was what everyone called the stretch of forts built along the the Grand Mountains to make sure the battle didn¡¯t reach the other side. While I knew that the cryan forces might be invading from the western coast, Grandpa told everyone, including myself, to explicitly keep it a secret until proper preparations had been made.


    Fortunately,munications with the dwarves had been going well over these past few months and they¡¯ve agreed to let the humans and elves take shelter in their underground kingdom if needed.


    No one was hoping it would get to that stage, especially the elves, because the distance between the Kingdom of Darv and Kingdom of Elenoir made it so only teleportations could be used. For now, many of the tribes along the southern half of Elenoir had migrated across the Elshire Forest and Grand Mountains near the central cities of Sapin. For now, Grampa¡¯s, as well as the rest of the Council¡¯s, n was to get as many civilians as possible out of the western coast and away from the Beast des.


    ¡°What is it like fighting along the Wall, Helen?¡± I asked, curious about where a lot of the main fighting urred. ¡°Have you actually fought against cryan mages?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she answered grimly. ¡°The cryan forces are strong. Out at the Wall, it¡¯s not just the cryan soldiers that we have to fight against but the mana beasts that they somehow put under their control as well.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I looked at my sword, dissatisfied that the only fighting I¡¯ve done ever since I had joined the war was against the mana beasts under the control of the cryan forces.


    Noticing the look on my face, Helen added, ¡°But the battles going on here are just as important, maybe even more¡ªtrust me. The more mana beasts we kill here, the less there are up at the surface. And if we find and kill a mutant, the cryan forces lose hundreds of puppets fighting for them.¡±


    I nodded silently in reply. I knew that winning the fights down here were crucial to this war. The main task of the soldiers gathered here were to find the mutant in the depths of the dungeon. Mutants were mana beasts, mostly leaders of their own dungeon, that were controlled by the cryans. They used the mutant to control the hundreds of mana beasts that served it. As long as these mutants existed, mana beasts of their species followed them, fighting alongside the cryan soldiers.


    There were dozens of squads out there, deep inside various dungeons, trying to find and kill the mutants before they gathered enough mana beasts and advanced toward the Wall.


    Usually, there wouldn¡¯t be this many soldiers inside one dungeon, but one of our scouts had found signs that a S ss mana beast had been turned into a mutant.


    ¡°Anyway. Because the mutant hiding inside here is supposedly a S ss mana beast, your grandfather had sent more mages here, which is why we¡¯re here,¡± therge man named Durden chimed in, overhearing our conversation.


    ¡°Thank the heavens for that. And for dear grandfather for bringing such a fair angel into my arms,¡± Darvus added, inching an arm across Ang¡¯s back.


    Ang just giggled, regarding Darvus as a cute puppy, as Caria smacked Darvus upside the head and dragged him away where he could keep his hands to himself.


    Stannard, who had been ridiculed by Ang when she cooed and pet his head like some pet, moved next to Durden, fiddling with his crossbow-like weapon with a scowl on his face.


    ¡°Tell me more about the fights happening in front of the Wall, Helen.¡± I turned back to the leader of the Twin Horns.


    ¡°Look, Princess,¡± Adam Krensh spat. ¡°Fights that happen at the Wall aren¡¯t bedtime stories that your nanny reads to you inside your fancy canopy bed. It¡¯s war! People die¡ªon both sides.¡±


    The spear wielder with a head of red hair that looked like the burning fire we were huddled around red at me as if he was scolding a child. I was about to say something when Durden got in between us. ¡°You can¡¯t take Adam¡¯s words to heart or we¡¯d have all killed him more than once in his sleep.¡±


    Unknowingly, I was already standing up as Durden intervened. His words quelled my anger enough for me to sit back down, but I was still ring at thenky emberhead. Arthur had mentioned how Adam could be when he described the Twin Horns, but I didn¡¯t realize how much of an understatement his words were.


    ¡°Adam, go set up our tents around one of the empty fire pits,¡± Helen ordered with a surprising amount of authority in her voice that wasn¡¯t there when she was talking to me. ¡°Ang, can you go help him out?¡±


    With a cheery salute, she herded the grumbling Adam away from our camp, leaving only Helen, Durden and Jasmine¡ªwho had been silent since they had first arrived.


    ¡°Adam, despite how his words came out from that defective muscle he calls a tongue, only said that because he didn¡¯t want you to know,¡± Helen sighed. ¡°You think you¡¯re over here fighting beasts, but in actuality, the cryan soldiers are much more monstrous than any mana beasts here. At least the creatures you battle here fight for survival and instinct. They fight to kill, and to some extent, that¡¯s mercy.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Stannard asked, his face pryed away from the weapon he had been cleaning once again.


    There was hesitation on Helen¡¯s face as she tried her best to sugarcoat whatever she was about to say until Jasmine had stepped up and exined for her.


    ¡°Information is the most important in a war,¡± she said evenly. ¡°Both sides, they¡¯re trying to get information out of each other. That means kidnapping... torturing.¡±


    We were all silent for a moment as even Darvus¡¯ usually aloof expression had hardened.


    ¡°Battles here are ck and white¡ªbeasts are bad, you are good. When you¡¯re fighting other humans, elves and dwarves that can all talk, scream in pain and beg for mercy... things be more gray and it bes hard to distinguish what is right and wrong,¡± Jasmine continued, her face a stone mask despite the horrors she was describing.


    The once lively atmosphere of a reunion had turned tense as I exchanged nces with my teammates.


    Suddenly, a series of loud smashes made us all turn our heads toward one of the gated entrances that led deeper into the dungeon.


    ¡°Please, hurry let me in!¡± A muffled voice yelled from behind one of the doors. The sentry in charge of that entrance quickly verified the man¡¯s identity before unbolting the door and hauling it open.


    The entire cavern was deathly quiet as everyone stationed inside or resting after an excursion was standing up, their hands gripping their weapons and their gazes focused on the entrance.


    As the two heavy doors slid apart, the man that had shouted from the other side fell through,ying unconcious.


    ¡°Does this happen often?¡± Helen asked, her bow ready in hand as her other hand was already at her quiver.


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t,¡± I answered, my hand leaning on the pommel of my sword.


    The sentry immediately pulled the scout inside before closing the doors.


    ¡°Get me a medic!¡± the sentry roared, hoisting the bloody scout on his shoulders. There weren¡¯t any emitters stationed here since most were at the Wall, healing the wounded there. However, there were always a few people well-adept at medical treatment.


    ¡°Do you want to see what that¡¯s all about?¡± Stannard nced up at me.


    ¡°Do we have the clearance to go inside?¡± Helen asked, her neck stretched out to see.


    ¡°Being a princess is a kind of clearance, right?¡± Darvus shrugged, eager to know what had happened.


    Letting out a sigh, I motioned them to follow. ¡°Not everyone, though.¡±


    Eventually, Helen and Stannard volunteered themselves toe with me. Arriving at the white canopy tent at the opposite wall of the entrances and closest to the exit back to the surface, two guards stopped us from going inside before recognizing who I was.


    ¡°P-Princess. What brings you here? Are you injured?¡± The slightlyrger of the two armored guards asked, dipping his head to get a better look at me.


    ¡°No. I know the scout that just arrived and I¡¯m worried about him. Do you mind letting us through?¡± I lied, giving him a solemn smile.


    The two guards exchanged hesitant nces, but eventually they opened the removable tarp that served as the entrance.


    I¡¯d expected a lot more noise to be going on inside, especially from the shocking entrance of the scout, but the tent was empty except for the medic inside, her assistant, the leader of our expedition and the scout¡ªwho was still unconscious in bed.


    At our arrival inside, the assistant and the leader of the expedition, a rather barrel-chested augmenter named Drogo Lambert, stood up from their seats.


    ¡°Princess? What happened? Are you injured?¡± Drogo asked, worry, etched on his face. His face turned to Stannard, then Helen before his face lit up. ¡°Helen Shard?¡±


    ¡°Nice seeing you, Drogo, or I guess I should call you leader, right?¡± Helen stepped up and shook hands with the bulking man, whose armor seemed to contain his muscles rather than protect them.


    ¡°Haha, please, you¡¯re more than fit to take my ce and more,¡± his smile faded as he regarded us in wonder. ¡°So what brings you two here? Is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Leader, everything¡¯s fine.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°The princess here is probably curious about what news our little slumbering prince brought to us, right?¡± the medic, an elderly woman with a hunch and a naturally scowling face to match, confirmed.


    ¡°Haha, I can¡¯t hide anything from you, Elder Albreda.¡± I scratched my head.


    ¡°Bah! Does this poor excuse of a treatment center look like a gossip wing to you?¡± she grumbled as she organized a shelf full of herbs and nts.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Helen chimed in. ¡°But I was brought here with my team to help out in finding the S ss beast that was turned to a mutant and send updates to my superiors back at the Wall periodically. I thought I¡¯d find out fastest what was going on by talking to this guy.¡± Helen pointed to the unconscious man lying in bed with her eyes.


    ¡°Right. You¡¯d be right in thinking that, but unfortunately he hasn¡¯t woken up yet,¡± Drogo sighed, looking over his shoulder to the scout sleeping peacefully.


    Stannard carefully approached the man. ¡°What happened to him?¡±


    ¡°Dehydration and massive fatigue. Thed isn¡¯t injured but it seemed like he hasn¡¯t had anything to eat or drink for a few days and by the state of his feet, I¡¯d say he¡¯s been running nonstop for who knows how long.¡± Elder Albreda lifted the sheets to reveal the scout¡¯s bandaged feet, splotches of red already seeping through the gauze.


    ¡°I see,¡± Helen responded. ¡°Drogo, can you let us know as soon as he gets up?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± The leader of this dungeon expedition nodded.


    As we were about to leave the tent, however, a sharp gasp made us turn back around. The scout had gotten up with a series of dry coughs.


    ¡°H-How long have I been out?¡± the scout sputtered in between fits.


    ¡°Calm down, soldier. One of the sentries recognized you; your name is Sayer, right?¡± Drogo had his arm behind Sayer¡¯s back, supporting the scout.


    ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± he answered before greedily gulping down the cup of water the assistant had just handed him.


    ¡°Well, Sayer, it¡¯s been only about ten minutes or so since you¡¯de back. What happened? Where is the rest of your team?¡± our expedition leader questioned.


    ¡°Dead, Sir. I had stayed behind...¡± the scout named Sayer hesitated. ¡°I had a disagreement with my teammates so I had stayed behind.¡±


    ¡°Disagreement?¡± Drogo repeated.


    ¡°I felt terrible for letting my teammates go deeper by themselves so I trailed behind them almost immediately after they had left!¡± Sayer added, guilt practically etched on his forehead. ¡°But they¡¯d unknowingly walked into an ambush of gnolls far deadlier than the ones up here, Sir.¡±


    Everyone in the tent was silent as we processed Sayer¡¯s words.


    ¡°There must¡¯ve been hundreds of them, Sir. A-And there was thisrge door behind them. As though they were protecting whatever was on the other side!¡± the scout stammered, taking anotherrge gulp of water before continuing.


    ¡°I think we found it, Sir. I think we found the mutant¡¯s den!¡±

 Chapter 132

    Chapter 132


    Chapter 132: Drawing Closer <hr>


    <span style="text-decoration: underline;">STANNARD BERWICK¡¯S POV:


    My stomach lurched at the scout¡¯s foreboding words.


    This is it, I thought. This was what we were down here for. After this was over, I would be able to go back home for a bit and sleep in a real bed, eat a seasoned meal cooked for taste, not for sustenance. Yet why was I so afraid?


    ¡°Leader, I was able to do it.¡± The scout let out another pained breath. ¡°I managed to set up the mass-teleportation gate near the entrance.¡±


    ¡°You did good, Sayer.¡± The leader, Dresh, squeezed the scout¡¯s arm before heading out of the tent.


    ¡°Come on, we should prepare as well,¡± the woman named Helen Shard advised, following behind.


    Tessia nodded firmly in response, motioning for me to follow. But I couldn¡¯t.


    My legs felt like they were anchored to the ground, as if my very body protested against the fact that following them might just lead to my death.


    ¡°Stannard? You okay?¡± Our team¡¯s leader tilted her head, locking eyes with me as she lifted the tent p.


    ¡°Yeah, I-I¡¯m fine.¡± I said this more to convince myself than anything else.


    We arrived back at our team¡¯s campsite where Tessia ryed the scout¡¯s news.


    ¡°Finally!¡± Darvus groaned in relief. ¡°I can take a hot bath after all of this is over.¡±


    ¡°Can you at least try to say things a spoiled child wouldn¡¯t?¡± Caria shook her head as she headed over to her tent.


    ¡°What? Everyone¡¯s thinking it anyway, right?¡± Darvus turned to me. ¡°Tell her, Stannard. You¡¯re just itching for a hot bath after this, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah. Sure,¡± I replied nkly as I sat down with my manauncher in my hands.


    ¡°Something wrong, Stan?¡± Darvus asked, raising a brow.


    Letting out an annoyed sigh, I replied, ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I just want this to be over.¡±


    It was pointless to say anything. Darvus, Caria and Tessia all were genius mages andbatants. They didn¡¯t need to feel fear in situations like these. They wouldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°All right. Well, we¡¯ll head to our camp and prepare as well. Samantha and Adam have no clue of what¡¯s going, on after all,¡± the short-haired leader of the Twin Horns announced as the rest of team trailed behind.


    A few minutes after the Twin Horns had left, Dresh¡¯s voice echoed through therge cavern, alerting everyone of the scout¡¯s message. Soon, the entire ce was filled with a frenzy of movement as over a hundred soldiers scurried around to prepare themselves for the impending battle.


    Beside me, Caria had already equipped her battle gear, which consisted of a light leather armor covering her vitals without hindering her mobility. Shey sprawled out beside me, stretching her limber body in ways that I would¡¯ve normally deemed impossible if I hadn¡¯t seen it for myself.


    Darvus, sitting across from me by the fire, was juggling the smaller axes he used for throwing. The normallyx expression on the spoiled fourth son of the rell Family was gone, reced by the calm and focused mask he normally had during a serious battle.


    I turned to our leader, Tessia, who was actually the youngest on our team¡ªlosing to me in age by just a year¡ªbut was actually the mostposed. She had already equipped herself for battle, adorning her toned and slim body in a light armor. Our leader wore a tight-fitting ck leather wrap underneath a chainmail te protecting her chest. An elegantly curved, metallic cover decorated with intricate designs of flowing branches rested on top of the shoulder of her dominant arm. Her wrist guards were of the same design as the single shoulder te armor and the faults that protected her hips and thighs.


    As Tessia tied her hair back, revealing the nape of her cream-colored neck, I couldn¡¯t help but avert my gaze. I could feel my face growing hot as the image of Tessia¡¯s elegant figure burned itself into my skull.


    Get yourself together, Stannard. She¡¯s out of your league! Besides, she¡¯s in love with that Arthur guy. I shook my head as I tried to concentrate on counting the ammunition I had. We wouldn¡¯t leave for a few more hours, which gave me some time to load more beast cores with spells.


    I had about twenty-five low-damage rounds, and about eight high-damage cores. After roughly calcting, I hade to the conclusion that about five more low-damage and two more high-damage rounds should suffice.


    Looking up, I observed as the mages began preparing the connection between the teleportation gates so that we would be able to arrive right where the scout had ced the artifact. As the shimmering portal erged, I couldn¡¯t help but feel the weight of my body growing heavier by the second.


    I had done well the past three months we¡¯d been here. However, this was the real thing. I had fought mana beasts before all of this, but it would be the first time fighting against a mutant.


    ¡°Come on, Stannard. You should stretch too. It¡¯ll be bad if your body suddenly cramps up while we¡¯re in battle.¡±


    Caria¡¯s voice shook me out of my daze, her bright eyes looking down at me from beside the fire as she held out her hand.


    A smile managed to escape my lips as I epted her hand. ¡°Go easy on me.¡±


    After about two hours, the gate was ready and teams were already heading toward the gate, eager to be the first ones to go through. I gripped tightly at the handle of my manauncher to keep my hands from trembling.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Tessia finally announced. A newfound fire burned in her eyes, determination practically leaking out of her pores.


    ¡°Aye, captain,¡± Darvus responded, a snarky grin on his face.


    We approached the mass in front of the teleportation gate capable of transporting a few dozen at once.


    ¡°Are you guys ready?¡± a familiar voice chimed in from the left.


    ¡°As ready as we¡¯ll ever be,¡± Tessia responded, a confident smile on her face as she locked eyes with Helen and the rest of the Twin Horns.


    ¡°Vanguard teams, brace yourselves upon arrival. We¡¯re not certain how many mana beasts will be there on the other side,¡± Dresh yelled beside the portal. The teams he had specifically chosen beforehand would be the ones to lead the charge, as teams like ours would be more towards the rear, fighting any stragglers until the main battle came.


    ¡°Charge!¡± Dresh roared, unsheathing this longsword and taking the lead. The mass that gathered in front of the teleportation gate began dwindling as teams charged in with weapons at the ready.


    Tessia, who was in front of our team, looked back at us over her shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll all get out of this alive and eat a nice, delicious meal. Agreed?¡±


    ¡°Agreed!¡± we all shouted in unison as we stepped through the glowing gate.


    I let out a crazed yell as I stepped through the gate in time to see an augmenter from one of the teams ahead of us get hacked down by a pair of hyena-faced gnolls.


    ¡°Grannith!¡± a woman beside him desperately cried out before the same pair of gnolls jumped on her.


    As I quickly loaded my weapon with a low-damage core, Darvus had already sprung into action. With a powerful leap, he had cleared the distance and arrived above the gnolls that assaulted the female conjurer that had cried out for her deadrade.


    Unclipping his two short axes from his back, he brandished his weapons in the air. The air around him swirled, coalescing into his two axes as he let out a fierce battle cry.


    Instantly, the two gnolls¡¯ heads were severed clean. Blood had only splurted from the base of their necks a second after as he checked on the state of the conjurer.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± he swore, sending one of the decapitated bodies tumbling off with a firm kick. ¡°She¡¯s already dead.¡±


    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t stay in one ce too long. Stick together, but we need to move around,¡± Tessia ordered as she looked around us.


    It seemed like a fair-sized group of gnolls and orcs had been waiting for us, because the few teams that preceded us were all locked in battle with mana beasts.


    We were in a cavern about half the size of the main encampment. For a second, I thought we had arrived in front of the towering doors that the scout had spected was the ce where the mutant was, but peering ahead, there was only a narrow entrance to a hallway darkened by shadows.


    ¡°Stannard, to your left!¡± Caria¡¯s voice called from behind.


    Immediately, I whirled around, taking a step back just in time to dodge a crude head of a halberd. Raising my manauncher in line with the orc¡¯s chest, I fired off a low-damage beast core, burning a hole into the center of the beast¡¯s heart.


    The monster crumbled to the floor, dropping its weapon with a heavy thud. I had no time to rest as another gnoll hastily approached.


    ¡°Got it,¡± Caria called out mid-dash. She bolted close to the ground like a speeding cannon as both her fists were tucked closely to her chest, ready to fire.


    ¡°Hahp!¡± Caria exploded up at breakneck speed with the help of a small earthen tform she had raised to elerate herself. She brought her arms over her head, as if she wanted to dive straight into the approaching gnoll¡ªher fingers pointed like the tip of a spear.


    With a resounding thud, Caria¡¯s gauntlet pierced through the stomach of the gnoll that had been about twice her size. As the giant dog-faced monster faltered, its grotesque face crinkled in shock, I delivered the final blow with another low-damage core.


    Landing deftly on her feet, Caria regained her bnce, shaking the blood off of her metal gauntlets before bolting off into another direction.


    An agonizing growl behind me caught my attention. Turning around, I got a glimpse of Tessia taking down a pair of orcs and arge gnoll. She was a flurry of des as she zipped from beast to beast. Each step, each swing, had a purpose as she shed and lunged at gnolls as if in a choreographed dance.


    Every time I saw her fight, I couldn¡¯t help but grow amazed. I had always been jealous of Darvus and Caria for their innate talents in mana maniption and fighting prowess, but Tessia¡¯s skill and grace was at a level where one could only revere.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time you made yourself useful, right Stannard?¡± Darvus called out as he pried out a hatchet from the skull of a dead orc.


    ¡°Shut it!¡± I retorted with a smile. ¡°How about we start mobbing them up?¡±


    I took out arge beast core that radiated an orange-red glow.


    ¡°Conjurer cross-fire!¡± Darvus yelled out in warning to the other soldiers that would be in range as he began herding a group of orcs.


    The rest of the soldiers knew what to do as some began backing out of the way while others veered their opponents toward my line of fire.


    A ratherrge conjurer approached me and gave a meaningful nod as he raised his staff in preparation as well. Soon, a few more conjurers joined while we all readied our attacks as more and more orcs and gnolls got herded toward the center of the dim cavern.


    The few strays that had managed to break away from the group were quickly hacked down by the augmenters protecting us.


    Taking a deep breath, I loaded the glowing beast core into my manauncher. Steadying the tip of my weapon at the center of the mass of gnolls and orcs guarding their cavern, I waited for the signal.


    A deep, baritone voice called out from the edge of the group as a soldier hacked and pushed a stray gnoll into the cluster of beasts that had been herded. ¡°All clear!¡±


    The conjurers positioned around me all fired off their most powerful spells at the mass as I waited calmly for the right timing. Just as thest spell shot out at the monsters, Iunched my spell.


    [Hell¡¯s Prison]


    The recoil from firing the sphere of fire three times my size sent me tumbling back into the cavern wall. The burning orb of fire grew in size as it advanced towards the group of orcs trying to escape, but they couldn¡¯t make it in time as the ze epassed them and the spells that the conjurers had cast.


    The ming sphere diminished to reveal the charred remains of the few dozen mana beasts that had been trapped within, sending out a wave of cheers from the rest of the soldiers. The few scattered mana beasts were easily dealt with by the augmenters, giving me a few minutes to breathe.


    ¡°Good job, you peculiar little mage.¡± Darvus winked at me as he helped me back on my feet. There had been around twice as many mana beasts as there were soldiers, but by the end of the battle, we had incurred less than ten deaths.


    ¡°This was an overwhelming triumph, despite the surprise attack that the army of mana beastsid down on us,¡± Dresh¡¯s firm andmanding voice echoed throughout the cavern. ¡°Let¡¯s not let ourrades¡¯ deaths be in vain and continue forth!¡±


    A fervent cheer resounded from the soldiers, including Darvus and Caria. Tess merely cleaned her de and sheathed it back with a solemn face. Her hollow turquoise eyes followed an elf being carried back through the portal we hade through, staring intently at the jagged spear protruding out of the lifeless elf¡¯s back.


    I didn¡¯t know whether Tessia had known that elf, but I couldn¡¯t help but empathize with her.


    Was this truly a victory if, to some people, the weight of those ten deaths mean so much more than a simple number count?

 Chapter 133

    Chapter 133


    Chapter 133: Beyond The Door</h3> <hr/>


    From the tense and gloomy air within the cavern, it was obvious that this battle had caught all of us by surprise. We were usually all capable in battle, but these past few months of repetitive excursions¡ªhoping to find any signs that a mutant might be close¡ªhad left us dull and sloppy.


    A few teams had already regrouped and were taking a rest while the injured and deceased were sent back to be properly cared for. Some of the more restless augmenters were sharpening their des while conjurers sat still in meditation to be in top shape for whatevery ahead of us.


    As our young leader continued surveying the battlegrounds like a zombie, I finally called out for her to join us.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I questioned. ¡°Are you okay, Tessia?¡±


    Her face turned to us as she revealed a faint, and obviously forced, smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s good that we won... but we still ended up letting almost ten soldiers die.¡±


    ¡°Our ever-sopassionate princess exuding kindness and grace to us peasants!¡± Darvus cried out. ¡°We are not worthy!¡±


    ¡°Zip it,¡± Tessia quipped, her voiceing out a lot softer than usual.


    ¡°We did our best,¡± Caria consoled, gently patting her back.


    ¡°She¡¯s right, Tessia. It¡¯s impossible to save them all,¡± I added. However, rather thanforting her, it seemed to have the opposite effect, as her expression dropped.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. I can¡¯t save them all,¡± she repeated glumly.


    ¡°Nice going,¡± Darvus whispered beside me.


    ¡°Hey! It was better than your sarcastic remark,¡± I retorted in a hushed voice.


    ¡°At this rate, I¡¯ll only bring him down,¡± Tessia continued, almost too quiet for us to hear.


    ¡°By him, do you mean that guy you¡¯re always talking about? Arthur, was it?¡± Caria chimed, leaning in, eager to hear about the boy Tessia depicted as some fantastical hero out of a children¡¯s book.


    ¡°Ugh, not him again,¡± Darvus groaned. ¡°Princess, when are you going to snap out of that delusion of yours?¡±


    Tessia calmly shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Darvus continued. ¡°You describe him as if he¡¯s some all-powerful, charismatic hotshot without a single humanly w.¡±


    ¡°Oh please. You¡¯re just jealous because Arthur is everything you wish you could be, plus better-looking,¡± Caria used. She then turned back to Tessia, eyes twinkling. ¡°Is he really that handsome and charming?¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Tessia giggled. ¡°He was pretty popr in school, although I doubted he knew that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hating the guy more and more,¡± Darvus grumbled.


    Tessia shook her head. ¡°He isn¡¯t without ws, though. Honestly, Arthur was kind of scary when I first met him.¡±


    ¡°You said he saved you from the ve traders after you ran away from home, right?¡± Caria confirmed.


    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡± Tessia¡¯s face reddened at the embarrassing memory. ¡°He did save me, though I felt like it wasn¡¯t really out of the goodness of his heart, but some logical scheme. Of course, I was only a child back then so I could be wrong, but Arthur had always had this scary side of him where he seemed cold¡ªheartless, even.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, a bad boy,¡± Caria cooed.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to barf,¡± Darvus gagged. ¡°If you ask me, he doesn¡¯t seem like that great of a guy. I mean, he left you alone in danger a few times, right? And he went off on his own after you got kidnapped by that cryan mage that invaded Xyrus Academy! He didn¡¯t even make sure you were okay and went off to who knows where.¡±


    ¡°He checked in with Grandpa to make sure I was okay, but he was in a hurry,¡± Tessia reasoned, her head lowering.


    ¡°Oh right, to go ¡®train¡¯ somewhere in secret.¡± Darvus rolled his eyes. ¡°If you ask me, he just ran away from the war because he was afraid he would die.¡±


    I took a peek at Tessia¡¯s expression, afraid that she would be mad, but our leader was calm. ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Darvus. Arthur may be a bit clueless when ites to expressing or even handling emotions, and a bit naive in some other aspects¡±¡ªTessia¡¯s cheeks blushed ever-so-slightly¡ª¡°but he¡¯s not one to run away in fear; his desire to protect his loved ones is too strong for that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Arthur will be the hero that saves us from the wrath of the cryans,¡± Darvus sighed, conceding from Tessia¡¯s determined gaze.


    ¡°He can¡¯t be that strong though, right?¡± I asked. I had grown more and more curious about the boy Tessia cherished to such a degree.


    Our leader¡¯s lips curled into a smirk as she gazed afar. ¡°He¡¯s strong.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t wait to meet him!¡± Caria added. ¡°You will introduce us to him, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Tessia¡¯s smile dimmed. ¡°Hopefully that timees soon.¡±


    Darvus shook his head, hugging himself. ¡°Blech. You can count me out! I feel like I already know the guy way too much. Besides, after fighting alongside me for so long, I bet the guy will only look like some second-rate mage.¡±


    ¡°Is there a limit to how pretentious you can be?¡± Caria shook her head, eliciting a chuckle from me.


    We got up after noticing that the rest of the teams had gotten reorganized. After Drogo finished counting the heads of the team leaders, we departed through the dark corridor on the far end of the cavern.


    As the teams began marching into the narrow hallway, they were swallowed up by the shadows. Our team went in next, and it was shocking how the atmosphere changed so drastically once we stepped foot. The air was dry, still, and somewhat sour as the only sound that echoed along these walls was the sound of footsteps.


    I was barely able to discern the figures of the soldiers ahead of us, the tiny light from someone in the front bobbing in the distance. I looked back in confusion; the light from the cavern we had juste from seemed to retract from the hallway.


    ¡°This is some spooky crap,¡± Darvus¡¯s hushed voice echoed from behind.


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± I said. Some of the other conjurers ahead of us tried to illuminate the hallway with a spell, but whatever orb of light they conjured were soon eaten away by the darkness.


    ¡°It looks like only the illuminating artifact up in the front works in this ce,¡± Caria said from my side.


    Tessia, who was ahead of us by a few steps continued walking, unaffected by the unnatural absence of light.


    As we continued walking, the light from the cavern we hade from dwindled into a speck. Everyone walked in silence or hushed whispers, paying attention to our footing and the bobbing orb of light guiding our way.


    It felt like we had marched for hours when another speck of light came to view. The orange light from the illuminating artifact stopped as Drogo spoke once more.


    Our expedition leader spoke in a low voice, afraid that the mana beast would pick up on our conversation despite how far away we were. ¡°We¡¯ll soon arrive where Sayer, our scout, and his team had arrived before his team was ambushed by mana beasts. From what he had witnessed, we are to expect at least a few hundred gnolls and orcs, somerger than the ones we had faced up until now. Prepare your bodies and hearts, and may the ones watching over us be with you.¡±


    We broke into a steady jog, the white light growingrger as we advanced through the dark corridor. Luckily, the ground was pretty even; if anyone ahead of us tripped, it would undoubtedly create a domino reaction.


    The speed of the bobbing orange light ahead of us grew faster as we began picking up the pace until, finally, the illuminating light was almost upon us.


    After being in almost total darkness, my eyes had to adjust as I stepped out of the corridor. I brandished my manauncher, ready to blow apart anything that came my way.


    However, my anticipation for a battle had gone to waste as all thaty before us were bodies sprawled on the ground and an eerie stillness.


    Hundreds of orc and gnoll bodiesy scattered, massacred by the hundreds. I had to look at my feet to keep myself from identally stepping on a severed limb or body of a dead beast as I tried to deduce what had happened here.


    I looked around, somewhatforted by the fact that everyone else was just as confused as I was.


    ¡°What in the world?¡± Drogo¡¯s head wouldn¡¯t stop turning as he scoured the cavern, his hands gripping his longsword.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether to be relieved or scared at this,¡± Darvus said, his brow furrowed in suspicion.


    ¡°To the door!¡± Drogomanded, snapping out of his daze.


    All heads turned to face the towering doors at the other end of the circr cavern. The only impressive thing about the double doors were their towering size. The metal that covered them was thick and covered with dents and scratches, making it seem ancient and threatening.


    As we all headed towards what we presumed was the den of the mutant, the tension began to rise. No one spoke as we all stood around therge doors that each spanned over five meters in width. The hundred or so that were left of us took position in a semicircle around the doors, all braced to attack or defend, as ten augmenters positioned themselves to haul the entrance open.


    ¡°The door,¡± one of the men voiced. ¡°It¡¯s not fully closed.¡±


    Everyone looked at one another, perplexed by the strange chain of events, but Drogo snapped everyone to attention with a firm stomp.


    ¡°Open it!¡± he ordered, lowering his stance tobat whatever lied in store on the other side.


    The harsh screech of the metal doors against the stone ground echoed until they had beenpletely pried apart.


    For a brief moment, not a single word was spoken as the entirety of the soldiers ready to fight for their lives stood frozen, jaws ck.


    Atop a hill of corpses that loomed high above us sat a lone man. His arms rested on the hilt of a thin, teal sword that shined dimly beneath ayer of blood that hade from the body of the orc it had been embedded in. Scattered beneath this mountain of carcasses were more bodies of orcs and gnoll, some frozen, some burned, others simply bisected.


    At first nce, the pile of corpses that the man was resting over seemed to blend together into indiscernible remains of mana beasts, but looking closer, there was a figure near the top that stood out amongst the others. With the head of a giant lion and the body of a scaled monster, ity sprawled in a bloodied mess. Its gray body was lifeless as the unnaturally ck horns that sprouted out of its head had been shattered.


    There was no doubt about it. That was the S ss mutant we had ventured all this way for, that we hadid down our lives for¡ªexcept it was already dead.


    I focused my gaze back at the man, sitting tiredly atop a throne of corpses, when he finally lifted his head.


    The man wasn¡¯t even staring directly at me, yet I could feel his domineering pressure weigh down on my very soul. Every fiber in my body screamed at me to run away as far as possible from this man. My sense of fear became magnified as the man¡¯s azure eyes gleamed balefully from above.


    This wasn¡¯t anything like the diminutive fear I had felt back at the tent; no, this was true dread.


    I knew¡ªand most likely everyone in here knew as well¡ªthat advantage in numbers didn¡¯t apply to someone like him.


    From my side, I spotted a figure stepping forward. I almostshed out in fear for the person¡¯s life when I realized it was Tessia. Suddenly, the dread that had ovee me grew stronger as I hopelessly stood, frozen from the unbreakable shackles of terror, as Tessia took another step forward.


    Time itself seemed to slow as our leader dropped the thin de in her hand. A single tear rolled down Tessia¡¯s cheek as her face contorted into a mix of different emotions.


    She uttered a single word that left me more overwhelmed than the man sitting on top of the mountain of corpses. ¡°Art?¡±

 Chapter 134

    Chapter 134


    Chapter 134: His Return</h3> <hr/>


    Tessia took another step forward, less hesitant this time. ¡°A-Arthur? Is that you?¡± she muttered once more, her voice getting caught in her throat.


    Every one of the soldiers, augmenters and conjurers alike, had their heads turned to face our leader as she approached the man sitting atop the hill of corpses, as if in a trance.


    Suddenly, the silence that had filled the cavern was broken by a bright chirp. Seeming toe out of nowhere, a streak of white shot out towards Tessia andnded in her arms.


    It looked like some sort of miniature white fox.


    ¡°Sylvie!¡± Tessia, eximed, embracing the creature before looking back up.


    ¡°Y-You! State your name!¡± Dresh was the one to speak, his usually confident voice wavering at the sight before him.


    The blue-eyed man regarded him in silence for a moment, making Dresh instinctively take a step back, before he answered. ¡°Arthur Leywin.¡±


    Prying his bloodied sword out of the corpse it was embedded into, he deftly leaped down therge mound of bodies,nding in front of therge doorway.


    As he stepped out of the shadows, I could finally make out his full appearance that had been shrouded in darkness.


    He appeared pretty young despite the aura that emanated from him. Tousled, shoulder-length auburn hair contrasted his bright eyes that seemedposed¡ªcasual, almost¡ªeven in this situation. The stters of blood and grime that darkened his face and clothes did nothing to diminish his looks.


    This man wasn¡¯t morous. Nothing like the noblemen I¡¯d seen, who carried themselves with chests puffed out and nose pointed so high up that they might as well have been looking at the sky. No, behind his nonchnt gaze and slightly curled lips was an air of sovereignty that transcended any of those peacock nobles fluttering their power like colorful plumage.¡±


    Sheathing his teal sword into an unadorned ck scabbard, he took a step toward us with his hands held up. ¡°I¡¯m on your side,¡± he said wearily.


    The soldiers present all exchanged uncertain nces at one another as Tessia took another step forward.


    ¡°Arthur?¡± several members of the Twin Horns eximed as they all ran up to them.


    However, Tessia remained where she was. I saw them lock eyes for a brief moment and I thought I even saw a faint smile from Arthur, but neither of them approached each other.


    Tessia¡¯s actions caught me off guard, but the way the Twin Horns acted with the guy named Arthur seemed to dissipate the tension and suspicion that had filled the cavern. However, this only brought on more questions in my head.


    Assuming that really was the Arthur Leywin our leader had told us so much about, what was he doing here? How did he get here? Did he kill the S ss mutant by himself?


    I turned my head to Darvus and, by his furrowed brows and perplexed gaze, it seemed like he was also curious about the same things. Caria, on the other hand, had a goofy smile stered on her face as she ogled the man surrounded by the Twin Horns¡ªignoring the fact that there was a giant pile of bloody and stinking corpses just behind them.


    ¡°While I hate to interrupt your reunion, there are more pressing matters at hand,¡± Dresh spoke aloud. ¡°What exactly happened here? I had not been informed that anyone by the name of ¡®Arthur¡¯ would join us down here in this dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure no one had been informed since I arrived less than an hour ago,¡± Arthur replied, stepping out from the crowd of his friends that had surrounded him. ¡°Even I was surprised to be greeted by so many mana beasts.¡±


    ¡°A-Are you saying that you, single-handedly, killed all of those mana beasts¡ªincluding the S ss mutant¡ªbehind you?¡± a soldier stammered.


    ¡°Do you see anyone else in there alive besides me?¡± Arthur tilted his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± another soldier yelled out. ¡°How can a mere boy do what a whole battalion of mages had set out to do by himself?¡±


    Arthur simply raised a brow, unaffected by the remark. ¡°It really doesn¡¯t matter whether you believe me or not. The fact is, the mutant that you guys were ordered to kill is now dead.¡±


    More and more soldiers began asking questions and spouting usations, but all were ignored by the mysterious man. He simply walked over to Dresh and extended a hand. ¡°You seem like the leader of this expedition. Do you mind letting me stay at your camp tonight? I¡¯m rather spent and would like a decent night¡¯s rest before heading out.¡±


    Dumbfounded, Dresh epted his handshake and nodded wordlessly.


    ¡°What about all the beast cores?¡± a bearded conjurer blurted out, pointing at the mountain of mana beasts.


    Everyone, once again, exchanged nces with one another in hopes that they would somehow find answers within someone¡¯s eyes. Usually, the beast cores that were collected after a battle were split amongst the soldiers. Looking at the sheer number of corpses that had been stacked atop one another in thatrge hill of bodies, even the most humble man would drool at the potential to be gained.


    ¡°They¡¯re all gone,¡± Arthur answered quietly. ¡°Sorry, but my bond has quite arge appetite for beast cores,¡± he continued, pointing to the furry white fox still cleaning itself.


    ¡°Are you saying that that little thing just devoured hundreds of beast cores?¡± a burly augmenter retorted in disbelief as his hand gripped tightly at the handle of his sword.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he responded matter-of-factly.


    ¡°What about the S ss mutant¡¯s beast core? What happened to that?¡± Dresh asked, regaining hisposure.


    ¡°I have it.¡± Arthur let out a sigh. ¡°Any more questions? I¡¯ll be happy to debriefter, but standing around answering everyone¡¯s questions isn¡¯t exactly the best use of our times.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll escort him back to base, Leader,¡± Tessia spoke up as the members of the Twin Horns all nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Very well. For now, I want a few teams to stay behind to look for any stragglers and collect anything worth selling. The rest, we¡¯ll go back to camp and wait for further instructions,¡± Dresh ordered, cating the dissatisfied soldiers.


    The trip back to the main camp was almost as tense and stifling as it had been when we had first opened the dungeon doors. Caria, Darvus and I all kept silent as the sour mood of almost every soldier present weighed down on our shoulders. Even Tessia and the Twin Horns kept their conversations with Arthur down to hushed, indiscernible whispers.


    Behind me, I could hear the conversations of soldiers, some d that there was no battle, others disappointed at the fact that they would leave with no beast cores or other bounties. and some downright angry for not being able to battle a strong mana beast. However, despite the mixed feelings everyone had of the guy¡¯s appearance, we all shared one emotion: fear.


    Upon arriving back to the main camp, the guy named Arthur headed straight for the bathing stalls by the stream while Tessia and the Twin Horns followed Dresh into his personal tent.


    ¡°Well that was anticlimactic,¡± Darvus sighed, slumping down next to the smoldering remains of our campfire.


    ¡°I¡¯d say that it was pretty eventful,¡± Caria countered. ¡°Did you see that pile of mana beasts? And that giant mutant? I doubt that even with all of usbined, we¡¯de out from a fight like that unscathed.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Darvus eximed. ¡°That guy, Arthur...How the hell was he able to kill them all¡ªif he really did kill them in the first ce?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°What, you think the guy was sitting there, posing, waiting for us to show up to take the credit?¡±


    ¡°W-Well, I¡¯m not sure about that, but I mean...it¡¯s not natural. Tessia said he was around her age, which means he¡¯s a bit younger than us. What kind of fiery pit did he have to grow up in to be a monster like that?¡± Darvus let out a sigh, looking down at the two axes he had been fumbling with in his hands. ¡°If he really was able to singlehandedly kill all mana beasts along with that S ss mutant, what are guys like us needed for?¡±


    ¡°Do I smell a hint of jealousy?¡± Caria smirked, lightly prodding Darvus with her elbow.


    ¡°You meant to say envy, Caria,¡± I corrected on impulse.


    She turned to me. ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡±


    ¡°Jealousy is what you feel when you worry someone will take something you possess. Envy is longing after something someone else has.¡± I shook my head. ¡°You know what? Never mind; it¡¯s not important.¡±


    Caria just shrugged and ced a hand on her childhood friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Anyways, he¡¯s just one person, Darvus. No matter how strong he is, it¡¯s not like he can win the war by himself. You saw the state he was in. He wasn¡¯t really hurt but he seemed pretty worn out!¡±


    Darvus rolled his eyes. ¡°Thanks. At least he was tired after wiping out an army of mana beasts and an S ss mutant by himself.¡±


    ¡°No need to get snarky with me, Darvus. I¡¯m just trying to help,¡± Caria clipped, her cheeks turning red.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t! I don¡¯t need your pity. Besides, that guy isn¡¯t natural. No point inparing myself to a freak of nature like him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, he seems pretty normal to me,¡± I chimed in. ¡°Putting his strength aside, he seemed like a decent person while he was talking to the Twin Horns.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I even spotted a smile from him when he saw Tessia!¡± Caria added, her lips curling up as well at the thought. ¡°Although I was expecting something more, like a passionate hug or something.¡±


    ¡°Please, you saw the way he talked to everyone. He was a snobby jerk,¡± Darvus continued, shaking his head.


    ¡°Well everyone was kind of a jerk to him,¡± I countered. I didn¡¯t know why I was defending the guy, but it was times like these that Darvus really rubbed me the wrong way. Whenever a situation didn¡¯t go his way, he always pointed fingers and made assumptions to feel better about himself.


    Darvus¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Why are you taking his side?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not strictly taking his side¡±¡ªI shook my head¡ª¡°I just think it¡¯s naive to base our impressions on the guy without even holding a conversation with him. You¡¯ve heard how Tessia always talked about Arthur. Don¡¯t you think we should give him the benefit of the doubt?¡±


    ¡°Tessia¡¯s mind is probably clouded by her past memories of the guy,¡± Darvus scoffed. ¡°You saw the tension between the two. Hey, maybe you finally have a shot with her.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Are you that petty? You sound like a child, bringing me into this. You¡¯re drawing conclusions on this guy based on what, exactly?¡±


    ¡°G-Guys, let¡¯s not fight,¡± Caria voiced, her eyes shifting from me to Darvus.


    ¡°I¡¯m basing it off my instinct, twerp!¡± Darvus hissed, standing up. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s something you can¡¯t do because of your deformed mana core.¡±


    I could feel blood rushing to my head at that insult.


    ¡°Well, at least I don¡¯t need to convince myself and everyone else that someone better than me can only be a monster just to keep his worthless pride intact!¡± I spat out.


    Darvus¡¯ face burned red as well as he shook in rage. Throwing the hatchet he had been white-knuckling down at the ground in front of him, whipped around and stomped to our tent and slipped inside.


    ¡°Stannard...¡± Caria came over to me after watching her best friend go. ¡°Y-You know he didn¡¯t mean that, right? Come on, you know how he gets when he¡¯s all riled up.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I mustered up a faint smile toward the girl who was just a bit taller than me. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s the first time we¡¯ve had one of these fights. I don¡¯t butt heads as often as Tessia does with him but that¡¯s mainly because I just hold it in. It¡¯s when I can¡¯t endure it that I explode and something like this happens.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, though,¡± Caria replied after a moment of silence. ¡°Darvus is much better than he was back then, but being the prodigious son of noble blood, he was handed everything: wealth, resources, attention, and even talent.¡±


    ¡°A whole lot of good that does him if he¡¯s still an ass.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Look, Caria, I¡¯m not mad at you, and I¡¯m not even mad at what Darvus said to me. I¡¯m just tired of his narcissistic ego that pops up no matter how much you try to shove it down.¡±


    Caria let out a small giggle. ¡°Tell me about it. I¡¯ve known him more than twelve years and I bet rabid mana beasts could mature much faster than Darvus. But ever since he¡¯s met Tessia and you, he¡¯s gotten a lot better. That¡¯s a fact.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± I nodded, already looking for a way to break the ice with my egocentric teammate.


    Caria and I talked for a while longer as we sat around the fire we lit up once more. As two shadowed figures approached, we stood up.


    ¡°Hey guys,¡± Tessia¡¯s voice rang. As the two got closer, I could make out our leader and the guy next to her.


    ¡°I¡¯d like you to meet my childhood friend, Arthur,¡± she said, putting a hand on the man next to her. When I stood up and approached them, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that our leader¡¯s eyes were a bit red.


    His hair still damp from his bath, Arthur dipped his head. ¡°Stannard Berwick and Caria Rede, right? Nice to meet you guys, and thank you for taking care of my friend. I know she can be quite a handful.¡±


    This got out a giggle from Caria as Tessia jabbed an elbow to his ribs. Seeing the two like this made me doubt the feeling I had when I first saw the guy. Without the blood covering most of his face, it was safe to say Arthur was indeed the enemy of all single males. His features were sharp, but not overly so, with a subtle charm that went beyond just the textbook standard of handsome. His reddish-brown hair was a tad long, as if he hadn¡¯t gotten a proper trim in years, but it only served to hide his looks¡ªnot dampen them.


    He was a head taller than Tessia, which made him quite tall for his age since our leader was just a few centimeters shorter than Darvus. Even underneath the loose-fitting robe he wore, I could tell his physique was that of a fighter. The way Arthur carried himself, the way he walked over here, and the way his eyes seemed to gaze over everything around him indeed confirmed that the aura he exuded wasn¡¯t just my imagination.


    As Tessia and Arthur were about to take a seat around our fire, Darvus stormed out of his tent. When he passed by me, he shot me the look of embarrassment he always had when he was about to apologize, but I stopped him with a hand. Revealing a snide smirk, I mouthed, ¡°It¡¯s fine, twerp.¡±


    Darvus scratched his head as he shed a wry smile. However, his gaze turned rigid as he faced Arthur. Tessia, Caria and I all looked at him, worried at what he might say when Darvus lifted a finger and said loudly. ¡°Arthur Leywin. I, Darvus rell, fourth son of the rell House, formally challenge you to a duel!¡±

 Chapter 135

    Chapter 135


    Chapter 135: A Warrior¡¯s Maiden Heart <hr>


    <span style="text-decoration: underline;">TESSIA ERALITH¡¯S POV:


    The image of Arthur on top of that mountain of corpses, drenched in blood, looking down at us with a cold re, had been burned into my head for hours now. I recognized him almost immediately, but my voice got caught in my throat. I couldn¡¯t call out to him; I was scared to.


    Even after gathering the courage to finally say his name, he stayed silent. The fear that something had changed in him during his training immediately came to mind as he faced us. When Sylvie popped out, I was happy, but even when Arthur finally spoke, I couldn¡¯t get rid of the unease in my chest.


    The sight of him stepping into the light made my heart feel like it had twisted into a knot. He was filthy and his eyes practically screamed exhaustion, but it really was Arthur. I wanted to embrace him right there, just as the Twin Horns were doing, but something in me kept me from doing so. Looking at my childhood friend, I sensed a clear distance that went beyond the few meters that separated us. And so I stood still, anchored, as I gave him a hesitant smile that didn¡¯t even reach my eyes.


    He smiled back, but it was only for a moment as the soldiers immediately began questioning him.


    Throughout the trip back to the main camp, Arthur stayed rtively silent despite the chatter of the Twin Horns around us. They were all excited to have him back, despite the obvious discontent among the soldiers. Arthur smiled when spoken to, and he responded with minimal words, but that was it. Immediately after arrival, he spotted the stream and went to wash up with Sylvie. I went straight to the main tent with Dresh and the Twin Horns to try and help appease the tension our leader, along with the rest of the soldiers, felt towards my childhood friend.


    Arthur came to the main tent after he had washed up, but even without the blood and filth covering him, he was just as unapproachable. He debriefed what was necessary, otherwise stating that the information was to be told directly to my grandfather. I stayed silent throughout the short meeting as Dresh and the Twin Horns bombarded him with questions.


    Dresh left first to inform the rest of the soldiers of their next course of action. The Twin Horns reluctantly agreed to let Arthur rest only after being promised of a more detailed ountter.


    With only Arthur and me left in the tent, I remained tense, staring at my feet as I could feel Arthur¡¯s gaze boring into me. I didn¡¯t know what to say, how to act, or even how to feel. With Arthur suddenly appearing in front of me after more than two years, and him acting so... distant, I was at a loss. Whatever confidence I had left to approach my childhood friend went out the window as I looked at my pitiful state. Here I was, dressed like a man,yered from head to toe with grime and soot. Worst of all, my hair was a bird¡¯s nest and I smelled like week-old garbage.


    I could see him walking up to me, each of his footfalls making my heart beat just a little bit faster. However, I refused to look up. As he came closer, I could smell the faint aroma of herbsing from him. Don¡¯te closer, I prayed, scared that he¡¯d be repulsed by my stench.


    His feet stopped just in front of mine but my eyes stayed glued to my feet as I squirmed awkwardly. For a moment, we were both silent. The only sound I could hear was the beating of my uncooperative heart.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Tess,¡± Arthur finally said. ¡°I missed you.¡±


    At those few words, the ice that had stiffened my body melted. My vision became blurry as I refused to stare anywhere else but at my feet.


    I clenched my fists to keep myself from shaking. My eyes betrayed me as I could see the drops of tears darkening the leather of my boots.


    Art¡¯s warm hand gently touched my arm and I couldn¡¯t help but notice howrge it was. I had known him since he was shorter than me, but now, the simple touch of his palm filled me with a sense of protection. I tried my utmost to stay firm, but I found myself sniffling uncontrobly as my body began quivering.


    I didn¡¯t exactly know what came over me to reduce me to such a state. Maybe it was finally seeing my childhood friend again. Maybe it was because his words just now confirmed that it was still truly him, not the cold killer that I thought he had turned into when I first saw him. It might possibly not have had anything to do with that at all; I couldn¡¯t exactly exin the reason why every barrier I had unconsciously raised to endure thesest two years had juste crumbling down. All I felt was this wave of relief that everything was okay now, that I didn¡¯t have to worry anymore. All of a sudden, it felt like everything Grandpa, Master Aldir and everyone else had been worrying about would turn out okay now that Art was here.


    It was funny how a person could do that¡ªhow one person could make you feel truly... safe.


    ¡°Art... you... idiot!¡± I huped in between sniffles. I raised my fists to hit him, but by the time they reached his chest, there was no strength behind them.


    I must¡¯ve shouted every profanity I knew at him, ming him for just about everything: his cold attitude, his tastelessly long hair that made him look scary, hisck of contact until now¡ªdown to how it was his fault I was in my current state. Art just stood there, silently taking it all as hisrge hand continued to warm my arm.


    I was angry, I was frustrated, I was embarrassed, but I was relieved. That whole mix of emotions turned me into a lump of tears as I continued assaulting Art¡ªmostly because I hated myself for how I was acting right now.


    After crying out all that I could, I rested my head against his chest, staring down at his feet that had also been spotted with my tears, letting out hups and sniffles.


    It was quiet for a minute and I finally worked up the courage to look at his face, only to see him staring right back at me.


    I was about to whip my head away when his smile stopped me. It wasn¡¯t like the smile he had when we saw each other at the entrance of the mutant¡¯sir. His eyes crinkled into two crescent moons as a warming sincerity tugged at the corners of his lips to create a gleaming smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re still a crybaby, aren¡¯t you?¡± he joked, removing the hand he had on my arm to wipe a stray tear that refused to drop to the ground.


    ¡°Shuddup,¡± I replied, my voiceing out nasally.


    Letting out a soft chuckle, he motioned with his head to follow him. ¡°Come on. Your friends must be waiting.¡±


    I gave him a nod, picking up Sylvie, who had been asleep on the ground. As we walked, my gaze constantly shifted between the sleeping Sylvie to Art.


    ¡°You got taller,¡± I remarked, my eyes now focused on Sylvie.


    ¡°Sorry I can¡¯t say the same for you,¡± Art teased, weariness evident in his eyes as he let out a faint smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m tall enough.¡± I stuck out my tongue.


    Spotting Caria and Stannard talking around our fire, we picked up our pace as I tried my best to hide all signs that I had been crying.


    After introducing Art to the both of them, we situated ourselves around the fire when Darvus suddenly came stomping out with a determined expression.


    ¡°Arthur Leywin. I, Darvus rell, fourth son of the rell House, formally challenge you to a duel!¡± he announced without any particr anger or spite; instead, he looked resolute.


    ¡°What?¡± the rest of us, aside from Art, eximed in unison.


    My gaze immediatelynded on Art to see how he would react. With him being physically and mentally drained from these past few hours, I didn¡¯t know how he would take such a confrontation. However, to my relief, I spotted an amused expression on my childhood friend.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Darvus rell, fourth son of the rell House. May I ask for the reason of this duel?¡± Art replied without getting up.


    Caria immediately got up and held back Darvus. ¡°D-Don¡¯t mind him, Mr. Leywin¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please, just call me Arthur.¡±


    ¡°¡ªArthur,¡± she amended. ¡°He¡¯s just being foolish.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Caria. I¡¯m not mad or anything.¡± Darvus shook his childhood friend away before facing Art again. It was a weird sight seeing Darvus speak to Art in such a formal and respectful manner since Darvus was a few years older than Art.


    ¡°As for my reason,¡±¡ªDarvus paused¡ª¡°with all excuses aside¡ªa man¡¯s pride.¡±


    I was utterly baffled by his response, and looking at the stunned expressions on Caria¡¯s and Stannard¡¯s faces, so were the two of them.


    However, Art stifled back augh as he covered his mouth. His shoulders shook as he tried to hold it in before breaking down into a heartyugh.


    The four of us looked at each other with expressions of even greater confusement as even Darvus looked bewildered. Soldiers, drawn in by the uncontainedughter of Art, gathered around our camp, trying to figure out what was going on.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to offend,¡± Art finally spoke, stifling in hisughter. ¡°After spending what felt like a lifetime with those old coots, I just thought that what you said was quite refreshing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you?¡± Darvus replied, still trying to figure out whether to be offended or pleased with Art¡¯s remark.


    ¡°Sure, as long as lives aren¡¯t at stake, I¡¯m fine with a duel,¡± Art said with a content smile, getting up from the stump he was sitting on.


    As the two guys began making their way toward the southern wall of the cavern, the group of curious soldiers eagerly followed behind them.


    ¡°Do you know what this is about?¡± I asked Caria as the three of us trailed behind the group.


    My petite teammate merely let out a sigh as she shook her head. ¡°Something about him feeling insecure because Arthur is younger and supposedly stronger than he is.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention he¡¯s pretty bitter that Arthur is better-looking than him too,¡± Stannard added, letting out a deep breath as well.


    ¡°What? So that¡¯s what he meant by a ¡®man¡¯s pride¡¯?¡± I blurted, dumbstruck.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. He¡¯s hit a new low.¡± Caria nodded, looking at my expression. ¡°I wonder if all men are like that?¡±


    We both turned to Stannard who looked back at us with an unamused raised brow. ¡°On behalf of all men, allow me to say that we aren¡¯t all like that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not all, but it has to be a majority, right?¡± Caria asked, making me giggle.


    Letting out a defeated sigh, Stannard nodded. ¡°Probably.¡±


    We got to the makeshift dueling grounds just in time to see them about to begin. It seemed like the entire camp had stopped what they were doing to watch the two go at it. I could understand the soldiers being curious about Art¡¯s strength since we had only seen the aftermath of his fight, but I didn¡¯t expect to see Dresh at the front, eagerly waiting in anticipation next to the Twin Horns. The usually impartial Helen, leader of the Twin Horns, was enthusiastically rooting for Art as the rest of her party cheered him on. Soldiers from this expedition who had all seen Darvus in action and knew of his prowess cheered for him with whistles and hoots.


    Beside me, Caria let out a groan. ¡°Who am I supposed to root for?¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it obviously be to your childhood friend?¡± I teased, snickering at the sight of Darvus pompously receiving the cheers with his chest puffed out. Sylvie, who was still in my arms, shifted in her sleep from the noisy crowd, taking a quick peek before deciding that her sleep was more important.


    ¡°Hey! We don¡¯t always have to choose our childhood friends,¡± Caria replied, shaking her head at Darvus¡¯s unseemly attitude.


    ¡°You kind of do, Caria,¡± Stannard snorted, turning his gaze toward my arms. ¡°Anyway, I didn¡¯t ask before but it¡¯s been on my mind; what sort of mana beast is Arthur¡¯s bond anyway?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe me even if I told you,¡± I smirked, focusing on the mock duel ahead.


    Art was leisurely standing with his left hand leaning on the pommel of his sword as Darvus began juggling his axes to put on a show for the crowd to see.


    ¡°Just before you came, Tess, he was in such a sour mood. Now look at him; God, I swear, he has the emotional stability of a four-year-old,¡± Caria grumbled.


    ¡°Probably even younger,¡± I chuckled, remembering how mature Art was when he was four years old.


    One of the soldiers, a seasoned augmenter, volunteered himself to be the referee and stood between Darvus and Art with his hand held up.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the general consensus is that we¡¯d like to keep this cavern in one piece, so I want you both to keep mana usage strictly to body augmentations. Is that clear?¡± the soldier asked, taking a nce at Dresh for confirmation.


    Getting the approval from the leader of this expedition as well as two consenting nods from Darvus and Art, the soldier swung down his hand. ¡°First to yield or otherwise be incapacitated loses. Begin!¡±

 Chapter 136

    Chapter 136


    Chapter 136: As Quickly As He Had Appeared <hr>


    <span style="text-decoration: underline;">STANNARD BERWICK¡¯S POV:


    At the referee¡¯s signal, the match began.


    All traces of pompousness from Darvus disappeared as he carefully circled around Arthur. As our leader¡¯s childhood friend remained standing in the same position, Darvus continued to side-step around him, warily looking for an opening.


    Darvus had in his hand two identical axes that differed only in color. These two weapons were precious family heirlooms that had been passed down generation to generation to the strongest practitioner of their rell style of axe-wielding. The two axes looked more like misshapen swords with des melded right above the handle, not near the top. The t of the des had strange markings etched into both of them that didn¡¯t match the simple, unadorned handles of the weapons. I knew that Darvus was serious just from the fact that he took these weapons out. I¡¯d only seen this pair of axes once, and that was only because Caria begged him to show us.


    Darvus continued to slowly circle Arthur, always keeping a steady position, never crossing over his legs in between steps. Arthur, for some reason, stayedpletely still even as Darvus inched behind him.


    Sweat beaded down the sides of Darvus¡¯s face as he stopped right behind his opponent¡¯s open back. The only sound inside the cavern was the faint rushing of water from the stream as the crowd¡¯s cheering subsided. Everyone stared anxiously at the two contestants, not doubting the reason for Darvus¡¯s hesitation despite his advantageous position.


    After another slow sidestep, Darvus lowered his position andunched himself at Art¡¯s back. I couldn¡¯t help but be involuntarily drawn into the battle as Darvus closed the five-meter gap in just two quick steps.


    Darvus had both his axes loaded to his right in preparation for what looked like an upward swipe, but as soon as he was about to get in distance, Darvus abruptly veered course. Steering clear of the seemingly still Arthur, Darvus went back to his original distance, his forehead drenched in sweat as his chest heaved in and out for air.


    ¡°What was that, Darvus?¡± a soldier cried out.


    ¡°Stop being a wimp!¡± another voice shouted.


    Tessia, Caria and I exchanged nces, unsure of what was going on with Darvus. It hadn¡¯t even passed the two-minute mark since this duel had started, yet he looked to be in worse shape than that one time our team had been locked in a battle for several hours.


    It was impossible for Darvus to be this tired after just a few minutes, but it wasn¡¯t the only thing that confused me.


    I¡¯d been with Darvus as he mercilessly hacked away at A ss mana beasts with cruel efficiency, and beat down adventurers twice his size and in the same ss with a content smile on his face, so I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing. Even from here, I could make out the distinct features of an emotion that I had thought the battle-hungry Darvuscked: fear.


    At the discontent hollers of a few more soldiers, Darvus clicked his tongue before snapping out at the crowd to shut up.


    Taking a deep breath, Darvus lowered his center of gravity with renewed fervor in his eyes as he stared attentively at Arthur¡ªwho may as well have been a statue at this point.


    The edges of my teammate¡¯s two axes glowed amber as he lowered them so that the tips were touching the ground. Darvus stomped his right foot as if he was about to leap toward his opponent, but instead, he stayed rooted as he swiped both of his axes upward in a cross.


    Darvus¡¯s spell caused a trail of fine grain to follow his two des before shooting out in a cross-shaped attack


    As the crescent of pebbles shot out towards Arthur, I couldn¡¯t help but admire the effectiveness of the spell. While normal grains of sand didn¡¯t strike fear into my heart, at break-neck speeds, they could put dozens of small holes in unsuspecting opponents.


    The fine, earthen barrage reached its target almost instantly, but rather than poke holes or even break skin, the pebbles bounced off Tessia¡¯s childhood friend harmlessly, as if a toddler had thrown the sand at him.


    At first, I thought Darvus had failed to properly cast the spell, but the remaining spray of grain that hadn¡¯tnded harmlessly on Arthur, dug into the cavern wall behind him with an explosion of consecutive crashes. Luckily, the spray hadn¡¯t hit any of the spectators near it, because the area where Darvus¡¯s spell had hit crumbled ayer of the cavern wall.


    Everyone¡¯s gaze shifted back and forth in shock between Arthur, who had received the brunt of the attack with no harm, and the wall where a small cloud of dust had formed from the sheer force of the small cluster of rocks. Everyone in the entire cavern was in a silent disy of surprise and awe¡ªeveryone except for Darvus. My spoiled friend had a discontent grimace on his face as if he knew that something like that would happen.


    Arthur, on the other hand, finally turned around to face his opponent as he casually dusted off his sleeve where Darvus¡¯s spell had bounced off of him¡ªnot even his clothes damaged.


    With another annoyed click of his tongue, Darvus leaped back as he dug his axes into the ground once more at another attempt to stone his opponent with sand. However, as Darvus swung his priceless weapons, Arthur raised a hand.


    Suddenly, the trail of grains that were trailing behind my teammate¡¯s des all dropped before fully manifesting into a spell. Darvus¡¯s eyes widened and I knew that somehow, his monster of an opponent had cancelled or stopped his spell from forming.


    Darvus¡¯s frustration was evident on his face as he bit down hard on his lower lip, his eyebrows furrowed into a scowl. However, as Darvus continued to try and conjure his spells, from here, it simply looked like he was iling his axes at a ghost in front of him.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Darvus finally howled, locking gazes with Arthur, whose lips curled up just a tad at the edges. My wild-haired friend finally stopped attempting to attack from afar and moved in. He closed the gap and swiped savagely at the bare-handed Arthur. As his glowing axes created streaks of mana behind them, his opponent easily parried them with the back of his hand.


    Darvus struck again¡ªsimultaneously this time¡ªhoping to catch his opponent off guard, but Arthur merely dipped the right axe that was aimed at his head, and pivoted and parried the left axe that was aimed at his torso.


    My teammate, however, kept hisposure as he mixed it up, feinting to his left before veering, his other axe rising to quick-strike to the right. Arthur dodged the attack beautifully, maintaining a steady bnce as his body dipped and weaved into a rhythmic trance.


    Darvus¡¯s flurry of attacks, mixed with off-timed kicks and elbows, was relentless as the crowd¡ªmyself included¡ªsilently gawked at the spectacle of one attacked with monstrous speed and control while the other dodged or parried everything perfectly without damage evening to his loose clothing.


    My attention had been solely focused on the two of them for the entirety of the duel, so when Darvus suddenly dropped his axes and fell to his knee, I couldn¡¯t make sense of it.


    From here, it looked like my stubborn and prideful friend had simply given up, but by the wide-eyed, stupefied gaze he had toward his opponent, I knew it wasn¡¯t that simple.


    On his knees, Darvus raised his left shoulder¡ªas if to swing his arm. However, his arm remained limp, dangling at his side. He then tried to get up. With his legs merely trembling, they gave out, causing Darvus to fall to his back.


    The crowd murmured to one another as they exchanged raised brows and simr looks of confusement.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s going on? Why can¡¯t I m-move?¡± Darvus stammered as he remained sprawled on his back.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, boy,¡± a husky voice called out reassuringly. ¡°Right, Arthur?¡±


    The familiar tone that came from behind was filled with power, immediately causing Darvus to fall silent. The rest of us all whipped around at the source of the voice.


    I let out a frightened gasp before immediately dropping to my knee.


    Dresh¡¯s voice,ced with surprise and apprehension, rang from within the crowd. ¡°We salute you, Commander Virion.¡±


    As he said this, my gaze remained nted to the ground, not daring to look up until otherwise stated.


    That was just the kind of figure he was to all of us.


    I had read about Virion Eralith in textbooks and documentaries from during the time of the old war between humans and elves. He was king at the time, and from what I had read, an exceptional one. It was ultimately through his leadership and cunning that the human army, despite having an advantage in numbers, was forced to retreat in the end. It was no wonder why the Council, whichprised of the current kings and queens of their respective nations, turned to Commander Virion for guidance in this war.


    I had the honor of meeting him once when I was first chosen to be ced in the same team as his granddaughter. At that time, I could only imagine her to be a spoiled, ill-mannered girl that wanted to chase after some lunatic fairytale. But I was wrong. She was stronger, more mature, and more dedicated to the war than I would ever be. If this was the girl that was raised by her grandfather, I could only imagine what kind of beast Commander Virion would be.


    As we all remained genuflecting, I kept my ears open as two pairs of footsteps approached.


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Arthur¡¯s voice rang from behind. ¡°You¡¯ll be back to normal soon.¡±


    From the brief moment I had, I couldn¡¯t recognize the peculiar-looking man beside Commander Virion. Most of his face was covered underneath a woolen hood, but his clean-shaven face and was sharp, a pair of thin, pursed lips hiding any signs of emotions.


    ¡°Arthur! Tessia,¡± Commander Virion¡¯s rough voice called out once more. ¡°With me.¡±


    Footfalls, from what I assumed to be Arthur, approached me from behind as even Tessia made her way towards her grandfather as well.


    After a few moments, our expedition leader told us to rise, the Commander, hispanion, Tessia and Arthur all gone.


    ¡°What was all that about?¡± I asked in a hushed voice to Caria.


    My friend shook her head. ¡°I have no idea. I¡¯ve never seen Commander Virion out on the field, and even then,ing all this way just for one person?¡±


    ¡°Seriously,¡± I agreed. ¡°Even the high-ranking leaders back at the Wall rarely get tomunicate with Commander Virion directly.¡±


    ¡°Well, it makes sense since his granddaughter was here, right?¡± Caria inquired.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that,¡± I murmured before remembering my injured friend. ¡°Caria! Darvus!¡±


    The two of us hurriedly made our way over to our teammate that was still lying on his back. Kneeling beside him, Caria lifted her childhood friend¡¯s head and ced it in herp. ¡°Darvus, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah,¡± he huffed. ¡°I can move my fingers and toes now, at least. What happened? I thought I heard a familiar voice? Who was it?¡±


    ¡°It was Commander Virion!¡± I answered, rolling up Darvus¡¯s sleeves to take a better look at his condition.


    ¡°What?!¡± he cried, attempting to get up before falling back into Caria¡¯sp with a groan.


    ¡°Stay still, idiot. You¡¯re hurt!¡± Caria chided. ¡°Anyway, you heard Commander Virion. He said you¡¯ll be okay, and I don¡¯t think Arthur hit you with the intent to cripple you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Darvus rolled his eyes. ¡°Because the one thing a guy wants to hear after getting his ass handed to him is that his opponent wasn¡¯t even trying.¡±


    I turned my attention back to his arm and noticed a strange welt near his wrist and the inside of his elbow. What was weirder was that I felt a trace of manaing from the red bruises.


    Without a word, I ripped open Darvus¡¯s shirt, eliciting a shout of protest from my friend and a squeal from Caria. Just as I had expected, more red welts littered his body.


    ¡°Darvus, did you not feel that you were getting hit while you were attacking?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Must¡¯ve been the blood rushing to my head. I didn¡¯t feel a thing,¡± he answered. ¡°Why? Is it that bad?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± I shook my head. ¡°But the locations of all of these welts that you have are in very important ces.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Caria chimed in, taking a peek underneath her childhood friend¡¯s shirt with flushed cheeks.


    ¡°I¡¯ve read a few books on mana flow anatomy¡ªyou know, the theory behind the movement of mana inside a mage¡¯s body¡ªand one of them mentioned that there are known to be areas where clusters of mana channels coalesce. Naturally, these areas are naturally more protected when an augmenter strengthens his body, but if properly struck, it can inhibit the flow of mana to that particr region.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I studied that too! My trainer taught me about . But it couldn¡¯t be that he was able to hit those, right? My trainer said it was impractical¡ªalmost impossible¡ªto target them in battle because of how small and protected these points are,¡± Caria eximed.


    ¡°True,¡± I acknowledged, ¡°and I read that these coalition points differ in each person. But, I can¡¯t help but think these marks are rted to that.¡±


    ¡°Well, it would exin the marks, but it doesn¡¯t exin why Darvus suddenly fell down like a broken doll¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Darvus red from the ground.


    ¡°Excessive Mana Discharge,¡± I stated, my eyes glued to Darvus¡¯s fading wounds.


    ¡°You mean bacsh? Isn¡¯t that when a mage uses too much of his mana?¡± Caria inquired. ¡°I¡¯ve seen Darvus use much more mana-heavy spells for longer periods than this.¡±


    ¡°Well, if Tessia¡¯s childhood friend was able to hit all these coalition points, the mana leakage from these areas could potentially cause bacsh. Of course this is only assuming that he was somehow able to locate these miniscule coalition points,¡± I rified, wondering how in the hell Arthur had even managed to hit him without anyone¡ªnot even Darvus himself¡ªrealizing.


    ¡°How about we stop admiring the man who left me in this state and help me up?! I think I can walk with some help now,¡± Darvus interrupted, gingerly wiggling his legs.


    As Caria and I helped our friend to his feet, we slowly made our way toward the tent that Commander Virion was in, along with Arthur and Tessia, hoping to be the first to hear any new updates.


    However, as we neared therge white tent, Tessia stormed out with a discontent scowl etched onto her creamy face.


    ¡°Tessia! Over here!¡± Caria called out, but the princess ignored her. Momentster, Commander Virion and Arthur, along with the mysteriouspanion that the Commander arrived here with, came out of the tent.


    The hooded man lifted an arm and a teleportation gate conjured out in the space in front of him. The soldiers that were lingering nearby, evidently bored with nothing to do, all jumped at the sudden manifestation of the gate.


    ¡°Are they leaving?¡± Darvus asked, his arms wrapped around our necks.


    My eyes were fixated on the three figures as they approached the gate. Commander Virion was the first to go and behind him was the hooded figure. Before Arthur stepped in through the gate with his bond, he looked at us with a regretful¡ªalmost apologetic¡ªexpression. I couldn¡¯t hear his voice from the distance, and I wasn¡¯t even sure he had actually spoken aloud, but I clearly understood the words formed from his lips¡ª¡®take care of her until I return.¡¯


    He disappeared into the light as the teleportation gate closed behind him.

 Chapter 137

    Chapter 137


    Chapter 137: Arrival <hr>


    <span style="text-decoration: underline;">ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    As I stepped into therge white tent, I was immediately pulled into a bearhug by Grampa Virion.


    ¡°Damn you, boy! Why didn¡¯t you tell me you came back?¡± He loosened his grip on me, grasping me at arm¡¯s length to get a better look.


    ¡°Nice to see you again, Gramps.¡± I turned to acknowledge the hooded asura. ¡°Aldir.¡±


    ¡°Arthur. Lady Sylvie,¡± he greeted back. ¡°Much has changed in both of you.¡±


    ¡°I certainly hope so,¡± I chuckled, Sylvie nodding slightly in response. ¡°How did you know I had arrived here so quickly?¡± I turned back to Virion.


    ¡°Lord Aldir received a message from Lord Windsom,¡± Virion answered. ¡°He said you were sent down here somewhere so I came right away.¡±


    ¡°To think you were sent where Tessia was stationed. Tell me, was this Wren¡¯s doing?¡± Aldir chimed in, an amused tone in his voice.


    I nodded, turning my gaze to my silent childhood friend. ¡°Has his sense of humor always been so... droll?¡±


    ¡°Wren has always seen himself as whimsical despite his often indifferent attitude,¡± the asura acknowledged.


    ¡°I was so surprised to see him when we were expecting to battle a mutant,¡± Tessia voiced, shaking her head.


    ¡°Yeah. As soon as I had arrived, a horde of mana beasts attacked me and Sylv. We didn¡¯t even have time to catch our breaths until after we had killed all of them,¡± I sighed, petting my bond.


    ¡°But what about the door? When we arrived at the scene, the mana beasts outside the room you were in had all died,¡± Tessia pressed. I knew she had been curious about a thousand things since my arrival, but I could tell by Aldir and Virion¡¯s arrival that we were short on time.


    ¡°Not now, chil¡ªTessia,¡± Virion amended, cing a hand on his granddaughter¡¯s shoulder. ¡°There are things I must discuss with Arthur, and this isn¡¯t the right ce to do so.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving?¡± Tessia responded, shifting nces between her grandfather and Aldir.


    The asura shook his head. ¡°Not you, Tessia. You are to stay here.¡±


    ¡°What? Arthur got here a few hours ago and you¡¯re already taking him away?¡± Tessia replied, fear evident in her eyes.


    ¡°Tess,¡± I cut in. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be right back after debriefing.¡±


    ¡°Besides, you have your team to look after. With this dungeon cleared, I¡¯m sure everyone will soon depart from here. You have your own battles you are responsible for, right?¡± Virion added. ¡°That is what we agreed upon when I allowed you to take part in this war.¡±


    ¡°Yes. ¡®Work your way up from battles using your own strength,¡¯,¡± Tessia quoted, letting out a defeated sigh.


    I could practically see my childhood friend¡¯s nonexistent tail droop in sorrow at this news, but I knew whatever Virion had to tell me was important.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s head out immediately. Tessia, you¡¯ve gotten stronger these past few months. The battles you¡¯ve been through are certainly molding you well enough,¡± Aldir noted, giving her an approving nod.


    ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± Tessia dipped her head, but her bitter expression didn¡¯t change.


    I was taken by surprise at the rtionship between the two. I never expected the one-eyed asura to take Tessia under his wing, but I kept those thoughts to myself.


    Tessia gave a quick bow to her grandfather and her master before heading out of the tent. As she lifted the tarp p, she looked back at me with a gaze that held a myriad of emotions.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon,¡± I smiled as she left.


    ¡°Shall we depart?¡± Aldir confirmed.


    With a nod from the two of us, we headed out of the tent as well.


    Outside, before stepping into the teleportation gate that Aldir had conjured, I locked eyes with Tessia¡¯s teammate, Stannard, and muttered for him to take care of Tessia for me.


    I hadn¡¯t meant for him to hear it, but Stannard seemed to understand as he nodded meaningfully.


    It took us a few minutes after stepping through the gate to arrive at the floating castle that the Council had made their base, the reason being that the flying fortress constantly moved miles above the ground without a set pattern or destination.


    After our distorted surroundings focused, I noticed we had arrived inside a small, cylindrical room with no windows and only one set of double iron doors.


    ¡®Howe you didn¡¯t talk to Tess back there?¡¯ I asked my bond as she scampered along next to me.


    ¡®Ady needs to have a secret or two,¡¯ Sylvie voiced coyly.


    ¡®Oh, you¡¯re ady now?¡¯ I shook my head. Somewhere along thest two years, my bond had gained the ability to talk freely, but for some reason, she chose not to speak unless it was with me.


    ¡®I¡¯ll surprise Tessia with it next time,¡¯ she replied, giggling to herself.


    Virion and Aldir both looked back, obviously curious as to what my bond and I were discussing mentally.


    Talking wasn¡¯t the only ability that Sylvie had gained throughout her training, but because of her young age, most of the time was spent fortifying her body so that her mana and aether abilities wouldn¡¯t run amok.


    Lord Indrath had personally taught her how to strengthen her body, which was unique to the dragon race of asuras. Apparently, almost all young asuras faced the danger of their body being unable to withstand their innate abilities.


    ¡°Well, since we¡¯re all here, let¡¯s go out,¡± Virion announced with a smile.


    At the signal from the gateman, therge iron doors clicked and squealed with the lock mechanism going off. The groan of metal on gravel filled my ears as the thick metal exit opened from the center.


    I had expected a guard or two to be on the other side of the doors, but instead, a ratherrge dark bear towered over me. It gazed down viciously, the two white markings above its eyes shaping its expression into something of a scowl. It stood about three meters high, its hind legs rooted to the ground and its chest exposed to reveal a tuft of white fur just below its neck. Despite its angry-looking eyes, its exposed teeth gave the impression of a smile, two rows of white daggers protruding jaggedly out of its mouth.


    ¡°Brother!¡± a melodious voice chirped.


    For a split second, I thought it was the bear that had spoken, but Ellie, my little sister, appeared from behind the beast with goofy grin on her immature face.


    While subtle, my sister had definitely changed over these past few years. Her ash-brown hair ran freely down her shoulders instead of in pigtails which she had sported when she was younger. While her dark round eyes still shined with innocence, her thoughtful gaze toward me contained a profound maturity.


    ¡°Ellie!¡± I picked my sister up into a hug as she wrapped her arms around my neck and swung around me.


    ¡°Arthur!¡± another pair of voices called out. It was my parents.


    After putting her down, I turned to my parents. I stood still, tense. Feelings of doubt and remorse kept me from giving my parents a hug. I didn¡¯t know how to greet them after how west separated.


    ¡°Come here, Son!¡± My father ran up and encircled me, wrapping me tightly in his arms.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand,¡± I stammered, taken aback by their actions. ¡°I thought¡ª¡±


    ¡°Thought what?¡± my father interrupted. ¡°That just because you have memories of whatever previous existence you had, you could stop being my son?¡±


    I chuckled as my father let me go. My mother, who had remained a few feet away, anxiously approached. My mind shed back to how she had so desperately tried to deny everything, and I lost what little confidence I had to greet my mother.


    Each slow step she took toward me made the lump in my throat growrger. I looked down as her foot was just inches away from mine. I couldn¡¯t look her in the eye.


    Suddenly, my mother sped my hands tightly, bringing them close to her.


    ¡°Give me some time,¡± she whispered as drops of tearsnded on our hands. ¡°I¡¯m trying. I really am. Just give me some time.¡±


    As though a stone encasing shattered around my body, a wave of happiness and relief washed over me as I epted her sincerity.


    ¡°Of course,¡± I nodded, unable to look at my mother for fear that I¡¯d cry as well.


    ¡°Brother! Brother!¡± my sister chirped as she held Sylvie in her arms. ¡°Say hi to my Boo!¡±


    As my mother released me from her grasp, I cleared my throat and took another hard stare at the giant mana beast.


    ¡°Your B-Boo?¡± I repeated incredulously, looking at my sister and back at Virion and Aldir. I knew that the mana beast wasn¡¯t an enemy, but I hadn¡¯t realized he belonged to my family.


    ¡°Yup!¡± she nodded. ¡°Boo, say hi to Brother!¡±


    Boo and I locked gazes for a second until the mana beast smirked at me. Raising a giant paw, Boo swung down at me.


    Raising an arm, I immediately willed mana into my body. At the force of Boo¡¯s attack, the ground below my feet cracked.


    I stared at my sister in shock with the bear¡¯s paw still weighing down on my arm.


    ¡°I see that Boo has quite the temper.¡± I grabbed the beast¡¯s wrist and pulled down, bringing him down to my eye level.


    ¡°Boo just wanted to see if you were as strong as I told him you were. He¡¯s a bitpetitive like that,¡± she shrugged as her bond struggled to free himself from my grasp. ¡°Bad Boo!¡±


    ¡°Wait. Ellie, you can talk to this beast? Are you bonded to it?¡± I sputtered. The strength of this mana beast had surprised me, but the fact that it was able to converse mentally with my sister meant that Boo was quite a high-level beast.


    ¡°Lord Windsom didn¡¯t mention this?¡± Virion asked from behind. ¡°He gave this mana beast to your family as a gift before you guys departed to Epheotus.¡±


    ¡°No, he did not mention anything of the sort,¡± I shook my head, still in a daze at the turn of events. ¡°So Windsom just handed this giant stuffed animal to my sister so what, she can ride it out to battle?¡±


    Boo let out a disgruntled sniff at my words.


    ¡°Yes, I called you a teddy bear,¡± I retorted, still holding onto his paw.


    ¡°No, he was just a baby when Windsom gave him to us,¡± my mother smiled. ¡°Though I have to say, Boo grew quite fast over these past two years.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say,¡± my father agreed, chuckling to himself.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you would like to catch up with your family, Arthur, but let¡¯s make it after our discussion,¡± Aldir voiced in a serious tone. ¡°Your family is living here for the time being, as I thought it would be in your best interest.¡±


    ¡°Right. Thank you,¡± I nodded, turning back to my family. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you guys soon, okay?¡±


    I gave everyone, except for Boo, a hug, and followed Virion and Aldir down the narrow corridor to the meeting room.


    Sylvie trotted close behind, taking another look back at Boo. ¡®Do you want me to beat him up for you?¡¯


    ¡®I can take care of him myself,¡¯ I smirked, reaching down to pet my bond.


    As we arrived inside the guarded room, we sat around arge circr table. It was only the three of us inside the rather ndly decorated meeting area so there were quite a bit of empty chairs spaced throughout.


    ¡°Just us?¡± I looked around. ¡°What about the kings and queens, and thences? I thought I¡¯d at least be seeing Directory Goodsky here.¡±


    The asura, Aldir, pulled back the hood that had covered most of his face to reveal his purple eye that glowed in the center of his forehead. He first looked to Virion and nodded at him.


    As Tess¡¯s grandfather turned to me, I noticed just how tired and burdened he lookedpared to how he was before the war. ¡°Cynthia is currently in a state of self-induced slumber to cope with the effects of the curse she had activated by disclosing intel on the cryans.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that bad?¡± I eximed. The report that Windsom had shown me did mention of the director¡¯s condition, but never to the point of her being in aatose state.


    ¡°Mhmm,¡± the elderly elf nodded solemnly. ¡°I¡¯ll show you where she¡¯s restingter, but I¡¯m sure there are quite a few other things you¡¯re curious about.¡±


    I nodded in reply as I went through all of the questions I had on my mind. For each question I bombarded the two leaders of this war with, they patiently answered back. I learned that, while my family was being held here for protection, the Helstea family had gone elsewhere. Vincent was using his resources in trade to assist the war efforts. It was a bit worrisome to think that they might be exposed to danger, but it seemed that the Helsteas mostly stayed in the background¡ªnever getting involved anywhere close to where the real battles were.


    As for the former king and queen of Sapin, the two reported back to the castle every now and then, but they¡¯d actually been spending most of their efforts in the Kingdom of Darv, hoping to gain the allegiance of the dwarves for this war, while Curtis and Kathlyn yder did what Tess had done¡ªjoined or made a team to get some experience in real battle for the actual war.


    ¡°Has my father or mother ever thought about fighting in the war as well?¡± I quizzed.


    ¡°Your father has,¡± Virion answered. ¡°But, I told him to restrain himself until either you returned or until Eleanor is a bit older. He was insistent on helping out, but I made a strong case.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I can¡¯t imagine if my father had died in the war while I wasn¡¯t even here,¡± I sighed.


    As Virion continued exining the status of the war and much about the strategies implemented to keep the citizens safe, I silently listened, staring idly at my bond who was listening to him as well.


    ¡°Is something the matter, my boy?¡± Virion queried. ¡°You¡¯ve been awfully quiet.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I smiled. ¡°Although, I am a bit anxious to hear what you guys actually brought me all the way here for, seeing as you wanted to keep your own granddaughter in the dark about everything. And I know you didn¡¯t just bring me here so that I could meet my family.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Well, Tessia is ambitious and has trained diligently in order to make a contribution in this war...¡± Virion¡¯s voice trailed off.


    ¡°But, you still worry for her safety more than anything else,¡± I finished for him. ¡°So that whole speech you apparently gave her on working her way up to the main battle was just a way to stall for time?¡±


    Letting out a sigh, Virion nodded. ¡°Can you me me?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I would¡¯ve done the same thing.¡± ¡°How bad is this ¡®main battle¡¯ anyway?¡± I asked, shifting my gaze between the two figureheads of this war.


    ¡°As of now, the main fight is at the Wall, where a fortress had been built that spans across the Grand Mountains. Not a single mutant or cryan soldier has been able to leave the Beast des so far thanks to this defense line.¡± Despite the good news, Virion let out a deep breath.


    ¡°I¡¯d like you to weigh in here just based on what we told you so far,¡± Aldir voiced in a tone that suggested he was testing me.


    I thought for a moment. ¡°Let me see if I have this right. From what you guys have dealt with so far, it seems like the cryan Army¡¯s n is to somehow infect certain mana beast leaders so that they can control the beasts to lead their own hordes to fight for them. That, along with the cryan mages that have been using hidden teleportation gates set up by spies to bolster the size of their soldiers here on Dicathen adds up to be a pretty dangerous fighting force.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Aldir acknowledged.


    ¡°But it¡¯s suspicious.¡± I studied Aldir and Virion¡¯s faces. ¡°I mean, I understand that the Beast des is the perfect territory for them to establish, especially if they have a few S ss or SS ss mana beasts under their control, but it seems too straightforward. If none of them were able to get through this defense, it either means that our side is that much stronger, or that they¡¯re stalling for time. And by the look on your face, Virion, I¡¯d say it¡¯s thetter.¡±


    ¡°Evidence that hase to light not too long ago has confirmed our suspicions,¡± Virion agreed, a sympathetic tone in his voice. ¡°Now, Arthur. I can¡¯t have you ming yourself for what I¡¯m about to tell you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± I raised my brow.


    Aldir pulled out something from underneath the table and slid it over to me.


    They were pictures of an abandoned ship. By the structure and frame of it, I was certain I had seen something like this before.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the Dicatheous, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re wondering,¡± Aldir exined. ¡°After seeing this, the artificer, Gideon, finally admitted where he got the ingenious idea of the so-called ¡®steam engine¡¯ he was so proud of.¡±


    I looked over the pictures one more time, trying to convince myself from epting what my brain had already figured out.


    ¡°That was a ship built by the cryans using your designs,¡± Virion revealed, his voice grim.


    Before I had the chance to respond, the dark wooden door to the meeting room suddenly flew open as an armored soldier desperately stumbled into the room.


    ¡°Commander, Lord,¡± the soldier greeted hurriedly, still trying to catch his breath.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Virion asked impatiently.


    ¡°Th-They¡¯ve been sighted, Commander. Approaching the western coast.¡± The soldier¡¯s voice quivered in restrained fear. ¡°The sh-ships.¡±

 Chapter 138

    Chapter 138


    Chapter 138: To Right My Wrong</h3> <hr/>I bolted up from my seat at the soldier¡¯s news. ¡°Where exactly did you see them?¡±


    ¡°J-Just a few miles south of Etistin... Sir,¡± he replied, hesitant on what to call me because of my age.


    I rushed past the guard and headed out the door. ¡°Come on, Sylv.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Arthur, what are you thinking?¡± Virion called from behind, his voiceced with concern.


    ¡°I want to see exactly what sort of mess I made,¡± I responded without turning back.


    Sylvie and I sped toward the teleportation gate room, dodging past several surprised workers and guards.


    Upon reaching the familiar double iron doors we hade through, we saw two guards that weren¡¯t there before guarding either side of the doors.


    ¡°Please open the doors,¡± I requested, impatience evident in my voice.


    The male guard, d in heavy armor with a longsword strapped to his back and two smaller des bound to both sides of his waist stepped forward with a stern expression. ¡°All entries and exits are to be approved of by either Commander Virion or Lord Aldir. We haven¡¯t heard of your departure from either of them so no can do, kid.¡±


    ¡°Look, I just came back to this castle with Virion and Aldir. They know I¡¯m heading out, so I insist that you let me through,¡± I argued.


    ¡°Commander Virion and Lord Aldir,¡± the guard reiterated. ¡°No matter how lofty you think you royal kids are, learn some respect for your elders.¡±


    The female conjurer that looked to be middle-aged, dressed in avish robe and a hood that covered her hair, quickly intervened, hoping to quell the situation. She spoke in a gentle voice as if she was talking to a child. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous for you to go out alone in these times. Maybe if you have a guardian you¡ª¡±


    She stopped in her tracks as she choked on herst words. Both the guards crumbled to their knees as they wed at their throats desperately. They gasped for air like fish out of water as I took another step forward, looking down at them with an innocent smile. ¡°It¡¯d be wise of you not to patronize me.¡±


    I withdrew the pressure I had released to make my point and helped them to their feet. ¡°Let¡¯s try this again.¡±


    The two of them scrambled toward the door and released the lock. The heavy doors groaned against the gravel floor as I rushed through and made my way toward the center of the room.


    ¡°Sir. Set the gate to Etistin, please,¡± I requested, letting out a sigh. I felt a bit guilty for being so harsh toward people just doing their jobs, but my mood wasn¡¯t exactly ster either.


    The elderly gateman exchanged hesitant nces with the disheveled guards but otherwise relented. As the glowing portal buzzed and hissed, the view of Etistin came into focus.


    Without a word, Sylvie and I stepped through the gate once more, my heart thumping heavily the closer I got to my destination.


    Arriving at an unfamiliar room filled with guards on the other side, I stepped down from the elevated stage that held the gate, Sylvie just a few steps behind.


    ¡°Who let a child through the secured gates?¡± the barrel-chested leader barked at the hunched gateman.


    ¡°He¡¯s from the Castle, Sir,¡± he responded meekly, staring at me curiously.


    It was troublesome that everyone thought of me as just a child even though I was well into my teens. I was taller than many of the guards present, but my unruly long hair and adolescent appearance seemed to keep any of the soldiers from taking me seriously.


    Without the patience to exin my situation, I made my way toward the exit, walking past therge leader.


    ¡°Kid! What¡¯s your business here? Don¡¯t you know the state this city is in?¡± The armor-d soldier that stood at least a head above me gripped my arm tightly, jerking me back.


    ¡°Commander Virion sends me here. Now, please open the doors before I make my own,¡± I warned.


    The leader scoffed, rolling his eyes. ¡°Yeah, sure. Commander Virion sent the likes of some thin pretty-boy here. I bet you¡¯re just a runaway noble brat that had a tantrum. Lest, Scraum, take the boy back through the gates! I don¡¯t need more civilians to be taken care of here!¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I willed mana, allowing it to surge out of my body as I had done back at the castle.


    Many of the soldiers present were augmenters, so they knew exactly what was happening as everyone helplessly fell to the ground. The very air in the room froze as the soldiers stared wide-eyed in shock at one another. The gateman, being an ordinary civilian, couldn¡¯t handle the pressure and had been knocked unconscious.


    ¡°Sylv. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    ¡®But the door¡ª¡¯


    I nced around the room to see some of the more capable mages already calling for backup.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make one,¡± I replied curtly, not wanting to create an even bigger scene.


    ¡®Sounds good.¡¯


    The white fox-like body of my bond began glowing until she was fully enveloped in a shroud of golden light. With a thunderous burst of mana radiating out of her body, Sylvie¡¯s form changed into that of a pitch-ck dragon. Over the past few years, her form had be much more distinguished and mature. Small details like the shape of her horns and her scales, which now looked like thousands of small polished gemstones, all made Sylvie appear fearsome yet ethereal.


    The soldiers that were still conscious let out stifled cries at the turn of events, but I didn¡¯t waste any time enjoying their distress.


    Lifting my hand, I coalesced the rampant mana gathered at my palm.


    [Lightning Surge]


    A barrage of blue lightning bombarded the ceiling above us, shaking the entire room. I jumped on top of Sylvie as she beat her wings to lift us up.


    As we shot through the hole I had created, the gasps and screams from the civilians and soldiers below us soon softened the higher we reached into the sky.


    The crisp winter air whisked past my cheeks as we ascended above the clouds until we could see the setting sun turn orange against the horizon. The beauty of Dicathen was in full view,id out like a canvas below. I took a brief moment to relish the peaceful sight, from the snowcapped mountains and grassy ins to the sparkling ocean and lush forest, before directing Sylvie toward the south.


    ¡®Let¡¯s make it there before nightfall,¡¯ I advised, leaning forward on Sylvie¡¯srge back.


    ¡®Roger,¡¯ she chimed back, her voice still chirpy despite her intimidating appearance.


    Thend sped past us in a colorful blur as if the very background was being pulled out from underneath. I thickened theyer of mana around me to protect my clothes against the sharp winds.


    As we headed south, the sight of cities soon became visible the closer we headed toward the coastline.


    ¡®Let¡¯s get lower, Sylv,¡¯ I transmitted, hunching my shoulders.


    My bond tucked in her massive wings as she fell into a steep dive toward the cliffs just above Trelmore City. We barreled through the clouds that obscured our vision, shooting down like a ck meteor. As we descended, the glittering sea soon came into view, and along with it, the direct effect of my thoughtless blunder.


    I cursed aloud at the nightmarish sight ahead, my words getting lost in the wind. As wended on a vast, snow-covered precipice at the edge of the forest overlooking Trelmore City and the ocean, I jumped off my bond, cursing once more, this time, my voice echoing around us as if mocking me.


    I could only stare in silence at scene.


    Hundreds of ships approaching from the glowing horizon, not more than a few dozen miles away from shore, making their forces stationed in the Beast des seem like nothing more than a speck.


    Virion¡¯sst piece of advice popped into my head at that moment. He told me not to me myself, but it was all that I could do at this moment.


    This being my second life, I had insight and knowledge that people of this world didn¡¯t have. Despite this knowledge and my wisdom, I didn¡¯t think about the consequences that would arise from a seemingly harmless act that would benefit those around me.


    Memories of the day I had given Gideon the blueprints for the steam engine became all too clear and agonizing. Because of my advice, a ship that could be built to traverse the ocean had ended up in the wrong hands. I couldn¡¯t help but ask myself if the Vritra n getting their hands on this technology was what expedited the war that they had been evidently preparing.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t look too good,¡± Sylvie muttered as she gazed at the ominous view ahead.


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t. And it¡¯s my fault,¡± I sighed, a mix of dread and guilt churning inside the pit of my stomach.


    I stared ahead, lost in a daze as millions of thoughts ran through my head. I had shed tears, sweat, and blood these past two years so that I could protect thisnd and the people in it and to stop the Vritra from taking over this entire world. But it wasn¡¯t that simple anymore.


    Hopping back onto my bond, I gently patted her neck.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back, Sylv. We¡¯ve got a war to win,¡± I said through clenched teeth.


    I wasn¡¯t some righteous hero out to save the world. Hell, I couldn¡¯t even call myself a good samaritan hoping to do his best to fight for his people.


    No. It was my fault that this war had progressed to this state. It was my fault that this fleet of ships was almost upon us, and it would be my fault when those ships arrive and cause havoc on thisnd.


    If I had a reason to fight, it would not be just to protect the few I held dear.


    It would be to right my wrong.


    CYNTHIA GOODSKY¡¯S POV:


    I was in a room or area¡ªsome space covered inplete darkness with only a single beam of light shining down at me.


    ¡°It is imperative that you give us as much information as possible,¡± a deep voice spoke from the shadows.


    I felt my lips moving and my tongue forming words, but my voice would note out. Instead, a sharp ring pierced into my brain.


    ¡°Your knowledge can win us this war, Director,¡± another voice, this one thin and hoarse, muttered from out of view. ¡°Think of the millions of lives you can help save by cooperating.¡±


    I agreed. I wanted to speak, but no audible sound could be produced. I fell to my knees as the ringing soon became unbearable, but the voices hidden in the shadows continued to pester me.


    They wanted answers regardless of cost. They were desperate, but so was I.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay for you to die from the after-effects of the curse. As long as we get the answers we need, your job is done,¡± a particrly melodic voice cooed.


    ¡®I thought that the curse had been lifted by Lord Aldir,¡¯ I wanted to protest, even though I knew that, deep down, my life had always been in danger. However, my voice betrayed me, and the torturous sound overtook my senses. My vision turned white as the pain began lessening.


    I thought to myself that if this was what death felt like, I would wee it wholeheartedly. I closed my eyes, yet my vision was stillpletely covered in a te of white.


    I began to wonder what would happen next when a darkened figure soon approached me. Even as the figure got closer and closer, its features could not be distinguished. My onlyfort lied in the fact that its outline seemed human.


    As the featureless figure arrived in front of me, it bent down and extended a hand to help me up.


    Truthfully, I was reluctant¡ªeven in whatever stage of death I was currently in.


    However, curiosity bested my mistrust as I held out my hand, waiting for him to take it.


    As our hands touched, the veil of shadow that had shrouded my mysterious helper disappeared.


    I squeezed harder, realizing that the one I had locked hands with was Virion.


    His hand was so warm. I wanted to reach out and embrace him, but my body wouldn¡¯t listen. Instead, I remained on the ground with his hand on top of mine. He held my hand so gently, like a newborn chick, as if my fingers would crumble at the slightest pressure.


    I wanted to grab ahold of him with my other hand, but again, I could not move.


    ¡°I never apologized to you...¡± he began, muttering softly about how he hadn¡¯t stopped me, even when he realized what could happen to me. Virion¡¯s voice, normally so bright and confident, cracked and wavered as he spoke.


    I pried my gaze off of Virion¡¯s hand and looked up at my old friend. His face was blurry, and I couldn¡¯t make out where his eyes were focusing on, but for some reason, I could see the tears in his eyes so clearly.


    Suddenly, Virion released his grip, and he was again shrouded in darkness. As he walked away, I shouted at him toe back, but my voice didn¡¯te out.


    The featureless shadow that Virion had reverted into stopped momentarily and spoke again. It was hard to hear, and I couldn¡¯t make out some of the words, but I wasforted by them nheless. I no longer tried to shout at him toe back and epted his departure.


    As his figure disappeared into the white abyss, the scene shifted to a memory that I had always takenfort in came to life.


    It was just after the end of the war between humans and elves. Both sides had tremendous losses and had agreed upon a treaty.


    Virion, much younger at the time, was walking alongside me. The scene was exactly how I had remembered it, down to the field of wilted tulips that spread to our left.


    As we walked down the paved path, my body moved on its own, but I didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°What do you n on doing now that the war is over?¡± Virion asked, his gaze fixated ahead.


    After the war was over, I had nned on quietly observing the state of the continent¡ªthat had been my duty after all. But since I couldn¡¯t exactly tell the king of the elves that, I just shrugged mysteriously and hoped my charms would change the subject.


    ¡°I¡¯ve known you for a few years now. Some of those years, we were enemies and some we weren¡¯t, but out of these years, I kept thinking to myself one thing.¡± He held out a finger to emphasize his point.


    ¡°Oh?¡± My voice came out on its own. ¡°And what was that? Your undying love for me?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but no,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Did you forget I¡¯m married?¡±


    ¡°That hasn¡¯t stopped any of the human nobles yet,¡± my shoulders shrugged to feign innocence.


    ¡°We elves are loyal,¡± he replied, shaking his head. ¡°But I digress. What I thought was that you¡¯d make a great mentor and inspiration. Hell, I could see you as some head of a prestigious academy, leading the uing youth to a greater future.¡±


    ¡°Well that came out of nowhere,¡± I responded, genuinely surprised. ¡°What made youe to that conclusion?¡±


    ¡°A lot of things,¡± he winked. ¡°But seriously, you should think about starting off as a teacher. I know you¡¯ll grow to love it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll just open up an academy of my own.¡± My lips curled upward into a smirk. ¡°I¡¯ve taken a liking to Xyrus City.¡±


    ¡°An academy for mages atop a floating city,¡± he pondered. ¡°I like it!¡±


    My body stopped and I watched Virion as he continued walking. ¡°Then what say we open the school together?¡±


    Looking back over his shoulder, he stifled augh. ¡°Yeah, and we can call it the Goodsky and Eralith School of Mages.¡±


    I could feel my face flush from embarrassment.


    ¡°No, but maybe I¡¯ll send my kids or perhaps my grandkids when they turn of age. That is, if your school is good enough for them,¡± he winked before turning back.


    ¡°I¡¯m really going to make one, you know,¡± I huffed. ¡°Just wait and see. Xyrus Academy will be the greatest institution for mages.¡±


    ¡°Xyrus Academy? In Xyrus City?¡± Virion tilted his head. ¡°Not very original...¡±


    ¡°Well I can¡¯t call it the Goodsky and Eralith School of Mages, now can I?¡± I retorted, puffing out my cheeks. ¡°And you¡¯ll be darn lucky if I let any of your descendants attend.¡±


    ¡°Ouch,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Well, here¡¯s hoping for the sess of Xyrus Academy.¡± Virion raised an imaginary ss in his hand to a toast.


    Seeing his joking expression, I kicked him in the shin, making himugh aloud even more.


    I remembered clearly wishing right then and there that this moment would never end. I also remembered the clear feelings of regret that I had not met this man sooner. Maybe if we had met earlier, my loyalty to my continent and to the Vritra could¡¯ve wavered.


    No. By this time, my heart had already wavered.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one with the injured leg here,¡± Virion called out from ahead. ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    I stepped forward, hoping to catch up when a piercing pain bore a hole in my chest. The flower-filled scenery turned a shade of red. I looked down, finally having control over my body, only to see a ck spike sticking out of me with my heart at the tip.


    ¡°Hurry up,¡± Virion called out again, this time from afar.


    I reached out to him and called for him but I remained anchored by the pitch ck spear jutting out of my chest.


    As if the spear was reeling me back, the once pleasant scene I was reliving got sucked away from me. As my world faded into darkness, the sight of Virion walking away was thest thing I saw before a bone-chilling grip enveloped me. As I sunk deeper into the depths of the abyss pulling me in, I could¡¯ve sworn I heard a childish voice apologize to me.


    VIRION ERALITH¡¯S POV:


    A bloodcurdling scream jolted me awake. I didn¡¯t know when I had fallen asleep, but my body immediately got up from my desk chair. Heading out of my study, I narrowly avoided a guard rushing in the direction of the shriek.


    ¡°C-Commander Virion,¡± he saluted, skidding to a stop.


    ¡°What is going on?¡± I looked around, watching the other guards all heading in one direction.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, Commander. The scream seemed to havee from just a floor beneath.¡±


    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be anyone¡ªAnna!¡± I gasped. The only upied room just immediately below this level was Cynthia¡¯s room, with Anna taking care of her.


    The guard¡¯s eyes widened as he turned and headed down. Immediately following behind, I pushed aside the horde of armored guards. Arthur¡¯s family was just outside the door, but they were all staring inside. Everyone was staring inside.


    Lifting my gaze, my eyes stopped at the scene just a few feet ahead.


    ¡°N-No,¡± I let out as I hobbled closer, unable to believe my eyes.


    ¡°H-How? Who?¡± I stammered, but Anna was just as shocked as she shook her head.


    My head spun as the clutter of noise and murmurs around me became muffled. I took another step but my legs gave out underneath me and I stumbled against the bed


    Cynthia Goodskyy peacefully in bed, her arms by her side and a thin white sheet over her body. And out of her chest was a pitch-ck spike jutting out, covered in blood. Covered in her blood.


    An indiscernible howl ripped out of my throat as I sunk to my knees, clutching tightly at my old friend¡¯s cold, lifeless hand.

 Chapter 139

    Chapter 139


    Chapter 139: Warring Premonitions</h3> <hr/>


    ¡°You¡¯re clear, Nico. Hurry!¡± I whispered, looking over my shoulder in case someone passed by, since seeing two adolescent boys huddled up in front of a house door only spelled trouble.


    ¡°Just stay on guard, Grey. I think I¡¯m close to unlocking it,¡± my dark-hairedpanion hissed back as he worked on the doorknob.


    I watched in doubt as Nico fumbled with the hairpins he had stolen from one of the older girls into the keyhole. ¡°Are you sure you can open it?¡±


    ¡°This is,¡± he said impatiently through gritted teeth, ¡°a lot harder than that guy at the alleyway made it seem.¡±


    Suddenly, the doorknob clicked and both our eyes brightened. ¡°You did it!¡± I eximed in a loud whisper.


    ¡°Bow down to my powers!¡± Nico proimed, holding up the colorful hairpin he had used to pick the lock high in the hair.


    I smacked him on the shoulder and pressed my finger to my lips. Nico shoved the hairpin back in his zippered pocket and nodded at me before we tiptoed in through the wooden door.


    ¡°And you made sure that the owners are out today?¡± I verified, scanning the meticulously furnished house.


    ¡°I scanned this housest week. Both the husband and wife go out at this time and don¡¯te back for another hour or so. We have plenty of time to grab a few things and go,¡± Nico answered, his eyes scanning for anything of value that we can stuff into a bag.


    Letting out a deep breath, I reasoned to myself that it was necessary. Stealing from someone¡ªhowever rich they were¡ªdidn¡¯t sit right with me, but I had overheard the conversation between the orphanage headmaster and those government people. I was only able to hear a fewments but it seemed like our orphanage was in danger because we didn¡¯t have enough money.


    ¡°This should be enough,¡± Nico nodded as we both looked inside the backpack we had brought.


    ¡°Now how are we going to get money for this?¡± I questioned. ¡°We can¡¯t exactly give Headmaster Wilbeck all of this jewelry.¡±


    ¡°Way ahead of you,¡± he smirked. ¡°I found a guy willing to pay cash for anything he finds interesting.¡±


    ¡°And this ¡®guy¡¯ is okay buying off two twelve-year-olds?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t ask questions, I don¡¯t ask questions. Simple as that,¡± Nico shrugged as we headed out the door.


    Taking the back route toward the back end of the city, we blended in with the crowd of people walking along the cracked sidewalk. Keeping our heads low and paces brisk, we veered left into an alleyway. Weaving through the piles of trash and stacked boxes of who knows what, we stopped in front of faded red door protected behind another gated metal door.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Nico spoke as he motioned for the bag. Slipping it off my shoulders and handing it to him, my friend knocked the door four times in an unfamiliar rhythm.


    Slicking his ck hair and puffing his chest out, he let out a couple coughs and narrowed his eyes to appear more intimidating¡ªas intimidating as any scrawny ten-year-old can be, anyway.


    After a few seconds, a rangy old man in a worn-out suit came out from the other side of the red door. He stared down at us from behind the metal gate with a scrutinizing eye.


    ¡°Ah, the rather persistent child. I see you brought a friend,¡± he said, unwilling to open the gate.


    Nico let out another cough to clear his voice. ¡°I¡¯ve brought some items you might have interest in.¡±


    My friend spoke in a deeper tone than normal, but surprisingly, it didn¡¯t sound fake. He opened the drawstring bag in his hands to show thenky, narrow-eyed man a peek at some of the jewelry we had just stolen.


    Raising a brow, the man unhinged the lock on the gate, opening it slightly with a shrill creak. As he scanned the area around us, he bent down to examine the bag. ¡°Not a bad collection. Did you steal this from your mother, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°No questions, remember?¡± Nico reminded, tightening the string to close the bag. ¡°Now can wee in and discuss prices?¡±


    The thin man looked around once more with suspicion in his eyes but eventually let us in. ¡°Close the door behind you.¡±


    As we arrived inside the dainty shop, a thickyer of smoke greeted us. From the other side of the room, two men were puffing out clouds of smoke, each with a cigarette between their fingers. While the dense cloud of grey covered much of their facial features, I could at least distinguish their general shapes. One of the men was burly¡ªmuscles clearly disyed underneath his tank top. The other man was much more round, but with thick, firm limbs that showed he wasn¡¯t any weaker than the other man.


    ¡°Come, children. Let¡¯s get this over with,¡± the thin man said as he scratched his unshaven cheeks.


    Nico and I exchanged nces but only he went up to the counter as I looked around the shelves disying various books and gadgets.


    After a few minutes, my gaze fell on a thin, tattered book. From the few words I could make out from the spine of the book, it seemed to be a rather old instruction manual on ki. Gingerly removing it from the shelf, the first thing that struck me was that half of the front cover had been ripped off.


    My first instinct was to put it back; after all, the orphanage had books in much better condition on core developing for ki use. However, my fingers seemed to move on their own as they flipped through the pages. Inside it were pictures and diagrams of a person in different poses with arrows and other lines around the figure. I wanted to take it with me and was half tempted to ask for the price, but I held myself back. This book was a luxury when we needed the money to save our home.


    As I continued my attempt at discerning the vague instructions, I lost interest, and my eyes kept falling back on the two men ying cards on the foldable table. The two had been taking nces at Nico as he and the shop owner did business. I buried my face in the old book, taking a peek from behind the pages. I wasn¡¯t sure what they were up to, but I didn¡¯t want to stay long enough to find out.


    Fortunately, Nico had just finished his transaction and approached me, shing a quick smirk before putting his stoic face back on.


    ¡°Did you find something interesting?¡± he asked, eyeing the book in my hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I said, quickly putting the thin, coverless book back on the shelf.


    ¡°You can take it if you want,¡± the rangy store owner said from behind as he leaned his elbow on the front counter. ¡°No one knows how to read it and it¡¯s just been collecting dust here.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, suspicion surfacing on my face.


    He revealed his abnormally white teeth in something akin to a smile as he nodded.


    Without another word, I quickly tucked the book in the bag and murmured a thanks to him. As Nico and I left the store through the back door we had entered from, my friend unzipped his jacket and showed me the wad of crinkled cash.


    ¡°See, I told you it¡¯d all work out,¡± he beamed.


    ¡°I guess so,¡± I replied, still skeptical about this whole endeavor. I felt bad for the couple who lived there but Iforted myself in the fact that we didn¡¯t take much of their jewelry. Nico exined that only taking a few items might make them suspicious, but they¡¯d be hesitant in calling authorities for potential theft.


    Also, since the married couple that lived there were well past their retirement age, the cops would most likely assume that they had just forgotten or misced the items. I let out a relieved sigh as we made our way back to the orphanage. The further we were away from the scene of the crime, the better I felt.


    ¡°What did I evene here for, Nico?¡± I asked, dodging people as we walked down the street. ¡°Feels like you did this all on your own.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you got a free book out of this, right?¡± Nico patted my shoulder. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s more fun¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re being followed,¡± I cut in, whispering as I continued looking ahead. I had felt two pairs of eyes practically boring a hole in my back almost as soon as we had left the shop, but since we were going straight, I didn¡¯t want to assume. However, I had been able to catch glimpse of one of the guys, and I instantly recognized him as one of the smokers from the shop.


    ¡°This way,¡± Nico ordered in a hushed tone.


    As we reached the outskirts of the city, we took a right into an alleyway, hopping on top of a trashcan to reach the other side of the locked fence.


    Inded nimbly on my feet as Nico wed out at the fence to keep from losing bnce as he fell to his feet. Quickly, we ran down the old alley that smelled like a mixture of rat turd and rotten eggs. Hiding behind a particrlyrge pile of trash, we waited.


    Soon, two pairs of footsteps could be heard, growing louder as they approached.


    ¡°Little rats made it easy for us,¡± a hoarse voice snickered.


    ¡°A fitting grave for them,¡± a gravelly voice replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s the two men from the shop!¡± Nico cursed as he quickly hid behind the trash again after taking a peek.


    ¡°I knew it,¡± I clicked my tongue as my eyes began scanning for anything I could use as a weapon.


    ¡°They¡¯re probably here to either get the shop owner¡¯s money back for him, or to steal it for themselves,¡± Nico deduced, clutching the money in his jacket tightly.


    Suddenly, a darkened figure leaped out from the other side of the pile of trash we were hiding behind, casting a giant shadow over us.


    ¡°Surprise!¡± the barrel-chested thug eximed with a sinister grin.


    ¡°Run!¡± I screamed at Nico, pushing my friend forward.


    He had no time to retort as he briskly made his way down the narrow alleyway darkened by the tall buildings around us.


    As the muscr man swung his beefy hand, I back-stepped out of reach. The sharp air from the force of his strike tickled my nose as I immediately reached down and swung a broken nk I had spotted on the floor just below his ribs.


    The burly man buckled, more from surprise than pain. I used that chance to bolt toward Nico, who was getting chased by the burly thug¡¯s roundpanion. But before I could get there, the man smacked Nico to the ground, knocking the wind out of my friend.


    As Nico gasped for breath, the pumpkin-bodied goon lifted his right leg over my friend¡¯s body.


    ¡°Over here, pig!¡± I roared, hoping the provocation would make him turn.


    ¡°Whaddya say?¡± the thug snarled, turning around to face me.


    I didn¡¯t stop running as the brawny thug approached from behind. My mind whirled, thinking of possible ways to get out of this situation despite how hopeless it seemed.


    My eyes darted around until they fell onto the sight of a loose nail stuck inside a brick of a building¡¯s wall nearby, about almost three meters off the ground.


    Cursing once more under my breath, I feigned to my right just before the musclehead behind me could make a grab. Sidestepping without even ncing back, I leaped up, hoping to reach the nail.


    As my body shot up, for some reason, everything around me turned silent. The world around me slowed as I could hear my heart thumping erratically, as if every other noise had been tuned out.


    I realized mid-jump that I wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the nail, but I was surprisingly calm. My peripheral view all came into focus as if I was looking at everything around me all at once. Utilizing a deep crack in one of the lower bricks, I sprung myself off to reach the rusted nail.


    As I pried out the nail, I pushed off the wall with my feet to elerate towards the hefty thug. I could slowly see the man¡¯s expression change from surprise to grim concentration. I could clearly see his right arm about to intercept my attack somehow, just from seeing the twitch in his right shoulder.


    I used my free hand to vault off of his right arm as it formed an arc toward me. In that same instant, I jabbed the nail in my hand directly into his eye¡ªeven feeling the sensation of the tip burying itself inside.


    At the shrill howl of the chunky goon, the world came back to normal. I tumbled gracelessly into a pile of old boxes as my opponent frantically wed at his face, too afraid to go near the nail in his left eye.


    ¡°Come on,¡± I urged, pulling the wide-eyed Nico back up to his feet. I looked back once more to spot the muscr thug trying to tend to his friend¡¯s injury to no avail.


    Out of breath and sweating out of every pore in my body, we copsed behind a local convenience store just outside the city.


    As we leaned against the wall, too tired to care about how many drunks and homeless people vomited and peed here, Nico ripped off his jacket and lifted up his shirt to cool himself off.


    ¡°That is what you came here for,¡± he panted, smacking my thigh. ¡°Oh man, if only you could¡¯ve seen yourself, Grey! Your body flew around like those kings fighting in duels!¡±


    I shook my head, still trying to catch my breath. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I did. Everything just started moving really slow.¡±


    ¡°I knew you had it in you!¡± my friend breathed. ¡°Remember that time Pavia dropped all those dishes next to you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I caught them, why?¡±


    ¡°You caught three dishes and two bowls, Grey!¡± Nico eximed. ¡°And you weren¡¯t even paying attention when she had dropped them.¡±


    ¡°I mean, catching something is one thing, but that has nothing to do with fighting,¡± I argued, sagging further down against the wall.


    ¡°You¡¯ll realize soon,¡± he replied, too tired to keep disputing. ¡°Now let¡¯s go, I don¡¯t want to be doing extra chores for being out past sundown!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I agreed, jogging alongside him.


    We arrived at the old, two-story house that served as the orphanage just a bit before dinner¡ªplenty of time to wash up and be on-time without looking suspicious. Nico slowly opened the back door, wincing as the old hinge began creaking. Keeping the lights off, we tiptoed down the unlit hallway, and just as we were about to reach our rooms, the orphanage¡¯s headmaster¡¯s clear voice called out from the living room.


    ¡°Grey, Nico. Can youe here for a moment?¡± she said in a quiet yet frighteningly stern voice.


    Nico and I traded nces, fear evident in both of our eyes. Nico quickly threw his jacket and drawstring bag into the room and closed back the door.


    ¡°Do you think she already found out?¡± I whispered.


    ¡°I¡¯d normally say it¡¯d be impossible, but it¡¯s headmaster we¡¯re talking about,¡± Nico replied, his normally confident demeanor shadowed by dread.


    We arrived in the brightly lit living room, our clothes dirty and our hair and face unruly.


    Sitting in perfect posture on the couch was our headmaster, an elderly woman all the kids called the Sorceress. Just next to her was a girl about our age with dusty brown hair that fell over her shoulders and a creamyplexion. She wore a luxurious red dress that not even the money we had just acquired could purchase.


    The headmaster regarded us with a raised brow but didn¡¯t question our disheveled state. Gently grabbing ahold of the unfamiliar girl¡¯s tiny hand, the two of them walked toward us.


    As the two approached, I couldn¡¯t help but shiver at the cold, emotionless eyes of the girl as she lifted her gaze to match mine.


    ¡°Grey. Nico.¡± The headmaster nudged the brown-haired girl softly. ¡°I¡¯d like you two to meet Cecilia. You three are the same age, so I hope you can show her around and be friends.¡±


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    My eyes opened as if I had just blinked, yet it felt like I had been sleeping for days. I sat up in my bed, a mixture of feelings weighing down my shoulders.


    ¡®Why was this memorying to me again after so long?¡¯ I thought. My insides twisted in guilt at the thought of Nico and Cecilia.


    ¡°Is everything all right?¡± Sylvie asked, curled up in her miniature form at the foot of my bed.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± I lied, running my fingers through my long, messy hair that now passed my chin.


    The dream had been so clear and urate that it had felt like I was back on Earth in my previous life.


    I remained dazed, unable to get out of bed, when someone knocked at the door of my room.


    ¡°Come in,¡± I answered, thinking it was either my parents or my sister. However, a man that appeared to be in histe twenties, dressed in ck clothes underneath a thin leather armor used by scouts, came in. He dipped his head in a respectful bow before rying a message.


    ¡°General Leywin, the meeting ce of the cryan messenger has been decided. Commander Virion has asked me to inform you to get ready to meet with the messenger along with him and Lord Aldir.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll be out in ten minutes,¡± I replied, getting out of bed.


    ¡°Shall I send over a maid to help you get ready?¡± he asked.


    I shook my head. ¡°No need.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± The man left after another bow, closing the door behind him.


    After quickly washing up, I tied back my hair at the crown of my head, leaving my bangs to fall just past my forehead. With my hair tied neatly and my body clothed in a fine white tunic trimmed with gold topliment the dark mantle I wore over it, I looked like a very dashing noble. I was still unused to the tightness of the pants in this world but I had to admit that it offered great mobility and freedom when fighting.


    ¡°A rather dapper appearance for one about to fight in a war,¡± Virion remarked as I approached him and Aldir with Sylvie right beside me. While Aldir¡¯s wardrobe practically lit up from the amount of gold and gems it contained, Virion wore a simple ck robe as he was still in mourning over Director Cynthia¡¯s murder.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I winked, smoothing my sleeve.


    Only a few days had passed since that day, but Virion appeared to have aged a century during that time.


    By the signature ck metal spike jutting out of Cynthia¡¯s chest, it was obvious that the assassination was done by one that possessed the powers of the Vritra n. It was unlikely that an actual n member had performed the attack since that would jeopardize the no-asura agreement in the war, but that didn¡¯t mean one of their descendants couldn¡¯t have done it.


    The only question that ate at my¡ªand Virion¡¯s¡ªmind was how they had done it. ording to the guards and the nurse in her care, nobody had seen anyone leave or enter the floor and the door that had been closed and locked hadn¡¯t been tampered with either. Everything but one fact remained a mystery; that somehow, the Vritra was involved.


    ¡°The ships are about a day away from reaching our shore, Arthur. Are you ready to meet this messenger?¡± Virion asked.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± I asked back, genuinely concerned. ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill the messenger, right?¡±


    Revealing a faint smile, Tessia¡¯s grandfather shook his head.


    Aldir stepped forward in front of the glowing teleportation gate. ¡°Good, then let us depart.¡±

 Chapter 140

    Chapter 140


    Chapter 140: Ultimatum</h3> <hr/>


    Scenes of the memories I thought I had forgotten shed in my head at every blink, haunting me in broad daylight as we prepared to make our way to the designated location where we would meet with the messenger.


    ¡®Are you okay, Arthur?¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s concern touched my mind.


    ¡®I¡¯m fine, Sylv. Other than the fact that you call me by my name now,¡¯ I replied, scratching her small ears.


    ¡®Grandfather said that it¡¯s important that I uphold the dignity of the dragons.¡¯ My bond held her tiny snout up high, she sauntering beside me as we came out of the teleportation gate that Aldir had conjured.


    We just had arrived near a small fishing town called Slore more than a dozen miles south of Etistin.


    ¡®Well, I can¡¯t say you weren¡¯t cuter before when you used to call me ¡°Papa,¡±¡¯ I smirked.


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry. I still see you as my papa!¡¯ sheforted, rubbing her side against my leg as we walked.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t feel right about doing this meeting without any backup,¡± Virion said warily.


    We were in a small clearing on a rise just above the town of Slore. The asional moist breeze carried with it a strong smell of the sea, making me sticky despite the frigid air.


    ¡°If this messenger has the audacity to act against us, I will have every right to intervene,¡± Aldir assured, a slight smirk appearing from hisx expression as his single opened eye stared straight ahead.


    ¡°With the way the Vritra¡¯s side has been nning everything¡ªbreeding asura half-bloods, creating mutants with our continent¡¯s mana beasts, and now the ships¡ªI can¡¯t imagine how long Agrona has been nning this. And I can¡¯t shake the feeling that this war is more of a game to him than some passionate endeavor.¡±


    ¡°If Agrona was so easy to predict, he never would¡¯ve gotten this far,¡± Aldir acknowledged reluctantly. ¡°Since he, like all the other asuras residing in this world, is prohibited to participate in this war directly, he¡¯s beening up with ways to go around that by being the almighty hand that moves his chess pieces¡ªat least for his side.¡±


    ¡°And who is the almighty hand that moves the pieces for our side?¡± Virion asked with a raised brow.


    ¡°You are the one leading this war, are you not?¡± Aldir reminded.


    Virion shrugged skeptically. ¡°That¡¯s what I tell myself at night.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± I intervened. ¡°Is this the meeting ce?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Virion let out a sigh, tying back his long white hair.


    ¡°This is the farthest I can take us before we traverse to our real destination,¡± Aldir rified. ¡°Our destination is in the middle of the ocean.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way,¡± I gestured.


    Aldir¡¯s feet slowly rose from the ground as a milky aura covered both him and Virion. Soon, the aura lifted Virion into the air as well. Virion¡¯s lips shut tight as every muscle in his body tensed like a cat picked up by its scruff.


    As the two of them shot up above the clouds, Sylvie suddenly scampered towards the edge of the cliff.


    ¡®Jump!¡¯ Sylvie chirped as she suddenly leaped off the edge.


    Without a second thought, I followed my bond. As I propelled myself up off the steep edge, I took the time to admire the hawkeye view of the bustling town directly below me.


    Just as my body began to descend, Sylvie¡¯s massive figure appeared below, scooping me up from the air with a snap of her powerful wings. I patted the base of her long, ck neck as we sped through the clouds.


    ¡®Sylvie, did you gain weight?¡¯ I joked, spotting the two tiny figures of Aldir and Virion ahead of us.


    ¡®That joke is getting old, you know,¡¯ Sylvie grumbled.


    ¡®Not to me.¡¯ I let out a refreshing whoop at the top of my lungs that was blown away by the harsh wind slicing against us as we sped faster.


    Sylvie stayed a few dozen meters behind Aldir as we surfed the top of the clouds. This far up in the sky, the only sound that could be heard was the sharp whistle of air around us, making the journey peaceful despite the purpose of our trip.


    As I stared in a daze at the blue and white scene around us, my mind wandered back to Epheotus after I had just finished my training. The brusque king of asuras had wanted to see me before I headed back to Dicathen. That was the second encounter I had had with Lord Indrath, and also the moment I realized who Myre was.


    The elderly asura that had healed me and taught me how to read spells using Realmheart had been seated right next to the stone-faced Lord Indrath with an amused grin on her now-youthful face.


    As I stood speechlessly with my mouth ajar, Lord Indrath beckoned me with a simple, ¡°I¡¯m sure you remember my wife, Myre.¡±


    Needless to say, the meeting hadn¡¯t gone as I had thought it would. For one, Lord Indrath had been much less critical this timepared to the first time we had met; he¡¯d even¡ªbarely¡ªacknowledged my improvement, although he had added that if I hadn¡¯t learned with Myre¡¯s help, then I would¡¯ve been a lost cause.


    Before leaving, Lord Indrath had left me with one piece of advice. What was odd was that he had activated his aether ability, freezing time for everyone present¡ªeven his wife¡ªexcept for the two of us. As I stared nkly at the king of the asuras as Myre, Sylvie, and the guards remained static, he had left me with a cryptic message:


    ¡®It¡¯s wisest to close your heart to the elf princess¡¯


    That was all he had said before withdrawing his powers and having the guards escort Sylvie and me back to Windsom and Wren who were waiting for us outside.


    ¡®We¡¯re almost here,¡¯ Sylvie announced, snapping me back to the present.


    Aldir and Virion had stopped above the clouds, waiting for us to catch up.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to say this to you but I will anyway. No one knows how much the Vritra actually know so it¡¯d be wise to keep your true strength hidden during this meeting.¡± Aldir¡¯s voice rang ufortably in my ear as if he was whispering right next to me.


    ¡°What about Sylvie?¡± I shouted, unsure if Aldir would even hear me.


    ¡°Lady Sylvie will have to transform back into her miniature from,¡± Aldir answered. ¡°I will carry you down, Arthur.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯lly low for now, but I¡¯m not going to stay hidden during the war. If I want to protect you, it¡¯ll be so with you on my back,¡¯ Sylvie dered as she turned into her white fox form.


    Not long after I began free-falling, Aldir dipped underneath Sylvie and me, wrapping us in the same aura that was covering Virion.


    As we fell beneath theyer of clouds below us, plummeting through the nket of white, the moisture in the air dampened our clothes, until we spotted the shimmering ocean gently rippling in all directions.


    Despite the phenomenal view of the never-ending stretch of water, my gaze instantly focused on the dark specks littered across the ocean to my right. About a few dozen miles north, I could see the fleet of cryan ships heading toward the shore near Etistin City, the capital of Sapin.


    ¡®Look below,¡¯ Sylvie pointed out. Floating on top on of the ocean was a pitch-ck tform about the size of a small house.


    As we descended just a few dozen meters above Virion and Aldir, I could make out two small figures that had blended in with the tform they had been standing on from afar.


    Suddenly, a shiver ran down my spine. Every hair on my body stood on end, and I could feel my heart beating faster the closer we arrived toward the tform.


    ¡°They¡¯re there,¡± I said aloud to no one in particr. ¡°But I don¡¯t think they¡¯re ordinary messengers.¡±


    Arriving atop the tform with a softnding, the three of us with Sylvie behind me walked toward the center, my jaws clenching at the sight of the two supposed messengers.


    By the familiar pale grey skin tone and striking red eyes, I knew they had to be part of the Vritra n.


    ¡°Wee to our humble abode,¡± the taller of the two sneered, hisnky arms spread wide open.


    Virion narrowed his eyes. ¡°We assumed that we¡¯d be meeting with a messenger. That position seems to be beneath both of you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ttered, but at this moment we are mere messengers!¡± he replied with an exaggerated smile while hispanion remained silent.


    Examining the two Vritras separately, despite their ancestry and blood, the two couldn¡¯t be more different. The one on my left stood just a bit taller than me with a ramrod straight posture. The Vritra had deep-set eyes underneath heavy lids, giving a mysteriously charming quality to his stern face. With his neatly-cropped head of ash ck hair and his tight-fitting ck armor underneath avish purple cape, the Vritra looked like someone out of every female¡¯s dreams if it weren¡¯t for the pair of horns jutting out just above his ears.


    The other Vritra¡ªthe one that had been talking¡ªstood well over two meters, towering over everyone here despite his hunched posture. His long, thin arms dangled by his sides as though his arms had popped out of their sockets. This Virtra didn¡¯t wear armor; instead, his body was wrappedpletely in thick dark bandages underneath a shabby ck mantle that perched on his shoulders. Messy bangs peeked out from underneath his tattered hood, entuating his peculiar appearance.


    This was my first time face to face with a Vritra, so I was surprised to see how much smaller the horns of the Vritra wearing the purple cape waspared to the Vritra that had attacked Sylvia in the cave during my childhood. However, the fact that I couldn¡¯t sense the level that these two messengers were meant they were either purposely hiding their auras or were just that much stronger than I was.


    ¡°I am Cylrit and this is Uto. It is an honor to meet you, Aldir. We retainers have heard much about the famous asuras in Epheotus.¡± As if Virion and I didn¡¯t exist, Cylrit¡¯s gaze locked onto Aldir¡¯s, but even that wasn¡¯t out of respect. ¡°I trust that you will uphold the pact and remain a nobatant?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at how casually he had mentioned that he was a retainer. That meant that he was one of the leading figures in this war that were actually allowed to fight¡ªjust beneath the Four Scythes.


    ¡°Assuming that your side will do the same? Then yes,¡± Aldir answered, his stare just as piercing as Cylrit¡¯s.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame. I wanted to try fighting an asura, but I guess I¡¯ll have to settle for ughtering a few thousand of you lessers,¡± the Vritra named Uto spat, locking his eyes on me.


    Thenky Vritra took a step toward me, craning his neck down with a sneer. ¡°I get why Mr. One-Eye and Grampa Elf are here but I didn¡¯t expect to see the boy wonder, Arthur Leywin, gracing us with his presence.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure how the Vritras had heard of me, but I maintained my cool facade. ¡°I could say the same for you. To what pleasure do we owe the retainers for showing their faces here?¡±


    ¡°Like Cylrit said, we just didn¡¯t want to send an innocent messenger to get captured and tortured for information. Because that¡¯s what I¡¯d do.¡± Uto¡¯s nted red eyes peered into me, searching for signs of fear or anger.


    Instead, I returned his provocation with a smirk. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to find you on the battlefield.¡±


    He replied with a murderous gaze, his lips spreading into a wicked grin. ¡°Why wait? I love slicing through children¡¯s flesh the most.¡±


    ¡°Uto! Enough,¡± Cylrit reprimanded.


    ¡°What?¡± Uto shrugged innocently. ¡°Mr. One-Eye here can¡¯t touch us anyway.¡±


    ¡°Neither would I want to touch any filthy lessurans,¡± Aldir answered apathetically as he peered into thenky Vritra¡¯s eyes. ¡°Now. Since we didn¡¯te here to exchange frivolities, get on with your message and disappear from my sight.¡±


    By the slight twitch in Uto¡¯s brows, I could tell his attempt at provoking Aldir had backfired. However, before thenky Vritra had the chance to respond, Cylrit stretched an arm in front of Uto to stop him.


    ¡°The message that His Majesty has tasked me to deliver to the leaders of Dicathen is simply this: Surrender the ruling family and mercy will be given to those who deserve it. Continue resistance and our army will eradicate everyone on this without discretion,¡± Cylrit recited, his gaze still only on Aldir.


    ¡°You call those terms?¡± Virion burst out. ¡°That¡¯s a one-sided ultimatum!¡±


    Uto revealed a cocky sneer as he dipped his head lower to be eye-level with Virion. ¡°Be thankful you even have the choice. Don¡¯t worry. If you decide on the first option, I promise to be extra gentle when slicing off your head.¡±


    Cylrit stared daggers at hispanion. ¡°We weren¡¯t sent here to incite a fight, Uto.¡±


    ¡°That was never my intention, just a friendly warning of the uing battle,¡± thenky Vritra replied but then turned to Virion with a perverse grin.¡°I hope to meet you and your granddaughter, Elf King. I¡¯ll make sure to enjoy myself thoroughly as you helplessly watch.¡±


    Disregarding Aldir¡¯s warning, I stepped forward, ready to draw the sword in my dimension ring, but in that instant, Virion moved first.


    In a sh, his fist made contact with Uto¡¯s jaw. Tessia¡¯s grandfather had already activated his second phase, a shroud of ck covering his entire body and head, but I could still make out the rage in his eyes.


    Uto¡¯s head immediately snapped back at the blow, lifting him off the ground and blowing off the hood that had been covering his head.


    ¡°That kinda tickled,¡± thenky Vritra growled, cracking his neck. Uto¡¯s nose jutted out at a weird angle, but my eyes were glued to his horns.


    It wasn¡¯t the shape or the size of his horns that had stunned me.


    No, it was the familiar chip on his left horn. The chip that the Lance, Alea, had made with her dying breath.

 Chapter 141

    Chapter 141


    Chapter 141: What War Means For Everyone</h3> <hr/>


    The haunting images of Alea¡¯s bloody corpse, limbs brutally severed and core destroyed, flooded my mind as I stared at the chip in Uto¡¯s left horn.


    Any form of inhibition that had kept me from killing the Vritra had disappeared as I advanced towards Uto.


    ¡°Was it you?¡± I asked, my voice dripping with malice as I approached Uto.


    Sylvie¡¯s concern seeped into my head from behind, but it was no use.


    Each step forward I took, the self-control that had kept me from remaining neutral during this meeting faded. Mana surged out of my body like a storm, shocking the Vritras and snapping Virion from his outrage.


    ¡°Were you the one that killed Alea?¡± I went on, taking another step.


    ¡°What was that, pup?¡± Uto snapped, his eyes furrowed in impatience.


    ¡°Thence in the dungeon that had all of her limbs cut off before dying,¡± I rified, my voice icy. ¡°Was it you?¡±


    ¡°Ahh,¡± the Vritra voiced, his lips curling upward.


    Just by the tone of his voice, I already knew the answer. Taunting Virion and using his granddaughter as fuel was one thing but the fact that he was the one responsible for Alea¡¯s horrible torture and death now gave gravity to his threats.


    He had to die.


    ¡°That pretty little elf? What if it was me, brat?¡± Uto smirked.


    I opened my mouth to respond, but Aldir gave me no chance to act on my impulses, appearing in front of me with a stern gaze. ¡°This is what he wants you to do. Don¡¯t let him provoke you.¡±


    I let out a deep breath. Of course I knew Uto was provoking us on purpose¡ªanyone with half a brain could see that. As for whether it was with forethought or because he was just that impulsive, I had a feeling it was both.


    Swallowing the bitter taste in my mouth, I ignored Uto. Facing Cylrit, I asked, ¡°Was there anything else that needed to be discussed? Or was that predictable threat all that you came here to say?¡±


    ¡°You will be given two days to decide,¡± Cylrit answered callously. ¡°If the three royal families of Dicathen have not been offered by then, we will take that as your answer.¡±


    I looked back at Virion who had finally gathered himself.


    ¡°We¡¯ll show ourselves out,¡± Virion shot with a re as he casually smoothed over the creases on his robe.


    As I turned around to leave with Virion and Aldir, Uto¡¯s voice rang from behind.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve heard her scream,¡± heughed chillingly. ¡°Almost made me want to not kill her; keep her alive so I could continue making her scream, you know?¡±


    I could feel my blood flowing faster as I stepped toward the edge of the tform, head pounding.


    Aldir caught my gaze as he prepared to lift me up with his aura but I stopped him. Imbuing both ice, lightning, and wind attribute mana into my palm, I raised my arm and whipped around to face Uto.


    The thin translucent beam of fused elements pierced through the narrow gap between the two Vritras, creating a crackling gale in its path. As the ray shot past them and into the water, the ocean split from the force of my spell. The waves instantly froze over before a current of electricity shattered the ice into shards of sparkling ss.


    I could see Uto¡¯s expression slowly crumple into that of doubt and shock while even Cylrit¡¯s cold face showed surprise as the shower of ice shards rained down on us.


    ¡°Whether or not we decide to go forth with the war, I really hope to meet you again, Uto.¡± I turned back around as the shadowy tform we had been standing on convulsed.


    As Aldir lifted Virion, Sylvie and me into the air, I held back the urge to turn back around. Staring at Virion¡¯s face, lined with worry and frustration, I could tell he was thinking about the Vritra¡¯s words.


    ¡°You¡¯re not really considering their offer, right?¡± I asked as we ascended above the clouds.


    ¡°No, but if they were to keep true to their word, imagine how many innocent lives will be saved,¡± Virion said, the creases between his brows thickening.


    I couldn¡¯t help but scoff. ¡°That¡¯s a big if to be sacrificing you and your family¡¯s lives for.¡±


    ¡°Arthur¡¯s right,¡± Aldir chimed in. ¡°You know what bes of the world under the Vritra¡¯s rule. Even Epheotus won¡¯t be safe from harm if Agrona is able to popte two continents with races mixed with his blood. It¡¯ll be a matter of a few generations before they strike against the rest of the asuras as well.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Virion sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not looking forward to the protests that¡¯ll undoubtedly form from my choice, though.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to tell everyone?¡± I asked, surprised.


    Tess¡¯s grandfather nodded solemnly. ¡°Trust is a fickle serpent;boriously gained yet so easily lost. It¡¯s necessary for the leader to be trusted by his people but how much do you think they¡¯ll trust me after realizing that I¡¯m basically using their lives as a gambling token?¡±


    ¡°Not much,¡± I admitted, still reluctant toward the idea. I wouldn¡¯t question Virion¡¯s decisions, though. As far as leading went, he had much more experience than I had, even with both lives under my belt.


    I could offer a different perspective, but ultimately, I trusted his choices, as did Aldir. When the asura had firste to Dicathen, killing off the Greysunders¡¯ in one sweep as soon as he had arrived, I figured he would try and control Virion like some sort of puppeteer in the background. However, Aldir simply protected and advised Virion, never forcing him to take action. This said a lot about the respect the asura had for him.


    As we flew back to the western shore, Virion coordinated ns with a mental transmission artifact for the public speaking that would supposedly take ce tomorrow.


    Just from the bits and pieces of the conversation I managed to pick up from Virion murmuring into the artifact, it seemed like all the major figures in the war would be present at the speech. Thences, the royal members of the three races, and other influential noble families were to be gathered and stand beside Virion as he made his speech as a sign of respect.


    We arrived back at the circr room in the castle through the teleportation gate in just a couple hours. Before exiting the nd brick chamber, Virion patted my back.


    ¡°Get some rest, Arthur. Lord Aldir and I will handle the rest from here,¡± the white-haired elf said with a tired smile.


    ¡°I can help,¡± I protested. ¡°There¡¯s a lot you guys need to n if the announcement is to be made tomorrow, right?¡±


    ¡°Let me worry about that,¡± he rejected. ¡°Your family is here, right now, waiting for you. I¡¯m afraid that after the true war begins, the amount of time you will be able to spend with your loved ones will be limited.¡±


    ¡°Listen to Virion,¡± Aldir agreed. ¡°Judging by your little parting gift to those lessurans earlier, you¡¯ve prepared your body. Now, use this time to prepare your mind and heart.¡±


    Tired and dirty from the journey, I didn¡¯t protest any further, and we went our separate ways. The living quarters in the castle were on the upper floors, where I was headed now. No matter how many times I came to this castle, it was impossible for me to imagine howrge this floating structure must be to amodate almost a hundred people while still having space for luxurious amenities.


    Walking up the flights of stairs with Sylvie silently scampering behind me, I thought about how everyone¡¯s life would change during this war. Until now, the battles have been isted past the Grand Mountains, never reaching civilization. There hadn¡¯t been any civilian casualties, only military ones. But once the shipsnded on the western border, that would all change, and for the ignorant civilians, it woulde as a surprise to them.


    I feared how the normal inhabitants¡ªthe non-nobles¡ªwould take Virion¡¯s announcement. At best, they would reluctantly ept, but at worst, protests would arise, and the citizens that the soldiers of Dicathen were trying to protect would betray us for the blind hope that the cryan forces would let them live if they cooperated.


    I exited the stairway on the fourth flight and made my way down the wide corridor lit warmly by orbs mounted on both walls. The corridor branched off into narrower hallways with doors every few feet or so.


    ¡°How do you suppose we find our parents, Sylv?¡± I asked, veering right into a random hallway in hopes of running into someone that would know.


    ¡°Searching for mana signatures seems over the top here and would probably rm some of the mages,¡± Sylvie chimed. ¡°How about knocking on every door until we find someone that can tell us?¡±


    I took another right at a path and ventured further down until a familiar sight caught my eye. A wide archway led to a patio garden outside of the castle. I never thought I¡¯d see such an open deck on a flying castle but the vast orange sky of a beautiful sunset, dimmed by the transparent barrier surrounding it, illuminated the area. ying on the neatly-kept grasswn were groups of children, some sparring with friends, others simply chasing each other.


    What made me stop was the sight of the towering dark-brown bear ying amidst the scampering children. I spotted an ufortable Ellie just beside her bond, talking to some blond-haired boy her age.


    Puffed out chest, chin held high, a fake smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes... If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d say he was trying to flirt with my precious sister.


    ¡°Stick him, Sylv. Make him scream like a castrato,¡± I grinned evilly.


    My vicious bond scampered to my sister, asking me in my head what a castrato was, when Ellie¡¯s mana beast picked up the blond boy by the back of his cor and flung him away.


    The bear¡ªI think Boo was his name¡ªand I locked eyes for a brief second. I gave him a stern, approving nod as I raised my right thumb.


    Boo responded with a furry thumb¡¯s up as well, still seated next to my sister, and it was at that moment that I felt that Boo wouldn¡¯t be such a badpanion for my sister after all.


    ¡°Sylvie?¡± Ellie eximed when she noticed the little white fox scampering towards her. Looking up, her face lit up when she saw me. ¡°Brother?¡±


    The children¡ªall nobles that hade here for safety¡ªwhipped their heads, dropping whatever they had been doing. Some of the parents nearby, seated on the patio chairs talking to one another, turned around to look at me.


    As I walked toward my sister, I could feel everyone¡¯s eyes following me. Ellie scooped up Sylvie and embraced her tightly before looking back up at me. ¡°Brother, you¡¯re back already?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± I smiled, ncing around at the onlookers. Dipping my head, I whispered into my sister¡¯s ear. ¡°Why are they all staring at me?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not a noble in Dicathen that doesn¡¯t know who Arthur Leywin is,¡± she giggled. ¡°You should see how those nobles treat me.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s what it was. I thought I had done something wrong to your friends here.¡± I let out a relieved chuckle. Turning to Boo, who remained seated on his hind legs, I raised my hand. ¡°Good to see you, Boo!¡±


    The giant mana beast responded with a low grunt and received my hand with arge paw.


    ¡°When did you two get so close?¡± Ellie marveled.


    ¡°Men withmon objectives tend to bond fast,¡± I answered, the two of us nodding at each other once more.


    ¡°What? No¡ªnever mind¡ªthat¡¯s not important. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re here right now. You¡¯ve got to stop them,¡± Ellie amended, shaking her head.


    ¡°What? Stop who from what?¡± I could hear the worry in her voice. Ellie pulled me back out of the patio, away from the other children and parents as her eyes nervously darted left and right.


    ¡°It¡¯s Mom and Dad,¡± she said solemnly. ¡°They¡¯ve decided to join the war.¡±

 Chapter 142

    Chapter 142


    Chapter 142: Unexpectedly</h3> <hr/>


    Leaving Sylvie with my sister, I made my way to my parents¡¯ room. I strode down the corridor, my gait growing faster with each step as I arrived in front of the doorbeled ¡°Leywin Family.¡±


    I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. The thought of what Ellie said, that my parents really nned to take part in the war, filled me with unease. A dull thud resounded as I knocked on the wooden door.


    ¡°It¡¯s open,¡± the warm voice of my mother chimed from the other side.


    The hinges creaked as I turned the knob and slid the door open. Bagsy open on the floor with clothes folded neatly beside them. I stepped inside and looked around to find my father polishing his gauntlets, a set of chainmail armor spread out beside him. My mother, who had been walking toward the door to greet their visitor, stopped when she saw me. She masked her surprise with a sullen smile while my father dropped his gaze as soon as he saw my expression.


    ¡°So it¡¯s true,¡± I muttered, picking up a polished shin brace beside my father.


    ¡°Son.¡± My father put down the gauntlet and rag but remained seated.


    ¡°We weren¡¯t expecting you back so soon,¡± my mother added, taking another step toward me.


    ¡°Were you nning on leaving without saying anything to me?¡± I asked, my gaze still focused on the shin brace in my hand.


    ¡°Of course not. But we wanted to finish preparing before you got back.¡± My mother lifted her hand, hesitating just a bit before she ced it on my shoulder.


    A mixture of feelings welled up in me as I squeezed tightly at the metal armor¡ªconfusion as to why they had suddenly decided to fight, irritation that they hadn¡¯t even bothered to discuss this decision with me, and anger that they¡¯d be willing to risk their lives when Ellie was barely twelve.


    I finally pried my gaze off of my hands and looked at my father. ¡°I thought you guys were going to wait until after Ellie got older before joining the war.¡±


    ¡°Commander Virion advised us to stay until Ellie was older or until you came,¡± my father said, his gaze firm.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that you guys suddenly decided to fight in the war just because I came back,¡± I replied doubtfully.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t,¡± my mother answered, her hand squeezing my shoulder more tightly.


    ¡°I just got a transmission from Helen.¡± My father stood up, his gaze unusually vicious as he tested out his gauntlets. ¡°They were attacked in a dungeon as everyone was getting ready to leave. They stayed back to buy some time for the younger soldiers to escape, but...¡±


    ¡°But?¡± I echoed. My father, Reynolds Leywin, the man who had always endured any hardships with an optimistic smile, looked up with an icy venom in his eyes. ¡°Adam didn¡¯t make it.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I was there just yesterday. I was the one that cleared the dungeon and killed the mutant holed up inside.¡±


    My father nodded solemnly. ¡°Apparently after you left, as everyone prepared to depart, another horde of mana beasts led by a mutant attacked them. Helen thinks that the bottom floor of the first dungeon was connected to another dungeon.¡±


    ¡°The fight was a mess because no one had been expecting a battle. The Twin Horns and some other veteran soldiers stayed and bought some time for everyone else,¡± my mother continued. ¡°Luckily, the mutant was only B ss, but because its army wasrger and caught them off guard, there were more deaths than necessary... including Adam¡¯s.¡±


    A barren silence lingered in the room after my mother finished speaking. I couldn¡¯t believe that someone I had just seen yesterday was dead. Suddenly, a sinking realization made me bolt upright; Tess had been in that dungeon!


    ¡°Who else died?¡± I asked. Despite my concern, I didn¡¯t want to seem insensitive of Adam¡¯s death by asking if Tess was okay.


    ¡°That was all I was able to hear from Helen. It was an emergency transmission so the message was rather short, but seeing as she didn¡¯t include anyone else, I figured the others that died were soldiers we didn¡¯t know,¡± my father added with a sigh. ¡°Although Commander Virion probably knows more now since some time has passed.¡±


    Helen would¡¯ve surely mentioned if something had happened to Tess, but it still made me uneasy, to say the least.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about what happened to Adam,¡± I consoled my father. Adam wasn¡¯t my favorite of the Twin Horns as I had found his quick temper and cynical sarcasm to be distasteful, but he had been loyal. Underneath his impatient and cranky exterior had been a trustworthyrade that stood by my parents¡¯ sides while they were in the Twin Horns.


    I could now see why the atmosphere surrounding my father was so heavy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, Arthur. We¡¯re not doing this out of guilt¡ªa soldier¡¯s life is always in danger,¡± my father said.


    ¡°Even still,¡± I said, shaking my head.


    I knew I was being unreasonable. My father had every right to fight the battles he chose. But it was my own selfishness of wanting to keep the ones I loved safe that made me want to try.


    It didn¡¯t matter what level your core was or how knowledgeable you were about mana maniption. No matter how much you strengthened your body or heavily you equipped yourself, death coulde at any moment in a battle; no matter how strong I became, I firmly believed that. Yet, my father was willing to risk his and my mother¡¯s lives when it wasn¡¯t only unnecessary, but reckless.


    ¡°Arthur, it¡¯s not his fault,¡± my mother consoled. ¡°I¡¯m the one that wants to go back to the Twin Horns and help out in the war.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I blurted,pletely taken by surprise. ¡°You want to go to war?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°B-But you can¡¯t,¡± I turned to my father, bewilderment practically written on my face. ¡°I mean, Dad said you avoid using magic because something happened in the past. Why now...?¡±


    My mother cast a nce at my father, who dipped his head in a solemn nod. ¡°Arthur, sit down.¡±


    I obeyed, taking a seat at the foot of the bed as my mother gathered her thoughts.


    ¡°What else did my hus¡ªyour father tell you?¡± She eyed me guiltily as she amended her words but I didn¡¯t take it to heart. She had told me to give her time to ept who I was and I could tell that with her being overly mindful, she was trying.


    ¡°That¡¯s about all he told me,¡± I said. ¡°He said the rest was to be told by you when you were ready.¡±


    ¡°What we never told you, Arthur, about the Twin Horns, was that there was actually one more member.¡±


    My brows furrowed as I nced over to my father, who remained silent.


    ¡°Her name was Lensa, a talented and young augmenter at the time,¡± my mother continued.


    She went on telling me a story of a very bright and hopeful mage that had joined the Twin Horns shortly after my father had brought in a young Alice from Valden City. My mother¡¯s eyes zed over as she described how she and Lensa had hit it off immediately, Lensa¡¯s brash and straightforwardness meshing well with my mother¡¯s timidity. Lensa had done well for herself as an adventurer even without the help of a party, to the point where she was already fairly well-known. So when she had asked the Twin Horns if she could join their party, it came as a surprise to everyone.


    My mother closed her eyes and paused for a breath. ¡°It had only been about two years since she joined when the ident urred.¡±


    My brows furrowed in apprehension as I imagined what sort of ident had transpired, when my mother faintly smiled. ¡°It isn¡¯t some dramatic cmity that befell us; not everyone¡¯s life is as exciting as yours is.¡±


    Embarrassed, I let out an ufortableugh as I scratched my cheek.


    ¡°We had gotten careless and ran into an ambush by a pack of stingers. None of us had sustained any major injuries and I thought very little of it as I healed everyone¡¯s surface wounds.¡± My mother pursed her lips to keep from crying. ¡°The thing about being an emitter is that everyone expects you to know how to heal every injury¡ªthat your magic is a one-spell-cures-all when that really isn¡¯t the case.¡±


    My father ced a consoling hand on my mother¡¯s back as her body shuddered.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know at that time either since it hadn¡¯t been that long since I had awakened and I never fully trained in the different aspects of healing; I didn¡¯t think I needed to.¡± Wiping away her tears, she looked up at me with red eyes. ¡°I closed everyone¡¯s wounds, except the venom from the stingers¡¯ tails had infected the flesh below. Your father and everyone else was able to get treated in time before it could do any harm, but for Lensa, the wound was close to her mana core, and after I had closed her wounds, the venom spread.¡±


    I drew in a breath sharply. ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Her mana core had gotten infected to the point where she could no longer practice mana maniption. I had robbed my friend and teammate of the one true joy in her life.¡±


    ¡°At least she¡¯s still alive,¡± I said, trying tofort her until she shook her head.


    ¡°She went off by herself into a dungeon and never came back out,¡± my mother said. ¡°She had always said that she wanted to die gloriously in battle, but she went into a high-risk dungeon without being able to use magic to get herself killed. And you know what the funny part is?¡±


    My mother looked up, trying to keep any more tears from falling as she scoffed. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t closed the wound, the doctor would¡¯ve been able to easily extract the poison. She probably would¡¯ve been fine if I hadn¡¯t healed her.¡±


    I opened my mouth, hoping words would form, but none did. My father remained silent as well, his hand still gently stroking my mother¡¯s back.


    After a few minutes, my motherposed herself. ¡°I¡¯ve been scared to properly use magic for anything more than minor injuries since then. Back when we were first on our way to Xyrus and we had gotten attacked, I was barely able to bring myself to heal your dying father. But after you told us about your...secret, and went off to train, Elder Rinia helped me as well while we were holed up in that cave. I doubt Adam¡¯s death was a sign, but after everything the Twin Horns has done for your father and I, I think it¡¯s time for us to be there for them.¡±


    The resolution in my mother¡¯s eyes made it clear that she didn¡¯t say all this hoping to gain my approval.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the only reason though,¡± my father said in a hushed tone. ¡°Now that you¡¯re back, it¡¯s been killing me thinking about you, fighting out in the war while we¡¯re here, safely twiddling our thumbs and waiting for good news.¡±


    ¡°But what if something happens to either of you? What will happen to Ellie then?¡± I argued, still uneasy about letting them out to battle.


    ¡°The same goes for you, Arthur. No matter how strong you are, death rarelyes from just weakness; it sneaks up when your guard is down. I¡¯ll protect your mother and you can bet that our goal in this war will be to make it out in one piece ande back to you and your sister, but you have to do the same.¡± My father paused for a second as his gaze hardened. ¡°We may not have raised you as we thought we had with your past life¡¯s memories and all, but you can be damn sure that Ellie sees you as her loving brother, so don¡¯t be so eager to sacrifice yourself for some vague ¡®greater good,¡¯ ande out of this war safely. Even if we lose this war, there will always be a chance to fight back. The only situation where you truly lose is when you die, because there are no second chances after that.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a soft chuckle. ¡°Well...¡±


    ¡°You know what I mean!¡± my father snapped, eliciting a faint smile from my mother.


    Suddenly, a hurried knock drew our attention to the door. After trading nces with my parents, I said, ¡°It¡¯s open.¡±


    The wooden door swung open to reveal Virion in the same ck robe he had worn earlier today in our meeting with the Vritra. ¡°Boy, have you heard?¡±


    ¡°Commander Virion!¡± My parents bolted up from their seats.


    ¡°Please. Just Virion is fine for Arthur¡¯s parents,¡± he replied with a quick wave of his hand.


    ¡°Is it the attack?¡± I guessed, judging by his perturbed expression.


    ¡°Good, you have then,¡± Virion nodded. ¡°And have you told your parents?¡±


    ¡°My parents were the one that told me.¡±


    Virion¡¯s brows raised in mild surprise but he merely let out a sigh as he regarded my parents. ¡°Then you must¡¯ve heard what happened to your ex-party member.¡±


    My father responded with a solemn nod.


    ¡°You have my deepest condolences,¡± Tess¡¯s grandfathermented. ¡°Some of the soldiers that were there arrived at the castle just now. I came to get Arthur, but I¡¯m positive that at least the leader of the Twin Horns is here. Would you like toe with us?¡±


    After sending a quick transmission to Sylvie¡ªthat we were going to be on the lower floor and to stay with Ellie¡ªthe four of us hurried to the teleportation room.


    The towering iron doors that protected the teleportation room had been left open as soldiers, still worn from battle, stumbled out of the glowing gate in the center of the room, some still with their weapons drawn and bloody.


    Guards lined the walls in case anyone other than Dicathen soldiers made their way through the portal as handmaids and nurses waited with fresh gauze and vials of antiseptics and ointment to provide treatment to the badly injured soldiers.


    Spotting Helen first, I nudged my parents¡¯ attention to her direction.


    Needless to say, she was in a miserable state. Her metal chest guard was cracked with only a fragment of her shoulder brace still attached to her. The leather armor that protected the rest of Helen¡¯s body had gashes in it, lined with dried blood, but her expression wasn¡¯t that of weariness or pain. There was a raging tempest in her eyes as she walked down the tform with her broken bow still in hand.


    ¡°Helen!¡± my father called out. My parents immediately rushed toward Helen. The leader of the Twin Horns¡¯ expression softened at the sight of my parents as she received their hug.


    Leaving Virion, who was still anxiously waiting for Tess to walk through the portal, I made my way toward Helen.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe,¡± I said, giving her a gentle hug. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what happened to Adam... If only I had stayed down there with you guys¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Helen stopped me. ¡°No good everes out of thinking like that. What happened, happened. The best thing to do is focus on how we¡¯ll make those damn cryans and their mutant pets pay.¡±


    ¡°What you have to focus on now is resting,¡± my mother said. ¡°Come, we¡¯ll have a nurse look at you.¡±


    My mother guided Helen, who had insisted that she was okay, with my father trailing closely behind them. I figured they¡¯d tell Helen about their ns on re-joining the Twin Horns, but I remained in the room to wait for Tess toe back.


    The soldiers that escaped had managed to reach one of the hidden teleportation gates within the Beast des, but without the time for a headcount and the fact that the horde of mana beasts might still ambush them outside of the dungeon made me worry the longer Tess didn¡¯t show up.


    Not more than a few minutes could¡¯ve passed but it felt like an eternity as unfamiliar faces staggered out of the teleportation gate. Finally, a familiar face popped out of the portal; it was the boy named Stannard.


    He had a few scuffs on his tunic and pants and his face was smudged with dirt but I took the fact that there was no blood on him as a positive sign.


    I didn¡¯t hesitate to dash to him, pulling him aside almost instantly as he stepped out of the gate.


    ¡°Woah! What giv¡ª¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Tessia? Was she with you?¡± I bombarded, gripping his arm tightly.


    ¡°Arthur Leywin?¡± His face twinged. ¡°Ouch. Your grip is a bit tight.¡±


    I immediately let go, my gaze still shifting between Stannard and the teleportation gate just in case Tess came out.


    ¡°Sorry, Stannard. I heard about the ambush in the dungeon. Where¡¯s the rest of your team?¡± I asked impatiently. The noise level in the room had grown as more soldiers filled the area. Some were groaning in pain while others were talking to guards and filling them in on what had happened.


    ¡°Th-They should¡¯ve been behind me,¡± he replied, looking back. ¡°It was too crazy. We had to keep running just in case they chased after us.¡±


    Stannard was shivering as his knees buckled. I put his arms over my shoulders and helped him to the side where he could sit and lean against the wall.


    Looking at everyone¡¯s state, Helen had clearly understated the severity of the ambush to my parents. As I veered over the crowd of soldiers, I spotted the rest of Tess¡¯s teammates.


    The girl named Caria was carrying the boy I had dueled against¡ªDarvus, I think¡ªon her back, his feet dragging on the ground because of their difference in height.


    The short augmenter was easily carrying her teammate despite the multiple wounds on her body. Her curly brown hair was amok, caked with blood at the ends, and her leather armor was tattered beyond repair.


    Rushing to them, I lifted the unconscious Darvus and began carrying him, surprising Caria.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she replied meekly as I guided her to Stannard.


    As I put Darvus down, the wild-haired augmenter stirred awake. Letting out a pained groan, his zed eyes focused on me. As soon as he realized who he was staring at, his eyes narrowed. ¡°You... because of that bloody technique of yours, I couldn¡¯t muster up any mana to fight!¡±


    Despite his anger, his voice came out hoarse and weak.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I really am.¡±


    Darvus sunk back against the wall before falling back into unconsciousness, joining the sleeping Stannard.


    I snagged a pitcher of water from a handmaid passing by and gave it to Caria. She immediately buried her head inside the ss pitcher, gulping down the water before passing it back to me,pletely empty.


    ¡°Caria.¡± I gently shook her shoulder to keep her from falling asleep. ¡°I need to know what happened to Tessia.¡±


    Caria¡¯s eyes were half-closed as she opened her mouth to exin. She was about to speak when, instead, her lips curled into a grin. She pointed behind me, wordlessly.


    Confused, I looked over my shoulder. Hobbling out of the portal, dirty, with clothes tattered, hair amok, armor dented and cracked, but alive and in one piece, was Tessia.

 Chapter 143

    Chapter 143


    Chapter 143: Numbers Behind Age <hr>


    <span style="text-decoration: underline;">TESSIA ERALITH¡¯S POV:


    I stepped out of the teleportation gate and onto a tform, feeling weary and frustrated. I could¡¯ve helped back there, but they wouldn¡¯t let me. The soldiers that stayed behind to fight all echoed the same words¡ªthat I needed to go and my safety was priority.


    What the hell was the point of training so damn hard if everyone treated me like some ss sculpture?


    I let out a deep breath, hoping to expel the frustration out of my system, but all it did was remind my body how thirsty I was. Looking around at the crowd of soldiers, guards and nurses, I sought out looking for anyone holding a ss of water to quench my parched throat. Then I caught the sight of my teammates.


    Stannard and Darvus were asleep against the wall while Caria was sitting up, speaking to someone, when she pointed at me.


    The man she had been talking to maintained his crouching position as he turned his head.


    My chest tightened as he stood up. His furrowed brows and sharp gaze that regarded his surroundings instantly rxed as he locked eyes with me.


    It was Art.


    I couldn¡¯t help but mindlessly stare as he walked towards me. The first time I had seen him in two years, he was covered in blood and grime, looking somewhat like a monster himself. However, the Art that was approaching me now waspletely different. Dressed in a sharp white tunic lined luxuriously with gold and a long ck mantle that seemed to shroud him in mystery, he exuded a sort of grand aura that belittled every royal family in Dicathen. His long hair was bound up, entuating the sharp lines of his jaw while locks of auburn bangs fell messily over his forehead and past his azure eyes that crinkled from his breathtaking smile.


    He was almost upon me when I snapped out of my daze. There were soldiers and guards nearby that I had to keep myposure around. It had barely been a day since thest time I¡¯d seen Art and judging by his demeanor from thest time we had met in public, I¡¯m sure he disliked emotional reunions.


    Letting out a hoarse cough, I tried to stand taller, puffing myself up to muster as much poise and dignity that I could despite my unkempt appearance.


    I stuck out my hand for him to shake, keeping my expression stoic. ¡°Good to see you so soon, Arth¡ª¡±


    My gesture was ignored as a powerful hand wove underneath my arm,nding firmly on my back as he pulled me toward him. I stumbled forward by the sudden force and my face pressed against the thin tunic, bathing me in his warmth.


    I¡¯d been approached, pursued, and courted by almost every man brave enough to look past my lineage but the only thing I felt for them was either pity or annoyance. However, at this moment, my body felt as if it had been both frozen and melted at the same time as I remained motionless in his embrace.


    Whether the entire room had fallen silent or my sense of hearing had just disappeared, I couldn¡¯t tell, but my other senses had be overwhelmed. From inside the safe haven of his sturdy arms, a faint hint of oak and a crisp ocean breeze filled my nose as I felt the side of his face bury into my neck.


    My limbs remained frozen but my empty stomach continued to flutter uncontrobly while Art¡¯s arm squeezed just a fraction tighter.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay,¡± Art finally spoke. His warm breath blew against my neck, sending shivers down my spine.


    My arms twitched, instinctively wanting to hug him back, but the piercing stares of everyone around us made me stop.


    ¡°O-Of course I¡¯m okay,¡± I said, barely mustering up the strength to push him away despite how every fiber in my body wanted me to pull him closer. I could feel blood rushing up my neck to the very top of my head as I stared at Art, his face just inches away from my own.


    I could see his eyes moving, tracing every feature of my face as he studied me. He let out deep breath, as if arge weight had been lifted, and looked at me with a gentle smile. ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll take you to your grandfather.¡±


    It felt as though I was swimming in some sort of thick, viscous liquid in my head. The world blurred by with muffled conversations and shadows of people I couldn¡¯t quite make out. My body seemed to move on its own, acting and responding on instinct as my mind kept recalling my arrival back inside the castle. Now that I was just remembering it, my mind started analyzing every action and inaction of the scene, trying to put meaning into every thing Art did at that moment¡ªthe firmness yet tenderness of his hug, the desperation and relief that poured out of him when his eyes locked onto me.


    I reyed the scene over and over again in my head, nitpicking every little detail. However, the conclusion that I had reached every time was the same. I hated howposed he was every time we met. And, after all of this time, I hated how I still felt weak and helpless in front of him.


    I wasn¡¯t able to see much of Art after our initial meeting at the castle. I was swept away by a team of nurses as soon as my grandfather had released me from his embrace, and escorted to my room. After checking to make sure my teammates had been tended to, I plopped gingerly into my bed, findingfort in the fact that my simply furnished room was exactly as I had left it.


    As the nurses removed my armor and wiped me down with scented towels, I felt my body sinking deeper and deeper into the sheets until the world faded to darkness.


    ¡°¡ªshould tell her, Virion.¡± Art¡¯s familiar voice pulled me out of my slumber. Rubbing my eyes, I squinted at the morning sun just barely peeking above theyer of clouds below us.


    It took my brain a second to assess the situation before a frightening thought struck me. I immediately peeked underneath my covers, letting out a sigh of relief to find myself clothed.


    ¡°She¡¯s going to find out eventually. You can¡¯t hide something like this from her; it¡¯s impossible.¡± Art¡¯s muffled voice came from the other side of the door. He talked in a hushed tone but his words rang clearly in my ears.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if she finds outter, but she¡¯s not ready for this. Now shush! What if she hears?¡± my grandfather whispered back.


    ¡°She¡¯ll listen to you if you respect her enough to tell her. If she finds out from anyone else, what do you think she¡¯s going to do?¡± Art argued back, his voice growing sharper.


    ¡°Damn you, boy. What if she decides to go? Then what?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out after hearing her response. Virion, you and I both know what your granddaughter is capable of once she puts her mind to something.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± my grandfather snapped back. ¡°I just can¡¯t... with Cynthia dying by the hands of those Vritra bastards right here in this castle. What if...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t hear the rest of their conversation as my heart began beating louder and louder. Master Cynthia is dead? That¡¯s impossible, right?


    Master Cynthia had always been leagues above anyone I knew in terms of magical abilities. Her expertise in mana maniption was on par with¡ªmaybe even above¡ªGrandpa¡¯s. She had taught me everything from basic control to advanced execution of spells while sword fighting.


    There is no way she would be killed so easily. I tried convincing myself, but my hands trembled as I held on tightly to my nket.


    I sat up on my bed, wiping away a stray tear that had managed to escape from my eye, and waited for the two of them toe in.


    ¡°Come in,¡± I answered immediately after they knocked on the door.


    Art, dressed simply in a grey tunic and ck pants with his hair tied up into a knot, came in first, followed by my grandfather who was wearing the same ck robe he had been wearing yesterday.


    Art took one nce at me and let out a sigh as he closed his eyes. ¡°How much did you hear?¡±


    ¡°Everything,¡± I answered matter-of-factly.


    My grandfather took a step forward, his face furrowed in concern. ¡°Child¡ª¡±


    ¡°Take me to her, please,¡± I cut him off, stepping out of bed to find something to wear over my nightdress.


    I stayed silent as we descended down the flights of stone stairs, the only sounding from our echoing footsteps as my grandfather led the way and Art trailed closely behind me.


    My grandfather kept taking nces back, but didn¡¯t say anything until we reached the bottommost floor where the dungeons and cells were.


    ¡°Why is Master Cynthia holed up in such a filthy and degrading ce reserved for murderers and traitors?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a burial ground in this castle, Tessia. We¡¯re keeping her here until circumstances permit us to safely give her a burial,¡± my grandfather answered patiently. ¡°And the dungeon has been empty since the start of this war after we moved all of the prisoners to more remote dungeons on the ground.¡±


    The dungeon floor differed vastly from the rest of the castle. Fungus grew between the stone blocks and mold lined the wooden hinges that the illuminating artifact rested on. The foul, musty smell blended with the near-toxic odor of decay and waste. The area seemed as if it was purposely designed to repulse the prisoners held here. What my grandfather said was true¡ªonly a hollow silence lingered rather than the screams and moans of prisoners.


    At the farthest end of the floor, there was a single metal door with a soldier standing guard.


    ¡°Open the door,¡± my grandfather ordered.


    The armored guard nodded, his expression hidden underneath his helmet, as he stepped to the side and turned the rusted handle without turning around. As the metal door screeched against the uneven ground, a wless stone caskety in the center of the empty cell with a small pile of flowers resting on top.


    ¡°Only a few people know of her death,¡± my grandfather exined, walking up and gentlyying a hand on the top of the stone coffin.


    ¡°She deserves a public ceremony. All of her past students, the professors who taught at Xyrus... she doesn¡¯t deserve to be here,¡± I muttered.


    My grandfather nodded. ¡°I know¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then why?¡± I said harshly. ¡°Why is my master rotting away in a corner of this foul dungeon? For everything she had done for this continent, she deserves a diamond coffin and a countrywide funeral! Sh-She deserves anything but... this.¡±


    ¡°Tessia...¡± Grandpa rested his hand gently on my back, hoping to quell my anger.


    ¡°How could you keep this from me, Grandpa? If I hadn¡¯t heard you through the door, when would I have found out? After the war?¡± I scoffed, shrugging his hand away while my vision blurred from my tears. ¡°Is there anything else you¡¯re hiding from me? Despite everything I did to try and show you that I was mature, you still treat me like a child¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you are a child,¡± Art snapped.


    ¡°What?¡± I blurted, my face getting red from anger rather than embarrassment. ¡°How can you¡ªyou should know better than anyone else how I¡¯m feeling, but you call me a child? You of all people?¡±


    My childhood friend wore a calloused expression as I huffed in frustration, regarding me with a stern eye that made me doubt yesterday¡¯s memory of him affectionately hugging me.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I know both you and Grandpa Virion so well that I¡¯m saying this, Tess. What you¡¯re doing right now¡ªneedlessly putting yourself in harm¡¯s way just to prove a point¡ªis no better than a child throwing a tantrum,¡± Art continued.


    ¡°Arthur,¡± my grandfather cut in. ¡°Enough.¡±


    ¡°H-How dare you!¡± I seethed, tears rolling down my cheeks.


    ¡°If you took a minute to think this whole situation through, you¡¯d realize why your grandfather had to keep this all a secret. What do you think would happen if he were to announce that someone was killed by our enemy in the supposed safest location in the continent?¡± Art said, his gaze unrelenting.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m sorry that not everyone is as smart as you!¡± I retorted.


    Art¡¯s gaze softened. ¡°You¡¯re only seventeen, Tess¡ª¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re only sixteen. Yet Grandpa, Master Aldir, and even Master Cynthia never looked at you as a kid even though you¡¯re younger than me,¡± I argued.


    ¡°If they see me as an adult, that¡¯s something they¡¯vee to realize on their own, not by me deliberately trying to prove it,¡± he answered.


    ¡°How is that even fair?¡± I choked back a sob. ¡°You get to do what you want because you¡¯re good enough but no matter how hard I try and what I do, I¡¯ll always be some damsel in need of protection!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it, Tessia. Your grandfather and I¡ª¡±


    ¡°What? You guys want me cooped up and isted from anything potentially dangerous or potentially distressing so badly that you can¡¯t even tell me that my own master was killed?¡± I cut in, my face numb with anger. ¡°Or is it because¡ª¡±


    ¡°Because if we told you, the first thing you¡¯d have in mind is facing the Vritra that killed Cynthia, trying to get revenge, and getting yourself killed!¡± Arthur exploded.


    This was the first time I had heard him raise his voice to this extent, stunning not just me and Grandpa, but the guard standing outside.


    ¡°You... you don¡¯t know that,¡± I denied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t I?¡± Arthur pressed. ¡°Because I think I know for a fact that you acting this way isn¡¯t because Virion didn¡¯t tell you about Director Goodsky dying. You¡¯re not mad at him, you¡¯re mad at yourself for leaving your master to go prove to everyone how strong and helpful you¡¯d be to the war.¡±


    ¡°Th-This isn¡¯t about...¡± I couldn¡¯t finish my sentence as I broke down, sobbing uncontrobly on my knees.


    ¡°Arthur! I think you¡¯ve said enough,¡± my grandpa growled. ¡°Guard. Escort him out.¡±


    I didn¡¯t look up to see Art leave. I didn¡¯t know what kind of expression he had on his face, or if he was sorry. It was too much.


    ¡°Tessia. let¡¯s take some time together to pay our respects to Cynthia. I¡¯m sure that, more than having millions of people at a ceremony, she¡¯d rather have the few she truly cherished mourning for her.¡± Grandpa kneeled beside me, gently stroking my trembling back. ¡°After this, I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡±


    Mustering up a shaky nod, I let out a hoarse whisper. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The both of us turned to face the smooth stone casket that my master resided in, waves of emotions continuing to toss and turn inside me.

 Chapter 144

    Chapter 144


    Chapter 144: Invaluable Allies


    ¡°I understand your problem, Grey, but I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m the best person to help you with this,¡± the headmaster said with a sigh. ¡°No matter howcking your ki pool may bepared to most kids your age, you¡¯re still a child with plenty of time for that to change. However, and I say this as a general life lesson, if you find yourselfcking in resources, use what you have when you need it the most.¡±


    I pondered over her cryptic solution to my ki problem.


    ¡°Thank you, Headmaster Wilbeck,¡± I grinned before heading out the door.


    ¡°Oh, and Grey?¡± the headmaster called from behind her desk.


    I halted, peeking my head out of the doorway. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°How is Cecilia getting along with you and Nico?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± I paused. ¡°Besides her little idents, I¡¯d say we¡¯re slowly getting through to her!¡±


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t said a word to you two, has she?¡± Headmaster Wilbeck sighed.


    ¡°Nope!¡± I affirmed confidently. ¡°Not a single one.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I really do hope the two of you keep trying to break her out of her shell though. If anyone can do it, it¡¯s you two.¡±


    I came back into her office. ¡°Headmaster?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Why are you pushing so hard for us to be friends with Cecilia?¡± I asked.


    The headmaster¡¯s lips curled into a gentle smile as she stood up from her chair. ¡°That, my child, is a story that I¡¯m hoping she¡¯ll tell you herself.¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean, she looks normal enough but everyone¡¯s scared of her because of those idents that happen every once in awhile.¡± I scratched my head. ¡°I mean, Nico and I aren¡¯t scared or anything but there are a few kids that have been sent to the infirmary because of her, so I just thought it¡¯d be better to know more to help her.¡±


    Walking around her table, Headmaster Wilbeck tousled my hair. ¡°Your job isn¡¯t to help her; it¡¯s to be her friend. Let me take care of helping her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mother,¡± I saluted.


    The headmaster¡¯s gentle downturned eyes widened in surprise at my words.


    ¡°It¡¯s Headmaster Olivia or Headmaster Wilbeck to you, Grey.¡± Her voice was firm but her eyes betrayed her words.


    I didn¡¯t want to leave. I wanted to stay in her office and help her with the pile of papers that never seemed to diminish, but I knew she would never let me help; like a broken record, she always said that it was her job, not mine.


    Dragging my feet out of the small office, I trudged down the hall toward my room.


    I often imagined my life as Headmaster Wilbeck¡¯s son. Her stern, yet loving voice scolding me every time I got into trouble. I¡¯d do what I could to help her around the house: do the dishes, take out the trash and mow thewn. And when she came home, I¡¯d massage her shoulders that she always seemed to be rubbing painfully from stress.


    Nico said it was weird for me to do so much for my mother, saying that it was usually a daughter¡¯s job to spoil the mother, but I didn¡¯t agree. If I had someone like Headmaster Wilbeck as a mother, I¡¯d make sure to pamper her. I¡¯d help dye the white streaks of her brown hair and once I was old enough, I¡¯d make a lot of money and buy fancy clothes and even a car and house for her.


    Maybe that was the difference between someone that had known their parents like Nico and someone like me, who didn¡¯t have a single memory of what his parents looked like. Nico hated his parents and any mention of hisst name, Sever, would set him off like a fuse.


    As for someone like me, who didn¡¯t have a surname, there was an oddfort imagining being Grey Wilbeck, son of Olivia Wilbeck.


    The sharp creak of the floorboard underneath my feet snapped me out of my fantasy, and I sighed a breath of defeat.


    I kneeled down above the old misaligned floorboard and snapped it back in its ce. Testing the floor with my feet, I let out a satisfied nod at the nk¡¯s silence.


    Looking up, a group of kids were running through the hall, chasing one another.


    ¡°Grey! I¡¯m going to tag you!¡± a little girl named Theda giggled as she skirted toward me with her arms stretched out.


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± I stuck out my tongue. ¡°I bet you¡¯re not!¡±


    Theda epted the challenge as she picked up her pace. As soon as she was within range, she swiped at my waist, hoping to grab my shirt, but I easily twirled out of reach.


    I let out a victoriousugh. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to try harder than¡ª¡±


    I swayed to my right, just in time to avoid Odo¡¯s hand.


    The rest of the kids that Theda had been ying with joined in, deciding that they were all ¡°it¡± in this impromptu game of tag.


    As the boys and girls flocked me with arms stretched wide to cover more ground, I easily dipped and weaved around them. They iled their appendages desperately as they tried to utilize every part of their bodies in hopes to tag me but it was useless.


    Theda and her friends got smart and circled around me, slowly closing in on me as they giggled excitedly.


    Once they got close enough, the kids got impatient and all sprung at me.


    Just as their hands were about to touch me, I jumped up and grabbed onto the broken chain that used to support an old chandelier before it had to be sold. Using the momentum of my leap, I swung from the chain, gripping tightly so I wouldn¡¯t slip.


    Theda, Odo, and their friends bumbled amongst themselves from missing their target.


    Swinging from the old chain, Inded a few feet away and nted my hands on my hips,ughing victoriously. ¡°You guys are five years too young to best the mighty Grey!¡±


    ¡°Not fair!¡± Odo groaned, rubbing his head.


    ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re too fast!¡± Theda agreed, prying herself out of the tangle of kids.


    ¡°Shush! Only weaklingsin when facing defeat!¡± I said, deepening my voice. ¡°Now off I go! My heroic powers are needed elsewhere!¡±


    I dashed away as the kidsughed amongst themselves.


    ¡°The mighty Grey has arrived!¡± I announced, opening the door to my room.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Close the door on your way in,¡± Nico replied, not even turning to look at me as he fumbled with something on his cluttered bed.


    ¡°The kids are more fun than you,¡± I clicked my tongue. ¡°What are you doing anyway?¡±


    Nico held up his right hand, covered in a fuzzy ck glove, with a proud grin on his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re into knitting now?¡± I asked with a smirk, reaching for the glove.


    Nico stretched out his gloved hand, gripping my forearm.


    All of a sudden, a wave of pain radiated like an intense muscle cramp from Nico¡¯s grasp.


    My friend and roommate immediately let go with a smug look pasted on his face. ¡°Never underestimate the power of knitting.¡±


    ¡°What the hell?¡± My gaze switched back between his glove and my sore arm.


    ¡°Pretty neat, right?¡± Nico stared contently at his gloved hand. ¡°After the whole run-in with those thugs, I was researching a way to defend myself in case something like that ever happened again. And afterpiling my notes, off a rather interesting book I found on ki conducting material I was able to design this glove!¡±


    ¡°How does it work? Why did my arm suddenly cramp up when you grabbed me?¡± I asked, my fingers itching to grab ahold of Nico¡¯s newest creation.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty cool, actually,¡± Nico said, pping my hand away. ¡°There are these microfibers on the palm of the gloves that can conduct ki to a certain degree. The microfibers elongate in reaction to my ki and reach into the muscles when I grab someone. There¡¯s a small conducting stone on the inside of the glove that harnesses the ki that I emit and it shoots out through the microfibers and into my enemy¡¯s muscle which, in this case, was your arm.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty neat, but why don¡¯t you just learn how to fight like me?¡±


    ¡°First of all, you never learned to fight. And I need to have toys like these because unlike someone¡±¡ªhis eyes darted to me¡ª¡°I don¡¯t have the reflexes of some primitive carnivore. If I had to say, my reflexes range somewhere between a sloth and a turtle.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but chortle at theparison. ¡°Well, the glove looks useful and all, but it seems like it¡¯d only buy you some time,¡± I pointed out, flexing my cramped hand.


    ¡°Yup. And another downside is that the microfibers, which I had to buy with part of the money we got from pawning off the jewelry, don¡¯tst very long,¡± Nico sighed as he took off the fuzzy ck glove.


    I looked at the stacks of books piled all over his side of the room. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll think of something around it. By the way, how did you give the money we got to the headmaster?¡±


    ¡°Ah! I gave it to a guy I know. He gave it to Headmaster Wilbeck as a generous donation in return for a percentage as a cut.¡±


    I groaned. ¡°How much of the money actually ended up in the orphanage anyway? With you buying your books and material and giving a cut to a guy you barely know, I doubt even half the amount made it to the headmaster.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have any other choice. No way in hell would Olivia take money from us. She¡¯d just start bombarding us with questions.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Headmaster Wilbeck,¡± I corrected, thumping my friend¡¯s head.


    ¡°Besides, I got a few books that you could use too! Check it out!¡± Nico eximed, pointing to a small pile of books behind him with his thumb.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± I could feel my eyes light up as I reached for the books. ¡°Very well. This magnimous gentlemen will forgive you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s magnanimous,¡± Nico chortled, shaking his head.


    Unable to think of a wittyeback, I decided to let it go when the room began shaking.


    I groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yup, it¡¯s Cecilia again. She¡¯s having another ident,¡± Nico said.


    As the rhythmless waves of shaking continued, we remained in our beds. ¡°It¡¯s longer than usual this time,¡± I pointed out.


    Nico got up and put on his glove. ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous! Remember what happened to one of the volunteers that tried to hold her down?¡±


    ¡°Yup! That bear of a man couldn¡¯t even make it near her.¡± Nico shook his head from the painful memory. ¡°I just can¡¯t stand having to wait like this until Cecilia passes out. I can¡¯t imagine how much it¡¯s hurting her.¡±


    I let out a sigh and got up as well when a thought struck me. My lips curved up into a smirk. ¡°You like her, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No way! I don¡¯t even know the girl!¡±


    I didn¡¯t respond as my smile widened.


    Nico¡¯s brows twitched. ¡°All right! I just think she¡¯s a little pretty. That¡¯s all!¡±


    ¡°Mhmm,¡± I shrugged, dodging a p from my friend.


    Pieces of broken ster from the ceiling rained throughout the hallway as the entire orphanage shook.


    I spotted Theda and Odo hiding underneath the dining table along with some of the other younger children on our way to Cecilia¡¯s room.


    Veering left at the end of the hallway, Nico and I stopped in front of an iron door that stood isted, away from all of the other rooms in the giant house. Headmaster Wilbeck was already there with a few of the adult volunteers that helped clean and maintain the orphanage.


    The shaking had intensified, and one the volunteers named Randall, a kind and burly man in his prime that helped out with the garden, prepared to go inside as another worker was about to open the door.


    There was no way that Randall would be able to make it to Cecilia with the intensity of this outbreak. Snatching the glove off of Nico¡¯s hand, I bolted for the door.


    ¡°Wha¡ªGrey!¡± Nico called out.


    Before anyone had a chance to react, I zipped past Randall and into the room as soon as the door opened. Once inside, my body sidestepped on instinct, barely dodging a force that sent Randall crashing against the corridor wall. I had heard about Cecelia¡¯s peculiarity but going against it head on made the stories sound like a bedtime story.


    Bracing myself, I ran toward the center of therge room where Ceciliaid, convulsing while a look of panic struck her face as she spotted me. This mysterious girl that Headmaster Wilbeck had brought was an irregrity amongst ki users. While even the most capable practitioner would, at best, be able to produce a small gust of energy with his ki, Cecilia was able to send torrents of ki around her¡ªthat¡¯s how vast her ki pool was.


    However, she wasn¡¯t able to control it, and from what the headmaster told me, the outbursts of ki happened at the slightest provocation of her emotions.


    While many ki users would see this power as a gift, for a teenage girl like her, I could only see it as a curse.


    Going solely on instinct, I was able to clumsily dodge the sts of ki that shot at me. One hit and I would be unconscious at the very least.


    Cold sweat rolled down my face as I yed tag with a near-invisible force that had the power to break my bones like a twig.


    I felt a slight breeze, making me instantly roll to my left. A loud thud resounded on the wall behind me as I narrowly dodged another burst of ki.


    I stretched out my gloved hand, hoping I would be able to reach her, when my instincts kicked in once more and I jumped clumsily to the right.


    Another thud echoed behind me as Cecilia¡¯s stray surge of ki hit the wall.


    ¡°Y-You can¡¯t!¡± Cecilia said through gritted teeth. ¡°You¡¯ll get h-hurt.¡±


    Her bed, which she wasying on, had been demolished, as pillow stuffing and mattress foamy scattered around the floor. I began crawling toward her, immediately rolling when I felt another burst of kiing.


    This time, though, the edge of the st managed to skim my right arm.


    I let out a restrained yell as I forced myself to crawl faster, ignoring my throbbing arm. Desperately reaching out with my left hand, I willed what little ki I could muster into the glove that Nico had made and prayed that my idea would work.


    I was able to ce my palm just above Cecilia¡¯s stomach, where her ki center was. Exerting all of my ki, I felt Nico¡¯s glove throb.


    Cecilia let out a pained gasp, her almond-shaped eyes growing wide just before closing as she fell unconscious. Locks of Cecilia¡¯s blonde hair fell over her face as her flushed cheeks began draining to her original creamy color.


    I tried to stand up, but my body refused to listen from overexertion of ki.


    How pitiful, I thought, before joining Cecilia in her slumber.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:


    ¡°Sir! Please, wake up!¡± An unfamiliar voice startled me awake, dragging me out of the unwanted memories I had been dreaming of.


    As my vision focused, I was barely able to make out the shape of a woman, her features shadowed by the sunlight directly cast to her face. ¡°Sir! I¡¯m begging you. Please, we need you washed and prepped for Commander Virion¡¯s speech!¡±


    The handmaid shook my arm gently as I turned away from her, still half asleep.


    ¡°Move out of the way. I¡¯ll wake him up,¡± a familiar voice grunted as a loud crackle resounded from his direction.


    I immediately sprung to my feet, catching the projectile of lightning in my hand.


    ¡°Bairon. A displeasure to see you again,¡± I said sharply, still in a foul mood from my argument with Tessia yesterday.


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve learned some new tricks,¡± Bairon responded with his hand still outstretched.


    It had been over two years since I hadst seen the blondence. He hadn¡¯t changed much, except he had cut his hair short and the scowl on his face was even harsher.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s dishonorable to attack someone behind their back?¡± I asked, hopping off my bed.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re in times of war,¡± he shrugged before turning around and heading out the door. ¡°Now get changed. The rest of thences are already by the teleportation gate.¡±


    I watched as Bairon, whose brother I had killed, walked out of my room. He and I would always have our differences, but I got what he meant when he said that we were in times of war: both of us were invaluable allies.


    The handmaid timidly approached me. ¡°S-Sir, please. I¡¯d hate to keep nagging but¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Rosa. I just got direct consent from Commander Virion to speed up the process,¡± another, much bulkier handmaid interrupted as she stomped in, pulling arge cart covered by a sheet.


    The handmaid named Rosa switched nces between her coworker and me. ¡°A-Are you sure, Milda? I don¡¯t think we should do anything to offend¡ª¡±


    Milda held up a meaty finger to silence her associate. She then turned to me with a stern gaze as she rolled up the sleeves of her blouse. ¡°Now, Sir. If you¡¯re not in the mood or you¡¯re not capable of washing yourself, I¡¯ll be more than happy to get into the shower with you and wash you.¡±


    I inadvertently took a step back in horror. ¡°No, no. I¡¯m very much in the mood to wash myself.¡±


    ¡°Very good,¡± she said. ¡°After you wash, please dress in this set of armor Lord Aldir prepared for the speech today.¡±


    Milda dramatically removed the sheet covering the cart she had brought in, revealing a mannequin dressed stunningly in a suit of armor that I would soon be wearing.

 Chapter 145

    Chapter 145


    Chapter 145: From The Balcony


    ¡°I look ridiculous,¡± I grumbled, hobbling closer to the mirror to study myself.


    The ted armor was gaudy and inefficient in design. My chest and shoulders were protected by a silver pauldron and a gorget that reached up to my chin, allowing for only minimal movement of my neck. Even more restricting, my hip and thighs were guarded by a tasset that prohibited me from raising my legs. The subtle detailings on my gauntlets and greaves matched the ones on my breastte and a zing red cape fell down to the back of my knees, covering therge, decorative sword strapped to my lower back.


    ¡°You look awe-inspiring, Sir,¡± the timid handmaid praised as she began tying up my hair.


    ¡°Anyone who can fight proficiently while wearing this death trap deserves my respect,¡± I replied, trying to lift my arms above my shoulders.


    ¡®Well, at least you¡¯ll look impressive to the crowd,¡¯ Sylvie pointed out from my bed, still half-asleep.


    ¡®Zip it! You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m not making you wear any armor,¡¯ I shot back.


    ¡®My scales are my armor.¡¯ Sylvie arched her back, stretching like a cat as she nimbly hopped off the bed.


    ¡°There! All done,¡± the handmaid announced, carefully cing a golden band to secure my hair in ce. ¡°This armor is not only majestic, it has many protective runes engraved into it!¡±


    ¡°I understand the armor, but must I have this sword on me as well? I have one, and it¡¯s a pretty nice one too!¡± I said, taking out Dawn¡¯s Bad from my dimension ring.


    The timid handmaid rubbed her short brown hair as her eyes shifted away ufortably. ¡°I-It¡¯s very pretty, Sir, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too thin! It doesn¡¯t make you look powerful!¡± the bear-like handmaid cut in, firmly securing my pauldron with her meaty hands. ¡°Perfect. You¡¯re all good to go!¡±


    I gazed down at my teal-ded sword, forged masterfully by an entric asura, and slid it back into its sheath before taking a deep breath and putting it back into my dimension ring.


    As I walked stiffly out of the room, Sylvie, still reluctant to talk unless we werepletely alone, chirped in my head.¡®I bet you¡¯re going to impress the crowd with your new armor!¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m hoping to stay at the sidelines through this whole speech. I know that Virion wanted all the main yers here today to raise morale, but I think thences are enough for that,¡¯ I thought back as we made our way down the empty hallway.


    The residents and most of the workers inside the castle had been escorted through the gate earlier this morning so they could find a seat in the crowd. I didn¡¯t get a chance to see my family today, but they did leave a message with that timid handmaid saying they looked forward to seeing me up on the balcony.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe Virion decided to have the speech done at Etistin, though. Isn¡¯t that where the cryan ships are heading?¡¯ Sylvie voiced, concerned as she nestled on my shoulder.


    ¡®I think it makes sense. It¡¯s a bit of a wild card, but if done right¡ªand I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what Virion is shooting for¡ªthe crowd will see our force as much more imposing up close than their ships from afar.¡¯


    ¡®I guess.¡¯


    Even walking down the stairs became a task in this bulky armor, and I became more and more tempted to just jump down the center of the spiral staircase, regardless of who might inconveniently be at the bottom.


    The sharp ringing of my metal greaves on the stone pathway toward the teleportation room echoed throughout the narrow corridor, alerting the two guards stationed of my presence. Once I reached the familiar iron doors, both the augmenter and conjurer guard weed me with a courteous bow as they began unlocking the imposing entranceway to the circr room.


    ¡°Everyone is waiting inside,¡± the augmenter announced as he slid open the metal door, revealing the central figures of this war.


    It was quite a sight as Bairon Wykes, Varay Aurae, and Aya Grephin, the three remaining Lances, stood, d in decorated white armor just as gaudy as mine.


    I noticed that Virion, who was closest to the teleportation gate, had shed his ck mourning robe, recing it was avish olive tunic that draped down past his knees over a pair of silken white trousers. The tunic wasn¡¯t without noble adornment; it was lined with aureate trimming that matched the golden sash wrapped around his waist. A bronze circlety snugly just above his brows while his hair fell loosely over his shoulders in a curtain of white.


    Standing adjacent to themander, the pinnacle of authority surrounding this war, were his son and father of Tess, Alduin Eralith, and his wife, Merial.


    Alduin wore a silver tunic of simr decoration and design to his father¡¯s while Merial wore an elegant silver dress obviously meant to match with her husband.


    ¡°Look who finally decided to show up,¡± Virion said with an approving nod as he gazed at my attire.


    ¡°Commander Virion.¡± I dipped my head respectfully, turning toward Tess¡¯s parents. ¡°King Alduin and Queen Merial. It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°That it has,¡± Alduin smiled, rubbing his chin as he regarded me with a scrutinizing eye while Merial responded with a faint nod.


    I then turned to ine and Prisci yder, the former King and Queen of Sapin.


    ¡°King ine and Queen Prisci. It¡¯s been even longer,¡± I said with a polite smile, bowing as much as my armor would allow me to.


    ine had aged since thest time I saw him. More streaks of grey lined his mane of fiery maroon hair. Silken ck tunic underneathrge gunmetal pauldrons that covered his shoulders and cor gave him an intimidating aura. His wife, Prisci, on the other hand, had chosen to wear a fluttery ck dress lined with engravings of silver flowers. Her ck hair was tied up, exposing her neck that seemed almost pure white in contrast to her dark attire.


    The two kings and queens couldn¡¯t look and feel any more different, but each of them held an air of dignity that could only stun the crowd that was waiting for them.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown,¡± Merial pointed out, her sharp eyes seeming to look through me rather than at me.


    ¡°Growinges with age,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Of course it does,¡± ine grunted. ¡°And you¡¯ll continue to grow, not just in height but in strength, which is what I need from one of my best soldiers.¡±


    I nced back at Bairon and Varay, ine¡¯snces, and shook my head. ¡°Regardless of my roots or race, with a war of this scale, I¡¯d like to consider myself a soldier to this continent.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s finally nice to you meet you, Arthur.¡± An elderly dwarf that had been standing hunched alongside Virion and the two kings and queens stepped forward, getting between ine and me as he extended a hand.


    While he only came up to my sternum, he stood ramrod straight with his shoulders squared, making him seem taller than he actually was. He had a scar that ran down the left side of his face, running through his closed left eye all the way down to his jaw. However, the eye that was open exuded a gentle quality, undermining his rugged appearance.


    I epted hisrge hand, noticing the sandpaper-like texture of his palms. ¡°I apologize for my ignorance, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve had the pleasure of meeting you.¡±


    ¡°My name is Rahdeas, and no, you haven¡¯t,¡± he chuckled. ¡°But I¡¯ve heard quite a bit about you from the letters that Elijah sent back.¡±


    My eyes widened in realization. ¡°Then you must be¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m the one that took the child in when he was an infant.¡± He looked at me with a solemn smile that sent a sharp pain through my chest.


    ¡®That¡¯s Elijah¡¯s guardian?¡¯ Sylvie voiced in my head, surprised.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t get there in time to help him,¡± I said, lowering my gaze as I ignored my bond.


    Rahdeas shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. That child was always a ma for trouble.¡±


    sping his hand with both hands now, I stared straight into his eyes. ¡°If he¡¯s still alive, I¡¯ll be sure to bring him back to you. I give you my word.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he whispered, letting go of my hands that somehow seemed so fragile now.


    ¡°Rahdeas is the new delegate for the dwarves. We¡¯ll be going on ahead first,¡± Virion spoke. ¡°The gatekeeper will receive my transmission and signal you to go through when the time is right.¡±


    As the six of them walked through the gate, the teleportation room became silent. I made a mental note to make sure to spend some more time with Rahdeas. I was curious as to what young Elijah and the man that raised him were like.


    Suddenly, I felt a light tap on my shoulder, or rather, I heard a light tap on my shoulder te. Turning around, I came face to face with thence named Aya Grephin.


    ¡°We¡¯ve seen each other before, but I¡¯ve never given you the pleasure of introducing myself,¡± she smiled coyly, tucking her wavy ck hair behind her ear as she dangled a hand for me to ept. ¡°My name is Aya Grephin.¡±


    There was something off about her voice. An enticing timbre of faint sweetness spoken in a volume where you wanted to lean closer to her to hear what she had to say. From the allure in her voice to way she carried herself that made her seem irresistible. Every motion she made with her hands and fingers made my eyes focus on them, but it didn¡¯t feel natural. I felt the magic in her voice.


    ¡°Well then,¡± I smiled, taking a step back. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure being formally introduced, Aya Grephin.¡± I knew she was waiting for a kiss on the back of her hand, but I grabbed her hand and shook it instead.


    ¡°I hope we can get along,¡± she said, her smile unwavering as she snapped her hand back. Watching her turn around and stride back to her original spot, hips swaying, I couldn¡¯t help but grow uneasy.


    Apart from her pretentious seductiveness, just by being near her, I knew the remaining elfnce was no joke. I had seen for myself that Varay was stronger than Bairon, but I¡¯d yet to see Aya fight. From what I¡¯d been told, and by hernce code, Phantasm, she was supposedly one of the deadliest of thences. Being up close to her and having her stare at me, it was easy to see those ims weren¡¯t baseless.


    ¡°I see your training has gone well. You¡¯ve just stepped out of the initiate silver stage and into mid-silver,¡± Varay, who had been silently studying me, finally spoke.


    In contrast to Aya, Varay held herself in a very reserved and dignified manner. I had noticed that she had cut her long, white hair short, just past her neck. Varay¡¯s bangs were pinned to the side, revealing a small scar just above her right brow that anyone could¡¯ve missed if they weren¡¯t looking closely.


    Her dark brown eyes were sharp and pointed while her brows seemed to be perpetually furrowed as she continued peering at me.


    Sylvie hunched over, baring her small fangs at thence. ¡®It¡¯s okay, Sylv. She¡¯s an ally, remember?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ve yet a long way to go if I want to get into white stage,¡± I said to Varay, prying my eyes away from her intense gaze.


    ¡°Not as long as you might think,¡± the white-hairednce responded.


    ¡°What does that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Gatekeeper! How much longer are we to wait?¡± Bairon interrupted as he impatiently tapped his armor-d foot on the ground.


    ¡°G-General Bairon,¡± the elderly gatekeeper flinched. ¡°Commander Virion has not¡ªAh! I just received word from him now. Please enter!¡±


    Bairon made his way toward the teleportation gate first, eager to be out of this confining room.


    ¡®Well that was ufortable,¡¯ Sylvie thought.


    ¡®Tell me about it.¡¯ I motioned for Aya and Varay to go ahead of me. The curvy elf threw me a wink as she swayed past me while Varay¡¯s expression remained stone as she looked at me and Sylvie.


    As I stepped through the teleportation gate, the scene around me blurred. Upon arrival, I couldn¡¯t help but cringe at the sudden difference in noise level. Cheers erupted from below as the castle or structure we were evidently in trembled.


    Sylvie and I had arrived in arge rectangr room that led out to therge balcony Virion and the rest of the kings and queens stood, waving down at the crowd. It wasn¡¯t just them¡ªnext to their parents were Tess, Curtis, and Kathyln, all waving at the immense crowd that I could see even from back here.


    ¡°Please, Generals, get ready to go on Commander Virion¡¯s signal,¡± a thin handmaid instructed as she fixed Aya¡¯s hair which had gotten blown back by the frigid ocean wind.


    ¡°Generals?¡± I asked to the handmaid, confused.


    ¡°Arthur, Lady Sylvie, I see that you both are finally here,¡± a familiar voice called out from behind.


    Looking back over my shoulder, I spotted Aldir seated in front of a tea set, a cup in his hand while his third eye stared at me.


    ¡°I see that you¡¯re staying in the shadows,¡± I greeted the asura as Sylvie dipped her small head in a nod.


    ¡°That is my job,¡± he said, holding up his cup in a solitary toast.


    ¡°Well, can you tell me what my job right now is? Because I¡¯m not ance, which means I¡¯m not a general.¡±


    ¡°Patience. You just have to wait five seconds,¡± he said, pouring himself another cup from the pot.


    The cheers had died down by now as Virion began speaking. ¡°Many of you have traveled far to be here, and that fills me with pride. As you all may have noticed, standing beside me are your leaders, the very people that have protected this continent as well as the ones that will protect this continent in the future.¡±


    Another wave of cheers erupted as Rahdeas, the yder family and the Eralith family waved once more.


    ¡°However, while these are the heroes you see in the light, there are heroes of the shadows that continuously risk their lives to fight for this continent. I¡¯d like you all to help me wee the Lances of Dicathen!¡±


    Varay, Aya, and Bairon marched out to the edge of the balcony with their heads held high and shoulders square while Virion and the royal families all turned to greet them.


    An even louder ovation exploded as the threences came into view. The chaotic array of shouts and cheers soon became a collective chant that grew louder and louder.


    ¡°LANCE-ES, LANCE-ES, LANCE-ES.¡±


    After minutes of continuous chanting, Virion raised a hand, silencing the hundreds of thousands¡ªif not millions¡ªof humans, elves and dwarves alike.


    ¡°Everyone! We are in a time of war,¡± Virion spoke sternly after a moment of silence. ¡°I know that half of the Lances are absent, and that is not by mistake. Some are in the middle of a mission and were not able toe.¡±


    I exchanged nces with Aldir at Virion¡¯s lie, but I made no remark. I knew what revealing one of thences had already been killed would do to the crowd.


    Virion continued.¡°The Lances have constantly shed blood and tears to keep Dicathen safe, but it is in these uncertain times that we can no longer just rely on the strong. We must fight together in order to keep our homes safe.


    ¡°At the inauguration of the Lances almost four years ago, we made a promise saying the title of ance would not be predetermined by birth or status, but earned through hard work, talent, and strength. Today is the marking of a new era, and with that new eraes new heroes. One such hero has been discovered and is here with us today. Please, wee with me, our newestnce: Arthur Leywin!¡±

 Chapter 146

    Chapter 146


    Chapter 146: Speech and Statement


    Virion, Rahdeas, thences, and the two royal families all turned to me as I walked up towards the balcony edge. The apuse rose to a deafening crescendo at my appearance as Virion waited for me at the very end.


    While Bairon and Varay had calloused expressions on their faces as they let me through, Aya¡¯s lips curled into a coy smile as she nodded approvingly.


    Tess¡¯s expression was still brusque from yesterday¡¯s argument, while Kathyln¡¯s eyes creased in a rare smile. Her brother, Curtis, waved while his parents and the rest of the central figures on the balcony joined the crowd¡¯s apuse.


    As I stepped foot out into the balcony, the morning sun shone brightly overhead, covering the world below in a nket of light. As my eyes adjusted, I couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the sight.


    The millions of people¡ªhumans, elves, and dwarves alike¡ªgathered together, as if touching the horizon. Clustered tightly, hoping to just be inches closer to their continent¡¯s leaders. An air of excitement, respect and jubnce could be felt all the way up here.


    ¡°What?¡± Virion smirked. ¡°Never had a crowd of over a million people cheer for you?¡±


    I shook my head with a helpless smile on my face, thinking to myself how many times I had in my past life. ¡°Was this your idea?¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you angry?¡± Virion turned to the crowd, nudging me forward so the people below could get a better view of me.


    ¡°If it was anyone other than you? Yes.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now keep smiling and wave at them. They can see you on a wide-scale projection behind us.¡±


    Taking a quick nce at the enormous projection behind me, I couldn¡¯t help but think of Emily Watsken when she had disclosed to me in ss that she was the one that designed this apparition. Looking back ahead, I raised an arm and waved to the mass, Sylvie following suit atop my shoulder.


    The thundering cheers slowly softened to a buzz of excitement as everyone except Virion and I stepped back toward the back of the balcony. ¡°Now. You wouldn¡¯t happen to have a speech ready for the uing war, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me, right?¡± I struggled to maintain a calm smile.


    ¡°I want you to be the one presenting the announcement,¡± Virion said, his voice unwavering as he handed me the voice amplifying artifact he had clipped onto his cor.


    ¡°Virion. I can¡¯t.¡± My voice faltered as the people below waited excitedly for someone to speak. ¡°I haven¡¯t even prepared myself to ept this position as ance let alone give a speech as one.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to prepare. These are your people, Arthur. You grew up amongst them and they¡¯ll listen to you with much more sincerity and empathy than if some spoonfed noble spoke.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only if I deliver a well thought-out speech,¡± I argued as I turned to shake Virion¡¯s hand as an excuse to prolong the inevitable.


    ¡°I trust you. Just speak from your heart.¡± Virion stepped back as the trickle of cheers silenced into an anxious rest.


    While even the closest people in the mass were norger than the nail of my thumb from where I was standing, I was still able to find my parents amongst them with my sister riding atop Boo¡¯srge shoulder.


    The apprehension that came with unpreparedness dwindled as I locked eyes with my mother. Even with augmented vision, I was barely able to make out the gentle smile on her face, but that was enough.


    I knew what to say.


    Letting out a deep breath, I stood at the edge of the castle balcony and turned on the voice amplifying artifact.


    A loud buzz resounded, telling me that the artifact was now on. I took another step forward so I was leaning forward on the balcony rail, waiting patiently for thest of the cheers to subside.


    ¡°Despite my age, I¡¯ve read countless books on this continent¡¯s history and economy. Yet, in none of those books does it exin what makes their citizens love their country. Some historians have spected that it¡¯s because they were born there that they have a natural inclination toward their homnd. One author by the name of Jespik Lempter argued that there is an intricate trickledown effect that starts from the leaders being able to provide for their people, down to parents being able to feed their children. He stated that as long as that flow of security in livelihood is kept, natural loyalty to their providing country is kept.


    ¡°I tell you this because I disagree with both ims. I believe that loyalty isn¡¯t a calcted maneuver by the citizens and neither is it so singr that lives can be risked based on the area someone was born in. I think it¡¯s rather presumptuous to even try to find a single, all-epassing form for loyalty.


    ¡°But one thing is certain: loyalty is always easier when times are easy. It¡¯s easy to cheer for your king when your children are well-fed and yournd is prosperous. It¡¯s easy to rally behind an army when you know it¡¯s going to win. But this isn¡¯t like those times. Through this war, your loyalty to this country¡ªto this entire continent¡ªwill be tested, because there will be times when you¡¯ll be faced with a choice between dying with your people, or hoping to live with your enemies.¡± The air amongst the crowd darkened as my voice fell into a whisper, but I continued.


    ¡°The fact that I¡¯m up here right now speaks for the choice that I¡¯m going to make when that timees for me, but it isn¡¯t because of my title as ance. My loyalty wasn¡¯t bought, nor was it freely given. My loyalty to this continent and to everyone in it was nurtured from my childhood in the countryside, then as an adventurer, then a student, then a teacher, and now, it¡¯ll be proven as ance.


    ¡°Sure, this continent and its leaders have their ws, but what no one can say is that they haven¡¯t tried. The joining of the three kingdoms to form the Council would¡¯ve been unheard of a few generations ago, yet the leaders of the three races put aside their pride and differences to unite and share the resources amongst one another to better this continent and those that live in it. While discrimination may still exist, thisnd we live in belongs to all of us, and just beyond this city is an army aboard over a hundred ships approaching our shores. We¡¯ve been given an option to either give up the lives of all the royal families that have served this continent in exchange for taking ournd without a fight or to presume with this war on a greater, much more devastating scale.


    ¡°Commander Virion was ready to give up his own life to protect this continent¡ªto protect you¡ªbut I said it wasn¡¯t his call since this doesn¡¯t only affect his and his family¡¯s lives, but everyone¡¯s lives here.¡±


    I turned around and motioned for Virion and everyone else toe forward. ¡°I would rather fight and risk dying for the life I¡¯vee to love here rather than betray my brethren in hopes of a promise that our enemies¡ªenemies that have already separated families¡ªmay or may not keep.


    But I dare not speak for everyone in this continent. The only thing I can say with full confidence is that, if given the chance, every one of us up here will fight to ourst breaths to protect this continent from the likes of those who dare invade us.¡±


    It was utter quiet for what seemed like hours until a single voice broke the silence.


    ¡°Long live Dicathen.¡±


    That single promation set off an eruption. As if the crowd of over a million people had choreographed their cheer, a thundering chant resounded, shaking the ground and very castle we were in.


    ¡°Long live Dicathen. Long live Dicathen. Long live Dicathen.¡±


    I turned off the voice amplifying artifact and let out a deep breath of relief when Sylvie hopped off my shoulder.


    As the cheer grew to its climax, my bond transformed from her pearly fox form into that of an almighty dragon.


    It was when she spread out her wings that I was shown once again how much she had grown over the years. Her wingspan surpassed the width of the balcony as gales sted down at the crowd with each beat of her ck wings.


    While I was startled that she would reveal herself now without giving me any notice, I yed along and unsheathed the giant sword on my back and held it high in the air, just as my bond faced the sky and let loose a thunderous roar that shook the very air around us, instilling fear and awe to the people gathered below us.


    Although Sylvie¡¯s meddling immediately disrupted the crowd¡¯s chanting, an even louder cheer erupted at our powerful disy


    I turned back around to see wide eyes at the turn of events.


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t have anything prepared,¡± Virion said with a raised brow.


    I shrugged in response as Sylvie shrank back to her pup form and hopped onto my shoulder. ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡®I did good, right?¡¯ Sylvie chirped in my mind.


    ¡®You got the message across, show-off,¡¯ I replied, tousling the fur on my bond¡¯s little head.


    Curtis came up to me, beaming in excitement. ¡°Thatst bit was terrific. I mean, I heard that Sylvie was a dragon from the students that were there at school when we were attacked but...¡±


    The prince let out a wistful sigh as he shifted nces between Sylvie and me before stepping forward to wave at the captivated mass roaring our names.


    After several minutes of receiving the crowd¡¯s cheers, we slowly retreated back into the castle. As I walked back, I couldn¡¯t help but notice Tess stride off, heading back toward the teleportation gate we hade from without a word to any of us.


    ¡°I take it that Tessia is still mad at me?¡± I asked Virion, who was walking alongside me.


    ¡°Mad, frustrated, annoyed, offended¡ªI¡¯m not sure which, but I do know that whatever she¡¯s feeling towards you isn¡¯t good,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Now, I¡¯m sure you you have some things to take care of with your family, but I need you back at the castle as soon as you¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back at the castle as soon as I send my parents off, but I¡¯m still not sure whether it¡¯d be best to keep my sister in the castle or have her go with my parents,¡± I said.


    ¡°There are quite a lot of children and mothers that are going to be in the castle. Some of them are even teachers at magic academies, so it might be beneficial for her to stay there, but that¡¯s only if she¡¯s okay with being separated from you and your parents,¡± he noted.


    ¡°Yeah, you have a point. I¡¯ll try to convince her.¡±


    Virion nodded as he dug into the inside pocket of his robe. ¡°There¡¯s onest thing that you need to think about.¡±


    He pulled his hand out and opened it in front of me to reveal a ck coin the size of his palm. The coin glimmered at the slightest movement, drawing my attention to theplex engravings that were etched all over it. ¡°This is one of the artifacts that were handed down to me. I had given this and the other artifact to my son when I resigned from the throne, but after Alea¡¯s death, he gave this back to me, saying I should choose the nextnce.¡±


    I stood there silently for a moment, mesmerized by the oval coin that seemed to pulse in Virion¡¯s hand. ¡°So this is the artifact that Alea had?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Bonding it with your blood and mine will trigger it, giving you the boost that allowed all the othernces to break into the white stage. I know you¡¯re not an elf, but I¡¯d be honored if you¡¯d serve as ance under me.¡±


    My hands twitched, tempted to ept his gift that would give me a better chance to fight the Four Scythes and their retainers.


    Letting out a sigh, I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ll fight for you even without this bond, but I can¡¯t take this. I may regret it, but it doesn¡¯t feel right for me to cheat my way into the white stage. I¡¯ll get there on my own.¡±


    ¡°Good choice,¡± the familiar, hoarse voice of a certain asura chimed in from behind me.


    I looked back over my shoulder to see the purple-eyed asura walk over, his arms behind his back.


    ¡°Lord Aldir,¡± Virion bowed curtly, his palm still open for the asura to see.


    Aldir lifted the coin from his hand and studied it with a downward nce. ¡°While this artifact may give you a tremendous boost in strength, it greatly inhibits the potential to grow further.¡±


    The asura tossed the coin back to Virion as he continued speaking. ¡°Normally, I¡¯d rmend that any lessers take the opportunity to use this, especially in these dangerous times, but Arthur, you¡¯re a different case. Your talent aside, in you Lady Sylvie¡¯s dragon blood courses through your veins, and the powerful will of her mother inside your mana core. It may serve as a risk during the war, but I¡¯d suggest you don¡¯t take it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the heads up,¡± I replied. Taking a look around, I noticed that, while ine and Prisci yder remained here, Curtis and Kathyln, along with Tess and her parents were gone.


    ¡°Are you heading back to the castle right now as well?¡± I asked Virion.


    Virion nodded solemnly. ¡°There¡¯s much to prepare for. ine and Prisci will help prepare this city with the help of theirnces in the meantime. We won¡¯t know where exactly they¡¯llnd or how spread out they¡¯re going to be, but it¡¯s vital that we protect this city. Fortunately, the ships are still a few days away.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll meet you back as soon as I¡¯ve taken care of everything here.¡±


    As Virion and Aldir prepared to go through the teleportation gate, the white-haired asura turned back, matching my gaze with his single, purple eye. ¡°Arthur, are you ready for this war?¡±


    My lips curled up into smirk as I let out a chuckle. ¡°No, but I don¡¯t n on losing to those damn Vritras.¡±


    Aldir smiled in return and turned back around. ¡°Good. That¡¯s what I like to hear.¡±

 Chapter 147

    Chapter 147


    Chapter 147: Role


    As Virion and Aldir headed back to the castle, I remained behind to wish my mother and father, who were insistent about rejoining the Twin Horns and helping out in the war, off. As we said our goodbyes, I had tried to dissuade them from going near the western shore where the fighting would be the heaviest, but they were against it.


    What frustrated me was that I couldn¡¯t me them for it either; for them, thisnd was their home and protecting it was only natural. For me, maybe there was a certain amount of detachment despite growing up here since I remembered my previous life. I treated Dicathen as my home because this was where my family was, and it was arge factor as to why I decided to fight against the Vritra.


    Removing thest of my armor, I sank down into my seat and let out a deep breath.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I cursed, rubbing my temples.


    ¡°Getting into an argument with them wasn¡¯t the best way to part,¡± Sylvie spoke as sheid down, resting her head on her paws from the top of the polished tea table.


    ¡°Thank you for enlightening me¡±¡ªI rolled my eyes¡ª¡°I just don¡¯t understand why they wouldn¡¯t listen to my advice. I didn¡¯t say anything wrong.¡±


    ¡°You basically told them to go off into some remote area and stay hidden,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Those were not the words I used,¡± I retorted, kicking off my boots.


    ¡°But that¡¯s what you meant.¡±


    ¡°I just want them to stay safe,¡± I murmured, conceding.


    Sylvie hopped off the tea table and onto the armrest of my chair. ¡°If they were more concerned about their own safety, your parents wouldn¡¯t have cared to join the war.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m more concerned about my family¡¯s safety than this war. I¡¯m thankful that they¡¯re at least leaving Ellie behind, but that doesn¡¯t mean they should just go out risking their lives.¡±


    My bond nodded her head. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just hoping that they know I¡¯m concerned for them as their son, not as some...¡± I let my voice trail off as I let out another deep sigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard for them to discern now that they know,¡± Sylvie said softly, cing aforting paw on my arm.


    I sank lower into my seat as I stared at my bond for a moment. ¡°When exactly did you figured out what I was, anyway?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve always known, but I just could nevere up with the term to describe it. We do share thoughts, after all.¡±


    ¡°Every thought?¡± I asked, stunned.


    ¡°Mhmm.¡±


    ¡°But you only answered when I directly spoke to you. And I don¡¯t hear your thoughts unless you¡¯re speaking directly to my mind.¡±


    ¡°For me, speaking to your mind is much like speaking out loud. I¡¯ve learned to keep some thoughts hidden; I can¡¯t say the same for you though,¡± she giggled.


    My eyes grew wide in horror. ¡°That means¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do I know about your constant emotional turmoil when ites to Tessia? Yup,¡± she grinned.


    I let out a groan.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve listened to all of your fleeting thoughts since I was born. I didn¡¯t start understanding until a bitter, but I¡¯ve grown used to it over the years,¡± she consoled, her sharp teeth still showing as her grin remained.


    ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t ¡®grown used to¡¯ anything at all,¡± I grumbled.


    Sylvie¡¯s grin faded as she stared at me with her bright yellow eyes. ¡°We¡¯re going to battle soon. Grandfather told me while training me that while I¡¯m still far from reaching the level of a true asura, his blood still runs through me. This means that, while I can fight alongside you in this war, I¡¯m not invincible. The best way to stay alive is to rely on each other.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I said, confused by what brought this on.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying this because I have things that I¡¯ve hidden from you¡ªthings I¡¯ve just found out recently, and I feel like you¡¯re the only one that I can trust with my life,¡± she replied, reading my mind.


    ¡°Sylv, you know that you can trust me with whatever it is. I¡¯ve raised you since you were born, after all.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± My bond hopped off the armrest and onto my seat and rested her head on myp.


    There was a moment of silence as I pondered what she said. I knew she could read my thoughts but, as she mentioned, it really didn¡¯t matter. No matter how curious I was, I didn¡¯t bother asking her what these ¡®things¡¯ were that she had found out; she would¡¯ve already told me if she wanted to. What worried me was the fact that this was the first time she had expressed any sort of fear for her life. Despite our numerous encounters with dangerous situations, she had always remained strong and fearless, but now, I could feel her apprehension toward this war.


    I gently stroked Sylvie¡¯s soft head. ¡°How did you get so smart anyway? It seems like ever sinceing back from Epheotus, you¡¯ve had this huge growth. And don¡¯t get me started on your growing ego.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just bitter because you¡¯re taking life advice from a fox younger than you. And I¡¯ve always been a fast learner¡ªwhy do you think I always stayed on top of your head?¡±


    ¡°So you were learning by observing our surroundings?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yup. And it helps that you know a lot and I have free ess to your thoughts,¡± she confirmed as she nestled in closer to my leg.


    I could tell she was tired so, while I had a thousand questions about her seemingly sudden change in demeanor, I knew I had to wait.


    My eyes remained focused on the steady breathing of my bond as she slept soundly. She hadn¡¯t really changed much. There was still a sense of immaturity in her voice despite the change in the way she spoke; It felt like she was forcing herself to be more mature.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what Lord Indrath had drilled into my bond while training her but one thing was for sure¡ªshe had be aware that she was an asura.


    As Sylvie¡¯s breathing became slower and more rhythmic, I leaned my head back on the chair, staring up at the t ceiling of my room as I organized my thoughts.


    While Virion and the rest didn¡¯t know this, Windsom had told me what Agrona and the rest of his n was like. He and the rest of the Vritra had been experimenting on what the asuras called ¡®lesser races¡¯ even before they had escaped to crya. The few ounts of mages that had appeared at the Wall weren¡¯t anything special, but I knew they were simply cannon fodder meant to create mayhem with the mana beasts under their control to divide our forces.


    If what Windsom said was true, then the horde of ships approaching our shores would include mages with asura blood coursing through their veins. And this was centuries ago. I could only imagine how much they had progressed since then and what they would do to the people of Dicathen if the Vritra won this siege. This ce would just be a breeding ground for soldiers that Agrona would use to conquer Epheotus.


    ¡°Arthur.¡±


    The hoarse baritone voice snapped me out of my thoughts. ¡°Isn¡¯t there some sort of etiquette to knock when entering someone¡¯s room, or at least using the door for that matter?¡±


    ¡°The tone of your response tells me things didn¡¯t go well with the business that you had to take care of?¡± Aldir said as he calmly took on the couch across from me.


    ¡°Why are you here? I thought you would be with the Council,¡± I said, ignoring his words.


    ¡°There is something that I need from you,¡± Aldir replied, his glowing purple eye¡¯s piercing gaze directed at me.


    I stared back, my gaze unwavering. ¡°And what is that?¡±


    There was a tense silence until Aldir let out a sigh.


    ¡°Your help,¡± Aldir admitted. ¡°Lord Indrath told me to rely on your judgment throughout the course of this war, and after your speech earlier, I think I understand why.¡±


    ¡°What did Lord Indrath mean when he said to rely on my judgment?¡± I asked. As I sat up, Sylvie stirred awake but drifted back to sleep almost immediately after.


    ¡°Lord Indrath realized that your contribution to this war shouldn¡¯t be limited to just being a sword. While there will be times when you¡¯ll be needed in the field, sending you out to every battle that urs will only tire you out. The times when you won¡¯t be needed, you¡¯ll be by my side in the council, strategizing with us and giving us your input.¡±


    ¡°Let me get this straight; you want a sixteen-year-old making life-changing decisions with the Council?¡± I scoffed.


    ¡°Aside from the fact that you are just a lesser, you¡¯re not a normal child. Don¡¯t think that this eye is just a pretty decoration. I knew there was something off about you the first time we¡¯d met, but it was only by Lord Indrath¡¯s words that I had realized just how much.¡±


    ¡°Is there something I get in return for helping you?¡± I asked, resting my head on my hand.


    Aldir¡¯s eye narrowed. ¡°I came in good faith to ask for your help, but it is to both of our benefit that you cooperate. Losing this war means either dying, getting enved, or worse. Not just for you, but for your loved ones as well.¡±


    ¡°You could¡¯ve at least thrown me a bone,¡± I sighed. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll help, but I¡¯m not sure how much of my advice the Council is willing to listen to. Virion might listen, but everyone else...¡±


    ¡°Let me worry about that,¡± Aldir replied. ¡°Besides, you won¡¯t only be in meetings. I have other ns for you as well.¡±


    ¡°When you say ¡®other ns¡¯ like that, it sounds kind of ominous,¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°As I said; you are a powerhouse in this war¡ªmaybe more so than thences given a few years. I would certainly not waste your abilities by having you sit through those lessers¡ªI mean the Council¡ªbicker with one another.¡±


    I shook my head and let out a helplessugh. ¡°It must be frustrating for you, being here and restrained from helping despite the amount of manpower you could provide just by yourself.¡±


    ¡°My time wille. If the defense of this siege is sessful, then our army of asuras will be able to take care of Agrona and his weakened force with the help of the Dicathen army.¡±


    ¡°It seems like this war is far from over,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Yes, but this fight will be the start of a new era. If Dicathen wins and fights alongside us asuras, Agrona and his n of traitors and mutts will fall and everyone will gain ess to a new continent.¡±


    Aldir sounded hopeful, almost excited, despite usual calm demeanor.


    ¡°You¡¯ve lost someone to Agrona, haven¡¯t you?¡± I asked, seeing the expression on the asura¡¯s face.


    ¡°Many of us lost a loved one in that battle¡ªno, it would be better described as a massacre,¡± Aldir answered, the brow underneath his third eye twitching.


    ¡°Well, you heard what I said to Virion; I have no intentions of losing this war, but if you¡¯re going to ask my help in this, you need to trust in the advice that I do give.¡±


    Letting out augh through his nose, he replied, ¡°Never did I think that in all my years, a lesser would speak to me like this.¡±


    ¡°Well, these lessers are fighting your battles for you, so at least have the decency to call them by the names of their actual race,¡± I replied with a smirk.


    ¡°You ask for a lot, Arthur Leywin, but very well.¡± The white-haired asura stood up, smoothing out the creases in his ivory robe. ¡°It¡¯s about time I headed back down to the meeting room. It worries me every time I leave those less¡ªpeople alone for too long. We will be expecting you shortly.¡±


    I let out a chuckle. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll go down soon, but I¡¯m curious about something.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± the asura replied, looking back over his shoulder.


    ¡°The two remainingnces that couldn¡¯t join us today. I know you said two years ago that they¡¯re working under you, but you didn¡¯t kill them or something, right?¡±


    Aldir shook his head. ¡°Even I wouldn¡¯t be so rash as to kill ance on a whim. While political envoys can be reced, the power of ance can take years to develop, even if they had a particrly highpatibility with the artifact. I nned on bringing up the subject on those two at the meeting, but since you brought it up, I¡¯d like your input on this matter.¡±


    I nodded fervently as the asura revealed what he had been nning by using the twonces, when an idea struck me. My lips curled into a wicked grin as I let out a deviousugh. ¡°Not bad, but I have a better idea.¡±

 Chapter 148

    Chapter 148


    Chapter 148: First Assignment


    A cloud of frosty fog formed with each breath as I made my way toward the bustling encampment. The soldiers had set up their tents and lit fires behind a formation ofrge rocks standing over a couple dozen feet high underneath a cliff by the shore. The soft flickers of fires and trails of smoke stood out from the distance but the towering barricade of boulders served as a natural defense from anyoneing from the waters.


    I could make out a few watchmen stationed atop the cliff overarching the camp, barely visible even with augmented vision due to theyer of haze surrounding the entire beach.


    Wrapping the woolen cloak tightly around me, I shrouded myself in anotheryer of mana to keep the sharp winter winds away.


    <em>Almost there,</em> I informed Sylvie, who was buried deep within theyers of my clothes.


    My bond peeked her head out and almost immediately hid herself inside my cloak after letting out a sour grumble.


    For such a mighty being, you¡¯re sure weak to the cold, I teased, continuing thest leg of our trek.


    <em>¡®You¡¯re not the one that had to fly through that cursed wind. It feels like my wings have holes in them even in this form,¡¯</em> sheined. <em>¡®And I¡¯m not weak to the cold; I just hate it.¡¯</em>


    I let out a soft chuckle as I picked up my pace. Ever since we declined any sort of truce with crya, Aldir couldn¡¯t risk breaking the asura¡¯s agreement by creating teleportation gates anymore. This meant that I had to rely on Sylvie for long distance transportation anywhere away from the already existing teleportation gates. I only had her transform a mile or so back as to not draw attention.


    As per Virion¡¯s request, I was to stay with this division and aid them in the unlikely scenario that cryan ships were sent this far down the coast. However, unbeknownst to him, I had added another item to his agenda.


    Walking along the bottom of the cliff, I hid my presence. While most mages hid their presence by rescinding their mana, my training in Epheotus taught me that a perfect bnce of mana output through my mana channels and mana input through my mana veins would allow me to stay hidden from even the most alert mana beasts while still being able to use mana.


    I was able to spot a rather conspicuouslyrge, house-shaped tent near the foot of the cliff where the formation of boulders met. Judging from the fact that the tent was located in the safest area of therge, semi-circr encampment and that it was three times the size of any of the other shoddy tents around, I could only assume it belonged to the captain.


    As I arrived near the edge of the camp, I picked up a few broken pieces of wood along the way and naturally walked past the resting soldiers.


    No one seemed to mind; with my hood up and an armful of branches and twigs, I probably looked like any other young soldier wishfully hoping to earn a title by contributing in the war.


    Some of the seasoned soldiers, polishing their weapons and armor against the dainty firelight, nced in my direction with little regard while a group of younger soldiers¡ªobviously conjurers of noble descent based on their embellished attire and shy staffs¡ªjeered and smirked at my in attire.


    <em>¡®Those ignorant clowns have no idea who they¡¯re scoffing at,¡¯</em> Sylvie hissed as she peeked at their expressions.<em> ¡®They¡¯re better off used as bait.¡¯</em>


    <em>Easy</em>, I soothed. You sure learned some colorful insults from Lord Indrath.


    As I walked deeper into the encampment, I passed through the cooking station. Large fires zing inside earthen pits formed through magic were lined neatly with stews bubbled tantalizingly inside pots asrge, barrel-chested men cleaved away at chunks of meat.


    ¡°Clear the pots for the skewered meat! Benfir and Schren, get ready to start handing out the stew!¡± A rather small-framed woman with a fierce expression roared out orders with adle in hand, held more like a weapon than a tool.


    Thedle-wielding woman looked back over her shoulder as I passed by her. She gave me a respectful nod, which caught me by surprise since I had assumed no one would recognize who I was this far out from civilization.


    I had almost arrived at therge tent in the farthest corner of the camp when the high-pitched sh of metal on metal drew my attention. Dropping the branches I had in my hands, I peered over the group of soldiers that had formed a circle around the source of the sounds, seeing two augmenters engaged in a friendly bout. The sharp shrieks of their swords drew sparks even with theyer of mana covering their des while they parried each other¡¯s strikes with obvious deft.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten better, Cedry,¡± said the short-haired soldier. While he looked a bit shorter than me, his arms looked almost unnaturally long. He used his slender frame and long, flexible limbs to his advantage by delivering fast, irregr strikes with dual daggers.


    ¡°And yet, you¡¯re still a pain to fight against, Jona,¡± the girl named Cedry replied with a confident smirk as she ducked Jona¡¯s swipe. She was clearly at a disadvantage with her gauntlets against an opponent who excelled in long-ranged strikes, but she wasn¡¯t losing.


    As she nimbly ducked, weaved and parried Jona¡¯s dual-wielding assault, something about her held my interest.


    It wasn¡¯t until I focused on her ears that I realized why I had felt that way.


    <em>She¡¯s a half-elf,</em> I pointed out to Sylvie, who had lost interest in the match and was back inside my cloak.


    At my observation, my bond peeked her head back out. ¡®Oh! She is. We haven¡¯te across one besides that ill-tempered Lucas.¡¯


    <em>Ill-tempered is putting it lightly,</em> I chuckled, my gaze still on the fight.


    <em>¡®Shouldn¡¯t we notify the captain of our arrival first?¡¯</em> Sylvie reminded.


    <em>You¡¯re right. I got side-tracked,</em> I thought, turning away from the duel.


    <em>¡®You always do when ites to these kinds of fights,¡¯</em> she teased.


    There¡¯s something about closebat that makes a fight exciting, unlike long-ranged conjuring, I agreed, walking back.


    As we reached therge white tent, an armored guard gripping a halberd stopped me. ¡°What business do you have in here?¡±


    ¡°Is this the captain¡¯s tent?¡± I asked, my hood still covering half my face.


    ¡°I said, what business you have in here?¡± the guard repeated, his gaze unrelenting.


    Letting out a deep breath, I held out a medallion.


    Upon sight, the guard¡¯s narrow eyes widened in shock. His gaze shifted from the gold medallion back to me with a look of horror at the blunder he had made. ¡°I-I¡¯m so so-sorry, Gen¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shhh,¡± I mouthed before he could finish speaking. I held up my hand. ¡°I don¡¯t want my visit to cause a stir so let¡¯s just keep this between us.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, sir,¡± he nodded furiously as he opened the p to the tent.


    As I stepped inside the spacious tent, a gust of warmth flooded my body. It felt as if ayer of ice was melting off my face as I removed my cloak. The first thing I couldn¡¯t help but notice was the re hawk nestled near the entrance.


    <em>¡®I remember her,¡¯</em> Sylvie chimed in my head as she hopped to the ground.


    I turned to the woman sitting behind a small wooden desk, unconcerned of the intrusion.


    ¡°Professor Glory,¡± I greeted with a faint grin as she finally looked up, her face brightening at the sight of her old student. My old Team-Fighting Mechanics professor looked the same as always with her tannedplexion and brte hair tied tightly behind her head. While she was wearing a light armor even inside the tent, her two giant swords leaned close by against a drawer behind her.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, General Leywin,¡± she smirked,ing around her desk.


    ¡°Please, just call me Arthur,¡± I said helplessly.


    ¡°Then I¡¯d prefer if you just called me Vanesy,¡± she said, spreading out her arms. ¡°After all, I¡¯m not your professor anymore.¡±


    epting her hug,I noted that this was my first time hearing Professor Glory¡¯s first name. ¡°Well then. Do you mind giving me a brief report of the situation here, Vanesy?¡±


    Releasing me from her firm grasp, Vanesy acknowledged Sylvie with a polite nod before reaching behind her desk. After a moment of rummaging, she held out a rolled up parchment, but started speaking even before I could open it.


    ¡°Right now, it¡¯s just me and my division of roughly three thousand. My division is on the smaller side but we have with us fifty-eight mages, twenty of whom are conjurers while ten are long-range augmenters to make up for the numbers,¡± she recited.


    I nodded in understanding while skimming through the parchment. ¡°There¡¯s supposed to be one other captain along with you, right?¡±


    ¡°Captain Auddyr and his division are making the march up here from Maybur City. I can send out a transmission if you¡¯d like,¡± my old professor answered.


    ¡°No need. Truth be told, I¡¯m not even expecting a ship to veer off this far south,¡± I admitted, handing Vanesy back the parchment.


    ¡°I heard about your big n set up for those cryan bastards up the coast,¡± she chuckled. ¡°You think it¡¯s going to work?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll slow them down, and with any luck, sink a few of their ships.¡±


    ¡°A shame we won¡¯t be there to see it,¡± she said regretfully. The bright-eyed professor that I had fought with down at Widow¡¯s Crypt then pulled out a leather sk from her drawer, biting off the cork before gulping down what I could only assume was alcohol.


    ¡°Care for a swig, General Leywin?¡± she winked, holding the sk up.


    ¡°I¡¯m a minor, you know.¡±


    Vanesy scoffed. ¡°If you¡¯re old enough to go to war, you¡¯re old enough to drink.¡±


    My lips curled up into a smirk as I grabbed her sk and took a gulp. The smoky liquid seared my throat as it made its way into my stomach, warming up my insides.


    <em>¡®Is it smart to inhibit yourself like this before a battle?¡¯</em> Sylvie asked with a tone of disapproval.


    Rx. It¡¯s just one sip, I replied.


    Stifling back a cough, I handed the leather bottle back to my former professor. ¡°That¡¯s got quite the kick.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm,¡± Vanesy agreed. ¡°Although you¡¯re going to need a bit more than that to keep yourself warm out there. Aren¡¯t you freezing in that thin outfit of yours?¡±


    I looked down at my attire. While I wasn¡¯t expecting a battle, I was dressed for one. My inner gray garment was skin-tight, with the sleeveing up to my wrist. While seemingly thin, it was stic enough for me to freely move in but also strong enough to withstand sharp edges to a certain degree. The only thing I wore over this was a simple ck tunic that draped loosely over my shoulders. The sleeves stopped at the elbows, allowing me unimpeded movement of my arms.


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ve grown used to constantly surrounding myself with mana to keep me warm. Honestly, even this cloak is just for appearance¡¯s sake.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that? Commander Virion wanted me to have you speak in front of the soldiers anyway¡ªyou know, for motivation.¡±


    ¡°About that,¡± I grinned. ¡°Let¡¯s hold off on that until Captain Auddyr arrives. I was hoping to have a little fun in the camp.¡±


    ¡°Uh oh,¡± my former professor groaned. ¡°What are you up to?¡±


    I shook my head disapprovingly. ¡°Now is that any way to speak to your superior?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± she relented. ¡°Just don¡¯t mortally wound my soldiers.¡±


    ¡°What kind of person do you take me for?¡± I replied innocently, putting my cloak back on as I headed back toward the cloth door.


    ¡°Are there any soldiers who¡¯d recognize who I am?¡± I asked, remembering the head chef bowing to me.


    ¡°We¡¯re pretty far out from any sort of massmunication. I recently got a written letter delivered by a carrier with thetest updates but I haven¡¯t announced any of it,¡± she answered. ¡°Besides, with your shaggy hair and those in clothes, you¡¯d easily pass as a new recruit picked up from the countryside.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an old saying that a wise man appears weak when he is strong and strong when he is weak,¡± I replied, pointing at the dazzling armor engraved with intricate decorations she had on.


    ¡°It¡¯s for protection, not for showing off,¡± she argued.


    ¡°Not when the design on the armor matches your bond¡¯s armor,¡± I teased, ncing at the silver armor hanging on a stand next to Torch.


    ¡°You¡¯ve be a wise-ass since bing ance,¡± she grumbled.


    ¡°Oh please, I¡¯ve been a wise-ass long before bing ance,¡± I rebutted.


    My former professor chortled as she leaned back against her desk. ¡°¡®Appear weak when you¡¯re strong¡¯; I like that.¡±


    ¡°Feel free to steal it,¡± I said as I headed out of the tent. I couldn¡¯t tell my former professor that this quote was from an ancient general from my previous life, but she didn¡¯t seem to be curious of its origin.


    <em>¡®What did you want to do?¡¯</em> Sylvie asked curiously as she nestled on top of my head.


    <em>Evaluate thepetency of the current state of our soldiers, of course.</em>


    Sylvie¡¯s sense of doubt flooded my mind as she let out a sigh. <em>¡®You mean y-fight with them?¡¯</em>


    <em>Just for a little bit.</em>


    <em>¡®Even as your bond, I sometimes find myself worried that the fate of this continent relies heavily on you.¡¯</em>

 Chapter 149

    Chapter 149


    Chapter 149: A Simple Cook


    As I lifted the tent p, I caught sight of the guard stationed outside. As soon as our eyes met, his giant body stiffened into a frantic salute. ¡°G-Gen¡ª¡±


    ¡°Remember...¡± I reminded, winking at the terrified guard as I pressed my finger to my lips.


    Without waiting for a response, I made my way back to the growing cluster of soldiers cheering louder than before.


    The fight between the half-elf girl named Cedry and the long-armed Jona seemed to havee to an end as a new pair of fighters brawled it out on an earthen tform a conjurer had erected.


    The casual spar of the two soldiers had escted into a full-blown event as the audience moved logs and tree stumps to make seats. Some of the more enthusiastic members of the crowd began making wagers with their peers, from the meat slices of their next meals to more precious resources like alcohol that they had smuggled inside hidden water pouches. All in all, the encampment had a jubnt atmosphere that was unbefitting of this continent¡¯s current circumstances.


    Blending myself in with the crowd, I made my way toward the front of the makeshift arena where I found Cedry and Jona spectating from the ground.


    ¡°It was a good fight,¡± I remarked, taking a seat next to the dagger-wielding soldier named Jona. ¡°Who ended up winning?¡±


    The half-elf who fought using gauntlets. just like my father. looked at me with a victorious smile as she raised up her hand untingly in front of Jona.


    Jona ruffled his short, disheveled hair in frustration. ¡°One time, Cedry. You¡¯ve won one time.¡±


    ¡°The first victory of many toe,¡± she snickered.


    I chuckled, looking at the two of them bicker. ¡°I wish I could¡¯ve seen how it ended.¡±


    Letting out augh, Jona stuck out a hand. ¡°My name is Jona, and the immature girl next to me is Cedry. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you around. Are you a new recruit?¡±


    ¡°I guess you can say that.¡± I shook both their hands. ¡°You can call me Arthur.¡±


    ¡°Well, Arthur, judging by how things are going, it looks like we¡¯ll be able to enjoy a lot more fights tonight,¡± Jona said, focusing back at the fight currently taking ce.


    The fight had just ended with arge, bear-like augmenter finallynding a finishing hit on his light-footed opponent. As the defeated soldier jumped off the stage, nursing his stricken cheek, my gaze fell on Jona and Cedry once more. Jona¡¯s features were fairly ordinary, with sharp angles and a slight, beaked nose. Cedry, on the other hand, stood out a bit more. With her radiant gaze that seemed full of life and her yful demeanor. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she were popr with both men and women. Just in the short time I¡¯d sat down next to them, at least a dozen or so peers walked by, making jokes or congratting her on her win.


    ¡°¡ªcountry bumpkin! Get your head outta yer ass,¡± a loud, gritty voice snapped.


    I turned toward the source of the voice only to see the bear-like augmenter staring back down at me.


    I looked around until I realized that he was talking to me. ¡°Do I really look like I came from the countryside?¡± I asked Jona.


    ¡°Stop going after fresh recruits, Herrick, and grow the balls to at least spar with someone in your weight ss,¡± Cedry hissed back, eliciting a howl ofughter from the rest of the crowd.


    I got up to my feet. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re just having fun, right?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah,¡± the balding Herrick quickly agreed. ¡°I¡¯m using this chance to show the new recruits some pointers!¡±


    Taking off my cloak with Sylvie inside, I hopped up to the elevated stage and held out my hand. ¡°Well then, please give me lots of pointers.¡±


    Herrick grabbed my hand, squeezing it a little too tightly for it to be a warm gesture. ¡° I¡¯ll give you the first move.¡±


    Letting go of my hand, he spread his arms out with a smug grin pasted on his greasy face as his eyes nced over toward a group of girls seated in the audience.


    While Herrick¡¯s body seemed a bit too round to be efficient in battle, theyer of mana enveloped around him told me he was apetent mage.


    Wanting to see how he fought, I limited the amount of mana I willed into my body as I stepped in range to attack.


    As my fist approached his abdomen, I could see the mana gathering where he thought I¡¯d hit. The giant augmenter barely flinched as my fist sunk into his heaping stomach.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to try harder than that, country brat!¡± he chuckled as I pulled away.


    I shook my hand. ¡°So strong.¡±


    ¡°Now, let me show you some pointers.¡± His smile grew as he nced again at the group of girls watching us.


    He swung a giant hand to swat me off the tform. Taking the hit, Inded on my bottom rather embarrassingly but without any injuries. ¡°Oh man, I couldn¡¯t even react.¡±


    There was a bit of irritation on my opponent¡¯s face as he assumed I¡¯d go sailing off the stage, but his arrogant smirk was still there. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I held back or you would¡¯ve gone flying. Those cryan bastards aren¡¯t going to go easy on you, though.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Thank you.¡± I tried to sound enthusiastic like a country bumpkin who was now part of a military filled with mages of noble blood but it was bing tiring.


    The fight went on for several more minutes with Herrick trying to swat me out of the arena using his meaty hands while I pretended to get the full brunt of his attack only to stumble a few feet.


    ¡°Come on, Herrick. I know you¡¯re going easy on him but don¡¯t baby him all day!¡± a soldier cried out while his peers agreed.


    ¡°I-I just don¡¯t wanna to hurt the twig, you know?¡± he replied, his frustration evident on his face.


    So far, I¡¯d gathered that by the callouses on his hands and the way his arms naturally attacked, he used a heavy axe as his primary weapon. However, besides his decent control in body-strengthening, he had no other tricks up his sleeve. Deciding that my assessment of him was over, I used the chance when Herrick reached over to grab me by twisting my body and tossing him over my shoulders off of the arena.


    The whole act looked like one big blunder. Even Herrick was surprised to see himself looking up at me from the floor.


    ¡°W-Wait, I tripped!¡± he cried, looking around desperately as he waved his hands. ¡°That doesn¡¯t count.¡±


    The crowd erupted intoughter and jeers as they mockingly booed Herrick away from the stage.


    Even while only using ten percent of my mana and withholding any use of elemental spells, Herrick was a joke. But I couldn¡¯t say that out loud, of course.


    ¡°Looks like I got lucky,¡± I said helplessly up on the stage while scratching my cheek.


    ¡°I wanted to beat Herrick¡¯s giant ass, but I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡± A tall woman with her ck hair tied back tightly behind her head jumped up onstage. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you really were just lucky, greenhorn.¡±


    ¡°Please go easy on me,¡± I said catingly.


    My opponent was well over six feet, just a few inches taller than me, but her thin and toned frame made her look even taller than she actually was. With a darkplexion and sharp, narrow eyes toplement her straight ck hair, she looked like a panther ready to pounce.


    ¡°I¡¯m used to fighting with a staff so I¡¯d appreciate it if you used a weapon as well,¡± she said as a wooden staff appeared out of the dimension ring on her finger. From the ring she had just used and the rich colors of her clothes, it was obvious that she was a noble but that fact seemed trivial to her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill the kid, Nyphia!¡± her friend cried out in genuine concern.


    I chuckled timidly. ¡°Sorry, the smith is repairing my sword right now but I can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Someone give the boy a sword his size,¡± Nymphia snapped impatiently as she stretched her neck.


    An unfamiliar soldier threw me his short sword still in it¡¯s sheath almost immediately. I let out a sigh as I carefully slid the de out of its scabbard and covered it in mana to dull the edges.


    Unlike Herrick, my new opponent didn¡¯t let her guard down as she dropped to a low stance. She held her wooden staff out with it¡¯s tip aimed at the ground while her feline eyes peered straight into me.


    ¡°Poor boy, getting marked by Nyphia,¡± someone muttered behind me.


    Letting out a sigh, I took a stance as well. I was hoping to use this casual event to get a sense for some of the soldiers here but this girl seemed to have other ns. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    The dark-skinned augmenter let out an irritated scoff, as if I¡¯d somehow offended her. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    She pounced on me like a bolt of lightning as soon as I nodded in reply. Her body remained low even as she was in range while she pulled her staff in close to her body, ready to strike me.


    Just from her first strike, I could tell what sort of fighter Nyphia was. Her control over mana was excellent¡ªon a different tier than Herrick¡ªbut shecked real experience. Her moves were fast but also obvious. Her intent all but leaked out of her body with each attack she attempted. Most likely, she only had experience fighting against guards or other professionals too scared to hurt her, which didn¡¯t help her short temper and over-inted confidence.


    Each lunge, swipe, thrust, and swing she threw at me, I parried or dodged¡ªbut just barely. On the outside, it looked like I was getting pushed back as I desperately tried to keep up. To Nyphia, her temper reached a new high after each failed attempt tond a solid hit.


    As my back foot leaned off the edge of the tform we were on, I used the momentum from Nyphia¡¯s over-emotional thrust to send her out of bounds to end the match but she kept her bnce with the help of her staff.


    Leaping back to the center, she shook her head. ¡°Not this time. Amber, raise a cage around the arena!¡±


    ¡°This is just a friendlypetition, not a death match,¡± I argued.


    She disagreed. ¡°No, this is practice for the war that¡¯s right in front of our noses. And in war, there are no ¡®out-of-bounds¡¯¡±¡ªshe whipped her head over her shoulder¡ª¡°Amber. The cage.¡±


    Her friend, orckey, stood up and raised an earthen gate around the arena with a short chant and a wave of her wand, locking me up with this rabid cat that thought herself a mighty tiger.


    I looked around and while some of the soldiers shared nces of concern, none of them spoke up. I was beginning to regret this whole idea of ¡®blending in¡¯ and was tempted to just blow apart the arena and walk out but I held myself back. With the possibility of an cryan ship, or several, veering down to this shore, I didn¡¯t want to take any chances.


    With experience from my past life, I¡¯de to realize that people becent when in the presence of a powerful ally. Theye to expect to be spoonfed victory from theforts of the backline when someone as revered as ance is amongst them. At least, that was the case in my life. I might have it backwards here¡ªwho knows, maybe having ance with them would give them the confidence and zeal to fight harder, but I was skeptical of that.


    ¡°You make a good point,¡± I faked a smile, staying in character. ¡°Please teach me well.¡±


    With our weapons at the ready, we began once more. A real fight, especially if it involved a sharp-edged weapon, took only a matter of seconds to draw to a conclusion. But with mana as abundant as it was in this world, making mistakes more forgiving than it did in my previous world, fighters did little to correct their ws and instead, focused on making their strengths even stronger. Even I had sumbed to that mistake when I first came to this world; that is, until that was beaten out of me by the asuras back in Epheotus.


    Nyphia dashed toward me once more, this time feinting left before using the other end of her staff in a quick, ascending swipe.


    I dodged close enough to smell the oaky smelling from her polished staff and countered by pushing her staff up with my free hand. This threw her off bnce; I finished by sliding my foot behind her back foot and pushing forward.


    With the strength of my assimted body along with the added mana, Nyphia was sent tumbling backward. The crowd of soldiers that had be tense since the cage had been conjured let out cries of dumbfounded amazement at the turn of events.


    ring at me balefully as her face turned bright scarlet with embarrassment and anger, Nyphia was unable to form the proper words to express herself when a mellow husky voice rang from the crowd. ¡°Mind if I join in on the fun?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not joining anything! I just trip¡ª¡± the dark-skinned noble¡¯s words got caught in her throat as she realized whose voice it was. ¡°M-Madam Astera!¡±


    Nyphia lowered her head as she spoke. ¡°Forgive me for my rudeness!¡±


    The woman that my opponent referred to as Madam Astera was none other than the head cook that regarded me with a respectful nod when I had first arrived here. The chef hopped up over the cage with a nimbleness that made Nyphia¡¯s movement seem infant-like.


    I gave a quick bow, remembering to keep in character. ¡°May I have the pleasure of knowing who I¡¯m sparring with?¡±


    Madam Astera bobbed a quick curtsy with her apron. ¡°Just a simple cook.¡±

 Chapter 150

    Chapter 150


    Chapter 150: Rumination


    ¡°Just a cook?¡± I repeated. ¡°Somehow, I have a hard time believing that.¡±


    The head chef shrugged, untying her apron and tossing it over to Nyphia. ¡°Titles are merely an embellishment stuck in front of your name to establish a hierarchy, so yes, I am Chef Astera. Nice to meet you.¡±


    Taken aback by the sudden words of wisdom, I dipped my head in reply. ¡°And I am Arthur. The pleasure is mine.¡±


    ¡°Well then, <em>Arthur</em>, let¡¯s put a show on for the antsy soldiers here before they start throwing a fit.¡± Her lips curved into a confident smile as she held up thedle in her hand.


    ¡°Of course. Will that be your weapon?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. It¡¯d be disrespectful to fight with a tool used to cook.¡± Letting out a heartyugh, Madam Astera motioned one of the soldiers up in the front for his weapon¡ªa short sword, much like the one I was borrowing. ¡°Now, do go easy on an olddy like me.¡±


    With that, she disappeared from view at a speed that no ¡®simple cook¡¯ could have moved. Madam Astera blinked into view in the air above me, already in position to swing down, her handsome face glowing with savage excitement.


    With a quick sidestep, I brought up my sword as well. Sparks danced around us as the edge of my de met hers. Before Madam Astera¡¯s sword hit the ground, she kicked off the guard of my sword to gain distance.


    With only a minimal amount of mana infused in my body and sword, my hand became numb from blocking her attack. ¡°Just a simple cook?¡± I confirmed.


    ¡°Just a simple cook,¡± she answered with a wink before rushing to me once again.


    Our swords became mere blurs in the space between us as both Madam Astera and I unleashed a flurry of attacks.


    Her petite body moved with a coordinated agility that would even impress Kordri, the asura that had trained me. We both dodged each other¡¯s strikes and swings with minimal movement. If it wasn¡¯t for the sweat flooding down our faces and necks, it would¡¯ve looked as if we were missing on purpose.


    I raised my mana output to twenty percent but, just like me, she seemed to have been holding back as well because we were still at a stalemate.


    Neither one of us had the luxury to speak as it took all of our focus to keep up with each other¡¯s attacks, but our emotions showed through our expressions. This wasn¡¯t a duel of magic; just a contest of pure mastery of the sword.


    Madam Astera wore an ecstatic grin on her sweaty face as she continued her relentless assault and somewhere along the way, I realized that I had been smiling as well.


    With each strike she delivered, I countered with another but she wlessly dodged until her back was against the earthen cage. I decided not to raise my mana but instead, used the field to my advantage. Dipping below her waist, I brought my sword close in position to swing up.


    She had nowhere to move but to her right¡ªor rather, that¡¯s what I thought.


    Even when she was just barely an arm¡¯s length away from me, she kicked off the wall and propelled herself directly at me. I quickly pivoted on my right foot, whirling just in time for her de to whiz past my cheek. The tables had turned; now it was my back that was against the wall.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that there was a saying that said something along the lines of, ¡®even a mouse will attack when it¡¯s cornered¡¯,¡± Madam Astera said with her sword raised closely in guard.


    I smiled. ¡°Well, it looks like I¡¯m the cornered mouse now.¡±


    ¡°Hence my caution?¡± She smirked, tightening the grip on her raised sword. ¡°Now, why don¡¯t you stop holding back, Arthur?¡±


    ¡°In the midst of such an exciting duel, I think bringing any magic past basic augmentation would be disrespectful to the way of the sword,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Wise words from one so young,¡± she nodded in approval. ¡°Then shall we kick things up a notch?¡± A surge of mana suddenly burst out of my opponent as she took a step back.


    The soldiers in the front row winced from the sudden thick gust of energy while others had to lean forward to not topple backward in their seats.


    With a smile, I increased my mana output to forty percent. A thick wave of mana burst out of me as well, but it took on a different form from Madam Astera¡¯s. While her mana took the form of a sharp and chaotic gale, mine manifested into a refined wave-like pulse.


    Madam Astera¡¯s smile faded as she looked at me in awe. Shaking herself out of her daze, she molded her mana into a thick armor around her before lunging at me. The force of her initial step created a small crater beneath her feet, shaking the entire arena.


    In the span of a single breath, her sword was already inches away from my throat but the force of her strike had already sent a spear of wind sailing past my neck, only to create a hole in the wall behind me.


    I could see why someone like Nyphia was so scared of this ¡®simple¡¯ cook. After her initial strike failed, she leaped back and repositioned herself, tightening her stance like a coiled snake, ready to strike.


    But this time, I was the one to strike. I dashed forward, creating no sound as I shed beside her with my sword in mid-swing when she immediately ducked. With no time to prepare, her movement was sloppy, but the very fact that she was able to react to my attack showed how frightening her instincts were.


    Sheshed back with a sharp swing before leaping back again. This time, she didn¡¯t wait for me to strike, rather lunged once more. I brought up my sword but realized midway that her stab was a feint as she dipped into a wide swing at my leg; she wanted me to jump up to dodge so she could catch me mid-air.


    Instead, I brought my sword down to parry.


    A high-pitched ring resounded from our two des shing. A deep tremor rose up my arm from the impact before my sword shattered.


    For a moment, we stood there, both dazed at the turn of events until I let out. ¡°It¡¯s my loss, Chef Astera.¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t ept that. It was just that your sword¡¯s quality¡ª¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I think it¡¯s time for dinner anyway, right?¡± I walked over to the soldier I had borrowed the sword from. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your sword. I¡¯ll get you a new one.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ªoh, yeah, sure. No problem...¡± his voice trailed off as he stared at me nkly. It wasn¡¯t until I noticed his awestruck expression that I realized how quiet the camp had be. I looked around to see everyone with the same expression as the soldier in front of me, the only sound the asional crackle of wooding from the fires.


    ¡°You heard the boy, move your asses or starve for the rest of the night!¡± Madam Astera roared. ¡°We¡¯re going all out tonight!¡±


    With that, the silent crowd erupted into cheers as therge cooks began handing out tes stacked with steaming food.


    The atmosphere quickly turned festive as Madam Astera brought out barrels of liquor. I spotted Vanesy trying to limit the amount of alcohol passed around but sheter gave in, taking a ss for herself.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if it was a good idea to drink when we were supposed to be on the lookout for any stray ships, but the chances of that happening were too meager to actually stop them from having at least one good night.


    After a few drinks in everyone¡¯s systems, soldiers became more outgoing. Some began singing while others apanied, using a hollow log as a makeshift percussive instrument. The songs seemed more like melodic tales of adventurers with no real thought put into rhythm but it was enjoyable nheless¡ªespecially with a few drinks in me as well.


    <em>¡®Should ance sumb to peer pressure and drink so much?¡¯</em> Sylvie berated, choosing to stay inside my cloak for warmth.


    <em>Who says it¡¯s peer pressure?</em> I replied, taking another sip, relishing the warm numbness spreading from the alcohol and from the fire as well.


    ¡°Do you mind if I join you?¡± Madam Astera took a seat next to me by the dancing me with a ss of liquor in her hand. ¡°So who exactly is Arthur?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± I replied, thankful since the curious soldiers lingering around me began dispersing as soon as the chef came. ¡°And I thought you already knew.¡±


    ¡°I knew you weren¡¯t just a normal boy,¡± she shrugged before gulping down the rest of the liquor in her ss.


    I followed suit and took another sip as well. ¡°Then can I ask who you are?¡±


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m just a¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the ¡®simple cook¡¯ answer of yours isn¡¯t going to cut it,¡± I interrupted.


    She let out a heartyugh that didn¡¯t match her small frame. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll answer. But you could¡¯ve probably found out from some of the soldiers here¡ªa lot of them were my students, after all.¡±


    ¡°So you were a teacher? At Xyrus?¡±


    ¡°Oh please, I¡¯d rather swallow a gallon of fire sand than teach at that school,¡± she retorted.


    ¡°I happen to have been a student there,¡± I replied, pretending to appear offended.


    ¡°Then you¡¯d know how stuck up most of the kids there are,¡± she replied with a smirk.


    ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that,¡± I sighed as my chest sank at the recollection of some unwanted memories.


    ¡°After the war with the elves, I decided to retire by teaching at Lanceler Academy,¡± she said, looking idly at the fire through her empty ss. ¡°You¡¯ve heard of us, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I answered, thinking back to the time I spent researching the once famous school located in Kalberk City, near the center of Sapin. ¡°The legendary school for any would-be elite soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Except after the war, there was little demand for soldiers,¡± she breathed, fogging her ss. ¡°More nobles wanted their children to attend Xyrus now that there is little tension between the races.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I muttered. ¡°Still. This war against the cryans should¡¯ve brought in quite a bit of new students at Lanceler. No offense, but what are you doing here as a chef?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a story for another time,¡± she chuckled. ¡°A time with more booze.¡±


    I raised my ss. ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that offer.¡±


    ¡°Now, onto your story. What¡¯s a talent like you doing here, and why in the world did you decide to go to Xyrus with that level of skill with the sword?¡±


    ¡°Because I could manage by myself with the sword. It was magic that I needed help getting better at,¡± I replied.


    Her eyes widened as she stared at me. ¡°No kidding?¡±


    I let out a chuckle when the nk of armored footsteps got my attention. ¡°General¡ªI mean, Sir.¡± The guard that was stationed outside of Professor Glory¡¯s tent covered his mouth at his blunder, his eyes wide and fearful as he shifted nces between me and Madam Astera.


    Despite the mor around us, everyone within the vicinity seemed to have heard as they suddenly whipped their heads toward us.


    The guard continued speaking, lowering his voice in a useless attempt to amend his mistake. ¡°Captain Auddyr has arrived and Captain Glory is nowhere to be found.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I turned back to the head chef, her brows knit in confusion. ¡°Well, there¡¯s my story.¡±


    ¡°He just said, ¡®General¡¯¡±¡ªMadam Astera turned to the guard¡ª¡°You said ¡®General,¡¯ right?¡±


    Unsure of how to answer, the guard looked to me for answers, but I just stood up, careful not to wake up my sleeping bond.


    ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go find your captain.¡± I turned back to the chef, holding my empty ss. ¡°At a time with more booze.¡±


    Her face rxed as she managed a smile. ¡°Aye.¡±


    As we walked back toward the main tent, I surveyed the top of therge boulders, hoping to find my former professor. Knowing her, I doubted she¡¯d be able topletely rx.


    ¡°Ah, there she is,¡± I said, squinting my eyes.


    It took the guard a moment to spot her shadowed figure sitting atop the boulder making up the front wall of the encampment.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The guard prepared to take off but I held him back.


    ¡°Let me. Tell Captain Auddyr that I¡¯ll meet with him first thing tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°But the captain¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I interjected, handing him my empty ss. ¡°There¡¯s nothing going on and I¡¯ve had a bit too much alcohol to entertain a man I don¡¯t know tonight.¡±


    ¡°Yes, General.¡± With a salute, the guard veered off toward the tent.


    Taking a deep breath that formed a cloud of fog in front of me, I enveloped my body in a shroud of wind before getting ready to jump. The thinyer of frost underneath my feet scattered as I pushed off the ground.


    <em>¡®Where are we headed now?¡¯</em> Sylvie asked, sounding noticeably sleepy even through mental transmission.


    <em>Making sure my precious subordinate is okay,</em> I answered as I walked up behind Vanesy.


    My former professor took a quick nce over her shoulder before turning her head back toward the grey moonlit ocean. ¡°Want another drink?¡±


    ¡°Should the lookout be drinking?¡± I chuckled, taking a seat beside her as Sylvie popped out of my woolen cloak.


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, General, with your cheeks the color of ripe tomatoes,¡± she scoffed, idly petting my bond that had curled up between us.


    ¡°Give me that.¡± Taking the sk from her hands, I took another gulp of the fiery liquid that tickled my throat.


    Leaning back on her hands, my former professor looked up at the crescent moon. ¡°Hey, do you think we¡¯ll be able to win this war?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure, but I¡¯ll do everything I can to make sure we do,¡± I promised.


    ¡°Somehow, despite the fact that you¡¯re barely half my age, I findfort in your words¡ªlike you¡¯ll actually make sure of it.¡±


    I thought back to the event three years ago that had always weighed on my mind. ¡°I¡¯ve let a lot of people down before. I want to make sure I don¡¯t do it again.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about what happened at Xyrus?¡± she asked, her brows furrowed in concern.


    I merely nodded in reply as I stared off at the mesmerizing sight of the wide ocean before turning to my former professor. ¡°What¡¯s left of Xyrus Academy now?¡±


    Vanesy looked at me, her face twisted into a grimace, but she stayed silent.


    I continued. ¡°Tessia doesn¡¯t remember much and Curtis and Kathyln act like nothing happened¡ªas if they don¡¯t want to ept what¡¯d happened. What exactly happened before I¡¯d arrived?¡±


    ¡°Arthur. What¡¯s done is done. Me telling you this will only make you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I need to know, Vanesy. I should¡¯ve asked a lot earlier but I made excuses not to.¡±


    Letting out a deep breath, my former professor nodded. ¡°In the disciplinarymittee, Doradrea was the first to be sighted dead. Theodore was injured gravely and wasn¡¯t able to make it, even with the help of the adventurers guild¡¯s emitters. ire deheart disappeared since then and not even her uncle knows where she is and...¡±


    My head pounded as she listed the names of people I knew that were now gone. Her voice sounded muffled yet the names she said rang clearly in my head. ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Kai Crestless was one of the radical members that the Vritra, Draneeve, had with him. Kai and the rest of the robedckeys disappeared with Draneeve, along with Elijah,¡± she continued. ¡°He¡¯s the reason Curtis probably didn¡¯t want to speak of that disaster.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I muttered, shifting my gaze back to the ocean.


    For a long moment, neither of us spoke. Themotion going down below us and the faint crash of the night¡¯s tide in the distance was all that filled the silence as I thought of my short time at Xyrus. Knowing now what had happened gave me a chance for true reflection. Oftentimes, I caught myself forgetting the old memories of my past life. More and more, my past self¡¯s hold on me lessened, allowing me to be the person I wanted to be in this world. But at this moment, I found myself wishing to turn back to the old me¡ªto the cold, rational me that had suppressed his emotions for the sake of having no vulnerability to be used against him.


    It wasn¡¯t like I hadn¡¯t guessed what¡¯d happened, but hearing what had happened made it suddenly very real. My chest twisted, as if the blood flowing through my heart had thickened into tar as it struggled to keep a stable beat.


    A warm drop of liquid rolled down my frigid face as I felt the muscles of my chin tremble like an infant¡¯s. Gnashing my teeth in hopes to suppress my unwanted emotions, I turned away from my subordinate. I couldn¡¯t help but imagine how many people I knew would end up dead with me unable to do anything to stop it¡ªeven the people I had met today. How many of them would survive this war?


    I turned to Vanesy to see her shoulders trembling as she clutched tightly at her sk. Quickly wiping a tear, I stood up.


    <em>Sylvie. Do me a favor and keep watch for the night.</em>


    <em>¡®Sure,¡¯</em> she responded with a soft,forting tone I rarely heard. My bond turned to her original form, startling my former professor. With a powerful p of her ck wings, Sylvie shot up, barely visible as she blended in with the night sky.


    ¡°Come.¡± I held out my hand to Vanesy. ¡°The night¡¯s young, and it doesn¡¯t seem like the soldiers have any intentions of stopping. As their captain, I figure it¡¯s your duty to join instead of moping around up here.¡±

 Chapter 151

    Chapter 151


    Chapter 151: Morning After


    I lifted my makeshift practice sword, a crudely carved piece of wood wrapped in towels for weight. As I counted in my head with each downward swing, a soft voice shook me out of my trance. ¡°Grey. It¡¯s time for breakfast.¡±


    Looking over my shoulder, I spotted Cecilia by the door with a fresh towel folded neatly in her arms. ¡°Oh, thanks!¡±


    As I walked over, Cecilia handed me the towel. ¡°I still have to help get the table set up,¡± she announced before she briskly walked away.


    I watched Cecilia walk back through the dimly lit hallway, remembering the incident almost a year back when I¡¯d almost died trying to save her from the outburst of her ki.


    Despite her aloof manner of speech, her attitude toward everyone in the orphanage had definitely improved.


    After I wiped myself down, I went back inside as well, making sure to close the mesh screen door for the summer bugs buzzing outside.


    ¡°Someone is apparently going through puberty judging by the stinking from his body,¡± The figure of Nico¡¯s thin frame approached me from an intersecting hallway.


    ¡°Your sweat starts stinking when you go through puberty?¡± I asked, sniffing my sleeveless shirt.


    ¡°Supposedly, ording to an article I read on hormones,¡± he shrugged.


    Getting a close whiff of the rancid smell for the first time, I winced. ¡°Cecilia probably smelled this too then.¡±


    ¡°Did she react in any sort of way?¡±


    ¡°No, she just gave me a towel and left,¡± I said as I wiped my body more with the towel, hoping it¡¯d get more of the stench off of me.


    ¡°Her devotion to remaining true to her indifferent character is strong,¡± Nico nodded.


    I chortled. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s trying to be some character.¡±


    ¡°I beg to differ, my friend. Last week, after I had just finished tampering with the shock glove¡ªworking name, by the way¡ªinto a pendant she could carry around her neck, she refused!¡±


    Raising a brow, I smirked at my friend. ¡°Oh? You gave Cecilia a ne?¡±


    ¡°How do you always manage to pick and choose what you want to hear? What are you going to do when you go to a real school?¡± he sighed. ¡°And besides, I think she likes you more¡ªwith her giving you a towel and all.¡±


    ¡°Well I did save her life, you know,¡± I teased, putting an arm around my thin friend that I¡¯d outgrown these past few months.


    ¡°Her knight in sweating armor,¡± he said, pinching his nose.


    It¡¯d be more and more apparent these days that Nico had started to develop feelings for Cecilia, our orphanage¡¯s ice queen. It wasn¡¯t any secret that Cecilia was popr amongst the boys here, but everyone who¡¯d gathered the courage to make a move had been rejected. Nico, with his patent blend of pride and low self-esteem, found other ways to make Cecilia notice him without revealing his interest in her.


    Letting out a sigh, I leaned more heavily on my skinny friend, making him struggle to keep us from falling down. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about going to school anymore.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Nico finally managed to free himself of my arm. ¡°Why? You know I only joke about your intelligence.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± I chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s expensive and Headmaster Wilbeck already has a hard time sending even a few kids to school.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you n on doing?¡± my friend asked, his brows knitted seriously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but maybe just help out as staff at the orphanage once I¡¯m old enough. These days, I was even thinking about going to an institution to get better at ki. I know that they offer free tuition and stuff if you¡¯re qualified,¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± he fumed, stopping in the middle of the hallway. ¡°I know we owe a lot to Headmaster Wilbeck and I get that you want to repay her but staying here to do that is short-minded; with your talent, you can do so much more once you¡¯ve gotten a proper education!¡±


    ¡°Which brings me to why I was thinking of the institu¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not education,¡± Nico interrupted. ¡°Those institutions are designed to churn out mindless soldiers and find potential candidates for kings. I¡¯ve read some journals about those ces¡ªhow students there are worked to the point of near-death; how candidates get booted out if they don¡¯t cut it.¡±


    ¡°You sound like Headmaster,¡± I grumbled as I started walking again.


    ¡°Because you don¡¯t have any motivation to do something. Sure, you like training, but you have no goal past it,¡± he sighed. ¡°School is a ce where you can find out what you want to do while learning about this world without restriction or bias like the institution.¡±


    ¡°Well, money is still an issue,¡± I pointed out. ¡°If we want to go to school, it¡¯d have to be by next year.¡±


    Nico¡¯s expression softened by mypliance. ¡°Well lucky for you, you happen to have a friend that actually thinks and ns for the future. I¡¯ve almost managed to save enough money with our little ¡®missions¡¯ for us to go school¡ªof course, banking on the assumption that I¡¯d get at least a partial schrship.¡±


    ¡°Wait, weren¡¯t you supposed to give the money to the orphanage?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡±¡ªNico put on an innocent expression¡ª¡°just not all of it.¡±


    Letting out a groan, I shook my head. ¡°I should¡¯ve known.¡±


    ¡°After we get a proper education, we can properly help headmaster and the kids here. I guarantee it¡¯ll be better for the orphanage that way.¡± My friend patted me on the back. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go to the dining area before our food gets cold.¡±


    ¡°Why not save enough money to take Cecilia to school with us as well?¡± I teased onest time as I followed Nico down the hall.


    ¡°Zip it! I¡¯m telling you I have no interest in her!¡± he retorted, refusing to look me in the eye.


    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN¡¯S POV:</strong>


    I opened my eyes to be greeted by the glow of the morning sun. Even its soft rays, hidden behind ayer of clouds, somehow seemed to bore holes into my retinas. The aching in my skull pulsed rhythmically¡ªa constant reminder of the sses, if not bottles, of alcohol I had consumed during the remainder of the night.


    Squinting, I attempted to get up but immediately retreated back underneath my woolen cloak I¡¯d used as a nket, letting out a sickly moan through my dry mouth, sticky with thick saliva.


    Suddenly my cloak¡ªthe only thing protecting me from the outside world¡ªwas ripped away from me.


    ¡°Morning, General,¡± Vanesy¡¯s familiar voice chimed from above. The bright timbre of my former professor¡¯s voice was normally easy on the ears, but through the power of alcohol, her voice came off sharp and grating.


    ¡°As your superior, I order you to unhand my nket and let me sleep,¡± I mumbled impatiently.


    ¡°No can do. You were the one that decided to push the meeting off with Captain Auddyr until the morning,¡± she said, pulling my unwilling body up. ¡°Ssh some cold water on your face and meet us at the tent.¡±


    ¡°Here. Read this before you meet with me and Captain Auddyr.¡± Vanesy handed me a small stack of papers clipped together before leaving.


    Grumbling under my breath, I got up, taking in my surroundings for the first time today. I¡¯d somehow managed to get to the top of the cliff overlooking the camp.


    ¡®You didn¡¯t manage to do anythingst night,¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s voice sounded in my head like a kick to the brain.


    Easy, Sylv. My head is killing me, Iined as I spotted my bond in her dragon form approaching from the forest behind me. What happened, anyway?


    ¡°I dragged your drunk corpse of a body up here to let you sleep without making a fool of yourself before even announcing to everyone your position,¡± she chided in a mellow voice I hadn¡¯t heard in a few days.


    ¡°How was the watchst night? Nothing unusual?¡± I asked, attempting to change the subject.


    Glowing brightly before shrinking into a pearly white fox, she hopped on my shoulder. ¡°It was quiet. There was a thickyer of fog throughout the western shore so I couldn¡¯t find any enemy ships. I would¡¯ve gone further but I was afraid that they might find me.¡±


    ¡°You did good,¡± I said. ¡°Now, where¡¯s a ce I can wash my face?¡±


    ¡°There should be washing stations in the encampment but there¡¯s a nearby stream just a little into the forest that I think you¡¯d prefer,¡± she answered, a wisp of fog forming in front of her snout as she spoke.


    ¡°Stream it is.¡±


    The crisp air helped my recovering state but it was the first ssh of cold water on my face that really cleared my head. I wished I could wash away the toxins in my brain as well, but I was at least in a fully functional state by the time Sylvie and I arrived in front of the captain¡¯s tent.


    ncing through the information on the papers that Vanesy had given me, I peeked up to see the familiar guard stationed outside of my former professor¡¯s tent. ¡°You. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Mable Esterfield, Sir¡ªI mean, General,¡± he stated as he looked straight in front of him with rigid posture.


    ¡°What an unfitting, pretty name,¡± Imented, patting him on the shoulder as he regarded me with a confused expression.


    Making my way into the tent, I was greeted by a gust of warm air from the small furnace beside the desk.


    Standing next to my former professor was a man primmed from head to toe in overly-elegant military attire. Next to him, Vanesy looked like a mere foot soldier while,pared to the both of them, I was no more than a peasant boy.


    With silvery blond hair slicked back neatly behind his narrow ears, Captain Auddyr stood poised with his back ramrod straight. While he looked to be no older than my father, there were wrinkles lining his face that told me how often he had spent his life scowling. His sharp brows and deep-set eyes seemed to pierce through me with an expression of how he¡¯d look down at a rebellious son.


    ¡°Captain, this is General Arthur Leywin. Arth¡ªGeneral Leywin, this is Captain Jarnas Auddyr, Captain of the 2nd Division,¡± my former professor introduced as Captain Auddyr and I locked gazes.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Captain,¡± I greeted with a smile, raising my arm.


    Captain Auddyr returned my gesture and shook my hand. ¡°The pleasure is mine, General,¡± he said with a grunt, immediately turning to Vanesy after. ¡°Captain Glory. My division has made camp in the nearby woods up the cliffside. It¡¯d be best for both of our divisions to get acquainted before we bring our forces together.¡±


    My former professor shot me an ufortable nce before answering her fellow captain. ¡°I agree. We¡¯ll need both divisions to be ustomed to each other as fast as possible. General Leywin, what do you think is the best way to divide our forces in case of an attack?¡±


    I looked back down at the bundle of papers given to me by Vanesy in the morning. It contained the hard numbers of the squads within each unit that the heads had gathered for Captain Auddyr to be a part of his division. I was looking through the numbers of mages and foot soldiers when Captain Auddyr spoke up.


    ¡°Integrating our divisions so that all of our foot soldiers are lined up and in position to receive an attack from the coast would be the best,¡± he dered.


    My former professor shook her head. ¡°Captain Auddyr. General Leywin was entrusted to be in charge of overseeing our divisions so it¡¯d be best to¡ª¡±


    ¡°General Leywin is responsible, as ance, to make sure our divisions are ready in case of an attack, but as a mightynce, he should be aware that the captains are the most knowledgeable of their own divisions,¡± Captain Auddyr cut in as I continued reading through the small bundle of papers.


    ¡®I¡¯m getting the urge to p him with my tail,¡¯ Sylvie grunted, almost making me chuckle.


    After finishing the cursory read of Captain Auddyr¡¯s division, I gave the papers back to Vanesy. ¡°It seems like I¡¯m not needed here then. I¡¯ll just go grab a bite to eat.¡±


    ¡°General Leywin!¡± Vanesy called out from behind.


    I looked over my shoulder. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything you¡¯d like to add?¡± she replied, uneasy about how our meeting progressed.


    ¡°Well, if you want my two cents, I¡¯d say that allocating a hundred percent of a force into one position is never a wise move,¡± I shrugged.


    Captain Auddyr¡¯s brow twitched as he attempted to mask his contempt. It was obvious that he wasn¡¯t used to being defied, more so by someone younger than him.


    ¡°We are thest form of defense on the western shore in case any stray cryan shipse from the ocean. Where else would they attack from, General?¡± he hissed, stressing my title as if it were an insult.


    ¡°Captain. I¡¯m trying to be civil here,¡± I said, turning around. ¡°Like you said, Commander Virion asked me to be here in the unlikely event that the worst case scenario happens here so that¡¯s the perspective I¡¯ming from.¡±


    I took another step toward him, my nonchnt demeanor dissipating. ¡°However, I suggest you not confuse my indifference toward this matter with some misguided notion that you hold the reigns here. Understand?¡±


    Captain Auddyr involuntarily took a step away from me, sweat lining the sides of his scowling face. ¡°Understood.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Good. I never intended to y a hands-on role in the decisions you make so I¡¯ll leave it up to the two of you.¡±


    As I turned back around and prepared to leave, however, the howls of distant screams caught my attention. The three of us exchanged nces, all of us confused as to what was going on.


    We dashed out of the tent to see all of the soldiers staring up¡ªsome still with bowls of food in their hands¡ªtoward the cliff where the screams and cries wereing from. Everyone stood still in a daze, trying to figure out what was going on, when an oblong object flew off the edge of the cliff and rolled down,nding in near us.


    It was a bloodied sword with a severed arm, d in armor, still gripping the handle.

 Chapter 152

    Chapter 152


    Chapter 152: Way of Magic


    Both captains behind me remained in a daze as we all stared at the severed arm¡ªhand still clenching the sword¡ªforming a pool of blood beneath it.


    ¡°Soldiers on guard! Stand by for battle!¡± I roared, projecting my voice as loudly and distinctly as possible to get everyone¡¯s attention.


    The soldiers present roused out of their daze at mymands. The new recruits scrambled to their belongings as they fumbled putting on their armor. The veteran adventurers and experienced soldiers, already wearing their under-armor garments, deftly buckled on their protective gear as the screams and sharp ngs of metal continued echoing from above the cliff.


    Captain Glory and Auddyr were already dressed in light armor and had snapped back to their senses, both a bit embarrassed by their poor response to the situation.


    ¡°Captain Auddyr. The armor on this arm isn¡¯t something a passerby would have¡ªit¡¯s military attire. Didn¡¯t you say your division was stationed up on the cliff?¡± I yelled out as the camp had grown loud from activity.


    The once surly-faced captain paled in horror as he studied the armor one more time. Just as he was about to leap up the cliff, I held him down by his metal gorget that protected his shoulders and chest. ¡°Stay here until the division is ready.¡±


    ¡°Unhand me! My soldiers are under attack without their leader!¡± Captain Auddyr hissed, no trace of his former haughty andposed self.


    Tightening my grip, I pulled him close. ¡°Captain. If you go in alone and are killed, your soldiers will be in a worse position than they¡¯re in now.¡±


    I surveyed the encampment as Captain Glory led her division into an organized formation. Most of the soldiers were already prepared and grouped based on their position. Rather than onerge group, Vanesy had split her forces up into separate units, eachposed of their own ranks of foot soldiers, augmenters, archers, and mages.


    Just from a cursory nce, the ones at the very front of each unit were foot soldiers¡ªregr humans and elves with thick armors andrge shields since they¡¯d be taking the brunt of an attack. Along the nks were augmenters responsible for guarding the conjurers and archers as they fired arrows and spells.


    The head¡ªthe leader of a unit, like Dresh¡ªwas positioned just behind the footsoldiers, an ideal spot for giving orders and protecting the conjurers as well.


    Vanesy looked at me and signaled that she was ready. Letting go of Captain Auddyr, I motioned for him to join his fellow captain as I moved toward the rear where the smiths and cooks were grouped.


    As the division began making their way up the steep slope up the cliff, I couldn¡¯t help but ponder who was attacking. We were near the southern border of Sapin, where the underground kingdom of Darv began. At first, my mind immediately went to a mana beast attack, but the point of injury on the severed arm was too clean of a cut for it to have been ws or fangs. It was possible that they were attacked by some of the nomadic bandits I¡¯d read about that travelled above the ground along the southern parts of Dicathen. It could also be a radical group that was opposed to the war with crya, but there was no way to know for sure.


    ¡°Madam Astera, will you be okay here?¡± I asked as soon as I¡¯d spotted the head chef who was now wearing ted armor.


    ¡°No problems here. Captain Glory ordered some of the augmenters to stay behind to guard us, but I¡¯m also here, remember?¡± She gave me a confident smirk.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll be heading off then.¡± I was about to turn back toward the cliff when Madam Astera gripped my arm.


    ¡°Arthur,¡± she said, her expression gravely serious. ¡°You can never be too careful.¡±


    I gave her a quick nod as I signaled for Sylvie toe out. ¡°I hope you practice what you preach.¡±


    <em>¡®Is it okay for me to transform out in the open so soon?¡¯</em> my bond asked as she hopped out of my cloak.


    <em>No need to hold back right now. I need to know what¡¯s going on up there and fast.</em>


    Sylvie¡¯s small body began glowing and expanded into the form of a mighty dragon. Her obsidian scales glimmered from the morning sun, putting the sparkling ocean to shame. Her translucent yellow eyes looked down at me with intelligence and an animal-like ferocity. The burly cooks and barrel-chested smiths with arms as thick as my torso gawked in reverence as some toppled over like infants learning to walk.


    I leaped to the base of my bond¡¯s neck and grabbed onto a ridged spike. I looked over my shoulder once more only to see the awestruck expression stered on Madam Astera¡¯s delicate face as Sylvie¡¯srge wings beat down to produce a powerful gale.


    Sylvie kicked off the ground and swung her wings once more to lift off. The powerful winds produced underneath startled the marching units led by their heads with Captain Glory and Auddyr in the front, but I was already too far up to make out any of their expressions.


    I had nned on directly flying over where Captain Auddyr¡¯s division should be but Sylvie instead soared up into theyer of clouds overhead. ¡®Arthur, you should know before we engage in battle that I¡¯m limited on what I can do to help.¡¯


    <em>Are you talking about the asura¡¯s treaty where they aren¡¯t allowed to help?</em> I asked, afraid that I would not be able to fight alongside my bond.


    <em>¡®That is an area of concern that Aldir has warned me about, but it¡¯s not just that. With the awakening process that Grandfather Indrath made me undergo for my aether powers, it¡¯ll still take a while before I¡¯m able to assist you with any magic. Until my powers are fully awakened and under control, I¡¯ll be limited to what I can do physically in this form. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you earlier.¡¯</em>


    I stroked the side of my bond¡¯srge neck, berating myself for not taking into ount my bond¡¯s condition. I knew her training was cut short by me, but I never realized what a crucial time it had been for her. <em>No, don¡¯t be. At least I know now.</em>


    It didn¡¯t take us long to reach where the sounds of battle wereing from but the fact that a severed arm was able to sail down the cliff made me think that there was something else going on. We could hear the sound of an ensuing battle but it wasn¡¯t until we¡¯d flown below theyer of clouds blocking our view that we realized the severity of the situation at hand.


    <em>¡®This can¡¯t be possible.¡¯</em> Sylvie¡¯s thoughts wereced with disbelief by the sight below, but for someone that¡¯d seen the surprises war brought, I could only see this as a miscalction¡ªa rather severe one.


    Down below, in a field of grass stained red and ck with blood and smoke, was what could only be the cryan army.


    Their force of about five thousand strong were currently engaged with Captain Auddyr¡¯s division. The soldiers were norger than insects from here but it was easy to distinguish them. Unlike the Dicathen army, the cryan soldiers seemed to have a standardized color of deep red emzoned on their dark gray armor.


    Sylvie¡¯s back lurched in preparation to dive down but I stopped her. <em>No. Let¡¯s stay hidden here for now.</em>


    <em>¡®Stay hidden? Allies are dying down there and you wish to stay hidden?¡¯</em> Anger was evident in her words but I knew she already knew my intentions.


    <em>We can¡¯t get involved in every battle. Right now, our priority is knowing what we¡¯re up against.</em> I kept my gaze firmly locked on the scene below, regretting not having any transmission scrolls tomunicate with Virion as I gritted my teeth to cope with my idleness.


    <em>¡®How were they able to make it all the way here without us knowing? They may not havee across a major city yet, but the dwarves should¡¯ve known that an army was marching through theirnd.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Maybe they did know,¡± I mumbled to myself, taking note of the faint path they¡¯d created during their march.<em> Change of ns. Sylv, can you stay hidden and follow the trail that the cryans made on their way here? I¡¯ll help them while blending in as just a regr soldier.</em>


    <em>¡®What if you get into trouble? I¡¯ll be too far away to help.¡¯</em> I could hear the disapproval in her voice.


    <em>Vanesy¡¯s division is going to arrive soon and I have a bad feeling that even though we outnumber them, it¡¯ll be a losing battle for them without me.</em>


    <em>¡®More the reason for me to stay and help you,¡¯</em> Sylvie argued.


    <em>Please. If what I¡¯m suspecting is true, this war might not be so simple as us versus them. You¡¯re the only one here that can make the journey and back fast enough. I¡¯ll stay safe, Sylv.</em>


    <em>¡®Fine. But the moment I sense that you¡¯re in danger, I¡¯ming back and taking you away whether you¡¯re conscious or not.¡¯</em> Sylvie let out a grunt.


    <em>Thanks</em>. I patted my bond before I let myself fall off her back. The crisp winter air felt like sharp whipsshing at me as I hurtled toward the ground. I intentionally veered away from the battle as to not arouse attention.


    Just beforending into a cluster of trees, I enveloped my body in mana, erasing my presence before casting a wind spell. With the abundance of branches and leaves to slow my fall, and the help of magic to soften mynding, I was able to reach the ground without causing too much noise, albeit a little messily.


    ¡°The things I do to blend in,¡± I muttered, picking broken twigs and leaves out of my hair. I remained hidden within in the thick cluster of trees until I heard Vanesy¡¯s division arrive.


    ¡°Tred! Vester! Take your units around for a left nk. Dirk! Sasha! To the right!¡± Vanesy¡¯s voice resounded with a confident precision. ¡°Rest of us, we group with Captain Auddyr¡¯s forces and hit those cryan bastards from the front!¡±


    Dashing out, I caught up with Captain Glory. On instinct, Vanesy whirled both of her swords at me before realizing who I was.


    ¡°Damn it, Arthur. Don¡¯t scare me like that!¡± she sighed. ¡°What are you doing here anyways? I saw you and your bond fly out of here.¡±


    ¡°And leave my precious subordinate behind?¡± I smirked. ¡°No. I sent Sylvie on an equally important side mission.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s damn reassuring to have you with us, but do you have any idea how an cryan force this size was able to get past us?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°How about we leave a few alive to try and get the answer out of them?¡±


    Vanesy¡¯s lips curved into a wicked smirk as she raised both her longswords. ¡°Sounds like a n.¡±


    Vanesy¡¯s soldiers roared, men and women alike, as they reached the cryan army. I stood behind for a minute, watching as steel cut into flesh. Indistinguishable mutters sounded from the conjurers as they prepared their spells as archers released volleys of arrows from behind the protection of the augmenters and foot soldiers.


    But my focus was on the cryan soldiers. The uneasy feeling I had since watching them from the sky had only be worse as they began to retaliate.


    For some absurd reason, I¡¯d expected our enemies to be something like the Vritras¡ªmonsters of evil. However, looking at them, they were no different from our soldiers except adorned in dark gray and red. This fact only dawned on me as I locked gazes with an enemy soldier.


    The soldier¡¯s eyes narrowed as he readied to strike. I picked up a bloodstained sword from the ground as he dashed toward me. When I tried to sense what sort of level his core was, I was surprised to be unable to read it. The soldier spread his arms while his fingers curled like ws. Suddenly, without even the influx of mana to warn me, gauntlets of mana in the form of gigantic ws manifested around his hands. Heshed out with his mana ws at a ferocious speed.


    I ducked, only to see a row of trees behind me topple at the strength of my opponent¡¯s attack. With the speed of his spell-casting and the power behind it, I could only assume he was at least a yellow core augmenter¡ªmaybe even a silver core.


    I countered with an upward swing with my augmented sword when a translucent barrier shimmered just below the mage, protecting the area underneath his chest, where I¡¯d been aiming.


    <em>What the hell.</em> I whipped my head over my shoulder, sensing that the spell hadn¡¯te from him. About thirty feet away from me was another soldier, his hands held out and brows knitted in concentration. Realizing that my focus was directed at him, his eyes widened in surprise as he aimed his hands at me.


    The translucent panel that had protected my initial opponent moved and erged, serving as a wall between me and the conjurer. I¡¯d never seen someone manipte a barrier to such efficiency so it was obvious who I had to take out first. However, the wed soldier had already repositioned himself in this time, leaving me no choice but to finish him off.


    Dropping the sword I¡¯d found on the ground, I dashed toward my opponent. Just before reaching striking distance, I stomped down my lead foot, conjuring a pir of earth right in front my opponent¡¯s feet.


    This time, whether because the conjurer behind me hadn¡¯t expected the spell or didn¡¯t feel the need to block it, a barrier didn¡¯t form. The augmenter attempted to sidestep, but the pir still struck his ribs. What shocked me, however, was the sound my spell produced on impact; the sound of bones cracking underneath his now-dented armor. Did this idiot not augment his body?


    Gnashing his teeth with a pained expression, the augmenter ignored his obvious injury and dashed toward me with his mana ws. With my fists wrapped in electricity, I met his strike head on, expecting him to counter or use another spell but he didn¡¯t. My lightning d fist shattered his mana ws and broke his wrist on impact.


    I held off on finishing him, my curiosity getting the better of me. He was someone that didn¡¯t pose a real threat to me, but something about how he¡ªhow they fought didn¡¯t make any sense. I¡¯d thought the opponent in front of me was an experienced augmenter but his body wasn¡¯t even protected by mana. If it wasn¡¯t for the barrier that guarded his hand at thest minute, his arm would¡¯ve been torn off.


    The augmenter soldier was down on one knee, his left arm dangling to his side. A flicker of disbelief and awe was written on his face before the soldier clicked his tongue, turning his gaze toward the barrier-casting soldier. ¡°Oi, Shield!¡± he barked. ¡°Total body enhancement, now!¡±

 Chapter 153

    Chapter 153


    Chapter 153: A Normal Soldier


    Multiple battles going on at once, the sound of metal shing and spells firing resonant in the air. The musty stench of burning wood overwhelmed all other smells as a thinyer of smoke surrounded us.


    However, despite the chaos, my battle with the augmenter seemed confined¡ªalmost isted¡ªas if the soldiers around us deliberately left us alone. Whether the people nearby were too focused on their own fights or if there was some sort of illusion put in ce, I couldn¡¯t quite tell, but it left me with more questions.


    Just from the short exchange I had with this augmenter and his helper, now just barely a yards away, I could tell that their fighting tactics were fundamentally different than ours. The conjurer manifested a thin veil of mana around the augmenter¡¯s body at hismand. While my opponent¡¯s injuries remained, he no longer looked fatigued as he rose from his knee with renewed vigor.


    With a click of his tongue, he peeled his eyes from me and focused his gaze elsewhere. It was obvious he was signaling to someone else, but he was looking in a different direction from where the conjurer that¡¯d protected him was.


    With a stern nod, his gaze fell back to me. Mana enveloped his hands into the same w-shaped form as before and just as he readied himself to attack, the faint hiss grew louder behind me confirmed my suspicion.


    Remembering my mana interpretation training with Myre back in Epheotus, I was tempted to activate Realmheart to finish this off quickly but decided against anything that¡¯d draw too much attention to myself.


    I whipped around in time to see a st of fire hurtling toward me. Condensing a gale of wind to spiral around my hand like a drill, I dispersed the fire spell only to pivot away from the augmenter¡¯s strike immediately. The moss-covered roots nearby caught on fire from the scattered embers of the conjurer¡¯s spell. The once lush clearing within the forest was turning into a pit of blood and fire as more and more soldiers on both sides began piling on the ground.


    The augmenter¡¯s movements were rather concise and well-coordinated despite the uneven terrain, but years of sparring against Kordri had made his attacks seem sluggish. The augmenternded deftly, his mana ws only hitting air.


    ¡°He was right. You¡¯re not just some foot soldier,¡± he spat as he whirled back around in preparation to pounce on me once more.


    <em>Was he only capable of using those mana ws?</em>


    ¡°He?¡± I asked, bewildered as to who could¡¯ve possibly given him this information.


    He remained silent and dashed toward me, using a tree stump as a foothold to leap off of with his mana ws poised to strike.


    I positioned myself to meet the assault head on but when his ws were just inches away from my face, I withdrew my own fist and swayed to the left. I drove my fist toward the augmenter¡¯s open ribs when the veil of mana surrounding his body gathered toward the area I had intended to attack.


    My augmented fist was met with a solid thud before the mana barrier protecting my opponent¡¯s ribs cracked. Just the force of my punch sent the augmenter tumbling to the ground, but when he got back up, there was only an expression of frustration, not pain.


    I looked over my shoulder, focusing my gaze at the conjurer again. With his brows knitted in concentration and hands trembling, I could tell that he was the one that¡¯d blocked my attack, not the augmenter. What confused me, and further defending my suspicion was how the soldiers around the conjurer seemed to ignore him¡ªallies and enemies alike.


    <em>Is there really something like an illusion around us?</em>


    Just then, another fireball shot toward me but it was little more than an annoyance at this point. The spell hade from a different direction but I knew where the conjurer was hiding: fifty feet away directly ahead, positioned somewhere on top of a cluster ofrge moss-covered rocks.


    ¡°She¡¯s over there, right?¡± I asked with a smirk, pointing in her direction.


    The augmenter¡¯s face paled but he remained silent. He pulled himself up to his feet with the help of a nearby tree despite his fatigue, desperation evident on his rugged face. Keeping his deep set eyes locked on mine, he pped his hands just once. As soon as he did, multiple images of the augmenter began forming around me, resolving my suspicion¡ªthere was illusion or deceptive magic involved.


    Soon, there was at least a dozen figures of the augmenter all in different¡ªvery life-like¡ªposes, all ready to attack.


    I looked at the illusions manifested around me, noticing that both Dicathen and cryan soldiers were unaware of what was happening, and let out a stifledugh.


    ¡°This is funny?¡± the augmenter growled, his voiceing from all of the clones as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I sighed, still smiling. Looking up, I surveyed the dozen or so augmenters, all with glowing mana ws that couldn¡¯t be distinguished from one another. ¡°Thanks to this illusion, I can let loose a little.¡±


    Poking my conscious deep into my mana core, I activated Realmheart. A burst of mana exploded out of me as my vision faded into an achromatic state. I could feel thefortable warmth as the glowing runes flowed down my arms and my back while my long hair began shining with a twinge of silvery hue rather than turningpletely white.


    The clones that had once seemed identical in my normal state were now no more than clusters of mana shaped into the form of a man. All but one appeared to be a mass of white mana particles. What surprised me was that the illusion wasn¡¯t invoked by the hidden conjurer but the ¡®shield.¡¯


    Locking my gaze on the augmenter, it was obvious from his expression that he knew there was something dreadfully oppressing about me. Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he regarded me with fearful perplexity. Ignoring his wariness, the augmenter¡ªalong with all of his clones¡ªdashed toward me.


    At the same time, the mage conjured another st of firerger, this time¡ªin sync with the augmenter¡¯s assault. Raising my output of mana, I ignored the illusions of the augmenter and aimed for the real augmenter¡¯s mana ws head on, shattering his spell. Grabbing a tight hold of his exposed hand, I used his momentum to redirect him toward the fire st.


    I caught a glimpse of my opponent¡¯s eyes widening in horror before being struck by the full brunt of his ally¡¯s spell.


    Severalyers of barriers attempted to protect the augmenter but they all shattered from the force of the st. Still, the augmenter¡¯s life was preserved thanks to that.


    The illusory clones flickered before disappearing as I turned my attention toward the conjurer hiding in the tree.


    Wordlessly, I raised my left arm and coalesced mana into the tips of my fingers.


    ¡°Shiel¡ªCayfer! Protect Maylin!¡± the augmenter roared, still struggling to get up from the ground.


    The conjurer named Cayfer that the augmenter had referred to as ¡®shield¡¯ nodded furiously as I finished preparing my spell. Jagged vines of electricity coiled down my arm like a serpent, gathering at the tips of my index and middle finger.


    Using my right arm to help stabilize my aim, I concentrated on the hidden conjurer that was now clearly visible thanks to Realmheart.


    ¡°Release,¡± I muttered.


    The thin bullet of lightning shot out from the tips of my two fingers, piercing directly through the trees that stood in between me and the hidden mage.


    Theyers of translucent barriers that formed in the bullet¡¯s path were instantly shattered until my spell hit the cluster of rocks I had been aiming at.


    There was no dramatic scream or howl of pain in the distance, only the soft thud of the mage¡¯s limp body falling off the boulder.


    ¡°No! Maylin!¡± the barrier caster cried out as he ran toward his fallenrade, abandoning his post.


    As the mage fell and Cayfer¡¯s concentration broke, the illusion surrounding us disappeared. As if a window had been open, the world became clearer around me and the near-muted volume of the battle going on resumed in full st. It wasn¡¯t long before I got swept up in the chaos of battle.


    I released Realmheart but brought out Dawn¡¯s Bad from my dimension ring. The translucent teal sword glimmered as its de arched around me, drawing blood wherever it hit its target.


    The battle between the two sides had gone on for less than an hour, yet the ground was littered with corpses and body parts¡ªsevered legs, lopped off heads, and chopped arms still spewing blood.


    The cold winter air did little to mask the acrid stench of blood and burning flesh, while the dense array of trees surrounding the battle further amplified the cacophony of screams.


    While the enemy was fewer in number, they had much more mages than our divisions. Augmenters with mana-imbued weapons pierced through our foot soldiers while conjurers struck from a distance.


    Enemies rushed me in the heat of battle, some with unique techniques like the mana-wed augmenter that was nowhere to be seen¡ªwhips of fire, armor made of stone. There was one enemy augmenter that¡¯d killed several of our soldiers by conjuring water down their throats until they¡¯d drown.


    Yet, none of that made a difference to me. My mind grew numb at one point as my body seemed to be moving on my own. I¡¯d killed only a handful of men but I was already slick with blood. My tunic and pants stuck to my skin, but I couldn¡¯t tell if it was from sweat or blood.


    Words were hardly spoken in the midst of battle. Words were useless. Instead, soldiers from both sides let out primitive cries as they fought, drunk on adrenaline as they iled their weapons.


    As I drew my de from the bloody chest of another man, I clicked my tongue. There was nothing good about this. Death of a beast was one thing, but both sides were of the same kind.


    I kicked away the limp body and used its clothes to wipe the blood from my sword. I¡¯d conserved much of my mana but constantly fighting for almost an hour had taken a toll on my body.


    I surveyed the other soldiers when the sight of a familiar person caught my eyes. She had just parried her opponent¡¯s axe to the ground when her gazended on mine as well. Her lips were curved up into a confident smile as she positioned to drive her gauntlet into her opponent¡¯s face.


    <span style="text-decoration: underline;">CEDRY


    I dashed forward, slipping and swaying out of the cryan¡¯s reach until he was open. Then I drove my gauntlet to his side, the satisfying crack of his ribs indicating that he was down.


    ¡°Slut,¡± the narrow-eyed man spat as he buckled over, blood leaking from his lips. He desperately grabbed onto me to keep from falling, his handsnding over the leather padding protecting my breasts. With a lewd smirk on his half-closed eyes, he used thest bit of his strength to rip my armor off of me.


    Breaking his wrist with a firm chop, I put the ugly bastard out of his misery with a firm m to his head. I couldn¡¯t help but grin, ted and thrilled by the victory as an intense furor built up inside me.


    Another fool tried to sneak behind my back but I dodged his sword and whipped around. A short bearded cryan raised his shield as he prepared to strike again.


    My heart pounded and everything seemed a bit sluggish like the night before after ten mugs of ale. I swung my fist, augmenting my body and gauntlet, and punched straight through the soldier¡¯s metal shield.


    The sh made a sharp ring that stung my ear, but the force of my strike caused the bearded soldier to drop his shield. I didn¡¯t give him the time to recover, pivoting off of my lead leg to gain momentum for a roundhouse chop.


    The soldier¡¯s eyes widened as he desperately tried to bring his arm up to block my strike but his shield arm wouldn¡¯t lift, still numb from the shock of my earlier punch. He couldn¡¯t bring his sword up fast enough as the de of my hand reached his prominent Adam¡¯s apple.


    The soldier fell back, squirming with his hands wrapped around his neck as he struggled to breathe. After a desperate gurgle, his body felt limp before me.


    I let out a fearsome roar. <em>No man can belittle me here. Only strength is absolute on the battlefield!</em>


    My cry attracted the attention of a nearby axe-wielder. While his body was muchrger than mine, his movements were slow. As he swung down, his axe began glowing yellow while ayer of mana began spreading over his body. Looking at the different elemental affinity of mana surrounding his axepared to his body, it seemed like someone else had cast a spell to protect him, but I didn¡¯t have time to question. I didn¡¯t have time to be surprised. Strength is absolute.


    I willed all of my mana into my right fist as I turned my body to the side to dodge his attack. I caught a glimpse of my reflection as the t of his axe swung down; there was a euphoric¡ªalmost crazed¡ªsmile pasted on my face.


    I used the momentum of his attack and parried the axe down to the ground when I spotted him. It was the country boy that beat everyone he¡¯d sparred against¡ªeven Madam Astera. There were talks of some of the soldiers mentioning the kid was ance. I¡¯d scoffed at the ridiculous notion at the time, but as I stood here, just a few dozen feet away from him and the pile of corpses strewn around him, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they were right.


    My eyes finally met his but rather than the calm, yful expression he¡¯d worn all throughst night, his eyes were widened as he desperately mouthed something to me.


    I couldn¡¯t hear what he was saying but it didn¡¯t matter, I¡¯d ask himter. The axe-wielder was still struggling to pull his weapon out from the ground, when I felt a sharp searing pain in my chest.


    In an instant, all of my strength and furor was seeped dry. My hands could no longer clench into fists. The ground suddenly seemed closer as I realized I¡¯d fallen to my knees. I looked down at the source of my pain, only to see a gaping hole where my chest used to be.


    I instinctively tried to cover the hole with my hands, only feel a burning pain spread on my palm. I pried my gaze away from my wound to the ground in front of me, finding my answer there¡ªa scorched crater just a foot away.


    I lost feeling in my legs as I crumpled to the floor. I grew sleepy and cold, myst thought of how tall the bloodstained grass looked from down here.

 Chapter 154

    Chapter 154


    Chapter 154: Changing Tides


    I gnashed my teeth at the sight of Cedry¡¯s body falling limp on the ground. The enemy axe-wielder pried his weapon out of the ground and prepared to swing down, his arrogant sneer exposing his yellow teeth, when a thin de protruded out of his gorget.


    As the axe-wielder¡¯s body slumped, Jona¡ªCedry¡¯s friend¡ªcame into view. With a firm tug, he pulled out his bloodied dagger from the man he¡¯d just stabbed before kneeling down next to Cedry.


    <em>Idiot. What are you doing in the middle of a battle?</em>


    I was inclined to leave him; that¡¯s what Grey would¡¯ve done. But I was reminded ofst night¡ªthe talk we had before I went up to fight onstage, and the carefree night of drinking that followed shortly after. I hardly knew them more than the enemies I was facing but the sentiments that we¡¯d briefly shared the night before¡ªalbeit, half-drunk¡ªtugged at my consciousness, nudging me to help him.


    With an annoyed click of my tongue, I dashed toward Jona, who was cradling Cedry¡¯s corpse tenderly in his arms. An enemy augmenter, pulling the tip of his spear out of a soldier¡¯s head, caught sight of Jona. Even underneath his helmet that covered much of his face, it was obvious that he was grinning at his luck.


    Concentrating on the ground just below his feet, I shot a stone spike at the enemy. The spear-wielder narrowly avoided a fatal injury, flopping awkwardly to the ground as he clutched his bleeding side.


    I increased the output of mana to my body and dashed toward the wounded soldier. As hey rolling on the ground in pain, I stepped on his chest to keep him steady.


    Mercilessly, I drove Dawn¡¯s Bad deep into the breastte of the spear-wielder and watched the light go out in his eyes.


    With one fluid motion, I slid my sword out and drew an arc, getting rid of the blood on the de, before tugging Jona by the scruff of his neck.


    ¡°You need to get out of here,¡± I growled, shaking him.


    He looked back at me, his eyes flooded with tears. ¡°Cedry, you¡¯re going to be okay.¡± he mumbled, his gaze distant as he clung onto his half-elfpanion¡¯s body like an infant.


    The sharp whistles of iing arrows and the faint hiss of spells approaching drew my attention, but with both my arms upied I could only do so much. I¡¯d been stingy in my usage of mana purely because of the unlikely scenario that I¡¯d have to fight against one of the four scythes or a retainer but if I wanted to get Jona and Cedry to a safe ce, I¡¯d need to expend more mana than I¡¯d want to.


    Grey¡¯s voice echoed in my head, chastising me, urging me to leave them and conserve my mana for the worst-case scenario.


    Cursing under my breath, I knocked Jona out with a firm punch to his sr plexus. His body spasmed from the shock I¡¯d added to ensure that he¡¯d be out cold as I heaved him over my shoulders and used my free arm to scoop the half-elf¡¯s body under my arm.


    Cedry¡¯s thin corpse weighed more than Jona¡¯s body as I held her by her waist. I couldn¡¯t do anything about her arms and blonde hair dragging on the ground, but Jona¡¯s unconscious body seemed to take offense, his arms dangling towards her from my shoulder, as if trying to scoop her up.


    Ignoring the creeping desire to just drop them back to the ground, I freely released the mana I had been conserving. An intoxicating sense of power rushed out of my core, spreading out to my limbs and filling me with renewed strength. Tuning out the chaotic mor around me, I focused entirely on the mana surrounding me.


    Because of the expandingyer smoke and fire, I willed a spiraling barrier around us as I prepared to rush them back to base. A translucentyer of mana whirled around us as a torrent of wind and stone began shaping itself into a sphere.


    Strengthening my body, I pushed off the ground. Immediately, I had to tighten my grip around Jona and Cedry to keep them from falling. The barrier I¡¯d conjured remained strong as arrows and spells bombarded it. Sparks ignited each time an enemy hit my barrier, deflecting or redirecting anything that came our way, but the spell was constantly eating away my mana reserves.


    Thanks to the mana rotation technique I¡¯d learned from Sylvia, even such a superfluous spell like this could be recovered back in a fairly short amount of time.


    I plowed through the battlefield, gritting my teeth to cope with the weight of my two passengers as I concentrated solely on keeping the barrier active despite the intensifying attacks on it.


    My body jerked as a particrly powerful spell bombarded my barrier but I held firm and increased the amount of mana into the barrier. Cries from the enemy soldiers ordering their subordinates to bring me down echoed within the forest.


    <em>At least with all of their conjurers focused on me, </em>Vanesy<em> and her soldiers will have an easier time,</em> I thought.


    As soon as I was out of the main battle, I released my spell. Immediately, an augmented arrow skimmed my cheek, drawing blood. The force of the arrow brought down a tree beside me, catching me by surprise.


    With Jona¡¯s limp body sagged over my shoulder, I had to turn around to see who I was up against. Before I could spot my attacker, two more arrows whizzed toward me.


    I had barely a second to react, but that would be enough. Letting out a deep breath, I murmured, ¡°Static Void.¡±


    The deadly arrows were only inches away from me when I released the first phase of my dragon¡¯s will. The world grew still as even the chaotic sounds of battle deafened.


    In one swift movement, I positioned my right foot on top of one arrow and bit down on the shaft of the other arrow. Releasing Static Void, my neck immediately jerked from the force of the arrow in my mouth as the arrow beneath my foot buried into the ground.


    Whipping my head towards the direction of the attacker, I released a torrent of pure mana. For a moment, the afternoon sky grew dark as terrified birds shot from the trees and littered the sky, sensing the malicious intent I¡¯d let loose.


    I stood there for just a second, staring at the space where I thought the enemy archer was, his arrow in my mouth, warning him¡ªwarning him what I was capable of if he got in my way.


    My unspoken threat seemed to have done the trick because there were no more arrows or spells headed my way. Turning back, I bolted into the dense forest, making my way back toward the edge of the cliff where we¡¯de from.


    ¡°Arthur? What happened?¡± a voice called out as I lowered Cedry and Jona to the ground at the edge of the encampment.


    I looked up to see Madam Astera, blood on her face and on her once white apron. Noticing my gaze, she looked only to shake her head with a faint smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not my blood. I¡¯m just helping the medics and emitters patch up some of the wounded that were brought back.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I see. In that case, please take care of her¡±¡ªI pointed to Cedry¡ª¡°and look after Jona.¡±


    Without waiting for the head chef¡¯s response, I turned around toward the cliff, ready to head back, when something tugged at my boot.


    ¡°Why? Why couldn¡¯t you have saved her like you saved me?¡± Jona¡¯s hoarse voice trembled as he tightened his grip around my ankle.


    ¡°I can¡¯t save every soldier in a war,¡± I replied, unable to look back and face him.


    ¡°Liar... I bet you could¡¯ve if you really wanted to. You¡¯re ance, right? I wasn¡¯t sure until you caught that arrow with your mouth. For a second, I thought I was dreaming because the arrow stopped mid-flight.¡±


    I gnashed my teeth in frustration¡ªnot at him, but at myself¡ªand kicked my leg free from his grip. ¡°Like I said, my priority isn¡¯t to save every soldier Ie across in war.¡±


    ¡°We might not¡¯ve known each other that long, but if Cedry was alive, there¡¯s no way she would¡¯ve just thought of you as ¡®just a soldier,¡¯ General.¡± There was venomced in the hiss of my title.


    Whipping around, I lifted Jona up by the scruff of his shirt once more and pulled him close. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your friend, Jona, but pull your head out of your ass. There are enemies out there stronger than you can imagine¡ªstronger than any adventurer you¡¯ve probably worshipped¡ªand you want me to expend all of my energy to save everyone here? If I do that, who¡¯s going to stop them? Who¡¯s going to stop the enemy leaders that can level a mountain if they wanted to?¡±


    The hate and me from Jona¡¯s eyes disappeared, reced by guilt and sorrow as tears rolled down his cheeks. ¡°What am I going to do, then? I promised her when we were little. I was finally going to keep the promise... I was going to ask her to marry me.¡±


    At his words my chest ached, twisting into knots as my breath became short and ragged. I struggled to keepposed as I stared into Jona¡¯s grief-struck face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him, Arthur,¡± Madam Astera whispered, pulling Jona back by his shoulders. ¡°Go on.¡±


    I gave a curt nod and peeled my eyes away from Jona. Heading back up the cliff, my mind was clouded with thoughts of Jona and Cedry. I saw them spar, I saw them bicker, and I saw themugh together, but I never thought much of their rtionship.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I cursed as I weaved through the dense array of trees. The sounds of battle grew louder but my thoughts were focused on Jona¡¯sst words.


    The faint whistle of an arrow snapped me back to reality. I spun out of the path of the projectile and conjured several throwing knives out of condensed ice, throwing them at the enemy archer without breaking stride. The pained grunt of the archer and the hollow thud of his body falling from the tree sounded behind me.


    A few feetter, a bolt of electricity crackled toward me. The spell was powerful but by the way it branched out and weakened, I could tell the caster was inexperienced in the deviant magic. Sidestepping away, I gathered mana to the tips of my fingers once more and released the spell.


    Unlike my attacker¡¯s lightning, mine shot out like a bullet. However, just as my spell was about to hit its target, a metal wall erected from the ground, deflecting the streak of lightning harmlessly to the sky until it dissipated.


    <em>Annoying</em>. While fighting against the cryans, I began to see a pattern. For every augmenter or conjurer fighting, there seemed to be a different conjurer whose sole duty was to protect them. The archer earlier didn¡¯t seem to be an augmenter, which exined why he went down so easily.


    Because the enemy conjurers and augmenters weren¡¯t focused on protecting themselves while fighting, their attacks were much more relentless and brash.


    My mood had turned sour since dropping Jona and Cedry back at camp, and my temper grew as more and more enemies attacked.


    ¡°Fine! You know what? The more of you all I kill, the less my soldiers will die!¡± I spat, revealing a menacing smirk. ¡°Realmheart!¡±


    Conjurers and augmenters that were hiding now stuck out like sore thumbs as they prepared their attacks. As the particles gathered around them, swirling and spinning in preparation, it became all too clear what sort of spells they were conjuring, but I needed more time to counter them.


    All thoughts of conservation were gone as I once again released the first phase of my dragon¡¯s will. The world froze once more and I quickly assessed the spells needed to counter the attacks of twelve different enemies. ¡°Three sts of fire, a barrage of sharpened rocks, augmented arrows, a lightning spell, condensed bullets of water, and one of the conjurers was nning on burying my feet from under me to keep me from moving. Easy enough,¡± I murmured. Like I thought, conjuring the barrier earlier to save Jona had drawn a lot of attention.


    Seconds ticked inside the suspended realm of Static Void. My body felt heavier but I didn¡¯t care. This was nothing. I released Static Void as soon as I was ready and retaliated.


    Immediately, spells detonated from all around me, a cacophony of screams and wails mixed in as well. Enemy and ally soldiers alike looked around, confused by the sudden explosion.


    As I heaved out a breath, I couldn¡¯t help but smile in satisfaction. Rather than canceling the enemy¡¯s spell like how Lady Myre had taught me by using mana interpretation, I overloaded the cryan soldiers¡¯ spells, causing a deadly backfire.


    ¡°How¡¯s that, Jona! Are you satisfied?¡± I fumed.


    ¡°Arthur!¡± a clear voice called out from behind.


    Looking over my shoulder, I spotted Captain Glory. She wore a hardened expression as her two long swords dripped with blood. Her once tied hair hade loose and was caked with mud and dried blood, and her armor wasn¡¯t any better off, but there was still a fire raging in her eyes.


    ¡°You look like crap.¡± My lips formed a pained smile, relieved to see a familiar face.


    The corner of her lips curved up into a smirk. ¡°That¡¯s not something you say to a woman even during war.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°Anyway, did you do that?¡± Vanesy asked, looking around.


    I nodded. ¡°I was testing something.¡±


    ¡°Testing something during battle? You never change.¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°Do you think you can do it again?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± I answered when suddenly, Sylvie¡¯s thoughts poured into my head. ¡®Arthur, I¡¯ming back.¡¯ There was a flood of emotions that wasced together with her message: worry, desperation, and fear.


    <em>What happened? Did you find something already?</em> I sent back to my bond, her emotions affecting mine.


    <em>¡®No, I had to stop midway...¡¯ She grew silent for a moment but there was a grim sense of foreboding that made my heart beat faster until she spoke again. ¡®Someone is headed your way. Arthur, he¡¯s... he¡¯s strong.¡¯</em>

 Chapter 155

    Chapter 155


    Chapter 155: Why I¡¯m Here


    My heartbeat quickened and my palms grew slick with sweat as Sylvie¡¯s emotions leaked onto me, but I had no time to rest; with their conjurers and archers nearby sustaining serious injuries, the enemy augmenters and soldiers were quick to approach us.


    ¡°We got some headed our way. Don¡¯t get cold feet on me now,¡± my former professor chuckled. Her lighthearted tone didn¡¯t suit the screaming and shing of weapons resounding in the background.


    ¡°Cold feet? I¡¯ve been taking the brunt of attacks from their conjurers and archers, trying to establish a pattern in their attacks,¡± I answered, drawing Dawn¡¯s Bad and burying its sharp de in through the breastte of an enemy soldier in one swift motion.


    ¡°Is that how you were able to set off those explosions just now?¡± Vanesy asked as she parried arge warhammer. It waspelling watching my former professor fight up close without holding back. Her fighting style,bined with her utilization of both earth and fire in a unique way to conjure ss, produced an array of glimmering attacks. She was able to create ayer of sharpened ss around her swords to extend her reach, cleaving down enemies several yards away.


    ¡°No, that was something else.¡± I pulled my sword out from a different enemy. ¡°Vanesy. We should end this battle soon, or at least take it away from here.¡±


    ¡°You say that as if we¡±¡ªVanesy ducked, narrowly avoiding the head of an axe¡ª¡°were purposefully prolonging this battle.¡±


    I swung Dawn¡¯s Bad, sending a sharp crescent of wind at my former professor¡¯s attacker. With a sharp hiss, blood splurted out from the barrel-chested cryan¡¯s unprotected neck. He was only able to let out a soft gurgle before copsing to the ground, his eyes wide and frantic while his hands pressed down on his fatal injury.


    My tone grew stern as I replied. ¡°I¡¯ll admit my priorities may have been a bit different until now, but there¡¯s no time now. Take the battle elsewhere¡ªanywhere away from here.¡±


    Her forehead creased. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s going to be someoneing, someone as strong¡ªif not stronger¡ªthan me. Get everyone away from here so they don¡¯t get caught in our crossfire.¡±


    Vanesy¡¯s furrowed brow deepened. ¡°Our? You can¡¯t mean¡ª¡±


    I nodded gravely. ¡°This is why I¡¯m here¡ªin case something like this happened. Get everyone away from here.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re strong¡ªactually, I can¡¯t fathom how strong you actually are¡ªbut damn it, that doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t use any help!¡±


    My eyes loosened as I gave my former professor a look of concern, but remained silent.


    ¡°Shit,¡± my former professor cursed, surveying the battlefield. She looked back at me with a resolute gaze. ¡°Fine, but you bettere back alive or I¡¯ll pull you out of hell myself just to send you back.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a chortle from her ridiculous threat. ¡°I promise.¡±


    Vanesy took a step back and saluted me before Torch swooped down from the sky. The captain jumped onto the re hawk and bellowed out, ¡°Dicathens! Retreat!¡±


    Like that, the tide of battle shifted. Vanesy flew overhead, rallying her men that might not have heard, but already our soldiers had begun edging back while defending themselves from our enemies.


    I watched as our soldiers withdrew, holding back any enemies that tried to chase after them, but there were simply too many.


    <em>It¡¯s okay</em>, I told myself. The cryan soldiers weren¡¯t the problem. Vanesy and Captain Auddyr¡¯s divisions were going to have to manage.


    I put away Dawn¡¯s Bad and made my way toward the edge of the clearing. Jumping up onto a tree, I conjured a cushion of wind underneath my feet and made my way southward, hopping from one branch to another.


    Just beyond the clearing, the tame trees, evenly spaced and maintained by woodcutters from the nearby town, became more wild and dense. There wererge trees strewn below, fallen in storms. The harsh winter had stripped away much of the bark but by the thinyer of frost on the untouched ground, it seemed like the cryan Army hadn¡¯t passed by here when they made their way up.


    The only sound around me was the rustling of leaves and the asional snaps of branches from the wildlife.


    <em>Sylvie. Are you there? How close are you?</em>


    I was met with only silence from my repeated attempts at establishing contact with my bond. She was either too far away, which shouldn¡¯t be the case, or intentionally ignoring me.


    <em>¡®Aren¡¯t you a cute boy. Could it be that you¡¯re lost?¡¯</em>


    I flinched from the unfamiliar voice that rang in my head, nearly falling off the branch I was perched on. Whipping my head left and right, I tried to locate the source of the sound.


    I wanted to move but my body froze¡ªnot from the cold, but from a tangible fear. A deep sense of dread creeped up like a rising tide, slowly but surely, as I surveyed the area.


    Even with augmented vision and hearing, I couldn¡¯t find her. Yet, I knew she was there, her high, grating voice still scratching the insides of my ears.


    <em>¡®Are you, perhaps, looking for little ol¡¯ me?¡¯</em> her shrill voice screeched inside my head like a coarse de being dragged against ice. I gnashed my teeth, trying to keep calm. My mind knew she was intentionally intimidating me but my body couldn¡¯t help but fall victim to her tactic.


    Her voice seemed toe from all around me and at the same time, inside me. My limbs grew stiff as my heart beat hard enough to break out of my ribcage.


    Without a second thought, I bit down on my lower lip. As the pain and metallic taste of blood washed over my tongue, freeing me from the holds of her killing intent, I immediately activated Realmheart.


    The once lush green and brown scenery washed down into shades of gray with only speckles of color radiating from the mana around me.


    Unable to see any sources of mana fluctuation, I began to doubt what I heard¡ªno, I wanted to doubt what I heard. Suddenly a flicker of light whizzed past the corner of my eye like a green shadow. It was almost impossible to follow the shadow¡¯s movement but if I kept my eyes unfocused, I could catch glimpses of her movement.


    The green shadow stopped. From her location, it looked like she was inside the trunk of a tree about thirty feet away.


    <em>¡®Sharp eyes, little boy. Sharp eyes.¡¯</em> She moved once more, travelling from inside one tree to another, using branches as if they were tunnels, leaving behind traces of sickly green mana. My eyes darted, trying to follow her movement as she let out a cackle ofughter that echoed in the thick forest.


    ¡°Your eyes look like they¡¯re spinning, dear,¡± she teased, her shrill voice just as earsplitting out loud as it was in my head.


    ¡°Am I here?¡± she asked, farther away this time.


    ¡°How about here?¡± Her grating voice sounded to my left.


    She let out a childish giggle. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m here!¡±


    Her voice seemed to grow more distant than before. Was she trying to avoid me?


    ¡°I could be over there...¡± she taunted once more, her voice suddenlying several yards away to my right.


    ¡°Or I could be right here!¡± Suddenly, an arm shot out from inside the tree I was perched on.


    I had no time to react as her hand gripped around my neck, spreading a searing pain across my throat and cor. I was lifted into the air, held by my neck, as the source of the shrill voice came out of the tree.


    I gripped at her bony pale arm, splotched with discolored marks as I tried to break free from her hold. She was wearing a sparkling ck dress that entuated her body¡¯s tall and sickly thin frame. I could practically see her ribs through the thin piece of fabric that would¡¯ve looked elegant had it been worn by any other woman.


    I struggled to lift my gaze high enough to see her face, but what stared back at me was a ceramic mask with a doll-like face masterfully drawn. Long, scraggly ck hair was tied into two ponytails behind her head with a bow tied at each end.


    ¡°My, what a handsome young boy you are,¡± she whispered from behind her mask, the drawn eyes looking straight at me.


    Like a bolt of electricity, a shiver shot down my spin at her words, making me struggle harder. My neck felt like it was being constantly branded as the burning pain became almost unbearable. Struggling with thest of my consciousness, I willed mana into my palms.


    With Realmheart still active, I could physically see the specs of blue mana gathering around my hands, turning into a shimmering white as I formed a spell. Tightening my grip around her wrist, I released my spell.


    [Absolute Zero]


    She immediately let go of my neck and pulled her arm away from my grasp. Upon release, I fell from the tree, crashing through a hollow log on the ground.


    ¡°The little puppy has a bit of a bite,¡± she reprimanded from atop the tree.


    I hurriedly got back up onto my feet, ignoring the burning pain still radiating from my neck, but the woman was already in front of me, looking down through the small eyeholes of her mask. Her right arm was discolored and swollen from where I was able to briefly touch her with the spell.


    She shook her head. ¡°No matter. I¡¯ll just have to be a bit more strict in your training.¡±


    My body involuntarily took a step back. She had no intention of killing me; she just wanted me as some sort of pet.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, my dear?¡± she whispered, looking away as she buried her right arm inside the tree behind her.


    ¡°My mother told me not to talk to strangers, especially ones as... strange as yourself,¡± I answered, wincing from the pain as I gingerly touched the wound on my neck. Usually, thanks to assimting with Sylvia¡¯s will, I¡¯d feel my body already healing, but the injury she inflicted was different.


    ¡°Not to worry. We¡¯ll get acquainted soon enough,¡± she replied, pulling her arm back out of the tree, the wound marked by my spell nowhere on her arm. The tree she¡¯d pulled her arm out from now had a gaping hole in it, like someone had branded it with acid.


    She took long strides, her scar-marked legs sinking into the ground as if she were wading through water. ¡°Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have much time as I have tasks to finish. Any chance that you¡¯d willingly be this beautifuldy¡¯s ve?¡±


    I drew Dawn¡¯s Bad out of my dimension ring. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll have to refuse.¡±


    ¡°They always do.¡± The bony woman let out a sigh as she shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay, half the fun is breaking the will of a disobedient ve.¡±


    As she finished talking, mana the color of rotted seaweed began gathering beneath my feet. Immediately, I jumped back, just in time to avoid a cluster of murky hands that shot out from the ground. The humanoid arms or mana wed the air before sinking back into the corroded ground.


    The woman tilted her head but I couldn¡¯t see her expression through her disturbing mask. Through Realmheart, the spells seemed to have a simr attribute to wood, like Tessia, but with every spell she conjured, it left a mark of corrosion.


    I slid my fingers down my burning neck, afraid of what I¡¯d see in my reflection. More of the murky green mana gathered around the mysterious enemy, but before she had the chance to finish her spell, I shot out a stone spike from the ground beside her. I watched as the earthen spear dissolved instantly the moment it made contact with her.


    ¡°You¡¯re just prolonging the inevitable, my dear,¡± she cooed in her high, grating voice that made me want to w my ears off.


    She raised both arms, conjuring more pools of mana on the ground and on trees around me, only visible because of my unique vision.


    My first thought was how I should save mana during this battle when I realized for the first time in a long while that I had no reason to hold back. Most likely, she was either a retainer or scythe, one of the key enemies that I had spent years training to fight against in thend of asuras.


    Breaking open the metaphoric wall I had built to control my mana, I felt a rush of mana pour out of my core. The once dim runes that ran down my arms and back glowed brightly, tantly apparent even through the thick mantle I wore over my undershirt.


    Particles of mana in blue, red, green and yellow rushed out of my body while the mana in my vicinity swirled and gathered, drawn to my body like moths to a fire.


    ¡°Looks like I found someone special,¡± the woman effused as she crossed her raised arms, invoking her spell. Dozens of vine-like arms appendages erupted from the ground and shot out from the trunks and branches of nearby trees.


    My expression remained calm, her imposing intent no longer affecting me, as the disfigured hands of mana reached for me with their spindly fingers. A small crater formed in the ground below my feet as I dashed toward the slender witch of a woman, ignoring her spell.


    I ducked and swayed, dodging the vine-like hands that followed my movement, never breaking my stride as I reached the witch. I was just inches away from reach, yet the woman didn¡¯t even flinch, confident in the aura that had dissolved my earlier spell.


    ¡°Absolute Zero,¡± I whispered, coalescing the spellpletely around my body.


    The murky green hands that froze inches before contact became a disturbing statue that only philosophers could put meaning to.


    My first instinct was to swing Dawn¡¯s Bad but I was afraid that my sword would end up like the stone spear, so I took onest step, just before her feet, and willed the aura of ice to form into a w-like gauntlet around my left hand like the augmenter had done back at the start of my earlier battle. As my spell collided with her aura, a cloud of steam hissed out, blocking my vision.


    It only took one gulp of breath to realize that the steam was toxic. My body immediately reacted, sending me to my knees in a fit of coughs as both my innards and skin began burning. The toxic gas surrounding me had already melted a lot of my clothes, exposing the runes on my arms. It was the fading of the golden runes that snapped me out of my daze.


    The runes, imparted onto me by Sylvia and the very symbol of how this all started pulled me out from the cold grip of darkness.


    I promptly created a small vacuum to suck the toxins out of my searing lungs. It helped, but with no air to breathe and the oxygen from my lungs sucked out, I was left with just a matter of seconds until I cked out.


    The fog, as toxic as it was, covered me from the witch¡¯s eyes. She¡¯d assumed I¡¯d have fainted by now, or worse, so I used that opportunity. Locating her mana signature with the help of Realmheart, I waited for the right opportunity to strike while fighting my body¡¯s unwillingness to stay conscious.


    Seconds seemed like hours, reminding me of my time spent with my consciousness in the aether orb, when she finally drew close enough. While she shouldn¡¯t be able to sense the mana fluctuation around me from the effects of Mirage Walk, I could only pray that she wouldn¡¯t be able to see the dim glow of my sword.


    With thest bit of energy, I triggered Static Void, stopping time around me as I exploded to my feet and struck her with Dawn¡¯s Bad. My sword crackled as it seemed to tear through space, imbued with a gleaming white lightning that seemed almost holy as I released time just before my de made contact with her face.


    The force of my swing spread the cloud of acid covering both of us, but even without seeing, I knew I¡¯d somehow missed my target. I shuddered as my gaze fell to the de in my hand, or rather, what was left of it. The tip of Dawn¡¯s Bad, forged by an asura, had been corroded t with an inch of the teal de gone. However, spotting the faint trace of blood on my de, I shifted my nce to the witch.


    I could only see the point of her sharp chin as her head was reeled back, a thin trail of blood rolling down the side of her neck. The entire forest seemed to have quieted in fear as the only sound I heard was the shattering of her mask on the dirt floor.

 Chapter 156

    Chapter 156


    Chapter 156: A Lance¡¯s Battle


    ¡°Where¡¯s my mask?¡±


    The witch¡¯s hands fumbled over her face, still angled away from my line of sight.


    ¡°My mask. I need my mask,¡± she kept repeating as she realized her face was now bare. The witch tore away at her unruly ck mane, wing at her ponytails and using her undone hair as a curtain to cover her face. She kneeled on the ground, gathering the small shards of her shattered mask as she continued muttering.


    I let out ragged breaths as I slowly inched away in fear of what she might do. I had used Static Void with Realmheart activated and in return, the tip of my sword was now gone.


    The thatch of unruly ck hair that fell over her face rustled as she began fitting together the broken pieces in a desperate attempt to make them whole. Suddenly, she clutched the pile she had so desperately gathered, wing the ground along with it.


    ¡°My mask!¡± she screeched, gripping at the shards until her hands bled.


    Watching the particles of mana congregating to form a murky green aura around her, I had no time think.


    The faint purple particles of aether started vibrating as I activated Static Void once more. Ignoring my body¡¯s protest, I rushed toward to strike the witch before the corroding aurapletely enveloped her again.


    With time stopped, I could close the gap without fearing that she would be able to react to me, but unlike my previous attempt, I wouldn¡¯t be able to utilize the mana in the atmosphere¡ªonly the meager reserves I had left in my core.


    Jagged vines of white crackled around the teal de of my sword as I dashed toward the witch. With the spell considerably weaker than my previous attack, a sense of doubt began creeping up inside me.


    I released the time-freezing mana art right as the t tip of my sword buried itself in the green aura¡¯s opening just above her left knee. The ever-familiar sensation of metal piercing through flesh was apanied by the crackle of electricity spreading through the witch¡¯s body. Yet the blood that leaked from her wound wasn¡¯t the same red that came from her hand but rather a muddy green.


    The site of where the wound should¡¯ve been hissed as the murky green blood began congealing around Dawn¡¯s Bad.


    As the witch raised her gaze from the ground, her thick wiry hair parted, she revealed to me what she had been so desperately trying to hide.


    I tugged Dawn¡¯s Bad, wanting nothing more than to retreat. It wasn¡¯t just her gnarled skin that looked more aged than the bark of the centuries-old trees surrounding us, or the two narrow slits between her sunken cheeks. It wasn¡¯t even her thin leathery lips that were darker than her hair or her jagged teeth stained yellow.


    It was her blood-curdling stare, radiating from the ghoulish pair of misshapen eyes, that filled me with a sense of dread. Unlike any monster or beast I¡¯d faced sinceing to this world, her dark hollow eyes that seemed like they had been gouged out and shoved back deep inside her skull made me wonder if this was the sort of demon that spawned from the depths of hell.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯ve seen me in this state, I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t keep you as a pet,¡± she muttered, nearly whispering as she gripped my sword with one of her bloody hands.


    I winced involuntarily as she spoke. My mind spun as I tried feebly to pull Dawn¡¯s Bad out of her grasp, trying to figure out what to do in this situation.


    As I tore my gaze away from her terrifying stare, I watched in despair as her aura had nearly enveloped her whole body.


    Unable to muster up the strength to trigger Static Void again, I looked down at my legs. I could still hear Lady Myre¡¯s voice, warning me not to use Burst Step again. ncing up, the murky green cloud slowly spread until only faint gaps the width of a feather were left.


    I made my decision.


    Letting go of my precious sword, I released a sharp breath to brace myself for the pain soon toe. Like the pistons of an engine in my old world, mana burst into specific muscles in progression with precise timing in the span of a millisecond, allowing my body to near-instantly sh from my original position.


    I gritted through the mind-numbing pain that felt like the bones in my lower body were slowly smouldering inside a fire, and stabbed my hand through the faint chasm in her aura. Even with my hand coalesced with Absolute Zero, the deteriorating effects of her defenses seeped into my hand upon contact with her skin.


    The witch let out a pained growl as she tried to pull herself away but my grip around her right arm stayed strong.


    The flesh of my bare hand soon became painfully red as more and moreyers of flesh began corroding. However, the effects of my spell showed signs that it was working. Her right arm, which had been gripping my sword impaled in her left thigh, turned a sickly dark color. Unlike frostbite that ured in nature, her arm began to freeze from where I was gripping her rather than from her fingers. She could no longer move her arm as theyers of skin and tissues had froze.


    Before the effects of Absolute Zero could spread to her body, the witch cleaved down at her frozen arm with her other hand, tearing the limbpletely from the shoulder.


    A sharp, burning pain spread from my hand, reminding me of the injury I had sustained in exchange for her severed arm, which shattered like ss as I dropped it on the ground.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was a good thing or not but looking down, the wound looked worse than it felt. Almost as if the skin on my left hand had been dipped in a batter of acid, yellow pus formed on the raw flesh of my hand, sending a surge of pain with even the slightest twitch.


    Ripping off a piece of cloth at the end of my mantle, I gently wrapped it around my injured hand, keeping my jaw clenched through the entire process.


    ¡°How dare you!¡± the witch snarled. With a deranged fire in her hollow green eyes, she tore off chunks of her thick ck hair to reveal a small stump just above her forehead.


    ¡°I am a Vritra! I¡¯ll thoroughly make sure you feel the consequences of making ady go through such... disgrace!¡± she screamed as she ripped off more of her mangled hair. ¡°I¡¯ll melt your limbs off and keep you as a trophy! I¡¯ll cut off your tongue and feed you through a tube so you can only dream about dying!¡±


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯ll have to at least be a scythe to even think about doing that,¡± I huffed, hoping she¡¯d take the bait.


    ¡°A scythe? A scythe?¡± she howled, hobbling toward a nearby tree with Dawn¡¯s Bad still impaled in her left knee. ¡°I¡¯ll wipe that condescending woman off the face of crya and take her ce! Just because she¡¯s a little attractive and her grunts fawn over her, she thinks she¡¯s better than me? I¡¯ll show her how degrading it is to be her retainer!¡±


    Remembering how the witch had healed her hand earlier by submerging it inside a tree, I ignored the shrieks of protest from my legs and rushed to her.


    She swung her only arm, releasing a gust of the smoke that¡¯d nearly melted my lungs.


    I activated Burst Step once more, dodging the poisonous smoke and closing the gap in a blink. Tendrils of ck lightning coiled around my right arm. Rather than attempting to break through her corroding aura and risk mutting another hand, I gripped the handle of my sword still embedded in her thigh. Acting as a conductor, the branches of electricity coiled down my sword into the witch¡¯s body.


    Her body immediately stiffened and jerked in a fit of convulsions from the current of lightning passing through her body. I could see her trying to fight back but I became hopeful as her hollow eyes reeled back.


    Her head spasmed but there was still strength in her as her glossy eyes slowly came back into focus. The witch¡¯s gnarled face cracked like dry soil as splotches of charred skin spread over her body.


    Please, just die, I pleaded in my head as my decreasing mana reserves made me fear for the possibility of bacsh.


    Suddenly, I was wrenched back from the witch. As if I had been prodded by an iron brand, a searing pain radiated from my shoulder as I was sent tumbling back on the ground. Without looking back, I coated my hand in an icy aura and reached over my shoulder to pry off the fingers of mana she had conjured.


    The witch was once again desperately trying to reach a nearby tree, just a few feet away, when I conjured an earthen wall.


    Despite the thick wall surrounding her, she continued on with her staggering gait, unfaltered. The green aura surrounding her, despite being weakened because of my attack earlier, still managed to easily dissolve the wall.


    I had no choice but to rely on Burst Step once more to stop her from healing her wounds when an all-too-familiar voice rang in my head.


    ¡®Arthur!¡¯ Sylvie cried as herrge body cast a shadow over my head.


    Perfect timing, I replied, my voice sounding strained even in my head. Gathering up as much mana as my body would allow without sumbing to the harsh effects of bacsh, I conjured a torrent of wind underneath the witch¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Catch!¡± I roared as I sent my opponent spiraling up in the air toward my bond.


    Sylvie immediately dived down and grasped the witch using her long ws. With the weakened state of the witch, her aura had little effect on my bond. Her armored scales kept her protected long enough for her to soar up into the sky.


    The two of them got lost in the clouds as Sylvie continued carrying the Vritra up.


    ¡®She¡¯s lost consciousness,¡¯ Sylvie stated, the mental transmission sounding distant and muffled.


    Drop her here, I transmitted, still on the ground.


    ¡®I¡¯ll do a little more than drop,¡¯ she let out a growl.


    After meditating just a bit longer for onest spell, I struggled up to my feet, my trembling legs barely keeping me standing.


    With my good arm raised, I converged mana to form the head of a spear. The runes on my arms flickered and dimmed but still remained, helping me utilize as much of the mana in the atmosphere as possible. I could feel the temperature drop as the spear of ice expanded to the size of a tree.


    As I steadily condensed the ice, the crude pike that I¡¯d conjured took shape into a mightyncerge enough to be wielded by a titan. Thence continually changed, further refining itself as I condensed and molded it with the surrounding mana.


    Feeling my legs giving out, I quickly raised the ground around me to support my legs, nting me to the ground in an earthen splint.


    Compressed and sharpened so the spell that was once the size of a tree was now just a few feet longer me, the spear of ice, still suspended in the air, glimmered like the sky during the Aurora Constete that urred every decade.


    The taste of metal filled my mouth as blood trailed down my chin, my body warning me of the wretched state I was in.


    Momentster, I caught sight of the witch. The once mighty Vritra that seemed almost untouchable was hurtling down like a meteor fragment. Sylvie must¡¯ve thrown her down by the speed she was plummeting toward me; it took only the span of a few breaths for her to be close enough to calcte where she¡¯dnd.


    The Vritra¡¯s mangled body plummeted right into the tip of my spear, and instantly, my body jerked from the force.


    I could feel the brace I had conjured from the ground give in as the spear buried itself into the witch¡¯s body.


    With what remaining strength I had left in my legs, I managed to leap out of the way before I was caught up in the full brunt of the Vritra¡¯s impact with my spear.


    The st of rocks and splintered trees bombarded my back as a thunderous explosion resounded, echoing throughout the entire forest and shaking every tree in the vicinity.


    I fell in and out of consciousness as I tumbled on the ground, my body barreling through old logs and branches and whatever else was on the forest ground before the trunk of arge tree finally stopped me.


    ¡®Hang on, Papa!¡¯ Sylvie cried out.


    I thought... it was beneath you... to call me... Papa, I let out, my consciousness faltering.


    She remained silent; I could only feel the rampant emotions leaking out of her¡ªdesperation, guilt, anger, sorrow.


    With my perception of time unreliable, I couldn¡¯t tell how long it had taken Sylvie to get here, but herrge ck snout was hovering over me by the time I realized she was by my side.


    Her translucent yellow eyes were lined with tears as she slowly opened her jaw. My bond let out a soft breath, but rather than air, a shimmering mist of purple enveloped me.


    The cacophony of pains that I had over all of my body soon dulled as the soothing mist seeped into me.


    ¡°Vivum,¡± I muttered weakly.


    ¡®Don¡¯t talk,¡¯ she scolded as she continued healing me.


    Just like your grandmother. I managed a weak smile. For such a scary-looking dragon, your powers turned out be rather... docile.


    A faint sense of amusement sparked in my bond at myment, ¡®If you have the energy for suchme humor, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine.¡¯


    Of course; who do you think I am?


    ¡®A rash and idiotic child that has no sense of self-preservation,¡¯ she grunted as she closed her jaw. ¡®I warned you of the enemying your way, yet you still decided it was necessary to fight her on your own!¡¯


    Letting out a strained fit of coughs, I gently stroked my bond¡¯s snout.


    I¡¯m sorry. At least it¡¯s over¡ªit¡¯s over, right?


    ¡°See for yourself,¡± Sylvie said aloud, the gentle and mellow timbre in her voice soothing after hearing so much of the witch¡¯s shrieks.


    I propped myself up on the base of the tree I had collided with using my elbow as my bond moved to the side.


    Less than fifty feet away was a crater the size of a home with a thinyer of dust still apparent. In the center of therge depression was the spear of ice buried halfway into the ground as the witch¡¯s lifeless bodyid dangling in the air, the spear impaled straight through her chest.


    Steam still hissed from the witch¡¯s body as her corrosive skin tried to eat away at the ice, but to no avail.


    She was dead.

 Chapter 157

    Chapter 157


    Chapter 157: Pinnacle¡¯s Height


    CAPTAIN JARNAS AUDDYR


    ¡°Ulric,¡± I whispered, signaling him to move out left as I crouched down low behind a fallen log. The massive augmenter silently gathered his small team of five mages and began making their way through the dense trees.


    ¡°Brier.¡± I tilted my head in the direction of the small path to our right, signaling my other head and his troops to follow me. Brier nodded in reply as he unsheathed both of his serrated daggers. The well-built augmenter quickly navigated through the dense forest, his gait long and confident. I followed behind him and his troops a few paces behind with my fingers anxiously positioned on the grip of my artifact, ready to strike.


    I¡¯de to be thankful for the frigid gale that constantly howled through the trees, bobbing the branches and stripping their foliage. It served to cover the sound of our footsteps as we made our way deeper into the forest.


    Clearings were frequent but I navigated my troops away from them, in case we were exposed to this great danger that Captain Glory had warned me about. I suppressed the urge to scoff at her ridiculousness¡ªbelieving the words of a teen that somehow snaked his way to be ance. He probably made up his suspicions about this powerful foe so he could escape by himself to avoid battle.


    <em>I¡¯ll apprehend him on sight if I catch him running away,</em> I thought. <em>Perhaps my critical role in driving off the cryan forces and capturing the roguence will earn me a well-deserved promotion.</em>


    I¡¯d grudgingly followed Captain Glory when she abruptly started ordering her troops to retreat. It was my mistake to so blindly trust her judgement.


    After being informed by Captain Glory on what she had been instructed to do by thatnce, I immediately turned my troops back. She had the nerve to throw away the battle and risk bringing the entire fight to the cooks and medics back at the encampment, but I was not her subordinate.


    The battle had be chaotic after Captain Glory¡¯s troops started retreating, leaving only my troops to fight. However, taking advantage of the fact that the cryans tried to go after Captain Glory¡¯s troops, it was easy for my soldiers to subdue a lot of the upied enemy forces.


    Better yet, Captain Glory had received her consequences for having so little judgement in the middle of a battle; she¡¯d sustained a sizeable injury to her side that left me in charge of both troops. With my expertise as amander, I quickly meshed together the two disjointed allied forces and we resumed the fight until an explosion resounded just a bit south from where we¡¯d been fighting.


    Unexpectedly, the enemy leaders began ordering their leaders to fall back, leaving us with an exceptional victory. The sound of my cheering troops filled me with a sense of satisfaction that reminded me of what it meant to be a figure of power.


    Resuming my duties as the acting general in charge of both divisions, I ordered every able-bodied soldier to pick up an ally¡¯s body and head back to camp. I also ordered the retrieval of any cryan soldiers, if still alive, so that they could be interrogatedter.


    I had wanted to go straight to The Council and debrief them on what had happened here, but Captain Glory stopped me. She suspected that the boynce and the foe he was fighting had something to do with the explosion and wanted me to take some troops to see what happened.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the possibility of apprehending the boy for running away in the midst of battle and the chance to take his ce as ance, I would¡¯ve refused.


    Perhaps the deities were finally rewarding me for my service to King yder and now, the entirety of Dicathen. I would be one of the pinnacles of power in this continent.


    As we trekked further south, the more careful we had to be with our footsteps. As the sun set, mist began pooling between the thick trunks of the trees, obscuring the ground even directly below us. More so than the possibility of an imagined foe, I wanted to catch the boy off guard and identally snapping a twig might make him run andplicate the task.


    My sources up in The Council¡¯s castle told me that Arthur had not epted the artifact granted to each of thences to enhance their powers, but being careless would be a mistake; however much of a coward he may be, the boy was still ance, after all.


    Brier, my right-hand, stopped and wordlessly motioned for me toe. Walking past the soldiers in his unit, I arrived in front of what seemed to have once been a tree.


    Looking at the dark sludge pooled in the center of the tree trunk, I slowly reached out when Brier swatted my hand away. My eyes narrowed as I shot my subordinate a nce, but Brier merely shook his head and dipped a spare knife strapped to his thigh into the puddle.


    With a faint hiss, the de of the knife had beenpletely dissolved in a matter of mere seconds. Shifting my gaze to the rest of the tree that¡¯d toppled over fairly recently, I pointed to it, making sure this acid was what caused it.


    Brier nodded in reply and we continued our trek until one of his men¡ªor rather, a woman¡ªpointed out a few more trees with the same corrosion in the middle of their trunks. Some trees were still standing, with the acid only making a small hole, while others were melted down to the roots.


    The sharp <em>snap</em> above us caused all of us to immediately whirl toward the sound. The woman swiftly nocked an arrow on her bow and instantly fired.


    The arrow urately hit the source of the sound... a branch. Letting out a sharp breath, I studied the branch that¡¯d fell, only to realize that there were parts of it corroded by the same acid on the trees. I shot a menacing re at the archer and immediately she dipped her head apologetically. <em>Ipetent</em>.


    Signaling everyone to continue, I stayed close to the rear of the team in case anything were to happen.


    While the winds continued to buffet the trees around us, the forest was eerily quiet. There were no scutters of nearby animals and I had yet to hear the crow of a single bird¡ªalmost as if the inhabitants of the forest had all run for their lives.


    Suddenly a pained scream resounded, piercing through the trees into our ears. The quietness of the forest only seemed to amplify the sound as everyone looked toward me for guidance.


    From the deep timbre of the scream, it sounded like Ulric but was it really worth giving our position away if he had already been caught? Whether it was thence or the supposed enemy he was facing, the element of surprise was one of our only advantages.


    Brier, who was close friends with Ulric long before he¡¯d joined my division as a head, stared at me with knitted brows. His eyes seemed to say to let him go, but I motioned for him to wait. I separated our team of five into two groups, with Brier in the team of three. We slowly fanned out with the archer staying by my side while Brier¡¯s group slowly made their way toward the sound of Ulric¡¯s scream.


    The density of trees dwindled as we approached arge clearing, with more and more signs of the acid evident around us. The ground underneath abruptly dipped, almost making us tumble downhill into a mysterious fog that grew denser as we got closer to the de. With the archer covering me and Brier and his group a few paces ahead to my left, I unclipped the handle of my artifact, Stormcrow, and imbued mana to transform it into a mighty halberd.


    With the ghastly green mist blocking our view and the ground below unlevel, I suppressed the temptation to turn back with the thought of bing ance and I raised my arm; holding up three fingers, I silently counted down.


    <em>Three.</em>


    <em>Two.</em>


    <em>One.</em>


    Letting out a roar, Brier shed out with his serrated daggers, unleashing a torrent of sharp gales to dissipate the potentially dangerous mist.


    <em>What in the...</em>


    My will to fight all but vanished as the green fog cleared. Stormcrow nearly slipped out of my loosened fingers as we all stood, jaws ck, at the scene just a few yards ahead.


    We had unknowingly stumbled on the edge of a massive crater. In the center stood an enormous and awe-inspiring spear that made my priceless artifact, handed down in my family for generations, look like a used toothpick. And impaled on it was what seemed to be anky imp-like fiend.


    The ground sizzled underneath the suspended monster with the same murky acid dripping from its grotesque body. A faint hiss sounded from the fiend as the green fog continuously spewed from its gaping wound but it was undoubtedly dead.


    But perhaps the only thing more striking than the scene below was that of the obsidian dragon so casually sleeping next to the boy slumped against a tree on the other side of the crater¡ªa boy who could be none other than Arthur. If it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that I had seen the dragon when Arthur was first knighted as ance, the fear currently gripping at my chest might¡¯ve just squeezed the life out of my heart.


    For a second, I thought that both the boy and his bond had both died during the fight, but the steady rise and fall of the dragon¡¯s body said otherwise. I pried my gaze off of the ck dragon to see Ulric on the ground on the other side of the crater. His troops¡ªminus one¡ªwere huddled around him, nursing the stumps where his left arm and leg used to be.


    <em>Perhaps the boy died in battle,</em> I thought, hopeful. I assessed the situation the best I could from this distance. It was hard to see the state of the boy from here boy, but by the ragged breathing of the imposing beast beside him, it¡¯s safe to say that both had incurred some kind of damage.


    I loosened my grip around Stormcrow. ¡°Retrieve the general¡¯s body.¡±


    Brier, signaled for one of his men to go forward when Ulric, who¡¯d now located where we were, iled his only arm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Ulric and his troops screamed but Brier¡¯s subordinate had already leaped into the crater to make his way to the other side where Arthur was.


    Suddenly, just as Brier¡¯s subordinate dashed past thenky fiend, a murky tentacle erupted out of its body, mping onto his ankle.


    The soldier howled in pain, but rather than pulling his body, the tentacle severed his foot that was protected in mana, sending him tumbling down to the center of the crater. The soldier¡¯s armnded inside the puddle of green sludge and almost immediately, the acid worked its way through his armor and flesh until not even bone was left.


    The soldier, who¡¯d been shrieking in agony, cradled the stump of his arm when the tentacle that¡¯d grabbed him earlier dragged the rest of his body into the puddle.


    We stood there silently, horrified, the only soundsing from acid working through the soldier¡¯s body and the archer retching behind me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go near that monster!¡± Ulric huffed, his voicebored from pain. ¡°Th-The general said that it won¡¯t attack if you keep your distance.¡±


    ¡°What is going on?!¡± I roared, losingposure. ¡°Give me a report!¡±


    ¡°W-We don¡¯t exactly know, Captain!¡± one of Ulric¡¯s troops sputtered. ¡°We sensed mana fluctuations nearby so we scouted around the area when Head Ulric and Esvin slipped and fell down the crater. Head Ulric was able to make it out but Esvin...¡±


    ¡°Is that monster still alive?¡± I asked, taking a step back in case another tentacle sprouted out of its body.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡±


    I whipped my head toward the source of the hoarse voice, only to see that the boy was now awake. ¡°You!¡± I raised Stormcrow, pointing it at Arthur. ¡°Did you have anything to do with this?¡±


    Thence¡¯s hardened eyes, his irises nearly glowing with an azure radiance, focused on me between his auburn bangs.


    ¡°With the death of that retainer? Yes.¡± His gaze remained harsh and voice even. ¡°With your soldiers¡¯ deaths? That¡¯d be because of that thing¡¯s automatic defense spells that are still active even after she¡¯s died.¡±


    I could feel my cheeks burning in embarrassment while the boy talked to me as if I was a fool. ¡°W-Why didn¡¯t you help them, then¡ªor warn us?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry; did you want me to put up a caution sign?¡± the boy mocked. ¡°Quite frankly, I¡¯m having a hard time staying conscious, let alone warning mages that obviously didn¡¯t want to be found.¡±


    ¡°General Arthur, you were under suspicion for fleeing in battle, but now that new information hase to light, we¡¯ll ask that youe with us so that we can take you to The Council for further questioning,¡± I announced, afraid to take even a single step despite Ulric¡¯s earlier reassurance.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the castle on my own ord. Right now, I have other matters to attend to,¡± the boy replied as he remained seated against the tree.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not possible, General,¡± I said through gritted teeth. ¡°Information on the enemy leaders is crucial and The Council needs to be informed at once.¡±


    Gathering my wits, I made my way toward the boy¡ªsteering clear of the tentacle¡¯s reach¡ªwhen the obsidian dragon¡¯s eyes shot open, freezing every one of us on sight.


    Its shimmering topaz gaze bore directly into me, making my body shrivel on reflex. The dragon¡¯s eyes contained a ferocity and wisdom that made every mana beast I had bested seem like plush doll.


    ¡°Take another step if you wish to lose your head,¡± the dragon rumbled, baring its fangs.


    ¡°I-It speaks!¡± Brier cried out, stepping back in fear.


    Gripping the handle of Stormcrow harder to suppress my body¡¯s instincts to retreat, I replied. ¡°My apologies, mighty dragon. We have no intentions of hurting your master. We simply wish to bring him safely to The Council and see to it that his wounds are treated.¡±


    The dragon huffed out a fog of air from its snout, almost as if it¡¯d scoffed at my words. ¡°My promise still stands, <em>Captain</em>. Take another step¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Arthur cut in as he leaned against the dragon to get to his feet. He took slow steps toward me, but had no intention of stopping.


    He was fairly tall for one his age, standing just a few inches over me, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel as though he was somehow towering over me. Unconsciously, my body had stepped out of Arthur¡¯s path as he walked past me¡ªwithout a single word¡ªand made his way down to the center of the crater where the tentacle had killed one of my soldiers.


    I cursed in my head¡ªnot at Arthur, but at myself for being so ignorant. It was only now that I¡¯d begun to realize the gap between me and this boy.


    I stood silently as Arthur trudged carefully down the sloped ground. Even when the boy got in range of the corroding vine made of some mysterious mana, the tentacle froze and shattered on contact.


    Arthur casually ced a foot over the puddle capable of melting even armor and bone. As the acid froze into a solid state, the boy stepped on it and reached out toward the monster, pulling out a worn teal sword. ¡°Sylvie, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The obsidian dragon beat down its wings, creating a surge of wind below it. The dragon hovered over Arthur and lowered its tail for its master to grab onto.


    Mounted atop the mighty beast, Arthur sheathed his sword and peered down at me with a harsh gaze. ¡°Get Captain Glory or someone else capable to take the retainer¡¯s corpse to The Council.¡±


    There was a sharp sting to his words that I would punish anyone else for, but I held my tongue. The fear still lingering in me and the overwhelmingly imposing pressure Arthur radiated as he gave out his instructions made me lose all the remaining confidence I had.


    He truly was ance.


    I sheathed my weapon and got down on one knee. ¡°Yes, General.¡±

 Chapter 158

    Chapter 158


    Chapter 158: Covert


    Nico, Cecilia, and I remained silent, staring at the words printed on the fabric-like sheet of paper in our hands as we sat around the shoddy patio table.


    ¡°W-We got in,¡± I muttered, not taking my eyes off of my eptance letter. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we got in.¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself. The only one Cecilia and I were worried about was you, Grey,¡± Nico chortled, but even he couldn¡¯t hide his excitement as his lips spread into a wide grin.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it either,¡± Cecilia whispered, her voice trembling.


    ¡°Woah! Are you crying, Cecilia?¡±


    ¡°N-No. I just have something in my eye¡ªthat¡¯s all.¡±


    I finally pried my eyes from the eptance letter in my hand to see Cecilia hurriedly wiping her eyes with the ends of her sleeves, her usual creamy cheeks flushed bright red.


    ¡°Congrattions, you three,¡± Headmaster Wilbeck¡¯s clear voice sounded from the entrance to the backyard.


    ¡°Headmaster!¡± Nico eximed, proudly holding up his letter for her to see like a trophy.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to find some spare frames to hang those letters up,¡± she smiled as she walked toward us, giving each one of us a hug.


    Looking at the gentle smile on her face, a pang of guilt struck my chest. She was the woman who raised me like a son since I could remember, yet I was selfishly going away to a distant city. ¡°Headmaster... are you sure it¡¯s okay for us to go? I can stay and help out at the orphanage! It¡¯s no big deal. I¡¯m no good at studying anyway like Nico and Cecilia; plus, it¡¯s expensive and you¡¯re getting old so¡ªouch!¡± I yelped, rubbing my stinging forehead.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the academy if I have to drag you in your underwear myself,¡± she scolded, her finger curled up, ready to flick me again. ¡°All these years of raising a troublemaker like you has paid off and you want to what¡ªstay here? Not on my watch.¡±


    ¡°<em>Nico</em> is the troublemaker. I just get dragged along!¡± I protested, raising my hands to protect my forehead from the assault.


    ¡°Then I guess Mr. Sever deserves one of these as well,¡± the headmaster dered, flicking my best friend¡¯s forehead with the speed and uracy of a trained soldier.


    ¡°Ow! Grey! What gives!¡± Nico cried, vigorously rubbing his forehead in pain.


    I smirked victoriously, when I heard a soft giggle beside me. Nico and I both snapped our heads to see Cecilia smiling for the first time.


    The two of us stared, wide-eyed and jaws agape, while even the headmaster was surprised.


    ¡°Did she finally break?¡± Nico whispered, leaning close to my ears.


    I stabbed my friend in his side with my elbow, my eyes strangely glued to the sight of Ceciliaughing. My chest tightened and I felt my face getting hot, but it was only when Cecilia realized that we were all staring that I realized I was blushing, just like she was.


    I quickly turned around and stood up to avoid her gaze, stretching for no reason other than to draw attention away from my face.


    Headmaster Wilbeck must¡¯ve seen through me because she gave me that devious grin that made her look ten years younger.


    ¡°I¡¯d better head back inside, kids. School doesn¡¯t start for a few weeks but make a list of things you¡¯ll need so that you won¡¯t forget anything when one of the volunteers takes you all to town.¡± The headmaster made her way back to the sliding door she¡¯de from, turning around once more before stepping inside. ¡°And congrattions again, you three.¡±


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    <em>¡®We¡¯re drawing near the border,¡¯</em> Sylvie¡¯s voice rang in my head, pulling me out of my slumber. The white clouds, still blurry from my unustomed eyes, slowly came back into focus as I blinked. I peered down below and noticed that we¡¯d just passed the Sehz Canal that flowed through Carn and Maybur City and into the western coast.


    <em>How are you feeling?</em> I asked, stretching my sore neck and back as my legs dangled off the side of the base of my bond¡¯s neck.


    <em>¡®I should ask you the same. I admit using my powers drained me more than I had expected but you definitely overexerted yourself,¡¯</em> Sylvie chided, extending herrge wings to slow our descent.


    I let out a sigh that got swept away by the rushing wind. <em>I know. It seems I have a ways to go if I want to actually go head to head with a scythe.</em>


    <em>¡®We¡¯re both young; time is a luxury that we are fortunate to have. We just need to remain careful and not doing anything rash... like trying to go </em>against<em> a retainer alone.¡¯</em>


    <em>I promise not to let that happen again, and besides, you saved the day there at the end,</em> Iforted, patting her scaled neck.


    My bond didn¡¯t reply, instead responding with a wave of frustration and helplessness that I could only chuckle at.


    Wended on the unsettlednd just above the border leading into the Kingdom of Darv. The once damp soil of the forest turned dry and hard with cracks lining every inch. The trade route that the dwarves and humans used to exchange goods was near the eastern corner of Darv, by the Grand Mountains, so there were no visible roads this far out toward the coast.


    ¡°It¡¯s still cold,¡± I grumbled as my cloak billowed in the wind.


    <em>¡®You should grow scales like me,¡¯</em> Sylvie joked as she lowered her body to let me down.


    ¡°I¡¯m just d I¡¯m still able to muster up enough mana to keep from freezing.¡± I slowly raised my leg and brought it around my bond¡¯s neck, but as soon as my legs touched the ground a sharp pain coursing up my entire lower body sent me crumbling to the ground.


    <em>¡®The injuries in your legs aren¡¯t getting better.¡¯</em> Sylvie¡¯s voice was wrapped in concern and guilt, as if she was the one responsible for the pain. <em>¡®Maybe it¡¯d be best if you keep riding me.¡¯</em>


    ¡°No,¡± I gasped, willing more mana into my legs as a temporary solution. ¡°If my suspicions are correct, we¡¯re going to need toy low, and we¡¯ve already taken the risk of being exposed by riding this far down.¡±


    <em>¡®Very well.¡¯</em> Sylvie¡¯srge body began glowing as she shifted back into her fox-like form. Rather than ride on top of me like usual, she trotted beside me.


    ¡°Looks like Lady Myre¡¯s prediction was right,¡± I said, taking careful steps. ¡°Even after being healed with the vivum aether art, my lower body feels like it did when I was a newborn.¡±


    <em>¡®Grandmother¡¯s control and knowledge of aether in the </em>vivum<em> path is much greater than mine. Maybe if she was here...¡¯</em> Another wave of guilt washed over me from my bond as her pointed ears drooped.


    <em>Stop with the sulking,</em> I chided, picking up the pace as we ventured into the dwarven territory. <em>Your grandmother¡¯s warning was rather vague but I think with some rest and the help of my assimted body, I should be fine.</em>


    I tried to hide how unconfident I was with my own words but it was obvious that my emotions had leaked onto her. Because of how intensive the explosions of mana were on each of my muscles, I should be thankful that I¡¯m even able to walk, but I couldn¡¯t help but be frustrated at how weak my body was. Using Burst Step twice had left me with shattered bones and shredded muscles almost irreparable if it wasn¡¯t for Sylvie. I winced at the mere thought of my mother¡¯s expression if she were to see the state I was in... would she or any emitter have been able to heal me?


    Swallowing down the dispiriting thoughts, I surveyed the area. Ahead of me was a vast expanse of varying shades of brown and yellow. The few ntlife scattered around consisted of either broken branches and shrubs carried by the wind from the forest or weeds sprouting out from between the cracks on the ground. I noted therge boulders spread about in case we needed to hide or take cover from the harsh winds, but so far, there were no signs of activity.


    The jagged ins dipped and rose to form ravines. From the books that I¡¯d read and what Elijah had told me, many of the gullies and ravines strewn all across the Kingdom of Darv had hidden entrances into the underground cities where the dwarves actually lived.


    I let out a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡±


    Reaching into the depths of my mana core to where Sylvia¡¯s beast will resided, I activated Realmheart once more.


    As the familiar sensation washed over me once more, my body immediately protested. I quickly lurched over to the side and retched out the remains of whatever partially-digested food I had in my stomach and when that was all gone, I spewed a dark bile.


    My chest heaved and the world span around me but, fortunately, I was still able to maintain Realmheart which was a crucial for this task.


    <em>¡®Maybe we shoulde back next time. With my lineage, I¡¯m almost positive that I¡¯ll inherit Realmheart once my powers fully develop. We cane back then and both of us can search¡ª¡¯</em>


    I shook my head. <em>It doesn¡¯t work that way. By then, the mana fluctuations in the atmosphere caused by the soldiers and the retainer will have equilibrated. The search has to be done now.</em>


    <em>¡®Equilibrated?¡¯</em>


    <em>The mana in the atmosphere will return to its original state,</em> I exined, turning my attention back to the particles of mana in the vicinity for any signs of abnormalities.


    When I had first experienced this perspective while in Realmheart, the particles appeared chaotic, like specs of dust pushed and pulled by even the slightest breeze, but that wasn¡¯t the case. During the short period I had with Lady Myre, she exined to me how mana and aether behaved in their natural state.


    Each element of atmospheric mana behaved in their own pattern. Earth attribute mana remained near the ground, faintly shifting like fine sand rolling down a hill. Water and wind attribute mana moved simrly, but water particles were much more scarce. Fire attribute mana were scattered throughout, throbbing and pulsing, almost as if it was giving life to the.


    Aether, however, behaved as if each particle had its own consciousness. Some moved alongside the particles of earth while others congregated around the wind and water attribute mana, herding them as if they were sheep. What Lady Myre said about aether being the ss that held the liquid¡ªthis force seemed to interact with mana in a special way.


    Because of the sheer number of cryan soldiers that had somehow snuck into the Kingdom of Sapin, I had hoped that there would be some lingering trails of mana fluctuation but the task of actually singling out minute discrepancies in the endless sky of particles proved even harder than it sounded.


    To make this task even harder (because it was already much too easy), I had to limit my use of mana to only strengthen my body. Even the very act of absorbing mana would create fluctuations that would interfere; I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell my mana use apart from the cryan¡¯s.


    Taking long strides, Sylvie and I skirted one rock formation along the border that separated Sapin and Darv. Luckily, the soldiers weren¡¯t able to hide their trail in the forest. Sylvie was able to find where they had traversed, but in this rocky desert where the wind constantly wiped all traces of activity, I was left with the cumbersome task of locating traces of mana fluctuations.


    After an hour had passed, Sylvie finally lost her patience.


    <em>¡®Shouldn¡¯t we be making our way toward the coast for signs of </em>cryan<em> ships? I don¡¯t understand why we¡¯re wasting time here. If anything, you should be getting rest, not wandering through this miserable desert.¡¯</em>


    <em>I thought you were able to read my mind,</em> I quipped, turning my head away from a rather strong st of sandy wind.


    <em>¡®That¡¯s not how it works. It¡¯s mostly emotions thate through and very basic thoughts. Right now I only feel a strong sense of suspicioning from you but other than that¡ª¡¯</em>


    <em>I found something,</em> I nearly said aloud as I came to an abrupt halt. I had been looking at the sky this whole time but I hadn¡¯t noticed anything odd until I spotted a dark spot on the ground. Even with a thinyer of dry sand covering it, there was a small but undeniable puddle of moist earth.


    Dropping to my knees, I rubbed the wet dirt between my fingers just to make sure. I looked up at the sky once more and finally spotted what was missing. There was a faintck of water attribute mana in the vicinity where the most soil was.


    <em>¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯</em> Sylvie chimed, staring at the dirt in my hand.


    <em>Looks like someone got thirsty,</em> I replied.


    Surveying the area, I found more areas where the atmosphere was void of water attribute mana. Following the faint trail, we headed southeast, away from the coast, until we arrived at the edge of a narrow ravine.


    <em>Come on. Let¡¯s go down.</em>


    We slowly climbed down the steep slope, the whistling wind masking all other sounds. Once we were at the bottom of the ravine, the faint trail of missing water attribute mana disappeared but it didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I muttered softly, peering down the cliff. ¡°I was actually hoping I¡¯d be wrong.¡±


    <em>¡®Your suspicion... don¡¯t tell me...¡¯</em> A wave of realization exuded from my bond as she felt the rumble of the hollow ground beneath us.


    <em>Yup. After this, I¡¯m still only eighty percent sure but I suspect that the cryan army we fought got into Dicathen with the dwarves¡¯ help.</em>

 Chapter 159

    Chapter 159


    Chapter 159: Down Within


    There were radical implications if the dwarves were really allied with the cryans, but regardless of my hunch, I needed to make sure my suspicions weren¡¯t just me being over skeptical.


    It took me another hour or so to locate one of the hidden entrances to the dwarves¡¯ underground kingdom, but even that was only possible with the help of Realmheart.


    <em>¡®Your breathing is strained,¡¯</em>Sylvie noted from inside my cloak as I carefully ran my fingers down the faint crease, camouged to look like an ordinary crack along the steep cliff.


    <em>It¡¯s fine. I just used Realmheart for too long, that¡¯s all,</em>I replied as I stared down at my arms. Without the golden runes etched into me and my vision returning to normal, I realized how pale my body had be¡ªit wasn¡¯t the sort of creamy pale that girls wished for but the sickly pale that made you worry for your wellbeing.


    <em>¡®I feel like I shouldn¡¯t need to remind you, but do know that there is a concept called moderation that works wonders on both mind and body?¡¯</em>


    Ignoring my bond¡¯s nagging, I tried pushing at the concealed entrance once more. Despite the added mana to strengthen my body, the earthen door refused to move.


    There should definitely be some sort of way to open it. I¡¯m missing something. I continued sliding my hands, which were surrounded in earth attribute mana, across the length of the hidden door.


    <em>¡®Maybe you need to be a dwarf to be allowed to enter,¡¯</em>Sylvie mused.


    <em>No. I highly doubt that there is a specific mana signature that only dwarves could have besides deviants, and if that were the case, more than eighty percent of their poption wouldn¡¯t be able to get in through their own doors. No, there has to be a different¡ªI think I got it!</em>


    I immediately kneeled, sending Sylvie tumbling out of my cloak with my sudden movement.


    <em>You may not need to be a dwarf but a dwarf had definitely built this, so I should act as if I were one.</em>I ran my hands through the rocky wall once more, pushing aside the shrub that covered much of the bottom-half of the hidden door.


    <em>¡®Ah, the height!¡¯</em>she eximed, her excited voice ringing in my head as she climbed atop my shoulder.


    After several minutes of trying to find the handle, button, lever¡ªanything¡ªto open the lock mechanism, I finally found it. At about four feet from the ground, near the ridge of the door, my left hand sunk into the cliff. At first, it felt like I had identally touched some sort of sap or glue-like substance, but when I highered the output of mana into my hand, the viscosity of the wall changed. As I yed around with the unique mechanism of this door, I realized that it wasn¡¯t about how much earth attribute mana you put into your hand, but the precise pattern of mana levels you invoked as you inserted your hand deeper into the hidden lock.


    If the mana output levels could be measured from a value of one to ten, then I needed to find the rightbination between those numbers to sessfully unlock this entrance.


    Every time I guessed the output level wrong and attempted to push my hand through deeper into the lock hole, the earth surrounding my hand turned more viscous, pushing my hand out of the lock.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I cursed under my breath after the twentieth failed attempt at unlocking the door. Half tempted to blow open the door, I took a deep breath and released Realmheart once more.


    Immediately, a searing pain flooded out of my core and into body and limbs. I buckled and fell to my knees into a series of intense coughs. I didn¡¯t just vomit food and bile this time but blood as well.


    A wave of dissatisfaction and concern washed out of Sylvie.


    <em>I</em>swear,<em>if you say something about moderation again...</em>


    <em>¡®Let¡¯s just get this mission over with. You can get some rest then,¡¯</em>she replied.


    With a feeble nod, I put weight on my legs to prop myself back up only to end up t on my back. With the little mana I had spent on maintaining Realmheart, I rescinded the mana I¡¯d coalesced into my legs to save for unlocking the entrance.


    I could feel the emotions of my bond once again as she peered down at me. Staying silent, Sylvie helped me into a sitting position by pushing me back up with her head.


    Taking breaths felt like I was swallowing needles, but I was thankful that I could even activate Realmheart again. Wasting no time, I focused on the area where the keyhole was, my hand barely reaching it with the help of Sylvie. Using thest bit of mana that I¡¯d saved, I willed earth attribute mana into my hand.


    Immediately, I could see the fluctuations of mana particles gathering around the concealed keyhole. When I willed the correct amount of mana into my hand, the particles lit up and dispersed, allowing my hand to go further into the hole without fear that I¡¯d have to start over.


    <em>I bet you dragons never thought of using Realmheart for things like this,</em>I smirked as my hand submerged into the wall, now up to my forearm.


    <em>¡®Things like unlocking a door? No, that¡¯d be beneath us,¡¯</em>my bond grunted.


    <em>Situations call for adaptation, my furry little dragon,</em>I retorted, tugging on the handle buried deep within the lock mechanism of the concealed door. With a satisfying click, the earthen wall rumbled before sliding open.


    I turned back and shot my bond, who was still keeping my broken body up, a proud wink.


    <em>¡®I get embarrassed at the thought of ever referring you as "papa".¡¯</em>Even in her furry little fox form, there was a palpable sense of mockery as she rolled her eyes.


    <em>Hey, you were the one that hatched for me.</em>Withdrawing Realmheart, I wiped the trail of blood that ran down my chin from the corner of my mouth and reallocated my miniscule mana into my legs once more.


    Working with a single-digit percentage of my mana barely allowed me the luxury of being able to use my mangled legs, and even then standing was an arduous task.


    Using the wall as a support, I got up and spared no time heading down the narrow corridor. The passageway that was about five feet wide and had a ceiling that scraped the top of my head even when hunched was more like a crude tunnel than an actual hallway. Fortunately, there were candles casting a dim light inside little cubby holes dug into either side of the walls. Without the need for mana aside from strengthening my legs, I was able to take advantage of this brief down time to use Mana Rotation and replenish my empty core.


    I could feel the heat from the candles, but after venturing through the harsh sandy winds I wholeheartedly weed it. I stuck to the left side of the hallway, partly to be somewhat hidden and also because I desperately needed to lean against the jagged wall for support while walking down the small slope. Meanwhile, Sylvie trotted carefully a few steps ahead, checking and testing anything remotely suspicious that could be a hidden trap.


    <em>¡®Is this really a good idea? You¡¯re in no state for battle if, by chance, we encounter an enemy. I¡¯m limited to what I can do in this form and even if we see that the dwarves are allied with the cryans, what can we do?¡¯</em>my bond bombarded as we slowly made our way down hallway.


    <em>It¡¯s not a good idea, but we need to do this,</em>I replied seriously.<em>You¡¯re right; I can¡¯t fight, and there¡¯s not</em>much ce<em>to hide in case we do run into someone, but we can¡¯t waste time recovering. If I¡¯m right, even if I can¡¯t gather proof, I know at least Virion and Aldir will listen to me.</em>


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    <em>¡®Fine, but our arrangement still stands. The moment we run into trouble, I¡¯m breaking these walls and we¡¯re getting out of here.¡¯</em>


    <em>Sure,</em>Iplied as we continued making our way down the dimly lit hallway until something luminescent¡ªthat wasn¡¯t a candle¡ªappeared in the distance. Exchanging a nce with each other, my bond and I made our way toward the light.


    The tunnel curved slightly the closer we got to the still light and my ears were able to pick up distant echoes of sounds. The sounds grew louder as the two of us continued down the tunnel but there were too many things going on at once for me to pick apart specific sounds. There were conversation and echoes, multiple sharp footfalls, as well as the nging of metal. Finally, after about another few minutes of steady staggering, the exit of the tunnelid just ahead.


    With my back against the wall, I sidestepped toward the exit, careful not to identally kick any pebbles or create some other noise that might rm a guard that might be around the corner. Sensing no signs of activity just outside the tunnel, Sylvie and I shuffled quickly to the edge of the exit where a curtain of shadow hid us from any unsuspecting eyes.


    We gazed nkly at the magnitude of what we had stumbled onto. The hallway opened up into an enormous cavern with a domed ceiling so without imperfection that, for a second, I doubted that we were still underground. Rather than candles, massive torches lined the walls to reveal just howrge the cavern actually was and who were within.


    I let loose a string of curses in my head as I peered down. In the center of the cavern floor¡ªroughly two stories down¡ªwas a massive teleportation gate surrounded by dwarves and steadily trickling out from the shimmering gate were cryan troops.


    Before I was able to get a closer look at what was going on, the sound of footsteps approaching the tunnel we hade through made me whirl back. The massive cavern seemed like a beehive, with dozens of other tunnels dotted uniformly along the wall. Dozens of staircases carved of stone lined the walls, each one of them leading to a different tunnel, and approaching the tunnel that Sylvie and I hade through was a toon of cryan soldiers.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m getting us out of here,¡¯</em>my bond stated, her body already beginning to glow.


    <em>Not yet!</em>Focusing on one of the entrances to a tunnel just a few yards away, I managed to will a few rocks to dislodge. I immediately heard the flurry of movement as the toon whirled around, weapons and armor nking.


    Using the opportunity, I quickly picked up my bond and held her tightly against my chest. ttened myself against the corner of the entrance and wall as much as possible, I mustered more of the mana I had gathered on our way here and willed a curtain of rock from the wall to surround us.


    ¡°Just a loose rock. Let¡¯s go,¡± the soldier leading the toon grunted.


    <em>Hold your breath,</em>I ordered Sylvie as I activated Mirage Walk. Coalescing the atmospheric mana around us to hide our presence was something that I¡¯d never had the need to use sinceing back to Dicathen, but in this situation where enemy mages would be marching just inches away from us, I didn¡¯t want to take any chances.


    Inside a coffin of earth, I was surrounded byplete darkness. I could hear the synchronized marching of the soldiers as they went past us, their deliberate footfalls echoing against the tunnel walls. They were so close that I could hear the hushed whispers of the soldiers.


    ¡°When do you think we¡¯ll go back home?¡± a voice murmured.


    ¡°Why? Miss your family already?¡± a husky voice mocked. ¡°Just focus on racking some achievements through this war. Your blood will be thankful if you can finally afford to move them out of that little hut you call a home.¡±


    ¡°Great Virtra, both of you hush,¡± a gruff voice hissed. ¡°Our whole team is going to be on night watch if you two keep it up.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but be absorbed in their conversations. Their way of talking was rather simr to ours but certain terms, like ¡®blood¡¯ and ¡®Great Vritra¡¯, I could only guess from their context. This got me thinking. How can two different continents that had almost no contact with each other be so eerily simr in theirnguage?


    <em>¡®Grandfather told me that it was is of the asura¡¯s intervention,¡¯</em>my bond chimed in, her voice tense even in my head. ¡®Asuras often sent a representative to secretly help advance crya and Dicathen when needed. He exined how they would take the form of a lesser being, albeit exceptionally smart, and help them progress through the centuries.¡¯


    Sort of like how you asuras granted us the artifacts way back then? I asked.


    <em>¡®Yup. Except that, apparently, we had been doing long before then. The artifacts were supposedly a rather drastic change that the asuras chose to do to keep the lessers from going extinct.¡¯</em>


    <em>I see</em>, I pondered. It was a scary thought to think that perhaps the geniuses of my old world were actually deities sent from above to help us survive and progress.


    As minutes slowly trickled by, the soldiers¡¯ conversations did little to alleviate the difort of our situation. Without even cracks in the conjured coffin to provide breathable air, it became almost unbearably stifling and hot. I tried to focus solely on keeping up Mirage Walk to hide us from anyone with a keen sense when a loud thump shook the enclosed crevice we were in.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± another soldier whispered impatiently.


    The earthen crevice shook once more as the same soldier hit the wall I had conjured once again.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m ready to fight. Just stay behind me,¡¯</em>my bond informed, her voice lowering to a fierce growl in my mind.


    <em>Just hold still,</em>I snapped, trying to keep my heart from bursting out of my ribcage.


    ¡°This end of the entrance was different from the other side,¡± the soldier replied hesitantly to hisrade. ¡°And it sounded a bit hollow when I hit it.¡±


    There was a brief pause where I was almost afraid that they¡¯d investigate further, but to my surprise hisrade just let out a scoff.


    ¡°Merciful Vritra. I know you¡¯re green but don¡¯t hold the others back just because you see something weird. We¡¯re in a different continent.¡±


    I almost let out an audible sigh of relief as the sound of footsteps resumed, slowly subsiding as they made their way up the tunnel we had juste down from.


    After making sure the soldiers had all passed by and no one else wasing, I opened a tiny hole to survey our surroundings. Only after another few minutes did I revoke my spell.


    <em>¡®We got what we came here for. Now let¡¯s go back to tell Virion so you can actually get some rest to heal your wounds,¡¯</em>Sylvie pleaded.


    Yeah, let¡¯s go, I agreed. Even with Sylvie¡¯s unique healing techniques using aether, my legs were on the verge of copsing and the only brief rest I had gotten was when I passed out on her back whileing here.


    Already contemting the best way to tell this critical news to Virion and Aldir and the precautions I would need to take just in case things went south and I needed to fight against the two dwarvennces, I merely took a nce back at the domed ceiling cavern when the cryan soldiers that were present suddenly all kneeled, facing the transportation gate.


    After confronting two retainers and even defeating one, I thought that I¡¯d be prepared to face a scythe. Even under the suspicion that the dwarves were betraying Dicathen, I was confident in being able to win this war. But as a figure d in obsidian stepped out of that gate, I couldn¡¯t help but feel shaken. Being here, barely standing on my own two feet, I felt like a mere flicker against the wind. I felt despair.

 Chapter 160

    Chapter 160


    Chapter 160: Healing Procedure


    The mysterious figure cast a suffocating pressure throughout the cavern as it stepped out of the gate. Even Sylvie, who had been so eager to leave, was frozen stiff as she helplessly peered down at the sight below.


    As the rest of its body appeared through the teleportation gate, my eyes immediately became fixed on its horns.


    The horns I¡¯d seen on all of the other Vritras so far looked menacing¡ªas if they were part beast¡ªbut looking at the two spikes protruding from above the figure¡¯s temples and veer back toward the crown of its head, they exuded a sense of prestige and regality, like a tiara ced gently on its head. Unlike the murky ck horns I¡¯d seen up until now, this Vritra¡¯s obsidian horns all but glowed like precious stones, contrasting starkly against its pearl-colored mane that flowed back past a set of narrow shoulder.


    As the Vritra indifferently surveyed its surroundings, I was able to catch a quick glimpse of its face before retreating back behind the entrance of the tunnel out of fear that the Vritra would be able to sense me even with Mirage Walk activated.


    It was then I realized that this oppressive aura hade from a girl that looked no older in appearance than Tessia. She possessed elegant features, dark eyes and a thin frame underneath a fur-trimmed obsidian robe, yet even amongst a crowd of dwarves, she appeared small and petite.


    After a few seconds, I mustered up the courage to look down once more.


    ¡°L-Lady Nezera?¡± a barrel-chested cryan soldier greeted as he remained genuflected in front of the crowd of kneeling dwarves, confused.


    ¡°Where is Cylrit?¡± the female Vritra asked cooly, facing one of the many cryan soldiers surrounding the gate and the kneeling dwarves.


    The female soldier that Lady Nezera acknowledged immediately rose to her feet. ¡°Commander Cylrit is currently stationed near the northern coast of Sapin, awaiting you before he begins his attack, Lady Nezera.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Let us depart.¡± Her soft voice spread like a cold breeze, sending shivers down my back despite the distance between us.


    ¡°Yes, Lady Nezera!¡± The female soldier saluted, rallying her troops to follow after the dainty Vritra.


    However as she walked past the soldier who had first called out her name in surprise, he spoke out. ¡°Forgive my rudeness, Lady Nevera, but what of the new scythe? I was instructed to take him to Commander Uto.¡±


    There was a moment of silence as everyone in the vicinity anxiously shifted nces between Lady Nezera and therge soldier. She peered down at the soldier with a cold, emotionless gaze until she finally spoke. ¡°He¡¯s not ready. Melzri and Viessa are still working on him.¡±


    ¡°I-I see,¡± the soldier replied, his shoulders visibly rxing. ¡°My apologies for wasting your time.¡±


    By her speech, it was obvious that she herself was a scythe as well but a part of me didn¡¯t want to believe it¡ªthat such a being,parable even to an asura, was an opponent I would ultimately have to face. Better yet, the number of scythes we had to worry about had increased.


    <em>¡®Another scythe?¡¯</em> Sylvie echoed, her voice dripping with worry.


    <em>Come on, let¡¯s get out of here,</em> I sent to my bond. Now that a scythe had entered the war, getting this information back up to the castle had to be done quickly.


    I took onest quick nce at the scythe named Nezera when she looked back over her shoulder as well.


    For a split second, her gaze passed by the tunnel where we¡¯d been hiding and our eyes met.


    Her gaze eventually swept past me but in that shing moment, her cold eyes had locked onto me with the focus of a predator.


    There was no doubt about it; she knew I was here.


    My body stiffened as if every ounce of blood in my body had congealed. My hand grew mmy while my heartbeat rose to the point where I feared the entire cavern would hear me. Yet, she turned back and continued up the stairs in the same curt manner she had before¡ªunfazed and uncaring.


    <em>¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯</em> my bond asked.


    I stood still, afraid to move. It was only after she¡¯d left that I let out a breath. <em>I think she saw me.</em>


    Feeling my apprehension, she knew I wasn¡¯t joking, making her all the more restless. <em>¡®Now can we leave? Or do you want to wait until the rest of the </em>cryan<em> army knows we¡¯re here...¡¯</em>


    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a wry smile. It was in these rare moments that my bond showed glimpses of her immaturity. <em>Yeah. Let¡¯s go.</em>


    Exiting the tunnel, we were greeted by the ever-pleasant p of desert wind. Sylvie and I had agreed to hold off on flying until we¡¯d reached the forest on the border of Sapin and Darv. However, after a mile of careful trekking, my body had sumbed to a fit of shivers. Constantly using Mirage Walk in case nearby cryan soldiers sensed my mana fluctuations had drained my meager reserve of mana. Using the rest of the mana to strengthen my legs, I was left with only my cloak to protect me from the sharp sand-embedded winds.


    <em>It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve gotten this cold.</em> I clenched my jaw to keep my teeth from chattering. Leaning my back against a boulder for temporary shelter from the wind, I wrapped my cloak tightly around me.


    <em>¡®Just a little more. We¡¯re almost there. Should I use aether once more?¡¯</em> my bond asked as she gazed up at my pitiful state.


    <em>No. I can barely keep Mana Rotation active in this state. Using aether might set off the soldiers, or worse, the scythe.</em>


    <em>¡®Okay.¡¯</em> Pressing against my leg to do what she could to keep me just a little warmer, we stayed still for a brief moment until the wind died down just a bit.


    After painstakingly walking back toward the forest, walking zigzag from one boulder to another in case of any cryan soldiers hidden from the faint light of the crescent moon, I almost broke into tears at the shadowed figures of trees in the distance.


    Just a few minutes into the forest, the wind had died down significantly and¡ªdespite it being the same temperature¡ªmy body slowly began to thaw.


    <em>¡®Let¡¯s rest here for a bit,¡¯</em> Sylvie said, pointing with her snout at a nearby hollowed log.


    We should... get back to the castle, I replied, my eyelids growing heavier with each word.


    My bond nudged me toward the log. <em>¡®We need to put some more distance between us and the soldiers ahead anyway. Just a one hour nap. At this rate, you¡¯ll freeze without mana to protect you while flying.¡¯</em>


    There was aforting power to her words that seemed to drain the rest of what little energy I had left in me. Suddenly hit with a wave fatigue, I stumbled into the hollow log. My consciousness slowly faded into darkness with thest thing I witnessed being Sylvie dropping a mouthful of leaves on top of my body for warmth.


    Despite my feeble state, deep sleep eluded me. From the tension of being out in harm¡¯s way with little strength to protect myself and the recent turn of events, my mind worked overtime to stay at least half-conscious.


    After about an hour of resting my eyes and body, Sylvie and I climbed out from thefort of our nket of leaves and departed. Without the need to use mana to strengthen my legs while riding Sylvie, I was able to protect myself from the prevailing winds.


    The journey back to the castle was silent aside from the howling gales. Conversation was almost nonexistent between us as both of us had be lost in our own thoughts.


    The war had just gotten exponentially moreplicated now that we knew the dwarves were aiding the cryan forces. It wasn¡¯t as ck and white as us versus them now. There was still the possibility that it was only a specific faction of the dwarves that were aiding our enemy, but if Rahdeas, Elijah¡¯s foster guardian and now leader of the dwarves, had something to do with this, then that meant we were potentially down twonces.


    Assuming the worst, the only positive that came out of this was that Rahdeas was still acting as if he was on our side. This meant that he either had more to gain from being a double agent or that he wasn¡¯t confident enough to openly defy the rest of The Council.


    <em>¡®We¡¯re here,¡¯</em> Sylvie announced.


    Looking up, I could see the floating castle floating amidst theyers of clouds. Dotted around therge structure were soldiers mounted on flying mana beasts on all sides. With the unabated sun shining directly above, casting shadows on the sea of clouds below the castle and flying guards, it was a rather awe-inspiring sight that would surely make the jaws drop of anyone who had never visited, but for me, all I looked forward to was hibernating on the firstfortable surface I came across inside.


    Most forms of entry came through teleportation gates so when we approached, the guards immediately gathered between us and the castle. Weapons glowed brightly at the ready as the bonds the soldiers were mounted on also prepared for battle. However, once we got close enough for the soldiers to make out who we were they formed two lines, creating an aerial path for Sylvie and I to follow into the entrance.


    ¡°General Arthur!¡± The guards saluted in unison atop their flying beasts. As we slowly made our way through the pathway, the double doors that towered over even Sylvie slowly creaked open just ahead.


    It was obvious that Captain Auddyr had already arrived since there was a team of medics and emitters waiting for me. Thending chamber was a flurry of activity as soon as therge double doors opened. Medics and emitters who were assigned to remain there until I¡¯d arrived¡ªsome of which were casually ying with a deck of cards¡ªall dropped what they were doing and immediately prepared to treat me.


    The area had turned into a flurry of activity with indiscernible noises bombarding my ears from every corner of the expansive room. As soon as Sylviended, the medics got to work by bringing over a contraption simr to a gurney.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± I croaked, my voice hardlying out. ¡°Let me talk to Virion first.¡±


    ¡°Strap him in and don¡¯t let him walk,¡± Sylvie rumbled, startling everyone in the room¡ªincluding me. My bond had always refrained from talking to anyone but me, and even then she preferred tomunicate telepathically.


    Taken aback by my bond¡¯s suddenmands, Iplied to Sylvies wishes and allowed myself to be carried by the gurney as both medics and emitters began examining me. My bond transformed into her fox-like form and trotted along beside me as I was being moved from thending chamber to a proper medical facility.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the medics to determine where my injuriesid during our little trip to the medical room; better yet, I heard one of the medics sighing that it was probably easier to list the ces of my body that weren¡¯t damaged.


    That was always reassuring.


    Coming from a period and ce that was technologically advanced, I had always looked down on the medical field of this world, but it turned out I had wrongly underestimated it. What this world couldn¡¯t achieve through technology, they made up for with magic. Teams of deviant mages, whose powers were all specialized toward the medical field, were all waiting for me as I was pushed into arge square room with vaulted ceilings.


    As time trickled by, I could feel the injuries and deprivations of my body catching up to me. With the adrenaline that had been keeping me able dwindling, it felt like my limbs had turned into lead weights. I struggled to stay awake as medics and emitters began carefully probing my body.


    After they finished another round of preliminary examinations, an elderly mage by the name of Mendul arrived into the room. The thick, square-jawed mage introduced himself as a deviant capable of adjusting and fine-tuning his vision using mana to be able to individually perceive the differentyers of any living thing¡¯s body. Whether it was the skeletal, muscr or even nervous system, he was able to see them all.


    Mendul continued scanning my body using an ink pen to draw dozens of areas directly on my body while taking notes as I focused all of my efforts on staying conscious.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Commander Virion?¡± I asked after Mendul had finished marking my body like some sort of map.


    ¡°My apologies, General Arthur. Commander Virion is currently away from the castle,¡± a thin, middle-aged man dressed in a pale-green robe stated.


    Judging by how he had been coordinating the other medics, emitters and other deviants in the room, I could only guess that he was the head of the medical team here. While normally, I¡¯d be a bit more courteous to man who was in charge of healing me, I couldn¡¯t help let a tone of impatience slip while talking. ¡°He¡¯s away? Where? When¡¯s he going to be back?¡±


    ¡°H-He did not say,¡± he replied apologetically. ¡°I was only able to see him leave with Captain Auddyr and Captain Glory along with General Aya.¡±


    I sank further down into the elevated bed I had been moved to sinceing to this room, careful not to keep my eyes closed for too long in fear that I may slip into slumber. If Virion had left with Auddyr and Vanesy and had to take ance with him, they were most likely going back to where I had defeated the retainer in the forest near the southern border of Sapin.


    Despite my condition, I couldn¡¯t help but worry. <em>They might run into the </em>cryan<em> toon that was marching up north. Worse, that scythe might try to find the retainer I killed</em>.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m not too worried about the scythe, since she seemed to be leaving in a different direction, but you¡¯re right about the toon,¡¯</em> my bond replied.


    <em>Maybe you should go and warn them?</em>


    <em>¡®And leave you here alone? After finding out that the dwarves are allied with the Vritra? Has your brain left you?¡¯</em>


    I took a quick nce around the room to see both elves and dwarves along with the human medics, all waiting for further instructions as they prepared tools and different medicines.


    <em>Damn it,</em> I cursed, knowing she was right. Fine. I guess we can only pray for their safety.


    <em>¡®Virion has with him ance, after all. Don¡¯t try to handle everything alone. They¡¯ll be fine without you,¡¯</em> sheforted<em>. ¡®I¡¯ll be right here, making sure these medics aren¡¯t doing anything suspicious. Just rest and focus on healing.¡¯</em>


    ¡°What about Aldir?¡± I asked hopefully.


    ¡°Once again, I¡¯m sorry.¡± the head medic dipped his head. ¡°Only Commander Virion knows the whereabouts of Lord Aldir. I, myself, have only seen him once¡ªvery briefly.¡±


    I could only let out a sigh of frustration as thest ounce of strength left me. ¡°It¡¯s fine. So what¡¯s the n here? Were you able toe up with a diagnosis for my injuries?¡±


    The head medic turned to Mendul, who stepped toward me and looked down at his notes before speaking. ¡°General Arthur, your injuries are rather unique in howplex they are. To be frank, it¡¯s only because of your assimted body and the level of your mana core that you¡¯re even able to remain conscious. Even then, I can¡¯t help but say I¡¯m surprised to see you so lively¡ªall things considered, of course.¡±


    I managed to shift my gaze down at Sylvie, who was sitting on the ground beside my bed. <em>I have you to thank for that.</em>


    <em>¡®You¡¯re wee,¡¯</em> she replied curtly.<em> ¡®Although, I fear I¡¯ll have to do this again in the future.¡¯</em>


    I shot my bond a weak grin before looking back to Mendul. ¡°So what sort of procedure should I expect?¡±


    The deviant shifted ufortably as he stroked his short beard. ¡°The injuries on your lower body have healed, but not perfectly. In order for you to be able to walk without the use of mana, we¡¯re going to have to, very urately, break your bones and tear your tissues in very small increments and guide them to heal properly.¡±


    Prying open my tired eyes, I locked gazes with the head medic who had been silently waiting for further instructions. I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was because I was so desperate to be in full health again or because I had undergone countless surgeries after battles during my time as a king in my previous world, but my mind was at peace.


    I took onest meaningful nce at my bond before closing my eyes. In a ce where anyone in this room could potentially harm me, I was thankful to have Sylvie here.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Yes, General Arthur!¡± the thin medic nodded vigorously. ¡°Rest assured; upon hearing news of your condition from Captain Auddyr, Commander Virion spared no efforts in gathering the most elite mages of all three races to make sure you are back in full strength.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be in everyone¡¯s care.¡± At my whispered words, the mages and medics in the room immediately bowed.


    ¡°Seldia, you¡¯re up,¡± Mendul barked.


    A young female elf approached me, giving me a gentle smile. She extended her hand, pressing my forehead with her forefinger. ¡°Excuse me for the intrusion.¡±


    As she closed her eyes, a soothing wave radiated from her fingertip into my head and down the rest of my body. My eyes fell shut as a gentle nket of darkness wrapped around me.

 Chapter 161

    Chapter 161


    Chapter 161: Why Are You Crying?


    ¡°Where to next, Nico?¡± I asked, cheerfully swinging the stic bags filled with school supplies by my side.


    ¡°We still have to pick up our uniforms, right?¡± Cecilia answered, cradling a textbook in her arms as if it were a baby.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been two hours yet since we got ourselves measured. We¡¯ll make that ourst stop,¡± Nico replied. He looked down at his little notepad. ¡°We need to buy backpacks and calctors.¡±


    The three of us strolled casually on the city sidewalk. The streets were old and crooked, with paving stones that wobbled and shifted out of ce from the weight of passing pedestrians. Dull buildings towered over us, blending in with the murky gray sky. A recent rain shower covered the usually grimy stench of the area with a fresh earthy smell, while puddles had gathered in the dips and potholes of the neglected streets.


    Arcastead was by no means a pleasant or appealing city. Yet, at this moment, everything around me was at least bearable. From the homeless people lurking behind the trash bins in back alleys to the scowling soldiers threatening to arrest any passerby that identally bumped into them, the usual sight that I hated so much about this ce somehow seemed charming.


    Nico let out a sigh, snapping me out of my daze. ¡°Our uniforms might be the same as everyone else¡¯s, but if we go in there with worn out backpacks it¡¯ll be obvious that we¡¯re orphans. I¡¯d rather not have us be excluded by the other students.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I relented, following Nico as he crossed the street.


    The sun had fallen by the time we finished purchasing all of the necessary supplies to start our new lives as students. As we headed toward the outskirts of Arcastead, both the number of patrolling soldiers and street lights became more scarce, keeping us on our toes. Nico and I knew the area well enough to outrun any potential thieves or kidnappers, but having Cecilia with us made the walk back to the orphanage all the more tense.


    ¡°Are you excited to go to school, Cecilia?¡± Nico asked quietly, hoping to fill in the awkward silence.


    Her brows furrowed in thought but she ultimately nodded with a smile that had be more frequent as ofte. ¡°I¡¯m nervous and scared, but yes.¡±


    As I was about to chime in, a faint rustle drew my attention. Pretending as though I was digging through the stic bag of school supplies, I took a peek behind us to see a shadow flit behind an alleyway.


    ¡°¡ªright, Grey?¡± Nico nudged my arm.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I whipped my head back forward.


    ¡°Sheesh, don¡¯t space out on us,¡± Nico admonished. ¡°I know we¡¯ve been through this area hundreds of times but it¡¯s still dangerous to be daydreaming like that.¡±


    Scratching the back of my head, I let out a wry chuckle. ¡°My bad.¡±


    ¡°And I was just saying to Cecilia that we would be there in case anything happened to her,¡± Nico sighed.


    Cecilia, who was walking on the other side of Nico, let out a giggle when I heard another faint noise.


    A shiver ran down my spine. I could feel my heart pound against my ribcage, trying to break free. Suddenly, I was all too conscious of my breathing. The shallow, ragged breathing I¡¯d heard so many times in movies when the main character was scared.


    I was scared. I didn¡¯t know of what, but my body was telling me to run¡ªto get out of here.


    Out of the corner of my eye something fast twinkled against the flickering street light, and once again, the world seemed to slow down around me.


    I lunged sideways, knocking both Nico and Cecilia into the grimy street.


    ¡°Run!¡± I roared as I heard the click of another projectile being loaded from the shadows.


    Although startled and confused, Nico was able to gather his wits. Abandoning his bags, he pulled our disoriented friend into the nearby alleyway.


    It felt as if someone else was taking control of my body as I instinctively dipped down and picked up Cecilia¡¯s textbook. I raised the thick hardbound book up to my chest, just in time to feel the force of the projectile sending me staggering back.


    I took a quick nce down to see a syringe-like object embedded into the textbook. A clear liquid oozed out of the buried end, dripping to the ground.


    It wasn¡¯t a bullet. I knew that for sure.


    The memory of my trip to the zoo with Headmaster Wilbeck sprang to mind. It was one of those needles they shot at animals in order to make them fall asleep.


    Yanking the needle out of the textbook, I followed after Nico and Cecilia into the narrow alleyway.


    ¡°After them! I don¡¯t care what you do with the boys, just keep the girl alive,¡± a gruff voice barked out orders from behind me.


    ¡°Keep running!¡± My voice echoed off the worn stone walls as I ran, ducking under the rusted fire escapedders and vaulting over trash bins.


    It didn¡¯t take long for me to catch up to my friends, which meant that it wouldn¡¯t take much longer for the crooks behind us to reach us as well.


    Nico was fine, but there was a trail of blood running down his legs and arms from scrapes and scratches while running. I knocked down metal trash cans and discarded boxes, throwing anything hard at the pursuers in a desperate attempt to slow them down.


    ¡°They¡¯re... going to... catch up,¡± Nico wheezed, running out of breath.


    ¡°Why are they after us?¡± Cecilia panted as she exerted all of her energy and focus into not tripping over something on the ground.


    I shook my head, ignorant as well aside from what the man had said. ¡°Nico, do you still have that glove on you?¡±


    ¡°I should¡ªwait, you¡¯re not seriously thinking of¡ª¡±


    ¡°Can you think of any other way?¡± I cut him off, my voiceced with impatience.


    At Nico¡¯s signal, we veered left into a narrow alley. Our pursuers¡¯ footfalls were growing louder as they gained in on us.


    Grudgingly, Nico dug through his jacket pockets. After finding it, he stretched his arm out to give it to me when Cecilia snatched it away from his hand.


    ¡°Cecilia?¡± Nico eximed.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll do it,¡± Cecilia stammered, putting on the fuzzy ck glove.


    Dumbfounded by the girl¡¯s sudden courage, I nearly tripped over a pile of discarded clothes. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous. And you still can¡¯t control your ki!¡±


    ¡°Nico and I both heard what that man yelled earlier,¡± Cecilia huffed. ¡°They aren¡¯t allowed to kill me, right?¡±


    I looked to Nico for assistance, but he couldn¡¯te up with an argument either.


    Cursing under my breath, I tightened my grip around the syringe in my hand.


    ¡°Fine. Nico, got a n?¡±


    My friend¡¯s eyes narrowed the way it did when he was thinking. ¡°We make a right over there,¡± he ordered softly.


    I looked back over my shoulder to see two pursuers dressed in ck less than twenty feet feet away from us.


    We turned sharply into a wide back-alley behind an old restaurant. I had expected us to keep running but Nico pulled me back by my sleeve.


    ¡°Cecilia, fall on your belly like you just tripped over something. Grey, with me,¡± Nico hissed, dragging me behind a cluster of metal trash cans.


    My heart thrummed like a drum, loud enough for me to worry that our pursuers might hear.


    It only took a couple seconds for the two men in ck to skid to a stop around the corner.


    The one on the right spoke into his wrist. ¡°Sir, we have the girl in our sights.¡±


    ¡°The girl tripped and it looks like the boys have abandoned her. Permission to proceed?¡± the pursuer on the left asked.


    Unlike the crooks that¡¯d tried to mug Nico and I a few months back, it was obvious that these two were professionals. They stepped toward Cecilia with caution but to our surprise, our timid and quiet friend began bawling.


    ¡°Guys! Don¡¯t leave me!¡± she wailed as she began crawling away. ¡°Please!¡±


    The man on the right let out a faint scoff as he shook his head. He walked forward, stepping down on Cecilia¡¯s leg.


    I gnashed my teeth as Cecilia let out a cry, but for once, Nico looked more angry than me. His eyes were fierce in a way that made even me fearful.


    While the man that asked for permission to proceed remained a few feet away, the pursuer on the right stretched down and snagged Cecilia up by the back of her coat.


    He brought up themunication device on his other wrist and spoke. ¡°We have her.¡±


    Cecilia took full advantage of that opportunity tosh around and nt her gloved hand on the pursuer¡¯s face.


    A shrill scream tore out of Cecilia¡¯s throat. Like all the times she had gone out of control, a st of ki erupted out of her. However, some of her rampant ki had flowed down her arm and to her hand. A current of electricity shed out the ck glove, lighting the dingy alleyway.


    The pursuer that had grabbed ahold of Cecilia wasn¡¯t even able to scream as his body spasmed.


    A puddle formed on the ground between the victim¡¯s legs as Cecilia pried herself free from his grasp.


    Nico squeezed my arm and we rushed into action. Nico dived for the uninjured pursuer¡¯s legs while I went for his sternum.


    I¡¯d thought the sh of light would¡¯ve disoriented him enough for us to end the fight quickly, but he had recovered fast enough to react to our attack.


    Sidestepping out of Nico¡¯s reach, he kicked my friend away while he swung down his right arm.


    I back-stepped away from his strike and closed in to strike his exposed throat, throwing him by surprise.


    Confident that I would be able tond my attack I stepped into reach, only for him to dip his head and stretch his left hand toward my neck at frightening speed.


    I gagged as the man¡¯s cold hand gripped around my throat and lifted me off the ground.


    ¡°You have potential, kid,¡± he sneered, bringing me close to him. ¡°A waste you¡¯ll have to die here.¡±


    With less than an arm¡¯s length distance between us, I was able to see the man¡¯s face for the first time. His nose and mouth were covered by a mask, but it didn¡¯t matter. With his scarred left eye being brown and right eye green, I would be able to spot him from a mile away.


    My vision was darkening and I could feel the strength leave my body, but despite the situation, I shot the two-colored man a smirk.


    Praying to whichever higher being could help me, I drove the point of the syringe into the man¡¯s neck.


    ¡°What¡ª¡± he gasped, letting go of me as he fell to the ground.


    With no time to waste, I hurriedly woke up the unconscious Nico and helped Cecilia back to her feet.


    ¡°W-We did it,¡± Cecilia whispered as she leaned on me for support. Her legs were shaking, not from the cold but out of fear, and her cheeks were lined with tears.


    ¡°Good job, you two,¡± Nico muttered weakly as he put Cecilia¡¯s other arm over his shoulder for support.


    ¡°Yeah, we did it.¡± I nodded. ¡°Now,e on. We need to get out of here before more of theme.


    ¡°You¡¯d best kill us and run far away, brats.¡±


    I whipped my head over my shoulder to see the guy with the brown and green eyes squirming on the ground.


    ¡°You have nowhere to go,¡± he mumbled, his voice slurring from the effects of the clear liquid. ¡°I made sure of that.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Grey,¡± Nico urged, tightening his arm around Cecilia to keep her steady.


    None of us talked as we made our way to the orphanage. Even the streets were quiet except for the sirens that screamed in the distance. It was as if we didn¡¯t want to ept what had happened to us¡ªthat we were almost killed for no reason. I wanted to look forward. I wanted to, instead, think about the fact that we were going to attend a school in a new city soon. We would have to buy new supplies, but that¡¯d be okay. Everything would be okay once we got to the orphanage and Headmaster Wilbeck got us out of Arcastead.


    Cecilia was able to walk on her own after about a few blocks, which was a vast improvement from when she would be knocked out cold for hours after one of her ki outbursts.


    ¡°Thanks for the help,¡± Cecilia muttered, breaking the silence as she shyly handed what was left of the ck glove back to Nico. The shock glove that my friend made had been reduced to a clump of wool from the overload of ki from Cecilia. ¡°Sorry about your glove.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Nico stuffed the remains of his glove into his tattered jacket and looked at me with a smirk. ¡°At least I was able to see what it was capable of thanks to you. Grey wasn¡¯t useful at all.¡±


    ¡°Make fun of me all you want; I was the one that saved you guys today,¡± I gloated, sticking my tongue out at Nico.


    Unexpectedly, Nico responded seriously. ¡°You¡¯re right. I wasn¡¯t any help in that fight.¡±


    ¡°H-Hey, I was just kidding,¡± I stammered, a pang of guilt ringing in my chest.


    ¡°Nico, it was thanks to your glove that we were able to escape them,¡± Cecilia consoled.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± I quickly agreed, walking ahead of them. ¡°And I bet you can learn to make a lot more better tools and weapons after going to school!¡±


    Nico¡¯s sullen expression brightened at our words. Taking out the remains of the shock glove, he gripped it tightly with a newfound fervor in his eyes. ¡°We¡¯ll need to get new supplies first. Headmaster Wilbeck is going to blow a fuse!¡±


    Cecilia let out a giggle. ¡°She might even make us go back tomorrow morning to find it!¡±


    I let the two enjoy their moment behind me as the two of them burst into a fit ofughter. The summer nights were usually warm but it felt different than usual. The air was dry with a smell of smoke that was only getting stronger getting stronger...why?


    I turned the corner into the street our orphanage was on, and I found my answer.


    Nico and Cecilia grew closer behind me but their footsteps seemed to echo and their voices were muffled from the sound of blood pounding in my ears.


    Suddenly, the words of the man with the brown and green eyes rang in my head: ¡°You have no home to go to.¡±


    I stopped dead in my tracks as my gaze locked onto the sight of the orphanage burning to the ground. Police cars, firetrucks and ambnces were clustered in front of our home.


    And then I saw her.


    Being carried on a stretcher. A paramedic had just put a tarp over her, covering her face, but I saw her. I saw Headmaster Wilbeck.


    I ran, leaving behind Nico and Cecilia. I evaded the policemen securing the perimeter and pushed aside the paramedics.


    People shouted around me but I couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying. All I could hear was my blood pounding in my ears.


    I tore off the tarp covering Headmaster Wilbeck.


    Blood¡ªtoo much of it. Her eyes were closed.


    Why are they closed?


    I shook her. She needed to wake up.


    Nico, Cecilia and I were attacked by bad people but we got away. Everything was supposed to be okay now.


    I shook her too hard. Her arm fell limply off the edge of the stretcher. Her eyes were still closed.


    The man¡¯s words sounded in my head once more like a hot iron rod against my skull. ¡°<em>You have nowhere to go</em>.¡±


    <span style="text-decoration: underline;">ARTHUR LEYWIN


    ¡°Arthur!¡±


    My eyes shot open as tears continued to stream down my face.


    Everything was still blurry but I could tell I was in my room now inside the castle. My breathing was still short and erratic as my left hand gripped onto something soft and warm.


    ¡°Arthur,¡± the familiar, soothing voice called out to me again.


    I turned my head, blinking away the tears still forming in my eyes.


    Next to me, holding my hand, was Tessia. Her eyes were red and there were tears welling up in her eyes as well.


    ¡°Tessia?¡± My voice came out dry and raspy. ¡°Why are you crying?¡±


    ¡°Dummy.¡± She choked back augh, smiling as her tears rolled down her cheek. ¡°I could ask you the same thing.¡±

 Chapter 162

    Chapter 162


    Chapter 162: Intermission


    My gaze remained on Tess. She was smilingughing, even¡ªfrom relief and embarrassment as she wiped away her tears.


    This was my first time seeing my childhood friend after the ceremony where I was given the title of ance, but it had been even longer since thest time we had spoken.


    Since then, the elven princess had changed. There was a faint scar just along her hairline above her right ear that would¡¯ve gone unnoticed had she not tied up her hair. Scars from battles were visible all over her arms while her left forearm had a fresh bandage wrapped around it.


    ¡°You¡¯re hurt,¡± I noted, gently tracing the line of blood seeping through her bandage with my fingers.


    Noticing my sullen expression, she grabbed onto my scarred hand tenderly with both hands. ¡°Oh please, I have more injuries from attempting to cook than from actually fighting.¡±


    I let out a wry chuckle at the thought. I didn¡¯t pull away from her grasp. Despite the callouses on her palms and fingers, her hand felt soft and warmpared to mine.


    Tessia continued to voice her concern, shaking her head. ¡°Do you have any idea how scared I was when I heard the news from my captain?¡±


    ¡°Your captain? Does that mean you were promoted to a head?¡± I asked, staring at the stunned expression on the princess.


    ¡°You¡¯re unbelievable. Your thoughts immediately go to whether I got promoted to a head? You almost died, Arthur!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just d you¡¯re doing well,¡± I replied with a grin.


    Tess let out a sigh, leaning her head on my arm. ¡°I don¡¯t even have the strength to argue with you.¡±


    I let out a chuckle, squeezing Tess¡¯s hand. Time seemed to slow down for a brief moment as the two of us stayed like this in silence.


    ¡°You took such careful measures to make sure everyone would be safe that I never even thought how dangerous this war would be for you.¡± Tess lifted her head, gazing upward at me with her brilliant turquoise eyes. ¡°Seeing you like this in a bed full of injuries, it was a cold reminder that you¡¯re only human and not some indestructible mage and warrior.


    I chortled. ¡°Is that how I look to you most of the time? Some indestructible figure?¡±


    ¡°With the emotional maturity of a toddler,¡± she finished with a wide grin.


    ¡°Is that any way to talk to a general?¡± I scolded, trying to keep a serious face as she struggled to do the same.


    ¡°My apologies, General Arthur,¡± she replied,ughter in her voice.


    Suddenly, the door to my room burst open. Stumbling inside was Virion Eralith, themander of the entire Dicathen military and his son Alduin Eralith, followed by his wife, my younger sister Eleanor, Sylvie, and a couple of guards. Behind them was Eleanor¡¯s eight-foot-tall bear casually chewing on a b of meat with disinterest in his eyes at the turn of events.


    The room turned silent once more. Tessia¡¯s parents and my own sister feigned ignorance of the situation, refusing to make eye contact with us. The guards awkwardly shuffled away while Virion coughed ufortably as he straightened out his robe.


    Themander of Dicathen cleared his throat, his gaze wandering around the room as he tried to keep a dignified demeanor.


    ¡°Grandpa?¡± Tess eximed, dumbfounded.


    ¡°I see you haven¡¯t spent much effort furnishing this room, Arthur,¡± he noted, still unable to look us in the eyes.


    ¡°You guys were eavesdropping?¡± Tess¡¯s face was beet red while she raised an usatory finger at her family.


    Virion wagged a finger in denial. ¡°Of course not, dear. We were simply overhearing the well-being of Arthur, a prized general that had been tragically¡ª¡±


    Themander was unable to finish his excuse as he dodged a book Tess had picked up from the nightstand and thrown at him.


    I let out a chuckle, sitting up on my bed as my gaze fixed on my sister awkwardly holding onto my bond.


    ¡®Your sister has been patiently waiting for you to wake up,¡¯ Sylvie informed.


    It hadn¡¯t been that long since I hadst seen my sister, yet it felt like only now that I noticed how big she¡¯d gotten. I couldn¡¯t call her my baby sister anymore.


    ¡°Come here, Ellie,¡± I said gently.


    My little sister¡¯s lower lip trembled as tears began flooding down her face. Letting go of my bond, she bolted into my arms, nearly knocking the wind out of me.


    ¡°I was so worried!¡± she said angrily, her voice breaking down into sobs. ¡°What would¡¯ve happened if you had died?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, El,¡± I coaxed as her face remained buried in my chest. I reached up to stroke my sister¡¯s brown hair when I noticed that the injuries I had gotten from the witch-like retainer were still there. My expression darkened at the sight of the ugly red scar that spread all over my left hand up to my wrist as if the skin had been burned off. The injury had diminished greatly and appeared as if it were a few years old thanks to Sylvie¡¯s vivum abilities, but my entire hand had turned a shade of sickly pink.


    Boo, Ellie¡¯s bond, regarded me with a suspicious eye as he gnawed on the bone of the meat, but allowed me to continue embracing his master.


    Sylvie casually hopped onto my bed and curled up beside me. She didn¡¯t say anything, but a wave of relief flooded from my bond.


    After the initial chaos had subsided, Alduin and Merial had to depart due to problems with one of the elven cities up north. My sister remained a bundle of sniffles and hups for awhile as her emotions swayed from sorrow and guilt all the way to anger.


    Rubbing the tears from her eyes, Ellie¡¯s gazended on my scarred hand. ¡°How could you let yourself get hurt like this?¡±


    ¡°Scars fade,¡± I said with a weak smile, hoping to dismiss her concerns.


    Physical appearances had never been of great importance to me, but it was still a bit nerve-wracking to see how bad of a mark my injuries had left behind. Working up the courage, I carefully got out of bed, making sure my legs were able to carry me.


    Standing up on my own two legs without the help of mana was a blessing that I had always taken for granted. I took slow and steady steps toward the mirror as everyone in the room watched with apprehension.


    Taking a deep breath, I looked up to study my reflection and I was immediately able to see the toll the battle with the retainer had taken on my body. Even without taking off my robe, my gaze immediatelynded on my neck. The same red scars that covered my hand and wrist had been branded across my throat.


    Untying the band across my waist, I slipped out of my robe so I was only wearing my undergarment.


    Wow, I¡¯m a mess.


    ¡®You could¡¯ve been a lot worse off,¡¯ Sylvie chimed, her usual curtness gone.


    Scars of varying lengths were littered all over my toned body like chips and cracks on an ancient statue weathered by time and the forces of nature. More of the red scars were visible across my shoulder and part of my back. The scars that ran down my waist down to my knees were particrly gruesome¡ªas if someone had torn apart me legs piece by piece and crudely stitched together.


    ¡°Consider it a godsend that you were even able to recover to the state you¡¯re in now,¡± a clear voice sounded, rousing me from my thoughts.


    Casting a sideways nce, I caught sight of the three-eyed asura, Aldir, stepping into my room.


    ¡°Master,¡± Tess greeted, getting up from her seat. My childhood friend¡¯s cheeks were flushed as she awkwardly positioned herself away from me.


    Realizing that it was probably myck of clothing that made her ufortable, I slipped back into my robe before greeting the asura. ¡°Aldir.¡±


    ¡°Arthur Leywin.¡± he nodded before dipping his head at Sylvie. ¡°Lady Sylvie.¡±


    ¡°What you said just now. What did you mean?¡± I asked, taking a seat beside Virion on the leather couch.


    Sitting down across from us next to Tess, he pointed his finger toward a ring on his left finger. ¡°Do you remember the elixir pearl Windsom had given you a few years ago? The one you never used?¡±


    After searching inside my dimension ring, I couldn¡¯t find the gold-flecked pearl that I had saved in order to help me break into the white core stage. ¡°What happened to it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what gave your body the strength to recover to the state you¡¯re in now,¡± the asura let out a sigh, straightening out his deepvender robe. ¡°Even with a team of lessers specializing in medical mana arts as well as Lady Sylvie using her aether arts¡ªalbeit inexperienced¡ªit still took the full effects of the powerful elixir to heal you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you or Windsom aren¡¯t allowed to give me another elixir, right?¡± I asked hopefully.


    The three-eyed asura shook his head. ¡°Since the war has started, we can¡¯t risk the treaty being broken.¡±


    ¡°Damn,¡± I cursed, leaning my head back on the couch.


    ¡°Sorry to kick you while you¡¯re down, but I thought you might still want this,¡± Virion chimed in, taking out Dawn¡¯s Bad from his dimension ring. ¡°I was able to secure your sword from the retainer¡¯s corpse.¡±


    My heart sank as I was handed the once stunning sword. The translucent teal de of Dawn¡¯s Bad had dulled while its tip had been melted away by the retainer¡¯s corrosive abilities, throwing off the delicate bnce of the sword.


    Sheathing it in its scabbard I had been carrying inside my ring, I idly stared at the palm my right hand. Wren had embedded a gem he had refined himself called lorite that was supposed to somehow turn into a special weapon.


    Now would be a great time for a new weapon, I thought to my hand.


    ¡®Arthur,¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s voice sounded. ¡®I told Aldir some of the events that urred but I think it¡¯d be best if you went over it with him and Virion in detail.¡¯


    Right.


    Slowly getting up from my seat, I walked over to my little sister who¡¯d been silent the whole time. ¡°Ellie. Can you wait for me outside while I talk over some stuff?¡±


    Raising a skeptical brow, she replied, ¡°Only if you promise not to leave without at least saying goodbye.¡±


    Scratching my cheek, I let out a wry chuckle. ¡°I promise.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± She got up from her seat and walked toward the door before looking back over her shoulder with a proud expression. ¡°I wanted to show you what I¡¯ve been working on.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I raised a brow, thinking she was referring to a spell she had been practicing. ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡±


    After my sister closed the door behind her, the only ones left inside my room was the currentmander of Dicathen, an asura, my bond, and Tessia.


    ¡°Let me catch you up on what happened since the battle with the retainer,¡± I began.


    ¡°Wait. Let¡¯s call an official meeting with the rest of the Council,¡± Virion interrupted, getting up.


    ¡°No. I want this to be heard by your ears only. What you choose to do with this information is up to you.¡±


    Tess raised a timid hand. ¡°Should I leave?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Before I start though, I just want to know one thing.¡±


    ¡°And what would that be?¡± Aldir replied, taking note that my gaze was directed at him.


    ¡°Who has control over the Mica Earthborn and Alfred Warned, the two dwarvennces¡ªyou, or Rahdeas?¡±


    The asura¡¯s single purple eye that was open narrowed in thought as he continued staring at me. ¡°I¡¯m still currently in control over the twonces. Why do you ask?¡±


    It took longer than I¡¯d expected to debrief them of the events that followed after the battle with the retainer.


    As expected, Virion and Tessia were dumbfounded by the evident betrayal from the dwarves. Aldir¡¯s expression remained steadfast; if he was surprised, he did a perfect job concealing it.


    Despite the initial surprise, however, Virion recovered quickly. ¡°If the dwarves are really in alliance with the cryan army, then it¡¯ll be much harder to prevent battles from reaching civilian cities. Were you able to discern whether it was just a separate faction of dwarves or if it was morerge-scale than that?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say with certainty without getting some answers out of Rahdeas,¡± I said through gritted teeth, regretful of the circumstances implicating Elijah¡¯s former guardian.


    ¡°The news of a scythe appearing is troubling,¡± Aldir added. ¡°If she intends to wreak havoc with her retainer by her side as well as an entire division of troops, then this isn¡¯t something one or twonces can take on even with an army backing them.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I need to know where the allegiance of two dwarvennces lie,¡± I replied. ¡°Arge-scale battle is nearing and I don¡¯t want any unforeseen obstacles.¡±

 Chapter 163

    Chapter 163


    Chapter 163: From Lance To Brother


    Leaving Sylvie in my room to rest, I ventured through the brightly-lit halls of the castle. Looking down at my feet as I made careful steps, it was the first time I had noticed the vibrant patterns of the thick carpet in the upper residential halls. It was a funny thing to note; I¡¯d always been in such a rush and always had a goal that I never even looked down to enjoy the subtle pleasantries around me.


    It didn¡¯t take long for me to find Ellie. She was sitting by arge window, gazing outside the sea of clouds while idlybing her fingers through her bond¡¯s thick fur. Boo opened an eye, sensing my presence, but went back to his nap after seeing that it was me.


    ¡°May I join you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to ask,¡± she smiled weakly, taking a nce back at me before gazing out at the blue sky once more.


    I sat down next to her on the ground, admiring the rolling clouds¡¯ twinkle and shine from the rays of sunlight above. I could see the tip of a mountain in the distance, but besides that, only an endless expanse of white and blue.


    ¡°Do you miss them?¡± Ellie spoke in a soft voice. ¡°Mom and Dad.¡±


    ¡°Not much as I should,¡± I admitted. ¡°I worry for them¡ªI know they¡¯re safe out there, but so many things have been going on.¡±


    There was a moment of silence as my sister simply continued petting her bond.


    ¡°You know, there are a lot of adults and kids thate up to me saying how lucky and fortunate I am to have a brother like you. The ones that aren¡¯t jealous of me are jealous of you¡ªthat you¡¯re ance, that you¡¯re so talented in magic and fighting, and that you have the recognition of all of this continent¡¯s leaders. You know, some even say that you might be one of the next leaders when you get older.¡± My sister let out a scoff. ¡°But it¡¯s funny. I never told you this, but there was a time when I hated you. I felt like it was because of you that my life was like this now. I med you for Mom and Dad feeling like they needed to help out in the war too, and I med you for my not being able to have a regr life in school with ssrooms and a bunch of friends.¡±


    My sister was looking away from me as she turned her body toward Boo, but I could see the hand petting her bond trembling while her shoulders quivered. ¡°Ellie...¡±


    ¡°But the funny thing is, I don¡¯t me you anymore. How can I me you when your life was worse than mine? Most of the memories I have of you were youing in and out of the house full of injuries, with unbelievable stories of how you faced this monster or that monster. It was really fun and amazing to hear back then¡ªI thought you were so cool and strong¡ªbut I feel like I know better now. The things you had to give up to get where you are today...¡±


    My sister hurriedly wiped her eyes with her sleeves and turned back to me with red eyes and a wide, forced grin.


    I reached out to her, but she grabbed my hand and shook it before getting up. ¡°Whew! Now that I got that off of my chest,e on! I want to show you something.¡±


    ¡°What is all of this?¡± I asked as we reached the outdoor terrace of the castle.


    My gaze swept through the dozens of wooden nks hanging from various tree branches. While there were arrows protruding out of the nks, more were on the ground and the tree trunks around them.


    ¡°What I¡¯ve been working on!¡± my sister proimed proudly as her bond curled up on the ground beside her with an aloof yawn. Ellie was abnormally perky after our conversation by the window as if she was trying to forget about it.


    Trying not to dwell too much on my sister¡¯s inconsistent behavior, I watched as she picked up a peculiar-looking short bow propped up against a pir and a stray arrow with its tip buried into the nearby grass.


    Raising the flexible bow so that the nocked arrow was at eye level, she held her still trembling breath and took a moment to aim before letting go of the string.


    The thin arrow whistled as it sliced through the air, curving ever-so-slightly around a nk and hitting a different wooden target behind it.


    Genuinely impressed, I apuded my sister but she held up a hand and shook her head. ¡°Now, watch this.¡±


    Raising her bow once more, she mumbled a brief chant. The tip of her guiding finger that was holding onto the bow began emitting a soft glow and when my sister slowly pulled the string back, the mana took form into a thin glowing arrow.


    I remained silent¡ªhalf from focus, half from surprise¡ªwhile Ellie fired the mana arrow at a nearby target nk. The arrow let out a soft hum rather than a sharp whistle as it hastily approached its target, but before it was able to reach the nk, the arrow dissipated.


    Letting out a sigh, my sister¡¯s shoulders sank. ¡°I swear I was able to reach the target a couple days ago.¡±


    ¡°That was amazing!¡± I eximed.


    ¡°I failed though,¡± she replied, disappointed.


    ¡°You¡¯re barely twelve, Ellie! Most kids your age can barely conjure a ball of mana let alone shoot it out that far away,¡± I said, my voice stillced with enthusiasm.


    My sister was silent for a moment as she absentmindedly stared at her bow.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you d that your dear brother is impressed after all of that practicing?¡± a voice chimed from behind.


    I looked over my shoulder to see a rather odd duo walking out into the terrace: Emily Watsken and Helen Shard.


    ¡°Surprised, General?¡± Helen smirked, noticing my confusion.


    While it was reasonable for Emily to be in and out of the castle since she was apprenticed under Gideon, seeing her with the leader of the Twin Horns and current head of arge toon of soldiers made for a head-tilting moment.


    However, with the peculiar bow in Ellie¡¯s hand and her sudden adeptness in archery, I could only put two and two together.


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that,¡± I replied back with a smile.


    ¡°You look like you¡¯ve been through a lot.¡± Emily noticed my injuries.


    ¡°Just about as any other soldier out there,¡± I shrugged.


    After Ellie and I greeted the two friends, we talked around the round patio table. We discussed how my sister was struggling in mana maniption despite awakening at an early age.


    ¡°You¡¯re having a hard time?¡± I asked my sister. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me? I could¡¯ve helped.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a general now, and even before then, you were always busy. I didn¡¯t want to bother you with it. Besides, Mom and Dad were helping me before they had to leave.¡±


    My sister tried to sound cheerful, but the faint sullen tone in her voice, along with our conversation earlier, made my chest ache.


    ¡°I stopped by one day to check up on her after finishing a dungeon tour and she asked me for help,¡± Helen chimed in, trying to lift the mood. ¡°I¡¯m not a conjurer so I couldn¡¯t exactly help her, so I asked the artificer, Gideon, to run some tests on her. He pawned off what he called ¡®a chore¡¯ to Emily here, and that¡¯s when we found out about her little gift.¡±


    Eleanor let out a shyugh as she rubbed her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it a gift.¡±


    ¡°What gift?¡± I demanded, my curiosity growing.


    ¡°I think it¡¯ll be easier for you to just show your impatient brother, Ellie,¡± Helen chuckled.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she agreed. Raising her hand, she concentrated on the center of her palm when a faint orb of mana manifested. While there were no attributes, the pure orb of mana began slowly changing shape until its once spherical shape turned into a seven-pointed star.


    ¡°You see, after I assessed Eleanor,¡± Emily stressed her participation as she leaned forward, ¡°I realized that she had a real knack for molding mana into detailed shapes. Normally, whether you can make a fire ball into a fire cube doesn¡¯t really matter, but if you¡¯re able to conjure the exact shape of an arrow along with a particr arrowhead, then you can potentially have an infinite arsenal of arrows that enemies won¡¯t be able to predict.¡±


    ¡°Well,ing up with the arrow solution was my idea,¡± the leader of the Twin Horns added.


    ¡°All right, stop bickering,¡± I cut in.


    My sister let out a giggle. ¡°They¡¯ve both been a great help! Helen has been really strict but helpful in teaching me archery and Emily made me this bow as a training tool.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me being easy on you,¡± Helen replied with a smirk. She turned to me. ¡°I¡¯ve been in and out of the castle, so she¡¯s been learning on her own but her growth is actually quite scary. It¡¯s like these gifts run in the Leywin family.¡±


    Clearing her throat to get our attention, the freckled artificer adjusted her sses, then exined the mechanism for the bow she had customized specifically for my sister. ¡°The bow is still in the testing phase, and it requires a certain amount of finesse but like Helen said, your sister catches on frighteningly fast.¡±


    ¡°I still have a long way to go,¡± Ellie rebutted.


    Looking carefully now, I noticed the callouses and fresh blisters on her fingers and palms¡ªproof of her effort.


    ¡°Thank you¡ªboth of you¡ªfor helping my sister like this.¡± I turned to my little sister, tousling her hair. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯t been there for you.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t me you. You¡¯re just doing what you have to.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Besides, Helen told me that Mom and Dad are far away from battles so I¡¯m not too worried about them, but I¡¯m just thankful when youe back in one piece.¡±


    My heart lurched once more in guilt, and I understood why she said she had med me for our parents participating in the war. That¡¯s why they left¡ªthey didn¡¯t want to just sit safely and wait while praying that they wouldn¡¯t hear news of my death.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for always worrying you,¡± I said softly, unable to do anything else but apologize.


    Ellie¡¯s gazeid fixed on the scars around my throat but she said nothing, and in some ways, that pained me even more.


    My little sister had indeed grown up much faster than I wanted her to. The childlike innocence and selfishness she once had were gone.


    ¡°What are you doing here back in the castle so soon anyway, Helen?¡± my sister changed the subject.


    ¡°Ah, right! The heads and above got called into the castle for a big celebration tonight,¡± she answered. ¡°The actual reason for the event was supposed to be a secret but it was already leaked¡ªapparently a retainer had been defeated!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Emily¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Do you think it was ance?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s confirmed, but that¡¯s probably the most likely! All I know is that Commander Virion himself took a small crew to retrieve the body,¡± Helen answered.


    ¡°Things are looking up then!¡± My sister perked up. ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±


    Shifting nces from Helen to Emily then to my sister and back, I thought for a second that they were teasing me, but after a few minutes of just listening to them, I realized that they were seriously just gossiping. Do they really not know who killed the retainer?


    However, thinking back, I had arrived in the castle several days after the retainer¡¯s body had been retrieved. There were a team of medics waiting for my arrival, but now I doubted whether they had even been told the reason for my injuries.


    ¡°Wait, so a celebration is happening tonight?¡± I asked, veering the conversation back to its original path.


    ¡°Yeah, isn¡¯t that why you¡¯re back at the castle too?¡± Helen replied with a raised brow.


    My sister answered in my stead. ¡°My brother had toe back because he got hurt.¡±


    ¡°What? How? Where? Are you okay?¡± Emily bombarded.


    ¡°I was just careless. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± I was tempted to tell them the truth, especially my sister, but I assumed Virion had a reason for keeping all of this a secret.


    ¡°It was a big deal!¡± My sister pinched my side. ¡°You were out for more than a day and even then, you still have those scars.¡±


    Wincing as she twisted my skin even further, I apologized once more to my sister, assuring her that I wouldn¡¯t make the same ¡®mistake¡¯ again. The topic of the conversation changed, but for the rest of our little gathering during the afternoon, Helen regarded me with doubtful eyes.


    Coming back into my room, I was greeted by my bond. ¡®How was spending time with your sister?¡¯


    ¡°Ellie¡¯s all grown up now,¡± I sighed.


    ¡®You make that sound like a bad thing,¡¯ Sylvie replied.


    ¡°Wisdom and maturity stemmed from enduring hard circumstances is a painful thing to see as a big brother. But I was able to at least catch up with her and learn a bit more about what¡¯s happening in her life. Did you know she¡¯s learning archery from Helen? She and Emily even came up with this new practice ofbining conjuring with archery for Ellie!¡±


    Sylvie let out tiny puffs of air from her nostril, and it was only after a second that I realized she wasughing. ¡®I haven¡¯t seen you this excited in a while.¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± I rebutted.


    ¡®Oh?¡¯ Sylvie raised her head, looking up at me from the bed. ¡®Tell that to your grinning lips.¡¯


    ¡°Shush,¡± I dismissed. Despite my sister¡¯s heavy words, it was enjoyable spending time with her. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡®Sluggish, heavy, sleepy and weak,¡¯ she sent, curling back up into a ball. ¡®It¡¯s like being a hatchling all over again.¡¯


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s supposedly this big event happeningter tonight. Do you feel up for it?¡± I asked.


    ¡®I¡¯ll pass,¡¯ she replied, her voice bing listless. ¡®Save me some food though.¡¯


    Taking a seat on the couch, I let out a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ll have the maids bring some up.¡±


    ¡®Make sure it¡¯s meat.¡¯


    ¡°Go to sleep.¡±


    With the soft hum of Sylvie making the otherwise cold and silent room a bit homier, I took some time to sort out my thoughts. Reaching into my dimension ring, I pulled out Dawn¡¯s Bad, cing it gently on the tea table in front of me.


    I couldn¡¯t help but let another sigh escape my lips as I looked at the poor state of my weapon. This sword had been by my side for nearly five years. Without the need to polish, sharpen or even clean the de while being able to withstand just about anything, Dawn¡¯s Bad was truly a valuable asset.


    Studying the sword, I assessed that¡ªeven when damaged¡ªit was better than any other sword I¡¯d be likely toe across.


    I had no idea if and when the weapon that the quirky asura, Wren, imnted on me would manifest so it¡¯d be reckless to rely on having it during this uing battle.


    My thoughts then shifted to my recent journey to Darv. I needed to make sure whether or not Rahdeas was the leader of this treason, and if so, what I should do. Even if Eljiah¡¯s foster parent wasn¡¯t in control of the two dwarvennces, ording to Alduin and Merial, he still held arge amount of support from the overall dwarven citizens. Along with the fact that the dwarves¡¯ overall dissatisfaction of the yder family and humans ran deep, killing him would mean a mass uprising from the dwarves.


    I couldn¡¯t tell how much time had passed, but by how dim the room had turned, it wouldn¡¯t be long until the event.


    ¡°Arthur? You¡¯re in there, right? I¡¯ming in!¡± With a loud bang, the door to my room burst open and a crowd of maids and guards filed in with Virion at the back.


    I had no time to prepare, or even react, as the guards pushed aside the furniture inside to make room in the center while a horde of maids began undressing me.


    What disturbed me more, though, was how ustomed I was to being thrown into situations like this. Shall I call this the Virion Effect?


    Virion stepped up, already elegantly dressed in a ck robe with silver trimmings that entuated his silver hair tied neatly behind him. ¡°Now, you¡¯re probably surprised by¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªNope,¡± I cut in. ¡°What is it that you¡¯re nning this time, old man?¡±


    A few maids gasped at my crude response, but Virion just waved for them to continue. ¡°I see that barging into your room and abruptly having a team of maids strip you naked doesn¡¯t put you in the most amiable mood. No offense taken. I¡¯ve taken the liberty of arranging this event as a sort of trap¡ªharmless¡ªfor our dear Rahdeas, and you, my soon-to-be-grandson, have the lead role.¡±

 Chapter 164

    Chapter 164


    Chapter 164: Old Face


    <span style="text-decoration: underline;">TESSIA ERALITH


    The figure standing in front of me, head tilted ever-so-slightly in scrutiny, wore avishly decorated dress of shimmering ck. The silky fabric came up just above the base of the neck, with subtle frills adding a girlish touch. The sleeves covered the length of the arm with the same delicate frills at the ends, while the dress fell on the shorter sideing up just short of my knees.


    Locks of gunmetal hair flowed down on one side in perfectly organized twirls that contrasted starkly against the dark color of her attire.


    After wearing armor and being covered in grime for that past months, I couldn¡¯t believe that the person standing in front of the mirror was me.


    ¡°You look beautiful.¡± My mother shifted nces between me and my reflection with a warm smile on her face. Looking at her sitting properly in a chair beside me, however, I couldn¡¯t help but lose confidence even in my new dress.


    While I knew she was much younger than my father, my mother should still be past her prime. Yet her bright silver hair was still lush, her blue eyes still radiant, and her skin still youthfully supple. She and my father had already finished preparing for the event, and unlike my dark gown, my mother wore a beautiful dusty rose dress that flowed gently, emphasizing her slim waist and wide hips while still maintaining a reserved elegance.


    I studied myself, turning left and right so I could see every angle while a team of maids nodded with reserved content. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about this. The dress is a bit bleak, isn¡¯t it? Maybe I should wear something a little brighter?¡±


    ¡°I think the ck makes you look mature,¡± she answered. ¡°What do you girls think?¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± the head maid quickly replied. ¡°This was made by a famous silk weaver in Kalberk City, who designed it specifically for you, Lady Tessia. Thecing and frills add a very cute touch while the overall shape and color of the dress gives off a very¡ªexcuse mynguage¡ªsensual semnce.¡±


    ¡°Sensual?¡± I pondered, twisting left and right once more.


    ¡°Lack, the designer, believes that the clothing itself shouldn¡¯t be beautiful. Rather, the clothing should bring out and entuate the beauty of the wearer,¡± a younger maid added. ¡°I think this dress does a fine job of that. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d think that your hair and eyes were actually glowing in contrast to the dress.¡±


    ¡°Oh please. You girls said the same thing to me when I first wore my armor! I can¡¯t trust any of you,¡± I argued, unable to hide the smile from creeping up on my pouting face. A wave ofughter filled the room as the maids hurriedlypleted the finishing touches.


    Stepping out of my room, I spotted Stannard, Darvus, and Caria chatting with one another.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± the three stiffened at the sight of my mother before greeting her in unison.


    ¡°Mr. Berwick, Mr. rell, and Ms. Rede,¡± my mother responded with a soft smile before turning her head toward me. ¡°Tessia, I¡¯ll see you up there. I have matters to attend to with your father and the other Council members.¡±


    As the event was being held in the uppermost floor of the castle, my mother was escorted toward the stairwell as we remained in the hallway with a couple of castle guards.


    My three friends and team members silently waited for my mother and her maids to leave before turning back to me with cheeky grins.


    ¡°Lookin¡¯ good there, Princess.¡± Darvus, dressed in a sleek ck suit, nudged me with his elbow as we made our way to the stairs. His usually unruly mane was slicked back with oil while the structured frame of the suit did a nice job of toning down his burly frame.


    ¡°You¡¯re being gross, Darvus,¡± Caria sighed as she turned to me. ¡°But he¡¯s not lying. You look gorgeous.¡±


    It was obvious my petite friend had put in a lot of effort for the asion, and it paid off. Complementing her cute appearance and curly bobbed hair was a fluttery green dress that came down to her mid-thigh, a length that¡¯d be frowned upon by the older generation if she wasn¡¯t wearing tights underneath.


    ¡°Thanks, but I didn¡¯t realize how ufortable I¡¯d be in this getup.¡±


    ¡°At least you look good in your getup,¡± Stannardined from behind. ¡°I look like some ornamental bird with this getup.¡±


    The rest of usughed as Standard fluttered his bright blue robe like they were wings. Rather than wearing a fitted suit like Darvus, Stannard chose to wear a more luxurious conjurer¡¯s robe, which looked to be more decorative than functional.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± I turned back to Caria, who was walking beside me. ¡°You look rather charming yourself. Are you trying to snag up one of the noble boys at the event?¡±


    Caria¡¯s face immediately reddened but she tried to look calm as she answered. ¡°P-Please! Most of the younger nobles attending are probably their family heirs, which means one thing: they¡¯re super pretentious! Seriously, hiding safely to protect their lineage while sipping on wine.¡±


    ¡°My oldest brother happens to be one those heirs you speak of,¡± Darvus replied. ¡°And you happen to be absolutely spot on about him.¡±


    ¡°Then maybe help Stannard find a nicedy to settle down with after the war is over,¡± I added.


    ¡°Yes, please,¡± he nodded fervently. ¡°I¡¯d like that very much.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Why don¡¯t you help me?¡± Darvusined.


    ¡°Shush!¡± Caria reached over and smacked her childhood friend¡¯s arm. ¡°Why would the princess of Elenoir introduce people to such a crass lump of muscle?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Darvus clutched his heart as if he¡¯d been stabbed. ¡°After I so kindly invited the two of you... this is the thanks I get?¡±


    ¡°Tessia would¡¯ve invited us even if you hadn¡¯t,¡± Stannard retorted.


    ¡°Regardless! I¡¯m just going to use the opportunity to listen to the big announcement and eat some good food,¡± Caria said.


    ¡°I¡¯m also curious as to what the announcement is going to be,¡± I said.


    ¡°Your grandfather didn¡¯t even tell you? Must be big,¡± Darvus said with brows raised.


    By the time we reached the stairwell, the traffic had reached a standstill due to the sheer volume of people trying to get up, but amidst our pointless banter and talk of recent missions, time moved rather quickly.


    Unlike some of the past events held by the Council, this one was open to nobles outside of the castle as well, so therge spiraling stairway was packed with nobles, unustomed to being crammed in such tight quarters, loudly voicing theirints. Some used the opportunity to casually brag to their peers about therge expanse ofnd and wealth their families had in a not-so-casual volume, hoping to impress potential suitors nearby. While I felt some ncese my way, few nobles had the audacity to try and approach me. Those that did were easily scared away by my guards.


    It was apparent how ufortable Caria and Stannard were being in the middle of so many nobles. While Caria had had some exposure since her family had served Darvus¡¯ family for generations, Stannard came from a more humble background.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired already,¡± Stannard mumbled as he was pushed and pulled by the crowd.


    ¡°You think it¡¯s bad here, imagine how packed it is in the lower floors closer to the teleportation gate,¡± Darvus consoled.


    Caria agreed. ¡°Yeah, I heard there are a lot of noblesing from outside of the castle since this is the first time since the war began that the castle has been open to more than just the residents.¡±


    Inching slowly toward the top floor, I couldn¡¯t help but nce around every now and then, hoping to maybe spot Arthur. Chances were that he was either still resting or he¡¯deter on, but my eyes seemed to subconsciously search for a head of long auburn hair.


    As if reading my mind, Caria asked, ¡°By the way, where¡¯s your handsome lover?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not my lover!¡± I said a bit too loudly, turning heads around us. ¡°And he got injured recently so I think he¡¯s resting... probably.¡±


    ¡°Mister Lance got hurt?¡± Darvus gasped mockingly. ¡°I guess he¡¯s not as strong as they say he is.¡±


    ¡°Yet you got your ass handed to you,¡± Stannard chimed innocently.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± my burly friend retorted before ring back at Caria. ¡°And he¡¯s not that handsome. With his long hair, I bet people mistake him for a girl.¡±


    ¡°Aww, is someone jealous?¡± Caria grinned. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that after Arthur¡¯s little appearance at the dungeon, there were quite a few girls smitten by him.¡±


    ¡°Looks like our princess has to now fend offpetition on top of cryans and mutant mana beasts,¡± Stannard chuckled.


    ¡°You guys know I can demote all of you now, right?¡± I threatened.


    After half an hour of inching up the stairwell, we finally reached the top floor of the castle. Looking up, I¡ªalong with everyone else that had juste out of the stairwell¡ªlet out a gasp in amazement. Just like the terrace on the residential floor, the top of the castle was enveloped in a transparent dome-shaped barrier so that the entire venue appeared to be taking ce outdoors.


    The sun was just beginning to set so the entire castle was surrounded by an endless expanse of a serene magenta and burning orange. Orbs of light floated above us inside the dome-shaped barrier, casting gentle glows. With hundreds of nobles from elves to humans to dwarves, all dressed meticulously, and an orchestra ying a variety of flutes and stringed instruments to fill the gaps in conversations, stepping up to the top floor felt as if I¡¯d been transported into a mesmerizing fairnd.


    Darvus let out a long whistle in appreciation while Stannard¡¯s gaze darted from one ce to another in wonder.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Caria sighed.


    ¡°Ugh, I spotted my family,¡± Darvus groaned. ¡°Caria,e on. Let¡¯s greet them now and get it over with.¡±


    As Caria was unwillingly pulled away by her childhood friend, I spotted Emily, dressed in a bright yellow dress that appeared to have some smudges and stains on it, pouring herself a drink near the empty stage. The apprentice artificer looked unbothered by the looks of disdain an disgust from the nobles nearby as she casually finished her drink in a single gulp.


    ¡°Emily!¡± Stannard shouted before I had the chance to call out to her.


    ¡°Ah! Little Stannard! Princess!¡± Emily greeted, waving her empty ss.


    I broke down into a fit ofughter at the sight of her, with no regard or care for outward appearance, running awkwardly as she held up her dress.


    Emily was breathing heavily by the time she reached us. ¡°Finally, people I know!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you here,¡± I said after greeting my friend with a hug.


    ¡°Who do you think was responsible for setting up all of these lighting artifacts?¡± she rolled her eyes.


    ¡°You did all of this?¡± Stannard eximed.


    ¡°Well it certainly wasn¡¯t my carefree andzy master,¡± she mumbled sourly.


    ¡°Is that how you got those stains?¡± I giggled.


    Emily looked down and gasped. ¡°Oh no! I didn¡¯t even notice these! Must¡¯ve been when I was filling in more of the mana-conducting fluid.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Emily. Isn¡¯t that your master over there?¡± Stannard pointed near the tables where, lo and behold, the master artificer Gideon was alternating between biting into a fowl leg and sipping on a ss of wine.


    ¡°Damn old coot,¡± Emily muttered before stomping after him. ¡°Master Gideon!¡±


    The old artificer choked on the fowl leg he had been consuming at Emily¡¯s loud outcry while the two of us followed after her with our heads down in embarrassment.


    ¡°You old bat! After pushing aside all of the work saying you were ¡®feeling unwell¡¯, you show up here to drink and eat?¡± Emily huffed, snatching away the fowl leg Gideon was trying to take another bite of.


    ¡°Must you raise your voice so much, dear apprentice? I¡¯m standing right in front of you,¡± Gideon grumbled, taking a sip from his ss before acknowledging our existence. ¡°Princess Tessia, Stannard... d to see you two are still alive. That¡¯s always a good thing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± I greeted back while Stannard bowed respectfully.


    Emily let out a defeated sigh as she handed back her master¡¯s food. ¡°You usually don¡¯t care for these sorts of events. What brings you here besides the free food and liquor?¡±


    ¡°I was given a rather interesting task by your grandfather¡±¡ªhe looked at me¡ª¡°so I¡¯m just killing time until then. Plus, I get to see the one person that I dare say is smarter than me in this entire continent.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s someone smarter than you, Master Gideon?¡± Stannard asked, genuinely surprised.


    Meanwhile, Emily leaned in, eyes glowing with curiosity. ¡°What¡¯s this task?¡±


    ¡°The princess¡¯ lover boy, Arthur,¡± Gideon sighed in wonder. ¡°Boy, what I¡¯d give to be able to extract all of the secrets out of that boy¡¯s head.¡±


    ¡°What. Is. The. Task.¡± Emily pinched her master¡¯s arm.


    ¡°It¡¯s. A. Secret.¡± Gideon mocked back, pping her away before rubbing his arm.


    The entric old artificer followed after a butler holding a te of finger foods, while Emily chased after her master to try and get more information.


    So you are going to be here. A faint smile escaped my lips.


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Stannard muttered to himself. ¡°There¡¯s no way Arthur can be smarter than Master Gideon.¡±


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t known Arthur since we were both children, I probably wouldn¡¯t believe Gideon either,¡± I consoled.


    As I began following after Emily and her mentor, my gaze drifted toward a gathering crowd by the top of the stairwell where we had firste.


    I recognized the head sticking out of the crowd. With his ck hair still split down the middle and sharp eyes softened by his thick sses, it was undeniably the guild hall manager of Xyrus.


    ¡°Tessia?¡± my blond-haired friend called out, snapping me out of my daze.


    ¡°Y-Yes? What is it?¡±


    ¡°I just asked you if you wanted to try and look for Darvus and Caria.¡± His pale blue eyes shifted between me and where I had been staring.


    ¡°You go on ahead,¡± I said, already walking toward the small crowd. ¡°I¡¯ll meet up with you guyster.¡±


    Pushing aside the people gathered, I headed toward the familiar man when my eyes caught sight of the girl my age he and several guards were protecting from the crowd.


    ¡°ire!¡± I blurted.


    The former leader of the disciplinarymittee, the one whose state and whereabouts had been kept hidden by the deheart family, was standing in the center where the nobles had gathered.


    ¡°Princess Tessia,¡± Kaspian deheart, ire¡¯s uncle, greeted.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while,¡± I acknowledged.


    ¡°Uncle, it¡¯s a bit stifling here. Let me get some fresh air with Princess Tessia,¡± ire said.


    The usually expressionless guild hall manager¡¯s brows furrowed in concern. ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± She gave her uncle a soft smile before pulling me through the crowd.


    I remained silent as we made our way to the edge of the roof of the castle, where a small set of stairs led down to a deck overlooking the sky.


    Neither of us talked while we leaned against the railing. The medley of noises surrounding the big event were muffled by the whistling of wind against the barrier surrounding us.


    ¡°You look great,¡± I finally said.


    I wasn¡¯t lying. ire was an upperssman that I, along with many other students, had looked up to at school¡ªalways bright and never afraid to take challenges head on. Seeing her today, dressed in an ivory dress with a thin shawl draped over her shoulders, I felt a gentle and calm air had reced her normally lively and spirited aura. It wasn¡¯t just that, though. I couldn¡¯t quite ce my finger on it, but something felt different about her.


    ¡°I appreciate it.¡± She let out a soft chuckle as she smiled faintly. ¡°And I think you¡¯ve probably heard enough how beautiful you look tonight.¡±


    ¡°Mostly by friends and family,¡± I chuckled back. ¡°Their words are more obligatory than anything else.¡±


    ire smiled back in amusement but it was quiet between us once again as I swallowed down the questions I, along with so many of the nobles gathered around, wanted to ask.


    ¡°I heard that you¡¯re leading a team out on the field,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes. Although it¡¯s been fairly recent.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m jealous,¡± she continued. ¡°You must¡¯ve gotten a lot stronger.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I still have a lot to learn,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯ve yet to control my beast willpletely and my long-range conjuring is a mess since I¡¯ve been focused on getting better with my sword.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± she nodded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever told you this, but the deheart techniques yed a big part in shaping my swordy,¡± I continued. ¡°Speaking of which...¡±


    Noticing my hesitation, she shook her head. ¡°I still practice with the sword every now and then but not nearly as much as before.¡±


    ¡°Are your injuries still...¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°My injuries from Xyrus are mostly healed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± I said a little too loudly. ¡°Do you n on taking part in the war then?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she answered tly.


    ¡°Oh.¡± I was surprised by ire¡¯s answer. She¡¯d always had a strong sense of justice, which was a big part of why she was selected as the leader of the disciplinarymittee. ¡°Did your family not approve because of what happened at school?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± She gazed up at the stars surrounding us overhead.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± I pressed. ¡°Just a few minutes ago, it seemed like you wanted to take part in the war. And if your family is okay with it and your injuries have gotten better¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªMy physical injuries have gotten better,¡± she interrupted, leveling her gaze back at me.


    She began removing the straps of her dress, catching me off guard. She turned around, so her back was to me, before lowering her dress to reveal therge scar on her lower back.


    While she had other scars from past wounds, none of thempared to therge disfigurement just next to her spine. Lifting her dress, she turned back to me, her expression calloused. ¡°But the one thing the emitters and medics couldn¡¯t fix was my mana core.¡±


    My hand came up to my mouth as I inadvertently let out a sharp gasp. I now realized what had been different about the former disciplinarymittee leader. The thing that I couldn¡¯t ce my finger on. ¡°Th-Then...¡±


    She nodded, her face masked with an expression that told me she had epted this long ago. ¡°I can¡¯t use magic anymore.¡±

 Chapter 165

    Chapter 165


    Chapter 165: Center of Attention


    Despite spending arge portion of my life learning how to behave properly¡ªwhat to say and how to say it in various situations¡ªI was still unable to muster up the appropriate words to respond to ire.


    I could only see any sort of apology or constioning off as pitiful or insensitive; after all, how could I dare tell her ¡®it¡¯ll be okay¡¯ afterining about myck of progress in the one part of her life she¡¯d never be able to get back, let alone improve?


    To my surprise, ire breathed out a softugh.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ªit¡¯s just your expression. If I didn¡¯t know better, I would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d just swallowed a bug or something,¡± she exined, noticing my confusion. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve pretty muche to terms with it.¡±


    ¡°But still...¡± I muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± ire dismissed, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯ve already told my uncle this, but I n on helping out where I can at the deheart Sword Institution my family runs. I figured that training new soldiers could be my way of helping out in this war.¡±


    I didn¡¯t¡ªcouldn¡¯t respond. She was the one who almost died and was now unable to practice magic, yet she was the one trying to lift the mood while I stood here, disheartened.


    ¡°ire!¡± a clear voice suddenly boomed from behind.


    The two of us gazed up to see the eldest son of the yder family and his sister at the top of the steps. Prince Curtis¡¯s eyes were locked onto ire, his sharp brows furrowed in concern and frustration. Princess Kathyln, wrapped in a shimmering white dress, though known for being expressionless, had red eyes lined with tears, her delicate pale hands clenched by her sides.


    Before ire could even say a word, the two of them rushed down and embraced their former leader.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice seeing you both, too,¡± ire puffed, struggling to breathe.


    Prince Curtis released ire, his expression still a mixture of worry and anger. ¡°Do you know how worried all of us were? You being here means you¡¯re okay, right?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Kathyln added.


    I took a seat and watched the three of them catch up. ire told Curtis and Kathyln the same story she¡¯d told me. Seeing their faces darken, I imagined that I must¡¯ve looked very simr to them now.


    Just like me, Curtis froze, unable to form a response after ire revealed her inability to manipte mana. However, to my surprise, Kathyln spoke up.


    ¡°You¡¯re very strong,¡± she responded.


    She lifted her watery gaze and locked eyes with her former leader. ¡°I think that being able to ovee such a huge obstacle and move forward with a smile says much more about you than the color of a mana core ever will.¡±


    Stunned at her powerful words. I shifted my gaze to see that ire had stiffened from the princess¡¯s response.


    Tears began rolling down her cheeks. ¡°Huh?¡±


    Surprised at her state, ire hurriedly wiped them away with her palms but the tears refused to stop. ¡°Th-This is embarrassing. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m crying now.¡±


    My chest throbbed, watching her cry as Princess Kathyln embraced her once again. Curtis turned to me and dipped his head but otherwise, the two of them remained silent.


    ire¡¯s sniffles soon turned to chuckles as sheughed at her own state. ¡°Look at me. I was barely presentable before, and now I¡¯m a teary, snotty mess!¡±


    ¡°Who are you trying to be presentable for?¡± I teased, eliciting augh out of the three of them. Like that, the ice had melted and I walked to them.


    ¡°Princess Tessia,¡± Curtis smiled as he nodded politely. ¡°I apologize for not greeting you right away.¡±


    ¡°Princess Tessia,¡± Kathyln echoed, dipping her head.


    ¡°No problem.¡± I smiled back. ¡°And we should be able to be a bit morefortable with each other considering we were once schoolmates. Right, Curtis, Kathyln?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Curtis grinned. ¡°And yes, it has been a while, Tessia.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice seeing you again,¡± Kathyln said with a smile so faint that I¡¯d almost mistaken it for a twitch.


    The three of us eventually settled around a patio table nearby. I wasn¡¯t particrly close to them but all four of us had a mutual friend that helped us quickly bond: Arthur.


    The three of them had much to say about my childhood friend and soon enough, we were sharingughs about stories involving him.


    ¡°He always seems so put together and mature,¡± ire chuckled. ¡°And then I spot him doing weird things, like fighting over the meat on his te with his bond at the cafeteria.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it. I¡¯ve known him for more than a decade and I still can¡¯t always put my finger on what he¡¯s thinking,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°What was Arthur like when he was younger?¡± Kathyln asked.


    I had to think for a moment before answering. ¡°I remember him being much colder. He kept his distance from everyone. Even during the times weughed together and teased each other, there always seemed to be some restraint on his part. Of course, I had no clue back then, but looking back now, Arthur hase a long way as a decent person.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯ve been moments when I was truly jealous of him though,¡± Curtis admitted, scratching his cheek in embarrassment.


    ¡°He¡¯s certainly someone most guys would be jealous of when ites to magic and fighting, but he¡¯s rathercking in other aspects,¡± I replied.


    ¡°And what aspects might that be?¡± ire grinned deviously. ¡°Is it perhaps knowing the female heart?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have a specific aspect in mind!¡± I looked away, hoping the evening sky would mask my burning cheeks.


    ire turned her head to the quiet princess. ¡°Your most fearsome rival in love can¡¯t even admit to her feelings, Kathyln.¡±


    ¡°What? Rival in love?¡± Curtis eximed, turning to his sister as well. ¡°Who? Arthur?¡±


    The princess¡¯s once pale face turned such a bright shade of red, I feared she might pass out. ¡°N-No. I mean, it doesn¡¯t matter. I think Arthur suits Princess Tessia much more.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do!¡± ire continued to tease. ¡°You can¡¯t give up without a fight.¡±


    Curtis jumped in, lecturing his sister about how she¡¯s too young to date, while Kathyln denied all usations made by ire, taking quick peeks at me.


    I smiled along, but I also took a long look at the princess sitting across from me. Large, dark eyes with long, thickshes on a face so small you could cover it with one hand. Milkyplexion and such a small, delicate body that even I wanted to protect. On top of the fact that she was an extremely gifted deviant conjurer, she had no ws.


    I wonder if Arthur prefers the cute, reserved type.


    ¡°Tessia?¡±


    I snapped out of my daze at the sound of Curtis¡¯s voice. ¡°Ah, sorry. I was thinking of something else.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I was just curious where Arthur was. I haven¡¯t seen him anywhere around here¡±


    ¡°I saw him this morning,¡± I answered. ¡°He was still recovering so I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d make it to the event but it turns out he will.¡±


    ¡°Arthur got hurt?¡± Kathyln blurted, surprising her brother and ire.


    I nodded. ¡°He¡¯s okay now. Supposedly, it was a blunder on his part, but I feel like they¡¯re not telling me everything.¡±


    ¡°Arthur isn¡¯t the type to make a blunder during a fight,¡± Curtis noted. ¡°I wonder what happened.¡±


    ire let out a deep breath. ¡°You know... I really havee to terms with my injury, but if there¡¯s one thing I regret, it¡¯s being unable to fight by Arthur¡¯s side during this war.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious as to what he¡¯d be like too. If he¡¯s anything like how he was during the incident at Xyrus, I know it¡¯d be worth it,¡± Curtis said.


    Memories of when the soldiers and I found Arthur atop the mountain of corpses still sent chills down my spine. It was a part of Arthur I wouldn¡¯t mind not seeing ever again.


    We continued our conversations until it had be apparent by the drastic increase in noise level that something was going on.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s about time we went back to the main hall,¡± ire suggested, getting up. The rest of us began following her up the steps when she suddenly came to a stop.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I called out as she stood rigidly at the top of the stairs, but my concern had been answered by the time we reached her.


    Donning an elegant set of armorposed only of a pauldron and greaves made of mithril was the Lance Zero, Varay Aurae. Traditions that dated back to when the receivers of these legendary artifacts operated in the shadows forced them to be regarded only by their aliases.


    After these bestowees were made public asnces, these ¡®code names¡¯ were rarely used, but I always thought that they were kind of cool.


    ¡°Master.¡± Kathyln immediately bowed.


    ¡°General Varay,¡± I greeted.


    ¡°Good evening.¡± she nodded, switching her gaze from Kathyln to her brother and back to me. ¡°I¡¯m here to escort you three during the event. Of course, Miss deheart is wee to join.¡±


    ¡°ire. Are you okay?¡± I asked, shaking her gently.


    Taking a step back, she turned to me with a wry smile. ¡°Y-Yeah, it¡¯s just that since I can¡¯t use mana anymore, General Varay¡¯s aura¡ªeven suppressed¡ªparalyzed me for a second. I¡¯m fine now,¡± she hurriedly added, seeing the concerned expressions on all three of our faces.


    We continued walking, but my thoughts shifted back to ire and all of the things that she was now incapable of doing that we had all taken for granted.


    ¡°Even in a ce like this, they stand out,¡± a voice murmured a few feet away, pulling me away from my thoughts.


    ¡°You really have to put them at a whole different standard,¡± another voice whispered, this time closer. ¡°And here I thought the girls at Kalberk were pretty.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re into those prim and properdies?¡± his friend replied. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the girls down at ckbend are more ¡®willing,¡¯ if you know what I mean.¡±


    His friend hid a snicker behind a gloved fist but immediately petrified when he realized my eyes were on him. I suppressed the urge to rebuke them; I probably would¡¯ve done so in a volume that everyone could hear in the past, but this wasn¡¯t anything new nor worth causing a scene over. Besides, my re seemed enough to shut him up for now.


    Needless to say, walking alongside General Varay with Curtis, Kathyln and the mysterious child of the deheart family that had never been seen after the Xyrus incident until now, heads turned left and right. Looking around, I could see men of noble households nudging theirpanions, trying to be discreet the same way the girls tried to be discreet while they ogled Curtis.


    I had to admit that, while he and Darvus wore very simr styles of clothing, the two couldn¡¯t look more different. While Darvus¡ªwith his hair slicked back and attire ornamented with a bit too much gold¡ªlooked more like an overdressed thug than a noble, there was no doubt for anyone here that Curtis was royalty.


    Walking through the hall filled with staring nobles, I was grateful to have General Varay by our side. Even the more bold nobles didn¡¯t dare step in our direction with ance beside us.


    ire leaned toward me. ¡°How do you guys get used to getting this much attention? It¡¯s absolutely nerve-wracking.¡±


    I smiled and whispered back. ¡°Just don¡¯t trip over your own feet.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± She looked down. ¡°Now, I¡¯m conscious of my own walking.¡±


    Arriving near the front of the stage, I caught sight of my parents along with the rest of the Council seated against the wall when the entire hall suddenly darkened.


    Gasps of surprise and mutters of confusion erupted. While I wasn¡¯t able to enhance my vision like augmenters could, assimting with the elderwood guardian had greatly improved my senses to the point where I could even see that the members of the Council were trading puzzled nces at one another.


    The noise inside the hall slowly died down, as most had begun to assume that this was part of the event, until only the soft ruffling of clothes could be heard.


    Footsteps echoed on top of the wooden stage, creating even more suspense amongst the guests until an illuminating artifact floating above the stage shined a pir of light at the stage to reveal my grandfather.


    ¡°Thank you all for waiting!¡± his sharp voice rang with authority, evoking apuse from the nobles, but I could only groan in embarrassment.


    Everyone seemed to love the theatrics but I found them tacky. My grandfather, the person with highest authority in Dicathen during this war, had certainly dressed for the part. With a rich burgundy robe embellished with gold trimming and gleaming ck jewels. Even his hair seemed to shimmer like pearls¡ªmost likely with the help of the lighting¡ªas he stood straight with his hands folded behind him.


    After the apuse died down, my grandfather spoke. ¡°First, let me apologize to everyone here. I know that little was said about the purpose of this event. This was done intentionally¡ªnot for security and certainly not for safety. No, this was done for the sake of surprising each and every person here today.¡±


    Heads turned as nobles looked to one another in confusion, making sure that they had heard right.


    ¡°Yes, you all heard correctly,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Some positive news in the form of a surprise is something we all need in these times of duress.¡±


    Murmurs of agreement sounded from those around us.


    ¡°So... as I¡¯ve kept you all waiting enough, allow me to present to you our first step toward victory in this war! We havee today tomend the one responsible for eradicating a central power of the enemy side¡ªa retainer!¡± My grandfather stepped to the side as a whirring noise resounded from below. The stage split in half as gruesome figure d in a tomb of ice was raised.


    The nobles closest to the stage all took several steps back out of fear, some of the weaker ones even stumbling.


    Falling into a stupor as I gazed at the Vritra, I felt someone tugging on my arm. Looking back, I saw ire barely managing to stay standing as her face turned deadly white. ¡°ire?¡±


    I hurriedly grabbed ahold of my friend, keeping her upright by her waist. ¡°Do you want to go further back?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I need to be able to at least endure this much.¡±


    It pained me to see someone I had once looked up to be so helpless, but I let her be and turned back toward the stage. For a being to be able to emanate such a noxious aura even after death, I could only imagine how strong it must¡¯ve been.


    When I first saw that the Vritra had been encased in ice, and to such a degree that I felt its chill from back here, my gaze unconsciously turned to General Varay, but she looked as stunned as everyone else in the room.


    And her gaze wasn¡¯t fixed on the disfigured monster.


    I looked back to the stage to see another personing from the back, hidden in the shadows behind the column of light shining down at the retainer encased in ice.


    And while I should¡¯vee to expect something like this after all these years, I didn¡¯t. Just like General Varay and everyone else in this hall, I was stunned as Arthur stepped into view for everyone to see.

 Chapter 166

    Chapter 166


    Chapter 166: Meaning


    Everyone in the hall held their breath, silently waiting for Arthur to speak as he came into view.


    He stood wordlessly and surveyed the outdoor gallery from atop the stage. Every person present seemed to ingrain the image of Arthur in their minds the moment he had reached the spotlight.


    I had seen my childhood friend just hours before, so I was even more stunned by how different he lookedpared to when I was with him then. His long auburn hair was tied loosely in a knot behind his head, held together by an ornamental pin. Rather than the usual formal attire of humans, he wore a silky decorative robe like us elves. However, unlike our traditional garb, the loose sleeves of his robe just barely went past his elbows, revealing thin tight-fitting gloves that covered his entire arms. Completing his refined ensemble of clothing was a rich fur pelt, as white as snow, slung over one shoulder.


    It hadn¡¯t been too long since he had appeared in front of the world, adorned in an extravagant armor that dazzled everyone who hade to watch. Yet, seeing him up there within the column of light in his elegant attire, he didn¡¯t just seem dazzling. He radiated an otherworldliness that I had only felt when I saw Master Aldir.


    Distracted by his transformation, I only realized when Arthur turned his head, peering deeply at the Vritra retainer encased in ice, that the red burns that had scarred his neck were no longer visible.


    He turned back to face us before talking, his voiceing out low and steady. ¡°Disying a corpse as some sort of trophy or keepsake for the masses to gawk at is something I deeply disapprove of, but the people attending this event tonight aren¡¯t part of the masses. Each noble here has workers, civilians and inhabitants in yournds that wait impatiently for news regarding this war, and until now, vague assumptions and baseless theories were the only things you could give them.¡±


    Arthur paused, but the crowd remained quiet, faithfully waiting for him to speak again. ¡°Born from a humble background, I was able to climb to where I am now thanks to my family as well as the friends I met along the way. I am now ance, the youngest one at that, but I¡¯m not the strongest. Thences out there, some who are fighting battles as we speak, are echelons above me in power, yet even I was able to defeat a retainer, one of the so-called ¡®highest powers¡¯ of the cryan army.¡±


    As Arthur paused once more and excited murmurs began sounding from the crowd, I realized that these halts in his speech were intentional. He was a year younger than me, and with his background, he had been neither taught nor prepared for things like speeches or social intricacies, yet he was able to utilize every breath, word, break and motion to perfectly take control of the crowd.


    ¡°As you can see. I¡¯ve sustained no injuries from my battle with this supposedly-powerful force and am healthy enough to chatter on like this amongst a crowd of nobles,¡± he smiled, eliciting chuckles from everyone around me.


    cing one of his gloved hands on the tomb of ice, he shifted his gaze to where the Council was seated. ¡°This symbol is not only my offering to the Council who has granted me with this role, but also a gift that I hope you all can take home and spread to your people¡ªfiguratively, of course.¡±


    Cheers andughs erupted after Arthur bowed, signalling the end of his speech. The illuminating artifacts turned back on as Arthur left the stage and my grandfather came back up.


    ¡°Please feel free to get a closer look at the Vritra, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening.¡± With that, a few guards reced my grandfather on stage as the Council came up first.


    While they tried to hide their astonishment, It was obvious by their expressions that it really was their first time seeing the corpse as well. I watched as my parents as well as Curtis and Kathyln¡¯s parents studied the frozen tomb. Only the dwarven elder named Rahdeas kept his distance, his expression subtly strained.


    ¡°Princess Tessia, would you like me to take you to the corpse?¡± General Varay asked, a rare hint of anticipation in her sharp eyes.


    Not wanting to disappoint thence, Curtis, Kathyln, ire and I followed her toward the stage where more and more nobles began surrounding the frozen Vritra.


    Reaching the front of the premises where the soldiers stood guard, I examined the corpse inside. It was hard for me to look at the Vritra for too long though. Physical attribute-wise, it¡ªshe¡ªlooked human, but staring at the two hollowed cavities where her eyes should¡¯ve been filled me with a fear that couldn¡¯t be blocked by mana.


    Seeing Varay stare intently at all angles of the Vritra with her hands moving along the ice tomb as ire studied the corpse wearily, I suddenly remembered.


    ¡°ire.¡± I gently tugged on her sleeve. ¡°Wait right here! Let me go get Arthur!¡±


    ¡°What? Tessia, no¡ª¡±


    Ignoring ire, I quickly made my way to the back of the stage behind the curtains.


    ¡°This area is off¡±¡ªa female guard stationed behind the stage retreated a few steps¡ª¡°Princess Tessia?¡±


    I smiled, quickly making up an excuse. ¡°My grandfather is expecting me to meet with him.¡±


    The guard shifted her gaze over toward the narrow staircase beside her. ¡°General Arthur and Commander Virion had ordered no one to go down these stairs, even the rest of the Council,¡± she replied hesitantly.


    ¡°I know. They told me not to tell the Council that I¡¯m here as well,¡± I lied. ¡°Now please, both of them are expecting me.¡±


    She thought once more for a moment but stepped aside with a nod, motioning for me to go down.


    I didn¡¯t thank her¡ªthat would¡¯ve been suspicious. I just nodded back and headed down the staircase that was wide enough for only one person at a time.


    The staircase seemed to spiral down endlessly. If it wasn¡¯t for the slight nuances in each of the illuminating artifacts¡¯ designs, I would¡¯ve thought that there was some sort of illusory magic at work.


    I quieted my steps with wind magic as I went deeper down the stairs. I knew what I was doing was wrong¡ªeven if it was just Arthur and my grandfather¡ªbut I was too curious to find out what these important matters were and why they needed to even keep them a secret from the Council.


    Once I got close enough to hear faint voices muttering behind closed doors, I withdrew my magic before walking down a few more steps. Both Grandpa and Arthur were freakishly sensitive to mana fluctuations, so if I wanted to eavesdrop, I had to rely on just my hearing. Thankfully, because of my enhanced senses after my beast will¡¯s assimtion, I was able to make out what they were saying, and from the sound of it, the artificer Gideon was there as well.


    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself, brat,¡± my grandfather grunted.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I didn¡¯t need to use magic so it¡¯s just physical fatigue more than anything else,¡± Arthur replied, his voice sounding weakpared to how it sounded up on stage. ¡°This paste around my neck is rather stifling though.¡±


    ¡°Best not touch it or the substance will wear off more quickly,¡± Gideon muttered. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want your scars showing during the party.¡±


    Arthur let out what I could barely make out as a sigh. ¡°Right, I still have to go back out there.¡±


    ¡°Of course you do. You¡¯re the star of the event,¡± Grandpa replied. ¡°Your speech was convincing enough, though, so it might not be necessary for you to stay until the end.¡±


    ¡°Good. Gideon, how did the recording go?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°It was a hassle trying to capture the images at the exact moments you specified since there¡¯s still a bit of a dy between the moment I press the trigger and when the shot is taken¡ªhold on, let me take note of that so I can fix it.¡±


    ¡°Focus, Gideon,¡± Arthur snapped, his voice impatient.


    ¡°I know you just had your legs forcefully torn into a mess and barely put back together but that¡¯s no excuse for being grumpy with me,¡± Gideon grumbled. ¡°Anyway, I was able to capture the images of Rahdeas¡¯ face when Virion first announced the Vritra, then when Arthur first came into view, and when Arthur said he had sustained no injuries,¡± Gideon noted.


    ¡°Here, let me see that,¡± my grandfather said. ¡°What¡¯s Rahdeas looking at in this picture?¡±


    ¡°Not what, who,¡± Arthur answered. ¡°He¡¯s looking at General Varay, who was in the crowd. I suggested to Tessia¡¯s father that we have thence look after the royal children.¡±


    ¡°So Rahdeas thought that General Varay was the one who killed the Vritra?¡± Gideon asked.


    ¡°Wait. Is that why you froze the retainer¡¯s corpse? To get him to think that it was Varay?¡± My grandfather cut in, his voice sounding surprised.


    ¡°I wanted him to think that the strongestnce was responsible for killing one of the strongest forces in the cryan army before it was revealed that I killed him,¡± Arthur exined.


    ¡°You always have a few tricks up your sleeves, don¡¯t you?¡± my grandfather chuckled.


    ¡°Look at Rahdeas face when he first saw the Vritrae up encased in ice. He¡¯s surprised and looks immediately over toward Varay,¡± the artificer pointed out. ¡°Then look at the image of him after Arthures into view and then when he announced how he, the weakest of thences, had kicked the retainer¡¯s ass without sustaining an injury.¡±


    ¡°There are shock and anger,¡± my grandfather noted. ¡°Most would be surprised and progressively grow happier to learn that the supposed weakest is stronger than one of the cryan powerhouses.¡±


    ¡°This still doesn¡¯t prove that Rahdeas is actively helping the cryans, but this does give us a good idea on his stance is on all of this,¡± Arthur added. ¡°We¡¯ll know for sure in the next battle when...¡±


    Arthur¡¯s voice trailed off. I couldn¡¯t hear any of them anymore.


    <em>Lord Rahdeas is helping out the cryans?</em>


    I needed to hear more. Just what was Arthur nning in this next battle?


    I inched down a few more steps to get closer but I still couldn¡¯t hear them.


    Damn it. I knew it was risky, but I decided to take the chance and hope that Arthur¡¯s weakened state would allow me to use just a tiny bit of magic when a sudden surge of mana erupted from down below. I covered my face with my arms on instinct.


    ¡°So we had a little mouse.¡± My stomach sank as I realized Arthur¡¯s voice was just inches away from me.


    ¡°Surprise,¡± I said weakly.


    <span style="text-decoration: underline;">ARTHUR LEYWIN


    I smirked back at my childhood friend as she mustered a smile. Virion, who followed behind me, let out a sigh as he realized it was his own granddaughter that had been eavesdropping.


    ¡°You know, boy¡¯s don¡¯t like girls who snoop around like this,¡± Gideon chuckled.


    Tess¡¯ gaze flickered to me before looking away. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t snooping. I came back here to look for Arthur and the guard let me in rather easily.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure the guard did,¡± Virion replied before he cast a barrier around the four of us. ¡°Now how much did you hear?¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± she answered, her expression turning serious. ¡°Is Lord Rahdeas really...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not sure yet,¡± I cut in. ¡°It¡¯s too soon to assume or act on any of the information we¡¯ve gathered so far.¡±


    Her gaze fell, downcast. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else we need to go over, Virion?¡± I looked back over my shoulder at the old elf.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve shaken up Rahdeas enough. Good work today, brat,¡± Virion responded with a nod.


    I turned back to my friend. ¡°Then would you like to apany me for the rest of the event?¡±


    She was taken aback at first but her lips curled up into a bright smile. ¡°Sure!¡±


    Going back up the stairs, we were greeted by lively music andughter along with the frequent clink of ss.


    ¡°The mood sure turned festive,¡± I noted when Tessia causally linked her arm around mine.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t do this, every nobleman within eyeshot will try to either ask me for a dance or a drink together,¡± she exined, looking the other way.


    ¡°<em>Every</em> nobleman, huh?¡± I stressed. ¡°My meek childhood friend has sure turned confident.¡±


    She tightened her grip around me, pinching my arm as she waved to nearby nobles that greeted her.


    Unable to express my pain with so many eyes watching, I casually leaned toward her, prying her fingers off of my arm as I whispered, ¡°Same old Tessia, resorting to violence, I see.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because only violence seems to work on someone as slow as you, General, ¡± she replied with a feigned smile.


    As we walked through therge open venue of the party, I was greeted left and right by nobles from cities far away and despite her childish antics, Tess was a big help throughout the night. She pointed out notable guests that I should greet and share a drink with and others who would be plenty satisfied with just a sincere greeting.


    While I had experience in events like this in my former life, I knew very little of the politics involving the three kingdoms. Tess, on the other hand, knew exactly who was important and what sort of personalities they had. Subtly leading the conversation and keeping it brief while making sure not to offend them, Tess made my night much easier.


    Perhaps the only downside to having her beside me was the asional re and pinching of skin whenever she caught me sending a smile back to nearbydies that greeted me.


    I guess courtesy should only be extended to the members of society outside of the potential dating range.


    ¡°Brother!¡± Ellie called out from the crowd.


    Looking around, I caught sight of her excitedly waving her arm amidst a group of friends. Even from here I could see the glimmering bracelet embedded with the pink beast core of a phoenix wyrm I had gotten for both her and Mother. Waving back, I walked over to them when my sister unexpectedly wrapped her arms around my waist.


    ¡°Ellie?¡± I said, startled as Tess chuckled beside me.


    ¡°H-H-He really is your brother!¡± a pig-tailed girl in a puffy dress stammered as she tugged on Ellie¡¯s sleeve.


    ¡°Girls, I¡¯d like you all to meet my brother, and Princess Tessia,¡± she announced, puffing her chest as she linked her arms around my other arm.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor, General Arthur! Princess Tessia!¡± a curly-haired girl in a overly-embellished white dress greeted.


    ¡°You were so cool up there, General Arthur!¡± another girl eximed, inching closer to us. ¡°Is it true that you got no injuries at all when you defeated the retainer?¡±


    Looking at the sparkling gazes from the little girls, I suddenly felt embarrassed.


    ¡°Although he looks this pretty and fragile, he¡¯s actually one of the strongest mages in all of Dicathen,¡± Tess answered for me.


    ¡°You¡¯re so lucky to have him as your brother,¡± a small girl with bobbed hair and a cute frilly dress sighed. ¡°My oldest brother wasn¡¯t able to get into Xyrus so he¡¯s going to some no name academy in Carn City while my father sent my second brother to fight in the war after causing trouble with another noble¡¯s daughter.¡±


    I watched silently as my sister resumed gossiping with her friends. It was relieving to see herugh and smile as opposed to shedding tears over my injuries and our parents being far away.


    Giving my sister another hug, Tess and I walked away from her group.


    ¡°It¡¯s funny how my sister always finds the need to introduce me to everyone she knows,¡± I smiled. ¡°Even on her seventh birthday party at the Helstea Manor, she told every one of her little friends.¡±


    ¡°She just wants to show off her older brother,¡± Tess giggled, lightly holding onto my arm. ¡°Even girls her age love to gossip and brag about what they have, and for Ellie, her one and only brother is a great source of pride.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m just d she seems to be surrounded by girls.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure your sister is pretty popr with the boys,¡± Tessia teased.


    I froze, ncing back at my sister and her friends, only to see a small group of noble boys approaching them.


    Tess tugged on my arm. ¡°Come now, don¡¯t be overbearing.¡±


    My eyes shifted toward the back of the venue, where arge brown bear was gnawing on a thick bone. Feeling my gaze, my sister¡¯s bond stared at me with intelligent eyes. I jerked my head, pointing toward Ellie and her group.


    Boo turned, and after noticing the group of boys, nodded once.


    I nodded back.


    He knew what had to be done.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Tess asked.


    I turned back and continued walking just in time to hear a loud growl and the frightened screams of little boys behind me. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    After greeting a few more nobles, I slumped down on a chair. My legs were on the verge of shaking, but I was still pleased at how much they¡¯d healed.


    I looked up to see Tess searching for someone, stretching her neck as she tiptoed to see past the crowd.


    ¡°Wait here,¡± she blurted, immediately bolting off into the crowd. After some time, I spotted her walking back with General Varay beside her, a downcast look on her face.


    ¡°General,¡± I greeted, getting up from my seat.


    ¡°General,¡± she echoed tersely, her eyes examining me.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Arthur,¡± Tess suddenly apologized. ¡°General Varay said she left. She didn¡¯t want to see you.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I replied. ¡°Who didn¡¯t want to see me?¡±


    Tess let out a sigh. ¡°ire deheart. She was here today.¡±

 Chapter 167

    Chapter 167


    Chapter 167: The Confidence To...


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    ¡°How many troops do you need?¡± King ine asked as we all looked down at the detailed map spread across the round table.


    ¡°Three¡ªno¡ªtwo divisions should suffice,¡± I answered.


    ¡°General Arthur. The western coast is where we need to be allocating most of our forces,¡± Rahdeas countered, cing his finger near Etistin and Telmore City. ¡°Sending nearly twenty-thousand troops up north will make this area too vulnerable.¡±


    ¡°I have to agree with Elder Rahdeas,¡± King Alduin added. ¡°There are several battles near the coast that have been going on for days. Withdrawing even a single division would tip the bnce in their favor.¡±


    Queen Prisci, rolled the transmission scroll she¡¯d been reading. ¡°We are still evacuating civilians from both Telmore and Etistin. If forces on the coast are withdrawn, our troops will be pushed back and the battles will take ce in the cities.¡±


    ¡°Commander, we can perhaps send some elven troops stationed near Asyphin City down toward the edge of the border, but two divisions seem feasible,¡± Queen Merial advised, brows knitted in concern.


    Virion, seated in front of me, lifted his gaze to all thences standing upright behind their respective artifact holders. ¡°Generals? What do you think?¡±


    ¡°The brat¡ªGeneral Arthur¡¯s vague suspicion based on loose evidence of what ¡®he saw¡¯ doesn¡¯t justify sacrificing a city or two,¡± General Bairon near spat out.


    ¡°Bairon¡¯s nasty tone aside, he makes a good point,¡± said Mica, the female dwarvennce that looked no older than my sister. ¡°Moving that many troops a few hundred miles will take time, even with the help of teleportation gates.¡±


    ¡°General Aya? General Varay? General Olfred?¡± Virion asked. ¡°Do you all agree?¡±


    General Olfred, the oldest of thences, nodded. ¡°It is too much of a risk.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, General,¡± the elvennce whispered beside me before speaking up. ¡°I also agree that it isn¡¯t wise.¡±


    We all looked to Varay, the only othernce that I wouldn¡¯t be confident in defeating.


    ¡°If General Arthur¡¯s im is true, it¡¯d be the right choice to send that many troops¡ªif not more¡ªup north,¡± thence answered curtly.


    It was surprising to have General Varay¡¯s support, but it worked against me in this case. However, Virion took advantage of her words to bring along the idea that I really wanted to go with.


    ¡°General Varay is right in that, if what General Arthur ims is true, troops need to be sent. After all, there has only been one sighting of a retainer since the war started¡ªif retainer and a scythe were leading this next attack, the damages would be catastrophic without appropriate measures.¡±


    Everyone nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Therefore,¡± Virion paused, shifting his eyes from onence to another, ¡°I propose we send twonces along with General Arthur to investigate whether or not there really is going to be a major attack led by a retainer and a scythe up north.¡±


    The rest of the council immediately nced at one another, waiting for someone toe up with a reason against it.


    ¡°Commander.¡± King ine spoke up. ¡°Thences are the center figures for the divisions out in battle right now. With them gone for too long, morale will decrease and if a retainer or scythe show up in battle¡ª¡±


    ¡°King yder,¡± Virion interrupted, his sharp stare piercing through the human king. ¡°Why do you think thences have refrained from partaking in most of the battles so far?¡±


    The red-haired king remained silent.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. It¡¯s not worth it,¡± Virion continued. ¡°Large-scale destructive spells cast by any of ournces would kill not just their army but our own as well. Even if we had everyone retreat, this is home ground. Land will be destroyed and uninhabitable. Even if thences withheld their power and helped the soldiers out on the field with sword in hand, there will still be casualties and deaths on top of the risk of attracting the cryan¡¯s retainers or scythes.


    ¡°Always keep in mind when fighting that our citizens have to live on thisnd. The goal is to win this war, but also to preserve as much of our cities as possible.¡± Virion¡¯s authoritative gaze shifted from one king or queen to another, directing this lesson to everyone present in this room. ¡°With that being said, if sending twonces is all it takes to avoid arge-scale battle with both scythes and retainers fighting on the other side, then I¡¯d say it¡¯s a small price to pay. Our troops can go a few days without their leaders holding their hands.¡±


    Although expressions of reluctance were evident on the leaders¡¯ faces, they slowly nodded in agreement.


    Virion sped his hands together with a smile. ¡°Good, now which twonces will apany Arthur on this investigation up north?¡±


    A thin hand rose from across the table. ¡°While Lord Aldir is the artifact holder for my twonces, since he is not here I think it¡¯s safe to assume that I can volunteer to send them with Arthur.¡±


    I resisted the urge to smile at the turn of events. Everything was going as I had nned.


    Virion yed it cool as well, appearing as though he was pondering Rahdeas¡¯ decision.


    ¡°Indeed! Since Lord Aldir is not present, I think it¡¯s only natural to have the dwarvennces under Elder Rahdeas¡¯mand,¡± King ine seconded.


    ¡°The battles are urring in Sapin so I agree that sending General Olfred and General Mica would be an ideal option,¡± Queen Merial added.


    Virion slowly nodded, as if almost reluctant. ¡°Very well, General Olfred and General Mica, temporarily under Elder Rahdeas¡¯mand, shall head up north with General Arthur to investigate the possibility a retainer and scythe are nning an attack.¡±


    Both the dwarvennces bowed respectfully as did I.


    ¡°This is a reconnaissance mission, but I leave the situation to your best judgement. Priority is to not alert enemies, especially if a retainer or scythe is present. If circumstances permit a realistic chance in averting a full-scale battle, you may engage. Remember, our priority is to keep the battle away from civilians,¡± Virion added. ¡°Prepare to leave tomorrow, sunrise. Rest of thences, dismissed.¡±


    Walking through the dim hall outside of the meeting room, I let out a deep breath. I had always hated meetings like these, always tense and full of roundabout ways to say no or give a reason not to do something that¡¯d hinder your own gains. While the Council appeared to be a unified front of leaders from all three races, deep-rooted ideals and selfishness toward their own kingdom were more apparent than anything else. King yder, who had been too afraid to act out since Aldir had threatened him after killing the Greysunders for their betrayal, had be more outspoken. Only with Virion there did the Council function even remotely well.


    While Virion and I got the end result we had wanted, this was just the beginning. I scratched at my neck; Gideon¡¯s concealing bandage made my skin itch profusely but I couldn¡¯t take it off until I was alone. The trick to appear unharmed worked during the event a few hours ago, and I had somewhat enjoyed the rest of the evening but one thing weighed heavily on my mind. ire had been at the party; she had seen me.


    She had seen me, yet she didn¡¯t want me to see her. I hadn¡¯t seen her since Xyrus, and thest sight of her I remembered was her being impaled. I tried to think of reasons why she would avoid me, but the sound of footsteps behind me snapped me back to reality.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll be on a mission together!¡± a high voice sounded several paces behind.


    ¡°General Mica, General Olfred,¡± I greeted politely, turning to them.


    ¡°Just call me Mica,¡± the childish dwarf smiled while General Olfred simply nodded in acknowledgment.


    ¡°I¡¯d prefer to keep formalities,¡± I gently refused. ¡°You are my seniors asnces, after all.¡±


    ¡°At least the boy knows some manners despite his meager upbringing,¡± General Olfred said with a raised brow.


    <i>Boy, we¡¯re really going to get along. </i>


    The only real impression I had of General Olfred was when I had first been taken to the floating castle after the incident at Xyrus Academy. He had saved me back then from Lucas¡¯ brother, General Bairon. However, that was simply because he was following orders.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯ll excuse me. I should get some rest for the long journey tomorrow.¡± I dipped my head before turning back to the main staircase.


    Walking up to the residential floors, I probed Sylvie¡¯s mind to see whether she was awake. Seeing that my bond was deep in slumber, I took a small detour.


    Reaching the room at the end of the hall, I knocked on the thick wooden door.


    ¡°Coming,¡± Tessia¡¯ voice called out.


    The door slid open without a single creak and on the other side was Tess. She was dressed in sleepwear but her hair still dripping with water.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡ªArthur?¡± Tess gasped. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I smiled. ¡°Were you expecting someone?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah, Caria was supposed toe over. Arthur, what¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked, noticing my nk gaze.


    ¡°Nothing. You just look different from when you were at the event.¡±


    Tess wrapped a towel around her head as she scowled at me. ¡°Wow! Thanks for pointing that out!¡±


    Realizing my mistake, I quickly shook my head. ¡°No, I meant that in a good way. You look more like the Tessia I spent three years with back then.¡±


    ¡°You need to work on your ttery skills,¡± she sighed. ¡°Wait no, actually. Don¡¯t work on them.¡±


    I let out a chuckle. ¡°Do you want to take a little walk with me?¡±


    After putting on a thin robe over her sleepwear, she followed me down the hall toward the balcony where my sister had set up her target nks. Neither of us talked on the way there as we stood side by side. Unlike at the event, our arms weren¡¯t linked but it somehow felt more intimate.


    We reached the grassy terrace surrounded by trees but continued walking until we were at the very edge. Sitting against the thick trunk of a nearby tree, I stared out at the night sky. The clouds below us moved slowly, dimly lit by therge moon overhead.


    ¡°The stars are beautiful,¡± I admired. Coming from a world where brightly lit cities masked the stars, being able to see such a serene spectacle was a blessing I hade to appreciate.


    ¡°It¡¯s quiet nights like these that I sometimes wonder if there really is a war happening down below us,¡± Tess said softly. ¡°I sometimese out here and imagine that the clouds below us are the ocean and I¡¯m floating aimlessly on a boat. Childish, right?¡±


    ¡°I think you have the right to be a little childish at times,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re a head of an entire unit now. You¡¯re responsible for the lives that you lead and that¡¯ll never be an easy burden to carry, no matter how much experience you gain.¡±


    ¡°You say that as if you¡¯ve been one,¡± she replied, bringing her knees close to her chest. ¡°You¡¯re technically a general but thences don¡¯t really lead the soldiers.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, and in that regard I have it much easier. The main duty of ance is to single-handedly overpower an opposing enemy of their caliber.¡± I turned to my childhood friend. ¡°Which brings me to why I wanted to see you.¡±


    ¡°Does it have something to do with what you talked about with Grandpa and Gideon?¡±


    ¡°Was it that obvious?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the type to do something as sentimental as this without reason. You either have to go away for a long time, do something dangerous again, or both,¡± she pointed out.


    I let out a chuckle. ¡°Am I that much of an open book?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re more like an open chapter,¡± Tess smiled. ¡°There are some parts that are so obvious yet there are times when I feel like I don¡¯t know you at all.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Well, for one thing, I want to know how you¡¯re such an expert at everything you choose to do¡ªwhat¡¯s your secret?¡±


    ¡°Secret?¡±


    ¡°Magic, fighting, artificing, giving speeches¡ªhell, even espionage and military strategy,¡± she listed off. ¡°I knowining how it¡¯s unfair won¡¯t do anything. I¡¯m just curious.¡±


    I held back my tongue. The temptation to reveal everything about my past life to Tess had been growing each time I saw her, but now wasn¡¯t the time. ¡°I just read a lot of books when I was younger.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I expected.¡± Her gaze was full of doubt but she didn¡¯t question me any further.


    ¡°Tess. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re in such a hurry, but you¡¯re doing fine,¡± Iforted.


    ¡°It¡¯s just frustrating,¡± she smiled wearily.


    ¡°Frustrating?¡±


    ¡°I try my best to catch up to you. My mana core is just a half-step behind yours, I¡¯m a beast tamer just like you and I¡¯ve studied under some of the best teachers in the continent as well as an asura¡ªjust like you. Yet, I feel like the closer I am to reaching you, the farther you slip away from my grasp.¡±


    ¡°Tess...¡±


    ¡°Just promise me you¡¯ll return back safely.¡± She gently ran her finger across my neck where my scar had settled. The bandage that I had applied to hide the unsightly mark began peeling off from Tess¡¯ water spell. ¡°I don¡¯t care how many scars youe back with, as long as you¡¯re in one piece and you¡¯re breathing.¡±


    I could feel my face beginning to burn at her words. I tried to think of something to distract ourselves when I thought back to our argument in front of Cynthia Goodsky¡¯s grave. Both then and now, she had gotten worked up about the same thing. ¡°Why is it so important for you to catch up to me, Tess?¡±


    For a moment, the world around us was quiet as she stared off into the night sky. ¡°Because only then will I have the confidence to tell you that I love you again.¡±


    Before I could even process her words, Tess turned to face me once more. Her gaze softened as she gave me a smile so genuinely sweet, with a tinge of shyness that a sudden warmth rushed through me.

 Chapter 168

    Chapter 168


    Chapter 168: View From the Sky


    OLFRED WAREND


    It didn¡¯t surprise me when Elder Rahdeas came to visit me, telling me how he had brought home an infant human boy. I was familiar with his kindness; I, too, had been a recipient of his goodwill after all.


    He had taken me away from the cruel streets of the upper caverns, giving me food and shelter in his own home. Treating me as if I were his blood, he taught me to read and write and, after finding out my natural inclination toward magic, even taught me the basics of mana maniption. But even then, I was cautious. Growing up without a home or family taught one to be suspicious of everyone.


    There was always a nagging thought that maybe this man was just nurturing me to sell me off one day. However, that wasn¡¯t the case. Years passed happily and my suspicions had long since evaporated¡ªI hade to consider myself his son.


    After graduating as one of the top conjurers in Earthborn Institute, located in the capital city of Vildoral, I had been selected to be one of the trainees to be a guard of the royal family.


    The Greysunders were greedy and looked down on their entire race, always discontent with how they were perceived¡ªinferior to the humans and elves. But I served the king and queen faithfully and with the highest respect; that is what Rahdeas taught me.


    After decades of serving the royal family faithfully, talk of choosing the next twonces came to light and I had be one of the candidates. At first, I had nned to drop out of the private tournament; if I had wanted my life bound to someone, it would be to no one but Rahdeas.


    Rahdeas had respected this decision until the day he brought home the boy he named Elijah. Without giving me any detail of how he came across a human infant, Rahdeas urged me to be ance that would serve the royal family faithfully. I argued, saying the Greysunders were not the ones I wished to chain my life to, but Rahdeas assured, with utmost confidence, that it would only be temporary and that I would be bound to him in the end.


    I had learned from serving as a guard for the royal family that the Greysunders had been in power since the creation of Darv, yet Rahdeas was somehow able to guarantee otherwise.


    He was the man I respected as a father and savior. Even if I disobeyed the king, I wouldn¡¯t disobey Rahdeas.


    Another decade passed and the human boy grew under the care of Rahdeas, and for the first time in history, thences were knighted in public. Rahdeas was kind but also a man that, despite his love for his people, kept his thoughts to himself.


    He never told me what he meant when he said my soulbond with the Greysunders wasn¡¯t permanent. He never told me why he kept our ties a secret from the boy. He never exined who exactly it was that told him that this boy was supposed to be the savior of the dwarves.


    ¡°You¡¯re quiet, Olfred,¡± Rahdeas said from the other side of therge circr room. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, my lord.¡± I pried my gaze away from the window and faced the man who¡¯d raised me.


    ¡°Olfred! I told you to just call me Rahdeas when we¡¯re alone,¡± he scolded gently. ¡°Now take a seat. Have a drink with this old man.¡±


    ¡°I have grown old as well.¡± I took a seat across from him, receiving a goblet.


    ¡°The view of the moon is magnificent, is it not?¡± he sighed after taking arge swig from his goblet that seemed tiny in hisrge hand.


    ¡°It is,¡± I agreed.


    ¡°What an ignorant misconception made by humans and elves. They think that just because we live underground, we prefer caves over buildings. With those unbearable gales that cover all of Darv, did they not stop once to think that we didn¡¯t construct tall towers and buildings because we couldn¡¯t?¡±


    I nodded, looking out the window once more after taking a sip. ¡°Ignorance leads to false assumptions and interpretations.¡±


    ¡°Very true. But times of change are upon us.¡± Rahdeas idly traced the scar running down his left eye. ¡°The time hase, my child.¡±


    Reaching over the table, Rahdeas gently grabbed my wrist, sping his hand over mine. ¡°Are there any doubts or hesitations clouding your mind?¡±


    ¡°None... Father.¡± The word felt foreign to me. I had never said it out loud despite always thinking so. However, I knew I would regret if I didn¡¯t say it before my time came to an end.


    The corner of Rahdeas¡¯s eyes crinkled in a gentle smile as he held onto my hand firmly. ¡°Good, good. My only regret is that you won¡¯t be here to see the triumph of our people. If only you had been bound to me rather than that asura.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°There are some things we cannot change. But there is one thing that I wanted you to know.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I know your ambitions for our people, but that is not why I am doing this. Our people were the ones that had scorned me and beat me while I was on the streets. I just want you to know that the reason I can do all of this without a doubt is because it is what you desire.¡±


    Closing his only able eye, Rahdeas nodded slowly. ¡°Good child. Very good.¡±


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    I sat down at the edge of my bed, removing the pin that held my hair up. My bond let out a soft grunt of acknowledgment before falling back asleep, leaving me to the silent peace of the night.


    Tess¡¯ voice echoed in my head, her words conflicting with my priorities.


    ¡°...¡®to<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>tell you that I love you again,¡¯¡± I repeated softly to myself. There were only a few things I truly wanted in this lifetime. It wasn¡¯t fame, power or wealth; I had that and more during my previous life. What I wanted¡ªand the reason why I was fighting this war¡ªwas simply to grow old with my loved ones, something I wasn¡¯t able to do as Grey. For that, I was willing to go against any enemies, asuras or not.


    What I had trouble fighting was the temptation to throw everything away. There were times when I wanted to just escape to the edge of the Beast des with Tess and my family.


    Greed constantly questioned my every move.


    This isn¡¯t your war, Arthur.


    Your legs are near-crippled and you have scars all over your body; haven¡¯t you done enough?


    You¡¯re fighting for your people again. You did that in yourst life and look where that got you?


    Letting out a sigh, I realized why I was constantly pushing Tess away, giving her excuses or roundabout answers for ater date.


    I was afraid.


    I was afraid that if I let her in, my greed would be uncontroble¡ªthat I would throw away Dicathen to save the few I truly loved.


    Time trickled by while I was lost in my thoughts and by the time I realized, the rising sun, covered beneath the clouds, had given the sky an orange tint.


    Removing the luxurious attire I had been wearing since the eventst night, I slipped into afortable shirt and vest, tucking in the ends of my pants into my boots before draping a thick cloak over my shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s time to go, Sylv.¡±


    Sylvie¡¯s bright yellow eyes fluttered open. Hopping off the bed, she walked beside me, watching me as I carefully applied the special bandage to hide therge scar on my neck. ¡®I¡¯m ready.¡¯


    Before heading toward the stairs, I stopped by my sister¡¯s room and knocked on her door. ¡°Ellie, it¡¯s your brother.¡±


    The door slid open, revealing my sister in mid-yawn, her hair frizzy on one side and t on the other. Behind her,ying on his belly beside the bed, was Boo. He peeked at us with one eye before going back to sleep. ¡°Brother? What¡¯s wro¡ª¡±


    She stopped mid-sentence, staring at my clothes. ¡°You¡¯re leaving again? Already?¡±


    I forced a smile that didn¡¯t quite reach my eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± I pulled my sister into my arms.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have toe back soon, juste back alive.¡± She squeezed me tight before pulling herself away. Ellie kneeled down and did the same to my bond before getting back up. My sister smiled widely but tears had already begun welling up in the corners of her eyes.


    I tousled her nest of ash-brown hair. ¡°I promise.¡±


    Making our way down the stairs, I was greeted by a chirpy Mica and stern-faced Olfred at the front of the corridor leading to the teleportation room.


    The gruff, elderly dwarf, who came up to my shoulders despite his ramrod straight posture, immediately turned away from me upon my arrival and headed down the hall. ¡°We¡¯ll be traveling by flight rather than through the gates.¡±


    General Mica, on the other hand, strolled leisurely by my side. By the smile on her small, creamy face, one would think that she was on her way to a pic.


    ¡°Mica¡¯s excited to finally go on a mission with you,¡± she said as we trailed behind General Olfred. ¡°The othernces talk about you, although not all of it is good.¡±


    ¡°Do you always refer to yourself in the third person?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Most of the time, why? Is it making you fall for Mica?¡± she winked. ¡°Mica may look like this but Mica¡¯s a little too old for you.¡±


    ¡°What a shame,¡± I said, unable to help the sarcasm leaking out of my voice.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry, time spent on this journey means time spent away from the already existing battles,¡± General Olfred barked as the soldiers standing guard in front of thending room swung the doors open.


    The artificers and workers inside dropped whatever it was they were doing and saluted upon our arrival. One person, however, walked toward us with an innocent smile.


    ¡°Elder Rahdeas,¡± General Olfred greeted, bowing deeply while Mica and I simply dipped our heads.


    ¡°Lances.¡± Rahdeas¡¯s smile deepened, the scar running through his left eye curving. ¡°Excuse my intrusion; I merely wanted to send you all off in person.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor,¡± General Olfred replied.


    Rahdeas walked to me, staring at me silently with his weary eyes. When he smiled at me, I couldn¡¯t help but wish this person wasn¡¯t a traitor¡ªthat I had suspected him wrongly.


    I still regret the fact that I wasn¡¯t able to protect Elijah, and even the thought of persecuting and ultimately killing the very man who had raised my friend like his own blood left a bitter taste in my mouth.


    Rahdeas ced arge hand gently on my arm. ¡°You must be rather fatigued from your previous battle. By the asuras, let¡¯s hope that your suspicions turn out to be false so that you may hurry back and get some proper rest.¡±


    While his expression and gesture seemed genuine, Rahdeas¡¯s words seemed carefully picked. Nheless, I replied with a smile. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s hope.¡±


    Maybe I am being too suspicious of him, I thought. He was Elijah¡¯s caretaker, after all.


    ¡®While that may be the case, you shouldn¡¯t take that into ount so heavily in regards to your suspicions now,¡¯ Sylvie advised.


    Letting go of my arm, Rahdeas gave one more meaningful nod to hisnces before walking toward the back of the room.


    Olfred led the way to the port on the other side of therge room. ¡°We¡¯re ready to depart. Don¡¯t fly beneath the clouds.¡±


    ¡°Will your bond be fast enough to keep up with Mica and Olfred?¡± Mica asked.


    The prideful Sylvie let out a puff of air through her nostrils before transforming into a full-sized dragon. The ground of the castle trembled as the workers around us instinctively backed away despite seeing my bond before.


    ¡°I¡¯ll manage,¡± she rumbled as her long tail swept me off my feet and ced me on the base of her neck.


    The wall in front of us lowered in a drawbridge mechanism as the floor beneath us extended into arge skydock.


    Immediately I was nearly thrown off by the screeching winds buffeting Sylvie¡¯srge body. While the roof and the multiple terraces were protected by a transparent barrier of mana, we were hit with the full force of the winds at an altitude of more than twenty-thousand feet.


    Our voices lost in the wind, General Olfred merely pointed in the direction we were supposed to head. Immediately, General Mica and Olfred took off into clouds.


    I can never get tired of this view, I thought, looking out as the morning sun became more prominent, casting an ethereal glow on the clouds.


    ¡®Agreed.¡¯ Sylvie sucked in a deep breath before spreading out her wings. Letting the wind carry her body off the dock, we followed closely behind them, not knowing what the oue of this journey might be.

 Chapter 169

    Chapter 169


    Chapter 169: A Dwarven Night


    The entirety of the first day was spent on Sylvie¡¯s back. Without a word muttered to either of the two dwarvennces, we traveled until night fell when my legs could no longer take the strain of riding on bare scale even with the protection of thick cloth and mana. Not just that, but the hours of gripping tightly onto the base of my bond¡¯s neck was taxing on my legs.


    Because of me, we stopped for the night and made camp near the base of the Grand Mountains just a few miles up north of Valden City.


    ¡°Please, help yourself.¡± I held out a skewer of grilled fish toward General Mica and Olfred.


    The childlike dwarvennce happily epted the charred freshwater fish, crunching through the bones as if they didn¡¯t exist, but the oldnce merely shook his head.


    ¡°If you have the energy to cook, perhaps we should leave soon,¡± he said, ignoring my courtesy as his eyes remained nted on a book he had brought.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Mica said, her mouth still full of fish. ¡°The old man doesn¡¯t eat food given by anybody he doesn¡¯t fully trust.¡±


    I nodded, throwing the fish I had grilled for General Olfred to Sylvie. With a snap of her neck, the ckened fish disappeared inside her maw. My bond remained in her original draconic form, curled up at the edge of our small camp. Because of her ck scales, Sylvie seemed to almost disappear despite herrge frame¡ªthe only part of her visible being her two sharp topaz eyes that seemed to hover in the dark.


    ¡®These small morsels do little more than get stuck between my teeth,¡¯ Sylvie grumbled in my head.


    I know, but you¡¯ll have to make do with these for now. Besides, you can easily go for weeks without eating, I replied, helping myself to a skewered fish. The fish¡¯s charred skin was filled with a smoky sweetness from the fire, filling my mouth with vor despite it being unseasoned.


    ¡®Yes, but I eat for the vor rather than the nutrients,¡¯ she retorted.


    Maybe you can find some mana beasts further north. We¡¯re still too close to Valden.


    The rest of the meal was rather quiet except for the soft gurgle of the nearby stream where I had caught the fish and the asional snap of a twig in the fire.


    Olfred didn¡¯t say a word after rejecting my fish, remaining still¡ªalmost like a statue¡ªas he leaned back against the earthen backrest he had erected while reading his leatherbound book. The only time he actually looked away from the book was when General Mica began humming as shebed through her short curly hair.


    With a look of sheer distaste at the off-tune melody, I couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile. Fortunately, General Mica was fairly quiet throughout the night, giving me time to refine my mana core.


    Despite being at the mid silver-core stage, I feltcking being surrounded bynces and my bond that happened to be an asura. With Dawn¡¯s Bad damaged and my legs debilitated, I felt like I had taken a step back even after the training at Ephetous. One thing I was certain of was that I could no longer afford to use Burst Step again if I wanted to keep my ability to walk.


    After an hour of gathering mana from the atmosphere, refining it in my core and repeating the process, I felt someone¡¯s gaze.


    I pried an eye open only to see Mica just a few inches away from me, staring intently, while even Olfred had closed his book to observe.


    ¡°This is Mica¡¯s first time feeling something like this,¡± Mica whispered.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked, shifting nces between the twonces.


    ¡°Your refinement process,¡± Olfred answered, his eyes narrowed in thought. ¡°Usually it¡¯s not very apparent when someone refines their core¡ª¡±


    ¡°But when you do it, it feels like Mica¡¯s body is getting pulled toward you!¡± Mica cut in excitedly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never had that pointed out,¡± I replied. ¡°Is it maybe because I¡¯m a quadra elemental?¡±


    Mica let out a gasp. ¡°Quadra?¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s how you were able to be ance despite your age. I¡¯ve heard this being discussed once by the Council, but to think it was actually the case,¡± Olfred whispered as if talking to himself.


    ¡°What¡¯s it like being able to utilize so many elements?¡± Mica asked as she leaned in closer, herrge eyes practically sparkling.


    ¡®Careful what you reveal,¡¯ Sylvie advised from behind, her body still appearing as if she were asleep.


    I know, I thought back. ¡°There are still some elements that I still have a hard time grasping, like gravity, but for the most part, it¡¯s practicing and always self-reflecting on what spell and element to use under specific situations.¡±


    ¡°Right, right.¡± Mica nodded fervently. ¡°Knowing so many spells is useless if you don¡¯t know when to use them.¡±


    ¡°There must be elements you¡¯re morefortable using,¡± Olfred said.


    I nodded. ¡°There are.¡±


    ¡°Hey, shall Mica teach you how to manipte gravity?¡±


    I scooted back, smelling the grilled fish in Mica¡¯s breath. ¡°I think it¡¯s more of a practical issue than anything. There are times when I can use it, but it¡¯s just not something I¡¯m confident in.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really easy, you know,¡± Mica insisted, holding out a palm. ¡°You just have to imagine the world going up or down. Then you grab it in your hand and release!¡±


    Unable to understand Mica¡¯s iprehensible exnation, I looked back to Olfred.


    The old dwarf rolled his eyes. ¡°You¡¯d have an easier time learning from a pebble. Miss Earthbornes from a long line of famous dwarven conjurers, but even amongst them, she¡¯s considered a genius. Learning magic through intuition, she doesn¡¯t even know the rudimentary concepts of mana maniption.¡±


    ¡°Earthborn?¡± I repeated. ¡°Where have I heard that name before?¡±


    ¡°Her ancestors founded Earthborn Institute,¡± he answered simply, going back to his book.


    I stared at the childlikence in a daze. I knew that all of thences had distinct strengths but it never urred to me that this seemingly ditzy mage would be from such an influential family. Not much of dwarven history was taught or even written in Sapin, but Earthborn Institute still stood out as one of the main reasons dwarves were able to stay on par with the kingdom of Sapin despite their smaller poption and territory. Even after Xyrus Academy had begun epting different races, much of the dwarven nobles still chose to send their children to Earthborn for their more specific disciplines and areas of study suited for dwarves.


    ¡°Mica¡¯s amazing on top of being beautiful, right?¡± The small dwarf puffed out her chest.


    General Olfred let out a scoff, his face hidden behind his book. ¡°That again? I apud your confidence but If you¡¯re so beautiful, why is it that you have no experience in rtionships when you¡¯re nearing fif¡ª¡±


    He couldn¡¯t finish his sentence as he had to defend himself from a massive war axe that seemingly appeared out of thin air. The ground beneath the old general split from the sheer force exerted by General Mica.


    With an innocent smile that seemed to contain a ferocious demon inside, Mica swung down her weapon once more. ¡°My, grumpy old Olfred is getting ahead of himself. You should know best that the reason why I have yet to invest in a man is that my tastes don¡¯t suit the standard dwarves.¡±


    I scooted back closer to Sylvie, not wanting to be a part of this dispute.


    ¡®I think I liked her more when she referred to herself in the third person,¡¯ Sylvie admitted.


    I wholeheartedly agree.


    Olfred, who had instantly erected a shield of solidified earth above him to guard against hispanion¡¯s weapon, let out another scoff. ¡°Please, the only reason you weren¡¯t tantly ostracized is because of your background. Perhaps you¡¯ll find a human with a rather unique taste for little girls to sweep you off your feet.¡±


    The force of gravity increased around us, and it had be hard to breathe without the help of mana to strengthen my body. The fire had gone out, the wood that had once been burning reduced to rubble.


    I stared at the two of them, dumbfounded at the sight of twonces¡ªpinnacles of power in all of Dicathen¡ªbantering like children. <span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>


    ¡°We¡¯ll¡±¡ªI let out a sigh, collecting myself¡ª¡°We¡¯ll attract attention if the both of you keep this up.¡±


    Ignoring me, General Mica swung her giant axe once more, but rather than cleave the stone golem that General Olfred had conjured, her axe obliterated the golem into pebbles. ¡°I don¡¯t see you with a lover in your arms, Oldfred!¡±


    ¡°The fact that you were able to be ance with your childish antics never ceases to amaze me,¡± Olfred grunted as he erected another golem, this time muchrger.


    Letting out a sigh, I gathered water particles from the nearby trees and hosed the both of them until they were both dripping wet.


    The both of them whipped their head, eyes ring. ¡°Are you guys done or do you want to level a mountain while you¡¯re at it?¡±


    Mica clicked her tongue. ¡°It¡¯s Oldfred¡¯s fault, bringing up ady¡¯s age.¡±


    ¡°Those born sipping milk from a silver goblet need to be educated of their ignorance,¡± Olfred muttered.


    Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, I watched as the two of them retreated to their own corners of the camp. General Mica, with a single stomp of her tiny foot, erected a cottage from the ground. Large enough to almost fit Sylvie inside, the stone house even had textured walls and came equipped with a chimney that soon began puffing smoke.


    General Olfred, on the other hand, chose to build hisir underneath within the side of the cliff just a few feet away from our camp. The earthen cliffside in front of him glowed a deep red and began melting to form a pool of molten rock. Arge area almost immediately hollowed out and I was able to catch a glimpse of the detailed stone furniture inside before thence closed the gaping entrance he had made without even ncing back.


    ¡°Very covert,¡± I muttered helplessly before turning back and crawling underneath one of Sylvie¡¯s ck wings as a makeshift tent.


    ¡®You might be morefortable conjuring a tent as well,¡¯ Sylvie suggested.


    I¡¯ll feel safer here in case they decide to do something in my sleep, I replied sluggishly.


    I drifted in and out of consciousness as scenes from my past life shed in between the peaceful lulls of slumber. Memories I wanted to forget resurfaced like worms on a rainy day.


    After the night Headmaster Wilbeck was murdered, my goals had changed. Despite both Nico and Cecilia trying to convince me to go to school, I had no intention of trying to be a normal boy like the headmaster wanted me to be. I hated myself for being unable to protect her, the woman who raised me like a mother when every other adult had regarded me as a pest or burden. She took me in, wanting nothing in return except for my own happiness and for a time, I thought I had found it.


    During that short period in my life with Nico and Cecilia by my side in the orphanage with Headmaster Wilbeck to watch out for us and scold us, I was happy like any normal child. She had no sins¡ªshe did nothing wrong. The headmaster was the type of person to give up her own lunch to a homeless man she had just passed by, yet life repaid her kindness with a horrible and bloody death.


    The orphanage was left in charge by another headmaster and after a few months, the kidsughed like nothing ever happened.


    Not me, though. I had be obsessed with finding out who had sent those killers after me and Nico and Cecilia as well as Headmaster Wilbeck.


    Nico¡¯s words rang clearly. ¡°What are you even going to do once you find them? You¡¯re going to take them out all on your own? With your ability?¡±


    That was when I realized I had to get stronger. Withdrawing my application to the school, I enrolled in one of the military institutes where they trained candidates for the army.


    Both Nico and Cecilia tried to talk me out of it. They urged me to give the school a chance to break me free of my obsession. Looking back now, I wish I had listened to them then. My life would¡¯ve been much less painful and lonely if I had.


    Perhaps the thing I regretted more than refusing to listen to them was allowing the two of them to follow me into the training institute. I know I had advised them against it at the time, but if only I had tried harder¡ªpushed them farther away from me¡ªthen at least my life would¡¯ve been the only one affected.


    ¡®Arthur. We should depart before the sun rises.¡¯ My bond¡¯s voice rang gently but I still woke up with a gasp.


    ¡®You were having nightmares of your past life again,¡¯ she stated rather than asked.


    You know about these? I asked, sitting up.


    ¡®Yes, although theye in shes, I¡¯m able to make them out. You seem to be getting these more frequently,¡¯ she answered, concerned.


    I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing, I replied, getting out from underneath Sylvie¡¯s wing.


    ¡®I certainly hope that¡¯s the case,¡¯ she said dubiously.


    I responded with a smile, drawing our mental conversation to an end.


    ¡°We¡¯ll shoot for reaching the northern coast by the end of today,¡± Olfred announced as he destroyed the stone tents he and Mica had conjured, while Mica was covering our camp in case adventurers or hunters strayed too close.


    My suspicions of the twonces¡¯ involvement in the betrayal of Dicathen had lessened after their behaviorst night, but I remained cautious. Conjuring a small gust of wind, I helped the two cover our tracks and we were back on our way.

 Chapter 170

    Chapter 170


    Chapter 170: Old Roots


    A haze of magenta and orange spread throughout the horizon, giving life to the tranquil ocean in the distance. Sylvie and I plummeted near the edge of the Grand Mountains. The darkened figures of Mica and Olfred cast a shadow over us as they levitated down above us, preparing to catch me right after Sylvie transformed into her fox-like form.


    We were still several miles away from the northern coast but we couldn¡¯t afford flying any closer. Assuming the worst, a scythe might be able to sense substantial mana fluctuations even from this distance.


    Sylvietched onto me as soon as she shrunk. At the same time, I reached out, grabbing Mica¡¯s outstretched hand. There we slowly descended, close enough to the massive mountain range to avoid any unwanted attention. While I was easily able tond, even from this height, doing so meant that I¡¯d likely tten the trees nearby and perhaps even sink the ground from the sheer force I¡¯d have to use to stop myself. As reluctant as I was to admit, it was much simpler relying on thence to just carry me down.


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty bad scar you have on your hand!¡± Mica remarked, her voice barely audible from the wind.


    ¡°It¡¯s an old wound.¡± I cracked a smile. I had made sure to hide the scar on my throat with the concealing bandage, but the scar on my left hand was of little issue to people that didn¡¯t know me very well.


    The smallnce nodded, the strength of her grip around my arm growing tighter despite her delicate-looking fingers.


    Wended at the base of the Grand Mountains, on a field of dry grass and boulders where<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>frigid winds whistled around us.


    ¡°Mana from this point on should be kept to a minimum,¡± Olfred said as he scanned our surroundings for anyone nearby.


    I nodded in agreement. I was able to use mana without it being detected through Mirage Walk, but that was information better kept to myself.


    ¡°I assume you have a n in order to find the retainer and scythe in question?¡± the gruffnce remarked.


    ¡°Somewhat.¡± I took out the white mask I had kept since first bing an adventurer and the ck coat made from the fur of a nightmare fox. This was the outfit I had worn along with the mask since it had the subtle ability to cast one¡¯s focus away from the wearer. Wearing it over my clothes, I also fished out a thick cloak from my dimension ring and draped it over my shoulders. ¡°We¡¯ll need to head toward the main road so take out your cloaks and put up the hoods.¡±


    Olfred studied my ck coat with a curious gaze. ¡°An intriguing effect. Were you once an assassin or thief?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I chuckled, looking down at my outfit. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to stand out.¡±


    With a dismissive nod, he and Mica followed my request, each taking out avish cloak of rich mana beast fur.


    Without saying a word, I walked over to Mica as I took out a spare cloak from my ring. Dropping it on the ground, I stepped on it, staining the brown cloak with dirt and grass before handing it to the smallnce. ¡°Wear this instead.¡±


    ¡°Y-You just dropped it and stepped on it!¡± Mica eximed, bbergasted.


    ¡°I know,¡± answered as I dropped my own cloak and stepped on it, rubbing my heel to thoroughly coat it with dirt and grime. ¡°The two of us are going to be Olfred¡¯s ves.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t Mica be the master?¡± she huffed, holding my spare cloak with just two fingers.


    ¡°Because you have the appearance of a middle-schooler,¡± I answered bluntly with an innocent smile. Olfred let out a smallugh as he sped on his fur cloak.


    ring daggers at her cohort, she reluctantly put her cloak back into her ring and put on the dirty one I had given her.


    ¡°Sorry. This is for safety measures,¡± I said. Bending down, I dipped my finger on a muddy patch of dirt.


    ¡°No, please,¡± Mica begged, protecting her face with the hood of her cloak.


    ¡°We¡¯re ves that have been traveling a fair distance. It¡¯d only be natural to be dirty, and it¡¯d be a good way to get by unnoticed.¡± Without waiting for her consent, I pulled off her hood and smeared the moist dirt on her face before doing the same to myself.


    I dipped my head down and tousled my long hair until it became disheveled and covered most of my face. After putting on the hood of my cloak, I handed the mask that I was holding to Olfred. ¡°Wear this along with your cloak and if anyone asks, it¡¯s to hide a gruesome scar you received years back.¡±


    Olfred nodded, epting the mask. As he slid it on over his face and propped up his hood, I couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of my time as an adventurer under the guise of Note.


    The blue streak running down to the right eye hole of the mask had faded over the years but with Olfred¡¯s height being simr to how tall I had been when I was an adventurer along with the mask and cloak really brought back memories.


    ¡°The mask fits well,¡± Olfred said, his voice sounding deeper from the effects of the mask. ¡°Oh? It has this sort of function as well.¡±


    ¡°Mica wants to go home,¡± the small dwarf sulked, her youthful face caked with dried mud while her short hair poked out in messy curls from underneath the dirty and tattered cloak.


    How¡¯s my disguise? I asked my bond, turning to face her.


    ¡®It¡¯ll have to do, although it worries me what would happen if someone looked too closely.¡¯ Her small feline head nodded in approval.


    Why does that sound more like an insult than apliment?


    ¡®It¡¯s a bit of both,¡¯ her calm voice chuckled in my mind. Sylvie hopped inside my cloak since she needed to be hidden from view as I posed as a ve.


    ¡°You¡¯re positive no one will suspect us?¡± Olfred¡¯s deep voice rumbled from behind the mask.


    ¡°No one¡¯s going to be out looking fornces, and there are quite a bit of adventurers that like to use masks,¡± I replied, trailing next to Mica behind our temporary master. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s an old saying that the best ce to hide is in in sight. Who¡¯s going to suspect a noble and his two ves that got raided by bandits on our way up north to escape the battles?¡±


    ¡°While you do make a point, I¡¯ve never heard of such a saying. Perhaps it¡¯s used only by humans?¡± Olfred asked.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± I chuckled, remembering now that I had learned it in my previous life.


    We trudged for hours silently. I constantly used Mirage Walk to strengthen my legs with mana while hiding the fluctuations, satisfied that not even Mica and Olfred were able to notice anything off.


    I ran the n that Virion and I hade up with in my head with Sylvie. Assuming that both Olfred and Mica were traitors, I didn¡¯t know what they nned on doing to me. Worst case was them killing me when they had the chance, while another scenario was them taking me to the Vritra. Whatever the case, the two dwarves wouldn¡¯t attack me so brazenly with Sylvie around. Even if they were able to overpower us, it would be a hard fight and attract attention even in the most remote areas.


    If I were them, I¡¯d lead me and Sylvie to the retainer or scythe in order to swiftly dispose or capture us. Having said that, the only real way to make sure that their n was to lead us to their backup was to intentionally act like I could not find them.


    With Realmheart, I could make use of the visible mana fluctuations to find the Vritra ¡¯s base. After a few days of leading them in the wrong direction, they would either give up and want to head back¡ªin which case my suspicions would be wrong¡ªor they would provide me with suggestions or hints to lead Sylvie and me to our demise.


    ¡®Your n rests on a lot of assumptions,¡¯ my bond noted, shuffling inside the pocket of my cloak. ¡®What if they forcibly lead you to the Vritras?¡¯


    I highly doubt they¡¯d want to reveal their position. You can¡¯t get much better than having one of the councilmembers as a spy. Which is why it¡¯s safe for me to assume that they¡¯d try to avoid suspicion until they¡¯re sure they can get rid of us without drawing attention.


    ¡®So we¡¯ll just run away if it seems like they¡¯re trying to lead us to them?¡¯ Sylvie asked, her tone doubtful.


    If we can head back after finding the location of the Vritra¡¯s base without fighting Olfred and Mica, that¡¯ll be the best case scenario, I responded, following closely behind the masked noble that was posing as my master. But just in case, Virion sent anothernce behind us.


    Sylvie didn¡¯t answer, but a wave of surprise flooded my mind.


    You can¡¯t sense her at all, can you?


    ¡®No, I can¡¯t,¡¯ she admitted. ¡®Is it the elvennce?¡¯


    Mhm. Despite her demeanor, she was given the code name ¡®Phantasm¡¯ because of her abilities to deceive and hide from opponents.


    ¡®An assassin,¡¯ Sylvie noted.


    The two of us conversed mentally, shortening the passage of time as we trekked through the rugged ins.


    Throughout the way, I activated Realmheart in brief increments, trying to catch any fluctuations of mana around us. I had to be careful to not let the twonces see my eyes, but my hood and long bangs were able to hide the fact that my pupils changed from blue to a lightvender.


    As we continued our journey Northwest, trees became more abundant as the ins slowly shifted into acres of woond. With Mana Rotation, the skill I learned from Sylvia, constantly replenishing my mana supply while I used Mirage Walk to conceal the mana fluctuation around me caused by using magic, the time I spent walking had be a sort of training.


    ¡°We¡¯ve made it,¡± Mica sighed as we finally reached the main road. The dirt trail was wide enough to amodate two carriages with ample space in between, and while there were wheel tracks from use, there seemed to be no carriages within sight.


    ¡°Where to now, boy?¡± Olfred¡¯s deepened voice rang.


    ¡°We follow the road to the nearest town,¡± I simply answered.


    ¡°More walking?¡± Mica groaned in protest.


    ¡°The closest town isn¡¯t too far off,¡± Iforted.


    Mica and I kept our heads low as we followed behind Olfred on the side of the trail. Suddenly, I picked up the faint ck of hooves and wooden wheels.


    Both thences perked up less than a secondter, picking up on the sound as well. The three of us stopped and waited for the carriage to appear in our line of sight. Pulled by two brown horses, one speckled near its muzzle, the wooden carriage was driven by an older gentleman in green and brown traveling garb with a young man that appeared not much older than myself.


    As they got closer, it was apparent how malnourished the two horses were. Their ribcages were clearly pronounced while their coats and manes had lost any sort of luster they would normally get from the nutrients in their food.


    Olfred waved his arms at the approaching carriage. ¡°Hello there!¡±


    With a swift pull of the reigns, the horses and carriage came to a dusty halt.


    ¡°You lost?¡± the older man barked, his eyes scanning Olfred¡¯s garb while the younger one eyed Mica and me suspiciously.


    ¡°My ves and I were on our way up north when our carriage was attacked by some bandits,¡± Olfred exined, his voice steady while he dramatically told a tale of woe. ¡°They slit my horses and tried to rob us. Luckily my ves were able to fight off the bandits.¡±


    ¡°These two munchkins?¡¯ The older man¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    Olfred shook his head. ¡°No, no. Different ves, but unfortunately they didn¡¯tst much longer from infection of the wounds.¡±


    ¡°Mmm. And the mask?¡± the driver asked with a raised brow. He and the younger man both gripped the hilts of their sheathed daggers on their waists. By their awkwardly ced hands, it seemed that their weapons were more for intimidation.


    ¡°My father insisted I hide my identity in these dangerous times,¡± Olfred answered with a weak chuckle as he held up his hands in submission, noticing the weapons as well.


    ¡°Dangerous times indeed as you¡¯ve already experienced.¡± The older man loosened his grip on the weapon. ¡°Fighting ves are hard toe by and even harder to afford since the war started. Pity for your loss.¡±


    ¡°A great loss,¡± Olfred agreed.


    ¡°Well, times are hard for all of us. I¡¯m not sure my horses can handle the weight of more people,¡± the older man ran his fingers through his scraggly beard as he let out a cough.


    ¡°Naturally, you¡¯ll bepensated,¡± Olfred replied calmly as he dug into his fur cloak and pulled out two silver coins.


    The younger man reached out and snagged the silver coins, testing their pliability with his teeth before giving an okay to the driver.


    ¡°Hop on then,¡± the older man motioned to Olfred. ¡°But your ves will have to walk.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Olfred said without hesitation.


    I caught a nce of Mica¡¯s devastated expression before she lowered her head again. Without saying a word, I pulled the child-likence back and waited for the carriage to resume before following after it with Mica.


    ¡°Mica is going to kill that old man,¡± Mica muttered, her face hidden beneath her hood.


    ¡°Just bear it for a little longer. The next town is only an hour away.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re familiar with this rural countryside?¡± Mica asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± I said softly. ¡°It¡¯s where my hometown is after all.¡±

 Chapter 171

    Chapter 171


    Chapter 171: Inside The Tavern


    The flickering fires of street lights glowed in the nearby distance, a sight for sore eyes after hours of nonstop walking. I hade back to Ashber, the small town where I was born, for the first time in more than ten years.


    ¡°Mica is ready for a nice cold mug of ale,¡± the general whispered, licking her dry, cracked lips.


    I nodded wordlessly, keeping my pace brisk to match the speed of the carriage we were behind.


    ¡°Just out of curiosity, Sir. How many ves do you own?¡± the younger man asked eagerly, his narrow eyes shifting between Olfred and me.


    ¡°I never counted,¡± Olfred answered with a shrug. ¡°We have many at home, some owned by myself and some owned by my family.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± The younger man sighed. ¡°If you have so many, how about you leave those two ves with us¡ªouch!¡±


    The older, bearded man leaned back from his seat and smacked the boy upside his head. ¡°Are you hollow in the head? Who in their right mind would just freely give away their ves!¡±


    The boy rubbed his head, fixing his dirty blond hair. ¡°I was just asking, old man. Sheesh!¡±


    ¡°Sorry about my boy. I¡¯ve had to raise him on my own after his mother ran off, and manners weren¡¯t always a priority on my list of things to teach him.¡±


    ¡°No offense taken,¡± Olfred said with a deep chuckle. ¡°Normally, I might¡¯ve just left them with you once I¡¯d reached my destination but these two offer at least a bit of security in these chaotic times.¡±


    The boy clicked his tongue. ¡°Unlucky.¡±


    Something about the two of them didn¡¯t sit right with me. Aside from the fact that there were no other carriages going back and forth so close to town, there was no luggage on the carriage either. Their only weapons seemed to be the knives that they had buckled to their waists, which provided barely any protection.


    They had seemed reasonably suspicious upon first contact, but they opened up too easily as if waiting for a reason to trust us. However, we were almost in Ashber and nothing seemed amiss.


    ¡°Well, here we are,¡± the bearded driver announced, pulling on the reins to halt the carriage. ¡°We¡¯re skipping through this town so it¡¯d be best if you walk from here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be traveling through the night?¡± Olfred asked, skepticismced in his voice.


    ¡°We¡¯re in a hurry to a small outpost just an hour away,¡± the blond-haired boy answered with augh, releasing thetch in the back to let Olfred out.


    ¡°Well, regardless, thank you for the ride.¡± Olfred handed the boy an extra silver coin before hopping off the carriage.


    The driver gave Olfred a wave before snapping his reigns. With an annoyed grunt, the two horses started trotting, pulling the carriage to a narrower dirt road that veered off to the left.


    ¡°They need to work on their acting,¡± Olfred said, shaking his head as he began walking.


    ¡°So it wasn¡¯t just me,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Whatever. As long as there¡¯s alcohol and a cozy bed, Mica will be happy.¡±


    As the three of us walked into town, I couldn¡¯t help but notice how empty the streets were. Part of my memory of Ashber was how lively it had been for such a small town. Adventurers were scarce this far up north but a small river flowing near the town made the area a great ce to raise crops. After the death of Lensa, my father took my mother here to this remote town and took a job here guarding farmers and their crops against the frequent wolves or stray mana beasts that came from the Grand Mountains. With farmers waking up early to tend to their crops and afternoons spent either selling on the market streets of Ashber or to frequenting merchants, nighttime was when everyone truly found the time to unwind and have fun.


    My father would oftentimese home at night, tripping over his own feet after drinking with the local farmers. I had expected some change to have urred from the war, but I never expected Ashber to be such a ghost town.


    The streetmps thaty scattered around were burning brightly, but there were no signs of people nearby. The three of us sensed someone in the alleyway, his features hidden by shadows. After a moment, though, the person scurried off, his unrhythmic footsteps growing fainter until the only sound we heard came from ourselves.


    The three of us looked at one another but remained quiet. Looking around, most of the buildings were either vacant or barred. Wooden nks were nailed over windows while chains held together a store¡¯s front entrance.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I activated Realmheart to sense for mana fluctuations, not expecting much.


    However, I could see the distortions in the atmospheric mana all over the town. There had been mages here recently.


    ¡°I sense individuals scattered around, but there seems to be a congregation of forty or so just a few blocks away,¡± Olfred grunted.


    ¡°Mica sensed forty-three,¡± the littlence muttered beside me.


    ¡°I thought we agreed not to use magic,¡± I said, irritated. ¡°What if there are cryan mages or Vritras nearby that pick up on it?¡±


    ¡°Mana wasn¡¯t needed to sense them,¡± Olfred replied cryptically.


    <i>What?</i> I almost said aloud. If they were able to sense people around this urately, my whole n could bepromised.


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± I lied. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll be able to pick up on the cryans¡¯ hideout sooner than I¡¯d expected.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll probably still take some time. Mica can only sense people within a short distance and even then it¡¯s sort of fuzzy. Same goes for Olfred,¡± Mica exined.


    ¡°You¡¯re both talking too much for ves,¡± Olfred snapped, before dropping his voice into a whisper. ¡°Just because we can¡¯t use magic does not mean our enemies are bound by the same handicap. Assume our voices will always be heard.¡±


    I knew no one was nearby¡ªat least no one that was manipting mana¡ªand so should Olfred, making it seem like he just wanted Mica to stop talking about their limits, but the elderly dwarf did have a point. I nodded and continued trailing a few steps behind Olfred with Mica quietly simmering in frustration beside me.


    Turning a corner after passing by a particrly tall, worn-down building, I knew exactly where this ¡°congregation¡± that Olfred and Mia mentioned was.


    Clouds of smoke visibly puffed out of a chimney from what seemed like a tavern. Therge shack had a crooked roof with missing tiles, but out of all the other tattered edifices and hovels nearby, it was the only ce with lighting from inside.


    We approached with little hesitation, driven by the thought of a nice seasoned meal and a plush bed.


    <i>¡®I smell meat being grilled,¡¯ </i>Sylvie said as we got closer, rustling impatiently inside my cloak.


    Olfred turned around and the three of us looked at one another before opening the splintered wooden door. My nose hungrily breathed in the pungent smell of alcohol, smoke, and a variety of indiscernible foods and spices. A mor of a dozen conversations all trying to overwhelm one another resounded throughout therge tavern with the sounds of sses clinking and palms pounding apanying them.


    The people¡ªmostly men¡ªthat were seated at the tables closest to the door all turned to face us, some with flushed cheeks, others with irritated scowls.


    ¡°Do we wait to get seated?¡± Olfred¡¯s voice sounded from behind his mask.


    ¡°You¡¯re responsible for finding your own seat in establishments like these,¡± I said, pulling my hood down to cover more of my face as I resisted the urge to chuckle.


    I grabbed Mica¡¯s wrist and followed behind Olfred as he weaved through the customers and tables. It was impossible not to notice the res as we passed by. A burly man with long, tangled hair purposely leaned back, hoping to bump into one of us as an excuse to start amotion.


    ¡°Nevermind. It¡¯s only forty-two,¡± Mica said as she pointed to a fanged hound that stood near its barrel-chested owner, drool leaking out of its t muzzle.


    I raised a brow. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Forty-two people, not forty-three like Mica said earlier. Mica mistook that mana beast for two people,¡± she exined.


    ¡°Only forty-two people; got it,¡± I replied.


    Continuing through the maze of people, I tried to pick up any bits of conversation I could that might alleviate my suspicions about this ce. I was able to pick out a part of one table¡¯s dialogue amidst the mor, ¡°...were able to reel in some fish tonight.¡±


    While the toned man with several missing teeth could¡¯ve simply been talking about catching a trout or some other aquatic vertebrate, their suspicious gazes told me that their conversation wasn¡¯t so innocent.


    Eventually, we seated ourselves around a wobbly table in the far corner of the tavern next to the bathroom. A vile stench caused by the absence of proper plumbing assaulted my nose, getting rid of every trace of the appetite I had built up.


    ¡°What¡¯ll it be for you tonight?¡± a barmaid asked as she nonchntly pulled down on her dirty gown to further expose her breasts. She leaned down on the table next to Olfred, tantly inviting his eyes toward her cleavage as she herself scanned his fine cloak.


    Mica and I apparently didn¡¯t exist to this server as she swayed coquettishly next to Olfred, waiting for him to order.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take three mugs of cold ale and whatever stew you have tonight along with some bread,¡± Olfred said, unfazed by her attempts at wooing him.


    ¡°Right away,¡± she cooed as she gently ran a finger up his arm. Whether it was another attempt at seducing him or gauging the quality of his cloak, I didn¡¯t know, but I could tell that she wasn¡¯t the only one that had noticed the potential worth of Olfred.


    ¡°Ugh. What¡¯s the point of showing off those lumps of fat anyway?¡± Mica mumbled, disgusted.


    ¡°For once, we agree on something,¡± Olfred said with a nod. ¡°A woman should have a firm and muscr build and the coarse skin to match.¡±


    I opted to stay out of the conversation, taking the time to sneak in nces of the tavern. With Realmheart activated once more, I could tell that magic had been used and it hadn¡¯t happened that long ago.


    A distorted aura of mana surrounded a particrlyrge table along the opposite wall. A robed middle-aged man stuck out from the table. Unlike hispanions, he was neatly groomed. His beady eyes flickered lewdly at the two scantily-dressed barmaids in each of his thin arms as they took turns feeding him fruits and ale. With hollow cheeks and a receding hairline, it was apparent that the two servers weren¡¯t cozying up to him because of his dashing good looks.


    Just from how loudly and haughtily he spoke, and the way his peersughed and nodded to whatever came out of his mouth, there was no doubt the beady-eyed man was important¡ªif not in control. By how the particles gathered around him, it seemed he had conjured ayer of mana to strengthen and protect his body.


    He wasn¡¯t the only one; just from a cursory nce, I spotted a few augmenters that were expelling a thinyer of mana over their skin for protection. However, the density and purity of mana epassing their bodies were at a level far lower than the cyran soldiers I had faced near the southwestern coast. If I had to guess, they were either mercenaries or lower-tiered adventurers. Inparison, the skeleton being sandwiched by two girls was at a far higher level.


    But that wasn¡¯t what had bothered me. It wasn¡¯t the subtle air of hostility in the tavern or the suspicious amount of mages present. I knew that man. Something about his beady, perverted gaze and his crooked face brought up bitter emotions but I couldn¡¯t ce my finger on why.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯</i> Sylvie asked, noticing my concern.


    <i>Sylvie, take a quick peek at the table to my left on the other side of the tavern. Do you recognize anyone? </i>


    My bond rustled inside my cloak before her small muzzle popped out. Her intelligent eyes scanned the room, focusing on the area I had directed when a tant distaste leaked out of her.<i> ¡®He¡¯s that scoundrel that tried to use the king to forcibly take possession of me during the Helstea auction event. I believe his name was something along the lines of¡ª¡¯</i>


    The man got up and hobbled toward the bar, keeping minimal weight on his left leg as he used a wooden staff to keep bnce. As soon as I realized his injury, his name immediately flooded into my mind along with the rest of my memories of him.


    <i>It¡¯s Sebastian. </i>

 Chapter 172

    Chapter 172


    Chapter 172: Inside The Tavern II


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mica whispered, leaning in close with her head tilted down so only the bottom half of her face was visible. ¡°Do you recognize someone?¡±


    Shaking my head, I turned back to my table. ¡°No one important.¡±


    A different barmaid¡ªthis one much less affectionate¡ªarrived with our order. She ced the three mugs of ale in front of Olfred along with the single bowl of soup containing a piece of bread sloppily submerged inside the goopy liquid.


    ¡°Please bring two more bowls,¡± Olfred said as he slid a mug across the table in front of me and Mica.


    ¡°There¡¯s a stall a block down to feed your ves,¡± she said with tant distaste.


    Ignoring her attitude, Olfred simply stirred the orange stew with the piece of bread. ¡°It¡¯s been a long journey. I¡¯ll have them eat here tonight.¡±


    I didn¡¯t bother to see her reaction, but she left wordlessly. My mind was focused on the cold mug of ale bubbling in front of me. I pressed the cool rim of the mug against my dry lips, relishing the slight burn down my esophagus as the carbonated liquid reached my stomach.


    <i>Damn, that feels good. </i>


    Mica almost finished her entire mug in one gulp. Her body shivered as she let out a blissful sigh. ¡°Even this cheap ale tastes heavenly to Mica right now.¡±


    With a silent chuckle, I lifted my mug for another swig. Out of the corner of my eyes, though, I spotted the same barmaid whispering to one of the men sitting at the same table as Sebastian, pointing a finger toward our table.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll be having guests,¡± I muttered to the twonces as I set down my drink. Sylvie rustled deeper into my cloak while I pulled the hood a bit more over my face just in case.


    Just a few momentster, arge man with a scraggly beard came to our table and with him, a short portly woman wearing a condescending smirk and clothing just as revealing as, if not more than, the barmaids here.


    The bearded man regarded me and Mica with a raised brow and an expectant gaze. I got up without a word, pulling Mica from her seat as well, and stood behind Olfred.


    The woman, seeing the two half-empty mugs, let out a snort. ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t be spoiling your ves like this. It makes them think they can act out.¡±


    ¡°How I treat my ves is none of your business,¡± Olfred replied curtly, sliding in another piece of bread underneath his mask. ¡°Now what can I do for the two of you? I hope you can keep things sinct.¡±


    ¡°Sinct?¡± the man scoffed. The wooden backrest groaned in protest as he leaned back on the seat but continued to hold out. ¡°Some fancy words you got there. You should be careful around these parts, especially if you¡¯re traveling from the South.¡±


    I could see the two trying to size up Olfred. Mica could pass off as a human child but I was worried that they might realize that Olfred wasn¡¯t human.


    ¡°Thank you for the advice,¡± Olfred responded as he continued locking eyes with the two of them.


    ¡°We wanted to give you a warm wee around,¡± the woman said, leaning forward on her elbows.


    ¡°We graciously came over after seeing the way you treated your ves,¡± herpanion continued, shooting a pointed gaze at Mica and me. ¡°We have a whole line of ves for sale that I feel you¡¯d be interested in.¡±


    My jaw clenched at her words. I imagined a room full of children and adults alike, barely clothed and fed, kept only asmodities.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to politely decline,¡± the oldnce replied almost immediately.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡± The portly woman slid to the edge of her seat to be closer to Olfred. ¡°We¡¯ve got a fine line of both girls and women if you¡¯re not looking for a more practical ve.¡±


    ¡°We even have dwarves and elves,¡± therge man added, his cracked lips curled into a lewd grin.


    There was a beat of silence before Olfred responded. ¡°I thought after the formation of the Council, interracial very had been banned?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯ll cost you an arm and a leg if you want to buy one.¡± The man burst into a fit of hoarseughter at his own joke¡ªor what he considered one.


    If thence was angry, he did a good job of hiding it. Mica, on the other hand, stirred beside me. I was able to sense the minuscule amount of mana leaking from her, but even that small amount was enough to fill me with unease. Not long after the union of the three races, the leaders of all three sides made a collective effort to abolish very. However, getting rid of very in one fell swoop would not only cause dissatisfaction amongst ve owners, but there would be severe ramifications in the economy by essentially getting rid of arge portion of the kingdom¡¯s workforce.


    In order to remedy this, one thing that the Council had been working diligently on was taking a step-by-step approach; rewarding owners who freed their ves and heavily taxing owners who kept ves.


    While very existed in all three kingdoms, there had always been a high demand for dwarven and particrly elven ves from Sapin. At least that¡¯s what Vincent, the owner of the Helstea Auction House, told me.


    Olfred gently pushed the bowl of stew away. ¡°On second thought. Perhaps I am a little curious about what you have to offer.¡±


    The woman inched a bit closer, her face contorted into what she considered coquettish. ¡°I knew you¡¯d be interested. I¡¯ll let our boss know.¡±


    ¡°Is it okay if I at least get settled into an inn somewhere nearby first?¡± Olfred asked. ¡°Our journey has been somewhat rough.¡±


    The woman locked eyes with herpanion before she motioned him with a twitch of her head. With a nod, he waved a giant arm at an old man with a slight hunch that had been idly drying sses with a towel. ¡°A room for the gent and his two ves!¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t give Olfred a chance to object, leading him toward the back door with her beardedpanion close behind. This time, the seated men and women in our way scooted their chairs, making a path as their gazes bore holes in us.


    Before going into the back hall with the hunched elder, I looked back once more at Sebastian who was smiling in our direction with a barmaid whispering something into his ear.


    Once we walked deeper into the scarcely-lit hallway, much of the mor from the tavern died down. Mica and I trailed behind Olfred silently while the maskednce himself responded to the portly woman¡¯s idle banter.


    ¡°Here¡¯s your room, sir. That¡¯ll be two silvers.¡± The old man held out an empty palm while his other hand held a rusted key.


    <i>Two silvers? For a dingy room up here in Ashber?</i> I couldn¡¯t believe it. It was reasonable to be able to buy a plot ofnd here with two silvers.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ve never had an interest in this continent¡¯s currency, but even to me it sounds ridiculous,¡¯ </i>Sylvie responded incredulously.


    Nevertheless, Olfred continued ying his role of the weary naive noble as he produced two glimmering coins from inside his cloak.


    Without even a thank you, the old man dropped the key into Olfred¡¯s hand and tottered back to the tavern. The woman, on the other hand, seemed even more flirtatious after Olfred produced the coins, going as far as squeezing Olfred¡¯s arm before she and herpanion headed back.


    ¡°We¡¯ll meet back in an hour back at the tavern.¡± She turned back around and shot Olfred a wink.


    Closing the door behind us, I immediately mmed my fist against the wall. Since my fist wasn¡¯t coated in mana, a jarring pain shot up my arm but even that was weed. The fact that I wasn¡¯t able to do anything for those ves and for my town¡ªI deserved the worst.


    Letting out a sigh, I scanned the room which was norger than the bathroom I had at my home in Ashber. There was one bed and dresser squeezed in; even taking into ount Mica¡¯s small frame, she and I would have to sleep sitting up.


    Taking off her hood, Mica immediately jumped on the bed, burying her face into the pillow before letting out a scream.


    ¡°You did good holding back from those two,¡± I praised, removing my cloak as well. ¡°That woman, especially.¡±


    Taking off his mask, Olfred replied, ¡°Her charming appearance didn¡¯t make up for the fact that she has captured one of my own.¡±


    I blinked, still unable to get used to the dwarves¡¯ tastes.


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for this darn mission, Mica would¡¯ve ttened this entire tavern!¡± Mica cried, her voice muffled from the pillow.


    ¡°My thoughts were the same,¡± Olfred replied. ¡°Our circumstances, however, force us to be discreet.¡±


    I turned to the oldernce. ¡°Whether we decide to act, our mission is priority. It¡¯s no problem going with them to see these ves, though¡ªin fact, it gives us a better cover to move around.¡±


    Olfred nodded in response as he unclipped his cloak and slung it over the wooden dresser.


    I sat down at the foot of the bed while Sylvie fumed beside me.


    <i>Something on your mind?</i>


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t understand why there would be a high demand for ves of different races. Is it because humans feel pity for enving one of their own?¡¯</i> my bond asked.


    <i>No. Sickeningly enough, a lot of noble families practiced interbreeding with their dwarven or elven ves so their children can have a better and more wide-ranged potential as a mage. Lucas Wykes was a product of that practice. </i>


    Sylvie didn¡¯t reply but due to our bond, I could feel her anger spilling out; I didn¡¯t me her, though. When I first read about elves, I thought of them as this mystical race with a high affinity for magic. That belief was further enforced by the fact that my stay in Elenoir was mostly with the royal family. When I think back to the time I had rescued Tessia from ve traders, I should¡¯ve guessed that they either went for children or weaker, unsuspecting adults.


    <i>The Council had banned interracial very a few years ago, but after seeing these two, it looks like it was still going on. </i>


    <i>¡®What about the forest surrounding the elven kingdom? Isn¡¯t it supposed to deter most other beings aside from elves and native animals?¡¯ </i>


    <i>Which is why elven ves are so rare. The traders will not only need to be adept fighters, they need to have hounds capable of guiding them through Elshire Forest. </i>


    Contempt spilled out of my bond. <i>¡®To go to such lengths...¡¯</i>


    Coming from a modest household, my parents would never have been able to afford a ve, even if they had wanted one. This, in turn, had somewhat obscured my run-in with ves. Still, the fact that it was happening in my hometown did more than just irritate me.


    ¡°If we can¡¯t handle this directly, Mica is going to inform the Council of what¡¯s going on here,¡± the smallnce said abruptly, bolting up on the bed.


    I nodded, not bothering to turn to face the dwarf. ¡°Sounds like a n.¡±


    The inn had one bathroom at the far end of the hall, and when Olfred went out of the room to use it, an unfamiliar man with a small dagger clipped to his waist escorted him there. While Olfred said the man was nice enough, It was obvious that a ce like this didn¡¯t offer concierge service. We were basically being held prisoner here.


    An hour passed by in the blink of an eye. We decided it was best for Mica to stay behind in case she wasn¡¯t able to control her temper. Despite numerousints from her, the child-likence knocked out like a log as soon as her head hit the makeshift pillow she had made from rolling up her cloak.


    The two of us got dressed once more before opening our door. It was obvious to us even before that there were people waiting just outside, but we remained casual.


    ¡°Had a good rest?¡± the portly woman asked, her voice a bit more slurred than when she had firste to us.


    Judging by the flushed cheeks that herpanion had, it looked like the two of them had been drinking in the meantime.


    ¡°Come! Follow us this way. Our leader wants to meet with you,¡± the woman said, cozying up to Olfred.


    I remained silent as I trailed behind my master until the bearded man spoke. ¡°Your smaller ve isn¡¯t joining us?¡±


    ¡°Her body is unustomed to traveling such long distances,¡± Olfred answered without turning around. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be a problem just letting her sleep in the room.¡±


    The bearded man¡¯s lips curled up into a snide grin.


    ¡°Ah! So her body is ustomed to other things,¡± he chuckled, nudging Olfred with his elbow.


    I rolled my eyes. <i>Does this ape have no sense of decency? </i>


    The muffled mor of the tavern grew louder as we approached the entrance. While the establishment was still busy, the table closest to us was left open with only one person sitting at it. Sebastian.


    ¡°Leader, I brought them here,¡± the woman spoke, the slur in her voice nonexistent.


    <i>Leader?</i> I almost said aloud, my eyes ncing upward to get a better view of the balding conjurer. I had no lingering resentment toward Sebastian. Even back then, when I was still a little boy in this world, I saw him as greedy and shameless, but insignificant. The childlike desire he had for my bond, and the fact that he used the king to try and ¡®coerce¡¯ me into giving her up did get on my nerves, but I¡¯d never thought he¡¯d be up here.


    Even if he had received punishment back then for his actions at the auction house, I doubt it led to anything more than a warning. He was a noble; he shouldn¡¯t have any interests in a remote town like Ashber.


    ¡°You may leave.¡± He dismissed them with a wave of his hand. Sebastian¡¯s beady eyes inspected me and I could feel him probing for my mana core level. He wouldn¡¯t be able to sense anything, of course. Even if I wasn¡¯t at the white core stage yet, I was high enough of a level where his senses wouldn¡¯t be able to detect traces of my mana. His gaze moved upward from my sternum to my face, but upon seeing my disheveled hair and dirt-stained face, his focus turned to Olfred.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure,¡± Sebastian said with a wide, seemingly innocent smile. ¡°Allow me to wee you to my town.¡±

 Chapter 173

    Chapter 173


    Chapter 173: Conducting Business


    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Olfred said with what little courtesy he could muster up. ¡°My name is dence from House¡ª¡±


    Sebastian held up a palm, interrupting the maskednce. ¡°Let me stop you right there. House names aren¡¯t necessary in ordeals like this. I¡¯ll simply refer you to as dence and you can call me Sebastian.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Olfred replied. ¡°Sebastian.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± The beady-eyed conjurer nodded in approval. ¡°Now. Before we get down to business...¡±


    Sebastian muttered a chant as he waved his arm ostentatiously. After a few moments, a translucent shroud covered us, dampening the mor of the tavern. An obvious but not very impressive demonstration of wind-attribute magic. Still, I yed along as the naive ve and let out a breath of amazement.


    The conjurer¡¯s gaze shifted from me to Olfred, but seeing that his masked guest didn¡¯t show any discernible sign of awe at this demonstration, Sebastian¡¯s lips curled slightly into a frown.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little rowdy in here and the folks present aren¡¯t the most well-mannered,¡± he said, leaning forward to grab one of the mugs filled with beer in the center of the table. ¡°Excuse me for my subordinates¡¯ behavior. Bothering you like that when you¡¯ve finally sat down to rest, I¡¯ll have to reprimand them.¡±


    Olfred reached forward, hisrge hand gripping the handle of the mug tightly. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. Thank you for the hospitality here at the inn.¡±


    ¡°Hospitality?¡± The balding conjurer looked at the maskednce incredulously before letting out a snort. ¡°You and I both know that this sort of ce is fit for mud hogs.¡±


    The maskednce let out a chuckle before taking a swig from his mug.


    It was obvious that Sebastian was staring at Olfred¡¯s head, trying to get a peek at what his face looked like underneath the mask.


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± thence replied after noticing.


    Sebastian shrugged nonchntly as he sipped from his mug as well. ¡°Just curious about the story behind your mask. I¡¯ve seen adventurers wear them from time to time but never nobles.¡±


    Olfred scratched his head. ¡°Is it very obvious that I¡¯m a noble?¡±


    ¡°Well, it takes one to know one,¡± Sebastian said proudly.


    ¡°I figured,¡± thence nodded.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>¡°Judging by your kempt appearance and magical prowess, you seemed out of ce here as well.¡±


    Compared to the nasty men, most of whom were dressed in rags, Sebastian really did look off with his richly-dyed doublet and hose.


    Sebastian¡¯s eyes twinkled in delight at Olfred¡¯s ttery. ¡°Indeed. I¡¯d take it to offense if you had thought of me as the same as those imps.¡±


    The maskednce banged his mug back on the table. ¡°I¡¯d be a fool if I did!¡±


    Throughout the rest of the conversation, it seemed as though the two of them had really hit it off. Whether Olfred was really good at acting or he actually found Sebastian amiable I wasn¡¯t sure, but after a few more mugs of ale, Sebastian was a red, huping mess. That¡¯s when his true personality came out.


    ¡°So... what kind of girl ar-are you looking for?¡± Sebastian asked, his eyes zed.


    ¡°What makes you think I¡¯m looking for a girl?¡± Olfred responded with one had practically glued to a mug of alcohol.


    The balding conjurer let out a giggle as he pointed a finger at the maskednce. ¡°Please. My subordinates told me how you practically lit up when they mentioned I had elves and dwarves in stock.¡±


    Olfred paused for a moment, and I was almost afraid thence was going to say something he shouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°And what if I am?¡± Olfred replied, his deep voiceing out slurred.


    Sebastian held up both his hands in a cating gesture. ¡°I don¡¯t judge. What¡¯s the point of having money and power if you can¡¯t splurge it on what you want.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Olfred mmed his mug on the wooden table but then let out a deep sigh. ¡°It¡¯s because of those damned entitled noble women looking down on me.¡±


    <i>Where is he going with this?</i>


    Leaning forward on the table, Olfred pointed at his mask. ¡°Do you know the real reason why I wear this stifling mask? It¡¯s because I have scars all over my face from a house fire.¡±


    ¡°Oh really now?¡± Sebastian asked, intrigued.


    ¡°Yeah, and the worst thing is, that incident happened to me when I was still a teen. The injuries I got to my leg stunted my growth, so not only is my face disfigured, but I¡¯m now even a head shorter than my own damned ve!¡± Olfred shot a finger at me as I stood there, baffled.


    Even while knowing Olfred¡¯s true identity, I couldn¡¯t help but second guess whether this incident had really happened at some point in thence¡¯s life.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s very believable,¡¯</i> Sylviemented, overhearing their conversation.


    <i>I¡¯ll say. </i>


    ¡°Don¡¯t even get me started!¡± Sebastian finished off another mug of ale and set it down before wiping the foam around his lips. ¡°When I was serving the royal family, women rushed at the chance to get in bed with me, but after being relieved from the position, those same tramps treated me like some sort of insect!¡±


    ¡°You served the royal family?¡± Olfred eximed. ¡°Why did you retire?¡±


    Sebastian gnashed his teeth, his knuckles turning white from how hard he was gripping the mug. ¡°Because of that damned brat.¡±


    ¡°Brat? What brat?¡± Olfred asked.


    The beady-eyed mage threw his mug on the ground, which shattered upon impact. This drew wary gazes from the nearby tables. The rest of the tavern that was once blurred from Sebastian¡¯s noise-dampening spell grew clearer because of his inebriated state.


    ¡°I¡¯m a dual-attribute conjurer, almost at the solid orange stage, yet the only respect I can get is from these dirty primitives!¡± he eximed, waving his arm at the vile-looking men and the few women who didn¡¯t look much better inside the tavern.


    Olfred raised his ss in the air. ¡°To those shallow and wretched snakes! May they wrinkle and sag like the loose rags they are!¡±


    Sebastian snorted gleefully as heughed at thence¡¯s toast. ¡°I knew I found a good man when I saw youing in through those doors! Now let¡¯s get you some brand new toys to y with!¡±


    The two of them staggered out of the tavern. Sebastian was barely able to walk with the limp on his leg that I had broken when I was still a child.


    ¡°Hey, you. Come over here.¡± He gestured at me as he leaned against the wall of the tavern.


    I silently abided and walked over to the intoxicated conjurer when he suddenly flung his arm around my shoulder, leaning heavily against me. ¡°You don¡¯t mind if I use your ve as a walking stick, do you dence?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. That¡¯s what ves are for,¡± Olfred replied as I swallowed the ever-growing urge to break Sebastian¡¯s other leg.


    <i>¡®This man is really testing my patience,¡¯ </i>Sylvie said with a simmering anger that matched mine.


    The three of us walked out of the tavern with the portly woman and bearded man trailing closely behind. I practically had to carry thenky conjurer as his limp leg dragged on the ground.


    ¡°You know... it took me months to be able to tolerate this tawdry outpost, but I don¡¯t miss my old standing,¡± Sebastian droned as we made our way down the dim streets of Ashber. ¡°The people here, they do more than just respect me¡ªthey fear me. I¡¯m a god to them.¡±


    The drunk conjurer patted my cheek condescendingly as he gazed upward to see my face from within my hood. ¡°You saw my magic earlier, right? I can kill you with the snap of my fingers.¡±


    <i>Endure it, Arthur. Just for now. </i>


    When I didn¡¯t respond, Sebastian continued to hit my cheeks with his palm, each p getting a little stronger. ¡°Are you deaf, or are you disrespecting me because of my leg?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Olfred said, putting a hand on Sebastian¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The boy can¡¯t speak.¡±


    ¡°Bah! dence, what¡¯s the use of keeping damaged goods like him?¡± the balding conjurer spat. ¡°How about I do you a favor and buy him off of you? I have a few gents that have a thing for boys like him.¡±


    ¡°Tempting!¡± thence replied, stumbling on his own legs. ¡°But he¡¯s not mine. He¡¯s my father¡¯s, and thest time I pawned off one of his things, he cut me off from his money for a whole month!¡±


    ¡°S-See?¡± Sebastian hupped. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of thing I don¡¯t miss. ¡°Family money is good and all, but it¡¯s not truly yours. My wealth is my own. One-hundred percent mine!¡±


    Olfred nodded. ¡°Truly enviable.¡±


    We traveled toward the other end of town through unnamed streets littered with worn-down hovels and alleyways filled with piles of garbage. Throughout the way, the drunk conjurer tripped countlessly on the neglected streets filled with cracks and potholes, and each time, he would let loose a string of curses at me.


    ¡°Thank the heavens that you weren¡¯t my ve. Something about you just pisses me off,¡± he spat as he red at me through glossed eyes, unaware that if he had been sober and bothered to look carefully, he might¡¯ve recognized who I was.


    I could feel a violent fury building up, but it wasn¡¯t mine. Sylvie, still hidden in the depths of my cloak, was on the verge of exploding when we had finally arrived.


    In front of us was a wide single-story building of solid stone. Just from a cursory nce, the structure appeared over two-hundred feet across and several dozens of feet wide. There were two guardszily sitting against the wall beside the front entrance.


    I was sure a building this big hadn¡¯t existed in Ashber when I lived here, which raised the questions: Did Sebastian have this built? And if he did, how many ves did he capture for him to require such arge prison?


    The guards scrambled up to their feet, awkwardly saluting out of sync. ¡°Sir!¡±


    Their gazes flickered in suspicion between me, their boss that was leaning heavily against me, and the masked Olfred. One of the guards had his hand already gripping the hilt of his crude machete-like sword that was strapped to his back.


    ¡°Open the damned doors, useless fools!¡± Sebastian barked. ¡°We have a customer.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± they answered in sync this time before pulling apart the two sliding metal doors.


    <i>I guess I¡¯ll find out just how many ves he¡¯s holding here soon enough,</i> I thought as I lugged Sebastian in through the entrance with Olfred just beside me.


    The smell hit me first. A concoction of foul odors was amplified by the damp, sticky air caused by ack of proper venttion. Even Olfred noticeably recoiled from the stench while Sebastian merely waved his hands in front of his nose. There was little visible beside the flickering lights and the trapdoor on the ground a few yards to our right.


    <i>¡®Something doesn¡¯t feel right,¡¯</i> Sylvie warned.


    <i>I feel it too but then again, if you think about where we are, it¡¯d be weird for it to seem normal,</i> I replied, taking another step. My chest tightened and the hair on my skin stood on end, but I ignored my body¡¯s protest. If I was going toe back and save the people held here, I had to know itsyout and approximately how many were imprisoned.


    ¡°Did someone die in here again?¡± he said angrily.


    A thin, scraggly man uniformed in overalls and a dirty apron came running out from one of the dimly-lit aisles of cells. ¡°Sir! My apologies for the smell. I was just cleaning up!¡±


    Sebastian finally pried himself away from me, standing on his own with the wooden cane that the portly woman had been carrying for him. ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡±


    The beady-eyed conjurer began limping down the center aisle, checking on each of the prison cells that I assumed had ves inside. It was eerie how silent this ce was. There were no wails of sorrow or cries for help. I studied every one of them as I followed behind Sebastian with Olfred. Every one of them was clothed in rags, huddled in the far corner of their cell. When they looked over at us, I got shivers from the dark, vacant eyes they all shared.


    <i>Don¡¯t look, </i>I sent to Sylvie as she rustled up from the inside of my cloak.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s that bad,¡¯</i> Sylvie replied, more so as a statement than a question.


    I grit my teeth. <i>They¡¯re treated worse than livestock.</i>


    ¡°It was one of the pregnant woman,¡± the cleaner replied as he put down the mop that he had been holding before following after his boss. ¡°She died giving birth.¡±


    ¡°The baby. Did it live?¡± Sebastian asked, unfazed.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait a few more days to know for sure, but the newborn girl seems healthy as of now.¡±


    Sebastian nodded in approval. ¡°Excellent. The newborn will be worth more than that tramp anyway.¡±


    As the conjurer slowly hobbled through the aisles, I noticed the different reactions from each of the ves. A few shivered uncontrobly as Sebastian passed by, others had spiteful res, some just had distant, hollow gazes.


    ¡°The dwarves and elves are held further down, but¡±¡ª Sebastian spun around to face Olfred, a lewd smirk on his thin pasty face¡ª ¡°do you see anyone you¡¯re just dying to get your hands on?¡±


    The maskednce raised a hand. ¡°As a matter of fact...¡±


    Before I could even react, the earth beneath Sebastian began enveloping, covering his feet and creeping up his legs.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sebastian let out as he tried to pry himself from the rising earth.


    I whipped my head toward the maskednce. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Thence remained silent as he continued his spell. It was slow, but he was doing it on purpose. I could see the conjurer wide-eyed with fear and confusion.


    ¡°W-What are you idiots doing! Get them!¡± the conjurer readied his wooden cane to fire at Olfred when he let out a shrill scream of agony. The earth that had consumed his legs and was continuing to rise up his body began turning a dark red. A faint sizzle could be heard amidst his screams as the smell of burning flesh reached my nose.


    The spell that Olfred had cast on Sebastian wasn¡¯t to trap him¡ªit was to slowly torture him.


    ¡°Olfred!¡± I called out to no avail. The janitor had scrambled as far away as possible from Sebastian. I could hear the footsteps of the two subordinates behind us.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I hissed, spinning around in time to catch the burly man¡¯s arm just before his dagger reached thence.


    I doubt the feeble attempt would¡¯ve done him any harm, but nheless, these two were problems.


    ¡°Out of the way!¡± the brute spat as he swung his other arm.


    Without a shred of hesitation, I drove a fist into the man¡¯s arm. A sharp snap rang from the collision just before his hand fell limp by his side.


    The bearded man let out a howl of pain, dropping his dagger to cradle his broken arm.


    I caught his rusty dagger as it fell and swept my leg just below the portly woman¡¯s knees. She crumpled to the floor but before she could get back up, I drove herpanion¡¯s dagger into her hand, skewering her to the ground.


    I looked over my shoulder to see how Sebastian had fared against thence, but all I saw was a statue of moltenva in the shape of the thin conjurer. He was dead, encased in a tomb of hardened magma.


    ¡°What the hell!¡± I snapped, grabbing the maskednce¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Even if you wanted him dead, you could¡¯ve killed him without using deviant magic. What are you going to do if the Vritra senses what happened here?¡±


    ¡°Your worries are in vain,¡± Olfred said calmly, taking off his mask.


    Confused, I activated Realmheart. I wanted to see just how much mana fluctuation was caused by thence¡¯s spell, and if it was possible that we could remain hidden despite this setback.


    However, what I saw baffled me even more. There were particles of mana erratically moving around Sebastian¡¯s corpse, but there were also fluctuations of mana all around us. Either a wide-scale spell had been used or a battle took ce here recently.


    I whirled around, vision shaky and palms mmy. My instincts had already sensed what was happening even before I saw the familiar Vritra approaching me.

 Chapter 174

    Chapter 174


    Chapter 174: Mother Earth¡¯s Embrace


    The figure walked with a confident gait, hisnky arms messily wrapped in ck bandages dangling by his side. He had a slight hunch, which made him look a bit shorter than he actually was, but he still stood well over seven feet. Even before he had walked close enough for me to make out his face, I already knew who he was.


    How could I forget the retainer that had killed thence I reced?


    ¡°Uto,¡± I said calmly despite my raging insides.


    His dark lips split into a sinister smile. ¡°Hello, boy wonder.¡±


    ¡°Retainer Uto,¡± Olfred greeted with an unnaturally stiff bow.


    I restrained my urge to let out a scoff at thence. Despite the turn of events, I was actually relieved the retainer that hade was Uto. Unlike Cylrit or any other Vritra, his motive was obvious.


    Uto ignored the dwarvennce as he crept closer to me with outstretched arms. ¡°You can¡¯t imagine how excited I am to have you here.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I smirked, ying along. ¡°I was actually expecting a different retainer.¡±


    I could see Olfred react out of the corner of my eye.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Uto dipped his head so his gaze was level with mine. His pale grey nose was practically touching mine. ¡°You seem to know a bit more than I thought you would.¡±


    With Realmheart still active, I could clearly make out his aura, the brilliant nimbus of power crackling and popping chaotically like his very nature. But even without it, I could feel the pressure in the air around him. A palpable tension that was squeezing the air out of my lungs.


    <i>¡®The two humans,¡¯ </i>Sylvie reminded from within my cloak.


    The two subordinates of the petrified Sebastian were in a fit of spasms as they stared wide-eyed at Uto. They didn¡¯t know who he was; their bodies were only<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>able to feel the might of the being in front of them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take our fight elsewhere,¡± I said simply, turning my gaze back to the Vritra.


    Uto tilted his head. ¡°Fight? Why do you think that a lesser like you is worth my time at all?¡±


    ¡°Because <i>you¡¯re </i>here,¡± I answered, losing my patience. ¡°If all you wanted to do was kill me or capture me quickly, then I¡¯m sure Olfred with a few of your soldiers would have sufficed.¡±


    The retainer didn¡¯t answer, his gaze looking... unamused.


    Suddenly, he burst out into a fit ofughter. ¡°I can see why so many of you try so hard to keep your motives hidden. For times like these when it should be a surprise.¡±


    He turned around and made a dismissive gesture. ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    ¡°Retainer Uto!¡± Olfred blurted. ¡°Lord Rahdeas¡¯ instructions were to deal with this one cleanly to minimize chances of¡ª¡±


    Thence didn¡¯t even get the chance to finish as he let out a nasally scream in pain. A ck spike had shot up from the ground beneath Olfred, skewer thence¡¯s nose.


    ¡°Do you think I give a lesser¡¯s ass about what your traitorous master thinks is the best course of action?¡± Uto spat, looking over his shoulder before he continued walking toward the door.


    I checked up on the two subordinates. They were unconscious but still breathing. As I made my way toward the entrance I hade in from, I checked on as many of the ves as I could.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Most of them were out cold and the ones that were conscious were probably in a state no better off than the ones that weren¡¯t. I took onest look at Olfred, who had erected a stone pir below his feet to get high enough to dislodge his nose from the ck spike.


    Despite my suspicions, this short trip had been filled with a faint hope that my doubts weren¡¯t true. Now that they were, it was difficult to wrap my head around the emotions manifesting inside me. I was never good at it in my previous life, and I thought I had gotten a little better in this life, but apparently not quite enough.


    I broke one of the three beads that Aya had given me, activating its effect before tossing it into therge trapdoor by the entrance.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Olfred¡¯s eyes grew wide as he saw this, knowing exactly what it meant.


    <span ss="s1"><b>OLFRED WAREND</b></span>


    I cursed, berating myself for the turn of events. To think <i>she</i> would be nearby. There was no time.


    Rubbing my punctured nose that had already begun to heal, I descended into the ground. The earth obeyed, parting beneath me to make a path to the floor underneath the building that served as a cover.


    I dropped to the underground floor below, causing several of the soldiers around to shout in surprise.


    The underground level I had made was vastlyrger than the prison structure above it. Here, thousands of soldiers were able to rest on standby.


    ¡°Evacuate the premises immediately,¡± I ordered, my voice echoing off therge chamber walls.


    A mixture of responses. The cryan Soldiers nced at one another while others tantly ignored mymand. Both they and I were fighting for the same cause, but because this was the continent where I had been born, they saw me as a traitor unfit to lead them despite the gap in power and experience.


    I repeated my order once more, this time causing the earth around us to quake. We had no time.


    Soldiers began slowly filing toward the stairs leading back up to the surface. I helped them by erecting a few more staircases, but when the light artifacts hung all around the walls started to burst one by one, I knew it was toote.


    I cursed, erecting a dozen magma knights around me, but the chamber had darkened to a near pitch-ck state.


    Yells of confusion from the soldiers bounced off the walls that once served as protection and cover. Now I feared these men were in a prison.


    I shrouded myself in a protective barrier of mana while sending out pulses throughout the underground chamber in hopes of locating her.


    ¡°Come out, Aya. There will be another Vritra¡ªa scytheing soon. If you flee now, I can ensure that you¡¯ll make it out alive.¡± I tried reasoning with her. I felt no remorse for these soldiers of foreign descent, but they were part of a bigger n and time was running out. If Aya escaped and was able to notify the asura¡ªAldir¡ªof my betrayal, it would be easy for him to simply kill me just by invoking the artifact I was bound by, but at this point though, I might prefer that over what she might do here.


    ¡°So caring.¡±


    Her whisper brushed against my ear¡ªas if she was right beside me.


    My magma knight promptlyshed out with its sword.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A burning arc ofvaunched in the direction of Aya¡¯s whisper only for it to crash into the far wall. The attack scattered into glowing sparks upon impact, lighting up the darkened room for just a second. That¡¯s when I noticed it.


    Mist.


    The entire underground chamber was submerged in a thickyer of swirling mist that almost seemed to have a mind of its own. And within this mist, chaos ensued.


    Sporadic shes of spells lit up the vast chamber as the soldiers began retaliating against the intruder, but even those became less frequent as Aya got to work.


    ¡°I have to thank you for trapping this many cryans in one ce,¡± she whispered again, this time beside my other ear. ¡°It makes my job much simpler.¡±


    ¡°Enough with your tricks and illusions!¡± I roared. ¡°Come out and fight me face to face! Have you no shame as ance?¡±


    ¡°Shame?¡± Aya¡¯s voice echoed in unison from at least twelve different locations at once. ¡°It¡¯s a matter ofmon sense, dear. Why would I throw away one of the few advantages I have?¡±


    There was a levity in her words that came off as arrogant in this situation. She was always like that. No ounce of seriousness in her ever-present facade.


    ¡°You leave me no choice,¡± I replied through gritted teeth. ¡°Getting rid of ance will at least make up for my error.¡±


    I mmed my palm down into the ground, creating chasms all around the floor and walls of the chamber that lit up a fiery red. The temperature within my newly created domain rose drastically, while the glowing magma spilling out from chasms brightened the underground expanse.


    The mist that filled the area was slowly evaporating while my senses became sharp. Aya¡¯s spell worked much like the mist present in the Forest of Elshire, except it also served as an anchor for her to freely and near-instantly traverse.


    Despite the increasing amounts of fire and earth mana surrounding me, it didn¡¯t look good. My first instinct would¡¯ve been to escape into an open space where I could at least escape from the mist, but that would mean abandoning the thousand or so soldiers trapped here. I was tempted to just raise the entire underground chamber to the surface, but that would mean destroying the building above us. I would not shed innocent blood, especially that of my own kind.


    I scanned my surroundings. Much of what I could make out was obscured by the mist but the earth told me how many were at least on their feet and how manyy either dead or incapacitated. In this short time, more than a fourth had already fallen.


    I cursed once more, but regretted doing so immediately after when an airy chuckle resounded beside me.


    ¡°Is the impregnable mental fortress of Olfred Warend slowly crumbling?¡± Aya whispered behind me this time.


    A group of soldiers in a defensive position was firing out spells before each began dropping to the ground, clutching their necks.


    <i>I won¡¯t be able to protect anyone at this rate,</i> I thought just before a stampede of horned wyrms suddenly appeared in deadly fervor.


    I ignored the illusions. Instead, I willed three of the rifts on the ground to erupt. Three sts of moltenva coalesced into a fiery collision where I had sensed Aya¡¯s mana fluctuation.


    My spell hit.


    ¡°As expected. Can¡¯t let my guard down against you,¡± she chuckled, shimmering into view. Aya was clutching her burned arm.


    Meanwhile, screams of horror and shock echoed from the soldiers who weren¡¯t able to distinguish between what was real and what were her sick illusions.


    ¡°Your illusions are as sadistic as always, Aya,¡± I spat in disgust. ¡°That sick habit of torturing your victims is why you are always ostracized¡ªeven amongst your own people.¡±


    ¡°I saw that lovely statue you made up there,¡± Aya replied, fading from view. ¡°If you ask me, I¡¯d much rather have my breath sucked out of my lungs than be slowly burned to death in a molten tomb.¡±


    ¡°That filth deserved it.¡± I erected another magma knight in the location of her voice. ¡°I gave him the same fate as those he chose to enve for mary gains.¡±


    ¡°Is that the same logic that led you to betray Dicathen?¡± Her tone was sharp, which was rare for Aya.


    ¡°You elves have never understood the hardships that our people go through. Even after your war with the humans, dwarves are <i>still</i> treated as lower ss. Just because our people would rather hone our magical abilities to create rather than to destroy, we are belittled and taken advantage of. I trust the decision Lord Rahdeas chose to make in joining arms with the Vritra and their cryan army.¡±


    ¡°Do you think the Vritra would care for Rahdeas and your people? The Vritras and all the other asuras call us lessers because we¡¯re nothing to them!¡± She hissed with more emotion than I¡¯d ever seen her disy. ¡°You¡¯ve read the report we were given, weren¡¯t you? How the Vritra experimented with the cryans in order to enhance their army to fight against the other asura ns! They want to do the same here, to your¡ªto <i>our </i>people. Dwarves, humans and elves alike!¡±


    <i>Now!</i>


    I siphoned as much mana as I could afford, creating a devastating st of fire and stone around me.


    The illusory mist dissipated to reveal the elvennce.


    She tilted her head. ¡°Did you give up on protecting the cyrans?¡±


    ¡°The ones left are dead. The others have escaped through the tunnels I created while you were so busy lecturing me,¡± I answered.


    Aya still wore her mask of apathy, but I could tell by the slight twitch in her brow that she had miscalcted.


    Without hesitation, I rushed toward her. Aya retaliated, dashing back back while hurling crescents ofpressed air at me. However, I was no longer in a situation where I had others to protect.


    bs ofva from the ground and walls around us began gravitating around me, enveloping me to form a protective suit of molten armor. Thepressed des of air chipped away at my magical armor but new bs of molten rock filled in the gaps.


    The magmances I had summoned all dashed toward the elvennce, their weapons aze, but Aya was too fast. Even without the mist shrouding her movements, she was able to easily outmaneuver the golems and reduce them to pebbles at the same time.


    Time seemed to slow as we fought. I couldn¡¯t match her speed, but she couldn¡¯t ovee my defenses.


    ¡°It seems we¡¯re at a stalemate,¡± I said as I regenerated another crack in my armor.


    Aya had patches of raw skin from where my magma had managed to burn through her defensive aura, but she was still rtively unwounded.


    ¡°Well, if this duel goes on for another hour or so, you might actually have the upper hand,¡± she said with a cheery smile that didn¡¯t quite reach her eyes.


    ¡°Like I said before. Another Vritra ising soon. It¡¯s not toote for you to run away.¡±


    She replied by hurling a barrage of air des from all directions.


    Ignoring the damage to my armor that was already repairing itself, I shaped the magma in my left arm into a jaggednce.


    I struck at Aya while simultaneously conjuring spikes ofva from the ground beneath and wall behind her.


    For a moment, I thought that my attack hadnded sessfully, until her body faded into wisps of air.


    <i>Curse her illusions.</i>


    The battle continued but it seemed like Aya had no intention of beating me. Her attacks grew less confident. It seemed like she was losing mana but my instincts kept me cautious. She was nning something.


    I let my guard down purposely, hoping she¡¯d get in closer range.


    She took the bait, flickering right above me with a whirlwind of air concentrated into a spear-like point around her arm. She struck the crown of my helmet, shattering it and nearly piercing through my head as well.


    Reacting instantly, the suit of magma protecting me began wrapping around Aya¡¯s arm, keeping her in ce. The elf¡¯s eyes widened in horror as I pierced her with a mana-infused hand.


    Aya tried to talk but only stuttered gasps came out as I twisted my bloodied arm inside to ensure she wouldn¡¯t survive. ¡°You¡¯re strong and resourceful, Aya, but patience was never your strong suit. If it is of any constion, I never wished for it toe to this.¡±


    I tugged back my arm but it wouldn¡¯t budge.


    That¡¯s when I saw it¡ªthe thin, hair-like strands of mana attached all over my suit.


    I immediately tried to sever the thin strands of mana, but my attacks went straight through them.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Ayas voice whispered beside me. This time, it was really her. ¡°I <i>am</i> rather resourceful.¡±


    She had mentioned to me once about a spell she had been developing, but to think she was able to do <i>this</i>.


    The strands of mana glowed and I felt the air in my lungs convulse. I was still breathing only because she willed it. I now realized that throughout our fight, she had been carefully biding time for this moment.


    ¡°Surprised?¡± she said. ¡°I needed a way for the ever-vignt Olfred to weaken his defenses, and the only way you¡¯d do that is when you think you have the upper hand. It also helped that your huge suit of rock kept your senses dull.¡±


    The thin strands of mana that connected to the tips of her fingers glowed once more and a sharp pain pierced my chest.


    However, rather than kill me, she continued talking, basking in her victory. ¡°I remember you have a fascination with my magic, Olfred. Regardless of race, everyone¡¯s body has a natural protection against foreign magic. It¡¯s why water mages can¡¯t just drain a human¡¯s body of their fluids or why earth mages can¡¯t just manipte the iron in someone¡¯s blood.¡±


    ¡°Every capable mage is aware of that basic premise, but to be able to establish a link to directly manipte someone¡¯s body using mana... how?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± she replied curtly.


    My lungs shuddered as I forced out onest deep breath. Despite my level of strength, this feeling of my breathing being <i>allowed</i> by someone else was nothing short of terrifying.


    I raised my hands in submission as I slowly turned to face Aya. Her usually gentle eyes were sharp¡ªthe same way they were toward her enemies. ¡°I know just by your gaze that my fate is sealed. And it would be unreasonable for me to ask you to have mercy on Lord Rahdeas, but please spare Mica. She had no part in this. I had to drug her in case she somehow found her way here.¡±


    Aya¡¯s brows twitched ever-so-slightly in thought before answering, ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind but that¡¯s not up to me to decide.¡±


    I replied with a nod. That was the best answer I could hope to get. ¡°Despite our disagreements, it was an honor working with you.¡±


    I thought I saw a sliver of remorse in those cold eyes, but I would never be able to confirm. My breath left me as if it was ripped out of my lungs. My vision darkened as I felt the cold grasp of Mother Earth pull me back into her embrace.

 Chapter 175

    Chapter 175


    Chapter 175: Appeared


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    A glimpse of the dawning sun could be seen behind the Grand Mountains, casting arge shadow over the des, a t in of grass withrge boulders and splintered logs scattered throughout the area.


    This ce appeared to be a part of the surrounding forest long ago before an avnche had struck. Snow still lingered, hiding in patches in the shadows of the debris of fallen trees.


    Uto stood a dozen or so yards away, swinging his arms as if doing a morning stretch.


    <i>¡®Arthur.¡¯ </i>Sylvie¡¯s voice was filled with unease.


    <i>I know,</i> I replied, taking off my woolen cloak. <i>Even I can already sense the difference between him and the other retainer we fought. </i>


    ¡°Do you know what motivates an enemy the most?¡± Uto asked, stretching his long, thin neck.


    I didn¡¯t answer. Instead, I took out Dawn¡¯s Bad from my dimension ring and withdrew it from its scabbard.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? I¡¯ve found that it¡¯s an enemy seeking revenge that retaliates with the most... gusto,¡± he answered nonchntly.


    An ethereal glow enveloped the teal de of my sword despite theck of light around us. Seeing the jagged remains of the broken tip still sent an ache to my heart, but I knew that even in this condition, Dawn¡¯s Bad was still the best weapon I could hope for right now.


    I raised my gaze to match Uto¡¯s before answering. ¡°You think this is a battle for revenge?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± he shrugged, taking a step closer as he tapped his chipped horn. ¡°You were pretty riled up when you found out that I was the one responsible for killing that elf.¡±


    ¡°My first time meeting her was when she was dying,¡± I replied, taking a step forward as well. ¡°So revenge wouldn¡¯t be quite my motivator. I simply consider you someone that needs to be disposed of.¡±


    Uto frowned. ¡°Well that¡¯s disappointing. Here I was, so excited that you¡¯d be hell-bent on using every ounce of your being to seek vengeance for yourrade,panion, or even possibly lover¡ªscratch that, you¡¯re a little too young for her, unless she¡¯s into that kind of...¡±


    Thenky retainer continued to mumble on in his fantasy until he abruptly pped his hands together. ¡°Aha! Grandpa elf! His precious granddaughter is around your age, isn¡¯t she? Considering how close you are to that family, it would make more sense for you to fancy her than that elvenn¡ª¡±


    The sickle-shaped de of frost that I hadunched at thenky retainer dissipated after hitting a ck spike that had manifested from the ground in front of him. The ink-stained metal spikes froze on impact but remained whole.


    ¡°See? It¡¯s that kind of rage and impatience that I was looking forward to.¡± He snapped his fingers in regret. ¡°I should¡¯ve killed the little elf princess or maybe a family member of yours before waiting all the way out here for you to show up.¡±


    ¡°Are you done?¡± I asked through gritted teeth, holding my sword out in an offensive stance.


    Uto merely shrugged. ¡°You may as well have that little bond of yourse out. You¡¯re going to need all the help you can get.¡±


    ¡°Come out, Sylvie,¡± I said aloud while my gaze remained locked on the retainer.


    My bond hopped out of my cloak, her eyes sharp and fur-like scales bristled.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that the circumstances surrounding us aren¡¯t as well-knit as I thought they¡¯d be, Pup. That elemental st you shot at me before leaving when we first met left a deep impression, you see. It made me think that I hurt you deeply¡ªpersonally.¡± Uto let out a deep, exaggerated breath. ¡°No matter. Let¡¯s see if you can humor me for at least a few minutes.¡±


    Uto took a step forward, but unlike the casual saunter he had before, the space around him suddenly distorted.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>His presence became almost palpable in the air as each step sent ripples of vibrations into the ground.


    I immediately unleashed Realmheart while Sylvie shifted into her draconic form.


    ¡°A wyvern?¡± Uto asked, tilting his head.


    With Sylvie¡¯s powers sealed since birth by Sylvia, she just resembled a very powerful mana beast, but no more than that. I had stayed cautious since the war, but it was a relief seeing how even a retainer couldn¡¯t tell.


    ¡°Why? Does that scare you?¡± I pushed.


    He responded with a wicked sneer before he nonchntly flicked his right hand.


    With Realmheart amplifying my affinity to the ambient mana surrounding us, my body <i>sensed</i> the disturbance in front of me before I could actually see. Sylvie and I both dashed in opposite directions just in time to dodge the barrage of ck spikes that had instantly manifested below us.


    The ground that we had just been standing on now looked like the back of a reallyrge and angry porcupine with each of the seven-foot spikes gleaming menacingly.


    ¡°Brandish your weapon, <i>Pup!</i>¡± he spat, siphoning arge ck harpoon from the center of his palm.


    I brought Dawn¡¯s Bad close to my side as I pointed the weapon¡¯s fractured tip at Uto. The runes glowing on my arm burned with aforting warmth as I began coalescing the mana surrounding me.


    The de of my sword shimmered in a scintiting array of colors as I infused ice, fire, lightning and wind. It was only because the weapon was Dawn¡¯s Bad that it was able to hold strong despite the overbearing amount of mana being loaded into it.


    <i>Let¡¯s go!</i> I charged with Sylvie by my side.


    I held my sword low as I dashed toward the retainer. The ground beneath my weapon splintered beneath its aura, but ruining nature was the least of my concern.


    With a manic grin, Uto charged as well, his harpoon arm recoiled like a snake ready tosh out.


    In an instant, my de met his, creating a spherical wave from the sheer concussive force of our impact. The elements infused in my de surged out but Uto held on effortlessly.


    He waggled his eyebrows while our weapons were still intertwined. ¡°Not bad.¡±


    <i>¡®Duck,¡¯</i> Sylvie ordered.


    Immediately following up, my bondshed out with her long tail, hitting him square in the sides as soon as I dropped to the ground.


    Uto flew to the side, mming into a nearby boulder which shattered upon impact.


    The veil of debris had yet to clear when I flourished Dawn¡¯s Bad. A polychromed crescent of mana ripped out from my de, slicing the very cloud of dust as it traveled.


    The earth shook violently as my attack indented arge chunk of the ground. The shockwave dropped the row of trees closest to Uto.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s still alive,¡¯ </i> Sylvie, who was already prepared for her next attack, informed.


    I lowered myself, weaving more mana around my body in case of a surprise strike, but rather than a retaliation at our barrage, augh rang from within the depressed cavity of the ground. Again, I saw the flickering fluctuations of mana around me. Thin spikes conjured out from thin air whilerge pirs of the ck metal fired out from the shadows beneath boulders and the fallen logs.


    I parried the thin spikes with Dawn¡¯s Bad, which sent a jarring amount of force up my arms. Meanwhile, Sylvie knocked aside the thick pirs that had sprouted from the darker shadows. Her thick scales managed to withstand most of the attack, but the sheer volume and intensity of Uto¡¯s sudden barrage left both of us wounded and bleeding.


    <i>Don¡¯t heal us,</i> I ordered when Sylvie gathered mana into her breath. <i>Not yet, at least. </i>


    Fortunately, the spikes weren¡¯tced with poison, but it was almost unfair how the retainer was able to conjure them out of thin air.


    Even advanced earth mages had to shape the earth around them before firing them out. Uto seemed to be able to just manifest his attacks wherever he pleased.


    ¡°I expected more, Pup,¡± Uto sighed as he walked out of the depression of earth that I had created from myst attack.


    <i>Defend my back,</i> I sent Sylvie, siphoning more mana out of my mana core and into my body. I could see my long hair turn white as I fell deeper into the Realmheart Physique. The runes became moreplex and I could feel its mark branded on my back as well. The mana around me seemed eager to obey my thoughts. They twirled around me, forming seamlessly into spells that would normally take immense concentration.


    Dawn¡¯s Bad was emzoned in a silver aura of frost while my left fist crackled with tendrils of ck lightning.


    Uto¡¯s brows were knitted, but he had no time for thoughts as I soon arrived, unleashing a torrent of attacks. My crystalline sword was no more than a blur, leaving only streaks of silver in its path. I weaved in punches, elbows, knees and kicks like how Kordri had taught me in our years of training. For every time I swung Dawn¡¯s Bad, he instantly countered with a ck spike, which froze and shattered on impact. Meanwhile Sylvie stayed close behind, her limbs a flurry of scales and ws as she hacked and ripped away at the neverending barrage of ck spikes Uto conjured. Soon, the area around us became a ruin of frozen rubble and severed spikes of ck metal.


    <i>¡®This isn¡¯t good, Arthur. Uto¡¯s attacks are firing in greater volume,¡¯</i> Sylvie grunted.


    My eyes remained locked on the retainer, who had yet to receive a single wound. Every time it seemed like I was about tond an attack, a ck te of metal would form around the area, protecting his body.


    <i>I¡¯ll have to kick it up a notch. </i>


    The thick tendrils of ck lightning coiled around my arm receded at my beckon. I internalized the lightning magic, heightening my reaction time by reinforcing my very neurons with lightning magic.


    The very world seemed to slow. My senses were heightened¡ªalmost overwhelming. Colors seemed to pop while the tiny particles of mana visible through Realmheart came alive.


    I swung Dawn¡¯s Bad once more as I easily dipped under Uto¡¯s thrust. Just as my de was about connect with Uto¡¯s exposed side, I saw it.


    I saw the retainer¡¯s ck spike magic that once seemed instant, rapidly coalesce just where my attack was about to hit. Immediately, I redirected my strike upward just below his arm.


    I could see the ghastly mana moving¡ªreacting¡ªto my new attack. But it didn¡¯t reach in time. I feigned my attack once more, instead driving my fist into his sternum.


    The retainer buckled over from the attack. He took a step back to keep himself upright while a thin trail of fluid too dark to be blood trickled down the side of his mouth.


    Surprised that my attack had actually connected, I paused for a beat before lunging forward with another strike.


    <i>It¡¯s in the shadows, Sylv! </i>I screamed internally. <i>Those ck spikes can only manifest in areas of darkness. That¡¯s why his spells are always more powerful when theye out from darker ces like from underneath a boulder or a log. </i>


    Uto¡¯s hand blurred. It <i>blurred</i>. Despite being in Realmheart and having Thunderp Impulse heightning my reactions, I couldn¡¯t fully see his strike.


    His fist hit me like a train. Even with the density of mana protecting my body, I felt myself flicker in and out of consciousness. By the time I had collected myself, I was twenty feet from my previous position with my back up against the shattered trunk of a tree.


    Sylvie was holding Uto off, the blood from her fresh wounds coating her ck scales. With her abilities sealed by Sylvia, she wasn¡¯t able to keep up with Uto any more than I was able to, even with her superior defenses.


    Getting up, I pondered once more whether or not to rely on Burst Step to outmaneuver Uto, but Sylvie¡¯s sharp tone cut me off.


    <i>¡®You¡¯ll be crippled for the rest of your life if you use Burst Step again!¡¯</i>


    <i>It¡¯s better than dying here, isn¡¯t it?</i> I sent back, frustration dripping from my voice.


    <i>¡®There are better options to explore before we use that!¡¯ </i>she hissed as she twisted herrge body, avoiding Uto¡¯s attack. She batted the retainer away with her wing beforeunching herself directly at me. <i>¡®Get ready!¡¯</i>


    Realizing that she wasn¡¯t going to stop, I leaped andtched myself onto the base of her neck just before she kicked off the ground. We near-instantly cleared a hundred feet and continued to fly higher.


    <i>What¡¯s your n?</i>


    <i>¡®Like you said, it¡¯s the shade! He¡¯s able to manifest those metal spikes from wherever he wants from the shadows,¡¯</i> she exined, just as we reached the height where the mountain wasn¡¯t blocking the sun.


    I winced at the bright rays but I immediately knew what Sylvie had intended.


    <i>We were fighting in a giant shadow!</i>


    <i>¡®Exactly. That¡¯s how he was able to conjure his attacks from wherever he pleased. If we fight him here, he¡¯ll be much more limited in where he can attack.¡¯</i>


    I steadily stood up on Sylvie¡¯s back. She and I had never fought together like this. In my previous world, I had to spend hours training to fight on horseback and I imagined that to be much easier than fighting hundreds of feet above the ground on a flying dragon.


    I barely had enough time to find my bnce on top of Sylvie when Uto appeared just a few feet above us with a ck spear in hand.


    The once ck spear that glistened like metal looked dull now that he had to rely on the shadow his body cast as an anchor for his spells.


    Careful not to hurt Sylvie, I pushed myself off her back as I enveloped my body in a spherical whirlwind.


    Activating Thunderp Impulse once more, I barrelled straight into the retainer¡¯s spear. Sylvie had been right; with theck of shade, his attacks didn¡¯te from all directions¡ªonly from the parts of his body facing away from the sun. ck spikes jutted out of his body, but the spikes weren¡¯t nearly as dense or imposing.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty smart, Pup. I¡¯m d you know my weakness,¡± Uto said, his voice muffled by the wind.


    It was awkward fighting in the air.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Just like how Uto was restrained by theck of shade, I was limited by the fact that I wasn¡¯t able to fly. Sylvie would maneuver herself around me, acting as a tform to jump off.


    <i>Try not to stay too close in case Uto tries to use the shadow your body casts, </i>I sent Sylvie as I rushed in for another attack.


    With Thunderp Impulse¡¯s effects further enhanced by Realmheart, I thought we would be able to win. Trails of ichor leaked from the shallow wounds I managed to inflict on Uto but what unsettled me was his expression.


    His face that had once been of manic glee had mellowed into that of... boredom.


    ¡°Even with this big handicap, you haven¡¯t been able tond a single meaningful hit,¡± he said, his voice somber. ¡°It¡¯s... disappointing.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not fighting you to impress you,¡± I spat, spinning around. The fractured tip of Dawn¡¯s Bad sunk into Uto¡¯s chest. I surged out the mana coalesced into the de and Uto¡¯s entire body became engulfed in frost, fire, lightning and wind.


    I kept my grip on my sword as I felt the two of us starting to drop. For a moment, I thought I had done it. I thought I had killed him.


    That was the case... until I saw a ck swirl manifest from where my sword embedded into him. My attack managed to destroy most of the bandages he had wrapped himself with only to reveal what looked like piercings.


    Little studs of metal were all over his torso and limbs, and to my horror, each of those metal piercings cast their own little shadow around his entire body.


    Uto¡¯s horn glowed a purplish-ck light while the shadow from his countless piercings spread entirely around his body.


    I tried pulling Dawn¡¯s Bad out from Uto¡¯s chest but no matter how much mana I imbued into my body, I wasn¡¯t strong enough to pry it out.


    ¡°If you were able to notice my weakness in the short time we had been ying, don¡¯t you think I would¡¯ve found out about it a long time ago?¡± His voice came out muffled from the ck mask that covered his entire head and face aside from his horns.


    ¡°Sylvie!¡± I said aloud, letting go of Dawn¡¯s Bad.


    My bond immediately repositioned herself to catch me, when a ck spike suddenly shot out from Uto¡¯s body.


    I siphoned more mana out of my core, manifesting a gauntlet of ice around my right hand as I struck the ck projectile. If I dodged it, the attack would¡¯ve hit Sylvie, but I managed to redirect his surprise attack. Rather, I thought I did.


    He pointed a finger down as if he was warning me of something. I couldn¡¯t see Uto¡¯s expression from behind his shadow mask, but I swore I could see him smirking.


    Less than a secondter, I felt the sharp prick of something against my skining up from below me.


    With the internal lightning-attribute mana art enhancing my reactions, tapping into the mysterious aether around me, I activated the first phase of my dragon¡¯s will.


    <i>Aevum,</i> the control over time. With little mastery and insight over this powerful ability, I was able to briefly stop time around me. Lady Myre had said aether could not be manipted but rather influenced, but in my case, it felt like I was merely tapping into the influence that Sylvia once had over <i>aevum.</i>


    Colors flipped while the purple particles of aether around me violently trembled. Uto, Sylvie and even the ck spike almost lodged into my back all stopped abruptly. With Uto¡¯sst attack no longer in motion, I was able to whirl my body to avoid the full brunt of the impact.


    Releasing Distortion¡ªwhat I chose to call phase one¡ªwas much like letting out my breath after being underwater until the brink of drowning. I was barely able to gather my wits as the ck spike flew up, leaving arge gash on my back rather than a gaping hole.


    My body hurdled down, but just as Inded on Sylvie¡¯s back, Uto reacted. He flickered just beside me and struck me and my bond with his ck fist.


    Spiraling down toward the ground like aet, I shed in and out of consciousness once more. My entire body was a bundle of agony so I had a hard time discerning which part of me was exactly broken.


    Without even the luxury of screaming from the pain, I desperately tried to protect myself and my bond using magic.


    <i>Change into your fox form!</i> I cried desperately, but rather than obey, she scrunched her body into a ball, covering me with her arms, neck, body and wings. I could feel the warmth of her underbelly as she gripped me harder.


    She let out a growl. <i>¡®You don¡¯t have enough mana to take the impact. At least my body will be able to block some of the force.¡¯</i>


    <i>Fool, </i>I replied<i>. </i>Even in my thoughts I sounded weak.


    I braced myself for the impact but it never came. Rather, I never felt it. By the time I regained consciousness, I was in the center of a crater even more exhausted.


    <i>Sylv? </i>I tried to get up, but my body refused to listen.


    <i>Sylvie?</i> I sent out once more. No response.


    A weak moan escaped my mouth as I turned my body to see that Sylvie¡¯s body was still underneath me, but her limbs were syed out and there were ck spikes everywhere beneath us¡ªome broken, some jutting out of her.


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my bond.


    ¡°Sylvie. Wake up.¡± I shook harder.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t funny anymore. Sylvie!¡± I rolled off her body, scratching myself on a nearby spike.


    ¡°Sylvie, please!¡± My vision swam and I could feel my heart trying to burst out of my chest.


    A wave of panic rushed over me, numbing me from all of my pain. I crawled desperately, trying to lodge her arm out of arge ck spike. I grit my teeth, holding back sobs while trying to think of a way to help my bond.


    ¡°Aether,¡± I muttered breathlessly as I held my hands against her body. It was a long shot, but I had to try.


    I activated Realmheart once more. Every inch of my body screamed in pain from the bacsh but I held on. With the particles of mana and aether visible, I desperately tried to somehow guide the purple particles into Sylvie¡¯s body.


    ¡°Please,¡± I begged.


    The purple particles of aether around Sylvie began quivering, as if answering my desperate cry for help. The bits of aether swirled and seeped slowly into Sylvie¡¯s body.


    I didn¡¯t know what would happen. I thought that since Sylvie was able to heal me through aether, her body would be able to heal herself through aether as well.


    Unable to keep Realmheart active any longer, I sank to my knees, my face against the base of Sylvie¡¯s neck.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to be okay,¡± I breathed. ¡°You <i>have</i> to be okay.¡±


    Several ck spikes had pierced through Sylvie¡¯s body and limbs, but I didn¡¯t have the strength to pull them out. I tried striking the ck spike that had impaled her, hoping it woulde loose from the ground.


    I striked. I striked again. I striked until I couldn¡¯t condense mana anymore and my knuckles bled.


    ¡°Your beast will live,¡± a female voice sounded nearby. The voice was calm and mature.


    <i>Aya?</i>


    Desperate and hopeful, I turned around and looked up, except it wasn¡¯t her. Far from it.


    It was a girl, but it wasn¡¯t Aya.


    It was the girl I had seen at the cavern in Darv.


    The scythe. Except... in her hand was Uto. And he appeared dead.

 Chapter 176

    Chapter 176


    Chapter 176: The First Scythe


    I stared silently at her.


    Sweat drenched my skin and my entire head throbbed. My tongue felt like a rag wrung dry¡ªmy body felt fear, but my brain was lost in a web of thoughts. I could feel the gears turning as my brain tried toe up with a scenario in response to this change in events. The conclusion that it came to, however...


    There was no way out.


    With no mana left in my core, my body on the brink of copsing from bacsh, and my bond incapacitated, I did the only thing I <i>could </i>do. I waited.


    I waited for the woman standing near the rim of the crater Sylvie¡¯s body had made. Unlike the retainers that I had seen until now, she looked fundamentally different.


    Her hair was long and reflected the sun like liquid amethyst. Unlike the witch, Uto, or Cylrit, whoseplexions were varying shades of sickly gray, this woman¡¯s skin had the quality of polished baster. Her eyes were as piercing as her long ck horns that spiraled up like an imp¡¯s.


    Aside from her unnaturally striking appearance, what struck me the most was her aura¡ªor rather,ck of aura.


    Unlike when I learned to hide my presence, the scythe¡¯s aura seemed to be there, but contained¡ªcontained like a devastating bomb ready to explode. The only time I had felt this was when I had met Lord Indrath. Sylvie¡¯s grandfather and the current leader of the asuras had the same suffocating presence that made everyone wary of when he might explode.


    I gulped, which was the biggest movement I¡¯d made since I became aware of the scythe¡¯s arrival.


    She remained still, though. That was a good sign. If she wanted to kill me, she could¡¯ve done so by now. I wanted to ask why she was currently holding onto the unconscious or dead Uto by his hair but couldn¡¯t quite work up the nerve to.


    I was pretty certain that neither Sylvie nor I had done anything to Uto, which either meant he had exceeded his limits with thatst attack or that this scythe had something to do with Uto¡¯s current state. Both options seemed unlikely.


    Remaining still, I continued passively gaining mana through mana rotation. My body burned and my core opposed from bacsh but I held on. There was nothing I could do no matter how much mana I gained; I couldn¡¯t escape with Sylvie in this condition and there was no way I was going to leave her behind. My brain flickered with the notion that it might be worthwhile to fight against this scythe but that thought was quickly doused by every other fiber of my being.


    So I remained in the same exact position, staring at the purple-haired scythe. Dozens of possible scenarios ran through my thoughts but what she did was something that I would¡¯ve never predicted.


    Reaching down with her free hand, the scythe snapped off Uto¡¯s horns one by one as if she were plucking flowers. Remaining silent, she casually tossed the two horns at me and my body immediately reacted. As if the horns were bombs¡ªfor all I knew, they could be¡ªI scrunched into a ball, protecting my vitals. I positioned myself between the severed horns and my bond in the feeble hopes that I could somehow protect my two-ton dragon, but nothing happened. The two ck horns rolled and stopped beside my feet anticlimactically.


    Cautious, I left the horns on the ground and locked eyes with the scythe. Her actions didn¡¯t make any sense; from what I had gathered, the Vritra¡¯s horns were an important part of themselves. Why would she do that to her ally?


    Just when I thought her actions couldn¡¯t be more unpredictable, the scythe lifted Uto by his hair and pierced through his body with a thin de of what looked to be pure mana. What surprised me more than the deadly purple de jutting out of Uto¡¯s sternum was the fact that he remained unconscious.


    Whether it was because I was exhausted¡ªphysically and mentally¡ªor the scythe had something schemed, I couldn¡¯t make sense of the meaning behind her actions. At this point, I was more shocked by the fact that she was able to so easily pierce through Uto¡¯s core.


    Mana and beast cores were dense and hypersensitive parts of the body that became more resilient the higher the user¡¯s stage was. Being able to pierce through it without Uto being inplete agony meant that this scythe had either killed a retainer or done something more than simply knocking him unconscious.


    The scythe tossed Uto like a ragdoll down into the crater towards Sylvie and me.


    ¡°It was a tough battle but you managed to defeat Uto. You were able to keep him alive but for safety measures, you pierced his core to ensure that he won¡¯t be able to use any mana art. You did this so you could take him back to question and interrogate him,¡± the scythe said as if reading a script.


    My initial response was to ask what was going on, but this scythe seemed like the sort of person that despised needless questions that wasted her time. Through the magical power of deduction, it seemed that she either didn¡¯t agree with this war or she had her own personal agenda. If it meant that I wouldn¡¯t die today, I could work with either reason.


    I asked a different question instead.


    ¡°Would it be too much to ask for your name?¡± I muttered, my voice betraying any sort of confidence I was trying to project.


    There was a slight rise to one of her brows, but that was the only change in her expression she exhibited¡ªoutwardly, at least.


    After a slight pause, she answered with a deadpan expression. ¡°Seris Vritra.¡±


    Pushing myself up off the ground, I managed to sit up with my back propped up against Sylvie¡¯s body. My body felt like it weighed as much as Sylvie but I did my best to appear poised.


    ¡°Thank you, Seris Vritra. I won¡¯t forget this kindness.¡± I dipped my head respectfully. It wasn¡¯t clear whether this scythe was an enemy or ally. She seemed like neither, but nheless she had saved my life along with Sylvie¡¯s. For that, the least I could do was thank her regardless of her race and stance in this war.


    Seris cracked open a slight smile. ¡°Peculiar boy.¡±


    The scythe turned, preparing to leave, but just before she disappeared she said, ¡°For both our sakes, get stronger¡ªfast. Uto¡¯s horns will be an invaluable resource for you if you can manage to extract his mana stored inside.¡±


    Wide-eyed, I gingerly scooped up the two fist-sized horns and stored them inside my ring. By the time I looked back up, Seris had disappeared.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if it was because Uto was unconscious or because Seris had destroyed Uto¡¯s core, but the bed of ck spikes that Sylvie had protected me from with her own body crumbled. Sylvie¡¯s wounds were already closing and her breathing became more rxed. I thought white core mages healed fast, but Sylvie¡¯s rate of recovery was actually visible.


    With the worry of my bond dying out here now gone, I focused my attention on the unconscious and bleeding retainer. Dawn¡¯s Bad was still pierced through his chest, but it slid out easily when I gave it a tug. My sword hardly left a gash on Uto¡¯s body, yet Seris¡¯s seemingly nonchnt attack was able to easily pierce through Uto¡¯s body and core.


    ¡°It looks like I have quite a bit to go before I try to take on another retainer, let alone a scythe,¡± I muttered to myself. I hated to admit it but with the appearance of Seris, I hadpletely lost my will to fight back. It had been a while since I had felt so helpless and this time as well, it wasn¡¯t a good feeling.


    With enough mana gathered, I attempted to use magic. When I did, my core churned, sending me in a fit of agony. Mana burned as I channeled it through my body but I was able to encase Uto¡¯s body in ice.


    Despite almost dying on several different asions just moments ago, there was a sense of calm that surrounded me. There were things that I should¡¯ve been doing right now: helping Aya if her battle hadn¡¯t already ended, informing Mica about Olfred¡¯s betrayal, but right now, I couldn¡¯t. In this weakened state, I couldn¡¯t help them even if I wanted to, so I relented to my body¡¯s wish and rested.


    I leaned my back heavily against Sylvie¡¯s body, her rhythmic breathing almost therapeutic. I usually never let myself fall into delusions and thoughts of wistful fantasies, but right now, I felt like I deserved it. Letting my thoughts drift, I allowed myself to imagine my life after the war. I allowed myself some happy thoughts, even if they wouldn¡¯t necessarilye true.


    Thoughts of myself, grown up¡ªmaybe even sporting a beard¡ªwith a family of my own. Tess¡¯ face popped into my mind, and immediately I resisted the urge to continue my reverie. But I deserved this little fantastical break.


    So I let the scenes continue. Tess looked older, more mature but still dazzlingly beautiful. She smiled brightly at something I¡¯d just said, her cheeks with just a slight tinge of red. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before ncing upward at me with a coy gaze. She took a single step toward me, but suddenly we were chest to chest. Tess got on her toes as she closed her eyes. Her blush deepened and her longshes quivered.


    Just as she pursed her lips, Tessia was suddenly ripped out of my arms. I was surrounded by darkness but I was able to vaguely make out the figure of the person standing in front of me, just a few feet away.


    It was me. The <i>former </i>me.


    <i>What makes you think you can have this happiness¡ªthat you deserve this happiness? </i>The former me spoke, or rather, a formless voice echoed from its location.


    <i>After what you did to them, do you think you can just forget and move on? They died because of your choices. They paid the price for your selfishness. </i>


    <i>Whether you¡¯re King Grey or Arthur Leywin, you can only exist alone. </i>


    <i>Whether you¡¯re King Grey or Arthur... </i>


    <i>... Grey or Arthur... </i>


    <i>... Arthur...</i>


    ¡°Arthur!¡±


    I jolted awake. In front of me was Aya.


    Her expression immediately untensed and a flicker of relief shone in her eyes. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t wake up no matter how hard I shook you. I was beginning to worry that something happened during the fight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a bit tired.¡± I mustered a smile to reassure her.


    Aya nodded. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay.¡±


    Staring at the elvennce, I noticed that her face was much paler than it usually was, but besides that there weren¡¯t any visible wounds. ¡°How did it go on your side?¡±


    Aya¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°A few of the cryan soldiers were able to escape. As for the traitor, I was able to execute him.¡±


    Traitor. Execute. I mulled over the elf¡¯s choice of words. It was as if she was distancing herself from the fact that she had killed a formerrade. I couldn¡¯t me her; Olfred¡¯s death left a bitter taste in my mouth, but Aya had worked alongside Olfred longer than I had.


    ¡°What about Mica?¡± I asked.


    Aya shook her head. ¡°I came here straight after finishing my job at the cryan¡¯s hidden base to help you, but I see that it was unnecessary.¡±


    For a brief moment, I thought of telling thence about Seris and how she had helped me, but I chose not to. There was no hard reasoning behind it, but I wanted to know more about Seris before saying anything. ¡°It was a hard battle, but I was able to defeat him with Sylvie¡¯s help.¡±


    There was a sh of doubt in Aya¡¯s eyes but she immediately recovered with a curt nod. ¡°I¡¯m d the both of you got through this in one piece. We¡¯ve won.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, petting Sylvie¡¯s body. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like we won though. We managed to bring down a retainer but along with it, a member of the Council and ance¡ªmaybe even two.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s safe to leave it at just onence,¡± Aya replied as she idly stared at Uto, whose frozen body I had left upright.


    ¡°So Mica wasn¡¯t a part of it?¡±


    Aya shook her head. ¡°She still needs to be questioned but I highly doubt it.¡±


    I let out a sigh, resting my head against Sylvie¡¯s body. I could feel my bond in my thoughts again¡ªa mixture of emotions that she was feeling inside her dreams.


    ¡°With Rahdeas¡¯ arrest and Mica¡¯s questioning along with this retainer¡¯s interrogation, It¡¯s going to be hectic when we get back to the castle,¡± I said, more to myself than to Aya.


    Thence let out a soft chuckle as she stretched. ¡°It definitely will be, so get some rest here while you can.¡±


    I smiled weakly at Aya, thinking t there would be too much on my mind to rest: What to think about Seris¡¯ actions; how to utilize the horns to get stronger; and how to exin the recurring nightmares about my past life. However, in the battle between my body and mind, my body prevailed and I sumbed to thepelling lull of sleep.

 Chapter 177

    Chapter 177


    Chapter 177: Greying Glimpse


    ¡°Next! Cadet Grey, no surname. Please step onto the tform,¡± said the male researcher with the immacteb coat on the other side of the ss.


    The researcher¡¯s half-closed eyes never left his clipboard. ¡°Please ce your dominant hand on the globe and wait for further instructions.¡±


    I did as instructed while broadening my shoulders and puffing out my chest¡ªas if my posture was going to somehow help me on this test.


    ¡°Now, Cadet Grey, the globe is a sensor that will measure your ki level. Please imbue your ki into the sensor until you are given the signal to stop.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, I siphoned the ki out of my sternum and let it flow up and through my right arm into the ss sphere. My ki, which was being measured inside the sensor, looked like droplets of ink inside water. Swirling and expanding inside, I saw the researchers jot down notes with looks of disappointment.


    Barely a minute had passed and I was already sweating profusely, my hand trembling on top of the globe.


    ¡°You may stop,¡± the same researcher notified through the inte, his voice sounding even less impressed than it had in the beginning. ¡°Please proceed to the training grounds for the final part of your assessment.¡±


    I walked out of the door I hade in through, taking a peek back as the researchers discussed my score behind their ss window. The one that had given me the instructions let out a sigh and shook his head.


    Walking through the brightly-lit corridor, I stopped at the back of a line that had formed from cadets waiting their turn for the final portion of the assessment.


    ¡°Hey... do you know what thest test will be?¡± Therge, bulky young man in front of me in line asked nervously.


    ¡°We went through tests that measured our mental acuity, physical strength and just now our ki. Just by process of elimination, thisst one can only be <i>that</i>.¡±


    The muscr teen¡¯s eyes lit up in realization before he grinned smugly. ¡°Oh...<i> that!</i> Haha! I¡¯m good at <i>that</i>.¡±


    I let out a smallugh in amusement at the simpleton¡¯s change in attitude. It was the same for me¡ªI was also good at <i>that</i>.


    The line started moving again and we filed into arge auditorium with a ceiling at least a hundred feet high. There were already a fair amount of cadets gathered in designated locations with an instructor leading each group. My eyes scanned the area in hopes of finding Nico or Cecilia, but I couldn¡¯t find either of them.


    There was also an instructor at the front of our line, guiding each of the new cadets to a different group. The instructor pointed to his right at a crowd of nervous cadets near the far corner and the bulky boy in front of me confidently swaggered to his assigned group.


    ¡°Cadet Grey, no surname,¡± the instructor read.


    I stifled the urge to scowl every time a faculty member pointed out the fact that I had no family name. Why did that matter here?


    ¡°Proceed to Group 4C halfway to the far left corner of the auditorium. The floor is marked for your convenience,¡± the instructor said, pointing to the appropriate location.


    I gave him a curt nod and walked to my group, which was a hodgepodge of approximately a dozen men and women of all different sizes and builds. A petite girl that looked around my age stood confidently with her arms crossed. She purposely leaked traces of her ki so everyone around her could feel it. A toned boy with neatly cropped hair stood tall with an arrogant smirk. Judging by the crest pinned to his chest pocket, he was from a military family. No doubt he was raised to be a prominent member of the military¡ªperhaps even a contender to challenge the spot for king.


    Amidst the group was our instructor¡ªa heavyset man that looked to be in his forties with a mustache better groomed than his thinning hair.


    ¡°Cadet Grey?¡± the instructor asked with a raised brow as he read off his clipboard.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± I nodded respectfully. No point in being brusque with the man responsible for determining my stature inside this military academy.


    ¡°Okay! Looks like everyone¡¯s here then,¡± he said, tucking his clipboard in his armpit and sping his hands. ¡°Hello everyone. You may all refer to me as Instructor Gredge. Before we begin, I¡¯d like to say a few words.¡±


    The cadets in our group shuffled around him in a circle so everyone could see.


    ¡°As many of you might¡¯ve guessed, thisst portion of the entry exam will be practicalbat. I have every one of this group¡¯s ki level results here and, while I will not disclose anyone¡¯s ki level, I¡¯ll tell you now that they all differ. Part of practicalbat means that you will not always have the luxury of being able to fight someone with the same level of ki as you. Sometimes you will be lucky and be faced with an opponent that can barely strengthen his fist¡ª¡±


    A few cadets in our group snickered at that.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>


    ¡°Other times, you wille across situations where the opponent has a muchrger ki pool than you do,¡± the instructor continued, holding up his clipboard once more. ¡°Regardless, you will be judged on your ability to adapt ordingly and most importantly, prevail.¡±


    We exchanged nces amongst our group before a scrawny teen that looked a few years older than me raised his arm and spoke. ¡°Are the rumors that cadets can die during this test true?¡±


    Instructor Gredge scratched his beard. ¡°Highly unlikely. The weapons here are blunted and softened. Also, I¡¯ll be carefully monitoring the fights and intervene when necessary.¡±


    There were a few cadets in the group that were still anxious despite the instructor¡¯s reassurance. I couldn¡¯t me them. The difference in ki levels made a huge difference in strength and agility¡ªenough that even a softened weapon could be deadly.


    The instructor cleared his throat to get our attention. ¡°As all of you know, the entry exam is important in determining and securing a cadet¡¯s future in this academy. Those who do well here will be well supported by the academy and be given resources to further their skills while those who fail will be neglected and eventually expelled. It¡¯s unfair but that¡¯s also the way of life. I¡¯d ask if any of you have any questions but we¡¯re short on time so let¡¯s begin.¡±


    Our plump instructor waved his hand, motioning for some of the stray cadets in our group to get out of the way. He then dug out a key from his pocket and inserted it into the wall. That was when I noticed the faint seams in the ground.


    The wall slid open to reveal a weapon rack, while at the same time, panes of ss-like material erected from the thin seams in the ground. Within seconds, an area of roughly thirty square feet was enclosed by the clear walls that rose dozens of feet high.


    ¡°First up will be Cadet Janice Creskit against Cadet Twain Burr. Pick out a weapon of your choice and enter the arena.¡± Instructor Gredge motioned at the door and the panes slid open.


    The small-framed girl that was unting her ki picked out a blunted spear while the scrawny teen that had just asked the instructor whether it was possible to die carefully handled a shield and sword. The two of them followed the instructor inside the enclosed area, the panes closing behind him.


    ¡°ncing blows will be ignored and I will judge whether or not the match will stop or not. Until then, fight to your heart¡¯s content.¡± Our instructor ced himself in between Janice and the anxious Twain. ¡°Begin!¡±


    Twain jumped back and immediately fell into a defensive stance, holding his fiberss shield up while keeping his blunted sword close to his body.


    Janice, on the other hand, lunged at her opponent. A muted thud resounded as her spear shed with Twain¡¯s shield, but she didn¡¯t relent. With no regard for her safety, she let loose a wild set of thrusts, pushing back Twain with each one.


    The petite girlshed out like a cat, quick and agile but too emotional. Twain, although his knitted brows showed uncertainty, seemed to have caught on to this when he timed his next block to parry away Janice¡¯s spear.


    She staggered just a step, but that was all Twain needed. He quickly swung his sword and hit her square in the shoulder. I expected her to writhe in pain or at least recoil, but despite the direct hit, a translucentyer of ki protected Janice¡¯s shoulder.


    With a smug grin stered on Cadet Janice¡¯s face, she smacked away Twain¡¯s sword with her hand and tackled him with the same shoulder that had just received the hit. Twain buckled. Janice followed up by swiping her weapon at Twain¡¯s legs, sweeping him off his feet¡ªliterally.


    The scrawny teen fell to the floor and just before Janice brought down the head of her spear into Twain¡¯s face, Instructor Gredge intercepted.


    ¡°Match over. Both cadets return to the rest of the group,¡± he said unceremoniously, letting go of the spear.


    There was a moment of silence as our instructor jotted a few things onto his clipboard while Twain and Janice walked out of the arena.


    ¡°As this is an exam and not a ss, we will not be debriefing the happenings of this match. You may choose to specte amongst yourselves. In the meantime, Cadet Grey and Cadet ir of House Ambrose, please pick out a weapon from the rack ande.¡±


    Murmurs resounded from our group upon hearing the name ¡®Ambrose.¡¯


    The toned, good-looking boy that looked just around my age walked over to Janice.


    ¡°May I use the spear?¡± he asked, holding his hand out.


    The girl that had just fought like a feral cat suddenly turned tame as she handed him the blunted spear. ¡°S-Sure.¡±


    I picked out a sword about half the width of the one that Twain had used before walking into the enclosed area.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, Cadet Grey?¡± ir asked with a raised brow. ¡°The sword you chose is usually paired with a brace or another sword.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m fine like this.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± ir said with a shrug.


    ¡°Begin.¡± Instructor Gredge signaled with a wave of his clipboard.


    Unlike Janice, ir took on a much more neutral stance with his spear. I wasn¡¯t all too familiar with forms for the particr weapon but just on instinct alone, I knew he was much better trained with the weapon than Janice was.


    I tightened my grip around my weapon but kept the de low. ir¡¯s eyes narrowed, almost as if he was insulted that I hadn¡¯t taken a proper stance.


    With a scoff, my opponent dashed forward. His weapon became a blur but my body knew where it was going to be. I dodged his first thrust with just the slightest twitch of my head and I ducked underneath the quick swipe that followed after.


    The following minute continued with ir unable tond a single hit on me. I knew that a single hit would probably be the end of me for this duel but I had to save my limited ki for when I could actually attack. Meanwhile, ir had a consistent aura of ki enveloping his body and weapon which was impressive. The previous cadets were able to protect themselves with ki to a certain extent, Janice more so than Twain, but to be able to extend his ki into his weapon at our age was something that came with both talent and hard work.


    His blunted spear whistled past my cheek with practiced precision but I allowed my body to do its work. His movements were blurred and he seemed to be using a technique that bent and curved his spear for a wider range of attacks, but he was still slow¡ªat least to me. Unlike the attackers that tried to kidnap Cecilia, hecked the fear-inducing ferocity that they had.


    Despite growing used to this sensation over the years, it was still odd the way my body moved seamlessly with my thoughts. I knew this was an unfair skill to have but I saw it more as evening out the ying field for my ever-shallow ki pool.


    As Mr. Ambrose kept attacking, his precisebination of attacks soon becameced with emotions. Frustration and impatience took over, dulling his attacks and leaving his body more open. I took advantage of that fact and went in. Strengthening the ball of my foot with ki, I dashed forward after redirecting his spear up so his ribs were exposed on his right side.


    I swung my sword, hitting him cleanly just below his armpit. ir¡¯s body reeled from the impact but I could tell by the sensation just now that it didn¡¯t do much because of the richyer of ki protecting him.


    ¡°Enough. Match over,¡± Instructor Gredge dered.


    ¡°What? That hit barely tickled! I can still fight!¡± ir retorted, anger in his eyes.


    ¡°There is no victory in these matches, Cadet Ambrose. I have seen enough from both of you, which is why I¡¯m concluding this match,¡± our instructor said, annoyance evident in his tone.


    He nced at me. ¡°I disagree that you¡¯ve seen enough. The kid justnded a lucky blow.¡±


    Instructor Gredge shook his head. ¡°The lucky blow was made <i>after </i>you failed tond a single hit for exactly a minute and eight seconds. Now before you are docked even more points, please make your way out of the arena so the other cadets can have a chance.¡±


    ir stared daggers at both me and our instructor but walked out after tossing his spear on the ground.


    The exams ended soon after, giving the cadets some time to rest and eat while the results board was uploaded.


    ¡°Is this seat taken? Of course it isn¡¯t,¡± a familiar voice asked and answered from behind. Nico nudged me with his elbow before sitting down across from me, his hands carrying the same tray of food that I had received and was currently eating from. Cecilia followed close behind, shooting me a smile before she sat down next to Nico.


    I ignored Nico¡¯s little tease, swallowing my steamed vegetables before asking, ¡°How did your guys¡¯ tests go? Did the amulet work?¡±


    Cecilia held up her right hand to show me the little coin-sized pin in the center of her palm. ¡°It worked like a charm. Judging by the testers¡¯ reaction, I was probably somewhere around average, to not-significantly-above-average.¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯ve named the amulet the not-significantly-above-average ki disyer!¡± Nico chuckled as he pointed his fork at me. ¡°I told you it¡¯d work.¡±


    I respected Nico¡¯s resilience and ability to adapt. Nico was undoubtedly affected by Headmaster Wilbeck¡¯s death, but he didn¡¯t let that get to him for long. He bounced back and pushed us¡ªespecially me¡ªto keep working toward a goal. I know that oftentimes, he jokes to cover his emotions but I think that his wittiness was much needed in our group.


    I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m d it did... although I still think it would¡¯ve been best if you two went into a regr school. It¡¯s not toote I thi¡ª¡±


    ¡°And I told you that we¡¯re sticking together,¡± Nico cut in. His eyes flickered with intensity for a moment but then loosened. ¡°Besides, this ce has a research facility and several workshops avable to the engineering department students.¡±


    ¡°Nico¡¯s right,¡± Cecilia chimed in, fiddling with but not really eating her food. ¡°We all have things we can learn by being here.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but we have to be careful.¡± I lowered my voice and scooted closer to my friends. ¡°We don¡¯t know exactly what group or organization was after Cecilia.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worrying too much,¡± Nico dismissed. ¡°The new ki restrainer that I built shouldst long enough for me to scrounge around for a few parts here and make a more stable one.¡±


    We talked for a bit longer but our eyes kept shifting back to therge clock above the kitchen. It wasn¡¯t just us¡ªeveryone was anxious for the announcement.


    Nico pushed away his tray of food. ¡°Well I can¡¯t eat any more of this rat turd. Want to just head to the board now?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I said. ¡°We might be able to get a better spot.¡±


    We made our way out of the hall and back outside. The sun shined brightly overhead but, with only buildings and artificial trees and shrubs surrounding us, the academy felt stifling.


    ¡°Are the engineering cadets separated into divisions as well?¡± I asked Nico on our way.


    My friend swayed his head side to side. ¡°Yes and no. We, the more <i>intellectual </i>cadets, still have to use ki to create tools and gadgets so there is priority given to those who have arge ki pool, but it¡¯s not as heavily weighed as you martial cadets. I¡¯ll either be ced in first division, which is the fast track, or second division.¡±


    ¡°I wish it was that simple for us,¡± Cecilia sighed. ¡°Why is it that martial cadets have divisions that go all the way down to five?¡±


    Nico shrugged. ¡°The way of life. Anyway, I hope you two get into the same division if not the same ss. That way, Grey, you can mess up any boy whoes too close to Cecilia.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile at that. Nico said it lightly but I could tell he was embarrassed at his words. Even after all these years, Nico still hasn¡¯t said anything about his feelings for Cecilia.


    By the time we arrived at therge courtyard where the board would be updated, there was already arge crowd of cadets trying to inch as close to the board as possible.


    ¡°Looks like everyone here had the same idea as us,¡± Cecilia muttered.


    ¡°No choice but to plow through,¡± Nico said as he pushed me forward. ¡°Lead the way, cadet!¡±


    After ten minutes of squeezing through hundreds of cadets, we made it close enough to the board where we could read therge words being loaded up onto the screen.


    ¡°Nico, your bottom lip is bleeding!¡± Cecilia eximed. ¡°Did you get hit?¡±


    ¡°s, I did note out unscathed after taking a stray elbow to my face in order to protect you!¡± Nico said dramatically.


    I shook my head. ¡°Nico chews his lip when he¡¯s nervous, frustrated, concentrating or all of the above. He probably bit down too hard.¡±


    Nico clicked his tongue. ¡°Smartass.¡±


    Just then, the screen flickered and lit up. Words¡ªnames and numbers¡ªappeared on the screen in rows. The cadets behind us pushed us forward as they all tried to get as close as possible to find their names.


    I found Nico¡¯s fairly easily. He was ced in division one, ss one¡ªthe highest tier. I saw ir Ambrose¡¯s name next; he was division one ss five of the martial cadet list, meaning he had barely made it to first division. Cecilia¡¯s name came into view next but the restrained squeal of delight she had let out told me she had found her name as well.


    I looked down, searching for my name, but my heart sank the lower my line of sight fell since the lower the name appeared, the lower their division and ss was. Cecilia¡¯s name had appeared fairly early since she had been ced in division two, ss four, but by the time I found my name, I knew my goal of excelling in the academy and getting strong enough to find and take down the people or group that killed Headmaster Wilbeck was going to be much harder than I thought.


    I mumbled my name and division, saying it over and over just in case I had read wrong. ¡°Grey. Division four, ss one.¡±


    <span ss="s1"><b>ARTHUR LEYWIN</b></span>


    My eyes crept open to see the familiar ceiling of my room back in the floating castle. I was thankful that I hadn¡¯t experienced another nightmare, but this dream still left an incredibly bitter taste in my mouth.


    ¡°Time to get up, Syl¡±¡ªI stopped myself, remembering that my bond was in the medical ward of the castle.


    Yesterday seemed more like a dream than the dream that I actually just had. Fortunately, the journey back was only to the nearest major city that had a teleportation gate. Several soldiers had to help carry Sylvie from the site of our battle through the gate, but she was able to safely make it back and get treated.


    I wasn¡¯t able to see Mica at all since she had been taken into custody for questioning. Varay and Bairon had gone to meet with the dwarvennce in case she chose to fight back but she came back here willingly. By the time I hade back here midday, Rahdeas had already been ced into one of the cells to be interrogated at ater time along with Uto.


    Staring outside as I stood in the shower, I realized that it was early morning, which meant that I had slept through the rest of the day and through the night. My body still felt sluggish and hot from bacsh but sleeping for over eighteen hours seemed to have done wonders for me.


    As I got out of the shower, I heard footsteps stopping in front of my room. The person didn¡¯t even have the chance to knock when I called out, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    An unfamiliar woman¡¯s voice sounded from the other side of the door. ¡°General Arthur. I was given instructions to help you get ready and escort you to the meeting hall.¡±


    Looking down at my dripping body covered in scars, I suddenly felt ufortable at the thought of someone staring at them. The scars on my neck and left hand the witch-like retainer had left me with were the worst, but they were just two of many that littered my body. Mana and Sylvie¡¯s dragon will helped my recovery rate tremendously, but it just meant that scars formed faster to seal the wounds, not make skin pearly new.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost done so wait outside for just a minute,¡± I said, hurriedly putting on trousers and a tunic with a high cor before covering my hands with thin gloves. It wasn¡¯t necessary to hide my scars since the traitors had been captured, but I felt better doing so.


    Making sure Dawn¡¯s Bad was safely inside my dimension ring along with Uto¡¯s severed horns, I readied my mind for the endless strategic meetings and questionings soon toe.

 Chapter 178

    Chapter 178


    Chapter 178: Strategic Conduct


    The short walk to the meeting room was filled with an awkward silence between me and the immactely-dressed elven secretary.


    I wanted to stop by my sister¡¯s room, but the elf insisted that the meeting take precedence. My eyes drifted and I found myself looking for anyone familiar¡ªmostly Tess. It was probably because of that damned scene I imagined of us hugging each other, about to kiss.


    To my disappointment and worry, the secretary informed me that Tessia and her team had gone back to their post in the Beast des.


    ¡°When did they leave?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They departed yesterday at sunrise, General Arthur,¡± she replied almost robotically just before stopping in front of the closed meeting room.


    The guard on each side of the wooden door immediately stepped aside, sliding open the entrance upon seeing the two of us approach.


    The two guards thumped the hilts of their spears on the ground in salute. ¡°General.¡±


    I walked into the circr room after dismissing the secretary, meeting the gaze of the Council and the othernces.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the meeting to begin once we had all gathered¡ªminus Aldir, our missing ambassador for the asuras. However, with Rahdeas and Olfred no longer in the Council, the once cramped meeting room seemed eerily spacious.


    We had barely taken our seats when King yder unleashed his anger. mming his fists on the circr table we were currently sitting around, the burly king roared, ¡°What was the point of Lord Aldir taking control of the artifact if he was just going to run off to who knows where!¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to be blowing up on something we can¡¯t change,¡± Alduin snapped in irritation.


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Prisci yder agreed. ¡°There are more urgent things we need to cover if we are to recover ourselves from this setback.¡±


    ine looked at his wife incredulously but the queen ignored her husband¡¯s gaze.


    Merial, who sat beside her husband, finally peeled her eyes off of the stack of parchment she had been going through and spoke. ¡°I¡¯ve gathered and read through several ounts of what transpired, one of which was from Aya, but I think it¡¯s best we start with Arthur¡¯s ount of what happened.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Virion spoke, turning his tired gaze to me. The man had been old for as long as I had known him, but these past few years had really taken a toll on his body and psyche. This was evidenced by the deep dark bags under his eyes and the way his face had contorted into a perpetual frown.


    ine¡¯s deep red hair was practically aze as he leaned back in his seat, simmering like a me eager to be fed the fuel to unleash his anger once more.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I said, resting my arms on the table. Normally, thences stood behind their respective artifact holder but with the extra seats avable and the fact that even standing took a toll on my fatigued body, I was allowed to sit down.


    Recapping the events starting from the day Olfred, Mica and I set off on our mission didn¡¯t take long. The members of the Council stopped me every once in a while if they needed rification or further details but otherwise let me talk.


    Aside from omitting the detail that I wasn¡¯t the one that had defeated Uto, but rather his ally, I told the Council everything I knew. By the end of my story, Virion nodded thoughtfully.


    ¡°How is it that Arthur, who¡¯s not yet reached the white-core stage, was able to defeat not one but two retainers while ance had been killed so helplessly?¡± ine asked, suspicionced in his voice.


    Virion¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°What are you trying to gain by being so skeptical of General Arthur?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps knowing how he hade out victorious on both ounts can better prepare the rest of thences in future battles against the retainers and scythes,¡± ine said with a shrug.


    Prisci put a cating hand on her husband¡¯s arm, trying to intervene. ¡°Dear¡ª¡±


    ¡°King ine has a point,¡± I cut in. ¡°The first retainer I had fought against wasn¡¯t as strong as Uto¡ªthe retainer that we now have imprisoned. Even then, I came out with these scars and a broken sword that had been forged by an asura.¡±


    Everyone besides Virion showed some form of surprise on their face when I took off the glove on my left hand and pulled down on my tunic to expose my neck, but none of them said a word.


    I continued. ¡°Uto, on the other hand, had the ability to kill me and Sylvie on sight but that wasn¡¯t what he was after. That particr Vritra¡¯s only motivation seemed to be enjoying a good battle. When I didn¡¯t seem to be that much of a threat, he lowered his guard to try and incite me into a fit of rage by threatening to kill those close to me. Sylvie and I were able to capitalize on his carelessness and destroy his horns.¡±


    ¡°How did you know that destroying a Vritra¡¯s horns would have any effect on their ability to fight?¡± a clear voice rang from behind Prisci. The one to ask the question was Varay Aurae.


    I shook my head. ¡°I didn¡¯t. I doubt even the asuras knew, otherwise they would¡¯ve told us. But I remember thetence, Alea, mentioning how furious Uto had gotten when she chipped off a fragment of his horn.¡±


    My lie wasn¡¯t the most well-thought-out, but bringing up Alea seemed to convince even ine and Bairon, who had both been studying me critically throughout my story. It felt wrong deceiving everyone, especially Virion. But I didn¡¯t trust anyone at this point and I knew that telling Virion now¡ªwithout any idea of what the Seris¡¯ goal was¡ªwould only burden themander more.


    ¡°The retainer¡¯s power seemed to diminish significantly after we destroyed his horns¡±¡ªI emphasized ¡®destroyed¡¯¡ª¡°and we were soon able to barely overpower him. After securing Uto, the only thing I remember is General Aya waking me up.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the exnation,¡± Virion said after a brief pause. ¡°Queen Prisci, would you like to go over the next matter of business?¡±


    With a nod, the queen spoke. ¡°The most crucial factor in this war right now is the alliance with the dwarves. With Rahdeas imprisoned and held for questioning, we have no one to effectively lead the dwarves. Furthermore, after General Arthur¡¯s reconnaissance in Darv, it¡¯s obvious that either a faction, or multiple factions are willfully assisting the cryan army.¡±


    ¡°What if we send some military forces from Sapin into Darv to oversee the dwarves?¡± Alduin suggested.


    King ine, who had since calmed down, shook his head. ¡°Military presence from the humans would only frighten the dwarves more into thinking that we want to control them. Things will get even more out of hand if we force our way into this.¡±


    An idea flickered in my mind but seeing the rest of thences rtively silent, I wasn¡¯t sure whether I had the authority to weigh in. It might¡¯ve just been that the threences present weren¡¯t knowledgeable in wide-scale military and political tactics given their focus onbat. Regardless, I started off with a question. ¡°Was Rahdeas¡¯ capture made public?¡±


    King ine raised a brow. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. Part of this meeting was to discuss how to handle the traitor and the fact that we¡¯re down onence and can¡¯t rece him because our ambassador of the asuras has gone on a little vacation.¡±


    ¡°Then why not use that to our advantage?¡± I suggested, hoping someone would catch on.


    Thankfully, Virion did. His face lit up the way it had when Tessia and I were just children. ¡°Brilliant! Arthur, remind me never to fight a war against you.¡±


    Virion didn¡¯t have to exin much before everyone else in the room caught on and even offered insights on how to actualize my inkling of an idea. The people here were smart after all.


    Basically, the Council would put on the guise that Rahdeas was never captured. They would have to make Rahdeas spill how hemunicated with his people but after doing so, they¡¯d be able to send out orders as if it were from Rahdeas himself.


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything radical like have them immediately go against the cryans, since Rahdeas had been so adamant on helping them, but we can at least secure information by posing as him,¡± Merial said excitedly.


    The atmosphere in the room became a bit lighter as hope slowly bubbled up. The next list on the agenda was discussing how to proceed with General Mica¡¯s questioning and Uto¡¯s interrogation.


    ¡°General Mica¡¯s questioning will be held by me, while General Aya will be handling the Vritra we have imprisoned,¡± Virion announced. ¡°However, Rahdeas¡¯ interrogation should take precedence at this point to secure the dwarves¡¯ allegiance. Anyone think otherwise?¡±


    The rest of us shook our heads. We all agreed; getting control of Darv was crucial in winning this war.


    ¡°Good,¡± Virion continued. ¡°Then we¡¯ll discuss the details regarding General Mica¡¯s and the retainer¡¯s questioning in our next meeting.¡±


    The Council continued, covering several more items on the agenda, most of which pertained to the condition of a particr city.


    Merial, who had been organizing the stacks of parchment around her area, pulled out the next subject to discuss. Her nce flickered to me as she hesitated a second before handing the piece of paper to her father-inw.


    Virion¡¯s lips were in a grim line while reading the report but by the time he had finished reading, there was a look of relief on his face. ¡°The next order of business is the supply road. There was another attack on one of our carriages transporting supplies to the Wall. Thankfully, the carriage had been close enough to ckbend City that reinforcements were able to get there in time.¡±


    ¡°How many deaths?¡± Prisci asked.


    ¡°Three deaths and four injured, all of whom were merchants employed by the Helstea group,¡± Merial read aloud.


    ¡°Damn those dwarves,¡± King ine muttered angrily. ¡°As if the cyrans weren¡¯t a pain in the ass to begin with! Because of them, our enemies have ess to their undergroundwork that leads to who knows how far up the southern border of my kingdom.¡±


    A bad feeling crept in at the mention of the Helstea name, but all things considered, the damage could¡¯ve been worse. ¡°Well, thankfully they were able to get back up in time.¡±


    Merial looked up at me and paused for a beat. ¡°Yes. It also helped that the party tasked with protecting the carriage had an emitter with them¡ªAlice Leywin.¡±


    I thought I had misheard for a moment, but by the tense gazes of those around me, I knew I hadn¡¯t.


    Virion spoke first in a reassuring tone. ¡°Like the report said, none of the Twin Horns were killed.¡±


    The only thing I was able to muster at that point was a weary nod. The old elf¡¯s voice sounded muffled against the throbbing of the blood rushing to my head. Virion had just said my parents and the Twin Horns were alive, but it felt like I was ovee with a feeling of just barely avoiding death. Suddenly, those three deaths that Merial had read aloud sounded much more real. It could¡¯ve been them and I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything about it.


    ¡°Arthur?¡± a concerned voice rang.


    Snapping out of my daze, I looked back at themander. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m okay. Please continue.¡±


    I had a thousand questions but they were all personal. My parents and I had had a less-than-ideal parting. My selfishness of wanting them hidden safely within the castle hadn¡¯t helped to mend our still-healing rtionship after I had revealed my secret. They had told me they wanted to help out in the war, but the thought of them actually being in danger had never resurfaced until now.


    The temptation of just leaving this room and going down to the surface to meet my parents grew, but I knew they would disapprove of me abandoning my duties to just check in on them. Reluctantly, I focused my attention back on the matter at hand.


    The Council was discussing a better way to optimize the supply routes from ckbend, the major city near the southeast corner of Sapin, to the Wall.


    ¡°How about an underground route?¡± King Alduin suggested, pointing near the center of the map that they had just unrolled.


    King ine shook his head, leaning forward and pointing below the area where ckbend was located. ¡°The city is too close to the Kingdom of Darv. There will probably already be dozens of underground passages that the dwarves have dug in over time. It¡¯ll be too dangerous to try that until we secure our alliance with them.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s ckbend like?¡± I asked, taking a close look at the map.


    ¡°The economy in ckbend centers around potato farmers from nearby viges and adventurers because of how close it is to the Beast des. The city is currently responsible for the supply of rations as well as the manufacturing of weapons¡ªmainly arrows¡ªfor the soldiers,<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>which is why it¡¯s crucial for there to be a secure mode of transport to the Wall,¡± Queen Prisci answered seriously.


    ¡°The terrain around it is mostly t farnd, which makes it hard for carriages carrying supplies to go unnoticed,¡± Bairon added, speaking for the first time in this meeting.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to them both. The queen¡¯s knowledge was informative but it also made me realize that my question was vague. Bairon¡¯s answer was what I needed to know.


    As the Council discussed more ideas on how to better secure the supply route, my mind drifted to ways the people of this world wouldn¡¯t be able to consider. Thinking back to the ship that I had helped Gideon design a few years back, I looked at the map. Unfortunately,<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>there was no river near the Wall or ckbend City but it gave me an idea.


    ¡°King ine,¡± I called out, interrupting their discussion. ¡°How many dwarves adept in metal maniption do you have that can help us?¡±


    ¡°There are numerous metal mages¡ªor metal shapers as they call themselves¡ªamong the dwarves, but ones that are trustworthy enough for arge task¡±¡ªthe king paused to think for a second¡ª¡°a handful, maybe.¡±


    Queen Prisci nodded in agreement.


    Without pause I turned to Tess¡¯ father. ¡°King Alduin, how many elves adept in nature magic can you gather?¡±


    The elven king looked at his wife as he rubbed his cleanly-shaven chin.


    Merial began looking through another pile of papers when Aya spoke up. ¡°Four, currently on standby. The rest are currently on missions.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± Virion asked.


    ¡°Let me get back to you once I sort out the logistics of this idea with Gideon,¡± I said absentmindedly, the gears in my mind working furiously as I reasoned how this n would ultimately speed up the process of transporting supplies as well as keep the passengers and workers¡ªmainly my parents and the Twin Horns¡ªsafe.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>


    The meeting concluded soon after and I got up to leave the stifling room when Virion held me back. ¡°Before we depart, I wanted to address something.¡±


    I stood silently waiting for him to continue, curious.


    ¡°During times of war, it¡¯s impossible to reward every deed aplished. However, I think that ying not one, but two retainers¡±¡ªthemander shifted his gaze from me to Aya¡ª¡°as well as eliminating a dangerous traitor and subduing a scheme that could¡¯ve potentially killed thousands of civilians, calls for a reward of some kind.¡±<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>


    ¡°Thank you, Commander Virion,¡± Aya said politely. ¡°But what I did was to help us win this war, not for a personal reward.¡±


    Virion nodded. ¡°General Arthur? What about you?¡±


    I¡¯d learned from my past life that, in situations like this, it¡¯s best to dismiss the reward and just thank him for his kindness, but this was also the perfect opportunity to address something that had been weighing on my mind since thisst battle against Uto.


    ¡°Actually, there is something that I would like¡ªrather, a few things,¡± I said innocently.


    The two kings and queens looked at me in surprise, but Virion simply let out a chuckle. ¡°Very well, let me hear them!¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    I made my way to Ellie¡¯s room, so we could visit Sylvie together, feeling much more light-hearted¡ªhappy, even. <span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>


    Even Virion was stunned at first when I told him that I wanted to withhold going on missions for the near future. I didn¡¯t me him; we had just lost ance, possibly two. Having another one saying he wanted a break would take a huge toll on our side.


    However, I needed some time to train, and after exining that, with the war escting at the pace it was, I wouldn¡¯t have much chance toter on. He agreed... somewhat.


    ¡°Two months is the most I can offer, and even then I can¡¯t promise that you won¡¯t be sent out if something major urs,¡± he had said reluctantly.


    ¡®Something major¡¯ seemed a bit ambiguous but it was fair.


    ¡°In addition, since you won¡¯t be going on missions, you¡¯ll be required to take part in the Council meetings,¡± he had added. ¡°If the past is any indication, I know having you here¡ªweighing in your thoughts¡ªwill prove useful.¡±


    This was a bit harder to swallow. One of the few things I dreaded now and in my previous life was meetings like the one today. However, I needed time to study and absorb Uto¡¯s horns that the scythe had referred to as an ¡®invaluable resource.¡¯


    ¡°Out of curiosity, how do you n on training here in the castle?¡± Alduin had asked before I left.


    ¡°It¡¯s part of what I need next as my reward,¡± I had answered holding up four fingers. ¡°I need four conjurers, each of different elemental affinity.¡±


    ¡°Four?¡± Virion had repeated. The members of the Council were obviously confused but I knew by the glimmer in thences¡¯ eyes that they understood what I had nned.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    The halls were empty so my walk to Ellie¡¯s room went uninterrupted. I thought of how to greet my baby sister. I knew it was hard for her waiting for me and our parents, not knowing when we¡¯de back. So being the considerate brother that I am, I knocked on therge wooden door that had been remodeled to fit her bond, and in a shrill breathy voice, I wailed, ¡°Ellie... It is the ghost of your brother. I havee to haunt you!¡±


    I didn¡¯t need to be a genius to deduce that my sister was less than amused when she coldly muttered from the other side of the door, ¡°Boo, attack.¡±


    Unfortunately, it was only after a 700-pound bear came charging at me that I realized that perhaps my sister¡¯s sense of humor more resembled that of our mother.


    My body flew back to the other end of the hall as Boo¡¯s body mmed against me. More impressed that the walls hadn¡¯t crumbled from the impact, I pushed the hulking mana beast at arms-length.


    ¡°Good to see you too, buddy,¡± I chuckled wearily, avoiding the pool of drool forming underneath him.


    The beast let out a grunt, spraying a mixture of saliva and froth on my face.


    ¡°Ghost? Really, Brother?¡± my sister grumbled, her arms crossed in mock-anger.


    I pushed aside Boo and wiped my dripping face with a sleeve. ¡°Haha, I can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t deserve that.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for Ellie¡¯s stern scowl to soften. She walked up and wrapped her arms around me. ¡°Wee back, Brother.¡±


    I gently patted my sister¡¯s head and I could feel the tension in my body unwinding for the first time since arriving at the castle. ¡°It¡¯s good to be back.¡±

 Chapter 179

    Chapter 179


    Chapter 179:ndship


    A bolt of light streaked through the trees, curving ever-so-slightly before reaching its target¡ªa wooden post norger than my head.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A satisfying thud rang as the mana arrow lodged itself in the center of the post, creating a hole through it before dissipating.


    ¡°Great shot!¡± I eximed, apuding.


    My sister curtsied in response before her lips curved into a satisfied grin. ¡°I know!¡± she said haughtily.


    Stepping down from on top of Boo, her titanic bond who was lyingzily on his belly, Ellie skipped over to Sylvie and me. My sister picked up my bond. ¡°What did you think, Sylvie? Are you impressed?¡±


    ¡°Very impressed,¡± she answered aloud, her gentle voiceced with fatigue.


    ¡°Sylvie¡¯s still recovering, Ellie,¡± I scolded.


    My sister set the white fox back down on the cushion she had been curled up on. ¡°Hehe. Sorry, Sylvie.¡±


    It had been only two days since we got back to the castle. Sylvie gained consciousness just yesterday, but she has been recovering at a remarkable rate. While Virion and the rest of the council gathered the four conjurers that would be stuck with me for the next two months, I spent some time with my sister.


    I kept the fact that our parents and the Twin Horns had gotten attacked a secret from Ellie. A part of me knew that she deserved to know, but I also wanted to keep her ignorant until it was no longer possible.


    A selfish wish from a selfish brother.


    ¡°So are you able to fire that urately while Boo is actually mobile?¡± I asked with a snide grin, my gaze turning to the mana beast sleeping t on his belly.


    Ellie sulked at my jab. ¡°Ugh, not yet. Helen made it look so easy when she showed me, but I haven¡¯t been able tond a single decent shot while Boo was moving. It doesn¡¯t help that this klutz runs like he¡¯s purposely trying to throw me off his back.¡±


    The bear-like mana beast let out a grunt of denial from the distance.


    ¡°You so do!¡± my sister quipped back before she bent down to pick up her bow.


    My gaze fell to her hand as she reached down for the weapon. Calluses covered her fingers while freshly formed welts filled in the rare ces of her hand that wasn¡¯t already hardened from overuse.


    ¡°How much time do you spend practicing, El?¡± I asked.


    My sister thought for a second before answering. ¡°I don¡¯t really keep track, but the sun goes down while I train so maybe about six or seven hours?¡±


    My eyes widened. ¡°Every day?¡±


    Ellie simply shrugged. ¡°I guess so.¡±


    ¡°What about studying, or ying with friends?¡±


    ¡°The sses in the castle are only once a week and I can finish the study material they give me in a day,¡± she answered. Ellie then hesitated before continuing. ¡°As for friends... I¡¯ll have you know that I¡¯m very popr.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I said with a raised brow.


    Caving under my unrelenting gaze, she let out a sigh. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my fault that I have absolutely no interest in the things they talk about. How is it possible for a group of girls to talk nonstop about boys and clothes for hours?¡±


    A chuckle escaped my throat and I could feel my expression soften. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are a few kids your age with interest in magic.¡±


    Realizing that our conversation wasn¡¯t going to end soon, my sister pulled out a chair and sat down. ¡°Well, there were a few but when they awakened, their parents moved out of the castle, or just sent their kids to one of the major cities to have them board a magic school.¡±


    Not all the children would have had the connections my sister had to get taught by a mage in this castle. It was understandable that the parents would want their children to still be taught how to utilize their newly-formed core, even with the potential danger of the war reaching them.


    I looked at my sister as she fiddled with the string of her bow before carefully asking, ¡°Did you want to attend a magic academy as well?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she answered without hesitation, ¡°but I know you, Mom, and Dad would all worry.¡±


    I winced at my sister¡¯s words. She was only twelve, but her words reflected a maturity that I wasn¡¯t quite sure I wanted her to have. Speaking from my own experience, I knew what it was like to grow up too fast. It was yet another selfish wish of mine that my sister remained the cute innocent girl that worried only about what to wear to her friend¡¯s birthday party.


    Pushing aside my thoughts, I shot my sister a gentle smile. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Mom and Dad when I get the chance and ask them about sending you to school.¡±


    Ellie¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Assuming they give you the okay, I¡¯ll still want to send a guard with you to protect you in case anything happens. I know it might be a bit stifling to have someone with you at all times so I¡¯ll try to find someone you¡¯ll befortable with, but¡ª¡±


    My sister barrelled straight into me in a firm embrace. ¡°Thanks, Brother.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up too much,¡± I replied, my voiceing out as a wheeze from how hard she was squeezing me.


    ¡°Toote!¡± she giggled, utching her grasp on me before picking up her bow. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to practice harder if I want to beat those snooty nobles.¡±


    I continued my role as an enthusiastic spectator, relishing the clear skies and the sweet scent of morning dew on the grass field. Ellie continued to fire off more mana arrows at faraway targets with uncanny uracy. It would be a long time before she would get asfortable with the bow as Helen Shard, but she had her own strength that the leader of the Twin Horns couldn¡¯t hope to replicate.


    Ellie had yet to develop an affinity toward an element, so she was limited to firing pure mana. It was a shame that there wasn¡¯t much I could do to help her develop an affinity since that was mostly dependent on her own insights, but it was exciting seeing her grow and develop.


    ¡®Your thoughts make it seem like you wish to have offspring of your own.¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s voice suddenly intruding my head startled me.


    ¡°Offspring?¡± I said aloud, scaring my sister.


    Ellie¡¯s mana arrow arched off-course at the sky, dissipating before it hit the castle barrier. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I smiled, sneaking a sharp re at my bond as my sister turned back.


    Sylvie shifted in her cushion, looking at me with a shrewd expression of amusement on her vulpine face.


    Go back to sleep, I sent, grumbling in my mind.


    I continued watching the seemingly repetitive motions of Ellie murmuring, drawing her bow while a translucent arrow formed between her two fingers, steadying her aim, then firing.


    She skipped the chanting process for types of arrows she was more versed in, but other times, she needed to describe the kind of arrow she wanted to shape the mana urately. By the thirtieth time she fired her arrow, I wondered how Boo was able to sleep so easily with Ellie on his back.


    ¡°General Arthur?¡± a voice rang from behind.


    My eyes snapped open and I turned around to see an elf holding a clipboard, garbed in a white attire that oddly resembled ab coat from my former world. What caught my attention was the color of her eyes¡ªor rather, colors. A ring of bright pink surrounded each of her pupils, then shifted into a bright blue on the outer ends of her irises.


    Noticing my fixed gaze, she bowed, thinking I was expecting a formal greeting.


    The elf stood as if her back was glued to a wooden nk while she then announced, ¡°Artificer Gideon has arrived at the castle and is expecting you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going?¡± my sister asked, slinging her bow over her shoulder.


    ¡°Yup. I have some things to discuss with the old man,¡± I replied. Turning back as I followed behind the unusual elf, I said to my sister, ¡°I most likely won¡¯t be able to eat dinner with you, so don¡¯t wait up.¡±


    My sister nodded. ¡°Gotcha. Say hi to Emily for me if you get the chance to see her.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll stay here with Eleanor,¡¯ Sylvie said groggily.


    Sure. I¡¯ll update you when I get back, Sylv.


    I trailed silently beside the elven secretary as she led the way with confident steps.


    ¡°Is there a name I can address you by?¡± I asked.


    The elf stopped abruptly, bowing deeply so that her blond hair tied firmly into a ponytail flipped over her head. ¡°Forgive me for not introducing myself. My name is nis Emeria and I have been personally assigned by Commander Virion to be your attendant.¡±


    I dipped my head in response to her greeting. ¡°Well, nis. It¡¯s nice to meet you, but I¡¯m having a hard time believing that you¡¯re merely an attendant judging by the amount of mana you have concealed.¡±


    The middle-aged elf blinked, her multicolored eyes shining, but otherwise looked unfazed. ¡°As expected of ance. Allow me to rify. I have been assigned by Commander Virion to be your attendant while you undergo your training here. It was my wish to meet you as soon as possible.¡±


    I didn¡¯t quite understand what her role entailed as my attendant during training, but before I had the chance to ask, I spotted the familiar frame of Gideon running toward us in a sweaty mess.


    ¡°I came as soon as I heard from Commander Virion!¡± he huffed excitedly, his voice echoing in throughout the narrow halls. ¡°What sort of ingenious idea do you have in that god-sent cranium of yours?¡±


    The old artificer could hardly wait until we made it into one of the empty rooms used for meetings by nobles or military leaders.


    ¡°Out with it, boy!¡± Gideon gushed as soon as nis closed the door behind us. ¡°And is it all right for the elf to be hearing this?¡±


    The elven attendant cast a disapproving gaze toward Gideon at his less-than-casual address, but remained mute.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile watching the old artificer fidget in his seat in anticipation. Taking a close look at him, it was hard to imagine that I¡¯d known this old grandpa for more than ten years. The wrinkles between his brows and around his mouth had deepened in that time, no doubt because of how much time he spent frowning or scowling in frustration.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s going to know sooner orter, and she¡¯s apparently my personal attendant starting today so it¡¯s better to have her informed, right?¡± I asked, turning to nis.


    ¡°Part of my job will be to lessen other burdens while you focus on training, so yes, it would be helpful for me to stay informed,¡± she said, her pink-and-blue eyes seeming to change shades.


    ¡°More training? What more can you train after being personally taught by gods¡ªasuras, I mean,¡± he pondered, rubbing his stubbly chin.


    ¡°There¡¯s always room for training,¡± I dismissed. ¡°But getting back on topic, what are the states of the current mines that were used to excavate the fuel source needed for our ships?¡±


    Gideon¡¯s eyes lit. ¡°Oh, you mean thebustium mines? There are five major ones still being excavated.¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°Combustium?¡±


    ¡°I made the name myself,¡± the artificer grinned. ¡°You told me I would need a mineral with set characteristics capable of fueling the steam engine we designed¡ªI think you called it coal? Anyway, out of the minerals currently known, which aren¡¯t many, only one of them produced the amount of energy needed to power an entire ship efficiently. The characteristics are a bit different from the coal you mentioned so I decided to name it something else. Anyway, this stuff is amazing. Ten pounds ofbustium can power an entire ship for about a dozen miles at full speed!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear,¡± I said, cutting Gideon off. Afraid he¡¯d go deeper into a tangent, I went straight to the point. ¡°What I have nned involves using coabustium for a different mode of transportation; specifically a ship that¡¯ll be used to travelnd.¡±


    ¡°Andship?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Except, I was thinking of calling it a ¡®train.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Train?¡± Gideon echoed incredulously. ¡°From what poor mana beast¡¯s ass did you pull a name like that out from?¡±


    ¡°Do you want the blueprints or not?¡± I scoffed.


    Gideon raised his arms in a cating manner. ¡°Train it is.¡±


    The artificer prepared for the design immediately. He practically dumped out a wholeb from the dimension ring shoved on his thumb.


    While Gideon caught on quickly to how the train would work, it still took a few hours exining the details of how the railways and stops would work. I didn¡¯t realize how much time had passed until my stomach twisted and grumbled in hunger.


    ¡°I think I covered everything you need to get started,¡± I said, scanning over the designs and specifications on therge parchment we had hung on the back wall of the meeting room.


    ¡°This is going to change everything,¡± Gideon muttered, more to himself than to nis or me. ¡°The rivers are going to be a pain in the ass if we want to connect ckbend City to Kalberk or Eksire, but with a few water and earth mages¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the railway from ckbend to the Wall,¡± I interrupted. ¡°Of course, creating railways to other major cities will be important, but we need to create a secure route for supplies heading to the Grand Mountains if we want our troops there to survive.¡±


    ¡°Of course, but this...¡± Gideon paused for a second as his eyes scrutinized over therge map of Dicathen we had rolled out on the table. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to form new major cities with this.¡±


    While I respected Gideon for his boundless vision, it was frustrating having to keep him on track. However, hisst statement piqued my curiosity.


    ¡°What do you mean by forming new major cities?¡± I asked, looking over the map.


    To my surprise, nis, who had been dead silent up until now, spoke. ¡°I think what Artificer Gideon means is that, until now, cities in all three kingdoms were predetermined based on where we found or excavated teleportation gates. If this doese into fruition, then a secure mode of transportation that, while not nearly as fast as the gates, can carry mass supplies and goods on top of people will enable us to build major cities in any location.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t have said it better myself,¡± Gideon said approvingly.


    Feeling stiff, I stretched my arms and back. ¡°d to see my idea changing the course of history.¡±


    ¡°Boy, saying something like that so flippantly to a renowned artificer... I should just hand over my brown robe and take up a new hobby,¡± Gideon sighed helplessly. ¡°I¡¯ve always had a knack for fishing.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t retire just yet,¡± I smirked, heading over to the door. ¡°You¡¯ll be in charge of pitching this idea to the Council at their next meeting.¡±


    ¡°Me? As much as I love the limelight, why are you giving me credit for this?¡± Gideon asked.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be easier to garner the support of the entire Council if the idea came from a ¡®renowned artificer.¡¯ We¡¯ll need their help if you want a team of capable conjurers and some merchants or adventurers familiar with the area to map out the best route from ckbend to the Wall,¡± I answered, mentally checking off some of the things we¡¯d need. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m starving. I¡¯m going to go see what I can scavenge at the food hall.¡±


    ¡°I can have the chef prepare a bnced meal and deliver it to your room,¡± nis suggested.


    I waved my hand in dismissal. ¡°It¡¯s okay. No reason to trouble the chef just for a meal.¡±


    ¡°Wait! How soon are you going back out to the field?¡± Gideon asked.


    I looked at him over my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m staying for a couple of months. I¡¯ll mostly be down in the training space but I¡¯ll stop by to check in on how you¡¯re doing if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking.¡±


    The old artificer let out a scoff, rolling his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m honored, but that¡¯s not what why I asked. Emily has been working on a few things that need to be tested.¡±


    ¡°You realize you¡¯re asking a general to be your test dummy, don¡¯t you?¡± I asked with a smirk.


    ¡°Rx, O¡¯ Great One. I promise they¡¯ll be helpful to you as well. I looked over them myself and though I don¡¯t want to admit it, if the artifact works, it¡¯ll change the way both conjurers and augmenters train.¡±


    I shifted my gaze to nis, who also expressed a degree of curiosity. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to convince my training attendant.¡±


    The old artificer let out a gruffugh as I walked out the doors. I could hear him muttering to himself from behind, ¡°The kid¡¯se a long way.¡±

 Chapter 180

    Chapter 180


    Chapter 180: cryan Glimpse


    With my stomach filled with leftovers and nis, my training attendant, dismissed for the night, I retrieved Sylvie from Ellie and arrived back in my room.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± I asked my bond, who had been waiting on the bed while I¡¯d taken a shower.


    ¡°So. What is it that you¡¯re so excited about?¡± she replied, fidgeting impatiently in her fox form.


    It wasn¡¯t easy trying to steer my thoughts away from the ¡°loot¡± that I¡¯d gotten from fighting Uto in order to surprise Sylvie. I had to distract myself by thinking random thoughts and numbers to confuse her on our way back.


    After making sure the door was locked and activating both earth and wind perception spells, I finally withdrew the two obsidian horns from my ring.


    My bond¡¯s sharp eyes widened as she gazed at the ck crystals that were once embedded on a retainer. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me...¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± I said excitedly. ¡°They¡¯re Uto¡¯s horns.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± she asked, confused.


    Realizing that she never heard the full story, I summarized everything that had happened after she had been knocked out after saving me from Uto¡¯sst attack.


    By the time I had finished my story, Sylvie¡¯s vulpine face was twisted to show a mixture of emotions.


    ¡°It¡¯s scary to think how easily we could¡¯ve been killed,¡± she said after a long pause.


    I nodded. ¡°I couldn¡¯t do anything when Seris showed up. But even if she hadn¡¯t, I¡¯m not sure we would¡¯ve been able to defeat Uto.¡±


    ¡°It seems like as we grow stronger, so do our enemies,¡± she sighed. Her gaze shifted back to the two horns on the bed. ¡°So these horns supposedly contain vast amounts of mana that you can extract? Is it really safe to trust the scythe?¡±


    ¡°Considering the Asuras are forbidden by the treaty to help us anymore and Seris could¡¯ve killed me whenever she wanted, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s too much of a risk.¡±


    Sylvie thought for a moment as she pawed at the horns that were each the size of her head. ¡°Well... if they help you get into white core, it¡¯ll certainly help us.¡±


    I picked up only one of the horns. ¡°This will be enough for me. You extract the other one.¡±


    My bond opened her mouth, ready to argue, but I cut her off. ¡°You said that your body is still undergoing the awakening process that Lord Indrath made you undergo. I know your body has been constantly extracting ambient mana, which is why you¡¯ve been sleeping more, so I¡¯m sure extracting mana from Uto¡¯s horn will help quicken that process.¡±


    ¡°To be honest. I haven¡¯t been as active in trying to hasten the awakening process,¡± Sylvie replied. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that, with my awakening as a full asura, I won¡¯t be able to assist you anymore.¡±


    ¡°You nearly died in thatst fight, Sylv,¡± I said, putting my hand on top of my bond¡¯s small head. ¡°Besides, your mother cast a pretty powerful spell before you were born to conceal you. It¡¯s why even in your draconic form, no one was able to tell you were an asura.¡±


    ¡°Grandfather mentioned that, but as I get stronger it¡¯s going to get harder to hide what I am,¡± Sylvie replied bitterly.


    A wave of grief flooded my mind and I could feel the bits and pieces of the story that Lord Indrath had told Sylvie about her mother.


    ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure what¡¯s going to happen when you get strong enough to awaken, but we¡¯ll ovee that hurdle once we get there,¡± Iforted.


    ¡°We always do,¡± my bond agreed with a smile.


    Holding the ck horn gingerly in my hands, I peeked a nce at Sylvie. ¡°So...should we start now?¡±


    Sylvie ced a paw on the horn in front of her. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡±


    After repositioning myself morefortably, I took a deep breath. I started slow, probing the insides of the horn with a thread of my mana.


    With elixirs, the contents stored inside would be distributed upon contact with a mage¡¯s purified mana. With the horns, however, there were no noticeable reactions even after searching deeper.


    Minutes trickled by with no sign of anything stored within Uto¡¯s horns. I started to consider the possibility that the mana inside might¡¯ve dispersed upon being severed from the retainer¡¯s head, when suddenly an indescribable <i>force</i> pulled at my very mind.


    Unlike any elixir¡ªor any <i>thing</i>, for that matter¡ªI¡¯d used in the past, my consciousness seemed to be getting sucked in.


    I felt a surge of panic as I felt myself cking out.


    Quite literally. A shroud of shadow spread, covering my vision and all of my other senses until I was simply in darkness.


    <i>Calm down, Arthur. Your body is still safely inside your room. </i>


    That didn¡¯t help me at all. The fact that my mind had been forced into a certain state and was vulnerable scared me. Coming to this world, I was born with a new body¡ªnew physical features that took me years to adjust to¡ªbut my mind was the same through both lives. My brain, or every part of my brain responsible for my memories and personality, was mine throughout my years as Grey and Arthur.


    Right now, I felt my consciousness at the full mercy of whatever<i> force</i> had dragged me into wherever I was.


    I was surrounded in darkness, but it wasn¡¯t pitch ck. The shadows around me warped and stirred like various shades of dark ink. It was a surreal feeling¡ªperceiving something without a body. Somehow, I could feel the <i>force</i> around me, slithering in the darkness, but I didn¡¯t have a body.


    After what felt like hours of floating mindlessly in the sea of darkness, the <i>force</i> surrounding me slowly began shifting. It was different from the erratic, chaotic movements up until now¡ªthe shadows felt like they were being pulled away. The obsidian veil slowly began lifting, and what I was left with wasn¡¯t the view of my own room like I had been expecting.


    No. I was standing in front of an unfamiliar man inside an extravagant cathedral with a vaulted ceiling, beautifully stained ss and endless rows of pews packed with observers glowing in reverence. The man, who looked no older than my father, wore a ceremonial robe and was kneeled in front of me in respect.


    ¡°Speak,¡± I snapped impatiently, except the voice that came out wasn¡¯t mine. It was Uto¡¯s.


    Even the word that I spoke wasn¡¯t by my will.


    ¡°I, Karnal of Blood Vale, humblye before you to seek your guidance,¡± the man said, his gaze lowered so I could only see the crown of his short ash-brown hair.


    A feeling of annoyance bubbled up in ¡®me¡¯ but eventually got washed down by resignation.


    The same voice that took over my own spoke with restrained courtesy. ¡°Vale... While your line is thin of Vritra blood, your ancestors have served us well. Remove your robe.¡±


    Karnal bowed deeper in gratefulness before slipping out of his ck ceremonial robe. He then turned around to show me his back. What I saw was an engraving down his spine that seemed to be three separate imprints by the spacing.


    A thin figure standing off to the side, face covered by a loose hood, took a step toward me and read aloud from a book, ¡°One mark upon awakening and two crests, one earned for an act of valor and another unlocked through mastery of initial mark.¡±


    Unceremoniously, I nodded and motioned for him to dress.


    The man still kneeling with his back to me put his robe back on before turning to face me. His gaze was still lowered, which seemed to bore ¡®me.¡¯ Thoughts of the person I was assuming seeped into me, revealing his inner feelings. I seemed to be vaguely impressed that the lesser in front of me managed to unlock a crest by mastering the mark he had been given, but the fact that both crests were of defensive magic dampened my mood.


    Letting out a muted sigh, I dered, ¡°Through your loyalty to the nation of Vechor by excelling in thest battle against the nation of Sehz-r, I¡ªUto, retainer of Kiros Vritra¡ªgrant your entry into the Obsidian Vault for a chance to earn an emblem.¡±


    The crowd gathered to watch the mundane spectacle burst into apuse and cheer. The man knelt in front of me allowed himself to shed a single tear before he rose to his feet and finally met my eyes. He raised his right fist over his heart and left palm over his sternum in a traditional salute. ¡°For the glory of Vechor and crya. For the Vritra!¡±


    ¡°For the glory of Vechor and crya. For the Vritra!¡± the audience behind him roared in unison.


    The scene distorted, and I found myself sitting back on my bed. An umbral haze-like substance was spilling out of the horn I had been holding, and getting sucked into the center of my right palm¡ªwhere Wren Kain had embedded the lorite.


    I quickly dropped the horn, separating my hand as far as possible from it. I took a second to inspect my mana core, and to my dismay, there were no signs of my core improving even a shred.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I cursed. Rather than my core absorbing the mana out of Uto¡¯s horn, the mana had been siphoned into the lorite.


    Just like Wren Kain had warned, the gem was capable of altering depending on the changes in my body, my actions and even thoughts. The lorite was constantly feeding off the mana inside me, constantly molding its eventual form, so to say that the addition of Uto¡¯s mana into the gem-filled me with unease was an understatement.


    <i>What¡¯s done is done.</i> I didn¡¯t like the idea of my future weapon resembling Uto¡¯s powers, but at this point, anything would help if it meant hastening the process.


    Turning to Sylvie, I wasn¡¯t surprised to find her still absorbing the contents of the horn. Unlike myself, she seemed to be having an easier time absorbing the foreign mana. What <i>did</i> surprise me was the fact that the sun was alreadying up.


    I had spent the entire night reliving one of Uto¡¯s memories, which begged the question... what did his memories even mean?


    The actual event urring in the memory wasn¡¯t very cryptic, but there were so many unknown terms being thrown around that it felt overbearing.


    I knew from overhearing the word ¡®blood¡¯ inside the cavern in Darv that it most likely was just their term for family, but words like mark, crest, and emblem flew over my head. I knew what they <i>meant</i> in the literary context but they had used them as if they meant something entirely. These marks, crests¡ªwhatever they were¡ªwere either earned or unlocked? Or was that only the case for the person kneeling...


    Except, when Uto dered that the person¡ªKarnal¡ªwould be granted a chance to earn an ¡®emblem¡¯ in the Obsidian Vault, everyone seemed to be ecstatic. Ignoring the ominous name of Obsidian Vault, which frankly sounded like some storybook warlock¡¯s evilir where he held his stolen treasures, the man himself seemed tantly proud. This meant that even the chance to earn an emblem was a big deal.


    Another series of questions that came to mind pertained to the mention of Vechor... a nation presumably at war with Sehz-r, another nation. From the salute, I could extrapte that at the nation of Vechor made up a part of crya. Also, assuming that the asuras weren¡¯t lying that Epheotus, crya and Dicathen were the only three continents in this world, that would mean Sehz-r was another nation in crya.


    <i>Why would two nations of the same continent we were at war with be fighting amongst each other? Maybe the nations swore allegiance during this war? Or was there a separate armyposed of all the nations and trained together in order to dispel any enmity that members of the nations had toward one another? </i>


    I shook my head, physically trying to get rid of the never-ending stream of questions and thoughts running rampant in my mind.


    This memory got me curious, though. I made a mental note to learn more about this, perhaps from Uto himself. The Council had ordered our forces to take in prisoners when possible to interrogate them, but in most cases, it led to the prisonermitting suicide or being too low in the chain ofmand to know anything useful. This was the first time we¡¯d had a potentially helpful source of information in our hands, though knowing him, he¡¯d make us work for it.


    I was beginning to fall into another bottomless ditch of questions. Thankfully, my attention was roused by a perfectly cadenced series of knocks that sounded more like someone was hammering a nail into my door.


    ¡°General Arthur. It¡¯s nis Emeria. I am here to escort you to the training grounds to meet with the four training assistants you had requested,¡± she said in a clear, taciturn voice.


    ¡°Coming,¡± I replied, chuckling to myself. <i>It¡¯s not just her speech, even her knocking¡¯s robotic.</i>


    Without washing up, I changed into a more tight-fitting outfit suitable for sparring and followed my personal training attendant to the training ground on the lower floor. I debated whether to take Sylvie with me, but I thought it¡¯d be best not to disturb her.


    On our way down, we ran into Emily Watsken, or rather <i>she</i> ran into <i>us.</i>


    ¡°S-So sorry!¡± she huffed, most of her face hidden behind arge box she was attempting to carry on her own.


    ¡°Here, let me get that.¡± I took the box out of her arms, surprised by its heft.


    ¡°Thank you... oh, Arth¡ªGeneral Arthur! Perfect timing!¡± the artificer was practically gasping for breath, but she had a wide smile on her face when she recognized who she¡¯d almost trampled.


    Emily turned to nis, adjusting her sses. ¡°You must be nis! It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you!¡±


    ¡°Likewise,¡± the elf replied, but in no way indicated. ¡°I take it that you are Emily Watsken. I was informed we would be coborating in our efforts to assist in General Arthur¡¯s training.¡±


    By the wrinkle between Emily¡¯s brows, she seemed to have been processing nis¡¯ string of words, but eventually nodded. ¡°Yes! As you¡¯ll soon see, I think that your particr magic and the set of artifacts that I made will work nicely with each other!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you two are getting along but let¡¯s get to the training room first. This box feels like it¡¯s actually gaining weight,¡± I joked, lifting therge box.


    ¡°Oh! Sorry, and thank you for carrying it! I thought my arms were going to fall out of their sockets!¡± Emily eximed, hurrying down the hall until the entrance to the room was just up ahead. ¡°Come on, everyone¡¯s waiting!

 Chapter 181

    Chapter 181


    Chapter 181: Gadgets and Magic


    I didn¡¯t know what to expect of my sparring partners. My request had been fairlyst-minute so somewhere in the back of my head I was just imagining the soldiers inside the castle to be present.


    There were quite a few conjurers and augmenters here that were assigned as a precaution to keep the residents inside safe. I noticed quite early on that many of them were quite capable so asking for some training partners out of any one of them seemed reasonable.


    What I didn¡¯t expect was the heavy presence of three, obviously powerful, elders inside the training grounds alongside Kathyln and a smug-looking Virion.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here!¡± Virion bolted up to his feet, taking the box from my hands and setting it on the ground before guiding me toward the group. ¡°I want you to meet everyone.¡±


    I looked back over my shoulder to see Emily waving me goodbye like a mother sending her son off to a battlefield.


    ¡°I know the two of you are already acquainted,¡± Virion said, motioning to Kathyln. ¡°But for formality¡¯s sake, this is Princess Kathyln of the royal yder House and her guardian, Hester mesworth.¡±


    The elderly woman with gray hair pulled tightly back into a bun dipped her head in a formal greeting.


    ¡°mesworth?¡± I blurted, surprised.


    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re familiar with my family,¡± the woman said, a hint of pride in her voice.


    ¡°Yes. Fairly familiar, actually,¡± I replied. The surname had caught my attention, but I dismissed any questions stirring in my mind and focused on the princess.


    ¡°A pleasant surprise to see you, Kathyln, but what are you doing here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Princess Kathyln is an aplished ice-affinity conjurer now in the dark-yellow core stage,¡± Hester answered. ¡°I had been asked by Commander Virion to help you, General Arthur, with your training, but my primary job is to keep the princess safe at all times. By being here together, we are essentially achieving two goals at once.¡±


    I nced back at Kathyln, who nodded shyly in agreement. ¡°Nothing much else to do besides my asional training with Master Varay, so I¡¯m here to help.¡±


    ¡°The princess and a knight. ssic pair,¡± the gruff dwarf sitting on a raised stone pir smirked. He scratched at hisrge bulbous nose that led to a thick bush of white covering the lower half of his face. He was tall inparison to most dwarves I¡¯d seen, but that might¡¯ve been from the illusion caused by his elevated seat. One thing for sure, though, was that his body looked to beposedpletely of muscle. With thick, striated bulbs of hardened flesh covering his arms and body, I winced when he gripped my hand with hisrge calloused one.


    ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Young General. My name is Buhndemog Lonuid, but most call me Buhnd,¡± he said, his grip unrelenting.


    Whether it was to gauge me or to assert his dominance over a young¡ªpossibly arrogantnce, I didn¡¯t know, but I reciprocated his greeting with a firm grip of my own.


    The assimtion I had gone through as a child after inheriting Sylvia¡¯s Dragon Will meant my body was stronger than it appeared. That, with the fact that I had practically lived this whole life with a sword in my hand meant that I could hold my own even against this bearded ball of muscle.


    The tiniest smirk cracked the corner of his lip and he let go. ¡°Not bad. Not bad.¡±


    ¡°Careful, Buhnd. The kid didn¡¯t be ance with just a pretty face,¡± Virion teased. ¡°Arthur, this musclehead has been a close friend of mine for quite a few years. He may look like this but he¡¯s a genius when ites to earth-affinity magic. I guarantee you¡¯ll learn a lot.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my looks?¡± Buhnd snapped. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I¡¯m still quite thedies¡¯ man back home.¡±


    ¡°No one said anything was wrong with them,¡± Virion dismissed. ¡°Now, stop being sensitive.¡±


    I studied the two bickering, holding my tongue from all the questions I had.


    Just by the thick silver aura he emitted, which was almost visible to the naked eye, he was definitely a powerful individual. If he was so close to Virion, I didn¡¯t understand why he hadn¡¯t been chosen to be the dwarven representative rather than Rahdeas.


    Because of the recent events, it was obvious that Virion had introduced Buhnd as a friend to alleviate my initial suspicions of him, but just the fact that he was a dwarf I had never seen before put me on edge.


    <i>I guess that makes me racist</i>. I suppressed a chuckle.


    Race in this world was much less subtle than back in my old world, but I never considered myself one to discriminate based on outer appearances or locations of birth. However, witnessing a fairlyrge faction of dwarves cooperating with our enemies as well as being personally betrayed by a powerful dwarf did harden me of my previous fair-mindedness.


    My attention abruptly turned to the only person I had yet been introduced to by a loud, surly yawn.


    As if the yawn had been his cue to be introduced, Virion spoke. ¡°Arthur, this is Camus Sridon. He¡¯s a¡ª¡±


    ¡°The boy doesn¡¯t need to know any more than my name. I¡¯m here to spar with him. Any information beyond that is irrelevant,¡± Camus cut him off.


    I was shocked to see Virion being told off. He was the leader of this continent¡¯s entire military, after all. Again, I held my tongue after seeing Virion¡¯s unperturbed expression, but made a mental note to ask themander who exactly Camus was in secret.


    Assuming the mysterious elder wouldn¡¯t be fond of an excessive greeting, I simply dipped my head and introduced myself before taking a closer look at him. Long silvery-blonde hair fell down to his shoulders in disheveled locks, covering his forehead and eyes. Long pointed ears poked out from the sides of his head, indicating he was of elven descent. Unlike most elves I had met though, he took no care of his outward appearance and, by the stench emanating from his clothes and body, hygiene.


    ¡°Well!¡± Virion broke the silence. ¡°I¡¯m sure all of you are going to be well acquainted these next several weeks so, while I¡¯d love to stay and watch, I get the pleasure of spending my time looking over mountains of paperwork!¡±


    With a tired sigh, ourmander left the training room, his shoulders just a bit more slumped over than before.


    Virion¡¯s departure left us a moment of silence, which I used to survey the training room.


    The ce wasn¡¯t anything extravagant, just arge dirt field a little less than fifty yards long and no more than thirty yards wide enclosed by walls and a ceiling of mana-reinforced metal. There was a small pond off to the far left corner of the room, but other than the door on the opposite wall, it was just arge space to train.


    The sight of Emily enthusiastically waving her arm at us got my attention.


    ¡°I finished setting up for the most part! There¡¯s a bunch I want to go over before you start your training,¡± she said, wiping the sweat off her forehead.


    Looking down at the equipment that had spawned from the giant wooden box I had carried inside, I was surprised at how familiar it looked. It was a metal panel about the length of my arm span littered with gauges and knobs. It resembled some sort of ancient control center on a ship from my previous world with the exception of the crystals on either side of it. One wasrge and clear while the other smaller crystal had a blue tint to it.


    The panel had a cluster of wires leading to the wall of the training room¡ªmore specifically arge disk attached to the wall. I hadn¡¯t paid much attention when I looked before but the metal disks didn¡¯t seem to be a part of the design. They looked to be embedded into the wall and were spaced out evenly.


    The panel that Emily gingerly stroked looked like an archaic form of the technology from my previous world.


    ¡°Ah! One more thing!¡± Emily eximed, practically diving head first into the box. She pulled out what looked like pieces of a leather armor but with the same wires connecting the different parts together. Embedded in the bottom center of what appeared to be the breastte of the set was the same blue crystal that was on the right end of the metal panel.


    Emily heaved the leather armor in her arms and walked to me. ¡°Miss Emeria, if you wouldn¡¯t mind helping me put this on General Arthur.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± nis nodded, and I found myself being dressed in a rather ridiculous-looking getup.


    The ¡®armor,¡¯ seemed more like a sensory receiver rather than protective clothing. I would be forced to wear the gloves, breastte, arm and leg bands, and shoes throughout the training.


    ¡°Perfect. You look great!¡± Emily said approvingly, adjusting my breastte so that the blue crystal embedded on there would be directly over my sternum, the area where my mana core was located.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I replied sheepishly,pletely unconvinced. The armor looked bulky but it was soft and flexible enough where I wasn¡¯t too worried about it hindering my movements.


    Kathyln and the three elders watched silently, enraptured by the sight of this unusual equipment, until Buhnd finally spoke up. ¡°So exactly what is the point of all of these toys?¡±


    Emily shifted her sses and spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t want to spoil anything, but I guess a bit of a heads up is fair. General Arthur is an anomaly in our continent¡ªbeing the only known quadra-elemental mage and all¡ªso, while he¡¯s been excelling in most aspects of mana maniption, it¡¯se to my attention that he¡¯s begun to teau in utilization of elemental magic.¡±


    ¡°What about his training with the asuras?¡± Kathyln asked.


    ¡°That was mainly technical training for augmented closebat,¡± I answered. ¡°While I did pick up a few techniques, Emily is right in that I¡¯ve been relying heavily on ice and lightning magic these days. I¡¯m hoping that by training with all of you, I¡¯ll eventually be able to better utilize all of the elements that I¡¯m capable of controlling.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see.¡± Buhnd idly stroked his beard before shivering. ¡°Yeah, even thinking about using <i>one</i> other element gives me a headache. To be a quadra-elemental on top of being able to use ice and lightning... ugh.¡±


    ¡°General Arthur¡¯s mental capacity isn¡¯t as restricted as yours is, so I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll learn,¡± Hester chimed, a smirk etched onto her wrinkled face.


    Buhnd whipped his head. ¡°What¡¯d you say, Grandma? My mental capacity is <i>fully</i> unrestricted!¡±


    The fire mage shook her head, letting out a sigh.


    ¡°Now now,¡± Emily carried the metal panel and gently set it on the ground near us. ¡°Instead of arguing, I¡¯d appreciate it if all four of you ce your hands herel and enfuse some of your mana into the clear crystal to power up the device.¡± She pointed to the left end of the metal panel.


    Hester, and Buhnd looked at one another, mentally trying to decide which one of them would go first, when Camus stepped up and ced his palm over the clear crystal.


    ¡°Like this, right?¡± Suddenly a vast whirlwind ripped out of his body and swirled around him protectively.


    Emily let out a startled shriek before tumbling to her back from the sudden force. The rest of us were able to brace ourselves and watch as the fierce gale condensed into the hand on top of the crystal. The once clear gem lit up in a shade of gray just before the entire panel whirred to life. The gauges swayed erratically before settling into ce.


    ¡°Show off,¡± Buhnd grumbled.


    I had been so focused on the panel that when the room suddenly buzzed from all directions, I instinctively raised ayer of mana around my body.


    ¡°It¡¯s just the apparatus powering on.¡± Emily quickly consoled. From the way the other mages present all got into a defensive stance, it seemed they were just as surprised as I was.


    ¡°I shall go next,¡± Hester said, stepping forward calmly.


    After cing her hand on the crystal, she muttered a single word. ¡°Burn.¡±


    A zing inferno erupted from her body, making her red robe appear to bepletely made of fire. The ground around her became scorched but what amazed me was that when one of the tendrils of meshed at me, there was no heat. What seemed like a brazen disy of strength turned out to be a demonstration of her control over her element.


    The metal panel whirred once more, this time a little less so. Also, it might¡¯ve just been my imagination, but I swore I heard Hester clicking her tongue.


    ¡°My turn!¡± Buhnd dered, flexing his fingers before cing it carefully over the crystal that had returned to its transparent state.


    There was a beat of silence before the ground beneath us began trembling. Loose pebbles and rocks began hovering off the ground as an aura of brilliant topaz surrounded the bearded dwarf.


    ¡°Uh, Elders. I love the enthusiasm and all... but this wasn¡¯t meant to be a contest,¡± Emily muttered weakly, her voice unsteady from the shaking ground.


    ¡°To a real man, everything¡¯s a contest,¡± Buhnd grinned wickedly before letting out a sharp breath. Immediately, the earth cracked, spreading from his feet while the yellow aura gathered into his hand.


    The panel trembled and made its familiar noise before the crystal sucked up and transferred the mana that Buhnd had supplied.


    The muscr dwarf let out a satisfied grunt and stepped away. Emily immediately inspected her apparatus to see if any of the elders had damaged it.


    ¡°Princess Kathyln,¡± she called. ¡°If you would please. I think just a little bit more will be enough.¡±


    The princess nodded, tucking a strand of ck hair behind her ear before sending out a wave of mana as well. Just by the tense expression on Kathyln¡¯s face, I knew all too well that she had no intention of backing down from the unsaid challenge between the elders.


    The temperature dropped to a noticeable degree as a haze of frost swirled around the princess. Some of the rocks near her already began freezing when the frost began taking form into what looked like translucent serpents. The frost serpents slithered in the air around her before coiling down her arm and disappearing into the crystal she had her palm on top of.


    Emily¡¯s apparatus buzzed with fervor while the clear crystal began swirling in a motley of colors.


    The artificer began to turn a few knobs and flip a few switches before rotating the now-colorful crystal until a loud <i>click</i> ured.


    ¡°I¡¯ll turn it on now,¡± Emily announced, her eagerness unconcealed.


    She pushed down on the crystal until it was fully inside the panel and I could almost see the mana travelling from the device through the thick wires and into the rods on the wall. Everyone watched as strands of multicolored mana began shooting from one rod to another, spreading exponentially until the strands connected the metal rods to one another in a honebed pattern.


    ¡°What in the world...¡± Buhnd breathed, his neck stretched out as he gazed at the walls and ceiling of the room.


    ¡°The floor has the same sensors buried,¡± Emily added proudly. ¡°Now, before I go over what all of this is, General Arthur, I believe Miss Emeria has something she needs to do.¡±


    I turned to my training attendant. ¡°nis?¡±


    She walked to me after putting down the clipboard she had been holding. ¡°It won¡¯t take long, General Arthur. Please give me your hand.¡±


    Curious, I took off the glove, letting it dangle by the wire it was attached to. nis gently wrapped both her hands around my mine and began chanting with her eyes shut.


    Once she finished, nis¡¯ eyes snapped open. Her eyes had surely been pink and blue, yet when she gazed at me once more, her eyes had turned a shimmering silver. A faint emerald aura pulsed around her and began spreading onto me as well.


    ¡°Please, stand still for a moment, General Arthur,¡± she said, her voice seeming to echo. nis¡¯ silver eyes darted left and right, up and down, studying me indepthly until her green aura faded and her silver eyes reverted to their normal colors.


    ¡°Scans areplete,¡± nis announced before walking back and scribbling furiously.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I asked. The hand that the elf had held tingled.


    nis looked up from her clipboard and opened her mouth to speak when Emily quickly covered her mouth. ¡°Hehe, we¡¯ll tell you everythingter. For now, why don¡¯t we start with the training?¡±


    ¡°Thedy has spoken!¡± Buhnd agreed, swinging his arms. ¡°My limbs were beginning to calcify from staying still for so long.¡±


    Hester rolled her eyes. ¡°I hardly think that¡¯s possible, but I agree with the dwarf. Princess Kathyln had told me much about you, General Arthur, and I¡¯m quite curious to see if you live up to her exceedingly high standards.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that,¡± Kathyln quickly amended, pushing her guardian away.


    Smiling, I followed her and the three elders to the center of the room. We distanced ourselves roughly thirty feet from each other and I was surrounded on all sides. The princess positioned herself close to the pond in the rear corner with Buhnd to her left and the silent Camus to her right. My mind raced as I tried deciding which one I should start with my back to. Adrenaline coursed through my body, coalescing with the mana streaming through my limbs. The familiar feeling of my dry mouth and cold sweat rolling down my cheek told me all I needed to about the situation I was in.


    The pressure that the four of them gave off sent chills down my spine, but my smile only grew wider. I licked my lips and lowered myself into a defensive stance. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±

 Chapter 182

    Chapter 182


    Chapter 182: Elders¡¯ Assessment


    As soon as the words left my tongue, the elders wasted no time in their attack. Hester moved first, forming a globe of fire in her palm. With a snap of her wrist, the burning sphere shot toward me, growingrger as it approached.


    I turned to counter when the ground beneath me shifted abruptly, throwing me off bnce. With hardly any time to react now, I spun while withdrawing Dawn¡¯s Bad from my ring. In one fluid movement, Iunched a shockwave of frost from my de, exploding the ming globe prematurely before falling back.


    ¡°Tripping over your own feet, Young General?¡± Buhnd snickered, his hands glowing in an aura of yellow.


    ¡°For someone with so many muscles, you sure use some cheap parlor tricks,¡± I jeered, pushing myself up from the ground.


    The dwarf shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not the one that just fell on my arse.¡±


    I responded to his snidement with a smirk, keeping an eye out for the other two to make a move. I didn¡¯t have to wait long.


    Camus casually hurled a de of wind in my direction. The crescent approached viciously, carving a path in the ground where it had travelled.


    I swung Dawn¡¯s Bad into Camus¡¯ attack when the crescent suddenly distorted before exploding.


    ¡°Lesson one of fighting as a conjurer. Be unpredictable,¡± Camus muttered.


    A st of wind nearly threw me back onto the ground. This time, however, I was able to react fast enough. I stabbed my sword into the ground, putting more force than I normally would to embed the broken tip of my sword into the dirt floor to brace myself against the st.


    I looked back up to see dozens of<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>jagged icicles, each as long as my arm, flying toward me.


    Siphoning mana out of my core, I swung my free arm, releasing a wave of fire.


    Therge shards of ice evaporated with a <i>hiss</i> from my mes but before I could continue my attack, three triangr panels of stone shot up from the ground around me and copsed on each other.


    Trapped within the pyramid of earth, my vision darkened.


    <i>This is getting annoying,</i> I thought.


    Fighting against conjurers was fundamentally different than going up against augmenters. For one, they kept their distance and attacked from afar.


    With a snap of my finger, I ignited a me to study my surroundings. Just three wallsing together at a point about twenty feet above me.


    ¡°I might as well try and fight like a conjurer as well,¡± I muttered to myself, putting Dawn¡¯s Bad back into my ring.


    I sent out a current of earth mana into the ground, and within a second I was able to make out the rough positions of all four of them as well as the two figures afar¡ªwhich I assumed were Emily and nis.


    Buhnder must¡¯ve sensed what I did because almost immediately after, spikes of stone began jutting out of the walls.


    <i>Crafty dwarf,</i> I smiled.


    The spikes elongated, closing in. It was now or never.


    After growing the me I had used for light, I conjured a wave of frost with my other hand. I sped the two opposing elements together, creating a st of steam, spreading it until it filled the entire enclosure.


    ¡°Steam¡¯s leaking out. Careful for a surprise attack,¡± Hester warned. ¡°Princess, take advantage of the moisture from the steam.¡±


    <i>Oh crap. </i>


    I beckoned lightning to surge around my body, charging and containing it when I felt the temperature of the cloudy air around me plummet. I could see floating shards of ice forming but my spell was finished.


    ¡°Burst!¡± I hissed, discharging the currents of lightning coiling around my body. Tendrils of electricity surged out, shattering the ground and walls effortlessly until the the stone pyramid Buhnder had conjured copsed.


    Arge cloud of dust, debris and steam covered much of the view, but Camus had somehow found me because the old elf was just a few feet away¡ªswirling gales coiling around his arms.


    Wordlessly, the wind conjurer <i>pushed</i>, sending me hurdling backward with the full st of his wind.


    Straight into Hester.


    The elder was waiting for me on the other side with a fully formed globe of blue mes ready to fire.


    With barely enough time to twist my body in the air to defend against the attack, I faced the full brunt of the sapphire mes.


    <span ss="s1"><b>KATHYLN GLAYDER</b></span>


    Hester mesworth had been serving the yder family for over two decades, and while I¡¯d always respected her magical prowess, it was because of her talents that she had the tendency to be a bit prideful. So when I saw Arthur¡¯s form being consumed by the very blue mes that had set her apart from all the other fire-attribute conjurers of Sapin, I knew that she saw Arthur as a person she had to beat at all costs.


    My hand unconsciously reached toward Arthur. No more than a few seconds could¡¯ve passed when the blue mes began swirling. At first I thought it was Hester¡¯s doing but when the cone of fire split with Arthur intact¡ªaside from the few burnt ends of his long hair¡ªI knew that he had had somehow dispersed the mes on his own.


    Arthur let out a cough before speaking. ¡°That was a close one.¡±


    My guardian¡¯s eyes widened just a little before feigningposure. ¡°Impressive, General Arthur, but it seems like you¡¯re taking us a little too lightly.¡±


    Elder Buhndemog raised a bulbous arm. ¡°I second that. If this is all you can do, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re going to need a lot more than two months to train you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard getting motivated if you so obviously hold back like that,¡± Elder Camus added before letting out a loud yawn and sitting down.


    I frowned. I was told that Elder Camus was once a distinguished member of the elven army, but to think he was such an ill-mannered individual...


    Perhaps if I was Arthur, I might have gotten offended by his conduct, but to my surprise, he startedughing.


    ¡°Sorry. I often find myself trying to match my opponents¡¯ level to gauge. Bad habit of mine,¡± he said, calmly dusting himself off.


    Suddenly, a wave of mana flooded out of Arthur as if a dam had just copsed. My body instinctively reeled back from the force and when I looked back up, I could see that Camus was back on his feet¡ªall signs of his lethargy gone¡ªwhile both Hester and Elder Buhndemog had already thickened their aura for protection.


    In the center of us all was Arthur, except his form had changed. His long hair now shimmered like liquid pearl and golden symbols ran down the lengths of his arms. If Arthur¡¯s presence was strong before, it was outright oppressive now.


    ¡°I won¡¯t use this form for the remainder of our training, but since today¡¯s sparring serves to get ourselves acquainted with one another, I¡¯ll graciously let loose,¡± he said to everyone, his back facing me.


    The crude leather armor that Emily had d him in now seemed almost majestic underneath the vivid nimbus of mana enveloping Arthur. He turned around and I was able to fully take in his amethyst eyes. I was having a hard time trying to find the right word to describe them.


    Ethereal? Illustrious? Sovereign? Even those words didn¡¯t seem to properly portray how those eyes seemed to shake my very core.


    I had seen this form once before at Xyrus Academy when he battled against Lucas, but it was my first time seeing it this closely.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s more like it!¡± Elder Buhndemog eximed, althought the slight tremor in his voice exposed his unease.


    ¡°Spread out!¡± Hester¡¯s voice rang with authority as she leaped backward and prepared her spell. She knew¡ªeveryone knew¡ªthat the tables had turned. The second round had yet to start but already I felt the advantage we had in numbers was now gone.


    As Arthur¡¯s presence thickened like a shroud, the usual voice inside my head creeped up, saying that all was futile.


    <i>No! You always do this, Kathyln. Stop doubting yourself. </i>


    I bit down on my lip, berating myself for my pessimism. Ever since my awakening, I¡¯d been constantly told how talented I was as a mage, yet I always found some way to tell myself I wascking. Perhaps that¡¯s why Arthur¡¯s impression of me back when we had first met during the auction had remained so clear... even after all of these years. As a child and even now, he was smart, talented, sociable, knew what he wanted and had a smile that could light up the world.


    Regaining myposure, I found myself eye-to-eye with Arthur once again. By his gaze, I knew he had been waiting for me, somehow sensing that my mind was elsewhere.


    Doing all I could to keep my embarrassment from reaching my face, I quickly nodded and took up a stance.


    His lips cracked up to form a faint smile and he gave me a nod in return. In that same instant, Arthur vanished, leaving behind only a footprint in the hardened ground and a few tendrils of electricity. By the time my eyes caught on to where he had appeared, Elder Camus had been knocked a few dozen feet in the air until the earth below him molded and cushioned his impact.


    ck lightning coiled around Arthur as his eyes searched for his next target. Just before he could move again, the ground rose around his feet, anchoring him in ce.


    <i>Stop gawking and help,</i> I told myself.


    Using the water from the nearby pond as a catalyst, I shaped it into a giant frozen spear. As soon as Iunched it, I felt Elder Camus push my ten-foot spear of ice with his wind magic, elerating it to a speed that I couldn¡¯t have achieved on my own.


    Our cooperative attack tore through the air, spiraling viciously toward Arthur. Except, the man in question was still in ce, staring straight at the giant spear of ice with only a hand up in defense.


    <i>Is he not going to try and dodge? </i>


    I thought about dispersing the spell, but Commander Virion had stressed how we needed to be serious about this in order to help Arthur.


    To my surprise, just when the spell was inches away, my spell dispersed. Arthur was still pushed back from the gale surrounding my attack, but the ice spear that I had conjured had shattered.


    Camus shot me a look as if asking whether I had been the one or not. I quickly shook my head, my brows knit in confusion.


    <i>I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t me.</i>


    Arthur got back to his feet, unaffected¡ªrather with a hint of satisfaction on his face.


    The elders and I all exchanged nces, no onepletely sure exactly what had transpired.


    ¡°Bah!¡± Elder Buhndemog stamped his foot, raising a giant boulder from the ground beside him. ¡°Show me more! Unless changing the color of your hair and eyes is the only thing you can do.¡±


    Arthur smiled wickedly. ¡°dly.¡±


    My friend and now opponent became a blur. This time, I was able to follow his faint form, just barely.


    He sent a shockwave of mana at Elder Buhndemog, but the dwarf expected that. He sculpted the boulder by his side to be a giant shield of stone.


    A crater formed where the shockwave hit the shield, but it had been no more than a diversion. By the time time the shield had blocked his spell, Arthur had already targeted Hester with ance of ck lightning in his hand.


    <i>He¡¯s not attacking you because he¡¯s afraid to hurt you, Kathyln,</i> the voice whispered tauntingly.


    Letting out a sharp breath, I focused on a spell that General Varay had taught me. It was a spell I never liked using since it meant that I had to get close to my opponent, but Arthur¡¯s concern in this situation was worse. I didn¡¯t like to be pitied.


    ¡°Seraph of Snow.¡±


    Layers of frost spread over my body, covering me in its icy grip. My clothing hardened into armor while ayer of whitepletely covered my body and the bottom half of my face.


    With my body further empowered, I dashed straight to Arthur who was being attacked by everyone else.


    Elder Camus was darting around sending des of wind and cushioning Elder Buhndemog and Hester whenever they were knocked away by Arthur.


    Arthurunched a spear of lightning at Camus, but it exploded mid air thanks to Hester¡¯s intervention.


    Everyone felt the presence of my spell, but Arthur was too preupied to notice.


    The frost covering my arm changed form at my thought, extending and sharpening into a de of ice.


    I swung the same way General Varay had drilled into me for over a year.


    My de cut across his back, drawing blood that already froze. Arthur¡¯s head snapped back to me, his gaze more of surprise than of pain. He spun around andunched a de of wind at me but theyer of frost covering me mitigated the spell.


    Without the need to physically block, I continued my attack. Drawing back my other hand, I pushed out,unching a shockwave of frost at Arthur.


    My opponent quickly blocked my attack, but he was still pushed back¡ªstraight into Elder Buhndemog.


    Arthur¡¯s instincts were inhuman though, as he already twisted his body and prepared to defend when a gale of wind spun him uncontrobly.


    The elderly dwarf saw himing and an excited smile stretched across his white beard. He loaded his fist in position to punch while the earth around him trembled.


    Pieces of the ground flew,bining together around his fist to form a giant gauntlet of stone. Hester empowered his attack by imbuing a blue me around the earthen fist.


    A painful <i>crash</i> resounded as Elder Buhndemog¡¯s ming rock fist connected straight into Arthur.


    ¡°Oh! That felt <i>so</i> good!¡± the dwarven elder beamed, shaking out the fire around his fist.


    I dispersed my spell too, relishing the warmth that soon followed.


    Arthur sat up from the crater his body¡ªnow back to normal¡ªmanaged to create in the ground. Stretching his neck, he let out a groan. ¡°You got me good there.¡±


    Elder Buhndemog let out a heartyugh in agreement. ¡°The princess sure saved the day! The three of us were basically in a stalemate and I suspect the young general wasn¡¯t even going all-out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not able to keep up that form indefinitely and I was already running out of steam.¡± Arthur shook his head. ¡°But yeah, I wasn¡¯t expecting you toe at me like some sort of ice ninja, Kathyln.¡±


    I tilted my head, confused. ¡°Ice... ninja?¡±


    ¡°Uh, nothing.¡± Arthur let out a wry chuckle, scratching the back of his head. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have taken you lightly, that¡¯s all.¡±


    I blushed.


    Thankfully, Elder Camus seized his attention, extending a hand and pulling Arthur up to his feet.


    ¡°Interesting boy,¡± the quiet elder said with the faintest trace of a smile.


    ¡°It seems we¡¯ll have much to discuss,¡± Hester added. ¡°I figure this will be a learning experience for all of us.¡±


    We all agreed on that.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The five of us regrouped back near the entrance of the training room with Emily Watsken and Miss Emeria.


    ¡°Before I go over the analysis of today¡¯s little assessment, I just wanted to hear some feedback,¡± Emily addressed. ¡°Of course, our beautiful Miss nis Emeria has nned out a rigorous training schedule for General Arthur, but overall if there are any concerns, please let me know.¡±


    Miss Emeria nodded, her expression deadpan. ¡°Feedback is crucial.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s safe to say for everyone, especially General Arthur, that the biggest issue is concern for safety,¡± Hester noted.


    ¡°Ah, yes!¡± I¡¯m actually in the works for something to help solve that problem, but it still needs some tinkering,¡± Emily responded.


    ¡°Can I ask what it is, exactly? I¡¯m pretty curious,¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a device that basically reads how much mana the wearer is being hit with, triggering ast-minute defense mechanism to prevent a lethal blow,¡± the artificer answered almost mechanically.


    ¡°If an artifact like that could be built, couldn¡¯t it be given to all the soldiers in battle?¡± Elder Buhndemog mused.


    Emily hesitated. ¡°It could, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°It would be astronomically expensive,¡± Miss Emeria finished. ¡°Also, the defensive mechanism would only work for that single triggering attack. In a training environment, the opponent would stop but out on the battlefield, another attack would be all the enemy would need to finish the job.¡±


    Elder Buhndemog stroked his beard. ¡°True. Good point.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the artifacts are extremely expensive to make, not just for its cost but for the rarity of the material. Phoenix wyrm scales are needed to make the artifact and the yder family has so graciously bestowed us with a few for the sake of my new training devices,¡± Emily informed, looking at me with an appreciative gaze.


    I wasn¡¯t aware that Father and Mother still had some left.


    ¡°Speaking of training devices, what exactly is this getup for anyway?¡± Arthur asked, poking the gem on his leather chestte. ¡°I¡¯m assuming this, and those tes all over the wall aren¡¯t for decoration.¡±


    At that, Emily smiled brightly. Even Miss Emeria had a trace of excitement shining in her eyes. ¡°Everything, my friend, from the unappealing armor to the weird tes all across this room, is for the sake of recording and measuring everything that has to do with how you magic the hell out of people!

 Chapter 183

    Chapter 183


    Chapter 183: Measuring Magic


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    Measuring and recording someone ¡®magic the hell out of people,¡¯ was a rather un-intuitive way of describing an unfamiliar process to a group of elderly mages¡ªand two teens.


    However, once Emily quelled her enthusiasm and began slowly exining the functions of the disks all over the room and the metal panel filled with gauges, as well as the leather armor I was wearing, I could see the excitement bubbling up on everyone¡¯s faces.


    ¡°So the things attached all over the room serve as detectors of some kind to record how powerful a spell is?¡± Camus asked, tilting his head.


    Emily nodded. ¡°The word ¡®powerful¡¯ is a vague term, but yes. The disks were rather tricky to make because each one of them needs to be sturdy enough to receive the impact but sensitive enough to urately transmit the feedback into my recording panel. That¡¯s just one of its main aspects though; the other, I¡¯ll exin in a bit.¡±


    ¡°What were those glowing lines connecting the disks earlier?¡± Hester asked.


    ¡°Good question!¡± Emily nodded. ¡°Well you see, a spell is rarely going to be the size of just one sensor so I needed each disk ced rtively close to one another with sensors in between so that even when a spell is several yards in diameter, the disks can urately gauge the impact or force of the spell. I made a new term for this measurement¡ªIt¡¯s called force per unit, or fpu. The glowing trails of mana, that light up once powered sufficiently¡ªin this case, by Princess Kathyln and the four elders¡ªserves as sensors that connect each disk to one another so I can more urately gauge the fpu of a spell as soon as it¡¯s released into the field of disks.¡±


    I could see more than a few eyes zed over from confusion by Emily¡¯s excited exnation, so I was tempted to remain quiet and let her run out of words to say, but I was curious about something as well. ¡°So the disks act as sensors after basically being struck with a spell. What if I hypothetically fired a st of wind at Elder Buhnd and he blocked it? The spell would never reach any of the disks, so would that spell not be measured?¡±


    Emily¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°As expected, you caught on to one of the shorings rather quickly. I realized in the early stages the same problem. If these disks were just targets to be hit, then the impact they receive is enough to get an urate reading on the force of the spell. But in cases where live sparring takes ce, more than half of the spells would be either unreadable or inurate at best due to being partially or fully mitigated by a counterattack from the opposing side. I said earlier on that recording through direct contact was just one of the main aspects of the disks. The other is also the reason why I needed to cover the whole room. Each of the disks not only sends visible trails of mana to the disks around them, but also creates a sort of ¡®pressure¡¯ that can be read right at the force of a spell as soon as it¡¯s formed.¡±


    ¡°Is that why I had to help you put all those disks so deep beneath the ground?¡± Buhnd asked, scratching his head.


    ¡°Exactly, and so the disks aren¡¯t in the way even when using earth magic!¡± she replied. ¡°Thanks to Elder Buhnd, installing the disks underground was easy. It is through the sensors in the ground, all over the walls, and on the ceiling that manipted mana can be measured even without the need for any of the disks to actually be physically hit with a spell.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so basically having this roompletely surrounded in these disks creates a room where mana can be measured,¡± I simplified.


    Emily pursed her lips. ¡°Well... yeah, if you want to just summarize an entire six months¡¯ work into a sentence, I guess so.¡±


    I let out augh. ¡°Believe me, I know very well what you created here is a technological marvel that¡¯ll help mages develop much faster in the future, but I don¡¯t think any of the people here have ns on being artificers.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Emily admitted, still pouting.


    ¡°So you exined what the disks and the panel does, but what about this armor you¡¯re having me wear?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ah, I made that armor for Miss Emeria¡¯s sake,¡± the artificer replied, turning her gaze to nis.


    My training attendant nodded before speaking. ¡°Miss Wykes noted the possibility that this ¡®environment¡¯ might have an effect on my personal ability, so she created that suit so that I can make urate readings throughout your training.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a rather vague exnation. If I didn¡¯t know any better, it seems like you¡¯re trying to keep your ability a surprise, just like Emily with her invention,¡± I teased my robotic assistant.


    She was, however, less than amused. Her expression remained deadpan. ¡°General Arthur, you asked for specifics of Miss Wykes¡¯ suit, not my ability. If you are curious about my ability, please tell me so.¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± I replied, taken aback. My training assistant, unlike Emily, didn¡¯t seem very keen on exining anything and everything pertaining to a certain subject. ¡°So, nis, what does your ability do?¡±


    The stoic-faced elf nodded, satisfied by my straightforward question. ¡°After making a physical connection with an individual, I am able to utilize nature-affinity magic to urately observe the mana flow of said individual. ¡±


    I heard a snicker from Buhnd. Taking a peek, I saw the dwarf nearby nudging Camus with his elbow and whispering, ¡°Hehe, physical connection indeed.¡±


    I held back a groan while Camus simply ignored the lecherous dwarf.


    ¡°So does that make you a deviant of nature magic?¡± I asked, curious.


    While it wasmon knowledge that the higher forms of wind, water, earth, and fire magic were sound, ice, gravity, and lightning respectively¡ªwith metal and magma magic specifically a dwarven specialty¡ªlittle was known about what nature magic exactly was. It was acknowledged that only elves were able to utilize nature magic, which made magic researchers believe it was a sort of deviant specialty of wind and water, just like how magma was a specializedbination of fire and earth. One example of nature magic was nt maniption, like what Tess was able to do, but I¡¯d never heard of reading mana flow using nature magic.


    ¡°Whether my ability is an evolved form of nature magic or a specialized peripheral use of it, I am uncertain,¡± she answered. ¡°However, Commander Virion tasked me with providing urate feedback on your mana flow throughout the course of your training like I had for a few of the othernces.¡±


    ¡°You helped out the othernces too?¡± I asked. I wasn¡¯t as much surprised by the fact that the others had been helped by her but more so that Virion hadn¡¯t told me about nis until now.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she disclosed.


    ¡°How intriguing,¡± Hester chimed in. ¡°To what extent does this sensory magic show about General Arthur?¡±


    nis took out a small journal, bound by worn leather. She flipped through several pages before reading aloud, ¡°General Arthur¡¯s rate of mana flow upon maniption from mana core to extremities measures at roughly point-four-six seconds for body augmentation. For spell casting, there is roughly a forty percent increase in time for wind-attribute spells and fifty-five percent increase for earth-attribute spellspared to ice and lightning-attribute spells. Fire and water magic were not used enough during the session so no readings could be made.¡±


    ¡°Point-four-six seconds is awfully specific. How were you able to urately measure the time?¡± Camus asked, his interest piqued as well.


    nis took out a small cube-shaped device from the inside of her suit-like jacket. ¡°Miss Wykes generously provided me this time-counting device.¡±


    She pressed a small button on the side and the cube began whirring before she quickly pressed it again. She showed us the top of the cube, and it showed the time, down to a fraction of a second.


    ¡°Never thought I¡¯d see such a useless tool,¡± Buhnd grumbled, obviously uninterested in the analysis of these numbers.


    ¡°Nonsense. That device can measure how fast you can run from one end of the room to the other with those short stubs you call legs,¡± Hester jeered, a smug grin on her face.


    Buhnd let a loud snort. ¡°Why do such a plebian thing like running when I can have the earth underneath me move my feet, you old witch?¡±


    The two began bickering once again, making me wonder what their rtionship was. It wasn¡¯t just their bickering, though; back when we were sparring, all three of the elders had had an uncanny degree of coordination, like they had fought together before.


    I made a mental note to ask either Kathyln or Virionter.


    Turning my attention back to the two elves, it seemed like nis had just finished answering Camus¡¯ question, which I¡¯d missed.


    ¡°I see,¡± the old elf replied thoughtfully. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to hassle Miss Wykes too much about this so I¡¯ll procure some materials myself.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really no problem at all, Elder Camus,¡± Emily chimed in. ¡°I was nning on improving Arth¡ªGeneral Arthur¡¯s suit anyway. Making a few more wouldn¡¯t be much of a strain assuming I have the materials at hand.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I whispered, leaning toward Kathyln.


    ¡°Elder Camus asked if it was possible for Miss Emeria to do readings for multiple people,¡± Kathyln answered, taking a step back from me.


    <i>Whoops. A little too close for her. </i>


    I distanced myself as well, remembering the princess had always been wary of her personal ¡®bubble.¡¯ ¡°Does that go for you as well?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I¡¯m curious to know how the speed of my mana flowpares to others.¡±


    The aspect ofparison brought up a whole load of questions to mind that I wanted to ask Emily, but it wasn¡¯t the time to ask that now. Instead, I turned to my training assistant. ¡°nis, what were my numbers after I used Realmhea¡ªI mean, after my hair and eyes changed colors?¡±


    Everyone looked at the straightced elf expectantly. Even Hester and Buhnd, whose squabbling¡ªmaybe even flirting¡ªI had tuned out, stopped to hear her response. <span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>


    nis only had to flip a single page in her notebook before answering. ¡°General Arthur¡¯s spell casting efficiency, from the mental invocation stage to the physical shaping of elemental mana, increased nearly five-fold throughout all spectrums of elements, and...¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Buhnd pressed while everyone held their breaths.


    nis shook her head. ¡°My apologies, General Arthur. I did not record your body augmentation after the change in your form.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I consoled. ¡°Was it because there wasn¡¯t enough of a difference in times?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. It¡¯s not because of that,¡± nis amended, her eyes wide. ¡°I did not record you simply because I could not. General Arthur, your body augmentation speed is already normally on par with most of thences. After the transformation, however, your body augmentation speed was much too fast for me to even attempt to measure.¡±


    ***


    ¡°How¡¯s your brother doing these days?¡± I asked, hoping to fill the ufortable silence in the corridor.


    We were walking in one of the residential floors of the castle. The clear view of the moon and stars just outside told us that training had gone far longer than intended after our in-depth discussion about the intricacies of Emily¡¯s gadgets and nis¡¯ deviant ability. With everyone either already asleep or down in the lower levels working, the castle felt almost abandoned.


    ¡°Curtis is doing much better now that Father has finally allowed him to leave the castle¡ªunder supervision, of course,¡± Kathyln replied with a hint of envy. ¡°He described in hisst transmission scroll how rewarding it was to be one of the assistant training instructors at Lanceler Academy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not so lucky, I¡¯m guessing?¡±


    ¡°I had hoped that getting stronger as a mage would allow me a little more freedom, but the image my father has of me remains that of a timid little princess,¡± she breathed.


    I chuckled. ¡°Well, to be fair. You are pretty timid.¡±


    ¡°I-I have been told that I¡¯ve be more outgoing!¡± Kathyln replied, flustered. ¡°Even the idea of participating as your sparring partner was by my insisten...¡± Her voice trailed off.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    She quickened her pace, walking on ahead. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    We walked in silence once more and I found myself paying eerily close attention to Kathyln¡¯s walking. Her footsteps had an almost lulling cadence, each footfall deliberately made on the balls of her feet to make little sound. She was small-framed but each stride exuded a confidence that seemed well-rehearsed. If I didn¡¯t know her, just by her walk, I would¡¯ve thought she was just another arrogant and pretentious noble.


    She stopped, and by the time I raised my eyes, I found her looking back at me with just the slightest raise in her left brow. ¡°Is everything okay?¡±


    Realizing that I had spent the past few minute staring at her legs, I blushed. ¡°N-No, I mean yes, everything is okay.¡±


    ¡°Your footsteps are very quiet; I didn¡¯t know if you were still walking behind me,¡± Kathyln said, waiting for me so we could walk abreast.


    ¡°I could say the same for you,¡± Iughed, ¡°If I couldn¡¯t see you in front of me, I would¡¯ve thought you were a ghost.¡±


    ¡°Mother was very strict on anything that could be seen by those around us. Curtis and I were forced to receive lessons that covered every spectrum of what is expected of royal blood,¡± Kathyln answered.


    ¡°Oh! My mom had Ellie go to those kinds of sses when she was little. Except for the only thing she seemed to learn was how to get out of chores by saying they were ¡®udylike,¡¯¡± I breathed.


    Kathyln had a faint smile. ¡°Ellie is your sister, correct? Short for Eleanor?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Have you met her? She¡¯s usually in the outdoor balcony practicing her archery.¡±


    ¡°I have seen her on asion but never talked to her,¡± she answered.


    ¡°She can be a bit intimidating with that bear she always takes around,¡± I admitted. ¡°I¡¯ll have to properly introduce you to her sometime. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be excited to get to know you.¡±


    Kathyln¡¯s smile widened to a point where it actually looked like a smile. ¡°I¡¯d... like that.¡±


    We continued talking as we made our way to her room. Hester was originally supposed to escort the princess back, but I wanted to get out of the training room and actually nned on getting something to eat after so I volunteered. The old mage was reluctant, but knowing Kathyln was with ance and the excitement of measuring the fpu of her spells outweighed everything else.


    She, along with the two other elders stayed behind with Emily and nis to measure the force of their spells. If someone were to stand absolutely still and stay quiet, it was possible to feel the castle tremble slightly every so often.


    Kathyln¡¯s room was just a few feet ahead when I remembered. ¡°Does your guardian personally know Buhnd?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°All three elders know each other.¡±


    My brows lifted in surprise. ¡°Really? How?¡±


    The three of them yed crucial roles in thest war between human and elves. Darv sent soldiers to help Sapin during the war, which is how Hester and Elder Buhnd know each other. After the war was over, leaders from all three kingdoms were obligated to attend a summit held every couple of months in an attempt to mend broken bridges. I¡¯ve heard of Elder Camus¡¯ and Elder Buhndemog¡¯s name mentioned several times by Hester. They often trained together before.¡±


    ¡°That exins their impressive coordination during the spar,¡± I noted.


    I wanted to ask more about Hester and the mesworth House in general, but we had been standing outside of Kathyln¡¯s door for a bit now and it felt more proper to ask Hester directly.


    ¡°Will you be okay by yourself, Princess?¡± I teased as Kathyln carefully unlocked her door with a touch of a palm. My room didn¡¯t have a mana signature reader, but then again, having one probably didn¡¯t do me much good.


    ¡°Father took extra precautions with the reinforcements in my room,¡± she said before taking out a familiar-looking pendant from around her neck. ¡°I also have this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s made from a phoenix wyrm, right?¡± I asked, knowing where I had seen it.


    ¡°I¡¯m impressed you know what it is with such a brief nce,¡± she replied. ¡°The artificer, Gideon, made these from the core and scale of a phoenix wyrm.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± I said, omitting the fact that I had bartered two of the same artifacts from Gideon almost ten years ago for the blueprints on the steam engine ship. Ellie and my mother were still wearing them now, one of the reasons why I could sleep a little easier at night.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She tucked the phoenix wyrm pendant back inside her shirt. ¡°And thank you for walking me back. I was happy to see Hester so eager but knowing her, she wouldn¡¯t have stayed with me inside.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± I responded. ¡°It¡¯s the least I could do for taking the time to help me with my training.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s training for me as well. No need to thank me for that.¡±


    ¡°Well, then let¡¯s train hard and get even stronger.¡± I stuck out a hand.


    Kathyln stared at my open hand for a moment before gingerly epting the gesture.


    Both her palm and her fingers were warm to the touch¡ªhot, even¡ªand her hand remained absolutely still in my grip. Making sure my friendly gesture didn¡¯t linger until an ufortable duration, I gently squeezed her hand before letting go. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    Without even a pause, she whipped her head away and shut the door. From the other side of her door, I heard a muffled, ¡°Goodnight, A-Arthur.¡±

 Chapter 184

    Chapter 184


    Chapter 184: Aspect of Unpredictability


    Nico pped the back of my dueling vest. ¡°Are you ready, Grey?¡±


    I continued thest set of my stretches, more out of anxiousness than to loosen my body. We were in the underground waiting area where dozens of other students were either practicing their techniques on the padded mats or restlessly pacing until their name was called by one of the officiators.


    ¡°Ready as I can be, I suppose,¡± I finally replied while swinging my arms.


    ¡°Come on. You¡¯re going to have to be more confident than that¡ªmore hungry,¡± Nico pressed. ¡°I know how hard you¡¯ve had it, being bullied by everyone from the second and first division¡ª¡±


    ¡°How could you possibly know how hard I¡¯ve had it?¡± I cut in, annoyed. ¡°Moving from Division Four into Division Threest year made their ¡®pranks¡¯¡ªmost of which ended in me having welts and broken bones¡ªworse because I apparently didn¡¯t ¡®know my ce.¡¯¡±


    ¡°My bad,¡± Nico stammered, taken aback by my sharpness.


    ¡°You¡¯re in the first ss of Division One, respected by teachers and peers. While I¡¯m proud of you for that, just don¡¯t think that trantes into you knowing what I¡¯ve been through these past years.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°I was just trying to help.¡±


    I let out a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sorry for snapping at you. I¡¯m just really sick of those nobles unting their house names as a badge to do whatever they want to me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It doesn¡¯t help that most of their parents are generous donors of the academy. It only serves to have the teachers turn a blind eye to students with no family to back them like us.¡±


    ¡°At least they treat <i>you</i> well,¡± I said, sitting with my back against the cold wall. ¡°Being better at them intellectually doesn¡¯t seem to hurt their ego nearly as much as being better at them inbat.¡±


    ¡°Thank God for that,¡± Nico chuckled. ¡°At least you can defend yourself.¡±


    I agreed. ¡°I¡¯m just hoping the judges won¡¯t be as unfair as they have been and let me finally get into the second division.¡±


    ¡°Seriously. Even if your ki level isn¡¯t as high, taking into ount your overallbat ability should have at least put you in Division Twost year. I still can¡¯t believe they held you back even after you pummeled that mouthy kid.¡±


    Letting out a scoff, I asked, ¡°Remember him taunting me before the start of the match, saying he could beat me with one hand?¡±


    Nico suppressed augh in fear that the boy in question was somewhere in therge room. ¡°That match was over so quick, he didn¡¯t even have time to take his hand out of his pocket.¡±


    ¡°Yet, here I am, taking part in these rigged assessment duels.¡± I thumped my head against the wall, letting the dull pain wash away my despair.


    ¡°About that.¡± Nico lowered his voice. ¡°I heard from the other engineering students that there¡¯s a new judge this year, said to be cold and impartial.¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°How would the engineering students know about that?¡±


    Nico let out a cough and looked away. ¡°Supposedly, she¡¯s also a very attractive-lookingdy. You know how it is with the engineering guys; they¡¯re a lewd bunch.¡±


    ¡°Seems like that includes you as well,¡± I smirked. ¡°I wonder what Cecilia¡¯s going to think when I tell her this.¡±


    ¡°Y-You wouldn¡¯t.¡± Nico¡¯s face nched. ¡°After all I¡¯ve done to try and help you.¡±


    Just then, a gruff voice called out my name over the inte. ¡°Cadet Grey to Arena Six. Failure to show will result in an automatic loss. Once again, Cadet Grey to Arena Six.¡±


    I picked up the blunted dueling sword that was lent to me for the assessment, and winked at Nico. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you and your engineering dogs¡¯ little interest to myself.¡±


    Nico just let out a breath of defeat and motioned for me to go.


    After waving back at my friend, I made my way up the wide ramp that led to the surface.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I had to raise a hand to shield myself from the midday sun until my eyes could adjust, and when it did I found myself in the center of a wide outdoor stadium.


    Raised circr tforms dotted therge field of grass. Students and faculty members of the academy surrounded the tforms, some judging or scouting while some were just there to watch their friends or uing opponent.


    The bleachers surrounding the stadium were dotted with people too far away to recognize, not that I would know any of them. Prior events made it easy to assume most of the adults seated were family members of students participating in today¡¯s assessment duels.


    I made my way in the direction of the sign that read ¡®Arena Six,¡¯ slipping through the crowds congested around the arenas in between.


    ¡°Great, an audience,¡± I mumbled to myself. There was arge group of varying age excitedly chattering amongst themselves. One portly middle-aged man had his arms up on the arena, givingst minute advice to the boy my age until the slender referee informed the man not to lean on the stage.


    I barely had room to go up the stairs that lead to the elevated dueling arena, and all throughout the way, eyes bored into me. Some cast assessing gazes, trying to size me up to make their own prediction on whether their son, cousin, nephew¡ªor whatever their rtion to the boy up on the stage was¡ªcould beat me.


    On the arena tform stood only me, the boy I¡¯d be facing, and the referee. Theter rounds in assessments would have a panel of ¡®unbiased¡¯ judges as well, but this was only the first.


    ¡°Make us proud, Simeon!¡± the portly man from earlier roared.


    ¡°You can do it, Simmy!¡± A curly-haired woman hooted excitedly.


    ¡°Sir, the barrier will be up soon, so please refrain from leaning forward onto the arena. I will not remind you again,¡± the slender referee said sternly.


    ¡°Dad, please!¡± the boy named Simeon groaned, shooing his father away.


    Without further dy, the referee took out a key and slid it alongside the far edge of the arena. Immediately, a light flickered around us, casting a translucent wall about thirty feet high.


    ¡°Weapons in position,¡± the referee announced. ¡°Traditional dueling rules apply. Match will end when one of you yields or when the protective barrier around the dueling vest shatters. Points will be earned on solid contact, not ncing blows. Cadet Grey, Cadet Simeon Cledhome, are you ready?¡±


    I kept the de of my sword low, gripping only with one hand, while Simeon took on a more traditional pose with both hands firmly on the handle and the de positioned vertically out in front of him.


    The two of us dipped our heads in acknowledgement, our gazes locked onto each other.


    ¡°Begin!¡±


    Immediately, Simeon lunged, clearing the distance of over ten feet between us in a single step. He had concentrated his ki to his back leg, pushing off and redistributing back to the rest of his body after gaining the momentum he wanted to achieve¡ªnot an easy feat.


    However, his burst seemed seemed like a wade through viscous waters in my eyes. By the time his sword was lined in position to stab at my vest, I was contemting between three different courses of action.


    I went with the simplest, pivoting so his blunted weapon would would barely glide across my chest.


    Executing the same technique as Simeon, I concentrated ki into my back leg and torso for support. In one swift stroke, I stepped into range and spun using my leg and hips for momentum. That way, even though I didn¡¯t enhance my arm with ki, the strength of my attack was enough to knock Simeon off his feet.


    Just before my sword struck him, he managed to twist his body so his left shoulder took the force of the blow, not his vest.


    ¡°Gah!¡± Simeon let out a pained yell as his right hand dropped his sword and cradled his injured shoulder.


    I thought for sure he¡¯d yield so I remained in my position, my eyes shifting between the referee and Simeon.


    A muted thump drew my attention, and I could see the father banging wildly at the barrier. ¡°Get up, Simeon! Get up!¡±


    After a series of groans and curses, my opponent was back on his feet, his left arm dangling limply by his side while his right arm struggled to hold his long sword.


    I cast a look of doubt at the referee, but he shook his head. The match wasn¡¯t over.


    In an act of desperation, Simeon tried to catch me off guard while my attention was on the referee. He dashed once more, sacrificing his speed by allocating most of his ki into his arm. With his right arm strengthened, he was able to easily swing the heavy dueling sword.


    His stubbornness was respectable, but the match was already over.


    I struck his right hand, causing Simeon to drop his weapon immediately. Without stopping, I spun and kicked his right thigh, which was unprotected by ki.


    Simeon let out a grunt while he buckled to his knee. The tip of my sword was already waiting for him underneath his chin.


    ¡°I-I yield,¡± he breathed.


    ¡°No!¡± his father protested, banging wildly against the barrier. ¡°The boy cheated! No way my Simeon would lose to some no-named rat!¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± The referee berated. ¡°Cadet Simeon Cledhome¡¯s assessment duels will take ce amongst the other defeated cadets while Cadet Grey will move on. That is all!¡±


    With that, the referee withdrew the barrier and allowed us to leave. Simeon walked down those stairs like his soul had just withered. I almost felt bad for him. His ki control was considered pretty good since most kids in my division were now getting a firm grasp on basic body strengthening, not ki allocation.


    His mother immediately gave him a hug and gingerly caressed his wounded shoulder while his father stared daggers, as if his son¡¯s loss was because of me.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I guess it was, so I stared back and did the respectable thing to the portly man of House Cledhome.


    I smir¡ªsmiled politely. Now... if he saw that as being rude or arrogant, that was on him.


    <span ss="s1"><b>ARTHUR LEYWIN</b></span>


    ¡°What were you dreaming about?¡± a familiar coarse voice asked, startling me awake.


    My eyes shot open to see Virion, his face just a foot away from my own, wrinkled with a wide grin.


    ¡°Gah!¡± I yelped, bolting up and nearly colliding heads with the old man.


    From the side, I could hear Emily and my sister giggling while even Boo and Sylvie huffed in amusement.


    ¡°Damn it, Virion. Your face is terrifying,¡± I cursed, gathering my wits.


    ¡°You were smiling so widely that I just had to wake you up and find out what it was you were dreaming about,¡± the old elf snickered. ¡°Was it perhaps one of <i>those</i> dreams?¡± he continued, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re fit to lead this continent¡¯s entire army?¡± I groaned, fighting back the urge to roll my eyes.


    Themander, who was casually sitting on the ground next to me with his back against the cold metal wall of the training room like any old elder you might find in a rural town, simply shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure smiling lewdly while asleep in a public setting isn¡¯t very fitting of ance either.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a lewd smile!¡± I protested.


    ¡°It was kind of creepy,¡± Ellie chimed in.


    ¡°It was just a dream about when I was younger. You know, when times were simpler,¡± I shot back.


    It wasn¡¯t a lie. Just not the entire truth.


    Ellie exchanged nces with my bond before shrugging.


    <i>¡®Was it another dream of your former life?¡¯</i> Sylvie probed, concern in her voice.


    <i>I wouldn¡¯t worry too much about it, Sylv,</i> Iforted.


    Turning my gaze away from my vulpine bond, I watched as Kathyln and the three elders finished warming up. Only a day had passed since the first training session, but the fact that I couldn¡¯t get any sleep while trying futilely to extract mana out of Uto¡¯s horns without the lorite in my right hand absorbing it first made it feel like a week had gone by.


    Thest thing I had remembered wasing into the training room and seeing my sister and Boo with Virion. While Emily and nis prepared the training equipment she had made for Kathyln and the elders, I had sat down and talked with themander. I had asked him about my personal training assistant and how he even found someone like her and why he never bothered to tell me.


    Virion had exined how he first met nis while visiting a unit stationed near the southern border of Elenoir, where the Elshire Forest ended. He had stumbled upon nis in one of the medic¡¯s tents helping a soldier who had gotten ambushed by the corrupted beasts. While she was only a nurse there, Virion apparently saw the true value of her deviant magic and brought her to the castle. During the time I was training in Epheotus, Virion had made all of thences undergo evaluation by nis so they could improve where their mana flow was the weakest or slowest.


    Virion exining to me that corrupted beasts were what the soldiers dubbed the mana beasts infected by the Vritra was thest thing I could remember before waking up to the sight of the old man¡¯s face hovering over mine.


    Trying to shake off the lingering weariness, I got up and stretched.


    ¡°Looks like the boy is ready,¡± Virion eximed, motioning Emily over.


    The artificer hurried to me, carrying the training equipment she had managed to upgrade in such a short amount of time.


    Instead of the full leather armor used to bounce back the mana waves needed for Emily to record the power of my spells without interrupting nis¡¯ internal readings, I now only had to attach a few bands to my arms and legs and wear a thin chestte with the gem embedded on it.


    After I finished putting on the new equipment, my training assistant approached me with her eyes glued to her notebook.


    ¡°General Arthur. I have finishedpiling the training schedule for the next seven weeks catered to improving your mana flow times during body augmentation and spell casting of your lesser elements,¡± she said, raising her gaze to me while handing me her notebook.


    ¡°The first two weeks will be one-on-one training,¡± I noticed after a cursory nce. ¡°That probably isn¡¯t the best use of time considering I only have two months, right?¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± she nodded, taking back her notebook, ¡°However, your goal in all of this, General Arthur, by immersing yourself inbat scenarios involving all of the elements, was to acquire the knowledge of which elements can be best utilized depending on the situation in order to apply that inter battles, correct?¡±


    Her thought process was a lot more technical but she got the gist of it. ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°While it¡¯smendable that you¡¯re willing to be a training dummy in order to achieve this goal, it¡¯s impractical for one main reason.¡±


    Her statement piqued my curiosity. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°It is to my understanding after your assessment with your four trainers that the main reason for your¡ªforgive my bluntness¡ªproblem stems from how solidified your fighting style is already,¡± she answered. ¡°It is to my understanding that you have previously tried to train your lesser elements before by forcibly inhibiting your strongest elements, correct?


    ¡°Yet, even after doing so, once you allowed yourself to go back to your morefortable elements, your fighting style reverted back to what I gathered as closebat with elemental integration in your attacks.¡±


    ¡°That sounds about right,¡± I said, thinking about what my core fighting style was. Much of my abilities had improved since my time as Grey, but my core style, which was the use of the sword and body, still existed¡ªalbeit improved after my training with the asura, Kordri.


    ¡°In order for your body to learn new ways of fighting outside of your usual methods, a slow transition is required, along with another importantponent: unpredictability.¡± I could tell the twinkle nis¡¯ eyes that she was almost as enthusiastic about training regimens as Emily was about artificing.


    ¡°General Arthur, you will start off with one-on-one spars against the four training partners here today. They will trade ces in random time frames so your body will not get the chance to limate,¡± she exined in a serious tone. ¡°On top of that, for each session, you will not be able to use one element.¡±


    ¡°And which element is that?¡± I asked, looking over her notes.


    The usually impassive elf had the slightest glimmer of a smile. ¡°That will be chosen at random and switched at random, General Arthur. Unpredictability, remember?¡±


    ¡°It seems like my original idea of brainlessly sparring four versus one has be much more convoluted,¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°The training regimens she made for the othernces were just asplicated,¡± Virion chuckled, standing up.


    After dusting off his robe, Virion headed to the door. ¡°I¡¯ll be by whenever to see how things progress. nis, don¡¯t break Arthur. I still need him.¡±


    nis nodded sternly, as if she had seriously considered it a possibility.


    With that, the old elf bid us farewell. Kathyln and the elders, who had just finished warming up, showed their respects as themander left.


    ¡°The equipment is all ready to go!¡± Emily eximed as soon as the door closed behind Virion.


    I looked around at the training room, spotting Kathyln blotting her forehead with a handkerchief and Hester straightening out the creases in her tight-fitting robe. ¡°So, who am I going up against fir¡ª¡±


    The ground underneath my feet abruptly shot up like a spring, ejecting me into the air.


    I was startled for perhaps a split second before realizing that it had to be Buhnd. It had been less than a day since I first met the bearded ball of muscle and he was already bing somewhat predictable.


    My body wasunched about twenty feet in the air and when I managed to twist myself to face my first opponent, the old dwarf was waiting for me with a wide smile, his bulging arms stretched out wide as if expecting me to hug him.


    A smile creeped up on my face as I siphoned mana into my hand.


    <i>At least I won¡¯t be bored. </i>

 Chapter 185

    Chapter 185


    Chapter 185: Guest Teacher


    ¡°Switch!¡± nis called out just as my wind-infused fist was about to connect with Camus¡¯ chest.


    I muttered a string of curses, stopping my strike. <i>How is it that over these past few days, the matches always seem to stop at such inconvenient times? She has to be doing this on purpose. </i>


    As if to answer my usation, my trainer rified by saying, ¡°Exactly twenty minutes have passed. Elder Camus will be switched for Elder Hester. General Arthur, please restrict your water magic.¡±


    I wiped the sweat pouring down my face, trying to get a breather until my next opponent arrived. Having my water magic banned meant that I couldn¡¯t use ice as well. How frustratingly convenient for Hester, who would¡¯ve been at a disadvantage against those two elements.


    Taking a peek at the audience, I could tell everyone had been paying close attention to myst fight against Camus, my sister particrly engrossed.


    The elder approached me until we were just about a dozen feet apart. Tying her long grey hair back into a bun, she readied into a dueling stance. Being a silver core mage meant that, while her strength was conjuring, she could easily augment her body. The fact that she wore tight-fitting clothes and chose to use a conjuring ring rather than the traditional staff or wand meant that she wanted the flexibility of both long range and close rangebat.


    ¡°Begin,¡± nis stated, her voice amplified by the artifact she was speaking into.


    Hester immediately snapped her finger, a spark igniting between her middle finger and her thumb.


    The blue ember was just a distraction though.


    Since I wasn¡¯t using Realmheart, my eyes couldn¡¯t see the fluctuations in mana, but I could feel it. My body, enhanced through assimtion with Sylvia¡¯s dragon will, seemed to instinctively sense that I was in danger.


    I quickly propelled myself back, just in time to see a burst of fire detonate where I had been standing.


    The explosion caused a cloud of smoke, obstructing my view of Hester.


    <i>She didn¡¯t expect to hit me with that. She wants me to lose sight of her. </i>


    I swung my arms, manipting the cloud of dust between us to shoot forward. The rock and sand in the air froze still for a second before erupting forward into a shockwave of debris.


    Like I had predicted, Hester¡¯s form came into view. She managed to shield herself with a panel of fire. It was my turn to strike back.


    Augmenting mana into my legs, I shed forward, gathering blue fire into my fists.


    I striked at the panel of fire, expecting my me to overpower hers. Her spell disintegrated, but to my surprise, Hester was no longer behind the panel of fire she had conjured.


    That¡¯s when I felt it again, the primal instinct that told me I was in danger. This time, it came from below my feet.


    Blue fire swirled beneath me before erupting into a pir of mes. For a moment, my vision turned blue as an intense heat washed over me.


    My aura blocked the attack long enough for me to manipte the fire from harming me. If I rued too much damage, the defensive artifact in my armor would activate, making it my loss.


    Just when the heat was bing unbearable, I was able to dispel Hester¡¯s attack and break the pir of fire... only to find myself surrounded by a dozen or so fiery spheres, each the height of an adult.


    Judging by the fact that I couldn¡¯t see or sense Hester, and that each globe of fire would be able to fit a grown woman inside, I knew she was in one of the globes.


    If she was trying to annoy me with all of these distractions, it was working.


    I stomped the ground, conjuring earthen spikes. Only half of the spikes hit its mark.


    <i>Note to self. Practice aiming with earth magic. </i>


    The spikes that did hit bore straight through the spheres of fire, causing them to disperse. But it didn¡¯t take long for new spheres of mes to manifest and take their ce.


    Before I could strike them down again, the ming globes brightened beforeunching their attacks.


    Each globe seemed to have a mind of its own, as the attacks fired by them were different from each other. One globe shot a barrage of small fire bullets, while another began spinning and releasing burning crescents.


    I was forced onto the defensive by the barrage of attacksing from all directions. I erected a stone wall from the ground to block the me bullets andunched a de of wind at the burning crescent, detonating the fiery spell prematurely.


    My mind raced, trying to think of my next move. I couldn¡¯t keep staying on the defensive, but I had no idea which ming sphere she was hiding inside of.


    The temptation to just release Realmheart grew, but I knew that was just a shortcut into solving my inadequacy by blowing off most of my mana.


    <i>Think, Arthur. How would I try to fight me if I was Hester? </i>


    The only strategy I could think of was to get on my nerves until I let my guard down. That was the answer.


    I let out a roar of frustration, wildlyunching shockwaves of wind and sts of fire at the globes. Of course, the ones I hit were reced by new ones, but I continued my seemingly agitated assault.


    Coalescing tendrils of lightning around my arms and legs, I shed forward, striking down the spheres of fire up close.


    For each globe I struck down, another two took its ce until over thirty spheres hovered around me.


    <i>Her mana pool is impressive. </i>


    The spheres began undting this time while they glowed brighter. I thought they were all going to explode, but instead each of the ming globes shot a condensed stream of fire at me.


    <i>Is this the final attack?</i> I thought, noticing that the spheres grew smaller as they released their ming beam.


    I put on my best expression of surprise and horror and waited until all of the beams were just about to hit me before I acted.


    Siphoning arge amount of mana for my core, I engulfed my entire body in a suit of fire. Absolute control was necessary to keep the fire from harming me, but timing it with Hester¡¯sst attack would make it seem like I was hit.


    Even with several extrayers of pure mana and fire mana protecting me from Hester¡¯s barrage, I felt the fire singeing the hair on my extremities. I feared for a second that I might actuallye out of this bald, but my aura kept me¡ªand the majority of my hair¡ªsafe.


    I heard Ellie call out to me in horror over the roar of the mes, but I kept my focus on the opponent. I knew Hester wouldn¡¯t let her guard down even from this.


    This next part was the hard part.


    One aspect to consider for a multi-elemental mage was his strength to not just know <i>when</i> to utilize each of his elements, but <i>how</i> to utilize multiple elements in conjunction to one another.


    Keeping the ming barrier around my body, I split off a part of my focus so I could manipte the ground underneath me.


    I felt my mes tremble¡ªa sign that my concentration was wavering.


    <i>Almost</i>. Enduring the growing heat around me as I manipted a hole into the ground for me to fit inside, I waited until I finally saw Hester¡¯s silhouette through theyer of fire between us.


    <i>Now!</i>


    I copsed my protective spell just as I fell into the ground, immediately covering the ground above me so I waspletely submerged below.


    The earth shook at what I assumed was Hester¡¯s next strike.


    Without wasting any time, I <i>pushed </i>at the earth around me, utilizing the seismic perception spell to sense where everyone was. I felt a ripple in the earth from a different location¡ªit was the same perception spell that I had used except far stronger.


    Focusing back on the task at hand, I shaped the earth around me, allowing myself to slowly move underground.


    I knew experts like Buhnd were able to traverse underground as easily as if they were underwater, but unfortunately I wasn¡¯t at that level.


    It didn¡¯t matter, though. It was Hester¡¯s turn to be caught off guard.


    I only took two seconds to gather mana around my right first for my final attack. As soon as I was ready, I cleared the earth above me and bolted up to the surface by infusing wind mana beneath my feet.


    ck lightning coiled around my right arm like a vicious serpent ready to strike. Just beneath me, standing on the ground, was Hester, her arms enveloped in a fire fashioned into long des with thin tendrils of electricity wrapped around them¡ªno doubt her actual finishing move.


    Hester whipped around to face me just as my body descended. It was toote though. I was within striking range and she wasn¡¯t in the safety of her fire orb.


    We were ying to my strength now.


    My opponent¡¯s lips moved¡ªwhether she was cursing or chanting a spell, I couldn¡¯t tell¡ªas she brought up her ming arm des.


    The ck lightning tore free from my arm as I unleashed the voltaic charge at Hester. The ck tendrils ripped through the air until our two spells collided.


    A sphere of congealed fire and lightning formed from the impact, growingrger and brighter until it finally exploded with us in the epicenter.


    <span ss="s1"><b>KATHYLN GLAYDER</b></span>


    The explosion obscured our view of Arthur and Hester. My eyes flitted to Arthur¡¯s little sister; I was prepared to conjure a barrier in case the shockwave reached us, but her bond had already responded, pulling her close with its body positioned to block any remnant of the st caused by the colliding spells.


    With Arthur¡¯s little sister the target of my concern, I forgot to protect myself from the shockwave that detonated.


    I braced for impact, trying to raise a wall of ice in time, but to my surprise, the ground beneath me sank. I found myself a few feet below the surface, the shockwave passing through harmlessly above me.


    After the explosion subsided, I was raised back up toe face to face with Elder Buhnd.


    ¡°Careful, Princess,¡± he grinned before turning his attention back to the origin of the st.


    The cloud of debris caused by the explosion subsided and I could see the two figures.


    Arthur, while disheveled, was standing. My guardian, on the other hand, had fallen back¡ªa soft pink glow surrounding her signaling that the defensive artifact had been triggered.


    Elder Buhnd sped his hands together, obviously excited. ¡°Haha! Brilliant!¡±


    ¡°The artifact worked seamlessly!¡± Miss Watsken eximed from the side, excited for a different reason.


    ¡°It¡¯s worrying that you¡¯re this surprised about the same device meant to keep my brother from dying,¡± Arthur¡¯s little sister muttered, patting the dust off of her wardrobe.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t surprised!¡± the artificer protested. ¡°Just happy that there were no unexpectedplications.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Arthur¡¯s sister cast onest look of doubt at Miss Watsken before turning her focus to her bond.


    ¡°What was General Arthur¡¯s mana flow readings during that battle?¡± Elder Camus asked Miss nis. I eavesdro¡ªlistened in, curious about Arthur¡¯s improvement over thest few days.


    Miss nis¡¯ eyes glowed in a myriad of colors as she assessed Arthur¡¯s internal data. Eventually her irises reverted back to their original colors. ¡°General Arthur¡¯s mana flow for spell casting earth and wind have increased by four percent and two percent, respectively.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s a... good thing?¡± Elder Buhnd asked, his thick brows knitted in confusion.


    ¡°The rate of General Arthur¡¯s growth is... impressive, to say the least. It has been less than a week, yet the improvements he has made in his peripheral elements is remarkable,¡± she replied before recording her newest findings into her journal.


    ¡°I think you¡¯d be more helpful in the war if you led arger group of soldiers than trying to push that old body of yours,¡± a familiar voice sounded from behind us.


    My eyes widened as I realized it was Commander Virion apanied by General Bairon as well as Master Varay.


    I immediately lowered my head in respect.


    ¡°No need for such formalities. I¡¯m just here to check up on my youngest general,¡± Commander Virion chuckled. ¡°Actually let me apologize in advance.¡±


    I raised my head tentatively, locking eyes with Master Varay. My teacher of ice magic regarded me with her strong gaze before turning her attention to the aftermath of Hester and Arthur¡¯s mock battle.


    ¡°That passive-aggressiveness is beneath you, Virion¡ªI mean, Commander,¡± Elder Camus responded with a slight smile.


    ¡°Part of my job is making sure my strongest assets are being as effective as they can,¡± Commander Virion clipped back, smiling amiably as he squeezed Elder Camus¡¯ shoulder.


    ¡°What are you apologizing for?¡± Elder Buhnd asked. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to cut our y¡ªtraining time short! I was just about to go next!¡±


    ¡°Actually, Princess Kathyln was scheduled to go first,¡± Miss Emeria corrected.


    Master Varay approached me with a casual gait, stopping in front of me. She tenderly picked out a piece of debris that had be lodged inside my hair. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Kathyln. You¡¯ve gotten stronger.¡±


    Blushing, I quicklybed my fingers through my hair, trying to get rid of any other signs of my unkempt appearance. ¡°Thank you, Master. I¡¯ve been growing in strength while training alongside the elders and General Arthur.¡±


    She nodded before shifting her gaze behind me. I looked back to see Arthur pulling Hester back up on her feet. I could make out Arthur¡¯s lips moving but it was impossible to hear what he was saying.


    ¡°I just arrived from a mission and have some rare time,¡± she began, unclipping the fur-lined cloak over her shoulders.


    The rich midnight blue cloth fell to the ground, revealing Master¡¯s signature battle attire, a minimal navy armor with gold ents that looked like a gift from the asuras when she wore it.


    I stepped out of the way and let her pass, already knowing what she was going to ask.


    ¡°At least the show¡¯s going to be entertaining,¡± Elder Buhnd grumbled as he sat down on a stone chair he had just conjured.


    ¡°Umm, G-General Varay. I¡¯m not sure the artifact has enough fuel to withstand a duel of this caliber,¡± Emily said, raising a shaky hand.


    Without breaking stride, Master Varay locked eyes with Arthur. Even in his disheveled and worn out state, my former ssmate¡¯s eyes gleamed as his mouth curved into a smile.


    ¡°Bairon. Help Miss Watsken fuel up her artifact for my little skirmish against our newestnce.¡±

 Chapter 186

    Chapter 186


    Chapter 186: Beauty in Magic


    I watched as Arthur and my master stood face to face just a dozen feet apart. Their presence collided terrifyingly, submerging the room in a heavy shroud as they merely waited.


    Finally, Miss Watsken¡¯s strained voice croaked from behind as if she was already regretting what she was about to say. ¡°Th-The barrier is ready... I think.¡±


    Her voice was soft, but Master and Arthur must¡¯ve heard because the auras thickened around them. A shimmering veil of bluish silver surrounded my master unlike Arthur¡¯s aura, which was myriad of different hues¡ªno doubt because of his multiple affinities.


    Commander Virion, along with the elders and even General Bairon watched in silence, each of them afraid to blink in case they might miss anything. I could sympathize with them, I was standing as close as I could without endangering myself.


    Just the mere sight of them was awe-inspiring. I felt a sense of pride watching my master and the presence she had in a room filled with masters of magic. I had no doubt that, regardless of<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>the many sparring sessions I could provide for Arthur, training just once with Master was more valuable.


    Suddenly, Master¡¯s body flickered and disappeared. Arthur reacted instantly, his form shing away just in time to dodge Master¡¯s first strike.


    Where her frozennce pierced the ground, ice spread.


    Arthur seemed to want to test his own ice magic against Master, because he responded by hurling a shockwave of frost.


    With a flick of her wrist, Master dispersed the shockwave, using Arthur¡¯s frost to fuel her own magic. The white mist swirled, forming into a dozen spears of ice around Master. She clutched her fist and the ice spears beckoned to her call, shooting at her opponent.


    As impressive as Master¡¯s control over ice was, Arthur¡¯s speed in dodging her barrage was even more splendid. His body seemed to have split and multiplied from the afterimages. I had heard that he was able to go even faster, but that his body wasn¡¯t able to handle the stress.


    Someone beside me clicked their tongue. I turned to see Buhnd with an expression of frustration. ¡°I see the young General was holding back on us.¡±


    ¡°Arthur has a tendency to hold back with anyone he even suspects is weaker than him. Against Varay, he can go at full strength,¡± Commander Virion said, his arms crossed.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t he using that form of his¡ªRealmheart, I think he called it,¡± Hester asked, her face still strained from her duel against Arthur.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s so he can enjoy the fight longer,¡± a light voice answered. ¡°It¡¯s not everyday you can see my brother look so happy.¡±


    Arthur¡¯s little sister was watching atop her bond as if in a trance. She had the same gaze I often saw Arthur have when he was truly focused on something. They really did resemble one another.


    A loud crash drew my attention back to the battle. Where there was once only a dirt field was now a snowy expanse. Master, who had just blocked an attack from Arthur, waved her arm and manipted the snow around her. A vortex of frost swirled to life, forming into a spiraling serpent.


    Elder Buhnd whistled in appreciation as all gazes followed Master¡¯s creation. A snowy frost formed the long body of the dragon while the jagged ws and fangs were made of ice.


    The ice dragon opened its maw at Arthur, who readied himself. Brilliant blue mes coiled around his arms, melting the snow around him as his gaze remained locked on the mighty dragon.


    ¡°Smart move, giving up on ying to her strengths,¡± Hester praised.


    Arthur lowered his stance, digging his back legs into the ground for support before he unleashed his fiery attack.


    The coiling vines of blue fire around his arms conjoined before erupting into a devastating st at the frost dragon.


    Their two opposing spells crashed, enveloping the two of them in an expanding sphere of steam and debris.


    ¡°Care!¡± Elder Camus grunted, conjuring a barrier of wind around all of us.


    We all braced ourselves for the shockwave that ripped out from the collision. The ground trembled and cracked while pieces of rock and ice bombarded the protective spell around us.


    As the cloud of steam and dust faded, I could see two figures in the air. Master was flying with two dozen spheres of frost the size of her fists circling around her. Arthur was slowly descending, using wind magic to stay somewhat afloat.


    With a wave of his arms, Arthur unleashed a torrent of wind des at Master. However, before the crescents reached her, they seemed to slow and fall off course.


    ¡°Air pressure gets reduced when air cools,¡± Arthur chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t I feel stupid for thatst attack.¡±


    ¡°Admitting your shorings is a step forward,¡± Master acknowledged with the slightest hint of a smirk on her face.


    With a flick of her wrist, the spheres of frostunched forth toward Arthur but not directly at him.


    Arthur seemed to sense the danger they posed because he immediately covered himself in a whirlwind of blue fire.


    ¡°He¡¯s utilizing both fire and wind to amplify the power of his spell,¡± Hester remarked.


    Just as the spheres of frost were about to explode, Arthur unleashed his fiery tempest. The blue fire roared to life, engulfing Master¡¯s spell.


    The swirling gale of fire remained, hiding Arthur within. I expected the blue mes to soon dissipate, but instead the embers swirled as if being sucked in.


    That¡¯s when I saw it.


    The blue mes had converged, coating Arthur¡¯s giant spear of lightning in ayer of blue mes.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± General Bairon admitted, his gaze locked on the fearsome spear of fire and lightning.


    ¡°It would¡¯ve been good if he could manipte metal for the base of his attack,¡± Elder Buhnd muttered.


    As Arthur¡¯s body slowly descended in the air, he hurled his spell. Just as the fire and lightning spear was released from his hand, a gust of wind swirled around him and his attack. The spear ripped through the sky, elerating rapidly from the added wind he had addedst minute.


    Elder Camus nodded in approval. ¡°Using wind as a supportive spell.¡±


    Master was obviously weary of the strength of Arthur¡¯s spell because she conjuredyers andyers of protective barriers of ice.


    Unfortunately, Arthur seemed to have predicted this because theyer of fire surrounding the spear of lightning melted through everyyer of protection that Master conjured.


    Most of the people present seemed to be anxious whether or not Master would be able to block Arthur¡¯s attack, but I knew better. While I wanted to root for Arthur, I knew that he wasn¡¯t the only one holding back.


    The elemental spear exploded upon contact with Master¡¯s body throwing her back in the air with her form engulfed in fire and lightning. Arthurnded on the ground, his body slumped just a tad forward from exhaustion.


    ¡°So she used <i>that</i> form,¡± General Bairon smirked.


    Arthur¡¯s sister and those who didn¡¯t know what he was talking about looked at him in confusion, but I was already expecting it. I had learned <i>that</i> form from her afterall.


    ¡°I suggest you take it a step higher as well, General Arthur,¡± Master said, her form now visible.


    It was the form that Arthur had referred to as an ice ¡°ninja¡±, except a few stages higher. Master was nowpletely d in frost as if her very body was carved out of ice. Every strand of hair looked like crystalline thread while her eyes glowed a bright blue.


    Arthur smirked, looking up in appreciation. ¡°I suppose it is time to bring this to a close.¡±


    He closed his eyes and let out a breath. That casual action seemed to change the entire atmosphere in the room. While Master¡¯s form exuded a presence of awe, Arthur was distorting the very space around him.


    I had seen this form before, yet it still caused shivers to run down my spine.


    Arthur opened his eyes, his iris now a magnificentvender hue and his long auburn hair a brilliant white. That wasn¡¯t it though. Arthur was muttering something under his breath. Soon after, a surge of ck lightning enveloped his body.


    ¡°Oh-Oh my,¡± Miss Watsken muttered. ¡°G-General Bairon. Would you mind charging more of your mana into the artifact?¡±


    ¡°Good idea,¡± Hester agreed. ¡°We¡¯ll help out as well. Buhnd, you should make a bunker around us.¡±


    Soon, the earth around us sunk a few feet so that we all had to stand to see the fight and the distance were two distinct figures. One looked like a translucent statue carved by a master sculpture<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>while the other seemed like a mighty deity in human form.


    ¡°So. Do you think you can beat Arthur in a fight?¡± Commander Virion casually asked General Bairon.


    Thence remained silent as he imbued the crystal on Emily¡¯s panel, his hardened gaze focused on Master and Arthur.


    I turned my attention back to them as well just in time to hear a series of pops in the space between them.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Arthur¡¯s sister asked, squinting her eyes.


    <i>I¡¯m not sure either,</i> I thought.


    ¡°General Arthur is spell casting, but for some reason, it¡¯s not visible,¡± Miss Emeria exined, confused as well.


    ¡°The boy is countering Varay¡¯s spells before it even manifests,¡± General Bairon answered, gnashing his teeth.


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Hester asked.


    ¡°It has something to do with that form,¡± Commander Virion replied, his sharp eyes wide in amazement.


    The ¡®pop¡¯ sounds were that of mana colliding and cancelling each other out, I realized.


    Arthur¡¯s form blurred and disappeared, only to reappear behind Master, his leg high in the air. He struck and a shockwave of mana and electricity ripped out, but was immediately met with a st of icy frost.


    Master responded with a swing of her arm. Arthur parried with a hand, but the ground beneath them shattered from the force.


    Arthur and Master were now engaging in meleebat. Every time Master tried to form a spell, they dissipated immediately.


    Still, she seemed to be holding her own against Arthur. She had formed a crystalline sword in each of her hands while Arthur had one as well, except a little thinner.


    Their ice swords chipped with each block, strike and parry, their broken remnants sparkling from the reflection of the room¡¯s lights. Both of their weapons were formed from ice, yet only Arthur¡¯s conjured sword seemed to break while Master¡¯s sword remained strong.


    Despite this disadvantage, however, I could tell that in such close rangebat, Arthur had the upper hand. His movements¡ªthe ones I could see¡ªwere fluid yet unpredictable. Each sh and stab connected into one neverendingbination of attacks all the while forming a new sword of ice every time his previous weapon broke. Even from my untrained eyes, I could tell that each of his attacks had meaning, like he was slowly guiding my Master in an elegant dance.


    What enraptured my total focus more, however, wasn¡¯t his stunning swordy, but his expression. He was smiling¡ªpractically beaming.


    <i>Ah, he is having fun, </i>I thought, my mind straying to thest moment in time when I considered magic as fun.


    Unable to recall a particr instance, I concentrated on Master¡¯s fight. <i>It¡¯s a rare opportunity for Master to exhibit so much of her ability. I need to take notes. </i>


    Arthur was fighting straightforwardly, while Master attempted to incorporate long ranged attacks while simultaneously striking at Arthur. However, because of his ability to seemingly counter every spell, she was left with only close rangebat.


    ¡°Oy, Camus. Want to bet? I think that the young general is going to win this one,¡± Elder Buhnd muttered, his eyes locked on to the battle.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to gauge who has the upper hand,¡± Elder Camus responded, not answering hispanion¡¯s actual question. ¡°General Arthur¡¯s speed and reflexes are several steps above General Varay¡¯s, but General Varay¡¯s defense seems to be able to allow for more error.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Hester added. ¡°Most of General Arthur¡¯s strikes can¡¯t prate through that ice-d form of her¡¯s, while she seems to have the flexibility of manipting that armor into whatever shape or weapon she wants.¡±


    ¡°Incredible. General Arthur¡¯s mana flow speed is constantly elerating,¡± Miss Emeria breathed, shifting her gaze between her notepad and Arthur.


    ¡°So do you want to bet or not?¡± Elder Buhnd grumbled.


    ¡°I will wager on General Varay,¡± Hester dered.


    ¡°General Arthur for me,¡± Elder Camus replied.


    ¡°Varay for me,¡± General Barion stated.


    Commander Virion chuckled. ¡°Let¡¯s see who wins.¡±

 Chapter 187

    Chapter 187


    Chapter 187: Offensive Mindset


    Looking up, I locked eyes with Varay as she was turning back into her normal form, the ice enveloping her slowly thawing.


    ¡°Good duel, General Arthur,¡± Varay acknowledged extending a hand.


    I grabbed her arm and allowed her to pull me up to my feet. ¡°As expected, there¡¯s still a gap between us.¡±


    ¡°If you were able to hold that form for an extended period of time, there was a chance you could¡¯ve overpowered me,¡± thence admitted.


    ¡°I consider that form a borrowed power, not my own,¡± I chuckled, patting the dust off of my clothes. ¡°I thought I mastered ice to arge extent but seeing you today makes me doubt myself.¡±


    Varay revealed just the faintest glimmer of a smile before heading toward where my sister and the rest of our audience were.


    As soon as we made it back to the group, the elders, Bairon and Virion¡ªwho had been exchanging gold coins with each other for reasons unknown¡ªeagerly began bombarding me with suggestions and tips on what I did wrong during my sparring session with Varay.


    ¡°Your fire spells are strong but you expended an unnecessary amount of mana for each of them,¡± Hester began.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Buhnd chimed in. ¡°And there were many instances where utilizing your earth magic would¡¯ve been more beneficial, yet you chose to revert back to yourfortable affinities.¡±


    My head spun as I tried to keep eye contact with everyone who was talking to me until nis spoke up. ¡°Elders. I believe it¡¯d be most beneficial for General Arthur if we spoke one at a time in a more controlled setting.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± General Virion added. ¡°Let¡¯s gather around and examine what our young general did wrong!¡±


    With that, I found myself on a stone chair, graciously erected by Buhn, sitting in circle like a child and his ssmates for a group activity. Except my ssmates were perhaps some of the most powerful and influential figures in all of this continent.


    Ellie and Boo joined us in the circle but remained silent while everyone else began pointing out specific instances in myst fight where there was something better I could¡¯ve done.


    ¡°Using wind to bolster up your spells was a good idea, but your application of it was surface level,¡± Camus exined. ¡°For example, instead of using the wind to ¡®push¡¯ the lightning spear, why not integrate it around the entire spell itself? That way, you¡¯d create a spinning force to strengthen its piercing power without using that much more mana.¡±


    I was mulling over the elven elder¡¯s analysis when another voice spoke up. It was Bairon.


    ¡°Because of the element¡¯s very nature, shaping lightning is much harder than shaping fire. A more efficient attack would¡¯ve been molding the fire into a piercing shape and coating it with lightning,¡± he said sternly.


    ¡°Th-Thanks... for the advice,¡± I said, surprised by his help. I understood that we were on the same side and all, but I was still the one that had brutally killed his brother.


    Don¡¯t get me wrong, Lucas deserved every ounce of what I did to him and more, but that didn¡¯t stop Bairon from taking my actions on his family personally.


    ¡°Allow me to just give one insight,¡± Varay said. ¡°Your control over ice is good, but as your opponent, it was too predictable for me that your ice magic merely served as a distraction. I¡¯m sure Princess Kathyln saw this as well.¡±


    The princess nodded. ¡°Besides the spell Absolute Zero, most of his ice maniption serves to divert his foe¡¯s attention from his more powerful lightning spells.¡±


    <i>Have I be that predictable?</i>


    As if answering my thought, Varay added, ¡°Your speed and spell chaining make up for this slight shoring, but I suspect that¡ªin a prolonged battle¡ªthis can lead to your defeat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep your advice in mind. Thank you¡±¡ªI shifted my gaze to Kathyln¡ª¡°both of you.¡±


    Virion used this opportunity, rising from his stone seat and sping his hands. ¡°Well, I apologize for our little interruption. Carry on with the training, Arthur. My expectations of your growth are high, especially since you¡¯re taking time off from the battlefield.¡±


    Themander shot me a wink before walking toward the entrance with his hands behind his back. The twonces followed close on either side of him and my eyes followed their figures until therge doors closed behind them.


    ¡°That was exhausting,¡± Emily said, letting out a deep breath.


    ¡°Being in a room with twonces and Commander Virion really leaves no room to breathe,¡± my sister added, falling forward on top of Boo¡¯s furry back.


    ¡°Threences,¡± I corrected. ¡°Your brother¡¯s ance too, you know.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re my brother first,¡± she dismissed with a wave of her hand.


    I got up from my seat and stretched my sore limbs. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as apliment.¡±


    ¡°Is training done for today?¡± Kathyln asked, her eyes downcast.


    Emily walked over to the panel, carefully reading one of the gauges. ¡°Well, there¡¯s still a lot of mana stored in here from earlier if you want to continue training.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a n!¡± Buhnd eximed, shooting up from his seat. ¡°I¡¯ve been itching to stretch my body after watching the fight. You down for little match, Princess?¡±


    Kathyln eagerly nodded and followed behind the dwarven elder to the other end of the training grounds.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll head on up first,¡± my sister said, mid-yawn.


    ¡°Do you want me to walk you to your room?¡± I asked.


    Ellie shook her head, patting Boo¡¯s thick body. ¡°That¡¯s what I have Boo for.¡±


    I nodded, shooting her a smile. ¡°Good night.¡±


    Her eyes half closed, she gave me a weak salute. ¡°Good night, elders. Good night, Emily. Good night, Miss Emeria. And good night, <i>Lance</i> Arthur.¡±


    I scoffed. ¡°Cheeky girl.¡±


    My sister batted her eyes innocently before trotting out of the room, leaving only Emily, nis, and the two remaining elders.


    ¡°Your sister is very different from you, General Arthur,¡± nismented.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°She definitely takes more after our father.¡±


    ¡°And you resemble more of your mother?¡± the elven assistant asked, her eyes focused on Kathyln and Buhnd¡¯s figures.


    I watched the two of them as well, adjusting their dueling equipment before beginning their spar. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯d like to think that I¡¯m a mixture of both of them.¡±


    ¡°Who else would you resemble if not either of them?¡± Hester asked.


    I simply shrugged, unable to form a better response, when I heard a yawn from behind.


    Looking back over my shoulder, I could see Emily¡¯s head bobbing as she struggled to stay awake.


    ¡°Emily,¡± I called out, startling the artificer.


    Emily fumbled with the dials on her panel as if she had been working. ¡°I¡¯m not sleeping!¡±


    ¡°No one said you were,¡± I chuckled. ¡°But maybe you should get some rest.¡±


    ¡°General Arthur is right,¡± nis stated. ¡°I have basic knowledge of how to operate the device from watching.¡±


    The artificer let out another yawn, adjusting her sses. ¡°Thank you, but it¡¯s okay. I need to collect more data andpare the fpu from General Varay and Arthur¡¯sst battle.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of that, you haven¡¯t really given us any of the data during my training sessions with the elders over the past few days,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering about that as well,¡± Camus added, turning his gaze from Kathyln and Buhnd¡¯s duel. ¡°I¡¯m curious as to see how my spells measure.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. However, the numbers won¡¯t really have any meaning to them individually,¡± Emily exined. ¡°I currently have a few assistants in several academies testing out lower end versions of this artifact to get recordings from the students there so we could gather a wide enough spectrum.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so the fpu was more intended to be used topare amongst other mages?¡± I confirmed.


    The artificer nodded excitedly. ¡°Exactly! I can, however,pare the fpu readings between the mages present here, however I¡¯d be more confident in the overall measurements after more data.¡±


    Camus¡¯ lips curved into a smile, his eyes hidden behind silvery-blond bangs. ¡°I wonder who amongst us oldies is the strongest.¡±


    The two elders soon fell into a discussion on who they thought was the strongest while I focused my gaze back on Kathyln and Buhnd.


    The duel was drawing to a close. Kathyln was almostpletely out of breath while Buhnd had just barely broken a sweat. Spikes of ice and earth surrounded them and small craters littered the ground, but neither had rued any visible wounds besides fatigue. It wasn¡¯t until the princess finally dipped her head in a bow that the duel was over.


    ¡°Are you up for a little stretch with this old elf?¡± Camus suddenly asked, turning to me. ¡°I want to show you something.¡±


    My mana pool was almostpletely depleted and my limbs ached, but the elder piqued my interest. ¡°Sure. Only if Hester doesn¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me,¡± Kathyln¡¯s guardian dismissed. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here and judge you both from afar.¡±


    The two of us passed by Buhnd and Kathyln on our way to the other end of the training room. I stuck out my hand to the princess, expecting a high-five. Instead, all I got was a confused gaze before she shyly sped my hand between her hands.


    I suppressed augh, scolding myself for expecting a princess to know a casual greeting that might not even exist in this world.


    ¡°Are you two done?¡± Camus asked with a smirk.


    Kathyln, who I realized was still holding onto my hand, quickly let go and scurried off.


    Positioning ourselves a few feet apart, I tightened the bands around my limbs and readied myself to start.


    Camus lowered his stance, holding out one an open palm at me. ¡°Before we begin, I want you to throw a punch at me right here.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°A punch, right here in this palm that I have so elegantly held out.¡±


    ¡°Just a punch?¡± I confirmed, confused.


    ¡°An augmented punch, one that you would throw at your enemies.¡± He spread his legs a bit wider. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I shrugged before clearing the few feet of ground between us. nting my foot just below his extended arm, I turned my hips, waist, shoulder and arm in one fluid motion. Mana coursed up, flowing in conjunction with the punch to produce a concise, explosive effect without wasting a drop of mana.


    As soon as fist was about to hit Camus¡¯ palm, however, it suddenly felt like I was trying to force my fist through a thickyer of tar. I could see my own fist slowing, barely making a noise, as it fell gently into Camus¡¯ open hand.


    The old elf grabbed my fist and bobbed it as if we were shaking hands. ¡°Hello.¡±


    I snatched my hand out of his grasp. ¡°What the hell was that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a smartd, figure it out,¡± the elder answered.


    Gazing down at my unharmed fist, I went through what had just happened. After my initial surprise died down, it was fairly easy to deduce that he had somehow used wind to cushion my punch, except I had barely felt any mana fluctuations surrounding his hand.


    ¡°Figured it out yet?¡± Camus asked.


    My brows furrowed in thought. ¡°You somehow you used wind to slow my punch.¡±


    ¡°A tad broad for an answer, don¡¯t you think?¡± The elder let out a chuckle. ¡°I had an inkling during these past few days but your duel with General Varay was what made me sure.¡±


    ¡°Can we try that again?¡± I asked, taking a step back.


    He held up his palm again. ¡°Sure.¡±


    I punched him again, resulting in the same effects. I punched him once more, not able to grasp how exactly he was using wind to achieve this effect.


    ¡°One more time,¡± I said, frustration leaking out of my voice.


    Basic mana theory stated that collision of like elements weakened each other or canceledpletely based on mana output.


    Utilizing the theory that I had learned from one of the many books I had read as a baby, I augmented my fist with wind attribute mana.


    I restrained my mana output since dispersing Camus¡¯ technique wasn¡¯t my goal. As I punched again, this time I felt it. The air pressure.


    My fist struck more firmly this time, sounding a solid <i>smack</i> that made the elf take a step back.


    He rubbed his injured hand. ¡°You caught on quick.¡±


    ¡°You used air pressure!¡± I beamed excitedly. ¡°You created a vacuum around me and highered the air pressure in your palm to slow down my fist.¡±


    The elder tilted his head. ¡°You use strange terms, but it sounds like you got the gist of it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s brilliant! How did you think of doing that?¡± I asked, unable to contain my excitement.


    This was a world where scientific progress was miles away from where I hade from. However, Camus had figured out how to utilize an advanced principles of air pressure on not just himself, but on his opponent as well to create a powerful effect.


    <i>Why didn¡¯t I think of that?</i> I asked myself. I had the knowledge in me, yet I failed to apply it to such an important aspect of this world.


    Camus¡¯ voice snapped me back to reality. ¡°You¡¯re probably thinking ¡®why didn¡¯t I think of that¡¯, right?¡±


    I looked up. ¡°Y-Yeah.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what I suspected early on,¡± Camus answered. ¡°Hester, Buhnd, the princess, and myself are all here because you wished to immerse yourself in all elements in hopes that you pick up little bits of how we utilize our magic so you can incorporate it into your own style, right?¡±


    ¡°Basically,¡± I agreed.


    The elder¡¯s voice grew sharp. ¡°Well, the problem lies in that your ¡®style¡¯ is so skewed toward offense, that you never even thought to use the myriad of elements that you have at your disposal in defensive measures, aside from the tantly obvious way of raising a wall.


    ¡°You¡¯ve only thought of wind in the form of either a de or a tornado. You think of earth as a spike or a wall, yet truly mastering these elemental affinities mean knowing the subtleties of their nature that might not always be visible or geared toward killing your enemy,¡± Camus chided, his usual sardonic demeanor gone. ¡°I saw you studying those marks on the ground during Buhnd¡¯s duel with the princess. Do you know what that¡¯s from?¡±


    The obvious answer would¡¯ve been a crater from an attack, but I knew that wasn¡¯t it so I shook my head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Master¡¯s in earth magic can redirect the force of an opponent¡¯s attack into the ground below them. Doing so urately can negate nearly all of an attacker¡¯s physical assault.¡±


    I stood still, unable to form a response.


    Camus let out a sigh. ¡°You¡¯re technically in a higher position than me so I suppose it¡¯s rude for me to lecture, but let me just end with this. Your utilization of the elements is good¡ªgreat, in fact. However, you constantly choose to shape your spells and attacks around either hurting your opponent or buffing yourself to dodge your opponent, and while that may be good for one-on-one duels, the battles you¡¯ll face won¡¯t always be like that. The time you have here is short, so let¡¯s make it count.¡±


    I realized it had been a while since I¡¯ve been lectured like this. It left a sour taste on my tongue but it was humbling.


    Camus held out a hand and smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Thank you, Camus.¡± I returned the gesture, sping his hand.

 Chapter 188

    Chapter 188


    Chapter 188: Dragon Steps


    ¡°You gotta do better than that, <i>young general</i>,¡± Buhnd grinned, wagging his finger.


    Infusing fire into the mini gales of wind I had in my palms, I prepared to try and hit the dwarven elder once more when a barrage of wind orbs hailed down from above.


    With a click of my tongue, I ignored Buhnd¡¯s provocation and focused my attention on Camus¡¯s assault. I easily dodged the orbs of wind until the ground beneath my feet rose and stiffened around my leg, rendering me immobile.


    One of the wind orbs nicked me in the shoulder, but it felt like I had been hit by a cannonball.


    I held back the need to curse and just gritted my teeth through the pain.


    <i>That¡¯s how you want to y. </i>


    My initial reaction was to raise up a wall of earth or ice in hopes to block Camus¡¯ barrage, but through these past few days, I¡¯ve been constantly trying to think of better ways tobat certain situations.


    This oftentimes meant running variou scenarios and trying to think of multiple ways around it while taking into ount cost of mana and physical stamina.


    The orbs of wind felt almost solid, but it was actually a whirlwind packed into a sphere. Tossing out my usual response of erecting a solid wall in hopes to deter the wind spell, I enveloped my arms in condensed gales of wind.


    Rather than trying to block the attack, I used my wind gauntlets to redirect the wind orbs. As I expected, the sh of winds propelled Camus¡¯ spheres in different directions.


    ¡°You <i>both</i> are going to have to do better than that,¡± I smirked, aiming the wind gauntlets down. With another thought, I shot my gauntlets at the stone cast trapping my legs to the ground.


    ¡°Interesting concept,¡± Camus said approvingly as he remained floating above me in a swirl of wind.


    ¡°That cockiness will be the death of you,¡± Buhnd added with an eager smile.


    The old dwarf began running toward me as chunks of the ground began congregating around him, forming an armor of stone mid-charge. Meanwhile, Camus kept his distance and prepared another spell.


    I expected another barrage of wind from the elf but instead, a gale formed right behind the dwarf, abruptly elerating his charge so that his stone fist was in range before I could blink.


    Buhnd was fast but I still had time to react¡ªor so I thought.


    When I tried to raise my arm to block his augmented fist, I was met with resistance. Again, the familiar sensation of my body being submerged in a viscous liquid washed over me.


    Camus, while elerating Buhnd¡¯s movement, was also increasing the air pressure around me to slow me down.


    Before I could break out of his spell, my face was met with the loving touch of Buhnd¡¯s giant stone fist.


    My vision shed ck for a split second and I found myself on the ground with Buhnd¡¯s stone-d form just a few feet away.


    Ignoring the high-pitched ringing in my ear, I forced myself to focus. The gears in my mind whirred into overdrive and I found myself thinking about the crevices that formed in the ground whenever Buhnd sparred. Every time he was met with a physical attack, a crater formed beneath his feet as if a meteor had collided.


    At first, I thought it was the force of the spells that caused the ground to cave below Buhnd but I knew it wasn¡¯t as simple as that.


    ¡°Try to block this!¡± Buhnd eximed, raising a rock arm in the air. The stone that made up the thick armored fist shifted and convulsed as if it wasing to life. Buhnd¡¯s stone-d arm soon changed shape into that of a giant hammer twice his size.


    A rush of wind coated the hammer as it was about to drive down into me.


    <i>If that hits me, I¡¯m done for sure.</i>


    The memories of the craters Buhnd had formed continued to sh in my mind when it suddenly clicked.


    Stillying on the ground, I raised a hand directly in the path of the giant hammer. I augmented my body but not in the protective way I normally did. Instead, I envisioned a tunnel-like path of earthen mana both inside and outside of my body.


    I spotted a trace of hesitation on Buhnd¡¯s face but there was no way for him to stop his attack now that it was just inches away from me.


    <i>If this doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯m going to be in a lot of pain,</i> I thought.


    The hammer struck my palm like a nail and I could feel my whole body protest. Normally, if I attempted to block that strong of an attack with just a hand, my arm would¡¯ve shattered, but instead, the ground below me took the force.


    I found myself in the epicenter of a crater the size of my room with my hand still stretched out. My arm, shoulder, ribs and back felt sore, but I had seeded.


    Buhnd, still wearing his armor of stone, looked down at me in disbelief until a smile crept up on his bearded face. ¡°You¡¯re a bit scary, General.¡±


    I stifled augh, attempting to get up off my back when a surge of pain rushed up.


    I lied. It wasn¡¯t just my a few parts of my body that felt sore, it was every fiber of my body.


    ¡°O-Oww,¡± I croaked, finally seeding in sitting up.


    Buhnd dispersed his earthen armor and stuck out a burly hand. ¡°It hurts, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Extremely,¡± I admitted. ¡°You made it look like nothing.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have better control over that technique than you do, and I wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to try and divert the force of an attack that strong in the first ce,¡± the dwarf replied. He tried to straddle my arm over his shoulder, except, my legs were awkwardly dragging on the ground due to our differences in height.


    ¡°Here, let me help,¡± Camus said as he floated down to the ground. An updraft lifted me up to my feet as Camus dipped his head below my other arm.


    ¡°I was just about to carry the boy like the princess he is.¡± Buhnd gave me a wink.


    Rolling my eyes, I leaned on Camus. ¡°Leave me with some dignity.¡±


    ¡°You took a risk, but I¡¯m guessing it was worth it?¡± Camus scoffed, his eyes still covered behind his bangs.


    ¡°For now, yes, but we¡¯ll see how my body feels about this tomorrow morning,¡± I groaned, limping alongside the elf.


    My sister came running to me, her gazeced with concern. ¡°Are you okay? I mean, I know you¡¯re strong and all but that was a <i>big</i> crater you just made.¡±


    Emily, who was following behind my sister, adjusted her sses as she peered out at the sparring zone. ¡°Luckily the crater didn¡¯t reach the disks underground.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your concern, Ellie,¡± I smiled wearily before turning my gaze to my assistant close behind. ¡°I should be fine, ... right, nis?¡±


    Her eyes shifted into its multicolored hue for a second before turning back to its original colors. ¡°The shock disrupted your mana flow, which is the cause of your internal pains. I suggest you get some rest, General Arthur.¡±


    ¡°Good idea,¡± Buhnd agreed. ¡°I remember my first attempts in trying the force diversion spell. You¡¯re lucky to have gotten away with just some soreness.¡±


    ¡°Or skilled,¡± my sister pointed out smugly.


    Buhndughed. ¡°Or skilled.¡±


    ¡°Hester and Princess Kathyln are away visiting Prince Curtis at Lanceler Academy anyway,¡± Camus mentioned, carefully setting me down.


    ¡°Ooh, I can just imagine the eyes of those would-be knights glistening with sweat when they see the princess,¡± Emily sighed. ¡°I should¡¯ve gone with her.¡±


    My sister nodded wistfully. ¡°Me too. I heard from my friend that a lot of the guys there are good looking... and toned.¡±


    ¡°Eleanor! You¡¯re only twelve!¡± I sputtered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®Eleanor¡¯ me! I¡¯m a curiousdy isted from the world because of my distinguished upbringing of being the cherished sister of this continent¡¯s youngestnce!¡± shemented, wiping away a nonexistent tear.


    Emily fell into a fit ofughter while even nis looked amused as I stared at my sister.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so overprotective! I had my first wife when I was your sister¡¯s age,¡± Buhnd snorted.


    ¡°Well humans and dwarves have different societal standards for these kinds of things,¡± I protested.


    ¡°Ooh, you¡¯re being racist, Brother.¡± My sister shook her head disapprovingly as Buhnd clutched at his heart in mock despair. Meanwhile, Camus and nis had a look of amusement but neither seemed to have any intentions of backing me up.


    I clicked my tongue. ¡°Well, <i>Lady</i> Eleanor, I¡¯m sure the boys will be flocking toward you knowing that your brother can choose to wipe them off the face of the continent with a flick of his finger.¡±


    Ellie¡¯s face paled as she gasped. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Satisfied with her reaction, I simply shrugged, letting her imagination take over before making my way to the edge of the training room.


    I took a seat against the cold wall, taking a breath as I watched Emily and my sister pack some of the training equipment while Buhnd was talking to nis.


    Camus sat beside me. ¡°Your sister is quite the character.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I chuckled.


    The old elf let out a sigh. ¡°You must be worried about her with the war going on.¡±


    ¡°She and my parents are a big part of why I¡¯m a part of this war,¡± I answered staring blithely at the sight of my sister and Emilyughing amidst their conversations.


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Camus replied. ¡°Protecting your loved ones is the biggest motivator for soldiers out in battle, but it¡¯s also the loss of the one you want to protect that causes soldiers to stray away.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like speak from experience,¡± I said seriously, turning my gaze to him.


    ¡°An old story for another time, but yes. It¡¯s the reason why I remained in seclusion for so long.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°But Virion mentioned you¡¯re the head of a unit now?¡±


    ¡°An empty title. After I lost my wife and my vision during thest war, I had no intention of ever fighting again,¡± he muttered. ¡°Before this, I just gave my inputs to the acting head.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Your vision?¡± I repeated, my brows furrowed in confusion.


    Camus lifted his silver-blonde bangs to reveal two closed eyes with a jagged scar running through both lids.


    ¡°Hold on. You¡¯re telling me you weren¡¯t able to see this entire time?¡± I blurted, unable to take my gaze off of him.


    ¡°Surprised?¡± the elf smirked, letting his bangs fall back over his face.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m surprised. We¡¯ve been training for a few weeks together and not once did I suspect anything. I mean aside from yourbat prowess, your mannerisms and behavior don¡¯t give away the fact that you can¡¯t see.¡±


    ¡°I can still see,¡± he corrected. ¡°Seeing with your eyes is such a plebian practice when your control over wind allows you to sense even the smallest change around you.¡±


    I let out a sharp breath, amazed. After a moment of silence, I asked, ¡°Is that what you¡¯ve been practicing after retiring?¡±


    ¡°It definitely took arge part of my time,¡± he scoffed.


    ¡°I-I bet,¡± I nodded, wondering if he could tell what I was doing.


    ¡°At my level, sensing the movement in air from you nodding is easy,¡± he said as if reading my mind. ¡°But I can¡¯t see the details of expressions, which is why I¡¯ve been told I cane off as rude or crass.¡±


    ¡°I see¡ªno pun intended,¡± I quickly corrected.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so mindful. I¡¯vee to terms with it fairly quickly,¡± he dismissed.


    I hesitated. ¡°Do you... ever miss it?¡± <i>Of course he¡¯d miss it, you dolt. Who wouldn¡¯t miss having one of their senses.</i>


    ¡°At times,¡± he said mildly. ¡°But at the same time, the fact that thest thing I saw with my eyes was my wife allows me to keep her intact inside me.¡±


    <i>Do not cry, Arthur. Do not cry.</i>


    ¡°That¡¯s sad but... sweet,¡± I mustered, struggling to keep my voice from trembling. ¡°I¡¯d love to hear your story sometime.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re young, General Arthur. Nothing goodes out of hearing tragic stories when there¡¯s a whole war ahead of you,¡± Camus replied, clearing his throat. ¡°Now off you go. Get some rest ande back tomorrow with a fresh mind.¡±


    I carefully got up to my feet. ¡°Okay... I¡¯ll see you tomorrow then.¡±


    Camus waved directly at me, no signs that his vision was impaired. ¡°And if I get a whiff of you even thinking about going easy on me, now that you know, I will knock you down so hard...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I said shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯m actually a little more scared of you now.¡±


    The elf¡¯s lips curved into a content smile. ¡°Good.¡±


    My sister and her bond followed nis and Emily to the artificer¡¯s work station at the castle after mentioning that her bow needed some repairs and fine tuning. My training assistant had been gathering extensive notes on a daily basis during the training but had refused to share them with me.


    nis said that the training was going the way she had designed and any more information shared with me might deter my training at this point. She promised to reveal her findings on my mana flow growth next week, after more data from Emily¡¯s artifacts has been gathered.


    Walking down the empty hall during the dead of night these days have been a time for my own thoughts to wander. I thought a lot about the memories of my past life that have been resurfacing which made me think deeper about the even bigger question of what I was doing in this world.


    My skeptical self refused to believe that all of this was a coincidence but I had nowhere near enough information to find out how I came to this world or dimension.


    I knew that the asuras, mainly Lord Indrath, knew more about me than he had shared, but I¡¯d get any sort of answers from him without something in return. I had some hope that if Dicathen came out of this war victorious, Lord Indrath would be more inclined to share some insights about me, but that was only a hope. A more sure way to get some answers, and also the reason why I refused to ept the artifact given tonces, was by surpassing the white core stage to unlock more of the message that Sylvia had left me after we had parted ways.


    <i>Hopefully, extracting the mana out of Uto¡¯s horn will lead to my breakthrough into the white core stage,</i> I thought, doubtful. Sylvie had been in a nearatose state as she hungrily extracted the mana out of her horn. I had been worried at first, but I could feel the rxed state of her mind through mental transmission.


    Unlocking and opening the door to my room, however, I found myself questioning my earlier line of thought.


    Sylvie, or rather her silhouette, was glowing in an obsidian light. What shocked me, though, was that her form was shifting erratically. Her wings grew and shrunk suddenly while her tail convulsed before contracting. Sylvie¡¯s small vulpine limbs elongated while her paws stretched out into something that vaguely resembled a... hand.


    ¡°S-Sylvie?¡± I muttered, unsure whether to try and hold her or keep some distance.


    After what seemed like an hour, the erratic changes in my bond¡¯s body slowed down before gradually shifting back to her vulpine form.


    Holding my breath, I waited for Sylvie to do something¡ªanything.


    Just then, her eyes shot open to reveal two clear orbs of topaz. Letting out a deep breath, Sylvie tilted her head. ¡°Arthur? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°With me?¡± I asked. ¡°Nothing... Are <i>you</i> okay?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± she replied, obviously confused.


    ¡°You¡ªyour body was changing.¡± I motioned with my hands, unable to form an urate depiction of what I witnessed.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she dismissed. ¡°I actually feel really good! The mana in this horn is really potent.¡±


    I scratched my head. ¡°Well at least you¡¯re making some progress. I¡¯ve been having a hard time absorbing the mana.¡±


    ¡°Really? The mana has been flowing inside me naturally¡ªalmost like it was my own mana.¡±


    I was perplexed by the difference between Sylvie¡¯s progress and mine, but my fatigue overpowered any notion of investigating deeper into it. ¡°All right, well try and get some rest.¡±


    My bond shook her little head. ¡°No need. I can get by with fewer hours of sleep than lessers, more so while absorbing this mana actually.¡±


    I fell t on my bed. ¡°Well this <i>lesser</i> needs his sleep. I suspect I won¡¯t even be able toe back up tomy room over the next few weeks for training so I need to relish the feeling of this bed while I can.¡±


    ¡°I can feel that your training is going well,¡± my bond said. ¡°I can feel the level of your strength rising steadily.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm. With my training progressing how it is, I should be able to hit white core soon if I can extract the mana from Uto¡¯s horn,¡± I mumbled drowsily.


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Sylvie replied, her clear voice lulling me into sleep. ¡°Get some rest.¡±


    ¡°You... too,¡± I managed to say before drifting off to sleep.

 Chapter 189

    Chapter 189


    Chapter 189: Inside the Vault


    My thoughts veered back to the sight of Sylvie¡¯s form changing as she absorbed the mana from Uto¡¯s horn. It had been a few days since that night but her unexinable shift in form worried me. My days had been hectic; if I wasn¡¯t training, I was either in a meeting or advising Gideon with the train project or personally advising Virion on various aspects of the war. Even then, my thoughts always drifted back to what I saw that night.


    Sylvie, didn¡¯t seem to feel like anything was wrong¡ªjust the opposite, rather. My bond had be fully infatuated in the horn and the mana it provided for her. After that night, she had asked me for a private space so that she could continue absorbing the retainer¡¯s mana without interruptions. I haven¡¯t seen her since then¡ªthe only thingforting me being the calm traces of her mental state she emitted through our bound connection.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>


    ¡°¡ªneral Arthur!¡±


    I jolted upright in my seat by the booming voice, only to see that everyone in the room had their eyes on me. Therge round table that had reced its smaller predecessor had the three remainingnces aside from myself and the five members of the Council all sitting inrge cushioned chairs. Joining us today for the exciting and fun-filled meeting was Gideon, who seemed to be wholly concentrated on picking something out of his left ear.


    <i>Oh right, I was in a meeting. </i>


    ¡°Are you feeling okay, General Arthur?¡± King yder asked, his expressionced more with irritation than concern.


    I shifted in my seat. ¡°Of course.¡±


    The king¡¯s line of sight lowered to my hand. I followed his gaze, only to realize that the quill I had in my hand had snapped in half from my grip.


    Clearing my throat, I faced everyone. ¡°My apologies. I was lost in thought for a moment. Please continue.¡±


    ¡°We were moving on to the topic of the so-called ¡®train¡¯ that you and Artificer Gideon are nning on. We were hoping the two of you would be able to give us an update on how that¡¯sing along,¡± Queen Eralith stated, her gaze switching between me and Gideon, who was sitting a few seats to my left.


    Gideon and I had discussed just the day before on the final details of the project. We were ready to move on to actually building the vehicle in order to secure a safe and fast supply route from ckbend City to the Wall.


    ¡°Ah yes¡±¡ªthe artificer smoothed out a crease on his dirtyb coat¡ª¡°thendsh¡ªI mean the <i>train</i> will be able to hold at least twenty times more supplies than utilizing squads of carriages like we have now.¡±


    ¡°What about the potential dangers while traversing between ckbend to the Wall?¡± Varay asked with an inquisitive look. ¡°From what I read, this ¡®train¡¯ seems to have a set path that it¡¯s limited to. Wouldn¡¯t this make it easy for bandits, or even cryans to attack and siege?¡±


    ¡°I agree. I¡¯d imagine it being easy to destroy a portion of the track that the train relies on,¡± Aya added casually.


    ¡°Both good points, generals!¡± Gideon eximed. ¡°Arth¡ªGeneral Arthur and I saw that as one of the pitfalls as well and came up with a solution.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And what would that be?¡± Virion asked with a raised brow.


    The artificer replied with a snarky grin. ¡°To put it underground, Commander!¡±


    There was a moment of silence where the royals andnces present pondered the solution before King yder spoke up with a gruff tone. ¡°The cost of doing all of this would be excessive, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Gideon let out a cough and looked to me, his eyes practically begging me to take over. Being the renowned artificer that he was, Gideon had the wealth and influence to build most of the inventions that he wants, but actually calcting the cost and benefit of creating something asrge-scale as this was foreign to him.


    Luckily, having read numerous books on economics and being personally taught by the shrewd and resourceful leader of the Council in my previous world, Marlorn, I had the answer. ¡°You¡¯re thinking about it the wrong way, King yder. The costs up front might seem like a lot but this project serves to potentially solve three problems at once.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± he replied with a raised brow while everyone leaned just a bit closer.


    I took a breath and gathered my thoughts. ¡°Aside from the main problem we¡¯re trying to resolve, which is a more efficient way to transport supplies for soldiers stationed at the Wall, building the train helps to work out two peripheral issues. One is the detrimentally rising cost of purchasing domesticated mana beasts because of the state that the Beast des is currently in, while the other is the increasing poverty.¡±


    ¡°Increasing poverty? What nonsense.¡± Bairon blurted. ¡°Because of the war, business is booming!¡±


    ¡°Let General Arthur finish!¡± Queen yder clipped sharply, surprising me.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I addressed to Kathyln¡¯s mother before continuing. ¡°Not to sound cold but booming business benefits mostly business owners and highly skilled patrons, not those of lower ss citizens. Queen yder, I¡¯d imagine that your reports from various cities mention increasing number of riots from increase in taxes and prices of basic goods because of the demand from the war, correct?¡±


    She flipped through several pages of the neat stack of papers in front of her. ¡°How did you... know that?¡±


    Exining everything would be cumbersome so I merely shrugged. ¡°Simple cause and effect. This war is taking precedence over<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>everything else, which means that priorities will be given to people who are a part of this war. To those not part of it simply means an increase in the cost of living while their wage might not necessarily increase. More than that, because of the various attacks near the coasts and borders, fishers aren¡¯t able to fish and farnds have been destroyed.¡±


    ¡°And so you¡¯re saying that this project will be a means to create jobs for those people?¡± King Eralith finished.


    I nodded. ¡°This underground path using the train will be a big project that can¡¯t be finished with just a fewpetent earth mages. And while mages will be necessary for security of the tracks in predetermined locations, there are lots of duties that can be done by normal workers during the building process and for maintenance.¡±


    ¡°Those are good points, General Arthur, but what about just using ves?¡± King yder argued. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it just be more efficient and cost-effective to have ves doing thebor rather than paying workers?¡±


    Rather than answering, I nced at Virion. One of the many topics we discussed involved very and ine¡¯s question just now fell into one of the exnations I had given to themander.


    ¡°vebor has its limits as work bes more skilled, King yder. I don¡¯t think we should think of this train project as a one off venture, but the beginning of a new era. The introduction of<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>the steam engine provided a new line of work forborers that did not need magic. This too, whether it¡¯s workers actually building the tracks or the designers nning the routes from one city to another all require skills that will never stem from what a ve is forced to do,¡± he stated with confidence.


    The meeting room was quiet for the first time in what seemed like hours until a white-sleeved hand shot up.


    Everyone turned to Gideon, who was leaning his head on one hand while he raised his other. ¡°I didn¡¯t know if it was appropriate to speak in this rather ufortable silence. Anyway, I just wanted to say that this project will indeed be the beginning of many, and it¡¯ll be a breeding ground to foster new skill sets. If possible, I¡¯d prefer not to work with ves forced to be there since they¡¯ll no doubt be doing the bare minimum which will cut into the productivity of this rather urgent project.¡±


    With that the discussion came to a close and everyone cast their vote anonymously on a piece of paper. After going over the results, I was d that the hours of discussion on the issue weren¡¯t for naught. The project to build the underground route and train was granted along with several policies pertaining to the project¡ªone of which included the ban on vebor. I trusted Gideon, who would be the head on this project, to be able to properly manage the chain inmand so that the people working on this project will be able to work¡ªif not lead¡ªthe next train route project.


    It was interesting to see a new era slowly that only existed in textbooks in my old world unfold here. This ¡®industrial revolution¡¯ that perhaps started with my introduction of the steam engine was undoubtedly hastened by the war with crya.


    While I would never be one to support the war, I had to admit that it did bring some favorable aspects to the table.


    ***


    ¡°Our little ¡®talks¡¯ seem to be bearing fruit,¡± Virion chuckled as we walked down a narrow hallway barely wide enough to fit three people abreast.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Two armored guards followed closely behind while one led the way just a few steps ahead of us.


    ¡°You mean my insightful lectures on war and economics?¡± I corrected.


    ¡°Oh shush. I consider it payment for housing you while you were a wee child for over three years,¡± the old elf retorted.


    I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m sure you would¡¯vee to a simr conclusion about using vebor anyway.¡±


    ¡°Probably not so eloquently as I put it in the meeting though,¡± Virion admitted. ¡°Elves have prohibited very for over a hundred years now, but it was for moral reasons. I hadn¡¯t thought about the economic benefits of it until you pointed it outst week.¡±


    ¡°Well, in a world mainly divided by people who can either use magic and people who can¡¯t, it¡¯s hard to see past a lot of things,¡± I said as we continued our walk down the descending hallway.


    ¡°You sound as if you¡¯ve been in a world that isn¡¯t divided by magic users and normal people,¡± Virion teased.


    I replied with a smile that didn¡¯t quite reach my eyes, opting for some silence thatsted until we reached a thick metal door with only one guard present.


    The young elf¡ªevident by his long ears sticking out from his cropped hair¡ªwas small-framed but toned with flexible striated muscles that minimally protected by armor. I could tell by his rich yellow aura that, like me, any form of thick armor would hinder more than protect. The stationed guard had two unadorned short swords that curved at the tip hanging by his waist as opposed to the gaudy spears of the soldiers following us, but even at a nce, I could tell that he would easily wipe out all three soldiers ¡®protecting¡¯ us.


    His eyes that were zed from boredom perked up when he spotted Virion and me. ¡°Good evening, Commander Virion and...General Arthur. Or is it morning already? My apologies as there are no windows here for me to tell.¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long, Albold,¡± Virion replied with a smirk before turning to me. ¡°Arthur. This is Albold Chaffer of the Chaffer House. His family has been a strong military family that served the Eralith family for generations. Albold, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of who Arthur Leywin is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been told that he might be the new heir to the Eralith family,¡±<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Albold said, his sharp eyes sparkling with interest.


    I let out a cough, shooting a sharp re at Virion. ¡°New heir?¡±


    ¡°Well you see, General Arthur, when the royal family doesn¡¯t have a son, the man marrying into the¡ª¡±


    I put out a hand. ¡°I get it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d always wanted to meet the young general in person, but I¡¯ve been stuc¡ªblessed with the paramount duty of guarding this door,¡± he said, motioning at the thick metal door. ¡°I made a guess that it was youing here but it¡¯s hard to believe that you¡¯re even more imposing than I imagined.¡±


    I tilted my head. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve been holding back my presence.¡±


    ¡°The Chaffer family are known for their rather eerily keen senses,¡± Virion exined.


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing here then?¡± I inquired, regarding the elf not much older than myself. ¡°Your skills would be better suited for the field, no?¡±


    ¡°Albold was out in the beast des until he defied a direct order from his head,¡± Virion sighed. ¡°Usually, that would¡¯ve ended up with him getting a demotion and some strict punishments but I knew the boy and I happened to be at the scene so I picked him up and ced him here.¡±


    ¡°And my appreciation for that gesture is as boundless as the northern sea!¡± Albold beamed, bowing deeply.


    The guards behind us muttered a few words of disapproval but stopped when Albold¡¯s gaze bore into them.


    ¡°Anyway, enough about this troublemaker,¡± Virion said dryly. ¡°Albold, let us inside and lock the door after us.¡±


    ¡°Aye aye, Commander!¡± The elf saluted before unlocking the door and pulling it open.


    A foul, musty smell infused with the stench of decay immediately bombarded my nose as the entrance to the dungeon was opened.


    ¡°Have a pleasant stay, everyone,¡± Albold said, gesturing us inside like a tour guide.


    Virion rolled his eyes and muttered something about telling Albold¡¯s father as he followed behind the leading soldier. It was amusing to see Albold stiffen and pale after overhearing about his father.


    Surprisingly, the first level of the dungeon wasn¡¯t as bad as I remembered it to be when I had firste here after the incident at Xyrus. The area was rtively well lit with spacious cells that seemed like they had been empty for a while. If the walls weren¡¯t for the mysterious stone walls that inhibited mana maniption and if the cells had doors rather than reinforced metal bars, it would just seem like the designers of this castle gotzy after getting to this area and just decided to dub it a dungeon.


    Still, theck of venttion was stifling and, while the cells were mostly empty, it also looked like they hadn¡¯t been cleaned in a long time.


    ¡°Does it bring up some unpleasant memories?¡± Virion asked, catching me studying the exact cell that I was locked up in.


    ¡°Sort of. I was thinking how funny it was that I just came back from a meeting with the man that plotted alongside the Greysunders and the Vritra to kill me,¡± I exined, ignoring the wary nces of the guards around us.


    Virion¡¯s voice became serious. ¡°If it had been solely up to my discretion, I would¡¯ve locked them up myself, but Lord Aldir was right in that we need the yders. The Greysunders always had a weak hold on their kingdom but the yders are respected¡ªalmost revered by nearly all humans. Sapin would be in chaos if they learned about what had happened. Not something we need for this war.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Speaking of which, where is that three-eyed asura anyway. He hasn¡¯t shown himself even after what happened with Rahdeas and Olfred.¡±


    ¡°Three-eyed asura... is it because of your journey to Epheotus that you can be so casual with the asuras¡± Virion let out a chuckle. ¡°And I haven¡¯t been able tomunicate with Lord Aldir through the transmission artifact he gave me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± I sighed as I started walking again to the far end of the dungeon. ¡°We¡¯ll talk more about itter.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Virion replied solemnly, following closely.


    We made our way to the end of the floor where two cells had been fitted to be onerge, spacious room. The cell had arge bed topped with stuffed animals and a couch with a decorated tea setid out on a small table in front of it. Currently upying the couch was a little girl nodding off to sleep while reading a book.


    I motioned for the lead guard to unlock the cell and stepped inside. ¡°Hey, Mica. Sorry for taking so long to visit you.¡±


    Thence put down her book and stretched her thin legs and arms. ¡°Hi, Arthur.¡±


    We chatted a little while Virion and the guards waited on the other side of the barred gate. The old elf had a somber expression, undoubtedly guilty of having her holed up here while investigations were still ongoing.


    Because of her position and the fact that both Olfred and Rahdeas had betrayed Dicathen, the matter had to be examined with utmost scrutiny before she was allowed her freedom.


    The dwarvennce and I talked about unimportant things as I filled her in on how my training was progressing. She tried to give me some tips on gravity magic but I had trouble following along with her nonsensical exnations.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be long until the team that Virion sent has gathered enough evidence,¡± I consoled.


    Mica shot me a smile. ¡°Mica knows. Don¡¯t worry about me and do what you gotta do. Mica doesn¡¯t me anyone but that old bastard, Rahdeas.¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯ll tell you now that his cell isn¡¯t nearly as nice as yours,¡± I snickered.


    She nodded. ¡°Get Mica out soon, okay? Being alone here without being able to use magic is so boring.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I promised, giving her a hug before walking out of the cell.


    I waved once more before following Virion and the guards to the cryptic door at the end of the hall.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Virion asked, his expression grim.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±


    I thought that the stench of the first first level of the dungeon was bad, but the lower level was vomit-inducing.


    I could feel my stomach revolt at the acrid and metallic odor of chemicals and blood. Suppressing the increasing urge to gag, I followed Virion down the dark flight of stairs until we reached a small area that housed the most heinous criminals. I was surprised that I could use magic inside, but surveying the walls and the enclosed vaults in the room, I was pretty certain that the use magic was only limited to the tiny walkway between the cells.


    A burly man in a bloody apron with his face covered by a ck mask greeted us along with a thin elderly man with a hunched back and a hooked nose.


    ¡°Commander. General. We are honored to have you here,¡± the old man spoke with a grating voice.


    ¡°Gentry,¡± Virion greeted back. ¡°Take us to Rahdeas first.¡±


    The elder looked at me with uncertainty but responded with a hiss. ¡°At yourmand,¡± the elder rasped.


    We followed behind the elder as he practically slithered his way to a small cell to our left and gestured with a bow. ¡°Here is the criminal.¡±


    Despite being Elijah¡¯s caretaker and basically his father figure, I had little affection for the traitor but even I had trouble confidently saying that he deserved to be in the state he was in now.


    The cell was dark and shadows censored most of his injuries, but I could tell by the cuts and blood stains on his stark-naked body that he¡¯s been constantly tortured. His hands that were tied to the chair he was sitting on were bloody at the tips.


    <i>His fingernails were pulled,</i> I noted with a wince.


    More than the physical injuries though, what gave me shivers was Rahdeas¡¯ nk expression. His eyes were foggy and a trail of saliva ran down from the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Ah, his current ¡®state¡¯ is from the side effects from my questioning,¡± the elderly man said, noticing my gaze.


    ¡°Gentry specializes in wind and sound magic to create hallucinations for questioning,¡± Virion exined.


    It was at times like these that I thought about the true function of magic. Much like technology, magic could just as easily be used to destroy as it can be used to create something so great.


    ¡°The traitor is strong. It¡¯ll take a little more time to break him, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Gentry stated bitterly.


    ¡°It¡¯s imperative that we can find out what he knows,¡± Virion replied curtly, casting a disdainful gaze at Rahdeas before turning back to old man. ¡°Now, what of the retainer?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. He¡¯s a most fascinating specimen. Very thick skin even with his inability to use magic and a strong mental fortitude. I feel we¡¯re close to breaking him though. Keeping him in the small vault so his movement is limited has been driving him crazy,¡± the old man said with glee.


    Virion shot Gentry a look of disapproval but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Letting out a cough, Gentry motioned for his burly associate to open the thick vault that had runes inscribed on every inch of the box that seemed more like a coffin for a child. ¡°Please be careful, Commander. General. While the vault will keep the Vritra from using magic, he¡¯s still fairly strong and he¡¯s in a rather crazed state of mind right now.


    The vault creaked open and I found myself with eyes locked with a disheveled Uto garbed in restraining clothes. Just one look was enough to tell me that he was far from broken.


    The retainer broke into a grin as he shot me a wink. ¡°Hello, <i>Pup.¡± </i>

 Chapter 190

    Chapter 190


    Chapter 190: Solitary Mindframe


    Uto¡¯s sinister voice sent shivers down my spine, and although he was restrained and locked up inside an anti-magic vault, I couldn¡¯t help but worry.


    To everyone in this room, I was the one that had defeated Uto but the truth was that both Sylvie and I together could barely put a few scratches on him.


    ¡°You look a tad ufortable, Uto,¡± I quipped, masking any signs of weakness.


    The retainer¡¯s smile disappeared, reced by a snarl. ¡°What did you do with my horns, lesser pup!¡±


    Taking the ck horn out of my dimension ring, I began casually tossing it up in the air in front of him. ¡°Oh, you mean this?¡±


    ¡°Insolent little¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop,¡± I cut him off. ¡°I¡¯m not here to exchange insults with you. I have better things to do.¡±


    Uto¡¯s gray face darkened, his eyes wild. ¡°I swear to Vritra that if I get out, you¡¯ll wish you died that day.¡±


    I shook my head slowly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that more than getting out or inflicting pain on me, there¡¯s something more you want.¡± Leaning in closer to Uto with an arrogant sneer stered on my face, I continued, ¡°I know that the fact that you have no idea how you even lost to me is slowly eating you up right now.¡±


    I didn¡¯t think the retainer¡¯s face could get any angrier but Uto ground his teeth, jerking desperately to free himself.


    ¡°Close it,¡± I said, my eyes still locked to his until the thick rune-inscribed door shut firmly.


    ¡°What was tha¡ª¡±


    I put up a finger to my lips to silence the confusedmander. It was only after the four of us got back to the entrance of this level of the dungeon that I spoke softly. ¡°Leave him be for now.¡±


    ¡°Ento and I¡¯ve been torturing him physically and mentally but I¡¯ve never seen the retainer this worked up,¡± Gentry murmured while his burly associate nodded beside him.


    ¡°I doubt hallucinations or physical pain will work on that arrogant sadomasochist,¡± I replied.


    Virion tilted his head. ¡°Sadomaso¡ªwhat?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± I smiled faintly before turning to Gentry. ¡°Don¡¯t open his vault.¡±


    The hunched elder furrowed his brows. ¡°No offense, General, but from my experience, it¡¯s best to prod while his mental fortitude is in a disarray like now. Besides, what if he does find out how he lost to you during that time?¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t,¡± I assured. ¡°And that¡¯s going to slowly drive him insane. Let him stew until I decide toe back.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that look you have,¡± Virion muttered. ¡°What are you nning?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the one to interrogate him when the timees,¡± I answered.


    ***


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Emily asked from behind her increasing number of panels. She looked like she was inside the cockpit of an airne of my previous life.


    ¡°Almost,¡± I replied as I finished strapping in thest of the bands on my arms. I winced when I tightened the strap around my arm too tightly.


    <i>Damn it.</i>


    ¡°We will move on to the three-versus-one scenario starting today so please be focused, General Arthur,¡± nis informed, noticing the nk expression I had on my face as I thought back to today¡¯s earlier visits in the dungeon.


    I stood up and swung my arms, ready to let loose. ¡°Got it. What element will I be restricting for the first part?¡±


    My training assistant¡¯s eyes glowed in its familiar array of colors as she ¡®scanned¡¯ me before looking down at her notes. ¡°Water, and its deviant form of course.¡±


    I walked up to the other end of the training room, stopping just about a dozen yards away from Camus, Hester, and Kathyln. Meeting Uto had made me antsy. I was confident back in the dungeon that Uto wouldn¡¯t find out how I beat him because I wasn¡¯t the one that beat him.


    <i>What sort ofnce am I if I can¡¯t beat a Scythe, let alone a retainer. </i>


    As soon as nis gave the signal to begin, I shed toward Hester, leaving only a single imprint on the ground.


    In a single, fluid motion, I condensed ayer of wind around my hand, shaping it¡ªsharpening it into a transparent de before I swung horizontally at the fire mage¡¯s torso.


    Hester¡¯s eyes widened a little in surprise, but unlike other mages, she waspetent enough to respond even to my blitz attack.


    Knowing that fire was weak to such apressed form of wind, she opted to block my strike by grabbing my arm while strengthening her body with mana.


    <i>You may have an advantage in knowledge over fire magic but if you think you can try and beat me in hand-to-handbat...</i>


    I let her grip my arm, but grabbed the arm she was using to hold on to me. Hester was in a stance that helped her withstand a pushing force so when I pulled her back instead, she stumbled forward.


    Utilizing that momentum, I pivoted and positioned my hip underneath her center of gravity to flip her to the ground.


    Hester let out a sharp breath as her back hit the ground. Just as I prepared for another strike to activate her lifeline artifact, a st of waterpletely drenched me.


    Before I even had the chance to turn to my attacker, the water covering my body froze, restricting any sort of movement.


    I augmented my body in ayer of fire, thawing myself free, but Hester had already used my brief moment of incapacitation to distance herself.


    Ignoring Hester for a brief moment while she recovered, I dashed toward the princess while trapping her legs with the ground beneath her. Taken off guard, Kathyln immediately d her body in ice like she had before, no doubt a technique she had learned from Varay.


    With her body strengthened, she attempted to pry herself free from the earthen shackles. I didn¡¯t give her the chance. As I approached her, I continuously manipted the ground around her to reinforce and work its way up.


    It was an idea I had gotten from watching Olfred. The coffin of magma that he had trapped and executed Sebastian in. Of course, I had no intention of doing the same thing, but just like how many earth mages d themselves in an armor of rock, one could easily encase another in the same armor without giving them the freedom of mobility.


    Kathyln struggled to free herself as I continued my spell. Every time she would break off a piece of stone, arge b would take its ce, slowly working its way up her small body.


    The princess was covered to her neck while ayer of frost slowly attempted to weaken the integrity of the earthen restraint.


    It was toote though. I charged mana into my fist, forming a gauntlet of crackling lightning. A twinge of guilt rose as I raised my fist to strike the finishing blow.


    <i>She has the lifeline artifact, Arthur. Besides, You can¡¯t afford to go easy on anyone if you want to even hope to win this war.</i>


    Kathyln regarded me seriously, no trace of fear. Just as my fist was about to make contact with her, however, a gust of wind pushed me back, in the center of a whirling formation of wind just above the ground.


    ¡°Erupt!¡± Camus barked, taking advantage of my brief imbnce by unleashing the powerful cyclone that he had been preparing for.


    My vision was obstructed by walls of wind around me, and for a moment, everything was deathly still. Any sort of sounds were washed over by the constant roar of the tornado. I soon found myself panting¡ªgasping for air in this funnel of low air pressure.


    ¡°Annoying,¡± I muttered in between a strained breath.


    The walls of the twister closed in, threatening to whirl and throw me wherever it pleased, but thankfully, the remaining oxygen I had left in me allowed my brain to retaliate.


    My initial reaction was to burrow myself underground¡ªthat would¡¯ve been the smartest choice. However, maybe because of the diminishing oxygen supply, I found myself picturing Uto in front of me. His savage grin that seemed to say ¡®All you can do is run or hide in the face of something greater than you,¡¯ ignited a rage that I hadn¡¯t felt in a long time.


    <i>To hell with strategy. If I can¡¯t even face this, how am I going to go up against the scythes. </i>


    After anchoring my feet to the ground using earth magic, I began conjuring an opposing current to negate the powerful wind spell slowly closing in.


    As my spell shed against Camus¡¯ spell, tears began forming. It seemed like I was close to neutralizing it when a dull pain radiate across my back, knocking me forward. With my feet attached to the ground, I bowed awkwardly, pushing off with my palms to put myself back upright.


    I cursed in my mind, afraid to waste any unnecessary air, as I gazed at the object that had bludgeoned me from the back. It wasrge boulder of ice. Worse yet, it wasn¡¯t the only one. Swirling around me, riding the tornado, were several dozens more of the chunks of ice¡ªeach at least twice the size of my head.


    Still, I continued my attempt in negating Camus¡¯ tornado spell. Sure, it could be my stubborness. I was adamant, desperate to win against this ¡®foe¡¯ that towered over me. As the tornado closed in on me, the more my body became a punching bag for the ice boulders.


    I had to hand it to Kathyln for the creativity in her chunks of ice; some of them were just heavy bludgeons, but some had sharp edges that cut through my clothes and drew blood.


    Despite the repeated blows, however, my body felt numb. I was lightheaded and a strong feeling of fatigue washed over me.


    The only thing that kept me going was the notion that oveing this spell head on was somehow winning against Uto.


    My mind continued to think these irrational thoughts until I noticed toote that the boulders of ice had disappeared and in their stead was a growing fire that coalesced with the tornado¡ªfusing into a ming cyclone.


    That¡¯s when my vision began to spot and my imagination of Uto had became a full-blown hallucination. It onlysted for about a few seconds until I cked out, myst thoughts ming theck of oxygen for my senseless actions.


    It felt like I had only blinked, yet when I opened my eyes again, I was looking up at Kathyln with the ceiling of the training room visible behind her. I wasying down.


    A cool sensation radiated from my forehead. I realized it was an ice-cold handkerchief when I fumbled with it.


    ¡°Your body is still a bit hot. Keep it on,¡± Kathyln urged, putting the cloth back on me with just a tinge of worry on her brusque face.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I muttered. ¡°And sorry for back there.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°We were training. Although the elders might be of different opinion.¡±


    ¡°Damn straight we have a different opinion!¡± Buhnd¡¯s familiar voice boomed.


    Just a moment after, his bearded face popped into my view. ¡°You fought like a child throwing a tantrum. I know you knew that there were about twelve different ways for you to get out of that situation without you trying to face it head on.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I knew,¡± I said through gritted teeth. ¡°But I wanted to see if I could overpower theirbination spell. If I can¡¯t even do that, how am I supposed to defeat all of the retainers and scythes left?¡±


    Buhnd opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, but remained silent. It was Camus that spoke.


    ¡°You¡¯re feeling the pressure, aren¡¯t you?¡± he said softly.


    I didn¡¯t answer. I couldn¡¯t.


    To them, I may simply be a young prodigy, but I had the memories and intellect of when I was a king. For me to admit to Camus¡¯ remark meant that even despite my advantage, I was weak.


    ¡°A war isn¡¯t fought alone,¡± Camus continued, letting out a sigh. ¡°Although holding the title and responsibility of ance might make it seem otherwise.¡±


    Hester spoke, her chastising voiceing from a bit farther away. ¡°You¡¯re not important enough of a figure for this entire continent to solely rely on you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I chuckled.


    Kathyln ced a finger on the cloth she had ced on my forehead, cooling it with magic. ¡°Just as the people of dicathen rely on thences, you also need to trust in your soldiers that they¡¯ll make up for what you can¡¯t do.¡±


    I lowered the cloth, allowing its coldness to permeate into my eyes. And for a minute I said and did nothing, gathering myself.


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m in therapy,¡± Iughed, bolting up to my feet. Surrounding me was not only Kathyln and the elders, but also Emily and nis. The two of them had remained silent, but had traces of worry on their faces. ¡°Thank you everyone, for helping me with my training, and for keeping me in check.¡±


    Hester¡¯s stern face soften as she nodded. ¡°I think that we can skip out on today¡¯s debrief since I¡¯m sure the young general knows exactly what he did wrong.¡±


    ¡°Get some rest! I¡¯m going to be itching to go crazy tomorrow!¡± Buhnd agreed as he punched his open palm.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to have the life-line artifact back to its normal state by tomorrow! Even if I have to stay up all night!¡± Emily assured.


    I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll see everyone tomorrow then.¡±


    Lost in my own thoughts, I didn¡¯t even realize I had been walking until noticing that I was in front of my doorstep.


    Too tired to wash up, I sank into bed, my eyes searching for Sylvie until I remembered she was was isting herself in another room.


    <i>Everything okay, Sylv?</i> I reached out.


    My bond didn¡¯t respond, but the faint trace of her calm state of mind was enough for an answer.


    Laying on my back, I stretched out my hand toward the ceiling. This hand¡ªthis body<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>that I had grown so used to for the near twenty years that I had lived as Arthur, felt so small when I thought back to my time as Grey.


    My thoughts shed back to my former life and the several times I had fought in the Paragon Duel, a one-on-one battle between two king duelists from their respective country. While the Paragon Duelscked the atrocity and gore of normal wars, the weight of such battles were much heavier.


    Letting out a sigh, I reminded myself. ¡°This war isn¡¯t fought alone, Arthur.¡±

 Chapter 191

    Chapter 191


    Chapter 191: Magical Percentile


    Opening my eyes, I slowly released my grip of Uto¡¯s horn. I took another moment to introspect, examining both the state of my mana core and my body.


    I was close. The road to white core stage that had once seemed so long was nearly palpable.


    I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t ept Virion¡¯s artifact after bing ance, I thought.


    Getting out of bed, I touched Sylvie¡¯s mind, making sure nothing was wrong. Satisfied with her calm silence, I began stretching, my body brimming with energy.


    Letting out a sharp breath, I performed a series of strikes I had learned from Kordri while training under him in Epheotus. It wasn¡¯t some stringentbination of moves per se but more of a utilization of the body¡¯s every movement while maintaining speed and precision¡ªconnecting each punch, kick, elbow, knee while remaining flexible for whatever the oue. A true master of this fighting style, like the four-eyed asura, could take down a whole unit and the only thing the soldiers would see is a simple monk strolling amongst them.


    Synchronizing the timing of my mana flow, which had improved substantially during my training with Kathyln and the elders, with my strikes created shockwaves in the air. I wanted to move faster and with more agility, but I wasn¡¯t a pantheon like Kordri much less an asura. Incorporating mana into muscle fibers and ligaments to utilize maximum power and speed with the least amount of physical movement¡ªsimr to what the Thyestes n did¡ªwould just lead to the same results as that of Burst Step to my legs.


    Maybe reaching the realm above white core will strengthen my body, I thought hopefully amidst abination of kicks.


    Right as I pivoted my body to end the sequence with a palm strike, Boo¡¯s gigantic head was poking into my room from the doorway, right in the path of my attack.


    Boo was hit with a shockwave of wind from my palm strike, causing all the saggy skin around his muzzle and ears to p wildly.


    My sister¡¯s bond and I stared silently for a moment before he let out a grunt and shook his furry head.


    ¡°Pfft!¡± I buckled forward and broke into a fit ofughter.


    Ellie¡¯s head poked into my room. ¡°What¡¯s so funny? Boo was supposed to scare you.¡±


    Unable to form words while I tried unsessfully to stifle myughter, I motioned for my sister toe to me.


    Confused, she squeezed past her bond¡¯s burly form and came into my room.


    ¡°Watch,¡± I chuckled, this time conjuring a gust of wind at Boo¡¯s face. The bear¡¯s ferocious face rippled like liquid, the ps of skin above his upper jaw pping up to reveal a set of teeth beneath a pinkyer of gum.


    My sister chortled before breaking down as well; her bond wasn¡¯t nearly so amused. It took the both of us nearly the entire walk down to the training room to rpose ourselves.


    It was probably childish tough so hard at something so trivial, especially considering my mental age, but who cares. I hadn¡¯tughed that hard in ages and it helped loosen some tension and stress.


    ¡°You two seem chirpy for such an early morning,¡± Emily said, yawning, her hands robotically setting up the panel as if they had a mind of their own. ¡°Or is it still nighttime...¡±


    ¡°Did you pull another all-nighter, Emily?¡± my sister asked, concerned.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a back-to-back all-nighter actually. It¡¯s your brother¡¯sst training session so Miss Emeria and I wanted to have all of the data from these two monthspiled by today,¡± she chuckled, her eyes half-closed.


    ¡°Remind me to properly thank the both of you for your efforts,¡± I said, my eyes scanning for any sight of the curt elf. ¡°Where is nis now?


    ¡°Ah shucks, I learned a lot from this as well so no thanks necessary. As for Miss Emeria, I practically had to force her to get some sleep,¡± Emily answered, letting out another yawn. ¡°She should be here soo¡ªah, herees everyone now!¡±


    Coming through the thick metal doors first was Buhnd and Camus. Buhnd was stretching his arms, smiling as he said something to Camus. Behind them were Hester and Kathyln. The elder of the mesworth family was straightening out a crease in Kathyln¡¯s tight-fitting training robe. The princess spotted me and turned a shade brighter as she tried to pry herself away from her guardian.


    nis, who usually had the mask of a professional businesswoman, looked soulless today. Her normally deliberate steps were sluggish as she trailed behind the rest.


    It took several minutes for everyone to get their protective gear on, but I was soon positioned in the training grounds with Kathyln, Camus, Hester, and Buhnd surrounding me. Their expressions were serious, as was mine. I¡¯vee a long way in these past two months¡ªenough to have beaten them a few times. They knew that if they weren¡¯tpletely focused, they could lose again and they couldn¡¯t let themselves be defeated on thest day of training.


    ¡°What was the bet again?¡± Buhnd shouted from behind.


    ¡°Virion is going to throw us a feast in celebration of the end of my ¡®vacation¡¯,¡± I smirked, looking back over my shoulder. ¡°Of course, having him pay for the cost of everything is no fun so I suggested that the loser of thisst battle will pay for the entire party.¡±


    Hester rolled her eyes. ¡°Consider it paid for by the gracious mesworth house. How much can a dinner possibly cost?¡±


    nis, overhearing our conversation, spoke using a sound enhancing artifact. ¡°ounting for the cost of the seventy-year-old casks of alcohol fermented from rare grains found only in the ounds of the Beast des, as well as the approximate costs of the abundance of fine meats¡ªall of which the prices have escted since the start of the war¡ªI have already calcted for Commander Virion the cost of the celebratory feast as amounting to somewhere around nearly twenty thousand gold.¡±


    Hester¡¯s eyes widened after hearing the exorbitant cost. She let out a cough as she attempted to feignposure. ¡°W-Well, I believe it¡¯ll ruin the gratifying experience of winning if I were to simply pay for the meal outright. Perhaps it is best to determine who pays for the feast with this match; that way, it¡¯ll be much more memorable to everyone.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile, watching the usuallyposed elder being so flustered. <span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>


    ¡°I won¡¯t go easy on you just because you¡¯re young, General,¡± Camus said, smiling. ¡°This old man¡¯s pride won¡¯t allow it.¡±


    ¡°I agree with Elder Camus,¡± Kathlyn added. ¡°Perhaps besting you now will give my father and mother enough of a reason to let me help in the war.¡±


    ¡°How cold, Princess. Using me as a stepping stone,¡± I responded, lowering my stance.


    ¡°Since this is the final mock battle, General Arthur will not have any elements restricted,¡± nis¡¯ voice sounded again. ¡°Please begin!¡±


    ¡°For the alcohol!¡± Buhnd¡¯s gruff voice roared, charging from behind.


    Seeing that I was surrounded, there were a limited amount of options I had. With my senses heightened from mana and the rush of adrenaline, I focused on the biggest threat.


    Although Buhnd was charging in while forming a giant stone mace and Camus was backing away while gusts of wind gathered around his arms, it was actually Kathyln¡¯s mana levels that posed the biggest threat right now.


    An old but effective trick, I loosened the stone ground around me and lifted the debris to form a cloud of dust around me and at Kathyln.


    Manipte the earth under my feet to spring me forward just as I push off, and expel the wind resistance as I dash, I recited to myself.


    It wasn¡¯t as instantaneous or subtle as Burst Step, but doing these two steps¡ªnamely, utilizing earth and wind¡ªallowed me to enhance my initial eleration without burdening my body.


    I felt my body charge forth, the air slipping by me harmlessly until Kathyln was just a few feet away.


    The princess inhaled sharply in surprise and attempted to cast her spell but I didn¡¯t allow it. Utilizing wind once more, I created a vacuum in my palm, pulling her straight into my grip.


    Grabbing Kathyln¡¯s wrist, I twisted and threw her over my shoulder directly at Buhnd.


    Feeling a sting on the hand that had touched her, I nced down to see ayer of frost around my fingers.


    She reacted quickly. I cast a wave of heat to thaw myself while taking note of Kathyln¡¯s position by the pond.


    Just then, the room lit up as dozens of crackling orbs dotted above.


    Memories of Lucas¡¯ Ember Wisps spell back when I was about to be an adventurer came to mind. Except, these ¡®wisps¡¯ weren¡¯t of fire, but concentrated globes of electricity. Again I took note.


    Camus took the opportunity tounch his spell as well, hurling two giant spears of wind that swirled fiercely like a drill.


    I quickly moved, dodging one of the wind spear that drilled a hole into the ground before dispersing. The other one, however, was able to change direction, following me as it carved a trail into the ground where it passed.


    I¡¯m really beginning to wonder if that old elf is actually blind.


    I continued sprinting, but it wasn¡¯t aimless. I charged toward Buhnd with the wind spear close behind me. I did my best to seem as though I wanted a head-on confrontation, and it seemed to have worked. The bearded dwarf d himself in armor and anchored himself to the ground while he held his mace high like a professional baseball yer of my old world.


    I charged at him condensing the blue fire in my palms. I feigned long enough for Buhnd to begin his swing. That¡¯s when I released my fire spell at the ground below me as I jumped up. The force of my meunched me into sky like a rocket, causing Buhnd¡¯s giant mace to collide with Camus¡¯ wind drill.


    My moment of contentsted all but a brief second because immediately, a barrage of ice shot up from pond below the same moment that Hester decided to fire off the globes of lightning.


    Why can¡¯t they just fire their spells one by one, I grumbled to myself, my brain whirring for the best way to handle this.


    I smile crept up as a glimmer of an idea flickered through my mind. I had to act fast though.


    Without any restraint for mana expenditure, I released a shockwave of fire toward the splinters of ice approaching rapidly.


    The ice bombarded the wall of fire, producing steam and a high-pitched whistle.


    My peripheral view caught sight of the increase in brightness from the lightning orbs about to fire, but I couldn¡¯t worry about that right now.


    Wasting no time, I manipted the moisture caused by the collision of Kathyln¡¯s and my opposing elemental attacks while slowing down my descent with an updraft.


    I shaped the water that I had gathered into arge barrier of water around me, just as Hester¡¯s spell cast a barrage of lightning my way.


    The water manipted from Kathyln¡¯s spell that had utilized the mineral-filled water from the pond was a perfect conductor.


    The water bubble surrounding me began bubbling as the st of electricity hit. A deep buzz filled the training room while the lightning tendrils flickered on the surface of the water around me.


    I need to get rid of this thing before I hit the ground.


    Manipting the electrically charged water, I shaped it and fired it off in a stream directly at Buhnd, the one that would be the weakest to thisbination of elements.


    Buhnd didn¡¯t have a chance. His life-line artifact activated, forming a pink protective barrier, just moments after thepressed stream of water hit him and electrocuted him.


    Needless to say, after Buhnd was out for the count, the tides of the battle had changed. While it still took a while, after negating Kathyln¡¯s icence through abination Camus¡¯ air cushioning technique and Buhnd¡¯s kic redirection, I was able to knock Kathyln out of the battle.


    ¡°Someone really doesn¡¯t want to pay for their own celebratory feast,¡± Camus smirked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know if I can afford the feast,¡± I retorted with a chuckle.


    With only Hester and Camus remaining and the fact that I had full ess to all of my elements, by another twenty minutes, I was able to subdue them.


    I plopped back on the ground, my chest heaving and my mana core aching. ¡°I... I win.¡±


    Camus let out a sigh, leaning against a wall as he caught his breath. ¡°Congrattions, but there are more pressing matters.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Hester nodded beside him as she blotted the sweat on her forehead with a handkerchief. ¡°Who¡¯s going to pay for the exorbitant cost of the feast?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it decided that the losers were going to pay?¡± Buhnd asked, confused.


    I sat up. I thought so too.


    ¡°True, but why hurt many when you can just break one?¡± Camus added, a smile forming on his face. ¡°I vote that Buhnd pays for the meal since he¡¯s the one who got out first, causing the rest of us to lose.¡±


    ¡°What!¡± Buhnd bellowed. ¡°From whose sore ass did you pull that quote out from?¡±


    ¡°I second Camus¡¯ vote,¡± Hester replied immediately with a show of hand.


    ¡°Hester!¡± The dwarf¡¯s eyes widened before turning to Kathyln. ¡°Princess. You don¡¯t think the same way as those old bats, do you?¡±


    Kathyln, who had been with my sister and Emily, averted her gaze from Buhnd, and raised her hand as well.


    I could see the bearded dwarf¡¯s jaw drop as he began counting the theoretical cost of the extravagant meal with his fingers. After a minute, Buhnd straightened his posture and cleared his throat. ¡°Gentlemen. Ladies. We are in times of war. We should be sparing resources for our beloved soldiers out there on the field. Isn¡¯t that right Miss Emer¡ªargh! Damn bat! Release my earlobe!¡±


    ¡°What good will giving soldiers seventy-year-old alcohol do, you old fool. Don¡¯t try to get out of this!¡± Hester snapped while dragging herpanion by his ear as the rest of usughed.


    After everyone had calmed down, we settled around in a circle for ourst debrief. It was a bittersweet feeling. Two months flew by, but I formed bonds with the elders and had gotten to know the aloof princess a bit better during this period. Toward the end, Kathyln had started conversing more with Emily and Ellie, even hanging out together in the castle together from time to time.


    A small part of me wanted to forget about the fact that there was a war raging below us, but with Tess and my parents out there, I knew I wouldn¡¯t truly be able to rx until the war was over.


    ¡°Now, the moment I¡¯m sure that everyone has been waiting for!¡± Emily¡¯s chirpy voice sounded, snapping me out of my thoughts. ¡°nis has recorded the progress of Arthur¡¯s mana flow utilization while Ipiled the data of General Arthur, Princess Kathyln, Elders Camus, Hester, Buhnd and cross-referenced it against the data I¡¯ve received from my assistants from students at a few academies and some soldiers.¡±


    Emily must¡¯ve noticed the traces of skepticism written on my face as she mentioned the sample diversity and size.


    ¡°It¡¯s been pretty hard to get a wider range of participants, this continent being in war and all,¡± she said glumly. ¡°This measurement is something I¡¯m nning on standardizing and actively promoting with Master Gideon¡¯s help, so getting data will be an ongoing process. For now, you¡¯ll have to make do with the two hundred entries I¡¯ve received from various mages.¡±


    Buhnd fidgeted in his stone chair. ¡°Well? On with it, girl. Only about a fifth of my ass is on my seat right now from all this anticipation.¡±


    I suppressed a chuckle. The bearded elder¡¯s reaction reminded me of a student anxiously waiting for their grades to be handed back by his teacher.


    Emily didn¡¯t find Buhnd¡¯s impatience as amusing as I did and began quickly sifting through her stack of paper until her eyes brightened as I assumed she finally found what she was looking for.


    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll start with Elder Buhnd, since he seems to be the most curious,¡± Emily began. ¡°Please be advised that this data does not take into ount mastery over mana, simply the raw output of force that your average spell contains during battle.¡±


    The young artificer flinched when she saw Buhnd¡¯s intense gaze drill holes into her as he waited for her results. Clearing her throat, Emily spoke. ¡°Based on how much higher Elder Buhnd¡¯s fpu ispared to the average of limited data we had acquired, he is roughly in the ny-first percentile.¡±


    ¡°Ny-first percenti¡ªwhat? No way that ny-one percent of the poption is better than me!¡± Buhnd blurted, stamping his feet on the ground.


    I chortled, unable to suppress myughter as Emily looked at the old dwarf incredulously.


    Hester merely let out a sigh and shook her head.


    ¡°It means that only nine percent of the poption has a higher fpu than you,¡± Camus answered, unfazed by hispanion¡¯s naivete.


    ¡°Oh...¡± Buhnd¡¯s posture straightened and a smile creeped up, spreading his beard like some sort of frilled lizard. ¡°Heh! Oh.¡±


    Hester rolled her eyes as I spotted my sister trying to cover her smile with her hand.


    ¡°Again, this data can¡¯t be consideredpletely urate since the data pool is so small and very biased toward certain demographics,¡± Emily exined. ¡°Most likely, everyone¡¯s percentile will increase as more data is gathered.¡±


    The words seemed to have gone in through one ear and have left through the other as the word ¡®pride¡¯ was practically written on Buhnd¡¯s face.


    Emily continued, turning to Camus. ¡°Elder Camus¡¯ fpu is in the ny-third percentile.¡±


    Buhnd seemed to have snapped back to reality because his brows scrunched when he heard the score. Camus simply nodded in acknowledgment.


    Hester... wasn¡¯t so nice.


    ¡°Elder Hester¡¯s fpu is actually the highest of everyone at a ny-fourth percentile.¡±


    Ellie let out a faint whistle while Buhnd¡¯s eyes widened. Hester took this exact moment to cast a downward nce at the dwarven elder, coupling the look with a haughty smirk.


    ¡°Bah! The data isn¡¯t consideredpletely urate. Remember?¡± Buhnd recited, fuming.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± Hester shrugged. She erased the smirk on her face but the twinkle in her sharp eyes still showed her content.


    I guess the high affinity for magic runs in the mesworth family, I thought, being reminded of Jasmine¡¯spetence in magic¡ªalbeit not fire magic.


    Emily turned to Kathyln, smiling. ¡°Princess Kathyln, your fpu is in¡ª ¡°


    The princess raised a hand, shaking her hand. ¡°I¡¯d rather not get caught up. Knowing me,paring myself to others will hinder more than help.¡±


    nis regarded the princess in approval but remained quiet as Emily finally turned to me. ¡°Lastly, Arth¡ªGeneral Arthur¡¯s fpu is in the nieth percentile.¡±


    Buhnd¡¯s eyes lit up once again as he trotted to me and put a hand across my shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll grow in time, young general, but for now it seems like my fpu is just a tad higher than yours.¡±


    ¡°So it seems.¡± I smiled, expecting as much. From the beginning, the elders raw mana output was stronger than mine. I had the advantage of being able to utilize all four basic elements and the higher form of two, and fusing multiple elements into a single attack would often have more devastating results than single elemental spell, but on average, I had known the elders woulde out on top.


    ¡°Big talk for someone that got knocked out first in a four-versus-one match against the ¡®young general¡¯,¡± Hester scoffed.


    Buhnd scowled, turning red. ¡°Do you want to take this to the field, you old bat?¡±


    Hester¡¯s brow twitched in anger. ¡°Again with the old bat!¡±


    ¡°Enough with the bickering!¡± Camus cut in, sitting straight in the stone seat that Buhnd had conjured for all of us. ¡°Miss Emeria. Did our time spent with the young general bear fruit?¡±


    The stoic elf dipped her head respectfully. ¡°General Arthur¡¯s mana flow rate has hastened a noticeable amount. I believe these two months have been utilized to its full potential.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Camus sighed, turning to me¡ªa gesture I found odd now that I knew that he could see just as well without facing me. I figured it was more a gesture for me than himself.


    nis walked to me, handing me a small journal bound with leather. ¡°This is for you, General Arthur. the detailed recordings of my analysis over this period are written in here. I have taken the liberty of pointing out areas for potential growth so that you can have a more guided training while I am not with you. ¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said sincerely, gingerly holding the small booklet. ¡°You¡¯ve really outdone yourself.¡±


    ¡°It was my pleasure working with you,¡± she responded with a courteous nod.


    Buhnd sped his hands together, drawing all of our attention. ¡°All right! I don¡¯t know about all of you, but I¡¯m starving and my mind keeps going back to those seventy-year-old caskets of alcohol!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Hester agreed. ¡°And the thought of Buhnd having to pay for all of it is sure to make everything tastier.¡±


    I could hear Buhnd grumble as the three elders headed toward the door. I ushered the rest to follow after them as well. They all deserved the time to unwind and have fun.


    ¡°A-Are you sure I can go? It seems like a party for the really important people,¡± my sister asked, hesitating.


    I pat my sister¡¯s head. ¡°Of course you¡¯re invited. I better see you and Boo eating enough to make Elder Buhnd homeless!¡±


    Her gigantic bond let out a grunt in confirmation before scooping Ellie up with his snout and trotting off.


    Smiling at the sight, I looked back to see the young artificer scrambling with some artifacts inside her little cockpit of panels. ¡°We¡¯re thest ones, Emily,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost done cleaning up! You go on ahead!¡±


    Not wanting to make her rush more than she already was, I took her advice. ¡°You better be there unless you want to make Ellie lonely at the party.¡±


    EMILY WATSKEN


    I quickly gathered the array of paper that were scattered all over the ground behind my fpu measuring artifact¡ªworking name.


    After carefully cing the panelponents into the wooden box, I ced the papers carefully on top, noticing Arthur¡¯s name on the top sheet. It was the fpu readings that I had managed to gather while he was in that angelic form of his where his hair turned white. I thought I had lost it.


    Letting out a chuckle, I shook my head, crumpling up the sheet of paper. ¡°Ny-ninth percentile. That can¡¯t be right.¡±

 Chapter 192

    Chapter 192


    Chapter 192: Eat, Drink, Be Merry


    After another failed attempt at trying to coerce Sylvie to take a break ande join me for the dinner, I conceded. As soon as I stepped through the towering double doors of stained wood, opened for me by two guards d in silver, my worries were reced by wonder. It felt like I had stepped into a different ce.


    Maybe I had.


    I looked back over my shoulder to make sure that I hadn¡¯t stepped through a teleportation gate disguised as a doorway. Confirming that I was still indeed inside the Castle, I took my time to relish the sights, sounds, and aromas around me.


    While the size of the dining room wasn¡¯t anything extraordinary, the details in the decoration took my breath away. The vaulted ceiling itself made this room feel like a separate structure from the castle, and the ambient light cast from the floating orbs above brought to life a scene straight out of a princess picture book.


    Unlike the mboyant party where the witch-like retainer¡¯s frozen body had been showcased as a morale booster for the many noble houses that attended, this event emitted a cozy, intimate atmosphere¡ªwith a little sprinkle of a surreal fairytale mixed in.


    I picked up two sses of whatevervish drink the purple liquid might be from a meticulously-dressed butler poised almost as still as a statue, handing one of them to Emily, who was besides me.


    When my sister tried to take one as well, I pulled her back. ¡°It¡¯s alcohol.¡±


    Ellie clicked her tongue and continued walking. It didn¡¯t take long for her discontent to diffuse.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>


    ¡°Everything looks so...magical!¡± Ellie marveled, unable to form a better word to describe herself. ¡°It smells amazing in here, but where¡¯s all the food?¡±


    ¡°This is still a dinner, not a party,¡± I exined, pointing to the long rectangr table covered with a seamlessly white tablecloth and topped with perfectly arranged empty tes and sses. ¡°The food¡¯s going to be brought out once everyone¡¯s here and seated.¡±


    The alcohol¡ªI noted with amusementy spread out against the back wall inrge wooden kegs.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting hungry just sniffing the air here,¡± Emily sighed, nearly drooling.


    I nodded in agreement. The air was thick with a concoction of spices, sauces and herbs that strangely seemed to harmonize alongside each other rather than sh. To blend and mesh the variety of kitchen ingredients together was the subtle oaky scent of the fire crackling and popping in the hearth at the far corner of the cozy dining hall.


    Ellie pulled on my sleeve. ¡°Are you sure we didn¡¯t need to dress up for this?¡±


    ¡°The ce is a lot fancier than Virion had led on, but yes I¡¯m sure,¡± I assured. ¡°This is supposed to be afortable dinner to celebrate before I go back out to the field, my dearest sister.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your only sister,¡± she retorted, her eyes still curiously gazing about.


    ¡°Then you know I¡¯m telling the truth,¡± I said ndly.


    Ellie let out a groan at my witty response. ¡°Whatever.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine how fortable¡¯ it¡¯ll be already... with the Council, thences, and the elders all gathered in one ce,¡± Emily chimed in, her sarcasm practically palpable.


    I simply smiled, breaking off from the two of them to enjoy my purple drink in peace. Despite being one of thest to leave, Emily, my sister, and I were the first to arrive.


    As I sat in the back to enjoy the warmth of the fire, I saw Kathylning inside escorted by Hester. Both wore evening gowns that, while minimally adorned, still looked undoubtedly elegant... and expensive.


    Ellie and Emily didn¡¯t hesitate to shoot me res as they saw this, mentally ming me for theirparatively informal attire.


    I winked and lifted my ss, now half-empty. Kathyln thought I was gesturing to her and raised her ss slightly as well, smiling shyly before turning her attention to Emily and my sister.


    Elder Hester strode toward me with a ss in hand as well. ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve already made yourselffortable¡ªin both attire and demeanor.¡±


    ¡°I thought this was supposed to be a casual dinner,¡± I sniffed, holding my ss out toward her.


    ¡°Is this not casual?¡± she smirked, clinking my ss with hers in a casual toast before the two of us took a sip.


    ¡°Casual is wearing your slightlyrger pants so that you canfortably indulge in whatever exquisite cuisine we¡¯re presented with tonight,¡± I said with confidence.


    Hester looked at me with a curious gaze before chuckling. ¡°I often forget that you¡¯re not from a noble house, no offense.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°None taken. It¡¯s always amusing seeing some of the nobles trying to hide their contempt when ance like myself does something tantly ¡®improper¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Proper etiquette is ingrained in everyone since infanthood,¡± Hester admitted. ¡°My mother would faint if she saw you in that attire at an asion like this.¡±


    ¡°Truth be told, my mother would probably faint as well if she knew I was attending this kind of dinner wearing this,¡± I chuckled, feeling a pang of guilt and sorrow at the mention of my parents.


    We sipped our drinks in silence for a bit, watching the chaotic movement of the fire as if it was a show.


    Finishing off thest of my purple liquor, I asked Hester a question that had been on my mind since I first met her. ¡°Hester. If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what is your rtionship to Jasmine mesworth?¡±


    Hester, who had been watching the fire as intently as I had been, shifted her gaze to me. ¡°You two are acquainted?¡±


    I nodded.


    She took a few moments to gather her thoughts before letting out a sigh. ¡°Then I guess it¡¯s safe to assume that the mesworth family has made a rather negative impression on you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s gotten a little better since I met you, but yes,¡± I confessed.


    ¡°Jasmine is the daughter of my younger brother¡ªmy niece,¡± she began, idly twirling the remaining liquid in her ss.


    Hester proceeded to tell me a little about the mesworth family. The story of Jasmine wasn¡¯t anything I hadn¡¯t already been told or guessed myself. Basically, the younger brother¡ªthe one with the most pride in their family¡¯s line of fire mages¡ªthought of Jasmine as an embarrassment to the mesworth house. At first, he did all he can to try and draw out anytent potential in fire-affinity, hopeful that she might even be a dual-elementalist. Once her father realized that wind was the only affinity that his daughter had, he isted her until she was old enough and kicked her out soon after.


    Hester¡¯s remorseful tone throughout the story helped quell some of the anger I had toward their family, but there was still a bitter taste in my mouth.


    ¡°Your brother, where is he now?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Trodius is a captain, his division being one of the main forces at the Wall,¡± she answered. ¡°You don¡¯t n on¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I have no intentions of harming your brother,¡± I scoffed, turning back to see some familiar faces. ¡°I was just curious. Oh, and about yourment on every noble having proper etiquette ingrained in them...¡±


    Buhnd and Camus had just walked in through the doors. While Camus wore a traditional elven robe, Buhnd had apparently decided to attend the event disguised as what seemed like a farm worker.


    Hester, following my gaze, rolled her eyes as she saw the dwarven elder finish a ss in one gulp and proceed to grab two more before walking to us. ¡°There are always outliers.¡±


    I chortled. ¡°An outlier indeed.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take much longer for the rest of the guests to filing in. Virion congratted me on my training with a hug and a snidement about Tess not being able to make it. I greeted Merial and Alduin Eralith, Tess¡¯ parents cordially, exchanging a few pleasantries. Alduin sort of digressed, talking about the war and some of the dilemmas he¡¯s been having in allocating the elven armies around Elenoir when Merial scolded him for talking about that here and dragged him away. My exchange with King ine and Queen Prisci¡ªor is it Mr. and Mrs. yder? Although the royal families all dropped their titles as kings and queens, it was always ufortable in discerning how to exactly address them¡ªwere even more sinct. While Kathyln¡¯s mother was brusque by default, I knew that the former King of Sapin still found it ufortable to be around me; a human that became ance for the elves. Most likely someone he considers disloyal to his home kingdom.


    Needless to say, by the time I¡¯d finished talking and toasting (thereby drinking) with the elders and the Council my inhibitions had been lowered to a noticeable degree. It was only noticeable to me when I sped an unwilling Bairon into a hug and repeated that ¡®there were no hard feelings¡¯. Thence tried to pry himself away without drawing attention but I utilized one of the techniques I had learned from Camus to create a vacuum between him and me.


    Finding real life applications for spells is the next step in mastery afterall.


    After saying my fill, I released the fumingnce and proceeded to greet Varay and Aya. The twonces had juste back from a mission near the border between Sapin and Darv after sightings of another retainer. Unfortunately, the final retainer was gone by the time they had arrived. We continued talking until an unexpected surprise showed up. Garbed in a bright yellow dress that looked like it might¡¯ve belonged to a child was Mica.


    ¡°Mica!¡± I eximed, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to the entrance. The dwarf, obviously unustomed to such a fluttery dress, flushed at the attention. Rather than shrink, however, the dwarvennce stuck out her chest and held her chin up and made her way to me.


    I pulled the dwarf into a hug, which was a little awkward considering she was about half my height. Virion came by and ced a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°Our scouts in Darv found enough evidence to ensure to the rest of the Council that Mica¡ªor should I say General Mica¡ªwas not involved in Rahdeas and Olfred¡¯s plot with the Vritra,¡± Virion exined with a smile.


    ¡°Mica¡¯s allegiance will always be to the country,¡± thence confirmed. ¡°But Mica is a bit confused since there are no dwarves in the Council and Lord Aldir is missing.¡±


    ¡°We have much to discuss and positions to fill, but that can be saved for tomorrow,¡± Virionforted. ¡°Tonight, we enjoy the food, the drinks, and thepany we have tonight.¡±


    Virion left us to continue his rounds talking to everyone else in the room while Mica and I chatted a bit more. We kept our conversation lighthearted. I teased her about her frilly dress while she retorted that I looked like I hade straight from a training session. Sheughed when I told her she was right.


    The pleasant chime of a bell signalled for everyone to gather around the table. Butlers and maids escorted all of the attendees to a predetermined seat. Supposedly, being one of the main reasons for having this dinner put me at the far end of the table, directly across from Virion with Kathyln to my right and my sister to my left. The Council was spread across the table toward the other end near Virion while thences and Elders sat toward the center.


    After everyone had taken a seat, Virion tapped his spoon on the ss flute to get everyone¡¯s attention before speaking.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make this short since I know I¡¯m not the only one hungry. I believe it¡¯s important for even our strongest soldiers to have the opportunity to rest and be merry. Yes, we¡¯re at war, but war or not, there will always be a battle tomorrow, so make some time to enjoy today. Drink, eat,ugh, so that you can all tackle tomorrow with fire anew!¡±


    We all pped, while Buhnd¡¯s gruff voice shouting, ¡°Hell yeah!¡± sounded in the midst of it. Our apuse brought forth an organized stampede of servants carrying dishes. It was a full course meal starting with a creamy soup garnished with edible flowers and leaves ced with precision.


    My stomach that had been ufortable¡ªmost likely due to the copious amounts of alcohol I had drank¡ªweed the warm, rich vors. A subtle kick from an unfamiliar spiceplimented the thickness of the soup while the leaves and flower garnishes added a surprising hint of freshness.


    ¡°This... is so... good!¡± Ellie eximed in between spoonfuls of the soup.


    The ceramic bowl of soup had been taken away, reced by a silver tter with two strips of what looked like raw fish. The morsels of translucent flesh with dashings of two different sauces practically melted in my mouth. Both the green and the brown sauces were unfamiliar but it was a mixture of a nutty and slightly acidic taste that served to mask the unwanted brininess of the ocean dweller and bring out its desired vors.


    While swallowing the second piece of the fish, a pang in my abdomen caused me to buckle.


    Did I drink too much? I wondered, casting a side nce at therge cask of priceless liqueur that had been conveniently ced just behind Buhnd¡¯s seat.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Kathyln asked, her tepletely clean.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I smiled, putting down my fork.


    Ultimately, my stubbornness refused to pass the opportunity in drinking such expensive alcohol. I held up my ss, taking another sip and rolling the deep brown liquid in my mouth to savor the taste.


    I let the aromatic vors coat my mouth before finally swallowing it, letting the pleasant burn pass down my throat.


    ¡°Can I try?¡± my sister begged once again after seeing me relishing the drink.


    I was about to turn her down again, but paused. ¡°Fine. Just a sip.¡±


    ¡°Uh, Ellie?¡± Emily chimed in, her eyes widening as my sister grabbed the rounded ss. ¡°You sure about this?¡±


    Ignoring her, my sister immediately brought the ss to her lips. As expected, she most certainly did not take ¡®just a sip¡¯ and instead gulped a big portion of the liqueur.


    Already prepared for what was about toe, I cast a small circr vacuum of wind that sucked in the spray of liquid that shot out of my sister¡¯s mouth as she coughed.


    The servants nearby immediately took action, handing my sister a new napkin while they opened up a container for me to ¡®dump¡¯ Ellie¡¯s sprayed contents into.


    ¡°Y-You jerk,¡± Ellie hissed, trying not to draw in any more attention than she already had. ¡°You knew that would happen!¡±


    Suppressing theugh that was nearly leaking out, I looked at her, deadpan. ¡°Of course. That¡¯s why I said no so many times.¡±


    ¡°You could¡¯ve warned me!¡± she protested, drinking the cup of water the servant behind her so sensibly ced next to Ellie¡¯s te.


    ¡°I could¡¯ve,¡± I agreed, leaving my sister aghast.


    Emily steered my sister¡¯s bitterness, telling her about some of the modifications she made to Ellie¡¯s new bow.


    After the tes were cleared, another¡ªsmaller¡ªdish took its ce. Even before I looked down to see what it was, the smell had already caused me to reach for it. A handful of shellfish with its ck shellsid open, its meat basking in a savory broth that I could practically taste through my nose. Supplementing the shellfish was a side of sauteed mushrooms that looked like they were actually lit on fire.


    The servant covered the mushrooms with a crystal cup to extinguish the soft fire. As soon as he lifted the cover, a rich vor of whatever liqueur the chef had used to ignite the mushrooms with permeated the vicinity.


    ¡°Raw fish, and now ming fungus? Interesting and tasty!¡± I overheard Emily as she whispered to my sister, who nodded furiously in agreement.


    Conversations drifted in the air while soft music yed by a trio of musicians cast afortable tune to apany the dinner.


    I leaned forward, taking in another whiff of theplementing aromas of the shellfish and mushrooms when another sharp pain stabbed at my sternum.


    Am I allergic to something? I thought, bringing a mushroom close to my nose in suspicion.


    With the pain gone as quickly as it hade, I decided toy off the purple alcohol while shoveling in a mouthful of the mushrooms.


    The firm suppleness of the mushroom as I bit down into it dispelled any of the remaining suspicions I had of the food.


    If I¡¯m allergic to this mushroom, so be it. I¡¯ll suffer knowing that it was for a good cause.


    Throughout the next few dishes, I ate in silence. Kathyln wasn¡¯t much of a conversationalist and the few times she did talk was to respond to whatever my sister and Emily were conversing about.


    My thoughts began veering toward the war, and the uing battles, my only sce being the exquisite dishes that never seemed to stop and my ss of liqueur that never emptied. From tender meats that I was able to cut with my fork, and even a whole boar that was carved so precisely that I doubted I could replicate the task even with my mastery of the sword.


    There were other, more bizarre dishes that showcased the more... ¡®unwanted¡¯ parts of particr mana beasts as supposed delicacies. It was when the dinner was bing more lively¡ªmost likely due to alcohol in everyone¡¯s system¡ªthat I encountered another episode of pain in my stomach.


    This time, it was a more gripping pain, as if someone was slowly squeezing, twisting, and wrenching my insides. That was when I realized it wasn¡¯t my stomach or even my liver like I thought it had been.


    It was my mana core.


    ¡°Is something wrong, Arthur? You seem pale,¡± Virion said, noticing my state from the other side of the table.


    I rose up from my seat, feeling more than a tinge of regret as I stared at the untouched steaming crab down at my te. ¡°My apologies to everyone, but I think I¡¯ll have to call it a night.¡±


    Virion got up as well, his expressionced with concern.


    Holding up a hand to stop him, I made my way to the door, careful not to stumble. ¡°Please, enjoy yourselves. I¡¯ve been a little tired today and I think I just had too much alcohol.¡±


    Without looking back, I headed to my room, one hand using the wall as support while the other pressed down on my sr plexus.


    Is something wrong with my mana core?


    Cold sweat beaded down my face as the gripping pain became more intense.


    By the time I reached my room, I curled into a ball on the floor, unable to reach my bed. My fear and worry grew alongside the pain, until a thought crossed my mind.


    Sending a pulse of mana into my ring, I withdrew Uto¡¯s horn and instinctively began absorbing its contents like an infant reaching for its mother¡¯s milk.


    Slipping in and out of consciousness, time psed like it was caught in a jar of sap. Everything seemed slow and the cold, gripping pain escted until it soon became unbearable.


    Two things happened in what seemed like a span of a second.


    First, I felt a surge of unmatched energy and power throughout my body. I could feel it in my pores and the tip of my hair.


    Then, I passed out.

 Chapter 193

    Chapter 193


    Chapter 193: Broken Seal


    I looked up at the row of judges peering down from their tform that overlooked the main stadium my opponent and I were currently on. Sitting in the middle of the row was a tall, shapely woman with zing red hair that curled down her back. Two sharp eyes that would make even a wild lion flinch regarded me with interest as the rest of the judges murmured amongst themselves over the results of the match.


    I thought to myself, what exactly there was to go over. My opponent, a Division Two candidate testing for a first division spot, was passed out behind me while the medics approached with a stretcher.


    There was a sinking realization as the judges continued discussing that they might very well be determining whether to send me up or keep me at Division Three.


    I could see Nico and Cecilia in corner of my eyes, waiting just as intently for the verdict as I had during my firstpetition while attending this academy¡ªback when I still believed fair results could be achieved through hard work.


    After what seemed like ages, a thin elderly man with a white mustache groomed a bit too meticulously¡ªprobably topensate for his bald head¡ªcleared his throat to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Cadet Grey, no surname. While your match was impressive, especially your demonstration of martial arts, the poor level of utilization of your ki throughout the tournament made it clear that some basic fundamentals are clearlycking and need to be thoroughly reviewed. Therefore, Cadet Grey will move up to ss One of the third division.¡±


    I could feel my blood boil underneath my skin as I did all I could to suppress my rage. I clenched my fists, gnashed my teeth, curled my toes¡ªanything to stop myself fromshing out at the judge and this entire academy system.


    Just then, a roar ofughter echoed throughout the entire arena. My burning rage was instantly quelled as I looked up, dumbfounded, as the red-haired judge continuedughing heartily. It wasn¡¯t only me that was shocked by her actions though. The rest of the judges whipped their head toward their colleague with expressions ranging from shock to anger to embarrassment.


    The audience that had been quietly waiting for the results from this final round muttered amongst each other hoping to get some answers from the turn of events.


    Finally, after the red-haired judge calmed down enough, she let out a sigh while wiping away a tear. ¡°My apologies, I thought Judge Drem was pulling that kid¡¯s leg by telling him he needed to ¡®review his fundamentals¡¯.¡±


    At the mention of his name, the mustached judge¡ªwho I assume was Judge Drem¡ªflushed red all the way the top of his shiny head. ¡°Lady Vera. In the sanctity of the annual assessment duels, your behavior is unept¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the red-haired woman that the judge referred eerily respectfully despite the gap in age, cut in tly. ¡°What¡¯s uneptable behavior, and embarrassingly pathetic, is this tant attempt at holding that kid back because he¡¯s not from a distinguished house.¡±


    Clearly unprepared to be verbally assaulted by the woman, Judge Dem stammered what he hoped would be words. ¡°Wha¡ªHow dare... I did no such¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then how can you possibly justify Cadet Grey as being anything less than Division One?¡± Lady Vera interrupted again. At this point, I really hoped that thisdy had either the strength or the backings to justify her tantck of respect for the older judge.


    Judge Dem tried his best to gather his wits, letting out another cough. ¡°Like I stated earlier, Cadet Grey¡¯s ki utilization isck¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wrong,¡± she instantly cut off again, causing the older judge to practically fume in frustration and embarrassment. ¡°The boy¡¯s ki utilization is at least a step above even the ss Two students in Division One. What you call cking¡¯ in ki utilization is actually him making up for his lower ki level to an almost impressive degree.¡±


    The other judges sitting behind the panel were obviously lower in terms of rank than Judge Drem because the only thing that they¡¯d been doing at this point was wordlessly shifting nces between Lady Vera, Judge Drem, and me.


    ¡°Lady Vera,¡± the old judge said through gritted teeth. ¡°While I am grateful for your insight into the matter, I have been a judge for nearly twenty years now. Please reciprocate the respect that I¡¯ve shown you by showing me the respect that I¡¯ve earned in this field.¡±


    Lady Vera thrummed her fingers on the panel she was sitting behind, contemting for a moment before she nodded. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll respect your verdict, Judge Drem.¡±


    Before I even had the opportunity to be disappointed by this, though, Vera¡¯s form flickered out of sight.


    What in the¡ª


    She appeared above me andnded with a soft thud. Despite the fact that I had witnessed everything, I was still somehow doubtful that she¡¯d just cleared the span of two stories as casually as I would step off a sidewalk.


    ¡°Kid. Like Judge Handlebars said, you¡¯ll still be in Division Three, but what do you say about me bing your personal mentor?¡±


    I thought for a moment¡ªI even turned to Nico and Cecilia to make sure what I was witnessing was real. I didn¡¯t know who this woman was, but the way she held herself and the impressive movement skill she had used to clear the distance that most elite soldiers wouldn¡¯t dare replicate made me take the risk.


    Ignoring the aghast row of judges as well as the stunned crowd, I took her hand. ¡°I ept your offer.¡±


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    I woke up on the floor with my hand stretched out in front of me, much like how my dream had ended. However, rather than Lady Vera¡¯s seemingly fragile hand in my own, I was gripping tightly onto Uto¡¯s horn.


    The once obsidian stone that once glimmered like a sinister jewel now had cracks and splinters strewn across its dull gray exterior.


    It took a moment of idle wondering of how I came to be in this position when I suddenly remembered. As if struck by a bolt of lightning, I shot up to my feet. I took in my surroundings for the first time since waking up, relieved that I was still in my room and that my room was rtively intact. Looking at the window, it was still nighttime, which meant I was unconscious only for a few hours.


    Pulling my senses inward, I focused my attention on my mana core. My mana core that did not have the glimmering silver sheen that it once had, but instead radiated brightly like a white sun.


    ¡°I did it,¡± I muttered incredulously. I maintained concentration on my core for a few minutes, just taking in the new, alien feelings that came with my breakthrough. The paranoid part of me did it just to make sure that I wasn¡¯t imagining things.


    I wasn¡¯t. I was now a white core mage.


    Ecstatic, I sent a pulse of mana throughout my body. The flow of mana was seamless and near-instant. I hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to read through the notebook that nis had written for me, but I had a feeling that she might have to update some of the readings.


    Without stopping, I held out my hand¡ªpalm up¡ªand began shaping the mana. I started out with something rtively easy, making a small orb of pure mana. This was the equivalent of stretching before a run.


    After that, I proceeded into moreplicated exercises. I erged the orb of mana and shrunk it as quickly as possible. Then I split the mana orb into two smaller ones. After I had about a dozen small mana orbs floating above my hand, I ignited some of them by coalescing fire affinity mana particles in the atmosphere while I froze another set of orbs and so on. By a few minutes into the exercise, I had several dozens of different elemental spheres all orbiting around my palm.


    Throughout it all, I had a wide smile on my face that I only noticed after my cheeks began cramping.


    There were hundreds of variations of these maniption exercises all meant to help mages get better at organic magic¡ªa term that had many names but all meant one thing: magic that did not need gestures or chants in order to cast.


    Much of the magic that beginning sses in Xyrus Academy taught centered around stagnant magic, which were essentially spells limited in variations and uses in order to reproduce consistently and easily. The gestures and chants that so many mages used and still use today help in guiding their subconscious as they mold their mana into the spell that they want. The downside was that most of these gestures and chants basically told opponents, ¡®hey, I¡¯m going to throw a fireball at you.¡¯ It was fairly easy for any decent mage to counter such stagnant magic.


    The organic magic that I had so naturally grasped from an early age thanks to my understanding of mana from having lived a previous life, was much harder to cast and control. Every time Iunched a de of wind at my opponent with a simple swing of my arm, my brain was basically giving detailed instructions of the mana that I imbued into the spell in order to get the shape, size, speed, trajectory, angle, etc. all correct.


    Breaking into white core stage wasn¡¯t as awe-inspiring as I sort of hoped it would be, but it was definitely a huge step forward¡ªmore so than any of the previous breakthroughs into the next core stages.


    My control and ¡®finesse¡¯ over mana had definitely been taken up a notch, almost as if the advancement into white core also affected my cognition.


    I thought back to several instances in the past when thences demonstrated some of their prowess in magic. Olfred¡¯s ability to cast eerily lifelike golems of magma as well as Mica¡¯s superb control over an abstract element like gravity were all reasons that supported my im. Putting Alea aside, I¡¯ve never had the chance to see Aya fight. Bairon was able to mold lightning into a giant spear that looked about as detailed as a masterfully crafted weapon, and just recently, I came face to face with Varay¡¯s dragon madepletely of ice.


    Is this why all thences are so skilled in manipting mana? I thought, sighing. Another thought urred to me as well. Flying. Usually, skilled flying meant constant attention to your body and mana output all the while having your attention on something else, like fighting.


    That was why most mages didn¡¯t fly even if they were able to¡ªwhat use was flying when it tookplete focus to sustain it and the mana expenditure wasn¡¯t cheap.


    If manipting mana became this easy, then I could see how thences were able to easily fly while casually talking to me or even casting spells. Eager to know what my limits were, I was tempted to immediately head down to the training room and test a few theories out¡ªI was especially excited to activate Realmheart just to see what I could do. However, a sharp pain red in my head, wrenching me out of my thoughts.


    ¡®A-Arthur! Something¡¯s happening...¡¯


    Sylvie¡¯s voice rang in my head, but sounded muffled and distorted.


    Sylvie? What¡¯s wrong?


    I called out to her several more times but didn¡¯t get a response. Feelings of excitement and tion were immediately reced by worry and fear as I headed down the flight of stairs to the small training room she had isted herself in.


    I turned the cold metal handle of the door, but it was locked. ¡°Sylvie, I¡¯m here! Can you hear me?¡±


    No response.


    I shook harder, hoping it was just jammed, but seeing as it wasn¡¯t, I punched a hole near the knob, rendering the lock mechanism useless. Pushing open the door, I stepped inside only to stoppletely in my track at the sight ahead.


    Standing in the back of the dimly-lit room was a wide-eyed little girl in a simple ck robe with two ck unmistakable horns jutting out from the side of her head.


    I thought I was seeing things at first. I med the poor lighting and the shadows cast by them for ying tricks on my eyes, but when I stepped closer and the girl looked up and we locked eyes, I knew.


    ¡°Sylvie? Is that you?¡±


    The girl cracked open an uneasy smile, a trace of fear and excitement evident in her bright topaz eyes. ¡°H-Hi, Arthur.¡±


    The two of us stood there. Neither one of us knew what to do, what to say, how to react. I still couldn¡¯t believe it. My eyes told me that I was seeing a girl that looked no older than eight or nine with long choppy hair that was the same pale wheat color as her draconic form¡¯s underbelly; looking closely, her messy hair looked more like soft feathers than actual strands of hair.


    Little of the girl¡¯s small face was covered by her hair, since her bangs barely covered half of her forehead. Her round yellow eyes shifted uneasily under my scrutinizing gaze until she sent a mental transmission.


    ¡®How long are you going to keep staring like that?¡¯


    Caught off guard, I flinched, but not by the words themselves but the emotions that were intertwined into them.


    Unlike before, I could feel the emotions she was feeling while shemunicated through my mind. Like now, how she felt ufortable and embarrassed, but at the same time excited and anxious. It was odd feeling foreign emotions through my brain; it was never like this before. At most, Sylvie could send one, extremely strong, emotion to me that felt more like she was telling me how she felt¡ªit was never this... intimate, forck of a better word.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said aloud. ¡°I¡¯m still digesting everything right now. What exactly happened?¡±


    ¡°After absorbing the retainer¡¯s mana from the horn you gave me, I was able to finally break the seal that you and grandpa said that my mother ced on me to keep me hidden.¡± The disparity between her childish voice and her words threw me off, but I nodded in understanding.


    ¡°So by breaking the seal, you were able to unlock the human form that asuras were able to transform into?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said, looking down at her small hands. ¡°To tell you the truth, I haven¡¯t had the chance to really study the changes in my body so I can¡¯t tell you exactly what¡¯s happening at this moment but¡ª¡±


    Sylvie abruptly lurched and staggered, nearly falling forward before she regained bnce.


    ¡°Sylvie? You okay?¡± I asked, concerned.


    Sylvie stood in ce for a moment, frozen. I cautiously made my way to her, unable to even fathom what was wrong, when she slowly looked up.


    When our eyes locked again this time, however, a chill ran down my spine. Her appearance was the same¡ªnothing had changed¡ªbut her presence, her demeanor, her gaze werepletely different. So much so that I had involuntarily stepped back from her.


    ¡®Sylvie¡¯ straightened herself, swaying her neck side to side as if she was stretching it.


    ¡°Ah, ah,¡± she said, clearing her throat. ¡°You can hear me, yes?¡±


    I raised a brow, not knowing how to answer.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that gesture as a yes,¡± she said dismissively.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked, my eyes narrowing.


    ¡®Sylvie¡¯ smirked, an expression that looked unnatural on her face. ¡°I¡¯m grateful that you happened to be in the same room when the connection was finally established. It makes things so much easier.¡±


    ¡°Who. Are. You?¡± I repeated.


    Her smirk widened to a smile. ¡°Agrona.¡±

 Chapter 194

    Chapter 194


    Chapter 194: Man Behind the Veil


    I could feel the blood drain from my face, but I held my ground. Despite the casual disclosure, I could tell that Syl¡ªAgrona was carefully observing how I¡¯d react. The same two gleaming yellow eyes that looked so innocent and confused just moments ago were now bright ruby and carried an unwavering confidence and authority¡ªhe could¡¯ve just as easily said he was some sort of sentient shapeshifter from a different and I would¡¯ve beenpelled to believe him.


    Giving no indication that his words had any effect on me, I made a simple gesture with my hand, casting multiple spells simultaneously. The door closed shut and a thick stone b sprouted to barricade the entrance while a swirlingyer of wind surrounded the two of us, muting any sound that might leak from the room. I alsoyered the floor around the room¡¯s vicinity in case anyone came close by.


    ¡°Is Sylvie safe while you¡¯re in control of her body?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sylvie... a good name. ¡± Agrona breathed as if savoring the sound. ¡°Yes, what I¡¯m using to speak with you like this is a harmless spell that I¡¯ve embedded onto her while she was still an egg. Sylvie¡¯s simply sleeping.¡±


    Two stone chairs popped up from the ground and I took a seat, gesturing at Agrona to do the same.


    Agrona sat down, leaning back in the seat contently. ¡°Thanks for the hospitality, and for keeping your wits together. Makesmunicating so much easier without you trying to kill me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re possessing my bond, so hurting you like this wouldn¡¯t be very effective,¡± I replied calmly.


    He shrugged. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been able to put much of a fight regardless since I can¡¯t use any mana arts like this, but I digress. Shall we talk about something a bit more important than the various ws of this method ofmunication?¡±


    Seconds ticked by in silence, with only the faint whistle of the field of wind surrounding us while the two of us stared at each other.


    My brain whirled with activity, trying to make sense of the sudden change of events while devising a clever way to take full advantage of it. Afterall, it wasn¡¯t everyday that you could calmly have a one-on-one meeting with the enemy¡¯s leader in the middle of a war. But whether it was because I was still having a hard time believing all of it or because my worry over Sylvie was constantly nagging at me even with my calm facade, my mind couldn¡¯t keep a coherent train of thought. So I asked the one question that had bugged me ever since he first took control of Sylvie.


    ¡°You said you were grateful that I happened to be in the same room when you made the connection. Why did you only seek me out?¡±


    ¡°Fair question. First reason, and the more obvious one, is that I¡¯m sure most of the members of your leadership wouldn¡¯t take too kindly of me intruding on their home turf in the form of a little girl. Assuming that they even believe me, it would scare the living shit out of them given the fact that I could intrude their most ¡®secured¡¯ location in the continent,¡± he answered. ¡°Although... it would be amusing to see their reaction.¡±


    ¡°And the second reason?¡±


    ¡°Because¡±¡ªhe leaned forward and grinned¡ª¡°you¡¯re the only one on this continent that I¡¯m interested in.¡±


    I didn¡¯t expect that answer. What did the leader of a rogue asura n that was hundreds, if not thousands, of years old find interesting about me. Whatever it was, it couldn¡¯t be a good thing.


    My expression must¡¯ve betrayed me because the asura abruptly let out augh. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to just suddenly pin you to the ground and have my way with you. Assuming my tastes suddenly skewed that way, it¡¯d still be a little inappropriate in this form, no?¡±


    I rolled my eyes as the supposed mastermind behind the intercontinental war, unable to make heads or tails of his character.


    ¡°You¡¯re a lot more entric than I imagined... almost sociable,¡± Imented.


    Agrona raised a brow, amused. ¡°Did you perhaps, see me as some poised dictator hell-bent on making the world all mine while donning a silken cape?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡±


    He put on a grave expression while leaning forward. ¡°Well...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re partly right!¡± Agrona shed a smile.


    He leaned back again, as if unable to find afortable position to sit still in. ¡°Don¡¯t let this pleasant demeanor fool you. I have my goals and ambitions and a face I show my people in public. But as for my personality, after spending generations upon generations amongst you lessers that seem to change your ethics and social mores on a whim, it¡¯s a pain to keep up with appearing dignified and cultured. For instance, even in my continent just a couple hundred ago, it used to be normal to have public torture and executions¡ªhell, they even brought snacks and watched it as free entertainment. Now? It¡¯s somehow be shockingly horrifying to them.¡±


    He waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I have my people to handle and run the lessers based on their ever-changing sense of right and wrong.¡±


    Wow, he talks a lot. Still, there was a lot of knowledge contained in his little rant. From what I¡¯ve seen facing the cryan soldiers and, truthfully, my own prejudice based on the crazy Vritras like Uto and the witch, I imagined that the enemy continent would be some horrid wastnd full of lessers enved to do the Vritra¡¯s bidding.


    But from what Agrona just said, crya seems to be like any normal developingnd with leaders that actually care for the citizens.


    ¡°That look you have right now.¡± He pointed a finger at me. ¡°That annoying look of pleasant surprise... you were thinking that it¡¯s weird that I actually give an ass about the lessers in crya, huh.¡±


    ¡°Well, from what the asuras told me. You¡¯ve been conducting experiments on the lessers and breeding with them before you were even kicked out of Epheotus,¡± I remarked.


    I expected him to get mad¡ªat least annoyed¡ªbut instead his expression turned somber. ¡°The best lie is only telling half the truth, I suppose. Kezess or thatckey of his, Windsom, never told you the reason why I did all of this, did they.¡±


    So Lord Indrath¡¯s first name is Kezess, I noted internally before replying. ¡°It was to build an army capable of bringing down the other asuras, no?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all they told you?¡± Agrona rolled his eyes, tapping his fingers impatiently on the chair¡¯s armrest. ¡°Arthur, do you think I one day just woke up wanting tomit genocide against my brethren?¡±


    ¡°Any reason you have isn¡¯t justification for what you¡¯re trying to do,¡± I stated firmly.


    He let out a scoff. ¡°I should¡¯ve more or less expected you to have the same mindset as Kezess and the rest of his underlings.¡±


    Annoyed, I asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s suppose you lived in this continent without being able to use magic; how differently would everyone you know have treated you today? The royal families that you know? They wouldn¡¯t bat an eye in your direction. Your peers from Xyrus? You would¡¯ve never met them and probably just befriended thugs and farmers from your own social ss. Your family? Well, they might be the only ones that love you, but that doesn¡¯t mean they wouldn¡¯t be inwardly disappointed at yourck of talent.¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°And... this hypothetical person is supposed to rte to you?¡±


    ¡°Basilisks in general were notorious amongst other races, but imagine if your very nsmen and family looked down on you for the miniscule talent that you had no control over. The same Lord Indrath that approved of you in that brusque and lofty way of his didn¡¯t even find it worthwhile to breathe in my direction,¡± Agrona spat, his fingers wing away at the armrest.


    ¡°And you found it justifiable to inhumanely toy with the lives of countless ¡®lessers¡¯ in order for you to get stronger?¡± I shot back.


    He tilted his head. ¡°Do you shed tears for the ants that you step on?¡±


    Rage smoldered in my stomach, but by his tone and expression, it didn¡¯t seem like he was looking down on me. He truly felt that lessers were bugs to him.


    I let out a breath. ¡°It was naive to think we could have a rational conversation.¡±


    Agrona spread his arms, looking at me with a proud smile. ¡°What I achieved through those experiments have benefited not only myself, but the lessers in crya to such a degree where they worship me¡ªnot out of fear, but out of reverence. To them, I am their savior.¡±


    ¡°Savior?¡± I let out a scoff. ¡°Did you somehow wipe the memories of killing and torturing your people¡¯s ancestors or something?¡±


    ¡°Killing and torturing... I could taste the bitterness in your words from here in crya, Arthur,¡± he said, feigning a hurt expression. ¡°Why, I¡¯ve merely utilized the many lessers that were avable to me in order to strengthen my own kind¡¯s inherent abilities. I¡¯m sure those test subjects are grateful that I made use of them in order to aplish something unimaginable for their future generations.¡±


    I wanted to p the snide look off his face, but this egotistical maniac truly believed what he did was right.


    ¡°What have you managed to aplish for their future generations that is so great that it supersedes decades of you conducting experiments on the inhabitants of cyra? I asked, ying along.


    ¡°I¡¯ll answer that question with another question,¡± he gestured. ¡°I know that the rough statistic of mage to nonmages in Dicathen is one in one hundred. What do you suppose the statistic is in crya?¡±


    I remained silent.


    Agrona smirked. ¡°It¡¯s one in five.¡±


    ¡°One in fi-five?¡± I sputtered.


    ¡°Unimaginable by your standards as well, right?¡± He gave me a wink.


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit that what you manage to do is impressive, but aren¡¯t you afraid that with so many of the poption as mages, that those who still hold a grudge will band up and revolt?¡±


    Agrona looked at me for a second in silence before he burst outughing.


    ¡°Oh... you weren¡¯t joking,¡± he said in betweenughs after seeing my expression. ¡°Like I said earlier, my people, whether they have some of my genes or they¡¯re still full blooded lessers, revere me. Because of the structured process of awakening that I devised for them, so many of them can utilize magic to improve their mundane lives.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me that you spent the time and effort to devise this method for what... the actual benefit of cryans?¡± I asked, skeptical. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from the asuras, but since they¡¯re apparently so skewed in their views, I want to hear it from your mouth. What is your goal in all of this?¡±


    ¡°Ooh, is this the part where the viin falls into a monologue and reveals his nefarious ns to the righteous hero?¡± he replied excitedly, steepling his fingers.


    I shook my head. ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡±


    ¡°Insanity is rtive,¡± he said, unwavering. ¡°And as for your question, I have no intention of telling you anything.¡±


    ¡°You said you were interested in me earlier. I assumed it was because you wanted my help, but withholding your goal in all of this hardly makes me want to jump to your side,¡± I pushed, hoping to get an answer out of him.


    Agrona leaned back. ¡°I never expected you toe to my side through this little conversation. I told you all of this because in hopes that you will remove yourself from the war.¡±


    ¡°What? Why would I¡ª¡±


    Agrona held up a hand. ¡°Before you say no, consider this. Thus far, I¡¯ve been progressing very conservatively in this war¡ªrefraining from unnecessary civilian deaths since I have use for them¡ªbut that does not mean it¡¯ll continue being this way.


    You¡¯ve barely clung onto your life ¡®til now, but this is just the start. Statistically speaking, how likely is it that your side can win this war with your family and other loved ones alive after everything?¡± He paused before speaking again. ¡°You can hide, seek refuge in crya, anything really, just as long you don¡¯t be an opponent to my army. Guarantee that, and I will guarantee that you and your loved ones will be left untouched.¡±


    It¡¯d be a lie to say a small part of me wasn¡¯t tempted. ¡°What do you gain from me doing this? Telling me to keep hidden or go to crya obviously means you want me alive. Why? If I¡¯m not on your side, aren¡¯t I a threat?¡±


    ¡°Despite how I may have been perceived and what I¡¯ve done to get to where I am today, I don¡¯t believe that allies can be made through force. If I want you on my side, I won¡¯t do so through threats.¡±


    The two of us stayed silent for a bit. He was waiting for me to respond, and I didn¡¯t know how to respond. I wanted to refuse¡ªI should definitely refuse¡ªbut for some reason, his words carried a weight that made me truly think.


    ¡°It actually seems like you¡¯re thinking about it,¡± he chuckled. ¡°As a small thank you for that, I¡¯ll divulge a few things that you may or may not have been curious about¡± Agrona smoothed out the wrinkles of the ck dress that Sylvie¡¯s body had been wearing. ¡°First. Your parents were attacked not too long ago while transporting supplies to your forces at the Wall, correct?¡±


    I bolted up from my seat, mana coalescing around my entire body.


    Agrona raised his hands in a cating gesture though, still seated. His eyes, however, were fierce. ¡°You may not believe me when I say this, but your parents were left untouched because I willed it.¡±


    ¡°Lastly. The asuras have been out of touch with your leaders, right?¡± He didn¡¯t wait for me to respond. The asura possessing my bond rose to his feet, maintaining his poise. ¡°It¡¯s because a few asuras, including Aldir and Windsom, tried infiltrating my castle in crya, hoping that they¡¯d seed in killing me while my forces are divided...¡±


    ¡°Tried? That means that they failed,¡± I replied, my heart beating faster.¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean the treaty is broken?¡±


    Agrona shook his head. ¡°No. Neither my side nor the asuras in Epheotus wish for it, but they had to pay for disrespecting the treaty so we made another deal.¡±


    I was afraid to ask, but I did anyway. ¡°What is the deal that you made?¡±


    ¡°The asuras in Epheotus can no longer aid you in any way throughout this war,¡± he answered, stepping a bit closer. ¡°Windsom, Aldir, and the rest of the asuras that you¡¯ve met have abandoned you and Dicathen.¡±


    I want to say that I remained unfazed and took the news in stride, but that¡¯d be a lie. In my head, I was using every curse I knew to express the frustration and panic that was bubbling up inside.


    Finally, after I gained enoughposure to form words again, I spoke. ¡°... Why are you telling me all of this?¡±


    ¡°To appeal to you of course. I¡¯m trying to ultimately get you on my side willingly, remember?¡± Agrona winked. ¡°Frankly, I don¡¯t get where your loyalty to those asurase from. Kezess and the other asuras that helped train you only did so for their gains and you simply went along because you needed to get stronger to keep your loved ones safe. Seems more like a business arrangement to me.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Even so. You¡¯ve said that you¡¯ve been conservative during this war, but while youe off as well-mannered so far, your retainers have massacred soldiers with glee.¡±


    ¡°Exactly as you said. Soldiers,¡± Agrona pointed out, snapping his fingers. ¡°And really... I think it¡¯s hardly fair to bring that up when your side has treated my men with just about the same amount of hospitality. I¡¯d say freezing my poor Jagrette and disying her corpse like some sort of trophy in front of your nobles is hardly any better than what she or any of my other soldiers have done.¡±


    I was at a loss for words. I wasn¡¯t even surprised that Agrona somehow knew all of this at this point, just that he was right.


    Silence enveloped the room, bringing to attention the sound of the wind whistling around us.


    ¡°What we¡¯ve discussed today isn¡¯t something you can organize in a span of a few minutes so I¡¯ll give you some time to think about everything,¡± he finally said, breaking the silence. ¡°Besides, Sylvie seems to be stirring from her sleep so after you¡¯ve thought about it, give me an answer after reciting this spell to Sylvie.¡±


    He muttered a string of foreign words through mental transmission, allowing me to remember it. ¡°I advise you to make a choice soon, though. Like I said earlier, we¡¯re progressing into the next stage of this war, and I assure you it won¡¯t be to your side¡¯s benefit. Giving you this deal does not grant you immunity from harm should you refuse or withhold your answer.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± I called out. ¡°What you told me earlier... that I was the only one on this continent that you were interested in. You never told me why that is.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it does no harm in telling you.¡± Agrona tapped his chin with a finger, thinking for a moment. ¡°Let¡¯s say I¡¯ve enjoyed talking with an old friend of yours, King Grey.¡±

 Chapter 195

    Chapter 195


    Chapter 195: Next Stage


    STEFFAN VALE


    ¡°Oh, Great Vritra,¡± I muttered under my breath, watching a shield lose his footing, almost getting trampled in the process.


    ¡°Shields, keep up those defensive panels! Don¡¯t let any of the beasts stray off,¡± I barked out before looking down at the mysterious ck ore I had been ordered to break once the beasts were all inside the Elshire Forest.


    I watched as hundreds of corrupted beasts were herded through the walls of translucent panels casted by teams of shields. It was a peculiar sight as monsters that would normally be nowhere near each other walked sluggishly abreast. hound-sized spiders,rge wolves and even serpents with heads on both ends ¡®marched¡¯ together, unaware of what was going on. Several unads served to protect each of the shields just in case any of the beasts broke free.


    Even unads have their purposes. Better one of them dies than a mage.


    I cast my eyes on the irond unads wielding ordinary weapons of steel, unable to even strengthen them. Pitiful.


    I turned to the sentry assigned to my force, anky man with bangs that covered his eyes. ¡°Can you get a read inside the forest?¡±


    He put his palms to the ground before clicking his tongue. ¡°My range is cut to a fourth inside there.¡±


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ll have to go in with us,¡± I sighed.


    He stepped away from me. ¡°W-What? That¡¯s not what¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish, I grabbed the ¡®precious¡¯ sentry by the scruff of his neck. ¡°Look. I don¡¯t care if you sentries think you¡¯re precious because of your perverted voyeuristic magic. You¡¯ll be safe with my personal shield and caster.¡±


    ¡°A-All right, but if anything happens to me...¡±


    The boy¡¯s idle threats wereughable by his trembling.


    Merciful Vritra, how can he even see himself as a soldier if he¡¯s scared to go anywhere near a battle.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± I stressed, letting go of his cor. ¡°Now form the mental link with me, and me only. Something tells me you¡¯re not very good at multitasking.¡±


    The sentry nodded, cing two fingers on my temple and concentrating.


    ¡®C-Can you hear me?¡¯ a familiar voice rang directly in my head.


    How is it that you stutter even inside your head, I thought.


    ¡®Just so you know, I can only do a one-way line of mentalmunication so I won¡¯t be able to hear back from you.¡¯


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said aloud, holding back the urge to roll my eyes. Despite his shorings, having a sentry is a big bonus in that my shield and caster won¡¯t have to stay as close to me and rely on feedback from the sentry.


    Turning my attention back to the task at hand, I watched as teams of mages stood on standby as more and more of the corrupted beasts disappeared into the thick, hazy forest that was home to the elves in Dicathen. As soon as thest of the monsters herded out from the Northern Beast des were deep inside the dense array of trees, I held up the ck ore.


    ¡°Una¡ªnonmages, front line positions with weapons out. Strikers, behind them with your shields and casters nearby. Prepare to charge at a given notice!¡± I ordered as everyone shuffled into ce.


    I didn¡¯t know how those corrupted beasts were sedated but the artifacts entrusted to me seemed to work like a charm. As soon as I shattered the ore, releasing the effects of my control, vicious growls, snarls, and roars broke out from within the forest.


    Several unads carrying supplies began handing out the vials of rancid liquid for everyone to spray on their clothes. Expensive and temporary, but it was the only way the corrupted beasts would not attack us.


    Moments of tense silence ensued as everyone waited for my signal. I flexed my hands, eager to get in some action with my newly unlocked crest. It had yet been even a passing of a season since I had trained my initial mark to form my crest¡ªtruly praiseworthy for someone that had just turned eighteen¡ªyet I found myself thirsting for more. Just like my father, I also wanted to be granted the privilege of entering the Obsidian Vault to hopefully acquire an emblem.


    I looked forward to returning to crya. I knew my father would survive the trials the Obsidian Vault gave to those that entered and I wanted nothing more than to see what sort of emblem he woulde out with.


    Perhaps he¡¯ll be blessed with a legendary regalia! If that happens, our House of Vale will soar within all of Vechor, perhaps even within all of cyra.


    I knew that my father wouldn¡¯t be able to get a regalia. While considered young, he was still only a mid-tier mage after all¡ªthe same as me, albeit twice my age. While I respected his strength and talent, he was still a shield. I allowed myself a faint smile that onlysted but a brief second when a loud crash resounded from the distance. With my basic senses enhanced by my crest, I was able to hear faint yells from what could only be by the elves patrolling the area.


    Taking a nce behind me to make sure that the signaling artifact was in ce to guide us back out of the forest, I readied myself.


    ¡°Charge!¡± I roared out dding my whole body in mana¡ªanother perk of my newly acquired crest.


    The nonmages charged without any doubt or reluctance while even the mages strode forth with unusual vigor.


    Taking just a quick moment to look down, I realized it was probably the soft glow emanating from my body that filled my troops with confidence. Confidence that stemmed from both my strength and mentality. It didn¡¯t matter if the Dicathiens had strange, versatile magic. For me, this was just a mission to seed in and to receive more achievements¡ªachievements that will further my blood waiting for me back home.


    I weaved through the maze of trees, unable to even see my own feet because of the dense fog. However, it was easy to spot the battle between the elves and the corrupted mana beasts we had let loose on theirnd.


    Though outnumbered, the elves were holding their own fairly well against the rabid beasts. Glowing arrows shot with astonishing uracy fell beast after beast, small orrge. Several elven soldiers were even able to control the trees around them to trap and choke several of therger beasts.


    One enemy mage stuck out. An older female with blonde hair that flowed out of her helmet. She had no weapons but from her hands came out deadly des of wind that were able to splice several beasts at once.


    That was my target.


    ¡°Seren, focus shields on me and stay at a distance with Mari. Sent¡ªAshton, stick close to them and ry my position in case I¡¯m in danger,¡± I ordered, picking up my pace. Polygonal panels of mana hovered around me, ready to defend against any projectiles while a faint hum sounded from behind as Mari began charging her magic.


    I channeled mana through my crest, an action that was as natural as breathing by now. Unsheathing my sword, strengthened by a famed instiller, I ignited the weapon with a jagged fire that tore and seared rather than burned.


    I circted more mana through my crest and out to the rest of my body to strengthen my limbs. Power rushed through me as I dashed forward into the thick of the battle like a true striker. My sword buzzed, glowing brightly like a beacon to my troops as I neared the first elf in my path.


    The lean elf with short hair and stern brows turned to me, eyes widening. His mouth moved and wind began gathering around his dual daggers but it was toote.


    I guess it¡¯s true that mages of Dicathen, while versatile, were slow. How inefficient and primitive.


    My sword tore through the daggers that he had crossed together to defend himself with before shing into his torso. Unexpectedly, I felt my sword go through ayer of mana.


    So even weak mages like him were able to d himself in mana. How odd.


    I didn¡¯t waste another breath as I finished off the impaired elf. Taking a quick moment to look around, I saw that many other of my mages had already engaged with the enemy elves. As predicted, the tides were rapidly turning in our favor. The corrupted beasts were deadly in that they didn¡¯t care for their own safety and viciously attacked anything in their way.


    As I neared closer to the elf using wind-de magic, Ashton¡¯s voice rang once more in my head.


    ¡®Her mana readings are a bit different, b-but she should be around the lower end of a mid-tier mage.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Your caster is readying her spell to single-target. Proceed with caution, and I¡¯ll let you know when to get out of the way.¡¯


    So this is what it¡¯s like to have a sentry¡ªeven a half-baked one¡ªessible. No wonder they¡¯re considered valuable despite not having a single form of offensive or defensive magic.


    The me magic that had been unlocked through my mark after the awakening ceremony allowed my mes to take on a jagged quality that tore away at anything in its path. A rare, upper mid-tier mark. However, after I had mastered this magic to the point that I could evolve it to a crest, I was able to utilize it in a whole new way.


    Dropping my speed, I sheathed my sword and circted more mana through my crest. My body erupted, covering me in an armor of fire while releasing four floating sickles of jagged mes. They orbited around me, ready to strike with a very thought as I concentrated entirely on controlling them.


    The female elf d in armor let loose another de of wind, killing yet another two beasts before turning her full attention on me.


    Unlike the previous elf I had just killed, her mouth didn¡¯t move while she let loose a de of wind at me.


    ¡®S-Shield prepared to guard the attack. Proceed,¡¯ the sentry informed.


    I stepped off, my movement empowered by the mes enveloping my body. The polygonal shieldsyered in front of me, prepared to take on the wind de. The first panel broke upon impact and the second one cracked, but withstood the attack before wind dissipated.


    Using that opportunity, I was able to get in range to send my sickles out to my opponent.


    ¡®A arrow iing from left. Duck!¡¯


    Without hesitation, I fell to the ground. That broke my concentration in controlling the flying sickles of me, but I was able to dodge the mana-d arrow as it whizzed above me. Just by the sound it made, I knew that relying on the shield was a risk better not taken.


    I need to end this fast. I don¡¯t want to waste too much mana on just a single enemy.


    The drawback of using the full form of my crest was that it took a lot of mana to keep up. Not to mention that each of the three sickles took up additional mana to maintain; something I need to improve upon if I want to be able to control more sickles.


    Pushing off with both my hands and feet, I dashed toward the elf, who was just about to release another de.


    I sent a single sickle down on her gathered hands. Despite the speed of my blitz attack, she was able to dodge my sickle in time to save her hands from getting sliced off. However, that allowed me to bury a me-d fist right into her breastte, shattering it and sending her flying backward and into a tree.


    Releasing my me-d form to save mana, I drew my de to end the elf when a terrifying presence gripped at my very soul.


    ¡®S-S-Steffen. G-Get out of there. Now!¡¯


    I wanted to. I wanted nothing more than to get of here, but I found myself on my knees, wing at my chest because I couldn¡¯t breathe.


    What in Great Vritra¡¯s name is this suffocating presence?


    I tried to crawl away¡ªthat was all I could manage. I cared not to save my appearances. If I didn¡¯t get out of here, I knew that I wouldn¡¯t even live to feel shame.


    That was when a personnded in front of me.


    I looked up to see the boy, his long auburn hair tied messily behind him with striking blue eyes that radiated power. He gazed down at me with an annoyance that wasn¡¯t even directed to me.


    I was the son of Karnal Vale, heir to the House of Vale, yet in front of this boy that appeared no older than me, I was nothing.


    My body trembled and convulsed as a palpable power radiated from him and weighed down on me.


    Just then, however, I heard a slight hum before a beam of pure frost bombarded the boy. I flinched and tried to roll away to not get caught up in the st.


    A fleeting sense of hope allowed me to get back on my legs as I tried to run away, but before I could even get in two steps, a searing pain radiated from my right arm and the ground slid out from under me.


    I toppled forward, unable to get up. Looking behind me, I could only see a pool of crimson spreading from where my arm used to be. Desperate, I used my only able arm to try and crawl, somehow unable to get up. My eyes searched for my teammates, only to see Seren, Mari and Ashton fleeing away.


    My vision dimmed as I found myself eye-level with the roots sprouting from the ground, myst thoughts being how it wasn¡¯t supposed to end like this.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    I surveyed the surroundings. The once lush green forest was sttered with blood and corpses. Even the thick fog did little to cover up the aftermath of the battle.


    ¡°Thank you, General Arthur, for your aid,¡± the female elf that I had barely saved said, her voice hoarse and in pain.


    My eyes fell to the elven soldiers that had died trying to protect their home. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯te sooner. This could¡¯ve all been avoided had I arrived before the beasts were herded into the forest.¡±


    The elf shook her head. ¡°Please don¡¯t apologize. The oue of this battle would¡¯ve been very different had you note at all. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have to help and gather my men.¡±


    Keeping her armor on, the elf ran off, checking for any signs of life while more elves arrived to help.


    Is this what Agrona meant when he said the war is progressing to the next stage?


    This marked the first attack on Elven territory, and even if this particr strike had failed, it had done its job.


    Until now, only Sapin had taken the brunt of the attack, which made it easy to allocate resources to a central ce, but now that our enemies are striking elsewhere as well, how will the Council choose to handle this?


    I¡¯ll have to check up on General Aya to see if she needs help, I thought before looking down at the cryan that I had managed to keep alive. I had severed his dominant arm but otherwise kept him able. The healthier he is now the longer he¡¯llst during the information extraction.


    ¡°You. Soldier carrying the weapons,¡± I called out to a nearby elf who had been assigned to collect his fallenrades¡¯ belongings.


    The young elf looked down at weapons in his arms before realizing that he was the one being called to. ¡°Y-Yes, General Arthur?¡±


    I pointed down to the cryan on the ground. ¡°Bring this one to the camp and wrap up his wounds so he doesn¡¯t bleed out.¡±


    There was a look of disdain that passed through the elf¡¯s face, but he quickly hid it and dipped his head in understanding.


    ¡°Oh, and make sure he doesn¡¯t kill himself before I interrogate him,¡± I added as the elf picked the wounded enemy up.


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± he said with renewed vigor, knowing that his enemy will perhaps have a fate worse than death.

 Chapter 196

    Chapter 196


    Chapter 196: Questioning


    Letting out a sigh, I sank down on deep moss and leaned back against a tree. I pulled out a water skin and took a long sip, letting the cold water sit in my mouth before I gulped it down.


    There was a faint glow now as the sun came up. Looking at the sky covered in trees, I took in the view of lush green with specks of orange peeking through to provide a little warmth in this damp and cold forest.


    Distracting my mind from thinking of the uing task that I would have to undergo, I thought back to a few days ago. Despite the weighty conversation that I had with Agrona, things seemed to be getting better.


    My core had advanced to white, and every moment my body limated to the change, I felt stronger. The scars around on my neck and wrist hadn¡¯t disappeared but had be noticeably lighter. My legs that had endured several substantial injuries felt lighter than before.


    I knew that my body hadn¡¯t physically changed. This meant that I still couldn¡¯t use any sequence of Mirage Walk, including Burst Step, without ruing damage to my lower body, but using organic magic, magic that was didn¡¯t have a set purpose predisposed by gestures or chants, had be infinitely more natural and with it a method of bing even stronger.


    Sylvie, on the other hand, didn¡¯t have it as easy. While she looked younger than my sister in her new form, she had the coordination of a toddler.


    Her frustration was visible as she frequently tripped over her own foot or lost bnce for no apparent reason while standing still. Perhaps even more amusing than her stumblings was her attempts at using her newly-acquired thumbs. More than once did a maid have to clean broken tes and shelf decors in the room.


    I let out a chuckle, still clearly able to picture the faces of everyone when they saw Sylvie in her human form for the first time. Everyone had taken it a different way.


    Kathyln¡¯s eyes had widened as she bolted away from my door while repeatedly apologizing for the intrusion, leaving Hester with an amused grin as I tried to exin.


    My sister had pointed at me with a trembled finger, asking when Tessia and I had a child together. While I didn¡¯t me her since Sylvie did have this sheen wheat-colored quality to her hair that might have been a result of a shade of brown mixing with gunmetal silver, but I responded as any older brother would. I smacked the back of Ellie¡¯s head and asked her how Sylvie could¡¯ve been my child if she looked only a few years younger than her. At the mention of Sylvie¡¯s name, my sister turned ecstatic and the two have been spending more time with each other ever since.


    Virion¡¯s reaction had been rtively muted; he seemed to have sensed it was Sylvie the moment he walked into the room. That didn¡¯t mean he was going to pass up the opportunity for a witty remark though. Rubbing his chin in thought while muttering that he now knew my preference counted as such.


    Surprisingly, though, Emily¡¯s reaction had disturbed me the most. The way she turned beet red and covered her mouth was reasonable enough, but she just stood there in the doorway, her curved lips peeking out from behind her hands.


    It was a duly noted reminder to me to introduce a boy to the poor lonely artificer.


    Squeezing my eyes shut, I let out a deep breath. I had left Sylvie behind since she was still getting used to the changes to her body in her new form now that the seal her mother had ced on her was broken, and while I felt isted here despite the activity going around from the aftermath of the recent battle, I knew I made the right decision.


    I didn¡¯t want her¡ªI didn¡¯t want anyone I knew¡ªto see what I would have to do to the boy I had kept alive.


    I just hope that things are better on General Aya¡¯s side, I thought.


    The two of us were ordered to confirm and aid in the defense against the attacks of the cryans assuming that the messenger¡¯s news was correct.


    With my eyes still closed, I took in the symphony of sounds. Birds sang in varying notes while insects harmonized with their chirps and drones, all apanied by the background of rustling leaves.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s actually more peaceful here than in the castle,¡± I muttered optimistically, imagining the chaos in the meeting room right now as the members of the Council fought for the proper distribution of soldiers and mages now that significant attacks weren¡¯t just happening on Sapin¡¯s doorsteps.


    ¡°General Arthur!¡± a familiar voice called out from a distance, prying my eyes open.


    It was the elf that I had ordered to carry the cryan. He ran toward me deftly, never missing a footing despite the unevenness of the ground. ¡°The cryan has awoken!¡±


    I rose to my feet, patting the dirt off of my clothes. I prepared my mind, reaching out for the emptiness that would help me interrogate the enemy without remorse or sympathy, all the while trying to bury the memory of my past when the situation was reversed. ¡°Strip the prisoner and remove everyone else from the room.¡±


    ***


    The encampment of the elven troops was in the middle of a small clearing that seemed unnatural just a few hundred yards north of the battle. Or so I thought. My senses even at white-core weren¡¯t fully ustomed to the direction-disturbing effects of the Elshire Forest.


    By the holes in the ground that had been packed with fresh dirt and the trees that seemed to be unusually dense just outside the camp, it seemed like the elves had a mage with strong wood affinity to manipte the trees like this. Tents of thick fabric filled the clearing while elven soldiers moved about in activity.


    A few bowed when our eyes met, while others nced wearily at the human kid that was perhaps several times more powerful than the entire campbined.


    The elf pointed ahead. ¡°This way, General. The cryan is in the tent at the rear. Our head is waiting just outside.¡±


    I saw therge canopy made up of twisted roots and branches and a thick cloth draping over it. A swirling dome of wind covered the wooden tent and waiting with her attention to the entrance of the tent, arms out and mana continually circting inside her, was the same armored woman that I had managed to save from the prisoner himself.


    Upon seeing our arrival, she visibly rxed and held out a hand. ¡°I forgot to introduce myself earlier. My name is Lenna Aemaris, head of the southeastern unit in Elenoir.¡±


    ¡°Arthur Leywin.¡± I shook her hand before turning to the tent. ¡°He¡¯s able to talk?¡±


    A look of disgust traced Lenna¡¯s face. ¡°He¡¯s been screaming and yelling since waking up, which is why I had to put up a wind barrier. It¡¯ll also give you some privacy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I took a calm breath, dissociating myself from the events about to unfold as I walked through the sound protecting barrier without disrupting the spell¡ªa feat that was much harder than it appeared. I wouldn¡¯t think of myself as Arthur right now. I was an interrogator from this moment.


    Inside, my ears were already filled with an angry boy shouting idle threats.


    ¡°My arm! Where¡¯s my arm? If you primitive beasts know what¡¯s good for you, you¡¯ll untie me. I am of blood Vale, a distinguished family of the¡ª¡±


    My hand cracked across his face, snapping it back with the force of the blow.


    The boy looked at me, stunned. ¡°Y-You... You pped me! What¡¯s your name? I¡¯ll have you¡ª¡±


    I bent forward after pping him once more to lock eyes with the boy. ¡°I don¡¯t think you truly understand the gravity of the situation you are in, so allow me to enlighten you.¡±


    I stepped down on his pinky toe until a sharp ¡®crack¡¯ could be heard.


    The boy screamed and iled but the chair he was tied to never faltered.


    I stared, deadpan, as he struggled to cope. A few momentster, I could feel him cycle mana to his broken toe, trying to heal and alleviate some of the pain.


    Good. The boy willst a while.


    Despite strengthening his body with mana, I broke another one of his toes. Again, a shrill cry tore out of the boy¡¯s throat as his eyes watered.


    I removed my foot from his toe and waited another moment. Then, I stepped on and broke another one of his toes.


    His shouts and curses soon turned to sobs and pleas to stop, but he wasn¡¯tpletely broken yet.


    I moved my foot from his toes, just below his ankles, and stepped down. A series of ¡®cracks¡¯ and ¡®snaps¡¯ resounded along with the boy¡¯s piercing shriek.


    ¡°Pl-Please. Why are you doing this? What do you want? I¡¯ll give you anything,¡± he muttered in between sobs as he stared at his mangled left foot.


    ¡°Your name,¡± I demanded without emotion.


    ¡°Why do you need to know¡ª¡± the boy let out another howl as his left fib snaps in two. ¡°Steffan! Steffan Vale. Please... no more.¡±


    ¡°Steffan. Even from a glimpse, I know your family¡ªor blood, as you call it¡ªis distinguished, meaning you are as well. Unlike the other soldiers we¡¯ve captured so far, you¡¯ve made no attempts to kill yourself and wish dearly to live. Am I correct so far?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± he blurted. Not giving his interrogator an excuse to break another bone.


    I chose my words carefully before speaking. ¡°I won¡¯t kill you if you cooperate. In what condition you make it back home, however, will depend on how helpful you are and how honestly you answer my questions. Do you understand?¡±


    He nodded fiercely.


    ¡°A few of your troops have survived and safely escaped, but I strongly advise you get rid of the hope that the number of forces they can muster up and bring back here will not be strong enough to aid you.¡± The mana that I had grown ustomed to restraining was set loose.


    The thick roots and branches making up the tent cracked and snapped under the full weight of a white core mage letting loose. The ground splintered as rubble shook below our feet.


    As for Steffan, he was having a hard time breathing even while meager amounts of mana cycled profusely throughout his body. His bloodshot eyes bulged as his mouth gaped like a fish out of water until I withdrew my mana back.


    ¡°I-I under... understand,¡± he stammered, unable to even muster up the strength to be embarrassed by the foul, acrid stench emanating from between his legs.


    ¡°Good.¡± I nodded, taking a step away. I thought of going straight to the more pressing questions, but I wanted to see if he was actually telling the truth.


    ¡°List all of the males in the Vale house and your rtionship to them.¡±


    The boy looked fearful for a second, most likely thinking that I would use this information to kill off his entire house, but with a quick reassurance that killing his family wasn¡¯t my intention, he sumbed. Steffan rattled off a list of names that had no meaning to me besides that they were some distant cousin or uncle until one name that I could verify came up. ¡°... Izora Vale, my mother. Karnal Vale, my father. Lucia Vale, my sister.¡±


    I put up a hand to stop him.


    ¡°What is the awakening process?¡±


    ¡°The awakening is the ceremony that unlocks the children their first mark so that they can be a mage,¡± Steffan answered, his voice hoarse.


    ¡°What is the difference between a crest and a mark?¡± I asked, remembering the terms from my glimpse into Uto¡¯s memories through his horn.


    The boy recited his reply like he¡¯d memorized it out of a textbook. ¡°A crest is stronger. Symbolizes a greater understanding of the specified route of magic that the mark enables the mage to utilize...¡±


    My curiosity was beginning to win over me; I wanted to learn more about Steffan¡¯s continent, but I could tell he was starting to withdraw. It would be a lot harder to get him motivated to answer my questions the longer this went, and without an emitter to keep him alive, it was a risk I couldn¡¯t take now.


    Again, I chose the words very carefully for this question. I wanted Steffan to think I had a partial idea and only wanted him to confirm. That was the best way to get truthful answers out of him.


    ¡°What stage is above marks and crests?¡± I said, gripping his leg in warning as his eyes began to shut.


    ¡°A-After crests are emblems, and then regalias,¡± he said hurriedly.


    ¡°How strong are mages with regaliaspared to retainers?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know! My family¡¯s highest power is my grandfather, and he¡¯s only an emblem mage¡ªI swear on the name of Vritra!¡±


    ¡°Swear on the name of Vritra,¡± I echoed distastefully. I¡¯ve heard a saying simr inside the cavern in Darv. It seems the Vritra are considered almost like gods in crya.


    ¡°Do you know how many emblem and regalia-holders are on Dicathen currently?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Mymander is is an emblem mage but I know that he answers to a regalia-holder. I don¡¯t know the exact numbers.¡±


    I let out a sigh. This boy is too low in rankings to be of any use. From the sound of it, the House of Vale that he so proudly proimed wasn¡¯t even very high up in crya either.


    Asking a few questions pertaining specifically to the orders that had been given to him, I found out that several other troops were heading north to Elshire Forest just like I had feared.


    Thest question I asked was more for my own curiosity, but it turned out to be the most useful knowledge that I had gained from Steffan.


    ¡°Please... let me go now. You promised. I answered every one of your questions truthfully!¡± The boy¡¯s shoulders sagged, and the stump that used to be his right arm was bleeding through the bandages.


    ¡°Like I said. I won¡¯t kill you.¡± With thosest words, I left the tent.


    Waiting for me was Lenna, the elven woman that led the troops here. I took in the sights of the encampment. Waves of elven soldiers were arriving, some carrying bloodied allies, while others moved what was left of theirrades¡¯ corpses.


    I stepped forward, stopping beside her. She flinched when our eyes met, but she remained silent, waiting for my orders.58


    My gaze remained cold, not wanting even a shred of emotion to get in my way as I spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯m done. Feel free to dispose of the cryan how you see fit.¡±

 Chapter 197

    Chapter 197


    Chapter 197: Torn


    My eyes shot open from a sharp sting on my cheek, only to see a blinding light aimed straight at my face.


    Immediately, my heart started to pound as my mind scrambled to make sense of what was going on. I tried to get up, but both my hands and feet were bound to the chair I was sitting on.


    ¡°Grey. Can you hear me?¡± a dark silhouette behind the fluorescent light used in hospitals asked calmly.


    ¡°Where am I? Wh-Who are you?¡± I managed, my throat dry and burning.


    ¡°What is thest thing you remember?¡± a different shadowed figure growled, ignoring my questions. He had arger frame than the one who had asked the previous question, but I couldn¡¯t make out any other details aside from that.


    My head throbbed as I tried to recollect the memories, but eventually I was able to sort them out. ¡°I... I had just won the tournament.¡±


    I was slowly adjusting to the light, able to make out more details of the room I was in and the figure standing in front of me.


    ¡°What else?¡± the man said calmly.


    ¡°I epted an offer to be mentored by a powerful person,¡± I let out, hoping my ambiguity would go unnoticed.


    ¡°What is the name of this powerful woman and what is your rtionship with her?¡± the man asked. The fact that he knew she was a woman made me think he was either testing me, or he already knew the truth.


    I pulled at what felt like a thick metal wire tied around my wrists. Seeing as even my strength reinforced with ki did nothing, I answered. ¡°I only know her as Lady Vera, and I just met her.¡±


    ¡°Lies,¡± therger man, that I now could make out had long slicked-back hair, hissed. He raised a hand, as if to strike me, but the thinner man stopped him.


    ¡°What happened after you won the tournament, Grey?¡± he then asked, his voice never showing any signs of emotion.


    I winced, trying to remember. ¡°I think I headed back to my dorm room, right after.¡±


    Lady Vera had said before we parted that she¡¯d contact me once things settled down, but better to not tell these men more information than they ask for.


    I was jolted out of my thoughts when therger, long-haired grasped my entire neck with a single hand and lifted me¡ªand the chair¡ªoff the ground.


    ¡°Again, lies!¡± he said, his face now close enough to mine to make out more details. He had scars all across his face, making his already-intimidating face even more frightening. ¡°It¡¯d be wise to just tell us the organization that sent you to protect the legacy.¡±


    Organization? Legacy?


    I couldn¡¯t make sense of their usations but with my throat unable to even gasp for air, I was left gagging in the man¡¯s grasp until his thinnerpanion smacked away the hand that was choking me.


    Anchored down by the chair I had been tied to, I fell helplessly on the ground. I lost consciousness for a split second when my head snapped and hit the cold hard floor.


    When I came to, I had been put back upright, face-to-face with the thinner man that somehow scared me more than therge scarred abomination.


    He had short cropped hair and eyes that looked more hollow than a dead fish. A single look into his eyes made me doubt that the man even had emotions to hide.


    His eyes remained locked on mine for a split second before his lips curved up into a smile that didn¡¯t quite reach his dead eyes.


    He turned around and walked away. ¡°Strip him while I get the white phosphorus.¡±


    Therger man sneered as he tore off the old shirt I had worn to bed and the goose-print pajama pants that Headmaster Wilbeck had gotten me as a joke for my birthday.


    ¡°I believe you have some information that we need. Fortunately for you, this means that we need you alive for now.¡± The thinner man came back, wearing gloves. In his hands was a small metal cube. ¡°If you¡¯re truly who we suspect you are, then you might have prepared for this. If by some mistake, we¡¯ve made an error and everything that we considered as evidence was simply coincidence, then...well... you¡¯ll be experiencing something that you¡¯ll never forget.¡±


    ¡°What? What are you talking about?¡± I said, still bleary from the recent head trauma.


    ¡°This will be easy,¡± the thin man smiled as he dipped a gloved finger into the metal cube. ¡°I won¡¯t even ask you any questions yet.¡±


    He smeared a line of shiny silver paste just below my ribs, and brought out a lighter.


    ¡°W-Wait. What are you doing? Please,¡± I begged, still unable to even process how everything was unfolding.


    The man didn¡¯t talk. He just lowered the small me onto the silver paste. As soon as the fire touched the substance, a pain that I didn¡¯t even know existed erupted.


    A scream tore out of my throat as my body convulsed from the searing torment that remained concentrated to where the paste was smeared.


    I had gotten burned before, butpared to the sensation eating away at my skin right now, those memories actually felt pleasant.


    It seemed like hours as the pain somehow seemed to grow worse. During this time, my screams turned hoarse and the tears that flooded down my face had dried and crusted.


    Finally, the pain began to subside, only for the thin man¡ªthe demon¡ªto apply another line of the silver paste on a different section of my body.


    ¡°P-Please,¡± I wept. ¡°Don¡¯t do this.¡±


    The man remained silent and lit another hellish fire on my body.


    I screamed. My mind screamed.


    Every part of my body spasmed and twitched, doing whatever it could to expel this torment but all for naught.


    Thoughts questioning whether I was going to die soon turned to thoughts hoping I¡¯d die.


    I couldn¡¯t tell how many times the demon sauntered back to me with that wretched silver paste of his, but this time he stood still. He didn¡¯t immediately smear my body with the paste again, but rather just locked eyes with me.


    I jumped at this chance. If it meant that I would be free of the pain, I would do anything.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll tell you whatever you want. Anything. Everything!¡¯ I pleaded, my voice barelying out as a whisper.


    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± he smiled sincerely, somehow making his face even more twisted than before.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to paint you a little story and you¡¯re going to help fill in the gaps for me. Any attempts at lying or withholding any truths will unfortunately lead me to put this in ces more... sensitive. Am I clear?¡± The thin demon held up the container of what he called white phosphorus and waved it in front of me.


    Without even the necessary saliva to swallow, I simply nodded.


    ¡°Your name is Grey, with background checks confirming you to be an orphan under refuge by one of the many institutions of this country. Headmistress Olivia Wilbeck had been taking care of you since infancy and the orphanage was what you considered home. Am I on track so far, Grey?¡±


    I nodded again.


    ¡°Bring the boy a ss of water,¡± the thin man replied, seemingly pleased by my obedience.


    Thergerpanion held a dirty cup against my mouth. The water was stale and musty, as if they¡¯d wrung a wet dog, but it still felt like bliss against my parched mouth and throat.


    The bulky man pulled away the cup when I had only finished half, making me crane my neck forward to try and suck as much water before he pulled itpletely out of reach.


    ¡°Moving on¡ªand this was where I was hoping you¡¯d start filling in the gaps...¡± he said as if I had a choice. ¡°What military institution trained you to be the legacy¡¯s protector, because there wasn¡¯t anything on official records.¡±


    I furrowed my brows, confused. ¡°I¡¯ve only barely finished my second year at Wittholm Military Academy. I¡¯ve had no previous training before.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me that you managed to defeat two professionally trained kibatants without prior training?¡± the thin man asked, his voice getting dangerously low.


    ¡°I had help from my friends, but yes,¡± I said, mustering up as much confidence as I could.


    ¡°And so you¡¯re telling me Olivia Wilbeck, that calcting shrew, allowed the legacy to simply walk out in public with two children that had no prior training?¡±


    ¡°What is this legacy you keep saying? I¡¯ve never seen that thing in my life!¡± I pleaded.


    The thin man regarded me silently for a moment. ¡°There are just two things I really want to know, Grey. What organization sent you to protect the legacy, and to what extent is the country of Trayden providing assistance to you and the legacy by publicly announcing Lady Vera as your mentor?¡±


    My mind spun for answers. I had no idea what organization he was talking about and what the country of Trayden had anything to do with whatever this legacy was.


    Before I could answer, the man let out a sigh. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he walked toward me. ¡°I really hoped you¡¯d stay true to your word and cooperate. If you hesitate like this, I can only assume you¡¯re trying to make up an answer.¡±


    He dipped his gloved fingers in the cube and smeared a line of the silver paste on the inside of my bare thighs.


    ¡°P-Please. I don¡¯t know,¡± I pleaded once more, fresh tears rolling down my cheeks once more. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±


    Hellfire ignited on the soft flesh of my thighs, the heat reaching up to my crotch.


    I couldn¡¯t tell if I was screaming after a while. My ears seemed to have tuned out my own yells. I thought the pain was unbearable, but I guess my body didn¡¯t think so. No matter how badly I wanted to lose consciousness, I stayed awake, enduring the full brunt of the controlled mes.


    But that wasn¡¯t even the worst part. It was the part where the thin demon woulde after a while and pause before wordlessly igniting another part of my body on fire.


    Every time he walked toward me, I was both afraid and hopeful. Afraid that he¡¯d induce more pain, and hopeful that this would be the time that he¡¯d finally talk again and relieve me from this hell.


    Time seemed so foreign to me. I couldn¡¯t tell whether it was going by fast or slow inside this dark, windowless room. The bright light aimed constantly at my face didn¡¯t allow my eyes to make out details of the room. No distraction to help me ease the pain.


    What snapped me out of my stupor was the sound of footsteps approaching me. I readied myself to plead, to beg at the thin man, but I realized a third person hade inside the room.


    ¡°What th¡ª¡±


    Therge man slumped after taking a quick strike from the third figure.


    The thin demonshed out with a weapon I couldn¡¯t make out but was suddenly sent flying back.


    The third figure walked toward me, turning off the light.


    The world splotched white until my eyes were able to adjust.


    ¡°You¡¯re safe now, kid,¡± the figure said, kneeling down.


    It was Lady Vera.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    Gales of wind tore past me as I flew above the clouds. Reaching white core hade with an abundance of perks and manipting ambient mana effectively enough to take flight was one of them. Had I tried to do something like this while still in silver, I would¡¯ve drained my own core minutes into a journey.


    Now, I was filled with the surreal feeling of the mana around me lifting me up into the sky. Still, while the sensation was exhrating, my head swam with thoughts fromst night¡¯s dream.


    I had assumed that interrogating the cryan was what brought out that unwanted memory, but with how frequently I¡¯ve been having these detailed memories of my former life, I couldn¡¯t help but grow worried and frustrated. Still, I had made a vow when I was born into this world that I wouldn¡¯t live a life like my previous one. And until I could get a better exnation of why these memories wereing back, I decided to just consider them as reminders of my failures.


    Besides, it wasn¡¯t like I could see a therapist here.


    I mustered a smile at the thought of myselfying on a couch, talking about my problems to a professional with a clipboard, when I looked back at toward Elshire Forest. A tinge of guilt surfaced in my stomach for leaving them so hastily.


    Lenna and her soldiers are better off with General Aya staying behind since she can actually navigate within the forest, I reassured myself. After meeting up with the elvennce, we exchanged our findings in-depth. We had decided that I was to report back to the Castle while she remained as support until further orders by the Council.


    I didn¡¯t exactly report back to the Castle, but I did send a brief report through a transmission scroll that Lenna had on hand and informed Virion that I was going to make a small detour.


    The transmission scroll will give them enough to work off of and the information I learned from the cryan will be more useful here, I thought as I stared at the snow-capped peaks of the Grand Mountains jutting out of the clouds.


    Even this high up, I could hear the distant echoes of battle raging beneath. Muffled explosions, hums of magic, and the faint cries of various undistinguishable beasts resounded, muddled by the screams and yells of people fighting them.


    For some reason, I was nervous. Thences rarely came to the Wall because there has yet to be any sightings of any retainers or scythes. The day-to-day battles that raged on by the wall were mages and soldiers alike facing corrupted beasts that mindlessly tried to charge through and break the line of defense.


    I¡¯d read many reportsing from the Wall and even made some changes to their fighting structure. Yet, this would be the first time I¡¯d be there in person. This was where battles were going on almost daily, producing seasoned soldiers out of new recruits that were still wet on the nose¡ªif they survived.


    More importantly, this was where Tess and her unit were stationed. They were part of the assault division responsible for infiltrating dungeons and getting rid of corrupted beasts below and wipe out any teleportation gates that the cryan have been nting to transport more soldiers.


    Reaching the Grand Mountains, I slowly descended through the sea of clouds until I got a full aerial view of the battle ensuing below me. Streams and bolts of magic in various colors rained down from the wall while soldiers below fought of hordes of beasts that had managed to live through the elemental assaults.


    Some stronger beasts unleashed magical attacks of their own, but its number and volumes paledpared to the collective efforts of all the mages in the Wall.


    I continued my descent toward the Wall, concentrating on the numerous types of beasts on the battlefield that was dyed in shade of red darker than normal blood when I sensed a spell approaching me from behind.


    Looking back over my shoulder, I saw the st of fire asrge as my body in diameter shooting toward me.


    A tinge of annoyance was all that I managed to muster up before swatting at the spell, dispersing it effortlessly before speeding my descent to the upper levels of the Wall.


    Softening mynding with a cushion of wind, I was met with a crowd of soldiers kneeling.


    Closest to me was a barrel-chested man d in full armor that was dented and dirty from obvious exposure in battle. He knelt down a few feet ahead of me, his hand holding down the head of a man that looked to be only a few years older than me.


    ¡°General! My sincerest apologies for my subordinate¡¯s grave blunder. As we had not received word that ance would be blessing us with his presence, he assumed you to be an enemy. I will reprimand and see to his punishment immediately,¡± the man d in armor stated. His voice wasn¡¯t loud but carried a presence that told me his battered armor wasn¡¯t the only thing that showed he was a veteran.


    I pried my gaze off the man that I assumed was the leader and looked at the boy whose head was forcibly pushed down into a bow. He was trembling while he gripped at his staff with enough strength to whiten his knuckles.


    It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been treated like this, I mused, taking a moment to savor the heads bowed in respect and probably fear.


    It grew old after a few seconds.


    I cleared my throat and walked toward therge man in armor. ¡°No need. I came unannounced and from the Beast des so I can see how your subordinate thought I was an enemy.¡±


    I paused, and bent down to match my gaze to the conjurer that had fired the spell at me. ¡°But, next time when you see an unidentified and possible threat, you should immediately notify your superiors so that they can make the judgement. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Un-Understood, General!¡± He bolted upright into a salute, nearly clipping my chin in the process.


    With a grin, I turned back to the armored man.


    ¡°Name and position,¡± I stated, walking past him toward the stairs.


    ¡°Captain Albanth Kelris of the Bulwark Division.¡±<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He trotted close behind.


    ¡°Well then, Captain Albanth Kelris, let¡¯s talk strategy.¡±

 Chapter 198

    Chapter 198


    Chapter 198: A City Within


    VIRION ERALITH


    I took a seat on the cushioned chair of gnarled wood, casting a weary gaze at the two royal pairs already poised tosh out at each other; the only thing keeping the four of them silent was their respect for me.


    In front of me was a transmission scroll that held the contents of today¡¯s meeting sent to me by Arthur. A creeping suspicion that the boy in question had decided not toe straight back in order to avoid this meeting bubbled inside my head, but I let it go with a sigh.


    I forgive you, Arthur. I don¡¯t want to be here either, I thought, taking a moment to appreciate the luxuriously decorated room.


    With a cozy fire burning in the hearth and several light artifacts set in gold sconces along the walls, the room was cast in a warm, friendly atmosphere¡ªas if to mock the subtle hostility surfacing from those present inside.


    Thest shred of natural light from the window to my left dimmed as the sun dipped below the clouds. I took that as my cue to start the meeting. ¡°Take a seat. Let¡¯s begin.¡±


    There was a moment of silence while the four in the room with me looked at one another before the head of the yder family cleared his throat.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve all been briefed on General Arthur and General Aya¡¯s report, so I say we get right to it. I believe we should keep our forces as is and send reinforcement to the Elshire Forest on an as-needed basis,¡± ine said. Despite the human king¡¯s sunken cheeks and unshaved state that covered the lower half of his face with the same crimson color as his hair, he spoke resolutely.


    I remained silent and neutral, as was my job until all sides¡ªwhich in this case, two¡ªhave exined their arguments.


    ¡°Councilman ine. Sending reinforcements on an as-needed basis to the border between the Beast des and the Elshire Forest suggests you don¡¯t see the elven territory worthy of defending,¡± Merial intoned coldly.


    Years of being part of the Council had shaped my once lively daughter-inw into a sharp and cold diplomat.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t twist my words, Councilwoman Merial,¡± ine rebutted. ¡°The report stated two separate attacks, but it was coordinated to happen at the same time. This means that, so far, only one attack has been made into the elven territory. Compare that to the near-daily attacks happening on the Wall, shouldn¡¯t it be obvious that protecting Sapin¡¯s borders takes precedence?¡±


    ¡°No one is saying that the defense of the Elshire Forest should take precedence over Sapin,¡± Alduin said,posed. ¡°However, much like how there are elven soldiers stationed at the Wall to help protect Sapin, there should be at least some form of defense on the Forest border¡¯s, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°The Elshire Forest is a form of defense,¡± Prisci yder added, pointing with her finger to the lower portion of the forest on the mapid out in front of them. ¡°The manaden fog itself has been a form of deterrence to everyone but elves since its existence. Even the attacks attempted yesterday would¡¯ve failed eventually if you chose to ignore the intruders. The cryans and beasts would¡¯ve gotten lost and starved themselves to death long before they reached any outskirt cities of Elenoir.¡±


    ¡°The forest itself is a part of the kingdom of Elenoir, and there are still tribes of elves housed outside of the cities,¡± Alduin stated, his voice growing louder. ¡°With that same reasoning just now, Sapin would also be better off abandoning the wall and the small outpost cities near the border so that there¡¯s lessnd to protect.¡±


    ¡°How can you even call that an adequateparison!¡± ine roared, mming his palms down on the roundtable. ¡°The easiest way to the major cities of Elenoir is through the northern range of the Grand Mountains, from Sapin. If Sapin goes down, even the outer cities, the cryans will have far easier ess to yournds as well!¡±


    ¡°Watch your tone, Councilman,¡± Merial snapped, her bright blue eyes growing dark. ¡°You act as though the elves are in your debt when we have sent plenty of mages to help your forces fend off the cryans from your waters. If even a fourth of those soldiers were stationed to guard the forest borders, we wouldn¡¯t even be needing this meeting.¡±


    The former human queen spoke, her chilling voice soothing the heated argument. ¡°The truth remains as it is. While you can say that the Elshire Forest is part of your kingdom, no cities or even towns have yet to see battle. Until such a need grows, sending troops will only weaken the borders that are continuously facing battles.¡±


    Alduin rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. When he opened them, his emerald eyes locked into mine. ¡°All we¡¯re requesting is sending some of our men back to Elenoir so that they can defend their home.¡±


    ¡°There is no your men. Did you forget? The Council was formed to unite the three races because we predicted an outside threat. Our job is to stay impartial and lead the entire continent into a victory over the cryans, not just Elenoir,¡± ine rebutted before turning to face me. ¡°I implore Commander Virion that he remains impartial for the sake of this war.¡±


    ¡°You talk of impartiality when you¡¯ve been single-mindedly focused on what¡¯s best for your kingdom!¡± Alduin argued, the tip of his ears turning red. ¡°And if the whole sake of the Council was to unite the three races, yet one of the three races isn¡¯t even present, doesn¡¯t that defeat the whole point?¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡±


    Those present in the room felt the palpable pressure that I cast on the ce. Even Prisci, with her core on the verge of turning silver, paled as she struggled.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard both sides, and before you further degrade yourselves by arguing like spoiled children, I¡¯ll inject myself.¡±


    Both ine and Alduin flushed with anger and embarrassment but remained silent.


    I cast a sharp gaze to everyone inside before speaking again. ¡°Based on the number of attacks, Sapin remains a priority for the cryans. As Councilman ine mentioned, the easiest way to the major cities of Elenoir is from crossing the northern range of the Grand Mountains from Sapin, and since there have been small strikes near that area, we are to proceed under the assumption that the cryans know this as well. We¡¯ll send more troops to solidify that area¡¯s defense.¡±


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    Another pulse of mana sent Alduin¡¯s jaw to snap shut.


    ¡°As for the defense of the southern borders of Elenoir, we¡¯ll have several units of the Trailzer division stationed to only make expeditions down the dungeons nearby so that they can resurface and act as additional support in case of more attacks in the forest.¡±


    The room remained tense, but everyone seemed satisfied¡ªjust barely.


    ¡°Good,¡± I nodded. ¡°Now. As for the biggest issue. Our alliance with the dwarves has remained neutral at best the best of times, and hostile for the remainder. Even with the formation of the Council, the dwarven representatives have always had their own agenda and priorities, but I¡¯m hoping that will soon change.¡±


    I turned my head toward the single door, and everyone followed. After a moment of silence, I cleared my throat. ¡°You cane in now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, damn, I missed my cue!¡± a gruff voice sounded from the other side of the room.


    I could feel a smile forming on my lips.


    The ornamented knob shook harshly before a brawny dwarf with a thick white beard and a decorated robe that seemed a few sizes too tight walked inside.


    With a childish grin, he took a seat in the empty chair closest to him before introducing himself. ¡°Buhndemog Lonuid. Pleasure to meet y¡¯all.¡±


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    Walking down the neverending flights of stone stairs, I remained entranced by the bustle of activity all around us. I couldn¡¯t help but think how misleading the name ¡®the Wall¡¯ was¡ªit was so much more.


    Each flight of stairs led to a different floor within the Wall. The highest stories remained rtively minimal with reinforced metal and stones continually being maintained by human and dwarven mages. There were also teams of conjurers and archers stationed on these upper floors, responsible for firing down at the enemies below through the numerous embrasures.


    Adjacent to the multiple staircases spanning the entire height of the Wall were dozens of pulleys that hauled arrows, provisions and other supplies to the upper levels.


    The sound of tools shing against stone and steel was actually drowned down by the footsteps of soldiers and workers alike, that never remained still for even a moment.


    ¡°Please excuse the noise, General. I¡¯ve been told it¡¯s quite overwhelming for those that aren¡¯t used to it,¡± Albanth shouted, his voice barely audible from the mor.


    ¡°Overwhelming indeed,¡± I drew in a breath. ¡°I regret taking this long to actually visit the Wall. It¡¯s amazing!¡±


    ¡°While I¡¯d like to take the credit, I¡¯m fairly new here myself. The senior captain that I, along with a few others like myself, report to is the one responsible for the whole system and structure of this ce,¡± he exined, waving at a few workers that saluted to him.


    We continued our walk down the stairs until we reached a gate apanied by two soldiers standing guard.


    ¡°The floors from here on out are essible to civilians as well,¡± Albanth exined, shing a badge at the guards.


    ¡°Captain!¡± the two saluted before turning an uncertain gaze toward me.


    ¡°Fools!¡± Albanth barked. ¡°Were you taught to stare in the presence of ance?¡±


    The armored guards¡¯ eyes widened, their faces paling.


    ¡°General!¡± they immediately bowed in unison.


    The captain scratched the back of his neck.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>¡°My apologies, General. Some of the lower soldiers still can¡¯t recognize thences on sight.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I smiled looking at the soldiers. ¡°And a salute is enough.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± the soldier on the right replied, standing back upright in a salute.


    The other one followed hispanion. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet a famednce!¡±


    ¡°Just open the gates,¡± Albanth sighed, shaking his head.


    The two scrambled to unsp the metal hinges, and we continued our descent. By the next floor, I found myself sweating and my eyes stinging slightly. ¡°Is there a fire somewhere?¡±


    ¡°In a way, yes,¡± the sweating captain said, tugging at the neckline of his gorget to cool himself off. ¡°We¡¯re arriving at the level that contains our main forge.¡±


    Another flight of stairs and I was able to see the full glory of the forge. Smoke was ventted through the narrow slits near the ceiling, but the floor was still covered in a dense dark cloud.<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A thickyer of heat constantly radiated from the multiple forges spaced out evenly amongst teams of cksmiths. Tools hung in racks as dozens of brawny men hammered down on their anvils.


    A few dwarven metal mages I spotted actually molded ingots like they were made of putty. Apprentices ran around busily, some holding buckets of water while others carried crates of finished weapons to deliver to other floors, while workers continued to maintain the back wall that protected them from the enemies on the other side.


    ¡°Please bear with the heat for just a bit longer,¡± Albanth chimed in. ¡°We¡¯re almost there, General!¡±


    The further we traveled down the more people there actually were. Aside from the soldiers and different types of workers were a fair amount of merchants and rogue adventurers present as well.


    ¡°There¡¯s an entirely separate economy here,¡± I mused.


    ¡°Absolutely, Albanth agreed, wiping his sweat away with his gloves. ¡°Because there is now mandating service for the war, we¡¯ve set out rewards for adventurers who clock in time out on the field or on the upper levels. It¡¯s easy money for them, and we get an almost never-ending supply of able-bodied mages and fighters. The only drawback is that there are sometimes quarrels between the soldiers and the adventurers, but it¡¯s fairly rare since any problems get the adventurers banned from taking jobs here.¡±


    ¡°And the merchants are here because of the adventurers?¡± I guessed surveying the lines of stalls and tents set up on the ground floor.


    ¡°Yes sir. They¡¯re restricted from the main route where our soldier¡¯s suppliese in from, and they¡¯re also taxed quite heavily for doing business here, but they stille in droves,¡±<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Albanth chuckled. ¡°A rather brilliant idea by the senior captain, if I do say so myself. Because of that, most of the adventurers that take on jobs here are actually paid for by the money that the merchants pay to do business here for the adventurers!¡±


    ¡°Brilliant,¡± I echoed, nodding to the guards that bowed deeply upon recognition. It was a resourceful idea that spoke volumes about the senior captain in charge of this entire city-like structure.


    Albanth led the way, parting the crowds on the ground floor for me. ¡°I¡¯m sure flying down would¡¯ve been much faster, but I hope this little tour helped you be familiar with the Wall.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it, Captain Albanth.¡±


    The captain smiled, his crow¡¯s feet deepening.


    We walked for several more minutes until we reached a more quiet area. An unusuallyrge canvas pavilion stood out against the mountainside, several mages standing guard. Albanth gestured toward thevish white tent. ¡°This is the room that the captains and heads use to hold meetings. You came at a good time since there¡¯s a meeting going on right now. I was actually about to head down just before you arrived.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d everything worked out,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Funny how things work that way,¡± he chuckled, shing his badge once again at the guards. ¡°Senior Captain Trodius, along with the other captains and several heads are inside.¡±


    Trodius? I thought, vaguely recognizing the name from somewhere.


    The guards opened to p, and I walked inside behind Albanth. Inside was arge round table with a detailed map of what looked like the Beast des. On the map were several wooden figures shaped differently to indicate various positions of the dungeons and troops.


    There were seven people seated around the table, all in battered armor and disheveled robes and currently in discussion.


    At the far end of the circr table sat a man that I could only describe as the perfect image of a traditional gentleman. Handsome, with shiny ck hair meticulously cropped, dressed in a wless military-style suit that looked like it had been made just this morning. His eyes were sharp and deep-set his irises glowing with a slight tint of red.


    The man stopped mid-sentence upon noticing our arrival and stood up. He dipped his head after looking directly at me. ¡°General Arthur Leywin.¡±


    The rest stood up and bowed as well upon hearing my title. Captain Albanth saluted at the man who had just greeted me. ¡°My apologies for beingte.¡±


    ¡°Given the nature of the task, it¡¯s of no consequence,¡± the man said, showing no emotion. ¡°Please, have a seat and allow me to introduce myself. I am Trodius mesworth, senior captain in charge of the Wall.¡±

 Chapter 199

    Chapter 199


    Chapter 199: Return


    ¡°Currently, there are five units in this region and another three further east approximately in this vicinity based on theirst transmissions,¡± the captain of the Trailzer Division reported, pointing to the rtive markings with an outstretched finger.


    Jesmiya Cruwer¡ªher name given to me via a brief introduction¡ªwas the captain of Tessia¡¯s unit. She was a beautiful woman... in a terrifying sort of way. With long blonde hair that draped over her shoulders in waves and a figure that her tight-fitting armor only entuated, I could only imagine how many men have tried to court her once they worked up the nerves to do so. The captain always had one hand resting on the pommel of her saber, as if always ready to strike, and her surly expression never seemed to soften.


    I had imagined that the captain leading its division into the dangerous wilds of the Beast des would be tough, but Captain Jesmiya looked as though she could frighten away mana beasts with just a sharp gaze in their direction.


    Trodius shifted his gaze from the map to a sheet of paper he was holding. ¡°Captain Jesmiya. The log sheets for clearing the dungeons; how urate is this timeline?¡±


    The captain of the Trailzer Division straightened her back before speaking. ¡°Fairly urate. Even taking into ount the number of cryan mages surrounding the teleportation gate and how much the corruption process has taken over the dungeon levels, my unit has never taken longer than a week.¡±


    ¡°A week is too long,¡± the senior captain stated coldly. ¡°The number of corrupted beasts attacking the Wall has yet to decline. Have your units on a strict deadline of four days for each dungeon.¡±


    ¡°But sir!¡± Captain Jesmiya bolted up from her seat. ¡°Rushing the expeditions to that degree will only cause more casualties. Some of these dungeons have never been cleared before, and extreme caution has to be taken, or an entire unit can get wiped out!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an order, Captain Jesimya Cruwer. ¡°The Wall is thest form of defense on the eastern border of Sapin. If a soldier from your unit dies out in the Beast des, that soldier¡¯s family isn¡¯t in danger. However, if the number of beasts bes more than this fort can handle, those monsters and the cryan mages controlling them will have free reign on the civilians of the towns nearby.¡±


    Captain Jesimya¡¯s expression as she returned to her seat was even more sour than it had been before. The brawny Captain Albanth, on the other hand, had all of the intensity of a bear cub sitting across ufortably from the blonde-haired bundle of seething fire.


    Despite his warrior-like build, most of the captain¡¯s divisionprised of workers and cksmiths responsible for maintaining and further constructing the Wall. He himself had been a retired A ss adventurer that opened up his own forge in ckbend City.


    With the continued sess of the Wall under his direct guidance, Albanth had been recently promoted from his position as a unit head.


    However, with a rtively new captain mostly overseeing the development and maintenance of the Wall and with Captain Jesmiya hardly staying in one ce since most of her troops are constantly in different parts of the Beast des, Trodius mesworth had been assigned to this area as the senior captain that both Jesmiya and Albanth directly reported to.


    I continued listening silently as the two captains continued their reports to Trodius as the few heads present in the meeting asionally chimed in to give more detailed ounts when asked.


    Trodius looked up from his notes. ¡°And what is the progress on the new routes for our Trailzer Division?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve just finished securing the fourth tunnel. It¡¯s the longest one yet, and the entrance is hidden in a small crevice along a riverbank. A team of earth mages is still reinforcing the tunnel, but it should be essible to units within the week,¡± Albanth exined, drawing a line with his fingers that indicated the roughyout of the tunnel.


    ¡°Pull back a fourth of the workers and have them work nights instead,¡± Trodius stated. ¡° We were forced to flood another route justst week because its location had beenpromised by the cryans. Securing more underground routes is priority.¡±


    The senior captain then turned back to Captain Jesmiya. ¡°Are there new updates on finding any transportation gates?¡±


    The captain shook her head. ¡°I have only a single unit working on locating it. I¡¯ll need more time.¡±


    ¡°Teleportation gate?¡± I asked, my interest piqued.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Trodius answered, his red eyes shifting to me. ¡°With the constant attacks on the wall, the best way for our soldiers to ess the Beast des are through our underground channels. However, with the new mode of transportation that is being built to connect the Wall to ckbend City¡ªa ¡®train¡¯ is what I believe they¡¯re calling it¡ªwe would have far better ess to the city¡¯s teleportation gate. If we are able to locate and connect that gate to any gates in the Beast des, then troops wouldn¡¯t have to waste<span ss="Apple-converted-space"> </span>hours marching through underground tunnels.¡±


    My eyes focused on the map. ¡°How are you certain that there are even teleportation gates in the Beast des?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not,¡± he replied matter-of-factly. ¡°Which is why I¡¯ve limited the resources into finding it. Many of the ancient texts we have on the gates point to some being hidden within the Beast des but whether it¡¯s true or not remains a mystery.¡±


    The teleportation gates were an interesting subject for me. Along with the floating castle and Xyrus City, the gates were another relic left behind by the mages of the old. It was always fascinating for me to read how these ancient mages used magic to do things that even the strongest mages of the present couldn¡¯t even fathom replicating.


    The stone arches engraved with indecipherable runes looked so simple, yet entire cities were built around them and relied on them as modes of transportation. Presently, artificers have only unlocked how to connect teleportation gates to each other and change their destinations. As for actually building on themselves, it was a distant dream.


    ¡°What sort of method is the unit using to track down the gates?¡± I asked. ¡°Assuming that you do not just have them blindly wander around.¡±


    A faint smile cracked open on the lips of Trodius mesworth. ¡°I prefer not to waste even the smallest of resources on ventures like that. The gates constantly emit a faint fluctuation of mana particles. Normally, this wouldn¡¯t be detectable to even the best trackers, but these fluctuations ur throughout the whole spectrum of elements.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± I identally said aloud. I thought back to my time trying to track mana fluctuations in Darv. It was hard, but that was because I had blindly searched for any deviations in the ambient mana through Realmheart. If it¡¯s to find fluctuations of all the elements, then finding it would just be a matter of flying over... all of the Beast des.


    Nevermind, I thought. A waste of time considering there might not even be any gates.


    My thoughts were interrupted by Trodius, who began stacking away his notes. He spent a good few minutes meticulously organizing and perfectly setting his piles of papers before meeting my gaze. ¡°My apologies for having you sit through this meeting.¡±


    The senior captain of the mesworth family stood up, motioning for the rest of the people present to leave before I stopped him.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be better for them to hear this as well,¡± I stated, still in my seat.


    It didn¡¯t take too long to exin what I learned from interrogating the cryan. That, and with the scene from Uto¡¯s memories filling in some of the gaps, I was able to give an in-depth analysis that had even Captain Jesmiya furiously scribbling on a piece of paper.


    ¡°Intriguing,¡± Trodius mused. ¡°General. You say that the cryan mages have a very limited, specialized form of magic maniption, but what is stopping a ¡®striker¡¯¡ªfor example¡ªfrom sting out his mana into a ranged strike?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s as the senior captain says. I can¡¯t exactly give this information to my troops, only to have them injured or killed because a strikerunched a ranged spell or a shield was able to conjure a mana de,¡± Jesmiya added.


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you to be entirely confident in this information. Better yet, don¡¯t tell your troops or only inform the heads and have them observe. Our enemies use magic very differently from us, but that doesn¡¯t always mean it¡¯s better. Study and exploit the ws,¡± I stated. ¡°The Council will be expecting reports based on the information that I¡¯m giving you now.¡±


    The Council wasn¡¯t actually aware of this information yet, but they will soon, and they¡¯re undoubtedly going to want reports back.


    I told the ones present in the meeting the rest of what I knew about the marks, crests, emblems, and regalias.


    ¡°More captains will be given this information and be expected to contribute reports on what you find out in the battlefield.¡± I stood up. ¡°That¡¯ll be all.¡±


    I took my leave, not wanting to stay inside any longer than necessary. Throughout the entire meeting, I paid careful attention to Trodius mesworth.


    Growing up with his daughter helping my family and me so much, I couldn¡¯t help but resent the mesworth family after hearing first hand from Jasmine how she was discarded by her family.


    My animosity had narrowed down to only Trodius mesworth after getting to know Hester and hearing about the rtionship between Jasmine and her father from her, but after meeting the man today, all I felt was a weary callousness.


    After my initial surprise in running into the head of the mesworth family, I had tried to stir up as much animosity for the man as I could. But I hade here as ance, not as Jasmine¡¯s friend. He may be a piss poor father, and he may be cold-hearted to a certain degree, but his leadership was solid.


    Not long after I had left the tent, my surroundings had be loud and busy. The ground wasn¡¯t paved so ayer of sand and dust constantly dwindled in the air from the myriad of footsteps. Workers, caked in dirt and grime, mingled with merchants and adventurers, some still holding their shovel or pickaxe after being recently relieved from their shift. Tents and carts of various vendors that have traveled a long way shouted out their products while entertainers performed in the intersections on tforms with either an instrument case or an upturned hat in front of them to collect tip.


    A drone of chatter between buyers and sellers blended into the mor that came from the Wall. The whole fort felt almost autonomous; every person here hade for a reason and their steps and actions portrayed that.


    More than once was I called over to a stall by a merchant so that they could sell me something.


    ¡°Oy! Lad! Your shoes look mighty thin for someone in these parts,¡± a burly man in a leather apron called out. ¡°Might I interest you in a pair of fine leather boots for your poor feet?¡±


    The man waved his arm at the array of leather footwear disyed in wooden racks. Feigning interest, I leaned forward and touched a few of the boots that looked my size.


    ¡°The section you¡¯re looking at all have ayer ofpressed wool inside. I swear you¡¯ll feel like you¡¯re walking on a cloud,¡± he said excitedly.


    Curious, I slipped out of my thin turnshoes and edged my feet into a pair of the merchant¡¯s boots.


    I hopped a few times before taking them back off. cing them back on the rack, I gave the merchant a grin. ¡°I¡¯ve walked on a cloud before and this wasn¡¯t quite the same. Nice shoes though.¡±


    It was fun walking through the busy streets of the fortress. Dressed in nothing but a loose robe with minimal decorations and no weapon, most regarded me as a merchant¡¯s son.


    Biting into a skewer of charbroiled meat that had the texture of chicken thigh, I stopped by every stall that caught my interest. There were merchants carrying more mundane items like cloth, furs, spices, and alcohol¡ªwhich was unsurprisingly popr with how many overworked soldiers and workers there were¡ªwhile some, more interesting, vendors carrying enchanted armors and weapons. A merchant tried very hard to get me to buy an enchanted handle that shot out a st of fire and smoke from a small nozzle, mainly used for self-defense by weak nobles until I conjured a sphere of fire from my finger close enough to singe is front hair and gave the man a wink.


    As the sun began to set, I thought of maybe spending a night at an inn that catered towards the visitors of the Wall when a deep horn sounded from a distance.


    Turning my gaze, I saw arge metal gate about twenty feet high where the horn hade from.


    I wonder what¡¯s happening? I thought just before another horn blew.


    Following behind a group of uniformed workers as they marched toward the gate, I saw it sliding open with a groan.


    A crowd had already formed around the gate as carriages pulled by mana beasts began filing in with mages and warriors walking beside them with weapons unsheathed. Their exhaustion was evident in their posture and expression as the workers took over and started slowly taking crates out of the carriages. I stepped forward to get a better look when out of the corner of my eyes I saw my father.

 Chapter 200

    Chapter 200


    Chapter 200: Responsibilities


    I knew it was possible to see them when I got here; I even anticipated it to a certain degree. But when I saw my father help my mother out of the carriage, I stopped in my tracks.


    For some reason, my feet remained anchored to the ground as I watched more familiar faces appear beside them. Jasmine, Helen, Durden, and Ang, came into view one by one. The whole team still looked the same¡ªonly, they were missing Adam.


    My parents and the Twin Horns all wore the same exhausted and grim expressions that matched their ragged appearance as they trudged through the gates alongside their carriage.


    ¡°Close the gates!¡± a soldier roared, prompting the towering gates to close behind thest carriage.


    More and more uniformed workers started filing toward the carriages. Some unmounted the beasts pulling the carriages and led them away to be fed while others lined up and began passing the boxed supplies in a line to be sorted.


    A soldier carrying a notebook began talking to the driver of the carriage that hade in first. Imbuing mana into my ears, it was easy to hear their conversation even amidst the mor of the people gathered.


    ¡°There are two less carriages than what was reported to have left from ckbend,¡± the soldier said gruffly.


    ¡°We ran into a small team of cryan mages near the middle of the route just a mile north of the southern border,¡± the driver said, taking off his helmet that was covered in dents and scrapes. ¡°Lost two of my carriages to those bastards.¡±


    The guard looked behind the wiry man he had been speaking to, studying the carriages and then let out a sharp breath. ¡°After the carriages are unloaded and your men ounted for,e to the main tent. You¡¯ll need to do a full debrief.¡±


    The driver didn¡¯t wait, already beginning to shed hisyers of battered armor, dropping it on the ground, before walking back to his carriage.


    The fact that the head of this expedition spoke of being attacked as if it was amon urrence sent a sharp pain through my chest.


    Without another thought, I plowed my way through the crowd, knocking aside men twice my height and weight with ease before stopping just in front of my parents. I was scared for a split second as my eyes locked into theirs. We had reconciled but my rtionship with them was no longer as innocent as it once was.


    My mother¡¯s mouth opened in surprise, and she looked like she was about to say something, but her weathered melted into face a soft smile.


    ¡°Arthur!¡± my father called out, dropping the sack he had slung over his shoulder.


    I smiled back. ¡°Hi, Mom. Hey, Dad.¡±


    My father wrapped his thick arms around me, lifting me off my feet. My mother patiently waited for my father to release his embrace before she pulled me in for a hug.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you doing well,¡± she whispered, her face against my chest.


    She was covered in ayer of dust from travels and she probably hadn¡¯t had a proper bath in a while but she still gave off a familiar scent that smelled like... home.


    The Twin Horns came in next, unable to wait any longer. Durden took off his dirty cloak before giving me a hug. Helen and Ang squeezed me tightly, saying how much I had grown like aunts said to their nieces and nephews every time they visited.


    ¡°You got bigger,¡± Jasmine muttered with a half-smile as she tousled my hair. Seeing as she was shorter than me and she had to go on her toes to reach my head made her actions seem a bit more amusing.


    ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t just get smaller?¡± I teased, pulling my old teacher and friend into a hug.


    After letting go of Jasmine, my body turned, expecting one more hug; a hug that never came. That¡¯s when it actually hit me. That Adam was really gone. The rude, harsh, and often selfish spear-wielder of the Twin Horns would never shoot me that snide smile of his ever again.


    Gritting my teeth, I mustered another smile and we walked together to the nearest inn.


    Therge decrepit house that had the audacity to put a sign that advertised it was the most popr inn for miles stood just a few blocks away. Because the inn served as a restaurant and bar as well, it was packed with workers and soldiers replenishing themselves and getting away from the biting cold that was getting worse as it got darker.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s a l-lnce in the flesh! Here at my inn! O-Oh my.¡± The owner of the inn that happened to be working at the front desk with a young girl that obviously looked ufortable squirmed like a puppy as he tried to shake my hand, get our forms signed and call a waiter for a table all at the same time.


    ¡°I¡¯m just looking for a quiet dinner and a room for my family and friends after,¡± I said with a smile.


    ¡°Of course, General Arthur! Jives, clear the patio seats upstairs! Hurry!¡± the old man barked out.


    ¡°Looks like there are some benefits in knowing you after all,¡± Helen chimed, nudging me with an elbow.


    Durden looked back at the crowd waiting for a seat. ¡°Mmm. We probably would¡¯ve had to wait for a while otherwise.¡±


    We were led to a flight of spiraling stairs to a balcony that faced away from the Wall. There was nothing but t ins out in the distance, but it was still a beautiful view. There was a fire crackling in a metal furnace just beside our table for warmth and already a te of warm bread and some broth for us to start our meal with.


    ¡°How have you been, Arthur?¡± my mother asked after we settled around the table.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been good,¡± I lied. It wasn¡¯t as simple as that. So many things had happened in the span that we hadn¡¯t seen each other, but looking at my mother and father, I didn¡¯t want to give them anything more to worry about.


    My mother aged significantly since thest time we met. Compared to thefortable life she had in Xyrus, being out in the road with the possible threat of death looming around every corner meant beauty and self-management wasn¡¯t exactly considered a priority.


    My father still cropped his hair short, but now also sported a full-on beard now that covered most of his face below his nose. There were dark bags under his eyes, but my father still had a lively expression.


    ¡°I can¡¯t even feel your core anymore, Arthur,¡± my father added. ¡°How strong have you gotten?¡±


    ¡°I hit white core not too long ago,¡± I smiled.


    Helen let out a whistle as Jasmine nodded in approval.


    My father gave shot me a smirk. ¡°My boy.¡±


    As the food came and the more we talked, the morefortable everyone became. My mother began smiling more, even reprimanding my father when he made a crude joke¡ªjust like old times.


    It turned out that my parents still kept in touch with Ellie. It wasn¡¯t as often as they wanted it to be, but every trip to the wall and back to ckbend City, they¡¯d go out of their way to send a transmission to the Castle.


    ¡°Really?¡± I replied, taking a bite out of a piece of grilled fish. ¡°Ellie never told me about that.¡±


    ¡°Your sister is in her rebellious stage,¡± my father sighed, shoving a broth-soaked bread in his mouth.


    ¡°She just replies with ¡®I¡¯m okay.¡¯ or ¡®I¡¯m alive¡¯ most of the time,¡± my mother added, worryced in her voice. ¡°She¡¯s okay, right? She¡¯s eating well? She¡¯s making friends?¡±


    I set down my fork. ¡°If you¡¯re so concerned, why don¡¯t you go visit the Castle? I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what Ellie wants.¡±


    ¡°Security into the Castle has tightened recently. Only heads and above have ess to the teleportation gates to there, and even they can only go on official business,¡± Helen exined, wiping her mouth with a cloth.


    ¡°I can take you myself. Sylvie¡¯s not with me, but we can go to ckbend and get the clearance to make the jump to the Castle,¡± I replied, hopeful.


    My parents looked at each other for a moment before looking back at me. My mother spoke in a reassuring tone. ¡°A new mode of transportation is going to be built underground. Once that¡¯s made, we¡¯ll be able to visit you and Ellie much more often.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good and all, but I¡¯ve heard reports that the journey here from ckbend is getting more and more dangerous. Ellie worries about you guys. I worry about you guys!¡±


    My mother nodded. ¡°I know, and I don¡¯t me you guys if you think of us as bad parents for doing this, but we have our duties here. People, that need our help.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not only your burden. There are other soldiers that can take your ce.¡± My voice came out sharper than I had intended.


    There was a moment of silence surrounding the table when Ang suddenly sprang up. ¡°Oh dear. Helen, we never took our belongings out of the carriage!¡±


    A look of confusion shed across the leader¡¯s face before she realized what Ang was doing. ¡°Y-Yeah. Let¡¯s get it before it gets stolen. Come on, guys.¡±


    The two of them dragged Durden and Jasmine away with them. Ang looked back and gave me a meaningful nce before disappearing.


    Whether the conjurer wanted to avoid the tension set in this table or just give our family some privacy, I didn¡¯t know.


    My mother cut in, her voice serious. ¡°Arthur. Our responsibilities here may not be on the scale of what you do as ance, but your father and I believe what we¡¯re doing is for the sake of winning this war faster.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re putting yourselves in danger,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Everyone is in danger during war. You as well, Arthur,¡± my mother replied unrelentingly.


    My blood boiled and I had to concentrate on restraining my mana. ¡°Yes, but I can handle it.¡±


    My father pped down his utensils on the table, drawing my gaze. ¡°Do you realize how hypocritical you¡¯re being? So you¡¯re saying it¡¯s fine for you to put yourself in danger, as long as Ellie, Alice and I are locked away somece safe? Abandoning our responsibilities to our kingdom?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fighting this war to protect all of you, but I can¡¯t be next to you guys all the time. What if something were to happen to you or Dad, while I¡¯m on a mission? Even Ellie... she¡¯s been so engrossed in training because she wants to join you guys! What if she dies too, like Adam!¡±


    ¡°Enough, Arthur!¡± My father snapped. He got up from his seat and stared at me fiercely. ¡°Keeping my family safe is my priority, but I also want my family to live happily. That¡¯s why we¡¯re doing this. Dicathen may not have been your only home, Arthur, but it¡¯s the only home that we know and if it means dying so that Ellie can live with a better future, then so be it.¡±


    My father stormed off and my mother followed. She looked back at me solemnly but didn¡¯t say anything as I sat alone in silence.


    Getting up from my seat, I reached into my robe and pulled out several gold coins. I left the coins on the table and flew off the balcony.


    My mind muddled with emotions, I flew up high enough to look down on the Wall and took a seat on the edge of the mountain adjacent to the fortress. I let the sharp winds bite into my skin, enduring the slight pain as punishment for my earlier words.


    I did all I can to avoid rethinking of my conversation earlier at the inn. I wanted to shoot down a few corrupted beasts but unfortunately the night was quiet. I started counting the torches along the Wall and the number of archers and mages stationed. I even saw a pair of soldiers behind a wooden pillbox spending their night a bit more ¡®passionately¡¯, not expecting anyone to be looking down on the highest floor of the Wall from above.


    After I ran out of things to count, I extended my vision as much as I could, trying to sense any mana beasts headed toward the Wall through the thick of night. I didn¡¯t sense any mana beasts, but I did sense someone approaching me from below.


    ¡°There... you... are.¡± a voice sounded from below a few minutester. A hand shot up into view, grabbing hold of the ledge that I was sitting on.


    I pulled Jasmine up by her arm. The adventurer leaned back against the mountain cliff and caught her breath before speaking again. ¡°You should have some respect for... those who can¡¯t fly.¡±


    I knew Jasmine was trying her best to be lighthearted. I smiled. ¡°Sorry about that. How did find me, anyway?¡±


    Jasmine puffed proudly, which sounded more like a wheeze since she was still recuperating. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate your mentor.¡±


    I managed a chuckle. ¡°I never have.¡±


    The two of us sat in silence for a while, watching as the night got darker.


    ¡°How long have you been at the Wall for?¡± she asked, shivering.


    I wrapped us in ayer of fire-imbued mana to keep both of us warm before answering. ¡°Just a few hours before you guys came.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she muttered, her gaze distant. ¡°Did you get the chance to meet my father?¡±


    ¡°I walked in on their meeting,¡± I answered. ¡°Have you?¡±


    Jasmine shook her head. ¡°Not once despite the many trips back and forth here. Looks like we both have family problems now.¡±


    ¡°Seems like it.¡±


    Another moment of silence passed before the adventurer spoke again.


    ¡°I won¡¯t pry into what happened at the inn. Just know that your parents do care about you and Ellie. Whenever your father meets anyone new, he always tells them about how his son is ance.¡±


    ¡°I know that they care,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Rey... and especially Alice. They both feel a lot of guilt. No matter how much we told them otherwise, the fact that they weren¡¯t there to help us when Adam died made them feel like it was their fault.¡±


    Jasmine continued speaking when I didn¡¯t reply. ¡°You know what happened with your mother before she had you. She was traumatized after what had happened to Lensa, and for a while, she could hardly use her magic for anything more than a scrape or bruise.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I huffed. ¡°Which is why I thought they would stay at the Castle until the war was over, not throw themselves to dangerousnds.¡±


    Jasmine put a hand on my arm. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this makes sense, but I think what they¡¯re doing now to contribute to this war is as much for themselves as it is for you and Ellie. They¡¯re trying to ovee their past mistakes and fears so that they can be better parents for the both of you.¡±


    ¡°I know I was being selfish too,¡± I admitted. ¡°But I think all three of us need some time.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t let your rtionship with your parents be like me and my family,¡± she said tersely. ¡°I¡¯m sure there was time when we could¡¯ve reconciled, but I chose to keep running and my father¡¯s pride kept him from reaching out.¡±


    I turned to Jasmine, who was sitting down, hugging her knees. She didn¡¯t look like she had aged a single day since when I had first met her except her eyes, that shone with more deeply with a sense of maturity. ¡°Thanks, Jasmine.¡±


    ¡°You better be. My jaw is sore for speaking so much.¡±


    Despite herints, we kept talking. I talked to her about some of my missions and she told me some of hers. Her greatest surprise was when I told her that Sylvie had a human form now, but I wasn¡¯t entirely sure that she really believed me. Either way, we enjoyed each other¡¯spany well through the night up until the sun came peeking back up.


    ¡°I should get back now,¡± Jasmine said, getting up to her feet.


    ¡°Do you need a lift down?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Going down is the easy part and you look like you need some more time alone.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I smiled. ¡°For everything.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she replied, patting my head.


    I watched her hop down the side of the mountain, a gale of wind surrounding her and softening herndings until she was gone.

 Chapter 201

    Chapter 201


    Chapter 201: Allocation


    The Castle appeared overhead within a sky of solid gray. Rain had yet to form within the thick clouds, but I could feel the moisture on my skin and clothes and the dense water mana around me as I neared the flying structure¡¯s base.


    The soldiers on flying mounts guarding the floating fortress gathered around me.


    ¡°General Arthur!¡± they saluted in unison before making a path in the sky leading to thending dock.


    I mustered a terse nod at the squad beforending, taking onest look back in the direction of the Wall as the gates rolled shut.


    The workers that were in charge of keeping the dock and all of the artifacts in ce to keep it functioning and properly warded in defense stopped what they were doing and immediately scrambled around me in salute.


    ¡°Proceed with what you were doing,¡± I stated, motioning them away. I continued walking, my clothes and hair dripping with water from the clouds until I spotted two familiar girls that appeared close in age. A smile tugged at my lips a the sight of them.


    Ellie stood tall with chestnut eyes glowing with confidence. Her ash brown hair that flowed just past her shoulders was a sore reminder of our father, who I had just met and argued fiercely with.


    Standing next to my sister was a girl more unique. She looked a bit younger than Ellie, but her glimmering yellow eyes radiated a sense of maturity. A curtain of pale wheat hair draped over her slender figure which was shrouded in a ck dress shining like fine obsidian. Matching her attire were two jagged horns that jutted out from the side of her small head. What made her unique wasn¡¯t the fact that she had horns, but the fact that she was actually an asura, a dragon, and¡ªmost importantly¡ªmy bond.


    My sister waved before trotting happily toward me with Sylvie in tow. My bond took hesitant steps, but her movements had be much more fluid in the few days since we¡¯ve been apart.


    ¡°Wee back,¡± my sister greeted. ¡°Seeing as how your entire body is drenched, let¡¯s just pretend like we hugged.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not one for pretending,¡± I said deviously before pulling my sister into my arms.


    ¡°Gah! I just bathed!¡± she protested, struggling from my grasp.


    After soaking my sister to a satisfying degree, I let her go and turned to my bond. I tousled her light hair, which felt almost sharp to the touch. ¡°I see that my fearsome dragon is growing up to be a healthy young girl.¡±


    Despite my light-hearted jokes, Sylvie¡¯srge eyes only narrowed as she regarded me with concern.


    We¡¯ll talk about itter, I sent to her, cursing the inconvenience of our telepathic link at times.


    My bond let out a sigh and patted my arm. ¡°Wee back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to be back,¡± I said to both of them.


    ¡°So how was your mission? I want to hear all about it,¡± my sister asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.


    As Ellie improved her skills in magic and archery, I could tell she was yearning more and more to be out on the field to prove herself.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you all about itter,¡± I promised. ¡°But first, I need to report to the Council.¡±


    After conjuring a simple wave of heat to dry myself off, the three of us left the crowded room that had be ufortably silent due to my presence.


    As soon as we stepped out, I could almost feel the workers rxing as they began picking up where they left off.


    ¡°I broke into light red stage while you were gone,¡± my sister dered proudly. ¡°That, and because of my daily training regimen with Boo, probably makes me a prettypetent conjurer for my age. Even Commander Virionplimented me on my skills, saying that I might even be able to skip the mandatory training for the soldiers.¡±


    Every time my sister brought up her enthusiasm in joining the ranks of the army, I felt immediately inclined to intercept her. This time, though, I gave her a friendly smile and nodded¡ªthe most supportive response I could give.


    Meanwhile, my bond walked silently beside me, her concentration still on the action of walking bipedally. I could feel mana practically bursting out of her small body as she used magic as a crutch until she has full control over her body.


    Still, Sylvie¡¯s limation to her human form had vastly improved since thest time I had seen her, which was just a few days before. I could tell she was doing her best so that she could join me on missions as soon as possible.


    ¡°You know, Princess Kathyln has been really helpful too. She¡¯s been sparring with me and helping me out with some intricacies of mana maniption,¡± my sister chattered on, skipping ahead and walking backward to face me as she talked.


    ¡°Oh, really? You know I could always help out with teaching magic when I¡¯m free,¡± I replied. ¡°I was an official professor at Xyrus Academy after all.¡±


    ¡°For like... a semester,¡± my sister reported with a smirk.


    I waved her snidement away. ¡°A professor is a professor.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the offer, but I feel like learning from you will just discourage me more,¡± she chuckled.


    ¡°What?¡± I blurted, surprised. ¡°Why would you be discouraged?¡±


    ¡°I know we¡¯re five years apart, but we still share the same blood,¡± she answered, turning around, so her back was to me as she walked properly. ¡°Seeing as how you¡¯re already a white core mage on top of being a quadra elemental, I¡¯ll probably just startparing myself to you every time you teach me magic.¡±


    My sister¡¯s chirpy attitude dampened and I found myself staring at Sylvie in hopes that she had a way to solve the mess that I just created.


    My bond raised a brow at me before walking up to match pace with my sister.


    Sylvie patted Ellie on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Your brother¡¯s talent is considered an anomaly even amongst asuras. Don¡¯tpare yourself to a freak like him.¡±


    I scratched my cheek. ¡°Freak is a bit much, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    My sister looked back over her shoulder with a smirk. ¡°No no, I think ¡®freak¡¯ describes you perfectly in this regard.¡±


    ***


    We reached the meeting room after parting temporarily with my sister. I wanted some time to talk more with my bond¡ªabout the changes in her body now that the seal had been broken¡ªbut some obligations that had to be fulfilled.


    I locked gazes with the two guards standing on either side of the entrance and they, in response, clicked their heels together and saluted at our arrival before letting us in.


    Sitting directly in view of the entrance was Virion, who turned eagerly in our direction. His face lit up as he got up from his seat. ¡°Arthur, you¡¯ve finally arrived!¡±


    ¡°Commander,¡± I greeted, keeping formalities in public. Sylvie opted for a slight dip of her head.


    ¡°Sit,¡± he motioned, looking off to the side with a grin on his weathered face.


    I turned to see what he was looking at to see the rest of the Council and one familiar face that I hadn¡¯t expected to see.


    Twiddling his beard¡ªlooking bored out of his mind¡ªwas Buhndemog Lonuid, my former dwarven magic teacher.


    ¡°Ho. If it isn¡¯t the youngnce,¡± he greeted monotonically.


    ¡°I see the meetings have been taking a toll on you,¡± I replied with a grin that mirrored Virion¡¯s.


    ¡°Never has my ass been so sore since the days I got whipped by my mother as a child,¡± he groaned, stretching his stout body.


    I let out augh and turned my attention to the rest of the Council.


    ¡°Ki¡ªCouncilmen¡± I greeted with a respectful nod. ¡°Councilwomen.¡±


    ¡°General Arthur,¡± Prisci yder replied. ¡°You¡¯vee at a good time.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± ine agreed. ¡°We were still going over your report.¡±


    ¡°Arthur!¡± Alduin Eralith eximed, his expression brightened. ¡°Take a seat, you two.¡±


    ¡°Wee back,¡± Merial Eralith chimed in with a warm smile, a sense of gratefulness in her voice.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I replied. I walked passed the former king and queen of Elenoir, taking a seat with Sylvie next to Buhnd.


    Virion sat back down and rolled the transmission scroll in front of him. ¡°Seeing as the rest of thences are out on missions, we¡¯ll proceed with the meeting, but before we say anything, I¡¯d like General Arthur to give a full debrief on what happened at borders of the Elshire forest.


    After taking a sip from the ss of water in front of my seat, I exined all that had happened, leaving nothing out from the interrogation of the cryan mage. It took the better part of an hour to get the rest of the Council, and my bond, up to date on what had happened.


    ¡°It seems we¡¯ve been underestimating the cryan mages¡¯ level of abilities,¡± Virion replied thoughtfully.


    ¡°Underestimating?¡± ine furrowed his brows in confusion. ¡°If anything, learning that those cryan bastards are so limited and specialized in their magic makes me think we¡¯ve been overestimating them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to agree with Councilman ine on this one,¡± Alduin added. ¡°I think this is a clear weakness to their fighting tactics.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s as simple as that,¡± Buhnd argued, rubbing his beard in thought.


    ¡°If we look at it surface level, their specialization can be seen as a weakness,¡± Virion agreed. ¡°But from what General Arthur found out, their method of awakening and training magic to their people seem a lot more advanced than Dicathen¡¯s own way.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Merial asked curiously.


    Buhnd spoke up again, a tinge of excitement on his face. ¡°This is me just specting at this point, but with the system of marks and crests and what not, the mages of cryan seem to be hyper-focused on a spell and its alterations and evolutions. That means, while mages of Dicathen focus on various spells of their attributed element, or elements¡°¡ªhe looked over toward me¡ª¡°these cryan mages spend their lives honing a single spell and building off only that.¡±


    ¡°What Elder Buhnd says adds up to what I¡¯ve seen on the field,¡± I added. ¡°One of the ¡®strikers¡¯ that I had battled against, only used one spell, but from the cast time to the durability and potency of the magic inbat, I had mistaken him as a mage around the level of a yellow core. And the fact that these specialized mages work in small teams that negate their weaknesses, I¡¯d say that only our veteran mages of light-yellow core and higher can actually exploit their ¡®limitations¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Duels are one thing; In the forefronts of war, versatile mages aren¡¯t as useful as specialized soldiers that are damn-well good at one thing,¡± Buhnd concluded grimly.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have to send this information to all the captains as well as the guilds and military academies so they can develop better ways to fight against these ¡®specialized mages¡¯,¡± ine grumbled in frustration.


    ¡°I stoppedd by the Wall and told the captains there,¡± I informed.


    ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s discuss ns on how to best spread our forces,¡± Virion said heavily. ¡°I had originally wanted to discuss with Lord Aldir about this, but seeing as him and the rest of the asuras have ceased contact with us, we¡¯ll need to go forth on our own for now.¡±


    The mention of Aldir and the asuras brought a sharp throb to my chest and I wanted to speak of what Agrona had told me right then and there, but I held my tongue.


    This discussion won¡¯t get far if I say it now, I thought.


    ¡®You¡¯ll need to tell everyone eventually,¡¯ Sylvie sent back before she paused. ¡®But maybe once the discussion is over.¡¯


    True to my expectations, even without dropping the bomb, ¡®¡®the gods are no longer with us¡¯, the meeting had soon turned into a full-blown debate as the members of the Council argued with one another where to most heavily fortify with soldiers and mages. The main problem was that there was just too much ground to cover.


    What Agrona and the cryans had done well¡ªas much as I hated to admit¡ªwas keeping their goals nearly unreadable. From the battles so far, we knew that that the cryans were spending quite a bit of resources into getting through the Wall so that the corrupted beasts would have free reign over the eastern borders of Sapin.


    The cryans have also been able to utilize some of the tunnels in the kingdom of Darv to transport their forces from the southern coast all the way near the borderline of Darv and Sapin. From what Buhnd had told us, there seemed to be a faction of radical dwarves so discontent with their positions and lives in Dicathen that they actually wanted the cryans to take over in order to reap the benefits. Buhnd made it clear that he and his loyalists were taking charge in eradicating this group as soon as possible.


    As if it wasn¡¯t enough, there were still cryan ships being sighted all along the western shores that forced coastal cities like Telmore, Etistin and Maybur to build defenses on not only the eastern side¡ªin case the Wall doesn¡¯t hold¡ªbut their western borders as well.


    The Council had reasonably concluded that the brunt of the cryan attacks would be devoted to Sapin, but myst two missions proved otherwise. Towns as north as Ashber, which had the fastest ess to the Grand Mountains and to Elenoir¡¯s main cities within the Elshire Forest, had cryans hidden within them.


    We had thought that their goal was to march south and join their alliesing in from the western shores, but with thesest attacks directed toward elven territorying from the Beast des, the cryan troops up north could actually have been aiming east toward Elenoir.


    Alduin and Merial¡¯s main concern was for their kingdom, while ine and Prisci argued against sending troops into Elenoir and spreading even thinner the alreadycking forces stationed all around Sapin.


    And with Buhnd and much of the dwarven mages focused on their own civil dispute with the radicals trying to aid the cryans, the debate was getting nowhere.


    Throughout the debate, I could tell Virion was trying to be the diplomat and remain neutral. He was silent throughout the entire meeting that took us well into the night, only weighing in his thoughts on specific scenarios that could happen.


    ¡°This is why I wanted to wait until Lord Aldir was here!¡± ine huffed in frustration. ¡°He¡¯ll know that it¡¯s foolish to spread our forces even thinner than it already is.¡±


    ¡°Commander Virion, you mentioned that Elder Camus had gone back to Elenoir after my training with him was over,¡± I said, ignoring the former king of Sapin.


    ¡°Yes,¡± histest transmission scroll had him in the northern city of Asyphin.


    ¡°Does he know about the attacks that had broken in the south?¡±


    ¡°He was made aware, of course,¡± he said, understanding where I was going. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯ll be in both his and our best interest if he helps survey the south for any suspicious movement.¡±


    ¡°The Elshire Forest spans hundreds of miles. No matter how powerful Elder Camus is, he¡¯s just one man,¡± Merial rebutted.


    ¡°And General Aya,¡± Virion added, turning to ine and Prisci. ¡°With your twonces as well as General Mica being mostly in Sapin, It¡¯s eptable that I keep ance in Elenoir, right? She can be pulled if absolutely necessary and we still have General Arthur.¡±


    ine looked like he was about to say something, but Prisci intervened. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll have to do as a temporary solution,¡± Alduin stressed after Virion turned his gaze toward him and his wife. ¡°If attacks escte toward Elenoir, we¡¯ll need to send troops capable of navigating through the forest back to defend.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sugarcoat it. Just say you¡¯ll take the elves back because defending Elenoir is more important than defending all of Dicathen,¡± ine shot back.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Virion snapped, shooting a deadly re at both parties. ¡°If that¡¯s all, we¡¯ll end the meeting he¡ª¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± I interrupted, gathering the gaze of everyone in the room. ¡°We have one more topic on the agenda that I feel we should address as soon as possible.¡±


    Virion raised a brow while everyone else looked at me with simr curious expressions. ¡°Oh? And what is that?¡±


    I looked at Sylvie onest time and she met my gaze with a resolute expression. Letting out a deep breath, I began, ¡°It¡¯s about the absence of Aldir and the asuras...¡±

 Chapter 202

    Chapter 202


    Chapter 202: Traitor¡¯s Request


    The meeting room had fallen eerily silent as I finished reporting what Agrona had told me¡ªminus a few details. I withheld some information that I felt were unnecessary to say at this point and, to be frank, was ufortable with the Council knowing.


    Making my conversation with Agrona seem more like a unteral deration from the Vritra leader for us to surrender allowed me to tell everyone present in the room about how the asuras had tried using our war to attack the Vritra in crya... and had ultimately failed.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Virion swore loudly, mming his hands down at the table. Themander¡¯s usually controlled expression was twisted into a scowl as the tips of his pointed ears were red. ¡°Those conceited sons of... as if it wasn¡¯t bad enough that they used us and this war for their own ns, they didn¡¯t even seed!¡±


    Virion got up from his seat and began pacing, muttering curses under his breath until he finally looked back at me. ¡°Arthur. What else did Agrona say in his message?¡±


    ¡°Just that Epheotus¡¯ attack on crya failed. Agrona leveraged the failed attempt to further push the Asuras from taking part in this war by cutting off allmunication between us and Epheotus,¡± I answered.


    Virion gnashed his teeth but remained silent.


    ¡°At least that exins why we haven¡¯t seen more scythes and retainers yet, besides the ones we¡¯ve already gone up against,¡± Buhnd chimed in. The dwarven elder was the least shaken by my news since he had never actually met the asuras in the first ce. ¡°Agrona must¡¯ve kept his powerhouses in crya along with the actual members of his Vritra n in case something like this happened.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Merial replied, her brows furrowed in thought. ¡°But that leads us to the next question. Are we to expect the rest of Agrona¡¯s scythes and their retainers toe to Dicathen now that the asuras of Epheotus had attacked them and failed?¡±


    The atmosphere in the room grew heavy, as if a weighted nket fell down all of us.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure this battle between Epheotus and crya wasn¡¯t as one-sided as Agrona led Arthur¡ªand all of us¡ªto believe,¡± Alduin responded.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve experienced Lord Aldir¡¯s power firsthand! No way crya got out of a full-blown assault by the asuras of Epheotus without experiencing some casualties themselves. Hell, their home might be in shambles right now!¡± ine added, speaking as if he was trying to convince himself rather than those in the room.


    ¡°That¡¯s all sunshine and peaches, but from my experience, nothing good happens from expecting the best in situations like this,¡± Buhnd added grimly.


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± I agreed. ¡°We should make several contingencies assuming that retainers and scythes are headed this way now.¡±


    ¡°The gates that the cryans hadid down in the dungeons of the Beast des,¡± Merial suddenly eximed. ¡°What if the retainers and scythes are already here?¡±


    ¡°ording to Captain Trodius¡¯ reports, there hasn¡¯t been a teleportation gate sighting within months after thest one was destroyed,¡± Prisci answered. ¡°From what I gathered, the constructs were of poor design that failed after a few cryan troops made it through and there was even a report where a soldier witnessed only half of an cryan mageing out through the portal before it broke. That mage died within seconds. Right now, the Trailzer division is mainly wiping out corrupted beasts and their controllers before they¡¯re able to make it up to the surface. ¡±


    ¡°That adds up to what I¡¯ve seen,¡± I muttered, recalling how even the scythe that had saved me from Uto had arrived via teleportation gates through the Kingdom of Darv before traveling bynd through Sapin.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to hope that¡¯s true,¡± Virion let out a sigh, still pacing.


    ¡°Then are we to expect them to arrive from the western coast by ship?¡± ine asked, his face pale. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, no amount of wall building is going to hold up against an assault from them.¡±


    As the Council continued batting ideas and assumptions at each other, my mind shifted to my previous life during the rare asions where disputes between countries had actually escted into wars rather than Paragon Duels. I thought of Lady Vera and her strict teachings of leading wars, despite them being so rare, as we went through endless rounds of strategic board games when a loud p drew my attention away from my thoughts.


    ¡°While we have a lot to think about, I suggest we take time to rest. Some of us have been here for over a day, and it does no good to have sluggish minds,¡± Virion said in a defeated tone. ¡°We¡¯ll meet back here at sunrise.¡±


    I looked out the window to see that night had fallen and began calcting just how much time I had to finally rest.


    Not enough, I thought, walking out of the room behind Buhnd.


    The dwarven elder let out a groan as he stretched his back, muttering, ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s not toote to just throw myself out into the field and fight alongside the soldiers.¡±


    Sylvie and I made it back to our room in silence, the fewmunications done through mental transmission.


    After shedding out of everything but my inner shirt and trouser, I sank down into the couch. My vision had been zed, hardly focusing on anything until the sight of Sylvie changing her clothes caught my eye.


    The simple ck dress she was wearing swirled around her as if alive. Her sleeves receded while her dress elongated, reaching past her knees until her attire had turned into a nightgown.


    ¡°How¡¯d you do that?¡± I asked sheepishly, more curious than impressed.


    ¡°I can mold my scales into clothes in this form,¡± she said quietly, fashioning the bottom half of her gown into pants to prove her point.


    With my interest piqued, I leaned forward in my seat. ¡°What else can you do?¡±


    Sylvie took a seat from the couch across from me. ¡°So far, I¡¯ve been focusing mostly on how to function in this bipedal form. But apart from theck of stability in walking with two legs, I¡¯ll have to admit that I¡¯ve begun to understand why the asuras choose to stay in this form more than their original.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I raised a brow. ¡°Do tell.¡±


    ¡°Mana maniption and even using aether is somewhat easier in this form,¡± she acknowledged, curling and uncurling her fingers.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± I replied. ¡°Speaking of which, what are your magic capabilities like after the seal was broken?¡±


    ¡°Because the Indrath n are aether users, most of my mana maniption abilities are centered toward strengthening my body,¡± she answered. ¡°But I am able to dispel arge amount of my mana at once.¡±


    Suddenly, mana began gathering into her open palm, casting a bright light all around the room. The light artifacts hanging from the walls and ceiling flickered and dimmed.


    My eyes widened as the orb of concentrated mana began growing in size. ¡°S-Sylvie? Please don¡¯t destroy this room... or this castle.¡±


    My bond¡¯s stoic face broke into a smile as she looked at me. ¡°Is the mightynce scared of a little girl now?¡±


    ¡°Your jagged horns kind of negates every ¡®girly¡¯ thing about you,¡± I said uneasily, scooting farther into my seat as the charged sphere of mana began pulsing with power. ¡°But seriously. You still stumble over your own feet, Sylv. Let¡¯s not endanger everyone in this castle.¡±


    The glowing orb slowly faded, dispelling into tiny particles as Sylvie let out a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m d that I was able to break the seal since I¡¯ll be of better use out in the field, but there¡¯s a part of me that feels foreign now.¡±


    ¡°Well you are still getting used to your human form,¡± Iforted.


    Sylvie shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. It¡¯s more... internal, like there¡¯s much more to my abilities than what I thought before.¡±


    ¡°Well. You¡¯ll have a lot of opportunities for self-discovery. You heard in the meeting too; I feel like things are only going to be more hectic from now on.¡±


    ¡°At least we¡¯ll have one another to count on,¡± she replied with a determined gaze. ¡°After getting better control of this form, I feel that the two of us defeating a scythe isn¡¯t impossible.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t impossible,¡± I echoed with augh. ¡°Not the best of odds, but much better than before.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll have some time to spar before going on a mission,¡± Sylvie said hopefully. ¡°I¡¯d like to test out the extent of my control over aether in this form.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re lucky if we can actually have the whole night to sleep without being disturbed,¡± I mumbled, heading over to my bed.


    The two of us continued talking from our beds. Despite myck of sleep, speaking with my bond had rejuvenated me more than I thought it would. Having Sylvie in human form just made it seem as if I got another younger sister, albeit one withrge intimidating horns.


    ¡®Speaking of sister,¡¯ Sylvie chimed in, reading my thoughts. ¡®Wasn¡¯t Ellie waiting for us?¡¯


    ¡°She¡¯s probably asleep by now,¡± I mumbled, slurring my words as my drowsiness began taking hold of me.


    ¡®I¡¯m not so sure about that, Arthur. Ellie¡¯s been looking forward to having you back... however briefly that might be.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll... try to spend time with her... tomorrow,¡± I replied, about to fall asleep until a firm knock on my door startled me awake.


    ¡°What!¡± I snapped, my annoyance practically oozing out of my voice.


    ¡°I apologize for the disturbance, General Arthur, but I have a message from Commander Virion to meet him in the dungeon,¡± a deep voice sounded from behind the door.


    I shut my eyes, refusing to part ways with the fluffy feather-stuffed pillow molding to the shape of my head. This is just a dream, Arthur. No need to get back up.


    ¡°G-General Arthur?¡±


    With a growl, I rolled out of bed and put on a robe. ¡°Come on, Sylv. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡®Must I?¡¯ she sent back, not even bothering to speak. ¡®I just made myselffortable, and the guard only asked for you.¡¯


    ¡°Traitor,¡± I grumbled, heading toward the door.


    I followed the guard down the dim hallway, going down the flights of stairs until we reached the lower levels of the castle.


    ¡°Did Commander Virion tell you any details about why he wanted to see me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Unfortunately, no. I am just the dungeon guard currently on duty.¡±


    We walked in further silence as we neared the reinforced doors leading down into the dungeon. In front of it were several figures that I recognized as the Council. They were still all in their sleepwear, apparently having been disturbed from their slumber.


    Thest figure, right in front of the door, was a hulking man a head taller than ine and twice as wide. It took me a moment to remember that he was the assistant to the old man that was in charge of interrogating the prisoners.


    ¡°Arthur, do you know what this is about?¡± Virion asked as we approached, his expression just as annoyed as mine was.


    I jerked a thumb toward the armored guard. ¡°I came here because this guy told me you called for me.¡±


    ¡°We just arrived as well. What is going on?¡± Alduin asked worriedly, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion.


    ¡°I called for you all because this man¡±¡ªVirion turned back to face Gentry¡¯s assistant¡ª¡°What was your name again?¡±


    ¡°Duve,¡± the burly man grunted.


    ¡°Because Duve said that Gentry finally got one of the prisoners to talk,¡± Virion finished.


    ¡°Who? The retainer?¡± Prisci queried, her arms crossed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Virion replied, shooting another gaze at the burly man.


    ¡°And where¡¯s Gentry now?¡± I asked, looking behind the interrogator¡¯s assistant in case he was hidden behind him. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we go inside instead of waiting out here?¡±


    ¡°Master Gentry will be here soon,¡± Duve replied, standing his ground as if guarding the door.


    Hardly a minute longer had passed and my patience was growing dangerously thin when the dungeon door slid open and the hooked nose elder trotted out.


    ¡°Gentry!¡± ine barked. ¡°What exactly is going on!¡±


    ¡°My apologies to the Council and General Arthur. I was just finishing up the maintenance on the restraining system of the retainer when things suddenly unfolded this way. Still, I didn¡¯t want to take the small chance of my beloved prisoner to break free while we were all down there,¡± Gentry said, cleaning his wrinkled hands on a cloth.


    Virion rubbed his temples. ¡°Please just tell me you were able to get something important out of the prisoners.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, no,¡± the hooked nose elder rasped. ¡°Well, not exactly.¡±


    ¡°Then for what reason did you find the need to pull us down here at this godforsaken hour,¡± Merial quipped, her eyes narrowed.


    Gentry let out an ufortable cough before speaking again. ¡°I have yet to break the retainer, but the traitor, Rahdeas¡ªI think that was his name¡ªhas finally spoken for the first time.¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± I asked, getting up from my seat. ¡°Did he give you any information?¡±


    ¡°Well, no, not exactly.¡±


    ¡°On with it, talking corpse!¡± Buhnd snapped, talking for the first time. ¡°Stop talking in riddles and spit it out.¡±


    ¡°Talking co¡ª¡±


    ¡°Gentry,¡± Virion said, his voice frighteningly low.


    Gentry winced but took a step forward, puffing his chest in confidence. ¡°Thanks to yours truly, the traitor has finally spoken and he has requested to speak¡±¡ªhis crooked finger pointed toward me¡ª¡°but only to General Arthur.¡±

 Chapter 203

    Chapter 203


    Chapter 203: A Poem


    The hallway was quiet as everyone¡¯s gaze followed the long crooked finger to me.


    I furrowed my brows. ¡°Me?¡±


    My mind spun trying to think of why Rahdeas would want to speak to me and what he could possibly say to me in this situation.


    ¡°After basically splitting up the entire dwarven kingdom and leaving me to clean up his unwiped ass, who is he to dere who he wants to speak to,¡± Buhnd growled.


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s aiming to make some sort of deal with General Arthur?¡± ine asked.


    ¡°I doubt it. If he wanted to strike a deal, he¡¯d have a much better chance of doing so with Commander Virion or anyone else in the Council,¡± Merial answered.


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because of your ties with Elijah?¡± Virion wondered.


    ¡°That¡¯s... what I¡¯m afraid of,¡± I sighed.


    In the midst of the discussion, Gentry let out a cough to gather our attention. ¡°Councilmembers andnce. It would be an understatement to say it had been difficult for me to get the traitor to talk. Perhaps it¡¯s best we capitalize in my¡ªthis achievement and talk to him while he¡¯s still able?¡±


    ¡°Lead the way, Gentry,¡± I said, walking through the reinforced doors.


    Bearing through the familiar musty smell of the castle dungeon, I walked silently behind Gentry while the rest begrudgingly stayed behind. Gentry motioned for the two soldiers guarding the lower levels where Uto and Rahdeas were held to open the door.


    Taking a deep breath, I waited for Gentry to carefully unlock the cell barely the size of a shoe closet.


    ¡°I will be on standby just outside the door, General Arthur. I¡¯m sure you already know, but please refrain from touching anything else, ¡± Gentry warned before stepping aside as he opened the cell door.


    I waited until the old man left before shifting my gaze to the kneeled man in cuffs. ¡°Rahdeas.¡±


    The man twitched at the sound of his name before a smile formed.


    ¡°My gratitude for your time and presence,¡± he dipped his head respectfully. ¡°Allow me to begin.¡±


    ¡°Begin?¡± I asked, but the man kept his head and gaze lowered.


    I kept my guard up, uneasy because of his odd behavior.


    ¡°Ad of humble origins, born wrapped in rags for a towel,¡± he began, finally lifting his head. ¡°Within, however, he was more. Just like the unassuming ashes of a particr fiery fowl.¡±


    ¡°And as with all heroes-to-be, thed had the looks and thed had the might.¡± Rahdeas stretched out an arm while his other handid over his chest. ¡°His mother taught him the world, his father taught him to fight.¡±


    I watched, dumbstruck, as the tortured man continued his epic.


    Rahdeas¡¯ voice got deeper, darker. ¡°That is, until the day came,


    When thed knew that there was arger stage to tame.


    ¡°His blood knew as well that they could no longer contain,


    Thed¡¯s fire that wished to reign.¡±


    ¡°So they took up their bags and wished their small town good luck,¡± Rahdeas let out a breath. ¡°But woe, as all stories go, tragedy struck.¡±


    ¡°Rahdeas,¡± I called out, but was silenced by a raised finger.


    The man continued. ¡°But never fret, never doubt, because as all stories go, a hero never drops out.


    ¡°So he grows and grows,


    Through his heartache and his death throes,


    Never ceasing, oveing.¡±


    Rahdeas looked up at the dim flickering light above us. ¡°s, every light needs a shadow,


    Every hero needs a foe.


    ¡°The brighter the light,


    The darker its night.¡±


    Finally locking gazes with me, he shoots me a grin. ¡°But I ask you this, hero-to-be.


    What happens when your foe, who has crossed both time and space, is actually brighter than thee?


    ¡°Perhaps a fair maiden¡¯s shining knight,


    Is another one¡¯s deadly blight,


    And the side of dark and the light,


    Is just a matter of who wins the right?¡±


    An ufortable silence lingered as he finished his¡ªfor ack of a better word¡ªperformance and just when I thought things couldn¡¯t get weirder, Rahdeas, his arms chained to the ground, reached out and grabbed my hand with his blood-crusted fingers.


    His glossy soulless eyes turned into crescents as he smiled up at me and nodded. ¡°Ah good, you¡¯re real. I was afraid you were just another illusion and that my performance had gone to waste.¡±


    I stared down, not really knowing how to react as Elijah¡¯s guardian continued to hold my hand.


    ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ve forgotten how warm a person is.¡± His gaze remained afar as he stroked my hand like he would a house pet.


    I jerked my hand from his grasp. ¡°It seems that your time spent here has made you... unbnced.¡±


    ¡°Out of all of more urate words out there, you chose ¡®unbnced¡¯? Not ¡®crazy¡¯ or ¡®insane¡¯ or ¡®mad¡¯, but ¡®unbnced¡¯?¡± Rahdeas snickered.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not waste my time with lectures on my word choice, especially from someone unbnced,¡± I stressed, narrowing my eyes.


    Rahdeas shrugged. ¡°Regardless, it is of your own free will whether you choose to ignore my words or not, poetry or prose alike.¡±


    ¡°So that poem you just recited...¡±


    ¡°Well, I thought a heart-to-heart conversation was a bit boring. And though I¡¯m not very versed in the art of poetry, I had to do something to pass the time here,¡± Rahdeas replied seriously for a second until his eyes twinkled. ¡°Or... you know; this might just be the rambling of a man ¡®unbnced¡¯.¡±


    A sigh escaped me as I shook my head.


    ¡°Be honest, though. My rhyming may have been a bit elementary but it was catchy, was it not?¡± he grinned, wrinkles lining his ghastly skin.


    Annoyance bubbled up, showing on my face. ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand the gravity of your situation, Rahdeas. You¡¯re going to be here for a long time and it¡¯s going to be unpleasant. Revealing anything that might be of help to the Council¡ªto Dicathen¡ªwill ultimately decide how unpleasant. Now is not the best time to worry whether your rhymes are catchy or not.¡±


    He matched my gaze, unaffected, before suddenly falling t on his back, resting his head on his hands like he had no care in the world. ¡°I know precisely what sort of position I¡¯m in and I¡¯ve told you exactly I wanted to. Again, what you gain from it is none of my concern.¡±


    I gnashed my teeth in frustration and waited in silence for a bit longer, hoping that he might change his mind. In the end, the traitor shooed me away with a wave of his hand as he began humming in the rhythm of the poem he had recited to me.


    Letting out a scoff at the traitor¡¯s attitude all the way until the end, I called for Gentry and had him lock Rahdeas¡¯ cell.


    I turned to leave, frustrated and speechless, when my gazended on another cell¡ªone even smaller than Rahdeas¡¯. Despite the mana-inhibiting qualities of the mysterious material that the cell was made of, an ominous aura constantly seeped out.


    For a moment, I was tempted to open the cell.


    In a short amount of time, I had grown and broken through to a stage that rivaled the top mages of Dicathen. The fear that I had felt when facing Uto, even with the help of Sylvie, left a deep impression on me that I wanted to get rid of. And I thought that confronting the retainer again would do so.


    As silly as it sounded, especially since he was bound and severely weakened, I caught myself walking toward Uto¡¯s prison.


    There¡¯s nothing to gain, Arthur, I scolded myself, shaking my head.


    I left the dungeon, greeted out by the sound of Rahdeas humming that made me rey the bits and pieces of the poem that he so theatrically recited.


    ***


    The members of the Council were still waiting for me by the time I came back out. Their gazes bored into me, waiting for me to say something¡ªanything.


    I shot a thumb back at the withering, hook-nosed interrogator behind me. ¡°Gentry¡¯s interrogation tactics seemed to have made Rahdeas lose a bit of his mind. The only thing he did was recite a poem to me.¡±


    ¡°Poem?¡± ine said incredulously.


    Everyone knew Rahdeas as a mild-mannered dwarf that was intelligent and someone who always strived for a coborative effort and solution. Hearing me say that he was basically babbling like a madman raised some eyebrows.


    ¡°What... was the poem about?¡± Virion asked hesitantly.


    ¡°It was a story about a boy on his way to being a hero,¡± I replied. ¡°He said he made it up, but some of it didn¡¯t really make sense.¡±


    ¡°My tactics do sometimes leave the prisoners in a less-than-desirable state,¡± Gentry said with a cough. ¡°My apologies for the false rm. I sincerely thought that he would be confessing something important.¡±


    ¡°Seeing as nothing substantial has been revealed, how about we discuss this more in our next gathering?¡± Alduin suggested.


    ¡°I second this,¡± Buhnd grunted. ¡°We can choose whether to decipher his... poem once we¡¯ve got some sleep in us.¡±


    ¡°If Rahdeas¡¯ state-of-mind is as you suggested, his words most likely don¡¯t hold any weight,¡± Merial said, already turning to leave.


    Like that, the impromptu gathering of the Council in the dead of night in the lowest floors of the castle was brought to an end.


    I got back to my room, and despite myck of sleep and rest, I was wide awake. For some reason, what Rahdeas said kept me thinking.


    Dimming the light artifact on the desk to its lowest setting so I didn¡¯t wake up my bond, I began jotting down the parts of the poem that I remembered.


    While my memory recall wasn¡¯t perfect, I was able to get a lot of it down on paper with the help of the rhymes and simple structure of the poem.


    Leaning back in my chair, I read through the poem again, frustrated at some of the parts that I couldn¡¯t remember because I had been so confused at Rahdeas¡¯ behavior.


    The main message I got from this poem was about a hero... that much is true, but there was something more to it than that.


    Under the assumption that Rahdeas wasn¡¯t out of his mind, he explicitly said that the poem was what he wanted to tell me. This led me to think that maybe this ¡®hero¡¯ had something to do with me.


    I was positive that the poem started off with something about ad of poor origins, and how he was wrapped in a rag... or maybe a towel. but I couldn¡¯t remember what he used to rhyme with towel.


    Owl? Growl? Foul?


    I clicked my tongue and moved on. Assuming that thisd was me, how did Rahdeas know details of my childhood? It wasn¡¯t just the fact that I was from a rather modest upbringing in Ashber, but the poem also said that thed wished the town luck before a tragedy struck.


    It probably wasn¡¯t too hard for Rahdeas to have done a background check on me using his resources while he was still part of the Council, but even then, this whole thing just didn¡¯t sit well.


    Frustrated at Rahdeas for the needlessly cryptic message and at myself for dismissing his poem for the jabbering of a madman, I moved on.


    At least I started paying a bit more attention here, I thought.


    Thetter half of the poem was a bit more ambiguous as it began to sound more and more like an overused prophecy foretold in nearly every hero story I¡¯ve read throughout both my lives.


    Lines like, ¡®the brighter the light, the darker its night¡¯ most likely had something to do with my foe being more powerful the stronger I became¡ªas if I chose my enemies by their strength rtive to my own.


    Regardless, thest few lines were a bit tricky and I felt like I might of misheard or remembered incorrectly. ¡°...knight being someone¡¯s blight?¡±


    I went through the iplete poem for another half hour before I gave up.


    I¡¯ll just ask Rahdeas to repeat the poem one more time tomorrow.


    I was still skeptical of whether the poem even meant anything, which was probably why I hadn¡¯t bothered to even listen carefully when the dwarf said it, but I was still curious.


    Sliding into bed I tried to get rid of my thoughts of the poem, instead focusing on what I should do to best help out in this war.


    Still, even as sleep overcame me, I found myself trying to piece the poem back together by trying to remember all of the words that rhymed.

 Chapter 204

    Chapter 204


    Chapter 204: Lost Words


    GREY


    I stepped back as Lady Vera positioned her thin metal stick she called a ¡®foil¡¯ for a horizontal swing. Still, somehow, the foil managed to p my left arm.


    ¡°How?¡± I hissed, rubbing the fresh wound. ¡°I thought I dodged that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too focused on my weapon,¡± Lady Vera answered, keeping her body still. ¡°Your vision should epass your enemy¡ªor enemies¡ªas a whole. What do you see differently right now?¡±


    I looked down at the foil still pointed at me. ¡°Aside from the obvious?¡±


    That earned me another smack with her weapon. ¡°Don¡¯t get smart with me, kid.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± I yelped. ¡°And I have a name, you know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware that you were named after a rather boring color,¡± Lady Vera said bluntly. ¡°Now, answer my question.¡±


    Afraid of getting hit again, I scanned the tall woman. She wore a dark shirt and tight-fitting ck pants, which only emphasized her long, curly red hair.


    After saving me from my captors several months ago, I began my lessons a few weeks back afterpletely healing from my injuries. While her methods were brutal and her personality was about as warm as a block of ice, they were effective.


    ¡°Well?¡± she pressed, jolting me out of my thoughts.


    I let out a breath and pointed at her foot. ¡°You pivoted using your lead leg, bringing your back foot forward for longer reach.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± she nodded in approval. ¡°Although, if you weren¡¯t able to see that from the track mark on the ground...¡±


    ¡°Yes yes. Then I don¡¯t deserve to be your student,¡± I finished. ¡°Now, how do I get better?¡±


    My mentor muttered something under her breath before walking over to the manmade pond she had in her yard. The entire ¡®training ground¡¯ we were in, which stretched out for fifty yards in both length and width, was her backyard.


    The simple fact that she even had a backyard in a city where high rise building took up about every avable plot ofnd spoke a lot about her wealth and power. Adding to the fact that her entire backyard¡ªwhich looked like something out of an old nature magazine¡ªwas also blocked off from the outside world by a twenty-foot wall made me wonder what sort of position she actually held in Wittholm Academy, the military school I was still enrolled in.


    As we reached the clear pond that had fish in it¡ªactual, live fish¡ªLady Vera sat down at the edge and motioned me to join her.


    ¡°Try catching a fish with your hands,¡± she said. ¡°Without using ki.¡±


    ¡°What? Won¡¯t they die if theye out of the water? I-I don¡¯t think I can afford to rece a living fish like this.¡±


    She gave me a rare smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that and just try.¡±


    Gazing warily at the aquatic animals that I¡¯ve only seen in a frozen and processed form, I reached in and tried to scoop one up. Just as my fingers barely touched the water, however, the gold and ck fish darted off to the other end of the pond.


    ¡°So fast!¡± I eximed, marveling at its speed.


    She snapped her finger to get my attention. ¡°Again.¡±


    It only took about a dozen more tries to realize that there was a message that I was supposed to be getting from all of this. Frustrated and wet, I swiped my hand without a care whether I¡¯ll hurt the fish or not, only to slip on the wet stone and fall inside the water.


    ¡°Gah!¡± I iled out of the water, letting out a gasp as my mentor justughed.


    Barely managing to climb back out of the deep pond, Iid back on the grass. ¡°What¡¯s the point of this, anyway? It¡¯s impossible to catch one with just your bare hands.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± my mentor said in a haughty voice.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s imposs¡±¡ªI lifted my head, only to see that she was holding a fish in her hand¡ª¡°what? No way! Do it again!¡±


    Lady Vera shrugged and threw the fish back into the pond. ¡°Sure.¡±


    I scrambled back to my feet and watched closely in case my mentor tried to pull a fast one and use ki or cheat in some other way.


    Leaning forward, Lady Vera waited with her hand close to the surface. Just as another fish was about to swim by, she dipped her hand slowly into the water and came out with the fish in her hand.


    She shot me a smug grin, tossing the fish back in. ¡°Now do you believe me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. You did it so slowly...¡± I mumbled. ¡°Wait! Did you train these fish to just go into your hand?¡±


    ¡°Do I look like someone that¡¯d spend the time to do something as useless as that?¡± My mentor looked at me, deadpan.


    I scratched my head. ¡°I guess not... but I still don¡¯t understand the point of this, unless it was for you to just show off.¡±


    My mentor sshed water on my face at my remark. ¡°I did it to show you that you and these fish¡ªthe ones that were able to make a fool of you¡ªare simr.¡±


    I furrowed my brows. ¡°What?¡±


    Lady Vera¡¯s hand suddenly shot out toward my face, causing me to whip my head to the side.


    ¡°Your reaction speed is fast, frighteningly so,¡± my mentor exined, patting my shoulder. ¡°But it¡¯s instinctual, not tamed, just like these fish.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What do you mean tamed?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You might not be aware of it but, through of this ¡®ability¡¯, by the time your opponent¡¯s arms flex in order to throw a punch, your brain has already sent a signal to your body in order to react. Now, if your opponents are on the level of students here, you hold arge advantage over them. However, if left like this, stronger opponents can easily predict how you¡¯re going to dodge, just like how I predicted the fish would try to dodge when I grabbed it.¡±


    I thought for a moment and realized that what Lady Vera said was pretty spot on. ¡°So how do I ¡®tame¡¯ this ability?¡±


    ¡°By responding, not reacting,¡± she answered, getting up and taking an offensive stance.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°One is intentional, the other is instinctual. We¡¯ve focused on basic conditioning for the most part, but I think you¡¯re ready to start learning how to start responding.¡±


    My eyes shined in excitement at the thought of finally learning to fight from Lady Vera. ¡°The fun part!¡±


    ¡°Fun for me,¡± she replied with a dark smile, swinging her foil in a figure eight. ¡°But lucky for you, your next ss starts soon so we¡¯ll start with this exercise tomorrow.¡±


    I let out a groan and rubbed the welt on my arm from where she hit me earlier.


    ¡°There¡¯s a car waiting for you to get back to school,¡± Lady Vera said while shooing me away. ¡°Now scram.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the lesson,¡± I grumbled before picking up my uniform and backpack that were hung by the door before leaving.


    ***


    While the ride back to school took less than an hour, I still managed to fall asleep deep enough for the driver to have to shake me awake after arriving.


    I took a deep breath as I stepped out of the sleek ck vehicle, prepared for the sharp gazes of my peers at the mere luxury of being able to ride a private car. However, the outer courtyard that was usually filled with students either lounging around in between sses were all gathered around the entrance of the administration building on the left. Blocking off the perimeter were several fortified vans that looked a bit different from the usual city¡¯s police force.


    ¡°What is going on,¡± I muttered to myself, making my way toward the crowd.


    Armored guards in ck, with their customary straight sabers strapped to their hips, kept all the curious students from getting any closer from the building doors. These weren¡¯t normal police officers; they were enforcers.


    I grabbed the nearest student. ¡°What happened? Why are enforcers here? Was there a break in or an attack?¡±


    ¡°Did you just get here?¡± the boy scoffed. ¡°You missed the huge explosion that happened out in the training grounds.¡±


    ¡°Explosion? Do you know what caused it?¡±


    ¡°Apparently, it was a student.¡± The boy smirked. ¡°Now, outta the way. I want to try and get closer.¡±


    The boy disappeared in the sea of students, leaving me dumbfounded.


    How big of an explosion was it for enforcers to have toe, I wondered, looking at the soldiers d in thin armored uniforms that were designed to strengthen when imbued with ki.


    I couldn¡¯t help but remember how Nico had gone on and on about how revolutionary the material those uniforms were made of was... vein fiber was the name. He had also mentioned how expensive vein fiber was to produce, which was why they were only provided for kings and elite soldiers, either for the special operation soldiers going on international missions or enforcers of the counter-terrorist squads.


    Speaking of Nico, if anyone knew what was going on, it would probably be him, I thought, my eyes scanning through the crowd in hopes of finding him or Cecilia.


    Unable to get a good view, I turned back and climbed up one of the light post until I spotted a familiar dark-haired boy. He was at the very front, just beyond the perimeter that the enforcers had set up, but I wasn¡¯t sure if it was Nico. I narrowed my eyes, focusing on him until he finally turned around.


    ¡°There you are.¡± I jumped down and made my way through the crowd of students. After bumping shoulders and fighting my way in for a good ten minutes, I was able to squeeze and get to the front.


    ¡°Nico!¡± I called out.


    My friend turned around and the first thing I noticed was the trail of blood running down his lips. That was never a good sign.


    ¡°Grey!¡± He eximed, making my way to me.


    ¡°Your lips are bleeding, Nico. What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked, my eyes shifting between Nico and the enforcers just a few feet away behind the red warning tape. ¡°Some guy told me there was apparently an explosion caused by a student.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened. The ki restrainer must¡¯ve malfunctioned. But I checked it just a few days ago and it was fine. I don¡¯t know what happened! It¡¯s all my fault!¡± he said, chewing on his lips again in worry.


    ¡°Slow down, Nico. You¡¯re not making any sense,¡± I answered.


    Nico buried his face in his hands. ¡°It¡¯s Cecilia. She had one of her idents.¡±


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    I opened my eyes, letting out a deep breath. It¡¯d only been a few days since myst ¡®dream¡¯ and this one was a particrly bad one. It was a memory that I would never forget, dream or no dream. Along with Headmaster Wilbeck¡¯s death, it was that day that caused my life to unfold the way it did.


    I looked outside the window to see that the sun had yet to fully rise, which meant that I had at most only a two or three hours of sleep.


    With a groan, I got out of bed and washed up, hoping cold water will help wash out the fatigue that seemed to have made a permanent home in my body.


    ¡®You¡¯re awake?¡¯ my bond asked, not bothering to speak.


    ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t think I can fall back asleep anyway. Want to join me in a morning stretch outside?¡±


    ¡®As enticing as that sounds, unfortunately, that requires me to get out of bed,¡¯ she replied pulling the covers over her head.


    ¡°Growing children do need their sleep,¡± I agreed with a chuckle, drying my hair with a towel.


    ¡®That immature retort speaks volumes about who the child actually is between us,¡¯ she replied casually.


    I let out augh. You got me there.


    After dressing in a in loose shirt and dark trousers, I headed out, passing my desk. Looking down at the messy paper filled with bits and pieces of the poem that I tried to remember, I changed my ns.


    On second thought, I¡¯ll give Rahdeas a short visit. Hopefully he¡¯s functional enough to repeat the poem.


    I greeted the few maids and workers that were just finishing up their night shift as I made my way down toward the dungeon.


    Walking through the long, dimly lit hallway leading to the entrance of the first level, I spotted a familiar face guarding the door... using the term ¡®guarding¡¯ very loosely.


    Albold, the elf of the Chaffer family that Virion had introduced was currently nodding off to sleep as he stood guard beside therge metal door.


    With a smirk, I erased my presence and softened my breath. I coated my footsteps in mana in the same precise manner that I did back when I was training alone in the forests of Epheotus.


    I quickened my speed as I got closer to the sleeping guard but as soon as I was within a few yards of the door, Albold¡¯s eyes shot open and a thickyer of mana covered his body and swords as he swung out.


    I easily caught the two des with my hands, but I was still surprised.


    ¡°General Arthur?¡± he said incredulously, quickly sheathing his dual des. ¡°Sorry about that, I swore I felt someone sneaking up on me.¡±


    ¡°I was sneaking up on you. Weren¡¯t you asleep?¡± I asked, suspicious.


    ¡°Ah... I got caught.¡± Albold scratched his head in embarrassment. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell Commander Virion. I barely have a few days left doing guard duty! I can¡¯t stay here any longer!¡±


    ¡°Rx, I was just impressed,¡± I chuckled. ¡°Virion was right, your senses are good.¡±


    ¡°Haha, saved my ass more than a couple times in my life,¡± Albold responded. ¡°So, what can I do for you, General?¡±


    ¡°I need to speak to a prisoner,¡± I replied. ¡°Is Gentry inside?¡±


    Albold nodded as he opened the door. ¡°I can¡¯t think of a time where he hasn¡¯t been inside.¡±


    The two of us walked in and soon found Gentry sleeping on a cot in one of the cells of the upper-level dungeon.


    ¡°Who...Wha-What¡¯s going on?¡± Gentry muttered as we shook him awake. ¡°G-General? What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°Can you open Rahdeas¡¯ cell for just a moment? There¡¯s something I want to ask him,¡± I exined.


    The interrogator rubbed his eyes as he began unlocking the entrance to the lower level of the dungeon. ¡°Of course. And my apologies again for the trouble I caused by calling the entire Council. I was certain that the traitor was going to reveal something important.¡±


    After a few clicks, Gentry motioned for Albold to help and the two of them heaved the doors open.


    My eyes widened at what I saw. Gentry¡¯s assistant was syed out on the floor with several ck spikes pierced through his body. Seeing the spikes, my gaze immediately veered toward the cell that Uto was in, only to lock eyes with the retainer.


    I immediately imbued mana around me, fearing that Uto would leap out, but the retainer waspletely still and silent¡ªno signs of life in his glossed eyes. he smiled.


    Albold let out a sharp gasp as he strengthened his body as well and drew his swords.


    ¡°Shester!¡± Gentry cried, oblivious of the retainer out of his cell.


    ¡°He-He¡¯s dead,¡± I muttered, eyes focused solely on Uto. Because of his ck body, I didn¡¯t notice the spikes pierced through his chest and stomach as well with blood still leaking out.


    ¡°Rahdeas!¡± I stepped inside the dungeon and the restrictions of magic in the room could immediately be felt. Jumping over the assistant¡¯s corpse, I swung open the door to Rahdeas¡¯ cell that had been unlocked, only to see that the old dwarf had met the same fate as Uto and Shester.


    He was dead.

 Chapter 205

    Chapter 205


    Chapter 205: Enemy Territory


    CIRCE MILVIEW


    cryan


    ¡°How much longer?¡± Fane hissed, his head constantly darting left and right. His voice was hardly louder than a whisper. None of us dared to be any louder than that.


    I held up two fingers, turning my focus back on the tree in front of me. The crest on my back red as I grit my teeth to keep my powers under control while mana coursed through my arms and into the tree itself.


    ¡°My veiling barrier isn¡¯t going tost much longer on such a wide range,¡± Cole muttered through gritted teeth.


    I wiped a bead of sweat running down my cheek. ¡°Done.¡±


    Maeve grabbed my arm and we were already on the move. I turned back onest time to make sure the three-point array I had just finished was in ce.


    It¡¯s in ce. I allowed myself a breath of relief as we began making our way through this forsaken forest.


    We traveled at a frustratingly slow pace with Maeve and myself in the front. Only by using my crest did my senses extend to about thirty yards¡ªmuch too restricted than I wasfortable with. It didn¡¯t help that, because of this mysterious fog that only seemed to exist in this forest, I was the only one that could see past a few feet around us.


    ¡°Do you see anyone around us, Circe?¡± Fane asked for the fifth time.


    I whipped my head back and shot him a re. ¡°I said I¡¯ll tell you if I see anything out of the ordinary.¡±


    He narrowed his eyes, discontent, but didn¡¯t say anything further.


    After about an hour of practically crawling through the fogden forest, I signaled for everyone to stop. ¡°We need to ce another array.¡±


    Everyone got into position. Maeve hopped onto a nearby tree with her hands poised to fire. Cole stuck beside me and enveloped the area in a veil to help mask mana fluctuations while I worked. Fane circled the perimeter with wary eyes as our first line of defense.


    After everyone was in ce, I continued in our most important¡ªand quite likely ourst¡ªmission.


    Activating my crest once again, I began setting up the first part of the three-point array. With my control as a mid-tier sentry, it wasn¡¯t hard setting it up. The tricky part was making sure it was all but undetectable until I finally activated it. There could be no trace, no leakage, of mana or the elves lurking around the forest will sense it. If any of the arrays that I had made were discovered, the whole n was ruined.


    Pushing aside the burden weighing down on me, I controlled the mana coalesced in the tip of my fingers as it began seeping into the first tree. A rustle sounded to my left and I jerked.


    Were we discovered?


    By the time I turned my head in the direction of the sound, Fane was already there. He shook his head, holding up a rodent whose neck had been cleanly broken.


    As expected of a veteran emblem holder. The striker¡¯s attitude was foul, but he was a reliable teammate to have.


    Turning my focus back on the old tree, I controlled the passage of my instilled mana until it buried itself deep into the core of the tree. After it was in ce, I had to cover the tracks and the mana fluctuation at the site of the ¡®wound¡¯.


    For this moment, my attention had to be concentrated. I wasn¡¯t able to afford to spread my senses around us in case an elf sneaked up on us.


    Minutes crawled at the pace of hours as I blinked away the tears trying to get inside my eyes. The mana imprint left by my spell had to be manually obscured with surgical precision so that no one could sense that magic was used in the area.


    Done, I mouthed at my teammates before moving onto the next point.


    Kneeling down on the ground a few feet away from the tree, I repeated the process until finally I was on thest part on a tree on the other side of the array I had made on the ground.


    After this three-point array had beenpleted, we were once again on the move. Luckily, Cole¡¯s veil barrier didn¡¯t leave any mana fluctuations. Neither did Fane or Maeve¡¯s magic.


    Truly a team specialized for this mission, I thought, feeling out of ce. Afterall, I was a sentry. I wasn¡¯t built or trained for this.


    My only source offort was that we weren¡¯t the only team.


    Maybe one of the other teams have already seeded in securing a route, I hoped, knowing how unlikely it was. Out of all the other teams, I knew that we were the most likely to seed... because of my newly acquired emblem.


    Suddenly, an arm shot out, stopping me in my tracks. It was Maeve.


    She locked gazes with me and then looked down. Hidden underneath the fog was a small ditch with spikes of wood.


    My heart thumped at the close call.


    ¡°The spikes weren¡¯t sharpened, it was twisted into this shape,¡± Maeve informed in a whisper.


    ¡°nt magic,¡± I breathed. My heart dropped at what this meant.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to find another route,¡± Fane said from behind, still on the lookout.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to stop in a bit for me to scout another route,¡± I replied, disheartened.


    With a solemn nod from Maeve, we continued our hellish march.


    My legs throbbed in pain and my sore back made me feel older than my grandma, but I continued on withoutint until the sun was about an hour from setting.


    ¡°Merciful Vritra,¡± I mumbled as we finally settled down for the night on the thick branches of a tree.


    Cole passed around strips of salted dried meat and a candied root to each of us.


    Tearing smaller pieces from the dried meat, I let it sit in my mouth so my saliva would soften it before I chewed it down. The four of us ate silently, relishing the first small break in two days.


    After sucking the sugar off of the candied root, and taking a sip from my sk, I got back to work.


    Igniting my hard-earned emblem, I activated True Sense. The unsettling sensation of my consciousness leaving my body felt as if I was undressing amidst a snowstorm, but I endured through it by relishing the breathtaking sight of the forest beneath me.


    Like a ghost floating through the sky, unabated, I narrowed my True Sense to lock in on a single element. My head, figuratively speaking since my actual body was sittingatose below on a tree branch, throbbed terribly.


    I¡¯ve read that true mastery of this ability wille when my mind is able to see all four elemental mana particles in the atmosphere. If that¡¯s the case, I still have a long way to go.


    Despite the numbing pain, I was soon rewarded as particles of ambient mana lit up green. Hurriedly, I scanned throughout the horizon, desperately searching forrge clusters of ambient wind mana that would lead us to the hidden kingdom of the elves.


    As I extended my True Sense, the throbbing grew unbearable.


    Just a little long¡ªthere!


    Immediately my non-physical form was sucked back into my body that had been anchored by the powerful emblem. Thest twinkle of green flickered out of my vision as I returned to my physical visage with a gasp.


    ¡°Were you sessful, Circe?¡± Fane immediately asked, true to his impatience.


    My body still felt cold, like I had gotten into a fresh set of sheets, but my lips curled into a smile. ¡°The kingdom is still too far away, but I was able to find arger area of mana fluctuations about a day¡¯s travel from here.¡±


    ¡°Larger?¡± Maeve echoed with a twinkle in her eye. ¡°That means it¡¯s a bigger settlement, or maybe even a town.¡±


    Cole let out a sigh. ¡°At least we¡¯re going the right way. Nice to know all of this so far wasn¡¯t for nothing.¡±


    ¡°As expected from a member of the Milview blood. Your skills as a sentry hold true,¡± Faneplimented as he tore off a piece of his dried meat.


    epting his rare praise, I continued. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to use my emblem for another day but after I¡¯ve fully recovered, I¡¯ll want to do another scan honing in on water attribute mana.¡±


    ¡°Smart,¡± Maeve agreed. ¡°From our reports, these elves are adept mostly in either water or wind.¡±


    After finishing our modest meal, we got asfortable as we could within the branches of the ancient tree deep within enemy territory. Either Cole or I had to be on watch in case something approached but since I had just expended a lot of my mana activating my emblem, Cole and Maeve took first watch.


    The weathered shield about the age of my father shot me a smile before erecting a small veiling barrier around us while Fane and I slept.


    Despite the cold and hard branch pressed against my back and the fear of falling down¡ªeven after tying ourselves to the tree¡ªI soon fell asleep.


    I must¡¯ve barely closed my eyes when I was already shaken awake by Maeve.


    ¡°It¡¯s been two hours,¡± she whispered, signaling me to take over before waking up Fane.


    There¡¯s no way it¡¯s been two hours already, I groaned internally.


    Noticing that I was awake, Cole extinguished his spell before rolling up his cloak and using it as a makeshift pillow to sleep on.


    Even with the ever-looming threat of being discovered and killed, I still had to pinch my cheeks to fully wake myself up. Coursing mana into my second crest, the one that I had received after fullyprehending the spell while it was still just a mark, my awareness spread to a forty-yard radius around us. Normally, I¡¯d be able to stretch my sphere of awareness to over a hundred yards no matter what the terrain, but the mysterious magic epassing this endless forest restricted everyone¡¯s senses.


    If our trek during the day seemed to be going slow, the night on watch was endless. I entertained myself by focusing on a nocturnal bird feeding its newborn blood a dozen yard away when I felt bodies enter the scope of my range.


    Elves!


    I whipped my head and locked gazes with Fane. Before I even mouthed the word, he seemed to know something was wrong by my expression.


    ¡®How many?¡¯ Fane mouthed.


    I held up three fingers and pointed in the direction they wereing from.


    With a nod, the two of us quickly shook Maeve and Cole awake, covering their mouths while doing so in case they made a sound.


    After being caught up, Cole quickly erected a twoyered barrier that dampened sounds and veiled our presence. After erecting barriers all day and barely getting any sleep, the shield was struggling to maintain his spells but he endured. He had to.


    ¡°About a dozen yards away,¡± I whispered solemnly.


    ¡°If we¡¯re lucky, they¡¯ll pass by or go a different way. If they suspect something near us, I¡¯ll take Circe while Maeve and Cole hold them off,¡± Fane dered.


    My eyes widened in panic. ¡°We can all stay and fight. We outnumber them!¡±


    Cole rubbed his stubbled chin. ¡°Even if we stay and fight, we¡¯ll have to do so with magic that¡¯ll leave traces. It¡¯s too risky.¡±


    ¡°Cole is right,¡± Maeve added. ¡°We¡¯re expendable in this mission. You¡¯re not.¡±


    The gravity of her words shook me but I knew it was true. Out of all the teams trying to create a route to the elven kingdom, I was the only sentry with an emblem powerful enough to navigate effectively in the Elshire Forest. Still, the thought of abandoning my teammates sickened me.


    ¡°W-What if we ambush them and take one as a hostage? We can use the elf to¡ª¡±


    ¡°You know what happened to the other team that tried that,¡± Fane interrupted harshly.


    I nodded. The captured elf had killed himself and the team was tracked down by its brethren.


    ¡°Luckily, they were close to the southern border of the forest and it didn¡¯t happen long after the initial beast raid, or else they would¡¯ve be suspicious,¡± Maeve muttered.


    The four of us stopped whispering, afraid the elves might hear us even with the twoyered barrier around us.


    By the time the footsteps below us were audible to our bare ears, we were holding our breaths. I mped my mouth shut with my hands, praying that they¡¯d just keep walking.

 Chapter 206

    Chapter 206


    Chapter 206: Brother¡¯s Consent


    The unexpected deaths of Rahdeas and Uto would be enough to cause a mass panic within the echelons of noble families both living in the castle and out in various fortified cities. Having two major figures of the enemy side in the Council¡¯s palms created a certain semnce of power and control to the people of Dicathen.


    To prevent chaos, the Council did what countless leaders¡ªregardless of time, race, and world¡ªdo when faced with setbacks. They covered it up.


    Gentry, Albold, and I all had to be questioned by the Council since we were the ones present at the scene.


    Because of the ck spikes left skewered on all three corpses almost like a postcard, it was obvious that it couldn¡¯t have been done by any one of us. Still, a majority of my day had been taken up by this. Eventually, Gentry was left to grieve over his assistant that he apparently cared very much for and Albold being relieved of his guard duty so he could be sent back to Elshire Forest to assist as a soldier.


    As for me, I was standing in front of Virion in his private office as he sat behind his desk with a grim expression.


    ¡°Cynthia Goodsky died this way as well, right?¡± I confirmed.


    Virion nodded, his eyes unfocused.


    I continued. ¡°You must be worried about everyone¡¯s safety. Three people have been killed in the most secured location of a flying castle that has existed from ancient times.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯d allow people to still be here if I was worried about their safety?¡± Virion retorted. ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood for tests, Arthur. I know you noticed as well. It was the same with Cynthia.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you realized,¡± I smiled.


    No one had infiltrated the Castle¡ªno matter how much I thought over it, it just wasn¡¯t possible. Theyers of defense that one would have to go through in order to reach the insides of this castle, only to kill two prisoners just didn¡¯t add up. If I was sent on a mission to infiltrate this castle, it¡¯d be much simpler to assassinate as much of the Council as I could. It just didn¡¯t add up, which led me to the answer that the attack had to be done from within.


    Not within our side, but within Rahdeas and Uto¡¯s bodies. Just like Cynthia, who had a powerful curse embedded inside her, it made sense for Rahdeas and even a retainer to have that as well in case they were caught. From how the ck spikes seemed to almost ¡®bloom¡¯ out of Rahdeas and Uto¡¯s bodies, I felt that their curse had been activated.


    As for the Shester¡ªGentry¡¯s unfortunate assistant¡ªit seemed, by the random spikes lodged into not just his body but his extremities as well, he had just been caught in the explosion of spikes that shot out from within the two prisoners.


    That had to be the case, it doesn¡¯t make any sense otherwise.


    Agrona had made it clear that the whole point of this war was to take over this continent with as little casualties as possible so that he could conquer and utilize the resources¡ªliving and nonliving¡ªavable here to strengthen his power and be a threatrge enough to attack Epheotus head on. Dicathen was merely a stepping stone for him so wouldn¡¯t make sense for him to only kill the prisoners if he had the power to send someone inside the castle.


    Does that mean what Rahdeas said was something important? It was too much of a coincidence that he died right after telling me that poem. This led me to think whether Rahdeas purposely said in the form of a poem to try to bypass the curse. I remembered Cynthia having a curse where she was restricted to reveal or even think about revealing anything relevant.


    Forcing myself out of the neverending spections in my head, I spoke. ¡°Any ns for what to do next?¡±


    ¡°For now, consolidating the priorities of the councilmemberse first. They were already restless after the attack on the southern borders of the Elshire Forest, but even this...¡± The old elf let out a breath that seemed to contain a bit of his weathered soul. ¡°To be honest, Arthur, I¡¯m at quite a loss at the moment. This war... the scale is so unlike any war thisnd has faced, yet¡ª¡±


    ¡°Things have been too quiet,¡± I finished. ¡°I agree. Even with the death of Uto and Rahdeas, I feel like something big is about to happen. I¡¯m just not sure what.¡±


    The room grew quiet as both of us mulled over our thoughts until Virion let out a cough. ¡°Well, no use worrying right now. There are things that must be done. Arthur. You¡¯re on standby as of now, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes. General Aya is currently stationed in Elenoir, General Mica is assisting in the investigations of the radical group in Darv, General Varay is helping with fortification of major cities throughout the western coast and General Bairon, I believe, is scouting the northern ranges of the Grand Mountains for any signs of retainers or Scythes since there was that base we had cleared out nearby,¡± I reported. I had wanted to help out but because the cryans have been so quiet despite the seemingly random attack on the outskirts of the Elshire Forest, there was nothing that needed my attention.


    ¡°Okay. For now, stay in the Castle and get used to your new core. You¡¯ll be sent out immediately if any of the cities report anything unusual so I need you to be in top condition,¡± Virion dered.


    I turned to leave when Virion¡¯s voice called out from behind. ¡°Oh, and Arthur?¡±


    Looking back at themander over my shoulder, I responded. ¡°Yes?¡±


    He smiled. ¡°I know you don¡¯t care for this kind of thing, but as ance, don¡¯t you think you should go around dressed a bit more appropriately?¡±


    Looking down to see the loose shirt and dark trousers I had on, I let out a chuckle. ¡°Perhaps I should.¡±


    Returning to my room, I was greeted by not only Sylvie, but by my sister and her bond as well.


    Arriving in front of my room, I could hear faint mutters from a voice that sounded like my sister.


    ¡°...have to help me, okay? Promise?¡±


    Sylvie must¡¯ve told her I was here because my sister stopped talking.


    Opening the door, I was greeted by Ellie and my bond, who were sitting on the couch. Boo, who was lying on the ground with his giant head propped up on top of my bed like a pillow, acknowledged my presence with a snort before closing his eyes.


    ¡°H-Hi, Brother,¡± my sister smiled weakly.


    Sylvie greeted me with a simple wave of her hand.


    That¡¯s not suspicious, I thought.


    ¡®You¡¯re overthinking,¡¯ my bond immediately replied back, making it more suspicious.


    ¡°Anyway, what happened for you to be gone for so long?¡± my sister asked, a bit upset that I hadn¡¯t had the chance to really spend time with her since I came back.


    ¡°Just more meetings that I had to attend,¡± I said vaguely. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m free now.¡±


    Ellie cocked a brow. ¡°Does that mean you¡¯ll finally spend some time with your precious sister?¡±


    ¡°Yup, if you¡¯re okay with the training ground that is. Sylv and I both have things to test before an actual fight.¡±


    ¡°Of course that¡¯s okay. That¡¯s exactly what I was about to suggest!¡± my sister eximed, grabbing her bow that was propped up against the wall beside her.


    After changing into a more ¡®socially appropriate¡¯ attire, which was just a high-cored military tunic that covered the red scars on my neck, and a more fitted pair of trousers. Compared to the rest of thences, I was dressed rather casually but at least I didn¡¯t look like some farmer¡¯s kid.


    ¡°Your hair is almost as long as mine. When are you going to cut it?¡± Ellie asked with distaste as I was tying my back hair.


    I shrugged. ¡°When I feel the need to.¡±


    We made our way to the training room that was guarded by pair soldiers arguing over something.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you that it¡¯s not the¡ªGeneral Arthur!¡± The armored man on the left clicked his heels and saluted while hispanion on the right side of the entrance did the same.


    ¡°There are currently several mages practicing inside. Would you like us to clear them out?¡± The guard on the right asked as the two of them opened the entrance.


    Because of the sheer power that can be generated from a white core mage, most of the time, the training room waspletely emptied and walls were additionally fortified when ance came in.


    ¡°No need. The one training isn¡¯t me,¡± I informed, walking in after my excited sister. Sylvie and Boo followed along as we stepped into the loose earthen terrain.


    Therge room was lively with various nobles in well-adorned robes and tunics around my sister¡¯s age or slightly older testing spells while guardians oversaw and gave pointers to their students. The ones training here were all of status with privileges that extended from family members that were of high rankings within the army. Being able to live and train in the Castle meant that they were safe, a luxury that only the top houses and families of captains had.


    Seeing therge entrance open, a few turned their heads my way and the private instructors and adults all immediately recognized me. Bowing in respect, they quickly shushed their children when some of the younger ones asked who I was.


    A woman that looked a few years older than my mother walked up to me with an amiable smile. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to see ance like this. If you are here to train, I will take son and his friends elsewhere to learn.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I smiled back. ¡°Just here to stretch a little. Don¡¯t mind us.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up!¡± Ellie eximed, already several yards ahead.


    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me...¡± I followed after my sister with Sylvie and Boo in tow.


    ¡°Your sister really wants to impress you,¡± Sylvie said with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on her.¡±


    ¡°Aww, that¡¯s no fun,¡± I smirked before turning my gaze to my bond. ¡°Get ready to ¡®stretch¡¯ as well. I want to see what you can do before we get into an actual battle.¡±


    ¡°Is that okay with all of these people here?¡± she asked. ¡°We¡¯ll tone it down a bit. If we really wanted to go all out, we¡¯d have to find arge valley somewhere.¡±


    My bond chuckled. ¡°True. Very well, I¡¯m also curious to see how well I¡¯ve adjusted to this new form.¡±


    Making our way to the far end of the training grounds near the pond, Iunched a b of earth at my sister.


    ¡°I¡ª¡± I stopped my warning as three arrows of mana lodged itself into the b.


    Ellie turned her head back at me with a smirk. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to do better than that, Brother.¡±


    Sylvie and I exchanged nces.


    ¡°Looks like I might not get the chance to be hard on her,¡± I chuckled.


    Time passed quickly in the training grounds despite the fact that all I basically did was create targets for my sister. It gave me the chance to really test the limits of what organic magic I could create with my white core. Freeforming spells into odd and sometimes intricate shapes seemed to fascinate the children that had gathered around us to watch the show.


    The noble kids would ¡®ooh¡¯ and ¡®ahh¡¯ as I conjured birds made of ice to skirt around in the air while my sister attempted to shoot them down. Some of these spells weren¡¯t very applicable in battle, but like a pro athlete learning to juggle a ball intricately, it helped me metaphorically stretch my abilities and see what I could and couldn¡¯t do in a set amount of time.


    I tried raising earthen soldiers like Olfred was able to do, but after raising about three simple humanoid golems, my control over them faltered to the extent that they began mimicking each other¡¯s movements. Memories of my time with Wren popped up. He was able to control his golems to the point that they acted like sentient beings. Even Olfred, while not as precisely as the asura, was able to conjure and control an army of golems, albeit not as precisely as the asura.


    A shame one is forbidden to help while the other is... dead. Not that either would have offered to help had they been here. The thought of them left a bad taste in my mouth.


    Rather than dwelling on the past, I focused my attention on the task at hand. It felt rude to train Ellie so half-heartedly when I saw how concentrated she was.


    Let¡¯s try kicking things up a notch.


    With a wave of my arm, I conjured a current of fire that began twisting and shaping itself into a beastly shape. The ground where its ¡®legs¡¯ touched sizzled from the heat as I willed my creation to walk toward Ellie.


    Boo, who had been watching beside me, tilted his head in curiosity at the ming beast that mirrored his form.


    ¡°Your offense is good, Ellie, but what happens when a spell that you can¡¯t just shoot down with arrowses at you?¡± I called out.


    Some of the noble kids a few yards away let out gasps as the instructors let out murmurs of praise.


    Ellie¡¯s lips just curled up into a confident grin as she drew her bow. A shimmering arrow manifested, glowing white due to its elementless nature. Just before she let go of the string, however, a slight undtion rippled across the shaft of the mana arrow.


    The arrow quickly approached my ¡®fire Boo¡¯ with a shriek. I had expected Ellie¡¯s spell to simple pierce through harmlessly, but as the point lodged itself into my spell, the entire arrow exploded in a ray of light, dispersing the ming beast I had conjured.


    I blinked. ¡°That was...¡±


    ¡°Impressive? Superb? Jaw-dropping?¡± my sister finished, her eyes twinkling.


    ¡°Not bad. It was not bad,¡± I said, rolling my eyes.


    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Ellie sniffled, trying to hide her smile.


    The day went on with me moving on from conjuring various elemental targets for her, to testing her body¡¯s defenses. Though I hated to admit it, her ability to conjure a protectiveyer of mana over her body was wless and fast enough to rival some of the upperssmen I had seen at Xyrus. Due to her unnaturally intricate control over her mana, she was able toyer mana in specific portions of her body almost instantly and create a fairly durable panel of mana.


    I put the scabbard of Dawn¡¯s Bad that I had been using to spar with Ellie in close range back inside my ring. ¡°Did you learn close quartersbat with your bow from Helen too?¡±


    My sister fell down on the ground, sweating and panting. ¡°Yup... I read a couple books too that helped, although there weren¡¯t that many.¡±


    ¡°Most archers carry around a dagger or even a light sword around for closebat,¡± I informed. ¡°But since your archery doesn¡¯t depend on you taking out an arrow from your quiver and nocking it on your bow before firing it, learning how to fend off a few attacks in order give yourself some space for a quick shot was the right decision.¡±


    ¡°Yourpliments seem... somewhat dull,¡± my sister said in between breaths.


    ¡°Because that wasn¡¯t apliment. Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself,¡± I smirked. ¡°We¡¯ve been drilling for only a few hours. Your stamina needs improvement.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... not even fair,¡± Ellie huffed.


    ¡°What your brother means to say is that he¡¯s very proud of your growth,¡± Sylvieforted with a smile.


    ¡°Woah, no verbally expressing my thoughts!¡± I protested.


    ¡°This was rigged from the start, anyway.¡± Ellie stuck out a tongue. ¡°I mean, how do you even dodge an arrow shot at point nk¡ªrepeatedly.¡±


    ¡°Ance has to be able to do at least that much, right?¡±


    My sister narrowed her eyes, discontent by my reply. ¡°You didn¡¯t even break a sweat.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get there with enough training and experience,¡± I replied.


    Ellie shot a nce to Sylvie before looking back at me. ¡°Speaking of getting enough experience, I was wondering if I can maybe... you know...¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°I know... what?¡±


    ¡°N-Nevermind,¡± my sister muttered.


    ¡°Ellie,¡± Sylvie chimed in, shaking her head. ¡°Just say it.¡±


    ¡°Does this have anything to do with what you guys were talking about before I got in the room?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I-I want to start helping out in the war!¡± my sister said, unable to look me in the eyes.


    Even though I saw thising, my heart still sank.


    ¡®Arthur...¡¯ Sylvie sent, feeling my emotions.


    ¡°You said it yourself, or rather you thought it yourself, that I was a lot better,¡± my sister continued when I didn¡¯t answer. ¡°I¡¯m confident that I¡¯m better than a lot of the soldiers that have been assigned to squads and I¡¯m okay with being in the reserves and since I¡¯m an archer, I¡¯d be in the backline anyway so¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ellie,¡± I interrupted, kneeling down so I was eye-level with my sister.


    With a wave of my hand, a barrier of wind surrounded the four of us. I didn¡¯t feelfortable having others listening to family conversations.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying no, but I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m allowed to make this decision for you. Mom or Dad aren¡¯t here and to be honest, we haven¡¯t exactly been on the same track these days,¡± I said.


    ¡°You guys still haven¡¯t made up since before you left to go train?¡± my sister asked, concernced in her voice.


    ¡°You knew?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m young, not dumb,¡± my sister frowned.


    ¡°Right. Sorry.¡±


    I looked at my bond, who simply gave me an encouraging smile. Letting out a sigh, I gave in. ¡°How about we go on a mission together once? If you do well, I¡¯ll give you my blessing. I can¡¯t speak for Mom or Dad but I won¡¯t hold you back on it.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Ellie beamed. ¡°You promised.¡±


    ¡®That was very fair of you,¡¯ my bond approved.


    I shot Sylvie a smile before getting back up. ¡°Anyway, since that¡¯s out of the way. Sylvie, it¡¯s your turn.¡±

 Chapter 207

    Chapter 207


    Chapter 207: Coordination


    Although my bond had the appearance of a little girl that was even younger than my sister¡ªif you disregard the two horns sprouting out from her head¡ªshe was still an asura.


    After having the guards evacuate the small audience that had no intention of continuing their training regardless, I began pouring my mana into therge mana crystal responsible for powering up the defensive mechanisms within the training grounds. A low hum resounded in response and the cavern walls and rounded ceiling glowed dimly. Emily wasn¡¯t here to power up the te-like sensors she had installed for my previous training so the only functionality avable was that of the barrier.


    My sister was the only other person still inside the training room, but I had her stay near the entrance behind Boo in the rare case that one of our spells identally hit her.


    ¡°Do I really have to stay this far when you two are just practicing? I can hardly see you guys even with mana-enhanced sight!¡± Ellie shouted out aint as she peeked her head out from behind her bond.


    Ignoring my sister, I continued to stretch out my body, making sure to be extra diligent while stretching my legs.


    ¡°Are you not going to stretch? Better yet, do you even need to stretch?¡± I questioned my bond, who was standing perfectly still while watching me.


    ¡°Considering I can barely use this body for basic daily functions, I¡¯m a bit hesitant to try anything more,¡± Sylvie replied, frowning.


    ¡°Better to practice now than in the middle of battle, right?¡± I countered, bncing on one leg as I stretched my aching thigh.


    Sylvie let out a sigh. ¡°Very well.¡±


    My bond attempted to mirror my pose, only to stumble. After a few more minutes of her violently swinging her arms to try and keep her bnce as we went through a series of stretches, we began our training.


    ¡°So, how do you want to go about this?¡± I asked. Having only seen her use her superior body to fight alongside me or use vivum to heal me, I had no idea as to how she nned on fighting in her humanoid form.


    ¡°Stay there for a bit,¡± she replied, raising her arm and pointing an open palm in my direction.


    Without warning, a missile of light shot toward me.


    My eyes widened in surprise but I quickly reacted by coating my hand in mana and swatting the missile away.


    ¡°A mana arrow?¡± I looked at the shallow cut on the side of my palm. Despite the spell being simr to Ellie¡¯s mana arrows in a way, her attack was much denser¡ªalmost solid.


    ¡°Ellie¡¯s use of elementless mana provided me with a few ideas on how to best take advantage of my traits,¡± she answered, sending another arrow of mana my way after a moment of preparation.


    This time the ¡®arrow¡¯, or more urately a harpoon, judging by the size of the shining projectile, shot in a slight arc towards me rather than in a straight line like the previous one.


    Wanting to verify my curiosity, I made no attempt to block or dodge the iing spell. Instead, coating my hand in a thickyer of mana, I grabbed Sylvie¡¯s mana harpoon.


    The speed of her spell jerked my arm back but I held on firmly. I had expected it to disperse immediately, but it remained in my hand even while I was gripping down on it with sufficient force to shatter a rock.


    After bing a white core mage and practicing organic magic, I could tell that although Sylvie may have gotten the idea of her attack from watching Ellie, but theposition of the two spells couldn¡¯t be any more different.


    The raw power of her attack isn¡¯t that high but in order to pack so much mana so densely into this form so quickly...


    My mind wandered off as I contemted all of the possible applications of my bond¡¯s magic. By the time I looked back at my hand, the mana arrow had disappeared.


    ¡°Mana maniption for dragons is limited to pure mana only, right?¡± I confirmed.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t take into ount my race¡¯s ability to manipte aether, yes,¡± Sylvie said. ¡°Although there¡¯s something else...¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, curious.


    ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure myself. After being in this form, I¡¯ve been able to get a better grasp of my core, yet there¡¯s a part of it that I can¡¯t seem to ess,¡± she answered.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll be able to ess it once you get stronger,¡± I said. ¡°For now, let¡¯s see how versatile your control over pure mana is.¡±


    Iunched a dozen fire arrows with a swing of an arm. The streaks of fire spread out before converging back into a single target directed at my bond.


    Before my attacknded, a shimmering barrier of light enveloped Sylvie, covering her in fire and dust from the ground around her.


    ¡°Try to create individual panels to block each projectile,¡± I barked out, sending out another wave of fire arrows.


    Sylvie¡¯s brows knit in concentration as she managed to conjure arge sphere of pure mana from her palm that separated into multiple panes to block my spells.


    By then, though, I had already closed the distance between us and had the broken de of Dawn¡¯s Bad pressed against her arm.


    However, rather than flesh, my de had met a patch of ck scales that appeared from beneath her skin.


    Despite my attack¡¯s failure, Sylvie seemed to have been genuinely surprised by my follow up.


    I sheathed my broken sword back into its scabbard and gave my evaluation. ¡°Your control over pure mana is excellent and considering how dense your spells are, it seems your mana reserves are quite big. Your innate body provides good physical defense even if you are a bit slow.¡±


    Although Sylvie held in her smile, I could tell through our bond how proud she was feeling.


    ¡°Still, I don¡¯t think your attacks are strong enough to threaten retainers and scythes,¡± I continued. ¡°What else have you noticed about this formpared to your draconic form?¡±


    Sylvie thought for a moment. ¡°My innate defenses are a bit weaker in this form. You held that strike back but if you had attacked me seriously with Dawn¡¯s Bad, I would¡¯ve lost a limb.¡±


    ¡°Good to know.¡± I nodded. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°My control over mana is better in this form, but my dragon form allows me to utilize more of my mana in a single breath¡ªalbeit a more unrefined form,¡± my bond exined, twirling several orbs of mana around her hand as if to emphasize her point.


    ¡°I see,¡± I muttered taking a few steps back. ¡°There are a couple more things I want to test out, Sylv. Can you conjure a square pane in front of me?¡±


    I could feel her curiosity re up but I hid my intentions from my bond.


    With a twitch of her wrist, the spheres of mana that had been orbiting her hand shot out and converged into a bigger orb before ttening out into a t square.


    ¡°Keep it stable,¡± I ordered, reeling my fist back.


    I punched Sylvie¡¯s panel of mana and while it trembled from the impact, it stayed where it was.


    ¡°What about distance? How far can you conjure a spell and keep control over it?¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer, instead, she stretched out a hand and willed the panel of mana that I had just punched away. The spell changed into a spherical form as it hurled toward the back wall of the room. Sylvie then closed her outstretched hand into a fist, suspending the orb in midair.


    ¡°Move it left,¡± I ordered, concentrating on the shining orb.


    Upon Sylvie¡¯s direction, the orb easily darted left and stopped just before it hit the wall.


    I gave another order. ¡°Bring it back, change the shape of it into an arrow.¡±


    I led Sylvie into a series of exercises, gradually adding more orbs and having her manage them until there were ten orbs, five of which I had instructed Sylvie to change into a t panel. By the end of the drill, Sylvie was sweating profusely, but I had a pretty good idea on how we were going to coordinate in battles.


    ***


    Four days had passed in the blink of an eye. I spent the majority of the day in the training grounds, drilling with Ellie and Sylvie until the two of them were mentally and physically drained. It was a great change of pace for myself as well and I felt my control over my white core steadily improve. While Sylvie had yet to ¡®unlock¡¯ more of her abilities hidden away in her core, and we hadn¡¯t had the chance to attempt at any sort of coordinated fighting together, she and my sister had still improved greatly under my scrutinizing tutge. After our morning drills of target hitting for my sister and multitasking with ten or more mana spheres for my bond, we took a break.


    Sylvie, Ellie, Boo and I rested near the grassy patch beside the pond, eating the sandwiches brought to us by a hulking woman that was apparently a chef inside the castle.


    ¡°Hey, Art,¡± my sister called as she absentmindedly picked the vegetables off her sandwich. ¡°What would you say are the biggest drawbacks of fighting using pure mana? From what I¡¯ve seen while you and Sylvie were practicing these past few days, her spells seemed really versatile, even against all of your elemental attacks.¡±


    ¡°Stop picking them out and just eat it,¡± I chided, gently pping her hand. ¡°And to answer your question, I can think of three big reasons why most mages prefer to use magic of their elemental affinity rather than just pure mana spells. First reason is that it uses up a lot of your mana reserves.¡±


    ¡°More so than elemental spells?¡± Ellie interrupted.


    ¡°Pure mana can onlye from your mana core, which¡ªas you know from experience¡ªis often time consuming to gather and purify. Elemental magic also uses mana from your core but it¡¯s also powered by the ambient mana that consists of all of the elements,¡± I exined.


    Ellie¡¯s brows furrowed as she tried to wrap her head around the concept. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow.¡±


    I thought for a moment, trying toe up with an appropriate analogy. ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s kind of like this. Imagine I¡¯m on top of a snowy hill and I¡¯m trying to hit you, who¡¯s at the bottom, with a snowball.¡±


    ¡°Why am I the one getting hit?¡± she frowned.


    I looked at her with a deadpan expression. Sylvie chuckled beside me as she tossed a sandwich to Ellie¡¯s drooling bond.


    ¡°Okay, okay. Please continue.¡±


    ¡°A mage using elemental magic would first make a snowball with his hands but instead of just throwing it, he would roll it down the hill so that the snowball picks up more snow from the ground. By the time it hits you, we¡¯ll say the snowball turned into the size of Boo,¡± I continued.


    Boo let out grunt upon hearing his name but quickly turned his attention back to Sylvie, who was the only one feeding him.


    ¡°Now, a mage using a pure mana spell of the same ¡®power¡¯ will have to make the snowball and pack it with more and more snow until it¡¯s the size of Boo before throwing it down at you. See the difference?¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a lot of work,¡± Ellie admitted. ¡°Okay, what are the other reasons?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s harder to effectively control pure mana once it¡¯s been expelled from your body, and¡±¡ªdeciding it¡¯d be easier to just show her thest reason, I willed a field of stone spikes to shoot out from the ground a few dozen yards from where we were¡ª¡°unlike what I did just now, pure mana spells must originate from the caster.¡±


    Just by looking at my sister, I could see that the proverbial light seemed to have lit up in her head.


    ¡°Anyway, since we¡¯ve taken a break, why not continue a little longer?¡± I suggested, getting up.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ellie agreed, bolting up as well. ¡°Hey Sylvie, can you do what you did earlier and make those moving panels? I want to try to hit them!¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± My bond smiled. ¡°Shoot some mana arrows off course so I can practice reacting as well!¡±


    A smile escaped my lips as I watched the two run off when the doors to the training room opened once more. A single guard came running in, and just by his expression, I knew it wasn¡¯t good.


    Sylvie and Ellie¡¯s eyes followed the guard that stopped in front of me and saluted before speaking.


    ¡°General Arthur! News of a massive corrupted beast horde hase from the Wall. Commander Virion is currently waiting for you in the dock with a team of mages to go with you as back up.¡±

 Chapter 208

    Chapter 208


    Chapter 208: Enemy Territory II


    CIRCE MILVIEW


    cryan


    ¡°Please... Maeve! I need a break,¡± I begged the caster in between ragged breaths.


    Looking behind me, I saw Cole just a few paces away running desperately to keep up with us. Suddenly, Maeve, who had been pulling me by the arm, stopped. I barely managed to avoid colliding with her when she let go of me and pointed up atrge tree. ¡°Let¡¯s take cover here.¡±


    Fatigue weighing down my body, Maeve hoisted me up the tree while Cole barely managed to push himself up onto the lowest branch. The strenuous task of climbing up high enough on the tree to stay hidden took the better half of an hour.


    Finally satisfied, Cole leaned back against the trunk of the tree, her legs dangling in the air. I peeled out of Fane¡¯s oversized silver breastte so that my sweat-drenched shirt could dry off a little.


    The three of us remained silent, each doing whatever task they deemed more important to them. After eating a few strips of dried meat, Cole immediately set a barrier around us while Maeve cycled mana.


    As for me, I knew what I had to do, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it. Instead I turned to where Cole and Maeve were and asked hesitantly. ¡°D-Do you think Fane made it out?¡±


    Maeve opened one eye¡ªjust one eye¡ªbut the anger that exuded out of that eye made me wince. Cole shuffled over and sat between Maeve and I so we weren¡¯t in direct eye contact of each other. ¡°Circe. Focus on the mission. Can you use True Sense yet?¡±


    Cole¡¯s voice was soft and gentle, yet his expression had hardened to a point where he looked like a different personpared to when I had first met him back in crya.


    I nodded my head and prepared myself, but when I closed my eyes, the scene from earlier today still shed like it was still happening right now.


    It was all my fault. If I hadn¡¯t gone off from the camp.


    There was no one there when I checked. I just wanted to wash my clothes in the stream.


    I rattled on more reasons in my head. The stream we had passed by was less than a hundred yards from where we were hiding. I double¡ªno, triple¡ªchecked using my crest to make sure there was no one within my heightened range of awareness. Throughout our journey, our whole group made extra precautions to hide our trail. We had even dug holes into the ground every time we did our ¡®business¡¯ and covered it back up with dirt and foliage.


    So, how? How did I get caught on my way back to the camp?


    If I hadn¡¯t kept my crest active, I would¡¯ve led the elves straight to where the rest of the group was hiding.


    I thought that I was in the clear after throwing them off. I ran for over an hour in the opposite direction before circling back to where Fane, Maeve, and Cole were.


    Still, by the expression on everyone¡¯s expression after I had told them what happened, I knew it wasn¡¯t as simple as that.


    Fane immediately ripped off my outer robe and gave me his silver chestte for me to wear. Maeve cursed and turned away while Cole slumped, crestfallen.


    I didn¡¯t know what was happening back then. It was only Fane that gave me a gentle smile and said goodbye. The same Fane that had the personality of a poked snake tousled my hair and told Maeve and Cole to protect me.


    Draping my robe over his shoulders, he dropped down from the tree we were hiding in and ran off.


    Confused, I had almost called out after the veteran striker of our team, only to have Maeve cover my mouth with her hand. ¡®We can¡¯t have the elves suspecting that someone is out there. Do you understand? That¡¯s why Fane has to go pretend to be you,¡¯ Maeve had hissed into my ear.


    ***


    I snapped back to reality when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Cole mustered a smile and mouthed for me to hurry.


    Gritting my teeth and praying that Fane would survive, I closed my eyes again and ignited my emblem. For a split second, as I felt my consciousness leaving my body, I was tempted to focus my limited time in this form to search for Fane.


    Snap out of it, Circe. The mission. Focus on the mission.


    I navigated through the perception-debilitating fog that was native to this area using True Sense and locked in on multiple elements this time.


    My heart thumped at the sight of the rich ambient mana particles in the distance.


    We¡¯re almost there!


    Unable to keep True Sense active for much longer, I released the spell and let out a deep breath. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw both Cole and Maeve staring at me intently.


    Despite the guilt and fatigue pressing down on me, I allowed a small grin. ¡°We¡¯re almost there. Just a few more days away at our pace now.¡±


    With my words boosting the overall morale of our small team, we decided to make haste. I put Fane¡¯s silver chestte back on despite its weight restricting my speed. Without Fane with us as our vanguard, I knew I¡¯d need every advantage I can get. After all, I¡¯ve been drilled enough by my team members to know that everything we¡¯ve done so far would¡¯ve been for naught if I were to die.


    Still, dangerous thoughts of assuming that another sentry would seed invaded my mind. I wasn¡¯t a hero. I wasn¡¯t like Fane or Maeve that had trained for years to handle these sort of situations. Even Cole, while only a few years older than me, had quite a bit of experience hunting beasts in the scouting teams back in crya.


    Me? I had barely graduated before I was recruited for this mission. A few weeks ago, before stepping through that highly unstable portal into this continent, I was still packing up my belongings in my assigned school housing so I could go back home to my blood.


    Stumbling on a tree root snapped me out of my thoughts. Thankfully, Maeve was able to grab my arm and stop me from actually falling t on my face on the ground.


    The caster shot me a re but didn¡¯t say anything. We weren¡¯t running particrly fast and the sun had yet to go down so she knew I just wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    Gnashing my teeth together, I did my best to push away any useless thoughts as we hastened our pace in the direction I was leading them.


    I have to survive. For my younger brother.


    I repeated those words in my mind like a mantra. The great Vritra will be able to save my brother and bless him with magic so that he could lead a prosperous life if I seed.


    A mental ring that notified me whenever a new presence entered my range of perception roused me out of my reverie. I stopped in my tracks and held out an arm with two fingers to stop Maeve and Cole as well.


    They immediately understood the signal and we immediately climbed up the closest tree. Unable to strengthen my body like Cole and Maeve, I scrambled for the lowest branch. In my rush, my foot slipped on a moss-covered root.


    My head hit the trunk with a dull thud that sounded like an explosion within this quiet forest. I didn¡¯t even care about the pain. The huge blunder that I had caused made my heart drop.


    Did they hear that? Is it over?


    A thousand more thoughts shed through my mind until I finally noticed the translucent tint around me and the blurred view on the other side of Cole¡¯s barrier.


    Great Vritra, that was close! I breathed, making a mental note to thank Cole for the nice save.


    ¡°Hurry!¡± Maeve urged while Cole focused on reinforcing his barrier.


    I quickly grabbed the caster¡¯s outstretched hand and used her help to pull myself up onto the branch. My heart felt as if it were about to break out of my ribcage as my breathing grew more erratic, but I didn¡¯t have the time or luxury to gather myself.


    Maeve had already climbed up a few feet higher. I followed close, using the same handholds and footholds she had used to climb up the tree while Cole took the rear.


    The three of us had to be extra careful as we traversed up the giant tree. Going too fast meant that we might shake leaves off the branches which might give away our position.


    My arms ached and my legs trembled, half out of fatigue and half out of fear. I desperately wished my mark had allowed some form of body enhancement but I knew hoping for that now was stupid.


    Finally, Maeve stopped at a particr branch and helped me up. The branches this high up were too thin for all of us to be on one altogether, so we each sat on our own tree limb and hugged the trunk in order to lessen the burden on our seats.


    Cole, who was about to strengthen his barrier stopped on my signal.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when they¡¯re close enough,¡± I whispered. We needed his barrier at its full power if they got near.


    The two presences were heading toward us but were still a few hundred feet away. I narrowed the focus of my second crest and with it, I was able to faintly hear the two elves talking.


    ¡°We should head back, Albold. We¡¯ve already strayed far enough from our survey route,¡± one voice said.


    ¡°Just a second,¡± the second voice, Albold, replied lightheartedly.


    ¡°You probably just heard a forest hare or something,¡± the first voice said.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t really a sound,¡± the elf named Albold said as he continued approaching where we were hiding. ¡°It was more like an inkling.¡±


    ¡°I swear, if you weren¡¯t a Chaffer, I would¡¯ve just left,¡± the first said. ¡°Either way, it¡¯s good to have you back¡ªquirks and all.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Double thanks for promising not to tell our head about this little ¡®detour¡¯,¡± Albold said with a soft chuckle as he continued to lead his partner closer to our location.


    ¡°We can only afford a little detour,¡± the partner stressed. ¡°That damned cryan is still on the loose. How are they even this far up north, anyway?¡±


    I bit down on my lips but a smile still managed to escape. He¡¯s alive!


    ¡°If I knew, we wouldn¡¯t be out here like this,¡± Albold scoffed.


    Prying myself away from the perceptions of my crest, I turned to Cole and nodded. He nodded back and tightened his veiling barrier to barely epass the three of us. Tightening the area of effect strengthened his magic allowed him the spare mana to add two moreyers of barriers


    I ignited my crest once more and focused my entire magic on the two elves approaching. They were less than fifty feet away now.


    Please, Vritra, let them just pass like the other scouts.


    I wiped away the sweat rolling down my face every several seconds in fear that the drops might fall down and wet the ground.


    I held my breath as well. I knew it wasn¡¯t necessary. I knew the barrier would mask most of the noises made but even Cole and Maeve were as still as the tree we were perched on.


    Holding up both my hands, I mouthed ¡®ten feet¡¯ to my teammates. Cole swallowed hard and Maeve¡¯s expression turned even more fierce.


    I looked down at the base of the tree, hoping¡ªpraying for them to not toe into view.


    The snap of a twig nearby made stiffen. I looked at Cole and Maeve but both of them were focused intently on the ground below us.


    Then we saw them. The two elves. One had long hair tied tightly behind his neck while the other one had cropped hair and ears slightly longer than hisrade. Unlike the long-haired elf that was looking around aimlessly, the short-haired one kept his head down as he walked.


    Thetter slowed his pace, his head still dipped down like he had lost a coin on the ground.


    Please, just keep walking.


    Please.


    He was now adjacent to the tree we were on.


    I let out a sigh when suddenly, the elf¡¯s head jerked left. He looked at the base of the tree.


    More urately, he was looking at the moss on the root. The moss that I had stepped and slipped on.


    The fear that I had been pushing down bubbled up, threatening to swallow me.


    Please.


    The short-haired elf stopped walking and his head turned up until I could make out his face... and his eyes... that seemed to be looking directly at me.

 Chapter 209

    Chapter 209


    Chapter 209: Deployed


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    ¡°I¡¯m going with you!¡± Ellie¡¯s voice sounded from behind.


    I stopped in my tracks and the guard beside me halted as well. Turning back to lock eyes with my sister, I struggled to hold down the words, ¡®it¡¯s too dangerous.¡¯


    Sylvie had already read what I wanted to say but she stayed quiet beside me.


    ¡°You promised, remember?¡± Ellie¡¯s gaze remained resolute as she walked to me.


    ¡°A massive horde of corrupted beasts,¡± I muttered softly.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be with me,¡± she answered immediately. ¡°And I¡¯ll have the protection of the Wall.¡±


    ¡®I understand your dilemma but this is a good opportunity,¡¯ Sylvie chimed in. ¡®I¡¯ll be with her as well and casting arrows from the top of the Wall is little more than target practice for her.¡¯


    But what if the beasts break through?


    ¡®I know you won¡¯t let that happen,¡¯ she answered with a soothing wave of confidence.


    The guard beside me scratched his head and kept shifting his gaze toward the exit impatiently. ¡°General Arthur...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going,¡± I stated as I began walking toward the training ground exit once again.


    Looking back over my shoulder, I called out to my sister. ¡°What are you doing? Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Ellie visibly brightened as a contagious smile blossomed on her face. She followed after me in a full run. ¡°Come on, Boo!¡±


    Immediately outside of the training grounds there was an unfamiliar mage with arge sparrow-like bird perched on his shoulder, stood, waiting. After making eye contact, he respectfully inclined his head. ¡°Greetings, General Arthur. I am Officer Julor Strejin. A member of my squad surveying the Beast des was the one to spot the horde. I will be briefing you of the situation at the Wall.¡±


    ¡°Officer Julor,¡± I acknowledged with a nod.


    Without wasting any time, the officer began informing me of everything that I was expected to know. Two other mages¡ªboth highly-aplished adventurers before joining the army¡ªwould be apanying us as additional support to the Wall. The best estimate on the size of the beast horde was somewhere close to twenty thousand. Although a majority seemed to be from D-ss to B-ss, there were several A-ss and even quite a bit of S-ss mana beasts spotted.


    ¡°Unfortunately, we weren¡¯t able to get too close because of the cryan mages, but we spotted at least a dozen S-ss mana beasts,¡± Julor stated solemnly.


    I looked back at Ellie. ¡°A dozen S-ss mana beasts. And the fact that they¡¯re corrupted means they¡¯ll be even stronger and more fierce.¡±


    Ellie¡¯s face paled but her expression remained firm. ¡°I¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    My determined, talented, yet sheltered, sister has definitely never seen a mana beast besides the tamed bonds in Xyrus when she was younger. I doubted she could even fathom how scary an S-ss beast was but here I was, leading her straight into not only one, but a dozen... along with several thousands of other beasts.


    ¡®They¡¯re only mana beasts, Arthur,¡¯ Sylvieforted.


    Right, I responded back mentally.


    I turned to Julor. ¡°Any signs of retainers or scythes, Officer?¡±


    ¡°None,¡± he replied confidently. ¡°Which was why Commander Virion deemed that just sending a singlence was necessary.¡±


    ¡°Okay. How many days do we have until the horde reaches the Wall?¡± I asked.


    ¡°By the pace that they¡¯re marching, we expect them to arrive in no more than two days time,¡± he answered before shooting a nce at where Sylvie and my sister were. I could tell he was about to say something but he held his tongue.


    We walked in silence for the remainder of our small walk until we reached the docking room. It was rtively quiet inside the usually-bustling space. Besides the several workers strapping saddles on giant hawk-like mana beasts, I could only see Virion with a small entourage when we had arrived.


    ¡°Arthur!¡± Virion called out, his once-cheerful disposition had faded, instead reced by war-weary eyes. Beside him were two mage soldiers and a few maids behind them.


    ¡°Commander.¡± I saluted before walking up to the old elf.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Officer Julor informed you of the situation so let me quickly introduce you to the two mages I¡¯ve chosen to support you at the Wall. ¡°This is Callum Hembril. He¡¯s young, barely past thirty, but already an aplished fire conjurer in the solid-yellow core stage.¡±


    The chestnut-haired mage stepped forward, his long coiled bangs covering his forehead. He had an inquisitive look on him that he quickly covered with an amiable smile. ¡°Callum, as introduced by themander. Pleasure.¡±


    Virion stuck a thumb back at the figure a few feet behind Callum. ¡°This big lug here is a dark-yellow core augmenter, but he¡¯s been out on the fields of the Beast des for over forty years.¡±


    The barrel-chested man that stood almost a foot over me and twice my girth was covered from the neck down in heavy te armor that glowed dully. He had short hair and his lower face was dark with stubbles. With a piercing gaze that seemed to be assessing every inch of my body, he stretched out a hand toward me. ¡°Gavik Lund.¡±


    I shook his hand that seemed almost as wide as Boo¡¯s paws, before turning back to Virion. ¡°So, what¡¯s the n?¡± By those mounts getting ready, I¡¯m assuming we¡¯re traveling by air?¡±


    ¡°Mhmm. Those are Callum¡¯s and Gavin¡¯s mounts,¡± Virion informed. ¡°The closest teleportation gate is in ckbend City and the train hasn¡¯t yet been fully finished. It¡¯s fortunate that the Castle¡¯s location is rtively close to the Wall.¡±


    I turned to my bond. ¡°I can fly myself. Do you think you¡¯ll be able to carry Ellie while holding Boo?¡±


    Finally grasping the situation, Boo let out a moan of protest.


    ¡°If the trip isn¡¯t too long, I¡¯ll be able to manage,¡± Sylvie answered, ignoring my sister¡¯s giant bond.


    ¡°Wait, the little kid and her pet cub ising along?¡± Gavik asked with a scowl. ¡°Commander, is that wise? There will be a massive army of mana beasts.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s an adept conjurer that¡¯ll be valuable to have stationed on the wall,¡± I cut in. ¡°And since when was it okay to refer to a general¡¯s sister as a ¡®little kid¡¯?¡±


    Gavik, despite being about three times my age, nched.


    ¡°My... apologies,¡± he muttered. ¡°Didn¡¯t know she was your sister, General Arthur.¡±


    Virion¡¯s expression wasced in worry, but he didn¡¯tment on Ellie going with me. Instead, he waved over the attendants that were standing behind him. They walked up carrying arge wooden chest with runes etched into its entire surface. ¡°Anyways, before you leave, I prepared a little something. It¡¯s not much, but I think wearing something a bit more eye-catching might help with the level of morale at the Wall.¡±


    Virion ced a hand on the lid and the runes lit up before opening with a click. Severalpartments popped out of the chest to reveal an entirely new outfit for me.


    ¡°Jand, Brune, help the General get dressed,¡± Virion ordered. Before I could protest, his attendants had grabbed me and led me to the side of the room where a dressing stall had been conveniently set up beforehand.


    The male immediately began undressing me while thedy attendant started working on my hair. After brushing it, she tied the back neatly and trimmed my bangs.


    I should cut my hair soon, I noted mentally. My hair had gotten long enough to reach past my shoulders. If it wasn¡¯t for my height and rtively broad shoulders, I could easily have been mistaken for a girl from the back.


    ¡®And from the front,¡¯ my bond added, her thoughts invading into mine. ¡®You¡¯re prettier than some of the noble females I¡¯ve seen in the Castle.¡¯


    I groaned internally. Yeah... I should definitely cut my hair soon.


    As soon as my hair had been tamed, they got to work on the outfit. I wore a ck high-cored shirt that conveniently covered the burn marks on my neck that I had gotten from the first retainer that I had fought against. Trousers that felt surprisingly thick despite its lightness fell tight below my knees, which were designed intentionally so that the thin dark-gray greaves couldfortably slip over my shins.


    The attendants then equipped braces of the same material and color of my greaves over my arms before slipping on tight, fingerless gloves over my hands.


    While the appearance of the outfit was a tad over the top with its intricate trimmings and engraved armor on my shins and forearms, Virion knew precisely what sort of armor would best suit me. While protection was minimal, the braces and greaves would allow me some form of defense while leaving my movements unimpeded.


    ¡°Thest touch, General Arthur,¡± the male attendant announced as he carefully draped a waist-long mantle over me that was lined in white fur.


    I walked out of the dressing stall, and despite the thickeryers of clothing I had changed into, my body felt freer and lighter than it had before. Callum and Gavik had already hopped onto their mounts, ready to depart.


    ¡°Ah! Much better,¡± Virion said with an approving nod.


    ¡°Where¡¯d my brother go?¡± my sister teased as she looked around the room.


    I rolled my eyes, making my way back to themander, who was wearing a gray fur-lined coat that fell just below his ankles over his usual loose robe. ¡°You really like your furs.¡±


    ¡°That mantle is an old piece of mine that I wore back when I was younger,¡± Virion said, his eyes growing softer as if he was reminiscing of the past. ¡°Although it doesn¡¯t look as good on you as it did on me, I¡¯ll let you have it.¡±


    I raised a brow in surprise. ¡°Thank you for the outfit.¡±


    He smirked. ¡°Thank me by keeping the Wall from falling.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    Therge bifold doors that took up an entire wall opened, letting in a constant rush of air as the floor below us slowly slid out toward therge exit. I motioned for Sylvie and my sister to follow as I made my way toward the edge of the castle. My bond soon caught up, walking behind me with Ellie and Boo in tow.


    I relished the beautiful sight of the sky below us. ¡°I forget sometimes how high up the Castle is in the sky!¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it! At least we can¡¯t see how far up we are because of the clouds below,¡± my sister shouted over the sound of the wind.


    I let out augh. ¡°Just be sure to hold onto Sylvie tightly!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t drop you,¡± my bond reassured.


    Boo let out another groan.


    Sylvie shook her head. ¡°I won¡¯t drop either of you.¡±


    The sight of Callum and Gavik on their mounts whizzed by. The tamed mana beasts dove off the edge of the dock before reappearing into view with wings spread out.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I shouted as I ran toward the edge.


    Sylvie began glowing as she transformed into her draconic form. ¡°Jump, Ellie!¡± she shouted, her voice a pitch deeper than it was before.


    I watched the obsidian dragon sail above the clouds with Ellie on her back and Boo in her wed hands.


    Using the sound of Ellie¡¯s screams as the cue, I jumped off the edge as well, following the rest.


    ***


    How are you holding up? I asked my bond, whose speed seemed to be getting slower.


    ¡®It seems that, despite all of my magical and physical capabilities, I wasn¡¯t designed to be an efficient mode of delivery,¡¯ she replied, looking down at therge bear that had fallen asleep while dangling in Sylvie¡¯s arms.


    Several hours had passed since our departure and besides the gorgeous views of the sky and clouds, it was a boring journey. We had settled into afortable speed heading southeast with Callum and Gavik leading just a few dozen yards ahead. After my sister¡¯s initial excitement¡ªand Boo¡¯s terror¡ªof flying had died down, the two had fallen asleep, one on Sylvie¡¯s back and the other in her hands.


    Ahead, Callum conjured a bright re and signaled that we were descending. The two mages then led their avian steeds below the sea of clouds, both disappearing from view.


    Looks like we¡¯re almost there. You¡¯ll be able to get some rest once wend, I conveyed to my bond before following after Callum and Gavik.


    The shroud of wind I had cast over my body kept all of the moisture from the clouds away from me but Ellie wasn¡¯t as fortunate. As I watched Sylvie descend through the thickyer of water vapor, I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the sight of my sister awake, drenched and grumpy. Boo¡¯s thick fur was drench and matted down to his skin, making him look scrawnier than what I had imagined.


    I shot a smirk at my sister, but her gaze was glued below, jaw agape.


    ¡®Arthur. Look down,¡¯ Sylvie sent along with a wave of concern.


    I peered down, theyer of mist thin enough for me to finally see through. And what I saw was truly a sight to behold.


    I could only describe it as a sea. A sea of ck and gray that was made up of what could only be the corrupted beasts. We were several miles above ground and the beast horde was still more than a day away, at the least, but already my chest clenched in suspense.


    Callum and Gavik had both stopped their descent to behold the sight below, exchanging concerned nces with one another every few seconds.


    The Wall, the fortress housing close to several hundred mages and soldiers, responsible for keeping this beast army at bay, looked tiny¡ªinsignificant¡ªinparison.


    I could feel heart speeding and my blood boiling to the extent that my hands were trembling.


    Sylvie¡¯s presence seeped into my mind, snapping me out of my reverie. ¡®Arthur. You¡¯re smiling.¡¯

 Chapter 210

    Chapter 210


    Chapter 210: Awaiting the Horde


    We arrived at the ground level of the Wall, where a small weing team was waiting for us around the designatednding podium.


    Sylvie, after dropping Boo on the ground, transformed back to her human form.


    ¡°Ahh¡ªoof!¡± my sister let out as she fell into my arms. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have used wind magic to like... I don¡¯t know... gently float me down to the ground?¡±


    I looked down at her with a smirk. ¡°I thought all girls wanted to be carried this way at one point in their lives.¡±


    ¡°Gross,¡± Ellie groaned as she rolled out of my arms,nding deftly on her feet. As she dusted herself off, she looked around for the first time, only to start blushing as her eyes scanned our surroundings.


    ¡®Arthur,¡¯ Sylvie nudged mentally from beside me.


    I pried my gaze from my sister to realize that there was a crowd forming, silent and expectant. Callum and Gavik had already handed their mounts off to the beastkeepers and were awaiting orders.


    ¡°L-Let go of me, idiot brother!¡± Ellie whispered.


    Dropping her on her feet, I teased, ¡°Are you embarrassed of your brother?¡±


    ¡°General Arthur,¡± a familiar voice called out. I turned to see Captain Trodius mesworth with both Albanth and Jesmiya on either side of him. Upon making eye contact, the three of them inclined their heads respectfully.


    Rather than addressing the captains first, I swept my gaze through the crowd. Most of the people appeared to be the merchants or workers who worked within the Wall, rather than the soldiers.


    You should¡¯ve stayed in your draconic form, Sylvie.


    ¡®They¡¯re staring at you, not me,¡¯ my bond responded with a faint smile.


    To keep the morale high, the soldiers most likely did not inform them of howrge the enemy force was, but even then, their eyes were filled with worry. It seemed that having a boy the age of many of their children as backup didn¡¯t particrly fill them with confidence. Some of them were even mumbling to their neighbors about whether or not I was really ance.


    I let out a heavy breath and ignited Realmheart. Power surged through my limbs and the world shifted into a colorless scene aside from mana particles that lit up around me. While the runes glowing on my body were covered by my clothes, it was obvious that the change in my hair and eyes stunned the crowd.


    There were gasps that could be heard even from where I was standing and many of the people in the crowd buckled, unable to bear the pressure of my aura¡ªeven with me holding back.


    ¡°While my presence in this fortress may be unnecessary, my only wish is to expedite our victory with as little loss to our forces as possible,¡± I stated with my head held high.


    The people in the crowd erupted into cheers and shouts as I walked toward Trodius and the two captains beside him.


    Suppressing my dragon will, I returned to my normal auburn-haired form to greet the senior captain in charge of the Wall.


    ¡°Senior Captain Trodius mesworth.¡± I held out a gloved hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have the pleasure of meeting you again so soon.¡±


    The senior captain shook my hand with a tired smile and waited as I repeated the same gesture to the other two captains.


    ¡°General,¡± Jesmiya said curtly.


    Albanth removed his armored gauntlet and shook my hand. ¡°General Arthur. Pleasure to have you here.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s head to the meeting room,¡± I dered, matching my pace with therge armored man in charge of the Bulwark Division, whose main duty was to defend the Wall. ¡°My younger sister would like to contribute in this battle. Her skills as a magic archer should be of use to your troops. If you¡¯d like to test her out...¡±


    ¡°No need for that, General. Ance¡¯s word is plenty enough for me and my men,¡± Captain Albanth responded resolutely. ¡°I¡¯ll also have my most capable soldier guiding her.¡±


    ¡°Benjamin!¡± Without stopping, Albanth beckoned for a messenger and had him fetch the guard.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a babysitter, you know,¡± my sisterined, walking up to me. ¡°I still have the pendant you gave me and Mom, remember?¡±


    Ellie pulled out the phoenix wyrm pendant I had gotten her and Mother on Ellie¡¯s twelfth birthday.


    ¡°I¡¯ve let youe on this mission as I promised, but you¡¯re not allowed to say anything about me taking extra precautions,¡± I chided. ¡°That pendant only works once and it¡¯s not something I can easily acquire again.¡±


    By the time our small group had arrived at the familiar meeting tent, the soldier that had been beckoned for by Albanth was already there.


    ¡°Ste,¡± Albanth called out. ¡°This is General Arthur¡¯s younger sister...¡±


    ¡°Eleanor Leywin,¡± my sister finished with a salute.


    ¡°Eleanor Leywin. She¡¯s a capable magic archer that I¡¯ll leave under your direct care,¡± the captain of the Bulwark Division ordered. ¡°Make sure she¡¯s properly equipped before taking her to the top level.¡±


    If the woman named Ste was discontent with being stuck protecting my sister, she did a great job of hiding it. Her scarred face was expressionless as she held her helmet in one hand and a mace in the other.


    ¡°Yes, Captain,¡± the soldier barked, clicking her armored heels. ¡°Please follow me, Lady Eleanor.¡±


    ¡°Please. Just Eleanor, or even soldier, is fine.¡± My sister scratched her head in frustration as she followed after Ste.


    ¡°My apologies for having one of your soldiers guard my sister like this. She was rather adamant about serving and I thought the Wall would be a safe ce to start.¡±


    ¡°Normally, I¡¯d agree with you. But with the size and strength of this beast army approaching, I can¡¯t say that for sure,¡± Albanth responded.


    ***


    After everyone had settled into their seats around the table, we started the strategy meeting. Those present were Senior Captain Trodius, Captain Jesmiya, Captain Albanth, Callum, Gavik, Sylvie and myself.


    ¡°While discussing battle strategy is important, I believe getting a better understanding of our troops currently at the Wall, out in the Beast des, and those arriving should take precedence,¡± Trodius began.


    With a silver croupier¡¯s rake, the senior captain began sliding markers around therge map spread out on the table.


    ¡°Eachrge marker represents a thousand troops and small, a hundred. Does this look about right?¡± Trodius confirmed with Jesmiya and Albanth.


    ¡°Not including the frence adventurers currently under my wing, we have just bit shy of two thousand,¡± Albanth confirmed.


    Jesmiya used her sheathed sword to move around a few smaller pieces around in the territory of the Beast des. ¡°One of my scouting units returned a few minutes before General Arthur arrived. The head will be joining us shortly to report.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Trodius said with a nod. ¡°We have a few more adventurers making their way here but their numbers won¡¯t be greater than a hundred so these will be what we have to make do with. General Arthur, I¡¯ve heard many praises from Commander Virion about your strategic abilities. Would you like to offer a n of action?¡±


    Both Albanth and Jesmiya regarded me with surprise, most likely at the fact that I was not only proficient inbat but in military tactics as well.


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m unfamiliar of the inner workings of the Wall and its residents. I think it¡¯d be best if you take charge, though I may offer some suggestions here and there.¡±


    ¡°Noted,¡± Trodius replied promptly before moving on to his n.


    While I bore little fondness for the man that had tossed his own daughter aside like a broken toy, I had to admit that Trodius¡¯ efficient and callous nature adapted well into his position of power.


    The basic premise of his n was to y as many of the corrupted beasts as possible before they reached the Wall. This meant that there would be several units sent out as cannon fodder out of range from the mages stationed on the Wall.


    Trodius continued on with his n, moving pieces around the map to indicate four units that would take a more roundabout way in their approach toward the beast horde.


    ¡°I believe our main advantage against the approaching enemy is that they do not appear to have a strategy, outside of marching through the doors with a few cryan mages to herd them in ce.¡± the senior captain voiced, moving tworge pieces on either side of the Wall. ¡°Thus, while we send in a steady stream of normal soldiers and augmenters from the Bulwark Division to impede enemy movement, two units of the Trailzer Division will move out early and get in position to nk on either side.¡±


    The senior captain paused for a moment before speaking again. ¡°With enough rounds of concentrated attacks on both the front and the sides, by the time the beast horde is in range of the mages at the Wall, the conjurers stationed with the help of General Arthur should be enough to finish it off.¡±


    Captain Albanth looked tantly dissatisfied with the n of sending in his soldiers to their death while even Captain Jesmiya was thoroughly studying the map for a better alternative when I spoke up.


    Something feels off.


    ¡®While the lives of the soldiers sent out aren¡¯t cheap, this n seems fairly reasonable,¡¯ Sylvie rebutted, staring at the map as well.


    No, not that.


    ¡°General Arthur? Is something the matter?¡± Trodius asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I looked up to see all three of the captains, as well as the mages that had Ie with staring at me.


    ¡°Your finger.¡± The senior captain pointed at my right hand. Unknowingly, I had been tapping my finger on the table.


    ¡°My apologies. I was just thinking.¡±


    Trodius¡¯ brow twitched. ¡°If you are dissatisfied with the n that I have offered¡ª¡±


    ¡°No it¡¯s not that.¡± I interrupted, raising my hand. ¡°Whether this is a good or bad strategy, I¡¯m not quite sure yet. However, I feel like this attack will most likely be theirst on this front.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Captain Albanth asked.


    ¡°The cryans have been sending a steady stream of corrupted beasts to the Wall along with their mages, and while effective, thinking from a strategic standpoint, that isn¡¯t a feasible long-term strategy,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Captain Jesmiya.¡± I locked eyes with the blond-haired division leader. ¡°You¡¯ve stated that your troops have wiped out most of the dungeons that the cryans used to hide their teleportation gates in, correct?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yes. The few gates that my troops have been finding recently were those already broken.¡±


    It wasmon knowledge that the cryan teleportation gates in the Beast des were rather limited in the number of times that they could be used. Even some of the more stable ones that the Trailzer Division had found were deemed too unstable to safely cross. The fact that the cryans had to take a gamble each time they wanted to send their troops to our continent spoke volumes of their leaders¡¯ ruthlessness.


    ¡°Having little to no gates avable for the cryans to slip into Dicathen through, it¡¯ll be nearly impossible for the cryans that have made it through into the Beast des to receive supplies,¡± I continued.


    ¡°With how untamed thends are there, they¡¯d be busy just trying to survive once they run out of supplies, let alone n an attack,¡± Gavik spoke.


    ¡°Which is why I feel they might be devoting everything they have into thisst attack,¡± I finished, my eyes studying the map with furrowed brows.


    ¡°Not that I don¡¯t agree with you, General Arthur, but how does that change our current predicament? Trodius asked, his tone impatient.


    I circled our current location on the map with my finger. ¡°It means that we might have to rethink our n of sacrificing soldiers to keep the Wall fully intact.¡±


    Albanth spoke up. ¡°If it means not having to send my soldiers in a single-file line to their deaths, I¡¯m all ears, General Arthur.¡±


    ¡°As am I,¡± Jesmiya agreed.


    ¡°A moment, please,¡± Trodius stated tly. ¡°While I am all for preserving as many of our men as possible, I¡¯d like a n that isn¡¯t based on a ¡®feeling¡¯ or ¡®hunch¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡± I nodded. ¡°This is spection on my part as well but my stance is that, in this phase of the war, keeping more men alive is imperative. We can rebuild a wall, Captain. We can¡¯t rebuild people.¡±


    Trodius¡¯ eyes narrowed. ¡°That¡¯s a rather crude oversimplification of the situation, General. What happens if an cryan army attacks shortly after the beast horde if the Wall is in shambles?¡±


    ¡°Would a fortified wall hold off mages better than mages themselves?¡± I retorted. ¡°Captain, I¡¯m not saying we should just freely forfeit the Wall. I¡¯m suggesting we sacrifice parts of our fortress as opposed to our men.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Trodius let out a sigh and slid the silver rake he had been using to maneuver the pieces on the map. ¡°Please continue.¡±


    epting the gesture, I stood up and began moving the pieces around, all eyes following my me. ¡°So here is what I had in mind...¡±

 Chapter 211

    Chapter 211


    Chapter 211: Awaiting the Horde II


    ¡°Your movements are too stiff,¡± I reprimanded as I thrusted the pommel of my practice sword into my opponent¡¯s wrist. ¡°You need to loosen your shoulders and wrists until thest moments of your swing. If you can¡¯t do that, the sword you¡¯re using is too big for you.¡±


    The sharpened longsword ttered on the ground as the young soldier shook his armored hand with a grimace. ¡°Thank you for the advice.¡±


    ¡°Next!¡± I called out to the few dozen soldiers standing in line a few yards in front of me.


    A burly woman d fully in te armor, holding a buckler in one hand and a shortsword in the other, walked up and dipped her head before getting into a stance.


    A denseyer of mana enveloped her body while tendrils of wind swirled around her de.


    ¡°Same rules apply,¡± I said, raising my thin sabre-like sword at the woman. ¡°Attack me with the intent to kill.¡±


    Any sort of hesitation had been wiped clean on the armor-d brte¡¯s face after watching her predecessors fail in even touching a hair on the fur-lined mantle that I hadn¡¯t bothered to remove.


    With a determined nod, she dashed forth with a tremendous amount of speed for someone weighed down by a full set of armor. She attacked with a simple horizontal swing, the reach of her de extended by the wind magic imbued within the weapon.


    Rather than dodging, I parried, deflecting her sword upwards which opened up her defense enough for me to fit an open palm into her chest.


    The woman was quick enough to raise her buckler in time to block my strike, but she still ended up stumbling back a few steps.


    I let out a sigh. ¡°If you¡¯re already hesitating, this match is over.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean, General. I was able to block your counter sessfully!¡± the woman responded, her brows scrunched together.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Even if you hadnded that initial sh on me, it would¡¯ve barely made a scratch on an augmenter or a mana beast.¡±


    Anticipating her question, I went on. ¡° Why? Because your weight was already on your back leg before you even swung.


    ¡°Again.¡±


    She approached me once more, this time with careful steps. With a sudden stamp of her feet, she advanced with a lunge, extending her de¡¯s reach once again.


    I dodged with a simple sway of my head but by that time, the armor-d soldier had already reeled back her sword. The stab I had expected was a feint in order to bash me with her buckler.


    Letting the full force of her buckler hit my arm and lift me off my feet, I tried to see what she¡¯d do but rather than continue her assault, she stepped back and raised her guard.


    ¡°Why did you stop?¡± I asked, dusting off my mantle. ¡°You had me in the air where I¡¯d be more vulnerable. You have your armor and buckler to make up for small mistakes.¡±


    The soldier stood quiet for a moment before speaking confidently. ¡°I was wary that you were preparing for a counterattack.¡±


    ¡°If I wanted to counterattack, I would¡¯ve done so before you hit me with your shield, not after,¡± I retorted. ¡°Your equipment and your fighting style are total opposites of each other. Your footwork, attacks, movements and feints all point to a speed-type augmenter, but your armor, shield and even sword says otherwise. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re doing this to confuse your enemies or confuse yourself, but pick a side, because you¡¯re going to get tired real fast out in battle if you try to fight the way you are with all that on you. Next!¡±


    Quite a few soldiers that had been relieved of their posts to take a break had lined up to spar against me. A small crowd of merchants and people not currently preparing for the beast horde had gathered as well, excitedly wondering if any of them wouldnd a hit on me despite all of the limitations I put on myself.


    So far, I had barely exchanged two or three moves before stopping my de just short of a fatal blow and giving a few unadulterated pieces of advice to the soldiers about to face the horde of corrupted beasts.


    Just as a new soldier stepped up into the stone ring I had conjured, Sylvie¡¯s voice chimed in my head. ¡®I thought you said you were going to try and get some rest before setting out?¡¯


    I looked back to see her descending the stairs with Gavik and Callum on either side of her. I couldn¡¯t fall asleep so I figured I¡¯d warm up my body and train a few soldiers while I¡¯m at it. How was your trip up to the top of the Wall? Is Ellie doing okay?


    My bond cracked a grin as she walked up to me before speaking aloud. ¡°Ellie is adjusting pretty well. When I went to see how she was doing, she was busy practicing shooting from the edge with a few other soldiers. One looked around her age too.¡±


    I looked up at the towering wall, surveying the bustling activity within it as everyone prepared for the n I had suggested. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Gavik spoke up, approaching the ring I was in. ¡°Captain Albanth and his troops are following through and tearing down most of the support beams holding up the underground passages. Captain Jesmiya is reallocating her troops around the ends of the Wall but...¡±


    The burly iron-d adventurer shifted his gaze for a moment. ¡°Is it really necessary for you and Lady Sylvie to go by yourselves?¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°No offense to you or Callum, but are you confident in fighting alongside us without me having to worry about actually killing you?¡±


    Gavik looked back at the curly-haired conjurer behind him before turning to face me. Both he and Callum steeled their gaze and nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You know, Commander Virion sent you out here to assist me in the Wall¡¯s defense but I doubt he meant it in this way. Just stay here,¡± I dismissed, waving the two of them off.


    I could hear Gavik grit his teeth even from where I was standing, but the two of them turned and left, weaving in between the mages and shovel-holding workers all filing towards the underground passages.


    ¡°We could¡¯ve used their help,¡± Sylvie said after the two adventurers had gone off. ¡°And they seemed really determined to go with us.¡±


    I motioned for the soldier on the other edge of the ring toe and held up my blunted sword.


    Gavik has a daughter that looked to be about my age or even younger, if the picture on that pendant is recent. I saw him sneaking in a kiss after the meeting, I stated to Sylvie while redirecting my opponent¡¯s thrust.


    I could hear my bond letting out a stifledugh from behind before she spoke back to me telepathically. ¡®And here I was beginning to think how cold my bond has been to these poor soldiers. It seems like you¡¯re getting better at keeping your thoughts from leaking into mine.¡¯


    A man¡¯s got to be able to keep a few secrets, I joked as my sabre proceeded to press against the nape of my opponent. ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, you¡¯ve had a big injury on your right side in the past, which is making you focus all of your defenses to that side. You¡¯re leaving your left side too open because of that. Next.¡±


    ¡°Mind if I go next?¡± a familiar voice called out to my left.


    Sylvie and I both turned towards the source of the voice and I could feel a flood of tion leaking from my bond as she dashed off.


    With gunmetal-gray hair, a shade darker and still dripping with water, and bright turquoise eyes that seemed to nearly glow on their own, I saw my childhood friend wave in our direction.


    ¡°Tessia!¡± Sylvie cried as she basically ran straight into the elven princess.


    I smiled, taking in the sight of the two of them. While Tess hadn¡¯t physically changed much since thest time we met, I could tell at nce that she had grown due to manning the fields.


    The princess shifted gazes between me and the child currently wrapped around her waist. It wasn¡¯t until her eyes focused on the horns protruding out of the girls head that she made the connection. ¡° S-Sylvie? ¡±


    ¡°No more sparring for today!¡± I called out to the crowd of soldiers and adventurers waiting in line with weapons in their hands before I made my way toward my childhood friend.


    For a while, I stood silent and listened as Tess and Sylvie talked. My bond had always had a deep fondness for Tess, even calling her ¡®Mama¡¯ at one point in her life. I could tell Tess was still trying to wrap her head around how the dragon and fox she had cuddled with like a pet was standing in front of her as a human.


    From the conversation I overheard, Tess and her team had gotten back an hour ago after receiving orders from a messenger sent out by Captain Jesmiya and went straight to the inn to wash up and rest. Much like myself, my childhood friend couldn¡¯t sleep and decided to walk around the market area of the Wall when she ran into me.


    I let the two of them catch up, walking a few paces behind, when Tess looked back over her shoulder and raised a brow. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, I didn¡¯t even realize I was smiling,¡± I replied, touching my mouth. ¡°It seems like Sylvie¡¯s emotions are influencing mine.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, if I take that the wrong way, ites off as you saying that you¡¯re not happy to see me,¡± Tess teased.


    ¡°Unlike Arthur, I will wholeheartedly admit that I¡¯m happy to see you,¡± my bond replied before her expression dampened a bit. ¡°I just wish it was under better conditions.¡±


    ¡°I agree, but I¡¯m d I was able to see the two of you before I leave. You look much more charismatic in that sleek new outfit, General Arthur, but Sylvie! I can¡¯t get over how cute and pretty you look in this form!¡± Tessforted.


    My bond¡¯s chest puffed from thepliment as she replied, ¡°Back when we were in Epheotus, my grandmother did tell me that I would grow up to be a very pretty dragon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯d describe a pitch ck twenty-foot dragon with gleaming yellow daggers for eyes as ¡®cute,¡¯¡± I responded back with a smirk.


    ¡°Is this how you two always talked inside your heads?¡± Tessia asked with a chuckle.


    ¡°We¡¯d been getting along fairly maturely until you came, Tessia,¡± my bond replied. ¡°Your presence must be affecting Arthur.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°And there¡¯s that snide little attitude I missed.¡±


    Sylvie simply shrugged as the three of us walked aimlessly around the lower levels of the Wall. Workers, cksmiths, artificers and soldiers alike went out of their way to greet Tess as we passed by them.


    ¡°You¡¯re looking prettier than ever, Princess! A sight for sore eyes in these parts!¡± a bald cksmith shouted as he waved in our direction with a pair of tongs he had been holding.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to tell your wife you said that,¡± Tess replied with a mischievous grin.


    Sylvie and I chuckled as the old cksmith paled and quickly got back to work on the set of arrowheads spread out on his anvil.


    ¡°Head Tessia!¡± a young girl covered in soot called out as she ran toward us. Catching her breath, she said, ¡°My master has a new set of armor for you that she¡¯s been working on in secret.¡±


    Tess¡¯ face visibly brightened at her words. ¡°Oh! Tell Senyir that I¡¯ll go visit herter tonight! Thank you for the message, Nat.¡±


    ¡°Anytime!¡± The little girl beamed, her white teeth glowing brightly against her ckened face. Seeing me and Sylvie, she tilted her head. Giving us a slight nod, she scurried off.


    ¡°As expected of Tessia,¡± Sylvie chimed.


    ¡°Since I¡¯m part of the Trailzer Division, I don¡¯t get to spend as much time here as I¡¯d like, but I still got to know a few people here and there,¡± my friend exined as we continued on.


    Sylvie followed beside her. ¡°Still, they treat you so kindly. Most of the people that we meet regard Arthur with either awe or fear.¡±


    ¡°Well, seeing the head of a unit is one thing. Seeing ance as young as Arthur would elicit a different sort of feeling,¡± Tess chuckled.


    ¡°Still,¡± Sylvie sighed. ¡°He can make do with some improvements on his interpersonal skills.¡±


    ¡°You know I¡¯m walking right behind you two, right?¡± I cut in.


    Tessughed, and by the warm fuzziness growing inside me, I could tell that Sylvie was having as much fun as our childhood friend.


    When we reached the steep set of stairs leading all the way to the top of the Wall, Tess stopped and stole a nce at me before turning to my bond. ¡°Hey, Sylvie. Do you mind if I steal Arthur away from you for a bit?¡±

 Chapter 212

    Chapter 212


    Chapter 212: A Promise


    Hugging Tess one more time, my bond headed up the Wall as we waved her off. The guards let her through the gate to the upper levels, and she walked out of sight.


    ¡®Don¡¯t think about other things and try to have some fun while you¡¯re with her, Arthur,¡¯ Sylvie sent.


    ¡°It¡¯s surprisingly easy to get used to Sylvie in that form,¡± Tess said, turning to me.


    I smirked. ¡°Well, if it weren¡¯t for those huge horns on the sides of her head, she¡¯d just look like an unassuming little girl.¡±


    ¡°Those horns are pretty adorable though. But anyway¡±¡ªTess pointed in the direction of the merchant area and gave me a warm smile¡ª¡°shall we head off as well?¡±


    I smiled back. ¡°Sure.¡±


    It was an odd feeling as we walked through the crowds of people. My legs that had ached and felt so heavy without the aid of mana were light as I trotted alongside Tess. I watched as her head turned left and right and her expression changed from curiosity to amazement to delight as she took in the sight of the various booths and stands that merchants had set up along the street.


    It was a rare feeling where, next to this girl that I had spent so many years of this life with, thoughts of my responsibilities as ance and general in times of war weren¡¯t priorities.


    That was when it struck me.


    This role that I had epted for the sake of Dicathen had been slowly turning me back into the man I was back in my old world. There were some differences, of course. I had people I truly cared for, but in a sense, that made it worse. I felt like I had to be better¡ªto make no mistakes¡ªif I wanted to keep them alive as well.


    ¡°Has being apart from me for so long finally made you realize how pretty your childhood friend actually is?¡± Tess teased, snapping me out of my thoughts.


    ¡°Actually, yes,¡± I replied earnestly.


    Not expecting that sort of reply, Tess blushed all the way to the tips of her ears.


    ¡°I-I see. Well, it¡¯s good that you know now,¡± she said with a cough, her gaze avoiding me.


    I surveyed the crowd around us, finding mostly adventurers garbed in chainmail or hard leather armor and the asional off-duty soldier, still wearing the insignia of their rightful division. ¡°Is it always this busy here?¡±


    ¡°Mhmm. Having so many mercenaries and adventurers here taking jobs and missions at the Wall brought about an influx of merchants and peddlers hoping to make money selling goods and services to them,¡± Tess exined quickly, grateful for the change in topic.


    ¡°This ce really does have its own separate economy,¡± I uttered, admiring the bustling activities around us.


    ¡°Speaking of goods and services, there¡¯s a ce that I always wanted to try!¡± Tess pulled me by my arm and weaved through the tide of pedestrians until we arrived near the end of a line that wrapped around a single isted cart.


    Before I could even ask what could possibly warrant waiting in such a long line, a smoky scent crept up my nostrils. My stomach became almost as impatient as my watering mouth as the thick mixture of herbs and spices mingling alongside the savory aroma of grilled meat continued to bombard my senses.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it smell fantastic?¡± Tess asked excitedly as she craned her neck to try and get a better view of the cart.


    I nodded. ¡°If it tastes as good as it smells, maybe I should make your grandfather hire him as a chef inside the Castle.¡±


    ¡°Tempting, but I¡¯d feel bad for all the people here that look forward to eating here,¡± she replied.


    That¡¯s when I noticed the gazes of all the people around us. Some whispered to the friends they were waiting in line with while others saluted or bowed.


    Thankfully a disturbance ahead in the line caught the attention of the people around us. It seemed like someone was trying to make their way to the back of the line.


    ¡°Out of the way! Move it!¡± a gruff voice boomed.


    Finally, a man a head shorter than Tess appeared through the sea of people ahead of us. He was carrying a small paper bowl filled with a steaming stew of meat and vegetables in each of his hands.


    Locking gazes with Tess and then me, the stout man held up the bowls toward us. ¡°It¡¯s not much, but here. Even ance shouldn¡¯t fight on an empty stomach.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, reaching down for the piping hot stew while Tess did the same. ¡°But how did you know we were even back here?¡±


    The stand owner jerked his thumb back to point at the line. ¡°It didn¡¯t take long for news to travel all the way up to the front of the line.¡±


    I let out a chuckle. ¡°Regardless, thank you for the treat.¡±


    The portly old man clicked his heels and saluted, which brought up his shirt to reveal a bulging stomach. ¡°No. Thank you.¡±


    His actions had a chain effect, causing all the people in the line to salute. Tess stifled a giggle and joined them, shooting me a wink while saluting as well.


    After returning my respects to the people waiting in line, Tess and I went on our way to our next undecided destination.


    ¡°Looks likeing with you does have its perks,¡± Tess said as she used a wooden pick to skewer one of the charred meat dripping with sauce. ¡°That ce is always so busy, even the captains here don¡¯t get that kind of treatment.¡±


    After taking a bite, her eyes closed and a smile pulled at her lips. ¡°Mmm, so good!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably the only person who¡¯d regard ance as a ¡®perk,¡¯ Tess,¡± I said, taking a bite as well. Needless to say, the stew was delicious enough to make the extravagant dishes served in the Castle pale inparison. Despite my restraints, the flood of vors on my senses were strong enough that even Sylvie felt my delight.


    ¡®I hope you¡¯ve saved enough for me,¡¯ she sent with a tingle of curiosityced in her voice.


    Sorry, I don¡¯t think I can promise you that, I replied while taking another bite.


    Despite the constant din of people around us, I felt more at peace now than I ever had these past few months.


    I was grateful to Tess, who kept me engrossed in the present. She pulled me aside toward every stall that interested her without a second thought. Sheughed and smiled at the smallest things, but I found myself constantly looking forward to her reactions.


    In a way, her bright and sometimes childish personality seemed so admirable. She had the responsibility to look after an entire unit. She spent days, sometimes weeks, out in the Beast des in conditions far from desirable. Yet, she was able to produce such a radiant smile that it infected those around her.


    Tess¡¯ hand slowly approaching the stew that I was holding brought me back to reality. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to eat that...¡±


    I snapped the dish out of her reach just as the skewer in her hand attempted to fish out one of the few remaining meat cubes I had been saving. ¡°You wish.¡±


    Tess let out a frown. ¡°As expected of ance.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Yes, because it¡¯s imperative for ance to learn how to defend his or her own food from treacherous allies.¡±


    Skewering a meat cube with the pick in my hand, I held it out for Tess. ¡°Here.¡±


    My childhood friend¡¯s eyes visibly brightened as she got on her tippy toes to snatch the meat with her mouth. ¡°Sho good!¡±


    I blinked as I stared at the empty pick in my hand.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re kind of red. Do you have a fever?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing!¡± I said, quickly turning around. ¡°My body hasn¡¯t been in the best condition these days.¡±


    We walked in silence for a while. Tess looked a bit guilty because of what I said, even though I just said it to cover up a lie. Hoping to lift her mood, I pointed at a confectionery where several colorful dough-like desserts were disyed. While the line wasn¡¯t long, there were quite a few people holding or eating the dough nearby. ¡°That seems like a popr stall. Do you want something from there?¡±


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s a pretty popr dessert stand,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m okay, but Caria loves these. I¡¯ll go by myself; just wait here, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I smiled, watching her struggle with deciding which vors to get while the olddy waited patiently on the other side of the stand.


    Suspecting it would take a bit longer, I walked over to a smaller booth a few yards away.


    ¡°Interested, I see. You have a good eye, Sir,¡± the little boy attending the stand eximed. ¡°What can I get for you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just looking around,¡± I answered, not taking my eyes off the disy of trinkets and essoriesid out on top of the white cloth. ¡°Actually, can I purchase this?¡±


    ¡°Of course! It¡¯lle out to be one sil¡ªouch!¡± the kid yelped, looking back. ¡°What gives, Mom?¡±


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± an older woman huffing for breath chided. She looked at me apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, General. My boy here is a bit ignorant of the world.¡±


    ¡°General? You?¡± the boy said, dumbfounded. ¡°But you¡¯re like the same age as my brother!¡±


    That earned him another smack from his mother before she handed me the item I wanted to purchase. ¡°Please take this as an apology for my son¡¯s rude behavior. Again, I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    I let out augh. ¡°No problem at all, and please let me pay.¡±


    She waved her hand in dismissal. ¡°Oh no! Please, how can I possibly take money from ance!¡±


    ¡°Since it¡¯s a present, I¡¯d feel more confident in giving it to the person if I actually earned it,¡± I admitted.


    ¡°Is it that prettydy over there with the silver¡ªouch! Mom!¡± The boy rubbed the spot on his shoulder where he¡¯d gotten hit.


    Chuckling, I tossed the kid a coin and thanked the two of them before walking back toward Tess.


    ¡°Wait! This is a gold coin!¡± the mother called from behind.


    Looking back over my shoulder, I held up the charm that I had just bought. ¡°I just paid what I thought this was worth. It¡¯s very well-made, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Thedy stared at me for a second, stunned, before she bowed. ¡°Th-Thank you.¡±


    I walked over to the dessert stand just in time to see Tess devouring some sort of stretchy dough in one bite. She looked at me with a guilty expression before holding one out for me as well. ¡°Do ooh wunt shom too?¡±


    ¡°What happened to just buying it for Caria?¡± I teased with augh.


    As the sun quickly set, the streets began to empty. We made a quick stop by the inn, where Tess dropped off the desserts she had bought for Caria. Unfortunately, she¡ªalong with the rest of her teammates¡ªwere still asleep, so I didn¡¯t get to greet them.


    ¡°When do you leave for your next mission?¡± I asked, almost afraid of the answer.


    ¡°Later tonight,¡± she replied with downcast eyes.


    ¡°There¡¯s a ce I want to show you before you go then. Is that alright?¡± I asked with a smile.


    ***


    Tess let out a breath as she took in the sight around us. We had climbed to the spot on the cliff¡ªthe same ce I hade to after fighting with my parents. With the sun inches away from the horizon, a warm light cast all over the Beast des.


    ¡°The view here is even better than from the Castle,¡± she said with another sigh.


    ¡°I agree.¡± I nodded. ¡°Although I¡¯ve only been here once before and found it by chance.¡±


    There was a moment of silence as the two of us sat side by side, close enough where our shoulders just barely touched. Tess shifted her gaze away from the scenery below us and looked at me. ¡°I wanted to say this earlier, but it¡¯s been a while, Art.¡±


    It must¡¯ve been the way the red sun mixed together with her shiny gray hair or how she was tilting her head slightly so that the nape of her neck was exposed, because my heart felt like it was about to break out of my ribcage.


    Unable to meet her eyes for any longer, I turned away. ¡°Wh-Where will you be heading off to for your next mission?¡±


    You¡¯ve led a country in your previous life and even in this life, Arthur. You have no reason to be stuttering next to Tess. I continued berating myself until she answered.


    ¡°My unit along with a few other elves from the Trailzer Division are going to head off toward Elenoir tonight,¡± she answered.


    ¡°Does it have something to do with attacks from the cryans?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve been getting reports from the troops stationed on watch throughout the forest that there have been some recent sightings of cryan stragglers. It didn¡¯t sound too serious but they¡¯ve been requesting backup for a while now and Captain Jesmiya finally relented,¡± she exined, resting her chin on her knees.


    ¡°It must¡¯ve been a hard choice, especially with the beast horde approaching,¡± I said. ¡°Although I¡¯m sort of happy that you won¡¯t be here for this battle.¡±


    Tess cocked a brow. ¡°While I may not be a match for ance, I have recently broken through to the mid-silver stage.¡±


    I never thought to check her mana levels so her words caught me by surprise. ¡°Congrattions. Truly.¡±


    Tess¡¯ shimmering turquoise eyes studied me for a moment before she let out a sigh. ¡°I wonder when the mighty General Arthur, who is, in fact, younger than me, will actually begin to treat me as someone who can take care of herself.¡±


    ¡°You can take care of yourself. I¡¯m sorry if my words came off the wrong way, but I really believe that. Spending time with you today made me realize how much older you¡¯ve gotten,¡± I quickly amended.


    Tess regarded me with an unamused expression. ¡°Am I supposed to take that as apliment?¡±


    ¡°Uhh.¡± I scratched my chin. ¡°What I meant was, you give off a different aura now. I¡¯m not talking about mana, although your core has improved, but more like¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve gotten more mature?¡± Tess finished with a smirk.


    I let out a soft groan. ¡°Yeah, that...¡±


    Chuckling, my childhood friend replied, ¡°Thank you,¡± before turning back to watch the sun set.


    Memories of thest time I had talked to Tess came to my mind. It wasn¡¯t that long ago but she seemed so different now¡ªmore mature, like she said.


    That¡¯s when I realized. The feelings of tion and joy as soon as I saw Tess today wasn¡¯t because of Sylvie¡¯s emotions flooding into mine... because I still felt it even now.


    I reached into the inside pocket of my mantle where I kept the charm I had bought earlier with a realization in mind:


    I liked Tess.


    I probably always liked Tess.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that I was born with memories of my previous life as an adult, I might¡¯ve confessed to her long before.


    But what would her feelings toward me be if she knew my secret? Would she react the same way as my parents? Would she feel disgusted like I had when I first realized I liked her?


    Doubt weighed down on me, and suddenly, the tiny little charm in my hand felt like a lead anchor.


    ¡°Thank you for showing me this ce,¡± Tess said as she looked afar. ¡°I always considered the Beast des to be such a dangerous and bloody ce. I didn¡¯t realize how beautiful it looked.¡±


    ¡°It was actually the same for me as well,¡± I admitted, my hand still gripping the charm. ¡°Although I love the view here, this ce is tied to a bad memory, so I thoughting up here with you would make it better.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± she uttered. ¡°Has it? Made it better, I mean?¡±


    ¡°It has,¡± I said as I finally summoned the courage to pull the trinket out. It was a simple silver charm of two leavesid over one another to make the shape of a heart. ¡°I got this for you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so pretty!¡± she said, holding the charm in her hand. ¡°Is this, perhaps, for the great tour service I gave you today?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I let out a breath. ¡°It¡¯s because I like you.¡±


    ¡°Oh... wai-what?¡± Tess eyes widened, more out of disbelief than out of surprise. ¡°Did I hear you wrong? I swear I thought you said¡ª¡±


    ¡°I like you, Tess,¡± I finished with more conviction, pushing down the doubt still growing inside me.


    Tess stood up. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®like¡¯? I swear, Arthur, if you say you like me as a friend or as a sister, I¡¯m going to...¡±


    I got up as well and reached for the hand holding the pendant. ¡°I like you as a girl. And what I mean is that I wish to start a rtionship with you and that I hope that you feel the same way.¡±


    Tess¡¯ lips were trembling as she tried to contain her emotions. ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    She sniffled. ¡°Yes, you are.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to be?¡± I asked with a slight smile.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know,¡± she said, her head down. ¡°It¡¯s just, I imagined things going differently.¡±


    ¡°Differently, how?¡±


    ¡°That I¡¯d have to get stronger and prettier and older to wow you and swoon you off your feet,¡± she said, hitting me in the arm.


    I chuckled. ¡°Can I still look forward to you swooning me off my feet?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not funny!¡± she snapped, finally looking up so I could see her two tear-brimmed eyes ring at me. She held up the leaf pendant up to my face. ¡°Put this on for me.¡±


    I took the pendant from her but rather than undoing the chain sp, I clicked together the two ends of the leaves. With a ¡®click,¡¯ the heart shape that the two silver leaves had made became undone into two normal leaves.


    Removing one of the leaves, I wrapped the silver chain around her neck. ¡°Here. Let me keep the other one.¡±


    Tess stared down as her fingers sped the single silver leaf hanging down just above her chest. She then pulled out a long leather string that had been wrapped around her arm and took my silver leaf.


    ¡°Here, turn around,¡± she ordered as she weaved the leather string through the silver loop that made up the stem of the leaf pendant.


    She put the new leather ne around my neck and tied it so that the leaf dangled loosely over my chest as well. Before I could turn around. however, I felt Tess¡¯ arms around my waist as she embraced me from behind.


    ¡°I like you too, idiot. But we¡¯re at war. We both have responsibilities and people that need us,¡± she said in a solemn whisper.


    ¡°I know. And I have things I want to tell you as well, so how about we make a promise?¡±


    ¡°What sort of promise?¡±


    ¡°A promise to stay alive... so that we can have a beautiful rtionship and a family that our entire country cane together to celebrate.¡±


    Her arms trembled, but she answered firmly. ¡°I promise.¡±


    Tess pulled her arms away, but I didn¡¯t turn around. I stared off at the Beast des, almost missing the cloud of dust approaching behind arge hill a few dozen miles away.


    ¡°Arthur?¡± Tess¡¯ voice sounded from behind.


    ¡°It¡¯s... too soon,¡± I muttered. Whatever peace and warmth I had finally managed to grasp, fell apart.


    Tess saw it as well as she gasped.


    The reports were wrong. They wereing. Less than a few hours away, from the pace they were approaching. The beast horde wasing.

 Chapter 213

    Chapter 213


    Chapter 213: Enemy Territory III


    CIRCE MILVIEW


    cryan


    I ran. It seemed all I had been doing these days was running through this cursed forest. Low-hanging branches scraped my cheeks and arms while thorny shrubs tore through my clothes and legs.


    I sprinted in the direction my magic guided me. Without it, I was blind. Even if there was a moon tonight, I doubted its pale rays would be able to prate the dense canopy and fog above.


    Every so often, I would see shes of light from Maeve¡¯s magic behind me, illuminating the trees and casting eerie shadows on the forest ground.


    Maeve. Cole. Please make it out safely, I prayed to Vritra without breaking stride.


    I continued to run, making sure to lift my knees high and step with my heel first while kicking off with the ball of my feet. This was the best way to run in the uneven terrain filled with broken branches and knotted roots.


    Running until the magical shes of battle were barely visible, I skidded to a stop and crouched beside a thick shrub. The thorns and prickly leaves pressing against me gave mefort from the open. I covered my mouth as I gasped for breath, afraid that I¡¯d be heard.


    Paranoia had long since set in, filling my mind with endless doubts and hopelessness. Choking back sobs, I tried to calm myself.


    You¡¯re okay, Circe. You¡¯re doing great. I wiped away at the stream of tears that didn¡¯t stop flowing.


    I have to survive. For my brother. For Seth. I recited this over and over. It was my mantra. It was what was keeping me going.


    After finally catching my breath, I ignited my crest. Immediately, I could sense the location of the closest three-point array I had formed. Unfortunately, it was farther away than I hoped.


    Unable to even curse aloud, I grit my teeth in frustration. With this much distance between the rest of the arrays, just using mana wasn¡¯t enough.


    Digging a small hole in the soft ground with my hand, I bit down on my thumb until blood was drawn. Carefully, I let my blood drip into the hole while instilling the mana from my crest.


    It was by pure luck that I had found out that using my blood as a medium for mana would amplify the effects of the array. Perhaps finding out why might even one day evolve my crest into an emblem.


    After my mana-infused blood had seeped into the small hole I had made, I covered it up and moved onto a nearby tree.


    Taking out the small knife that Fane had practically forced me to keep, I began carving a small hole underneath a low branch.


    I was about to put my bleeding thumb up against the hole when a sharp snap made me whirl around. I held the knife with both hands, pointing it toward the source of the sound as I activated my first crest.


    My senses expanded, covering a twenty-yard radius, only to sense that it was just a small forest critter. I lowered my knife, frustrated at my own pathetic self. I was trembling, my back up against the tree, with tears in my eyes.


    All I wanted was to curl up and cry, but unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have such luxury. Not if I wanted to live.


    I knew that the noise had been caused by an animal but I couldn¡¯t focus. I was wasting time, but for some odd reason, I really didn¡¯t want someone to kill me from behind. It was odd to think, but I¡¯d rather look at my killer as I died.


    After several minutes trickled by, I let out a sigh and turned back to my task.


    If someone was here, they would¡¯ve killed me already, I said to myself. It wasn¡¯t a veryforting thought, but it was true.


    I was a sentry. Widely respected and valuable but severely defenselesspared to strikers like Fane, casters like Maeve, and even shields like Cole.


    After the second point had been finished, I moved to the final tree to finish the three-point array. I knew that using blood as a medium for the array would take its toll, but I was still surprised by how weak I felt after the final point had been finished. Despite the brisk winter air that seemed even colder within this fog, I was sweating and my knees were close to giving out.


    Got to move. Almost there, I said to my legs. Without bothering to mask my mana trail, I moved on to the next point.


    Fortunately, with the three-point array imprint that I had just finished, I wouldn¡¯t have to use my blood again. I just needed to make sure I didn¡¯t set the next imprint too far away.


    I managed a half-jog while panting. I didn¡¯t think it was possible, but the forest seemed to be getting even darker. The low hanging branches snagged at my tattered clothes. Without the strength to just shrug them off, I had to stop and pull off the branches, costing me precious time.


    I stumbled more times than I could count on the roots and tree limbs that seemed to be growing more in numbers, but I finally made it.


    This location should be okay.


    Falling forward on my knees, I got to work once more. Igniting my crest, I began trickling mana into the first point of the array when something crashed into me from the side.


    Without even the chance to be surprised, I was suddenly looking at Fane, who was on top of me. Fane wasn¡¯t looking at me, but out in the distance¡ªhis face contorted into a fearsome scowl. It was dark but even then I could make out how bloody he was.


    ¡°Can you run?¡± he asked, pulling me up to my feet. His eyes were still surveying our surroundings, searching for something.


    ¡°I think so,¡± I stuttered, my gaze shifting down at a glimmering arrow buried in the ground... right where I used to be.


    Fane ignited his emblem. His entire body glowed and visible gusts of wind surrounded him, lifting him off his feet. In his hand was a spear, its length about twice my height with a sharp point that spun like a drill, sending gales around us. ¡°Then run. I¡¯ll hold them off.¡±


    Without even the chance to greet my teammate, I turned and ran. I didn¡¯t know who the ¡®him¡¯ that Fane was referring to was but from the way he had immediately ignited his emblem to its full power, I knew he couldn¡¯t be good.


    It wasn¡¯t long before I could hear the echoes of battle behind me. The ground shook and the trees seemed to shudder in sorrow and pain for their brethren caught in the fight. More than once I was almost blown off my feet by the gales but even then, I resisted the temptation to look behind me. I could only pray to Vritra that Fane would be okay.


    Again, I ran. I continued to run in this forsaken forest until my legs felt like lead. Every step seemed harder and harder to make, as if I was wading in a pool of tar.


    No matter how desperately I wanted to keep moving, my body had had enough. Barely able to lift my feet off the ground, my toes got caught on a gnarled root.


    I toppled forward and I soon tasted the dirt and foliage of the forest in my mouth.


    Fane¡¯s silver chestte kept me on the ground like an anchor. Giving up on the thought of getting back up, I rolled to my side and ignited my crest. With the distance I had gone, I knew it was safer to strengthen the array with blood.


    The wound on my thumb had already scabbed over, but as I wiped my mouth of the dirt, I was able to make out a streak of red.


    What my sleep-deprived and crazed brain conceived as ¡®fortunate¡¯ was the fact that the fall to my face had torn open a wound on my lip.


    Perhaps the most udylike action I had performed in my entire life, I spat a mouthful of blood on the ground and dipped my fingers in it to imbue mana.


    If I can¡¯t run, I might as well create one more imprint for the army waiting. Maybe this will be close enough for them. Maybe they¡¯ll still save Seth.


    The crest on my back began burning¡ªa telltale sign that I was overexerting myself. It didn¡¯t matter. My legs couldn¡¯t even carry my weight. I was prepared to die.


    ¡°Idiot! Didn¡¯t I tell you to keep running?¡± I never thought Fane¡¯s rough voice would sound so pleasant, but I was wrong.


    I spotted Fane¡¯s figure rushing toward me with a sphere of wind surrounding him. Without stopping, he picked me up by the chestte and held me under his armpit. That¡¯s when I saw it.


    ¡°Fane. Y-Your arm!¡± I huffed, wide-eyed.


    ¡°Not important,¡± he snapped. ¡°I need you to focus on guiding me.¡±


    I had so many questions for Fane, but now wasn¡¯t the time. Pointing in the direction that True Sense had shown me, I directed the veteran striker through the fog-infested forest.


    Fortunately, the sun wasing back up. We had been running non-stop throughout the whole night and it was evident that Fane was close to copsing. He had concentrated much of his mana on the stub where his left arm used to be in order to keep blood from spilling out. The rest of his mana was spent on maximizing our speed.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there!¡± I said excitedly, pointing at an opening in the woods a few dozen yards away.


    ¡°Just a bit more, and you need to focus everything you have on the three-point array. Do that and our mission is a sess,¡± Fane huffed. ¡°Can you do that?¡±


    ¡°I can.¡±


    We skidded to a stop and Fane dropped me on the ground. I assumed that the striker wanted me to start on the array¡ªI was only half right.


    I could see Fane¡¯s emblem glowing brightly underneath his shirt as he stood in front of me. The spear once again formed in Fane¡¯s hand as he aimed it at the elf slowly approaching us.


    Even at first nce, I knew who he was. It was the same elf that had spotted us up on the tree. It was the same elf that Maeve and Cole had stayed behind to fight against.


    ¡°N-No. That can¡¯t be...¡± I muttered as the elf named Albold continued closing the distance between us. He looked injured and tired, but he was alive. And if he was alive, that meant...


    I heard a faint whistle but before my brain could process what that noise meant, Fane¡¯s wind spear had already moved. The arrow that was meant to take my lifey on the ground.


    ¡°Damn it, there¡¯s more of them. We need to run,¡± Fane hissed. ¡°Now!¡±


    Fane lifted me up to my feet and pushed me back. ¡°Go!¡±


    Even with the strength I gathered while Fane had held me in his arm, I could only manage an awkward stagger. Fane continued to push me towards the opening in the woods, towards what I assumed to be one of the entrances to the elven kingdom.


    I tensed every time I heard a sharp whistle but by the fact that none of the arrows had managed to hit me, I knew Fane was doing his job.


    I still had to finish mine.


    Igniting my crest mid-stride, the imprints of the three-point arrays lit up like a map in my head. The closest one I had imprinted was too far away though. I needed time, which was something we didn¡¯t have.


    ¡°We¡¯re close enough. Set up the array!¡± Fane groaned behind me.


    I dropped to my knees and began setting up the first point in the array. While doing so, I took a peek behind me.


    Fane towered over me just a few steps behind with shafts of multiple arrows jutting out from his body. A trail of blood leaked down the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Array!¡± he snapped without looking back.


    I nodded frantically and ripped open another wound on my thumb.


    The muted hum of weapons shing startled me, but I refused to look back.


    Another whistle from behind.


    Fane let out a groan.


    My hands trembled as I started the array.


    Damn it! It¡¯s not strong enough.


    I tried to imbue more mana but, out of the corner of my eye, I could see the trees around us swaying.


    Another pained grunt resounded from behind, but it wasn¡¯t Fane¡¯s voice.


    The sharp pain radiating from my crest grew more and more unbearable as I imbued more mana into the small pool of blood that had gathered on the ground in front of me.


    I heard another whistle but almost immediately after, I was knocked down as a pain shot up my arm like fire. My head exploded with a blinding whiteness. I could barely get back up to my knees, dizziness overwhelming me.


    Despite my brain screaming at me not to, I looked at my injured arm. It was mangled beyond recognition.


    ¡°The... array,¡± Fane¡¯s voice croaked from behind.


    ¡°I... I can¡¯t,¡± I mustered. I couldn¡¯t even think straight as it felt like every inch of my right arm had been jammed through the skin with serrated des.


    I watched, dazed, as blood began to pool beneath me.


    I knew it wouldn¡¯t be long now until I died. I almost wanted to die, but in this near-dead state, I couldn¡¯t help but think of Seth. He was waiting back in crya in a hospital bed.


    He was almost dead as well. Even if I couldn¡¯t live, shouldn¡¯t he be able to?


    Through sheer willpower, I got back up to my feet. Blood continued to flow freely out of my mangled arm but it was okay. I knew what I had to do.


    ¡°I hope you can forgive your sister... for not being able to make it back home,¡± I mumbled.


    I took a step to the side, creating a trail with my blood. The pain was beginning to subside a little as my arm grew numb, which was good.


    Fane came into view, but he was barely standing as well. He was dripping almost as much blood as I was.


    With neither of us able to even muster a word, Fane continued to protect me as I made the array, strengthening it with the sheer amounts of blood I was spilling.


    I took another step, but I must¡¯ve lost consciousness because I found the world turned on its side. Fane was still on his feet, holding off Albold and another elf.


    Almost there.


    I crawled, dragging my maimed arm on the ground to continue the bloody trail, but the loss of blood must have affected my vision.


    An entire row of trees had moved and bent out of the way to reveal a towering wall. And on the top of the wall were hundreds of elves, each armed with either staves or bows. The staves were glowing in all sorts of colors, some green, some yellow, others blu¡ª


    ¡°Circe!¡± Fane screamed, snapping me out of my daze.


    A desperate scream tore out from my throat as I ignited every ounce of mana I had left through my crest. My vision blurred and I fell to my side, but I didn¡¯t care. I knew it had worked.


    Every imprint I had left in the forest was now connected and disyed to every sentry waiting outside the forest. I had created the trail for our army.


    I managed to crack a smile as I faced the wave of spells and arrows almost upon us. I hoped they could see me my expression so they¡¯d know&#8230;


    Even this damned forest won¡¯t keep you safe anymore.


    The cryan army ising for you.

 Chapter 214

    Chapter 214


    Chapter 214: Weing Gift


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    ¡°We need to go warn the others!¡± Tess stressed, mana enveloping her body as she prepared to jump off the cliff.


    I grabbed her wrist. ¡°I¡¯ll warn everyone. You need to go get your teammates. You have a mission.¡±


    ¡°That beast horde is more than a day early, Art! The people here aren¡¯t prepared for this. I should stay and¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for, Tess,¡± I cut in firmly. ¡°You have your orders from yourmanding captain. I won¡¯t go as far as to order you to leave, but if things are looking bad here, I suspect the troops requesting for backup in Elenoir might be having it worse.¡±


    There was a tense moment of silence. Tess¡¯ brows furrowed and her jaws tightened in frustration, but she finally relented. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll gather my team and report to Captain Jesmiya before leaving.¡±


    ¡°Good. Even if you are at an advantage in the forest, be careful,¡± I replied with a gentle smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to say, dummy,¡± she said before grabbing me by the scruff of my mantle and pulling me into a kiss.


    As she let go and walked toward the edge of the cliff, I found myself subconsciously touching my own lips in a daze.


    Tess smiled at me, her flushed cheeks betraying her bold move. Tugging on the chain of her leaf charm, she locked gazes with me. ¡°Remember the promise.¡±


    I smiled back, all too aware of how hot my face had be.


    ¡°I promise,¡± I replied, holding up my half of the charm dangling around my neck.


    And like that, Tess jumped off the cliff, sailing down like an emeraldet. I watched her go while convincing myself that what I said to her was for the best. I didn¡¯t want her to stay here. Even if she was one of the few mages in this continent that wouldn¡¯t slow me down, I knew that I wouldn¡¯t be able to go all out without worrying about her.


    At least in the Elshire Forest, she¡¯d only have to be careful of stragglers lost in an environment that she could freely navigate through.


    ¡°It¡¯s for the best, Arthur,¡± I mumbled to myself. After a moment, I reached out to Sylvie and informed her of the situation before leaping off the cliff.


    ***


    Despite the bombshell that was thrown, the people of the Wall handled the news rather well. That didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t panic, but with the tight leadership and the fact that most of the people present were either trained soldiers or veteran adventurers, they were quick to adapt.


    Trodius was especially quick to think on his feet. Quickly gathering the mercenary adventurers, he assigned them to help out at different parts of the walls that needed fortification.


    Workers continued their efforts inside the underground routes leading out from the Wall with the help of some of the soldiers. Jesmiya immediately sent out orders for each of the units making up her Trailzer Division to be dispatched into appropriate positions in preparation for the horde.


    The Bulwark Division,posed of a bit less than two thousand soldiers, hadplete confidence and trust in their captain. Perhaps it was because we were on the defense and had the massive wall to protect us, but even knowing that they were vastly outnumbered, they were ready to march outside the Wall without hesitation.


    In the span of an hour, archers and conjurers were positioned on every floor of the Wall behind arrowslits. Melee troops¡ªboth warriors and augmenters alike¡ªwere being filed into formation just behind the entrance leading out into the Beast des, prepared to advance into battle against the approaching beast horde.


    As for myself, I waited inside the meeting tent with Sylvie. Trodius was buried behind several stacks of paper on his desk, leaving me with a blissful few moments of peace as I checked the contents of my dimension ring. The only useful thing I had in it was Dawn¡¯s Bad, cracked and broken but still better than any other weapons I¡¯d used.


    I took it out, inspecting the cracks and splinters scattered across the translucent teal de.


    I really wish this damn weapon inside my hand would manifest already, I cursed in my head. ¡®Now would be as good a time as any,¡¯ Sylvie agreed.


    ¡°General. Please, reconsider. Allow us to apany you,¡± Gavik¡¯s deep voice resounded.


    I looked at the burly adventurer and the curly-haired mage beside him. ¡°As I said before, your job will be to support the troops here.¡±


    Callum spoke up, frustration evident in his voice. ¡°Commander Virion had personally picked the two of us to assist you in battle. If something were to happen after sending you by yourself¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking down on you two, but the chances of something happening to me and Sylvie only increases if you twoe with us,¡± I stated, not taking my eyes off Dawn¡¯s Bad.


    ¡°Please excuse the intrusion. Father, I brought the weapons you asked for,¡± a clear voice rang.


    I looked up to see a tall woman with bright red eyes and dark skin that seemed even darker with the splotches of soot. In her toned arms were two swords, one longer than the other.


    ¡°Ah! Come in, Senyir.¡± Trodius waved the woman over, a rare smile on his face. ¡°Arthur, this is Senyir mesworth. My daughter and the master cksmith of the Wall.¡±


    Tess had referred to a little girl¡¯s master as Senyir back when we were touring the Wall together. Tess even seemed to have a good rtionship with her, but even so...


    The very mention of the word ¡®daughter¡¯ing from Trodius¡¯ lips annoyed me. Memories of Jasmine as she told me her life story resurfaced, leaving a bad taste in my mouth.


    Still, I kept my personal feelings of the senior captain down and introduced myself to the woman.


    ¡°Arthur Leywin. Pleasure to meet you,¡± I said, sheathing Dawn¡¯s Bad.


    ¡°Senyir here is one of the finest cksmiths in Sapin, on par with even the master smiths of Darv due of her excellent control and implementation of fire magic during the forging process,¡± Trodius boasted.


    ¡®Your anger is leaking onto me,¡¯ Sylvie conveyed gently.


    I can¡¯t help it.


    ¡°I heard from Tessia that you prefer thinner des,¡± Senyir said as she handed me the longer of the two swords. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nowhere near the same levelpared to your weapon but my father informed me that you¡¯ll be in battle for an extended period of time. Having multiple backup weapons won¡¯t do you any harm.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I replied, drawing the sword from its unadorned steel scabbard. With a sharp ring, a pale gold de about the width of three fingers came into view. After testing its bnce with a few swings, I began channeling mana into the de.


    The thin sword hummed as fire, wind, water, and earth all began to swirl around the de in harmony. I continued injecting mana into the sword until I could see the de beginning to deteriorate.


    ¡°Not bad. I think it¡¯ll suffice,¡± I mustered, expunging the magic surrounding the new sword and putting it back into its sheath.


    Senyir couldn¡¯t hide the disappointment in her face as she epted my words with a bow. ¡°I¡¯m honored.¡±


    Putting the longer sword into my ring and fastening the shorter one onto my hip alongside Dawn¡¯s Bad, I turned to Trodius. ¡°Have the ground troops ready to advance as soon as I leave.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of the n, General. Don¡¯t worry about us ande back in one piece,¡± Trodius replied. ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for the signal.¡±


    Without another word, I walked past Senyir mesworth and stepped out of the tent, only to be met with a thunderous cheer. Around us were soldiers, merchants and adventurers alike pping and roaring my name.


    ¡°Your presence is what is holding this Wall together, General,¡± Trodius said as he stepped just behind me.


    It was overwhelming, to say the least. But rather than feeling joy or pride at being the center of attention, I was ovee with horror because within the crowd, I spotted my father.


    He wasn¡¯t supposed to be here. If they were down here, that meant the rest of the Twin Horns were somewhere around here as well.


    No. They were supposed to be in ckbend City, away from this battle.


    Sylvie squeezed my hand. ¡®Arthur. Everyone is watching.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t care. I wanted to run to my father right now and tell him to leave¡ªleave with Mother and the Twin Horns who were surely here.


    But I couldn¡¯t. One look from my father stopped me in my tracks.


    The man who had raised me alongside Alice stood amongst the unit of soldiers that would be fighting outside the protection of the Wall.


    He had such a determined expression that, even as a general, I couldn¡¯t dare stop him. I feared that if I stopped him and everyone here, they would never forgive me.


    It¡¯s okay, Arthur. If everything goes to n, most of these soldiers will make it out alive and your dad is one of the stronger ones out of them, I said, hoping to calm myself down.


    Swallowing the angst and the dread building up inside me, I saluted the crowd, locking gazes with my father.


    He saluted back and, despite the fight that we had not long ago, he smiled at me.


    I exchanged nces with Sylvie, and with a nod, she shifted into her draconic form. This spurred on another wave of cheers as I got on.


    My hands were trembling as I finally felt the gravity of the situation. I had brought my sister here. My parents were here as well as the Twin Horns. They, as well as the lives of everyone here cheering, depended on me.


    ¡®You¡¯re not alone, Arthur,¡¯ Sylvie said as she spread her obsidian wings. ¡®Nothing has changed from when you made the decision to bring Ellie along.¡¯


    She was right. Despite the beast horde arriving a day earlier, the preparations had been made on-time. Both my mom and sister had the Phoenix Wyrm pendants to keep them safe and I had even given Ellie a transmission scroll to reach out to me. But even then, I couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy.


    Was it because of the promise I had made with Tess? The pendant hanging around my neck seemed to weigh down on me, but it wasn¡¯t just that. The timing of everything happening seemed... off.


    Focus, Arthur. You¡¯re going into battle.


    Gripping the spikes on Sylvie¡¯s neck, I muttered, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    My bond reeled her head back and let out a deafening roar, shaking the entire ground. Some of the merchants stumbled and fell to the ground but it only rose the morale as the crowd responded back with a cheer of their own.


    We ascended with a single beat from Sylvie¡¯s broad wings, clearing the height of the wall in just a few seconds. I had a view of both the approaching beast horde as well as the people below us that we were responsible to protect.


    ¡®Are you ready?¡¯ Sylvie asked, her excitement flooding into me.


    Not as ready as you are, I sent back with a chuckle.


    Sylvie¡¯sughter rang in my head before the world around us turned into a blur. With her seal released, every inch of her body was brimming with power. Each stroke of her wings made gales behind us until we were soon approaching the army of beasts.


    With mana enhanced vision, I could make out the cryan mages scattered within the beast horde, riding therger beasts.


    ¡°How about we send them a little weing gift?¡± I suggested.


    ¡®My thoughts exactly,¡¯ she responded, arching her wings to hover. Space began to distort as mana gathered into Sylvie¡¯s open maw.


    A golden white sphere formed and grewrger with every passing breath until it was evenrger than me.


    The sphere erupted into a beam of pure mana. There was no sound to be heard from the attack, only pure destruction as the blow marked the start of the battle.

 Chapter 215

    Chapter 215


    Chapter 215: Two Versus An Army


    I watched as the hole that had been formed from Sylvie¡¯s attack slowly disappeared¡ªcovered by the sea of mana beasts steadily marching toward the Wall.


    Despite the devastation the st had caused, any signs of the damage had soon be swept away.


    Sylvie released another st of mana, but this time several shieldspounded upon one another, taking the brunt of the attack before shatteringyer byyer.


    Looks like we won¡¯t be able tofortably just rain spells down on them, I mused.


    ¡®We would run out of mana long before even making a dent anyway,¡¯ Sylvie responded.


    ¡®After you,¡¯ she transmitted, giving me a toothy grin.


    Try to keep up, I sent back.


    Falling head-first from several thousand feet in the air into an army of magical beasts should¡¯ve normally caused some sort of fear or anxiety, but that wasn¡¯t the case. My heart beat against my ribcage not out of fear, but excitement.


    As if feeding off my emotions, mana flooded out into my body as I continued my plunge. Wind gathered around me, swirling and condensing as I collided into the center of the beast horde.


    Theyers of wind surrounding me burst into an explosion of gales, shredding and pushing away the hundreds of beasts caught in the st.


    I stood up in the center of the crater I had created as thousands of monstrous eyes red down at me from above.


    There was a breath of silence as I waited with Dawn¡¯s Bad in my hand. Mana surged around me, itching to let loose.


    That¡¯s when the first battle cry was unleashed. It came from a bipedal canine that appeared at least three times my height with ws and fangs that glowed menacingly.


    It let loose a howl that spurred the others surrounding me, as if waking them up from their stupor. The zombie-like mana beasts that seemed almost drugged all spurred to life in a concert of cries, roars, and jarring screeches.


    But piercing through the cries of the corrupted mana beasts was the thunderous roar of my bond as shended. She immediately ripped out the bipedal canine¡¯s throat with her fangs and mmed four other mana beasts with a swipe of her tail.


    ¡®Try to keep up,¡¯ Sylvie mocked as she continued tearing her way through the ocean of beasts.


    With a chortle, I leaped out of the crater and on top of a reptilian mana beast with three tails. Before the beast could even make a sound, its head was already cleanly separated from its body and I was onto the next beast.


    Disoriented and furious at our arrival, the mana beasts clumped together as they all tried to get their ws, talons, or paws on me. I constantly used wind magic to create space for me to swing my sword.


    For some time, I limited my mana, using my battle prowess umted through my two lifetimes and Dawn¡¯s Bad to cut down the enemies that never ended. Killing one beast meant that two or three reced it, but we had prepared for this. After all, this wasn¡¯t a battle I was supposed to win; this was a battle of attrition.


    In the chaos of battle where dozens of razor-sharp fangs and talons swiped at you from all directions, there was no time tomunicate with each other. Sylvie and I relied on reading each other¡¯s mental state in case one of us needed help.


    Time crawled¡ªor was it that time was flying by? It was impossible to tell as the debris from the battle had long since covered the sky. Swallowing my impatience, I limited mana usage to body strengthening and weapon augmentation as Dawn¡¯s Bad drew crescents of teal in debris-fillednd.


    A pack of wolves, each the size of Boo, carefully circled around me. Other mana beasts cleared the way, obviously fearful of the creatures d in lightning.


    These ones seem to have some brains, I thought. It was obvious by their murky ck pelts that the wolves had been corrupted, but unlike the other beasts that had marched mindlessly toward the Wall, these ones remained alert and kept their formation.


    The one leading the pack¡ªarger wolf with a spikier mane and horn¡ªlet out a bark and instantly, the twelve others pounced at me with crackling thunder glowing their surroundings.


    Rather than waste energy dodging and killing them one by one, I cast twelve spikes of earth from the ground with the stomp of my feet. The thunder wolves were skewered mid-leap, giving me the leisure to go after the leader that had managed to dodge my spell.


    Baring its teeth as tendrils of electricity gathered around him, the leader attacked. I dodged its mid-air sh, but the lightning surrounding its ws struck me in the shoulder.


    More annoyed than in pain, I shrugged off the wound that had been mostly blocked by my aura and stabbed the wolf.


    However, the tip of my teal sword had long since been broken, and was unable to pierce through the wolf¡¯s thick mana-imbued fur.


    Imbuing mana into Dawn¡¯s Bad and condensing it into a sharp point, I dashed forward and struck again. Blood was drawn this time and the thunder wolf struggled to get back up, but there was no time to celebrate my little victory.


    Almost immediately, a flock of bat-winged birds swooped down with their sharp metal beaks homed in on me.


    Putting Dawn¡¯s Bad back into my ring, I spread a st of lightning into the air. The metal beaks dropped like flies, their wings still spasming from the shock as I quickly moved onto my next list of neverending targets in sight.


    Despite ourpetitive banter earlier, Sylvie remained close as she continued to fight the onught of mana beasts. She fought with her wings tucked in, a flurry of ws and fangs as she dyed the ground in crimson.


    Sylvie¡¯s voice rang in my mind. ¡®Arthur. These beasts seem off. Most of them aren¡¯t even retaliating and just keep marching toward the Wall. Only some of the stronger ones and their packs are actually putting up a fight.¡¯


    I feel it too. I¡¯m not sure what the cryans did. They must be controlling the beasts to get to the Wall no matter what, I replied, continuing to kill as many mana beasts as I could.


    Giving my limbs¡ªheavy from shing through the tough hides and exoskeletons of the mana beasts¡ªsome reprieve, I began casting more spells. Spheres of fire, water and lightning orbited around me, burning, shing and electrocuting beasts that came close enough while I cast spell after spell.


    The terrain had be a domain of all elements; some parts of the ground had be scorched, with corpses still in mes, while other parts of the ground had be a garden of stone and ice spikes.


    The metallic odor of fresh blood alongside the smell of burning fur and flesh mingled in the air, causing the devastatedndscape to be even more unbearable to endure.


    Navigating around the remains of my own spells and the corpses of fallen mana beasts¡ªsome of which were about the size of a small house¡ªhad be another challenge.


    However, the turning point was when the S-ss mana beasts beganing. The first one was a humanoid feline just twice my height made of pure muscle, fur, and ws.


    Its speed and agility was on par with Kordri, my martial arts master from Epheotus. However, its major w was that it relied on only its speed, its attacks leaving it wide open.


    ¡°Come on!¡± I barked, dodging its wed kick while nicking its neck. Blood rushed to my head, drowning out everything other than the opponent in front of me. The beast that had the ability to kill its victims long before they could even fear it hissed and dashed toward me. Its muscr hind legs left imprints on the hard ground, its body barely visible, but its attacks were linear.


    ¡°Thunderp Impulse,¡± I murmured as the sensation of electricity coursing through my body left me even more focused. Withdrawing my teal sword once more marked the beginning of our second round.


    The world around us blurred as I relished the battle. Each swipe of its mana-infused ws left deep gashes in the earth and oftentimes mana beasts nearby. Each failed attack of the S-ss feline was a sessful attack of mine as Dawn¡¯s Bad left its mark on the beast¡¯s elegantly striped fur.


    I had almost forgotten my objective as I dominated the S-ss mana beast even without relying on Realmheart Physique. My legs ached from old wounds and the scratches left by the S ss beast stung, but I was in much better shape than the panting oversized cat.


    Heaving for breath and blood matting down its fur, the S-ss beast warily backed away. It didn¡¯t even manage to take four steps before I caught up and shed its neck.


    Picking the dead S-ss beast by the scruff of its neck, I let out a roar. The mana beasts around me, no matter how deranged and feral they had be due to the cryans corrupting them, began to tremble in fear.


    It would be easy to say that this is what war did to everyone. Part of it was true¡ªfighting countless beasts slowly turned me into a beast myself. However, another part of it was that I enjoyed it.


    Being surrounded by death, yet never being able to kill freely myself might have had something to do with it. The countless duels I had fought in my previous life had all been supervised and restricted by rules andws. Here, it was different.


    ¡®Arthur. Don¡¯t lose yourself. Remember that this is a battle to protect, not a battle to kill.¡¯


    Sylvie¡¯s words were like water sshed to my face. I had indeed lost myself, high on the freedom to wreak havoc. I had acted like a wild beast let loose from its cage.


    Finally sober, I could feel the aches and wounds I hadn¡¯t even realized existed began to take their toll.


    That¡¯s when I felt the next one. Before I could even see or hear it, I felt it. Even amongst the drone of countless mana beasts marching, the footsteps of the particr mana beast shook the earth.


    It didn¡¯t take long for me to see the towering monstrosity that trampled other its fellow corrupted beasts like they were insects.


    Even as it stood on four legs, it was about three stories tall and every inch of its body was covered in a metallic hide. Spikes sprouted along its spine and at the end of its trunk-like snout was a dented metal orb the size of Sylvie¡¯s head.


    ¡®Do you need help?¡¯ Sylvie asked, sensing my fear as I watched the colossal beast advance.


    Not yet, I conveyed, putting Dawn¡¯s Bad back into my ring.


    I threw out an arc of lightning at the beast but it didn¡¯t even flinch as it continued making its way toward me. It swung its snout like a il, bludgeoning mana beasts left and right. The mana beasts fortunate enough to evade its snout were soon trampled by its thick hooves as it charged at me. That¡¯s when I saw him¡ªa human.


    The cryan mage, who had been riding between two of the spikes on the S-ss beast¡¯s back, was desperately holding on for his life. At this distance, it was easy to tell that this was not part of the n.


    That¡¯s when it clicked. The weaker mana beasts appearing almost sedated and mostly ignoring Sylvie and I even as we killed them, the higher-tiered mana beasts seemingly possessing their own will even against the cryan¡¯s struggles.


    A n began to bloom in my head as I watched cryan mage struggle with what appeared to be a ck stone in his hand.


    I cast a ball of fire at the towering beast, hitting its face. The ming sphere sshed across its metallic hide without so much as a mark, but it did its job.


    The beast bellowed and raised its front legs in anger. The cryan mage was barely able to hold on but the mammoth beast didn¡¯t stop there. Making it its life goal to tten me with its il-like snout, the beast charged relentlessly. I, on the other hand, continued throwing spells just barely strong enough to annoy it while flying through the beast horde.


    The mammoth beast created a path paved in decimation and crushed corpses as it continued to chase me. I used every creative method my brain could think of in order to get the beast as furious as possible while slowly whittling it down. I drove earthen spikes into its hooves, Iyered the ground in ice so that it¡¯d slip, but my half-assed spells weren¡¯t doing anything.


    Fire seemed to work best in annoying the beast, but when I shot another spell at it, a translucent shield flickered in its path, blocking my spell before it could hit.


    I need your help now, Sylvie, I sent leisurely as I led the beast to where I could sense Sylvie was fighting.


    ¡®Wow, how did you make it so angry?¡¯ she replied, leaping into the air with a beat of her wings.


    Pin the beast down for as long as you can, I instructed.


    With a mental confirmation, Sylvie flew up into the sky before dropping back down in a nose-dive.


    ¡®Keep it steady!¡¯ she transmitted, showing the general range she¡¯d be able tond.


    Clearing the beasts around me with a gust of wind, I waited as the mammoth beast rushed toward me. Taking a deep breath, I waited for the moment just when the beast¡¯s front legs were about to touch the ground as it charged. Precision, timing, and distancepounded made the spell that much harder, but as a white core mage, it felt natural, as if I was shaping y.


    At my behest, the ground just below the beast¡¯s front feet splintered, sending the beast crashing on the ground. However, with the speed it had built up, its momentum continued to carry the beast and the mage riding on its back toward me.


    Pummelling through every earthen wall I had conjured in its path until it was only a few yards away, I cursed in frustration.


    Damn it, no choice.


    Preparing my mind and body for the toll about toe, I waited until just before the beast was close enough before I activated Static Void.


    With my control over both aether and mana making leaps and bounds during my ascent into the white core stage, I confined the time-pausing mana art into just the beast and the mage.


    Even with the reduced range, the sheer size of the beast made my mana core protest. However, I persisted, biding time right up until Sylvie was about to crash into the beast.


    ¡®Now!¡¯ she screamed mentally.


    I immediately released Static Void and leaped out of the way, almost crashing into the open jaw of a reptilian mana beast.


    The force of Sylvie¡¯s descent onto the beast sent a shockwave of wind and debris all around them. If I hadn¡¯t erected a stone wall from the ground, I would¡¯ve gotten blown away along with all the other beasts in the vicinity.


    With no time to rest, I dashed toward the mammoth beast that was dazed but still alive and struggling to get out of Sylvie¡¯s grasp.


    Don¡¯t kill it yet, I said to my bond.


    ¡®I¡¯m not confident I even can. Its hide isn¡¯t as strong as my scales but it¡¯s a lot thicker.¡¯


    Leaping up on top of the beast¡¯s back, I picked up the unconscious mage and threw him on the ground.


    The oblong ck stone fell from his grasp. After picking it up, I formed an ice spike in my hand and drove it into the mage¡¯s thigh.


    The cryan, surprised at first to be awake and seeing me, quickly sumbed to the searing pain radiating out of his bleeding thigh.


    Before he could even get the chance to speak, I held the ck stone to his face. ¡°Does this control the mana beasts?¡±


    His eyes widened and he made a desperate swipe at the stone.


    I conjured a stone nail, impaling his hand to the ground.


    He let out another scream, and the mana beasts that smelled the blood of prey began drawing closer.


    ¡®Hurry. I can¡¯t keep him still for much longer,¡¯ Sylvie conveyed.


    I was about to ask again, when I realized that the mage was about to bite off his own tongue. Quickly, I held down his tongue, burning and searing his wound.


    The mage let out another muffled wail before I froze his mouth shut.


    ¡°What is up with you cryans and killing yourself,¡± I sighed. ¡°Well, if you won¡¯t tell me, I might as well find out myself.¡±


    The oblong stone wouldn¡¯t react with any type of mana or even aether, so I did the only other thing I knew. I crushed it in my hand.

 Chapter 216

    Chapter 216


    Chapter 216: Battlefield


    The mage stared at me with panic-stricken eyes as the crumbled fragments of the ck stone fell from my grasp.


    There was a tense moment as I waited for something to happen amidst the war zone besides the already-ensued chaos raging on.


    Suddenly, as if a switch had been turned on, every mana beast in the vicinity seemed to have be provoked by my action.


    The once zed and lifeless eyes of the mana beasts now burned with fury. It wasn¡¯t just at me though; the mana beasts began growling and hissing at each other, baring fangs, ws, and horns at one another.


    It didn¡¯t take long for hell to break loose. Beasts pounced on one another without even a semnce of sanity left amongst them. They leaped at me with reckless abandon, often getting caught by one another in the process.


    Quickly drawing the two swords I had received from the mesworth cksmith, I turned into a flurry of des. I shed and stabbed at the vitals of the mana beasts that attacked me until a mound of bloody carcasses umted beneath my feet.


    However, despite the massacre that befell those who came close, the mana beasts continued to attack and throw their lives away as if possessed.


    ¡®Arthur! I can¡¯t hold on anymore!¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s struggling voice pierced through my mind.


    I turned back to see the mammoth beast break free, eyes locked on me as he pawed the ground in preparation to charge while the pile of corpses continued to grow.


    However, I didn¡¯t fail to notice the subtle difference in the mammoth beast¡¯s behavior. The way the beast red down at me still indicated rage, but the very targeted, threatening act of scruffing the ground showed some level of intelligence.


    It showed that it wasn¡¯t thinking of blindly charging like before, but waiting for me to react somehow to its act of aggression.


    As for me, rather than having the luxury to react to the mammoth beast, I was upied by the neverending mana beasts that seemed hell-bent on ripping my limbs off.


    ¡° Enough! ¡± I roared, releasing every ounce of murderous intent I had pent up over time.


    To the naked eye, nothing had changed, but for anyone that had an ounce of sense, they felt it. Even the beasts, as deranged as they were, froze in their tracks and began trembling out of instinct.


    This may not have worked while they were in their stupor moments ago, but now the beasts around me shrank back out of fear while some of the weaker ones even copsed.


    With finally some space to breathe, I took a step toward the mammoth beast. A path opened up as I walked, the mana beasts unable to bear being too close.


    I locked eyes with the colossal S-ss monster that stuck out above the sea of mana beasts wreaking havoc amongst one another, directing the entirety of my unabated bloodlust. It was a primitive thing to do, much like flexing your muscles in front of your opponent to discourage them, but it did its job.


    The colossal monster broke eye contact with me, its body ckening. Finally, with a mournful bellow, the S-ss beast turned and left, trampling smaller mana beasts with each step.


    ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I felt your bloodlust. A good reminder not to tease you too much,¡¯ Sylvie said as she joined me at my side.


    I cracked a smile before replying. It seems to only work on the more intelligent and powerful beasts, though.


    The mana beasts that had been temporarily paralyzed by my intent had quickly broken free and resumed their mauling spree.


    Turning around, I saw the cryan mage. Despite being bloody and incapacitated, he was still alive. None of the beasts seemed to even want to go near him.


    Seeing how the crazed beast acted, it couldn¡¯t have been out of pity or even out of loyalty to their supposed master.


    ¡°Now...¡± I peered down at the frightened mage. ¡°I wonder how you¡¯re still alive.¡±


    Sylvie craned her neck and began sniffing at the mage I had nailed to the ground. ¡®I¡¯m not sure if it has anything to do with it, but there¡¯s a rather repulsive stenching from this human.¡¯


    The cryan mage let out a muffled whimper as my bond bared her fangs at him, but there was little else he could do.


    As I contemted whether to take the mage in for questioning or killing him on the spot and continue whittling down enemy numbers, the mage let out a slightly more coherent sound.


    ¡°Ah h-hell ooh, ah hell ooh,¡± he muttered through the melting ice binding his mouth shut.


    Exchanging nces with Sylvie, I melted the ice around his lower face. ¡°Speak. Any useless words and I¡¯ll kill you on the spot.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll tell you why they won¡¯t attack me. Just promise you¡¯ll let me live.¡±


    I let the tip of my new sword rest on the mage¡¯s mouth, just barely nicking the corner of his lips. ¡°I hate making promises I know I won¡¯t keep.¡±


    Tears rolled down the mage¡¯s cheeks as he red daggers at me. ¡°Then why should I tell you anything?¡±


    The dirt and blood on his face did little to mask how young the enemy was, but it would be sloppy to show mercy. I pushed the de just a little deeper; the mage let out a pained cry. ¡°Because... a quick painless death is better than a long painful one.¡±


    Using fire magic to heat the de of my sword, I pressed it against the mage¡¯s cheek. While the mana beasts around us were creating havoc, the majority of the beast horde was still making its way toward the Wall. I couldn¡¯t waste too much time on this.


    ¡°All right! Please, just stop!¡± he screamed, stretching his head as far away from my sword as his neck would take him. ¡°W-We have a serum that the corrupted beasts can¡¯t stand during their frenzied state.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get it? Who else has this serum?¡±


    The cryan shook his head vigorously. ¡°I-I-I really don¡¯t know this! I just know it¡¯s precious so everyone who even gets it only gets a little bit of it to spray on themselves.¡±


    With a terse nod, I stabbed my sword down into the cryan mage¡¯s heart. The young mage¡¯s eyes bulged but what surprised me was his lips that curved up into a smirk.


    ¡°It¡¯s useless...even if you know,¡± he sputtered, blood leaking out of his mouth. ¡°Long... live...¡±


    Unable to even finish his sentence, the mage fell unconscious from the shock. He¡¯d most likely die within a few minutes, painlessly in his sleep.


    I pulled out my sword with a quick jerk and moved on. There was a lot more work to be done.


    I spent the next hours on the ground, hacking, stabbing, and shooting mana beasts with swords and spells. My guidance under Kordri had honed my body tost for days with the help of mana arts and martial technique. There was no wasted effort in my movements and attacks as mana beasts, whether in a stupor or in their frenzied state, fell lifelessly beside me.


    Even the time spent training with Kathyln, Hester, Buhnd, and Camus bore fruit. Having experience battling against multiple opponents really helped knowing how to best react to the unceasing waves of mana beasts¡ªsome of which were even able to cast long-distance magic¡ªwithout overexerting my mana. Coupled with the mana-measuring discs that Emily had test out on me, I was able to limit the strength of my spells to its utmost efficiency.


    How¡¯s everything on your end, Sylvie? I asked while letting out a grunt. I pulled my lightning-d sword out from inside a giant mana beast¡¯s scorched eye socket. Much like the S-ss mammoth beast I had scared off earlier, this one had a hide strong enough to put a chip in my new sword.


    The beast crashed into the ground, ttening a few unfortunate mana beasts below it. Its lifeless body still crackled with arcs of lightning while its limbs spasmed.


    ¡®A bit tired, I¡¯ll admit, but I¡¯m fine,¡¯ she responded, her mental voice clear even from the distance between us.


    Tired already? It¡¯s only been like four hours of nonstop fighting, I teased, stabbing and pulling my sword out from the ribcage of arge primate mana beast.


    The shortsword I had received as a set with my longer sword quickly became unusable, leaving me with only Dawn¡¯s Bad and my thin longsword that had already grown dull.


    While the two of us continued our onught, my main focus had shifted to finding the other cryan mages. The serum that the enemy mage had told me about capable of basically concealing the user from corrupted beasts was an enticing bounty, and I already knew what to use it for.


    However, even after the hours of searching, our efforts were fruitless. Just the sheer number of mana beasts alone made it almost impossible to even distinguishrger mana beats, let alone a human.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I cursed, thrusting both my des into the thick neck of a reptilian mana beast. ¡°We¡¯re running out of time.¡±


    ¡®The Wall is getting closer, Arthur. The conjurers and archers will be in range to attack soon. It¡¯ll be even harder to find the enemy mages then,¡¯ Sylvie informed.


    You¡¯re right. And once the beast horde reaches the Wall and the trap that everyone set up activates, it¡¯ll be impossible to find them, I responded back as I shed through another pack of frenzied canine beasts.


    ¡®What do you suggest?¡¯ my bond asked as she fought her way through the hordes of beasts between us to get to me.


    There¡¯s no choice but to rely on Realmheart to search for the mages.


    There was a moment of silence in our minds as I felt Sylvie think over her next words.


    ¡®I want to keep your family safe as well, Arthur, but is it wise to deviate from your obligations as a general andnce? Using Realmheart will take a big toll on you and even then, we run the risk of it being for nothing.¡¯


    Gritting my teeth, I jumped up on Sylvie¡¯s back. Memories of my fight with my parents during myst trip to the Wall flooded out of my mind and into my bond¡¯s. It was faster letting her know this way than trying to exin.


    It¡¯s not wise, Sylv. I know that. But please, just for a little bit. I need to be able to tell myself that I¡¯m giving my all to keep my family safe, and finding a serum might just do that.


    Assuming everything went ording to n, we¡¯d have to sacrifice parts of the Wall and the underground routes, and it¡¯d be much safer for our melee troops to fight. But, even then, with so many people I cared about participating in this battle, it was impossible to not be anxious and afraid for them.


    ¡®I understand,¡¯ Sylvie sent empathetically as her powerful wings beat down. With a st of wind, the two of us soared up into the sky, shooting past any of the aerial mana beasts before they could even react.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be relying on you to fight off any mana beasts while I focus on searching for the mages,¡± I said aloud.


    Taking a deep breath, I ignited Sylvia¡¯s beast will from deep within my mana core and let its power flow freely out into my body.


    I felt the physical changes to my body as the warm surge of power filled me from the inside. Long white bangs obstructed my view while the runes covering my body and extending out to my limbs grew brightly, even through the thick clothes I wore.


    Soon, my vision turned into shades of gray before flecks of colorful light began emerging out of thin air.


    No matter how many times I had used this skill, it was breathtaking every single time. No matter how many spells were flung by mages and beasts, it was when I was able to physically see the very substance that made up all magic in the atmosphere that it felt like I had truly fallen into a magical world.


    ¡®Focus, Arthur. Can you distinguish any of the cryan mages?¡¯ Sylvie said with a hint of envy. My bond had yet to grasp this ability despite breaking out of the seal that her mother had ced on her before birth.


    ¡°Not really,¡± I replied, narrowing my gaze to try and pinpoint mana fluctuations that seemed different from the magic that the beasts were able to cast.


    Sylvie continued flying across the length of the army, avoiding or killing any flying mana beasts that got in her way, while I scoured for any signs of the cryan mages hiding amongst them. It wasn¡¯t until I pried my gaze from the sight below that I noticed something odd up toward the Elshire Forest.


    Sylvie, can you take us higher for minute? I asked my bond, trying to make out what was happening up north.


    Sensing my confusion and worry, we immediately ascended until it was impossible to make out the individual mana beasts below us. But as expansive and threatening the beast horde appeared, my focus was on a much bigger threat.


    It wasn¡¯t only the mana fluctuations that seemed to be made up of tens of thousands of mages, it was the trail¡ªa bright trail of mana¡ªleading from the army of what could only be the cryans straight to the heart of Elenoir Kingdom.

 Chapter 217

    Chapter 217


    Chapter 217: Decisions Made


    TESSIA ERALITH


    Darvus stepped up beside me, his knuckles white from gripping his dual axes for dear life. The smug grin that he always wore was nowhere in sight, reced by furrowed brows and a tensed jaw. ¡°This doesn¡¯t look good, Tessia.¡±


    I looked over my shoulder to see Stannard and Caria, and the two hundred-odd soldiers that made up my unit along with the ragtag squads of elven soldiers that had been ced under mymand. Mixed amongst them were civilian elves garbed only in cloth or a leather apron for protection as well as whatever thin metal they could find and strap on. These were the men that stayed behind to protect their home and their fleeing loved ones.


    Every one of them wore grim expressions. The soldiers gripped their weapons while the civilians anxiously clenched their kitchen knives and gardening tools, as the steady drone of marching grew louder and louder.


    The once lively elven town just behind us had long since evacuated, but we knew with the many children and elders amongst them, if we fled here¡ªif we couldn¡¯t hold out long enough¡ªthey would all die. This wasn¡¯t a matter of protecting an abandoned town in the outskirts; this battle would determine the momentum in the fight for Elenoir.


    My heart pounded against my chest and my knees felt weak. No matter how strong my mana core was, no matter how much I had trained, I felt nothing but fear in this moment.


    Yet, I couldn¡¯t show it. I wouldn¡¯t.


    Because then, the morale of every one of these people behind me, relying on my strength as not just a mage and warrior but as a leader, would copse.


    Holding my feelings in, wearing a mask of confidence and strength¡ªthis was my burden.


    I conjured the wind to carry my voice as I unsheathed my sword. Projecting a wave of mana, not only to convey power to my subordinates but also to reassure myself, I spoke.


    ¡°You all know of the report we received a few hours ago. You all know why we rushed here without rest.¡±


    I turned around to face my allies despite the fear of leaving my back open to the army approaching. ¡°We¡¯re here because of the cryan army approaching Elenoir Kingdom. Not everyone here can call thisnd ¡®home,¡¯ but behind us are the children and elderly, fleeing for their lives after being forced to abandon their only home. The enemy marching toward us now will kill them and take over Elenoir, and if they seed in this, Sapin will be next.¡±


    Murmurs of consensus rang throughout the crowd.


    ¡°Our numbers are few but I, for one, am honored to be the first line of defense in keeping that from happening,¡± I dered, raising my voice just a notch louder. ¡°Lance Aya, along with every able-bodied elf, are marching down here to aid us as we speak, but the question is this...¡±


    I held up my sword. ¡°Will you join me in not just fighting this battle, but protecting the weak and helpless from the cryans?¡±


    There was just a breath of silence where I was afraid my pounding heart would be heard by all of the soldiers in front of me until a roar of cheers and battle cries resounded.


    At my signal, a line of defense formed around me and the rest of my ranged troops. ¡°Conjurers, archers, ready your weapons!¡±


    The foreboding thrump, thrump, thrump, thrump, of the cryan soldiers marching grew louder and louder within the dense veil of the fog and trees between us.


    I pointed my sword forward. ¡°Prepare your attacks!¡±


    With my heightened senses and familiarity with the Elshire Forest, I knew rather than saw as the enemy vanguards came in range.


    I thrust my weapon, sending out condensed bolts of wind. ¡°Fire!¡±


    An array of colors dotted my line of sight. Arcs of lightning, des of wind, sts of fire, and sharp shards of earth flew toward the enemy alongside dozens of arrows.


    I held up my sword for everyone to see before signaling another flight of spells and pointed steel. ¡°Fire!¡±


    Another volley of colors rained down on the enemy, still mostly obscured by the forest environment. Shimmers of light shaped like shields and walls deflected or even absorbed our attacks, but that wasn¡¯t the only problem. The thick trees and jutting branches of the Elshire Forest were against us.


    ¡°Another flight?¡± Stannard proposed hopefully, gripping his artifact in preparation for another spell.


    ¡°Ranged spells and arrows won¡¯t win this battle.¡± I turned to Vedict, the one in charge of the front line. ¡°Order the warriors and augmenters to break their line for the rest of us.¡±


    With a nod, the steel-d elf raised his shield and ran forward, rying my decree. Gant soldiers in both leather and metal armor ignited their cores and charged forward into a battle where we stood vastly outnumbered. They vanished from sight into the thick fog, but I could still hear the thunder of their magic-infused charge.


    Steeling not only by weapon and body but my will, I looked at Stannard, Darvus, and Caria¡ªmy closest friends, and most trusted aides. None of us said a word, but with our time spent in battles, our gazes long since spoke volumes to each other and we all seemed to be saying the same thing. ¡®Let¡¯s get out of this alive.¡¯


    I reached for the ne Arthur had given me around my neck. I mustn¡¯t cry.


    Kissing the pendant, I tucked it into my cloak, vowing to keep it¡ªand our promise¡ªsafe.


    Reaching deep into the pit of my stomach, I let out a guttural cry. ¡° Charge!¡±


    ALBANTH KELRIS


    ¡°Captain,¡± a concerned voice sounded from my side.


    Prying my eyes off of the beast horde slowly gaining ground, obscured by the nket of dust, I looked down at my assistant. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Sinder, the well-toned man, who I had trained and groomed since he was just a kid, pointed down toward my hands.


    I now realized that the reinforced railings built to keep soldiers from identally falling off the top of the Wall had be bent out of shape.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Readjusting my grip, I twisted it back into its proper form before letting go.


    With a gentle smile, my assistant ced an armored hand on my pauldron. ¡°I know it¡¯s in your blood to worry and overthink, but look at the mayhem General Arthur is causing to our enemy.¡±


    We, along with everyone else positioned at the Wall, were watching. With howrge the enemy army was, it was almost impossible to keep track of where the youngnce was within that sea of mana beasts. But every now and then, we¡¯d notice the small changes urring within their ranks, like small nuts and bolts bing undone, causing therger pieces to be more unstable.


    I let out a sharp breath. ¡°I know, Sinder. But it just pains me to be standing here twiddling my thumbs while thence has been tirelessly fighting for hours.¡±


    ¡°Our time wille. No matter how strong the general is, he is only one man. He will need our support soon,¡± my assistant reassured. ¡°Now please, Captain, broaden your shoulders and don¡¯t let the soldiers see you faltering.¡±


    ¡°Since when did you be all grown up?¡± I teased, smacking Sinder¡¯s back and almost throwing him over the edge of the Wall.


    The soldiers around usughed at our little show. Sinder, nearly killed by his own captain, wasn¡¯t as amused but his expression softened after noticing the atmosphere lightening.


    I continued making my rounds, walking the length of the Wall to make sure everything was in ce for when our battle would begin. It wasn¡¯t a job that a captain should be doing, but seeing my men and encouraging them when need be was something that helped me as well.


    These soldiers that I had trained, lectured and sometimes even sparred with, relied on me, and in this moment when we¡¯d be facing an army of beasts muchrger in number, they needed my presence.


    ¡°Wess! I¡¯m not seeing you shake, am I?¡± I called out to a middle-aged conjurer gripping his staff. Patting his shoulder, I shot him a smile. ¡°After this fight, let¡¯s have your wife make us one of her mean crumbled pies, okay?¡±


    The conjurer let out augh, his body visibly rxing. ¡°It¡¯s just like you to be thinking of food at a time like this, Captain. Very well, Maryl will be delighted to know that you like her pie that much.¡±


    I gave him a wink before continuing my stroll. It wasn¡¯t much¡ªwave here, a joke there, making a n for the future¡ªanything to get the soldiers¡¯ heads out of the dark hole caused by the looming battle.


    That¡¯s when I saw General Arthur¡¯s little sister... Eleanor was her name, if I wasn¡¯t mistaken. The little girl was hard to notice with therge mana beast beside her. Ste, the soldier that I had assigned to her, was nowhere in sight, reced by a dark-haired archer with bright eyes. She seemed to be teaching her the basics of firing from higher ground.


    ¡°Miss Leywin,¡± I greeted. ¡°What happened to the soldier I had assigned you?¡±


    The little girl stiffened into a rather clumsy salute. ¡°Ah, yes! Hello, Captain...¡±


    ¡°Albanth.¡± I smiled before turning to the woman that was teaching her. ¡°And you are?¡±


    The sharp-eyed woman saluted gracefully. ¡°Helen Shard, Captain. My apologies for the confusion. I¡¯m this one¡¯s longtime instructor so I relieved Ste of her duty to watch after her.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I smiled. I was relieved that the general¡¯s younger sister wasn¡¯t the one to shrug off her protector. ¡°In that case, I will leave her in your care.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± she said, brimming with confidence.


    ¡°Miss Leywin.¡± I turned to face the approaching beast horde that appeared to be getting evenrger than I imagined. ¡°Do you still feel up for helping us out even after seeing that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The little girl¡¯s expression hardened as she gripped her intricate bow. ¡°My brother is fighting out there with only Sylvie to help him. The least I can do with all the training I¡¯ve been getting is help him and my parents, who are here as well.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t have been older than twelve or thirteen, yet here she was, with little traces of innocence and youth left. I wanted to ask whether her parents knew she was here and if they would approve, but it wasn¡¯t my ce to do so. Giving her and the archer named Helen a salute, I continued my walk until I spotted a messenger running toward me.


    Seeing how hard he was breathing, people would think that he had climbed the entire height of the Wall with his bare hands. The messenger dipped his head before speaking to me. ¡°Senior Captain Trodius has called for a meeting and has requested your presence immediately.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Thank you,¡± I replied before immediately heading to the main tent.


    By the time I arrived, Captain Jesmiya was leaving the tent with a rather particrly sour expression. She bumped my shoulder while muttering a string of curses under her breath.


    ¡°Captain Jesmiya,¡± I called out, grabbing the captain¡¯s arm.


    The blonde-haired captain whirled around, her free hand already holding her saber before realizing who I was.


    ¡°Captain Albanth,¡± she nearly spat out while sheathing her sword.


    Surprised by her venom, I asked her what was going on, only for her to shrug me off with a cold shoulder. ¡°Ask Trodius, ¡± she hissed before striding away.


    I opened the entrance to the tent to see Captain Trodius going through some paperwork in that eerily impable posture he always had.


    The captain knew I was here but he continued on with his work as if to make a statement. This went on for a few minutes before I couldn¡¯t wait any longer and cleared my throat. ¡°Senior Captain¡ª¡±


    A raised finger cut me off. The man didn¡¯t even look in my direction until he had finally finished whatever it was he was doing, despite the fact that he had sent a messenger for this ¡®urgent¡¯ meeting.


    Finally, after meticulously filing his papers into three even piles, he looked up and locked eyes with me. ¡°Captain Albanth.¡±


    ¡°Sir!¡± I saluted, my armor nging loudly.


    ¡°Have your melee troops prepare to march,¡± he stated. ¡°They will be confronting the beast horde in the terms that we dictate.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°My apologies, Senior Captain, but it was to my understanding that the melee troops would enterbat only after we¡¯ve lured a majority of the beast horde into the trap we had¡ª¡±


    ¡°Captain Albanth,¡± the senior captain interrupted again. ¡°Do you know how many resources we¡¯ve expended excavating the underground passages for our trailzer divisions to safely explore the Beast des? I won¡¯t go as far as to weigh the value of lives between the efforts spent on this fortress, but just realize that it doesn¡¯t make sense logistically to detonate the underground routes.¡±


    ¡°But, Sir.¡± I took a step forward only to be met with a zing re from Trodius. Taking a step back, I continued. ¡°With General Arthur¡¯s n, we¡¯ll be able to immobilize the majority of the beast horde. This will give our melee forces a much better chance to sur¡ª¡±


    ¡°As I have stated before, Captain Albanth , I won¡¯t go as far as to weigh the value of lives...¡± The senior captain let his sentence trail off, letting me know that was exactly what he was doing.


    ¡°Besides, thence said it himself¡ªit was only a suggestion. I said nothing at the meeting out of respect for his position, but he¡¯s but a boy that¡¯s ignorant of war. It¡¯d be in your best interest to realize that as well.¡±


    Clenching my fists behind my back, I stood silent.


    Trodius took the silence as my answer and gave me that fake smile that seemed to work so well with the people who didn¡¯t truly know him. ¡°Good! Then we¡¯ll have your melee troops advance immediately. You and your troops will do whatever it takes to hold your ground until Jesmiya¡¯s forces are ordered toe around the nk to assist you. By then, the archers and conjurers in position will be in range to fire freely at their backline.¡±


    Gritting my teeth in anger, I was barely able to respond with a nod before turning around to leave. Suddenly, Jesmiya¡¯s mood back when we had run into each other seemed too pleasant after hearing this conversation.


    ¡°Oh, and Captain Albanth?¡± the senior captain called out. ¡°I realize that through this, the death toll will be higher, but know that our victory will be that much greater for having kept this vital fortress standing after all of this.¡±


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    ¡®Arthur.¡¯


    My gaze shifted from the Wall, barely visible over the dust that hung in the air, back to the sight of the cryan army well within the forest.


    ¡®Arthur!¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s voice rang louder.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± I snapped. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do, Sylvie.¡±


    My role was to stay here, to help the forces of the Wall defeat this beast horde. Even if all of this was nothing but a diversion, my family and the Twin Horns were still here. What if something happened to any of them after I had left? On the flip side, what if Tess was in danger? With so many elves stationed around Sapin, it would be almost impossible for Elenoir to properly defend against an army of that size.


    ¡®I know it¡¯s a hard decision,¡¯ she responded, her soothing voice calming me just a tad. ¡®Rest assured that I will support whatever choice you make.¡¯


    The gears in my brain turned tirelessly while I debated. After my emotions had quelled a bit, my logical side stepped in. It reassured me that the traps already set for the beast horde once they got to the Wall would greatly lower the chances of the melee forces getting killed inbat, let alone a skilled augmenter like my father.


    Pressed for time as both the beast horde and cryan army advanced relentlessly toward their destination, I made my decision.


    ¡°Sylvie. We¡¯re going to Elshire Forest.¡±

 Chapter 218

    Chapter 218


    Chapter 218: From Leader To Soldier


    TESSIA ERALITH


    Digging my feet into the ground as I leaped forward, I used a mana vine to pull myself to the nearest enemy mage. The surprised cryan didn¡¯t even have enough time to turn toward me before my swordstaff sunk deep into his waist. The blood rolled right off as I pulled out my weapon, leaving its pale de spotless.


    ¡°Tessia, duck!¡± the familiar voice of my teammate rang from behind.


    I immediately shot back, giving room for Caria to dive down on another cryan from the tree she was on.


    ¡°Nice!¡± I shouted back as I released a bolt of wind to knock back an enemy gaining on Stannard.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± he shouted. His artifact had finished charging, unleashing a st of mana directly at an approaching mob of enemy soldiers.


    Darvus came into view, his dual axes creating sparks and trails of fire as he cleaved both flesh and steel to support our small conjurer.


    ¡°We can¡¯t let them get past this point!¡± I reminded them as Caria flew into action as well, her gauntlets enveloped in thick mana.


    We can do this, I reassured myself, watching my teammates battle alongside our other unit of mages. Hachi, one of our new recruits, stood out even from this distance as he stood a head taller than everyone else with his me-d fists.


    Suddenly a bright beam of ice shot down from a tree nearby. Caria managed to dodge it and Hachi was barely able to dive out of the way, but a nearby elf from his team wasn¡¯t as lucky.


    Damn it, I cursed, watching as my ally fell.


    With a mana-infused leap, Inded on the branch that a long-range mage had been perched on. Before she could even let out a noise, a fatal wound had already been made. The body slumped and fell off the tree.


    Letting out a sharp breath, I surveyed the battlefield below, making sure there weren¡¯t any other enemy conjurers in range to hurt my teammates.


    Instead, what I saw was chaos. With the foliage blending in with the trees and ground as well as the thick nket of fog ever present, it was hard to tell exactly how many enemies there were and how many of my allies were left.


    A scream pierced through my ears. It came from nearby. Not knowing whether it was friend or foe that made the pained cry, I whirled toward the source.


    It was an elf. From the leather apron fashioned clumsily with a metal sheet on the chest¡ªmost likely a baking pan¡ªI could tell instantly he was a civilian that had chosen to stay and defend his town.


    The elf crumpled lifelessly to the ground while a puddle of blood formed around him. The killer was an cryan mage that had a spinning ring of wind surrounding his open hands. He wore a proud sneer while trampling over the elf¡¯s body.


    My blood burned with righteous anger at the sight. Landing deftly on the ground, I sprinted toward the enemy, fully intent on removing him from this battle.


    ¡°Tessia! Where are you going?!¡± I heard Darvus¡¯ voice behind me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back!¡± I responded, not bothering to turn back.


    My vision narrowed on the enemy mage as I easily cleared the distance between us, but just as I was about to drive my de into the unsuspecting enemy mage, a golden pane of light flickered between us. The barrier shattered but it gave the mage enough time to scurry out of my path.


    ¡°Sneaky little thing,¡± the enemy mage spat. A chill ran down my spine as I noticed the man¡¯s eyes quickly scanning my body as if the armor and cloth I wore was nonexistent.


    He licked his lips while the whirling des of wind surrounding his hands grewrger. ¡°You¡¯re lucky we¡¯re in a rush, otherwise I would¡¯ve taken my time with you.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I replied coldly, honing in my killing intent and the first phase of my beast will into the enemy. ¡° You¡¯re lucky that I¡¯m in a rush.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t my first time using my beast will, but I had never used it on another person. Regardless, beast or man, the mage knew how outssed he was.


    ¡°Sh-Shield!¡± he screamed as he dashed toward him, reaching past his guard in the blink of an eye.


    Once again, a golden light flickered into existence, but before it could even fully manifest, the sharp tendrils of mana surrounding me had already pierced several holes into the mage¡¯s body.


    Without thinking, I looked down, my gaze was drawn toward the dead elf beside me. His empty eyes seemed to be looking back at me, ming me.


    I can do this, I repeated through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Tessia! We need you back!¡± a familiar voice rang nearby. It was Caria, facing against a group of cryans. Her expression was grim but she wasn¡¯t losing her ground even against three enemy mages.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there!¡± I shouted before augmenting my sight. I peered through theyer of fog to try and find any of the so-called ¡®shields¡¯ hiding. With my mobility and senses, I had the best chances of knocking down their defenses.


    Just as I spotted a shield conjuring a panel of light around a group of cryans, an enemy mage charged at me.


    I don¡¯t have time for this! I easily dodged his me-d spear and carved a bloody line through his neck when I spotted another ally in need of help.


    There was a human soldier backed up against a tree with two enemy mages closing in on her. I knew my main job was to reinforce my teammates to stop the cryan troops from advancing but my body moved without thinking.


    With a flick of my wrist, roots shot up from below the two cryans, anchoring their feet to the ground.


    Wind Cutter.


    Compressing the air around my swordstaff, Iunched a translucent crescent of wind.


    This time, an earthen wallunched up from the ground. My spell left a scar on the stone shield but by the time I could get past their defense, the human girl was already on the ground with a frozen spike jutting out from her chest.


    I cursed inward, angry at myself for being toote. Meanwhile, the enemy mages managed to free themselves from my shackles of roots and prepared their next attack¡ªthis time, at me.


    With a manic cry, the mage dashed toward me, his entire right arm enveloped by ance made of ice.


    It took a little less than a single thought tomand the emerald vines of mana to knock aside his feeble attack and puncture a hole through his stomach and chest.


    My eyes shifted toward my dead ally that was still leaning against the tree.


    I cursed again. I needed to take down all of these mages. The more I brought down, the better chances my allies had. That was my duty.


    I kept my mana usage constantly in check as the emerald aura surrounding me shot out more translucent vines that whipped, wrapped, and pierced enemies nearby. My thin de whistled and sang through the air, drawing arcs of enemy blood wherever itnded.


    Constantly reminding myself that each enemy I eliminated was an ally saved, I persevered and continued fighting.


    This is the right thing to do.


    While the forest was a handicap to many, the endless rows of trees worked to my advantage. Not only did I control the emerald vines of mana constantly protecting me, but every tree around me also beckoned to call.


    ¡°Focus the gray-haired girl!¡± a shout sounded from afar. Secondster, a condensed beam of fire came into view from the top of a tree.


    Rather than dodge it and hope none of my allies would get hit by the st, I waved my swordstaff and channeled a spell through the mana-amplifying gem on its hilt.


    Thick roots from beneath my feet rose from the ground, sacrificing themselves by taking the beam of fire.


    Thankfully the fog makes it hard for fires to spread here, I thought as the burned roots withered away.


    ¡°Head Tessia!¡± a desperate cry rang nearby.


    I whipped my head back. On the ground just a dozen yards away was Hachi.


    The burly man wasying on the ground, his hand desperately reaching out for me just before a stone hammer crushed his head.


    His arm dropped to the ground, crimson spreading from where the earthen hammer had dropped.


    ¡°No!¡± I yelled, seething in anger. However, the source of my rage didn¡¯tst much longer as a glowing axe promptly separated the cryan¡¯s head from his neck.


    Darvus appeared behind the cryan¡¯s corpse, his eyes fierce. ¡°Are you out of your mind? Why the hell did you break formation and go off on your own like that?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡± I retorted. ¡°I was saving our troops!¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± he scoffed, ¡°Well because of that, Hachi died. You were supposed to be in position to back him and his team up!¡±


    I shook my head, my face burning from being med. ¡°Y-You don¡¯t understand, there were¡ª¡±


    ¡°We all had our positions assigned¡ªthat you assigned. Because you ran off, two others are critically injured and their right nk ispletely exposed! In what world is that ¡®saving our troops?¡¯¡± he cut me off.


    Before I could respond, Darvus dashed off, taking out his anger on the unfortunate enemies nearby.


    Snapping out of my daze, I tried going after him when, suddenly, a searing pain spread from my back.


    The protective aura from my beast will kept me from toppling over and the damage felt minimal, but it still felt like cold water had been dumped on me.


    If the attack had been stronger, I could¡¯ve died.


    The promise I made to my teammates, the promise I had made with Arthur, would¡¯ve been broken because I was so caught up in trying to save as many of my troops as I could.


    Snap out of it, Tessia! Darvus is right, we need to stay in formation.


    I made my way back toward my initial position, exerting more mana into the emerald aura protecting me. I mowed my way through the waves of enemy soldiers wielding weapons of steel and conjured elements that attempted to advance forward to my team.


    Turning into a whirlwind of de and magic, I fought through but we were vastly outnumbered. Even after part of their force had broken off toward Elenoir, the difference in numbers were obvious, but I could only hope that General Aya¡¯s army would take care of them.


    Damn it, why am I not getting closer?! I cursed, trying to find Stannard, Caria, and Darvus.


    It was impossible to tell how much time had passed since the battle first began, but one thing was painfully clear: I wasn¡¯t fit to be a leader.


    It didn¡¯t matter that I was a silver core mage with an S-ss beast will. Getting emotional over every ally death I encountered justified that I was ipetent to make rational decisions for the betterment of the whole.


    The guilt that I felt manifested itself into a voice in my head, constantly reminding me that I was the one that led every one of my allies here to their death.


    I continued making my way toward my initial position, when I finally spotted one of them just a few dozen yards away.


    ¡°Stannard!¡± I yelled, hoping the conjurer could hear me over the chaos.


    However, my voice attracted someone else¡¯s attention¡ªa person that looked different from the rest of the enemies around me.


    Cutting me off was a brightly armored human riding on a corrupted wolf-like beast.


    He looks like someone important, I convinced myself as I watched his long blonde hair billow, unobstructed by any form of protection on his head.


    Guards of a different caliber than the rest of the cryan soldiers surrounded me, obstructing my path, but as I prepared to confront them, the man spoke.


    ¡°Leave the girl to me,¡± he asserted.


    I kept my face impassive as the armor-d man jumped off his mount and unhurriedly approached me. Even from this distance, I could see that his ck armor was a finely crafted suit of both te and chainmail. Hanging on either side of his waist were two ornate-looking swords embroidered with fine jewels on the hilt.


    He unsheathed his swords. ¡°As expected of Tessia Eralith. To barely have any wounds. It¡¯s an honor to meet you like this.¡±


    Keeping my swordstaff pointed at the man, I cautiously stepped forward. ¡°How do you know my name?¡±


    He smiled politely. ¡°You can call me Vet.¡±


    The translucent green vines thrashed wildly around me as if portraying my anger. I hated when they talked. It made them seem less like savage enemies that we had to kill.


    My voice lowered into a threatening growl. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question.¡±


    Vet shrugged as he got into a fighting stance. ¡°Perhaps beating me inbat might make me talk. Afterall, you Dicathians seem to love interrogation.¡±


    That¡¯s how you want to y it.


    The hardened soil beneath my feet cracked as I dashed toward the blonde-haired cryan, getting in range before he could properly react.


    Yet, as the mana tendrils I shot forth approached the man named Vet, they slowed drastically,ing to aplete stop before even reaching him.


    The cryan had a smug grin on his face as he used that chance to swing his de. The attack was fast but after training under so many elites, it was easily dodgeable.


    I followed up with my sword this time, only for it to feel as if I was swinging through a thick viscous liquid. By the time my de reached Vet¡¯s unprotected neck, the speed had diminished so greatly that it couldn¡¯t even draw blood.


    The battle continued, but we were at a stalemate. I was clearly stronger, faster, more adept inbat, but because of his unique variant of defensive water magic, I couldn¡¯tnd a solid hit.


    It didn¡¯t help that this ¡®leader¡¯ constantly moved around the battlefield. He weaved through other skirmishes, never staying in one ce long.


    ¡°After all your talk, you¡¯re scurrying around like a mouse?¡± I spat, unable to keep the venom out of my voice.


    Vet let out augh. ¡°Why bother butting heads when I¡¯m clearly at a disadvantage.¡±


    Iunched a crescent of wind in the feeble hope of getting through his defensive aura, but the man didn¡¯t dodge, rather, he grabbed a nearby soldier¡ªmy soldier¡ªand used him as a shield.


    The man¡¯s chest spurted blood despite his silver chestte. His eyes, wide with shock, locked onto me before his head drooped lifelessly.


    ¡°Bastard!¡± I roared, dashing toward him.


    The filth of a man threw the body he had used as a shield at me in order to keep his distance.


    ¡°What good is your position when you¡¯re nothing but an infant wearing a shiny badge?¡± he gloated as he sliced off the leg of another one of my soldiers, purposely leaving him alive and in agony.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Imbuing more mana into my beast will, the emerald vines surged with power, extending up toward the trees and killing two of the long range cryan mages.


    Using the gap in their offense, I propelled myself toward Vet.


    He dodged the vines I threw at him, his smile never wavering as he used one of his own troops to block another one of my attacks.


    Scurrying further away, he shouted, ¡°You should¡¯ve kept the tiara on your head, little princess. Leading with a sword doesn¡¯t suit you.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, shut up, shut up!¡± I screamed. Sumbing to my rage, I activated the second stage of my beast will.


    Suddenly, the world around me turned a hue of green. Sounds of battle became muffled while my body seemed to almost move on its own.


    Finally, the blonde cryan seemed fazed. Concern showed on his face but it was toote. I reached out and a hand of translucent green held Vet in a tight grip while the trees around him formed a cage around him.


    ¡°Call off your troops,¡± I growled, my voiceing out distorted.


    Vet coughed out blood from the air getting squeezed out of his lungs. I could feel his ribs cracking through my magic, but a smile blossomed on his face. ¡°Take a look around you. What troops?¡±


    For the first time in what seemed like our entire battle, I pried my eyes off the scumbag in my grip and looked around. The battle had moved forward¡ªno, I had been led back.


    Afar, I could see my troops getting bulldozed without me, more and more of their corpses scattered around the forest floor. Perhaps it was due to my beast will¡¯s second stage, but I could clearly see how much the numbers on my side had dwindled... because of me. Because I had prioritized ying to this man¡¯s tunes.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy you think so highly of me, but like yourself, I¡¯m merely a distinguished soldier,¡± he gurgled, blood leaking out from the corners of his mouth. ¡°The difference between us is that I know I¡¯m only pretending to be one.¡±


    As my vision swam from rage and other indescribable emotions, a piercing pain shot through my chest.


    I found myself looking up at the forest sky, my body frozen and cold. Vet¡¯s pained but arrogant expression soon came into my view as he looked down on me.


    What had happened? Another enemy mage?


    Vet clicked his tongue in disapproval. ¡°My my, were you so mad at me that you couldn¡¯t even see the mage hiding in the tree straight in your line of sight?¡±


    I closed my eyes, waiting to die, with nobody to me but myself.


    That was when the horn red from the distance. And when I opened my eyes, Vet was gone.


    Recing him stood General Aya, looking at me with an expression so cold that I half wished that I had died.

 Chapter 219

    Chapter 219


    Chapter 219: Army Approaching


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    Compared to the rate of my thoughts and worries speeding by within my mind, the hours in the sky crawled by.


    If I wasn¡¯t looking back towards the fading sight of the beast army out of sheer guilt that I was leaving the troops¡ªand my family¡ªat the Wall behind, I was focusing on the bright path of mana that made a road straight to what I suspected was the heart of Elenoir Kingdom.


    ¡®What sort of spell is capable of such a thing?¡¯ my bond asked as we followed along the path shining even through the thickyer of fog above the forest.


    I¡¯m not entirely sure but seeing as how the trail sort of zig zags around various points leading up North, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a single powerful spell but an umtion of the same spell creating a path.


    It was just my spection¡ªrather, it was my hope. The thought of an enemy mage being able to basically nullify the ambient magic of the forest with a single conjuration scared me.


    Snapping myself out of the pessimistic thoughts, I urged Sylvie to fly just a bit faster. It was already worrying enough thinking about something happening to my family or one of the Twin Horns, but thinking of not being able to make it to Tess in time left me trembling in sweat.


    After about another hour of scouring above the forest, following the crooked path of mana almost palpable even without Realmheart, I finally spotted signs of a battle in the distance.


    Mana fluctuations were apparent even above the thick canopy of trees below us but what worried me was the fact that they were old. This meant that the battle had ended, and it was impossible to tell from this distance which side had won.


    Sensing my shift in emotions, Sylvie dived down closer to the forest, fast approaching the location that I had imprinted into my mind and into her as well.


    As we approached closer and closer to our destination, however, a figure hovering over the nket of trees and fog soon caught our attention.


    What worried me more than his familiar appearance was the fact that he leaked no mana. Compared to the oppressive tidal wave that was Uto, this man was the eye of a terrible storm¡ªjust like his master.


    Sylvie stopped about a dozen yards away. This time, it was her fear and anxiousness that was leaking into me.


    ¡°Cylrit,¡± I greeted the Vritra d in ck armor as he stood in the air, his purple cloak billowing behind him.


    The retainer dipped his head before responding back with a brusque expression. ¡°Lance.¡±


    Despite my impatience, I exchanged a nce with Sylvie, who had transformed into her human form.


    I was at a loss.


    My instincts urged me to fight him; he was an enemy. But at the same time, the scythe above him had saved my life and the reason Sylvie and I were able to advance past our respective bottlenecks.


    Imbuing mana into my voice, I asked hesitantly, ¡°Are we to fight?¡±


    ¡°I have been instructed to keep you from advancing further,¡± he replied simply without a single change in his expression.


    ¡°And if I were to say that I have to advance?¡± I pushed, getting ready to release Realmheart once again.


    Cylrit¡¯s sharp eyes narrowed, but his voice was still calm as he answered. ¡°It is for your benefit, Lance Leywin. My master wishes for you to be in optimal health before the final battle and partaking in the defense for the elven kingdom will make that difficult.¡±


    ¡°Seris said this was for my benefit?¡± I blurted.


    ¡°My master¡¯s name isn¡¯t something you should speak so casually, human.¡± Cylrit¡¯s voice didn¡¯t change, but a sharp bloodlust surged from him at the mention of the scythe¡¯s name.


    Matching the pressure he emanated, I spoke back, unable to keep the venom out of my voice. ¡°Watch your tone, Cylrit. I chose to exchange words with you out of courtesy for your master. ¡±


    ¡°Courtesy?¡± the vritra¡¯s expression darkened, changing for the first time. ¡°Master Seris saved your life. I suggest you heed her words and clean up the mess happening in your fortress.¡±


    My eyes remained locked with his. ¡°We¡¯re going to Elenoir.¡±


    ¡°Knowing how to sacrifice is a part of war,¡± Cylrit said, still trying to persuade me. ¡°Wasting your efforts here won¡¯t help you even if you manage to seed in defending Elenoir.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think I know that?¡± I growled, unable to hold back. The wind stilled and the air grew so thick it was almost tangible.


    Beside me, I could feel the worry from my bond, but at this moment, I didn¡¯t care. Coming all this way was me already sacrificing the soldiers that would get injured or killed in battle from the beasts that I failed to kill. Who was he to preach about something I¡¯d had to experience for two separate lives.


    The vritra¡¯s brows furrowed in frustration. ¡°Go back,nce. If you want a chance of saving Dicathen, you should worry about bigger things.¡±


    I silently approached Cylrit. ¡°Move aside. You¡¯re mistaken if you think you can keep us both here. A lot has changed since our fight against Uto.¡±


    Seris¡¯ retainer clicked his tongue before holding out his arm. A thick ck fog swirled around his outstretched hand, manifesting into a pitch ck greatsword almost twice the owner¡¯s height. ¡°Very well. If you insist on fighting, allow me to prove you wrong.¡±


    CURTIS GLAYDER


    Lanceler Academy, Kalberk City


    ¡°Keep your formations!¡± I barked as I followed closely behind the group of students riding my bond. ¡°Vanguards, keep your shields up! Trust in your mounts to protect your legs. That¡¯s it!¡±


    The twelve students followed the marked path for this particr drill while the archers a few dozen yards away were already in position to fire.


    ¡°Release!¡± I shouted at the archers.


    A volley of blunted arrows struck the line of students riding wed equines owned by Lanceler Academy. As practiced, the students shrugged forward on their mounts, raising their shields and using their left knees to help support them against long-range attacks.


    Some of the students were slow in raising their shields while others weren¡¯t able to augment their bodies in time to withstand the volley of projectiles. Those unfortunate students were knocked off the mana beast they were mounted on and tumbled on the dirt trail.


    Grawder, my bond, let out a disappointed grunt as he trotted towards the students groaning on the ground.


    ¡°Tanner, Gard, Lehr,¡± I called.


    The three students bolted up from the ground and saluted. ¡°Sir!¡±


    Stroking my world lion¡¯s deep red mane, I passed by them. ¡°Each of you owes me twenty sets of shield press without using mana.¡±


    The three new recruits¡¯ faces nched at my words. Letting out a sigh, we trailed behind the remaining students still riding their mounts.


    The practice ran for another two hours as we reviewed a few more formations. Eventually, the wed equines had to recoverst, bringing the session to a brief rest.


    ¡°All right, walk your mounts to theke and take an hour break!¡± I called, hopping off of Grawder.


    Beneath the hundred-year-old tree, I leaned my back against Grawder, enjoying the cool breeze in the shade. One of my favorite things about this school was the fact that it was so close to Mirror Lake.


    I took out some dried beef and fresh bread from my dimension ring and watched as the students separated into their respective circles of friends. Tanner, Gard, and Lehr squatted by the edge of theke, raising their steel shields above their heads.


    Some of the other students had already finished their light meals and began sparring with the blunted weapons used for training.


    ¡°As expected of Lanceler students,¡± a familiar voice sounded from behind me. ¡°Even as trainees, they can never stay still.¡±


    I looked up, not bothering to standget, and shot the retired knight a smirk. ¡°What does that make me, then?¡±


    ¡°Azy fool,¡± he retorted, taking a seat beside me in the grass.


    I ripped off a chunk of my bread and passed him the side of the old man¡¯s favorite broth that I had stored in my ring as well. ¡°A student is only as good as his teacher, Instructor Crowe.¡±


    ¡° Ex- instructor,¡± he scoffed but epted the snack with a smile. ¡°And it seems like growing up as royalty only taught you how to talk well.¡±


    The two of us sat silently, enjoying the glittering view of theke. We¡¯d let out a chuckle or augh here and there while watching the students make fools of themselves either while sparring or ying in the water. The few girls present were always flocked by the males students doing whatever they could to try and impress their female counterparts.


    ¡°Looking at these youths frolic without a care in the world, it¡¯s hard to imagine that we¡¯re in the middle of a war,¡± Crowe said softly.


    ¡°Definitely,¡± I agreed. ¡°Hearing the storiesing from the eastern border of Sapin, I¡¯m frustrated in one sense because I¡¯m not there helping out, but I¡¯m also relieved because I don¡¯t think my students are anywhere near ready to face cryan soldiers.¡±


    ¡°You know, I remember being pretty discontent when I heard the news of youing to Lanceler. I remember thinking of you as another spoiled noble that found a position here due to your connections.¡± My former instructor turned his gaze to me. ¡°I was wrong about you, Curtis. You were hard-working from day one, and you were happy to hear your mistakes because that gave you room to improve.¡±


    Not used to hearingpliments from the strict ex-knight, I felt my cheeks starting to flush. ¡°Well, being an adequate mage and fighter iwas one thing, but I didn¡¯t know anything about teaching.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! So why is it so hard for some of you nobles to admit that you don¡¯t know something, or you¡¯re not good at it? It still baffles me to this day.¡±


    I let out a chuckle. ¡°Think of it as an inferiorityplex. Nobles are taught to either have no weakness or, if we haved one, to never show it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one good thing about when you¡¯re in battle. At that moment when you¡¯re one of the countless soldiers in the front line, there is no strategy,¡± the old knight huffed.


    ¡°Is that your excuse for never trying to go into leadership or strategic positions?¡± I smirked.


    ¡°Why you little¡ª¡± Crowe hooked me with his arm and began grinding his knuckles on my head while Grawder groaned in protest from being woken up.


    ¡°Okay, okay! I surrender!¡±


    The two of us continued bickering as weughed. Despite the rather short time I hade here to teach students, there was an abundance of stories to exchange to one another on a perfect day like this.


    After the short hour of break time had passed, the two of us got up.


    ¡°Back to the training grounds in full armor within fifteen minutes!¡± I yelled.


    The students stiffened at my voice and scurried back up the hill where we had practice.


    ¡°They listen to you well,¡± Crowemented, smiling as he saw some of the students that he had once taught greeting him with a hurried bow before running up.


    ¡°Their graduations depend on it.¡± I shrugged before patting the old knight on the back. ¡°Come on, Instructor Crowe, it¡¯s time for spear lessons and you¡¯re still the best. I¡¯m sure they¡¯d love to learn from you.¡±


    ¡°I may be retired, but I¡¯m still expensive.¡±


    ¡°Think of the bread and broth as payment.¡±


    ¡°Why you little...¡±


    Crowe stopped. He raised his head, peering up at a figure in the sky.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a messenger?¡± I asked, squinting my eyes to try and see what sort of beast the flying mount was.


    The beast, along with its rider, descended,nding on the highest balcony on the metal tower. The tall, pointed structure in the shape of a colossalnce was not only the symbol of our academy but the building where our headmaster resided.


    ¡°That¡¯s a de wing,¡± Crowe muttered, his tone serious. ¡°There are only a few mages bonded to those beasts. If they were hired as messengers, that means it¡¯s serious.¡±


    I hopped on Grawder and gestured to my former instructor. ¡°Let¡¯s see what it¡¯s about.¡±


    After passing by my confused students and riding through the paved school grounds, we approached the tallnce-shaped tower.


    Grawder couldn¡¯t fit in the staircase so we left him with the guards stationed outside before making our way up the tower. Even with mana, the journey up the spiraling stairs was a bit hard on the old knight but we made it fast enough to still hear the mutters of conversation going on on the other side of the headmaster¡¯s door.


    After the two of us traded nces, I turned the golden handle and opened the door.


    Seated behind his desk was the giant frame of our headmaster slumped forward with his head buried in his hands. Beside him was the messenger, his expression a mixture of fear and angst.


    I spoke up. ¡°Headmaster Landon? We saw the messenger and¡ª¡±


    The headmaster raised a hand, not bothering to look up. ¡°Gather your students, Instructor Curtis. Better yet, maybe it¡¯s best you just make your journey to Kalberk now and use their teleportation gate to go back to the Castle.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not following, Sir. What¡¯s going on?¡± I shifted my gaze from the headmaster to the messenger.


    ¡°An envoy arrived at Kalberk from Etistin this morning,¡± the messenger started, his voice trembling. ¡°A watcher flying a few miles off the coast of Etistin spotted roughly three hundred cryan ships approaching.¡±

 Chapter 220

    Chapter 220


    Chapter 220: The Weight Of A Choice


    TESSIA ERALITH


    Whether it was from the relief that ance had arrived or because the bacsh of overusing my beast will had finally set in, I passed out.


    The sun had nearly set, casting a red hue to the thick nket of fog when I woke up. I found myself on top of a small wyvern with several soldiers stationed around me with weapons drawn, but the battle had already ended.


    My body ached and the very act of keeping my eyes open sent sharp waves of pain to my temples. But I couldn¡¯t stop staring at the scene.


    The battle had ended; we had won. However, what I was focused on were the injured soldiers in my unit being carried off while the dead were buried on the spot. Bodies that should be taken to their families for a proper ceremony were left in the very spot they were killed.


    I scrambled off the winged reptile, rming the soldiers on guard. They tried to help me back up, thinking I fell, but I waved them away.


    Anger rose in the pit of my stomach and had I sumbed to the impulse I might¡¯ve actually begunshing out at the soldiers burying our fellow allies.


    But I stopped myself, taking my frustrations out on the dirt below my hands. Even if it wasn¡¯t proper, I knew there was no choice. There was an army of cryans still marching their way to Zestier City, the very heart of my kingdom. There was no time to spare for the dead when every bit of time and effort would be needed in defending against the siege.


    One of the guards gently pulled me up to my feet and gestured toward the wyvern. ¡°Head Tessia. Please remain on the mount in case anything happens.¡±


    Even then, what right do I have to get angry? Aren¡¯t I the one to me for the deaths that happened here? If it wasn¡¯t for my selfishness, how many of those being buried right now would¡¯ve survived?


    I knew it wasn¡¯t healthy to fall into this pit of self-me and ¡®what ifs¡¯ but with Vet¡¯s taunts still echoing in my head, it was hard not to. Regardless, I began climbing back onto the mount when something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention.


    Shaking off the guard, I started running.


    It can¡¯t be.


    I made my way through the medics helping the injured and the emitters making their rounds to the soldiers in more serious conditions. It was hard for me to breathe as my eyes remained glued to the emitter kneeled on the ground and the patient she was helping.


    It was Caria, unconscious. I fell to my knees, but before I could get any closer, a hand blocked my path.


    I looked up to see a stoney-eyed Darvus staring at me with an expression that I¡¯d never seen before. ¡°She was just barely able to fall asleep with a sedative. Don¡¯t wake her up.¡±


    Stannard was also nearby, disheveled and covered in dirt. After seeing me, though, he looked away.


    Neither had any injuries besides a few scratches and scrapes, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for Caria.


    I watched, dumbfounded, as the emitter began closing the wound on her left leg... or rather, what was left of it. The man had his hands sped over the mangled stump, applying pressure, but blood still gushed between his fingers, forming a crimson pool.


    I stared, both awestruck and horrified, at the sight of Caria¡¯s wound rapidly healing. The skin around her open wound began closing in together to form a lumpy knot of flesh.


    I knew before that emitters couldn¡¯t regenerate new limbs, but seeing the wound close over the bottom of her thigh made it seem irreversible.


    That¡¯s when it hit me.


    The bright and energetic Caria, whose talent as an augmenter was only outshined by her love for martial arts, would never be able to walk on her own two feet again.


    ¡°H-How...¡± I muttered, my vision blurring from the tears welling up.


    ¡° How? ¡± I heard Darvus retort. ¡°You leave us to go on your own solo crusade and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop, Darvus. People are watching.¡± Stannard pulled him away and locked eyes with me before dipping his head in a bow. ¡°I apologize for his outburst, Head Tessia.¡±


    The blonde conjurer that was normally shy and kind-hearted, regarded me coldly.


    I shook my head. ¡°Stannard...¡±


    My two teammates ignored me, huddling close by Caria and asking the emitter how the wound was healing.


    Darvus was right. It was my fault. I had a role that I was supposed to fill, but I chose to go off on my own, thinking that I could help more with my strength.


    No. To be honest with myself, I probably thought at one point that being a silver core mage entitled me to greater battles than merely defending a position.


    And because of that, I abandoned my teammates. No amount of convincing myself that she could¡¯ve still incurred the injury even if I was there helped alleviate the terrible pressure weighing down on my chest.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go,¡± a familiar voice said from behind.


    I didn¡¯t look back¡ªmy eyes remained locked on Caria¡¯s peaceful slumber. How would that change when she woke up. Would she me me like Darvus and Stannard? Would she hate me?


    I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. I had to stay strong. This was just the beginning. The battle to defend the capital of Elenoir would be where I could make up for my mistakes.


    ¡°Tessia Eralith.¡±


    The voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Turning around, I saw General Aya d in light armor with several guards close behind her.


    ¡°The rider is ready to depart. You¡¯ll be going back to the Castle immediately, Head Tessia,¡± the elvennce stated as she turned around.


    ¡°The Castle?¡± I replied. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. The cryan army is marching towards Zestier right now. There¡¯s no time to visit¡ª¡±


    General Aya looked back over her shoulder, her sharp gaze cutting off my words. ¡°Perhaps I haven¡¯t made myself clear. You will be withdrawn from battle until further notice.¡±


    I quickly scrambled back up to my feet. ¡°Wait, General! I-I can still fight! Please.¡±


    Thence¡¯s usually inviting and charming demeanor wasced with impatience but she kept her voice polite. ¡°Please be wary of your position as an Eralith. Taking into consideration your current state of mind, I have already told the Council that you are unfit for battle.¡±


    No. No. I needed to fight. I needed to make up for my mistakes. I needed to make it up to Caria and everyone else by doing well in theing battle.


    Aya began to walk away, her dark wavy hair billowing behind her, when Itched onto her arm. ¡°General, I¡¯m one of the few silver-core mages ready to fight. I can¡¯t just hide in the Castle when I know the entire elven kingdom is under¡ª¡±


    ¡°Your job was to remain in formation and hold off for the short period it would take for reinforcements to arrive, yet the death toll of your unit reached over half because of your selfish ambitions.¡± Thence pried my fingers off and regarded me coldly. ¡°The remainder of your unit that is still fit for battle will join under the rest of my division.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll take too long for any more reinforcements to arrive, General! Even General Arthur is upied with the beast horde attacking¡ª¡±


    ¡°What happens from now on is no longer your concern. You¡¯ve done enough, Princess.¡±


    Thence¡¯s words hit me like a brick of reinforced lead, leaving me frozen as General Aya handed the soldier standing beside the wyvern a scroll. ¡°Take her straight to the castle and get this to Commander Virion.¡±


    Making my way towards the mount as its rider tightened the saddle, I allowed myself onest nce back at Darvus and Stannard.


    Neither could look me in the eye. With pleading eyes, I continued to stare, hoping they¡¯d at least meet my gaze. However, up until the very end, neither looked back.


    And the agony and hollowness I felt at that moment hurt more than every injury I had ever incurred as a fellow soldier fighting by their side.


    VIRION ERALITH


    The Castle


    It was chaos. Live updates¡ªa majority from Zestier City¡ªwere being branded onto the transmission scrolls faster than we could sort and read them. Despite the cost of thesemunication artifacts, piles of them were littered all over the meeting room as members of the Council continued to read through them.


    The dire and hectic situation added oil to the mes of tension that had already built up in the room.


    A sudden thud turned everyone¡¯s head towards Alduin, who had thrown a stack of transmission scrolls on the ground. My son grabbed Bairon yder, former king of Sapin, by his cor and mmed him against the wall.


    ¡°You¡¯re reading the reports from Elenoir as well, right?¡± he hissed. ¡°Are you happy? Are you happy?! ¡±


    I gestured away the guards that were about to interfere.


    For the first time, the proud head of the yder family looked... ashamed. ¡°It was impossible to predict something like this could happen.¡±


    ¡°Impossible?¡± Alduin spat, bringing his face closer to the human¡¯s. ¡°An army of cryan mages is currently approaching Zestier, the very heart of Elenoir. Even with the evacuation strategies being implemented, the death tolls are already rising from soldiers trying to stop the city from being sieged and you¡¯re saying it was impossible?¡±


    ¡°I understand your anger but please, this isn¡¯t the time or ce to do this,¡± Merial soothed as she pulled back her husband¡¯s arm.


    Jerking his arm free from his wife¡¯s hold, he swung a wild fist that was still clutching onto the transmission scroll sent by General Aya,nding squarely on Bairon¡¯s jaw. ¡°My daughter nearly died because of your greed!¡±


    Prisci yder stood off to the side, watching the whole scene with gritted teeth and clenched fists, unable to aid her husband out of guilt. Buhnd sat idly, the usual look of amusement reced by a grim frown.


    Alduin fell to his knees. He mmed his fist into the marble ground until his entire hand was covered in blood. ¡°How many times did I ask for our own troops to be ced back in Elenoir? How many times did I plead because I was afraid this exact scenario would ur!? How are you going to take responsibility if this leads to the entire fall of the elven kingdom!¡±


    Not a sound could be heard aside from the howl of rage and despair that my son let out. His wife gently wrapped her arms around him,forting my son in a way that I couldn¡¯t.


    I had no right. After all, the weight of his words didn¡¯t just fall on the yders, but to myself as well. I was the one that had ultimately agreed with Bairon on keeping the elven troops in Sapin. I was the one responsible for what was happening to Elenoir.


    I was overconfident with the magical defenses of the Elshire Forest. Just like the yders. I was wrong. Such a simple acknowledgment was stuck deep in the back of my throat; I didn¡¯t have the strength to say it aloud.


    As themander, I led the entire military forces of Dicathen. While I didn¡¯t want this position, I had been confident in the decisions I made and the orders I gave. I felt like acknowledging this mistake now would be forever casting doubt in my mind no matter whatmands I gave.


    I stared at the transmission scroll sent from Etistin.


    Now isn¡¯t the time to doubt my decisions.


    I quickly flipped the scroll and tucked it into another pile nearby before speaking.


    ¡°Enough! Now is not the time to be pointing fingers. Get out and cool off, all of you, ¡± I stressed.


    The members of the Council looked at one another, still emotional but more hesitant. ¡°Councilmember Alduin and Merial, Tessia should be arriving at the Castle soon. Take some time and be there for her.¡±


    Shifting my gaze towards the yders, I gave them each a nod. ¡°Take a break, and just know that what happened is no one person¡¯s fault.¡±


    I waited for the guards to escort the members of the Council out. Alduin and Merial were the first ones gone and from the way my son¡¯s sharp eyes shed with indignation and anger, I knew he med me as well. Perhaps the only reason he didn¡¯t voice it was because he knew how much I also cared for Elenoir.


    Bairon, before he was taken out of the room, looked back. ¡°I know you swore your oath to be impartial in leading Dicathen in this war, but I won¡¯t me you if what you decide to do next is for your home kingdom.¡±


    He didn¡¯t wait for me to reply as he walked out with his wife in hand.


    It was an answer I had never expected from the former human king, and it made my very decision to escort the Council out of this room seem like I was avoiding the confrontation I would eventually have to face for my choices.


    Buhnd was thest to leave; he shot me a look that I couldn¡¯t interpret, but I didn¡¯t have time to ponder. I was now alone.


    The room that had been so lively just a few moments ago seemed so unsettling. The messages written in the transmission scrolls seemed to create a cumtive pressure that was almost suffocating.


    Letting out a sigh, I retrieved the transmission scroll from Etistin and read it again. The content of this scroll, and the many more soon toe, would stun the rest of the Council as much as it was paralyzing for me right now.


    I couldn¡¯t let that happen. At least one of us needed to be in their right mind, which was why I hid it from them¡ªeven if it was for just a few hours. I needed that time to decide on how to proceed.


    There were now over three hundred ships filled with cryan soldiers approaching our western shores and there would undoubtedly be scythes and retainers amongst them. Taking into ount the intensity and timing ced into their attacks, I couldn¡¯t help but fear that this war was reaching its turning point.


    Fortunately, Bairon and Varay were already close by, but just having those two wouldn¡¯t be enough¡ªEven having all five of ournces might not be enough. Getting Lance Mica to the western coast wouldn¡¯t be too difficult and Arthur should¡¯ve been nearly finished with his role at the Wall.


    That only left the elvennce.


    Would I withdraw General Aya from Elenoir and deny them reinforcements? Would I essentially abandon Elenoir by taking thence away or risk allowing another evenrger army to step foot on ournd?

 Chapter 221

    Chapter 221


    Chapter 221: Backtrack


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    Near the southern end of the Elshire Forest


    The three of us stood aloft the canopy of trees. I gripped Dawn¡¯s Bad in my hand while a thousand thoughts and worries ran through my mind.


    Despite Sylvie¡¯s recent growth, she wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the retainer by herself. And even if I were to hold Cylrit off myself, Sylvie wouldn¡¯t be able to find Tess within the magical fog spread over Elshire Forest.


    The best option was to end this battle as fast as possible in order to make it to Tess. However, expending too much energy and mana in a fight where the opponent was just stalling could be detrimental for the real battles soon toe.


    Sylvie. I¡¯m pretty confident I can beat Cylrit on my own, but not if his aim is to just stall for time. Let¡¯s wrap this up quickly together.


    While the speed of my flight was by no means slow, fighting was another story. It was difficult to utilize my fighting style, which consisted of sharp movements and bursts of speed, in the air.


    ¡®I agree,¡¯ she confirmed as mana already began gathering around her at an extraordinary rate.


    Opening my mind entirely to my bond, Sylvie formed a solid panel of condensed mana beneath my feet at my request.


    Cylrit¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change at my sudden approach. He merely lifted his greatsword into a defensive position.


    I focused on a space about three paces in front of Cylrit, sending a quick thought to my bond. The timing was just a tad behind but another translucent panel formed beneath my right foot as I stepped on the space in the sky I had shown to Sylvie. This allowed for another quick change in direction as I pushed off Sylvie¡¯s conjuration.


    The retainer¡¯s eyes calmly followed my movements but his greatsword remained frozen in ce. Still, I didn¡¯t let down my guard.


    Dawn¡¯s Bad whistled as its sharp edge cut through the air toward Cylrit¡¯s chest, but something felt off.


    The closer my de got to the retainer, the more I felt a weight ¡®pulling¡¯ on it. Dawn¡¯s Bad almost seemed to be sucked in by Cylrit¡¯s behemoth of a sword as the teal de arced off course and straight into its pitch-ck de.


    The sensation disappeared as soon as our des shed, but as soon as I swung again, Dawn¡¯s Bad was once again attracted to his mysterious sword.


    With only the thought of ending this quickly, I activated the first phase of my beast will.


    Static Void.


    The colors around me inverted, freezing everything but myself in ce. I quickly brought the broken tip of Dawn¡¯s Bad against the motionless retainer¡¯s stomach before releasing Static Void.


    However, even at point-nk range, my sword veered away from Cylrit¡¯s torso, barely drawing blood while leaving me drained.


    Damn it! I cursed.


    Sylvie reacted quickly to my failed attempt by conjuring another tform beneath my feet for me to quickly gain distance from Cylrit.


    I let out a heavy breath. Static Void was a spell passed down to me from Sylvia that wasn¡¯tpatible with my mastery of aether. Even as a white core mage, just using a few seconds of the aether arts made me feel like I had been fighting for several hours.


    ¡°I was taught of the various mana arts that asura ns had forged, especially the ¡®aether arts¡¯ of the Indrath n. Experiencing it in person, though, I could see why it¡¯s to be feared,¡± Cylrit said, looking down at his wound.


    Having no intentions of exchanging frivolities with him, I mentally nudged my bond.


    Sylvie, fire a few shots behind him.


    ¡®Got it.¡¯


    Just as arrows of mana manifested in the air behind the retainer, Iunched a st of frost and an arc of lightning. The ice st spread into a cone while the lightning spell branched off topletely cover our opponent but to no avail.


    With a single sweep of his sword, our spells were sucked up andpletely eaten away by the ck de.


    My bond conveyed her annoyance with a quick nce in my direction. ¡®What a troublesome ability.¡¯


    Impatience welled up inside me as I watched Cylrit maintain his stance, not bothering to attack. Rather, he pulled out a small scroll and began reading it.


    The retainer looked up, shifting his gaze from Sylvie to me before saying, ¡°one of my scouts has confirmed that elven princess has been withdrawn from battle.¡±


    ¡°Do you honestly expect me to believe you and walk away?¡± I spat.


    Withdrawing Dawn¡¯s Bad, I conjured two frozen des like Varay had done¡ªcondensingyer uponyer of ice to reinforce its durability¡ªbefore rushing towards the retainer.


    Cylrit¡¯s cold eyes narrowed in scrutiny, well aware of Sylvie preparing a spell from a distance as I quickly approached.


    My two des of ice shed with his sword, generating a st of pressure. Even with mana coating my weapons, cracks were already visible.


    Mending the scarred surface of the weapons, I swung again, quickly turning into a flurry of des. It was an odd feeling as my swords were unwillingly forced into a direction different from where I willed it.


    It got to the point where I would purposely abandon the ice swords and quickly conjure a new one, hoping that there would be a bit of ag in between the gravitational pull from his sword.


    ¡°If your master is really on our side, this is a meaningless battle, Cylrit,¡± I growled, releasing the eighteenth conjured sword from my hand and shooting a st of fire at his legs.


    That¡¯s when I saw¡ªor rather, sensed it. Something within his weapon changed . Not visibly, but it happened just after the sword I had let loose was pulled into his sword and I had shot the fire.


    Immediately, I activated Realmheart, surprising both Sylvie and Cylrit. I tested it out once more, throwing my other ice sword at Cylrit while simultaneously shooting an arc of lightning.


    The mana fluctuation within his greatsword¡ªnow visible to me with Realmheart¡ªchanged in the middle of his swing as he blocked both the solidposition of my ice sword and the mana-fueled spell of the lightning.


    His sword can only attract one or the other at once!


    By his annoyed gaze, I knew Cylrit noticed my revtion, but it didn¡¯t matter. I knew his weakness.


    Sylvie, capitalizing on our discovery, quickly casted the spell she had been preparing. Like a brilliant firework disy, hundreds of sparks spread with zing trails. Rather than fade, though, the sparks of light remained suspended in the air all around us.


    A wave of fatigue leaked onto me from my bond, but she remained determined to finish this quickly.


    ¡®I need to concentrate fully on maintaining this mana art. Don¡¯t let Cylrit near me.¡¯


    With a mental nod, I burst forward, using a condensed st of wind to aid my eleration. I was doubtful whether we could pull off the sort of coordination we would need to follow through with Sylvie¡¯s n, but I followed through with her intention.


    Cylrit was obviously wary of the gleaming sparks of light surrounding him but his attention remained focused on me as I was the more immediate threat.


    I conjured a single de of ice as I approached the retainer. The spark of light beneath my right foot turned into a panel for me to push off of, allowing me to sharply change my direction. Another spark turned into a tform, and another, until I was dancing around Cylrit fast enough for him to lose track of me briefly.


    ¡®Now! ¡¯ Sylvie expressed.


    I pushed off one of the many tforms of mana my bond had conjured directly behind the retainer.


    Even without his powerful vacuum ability, however, Cylrit¡¯s reflexes were on par or even above mine. He whirled around, bringing hisrge sword around at a speed that made me believe his weapon was a hollow toy.


    I saw the manaposition changing within his weapon before feeling my de of ice being sucked in towards the ck sword.


    As I resisted the force pulling at my conjured weapon, Sylvie triggered one of the sparks of mana hovering nearby.


    A blinding beam of pure mana shot out towards Cylrit just as my de shed with his. The retainer, unable to alter his weapon¡¯s ability in time, was forced to dodge out of the way.


    Sylvie¡¯s attack still managed to nce off his ck armor, leaving its mark alongside the small wound I had inflicted on his torso.


    We didn¡¯t stop there. I abandoned the ice sword for the countless time and concentrated mana into my fist before swinging hard at my opponent¡¯s face while sending a st of lightning with my other hand.


    Cylrit opted to absorb the st of lightning while using his own arm to block my fist. While he was pushed back from the force, I conjured a new¡ªevenrger¡ªde than thest one and striked.


    Unable to change his ability fast enough, he took the full force of Ice Sword Mach Twenty-something. The mana around his body negated the brunt of the attack, but by the blood leaking from the corner of Cylrit¡¯s lips, I knew we hadnded our first sessful attack.


    We continued to stay on the offensive, mixing spells with conjured swordy or attacking with my own hands and feet.


    It¡¯s working, I sent to Sylvie.


    My bond triggered another spark to release a st of mana while I purposefully shattered mytest ice sword. Being a white core mage, molding the dozens of ice fragments into spikes was instantaneous while they hailed down on the retainer.


    However, before either of our attacks could reach Cylrit, the retainer spun towards me. I barely managed to dodge the kick aimed at my face but his foot still scuffed me on the shoulder.


    Tumbling back in the air, I tried to regain my bnce when a spotted a ck object advanced directly at me. It was Cylrit¡¯s sword, along with the barrage of icicles that were being pulled towards it.


    I grabbed on to one of Sylvie¡¯s suspended sparks to stop myself from tumbling. Four other sparks in between me and Cylrit¡¯s thrown sword lit up and connected to form arge barrier.


    The pitch-ck sword pierced through Sylvie¡¯s mana barrier but managed to stop the ice shards.


    I dodged Cylrit¡¯s weapon easily enough but the retainer followed up with another kick.


    Barely managing to duck out of the way, I imbued my fist with lightning, but as I tried to strike at him, a force pulled the spell surrounding my fist back behind me.


    This gave Cylrit enough time tond a solid punch to my jaw. The mana protecting me soaked up some of the force from the impact but my vision still swam.


    I dodged the next hit and tried to gain some distance from him but he stuck closely to me. The sparks around us glowed threateningly, a sign that Sylvie was waiting for a chance to fire once more.


    Now was the time¡ªwhile Cylrit¡¯s sword was set to attract physical spells.


    ¡°Do it!¡± I roared.


    A note of panic and confusion bloomed from my bond¡¯s mind, but I expressed my confidence and determination.


    My bond abided and fired everything she had.


    The sky lit up as every single spark fired a bright beam of mana directly at us.


    My body begged me to move out of the way. It wasn¡¯t toote. But instead, I grabbed ahold of Cylrit.


    ¡®Arthur!¡¯ Just from hearing Sylvie¡¯s voice in my head, I could feel how horrified she was.


    The retainer struggled to break free from my grasp, his attention focused not on the spell but on his sword behind me. It was obvious that he was trying to get his weapon back, but I didn¡¯t make it that easy. Unable to even risk releasing a single limb from Cylrit, I smashed my forehead into his nose and repeated until the heat from Sylvie¡¯s mana beams could be felt on my skin.


    Static Void.


    The world grew still again just as the cluster of beams were inches away from us.


    I tried prying myself away from Cylrit, but the retainer had been grabbing onto the fur-lined mantle that Virion had passed down to me.


    I slipped out of the piece of outerwear and dropped down out of harm¡¯s way before releasing Static Void.


    The world¡¯s color shifted back to normal and I watched from a distance as Cylrit¡¯s figure disappeared within the beams of mana.


    Damn. So much for not wasting my energy, I cursed myself.


    Cylrit¡¯s abilities made it a bad match-up and there was still much to be desired from the coordination between Sylvie and me, but we managed to win without any serious injuries¡ªarge improvement considering we got our asses handed to us by Utost time.


    I saw Cylrit¡¯s figure plunging down into the canopy of trees and fog below but with Realmheart, I knew he was still alive.


    I looked at my bond, both of us prepared to finish our journey, when I felt a mild shock pulse from within my pant pocket.


    It was the transmission scroll linked with my sister. I quickly unrolled it and read the short message now inscribed on the vellum.


    My hands trembled as I read and reread the content of the scroll. I fumbled with the scroll as I tried to shove it back into my pocket. But even after that, I remained still. I didn¡¯t know what to do. I couldn¡¯t decide.


    A beat of silence passed before Sylvie¡¯s voice echoed in my head. ¡®Arthur. Let¡¯s go.¡¯


    I could tell by the angst from Sylvie that she had read my thoughts that I hadn¡¯t bothered to hide. She quickly shifted into her draconic form, swooped underneath me and scooped me up.


    ¡®We¡¯ll assume that the retainer was telling the truth for now. Right now, your sister needs us back at the Wall.¡¯

 Chapter 222

    Chapter 222


    Chapter 222: Future¡¯s First Step


    GREY


    A lot changed after Cecilia¡¯s ident at school. Things weren¡¯t as drastic as Nico had feared after our friend¡¯s secret was exposed¡ªat a nce, at least. Despite the crude oligarchy we were in, we still had basic rights.


    The enforcers couldn¡¯t just take Cecilia and keep her for whatever purposes they had in store, but they were able to basically force Cecilia to attend sessions at a nearby government facility for ¡°tests¡± under the guise of helping her ¡°control her abilities.¡±


    Another problem was that Cecilia was an orphan like Nico and I were. With no legal guardian avable after Headmaster Wilbeck passed away, more than once did a supposed wealthy or powerful individual extend their desire to adopt her.


    I¡¯d like to say that I was there to help my friend as she endured the stresses and hardships that came from being under the spotlight, but that would be a lie.


    With Nico by her side, being the shoulder to lean on for Cecilia, it was quickly apparent that they had be more than just friends. While I thought my initial reaction to this would be difort at the fact that my two childhood friends were on the path to bing lovers, I was actually happy for them. It was hard for me to show that, though, since I was hardly ever there with them.


    Training with Lady Vera became even more intensive as I met and even exceeded her own expectations. She had the authority to allow me to skip most of my sses since her own training regimen was several times more intensive than the academy so my social life and youth waspromised. If I wasn¡¯t training or sparring, I was learning etiquette and basic knowledge required for the exam to even qualify to be a king. As it turned out, you couldn¡¯t only be a good fighter¡ªyou needed the intellect and charisma to appeal to your country¡¯s citizens.


    It was while under the full tutge of Lady Vera and the team of tutors dedicated to making sure I had a fighting chance to be a king that I learned the role was more akin to a glorified mascot than it was a leader.


    Still, I needed the power and voice that came with the position. I still hadn¡¯t forgotten about the assassins that were responsible for Headmaster Wilbeck¡¯s cruel death.


    I also used that reason to justify my absence with Nico and Cecilia. Days and sometimes even weeks would go by without even being able to see their faces, and while I felt bad, I fooled myself into believing that bing a king would solve everything. Whether the government was running shady tests on Cecilia to get a better grasp of her abnormal ki levels or the politicians trying to use her as a tool to further their gains, bing a king would get rid of all of those problems.


    I wasn¡¯t sensible or emphatic like Nico was, nor did I have strong enough feelings for Cecilia to dedicate my time being there for her like my best friend. If anything, there was still a small part of me that med Cecilia for Headmaster Wilbeck¡¯s death. The woman that was basically my mother was killed protecting her.


    It wasn¡¯t fair for me to me her¡ªI knew that. I swallowed those unjustified resentments long ago because Cecilia had taken her death hard as well, but it still left a small chasm in our rtionship.


    Perhaps that¡¯s why I could never reciprocate the feelings Cecilia once had for me. Whatever the reason was, it didn¡¯t matter. I barely had time to sleep since my current schedule was nned down to the minute of every day by Lady Vera.


    She wasn¡¯tpletely heartless, though. She would still give me time to hang out with Nico and Cecilia every once in a while, and although many of the times Cecilia couldn¡¯te because of her own ¡°training,¡± talking and joking around with Nico was one of the few joys in my life.


    We were almost eighteen, and would soon legally be adults, when Nico brought up his n with Cecilia while on one of our now-monthly hangouts.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to run away?¡± I asked incredulously.


    ¡°No... well, I guess, in a way.¡± Nico let out a sigh. ¡°You make my well-thought-out n sound like some sort of prepubescent rebellion.¡±


    ¡°Because it sort of is,¡± I scoffed. ¡°Do you think the government will even let you run away with Cecilia? As far as they¡¯re concerned, she¡¯s basically a national asset.¡±


    ¡°Trust me, I know. But after Cecilia and I no longer need a guardian, we can drop out of school and go to a different country. The new prototype of the ki limiter I made is already several times more stable than the previous one and that ounts for the growth in her ki levels.¡±


    ¡°How much has her ki level grown?¡± A part of me didn¡¯t want to know the answer.


    Nico leaned back against the seat. ¡°ording to hertest report, more than double.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± I yelled, instantly drawing the attention of the other students in the cafeteria.


    ¡°Yup. Apparently, it¡¯s not just her inherent ki level that¡¯s monstrous but its growth as well. At this point, I just hope the team of researchers watching over her know what they¡¯re doing¡ªI¡¯d expect any form of explosive growth can¡¯t be perfectly stable.¡±


    ¡°Still, that¡¯s ridiculous,¡± I said, lowering my voice. I couldn¡¯t help but imagine myself having a ki level so high. A majority of my training with Lady Vera consisted ofpensating for my levels of ki despite the endless resources she had spent on medicine and supplements.


    With mybat abilities and Cecilia¡¯s ki level, bing a king would have actually been just a matter of time. I could see why the government wanted to control her so much.


    ¡°Training still rough?¡± Nico asked his routine question once again.


    I nodded, barely able to raise a grilled piece of chicken breast to my mouth. ¡°It¡¯s getting a bit more bearable now, but yeah.¡±


    Nico usually didn¡¯t pry for details, but I guess he couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. He set down the fork and looked at me with his sharp eyes. ¡°Why are you doing this to yourself?¡±


    I continued to carefully chew my food, answering only with a raised brow.


    ¡°I barely see you nowadays. Hell, Cecilia isn¡¯t as busy even with the government training sessions and politicians hounding her. When I do see you, you¡¯re either bloody to the point that it&amp;#8217;s seeping through your uniform or you¡¯re so sore you can hardly stand. Is being the king that important that it¡¯s worth throwing away your body and youth?¡±


    ¡°You know it¡¯s not as simple as that,¡± I said with a threatening tone.


    Nico rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah, I know. It¡¯s apparently the dying wish of Headmaster Wilbeck for you to avenge her by wasting away your life.¡±


    I mmed my utensils down on the table. ¡°Are you done?¡±


    There was a beat of silence between the two of us as we locked eyes. Nico relented, letting out a breath. ¡°Look, I didn¡¯t mean toe off like such a jerk. I just wanted to say that Headmaster Wilbeck wouldn¡¯t have wanted this for you. She would¡¯ve wanted you and Cecilia to live as normal students and be happy with normal lives and families.¡±


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t let it go that easily. Not after her whole murder was covered up as an ident. Those assassins are part of a bigger organization, I just know it.¡±


    ¡°So you be a king and then snuff out the organization that killed Headmaster Wilbeck. Then what?¡± Nico pressed.


    ¡°Then I retire. Find a quiet ce and ¡®be happy with a normal life and family,¡¯¡± I replied with a smirk.


    My friend shook his head helplessly. ¡°Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s that easy.¡±


    I chuckled, wincing at the pain it brought to my sore chest. ¡°What about you and Cecilia? Do you have a particr country in mind or are you just content with going wherever the wind blows like gypsies?¡±


    ¡°Engineers never ¡®go wherever the wind blows,¡¯¡± he scoffed. ¡°I have pretty much the whole n set. And it¡¯s all legal... just, low-key.¡±


    ¡°Well have you told this mastern to Cecilia?¡±


    ¡°Not entirely, but¡ªoh, speak of the devil. Cecil! We¡¯re over here!¡± Nico suddenly called out, practically bolting up from his seat. It irritated me how his voice went up a pitch every time he talked to Cecilia. It wasn¡¯t over-the-top but still a bit cringy.


    Nevertheless, I turned my head and waved to our friend with a smile. My greeting was casual andid back, but my eyes scanned Cecilia with scrutiny. She had gotten taller, and her posture much more straight and confident despite the exhaustion shown on her face. It was easy to say that, objectively, she had gotten much prettier. Whether this was because her strict training was shaping her body into a more feminine figure or because of her inherent genesing to fruition with age, she attracted the gazes of most of the male students around her.


    She was dressed in a simr uniform to mine, indicating to the students and faculty that we had mentors and were exempt from showing up to ss or school. It was a more extravagant version of the ones normal students wore, embellished with gold trims and buttons to match. I thought it always looked odd on me, but on Cecilia, it made her look like a noble straight out of a fairytale.


    Cecilia smiled back at us before taking a seat across from me next to Nico.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Grey,¡± she said, smoothing out her zer. She looked at me with weary eyes. ¡°How is training going for you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been going well,¡± I replied awkwardly. ¡°How are you?¡±


    Cecilia had always been a quiet girl, but seeing her less and less made our interactions even more strained than usual.


    Still, she was a gentle and selfless girl¡ªselfless enough to say she was doing good when, despite her improved physique, her psyche seemed to be at the cusp of shattering.


    ¡°Here, Cecil. I saved some of your favorite foods before they were all gone.¡± Nico pushed the tray of untouched food toward her and I watched as she forced a smile and practically shoved the creamed seafood medley down her throat.


    For someone so smart, Nico was pretty clueless.


    I watched for a while as the two of them conversed; Nico did most of the talking. Cecilia mostly listened but responded genuinely to all of Nico¡¯s questions while she finished off the tter of food.


    Despite the change in dynamics between the three of us, things seemed normal for a while. We were three students sitting and chatting over a meal in the dining hall of our school. While my drive to be a king grew more and more while training, I still missed spending time like this.


    It was only when Nico mentioned his ns about fleeing the country that things started going south. Cecilia¡¯s expression hardened, to a point where she almost looked... afraid.


    ¡°N-Nico. I don¡¯t think we should be talking about that here,¡± Cecilia said, looking around.


    Nico cocked a brow. ¡°Come on, Cecil. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re actually running away. We¡¯re legally allowed to go to other countries, you know.¡±


    ¡°Still...¡± Cecilia¡¯s voice trailed off as she continued to survey our surroundings.


    I looked down at the watch strapped to my wrist and got up from my seat. ¡°My time¡¯s up. I better get back to Lady Vera¡¯s estate before she doubles my regimen for the rest of the day.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll walk you to the car.¡± Nico got up and Cecilia followed.


    The three of us walked out of the dining hall and into the foyer still packed with students on their lunch break. Eyes were drawn towards Cecilia and me because of our uniforms but the three of us ignored the envious gazes around us and walked outside to the murky afternoon that seemed to reflect how I was feeling.


    Nico was probably the only one out of the three of us that remained normal and somewhat ignorant. I never told him about getting captured and tortured, and I was sure Cecilia was withholding quite a bit of her experiences in the government training facility that didn¡¯t allow any outsiders.


    Still, the two of us probably needed someone like Nico in our group. Despite being an orphan like the rest of us and losing Headmaster Wilbeck, Nico was still Nico. Despite his sharp features and his cleverness that often led us both into trouble, he was bright and optimistic.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you both again soon... hopefully,¡± I said as I got into the ck car waiting for me just outside the academy gates. I wasn¡¯t lying¡ªand I really did want to see them soon, but I just wasn¡¯t confident.


    After getting back to the estate, my training resumed. Lady Vera was waiting for me with her team of specialists hell-bent on making sure I was both physically and mentally sore.


    All in all, it was a rather normal day. The little time I was able to spend with Nico and Cecilia was what I needed to get me through another few grueling weeks. It wasn¡¯t until I sank into bed that I got a call from a number I didn¡¯t recognize.


    I answered the call. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is Etharia National Hospital. Am I speaking to Grey?¡± a pleasant female voice asked.


    ¡°Yes, this is Grey.¡±


    ¡°Hi, the reason for this call was because you were listed as Nico Sever¡¯s emergency contact. He was taken into urgent care a few minutes ago and is being prepped for surgery. We¡¯ll need you toe and¡ª¡±


    I hung up the phone and ran down the stairs as fast as my aching body would allow. Luckily, I just barely avoided running into one of the many butlers in the estate, and he arranged a ride to the hospital for me.


    Everything was a blur until I reached the room where Nico was being held. I could barely recall filling out the proper forms and waiting for his surgery to finish. What I could out, though, was the pair of ki-disrupting handcuffs chaining his wrist to the hospital bed.


    ¡°G-Grey?¡± Nico¡¯s groggy voice snapped me out of my daze.


    I kneeled beside his bed, careful not to even touch the nket on top of him in case I aggravated his broken ribs.


    ¡°Nico! Yeah, it¡¯s Grey. I¡¯m here,¡± I said, bringing my voice down to a whisper. ¡°What happened, buddy?¡±


    Nico¡¯s zed and half-closed eyes snapped open at my question. ¡°Cecil! They took her! I just dropped her off and was on my way back when I remembered I forgot to give her the new prototype.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± I blurted, identally shaking the bed.


    My friend winced and took a moment to catch his breath before speaking again. ¡°I saw them shove her into a car. She was unconscious.¡±


    ¡°Who took her, Nico?¡±


    Nico, who tried to adjust himself, finally realized he was handcuffed to the bed. He bit into his lip as he cursed under his breath. Covering his eyes with his forearm, he let out a quivered breath. ¡°It was a team of enforcers. It was our own government that took her.¡±

 Chapter 223

    Chapter 223


    Chapter 223: In Her Element


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    ¡®Arthur. Take a look.¡¯


    Sylvie¡¯s voice resounded in my head, pulling me away from the memories of my previous life that only seemed to get more vivid.


    The sun had set, enveloping the undevelopednds of the Beast des in a nket of darkness. However, even from the tens of miles we were away from the Wall, we could clearly see the battle that was currently ensuing.


    But it wasn¡¯t the fierce battle that had the two of us perturbed¡ªit was the location of where the battle was being fought.


    They didn¡¯t copse the underground tunnel or even let the beast horde get close to the Wall. I gnashed my teeth in frustration.


    Sylvie beat her powerful wings once more as we slowly descended towards the Wall.


    Despite how thickly the moon was covered behind the clouds, it was easy to tell where the battle was going on. With magic involved, there were always spells lighting up the vicinity. It may have been a fierce and blood-filled battle from the ground, but from up in the sky, it was a beautiful¡ªif not a little chaotic¡ªshow of colors.


    I did my best to swallow and contain the rage building up inside me. After all, the n I had set in motion was a suggestion that had been epted by the captains.


    But my decision to leave the beast horde and help Tessia was based on the fact that my suggestion would be implemented. It should¡¯ve been implemented. Even before I left, the n was already being implemented.


    Ellie¡¯s note was vague but it felt rushed, and urgent¡ªdesperate, almost. I took deep breaths, doing my best to submerge the rage that was beginning to evolve into a threat. The words ¡®if anything happens to my family¡¯ was on the tip of my tongue, itching to be said aloud to whoever was responsible for this deviation.


    ¡®Arthur, we¡¯re almost there,¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s voice sounded, snapping me out of my thoughts.


    I gave her a mental confirmation as I activated Realmheart once more. Using it shortly after my fight with Cylrit sent sharp waves through my veins but I ignored it. The dark evening¡¯s muted colors were washed away, reced by motes of colors. Some of these wisps and specks were floating freely while others were being absorbed and clustered in preparation for a spell to manifest.


    Homing in on the Wall, I scanned the top line where rows of archers and conjurers were stationed in search for Ellie¡¯s distinct form of magic. This was the fastest way to find her in all of the chaos that came withrge-scale battles.


    I could only hope that my sister hadn¡¯t run off somewhere.


    We hovered high above the Wall enough for us not to be potentially shot at by rmed soldiers, but it didn¡¯t take long for me to find my sister. Not many mages were able to shoot such well-structured arrows of pure mana like she could, making the mana fluctuations around her fairly distinguishable.


    There , I indicated to my bond, directing her to a battlement situated near the left edge by the conjoining mountain. I released Realmheart as we approached where Ellie was stationed.


    Bolts of fire and ice drew arcs in the air as they rained down on the battlefield a few hundred feet further away from where the ground was supposed to copse from under the beast horde. Alongside the the various spells and mana enhanced arrows were streaks of pale light shot out by my sister.


    Sylvie quickly shifted into her human form as we neared our destination as I continued to take deep breaths in a losing fight against the anger building up in me.


    It helped that my sister was still able enough to be consistently firing spells from her bow, but that couldn¡¯t be the same for the rest of my family and the Twin Horns, who were hopefully somewhere behind the protection of this enormous fortress.


    The two of usnded softly but still managed to rm the soldiers around us, including my sister.


    The soldiers, however, were all capable mages¡ªmages that were able to clearly sense when they were outssed. None bothered to raise their weapons, only barely able to slink away from the two intruders that fell from the sky.


    It was only when I stepped closer to a nearby illuminating artifact that Ellie ran into my arms.


    ¡°You scared the hell out of us!¡± my sister said in a strange mixture of annoyance and relief. ¡°The n that was supposed to happen with the ground and the explosives¡ªit didn¡¯t happen! At first I thought that they were dying the n in order to draw more beasts toward the area where we set up the trap, but the soldiers that were sent out aren¡¯ting back.¡±


    I pried my sister away, partly to talk to her face to face, partly to not let her hear my heart beating against my chest. ¡°Ellie. Where are the others? Do you know who¡¯s out there?¡±


    Before my sister could answer, though, an officer in charge of this section came running toward me. With a salute, he hastily showed his respects. ¡°G-Good evening, General Arthur. My apologies that we weren¡¯t able to give you a proper weing. I am Officer Mandir, if there¡¯s anything I can¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Officer Mandir.¡± While I didn¡¯t mean to be rude, cutting him off along with the impatient expression made him flinch and shuffle away.


    I turned my attention back to my sister. Sylvie had a consoling hand on my sister¡¯s shoulder, calming her down enough to give us some solid answers.


    ¡°We¡¯re required to stay in our positions but Helen, who was watching over me, was able to leave. She never came back, but before the beast horde arrived, I saw Mom in the medic camp set up on the ground level. Durden and Dad...I haven¡¯t seen either of them,¡± my sister sputtered.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ellie. Don¡¯t worry, your brother will handle the rest,¡± Iforted, forcing a reassuring smile.


    ¡°W-What should I do? How can I help?¡± Ellie replied.


    I shook my head. ¡°Stay here. You¡¯re a soldier now and this is your post. You wanted experience in a real battle, right?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± My sister¡¯s gaze hardened. After giving Sylvie a quick hug, she bolted off back to her station.


    ¡°Is it safe for her to stay here?¡± my bond asked, unable to pry her gaze from my sister.


    ¡°If they¡¯ve decided to forgo my n, it means that they¡¯re trying to keep the Wall as intact as possible. That means it¡¯ll be safer for the soldiers on this side of the battle.¡±


    I leaped off the edge, ignoring the surprised shouts of soldiers and workers around us. The two of usnded deftly on the ground level behind the fortress and made our way towards the medical tents.


    ***


    I pushed aside a tent p for the fourth time before I was finally able to spot my mother inside one. She had her hands hovered over a patient, brows knitted in determination. She barked out orders to some of the other medics nearby to have the patient moved and properly taken care of before another gurney rolled in front of her with another injured soldier.


    Her expression, her presence, her demeanor made me freeze in my tracks. The mother I knew and grew up with was gone, reced by a strong and level-headed medic carrying the weight of the countless injured and dying brought to her.


    I thought back to the words she had said thest time we met... and fought. She mentioned her duties here and the people that needed her help. Then I looked at the countless patients slowly recovering thanks to her abilities and imagined how many of those would be dead already if it wasn¡¯t for her.


    ¡°Are you okay, Arthur?¡± Sylvie asked, concernced in her voice as she stayed by my side.


    I continued to stare at my mother. Her white uniform was stained with blotches of red and brown and her face was grimy with dirt, blood spatters and sweat, but she looked so... admirable.


    The patient she had been treating gained consciousness, and while his face was knotted in pain, he reached up to my mother and gently ced a trembling hand on her arm. Despite the frenzy of activity going on around us, I heard his words clearly.


    While shedding tears of pain and whatever mixture of emotions he was feeling, he smiled at my mother and thanked her for saving his life.


    ¡°Oof! Sir, you¡¯re blocking the passage. Unless you¡¯re critically injured, please¡ª¡± The nurse that had bumped into me stopped mid-sentence and scanned my body in concern. ¡°Sir. Are your injuries bad? You¡¯re crying.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m fine.¡± I looked away, letting my bangs cover my face from her prying eyes. ¡°My apologies. I¡¯ll get out of the way.¡±


    I walked back out of the tent to gather myself.


    Sylvie stood by me, tears welled up in her eyes as well from the emotions that had leaked from me.


    ¡°She was right¡ªthey were both right,¡± I breathed, looking up at the starry night. I could still hear the angry shouts from my father as he called me hypocritical and as the two of them tried to exin that I wasn¡¯t the only one that could contribute to this war.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve realized,¡± Sylvie answered.


    I turned to my bond, watching her as she looked up at the sky as well. ¡°So you thought so too? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    Sylvie looked me in the eye and shot me a smirk. ¡°I¡¯ve been connected to you since I was born, Arthur. I know by now how stubborn and sometimes irrational you get when it concerns the wellbeing of your loved ones. Would you have listened to my words if I had told you back then? Or would you have yed the ¡®I¡¯ve lived two lives¡¯ card and say you know best?¡±


    I opened my mouth to speak¡ªto argue¡ªbut no words came out.


    Sylvie¡¯s smirk disappeared, reced by a somber smile as she squeezed my arm. ¡°Age isn¡¯t always wisdom, Arthur. You¡¯re learning that slowly.¡±


    I shook my head, letting out a scoff. ¡°I¡¯m such an idiot. An arrogant, hypocritical idiot.¡±


    My bond leaned her head against me, letting me feel the warmth radiating from her horns. A wave of tenderforting emotions radiated into me as she spoke. ¡°Yes, but you¡¯re our idiot.¡±


    We spent another minute or so, taking a small break from the world and what it was throwing at us, before going back into the tent.


    ¡°Arthur?¡± My mother¡¯s voice was a mixture of confusion and worry.


    I held up a hand, ¡°Hi, Mom.¡±


    Sylvie mimicked my gesture and greeted her as well.


    She shed a smile at the two of us before focusing back on the task at hand. ¡°Arthur, hand me a pair of pliers.¡±


    Finding the bloody pliers in a metal tray, I handed it to her. Without looking up, she snatched the tool and used it to carefully set the snapped rib bone jutting out of the patient¡¯s side back in ce. The patient¡ªdifferent from the one we saw earlier¡ªlet out a gut-wrenching scream.


    Unfazed by the howls of pain, she continued her spell, and I could slowly see the exposed bone mend together. I realized that she had narrowed her spell to only release from the tips of her middle and index fingers.


    Minutes slowly passed as both Sylvie and I watched, entranced, at my mother working.


    Despite the trauma that had haunted her all these years, I couldn¡¯t see any traces of hesitation now as she worked tirelessly on these patients.


    It was only after she had finished that she shifted her attention to us. ¡°Sorry, Arthur. There are just so many soldiers that need my attention. Hopefully once the traps go off, it¡¯ll be easier for our Rey, Durden and the rest of the soldiers out there.¡±


    ¡°Wait, So Dad and Durden are both out there right now, fighting?¡± I asked, a bit of panic rising in my voice.


    ¡°Not so much fighting but luring them towards the Wall,¡± she answered, confused. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that the n? Bury the beast horde by sacrificing the underground passages?¡±


    No one had told her. It made sense¡ªmedics didn¡¯t need the most up-to-date information to continue doing their job. If anything, having them know might hinder their focus.


    ¡°What about Helen? Didn¡¯t she visit you?¡±


    ¡°Mhmm. She stopped by earlier but left a bit after saying to keep it up.¡±


    Helen hadn¡¯t told her either, most likely due to the same reason that nobody else had told her. It was better if she didn¡¯t know¡ªthere was nothing she could do about it anyway.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Arthur?¡± Her liquid brown eyes peered into me as if searching for an answer. It was the same look she always gave our family when she knew we were hiding something from her.


    ¡°Mom...¡± I began.


    There was nothing she could do about it, but she still had the right to know.


    ¡°The troops are a lot farther away than nned and there hasn¡¯t been any signs of our soldiers backing down.¡±


    ¡°What? That can¡¯t be right.¡± My mother¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°What about all of those explosives ced throughout the underground passages?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°It seems like one of the captains decided against the n and switched back to their original strategy.¡±


    My mother¡¯s knees suddenly buckled. I caught her in time before she hit the ground but whether it was from her tirelessly using her magic to treat the soldiers or because of the news, she suddenly looked ten years older.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom.¡± I smiled as bright and reassuring as I could.


    No response.


    ¡°I¡¯m here now¡ªwe¡¯re here. Sylvie and I are going to go out there. I¡¯m sure the two of them are still kicking ass right now. I¡¯ll make sure they both get back safely,¡± I urged, trying to get her back up on her feet. ¡°I promise.¡±

 Chapter 224

    Chapter 224


    Chapter 224: Carried Back


    Sylvie and I left the protection of the Wall and looked out at the battle that had long since reached its climax. Archers and mages, whose ranges weren¡¯t as long as the ones up on the Wall, were positioned on the ground, closer toward the bloodshed.


    I looked back once more at the thick metal gates of the Wall closing behind us in both rage and regret.


    ¡®We¡¯ll find out who was responsible for thister,¡¯ my bondforted, her eyes locking into mine. ¡®Right now, it¡¯s our duty to find your family and help as many soldiers as possible.¡¯


    Giving her a nod, the two of us walked forward. I tuned out the shouts and cheers of the soldiers around us.


    I wasn¡¯t a hero, nor did I wish to be. It was impossible to be everyone¡¯s hero. It¡¯s inevitable that I¡¯d let some people down¡ªhell, I¡¯ve already let a lot of people down.


    Not every human, elf, and dwarf were equally important to me, and that¡¯s a fact that I had epted long ago. I was here to serve my role to help end this war. It wasn¡¯t for world peace or to save mankind¡ªit was to lead afortable and happy life with the people I loved and cared for.


    Walking through the lines of bowmen and conjurers either firing at the backline of the beast horde or resting and replenishing their mana reserves, I could hear mutters around us. Soldiers nudged their colleagues nearby for their attention as hundreds of gazes turned towards us.


    ¡°You should at least acknowledge them,¡± my bond said, noticing the stares.


    ¡°Focus, Sylvie,¡± I admonished. ¡°Let¡¯s do what we came here to do first. We can worry about troop morale after.¡±


    The dry cracked grounds of the Beast des felt like wet tar, gripping and pulling back my feet as I trudged forward with my bond by my side. I couldn¡¯t shake off the unsettling feeling that made my chest tighten. The veil of night and the crowd of beasts and man alike hid the answer to a question that I grew more and more afraid to ask.


    Brandishing Dawn¡¯s Bad, Sylvie and I dove into the thick of the battle underneath the shower of spells and arrows. My bright teal sword became the beacon for our soldiers within eyeshot, giving them hope and the strength needed to unleash one more strike.


    Sylvie kept her distance away from my sword range while shooting precise bullets of mana perfectly timed to save an unguarded soldier.


    Of course, neither of us were simply wildly attacking. As I sliced apart smaller foes and brought down gargantuan beasts without discrimination, my eyes were always on the lookout for signs of anyrge-bodied earth conjurer that resembled Durden or brawler with a fire-affinity that looked anything remotely like my father.


    While sweeping my eyes throughout the barren de, I saw the silhouette of a massive worm towering over the rest of the beasts around it with soldiers in its maw. asionally, sts of fire tore out of its tip, eliciting faint screams from the soldiers before more were consumed by the familiar worm-like beast.


    Gritting my teeth, I tore my gaze away, trying once again to spot my father and Durden through the dirt, smoke and debris filling the gaps of the chaotic battlefield.


    It was then that I caught sight of another group of soldiers trying to bring down a giant monster. This one, however, was a midnight grizzly.


    That particr breed of mana beast ranged from B ss to AA ss¡ªwhen it wasn¡¯t corrupted¡ªdepending on their maturity and the density of their metallic pelt that they obtained from consuming precious ores.


    By its twelve-foot height and the glimmering sheen its spiked fur carried, my guess was that this particr midnight grizzly ranged towards thetter. What drew my attention wasn¡¯t the beast itself, though. It was the broad back of a soldier that fought with thick armored gloves taking the brunt of the grizzly¡¯s attack while the others made futile attempts at bringing the corrupted beast down.


    Before my eyes could even deduce whether that person was my father or not, my feet were already moving towards that battle.


    Within two mana-infused steps, I was already within range to strike down the grizzly, but my focus turned to the brawler.


    I clicked my tongue in frustration. The soldier was in a full set of armor, including a helmet that covered his face.


    shing beside the soldier that was taking a momentary breather while the beast was upied by the other soldiers, I took off his helmet.


    ¡°Hey! What the hell¡ª¡±


    It wasn¡¯t my father. Suppressing the urge to just crush the flimsy helmet in my hands, I shoved it back on the brawler¡¯s head without a word.


    ¡° Move,¡± I ordered. It wasn¡¯t just directed towards the man I mistook for my father, but at the other soldiers circling and striking at the midnight grizzly as well.


    Being mages made them sensitive to mana, and the mana surging out of me immediately put weight to my words¡ªor rather, word.


    I knew Dawn¡¯s Bad wouldn¡¯t be able to cut through a near-S rank mana beast, especially in the condition it was in. Putting away my sword, I took a step toward the giant metallic, six-limbed bear.


    That single step carried me just below one of its razor-sharp ws as the beast struck down. Grabbing ahold of one of its ws that were as thick as my forearm, I shifted my weight and imbued mana at the veryst minute.


    The result: a 6,000-pound beast was tossed in the air and sent mming into the ground by a mere teen.


    The ground shattered from the impact and the beast¡ªas feral as it was¡ªlet out a deep wail in pain.


    ¡°Holy crap,¡± a soldier that had been fighting the beast eximed. His giant war hammer was dented and its shaft slightly bent from multiple collisions against the midnight grizzly¡¯s armored pelt.


    I wanted to end it quickly but the beast recovered faster than I had expected it to. The grizzly rolled back up to its feet and immediatelyshed out with its four wed arms.


    ¡®Arthur, do you need help?¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s voice sounded in my head.


    No. Keep looking out for Durden or my dad. This won¡¯t take much longer.


    I swayed, sidestepped, and pivoted, cleanly dodging the barrage of ws that created divots in the dirt around me.


    Frustrated, the midnight grizzly attempted to hammer down its two top arms. Rather than dodging it, however, I held up a palm.


    Utilizing the technique that Elder Camus had shown me, I created a vacuum just above my open palm and received the full extent of the attack. I couldn¡¯t disperse the force of the midnight grizzly¡¯s powerful wspletely. My feet sank into the ground and my whole body shook.


    Still, it was plenty enough to throw off the beast¡¯s center of gravity and leave him wide open. In the time it took to take another step, I had tethered the midnight grizzly¡¯s back legs to the ground so it wouldn¡¯t fly and cause casualties on our side, and condensed severalyers of swirling wind around my right fist. The torrent in my hand was enough to make the trained soldiers nearby recoil but when my fistnded squarely in the metal beast¡¯s abdomen, the ground shook from the impact.


    A shockwave resonated from the blow, sending some of the weaker soldiers and beasts sprawling on the ground, but it was enough to kill the high-ranking beast.


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t that a bit excessive?¡¯ my bond chimed, obviously feeling the impact from where she was.


    The grizzly¡¯s coat seemed to have been affected by the cryan¡¯s corruption. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to kill it without at least doing that much.


    Unable to even spare the time to gather my breath, I continued my search for Durden and my father.


    Despite theck of conjurers in the frontline, it was hard finding my giant friend. Because of how much more useful earth mages were closer they were to the ground, it wasn¡¯t just one or two earthen spells that I spotted in the distance. And knowing Durden and his unruly strength despite being a conjurer, I knew he wasn¡¯t back near the Wall with the other casters and archers.


    Damn it, I cursed. My patience grew thinner with each passing second. Every scream and cry for help made me flinch, afraid that the next one might be either Durden or my father.


    Sylvie and I continued on separately as we searched for them as well as killed as many beasts as we could. Not once did I find an cryan mage amongst the chaos, but that was a good thing. There were no mages to cast shields to protect the beast horde from our conjurers.


    In the blink of an eye, the sun hade up, highlighting the turmoil that stretched out as far as the eye could see.


    ¡®What about using Realmheart again to try and find your father like you did with Ellie?¡¯ Sylvie suggested, her voice weary even in my head.


    Don¡¯t you think I¡¯ve thought of that? I snapped. Ellie¡¯s magic is unique enough for me to spot with the ambient mana fluctuations. How am I going to differentiate my father amongst the other hundreds or so soldiers that have a fire-affinity?


    ¡®...¡¯


    Letting out a deep breath, I apologized to my bond. The frustration and desperation building up inside me made it hard to tamp down my emotions.


    ¡®It¡¯s okay,¡¯ Sylvie consoled. Her voice was gentle, but I could still feel a tinge of sadness leaking out.


    Promising myself to make it up to my ever-faithful bond after this was all over, I continued my search.


    Smoke, fire, debris, abandoned weapons, and the corpses of both men and beast decorated the once barren field. As limited as my vision was, I kept my eyes wide and ears open. I knew it was hopeless trying to discern my father amidst the roars of beasts, the cries of soldiers, the hum and crackle of magic and the sharp ringing of metal, but there was little more that I could do.


    The number of beasts had dwindled tremendously, but not without loss. Humans, elves, and dwarves alikey sprawled out on the ground alongside the beasts that they had either killed or were killed by as if highlighting the point that, in death, there were no sides.


    Because of the change in my n, so many soldiers had died. Behind me, unscathed, the Wall stood up high as if mocking us. The ground in front of it was intact despite the explosives we had ced underneath.


    My gut told me it was Trodius that had rescinded my n, since the other two captains were transparent in valuing their troops over the Wall.


    It was only the thought of finding my father and Durden¡ªmaking sure they were okay¡ª-that kept me grounded. I had to remind myself over and over that what I had suggested was only that... a suggestion.


    Hours shed by until the sun was high up in the sky. Soldiers too wounded or too tired to continue fighting were carried off by theirrades as the next batch of soldiers marched forward to rece them.


    The beast horde was slowly being pushed back as their numbers dwindled down to the hundreds. It wouldn¡¯t be long now until this major battle would turn out a major victory in the eyes of Dicathen. Still, to the soldiers out here still fighting, each minute that trickled by was another minute that they could easily get killed. To them, this victory would be tarnished by the death of their friends that fought alongside them.


    After hours and hours of fighting and searching, my body was moving autonomously. I killed beasts wherever I passed and helped soldiers in distress if they were on my way. I couldn¡¯t save them all, but I couldn¡¯t ignore the ones right in front of me.


    It was when I was helping a soldier that had his right leg mauled that I was hit with a wave of panic and worry.


    ¡°You! Carry this man back to the Wall,¡± I said after encasing his bleeding stub in ice.


    Sylvie! What happened? I sent, cold sweat dripping down my neck as my bond¡¯s emotions still carried over to me.


    I was already heading towards Sylvie¡¯s location. She wasn¡¯t far, less than a mile southwest toward the southern end of the Wall. But why wasn¡¯t she answering?


    Despite the scenery blurring past me as I flew, time seemed to slow like a thick viscous fluid. Sounds were muffled and I could hear my heartbeat thumping against my eardrums louder than anything else.


    As I got closer and closer though, my vision came in shes. If felt like I was watching the world through a thick ss jar as I barely made out Sylvie as she held me back in her embrace. I could hear her worried cries but I couldn¡¯t make out the words she was saying.


    Her teary eyes as she shook her head and stopped me from going closer registered in my eyes but I couldn¡¯t make out her expression because my focus was on the man dragging his feet towards the team of medics running towards him.


    He was missing an arm and half of his face had been burned past the point of recognition, but I still knew it was Durden. And slung over his wide back... was what was left of my father.

 Chapter 225

    Chapter 225


    Chapter 225: Shared Affliction


    SYLVIE


    I should¡¯ve stopped him froming the moment he reached back out to me. The panic that leaked onto him couldn¡¯t be taken back but I should¡¯ve kept him from seeing it.


    The moment I saw Arthur approaching, his eyes begging me to be wrong before his gaze fell onto a sight that no one¡ªman or child¡ªshould have to experience, my gut clenched and I felt tears threaten to take over. Seeing the horrified expression of my bond before he let out a breath and began chuckling in wide-eyed denial at what he was seeing, I wanted to disappear.


    I wanted to be anywhere but here. I would¡¯ve rather faced another horde of deranged mana beasts by myself than endure the sight of my lifelong bond staring hopelessly at his own father¡¯s bloody corpse.


    Arthur staggered forward. He pushed everyone aside and knelt over his father¡¯s unmoving body, and for a moment, it seemed like all was silent.


    Beasts and soldiers alike seemed to have sensed the heavy veil that descended onto the entire area, but none could feel my bond¡¯s state of turmoil as much as I could.


    It hurt.


    It was excruciating... it was unbearable.


    I didn¡¯t know my heart could hurt this much. I clutched my chest and sank to the ground, unable to endure the self-destructive state of his emotions.


    Tears streamed down my cheeks and blurred my vision. I couldn¡¯t breathe as the torrent of emotions continued to surge out of my bond and into me. Rage that zed like a forest fire, grief that flooded and drowned everything in its path, a gnawing guilt that trembled the very earth, and regret that destroyed and knocked aside years and years of hard work and development like a hurricane.


    I could feel these emotions, that felt like natural disasters wreaking havoc inside my heart, tearing away at Arthur¡¯s very sanity.


    Yet, on the surface, Arthur was as silent and still as a statue.


    I crawled towards him, gasping for air in between my sobs as my heart wrenched in my chest. It was only then, when I embraced his back¡ªhis broad, lonely back¡ªthat the thin wall that he had built around himself finally crumbled.


    With a guttural, primeval howl that tore through me like shards of ss, my bond broke down in tears.


    The very earth seemed toment for my bond as his sobs and wails filled the air. The ambient mana all around us shook and surged at times to match his anger, while at times undted rhythmically, sympathizing with his despair as Arthur mourned, clutching his father¡¯s unmoving body.


    I continued to cling to my bond¡¯s back as the fiery ws continued to grip and twist my insides. I tried to do more, anything more to help, but I couldn¡¯t. The lump in my throat blocked any words of constion I could possibly say, so I did what no one else could do; I empathized through the connection I shared with my bond.


    This prodigy, that had be ance, a general, a white core mage, was but a boy that had lost his father right now.


    The world continued to move on, even as Arthur and I remained stuck in this time of grieving and loss. The battle that had gone on for two nights hade to an end.


    We had won, but not unscathed. The Wall loomed over us as if it were a king, pleased with its own health despite the sacrifices that had been made for it.


    It wasn¡¯t Arthur¡¯s anger that made my insides boil like this...it was my own.


    Time trickled on until the sun had set. It was only then, that Arthur rose to his feet.


    Whether his emotions had been expended or locked away, I didn¡¯t know, but his state of mind mirrored the frozen tomb that he conjured and encased his father¡¯s body in.


    Nearby stood Durden, dejected. He had remained silent throughout Arthur¡¯s mourning, never showing any signs of pain or difort despite the blood leaking from the bandages hurriedly applied over his face and residual limb.


    ¡°Durden. Please take my father¡¯s body to my mother and sister.¡± My bond¡¯s voice was icy and hollow. He rose to his feet and walked towards the Wall like a reaper of death out on his hunt.


    CAPTAIN ALBANTH KELRIS


    ¡°Following through with my original n has led us to victory with minimal losses to the Wall and the underground passages,¡± Senior Captain Trodius boasted, a rare smile on his usually-stoic face. ¡°Your obedience will not go unnoticed, Captain Albanth, Captain Jesmiya. Well done.¡±


    Jesmiya bowed, receiving the apuse of the other unit leaders present in therge meeting tent.


    I nced down at the picture in my hand¡ªworn, ripped, and crinkled around the edges. It was a picture I had found in the chestte of one of my soldiers before cremating him.


    ¡°Captain Albanth?¡±


    Looking up, I saw the senior captain with his brow raised. Beside him were soldiers and nobles that had invested in the Wall, all sharing the same puzzled expression.


    ¡°My apologies,¡± I respond quickly, shoving the picture in my pocket before inclining my head and silently epting themendation with gritted teeth.


    Coming here after cremating several dozens of my men, many of whom I had shared drinks, meals, andughs with, it felt wrong to ept any form of praise.


    ¡°While a proper celebration is in order, we are at war and there is much to clean up,¡± Trodius said. ¡°Continue your good work. I will have someone send a small gift to the fallen soldiers¡¯ immediate families.¡±


    ¡°As expected of the head of the mesworth House. Your leadership is impable,¡± a portly man standing to the senior captain¡¯s left beamed. ¡°It was the right decision to invest in this fortress.¡±


    Meanwhile, Jesmiya and I exchanged a quick nce, both of us obviously hung up on Senior Captain Trodius¡¯ use of the phrase, ¡®clean up¡¯. Surely he wasn¡¯t referring to cremating and burying our allies as ¡®cleaning up¡¯, right?


    After the other soldiers had trickled off, Jesmiya and I turned to leave when the senior captain called my name.


    ¡°Captain Albanth, I¡¯ll need a moment of your time,¡± he said, waiting for Jesmiya to leave.


    After all but the senior captain and three nobles¡ªbased on their gaudy and spotless attire¡ªwere left, Trodius gestured toward an empty seat.


    After sitting on the foldable wooden chair, one of the nobles raised an embellished metal wand and soundproofed the room using wind magic.


    ¡°Captain Albanth. You¡¯re home is in Etistin, correct?¡± the senior captain asked, crossing his legs.


    I nodded. ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    ¡°And that means, with the entire city being fortified, your family has been evacuated,¡± he continued matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Yes sir. Fortunately, my position and contributions allowed my family to be able to secure a home in a fortified shelter nearby the castle.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Trodius muttered before turning to anky bespectacled nobleman to his right.


    Receiving a nod from the senior captain, the nobleman spoke as he slid an unbound scroll toward me. ¡°This is information that Senior Captain Trodius mesworth received during the beast horde attack.¡±


    I read wless writing, cold sweat forming and fingers trembling as I mumbled what I read. ¡°Elenoir Kingdom... cryan ships approaching from western coast. Three hundred ships...¡±


    ¡°After discussing with the Council, we¡¯ve surmised that this will be the biggest battle. And it¡¯ll take ce in the western shores just above Etistin.


    ¡°Also, because of the manpower needed to withstand the cryan army, the Council has decided on abandoning the elven kingdom. A majority of the elven troops will be transferred to Etistin while citizens will be evacuated before the cryans in Elshire fully take over,¡± Trodius exined without a shred of emotion.


    ¡°Th-This...¡± the parchment slipped out of my fingers that were slick with sweat. ¡°Why am I the only one to be notified of this? We should tell Captain Jesmiya and spread the word. Our remaining troops need to be transferred to the west if we want to stand a chance! General Arthur was right!¡±


    Senior Captain Trodius¡¯ expression turned sharp. ¡°Had my objective been the same as the boynce, I too would have proceeded with sacrificing the Wall. However, this fortress will soon be an invaluable location.¡±


    I furrowed my brows. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    The portly noble from earlier spoke this time, eagerly leaning forward. ¡°As my family always says, war is a big ol¡¯ bag of money waiting to be open¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sir Niles, please refrain from such insensitive talk,¡± Trodius admonished.


    ¡°R-Right. My apologies.¡± Niles let out a cough. ¡°Anyway, with the war drawing to an end and so muchnd being either destroyed or taken by the cryans, it¡¯s only a matter of time when people will desperately seek a safe haven.¡±


    ¡°What about Xyrus City? It was to my understanding that the flying city is currently the safest location next to the Castle,¡± I responded.


    The petite nobleman sporting a mustache that had stayed quiet the entire time finally spoke, grumbling in annoyance. ¡°That floating rock is a timebomb waiting to explode.¡±


    ¡°Xyrus City is inherently in a safe location, but the city is not built as a fortress. Once ess into the flying city is overridden by the cryans¡ªwhich is entirely usible from the portals you¡¯ve seen in the dungeons of the Beast des¡ªthe people there will be sitting ducks,¡± Trodius rified.


    ¡°Which is why it was so important that the Wall and underground routes remained in one piece. These two aspects will serve as the foundation of a great new city,¡± the portly nobleman chimed in. ¡°That general is smart, but shortsighted. He wants to destroy this magnificent structure which could potentially be the new capital of Dicathen, or better yet, the only safe haven against the cryans!¡±


    ¡°I apologize if Ie off as rude, but from what you¡¯re saying, it seems like you¡¯re expecting or even desiring for the cryans to win this war,¡± I seethed, barely able to control my anger.


    ¡°How dare you! That is a dangerous usation you¡¯re making, Captain ,¡± the fat man barked.


    Trodius raised an arm, shutting him up. ¡°It¡¯s easy to shine a negative light on this picture, but what we¡¯re merely doing is capitalizing on the inevitable circumstance. I am in no way rooting for those filthy intruders, but it would be foolish to ignore their military might. Even if we do manage to win this war, Dicathen will note out unscathed. Elenoir has been abandoned, Darv is hiding in its own shell, and attempts to fortify smaller cities in Sapin have been left to the city officials.¡±


    The senior captain let out a sigh before continuing. ¡°What we seek is to build a new safe haven for citizens toe to. There will be a new society reforged by the mesworth House and its patrons.¡±


    I shook my head andughed out of sheer incredulity. Getting up, I opened my mouth, prepared to risk my position so that I could tell him off.


    ¡°Think hard before you let loose your tongue,¡± Trodius warned with a faint smile. ¡°Did you not say that your father, mother, wife and kids are all in Etistin?¡±


    My eyes widened and my mouth snapped shut.


    This was wrong. What they were doing was wrong, but my mouth wouldn¡¯te open.


    ¡°Your reputation and presence here among the soldiers and workers here are great. Stay here, work for our cause and I will ensure you that your family will be brought over here immediately. This wall will continue to be fortified and expanded, utilizing the underground routes. Your family will be safe here and your position here will be much higher and meaningful than being a mere captain.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t...wh-what about the soldiers here? I thought that you had received a letter ordering you to transfer all able soldiers to Etistin?¡± I managed to say. I sped my hands behind my back, unable to keep them from shaking.


    ¡°The battle against the vicious beast horde was hardfought. We lost many¡ªtoo many, in fact, to be able to send west...that is what I am nning on sending as a reply,¡± Trodius answered simply. ¡°I doubt that the Council wille to check with all that¡¯s on their te.¡±


    My chest tightened and my breathing came out short. ¡°Then y-you purposely sent out these soldiers to their deaths so that you can¡ª¡±


    ¡°The soldiers here fought to defend the Wall, as originally nned,¡± Trodius interjected. ¡°No need to overthink.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. There¡¯s no need for me to overthink,¡± an icy voice resounded from behind me.


    But it wasn¡¯t his words that made me shrink. It was the presence that spread out from the voice that hung like a thick shroud in the air, forcing me to my knees and sucking the very breath from my lungs.


    I tried to turn around, to at least verify the source of what might very well kill me, but I couldn¡¯t move. I was stuck watching the nobleman froth at the mouth, lose consciousness, or both. And I saw an expression on Trodius that I had never seen on him before... an expression of fear.


    His attempts at appearing collected failed as sweat rolled down his face and the barrier of fire that he had conjured fizzled away.


    In a voice that seemed practically squeezed out of his windpipe, Trodius spoke.


    ¡°General... Arthur.¡±

 Chapter 226

    Chapter 226


    Chapter 226: Punishable Actions


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    Rage warred with grief in me for the longest time as I mourned my father¡¯s death.


    I cried and I cursed all the while refusing to believe that all of this was real.


    As a prodigy, as a mage, as ance, I just wanted to protect the few people most important to me¡ªto let them be happy and healthy. I abandoned the thought of being a hero to the people of Dicathen. I¡¯ve filled that role before, and I learned that the price of saving those faceless citizens are the people most important to me.


    And despite my efforts, I failed to protect them. My hands were stained in the blood of my father¡ªstains that, I feared, would nevere off no matter how many other people I saved.


    After my tears ran dry and my throat locked up, all that was left inside me was a raw pit of emptiness.


    As my father¡¯s corpse was carried off and Durden was guided to the medic tents, I got up and headed inside the Wall.


    Apuse and cheers erupted as soon as I crossed the fortress gate. Soldiers, smiths, andborers alike stopped what they were doing. Some bowed, others pped, but they all looked at me with gazes that made me wince.


    I couldn¡¯t take it. Not the people, not the appreciation, not the expressions of relief from having someone to lean on. I couldn¡¯t be here.


    Sylvie. Get my sister and take her to the medic tent where my mother is. She¡¯s going to need someone to be there for her, I conveyed while I strode past the cluster of tents that made up the medic ward.


    My bond tugged the sleeve of my shirt. ¡°I¡¯ll go get your sister, but Arthur... your mother will need you as much as she needs your sister.¡±


    I don¡¯t bother responding to her aloud like she did for me.


    I¡¯m thest person she¡¯d want to see. She no longer sees me as a son and any semnce of affection she might¡¯ve had for me even after I told her the truth... will be gone now that I failed to keep my promise in bringing my fath¡ªReynolds, back alive.


    I brushed her off and made my way towards the main meeting tent.


    ***


    ¡°General... Arthur,¡± Trodius wheezed, his body involuntarily shrinking back in his seat.


    I took another step toward the senior captain, eliciting panicked responses from the nobles beside him.


    ¡°M-My spell! How did you even...¡± thenky one stuttered, pointing his wand at me after regaining his consciousness.


    The portly man to Trodius¡¯ left was a bit more courageous, despite the acrid stench emanating from his freshly-soiled pants.


    ¡°Stay back! You are in the presence of nobility! How dare a dog of the Council intrude on an important meeting,¡± he threatened.


    The small-framed noble sporting a thick mustache stilly sprawled on the ground, unconscious after my initial ¡®greeting.¡¯


    I remained wordless as I took another step. Thenkey one let a squeal in response while the fat one flinched. Only Trodius remained unfazed as I slowly approached.


    The sea of rage and grief that churned inside me as I wept for my father had been drained, leaving a hollow void that allowed me to think clearly for the first time in a while.


    No longer were the screams of panic and worry in my head clouding my judgment, making me irrational and emotional in the vain hopes of keeping all of my loved ones safe.


    Now, there was only silence to my soul¡ªa ghostly lull. The fire of rage and the other cacophony of emotions had been extinguished, leaving only a sharp chill in my blood.


    It wasforting, in a sense.


    If it had been just ten minutes ago, I would¡¯ve done to Trodius what I had done to Lucas.


    Except I realized, in this numb and logical state of mind, that Trodius wasn¡¯t as simple as Lucas. I would gain nothing by killing Trodius and he would be able to take what I dished out with that same constipated expression he always had.


    I couldn¡¯t use pain. I knew that now. I couldn¡¯t treat Trodius the same way I could Lucas.


    It was when I took another step that Trodius finally spoke. Straightening his posture and clearing his throat, he looked me in the eyes and asked, ¡°to what do I owe the pleasure of ance gracing me with his presence?¡±


    His scrutinizing gaze and the ever-so-slight sneer that tugged on the edge of his lips told me what I knew. He wasn¡¯t afraid of the pain that I could afflict or even the death that he might face.


    With his resourcefulness, he was confident in being able to escape, and he would relish the chance to be ¡®the one that withstood the fury of a madnce.¡¯


    ¡°D-Don¡¯te any closer!¡± the portly man said as he withdrew his own toy-like wand.


    ¡°Settle down,¡± I said, causing both the conscious nobles in the room to stiffen.


    ¡°Even as a general, respect must be shown in the face of noble blood,¡± Trodius admonished, shaking his head.


    Another bait. He was edging me to do something so that he could retaliate.


    I walked around the table, leisure shown in my face and steps. Arriving in front of the fat noble, I gestured with a finger. ¡°Move.¡±


    ¡°M-Move?¡± he echoed, bbergasted as the wand still trembled in his hands.


    Anger must¡¯ve triumphed over his fear, or maybe the cornered mouse finally decided to strike, but it was over before it even began.


    The spell that threatened to manifest at the tip of his embroidered wand never came, fizzling away like his pride after wetting his own pants.


    Before the portly noble could even react, a current of wind hammered down on top of him, mming his face down into the puddle of his own piss.


    I used his wide girth as a footstool while taking a seat on the meeting table just inches away from Trodius.


    The senior captain¡¯s mask of indifference faltered, traces of anger ring before disappearing just as quickly.


    ¡°General Arthur,¡± he spoke calmly. ¡°The noble beneath your feet is Sir Lionel Beynir of the esteemed Beynir House. You will show him and Sir Kyle¡ª¡±


    I leaned forward, grinding my heels more into the unconscious Sir Lionel Beynir. ¡°You see, Trodius, I care little for people, regardless of wealth, fame, and prestige they have when they fail to meet the minimum threshold as a person.¡±


    Trodius¡¯ eyes narrowed. ¡°Excuse me? I don¡¯t exactly know how much you heard from outside but to tantly sully a noble will not be tolerated no matter what sort of position you hold in the military.¡±


    ¡°You keep referring to yourself and these fools as nobles but all I see are four weasels trying to capitalize on their own country¡¯s loss and using soldiers as tools to step on and bring yourself higher.¡± I looked down at the noble beneath my feet to further my point.


    Trodius¡¯ eyes red with indignation. ¡°Revoking the n that you suggested is no sin, General Arthur. The loss of the soldiers are regrettable but for the sake of preserving this fortress, their deaths are not in vain.¡±


    ¡°That would¡¯ve only been true if your goal for keeping the Wall wasn¡¯t to try and build yourself your own little society where you and your minions will have free reign.¡±


    ¡°N-Nonsense! My goal was to create a safe haven where the citizens of Dicathen have a ce to sleep without fear. For you to twist my wor¡ª¡±


    I grabbed ahold of Trodius¡¯ tongue and pulled it out of his mouth. ¡°To my understanding, twisting words is what this thing seems to do best.¡±


    A flicker of blue mes danced on the tip of the senior captain¡¯s tongue as I pressed firmly down. Trodius¡¯ eyes widened in pain as he tried to imbue his own fire affinity mana in hopes to shield his body against my mes.


    The smell of burning flesh filled the tent as I continued to brand his tongue with my ignited fingers.


    Still he held strong, unable to let go of his pride enough to even let out a sound.


    I pulled the senior captain close, my fingers still sizzling on top of his burning tongue. I let the malice drip from my voice as I hissed into his ear. ¡°You see, Trodius, one of the soldiers that died out there because of your selfish ns was my father.¡±


    I felt the hup drop down in his throat as my fingers continued to sear his tongue.


    ¡°So believe me when I say that I¡¯m going to see the actions that you took to get to where we are right now as personal.¡± I released my grip on his ckened tongue. The tip had bepletely burnt off, without even a trace of blood.


    Trodius immediately snapped his jaw shut, mping his hands over his mouth as if he could protect himself from me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that my rtionship with your sister and estranged daughter have anything to do with why I¡¯m keeping you alive,¡± I muttered, grabbing the fine parchments in front of him as I got up. ¡°Killing you here would be showing mercy. Instead, I¡¯ll let you stew in the consequences of your actions here today by taking what you value most.¡±


    I turned to Albanth, who had been quietly and fearfully observing the situation. ¡°Seeing as you¡¯ve witnessed everything here today, send a message to the Council stating that for betraying his kingdom and perjury towards the Council, he and the rest of the mesworth House will be stripped from their titles of nobility.¡±


    ¡° Gno ! You hab no wight!¡± Trodius screamed, his voice raw with unrepressed emotion.


    ¡°I believe I have every right, and the Council will surely agree once they find out you were nning on lying to them in order to keep soldiers here for yourself,¡± I replied coldly, waving the papers in my hand.


    Trodius scrambled towards me, tripping over his unconscious investor before desperatelyunching a ball of fire at the papers in my hand.


    ¡°Add attempted assault of a representative of the Council,¡± I said to Albanth, blocking the sphere of mes with a conjured pane of ice.


    ¡°Y-You ca¡¯t do dis!¡± he yelled, rushing to me and clinging to my feet. ¡°The Fwameswoth house¡ª¡±


    ¡°Will be nothing but amoner¡¯s surname,¡± I finished. ¡°The precious legacy that you prided yourself in and tried so hard to raise, going as far as abandoning your own daughter, will have been the cause of the mesworth family¡¯s downfall.¡±


    I turned my attention back to Albanth. ¡°I believe you have a message to send? Unless you¡¯re still considering Trodius¡¯ proposal?¡±


    ¡°Of c-course not!¡± Albanth straightened and took the parchments out of my hand. ¡°I¡¯ll get this to the Council along with your message to my fastest and most trustworthy messenger.¡±


    ¡°Also, get Captain Jesmiya and a few of her men in here to round these gentlemen up,¡± I added, sending the captain off, leaving Trodius and I as the only ones left conscious in the tent.


    Behind me, still on the ground, was Trodius. The man who had been the pinnacle of nobility and pride had been reduced to a trembling sack of bones as he red daggers at me.


    ¡°Like I said, killing you here would be a mercy.¡± I stepped out of the tent, taking onest nce back. ¡°I hope you live a long life where you¡¯re reminded of me every time you utter a mispronounced word from your deformed tongue.¡±


    ***


    Sylvie and I stood atop the familiar cliff of the mountain overlooking the Wall. From this high up, the remnants of the battle could barely be seen under the nket of night and the fortress seemed to be peaceful.


    I knew all too well that the Wall was in a flurry of activity; mending the broken, feeding the weak, burying the dead, but I pushed down the emotions that threatened to build back up again.


    It was so much easier the way it was right now, theforting emptiness that numbed my emotions¡ªboth good and bad.


    ¡°Ellie is with your mother right now. They¡¯re going to cremate him,¡± my bond said, her voice almost lost amidst the howling winds.


    At her words leaked thoughts and emotions I had desperately tried to avoid. I saw my weeping sister and my mother on her knees, bloody fingers wing at the ground in indignation.


    I felt the pain my bond had felt as my mother¡¯s eyes narrowed eyes burned with usation and resentment. Would she have looked at me like that as well, had I been there? That was the only thing I could ask myself.


    ¡°It¡¯s best that I¡¯m not there,¡± I replied, cing a gentle hand on Sylvie¡¯s head.


    Sylvie turned to me, herrge yellow eyes wrinkled in concern. ¡°Arthur...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, really,¡± I said, but my voice came out deadpan. ¡°It¡¯s better this way.¡±


    My bond¡¯s expression dimmed and just from that I could tell she could feel the emotions from me, or rather, theck of emotions.


    This was what I did in the past as Grey. I knew that suppressing my emotions and locking them away wasn¡¯t healthy but I had no choice.


    I had no confidence in being able to handle what I was trying so hard not to feel. I know that doing this was burying a time bomb deep inside me, but I just needed it tost until I finished this war.


    Maybe after this war was over, I¡¯d confront all of this and be able to face my mother, but for now I couldn¡¯t bear looking at her or my sister¡¯s face.


    ¡®Do not fall back to your old ways. You know best that the deeper you go into that pit, the harder it will be to climb back out.¡¯ Rinia¡¯s words came to mind and I began to think of the other omens she left me before shaking my head.


    Looking at my worried bond, I shielded my thoughts. I didn¡¯t want her to know¡ªI didn¡¯t want anyone to know¡ªthat I was beginning to sincerely deliberate Agrona¡¯s deal.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go see, Sylv.¡±

 Chapter 227

    Chapter 227


    Chapter 227: Above Limitations


    GREY


    ¡°Hey. It¡¯s me, Grey. Just thought I¡¯d try this phone again. Anyway, the King¡¯s Crown Competition is starting in our city and Lady Vera already got me a spot topete. I¡¯ve been just training ¡®til now so going out in the officialpetition really makes it feel... real. ¡°Did you know that Jimmy Low¡ªyou know, that cocky overweight guy in our ss with the lisp¡ªis also a contestant too? When Lady Vera told me that, I thought of the time when you sold him that fake contraption that was supposed to help him lose weight while he sleeps. I bet he¡¯s still mad that you conned him like that.


    ¡°Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I told Lady Vera to save a spot for you in her family¡¯s private viewing room. It¡¯d be great if you coulde by and watch me kick everyone¡¯s asses... I miss you, Nico. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening to you but just know that you¡¯re not alone in this. I¡¯m here for you. ¡°You know where to reach me. Hope to hear from you soon, man.¡± I ended the call after hearing the monotonous confirmation that my message had been sent and let out a sigh.


    ¡°Damn it, Nico. What the hell are you up to?¡± Rubbing my temples, I leaned my head back against the reading chair and waited for the pain to subside.


    Thest time I had seen my friend was the night we had fought. It had been a few weeks after Cecilia was taken and my training was bing harder as thepetition dates drew near.


    I would train from dawn until sundown and then sneak out of Lady Vera¡¯s manor in order to help Nico put up fliers and ask around local police departments for any information. Half the time it was us getting scolded or kicked out of their offices.


    Tired and fed up with theck of progress, I suggested we call it a night. That¡¯s when Nico blew up on me. He used me of being callous and uncaring because I was prioritizing my training with Lady Vera over finding Cecilia.


    I couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore at that time either. I had tried to reason with him before, saying that if the enforcers were really the ones who took her, the two of us were way out of our league. Still, my stubborn friend couldn¡¯t sit still knowing that his girlfriend was somewhere out there.


    I didn¡¯t me him but that didn¡¯t mean I agreed with him. Needlessly insisting that two kids barely out of highschool¡ªmilitary or not¡ªcould make a difference in an investigation that no one was investigating, was optimistic at best.


    With the promise of making sure Lady Vera¡¯s best investigators would help, I called it an early night.


    That was thest time I heard from Nico.


    I did the right thing, I assured myself, sinking back further into the chair. Right now, winning thepetition is the most important. The city tournament shouldn¡¯t pose much trouble and I¡¯m fairly confident even for the county tournament.


    Even if I won¡¯t be a king right away after I win the entire King¡¯s Crown Competition, I¡¯d still have influence from the Council. My two biggest goals were to get to the bottom of Headmaster Wilbeck¡¯s murder and then finding and protecting Cecilia so she and Nico could go live a happy little life together. Despite Nico¡¯s urgency, I knew Cecilia wouldn¡¯t be harmed, assuming that the enforcers had taken her¡ªshe was too valuable of an asset to kill.


    That¡¯s why I have to win. Just a few months... then I can make everything right once I be a king.


    ***


    ¡°Cadet Grey...¡± a soft mellow voice sounded nearby. My eyes flickered open, my vision still a blur. It was only when I felt someone touch my shoulder that I snapped awake. The results of my instincts and training kicked in, and by the time I was truly conscious of what I had done, a maid was sitting in the seat that I had fallen asleep in and my right hand was pressed slightly against her throat.


    ¡°M-My bad!¡± I quickly let the maid go, helping her back on her feet.


    ¡°No... my apologies, Cadet Grey. Lady Vera had informed me not to make contact with you when you were sleeping. I must¡¯ve forgotten,¡± she quickly amended, dipping her head lower.


    She then gestured to the training uniform that she hadid out neatly on my unused bed. ¡°Lady Vera has instructed me to inform you that today¡¯s lessons are cancelled in light of the uing tournament. Instead, you will be sparring with the other king candidates sponsored by Lady Vera¡¯s family.¡±


    ¡°Will Lady Vera be there?¡± I asked, already changing into my training clothes.


    The maid shook her head. ¡°Unfortunately, she will be busy with meetings. She has assured me, however, that she will still make it to your rounds for the citypetition tomorrow.¡±


    I was disappointed but I didn¡¯t let it show as I nodded in reply. After the maid excused herself, I found my hand fiddling with the small trinket that Lady Vera had given me after she saved me from those interrogators that tortured me. It was the insignia of Lady Vera¡¯s house. The Warbridge name that Vera carried distinguished themselves with the emblem of two crossed swords supporting a golden arch.


    Whether it was the reassurance it gave me, proving I had a house that I belonged to, or the fact that it was given to me after one of the most difficult times in my life, I couldn¡¯t go anywhere without it. I stuck it back into my pocket before heading down.


    As I walked through the unique-looking buildings and structures ced in between the wlessly groomed garden andwn of the Warbridge estate, I was reminded of how different this ce was from the usual ces I¡¯d been to.


    It might¡¯ve had to do with the fact that being in a named house¡¯s estate for the first time, or the fact that the Warbridge House members were actually citizens of a different country.


    I had learned fairly early on was that, while they were not from my homnd of Etharia, their home country¡ªTrayden¡ªhad had an alliance with Etharia for over ten years now. This made them eligible to be sponsors for Etharia¡¯s kings, and vice versa.


    I wasn¡¯t too interested in the politics involved in all of this, but since the king still did have a weight in meetings of the Council, I was required to take extensive lessons about the different countries and their diplomatic alliances toward one another.


    By the time I arrived in the Warbridge dueling arena, there was a flurry of activity and noisesing from within.


    Aside from the five government-approved dueling tforms with proper safety features added were a variety of training equipment. Some of the older¡ªbut still efficient¡ªcontraptions used lead weights while other more up-to-date tools utilized the user¡¯s own ki to power and train.


    Normally, there would be quite a few cadets on various training machines but today was different. Family members of the cadets being sponsored here were cheering on their children or siblings that were duking it out in the arena while the cadets that weren¡¯t able to make the cut to participate in the citypetition had been expelled with their contracts cut off.


    I was just in time to see a facilitator I hadn¡¯t met before mark the start of a mock duel. Keeping to the back, I watched with curiosity as to how the other candidates under Lady Vera were doing.


    Having the privilege of being taught by her personally, I had never actually seen the others, much less knew their skills.


    The one to initially catch my interest was the one without a weapon. His expression and the way he held himself told me he had some level of confidence against the sword and shield cadet.


    As soon as the mock duel began, the one without a weapon held out his empty hand and shouted, ¡°Form!¡±


    What fizzled into his hand was a glowing yellow spear.


    Immediately, the crowd formed around the spar roared with surprise and pride.


    ¡°It¡¯s an actual ki weapon!¡± an older gentleman eximed.


    ¡°And he formed it so fast,¡± another man beside him added.


    If it had been a year ago, I would¡¯ve reacted just like the ones in the crowd, perhaps even more because of my disability. It didn¡¯t just take a lot of time and effort to form a ki weapon, but a sufficient amount of ki as well.


    However, I knew from my many lessons with Lady Vera regarding the types of opponents I would face¡ªand even seeing her manifest her own ki weapon¡ªthat this cadet¡¯s spear was no better than an embellished stic stick at this point.


    I had been taught that true masters of ki weapons spent years physically crafting the type of weapon that they wanted to materialize in order to be able truly visualize how their own weapon would manifest. From there, they would start by slowly enveloping their own ki around the type of weapon they wished to form. It was only after they had truly mastered this step that they transitioned into forming a weapon with just their ki.


    This cadet, who couldn¡¯t be more than a year older than me, had obviously skipped out on a lot of steps. It was obvious from how his weapon materialized and how simple the design was. The generic ki spear had almost bubbled into existence unlike the videos of true ki weapon masters I¡¯d seen.


    Still, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a pinch of envy at the fact that he could do something that I would never be able to do. Unlike regr weapons, that had to be inspected and constantly kept within regtions by the World Committee to prohibit cheating by using technology, ki weapons did not have restrictions inpetitions. This included even Paragon Duels that happened amongst kings over political disputes.


    It was an advantage that many kings utilized... one that I could never even dream of doing.


    Putting aside my self-pity, I peered with a watchful eye. While most of these cadets were chosen through various talent agencies, they were still here because they met the Warbridge family¡¯s standards.


    ¡°Begin!¡± the facilitator barked, taking a step back.


    The look on the sword and shield cadet¡¯s face told me the initial shock from the ki weapon had faded. Steeling himself, he charged forward with a ki-infused step. He feigned a shield bash and pivoted to the spear user¡¯s left side. Keeping his shield up in defense against the spear, he swiped down towards his opponent¡¯s open thigh with his shortsword.


    Caught off guard, the ki weapon user stumbled back but managed to at least dodge the attack to his leg. By how the spear user quickly regained his bnce and wits and kept the shield cadet out of range showed that he had some sense of fighting.


    Through superior range and the advantage of weapons, the spear cadet won. It wasn¡¯t a one-sided battle though, and I could tell by how pale the winner¡¯s face was by the end that if his opponent had managed to break his ki weapon, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to materialize another.


    Still, that didn¡¯t keep the winner from forming a nasty sneer on his sweaty face and kicking the shield away from his opponent.


    Rolling my eyes, I made my way towards the arena to let the facilitator know I wasn¡¯t skipping out.


    ¡°Oh look, it¡¯s Lady Vera¡¯s favorite pet,¡± one of the spectating cadets that had yet to spar spoke up.


    Everyone turned towards me, giving me different expressions... none of them particrly pleasant.


    Ignoring them, I walked up and waved at the stout and muscr facilitator. ¡°I was told to do a few rounds before my ki meditation this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, I was told you would being but I don¡¯t have a cadet assigned to be your sparring partner yet,¡± he grunted, lowering the barrier generated around the arena before looking around.


    I stepped into the elevated tform without a word, immediately stretching and getting the kinks out of my body that came from falling asleep on the chair.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to pair you up urately with someone since I¡¯m not familiar with the level you¡¯re at. Anyone in particr you want to spar with, Cadet Grey?¡± the facilitator asked.


    ¡°Anyone¡¯s fine,¡± I said, not bothering to stop stretching.


    ¡°Let me go, Mr. Kali. I¡¯ve been curious how good Lady Vera¡¯s crippled pet is,¡± a familiar voice jeered.


    I looked up to see that it was the cadet that just sparred using his ki spear.


    ¡°Mason. Keep your tongue in check while you¡¯re in my dueling arena,¡± the facilitator admonished before turning to me. ¡°Are you okay with him?¡±


    I stood up, looking at the boy named Mason while stretching my arm. ¡°I¡¯d prefer a cadet that¡¯s in better condition.¡±


    Mason pped his palms on the hard arena floor. ¡°I can beat you silly with both feet anchored to the floor! Mr. Kali, let me teach this cocky brat a lesson!¡±


    There was a beat of hesitation before the facilitator jerked his thumb back, signaling Mason toe up onto the arena. ¡°Put on your protective gears. Cadet Grey, pick out a weapon.¡±


    After putting on the chest and head piece infused with ki, I picked out a single-edged short sword from the rack. After checking its bnce like Lady Vera had taught me and swinging it a couple of times, I walked backed to the center of the arena.


    ¡°Did you forget your shield or other sword, Cadet Grey?¡± Mr. Kali asked, looking at my single de.


    ¡°No. This is fine,¡± I replied.


    Mason looked to be waiting for me to appear fully in view before he materialized his ki weapon. Raising his hand dramatically while locking gazes with me, the spear glowed into existence, albeit a little slower than the first time.


    After getting a nod of confirmation from the two of us, he swung his hand down. ¡°Begin!¡±


    While I didn¡¯t want to drag this battle out, I knew that I couldn¡¯t just rush in like the previous cadet had. Thinking critically was something I had long since gotten used to because of myck of ki. I wouldn¡¯t be able to create that burst of speed like the sword and shield cadet had done, so I stood my ground.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t even take a stance, going as far as leaving my neck wide open.


    ¡°Is this a joke?¡± Mason scoffed, pointing the tip of his glowing spear at me.


    ¡°The duel has already begun,¡± I replied simply, cracking a smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t me me if you wind up physically crippled as well, no-name,¡± he snapped before bursting forward in an explosion of ki.


    I had to admit that his charge was impressive, especially considering how much ki he had spent thest round as well.


    Still, to my eyes, his movements seemed almost telephoned. Over a year of training under Lady Vera and her team of coaches had honed my untamed instincts into an almost unfair technique.


    At thest moment, I dodged his thrust and struck up at his right hand fingers gripping the spear in the front.


    I could sense the thin protective aura of ki shudder, absorbing the impact. Mason still winced in pain though, and more importantly, he was still in my range.


    I sidestepped and brought my sword back down on the same hand, but from a different angle.


    Sensing my intent, Mason shifted his movements to block but even the slight twitch in his shoulder told me where his next move was going to be.


    By the time he positioned himself to block my strike, my strike had already shifted course andnded on his gloved fingers.


    This strike didn¡¯t end with just a wince.


    ¡°Gahh!¡± he belched from the pain. I had to give him credit for not letting go of his weapon, despite the crack that resounded from the blow.


    It took all of two more moves to finish the spar, and another half hour to finish the rounds against the remaining cadets.


    By the end of my warm up, the looks of pity that some of them had given me for being a cripple were wiped clean.


    ***


    ¡°Ahh!¡± I breathed out after taking a long chug from the soda bottle I had kept hidden from Lady Vera. It was lukewarm but the sugary carbonation helped me in ways no amount of training and healthy foods could.


    After drying myself from the shower and changing into morefortable clothes for my meditation, I walked down the halls when I heard a familiar voice in the floor below by one of the studies.


    I ran down the stairs, excited to greet Lady Vera. It had been more and more difficult to even see her face, but I stopped in my tracks when I saw an unfamiliar man with her by the door. He was facing away so all I could tell about his appearance was that he had short trim hair and dressed fashionably in a military-styled suit.


    ¡°Yes. Yes, I understand. I¡¯ll let him know that he¡¯s qualified,¡± Lady Vera said to the man softly. ¡°He might get curious but he¡¯s not too greedy about actuallypeting so I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll press me too much,¡± she continued.


    His voice was low and hard to understand but I could hear bits and pieces of Lady Vera speaking before she escorted the man inside the sound-proofed study.


    ¡°Of course. Yes, she won¡¯t be mentioned. I understand. Thank you. You¡¯re right. He¡¯ll have to fight at least once in order to appease the mass. We¡¯ll prepare Grey for the district...¡±

 Chapter 228

    Chapter 228


    Chapter 228: Anchor


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    I let out a groan, barely able to hear my own voice over the wind sting around us. Propping myself back up on Sylvie¡¯s spiked back, I scanned my surroundings.


    I could see the flying castle nearing in the distance, filling me with a mixture of emotions. The strongest of them had to do with seeing Tessia. It was actually probably the only reason why I didn¡¯t go straight to Etistin where the real battle would be happening soon.


    The castle guards, noticing Sylvie, split apart to form a path while thending dock opened soundlessly.


    I had to hand it to the artificers of the olden days¡ªthe wise and powerful mages that were responsible for not only lifting an entire castle up in the sky but an entire city as well and connecting each major city with a teleportation portal. The constructs left an awe-inspiring feeling every time I saw them.


    It begged the question of what really happened to them. But at the same time, finding out the answer to that wasn¡¯t exactly top in my priorities list.


    Let¡¯s get this over with quickly. I need some scythes or retainers or any cryan soldier to kill, I conveyed, hopping off my bond.


    Surprisingly, thending dock, which was usually filled with activity and noise, waspletely empty aside from the lone figure by the door. It was Virion.


    It took me a moment to realize who it was because of how different he looked.


    The powerful confidence that the old elf usually radiated alongside his lighthearted smirk was gone, reced by a grim expressionplimented by theyers of bags weighing down his eyes.


    His silver hair was unbound and the robes he wore looked a tad too big on him. Still, seeing me and Sylvie, his face softened into what I assumed was a smile of relief.


    Walking up to me in a graceful gait that couldn¡¯t be diminished with just age, he immediately wrapped his arms around me.


    I was stunned. My body flinched from the unexpected physical contact, and for a while my mind went nk.


    ¡°Wee back. You did everything you could, Arthur... you did great,¡± he said softly, in a voice that seemed unfamiliar yet so familiar at the same time.


    The frigid shell of apathy that I had kept myself encased in¡ªaway from the anger, grief, loss and other emotions that were trying to w their way inside¡ªhad melted.


    It could¡¯ve been the warmth of his embrace, or the warmth of his words, but I found myself crying once more. Tears streamed down my cheeks, unabated and warm.


    My shoulders trembled as I tried all I could to keep myself from breaking down once again, but Virion¡¯s words continued to echo in my mind.


    I did all I could. I did great.


    Sylvie remained silent but I felt her soft touch conveying just as much emotion as Virion¡¯s embrace.


    Commander,nce, and asura... the three of us stood there alone in therge empty room, forgetting just for a moment who we were.


    ***


    I held my fist just in front of the door, reluctant to knock.


    I don¡¯t think I can do this by myself right now. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to see Tess with me? I asked my bond who was in another part of the castle.


    ¡®She needs you right now. Just you,¡¯ she replied coolly before intentionally blocking off our mental connection, leaving me stranded.


    Virion had said the same thing after hours of trying tofort his granddaughter. She had locked herself in her room, refusing to see everyone that wanted to help.


    If her own parents and grandfather couldn¡¯t get to her, how could I?


    That was my excuse, anyway. I couldn¡¯t call myself the most empathetic individual and my emotional mindset wasn¡¯t any better than hers right now, it was just that having almost two lifetimes of experience kept me at least functioning.


    But still, she needed my help, just like I had needed Sylvie and Virion¡¯s.


    I pushed down the darkness, all of the bad thoughts, and put them away for now. I¡¯d deal with my own losses in my own time. For now, Tess needed me.


    Holding my breath, I knocked on the door.


    No answer.


    I knocked again. ¡°Tess, it¡¯s Arthur.¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer but I could hear her light steps approaching the door. After a moment, the wooden entrance to Tess¡¯ room slid open and I locked eyes with the girl on the other side.


    I had seen so much in those vivid turquoise eyes of hers...ughter, joy, anger, determination. But this was the first time to see such utter despair. It hurt me to see her like this, so much so that I wanted to turn away.


    Instead I thought of when she had been there for me,forting me when I was vulnerable. Clearing my throat, I stepped into her room and pulled her towards the shower.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need help washing up, right?¡± I teased, hoping for some sort of response.


    Without a word, she began stripping, throwing me off guard. Through sheer determination, I managed to turn away before I could see anything and I waited anxiously outside on the couch.


    After what seemed like an hour, Tessia stepped out of the bathroom with a towel barely slung over her chest and her dark gray hair dripping pools of water behind her.


    Getting up, I grabbed another towel and sat her down in front of the small vanity in the corner of her room. My chest ached at the fact that Tessia couldn¡¯t even bring herself to look at her own reflection.


    Virion had told me what had happened after reading the report from General Aya. I knew the choices she had made and the consequences that had resulted from them. She med herself much like I did but even I knew that consoling her wasn¡¯t as simple as saying, ¡®hey, I know how you feel.¡¯


    So, I didn¡¯t say anything. I gently patted down her long hair with the spare towel I brought. After that, I created a warm soft breeze from all directions topletely dry her hair.


    After her hair was sufficiently dried, I grabbed the brush from the wooden vanity. Whilebing her hair, all I could think about was how small her shoulders looked. They were shoulders that had so much burden and expectations ced on them. It was easy to forget that before this war, she had just been a student. Despite the simr physical age we shared, she didn¡¯t have a past life to rely on for experience and mental fortitude.


    ¡°You¡¯re really bad at this.¡± Tess¡¯ voice was soft and hoarse, but it still made my heart skip a beat.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not like I have experience doing this sort of thing,¡± I rebutted, embarrassed.


    I was about to put back the brush, but a nce back from Tess stopped me. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you to stop.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Princess,¡± I replied. Normally, she¡¯d be pouting from a response like that. Tess had always hated it since the first time we met whenever I referred to her as ¡®princess,¡¯ but not even the slightest hint of emotion could be seen on her face.


    Still, it was just good to hear her voice.


    For a while, I just absentmindedly talked while slowly brushing her hair. I told her stories of my childhood¡ªsilly stories of our misadventures back together in Elenoir when we were kids. While we had spent a lot of time training, and me assimting with Sylvia¡¯s beast will, that didn¡¯t mean we didn¡¯t rx and have fun.


    The memories of simpler times made Tessia titter on asion and correct my story.


    ¡°I was the one that had told you we shouldn¡¯t go down that ravine, not you, wise guy,¡± she chortled.


    ¡°Really? I¡¯m sure I was the smart and cautious one when we were little.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Smart, I¡¯ll admit, but I wouldn¡¯t exactly say you were a cautious one. Ugh, I still remember finding the moss leeches on my body even hours after we made it back home.¡±


    I stifled augh, remembering clearly how grossed out she had been at the harmless wriggling leeches that stuck to our skin. She didn¡¯t even have the courage to p them off, resorting in a spastic il of limbs that made her look like she had been shocked by lightning.


    ¡°Why are youughing?¡± she asked, narrowing her eyes.


    I didn¡¯t answer, instead doing my best impression of her get-these-leeches-off-me dance.


    ¡°I was eight!¡± she protested, hitting me in the arm.


    ¡°Finally, you show some spirit.¡± I smiled, rubbing my arm.


    She red at me, but when I raised my arms up in submission, she turned fully towards me and wrapped her arms around my waist.


    Tess remained still, her face buried in my chest. Even as the towel around her fell, leaving herpletely bare, she didn¡¯t react.


    Suddenly, I was all too conscious. I was conscious of her soft pale flesh, the intoxicating smell that emanated from her.


    When she looked up, her captivating eyes met mine and despite the shade of pink rising up in her cheeks and ears, I could see the longing and need for affection.


    She closed her eyes then and pursed her quivering lips and it took all I had to stay sane. I reminded myself of the days after I had be a king. The days of loneliness where I questioned my self-worth. The days where I indulged in physical intimacy to get a semnce of what being loved felt like¡ªnot as a political figure, but as a person.


    I lowered my head, and for a second, I was tempted to meet her lips with mine. We had done so before, afterall.


    But I knew that given the circumstances, it wasn¡¯t the same.


    I ced a gentle kiss on her forehead, feeling her flinch under my touch.


    She pulled away. ¡°Why? Am I not attractive enough? Is it because you still see me as a kid? I¡¯m already eighteen. Or...is it that you me me for what happened too?¡±


    ¡°Do you me yourself?¡± I asked back.


    Tess lowered her gaze and nodded. ¡°I-I was selfish and I thought that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re growing,¡± I cut her off, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. ¡°We all make mistakes, but the hardest part is admitting them and moving forward so they don¡¯t happen again.¡±


    Her shoulders trembled as she sniffled. ¡°So it¡¯s not because I¡¯m unattractive?¡±


    It took a second to realize what she was talking about. Immediately my face burned as I took in her exposed figure. ¡°No, it¡¯s not because you¡¯re unattractive. I just want to do it properly, when neither of us are doing this as a way to escape.¡±


    Prying my unwilling eyes away from the sight in front of me, I turned away. ¡°You should get dressed. There¡¯s one more thing I wanted to do for you.¡±


    ***


    The kitchen was empty when we arrived, but thankfully there were plenty of ingredients stored in the chilled containers to make a quick midnight snack for ourselves.


    ¡°You wanted to... eat with me?¡± Tess asked, looking around the kitchen.


    Taking a wrapped b of meat from the storage, I held it up. ¡°I wanted to cook for you.¡±


    ¡°Cook? Why?¡±


    I shrugged, gathering the rest of the ingredients andying them out to prepare. ¡°You¡¯ve grown up with meals made for you by the chefs in the castle.¡±


    Rather than use magic, I pulled out a kitchen knife and I began dicing and mincing the ingredients. ¡°Back in Ashber, when I was a kid, my mom used to cook all of our meals. She poured her time and energy just to see a smile on my and... my dad¡¯s faces while we ate.¡±


    My hand trembled but I continued cutting. ¡°Sitting at the dinner table..ughing and joking over good food. It was one of those things that I never truly appreciated¡ªnot until it was... toote.¡±


    I hurriedly wiped away a tear. ¡°Ah, s-some of the spices must¡¯ve gotten into my eyes. Sorry about that. Almost forgot about the water.¡± I turned away from Tess and lowered the fire beneath the boiling pot of broth.


    Through gritted teeth, I held back the sobs forming in my chest, but the tears wouldn¡¯t stop. My hands shook and my breath came out in choked bursts.


    shes of memory from my time as a child growing up in Ashber pierced at my head like hot iron stakes, but I held firm. I needed tofort Tess.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m okay, Art.¡± Her voice was gentle, and her soft caress was enough to drive me to my knees.


    I fell to the cold hard floor, clutching my chest as heaving sobs tore out from my throat. I didn¡¯t remember much throughout the rest of the night. Maybe I didn¡¯t want to remember being bogged down by the unfamiliar and raw emotions wing away at me.


    What I did remember, was the warm touch of Tess¡¯ hands keeping me anchored and sane.

 Chapter 229

    Chapter 229


    Chapter 229: Field of White


    Alduin mmed the door as he stormed off. The room still shuddered slightly from the impact.


    ¡°That didn¡¯t go too bad. I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d give in so easily,¡± Virion breathed, sinking back in his seat. These past months had done worse for the weathered old elf than all the years I¡¯d known himbined.


    ¡°Neither did I,¡± I mused, my eyes still on the door that Alduin had exited through.


    The Council meeting had finished more than an hour ago, but Alduin stayed to protest the decision Virion had made. Even General Aya, who never voiced her opinions regarding orders, pleaded with Commander Virion to reconsider earlier.


    I didn¡¯t me them. Virion had ultimately decided to evacuate forces from Elenoir and focus troops on the western border to defend against the cryan shipsing from the ocean. For the elves, this meant that they were basically being abandoned.


    By the end of their discussion just now, Alduin was still angry, but he relented.


    ¡°Seeing that he wants to lead the strategy for evacuating our people, it feels like he¡¯s finally understanding that we¡¯re fighting to protect Dicathen as a whole, not just Elenoir.¡± He let out a sigh, rubbing his temples. ¡°This will at least give me more time to focus on the fallback scenarios.¡±


    I nodded. Forming strategies for battles was only half the task during times of war. Thinking of various contingencies and getting all of your troops to know what to do when things didn¡¯t work out as nned was just as, if not more, important.


    The two of us stood wordlessly in the room for a moment before Virion cleared his throat. I knew the question that wasing. It was the question that Virion had struggled to ask me when I had arrived back at the Castle.


    ¡°So, Arthur. Have you thought about my request?¡± Virion said, cold determination in his eyes.


    I met his strong gaze. ¡°I have, and I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯m going to have to respectfully refuse.¡±


    ¡°And what if I change my request to an order?¡± he challenged.


    ¡°Then I¡¯d have no choice but to do it.¡±


    After a beat of silence, Virion let out a deep sigh, shaking his head. ¡°If your father hadn¡¯t died, would you have said yes?¡±


    My jaw tightened and I struggled to keep calm but I managed a response. ¡°Most likely.¡±


    He waved his hand in dismissal before continuing. ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t push anymore on this topic.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said consolingly. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve heard that General Bairon is fairly knowledgeable in war, anyway.¡±


    ¡°The Wykes¡¯ family tradition is always to teach their younger generation the art of war and battle,¡± Virion replied. ¡°But his knowledge stems from books of theory and old teachings.¡±


    ¡°Compared to my knowledge... as a teenager?¡± I rebutted with an amused smile.


    Virion chortled. ¡°If I thought you were a normal teenager, I would treat you the same as my granddaughter and put you both, along with the rest of your family, in protective custody.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll take you up on that offer,¡± I teased.


    ¡°There is no offer, brat. Speaking as themander, I can¡¯t afford to lose you, so toughen up,¡± he growled. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to lead, then at least get your hands bloody.¡±


    ¡°Aye aye,mander,¡± I saluted. ¡°Just have that early retirement package waiting for me.¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± he chuckled.


    The two of us talked a bit more, mostly Virion telling me what to expect once Sylvie and I arrive at Etistin, but also bringing up stories from our past.


    After all, this might be thest time we would see each other.


    ¡°My mother and sister should be arriving at the castle in the next day or so. Please take care of them in case I don¡¯t make it back,¡± I said, holding out my hand.


    There was a part of me that wanted to personally say goodbye to my mother and sister, to see their faces onest time in case I really didn¡¯t make it out of this battle alive, but a bigger part of me was scared.


    I was moreforted by the fact that, even if I died, my remaining family might mourn for me, rather than look at me with faces filled with hatred, disdain or apathy.


    If that made me a coward, then I would embrace that title. At this point, I was fighting this war more to escape than I was to save our people from the cryans.


    Virion sped my hand and pulled me into a hug. ¡°You know I¡¯ll treat Alice and Eleanor as if they were my own blood. They¡¯ll be given the same priority for retreat as Tessia and the Council.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I let go of his hand and walked towards the door. I turned back onest time to see Virion with a clenched jaw and stiffened neck as he did all he could to keepposed. ¡°You¡¯re one of the few people in this world that made this life worth living and this continent worth fighting for.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need any armor?¡± I asked my bond, concerned to see her just wearing a long ck cloak over a pair of pants and a long-sleeved tunic all fashioned out of her own scales. Her long wheat-colored hair was pulled back and tied into a braid, entuating herrge horns.


    ¡°My scales are strong enough. Besides, conventional armor would be useless when I shift between forms,¡± she answered as we continued our way towards the teleportation room.


    The doors were already open with only one guard stationed in front. Because many of the soldiers in the Castle were sent off to Etistin, theck of personnel was definitely noticeable.


    I could see a few a familiar faces, waiting to send us off amidst the workers bustling about, making sure the teleportation gate was functional and set to the right location. Aside from Tess and Elder Buhnd, Kathyln and Elder Hester were here as well.


    ¡°Looking quite dashing there, young hero,¡± Elder Hester smiled. ¡°Clothes really do make the man.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Elder Hester,¡± I greeted, holding out a hand. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t take what I did personally.¡±


    Hester mesworth epted my gesture with a wry smile. ¡°I heard about your father and what Trodius was nning. The mesworth prestige isn¡¯t nearly as important for me and I hope this will serve to humble my... brother. At this point, all I can say is thank you for allowing him to live.¡±


    I nodded, letting go of her hand before turning to Elder Buhnd. I gave the old dwarf a pat on the shoulder. ¡°I could tell from the meeting we had earlier that you¡¯re just itching to go out into the field. What do you say, wanna just book it out of here with me?¡±


    ¡°Bah, and get my arse dragged back by Virion? I¡¯ll pass. Besides, it seems like he needs a hand with everything going on these days,¡± he replied, looking up at me. ¡°Be careful over there. I know it may not feel like it right now, but there are people that care about you and are waiting for you toe back.¡±


    Again, I just nodded. The promise I had made to my mother¡ªthat I would make sure my father was okay, turned out to be empty. I didn¡¯t want to say or promise anything I couldn¡¯t keep.


    My gaze eventually fell on Kathyln, who had been silent.


    ¡°Thank you for seeing me off,¡± I told her, holding out my hand.


    Kathyln hesitated before grabbing my hand. She looked up, concern knitted in her brows. ¡°I wish I could fight alongside you and my brother.¡±


    ¡°Your mission is just as important, if not more, for the future of Dicathen. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Iforted with a smile. I could feel her anxiousness and frustration at being unable to fight in the main battle.


    Councilman ine and Councilwoman Merial had ¡®ordered¡¯ her to be sent to the Wall to help the remaining soldiers there scout the area and make sure there weren¡¯t any stray beasts heading towards the fortress. After Trodius had been taken away and many of the soldiers were sent to ckbend City in order to be transported to Etistin, the Wall was severelycking in capable fighters.


    Kathyln¡¯s parents probably thought being at the Wall was much safer and at least gave their restless daughter something to do.


    Finally, I turned to Tess, who was already hugging and saying goodbyes with Sylvie. The two had always been close and the scene in front of me felt more like sisters saying goodbye.


    When it was my turn, I gave Tess a long hug as well. ¡°I heard you¡¯re going to be with my sister and mother. I¡¯ll leave them to you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let anything happen to them,¡± she muttered, before pulling out the leaf pendant she had under her shirt. ¡°Just remember to keep your promise.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± I answered, pulling out my own pendant. We stared at each other silently for a moment before I pulled my gaze away. I couldn¡¯t keep the image of my father¡¯s corpse out of my head while looking at Tess.


    I was the one going into battle, but somehow I was still afraid for Tess. I knew it was childish and irresponsible to think this, but the thought of her being carried over to me in the same state as my father and being unable to do anything despite all of the power I had made me want to run away¡ªnot just with her but with Ellie and my mother.


    A firm squeeze on my arms pulled me out of my thoughts. In front of me was Tess with the same smile she hadst night, long after I had broken down in the kitchen. It was a smile that carried both loss and hope and it was just enough to give me the strength to step through the teleportation gate.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon. All of you,¡± I dered before stepping through with Sylvie by my side.


    After the unsettling sensation of teleportation wore off, the two of us stepped down the raised podium that held the gate. Heavily armored soldiers stood on either side of us, heads inclined in a bow.


    ¡°General Arthur, and Lady Sylvie. General Bairon is waiting for you in the castle,¡± the soldier to my left announced.


    ¡°Will you be guiding us?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Actually, that¡¯ll be me,¡± a familiar deep voice resounded from below.


    It was Curtis yder. Despite all of the events that had transpired, the years had treated him well. His clean shaven face and sharp military crew cut made Curtis the dashing white knight he always aspired to be, with polished armor and swords strapped on both sides of his hips.


    Behind him was Grawder, his world lion bond.


    ¡°Curtis,¡± I greeted.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d prefer a familiar face since you¡¯ve never really been around these parts,¡± he said with a picturesque smile. ¡°And even if you have been here, so much has changed that I doubt you¡¯d even recognize it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never actually been here, but you¡¯re right in that this ce doesn¡¯t really seem like a city,¡± I noted, taking in the strange sights.


    Aside from the shops that had been converted into workstations for professional cksmiths and atitors, the city za before us was also filled with tents. Inside were women, the elderly and even children helping out by either washing and folding cloth, tying arrowheads to wooden shafts, or packaging rations. No one was idle, with everyone either making something or transporting it.


    Soldiers practiced marching in their toons with their respective officers barkingmands. Off to the side were two archery ranges that spanned over thirty yards each. There, archers stood positioned almost shoulder to shoulder,unching volleys of arrows at the wall fashioned out of haystacks.


    ¡°A lot to take in, right?¡± Curtis asked as he guided us towards therge brick tower that stood in the distance. ¡°The entire city has been sort of rearranged to be the stronghold and production center for the battle that¡¯s going to happen on the coast.


    We followed behind the prince, not staying in one ce for too long since we¡¯d just draw attention.


    I appreciated the brief tour though, and Curtis¡¯ livelymentary helped both Sylvie and I rx. Aside from the soldiers doing physical training andbat drills, the mood was light and overall happy.


    ¡°I was expecting a very serious and intense atmosphere,¡± my bond chimed, her head always turning and taking in the new sights.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re still a few miles away from the coast where the actual battle will be happening,¡± Curtis answered, pointing to the thick walls that seemed newly made. ¡°We¡¯re mainly fortifying the western edge of the city with the help of carpenters and earth mages and digging up some tunnels for the civilians that are left here to escape.¡±


    As we got closer to the edge of the city, the more soldiers we would see. Carriages would be pulled towards the gated entrance facing the coast, carrying weapons and other supplies.


    ¡°Come on, up this way.¡± Curtis pointed at the imposing castle that had been stripped down and refortified into its own fortress. Some parts were still being constructed as bs of earth were being floated up by mages. The castle was situated on a small hill that overlooked the rest of the city, with only one tower that peaked above therge walls that easily towered over fifty feet.


    ¡°You said General Bairon was waiting for me, right? Any idea where General Varay might be?¡± I asked, looking up at the tower.


    ¡°She¡¯s still helping out with the construction off the coast,¡± Curtis exined briefly, greeting the soldiers guarding the tower entrance.


    Sylvie and I looked at each other, confused. ¡°Construction?¡±


    Curtis shot me a grin. ¡°You¡¯ll see when you get up there. Come on.¡±


    Thankfully, there was a mana-powered crate and pulley system that was able to hoist us up to the top in just a few minutes.


    ¡°Courtesy of Artificer Gideon, who should be somewhere in this city, working the other artificers and carpenters to their bones,¡± Curtis exined. ¡°The main room is just up those stairs but there¡¯s a window on this floor as well. You should take a look.¡±


    Curious, Sylvie and I walked towards the far end of the circr room that only had a lounge-like area with another soldier guarding the base of the stairs.


    The two of us peered out, and at first we didn¡¯t know exactly what we were supposed to be looking at. My eyes scanned the small mountains that made up most of the area north of Etistin and went further south until my gazended on the Etistin bay shore.


    Without a doubt, that was what Curtis wanted us to see.


    Sylvie let out a small gasp as my jaw dropped.


    Filling up over half of the entire Etistin bay that stretched out longer than a mile was nothing but a field of white.


    An expanse of ice and snow had been created to meet the approaching ships.


    ¡°Amazing, isn¡¯t it? This is what General Varay has been working on.¡± Curtis leaned forward next to us. ¡°Thergest battle of Dicathen will be held on this cial field.¡±

 Chapter 230

    Chapter 230


    Chapter 230: Resounding Horns


    Sylvie and I remained entranced by the snowy white field that extended from the shore out into the ocean. It was amazing to see the conjuration of such a vast phenomenon made from one person. Surely, General Varay would be exhausted by now until she could recover her mana, but the job had been well done.


    Aside from the aesthetics provided, I was curious as to the sort of strategy Virion and the rest of the Council had to utilize this ice field. I was given minimal information on the specific formations, deployment and maneuvering of troops and the actual line formation that we¡¯d be using to face the approaching cryan army.


    ¡°Ready to go up, General?¡± Curtis¡¯s voice rang from behind.


    I pried my eyes away, turning to the single set of stairs leading to the floor above. Sylvie was right behind me and despite appearing even younger than my sister in her human form, I could sense the excitement of battle leaking from her.


    Climbing up the stairs and entering what I assumed was the strategic hub for the battle here, I was surprised at how... efficient everything was.


    ¡®Efficient¡¯ might not have been the best word, but the activities going on inside the room reminded me of the strategy rooms during my time as Grey back on Earth.


    There were rows of desks with people sitting in front ofrge piles of transmission scrolls instead ofputers. They were all faced towards the center of the circr room with a view of General Barion, standing on an elevated podium that was looking over arge earthen table with an uneven surface and arge ss orb perched on top of an intricate artifact. Surrounding this artifact were over twelve mages on standby.


    While I was curious about the purpose of the clear orb, it only took me a second to realize that the earthen table, with a dwarven mage hovering his hands over it, was a rough depiction of the soon-to-be battlefield.


    General Bairon Wykes, older brother of Lucas Wykes, was currently discussing something about the march before he finally turned to look at me.


    His expression was controlled but the slight twitch in his eyebrows told me that he hadn¡¯t exactly forgotten what I had done to his brother. Still,pared to how he acted when we had me for the first time, his impulse control had gotten a lot better.


    ¡°General Bairon,¡± I greeted curtly, walking up to the earthen war table.


    ¡°General Leywin,¡± he replied, not bothering to step down from the podium he was standing on.


    I studied theyout of the war table, noticing the small earthen figures that most likely represented the troops.


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming this information isn¡¯t real-time, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No it isn¡¯t, General Arthur,¡± the dwarf answered respectfully. ¡°I¡¯m only able to roughly gauge and track the progress from the reports through the transmission scrolls sent in by the captains.¡±


    ¡°And what is this giant orb?¡± I asked, looking at Bairon this time.


    ¡°It¡¯s an artifact that can be better used as a medium for the diviners present,¡± he answered.


    ¡°How are the diviners getting information from the battlefield?¡±


    ¡°Those other mages you see beside the projection artifact are elite deviants capable of scrying by sharing senses with their bonded beasts. The diviners will be able to link the images from the scryers¡¯ minds and project them into the orb for the strategic general of this battle to see,¡± Bairon replied, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I came here after declining your position. I¡¯ll be joining the othernces on the battlefield,¡± I quipped, annoyed by thence¡¯s attitude.


    ¡°At least you had the brain to decline it. Tens of thousands of soldiers¡¯ lives rest on the choices made in this room,¡± Bairon retorted. ¡°If you can¡¯t even keep your own family alive, how will you keep the soldiers out there from dying needlessly?¡±


    I whipped my head back, rage iring. ¡° What did you say?¡±


    Bairon smiled smugly. ¡°You heard me.¡±


    ¡°Both of you, stop,¡± my bond said, pulling on my sleeve. ¡°And retract your mana.¡±


    Looking around, I could see that the killing intent infused with mana that had leaked out were straining the people present in the room. Calming myself, I shot Bairon a re and held up a hand. ¡°Give me the debrief papers you got from the Council and we¡¯ll be on our way.¡±


    Bairon reluctantly handed me the folder. In it were dozens of pages highlighting relevant information along with several transmission scrolls.


    Not wanting to stay in this room any longer than necessary, I made my way to the exit, stopping just short of the doorway leading to the stairs with Curtis and Sylvie beside me. ¡°And General Bairon? If one of the requirements to have this role was to ¡®keep your own family alive¡¯, then I might just argue that you¡¯re in no position to be up on that podium.¡±


    I crossed the high city walls that marked the edge of Etistin perched on Sylvie¡¯s back as I read through the notes outlining the various phases of this battle. The drumming of footsteps resounded below from the soldiers marching through the hills that led down to the Etistin Bay.


    To make things even better for those struggling on their march, the gray clouds hung low, and the air was moist. It looked like the battle would be done under the rain.


    Something¡¯s not adding up, I said to myself, my eyes scouring over the estimated numbers of the cryan forces approaching.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ Sylvie replied, noticing my concern.


    It¡¯s just that... if I was the cryan general, there is no way I would initiate a full scale battle like this.


    I could sense the confusion from my bond, so I borated what was on my mind.


    From what we¡¯d gathered, crya had been preparing for this war for many years now, from smuggling spies like Headmaster Goodsky to poisoning and corrupting the mana beasts. They¡¯d taken extreme and careful measures by colluding with the secretive dwarves and bridging gaps by installing teleportation gates deep within the dungeons of the Beast des.


    This all happened under our noses while Dicathen barely knew that another continent even existed!


    So to me, it seemed counterintuitive for them to abandon all of the strategic prowess that they¡¯ve demonstrated and face us head on like this.


    Based on the numbers, their forces were huge and any of the attacks we¡¯d already tried had been easily blocked by their specialized defensive mages. However, they were stilling by ship¡ªtheir resources were limited. The journey here must¡¯ve already drained their food and water supply by a considerable amount. If we yed a war of attrition, their forces would soon die of thirst or starvation.


    Of course, one could argue that crya¡¯s strengths truly shined inrge scale battle, since their specialized mages were much more of a well-oiled and cohesive military forcepared to our soldiers. But still, we vastly outnumbered them even if it would take time to mobilize all of our forces.


    Was I overthinking things? Perhaps the cryans just wanted to wrap this up. I knew that Agrona wanted to avoid an unnecessarily high death count on either sides for his goals against the asuras in Epheotus, so maybe he thought that obtaining victory in a formal battle like this would end the war cleanly?


    ¡®Maybe you should¡¯ve taken the strategic general position,¡¯ Sylvie chimed after absorbing all of the thoughts I had practically vomited onto her.


    No. Bairon is a dick, but he¡¯s right. I don¡¯t have a stable enough mindset to dictate the lives of the soldiers when I know that each of their deaths would be caused by the decisions I make.


    I didn¡¯t want to y chess using the lives of our soldiers as pawns when I already felt responsible for the death of my father.


    ¡°Focus, Arthur. We have a war to finish,¡± I said aloud, pping my cheeks.


    With General Bairon under the helm of leadership, I was now but a soldier assigned a mission. In a way, this was easier. My hands would get bloody instead of my soul.


    Fly a bit lower, Sylv, I sent to my bond, closing the folder Bairon had given me.


    Sylvie folded her wings and dived down so the endless line of soldiers no longer looked like faceless ants.


    With a wave of my arms, I released a st of fire, intertwining tendrils of lightning and des of wind in a spectacr show of elements up into the sky.


    Catching onto what I was doing, Sylvie raised her head and opened herrge jaws to let out a deafening roar.


    Hearing the whoops and shouts immediately from the troops below, I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡®That was a bit childish of us, no?¡¯ my bond asked, chuckling a bit as well.


    Not at all. Morale is one of the most overlooked but important aspects ofrge-scale battles, I replied as the two of us slowly approached the nearing ocean.


    We made our way to Etistin Bay.


    The first thing we noticed was the temperature. As we got closer to the conjured field of snow and ice, I felt a biting chill permeating through my skin.


    Varay was truly on another levelpared to the rest of the othernces. While I¡¯d like to confidently say that I could beat Varay in a one-on-one battle, I couldn¡¯t. While I had the advantage of being able to manipte multiple elements and had Sylvia¡¯s dragon will, they seemed like cheap parlor tricks in the face of the absolute power and control that Varay had.


    Even if I managed to beat her, I¡¯d be lucky if I only lost an arm or a leg. But having her as an ally was incredibly reassuring.


    The two of usnded just on the threshold where the coastal beaches became ice¡ªan odd sight to see. Here, it wasn¡¯t only the temperature that had changed; the atmosphere from the infantry was tense and dark.


    Even with the captains shouting and trying to boost morale, I could almost see the weight of death that they carried on their shoulders. With eyes drawn towards me, I remained impassive, but my stomach churned, seeing the soldiers lined up front. With the weight of their own armor making them slouch forward and their gazes that held no hardness trained soldiers would have, it was easy to tell that many of them were civilians that had been called to arms.


    How many of these people staring at me would die, being the first to face the enemy lines? I tried not to dwell on it. I tried to bring back that detached, emotionless state I had relied so heavily on during my life as King Grey.


    I ignored the teens, some even younger than me, staring at me as I stood beside therge ck dragon that towered over them.


    Sylvie and my presence did give many of the soldiers hope. I could hear whispers amongst each other of the good news that there were now twonces to fight by their side.


    ¡°General Arthur, wee.¡± The frigid smooth voice cut through the steam, and the silhouette of an armor-d woman could be seen with billowing hair just past her shoulders.


    ¡°General Varay,¡± I greeted with a genuine smile. The very presence of thisnce seemed to shift the atmosphere. She carried herself lightly and elegantly like a gazelle but her gaze and poise spilled confidence.


    She stretched out her hand, making it a point to show ourposure and leisure in front of the quadrants of infantry troops. I epted her gesture and Sylvie, who remained in her draconic form, lowered her head to let Varay gently touch her snout.


    We walked together towards the back while the white-haired general exined the basic formations and maneuvering they had nned. Most of it I had already read about but it was another thing seeing the sheer size of the force that would be fighting on our side.


    The first line consisted of armed warriors serving as the first point of contact against the enemies. They would charge and do as much damage until given the signal to retreat behind the second line, who wereposed of trained soldiers¡ªa mixture of both regr warriors and augmenters.


    Finally making up thest of this first ¡®wave¡¯ was basically the barrier troops. These were the elite soldiers that were all augmenters, many of whom had elemental affinities.


    ¡°There will be a gap of about thirty paces where the conjurers will make up the next line along with another line of barrier troops to fall back on,¡± Varay exined, gesturing to the armored mages donning staves.


    It was when we walked past the line of conjurers that I saw some familiar faces. One of which I wasn¡¯t too fond of.


    Captain Auddyr, standing tall behind his troops consisting of elite augmenters. The captain that I had met back near the town of Slore when I was deployed on my first mission was wearing a conspicuously extravagant set of armor. The two of us exchanged nces and the only greeting I was shown as a slight bow before he turned back to his troops.


    The second familiar face was Madam Astera, the one and only head cook that I had sparred against in that very same mission. Appropriately, however, she was donned in armor and wore two longswords across her back with ease.


    Looking closer at her soldiers, I was able to make out a few of them underneath all of their armor as well. The girl that I remember as Nyphia and the bully of a soldier named Herrick, both of whom tried to best me in a duel but failed.


    There was a small sense of pleasure that I got from seeing their awestruck faces when our eyes met. Madam Astera, on the other hand, shot me a grin and mouthed the words, ¡®looking good¡¯ at me.


    I shot Nyphia and Herrick a yful wink, eliciting a blush from one and a visible shrinking of shoulders from the other, before moving on.


    We climbed the stone stairs that followed the steep incline of the terrain just east of Etistin Bay.


    This was another strategic advantage that our side held. The ascending elevation gave our archers and conjurers, that were able to cast at longer ranges, a field advantage without having to waste time and resources building tforms for them to shoot from. Walls for defense had been made by earth mages, and many of the archers were stringing their bows.


    We reached the top of the hill just in time for me to feel the first raindrop on my cheek. It only took a few seconds before a heavy downpour ensued. Sylvie was about to lift up a wing to shield us from the rain, but I stopped her.


    We¡¯re all soldiers here. We¡¯ll all fight under the rain together anyway, I said, my eyes focusing on the field of ice. Rain and fog impeded our vision, and the sound of our soldiers still marching towards the shore could be heard amidst heavy thrumming of rain.


    ¡°We will stay behind for the first wave. Scryers will have eyes on the field and General Bairon will ry information on the enemy forces for us soon after,¡± General Varay said beside me. ¡°There are additional forces that are on their way, some of whom are silver-core mages.¡±


    And so, we waited. I could feel the tension building and more than once I could hear a captain peptalking their troops.


    ¡®The wait is more agonizing than I imagined,¡¯ my bond sent, her bright hazel eyes trying to catch a glimpse of anything within the fog above the icefield.


    I nodded, barely restraining myself from flying over and breaking hell by myself. During this time, more and more troops arrived. Some were sent to either side of the bay in order to nk, while others remained back as reserve forces.


    It felt like hours had passed, all of us standing in the rain with white knuckles gripping our weapons.


    Finally the horn rang.


    I could see our men stiffen as the deep brassy note told them the enemies hadnded.


    The second horn rang, and it was then that tense air dissipated followed by the mana-enforced roar of General Varay.


    ¡°Charge!¡±

 Chapter 231

    Chapter 231


    Chapter 231: Following Orders


    The quiet yet palpable tension had dissipated, reced by the guttural roars of our soldiers and the rumble of the earth as they charged forth with fervor.


    Even with all of my knowledge and experience in the battlefield, both in this life and the previous, my heart still quivered in excitement.


    Sylvie felt it, and she was in a simr state as well. The rush of adrenaline leaking from her mixed alongside my own barely-contained anticipation as we gazed down at the approaching enemy forces.


    We leaned forward, watching expectantly as our forces collided with theirs. Our front line was an organized wave of soldiers with allies ready to back them up and provide cover, but it was different on their side.


    At first, it was hard to notice. The mist that had shrouded the battlefield obscured everyone from looking at fine details.


    Even the scrys behind us were barely able to give us any news or readings aside from the fact that our enemy troops all wore little to no armor of various colors.


    Despite knowing what was happening below, I couldn¡¯t make out the shes of metal and screams of soldiers from a distance. It was different. During battles on a scale thisrge, sounds weren¡¯t as distinct. They sort of blended in together in such volume that tremors could be felt all the way up here.


    Can you tell what¡¯s going on? I asked Sylvie.


    My bond responded by shaking her head.


    I turned to Varay. ¡°Maybe we should get rid of the mist, General. I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s going on down there.¡±


    The white-haired ice mage refused. ¡°We know what¡¯s on their side. We have to keep them from knowing what¡¯s on our side. Deviating from the n at this stage is impossible. Wait for Bairon and the Council¡¯s orders.¡±


    I was irritated but held my tongue. She was right¡ªand more than that, it wasn¡¯t my ce to make suggestions like this. I was the one that refused the position because I couldn¡¯t handle the responsibility. Who was I toe here now and do as I please just because I felt uneasy?


    Choosing to trust Varay, Bairon, and the Council that were still receiving information realtime, I watched, waiting for my time toe.


    shes of light followed by a wave of cries and screams soon caught my attention.


    It looks like the cryans have already sent in their mages, I conveyed to my bond.


    It was a little disconcerting that they¡¯d deploy their mages so early on in the battle. However, I remembered what Agrona said about how crya had so many more mages due to experiments that he had performed since generations before.


    ¡®Their mages seem to be spread out inconsistently, though,¡¯ Sylvie pointed out.


    She was right. There were areas on the field where shes of magic were close together or clustered, while in other areas, there would be spells going off several dozens of yards away from one another.


    Again, a sense of unease filled me, but I remained quiet, My eyes scanned across the battlefield through the shroud of steam emanating from the icy ground, trying to find any signs of a retainer or scythe.


    Suddenly, shadows stretched above me. Looking up, I saw a fleet of mages riding on various winged mounts.


    ¡°The aerial fleets are here,¡± Varay announced as the dozen or so mages sailed overhead and into the battlefield.


    There would be three main forces against the cryans during this battle. First were the infantry, responsible for making first contact and keeping a constant pressure forward, away from the Etistin Bay. Next were the aerial forces responsible for creating disarray to the cryan¡¯s backline by dropping spells on them from above. Finally, there was us, thences.


    The aerial forces lit up the foggy backdrop with their spells. One of them rained down motes of fire on the cryans while another utilized the mist itself and formed the water droplets into sharp icicles.


    The cries and screams that were so jarring at first were beginning to blend in with the other background noises of battle. Seeing Varay¡¯s gaze as she studied the battlefield intently, I could almost see the burdens of their deaths weighing down on her shoulders.


    The battle continued for more than an hour before I finally lost it.


    ¡°General Varay. Let me go down there too,¡± I requested.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s too soon,¡± she replied, still gazing down at the battlefield. ¡°Wait until after the other infantry divisions nk from both sides. That¡¯s when you¡¯ll go down.¡±


    I was itching to go down there, to feel useful. After the recent battles and losses, I needed a win.


    ¡®It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll have our time to contribute, Arthur,¡¯ Sylvieforted. ¡®Besides, it looks like the tide of battle is in our favor.¡¯


    This was true. I had to admit that for how little experience our side had withrge-scale battles, we were holding up fairly well. I could make out the vague outlines of formations from where we were standing. With three lines that interchanged positions constantly to give each other a break, our forces were able to maintain their intensity.


    Varay turned her piercing gaze to me. ¡°You¡¯ll go in and target only their powerful mages. You will only be in the field for an hour at a time.¡±


    I nodded in understanding. Varay and I were the only white core mages on this side. I couldn¡¯t be too tired in case a retainer or scythe¡ªperhaps both¡ªshowed up. That was our most important duty.


    ¡°Get ready,¡± Varay instructed.


    I hopped on top of Sylvie¡¯s back, dding myself in mana.


    Another horn trumpeted out in the distance, followed by another one on the other side of the bay.


    ¡°Go!¡± Varay ordered. ¡°And don¡¯t die.¡±


    I thought she was joking, but her severe expression said otherwise. Giving her a stern nod, Sylvie beat her powerful wings, sending gusts of wind below us.


    The two of us stayed low, barely hovering over the next line of soldiers charging forward until the ground changed to snow.


    Fight in human form and focus on helping our troops. I¡¯ll handle picking off the cryan mages, I sent to my bond as I jumped off her back.


    ¡®Got it. I don¡¯t sense any retainers or scythes, but be careful, Arthur. Always be careful,¡¯ she replied before flying off to the side in her human form.


    Inded hard on the icy ground, spurring a cloud of frost. Behind me, I could hear the thunder of armored boots as our augmenter troops charged forward into battle.


    Ahead, I could already see our first wave of troops trying to withdraw. Much of the white field was covered in blood and corpses and only more woulde as the battle progressed.


    Withdrawing and imbuing Dawn¡¯s Bad in pale blue fire, I held my sword aloft for those behind me to see.


    ¡°For Dicathen!¡± I roared, charging forward alongside the line of battle mages d in armor and mana.


    Our strides kicked up more snow, obscuring our field of vision. Perhaps it was a good thing, since I wouldn¡¯t be distracted by the sight of my allies dying in the distance.


    On the other side were the cryans. Many of them were already bloody and sweaty from the wave before. It was odd seeing some soldiers clustered together while others were off by themselves.


    There were no front lines, no division of forces to utilize their specialized magic like I had expected.


    Casting aside my worries and doubts, I continued leading the charge with fervor, reinforcing confidence and morale into myrades by dding myself in lightning and fire.


    The charge forward may have been an awe-inspiring sight, but the the sh was dreadful. I felt it just as much as I heard it.


    Metal shrieked and rang while men screamed in pain. The faint hum of magic was always present as both sides took damage from one another.


    The carefully formted line consisting of augmenters quickly digressed into chaos amidst the snowy field. My first opponent fell instantaneously as he had approached, with a single sh from my sword.


    The following enemy soldiers fell just as quickly under my attacks, but it wasn¡¯t just me. The division of mages that had charged alongside me swiftly mowed down the average soldiers, a few only getting injured by the asional lone mage that struck them by surprise.


    I felt uneasy once more, but I pushed the feelings aside. Hesitation was useless in a battle like this. With Dawn¡¯s Bad in one hand and a spell always ready in the other, I left a trail of cryan corpses with every unabated step.


    The first enemy mage that I found was by himself, surrounded by Dicathen soldiers on the ground. His shoulders were hunched forward and his entire body was terribly thin with a sickly pale tone. His hands were d in tendrils of lightning.


    Our eyes locked, and he peered into me like a starving wolf¡ªdesperate and deranged.


    I abandoned my curiousness and rushed forward. He was an enemy I needed to kill. The more of them I killed, the more allies I saved.


    I swung my free hand, conjuring a de of ice d in lightning. With the addition of wind maniption, the crescent cut through the enemy mage¡¯s torso before he even had a chance to strike me with his lightning whips.


    Without batting an eye, I moved on to my next enemy. I tried to focus amidst the chaos of battle, tuning out the cries for help from allies and the high-pitched ring of metal on metal as weapons shed. It was hard to ignore as enemy weapons cut through the flesh of our soldiers. Stains of pink from snow-mixed blood could be seen more often than white itself, and in some desperate ces, the ground had turned into dark crimson.


    Severed arms still clutching onto weapons, chopped off legs, and split-open heads littered the battlefield as I ran around, targeting the shes of magic that appeared in the distance.


    Had it not been for my previous life experiences, and the adrenaline coursing through my veins, I would¡¯ve knelt down and retched on more than one asion.


    About an hour had passed, Sylvie and I regrouped and headed back to the camps where Varay waited.


    I could feel the grief and horror emanating from my bond, and my state of mind wasn¡¯t any better. The two of us were weed into the camps by soldiers apuding and cheering, but it only made it worse. Most of the same soldiers were injured, many unconscious.


    I couldn¡¯t help but think that, out of these dozens of soldiers, how many of their missing limbs had I run across out in this battlefield?


    Medics ran around carrying supplies while the few emitters avable in this particr camp were on the verge of bacsh from overusing their mana. But despite all of the activity and noise around us, I felt like I was watching everything through a thick foggy lens.


    ¡°Good work,¡± Varay said, patting me on the back.


    I mustered a nod before taking a seat below a tree on the far edge of the camp. Sylvie sat beside me and the two of us silently gathered ourselves.


    I wasn¡¯t tired. My mana reserves weren¡¯t drained despite the near fifty mages I had killed in that hour. But my body still felt heavy. It wasn¡¯t like fighting against the beast horde. These soldiers that I had killed were people¡ªpeople that had families.


    Despite my brain screaming at me to not think about this, it was hard not to. The only small constion I had was that I was just following my orders. It was that small difference that differentiated a soldier from a killer.


    I was just following orders.


    The day stretched on with the end of the battle nowhere in sight. During this time, more and more of our troops had arrived as support.


    Large formations of soldiers stood ready to charge at a notice down below near the shore. The campsites had be more and more packed with injured soldiers who were being patched up and carried away in carriages back to Etistin.


    During this time, Sylvie and I had gone down to the battlefield four times and we were getting ready for our fifth run.


    ¡°Are you okay, Arthur?¡± my bond asked, gripping my arm gently.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry but feel nauseous just thinking about food,¡± I replied quietly. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±


    Sylvie nodded. ¡°We¡¯re doing a good thing though. We¡¯ve saved hundreds, if not thousands of allies by taking down those mages.¡±


    ¡°I know, but it¡¯s just... nothing,¡± I sighed.


    Reading my thoughts, she said aloud, ¡°Are you still thinking something is off about them?¡±


    ¡°I do. I tried not to think about it because we¡¯re winning, but it¡¯s still on my mind. I haven¡¯t studied the cryans indepthly or anything like that... but this¡ªthem,¡± I said, gesturing out to the field. ¡°They¡¯re not the organized troops that Agrona had created. Not in a way that I had imagined them, at least.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the troops that we¡¯ve fought against before were elites,¡± Sylvie replied.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right,¡± I sighed.


    Maybe I really had overestimated Agrona and the cryans. Despite all of the nning that they¡¯d done over the years, the enemies were still trying to invade an entire continent. It¡¯s only normal for us to have this much of an advantage.


    That was when I overheard one of the injured soldiers talking.


    I whipped around and ran to the legless soldier lying on a table with a medic wrapping new gauze around his injuries.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± I asked, terrifying the man.


    ¡°G-G-General! My apologies. I shouldn¡¯t have said something so outrageous like that!¡± he eximed, eyes wide with fear.


    ¡°No. I just want to know what you said just now. Something about ¡®freed¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I-I just said that I felt a little... bad for them,¡± he answered, his voice dropping to a whisper. ¡°One of the cryans, just before I killed him, begged me not to kill him. He said something about being granted freedom if he lives.¡±


    ¡°They would be granted freedom?¡± Sylvie echoed, turning to me with an expression of concern. ¡°Do they enve their soldiers?¡±


    Thoughts elerated in my head as I processed and connected everything: how untrained the soldiers seemed, how spread apart their specialized mages were, the disunity amongst their troops that made them seem more like they were fighting a free-for-all, and even theck of uniform and armor that helped them tell each other apart from their enemies.


    ¡°They¡¯re not soldiers,¡± I muttered, looking at Sylvie. ¡°Those are just their prisoners.¡±


    Sylvie¡¯s eyes widened in realization before asking the question that really mattered. ¡°So then, where are their actual soldiers?¡±

 Chapter 232

    Chapter 232


    Chapter 232: Tainted Blood


    ALDUIN ERALITH


    I watched as Merial gently stroked our daughter¡¯s hair, tucking in loose strands behind her ear while she slept soundly. Pale columns of moonlight enveloped the two of them, casting a serene atmosphere inside the quiet room.


    How long has it been since we werest together like this? I thought.


    Too long to remember. We¡¯d spent the better half of the night talking, like a real family, until Tessia finally fell asleep.


    She had grown so big, so beautifully. She was the spitting image of her mother, yet she had my stubbornness. And hearing her talk¡ªhearing her really talk¡ªabout how she was doing and what her ns were for the future... it was what I needed.


    It reaffirmed my decision.


    I made my way towards the door, taking onest look at my two girls. Merial looked up at me, giving me a determined gaze. Her eyes were lined with tears and her flushed cheeks could be seen even in this dimly-lit room. She was gently holding Tessia¡¯s hand as she gave me a nod.


    Nodding back with a hardened expression, I stepped outside the room. I¡¯d been in the Castle for several years now, but never before had it felt sorge and barren. The sconces lighting up the hallway flickered wildly as I passed, almost like they knew and were rebuking me.


    I only made it a few steps before I relented under the pressure weighing down on me. I leaned back against the wall for support as the tension grew in me, spreading through my face and limbs like a wildfire. The wave of panic didn¡¯t stop there¡ªit merely came in erratic pulses, driving me mad as my mind imagined the consequences of what I was about to do.


    My breath came in stuttered gasps and my heart hammered so fiercely against my chest that I feared my ribs would crack. The empty corridors tottered and spun with every little movement I made, rendering me to the floor. I buried my face in my knees, clutching at my hair with trembling hands as I thought back to the words spoken to mest night.


    It was Arthur¡¯s bond in her human form.


    Her demeanor was casual yet refined as she approached me.


    ¡°What is it now?¡± I snarled, taking an involuntary step back. I knew exactly who it was. It was obvious just by the way she carried herself and the expression on her face that it wasn¡¯t actually Arthur¡¯s bond¡ªit was Agrona.


    ¡°How very curt of you, King Alduin,¡± she, or rather, he, replied. ¡°I thought we were closer than that.¡±


    ¡°Close? I did what you asked, but my daughter still almost died out there on the field! If it wasn¡¯t for General Aya¡ª¡±


    ¡°If my soldiers purposely avoided her like some sort of gue, your daughter wouldn¡¯t be merely bruised by her own inadequacy,¡± he interrupted, expressionless. ¡°She¡¯d be suspicious, and that isn¡¯t something you want.¡±


    I grit my teeth in frustration. ¡°Why are you here? I¡¯ve done what you¡¯ve asked. I smuggled in your men so that they could kill our prisoners.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯vee for a different matter, King Alduin,¡± he said. It frustrated me more than anything else how rxed he was. ¡°Currently, our sides are engaged on the western shore. For you¡ªfor your people¡ªthat means you¡¯ve abandoned your kingdom.¡±


    The emotional side of me wanted tosh out at him. How dare hee in here and talk as if he had nothing to do with it, but years as a political figure had trained me to keep silent and mask my expression.


    ¡°I wanted to hear from you,¡± he continued without missing a beat. ¡°Where does your loyalty lie?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Letting you kill prisoners that have no use is one matter, but if you¡¯re suggesting even the remote possibility that I betray my people¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not ¡®betray your people.¡¯ You already did that,¡± he cut in. ¡°I¡¯m asking if your loyalty lies with all of Dicathen, from the barren deserts of the Darv all the way to the outskirts of Sapin¡ªwhose men capture and sell your people as ves even today, or your kingdom.¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer. And that moment of hesitation was all he needed to know¡ªthat I could be wavered.


    ¡°I will cease the attacks on all of your elven territory. As long as they do not attack any cryans, your people will be guaranteed safety along with you, your wife, and your troubled child.¡±


    Our eyes remained locked as he waited for my answer.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I finally asked.


    ¡°Simr tost time, I need you to grant a few of my men ess into the Castle as well as Xyrus City.¡±


    After staring nkly for a moment, Iughed. Iughed at an asura that was capable of potentially wiping away my existence with a flick of his finger.


    But Agrona remained calm. He let meugh and ridicule the very idea until my office was silent.


    Suddenly, he snapped his fingers as if he just remembered something. ¡°I forgot you always need that little extra push, King Alduin. How about this, then. Your daughter will die if you don¡¯t. Not only will she die, she¡¯ll also most likely kill quite a few people around her in the process.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    Agrona tapped his sternum. ¡°You know those corrupted beasts that has caused so many problems for you? Well, just like them, your daughter¡¯s core is also poisoned.¡±


    Anger red up inside and I grabbed Agrona by the cor. ¡°What did you do to her?¡±


    Heughed jarringly in the body of Arthur¡¯s bond. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. Ironic as it is, you can me your daughter¡¯s boyfriend for this.¡±


    It took me a moment to realize what he meant. It was the beast will of the elderwood beast. The S ss beast that my daughter had assimted with.


    My hands lost strength and I released Agrona before falling back onto my chair.


    ¡°I¡¯d give you a demonstration, but that might put a little hup to our little n. Besides, I think you know by now that I don¡¯t lie.¡±


    I shook my head, trying to force the memories out of my head before continuing forward.


    I stopped in front of another room on the same floor. It was the room that was currently upied by Arthur¡¯s mother and sister. A mixture of emotions rose in me as I stared at the closed door. I felt bad for them, I really did. The whole Leywin family served by helping the Wall against the beast horde. What happened to Arthur¡¯s father was truly unfortunate, and I pushed adamantly for Trodius mesworth¡¯s imprisonment for his actions.


    However, I couldn¡¯t help but still me the youngnce. All of these years, I had thought that meeting Arthur and being able to have close rtions with him through my father and my daughter was a blessing. He was both a genius intellectually and in magical prowess, on a level that couldn¡¯t be measured. On top of that, he had a bond with an asura¡ªan actual deity.


    Yet, if it wasn¡¯t for Arthur¡ªif he hadn¡¯t given Tessia that core...


    I rubbed my temples, letting out a sigh while continuing forward. There was no point in regretting now.


    My steps grew heavier the closer I got to the teleportation room. As if my boots were made of lead, I found myself stopping often. I looked back over my shoulders every few steps, guilt and fear dragging me down.


    The usual soldiers that stood guard on either side of the gate were absent as nned. It wasn¡¯t hard to do since the gate was shut off for security purposes soon after thences in the castle were all sent to Etistin.


    Exerting mana throughout my body, I heaved open the thick iron doors. Taking onest look around in case anyone was nearby, I closed the doors behind me.


    The circr room appeared a lotrger now that it had been emptied, with the only real feature being a podium that held the control dock and an ancient stone arc riddled with runes that were iprehensible even to this day.


    Without wasting any more time, I stepped onto the podium. My hands trembled as I raised them over the control panel, and for another second, I hesitated. What I did now would change the entire course of this war, but for me, there was no other choice but this.


    Shutting my eyes, I pushed down on the panel. Immediately, I felt mana being sucked out of me, but I held firm until the runes began glowing.


    A pristine golden hue emanated out of the mysterious carvings before a multi-colored light enveloped the inside of the arc to form the portal. The once quiet room was filled with a deep hum as the ancient relic came to life.


    Minutes passed as I stood, waiting for someone to arrive.


    ¡°Where is he !¡± I whispered, running a trembling hand through my hair as I paced back and forth within the room.


    I continued cursing under my breath, doing anything to keep myself from thinking. I couldn¡¯t think. If I did, I would only doubt myself even more.


    No. I¡¯m doing the right thing. For once, I¡¯m doing what¡¯s in the best interest of my people¡ª my people. Agrona wasn¡¯t wrong; humans had been capturing both elves and dwarves for centuries. I had almost lost my own daughter to them. It didn¡¯t matter if Agrona won the war¡ªit might even be better if he did!


    I shook my head. No. No. Agrona was still a demon, I can¡¯t forget that.


    But the humans had always had the upper hand. With my father taking the helm of leadership during this war, I thought that would¡¯ve changed, but it hadn¡¯t. In fact, my father was the one who had abandoned Elenoir in favor of the human kingdom.


    I would be the one to save it. With my actions now, I would keep my people safe.


    Looking down at my hands, I noticed that they were still trembling. Was I just lying to myself? Was I just trying to justify what I was about to do?


    It didn¡¯t matter. At the very least, I needed to save Tessia. What kind of father would I be if I couldn¡¯t keep my only daughter safe?


    Again, rage bubbled inside as I realized how my emotions have been toyed with by Agrona¡¯s words. He was right; Tessia was that final push I needed.


    A deep thrum snapped my attention towards the teleportation gate. They¡¯re here!


    Within the multi-colored glow of the gate, a silhouette slowly came into view, focusing until an actual figure stepped through and arrived inside the circr room.


    ¡°Are you the elf called Alduin?¡± the man spook in a deep booming voice as two scarlet eyes peered down at me. Intimidating as they were, his eyes were almost pleasantpared to the two serrated horns casting a menacing shine.


    I straightened myself, trying to appear as tall as I could in front of this seven-foot giant that was twice my width at the shoulders. ¡°Yes.¡±


    He held up a ss vial filled with a murky green liquid.


    Even without him saying, I knew exactly what it was. I stepped forward and made a grab for it, but stopped short when a smokey ck me erupted from him.


    I reeled back in fright before anger set in. ¡°That¡¯s mine! Agrona and I had¡ª¡±


    His hand a blur, I found it closed around my neck. His grip became tighter and tighter, severing my breath as he lifted me off the ground. ¡° Lord Agrona has shown mercy by lowering himself tomunicate with a lesser like you.¡±


    My body fought back instinctively. Mana circled my body and into my hands as I tried to pry open his grip, but I couldn¡¯t focus as my consciousness faded.


    Dark spots sshed across my blurring vision when he finally let go. Immediately, my body buckled forward as I heaved what little food I had consumed this morning.


    ¡°This Commander Virion of yours does not suspect anything, correct?¡±


    I quickly nodded my head. ¡°I told everyone that I¡¯d be in charge of leading the evacuation of Elenoir.¡±


    ¡°Then bring your blood to this room and exit through this portal,¡± he stated. ¡°I will have left the vial here by the time you return.¡±


    ¡°M-My blood?¡±


    ¡°What your people call ¡®family¡¯,¡± he said impatiently. ¡°Also, bring Arthur Leywin¡¯s mother and sister along with you.¡±


    I stood up. ¡°What? Why?¡±


    His sharp gaze was all that was needed to drive home his point¡ªthat this wasn¡¯t a negotiation.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I breathed, turning to leave. I pushed open the doors slightly, once more before taking a weary nce back at what could only be a retainer or even a scythe.


    I had brought a demon into the very home of this continent¡¯s leaders. Prying my eyes away from his looming figure, I stepped out of the teleportation room. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Father.¡±

 Chapter 233

    Chapter 233


    Chapter 233: Treason


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    ¡°We have our orders here, Lance Arthur,¡± Varay stated with an icy re. ¡°We are to continue engaging against the cryan troops.¡±


    I gnashed my teeth in frustration. ¡°General Varay, even you¡¯ve noticed by now that the enemies we¡¯re fighting against aren¡¯t the cryan¡¯s main force. They¡¯re disorganized, desperate, and a lot of them are even malnourished and downright ill!¡±


    Varay stood firm, masking her emotions. ¡°Are you forgetting that we are soldiers? It¡¯s not up to us to decide what we do with this information. I¡¯ve already sent an update to General Bairon and the Council. We will act ording to their orders, but for now we will continue to do as we are told.¡±


    ¡°Then let me and my bond go back to Etistin¡ªno, the Castle. I¡¯ll talk to Commander Virion ande up with a¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the whole reason you¡¯re out here because you didn¡¯t want these responsibilities?¡± the general cut me off. ¡°You wanted to be a soldier because you didn¡¯t want to carry the burden of making decisions.¡±


    My mouth opened, but no sound came out. She was right. I was the one that chose to be here, to fight mindlessly and not have the weight of other people¡¯s lives in my hands.


    With my neck tense and jaws clenched, I gave General Varay a stiff bow before turning to walk away.


    My thoughts wandered until I found myself back to the isted area where I had set up camp. There, I spotted Sylvie replenishing her mana. She peeked open an eye, sensing I was near. ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s changed,¡± I grumbled, sitting down on arge rock next to her. ¡°We¡¯ll continue fighting them.¡±


    ¡°Well, prisoners or not, we still can¡¯t let them advance,¡± Sylvie said with wave of empathy.


    ¡°But this¡±¡ªI gestured to the thousands upon thousands of soldiers below, resting, and the thousands more out in the field, fighting¡ª¡°is overkill. We have way more troops than necessary if all we¡¯re up against are a horde of uncoordinated and desperate prisoners.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Sylvie agreed. She got up, and stretched her human limbs before shooting me a nce. ¡°So. What are we waiting for, then?¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Please, Arthur. I could read your thoughts even without our link.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°I know you¡¯ve already decided to leave.¡±


    Again, I found myself with an open mouth but with no words spilling out of them. Shaking my head, I gave my bond a smile and tousled her wheat-colored hair. ¡°Then don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you. We¡¯re technicallymitting treason by disobeying orders and leaving during a battle.¡±


    Sylvie¡¯s body began glowing until her form shifted into that of a towering ck dragon. ¡°Meh. This isn¡¯t the first time we¡¯remitting treason, and it probably won¡¯t be thest.¡±


    ¡°I raised you so well,¡± I chuckled, hopping onto my bond, my spirits lifted. I had lost a lot, but I still had those I dearly cherished.


    We shot up into the sky, clearing the hills that stretched out from the Etistin Bay.


    ¡®Did you want to stop by Etistin City before making our way to the castle?¡¯ Sylvie asked.


    There¡¯s no point. Bairon isn¡¯t the type to listen¡ªespecially to me¡ªand the Castle severed all links to the other teleportation gates. The only way to get inside is by flying directly there, so we don¡¯t have any time to lose.


    I had almost expected General Varay toe after us, but after the first thirty minutes had passed, I knew we were in the clear. In the meantime, I nodded on and off, struggling to stay awake as the peaceful and quiet journey continued.


    Scenes of my previous life began resurfacing like a vivid dream. Emotions that I had felt back then surfaced alongside the old memories.


    I remembered the feelings of confusion I had towards Lady Vera when I heard her talking about the rigged matches to that man in the uniform. A part of me had been angry at her for not trusting that I¡¯d be able to win the matches by my own strength.


    Even as I had continuedpeting in the matches where my opponents withdrew immediately, I never confronted Lady Vera or asked any questions. Who was I to question my mentor¡¯s decisions? She had practically given me a new life, training me to the extent where not only could I make up for my impaired ki center, I had the opportunity to be king.


    While my pride had been hurt that Lady Vera hadn¡¯t trusted in my abilities enough to let me fight squarely, I had epted the hollow victories until the day of the final rounds. I, along with every other contestant that had won their state¡¯s tournament, had traveled all the way to the capital of our country, Etharia, for the chance to be the next king.


    There was no consistent schedule for when the King¡¯s Crownpetition would be held, though. It was purely at the discretion of the Council, who woulde to a vote when they thought the current king wasn¡¯t performing to their expectations. Some frequent reasons may be when the reigning king lost a Paragon Duel against another country, incurred a debilitating injury, of if he or she was simply getting too old.


    Our current king had lost an arm from thest Paragon Duel, which incited the current King¡¯s Crownpetition. The victor would gain the opportunity to fight the current king, and if the challenger won, he or she would be the next king. If the king won, he would remain in his position until the winner of the next King¡¯s Crown would challenge him. It was a vicious cycle that the Council would put a king through if they deemed him unfit.


    Memories of Lady Vera and the group of trainers and doctors responsible for keeping me in top condition for the duration of this tournament shed in my mind. I remembered all of us pushing through the crowds of spectators as everyone tried to make their way into the stadium. Once we had arrived at our assigned waiting area, I could feel the difference in atmosphere.


    I vividly remembered the palpable tension in our waiting area as some contestants stretched or warmed up while others meditated their ki centers. The lingering pressure in the room had stemmed from the fact that, during thest stage of the King¡¯s Crown, it was legal for contestants to deal lethal blows to their opponents.


    All of the contestants, including myself, had known that they could die today. Lady Vera and the other trainers had done their best to keep me from thinking about that, keeping me focused through various exercises.


    I still remembered all of the contestants I had fought against, both young and old, small andrge, every fighter at the top of their ss. Most importantly to me, none of them had been bribed by Lady Vera to forfeit the match.


    I remembered trying to convince myself how great Lady Vera was. I had reasoned that she had purposely cleared the road of obstacles for me not because she didn¡¯t trust in my abilities, but because she wanted me to be at my best for the final rounds.


    If only I had known then, what that day would entail. I still thought to this day, what I would¡¯ve done differently if I had gone back to the past on that very day, if I had known the truth about Lady Vera.


    ¡®Arthur!¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s voice pierced through my head, snapping me awake, just moments before she jerked her body to dodge a giant arc of lightning. Another arc of lightning soon shot at us from below, piercing through the clouds.


    By this time, both Sylvie and I knew who was responsible for this.


    ¡°Bairon!¡± I roared, amplifying my voice with mana as I jumped off of Sylvie. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡±


    A figure rose from theyer of clouds below us, along with several soldiers mounted on giant armored birds.


    ¡°You disobey direct orders and run away from battle, then ask the meaning of what I¡¯m doing?¡± Bairon boomed, his voice emanating mana as well. ¡°While my orders remain verbal, I advise you to return to your post, Arthur.¡±


    ¡°Verbal?¡± It was Sylvie that replied, her husky voiceced with anger in her draconic form. ¡°You fire spells capable of destroying buildings at ance and an asura ?¡±


    There was a moment of hesitation before Bairon answered. ¡°We are at war, and your human bond has chosen to take orders rather than give them. I¡¯m merely enforcing my duty to my subordinates .¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± I snapped. ¡°You¡¯ve received the updates from General Varay as well. The enemy forces that we¡¯re engaged with at the bay are all prisoners of crya. We need to reorganize our troops and scout for the enemy¡¯s main force before¡ª¡±


    ¡°Those decisions are up to me and the Council to make,¡± Bairon interrupted, drawing in closer with his soldiers surrounding him. ¡°You were the one that forfeited the burden of responsibility.¡±


    I gritted my teeth, frustrated more at myself than at Bairon for all of this. It was true that I was the one to run away. Even now, I would hesitate to take a position of leadership, but I couldn¡¯t just stand by while I watched as we yed right into Agrona¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Please stand aside. Don¡¯t waste your energy on this and let us go to the Castle. I¡¯ll get Commander Virion¡¯s approval as soon as I arrive if that¡¯s what you want,¡± I said, calming myself. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sylv.¡±


    The mounted soldiers fanned out, preparing their spells as Bairon floated, aiming a lightning-d hand directly at us.


    ¡°I assure you that this one won¡¯t miss, General Arthur. This is thest warning to get back to your post.¡±


    ¡°What is with you and your brother always resorting to violence?¡± I spat out, annoyed.


    With a rage-filled roar, Bairon charged, his entire body engulfed in lightning.


    Bringing up Lucas might not have been the smartest choice, but it was too obvious that this show of power had less to do with me leaving my post, and more to do with proving he was superior to me.


    dding myself in mana as well, I utilized the moisture from the clouds below and conjured an arsenal of icences.


    Sylvie unleashed a beam of pure mana from her maw directly at Bairon while Iunched the ice-spears at the mounted soldiers.


    The formation broke easily as Bairon¡¯s soldiers swerved to avoid my spell. Bairon himself had to stop to defend against the wide cone of pure energy, giving us the brief window we were looking for.


    Sylvie. Let¡¯s go! I sent to my bond. I grabbed ahold of her leg as she flew past me and in a mere second, we flew past Bairon and his soldiers.


    Just when I thought we would get away, Baironunched his cape at us. It was a magic artifact, no doubt, because the cape soon dispersed into argeposed of metal wires which he was able to control with his lightning.


    Human form, now! I ordered.


    My bond¡¯s body shrunk to that of a little girl just as the epassed us.


    Sylvie immediately formed a barrier of mana around us, but that gave the other soldiers enough time to regroup.


    It was growing more and more frustrating trying to deal with them without actually hurting them.


    ¡®Are we allowed to hurt them, yet?¡¯ Sylvie asked impatiently while keeping the lightning from closing in on us.


    The mounted soldiers released their spells as well, and theirbined power was enough to put cracks in my bond¡¯s mana barrier.


    I nodded. Just don¡¯t kill them.


    Sylvie responded by conjuring dozens of mana arrows outside of her barrier andunching them at the soldiers while I manipted the clouds below us.


    With a wave an arm, I withdrew Dawn¡¯s Bad and sliced through the lightning-charged metal. With Bairon distracted by the mana arrows, his artifact didn¡¯t stand a chance, and the two of us were free.


    As Sylvie toyed with the soldiers byunching a never-ending assault of mana arrows at them, I conjured a little present for Bairon himself.


    Fashioning apressed sphere of wind in my hand, Ibined it with fire and lightning, creating a swirling blue fireball the size of Sylvie in her dragon form that crackled with trails of electricity.


    Bairon retracted his and was already preparing to defend against my attack when an unusual glitter of light in the distance attracted my attention.


    Everyone stopped what they were doing as we stared at the source of the red and ck ze miles away. We looked at one another in search of someone who knew what was going on, until a wave of shock and realization leaked onto me from my bond.


    I turned to Sylvie to see her eyes wide in horror. She turned to me and spoke aloud for everyone to hear. ¡°That¡¯s... the Castle.¡±

 Chapter 234

    Chapter 234


    Chapter 234: Remembrance


    ¡°Seth, report back to General Varay. She¡¯ll be in charge of the battle,¡± Bairon ordered, gesturing the soldier away.


    He turned to me and we locked gazes for a second before he nodded, saying to me, ¡°The rest of us will head straight to the Castle.¡±


    I nodded back and Sylvie transformed back into her dragon form before we immediately took off.


    Taking deep breaths, I tried to remain level-headed. Trusting that Elder Hester, Elder Buhnd, and Virion were enough to deal with whoever had intruded.


    Those ck and red mes billowing in the distance were an ominous sign that it was what I had feared¡ªeither a retainer or even a scythe. I steered my mind clear of the ¡®what ifs¡¯ by thinking up of a strategy upon entering. I tried not to think about my mom and sister, as well as Tess, who were supposed to be safe there.


    ¡®It¡¯ll be okay,¡¯ Sylvie conveyed to me, but even she couldn¡¯t keep her worry from leaking onto me.


    I didn¡¯t respond, and instead, manipted the wind around us, lessening the air resistance pulling Sylvie back. Whatever I needed to do to get us there even a second faster.


    I continued manipting the wind, cycling mana through my body as well, preparing for battle as soon as possible. Taking a peek back, I could see Bairon and the other mounted soldiers slowly trailing behind, but we didn¡¯t slow down.


    Please, everyone, be okay, I prayed, until the Castle was almost upon us.


    The barrier protecting the flying fortress from the sky had been destroyed, allowing the raging winds to fan the dark mes.


    Sylvie easily sted a hole in the closed loading dock and wended inside. Thankfully, theyer of mana I had enveloped myself in kept the harmful smoke from entering my lungs. Still, there was a thick nket of ck all throughout the loading dock.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said to Sylvie, who had turned back to her human form.


    Taking no chances, I ignited the dragon will inside me. Under Realmheart, my vision became monochrome, highlighting the ambient mana around me. With my enhanced vision and unparalleled mana acuity, it would be impossible for any enemies to sneak up on us even under the heavy smoke and fierce winds shrieking through the openings of the damaged castle.


    We spread out about five yards apart, our teamwork seamless through our bond, as we searched copsed rooms and dark hallways of the lower floors.


    We inched through the fractured floors, sidestepping any debris that had been either dislodged from the walls or fallen from the ceiling.


    Crashes echoed from above and even around us while the howling winds filling in the gaps of silence made it almost impossible to find any sign of live battle that we could assist in. The only thing we could do was search the premise carefully, taking it a step at a time.


    ¡®Over here,¡¯ my bond conveyed from an adjacent room.


    Inside, I could see Sylvie on the ground, hunched over what seemed to be a person partly buried underneath a mountain of rubble. My chest immediately clenched and a wave of panic rose from my stomach until Sylvie reassured me that it wasn¡¯t anyone we knew.


    By the fine garment interwoven through thinyers of chain-mail on the corpse¡¯s body, along with the wand just a few feet away, it was easy to deduce that this unfortunate victim was one of the few guards left here.


    I rubbed the bridge of my nose, embarrassed and frustrated at how fragile I was, mentally. After taking a moment topose myself, I inspected the corpse. Through Realmheart, I was able to tell that the fallen mage had died by fire.


    With a flick of a wrist, I blew the rubble away to get a closer look at the corpse.


    ¡°What the...¡± I muttered, lifting his clothes.


    ¡®What is it?¡¯


    I continued searching but couldn¡¯t find anything. ¡°There aren¡¯t any burn marks.¡±


    ¡°He died from fire?¡± she said aloud, surprised.


    Hearing another crash in the distance, I got up. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s keep moving.¡±


    The two of us continued down the hall, scouring every room in the lower floors, searching for anyone that might still be alive. All we had found were corpses, all burned to death with no apparent wounds to show for it.


    ¡®I don¡¯t understand. Perhaps it¡¯s a fire that burns from the inside?¡¯ Sylvie suggested.


    It doesn¡¯t matter at this point. All we need to know is that our opponent uses a fire that doesn¡¯t actually burn the victims physically, I sent back, lifting a fallen wall in search of anyone that I might know.


    With the stairs nearly unusable from the destruction, the two of us climbed the levels of the Castle through the various holes in the ceilings. Even with my Realmheart Physique able to spot nearly anything that normal eyes would miss, we were tense. Every corpse we came across, my chest squeezed in angst until we were able to verify it wasn¡¯t anyone we knew.


    After searching for several floors, Sylvie and I came across signs of arge battle. Intricate spears of stone jutted from the floor and walls while earthen golemsy scattered on the ground like petrified knights.


    ¡®This...¡¯


    Yeah, I know, I interrupted, signalling for her to keep close.


    Because of the mana coalesced into the rock spears and conjured soldiers, it took a while to finally find the source responsible for all of this.


    I knelt down in front of the elderly dwarf, trying to find a pulse when he suddenly coughed.


    ¡°Elder Buhnd!¡± I eximed. I fashioned the ground beneath him into a chair, sitting him up so he didn¡¯t choke on his own blood.


    I turned to my bond. ¡°Sylv!¡±


    ¡°On it.¡± My bond hunched down,ying her hands on my mentor¡¯s chest. A soft light emitted from her palms, absorbing through the dwarf¡¯s clothes and skin.


    After ten painstaking minutes of life aether being transmitted into Elder Buhnd, we finally got another reaction.


    ¡°Elder Buhnd¡ªhey,e on, stay with me,¡± I roused, patting his cheek as the dwarf furrowed his brows.


    ¡°Arth...ur?¡± His eyes opened but shut back after a few seconds.


    ¡°Yes! It¡¯s Arthur. What happened? Who did this to you?¡±


    He let out a pained groan. ¡°You gotta... get out of here, kid.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t spout heroic crap like that, Buhnd!¡± I snapped impatiently. ¡°Tell me the situation. I need to know what we¡¯re going up against.¡±


    Buhnd, tugged on my mantle, pulling me close. ¡°Listen. The Castle, the Council¡ªit¡¯s finished. If you want to do something for Dicathen, you do so by staying alive .¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll be careful, but to do that, I need to know what happened. Was it a retainer? A scythe? What sort of magic was used to put you in this state?¡±


    Feeling the strength in Buhnd¡¯s hand loosening, I turned to my bond. ¡°Sylvie, what¡¯s happening? Why isn¡¯t he getting better?¡±


    Sylvie¡¯s arms trembled as beads of sweat dripped down from her face. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, but I can¡¯t keep this up.¡±


    I took a step back, inspecting the injured dwarf. Like all of the other corpses we had passed, his body was riddled with motes of red. The wisps of purple that had been emitted into his body by Sylvie were currentlybating whatever fire spell that was eating away at his life, but the aether wasn¡¯t healing him. No, it was keeping the spell under control, but the fire spell looked like cancer cells, multiplying and spreading fast.


    Unable to hold in my frustration, I let out a guttural scream while smashing a stone spike that Buhnd had conjured. Kneeling back down in front of the dying dwarf, I grabbed his hand.


    Once Sylvie stopped her healing magic, Buhnd would start dying again, and my bond knew that as well.


    Buhnd put hisrge hand over mine, squeezing it gently. ¡°I-It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Prying open his eyes once more as if it took every ounce of strength to do so, Buhnd turned his gaze to Sylvie. ¡°Little Asura, can you keep this up for just another minute? I think that¡¯ll be enough to tell you what you need to know.¡±


    My bond nodded, her brows furrowed in concentration.


    Ignoring the tears rolling down my cheeks, I pressed my forehead against Elder Buhnd¡¯s forehead. ¡°May you be at peace wherever you are.¡±


    In this life and my previous one, the concept of religion had always eluded me. But as more of my loved ones died, whether that be Adam, my father, or Elder Buhnd, I found myself wishing that I was wrong; that there truly was an all-powerful god and an afterlife where everyone I knew would be at peace, waiting for the rest of us. At the very least, I hoped that they would meet a simr fate as me, reincarnated into a different world to live a new life. If that was the case, I hoped that they would be spared the memories of their past life.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Arthur,¡± my bond whispered, putting a hand on my back.


    I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    After spending a few minutes conjuring an earthen tomb worthy of an individual such as Elder Buhndemog Lonuid, the two of us moved on.


    My dwarven mentor had told me what little he knew about the opponent¡¯s power¡ªthe opponent being an actual scythe. Apparently, he wielded a smokey ck fire that corrupted whatever it came in contact with. It seemed like another deviant like the ck metal spikes that Uto was able to conjure or the ck poison that the witch was able to use.


    Whether a good thing or not, Elder Hester and Kathyln had left for the Wall before the scythe had infiltrated the Castle, but Alduin and Merial Eralith, along with Tessia and my family, were nowhere to be found when all of this had happened.


    It was somewhat of a relief that they weren¡¯t here, but another part of me was even more anxious. Questions rose in my head¡ª if they did escape, where did they go? How did they know that they would be attacked? Or was their timely disappearance just a coincidence?


    ¡®I know it¡¯s hard, but you shouldn¡¯t think about all of that right now,¡¯ my bond sent, conveying her worry. ¡®Take this one step at a time. We¡¯ll get through this together, Arthur.¡¯


    I gave her a terse nod. I didn¡¯t thank her¡ªI didn¡¯t need to. I was grateful that she was with me throughout everything that I had gone through. I couldn¡¯t even imagine where I would be if I didn¡¯t have her, and she knew that.


    The idea of someone knowing almost every thought and emotion that crossed my mind would¡¯ve been disconcerting to me if I didn¡¯t realize how grateful for it I was. Maybe it was just because it was Sylvie, and not someone else, but I was thankful for the link that I had with her.


    ¡®Arthur!¡¯ my bond called out.


    Yeah, I know. I saw the mana fluctuation in the near distance. Even without Realmheart, it¡¯d be impossible not to sense the powerful auras shing.


    Bairon¡¯s currently engaging with the scythe, I deduced, seeing that the deviant magic was most present in the atmosphere.


    ¡®What should we do?¡¯


    I¡¯m going in. Stay behind and cover me with mana shields.


    After receiving the ¡®okay¡¯ from my bond, I withdrew Dawn¡¯s Bad from my dimension ring and coalesced mana through my limbs. I could feel the warmth as the runes running down my arms, legs, and back shined a golden hue. Strength filled every fiber of my body as I dug my heel into the floor.


    I knew that using Burst Step would strain my body, but with my experience fighting against Agrona¡¯s personal soldiers, I knew that I had to end it fast if I wanted any chance at winning.


    ¡®Okay. Go!¡¯ Sylvie signalled,yering mana around my body.


    I willed the mana to flow down my legs, timed to the millisecond to maximize the burst of strength that I¡¯d receive.


    The world blurred before me with that single, mana-enhanced step, as my eyes and brain struggled to collect, trante, and sort the influx of images. If it wasn¡¯t for my reflexes heightened through the usage of internal lightning magic, I would be more likely to kill myself by running into a wall than actually hurt my enemy.


    Ignoring the searing pain that ate away at my lower body, I dashed forth, honing in on the towering scythe.


    It took me all I could to stop myself short.


    The jagged tip of my teal sword stood inches away from the scythe¡¯s throat. I could¡¯ve killed him. I was so close, but I couldn¡¯t.


    I stared at the scythe, a flurry of emotions emerging as he looked down at me with an amused expression and spoke.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown.¡±


    I heard Bairon¡¯s voice scream at me from behind but my ears weren¡¯t able to register what he was saying over the blood pounding in my ears.


    I tightened my grip around Dawn¡¯s Bad, unable to pry my eyes away from the piercing red re of the scythe standing in front of me.


    From the two serrated horns curled underneath his ears, the same bloody cape that mirrored his bright red eyes, it was unmistakable. It was him.


    It was the same scythe that had killed Sylvia.

 Chapter 235

    Chapter 235


    Chapter 235: Wavering Pir


    In my mind shed scenes over ten years old, when I had first met Sylvia. The few months we¡¯d spent together had formed a bond between us that wouldn¡¯t usually be possible in that short period of time.


    Perhaps it was because it hadn¡¯t been that long since I had firste to this world, but to a grown man born into the body of an infant, Sylvia had be my sce. In front of her, I could truly act like myself, and to her¡ªevenbining my age from both lives¡ªI was still just a child to her.


    To this day, one of my biggest regrets was leaving Sylvia. I was young and weak then, but I still thought about it¡ªwhat would¡¯ve happened if I had stayed. Would Sylvia be alive today? Would she still be with me now?


    At first, I wanted nothing more than to get revenge for her. The message she had imparted onto me about enjoying this life did little to dampen the rage I felt towards the ones who were responsible for all of this. However, as more and more time passed, the thirst for vengeance had slowly quelled.


    I had lied to myself in the beginning, thinking I could do nothing about it because I was too weak. So I trained, and trained. I went to school to train and learn, and I even went to Epheotus to learn amongst the asuras. However, being face to face with the one responsible for all of this that very night when Sylvia pushed me through that portal, I felt a stronger sense of guilt than anger.


    I was more angry at myself, for how little I thought about Sylvia these days, than I was angry at the scythe in front of me now¡ªthe one responsible for Sylvia¡¯s death.


    ¡°It¡¯s you,¡± I seethed, doing everything I could to keep my hands steady. ¡°That night! You were the one that...¡±


    The next words froze in my mouth as I looked behind the scythe against the far wall. It was then that I realized in my spurt of anger, I didn¡¯t even see Virion¡ªdeathly pale and sprawled over a pile of rubble¡ªand Bairon, who was flitting in and out of consciousness beside him.


    ¡°They¡¯re alive, for now,¡± the scythe spoke.


    I took another step forward, pressing Dawn¡¯s Bad closer against the scythe¡¯s pale gray throat. An aura of frost surrounded my de along withpressed gales of wind and electricity as I fed more and more of my mana into my spell.


    The scythe remained unfazed as the elemental auras radiated from my weapon just below his sharp jaw, instead, studying me with interest. ¡°It¡¯s impressive to see you wielding mana to such a proficient degree, even if it was due to Lady Syl¡ª¡±


    He shifted slightly, dodging the elemental energy released from my de with inhuman speed and precision. The castle rumbled once more in protest as its mana-reinforced walls cracked and splintered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say her name,¡± I growled, preparing to strike again.


    Tendrils of mana coiled around me, their intensity mirroring my emotions. The ground underneath me crumbled from the pressure as I swung once more. A teal arc shed as I swung at breakneck speed.


    My opponent stood still though, letting my de slice right through him¡ªor so I thought.


    The gash that my sword had made through his neck smoldered in mes before closing the wound as if it didn¡¯t exist.


    Through Realmheart, I was able to tell that he was able to manipte his ck mes to such a high degree that he could be almost intangible.


    ¡®Arthur!¡¯ Sylvie called out through our telepathic link, just arriving.


    Sylv! Help Virion! I ordered, my gaze shifting back and forth between Tessia¡¯s grandfather and the scythe just a few feet in front of me.


    ¡®What about you? You can¡¯t beat him alone!¡¯ she replied.


    He¡¯s going to die if you leave him like that! I sent, continuing to attack him using not just my sword but every element I had in my arsenal. Iunched des of wind, arcs of lightning, sts of blue mes, but none of them did anything.


    Thankfully, my bond heeded my words. After a moment of hesitation, she ran towards Virion and Bairon.


    I did my part as well, at least stalling for time while my bond healed the two of them. I weaved both the ambient and my own mana around my hand to ignite an icy white me. With the power and control I had gained from my white core, I unleashed the spell, freezing the scythe and everything else within thirty feet.


    The seven-foot-tall scythe, d in gleaming ck armor, stood encased in an ice tomb. His pose, even frozen, remained arrogant and nonchnt.


    Casting aside any doubt creeping from his attitude, I discharged a ray of lightning at our frozen opponent until the entire premise was covered in an icy mist.


    If it hadn¡¯t been for Realmheart, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to see the scythe strike directly at my face.


    Damn it! It didn¡¯t work, I cursed.


    Still, I was hopeful. Each fight against one of the retainers had left me and Sylvie almost dead. The fight against Uto would¡¯ve killed us if it hadn¡¯t been for the scythe, Seris. But this time was different.


    Even against a scythe, beings that were able to use the mana arts only asuras from the basilisk ns were able to do, I was capable of holding my own.


    Dodging the scythe¡¯s fire-d fist, however, made me realize that he seemed to be holding back. There was no time or leisure to think why, only that it was true and I had to capitalize on it.


    The world shifted from monochrome into its negative version as I ignited Static Void and time stopped. I ignored the painful stress caused by using this ability and repositioned myself so I was behind him.


    I knew this wasn¡¯t enough though. It didn¡¯t matter if he couldn¡¯t dodge my attack when he didn¡¯t need to.


    The mana particles in the atmosphere had all been colorless, unable to be used within the void of frozen time, but what did glow all around me were the motes of purple.


    Lady Myre had told me that while I could sense aether due to my affinity for all four elements, I might never be able to consciously control them outside of borrowing the power of Static Void.


    Still, I tried. As crazy as it sounded, I called out to the floating specks of aether to help me somehow. I shouted, I pleaded, I prayed within the frozen realm and just when I thought nothing would work, some of the particles began congregating around Dawn¡¯s Bad, coating its de in a hue of purple.


    Afraid that this power would soon dissipate, I immediately released Static Void and swung my aether-d de.


    Despite stopping time, the scythe had little trouble knowing where I was, as if expecting that I would use Static Void.


    What he didn¡¯t expect, however, was that my next attack would be infused in aether.


    Dawn¡¯s Bad shed in a purple crescent. The very fabric of space seemed to warp around my de as it passed through the scythe, leaving arge, hollow gash.


    The scythe¡¯s look of indifference turned sour as he grunted in pain. He sped his chest which soon burst out blood.


    With that one attack, my mind swam and my arms felt heavy. A chilling pain radiated from my mana core, but I was able to lift my sword just in time to block a strike from a hand d in ck mes.


    The scythe gripped the de of my sword in his zing hand while his eyes lost all trace of leisure.


    I tried to pry my sword away from him to no avail. I didn¡¯t have the strength to use aether again, and even if I did, I wasn¡¯t confident that I could replicate what I had just done.


    The bright teal de of my sword dulled as the ck fire spread from the scythe¡¯s hand onto Dawn¡¯s Bad.


    ¡®Arthur!¡¯ Sylvie screamed in worry. She cast her vivum aether onto me, giving me strength, but it didn¡¯t matter.


    I couldn¡¯t do anything as the ck mes enveloped my sword and shattered within the scythe¡¯s grasp.


    ¡°That is for the injury,¡± he said quietly, his voice dripping with anger.


    I stepped away, putting some distance between us as I gripped the broken hilt of my beloved sword.


    To my surprise, however, the scythe didn¡¯t pursue. Instead, he turned to where Sylvie, Bairon, and Virion were. ¡°Your aether arts aren¡¯t strong enough to heal their wounds yet, Lady Sylvie.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± I snapped, conjuring and condensing multipleyers of ice to craft a sword.


    ¡°While I¡¯m confident that I¡¯ll be able to defeat you, I fear this flying castle will copse in the process of doing so,¡± he stated, ncing sideways at me. ¡°Relinquish this fortress and I will retrieve the soulfire currently eating away at their lives.¡±


    My body tensed, unwilling to believe him. ¡°You¡¯re just going to let us go?¡±


    I was confident to be able to hold my own against him with Sylvie, but not while Virion and Bairon were here.


    ¡°I have alreadypleted my orders, and it has been a long time since a lesser managed to wound me.¡±


    ¡®Arthur. He¡¯s right. I can¡¯t heal them and I used up a lot of strength earlier trying to save Elder Buhnd.¡¯


    Despite my bond¡¯s words, I didn¡¯t lower my guard. With Realmheart still ignited and my sword poised to strike at the scythe, I asked him the question I had been too afraid to hear the answer to. ¡°Are Princess Tessia Eralith, Alice Leywin, and Eleanor Leywin still alive?¡±


    The scythe revealed a smile that sent chills down my spine. ¡°The princess, along with your mother and sister are safe. You¡¯ll find out moreter on if you choose to ept my offer.¡±


    The ice sword dissipated in my hand while I released Realmheart. My shoulders slumped from the weight of his words and my chest tightened. Every ounce of strength I had left was used to keep myself up on my feet, instead of on my knees, begging.


    My greatest fear hade true. I had never gotten close to anyone in my past life was for this reason. ¡°W-Where are they? What have you done to them?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my ce to tell you,¡± he said as he made his way over to Virion and Bairon.


    ***


    I flew in silence next to Sylvie who was carrying Virion and Bairon on her scaled back. The Castle got smaller and smaller behind us as we headed back in defeat.


    ¡®Arthur. Your family is going to be okay,¡¯ Sylvie consoled gently.


    I clenched my fists to keep them from trembling. I have to save them, Sylv. No matter what, I can¡¯t let what happened to my father happen to them.


    ¡®I know. We¡¯re going to do everything we can.¡¯


    We made camp in a remote area a few miles northeast of Etistin by the Sehz River. I knew that if the sight of twonces and the verymander leading the war against the cryans were spotted in the state we were in, it would create mass panic.


    Getting to work, I built a fire and conjured a stone tent for us while Sylvie began healing Virion and Bairon again. After about an hour or so, both of their breathing had be regr until they were simply asleep. Sylvie and I sat next to each other in front of the fire, lost in the me¡¯s dance.


    It had been a long time since it had been this peaceful, yet I struggled to keep calm. Sitting, doing nothing and waiting made me restless, but we were both at a loss.


    Neither of us said anything for a long time. The sun had set, with the fire our only source of light. I prodded at it with a stick, not because I had to, but because I would go crazy if I wasn¡¯t doing something.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± my bond asked quietly, reading my thoughts.


    ¡°Find Tess, Ellie and my mom,¡± I answered.


    My bond turned to me, her bright topaz eyes reflecting the light from the fire. I could feel her uncertainty and despite her best efforts in keeping her thoughts from leaking, I could hear the question she wanted to ask: ¡®Is the war over?¡¯


    There was a muddled mixture of emotions leaking from her but she was doing everything she could from letting me know what those emotions were.


    A pained groan stirred our attentions, turning our heads back towards the tent.


    It was Virion. He rubbed his head for a moment before bolting up to his feet. A sinister aura enveloped him as his beast will ignited.


    ¡°Virion! Virion! It¡¯s okay!¡± I consoled, holding up my arms.


    Disoriented, themander took a moment to inspect our surroundings before finally realizing we weren¡¯t at the Castle.


    ¡°What... what happen¡ªthe scythe!¡± he gasped. ¡°My son! Tessia! Buhnd! We have to help them!¡±


    I wrapped my arms around Virion, hugging him tight. He struggled, trying to break free from my grasp as he continued frantically telling me that we needed to go back.


    And once he had calmed down, Virion wept. The Commander of this war and the very pir of Dicathen, broke down.


    I thought about Sylvie¡¯s unasked question as I embraced Virion, tears lining my eyes as well.


    If it wasn¡¯t over, it sure felt like it was. It felt like the cryans had won. Not only did it feel like they had won, it felt like Agrona had us practically running into the palm of his hand. I had been arrogant.


    What was a mere two mortal lifetimes of experiencepared to an ancient asura¡¯s lifetime of intellect and wisdom?

 Chapter 236

    Chapter 236


    Chapter 236: Darkening Grey


    GREY


    ¡°Here.¡± Lady Vera took a seat beside me, opening a bottle of water before handing it to me. ¡°Drink this and try to calm down.¡±


    I nodded before gulping down the clear liquid. Immediately, my worries, my jitters, and umted stresses faded.


    ¡°Is something wrong with the water?¡± she asked, worried.


    ¡°N-No. I was just so nervous that it went down the wrong pipe,¡± I said, taking another gulp.


    ¡°Oh, I see. Good, keep drinking. You¡¯ll feel better after drinking all of that and doing some breathing exercises. At this point right now, it¡¯s best you keep your body in top shape.¡±


    I stared nkly at Lady Vera¡ªmy sponsor, teacher, mentor and someone akin to an older sister to me. She looked back, smiling in that confident manner that made you feel so safe being on her side.


    ¡°You¡¯re almost there, Grey. Just win one more duel and you¡¯ll be the heir apparent until you¡¯re of age to take on the title of king,¡± she said, leaning in close. ¡°With your skill and talent, this tournament is only a stepping stone for greater things.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I steeled myself, thinking back to Director Wilbeck.


    To this day, it enraged me how quickly her case had been closed despite the gravity of the situation. It made me suspect that something was going on but in order to confirm this and get to the bottom of everything, I would need the authority of a king.


    Like Lady Vera said, this tournament was merely a stepping stone for me to be king and gain Etharia¡¯s backing tounch a full international investigation. I¡¯d find whoever did this and use my full authority as king to make sure that they paid for her death.


    ¡°You know that my home country of Trayden and Etharia have signed a treaty recently, but things have been shaky as with all new alliances. I have faith that you¡¯ll be a great king that truly bridges our two countries together, Grey.¡±


    I looked at Lady Vera, hopeful. ¡°You really think so? Even with my background?¡±


    ¡°Your background is under the Warbridge family name, just like mine,¡± she chastised before her expression softened into a warm smile. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure no one doubts that.¡±


    My chest tightened as tears threatened to surface. Swallowing and sitting up straight, I replied with newfound determination. ¡°Thank you. I won¡¯t let you down.¡±


    ¡°Of course you won¡¯t.¡± She ced a firm hand on my shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve guessed by now who your final opponent is going to be, right?¡±


    My fists tightened. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°I know she¡¯s an old friend and you two grew up together, but don¡¯t forget that she threw away everything for this. Forget the rumors surrounding her; no one has forced her to fight¡ªand with her powers, no one can.¡±


    Just as she finished speaking, Lady Vera¡¯s phone chimed.


    ¡°Hello? What! Okay, I¡¯ll be there soon,¡± she said, her voice stern.


    ¡°Sorry, Grey, a business partner of mine is here and I need to go outside since he¡¯s not allowed in here. Be sure to finish that water and focus on calming yourself.¡±


    I held up the water bottle. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    With a tight nod, Lady Vera began speaking again to whoever was on the other side of the phone. As she reached for the door to exit my waiting room, the door swung open, surprising both of us.


    ¡°Watch it!¡± Lady Vera growled at the janitor pulling a cleaning cart.


    The thin bearded man dipped his head before stepping out of the way. ¡°My apologies.¡±


    Clicking her tongue, she stepped forward to take a closer look at the man when apparently the person on the other line spoke again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there! I want footage pulled up from all angles!¡± she snapped as she strode away.


    The door closed behind the janitor who walked in, his head still lowered beneath his navy uniform cap.


    ¡°You really should be more careful, sir,¡± I warned. ¡°There are a lot of important people in these halls that you don¡¯t want to identally anger.¡±


    The janitor didn¡¯t speak. Instead, to my shock, he looked straight at me as he ripped off his thick grizzled beard. What surprised me more was the fact that the janitor¡¯s face began to warp slightly to reveal a face that couldn¡¯t be more familiar.


    ¡°N-Nic¡ª¡±


    The janit¡ªno, Nico¡ªsped his palm over my mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t speak too loudly.¡±


    His hand remained until I confirmed to him that I had calmed down. Wiping my mouth, I spoke to my friend that had been ignoring me for the past few months. ¡°Where have you been? You look terribl¡ªthat fake beard... is it an altering artifact? Aren¡¯t those illegal?¡±


    Nico ignored me as his eyes darted around the room. It only took a single nce to tell that these past few months had not been easy for him. His cheeks were sunken and his lips were cracked, showing how little he had cared for his health.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time before your match against Cecilia,¡± he said, fumbling through the sanitation cart before pulling out a palm-sized device. ¡°I need you to listen to this right now.¡±


    I pushed the device away. ¡°What is going on, Nico? I know you¡¯re worried about Cecilia but you¡¯ve been ignoring me for the past four months and now you march in here right before my match and distract me like this? What are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± he asked, desperation evident in his voice. ¡°Just listen.¡±


    And so I did. Despite having less than an hour before my match against Cecilia, I put on the earbuds together with Nico and began listening.


    ¡°Is this... Lady Vera?¡± I asked, hearing her voice through the device.


    He urged me to continue listening and so I did. And as the audio clips continued, it became harder and harder to listen.


    ¡°Bullshit,¡± I spat, pulling the chords out of my ears. ¡°ns to capture Cecilia during this tournament? What sort of sick joke are you ying at, Nico?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a joke¡ªhow could I ever joke about Cecilia?!¡± he urged, tears lining his tired eyes. ¡°I know Lady Vera has been good to you but this is why. Everything was for this day.¡±


    ¡°Have you gone crazy these past few months?¡±


    ¡°This is where I¡¯ve been these past few months.¡± Nico pulled up his uniform sleeves and pant legs, showing deep red scars that ran around his wrists and ankles. ¡°I¡¯ve been locked up by our own Etharian embassy because I was trying to break her out of the government facility she¡¯s been held in. I¡¯ve been starved and tortured, but I managed to escape. Since then I¡¯ve been gathering evidence around Vera Warbridge to get you to help me.¡±


    My eyes widened before I shook my head. ¡°No. No, you¡¯re lying. It makes no sense. First of all, why would Lady Vera need to take Cecilia? Trayden and Etharia have an alliance now!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s specifically why they want it now,¡± he exined impatiently. ¡°Whoever has control over Cecilia, or what the Traydens refer to her as¡ªThe Legacy, has control over the entire two governments.¡±


    I was shaken by the familiar term. The Legacy... that was what that man had called Cecilia as he was torturing me. But I never told Nico that.


    ¡°Okay, then how do I y into this? Why would Lady Vera need me specifically rather than any other genius king candidate?¡±


    ¡°Our government has been confining Cecilia for her own protection until she¡¯s officially crowned as a king. The only time she¡¯ll have to appear in public is during the tournaments,¡± he responded immediately. ¡°And Lady Vera needed you because you¡¯re an orphan. There are strict rules to who can be allowed in the King¡¯s Crown tournaments, especially the final rounds. Lady Vera was only allowed in here because she¡¯s your legal guardian, something that can¡¯t happen with another candidate from an affluent family.¡±


    I mulled over his words for a moment, lost in thought when suddenly, a knock on the door made both of us jolt up.


    ¡°Candidate Grey? I¡¯m one of the facilitators here. Lady Vera Warbridge has asked for me to check up on you,¡± a gruff voice sounded.


    I looked at Nico who was panicking. He looked at me with wide eyes, his entire body trembling.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Please let her know that I don¡¯t want to be disturbed until it¡¯s time for the duel,¡± I replied loudly.


    The facilitator acknowledged my words and dismissed himself, but the two of us waited a few more minutes. I peeked out the door to make sure no one was outside before turning back to Nico. ¡°Look. You¡¯re crazy, but it¡¯s obvious you¡¯ve been through a lot. I¡¯m not going to turn you in, so get out of here safely.¡±


    ¡°Grey,¡± Nico pleaded, sping his hands over mine once more. ¡°I¡¯m begging you. I was able to set up a n with a few friends after I broke free a few weeks ago. Everything is in motion but I need your help if we¡¯re going to escape with Cecilia!¡±


    ¡° Escape with Cecilia?¡± I echoed. ¡°Do you even hear yourself right now? We¡¯repeting against each other for the King¡¯s Crown! You¡¯re telling me to throw that all away because you think that there¡¯s some sort of crazy conspiracy going on right now? I saw Cecilia¡¯sst fight; she¡¯spletely fine and healthy!¡±


    ¡°Y-You don¡¯t know what the Warbridge family is going to do to Cecilia once they get their hands on her!¡± he cried desperately while fumbling through his pockets. ¡°Look! I didn¡¯t want to show you this but this has to prove it.¡±


    I snatched the crumbled picture from his hands, skeptical of his words until I saw who was in the picture. While blurry and hastily taken, there was no doubt that it was Lady Vera talking with a man with a scar running down his face.


    ¡°Do you remember him? He¡¯s the one that tried to kidnap Cecilia!¡± he said, pointing frantically at the blurred man.


    ¡°Th-That can¡¯t be... no, it¡¯s not. Nico, this is too blurry to tell. I won¡¯t¡ªI can¡¯t throw out everything I know of and believe in Lady Vera because of one blurry photo,¡± I responded, handing the photo back to him.


    My hands trembled and my heart thrashed against my ribcage. I needed water.


    I fumbled with the cap of the clear bottle and took arge gulp. Instantly, I could feel myself calming down, feeling better¡ªstronger, even, and more clear-headed.


    Lady Vera was right. I needed to take care of my body by staying hydrated. Taking a deep breath, I turned to Nico. ¡°If what any of what you said to me today is a lie, you could be sentenced to life in prison. As a friend, I¡¯ll pretend this never happened, but you¡¯re out of your mind if you want me to participate.¡±


    Nico fell to his knees, looking up at me in desperation. ¡°Grey! Plea¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you, Headmaster Wilbeck, and Cecilia the way I¡¯ve been trying to all this time¡ªby bing king,¡± I cut him off as I walked towards the door. ¡°Now if you¡¯ll excuse me. My match is about to start.¡±


    The referee¡ªa slim, middle-aged man with a well-trimmed gray beard¡ªwas dressed in a formal ck suit. He kept his hands behind his back as he spoke sternly. ¡°Will the two finalists step up onto the stage?¡±


    My footsteps echoed as I walked up the marble steps leading onto the square dueling tform, and I could hear her footsteps from the other side as well. The limited audience allowed to be ¡®witness¡¯ to this event had been quieted and were anxiously waiting for the next representative of Etharia.


    Using the very breathing technique that Lady Vera had taught me, I calmed myself as I stepped up onto the reinforced tform. However, taking one look as my opponent and old friend came up as well, I couldn¡¯t help but shudder.


    The very air around her seemed to be filled with electricity as my skin tingled ufortably. An aura of pure ki was visible and condensed so densely that I feared not even the sharpest de could prate it.


    All it took was one nce to realize how outssed I was. One nce and I knew that no one in this entire tournament but her ever had a chance to be the next king. Cecilia seemed to know that, as her gaze exuded confidence. She was paler than usual¡ªmore sickly¡ªand the dark bags under her eyes showed how tired she was, but her demeanor still spoke of her arrogance.


    ¡°In honor of thepetition, the two finalists will pay their respects to the reigning king of Etharia, King Ivan Craft,¡± the referee announced, gesturing towards the highest podium.


    I bowed deeply in the traditional manner that Lady Vera had taught me before turning back to my opponent. Cecilia, on the other hand, barely dipped her head before locking gazes with me.


    For a moment, time seemed to slow as we exchanged nces. Nico¡¯s words echoed in my mind, wavering my already-diminished confidence. Nico had said from the beginning that Cecilia had been captured by our own government, but I couldn¡¯t believe him. Just from her attitude, Cecilia looked as if she¡¯d chosen to leave him in order to pursue the route of a king... kind of like what I had done.


    The referee stepped between the two of us. ¡°Finalists. Show your respects to one another.¡±


    He walked back and I bowed in respect¡ªrespect I was never shown back as she kept her chin high and looked down at me. The referee ignored it and signalled for us to ready our weapons.


    I unsheathed my weapon, swiping the sword deftly through the air before pointing its gleaming tip directly at Cecilia. I couldn¡¯t afford to lose focus¡ªshe was another opponent I had to defeat.


    Cecilia¡¯s expression remained unchanged as she elegantly raised an empty hand. In that hand formed a ki weapon in the shape of a rapier. Unlike other ki weapons that I had seen however, its manifestation was near-instant and wless in detail.


    I could hear stifled gasps and murmurs from the audience from just this disy. The referee maintained his professionalism by disying no change in attitude before signalling the technicians to raise the ki barrier.


    As soon as the translucent dome soon fully encased the arena, the referee swung down his hand. ¡°Let the duelmence!¡±


    Throwing aside the hesitation clouding my mind, I burst forward, brandishing my ki-d sword. Years of training with Lady Vera had strengthened my ki pool to an extent that I thought wasn¡¯t powerful enough. While I still staggered just below the average practitioner, with my powerful instincts and sharp reflexes, I was able to utilize every drop of ki I had in my arsenal.


    Those same reflexes made me stop mid-dash. Every fiber in my body screamed at me not to get any closer to Cecilia as she remained unmoving.


    I felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of my face as I switched tactics, choosing instead to carefully circle around her.


    Two things happened near-instantaneously. First, a grimace crossed Cecilia¡¯s pale face. Second, she released a flurry of piercing ki strikes with one stroke.


    My eyes widened in shock at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. This wasn¡¯t some fairy tale or fantasy game, but real life. Still, gathering my wits, I managed to weave through the barrage of long-range energy strikes. My legs carried me through Cecilia¡¯s casual onught as scores of piercing strikesunched from her ki weapon until I was in range to strike as well.


    I feinted a downward strike before pivoting and spinning behind her, catching Cecilia behind her knees.


    The attack that was supposed to buckle her and send her to the ground, however, sent a sharp wave of pain down my body instead.


    ¡°Weak,¡± Cecilia muttered under her breath.


    I refused to let that get to me. Repositioning myself, I struck Cecilia with a quick set of sweeping attacks faster than the eye could follow.


    But none of them could make a dent in the thick shroud of ki enveloping her tiny body.


    Cecilia responded, stabbing her translucent rapier down at my feet.


    The attack was easy enough to avoid, but what followed was the reinforced ground shattering from the impact of Cecilia¡¯s strike.


    Seriously? How is this even fair! I cursed, trying to escape the cloud of debris formed around us. Before I could react, a hand grabbed my wrist and anchored me in ce with a strength that seemed nearly impossible for such a small body.


    ¡°Is this all that you¡¯ve amounted to even with all of the training you received?¡± Cecilia taunted, practically sighing in disappointment.


    ¡°Shut it!¡± I spat, jerking my hand free from her grasp. Nico¡¯s statements about Cecilia being held against her will and being forced topete sounded more and more like bullshit as the duel continued.


    Her attitude was just like those candidates from affluent families¡ªhaughty and arrogant.


    I moved away from the dissipating cloud of debris with rapid steps, just in time to duck under a st of pure ki.


    The barrier surrounding the dueling arena trembled from the impact, widening the eyes of the referee that remained close by.


    Momentster, Cecilia shot forward, both hands gripping her ki weapon that was poised to strike. I dodged her first piercing blow, but the aura surrounding her ki weapon was sharp enough to draw blood on my neck.


    Cecilia moved in a flurry, her glowing de turning into an indistinguishable blur of light as she recklessly attacked me.


    My first few attempts at parrying her ki weapon resulted in chips forming on my de¡ªand that was with me reinforcing my weapon with ki.


    I ducked, spun, weaved and pivoted at a speed that only I could pull off with such uracy and timing.


    Her attacks her monstrously strong and fast, but her swordy wasn¡¯t on the same level as mine.


    Suddenly, Cecilia¡¯s weapon blinked out of sight as she positioned her now-empty palm directly at my face.


    Once again, my body screamed at me that I was in danger, and I reacted by grabbing her outstretched arm and pulling it away while leveraging it to position myself to her side.


    Just in time, a cone of glowing energy was released from Cecilia¡¯s open palm, right where I once stood.


    ¡°Can all you do is dodge and run away?¡± she said, her voice apathetic.


    Cecilia¡¯s ki-d elbow struck directly at my sternum,unching me several feet off the ground and knocking the wind out of me.


    Before I could even hope to get back up to my feet, I spotted Cecilia sprinting towards me with her newly-formed ki weapon ready.


    I desperately tried to reach for my sword, but it was a few inches out of reach. Still, I struggled, trying to w at the ground to drag my aching body to my only chance ating out of this alive.


    It was toote as Cecilia¡¯s shadow swept over me and I spotted the glimmer of her weapon.


    There was nothing more I could do except close my eyes and wait as I was defeated¡ªor in the worst case, killed.


    However, the pain never came. Cecilia¡¯s ki sword buried itself into the ground, inches away from my face, and the impact once again destroyed the reinforced ground beneath me.


    My opponent smiled, her face close to mine. ¡°That¡¯s once that you would¡¯ve died.¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± I yelled. Grabbing hold of my sword that had fallen into reach, I struck Cecilia at her waist using every ounce of ki I could muster at the moment. My de couldn¡¯t cut through the protective shroud of ki wrapped around her body, but the force did manage to push her away from me.


    Cecilia twisted her body,nding nimbly on her feet with a smirk on her face. She was no longer the friend I had grown up with. Nico really was delusional, thinking that everything was forced onto her by the government.


    I gripped the sword in my right hand, withdrawing the ki that had been protecting my body. If I wanted to defeat her, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do so by wasting my precious ki on defense.


    Noticing this, Cecilia withdrew her weapon, letting the glowing rapier fizzle out of existence.


    She got into an offensive stance and gestured for me toe. She didn¡¯t say anything, but didn¡¯t need to. She didn¡¯t even see me as a threat, igniting in me an anger with newfound determination to defeat her at all cost.


    Letting out a roar, I imbued ki to my legs in explosive pulses, matching it to my stride. I reached her in three steps at a speed that even caught her by surprise. I swung my sword upward, hoping to at least throw her off bnce, but Cecilia stood still and let her ki barrier soak up the brunt of my attack.


    Her hand, coated in a thickyer of ki, actually managed to grip down on the sharp edges of my reinforced de.


    She pulled on the sword, pulling me along with it, and pped me across the face with the back of her hand.


    I had managed to protect my face at thest minute but I was still sent tumbling on the ground and my vision swam. Getting back up on my feet, I was immediately met with a barrage of attacks from Cecilia as she swung my own sword at me.


    ¡°My trainer was right. You two were dead weights holding me down, especially Nico,¡± she whispered. ¡°I¡¯m d I managed to get rid of you both.¡±


    The mention of Nico¡¯s name brought forth another explosive wave of anger. Despite how crazy his conclusions had been, he had done everything because he cared about Cecilia¡ªloved her. For her to spit on those emotions made me mad, despite all of the usations he had spouted towards Lady Vera.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± I roared. Enveloping my hand in ki, I sidestepped her next downward sh¡ªthe end of her attack pattern¡ªand parried the de so it would get buried in the ground.


    Even with my chipped sword, the ki she had embued around it was a strong enough attack to split the reinforced ground and get stuck.


    I immediately followed up, delivering a powerful punch across her jaw and another just below her ribs.


    My knuckles felt like they had hit a concrete wall, but I managed to make Cecilia stagger for just a split moment. That moment was enough for me to pry my sword out.


    At that exact moment, an explosion resounded around the arena, surrounding the entire dueling tform in clouds of dust and debris. I noticed the translucent barrier surrounding the dueling arena quiver before disappearing as screams and shouts of surprise filled the area.


    I stood still for a moment, confused at the turn of events until a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eyes.


    ¡°This duel is over!¡± she cried out as she dashed towards me.


    She let loose a flurry of swings with her newly-formed ki weapon, unleashing sharp crescents of energy. The attacks bombarded the ground around me, raising even more dust and debris in the already-chaotic situation unfolding. However, I remained focused, wanting to end this duel just as much as she did.


    Gripping my sword with both hands, I infused the remaining ki I had left into its de and prayed for it to endure one more attack. Within the smokescreen of dust obscuring my vision, I managed to spot the faint shadow of Cecilia mid-air.


    Her n to use those shy attacks to obstruct my view of her might¡¯ve worked on most, but my sharp senses and instincts allowed me to guess her next move.


    I let out a primal roar, raising my sword and driving its sharpened tip straight into Cecilia¡¯s shadowed figure with all of my might, clenching my jaw for the impact toe.


    Yet the recoil I had expected from shing with her protective shroud never came.


    Instead I watched as my sword slid itself deep into Cecilia¡¯s chest ande stained red out of her back.


    I felt her weight falling into me; the warm viscous fluid spilling down my hands and down my arms.


    ¡°They... wouldn¡¯t let me... kill myself. I¡¯m sorry... this was... the only way,¡± Cecilia mustered, her breath ragged.


    I let go of my sword, my hands trembling fiercely. ¡°W-Wha¡ªwhy? How?¡±


    ¡°As long as... I live, Nico will be... imprisoned... used against... me.¡±


    I stumbled back, and Cecilia fell on top of me. To my horror, the de sunk deeper into her and she let out a pained gasp.


    ¡°N-N-No... this can¡¯t be...¡± I sputtered, unable to even form the rest of the sentence as I choked back sobs forming in my throat.


    The dust from Cecilia¡¯sst attack and the explosion around the arena had dissipated as I continued clutching Cecilia. Despite all of the action movies I had seen at the orphanage of the main character dying dramatically, Cecilia¡¯s death was nowhere near the same.


    She simply stopped breathing and fell limp. That was it.


    ¡° No! How? What have you done!?¡± Lady Vera¡¯s voice screamed out from the side.


    I turned my head towards the sound of the voice, more out of instinct than as an actual response. To my left were two figures, one male and one female. Both were in military armor, faces covered behind cloth masks. However, the male had taken off the goggles covering his eyes, revealing two different colored eyes.


    Perhaps if it had been under any other situation, I would¡¯ve reacted differently. I had found one of the men responsible for Headmaster Wilbeck¡¯s death. I had also just heard Lady Vera¡¯s unmistakable voice behind the mask of the female assant beside him.


    Nico had been right, but that didn¡¯t matter to me right now. I had killed a friend¡ªno, I had killed the woman my best friend loved.


    The world turned silent as I stared nkly as the assassin with a scarred brown eye and a green eye pulled Lady Vera away and escape.


    I watched as the referee and the judges frantically made their way towards us while guards ran around, trying to control the mayhem.


    And from the corner of my eyes, near the very entrance I hade from, I witnessed Nico as his expression crumpled into that of horror and despair.

 Chapter 237

    Chapter 237


    Chapter 237: Expired Arrangement


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    Long after the sun had set and night crept in, bringing a bitter chill along with it, I sat mindlessly by the fire. Above me, the stars that seemed the same in my previous world and this world glimmered like crystal dust across the horizon.


    Virion, like a feeble infant, had fallen back asleep after crying. His body was in a severely weakened state and his mana core had been on the cusp of shattering. Bairon still hadn¡¯t woken up, his injuries from the scythe much more severe than I had originally expected.


    Hours must¡¯ve passed since Ist moved from my seat as my whirling vortex of thoughts digressed into an empty void. After the anger had fizzled out, the ns to save my family and Tess¡ªthe ns for revenge and justice¡ªhad all faded.


    So I sat on the ground, running my fingers idly through the soft dirt beneath me, no idea where to go from here. The cryans now had control over the Castle and with it, the controls to the teleportation gates throughout the continent. It didn¡¯t take a genius to guess that they would n on taking Xyrus City next before slowly wiping away the forces of Dicathen.


    With Virion in the state he was in right now, our side didn¡¯t even have a leader. Thences were scattered and it was only a matter of time before they would be picked off one at a time until Dicathen had no hope of ever retaliating.


    The crunch of leaves drew my attention behind me. Sylvie hade out from the earthen shelter I had conjured, but one nce was all it took for me to realize that my bond wasn¡¯t who she appeared to be.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk, shall we?¡± she said, and her voice was the same, but the cadence and pitch were all off.


    My heart quickened and I found myself trembling with rage but I wordlessly followed. For five minutes we walked, apanied only by the snapping of twigs and the crush of foliage under our feet. A flurry of emotions passed through me as I stared at the back of the one responsible for all of the deaths and misery our people had to endure.


    My mind raced to think of something to say, to think of something to do.


    ¡°Whew!¡± Sylvie breathed, taking a seat on a fallen log. ¡°Controlling this body even for simple things like walking is hard work.¡±


    I stared at the leader of the Vritra n and ruler of crya and fell to my knees in front of him.


    Agrona furrowed ¡®his¡¯ brows, contorting Sylvie¡¯s face into an expression of surprise and frustration before he quickly rxed.


    ¡°My, what an unexpected turn of events,¡± he said as I lowered my gaze to the ground beneath him. ¡°Has the hero, and once mighty king, admitted defeat?¡±


    ¡°Agrona,¡± I said through gritted teeth. ¡°You¡¯ve made your point. Please, let Tessia and my family go.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    I dug my fingers into the dirt. ¡°Because... I ept your deal. I¡¯ll remove myself from this war.¡±


    A chortle made me look up, only to see Sylvie cackling while covering her mouth. ¡°You think our deal still stands, Grey? You were the only unpredictable variable that had even the slightest chance in hindering me, but as you said so yourself, I¡¯ve made my point. Even you¡ªwith all of your inherent gifts and advantages¡ªonly amounted to this much.¡±


    Sylvie¡¯s eyes,ced in displeasure, stared down at me. ¡°The very fact that you haven¡¯t even told your bond that I¡¯m able to possess her body tells me that even from the very beginning, you were always expecting to lose.¡±


    ¡°Then what... what do you want?¡± I demanded. ¡°Why did you appear in front of me again?¡±


    ¡°Again, asking questions I have no obligation to answer.¡± Despite his casual words, his expression was knitted in what seemed like worry. ¡°I don¡¯t expect to have the pleasure of meeting like this again, so... goodbye.¡±


    I scrambled to my feet. ¡°W-Wait, what about my¡ª¡±


    And like that, Sylvie slumped back, unconscious.


    Screaming in resentment, I mmed a mana-d fist into the ground, waking the forest and its inhabitants.


    ¡°A-Arthur?¡± Sylvie called, weary and disoriented. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    I let the mental barrier¡ªthat I had grown increasingly better at fortifying¡ªfall, allowing my bond to read my thoughts and memories unabated.


    Still, I made it a point to tell her the truth verbally. ¡°Ever since you broke the seal that Sylvia had ced on you, Agrona was able to take over your consciousness for short periods of time.¡±


    I watched as Sylvie¡¯s skin paled and her expression distorted into disgust. Her mouth opened, as if to ask me a question, then closed because she had found the answer in my mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you.¡±


    Sylvie walked up to me, her thoughts and emotions blocked, and pped me across the cheek. My head whipped to the side at the force strong enough to break a normal person¡¯s neck.


    ¡°There. We¡¯re even now,¡± she muttered before wrapping her arms around my waist and burying her head in my chest.


    The tears that hadn¡¯t even fallen while Virion mourned for his family spilled down my cheeks as my body trembled. I gripped my bond back tightly, afraid to lose her as well.


    I had not only lost, but I had also begged to my enemy on bent knees. Sylvie knew the anger, guilt, sorrow, and humiliation tearing apart my insides and the very fact that she knew and epted them was enough for me to move on.


    Biting my lip until I could taste a warm metallic bitterness, I cried silently, the crystal dust above us shaky and blurred.


    Sylvie and I had eventually returned to our campter that night. The two of us stayed together outside, guarding the shelter that Bairon and Virion were sleeping in.


    At one point, I must¡¯ve fallen asleep because Sylvie sent a sharp mental probe, telling me to wake up. My eyes snapped open and I got up, only to see Virion and Bairon having a heated argument while Sylvie put herself between them.


    ¡°We have to go back! Our troops need us, Commander!¡± Bairon growled, struggling to stay up on his own two feet.


    ¡°And do what? It¡¯s toote,¡± Virion snapped, leaning against the earthen tent for support. His eyes turned towards me, noticing that I was awake. ¡°Good, Arthur, we should get ready to leave.¡±


    ¡°Leave? Where?¡± I asked, confused.


    ¡°Our Commander says that the war is lost,¡± Bairon retorted. ¡°Most likely, the injury from fighting the scythe had rendered him incapable of leading.¡±


    Virion cast a harsh look at thence before speaking. ¡°The war is lost. With the Castle in their hands, they have ess to all the teleportation gates throughout the continent. It¡¯s only a matter of time before they¡¯re able to figure out how to fully control it.¡±


    ¡°So what did you have in mind?¡± I asked Virion.


    Virion¡¯s knees buckled, toppling forward until Sylvie caught him.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said to my bond before turning to me. ¡°Camus, Buhnd, Hester, and I, along with a few other trusted friends constructed a shelter to take refuge, just in case disaster fell¡ªalthough no one would¡¯ve expected an oue like this.¡±


    The thought of Elder Buhnd sent a sharp pain through my chest but I swallowed it. ¡°Where is it?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± Bairon interrupted. ¡°You are ance. We have a duty to uphold for our people. Are we going to abandon them and leave them all to die by the cryans?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not abandoning anyone!¡± Virion snarled, his patience wearing thin. ¡°But going back into battle and risking the death of myself and any of you three would leave no hope for the future!¡±


    ¡°The future...¡± my bond echoed.


    ¡°Yes! The future. We need to recoup if we ever want a chance to take back Dicathen,¡± Virion continued.


    Bairon¡¯s shoulder slumped and for the first time, thence seemed fragile and vulnerable. ¡°So... there¡¯s nothing we can do right now to win this war?¡±


    ¡°Our best chance is for us to stay alive and gather thences,¡± Virion replied, looking sincerely pained.


    ¡®What do you think we should do?¡¯ Sylvie asked, knowing that my thoughts were still filled with Tessia and my family.


    I let out a sigh before staring at the two of them with a hardened gaze. ¡°Sylvie and I will take the two of you to wherever this secret shelter is but after that we¡¯re going to look for my mom, my sister, and Tess.¡±


    ¡°Arthur... ¡° There was a tangible distance in Virion¡¯s voice as he said my name, a hollow and almost pained sound.


    I shook my head, holding up my hand. On my middle finger was a in silver ring that Vincent had given me and my mom. ¡°This is an artifact connected with a ring that my mother has. It¡¯s my only hope and I can¡¯t leave her knowing that there¡¯s still a chance she¡¯s alive.¡±


    I had kept it off during the war, but through the connection between the two rings and the fact that she and my sister both had the Phoenix Wyrm pendant, it was possible. And that the ring hadn¡¯t activated because she was still alive... not because she had taken it off.


    ¡°I¡¯ll direct Dicathians that I meet back to the shelter during my search, but I need to do this,¡± I finished.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Virion whispered, closing his eyes.


    Quietly, I got to work, destroying the earthen shelter and erasing all signs that we had ever stopped here to rest.


    ¡°So... where is this shelter, Commander Virion?¡± Bairon asked.


    Virion used a nearby twig to draw a rough map of Dicathen, indicating our position with a circle. ¡°The refuge that we had found is near the southern coast of the Kingdom of Darv, just along the Grand Mountains¡ª¡±


    ¡°Found?¡± I cut in. ¡°I thought you said you and the elders had built it.¡±


    ¡°Most of what seemed like a man-made cave already existed. We just built on top of it and hid it more thoroughly,¡± he added.


    ¡°Well, how are we going to traverse the near-thousand miles it¡¯ll take to reach this shelter? We can¡¯t fly; it¡¯s too dangerous,¡± Bairon noted.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. And it¡¯ll be just as risky to try and take a teleportation gate to a city within Darv. Should we wait until nightfall?¡±


    ¡°How about this,¡± I suggested, drawing a jagged line running through Sapin. ¡°We¡¯re about an hour hike away from the Sehz River that flows all the way down through Darv and into the ocean. We¡¯ll take the river down until nightfall and travel the rest by sky.¡±


    ¡°There are cities built along the Sehz though,¡± Sylvie countered. ¡°Won¡¯t we be a bit noticeable traveling on the water?¡±


    ¡°Who said anything about on the water?¡±


    ***


    ¡°This is... fascinating,¡± Virion marveled as we watched various aquatic animals and mana beasts pass by from the top of Sylvie¡¯s back. We surged through the water, away from discerning eyes, while I concentrated on the multipleyers of spells I had to continually manage in order to make all of this possible.


    I had to create two pockets of air, one over Sylvie¡¯s back to allow Virion, Bairon, and I to breath and stay dry, and another epassing Sylvie¡¯srge draconic head. While we weren¡¯t submerged deep enough to have to worry too much about the water pressure, it did mean that keeping the air pockets stable was quite a bit harder.


    With the aid of water magic to push us faster and a fin made of mana that Sylvie had fashioned at the end of her tail, we were making great distance.


    Virion was able to take this new mode of transportation in stride, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for Bairon. The poornce hadtched himself so tightly onto Sylvie¡¯s back that, even through her tough scales, sheined to me about the pain.


    ¡°How did you even think of such an idea as traveling underwater?¡± Virion asked, twisting left and right to see all around him. For a moment I was able to see the old Virion that I had grown up with back when I had first shown up in Elenoir with Tessia.


    ¡°Did you forget that I¡¯m pretty smart?¡± I asked, avoiding his question.


    We stayed fairly deep in the water except for the times that we had to replenish our air pockets. After the initial amazement had worn off, the four of us traveled in silence, brooding in our own minds with little desire to converse. Sylvie and I still conversed telepathically but even those conversations dwindled as each of us sumbed to our own thoughts of the bleak future.


    The water around us began to darken as the sun fell, indicating to us that we¡¯d be able to resurface soon.


    Without taking a break, the four of usunched out of theke and into the purple and deep blue sky.


    Will you be okay flying with them on your back? I asked Sylvie, jumping off of her back. Virion and Bairon were both still barely able to use mana after their fight against the scythe.


    ¡®I¡¯ll manage,¡¯ she replied, beating her powerful wings to elerate.


    I followed alongside them, flying on my own to lessen her burden. I watched as thend below us began turning into the desert as we crossed the border into Darv. I took onest look back, trying not to think about the battles going on and the chaos spreading for our troops as they were left without theirmander.

 Chapter 238

    Chapter 238


    Chapter 238: Hidden in Sand


    ¡°Here! We have tond here!¡± Virion cried out as we hovered over the vast deserts of Darv.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing here though!¡± Bairon argued, his head turning left and right.


    Even I looked around, shielding my eyes from the sharp gusts of wind, but below were just a few odd boulders and lots and lots of sand.


    Back when we had been flying above the clouds, it was easy to spot our rtive location using the various peaks of the Grand Mountains as ourpass, but now it was impossible to see the range of mountains because of the thick sand-carrying winds.


    Sylvie descended and I followed behind them until wended on the soft ground.


    ¡°Flying through that was... tough,¡± Sylvie muttered after switching to her human form. She wore all ck like she usually did, but her scales had turned her outfit into a thick shawl that covered most of her face and body tobat the harsh winds.


    ¡°You did well, Lady Sylvie,¡± Virion said as I quickly covered his body in a thickyer of mana. ¡°Most aerial mana beasts can¡¯tst against the winds this far south.¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m not a mana beast,¡± Sylvie rebutted with a raised brow.


    ¡°Ah¡ªMy apologies...¡± Virion replied.


    ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s find this refuge of yours,¡± I said to him, gesturing for him to take the lead.


    Virion pointed at a tall boulder that looked almost like an ancient column of some sort. ¡°We have to head over there.¡±


    ¡°That thing?¡± Bairon pointed, his expression muddled with confusion. ¡°It¡¯s a bit conspicuous for a top-secret refuge shelter, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°That thing isn¡¯t the shelter, it¡¯s thendmark Buhnd had to make to keep track of the shelter¡¯s location,¡± Virion corrected, walking forward.


    The rest of us followed towards the giant pir that was riddled with scars from the sand-infused winds that were so prevalent here.


    ¡°We start from here,¡± Virion stated, pointing to a deep gash in the center of the pir. ¡°With your heel against the pir, we take 35,651 steps forward.¡±


    Bairon, Sylvie, and I exchanged nces before looking back to Virion. ¡°Really? This is the only way to find the shelter?¡±


    ¡°For now, yes,¡± Virion answered. ¡°The shelter itself branches off into various tunnels that haven¡¯t been explored, though, so I¡¯m hoping that more entrances can pop up.¡±


    Sylvie nodded in agreement. ¡°If this is the only way to get to the shelter, it¡¯ll be almost impossible to bring normal civilians here discreetly.¡±


    Virion let out a sigh with downcast eyes. For him, this shelter was most likely hisst chance in having any hope at redemption against the cryans. If this n only amounted to us and a few others being able to make it to the shelter, there was no point.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯vee all this way. Let¡¯s go to this shelter first before wee to any conclusions,¡± I interjected, putting on the most confident expression that I could muster.


    And so we began our trek through the desert. Unable to fly or use any shortcuts with magic, Virion was forced to walk heel to toe while I kept count.


    It was a rough journey that usually would¡¯ve taken days of preparation to even try. However, in a group with twonces, a silver core mage, and an asura, we were able to get by.


    Fresh water, that would¡¯ve been impossible toe by, was extracted from the clouds every so often to replenish ourselves, and our near bottomless pit of mana was able to keep us safe from the cold desert air and sharp winds.


    ¡°I can take over from here, Commander,¡± Bairon said on step 10,968.


    ¡°No. Your foot sizes are different,¡± I cut in. ¡°It¡¯ll throw us off.¡±


    Bairon shot me a quick re in response to my curt interjection, but I ignored him and signalled Virion to continue walking. We travelled in silence and with my concentration solely focused on Virion, even Sylvie blocked her mental link so she wouldn¡¯t have to hear me monotonously counting numbers in my head.


    Our journey was a long and tedious one, but the counting helped my mind from wandering and overthinking. I focused on keeping track of our steps, slowing my pace to be just behind Virion¡¯s heel-to-toe gait.


    We did stop every now and then so that Virion and Bairon could stretch and rest. The two were still recovering and while their bodies had healed, the trek through the sands were still taxing for the two of them. With our feet sinking almost shin-deep with every step, it took a lot more strength to walk here than it did on t ground.


    Sylvie checked the state of their damaged mana cores every now and then to make sure they were okay, but it seemed like the only way they¡¯d be able to recover would be by giving them time to rest.


    Virion hade to terms with his injuries, but I would hear Bairon grunt in frustration every now and then after failing to use mana to the degree that he had grown used to. Virion could barely even coat his fist in mana, while Bairon was only able to shroud his body. Neither of them were able to utilize elemental magic.


    After another ten thousand steps had gone by, I noticed that Virion had gotten slower. Looking up, I noticed that his body was shivering.


    ¡°Virion,¡± I called out, gripping his arm. I immediately sent a wave of heat and I could see blood rushing back to his pale face. ¡°Let me know when you¡¯re getting cold.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you,¡± he replied with a weary smile. ¡°And don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m okay.¡±


    I watched as he walked on. His once broad shoulders seemed so narrow and weak as he hunched forward. For the first time, Virion actually appeared... old.


    We continued marching through the desert, illuminated softly by the pale moon and stars. Afraid to even cast a light in the off chance that a scythe or retainer was nearby, we walked in darkness for hours on end until finally, I had reached thest number.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± I announced skeptically. Around us was only sand, as far as my mana-enhanced vision could see.


    Bairon, Sylvie and I all looked at Virion. Ourmander was bent down, sweeping his arm that was holding a white pentagonal medallion etched with designs that I couldn¡¯t make out from this far.


    ¡°What is that?¡± I asked, curious.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure exactly what it is, but we found several of these inside the Castle when we first discovered it. It seems to be a relic from the wise mages of the past,¡± Virion answered, not taking his eyes off the sandy ground.


    Bairon let out a gasp. ¡°You mean the same ancient mages that had built both the floating city of Xyrus as well as the Castle?¡±


    Virion nodded as he continued to walk in circles, waving the white medallion in his hand as if it were a magnifying ss.


    I raised a brow at Bairon¡¯s unusual tone of admiration, but said nothing. I¡¯d heard about the ancient mages now and again. Much of the previous artifacts that helped the Dicathen civilization grow came from the ancient mages. It¡¯s safe to say that without the teleportation gates, and the mana-rich atmosphere of the floating city of Xyrus, much of Dicathen¡¯snds would¡¯ve been untamed.


    Across my readings back when I was a child in this world, artificers and researchers all believed that the ancient mages had either discovered the technology to transport themselves to another world, or had wiped themselves off the face of the world while conducting arge-scale experiment of some sort.


    Based on theck of evidence that suggested either of these two things, it seemed that the researchers of Dicathen had more or less given up on finding out what had happened to our ancestors and pped on a reasonably logical conclusion.


    After a subjective hour of searching, Virion let out a frustrated grunt. ¡°It¡¯s not here.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s not here?¡± I asked. ¡°You said that taking 35,651 steps straight while facing away from that gash on the boulder would lead us to the shelter.¡±


    ¡°I know what I said!¡± he snapped.


    ¡°Well, maybe the wind blew the boulder back from its original position,¡± Bairon suggested, impatienceced in his voice.


    ¡°Not likely.¡± Virion shook his head. ¡°Buhnd exhausted almost all of his monstrous mana core to make sure the boulder wasrge enough and was buried deep enough so that the sand and wind wouldn¡¯t shift its position.¡±


    I scratched my head in frustration. ¡°Then what do we do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we have a choice... but to start over again,¡± Virion muttered.


    Frustration turned to anger as my patience reached its limit. ¡°No. We just wasted the better half of a day counting our footsteps because you wanted to find this refuge shelter. There has to be another way to get in.¡±


    ¡°Well there isn¡¯t !¡± he shot back, walking towards me with a piercing hot gaze. ¡°You think I want to be out here after my entire family was taken from me? Huh? If it was solely up to my wants, I¡¯d much rather march with my men, face a scythe and die in battle¡ªthen, at least I would feel like I¡¯d done what I could to avenge them. But that¡¯s not what a leader does, Arthur. When everyone else has given up, I¡¯m the one that has to hold onto any semnce of hope and fight for the future!¡±


    He stabbed a long, fragile finger into my chest as he snarled out hisst words. ¡°So don¡¯t you dare say this is what I ¡®want¡¯.¡±


    I stood there, speechless, as Virion walked weakly away. Bairon¡¯s expression mirrored my own while even the howling winds quieted.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Sylvie said, breaking the silence. My bond turned to me. ¡°I noticed this earlier but I couldn¡¯t quite figure out what I was feeling. I think the artifact that Virion is holding influences... aether. Arthur, can you activate Realmheart?¡±


    I did as she asked, thrilled at the prospect of not having to take this arduous hike again. Igniting Sylvia¡¯s dragon will, I felt a sharp pain spread out of my core and through my body and limbs from the bacsh of overusing my mana and even using aether arts during my battle with the scythe.


    However, as my vision shifted to monochrome and specks of color began lighting up the world around me, my heart thumped in excitement. Amidst the tiny motes of yellow, green, blue, red, and purple, I found something in the distance.


    We must¡¯ve shifted off course during our hike here because just less than a mile to my left was a clump of purple that shone like a beacon.


    I felt my lips curl up into a crazed grin. ¡°I found it. I found it!¡±


    Sylvie¡¯s eyes brightened at my words and thoughts. She immediately transformed into her draconic form and plucked both Virion and Bairon from the ground with her front ws.


    I flew ahead just above the ground, sting a trail of sand behind me as Sylvie followed close behind.


    With our destination locked in sight, it only took a matter of minutes to reach the circr array of purple motes that represented aether.


    ¡°It¡¯s here,¡± I said, pointing directly to the center of the array.


    Virion hurriedly scrambled to me, holding the artifact tightly in his hands. He arrived and immediately knelt down, cing the white artifact over the sand with an expression of relief.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. This is the ce,¡± he said, looking at the white medallion on top of the sand.


    Bairon arrived too, his brow raised in doubt. ¡°Nothing is happen¡ª¡±


    Cutting thence off mid sentence, the medallion began to vibrate. Even more amazingly, its vibrations caused pulsating waves in the sand around it, spreading several yards out in all directions. The pulses got stronger until the rolling sand soon formed small waves.


    Sylvie and I exchanged wary nces but before we could do any more, the ground below us sank until we fell through the sand.

 Chapter 239

    Chapter 239


    Chapter 239: Passage Of Time


    Instinctively, I shrouded myself in a sphere of wind, keeping the sand away as I gently floated down to the ground. Sylvie did something simr as I saw a ck sphere slowly melt to reveal a petite girl with tworge horns.


    Virion and Bairon, with their cores damaged and their magic widely unusable, didn¡¯t fare as well.


    Fortunately, Virion was at the epicenter of our descent so he slid down therge mountain of sand that had umted below him. Bairon, a figure whose lightning magic was so powerful that it heightened his reflexes, rolled down the sand dune in a fit of desperate screaming and coughing.


    He iled his arms like a drowning puppy before he realized he was on solid ground. Virion shook his head while Sylvie turned away to hide herughter.


    Bairon spat out a mouthful of sand while ring at me with dagger-like eyes. ¡°You! Should ance be so selfish as to leave his...mander to plunge down into unknown dangers like that?¡±


    ¡°The only one that thought they were in danger was you,¡± Virion countered, dusting the sand off of his robe.


    It was the first time I saw Bairon¡¯s cheeks flushed in embarrassment. He quickly bolted up to his feet, wiping his sandy mouth and tongue on his sleeve as he coughed. His spiteful re never ceased as he did this but Bairon and I both knew that he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. With the state he was in right now, I could kill him with a p¡ªnot that I¡¯d want to, of course.


    ¡°Everyone,¡± Sylvie said, her voice echoing slightly. ¡°Look around.¡±


    Her words brought our attention to the mysterious underground tunnel we were in. I looked around and I finally realized that for a ce without any sources of light, it was surprisingly easy to see.


    ¡°Are those glowing symbols runes? I¡¯ve never seen anything like them,¡± Bairon muttered in wonder as he hovered his hand over a rune that pulsed with faint light on the wall. ¡°It must be runes, but I don¡¯t sense any fire or lightning affinity mana around them.¡±


    Sylvie brushed her hand over the runes that seemed too perfect to be engraved by hand. ¡°That¡¯s because it isn¡¯t powered by mana.¡±


    Bairon furrowed his brows. ¡°What? That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°No, she¡¯s right,¡± I said, cycling Realmheart Physique through my body once more. Sylvie¡¯s thoughts had leaked onto me and I just had to verify it for myself. And to my utter amazement, the entire cave lit up like a starry night, basking the area in purple. ¡°It¡¯s powered by aether.¡±


    My mind spun as I tried to make sense out of this revtion. I ran the conversation I had with Sylvie¡¯s grandmother, Lady Myre, in my head again. Everything she had told me about aether being an entity that couldn¡¯t be manipted like mana¡ªbut rather, influenced or coaxed into action¡ªwent against what was going on in front of me. Aether wasn¡¯t something that could be confined and used so permanently like this, yet it was clear as day that someone or something had figured out how to do so.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue walking,¡± Virion announced, taking the lead. ¡°There¡¯s more of this down here.¡±


    Prying my eyes away from the runes that filled these walls, we continued to walk. Much like in the desert above us, the air here was dry and stale. The only sounds came from our footsteps echoing through the tunnel that led out of the cave we had arrived through.


    It couldn¡¯t really be called a tunnel, though, as the smooth, polished floors and lighting from the runes made it seem more like a narrow hallway. The ceiling above us continued to rise as we made our way down the hallway, soon reaching so high that it became lost in darkness.


    Despite Virion¡¯s familiarity with this ce, I couldn¡¯t help but be cautious. My eyes darted left and right, looking for anything odd, but except for the unusually high concentration of aether gathered here, there was nothing off about this ce.


    ¡®You¡¯re feeling uneasy here as well,¡¯ Sylvie noted, sticking close to me.


    I think it¡¯s just because of all the aether here, and the runes that are practically trapping them to use as light. I thought aether only influenced time, space, and life?


    ¡®I suspect that the walls aren¡¯t just made of stone but some sort of living thing,¡¯ she responded.


    I carefully touched the walls for the first time, and realized that Sylvie was right. It wasn¡¯t stone, like I had assumed¡ªit felt more like a smooth tree trunk.


    So aether is giving this... tree... life? I guessed.


    ¡®Your guess is as good as mine at this point. I may be able to utilize aether but you can at least see the ambient mana; I have to go by my gut feeling.¡¯


    We continued walking in silence. The straight passage seemed to go on forever, with no end in sight. Despite the scores of runes on the walls, theck of variation amongst them made it impossible to tell how long we¡¯d been walking.


    ¡°How far away are we from reaching the actual shelter?¡± Bairon asked, unable to hold in his impatience any longer.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It hasn¡¯t been long since we arrived so be patient,¡± Virion replied.


    Bairon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Not long? Commander, It feels like I¡¯ve been walking for nearly the entire day! I think the journey to find this underground tunnel was shorter.¡±


    ¡°Bairon, aren¡¯t you exaggerating too much? I¡¯d hardly be this fine if we had to walk that long without using mana,¡± Virion argued.


    I tilted my head in confusion. He was right; Bairon might¡¯ve been exaggerating but it did feel like I had been walking for quite some time. Yet, Virion, the one that was the weakest amongst us was doing just fine.


    Sylvie, how long have you been walking for? I asked, turning on Realmheart once more.


    ¡®Not more than an hour... wait, a few hours has passed for you?¡¯ she asked, surprised.


    I nodded. Sylvie, can you try utilizing aether?


    Reading my thoughts, she replied, ¡®But I can¡¯t use it to control time.¡¯


    I know. I don¡¯t think you have to, though.


    Taking a deep breath, Sylvie began calling upon the ambient aether. Her body began glowing in the faint purple light she gave off while using vivum to heal herself and her allies.


    Immediately, the surreal sensation akin to falling in your dream tugged at my body. And then, as if I had really woken up, an indescribable rity spread through my vision.


    ¡®Arthur, look behind you,¡¯ Sylvie said, shaken.


    I looked back to see that our hike of varying length down this hallway had only taken us thirty steps forward from the cavern we had arrived in.


    Noticing the change in my expression, Bairon turned around. I couldn¡¯t see his face, but judging by how his shoulders tensed and he took a step back, I knew that he was even more shaken up than Sylvie and me.


    ¡°Th-That¡¯s impossible. I¡¯ve been walking for hours. How¡ªwhat is going on?¡± Bairon demanded, turning back around and shifting gazes between me and Sylvie.


    ¡°My best guess is that these runes carry in them the power of aevum and spatium,¡± I exined, my eyes turning to the mysterious and intricate runes carved into the walls.


    ¡°Aevum and spatium?¡± Virion asked.


    ¡°Time and space aether arts,¡± Sylvie answered, her brows knitted in confusion.


    Bairon shook his head. ¡°No, that makes no sense! Shouldn¡¯t these time and space ¡®aether arts¡¯ affect us all the same way? How is it that Commander Virion only felt like he¡¯d walked for an hour while it feels like I¡¯ve been journeying for more than a day!¡±


    I thought for a moment, looking around until my eyesnded on the white medallion.


    ¡°Because of that.¡± I pointed to the ancient artifact in Virion¡¯s hand. ¡°This ¡®trap¡¯ seems more like a precaution used to give whoever built this ce enough time to react to intruders, rather than a full-on measure to stop them. And I¡¯m guessing that having the artifact is enough to make passage a little easier.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t exin why you two weren¡¯t affected,¡± Bairon retorted, obviously upset.


    I looked at my bond. ¡°Most likely, it¡¯s because Sylvie is naturally inclined to aether that she experienced only minor effects. For me, I can only guess it¡¯s because I¡¯m sensitive to aether that I was still affected but not nearly as much as you.¡±


    After a long moment of silence, Bairon epted the answer with a click of his tongue.


    ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s continue,¡± Virion urged. ¡°With Lady Sylvie using aether, the effects of the time and space aether doesn¡¯t seem to affect us.¡±


    We continued walking cautiously with Sylvie in the lead as she continued utilizing aether.


    My brain pounded against my skull as I tried to wrap my head around what exactly had happened. It was easy to deduce all of the things that I had said, but so many more questions popped up in my head.


    How had the ancient mages seeded in harnessing aether arts to such an extent that they could devise traps like this? Was the time and space maniption isted to each person individually, or were we in some contained area?


    Were the Indrath n¡¯s teachings about aether wrong? Did these ancient mages originate from the Indrath n¡ªand like the Vritra n, flee from Epheotus due to a difference in beliefs? Or were these ancient mages actually lessers that had learned how to harness aether?


    As my mind swam in these questions, I continued to look behind us to make sure we were actually making progress. Bairon did so as well, even more on edge than everybody else. After a while, something luminescent appeared in the distance. A bright glow that didn¡¯t pulsate like the glowing runes around us grewrger as we approached it.


    ¡°Finally!¡± Bairon muttered from the back.


    He wasn¡¯t the only one relieved. With the hope of an end finally within sight, our strides became longer and our steps more confident until we finally reached the end of the corridor. The hallway opened into a massive cavern with an elegant coved ceiling carved from the natural stone and sanded down to perfection. Pirs, the width of at least three grown men linking arms, supported the huge underground structure. Bright orbs of warm light lining the walls exposed the awe-inspiring expanse in front of us.


    On the one hand, it reminded me of the cavern systems that the dwarves had made for their underground cities, but at the same time, those crude structures couldn¡¯t even begin to describe the splendor and architectural meticulousness of this ce.


    My eyes immediately took in the cavernrge enough to hold a small town and the various tunnels that led out of the cavern. Running through the entire expanse was arge stream that glimmered, reflecting the lights of the cavern. There were several multileveled structures on either side of the stream and bridges that crossed the width of the stream at various points along the cavern.


    What caught my attention, however, was the flickering light that I spotted in the second level of one of the buildings just by the stream.


    Sylvie and I exchanged nces, understanding each other with just a thought. I turned back to Bairon, who was still taking in the sight in front of us, and Virion, who was catching his breath.


    Without saying a word, I got their attention and pointed to the only building with a light. Virion and Bairon¡¯s expression both grew fierce, all signs of fatigue reced by a guarded grimace.


    Being the strongest of the group, I took the lead as we descended the set of stairs leading to the ground. We weaved silently through the empty stone structures that seemed like a home.


    I took a mental note for myself to explore these buildingster on if I had the chance to see if I could find any sort of clue on these ancient mages. However, our goal was to find out who had lit a fire this far below the ground in a secret location.


    Arriving at the building, I could hear the quiet mutters of several voices but the windows were covered by ss and even with enhanced hearing, I could barely make out how many voices there were.


    Gesturing everyone to lean in close, I whispered to them. ¡°I hear at least three different voices, but assume there are more than that.¡±


    After receiving a nod from Sylvie, Bairon and Virion, we circled the perimeter until we found the entrance to the building. There wasn¡¯t a door so we inched closer, keeping our backs against the wall until we were just beside the opening that led into the building.


    I held up five fingers and slowly counted down. Once myst finger fell, I pivoted to face the entrance with mana coiled around my body.


    I had expected to meet a guard keeping watch, and I was right... mostly.


    My eyes widened and my jaw fell. ¡°Boo?!¡±

 Chapter 240

    Chapter 240


    Chapter 240: Reconciliation


    The towering dark-brown bear fur, the tuft of white on the chest, along with two spots of white just above two intelligent eyes¡ªit was unmistakable. This was Boo.


    Boo must¡¯ve been thinking the same thing I was, because the thousand-pound bear charged at me on all fours, letting out a happy grunt.


    With unabated force, the gigantic mana beast tackled me, lifting me off my feet and tossing me to the ground. Looming over me, Boo revealed a toothy grin before slobbering me with his tongue that was actuallyrger than my face.


    I struggled under the mana beast¡¯s weight as he pinned me down to the ground and continued to show his affection. ¡°Boo¡ªAck! Stop! Okay! Enough!¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s had enough, Boo,¡± my bond said, her voice calming the excited beast enough for me to escape.


    ¡°I feel vited,¡± I groaned, wiping off the thick and slimy mask of saliva that had umted over my face. It wasn¡¯t until halfway through that my brain clicked. If Boo was here...


    I grabbed Boo¡¯srge, furry head and turned him to face me.


    ¡°Boo! Is Ellie here? What about my mom?! How did you get here?¡± I asked, as if he could speak to me.


    Fortunately, he didn¡¯t have to. My questions were answered when I saw Virion rush past us in a blur.


    ¡°Tessia!¡± he called out, his voice brimming with emotion. My grip around Boo loosened at the mention of that name, and I immediately followed after Virion.


    I didn¡¯t have to go far before I was able to see four figures at the base of the stairs near the far wall of the building. It was my mom, sister, Tessia and... Elder Rinia.


    My long and hurried strides slowed as my vision blurred. Tears struggled to break loose as I saw Tessia fall into Virion¡¯s arms. The sight of Ellie running towards me was enough to break me and I found myself arm in arm with my baby sister, my face buried in her short brown hair.


    My sister¡¯s entire body shook as she bawled into my chest. Hitting me weakly with her tiny, trembling fists, she blubbered in between sobs about how scared she was and how I wasn¡¯t there.


    It felt like a cold hand was gripping down on my chest as I watched my sister in this state. I felt guilty for making my sister, who had grown up so bright and strong, cry this much.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Ellie. I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯m here now, everything is going to be okay,¡± I said, tightening my grip around her frail body and kissing her on the crown of her trembling head.


    ¡°W-We almost died and you weren¡¯t there. Y-Y-You¡¯re... never there! Not at the Castle, not at the Wall, not even when Dad died!¡± She wailed, her fists still pounding my body. ¡°You¡¯re my brother, you¡¯re supposed to be there! You were supposed tofort me when Dad died! I-I needed you... Mom needed you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry, Ellie,¡± I repeated, doing all I could to stay strong. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry...¡±


    Ellie slowly calmed down as her head remained buried in my chest. Her trembling shoulders now only asionally shook when she hupped. During this time, I didn¡¯t look up. I kept my focus entirely on my sister until she pushed herself away. Staring at me with swollen red eyes, she jutted a finger behind her. ¡°G-Go apologize to Mom now.¡±


    I looked up to find our mother only a few steps away from us, her expression hollow and empty of any emotion. Her warm and tender smile that I found even in the hardest of times was nowhere to be found.


    I walked up to her, unsure of what to do or where to begin.


    ¡°M-Mom...¡±


    My mother¡¯s cold eyes cut me off as she took a step forward. ¡°Arthur, your sister and I almost died. If it wasn¡¯t for Elder Rinia saving us, we wouldn¡¯t be here right now.¡±


    My gaze turned to Elder Rinia, who was talking with Tessia and Virion, beforending back on my mother. ¡°I-I...¡±


    ¡°But throughout that entire situation, when I thought that surely we would die¡ªsoon, if not now¡ªdo you know what I was thinking?¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°I was thinking...¡± My mother paused a moment, her mask of stone wavering. Tears welled in her eyes while she bit her lower lip in an effort to keep it from trembling. She turned away from me, quickly wiping away her tears, trying topose herself before turning back. ¡°I was thinking the entire time how sad and guilt-ridden your father must¡¯ve been to leave this world without even getting the chance to make up with his only son.¡±


    Her words weighed down on me like a thousand tons, making my knees buckle and my entire body falter. Just as I lost strength in my legs, my mother wrapped her arms around me and supported me against her chest.


    Her trembling hands gripped me as she whispered. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who you were before. I raised you when you were little, I nursed you when you were sick, and I watched as you grew into the man you are today. Your father and I talked for a long time, and we can say with certainty that the Arthur now is so different from who he was when he was born, and that¡¯s when we realized that you are our son.¡±


    The strength left my feet, crumpling me to my knees. I gripped my chest as my breathing came out in strained gasps. I couldn¡¯t breathe, I could only gag out the neverending sobs as my mother kept her arms around me.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry that it took us so long to realize that. I¡¯m so sorry that you couldn¡¯te to your own father¡¯s funeral because of me. I¡¯m so sorry, Arthur.¡±


    ***


    It took a while for us to gather ourselves and get settled up on the second floor of the building. During this time, I noticed that the atmosphere was a bit tense between Tess and Elder Rinia.


    The rest of us neers had picked up on this as well, exchanging wary nces at each other while Tess ignored any efforts by Elder Rinia to start a conversation.


    Once we got upstairs, Elder Rinia pulled aside Virion with a grave expression and disappeared into another room. After some time spent talking with my mother and sister, I properly greeted Tess and the two of us embraced silently for a brief moment.


    Tess, however, seemed to have something else on her mind and I didn¡¯t me her. While I didn¡¯t have the courage to ask directly, just based on the hollow expression that Tess had, I suspected something had happened to her parents. As for why she was so angry at Elder Rinia, I could only specte.


    Tess, not long after we sat down, excused herself, telling us she was a bit tired. Bairon was next, telling us he wanted to spend some time meditating to recover.


    I told him that because of theck of the ambient mana here, it would be almost impossible to go further than trying to recoup the mana he would naturally gain from his mana core, but I suspected that he left more to give me and my family some space. While my impression of Bairon had never been good¡ªand I think he could say the same for me¡ªthence hade a long way from the prideful hotheaded noble he was before the war.


    Finding myself with just my family, I couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile. Before today, I would¡¯ve sworn that being in a situation like this would¡¯ve rendered me catatonic, but it was... peaceful.


    ¡°You¡¯re so pretty, Sylvie,¡± Elliemented,bing my bond¡¯s long wheat hair with her fingers.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re very attractive yourself, Eleanor,¡± Sylvie responded in kind, her eyes closing softly at my sister¡¯s soft touch.


    ¡°Another thing I regret was not spending much time getting to know your bond,¡± my mother said to me, watching Ellie and my bond by the fire. ¡°But I¡¯ve always been d that Sylvie is by your side.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d as well. I¡¯m not sure where I would be if it hadn¡¯t been for her,¡± I replied.


    My mother¡¯s expression was a mixture of emotions as she looked at me and nodded.


    A sharp ¡®pop¡¯ crackled from the firewood, interrupting the brief moment of silence. Unable to hold in my question any longer, I asked my mother, ¡°How did you, Ellie, and Boo get here?¡±


    She looked at me and then at the exit that Tessia and Bairon had left through, and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll let Elder Rinia tell you. It¡¯s better that way.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I responded. The four of us talked for a while, catching up, making light jokes andughing, until my sister and even my mother began nodding off to sleep.


    ¡°Sorry, we hadn¡¯t been able to sleep well these past few days,¡± my mother said, rubbing her eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Get some sleep¡ªboth of you,¡± I said, turning to my sister.


    The two of them retreated to a bed of nkets that had beenid out in a corner of the room.


    ¡°Good night,¡± Sylvie and I said to the both of them.


    They responded in kind beforeying down. I caught my sister lifting her head every now and then, checking to see if the two of us were still here, until the soft rhythmic breathing eventually melded together with the cackling fire.


    I smiled, my eyes unable to pry themselves away from the sight of my mother and sister sleeping peacefully. A lot of unexpected events had urred in thest few days alone, but one of the moments I had dreaded the most was confronting my family after everything that had happened to them. I was so caught up in ming myself for my father¡¯s death that I avoided Ellie and my mother out of guilt.


    When I saw the two of them today, my mind immediately expected anger and me from the two of them. Instead, I learned that my mother had med herself all this time. She said that her inability to properly deal with the secret of my past life had caused me to miss my own father¡¯s funeral and she apologized for that.


    The more I thought about it, the more I realized how...mature that was. Surely I was in the wrong as well. I was the one that avoided confrontation and I had been the one to keep it a secret from them for so long, yet she ignored my mistakes and pointed out her own shorings instead and asked me for forgiveness, which was something I wasn¡¯t quite sure I deserved.


    Even with the experience of two separate lives, I learned something today. I was once again humbled by the fact that while my past life had given me a lot of advantages, it was foolish of me to equate years lived to maturity.


    ¡®It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t tell you this a few times already. I guess you needed to arrive at that conclusion yourself,¡¯ Sylvie sent to me, also conveying a mental eye-roll along with it. ¡®Mark today on the calendar as the day Arthur Leywin realized he wasn¡¯t the mature man he thought he was.¡¯


    Shut up, I sent back, smirking at my bond seated next to me. You¡¯re just trying to use this fact to say that you¡¯re more mature than I am.


    ¡®I am more mature than you are, but a true mature person wouldn¡¯t say it out loud,¡¯ she replied, her lips curling into a smile as well.


    You just said it out loud, I pointed out.


    Sylvie looked at me with a raised brow. ¡®Well technically...¡¯


    I yfully nudged my bond with a shoulder, feeling good for the first time in a long while. My sister and mother were alive and while we had a lot to work on if we wanted to be how we were in the past, the important thing was that they were safe.


    Sylvie was the next to fall asleep, her head resting on myp. The two horns jutting forward from her head dug into my legs but I sucked it up and let my bond get the sleep she deserved.


    Staring at the fire in front of me, I became lost in thought. The thoughts that I had held off resurfaced. I had originally wanted to leave a bit after bringing Virion and Bairon here in order to look for Tess and my family. Seeing that they were here already, I immediately thought about the possibility of staying here for some time. There weren¡¯t many supplies avable here, but there was a stream of freshwater and I noticed a pile ofrge fish where Boo had made his nest on the lower floor of this building which I could guess came from the stream.


    We might need to make a few trips to civilization eventually¡ªmaybe the Wall¡ªbut for now, I pondered at the thought of just... resting for a while.


    I was tired, Virion was tired, and Bairon was tired whether he admitted it or not. During our trip here, we had alle to a silent agreement that we had lost this war. Coming to this realization didn¡¯t warrant any mind-numbing revtion¡ªmaybe I was growing used to winning our battles but losing the war. Agrona utilized his limited resources to their utmost potential and didn¡¯t hesitate to sacrifice his troops for a bigger plot. Dicathen had been only reacting, and Agrona knew that all too well. Like Virion said, maybe the best thing to do was buckle under and wait for a new chance to fight back.


    My thoughts were interrupted by the soft footsteps approaching me. I turned around, greeting Elder Rinia with a nod.


    The old diviner smiled back, wrinkles tugging at the edges of her eyes. Taking a seat next to me with a weary groan, she lifted her hands to warm them in front of the fire.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown older since thest time I saw you,¡± she mentioned, her eyes staring nkly at the dancing embers.


    I chuckled quietly. ¡°Well I am a growing teen.¡±


    ¡°No teen would be wearing the expression you have,¡± Elder Rinia scoffed. ¡°But I guess that¡¯s whates with war and having so many responsibilities.¡±


    My hands unconsciously stroked down my face as I wondered what sort of expression I wore, and what Rinia meant. Too tired to think deeply of it, I looked back, wondering why she hade back alone. ¡°Where¡¯s Virion?¡±


    ¡°He said he¡¯ll check up on Tessia to see how she¡¯s doing.¡±


    There was a beat of silence as I gathered the courage to ask the question I knew she was dreading to answer by the look on her face. ¡°Can you tell me everything that happened?¡±

 Chapter 241

    Chapter 241


    Chapter 241: Hope and Trust


    There was a long silence that followed after I asked my question, and when she did speak, I expected a long and convoluted story of how she managed to get into the castle and save Tessia and my family.


    Instead, she started off by saying something I didn¡¯t expect. ¡°Arthur, I knew of your identity the first time we had met, back when you came to me to get in contact with your parents.¡±


    My eyes widened. ¡°What? How?¡±


    Rinia held up a finger. ¡°These old eyes see much more than you can imagine. However, much like how I had feigned ignorance of your past life and kept it a secret, there are also parts of this story that I can¡¯t quite reveal yet.¡±


    I didn¡¯t respond, letting her continue talking.


    ¡°I had known for a while now that an attack would ur at the Castle following the betrayal of Virion¡¯s son.¡±


    ¡°Virion¡¯s... You¡¯re telling me right now that it was Alduin who was responsible for letting the scythe in? That¡¯s not possible, you can¡¯t seriously be saying that he was trying to get his own father killed, right?¡±


    ¡°My knowledge doesn¡¯t extend to his intentions, but yes, he was the one that connected the scythe, as well as the rest of his forces, directly to the castle teleportation gate,¡± she answered.


    My hand came up to my gaping mouth. I couldn¡¯t believe it. Despite any disagreements the two of them had, Alduin had always looked up to Virion. After a moment, I spoke again.


    ¡°Was Alduin guaranteed the safety of Merial and Tessia? Was that why he betrayed everyone? But then...¡± I dropped my voice to a whisper so my sleeping family wouldn¡¯t hear. ¡°Why did they take my mother and sister?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what Alduin believed, yes,¡± she said. ¡°As for your family, it¡¯s easy to surmise that they wanted your mother and sister as hostages.¡±


    Rubbing my temples, I thought about what she said until it clicked. ¡°Wait, you said ¡®that¡¯s what Alduin believed.¡¯ What do you mean by that?¡±


    Rinia smiled wearily at me. ¡°We¡¯re venturing into the area where I can¡¯t give you an answer. All I can tell you is that if we want to keep any chance of taking back our country, we have to keep Tessia safe and far away from Agrona and the cryans.¡±


    My head whipped toward the elven diviner. ¡°Wait, so we do have a chance at taking back Dicathen?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s slim, but it does exist.¡±


    The two of us fell in silence until I spoke again. ¡°If you knew about the attack on the Castle, did you also know that Buhnd was going to die?¡±


    The fire in front of us popped, spraying a small shower of glowing red ashes at the ground.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she finally said. ¡°But had I tried and diverted the entire attack, there was a muchrger chance that Tessia would¡¯ve been captured.¡±


    I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn¡¯t quite get the right words.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, but I couldn¡¯t risk the chance of Dicathen losing everything on the slim chance that I could save everyone.¡±


    ¡°But, if you knew everything beforehand, you could¡¯ve made countermeasures. You could¡¯ve told Virion, or told me!¡± I argued.


    ¡°Time doesn¡¯t work that way. Changing things like that alters the course of the future... a future that I wouldn¡¯t be able to see,¡± she said, her voice barely a whisper.


    Gritting my teeth, I dug my fingers into the cement floor to try and calm down. I knew I was being selfish... if it wasn¡¯t for Elder Rinia, Tessia and my family would¡¯ve been in the hands of Agrona by now, but still...


    ¡°How were you able to save Tessia and my family though?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I was able to intercept them while they were on their way back to Elenoir,¡± she said nonchntly.


    I nodded at her answer but my mind spun trying to imagine a scenario where Rinia seeded in doing this. How did she manage to pry Tessia and my family away from Alduin and Merial? Was it just Alduin and Merial there? Rinia specifically said that while Alduin believed that they were safe, they really weren¡¯t. Most likely, after Alduin, Merial, Tessia and my family stepped through the portal, they would¡¯ve been met with a trap.


    Did Elder Rinia know everything that was going to happen? Were her diviner abilities able to influence time that well?


    Time!


    Without any warning, I directed a surge of killing intent over Elder Rinia, and just as I saw her react with an expression of surprise, I ignited Realmheart and immediately used Static Void.


    The world around me turned monochrome except for the motes of purple trembling in ce. But my eyes weren¡¯t focused on the particles of aether around me; they were focused on Elder Rinia.


    Her eyes regarded me in shock as she watched my eyes narrow in realization. She shifted her gaze to look around her before her eyes fell back on me.


    ¡°Clever,¡± she sighed.


    ¡°So you can utilize aether,¡± I muttered, seeing the specks of purple hovering around her, as if protecting her.


    ¡°You¡¯re not an asura, I know that for sure,¡± I started. ¡°Are you... one of the ancient mages?¡±


    Despite the apparent strain that Elder Rinia endured, trying to keep her aether arts active, she let out a chuckle before answering. ¡°No, I can tell you with absolute confidence that I am not an ancient mage.¡±


    ¡°Then who... what are you? Even I can¡¯t control aether without relying on the dragon¡¯s will an asura had given me.¡±


    ¡°While I¡¯m not entirely sure, I believe that my diviner abilities stem partly from aether. As for how I learned, I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t tell you that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good enough answer anymore,¡± I challenged, staring intently at the elf shrouded in so much mystery.


    ¡°I can tell you¡ªI can tell you everything. But Tessia and your family might die because of it,¡± she answered, her face turning more ghastly. ¡°Please, have a little patience and I can assure you that you¡¯ll find out for yourself.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t threatening me with my loved ones¡ªno, she truly believed that her telling me all of this could lead to their deaths. Gnashing my teeth in frustration, I released Static Void, allowing Elder Rinia to release the aether arts she had used to keep her from being frozen in time.


    She let out a ragged breath. ¡°Thank you... for believing in me.¡±


    ¡°You saved Tessia and my family,¡± I said, taking a nce over to where my mother and Ellie were sleeping. ¡°The least I can do is trust you¡ªat least until you give me a reason not to.¡±


    The two of us continued talking, albeit a bit more calmly this time. I asked every question I had. Some she answered, and some she didn¡¯t, but I didn¡¯t press her for details.


    What I did find out was that there were teleportation gates here¡ªseveral, in fact¡ªthat could only be utilized with control over aether. That¡¯s how Elder Rinia was able to get here so quickly and without having to physically make a cross-continental journey with Tessia, my mother, and my sister in tow.


    ¡°You learned aether arts while I was more or less given the ability to borrow it at times. Tell me, is it something that I can learn as well?¡± I asked, trying to hold onto the sensation I had when I utilized aether on my own to injure the scythe.


    ¡°Yes, and no. Your ability to experience a taste of aether arts through your dragon will, as well as the fact that you can see aether gives you a great advantage. However, my advantage,pared to yours, is much greater. I had even discovered a location to train in aether arts with aether much more abundant than here. But even then... it took me eighty years to learn something you can do with a simple thought,¡± she exined.


    My gaze dropped as I thought about spending eighty years, perhaps more, trying to grasp aether arts. Eighty years was a long time, and while my white core extended my lifetime, I couldn¡¯t hope for the same thing for my mother or my sister. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too early to lose hope. We¡¯ll continue to gather forces slowly, and with you and Lady Sylvie here, we¡¯ll have three people able to ess the teleportation¡ª¡± Elder Rinia stopped abruptly and I knew why. I turned my head back, brows furrowed at the erratic sound of footsteps drawing closer.


    My sudden shift in emotions caused Sylvie to stir awake as well.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ she sent, lifting her head off of myp.


    Virion ising and... something¡¯s wrong, I replied, standing up.


    I sent out a pulse of wind mana, trying to sense whether anyone was chasing after Virion, but it was just him. It only took a few seconds for him to appear through the small hallway leading to the room we were in. The oldmander was disheveled, tired, and had a look of panic.


    ¡°T-Tessia... ran away,¡± he huffed, catching his breath.


    ¡°What?¡± I blurted. ¡°How did this happen? Where did she go?¡±


    Elder Rinia cursed under her breath and grabbed my arm. ¡°Tessia can¡¯t leave this ce, Arthur. There¡¯s something wrong with her core, and if she leaves the protection this ce provides, the cryans can track her.¡±


    My eyes widened in horror. I turned to Virion. ¡°What direction did she go?¡±


    As soon as Virion lifted his finger, I shot off in that direction while immediately activating Static Void once more.


    The color drained from the world as I bolted out the window. Igniting Realmheart to better search for mana fluctuations from Tess, I rushed forth.


    My mana usage was limited while in Static Void because I couldn¡¯t manipte ambient mana, but seeing as there wasn¡¯t much ambient mana in this underground town anyway, I figured Tessia couldn¡¯t have gotten too far anyway.


    With the limits of my spell slowly gripping down on my core, I endured until I eventually found traces of mana that had been used.


    I was right. Tess had used magic to forcefully run away from Virion, who was still injured and unable to utilize most of his mana.


    Following the trail into a different tunnel than I hade from, I spotted Tess. She was frozen in ce, her eyes determined, her hair billowing... and drops of tears suspended in the air behind her.


    I rushed past her a few feet to give her time to stop before withdrawing Static Void and Realmheart. The motes of purple and green faded while color rushed back into the world.


    Tessia resumed running until she spotted me. After immediately skidding to a stop, she stared at me, eyes and mouth both frozen wide.


    ¡°How did you...¡± she started before she shook her head and her eyes narrowed. ¡°I have to go, Art. I have to save my parents.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t thought about what to say to reason with Tess once I caught up. I didn¡¯t even know what she was going to say, but I sure didn¡¯t expect this. ¡°Tess... your parents betrayed us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that¡ªDon¡¯t you dare say that!¡± she snapped, eyes ring. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything!¡±


    ¡°What I know is that your parents colluded with Agrona, let in a scythe into the Castle and got almost everyone killed,¡± I said calmly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± she argued, hurriedly wiping away a tear. ¡°They had no choice...¡±


    ¡°Tess... your father and mother basically sacrificed Virion¡ªyour own grandpa¡ªfor the hope that Agrona would leave Elenoir alone. Now please,e back with us. Let¡¯s talk about our next steps and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop. I know that you¡¯ve disagreed with my parents while you participated in meetings with the Council, but don¡¯t make them out to be so selfish like that. They had no choice!¡±


    ¡°You keep saying that, Tess, but they had plenty of choices,¡± I quipped. ¡°They could¡¯ve ignored Agrona¡¯s offer and trusted in Virion to win this war.¡±


    ¡°Then I would be dead, Art!¡± she screamed. ¡°Is that what you wanted?¡±


    My brows furrowed in confusion. ¡°Dead? Wh-What are you talking about?¡±


    Tess marched forward until she was just inches away from me. ¡°I would be dead. My parents had no choice but to ept the deal with Agrona because of the beast will that you gave me years back. Do you remember?¡±


    My thoughts veered back to the elderwood guardian I had defeated. ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible. You only had problems assimting with it. Once you managed to control it...¡±


    ¡°The beast will you gave me was from a corrupted beast,¡± Tessia interrupted, shedding tears. ¡°A beast corrupted by Agrona. With that thing inside me, I was basically a living bomb that Agrona could detonate on a whim.¡±


    My knees buckled and I faltered back, barely managing to keep my bnce. ¡°N-No...¡±


    ¡°So don¡¯t you dare say that my parents betrayed all of us,¡± Tessia seethed. ¡°They did it to save me, and even if everyone here won¡¯t give them a chance, I will.¡±


    ¡®Art! What happened, are you okay? I¡¯ming to you now,¡¯ Sylvie transmitted, her worry leaking onto me.


    No, it¡¯s okay. Stay there while I try to convince Tess, I replied.


    ¡°Tess... I had no idea that this happened because of the beast will I gave you,¡± I muttered. ¡°If I knew...¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I know it¡¯s not your fault, but I have to do something, Art.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Tess. But once you step out from this shelter, the cryans will be able to trace you. You¡¯ll die.¡±


    Tess gripped my shirt with trembling hands. ¡°They¡¯re my parents, Art. They did everything they could to save me.¡±


    A flurry of emotions stirred inside me as I looked down at Tess: frustration, sadness, fear... and guilt. It was easy to feel responsible for what had happened, especially when I knew that something was wrong with the elderwood guardian. But because of the excitement of reaping the rewards from such a strong monster, rather than being cautious, I fed it to one of the people I cared most about in an attempt to keep her safe.


    Mad at myself and the sick irony of it all, I pulled Tess away. ¡°Is there nothing I can do to convince you to stay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Tess bit her lip and steeled herself, looking at me with determined eyes.


    I let out a sigh. ¡°Then I¡¯ming with you.¡±

 Chapter 242

    Chapter 242


    Chapter 242: Two Loves


    Tess¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Really? You¡¯reing with me?¡±


    ¡°But... you have to reconcile with Virion first,¡± I said sternly. ¡°Whatever you argued about with him, remember that he didn¡¯t just lose you back at the Castle, he lost his son.¡±


    ¡°I-I know. What they did was wrong, but they only did it¡ª¡±


    ¡°To save you. Yeah, I know,¡± I finished. ¡°Which is why if we¡¯re going to save them and bring them back here, you¡¯re going to want to be the bridge that¡¯ll mend things between your grandfather and parents. You won¡¯t be able to do that if you just leave like this.¡±


    Tess opened her mouth, as if to argue, but simply let out a sigh. ¡°You know, most girls don¡¯t like guys who are always right like this.¡±


    A smile tugged at the corner of my lips. ¡°Do you want most girls to like me?¡±


    Narrowing her eyes, Tess punched me in the arm before turning back towards our camp. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ªI really am¡ªbut we can¡¯t risk it,¡± Elder Rinia said resolutely. ¡°Your mana core has been corrupted by the beast will inside you. If you leave¡ª¡±


    ¡°But the potion cured me! That¡¯s why my parents did all of that¡ªso they could give it to me!¡± Tess argued.


    ¡°The potion that Agrona gave you, Tessia. You may be fine now, but we don¡¯t know if that was a permanent solution or if it¡¯ll only give you a period of respite. It¡¯s too soon to tell and if something does happen to you on that journey and you¡¯re taken by the cryans...¡±


    ¡°Why does it matter whether I¡¯m taken by the cryans? How does my death affect the future of an entire continent?¡± Tess demanded.


    ¡°Tessia!¡± Virion snapped. ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true though,¡± she continued. ¡°I¡¯m not anywhere near as strong as thences, nor am I influential enough to rally people together like either of you. Why does my death matter?¡±


    I took a step forward when Sylvie put her hand in front of me.


    ¡®Don¡¯t, Arthur. It¡¯s not our ce to interfere. Not now,¡¯ she sent, a wave of solemnness leaking from her.


    As Tessia, Virion, and Elder Rinia continued to argue, I shifted my gaze to the others around us. Bairon was leaning against the far wall of the room by the door with his arms crossed. My sister had left the room some time ago with Boo while Mother quietly listened.


    ¡°So are you saying that I can¡¯t even go find my own mother and father?¡± Tess asked quietly, her eyes brimming with tears.


    Virion¡¯s gaze softened as he grabbed his granddaughter¡¯s hand. ¡°We¡¯ll bring them back. Just give me and Bairon some time to recover.¡±


    After a long silence, Tess finally nodded in eptance. ¡°...I¡¯m sorry, Grandpa.¡±


    Virion pulled his granddaughter into his arms. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Little One. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    My mother walked over to us, gently patting Sylvie on her shoulder. My bond and my mother exchanged a warm smile before my mother¡¯s gaze shifted to me. ¡°Your sister is outside. You should go talk to her.¡±


    After taking a quick nce at Tess to see how she was, I turned back to my mother. ¡°Okay.¡±


    As I turned to leave, I was grabbed by the wrist. I saw my mother¡¯s eyes red and glistening.


    ¡°Mom? Is something wrong?¡±


    She smiled at me and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just d you¡¯re staying,¡± she said quietly, just barely enough for me to hear.


    My mother let go of my wrist and waved me away with a smile, but my chest still tightened from guilt.


    ¡®Go. I¡¯ll watch over your mother,¡¯ Sylvieforted.


    I passed by Bairon, who shot me a quick nce and nodded, before heading down the stairs to the ground floor.


    Damn it.


    I berated myself as I walked out of the building. It made sense in my head to go with Tess since my mother and sister were safe here, but I didn¡¯t think about how they¡¯d feel about me leaving.


    Spotting my sister and her giant bond by the stream, I walked over. Boo was curled up into a furry ball, sleeping, while Ellie was throwing rocks into the stream.


    ¡°Mind if I join you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t you going to leave soon, anyway?¡± she asked bitterly.


    I picked up a t rock. ¡°We decided not to go until Bairon and Virion are both fully healed.¡±


    Ellie chucked another rock, making it ssh into the calm water. ¡°That¡¯s too bad. You were probably looking forward to going off on your little romantic adventure with Tessia.¡±


    ¡°You know it¡¯s not like that,¡± I said calmly, snapping my wrist as I tossed the t rock. The two of us watched as the smooth stone skipped four, seven, ten times before it finally sank. ¡°Bringing back Tess¡¯s parents is something that has to be done.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± my sister retorted. ¡°Because your girlfriend wants you to?¡±


    ¡°Ellie,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®Ellie¡¯ me!¡± my sister snapped, throwing the rock in her hand before turning to me. ¡°I overheard Commander Virion talking to Tessia earlier. I know that the four of you almost died fighting that one scythe! And now you¡¯re telling me that you¡¯re going to go back there to bring back the elves who basically sold us all out?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple, you know that.¡±


    ¡°It sounds pretty simple to me,¡± she said sharply, looking down to search for another rock. ¡°Our family¡ªwhat¡¯s left of it¡ªbarely got back together but you¡¯re already eager to leave us.¡±


    My insides knotted as I saw the drops of tears stain the rocks on the ground below her lowered head.


    ¡°I¡¯m never eager to leave you guys.¡± I let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m one of the few mages powerful enough to turn the tide in this war, and one way to do that is by bringing back Tess¡¯ parents. Only then will we be able to muster up the forces necessary to eventually take back Dicathen.¡±


    My sister paused as she held onto a fist-sized rock on the ground, her face still covered by her hair.


    I continued. ¡°I love Tess. But you, Mom and Sylvie are my family.¡±


    Boo let out a deep groan from the side.


    ¡°And you too, Boo. You¡¯re family too,¡± I added, smiling as Ellie stifled augh. ¡°I¡¯d do anything to keep you all safe, and if that means I have to be away from you all to do it, that¡¯s the price I have to pay.¡±


    Ellie quickly wiped her tears before getting back up. She turned around and threw the stone in her hand. ¡°I know. It¡¯s just... I wish you were around more.¡±


    I picked up another t rock and threw it. ¡°I wish I was too. More than anything. But I don¡¯t want you and Mom living in an underground town below a desert for the rest of your lives, and to do that, I need to get off my butt.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind it. I know Mom won¡¯t wouldn¡¯t mind it too,¡± she said, watching my rock skip on the water. ¡°I know you¡¯re doing this to keep us all safe, but it works both ways, you know.¡±


    Ellie turned around, pouting with red eyes and flushed cheeks. ¡°We just want you safe.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Do you know what my dream is after this is all over?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°For us to live together in a huge house by the ocean. Me, you, Mom, Sylvie, Boo, and Tess.¡±


    ¡°Wait, why do you get to live with your girlfriend? What about my future boyfriend?¡± she protested.


    I looked at her nkly. ¡°You won¡¯t have a boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°What? Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because if you do, I¡¯ll get rid of him,¡± I said matter-of-factly.


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡± she huffed.


    I shrugged. ¡°Big brothers are never fair.¡±


    Ellie puffed her cheeks for a moment before she broke out intoughter, causing me tough as well.


    ¡°Fine,¡± she relented. ¡°But in exchange, you have to teach me how you do that.¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°Do what?¡±


    ¡°That thing where the rock bounces on top of the water! Are you using magic?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not using magic at all,¡± I said, skipping another rock.


    Ellie tried as well, mimicking my motions and failing. ¡°Lies. You¡¯re totally using magic.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not, just watch...¡±


    Three days passed by in the blink of an eye. During this time, Tess came to terms with Virion and the two had made up. It was good to see everyone¡ªexcept for Bairon¡ªsmiling andughing in this dreary underground town.


    When Virion and Bairon weren¡¯t resting, they were meditating and trying to cycle mana throughout their body to hasten their recovery. It was a slow and arduous process for all of us to meditate in this ce due to the absence of ambient mana.


    Despite the disadvantages of having little to no ambient mana, this underground vige built by the ancient mages had arge benefit for me and Sylvie.


    ¡°Happy training,¡± I teased, sitting cross-legged on the hard ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing how you haven¡¯t gotten sick of this,¡± Sylvie said, sitting down across from me in the same hallway we had arrived from. ¡°I¡¯m making progress, but you¡¯ve yet to even take a step forward. How are you not discouraged at all?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve had things too easy up until now. Besides, if these damn ancient mages were able to learn it to this extent, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll eventually get the hang of it.¡±


    ¡°Your optimism is leaking over to me,¡± Sylvie said, shuddering as she closed her eyes to concentrate.


    Still seated, I ignited Realmheart. Color flushed away from the world, leaving only motes of purple either swaying rhythmically in the air or cluttered together on the walls to produce the soft light around us.


    At the same time, my bond opened up her consciousnesspletely to me so I could sense every little thing she was doing. This was the training system that I had devised.


    Both Elder Rinia and Sylvie had agreed that it was impossible for them to teach me how to use aether. While Elder Rinia was limited in what she could tell me, for my bond, it was more so that the act of using aether was too natural for her.


    Just like how a bird didn¡¯t need to be taught how to fly, Sylvie teaching me how to use aether was akin to a bird teaching a fish how to fly¡ªme being that fish.


    So, for these past few days, I had endured hours of watching and listening to my bond¡¯s thoughts as she meditated and slowly grew her control over the aether arts as well.


    But from what little I¡¯d learned through this process, it felt like the aether was more or less teaching Sylvie; it was nothing like mana at all.


    Shaping and controlling the power within my body had been ingrained in me since my previous life, while learning to utilize aether seemed as if it would be going against everything I had worked for.


    What didn¡¯t add up, however, was the fact that the ancient mages had managed to trap aether into these artifacts in order to light them up. The very nature of this was paradoxical to what my bond was doing.


    Hours passed with no sign of progress to show for it. Frustrated and impatient, I once again walked back to our camp alone while my bond continued to strengthen herself.


    On my way back, I stopped by one of the adjacent hallways where Elder Rinia was working.


    ¡°How¡¯s the teleportation gateing along?¡± I asked as I walked in on the old elf with glowing purple hands drawing what looked like runes on the inner mechanisms of the old portal she had used to bring Tess and my family here. ¡°Maybe you should take a break.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m nearly finished! I think I should be done... in a few hours,¡± she said in between heavy breaths.


    It was obvious that utilizing aether was taking arge toll on her body. ¡°We need you to take care of your health, Elder Rinia. You look like you¡¯ve aged another century since you got here.¡±


    ¡°If I wasn¡¯t so tired, I¡¯d take the effort to walk over to you and p you, but... meh,¡± she said, not bothering to look at me. ¡°Besides, Lady Sylvie has been helping me out a lot by providing me with the raw power to power this old thing up.¡±


    It was still jarring to hear anyone, especially someone as old and distinguished as Elder Rinia, refer to my bond as ¡®Lady Sylvie¡¯.


    ¡°Should I call her over?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, no. Just ast bit of tinkering with the runes to set the return point,¡± she replied, waving me away.


    My curiosity getting the better of me, I stuck around for a bit, watching her draw runes in the empty center of the teleportation gate.


    The rune was aplicated shape stemming from a center pentagon that branched out into sharp angles creating a rigid vortex-like pattern. I found myself following her hand movements as she carefully traced over the rune until the faint purple shape faded and spread out to the outer structure of the gate.


    ¡°You should get going. Tessia came by earlier. She was asking for you,¡± said Elder Rinia.


    ¡°Oh.¡± I scratched my head. ¡°I wonder what she wants.¡±


    After reminding the old elf not to overdo it one more time, I walked back, reaching the main base. Near the flowing stream that cut through the abandoned town with rows of empty buildings, I saw Ellie and Tess ying with each other. Tess was conjuring tiny orbs of water above the stream while Ellie shot them down by firing mana arrows from her bow.


    I was about to call out to them when I had a better idea.


    Just as Tess raised another sphere of water, I flicked my wrist, willing the orb to dash left. The glowing arrow of pure mana whizzed by, missing its mark entirely.


    Hearing Tess exim in confusion made me snicker, but I continued to mess with my sister. I dodged Ellie¡¯s arrows, maneuvering the orb of water with ease and even squirting a stream of water at her face, until finally my sister screamed out in frustration.


    ¡°We know it¡¯s you, Brother! ¡± my sister yelled, stressing our rtionship as if it were a curse.


    ¡°How were you not even able tond a single hit on it?¡± Iughed aloud, unable to hold it in.


    Ellie fired a mana arrow directly at my face, but I continuedughing as I easily caught it in my hand.


    ¡°Ellie! Don¡¯t fire arrows at your brother!¡± my mother¡¯s voice echoed from the second floor of the building just behind Tess and my sister.


    ¡°Arthur started it!¡± Ellie retorted, pointing her finger at me.


    Tess let out a chortle, covering her mouth while trying to stifle herughter as my sister turned more red.


    The three of us eventually headed inside. I continued to make fun of my sister as she, in turn, continued to throw fists and conjurations of pure mana at my face.


    ¡°Oh yeah, Elder Rinia mentioned that you were looking for me earlier?¡± I asked Tess while dodging and deflecting my baby sister¡¯s attacks.


    ¡°O-Oh, uh, it was nothing. I just wanted to check in on how everyone was doing,¡± she said, quickening her pace to beat us up the stairs.


    When we arrived upstairs, I could see a row of me-grilled fish skewered on branches.


    ¡°Wow!¡± I said, my mouth already beginning to salivate.


    ¡°I managed to catch quite a few fish today,¡± my mother grinned proudly, tapping her flexed arm. ¡°Eat up while I go bring Commander Virion and General Bairon back from their meditation.¡±


    I immediately grabbed a skewer and took a bite, only to have a richly-seasoned vor burst into my mouth. ¡°How is this fish salted?¡± I asked amidst my chewing.


    My mother turned back as she was leaving through the door. ¡°Elder Rinia packed it in one of her dimension rings.¡±


    ¡°¡®One of¡¯?¡± Tess repeated, handing a skewer to Ellie before taking one for herself.


    ¡°Mhmm. Elder Rinia has at least eight dimension rings full of things necessary to live here. She¡¯s even brought various seeds so that we can start growing our own fruits and vegetables down here,¡± my mother answered, smiling. ¡°All of you will have to help out so we can start amodating a lot more people here.¡±


    Tess and I exchanged nces as both of us were no doubt wondering the same thing: how far back had Elder Rinia prepared for all of this?


    It was almost impossible to tell how much time had passed without a sun above us, but eventually everyone had gathered back together. Bairon and Virion, while still incapacitated, were looking better everyday. Sylvie joined us for food as well while talking and smiling with Tess and Ellie. Elder Rinia hade back and, after a quick bite to eat, immediately fell asleep in her bed.


    My mother had done a fantastic job of making the deste building seem more homey. Most of us only got a nket in order to save resources, but with the curtains set up in front of the doorways of each room and small decorative touches in each of them, this ce didn¡¯t seem as much of a refuge shelter anymore.


    I found myselffortable and happy as I drifted off to sleep. In a way, being here with the ones that I cared about the most¡ªthis was what I had hoped for. I wanted to quickly bring the Twin Horns down here as well; I knew my mother and sister would be happy at that.


    I was eager to start the new day.


    If only I knew what I would be waking up to.

 Chapter 243

    Chapter 243


    Chapter 243: On the Surface


    TESSIA ERALITH


    I looked back at the softly-lit corridor stretching back into the darkness before my gaze lowered to the white medallion in my hand.


    ¡°Sorry, Grandpa,¡± I muttered under my breath, clutching tightly onto the artifact. ¡°I swear I¡¯ll return this.¡±


    I turned my back to the path I hade from and faced the ancient gate in front of me. Letting out a deep sigh, I prepared for whatever would happen once I crossed.


    I was being rash and emotional. I knew that.


    Even after what happened at myst battle in Elshire Forest, where General Aya had to rescue me, I still chose to do this. Even after how much I had berated myself¡ªhated myself¡ªI couldn¡¯t sit still like this.


    Grandpa had already killed off Mother and Father in his mind. No matter what he said, I knew that look he always had when I mentioned them. I knew what that look meant. To him, my parents were no longer family, but traitors.


    Grandma Rinia wasn¡¯t as bad, but I knew that she had given up on trying to save my parents. Just from overhearing the ns she and Virion made together with General Bairon on who to save, I knew that my parents were nowhere on that list.


    But they didn¡¯t know. They weren¡¯t there like I was. They didn¡¯t know how hard Mother¡¯s hands trembled as she held onto my hand and pulled me away. They weren¡¯t there to see Father with tears rolling down his face as we stepped through the portal.


    Pulling the hood over my head, I steeled myself. Whatever anyone thought of my actions now, it didn¡¯t matter. My parents deserved a chance, and if their own daughter won¡¯t give that to them, who would?


    My mind wandered and I thought of Arthur. I had been tempted to ask him to help me, but that was too selfish. I knew the dangers that this mission entailed and if anything happened to him because of me...


    I¡¯m dispensable, he isn¡¯t.


    Holding the medallion out in front of me, I walked through the glowing gate in front of me. The soft purple light undted at the medallion¡¯s touch and I felt a slight pull. Rather than resist the foreign sensation, I epted it and stepped further into the gate until my entire body became immersed in soft purple.


    Immediately, my body was pulled across a whirling funnel of light. It felt different from the normal teleportation gates, more... nauseating.


    I stumbled out the other side on a paved ground, still a bit disoriented from the trip. It wasn¡¯t long before someone yelled out, ¡°Hey! Someone used the gate!¡±


    Peeking up, I saw four cryans standing guard around the teleportation gate that I had crossed through.


    ¡°Get on your knees and take off your hood!¡± the guard to my right ordered, aiming a condensed sphere of wind in my direction. ¡°Now!¡±


    I dropped low and mmed my palm on the ground. Before the spells from the cryans could reach me, however, a thick gale of wind surged around me.


    Keeping one hand on my head to keep the hood in ce, I muttered another spell. I willed the protective barrier of wind to expand, pushing away the enemy mages caught off guard.


    Using this brief window of opportunity, I dashed forward to the nearest alleyway a hundred feet north.


    Orders were barked out to their allies further out, and soon another pair of cryans wereing at me from either side.


    Keeping my hood down, I rushed towards the cryan to my left, shooting a de of wind at him.


    Almost immediately, an armor of ice enveloped his body, protecting his neck from the sharp crescent of wind that I had sent his way. My initial instinct was to be surprised and intimidated by the deviant mage before I reminded myself that the cryans used magic differently than we did. But a higher form of magic didn¡¯t necessarily equate to a stronger mage in their case.


    I focused on the opponent at hand. The ice-d cryan had managed to defend my attack but the force of my wind de managed to knock him off his feet. Before hispanion coulde to his aid while he stood back up, I sped up. The temptation to use my nt magic or beast will quickly grew¡ªit would be so much easier to get away¡ªbut I resisted. Using deviant magic like that would be telling everyone that the former princess of Elenoir was here.


    Conjuring a condensed surge of wind below my back foot, I propelled myself within arm¡¯s length of the enemy. He brought up his longsword to block whatever attack he thought I would hit him with but instead, I grabbed his arm and used a ssic overhead toss that my grandpa had taught me.


    With the aid of wind magic, I tossed the cryan a few dozen feet in the air which opened up the path to the nearest alleyway.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him get away!¡± a voice screamed from afar.


    Comforted by the fact that they thought I was a man, I sped forth and got away with another gust of wind aiding me.


    I sped through the narrow passage. Buildings towered over me on either side, the road barely wide enough to allow two men to walk shoulder to shoulder. Despite how old the buildings and paved road were, not a single piece of trash sullied the alleyway.


    Most of the human cities looked so simr to one another that it was hard to tell exactly where I was until I had a better view of the city as a whole, but I knew that I had at least arrived in one of the major cities of Sapin.


    My eyes constantly scanned the road and even nearby rooftops in case an cryan was keeping track of my whereabouts from above. Taking a quick look at the sky confirmed that I hadn¡¯tnded in Xyrus City. The clouds were well overhead and there was no translucent barrier that could be seen protecting the floating city.


    After some time had passed and I carefully made my way towards one of therger roads. I peeked out from the narrow passage I had wedged myself through to see that there were quite a lot of people still walking the streets.


    Still, I kept out of sight and studied the pedestrians passing by just to make sure. While there were mostly adventurers and soldiers dressed in armor or protective leather, I spotted quite a bit of children and housewives that wore dirty aprons. Strangely, though, everyone seemed to be moving in the same direction.


    They all have such lifeless expressions, I thought to myself, my chest knotting in guilt. It was stupid to feel responsible for everything happening, but a part of me still thought that maybe it wasrgely my fault for how the war turned out.


    I shook my head, snapping myself out of the hole that I would dig myself into if I started this train of thought.


    After wrapping the cloak tightly around me and making sure that most of my conspicuous hair color couldn¡¯t be seen, I jumped out of the alleyway. Blending in with a horse-drawn carriage that passed close by, I walked in sync until a rather clustered group of pedestrians offered me a more natural veil to hide amongst.


    A few gave me passing nces but because of my smaller physique, no one seemed to take too much notice.


    ¡°Do we really have to go?¡± a middle-aged woman a few feet ahead of me whispered to what looked like her husband.


    The plump man answered in a hushed tone. ¡°Those damn cryans are already beginning to chase people out of their homes. If we don¡¯t go now, it¡¯ll only make things worse.¡±


    The woman looked at her husband as if she was about to say something but looked down. I could see her shoulders droop while she held tightly onto the hand of her daughter.


    Confused, I continued following everyone until I spotted a few stands on the side of the street. Most were almost finished wrapping up their goods and putting down the tarps that hung over their stands, but I managed to find a clothing stand that had yet to bepletely packed up.


    In one quick motion I swiped a long leather cap and a matching mantle and pant set hanging on a rack.


    ¡°Hey! That¡¯s...¡± the shopkeeper¡¯s voice trailed off. Taking a quick peek back, I could see her looking wide-eyed at the few silver coins I had left on the table.


    Sliding into another nearby side alley between an abandoned bakery and butcher shop with broken windows, I hurriedly changed my clothes with the ones I had just bought.


    I tied up my hair and tucked it into the leather cap that ran down past my neck, making sure most of my silver hair couldn¡¯t be seen. After putting on the mantle and pair of pants, I ran my fingers on the dirt ground and slid it messily across my face.


    ¡°This should be enough,¡± I muttered under my breath. I thought about maybe taking out the practice bow I had borrowed from Ellie toplete the adventurer¡¯s ensemble, but I decided otherwise after noticing that no one was carrying their weapon.


    I blended in with the tides of people all walking solemnly in the same direction. Despite how much more crowded it had be, there was still an eerie silence lingering.


    ¡°Excuse me. What is going on?¡± I deepened my voice and avoided eye contact with the man I had just asked.


    The man ignored me and sped up.


    I tried again, this time to an elderly woman, but was met with the same response until finally, a youngerdy¡ªjust a bit older than me¡ªfinally responded.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s over,¡± she choked back a sob. ¡°Those invaders told us to move to Etistin centre if we didn¡¯t want to be hunted down.¡±


    ¡°Hunted down?¡± I said quietly. ¡°What about the Dicathen army stationed in Etistin?¡±


    The woman¡¯s pace quickened as she looked back nervously.


    I followed after her, matching her pace, and asked again before answering in an even quieter voice. ¡°They... left.¡±


    ¡°Left?¡± I said a bit louder than I had intended.


    The woman¡¯s eyes bulged like a startled stray and she zipped off, clutching tightly onto the drawstring bag in her arms.


    I let out a deep breath as I tried to repress the frustration and anxiety building up inside me. Talking to that woman left me with more questions than answers and it seemed like everyone was too scared to talk.


    Adjusting my leather cap, I walked on. The only way I¡¯d get some answers was by going to Etistin. Judging by the fact that we were moving away from the Grand Mountains, we were going west.


    I must¡¯ve crossed through the eastern gate of Etistin, which makes sense seeing that it¡¯s the least used teleportation gate and the furthest one from the castle. Elder Rinia must¡¯ve set it toe to this one in order to smuggle some of the key figures she had written down on that list.


    The more I continued walking, the denser the crowd around me became. It got to the point where we all had to shuffle forward, our shoulders pressed against each other. The cries of children could be heard over the nervous shushing made from their parents.


    The tall ornate buildings making up the inner portions of the capital city of Etistin blocked the view of the city centre, but it was just before then that I spotted cyans.


    They weren¡¯t any different from the humans of Sapin, but they all wore the same gray and ck uniformed streaked with blood-red. They were also the only ones with weapons and they used them to herd the people up ahead into the pathway leading into the city centre.


    That¡¯s when I heard it. The first scream.


    That was only the beginning¡ªthat first scream triggered more as the crowd in front reached the open area of the city¡¯s square.


    I pushed ahead through the crowd, trying to squeeze my way toward the front. I was in the middle of the dense line of people squeezing into the open area that was once the hub ofmerce and trade.


    As I got closer, I noticed the change in the air¡ªfrom fear and worry to despair.


    I could make out the more subtle reactions now alongside the screams that resounded. I could make out the gasps and groans and even the quiet sobs from the people up ahead.


    As I got even closer, I could see the people: a broad man pointing a trembling finger to my right; a woman with both hands covering her mouth, eyes wide and tears flowing freely; another man with a hardened fixed expression, looking the other way.


    That¡¯s when I reached the front.


    I turned my head to face the sight that everyone was reacting so strongly towards, not caring about the cryans nearby.


    And I finally saw it. My gut clenched and a lump in my throat threatened to suffocate me as I saw the four figures.


    Two men, two women, with ck spikes pierced through their bodies high up in the air for all to see.


    Two were the leaders of this kingdom, and the other two were... my parents.

 Chapter 244

    Chapter 244


    Chapter 244: Day of Rebirth


    I stumbled back, barely able to stay on my feet. My breathing quickened to the point that my head spun. Everything was blurred out of focus except for my parents¡ªthe one sight that I couldn¡¯t bear to watch.


    But my eyes remained glued to their corpses hanging in the air with a ck spike jutting through their backs. Their arms and legs hung limply high up in the sky as blood trailed down the spikes that scaled over three stories high, dying them in crimson.


    The worst part, though, was the fact that I could see their expressions. Their eyes were wide and bulging, while their mouths hung open. It wasn¡¯t just my parents, it was the king and queen of Sapin as well. They had all been positioned for everyone arriving to clearly see the pain that they had been in before their deaths.


    Blood rushed to my head, pounding against my ears, and I felt power leak from my mana core. The primal strength that I knew all too well as the elderwood guardian¡¯s beast will threatened to break free and wreak havoc on the cryans here.


    Control yourself, Tessia, I begged to myself. It took every ounce of strength left in my body to resist the beast¡¯s tantalizing power.


    Despite how everything turned out, my parents took me away believing that they were keeping me safe, and for that very fact alone, I needed to make sure that I didn¡¯t throw their efforts... and lives away in vain.


    A sob reached my throat and I couldn¡¯t bear it any longer. Falling to my knees, I wept quietly amidst the crowd, mourning for different reasons. To most of the people here, they cried because their deaths meant that Dicathen had lost. They cried because their deaths meant grim futures filled with hardships and uncertainties.


    For me...I cried for my parents¡ªI cried for all of the things I couldn¡¯t do with them, for all of the things I said to them, and all of the things I couldn¡¯t say to them.


    ¡°Citizens of Dicathen,¡± a soft, honeyed voice rang. Despite how loud it had been, the crowd quieted. On the top of a stone pir that had just been conjured stood a woman donning the gray and red military uniform of crya. Her red hair billowed like a dancing me as she looked down at us with her hands sped in front of her.


    I found myself waiting for the next words of the female cryan, curious as to what she¡¯d say.


    The cryan spoke again with her alluring voice. ¡°Your kings have passed, your armies are fleeing, and your most powerful warriors are in hiding. The Castle is ours, Xyrus City and Elenoir City...are ours, and now, Etistin City is ours. But do not fret, for we did note here as pigers.¡±


    There was a still silence as everyone waited for her next words. Finally she spoke, making a subtle but weing gesture with her arms slightly raised.


    ¡°We came here as agents of something greater¡ªof someone greater. Mighty asuras, the deities that you have worshipped all this time, thinking¡ªbelieving¡ªthat they are watching over you. Those days are no longer. The cryans have won this war, not by our own power. We won because our sovereign is no lowly human or elf like the ones you see here.¡± Her voice quieted, but somehow her words could be heard even more clearly than before. ¡°We won because our sovereign is an asura. Our victory was the will of a deity himself.¡±


    Murmurs could be heard throughout therge crowd, but the cryans didn¡¯t stop it. They let the chatter and hesitance amongst the crowd grow until finally the woman on the pedestal let out a sigh.


    She only let out a sigh, but I could hear it as if she were next to me in a quiet room.


    She used earth magic to raise that stone pir, and she¡¯s been manipting sound to spread her voice. How powerful is she? I couldn¡¯t help but doubt what I had learned. In the face of someone capable of not only manipting multiple elements, but also being a deviant like myself, I began to wonder how many mages as powerful as this person, or even more, existed amongst the cryans.


    ¡°Your disbelief is reasonable, and what I say or do here will only fan the mes of doubt growing within you. This is nature, and this is why we had to do what we did. Because of stubbornness, because of pride, because of greed, and because of doubt, peace can only be achieved through war,¡± she said solemnly. ¡°You may feel like prisoners of a defeated country now, but I assure you that as time passes you all will feel like a part of something bigger, a citizen of a godly kingdom.¡±


    ¡°My name is Lyra Dreide. Today, I have stood above you as victor of this war, but I pray that the next time we meet, it will be as equals, and as friends.¡±


    The cryan¡¯s words lingered like a sweet candy after medicine. She didn¡¯t just stop there; she then raised the stone pir even higher and gently pulled the bodies of my parents and the king and queen of Sapin from the ck spikes.


    After setting them down one by one on the ground, she created a pit around their bodies before conjuring a me in her hand.


    ¡°Our sovereign has decreed today, the twenty-fith sundown of Spring, as the day of rebirth.¡± In a single motion, she lit the pit on fire.


    I pressed my hands over my mouth, physically restraining myself from screaming as I watched the mes burn higher. The thought of not even being able to properly send off my parents wed at my insides making it harder to control my raging beast will.


    ¡°This is not a time for mourning and reflection of the past. Today is the start of a¡ª¡±


    The cryan¡¯s speech was cut short.


    It was then that I felt the subtle shift in the air.


    My hair stood on its end, and I could feel the primal instincts of the elderwood guardian inside me tremble. Every fiber of my body told me I should get out of here.


    I watched the bright mes dance in the pit as if mocking me. Rage and indignation bubbled in the pit of my stomach but I knew it was toote.


    Biting my lower lip, I took onest look at the cryan named Lyra Dreide. I knew she wasn¡¯t the one responsible for those ck spikes that had killed Kathyln¡¯s and my parents, but I wouldn¡¯t forget her.


    I found the cryan talking to a figure that wasn¡¯t there before. With short ck hair and a rather thin body frame, I swore I recognized him but he had his back turned toward me. Regardless, my body screamed at me to run away the moment my gaze turned toward the familiar man, and with how much was at stake, I followed my instincts.


    Staying low, I weaved through the forlorn crowd, burying my own feelings from getting in my way. Wiping the tears from my face, I headed towards the buildings in the hopes that I¡¯d be able to squeeze through the alleyway to escape.


    There were two cryan soldiers guarding the path that I hade from. It would¡¯ve been smarter to wait for at least one of them to leave, but behind me, I could feel the threatening presence growing closer.


    Barely able to think over the sound of my own heart trying to break out of my ribcage, I ran past the cryan guards, sting both with a gale of wind.


    However, unlike the guards I had first met upon arriving through the gate, these cryans seemed ready.


    The female guard to my right repelled my attack with her own st of wind while the male guard to my left had managed to anchor himself to the ground, his entire body covered in reptilian scales made of stone.


    The earth mage swung his arms,unching a barrage of the stone scales covering his body while the female guard sent a gale of wind from above, pushing me down to my knees.


    With no choice and little time, I ignited my beast will and shrouded myself in the protective green aura of the elderwood guardian.


    The stone scales were repelled and the wind had be manageable. Conjuring a translucent vine of mana in either direction, I killed the wind mage and injured the earth mage before running off.


    Despite my victory, the dread in my heart grew. The threatening presence that made me fear for my life followed behind me like a shadow even as I reached the outskirts of the city. My first n had been to try and make it back to the gate that I had crossed from, but even from a distance I could already see cryans heavily guarding all three gates of Etistin.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I cursed under my breath. I leaped off from the building I was on top of and made my way towards the southwestern border of Etistin.


    The closest city with a teleportation gate was Telmore city, which was just off the western coast. If I could make it there and use the medallion, I could still make it back to the refuge shelter. What worried me, however, was that the cryans would expect this.


    With that in mind, I didn¡¯t go directly to Telmore, but made my way toward the shore that thest major battle had urred in. From what I¡¯ve heard, General Varay had managed to build a massive field of ice off of the Etistin bay shore. This was the battle that both General Varay and Arthur had participated in. I wanted to see the spectacle for myself, and hopefully find some help.


    After hours of nonstop running with wind magic through hills and dense arrays of trees, the sky had turned a deep orange from the setting sun. I knew I wasn¡¯t too far from the coast, but I needed to rest.


    I¡¯ll head to the coast in a few hours and see if there are still any Dicathen soldiers still in the area. I didn¡¯t believe the cryan named Lyra. There had to be soldiers on our side still fighting out there.


    My mana-enhanced senses picked up on the slightest movement, making me stop mid-step. I knew as soon as I did that, that I had made a mistake. I shouldn¡¯t have made it known that I could sense someone.


    ¡°Get on your knees and show your back.¡± a clear and authoritative voice rang from my right.


    I immediately got on my knees and lifted up the bottom of my tunic to reveal my lower and mid-back.


    ¡°Clear,¡± a deep voice grunted from behind me.


    Suddenly, a figure walked slowly into my line of sight, her hands held over her head in a sign of peace. She was thin and a head shorter than me, but her weathered face and toned body told me not to judge too quickly. Her expression was knitted into a suspicious scowl as she studied me.


    After taking another few steps, she turned around slowly and removed her leather vest and lifted her shirt, revealing a tanned but otherwise clear back without the markings that cryan mages had.


    She turned back around but kept her distance.


    ¡°Nod for yes, shake for no. Are you alone?¡± she asked quietly, her gaze constantly flitting left and right.


    I nodded.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she replied, walking closer and stretching out her hand. ¡°I am¡ªwas the head of the third vanguard unit. You can call me Madam Astera. What is your name?¡±


    Looking around ufortably, I leaned in close and whispered. ¡°Tessia Eralith.¡±


    Madam Astera, who looked a few years older than my mother, flinched and she looked at me carefully before her eyes widened.


    It only took a second for her to regain herposure and send me a nod. ¡°We¡¯ll talkter.¡±


    With a quick gesture of her hand, I could hear several pairs of feet shuffling closer until her entire group joined us.


    ¡°We¡¯re going back to our base,¡± she said, her voice barely above a whisper.


    The rest nodded and I found myself trailing right behind Madam Astera.


    ¡°Are you all Dicathen soldiers?¡± I asked, catching up to her.


    She nodded in reply, her head constantly moving, watching out for something amiss.


    ¡°How many of you are there?¡± I continued, making sure to keep my voice low.


    Madam Astera shot me a cold nce. ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough, Princess. For now we need to keep moving.¡±


    I bit my lip, frustrated at herck of proper response. ¡°I¡¯m on my way down to Telmore City. If we can rally up more soldiers from the battle of Etistin bay shore, then I can take¡ª¡±


    ¡°Rally?¡± Madam Astera cut off, her gaze sharper than a dagger. She let out a sigh and held up a hand above her head.


    The other Dicathians around us stopped in their position, most hidden behind trees, some crouched in shrubs and hollow logs.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± she muttered, climbing the steep hill that we had been at the base of.


    I followed after her, using the jutting roots and rocks as footholds. Madam Astera got to the top first and I saw her looking out, her expression solemn. Finally reaching the top, my eyes looked up, taking in the sight of the setting sun. It was when my gaze dropped further down that I felt the blood drain from my face. From the twisting knot in my stomach to my trembling knees on the verge of copsing, my entire body reacted to the sight as a sharp gasp escaped my throat.


    Out on the Etistin bay shore, where one of thestrge-scale battles had urred, the icefield that I could only assume had once been white, had been turned into a traumatic scene.


    Blood¡ªso much blood¡ªdyed the ice varying shades of red, from light pink, all the way to a deep maroon where I could see scores of corpses. Scattered amidst the field of red were eerily dark mes that looked more like smoke, and the same obsidian spikes that had killed my parents.


    ¡°Princess. You asked if we could rally more soldiers...¡± Madam Astera breathed. ¡°I don¡¯t think there are any more soldiers to rally. At least not here.¡±

 Chapter 245

    Chapter 245


    Chapter 245: Walking Catastrophe


    ¡°She really is a princess,¡± the balding bear of a man named Herrick muttered in a deep voice as he studied me intently.


    ¡°You¡¯re making her ufortable you big oaf,¡± the girl called Nyphia berated.


    ¡°Sorry... I¡¯ve just never seen a real princess before,¡± Herrick mumbled.


    I held back a smile as I watched the two bicker before my eyes shifted to Madam Astera. She was talking to a thinner man¡ªnot much older than me¡ªhuddled over, hugging his knees as his entire body trembled. Jast had been here since we arrived, and judging by the condition he was in, I knew why; the guy was a mess.


    Jast hadn¡¯t said a word since we arrived, only muttering a string of incoherent words as he rocked back and forth.


    ¡°He had it the worst,¡± Nyphiamented, her steeled expression softening as she watched him. ¡°He watched his entire unit ughter each other in front of him.¡±


    ¡°ughter...each other?¡± I echoed, horrified.


    Nyphia leaned close and whispered, ¡°Yup. Even the girl we all knew he was ¡®secretly¡¯ dating.¡±


    ¡°Nyphia,¡± Madam Astera said, her voice sharp.


    At the mention of her name, Nyphia¡¯s body stiffened. ¡°My apologies, Madam Astera.¡±


    I watched as Nyphia scooted back over to where she was normally sitting. I found myself staring at her and Herrick, their bodies barely visible over the dim light artifact between us. While not as tantly obvious as Jast¡¯s state of mind, both Herrick and Nyphia were riddled with injuries.


    Most notably, Herrick was missing his left hand, and by the blood spreading even over the thick bandages wrapped around his wrist, I could tell that the wound was fairly recent. Nyphia didn¡¯t seem to have any injuries aside from the bloody gash running down the side of her face, but every time she moved her body, she would wince ever so slightly.


    I felt a knot in my chest looking at them. On one hand, I pitied the state they were in, but on the other hand, I admired the fact that they were still able to smile despite their situation.


    After Jast had fallen asleep with his head buried in his knees, Madam Astera walked over to the back of the cave where we were sitting around a dim light artifact.


    She sat across from me, her gaze boring holes into my very soul. Both Nyphia and Herrick had stopped talking and it seemed like minutes until Madam Astera spoke again, and when she did, it wasn¡¯t what I had expected her to say.


    ¡°F*ck!¡± she cursed, pounding the hard ground with her fist.


    Nyphia, Herrick, and I were all taken aback by her sudden outburst. Combing back her bangs with her fingers, she stared at me and let out a sigh. ¡°It doesn¡¯t bode well to see you out here, Princess.¡±


    That¡¯s when I realized the reason for her outburst. I wasn¡¯t hurt, but I was running away in disguise. My very presence all the way out here meant that something was very wrong, and she couldn¡¯t have been more right.


    I nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, it doesn¡¯t. But before I exin the situation out there, can you tell me what happened? To my knowledge, we were winning the battle at the Etistin bay shore.¡±


    ¡°We were and we weren¡¯t,¡± she said cryptically. ¡°My knowledge is filled with gaps since my unit was positioned towards the outskirts of the battle, but I¡¯ll exin to the best of my abilities.¡±


    And so, she told me what had happened while the rest of us silently listened.


    The Bloodfrost Battle is what the soldiers had dubbed the massacre that urred at the Etistin bay shore. During the time General Varay and Arthur were there, the battle was one-sided¡ªcrya didn¡¯t seem to have a chance. But as the battle progressed, it became more and more obvious that something was off.


    The enemy soldiers threw themselves into battle without formation, fled or even begged for their lives, and sometimes, they¡¯d even see soldiers sacrifice theirrades to save themselves.


    Despite all of this, the higher ups continued the order to push forward. They wanted to take over the cryan ships docked at the other end of the ice field.


    It was on the third day that the situation flipped. Madam Astera couldn¡¯t tell me exactly how it had started, but it was when the new vanguard line that was supposed to relieve the current frontline¡¯s position didn¡¯t arrive that the soldiers knew something was wrong.


    Then, cryan soldiers¡ªactual soldiers in formation and tight teams that clearly knew what they were doing¡ªcame from behind. The majority of the Dicathen forces that were on the field were now suddenly pincered, and everyone could see the battle urring above us in the sky.


    General Varay was fighting an enemy capable of holding his own against the strongestnce. The Dicathen forces held strong though, and the reserves that had been fighting against the real cryan soldiers were slowly regaining their footing after their initial surprise.


    Despite the major setback, once Lance Mica joined the battle, the Dicathians were hopeful toe out of this battle victorious... that was, until that man arrived.


    Madam Astera¡¯s expression darkened as she continued speaking, both Nyphia and Herrick trembling just at the mention of that person.


    With the arrival of this new figure, the already-bloody battle had turned into a scene of hell. Scores of obsidian spikes shot out from the ground, skewering allies and enemies alike. Clouds of murky gray mist slowly spread, rendering affected troops into deranged monsters that attacked our own. But the worst were the ck mes enveloping entire units of soldiers and growingrger despite the entire ground made of ice. In its wakeid only blood and soot.


    It was just one man, but it was more urate to call him a walking catastrophe. It only took several hours for the battle to be rendered into a graveyard.


    ¡°H-How did you guys survive that?¡± I asked, my voiceing out hoarse and shaken.


    ¡°Because the ck fires, spikes, and smoke weren¡¯t aimed but just spread randomly, Dicathians and cryans alike were affected. Those that hadn¡¯t died from that deadly magic were able to escape since even the cryans were in a state of chaos,¡± Madam Astera exined, her gaze falling on where Herrick and Nyphia were. ¡°There are definitely other survivors hiding out here if they hadn¡¯t already gotten caught and captured, which is why we¡¯ve been going on these runs¡ªwe¡¯ve been trying to find more allies.¡±


    ¡°We found Jast as he was getting attacked and saved him yesterday,¡± she continued, taking a quick nce back at the sleeping teen curled into a ball before turning to us. ¡°These two are what¡¯s left of my unit, but there are a few more out there who were there when we first found you. We¡¯ve worked out a system where one groupes back while the other circles around just in case we¡¯re followed.¡±


    I nodded, unable toe up with any sort of reply appropriate for this situation.


    ¡°How are your supplies looking?¡± I asked after a long pause.


    ¡°We can split the rations for four more days at the maximum between us five and the other three that¡¯ll be here soon,¡± she said. ¡°Besides sustenance, however, we have nothing. The emergency medical kit I was carrying in my dimension ring was used to patch up Herrick¡¯s injury.¡±


    At the reminder of his wound, therge soldier dipped his head, looking at the stump where his left hand used to be.


    ¡°Now, Princess. Tell us the situation out there. Is the war over? Have we lost?¡± Madam Astera asked, herrge piercing eyes focused on me.


    I shifted my gaze to Herrick and Nyphia; the two of them were staring back intently, hopeful¡ªdesperate.


    I sat up and kept my expression stern and confident. ¡°We lost this war, but it isn¡¯t over.¡±


    ¡°Please borate,¡± Madam Astera insisted, leaning in closer.


    And so, I showed them the medallion and told them about the refuge shelter that not even the cryans would be able to find, let alone break into. I told them that Commander Virion and General Bairon were both there, along with General Arthur, a powerful diviner, and even an emitter. I told them about how the diviner had prepared supplies in advance and that all the necessaryponents are there to sustain hundreds, if not thousands, of people.


    But by the end of my hope-filled message, the three of them stared back at me with looks of indignation.


    ¡°So the oue of this entire war had been predicted? We were doomed to lose from the start?¡± Nyphia muttered, horrified.


    My heartbeat quickened. ¡°What? N-No! I mean¡ª¡±


    ¡°Did the Commander, General Arthur, and General Bairon run away from this battle to save themselves?¡± Madam Astera asked, her voice seething with controlled rage.


    ¡°Of course not! They had been attacked by a scythe at the Castle. They barely made it out of there alive,¡± I reasoned, not expecting this sort of reaction.


    Madam Astera¡¯s head sunk as she buried her face in her hands. Her shoulders bobbed up and down as she took deep breaths, until finally she looked back up with a hardened gaze.


    ¡°Last question, and please answer honestly,¡± she said, sending a chill down my spine. ¡°Did they know?¡±


    My brows furrowed. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Commander Virion. General Arthur. General Bairon. Did these three people know what was going to happen here?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I snapped. ¡°No one but Elder Rinia, the diviner, knew! No one was more angry than those three for not being told about all of this. They me themselves more than anyone for how this war ended, but they¡¯re still there because they know it¡¯s the only chance we have in taking back Dicathen!¡±


    After long minutes of tortured silence, Madam Astera let out a breath. ¡°I understand. So what¡¯s the n? Did you travel here because the diviner knew our location?¡±


    I bit my lip, unable to answer. It was the opposite...I had snuck out here alone on this selfish quest to bring back my parents, only to fail and be chased away and found by Madam Astera¡¯s group.


    ¡°I¡¯vee to find Dicathians and bring as many as I can back with me to the refuge shelter,¡± I lied.


    The only constion was seeing Herrick and Nyphia smile at each other, excited at the fact that they¡¯d be safe once they were there. Even Jast raised his head, his gaze sober and hopeful.


    Madam Astera nodded but I couldn¡¯t read her expression. Regardless, they had agreed to go with me to Telmore City, where we¡¯d either sneak in or fight our way to the teleportation gate there. All we had to do was wait for the rest of Madam Astera¡¯s group to arrive.


    An hour trickled by as we waited impatiently for more people toe, but no one did.


    ¡°They shouldn¡¯t be out there for this long,¡± Madam Astera growled as she paced back and forth inside the cave. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look alone. Stay here.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± I called out. ¡°It¡¯ll take too long if you go out and search for them by yourself, thene back. We travelled north to get here from where we were all at, if we go together and meet up with the rest of the group further down, it¡¯ll be en route to Telmore City.¡±


    ¡°It will shave off at least half a day, depending on how fast we¡¯re able to locate them,¡± Nyphia chimed in.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it, but you¡¯re right. Princess, do you have any experience in tracking or scouting?¡± Madam Astera asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had some training from my previous teacher on using wind magic for scouting but my actual experience is minimal,¡± I responded, tightening my leather boots.


    ¡°So you specialize in wind, good. That¡¯ll be useful out there,¡± she replied, turning to Jast. ¡°How do you feel? You had another one of your episodes again.¡±


    The boy named Jast stood up slowly, slinging a sack over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m a bit better now. Thank you Madam Astera.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get moving,¡± the leader said curtly.


    We left the cave through the small entrance we had covered in foliage; from the outside, the little hideout was nothing more than a slope at the base of a hill.


    Staying low and several yards apart from each other, we made our way south through the forest. The forest here weren¡¯t nearly as dense or lush as the Elshire Forest¡ªeven the wildlife was scarce and timid.


    I missed home, more than I ever did in the past. I had spent years in Sapin while I was at school, but the fact that I might not even have a home to go back to now really hit me.


    Even if the castle that I grew up in was still there, what was the point? My parents were gone.


    No. Not now, Tess. I swallowed and took a deep breath. I didn¡¯t have the chance to properly mourn for my parents despite seeing their corpses put on disy to send a message. Now, even their bodies were gone.


    I took another breath, trying to calm myself. There would be a time to grieve once we¡¯re all safe. For now, I needed to focus on getting everyone back to the shelter.


    Distracting myself from my own thoughts by searching for the missing members of Madam Astera¡¯s group, we continued backtracking our route.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed, but suddenly, Madam Astera let out a trilling whistle like a bird. This was her signal for all of us to stop andy low.


    It only took me a few seconds to catch on to what the leader had seen and heard¡ªjust a few yards southeast from our position was the shuffling of shrubs and snapping of twigs. It was toorge to be a rodent or hare, and it seemed too clumsy to be a deer.


    We waited for Madam Astera to slowly stalk whatever was there, barely catching the reflection of her thin sword. She moved with ease, as if gliding through the trees and foliage as her presence was barely detectable even as I was watching her.


    Despite the situation we were in, I couldn¡¯t help but admire her prowess. She would be a powerful ally that could help smuggle away more people away from the cryans once she got settled.


    I continued waiting¡ªobserving¡ªmy entire body tensed, as Madam Astera was almost upon the thing, when she jolted to a stop and gestured for us toe.


    With a sigh of relief, we all hurried over to where she was, only to see her crouched over a figure I couldn¡¯t quite make out.


    Getting closer, my eyes widened at the sight of the injured soldier. He was a mess with his armor and clothes basically dyed with his own blood.


    Beside me, Nyphia let out a gasp. ¡°That¡¯s Abath.¡±


    She ran towards the injured man and I followed until I got close enough to hear thest part of what he was saying. ¡°...was killed...a boy.¡±


    Before I could even get the chance to interpret what he had said, my beast will suddenly ignited and every fiber in my body stiffened.


    It was as if a heavy nket of this carnal and unabated bloodlust had fallen over me. I was barely able to remain on my feet. Both Herrick and Nyphia fell on their knees, trembling while Jast had curled up into a fetal position, shaking violently.


    Desperate, I turned to Madam Astera, only to see her staring behind me, wide-eyed, and lips trembling as she muttered, ¡°Y-You...in the battle.¡±


    I knew¡ªmy entire body knew¡ªthat unlike at the city center, it was toote to run away this time. Willing myself to turn around, I saw a person that I hadn¡¯t seen in years. A person that I thought had died and had almost forgotten, but a person that couldn¡¯t be more familiar.


    His name escaped my lips as I stared at him. ¡°E-Elijah?¡±

 Chapter 246

    Chapter 246


    Chapter 246: Dear Old Friend


    Even as I said his name and knew who he was, Elijah had changed tremendously. Aside from the fact that he was now a head taller than me with skin as pale as baster, his short jet-ck hair and sharp eyes made him look almostpletely different.


    Elijah let out a chuckle, his gaze fixed on me. ¡°Long time no see, Tess. How¡¯s Arthur doing?¡±


    I shuddered as a sharp chill ran down my spine. Elijah and I had gone to school together¡ªhe was Art¡¯s best friend. So why were his words so threatening?


    ¡°He¡¯s doing fine,¡± I mustered, trying to stand taller as the pressure Elijah gave off continued to weigh down on me.


    ¡°Of course he¡¯s doing fine. That fool has been as resilient as a cockroach for as long as I¡¯ve known him.¡±


    My brows furrowed at the unfamiliar word. ¡°Cock...roach?¡±


    ¡°Guess you wouldn¡¯t know yet,¡± he smiled, taking a step closer to me. ¡°Come. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Go? Where?¡± I asked, my heartbeat quickening. ¡°Elijah, what happened?¡±


    Elijah flinched slightly at the mention of his name. ¡°I¡¯ll exin on the way. For now, it¡¯d be best if youe with me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± a voice croaked from behind. I looked back to see Madam Astera back on her feet, her sword in hand.


    ¡°Impressive that you can talk despite the pressure I¡¯ve put on you especially,¡± Elijah said. ¡°But I advise you not to speak again.¡±


    Madam Astera raised her sword, hands trembling. ¡°H-He¡¯s the...one...battlefield.¡±


    I barely had time to think when I sensed danger. The instincts embedded into me through assimtion with my beast will caused me to tackle Madam Astera.


    ncing back to where she was standing before, there was an all-too-familiar ck spike, jutting from the ground with blood dripping from its point.


    Madam Astera groaned in pain, but my eyes remained glued to Elijah. ¡°Y-You? How...¡±


    We were told that the only ones able to conjure those ck spikes were some of the scythes and their retainers. So why¡ªhow¡ªwas Elijah able to use it?


    ¡°A-Are you with the cryans?¡± I asked.


    Elijah¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°The cryans and I both have something we want to get out of this war. That is it.¡±


    Realization dawned on me. ¡°It was you¡ªyou were at Etistin. W-Were you the one that...¡±


    Elijah took another step toward us. ¡°Step away from the woman, Tessia.¡±


    ¡°I refuse,¡± I said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°G-Get out of here, Princess. It seems he can¡¯t kill you,¡± Madam Astera whispered. ¡°We¡¯re no match. He¡¯s the one that ughtered scores of soldiers at the bay shore battle. There¡¯s no mistaking it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve trained and suffered, waiting years for this, Tessia. Come with me and I¡¯ll leave the others alone.¡±


    I tightened my grip around Madam Astera.


    Elijah let out a sigh. ¡°Okay. I really didn¡¯t want to leave any distasteful memories, but you leave me no choice.¡±


    Another chill ran down my spine, signalling danger.


    With just the faintest rustle, another ck spike was conjured, piercing through the wounded soldier we had just found.


    But it was toote.


    Madam Astera jerked within my grasp, trying to reach her fallenrade, but I kept her down.


    ¡°Come with me, Tessia,¡± Elijah repeated.


    My mind spun as I tried to think of a way out of this. I knew I couldn¡¯t go with Elijah. He was purposely keeping me alive for something. My first thought was that he was going to use me as a hostage, but then Elijah said he didn¡¯t want to leave any distasteful memories...


    Another chill ran down as I felt the fluctuation of magic. This time, there was only a surprised grunt in the distance before I saw it.


    Jast had been pierced through the chest and hoisted into the air...just like my parents had been. The traumatized soldier¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t of pain but of surprise and confusion as blood dripped from the corners of his mouth.


    ¡°No!¡± Madam Astera screamed, trying to pry herself away from me.


    ¡°Now...¡± Elijah held out a pale hand. ¡°Come. With. Me. ¡±


    My gaze shifted from Jast¡¯s corpse to Madam Astera and to Nyphia and Herrick.


    I was caught between two choices: relent until everyone but me was killed, or go with him.


    Desperation sunk in, and I decided to make my own third option.


    Grabbing the de of Madam Astera¡¯s sword, I held it by my throat. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    A look of surprise skirted across Elijah¡¯s face before he revealed a smirk. ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill yourself.¡±


    Without another word, I pressed the edge of the de against my throat until I drew blood.


    This was a dangerous gamble, one that could get myself and the people around me here killed, but I knew I couldn¡¯t go with him¡ªI knew something far worse might happen if I went with him.


    Fortunately, the gamble paid off. Elijah visibly stiffened and his brows knitted in frustration before he snapped. ¡°Stop.¡±


    I held the de in ce, keeping my expression firm despite the sharp pain radiating from my self-inflicted wound.


    Fear bubbled up in the pit of my stomach. I didn¡¯t want to die now. I didn¡¯t want to die.


    The hand holding the de trembled, and it barely lowered because of my hesitation, but that was all Elijah needed.


    Instantly, a thin spike shot through Madam Astera¡¯s sword, knocking it out of my hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I had to risk your life like that, but I¡¯ve waited too long,¡± Elijah said sincerely as he walked towards me.


    I fell back and scrambled desperately away from the man that was once Arthur¡¯s friend. What had happened to him?


    I hated myself for being so weak. Because of me, everyone here was going to die and I couldn¡¯t do anything about it.


    Elijah flicked his wrist, and another ck spike shot up from the ground...through Herrick. I closed my eyes, unable to watch as Nyphia¡¯s scream pierced through my ears.


    My heart hammered against my ribs as my breath turned shallow. I tried to keep calm, but I was suddenly reminded of the battle in the Elshire Forest¡ªall of the deaths that had been caused by me. I opened my eyes again to see the world spinning and tipping. I felt like I was drowning underwater as the only noise I could hear was my frantic heart beating and the short desperate breathsing out of my mouth.


    Then, suddenly, a hailstorm of golden white light rained down on Elijah. Clouds of dust enveloped the entire area as trees fell and the ground crumbled.


    A dragon as ck as the conjured spike a few steps in front of me appeared. Momentster, even through my blurry vision, I could make out the all-too-familiar figure with a head of long auburn hair, holding someone. Faint golden markings glowed just beneath his eyes as he appeared. As he looked at me, a mixture of emotions washed over me as my vision darkened: embarrassment, guilt, but most of all, relief.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, not even able to hear my own voice.


    I could make out more of Arthur¡¯s face as he got closer. He was sweating and his usualposure was nowhere to be found. His mouth moved but I couldn¡¯t hear what he said as the world faded into ck.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    I dropped Nyphia, who I had practically pried away from her dead friend, and caught Tess as she fell unconscious. Slinging her over my shoulder, I snapped my fingers to get Nyphia¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Help Madam Astera onto my bond,¡± I said sharply, jutting my head over to Sylvie, who was walking towards us.


    Nyphia, who had been staring at me nkly, snapped out of her daze and nodded. She slung Madam Astera¡¯s arm over her shoulders and helped her up onto Sylvie.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Madam Astera marveled as she got on top of my bond, her right ankle bleeding profusely.


    Wordlessly, I handed Tessia to her and made sure all three of them were secure before I withdrew Static Void. I ignored the tight grip of fatigue around my mana core and jumped onto Sylvie¡¯s back as we took off high into the cloudy skies.


    How easy would it have been if I had full control over Aevum like Lord Indrath; I could¡¯ve kept time frozen as I took everyone to safety. Of course, if I had the powers of an asura, things would never have escted to this point.


    ¡®Are you okay? You used borrowed aether arts for much longer than you¡¯re used to,¡¯ Sylvie asked, her concern emanating onto me.


    I¡¯ll be fine. Were you able to get a close look at that cryan though? From those ck spikes and the pressure he gave off, he was at least a retainer and one we haven¡¯t seen before.


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t able to make out his face either,¡¯ she answered. ¡®But he¡¯s already approaching us.¡¯


    I sensed it too. We had already reached above the thick nket of clouds and had already cleared several miles but I could feel the cryan¡¯s presence not too far off.


    Madam Astera was the next to sense our enemy¡¯s approach. She jerked back, her face pale and expression grim.


    She and I both knew that as soon as wended, a battle would be inevitable. But that didn¡¯t matter. I just needed to hold this person off until Madam Astera and Nyphia can get Tess through the portal safely. With the artifact she and I had, the portal would take us to the refuge shelter where the rest of them were waiting.


    ¡®We¡¯ll make it back,¡¯ Sylvie assured. ¡®We¡¯re much stronger than we used to be.¡¯


    Without Dawn¡¯s Bad and the fact that I barely managed to wound a scythe out of sheer luck, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a lingering doubt. Still, there were people waiting for me.


    We continued flying through the air silently. Nyphia, who was around my age, was coping with her loss, trembling as she clutched something in her hands. I found myself staring at Madam Astera¡¯s back as she held onto Tess. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d meet the old soldier again after seeing her briefly at the battle of Etistin Bay... or even before that as a cook.


    A sharp influx of mana behind me snapped at my attention. Immediately, I whirled around, conjuring a dome-shaped barrier of ice. Not a secondter, sharp cracks resounded, cutting through the howling wind as ck spikes embedded themselves onto the ice barrier before it shattered.


    I utilized the dense clouds below us to fuel another frost barrier but the barrage of ck spikes continued unceasingly.


    Sylv. Dip lower into the clouds, I conveyed while manipting the dense clouds to cover our movements.


    ¡®Got it. We¡¯re almost at Telmore City,¡¯ my bond informed.


    We picked up speed during our descent, giving me enough time to prepare an attack. Unable to use lightning effectively because of the abundance of moisture around us, I readied a barrage of ice shards in the general direction of the approaching cryan, adding a deadly spin and boost in speed using wind magic as well.


    My spell tore through asunder, punching dozens of holes through the clouds. My confidence wavered as I spotted the ck dot approaching, unabated by my attack.


    Soon after, the ck dot multiplied and I found myself facing another two dozen ck spikes the size of spears.


    Faster! I snapped, unwilling to waste any more mana right now when a battle on the ground seemed inevitable. At this point, I could only pray that there wasn¡¯t another retainer or scythe waiting for us by the teleportation gate.


    Finally, after speeding down through an endless visage of murky gray, we burst through the cloud floor. Below, the city of Telmore exploded into view, its buildings and the surface they were built on fast approaching.


    Even with the wind magic I had cast around us, Madam Astera and Nyphia had to clutch tightly around Sylvia¡¯s back spine to keep from falling off.


    ¡®Arthur! Help me with thending!¡¯ Sylvie pleaded as we approached the paved clearing in the middle of Telmore City. My gaze shifted back and forth between the approaching ck spears and the ground, my ears popping from the change in pressure.


    ¡°Hold on!¡± I roared as I ignited Realmheart and cast a powerful updraft just in time for Sylvie to spread her wings.


    Simultaneously, I cast another barrier of ice over us as the ck spears began raining down. The spears were different this time though¡ªthey burned right through the ice barrier.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I cursed. Curling my hand into a fist, I dispelled the frozen barrier over us, shattering it before using the same updraft I had conjured to slow our descent to redirect at least some of the ck spears.


    Just how much mana does that retainer have to constantly churn out spells like this? I wondered in frustration as we neared the ground.


    I could barely make out the screams and shouts from the people below as they scattered below us.


    Suddenly, Sylvie let out a cry and we jerked to the left.


    ¡®I was struck on my right wing,¡¯ Sylvie sent painfully as we started spiraling out of control.


    It took a few minutes for Sylvie to be able to coat her wing in mana and slowly close her wound before she regained control. The problem now was being able to slow down our descent fast enough tond safely instead of crashing like a meteor.


    With my attention split between creating the updraft as well as fighting off the scores of ck spears that didn¡¯t seem to be stopping, however, I couldn¡¯t help but prepare for the worst.


    We plummeted down, Sylvie¡¯s wings spread wide to catch as much of my updraft as possible.


    Just as my fears were about toe true, a green light emanated from around me.


    I spared just a nce back to see Tess awake and back up on her feet.


    The light had spread from Tess and onto Sylvie as green translucent tendrils of mana shot out from underneath my bond, embedding themselves into the ground and buildings around us.


    Most of the translucent vines ripped apart as they tried to counter the speed of our fall, but I could feel us slowing down.


    Trusting Sylvie and Tess to handle the fall, I focused my attention back to the approaching cryan speeding towards us like an ebonyet.


    Utilizing both fire and water, I conjured a st of thick steam towards our enemy in order to obscure his vision before releasing an arc of lightning. The st of steam served as a powerful conductor for the lightning, creating a lightning-cloud that lit up the darkening sky in brilliant shes of gold.


    At thest moment, Sylvie cast a barrier of mana around us, and with Tess¡¯ beast will slowing our fall, we were able tond on the ground without a scratch.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I snapped, picking Nyphia up by her waist as Tess and Madam Astera hopped off of Sylvie.


    I nced down at Madam Astera¡¯s right ankle. She had enveloped a thickyer of mana just around the wound to keep it from bleeding. It was only a temporary solution but a smart choice with how little time we had.


    ¡°I-I can run!¡± Nyphia said, her face red froms she struggled underneath my arm.


    ¡°Good.¡± I let her go and we all began racing towards the podium only a few hundred feet east with Tess and Madam Astera leading the way.


    Sylvie changed into her human form and followed closely behind me when Tess suddenly looked back at me over her shoulder.


    It was only for a split second and no verbal exchange happened but the expression she made as she looked at me lingered.


    With our mana-d bodies, we quickly approached our destination, but so had our enemies. There were cryan soldiers lined up in rows between us and the teleportation gate, but they weren¡¯t the reason that every hair on my body stood on its end.


    I nced back to see a ck fire burning away at the lightning cloud and a figure merely standing on the ground where we hadnded.


    My eyes widened at the sight of the same power as that scythe I had fought against in the Castle.


    With Realmheart still active, I could see the horrifying amount of mana coagting, not just around him, but on the ground below us as well.


    My mind whirled as I debated whether to risk using Static Void once more. Epassing our entire group long enough for us to make it to the portal without the help of mana would take a minute, maybe more.


    My gazended on Nyphia and Madam Astera. Could I abandon these two and lessen the burden?


    ¡°Arthur!¡± Sylvie shouted, urging me to do something¡ª anything .


    I cursed under my breath and decided.


    I used Static Void... only on myself. I whirled back, digging my heels into the ground and dashing back to where the cryan was preparing his devastating attack, hoping to withdraw Static Void in front of him and dispel his magic.


    But as I got close enough to make out who my opponent was, my concentration wavered and Static Void shattered out of existence.


    There was a look of surprise at my sudden appearance just a few yards away from him, but his lips curved into a smirk.


    His arms lowered but the umbral energy still swirled around his hands as Elijah greeted me. ¡°Long time no see, my dear old friend...Grey.¡±

 Chapter 247

    Chapter 247


    Chapter 247: Not Alone


    Air seized in my chest as I struggled to process what was going on. Elijah, who had been taken by Draneeve during the invasion of Xyrus Academy, was alive and standing in front of me.


    ¡°Elijah? W-What¡¯s going on? How are you...¡± my voice trailed off as the two of us exchanged gazes. The expression he held was tense and he looked older for some reason. He was definitely Elijah, but everything about him seemed just a little off.


    With a sneer, Elijah leaped back, his arms swirling with a ck aura.


    I responded in turn, igniting Realmheart Physique to its fullest extent. I needed to. Just from what he showed me, his spell formations were almost instant. If I was going to get out of this alive, I needed to know where and how his spells were going to form beforehand.


    I could see my bangs turn white while golden runes began pulsating on my skin. As the otherworldly power of an asura coursed through my veins, I felt myself calming down¡ªbing more detached¡ªas a cool nket draped over my mind.


    With a thought, I withdrew the only sword I had left in my dimension ring¡ªthe remaining sword of the pair that Senyir, Trodius¡¯ daughter, gave to me.


    The golden sword slid out of its scabbard with a soft hum. Tightening my grip around its handle, I faced Elijah, a whirlwind of ash-like mana converging around his hands, ready to be unleashed.


    I need to stop him. I¡¯ll pry the answers out of him after that.


    I dashed forward, closing the gap between us in three steps. I aimed for his midsection but a ck spike erupted from the ground between us, parrying my swing.


    ¡°Why are you doing this, Elijah?¡± I seethed, repositioning myself. I didn¡¯t let him rest. The physical training I had done with Kordri kicked in. My feet blurred in a series ofplicated footwork maneuvers designed for sharp directional changes.


    ¡°After what you¡¯ve taken away from me, don¡¯t you feel bad asking me that, Grey?¡± Elijah replied, voiceced with anger.


    His eyes couldn¡¯t keep up but the spikes that could be conjured from thin air and even faster from the ground seemed more like an automatic defense system rather than a willful conjuring.


    Meanwhile Elijah continued to try and back away, his face tense but controlled as he continued preparing his spell.


    I could see through Realmheart the form that this massive spell would take, pressuring me to move faster and hit harder. My initial n was to confront him in closebat in order to conserve my mana and to exploit his weakness, but as our sh went on, I had the feeling more and more that it wouldn¡¯t be as easy as it had been in my head.


    Even while integrating elemental magic into my de, the ck mes swirling around his hands ate away and even gotrger after consuming my attacks. I was able to slice through the ck spikes that seemed to endlessly conjure and protect their master, but not without my de sustaining damage as well.


    With a st of ck fire, Elijah propelled himself back, putting distance between the two of us as I quickly discarded my outer robe, which caught on fire.


    In that short span of time, a trail of the ash-like mana umted in a path from where Elijah now stood, all the way to the portal. Tess, Sylvie and everyone else all stood in that path.


    Sylvie, I called out in my mind, sharing with her the path of Elijah¡¯s spell. With a mental nod of confirmation, I turned my attention back to my friend.


    ¡°Damn it, Elijah,¡± I whispered. Dropping the steel scabbard on the ground, I imbued more mana and swung the sword at Elijah.


    Not a sound was made as the de sliced through the air, but the effects were shown immediately. Dozens of thin paths carved themselves like intertwining snakes on the ground as a flurry of crescents honed in on my old friend.


    Elijah finished his attack prematurely. His spell was three-part¡ªthe first part made the ground crack and crumble, the second part raised chunks of the ground into the air, and the third part...


    Thrusting his palms forward, Elijah unleashed a score of obsidian spikes from the ground and from therge chunks of stone floating in the air. Like the inside of arge tunnelworm¡¯s mouth, rows and rows of sharp fangs shot out, tearing apart my spell.


    Receiving a mental signal from Sylvia telling me that the three of them were at a safe distance away, I concentrated ahead.


    Realmheart allowed me to see the locations where the spikes would shoot out from and even howrge they were before the spikes even manifested.


    I took a sharp breath, as electricity filled my body, stimting and forcibly enhancing my reflexes. I tuned everything out and focused solely on the path leading me to my opponent.


    Now.


    Blood pumped through my limbs and the muscles in my legs and core tensed. I pushed off with my feet, feeling the paved ground beneath crumbling from the force.


    I shot forward, trusting my body and instincts to take me to the exact location I wished.


    Like a well-orchestrated performance, a ck spike shot out from the ground just where my feet were, giving me another foothold to push off from.


    Despite the seemingly random pattern that the ck spears exploded out from the ground like deadly pistons, I was always at the right ce at the right time.


    I weaved through the jungle of ck fangs as more and more spikes shot out in all directions before nearing Elijah.


    Stabbing my golden de forward, I released an arc of lightning that glowed ck under the influence of Realmheart Physique.


    Three ck horns jutted in front of Elijah, conducting and redirecting the st of lightning. The ck tendrils of electricity spiraled down the thick ck spikes that Elijah had conjured, destroying the ground.


    Elijah¡¯s lips quivered in a snarl as mana gathered around his lower face. A ck fire roared to life from his mouth as he bellowed like a dragon.


    The hellfire grew stronger as it approached, consuming the ck spikes as fuel.


    Under the influence of Realmheart, I stayed calm, calcting the best possible scenario out of this.


    The cold whisper in my mind told me to activate Static Void, to close the distance and finish it cleanly from behind. I almost listened¡ªeven if I couldn¡¯tnd a killing blow, I could injure him heavily enough to change the tide of battle.


    But Sylvie¡¯s voice pierced through.


    ¡®Block the attack or the teleportation gate is going to be destroyed! We can¡¯t afford to travel to another one!¡¯ Sylvie screamed.


    Sharing our thoughts, I could sense Sylvie shifting back into her draconic form while Tess, Madam Astera and Nyphia fought off the remaining cryan soldiers.


    Trusting her, I held my ground and released Thunderp Impulse. The tinge of electricity around my body faded and I devoted my mana into my next attack.


    I held my sword close to my body with its tip pointed at the approaching fire. A white fire ignited on the de, shining brightly like liquid pearl as I imbued more and more of my internal mana as well as manipted the mana around me to fuel my attack.


    During this time, a concentrated st of pure mana shot out from behind me, enveloping Elijahpletely and creating another crater.


    With the spell interrupted, the size of the hellze stayed constant, but continued its fast approach.


    Gathering more and more power into my spell, I waited until thest moment before thrusting my sword forward, releasing the white me that had covered my clothes in ayer of frost and had frozen the ground around me.


    A swirling cone of white frostfire ripped out of my sword and shed against the raging ck inferno.


    A shockwave of force as my spell continued to drill through the ck fire pushed me back on my feet even as I used wind magic to keep me steady. The golden de of my sword shattered from the stress of conjuring the spell, but the two spells managed to cancel each other out.


    Is everyone okay? I asked my bond.


    ¡®Yes. No one was hurt...on our side.¡¯


    Confused by her words, I nced back to see the scope of damage from Elijah¡¯s spell. The ck fire wasn¡¯t able to reach past me, but the spikes made it all the way to where the teleportation gate was.


    Even more horrible were the bodies of cryan soldiers that were guarding the gate stuck on the ck spikes.


    I didn¡¯t have time to dwell on them.


    Can you guys reach the portal? I asked.


    ¡®No. I can break the ck spikes but even then, it¡¯ll take some time to make it to where the portal was buried.¡¯


    As I cursed under my breath, my mind spun trying to make sense of everything and¡ªmore importantly¡ªgetting Sylvie, Tess, Madam Astera, and Nyphia out of here.


    If I shot out a spell powerful enough to clear the forest of ck spikes, I would also destroy the teleportation gate, but I also couldn¡¯t just wait for more cryans¡ªperhaps even a retainer or scythe¡ªtoe while we tried to fish the gate out.


    Suddenly, a st of ck fire exploded into view from the crater where Elijah was.


    With a hand d in frostfire, I parried the sphere of hellfire, only for it to hit and bring down an entire building nearby. The fire ate away at the structure, growing bigger until everything was consumed.


    Elijah walked out of the crater, unharmed.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked, remembering what his first words to me were.


    The corner of Elijah¡¯s lips curled into a sneer. ¡°You¡¯re smarter than that. I guess the years of livingfortably in this world have made you soft.¡±


    Elijah lifted his hands, but before his spell could manifest, I was already within arm¡¯s length of his face.


    Weaponless, I swung my fist down, wind spiraling from the speed of my punch. Another ck spike jutted out to protect Elijah¡¯s face from my blow but I didn¡¯t stop.


    With wind speeding my swing and pure mana strengthening the force of my blow, I crushed through the damned spike andnded the punch right on Elijah¡¯s jaw.


    The sound of crashing thunder resounded from the impact of my blow and Elijah¡¯s body was buried into the ground.


    ¡°You¡¯re not Elijah so I¡¯m going to ask this one more time. Who the hell are you?¡±


    Elijah stood back up from the hole his body had created in the ground. His jaw had been shattered and most of his teeth were gone but as a smoky ck ember burned through his face, the injuries he had sustained were recovering.


    Of course he has regenerative abilities, I thought, grimacing at the radiating pain stemming from the knuckles I had fractured from punching through the ck spike.


    My frustration grew as I saw scores of cryan soldiers rushing towards us from both sides. If things progressed like this, I¡¯d have to fight hundreds of soldiers as well as Elijah.


    ¡°Arthur!¡± Tessia¡¯s voice echoed from behind. Sylvie and Tess were running towards me.


    ¡°Stay back!¡± I roared, my voice coated with an otherworldly power as Realmheart Physique¡¯s effects got stronger. I released an arc of lightning at Elijah before he could fully recover, trying to keep him froming out.


    ¡®Elijah won¡¯t kill Tessia,¡¯ Sylvie stated. ¡®He could¡¯ve killed her multiple times before we arrived but he didn¡¯t.¡¯


    There are more cryansing. It¡¯s still too dangerous¡ªjust get her out of here!


    As if a burning rod pressed down on my brain, Sylvie¡¯s anger exploded.


    ¡®No! Why must you always go about life-threatening situations on your own?! I am your partner, not some gopher to escort your princess to safety.¡¯


    Sylvie, I pleaded. I couldn¡¯t let either of them get hurt, and Sylvie knew that.


    ¡®We fight together, and get out of this together,¡¯ she said resolutely, her uneasiness leaking through.


    Giving up, I shifted my gaze to Madam Astera. A deep crimson aura encased her sword as she and Nyphia slowly but surely began hacking down the hundreds of ck spikes that stood in the way between us and the teleportation gate.


    Damn it, Sylvie. Fine, you and Tess keep the cryans away from us.


    ¡®Good n.¡¯ My bond sent me a mental smirk.


    ¡®Elijah¡¯ and I were roughly equal in terms of power. I was faster and stronger physically, but he was more than able to make up for it using the same unique magic that Uto was able to use, alongside an even more powerful ck fire¡ªthe same as that scythe who killed Elder Buhnd.


    And while it wasn¡¯t appropriate, I was admittedly worried about Tess finding out about who Grey was after this.


    Shaking away my concerns, I dashed towards Elijah. Close friend or not, I needed to stop him.


    Seeing me approach, Elijah conjured another rally of obsidian spears and fired them at me.


    I can do this, I thought. Elijah¡¯s control over the ck spikes and the speed at which they were formed weren¡¯t on the level of Uto and I had gotten stronger since my fight against him.


    With mana pumping through my veins and coalesced around my body, I easily dodged the spears with minimal movement before a wave of ck fire shot out from Elijah¡¯s palms.


    Not willing to waste mana on confronting the hellfire head on, I leapt over it.


    Mid-jump¡ªout of the corner of my eyes¡ªI could see the fight going at the edge of the crater we were in. Golden lights shed from Sylvie¡¯s attacks while tendrils of green whirled and whipped in a blur.


    Comforted by the fact that they were doing fine despite the overwhelming numbers against them, I focused on my opponent.


    Rather than going for raw power like him, I used my mana efficiently. With the control I had gained from reaching white core, I molded mana, coalescing different attributes together to form several condensed bullets of varying colors. With a burst of blue fire, aided by wind magic, the five bullets pierced through the air in streaks of light like multicoloredsers.


    Three were blocked by the ck spikes but one grazed his leg and another hit him squarely in his arm, burning a hole through his limb.


    Following up, I dashed toward Elijah, frost umting around my arm.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a match for me in this world, Grey,¡± Elijah stated as he jumped backwards and conjured a thinyer of smoke.


    With Realmheart active, I could tell that this spell was simr to the very first retainer I had fought, who was able to conjure and manipte deadly toxins and poisons.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let that gas touch you!¡± Tess shouted from the edge of the crater.


    The gas wove together and shot forth like a serpent striking at its prey.


    Skidding to a stop, I used the ice-attuned mana surrounding my arms and shed at the air. A shimmering crescent-shaped de of white fire tore free from my swing, cresting through the air while leaving a trail of frost in its path.


    The spell sliced through the snake-like spell, freezing it. The icy crescent nicked Elijah in the shoulder. Even as the effects spread, freezing his left arm, Elijah thrust out a palm at me.


    Four ck spikes erupted from the ground around me, only two of which I managed to avoid. One had pierced through my ankle and the other grazed my side.


    I buckled as I felt a throbbing burn radiating from my wounds.


    Meanwhile, Elijah¡¯s arms, one frozen and another with a charred hole through it, were both healing.


    Damn it. He¡¯s just sacrificing his limbs to give me injuries.


    My injuries were healing as well but the spikes that had pierced through me were coated in poison and it was interfering with my own regenerative abilities.


    I looked for an opening to use Static Void once more¡ªI needed to end this quick¡ªbut Elijah seemed to be conscious of my abilities. He had positioned spikes around himself at all times to keep me from getting into direct range without him being able to react. His ck fire directly countered a lot of my spells while his spikes were able to conduct and redirect my lightning.


    His weakness was confrontationalbat, but he was smart and shrewd. Elijah was ying a game of tactics, keeping me in range while slowly whittling me down despite my superior speed and strength.


    I have to assume that our mana pool is around the same, mine maybe even lower. If I want to win this fight soon, I need more power.


    As I gritted my teeth, mind whirling to form a n, a cool andforting sensation resonated from my core. It was from Sylvia¡¯s dragon will.


    It told me to let it take control¡ª Sylvia was telling me to let her take control.

 Chapter 248

    Chapter 248


    Chapter 248: His Name


    Frustration, anxiety, doubt, and fear¡ªall of those emotions faded as a shroud of ck lightning crackled around me. I let myself sink deeper into the cold embrace of Realmheart. The feeling reminded me of when I had talked to Lord Indrath, Sylvie¡¯s grandfather. He had that lofty, detached air around him as if he wasn¡¯t a part of this world, but above it. I started to realize why.


    As aether continued to coalesce around me, weaving its ethereal tendrils into my body, I could see the runes spreading and connecting with one another around my body. I felt calloused, numb as the power from Sylvia¡¯s dragon will flowed freely. It was an intoxicating feeling.


    I was a king in my previous life, and I stood as one of the pinnacles of strength throughout an entire continent in this life, but what I felt now was true¡ªdivine¡ªpower.


    ¡®Arthur! Stop! You¡¯re hurting yourself,¡¯ Sylvie begged in my mind, but I pushed it aside. I was tired of losing battle after battle. Uto, Cylrit, the scythe that had taken Sylvia¡ªI had lost to all of them.


    Not today, especially not against this fraud who had possessed the body of my closest friend.


    The tendrils of lightning shifted in color as they coiled around my body. I could see the aether being drawn to me and the ck lightning soon had a faint shade of purple mixed in.


    ¡®Arthur!¡¯ Sylvie said, her voice farther back now.


    Confident and ready, I took a step. That earth-shattering step managed to carry me past Elijah fast enough that he was still looking at where I stood before.


    I extended an arm and the aetheric lightning shot out like a whip. Elijah barely managed to shift his ck spears in the way of my attack, but he flew back from the impact, crashing on the dented ground a few dozen feet away to where the other cryans were.


    Taking another step, I cleared the distance and hung in the air. The shroud of lightning around meshed out in all directions, arcing and forking towards the cryans closest to me and piercing through their armor and bodies as if they were made of paper.


    A few cryans who managed to keep their wits retaliated with spells of their own, but it was useless. I ignored the sts of fire and let the shards of ice and stone shatter against the lightning protecting me.


    My eyes gazed down at the hundreds of cryans looking up at me like a god.


    ¡®...hurting...sto¡ª¡¯ my brows furrowed in annoyance.


    Suddenly a ck inferno roared outward, enveloping me in a shadowy vortex.


    The shroud of lightning and aether around me grew, striking out at the whirling darkness around me. Embers clung to some of the lightning tendrils and to my body but they didn¡¯t bother me.


    With another thought, the shroud of lightning was reced by a nimbus of white fire tinged with aether. The ck fire this time weren¡¯t able to burn through and sizzled out of existence at the frostfire¡¯s touch.


    shing my arms out, a ripple of white mes undted outward, freezing and shattering everything in its path.


    With another flick of a wrist, a pulse of white aetheric fire burst forth, hitting Elijah and smashing him back into the frozen ground. As the mist and dust subsided, Elijah came into view, clothes and hair disheveled, and arms crossed as the remains of frozen ck spikesy scattered around him.


    He looked back up at me, brows furrowed, sweating... biting his lower lip in a grimace.


    I winced at the familiar sight. I tried to dig through my memories at why Elijah looked so familiar, yet so unfamiliar at the same time.


    But the veil of apathy that had enveloped me clung on, pushing away the urge to question my opponent and focus solely on killing him.


    As more and more of Sylvia¡¯s dragon will pumped out of my core and through my veins, the stronger I heard the old dragon¡¯s voice. Memories of my time with her in that cave after falling off the cliff began to surface, and I began to trust in that voice more and more.


    I let the otherworldly power take control over my body and my mind for the sake of killing Elijah and getting Tess and Sylvie to safety.


    Had I broken through past the white core stage? Was this Sylvia¡¯s message to me¡ªto destroy anyone and everyone for the sake of those precious to me?


    That had to be it. There was no other reason why I would be hearing Sylvia¡¯s voice right now. There was no other exnation for this sudden influx of power.


    ¡®Arthu...plea...stroying...ody...¡¯


    I pushed away my bond¡¯s voice. She didn¡¯t understand; she didn¡¯t know. She didn¡¯t know of Sylvia¡¯s promise to me¡ªthat she had a message for me once I had broken past the white core realm.


    My vision swam in a tinge ofvender as aether gathered around me. The motes of purple danced as if celebrating my ascension to the throne.


    I truly felt like a deity...like an asura.


    Shifting my attention back to Elijah, I noticed his gaze flitting off to the side as if he was waiting for something...or someone.


    I let out a breath and the motes of aether fluttered in front of me. Raising an armpletely enveloped in a golden aura, I flicked my wrist.


    Aether heeded my call, molding around the de of wind that I had shot at Elijah.


    My opponent, his legs injured from my previous attack, chose to block my attack. Rows of ck spikes, lit ame in that hellfire capable of eating away at even water and mana, erupted from the ground in front of him, but the silvery crescent tinged purple that I had released mowed through the rows of ck spikes like they were made of butter.


    Elijah, realizing that his defenses were useless, barely managed to throw himself out of the way but not in time to get out unscathed.


    He let out a howl of pain while clutching what was left of his severed arm. Even then, he dared tounch another attack at me.


    A smirk rose from my lips as I took a step in the air. With control of spatium, the motes of aether converged into a bridge in front of me, and that single step cleared the dozens of yards instantly and without using strength. It was the very world that had folded in front of me.


    Elijah only managed to widen his eyes in shock before I held out a hand. Aether converged around the stub of his right arm where his hellfire was currently regenerating the lost limb.


    Under my influence, however, the ck fire turned purple and rather than heal him, it was eating away at him.


    ¡°Not a match, you say?¡± I mocked, my voice tinged with an ethereal timbre.


    Elijah bit his lower lip harder, stifling a scream.


    With blood streaming down the corner of his mouth, Elijah scoffed at me. ¡°I knew you¡¯d show your true face. Whatever name and appearance you take on, you¡¯ll always be the same, Grey.¡±


    My eyes narrowed but the cool nket of apathy abated the message of his words. The only thought that throbbed in my mind was how this person¡ªElijah, my once close friend¡ªwas trying to harm Tess.


    ¡°Goodbye,¡± I muttered, raising a hand to finish the job.


    ¡®Arthur! Dodge!¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s voice suddenly screamed in my head.


    Pure instinct took hold and I kicked forward, pushing myself back just as a zing pir of ck erupted from the ground where I had been standing.


    I berated myself for hyperfocusing on Elijah to the point where I didn¡¯t notice the fluctuation of magic even through Realmheart.


    The ck me barely managed to graze my left foot but the difference in power was evident. Even with the protection of aether currently surrounding my body, I felt a scalding pain radiating from my foot.


    The intensity and speed of conjuration was on a different level from Elijah¡¯s ck mes.


    Following the trail of mana fluctuation, I shifted my gaze to my right and up in the sky. As soon as I confirmed who it was, I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    I could feel Sylvia shake in anger and anticipation inside me, as if even her will knew who was responsible for her death.


    My body, bathing in an aether-tinged golden light, glowed brighter and stronger. This time would be different from the Castle.


    The scythe arrived beside Elijah, his face a mask of indifference and poise.


    Heid a hand on the purple me eating away at where his arm used to be and it was reced by a smoldering ck me that began slowly, but visibly, regenerating Elijah¡¯s arm.


    Rather than rushing in to fight, I kept my distance while healing my foot as well using life aether. I could also feel Sylvie¡¯s healing touch as she continued keeping the cryans at bay with Tess. They were at a standstill, both sides not sure what to do in the presence of Elijah, the scythe, and myself.


    ¡°You made it clear to me that you¡¯d win against your friend,¡± the scythe said.


    ¡°I can¡ªI was, until he entered that form,¡± Elijah grimaced.


    ¡°No matter. The fault is mine. I let him live in exchange for keeping the Castle in one piece as Lord Agrona had ordered.¡±


    The nonchnce that the scythe showed as he disregarded my very presence festered like an itchy sore until I wasn¡¯t able to hold it back any longer.


    The aether around me formed into a bridge once more, connecting me to where Elijah and the scythe were standing.


    I stepped forward and the world folded in front of me, carrying me to them.


    Aetheric lightning shed I pummeled the scythe in the stomach.


    A shockwave sted outward from the impact, blowing Elijah back as well as many of the other cryans in the vicinity.


    Cracks webbed out from where my fist clung to the scythe¡¯s armor, but he hadn¡¯t even needed to take a step back.


    ¡°We¡¯re no longer in the Castle so it¡¯s eptable for me to be a bit excessive,¡± he stated, a smirk drawn across his face.


    A chill ran down my spine as he swung his hand. A shadowy wave of fire erupted from his hand, engulfing me and everything behind me.


    Aether swirled around me, protecting me from the hellfire that ignited even the air and paved ground.


    Despite the cone-shaped devastation ¡ªthat left every cryan in its way dead¡ªI was still standing. However, the scythe wasn¡¯t my only opponent.


    I spotted Elijah flying over toward Tess.


    The thought of Elijah reaching Tess was sobering. The cold nket of apathy that had covered my mind shattered and the single-minded thought of killing the scythe and ¡®winning¡¯ faded until I could think more clearly.


    Vision and mind renewed, I was deeply aware of everything going on around me, from cryans burning to ashes around me, to Tess, Sylvie, Nyphia, and Madam Astera fighting for safety rather than victory, and finally, myself. I was aware of the change in my body, and also the current state of my body. I chose not to fear the inevitable, instead, using it to fuel my motivation to get the rest of them back to the shelter. I guarded my mind so Sylvie wouldn¡¯t find out, and I let out a sharp breath.


    I was clear-minded and had control over the full, unrestrained, power of Realmheart. I could do this. I had to do this.


    I immediately went after him. Spatium carried me to where he was in another single step. My fist struck him on his side and I could feel his ribs shattering under the force despite the wave of smokey fire that attempted to block some of the damage.


    Elijah fell from the air, his body whirling out of control before creating a crater on the side of a building.


    Mana fluctuations rippled in the air all around me, and I knew what wasing.


    Pushing myself away with apressed st of fire, I narrowly dodged a series of suddenbustions in the air.


    I was barely able to dance away, dodging as hellmes bloomed in the air like deadly ck flowers.


    The ck congrations suddenly stopped as Sylvieunched a shockwave of pure mana from her serpentine jaw at the scythe.


    Pushing aside my worries and trusting my bond, I flew over where Tess was still fighting the cryans.


    Even while surrounded, the translucent green vines surrounding her acted as if they had minds of their own. Whipping, striking, piercing her foes, it was hard to tell who was actually at a disadvantage.


    Deciding that she would be fine for now, I made my way to where the teleportation gate had been buried beneath a tide of ck spikes.


    There, I spotted Nyphia slow chipping away at the ck spikes while Madam Astera held off several dozen cryan mages by herself.


    Immediately, I closed the distance and unleashed a st of frostfire at the cryans, freezing half of them in a single spell.


    I ignored the rest, letting Madam Astera handle it while I got to work on the ck spikes.


    While half-tempted to release a torrent of lightning, I was too afraid that the gate would be damaged so I d my fists in lightning and charged forth.


    ¡°Nyphia! Help Tess and get her here!¡± I ordered.


    ¡°G-Got it!¡± Nyphia scrambled out of the way as I punched through the scores of ck spikes jutting from the ground and blocking the teleportation gate.


    My lightning-d fists shredded through theyers as I kept my senses clear in case Elijah or the scythe was nearby.


    A piercing scream suddenly invaded my thoughts.


    Sylvie! I called out as her mind clouded in a sea of pain that even I could feel through our shared minds.


    ¡®Just keep... going!¡¯ she sent with whatever was left of her sanity.


    I could feel the ground shake with every explosion of ck mes and pure mana in the distance, but I continued to push forth until I could see the faint glow of the teleportation gate.


    Almost there!


    Suddenly the sky darkened and a shadow cast just above me. Realmheart continued to cycle through me, burning away at my own body but I relied on it once more as Iyered aether over the frostfire surrounding my two hands.


    I pushed , sending out a shockwave of aetheric ice straight at the ck hellfire descending on both myself and the teleportation gate just beside me.


    As the two forces shed, a shockwave rippled, shattering some of the ck spikes. The teleportation gate also quivered and groaned, threatening to break and leave us stranded here.


    Still, the ancient portal held strong and now there was a path directly to it. Tess, Nyphia and Madam Astera were running towards me as well. They¡¯d be able to make it back.


    ¡°Hurry through the portal!¡± I roared as the three of them ran past me.


    Tess turned back, facing me as she continued racing for the portal. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I have my own medallion. I¡¯ll meet you back at the shelter with Sylvie. Now go !¡±


    ¡°Grey! You can¡¯t do this to me, not again!¡± Elijah shouted from above, desperately trying to get here in time. ¡°Not after what you did to me and Cecilia!¡±


    Elijah¡¯s words struck like thunder, and I almost let him get to the portal.


    With aether under mymand, I closed the distance, just as he was about to fire a ck spear at the gate, and intercepted him.


    Wounded and tired, Elijah wasn¡¯t a match anymore while I was in this state.


    I gripped his neck and squeezed just hard enough so he could barely talk.


    ¡°How do you know that name?¡± I growled.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re finally...sober,¡± he wheezed. ¡°If you weren¡¯t...under the influence of that power that¡¯s...killing you right now, you might¡¯ve already figured it out.¡±


    I squeezed harder, making him gag, before loosening my grip. ¡°Who are you.¡±


    Elijah spat on my face before smiling, revealing his blood-stained teeth. ¡°I was your best... friend, and the one whose fianc¨¦e you killed in front of me.¡±


    My grip loosened and I felt my strained heart clutch. My mind swam and my entire body felt like it was submerged in tar. My throat tightened and choked as it tried to keep me from muttering the single word that pressed against my brain like a smoldering brand.


    ¡°Nico?¡±

 Chapter 249

    Chapter 249


    Chapter 249: Gone


    Explosions of ck and gold from Sylvie and the scythe¡¯s battle resounded in the distance but I was focused on the man I had in my grasp.


    ¡°I-It can¡¯t¡ªno, it¡¯s impossible. There¡¯s no way¡ª¡±


    ¡°That I¡¯m...Nico?¡± Elijah coughed as he pried my fingers apart just enough so he could speak. ¡°If you¡¯ve reincarnated into this world, Grey, why is it impossible for anyone else to as well?¡±


    The hand currently wrapped around Nic¡ªno, Elijah, trembled uncontrobly. I squeezed harder. I didn¡¯t want him to talk. I wanted to deny everything. I couldn¡¯t bear whatever it was that he was about to say.


    ¡°Art! Watch out!¡±


    Tess¡¯ scream jolted me out of my thoughts, but I couldn¡¯t fully dodge the back spike that Elijah hadunched from the ground.


    My grip around the ck-haired traitor¡¯s neck loosened and Elijah took advantage of that moment perfectly, prying himself loose and punching me square in the jaw with a hellfire-d fist.


    I swayed, nearly losing consciousness as the runes coursing down my face protected me from the ck mes. I nearly fell from the sky but a hand grabbed my wrist.


    As my weakened body struggled to counteract the otherworldly toxins that had entered my body from the ck spike, Elijah grabbed my cor and pulled me close. His piercing dark eyes red down at me while the venom-coated ck spike hovered over his shoulder, tip pointed at my face.


    ¡°Art!¡± Tess shouted. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see her aura ring as she prepared to attack.


    ¡°Focus on the gate!¡± I roared.


    Elijah looked back as well, but just as he was about to go to Tess, I grabbed his arm.


    ¡°What did Agrona do to you, Elijah?¡± I groaned. ¡°Did he make you say all of this?¡±


    Elijah spun his head back, anger dripping from his voice. ¡°Do you think even Agrona would know how you and I used to steal and sell whatever we scrounged to the pawn shop? And that we¡¯d use the earnings to keep our orphanage funded without Wilbeck knowing?¡±


    ¡°That... doesn¡¯t mean¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do you think Agrona knows that deep down, you had feelings for Cecilia?¡±


    I stiffened and the world that had been spinning because of the toxin in Elijah¡¯s spell suddenly came back into focus.


    Elijah smirked but his eyes remained cold. ¡°Cecilia liked you for a time as well, but she gave up because you kept your distance emotionally ever since you found out that I had feelings for her.¡±


    ¡°Stop,¡± I whispered, anger ring up the mana inside me. The runes spread throughout my body pulsed as I focused on gathering strength.


    ¡°And even when I told you everything I uncovered about Lady Vera, you turned your back on your best friend for that bitch,¡± he seethed, ck mes spreading from his hands. ¡°And as if that wasn¡¯t enough, you killed her! You killed Cecilia in front of me!¡±


    My runes and his me shed in a constant battle to keep my body from igniting.


    ¡° Stop, Nico!¡± I cried, tears burning as they rolled down my cheeks.


    Another explosion resounded from the distance, the shockwave creating a gust of wind that blew all the way here.


    At that moment, a translucent-green de of mana shot from the ground below.


    Even though Nico was unaware, the ck spike managed to block the green crescent that Tess had undoubtedly fired, but that gave me the opportunity to let out a st of frost right at Nico¡¯s face.


    From the shoulder up, Nico was frozen for a second until a ck me started melting the ice. Still, I managed to kick myself free from his grasp andunch an arc of lighting at my disoriented foe.


    Nico crashed to the ground, a mushroom of dust covering the area he hadnded.


    Are you okay? I asked my bond, checking up on her after thatst explosion.


    ¡®I¡¯m...fine. It¡¯s weird, he¡¯s definitely attacking me but it feels like he¡¯s...holding back,¡¯ she responded. ¡®How are things going over there?¡¯


    Not so...good, I admitted. But I¡¯ll be able to hold my own. I just need to get Tess and them through the gate.


    Just as I finished that thought, I turned my attention to the crater to see arge fluctuation of mana from where Nico hadnded.


    He was preparing a spell¡ªa powerful one¡ªbut it wasn¡¯t aimed at me.


    I immediately burst through the air,nding on the ground right between Nico and the teleportation gate.


    A concentrated beam of hellfire barely thicker than the width of a wrist pierced through the cloud of dust and debris, targeting just the teleportation gate.


    Squeezing mana from my core and begging the aether around to aid me, I countered with a swirling barrier of aetheric wind. While ice would¡¯ve been a better choice to effectively negate Nico¡¯s attack, the toll of sustaining Realmheart for this long was bing more and more evident.


    Flickers of hellfire that had managed to make its way through my wind barrier burned through my skin like acid while even my regenerative abilities were hurting me, as if my body was begging me to stop getting injured.


    Sustaining the barrier, I looked back over my shoulder, snapping impatiently at Tess. ¡°He¡¯s trying to destroy the gate! Hurry up and activate it and escape!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost done! But what about you and Sylvie?¡± Tess shouted as she continued to hold the ancient medallion up against the center of the glowing ring that was almost filled with purple.


    ¡°Just go! Please!¡± I begged.


    ¡°No!¡± Nico shouted. He withdrew his concentrated spell and burst forward to try and get past me. However, despite the poor state of my body, my reflexes were a lot faster than he assumed.


    I pivoted andunched myself, tackling Nico.


    ¡°Let go!¡± he roared as he iled, trying to escape my grasp.


    Small embers of hellfire ignited throughout Elijah¡¯s body but I held strong with the help of aether.


    ¡°Hurry up!¡± I warned, feeling the ck mes slowly burn through theyer of aether and mana protecting me.


    Nico suddenly stopped trying to break free. His shoulders trembled as he gritted his teeth before shouting, ¡°You owe me, Grey. You owe me for killing Cecilia!¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s what it is? Cecilia died so you have to have Tess to make it even?¡± I spat out. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to kill Cecilia, but even if I had, she wouldn¡¯t have wanted this, Nico! Taking Tess isn¡¯t going to bring Cecilia back!¡±


    ¡°What if it is?!¡± Nico shot back.


    Caught by surprise, I didn¡¯t answer. However, I saw the mana fluctuation in Nico¡¯s hand as he willed another ck spike from the ground.


    I quickly spun, using Elijah as a shield against his own spell. He was able to stop the spike from piercing both of us.


    A guttural cry of frustration ripped out of his throat as he tried desperately to break free from my grasp.


    Just then, another explosion resounded from where Sylvie was fighting against the scythe.


    What¡¯s going on? Are you okay? I asked, my concern bleeding onto my bond.


    ¡®I¡¯m...fine, but the scythe is heading your way,¡¯ she replied, even her mental voice pained.


    It took less than a second for me to feel it¡ªthe presence of the scythe approaching. And it took another second for me to see the rapid fluctuation of mana right where the teleportation gate was.


    I hurriedly initiated Static Void, but this time, I felt the cost of its use.


    Along with the inverted colors of the frozen world, I felt a cold grip clutching my innards, warning me that death was inevitable if I continued to exploit this powerful aether art.


    Ignoring my body¡¯s warning, I released the frozen Nico and made my way toward Tess, Nyphia, and Madam Astera.


    My body grew heavy and nauseous with each step I took but I couldn¡¯t afford to release Static Void and risk the scythe¡¯s spell go off.


    My body was drenched in sweat and I was gasping for air by the time I reached the gate.


    I grabbed Tess¡¯ waist with one arm and released the time-freezing aether art.


    A cold chill ran down my spine as my body instinctively knew that danger was just behind me, where the gate was.


    Tess flinched in my grasp.¡°What th¡ª¡±


    I picked her up by the waist, cutting her off, while I shouted at Madam Astera.


    ¡°Grab Nyphia!¡±


    Immediately, the former knight professor and soldier bolted to her student and tossed her over her shoulder just in time for me to sh past them and grab Madam Astera¡¯s free hand.


    I tried to bend space once more with the help of aether, but the translucent purple bridge wouldn¡¯t form. Without even the time to curse, I gritted my teeth and expended what mana I had left to gain some distance when a horrible explosion of fire resounded behind us.


    Unable to even look back, I could only imagine how close the congration was by the sound of the roaring fire and its heat scalding my back.


    A green aura suddenly surrounded all of us as Tess activated her beast will to protect us while I focused on getting us out of range, but the heat only grew stronger.


    To make matters worse, the scythe was within eyeshot just up ahead. Even if we were able to somehow make it out of the hellfire explosion, we¡¯d be facing the scythe as well as Nico.


    Suddenly, Madam Astera let out a scream of pain, but I couldn¡¯t afford to slow down as I could see the tendrils of ck mes in the air.


    My very thoughts of surviving molded itself into the elements. Gales of wind coalesced beneath my feet as even the uneven ground smoothed out in front of us to make a clear path.


    It didn¡¯t matter though. The sky darkened as the ck mes were about to engulf us, but neither the scalding burn nor the searing pain came.


    I peeked back just over my shoulder to see Nico using his own ck mes to block hellfire that the scythe had unleashed.


    ¡°Get them out of here!¡± Elijah shouted as he struggled to keep the powerful explosion at bay.


    ¡°Hold onto me tight!¡± Tess eximed as she withdrew her beast will and conjured a condensed orb of wind in her palms.


    I squeezed her waist tightly as she unleashed a gale of wind behind us, propelling us forward. I stumbled and nearly fell forward by the sudden force but Madam Astera actually stabbed her sword into the ground, allowing me to regain my bnce.


    Continuing to run until I couldn¡¯t feel the heat any longer, I toppled forward from sheer exhaustion. Still, I made sure to cling tightly onto keeping Realmheart Physique active. I knew that once I released it, the bacsh would hit me¡ªhard.


    Ignoring the dull, radiating pain that was growing stronger by the minute, I inhaled more ambient mana like a drug addict on the cusp of his crash.


    I couldn¡¯t even cycle and purify it through my mana core, which made the mana poison to my body. Realmheart Physique would¡¯ve helped with purifying the poisonous mana but I had taken in too much during this battle.


    But what¡¯s a little more poison for my already deteriorating body? I just needed to hold on and get the rest of them out of here safely.


    ¡°Stay with me!¡± Tess said to someone from behind, voice shaky but strong.


    With the ambient mana temporarily boosting the functions of my body, I wiped a stray drop of blood that fell down from my nostril and turned around.


    My eyes widened and in my head I was already starting to calcte the odds of their survival...and it just got a whole lot worse.


    It was Madam Astera. She was missing her right leg from the mid-calf down and Tess was doing what she could to soothe her wounds using water magic while Nyphia was preparing bandages made from ripped strips of her own inner robe.


    ¡°My foot got caught in that explosion. I knew I couldn¡¯t put out that ck fire so I cut it off,¡± she grunted. For a split second, I admired the fact that, for such a petite woman who had just lobbed off her own leg, she was barely even grimacing.


    Then, reality sank in as I felt the tremendous pressure of the scythe fast approaching.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± I cursed, already turning my gaze from the disabled soldier and to the scythe almost upon us.


    To my surprise, however, Nico marched past us, a smoky neb surrounding him as if illustrating his anger.


    ¡°Tessia almost died because of your attack, Cadell!¡± Nico roared. ¡°I¡¯m sure Agrona made it clear to you that she is to stay alive!¡±


    I finally knew the name of the scythe that had killed Sylvia when I was a child in this world.


    Cadellnded deftly on the ground as if he had just stepped off the sidewalk. His stride was leisurely yet confident, each step demanding your attention.


    I made sure to position myself between Cadell and my allies behind me while taking note of the rising tension.


    ¡®Arthur! I¡¯m almost there,¡¯ Sylvie ryed. I could already see herrge figure in the sky above some distant buildings.


    Cadell noticed as well, his gaze flitting behind him for a second before he focused on Nico.


    ¡°If I had not acted in the way that I did, the vessel would have escaped,¡± he responded apathetically before turning to me.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t justify you risking her life! We had a deal,¡± Nico snapped, a tendril of ck smokey aura ring out at the ground and creating arge gash.


    ¡°You would¡¯ve failed on your own. Why? Because of your past with the boy. If you weren¡¯t so fixated on getting your revenge against your old friend, then the vessel would have already been in your possession.¡±


    Sylvie was almost here, and while it would¡¯ve been smart to leave them alone to buy ourselves time, I couldn¡¯t ignore what they were speaking about. Even though I knew I would regret it, I just had to know.


    Cadell and Nico fell silent and turned to me as they felt the sudden pressure I released. Straightening my back and hiding any signs of weakness, I stood tall and let my pressure weigh down on the surrounding area.


    Cadell raised a brow as he studied me. ¡°Looks like you still have some fight left in you.¡±


    ¡°Exin what you meant when you said vessel,¡± I demanded, my voice carrying with the help of mana despite the near-whisper of a volume that I spoke.


    ¡°You said taking Tess isn¡¯t going to bring Cecilia back, right?¡± Nico replied, his voice a lot calmer than it was before. ¡°Well, what if it will?¡±


    ¡°Then I would say you¡¯re out of your mind,¡± I retorted, staying strong despite the burning needles stabbing every inch of my body.


    ¡°This is what Agrona has been researching and perfecting over the past few hundred years, Grey, and your reincarnation was what allowed everything he had worked for to turn the gears into motion,¡± Nico exined. ¡°And that was how I was able to reincarnate into this world. After al,l if someone deserves a new life, it isn¡¯t you...it¡¯s Cecilia and me.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit,¡± I spat, the word leaving a trail of pain throughout my lungs and throat.


    I took a deep breath and let the anger fester inside me in order to mitigate some of the pain coursing through my body. Once more, I desperately tried to move the aether, but the motes of purple wouldn¡¯t budge. The pain grew stronger with each attempt and I could feel my body deteriorating.


    To make matters worse, the gate was destroyed and there wasn¡¯t another one nearby.


    It wasn¡¯t fair. No matter how much stronger I became, why did I always just barelyck the power to win?


    Damn it. Damn it. Come on, now would be a great time for a weapon! I pleaded, wing at the palm of my hand where that bastard asura, Wren, had stuck that lorite.


    Tess suddenly gripped my wrist. ¡°Arthur, stop! What are you doing to your hand?¡±


    Just then¡ªas everyone¡¯s eyes were on me¡ªI felt hot liquid pour down my nose, spilling on my hand.


    ¡°Art? Your nose...¡± Tess gently touched my shoulder, worried.


    I hurriedly wiped the blood running down my nose and lips and looked back up to see Cadell¡¯s lips curved into a smirk. ¡°You¡¯re body is breaking down, isn¡¯t it, Lance?¡±


    ¡°What? Is that true?¡± Tess asked. ¡°How bad is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be okay,¡± I lied, shrugging her away. I couldn¡¯t even look her in the eye. Instead, I kept my eyes focused on the opponents ahead.


    Talking was pointless now and whatever that asura jabbed into my hand wouldn¡¯t help me now.


    Whether it was Elijah or Nico, it didn¡¯t matter. He was an enemy trying to take Tess, and they wouldn¡¯t stop there.


    I infused mana into my legs and prepared to make whatever desperate attempt of an attack I could make, but a small girl stood in the way.


    ¡°Sylvie. Don¡¯t try and stop me,¡± I muttered, dding my degrading body in mana in preparation for onest battle.


    ¡°Would you stop even if I tried?¡± my bond asked solemnly. She took a step to the side as a golden-white aura red to life around her. ¡°If you¡¯re so bent on killing yourself, We¡¯ll go together.¡±


    Cadell and Elijah d themselves in their dark mana as well. The ground cracked and splintered around us as whoever was left from the cryan side had all run away.


    ¡°Nyphia. Take Tess and Madam Astera as far away as possible,¡± I said, looking back over my shoulder. Shifting my gaze down at Madam Astera¡¯s stump, I forged a prosthetic leg out of stone before turning back. ¡°And don¡¯t stop.¡±


    ¡°Elf Princess,¡± Cadell said his smirk widening. ¡°If your dearly beloved stays in that form any longer, whether he wins or loses this battle, he¡¯ll die.¡±


    ¡°Leave her out of this!¡± I shouted but by the time I turned around, Tess had already shrugged off Nyphia.


    Tess didn¡¯t speak to me, though. Instead, she gripped Sylvie¡¯s wrist and asked her, ¡°He¡¯s lying, right? Tell me he¡¯s lying, Sylvie!¡±


    Sylvie looked at me, but didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Tess,¡± I lied again, but my words were met with a venomous tear-filled re.


    ¡°You always do this. You¡¯re always ready to give up your life to save me,¡± she shot back.


    ¡°Tess...¡± I grabbed her arm.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯d be grateful if you died to save me?¡± she asked, her lips quivering.


    She wrapped her hand over mine and peeled herself from my grip. She touched my forehead with hers as she closed her eyes, chest heaving erratically as she held back sobs.


    She let out a whisper after cing her lips against mine. ¡°You idiot.¡±


    Then she tore herself away from me and walked off, straight towards the enemy.


    ¡°No!¡± I stepped forward, ready to sprint after her, when Sylvie held me back, wrapping her arms around my waist.


    ¡°Sylvie! No! You can¡¯t do this to me!¡±


    ¡°Arthur, please...¡± Sylvie begged, her small body trembling. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to die.¡±


    I watched helplessly as Tess walked away, the sound of blood pounding in my head muting every other sound. I couldn¡¯t even hear my own shouts as I begged Tess to stop, to let me fight, to let me die.


    I watched as Tess turned back and smiled at me before saying something. I couldn¡¯t hear it though. They may have been Tess¡¯st words and I couldn¡¯t hear them.


    No. I couldn¡¯t let this happen.


    My gazes flitted down to my bloody palm as I checked once more with the faint hope that the weapon would appear.


    It didn¡¯t, and I didn¡¯t have time.


    As Sylvie hugged me tighter, forcing me away from Tess as she walked towards Nico and Cadell, I wedged my hand inside my protective chest te and pulled out the medallion that Elder Rinia had given me to bring Tess back¡ªa reminder that this entire world and countless others would fall to Agrona if Tess was in his hands.


    It all made sense now. For whatever reason, Tess was meant to be the vessel for Cecilia. Maybe it was because of our rtionship in this world that created the bridge, but that didn¡¯t matter.


    If both Nico and I became this strong after reincarnating into this world, how strong would Cecilia, the ¡®legacy,¡¯ be if she reincarnated into Tess¡¯ body?


    ¡°Sylvie. You know what Rinia said,¡± I pleaded, studying the ancient relic in my hand. ¡°We can¡¯t let them have Tess.¡±


    Sylvie shook her head, her face still buried in my chest. ¡°We¡¯ll both get stronger. As long as we live, we have a chance.¡±


    I felt my insides churn as I stood on myst few minutes of Realmheart, but I continued to study the medallion. Something about it that I hadn¡¯t noticed before now stood out to me within this fully assimted state of Realmheart Physique.


    The recent memory of Rinia drawing the aetheric runes on the gate resurfaced and the hours I spent in that ancient cave watching Sylvie meditate while influencing the aether around her connected together instinctively in a way that my mind couldn¡¯t fathom but my body could.


    Sylvie sensed the change in the air as I got to work.


    ¡°A-Arthur? What are you doing?¡± my bond cried desperately, her gaze shifting around as she witnessed my act.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I whispered as a metallic taste filled my mouth.


    I dispersed the gathered aether I had influenced. I reached out with my arms, one pointed at Nyphia and Madam Astera, the other directed at Tess.


    And suddenly, we were in a separate space. This was different from Static Void where I was in the same space as the rest of the world.


    No, I had created a separate pocket dimension and brought everyone along with me.


    With no time to waste, I threw the medallion that had the coordinates engraved in it and created a teleportation portal of my own.


    ¡°Into the portal, now! ¡± I shouted as I struggled to keep the portal stable.


    Madam Astera was the one that made it work. Wasting no time, she picked up Nyphia and sprinted towards the portal with the prosthetic leg I had conjured for her. After tossing Nyphia into the portal, she ran after Tess, who was a few paces away still.


    I restructured the size of the pocket dimension, bringing Tess closer to Madam Astera and the portal.


    Without even the chance to get a word out, I saw Tess get sucked into the portal. Madam Astera looked at me for a second before giving me a nod and jumping through the portal herself.


    ¡°Sylvie... it¡¯s t-time to go,¡± I said, my bond just looking at me in horror.


    She reached up and wiped the tears streaming from my eyes, only to see her fingers covered in blood... my blood.


    ¡°A-Arthur, you¡¯re not going to make it,¡± Sylvie said as I felt her consciousness go deeper into mine. I couldn¡¯t shield my thoughts from her in my state anymore, leaving me an open book.


    ¡°The portal isn¡¯t...going to stay stable for much longer, Sylv. P-Please, I can¡¯t have you die too,¡± I said, smiling while trying to keep blood from leaking out of my mouth.


    A wave of blinding pain hit me and the pocket dimension rippled like a bubble about to pop. Disoriented, I tried to force Sylvie into the portal when she began glowing purple.


    ¡°Sylv? What are you¡ª¡± My eyes widened in horror as I realized what she was doing.


    The light spread until an all-too-familiar dragon was standing in front of me.


    ¡°Try to keep yourself alive while I¡¯m gone, okay?¡± Sylvie said as she gave me a toothy grin.


    ¡°Sylv, no! Don¡¯t do this!¡± I screamed. Desperate, I tried to push her to the portal, but my hands went through her.


    Sylvie¡¯s body was turning ethereal and she was fading as motes ofvender and gold began leaving her and attaching themselves to my body.


    My body writhed in unimaginable pain at the sudden change it was going through, but I held on, unwilling to pass out. My vision faded as I screamed out to Sylvie, but herst words were cut off as she pushed me through the portal with thest remaining corporeal limb she had left.


    My bond had left me with one word before she faded: ¡®...again.¡¯

 Chapter 250

    Chapter 250


    Chapter 250: Hello Darkness


    Darkness. Complete darkness.


    I was floating, hovering in an utter reflectionless ck. Whether I was drifting along or suspended in ce, I couldn¡¯t tell.


    All knew was that there was nothing else¡ªno sound, taste, smell, or touch in this sea of perpetual darkness.


    It was peaceful at first. I felt like I was both nothing and everything at the same time. I felt like a tiny spec in a vast universe, yet I also felt like nothing else existed aside from myself.


    However, as time passed, I recalled more of what I was. I was a human...with hands, feet, and a body.


    Yet, I couldn¡¯t feel anything. I tried curling my fingers and toes. I tried ring my nostrils, opening my mouth. I couldn¡¯t feel anything. I couldn¡¯t even feel myself breathe.


    Fear took hold quickly. It didn¡¯te in any physiological signs that I was ustomed to. No thumping of my heart, no quickening of my breath, no trembling of my body.


    Hell, I wished I could feel it¡ªanything to verify that something more than just my consciousness existed. But I was stuck here as time passed by with no way to keep track.


    I tried everything to stay sane. I screamed, yet no sound came out. I tried biting off my own tongue yet there was no sensation.


    I simply existed.


    And I grew more and more mad with each subjective second that passed.


    Insanity effervesced, spreading and covering every corner of my consciousness. However, the hallucinations that I expected, hoped for¡ªwished for¡ªnever came. None of the symptoms of insanity could be materialized in a world with literally nothing else and a body that I wasn¡¯t even sure I had, let alone felt.


    I soon grew bored of the incessant fear, anxiety, dread, and paranoia that gripped at my insides...if I even had insides. Memories that felt like they were on the tip of my hypothetical tongue were never within reach for me to truly recollect.


    Time passed but in a state of nothingness, it was hard to even guess whether it was going by fast or slow.


    It was only when I felt a slight prickle on my...arm¡ªyes, my arm¡ªthat I jolted out of my stupor.


    I had felt something for the first time. A few momentster, I felt another prickle, this time one that spread across my chest. Those prickles soon escted into sharp piercing pains but I didn¡¯t care. Even pain was verifiable proof that I existed outside of my consciousness.


    I waited for the next bout of pain. The feeling of scalding needles digging into each and every one of my pores would have driven me insane from the torment they caused but after the subjective eons of literal nothingness, I weed each and every increasingly agonizing round of burning, piercing pain across every millimeter of my body.


    More excitingly, my vision began brightening until the void I was in turned lighter and lighter.


    It might¡¯ve been from the sheer pain I was in but as the white overtook more and more of my vision, I felt like I had experienced this once before.


    That¡¯s when it clicked.


    No. No. Please don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m reincarnating again.


    A wave of panic overtook me as I approached the hazy clouds of white.


    My eyes shot open to see that my blurry gaze was level with the ground, my cheek pressed t against a smooth, hard floor.


    Immediately, I tried to move, trying to reassure myself that I was once again not a newborn. I couldn¡¯t start over again, not now. There was too much left to do, so many people I had to protect. My mother, my sister, Virion, Tess, Sylvie.


    Sylvie!


    I struggled to even lift my head, the piercing surges of pain still epassing all of my body.


    This wasn¡¯t a good sign.


    My body felt foreign to me, heavy and stiff like wearing a suit of armor designed for a different¡ªmuchrger¡ªspecies.


    I pried open my lips and forced a note from my throat. ¡°Ah...Ahhh.¡±


    The familiar clear baritone voice rang in my ear, filling me with some semnce of relief.


    I gritted my teeth, and swallowed, sending a burning sting down my esophagus.


    Teeth! I have teeth!


    No longer fearing the possibility that I was once more an infant, I worked on trying to get myself off the ground.


    Trying to lift my arms was the first major roadblock to my goal. I might as well have been trying to uproot one of the centuries-old trees in the Elshire Forest because my body wouldn¡¯t budge. Instead, I was met with another wave of piercing pain across my entire body like someone was trying to massage me with a spiked mace that had been lit on fire.


    After several attempts trying to¡ªgod forbid¡ªlift my own body, and passing out several times from the pain that came after, I gave up.


    Still, I was somewhat relieved by the pain. Not in a masochistic sort of way, but the fact that I could feel pain meant that my body might just be injured rather thanpletely paralyzed. And after all that time spent in evesting darkness, the limited field of view I had in the room I was in was still a sight for sore eyes.


    By the curved walls that ran across my field of vision, it seemed like I was in arge circr room. Smooth white pirs without a trace of decay held the ceiling up. A warm ethereal light glowed brightly from the sconces that lined up along the walls, spaced out evenly every few feet while familiar but indecipherable runes were etched in between them.


    I pried my gaze away from the tantalizing lights and focused on the ground¡ªor more specifically, what was on the ground.


    Blood. Lots of it.


    But the blood was dried brown and caked on the corners where the floor met the walls. It was hard to tell how long the walls and floors had been bloodied but as more and more areas of dried blood pools became visible the more carefully I looked, it seemed like this was some sort of grounds for injured people...or injured beasts.


    I shivered at the thought of a bloodthirsty mana beast standing behind me in my vulnerable state. The only source offort came from the fact that I hadn¡¯t been eaten already.


    I tried moving again to little avail. I still felt like I was in some sort of shell whenever I tried to move, as if this body wasn¡¯t my own.


    After time had passed and I ran out of details on the walls, ground, and pirs to distract myself with, unwanted and painful memories that I had been pushing back began resurfacing.


    Me, fighting against Nico, who had reincarnated into Elijah¡¯s body. Actually, Elijah might¡¯ve always been Nico¡ªI remembered Elijah telling me how his memories before arriving in the kingdom of Darv was all a blur.


    I remembered Tess sacrificing herself because I couldn¡¯t win against Cadell, the scythe that had killed Sylvia.


    I remembered, by some fluke, that I was able to harness aether in order to create not only a pocket dimension but a teleportation gate as well using the medallion made by the ancient mages. I knew by then that I wasn¡¯t going to make it. My body was barely able to function thanks to Sylvia¡¯s dragon will and aether keeping me alive. I knew that once I withdrew Realmheart, I would feel the full impact of my feeble ¡®lesser body¡¯ sumbing to the after-effects of exploiting both mana and aether to such a degree.


    And that¡¯s when the most painful memory resurfaced. As if it was branded into my very brain, I was able to recall myst moments with Sylvie, before she pushed me into the unstable portal, with such rity that I could almost see her in front of me now.


    Tears formed, blurring my vision, as sobs threatened to lurch out of my parched throat. Every time I closed my eyes, the memory of Sylvie disappearing right in front of me reyed over and over.


    From the bond that we shared, I knew that she had used a powerful aether art to basically sacrifice her own physical body to save me.


    I hated her for sacrificing herself.


    But more than that, I hated myself for it.


    I had been so caught up in trying to handle everything my way¡ªto save Tess, to get my vengeance against the scythe who killed Sylvia, to confront and defeat Nico, my past¡ªthat I couldn¡¯t appreciate the one person who stood by me through it all.


    I took her for granted, assuming she¡¯d always be here with me.


    Now, she was gone.


    My stomach lurched and my chest tightened as I held back another sob. I squeezed my eyes shut, grinding my teeth to try and contain myself.


    But I couldn¡¯t. I lost Sylvie, the only one who had stayed with me far longer than any other person in this world, trying to save everyone.


    ¡°Ghhh...¡± I heaved, letting out guttural sobs that echoed across the room as if mocking me. ¡°I¡¯m...sorry. I-I¡¯m so sorry...Sylv.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t tell how much time I had spent wallowing in grief and self-pity but I was abruptly jolted by the sensation of pinpricks running up my entire body. It was jarring, as if millions of insects were crawling all over me, beneath my skin.


    Another wave came, stronger this time¡ªmore painful. And thest wave I remembered feeling, it felt like the millions of bugs underneath my skin had erupted out of me.


    ***


    By the time I pried open my eyes and felt the cool stickiness of saliva pooled underneath my cheek, I knew I had passed out.


    Peeling my face off of the wet floor, I turned to my back.


    The brief moment of tion at the fact that I could actually move was interrupted by an overwhelming sense of thirst.


    Swallowing what little saliva I had left to moisten my dry throat, I pushed myself off of my back. The motion felt off and my body still felt stiff and alien, but I was still excited about my new range of motion.


    Sitting on the ground, the first thing to catch my eyes were my own two hands.


    ¡°What the...¡± My hands were pale¡ªalmost white¡ªbut not just that; there wasn¡¯t a single w on my hands that I could see. The calluses on my palms that had umted throughout the years of wielding a sword were nowhere to be found. The scars that were strewn across my knuckles from battles were gone. Even the scars on my wrist that I had received battling against that toxic witch¡ªthe first retainer I had fought against¡ªwere gone, reced by smooth and pearlescent skin.


    It seemed like Sylvie did much more than heal the wounds from abusing Realmheart Physique.


    I gnashed my teeth, trying to push away the thought of my bond¡¯s sacrifice before I sumbed to an even deeper pit of dread.


    I continued studying my hands, noticing more and more differences with each passing second.


    My arms were still toned with the muscles I had umted over the years of training, but they were also thinner. My hands also looked smaller and my fingers more delicate¡ªbut that might¡¯ve been from theck of calluses and scars.


    It was only when my gaze shifted down to my forearms, more specifically my left forearm, that I felt a sharp pang across my chest.


    The mark was gone.


    ¡°H-Huh?¡± I stammered.


    Panic rose in me once more as I began frantically turning my arm to see if it was on the other side somehow. The mark was gone. The mark that I had gotten after forming my bond with Sylvie hadpletely vanished alongside all of the scars and calluses that had riddled my hands and arms.


    ¡°Before you get all weepy, look to your right,¡± a clear, cynical voice resounded nearby.


    Not threatened by the voice for some reason, I turned to my right to see an iridescent stone the size of my palm.


    My eyes widened, and out of sheer instinct, I dove toward the colorful stone and grabbed it to take a closer look.


    ¡°I-Is this...¡±


    ¡°Yup. It¡¯s your bond,¡± the voice said curtly before a ck shadow appeared in my peripheral view.


    A ck will-o-wisp the size of arge marble came into view, except this ck floating teardrop had a set of sharp, pure-white eyes staring back at me and two small horns jutting on the sides of its... head.


    I felt my mouth open, as I tried to talk, but before I could continue, the ck teardrop-shaped will-o-wisp with horns and eyes floated closer to me. It dipped, as if bowing to me, and spoke in an exaggerated tone.


    ¡°Greetings, my pitiful master. I am Regis, the mighty weapon that has finally manifested and crawled out of your metaphorical ass.¡±

 Chapter 251

    Chapter 251


    Chapter 251: The Next Message


    I bristled in anger at the sight of the ck ball of mes.


    ¡°Why...¡± I seethed.


    ¡°Why what?¡± it looked back in confusion. It¡¯s expression was so lifelike, so...sentient, that it infuriated me even more.


    ¡°Why?!¡± I roared, taking a slow and painful swing at Regis.


    My hand slipped through its snarky face, the momentum causing me to lose bnce in this debilitating body. I toppled forward, mming my face hard on the cold smooth floor of wherever the hell I was.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that!¡± the will-o-wisp snapped before muttering, ¡°...I feel vited.¡±


    Rage continued to bubble up and rise as I stared at my left hand, the exact spot on my palm that Regis hade from. ¡°Why. Why the hell are you here now? After years of draining my mana and doing what you want, why do you appear now?¡±


    I whipped my head up, ring at the ck me. My vision blurred as tears welled up in my eyes. ¡°If you hade out earlier, I could¡¯ve won. I could¡¯ve saved everyone!¡±


    A trace of what looked almost like...guilt manifested on Regis¡¯ face before the horned will-o-wisp shook its head and turned away. ¡°Well aren¡¯t you a ray of sunshine. Even asuras would die trying to fight over a sentient weapon yet here you are, moping about¡ª¡±


    ¡°I needed you,¡± I whispered, tears dripping on the ground beneath my face as I wed the smooth floor.


    Regis remained silent as I let all of the emotions out of my system. I was angry at Regis, but I was doing the same thing¡ªusing him as an excuse for my own failures.


    After some time had passed, my tears ran dry and my parched throat started letting out raspy stutters trying to take in more air.


    Regis¡¯ voice sounded from a small distance. ¡°There¡¯s a pool of clean water here. Drink before you cry yourself into a mummy.¡±


    I hesitated, not knowing whether I even deserved water when the small iridescent egg glistened in the corner of my eyes.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it. You can do it! Do it for that rock!¡± Regis cheered, hovering around me like a fly I couldn¡¯t reach.


    Pushing aside all of the emotions that weighed down on my body, I dragged myself in the direction Regis led me.


    My milky pale arms looked foreign to me, even as I moved. I felt like I was still in a full suit of armor despite being almost bare.


    Time crawled alongside me as I slowly pulled myself across the smooth floor, my biggest source of motivation getting my strength back to shut Regis up.


    ¡°Come on, pretty boy, almost there,¡± he continued.


    ¡°Shut...up...¡± I mustered, my voice barelying out as a wheeze.


    ¡°If you have the strength to drawl, you have the strength to crawl!¡± he intoned.


    I¡¯ll kill him, I decided.


    I focused my attention on the marble fountain beckoning for me, spouting water so clearly and silently from the top that it looked like ss.


    After struggling once more, trying to pull myself up over the rounded base that held the water, I immediately buried my head inside.


    It felt like I had mmed my face into a wall of ice, but I didn¡¯t care. I opened my mouth and gulped it all in, the water crisp and cool as it rushed down my throat.


    My body continued to swallow mouthfuls of water until I couldn¡¯t hold my breath any longer.


    ¡°Gah!¡± I pulled my head out, gasping for breath, when a curtain of beige covered my vision.


    I tried moving it aside, assuming that maybe the back of my shirt had fallen over my head, when Regis chortled behind me.


    ¡°You¡¯re acting like a pup seeing its own tail for the first time.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I grunted, still trying to flip my shirt off of my head.


    ¡°That¡¯s your hair, oh-wise-one.¡±


    ¡°Huh? That¡¯s impossi...¡± I looked down, seeing my reflection for the first time since waking up. My eyes widened.


    The person staring back at me looked a lot like myself yet a bit older, with sharper features and skin the same milky white as my arms.


    The red scar around my throat that I had gotten from the witch was no longer there, showing only a smooth long neck and adam¡¯s apple.


    But what shocked me the most were the changes in my hair and eyes. My eyes were a piercing gold and the color seemed to have beenpletely washed out of my once-auburn hair. The head of deep reddish brown was now a grayish wheat color, even more pale than Sylvie¡¯s hair in her human form.


    My chest tightened at the sight of my reflection, my own hair and eyes now a sore reminder of what my bond had done for me.


    ¡°W-What is this? Why do I¡ª¡± A scream suddenly tore out from my throat as a searing pain ignited inside me, as if my mana core had caught on fire.


    My vision doubled and became hazy until I heard a voice. It was one that I hadn¡¯t heard in a long time, but one I could never forget.


    ¡°Hello, Art, this is Sylvia.¡±


    My heart pounded against my ribs as excitement rose up. ¡°S-Sylvia?¡±


    ¡°I recorded this at the same time as my first message to you, but I suspect that, for you, it has been quite a while since hearing my voice. Haha, I suppose I should say that it has been a while.¡±


    I let out augh as I felt fresh tears stream down my cheeks.


    ¡°I¡¯m conflicted by the fact that you¡¯re hearing this message. On the one hand, I¡¯m proud that you¡¯ve been able to get to where you are now. But the fact that you¡¯ve had to push yourself to this point means that life has not been easy for you, perhaps even more difficult than your previous one.¡±


    I felt the weight of her somber tone but continued to listen.


    ¡°Having gotten to this stage means that you¡¯ve had to battle foes much stronger than you in life-or-death situations and based on history, I can only assume that it would be Agrona and the Vritra that serve him.¡±


    I bristled at the mention of Agrona¡¯s name, but Sylvia¡¯s voice only seemed sad...almost heartbroken.


    ¡°I figure that a war between Agrona and the asuras is inevitable, and Dicathen can only be caught in the middle of it. There is much to tell you with the limited amount of information I can store without it being traceable so I shall be sinct.


    ¡°With my daughter as your bond and the fact that you are reborn, my father will most likely have taken extreme measures to bring you in and most likely even train you. And through your exposure to my people, you¡¯ve most likely received a very one-sided story.¡±


    Again, Sylvia¡¯s voice was tinged with sadness.


    ¡°The tension between the Vritra and the other asuran ns are not as simple as they¡¯ve made it out to you. Unlike fairy tales and bedtime stories for children, life does not always have a good and bad side¡ªonly a ¡®my side¡¯ and ¡®their side.¡¯


    ¡°Agrona can¡¯t be forgiven for all of the atrocities he hasmitted over the centuries, but neither can the other asuras¡ªmyself included.¡±


    Confusion reced and overwhelmed my other emotions.


    ¡°Agrona, who had always been fascinated by the lives of lessers, had been the one to uncover the ruins of a civilization of mages. Mages that had learned to harness aether.


    ¡°And it was only a matter of time after this discovery that he found why they had fallen despite their technological and magical¡ªboth mana and aether¡ªadvancements. Centuries ago, the Indrath n had brought upon genocide of these ancient mages.¡±


    What? Why would they kill off a¡ªmy questions were interrupted by Sylvia¡¯s answer in her message.


    ¡°The Indrath n had been distinguished as leaders of the other asuran ns and basically revered as beings closest to true gods not just for our strength but because our control over aether could not be replicated by any others. But after, one of the emissaries from the Indrath n discovered that there were a reclusive civilization of lessers that were able to harness their powers.


    ¡°Fearing that their power and authority would be questioned, the elders ordered for their...elimination. From what I¡¯ve been told, unlike our n that had developed and trained our aether arts for battle, these ancient mages had only sought to improve life through technological advancements.¡±


    Sylvia let out a sigh and remained silent for a few moments before continuing.


    ¡°Needless to say, their genocide had been kept as the Indrath n¡¯s darkest secret and their technology had been concealed and studied, but because of how borate their underground cities were, we were never sure if we had truly discovered all that they had hidden. Which is why the lesser kin of dragons inhabit both crya and Dicathen, making sure even now that there aren¡¯t any of the ancient mages left alive.


    ¡°Agrona had found one of these concealed ruins and threatened to expose the Indrath n for their wrongdoings and noblesse oblige that we asuras held over lessers. You can imagine how my n elders reacted to this. Taking advantage of the fact that Agrona loved to disguise himself to sneak off to Dicathen and crya for his research, they used him of having intimate rtions with lessers before exiling him to crya.¡±


    I shook my head. It was such a clich¨¦¡ªeven amongst higher, older beings, there was still political strife.


    ¡°My biggest regret was allowing my family topletely destroy the life of my betrothed...and my unborn child¡¯s father.¡±


    My jaw ckened as I felt my eyes bulge from their sockets. So not only did Agrona not escape Epheotus like Windsom had told me, Agrona was also Sylvia¡¯s future husband and Sylvie¡¯s father?


    ¡°Signs of my pregnancy only showed only a few months after Agrona had been exiled. Normally, a new member of the Indrath n being born was a rare and celebrated asion but I knew that neither my n nor any of the ns of the Great Eight would approve of me having this child, and so when I learned one night that my father was nning an assassination for Agrona in crya, I knew I had to get to Agrona first.


    ¡°I confess that I was young and foolish, Arthur. Rebelling against my parents for depriving me of the man I thought I loved, I found Agrona in crya before the unit my father had sent after him could. It was then that I found, not the coy and charming knowledge-seeker I had fallen in love with, but a man driven mad after the betrayal of his nsmen and his love¡ªme.


    ¡°He and his loyal followers from the Vritra n had scoured through the buried texts of the ancient mages and tried to build upon their work in a different direction, using the lessers as test subjects. I do not know what his end ns are aside from conquering Epheotus, but he had been investigating an element¡ªan edict, higher than what aether epasses, above that of time, space, and life. Fate.¡±


    The word ¡®fate¡¯ immediately brought to mind one person. Elder Rinia. She was not only a diviner but someone who could control aether. She had expressed adamantly that she was not rted to the ancient mages but...


    My brain hurt from trying to wrap all of this information together.


    ¡°Fate ties into not only the life we live in now but lives elsewhere and elsewhen.¡±


    My breath hitched.


    ¡°I would surmise this sounding familiar to you. Fate, afterall, is the coreponent to reincarnation. Agrona believed that the vessel was the keyponent in forceful application of reincarnation, which is why I could not risk you falling into Agrona¡¯s hands. After finding out that I had carried a child from both the basilisk and dragon lineage, he kept me imprisoned until I gave birth. Of course, I couldn¡¯t let my child be subject to his cruel experiments so I locked my child in the pocket dimension that I created within the stone.


    ¡°As I have said before, I could not figure out the scope of Agrona¡¯s ns before my escape, but I found that there are four ruins built by the ancient mages that he nor any other asurans are able to cross into. I was able to imprint and pass on the locations of these four major ruins that Agrona had been breeding and sending lessers into in hopes to learn more about what is down there.


    ¡°What I am leaving you with is not some grand quest; that was never my intention. But if you are in a situation where you are lost or feel weak and outnumbered, perhaps the answer Agrona is looking for is the answer you are as well.


    ¡°Take care of my daughter and yourself. Goodbye, little one.¡±


    Just like that, Sylvia¡¯s voice faded, leaving me stunned in suchplete silence that it was palpable. It was only when Regis appeared out of my body that I jolted out of my daze.


    ¡°Well, that was a lot to take in,¡± the ck will-o-wisp said, letting out a sigh.


    I stared at him, dumbfounded. ¡°You were able to hear all of that?¡±


    ¡°Why else would I want to literally be inside you.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°Now, I¡¯ve got some good news and bad news¡ªwell, two pretty good news and one really bad news. What do you want to hear first?¡±


    I hobbled back to the area where the iridescent stone was and picked my bond up¡ªSylvia¡¯s daughter that she had entrusted me to take care of.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just start with the good news,¡± Regis said, hovering in front of me. ¡°Based on what I discovered while you were lying over there half-dead, I think we¡¯re actually in one of the hidden ruins of the ancient mages.¡±


    I pried my gaze off of the stone in my hand and looked up. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yup, take a look at the door on the opposite end of this room. Along with the dried blood and drinkable water fountain, I¡¯d say that this is some sort of waiting grounds for whatever horrendous challenges that the ancient mages built to keep outsiders from whatever knowledge is stored at the bottom.¡±


    After looking at the metal door etched with runes along the frame, I studied Regis.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty smart,¡± I admitted.


    Regis gasped. ¡°I have gained master¡¯s approval! I am worthy!¡±


    Ignoring him, I looked back down at the small stone in my hand.


    ¡°The second good news is one you probably guessed, but I confirmed that Sylvie is alive by taking a peek inside.¡±


    ¡°You went inside here?¡± I asked, holding up the stone.


    ¡°Bite me. I was curious,¡± he¡ªassuming by the timbre of his voice¡ªquipped. ¡°Anyway, your bond used a high-level vivum art to give you some of her asuran body in order to save you...¡±


    Regis¡¯ eyes turned sharp. ¡°Which leads me to the bad news.I don¡¯t think you were able to hear Sylvia¡¯s message because you¡¯ve ascended past the white core stage. In fact, your core is damaged beyond recognition.¡±

 Chapter 252

    Chapter 252


    Chapter 252: Resolve


    ¡°Damaged? No, that¡¯s not...¡± my voice trailed off as I felt the internal condition of my body.


    Regis was right. When I tried to spread mana throughout my body, an act as natural as breathing by this point, I was only met with a slight tingle.


    I tried once more, this time trying to gather ambient mana. This time, I couldn¡¯t even feel anything¡ªno nket of warmth like before when mana once rushed inside me and coalesced in my core.


    ¡°No,¡± I muttered, heaving my heavy body up onto my feet.


    I threw a jab, my punch painfully slow even as I channeled mana from my core through the necessary parts of my body needed to carry out a punch.


    ¡°Arthur...¡± Regis sighed.


    Ignoring him, I pivoted and kicked forward. I stumbled and fell, unable to even keep bnce.


    Pushing myself up, I tried moving my body again. It was a bit easier this time, but it still felt like my time as a toddler in this world. My brain knew how to move, but my body just wouldn¡¯t listen.


    I fell, and I fell again, each time more infuriating and embarrassing than thest.


    Finally, as my face hit the smooth floor, my arms unable to even react in time to cushion my fall, I stayed on the ground.


    I roared in frustration, mming my head into the ground. ¡°What the hell is wrong with me!¡±


    All of that hard work. Years upon years of training and refining my core, learning to control all of the elements effectively, all gone.


    I pounded my head on the ground again, barely feeling anything more than a dull throb despite how hard the floor shook. I let out another scream that had been tugging at my throat, desperate to be let out.


    Whether I had calmed myself or had just run out of energy, I didn¡¯t know, but I found myself staring at the iridescent stone¡ªthe pocket dimension where Sylvie resided.


    She had sacrificed her life for me and was reduced back to this state. Because of all of the stupid choices I made, she was the one that paid the price.


    If I can¡¯t get things together for myself, I need to do it for her. At the very least, I owe her that.


    I got up and silently made my way back to the water fountain. Cupping my hands, I brought the cold water to my mouth and drank. Quenching my thirst, I sshed some water on my face before taking a hard look at my reflection.


    A slightly older and sharper-faced Arthur looked back at me with piercing gold eyes. My hair reminded me of bleached sand as it flowed just past my shoulder in waves. Even the texture of my new hair mimicked Sylvie, sending another pang of guilt.


    Ripping a thin strip of cloth from the tattered pants that I was wearing in myst battle, I tied the back of my hair.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± I mustered, turning to Regis.


    The floating ck ball of fire with horns cocked a brow¡ªor at least, that¡¯s what it looked like¡ªbefore saying, ¡°You realize you¡¯re asking advice from a weapon, right?¡±


    I remained silent, staring at him until he clicked his tongue...or whatever he had in thatrge mouth of his.


    ¡°No fun,¡± he grumbled before floating toward me. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we have much of a choice, seeing as there is only one way out of this room.¡±


    ¡°So we just go through the door?¡± I confirmed, already heading through therge metal door.


    ¡°Hold it, Goldilocks,¡± he began. ¡°Are you trying to get yourself killed?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked before the familiar term registered in my brain. ¡°And how do you know who Goldilocks is?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m made from you, remember? All of the things you know, whether from this life or your past life, has influenced what I am right now,¡± he answered. ¡°So really, if you¡¯re annoyed at my wonderful personality, you¡¯re really just annoyed at yourself.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember ever being this sardonic or derisive,¡± I retorted.


    ¡°Well...to be more specific, I guess I¡¯m an amalgamation of you, Sylvia, your bond, and that charming stud of a beast, Uto,¡± the floating ck fire exined.


    That¡¯s when it clicked. Regis had reminded me of Uto. While his horns were shaped more like Sylvie¡¯s, out of the three, Uto¡¯s nature was the most prominent in Regis¡ªjust a lot more toned down by Sylvia, Sylvie, and my mix of personalities.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± he droned, ¡°You¡¯re not in a state where you should be going through any sort of door haphazardly, especially if this entire ce was meant to keep people out.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± I cut in. ¡°My core is pretty messed up and my body feels like it¡¯s made of lead or something, but it¡¯s not like we can just stay here.¡±


    ¡°Disregarding your injured core for a moment, do you remember when I said that Sylvie used some pretty heavy aether voodoo on you to keep your body from basically destroying itself?¡±


    I nodded my head. ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Well, perhaps the one good thing that came out of all of this¡ªaside from myself, of course¡ªis your new body,¡± Regis exined. ¡°Your body, while not beingpletely draconic, is pretty damn close,¡± Regis exined.


    My eyes widened and I immediately lowered my head, looking down at my arms and the rest of my body. Aside from the color of my hair and eyes changing, the features of my face bing a little sharper and my skin bing paler, it didn¡¯t feel any different from my body¡ªactually, it felt worse than my usual self.


    Regis answered, as if reading my thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much pain you actually remember feeling, but you nearly died during this ¡®metamorphosis.¡¯ It¡¯ll take some time and a lot of effort to temper your body.¡±


    ¡°How do I temper this new body of mine, and what happens after I¡¯m able to?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Beats the hell out of me,¡± Regis quipped. ¡°I¡¯m knowledgeable but I¡¯m not some floating encyclopedia.¡±


    ¡°So you just want me to wait here and hope that my body will get better?¡± I snapped. ¡°What about you? You¡¯re supposed to be a powerful weapon tailored for me, can¡¯t I use you to get out of here, or is floating around and talking the only thing you know how to do?¡±


    ¡°Oh screw you!¡± Regis cut in, staring daggers at me. ¡°I¡¯ve been nothing but helpful after you practically killed yourself.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have had to go so far if you hade out during myst battle, but I guess it wouldn¡¯t have mattered if you dide out then. It¡¯s not like you could¡¯ve been any help!¡±


    ¡°Boo-friggin-hoo!¡± Regis mocked. ¡°The only reason you are alive and sane right now is because of me!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, confused.


    ¡°Do you know why I have four very different personalities swirling inside me, one of which wants me to kill you very painfully?¡±


    Thinking back to when the lorite had absorbed most of the mana that was stored in Uto¡¯s horn, I got even more annoyed. ¡°Yes! Because you stole most of the mana from Uto¡¯s horn¡ªmana that would¡¯ve helped make me stronger!¡±


    ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for me taking most of it, you would¡¯ve been driven mad,¡± Regis snarled. ¡°Instead, I get the pleasure of having oh-so-pleasurable psychopathic tendencies every so often!¡±


    Stunned, I didn¡¯t respond.


    Time seemed to stop for a moment as we remained silent until Regis spoke up glumly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I am. It might¡¯ve been because I was forced out of you before I could fully develop, but I¡¯m not even sure what sort of weapon I am either, and it¡¯s been driving me crazy.¡±


    I sank down on the ground and let out a sigh. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re both in a pretty messed up state right now.¡±


    ¡°True, but you dug yourself into the hole you¡¯re in right now, pretty boy. I was forced into it,¡± Regis smirked.


    I let out augh. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    Taking out the stone that Sylvie was slumbering inside of, I stared at it longingly. I missed Sylvie. She would¡¯ve known what to do with everything I¡¯d been told.


    Panic rose inside me as I thought of Sylvia¡¯s message and everything it entailed. If the Indrath n was capable ofmitting genocide just because they felt their authority being threatened, the asuras were no better than Agrona and the Vritra n.


    Sylvia said that four ruins protected from asuras made by the ancient mages held the key to wielding fate...whatever that meant. Fate was such an abstract concept that even having reincarnated into this world, I still found it hard to believe.


    But what can I do? My mana core is destroyed to the point where even if I can start using mana again, I don¡¯t think it can ever get to the same heights as before. My body may be draconic now, but I don¡¯t even know what that fully means, and the weapon that I¡¯ve been waiting for...


    ¡°Get down!¡± Regis suddenly hissed, suddenly flying into my body.


    ¡®Stay up against the wall and act dead, or at least unconscious!¡¯ Regis asserted, his voice echoing inside my head.


    I backed up against the wall and fell to the ground just in time to see a column of blue light appear in the center of the room.


    Letting my bangs cover my face, I kept my eyes open despite Regis¡¯s insistence.


    As the pir of blue dimmed, I was able to make out the silhouette of three figures. My heartbeat quickened, excited to see other people here, when Regis berated me, telling me not to even think about getting up.


    The lightpletely faded, leaving only the three figures standing in the center of the room¡ªtwo males and one female.


    Therger of the two men was d in a mixture of ted and leather armor that did little to hide his bulging muscles. He carried in each hand a spiked mace, both dripping with blood that matched the color of his short crimson hair.


    The slimmer brown-haired one still was built like an athlete, with broad shoulders and toned arms underneath a brushed-silver suit of armor.


    It was the girl that spotted me first with her two red eyes that shone like crystals underneath a curtain of midnight blue¡ªalmost navy¡ªhair.


    Her statuesque formyered in what looked more like a uniform than armor, turned my way as she studied me.


    It only took a moment for the two men beside her to notice me, and when they did, they didn¡¯t react nearly as subtly as the woman had.


    Therger one swung his mace, sttering an arc of blood on the ground as he approached me, while the brown-haired warrior withdrew a longsword out of thin air and positioned himself between myself and the girl. His sharp eyes narrowed as a soft vibration hummed from hisrge de.


    I shut my eyes, afraid that they¡¯d see me awake.


    Shit, what do we do, Regis?


    ¡®Stay down! You¡¯re no match for any one of these three right now.¡¯


    He¡¯s going to kill me!


    ¡®Wait! Don¡¯t move until I tell you!¡¯


    I peeked open an eye to see the crimson-haired man towering over me.


    ¡®Not yet!¡¯ Regis hissed in my head.


    ¡°Leave her,¡± the girl stated.


    ¡®Pfft! She thinks you¡¯re a girl!¡¯ Regis snickered.


    Shut up.


    ¡°She might be a threat to us in the lower levels, Lady Caera,¡± therge man warned. ¡°There are those who feign weakness to make us lower our guards.¡±


    ¡°Have some pity on her, Taegen. The fact that neither of you were able to sense her immediately means that her mana core is broken,¡± the girl said. ¡°She won¡¯t be a threat. Now, let¡¯s move. We¡¯ll rest in the next sanctuary room.¡±


    Taegen let out a dissatisfied grunt before turning around, following after the other two.


    I let out a mental breath of relief as I began to rx when I saw it. All three of their outfits had purposely left their spines revealed, covered either by chainmail or a thin mesh that I could clearly see through. And running down all three backs, along their spines, were the same kind of runes I had seen on so many cryan mages.


    Anger red within my chest, and immediately, the man named Taegen whirled around to face me.


    Calm yourself, Arthur, I said to myself.


    Time seemed to crawl as the mace-wielder studied me, confused.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± the other man called out to Taegen, and the crimson-haired warrior turned back.


    I must¡¯ve waited for over thirty minutes even after they had left through the door before I got up.


    ¡°Wow, now that got my little ck heart pumping!¡± Regis eximed, shooting out of my body. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that gorgeous woman has a heart asrge as her ti¡ª¡±


    ¡°Regis!¡± I snapped.


    My floatingpanion shot me a wicked grin. ¡°Aww, is someone still upset that they were called a girl?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    ¡°You can check your pants if you want. You¡¯re still a guy,¡± Regis cut in.


    I let out a sigh. ¡°I know, Regis. Now, why are cryans here?¡± I asked, changing the topic.


    ¡°You heard Sylvia¡¯s message. Agrona has been sending his people down into the ruins that asuras can¡¯t go into,¡± he replied.


    Suddenly a feeling of dread washed over me. ¡°Does that mean we¡¯re somewhere below crya now?¡±


    ¡°Beats me, but if those ancient mages were able to tinker with aether to an extent where even Agrona wants to know their secrets, I¡¯m guessing that we can be anywhere in the world¡ªthis room that we¡¯re in right now could be somewhere in the bottom of the ocean and that door could be a portal that takes us to the other side of the world!¡±


    Closing my eyes, I brought up the locations of the four ancient ruins that Sylvia said she had imparted me with. What I realized was that it wasn¡¯t some sort of internal mapid out for me to visualize. It was more like an artificial memory that had been embedded into my brain. It confirmed for me what Regis said earlier¡ªwe were inside one of the four ancient ruins. What it didn¡¯t tell me was where this ruin was located in the world.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the n, Mdy?¡± Regis chimed.


    I kept my eyes shut as I took a deep breath. Relying on the habits I had developed throughout my lifetime as Grey, I bottled up the emotions gnawing away at my mind and body. I tightly packed and stored the feelings of panic and dread that encroached on my mind. I tucked away the stray thoughts thaty scattered about and wrapped it shut, leaving me with a simmering anger to give me strength, and the cool andforting numbness to actually think ahead.


    Whatever was on the other side of that door, those three likely took down or cleared through most of it. I couldn¡¯t waste an opportunity like this.


    I opened my eyes with newfound resolve and I turned to Regis. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 253

    Chapter 253


    Chapter 253: A Healthy Appetite


    Preparations didn¡¯t take very long, especially since our inventory was basically nonexistent. I tore off what was left of my tattered shirt, revealing milky white skin that didn¡¯t seem to have any sort of muscle definition.


    ¡°Great,¡± I muttered, looking down at my body.


    ¡°Why so glum? You have a body most would kill for...¡± Regis started before snickering. ¡°Most girls, that is.¡±


    I swatted at mypanion but he zipped out of reach this time.


    My long pants were mostly intact thanks to the leather cuisses. Taking off the thick sheets of leather that had been protecting my thighs, I created a makeshift vest by tearing off pieces of the leather with my teeth and using strips of my shirt to tie them together around my waist and over my shoulder.


    With the extra strips of fabric I had left, I created a mask to cover my mouth and nose and wrapped the rest around my hands.


    ¡°Why the mask? Are you trying to justplete your little ninja ensemble?¡± Regis asked, inspecting my new appearance.


    I curled and uncurled my fingers that were wrapped up to the second knuckle by the cloth. ¡°The cryans that passed by had different types of armor that most likely fit their fighting styles, but all three had masks around their necks and unlike ourselves, they seemed to know what it is they¡¯re getting themselves into.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Smart,¡± Regis acknowledged, bobbing his head up and down.


    ¡°Why do you sound so surprised when you know I¡¯ve led two lives?¡±


    ¡°Good point. This one apologizes for his ignorance, Mdy.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. This was going to be a long journey.


    After going through a series of movements and martial art forms to loosen my clumsy new body with, I walked up to therge metal door feeling even less prepared than I felt before readying myself.


    Every time I moved, there was an almost tangible resistance. It felt like the very air around me had been reced by tar.


    I ced my hands on the door filled with runes and let out a sigh. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Regis said without a trace of mockery.


    I pushed open the door with ease and what appeared on the other side looked to be an extension of the room we were in now.


    Looking at Regis, I jerked my head towards the door.


    ¡°What? Why me?¡± mypanionined.


    ¡°Because. You¡¯re incorporeal,¡± I said tly.


    Letting out a string of curses, the will-o-wisp hovered toward the other side of the door when he jerked to a stop all of a sudden.


    ¡°Ouch! That actually hurt,¡± he said, more confused than in pain.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked, carefully waving my hand in the area where Regis got hurt.


    Unlike Regis, though, I was able to go through.


    ¡°Ouch! Stop that!¡± Regis snarled, his form quivering.


    I did it once more, and Regis yelped in pain again before ring at me.


    ¡°Just wanted to make sure,¡± I smirked contently.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is just an entryway to another room,¡± Regis grumbled. ¡°This is the same kind of pain I get if I move too far from you, but the pain level is a lot more gradual than this.¡±


    ¡°That means this is most likely a portal,¡± I replied, looking at the room on the other side of the door. ¡°Wait, why did you try to leave me?¡±


    Regis shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m a sentient being. I wanted to know what my limit was and it¡¯s not like I was born inherently loyal to you.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯d be a lot more upset if you were actually useful as a weapon.¡±


    ¡°Touch¨¦,¡± Regis quipped.


    ¡°We¡¯ll cross together on three,¡± I decided.


    Regis nodded, positioning himself just behind the doorway. My heart thumped against my ribcage as I felt my senses heighten. I had no idea what we would face as soon as we left this ¡®sanctuary¡¯.


    ¡°One. Two. Three!¡± I stepped through alongside Regis, ready for whatever challenges awaited. However, we were met inplete silence aside from the click and hum of the door closing behind us.


    The marble floor underneath my feet was wlessly smooth but unlike the circr room we were in before, this one was a long straight hallway with a ceiling that arched high above our heads with another metal door etched with runes on the other side. Two rows of sconces were lined across the patterned wall, illuminating the hallway in a warm natural light. On either side of us were giant marble statues depicting men and women armed with not just the familiar swords, spears, wands and bows, but also... guns.


    Apparently, Regis was just as surprised as I was. ¡°Are those...¡±


    ¡°Guns? I think so,¡± I answered.


    The firearms that some of the statues were holding were different from the ones I was ustomed to from my previous life. They were more archaic, like the ones of the past that still used metal bullets and gunpowder.


    My gaze shifted away from the stone statues for a moment,nding on the door straight ahead, roughly three hundred feet or so.


    ¡°So we just...walk past these giant stone statues and go to the door on the other side. That¡¯s not ominous at all,¡± Regis muttered.


    Rather than walking straight ahead, I walked over to the wall to my right, searching for any sort of hidden side exit. After searching both walls, I let out a sigh and looked down the middle aisle again between the row of stone statues.


    ¡°You don¡¯t suppose these statues will start moving and try to kill us once we get near them, right?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only one way to find out,¡± Regis said, perching himself on my shoulder. ¡°Onward to victory, Mdy!¡±


    I got in a stance to run, cursing this new body of mine. If I was able to use magic, clearing this hallway would¡¯ve taken no more than a few seconds¡ªless, if I used Static Void. Letting out a sharp breath and allowing my brain to clear itself from needless thoughts, I pushed my feet off the ground and broke into a full on sprint through the line of stone statues on either side of me.


    ¡°Come on! A toddler can crawl faster than this!¡± Regis badgered right beside my ear, infuriating me even more than my debilitated body. Gritting my teeth, I continued running as fast as my heavy legs would take me when I misstepped and tripped over my own feet.


    I slid forward on the ground, barely managing to bring my arms up fast enough to keep myself from mming my face into the cold marble floor.


    There was no pain, only embarrassment as I scrambled back up to my feet. It didn¡¯t help that mypanion wasughing his nonexistent ass off as he reenacted my crash.


    I dusted myself off and started briskly walking. ¡°Hey. What happens to you if I die?¡±


    Regis stoppedughing. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Do you be free, or do you die as well?¡±


    ¡°I never really thought about it but...¡± Regis pondered for a moment. ¡°The foundation of this formes from the lorite that was ced into your body, but my life force is tied to you so if you die, I suppose...¡±


    ¡°You go back to being a hunk of rock?¡± I finished, scanning the statues now surrounding us as we passed the quarter mark in the hallway. ¡°That¡¯s nice to know.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Are you s-smiling?¡± Regis stuttered, looking at me with thoserge, unblinking white eyes of his.


    ¡°You¡¯re just seeing things,¡± I said, swatting him away.


    ¡°No, I saw you smile! Are you sure some of Uto¡¯s mana didn¡¯t infect you, or were you always a bit sociopathic?¡±


    Ignoring him, I searched for any signs that the statues were a danger to us. Continuing our way down the long hallway, a sensation I hadn¡¯t felt since waking up in this...ce, struck: hunger.


    The sharp pang that made my stomach churn went away as quickly as it hade but a little bit of it lingered behind, making my mouth water.


    We had only taken a few more steps past the quarter mark of the hallway when my vision began to narrow, blurring out everything but the statues in front of me.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be. No stone statues came to life and started attacking us,¡± Regis chimed as he floated closer to a statue holding what looked like a shotgun.


    Suddenly the room shook as the lights from the sconces dimmed to an eerie degree.


    I looked forward at the exit still over two hundred feet away. The aetheric runes carved on the door had changed and the handle that used to be there was gone.


    Thanking Sylvie mentally for being able to see so far with such rity, I whirled back around, bolting for the door we hade from.


    I had no idea if we would be allowed back into the sanctuary but it was either that or face whatever it was that was about to happen.


    I must¡¯ve taken about ten steps when the statues around me began cracking. Large stone fragments broke off and fell to the floor...and as more and more of the statues began crumbling, the more I could make out what was inside them.


    What was exposed from the coffin-like statues these...creatures were trapped in could be nothing short of unsettling. Scabrous flesh covered patches of exposed muscles and bone in these sinewy humanoid creatures. The weapons depicted in the statues were actually weapons in simr shapes made of elongated bones and muscle fibers.


    If I could describe it simply, it would look like some lunatic had ripped apart arge human and tried to piece him back together inside out. Like some failed chimera experiment.


    The first chimera to fully ¡®hatch¡¯ out of its stone encasement had been a statue of a man wielding a bow and arrow. It let out a guttural screech from its crooked mouth as it leapt from the podium the statue was on, sending shivers throughout my entire body.


    ¡°W-Well...at least technically the statues aren¡¯t trying to kill us,¡± Regis mumbled. ¡°Just what was inside them.¡±


    I raced toward the door that we hade through, less than a hundred feet away. However, just after a few steps, I heard a faint whistle in the air.


    Without looking back, I dove to the side and rolled, narrowly managing to avoid the bone arrow that managed to create a fissure on the ground from the force of its impact.


    I scrambled back up to my feet just as the bow-wielding creature snapped off one of its long, spiked vertebrae and nocked the ¡®arrow¡¯ on the gut string of its bow.


    ¡°Axe monster finished hatching as well!¡± Regis called out from above, just a few feet away.


    The split second I had taken to look over at the second chimera with axes for arms was all the bow-wielding chimera needed.


    A burst of pain erupted from my side and I was sent flying back from the impact. Letting out a hoarse cough, I looked down to see a bone arrow protruding just below my ribcage.


    I got up to my knees. My vision narrowed again, blurring out everything but what I had to focus on. I¡¯ve had this feeling before in battle, but nothing as extreme as this. My head pounded against my skull as blood surged through my body.


    I jumped back, barely in time to dodge the blurred swing of the axe chimera. Just as it was about to swing down its other ded arm at me, a ck shadow whizzed by.


    Regis stuck to the axe chimera, obstructing its vision and allowing me the opportunity to limp away.


    I made it another few steps when another searing pain bloomed, this time from my left leg.


    Stifling a scream, I toppled forward, barely avoiding the first arrow from getting pushed further into my stomach.


    ¡°Arthur! I can only distract one of them and there are more of these things hatching!¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± I mustered through gritted teeth. I snapped the shaft off of the bone arrow inside my body, letting out a gasp as I did the same with the arrow on my leg.


    My vision pulsed once more as if my body was trying to expel my soul. Colors began fading and what began surrounding the sinewy monsters emerging free from their stone statues were soft auras of purple. Looking down at the bone and muscle-strewn shafts of the arrows in my hand, the same soft purple aura seeped, causing me to do something that I couldn¡¯t quite believe.


    I bit down on one arrow. More specifically, I bit down on the aetheric aura surrounding the arrow, consuming the aether as if it were the meat attached to a bone.


    ¡°What in the unholy hell are you doing?¡± Regis cried out.


    I chomped down on the dwindling aetheric fire, tearing it off the bone arrow and swallowing it down before moving onto the other aether-coated arrow.


    My veins burned as the aetheric substance surrounding the arrows flowed through me, filling me with a strength that I hadn¡¯t felt since waking up with this body.


    It had gone as quickly as it hade, but what shocked me was that the wound on my leg and side were gone and two bloody arrowheads were on the ground below my feet.


    With no time to spare, I got back to my feet with a renewed spring in my step. The ground trembled as the third chimera fully freed itself from its statue-shaped coffin¡ªthis one being a sword-wielding one.


    The sword chimera jumped off its podium and galloped toward me at a breakneck pace while the first chimera loaded another one of its spiked vertebrae onto its bow.


    Controlling my breathing, I let my enhanced senses pick up on the details.


    The bow chimera released with a sharp whistle, but this time I was able to actually see the path of the bone arrow piercing through the air. Dodging it with an exaggerated motion, I steadied myself in order to face the sword chimera just a few feet away.


    It swung its pale white broadsword in a brilliant arch that left me with a gash even though I had managed to dodge it.


    My heartbeat quickened as various scenarios raced through my head. In this life-or-death ce facing monsters in my debilitated state, there was only one thing I could do: risk it all.


    If I wasn¡¯t prepared to give up my life, I knew I wouldn¡¯t survive in this ce.


    Lunging forward as the sword chimera¡¯srge de skidded on the smooth marble surface with a screech, I grabbed its arm and bit down and consumed the purple aura surrounding it.


    The sword chimera let out a mournful wail, revealing a mouthful of needle-pointed teeth. The chimera iled wildly in pain but I clung on, trying to hurt it in any way I could. Kicks and punches hurt me more than it hurt the chimera but as I continued consuming the purple-tinged aura surrounding the chimera¡¯s sword-wielding arm, I felt my strength growing.


    An explosion resounded this time and the entire room shook madly, throwing me off the chimera.


    The chimera kicked me with its long, leathery leg and I mmed against the wall, coughing up blood and a couple of teeth.


    ¡°Arthur!¡± I heard in the distance as my consciousness faded in and out.


    Ahead of me, marching towards me was an army of chimeras, each wielding a different weapon made of bone and muscle.


    Another explosion resounded, much closer this time, and the ground in front of me burst into shards of marble and blood.


    A guttural scream tore out of my throat as a pool of blood formed just where my left leg had been. It was the chimera holding what looked like a gun, its hollowed bone pointed right at me.


    Dragging my body across the floor as the chimeras approached, almost tauntingly slow, I reached for the door we hade through¡ªthe door to the sanctuary.


    Pulling myself up to my single good leg, I pulled at the handle. It wouldn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°Come on!¡± I pleaded, yanking at the metal handle futilely.


    Regis, who had floated back to me, let out a sigh. ¡°My life sucked.¡±


    I heard a faint whistle before a piercing pain erupted once more, this time from my left shoulder.


    Gritting through the pain, I kept myself from falling by pressing myself against the wall and grabbing ahold of the handle for support.


    That¡¯s when I saw it. Amongst all of the aetheric runes and symbols etched onto this door, there was a single part that I recognized from when I had watched Elder Rinia activating the teleportation gate in the ancient mage¡¯s hideout.


    Pressing myself harder against the wall for support, I used my only good hand to trace the aetheric runes.


    Nothing happened.


    ¡°Damn it! Please!¡± I pleaded, trying again.


    I screamed once more as another arrow pierced my lower back, dangerously close to my spine. I gripped the handle again, to keep myself from falling, when I saw the same faint purple aura the chimeras emitted around Regis.


    My eyes widened. ¡°Regis, quick,e here!¡±


    ¡°Okay, but you¡¯re not going to eat me, right?¡± Regis said, uncertain.


    ¡°Hurry!¡± I hissed. ¡°Get in my hand!¡±


    The ck will-o-wisp darted into my right hand, and I almost cheered in delight at what I saw. My hand was tinted in a faint aura of purple.


    Quickly, I traced through the runes again, shifting it ever-so-slightly so that its function of opening was enabled.


    The hum of the door unlocking was heavenly, but my eyes widened as I spotted the gun-wielding chimera fully loaded and a thick cluster of purple gathered at the nozzle.


    Prying the door open just enough for me to squeeze through, I lunged back inside the sanctuary just in time to feel the door shudder from the force of the chimera¡¯s shotgun shell.

 Chapter 254

    Chapter 254


    Chapter 254: Round Two


    I toppled forward, copsing hard on the cold marble floor of the sanctuary as a pool of dark crimson began spreading around me.


    Struggling against the numbing grasp that threatened to rip my consciousness away, I crawled away from the door, desperate to get as far away from those monstrosities as possible.


    ¡°Arthur,¡± Regis muttered, his voice soft.


    With the plethora of wounds driving hot needles through my body and mind, I focused on trying to keep myself alive.


    Reaching a shaking hand over my shoulder, I gripped the shaft of one of the bone arrows lodged in my back.


    I stifled a scream as tears rolled down my face. Without mana to protect my body and adrenaline to dull the pain, even touching the arrow sent spikes of burning agony through my back.


    Letting out a guttural yell, I snapped the shaft off. A wave of nausea overcame me and I threw up on the ground. With nothing in my stomach, I heaved water and stomach acid until all I could do was gag.


    It took a few minutes for my body to calm down¡ªhonestly, it could¡¯ve been longer since I cked out a few times in between. Mustering what little strength I had left, I brought the bone shaft up to my mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to¡ªoh, yup yeah you are.¡±


    Regis regarded me with a grimace but I didn¡¯t care. The aetheric aura was pure nourishment for me and I already felt strength returning to my body.


    I snapped off the other shaft lodged in my side, barely able to keep myself from throwing up. I consumed the aetheric essence from that as well, thinking of how I was going to get out of here now that I only had one leg.


    The pool of crimson that had spread underneath me began to dry, a good sign that I wasn¡¯t bleeding anymore.


    After polishing off both arrows, I dragged myself to the fountain. Gulping down mouthfuls of the clear cold water as my body grew limp and eyelids became heavier, I leaned back against the side of the marble fountain and let the darkness ovee me.


    ***


    I was jolted out of my slumber in a fit of coughs as if I had been drowning in my sleep. I clutched at my chest, gasping for air as the wounds on my back burned.


    Suddenly, Regis shot out of my chest.


    ¡°What...the hell are you doing?¡± I asked, controlling my breathing.


    ¡°I swear that wasn¡¯t me. Okay, maybe it was a little me,¡± Regis replied with a guilty expression.


    I shot him a re that sent him retreating back a few more feet. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what I found out while you were sleeping, but first, check out your body!¡±


    Confused, I looked down, preparing myself for the worst. I had gotten shot three times in the back and once on my left leg before that same leg had been blown apart by a shotgun that I could only imagine Satan himself wielding.


    However when my gaze reached my legs, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a sharp breath. There it was, my left leg¡ªbare from the thigh down butpletely intact and without a scratch. I touched, prodded and pinched my leg to make it sure it was real, to make sure that it was mine.


    ¡°Neat, huh! You¡¯re like some sort of weird starfish or spider,¡± Regis said excitedly.


    I let out augh, unable to contain my relief. ¡°You can¡¯t think of a better life form topare me to?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was going to say lizard but they can only regrow their tails and that¡¯s not technically¡ª¡±


    ¡°Okay, I get it,¡± I chuckled before studying my leg more closely. ¡°I get healing a few gashes and puncture wounds but my left leg waspletely blown off. Do you have any idea how I was able to do that?¡±


    ¡°I was getting to that,¡± Regis began. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you got the idea of eating the aethering from those monsters but that saved you¡ªno, it more than saved you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Your physiology right now is neither human nor asura. It¡¯s something in between because of the sacrificial aether art Sylvie used on you. The problem you had once you became conscious was that your mana core is damaged beyond repair. Unlike a lesser, without a functioning and rather powerful mana core to boot, you can¡¯t sustain this body.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense. How would my own body not be able to support...my body?¡± I asked.


    ¡°If you think of why asuras are so innately powerful, it¡¯s because unlike lessers, their body is reliant on mana to operate. Since the moment asuras are born, their mana cores are constantly being taxed to even sustain their very lives. If their mana cores broke, their whole body would slowly copse.¡±


    I grimaced. ¡°Okay, so since I don¡¯t have a mana core, my body is slowly shutting down?¡±


    ¡°It was, until you savagely started eating the aether from those monsters like some starving zombie,¡± Regis exined. ¡°After that, your body began to sustain itself a little better.¡±


    I looked down at my hands and feet, marveling at how different this body waspared to my old one. It wasn¡¯t just my exterior appearance that had changed.


    ¡°And more exciting still...remember when you were like, ¡®Regis, get in my hand!¡¯?¡± Regis said in a voice annoyingly simr to mine. ¡°Well you thought that it was the aether from me that you were manipting, right? It was actually the aether you already had inside your body. For some reason, when I went into your hand, all of that aether you had consumed¡ªwhich had been spread throughout your body¡ªcame toward me.¡±


    ¡°Interesting...wait, does that mean you can basically siphon aether out of my body and use it for yourself?¡± I asked, suspicious.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Regis answered before hurriedly continuing. ¡°But I didn¡¯t! Okay, maybe a little, but only once I knew your life wasn¡¯t in danger! Until then, I went inside your leg and made sure all of the aether you had left in your body was focused on regenerating it. That¡¯s why your leg is in perfect shape while the injuries on your back aren¡¯t fully healed.¡±


    I let out a sigh, tired by how my ownpanion was trying to pull fast ones over me.


    ¡°Look, I could go walk over to that door and trigger the range limit to put you in pain¡ªhell, give me a few hours and I can think of even more creative ways to punish your incorporeal ass, but I don¡¯t think keeping you on a tight leash is how we¡¯re going to get out of here.¡±


    Regis¡¯ eyes widened at the thought before he nodded fervently.


    ¡°So you said that the aether I consume is spread around my body, momentarily nourishing and strengthening it before it¡¯s all used up, correct?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yup. From what I gathered, the aether tries to keep you at an optimal state so it prioritizes recovering wounds first, which is probably why you don¡¯t feel that much stronger.¡±


    ¡°Good. And I¡¯m guessing that if you consume the aether in my body, you¡¯ll get stronger too in some way or another?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what it feels like right now, didn¡¯t you notice?¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°Notice what?¡±


    ¡°My horns! They grew like an eighth of an inch!¡±


    I stared at him, deadpan until he let out a cough.


    ¡°Anyway...what were you were saying, my beautiful master?¡±


    I pointed at the metal door a few feet away. ¡°We¡¯re going to go back out there and try to harvest as much aetheric essence as possible either from the arrows or from those chimeras themselves ande back here.¡±


    Regis¡¯ eyes grew wide ¡°Seriously? To what end?¡±


    ¡°Until I get strong enough to kill them all,¡± I said matter-of-factly.


    Crossing through the door and walking up to the triggering point in the hallway wasn¡¯t any easier the second time. The fact that we knew what wasing actually made it worse, but this time my body felt just a bit lighter and stronger, plus I knew what to expect.


    With a rumble and explosion of stone fragments, the bow-wielding chimera broke loose from its statue first¡ªthe same asst time.


    I broke into a sprint back toward the door to the sanctuary. I couldn¡¯t allow myself to get surrounded here.


    The goal was simple. Consume as much aether from the chimeras as I could while sustaining as little injuries as possible. The fewer injuries I had, the more aether that I consumed would go into strengthening Regis and my own body.


    ¡°So,¡± Regis began as we continued fleeing back while more stone statues began splintering. ¡°We split the aether 50/50?¡±


    ¡°Nice try,¡± I scoffed. ¡°80/20 after my wounds have been healed.¡±


    Regis clicked his tongue...or made a sound that resembled it. ¡°Stingy-ass.¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you be an actual weapon of some sort after getting stronger, I can allocate some more to you,¡± I replied, looking back over my shoulder.


    The two of us parted ways as the chimera leapt off the podium it was on andnded with a ¡®thud¡¯. Locking its beady eyes at me, it unhinged its needled teeth-filled jaw and let out a monstrous wail that sent chills down my spine.


    Maintaining my bnce in this body while moving anything faster than a brisk walk took more control than when I was a toddler.


    Still, I managed to make it back close enough to the sanctuary door without tripping this time. Whirling around to face the chimera, I stared as it ripped off one of its spiked vertebrae and nocked it on its bone bow.


    The chimera released its attack,unching the bone arrow in a piercing howl that tore through the air.


    I rolled out of the way, not trusting myself to dodge by a small margin. As the arrow struck the wall, the entire room trembled, and before I could even gather myself, the chimera already had two arrows ready to fire in its bow.


    It didn¡¯t do thatst time, I thought.


    Thankfully, Regis had reached the chimera by this time and was dancing crazily around its face.


    The arrows missed their mark, allowing me some time to snap off the shafts of the arrow from the stone wall. I saved an arrow forter and consumed the aetheric essence off of the other one.


    Things seemed to go more-or-less ording to n for the first few minutes until the second chimera broke loose. Then the third and a fourth...and a fifth.


    ¡°They¡¯re breaking out faster this time!¡± Regis roared, still keeping the bow chimera upied.


    Cursing inwardly, my gaze shifted between the three chimeras racing toward me like frenzied animals holding weapons and the entrance back to the sanctuary.


    I buried the temptation of leaving this soon. I wasn¡¯t injured and I had consumed a bit of aether but that was nowhere enough now. My initial n of harvesting a few arrows from the bow-wielding chimera to slowly get stronger over time had gone down the drain now that the possibility of the chimeras breaking free faster each time had dawned on me.


    I wasn¡¯t strong enough to beat them this round and I needed to get a lot stronger for the next round or I had no hope of going past this floor, let alone this entire dungeon.


    The chimera wielding a whip made from the spine of somerge serpent reached me first. Its weapon blurred in a barrage of swipes, sweeps and strikes, each of which created divots and splintered the ground.


    Hardened battle instincts and decades of fighting knowledge made up for what little strength and control I had over this body. I ducked, rolled and weaved through the spiked whip, but I was just barely holding on even before the other two chimeras reached us.


    The room was soon in chaos as Regis did his best to upy the bow-wielding and shotgun-wielding chimera while I coped with the rest.


    I clung onto chimeras as soon as their strikes missed and their weapons had be stuck in the ground from the sheer force of the attacks before consuming their aetheric essence to regenerate the wounds rued throughout this little game of tag.


    Every so often, the room would rumble after the shotgun fired off somewhere. Thankfully, Regis was doing his part.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± Regis suddenly called.


    My gaze immediatelynded on the bow chimera poised tounch three arrows before I whirled around and dove toward the sword chimera¡¯s swing.


    I had managed to avoid the sword just as I heard the deadly howls of the arrows. Following the swing¡¯s momentum, I gripped the chimera¡¯s sword arm and tossed the chimera over my shoulder in line with the three arrows.


    The sheer impact of the arrows hitting the sword chimera knocked me off my feet and sent me tumbling back while the sword chimera toppled over me andnded on the whip chimera.


    I watched in excitement as the chimera writhed in pain and just as an inkling of hope manifested in me, a blur whizzed by and the blunt end of the other chimera¡¯s spear struck me.


    Barely managing to guard the blow with my arms, I let out a gasp as the air was forced out of my lungs.


    ¡°Arthur!¡± I heard Regis yell as I flew back and hit the wall with such force that I felt something more than just the wall crack behind me.


    I copsed on the floor, blood pooling underneath me even faster than the time I lost a leg.


    Both my arms had been broken from guarding against the blow and my consciousness wavered.


    Contorting my body, I pried the broken arrow I had saved with my teeth and began swallowing the aetheric essence.


    My right arm was shattered beyond use but I was now able to move my left arm. With strength slowly returning, I managed to pull myself up off the floor.


    The room was just a few steps to my left and the temptation to just go back grew stronger. I weighed my options, trying to figure out the best way for me to survive when a beastly roar captured my attention.


    The sword chimera and bow chimera were fighting...against each other.


    The whip and spear chimera realized that I was still alive and raced toward me. A few minutes ago, I would¡¯ve epted this as my death, but now, a n had solidified in my head.


    My eyes locked onto the whip chimera just a bit ahead of its spear-wielding friend and with a sharp breath, I dashed toward it.


    The chimera reacted by brandishing its skeletal whip as it continued its charge toward me. However, just before it was within range, I turned sharply to my right¡ªnearly tripping in the process¡ªand headed toward the spear chimera.


    I only have one shot at this.


    Not wanting its prey to get away, the first chimera struck its whip at me with a sharp ¡®crack¡¯.


    Now!


    I raised my only able arm holding the bone shaft and blocked the tail end of the whip before it spun around the bone arrow.


    Come on...


    Now with the tail end of the whip in my grasp, I dove down just below the spear chimera¡¯s midsection swing and used the whip as a tripwire.


    The spear chimera toppled forward and crashed into the wall in a thunderous crash.


    Unfortunately for me, the whip that I had been holding onto jerked back, taking me with it.


    With an angered roar, the chimera prepared to deal its finishing blow as its foot pressed down my chest when another bellow echoed just beside us.


    Sess!


    Speary charged relentlessly and lunged its spear into its whip-wielding friend¡¯s shoulder. Soon, the two chimeras were battling amongst themselves. All that was left was for thest stage of my n.


    The shotgun chimera was slow to reload its gun but each attack made a crater in the wall or floor of the hallway. I was just thankful that Regis was able to blind it enough so it wouldn¡¯t be too much of a threat.


    Now, I needed to take advantage of that threat.


    ¡°Regis! Keep its eyes covered but steer its gun toward me!¡± I barked after narrowly rolling away from Speary and Whippy¡¯s scuffle.


    Unlike before, mypanion didn¡¯t question themand and utched itself from the shotgun chimera¡¯s face just enough to keep its vision mostly obscured.


    Enraged, the chimera swung its gun at Regis who was zipping around its face.


    With no time to waste, I scrambled past Speary and Whippy and positioned myself in front of them just as the chimera Regis was harassing had fully charged up its gun.


    ¡°Now!¡± I roared.


    Regis flew towards me and I found myself staring down the barrel of the chimera¡¯s shotgun once more.


    This time, however, it was on purpose.


    Timing it up until the veryst moment, I leaped out of the way just as the chimera fired, letting the bullets rain down on Whippy and Speary.


    I gritted through the pain that shot up my shattered arm and back, astonished by the sight before me.


    The shotgun had punched holes through both the spear and whip chimera¡ªboth of whom whereying limp.


    The n had worked better than I expected.


    With no time to lose, I ran to the two chimeras that were tangled up in the chimera¡¯s long whip and dragged them toward the door.


    A feral roar ripped out from the shotgun chimera¡¯s throat, getting the attention of the arrow and sword chimera that had been fighting each other. The two regarded each other for a moment before their beady eyesnded on me.


    Crap.


    I heaved even harder, my eyes glued on the bow chimera reading its arrow and the sword chimera sprinting toward me.


    ¡°Regis!¡± I called out, not able to see the floating ck fireball anywhere.


    ¡°Here,¡± Regis groaned, manifesting just beside me. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that it would take this long for me to form back after being obliterated.¡±


    An arrow whizzed, barely grazing me on the leg as I continued pulling the corpses of the two chimeras back toward the sanctuary with only one arm.


    I let out a roar, mustering everyst bit of my strength in pulling the giant chimeras.


    Another arrow whizzed. Without the strength and time to do much else, I pivoted my body so the arrow would strike my right shoulder, sacrificing my debilitated arm to keep the rest of my body able.


    A piercing pain burned through me and I almost fell back from the force of the blow but I managed to stay on my feet.


    The sword chimera was less than ten feet away by the time we reached the door and I had activated the aether runes to allow our escape.


    I hauled the two chimeras through the portal, and even while I was physically inside the sanctuary, my heart pounded against my cracked ribs when I saw the spine whip slowly untangling itself around the two chimeras.


    Barely managing to pull the whip chimera through the portal, I scrambled forward and began pulling back the spear chimera as well but as the whip around the spear chimera loosened, I felt a strong force pulling it back.


    ¡°No!¡± I roared, watching the spear chimera slip back through the portal as the sword chimera pulled it back.


    ¡°We need to close the door!¡± Regis shouted, shooting out of my hand.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± I cursed before giving up and shutting therge metal door close.

 Chapter 255

    Chapter 255


    Chapter 255: Victory


    My body shuddered as I let out a deep breath. Looking down at my body, I could see people mistaking me for a young noble barely in his twenties. Without a scar or blemish on me, the perfectly defined muscles that ran down my arms, torso and legs looked like they had been painted on, rather than acquired through training.


    A faint aura of purple enveloped me, slowly dimming as more and more aether dissipated from my body. However, the biggest difference was something I could feel rather than see.


    It was a feeling that differed from when I had enhanced my old body with mana... It was even different from how I felt after unlocking the third stage of the Sylvia¡¯s dragon will in my fight against Nico. The strength pumping through me didn¡¯t feel borrowed or artificially imnted¡ªit felt like it was mine.


    Approaching the nearby wall of the sanctuary, I squeezed my hand into a fist. My own eyes failed to properly see my hand as it struck the wall with a deafening explosion.


    The entire room shook as water from the fountain spilled on the ground. While barely a crack had formed on the wall, I was still content; I knew that the force of my blow just now was enough to easily punch arge hole through even the thick metal gates of the Wall.


    I looked down to see the wound on my fist already closing and healing itself. Turning around, I silently thanked the corpse of the giant chimera that had now been reduced to a pile of withered bones now that the aetheric essence holding it together had been absorbed.


    ¡°Ayy! You finally look a bit more like a man¡ªat least, your body, that is,¡± Regis eximed, studying me.


    ¡°And you still look like a blob of ink,¡± I quipped, swatting him away.


    I expected my hand to simply pass through him like it usually did, but this time I felt some resistance upon contact.


    ¡°Woah,¡± I said, startled.


    Regis waggled his brows in an expression that I could only see as lewd. ¡°Did you get a good feel for my muscles?¡±


    I wiped my hand on my pants. ¡°Gross.¡±


    Regisughed, zipping around the air as if he were flying for the first time.


    I shook my head. ¡°We should leave now. I can feel the aetheric essence leaving my body by the second and I need as much as possible if we¡¯re going to kill all of those chimeras.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± mypanion replied with confidence. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    Taking onest deep breath to calm myself, I pushed open the door.


    My body tensed and my heart pounded against my ribs. Even though my mind knew I stood a much better chance against the chimeras, the fear and pain had been deeply ingrained into my body.


    ¡°Third time and this ce is still creepy even without the chimeras trying to kill us,¡± Regis groused.


    We continued walking, trying to make out any differences from thest time we came here. I hoped that the whip chimera that we had killed wouldn¡¯t be here but its statue remained intact and looked somehow even scarier than the previous times.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious how the party before us got through,¡± I wondered, my head still turning left and right as I scanned our surroundings. ¡°How strong are those three?¡±


    Regis shrugged. ¡°Hopefully we¡¯ll never have to find out.¡±


    I must¡¯ve reached the activation point because the room suddenly rumbled.


    However, unlike the previous two times, that was the only warning¡ªno gradual crumbling of the statues, no time spent prying themselves free from their encasings.


    ¡°So I was right,¡± I sighed. ¡°They do break out faster each time.¡±


    Regis rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯d p slowly, apuding you for your incredible foresight but¡ªy¡¯know¡ªno hands.¡±


    All of the chimeras immediately leaped out from their podiums and let out a shrill screech in unison.


    I got into a fighting stance, my trained eyes taking in the position and weapons of the twelve chimeras surrounding us.


    I focused on the three chimeras wielding long-ranged weapons: a bow, a shotgun, and dual crossbows.


    After making sure that the Sylvie egg was tucked tightly beneath my leather vest, I pushed the ground beneath my feet, propelling myself to the nearest chimera.


    ¡°I know the rough timing of the shotgun chimera. Keep the one with the crossbows upied!¡± I ordered as I drove my fist into a chimera wielding two maces made from the skull of a giant ape-like beast.


    The chimera was sent a few steps back from the force of the blow and it screeched in pain but was able to make a desperate swing with one of its maces.


    I ducked under its path and released a wide hook straight into its exposed ribcage. It buckled and let out another wail but before I could capitalize on its injuries, an arrow caught me in my leg, going straight through my thigh.


    Gritting through the pain, I tackled the mace chimera onto its back and focused on the other chimeras fast approaching.


    Keeping the position of the shotgun and bow chimera always in mind, I dashed toward the next chimera.


    Each step I took, each punch I threw, I could feel more of the aether that I had gathered being spent. Even as I consumed aether mid-battle from the various chimeras, I was expending it much faster than I could absorb it and I had only managed to barely kill three.


    Making sure that my breathing remained controlled and movements sharp and unwasted, I mustered forward, using the same tactics I had used thest round. I was able to make two chimeras kill each other until the shotgun chimera quelled its forces with a gutteral warcry.


    Meanwhile, Regis continued to upy the crossbow chimera. Based on the speed at which its weapons reloaded and the power each bone bolt contained, I made the right choice in making Regis blind that one.


    Still, as I killed more and more, an uneasiness spread from my stomach.


    The entire hallway was littered with fragments of stone from the crumbled statues and the divots dug up from the battle ensuing.


    I could tell that I had used over half of the aether I had gathered from the whip chimera, and the ones left were stronger than the ones I had killed.


    ¡°It¡¯s never easy, is it,¡± I muttered under my breath, my eyes focused on the chimera with serrated daggers for hands.


    Another idea began to form as my gaze shifted from the dagger chimera to the sword chimera.


    Dodging the arrows of the bow chimera and picking two of them up, I locked onto the one wielding twin daggers.


    Before I engaged, I hurled the arrow like a javelin, letting its tip bury itself into the arm of the sword chimera.


    With no time to rx, I dipped and weaved through the flurry of swings from thenky dagger chimera. My mind brought up scenes from almost ten years ago when I had sparred against Jasmine on a daily basis while starting my time as an adventurer.


    However, unlike the way Jasmine seemed to almost dance with her daggers in hand, this chimera¡¯s techniques were crude and relied on its long reach and ridiculous strength and speed.


    Whoever made these things might have imbued the physical prowess of an S ss mana beast, but it¡¯s intellect and technique were subpar.


    I continued skirting just out of reach from the dagger-wielding chimera, leading it around the palm of its hands now that I was fast enough to easily dodge its swings. I couldn¡¯t make them kill each other while the shotgun chimera continued keeping its distance from me and shooting every so often. However, I was able to use wild swings made by the dagger chimera to give injuries to the other chimeras trying to kill me as well.


    Growing more and more frustrated by its inability to even touch me, the dagger chimera let out sharp screeches, swinging its two daggers until a rather desperate overhead swing dug one of its des a bit too deeply into the ground.


    Finally with an opportunity in ce, I jumped up, using its arm as a tform to reach its head in a roundhouse kick that snapped the arm stuck on the ground.


    Just in time, the sword chimera found the perfect opportunity to kill me with its giant sword¡ªregardless of whether its attack would also kill the dagger chimera as well.


    Gotcha.


    Immediately taking the other arrow I had picked up earlier, I defended the overhead strike of the giant sword and redirected its path straight onto the broken arm of the dagger chimera.


    I felt my left shoulder pop out of its socket from the sheer impact, but it worked. The dagger had been cut cleanly off from the rest of the chimera¡¯s arm.


    The dagger chimera let out a loud wail of pain, distracting the sword chimera just long enough for me to free the severed dagger from the ground.


    The dagger in my hand looked more like a longsword, but the all-too-familiar sensation of a sword in my hand filled me with a newfound confidence.


    Pissed off by the fact that I was using one of its hands as my own weapon, the dagger chimera ignored its injuries and scuttled toward me using all three of its remaining limbs.


    Quickly popping the dislocated shoulder back in ce, I gripped my new sword with both hands and smirked. ¡°I finally got a weapon.¡±


    ¡°Oh bite me!¡± Regis snapped, his speed noticeably slower as he continued buzzing around the enraged crossbow chimera.


    All it took was one step to avoid the desperate strike of the dagger chimera and a pivot to dodge the arrow of the bow chimera before I swung my new sword. And with that single swing, the severed bug-like head of the dagger chimera rolled on the floor.


    The soft glow of purple surrounding the chimera¡¯s dagger in my hand dimmed with that one swing and I knew that this weapon wouldn¡¯tst much longer.


    Cutting the other dagger off the headless chimera¡¯s arm, I left it close by as I started my onught.


    The sword chimera was next, its legs cut first before I stabbed my decaying dagger into its throat.


    Four more seconds until the shotgun chimera is finished reloading.


    I dashed past a chimera wielding ance and shield as I knew it was one of the stronger ones, and I aimed my sword at an old friend of mine.


    The whip chimera let out a shrill cry as I stabbed my sword into its gut and carved a line straight through its torso.


    Discarding the dagger that had begun to crumble apart, I ran for the other dagger, dodging a barrage of arrows. Picking up the dagger on the ground, I prepared to rush the archer first when an earth-shattering roar resounded from behind.


    I whirled around, prepared to dodge or block whatever wasing¡ªexcept nothing was. It was the shotgun chimera that let out the thundering cry, but it wasn¡¯t pointing its shotgun at me. It was standing tall with its arms spread wide.


    It let out another roar, even louder this time, and the remaining seven chimeras that were still alive began barreling toward its leader.


    Even the crossbow chimera ignored Regis and rushed toward the sound of its leader¡¯s cry, leaving the two of us confused and wary.


    ¡°What in Hell¡¯s name is going on now,¡± Regis groaned, floating by my side now.


    Every fiber of my body screamed at me to run away. Unfortunately, the shotgun chimera was just in front of the door to the sanctuary and the rest had almost gathered together.


    Spinning on my heels, I rushed to the metal door leading to the next level of this godforsaken dungeon and yanked at the rune-covered handle.


    It didn¡¯t budge.


    Cursing internally, I scanned every inch of the door, looking for any familiar aetheric runes that I could alter like the door to the sanctuary.


    ¡°Uhh...Arthur?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I snapped, my eyes darting left and right, trying to find something that would get this thing to open.


    ¡°They¡¯re...piling on top of each other,¡± Regis continued.


    Despite my body screaming at me to focus on getting out of here, I couldn¡¯t resist.


    My eyes widened in horror at what I saw.


    The chimeras weren¡¯t simply piling on top of one another. With my enhanced vision, I was able to clearly make out the chimeras...devouring each other.


    ¡°How intoxicating to watch,¡± Regis mumbled, eyes wide. ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll just end up killing each other like that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± The aetheric essence enveloping their bodies grew thicker as they continued to eat each other in a pile of flesh and bone.


    I turned to the door, not wanting to stick around for what was toe. Unfortunately, the door wouldn¡¯t budge and unlike the door to the sanctuary, there were no runes that I could decipher.


    I mmed my fists against the door in frustration before I turned back toward the monstrosity I would have to face.


    Luckily, they were still in the middle of whatever process they were undergoing.


    Picking up the dagger beside me, I dashed toward the pile of chimeras. If I can¡¯t run away from them, I¡¯ll just have to try and do as much damage as I can before it fully forms.


    I swung and stabbed therge serrated dagger in areas where the aetheric essence had gathered the most but aside from the asional wails of pain and brief spasms, the chimeras continued devouring each other. ¡°Come on. Just die already!¡±


    Suddenly, another sharp chill ran down my spine as a pair of gleaming red eyes shot open.


    A split secondter, a st of purple erupted from the mass of chimera bodies and hit me like a lead wall.


    The concussive force spread, sting both Regis and I into the air. Barely holding onto my consciousness, I anchored myself to the ground, gripping one of the divots created by the chimeras to keep myself from rolling.


    Regis tottered toward me. ¡°Well that friggin¡¯ hurt.¡±


    My brows furrowed ¡°That hurt you too?¡±


    That¡¯s not good.


    My mind whirled, trying to think of a n to kill that hunk of bone and flesh when an earthly roar resounded. I looked up, afraid of what my eyes would see this time.


    And what I saw was worse than what I had imagined.


    Like one of those old shooting games I had yed with Nico and Cecilia in my past life at the rundown retro arcade, the creatures had merged into its final form.


    The monstrosity that was close to a hundred feet away towered over the second row of sconces, bringing it up to about twenty feet in height. It had three heads and stood on six legs that jutted out from the bottom of itsnky torso.


    While it only had two arms, one of them was abination of the shotgun and crossbows merged together with long spines jutting from its forearms. The other arm wasposed of the whip with a spiked sickle at the end that screeched while it dragged on the ground as the creature skittered toward us.


    The thought of luring it away from the door and escaping back to the sanctuary crossed my mind briefly, but what I feared more than facing this monster was doing this all over again.


    Clearing my thoughts from unnecessary distractions¡ªlike Regis begging us to go back¡ªI tightened my grip around the bone handle of the dagger and propelled myself forward.


    The fused chimera responded by aiming the barrel of its gun at me. I could see two of the spiked vertebrae on its forearm load and the aetheric essence coalescing until it was visible to even the naked eye.


    Waiting until thest second, I pivoted and veered right just in time to see the two bolts fire, surrounded by a concentrated st of aether.


    What I didn¡¯t expect, however, was for the monster¡¯s attack to carry the force of a missle.


    The area exploded in a dome of purple along with the debris from the demolished floor. Even though the attack had missed, the aftershock alone sted me t against the corridor wall.


    I felt several of my of my ribs crack and my vision blurred for a second as my brain threatened to shut off on me.


    Regis hovered in front of me, his expression serious, but I couldn¡¯t hear his voice over the sharp ring in my ears.


    My eyes focused back on the fused chimera, afraid to leave it out of my sight for even a second longer. Picking up the dagger that hadnded a few feet away, I charged forward, paying close attention to the flow of aether around its body.


    I knew that it would take the monster a while to charge for thatst attack again because its ster arm dangled lifelessly by its side while the aetheric essence around it dissipated into a purple smoke. I needed to make sure that it wouldn¡¯t be able to fire off another one of those attacks.


    The only problem was that the ster wasn¡¯t its only weapon. The monster swung its chain sickle at a speed that created gales of wind and gashes on the ground as it raced toward me as well.


    The closer we got, the more I felt the danger of even getting skimmed by that sickle, but I continued my assault.


    I was forced to perform at a speed that far surpassed what a normal human could ever achieve. Even I was surprised as I sidestepped, swiveled and pivoted just enough to dodge the weapon capable of slicing the marble flooring like it was made of butter. My eyes constantly flitted, pinpointing the direction the sickle woulde from based on the slightest twitch of movement made by the fused chimera.


    The flow of aether around its whip arm and around its legs was oddly familiar, allowing me to make use of my knowledge of reading mana flow. With my enhanced body, experience, and monstrous reflexes, I managed to take down two of its six legs before the monster¡¯s ster had finished charging.


    It¡¯s now or never, I determined, ducking under another swipe from the sickled end of the whip.


    I stepped forward, turning the serrated de up and preparing to swipe up as the gray blur of the creature¡¯s whip arm shed past me.


    Barely managing to pull my left arm back, I watched as the serrated dagger and the arm holding it dropped to the ground in a spray of blood.


    ¡°Arthur!¡± Regis¡¯s cry snapped me out of the momentary daze and I immediately rolled forward and grabbed the dagger from my severed arm and attacked.


    The chimera shrieked in pain as aetheric essence sttered from its severed ster arm along with part of its shoulder.


    ¡°Arm for an arm,¡± I muttered grimly as I reached down and consumed the leaking aether from the chimera¡¯s detached arm.


    Power flowed through me, and despite its effects being momentary, there was enough aether in my body to test something that I had seen from the chimera itself.


    ¡°Regis, get in my hand,¡± I ordered.


    Mypanion, although worried, flew into my hand and this time, I could feel the aether coalescing in my grip.


    I knew that aether wasn¡¯t supposed to be manipted but beckoned or ¡®influenced¡¯¡ªas the Indrath n put it¡ªbut what if there was a way to force it into submission¡ªto make it beckon to my will?


    I dashed after the disoriented chimera trying to form another arm from one of the other chimera corpses lying on the ground.


    I let the aether in my body congregate to my fist where Regisid inside, focusing on the feeling¡ªmemorizing it.


    As more and more aura condensed in my left hand, a thinyer of ck coated my hand like a smokey glove.


    I felt my pace slowing as more and more of the aether powering my body went into my hand.


    ¡®I feel like I¡¯m going to burst here. What exactly did you have in mind?¡¯ Regis said, his voice echoing in my mind.


    ¡°Just hold it in until I say so,¡± I said through gritted teeth. It felt like I was walking deeper and deeper into a pit of tar as my own body worked against me, but I was almost to the chimera.


    However, before I could go any closer, one of the chimera¡¯s three heads whirled to face me.


    Its remaining two heads twisted to look at me as well, but rather than use its remaining whip and sickle arm to attack me, it seemed...wary.


    All six of its eyes concentrated on my remaining hand.


    Almost there!


    My hand felt like it was being squeezed by two boulders as more and more aether coalesced inside it, but before I could get in range to unleash it, the very room quivered and the sconces flickered off.


    I could feel the aether in the atmosphere tremble as a baleful aura spread from where the chimera stood¡ªits six eyes now glowing purple.


    It¡¯s using the aether in its body and in the atmosphere tounch some sort of debilitating aura.


    My luck finally seemed to be turning around though. Whether it was because of this body, or because of my strong mental strength from living two lives, the aetheric intent had little effect.


    Ignoring the intensifying pain radiating from the stub of my cleaved arm, I dashed forth.


    The chimera let out a hysterical screech and began wildly swinging its whip arm.


    Concentrating on the flow of aether to determine the path of its attack, I dodged onest time and jumped up.


    ¡°Now!¡± I roared, barely able to swing my arm.


    My aether d fistnded right underneath its three heads as a st of ck and purple erupted from my attack.


    It felt like every ounce of strength had been sapped clean from my body as Iy sprawled on the ground just beside the remains of the fused chimera.


    My eyelids grew heavy as I sumbed to the dark grasp of sleep when a loud cry suddenly snapped me awake.


    ¡°Hah! Screw you, I am a weapon!¡± Regis whooped in glee.


    Despite the near-death experience we had just ovee and the fact that I was still missing an arm, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a hoarseugh.


    Barely pulling myself up to my feet, I inspected the fused chimera. I couldn¡¯t tell whether I had used space or life aether, but I had managed to create a crater in its chest, disintegrating most of its head as well.


    ¡°Good job,¡± I said to mypanion just in time to hear the soft ¡®click¡¯ of the door leading to the next stage unlocking.


    ¡°So, pretty boy, did you want to consume this hunk of bone and move onto the next room?¡± Regis asked with renewed confidence.


    ¡°Not quite,¡± I mustered, hobbling toward the fused chimera corpse. ¡°You know how you said that even asuras have mana cores that sustain and power their bodies?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Regis tilted his head. ¡°But your mana core is broken.¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± I looked back at him, images of the purple-d chimeras ingrained in my head. ¡°So what if I tried forming an aether core?¡±

 Chapter 256

    Chapter 256


    Chapter 256: The Core


    ¡°This is crazy. It¡¯s not going to work.¡±


    ¡°It might if you stop your relentless badgering,¡± I quipped, flexing the fingers of my newly regenerated arm.


    Regis zipped up to my face. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Is my genuine concern that you might blow yourself up bothering you?¡±


    I swatted him away. ¡°Yes.¡±


    My floatingpanion¡¯s smoky ck head sizzled in anger. ¡°Why are you even attempting this anyway? You just demolished the hidden boss of this level with a punch! I think you¡¯re strong enough.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t just rely on sustaining my body temporarily by eating aetheric essence off of monsters.¡±


    ¡°So your n is just to form your own power source? Geez, I wonder why the wise and powerful dragons of the Indrath n haven¡¯t thought of something like that...oh wait, they have!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember the story of the elders of the Indrath n attempting to form a core out of pure aether within the body of an infant n member that was born without a core. You literally just told me.¡±


    ¡°And what did we learn from that story?¡± Regis asked as if he were speaking to an infant himself.


    I sighed. ¡°That the baby was met with a bloody death.¡±


    ¡°So why are you still trying to do this?¡± Regis seethed.


    ¡°Because I have no other choice if I want to get stronger. I don¡¯t want to rely on temporary power boosts that I can¡¯t even control from consuming another lifeform¡¯s aetheric essence. You saw how fast it depletes from my body even when I¡¯m not fighting.¡±


    ¡°¡®That¡¯s no reason to kill yourself over this!¡±


    ¡°Regis.¡± I stared coldly into the eyes of the ck will-o-wisp. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know this from being fed my memories, but I¡¯ve barely been able to fight against retainers while scythes are in a whole other league. I¡¯m not just looking at surviving this hellish dungeon or ruin¡ªwhatever this ce is. I¡¯m looking at obtaining strength that can put me above them and up on the same level as asuras. Otherwise, getting out of here just means giving the enemy another chance at beating me back down.¡±


    Regis remained silent as he studied me, his expressionced in a mixture of frustration and concern.


    Finally, he let out a sigh. ¡°Fine. Aside from the fact that you can physically eat aether, why do you think that your attempt won¡¯t be any different from what the asuras attempted?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re forgetting that I was responsible for prematurely forming my own mana core when I was three. I¡¯ll figure something out.¡±


    ***


    The first step of my n was to spend some time closely studying the chimera.


    I studied how the aetheric essence had be bound to the chimera corpse. Despite the fact that the chimera couldn¡¯t control or manipte aether, unlike my own body, there was no leakage of the essence.


    Utilizing my unique perception of the aether around me, I conducted experiments on the corpse.


    Because it had been killed, the aether didn¡¯t actively try to regenerate the broken parts of the chimera corpse. Instead, it seemed like it was in an almost suspended state.


    Injuries that I had inflicted on the corpse postmortem weren¡¯t being regenerated, and while there was some loss of aetheric essence from the wound, there was no leakage beyond that.


    ¡°Regis, try going inside the chimera and absorbing the aether directly,¡± I said, not taking my eyes off the corpse.


    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t able to when it was alive, but I never tried it on a dead chimera,¡± Regis replied, floating toward the giant body.


    Rather than sink inside the surface of the chimera corpse, however, he bounced off.


    Regis let out a pained grunt from the impact before turning to me. ¡°Happy?¡±


    ¡°Not particrly,¡± I replied, not even bothering to look at him as I continued studying the flow of aether around the chimera corpse.


    Not able to find anything particrly insightful, I moved on to the next step¡ªhoping I¡¯d learn more.


    Closing my eyes, I sensed the aether flowing in my body just like I had when I was first trying to form my mana core.


    The entirety of my mental faculties was focused on observing how aether moved within me¡ªhow they interacted with my muscles, bones, organs, and how it dissipated from the surface of my skin constantly.


    Next, I focused on the shattered pieces of my mana core. I couldn¡¯t gather or produce mana and Sylvia¡¯s dragon will was no longer there. That meant that I had no way of using Static Void or Realmheart Physique, but the fragmented shell of my mana core was still here inside me.


    Worse yet, the aether was slowly dissolving the broken pieces of my mana core¡ªseeing them as imperfections in my body that needed to be discarded since it served no purpose.


    Thinking that all of the painstaking years of work refining and strengthening my mana core would soon disappear, sent a sharp pain through my chest, and it took all I could to pry myself out of that pithole.


    That¡¯s when it struck me. The aether saw the broken shards of my mana core as an injury... however, because it didn¡¯t serve a function anymore, it was trying to remove it from my body.


    But what if it thought that it did?


    My eyes shot open, surprising Regis who had been observing me.


    Scrambling up to my feet, I looked at the various sections of its body where multiple corpses had conjoined together to form the fused chimera, studying the creature once more from a different angle.


    The act of fusing the chimera bodies together was neither regenerating or healing¡ªbut the fact that the aether determined that this course of action was the best choice told me something.


    With my n slowly solidifying, I went back to meditating with a slight grin on my face. Unsurprisingly, just like how the chimeras couldn¡¯t actively control the aether that powered their bodies, I was unable to actively manipte it as well.


    I tested a few theories. I would purposely injure myself to study how the aether would behave and interact within my body depending on the injury while paying close attention to my thoughts. My actions would be considered insane to any passing set of eyes but I didn¡¯t care.


    I had learned something pivotal through my battles against the chimeras, namely, when Iunched the final attack against the fused chimera despite the stub of my arm bleeding profusely.


    It took a few dozen times of injuring myself to actually confirm my hypothesis, but what I realized was that intent influenced the movement of the aetheric essence within me.


    This was nowhere near the point of maniption like I had done with mana, but if I thought that regenerating a certain part of my body took precedence over another part, the aether took heed of that advice.


    I wasn¡¯t able to forcefully manipte aether like I had been able to with mana. But the very fact that aether could be influenced to do something as crazy as fusing multiple bodies together meant that the chimera¡¯s intent had tricked it.


    What if I can somehow trick the aetheric essence to fuse together my shattered remains of mana core instead of getting rid of it and have it build a new core over my broken one?


    But the aetheric essence were too dispersed within my body. At this rate it would just slowly eat away at the broken remains of my mana core rather than try fusing them together.


    But still, it could work...no, it had to work.


    Almost as soon as my thoughts solidified into an actual idea, I already knew what I had to do...


    I just didn¡¯t like the answer.


    The only reason this n had even a chance of working was because I could do something that not even dragons of the Indrath n could do.


    Letting out a deep breath, I reached in my vest and pulled out the small iridescent stone.


    I¡¯ll definitely live and bring you back out here, Sylv. Just hold on.


    Resolving myself, I got to work immediately, consuming the aetheric essence from the fused chimera corpse at a rapid pace.


    Even after my body had be overloaded with aetheric essence and a purple aura began exuding from my skin, I absorbed more of the aetheric essence, making sure I was consuming at a pace much faster than the aether would deplete from my body.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think stress eating is the way to handle this, Mdy,¡± Regis snickered.


    Ignoring Regis, I continued despite a jarring pain growing within my body. It felt like every muscle, bone, organ in my body were being pumped with fluid to the point of bursting.


    But this wasn¡¯t enough. I needed as much aetheric essence as possible if this was going to work.


    ¡°S-Seriously, Arthur. You¡¯re...sort of bleeding from your body.¡±


    Just a bit more.


    Unable to withstand the growing pain any longer, I pried myself away from the chimera corpse and sat down.


    Regis was right; it looked like I was sweating blood, beads of red trailing down my body. My vision spun and pulsated while I could feel my heart beating madly against my chest.


    Controlling my breathing in order to keep myself from passing out, I grabbed a bone arrow on the ground in front of me and held it directly below my ribcage. ¡°Regis. Position yourself right where my mana core used to be on my mark and leave as soon as I tell you, okay?¡±


    Regis stared down at the sharp arrow in my hands. ¡°What are you nning on doing with that?¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡± I repeated through gritted teeth, barely able to breathe.


    Regis let out a groan. ¡°Okay.¡±


    With that, I plunged the arrow deep into my sternum in the small space just between my liver and stomach where the mana core was held. And just for good measure, I twisted the arrow.


    ¡°What the f¡ª¡±


    ¡°Now!¡± I snapped, keeping my eyes closed in concentration.


    Pulling the arrow out of my body, I sped my hands over my wound as Regis flew inside me.


    Immediately, like millions of tiny insects crawling inside every inch of my body, I felt all of the aether held inside me coalescing to where Regis and my fatal wound were.


    Just as the aether was about to reach the area where Regis stayed, attracted two-fold by the ck will-o-wisp and my fatal injury, I barked at him to leave.


    A ck shadow zipped out of me almost instantaneously and the aether that had gathered within the vicinity all condensed together to heal my injury.


    Every ounce of my brain focused on maintaining this meditative state, forming a core around the coalescing aether where my old mana core used to be.


    Some of the aether had leaked to close the hole below my chest, but with the worst of the injury right where my old mana core used to be, I was able to attract most of it.


    So under the premises that: unlike even dragons, I was able to absorb aether directly into my body; I had Regis, who interacted in a way where he naturally attracted the aether within me; the remains of my mana core still existed inside me; and I could influence the aether a bit to a certain extent, I proceeded to the most important step.


    ***


    The concept of time eluded me as the battle between my wits and the aether gathered around the fragmented parts of my mana core ensued.


    I needed to not only trick the aether raging in the center of my body to restore the mana core rather than to break it down, but I also needed it to rebuild my broken mana core around thepressed orb of aether that had been tricked into gathering at this focal point.


    If forming my mana core for the first time when I was a toddler had been difficult, this was next to impossible. Every slight twitch of internal movement or leak of intent could cause the condensed orb of aetheric essence to break down my mana core until it waspletely wiped away from my body. I didn¡¯t have a second chance.


    It felt like every experience, every tribtion that I had gone through was for this moment. I was being tested to my utmost limit, concentrating through the sheer agony of the injury I had self-inflicted and the raging ball of godly power that I was trying to trick to bend to my will.


    Finally, as thest bits of my old mana core had be restored, encasing the condensed gathering of aether within, my world erupted into a sea of purple.


    By the time I came to, my head felt like it had been split in two, and my breathing was ragged. Prying my eyelids open, I was greeted with the sight of a smirking Regis in front of the familiar backdrop of the battle-scarred walls of the chimera hallway.


    ¡°Wee back, Sleeping Beauty,¡± Regis chuckled.


    I pushed myself off my back, sitting up. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Well, after youmitted seppuku and satpletely still for about a full day, your body suddenlybusted into purple mes and then you passed out for another two days,¡± the ck ball of me exined before shooting me another grin. ¡°But you did it, you sick sadistic bastard!¡±


    That¡¯s right, my core!


    Taking a moment, I concentrated internally, getting a feel for the state of my body.


    Regis was right, I had done it...I had sessfully forged a new core. The color struck me as odd¡ªit was closer to a red color, like magenta¡ªbut it still held the ethereal purple sheen of aether.


    I had done what even the asuras of the Indrath n couldn¡¯t do.


    I had forged an aether core.

 Chapter 257

    Chapter 257


    Chapter 257: Forbidden Fruit


    The purplish-red core thrummed with life inside me, wishing to be unleashed.


    I could feel the grin stered on my face, impatient to test out my new powers...whatever they were.


    Despite the urge to let loose, I had one thing to test out first¡ªperhaps the most important thing.


    Taking a deep breath, I meditated. Focusing on my newly forged core and the ambient aether surrounding us, I slowed my breath.


    Force of habit made me assume that the breathing technique that I had utilized to gather ambient mana could be applied to absorbing aether. That wasn¡¯t the case, however, concentrating on my aether core in a way that almost felt like I was flexing it caused a change to stir outside my body.


    Almost immediately, the effects were made clear.


    ¡°What? What is it?¡± Regis asked impatiently.


    I opened my eyes, looking at the horned will-o-wisp with a smirk. ¡°I can gather ambient aether into my body and core now.¡±


    Regis¡¯ nonexistent jaw dropped, his white eyes widening. ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Consuming the aether from these chimeras directly is definitely faster and more potent, but at least now I¡¯m not dependent on running into beasts fueled by aether. Even if the monsters here are filled with them, who knows if I¡¯d be able to find one outside of this dungeon,¡± I exined.


    Regis nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good. Now I don¡¯t need to worry about you dropping dead because you couldn¡¯t get a meal.¡±


    ¡°Aww, are you worrying about your master?¡± I teased.


    ¡°Master shmaster, my life is tethered to your pasty ass,¡± the ck orb of fire scoffed.


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°If I knew that my weapon would turn out like this, I would¡¯ve taken my chances in getting to white core by myself.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, my effeminate little wonderboy. Now, keep testing! We need to know exactly what your limits are before we go on to that next stage.¡±


    Concentrating on my core once more, I released a bit of aether and focused it on my hand. However, as soon as the aether left my core, it spread throughout my body.


    Furrowing my brows, I tried again, visualizing the aether flowing through my...mana channels.


    ¡°Crap,¡± I muttered, realizing the problem. Out of desperation, I tried once more, only to be met with the same result. The short concentrated burst of aether that I had expelled from my newly forged core, was once again distributed evenly throughout my body. ¡°Damn it!¡±


    ¡°What happened? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t control the distribution of the aether from my core,¡± I said, trying once more to no avail. I could definitely feel the aether strengthening my body but the amount left by the time it reached the hand that I actually wanted was just a small fraction.


    Regis frowned in confusion. ¡°Huh? But what about your mana chan¡ªohh...I see the problem.¡±


    I let out a sigh. ¡°Even when I finally think things are working our way, there¡¯s an even bigger mountain to climb.¡±


    Regis shrugged, flying toward the unlocked exit. ¡°Nothing we can do but move forward.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Let¡¯s go back to the sanctuary.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m not able to control the aether inside me, then I need to at least strengthen my core and even if it gets harder here, we at least know what to expect on this floor,¡± I exined.


    ¡°Ugh...¡± Regis groaned as he wobbled his way toward me. ¡°There better be some sexy vixen demons or something on the next floor. Looking at these skinless monsters is taking its toll on my little ck heart.¡±


    Chuckling, we opened the door back into the sanctuary. I made some minor preparations while we were here. Ripping my pants from my knees down, I fixed up a sash to safely store Sylvie¡¯s stone and wore it across my shoulder. Then, I made a crude waterskin out of what was left of my leather vest. After making sure water didn¡¯t leak from it, we went back into the hallway.


    ***


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t they waking up?¡± Regis said as we reached the center once more.


    The long hallway had been put back into its pristine state when we had left the sanctuary, but no matter how many times I walked back and forth in the hallway, the statues wouldn¡¯t budge.


    Regis flew up to the statue of the warrior wielding a sword. ¡°Are they broken?¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡± I walked up to one of them and pulled back my fist.


    Not daring to use more than a tenth of the aether in my core, I struck the statue of the shotgun wielding statue, sending splintering cracks throughout its leg.


    Not bad, I thought. Ounce for ounce¡ªor whatever unit of measurement was used¡ªaether was much more potent and efficient than mana. Still, I wasn¡¯t satisfied.


    ¡°Hey, Regis. upy my hand again,¡± I ordered, holding out my right palm. ¡°I want to test something.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but we should really make a name for this.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s better than having you shout out, ¡®Regis, enter my hand!¡¯,¡± Regis stated. ¡°It cane off as a little sexual to others, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Infusing my body with aether once again, I pped the ck will-o-wisp. This time, rather than go through him, my hand struck his dopey face, sending him t on the ground.


    ¡°Ouch! What the hell? You can hit me now?¡± Regis fumed.


    ¡°Seems like it, and boy did that feel good,¡± I smirked. ¡°Now, hand.¡±


    Muttering a string of curses, Regis flew into my palm, coating my entire hand in ayer of smokey ck tinge.


    Immediately, I felt the aether that I had released beforehand gravitate toward Regis. After the rest of the aether in my body had coalesced in my right fist, I punched a different statue.


    However, there was no expulsion of aether like before when I had used this same move against the fused chimera.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have enough aether to release it as an attack,¡¯ Regis exined.


    I gritted my teeth. ¡°Fine. Tell me when.¡±


    I released more aether from my core and it was immediately pulled toward my right fist. After about half of the aether stored inside my core had been consumed, the smokey ck glove surrounding my hand began glowing with the same reddish purple color as my core.


    ¡®Now!¡¯ Regis barked, his voice suppressed in concentration.


    I thrust my fist into the statue in front of me, releasing a torrent of ck and magenta from my hand.


    The very air seemed to distort as the concussive force decimated therge statue and the wall behind it.


    Regis fell out of my hand, dazed. ¡°I can probably use that move like one more time.¡±


    ¡°Same here,¡± I replied. ¡°That used a bit less than half of the aether in my core.¡±


    ¡°Well, it definitely seems to do the trick,¡± mypanion noted, studying the aftermath of our attack.


    ¡°Mhmm,¡± I agreed. Without the chimerasing, it made little sense to remain here for much longer, so after spending the next half hour replenishing my aether core, we walked toward the door that¡¯d lead us to the next floor.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I pushed open the tall metal door and stepped through.


    Immediately, I was weed by a hot gust of humid air that clung to my skin. However, my mild dissatisfaction toward the warm sticky air was ovee by the scene ahead of me.


    ¡°Holy mother of mothers...¡± Regis mumbled as he surveyed our surroundings.


    We had stepped into what could only be described as a jungle except for a few notable differences. The first difference was in the plethora of white trees around us with leaves glowing in various shades of purple. The second was that there weren¡¯t just trees growing out from the ground but also on the ceiling of this enormous cavern.


    My attention was pulled away by the sight of the door we hade from fading out of existence. Shocked, I hurriedly reached for the metal handle but it was toote¡ªmy hand slipped through and I was left grasping at the air.


    I let out a sigh. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t seem like we can go back the way we came from. Come on, it¡¯s a bit too open out here for myfort.¡±


    The two of us ventured deeper into the ethereal jungle, noticing more and more differences in this strange environment. We found thick pale vines that connected the trees on the ground to the trees growing on the ceiling. In the air were hundreds of blue globules, some floating up, others floating down.


    My senses were on full alert as we continued walking carefully through the dense array of otherworldly trees. From time to time, I¡¯d see shadows flit from tree to tree at a speed that exceeded some S-ss mana beasts in Dicathen.


    Despite how calm and quiet things were in this forest, though, I couldn¡¯t help but feel restless.


    Regis, on the other hand, was enjoying the scenery as he flew up over the canopy of trees that blocked much of my view.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see much except for these two-tailed monkey creatures climbing up and down the vines,¡± Regis noted before his eyes lit up. ¡°Oh! And you know those floating blue orbs? I think it¡¯s water. I saw a few of them hanging from the vines and drinking from those.¡±


    I nodded, my eyes constantly on the lookout for anything potentially dangerous.


    ¡°Will you ease up? No sexy vixen demons yet butpared to thest floor, this ce practically seems like paradise,¡± Regis insisted.


    ¡°The only reason why you can rx is because you¡¯re incorporeal,¡± I retorted, continuing to walk carefully with aether coursing within my body just in case.


    Unlike the straightforward hallway we hade from, this jungle didn¡¯t seem like it had any sort of predatory monsters of any kind that we had to beat in order to move on.


    ¡°Over there! It was a different color and a little smaller but I saw some of those monkeys eating that,¡± Regis pointed out, gesturing toward a pear-shaped fruit hanging from a branch above us.


    I shot mypanion a skeptical look.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not the one that has to eat,¡± Regis groused, offended by myck of trust.


    My initial reaction was to avoid the risk. After all, who knows how different the anatomy of the creatures in this floor waspared to me. However, the more I stared at it, the more my stomach reminded me that I hadn¡¯t eaten since waking up in this god-forsaken dungeon. What¡¯s more was that this orange fruit was covered in a sheen of purple indicating that it contained aether within it.


    With my newly-forged aether core revitalizing this body, I knew that I didn¡¯t need to eat nearly as much as before. But eventually, I would have to, and the temptation staring right in my face got the best of me.


    I easily jumped up to the first branch, and continued to ascend. To my surprise, the branches didn¡¯t even bend under my weight, making it easy to reach the glistening orange fruit.


    Just as I was about to reach for the fruit, something caught my eye. There was a subtle distortion in the surrounding area that made me immediately pull my hand back.


    And that¡¯s when I saw it¡ªa giant mouth rimmed with rows of serrated teeth mping shut around the fruit...and where my hand would¡¯ve been had I not pulled back. The strange thing, however, was that I could still see the fruit inside the monster¡¯s mouth.


    I leaped back to a farther branch, bracing myself for its next attack. However, the monster merely parted its giant lips once more and everything but the giant fruit it used as a lure turned transparent.


    ¡°Oops. My bad,¡± Regis let out an ufortable chuckle.


    ¡°From now on, you¡¯re checking everything first,¡± I quipped.


    My annoyance, however, was clouded by my greed for that fruit. After being near it and feeling my aether core quiver in excitement, I knew that the orange fruit wasn¡¯t just some lure the monster used.


    ¡°Wait, why are you going back?¡± Regis asked, seeing me hop back toward the branch that the fruit hung from.


    I slowly reached back for the fruit once more. ¡°I¡¯m going to try and get that fruit.¡±


    Right as the monster¡¯s mouth shut, I whipped my hand away just barely enough to avoid it.


    It shut faster this time, I noted.


    With its mouth now mped shut, I struck at its transparent body, hoping to at least knock it unconscious. However, rather than hit it, my hand slipped right through. Losing my bnce, I fell off. I managed to grab a branch beneath the fruit monster, but by the time I reached up, it had opened its mouth once more.


    ¡°Nice one,¡± Regis remarked. ¡°You¡¯re making the same face you did when you first tried to hit me.¡±


    My eyes widened in realization. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    Climbing back up to where the beast was, I tried once more. The serrated teeth left several gashes on my arm because I hadn¡¯t been able to pull back fast enough, but this time as I struck at the transparent beast, I released more aether from my core, enough for a purplish-red sheen to envelop my body.


    I felt a slight give, as if my hand was passing through ayer of some viscous liquid, but beneath that was its actual body.


    The beast¡¯s transparent body shuddered like rippling water. It suddenly let out a shrill scream that made me lose bnce for a second.


    Luckily I managed to hold on to the tree, but Regis had been knocked unconscious.


    I struck it once more, and its rather soft body went limp.


    Prying open its mouth, I reached inside and pulled out the fruit that was suspended in the air.


    ¡°What a weird creature,¡± I mused, staring once more at the deadly fly trap beast.


    Landing back down, I checked up on Regis, who was stirring back awake.


    ¡°What happened?¡± the ck orb asked, his voice shaky.


    I held the orange pear the size of a hand out at Regis with a smile. ¡°I got it.¡±


    Regis studied the fruit. ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s edible.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only one way to find out.¡± I sniffed the fruit before barely nibbling on the outer edge of it just in case it was poisonous. This body was much more resilient, which was why I even dared to do something like this, but even then I was still cautious.


    As I chewed, a sour vor filled my mouth. It wasn¡¯t bad¡ªit just tasted like a more vorful lemon peel. However, as soon as I swallowed, I felt the change in my body.


    I buckled in pain as my insides twisted.


    Unable to keep my body from quivering, Iy huddled on the ground as my aether core slowly absorbed the piece of fruit.


    ¡°Arthur!¡± Regis called out, his voice distant and muffled, but my attention was focused behind him past the treeline.


    Deep, rapid thuds of what could only be footsteps grew louder as the ethereal trees¡ªwhose branches remained unfaltered beneath my weight¡ªswayed fiercely in a path leading straight toward us.

 Chapter 258

    Chapter 258


    Chapter 258: Law of the Wild


    ¡°There¡¯s somethinging,¡± I grunted, barely able to get back to my feet.


    Regis turned around and I could literally see his smokey ck body pale. ¡°Oh, shit.¡±


    My heart pounded as the rapid footfalls of the beasts grew louder. I hobbled as fast as my body would let me under the current strain of the fruit I had just consumed. There was no way I could I fight whatever horde was barreling toward us in the current state I was in.


    Heaven-sent, we managed to find a dip in the ground just byrge tree nearby. The exposed roots gnarled together, weaving in and out of the ground to provide us with a tight shelter to hide in.


    My heart pounded as I listened to what sounded like a stampede searching every square inch of the area we had narrowly escaped from.


    My mind whirled trying to think of the reason why we had suddenly attracted the attention of all of them. Was it because I had eaten the fruit? No, that wasn¡¯t it.


    That transparent fly trap... it let out that horrible scream just before it died.


    And that¡¯s when everything clicked.


    The two-tailed monkeys, the trap monster and everything else on this floor made almost no noise. All of the organisms here had adapted to make as little noise as possible... most likely in order to survive against whatever those beasts were.


    ¡°Sensitive to sound,¡± I mouthed, pointing to my ear. Regis nodded back and the two of us waited for this beast to hopefully move on.


    By now, the very ground shook under the constant footfalls of the horde of beasts. That¡¯s how close they were. I could hear a loud chitter as the beasts continued to search for the source of the scream that had lured it.


    With how close the horde of beasts were, I could feel the pressure they emitted and suffice to say, it was on a whole other level from the chimeras Regis and I had faced.


    Steadying my breathing, I remained frozen as the grating sound of rusted gears cking together grew closer. Even Regis remained inside me, afraid of being seen despite his incorporeal state.


    Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck sensed something wasing that I wouldn¡¯t like. The rapid chittering grew even louder until, momentster, I was able to see it.


    It wasn¡¯t a horde of beasts. It was just one very long,rge beast.


    The chimeras had been fairly horrifying to look at, but this creature was something straight out of a demon¡¯s nightmare.


    With the overall frame of a millipede¡ªexcept the size and girth of a bullet train¡ªthe creature writhed past me using its countless spindly legs spanning twice my height. I was able to make out the serrated pincers on its head as it passed by but most of the smaller details were lost on me. I was focused on the fact that this millipede was almost transparent.


    Tinged in a soft purple hue that blended with the glowing leaves, the giant millipede looked more gtinous than solid... like it was missing its hard shell or something. However, seeing how not even the sharp branches of the ethereal trees made a scratch against the creature¡¯s exterior, I knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy to kill.


    The millipede continued to crawl around us, searching for its prey. Despite its tremendous size and length, it moved with such deft and flexibility that even as it moved on to a different area, there was no trace that a giant beast had passed through.


    Still, I could hear the giant millipede nearby. Its steps continued to shake the ground, keeping me from trying to leave from my cramped refuge.


    Time dragged as we anxiously waited for the millipede to leave when suddenly I could hear a change in\ its actions. The beast¡¯s rapid steps began to slow until all I could hear was a rhythmic thump.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on now?¡¯ Regis asked.


    I¡¯m not sure, I responded, sorely tempted to take a peek.


    It didn¡¯t take long to figure out that I wouldn¡¯t have been alive if I had moved. Not long after the millipede began rhythmically stomping its countless legs on the ground, I could hear pained cries.


    I could only assume that the beast had used some form of echolocation to find anything nearby that had moved.


    With the rhythmic stomping halted, I steeled myself enough to find out what was going on despite the burning sensation of my core continuing to absorb the aether from the fruit.


    ¡°It¡¯s eating,¡± Regis whispered, looking over my shoulder.


    The millipede had curled itself around a massive tree, which was apparently home to a family of two-tailed monkeys.


    What was a feast for the millipede was a tragic bloodbath for the monkeys. I could see arger monkey drenched in its own blood as it was being swallowed while a smaller monkey pounded desperately on the millipede¡¯s head.


    Unfazed by a sight that I had grown much too ustomed to, I studied the millipede. The giant beast had circr depressions all over its back that pulsated, but aside from the dagger-like pincers and its sharp legs, I couldn¡¯t see any other form of attack.


    ¡°Please tell me you¡¯re not thinking of fighting that thing,¡± Regis whispered an inch away from my ear.


    ¡°Not if I don¡¯t have to.¡±


    Despite there being over a dozen monkeys all tinged with aether, they stood no chance against the millipede. It didn¡¯t take long for over half of them to be consumed while the other half had given up and escaped for their lives.


    As the millipede eventually uncurled itself from the giant tree and began slithering away, I couldn¡¯t help noticing the monkeys inside the beast¡¯s body.


    During the battle, the monkeys had grabbed stones from the ground to use as weapons. These had also gotten consumed along with the monkeys.


    While the two-tailed beasts bodies were withering¡ªas if their aether was being sucked out of their bodies, a slight glow began enveloping the rock that the millipede had consumed along with it.


    After traveling a few hours in the opposite direction of where the millipede had gone upon finishing its meal, I was finally able to spend some time absorbing the rest of the fruit.


    While the first bite had been an agonizing experience that could¡¯ve gotten me killed by the millipede, the subsequent bites made it seem like it was all worth it.


    I started off with small nibbles, afraid that I¡¯d be met with another wave of pain. Instead, I was met with an overwhelming sensation of heat spreading throughout my body and coalescing back in my core. No longer afraid, I tookrger bites as my core hungrily devoured the aetheric essence from the fruit.


    What was even more fascinating was that after polishing off the fruit, the aether in my body had lost some of its reddish tint¡ªand that was before my body hadpletely absorbed all of the aetheric essence.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly what the change in color meant but I knew I had gotten stronger.


    Time went by neither fast nor slow on this floor. With little need to sleep as frequently and no sun overhead, my internal clock had be all but useless.


    As we continued searching for the exit, my mind continued to think back to our encounter with the translucent millipede. More specifically, how the beast¡¯s insides hadpletely absorbed the aether from the monkeys it had devoured but how a coat of aether seemed to be forming around the stone.


    ¡°¡ªthur!¡± Regis snapped, his voice just inches from my ear.


    ¡°What?¡± I hissed, surprised.


    ¡°I was saying...¡± Regis stressed, hisrge white eyes narrowing. ¡°That we need to think of a battle phrase for ourbo attack!¡±


    I raised a brow. bo attack?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! You know, when I go inside your hand and make your fist turn all smokey ck and purple. In the heat of a battle, you¡¯re going to need something more concise to say.¡±


    My initial reaction was to dismiss his silly idea, but there was some merit to what my floating ckpanion was suggesting.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I sighed, relenting. ¡°What did you have in mind?¡±


    Regis¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Seriously? I thought you were going to be a grouch about it.¡±


    Shooting him re, I enveloped my body in aether as I raised a hand to smack him.


    ¡°Okay okay!¡± Regis flinched.


    ¡°How about Aether Explosion Punch!¡± he suggested, out of arm¡¯s reach from me.


    ¡°No,¡± I said tly while my eyes continued to search for any signs of an exit.


    ¡°Aetheric Void Buster?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Shadow Death Imp¡ª ¡°


    ¡°No,¡± I cut him off. ¡°Where are you evening up with these ridiculous names?¡±


    ¡°Your early memories as Grey ying those arcade gamese to mind,¡± Regis responded simply. ¡°Ooh! How about¡ª¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Fine fine fine. I¡¯ll be serious. What about something simple, like Fist Style or...Fist Form?¡±


    I thought about it for a minute before I suggested something. ¡°What about Gauntlet Form?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Regis eximed, trembling with excitement. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡±


    ¡°Too loud!¡± I snapped, my head turning back.


    ¡°Rx. I saw that gigantic bug go back to its hole near the center of this floor. We¡¯re hours away from it.¡±


    ¡°You saw its den?¡± I asked, shocked.


    ¡°Yeah, while you were absorbing the fruit. It wasn¡¯t that hard to find with how much aetheric essence that ce was giving off,¡± Regis exined before his eyes narrowed in suspicion. ¡°Why? You¡¯re not thinking of trying to fight that thing, right?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just search for the exit,¡± I dismissed. Meanwhile, the gears in my brain continued turn.


    Subjective hours passed uneventfully as webed through the ethereal forest. A few more times, we ran into a flytrap beast with its fruit tempting me every time we passed by them.


    Thankfully, none of the other fruits seemed nearly as potent as the first one I had consumed.


    We rested intermittently, mainly so that I could sit down and concentrate on my aether core. I was wracking my brain trying to think of how to form new channels throughout my body so that I could more freely control the aether inside me.


    After hours of deliberation and testing with nothing to show for it, I pulled out the translucent stone which held Sylvie. It had be a habit for me to stare mindlessly at it whenever things got tough or I was feeling overwhelmed.


    Since a few days ago, I had Regis go inside of it every now and then to see if there were any developments going within the stone¡ªif Sylvie was getting better at all¡ªbut nothing had changed.


    But this time was different. Whether it was because my core had gotten stronger after consuming the fruit, I didn¡¯t know. But as I continued holding onto the stone, I could feel something pulling at my hands that were wrapped around on the smooth surface of the stone.


    Will you ept the aether this time, Sylv? I thought as I pushed the aether from my core.


    It only took a few minutes until my entire aether core had been drained, leaving me weak and shivering.


    ¡°H-Hey! What happened?¡± Regis, who had been inspecting the perimeter, flew to my side.


    I held up my hand. ¡°I...I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more than fine.¡± A smile formed on my face as I stared down at the translucent stone that seemed just a tad brighter than before. ¡°Thanks to Sylv, I think I found a way to maybe control the aether inside me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! But I got some good news too,¡± Regis said with a smile. ¡°I think I found the exit from this floor!¡±


    I tucked the small stone back in my vest. ¡°No. We can¡¯t leave yet.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Regis panicked. ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°Nothing like that.¡±


    My thoughts went back to the millipede and the way it created a shell of aether around everything that it couldn¡¯t digest. ording to Regis, there was also a huge influx of aether stemming from its den.


    If my thoughts were correct, then even at the risk of my life...


    No. I had already decided that I needed to risk my life in order to ovee all of the challenges that I would face when I got out of here.


    I turned to Regis and spoke with iron in my voice. ¡°We¡¯re going to kill that millipede.¡±

 Chapter 259

    Chapter 259


    Chapter 259: Mother Lode


    When Sylvie¡¯s stone had absorbed the aether from me, it had taken everyst drop from my core. However, only a fraction of that aether had been absorbed, spiralling down a designated path inside. The rest seemed to be almost filtered out while the remainder that was able to reach Sylvie, who wasatose within, was too little to amount to anything.


    That¡¯s when I realized that Sylvie¡¯s stone wasn¡¯t so much a battery that I needed to slowly charge like I had first assumed. No, it was more like a strainer that I needed to fill with aether faster than it could spill back out.


    The fact that Sylvie¡¯s stone wasn¡¯t able to ¡®receive¡¯ most of the aether I had tried to give it even after I had consumed the fruit meant that my aether core was wed. Not ¡®wed¡¯ per se, but just like how mana cores started out with natural impurities from the body that limited the output and storage of mana, my aether core was experiencing a simr phenomenon.


    I knew now that the aether core that I had forged was currently filled with impurities. This was hindering the capacity that could be stored within and keeping me from utilizing the full capabilities of aether. Great.


    If I wanted to be able to make aether flow the way it did inside Sylvie¡¯s stone, I needed the aether in my core to be much purer. And If I wanted to bring Sylvie back, I needed to be able to unleash that purer aether in a muchrger volume than I currently was able to contain¡ªall in one sitting.


    Which brought me to the reason why I was currently standing here now, a few feet away from the giant millipede¡¯s den, d in nothing but a flimsy leather vest and shredded cloth pants.


    ¡°It¡¯s not toote to back out,¡± Regis whispered into my ear.


    I knew what it meant if I couldn¡¯t kill it. Nheless, it was a sobering reminder that made me reconfirm my priorities. Getting out of here wasn¡¯t actually my top priority¡ªafterall, even if I was able to make it out right at this moment, I was actually weaker than I had been when I fought against Nico and the scythe, Cadell.


    My priority was getting stronger, which¡ªthankfully¡ªaligned with getting back Sylvie as well. And killing this millipede would be a big step forward in working toward that.


    Meeting Regis¡¯ gaze, I replied to him. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside.¡±


    ***


    As we traversed deeper inside the giant hole the width of the millipede that spiraled down into the ground, it got strangely brighter. There was a faint purple sheen that clung to the ground, walls and ceiling of the winding tunnel.


    Regis scouted ahead, flying back to me every several yards to ry if there were any uing changes.


    As I was taking a sip from my water sack, I saw the ck will-o-wisping back out of the corner of my eyes. I picked up my pace, treading lightly on the ground, hoping to hear some different news other than ¡®more rocks¡¯ from Regis.


    ¡®Arthur. There¡¯s something up ahead,¡¯ Regis stated quietly after flying into my chest.


    If you make the ¡®rocks¡¯ joke one more time, I am going to hit you, I replied with suspicion.


    ¡®Just go,¡¯ mypanion sighed before floating back out to lead the way.


    The tunnel split into two paths but Regis quickly directed me to the slightly wider one on the left side. Not only was it wider in diameter, but also brighter. It only took a few minutes of quiet treading for us to reach what Regis wanted me to see.


    Strewn all over the ground were clusters of crystals...aether crystals.


    My brows furrowed in confusion at the sight of the glowing purple crystals, littered in front of us like trash. Quickly¡ªand quietly¡ªI picked up a fist-sized crystal and consumed the essence from it until the purple glow subsided.


    These aren¡¯t as potent as the fruit I had earlier, but these are still fairly concentrated, I noted mentally as Regis surveyed up ahead.


    After consuming one more fist-sized crystal to top my aether capacity to the brim, I stored a couple smaller crystals in my pockets before moving forward. I woulde back for these after my fight was over.


    As we continued deeper into the millipede¡¯s territory, the tunnel gradually became brighter until a brilliant purple light shone at the very end.


    Regis and I exchanged a tense nce before walking forward. My heart pounded against my chest while my palms grew mmy at the thought of fighting against the giant beast. Being this close to the aether beast in its own home, my body could sense the pressure exuding from the giant millipede.


    Taking deep, calming breaths and steadying my gait, I walked forward, ready to face my toughest opponent yet.


    Let¡¯s do this.


    I stepped into the blinding purple light, my body tense and alert for any sudden movements, but when the re subsided I saw that the tunnel opened into a massive cavern with a domed ceiling. The entire expanse was bathed in a sea of purple emanating from the mountains of glimmering crystals piled upon one another.


    But despite the scores of aether crystals¡ªsomerger than my entire body¡ªmy attention was forced onto the giant millipede.


    Instinctually, I stepped back and raised my arms to guard against what was toe. Even Regis cowered behind my shoulder as we gazed upon the towering figure of the aether beast.


    It was hunched over in a tall arch while its entire body convulsed. Then, just as I was beginning to think it was about to explode, a waterfall of aether crystals gushed out the back end of the millipede to form a small hill alongside the other mountains of crystals.


    It was like a scene straight out of a fairytale. Except, instead of a giant dragon guarding its mountain of treasure, it was a millipede guarding its mountains of...excrement?


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Regis stifled augh that echoed throughout the giant cavern, drawing my attention and¡ªto our horror¡ªthe attention of the giant millipede.


    ¡°Move!¡± I roared, abandoning all thoughts of stealth at the sight of the charging millipede.


    I dashed right as Regis flew to the left.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Arthur, but you basically ate this bug¡¯s crap!¡± Regis guffawed.


    I rolled my eyes mentally. Fortunately for me, he was also drawing the attention of the millipede, which gave me time to position myself toward its nk.


    Releasing aether from my core, I pushed myself off the ground with a strength that formed a crater beneath my feet.


    Clearing several feet in an instant, I smashed my aether-d fist into the millipede¡¯s side with a resounding ¡®thud¡¯.


    However, while the millipede buckled from the impact, the wave of pain that surged up my arm suggested that the damage I had given to it wasn¡¯t much to celebrate about.


    Landing deftly back on the ground, I crossed the span of the cavern in a sprint as the millipede chased after me.


    Just as the millipede got close, I held up a hand straight over my head in a fist¡ªa signal that Regis and I devised to confuse the sound-sensitive aether beast.


    Immediately, Regis screamed out, ¡°Over here, you crystal-sharding bug!¡±


    The millipede slid to a stop and whirled around toward the source of the voice. Meanwhile, I continued to exhaust my aether, wrapping my body in a thickyer of aether in the hopes that there¡¯d be a different oue as I shed forward.


    My surroundings blurred as I approached the millipede that was snapping its pincers at the air, trying to catch Regis. I aimed for the joints where one of its many legs were attached to its body, and this time, there was a satisfying crunch as my fist dug into its leg.


    The giant leg snapped off and fell on the ground while a gel-like fluid tinted in purple gushed out from the injury. The aether beast let out a shrill cry while turning its attention back to me.


    I raised my fist once more and Regis let out another cry to get its attention. The millipede hesitated for a moment but it decided to attack Regis again, giving me some time to absorb more aether from the crystals abundantly scattered all around us.


    ¡°How does that crap taste, Arthur?¡± Regis teased as he zigzagged in the air away from the millipede.


    I raised my hand again, sticking up a specific finger. This one wasn¡¯t a signal.


    The gears in my brain spun as I refilled my aether core with the excre¡ªcrystals lying about. With the development in my aether core, I was technically able to use Gauntlet Form three times, but Regis hadn¡¯t been able to strengthen himself enough to withstand the burden of three uses.


    This was why we decided to test the beast¡¯s defenses without having to resort to using Gauntlet Form.


    I continued to try and search for weaknesses while Regis frantically avoided the millipede¡¯s snapping jaws. Even after I had managed to break off two more of its countless legs and struck at the open wound where the legs attached to its body, it didn¡¯t seem to have done any sort ofsting damage.


    If anything, I seemed to have made it angrier.


    While my supply of aether was abundant thanks to the crystals hoarded in this cavern, my stamina was slowly diminishing.


    I guess we have no choice.


    Now that I knew inflicting damage to its body hardly did anything to slow it down, the only option was to aim for its head. The problem was that its head was where its serrated pincers were and it also seemed to be the area most heavily armored by its translucent purple exoskeleton.


    I would need tond both attacks using Gauntlet Form in the same spot in the hopes that it¡¯d be enough to crack through its defenses.


    Stepping off of one of its legs, Inded on the millipede¡¯s back and began running up the smooth flesh of the millipede. Leaping onto its back wasn¡¯t a challenge, but staying on as it reeled like a drunk stallion proved to be much more difficult.


    I danced and wove around the giant millipede¡¯s contorting trunk as it used its own legs to try and skewer me atop its own back. Still, as most of its attention was still focused on trying to catch Regis, I was able to avoid the sharp legs that stabbed down from both sides.


    The uneven terrain from the countless tergites that segmented the beast¡¯s trunk along with the fact that the millipede continued to spasm and buck to try and fling me off provided me with a challenge I hadn¡¯t faced in a while. I missed flying.


    As I neared the millipede¡¯s head, aether stretched across my body in a tightyer of purple. Holding my right arm up, I clenched and unclenched my hand into a fist. This time I was beckoning for Regis.


    Catching my signal, he let out another yell to catch the millipede¡¯s attention before narrowly avoiding the beast¡¯s mandibles and flying into my hand.


    I immediately felt the rush of aether from my body coalescing into my dominant hand, but I felt something other than just aether forcing its way into where Regis remained. The faintest whisper of a voice, almost mistakable for a passing thought, echoed in my head.


    The voice said to kill.


    I shrugged it off as my own thoughts. After all, I hade here to kill the beast.


    Rushing forward while doing my best to maintain what little control I had over the flow of aether, I reached where its head connected to its trunk.


    Gauntlet Form, I recited to Regis.


    The deafening crash of thunder resounded throughout the cavern as our attack struck its target. The millipede¡¯s head crashed down into the ground to form a crater the size of a small house.


    Cracks and splinters branched out from where my fist connected while the entire top of its head had be slightly concave from the force.


    Regis wobbled out of my hand, his expression strained, while I unleashed another wave of aether throughout my body. Experience spanning two lifetimes and countless battles taught me...


    Confirm the kill.


    My body erupted in a veil of purple as I struck down at the epicenter of the splintering crater atop the millipede¡¯s head. Another splintering crack echoed upon impact, making the millipede¡¯s body jerk.


    Even with aether coating my hand, my right fist was a bloodied mess as I pulled it out from the millipede¡¯s head.


    My breath short and ragged, I contemted whether to hit it one more time. The millipede remained lifeless on its belly, a crater formed underneath its head.


    ¡°Is it...dead?¡± Regis asked, his voice hoarse.


    Just as I turned back to mypanion, the surface beneath my feet was swept up from under me. With no time to react, I was flung off the giant beast, helplessly watching as the serrated mandibles of the millipede snapped shut over Regis.


    My eyes widened at the sight of the floating ck orb disappearing inside the millipede, and it took everyst ounce of self-control to keep myself from screaming out his name.


    Quickly reorienting myself, Inded on my feet and immediately swiveled on my heel¡ªbarely managing to avoid a barrage of sharp legs raining down from above.


    The millipede towered over me and continued to unleash a torrent of strikes using its hundreds of legs. Each time it stabbed down, a foot-long hole was left in the ground but my concentration was split between dodging its legs and looking out for Regis.


    Regis was corporeal, capable of going through most objects but I couldn¡¯t see mypanion at all. My panic deepened as a minute passed with no sign of the ck will-o-wisp.


    It wasn¡¯t until another minute when I saw him. He was floating in the inside of the giant millipede.


    Damn it.


    I needed Regis tounch an attack strong enough to kill this giant bug. Without him, would I be able to win?


    A sharp pain erupted as one of the millipede¡¯s sharp legs left a long gash on my arm. This sobered me enough to collect myself.


    Even without my arsenal of elemental magic, I had not only trained with the sword extensively in my previous life, but I had trained inbat with Asuras.


    I forced myself to remember my battles against Kordri¡ªthe oppressive aura that he emanated so casually, the movements that seemed both slow and fast.


    Asuras. They were my opponents.


    If I needed to rely on Regis for every strong opponent I faced down here, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t even be able to beat the scythes, let alone the asuras behind them.


    Letting out a sharp breath, I thought back to Kordri¡¯s words. As he said, hand-to-handbat was the most versatile and adaptive form of fighting. Except, his duty at that time was to maximize the potential of my human body.


    I wasn¡¯t so human anymore.


    My legs blurred as I continuously danced around the piercing strikes of the millipede¡¯s legs, my focus heightened to a terrifying degree.


    I had to ept that I wasn¡¯t human anymore, and with that came a strength that pushed me to my utmost limit.


    The more I continued dodging, the more unnecessary movements I began to shave off. My body began remembering the Asura¡¯s teachings I had cast aside over the years¡ªrelying on magic instead.


    The battle was long and drawn out. I continued to hack away at its legs until I had finally debilitated its movement.


    Since, without being able to control the flow of aether, I couldn¡¯t do enough damage with my bare hands tond a killing blow to the millipede, I decided to use the same method I had used against the chimeras.


    Let¡¯s hope this works.


    Because the millipede¡¯s legs were toorge for me to actually hold as a weapon, I had to break off the sharp tip of its leg for me to be able to use it.


    The millipede let out a shrill wail as it mored toward me with its remaining legs.


    Wielding the translucent purple leg like ance, I tested out my new weapon. The conductivity of it wasn¡¯t as strong as the chimera¡¯s weapons but it would be sufficient. It had to be.


    Dodging the serrated mandibles that the millipede struck me with, I looked for an opening.


    I had tond a clean hit on the wound at the back of its head where I had struck with Gauntlet Form, but it wasn¡¯t easy as it iled its head like a deranged bull.


    Twice had I missed my target, scraping the exterior shell of its head as it dodged just as I was about to attack. Without the help of Regis drawing its attention, it was attentive to my location, rhythmically thumping its legs on the ground to find my location.


    How do I get it to stop? I pondered, running circles around it as I absorbed the aether from the crystals lying about.


    My mind spun until the memory of when the chimera had first fused together popped into my head. It was able to release this concussive aura that knocked us back that was almost able to knock me unconscious.


    It was uncertain if I would be able to replicate its effects but I was running out of time and my options were limited.


    Gauging the amount of aether I had left in my core, I figured I could spend about seventy percent on trying to stun it and the rest onnding the attack.


    Steeling myself, I yelled out. ¡°Over here!¡±


    Noticing that I had stopped running, the millipede furiously made its way towards me, scrambling through the piles of aether crystals within the huge cavern.


    ¡°Please, let this work,¡± I mumbled as I began releasing the aether from my core. My aura red purple at the sudden discharge of aether, but I didn¡¯t stop there.


    After waiting for the millipede to draw near, I allowed the aether within me to tear through that thin threshold that was my body, unleashing it in a translucent dome of tinged purple.


    Immediately, my legs felt heavy from the exertion, but the effects were more than I had hoped for.


    Compared to the concussive force that the fused chimera had released, my attack felt more like the manifestation of an aura¡ªsimr to Kordri¡¯s King¡¯s Force. Even I wasn¡¯tpletely unaffected as I felt the very air grow heavy.


    The millipede stiffened from the effects of my attack and slumped down. Tightening my grip around the impromptu weapon in my hand, I rushed forward with the remaining sliver of aether left in me.


    Veering right to avoid the millipede¡¯s sluggish attempt in pincering me, I used its own mandibles as a foothold tounch myself high up into the air.


    Utilizing the speed of my fall along with the force of my swing, I drove thence deep into the epicenter of the crater on the back of the aether beast¡¯s head. The satisfying crunch of the millipede¡¯s exoskeleton shattering was followed by the sensation of prating flesh.


    The giant millipede let out a pained roar, this time more guttural and raw before its body crashed onto the ground.


    Taking out a crystal from my pocket and consuming a bit more aether, I struck the back end of the millipede¡¯s leg once more, driving it deeper into the aether beast¡¯s head.


    My body felt like lead and my core ached upon depletion. But I felt good¡ªbetter than I had in a long time.


    ¡°Stay down,¡± I huffed, copsing on top of the giant beast.

 Chapter 260

    Chapter 260


    Chapter 260: Purge


    ¡°Ugh, what is this? What happened?¡± Regis groaned, covered in translucent ooze, as he slithered out from the backside of the millipede corpse.


    I stifled augh. ¡°I didn¡¯t know millipede feces could talk.¡±


    Regis¡¯ expression darkened as he looked at where he came from. ¡°Oh crap...¡±


    ¡°Yup, exactly!¡± Iughed, unable to hold it in any longer.


    After the giant millipede had died and its organs began to fail, I was able to see Regis slowly being pushed out toward the beast¡¯s backside. Rather than trying to break its outer shell and pry Regis out from within, I let nature run its course.


    ¡°Anyway, wee back,¡± I greeted with a smile, patting some of the ooze off of mypanion. ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    Regis lowered his gaze. For a split second, I was worried he might pass out but he looked back at me with his mouth curled up into a grin. ¡°...Like crap.¡±


    Despite how exhausted and miserable we both were, everything seemed a little better as weughed at our own childish jokes.


    And with the giant millipede dead, it felt like I had reached another new milestone in growth.


    After a short break, the two of us began reaping the rewards of ourtest victory. Rather than the hills of aether crystals inside the cavern, I focused my attention on the millipede.


    It took less than a nce to realize that the aether beast corpse was the highest and most potent source of aether in this entire cavern. Climbing on top of the giant millipede, I got to work consuming the aether from its body.


    As my aether core developed, so did the rate of absorption. Still, with how massive the size of the beast was, it took several sittings.


    While the process of absorbing aether was fairly straightforward with my newly-forged core, the next steps had taken more than a third of the aetheric essence from the millipede in order to test out.


    But with how much material I had to work with, I was able to experiment and tweak the process¡ªenhancing its efficiency and building my body towards eventually being able to do something even asuras of the Indrath n can¡¯t do: manipte aether.


    Since there wasn¡¯t exactly a manual for what I was doing, I broke down the process into three stages and named them absorption, tempering, andstly, the purging stage.


    After absorbing aether, I found that filling my core to the point where it was nearly overflowing¡ªand very painful¡ªforced the aether inside me to more quickly condense and refine itself.


    The purging stage, however, was the most important and required my utmost concentration. All at once, I needed to expel nearly all of the aether I had crammed into my core. While the surge of aether was spreading throughout my body, I needed to trace the paths that that aether used to move and slowly guide the rest of the aether to use those same paths.


    Every time I purged the aether from my core, I was slowly training the aether to travel through more efficient ¡°passages¡± within my body rather than just spread aimlessly.


    I focused on training the passages within my arms. I realized that, while my technique and experience was able to make up for the loss of speed, they couldn¡¯t make up for my loss of power.


    With how widely the aether was distributed within my body every time I utilized its power, I wasn¡¯t able to create enough force to do major damage without nearly exhausting most of my aether. Not without using Gauntlet form, that is.


    Hours, if not days,ter, after I had gone through nearly eighty percent of the millipede¡¯s aetheric essence, I checked up on my progress.


    Holding my hands out in front of me, I released aether from my core. On my first time, I let it simply distribute evenly throughout my body while trying to still feel the aether passages strengthen inside my arm.


    On the second try, I focused more aether on my arms. This time, however, I could feel around a ten percent increase in aether around my armspared to the rest of my body.


    A smile crept up on my face as I looked down at my hands, clenching and unclenching them. ¡°H-Haha...¡±


    ¡°You look like you¡¯ve just discovered fire. What are you all excited about?¡± Regis asked as he floated toward me.


    ¡°Can you sense something different?¡± I answered back, spreading my arms. I let the aether distribute evenly around my body at first.


    ¡°The aether around you became a bit less pink,¡± he noted, not impressed.


    ¡°Not that.¡± I smiled as I coalesced more aether into my arms. ¡°This.¡±


    Regis¡¯ white eyes bulged. ¡°You can control aether now?¡±


    The faint shroud of aether around me dissipated as I rxed. ¡°Notpletely, but it¡¯s a big step forward.¡±


    ¡°Looks like eating all of that millipede dung paid off,¡± Regis said with a snicker.


    ¡°I was consuming the aether from the millipede¡¯s body, not its crap,¡± I started. ¡°...not yet, at least.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have some good news on that front,¡± Regis said mysteriously.


    I raised a brow. ¡°Oh? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Nuh uh uhh,¡± Regis chimed. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you after I¡¯ve had my twenty percent share of aether from the giant millipede.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I saved about a quarter of the aetheric essence for you anyway,¡± I replied before I grinned. ¡°For being eaten and expelled from the giant beast¡¯s rectum, your master bestows upon you a five percent raise.¡±


    ¡°This one is unworthy!¡± Regis eximed exaggeratedly.


    After finishing off thest of the millipede¡¯s aetheric essence, reducing its corpse into a hazy gray color, Regis was able to easily withstand Gauntlet form three times without hurting himself.


    I had expected more, but Regis was content with his growth¡ªespecially the growth of his horns.


    ¡°Why do you care so much about how big your horns are?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Why do human males care so much about how big their genitals are?¡± he quipped back.


    I stared down then looked back up toward Regis. ¡°Sorry I asked.¡±


    ***


    Following Regis inside the massive cavern that was about the length of a city block, he led me past a particrlyrge hill of aether crystals. After we had reached the peak, the hill dipped to form a crater where a particrly vibrant pile of aether crystals were gathered around fourrge spheres all ranging in different shades of milky purple.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me those are...¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Regis finished. ¡°I don¡¯t know how, but that giant millipede had her some babies.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s not what¡¯s important,¡± he continued, floating down into the crater. ¡°Look at those crystals surrounding the eggs.¡±


    Sliding down the side of the bowl of aether crystals that functioned as the millipede¡¯s birthing bed, I focused my gaze on the vibrant set of crystals glowing much more brightly than all the other aether crystals in this cavern.


    Squinting as I got closer, I saw what was held inside the crystals. My initial theory had been correct when I saw what was happening to the rock that the millipede had swallowed alongside those two-tailed monkeys.


    Trapped within those aether crystals, which were muchrger and brighter than the other crystals in this cavern, were various equipment, weapons and other items.


    From the way the suits of armor and clothing were positioned within the man-sized crystals, it was evident to me that there was once living people inside each of them. Just like how I had seen the monkey being consumed and its very life sucked out of its body, these people probably had met the same fate after being swallowed whole by the millipede, leaving behind only their possessions.


    It was a cruel way for anyone to die, but at this moment, I couldn¡¯t help myself from being ovee by greed. I looked down, examining the torn strips of cloth and leather that I had been passing off as clothes, and then back up at the various armors and equipments gleaming within the crystals.


    ¡°Look at your eyes, all sparkling,¡± Regis teased before scanning the aether crystals himself. ¡°Lucky for us, It seems like mama bug feasted on quite a few mages.¡±


    ¡°Have some respect for the dead,¡± I scolded.


    ¡°All of my respect disappeared since I popped out of that bug¡¯s anus,¡± Regis chortled.


    I was itching to get my hands on some of the equipment trapped within the aether crystals but there was something more important I needed to take care of first.


    Using Gauntlet Form, Regis and I destroyed all but thest millipede egg before absorbing the aetheric essence from them.


    ¡°Why are you leaving one alive?¡± Regis asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a pretty delicate ecosystem within this floor. I don¡¯t want topletely destroy that,¡± I replied, moving on to the firstrge crystal.


    It took several hours to absorb enough aether from the crystals in order to break through them, but the thought of having something more to wear than what I had ripped and tied together kept me going.


    Unfortunately, while the man-sized crystals that contained equipment numbered over a dozen, most of them weren¡¯t usable by the time I had broken through the crystalline shell they had been stored in.


    What was left, however, were masterfully crafted equipment that no doubt belonged to either powerful mages and warriors or¡ªat the very least¡ªrich ones.


    I looked at the weapons first. Out of the ones that didn¡¯tpletely fall apart, there was a golden spear with red runes running down its shaft, an unstrung longbow, a longsword with a gem imbedded on its pommel and a crack running down the length of the de, and a staff with a shattered gem.


    Regis frowned as he hovered over the weapons strewn on the ground in front of me. ¡°Well that¡¯s anticlimactic.¡±


    Remaining hopeful, I picked up the longsword first. It was perfectly bnced and felt good in my hands but when I imbued aether into the sword, the crack that ran down its de grew bigger and began splintering.


    Letting out a sigh, I struck the ground. Smaller aether crystals sshed from the impact as the sword shattered into pieces.


    Next, I picked up the spear. Imbuing aether into this one had a particr effect; the runes began glowing purple.


    Regis¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°Ooh! Do we have a winn¡ª¡±


    The spear exploded into pieces in my hands, hurling me several feet back and charring my leather vest.


    ¡°I guess I spoke too soon,¡± Regis replied.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I cursed, gathering myself and walking back to the weapons that were left.


    The remaining weapons didn¡¯t fare much better: the runes on the bow indicated that it used mana to create a string and fire arrows, making it hopeless for me to use, while the staff with the shattered gem proved to be even less useful than the exploding spear¡ªat least the spear would¡¯ve taken someone by surprise had I used it on an enemy.


    I moved on to the pile of equipment that I had taken out of the aether crystals. Unfortunately, I faced the same problem wearing the ted armor that I had with using the weapons. Because all of the higher-tiered pieces of armor were forge to better conduct mana, even using aether with those equipped quickly led to them breaking down or exploding.


    What I was left with was clothing made from fine cloth or leather.


    ¡°Looking good, princess,¡± Regis teased as he circled around me.


    My new outfit consisted of a loose white long-sleeved shirt that I tucked into a pair of bracers made from a thick ckened leather. Over it, I put on a gorget that was made from the same material as the bracers. Despite my rather lean frame, it fit well, resting snug over my shoulders anding up to my chin.


    After some testing, I realized that the shirt and the leather pieces of armor were surprisingly durable. They didn¡¯t have any runes or indications that they were artifacts, so I didn¡¯t need to worry about my clothes bursting from a bad reaction with aether. That¡¯s always a good thing.


    Along with a pair of pants, some soft leather shoes and a sturdy bag that was able to securely hold Sylvie¡¯s stone and my water pouch, thest item held a bit of sentimental value to me. It was a rather elegant cloak lined with a soft white fur around its hood.


    It was sh-resistant and incredibly warm, but I liked it simply because of its color. While it was white with fur on the inside, the outer cloth was a toned-down teal color. It reminded me of Dawn¡¯s Bad, but more than that, it reminded me of the simpler times when I first found Dawn¡¯s Bad in the back corner of the Helstea Auction House.


    Putting on the cloak that came down just above my knees, I was greeted by a nice heft, but what surprised me was that there was something hidden inside the inner lining of the cloak.


    ¡°I thought you had gone through all of the weapons,¡± Regis chimed, studying the dagger in my hand.


    ¡°I thought so too,¡± I muttered, entranced by the small weapon for some reason.


    The sleek handle of brushed silver was just long enough for me to hold it in one hand with slight grooves for each of my fingers. Attached to the end of the handle was a ring¡ªmost likely for my index finger if I chose to wield it de down.


    Gripping the handle tightly, I pulled it out of its sheath to reveal a wless white de with an insignia of a hexagon with three parallel streaks inside it carved near the base.


    ¡°Woah. What is that made of?¡± Regis asked, studying the glistening white de.


    I held it close in front of me, inspecting it as well. ¡°It looks like some kind of... bone?¡±


    ¡°Are bones usually that shiny and white though? It looks almost crystalline.¡±


    ¡°This is my first time seeing something like this too,¡± I confessed, unable to take my eyes off of it.¡±


    ¡°Try it out. Imbue some aether into it,¡± Regis said impatiently.


    I was afraid to¡ªI didn¡¯t want to damage it. But when I did, to my surprise, it was able to withstand and even conduct a small portion of the aether.


    ¡°Do you think that the person who had this knife knew how to wield aether too?¡± Regis asked, astonished at the sight of the faint purple aura leaking from its white de.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± I replied. ¡°Most likely, this dagger is just made from something that was able to wield aether¡ªmaybe from some beast found in this dungeon.¡±


    Regis¡¯s mouth curved up into a sinister smile. ¡°Wicked.¡±


    I looked back at the remaining millipede egg, searching for an ounce of guilt over killing its three siblings. I had definitely lost something while down here. A part of me was scared and wanted me totch onto whatever remaining shred of humanity I had left, but arger part of me knew that in order to survive here and in order to reach my goal, I couldn¡¯t falter.


    ¡°Ready to go?¡± Regis asked.


    ¡°Just a minute.¡± Gathering my hair that had grown far past my shoulders, I tied it loosely near the base of my neck. Gripping the ponytail, I cut off my hair just past the knot, letting the locks of pale wheat hair fall to the ground.


    Regis nodded in approval. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, that was pretty manly.¡±


    I took a passing nce at the giant millipede that we had killed before walking forward. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 261

    Chapter 261


    Chapter 261: The Bridge


    ¡°Stop screaming!¡± I snapped, my legs a blur as we sped through the endless meadow of glowing white wildflowers and blue grass.


    ¡°Then tell them to stop chasing us!¡± Regis howled, zipping through the air beside me.


    Behind us were hundreds, if not thousands, of rodents, each the size of a puma, with glowing purple ws...and all of them were incredibly pissed off at us.


    ¡°I told you not to go poking around those giant holes!¡± I retorted.


    Regis sped past me, afraid of getting scratched by those purple ws again. ¡°How was I supposed to know that thousands of giant rats were living in them!¡±


    Anger bubbled up. ¡°What exactly were you expecting then? Giant snakes?¡±


    ¡°No, I was just thinking if we were going to find another treasure trove or some¡ª¡±


    ¡°Regis, Gauntlet Form!¡± I cut in as I whirled around and skid to a stop.


    An aura of ck and purple red from my right fist, growingrger as the army of giant rodents rapidly approached.


    Using two ¡®charges¡¯, I released an explosive st that distorted the very space it touched, killing a few dozen rodents.


    Immediately after, I hooked my index finger in the ring attached to the pommel of the dagger, unsheathing it with a brilliant white arc.


    Focusing aether on my arms, I soon became a torrent of de and fists, cutting, stabbing, and striking every giant rodent within range.


    Wielding a dagger was difficult at first. Despite the simrity in shape to a sword, the style of fighting using a dagger had proven vastly different.


    It was fun though. Utilizing the ring at the bottom of the hilt, I was able to hook my finger through it, freeing up my hand to strike or parry with a palm. The shorter length of the dagger meant that strikes and shes were faster and more concise, allowing for sharper and more vtile movement.


    Corpses of the giant purple-wed rodentsy strewn about, dying the beautiful blue grass around me in crimson.


    Before the rest of their horde could arrive, Regis and I turned back and started to run. We continued running and slowly chipping away at their forces for several hours while searching for an exit within this seemingly vast field of ocean-like grass.


    What was worse was that, unlike the chimeras and millipede, most of the rodents¡¯ bodies didn¡¯t contain aether¡ªonly their ws were coated in a denseyer of aether. This allowed them to actually injure Regis and made them very cumbersome to kill with little benefit since I was using more aether than I was regenerating.


    ¡°Over there!¡± Regis shouted as he picked up speed.


    I saw it too. Out in the distance, there was an all-too-familiar teleportation gate glowing brightly, beckoning us. It was only after we drew near it that we realized it wasn¡¯t going to be that easy.


    Separating us from the gate was a chasm at least 30 yards wide with no end in sight on either side for us to go around.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Regis asked as my mind spun, looking for a way out. Behind us was at least a thousand rodents hell bent on killing us¡ª all the more angry after we had continuously killed off their brethren.


    Pumping out more aether from my core, I picked up speed as well, gaining some distance away from the horde of rodents. As we got closer, my eyes picked up two columns both on the portal side and on our side as well.


    ¡°I think there¡¯s a bridge there!¡± I said, pointing to the two columns just a few dozen yards ahead. I could only hope that there was a mechanism that connected the columns on either side together.


    I skidded to a stop just in front of the two pirs that were about three shoulder-widths apart. But when I saw what had happened, I cursed aloud.


    There were thick rune-inscribed chainsing from the columns and falling down the crevice. At the bottom there was a stream of red, and by the heat that could be felt all the way from here, I knew that it wasva.


    That was why there were no grass or flowers growing this close to the crevice.


    ¡°Well...there was a bridge,¡± Regis said dejectedly, looking down into the abyss. ¡°I wonder what did this?¡±


    ¡°Not what. Who.¡± I seethed, punching the tree-sized pir of stone before turning back to face the army of rodents.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to try and kill all of those creatures,¡± Regis groaned.


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± I said. ¡°I have a n but you¡¯re not going to like it.¡±


    Regis stared at me, deadpan. ¡°Has there ever been a n that I liked?¡±


    ***


    I hid behind one of the columns, replenishing my core using a rodent w that I had severed and stored in my bag while I watched Regis scream as he fast approached. Just behind him was the horde of rodents desperately mbering atop one another, swiping savagely at Regis.


    ¡°I hate you!¡± Regis howled as he drew near.


    I waited until he was about a foot from the cliff before releasing the same aetheric aura that I had used to immobilize the giant millipede.


    By the time the frontline rodents realized that they were running towards a cliff, it was toote. The air around them grew heavy as the aetheric aura spread. The waves of rodents behind the first row weren¡¯t able to stop in time either, crashing into their brethren and falling off the cliff as they desperately wed at the air.


    Meanwhile, Regis continued to hover in the air, inviting the giant rodents in the back that weren¡¯t yet aware of the cliff to try and kill him while gleefullyughing like a maniac.


    ¡°Come on, you pea-brained rats! Try and touch me with those manicured ws of yours now, bitches! Hahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Now!¡± I roared as the final wave of giant rodents mbered atop their brethren and leapt off in a desperate attempt to reach Regis.


    I used most of my aether to burst forward, pushing off the column for maximum speed.


    With aether shrouding my body, I stepped on the heads of the crazed rodents, climbing on top of them to get as close to the other side of the crevice as possible. With the river ofva below me, my eyes scanned the route that I would be able to take to get to the other side.


    Just before the giant rodents under my feet began falling down, I leapt off the crest of the rodent pile.


    I pushed away the thought of missing my footing and falling into the river ofva that was blowing hot air even all the way up here. I doubted that even my vivum-enhanced healing abilities would be able to regenerate me faster than theva would eat away at my body.


    My eyes locked onto the rodent up ahead in the air. It had managed to clear almost halfway across the crevice trying to get Regis.


    Stamping my foot on the iling rodent¡¯s back, I pushed off of him to gain the extra distance I needed to reach the other side.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to make it!¡± Regis screamed as I began descending just a few feet shy from the clifftop.


    Pulling out my dagger, I summoned the remaining sliver of aether to reinforce my arm and dagger before driving it into the face of the cliff.


    The very air distorted in ripples from the waves of heat emanating from the stream ofva drawing closer.


    ¡®Use my aether for Gauntlet Form!¡¯ Regis sent as my free hand started glowing ck and purple.


    With no time to waste, I unleashed the aether coalesced into my fist, striking downward rather than straight at the rocky cliffside.


    The impact created a big crater on the cliffside. I was freefalling for a second until I barely managed to snag my fingers over the edge of the depression that I had created.


    My hands¡ªalong with the rest of my body¡ªmmy with sweat, I nearly lost my grip but managed to hold on.


    Clinging for dear life until I was able to pull myself up, I fell t on my back in the small cave that I had created with Gauntlet Form.


    ¡°We made it!¡± a slightly shrunken Regis cheered as I struggled to breathe. The air was thick here, but it was a bit different from just heat. Too tired and hot to figure out why, I was tempted to let sleep overtake me but I knew that falling unconscious this close to the molten river spelled death.


    ¡°Thanks for saving me,¡± I said to Regis.


    The little orb of ck shrugged nonchntly. ¡°Meh, I¡¯m not very keen on finding out what happens to me if you die. Just promise me a bigger chunk of aether next time and we¡¯ll call it even.¡±


    I nodded before getting back to the matter at hand. Even without strengthening my body with aether, I should be able to climb the cliff, andmon sense dictated that I should get as far away as possible from this river ofva that I had clearly seen bake those puma-sized rodents alive in mere seconds.


    However, my instincts told me otherwise, and my new body seemed to agree. Staring down, for some reason, I thought that this glowing river ofva would help me.


    ¡°So, you all rested up? Ready to climb up out of here?¡± Regis asked cheerfully as he continued to watch a few dumber rodents chase after us and fall to their fiery deaths.


    It was when I spotted several glints of purple floating away in the molten stream that I realized why I had been feeling this way.


    ¡°No. Not yet,¡± I said as my eyes began scanning the inside of the man-sized cave I was in, yet another brilliant n of mine slowly snapping into ce.


    ¡°Tell me the truth, Arthur. You¡¯re a masochist, aren¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t particrly enjoy feeling pain, Regis,¡± I stated, lowering my toes.


    ¡°Oh so you¡¯re just dunking yourself inva for shits and giggles?¡±


    I stopped. ¡°Do you mind? I kind of need to concentrate if I don¡¯t want my body to melt.¡±


    Regis rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry for trying to dissuade you from skinny dipping inva.¡±


    ¡°Apology epted, now shut up.¡± I took a deep breath. Even after hours of testing dozens of times, it was nerve-wracking to actually submerge myself into the molten river.


    Dipping my entire body into the stream ofva, I immediately felt a burning, but tolerable heat coursing through me as I continued pumping aether from my core.


    It was an odd feeling but it didn¡¯t take long for me to be able to confirm the benefits of doing this. I had been right, except, it had gone beyond my expectations.


    Seeing the glowing purple ws of the rodents had confirmed my instincts and had set the n into motion.


    The first stage was the most uncertain. Just like how thest level had its own unique ecosystem, so did this one.


    When I had consumed the aether from the rodents¡¯ ws, I realized that they were only coated in aether. Their natural ws¡ªwhile sharp and near-indestructible¡ªwere just ck. Seeing how their bodies weren¡¯t able to innately wield aether like the chimeras, monkeys, or the millipede, I assumed that they had acquired those ws through some other means.


    Their species lived underground, using their sharp ws to dig tunnels, so I spected that in the ground was something that was rich in aether that they dug through in order toyer their ws with aether.


    After hours of using my newfound dagger and aether to dig and punch deeper into the cave that I had made, Regis and I had found it...


    An aether crystal.


    The one that we had managed to find was about seven feet in diameter and extremely dense in mana.


    If the first part of my n had been uncertain, then the second part of my n should be described as painful.


    With no way of knowing if my body would fare any better than the rodent ws, I did the only thing any wise and intelligent person would do: test.


    After another several hours of melting my fingers, waiting for them to regenerate by using the aether crystal, and doing it again while adjusting the input of my aether, I had finallye to where I was now...buck naked, standing on one of the shallow ends of the molten river I had found by tossing a boulder into it.


    But it had paid off. My body felt as if it was going through the tempering and purging stage of my patented aether refinement process over and over again every second.


    Because of how much aether I needed to expel constantly in order to keep my body from burning, as well as to be in a state of equilibrium with the harsh aether flowing within this molten river, I could only be inside for about a minute at a time. At least at first, that is.


    ¡°Wow. Five minutes.¡± Regis acknowledged with a nod. ¡°New record.¡±


    I stared at the aether crystal that had now dulled into a hazy gray color. ¡°Just in time. I think it¡¯s about time we leave.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Regis¡¯ eyes sparkled like a puppy in front of a steak. I felt a little sorry for my floatingpanion. After the rodents had finally given up on trying to chase after us, Regis¡¯ favorite show¡ªwatching the rodents fall and sizzle in the molten stream¡ªhad been stopped. This meant that he was stuck watching me go in and out between the molten river and the aether crystal, naked.


    I gave him a nod, putting on my clothes. After adjusting my darkened leather bracers and gorget and equipping my bag and the white dagger I had grown fond of, I draped the teal fur-lined cloak over my shoulders. ¡°You ready?¡±


    ¡°Hell yes,¡± Regis dered before stopping abruptly and turning around. ¡°But before that... was it worth it?¡±


    I let aether erupt from my core. Rather than seeing the thin sheen of magenta cover my entire body, however, my aether burned a brilliant purple¡ªall traces of the reddish hue now gone. What really surprised Regis though, was the fact that almost all of the aether had coalesced into my right fist.


    My lips curved into a smirk as I watched Regis gape stupidly. ¡°You tell me.¡±

 Chapter 262

    Chapter 262


    Chapter 262: The tform


    Tempering my body in that molten stream for the past few days had been the right choice. I was now able to concentrate about eighty percent of the aether into my arms and focus up to thirty percent of my aether into my legs. That being said, my heightened control over aether made the climb back up to the clifftop a breeze.


    I was tempted to stay longer in that fiery river¡ªwhile excruciating, using the molten stream was a much faster way of forging my aether passages¡ªbut I had gotten lucky finding an aether crystal thatrge nearby. Without it, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to make such drastic improvements in that short amount of time.


    There were a couple things I wanted to do before crossing through the teleportation gate. First, I looked for a source of freshwater. I knew there had to be one nearby since I had identally managed to excavate a thin vein of water down within the cave while looking for an aether crystal. Even if I didn¡¯t need to drink nearly as much water now, if I hadn¡¯t found that, I would¡¯ve had to make a trip back up to the giant rodents¡¯ territory.


    ¡°Found it!¡± Regis shouted a few dozen yards ahead.


    ¡°Nice!¡± The dark dirt gave way to a lush field of blue grass once more as I reached the glistening pond of water.


    Wasting no time, I gulped down mouthfuls of water and refilled my pouch before stripping my clothes and jumping in.


    My body shivered at the cold touch of water on my skin but the sensation was blissful. After thoroughly washing myself, I couldn¡¯t help but study my appearance once more.


    The pair of eyes that gazed back at me in the water shone like two spheres of golden amber tinged with some blue¡ªevidence of my former eye color. Locks of pale wheat hair draped over my face, emphasizing the solemn expression I bore as I stared at myself. I still looked like Arthur, but I kept looking for small differences to prove otherwise. In the end, it was just me being discontent that the most obvious traits that I had gotten from my mother and father were now gone.


    Stop thinking like that. You should be grateful to Sylvie you¡¯re alive, I reprimanded myself.


    ¡°Are you done checking yourself out?¡± Regis chimed.


    Turning back, I shot him a withering re, surprising him.


    ¡°Easy. It was a joke,¡± mypanion muttered.


    I let out a sigh. ¡°I know.¡±


    After getting out of the water, I got dressed in everything but the leather armor and teal cloak. I wanted to get adjusted to the changes in my body after tempering in the molten river. To do that, I needed to see exactly what I was capable of and what my limits were.


    Without a proper punching bag in this field of blue and white, I was left having to strike the air and asionally the ground, but I was able to get a grasp of how much I had improved.


    Despite the fact that Regis used my own aether as fuel to unleash Gauntlet Form, I wasn¡¯t able to duplicate that effect even after imbuing all eighty percent of my aether into my right fist. I was stronger¡ªtougher¡ªand the regenerative properties were heightened with so much aether coalesced in one ce, but when I punched into the ground, the oue wasn¡¯t as destructive as I had hoped it would be.


    Still, because I was able to more freely control my aether, Regis and I were able to utilize Gauntlet Form much more instantaneously and effectively.


    One crucial limitation that I realized, however, was the speed at which aether travelled inside me.


    Whether it was because my aether passages weren¡¯tpletely formed, or because I was still trying to treat aether as if it were mana, it still took a few seconds of concentration in order to siphon aether into the desired location within my body.


    I still have a long way to go until I¡¯m able to use advanced techniques like burst step. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but get a little excited. This body would be able to bear the burden of burst step and much more.


    Before we headed back to where the teleportation gate stood, I took out the translucent stone that held Sylvie inside.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope my aether is pure enough for you now, Sylv,¡± I muttered as I pushed aether into the stone. A shroud of purple enveloped the stone as I felt nearly all of my aether being drained from my core.


    This time, I could feel much more of my aether reaching Sylvie, but it was all the same. While I had gotten stronger, at this point, I was dropping buckets in a pond, rather than cups. I really did have a long way to go.


    After my core had replenished, we made our way back to the towering teleportation gate and stood in front of the undting portal.


    I turned to Regis. ¡°Ready?¡±


    He let out a scoff. ¡°Let¡¯s see what fresh slice of hell awaits us next.¡±


    The two of us stepped through, both excited and anxious of what we¡¯d have to face on the other side.


    Despite our preparation and even anticipation for something unpredictable and bizarre, we were still stunned silent as the bright white light finally gave away to a serene spectrum of colors. Despite having the umtion of two lifetimes in two different worlds, my mind couldn¡¯t quite make out what I was seeing.


    ¡°Well this is new,¡± Regis muttered as the two of us continued staring nkly at the scene ahead.


    Glowing tforms the size of small housesy suspended in the air, each one a different color and a bit higher the farther they were. The tforms were connected by a single set of glowing stairs that seemed to be made of the same material as the tforms themselves.


    The sky itself, if I could even call it that, shimmered in a purple hue, making this ce look as if it was in a perpetual state of twilight.


    The teleportation gate we hade through was apparently one-way because behind us was just an expanse of the shimmering purple sky. No sun or moon, no obvious source of light or even a horizon...there was just nothing.


    I stepped away from the edge of the tform we were standing on, not wanting to find out how steep of a drop it was if we fell.


    ¡°At least there¡¯s only one way to go, right?¡± I said, kneeling down to inspect the tform we were standing on. This one glowed a soft white and was smooth to the touch.


    Regis rolled his eyes. ¡°Woohoo.¡±


    I walked carefully toward the set of glowing stairs leading to the next tform, wary of any traps. Thankfully, I managed to reach the stairs without anyone or anything trying to kill me.


    Climbing the stairs, I reached the next tform which glowed in various shades of red. After the two of us exchanged a wary nce, I stepped on the tform.


    Immediately, the staircase behind me faded away, forcing me to fullymit to the tform. As both feet were nted on the glowing red floor, the entire tform began elongating, stretching to about quadruple its original length. Worse yet, I felt something pull at my insides, forcing me to stumble and almost fall.


    My breathing faltered as wisps of purple aura leaked from my skin. Even as I closed off my aether core, I could feel the aether escape, slowly draining both my body and my core.


    Regis was in worse shape as he fell to the floor, his entire form flickering and growing noticeably smaller by the second.


    ¡°Regis!¡± I reached out and grabbed him, allowing him to sink into my hand.


    ¡®Thanks,¡¯ Regis remarked without a shred of his usual blend of sarcasm and condescension.


    Meanwhile, I couldn¡¯t help but start to panic as more and more aether was being siphoned out of my core and leaking from the surface of my body.


    I began hurriedly crossing to the other side of the tform where the stairs to the next level awaited. However, the rate that my aether was being sucked out from me increased the closer I got.


    Thinking on my feet, I began concentrating aether to my right arm. With all of my aether coalescing in one ce, I could only feel the aether leaking from my right arm.


    Better than nothing, I suppose.


    I was nearly at the stairs now but my gut told me to try and ovee this.


    ¡®Uhh, the exit is right there,¡¯ mypanion sent, his concerned voice echoing in my head.


    ¡°I...know,¡± I said through gritted teeth as I stopped in my tracks.


    Rather than panicking at the sensation of aether escaping from my very grasp, I used every ounce of concentration into narrowing the aether from my entire arm to my hand, then to the center of my palm until I could feel the aether about to burst.


    That¡¯s when I felt like something had changed inside me. As if my aether passages dispersed and rose to the surface of my skin. Ayer of purple clung tightly to my right palm while rune-like marks extended out to my fingers like a glove made of aether.


    Suddenly, my hand began to burn.


    ¡®Arthur! You¡¯re going to destroy your hand at this rate!¡¯ Regis cried, panicking. ¡®Hold on! I¡¯ll absorb some of your aether!¡¯


    ¡°No, don¡¯t!¡± I groaned. I let whatever anomaly was happening within this tform help me drain the aether coalescing in the center of my palm. Better yet, I let it help guide my channels.


    Letting out a roar to ovee the pain gnawing away at my hand, I pushed out.


    A deep thrum resounded, followed by a devastating torrent of violet mes erupting from the center of my palm.


    I gripped my right arm with my left hand to help stabilize and keep my arm from ripping out of its socket.


    The sound of my own voice was washed away from the deafening st as I struggled to stay conscious.


    My ears rang and most of the red tform that had seemed indestructible up until now had been obliterated.


    I fell to my knees and I cradled my right arm. All of my fingers had been broken and bent out of ce from the impact and my entire right arm had fractures. And without a shred of aether left in my body, I could already feel my body turning against me.


    ¡°¡ªthur! Arthur!¡±


    I saw a blurry Regis shouting my name before shooting into my chest. Almost immediately, I could feel Regis injecting his own aether into my core, supplying me with most of what he had umted since manifesting.


    Strength flowing through me once more, I staggered off the red tform and climbed the stairs using my hand and feet.


    ¡°Regis, are you okay?¡± I asked, worryced in my voice.


    Regis remained inside me, and I could feel he was still alive but he remained quiet.


    Finally, mypanion stirred and let out a groan.


    ¡®You really are a fucking masochist,¡¯ he grumbled weakly.


    The two of us stared at the glowing orange tform in front of us.


    Regis was norger than the size of my palm now after giving me most of his aether. What was worse was that we weren¡¯t able to stay on the floating stairs indefinitely. After a while, the stair we were on began trembling before fizzling out of existence. Eventually, we had been forced to thest stair before the tform, my arm still mostly broken.


    ¡°Remember, I can¡¯t use Gauntlet Form right now,¡± Regis warned, hovering just over my shoulder.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t you even think about using whatever it was you used on thatst tform! I mean, what the hell were you even thinking!¡±


    ¡°I told you. I need to risk my life if I want to stand a chance against asuras,¡± I stated. Despite my injury and close call, I had seeded. I could feel the change in my body and the possibilities of what I would be able to do once I was strong enough to handle it. ¡°But you have to admit, the result was worth it.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for me, you would¡¯ve died doing that dragon¡¯s fart technique!¡± he yelled before letting out a breath. ¡°Fine. It was pretty cool. Just don¡¯t do it again until we¡¯re somece safe, yeah?¡±


    ¡°It was a calcted risk...but I agree,¡± I answered before stepping onto the orange tform. As soon as my foot touched the floor, the entire tform began glowing brighter and started pulsating softly while the stairs leading to the next tform retracted.


    ¡°That didn¡¯t happen on thest tform,¡± Regis stated grimly, looking at the stairs.


    However, even as Regis was talking, I sensed something and moved my body ordingly. I spun on my front foot, pivoting to the right and grabbing the space in front of me with my left hand.


    A slight prickle on my cheek told me that I wasn¡¯t able to dodgepletely but what surprised me more was the fact that I was able to react to the humanoid beast that had attacked me at all.


    Aside from the fact that it was deadly fast, it seemed to be invisible. Even with the fact that I was able to see aether with my eyes, the beast simply looked like a faint blur of purple with two ded arms and four legs.


    ¡°Regis.¡± I tightened my grip around the ded beast¡¯s arm as it struggled to pry free. ¡°Be careful.¡±


    Mypanion¡¯s eyes widened at what he saw and hid behind me.


    With my right hand out ofmission, I tried throwing the beast off of the tform but it hit an invisible wall.


    Imbuing aether into my left arm, I unsheathed my dagger and struck the humanoid beast underneath its chin and severed its head.


    The entire tform shook from the impact and the headless beast slumped into the ground without a trace of blood leaking from its wound.


    As soon as the beast died, details formed underneath its camouging shroud of aether.


    ¡°How¡¯d you even see this thing?¡± Regis asked as he hovered over what could only be described as some sort of reptilian centaur.


    I touched my cheek, wiping a bead of blood from the wound that had already healed. ¡°I didn¡¯t...I just sort of knew and reacted to it.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s because of your new body,¡± Regis pondered.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I didn¡¯t feel this way when I first woke up to this body. Even while fighting the chimeras and the millipede¡ªI don¡¯t think I would¡¯ve been able to react this fast back then.¡±


    My mind spun, trying to think of what could¡¯ve changed. Maybe by forging my aether passages, the aether was further limating to my body internally, strengthening my nerves to enhance my perception and reflexes.


    The sight of the reptilian centaur fading into nothingness snapped me back to reality. Soon after, the tform dimmed to its usual color and the stairs returned to its usual state, connecting this tform to the one after.


    Regis tilted his head. ¡°I guess...that¡¯s it?¡±


    We crossed the tform carefully, making sure there weren¡¯t any more invisible threats, but after I had deemed it safe, the two of us took some more time to heal.


    After a few hours of concentrated absorption of aether, I was back to full health and was even able to give Regis some aether. His body and horns were still half their previous size but he was at least able to use Gauntlet Form once.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I stated, curling and uncurling my healed right hand.


    Reaching the end of the tform, we climbed the flight of stairs, much more confident thanst time.


    This tform was bathed dimly in deep blue light and when I carefully touched the floor with my foot, rather than pulsating like the previous tform, tiles shimmered into view, segmenting the entire area into smaller squares, each the span of my arms.


    ¡°Ooh, not ominous at all,¡± Regis said sarcastically, looking at the squares. ¡°Too bad you can¡¯t just float over them like me.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like your life isn¡¯t tied to mine,¡± I shot back with a smirk.


    Regis¡¯s expression fell as he muttered weakly, ¡°We don¡¯t know that for sure...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not find out,¡± I chuckled before focusing on the task at hand.


    I got low and tapped lightly on the square just ahead while watching out for any more invisible beasts sneaking up on me.


    Nothing happened, but when I ced both feet on the same square, the entire tform trembled before it suddenly spun ny degrees. Suddenly, I was on the left side of the square rather than the front side.


    ¡°Woah,¡± Regis muttered.


    I carefully stepped on the square to my left, the one that was closer to the stairs leading up to the next tform. However, as soon as both feet were nted, the entire tform rotated once more, this time, counterclockwise.


    ¡°It¡¯s a...puzzle,¡± I said, stepping on another square. ¡°Like some sort of two dimensional Rubik¡¯s Cube.¡±


    The tform turned counterclockwise again, and the more I tried to get closer toward the stairs, the farther away I was led.


    Minutes easily bled into hours as we stepped, failed, and retraced our steps before starting again.


    ¡°Forward, left, left, forward, right¡ªno I think it was left?¡± Regis muttered.


    ¡°Shut up! You¡¯re making this harder,¡± I snapped as I hopped through the memorized path until we were just three squares away from the staircase.


    I stepped on the square adjacent to the one I was on this time, spinning me clockwise, but the move after that led to a dead route.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I cursed, tracing back my path a few steps to hopefully find a different route.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just jump this distance?¡± Regis asked, his gaze shifting from me to the stairs.


    I stared nkly at mypanion. ¡°Is that allowed?¡±


    ¡°You can get to the stairs easily from here,¡± he replied. ¡°And generally, the stairs have always been safe.¡±


    I thought for a moment and realized we could be stuck here for hours if not days on this giant spinning chessboard.


    Imbuing aether into my legs, I jumped.


    The distance was easy to clear but as I descended toward the flight of stairs, suddenly, a shadow loomed over me.


    It was the entire tform.


    My eyes widened as the entire blue tform flipped, and it came crashing over my head.


    No... it can¡¯t end just like this.


    ¡°Arthur!¡± Regis cried, falling alongside me despite his ability to fly.


    I iled my arms desperately in the air, trying to grab ahold of something in this purple void. I tried to gather aether once more in my palm but to no avail¡ªI didn¡¯t have nearly enough tounch an attack like earlier.


    There was nothing either of us could do as we continued plummeting and the tform grew farther and farther away, until it faded out of sight.

 Chapter 263

    Chapter 263


    Chapter 263: Cornered


    Panic began bubbling up in the pit of my stomach as the tform disappeared from view. I didn¡¯t have the confidence to say that I¡¯d survive the impact after hitting the ground at this speed. Worse yet was the fact that I might not hit anything at all. Knowing that aether was involved in making this ce, the possibility of falling indefinitely was all too real.


    I remembered the helpless void that I had trapped myself in before waking up in this dungeon. The sheer numbness and darkness that had swallowed my mind and soul was something that brought chills down my spine at the mere recollection of it.


    The impact I felt on my back, however, snapped me back to reality. I hadnded on a tform.


    The otherworldly surface glowed a soft white underneath me. As my mind tried to process what had happened, another crash resounded behind me.


    ¡°Sonova¡ª¡±


    ¡°Regis! Are you okay?¡± I asked as mypanion swaggered back up into the air, hovering a few feet above the glowing white tform.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know... but for someone incorporeal, a lot of shit sure can touch me in this godforsaken ce,¡± Regis groused.


    I cracked a smile, happy to see mypanionin...and happy to have solid ground beneath me. However, what bothered me was the fact that, behind us, there were no other tforms. Just like when we had first arrived here.


    With little choice but to walk up the lone staircase up ahead, we made our way across the tform and climbed the stairs to see the familiar glow of red on the tform in front of us.


    I stared dumbfoundedly at the view ahead, struck with a sudden sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. ¡°Regis. Please tell me you¡¯re thinking the same thing I am.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re thinking of a certain Italian plumber with a mustache, and what happens to him when he falls, then yeah,¡± Regis muttered.


    ¡°Crude metaphor of an ancient video game aside, I think you may have a point,¡± I replied. ¡°But we¡¯ll find out for sure once we step on it.¡±


    ¡°You mean once you step on it.¡± Regis shot toward me, disappearing into my hand.


    Letting out a sigh, I stepped onto the tform. Almost immediately, I felt the sensation of aether being sucked out of me while the glowing red tform stretched out in length.


    ¡°I¡¯m not even surprised,¡± I muttered, trudging forward.


    I coalesced aether from my left hand this time, limiting the rate at which aether left my body as I neared the staircase.


    ¡®Easy,¡¯ Regis scoffed.


    I stopped a few steps short of the staircase.


    ¡®Wait, no. Please don¡¯t tell me...¡¯


    ¡°Where else am I going to find another environment that naturally pulls aether out of me?¡± I asked before smirking. ¡°Besides, didn¡¯t you just say it was easy?¡±


    Despite having experienceunching a destructive st of aether from the palm of my hand, the second time wasn¡¯t any easier. In fact, because I had be more ustomed to coalescing aether in my right hand, I had an even harder time with my left.


    Needless to say, I walked up the staircase to the next tform with a shattered left hand, a near-empty aether core... and a smile on my face.


    Regis red daggers at me, his size once again shrunken from having to inject his aether into me. ¡°Masochist.¡±


    Ignoring the potential psychological repercussions of my dangerous actions since waking up in this dungeon, I stepped onto the orange tform. I dodged the invisible centaur beast once more, but rather than making the mistake of killing it and letting it disappear, I pinned it down and absorbed its aether first.


    The great thing about expanding my aether passages was that I was no longer limited to consuming aether using my mouth. I could now absorb through my hand with dignity and poise.


    Stepping up onto the blue tform, recovered and brimming with energy, I patiently solved the spinning tform puzzle.


    My heart finally calmed after stepping onto the staircase leading to the next tform. The memory of the ground flipping from straight beneath me and sending me down a void had been seared into both our minds.


    ¡°Please let this next one be the exit,¡± Regis prayed, his horns practically drooping.


    As we reached the top of the stairs, I couldn¡¯t help but grow anxious.


    The tform was about twice as big as the previous tforms and emitted an ominous ck light.


    I pushed aside my worries as my hand subconsciously reached for the bag carrying Sylvie¡¯s stone. Despite the state she was in, my bond had be an anchor for me and a constant reminder of what my goals were.


    Steeling myself, I stepped up onto the ck tform with Regis following close behind. As soon as my feet were both nted on the glowing ck surface, the entire tform began to thrum deeply.


    My eyes scanned my surroundings, my senses on full alert for any dangersing our way. The thrumming grew louder to an almost deafening degree until, suddenly, hundreds of ck wires shot out from all four edges of the square tform, criss-crossing with each other to form a fence-like enclosing that stretched high above us.


    Regis looked up and around. ¡°That can¡¯t be good.¡±


    A thickyer of aether clung evenly over my body as I stepped toward the center. Seeing that we were blocked from moving forward meant that we needed to solve some sort of puzzle...or kill something in here.


    As if reading my thoughts, the ground a few yards in front of me began rippling as arge mound of glowing ck began growing from the center of it.


    The expanse of purple surrounding us darkened as a towering figure burgeoned from the very ground we were standing on.


    I gazed up at the shadowy giant looming over us. The bipedal creature was at least five times my height and looked like it was wearing a full set of armor of the same shadowy material as the rest of its body, along with a viking helmet with two horns curling upward. As it stepped toward us, causing the entire tform to tremble, I said the only thing appropriate for a situation like this.


    ¡°Look, Regis. It¡¯s your dad.¡±


    Mypanion regarded me for moment, deadpan. ¡°I liked you better when you were depressed.¡±


    The glowing ck floor shook furiously as I effortlessly dodged the crashing strikeunched by the shadowy sentinel. Its movements were slow but I knew that getting hit even once could spell death.


    ¡°Regis.¡± I held out my hand. ¡°Gauntlet Form.¡±


    As Regist flew into my hand and I siphoned aether through him, a sinister voice screamed at me, driving a nail to my brain.


    ¡®Kill it. ughter it!¡¯


    I buckled from surprise and pain, just barely managing to avoid the low sweep of the golem¡¯s arm.


    With no time to wonder and question, I clenched my smoky-ck fist and struck the giant golem¡¯s leg.


    A muted explosion resounded from the impact, but the golem only stumbled back a step.


    The tight grip I felt around my core reminded me that the number of times I could use this was limited, but it seemed like even a hundred of these wouldn¡¯t be able to kill the giant beast.


    The golem let out a deafening roar, apparently pissed that I had managed to give it a bruise.


    I grimaced as I clenched my shadow-d fist once more. ¡°Again!¡±


    Channeling even more of my aether through Regis, I let the destructive power build. The smokey-ck aura from Regis began to spread, slowly climbing up my arm.


    Meanwhile the voice that had pierced into my brain actually began to quiet. Its once-desperate demand turned to mofillied appeals.


    ¡®You need me. I¡¯m the only one that can get you out of here. Don¡¯t you want to see your family again? Don¡¯t you want to see Tessia?¡¯


    ¡°N-No,¡± I said through gritted teeth. Its tantalizing voice was actually scarier than when it screamed out its demands.


    I fought to keep sane, wanting whatever this foreign demon was to get out of my head.


    A forceful blow that threw me off the ground and mmed me against the ck fence granted me my wish...and also a few broken ribs.


    Coughing out a mouthful of blood, Inded onto my back to see Regis staring at me.


    ¡°What the hell happened? Are you okay?¡± the shadowy ck ball asked before turning. ¡°Watch out!¡±


    I rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding the giant golem as it tried to step on me.


    Getting up to my feet while the remaining aether in my body slowly healed me, I looked at Regis. ¡°Was that you speaking...in my head?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± he asked, frustrated. ¡°Did you get hit in the head? I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ve noticed, but there¡¯s a giant shadow golem trying to kill us.¡±


    ¡°I got hit everywhere,¡± I retorted, regarding Regis. I frowned as I looked at mypanion. ¡°The voice...nevermind.¡±


    Shaking off the lingering aches of my body even as my ribs had healed, the giant golem and I began ying a game of cat and mouse. With hesitations keeping me from imbuing more of my aether, I was forced to try and attack its ¡®weak points¡¯.


    Turns out, it didn¡¯t have any. Its faceless head was just as hard as its armored crotch and chest.


    Out of options, I did the only thing I could do. Keeping my distance, I began coalescing aether into the center of my palm.


    As a thinyer of purple began spreading from the center of my hand, I hoped that my limited pool of aether would somehow dwindle the recoil of the aether st.


    But as I prepared to unleash the destructive st of aether, I couldn¡¯t help but question its capability. It was the wrong moment and time to be introspecting but I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how this raw st of energy stemmed from aether.


    Like mana, did aether have a pure, affinity-less form, or was this power¡ªlike the strengthening of my body¡ªa branch of vivum? But Lady Myre had exined vivum as the influence over all livingponents.


    That¡¯s when it hit me.


    I had been on the right track with both the Gauntlet Form and the aetheric st but they were merely a part of the bigger picture.


    I channeled aether into my hand once more. But it was different this time. The very action of dding my hand in aether felt more fluid... more natural and controlled.


    Suddenly, an unbearable pain enveloped my hand, causing me to stop in my tracks. I looked down at my hands to see what looked like runes forming on the backs of my hands. They lingered for less than a second before the runes disappeared from view. However, I could feel the runes travelling up my arm like a white hot ball of iron before trailing down my back and legs beforeing back up and pressing on the base of my spine.


    Despite my growing tolerance for pain, the pain caused by whatever had happened nearly caused me to faint. However, for some reason, I felt reassured by what had just happened.


    ¡°¡ªthur!¡±


    I snapped out of my reverie at the sound of Regis¡¯ voice right beside me, and I realized that I had been in the middle of a fight against a towering shadow-like golem.


    I dipped my head and prepared for an impact that never came.


    ¡°Arthur, look,¡± Regis stated.


    Raising my head, I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing.


    The ck sentinel, whose figure towered over thirty feet high, was slowly backing away from me.


    He¡¯s scared.


    I could see Regis looking at the sight in disbelief as well.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure.¡± I looked down at my hands to see nothing there. However, when I coalesced aether into my hand, a warm sensation spread from my lower back along with a flood of knowledge.


    I staggered forward, nearly losing bnce at the jarring sensation. It onlysted a split second, but I knew the newfound knowledge now ingrained into my brain wouldst forever.


    ¡°...uction, ¡± I muttered, looking at my empty hands.


    ¡°What?¡± Regis asked, floating down and staring at me. ¡°Are you okay, Arthur?¡±


    I could feel my lips curve up into a grin. ¡°I¡¯m better than okay. I understand now.¡±


    ¡°Understand what?¡± Regis rebutted. ¡°You¡¯re freaking me out, Arthur.¡±


    Lifting my cloak and shirt up, I showed Regis my lower back. ¡°This.¡±


    Mypanion¡¯s eyes widened as he saw the silvery-white rune glowing on my spine, just above my hip. ¡°Do you know what this rune says?¡±


    Regis shook his head as I let go of my cloak and shirt, covering my back.


    ¡°I do,¡± I said with a grin stered on my face. ¡°And so does that thing.¡±


    I approached the giant shadowy knight, my gait calm and deliberate. The closer I got to the towering golem, the more I could see its form hunch, as if it was trying to make itself smaller in my presence.


    It knew.


    I was no longer the one trapped in here with this beast¡ªthe beast was now trapped in here with me.


    Slowly raising my arm, I channeled aether into my right hand. The warm touch of the rune carved onto my back reassured me and the aether manifested into a small me that glistened like pure amethyst.


    The amethyst me clung to my palm like a newborn. There was no wild ferocity or heat that emanated from this me. It was cold, tranquil, and silent like the breath of something transcendent.


    At the sight of this ethereal me, the shadowy golem body began to tremble but not a shred ofpassion could be mustered for this beast.


    Like a cornered rat, the giant golemshed out, mming down its massive arms to try and tten me.


    I raised my arm, meeting his giant fists with my right hand. The amethyst mes silently consumed its entire two fists, leaving not even a trace of its shadowy hands.


    The shadowy beast bellowed in rage, desperately iling its arms at me.


    Using its arm as a ramp, I rushed up and drove my me-d hand into its head.


    ¡°Farewell,¡± I said softly as I watched its head deteriorate from the violet mes and its body sink back down into the ck tform.

 Chapter 264

    Chapter 264


    Chapter 264: Branch of Destruction


    As the giant shadow sentinel dissolved back into the ck tform, it felt like¡ªrather than calming down¡ªmy adrenaline rush from the battle was growing more intense. My breathing grew shallow and I could feel my heartbeat quicken by the second. Blood pounded against my ears, dulling out everything except for the sounds of my own ragged breaths. It was an overbearing yet intoxicating sensation which had me scared that I¡¯d lose my mind.


    I tried to withdraw the violet fire d around my right hand but it wouldn¡¯t budge. The cool mes clung to my skin, throbbing, and the rune on my back now felt like a scorching brand pressed against my very spine.


    I didn¡¯t know why this was happening but it felt like either my body was rejecting the rune, or the other way around. A scream tore at my throat as the violet mes grew stronger and more wild, engulfing my entire hand.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Regis frantically rushing toward me before disappearing into my body. It didn¡¯t take much longer after that for darkness to ovee me.


    When I came to, the shimmering purple sky was the first thing to greet me. The second thing was the pain. My right hand felt like it had been marinated in a vat of acid, a dull throb still lingered on my lower back.


    My lower back...the rune!


    My eyes widened as I finally recalled what had happened to me. I pushed myself off my back, wincing at the pain from putting weight on my right hand. As my gaze lowered to my right hand which looked unscathed, I finally noticed that the tform I was on wasn¡¯t ck, but white.


    ¡°Wee back, Sleeping Beauty,¡± a gruff voice sounded behind me. My battle instincts red as I whirled around while unsheathing the white dagger using my left hand, only to find myself face-to-face with a shadowy entity in the form of a wolf.


    It remained seated on its hind legs like arge dog, no threatening intent leaking from it. The only details that set it apart from what would normally be a very ck wolf was the fact that it had a pair of horns protruding out of its head, each twisting like a gnarled branch as they came to a sharp point behind its ears. The other detail, and the one that stood out the most, was its glowing violet mane that looked more like mes rather than fur.


    ¡°Check me out. I¡¯m majestic as fuck!¡± the wolf said with a toothy grin, its shadowy tail wagging excitedly.


    My jaw dropped. ¡°R-Regis?¡±


    It took me a few minutes to swallow everything, but once I did, my curiosity only grew.


    I bombarded him with questions. ¡°What happened to me after I passed out? What happened to you? Why do you look like that?¡±


    ¡°Easy, pleb,¡± Regis said haughtily, holding up his giant ck paw. ¡°This one shall exin.¡±


    I shot him a re, eliciting an ufortable cough from the shadowy wolf.


    ¡°After you killed that giant golem, that purple me was trying to consume you so I did what any loyalpanion would do and went into your body to save you.¡±


    ¡°Loyal? Is that why you¡¯re a dog?¡± I quipped.


    ¡°I¡¯m a wolf!¡± Regis emphasized, offended. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m a wolf, and not some badass dragon, but this is what I came out as.¡±


    ¡°So how did it happen?¡±


    ¡°Well, I felt this huge surge of aether fuse with me.¡±


    ¡°Fuse with your body?¡± I repeated nkly before it finally dawned on me.


    I expelled aether from my core, trying to siphon it through the rune on my lower back. Except there was no rune. I recalled the knowledge that had been ingrained into me upon forming the rune but it felt like a blur, like trying to recall the events of a drunken night.


    ¡°It¡¯s gone,¡± I mumbled. ¡°I-I can¡¯t feel the rune anymore.¡±


    My eyes locked onto Regis in an icy re. ¡°You stole it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I expected this to happen,¡± Regis retorted back. ¡°And besides. You were dying.¡±


    I seethed. ¡°I had it under control.¡±


    Regis let out a scoff. ¡°Sure. Writhing in pain and cking out was all part of the master n, right?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand! I need that power, Regis. Give it back!¡±


    Regis bared his fangs. ¡°You don¡¯t think I tried? After dragging your sorry ass out of the ck tform¡ªyou¡¯re wee, by the way¡ªI tried going back inside your body and giving it back to you but I didn¡¯t even know how!¡±


    My brows furrowed as I reached out my hand toward Regis. ¡°Come here.¡±


    With a sigh, mypanion relented.


    As soon as his form entered my body, though, I felt the change. It started with a pressure building inside my ears, as if I was sinking deep underwater. Then a growing pain began building in my temples as the knowledge of the rune in my mind and the actual rune now held within Regis connected. I recalled everything that I had learned as the warm touch of the rune spread from my lower back.


    Destruction. That was what the rune that had been engraved on my back meant. Destruction, however, wasn¡¯t something tangible, so the aether residing within me had shaped it into something I was familiar with: something destructive like fire.


    Was it the result of my aether core being formed from the fragments of my white stage mana core?


    It could¡¯ve been. I didn¡¯t know.


    Through this very formation of power, however, I questioned whether aether had some level of sentience. It had given me knowledge of what destruction meant, and how it tied with vivum. Lady Myre had exined it as the influence over livingponents but that was wrong, that was only a part of it.


    Vivum was more akin to the influence over...existence. And just as life was a part of existence, so was death, creation, and destruction.


    I had barely touched the surface of destruction but even then, I had managed to gain more insight than Lady Myre knew¡ªor at least what she had told me.


    But perhaps even more shocking than that, was the revtion of what this rune signified. The fact that I had invoked this rune meant that I had a certain degree of mastery over what the rune meant. It was a rare projection of mastery over a specific edict of aether.


    This made me question the differences in my newly-bestowed rune, and the runes that once epassed my body through Sylvia¡¯s dragon will...as well as the very runes that both Lady Myre and Sylvia possessed.


    One difference was clear: The Indrath n, as well as all of the asuras, thought that the only way to obtain these runes was through the rare chance of inheriting it since birth.


    Were the specific edicts of aether they could learn limited by the runes that they possessed since being born? Were they given the knowledge and abilities that came along with each rune right away or was each rune ¡®dormant¡¯ until they could make the breakthrough themselves?


    It seemed unlikely that they¡¯d get the knowledge since birth, given how painful just obtaining one rune was¡ªit was likely that even an asura infant would die from the mental burden of dozens of runes instilling their brain with knowledge.


    Hundreds of questions ran through my head along with my newfound knowledge of aether from my rune. There would be no way to get all the answers anytime soon, but the acquisition of this rune and the parallel I had drawn with the runes I had witnessed in the past made me sure of two things: one, I needed to make more breakthroughs in aether arts to obtain more runes; two, Argona most likely gained insight from these runes in order to create his own version to bestow onto his people. That was what the marks, crests, emblems, and regalias that the cryans possessed were¡ªsimplified mana-adaptations of aetheric runes.


    ¡°Agrona,¡± I said aloud, a boiling fury building up inside me. My hands ignited in the cool violet mes of destruction, epassing even the dagger still in my left hand as my eyes scanned for anything to let loose this rage on.


    I needed to kill something. I wanted to kill something, just like Agrona had done to so many of my people. If it wasn¡¯t for him, the war would¡¯ve never happened and Adam wouldn¡¯t have died. My father wouldn¡¯t have died.


    With thest trace of sanity left in me, I plunged the dagger in my hand deep into my thigh.


    I dropped to a knee as the piercing pain spread, clearing my head. Regis was still inside me but I was able to withdraw his power.


    It was worse this time. It wasn¡¯t merely a voice whispering words into my mind anymore. I could feel the emotions, the cravings for chaos and destruction, fusing into my brain and making these murderous intentions mine.


    Was it Regis? Was it the aetheric rune of destruction itself? Or was it me?


    ¡°You okay, Princess?¡± Regis asked. He had left my body, his expression more transparent and somewhat boorish in this canine form.


    I got up. I was still in a daze and there were a thousand things on my mind, but I knew, regardless of intention, that if Regis hadn¡¯t absorbed the aetheric rune from me...


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m okay now,¡± I said with a pang of guilt. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry for using you of stealing it. You were right. If you hadn¡¯t, I would¡¯ve died.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know you feel pretty cruddy since you¡¯ve been so hell-bent on getting stronger.¡± Regis¡¯ ears drooped. ¡°And if it makes you feel better, my body is stronger now but I can¡¯t use those purple mes like you used to kill that golem.¡±


    I nodded, suspecting that may have been the case. Lowering my gaze, I stared at my hands, wondering what had gone wrong. I had gained insights into vivum, but I only had half of the whole piece, with Regis carrying the other half.


    He didn¡¯t have the insights to use the power of destruction as well as I could and I didn¡¯t have the rune to use it myself. And if I did continue using the rune held by Regis, I knew it was only a matter of time before I¡¯d go mad.


    It was frustrating. Unlike the growth in my mana core and my ability to manipte the elements, my growth in wielding aether wasn¡¯t as linear and discernable. Obtaining this new powerful ability was the first step in bridging the gap between me and the asuras, but I was only given a taste before it was taken away from me.


    But at least now I knew. If I could form a rune for a branch of destruction, then I could form one for other branches. I could only hope that the aether would mold and shape themselves to best suit me in the future.


    Letting the wound on my leg close, I dusted myself off before shooting Regis a slight smile. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s see just how useful this new form of yours is.¡±


    Regis¡¯s ears perked up and his tail started wagging excitedly as he shot me a toothy grin. ¡°Try to keep up!¡±


    Time continued to pass by unabated as Regis and I ascended higher through the glowing tforms. The expanse of purple shone overhead, ever-steady, making it impossible to track how many hours had passed.


    There were a few patterns we had noticed as we ventured higher through this almost game-like expanse.


    The color of tforms remained the same: white, red, orange, blue, then ck. Regis and I referred to this sequence of tforms as a single ¡®set.¡¯ This order never deviated and each color corresponded to a specific ¡®challenge.¡¯


    As far as we could deduce, the white tform was the only safe tform. The red tforms were meant to be some sort of test for either your mental or physical fortitude. Apart from the first red tform that siphoned our aether, thetter ones imbued all sorts of interesting curses onto the people standing on the tform. From insatiable hunger that could drive humans to eat one another, to lust, depression, and so on.


    The orange tforms were rather straight-forward as well. Each one conjured up enemies that Regis and I needed to kill in order to move on. The numbers and types of beasts varied and grew a bit stronger with each ascending set, but the rate at which Regis and I grew surpassed the rising difficulty of the stages.


    The blue tforms were by far the most time-consuming. Each one was a puzzle of some sort, some with deadly traps and others meant to keep you for days to die of thirst and starvation. With my body needing very little sustenance apart from aether, this didn¡¯t really apply to us, but it was arge waste of time, regardless.


    While the blue tforms took the most time, the ck tforms were the most deadly and challenging. There was only one beast to fight, but on a level far higher than the ones seen on the orange tforms.


    I hade out of each battle with wounds that would¡¯ve crippled or killed a normal person, only to have them heal without a trace. My clothes were littered with tears and holes but the ck leather bracers and gorget along with my teal cloak managed to stay intact. I had also expected the white dagger I had obtained from the millipedeir to be broken down by now, but it held strong without a single chip or crack to blemish its pristine white de.


    Despite what awaited us on each tform, our ascent through the tforms had gotten easier¡ªno, that was wrong; each tform proved to be more challenging than the prior. We had just gotten stronger.


    While I wasn¡¯t able to unravel another aspect of aether to obtain a rune, the rate at which my aether passages grew had increased. It most likely had to do with the knowledge that had been instilled and remained in my mind when I had gotten the first rune, even after Regis¡¯ body had absorbed it.


    I was able to coalesce all of my aether into either of my hands and about eighty percent of my aether into my legs. Minute control over aether felt impossible for now, like I was trying to mold air into a sculpture, but it was something I desperately needed to advance.


    It was imperative to have precise control over aether to enhance my speed. I had grown somewhat confident in my resilience and power but without the aid of both mana and elemental magic, my speed had deteriorated even with the aid of aether and my stronger body.


    The biggest change, however, was Regis. My ck mutt¡ªwhich he hated to be called¡ªwas no longer the cannon fodder he used to be. While he wasn¡¯t yet able to use the violet mes of aether, his speed, strength, and razor-sharp teeth and ws made him a torrent of destruction nheless. The only downside to this change was that he was now much more corporeal than he used to be¡ªwhich meant he was susceptible to injury.


    His body didn¡¯t bleed, but since his entire body was made of aether, getting too hurt meant that he needed to be given more aether...my aether, and a lot of it.


    ¡°After we get out of here, remind me to whip you into shape,¡± I huffed, resting on the giant head of the three-headed serpent I had just finished off on the seventh ck tform. ¡°My little sister can fight better than you.¡±


    ¡®Bite me,¡¯ Regis snapped, his discontent ringing in my head. ¡®I¡¯m still getting used to this form. It¡¯s my first time having actual limbs you know.¡¯


    ¡°Well, at this point you¡¯re more of a liability to my aether pool than you are an asset in battle,¡± I remarked with a smirk.


    Regis opted for silence, all out of excuses and wittyebacks.


    He knew that as well. It was too dangerous to use Gauntlet Form, now enhanced by the violet mes of destruction, because of its escting effects on my psyche, and the beasts that appeared on these tforms were too strong for him to properly adjust his newfound powers and form to.


    The sight of the shadowy rails trapping us within the ck tform stirred me out of my thoughts. The three-headed serpent began to dissolve back into the ground as well, the same as usual.


    I expected to see the customary set of stairs leading to the next tform, but instead of a tform, what awaited me at the top of the translucent stairs was a portal.


    Looking at the shimmering gate of iridescent light felt like falling upon an oasis in an endless desert.


    ¡®Is that...¡¯


    ¡°I think it is...¡± I rushed up the stairs with reckless abandon, wanting nothing more than to escape this hellish purple void.


    I thought anything we would have to face on the other side would be better than being here. However, what awaited us made me question those very thoughts.


    It wasn¡¯t the ominous crimson sky that shone overhead that made me anxious. It wasn¡¯t the hordes of various beasts advancing toward us. It was the dozen or so humans fighting against them... and the three cryans in particr that I hade across in the very first room of this dungeon.

 Chapter 265

    Chapter 265


    Chapter 265: First Ascent


    There were so many thoughts racing through my mind. So many questions I wanted to ask as my eyes took in the sight.


    What was going on? Am I still in the dungeon? If so, why were there so many mages gathered here?


    My eyes were drawn to what I first thought was a red sun. Looking carefully though, the ¡®sun¡¯ seemed to be sitting on top of a towering column quite a distance away.


    A monstrous screech pulled my gaze back to the scene just ahead.


    With the vast field of uneven dirt being trampled by hundreds of monsters and the blood-red sky matching the pools of blood and fire strewn across the battlefield, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was what hell would be like.


    During my journey through this dungeon, I had faced skeletal chimeras, giant aetheric millipedes, deadly shrews and shadowy beasts of all shapes and sizes. However, none of them could quitepare to the sheer grotesqueness that were these monsters.


    Each one of these bipedal creatures had sickly white skin and an oversized head resting between narrow shoulders that could only be described as a ghoulish infant. Their wed hands andrge mouths were dyed in red and sharp fang-like spikes protruded out of their gangly bodies.


    From the hundreds of monster corpses littering the field and the cryans coated in ayer of sweat, grime and blood, it was easy to infer that they had been in battle for quite a while.


    ¡®Why can¡¯t we ever be fighting against a half-naked subus or a seductive demoness of some kind? Why are they always so damned gross?¡¯ Regismented.


    ¡°Hey! Are you waiting for our permission or something? Help us out!¡± arge female warrior d in ted armor a few yards ahead barked, unleashing a surge of blue fire from her golden halberd straight at a group of demonic babies.


    Chittering screams resounded from the monsters as the fire washed over them, but they were immediately reced by another wave.


    ¡®What do we do?¡¯ Regis asked.


    Stay hidden inside me for now, I replied. It seemed like the cryans and I had amon enemy for now, but revealing anything more than I had to would be foolish at this point.


    Careful to keep the aether flowing within my body, I unsheathed my white dagger and dashed forward.


    The baby-headed demons were fast, relentless, and their skin was tough, but with aether pumping through my limbs in powerful bursts, I tore through them, wave after wave.


    Despite the remaining thirteen of us fighting amon enemy, it was obvious that teamwork only existed within isted groups of preexisting teammates. Save for the trio that I had met before, there was one other trio while the rest fought in pairs, trying to stay alive rather than trying to help out the rest.


    Streams of blue fire lit the red sky from the same warrior that had shouted at me, but that wasn¡¯t the only magic that filled the battlefield. I could see giant earthen spikes erupt from the ground, bullets of water shimmering as they pierced through the monsters, and crescents of wind that bisected everything in its path.


    They were spells I was all too familiar with, but each one was at a level that could rival a veteran silver-core mage at the least. But even with all of these powerful mages mowing down the demonic infants, their numbers only seemed to increase.


    ¡®Where are they alling from?¡¯ Regis wondered.


    I wish I knew, I sent back as I pried my dagger out of the bulging ck eye of a demonic infant.


    ¡°H-Help!¡± a pained cry rang from a few yards away. I turned to see five monsters pouncing on a warrior. He desperately scrambled on his back, using his shield to keep the monsters at bay.


    His left leg was broken and the monsters seemed to know that, more and more of them gathering to finish off their prey.


    My eyes locked with the warrior¡¯s.


    ¡°You! S-Save me¡ªplease!¡± he shouted, panicking.


    I instinctively stepped forward to help the struggling mage as he frantically lobbed a st of fire that only helped in attracting more monsters.


    But then, as the warrior was flipped by a pair of monsters, I saw the ck runes between the mesh gap of his armor.


    Anger red within me as memories of the war came back; If it wasn¡¯t for these cryans, my father, Adam, and so many others wouldn¡¯t have died.


    My eyes narrowed as any remaining shred of mercy I had dissipated. I turned away, ignoring his screams of pain and anger before he sumbed to his bloody end.


    I continued my rampage unabated, like a deadly storm leaving behind only corpses. The aether within each monster was scarce, but enough for me to discreetly absorb and sustain myself. Despite the situation I was in, surrounded by both monsters and cryans, I blurred everything except for the enemies within my range.


    It was as if I was fighting alone against the army of beasts approaching the Wall all over again. Except, this time, I didn¡¯t have elemental magic to help me.


    It didn¡¯t matter though. At this point, my physical prowess had long since exceeded my previous state, despite my abated speed. The few injuries I did receive regenerated long before I even had a chance to worry about them.


    The monsters must¡¯ve finally realized that the neer wasn¡¯t the weakest because they began slowly avoiding me. The thought of running away crossed my mind. I had no allies here¡ªonly the cryans that I had been fighting against for so long. Who knew what these people would try to do once given the chance.


    However, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the three cryans I had run into when I first woke up in this dungeon. The three had gotten separated far from the rest of the cryans and were surrounded by over a hundred monsters.


    Drawn to them, I continued to study the trio as I chased down stray demons.


    Taegen, the crimson-haired mace wielder, fought more like a beast than a warrior¡ªsmashing, punching, kicking and throwing the beasts despite the injuries he had sustained from the extended battle. The short brown-haired swordsman was more dignified, handling his mana-d longsword with deft slices and stabs while ayer of sweat coated his face and neck.


    The woman that Taegen had referred to as Lady Caera was positioned in between the two warriors who were obviously protecting her. She wielded a thin curved sword that was longer than she was tall with a de the same color as her ruby eyes. As she sliced through monster after monster, I realized that her movements reminded me of...me. They were sharp, efficient, and deadly without losing an inch of grace.


    Even without her two protectors, she was able to hold her own against the waves of beasts that continued to assault them. A shimmering white aura surrounded her entire body as her movements blurred, drawing arcs with the blood of her enemies.


    However, it wasn¡¯t hard to see that they were barely holding on. They were clearly running out of mana, their bodies fatigued and injured.


    ¡®Despite the sight for sore eyes that is my faidy Caera, I think it¡¯d be a good idea to leave right about now,¡¯ Regismented.


    Yeah, I agreed, my eyes still glued to the three of them.


    As I was about to turn away, however, I caught a glimpse of Caera just as she made a fatal mistake. She misstepped, tripping over a corpse, giving the wave of monsters a chance to pile on top of her like starving animals.


    ¡°No!¡± Taegen roared as he tried to make his way towards the girl, pushing and throwing aside the horde of monsters practically climbing on top of him.


    The other guy was in no better shape, doing his best to keep the monsters on his side from joining the ones trying to devour the girl.


    ¡®Uh, Arthur? What the hell are you doing?¡¯


    I ignored mypanion, willing aether through my legs and dashing as fast as my body would let me. My dagger blurred around me, cutting down all the monsters that stood in my way until I finally drew close to Caera.


    Her words as I yed dead in the Sanctuary echoed in my head.


    ¡®Have some pity on her, Taegen.¡¯


    She had said that to me at my weakest point. If she hadn¡¯t¡ªif she had heeded Taegen¡¯s prudent warning¡ªI wouldn¡¯t be here now.


    Afraid that I¡¯d be toote, I took a risk that I normally wouldn¡¯t. Siphoning aether throughout my body, I released my aetheric intent.


    As the translucent aura surged around me, making the very air grow heavy, the demonic monsters reacted. Their pale spiney bodies stiffened from the sudden pressure while some of the weaker ones even fell unconscious.


    Clearing off the monsters that had piled on top of Caera, I found her lying on the ground, bleeding and unconscious.


    Without thinking, I bent down, leaning my ear over her face to try and hear her breathing.


    ¡®Wow. She¡¯s even prettier up close,¡¯ Regis said with a whistle.


    Regis¡¯ voice brought me back to reality and I jerked away.


    They were my enemies. They were the ones responsible for killing so many of my people. So why was I helping them?


    Why was I relieved that this girl was still alive?


    ¡°Step away from her,¡± said a growling voice from behind.


    I stood up calmly, dusting off my pants. ¡°Tell her when she wakes up that we¡¯re even now.¡±


    ¡°Even? Who do you think¡ª¡±


    I turned around to face the girl¡¯s two protectors, looking at each of them with a cold gaze.


    ¡°You¡¯re the girl that we saw half-dead in one of the Sanctuaries,¡± the brown-haired swordsman said with mild surprise.


    The mace-wielder beside him, however, didn¡¯t act nearly as calmly as hispanion. He rushed forward with explosive speed and his lightning-d mace blurred straight at my face.


    Stepping forward, I dipped just below the path of his weapon, and struck below his ribs, right at his liver with all of my aether concentrated on my fist.


    My counterattack didn¡¯t connect, though. In that split second, he had managed to bring his other hand up to block my strike.


    Still, the force of my attack sent the crimson-haired warrior skidding back. His expression turned to that of surprise as he looked down at the hand that had be a bloody mess from blocking my attack.


    ¡°I¡¯m a guy,¡± I corrected, shaking my throbbing hand. Even with all of my aether strengthening and protecting my hand, it felt like I had punched a wall of diamond.


    The guy lifted his mace once more, rage building on his face, but his sword-wieldingpanion held up an arm.


    ¡°My apologies for his crude behavior...and thank you for saving her,¡± the swordsman said. As he lowered his head, I noticed his eyes linger over the teal cloak draped over my shoulders as if he was familiar with its owner.


    Thankfully, at that moment, the sky suddenly changed. The once blood-stained sky cleared to show a beautiful expanse of blue, but something was missing.


    It was the giant red orb that I had mistaken for a sun. It was gone, and so was the pir holding it up.


    ¡°Finally!¡± a voice whooped from afar.


    I couldn¡¯t quite grasp what was going on, but the hundreds of corpses that had littered the deste ground were gone along with the red sky.


    The swordsman let out a sigh as he sheathed his longsword. ¡°It looks like this wave has finallye to an end.¡±


    ¡°This wave?¡± I asked. ¡°Does that mean there¡¯s more?¡±


    Going down on one knee, he handed the girl¡¯s sword to the mace wielder before gently picking her up. ¡°Until we can get close enough to destroy the power source, these waves will continue.¡±


    ¡°Power source?¡±


    ¡°That giant red moon that you saw in the sky,¡± he exined.


    ¡°Apologies for the questions, but this is thest one,¡± I said, surveying the mages setting up camp. ¡°Why are there so many ¡ªpeople here?¡±


    This time, the swordsman looked at me with a curious expression. ¡°Why? Have you nevere across a convergence zone on any of your ascents?¡±


    My mind spun as I tried to make heads or tails out of his question before answering vaguely. ¡°This is my first ascent.¡±


    The swordsman¡¯s eyes narrowed as he studied me. ¡°Even if it is your first, thorough research is always done unless you¡¯re seeking death. And with your strength, it seems more usible that you¡¯ve had formal schooling. Where are you from?¡±


    ¡®Say you¡¯re from the outskirts of Vechor!¡¯ Regis sent.


    ¡°I¡¯m from the outskirts of Vechor,¡± I said quickly.


    ¡°Then a talent such as yourself would¡¯ve been reported to the capital. Unlessing back alive from your first ascent is your rite of passage,¡± he said as if thinking aloud rather than directly talking to me. ¡°Regardless. I must tend to Lady Caera before the next wave begins. I will ry your message to her.¡±


    The swordsman walked away with the crimson-haired warrior following close behind. A soft white aura enveloped his hand, stopping the bleeding.


    After a few steps, I watched the brown-haired warrior holding the girl stop before looking back over his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯ll be about twelve hours before the next wavees. It¡¯d be best for you to rest a bit before moving forward with the rest of us.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°Together?¡±


    ¡°You can go off on your own to see if you fair better, but the fact that the red moon stilles up means that the ones that have tried up until now have died, since destroying that is the only way out.¡±


    I nkly watched as the swordsman walked off before focusing on what to do next.


    Hey. How did you know the name of a city in crya? I asked Regis as I studied the other cryans.


    ¡®Not a city, but a dominion, which is another word for kingdom. And it¡¯s because of Uto¡¯s will. I don¡¯t know everything he did, but I do know some basic knowledge.¡¯


    And you never thought to tell me this?


    ¡®The knowledge I have hasn¡¯t been very applicable while fighting beasts,¡¯ Regis quipped.


    Despite the ring annoyance at mypanion, I let it go. If it wasn¡¯t for him, the swordsman would¡¯ve been a lot more suspicious than he already had been.


    I had managed to catch the mace-wielder by surprise, but I had a feeling that the next time, it¡¯d be a lot harder for me.


    I let out a sigh, rubbing my temples. Now wasn¡¯t the time to care about that. There was something even more important I had learned.


    Through the short and rather tense conversation I had with the swordsman, it seemed that our suspicions were correct.


    I was no longer anywhere near Dicathen.


    The dungeon I had wound up in happened to be somewhere in the very continent I had been at war with.

 Chapter 266

    Chapter 266


    Chapter 266: On Guard


    Surveying the battlefield, I watched to see what the rest of the cryans would do


    My gazended on a ck-haired man in thin leather armor aside from the greaves and bracers that seemed to be made out of a copper-colored metal as he knelt beside the corpse of the warrior that I had let die.


    I had expected some sort of mock burial or at least a nket covered over his body, but instead, the ck haired warrior began rummaging through his stuff, looting every remaining piece of equipment that hadn¡¯t been devoured or ripped up by those demonic monsters.


    Even though I had been the one to let him die, I was repulsed by his people¡¯s behavior.


    Shaking my head, I walked away, wanting some distance between me and the cryans.


    There were no hills, rocks, or any sort of natural formations in these extensive ins so I just found a spot far enough for me to keep an eye on the cryans. I sat on the hard, uneven ground, anxiously twiddling a dried weed that tenaciously clung to the ground.


    My eyes wandered around the six separate camps that had already been set up since my short walk.


    Copsible tents had been assembled and fires had already been lit. Raw meats that had been stored in thick containers drawn from whatever dimensional storages they had were being grilled over their individual fires, filling the air with the sweet and smoky aroma of meat mingled with heavy spices.


    Sinceing down here, I was able to survive by absorbing aether, focused solely on surviving and growing stronger, but it was at this moment that I was reminded of the wonders of food.


    ¡®Never thought I¡¯d see a pic down he¡ªwait, are you drooling?¡¯ Regis scoffed.


    ¡°Wha¡ªno!¡± I eximed, wiping my chin while ignoring Regis¡¯ cackling.


    It was only when a few of the cryans looked at me that I realized I had just spoken aloud.


    Clearing my throat, I closed my eyes and began cycling aether throughout my body. I didn¡¯t need to eat and barely needed any sleep so I might as well get some training done. Without the aid of aetheric materials like crystals or monster corpses made of aether, I couldn¡¯t utilize the three-step stage for training my aether passages that I had devised so I opted for just subtle channeling of aether throughout specific parts of my body to slowly carve out more aether passages.


    ¡®Someone¡¯sing,¡¯ Regis alerted. With his form currently within me, he was able to see through my body and into the outside world like, ¡®a slightly tinted ss container,¡¯ as he put it. While it was a bit disturbing to think about at first, I had long since grown used to it and it was a bitforting knowing that I had another pair of eyes capable of seeing behind me, even though most times¡ªlike now¡ªI didn¡¯t need it.


    I turned toward the sound of the obviously unmasked footsteps that were drawing closer.


    Just a few yards away was a girl with light brown hair that sat just above her shoulders. Her thin petite frame was covered by a ck mage¡¯s robe that was purposely untied, disying clothes that were revealing enough that it beckoned more than one admiring gaze to roam over her body.


    Aside from her provocative attire, in each of her hands was a te of me grilled meat and vegetables still steaming.


    ¡°Ie in peace,¡± she said, holding up her tes.


    ¡®I like her already, Arthur,¡¯ Regis remarked with a sigh.


    Holding in the urge to roll my eyes, I remained silent, keeping my guard up.


    ¡°I know there are all those horror stories of backstabbing in convergence zone but I just wanted to express my gratitude,¡± she continued, shooting me a shy smile. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you killing so many carallians, I¡¯m not sure if my team and I would¡¯ve made it through.¡±


    I frowned, mentally linking the term carallians to those infant-headed demonic fiends. ¡°I appreciate the gesture but it¡¯s not necessary.¡±


    ¡°I insist.¡± The girl bent down to put the tes on the ground, before tucking her fallen bangs back behind her ear while she locked eyes with me. ¡°And my name is Daria Lendhert, by the way. If you¡¯re looking for a team, we have an extra simulet and strong strikers are always wee...especially ones that are handsome.¡±


    ¡®Oh man... the inner Uto in me is having some very naughty thoughts,¡¯ Regis muttered.


    Do you know what a simulet is? I asked.


    ¡®The inner Uto is too busy thinking of other things to care what a simulet is.¡¯


    Get your mind out of the gutter, I snapped.


    Regis let out a sigh, ming me for taking his attention away from Daria. ¡®I think it¡¯s an artifact of some kind used by lessers. That¡¯s all I can muster up from Uto¡¯s knowledge bank. I don¡¯t think he particrly cared for what small things like these were.¡¯


    How frustrating. It wasn¡¯t like I could ask without arousing suspicion, and I wasn¡¯t close enough to any of these cryans to have these thingse up naturally in conversation.


    My eyes lingered on her frame as she ambled back to her camp, trying to remember what sort of spells she had casted, what sort of abilities she had. Her robe covered whatever mark, crest or emblems she most likely had tracing her spine.


    If only I was still able to see mana.


    The aromatic wisps exuding from the freshly grilled food must¡¯ve reached my nostrils because I found myself staring at the two tes of food, one filled with cuts of grilled meat and the other topped with vegetables and spuds.


    My salivating mouth won the fight against my dignity as I walked over to where Daria had left the tes on the ground.


    Screw it. It¡¯s not like I can get poisoned or anything, I thought as I stabbed the fork she had so kindly left into a cut of ckened meat still dripping with juices before shoving it into my mouth.


    Every bite contained pockets of vor that burst in my mouth and slid down my throat. It took every ounce of self control to keep myself from picking the rest of the meat by hand and scarfing it down.


    I took another bite alongside some greens, letting the mixture of vors and textures mingle and harmonize before reluctantly swallowing it down.


    My mind must¡¯ve nked out soon after because by the time I came to, nearly all of the meat and half of the greens were gone.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you so happy,¡¯ Regismented. ¡®It¡¯s kinda scary...¡±


    Embarrassed, I let out a cough before slowly eating the rest.


    The next person toe up to me was the warrior who had looted the dead shield-wielder. He shot me a somber smile as he walked up to me.


    Despite the cautious re that I had given him as he approached, he sat down a few feet away and asked, ¡°So how many teammates did you lose?¡±


    ¡°None,¡± I replied curtly. ¡°I came here alone.¡±


    The man¡¯s jaw visibly ckened. ¡°You¡¯re a solo ascender?¡±


    I remained silent.


    ¡°My name is Trider, by the way,¡± the man said, leaning toward me and extending a hand. ¡°And I guess I¡¯m a quasi-solo ascender now too, since my teammate died.¡±


    I didn¡¯t take it and Trider eventually took back his hand with an ufortable chuckle. ¡°I guess ascending solo makes you a bit cautious but that¡¯s okay. Anyway, I came here to see if you¡¯d like a partner for the rest of this ascent. I¡¯m not sure how far you¡¯re trying to go but I n on getting out in the next crossroad so if you want to¡ª¡±


    ¡°I refuse,¡± I cut in.


    ¡°What? Oh, are you worried about splitting des? If that¡¯s the case, I think it¡¯d be fair to separate and individually keep des from beasts we kill ourselves and split an even fifty-fifty for beasts we have to kill together.¡±


    ¡°No thank you,¡± I answered without missing a beat.


    ¡°That¡¯s an honorable arrangement,¡± Trider said with a tinge of frustration in his voice.


    Annoyed by his insistence, Ished back with a cold tone. ¡°The word ¡®honorable¡¯ has no meaning to a man who plunders his own teammate¡¯s body for equipment.¡±


    Trider flinched back, eyes wide in surprise and confusion. ¡°You¡¯re...joking, right? Taking valuable equipment back home to the ascender¡¯s blood is what Warren would¡¯ve wanted.¡±


    Suddenly, it felt like I had been the one to make the mistake. I tried to recover from myst words by shifting the conversation slightly. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. It just didn¡¯t look right to leave his body out in the open to decay or be eaten by those carallians.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you must be from Sehz-r.¡± Trider chuckled. ¡°No offense but notions like that are why people from your domains are called the soft souths. Everywhere else, leaving soldiers in the ce of their death is an honor, especially within the Relictombs.¡±


    ¡®My master is such a racist,¡¯ Regis teased, feigning disgust.


    However, his joke was a cold ssh to my face. I wanted to argue back that I didn¡¯t know, but it only seemed to prove the point that racism truly was fueled by ignorance as much as it was by rage or indignance.


    ¡°I moved to Vechor because of that as well,¡± I lied, trying to make sure my story stayed straight with what I told the swordsman. ¡°But I guess my teachings from Sehz-r still linger.¡±


    Trider rambled on. ¡°Really? How were you able to¡ªnever mind, I guess an aplished solo ascender would have no problems being epted into Vechor. I¡¯m from Etril so we¡¯d be on the opposite side of the continent once we get out.¡±


    ¡°Seems like it,¡± I agreed, even though I had no clue where I would end up once I left this dung¡ªRelictombs. After a brief pause, I spoke hesitantly. ¡°If I can ask you a few questions as well...who are those three ascenders over there?¡±


    Trider looked to where I was pointing. ¡°I wanted to ask you the same thing after I saw you talking with the swordsman striker. I¡¯m not sure who they are but if you look at the des they have, it¡¯s obvious they¡¯re not your normal ascenders. Especially that red sword the girl wields. Warren and I had joined this convergence zone only two days ago, but supposedly, those three have been here for over a week now. It¡¯s no wonder that they¡¯re in such bad shape.¡±


    ¡®Man, this guy talks a lot,¡¯ Regis groused.


    It works in our favor though, I sent back.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll let you get back to your training. The offer still stands, unless you¡¯ve already epted the offer from the Lehndert blood prodigy,¡± he said with a hint of disappointment. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t me you if you did either, she¡¯s a gifted caster and pretty to boot.¡±


    After Trider walked back to his small camp I continued my training until a few hours had passed. The camps began packing up their belongings, each of them getting ready to go as if there was an agreement established beforehand. From what I could see, there was no leader in this group of thirteen excluding me.


    I got up as well, wiping away the sweat on my brows with an extra shirt I carried in my bag along with Sylvie¡¯s stone. Taegen, Caera, and the swordsman left first, with Daria¡¯s group¡ªthe only other group of three¡ªsoon followed after. Daria gave me a knowing stare, expecting me to follow her, but when I didn¡¯t, her thin brows furrowed and she whipped her head away.


    The only other person to travel by himself was Trider. I gave him a nod of acknowledgement before trailing behind the rest who travelled in pairs behind the two groups of three that led this excursion.


    Our pace was that of a constant sprint as we tried to cover as much ground without using too much mana¡ªor in my case, aether¡ªbefore the next wave came. It might¡¯ve been possible for me to keep a nonstop pace toward the exit out of this zone but for everyone else, the few hours of rest was crucial if we were to fight another wave.


    As we ran in a line formation toward where the power source had been, I could feel the stress build amongst the group.


    When the sky actually turned red, the cryans¡¯ tensions culminated into explosions of mana as each one of them immediately readied for a battle.


    I decided to keep to myself, not joining either Trider or Daria, but Trider stuck by me when the sky shifted, maybe for protection or maybe to prove himself to me.


    The red sun¡ªsupposedly the power source of this zone¡ªstood high above us, but it was closer this time, no farther than a day or two of travel.


    Strength flowed through my limbs as aether cycled within me. My eyes scanned my surroundings, expecting to see a horde of monstersing from the distance.


    That wasn¡¯t the case.


    The carallians rose from the ground like the undead rising from their graves, wing themselves out of the cracked dense dirt with their red ws all around us. Immediately, spells went off as the ascenders began their preemptive attacks, but I couldn¡¯t help but stare at the ws sprouting from the ground.


    It wasn¡¯t just me. The rest of the ascenders froze when the first carallian managed to fully surface. It, along with the rest of its brethren were twice the size of the previous wave of carallians¡ªstanding at about ten feet high¡ªand had an extra pair of arms. And judging by the look on everyone¡¯s faces, it was obvious that this wasn¡¯t normal.

 Chapter 267

    Chapter 267


    Chapter 267: Justification


    I wouldn¡¯t have thought much of the difference in size if it wasn¡¯t for the way the ascenders reacted to it. It wasn¡¯t just their expressions of shock, it was the way they stared at me immediately after, as if I was somehow the cause.


    Whether they truly thought that this was my fault or not, I wouldn¡¯t find out until after the battle. The steroid-infused carallians were popping out of the ground by the dozens and it didn¡¯t seem like they¡¯d stop and wait for us to finish a conversation first.


    ¡°Triyer Circle Formation!¡± A clear voice rang from within the chaos.


    The ascenders looked at one another¡ªmyself included, mostly because I didn¡¯t know what the hell a Triyered Circle Formation was. The rest, however, had hesitation and reluctance written all over their faces.


    ¡°Now!¡± the same voice roared. It was an ascender from Daria¡¯s team.


    His resolute voice cut through the ascenders, spurring them on to follow hismand. Aside from myself and Caera¡¯s team, the rest formed a loose three-ringed circle centered around Daria and another ascender holding a golden wand.


    Any idea what a Triyered Circle Formation is? I asked Regis.


    ¡®No clue.¡¯


    Going rogue like Caera, Taegen and the brown-haired swordsman spelled defiance or ignorance, neither of which were good at this point. I got into position between Trider and another melee ascender in the outermost ring, deducing that this formation was centered around keeping Caria, who I knew was a conjur¡ªwell, whatever the term was called by the cryans, and thenky guy with a crooked nose, protected.


    There was no signal that indicated, no words that marked the beginning of our battle. We simply fought while I controlled my strength in order to not stick out.


    The carallians¡¯ strength mirrored their erged stature yet their speed was unimpeded. Still, I had gone through worse and came out only stronger.


    Crescents of white arched around me as my dagger shed with deadly speed and uracy. With aether augmenting my body, my kicks and strikes made me an impassable storm.


    The Triyered Circle Formation constantly shifted to avoid the umtion of carallian corpses, and it all seemed like it was going well until the first ascender was killed, opening up a hole in the outer ring.


    ¡°Garth!¡± shouted a lean ascender positioned in the middle ring. He wielded a quarterstaff with a dozen or so orbs of lightning floating around him.


    Immediately, the two on either side of the dead ascender seamlessly filled in the gap and we continued unabated. If I hadn¡¯t seen the different camps set up for each pair or trio of ascenders, I would¡¯ve assumed that they were all a part of the same highly-trained unit.


    My attention then shifted to the inner circle of our formation. Despite my initial bias against Daria because of her rather suggestive attire and coy attitude, it seemed her skills were top-notch. Her main arsenal seemed to consist of conjuring spears of ice from the moisture in the air as well as creating explosions of wind around her enemies.


    The long-range mage beside her only used fire magic, but had a wider variety of spells under his belt, from hurling spheres of fire to waves of scorching heat capable of melting the carallians¡¯ tough hide. Both were precise with the strength and uracy of their skills despite being encircled by a ring of defensive ascenders focused on protecting the two of them as well as the outer ring that fought to kill as many carallians as we could.


    Spotting a carallian approaching, I kicked a corpse on the ground, hitting my target with it while shoulder tossing another carallian that tried to sneak up to my right. I gripped the dagger hooked to my finger and drove its de through the struggling carallian¡¯s eye before absorbing the remaining aether from its corpse.


    Despite the added strength, speed, limbs, and spikes that protruded out of the carallians¡¯ bodies, they carried more aether, which made fighting them actually easier for me.


    Suddenly, a pained cry drew my attention. I turned to see Trider pressing down on his side with blood seeping through between his fingers. Simultaneously, his free arm was blocking the jaws of a carallian from biting down on him.


    Damn it.


    Turning back, I dashed to Trider, shing the back of the carallian¡¯s knees and stabbing the side of its throat in whirling session.


    The gauntlet-wielder looked at me with a dazed and puzzled expression. ¡°Why...¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t get another gap in the outer circle,¡± I justified. ¡°Stay alive.¡±


    He was an cryan. Why did I care whether he lived or died?


    I tried reasoning with myself that it would be hard for me to get through this convergence zone without their help, but I knew that wasn¡¯t the case.


    Perhaps I thought that the more I interacted with these ascenders, the more I could learn about these dungeons, or Relictombs¡ªas they called it¡ªand even more about crya itself. And if I really did wind up in crya after getting out of here, it made sense not to draw attention in the heart of a continent I was at war with.


    But the more I thought about it, the more I began to think that I was regarding Trider and the rest of them less as my enemies and more as just people that wanted to get through this ordeal; the same as me.


    I berated myself. Not willing to admit that I had feelings of anything but animosity towards these cryans. I wanted to hate these people, no¡ªI needed to hate them. How else was I supposed to go back to Dicathen and fight a war against them?


    ¡®Oy, Princess. Even if you don¡¯t necessarily need them, getting their help and working together wouldn¡¯t hurt.


    You¡¯re wrong, I sent back as I plunged my knife just below the jaw of a carallian. You have my memories of the war, Regis. These people are the ones that killed my father and Adam. And you want me to work together with them? Help them?


    ¡®I know, but you don¡¯t need to force yourself to think of these people as your enemies. They¡¯re still just¡ª¡¯


    ¡°Shut up!¡± I roared aloud. They are my enemies. And no matter how sentient you are, you¡¯re still just a weapon. Remember that.


    Regis grew silent and the anger boiling in the pit of my stomach grew.


    Cursing under my breath, I discarded the facade of a warrior struggling to stay alive and picked up my pace, fixating solely on the battle at hand. I used the carallians as dummies to test out different techniques to incorporate into my evolving aether-infused fighting style.


    I concentrated on the feeling of dding myself in aether. Feeling the fundamental differences from when I had once done the same with mana.


    It was difficult to describe, but it was denser, yet more pliable and soft. So much so that the concentration needed to envelop my body in aether without it leaking or spreading. Concentrating on the proportions of aether to different body parts was also far greater than it had been when I had done the same with mana.


    Yet, the differences in oues couldn¡¯t be ignored. The power my body received as aether siphoned through my limbs felt as if the strengthened muscles were mine and the protectiveyer of aether was my thickened skin. It didn¡¯t feel borrowed like when I strengthened myself using mana.


    In retrospect, my inability to use elemental magic would¡¯ve hit me much harder if it hadn¡¯t been for my training with Kordri. Being taught to conserve mana and fighting with minimal movements and utmost efficiency while dealing the most possible damage served me better now than it had been all throughout the war after my training.


    As I continued getting lost in the battle, I brought back the memories of my time with the bald asura¡ªall the times he had killed me in the soul realm while teaching me how to fight. His movements were fluid yet sharp and the speed at which he was able to move was chilling. Add to that his King¡¯s Intent that could literally squeeze the air out of a silver core mage¡¯s lungs and I could see why he was respected even amongst the asuras.


    Back then, he had taught me how to fight to the utmost limits of a human, but what about now? Could I reach the levels of Kordri with my new body and aether? Could I surpass him?


    My mind stayed sharp as all of these thoughts raced through my mind, not caring how much time had passed. My mind was aware yet it blocked out everything but the enemies capable of hurting me. That was how I had been fighting since waking up in this hellhole. It had been eat or be eaten, and with my mana core shattered, I fought and trained on a daily basis not to be thetter.


    The words I had spat at Regis threatened to resurface but I buried them by concentrating on the sounds of the battle¡ªthe crunch and grinding of rocks as they stomped the ground, the subtle whistle of the wind as the carallian¡¯s swung their gangly limbs.


    Ducking below the snapping jaws of a carallian, I knocked it off its feet with a low sweep kick. As it scrambled to get back up, I focused on another carallian barreling toward me.


    Splitting aether between my back leg and the point of my elbow, I burst forth, pushing my supporting palm up against my fist to reinforce my strike. The sharp bones that protected the carallian¡¯s torso shattered upon impact and my elbow dug into his midsection like a spearhead.


    The carallian crumpled to the ground with its spine snapped. As it convulsed on the ground, I shifted my head to the left to avoid the carallian I had tripped. Two, well-ced stabster and both carallians were added to my pile of corpses.


    My eyes scanned for the next prey, and it was only when I couldn¡¯t find anymore that I finally noticed that the sky had turned back to blue and that the corpses strewn around me were slowly fading.


    Looking around, I saw several ascenders mixed in with the fading carallian corpses. Five ascenders had apparently died in this wave, a number that didn¡¯t mean much to me, but I¡¯m sure the teammates of the deceased didn¡¯t feel the same way.


    Daria and Trider were two of the seven left standing. Daria was in fairly good shape aside from a few cuts on her legs and tears in her robe. Trider was cradling the residual stub of his bleeding left arm, face cid while breathing heavily. Yet, both wore expressions that I couldn¡¯t quite make out.


    Was it fear? Anger? Both? It didn¡¯t matter. These people were just as much my enemies as the carallians were. Whatever they decided to do, at the very least, I would be able to easily escape.


    Regis remained quiet while I kept my body d in aether and my grip tight around my dagger.


    Despite my distracted state, decades of fighting and honing my instincts came into y in an instant as I felt, rather than saw, someone rapidly drawing near me.


    Spinning on my heels, I grabbed my surprise attacker¡¯s wrist, pressing the tip of my de against...her throat?


    I paused my attack for a split second out of surprise, and in that split second the hand holding my white dagger was grabbed by arge hand and I found myself face to face not only with Caera¡ªwhose wrist I had in my grasp¡ªbut also Taegen, who was grabbing my hand, and the swordsman, whose humming de was aimed at my exposed side.


    Rather than wavering at the sudden turn of events, I bristled in anger. ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Unhand her,¡± Taegen ordered as his thick fingers crushed down on my hand.


    ¡°She attacked me.¡± I responded calmly in a level tone but the aetheric pressure I emitted affected even Caera¡¯s protectors as their expressions grew strained.


    ¡°I thought...I was imagining things,¡± Caera muttered, but she wasn¡¯t talking to me. Her quivering red eyes were fixated on the white de a few inches away from her throat.


    ¡°But I was right...¡± Caera¡¯s eyes locked onto mine, her expression harsh. ¡°Why do you have my brother¡¯s de?¡±

 Chapter 268

    Chapter 268


    Chapter 268: Trading Knowledge


    Caera¡¯s voice grew dangerously quiet as she regarded me with bloodshot eyes. ¡°I asked you...why are you wielding my brother¡¯s dagger.¡±


    ¡°Answer, Effeminate One,¡± Taegen insisted with amanding voice.


    I thought I heard Regis chortle in my head but it could¡¯ve easily been one of the other ascenders around us. Either way, I was growing impatient with the situation around me. Despite the temporary reprieve I had felt from seeing other people in these deste beast-filled ruins, it had quickly be more of a hassle than afort being with them.


    ¡°Would you like to test whether your de is faster than mine, swordsman?¡± I challenged, turning to meet the brown-haired ascender¡¯s eyes.


    I felt Taegen trying to pry my hand away from Caera¡¯s throat, but I kept my eyes nted on the swordsman, unflinching.


    After a beat of hesitation, the swordsman dropped his sword and held up his hands. Taegen released his grip and reluctantly stepped back. Still, despite her position, Caera¡¯s gaze never faltered as if she still expected an answer.


    ¡°I found it on one of the flo¡ªzones I encountered before arriving here,¡± I answered.


    Caera¡¯s face was a motley of expressions; she somehow seemed afraid, happy, crestfallen, and hopeful all at the same time.


    She opened her mouth to speak but hesitated, almost afraid at what she might hear.


    My gaze flickered between Taegen and the swordsman. Their eyes told me they were still looking for an opportunity to strike, but I didn¡¯t mind. It was obvious that both were prioritizing this Lady Caera¡¯s safety over anything else.


    Letting out a breath, I spoke. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what I encountered in the zone where I found this dagger, and I¡¯m even willing to part with it...but I want something in exchange.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t carry money in the Relictombs and we¡¯ve yet to find any des but once we leave, if youe¡ª¡±


    I shook my head, cutting her off. ¡°I don¡¯t need money or des. I just want some answers.¡±


    ***


    The four of us walked away out of earshot of the other ascenders after I released my grip around Caera¡¯s wrist and put the dagger back in its sheath.


    ¡°Shall we start?¡± I asked, calmly regarding the trio just a few feet away.


    I could see Taegen¡¯s body bristle, the striations in his muscles literally seeming to stiffen as he prepared for anything I might throw at them.


    Letting out a sigh, I took a seat on the hard ground.


    The swordsman¡¯s eyes narrowed as he studied me. ¡°You could¡¯ve kept Lady Caera as hostage and simply forced answers from us. What keeps us from simply killing you now and taking what rightfully belongs to Highblood Denoir?¡±


    ¡°Arian, enough. We both have things we want from each other,¡± Caera said curtly.


    If cryans referred to family as ¡®blood¡¯, then did ¡®highblood¡¯ mean that Caera was from nobility? It made sense considering that she had two highly capable guards more than willing to risk their lives for her.


    ¡°The three of you seem too noble to do something as backhanded as that unless...Lady Caera was in danger,¡± I said, giving them a knowing look. ¡°Besides, I can assure you that killing me will by no means be ¡®simple¡¯.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll answer your questions to the best of our ability,¡± Caera assured, lowering herself on the ground as well in a heel-sitting position. Even apart from her proper and refined swordy, every bit of her movements and behavior spelled out the fact that she had very strict and proper training on behavior and etiquette.


    I paused to think for a moment before speaking again. ¡°I¡¯ll ask a series of questions, some with answers that I already know and some that I genuinely want answers for¡ªyou will not know which is which. You can¡¯t ask why I am asking the questions I ask, and if you don¡¯t know it, simply say so.¡±


    Taegen dropped to the ground with both his arms and legs crossed and red at me. ¡°Make haste, Effeminate One. We¡¯re wasting our resting period before the next wave.¡±


    This time, I definitely heard Regis chortle.


    ¡°How many more zones do we have to cross until we¡¯re able to leave the Relictombs?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The number and difficulty varies depending on the ascender since the Relictombs adjust to the abilities of the ascenders within their respective zones,¡± Caera answered immediately.


    ¡°Then how are parties able to travel through zones together if everything changes depending on the individual ascender?¡±


    ¡°Simulets,¡± answered the swordsman simply.


    I let out a sigh. ¡°How do ¡®simulets¡¯ work?¡±


    Caera took over again and answered. ¡°If I recall correctly, a female caster offered one to you. Holding one synced with the rest of the simulets held by members of the team ensures that the gates that members cross leads to the same zone, although the difficulty is still determined by the strength of the ascenders present.¡±


    I nodded before asking the next question. ¡°Why do ascenderse into these Relictombs?¡±


    Taegen shot up angrily. ¡°Even unads know th¡ª¡±


    ¡°Taegen.¡± Caera¡¯s voice was sharp and it was enough to make therge muscle-d mage promptly sit back on the ground with the rest of us.


    ¡°Only the strongest mages given the title of ¡®ascender¡¯ by your domain¡¯s Scythe are allowed to explore the Relictombs. In turn, ascenders are able to gain treasures that would never be found on the surface, called des. Furthermore, if a relic of the ancient mages is found and given to your Scythe, it is said that the ascender will be taken to the mighty sovereigns themselves and be bestowed a powerful regalia,¡± Caera exined.


    ¡°Right, the Vritra,¡± I affirmed.


    Caera¡¯s eyes tightened into a sharp re but didn¡¯t say anything at my response.


    I recalled some of my encounters with the cryans back in Dicathen. I couldn¡¯t only ask these ¡®basic¡¯ questions. Thinking back to the noble cryan that I had questioned back in the Forest of Elshire, I asked, ¡°How influential is...the Vale blood?¡±


    Arian¡¯s gaze turned inquisitive as he answered. ¡°Blood Vale is one of the few military bloods in Etril, sopared to the other named bloods in a domain known mostly for its farms, they¡¯re influential. But in terms of influence in crya as a whole? They¡¯re...nowhere near any of the true highbloods.¡±


    The sudden mention of a specific family must¡¯ve thrown them off because they began answering my following questions more seriously.


    Despite the conditions I had set for this ¡®questioning,¡¯ I was limited in what I could ask in terms of learning more about crya itself. Instead, I tried to learn more about the magic system that Agrona had devised in crya. These questions didn¡¯t seem to raise any gs to the three since I had some basic knowledge from my questioning of Steffen Vale.


    Interestingly enough, their ¡®mark-based system¡¯, as I so casually dubbed, wasrgely a mystery to the cryans as well. Because of the awakening process that all children went through in order to be a mage, the cryans thought that magic was given to them by the Vritra themselves, or ¡®the sovereigns¡¯. Thus, nonmages or ¡®unads¡¯, which seemed to be the widely-ept ng for unadorned, were widely discriminated against since they weren¡¯t ¡®blessed¡¯ by the sovereigns.


    Just like Caera was afraid of hearing what happened to her brother, I was afraid to hear the answer to this next question.


    Taking a breath, I asked, ¡°What was thest news you¡¯ve heard about the war going on with Dicathen and...how much time has passed since then?¡±


    ¡°Thetest news that was delivered to my estate right before we prepared for our ascent was that Scythe Cadell had managed to conquer the Dicathian¡¯s sacred flying castle,¡± Caera answered with a hint of pride. ¡°So taking into ount the time flow within the Relictombs, I¡¯d say it has been almost two weeks since then.¡±


    Almost two weeks. It hadn¡¯t been more than a week at most since I escaped the Castle with Sylvie, Virion and Bairon and I fought against Cadell and Nico. I had hoped for time to work differently within the Relictombs because of the abundance of aether in here, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved knowing that despite everything I had gone through, not much time had passed.


    ¡°Do you worry for a member of your blood out in the war, Effeminate One?¡± Taegen asked. ¡°It is a shame that an ascender¡¯s exemption from the war does not extend to their blood members, but know that it is an honor for them to serve.¡±


    I was a little taken aback by Taegen¡¯s words, but responded with a nod.


    Silence lingered for a time before I eventually stood up.


    ¡°Last questions,¡± I said. ¡°How far is the power source from here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about another day¡¯s worth at the pace we¡¯ve been moving, and that¡¯s not including the time it¡¯d take to fight another wave or two.¡± Arian frowned, staring up at me with an utterly serious expression. ¡°You¡¯re not nning on going off alone, are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve wasted enough time in this zone,¡± I replied curtly.


    ¡°The effect your presence has in this zone speaks for your strength, Effeminate One,¡± Taegen said as he stood up as well. ¡°But even if you manage to survive the next wave by yourself, it¡¯ll be impossible for you to fight the guardian protecting the power source alone.¡±


    I tilted my head. ¡°You know...the more you speak, the more I realize you¡¯re not the meathead I thought you first were.¡±


    A vein in Taegen¡¯s forehead literally popped out at myment but Arian responded with a stifledugh. ¡°Taegen indeed gets that a lot. It doesn¡¯t help that his temper is shorter than a husked boarling with its behind on fire.¡±


    I watched as Taegen stomped down on hisrade while Arian casually dodged the attempts.


    Turning back to Caera, I tossed her the dagger. ¡°A deal is a deal.¡±


    Her lips curled up into a smile for a split second as she squeezed the dagger tightly before looking at me seriously. ¡°What about my brother?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see your brother in that zone. However, there was a beast in there bothrge and powerful enough to eat ascenders whole, and judging by the pile of human-sized equipment left in itsir where I found that dagger and this cloak...¡± I let the sentence trail off, not having the heart to finish.


    Her expression remained calm despite the news¡ªalmost serene¡ªbut it was easy to see the emotions she was holding back. Her trembling hands gripped her brother¡¯s dagger with such strength that her pale fingers had grown several shades lighter.


    I stared out into the distance where the power source would most likely be once the sky turned red again. As I prepared to leave, however, a voice shouted at me from a distance.


    It was Daria running toward us with most of the other ascenders behind her. Even from here, I could tell that the expression on their faces spelled out trouble.


    ¡°I knew it. You¡¯re thinking about going off on your own,¡± she huffed, her thin brows furrowed together.


    I responded calmly. ¡°Is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have any sense of responsibility? Because of your presence, the carallians have been augmented to such a degree that five of us died in thatst wave! That¡¯s unprecedented in convergence zones!¡±


    Caera stood up, storing the dagger in a dimension ring. ¡°Even if he leaves, a part of the wave will follow after him and if he dies, the carallians will revert back to their previous form. Where exactly does the problem lie?¡±


    ¡°H-He should take responsibility and stay here to protect the rest of us until we get out of this zone!¡± Daria sputtered, her cheeks red in anger.


    A few of the ascenders behind her nodded in agreement. The only one that didn¡¯t think the same was Trider, who was just idly kicking a loose clump of dirt on the ground.


    I looked back at Caera, who remained unfazed as she responded. ¡°Don¡¯t you mean, he should stay here and protect you?¡±


    Daria let out a scoff before she whipped her gaze to me. ¡°So this is why you didn¡¯t ept my offer. I didn¡¯t realize you were a dog of the Denoirs.¡±


    ¡°Careful, Miss Lendhert,¡± Arian said as he finally got up, patting the dust off his matte armor. ¡°While exploiting your blood name is frowned upon in the Relictombs, everyone here should know that Lady Caera doesn¡¯t take lightly to insults and Denoirs are rather known for settling scores.¡±


    ¡°Enough. I n to reach the power source before the wave begins.¡± The dirt beneath my feet picked up as I cycled aether through my limbs. The expressions on the ascenders told me that they all felt the change in the air. ¡°Anyone who can keep up is free to follow me.¡±

 Chapter 269

    Chapter 269


    Chapter 269: More Than a Weapon


    I dug my heels, the barren earth splintering from the pressure as I prepared for the long sprint.


    ¡°Wait!¡± a familiar honeyed voice called out from behind.


    I looked back over my shoulder, locking eyes with the brown-haired caster that wanted me to join her team. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Daria flinched under my gaze but steeled herself and red back at me. ¡°Assuming that everyone here follows you, by the time we reach the power source, most of our mana will be too drained to face the guardian.¡±


    Impatience bubbled as I counted the wasted seconds spent talking any further. ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seriously think you¡¯re strong enough to take on the guardian by yourself after sprinting a marathon, do you?¡± Daria snapped, stomping toward me. ¡°You¡¯re going to need all of our help. Hell, even if you see all of us as dead weight, at least you¡¯ll need to be at full strength, right?¡±


    ¡°Just get to your point.¡±


    Her brows furrowed and she opened her mouth to talk back but stopped herself. ¡°To be honest, I have no confidence in being able to get past whatever monstrosity is waiting for us after fighting against thest carallian wave.¡±


    Daria turned around to face the rest of the ascenders listening in.


    ¡°Therefore, I have a proposition, but I¡¯ll only do it if he epts,¡± she said while pointing back at me. ¡°I have a way that allows all of us to travel while the burden of mana usage falls solely on Orid and myself. We will get everyone there in top condition at the fastest possible speed only if our safety is prioritized.¡±


    Immediately, a few ascenders started protesting until I finally spoke up.


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    Judging by how many of the ascenders were willing to tail behind me, my usage of aether would be limited. And with my only weapon gone, it was safe to assume that this final stretch was going to be a drawn out battle.


    Daria whipped her head around, herrge eyes glimmering as she smiled. ¡°Great!¡±


    I honestly didn¡¯t know what to expect. Daria had seemed like a capable mage and even if cryan mages weren¡¯t very flexible with their elemental maniption, I had hoped for something...more.


    Instead, I seemed to be staring at what looked to be arge...sled...made entirely of ice. At the center was arge tarp hanging off a tentpole as a makeshift mast.


    ¡°You expect all of us to ride this?¡± Taegen asked, towering over the ice sled.


    ¡°I¡¯ve condensed the ice several times so it¡¯s sturdier than it looks. I got the overall structure shape from the oceanriders and I¡¯ve tested it several times myself,¡± said Daria with a hint of pride.


    Everyone waited for me to get on the sled first while Daria stood on top of the ice vehicle, expectations high as I walked toward her.


    cing my hand on the surface of the ice, I pushed down with adequate force in order to make sure it could also hold my weight.


    ¡°Are you seriously questioning the integrity of my spell right now?¡± fumed Daria as she threw back her mage robe, letting the luxurious cloth slide down her exposed back to reveal a series of tattoos. ¡°I have four crests and two emblems, you jerk!¡±


    I climbed atop the panel of ice, facing my back to her. ¡°We¡¯ve wasted a lot of time. Let¡¯s move.¡±


    One by one, the rest of the seven ascenders aside from Daria and myself began boarding therge sled until we were all squeezed together and holding onto the railings that Daria had so helpfully conjured.


    I was skeptical that she would be able to get the sled moving, but with an updraft taking some of the weight off of the sled and a gust directed at the mast, the eight of us began sailing over the barren dirt ins.


    Cool winds brushed past my cheeks as we began elerating. Despite the weight of nine fully grown adults¡ªten, because Taegen counted as nearly two people¡ªthe oversized sled never faltered or showed signs of breaking. I couldn¡¯t help but be impressed at Daria for continuously managing three spells in order to keep the sled moving.


    She used two wind spells for movement while her feet, d in ice, that anchored her to the sled to keep from pushing herself off, and an ice spell to keep the ice sled from melting or degrading as it slid over the dirt.


    Daria¡¯s remaining teammate, Orid, used his earth magic to steer us and smooth particrly uneven parts of the ground that could potentially damage the sled.


    After about thirty minutes of travelling, the rest of the ascenders had grown confident enough in Daria that they began to rx and actually enjoy the ride.


    I was sitting in the back of the sled, leaning forward against the rear railing that Daria had conjured and simply stared out mindlessly at the vast expanse of unimpressive dirt and the clear blue skies. I had long since epted the fact that I was looking up at a sky within an ancient ruin that was supposed to be deep underground. With everything that had been going on since waking up here and bing more limated toward aether as I grew stronger, I had long since epted that the realm of what was achievable using this godly power was far beyond what mana could do.


    Growing bored of the nd scenery, I turned around. Aside from Daria and Orid, who were concentrating on keeping us moving, the rest of the ascenders were doing their own things. It seemed that Caera¡¯s group seemed to be the only group left unscathed by thest wave.


    The ascender named Keir, who wielded a quarterstaff and controlled motes of electricity to defend and attack, was polishing his weapon, using a thin cloth to dig out the grime that had umted in the engravings of his wooden staff.


    Trider had his eyes closed, leaning back against the railing with his arms folded and legs crossed while another ascender was reapplyieding bandages around his left leg.


    My eyes continued to wander until theynded on Caera, who was sitting near the front left side of the sled. Arian satwas besidenext to her while Taegen had situatedwas by himself alone on the other side, most likely to keep the sled bnced.


    Arian was meditating and while I wasn¡¯t able to feel mana anymore, the pressure he gave off was enough evidence. Caera, on the other hand, was staring at the white dagger in her hand, still in its sheath. Her expression looked almost indifferent as shewhile gazeding down at the weapon, as if she was studying it.


    Suddenly, a tear rolled down her cheek. She immediately wiped it with the back of her hand before suspiciously peeking around to see if anyone saw.


    Her eyes locked with mine and for a split second, I saw a sh of embarrassment pass through her face as she quickly turned away.


    Clearing my throat, I turned around to face the back once more, resting my arms on the cold railing. I tried to find more things to do to keep myself upied, not willing to address the issue at hand until I finally caved.


    Regis, I sent. Are you still not talking to me?


    Silence hung in the air as I waited for a response. When none came even after several minutes had passed, I let out a sigh and continued to convey my thoughts, hoping that Regis was listening.


    As if I was reading out of my own diary, I conveyed to Regis that, despite having more than an entire lifetime, my ability to properly express andmunicate my emotions was passable on a good day. In battle, with just me and my sword, that didn¡¯t matter. I didn¡¯t have tomunicate or convey my thoughts in a tactful manner like some sort of neatly wrapped box to the receiving party. No, my swords were weapons¡ªtools that I could utilize and take full advantage of in order to win a battle.


    However, Regis was a weapon with sentience and a bigger personality than myself. He was less a weapon and more apanion that I truly relied on for some semnce of human interaction. I tried to shove him into that cookie-cutter role that I had made for weapons, but that quickly failed as he became more and more of a friend to me...like Sylvie had been.


    Regis¡¯s timing alone had made it hard for me not topare him to Sylvie, who had sacrificed herself so I could still be standing here now. Arge part of why I wanted to get stronger was in the hopes of bringing back Sylvie from heratose state, but every dumb conversation and meaningless quibble with Regis I had, I grew scared of even the possibility that Sylvie may feel reced once she caomes back.


    But you know what I¡¯m afraid of the most? Even though I have the body of an asura and the ability to manipte aether in a way that not even the Indrath n can, I¡¯m afraid of growing close to you.


    I paused, realizing that I had subconsciously ced my hand on the pouch carrying Sylvie¡¯s stone.


    I¡¯ve lost a lot, Regis. Adam, my father, Sylvie, and even Dawn¡¯s Bad. My mother, sister, Tessia, Virion¡ª, they¡¯re all back in Dicathen and I have no clue how to return, or even how they¡¯re doing back. Worst case, the cryans have found the bunker and they¡¯ve all been captured...or killed. Not to be overdramatic but it feels like the closer I be to someone, the harder it is for me to protect them.


    I cracked a wry smile. I¡¯m beginning to remember more and more why I became the person who I was back in my previous life... and it¡¯s why I needed to just think of you as a weapon, Regis. Because it¡¯s easier for me that way, in case I lose you too.


    I waited and hoped for a response that never came.


    Instead, what greeted me was the shifting color of our surroundings. As if the very sky had been marred, crimson seeped and spread above us, covering the once blue expanse. The very air seemed thinner as well and the tension that nketed over us felt almost tangible. I could tell this wave was going to be different.


    ¡°The wave is here,¡± Taegen said, standing up.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to stop so hold on!¡± Daria dered, casting a stronger gust of wind at the mast.


    The sled sped through the dirt field as cracks began branching and splitting apart ahead. Fortunately, the obsidian structure standing even taller than castle watchtowers, stood only a few miles away, the shimmering red sphere perched at its peak.


    Thesest few miles, however, would undoubtedly be the hardest. Carallians were already emerging by the dozens from the ground ahead.


    ¡°Shields, prepare to clear a path for us. We need to reach the tower before the guardian appears!¡± Arian barked.


    Orid stopped focusing on the path ahead and instead, conjured bs of earth that began rotating around us.


    The ride immediately turned rocky without Orid, but we clung on to the railing while Keir summoned his orbs of electricity as well.


    ¡°Let me take over the mast,¡± Trider called out, hobbling toward Daria. ¡°You¡¯ll have to maintain the updraft steady but you¡¯re the only caster left. Help the shields.¡±


    After a beat of hesitation, Daria nodded, releasing the bindings of ice anchoring her to the sled.


    Daria, sweating and pale, gave me a knowing nce and I nodded at her. A deal was a deal.


    Trider immediately got to work, summoning bracers of wind. He pushed out with his fists aimed at the mast as soon as Daria bound his feet to the sled.


    Daria, free from her most strenuous obligation, called forth bursts of wind powerful enough to knock the erged carallians out of the way. The ones that she missed were either pushed aside by one of the panels ofpressed earth or stunned by the orbs of electricity hovering around us.


    Something was wrong. There was no proof that something was wrong, but my body felt it. And judging by how anxious Taegen looked, his face in a fierce scowl and his gaze darting left and right¡ªas if searching for something¡ªI knew I wasn¡¯t the only one.


    The earth suddenly trembled, causing Keir to lose bnce and let go of his spell.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s going on?¡± he shouted, trying to scramble back to his feet.


    The earth shook once more, even stronger this time, followed by a bloodcurdling roar that reverberated from the very ground beneath.


    My hair stood on end and a familiar voice affirmed the very action I was about to take.


    ¡®Get out of here, Arthur!¡¯ Regis shouted, a wave of fear spreading from mypanion onto me.


    But the ground rose and I felt a rush of vertigo as the entire sled rose closer and closer toward the red sky.


    Keir, who had been trying to get back to his feet, was thrown fromoff of the edge of the sled and knocked unconscious by one of the panels of earth circling around us.


    His body quickly receded from view as he fell off the edge of the rising ground carrying us higher and higher.


    Another beastial roar resounded, unmuffled this time and loud enough to make me dizzy, followed by a silhouette of something bothrge and tall enough to be able to eclipse the majority of the sky.


    Then, it looked at us. The tower that had cast a massive shadow over us was, in fact, a long serpentine neck.


    Resting on the top of the neck that stretched over ten stories high was the leathery head of a bat with a disproportionatelyrge mouth and two piercing purple eyes...eachrger than a carriage, and boring down directly at us.

 Chapter 270

    Chapter 270


    Chapter 270: Descent


    Despite the initial shock that had ovee everyone left on the sled as the colossal monster loomed over us, it didn¡¯t take long for the ascenders to snap back to reality. However, thanks to Regis¡¯ second warning, I was the only one able to react in time to fully dodge the wide tip of the beast¡¯s tail. Everyone else had been too focused on its grotesque face.


    Time seemed to slow as I watched the chain of events unfold after barely jumping out of the way. The beast¡¯s leathery tail snapped down, crushing the sled like a twig. Taegen had somehow barely reacted in time to push Caera out of the way, only to get crushed alongside Trider underneath therge tail. The shockwave of force generated by the impact scattered the rest of us who weren¡¯t directly in its range.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go!¡¯ Regis urged.


    But my eyes shifted between Daria and Caera, both unconscious, and both falling off the risen earth that Irgely suspected was the body of this titanic beast.


    Regis. Get Daria, I sent with a pleading tone.


    A surge of emotions rose only to fizzle out as mypanion let out a groan. Despite the situation, a smile crept up on my face as I watched Regis leap out of my body, his shadowy wolf form bolting toward the unconscious Daria.


    Meanwhile, I released the limiter that I had imposed on myself, bursting forth in a shroud of aether as my eyes took in the situation at hand.


    Daria¡¯s teammate was nowhere to be seen while a pool of blood spread from underneath the leathery tail. Arian, however, had managed to avoid beingpletely thrown off by hanging onto his glowing sword embedded on the side of the titan¡¯s body, his face bloody and his free arm bent at an impossible angle.


    I cleared the distance between me and the falling Caera, her face lost in a curtain of navy hair. I barely managed to grab her ankle as I hung off the cliff of the risen earth, more annoyed at myself than I was with the situation.


    How many more options would I have had if I was able to use mana? I could¡¯ve flown safely out of harm¡¯s way, hell¡ªI could¡¯ve avoided this altogether.


    Before I could even pull Caera and myself back up, however, I looked up to see the titan¡¯s violet eyes ring down at me. And swirling within his unhinged jaw was a massive sphere of silvery mana aimed straight at us.


    I could feel my heart pound against my chest as I considered my options. Could I pull us up and run fast enough to dodge the attack? What would the width of the st be? Would I be able to dodge it if I let Caera go? Or should I jump down the steep body of the beast onto solidnd?


    Cursing under my breath, I threw Caera over the edge of the cliff and pulled myself up just as the titan released its breath attack.


    Caera stirred awake afternding on the ground, utterly confused as to why I had suddenly scooped her up and slung her over my shoulder.


    ¡°W-What is the meaning of¡ª¡± Her words fell short as a bright white light bathed the surrounding area.


    I looked back to see the mana st disintegrate everything in its path as it let out a shrill hum.


    ¡°Can you run?¡± I asked as we passed the broken sled. I noticed that while Trider¡¯s remains could be seen in the bloody pool where the beast¡¯s tail had struck, I couldn¡¯t see any sign of Taegen.


    ¡°No. My left ankle seems fractured at least,¡± she stated matter-of-factly.


    The destructive beam of pure mana continued to chase after us as I continued sprinting on the broken surface of the raised ground resting on top of its body. ¡°Then do something. Otherwise, I¡¯m better off letting you go.¡±


    I could feel Caera subconsciously tighten her grip around me at my words, but she remained silent as we neared the far end of the rocky tform.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡± the red-eyed ascender let out a scared yelp as I loosened my grip around her, threatening to leave her.


    I knew as I watched her fight in the previous waves that she was hiding something. Along with the fact that she had two verypetent bodyguards eager to sacrifice themselves for her, saving her hadn¡¯t been out of the kindness of my heart.


    ¡°Okay!¡± she relented, her mana-infused nails digging into my skin as she clung on for her life. ¡°Just keep running.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nowhere to run!¡± I retorted, the cliff edge drawing closer. Caera stayed silent though as I felt an ominous power building within her that I hadn¡¯t felt before.


    Trusting her, I navigated away from the approaching st of destruction as the diminishing ground became more unstable. Reaching the far edge of the raised ground atop this monstrosity, I concentrated all my aether into my legs and back and pushed off with all my strength.


    Without wind magic to redirect the air resistance, I could only grit my teeth and endure the thick wall of wind pushing back against our bodies as we sailed high through the air.


    As the menacing power began to grow stronger around Caera, who was still slung over my shoulder, I looked back at the guardian that had erected from the ground right below us.


    I thought that literally standing on the gigantic beast and seeing it up close would¡¯ve prepared me for the sight, but I was wrong.


    Despite all of the mana beasts I had encountered and fought over the years in Dicathen, it took me several moments to be able to begin fathoming this creature as a single entity¡ªmy brain just didn¡¯t want to believe that there could be something this big.


    The creature was about as tall as the tower holding the power source, but it looked miniscule inparison to the overall length and girth of the beast.


    From this far away, the colossal monster reminded me of an enormous dragon missing its wings. Both its long tail and neck were attached to a leathery torso that could be mistaken for a small mountain from up close. Supporting its weight were six legs, each as thick as its neck.


    ¡°Caera!¡± I roared as the shimmering beam still erupting from the colossal beast¡¯s mouth rose up in its path as we began descending.


    At the height we had jumped from and the speed of our descent, I had no confidence in surviving the impact from the fall let alone the beast¡¯s breath attack steadily approaching us.


    Twisting my body midair, I turned to face the monster as I began concentrating all of my aether into the palm of my right hand. I knew the beam of pure aether that I had learned in the glowing tform zone wouldn¡¯t be enough to counter the beast¡¯s attack but I had little choice. Caera remainedpletely still and silent as she hung over my shoulder.


    Just as the two of us were about to be swept into the destructive tidal surge of mana and just as I was about to release my own attack, Caera wriggled around in my grasp. She hooked one arm around my neck to keep herself stable as she withdrew her curved sword from a dimension item.


    I stopped my attack just in time to witness an all-too-familiar ming ck aura wrap over the crimson de as she swung down.


    Her once-red de extended into a ming ck crescent that cut through the shining white cone of destruction, severing and creating a path just wide enough for us to fall through before the ck me whittled away. Judging by how the path of the monster¡¯s attack continued up, I could tell that it would be hard for him to change its direction back toward us.


    Caera slumped, her left arm still slung around my neck as she put away her sword.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to do that again,¡± she said, her voice barely heard over the rush of wind.


    There were so many thoughts and questions that rushed through my head as I tried to make heads or tails out of this situation, but I forced myself to put that aside for now and focus on getting out alive.


    Regis, where are you? I asked.


    ¡®I got Daria and used the guardian¡¯s tail to get down to the ground, but I don¡¯t think I can make it to you in time!¡¯


    The n to use gauntlet form to mitigate some of the impact from falling wouldn¡¯t work.


    There was no other choice but to use the aetheric beam. While using it to counter the monster¡¯s breath attack was a fool¡¯s hope, using the force of the st might just be enough to stunt the speed of our fall enough so that the impact wouldn¡¯t kill us both.


    Of course, using it could also mean draining all of my aether reserves and dying since Regis wasn¡¯t close enough to get here in time...


    Pushing aside the doubt clouding my mind, I focused on the aether art.


    It seemed like Caera caught on that I was about to do something since she clung to me even tighter.


    My aether reserves had somewhat increased since my first two attempts at the aetheric beam, but because of the repercussions it caused and being in such a dangerous zone, I had no opportunities to test the attack again.


    Letting out a deep breath that got lost in the wind, I concentrated a majority of my aether into fortifying my arms, shoulders, chest and spine so that my body could withstand the burden.


    I could see the rune-like marks of purple extend out from my palms and spread through my fingers.


    Aiming both my palms down at the ground, shoulder-width apart, as we plummeted closer toward the ground, I waited until I was close enough.


    Finally, just fifty feet above the ground, I unleashed the aetheric beam.


    A deep roar resounded as the torrent of violet mes erupted from my palms and into the ground. I immediately felt my arms, shoulders and back protest but I held firm.


    The tform that had first allowed me to unlock this ability had naturally forced out the aether from my body. Now that I was no longer impacted by that effect, the control I had over how much aether to put out was much greater.


    My fingers forced the aetheric st to remain focused forward rather than exploding out. Even with my body strengthened by aether, I knew that my arms had already begun to fracture and my aether reserves were depleting at a terrifying pace.


    Still, I could feel us slowing down, and it was only as I began decreasing the output of aether and the noise that it caused grew quieter that I realized Caera was screaming as she held onto me like a baby ko.


    ¡°Brace yourself for impact!¡±I roared as I turned to face the sky, making sure that I¡¯d be the one tond first as we crashed into the ground while dding both of us in as much aether I could afford.


    By the time I came to, I knew that I hadn¡¯t been unconscious for that long by the clouds, dirt and dust still rising from the crater I had impacted.


    My body felt like it had been ripped apart, seared back together, and then ripped apart again, no one part hurting more than the other. It took all of my mental fortitude to keep from passing out again, but at least Caera had fared better.


    She was still unconscious but she had been able to use the rest of her mana to protect her body from fatal harm.


    I could feel the little reserves left of my aether core already repairing my body, but I couldn¡¯t calm down.


    The ground shuddered beneath me, growing stronger with each deep thud that echoed in the distance. I had a feeling that it was the guardian approaching us.


    ¡°Arthur!¡± a husky voice growled from the edge of the crater. It was Regis with Daria riding on his back.


    ¡°Regis,¡± I gurgled before coughing out a mouthful of blood.


    Daria gasped as she unmounted from Regis. ¡°Merciful Vritra, how is he still alive?¡±


    The two of them ran toward me and before either Regis and I could do anything, Daria had formed a ss vial from her dimension ring and held it against my mouth.


    ¡°Drink this,¡± Daria said as she leaned in closer and raised my head. ¡°An emblem instiller made this. It uses the mana in your body to heal your wounds.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t,¡± I managed to choke out. ¡°Won¡¯t...work.¡±


    Her thin brows furrowed in confusion before a look of realization washed over her. ¡°Oh, you can¡¯t.¡±


    Relieved that she understood, my eyes closed.


    Regis, I need some of your aether if I¡¯m going to be able to¡ª


    My thoughts were interrupted by a soft sensation pressing against my lips before a lukewarm liquid entered my mouth. My eyes shot open to see Daria¡¯s mouth locked against mine, her eyes shut and cheeks red.


    Without the strength to even lift my arms at this point and my attempts to twist my face away futile as she held my head in ce, I was forced to swallow whatever contents were in that vial.


    Daria finally pulled away, herposure losing away to her crimson face. ¡°I-I had no choice since you didn¡¯t have the strength to drink.¡±


    Bursts of pain exploded with each cough that I forced out. ¡°Y-You...the vial wouldn¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°As my master is so eloquently trying to exin, it wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t drink the elixir that you so generously mouth-fed him, but that it wouldn¡¯t work on him,¡± Regis exined with an annoyingly amused expression.


    Daria remained befuddled as I shot the ck and purple wolf the most piercingly cold re that I could muster. A snarky grin remained stered on his canine maw as he dove into my body.


    A cool rush of energy spread from my core and I could feel my body recovering.


    ¡®You get a free kiss along with my recovery services. I¡¯d say you owe me,¡¯ Regis snickered.


    Bite me, I responded sharply, but it felt good to be annoyed by him again.


    With the help of Regis, I was able to recover enough to get back on my feet just as the earth shook once more.


    ¡®Don¡¯t you die on me, Princess,¡¯ Regis sent, his voice weak.


    Rest up, buddy, I said, just barely managing to push myself up to my feet. Taking a nce down at Caera¡ªwhose injuries had gotten much better after Daria fed her another elixir¡ªI reached down.


    Unsping the buckle that held the leather sheath and dagger by her waist, I strapped it on before climbing up the edge of the crater. ¡°Keep her safe. I have some questions I need to ask her.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Daria asked. ¡°You¡¯re not thinking of actually fighting that thing, right?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I responded. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of killing it.¡±

 Chapter 271

    Chapter 271


    Chapter 271: Back to the Basics


    My vision focused on the towering figure as I approached the ensuing battle. There were two ascenders fighting against it, and from this distance, they looked more like fanged mice scurrying desperately around a giant orc. I knew without looking who the two were¡ªTaegen and Arian were the only ones capable of staying alive and keeping the titan upied for this long.


    I rushed toward the colossal guardian, tearing divots into the barren ground as I gained speed. My hand gripped tightly around the curved handle of the white dagger;pared to the size of the monster I would be facing, this dagger couldn¡¯t even serve as its toothpick, but having it in my hand filled me with the confidence I needed.


    Expending most of my reserves on controlling the aetheric st had almost the same benefit as going through the three stages of refining my core and aether channels¡ªalbeit with the added risk of death.


    I could feel theplex, minute differences in the way the aether flowed through my body.


    Using aether for the first time after forging my new core had felt like I was trying to regte the direction and speed of the aether¡¯s flow using a kitchen strainer. Now, however, I felt like I had a proper floodgate installed while the aqueducts leading to various points throughout my body were slowly being tunneled and constructed.


    I was physically stronger and sturdier than ever before but I knew it wasn¡¯t enough to face off against the Scythes just yet.


    My entire arsenal had been taken from me and I was given a single, ethereal weapon. I finally had begun to learn how to wield it. Now, to make up for the versatility that I had lost in mana, I needed to be able to wield aether at a level far above not only the Indrath n, but also the ancient mages.


    The first one to notice my presence was the colossal beast. Its bat-like face whipped toward me and let out a furious shriek that shook the ground.


    As I coalesced aether to my legs, elerating to meet the beast head on, I was surprised by how much more naturally the action came. Everything but the beast¡¯s shoveled face became a blur as I d aether around the dagger.


    I leaped from the ground, spinning to gain momentum for my attack. Even the beast wasn¡¯t prepared for the sudden increase in my speed as it tried to pull its head back up.


    It wasn¡¯t fast enough.


    The dagger held in my hand, de down, turned to a shimmering streak of white and purple as it pierced through the side of its nose. And while my weapon was barely a fraction of its size, the impact was anything but.


    The sound of thunder erupted from the impact, sending shockwaves of force so strong that it was almost visible. Its head whipped to the side, staggering the beast long enough for Arian to charge up and unleash a flurry of golden crescents. Taegen, whose body was adorned in an intricate earthen armor,unched a devastating strike nearly as loud as my own using mace.


    Both Arian and Taegen had focused on the legs that were carrying the brunt of the beast¡¯s weight after my attack had hit.


    The barrage of golden arcs and the ear-shattering mace strike were barely able to draw blood but they were enough to sweep the beast¡¯s legs from right under its body.


    With an enraged roar, the titan crashed on its side, shattering the ground and sending tremors that nearly fell the very tower it was trying to protect.


    Both Taegen and Arian had to fall back immediately after itunched its attack¡ªjust the weight of the titan¡¯s body alone would be enough to crush even the most powerful mages.


    ¡°Effeminate One! Is Lady Caera safe?¡± Taegen yelled out as soon as he and Arian retreated to a safe distance.


    ¡°She¡¯s recovering at a safe distance with Daria!¡± I shouted back, my gaze fixed on the giant beast trying to get back up to its feet.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re in your debt,¡± Arian replied, his voice quiet but oddly clear despite his distance and the noiseing from the titan.


    Judging by the powerful vibrations that pulsated from his sword and those golden crescents, it seemed that his magic stemmed around specific subsets of wind and gravity affinities.


    Taegen, on the other hand, surprised me even more, as his magic didn¡¯t stop at just the earthen armor. Every step he took seemed to manipte not only his own armor but the earth around him. Even as he swung his mace, chunks of the ground would envelop his weapon, molding around it to form arger mace.


    I didn¡¯t waste the opportunity either,nding several more attacks at its face in order to keep it from getting back up for as long as possible.


    Despite its colossal size, however, the beast was surprisingly deft. It was able to recover by pushing off the ground with its long tail. As soon as it was back up on all six of its feet, it whirled both its neck and tail like a whip, hollowing out chunks of the ground where it passed andunching shards of earth all around it in an attempt to keep us at a distance.


    I weaved through the chunks of earth the size of carriages hailing down in an attempt to stay within striking range. With my aether core still in the middle of replenishing its reserves, I couldn¡¯t risk using aether st.


    The problem was that the beast was sorge that no amount of stabbing or hitting was going to do any significant damage unless I found a weak spot¡ªif one even existed.


    A loud crash resounded amidst the ensuing chaos and the beast buckled for a moment before it whipped its tail. Taegen,pletely d in stone armor that made him look more like a golem than a human, had tackled the beast.


    And almost immediately, he was smacked away like a dung fly. He crashed like a meteor into the ground and was immediately buried within a thick cloud of dust and debris. It had been ingrained in me to always keep the entire battlefield within my view, storing everything happening around me in my head even if I couldn¡¯t immediately act on it.


    Reaching its front left leg where Arian had previouslyunched his attack, I was able to see some deep gashes on its three-story-high leg. I would have to focus on those.


    I kicked off the ground and plunged my dagger, and the aether surrounding it, into a particrly deep gash that Arian had made.


    Pinkish blood spilled everywhere, covering me almost entirely. A giant shadow suddenly enveloped me as the beast¡¯s head fast approached.


    Prying the dagger from its flesh, I prepared to meet it head on until a swirling sphere of mana struck the side of the beast.


    Arian was several yards away, his body giving off a tremendous aura as the beast turned to face him.


    The swordsman¡¯s expression darkened as he prepared to face off against the colossal monster, when an idea came to mind.


    ¡°How much stronger of an attack can youunch?¡± I yelled. The beast kept its head high, keeping both of us in its field of view...as if it was trying to decide which one to kill first.


    ¡°Perhaps five times the strength, but I would need more time to prepare,¡± Arian answered, his voice as clear as if he was standing right beside me. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to trust me on this!¡± I shouted back before turning my attention back to the beast.


    I turned into a flurry of des, dancing within its six giant legs as I carved gashes and dodged, then carved gashes into those gashes in an attempt to keep the colossal beast¡¯s attention solely on me.


    The earth shook with each step it took and I would have to dodge the blurring tail every once in a while as it attempted to strike me from right under it.


    All my focus was spent actively limiting my output of aether, controlling it as efficiently as I could in preparation of the perfect time.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Arian said from afar, his figure norger than a white crow from where I was.


    A sh of gold suddenly filled my vision a second before a deafening explosion thundered through the air.


    Arian had unleashed a giant st of cutting force directly at the beast, enveloping its entire head in the bright golden surge of light.


    I leaned forward, crossing my arms in front of me to keep from getting blown away by the attack.


    It wasn¡¯t just Caera. They were also hiding their strength while in the convergence zone.


    Despite the dire situation we were in, I couldn¡¯t help but think to myself how little of a chance Dicathen truly had in winning the war. Had Arian, Taegen and the ascenders all joined their people to fight against us, the war would¡¯ve been over much faster.


    The beast¡¯s head whipped back on its long neck as the force from Arian¡¯s attack. And while the beast was disgruntled and in pain, it focused its attention back on me.


    I needed its attention focused elsewhere, and the beast itself mad enough to use its breath attack again, but it seemed like it was either smarter than I had given credit, or too wary of the aether that I gave off.


    As I looked for an opening to deepen a wound that I had repeatedly afflicted, the beast suddenly began stamping all of its feet at the ground.


    Dust rose, covering my vision of the beast¡¯s legs and the full force of the tail that struck me from behind momentster.


    The world turned white as the blinding pain spread throughout my body, and by the time I came to, I was on the ground, several dozens of yards away from the beast.


    I pushed myself up, a groan escaping from my throat. My vision blurred and the world seemed to be tilting a bit, but overall, I was fine.


    ¡®Still barely a scratch on Mr. Big-and-nasty, huh,¡¯ Regis chimed.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± I managed to say before letting out a cough. ¡°Can you help?¡±


    ¡®No. I haven¡¯t been absorbing aether from your body like I usually do in order to heal since I knew you¡¯d be fighting,¡¯ Regis replied.


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡®There is one alternative, though,¡¯ Regis mentioned.


    My brows furrowed as I continued watching the beast fight Arian as well as Taegen, who had managed to return to the battle. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡®Using the Destruction Rune,¡¯ Regis answered after a beat of hesitation. ¡®Just your aether reserves should be enough.¡¯


    Anger and fear rose up in me as I answered. ¡°No.¡±


    For once, Regis didn¡¯t push me. He remained quiet as I let thest aches and kinks in my body heal. I wanted to use the Destruction Rune more than anyone, but thest attempt led me to stabbing myself to keep from descending into a state of madness¡ªand I had barely used its powers.


    There was also the added problem of witnesses. Both Arian and Taegen would see, and even if Caera was able to use the corrupt mes, I¡¯m sure a purple me capable of destroying a nine-story-high beast would raise some questions.


    As I returned to the battlefield, a low thrum sounded from the beast¡ªmore specifically, its mouth.


    It was going to use its breath attack again!


    Arian had retreated to a safe distance, drinking several vials of elixirs in an attempt to recover. Meanwhile, the beast focused on Taegen, whose giant stone-d hands were scooping up giant pieces of earth, condensing andunching them at its legs where I had injured it.


    Its fang-lined maw was spread even wider than before and I could feel the fluctuations in the air. Even without the ability to sense mana, I knew what would soon being.


    I needed to get below the beast¡¯s head, now.


    Except, the only non elemental I could use was one that I had only tried with mana. Back then, my body couldn¡¯t withstand the burden of it, but even if it could now, I wasn¡¯t able to manipte mana.


    Taking a sharp breath, I focused internally on the state of my body as I continued sprinting toward the beast. I tried to feel every muscle in my leg, back, hip, and core move in a predetermined manner in a set order, pushing my body to move a certain way.


    I wanted to enhance every step of this process, imbuing power into each and every micromovement of muscles, tendons, and joints in order to far surpass the limits of even asuras.


    I wanted to use Burst Step.


    Derived from the pantheons¡¯ use of a single explosive step, the Burst Step I had developed, merging the fundamental theory of mana maniption along with my knowledge of the human anatomy, was going from a standstill position to an explosive dash in a single instant¡ªalmost to the point where, to the unsuspecting eye, the body would look almost pulled at high speeds by a higher force.


    Albeit still linear and iplete, I had surpassed the original technique of the pantheons with Burst Step. The real question at this moment was, could I replicate or even go beyond my initial sess while using aether?


    With my newly formed passages within my body, I timed the strength, location and flow of aether, at least trying to replicate the explosiveness in speed even if I had to forgo starting from a standstill position.


    And,rgely, it worked.


    Tempering my core and forging my aether passages through all of the trials and tribtions had allowed me with a certain precision in my control. And as if the world had been pulled away from right under me, the world blurred as my eyes remained focused on my destination.


    My position and timing were both ideal as a shimmering sphere of energy formed within the beast¡¯s mouth.


    I should¡¯ve been happy. Hell, I should¡¯ve been ecstatic. If I could do this now, with enough practice, this meant that I would be able to fully use Burst Step to my heart¡¯s content.


    But I wasn¡¯t satisfied. I felt like I was missing something¡ªthe same feeling as a word lost on the tip of the tongue. Touching upon the basis of Burst Step, seeing the world pulled from right under me as I used this technique made me feel like I was on the cusp of something greater. Except I didn¡¯t know what.


    With no time to ponder, I coalesced the remaining aether into the center of my palm and pushed out a condensed st of violet that mped the beast¡¯s lower jaw shut just as it was about to release its destructive breath attack.


    For a moment, I feared that the beast would simply open back its mouth and release the st of energy, but Taegen reacted as if he had read my mind.


    A giant boulder hurtled from the sky, and only after a moment did I realize it was Taegen who had molded his entire armor into the head of his mace to form this giant earthen sphere.


    With both my attack and his keeping its shoveled maw shut, the beast¡¯s breath attack imploded within its mouth.


    A muted thud resounded and the shockwave generated within the beast¡¯s mouth from the force was strong enough to send Taegen and even Arian hurtling through the air.


    I had managed to anchor myself, digging both my arms and feet into the ground in order to stay within range.


    While drained and in pain, I knew that the beast was still alive by how it struggled to regain its bnce despite the clouds of smoke erupting from its head. And even though I still struggled with that word on the tip of my tongue, I had to end this battle first.


    I pulled out the dagger back from its sheath and drove it straight into my thigh.


    ¡®Regis. Let¡¯s do it,¡¯ I said and a simple grunt of affirmation was all it took before a tsunami of knowledge, insight and¡ªmost of all¡ªpower, washed over me.


    Taking the chance while both Taegen and Arian were disoriented and hopefully unconscious, I engulfed the wounded and defenseless titan in the cold, amethyst mes of destruction.


    Thest bits of my memories were of myself, discontent and hungry for more death, my eyes searching for the next victim. However, the waves of pain radiating from the dagger kept me sane enough to drive it in deeper, eventually causing my body to copse.


    However, despite how pathetic I felt¡ªcontrolled by a power that I had unlocked¡ªan epiphany came to me. I knew what was missing in Burst Step. That¡¯s when darkness overtook me.

 Chapter 272

    Chapter 272


    Chapter 272: Your Name


    I woke up to see a domed ceiling dimly lit by a flickering orange light. That was all I was able to take in before my body so kindly reminded me why I had fallen unconscious in the first ce. My body felt like it was being entirely twisted and wrung; rippling pain and objections to moving pushed the airpletely out of my lungs.


    My vision spun and it took me several minutes to even realize that there were other people talking.


    ¡°¡ªanything we can do?¡±


    ¡°Princess will be fine. He just needs some space.¡±


    ¡°Talking Wolf is right, Lady Caera. Since elixirs don¡¯t work on Effeminate One, all we can do is wait.¡±


    ¡°What I don¡¯t understand is how all of you can be so calmly epting of the fact that we¡¯re conversing with a wolf made of shadows and purple fire!¡±


    ¡°You were screaming at me to save you just fine back in the convergence zone, Miss Booty Shorts. I don¡¯t see why you¡¯re so baffled by it now.¡±


    ¡°B-Booty shorts? What are you even¡ª¡±


    ¡°It was fairly obvious that Effeminate One was always cautious. Ites to no surprise that he¡¯s been hiding some of his abilities.¡±


    With the room stable and my wounds only disturbingly painful now, I managed to prop myself up on my elbows. ¡°I thought I told you to stop calling me Effeminate One.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it seems you¡¯re fully conscious now,¡± Arian replied a few feet away where he, Taegen, Daria, Caera, and Regis were situated around a simmering pot held over a fire. ¡°You¡¯ve had a few seizures like this before so we assumed you¡¯d fall back to sleep again.¡±


    ¡°Where am I?¡± I asked, Regis helping me up by pushing my back with his head.


    ¡°You can rx,¡± Caera answered, her expression a conflicted mix of wariness and sympathy. ¡°We¡¯re in a sanctuary room.¡±


    My eyes locked with hers, resurfacing the memories of the ck mes she had conjured.


    Swallowing the emotions I hade to associate with them¡ªpain, loss, regret, and anger¡ªI spoke. ¡°So that giant beast guarding the tower...¡±


    Arian shot me a smile. ¡°It seems like your n to let the beast¡¯s breath attack explode in its mouth worked.¡±


    ¡°Effeminate One¡¯s n would¡¯ve failed if I hadn¡¯t assisted,¡± Taegen added, snorting. ¡°Although I didn¡¯t think it would actually work.¡±


    So they didn¡¯t find out. The shockwave from the beast¡¯s breath attack must¡¯ve been strong enough to knock Taegen and Arian unconscious while I utilized the runes of destruction that Regis stored in his body.


    Since the carallians in the convergence zone disintegrated upon dying, they must¡¯ve assumed the same thing had happened to that colossal beast.


    Judging by everyone¡¯s expressions, they seemed to have a lot of suspicions, but I was just relieved that they hadn¡¯t witnessed my use of destruction aether.


    ¡°We all have questions for you, but I think it¡¯s best to get your strength up.¡± Daria said softly as she handed me a bowl filled with steaming stew. ¡°I heard you¡¯re from the South, but you¡¯ve tasted it yourself. The Lehndert blood is famous for delicious and augmenting recipes.¡±


    ¡°This particr member of the Lehndert blood seems to be particrly stingy, however,¡± Taegen muttered. ¡°Restricting everyone to only two servings per person...¡±


    Daria hissed at Taegen, shooting him a re. ¡°That¡¯s because you started eating straight out of the pot using thedle as a spoon!¡±


    ¡°We still have our own rations, Taegen,¡± Lady Caera said as she calmly withdrew what looked like a moist brown brick with chunks of dried fruit sprinkled in it.


    ¡°...Thank you, Lady Caera.¡± The towering mass of red hair and muscles actually let out a sigh before he bit down into the ration bar.


    Despite the fact that my body technically didn¡¯t need to eat, my hands automatically reached for it. I let the warmth spread from the bowl and into my palms before taking a sip.


    A rich hearty broth slid down my throat, coating my mouth in its deep meaty vor. My expression must¡¯ve given my thoughts away because I looked up to see Daria with a smirk, Caera looking at me with intrigue, and Taegen staring longingly at the bowl in my hands.


    ¡°The power of the Linhndert cuisine triumphs again,¡± Daria snickered. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was possible for you to have any expression aside from annoyed and deadpan.¡±


    Regis curled up beside me, his purple mes seemingly cool to the touch. ¡°He¡¯s a softie once you get to know him.¡±


    After finishing my second bowl of stew, I finally spoke again. ¡°While your actions were unnecessary, thank you for taking care of me while I was unconscious.¡±


    I patted Regis, who was still lying down. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re just going to leave now that you had some rest and a meal?¡± Daria asked.


    I regarded the brown-haired ascender. ¡°Is there a reason why we should continue travelling together?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re powerful¡ªfreakishly so¡ªand it¡¯s obvious that you haven¡¯t revealed all of your abilities,¡± Daria answered. ¡°But there are only one or two zones left until the next exit portales up. Let¡¯s work together and get back home safely. I¡¯ve already agreed to team up with Lady Caera¡¯s team.¡±


    Despite not meaning to, Daria had just revealed two incredibly important facts. First, that there were multiple exits, and second, that they had already passed an exit portal¡ªor several¡ªbefore this. This meant that I must¡¯vended somewhere in the middle of the Relictombs.


    Standing up, I felt for all of my belongings. Noticing that the dagger was still strapped to me, I unbuckled it from my waist and handed it to Caera. ¡°I had to borrow it for thest battle. Here.¡±


    She epted the dagger without a word, her expression almost impossible to make out. It was only when I turned to walk away that she spoke.


    ¡°Stop,¡± she said with a weight in her voice that she hadn¡¯t used before.


    I looked back over my shoulder in time to catch the dagger she threw back at me. ¡°You¡¯ll need these once you get out of the Relictombs.¡±


    I nced down at the dagger in my hand, noticing that there was a golden coin tied to the strap that wasn¡¯t there before. The design of feathered wings spread from a wreathed shield was etched delicately onto the face of the medallion.


    ¡°Lady Caera!¡± Taegen started before the navy-haired ascender raised a hand.


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± I asked, my gaze on Caera who was pouring a steaming liquid into her metal cup.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be the easiest way to prove yourself without having to reveal your identity in front of all of the kingdom officials waiting for ascenders thate out of the Relictombs.¡± Caera took a sip before looking at me with a serious gaze. ¡°Just say you¡¯re a nomadic ascender contracted under the Denoir Blood.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t thought about the possibility of people waiting outside of the Relictombs. I forgot that this wasn¡¯t just a dungeon that adventurers could go in and out as they pleased. One of the fundamental purposes for these Relictombs was to retrieve lost artifacts from the ancient mages so of course there would be officials making sure that was regted.


    ¡°Then what about the dagger? I thought this was your brother¡¯s?¡± I asked as I loosened the medallion tied to the dagger strap.


    ¡°It is. Which is why I expect you to return it eventually along with the medallion,¡± Caera replied. ¡°The Denoir estate will be easy to find once you get to the capital domain in central crya.¡±


    ¡°Central domain?¡± My brows furrowed. ¡°I have no ns on¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then do you wish for me to take back the dagger and medallion?¡±


    I clutched the golden coin in my hand as I decided. ¡°What makes you think I¡¯ll return it once I¡¯m out of the Relictombs?¡±


    ¡°The Denoir Debonair blood has always had a great eye for people,¡± she stated simply. ¡°You know a secret of mine and I know one of yours. I won¡¯t try to force you toe with us, but I do hope that we can meet again and share a conversation under better circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re just going to let him leave?¡± Daria stood up. ¡°I still have a simulet that you can hold onto. Once we¡¯re all out of here, Blood Lihndert can definitely provide you with anything you want. I said this before, but we really are always looking for powerful strikers.¡±


    ¡°And you also called him handsome,¡± Regis added.


    Daria flushed and shot a re at him. ¡°Yes, I did. And usually, throwing in a fewpliments and exposing some skin works.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the offer, but I¡¯ll have to refuse,¡± I said to Daria. ¡°As for the medallion and dagger. I¡¯ll return them.¡±


    I exchanged nces with Taegen and Arian. While both seemed a bit reluctant, they gave me a nod.


    I made my way toward the end of the sanctuary where a closed door awaited. Opening it showed a shimmering portal that I knew would take me to a different ce from the rest.


    ¡°Your name,¡± she said over the crackling mes.


    Turning back, I could see Caera was standing up as well. ¡°I don¡¯t need to know what blood you¡¯re from, but at least a name...¡±


    It was a simple question that I found myself having a hard time answering. Despite the changes in my appearance, going with Arthur wouldn¡¯t be smart¡ªtoo many cryans had heard of thence with that name during the war.


    At the same time, I didn¡¯t want the name that I would go by now as a mere moniker to stay hidden. My motive wasn¡¯t to stay in hiding.


    I needed some time under the radar while I got stronger, but this wouldn¡¯t be the same as calling myself Note during the time I was posing as the masked adventurer.


    No. I wanted my name to be a statement that no one else but my rtives and Agrona and the asuras would know of. And my goal would be, by the time Agrona hears of this name and connects it to who I actually am, that I¡¯d be a foe powerful enough to stand up against him.


    ¡°My name is Grey,¡± I answered, walking through the portal.


    ***


    Both Regis and I were on full alert once we stepped through, expecting another aether-fueled beast. I half hoped for the door to remain like it had in the first sanctuary. Last time, I had been able to unlock it with my limited knowledge of aetheric runes in order to rest and challenge the level multiple times.


    However, what we were met with was dead silence and a corridor about two shoulder-widths wide, brightly lit by panels of light running down the top of the walls. I turned back to see that the portal we hade through was gone, leaving me with only one path.


    ¡°Well, this is eerie,¡± Regis noted, tails of ck and purple mes swaying from his wolven form as he walked beside me.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± My eyes darted left and right, never staying in one ce as adrenaline rushed through me. It was quiet and calm, but with the white light and the immactely smooth white walls, I couldn¡¯t help but feel on edge.


    As we walked, however, I must¡¯ve triggered something because runes suddenly lit up on the wall on either side of me and the corridor lights suddenly turned purple.


    I didn¡¯t have much time to react after that because an indescribable force suddenly pulled us forward, putting both Regis and I in front of a massive entrance made of what looked like ck crystal that was definitely not anywhere near the path we had been walking on.


    Air suddenly returned to my lungs, which made me realize I had been holding my breath. On the solid gates of shimmering ck were etches of indigo that, only upon closer inspection, seemed to be runes.


    ¡®Wee, Being of Aether and Flesh. Please enter,¡¯ a voice suddenly spoke in my head. Having shared telepathicmunications with both Sylvie and Regis, I was ustomed to voices in my head. However, this was different. It didn¡¯t feel like someone or something was speaking. It felt like I was the one that had suddenly thought that to myself.


    ¡°Did you hear that voice too?¡± I asked Regis.


    He tilted his head. ¡°I heard something, but the voice was too muffled for me to make out anything.¡±


    ¡°Get inside me, just in case.¡±


    As the shadowy form of mypanion disappeared as he entered through my back, I looked around one more time. There was no corridor behind me now, only three white walls, one white ceiling and floor and a single solid crystalline gate that gave off a purple glow. I stepped in front of it, cautiously reaching for the door.


    When the tips of my fingers grazed the surface, however, a warm and almost familiar touch enveloped me and my hand sunk through the seemingly-solid crystal.


    I hesitated to walk further in but I couldn¡¯t help but be drawn to whatever was on the other side, stepping forward once more through yet another entrance that held the unknown.


    The crystalline gate clicked and whirred like millions of solid tiny moving pieces making way for me to slip through. Until, finally, my entire body had be fully immersed.

 Chapter 273

    Chapter 273


    Chapter 273: Being of Aether


    I had grown ustomed to expecting the unexpected. As brash and cliche as that sounded, in an unfamiliar area that didn¡¯t abide by the conventions of either of the worlds I had lived in, it was all I could do in order to stay above the crippling anxiety lurking within me.


    Yet, the scene that unfolded in front of me as the innumerous crystals of ck and purple parted was oddly...familiar.


    It wasn¡¯t grandiose like the hall of borate statues or mind blowing like the panels of light within a cosmic void of purple.


    No. It just seemed like theboratory of a person even messier than Gideon. The room was fairlyrge but felt cramped with the dozen or so tables strewn throughout the room, each ¡®decorated¡¯ with an array of beakers and test tubes. Lining the walls in this hexagonal room were tall ss shelves filled with various nicknacks and containers¡ªsome empty, some not.


    Only one wall remained different and that was because it had a portal. Unlike most portals that shone in an array of multicolored lights, this portal looked more like I was looking through a ss screen. Clearly shown on the other side were guards d in ted armor of ck in an otherwise empty room.


    ¡°Huh. You¡¯d think with an entrance like that, it would lead to something...more,¡± Regis began before his eyes fell on the portal as well. ¡°At least we¡¯ll finally be out of here.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± My eyes scoured theb. ¡°The voice in my head referred to me as the ¡®Being of Aether and Flesh¡¯.¡±


    ¡°There has to be something more to this ce than this,¡± I said as my eyes continued to search every corner of the room. ¡°I¡¯m guessing it wouldn¡¯t have let me in here otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Regis narrowed his sharp eyes. ¡°Is that why you didn¡¯t want to go back with the other ascenders? You expected something like this to happen?¡±


    ¡°Somewhat,¡± I said while walking through the aisles of metal tables. ¡°There are too many variables that I can¡¯t put my hands on, like finding Caera¡¯s brother in the forest zone with the aetheric millipede. But what¡¯s certain is that my presence has an influence on all of these zones, so it¡¯s reasonable to assume that whoever built the Relictombs only wanted beings inclined toward aether to get this far.¡±


    ¡°Then what about all of the past cases where cryans were able to bring relics of the past to the Vritra?¡± Regis pried. ¡°It¡¯s been mentioned by the ascenders and I¡¯ve even seen glimpses in my memories from Uto.¡±


    I paused, thinking for a moment before shaking my head. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say for sure. My best guess is degradation, though. The Relictombs might be powerful enough to keep asuras out, but there¡¯s nothing that canst forever, especially something as intricate as this ce.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, this room shouldn¡¯t be something as simple as an easy way out.¡± I turned toward mypanion. ¡°Do you know what these relics look like?¡±


    ¡°Aside from the massive amounts of aether held within, they can look like anything, from a book, to an artifact, to a bone. But I know that the simulets that Miss Booty¡ªDaria mentioned a few times were made using the insights from a relic,¡± he answered before perking up. ¡°Do you think we can find artifacts in this room before leaving?¡±


    There was something odd about this room in that it looked like a normalb but there were keyponents missing. Comparing thisb to Gideon¡¯s, what filled hisb even more so than the beakers, molds, and contraptions were books.


    Whether they were textbooks or journals for recordkeeping, there was always an abundance of bound paper. There wasn¡¯t anything like that here.


    As Regis continued to search through theb, hoping to find some sort of clue as to where we were, I took a different approach.


    But even with my enhanced vision, I couldn¡¯t sense anything made of aether here aside from the portal.


    Did I think too deeply into it? Like Regis had said, was this ce simply just an easier route to get out of the Relictombs?


    I almost considered leaving as Regis waited impatiently by the portal, his shadowy tail thumping the ground, when the words the voice had said echoed in my head once more.


    It had referred to me as a ¡®being of aether¡¯, so maybe just trying to detect aether in this room wasn¡¯t enough.


    With nothing to lose, I unleashed an aetheric aura, bathing the room in a suffocating pressure.


    ¡°What the...¡± Regis stiffened, confused by my sudden action until the room started changing. As if everything that I saw, smelled and felt within this room had been an illusion, everything started fading away...including the floor.


    I began to fall, and then just stopped. It felt like I had jerked awake from a falling dream as my feet suddenly found themselves firmly nted to a floor that didn¡¯t exist a second ago.


    I heard Regis let out a startled gasp, but my eyes were focused on the construct in front of me. A pedestal that stood ten-feet high with aetheric runes carved around it. Four revolving halos of glowing stones with the same intricate runes etched across its surface gyrated without ever touching one another.


    Floating just above the pedestal in the center of the halos of stone was a small glistening crystal. It radiated a brilliantvender light and, while it appeared rather valuable, the amount of the aether it emitted was miniscule. However, there was something in this room that held an unfathomable amount of aether.


    Regis, although his perception toward aether wasn¡¯t nearly as sensitive as mine, felt it too as he searched the room.


    Looking around as well for the first time, I realized the deteriorated state of this room. Unlike the illusion of theb we had fallen from, the stone rune-filled walls were cracked and chipped. There were even a few man-sized holes on the ground and in the walls with rubble still littering the floor.


    What made me tense and almost fearful was the fact that this source of aether wasn¡¯t justing from any one spot. It was constantly moving and while I could feel it, it was the first time I couldn¡¯t see it.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there!¡± I roared, my eyes trying to follow the massive congregation of aether.


    Suddenly, I could feel it rapidly approaching from the other side of the room. Unable to tell howrge this invisible force was, I shrouded myself in aether and threw a blurring punch forward.


    What was strange was that the strength behind my punch should¡¯ve either gone through and hit the air, hit something and sent it flying, or injure my own hand and arm from the recoil. However, none of those things happened.


    My fist had definitely hit something solid, but it felt like the force behind my attack had beenpletely nullified.


    And manifesting in front of me, with its hand wrapped around my fist, was a humanoid figure that stood at about six feet.


    ¡°So you can sense me,¡± it said with an expression of pure shock.


    I pulled my hand back and stepped away while Regis appeared beside me, teeth bared.


    The figure was an opaque purple in color with short cropped hair of the same hue. The only parts darker were the tattoos of interlocking runes running over almost the entire surface of his body. It even ran up to his cheeks and forehead, leaving only his eyes, nose, mouth and chin bare.


    The being studied me, brows furrowed and eyes glowing. ¡°You have an aether core, yet no spellforms to protect your body.¡±


    ¡°Spellforms?¡± I asked while exchanging a confused nce with Regis.


    Its eyes narrowed with intrigue. ¡°I see. A human with the body of an asura¡ªa dragon no less. What an unprecedented anomaly you are.¡±


    The being looked down at Regis, who flinched from its gaze. An expression of shock resurfaced once more on its face. ¡°You carry an edict for destruction, yet the knowledge remains in the asuran human¡¯s mind.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked, aether still cycling within me, ready to attack.


    ¡°I have waited a long time, yet what was brought to me is something even I didn¡¯t know was possible.¡± The being waved its arm and I found myself in an impossiblyrge enclosing surrounded by a dome of translucent purple. The entity, who had been right in front of me, now stood several yards away and Regis was gone.


    ¡°What did you do with Regis?¡± I growled, looking for mypanion.


    ¡°The pup is safe. This is a trial of your skills after all.¡± The being stepped toward me. ¡°I know you¡¯ve undergone many challenges so far but I sincerely hope that you pass this final trial.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Ever since being thrown into this godforsaken dungeon, it felt like all I¡¯ve had to do is face trials.¡± The edge of my mouth curled into a smirk as anger leaked through my voice. ¡°At least, unlike the other monstrosities this ce whipped up, you have the sentience to at least tell me some answers.¡±


    ¡°And that I will,¡± he said as a spear of aether manifested into his hand. ¡°Given that you prove your worth, of course.¡±


    I hadnded in this ancient dungeon after failing to protect Dicathen. The only ones I could me were far out of reach, and the only ones I could take my anger out on were bloodthirsty monsters.


    Now, standing in front of me was a being of high intelligence and strength that deemed himself the ¡®final trial¡¯.


    Prove your worth, my ass.


    I burst forth, brandishing the white dagger in my hand. My de was met with the shaft of his purple spear, and once again, the force of my attack was nullified. It was a different feelingpared to the ability to alter the gravitational pull of an opponent that Cylrit, Seri¡¯s retainer, had. There was no dy or recoil that I could work off of.


    My attack just stopped.


    Stepping into my opponent, I followed up with a strike to his sternum, channelling aether in quick sessive bursts through my arm like I had done with Burst Step to maximize strength and speed.


    Again. My attack stopped just as it hit below his ribcage.


    However, I had noticed something. The runes scouring almost every inch of his body glowed slightly as he channeled aether through them.


    The two of us soon fell into a flurry of attacks, with me on the offensive. Using my dagger only as an extension of my right hand, I shed, lunged, kicked and punched with the being matching every one of my attacks with a perfect defense.


    Dodging a barrage of blurring stabs from his glowing spear, I used my left palm to redirect hisst strike downward to my right and used the momentum tounch a reverse roundhouse stab at his head.


    Like I had expected, his runes glowed once in the area he knew I would attack. And like I had expected, the tip of my dagger simply remained suspended just above his right ear.


    He swung his spear, putting a distance back between us before lunging forward at me once more. While his nullifying defense was beyond frustrating, I had to admit that his technique with the spear was astounding.


    The shaft of his weapon swayed and bent as if it were made of wood, curving and springing in the air with every stab and swipe he threw at me, as if his spear hade alive.


    However, my martial techniques were nothing to scoff at either and my asuran physique only supplemented my abilities. I wove, parried and redirected his attacks until we were both at a stalemate.


    That¡¯s what I wanted him to think.


    I had realized that his nullifying defense mechanism wasn¡¯t automatic. The way the being¡¯s eyes followed the movement of my dagger to block proved it.


    The entity aimed for my left corbone as his spear rushed toward me. Rather than sidestepping out of it, I dipped my left shoulder forward and grabbed the shaft with my left hand. While pulling the entity¡¯s spear toward me, I imbued aether into the dagger in my right hand.


    Again, the runes glowed and I could already sense the umtion of aether protecting his stomach. And that would¡¯ve worked had that been my intention.


    Rather than strike at his stomach, I brought my right leg forward and stabbed past him before hooking my right arm right below his armpit.


    He never saw the shoulder throwing as I released a pulse of aetheric intent before letting go of my dagger and mming him into the ground.


    I followed up immediately by concentrating aether into the palm of my hand in preparation for a st. Suddenly, the entity, who had been lying on the ground right in front of me, was now over a dozen yards away.


    ¡°What the,¡± I muttered.


    The entity calmly stood back up, his expression a bit more serious. ¡°Very good. I must admit that I¡¯m embarrassed that you have managed tond an attack.¡±


    With his brows furrowed in concentration, he stabbed his spear forward. I sidestepped, expecting his spear to stretch forward and reach me¡ªhe was a user of aether, after all¡ªbut the tip of his weapon disappeared in front of him and a sharp pain exploded from my shoulder.


    The spearhead had sprung out of a portal made just beside me.


    Expect the unexpected, I reminded myself.


    Relying on my body to recover the wound, I imbued aether into my legs once more and rushed toward the tattooed humanoid. Except, I wasn¡¯t getting any closer to him no matter how far and fast I sprinted.


    The entity stabbed forward once more into a small portal in front of him, but this time I was able to dodge his attack. There was a slight dy between the fluctuation of aether and the spear emerging from the portal.


    ¡°Your technique and physical prowess is superb but your attack earlier was merely a fluke,¡± he stated as he prepared to stab forward once more.


    Lowering my head, I hid my grin, letting aether flow freely from my core. I could feel the ambient aether react as the aether oscited through every inch of my body.


    I weed both the familiar surge of warmth spreading from my lower back and the knowledge that flooded into my head.


    Then, I stepped forward.


    And that single, divine, step brought me behind the entity, aether crackling from my body in branches of violet lightning.


    ¡°Is this a fluke as well?¡± I asked as my dagger dug deep into the entity¡¯s back.

 Chapter 274

    Chapter 274


    Chapter 274: The Crystal


    The dome of translucent purple shimmered out of existence and I found myself back in the hidden chamber. The entity I had just fought was nowhere to be found and I was barely able to remain standing, the mental and physical strain of my new rune gripping its cold ws around me.


    Regis came bounding toward me, his expression a mixture of shock and concern. ¡°W-What the hell happened? You got another rune!¡±


    ¡°Where is he?¡± I asked through gritted teeth, my eyes searching for any sign of the purple figure.


    ¡°He?¡± Regis echoed in confusion. ¡°You were just nkly standing still a few seconds before this purple lightning started crackling around you.¡±


    ¡°I have never seen aether manifest in such a way before,¡± the familiar deep voice echoed in front of me.


    I snapped my head up while Regis whirled around to see that the source of the voice wasn¡¯ting from that same entity...but the crystal floating atop the pedestal.


    ¡°Forgive me for the confusion. Seeing as I don¡¯t have a physical form anymore, I took our fight into your mind,¡± the crystal stated, radiating a light that corresponded to the words it said.


    My brows furrowed. ¡°So that entire fight didn¡¯t really happen?¡±


    ¡°The mind is a powerful tool that even asuras rarely exercise, choosing rather to hone their body and cores,¡± the crystal replied with a rather flippant tone. ¡°But you seem to be different¡ªin more than one sense.¡±


    ¡°Princess here is a bit of an oddball,¡± Regis agreed, nodding his head.


    Even I had to admit that my case was anything but odd. However, I had so many questions and wanted to move forward. ¡°So what happens now? Have I passed your ¡®final trial¡¯ or is there something more?¡±


    ¡°The fact that I have chosen to even speak with you means that you have passed,¡± the crystal answered. ¡°That little spar was more for my curiosity and boredom, and you have done a splendid job in satiating both.¡±


    Whether it was the Indrath n or the Vritra n, asuras and these higher entities always seemed to love satisfying their boredom without any care for those on the receiving end.


    ¡°To think that you would be able to receive a rune, and of the spatium edict no less,¡± the crystal continued. ¡°Tell me. How are you able to control the flow of aether within your body with such precision? Is it the asura¡¯s physique that aids you?¡±


    My eyes narrowed. ¡°I have no reason or incentive to answer.¡±


    Regis looked back at me with a sh of panic. ¡°Ar-Grey. What are you doing? Don¡¯t disrespect the talking crystal.¡±


    ¡°No. Your master is prudent,¡± the crystal said to Regis before addressing me. ¡°Grey, was it? Earlier, you indicated that you wanted answers. What is stored within this aetheric remnant is something that I believe you¡¯ll want. All I ask is that you satiate my curiosity for a few more minutes.¡±


    ¡°You said that I had passed your trial. Am I not already entitled to whatever it was you¡¯re going to give me regardless of whether or not I answer you?¡± I rebutted, tired of his antics.


    The crystal paused, its glowing surface dimming for a few seconds before it spoke again. ¡°Very well. I can grant you an additional small gift from my people.¡±


    Exchanging another nce with Regis, I let out a sigh and began telling my journey after arriving here. I told the crystal about the beasts I had to fight, the trials I had to ovee, and what eventuallyy ahead once I got out. I did, however, omit any of my rtions to the Indrath n for obvious reasons.


    ***


    ¡°Fascinating! To think you were not only able to forge an aether core, but also forcefully temper your own internal conduits to control its output. Truly something that could only be done with the physique of an asura,¡± the crystal gushed, its lights pulsating excitedly.


    ¡°That¡¯s what those runes covering your body are for, right? They¡¯re used so you can control the flow of aether,¡± I confirmed.


    ¡°Correct. While our people have mastered spellform in order to draw in and manipte aether, true mastery and the organic appearance of godrunes¡ªsuch as that branch of spatium you had just received¡ªonlye through major insight.¡±


    ¡°So this godrune signifies that I¡¯ve gained insight into a certain aspect of aether, right? By whom, or what?¡± I asked. ¡°Is there a higher deity above the asuras that are bestowing these?¡±


    ¡°That information is not stored within this remnant,¡± the crystal answered. ¡°But aether is all around us and can work in ways that are impossible to imagine. The path of obtaining authority over aether is different for everyone, and yours¡ªby far¡ªis the most different.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Regis asked.


    ¡°Our people were limited by our physical bodies. Most of our struggles weren¡¯t about gaining insights, but rather figuring out ways to make our fragile bodies handle the burden of aether.¡±


    ¡°I may be specting but I believe your new rune took on the appearance of lightning not because it is lightning but because that was how you conceptualized the abstract nature of that specific branch of aether,¡± the crystal went on.


    ¡°So the dragons of the Indrath n weren¡¯t able to do what your people or I am able to do?¡± I asked. ¡°They have the physique and aptitude to handle aether but not the knowledge and insights to conceptualize aether as their own, right? ¡±


    I felt the hair on my neck stand as a heavy pressure spilled out from the crystal. ¡°Those beasts do not deserve the title of asura for the atrocities they havemitted. Their greed for our knowledge and fear that we may overtake their position as the true wielders of aether led them to kill not only our people but take prisoner many of our most powerful mages in the hopes to torture and learn.¡±


    My eyes widened at the crystal¡¯s sudden outburst. I didn¡¯t know how much to believe but if what it said was all true, then the Indrath n wasn¡¯t so different from Agrona and the Vritra n.


    I wanted to argue¡ªto say that not all of the dragons were like that. Sylvia and Lady Myre were some of the kindest beings I had met that had taught me so much. But the thought of Sylvia brought on new suspicions. Based on herst message, it seemed as if even she hade to despise her n. Were the golden runes she had a byproduct of their findings from these ancient mages?


    Biting my tongue, I nodded solemnly.


    The crystal seemed to be studying me before it spoke once more. ¡°My apologies for my outburst. It wasn¡¯t only my knowledge that had been stored in here but my emotions as well. As you surmised, the Indrath n¡ªalong with the rest of the asuras that their leader had fooled into believing we were a threat bent on destroying the world¡ªhad managed to seed in their genocide but not in their pursuit of our knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Because of these Relictombs that you¡¯ve built to keep asuras away?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Relictombs?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what the people that delve down here call this ce,¡± I rified.


    ¡°How fitting. Yes. This ce is the work of hundreds of mages adept in wielding aether of different edicts, as you might¡¯ve figured. Time, space, and life all work differently here and more of it is from the natural course of time rather than our own design,¡± the crystal said with a hint of pride. ¡°While our civilization had been ransacked and burned, we had created an ecosystem separate from that of the rest of this world, one that cannot be touched by asuras.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand how any of that was possible though. With hundreds of aether mages, how did you guys lose?¡± I asked, more confused than before. ¡°And also, how was it possible for your people to create a ce where only lesser beings were allowed when the Indrath n¡ªlimited as it was¡ªstill had the ability to influence aether.¡±


    ¡°That is not for me to tell,¡± the crystal said. ¡°And we were able to do so with the efforts of many spatium mages.¡±


    Frustration red in the pit of my stomach and Regis sensed it as well. He lightly hit my leg with his tail.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I mustered. ¡°What about the lesser beings scouring this ce, looking to loot anything they can in hopes to get stronger and find pieces of knowledge that you have stored here to bring back to the asuras they serve?¡±


    ¡°As you¡¯ve most likely witnessed firsthand, we have devised safeguards for those contingencies so¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well those contingencies are slowly failing,¡± I cut in. ¡°It may hold for some time, but like I said, an asura of the Vritra n is already close to gaining insights into what your people knew about aether by using lesser beings to explore these ruins for him.¡±


    ¡°You must gain insights into aether faster then. Compared to the asura, who is not even capable of traversing in this ne, your unique physique and understanding gives you an advantage,¡± the crystal answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough. Agrona has had hundreds, if not thousands of years over me!¡±


    The crystal dimmed. ¡°But despite all of that, this Agrona sees you as a threat, yes?¡±


    I frowned. ¡°Well, yes. But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s hope. It means that there¡¯s a possibility of you seeding.¡±


    It felt like I was talking to a rock at this point. Well, a non-sentient rock made of aether...


    ¡°My job is neither to guide you nor to reassure you. It is also not within my hands to control the oue of Fate, merely to tip it in our favor,¡± the rock said, as if sensing my frustration. ¡°And it is why you will be receiving these...¡±


    Suddenly, the halos of stone revolving around the crystal halted and a sh of purple light enveloped me before I had the chance to react.


    A slight tingle radiated from my right forearm as well as down my spine, but even thatsted only for a second. The light dimmed and the first thing I noticed was a ck rune running down the inside of my forearm. ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°That...¡± the crystal said, ¡°is an extradimensional storage engraved directly into your arm. You mentioned to me about your regenerative abilities, so this rune is a bit special in that even if your arm is cut off, as long as it is regrown, this rune will stay with you.¡±


    ¡°So no one can steal anything stored inside there?¡± Regis asked, bringing my arm down with his paw so he could get a better look.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± the crystal replied. ¡°This does limit the space within the rune but I¡¯d say it would still fit about a crate¡¯s worth of anything inorganic or dead.¡±


    My eyes studied theplex geometric shapes that made up the rune running down my arm. ¡°This...¡±


    ¡°You also told me that this asura you¡¯re fighting against has created a civilization of mages with basic spellforms running down their backs to aid them in magic. In order for you to better assimte, I engraved some useless runes down your back that roughly describes your aetheric spells as a rare subtype of pure mana,¡± the crystal exined. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how well they are able to read spellform but it should at least allow you to use your basic aetheric abilities without raising too much suspicion.¡±


    ¡°Wow. You¡¯re totally an cryan now,¡± Regis teased, using his paw to lift up the back of my shirt.


    Shooting mypanion a re, I swatted his paw away.


    ¡°Take caution. If you use an edict of aether, the godrune will shine above these faux runes,¡± the crystal warned.


    I nodded in understanding, showing respect for the first time. ¡°Thank you, truly. Both these gifts will help tremendously.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me just yet. The real artifact is within the extrademensional storage within your arm. It holds the insights needed to unlock another godrune.¡±


    My eyes widened as I hastily withdrew the single item from the storage. A small cuboid stone rested in the palm of my hand, and aside from its shape and deceivingly heavy weight, it was unremarkable at best.


    Still, I was excited at the prospect of unlocking another godrune without blindly trying to gain insight.


    ¡°Will this teach me how to create an aetheric weapon like you were able to do? Or maybe negate impact?¡± I tried guessing based on the abilities that he had used in our spar.


    The crystal brightened. ¡°No. This will be something far more worthwhile if you are able to decipher it.¡±


    ¡°Decipher?¡± Regis asked. ¡°So that rock isn¡¯t just going to give Grey a godrune?¡±


    ¡°If that were possible, I¡¯m sure that the Indrath or Vritra n would¡¯ve long since taken control over the edict of Fate,¡± the crystal replied. ¡°No. This is but a mind¡¯spass into gaining insights, and it¡¯s one that even I was not able to unravel while still alive.¡±


    ¡°Is it not possible for me to trade this artifact with another that would give me the ability I mentioned before?¡± I asked. ¡°Learning to manifest a weapon or being able to negate physical attacks would be tremendously helpful in going up against the cryans and the Vritra.¡±


    ¡°These two edicts are minor branches that I believe you can gain insights to on your own,¡± the crystal stated. ¡°On the other hand, that artifact holds an edict capable of aiding you in the areas of the ¡®Relictombs¡¯ you have yet to traverse, and also help you turn the tides in your uing battle.¡±


    I stored the artifact back into the pocket dimension along with my bag that had Sylvie¡¯s stone in it. ¡°Fine, but you just said that even you weren¡¯t able to decipher this artifact. If you could at least help me gain insight into manifesting an aether¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, we were back in theboratory, the two of us standing in front of the ss-like portal.


    ¡°Did you really have to haggle with an ancient sentient aether crystal?¡± Regis sighed, shaking his head.


    ¡°I was able to get a few additional perks because of that, wasn¡¯t I?¡± I rebutted.


    With everything I had gone through since arriving in this Relictomb, I didn¡¯t feel anywhere closer to knowing how this journey would unfold. Agrona wouldn¡¯t stop until he seeded in gaining insight into Fate, and it would be impossible to know whether my family, Tess, Virion¡ªeveryone else I cared about¡ªwould be safe.


    Still, I had gotten stronger and received some tangible tasks I needed to aplish.


    Regis turned, regarding me with a serious gaze. ¡°How were you able to gain insight into another edict of aether?¡±


    ¡°Burst Step,¡± I answered with a smirk. ¡°Turns out that the technique I developed a few years back was already the first step into gaining insight into this specific edict.¡±


    Regis tilted his head. ¡°Pun intended?¡±


    I frowned. ¡°What pun?¡±


    ¡°Step... nevermind.¡± Regis let out a sigh. ¡°So, what changed from the original Burst Step?¡±


    While difficult to exin using words, I described the sensation that I had felt when using Burst Step against the titanic beast guarding the portal. Instead of stimting just the parts of my body needed to take that ¡®step¡¯, I coalesced aether throughout my body. Different from when I used aether to strengthen myself, the knowledge that I had gained insight into guided me. It was almost like tuning the frequency of aether into a specific channel for a split second, allowing me to cut through space to a predetermined location.


    As expected, Regis actually looked more confused than before I exined it. Without the insights I had gained at that moment, I probably would¡¯ve had the same look as well. After gaining insights into both the edict of destruction and this specific branch of space, I could see why Indrath¡¯s attempts at gaining insights into aether through torturing the ancient mages were fruitless.


    It¡¯s not that they didn¡¯t exin, it¡¯s that they couldn¡¯t. Even thistest edict was different from when I had fully used Sylvia¡¯s dragon will. Back when I was able to use this sort of pseudo Burst Step, that was me ¡®folding¡¯ space and taking a physical step through that fold in order to cross an impossible distance.


    This, while having a simr oue, was different. I wasn¡¯t manipting the space around me, but manipting my body into this aetheric vibration capable of slipping through space at a near-instant speed.


    ¡°So it¡¯s like Burst Step 2.0,¡± Regis surmised.


    ¡°It¡¯s not true teleportation but I¡¯d say it¡¯s on a much higher level than Burst Step.¡±


    Regis¡¯ tail began to wag. ¡°So like...Divine Step?¡±


    I let out a sigh. ¡°Must you give a name to everything? Don¡¯t you think it sort of belittles the technique?¡±


    ¡°Only if the name sucks,¡± he responded. ¡°Hmm...Asura Step?¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°Our enemies, the ones we have to beat, are asuras.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said before his eyes lit up. ¡°Ooh! God Step.¡±


    I thought for a moment before a smile crept up on my face. ¡°God Step...I like it.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Regis suddenly jumped, disappeared into my back. ¡®Are you ready for crya, Princess?¡¯


    Taking a deep breath, I faced the portal, staring into the scene on the other side. I needed to take it one step at a time. Starting with this one.


    ¡°Of course.¡±

 Chapter 275

    Chapter 275


    Chapter 275: Maerin


    I stepped through the portal, not really knowing what to expect on the other side.


    What didn¡¯t even cross my mind¡ªout of everything that had happened so far, with my experience with the cryans both in Dicathen as well as in the Relictombs¡ªwas seeing the two guards standing on either side of me to literally jump in surprise, letting out rather terrified screams.


    Regis let out a chortle in amusement while I really didn¡¯t know what to make of the situation.


    The guard on my right, a rather plump man wearing ted armor that obviously couldn¡¯t contain his wide girth, managed to muster up what little training he had in order to at least point his trembling spear at me. It only took his skinnier¡ªalthough not by muchpanion a secondter to follow suit.


    ¡°W-Who goes there?¡± quavered the skinnier guard.


    I thought for a second how I should answer when the rounder guard spoke.


    ¡°Did you¡ªare, a-are youing from the R-Relictombs?¡± he sputtered, his head shifting left and right.


    ¡®Don¡¯t bother answering these stooges. Just kill them,¡¯ Regis groaned.


    Ignoring the voice in my head urging me to kill, I looked at the rounder guard who flinched under my gaze and answered, ¡°Yes.¡±


    The thinner stooge to my left let out an audible gasp. It was bing more and more challenging not to roll my eyes.


    ¡°E-Esteemed ascender,¡± the rounder stooge began, bowing as much as his potbelly would allow before raising his head. ¡°Allow this one to guide you to Maerin Town¡¯s chief.¡±


    The rounder stooge gestured to me to follow after him and the thinner one trailed close behind. Pushing aside the idle thought that maybe one of them should¡¯ve stayed behind to guard the portal, I took in the sight around me for the first time.


    Contrary to petency and grace shown by the two guards, the hall I had arrived in was anything but magnificent. While notrge¡ªno bigger than the size of a modest house in Ashber except with higher ceilings¡ªit had features that obviously disyed the importance of such a structure. A line of pirs towered over us on both sides, holding sconces of actual fire on each one. Upon closer inspection, I could see intricate carvings of what was obviously a basilisk in its humanoid form being revered by genuflected men and women. Each pir told a brief story, all leading to the same message of worship toward the basilisks that made my stomach curdle.


    Discounting the rounder stooge peeking back at me every few seconds, the three of us walked through the smooth marbled floors in peace until we reached the ironbark doors. Light seeped in between and around the two doors, and I was suddenly reminded of my longing to see the sun.


    The doors opened with a screech and groan until I was bathed in the rays of sunlight. A knot formed in my stomach and I found myself struggling to hold back tears that I didn¡¯t even know I had. The warm touch of the sun enveloped me like a mother¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°Uhh...esteemed ascend¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shhh! He must be cultivating or gaining insight!¡±


    I closed my eyes for just a moment and gathered myself before stepping through the nket of light that spilled over me like warmed honey.


    As my eyes adjusted, I was able to take in the sight around me, and it was...unimpressive.


    Single-story houses of brick and mortar lined neatly and uniformly on either side of a cobblestone road about three carriages wide. Civilians could be seen doing their day-to-day tasks, from hangingundry on a clothesline, tending to their gardens while children ran around swinging wooden swords wrapped in cloth. There was even a child drawing random scribbles on the back of his friend using coal.


    My eyes continued to wander, taking in the sights until I noticed the stench reminiscent of a back alley outhouse emanating from behind us.


    ¡°Please bear with the odor until we reach the town proper, esteemed ascender,¡± the thinner stooge said, noticing my change in expression. ¡°We¡¯re still at the edge of the town so the smell from the town outskirts still seeps through past the walls.¡±


    I turned around to see a wall over twenty feet high just behind the edifice housing the portal that we had just walked out of.


    ¡°What¡¯s on the other side?¡± I asked out of simple curiosity.


    ¡°The vagrants and parasites that were either evicted from the town of Maerin for not paying their taxes ormitting a crime are all congregated there. Our benevolent chief allowed them to stay in that area and even take jobs from residents within the town if the need arises,¡± the rounder stooge exined.¡°That also includes nightly jobs as well, if esteemed¡ªow! Sembi!¡±


    ¡°Stop being an idiot, Chumo! Do you think an ascender has so few options that he would resort to bedding those foul wenches?¡±


    The two digressed into a heated argument, elbowing each other and whispering insults as if they didn¡¯t think I would notice.


    ¡®I wonder if this skit was something they rehearsed,¡¯ Regis pondered, obviously amused.


    It was interesting to see that, unlike the ascenders that I had met in the Relictombs, the two stooges didn¡¯t have gaps in their armor that revealed the marks or crests lining their spines.


    Perhaps unting the markings was something only higher-tier mages did to show their status? Lost in thought, I didn¡¯t notice that many of the civilians we passed were staring at me. Some had the decency to pretend like they were doing something while others just tantly stopped and gawked.


    Some of the men sized me up, instinctually puffing up their chests even while their heads lowered in respect.


    A group of town girls who couldn¡¯t have been much older than my sister blushed after making eye contact before giggling amongst themselves. I also caught sight of some older women adjusting their blouses to entuate their chests, smiling sweetly with an inviting gaze when our eyes locked.


    ¡°See, Chumo! Look at everyone just drooling over our esteemed ascender. He has the pick of the lot,¡± the thinner stooge named Sembi bragged.


    ¡°How far is the town chief¡¯s office?¡± I asked, casting a cold re at the both of them.


    ¡°J-Just a few blocks at the heart of the town proper!¡± Chumo answered while both visibly shrunk under my gaze.


    Houses soon gave way to storefronts as we got closer to the heart of the town. I couldn¡¯t help but reminisce about my time living in Ashber Town. Although it was muchrger and more developed here, it had a more peaceful ambiencepared to the cities of Dicathen that I had grown so used to.


    However, as we continued walking, the cobblestone road suddenly branched off into four separate roads¡ªone main, and three smaller paths that each led to a multi-leveled structure of varying sizes with plenty ofnd around them.


    ¡°What are these buildings for?¡± I asked. These three buildings were the only ones that weren¡¯t single-storied so I assumed they carried some importance.


    ¡°Ah! These three schools are the pride of Maerin Town!¡± Chumo puffed. ¡°The one to our left is where our children who have received their first mark as a shield attend, while therger building is for casters, and the ck-roofed one is for our future strikers!¡±


    ¡°Our instructors are all very capable, with crests themselves,¡± Sembi chimed in. ¡°And the head instructor from our striker school has two crests herself and had once taught in an actual city!¡±


    ¡°Speaking of, you actually came at a great time, esteemed ascender,¡± Chumo. ¡°Not only is a bestowment day tomorrow, but in a few days, students from our neighboring towns will gather here for our annual exhibition!¡±


    While the ¡®bestowment day¡¯ sounded interesting, I didn¡¯t want to waste too much time in this town. My priority would be getting a map of where we were after speaking with the town chief.


    ¡°I wonder if any of our strikers have a shot at winning the tournament,¡± Chumo muttered to Sembi.


    ¡°Town Chief¡¯s kid, Draster, probably has the best shot, right? I heard he just tested into the third stage of base-tier,¡± Sembi replied.


    ¡°Yeah, but there¡¯s that little monster from Cromer Town that just tested into the fourth stage of base-tier at the age of fifteen.¡±


    ¡°Damn it. And I heard an elder from one of Aramoor City¡¯s academies is actually going to spectate this time to see if there are any potentials to take back as candidates.¡±


    The two continued their gossip,pletely carefree as we neared what looked like the town square. The number of people quickly inted as not only storefronts and restaurants surrounded the smoothly-paved center of the town, but vendors pulled around their wooden carts. Some were filled with food while others carried leather goods or simple clothing.


    Ignoring the passing nces of the civilians, I took in the sight of the colosseum that dwarfed the single-storied establishments around it. Just by the number of soldiers¡ªactual, able-bodied guards that exuded some semnce of strength¡ªguarding therge bowl-shared structure, I could guess the level of importance it carried.


    Civilians pulling up in carriages and carts pulled by horses and mana beasts lined up in front of the main entrance, waiting to get inside. From the goods they carried, it seemed like they were there to prepare for this uing exhibition.


    ¡®It seems like this esteemed ascender is interested in the uing events,¡¯ Regis noted.


    Maybe a little, I admitted. I had never gone to an exhibition or any sort of tournament in Dicathen while I was growing up there. Even though with my unfair advantages, it probably wouldn¡¯t have been much fun, the very air in the town square as civilians prepared for these events seemed vibrant.


    ¡°¡ªscender?¡±


    I turned to see Sembi and Chumo waiting for me.


    ¡°It¡¯s this way, esteemed ascender,¡± Sembi said, gesturing me toward a domed building with a long portico supported by columns simr in design to the ones in the edifice that housed the portal leading to the main entrance.


    Once inside, I was guided to the front counter in an otherwise empty building where an obviously bored young woman was fiddling with her brown hair tied back tightly in a bun.


    Chumo leaned his elbow on the front counter. ¡°Hey, Loreni.¡±


    ¡°Skipping work again for a snack, Chumo?¡± Loreni asked, not bothering to look up. ¡°Be careful. It¡¯s how you and Sembi got stuck guarding the Descension Chamber. Honest to Vritra, I don¡¯t know why the old man bothers cing guards there when there hasn¡¯t been an ascendere out from that portal in years. If it were me¡ª¡±


    ¡°Uhh, Loreni?¡± Sembi chimed in, nervously ncing between me and the girl who had now moved onto getting dirt from underneath her nails.


    Loreni finally looked up with an annoyed gaze. ¡°Wha¡ªOh!¡±


    Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed as Loreni stood up and smoothed out her blouse. ¡°W-Who is... this?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an ascender,¡± Chumo whispered, leaning in closer.


    I didn¡¯t think the girl¡¯s eyes could open any wider, but they did. ¡°Oh my! My apologies for the rude behavior, esteemed ascender. W-We don¡¯t get many ascenders here so I had no reason to assume that there¡¯d be...oh my, I should stop talking now. Are you here to meet the town chief? Of course you are, that was a silly question. Right this way!¡±


    Loreni guided me through a corridor, often peeking back before nervously turning away while Sembi and Chumo snickered behind me. We arrived in the town chief¡¯s office, modestly decorated with a desk and two leather couches facing each other separated by an oval tea table.


    ¡°Chief Mason, our town¡¯s leader, will be here shortly. Please make yourselffortable while I get you something to drink!¡± Loreni eximed as she bowed.


    After taking another long ¡®peek¡¯ at me, she dipped her head once more and practically scurried out of the room while Chumo and Sembi stood guard outside the door.


    I found myself staring at the door. Hearing Loreni whisper out some profanity at the two guards through the door, I couldn¡¯t help but stifle augh.


    ¡®It¡¯s been a while since youughed,¡¯ Regis mused.


    It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯d been around so many idiots, I quipped, leaning back into the couch as Regis mentally nodded in agreement.


    Taking a moment to open the window behind me, I took in the gentle breeze that flowed through, carrying along the chatter and sounds from the town square. Laughter, both young and old, chimed like melodic bells that nearly lulled me to sleep.


    I took it all in while my mind reyed all I had gone through. Fighting not only to live but to grow stronger from the moment I had woken up. I had lost Sylvie and was separated from my loved ones with no way of knowing how they were doing.


    But in this brief moment, I was at peace as it finally dawned upon me...


    I had made it out of those hellish Relictombs.

 Chapter 276

    Chapter 276


    Chapter 276: The Town Chief


    The brief moment of peace I had while waiting for the town chief didn¡¯tst very long as rapid footsteps approached, growing louder until the door swung open.


    I opened my eyes, a bit startled to see a bear of a man with bulging lumps of muscles for arms and a long white beard that flowed down to his wide chest.


    Panic crossed his aged but energetic face as he immediately fell to his knees with a thud. ¡°This one deserves to die for putting esteemed ascender through such inconveniences! Sembian and Chumorith are ignorant of the ways outside of this measly town and did not mean to offend esteemed ascender. Please forgive them as I am the one to me for theirck of wisdom.¡±


    Therge elder whipped his head back. ¡°Sembian! Chumorith! Get down on your¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I cut in. ¡°There is no reason for you to ask for forgiveness.¡±


    Locking eyes with the two guards, I allowed a small smile. ¡°Chumo and Sembi¡¯s antics were...entertaining, especially after getting out of the Relictombs.¡±


    I could literally see the elder¡¯s body dete in relief as he remained on his knees. ¡°Thank you for your benevolence, esteemed ascender.¡±


    ¡°Please, get up,¡± I said, gesturing to the couch in front of me. ¡°Chief Mason, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± he eximed.


    While taking a seat, I noticed the dirt on his hands.


    ¡°Ah! My apologies for my unkempt state, I was helping out with the renovation of our coliseum. We¡¯re a little behind for the uing events,¡± the chief exined, looking down at his hands.


    ¡°Your two guards told me about the bestowment and exhibitioning up in the next few days,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Yes! It¡¯s our town¡¯s turn to host the exhibition. If esteemed ascender wishes to attend, we can definitely set up an announcement and¡ª¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need. I n to leave soon,¡± I interjected respectfully. ¡°I would¡¯ve left immediately but there was something I needed anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I will be happy to help in any way I can.¡± The town chief paused and gave me an embarrassed look. ¡°But, I do need to verify esteemed ascender¡¯s license and belongings. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe that you are an ascender, but as the chief in charge of overseeing this town¡¯s Descension Chamber, I¡¯m required to verify any ascender that exits the portal.¡±


    I hesitated for a moment. While the fake markings I had received should pass, I didn¡¯t have a license. Meanwhile, the town chief hurried to his desk where he retrieved what looked like an obsidian pocket watch.


    Turning around, I lifted the teal cloak that I wore over my otherwise ck outfit to show the elder the markings engraved over my spine.


    I could hear the elder inhale sharply. ¡°Amazing. I recognize some of it but I¡¯ve never seen suchplicated markings, esteemed ascender. Three distinct imprints and judging by theplexity of the top marking, it has to be an emblem.¡±


    ¡°Please, stop referring to me as ¡®esteemed ascender.¡¯¡± Lowering my clothes, I sat back down. ¡°As for my license, unfortunately, I lost my dimension ring carrying all my belongings in one of the floors. But I do have this.¡±


    I took out the white dagger, in its embroidered sheath.


    ¡°This...¡± The town chief¡¯s eyes bulged as he carefully reached for the dagger as if it were a newborn. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, this is Highblood Denoir¡¯s insignia. Is estee¡ªare you an ascender under their blood?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I lied as I watched him inspect the dagger.


    ¡°This is more than enough verification of your status, esteemed ascender,¡± the town chief said, handing the weapon back to me with both hands. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to be in your presence.¡±


    ¡°I may not be here for much longer, but please keep this information to yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course!¡± The elder nodded furiously. ¡°My inquirer shows that you have no relics on you, so you are clear in all sense!¡±


    ¡°Wait. So that artifact can sense relics?¡± I asked, leaning forward to get a closer look.


    ¡°It has a very limited range, but yes,¡± the town chief said with a furrowed brow. ¡°Have you never been checked by an inquirer after your ascents?¡±


    I cleared my throat, feigning embarrassment. ¡°To be honest. This was my first ascent. I made a blunder and lost the simulet that was in my ring, separating me from my team, fairly early on.¡±


    ¡°Oh no,¡± the elder gasped, clearly interested. ¡°That¡¯s horrible. Thankfully, you came out alive.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I got lucky to be close to a portal in the next zone,¡± I said.


    I exined my situation using as much cryan vocabry as possible to not sound as ignorant as I actually was about the whole system, and it seemed to work. Quickly changing the subject, I leaned forward. ¡°But anyway. I know we¡¯re in a town called Maerin, but I¡¯m not exactly sure where that is in crya. Is there a map that you can part with so I can be on my way?¡±


    ¡°Maps are pretty rare around these parts but a travelling merchant came by with copied maps several weeks ago so I actually do have some,¡± the town chief said, going back to his desk. ¡°Might I ask your destination?¡±


    His innocent question left me stumped. I didn¡¯t have a specific destination in mind aside from my obligation to return the dagger to Caera in the capital of the central domain.


    ¡°Aha! Here it is.¡± The town chief came back and unrolled arge parchment that spilled over the oval tea table. On it was a piece ofnd that oddly resembled the side-view of a horned skull with its mouth open and arge curved bump protruding from the northern end. crya was segmented into five parts with a thick line separating the north, east, west, south, and center.


    ¡°How far is the journey to the central domain?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, seeing as we¡¯re at the southern tip of the eastern domain,¡± he answered, pointing to a small dot on the map. ¡°It would take around five months on foot or about sixty or so days in a carriage.¡±


    My eyes widened as I stared at the map. ¡°That long?¡±


    ¡°This is the normal way, of course,¡± the town chief replied. ¡°There are teleportation gates avable in the major cities. The price is hefty but if you show them your dagger, you should be able to travel for free.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to show off the dagger too frequently in case I attracted unwanted attention, but it was nice to have this as a backup alternative.


    Studying the map, I pointed to the city marked closest to the town we were in. ¡°How far is Aramoor City from here then?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just short of two weeks by carriage if conditions permit,¡± Chief Mason answered with a weary chuckle.


    I let out a sigh. ¡°We¡¯re...really on the outskirts, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Aye. Truth be told, settlements with Descension Chambers that have a very low operation rate don¡¯t get dimension gates built for fast travel.¡±


    Piecing together what Loreni said and what the chief confirmed, this portal that I had stepped through only seemed to be able to allow ascenders to leave the Relictombs, not enter.


    Leading off with that train of thought, I asked the town chief, ¡°So does Aramoor City have an Ascension Chamber?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± The bear-of-a-man huffed. ¡°Aramoor may be a small city in the outskirts of the Eastern Domain, but even we have an Ascension Chamber!¡±


    ¡°I see...¡± I muttered, taken aback. ¡°My apologies. I rarely leave the Central Domain.¡±


    The chief¡¯s eyes bulged. ¡°Oh n-no offense taken, esteemed ascender. Please don¡¯t apologize! It is rare indeed for Highbloods of the Central Domain to travel this far out!¡±


    With a polite smile, I went back to studying the map.


    Travelling to the Central Domain right now wasn¡¯t necessary but going into the next Relictombs was. It didn¡¯t seem like the specific Ascension Chamber used to enter the Relictombs determined where you ended up once inside, so my first stop would be Aramoor City.


    Travelling on foot was probably faster than getting a horse but it would still take over a week to get there since I didn¡¯t know thend very well.


    As I was thinking over my options, Loreni entered. ¡°Excuse my intrusion. I¡¯ve brought some tea and snacks.¡±


    ¡°Perfect timing, Loreni,¡± the chief said. ¡°Our esteemed ascender¡¯s destination seems to be to Aramoor City. Make some arrangements to prepare a horse and a guide for him.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Loreni ced the tray carefully onto the table and turned to leave when she abruptly stopped. ¡°Ah!¡±


    Both the chief and I raised our heads.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to startle you both,¡± Loreni whispered. ¡°But perhaps the fastest and mostfortable way for esteemed ascender to get to Aramoor might be to just wait?¡±


    The chief raised a brow. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard the rumors, Chief Mason, but I just got a confirmation letter today confirming that a representative from Stormcove Academy is actually visiting Maerin to spectate and maybe even recruit one of our student mages,¡± Loreni exined.


    ¡°Ah!¡± The town chief snapped his finger in realization. ¡°Stormcove Academy has a tempus warp!¡±


    Just as I was about to ask Regis for some rification on what a tempus warp was, the town chief turned to me excitedly.


    ¡°This is great news! If esteemed ascender stays until the representative from Stormcove Academy arrives, I¡¯m sure they will be more than happy to take you back with them. This way, you can just go through the temporary gate and arrive in Aramoor City immediately.¡±


    I nodded calmly, while internally, I was still trying to wrap my head around the idea of a school official in a small city having ess to such powerful technology.


    ¡®It¡¯s probably not as powerful as the one that the cryan who invaded Xyrus Academy used in order to enter and escape with Elijah...or is it Nico now?¡¯ Regis rified.


    It was still hard to swallow, but it made sense that Agrona¡¯s people had ess to this technology since he had been dabbling in aether since long ago. And as astonishing as it was that a mere representative of a school had ess to such technology, it gave me hope.


    The person from Stormcove Academy might not have a tempus warp powerful enough for intercontinental teleportation, but someone higher might. If I could acquire one, travelling between crya and Dicathen might not take as long as I had originally thought.


    ¡®Don¡¯t get your hopes up. If Uto¡¯s memories are any indication, Agrona is probably the only one that has one and it¡¯s not like he¡¯ll just let anyone use it.¡¯


    Yeah. My life has never been that easy, I responded internally.


    Standing up, I regarded both Loreni and Chief Mason. ¡°Thank you both for your help. It seems like I¡¯ll need to rely on your hospitality for a few more days then.¡±


    The town chief bolted up to his feet, excitement radiating from his wrinkled face. ¡°That¡¯s great! There are a few homes left vacant for important visitors! They¡¯re most likely shabby cottagespared to esteemed ascender¡¯s estate in the Central Domain but please feel free to use one!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care then,¡± I said with a faint smile. ¡°And my name is Grey.¡±


    ¡°Ascender Grey of Blood Denoir,¡± the town chief muttered as both he and Loreni bowed before me. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you.¡±


    After handing me the map, the town chief had Loreni escort me to the vi that I would be staying in for the next few days.


    Unsurprisingly, Chumo and Sembi had remained next to the doors, keeping guard. When the two tried to follow along to protect us, Loreni shot them down with a re as she whispered, ¡°Protect who? Esteemed ascender¡¯s left pinky toe is enough to beat you two.¡±


    Leaving the two withering guards to console each other, the two of us left the administration building.


    ¡°You keep staring at me,¡± I mentioned, making Loreni stiffen.


    ¡°A-Ah I, uh...my apologies, esteemed ascender,¡± she stammered.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m an ascender but do I look that different from the people you usually see?¡±


    Loreni lowered her gaze. ¡°It¡¯s actually my first time seeing an ascender in person. And a man as...pretty as you.¡±


    Regis let out a chortle.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t mistake me for a woman, right?¡± I asked, still conscious of my new appearance for some reason.


    She blushed, eyes wide. ¡°Oh no! Not at all. It¡¯s just that your eyes are so golden and features so sharp that it¡¯s...very different from the boorish men that hunt mana beasts for a living.¡±


    The mention of my eye colors put a knot in my chest that I quickly swallowed. Loreni must¡¯ve noticed my change in expression though.


    ¡°I hope you weren¡¯t offended by any of our behavior, Ascender Grey. Our town chief is probably the only one that hase across an ascender before, and while I had been taught the proper etiquette of talking to an ascender, Chumo and Sembi have not.¡±


    ¡°Based on how you all behave around me, it seems like ascenders tend to be pretty vain,¡± I noted, ignoring the gazes of everyone around us.


    ¡°O-Oh no, I mean...our town is a very remote and insignificant part of the Eastern Domain, much less all of crya. It¡¯s understandable that we don¡¯t amount to much in the eyes of the great ascenders,¡± she exined with a wary chuckle.


    ¡®Elite mages being asses to the less-inclined? Not very hard to believe,¡¯ Regis chimed in.


    We walked in rtive silence throughout most of the short walk to the vi that was on a gated path just off the edge of town proper. The dirt road led up to a seclusion in a ring of trees where three single-story houses faced each other, each with a grass lot divided by a tall white fence.


    ¡°This will be where you¡¯ll stay for the next six days until the exhibition ends. The town chief will notify the representative from Stormcove Academy of your presence and request them to take you along when they take the tempus warp back to Aramoor City,¡± Loreni informed as she opened the fence leading to the rear house on the left. ¡°There will be a guard stationed at the gate to the path leading up here and an attendant will be sent your way to help you with anything you need.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said with a smile.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she replied while handing me the keys. ¡°Were there any questions you had for me before I leave you to rest?¡±


    ¡°Just one.¡± I turned, looking past the high brick walls that surrounded the town. I could see several hills filled with trees. Based on the map, past those hills was the southeastern coast of crya. ¡°You mentioned mages hunting mana beasts for a living earlier. Is anyone allowed to hunt here?¡±


    ¡°Yes! This area is known for the high poption of rocavids indegenous to this part of the country. Their hides are very popr to make leather and their hooves are often used to make tools,¡± she answered as if reading out of a manual. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    I rubbed my neck. ¡°I lost most of my belongings during myst ascent so I need some money.¡±


    Loreni¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°The town chief can provide you with gold, esteemed ascender! There¡¯s no need for you to work!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I chuckled. ¡°I also want to stretch my limbs from time to time.¡±


    ¡°Ah, as expected of an ascender. There are more powerful mana beasts the more north you travel into the woods, but please take caution. Much of this area hasn¡¯t been explored yet.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I should wash up and get some rest.¡±


    Stepping into the vi, while modest and decorated minimally, it was clean. From an integrated water system to even plumbing that I hadn¡¯t expected in such a remote ce, it had everything I needed to rest somewhatfortably.


    ¡°Finally, some fresh air,¡± Regis said as he leaped out of me and cat-stretched. He trotted around the one bedroom vi, sniffing the gray leather couch and looking through the metal container inside the kitchen.


    ¡°I know you look like a dog, but is it necessary for you to act like one?¡± I teased, taking off my clothes.


    ¡°Wolf,¡± Regis corrected. ¡°And no. For some reason, with my transformation, my nose is the most sensitive to aether, which is basically food for me.¡±


    ¡°Good to know.¡± I stepped into the shower, pumping the lever until cold water began pouring down the dispenser.


    After washing myself and my clothes, I picked out a pair of tan trousers and one of the few shirts that didn¡¯t have a gaping hole down the back. It was also the first time I had gotten the chance to look at myself clearly for the first time. The metal sheet that served as a mirror showed a man that looked to be in his early twenties, thin yet toned with broad shoulders. Aside from the rune running down my back and on the underside of my right forearm, I didn¡¯t have a scar or blemish on my athletic body.


    The face that stared back at me in the mirror was one I still wasn¡¯t used to seeing. I still had traces of Arthur in me minus the small scars that I had umted through the years. My eyes were stillrge, but seemed colder and the auburn head of hair that I had grown used to were now stripped of color. My wheat colored hair seemed almost gray and it fell just above my shoulder in locks still dripping water.


    With where I was now, it was actually great that I had a new appearance¡ªthat way I didn¡¯t have to worry about someone recognizing me as the Lance that killed thousands if not more of their people. But what I worried over was how everyone I knew would take it. How would my mother and sister treat me when they saw me like this? How would Tess?


    ¡°Still not used to it?¡± Regis asked, walking up to me.


    I put on the ck shirt and walked away,bing my hair back with my hands. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still you, Princess,¡± he tried tofort, following me as I sunk down on the couch facing the window overlooking the fenced yard.


    ¡°I know that.¡± I let out a sigh. ¡°I just hope that everyone else does too.¡±


    Anxious and impatient to progress in whatever way I could, I withdrew the relic out of the extradimensional storage rune.


    The ancient mage had said this wasn¡¯t an edict or an artifact of any sort but more of a guide that would help me unlock a specific edict of aether.


    ¡°He could¡¯ve at least told me what branch it was,¡± I muttered, studying the surface of the stone cube.


    Clearly seeing nothing significant on the surface of the stone, I imbued aether into it.


    As soon as my aether touched the cube, a foreign aetheric substance from the cube reached back out to me, filling my vision with a nket of glowing purple.

 Chapter 277

    Chapter 277


    Chapter 277: One Step Forward


    As my vision was flooded in a sea of purple, I could feel my aether core slowly draining. As my senses entered the stone cube, I attempted to look deeper inside. It felt like the further in I ¡®traveled¡¯, the more difficult it became. As I wafted through this space, the mud-like viscosity soon thickened and hardened until eventually it felt like I was pushing against a brick wall.


    Even while I was disconnected from my body, I could feel my breathing up short and ragged, as if I was breathing through a wet cloth. Straining to push through this wall stopping me from venturing forth, I pumped more aether out of my core until finally I was able to shift through the wall.


    To describe the experience of my mind touching the surface of the cuboid relic into words would be undermining the sheerplexity of it all.


    Geometric shapes in seemingly random patterns and movements floated around me. I couldn¡¯t see an end to how far these polyhedrons went but for some reason, I knew that there was a boundary within this chaos.


    As more aether flowed out from my core and into this realm within the relic, the polyhedrons began to change. I was no longer just observing but actually affecting these geometric shapes as if my aether was resonating with these things.


    I found myself lost in a trance as I tried to make heads or tails out of the patterns, movements, shapes, and sizes of all of these polyhedrons that made up this realm within the relic. Using the aether within me as the metaphorical limbs, Ibined, sorted, and categorized these polyhedrons in an effort to understand what this convoluted guidebook was trying to tell me.


    Finally, when my aether reserves fell to around a tenth of its capacity, I was pulled out of the realm. As my consciousness returned, I found myself seated in the same position I had been on the couch. The only thing that had changed was that the room¡ªonce brightly lit by the afternoon sun¡ªwas now almostpletely dark.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally done?¡± Regis asked, lifting his head while curled up beside me.


    I stared at the crescent sun. ¡°How long have I been out?¡±


    ¡°About five or six hours. I lost count after falling asleep.¡±


    ¡°You need sleep?¡± I asked.


    Regis let out a wide yawn before answering. ¡°It¡¯s like a battery-saver mode. I consume less aether when I¡¯m asleep so I can umte more ambient aether.¡±


    ¡°What a peculiar dog you are.¡±


    ¡°Shove it,¡± he groused before hopping off the couch. ¡°So did you learn anything from the cube?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m supposed to be learning.¡± I let out a sigh. ¡°And the worst part is that I use up aether trying to study this piece of rock.¡±


    ¡°Damn, and I thought learning this reality-bending ability was going to be easy,¡± Regis said sarcastically as he walked away.


    I kicked him below the tail, getting a sharp yelp out of mypanion.


    ¡°Never thought I¡¯d miss the days when I was incorporeal,¡± he grumbled before turning to me. ¡°So what¡¯s the n now?¡±


    I paused, thinking for a moment. ¡°We have a few days to kill anyway so we might as well learn a bit more about the locals. The bestowment event is something I¡¯d want to check out along with the schools tomorrow.¡±


    Regis looked at me silently with a slightly stunned expression.


    I frowned. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just that, I thought you¡¯d be scratching off your skin trying to find some way to get to the next Relictombs or something,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°I have been pretty on-edgetely, haven¡¯t I?¡± I scratched my cheek.


    Regis shrugged, his mane of purple fire fluttering. ¡°It¡¯s understandable. I don¡¯t have a family aside from you but I¡¯d be pretty nervous if I didn¡¯t know what was going on with the ones I cared about.¡±


    I stood silent, taken aback by Regis¡¯ nonchnt mention of me as his family. It never urred to me that he didn¡¯t have anyone else except me. Even in this canine form of his, did I still see Regis as a weapon?


    Regis narrowed his eyes. ¡°What. Why are you staring at me like that?¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing.¡± I got up from my seat and headed toward the door.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± he asked, trotting along behind me.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what Loreni said earlier? There are a ton of mana beasts just outside of town.¡± I shot mypanion a smirk. ¡°I haven¡¯t had the chance to really practice the limits of God Step.¡±


    ¡°We get to stretch our legs a bit and earn some money.¡± Regis mirrored my smirk. ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    ***


    I breathed in the crisp night air, our feet crunching against the foliage as the two of us rushed through the woods. We wanted to get further away from the town in case someone spotted us using aether, but that didn¡¯t mean we didn¡¯t kill a few rocavids on the way. These massive deer-like mana beasts had antlers not only on their heads, but down their spine and thick tails that they used as deadly clubs.


    Deadly for normal mages, anyway. The mana beast couldn¡¯t even react as I sunk my dagger between their eyes, since their hides were what was what we would need to sell.


    Regis had a harder time keeping his kills clean, but between the two of us, it took less than an hour to hunt down half a dozen of the rocavids roaming around the dead of night. The only reason we stopped was because we ran out of space in the extradimensional rune.


    ¡°I thought the talking crystal said you can¡¯t put organic things into the rune on your arm,¡± Regismented as we neared a small clearing that led to the base of the hill.


    ¡°It seems like I can only put it in once they¡¯re dead,¡± I answered, my eyes spotting arge boulder in the center of the clearing.


    Stopping in front of the boulder that stood at least a foot over me, the words, ¡®Danger. High-level mana beasts ahead¡¯ were carved with ominous sshes of dried blood on its surface.


    We crossed over to the other side of the clearing, where the ground began to gradually slope up as we trekked up the hill. While my vision had been enhanced by my new physique, being unable to sense mana now made finding mana beasts a much more challenging task.


    While I was able to augment my senses using this new source of magic, I¡¯d been unable to find a way to utilize aether to sense non-aetheric beings and objects.


    However, not having any sort of mana signatureing from me or Regis meant that the stronger and more predatory wildlife here saw us as an easy meal.


    The first mana beast that came after us was one I hadn¡¯t seen before in Dicathen. It reminded me of my sister¡¯s bond, Boo, if he had four arms and a crocodile-like jaw with three rows of serrated teeth.


    ¡°Keep watch in case of any passerbys,¡± I ordered Regis while I faced the beast.


    With a gruesome snarl, the bear got down on all six of its limbs and charged at me with surprising speed. Putting away my dagger, I faced it head on.


    While my aether reserves hadn¡¯t been fully restored, tonight¡¯s goal was merely to test out my new godrune. I didn¡¯t know what tier this mana beast would be ssified under but it would serve as a good guinea pig.


    Aether surged out of my core, clinging to my skin. As the familiar warmth of the rune spread from my lower back, I focused on the location I would try tond.


    The experience of initiating the aether art this time feltpletely different from when I had first used it. My perception of the world around me changed, as if everything had been stretched in all directions. Particles of ambient aether now conjoined and looked like intertwining streams of purple coursing in the air, creating fluid pathways that interconnected and branched off.


    Taking a ¡®step¡¯, I felt my body being carried by a jet stream as I rode the currents of aether. The problem was that there was no direct ¡®route¡¯ to the location I had determined¡ªI had to ride these currents of aether that branched off to every inch of space that surrounded me. These streams didn¡¯t extend infinitely though. The streams surrounded me in a ten yard radius, which was probably my current range of God Step.


    Despite my limits, the result was astounding. Although mynding location wasn¡¯t as urate as I would¡¯ve liked it to be, I had traveled ten yards in the blink of an eye.


    The biggest difference between God Step and Burst Step, however, was the control of momentum. Since I was no longer bound by the inertia upon reaching my destination, it really felt like I was on the cusp of reaching true teleportation.


    Tendrils of violet lightning coiled around me from using God Step as I appeared just beside the charging bear-like mana beast. It skidded to a stop but by the time it turned around, my aether-d fist had already sunken into its side.


    The beast¡¯s giant body tumbled on the ground, crashing and breaking several trees in its path.


    ¡®Are you setting off explosives or something?¡¯ Regis voiced hisints.


    Sorry. I held back.


    Due to its thick, mana-coated fur, the bear still lived but it scuttled away, letting out low whimpers.


    I continued scouring through the woods, training God Step while hunting down mana beasts until the rocavid corpses within my ring had all been reced.


    Regis hunted as well, which allowed me to see what level he was at. Aside from the distance that we could be apart and his increasing capacity to hold aether, Regis¡¯ growth in terms of strength wasn¡¯t at a level where he could keep up with me. He needed to consume more aether, but the problem was, so did I.


    Apart from collecting the relics, both in the Relictombs and out here in crya, I needed to get my aether reservesrge enough to awaken Sylvie from heratose state.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Regis asked as we neared the base of the hill. ¡°You¡¯re rubbing your left arm again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I said, sticking my hands in my pockets.


    Getting closer to town, Regis retreated back into my body and I found myself enjoying the quiet night, right up until I neared the site of a rocavid corpse I had left behind to make space in my extradimensional rune.


    There was a figure, whose small frame indicated they couldn¡¯t be older than ten, ripping apart the rocavid.


    Hearing me approach, the child¡¯s head shot up, looking around frantically until our eyes locked. The small boy leapt to his feet, pointing the jagged knife that he had been using to skin the rocavid. His sunken cheeks and tattered clothes spoke volumes of his status but it was his eyes that made me pause. His eyes were filled with desperation and fear as he stood between me and the rocavid corpse, but at the same time, I could see the determination within them.


    His gaze reminded me of... me. Not as Arthur, but as Grey. It was the same gaze that I had when I first met Headmaster Wilbeck when she first found me on the streets.


    ¡°Boy,¡± I called out, eliciting a startled step back from the little kid. ¡°Do you n on using that knife on me?¡±


    The kid slowly lowered his knife, wavering, before he lifted it back up and stepped toward me. ¡°Th-This rocavid is mine.¡±


    I tilted my head. ¡°Did you kill it?¡±


    He paused, lowering his head. ¡°No...¡±


    I stepped toward him. ¡°Then why is it yours?¡±


    ¡°I f-found it first. I hid and waited but there wasn¡¯t anybody to im it,¡± the boy spoke, his tenor voice haggard but strong.


    ¡°What do you n on doing with it?¡±


    The boy held his ground as I continued to walk toward him, holding his trembling knife aloft. ¡°My family needs it. If I can sell the hide, we can eat.¡±


    I let out a scoff. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be simpler to just eat the rocavid¡¯s meat?¡±


    His shoulders slumped. ¡°I...can¡¯t carry it.¡±


    I walked toward the boy without responding, startling him. Instead of backing away, however, he charged toward me with one hand over the other gripping the knife that was pointed at me.


    Tripping his feet while pping the knife out of his hands in one quick motion, the boy fell face first on the ground. Shaken but still determined to fight for the rocavid corpse, he jumped back up to his feet and lunged toward me with bare hands.


    I side stepped and tripped him once more before picking up the corpse by its back legs. ¡°Where¡¯s your house?¡±


    The boy got up, confused by my question.


    I tilted my head. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want this corpse?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± he quickly sputtered. He whirled around and began to lead the way before stopping. Turning toward me, he gave me a fearful gaze. ¡°Y-You¡¯re not going to hurt my family, right?¡±


    Staring at the boy, I let out a sigh. ¡°What¡¯s your name, boy?¡±


    ¡°Belmun,¡± he said warily.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this close enough to your house where you can have your familye and help you take it after I leave,¡± I replied. ¡°Does that sound okay?¡±


    Belmun nodded before scurrying off. I smelled Belmun¡¯s house before I could see it¡ªthe area that Chumo and Sembi had told me about. Shacks made from splintered wood and other discarded material lined the fenced ¡®zone¡¯ on the outskirts of the town. Torches were sparsely lit, leaving most of the homes shrouded in darkness.


    ¡°You can just leave that here,¡± Belmun said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I muttered, my gaze still taking in the sight in front of me.


    To my surprise, Belmun bowed, his tattered clothes showing his exposed ribs. He gave me a toothy grin that finally made him look like a child. ¡°Thank you, Sir.¡±


    I arrived back at my residence, my mind unable to forget what I had seen. Even in Dicathen, the few ves that I had seen before they had be banned were in better shape than Belmun.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t think you were such an altruist,¡± Regis said, curling up on the leather couch. ¡°Especially considering your hate for cryans.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an altruist,¡± I retorted, taking a seat as well. ¡°He just reminded me of someone.¡±


    Regis just shrugged before going back into his battery-saver mode. Although he didn¡¯t need to breathe, the purple fire-like mane around his nape started pulsating rhythmically and I could see the aether particles slowly being absorbed by him.


    As the peaceful silence lingered in the air, I checked what I had. I wasn¡¯t a king anymore, nor was I ance. The only things I had were my clothes, Caera¡¯s knife, Sylvie¡¯s stone, the relic cube, and corpses of some mana beasts.


    Still, despite my limited belongings, the thing that weighed the most on my mind was the little kid. This was the society that Agrona had created. A society where¡ªeven more so than Dicathen and even my previous world¡ªwithout strength, you were tossed aside as trash.


    It¡¯s not my ce to intervene, I reminded myself. I have bigger things to worry about.


    With sleep eluding me, I began meditating, refining the ambient aether into my core with a bitter taste in my mouth. From the bestowment tomorrow, to the exhibition and even beyond that, I was curious but also afraid to see what this continent would have in store for me. This continent ruled by deities that only saw these people as weapons and tools.

 Chapter 278

    Chapter 278


    Chapter 278: The Day of Bestowment


    A soft knock on the front door snapped my eyes open. Spending the entire night refining my aether core had increased not only the amount of aether I could store but the speed at which the aether travelled through my newly-forged passages as well. The improvement was minisculepared to my time in the Relictombs, but any amount of progress felt better than sitting by idly.


    ¡°Ascender Grey,¡± a soft voice called out through the door.


    After getting up and having Regis withdraw back into my body, I opened the wooden entrance to see a girl that looked like Loreni, except a few years younger and with longer hair, waiting timidly.


    For a moment she simply stared at me as I waited for her to speak, her mouth slightly ajar.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I finally asked.


    ¡°Ah!¡± She shook her head. ¡°My apologies, Ascender Grey. My name is Ma and I¡¯ve been instructed by my sist¡ªLoreni to assist esteemed ascender during your stay in Maerin.¡±


    So they are sisters, I mused before replying. ¡°You came at a good time, Ma. I was actually wondering when the bestowment would be happening today.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not untilter this afternoon so Ascender Grey has some time to rest and get ready if you wish to attend,¡± she answered, keeping her gaze downcast.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually getting a little stuffy in here so I¡¯d like to take a stroll. Would you mind apanying me?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Ma eximed.


    ¡°Ah, before that, though. I have a cart filled with mana beast corpses. Can you get a few men to bring it down to whichever shop I could sell them to?¡±


    ¡°Right away!¡± Ma gave me a quick bow before scurrying back to town.


    After she was gone, I used one of the empty horse-pulled wagons in the back of the house and began taking the beast corpses out of my extradimensional rune.


    ¡®Is all this necessary?¡¯ Regis asked.


    ¡°The story we¡¯re going with is that I lost my dimension ring, remember?¡±


    By the time Ma came back with three burly townsmen, I had finished piling the corpses on the surprisingly sturdy wagon.


    ¡°Th-This...¡± A bearded man sporting a tank top to show off his muscles paled at the sight of the mana beasts while his twopanions stepped back in shock.


    I frowned. ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°N-N-None at all, esteemed ascender,¡± the bearded man said, carefully poking the leg of the bear-like mana beast. ¡°It¡¯s just that...these beasts are considered dangerous to even a team of mid-tier mages.¡±


    With no reference to how powerful a mid-tier mage actually was, I just shrugged. ¡°Please take these to town and give the money to either Ma or Loreni.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The three bowed once more before the bearded man began lugging the cart while his twopanions pushed from the back.


    Ma and I took our time walking down the small hill leading back down to the downtown za of Maerin when I noticed her looking at the rune on my right forearm.


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± I asked, suddenly very conscious that having a rune on your arm might be abnormal.


    ¡°My apologies for staring, Ascender Grey,¡± she said, peeling her eyes away. ¡°I¡¯ve heard many nobles and even highbloods have rune glyphs tattooed on their bodies but it¡¯s my first time seeing one in person.¡±


    ¡°O-Oh,¡± I muttered. ¡°Is it not popr in these parts?¡±


    ¡°Permanent ink capable of withstanding the properties of mana flowing through the skin is very rare and expensive toe by, andws are very strict around these inks because it can be used to forge fake marks¡ªwhich is why tattooing near the back is strictly forbidden¡ªso rather than it being popr...¡± Ma let out a chuckle as she rubbed her arm nervously. ¡°My apologies, Ascender Grey. I¡¯m sure you already know this.¡±


    ¡°It seems like you and the rest of the townspeople resort to apologizing very often,¡± Imented with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You seem very knowledgeable about this. Are you a mage yourself?¡±


    ¡°Oh not at all! Although...today is also the day of my bestowment,¡± she admitted, flushing with embarrassment.


    ¡°Congrattions in advance,¡± I remarked as we neared the gate to town. ¡°Any particr element or ss you¡¯d like to be in?¡±


    ¡°Even though I know I¡¯m a bit on the older side and my chances are low, I would very much like to be an instiller. I know that casters and strikers are the most sought after in academies and powerful bloods, but I¡¯m no good at fighting,¡± Ma admitted.


    I pondered for a moment at her words. I had heard of the three sses of battle mages as well as the supporting ¡®sentry¡¯ ss. In Aya¡¯s brief, there was a detailed ount of the powerful sentry who had managed to use her magic to create a path in the magical Elshire Forest for the cryan army to invade Elenoir.


    Her name was...something Milview if I recall correctly. I also knew that she was just one of the many mages capable of using elemental magic to scout and scry long distances, however, I had never heard of instillers.


    ¡°What do you want to do as an instiller?¡± I asked, hoping to gain more information about this ss.


    ¡°I want to create necessary artifacts to help the impoverished people all over crya,¡± Ma effused, eyes suddenly vibrant. ¡°For example, I know that there are artifacts capable of purifying water but they¡¯re currently too expensive to make on arge scale. However, I¡¯ve done some research and realized that not all theponents for the artifact are necessary and a lot of them can be reced with cheaper materials so¡ª¡±


    Ma let out a gasp and bowed at me. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to lecture you, esteemed ascender.¡±


    ¡°I was the one who asked the question, Ma,¡± I remarked. ¡°It¡¯d be silly for me to get angry because you answered me. Especially when you¡¯re so excited.¡±


    Ma reminded me of Emily back in Dicathen. Her excitement and passion for artificing was second to none. The thought of my curly-haired friend made my chest squeeze.


    ¡°A-Anyway, did Ascender Grey have anywhere in mind to go first?¡±


    ¡°Since the mana beast corpses will be taken care of, do you mind if we stop by the schools?¡±


    ¡°Certainly! It would be an honor if esteemed ascender visited! I know the students at our striker school would love to get some pointers¡ªof course that¡¯s only if esteemed ascender wishes to,¡± Ma said.


    The irony of training the future soldiers that would ultimately attack Dicathen caused augh to burst out of my mouth. I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to stifle myughter.


    Ma regarded me with utter confusion. ¡°D-Did I say something odd?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s...nothing,¡± I said,posing myself. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s take a look through the academies.¡±


    ***


    The visit to the caster school was brief. They were having practice outside today so I could see over the fence surrounding the training grounds each of the caster students participating in target practice shooting bolts of pure mana. From the power of their spell, to the amount they could fire as well as the uracy, each of the kids showed varying levels ofpetency.


    ¡®How cute,¡¯ Regis remarked.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like these students are using their marks,¡± I noted.


    ¡°The students here are still adjusting to their marks so they¡¯re not yet allowed to utilize their elemental magic yet. Once they¡¯ve been deemed a base tier mage, they¡¯ll be allowed to practice the elemental spell their marks carry,¡± Ma exined as we watched from the other side of the metal fence.


    She turned her head left and right as if looking for something before letting out a gasp. ¡°Ah! I forgot that the primary students are practicing in the arena today in preparation for the uing exhibition. My apologies, esteemed ascender. Both the instructors and students are much more excited this year because of the recruitering from Stormcove Academy.¡±


    ¡°Is Stormcove Academy that much of a prestigious ce?¡± I asked, genuinely curious.


    Ma thought for a moment before answering. ¡°Well, it is an official academy so students epted will have housing and basic needs provided for them within the campus to be fully immersed in training. Stormcove is also one of the higher ranked academies in not only Aramoor City but the entire Grevorind Region. That being said, this is still all rtive.¡±


    The two of us began making our way to the shield school as Ma continued to exin.


    ¡°Compared to the elite academies in the rest of the Etril Dominion and even the other four dominions, which have even more prestigious academies, I guess Stormcove isn¡¯t much. It¡¯s why esteemed ascender has most likely never heard of Stormcove Academy.¡± Ma rubbed her neck as she blushed slightly. ¡°I can only imagine how pitiful our schools lookpared to prestigious highblood academies in the central domain.¡±


    I remained silent while taking in all of this information. It seemed like the entire economy in crya glorified self-improvement in strength and was even centered around it. Was this all funded by Agrona? I couldn¡¯t imagine a viable way for a proper economy to form around just training and getting stronger aside from hunting mana beasts and going down the Relictombs.


    ¡°D-Did I talk too much again, esteemed ascender? My sister, I mean, Loreni, often berates me for this.¡±


    ¡°No! I like it,¡± I answered quickly. Ma was a goldmine for information and the best part was that I didn¡¯t have to ask questions that might normally bemon sense. I stopped mid-step, rming the little girl. ¡°Ma, do you know what dungeons are?¡±


    ¡°Dungeons? Of course¡ªmy mother would tell me the story all the time as a child,¡± she answered. ¡°It really is amazing how the great Vritras led by the mighty Agrona vanquished all of those dangerous dungeons in order to keep us safe.¡±


    It was both hard and easy to imagine Agrona and the rest of his n wiping out all of the dungeons in order to build an economy around exploring the Relictombs.


    ¡°What do you know about the other continent then?¡± I asked, studying her expression.


    ¡°Dicathen?¡± Ma tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories from passing merchants about how savage and undeveloped they are. It¡¯s scary to think of an entire continent where mages run amok and dungeons still exist. Thankfully, Sovereign Agrona has decided to liberate them.¡±


    ¡°Liberate?¡± I echoed, pushing down the fiery rage rising up from my core. ¡°I see.¡±


    The shield academy was a bit more entertaining, but we didn¡¯t stay long either. Ma guessed that the primary ss of the shields were also in the arena since the shields and casters often trained together. It made sense seeing as the shield¡¯s practice was to either take damage for their teammates if they were a melee shield or create defenses from afar if they were a ranged shield.


    After watching the secondary ss focus on doing movement drills while maintaining a stable shroud of protective mana over their bodies.


    Finally we arrived at the striker school, where both the primary and secondary students were present and currently about to spar.


    ¡°Remember, release and focus your mana from your core to the rune glyphs that make up your mark! Pay attention to the warmth that spreads from your mark and let that feeling guide you. Don¡¯t try to control it!¡± advised a scowling woman garbed in ayered robe of muted colors.


    Despite her salt-and-pepper hair and the wrinkles lining her face exposing her age, she carried herself with poise as she strode around the two students wearing padded leather practice-gear while the rest of the ss sat against the walls.


    From what I could tell in the gaps of the protective headgear that they wore, the two students looked around the same age as Ma. Each one of them fought barehand and even without being able to sense mana, a faint shroud of white clung to their bodies.


    ¡°Begin!¡± the woman barked.


    The two students that were facing each other in a neutral stance, a girl and a boy, triggered their spells with surprising swiftness.


    The girl¡¯s spell materialized first¡ªa short de of fire surrounding her open palms. She dashed toward the boy who was barely able to conjure his bracers of fire in time to block her first strike.


    Their two mes intertwined from the impact as the boy was forced to retreat a few steps. Cheers from some of the children on the sidelines rang in support for the girl as some of the boy¡¯s friends cracked jokes.


    With gritted teeth, the boy rushed forth and the two began to spar. Despite their young age, each showed a shocking amount of agility and strength while their techniques seemed almost ingrained into their movements.


    ¡°The instructor is good,¡± I muttered, vaguely remembering Chumo and Sembi¡¯s praise toward this woman as Ma and I watched from the hallway.


    Ma and I continued to watch from the hallway while the spar soon came to an end. The instructor intervened just as the girl was about tounch a critical strike on the boy¡¯s open side. The aged instructor called out the results and was just about to start on the next pair of children when she saw me.


    Ma bowed at the instructor as she regarded me for a second with her sharp eyes.


    ¡°Instructor Resbin, this is Ascender Grey,¡± she said without lifting her head.


    Her eyes widened for a moment but otherwise kept calm as she dipped her head in a formal gesture. ¡°My apologies for not weing you sooner, Ascender Grey. You hid your mana so well that I didn¡¯t know such a powerful individual had been so close.¡±


    I raised a hand in a cating gesture. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I had no intention of interrupting your ss.¡±


    By this time, the children that had been spread out against the walls were all standing and taking peeks at me. Gasps and mutters soon filled the room until Instructor Resbin silenced them, but that didn¡¯t stop their sparkling stares from boring into me.


    ¡°Instructor Resbin was actually once an instructor from Stormcove Academy,¡± Ma said proudly before turning to the aged instructor. ¡°Ascender Grey just told me how good you were!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ascender Grey,¡± she replied but her eyes continued to assess me.


    ¡°I simply noted what I saw,¡± I said with a polite nod. ¡°Please continue.¡±


    I turned to leave, not particrly having a reason to stay here any longer, when Instructor Resbin called out.


    ¡°Forgive my insolence, Ascender Grey, but as you know, the annual exhibition is in just two days. My students and I would be most honored if an esteemed ascender showed us some pointers.¡±


    Looking back over my shoulders I stared at the woman.


    ¡°You say pointers, but your eyes say you want blood. I have no interest in engaging in a meaningless fight just to have you gauge your own strength.¡± I gave her a smile. ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±


    I walked out of the striker school with Ma following beside me with an ufortable expression.


    ¡®You¡¯re no fun.¡¯ Regis remarked. ¡®I was hoping for a show,¡¯


    I know you¡¯re bored. Just hold on for a few more days.


    By the time we reached the town proper, the center of the za had been redecorated for the bestowment ceremony as a line of twenty or so kids had already formed. Near the end of the line was a kid I actually recognized.


    ¡®Hey, isn¡¯t that the boy that tried to stab youst night?¡¯ Regis asked.


    It was Belmun. I could make out more of his features in the daylight, but it only seemed to highlight how malnourished he was underneath a clean button-up shirt that was obviously too big for him.


    Thoughts of whether he and his family managed to eatst night and if they were able to sell the leather cropped up in my mind.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the ceremony startster?¡± I asked, pushing away these thoughts and berating myself for worrying about the kid.


    ¡°Yes, but oftentimes lines always form beforehand,¡± she said, her eyes watching nervously as the line grew longer.


    ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t you be going too?¡±


    Ma turned to me. ¡°Oh no! It¡¯s okay, esteemed ascender. It¡¯s my responsibility to assist you so I¡¯ll just get in line once the ceremony actually begins.¡±


    I let out a sigh. ¡°Just go. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    There was a trace of reluctance in her expression but her impatience won over. After thanking me, she bolted to the end of the line.


    ¡®She¡¯s a good kid,¡¯ Regis voiced. ¡®Too bad she and all the rest of the people in this continent have been brainwashed by Agrona.¡¯


    Not sure if brainwashed is the right word but, yeah.


    The ceremony progressed once a man dressed inplete ck walked up toward the elevated tform with two hooded figures in gray behind him. The most notable part of his wardrobe was an obsidian staff that he carried. A small gem was embedded at the top that glimmered in the colors of not only the elemental attributes but also had a faint trace of aether.


    Regis noticed it too and I could feel his hunger for it.


    ¡°Esteemed ascender,¡± a voice called out faintly from behind.


    I turned to see Loreni dressed in her work attire, ayer of sweat above her brows. ¡°Please forgive me. Ipletely forgot that Ma had her bestowment again today.¡±


    My brows furrowed ¡°Again? Has Ma been bestowed before?¡±


    ¡°Ah. She¡¯s been trying to get her first mark for the past three years now since children are required to be tested since the age of six,¡± she exined, her expression tinged in concern. ¡°If a mark doesn¡¯t form during today¡¯s bestowment, I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll most likely be deemed an unadorned like me.¡±


    ¡°How bad is that...¡± I began before hurriedly adding, ¡°around here?¡±


    ¡°Being a non-mage is always looked down upon but Ma is well acquainted with everyone in Maerin, so she should be fine,¡± she said with a slight smile. ¡°I was devastated too when I was deemed an unadorned but thankfully, everyone was still very nice to me¡ªoh, it¡¯s about to begin!¡±


    I watched along with the rest of the town as the first child scurried up the stairs and knelt before the officiant holding the obsidian staff. After muttering a lengthy incantation in anguage I didn¡¯t recognize, the officiant walked around the kneeling boy and ced the tip of his staff just above his tailbone.


    Blood dripped from the boy¡¯s back as the gem began glowing until finally the officiant withdrew his weapon and instructed the boy to turn around and lift up his shirt.


    ¡°Fiorin of Town Maerin has been adorned with the mark of a caster! May he bring pride to his blood and vanquish all who stand in the way of our mighty sovereigns!¡±


    Cheers rang and I could see the boy beaming in pride even while tears of pain lined his cheeks. After he stepped down and ran into the embrace of his family, the next child came up.


    The bestowment day went on, with every spectrum of emotions being disyed by the child as well as his family, from utter joy and pride to despair and even anger.


    While the event was interesting and even insightful toward the cultures of crya, I grew bored...until Belmun stepped up onto the podium. Anticipation rose as I watched him walk up the stairs to the expressionless officiant.


    I could hear some mutters of disapproval and even some of disgust as Belmun knelt silently in front of the officiant. However, everyone¡¯s expressions changed as the officiant¡¯s staff grew brighter than normal. Even the poker-faced officiant¡¯s eyes glimmered in interest until the gem dimmed and Belmun fell to the ground.


    With the crowd deathly silent, the officiant hurriedly lifted Belmun¡¯s shirt and let out a sharp breath before helping the boy up to his feet.


    ¡°Belmun of Town Maerin has been adorned with the crest of a striker!¡± he eximed as Belmun looked at the man in utter shock.


    ¡°A crest?¡± Loreni sputtered.


    The entire za seemed to have let out a gasp in unison before mutters began growing in volume. However, two adults struck out to me as they began crying while hugging each other. Belmun practically leaped off the stage and bound toward what looked like his parents and fell into their embrace.


    ¡°Belmun of Town Maerin will be further assessed before being ced in an appropriate academy!¡± the officiant dered as he regained hisposure.


    I watched as the officiant¡¯s hooded assistants escorted Belmun and his family away.


    ¡°Is Belmun someone esteemed ascender knows?¡± Loreni asked, snapping me out of my daze.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I turned to Loreni. ¡°Why do you ask that?¡±


    ¡°Esteemed ascender was smiling for a moment so I just thought...¡± Loreni shook her head. ¡°Forgive me for assuming.¡±


    The bestowment resumed like normal¡ªwith either the kids getting a mark or not getting one¡ªuntil Ma stepped up onto the tform.


    Loreni sped her hands as she looked at her sister kneeling onstage.


    I didn¡¯t know what would happen since Ma was one of the oldest kids there, but what I didn¡¯t expect was for the officiant¡¯s staff to grow even brighter than it did for Belmun.


    ¡°Th-This...¡± the officiant muttered,pletely bewildered this time. ¡°Ma of Town Maerin has been adorned with the... emblem of a sentry!¡±


    I heard Regis let out a whistle as the za broke out into cheers. The crowd and even the officiant was ecstatic as the ck-robed man even went as far as to pat her on the back. However, both Ma and Loreni wore a solemn expression at the turn of the event.


    ¡°Are you not happy at your sister earning an emblem?¡± I asked, curious.


    ¡°Oh n-no, of course I¡¯m happy, esteemed ascender! I¡¯m very proud of her,¡± she said as her gaze fell. ¡°Please excuse me, esteemed ascender. I will go congratte my sister.¡±


    I watched as she walked toward the stage, using her sleeve to wipe her face.


    ¡°A crest and even an emblem,¡± a voice muttered behind me. ¡°It looks like our town will get a lot of extra resources this year. It¡¯s a shame for Loreni though. I heard that talented sentries are trained rigorously and sent down the most to the Relictombs.¡±


    ¡°Shhh, don¡¯t say that out loud, you idiot. Ma should be proud that she will be able to better serve our sovereigns in finding the relics!¡± another voice said.


    So that¡¯s what it was, I thought while staring at Ma and Loreni. The two embraced in tears that I might¡¯ve mistook for joy had I not known.


    Ignoring the ache in my chest, I made my way out of the town za and back to the house.

 Chapter 279

    Chapter 279


    Chapter 279: A Social Gathering


    The first rays of dawn peeked above the horizon by the time Regis and I had climbed back from the beast-riddled hill just off of Town Maerin. I had focused solely on practicing God Step¡ªfalling more times than I could count in the process¡ªwhile Regis scouted around the area, doing a bit of hunting on his own.


    Though progress was slow, I was still proud of the visible growth in the mastery of my first official godrune. I was able to reach the destination I had determined, using God Step with much better precision than I had at first.


    That is, with no obstacles, of course. Taking into consideration the obstacles blocking my ¡®path¡¯, God Step became exponentially more difficult to use.


    There were several ways around this, of course. I could use God Step in a straight line, much like I had with Burst Step, but doing so would be basically using the blunt edge of the sword.


    Alternatively, I could spend a prolonged period of time focusing and mapping out the ¡®path¡¯ I could take in order to arrive at my intended destination... but that was a little hard to do while a two thousand-pound mana beast charged after me, and changing positions even slightly altered the ¡®path¡¯.


    The silver lining behind all this was that my initial development of Burst Step back in Epheotus had served as training wheels for God Step. Along with my augmented reflexes from my aether core and a dragon of the Indrath n¡¯s physique, I knew that mastering this was only a matter of time and effort.


    Regis, on the other hand, had yet to gain the insights in activating the rune of destruction despite my guidance.


    I knew that if I used the destruction rune one or two more times, he would be able to gain insight into the edict, but I was honestly afraid of what might happen while I was under the pseudo-psychotic state that the edict evoked.


    Still, thanks to the fact that unlike mana, ambient aether was everywhere, Regis managed to make strides in strengthening his own aether reserves. Through this, his strength had not only increased, but the range that he could be apart from me had expanded.


    His entire form seemed to illustrate his growing strength as the two horns that twisted and gnarled behind his ears had be even more intricate. Not only that but his entire form seemed to be more corporeal and real as the purple fire that made up his mane looked like real mes instead of smoky wisps.


    With my head cleared of the events during the bestowment ceremony and my aether core empty, I neared the stone sign that indicated we were back within the ¡®safe¡¯ zone. To my surprise, there was someone waiting for me just beside the carved boulder in the clearing.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that the kid...er, Velma? Fromst night?¡¯ Regis asked, his form hiding within me.


    Are you sure you¡¯re an intelligent weapon? I teased, before calling out to the boy. ¡°Belmun?¡±


    ¡®Sentient weapon,¡¯ Regis corrected with a grumble.


    Belmun shot up to his feet at the sound of his name being called. He bolted toward me, the wind tossing back his long unkempt hair to reveal a busted lip, bruised eye, and a swollen cheek.


    The boy shot me a wide grin as he waved his hand. ¡°Mister!¡±


    Belmun skidded to a stop in front of me and plopped down to his knees. ¡°Please teach me how to fight!¡±


    Noticing the bruises and welts all over his exposed arms and the hardened look on his face, I couldn¡¯t help but admire the boy¡¯s determination.


    ¡°No,¡± I answered, walking past him.


    ¡°W-Wait!¡± Belmun scrambled back in front of me. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to offer now, but I¡¯ve been bestowed a crest earlier today!¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°So?¡±


    The boy scratched his head. ¡°S-So I have incredible talent! I don¡¯t have anything to offer you right now, but in the future, when I¡¯m a famous or even ranked ascender, I¡¯ll pay you back!¡±


    I don¡¯t know what came over me as I saw the confident¡ªalmost smug¡ªexpression on Belmun¡¯s face but I released a wave of aetheric force,cing in just enough killing intent to bring the boy on all fours while choking.


    Withdrawing my intent as well as the palpable pressure exerted through the ambient aether around us, I stared deadpan at Belmun, now gasping for air. ¡°Don¡¯t be so ignorant. The world¡¯s arge ce and your talent in this small town might beparable to the street rats of a major city.¡±


    Arriving back at the manor, Regis emerged and jumped on the leather couch. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d get so emotional with the little boy.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°I wasn¡¯t emotional.¡±


    ¡°Please. You barely care for the people here enough to exchange more than a sentence with them unless you¡¯re prying for information,¡± Regis replied,ying down. ¡°But you not only helped the kid, but you gave him advice.¡±


    Taking off my shirt, I retorted, ¡°That wasn¡¯t advice. His smug attitude after getting a bit of recognition annoyed me.¡±


    Regis rolled his eyes as he curled up into his ¡®meditative¡¯ state.


    I let out a sigh as I sat down on the ground. I knew why I acted like that¡ªI just didn¡¯t want to admit to myself that the little boy reminded me of myself in a lot of ways. pping my cheeks to focus, I closed my eyes as the warm nket of the morning light enveloped me and began refining my aether core once more.


    ***


    Over the next several days leading up to the annual exhibition, Regis and I had fallen into afortable rhythmrgely away from the curious denizens of Town Maerin.


    Without the need to sleep aside from a few hours once every three days, I had been using my mornings refining my core in order to replenish my aether reserves enough to study the cuboid relic in the afternoons. In the evenings and overnight, I would stay near the peak of the tree-filled hill practicing not only God Step but also fighting with aether in general.


    Ma had stopped by the first day after the bestowment but I told her I wouldn¡¯t be going anywhere and made her go back home. I didn¡¯t want her to spend the majority of the day with me when her time with her sister was so limited now.


    I did find out from herter on, though, that Belmun had started training seriously at the striker until he would enroll in Stormcove Academy. It turned out that the bruises he had received the night after the bestowment was because he got into a fight with some of the striker students.


    While progress had been made in both studying the cuboid relic as well as God Step, I was slowly growing more and more impatient staying in this small town.


    So when the day of the annual exhibition finally came, I was actually excited.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to do this now?¡± Regis asked, staring at me.


    I held Sylvie¡¯s stone tenderly in my palms. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve tried and my aether core has gotten stronger after practicing God Step.¡±


    ¡°I know, but didn¡¯t yourst attempt almostpletely suck your aether reserves dry? Will you be okay during the exhibition?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I can¡¯t train today because of the exhibition anyway so I might as well. Now shush.¡± I replied, focusing on the translucent stone as I released aether from my core.


    I was met with the same sensation of the aether draining from my body as a shroud of purple enveloped the stone. Unlikest time when it felt like I was trying to fill a pond a few drops at a time, I could now feel an actual stream of aether reaching the inner dimension within the stone. With my aether purer and denser than before, there was even less aether being wasted through the ¡®filtration¡¯ process that urred within the stone as well.


    Still, while definite progress was made, by the time I was left sweating and gasping from the strain of having nearly all of my aether sucked out of me, there were no visible changes to the translucent stone.


    I put the stone back into the extradimensional rune and fell back on the cold floor.


    Staring at the ceiling, I thought of how far I still needed to go. Even after I had gotten this far, it felt like I had barely taken a step forward in this leg of the journey. But what I feared most was what would happen after I reached thest leg.


    Would fulling imbuing aether into the stone truly bring back Sylvie? She had given me her physical form in order to save me. Would she trulye back as the same Sylvie I knew and loved? Would shee back at all?


    My chest ached at these thoughts and it felt like my body had just grown several times heavier as my motivation and determination wavered.


    No. You¡¯vee this far, Arthur. You can¡¯t stop now.


    Letting out a sharp breath, I got up and changed. The sensation of the ck leather-like armor clinging to my skin was a wee change after the previous cloth outfit.


    The gentle knock on the door told me it was nearly time for the exhibition to begin.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said to Regis. With a nod, his form disappeared into my back.


    After pulling the teal robe over my shoulders and inserting the white dagger within the hidden pocket on the inner lining, I headed toward the door.


    I was greeted by a somber Ma. She gave me a smile that didn¡¯t quite reach her eyes. ¡°Good Morning, Ascender Grey.¡±


    ¡°Ma?¡± I raised a brow. ¡°I thought I said to send over someone else to escort me.¡±


    The girl that looked to be just a few years younger than my sister shook her head. ¡°I couldn¡¯t do that. My mind would be more at peace guiding esteemed ascender myself. Thank you for your consideration though. I have enjoyed thest few days with my sister.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good if you¡¯re fine then,¡± I muttered, scratching my cheek.


    The two of us walked down the hill leading to the town proper in silence. The once talkative girl seemed to be lost in thought, stumbling several times on the uneven road.


    ¡°Ah, I almost forgot,¡± Ma suddenly said, turning to me. ¡°Chief Mason has your runecard prepared with the money you¡¯ve earned from selling the mana beasts. He figured since you lost your dimension ring that even with the fee, it¡¯d be more practical than carrying around a bag of gold.¡±


    ¡®Runecards are physical cards linked to a banking institution using runes so that you don¡¯t have to carry physical money around,¡¯ Regis exined simply after a quick mental nudge from me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to pick it up before I leave,¡± I answered, impressed once again by how advanced crya waspared to Dicathen. I was tempted to figure out how to subtly ask more about how the banking institutions here worked when we arrived at the town proper.


    The atmosphere today was much livelier than it had been a few days ago and it only grew worse as we reached the arena. The din of dozens of conversations all fighting for supremacy overpowered the soldiers trying to manage the growing crowd.


    Luckily, we didn¡¯t have to take the main entrance. The two of us were escorted by one of the guards toward a side entrance leading to the area.


    ¡°I will take my leave here, esteemed ascender,¡± Ma said, lowering her head. ¡°Only officials of the towns and guests from Stormcove Academy are allowed inside this viewing room.¡±


    Watching her walk back, leaving me with the guard in the well-lit corridor, I cursed inwardly for thinking that I¡¯d be able to watch the exhibition in peace. I could already guess how stifling a room filled with town officials brown nosing the Stormcove Academy representatives would be.


    The usher standing at the far end of the corridor hurriedly opened the cherrywood door and directed me inside as he called out, ¡°Ascender Grey has arrived!¡±


    I walked into the open-air room that looked over the arena that had rows of preadolescents in uniforms that distinctly highlighted their towns.


    The room was decorated modestly with vases of flowers on dark wood furniture. Theck of seats in this ¡®sitting area¡¯ seemed to suggest the promotion of walking around and getting to know each other.


    Inside were distinguished individuals of varying ages all garbed invish suits or dresses. They each held a wine ss in their hand like they were posing for a picture as they stared at me.


    ¡°Esteemed ascender!¡± a familiar, booming voice called out. Chief Mason wore a fitted suit that highlighted his broad frame. His salt and pepper hair was slicked back while his beard was properlybed and tied near the end.


    He handed me one of the many wine flutes disyed on the cocktail tables arranged throughout the room before turning to the rest of the people present in the room. ¡°We¡¯re all so excited to have you with us today!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for having me.¡±I epted the ss and turned to the staring individuals, raising my ss and presenting a smile. ¡°I must¡¯ve gotten a bit excited myself, seeing as how I¡¯m dressed to join the kids down there rather than to drink here.¡±


    Laughter rang, breaking the tension as the officials present began flocking us.


    ¡®Wow. Who is this smooth-talker and what have you done with the angsty Arthur that I grew to tolerate? I thought you said you were bad at social gatherings,¡¯ Regis said.


    Shut it. And I said I didn¡¯t like social gatherings. That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m bad at them.


    ¡°As expected of esteemed ascender. Not only is your presence so imposing, but your looks are stunning as well,¡± a woman that seemed to be in her early twenties said with a giggle, brushing her hand against mine.


    I smiled back as I took a step toward her. ¡°Please. Call me Grey.¡±


    Not bothering to learn her name, I made my way through the crowd of over twenty. Dismissing their overeagerness to introduce themselves to me and unt whatever morsel of power they had in order to appeal to me, I kept a charming and lighthearted air.


    I had gone through several sses of wine as I exchanged greetings and a drink with the people present while learning more about the three neighboring towns when my entire body suddenly shuddered.


    Regis felt it too as my entire attention was suddenly pulled toward the door we had entered from.


    ¡°Elder Cromely of Stormcove Academy, students Aphene and Pallisun of Stormcove Academy have arrived!¡± the usher announced, opening the door.


    The chatter andughter surrounding me was soon drowned out by the blood pumping in my ears as both Regis and I focused on the lean, grizzled man garbed in a dark suit.


    More specifically, what caught our attention was the unassuming stone thaty mounted on the sleek obsidian cane in his hand. The unassuming stone that held a considerable amount of aether within its decrepit surface.

 Chapter 280

    Chapter 280


    Chapter 280: The Catch


    I tore my gaze from the stone adorning the man¡¯s ck cane and studied the three guests that had just arrived.


    The hook-nosed and pale-skinned Cromely exchanged polite but terse greetings with the flock of town officials and their family members. The two students that looked around my age barely spoke as they kept their chins raised and chests puffed.


    The female student referred to as Aphene had an athlete¡¯s body with long, slim legs that were entuated by her uniform. Her fierce gaze bore into me behind her dark bangs, singling me out.


    Dismissing her provocation as cute at most, I turned my gaze to the blonde man that looked like he¡¯d spent a tad too much time in front of a mirror. Compared to his brusque female schoolmate, the student named Pallisun met everyone with a practiced smile that seemed to convey his hubris in a more implicit way.


    Watching the teen strut in his white suit, which was embroidered with a single embellished shoulder guard, I was reminded of a rainbowgoose disying its feathers during mating season.


    Regis chortled at myparison, agreeing wholeheartedly.


    The trio eventually made their way to me. Following behind them were the entourage of townsmen doing whatever they could to curry their favor or even have them look in their general direction.


    ¡°An honor to have an ascender in our presence,¡± the older representative intoned, his expression not quite matching his words. ¡°My name is Cromely of Blood Mandrick. This is my granddaughter, Aphene,¡± he introduced before gesturing to the student on his left. ¡°And this student is Pallisun of Blood ther. Both of you, introduce yourselves.¡±


    Aphene dipped her head, a bit reluctant. ¡°Aphene of Blood Mandrick.¡±


    Pallisun, who was around my height but with a bit more bulk, scanned me from head to toe.


    ¡°Pallisun of Blood ther,¡± he greeted, releasing a bit of mana that clung tightly against his frame in an attempt to show off his control.


    ¡®What a rainbowgoose,¡¯ Regis judged.


    ¡°A pleasure to meet you all. And thank you again, for taking me with you to Aramoor City,¡± I said to Comer with an amiable smile. He was my ticket out of here, after all.


    ¡°It is nothing,¡± he replied humbly.


    ¡°Hearing that our town had an ascender visiting, Elder Cromely brought along the top students of Stormcove Academy,¡± Chief Mason exined.


    The Stormcove representative¡¯s gaze flickered over the town chief dismissively before adding, ¡°Yes, while they can¡¯t yetpare to Ascender Grey, they¡¯ll both be transferred to an ascender institute in the central domain rather soon.¡±


    I regarded the two students with a casual smile. ¡°Congrattions in advance.¡±


    Pallisun craned his neck to get that extra inch over me as he replied. ¡°You seem very young, esteemed ascender. I can¡¯t imagine you having much experience yet, but I¡¯d still love to hear of your tales down in the Relictombs.¡±


    Regis bristled. ¡®Please, let me humble this man.¡¯


    It¡¯s beneath us to bully them. Plus, I¡¯m baiting them on purpose, I quickly sent to Regis before replying to the vain blonde.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite the pleasant ce for a stroll. Do you care to join me the next time I go?¡± I asked with a wink.


    A few chuckles rang from the crowd around us. Pallisun¡¯s brow twitched in restrained annoyance as he stifled augh as well.


    ¡°Please excuse me while I get a drink,¡± Pallisun said with a forced smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Aphene.¡±


    The two students turned around and headed off to one of the tables behind them. As they did so, I couldn¡¯t help but think that it was a shame their backs were covered, hiding their runes.


    Not dwelling on it, I made myselffortable against the ledge overlooking the exhibition. Below, the host in charge of mediating the event was having the students walk in a circle to wave at the audience.


    Cheers broke out as most of the students headed out of the center field, leaving behind only one group of students that looked to be about eight to ten in age.


    The day progressed as we watched the various events showcasing both the magical and physical prowess of the students.


    Caster students had been up first. Workers brought targets andid them on the opposite side of the field for the students to try and hit with both uracy and power. After that, they began running through an obstacle course while hitting targets without stopping.


    While I didn¡¯t condone child soldiers, it was impressive to see even the children in this small town effortlessly go through theplicated obstacle course while firing like trainedbatants heading for war.


    A war against Dicathen.


    Damn it, I cursed myself for thinking unnecessary thoughts. Anything I did to try and go against crya at this point wouldn¡¯t even amount to the dirt underneath Agrona¡¯s nails.


    Swallowing the bitter taste in my mouth, I continued watching while the caster students finished and the host called for the shields to step up back onto the arena. Their exhibition consisted of each of the shields protecting two mannequins from blunted projectiles made of wood and stone.


    ¡°At that age, I would be fighting to the death against a mana beast my father had captured in order to build battle experience,¡± a clear voice dered a few feet to my right.


    I shifted my gaze to see Pallisun standing with a frilly-dress girl under each arm. He continued to brag loudly about his training as a shield at their age. Meanwhile the girls cooed and giggled as if his very words contained gold.


    He wasn¡¯t the only one enjoying the spectacle below. During these two events, the other officials from the neighboring towns made wagers on their own local students, while the names of promising students were mentioned and praised loudly enough in the hopes that Cromely could hear.


    As the shield students of Town Ludro, Cessir, Deura and Maerin stepped down, the atmosphere shifted. While both the casters and shields received enthusiastic cheers throughout their events, they paled inparison to when the striker students stepped up on the tform that had been raised for their tournament.


    This particr event would consist of six representative strikers from each town, all partaking in the tournament. They¡¯d start by having the six duel each other for the spot of representing their towns and it would end with the remaining striker from each town facing off in the semi-finals and finals.


    After the host reminded the strikers that intentionally losing to let a specific member of their town advance was strictly forbidden, the tournamentmenced.


    While I didn¡¯t expect much, I had to admit that I enjoyed the exhibition. Judging by how Aphene had stopped bothering to watch after the first match, I¡¯m sure she would disagree.


    The children fought with practiced movements, disying prowess in both physical and magical abilities. Because of how the marks or crests they had confined the scope of their spell to take form into a specific shape or action, they had to rely on understanding and outmaneuvering their opponents¡ªutilizing their magic as a tool rather than relying on it.


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine this little pageant would entertain you in any way,¡± a thin voice intoned from behind.


    ¡°You¡¯d be mistaken then,¡± I said lightly without turning around. ¡°At this level, their ¡®weapons¡¯ are unsharpened and inflexible. This forces them to be more quick-witted and creative. Don¡¯t you agree, Elder Cromely?¡±


    The older man stepped up next to me, a brow raised in thought. ¡°Are you saying that the sharper our weapons get, the slower and more unimaginative we be?¡±


    I shifted my gaze to Cromely with a smirk pulling at the edge of my mouth. ¡°That would depend on the person, but the temptation to lean heavily on the sharpest tool is always there. Isn¡¯t that why we¡¯ve evolved from fighting with our bare fists in the first ce?¡±


    Cromely blinked for a second before letting out augh. ¡°Wise words that I haven¡¯t thought of myself. Perhaps the Relictombs bestow wisdom upon its ascenders.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    Turning my gaze back to the next pair of striker students stepping up onto the arena. ¡°So have you found anyone worth admitting to Stormcove Academy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already scanned the entire lot of students and not a single one carries the mana reserves worthy of bringing in,¡± he replied in a tone that said he had expected it. ¡°Still. The Headmaster of our academy requested we bring more talents from outside Aramoor City so I¡¯ll just take the winner of this little tournament.¡±


    ¡°Is that so. To me, it sounds like you never had any intention to take this seriously,¡± I mused.


    ¡°Truthfully, I was reluctant to visit this...outpost.¡± Cromely then turned to me, his hooked nose less than an arm¡¯s length away from my face. ¡°If that old bear of a man hadn¡¯t told me an actual ascender was here and needed a favor, I wouldn¡¯t have bothereding, let alone with my top two students.¡±


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯re implying something, Elder Cromely,¡± I responded, casting a sideways nce at the older man. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that there were strings attached for my short trip to Aramoor Academy.¡±


    ¡°No strings attached, of course,¡± he quickly responded with a dryugh. ¡°I merely hoped that you would grace my students and this town with a demonstration of the strength of an ascender.¡±


    I had been waiting for this. From the moment the two students he had arrived with began sizing me up for a fight, I knew the chances were high. Still, I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d want to challenge me here.


    ¡®Makes sense though,¡¯ Regis sent. ¡®If you guys spar here and they lose, they don¡¯t run the risk of losing face for stupidly challenging an ascender.¡¯


    ¡°Hmm...while educating the youth is important, I chose to be an ascender rather than an instructor because I valued material goods a bit more,¡± I hinted with a yful smile.


    The old representative blinked and seemed toe back to himself after a moment. Letting out a heartyugh, he patted me on the arm. ¡°Looks like it won¡¯t be very hard to get along with you, Ascender Grey! Name your price!¡±


    ¡°Gold is easy toe by,¡± I said, shing him the runecard that Chief Mason handed me earlier filled with the earnings from selling the mana beasts I had used as practice dummies. ¡°But I am curious about that odd rock you have on your cane.¡±


    ¡°As expected of an ascender, you have a good eye,¡± he mused while holding up his cane. ¡°Even though this has been deemed a dead relic by our sovereign, it still cost me a small fortune during the auction.¡±


    ¡°Does it contain any sort of special effects or secrets?¡± I asked nonchntly, suppressing both my and Regis¡¯ urge to consume the aether stored inside it.


    ¡°If a dead relic could perform even the smallest spec of ancient magic, then it would be impossible for a mere academy elder in some small city to afford it,¡± Cromely answered as he rubbed the palm-sized stone with his thumb. ¡°No, it¡¯s just a very expensive trinket to brag about.¡±


    ¡°A shame,¡± I said, feigning disappointment.


    I was unaware that relics deemed ¡®dead¡¯ by Agrona were auctioned back to the public, but it made sense. Why not obtain riches for the scraps you have no use for after taking all of the relics that were still intact.


    Thinking back, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how things would¡¯ve yed out differently if I didn¡¯t have the dimensional storage rune and Chief Mason had said he would need to take the cuboid relic from me.


    It was safe to assume that my rtionship with the people of this town wouldn¡¯t have been as carefree as it was now.


    ¡°Still. If Ascender Grey is a connoisseur of these sorts, I can¡¯t imagine you not wanting to add this to your collection,¡± he replied. ¡°How about this. If Esteemed Ascender can best Pallisun and my granddaughter in a friendly spar, I will not only escort you to Aramoor City and ensure you¡¯repletely taken care of, I¡¯ll also give you this relic. If they can best you, all Ascender Grey needs to do is put in a good word for them.¡±


    I cocked a brow. ¡°Put in a good word?¡±


    A knowing smile reced the look of confusion on the older man¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s no use feigning ignorance, Ascender Grey. Mason told me your close rtions with Highblood Denoir,¡± he whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your secret is safe with me.¡±


    I took a deep breath and willed down my irritation. Looks like therge chief caved in. I really didn¡¯t want my association with such a powerful name being broadcasted so soon, but I guess it did work in my favor at the moment.


    Letting out a sigh, I agreed. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like a bad proposition.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Cromely pped his hands, showing a smile that actually reached his eyes for the first time. ¡°I presume that you¡¯d have no qualms with facing off against my two students at the same time?¡±


    He really has no shame, I conveyed inwardly to Regis.


    Shrugging, I said to the older man, ¡°I assumed that would be the case.¡±


    ¡°As expected of an ascender!¡± Cromely beamed. ¡°I¡¯m sure whether my students win or lose, this will be an excellent learning experience for them!¡±


    ¡®As expected of an ascender,¡¯ Regis echoed mockingly. ¡®What a fox.¡¯


    He speaks in politics. It¡¯s nothing to be surprised about when there¡¯s such a distinction within the hierarchy in crya.


    I watched as Cromely walked off after giving me a small bow. He couldn¡¯t have taken more than five steps away when Chief Mason immediately scurried over to me, concernced in his furrowed brows. ¡°E-Esteemed Ascender.¡±


    Chief Mason turned his head to make sure Cromely was out of earshot before continuing. ¡°M-My sincerest apologies. Elder Cromely was on the verge of cancelling his visit, and I know that would implicate your trip back to Aramoor City as well. And he¡¯s met many ascenders before so just saying you were an ascender didn¡¯t seem to interest him.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s done is done,¡± I replied, my voice leaking a tinge of annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you¡¯ve anticipated that Elder Cromely would ask me to put on a little show with his students?¡±


    The burly man¡¯s gaze lowered. ¡°He has mentioned it, yes.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then progress as nned.¡± I stood up to get a drink when Chief Mason grabbed my sleeve.


    ¡°Please be careful of Elder Cromely. He is known to be quite devious in his ns, and he cherishes his granddaughter very much,¡± he leaned in and whispered.


    My mouth twitched upward in a smirk. ¡°So you¡¯re worrying about me now?¡±


    The town chief¡¯s expression faltered and he looked like he was about to crawl into a hole.


    ¡°I¡¯m joking,¡± I smiled, patting therge man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I hope your son wins the exhibition. His first win was impressive.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Chief Mason¡¯s expression brightened as he beamed in pride.


    Meanwhile, I made my way toward the exit, passing by Cromely with his two students. Aphene¡¯s fierce expression mirrored her determination while Pallisun looked like he had already won.


    ¡®Not that I¡¯m worried, but are you going to be okay? They seem to be hiding something and you¡¯ve drained most of your aether reserves trying to wake up Sylvie,¡¯ Regis voiced his concerns.


    They¡¯re under the assumption that I¡¯m a newly fledged ascender that barely made it out of his first ascent.


    A smile pulled at my lips as I left the viewing lounge. I had been getting bored of training against the mana beasts nearby, and whether this duel would prove challenging or not, I¡¯d at least get to enjoy unwinding.

 Chapter 281

    Chapter 281


    Chapter 281: Once In a Lifetime


    I felt somewhat bad.


    Chief Mason¡¯s son, Braxton, had won the striker¡¯s tournament, meaning he would be sent to Aramoor City to be a student at Stormcove Academy. Any other day, Braxton would¡¯ve been the center of attention for his victory and the target of envy of his peers and even the parents of those peers. Not only Braxton, but his entire family¡¯s status would be elevated within Maerin and¡ªif he did well at Stormcove¡ªall of Aramoor City.


    However, after Cromely had congratted Braxton on winning the tournament and half-heartedly expressed that he was looking forward to seeing him at Stormcove, the old representative practically pushed the poor boy off stage and announced a ¡®once-in-a-lifetime event¡¯ for the citizens of the four towns gathered here today.


    The crowd quickly forgot about the exhibition and erupted into cheers as his two students and I entered the stage with Cromely standing between us. Workers moved the raised tform that they had used for the student¡¯s fighting stage since we¡¯d need more space, leaving only the leveled dirt floor of the arena.


    ¡°Thank you for agreeing to spar against us,¡± Pallisun called out from about a dozen yards away as he stood beside Aphene. ¡°We were afraid you would decline.¡±


    ¡°The pleasure is mine,¡± I said with a smile, ignoring the haughty undertone in his gratitude.


    Both he and hispanion had changed from their more formal wardrobe. While their armor looked more like a fashion statement than functional battlewear, their weapons told a different story.


    Pallisun withdrew a coffin shield that was nearly as tall as he was and twice as wide from his dimension ring. Aphene, meanwhile, gripped a ymore with a pearlescent de in her right hand while a silver bracer covered her entire left arm.


    ¡°Following the standard rules of non-lethal duels, weapons are permitted but must be blunt,¡± Cromely announced as he stood between us to moderate.


    The three of them waited silently for me to withdraw my weapons but I waved my hand. ¡°I¡¯ll fight bare-handed.¡±


    Aphene stepped forward, eyes narrowed. ¡°Are you looking to me your defeat on theck of a weapon, Ascender Grey?¡±


    ¡®Nnngh! They¡¯re so cheeky,¡¯ Regis growled, bristling with anger within me.


    ¡°I promise to me only myself upon defeat,¡± I replied calmly before turning to Cromely. ¡°Now, can we begin?¡±


    The old man let out a cough before he began stepping back several paces, holding his right hand high in the air.


    ¡°Begin!¡± Cromely belted as he swung down his hand.


    Immediately, the crowd began to cheer as Pallisun held up his shield to cover both him and his partner while studying me closely.


    Now that I thought about it, they had no clue whether I was a caster, shield, or striker.


    After a brief pause, the two charged forward. Though both were hidden from view behind therge shield, I could sense Aphene preparing for an attack using the ambient aether around them.


    Taking a dueling stance with both arms rxed at my sides, I pondered how to approach this. By the visible manifestations of mana ring out from the two of them, it was safe to assume that their levels rivaled that of an A-rank adventurer¡ªprobably more.


    With my mana reserves barely at the ten percent mark, there was just enough danger to keep me on my toes.


    Pallisun kicked up a storm of dust behind him as he continued his charge toward me. Sidestepping out of the way was simple enough, but Aphene was waiting for that, brandishing her ymore.


    Aphene¡¯s dark hair fluttered in the wind as she swung a broad arc, following up with a lunge.


    Meanwhile Pallisun made a sharp turn aided by precise bursts of wind until his shield glimmered just a few feet away like a bull rearing its horns. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to do more than just dodge!¡± the shield-wielding student roared.


    Their movements were well-practiced and without tant openings. Aphene used Pallisun as protection¡ªand an obstruction to limit my view on her¡ªwhile sheunched a series of attacks. With the two of them fighting like this together, I wouldn¡¯t doubt their ability to rival even a veteran AA-rank adventurer.


    Unfortunately, with my experience supplemented by the inhuman reflexes I had inherited, they might as well have been calling out their moves.


    Pivoting on my front foot, I redirected Aphene¡¯s next lunge with my hand against the t of her de. At the same time, I stamped my back foot into the ground just as Pallisun was about to tackle me.


    With my foot obstructing Pallisun¡¯s charge, he flew over my shoulder, barely able to hold on to his shield. Aphene had put most of her weight into that lunge, making her body lurch forward as her attack missed its mark. Making use of her imbnce, I hit her with an open palm square on her gauntlet.


    Aphene toppled on the ground while barely able to roll to her feet. Pallisun fared better with his wind magic that allowed him to reposition himself in the air tond deftly on his feet.


    It seemed that the structured magic emzoned on his back in the form of either a crest or emblem allowed the broadly-built student to create quick and urate bursts of wind.


    My gaze lingered on the two naive students as their expressions shifted to that of anger framed neatly with the flush of embarrassment.


    APHENE MANDRICK


    ¡°What¡¯s with those faces?¡± the ascender tilted his head. ¡°You should¡¯ve expected this much from an ascender, right?¡±


    I studied the man that had justpletely countered all of our moves. Despite his toned but slender frame and unarmed state, I couldn¡¯t help but begin to fear this man. His golden eyes, nonchnt expression, and charming manner should¡¯vee off as amiable, but he had all the warmth of a predator seeking blood.


    Unwilling to show any weakness, I swallowed my emotions.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t want to identally hurt you. My apologies for underestimating your prowess.¡± I stood back up and spoke through gnashed teeth. ¡°It won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    Pallisun, next to me, abandoned his shield as if to punctuate my point. Realising that our opponent was clearly a striker, he withdrew the two ted gauntlets that he had inherited as the next-in-line of the ther blood.


    The wind hummed and hissed as he curled his fingers into a fist before dashing forth while I followed shortly behind.


    Pallisun swung his wind-d fist, hitting thin air as the ascender easily stepped back before kicking him the chest. Despite the weight difference between powerfully built Pallisun and the ascender, my partner doubled over, gasping for breath.


    Not willing to give the ascender even a moment¡¯s chance, I leaped over Pallisun and swung Harmony downward in a feint. My sword¡¯s shimmering de whistled as it cut through the air just in front of the ascender before I channeled a flood of mana into my sword arm in order to change the trajectory of my de mid-swing.


    My own sword¡¯s motion was a blur and even I was barely able to follow it, but somehow, his pale hand had grabbed my wrist out of the air.


    ¡°Not bad.¡± Despite how thin and pretty his hand looked, he held my wrist in an iron grip, dodging nonchntly as I caught Harmony with my free hand and swung.


    ¡°Try again,¡± he said as if he were my instructor rather than my opponent. The ascender released my hand¡ªthen pushed me square in my shoulder.


    My whole body jerked back from the sudden force before I spun from the impact.


    Pallisun managed to get out of the way before I tripped over him. As the two of us recovered, we stood side by side with weapons up to defend. However, the ascender merely stood there with that aloof¡ªalmost bored¡ªexpression of his.


    ¡°Cocky bastard.¡± My partner spat on the ground and straightened himself as swirls of wind encased his entire body.


    He gave me a knowing nce and I nodded in understanding.


    Just like how we¡¯ve been practicing.


    We burst forward once more at the ascender from different angles. I dug my heels and prepared to thrust Harmony¡¯s point at him a few steps shy of reaching him while Pallisun ducked low and aimed for the legs.


    However, just as I began to channel lightning through my arm and into my de, the ascender had shed past Pallisun and was right in front of me.


    Moving with keen precision, he dodged my stab. Then the world suddenly flipped as I found myself in the air.


    ¡°Aphene!¡± Pallisun¡¯s voice rang, snapping me out of my reverie.


    A rush of wind oriented me enough to aim the spell that I had been channeling. I unleashed the voltaic spear from the point of my de while I descended.


    Yet, even the fastest element of all couldn¡¯t catch the ascender off-guard as he blurred away from view.


    By the time my feet had touched the ground the ascender had tripped, spun, mmed, and thrust his fist down at my partner¡¯s chest. Thankfully, Pallisun had managed to bring his arms up in a crossguard, but the sheer strength of the impact cracked the dirt floor.


    Immediately, I kicked back to maintain my distance rather than try to fight close quarters against this monster.


    I swung Harmony in a broad arc. A shockwave of lightning ripped out of my de and arced toward the ascender standing on top of Pallisun.


    I didn¡¯t stop there. Focusing more mana into my emblem, I willed the voltaic crescent to split into over a dozen separate projectiles. It took all of my concentration to control the chaotic nature of lightning into the form I wanted, but in that span of time, the ascender pried Pallisun from the ground and raised him to use as a human shield.


    ¡°Coward!¡± I cursed, dispersing the spell just before it hit my partner.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one fighting without a weapon.¡± The wheat-haired ascender frowned as he peeked his head from behind Pallisun¡¯s unconscious body. ¡°But I¡¯m confused. Are you a striker or caster?¡±


    Is he not even taking this seriously?


    Both Pallisun and I had tested into the threshold of high-tier mage¡ªhe as a shield and myself as a striker. The evolution of one of my crests into an emblem had allowed me to even fire lightning over a distance.


    Yet, this ascender who seemed to be using only pure mana, was drawing circles around us like we were toddlers barely able to walk.


    The ascender¡¯s gaze flickered over to Pallisun. ¡°You¡¯re conscious already?¡±


    ¡°Screw you!¡± my partner roared, unleashing a dome of aura around them. The uneven ground ttened as even I felt the pull of gravity weighing down on me.


    Pallisun¡¯s first emblem took a heavy toll on him with his current mana capacity. If he had decided to use that as well, then I shouldn¡¯t hold back either.


    ¡°Hold on!¡± I shouted as Pallisun broke free from the ascender¡¯s weakened grip.


    My partner and the ascender broke out into a close-quarter brawl. But even within the gravity field that should¡¯ve been slowing down his movements, the ascender seemed unimpeded.


    Wasting no time, I ignited my second emblem.


    ¡°Aphene, stop!¡± I heard my grandfather¡¯s concerned voice in a drawl as the entire world shifted into slow motion.


    My body protesting as my mana coursed through my emblem, releasing voltaic mana that pulsed through my veins like thousands of small pinpricks. I could feel every inch of my body electrified with energy, renewing my confidence.


    In a way, the ascender¡¯s capabilities would work to our advantage.


    With the footage our artifact captured from this spar, Pallisun and I would surely be able to get into an ascender¡¯s academy in the central domain.


    My gaze flickered onto the ascender who¡ªeven as he fought against Pallisun¡ªhad his gaze cemented on me with an expression of surprise for the first time.


    It¡¯s not surprising. Internal lightning magic is rare, and this one is a high-tier emblem.


    Tuning out my grandfather¡¯s shouts, I approached their duel. ¡°Pallisun!¡±


    The emblem on my partner¡¯s lower back zed underneath his tunic and the dome of heightened gravity condensed around his gauntlets to form a ssy aura that blurred the space within it.


    A confident smile arose from Pallisun¡¯s worn face as he activated the full effects of the precious artifact designed for Blood ther¡¯s inherent affinity for gravity magic.


    Once he was able to fully master his emblem and gauntlets, Pallisun would be able to not only block physical projectiles, but redirect magical ones as well through the use of the repellent force.


    Even in his current state, he would be a force to be reckoned with. And with me by his side, even a full-fledged ascender would be hard-pressed to beat us, let alone one that had just barely finished his first ascent.


    ¡°Interesting!¡± the ascender beamed.


    Then, for the first time, the ascender approached us.


    I had known he was fast. He¡¯d been not much more than a blur or sh of color during our previous exchanges. But even with my internal lightning spell greatly heightening my senses and reflexes, I was barely able to keep up with his movement.


    Pallisun managed to bring his arms up to defend against the ascender¡¯s strike, allowing me to step around my partner and swing toward the man¡¯s exposed side.


    The world around me moved in slow motion while my senses took everything in¡ªthe crunch of dirt beneath my feet, the whistle of Harmony¡¯s de cutting the air, and the resounding thud of the ascender¡¯s fist hitting Pallisun¡¯s gauntlet.


    Yet, before I could finish the blow, the ascender spun on his heels, closing the distance between us and my swing ran harmlessly behind the man¡¯s back. He trapped my sword arm under his own and swept my legs out from under me.


    I could follow every moment of the ascender¡¯s brilliant maneuver, from his footwork, to his apparent ability to predict the position of my swing while timing his own movements. Following and reacting, however, were two different stories.


    Before he could finish his move, Pallisun managed to swing a gravity-imbued punch from behind the ascender.


    It wasn¡¯t surprising to see that he was able to dodge¡ªmaybe one of his emblems or a regalia had given him a pair of eyes behind his head. This time, however, the field of gravity surrounding my partner¡¯s gauntlet expanded just as it passed the ascender¡¯s head, pushing him just enough for me to wiggle free from his grasp before executing ateral handspring to upright myself.


    My left leg throbbed like it was on fire from just a simple kick, but I managed to put enough weight on it to follow up Pallisun¡¯s attack with a low horizontal sweep with Harmony.


    The ascender pivoted back, dodging my strike, and at the same time, hooking his leg behind the inside of Pallisun¡¯s knees.


    Before I could even warn Pallisun, the ascender kicked his leg back and swung a straightened arm right at his face.


    Pallisun¡¯s neck snapped back from the force while his legs iled up in the air before the back of his head smashed against the dirt floor in a resounding crash.


    A guttural yell tore out of my throat as I charged the ascender.


    I can do this. I can still read his movements. As long as I can read it, I can react.


    The ascender looked back over his shoulder with an impatient gaze, causing me to involuntarily flinch. He turned toward me and began approaching.


    Currents of electricity coiled around me, reassuring me that I could win this exchange, while I continued I watched every inch of his body for signs of his next move.


    His left shoulder twitched, and I responded by bringing Harmony to defend my left side. Then his right shoulder twitched, followed by his left arm rising. I tried to react and predict all of his movements but by the time he had gotten into range, I realized his hand was by my throat.


    His grip was gentle, with just enough pressure to let me know that he had won.


    He hadn¡¯t simply won. He hadpletely used my most powerful spell against me.


    Withdrawing my mana, I dropped my sword. ¡°I-I concede.¡±


    It was when I spoke that I realized that I had been holding in my breath. As I acknowledged my defeat, my shoulders slumped and the trapped air escaped from my lungs.


    I was frustrated, disappointed, and envious of the man who stood in front of me. But more than anything, I realized I was relieved¡ªrelieved that he wasn¡¯t truly my enemy.


    Because I knew that had he considered this a real fight, I wouldn¡¯t be alive.


    The entire arena shook from the crowd erupting into cheers, pulling me out of my thoughts.


    ¡°It was a good fight,¡± he spoke in a low voice as he lowered his hand from my throat. ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t rely so heavily on something you have no idea how to properly use.¡±


    ¡°Aphene!¡± the familiar voice of my grandfather rang from behind.


    The ascender patted my shoulder as he walked past me. ¡°Do you have a name for that spell?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no official name for it in the records,¡± I mustered, turning my head toward him. ¡°I just call it internal lightning.¡±


    He looked back with a faint smile. ¡°How about naming it ¡®Thunderp Impulse¡¯?¡±

 Chapter 282

    Chapter 282


    Chapter 282: Deep Dive


    The nondescript ck stone hung in the air just shy of the ceiling before falling back into my hand. I threw it again like I had been for the past hour as I thought about what to do with the relic.


    Meanwhile, I could hear the rhythmic thumping of Regis¡¯ tail. He had been sitting beside my bed for about just as long, his eyes following the stone like a starving dog in front of meat. The only thing missing from the picture was a tongue hanging out and saliva spilling from his mouth. Sentient weapon capable of mass destruction bestowed by the asuras, indeed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not giving this to you,¡± I said tly despite Regis¡¯ subliminal begging.


    ¡°Ohe on! You promised a percentage of all of the aether you consume,¡± he cried.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided whether I¡¯m going to consume the aether from this relic yet.¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you consume it? That¡¯s something even Agrona can¡¯t do; otherwise he would probably hoard all of the dead relics,¡± he argued, bbergasted.


    ¡°Dead or not, this is still a relic,¡± I argued back, catching the ck stone in my hand as I sat up on my bed.


    My progress with the keystone¡ªthe name I came up with for the cuboid relic¡ªwas slow, but it had be increasingly obvious how powerful the knowledge stored inside it was.


    ¡°If I can somehow tap into this relic as well, maybe I can gain insights into a new god rune,¡± I continued. ¡°Or maybe this thing is actually a weapon or some sort of tool.¡±


    Regis lowered his ears, dejected. ¡°If Agrona, who has been tinkering with relics for gods knows how long can¡¯t figure it out, how do you expect to do it?¡±


    ¡°Utilize my inherent advantages until I¡¯m able to figure it out?¡± I shrugged nonchntly. ¡°I¡¯m tempted to consume the aether in here to refine my core too, but I don¡¯t want to do anything I can¡¯t undo.¡±


    ¡°So what are you going to do with it until then? Mount it on a cane like that old man?¡± Regis retorted, his eyes narrowing in displeasure.


    I smirked. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll just hang it off a stick and dangle it in front of your face as I ride you around the city.¡±


    ¡°Rude.¡±


    I let out a chuckle. ¡°Then stop looking at it like it¡¯s a carrot.¡±


    With a snort, my mighty steed turned away and curled up in the corner to sulk.


    Letting out a sigh, I walked over to therge window overlooking one of the main streets of Aramoor City. The sight of crowded sidewalks that sandwiched a fourned road designed for carriagesy strewn below. Storefronts with colorful awnings blended in with the rich and vibrant styles of the denizens that walked with a sense of purpose.


    cing my newly-acquired relic into my dimensional rune, I headed toward the door.


    Regis¡¯ ears perked at the sound of my footsteps. ¡°Heading to the library again?¡±


    ¡°Mhmm,¡± I answered. ¡°Are you going to stay behind again?¡±


    ¡°Might as well. I¡¯m going to fall asleep there anyway,¡± he groused. ¡°At least here, I can take in some ambient aether.¡±


    ¡°I promise I¡¯ll let you absorb my aether again once we¡¯re back in the Relictombs,¡± I said apologetically before heading out the door.


    Heading out into the crowded street, I looked around. I made it a habit to take a different route with every trip, not only taking in the sights that the busy city had to offer but how the people behaved as well.


    Four days had passed since my duel with Aphene and Pallisun. After collecting my prize from the reluctant Cromely and destroying the recording artifacts that he had arranged, I bid my farewell to the small and peaceful town of Maerin.


    Loreni, Ma, and Chief Mason were really the only ones I cared enough about to say goodbye. I had assumed that Ma would be travelling to Aramoor with us but it turned out that due to how rare a sentry of her innate ability was, she would be sent to arger city capable of properly testing her.


    The usually talkative Ma had barely uttered a word as Loreni exined all of this with as much enthusiasm she could muster, and I left it at that. The two sisters had been helpful since my arrival in crya and I was thankful for them, but that was it.


    Belmun, the shaggy-haired kid that tried to make me take him as my student, came with us along with Braxton and an older male from Maerin that I didn¡¯t recognize.


    The entire party from Stormcove Academy had been in a foul mood ever since I had beat them in the duel but acknowledged their loss. Thankfully, the travel to Aramoor was short¡ªalmost instant, actually. Within the designatednding port on the edge of academy grounds, Cromely handed me a piece of paper and gave me directions to an inn where I would findfortable lodgings, then bid me farewell.


    I watched Belmun shoot me a wide grin before he and Braxton eagerly followed after the representatives of Stormcove Academy. Trailing behind them silently was the caretaker assigned to them from Maerin.


    A light brush against my shoulder brought me out of my thoughts.


    ¡°Excuse me! Watch where you¡¯re go¡ª¡± The blue-haired woman with colorful makeup that entuated her eyes froze as she gazed up at me. Her cheeks flushed but it might¡¯ve just been her makeup. ¡°O-Oh, my apologies.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I replied, deadpan.


    I continued walking, ignoring the lingering gazes of passersby. It was hard to admit but even a supposed small city like Aramoor could give Xyrus City a run for its money.


    Restaurants specializing in cuisines of the different dominionsy strewn next to each other while well-dressed denizens sipping on drinks conversing leisurely lounged in cafes with outside patios.


    ¡°And don¡¯te back!¡± a gruff voice shouted ahead.


    A well-built old man, face scarlet and eyes half-closed,y on the ground as the shop owner of the restaurant mmed the door behind him.


    ¡°Bah! Your rum tasted like chilled piss anyway,¡± the drunkard shouted in a slur, throwing the bottle he had been holding at the door.


    By now, a small crowd had formed around him as murmurs of judgement and criticism were heard. The drunkard, however, didn¡¯t seem to mind as he spat on the ground, scratching his bed of long and disheveled gray hair.


    He did, however, single me out within the crowd and gave me a ssy stare before walking away with surprising deftness despite his inebriated state.


    Not thinking much of it, I eventually passed the row of restaurants and arrived at what seemed like the clothing district.


    I debated for a minute whether to purchase some new clothes. Even while wearing the in shirt and pants I had taken from Town Maerin, I had been drawing attention, which I wanted to minimize.


    In the end, I decided against it, not wanting to get caught up in frivolous things. Walking past the shopping district, I made my way toward the small building I had been frequenting ever sinceing here: the library.


    ¡°Wee,¡± the attendant, a bored looking teenage boy, muttered, not caring enough to even peek up from the book he was reading.


    Unlike the rest of the city, the library was empty and unembellished, with way too many wooden shelves for the amount of books it contained.


    While grabbing a few books that I hadn¡¯t read in the past few days, I ran into a particrly older leather-bound book. What had caught my eye was the red splotches on the corners of the cover and spine. When I opened and flipped through the pages, it looked like the words were actually written in blood.


    I cocked a brow, briefly studying the content inside. ¡°Well, this is new.¡±


    I dropped the bloody book in my pile of to-reads before taking a seat in one of the less wobbly chairs.


    Looking at the stack of books, I let out an audible sigh.


    It was disheartening that I had alreadye to expect what sort of books these would be even without opening them.


    As a totalitarian continent ruled basically by gods, the books that were avable in this library were mostly propaganda outlining an embellished history where Agrona and the Vritra descended upon crya to help the inhabitants and bring a new age of magic and technology under the safe haven from the other gods that have vowed to strike down all lessers.


    These past few days, I had to stop myself fromughing a few times at the sheer ridiculousness of some of these books. Most of them made Agrona out to be a strict but just god that valued and rewarded the strong, while the asuras of Epheotus were gods that hated Agrona for his love and benevolence toward us lessers and were hell-bent on destroying all of us.


    I had to admit that, while it was twisted in a very favorable way toward Agrona and his n, there were some truths mixed in¡ªnamely, the fact that the gods of Epheotus had been the ones to destroy the ancient beings of the old, the ancient mages.


    And in order to find those tidbits of information that would prove useful, I had to continue sifting through fictional history and veneration for Agrona and his Vritra n that seemed to be spread throughout the continent.


    Hence, me sitting in front of another stack of books.


    The first book that I opened was the one written in blood. Despite its rather insidious source of ink, the content written inside might¡¯ve just been a passionate worshipper of Agrona. It outlined that the unjust gods hated Agrona for loving us and bestowing the lessers with magic as well as spreading his blood. It also neatly reinforced why Agrona wanted everyone to get so strong¡ªso that they could protect themselves and help Agrona fight against the unjust gods that simply wanted to kill them for not being gods.


    I always wondered why people here referred to family as ¡®blood¡¯, and this book had the answer.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± I whispered to myself as I read through thetter half of the blood-scored book.


    It highlighted the importance of how rich your blood was with the Vritra lineage. Apparently, Agrona and the rest of his ns had gotten fairly friendly with the cryans of old while they were experimenting.


    Of course, the book outlined this as High Sovereign Agrona and his Vritra n ¡®falling in love¡¯ with the people of crya and spreading their ¡®seed¡¯ for crya to flourish.


    How disturbing.


    Thankfully, the next book contained some new information that didn¡¯t have to do with asuran reproduction.


    Apparently, aside from Agrona, the High Sovereign that resided in the towering spire situated neatly in the middle of the Central Dominion¡ªwhich, strangely, had no name unlike the other four dominions.


    I squinted my eyes, trying to read the faded name of the spire. ¡°Taegrin Caelum.¡±


    Reading on, the author wrote, ¡°Aside from High Sovereign who resided in the mysterious Taegrin Caelum, there exists five other sovereigns that protect and watch over their respective dominion.¡±


    ording to the author, these five ¡®Named Sovereigns¡¯, even as gods, were much more intertwined in the lesser affairs of their dominion¡ªying king while answering only to Agrona, the High Sovereign.


    The book eventually trailed off into a tangent describing the various great deeds that the Sovereign residing over Etril, the eastern dominion, had aplished.


    After finishing the book, I took a moment to digest its content. I had thought about what the books had taught me. While factually wrong, it shed light on the culture of this continent, and more importantly, what the people here believed in.


    Time passed by in a blur as I became engrossed in the books in front of me. While many were basically different authors¡¯ renditions of crya¡¯s glorified history, time wasn¡¯tpletely wasted.


    An interesting tidbit of history contained within a book titled, ¡®Rise of Ascenders¡¯, was that it wasn¡¯t until about seventy years ago that the term ¡®ascenders¡¯ was coined. Before then, practically anyone was able to delve into the Relictombs, but because there were so many mages willing to partake in the ascents to try and get rich, crya¡¯s poption was constantly declining.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot like how the Beast des was responsible for most of the deaths in Dicathen,¡± I muttered quietly.


    ording to the book, while measures had been taken by the Vritra to restrict the Relictombs to only those who passed a rigorous test, this only applied to those who wanted to go deeper than the third floor.


    Apparently, the first three zones of the Relictombs were an interconnected underground expanse filled with valuable natural resources with very little beasts present.


    The author didn¡¯t seem to be an ascender himself because he never went into further detail on the deeper levels of the Relictombs. However, the first three zones only had weak monsters and were prime ces to train even without an ascender¡¯s badge, so anyone was allowed to go in.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± I whispered as I read on.


    The book went on a tangent, focusing on the mages that had survived several ascents before this test became mandated. These mages had made a name for themselves from the riches they gained, i.e. Named Bloods.


    Basically, they were nobles that seemed to be a tier below the High Bloods who were considered true nobility based on their lineage tracing back to an actual Vritra.


    The author went on to apud the efforts of the Named Bloods and High Bloods that soon built academies to raise ascenders and teach the new generation from their own experiences so that they could better survive.


    I couldn¡¯t help but note that this was the first instance that an author had praised someone other than the High Sovereign.


    Even under the embellished prose of this particr writer, ascenders were just glorified tomb raiders. To the mass, they were seen as heroes, but it seemedrgely because of how Agrona himself ced such importance on it.


    The author even wrote that there had been many times where Agrona himself said that his biggest regret was not being able to enter the Relictombs. That was because the ancient mages had designed them so that the vengeful gods of Epheotus would not take advantage of the secrets within and use them against the cryans, and thereby not allow the Vritra to go in as well.


    I couldn¡¯t help roll my eyes at the section that stressed how Agrona and the Vritra wouldn¡¯t go inside the Relictombs out of fear that their presence would destroy the ce, rather than say they couldn¡¯t go.


    In the end, the ascenders were basically marketed as heroes risking their lives in a ce that gods weren¡¯t able to go in to find treasures left in the wakes of thest ¡®ancient beings¡¯. Treasures that would ultimately help the sovereigns fight against the other gods.


    ¡°Watch it!¡± a voice rang from the front of the library.


    I turned to see the bored teen up on his feet, angrily ring at the drunkard¡ªthe same drunkard from the restaurant¡ªwho had managed to spill whatever liquid was in the bottle in his hand on the floor.


    ¡°Oops! Sorry about that, kiddo,¡± the drunkard said with a hup. He sauntered inside the library, teetering on his feet but never actually losing bnce.


    It wasn¡¯t until his bloodshot eyes locked onto mine that his expression brightened. ¡°Aha! I knew you¡¯d be here.¡±


    He ¡®knew¡¯ I¡¯d be here?


    While annoyed by both his interruption and his foul stench, my curiosity got the better of me. I remained in my seat as I waited for the drunkard to make his way to my table.


    He practically fell on the seat across from mine as he mmed his beverage on the table, liquid sshing on the books.


    For a moment the two of us sat silently, gauging each other. Finally, he broke into a wide grin, showing a set of white teeth underneath his unkempt beard and spoke.


    ¡°So...what continent are you from?¡±

 Chapter 283

    Chapter 283


    Chapter 283: A Mutually Beneficial Partnership


    ¡°This is why you need the expensive stuff!¡± the drunkard emphasized as the ss hit the bar table with a ¡®thud¡¯. ¡°Come on, pretty boy. Take a swig!¡±


    I red at the grizzled old man with caramel liquid dribbling down the sides of his


    mouth and into his beard and wondered how I ended up in this situation.


    After the drunkard, who¡¯d introduced himself as ric, interrupted me in the library and asked what continent I hade from, I¡¯d promptly dragged him outside for some answers.


    ric had refused to say any more without something in return. Lo and behold, the alcoholic wanted...alcohol.


    He¡¯d then led me to his favorite establishment, which was surprisingly upscale for a man who wasn¡¯t even wearing shoes. We had been here ever since, sitting in the dark corner of the bar table away from the other patrons sprinkled throughout the bar.


    Letting out a sharp breath, I lifted my own ss and gulped down the rum.


    A smooth burn washed over my mouth and throat, followed by a sweet and oaky wave of vor that lingered on my tongue.


    ¡°There, happy?¡± I challenged as the drunkard waved his hand at the bartender for a refill.


    ¡°I¡¯d be happier if you order the entire bottle,¡± the old man said with a nudge.


    ¡°How about this?¡± I took the refilled ss in front of him and began slowly pouring the rum into the sink on the other side.


    ¡°No!¡± ric drawled as he pulled at my arm, which made me spill even more of the rum. ¡°Fine, fine!¡±


    I ced the half-empty shot ss back in front of the man who quickly snatched it away from my reach.


    ¡°What kind of sick bastard throws out good rum,¡± he grumbled.


    Cocking a brow seemed to get the message across that I was no longer in the mood to humor him.


    ¡°You see...¡± ric whispered mysteriously as he leaned in close. ¡°I have a crest that tells me you¡¯re not from here.¡±


    I stared deadpan at the old man.


    He winked. ¡°Just kidding.¡±


    My annoyance turned to anger. I should¡¯ve known that this alcoholic was just messing with me.


    I stood up to leave when the drunkard spoke again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need magic to tell me that.¡± He rolled his eyes dramatically. ¡°Anyone with half a brain would be able to tell if they spent some time watching you.¡±


    ¡°You were watching me?¡± I asked, sitting back down.


    ¡°Only because you stick out like a sore thumb. You carry yourself like a seasoned warrior, but your build and wless skin suggests that you¡¯re either a noble, caster, student or all three.¡± ric finished off the rum in his ss before continuing, ¡°As if that¡¯s not strange enough, you look and act like a tourist visiting from a faraway outpost.¡±


    He waved his hand up and down as he examined me with a casual gaze. ¡°You¡¯re a walking bundle of inconsistencies. Now if you were in a more military or politically inclined dominion like Vechor or the Central Dominion, I¡¯d put my nonexistent money on you getting cuffed in less than a day.¡±


    I let out a scoff. ¡°So why haven¡¯t I drawn suspicion until now then?¡±


    ¡°Oh you probably have,¡± he mused. ¡°Suspicion, curiosity, interest, all of the above. It¡¯s just that Etril has always been a hub of diverse travellers that the worse they¡¯d do is wonder and judge silently.¡±


    After surveying the establishment we were in more carefully, I turned back to ric.


    ¡°Assuming what you said was correct, what is your reason for making yourself known?¡± I lowered my voice into a more threatening tone. ¡°Haven¡¯t you thought of the possibility that I¡¯d just get rid of you?¡±


    ¡°In this ce, where there are witnesses?¡± he asked, batting his eyes. ¡°Trust me, kid. If I wanted to turn you in, I would¡¯ve done so from a safe distance, but what does that do for me?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I interjected.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get anything out of turning you in.¡± ric paused, leaning in closer for dramatic effect. ¡°If I were to, let¡¯s say, help you instead, I¡¯m sure we coulde up with some sort of deal.¡±


    I scoffed, shaking my head. ¡°I think you¡¯ve had one too many drinks. Besides, I don¡¯t have much money.¡±


    ¡°Oh I don¡¯t doubt that,¡± he agreed. ¡°But I can recognize a golden ticket when it¡¯s fluttering in my face.¡±


    By this time, I was growing a bit ufortable, afraid that people would overhear. ric must¡¯ve noticed because he waved his hand in dismissal. ¡°Rx. I¡¯ve been obstructing the sound around us so no one has heard a thing we¡¯ve said.¡±


    Is that why ric had been gesturing for a refill instead of asking for one?


    Disappointed in myself for failing to notice and frustrated at how myck of mana perception was hindering me in cases like this, I let out a sigh. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that even though you think¡ª¡±


    ¡°Know,¡± he corrected.


    ¡°Think, that I¡¯m not from here,¡± I stressed. ¡°You¡¯d rather try and strike a deal with me rather than turn me in?¡±


    He cast a sleepy eye at me. ¡°Is that so strange?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that the people from this city seem so reverent of the High Sovereign,¡± I said.


    ¡°What does my respect or disrespect of the Vritra have to do with helping out a refugee?¡± he quipped.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I acquiesced. ¡°Let¡¯s assume that your suspicions are true. What can you provide me and what exactly would you want in return?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an ascender, or at least you¡¯re trying to pass yourself off as one, right?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°The inn you¡¯re staying at caters mostly towards ascenders visiting since there¡¯s an ascension chamber in this city,¡± he answered dismissively. ¡°Now. Onto your first line of questions. I¡¯ll help you blend in so you don¡¯t stick out like an armored troll shopping in city square, no questions asked.¡±


    ¡°No questions asked?¡± I echoed, interested.


    ¡°Frankly, I don¡¯t give two shits about who you are,¡± he answered, swirling the caramel liquid in his ss. ¡°That¡¯s not it though. I¡¯ll also help train you for ascents.¡±


    I stared at the inebriated man, whose entire face was flushed and eyes barely able to focus on one thing for more than a few seconds. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re going to need to be a sessful ascender in order to make me lots of money, right?¡± He let out a scoff. ¡°Good alcohol doesn¡¯te cheap, you know.¡±


    Admittedly, I was intrigued by his offer. The strange gazes I attracted had been growing more frequent over the past few days. And Aramoor City was even considered one of the most diverse cities ording to a book I had read.


    ¡°So all you want is money?¡± I confirmed. ¡°How much of it, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Sixty percent of all of your earnings in the Relictombs as well as any form of anciry promotions or winnings you earn while you¡¯re on the surface as well,¡± he answered as if he had the figure set before we¡¯d even sat down.


    I gaped. ¡°Sixty percent?¡±


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m uprooting myself from my beloved home and travelling with you while offering my tutge.¡±


    ¡°You have a home here?¡± I raised a brow.


    ric let out a cough. ¡°The city is my home.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°So no home.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so whiny, kid. Besides, Stormcove Academy takes around thirty percent of their graduates¡¯ profits they get from selling des or other precious material found only in the Relictombs for the first five years after graduating. And that percentage is even higher in Vechor, Sehz-r and the Central Dominion,¡± he divulged before giving me an innocent expression. ¡°But since you¡¯re from crya, you already knew that, right?¡±


    I actually didn¡¯t know. Much like the rest of the information about crya that I did know, it consisted of tidbits I had picked up here and there by eavesdropping on conversation or asking questions like I had in Maerin.


    ¡°Forty percent,¡± I countered after a brief pause.


    ¡°Deal,¡± he replied immediately.


    I raised a brow while ric quickly grabbed my hand and shook it.


    ¡°Stormcove only charges five percent while even the most prestigious ascender academies charge twenty percent,¡± he said, shooting me a wink.


    This bastard...


    Regardless of his deceit, it highlighted how much I needed help outside the Relictombs if I didn¡¯t want to draw attention.


    ¡°Will you being with me on my ascents?¡± I inquired.


    ¡°Are you crazy? Of course not!¡± ric sputtered. ¡°Does this look like a body fit for that godsforsaken ce?¡±


    I nodded. It would be easier that way.


    Money wasn¡¯t something I had any greed for. It was the relics I needed and that would be something I could store in my dimensional rune. Even if ric¡¯s ascent training was utterly useless, as long as he could help me limate to cryan lifestyle without prying into me, it¡¯d be worth it.


    I didn¡¯t trust this drunkard but at least his intentions were straightforward. I trusted human greed more than kindness, and if he had any other ulterior motives¡ªwell, hopefully it wouldn¡¯te to that. If it does, it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to remove him as a threat.


    ¡°You done introspecting?¡± ric interrupted, holding a new bottle of liquor in his hands.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I pointed at the bottle.


    ¡°Oh this?¡± He gave me a wide grin. ¡°Down payment.¡±


    I resisted the urge to bury my face in my hands. Out of all the kinds of people out there, how was I stuck with the alcoholic version of Regis?


    Suddenly, ric jumped off his barstool, stumbling to gain bnce before turning to me. ¡°Anyway, we should get moving. Lots of things to do and we¡¯re burning daylight.¡±


    After paying the bartender with my runecard, I followed after my new unstable adviser.


    Our first order of business was getting ¡®my story straight¡¯, as he called it. To do this, we went back to my inn.


    As I opened the door to see Regis waiting by the entrance, I didn¡¯t know what to expect from ric.


    Both the aetheric dog and drunk man stared at each other silently for a minute, as if still processing what they were actually seeing.


    Unexpectedly, ric was the one that wobbled over to the ck and zing purple wolf and...patted him on his head.


    ¡°Good dog, there, aye,¡± ric slurred as Regis turned to me, giving me a baffled look.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Iforted. ¡°This inebriated gentleman will be working with us for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well in that case. What¡¯s up, old man?¡±


    ¡°It talks!¡± ric gasped, stumbling back behind me to use as a shield.


    ¡°How rude. I¡¯m not an ¡®it¡¯! I¡¯m a ¡®he¡¯...¡± Regis then cocked his head toward me. ¡°Or am I a ¡®she¡¯?¡±


    With a smirk toward Regis, I said, ¡°Does gender matter for a ¡®mighty weapon¡¯ such as yourself?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a ¡®he¡¯,¡± Regis decided while ric continued to mutter curses to himself about how he regretted all of this.


    Once I was able to drag my drunk advisor inside the inn, I began to exin my situation with much of the details omitted.


    ric himself said he wasn¡¯t interested in my past. He just needed enough to go off of in order toe up with a story.


    ¡°Okay, Grey. You did a good job not telling people your blood name. That carries much more importance than your given name,¡± he acknowledged while his eyes continued darting between me and Regis. ¡°First thing¡¯s first. I don¡¯t know how you got acquainted enough to a Denoir that they¡¯d be willing to give you this dagger¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lend,¡± I corrected.


    ¡°Lend. Whatever,¡± ric dismissed. ¡°The important thing is that you don¡¯t tie yourself up with Highblood Denoir. While it¡¯ll definitely get you out of some sticky situations, it¡¯ll also draw too much attention¡ªespecially once we get into bigger cities.¡±


    ¡°Then, what do I do?¡± I stared down at the white dagger in my hand. ¡°Without this, I have no identity here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where Ie in,¡± ric replied. ¡°I have an acquaintance who¡¯s an aplished artificer capable of forging you an identity. You¡¯ll be my nephew that I took under my wing because you didn¡¯t want to follow after your father in the merchant business.¡±


    ¡°You just happen to have an aplished artificer friend that¡¯s able to forge identities?¡± I pried, suspicious.


    ¡°Aplished, yes, but gravely underpaid,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Two clients make him more gold from this side of business than a year¡¯s wage he gets at the fancyboratory he works at in Sehz-r.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°Sehz-r? Isn¡¯t that the southern dominion?¡±


    ¡°Rx. He has a tempus warp anchored to this city,¡± he answered, taking a swig from his newly acquired bottle of alcohol. ¡°Anyway, I need to know a bit more about your... abilities.¡±


    ¡®How much are you going to tell him?¡¯ Regis asked mentally.


    Just enough to have something to work with.


    ¡°Augmented regeneration, strength, speed,¡± I listed off.


    ¡°How augmented? And no elements? You¡¯re strictly a striker then?¡±


    ¡°Very augmented,¡± I said confidently. ¡°No elements, and if you¡¯re asking if I have any long-range spells, not yet.¡±


    ¡°Have you gone on an ascent before?¡± he asked while deep in thought.


    ¡°Just once,¡± I admitted.


    ric nodded, undeterred. ¡°That¡¯s better than nothing. How big of a group did you ascend with?¡±


    I tilted my head. ¡°It was just me.¡±


    ¡°Just you...¡± ric repeated slowly, cocking a brow.


    ¡°I did team up with a few others in a convergence zone, but we parted ways after,¡± I exined, not sure what he was thinking when he suddenly lowered his head.


    What I didn¡¯t expect was for the old drunk to startughing maniacally.


    Regis and I exchanged a nce and my lupinepanion twirled a paw beside his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m not crazy!¡± ric snapped, taking another swig from his bottle. ¡°I¡¯m allowed to be happy.¡±


    He looked at me like I was made of jewels. ¡°It¡¯s not everyday that you strike gold like this. A striker capable of not only surviving in the Relictombs but has gotten far enough to reach a convergence zone!¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should ease up on the alcohol,¡± I warned, but before I could take the bottle away, ric shoved the bottle in his dirty pants.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare, pretty boy.¡± He narrowed his bloodshot eyes. ¡°Take this away from me and I¡¯ll be nonfunctional and there¡¯s still too much to do.¡±


    Pushing himself off the ground, he teetered toward mypanion.


    ¡°How did you manage to hide thispanion of yours, anyway?¡± he questioned, studying Regis. ¡°I¡¯d expect him to draw attention, especially in these parts.¡±


    ¡°I usually just hide inside him,¡± Regis answered in my stead, demonstrating by leaping and disappearing into my body.


    ric just stared at me for a few moments, opening his mouth at one point only to close it back shut. He repeated this a few times before deciding to take another gulp of his rum. ¡°I¡¯m not even going to ask. Just...make sure that when yourpanion¡ª¡±


    ¡°Regis,¡± I cut in. ¡°His name is Regis.¡±


    The old drunkard gestured grandly while rolling his eyes. ¡°Just make sure Regis doesn¡¯t talk in front of other ascenders.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s fine to fight alongside Princess here?¡± Regis asked as he slipped back out of my form. He looked rather excited by the idea.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not. There are quite a few documented emblems and regalias where elements take on the form of a beast,¡± ric shrugged. ¡°Those summons, however, are basically just animated puppets that can be preprogrammed with certain sets of instructions so no talking and it¡¯s best not to stay out for that long.¡±


    ¡°Hell yes!¡± Regis whooped. ¡°No more twirling my metaphorical thumbs while watching Princess have all the fun.¡±


    ¡°Now!¡± ric dered. ¡°Since I have the basic rundown, let¡¯s head to our first destination.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡± I queried.


    ¡°We need to get some new clothes on you,¡± the drunkard sang as he did a sloppy twirl to demonstrate his point.


    ¡°If you¡¯re talking about armor for the ascent, I already¡ª¡±


    ¡°Bah! Not that, you wogart,¡± ric snapped.


    Did he just call me a wogart? I didn¡¯t know what that meant but I was pretty sure it was an insult.


    ¡°Remember my whole speech about you being a walking bundle of inconsistencies?¡± ric continued, walking toward the door in that unsteady yet surprisingly light-footed gait of his. ¡°Right now, you look like some runaway prince that thinks he¡¯s disguised himself by putting on a shabby outfit. You¡¯d actually draw less attention if you just looked the part of a well-off blood.¡±


    I frowned at the idea of looking like one of those colorful peacocks strutting down the streets. ¡°Can¡¯t I just look more shabby like amoner? I¡¯d feel morefortable that way.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he stated, deadpan. ¡°Your face stands out too much.¡±


    ¡°My face stands out too much?¡± I echoed ndly.


    ¡°Annoyingly so,¡± he grumbled. ¡°If I was born with a face like that, I¡¯d just woo some rich highblooddy and bathe in sweet rum every night.¡±


    Regis snickered while ric continued to mutter quietly about his delusions.


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s get this over with,¡± I hissed, following ric out of our room as Regis disappeared back into my body. ¡°But what¡¯s after that?¡±


    ¡°You, my dear nephew¡±¡ªthe drunkard patted my back¡ª¡°will be taking your ascender¡¯s assessment and start making your uncle some money!¡±

 Chapter 284

    Chapter 284


    Chapter 284: Blending In


    ¡°This is the fifth outfit already. Is all of this necessary?¡± I groaned, stepping out of my changing room and into the viewing area.


    Waiting for me outside was a plethora of employees working at the high-end clothing boutique as well as customers.


    ¡°Kid, do you know how many named bloods seek me out only to be put on my waiting list? I¡¯m only doing this because the old coot asked me for a favor,¡± the bespectacled old woman that ric had introduced as Odile snapped.


    Her heels cked on the tile floors as she strode behind me, tying my hair with a thin string.


    ¡°Although...¡± Odile turned her sharp gaze to the ¡®audience¡¯ watching us excitedly. ¡°It seems like I¡¯m not enough since my employees also found the need to offer their professional advice.¡±


    The uniformed employees scattered within the crowd of about twenty or so began chuckling nervously before a blonde-haired clerk spoke up. ¡°All the guests are here as well, Madam Odile. We¡¯re just watching out for them.¡±


    The woman leading me toward the set of mirrors snorted derisively but said nothing as she pushed me onto the tform.


    ¡®A once quadra-elemental Lance, now with the physique and abilities of an asura, has be...a dress-up doll,¡¯ Regismented mockingly. ¡®Oh, how the mighty have fallen.¡¯


    Keep that up and I¡¯ll get you a nice flower barrette that really highlights your purple mane.


    Regis let out a cackle. ¡®I¡¯d rock it.¡¯


    ¡°Your shoulders look narrower when you¡¯re tense like that! We¡¯re going for confidence!¡± Odile huffed as shebed her short white hair back with her fingers. ¡°Great Vritra, I don¡¯t see what you have to be ashamed about with your face and body.¡±


    There was a disturbing chorus of agreement from the crowd, and while I hated drawing attention to myself, I had to agree that Odile had quite a sense of style that I wasn¡¯t opposed to.


    I looked at myself in the tri-fold mirror. In contrast to the tight-fitting armor I had picked up from the Relictombs, Odile had fitted me in a white dress shirt tucked into a pair of ck cks. Rather than wearing a tie or vest, she had me put on a ck sweater underneath a dark blue coat. As the final touch, Odile put on what she called a cor bar that ented my suit to give that ¡®ssy noble look¡¯ she kept going on about.


    I liked it. It was a bit more...modern than I had expected¡ªthis outfit could easily be something I could see in my old world. But I wasn¡¯t a walking rainbow goose like some of the other denizens here. Honestly, as long as it allowed me to blend in, there wasn¡¯t really more I could ask for.


    ¡°He¡¯s a rather whiny boy, but I knew you¡¯d want to get your hands on him,¡± ric chimed. The old drunk had also washed up, trimmed his hair and beard and changed into apletely ck suit. He was currently closing the curtains to block out the audience that had formed, much to their displeasure.


    ¡°I just wish you would¡¯ve told me in advance so I could procure an image capture artifact,¡± Odile said with a sigh. She snapped out of her daze and stuck a finger at ric. ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the fact that I did you a favor, you old drunk! Don¡¯t you dare try to change that.¡±


    ric raised his hands¡ªone of which was still holding onto a bottle of rum¡ªcatingly. ¡°I meant to do nothing of the sort, my beloved crone.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still drinking?¡± I asked, exasperated. ¡°How¡¯re you going to handle the hangover after all of the alcohol you¡¯ve drunk so far?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t get a hangover if you¡¯re always drunk,¡± he said sagely, tapping his temple with a finger.


    I opened my mouth to say something while ric stared at me as if daring me to refute his point. My words just came out as an unintelligible grumble.


    After gathering the literal pile of clothes that Odile had chosen for me and taking it to the front counter to pay, I was met with a confused clerk.


    ¡°Your clothes have already been paid for by Madam Odile,¡± she said while bagging my clothes.


    ¡°Oh.¡± I looked at the amount of outfits that were strewn across the counter. ¡°This is a lot of clothes. I¡¯d feel morefortable paying.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it the wrong way. It¡¯s an investment on my part,¡± Odile¡¯s husky voice rang from behind. I turned to see her walking beside ric, toward me. ¡°It seems like the old coot found someone interesting and I wanted to be a part of it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Grey. Before she tries to rip me off even more,¡± ric muttered grumpily.


    ric and I were back out on the busy streets where the sun was beginning to set. A courier would be delivering our new clothes to the inn, which only left us with onest stop for the day.


    ¡°Listen up, my lovely nephew,¡± ric began, sauntering beside me as we made our way out of the shopping district. ¡°If we¡¯re going to get you an ascender¡¯s badge as soon as possible without having you affiliated with any sort of institution, here¡¯s what we have to do...¡±


    The old drunk proceeded to exin his n. Basically, ric would pose as my uncle who had been teaching me to hone my magic and survival skills ever since my bestowment since I had no intention of being a merchant like my father. Now that I was of age and had been thoroughly trained, he would be the one to vouch for me in order to take the assessment.


    I raised a brow. ¡°So anyone can just vouch for you in order to take the assessment?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. It¡¯s because your uncle is a retired ascender himself that he¡¯s qualified to vouch for you,¡± ric said with a cheeky grin. ¡°Unfortunately, passing the assessment won¡¯t be enough.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to participate in¡ªand survive¡ªone ascent by tagging along with an experienced party,¡± he exined. ¡°Only then will you get an ascender¡¯s badge. Thankfully there¡¯s an Ascension Chamber right here in Aramoor, which I assumed you were nning to visit since you¡¯re here.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I had no intention of going to the Relictombs in this city.¡±


    Sylvia¡¯s message had given me memories of the four ruins within the Relictombs that I needed to get to. I had already visited one of them, and while I didn¡¯t have an exact map of where the rest of these ruins were, I knew they weren¡¯t in Aramoor City.


    ¡°As both your uncle and your partner in crime, may this one ask where it was you were nning on going?¡± he questioned, staring at me with that ssy gaze of his. While he still looked drunk, ric looked much more reliable now that he¡¯d cleaned himself up.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for ruins within the Relictombs. They weren¡¯t in the Relictombs here.¡±


    ¡°You really aren¡¯t from around here, are you?¡± he sighed before leaning closer as we walked. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed this by now from thest time you were inside, but the Relictombs don¡¯t have a conventional structure that you can travel through. You¡¯ve heard of simulets, right?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± I replied, the memory of Daria offering one to me still fresh in my mind.


    ¡°Most of the deaths within the Relictombs happened before the development of the simulets. Before then, even if you crossed an entrance together at the same time holding hands, you would most likely be transported to different zones.¡± ric let out a sigh before continuing. ¡°You say you¡¯re looking for these ¡®ruins¡¯ within a specific zone, but the truth is, it doesn¡¯t really matter where you enter the Relictombs, since you never know where you¡¯ll end up.¡±


    I had a feeling this was the case but I had hoped that entrances in different areas would lead to different parts of the Relictombs.


    ¡°So I just have to blindly wander around the Relictombs before I stumble across what I¡¯m looking for by chance?¡±


    ric took another sip of his rum, letting out a loud burp before answering. ¡°Some say that the Relictombs has a will of its own, left behind by the ancient mages.¡±


    Ancient mages, or ¡®djinn¡¯, as the entity that had left me with the keystone referred to himself. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the Relictombs did have a mind of its own, but it still didn¡¯t help me in my case. I hated how so much was still outside of my control.


    I rubbed my temples. ¡°Fine. It doesn¡¯t seem like I have much of a choice.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± ric patted my back. ¡°I have no idea how strong you are, but remember that, while trained, you definitely should try and at least act like you¡¯re having a hard time. Once you¡¯ve gotten your ascender¡¯s badge, it might not be a bad idea to umte experience with other parties if you really don¡¯t want to draw attention to yourself.¡±


    ¡®You should just ¡®summon me¡¯ and let me take the test,¡¯ Regis chimed in.


    ¡°Are solo ascenders that rare?¡± I asked, ignoring mypanion. Trider¡¯s surprise when I mentioned it came to mind.


    ¡°Very,¡± ric answered as he weaved deftly through the crowded street filled with pedestrians. ¡°The Relictombs are much too unpredictable even today, when we have so many records of different zones. It¡¯s why experienced sentries are as important as¡ªif not more than¡ªbattle mages.¡±


    ¡°What sort of mage were you then?¡± I questioned, looking at the old drunk. He looked about fifty at least, and although he sported arge beer belly, it couldn¡¯t mask the warrior¡¯s build that he once had.


    ric turned to face me, cocking a brow. ¡°I thought our deal here was that we don¡¯t pry and ask questions that are unnecessary.¡±


    I shrugged. It would be a lie to say I wasn¡¯t curious about the old drunk, but it seemed like he had about as much reason to keep me at a distance as I did for him. It was probably why he never specifically confirmed whether I was from Dicathen, even though it was probably pretty obvious to him by now.


    We continued our way through the streets of Aramoor in rtive silence until we arrived at the gates of arge rhombus-shaped building that stood by itself, surrounded by a lush grasswn. A single paved road, lined on both sides with statues of battle mages, led to the building.


    ¡°This is it, dearest nephew,¡± ric said casually while handing me a small metal card with ¡®Grey¡¯ written on it along with a series of numbers and a birth date signifying me as twenty-two. While I was a bit younger than that, physically, I didn¡¯t say anything.


    I stored the card safely in the inside pocket of my coat. ¡°When did you have the time to get this?¡±


    ¡°During the time Odile was having fun dressing you up,¡± he replied, walking up toward the guard stationed inside the booth next to the front gate.


    After ric gave the guard his identification card along with a piece of paper, the gate soon opened.


    The old drunkard slid his hand over one of the statues. ¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡®These look like toyspared to the statue hallway we first ended up in,¡¯ Regis mused.


    I agreed with a smile, reminiscing how many times I had almost died in that zone alone. Good times.


    Despite how quiet it was outside, when we walked through the doors of the rather t building, a cacophony of noises erupted from inside.


    ric cackled in pleasure, noticing my surprise. ¡°Busy, right? There are teleportation gates inside every ascender building restricted only to ascenders and a tform where they can use their own tempus warps.¡±


    My eyes scanned the various groups of mages gathered in their own circles, busy either talking to clerks or amongst themselves. ¡°So the gates are purely for candidates testing to be ascenders?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually really just for normal civilians to gaze upon the majesty of us ascenders,¡± ric said with a wink. ¡°Come on. The testing area is this way.¡±


    Walking through the marble-floored building reminded me of some of the nicer Adventurers Guild Halls back in Dicathen, except it was muchrger and had a much wider array of amodations. From weapon and armor polishing services, ss meeting rooms for strategizing, resting pods filled with high concentrations of mana for faster healing, to evenrge training rooms that teams could rent out. It was an all-inclusive facility that you could spend days in.


    ric took his time going through the different sorts of facilities that every ascender building offered...for a fee, of course. This was, once again, a cold reminder of how much more developed crya waspared to Dicathen.


    ¡°How are these training rooms able to take the strain of mages fighting inside?¡± I asked, watching a team of ascenders leaving one of the private training rooms dripping in sweat.


    ric knocked on the solid metal wall of the training room. ¡°The instillers that work on the ascender buildings are top ss, and the metal making up these rooms are special alloys only found in the northern mountains of Truacia.¡±


    ¡®Instillers are basically enchanters specializing in enhancing objects with their mana,¡¯ Regis rified after sensing my confusion.


    Finally, we arrived in the area designated for helping ascender candidates. Unlike the other areas within the facility, therge circr waiting area was filled with mages.


    Aside from a few nervous applicants that wore regr clothing, most of the mages present in this area looked around my age and were all wearing different militaristic uniforms. Strewn throughout were several older mages, garbed in more traditional robes that walked around, talking to some of the uniformed mages.


    ¡°Most applicantse from academies, hence the reason why they look like they have a stick up their ass,¡± ric whispered distastefully. ¡°Unfortunately for you, most ascenders look down on the ¡®unschooled,¡¯ as they say. It might be hard for you to attract a party so do decently well¡ªbut not too well.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°What is ¡®decently well¡¯ supposed to be?¡±


    ¡°Just follow their instructions,¡± the drunkard dismissed, picking his ear. ¡°They¡¯ll tell you what you need to do to pass.¡±


    The two of us took a seat near the far end of the circr waiting area after ric signed me up for a practical skill assessment.


    ¡°Damn, I really need a sk,¡± ric muttered beside me, struggling to drink alcohol while hiding it within his suit jacket.


    ¡°What you need is help,¡± I retorted with a scoff.


    ¡°Thank you for caring so much about your uncle¡¯s health, dearest nephew,¡± ric said with a smile that didn¡¯t quite reach his eyes.


    We continued waiting, and with nothing better to do, I closed my eyes and visualized the realm within the keystone. By now, I had essed the relic so many times that I could imagine the kaleidoscopic space clearly enough to simte previous attempts and try learning from them.


    ¡®Check it out. Some of the girls are checking you out,¡¯ Regismented with a giggle.


    Are you twelve? I shot back, not bothering to open my eyes.


    ¡®Technically, I¡¯m not even one,¡¯ mypanion argued. ¡®But that¡¯s not the point. Some of them are pretty cute.¡¯


    How do you even know what cute is? I asked.


    ¡®I¡¯m made from you, remember?¡¯ Regis reminded me. ¡®So technically, my interpretation of cute is actually your interpretation of cute.¡¯


    Curiosity getting the best of me, I cracked a peek to see a trio of girls a few rows in front of me quickly turn back while giggling amongst themselves. That¡¯s when I also noticed a powerfully built student, whose uniform was having a hard time containing his muscles, ring at me not far away.


    ¡°Are you trying to drill a hole with your gaze?¡± ric snapped. ¡°Come on. You¡¯re up next.¡±


    I followed the old man down the aisle of seats until a thin male clerk guided us through a narrow hallway leading to a circr room.


    ¡°Your assessment will be through portal five,¡± he said, motioning us toward the shimmering gate. ¡°Guardians will be led to the viewing room where they can watch from there. Any questions?¡±


    ric went ahead through the portal marked with a ¡®five¡¯ without a word and I followed after him.


    The jarring sensation of teleportation gates in Dicathen had beenrgely muted as I stepped through, leaving only a dull sense of vertigo that quickly faded. Studying my new surroundings, I took in the brightly lit tunnel we seemed to be in.


    Runes shed on the immacte white walls, illuminating our way. Aside from the main path that stretched out in front of us, there was a set of stairs to our right, a metal sign indicating that it led to the viewing room.


    ¡°Break a leg.¡± ric smacked my back before heading up the stairs. ¡°It¡¯ll be interesting to see you fight.¡±


    With a deep breath, I made my way through the marble pathway, this entire area reminding me of some sort of undergroundb rather than any sort of testing area.


    The room that I had entered was a small changing room with some kind of tight suit neatly folded on a bench as well as a locker for me to hang my current clothes.


    ¡°For your own safety, please wear the protective suit,¡± a prerecorded voice repeated every few minutes as I changed.


    After putting on the foamy skin-tight suit covered in runes, I walked over to the entrance clearlybeled ¡®assessment hall¡¯. I had to admit that it was impressive when the runes on the suit shed brightly as I neared the entrance and the doors slid open as if the suit itself was required to go through.


    ¡®Wow...fancy,¡¯ Regismented.


    Despite such differences in experience, my mind still expected to see an arena of some sort, but walking through the automatic sliding metal doors, I was greeted with the sight of a huge chamber.


    The enormous room was a perfect cube that was around fifty yards in width, height, and length with rows of intricate runes pulsating throughout the walls. Both the floor and walls were divided into smaller square tiles but devoid of anything else aside from a ss pane near the ceiling which several shadowed figures stood behind.


    ¡°Candidate Grey, striker,¡± a voice boomed from high above. ¡°Your first assessment will now begin.¡±


    That was it. No guidance, no instructions of any sort. Instead, a row of lower square tiles receded from the wall and out crawled a trio of giant armored spiders...each of which were at least twice my height.


    Regis let out a groan. ¡®Again...howe all of the monsters we fight are so damn ugly?¡¯

 Chapter 285

    Chapter 285


    Chapter 285: Ascension 101


    As the three giant spiders, each one d in rune-covered armor to protect their bulbous bodies and twitching legs, let out a series of chittering hisses, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how they had gotten these beasts out of the Relictombs.


    ¡®Maybe they¡¯re just normal mana beasts from the surface,¡¯ Regis answered.


    Ah. You¡¯re probably right, but aren¡¯t these supposed to test¡ª


    One hulking, armored form skittered toward me, cutting my conversation with Regis short. Despite the spider¡¯srge frame, it moved incredibly fast.


    The runes on my suit began glowing brighter as one of the spider¡¯s wed legs shed past me.


    ¡®Hey, do you think the runes on your gear react to the runes on the spider¡¯s armor?¡¯ Regis asked.


    Artificing was not my field of expertise, but I thought Regis was probably onto something. Perhaps the shadowy judges above could track my performance with the runes, simr to how Emily had helped me train back in the castle. I could just imagine how fascinated Emily or Gideon would be if they saw something like this firsthand.


    Actually, Gideon would probably feign disinterest while getting grumpy out of envy, I thought with a smile.


    I dodged another barrage of strikes from the spider, ncing toward the other two, which were still waiting at the edge of the assessment hall.


    The giant spider lunged at me and I grabbed its fangs, holding it at arm¡¯s length. ¡°Uh, excuse me?¡± I called out as I turned into the momentum of the spider¡¯s attack, using its own weight to send it tumbling away. ¡°What exactly am I supposed to do for this assessment?¡±


    There was no response.


    Frustrated, but hesitant to do anything that might give away my strength, I continued to defend against the relentless assault of the first spider, feeling like a mouse fleeing from a tarant. As I threw myself back from a sh of the spider¡¯s ws, a warning sounded in my mind and I was forced to spin and dive to the side to avoid the stabbing fangs of the second spider, which had suddenly burst into motion and joined the battle. Had the mana beasts¡¯ armor been designed to be more silent, I might not have heard the creature¡¯s hurried approach in time.


    ¡®What do you suppose happens if those things bite you? Do people die in this test?¡¯


    Thanks for the concern, but I¡¯m fine, I thought back, sliding under one spider¡¯s thick legs just as the other leapt at me, causing them to collide with a crash.


    ¡®I¡¯m not concerned, I¡¯m bored.¡¯


    Mypanion¡¯s words got me thinking, and so I started to experiment, purposely allowing a few of the spider¡¯s strikes to hit me.


    Surprisingly, despite the speed at which the spider struck, most of the force was dampened upon contact, as if the foam suit I was wearing was several feet thick, rather than several millimeters.


    ¡®You should find out what happens if you get hit in the face,¡¯ Regis suggested, half out of curiosity, half for his own amusement.


    Despite Regis¡¯s obvious intentions, I was curious too. I waited until the third spider had sprung to life and joined its brethren, then, right after I had dodged one of the spider¡¯s fangs, I let spider number three swing down at my cheek with its front limb.


    The runes around the cor of my suit lit up, encasing my entire head in a silvery dome. The runes surrounding the limb that was about to strike my cheek also red to life, and, just as it made contact with the protective barrier around my head, both of us were blown back by a concussive force.


    I spun in the air,nding on my feet, but the three spiders¡¯ bodies slumped. They scuttled slowly toward the tiles that they hade out from as if they¡¯d been scolded, then the tiles closed behind them.


    ¡°The next assessment will now begin,¡± the examiner watching behind the ss window dered, his voice echoing through the chamber.


    Before thest echo had faded, the entire testing chamber began trembling, and the tiles on the ground and walls began sliding outward, forming square pirs. The tile on which I¡¯d been standing lifted me upwards a few feet, then water began flooding the room below me.


    ¡°Seize the gem located at the top of the assessment hall before the water touches you,¡± the voicemanded. ¡°Begin.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. At least this time I had some clear instructions.


    Wasting no time, I channeled aether into my legs and leapt from tform to tform. The entire chamber had been transformed into a sort of vertical maze, with rectangr tforms criss-crossing each other to block my view of the top.


    Additionally, the tforms moved at random intervals, keeping me on my toes more so than the oversized spiders.


    Regardless, with my draconic physique and aetheric enhancements, the assessment was little more than a casual climb up a children¡¯s y structure. High above the floor where I fought the spiders, I found a fist-sized crystal hanging from the center of the ceiling. Below me, the water had filled less than a quarter of the space.


    As soon as I grabbed the crystal, the tforms slowly receded, and the water drained through a series of empty tiles in the floor. The pir I stood atop lowered until I was again standing in an empty square room.


    After the water hadpletely drained and the chamber was back to its original empty form, the central squares of the room began to glow with a dull blue light. A single square at one corner glowed white.


    ¡°Please step onto the white square,¡± the judge announced in his eerie, echoing voice. I did as I was asked, though a part of my mind told me it was stupid. What did I really know about this whole ce? They could have detected myck of mana, or ric could have turned me in, and stepping on that white square might disintegrate me, or teleport me into a prison cell, or¡ª


    I caught myself before I dug myself into a hole and steeled my nerves. There was no reason for them to be suspicious, and I had already decided to trust the old drunk. I was in the heart of the enemy¡¯s empire, but here I was Grey, not Arthur Leywin.


    Once I was standing with both feet firmly ced on the white square, further instructions echoed down from the shadows above.


    ¡°Step only on the white tiles. Your goal is to reach the ck tile¡±¡ªone blue tile turned ck in the opposite corner from where I stood¡ª¡°without leaving the tform or touching the blue tiles. You must do so before you pass out from mana loss.¡±


    ¡®Wait, what did he just¡ª¡¯


    Regis was cut off as a sucking pressure began pulling at every inch of me, and I felt the aether in my body being drawn out through my aether channels. How the hell?


    ¡®It¡¯s like that tform in the Relictombs!¡¯ Regis shouted in my mind. ¡®They must have modeled this ce after those crazy djinn¡¯s tests.¡±


    He was right, of course. I immediately pulled all of my aether back into my core, simr to what I had done with my hand back in the Relictombs, and it seemed to work. My physical body was weakened due to theck of augmentation, but it drastically slowed the rate at which aether was being sucked out of my body.


    I bet they don¡¯t even realize what they¡¯ve created here. There is no way they know that this ce can manipte aether as well as mana.


    ¡®Probably a good thing, though. The sweaty, pained expression on your face doesn¡¯t give anything away.¡¯


    I suddenly realized that, while I had been speaking to Regis, the tile in front of me had turned white, and the tile below my feet was slowly turning blue. I stepped forward quickly, and the title behind me instantly changed to the same glowing blue hue as the rest of the tiles. Besides the square I was standing on, one tile to my right, and one tile in front of me were also white.


    This, too, was familiar. It wasn¡¯t exactly the same as the revolving tform puzzle I had navigated in the Relictombs, but it was simr in premise: a maze that I couldn¡¯t see until I was standing in it.


    I chose the right hand path, and two more tiles turned white, one in front of me, one to my left. I stepped forward again, and the tiles forward and to my left and right all turned white. When I stepped forward once more, however, I found myself at a dead end as no new squares changed color, and was forced to return to the previous tile.


    The path changed before me with each step, sometimes leading me backwards, other times stopping suddenly, forcing me to dart back to a safe square before the title under my feet turned blue. And all the while, the aether continued to leak out of me. After nearly two full minutes, I had progressed approximately halfway across the board when the voice from above spoke again.


    ¡°Your ability to manipte and contain your mana is impressive. We will now increase the level of difficulty, but not to worry¡ªyou will be scored at a handicap.¡±


    Behind me, the corner square where I had started turned gray, then fell out of sight, leaving a shadowed pit beneath it.


    ¡®Oh, great.¡¯


    I waited, counting until the next square descended.


    Twenty seconds between squares, unless they speed up as they go. That gives us...a few minutes at most.


    ¡®Step on it, chief,¡¯ Regis urged.


    As I progressed across the tform, I twice found myself turned around and cut off by the copsing tiles. Still, this maze was a much simpler version of the one I experienced in the Relictombs, and even that hadn¡¯t been able to stump me.


    It took only two more minutes before I was standing on the ck square. Behind me, more than half of the tiles were missing. Internally, I could feel that I¡¯d lost perhaps a third of my aether.


    The missing squares reappeared, the lit tiles all faded back to their default dull gray, and the sucking pressure vanished.


    A panel in the far wall slid open, revealing a second entrance to the assessment hall. A man and woman, each garbed in white mage robes with a distinct red band on the right arms, walked out, my ¡°uncle¡± tottering behind them.


    ¡°Striker candidate Grey,¡± a thin bespectacled man said, reading off his clipboard. ¡°Flexibility of offensive magic, below average. Maniption of mana, above average. Athleticism, above average. Mental acuity, above average. Survivability rate, high.¡±


    I cocked a brow, amused by the man¡¯s reading that my mana maniption was above average even though I didn¡¯t have a shred of mana in me.


    The bespectacled man finally looked up and gave me a smile. ¡°Congrattions, Grey. You have passed the assessment.¡±


    ¡°Of course my nephew passed!¡± ric huffed before walking over to me and patting me on my shoulder.


    ¡°I have to say, your ability to obscure your use of mana is impressive,¡± the blonde woman said, echoing the examiner¡¯s praise. ¡°Even our suit wasn¡¯t able to pick up on the minute traces of leakage while you augmented your limbs.¡±


    ¡°It is impressive indeed,¡± the bespectacled tester agreed. ¡°And it¡¯ll serve you well in the Relictombs since many of the beasts within are attracted to mana.¡±


    I simply nodded at this new information, but quickly added a smile and said, ¡°Thank you,¡± when I noticed ric staring at me intently.


    ¡°I highly rmend that you party with a caster, as you specialize heavily in closebat. Even better if that party has a shield as well,¡± the woman added before offering her hand. ¡°We hope to see great results on your initiation ascent.¡±


    I took her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    After I had changed back to my casual attire, ric and I were escorted back through the teleportation gate to Aramoor City¡¯s ascender building.


    ¡°I guess you weren¡¯t just spouting nonsense when you said you reached a convergence zone by yourself,¡± ric muttered before taking a sip of his rum. ¡°Yousted for a pretty long time against those arachnoids.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, surprised. ¡°How long do ascenders usuallyst?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you saw one in the wild, the sensible thing to do would be to burn them down, but the arachnoids that they use for testing are protected heavily by runes,¡± ric exined. ¡°You weren¡¯t able to do any damage to them, which is why they marked you low for that, but you stillsted longer than a lot of the formally trained candidates from academies.¡±


    I turned to ric, who was peering down the nozzle of the dark ss bottle, trying to see how much rum he had left. ¡°Would you believe me if I said that the times I got hit were on purpose?¡±


    The old drunk¡¯s eyes shifted to me as he raised a brow. ¡°You got hit...on purpose? Why?¡±


    ¡°To see how the runes on the suit worked?¡± I looked away and rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly embarrassed.


    ¡°So while you were facing off against a giant armored mana beast, you thought that, ¡®Hey, let me try getting hit in the face to see if this suit protects me!¡¯ was a valid train of thought?¡± he asked slowly as we walked down a quiet corridor leading back to the main hall.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t really have done anysting damage even if I got hit.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, your very augmented regenerative abilities, right?¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t tell whether you¡¯re an idiot or just ridiculously overconfident.¡±


    ¡°Those two traits aren¡¯t necessarily mutually exclusive,¡± Regis chimed in with a snicker, his head peeking out. ¡°He can be both.¡±


    ric raised his bottle of alcohol. ¡°I can drink to that.¡±


    ¡°You can drink to anything,¡± I groused, shoving Regis back into my body.


    ric eyed me seriously. ¡°Regardless... Idiocy and overconfidence are two of the biggest causes of deaths in the Relictombs.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± I said dismissively.


    ¡°Good.¡± ric veered left at a fork into arger hallway with marked doors on either side.


    I followed closely behind the old man, watching his head turn left and right as if searching for a specific room.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± I finally asked.


    ¡°My end of the bargain,¡± he said without turning back. ¡°Nowe on, the faster you¡¯re briefed, the faster you can find a team and go on your preliminary ascent.¡±


    ¡°And then the faster I start making money?¡± I finished.


    ¡°Good-looking and smart. You¡¯re just the whole package, aren¡¯t you?¡± ric said mockingly.


    Momentster, ric stopped in front of a doorbeled ¡°C28,¡± inserted a rune-inscribed key into the lock, and waited. The lock clicked, and he pushed his way through the door and slumped down at arge circr table, beckoning me to join him. The room had no windows and only a single entrance; inside, the table was surrounded by eight chairs. There was a projection artifact on the table and a drawing board hanging on the wall, but the room was otherwise empty.


    ¡°The rooms here arepletely soundproof and impossible to scry into, even for regalia-holding sentries,¡± ric confirmed.


    ¡°Great! That means I cane out,¡± Regis eximed, leaping from my back and prancing once around the table before stopping to stretch.


    ¡°All right, we only have half an hour reserved so let¡¯s get started,¡± the old drunkard dered, stamping his bottle of rum on the table as if it were a gavel.


    He turned his chair around so he could reach the drawing board and picked up an ink brush. Regis and I watched in silence as he drew two wide ovals, one stacked above the other.


    ¡°These disks represent the first two floors of the Relictombs,¡± he began.


    Regis raised a paw. ¡°Question. I thought the different areas in the Relictombs were called zones?¡±


    ric massaged the bridge of his nose. ¡°They are...after the first two floors, which I was going to get to eventually.¡±


    ¡°Then please proceed,¡± Regis responded calmly.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m sure you two noticed already, but unlike zones, the first two floors are all interconnected,¡± ric exined.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I interrupted. ¡°So all of the ascenders end up in the same ce in these first two floors?¡±


    ric raised a brow. ¡°You sound confused. It would be impossible not to notice other ascenders on these two floors.¡±


    ¡°I wound up in the Relictombs in an...unconventional way,¡± I said. Regis scoffed beside me but I ignored him.


    ¡°Not interested,¡± the old drunk said, raising both his hands catingly. ¡°Just know that these two floors are vastly different from the zones you¡¯ve explored.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°These two floors represent how far crya hase in colonizing the Relictombs,¡± he answered in a low voice. He paused for a moment, then seemed to shake himself out of whatever reverie he had justpsed into. ¡°The first floor is where aether monsters are bred and raised for specific raw material. But there are also a lot of merchants on the first floor¡ªnever buy anything from the merchants on the first floor!¡±


    I gave ric a curious look.


    ¡°There are a load of scammers that prey on new ascenders who don¡¯t yet know any better,¡± he exined, shaking his head.


    ¡°Were you one of those scammers?¡± Regis asked with a chuckle.


    ¡°Hush, pup,¡± ric snapped, though he couldn¡¯t quite hide the sly smile that crept onto his face. ¡°Anyway, the second floor is where the majority of ascenders actually spend their days. You¡¯ll also be able to buy some new armor and weapons there if you need it.¡±


    ¡°Is that why I haven¡¯t seen any armories or weapon shops in Aramoor?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the old man replied. I realized that he no longer gave me strange looks when I asked questions about what was probablymon knowledge amongst the cryans. Apparently he had grown used to my ignorance. ¡°You might find some small ones on the surface, but the majority of them are on the second floor.¡±


    ric went on to describe what seemed like an entire city built within the second floor of the Relictombs. Aside from the smithies and shops, there were training grounds, inns, merchants who would buy your des, and even restaurants.


    I shook my head. ¡°I get that having some of these things in the Relictombs would be convenient, but is there really a need for an entire city catered to the ascenders?¡±


    ¡°You have to realize that the shop owners and workers there are also ascenders,¡± ric said, taking another swig of his rum. ¡°It¡¯s very hard to open a store on the second floor, but being right there when a party of ascenders stumbles half dead out of the Relictombs is good business. Some hardly ever leave, just returning to the second floor to rest and regain their strength before diving back in again. There are other perks, too, though. For example, there aren¡¯t any taxes on goods or services within the Relictombs.¡±


    ¡°Another way for Agrona to promote the livelihood of ascenders?¡± I asked, gazing at the simple oval drawing and trying to picture a thriving city built around ascending alone. I thought of the Wall before the horde of mana beasts attacked; it hadn¡¯t been so different there, where an entire economy had grown up around the Wall¡¯s defenders.


    ¡°Yup! There¡¯s even bigger rewards if you actually manage to find a relic, but it¡¯d be foolish of us to bank on that,¡± ric exined.


    After the drunkard finished his brief exnation of the workings of the first two floors, he exined what I should expect during this preliminary ascent. There was only so much he could tell me about the zones, since the portals from zone to zone could take me anywhere, but he exined where to look for a party and what to look for in potential party members that would be useful. Some of what he told me I could have worked out on my own, but it was ric¡¯s insight into the ascender culture that I knew would prove invaluable.


    ¡°I understand,¡± I repeated for the fourth time as we left the room, Regis safely back inside of me. ¡°A good partyposition is the key to sess. I should find ascenders whopliment not only my own skills but each other¡¯s. I¡¯m only required to go to one zone, so don¡¯t over do it. Got it.¡±


    ric narrowed his eyes as he looked at me. ¡°You¡¯re a very boring person, have I ever told you that?¡± he grumbled.


    Ignoring him, the two of us walked down the brightly lit hallway, following the signs that directed us toward the ascension chamber, which was sensibly located right beside the ascender building.


    The hallways got busier as we approached the edifice housing the ancient portal that would take me back to the Relictombs. Unlike adventurers in Dicathen, ascenders came in all shapes and sizes.


    It was particrly amusing to see a herculean warrior, who must have weighed over three hundred pounds, standing politely in line behind a petite girl garbed in what looked like an academy uniform.


    ¡°This is as far as I can go,¡± ric said, gazing toward the portal with that faraway look I¡¯d seen in the conference room. He jumped when a passing ascender identally bumped against him, then scratched at the back of his head awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯ll stand by in our room back at the inn.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t trash the ce,¡± I said, turning toward the line.


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±


    I turned back to see him reach out as if wanting to grab me.


    ¡°Was there something else you wanted to say?¡±


    ¡°Er...¡± ric cleared his throat. ¡°Just...don¡¯t die, kid. And don¡¯t ever fall into one of those parties that require you to pay a ¡®fee.¡¯ They¡¯re always scams.¡±


    ¡®Aww, he cares about you,¡¯ Regis teased.


    ¡°Thanks, Uncle. Did you want a hug as well?¡± I asked with a smirk.


    ¡°Snarky brat. Just hurry up and get your damn badge so you can start making money,¡± he grumbled before turning to leave.


    I stepped into the growing line, excited at the prospect of making progress once more, frustrated that I wasn¡¯t moving fast enough...and scared for what the future held. Pushing down the cacophony of emotions, I focused solely on the entrance to the Relictombs ahead.

 Chapter 286

    Chapter 286


    Chapter 286: How to Survive


    ¡°I can tell by your wandering gaze that you¡¯re new here. Well, you¡¯re in luck! We have¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not interested,¡± I interrupted, waving away a thin man with shiny, slick-backed hair.


    It only took four steps to be stopped by another resident of the first floor. A petite girl wearing a short battle-skirt¡ªway too short to provide any sort of coverage in a fight¡ªbrushed her arm against mine and nced up at me.


    ¡°Would you like to join my team? There are only us girls, and we¡¯d really like a strong, cool man like you around,¡± she said, batting her eyes.


    I had arrived on the first floor less than ten minutes ago and this was already the seventh time I¡¯d been stopped. Even after all of ric¡¯s warnings, I hadn¡¯t expected things to be this bad.


    Losing my patience, I exerted a light pulse of aetheric pressure.


    A ripple ran through the surrounding crowd as they stiffened and shied away from the source of the pressure. The girl¡¯s eyes went wide and she stepped back, staring at me as though I were a demon.


    ¡®Begone, foul wench!¡¯ Regis dered theatrically in my head as the girl scurried away.


    Aside from the constant movement of workers and the ever-present hucksters, there wasn¡¯t much to look at on the first floor. The air was stuffy and it smelled of sweat, dirt, and excrement.


    The first floor stretched out for miles on either side of me, and I couldn¡¯t even see the ceiling above us...if there even was one. From what I could tell, there was no ambient light. The wide pathways were lit by abination of torches and cranes holding up a web of light orbs high above our heads.


    Most of the space I could see from the main path was dominated by huge quarries and evenrger fenced fields of tall orange grass, where cattle-like beasts roamed mindlessly.


    The entire area was a cacophony of grinding metal, breaking rock, distant bestial crooning, and a lot of loud conversations fighting each other for supremacy. Meanwhile, ascenders filed toward the teleportation gate leading to the second floor in droves.


    As I got closer to the gate, the crowd of ascenders funnelled into yet another single-file line. A pair of imposing guards¡ªtheir rune-scored backs proudly disyed by their armored uniforms¡ªwere checking each person for their ascender¡¯s badge before letting them through.


    When it was my turn, the guard stuck out an armored hand, looking me up and down. ¡°Badge?¡±


    I gave him my badge. After a quick scan, he let out a scoff and handed it back to me. ¡°Good luck on your prelim, wogart.¡±


    Though irritated by the obvious pejorative, I ignored thement and stepped cautiously through the ss-like portal leading to the second floor.


    I was tired, annoyed, and hot from the half hour I had been on the first floor, but all of those negative feelings werepletely washed away as I took in the sight in front of me.


    ¡®Damn...¡¯ Regis let out a whistle.


    The second floor was nothing like the industrial wastnd I had juste from andpletely different from what I myself had imagined.


    It was an entire city, miles wide, built under a radiant, sunless sky. The streets were paved with decorative tiles that sparkled under the glowing blue expanse overhead.


    Along the avenue, hovering orbs of soft light filled neatly ced, elegant streetmps, giving the streets an almost ethereal quality.


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± a husky voice barked behind me.


    I snapped out of my daze, apologizing to the burly man, then walking forward. It was a lot to take in, even for someone who had lived in a flying city.


    The streets were busy but never congested, with ascenders everywhere. It was like being back in the Adventurers Guild Hall in Xyrus, if it had expanded to take over the entire city.


    As ric had suggested, businesses catering to ascenders were ubiquitous. The embellished signs hung above the multi-level storefronts advertised everything from cksmiths to butchers. I saw several shops specializing in the creation and repair of certain weapons, markets where one might find simpler needs, such as dried rations or a new pair of boots, and I even found an impressive building advertising imbuing services for artifacts and des.


    However, what I saw the most were inns. In fact, most of the multi-storied brick buildings of varying colors and decorations were inns, all of which were advertising long-term rental of rooms, most often paid by the month rather than the day.


    ¡°ric was right. You could spend your entire life here,¡± I muttered under my breath.


    ¡®Focus! You look like a country bumpkin. Remember that we¡¯re here for your ascent,¡¯ Regis chided, even though he was just as absorbed in sightseeing as I was.


    I realized I had be so sidetracked that I wasn¡¯t sure which direction to go to find a team. ric had provided several tips for what to look for in potential teammates and what kind of negotiations to expect, but his guidance on navigating the second level had, I realized, been pretty shallow.


    Making my way back toward the portal I had arrived from, I searched for any sort ofborer or guard who could help guide me in the right direction. On this side of the portal, however, there was only a constant stream of ascenders.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I said, tapping a passing man on his shoulder. ¡°Do you know where I can find a team for a preliminary ascent?¡±


    The bearded man, whose golden chainmail vest made him practically glow, cocked his head toward me and shot me a re. ¡°Shove off.¡±


    After receiving several such colorful rejections by other ascenders, a younger gentleman that looked only a few years older than me actually looked willing to help.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± he asked with an amused chuckle.


    ¡°It¡¯s my first time here,¡± I admitted, scratching my cheek.


    ¡°Come on,¡± the man motioned with his chin. ¡°I¡¯m actually heading over there anyway.¡±


    Walking out of the main avenue, the two of us walked across a less crowded street. I sized the man up as we walked; he wore a fitted set of dark leather armor, well crafted but much less opulent than what I¡¯d seen some of the other ascenders wearing, like the man with the golden chainmail. He moved confidently, clearly knowing exactly where he was headed.


    ¡°So what academy are you from?¡± he askednguidly. ¡°Probably a slim chance, but maybe I¡¯m an alum.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I didn¡¯t go to an academy. My uncle trained me.¡±


    ¡°And you managed to pass the assessment? Congrats,¡± he said with a smile before sticking out his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Quinten, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Grey,¡± I responded, receiving his gesture.


    ¡°So have you had a chance to tour the city, Grey?¡± Quinten asked, looking up at the buildings towering over us.


    ¡°A little. The city is even more amazing than the stories I¡¯ve heard.¡±


    ¡°Well what do you expect when you have a city made exclusively for powerful mages,¡± he said with a chuckle. ¡°You should see the Summit Estates.¡±


    My brows furrowed. ¡°Estates? As in homes?¡±


    Quinten nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve only ever peered past the gates, but it¡¯s a gated area of vis for highblood ascenders.¡±


    ¡°And considering how many long-term inns I¡¯ve seen just walking down the street, I¡¯m assuming these houses are astronomical in price?¡±


    ¡°Astronomical would be an understatement,¡± the ascender snorted as we turned right into a narrow alley between two buildings. ¡°No, even if you had the money, the real problem is exclusivity. The number of properties there is pretty limited, and it¡¯s rare that the highbloods would give up the prestige of owning a house on the second level. They generally only go up for sale if a highblood is struggling.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The ascender shouldered me with a smile. ¡°Just giving you some dreams to try and reach.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Quinten then leaned closer to me. ¡°You should also check out the girls on Blossom Street.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± It took me a second to realize what he was referring to. ¡°Oh...wait, they¡¯re ascenders as well, why would they¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ascents are dangerous.¡± He shrugged. ¡°A lot of us¡ªnot just our lovely escorts¡ªhave been through enough that we¡¯re fed up with them. The smarter ones have realized that there are easier ways to make money.¡±


    ¡°Like leading poor mages just trying to be ascenders into dark, out of the way alleys and mugging them?¡± I asked innocently.


    Quinten blinked before stifling augh. ¡°When¡¯d you notice?¡±


    I looked around, ignoring the ascender calmly leaning against a brick pir supporting a bridge several stories above us. There wasn¡¯t a single ascender in sight aside from my amicable mugger.


    ¡°Early enough,¡± I said, lowering my gaze to meet Quinten¡¯s. ¡°I assumed you would have a group of other thugs waiting to help you, though.¡±


    He let out a chortle. ¡°Why would I need a group to handle one little wogart?¡±


    Quinten¡¯s form blurred as he rushed toward me, a de of condensed stone coalescing around his arm.


    ¡®Need help?¡¯ Regis askedzily.


    I got it.


    I reached for the stone de that had manifested over Quinten¡¯s entire hand. Gripping his wrist with my left hand, I guided the de safely past, stepped back with my left foot, and brought my right elbow up into his chin.


    With the momentum of his own dash, I barely had to use any strength aside from shrouding myself in aether.


    Quinten¡¯s head snapped back and he crumpled to the ground, his stone de dissolving.


    Fortunately, the mugger hadn¡¯t died, and his body was sturdy enough that he regained consciousness within a few minutes, giving me enough time to use his own clothes to tie his hands and feet together.


    ¡°Had a nice nap?¡±


    The ascender let out a groan before realizing that he was half naked and his limbs had been tied. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you did, but do you really think leather bands can hold me?¡±


    ¡°No, but they¡¯ll give me just enough time to knock you out again if you try and do anything troublesome,¡± I said with an innocent smile.


    Quinten nodded awkwardly from his position on the ground. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°What I wanted from the beginning,¡± I answered. ¡°Where do I go to find a team for my preliminary ascent?¡±


    The half-naked ascender wiggled on his side until he was able to point in the direction with his chin. ¡°Just follow that road until you hit Vritra Avenue. Make a right and follow the road until you see a tall building with a giant clock on the top.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, walking toward him.


    ¡°Hey¡ªhold up¡ª-you know it¡¯d be really stupid to kill me here, right?¡± he asked, paned in his voice. ¡°Y-you¡¯ll be banned from¡ª¡±


    I bent down and snapped the leather bands around his wrists. ¡°Rx. I know you weren¡¯t trying to kill me either earlier. And I assume you know it would be really stupid to hold a grudge, right?¡±


    Quinten simply snapped the thick leather bands around his ankles. ¡°The most important thing we obtain through our ascents isn¡¯t knowledge or strength¡ªit¡¯s how to survive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± I turned to leave when I remembered another question I wanted to ask. ¡°One more thing.¡±


    Quinten visibly flinched at my sudden movement. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°What does ¡®wogart¡¯ mean?¡±


    Quinten looked at me, deadpan.


    ¡°Wogart,¡± I repeated. ¡°What does it¡ª¡±


    ¡°I heard you the first time,¡± he grunted. ¡°I just never heard someone ask me what it was before.¡±


    ¡°I grew up fairly sheltered,¡± I lied. ¡°Practically had to escape from my father to be an ascender.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± he said, pulling out a new set of clothes from his dimension ring. ¡°You¡¯ll probably run into them fairly often, but they¡¯re these doe-eyed beasts that are at the bottom of the food chain. Basically, it¡¯s ng for an inexperienced ascender.¡±


    ¡®Yeah, you wogart,¡¯ Regis chortled.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± I said, chuckling in amusement as I walked away.


    Taking the narrow marble road, which was surprisingly clean¡ªthere wasn¡¯t a single piece of trash in sight¡ªI made my way toward the clock tower when I saw the faintest of shadows blur by.


    I was more disappointed in myself that I hadn¡¯t noticed this person than I was annoyed at yet another interruption. Every person had an aether signature, and, while it wasn¡¯t a physical manifestation of aether that I could absorb like the creatures in the Relictombs had, I could use the small amounts of aether within them to potentially sense them afar...if I was good enough.


    ¡°You cane out now,¡± I said without breaking stride.


    A slim man garbed in dark leather and chainmail hopped down from one of the lower buildings to my left.


    ¡°Why are you following me?¡± I asked, studying the man who looked close to my age.


    Curly locks of moss-green hair draped over much of his face, but I could make out high cheekbones underneath a pair of deep-set brown eyes.


    ¡°Peace,¡± he said, his voice low and croaky. The man raised his arms, showing his empty palms.


    ¡°Assuming Quinten was telling the truth, you¡¯re not with him,¡± I mused. ¡°A third party trying his luck?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°I sensed mana usage, and in this part of the level that generally means a fight. I assumed someone was in trouble, so I checked it out.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer my question,¡± I responded calmly.


    ¡°Curiosity got the best of me,¡± he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. ¡°I was impressed with the way you took that thug down and, honestly, surprised you let him off so easy. Despite what he told you, you¡¯d have been in your rights to end his life.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how I do things,¡± I said, not bothering to hide my distaste.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯d like to be on your team when you go back into the Relictombs.¡± The stranger held my gaze confidently, but the fingers of his left hand were twiddling with nervous energy.


    With the recent attempted-mugging fresh in my mind, I wasn¡¯t feeling particrly trustful, and I was sure this man was hiding something. ¡°Sorry to disappoint, friend, but I¡¯m not going ¡®back¡¯ into the Relictombs. This is my preliminary ascent.¡±


    He nodded, his curly green bangs bouncing gently around his face. ¡°I heard. I can help with that, help you find a team that won¡¯t get you killed.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s a persistent one,¡¯ Regis said.


    Silently agreeing, I decided to be blunt. ¡°Why? What¡¯s in it for you? Give me an answer I can believe, and I¡¯ll think about joining you.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t sense your mana. I couldn¡¯t even when you took out that mugger, which you managed with a single blow. You don¡¯t make sense. You¡¯re different. And in the Relictombs, different is good.¡±


    Regis chuckled in my mind. ¡®I like this guy.¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± I asked skeptically.


    ¡°We all go in for the same reasons: get strong, get rich,¡± he said, his hands balling into fists to still his fidgeting fingers. ¡°But the Relictombs can¡¯t be charted or mapped. The only way to change where you go is to change who you travel with. Like I said, different is good.¡±


    ¡°So you think the Relictombs is going to take you somewhere new if you go in with me?¡± This ascender seemed to know more about the Relictombs than anyone else I¡¯d talked to, except maybe ric. Even the old drunk hadn¡¯t made the connection about traveling with different people to chart different paths through the dungeon, though.


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea. New paths, new chances to win des¡ªmaybe even a relic.¡±


    That was something I could believe. Anybody with his level of knowledge and confidence was bound to be useful inside.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Haedrig.¡±


    He held out his hand. I took it and was immediately surprised by how small it was. I could feel the calluses from long hours holding a weapon on the fingers and palms, and his grip was strong, but delicate.


    ¡°Grey.¡±


    ¡°You know, Grey,¡± Haedrig said as we turned to walk together toward the clock tower, ¡°you¡¯ll find fewer alley rats willing to try their luck with you if you properly disyed your runes. Generally, only those whock confidence in their runes will cover them.¡±


    ¡°Is that another reason why mages show off their runes?¡± I asked. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m from the countryside, so to me, it just seems like they¡¯re showing off.¡±


    ¡°It may seem arrogant, and there are plenty of ascenders out there who fit that description, but it does make life easier in general,¡± he exined. ¡°Not many people actually take the time to learn to read runes since, depending on the spell it provides, there can be a lot of variances in design. Ascenders, in general, aren¡¯t a studious group.¡±


    As I listened, I realized I hadn¡¯t considered the societal impact of having your strength so clearly disyed to anyone who looked. On Dicathen, I might judge someone¡¯s strength by the quality of their weapons and armor, or because they had a mana beast bond, or¡ªback when such things were still possible¡ªbecause I could sense their mana, but I could still be wrong. Here, a potential ally¡ªor opponent¡ªcould tell exactly what you were capable of just by looking at your runes.


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s find us a team,¡± he continued. ¡°There are a few ways to go about it, but I¡¯m assuming you want to take your prelim as soon as possible?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Then the association building that thug directed you to wouldn¡¯t be a good idea,¡± he said, taking the lead. ¡°It¡¯s the safest way, but you have to fill out a pretty extensive request, and it¡¯ll take them a few days to find you a team willing to take you.¡±


    I rubbed my chin, wishing I¡¯d have hit Quinten even harder. ¡°What do you suggest then?¡±


    Haedrig motioned toward the way. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    We made our way out of the narrow road and onto Vritra Avenue. The streets were pleasantly lively with ascenders¡ªsome garbed in casual clothes while others looked as if they had brutally murdered someone just moments ago. Dozens of white trees with soft purple leaves stood tall on the streets every few blocks, providing shade and scattering its gem-like leaves.


    I couldn¡¯t help but notice Haedrig¡¯s eyes constantly surveying the area, as if always on the look-out or something.


    ¡°Are we lost?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s just...there are some people looking for me. It¡¯s not important.¡±


    It sounded important...but I dropped the subject for now.


    After passing the clock tower that Quinten had directed me to, we took a winding road that led past several inns, two brothels, and a medical center. Finally, Haedrig stopped.


    ¡®Woah...¡¯ Regis said breathily.


    My eyes widened at the sight in front of us, not quite sure what to make of it. I thought that maybe Haedrig had gotten lost... He looked back at me with an amused expression, as if relishing my reaction.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

 Chapter 287

    Chapter 287


    Chapter 287: Familial Ascent


    Arge za surrounded by a ring of tallvender trees stretched out ahead of us, overcrowded and even louder than the first level of the Relictombs. The area was filled with the rumble of dozens of half-shouted conversations. If the crowd hadn¡¯t beenposed entirely of ascenders d in impressive armor and weapons, I would¡¯ve mistaken this ce for a flea market.


    ¡°What...is this ce?¡± I hesitantly asked, watching the ascenders file between neat rows of wooden booths.


    ¡°The best ce to find a team...if you know what you¡¯re looking for,¡± Haedrig replied before plunging into the crowd. ¡°Come on.¡±


    I hurried after him, not wanting to get separated within the sea of ascenders.


    ¡°Looking for a caster! At least two emblems required! One time ascent!¡±


    ¡°Looking for a sentry! Favorable distribution of all des!¡±


    Each stall had at least one ascender standing nearby hollering out their requirements for an ideal candidate to join their team. It was fascinating.


    I watched as a t-faced, broad-shouldered hulk turned to show his exposed runes to a tall, twiggy man with long golden hair. The golden-haired ascender looked thoughtful, then shook his head, but I lost sight of them in the crowd after that.


    Nearby, a handsome young ascender sat nonchntly on his table, speaking in a low voice so that those surrounding him had to lean in to hear. I couldn¡¯t make out the words, but, by the rapturous expressions of his audience, he must have been telling them a thrilling tale.


    ¡°Grey!¡± Haedrig called out, several paces ahead. ¡°This way.¡±


    The green-haired ascender led us past several rows of stalls until we arrived at a small building with ascenders shuffling in and out.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to get changed here first,¡± Haedrig exined, pointing to the windowless shed. ¡°You brought your armor, right?¡±


    I stepped to the back of the line. ¡°Of course.¡±


    While I had kept the white dagger within my coat as a safety measure, the ck armor and teal cloak had been stored safely in my storage rune; ric had gotten me a dimension ring¡ªusing my own money, of course¡ªbefore we visited the ascender building. The problem was that, because I couldn¡¯t use mana, I wasn¡¯t able to activate the ring. Still, I kept it on me; if anything, the ring served as camouge to others.


    After changing, I stepped out of therge shed. Haedrig eyed me critically.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s nothing,¡± he said with a cough. ¡°While the cloak looks nice, I was hoping you¡¯d have a more impressive set of armor.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t really had the time to shop for armor,¡± I said, looking down at myself. ¡°Do I really look that shabby?¡±


    ¡°Not shabby, just¡ª¡± Haedrig scratched his head¡ª¡°never mind. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    As I followed him back into the press of ascenders, I wondered what he was looking for. We had passed dozens of groups looking for new party members already, but Haedrig had barely spared them a nce.


    Admittedly, based on the shouted advertisements and posted signage, it seemed unlikely that any of these groups would be interested in a new ascender who hadn¡¯t evenpleted his preliminary ascent yet. In fact, most of the teams looking for an ascender here had listed requirements for a minimum number of ascents candidates must havepleted.


    ¡°How are we going to find someone willing to take me here?¡± I asked, narrowly avoiding bumping into yet another ascender. ¡°Most of these people seem to be looking for experienced ascenders.¡±


    Haedrig looked back at me as he continued leading the way. ¡°There are only established teams here looking for one-off members. If we go in a bit deeper, we¡¯ll see different types of groups, including individuals who are looking to escort ascenders on their prelim.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked. ¡°Unless I¡¯m willing to pay them, I really can¡¯t see any benefit for an ascender to take the time to escort a wogart on their prelim.¡±


    Haedrig stifled augh.


    I frowned. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard someone refer to himself as a wogart before,¡± he said, his voice tinged withughter. ¡°And, while not everyone finds it worth it, there are quite a few benefits.¡±


    ¡°Watch it,¡± a brawny woman in silver te armor grunted as we butted shoulders.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I muttered before turning back to my green-hairedpanion. ¡°What are these benefits?¡±


    ¡°If you go to the trouble to meet the higher qualifications to get a principal¡¯s badge¡ªwhich a lot of experienced ascenders do anyway, since most academies require all of their instructors to have one¡ªyou don¡¯t have to pay for any of the amodations in any of the ascender buildings. Also, the High Sovereign gives a generous stipend for principals to take ascenders on their prelims,¡± Haedrig exined.


    ¡®So another way to foster new ascenders. Agrona has invested an awful lot in making sure his people are willing to throw themselves into the jaws of death for him, huh?¡¯ Regis said.


    I nodded, considering Regis¡¯s words. To Haedrig, I asked, ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    Haedrig thought for a moment, slowing down his pace while still deftly avoiding the mass of ascenders. ¡°Well, being a wogart farmer isn¡¯t the most respected career path, but it¡¯s pretty safe, especially if you have blood to take care of.¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°Wogart farmer?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry. It¡¯s another ng term¡ªascenders who have ¡®retired¡¯ and only escort candidates that need to do their preliminary ascent,¡± he rified.


    ¡°So are they who we¡¯re looking for¡ªwogart farmers, I mean?¡±


    ¡°Yes, although we have to be careful about who we end up going with.¡±


    As we walked further into therge, overcrowded za, I began to see more young ascenders¡ªsome of whom looked just about as lost as I felt.


    ¡°Let me handle the talking,¡± Haedrig said as he led us to one of therger stalls.


    ¡°Ah, are you two looking for a principal to take you down?¡± the attendant, a burly gentleman with a handlebar mustache, asked gruffly.


    ¡°My friend is on his prelim, and I¡¯ll be apanying him,¡± Haedrig replied courteously. ¡°Do you have an information sheet for your business?¡±


    ¡°Information sheet?¡± the burly ascender echoed, confused.


    Haedrig didn¡¯t bother with the man any further. With a curt nod, he said, ¡°Thank you for your time,¡± and walked away.


    I was curious, but stayed silent as Haedrig went from stall to stall. Some offered simple pamphlets, which looked to be a summary of their work history, though others, like the mustachioed ascender, seemed caught off guard by the request.


    Ultimately, however, Haedrig would give the same curt nod and we¡¯d move onto the next stall.


    ¡°What was wrong with that woman? She seemed to have already attracted a few people for their prelim ascents,¡± I asked.


    Haedrig cocked a brow. ¡°Attracted. Interesting choice of words. Did you want to go with her because she was pretty?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I sputtered. ¡°No, I was just saying that the other ascenders probably thought she was qualified enough to lead them down, right?¡±


    ¡°They were all men.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just curious what your criteria is,¡± I grumbled, feeling as if I had been scolded for some reason.


    ¡°I see that Grey likes his women ample in the front,¡± Haedrig said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡®I am also pro-ample women,¡¯ Regis said matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Keep it in mind for what?¡± I said indignantly.


    Ignoring my question, Haedrig handed me the pamphlet he had received from the female principal ascender. ¡°Look closely. Though her pamphlet is notarized by the association, there¡¯s no column for referrals from previous ascenders she has led on prelims, and she¡¯s not even an alumna of an academy.¡±


    ¡°While I appreciate the thoroughness, is all of this really necessary?¡± I asked, handing back the piece of parchment. ¡°I¡¯m quite capable, and, seeing the way you carry yourself, I¡¯m pretty certain you are too.¡±


    Haedrig stared at me, mildly surprised. ¡°Is it that noticeable?¡±


    ¡°For the trained eye it is.¡± I stepped toward my mysteriouspanion. ¡°And it¡¯s natural to study someone you don¡¯t fully trust.¡±


    Haedrig only nodded, his eyes meeting mine, his brow turned down thoughtfully, but the faintest hint of a smile on his lips.


    ¡®He¡¯s a little strange, isn¡¯t he? Not us strange, but still strange,¡¯ Regis mused.


    He is a peculiar one, I agreed. But he doesn¡¯t seem to have any ill intent, so far as I can tell.


    We continued our search, going from stall to stall while Haedrig asked a few questions to the principal ascenders while I listened. There were a lot of older, washed up ascenders who reminded me of ric¡ªalbeit not so tantly drunk. Some of the principals seemed to take it personally, as if it was a blow to their pride that we weren¡¯t immediately worshipping them, but most were genuinely nice and rather patient with us.


    This made it all the more frustrating that Haedrig still hadn¡¯t found anyone he considered suitable. By the time we had looped the entire two rows of stalls, I was on the verge of just choosing one of the principal ascenders we had talked to myself when Haedrig stopped mid-step, causing me to almost bump into him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked, trying to follow his line of sight through the crowd, but there was too much noise andmotion.


    Without a word, he bolted off, weaving through the crowd of meandering ascenders back to the teams looking for experienced ascenders. I followed after, surprised by how strongly he had reacted.


    By the time I had caught up to him, the green-haired ascender was talking to a man of heroic build d in a stunning dark suit of gold-trimmed armor emzoned with a crest in the shape of a crown. With long blond hair that draped behind his shoulders and an expression that radiated confidence, I could see why he had caught Haedrig¡¯s eye. He seemed to be mulling over something Haedrig had just said, but a muscr young man in a uniform embellished with the same crown cut in between them.


    ¡°Brother! You said we were looking for an experienced Shield. We don¡¯t need another Striker, much less one with baggage.¡±


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that the boy that was ring at you in the ascender building back at Aramoor?¡¯ Regis asked.


    I think so.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it actually my overprotective little brother who wanted to find a Shield?¡± the armored ascender responded with amusement. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you don¡¯t trust me enough to watch over my own siblings.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re worrying too much, Ezra!¡± The speaker, one of a pair of girls¡ªboth wearing simr uniforms to the boy¡ªhad the same blond hair as our potential principal. I realized then that I recognized her and her friend; they had been with the group of students waiting to take their assessment. ¡°You know that Brother has gone on at least a dozen ascents already. And besides, this ascender seems to be experienced as well.¡±


    ¡°And your poor old brother gets to make a little extra money,¡± the armored ascender said with a wink.


    ¡°It¡¯s unbing for a member of our blood to say things like that,¡± the boy in uniform, Ezra, said with a click of his tongue.


    Smiling faintly, Haedrig turned and scanned the mass of people until he caught sight of me.


    ¡°Grey! Over here!¡± he said, raising his arm.


    The two girls¡¯ eyes widened in surprise as they saw me approach, while Ezra¡¯s brow furrowed aggressively.


    Their older brother just looked at the three in confusion.


    I walked over to Haedrig¡¯s side and looked at him for some answers.


    ¡°Kalon, this is Grey, my friend who needs to take his preliminary ascent,¡± Haedrig said, motioning toward the armored ascender. ¡°Grey, this is Kalon of Blood Granbehl. He has agreed to take us along.¡±


    ¡°So you are familiar with my blood,¡± Kalon said with a nod.


    ¡°Blood Granbehl is a distinguished Named Blood hailing from the Dominion of Vechor,¡± Haedrig exined to me.


    ¡°From Vechor?¡± I echoed, wondering why I had seen the students in Aramoor, which was on the other side of the continent.


    Kalon turned toward me. ¡°Nice to meet you, Grey. As your friend mentioned, I¡¯m Kalon Granbehl and these two fair-haired young ascenders-to-be are my younger siblings, Ada and Ezra.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m Riah of Blood Faline,¡± the perky, short-haired friend said without missing a beat. ¡°What a coincidence that we¡¯re all seeing each other again so soon!¡±


    ¡°Again?¡± Kalon asked, his head shifting from me to Riah. ¡°You¡¯ve all met before?¡±


    ¡°I think we saw each other briefly back at the ascender building in Aramoor City,¡± I rified. ¡°Thank you for agreeing to take us with you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing! My brother has done this a lot since he¡¯s an instructor,¡± Ada replied eagerly, shaking her head while Kalon looked at her with a mischievous grin.


    ¡°You¡¯d best not hold us back. Even if it is just a preliminary ascent, the Relictombs are dangerous,¡± Ezra warned, stepping forward and sizing me up.


    He stood roughly around my height, but his frame was much more broad and bulky than my own.


    pping Ezra on the back, Kalon said, ¡°You¡¯re not at school anymore, little brother. Be careful, the pretty boy might be even stronger than you are.¡± Kalon eyed me as he said this, the jovial grin slipping from his face for a moment.


    ¡°A wogart with no academy training? I doubt it,¡± Ezra snapped before turning away.


    Shaking away whatever thought had caught him, Kalon gave me a friendly smile. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, he just gets a little protective around our precious little sister.¡±


    ¡°Brother!¡± Ada huffed, her cheeks turning red. Riah snickered and elbowed her friend.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m stuck having to take the kids on their prelim anyway, so you¡¯re just making the trip a little more lucrative for me,¡± Kalon said with a grin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry though, I¡¯ll still keep you all safe!¡±


    ¡°Thank you again,¡± I said with a faint smile.


    It didn¡¯t take mana perception to tell that, despite Kalon¡¯s easy-going attitude, he was strong. From the way he looked at me beneath that cid gaze, he knew I was strong as well.


    ¡°Shall we depart?¡± Haedrig asked, looking at the students in uniform. ¡°Or do the three of you need to change into your armor first?¡±


    ¡°Not necessary,¡± Ezra responded curtly, enveloping his body in mana.


    Momentster, a full set of silver armor materialized around Ezra¡¯s body along with a glistening crimson spear inscribed with faint golden runes.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve seen how happy he was when our father got him that for his graduation present.¡± Kalon waggled his brows with a grin, forcing Ada to stifle a surprised giggle.


    Ezra shot his older brother a menacing re, and his neck and jaws flushed red in embarrassment.


    Riah also had her own set of materializing armor, albeit one made from leather and chainmail, designed for speed and flexibility. She wielded a unique weapon¡ªa dagger with a wide fan-like de held by a grip embedded with small gems.


    The youngest Granbehl sibling wore luxurious mage¡¯s robes of soft green, lined on the inside with rows of runes while the sides were cut to enhance movement. The trim was gold, like Kalon¡¯s armor, and was emzoned with the same crown, likely signifying their blood¡¯s crest. She had no wand or staff; instead, all ten of her fingers had a ring interlinked by a small chain attached to a silver bracelet on her wrists, which was embedded with a single pink gem.


    ¡°Those magically appearing armors seem useful,¡± I mentioned to Haedrig.


    ¡°They are,¡± the green-haired ascender replied as he led our nowplete party away from the rows of stalls.


    ¡°They¡¯re also ridiculously expensive,¡± Kalon added. ¡°But it¡¯s a symbol of wealth and power, and my father loves that.¡±


    I only nodded, unsurprised.


    ¡°So, Grey.¡± Riah stepped up beside me as our group headed out of the za, briefly catching my eye then looking away. ¡°I¡¯m curious what your scores were on the assessment.¡±


    Ada stepped up closer, and even Ezra slowed his pace, tilting his head toward us to listen in.


    ¡°I think, aside from ¡®flexibility of offensive magic¡¯, I scored above average,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s not bad!¡± Kalon chimed in, looking back at us over his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s hard to get a good score in flexibility unless you have runes of different elements so don¡¯t beat yourself up for it.¡±


    Ezra scoffed. ¡°Not even one ¡®exceptional¡¯ score?¡±


    ¡®Another wogart that needs to be humbled,¡¯ Regis said with a sigh.


    ¡°Ezra, what did Mother say about being arrogant?¡± Ada chided.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Riah defended as well. ¡°And who was the one that got below average on their ¡®mental acuity¡¯ score again?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Ezra barked, this time red up to his ears.


    ¡°Settle down, kids,¡± Kalon scolded gently. ¡°You¡¯re making our two new members ufortable.¡±


    Ezra rolled his eyes but didn¡¯t say anything. The girls shared a quick nce and hid theirughter behind his back. Haedrig, on the other hand, had grown more quiet and serious the closer we got to our destination.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there!¡± Riah said excitedly, pointing at the giant three-story arch with a golden white light shimmering at the center.


    A wide terrace separated the busy za from the portal. Several other roads opened into the terrace, and a steady stream of ascenders moved through.


    The terrace itself was ringed with white walls, each road entering under a copy-in-miniature of the portal arch. Banners bearing crests were disyed proudly, hung from the walls all around the terrace.


    ¡°The crests of the bloods who own homes in the Summit Estates,¡± Ada said, following my gaze.


    Ascenders huddled in groups throughout the terrace. One group appeared to be praying, each of them sitting cross legged in a line facing the portal, their eyes closed, their lips moving silently. Another team was arguing about how to divide their des, their raised voices cutting across the noise of conversation and heavy, booted feet.


    There were no lines; however, the massive size of the portal could amodate any number of ascenders at a time.


    ¡°I wonder what sort of zone we¡¯ll end up in!¡± Ada wondered out loud, her vivid green eyes lighting up in excitement as she gazed at the golden white portal.


    Ezra stood stone-faced and resolute, almost, but not quite, looking the part of the stoic warrior about to embark upon an epic quest. The slight shaking of his hand on the shaft of his spear, and the way he kept having to rearrange his facial features, gave him away.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked Haedrig, who had been silent since we left the za.


    He looked up, eyebrows raised and mouth partly open like he was surprised to find me standing next to him. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine¡ª¡± Haedrig¡¯s voice cracked, causing him to stop and clear his throat. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he repeated.


    I nodded in response, but I could tell he was nervous about something. He had withdrawn his long, thin saber from his dimension ring and was constantly fidgeting with it as we approached the towering arch of stone and magic.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Kalon eximed abruptly. ¡°I told mom that I¡¯d take a picture of you three before we go on our ascent!¡±


    Ezra let out a groan, but Riah linked her arm through his and pulled him over to Ada, who happily took Riah¡¯s other arm. The three stood in front of the gate, the portal rippling softly behind them.


    ¡°Perfect!¡± Kalon shouted after taking several steps back. He crouched on the ground and clicked a switch on therge metal-and-ss artifact he was holding.


    ¡°Did you two want to join as well?¡± Kalon asked.


    ¡°Yeah! Join us!¡± Riah said, her eyes lighting up. ¡°Grey can stand next to Ada!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said politely. ¡°But I can take a picture of the four of you.¡±


    ¡°Can you?¡± Kalon handed me the artifact, which was the size of my head. ¡°Just point this part at us, imbue some mana into the artifact, and toggle the switch!¡±


    ¡®Well that backfired,¡¯ Regismented. ¡®How are you going to make it work if you don¡¯t have any mana?¡¯


    Before I could say anything, Kalon had already run off to strike an exaggerated pose next to his siblings and Riah, whoughed at his antics. Even Ezra wore an amused expression as he watched his brother.


    ¡°Do you need help?¡± Haedrig asked, walking toward me.


    ¡°I¡¯ve...um...never really worked with one of these artifacts before,¡± I said. ¡°Do you mind taking it?¡± I held the device out to him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to take a bad picture,¡± I finishedmely.


    Haedrig looked at me for a moment but took the artifact from my hands.


    ¡°Ready?¡± he asked, pointing the artifact at the Granbehl blood and their friend.


    ¡°Ready!¡± they answered in unison. Ada and Riah struck cute poses while Ezra held his chin high and gripped his spear with both hands. Kalon settled on just crossing his arms and revealing a wide, confident smile.


    It was a bittersweet feeling watching the happy familymemorate what seemed almost like a rite of passage for their blood.


    ¡°It¡¯s a nice sight,¡± Haedrig said, staring off into the distance.


    ¡°The gate?¡± I asked.


    He shook his head, a trace of sadness on his stoic face. ¡°The family. You can tell that they¡¯ve grown up being loved.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I agreed. ¡°A bit loud, but they all seem like good people.¡±


    ¡°And Kalon Granbehl is a very capable ascender. He¡¯s one of the rising stars among ascenders,¡± Haedrig said, his voice lowering to almost a whisper. ¡°Let¡¯s hope he¡¯s strong enough to get us through this ascent, right Grey?¡±

 Chapter 288

    Chapter 288


    Chapter 288: Full Circle


    ¡°Ada of Blood Granbehl, Ezra of Blood Granbehl, Riah of Blood Faline, Grey, and¡±¡ªthe uniformed woman paused, ncing from the ascender card in her hand to Haedrig and back¡ª¡°and Haedrig of¡ªwell¡ªyes...Your identities have been verified,¡± she finished, smiling widely as she handed us back our cards. ¡°Principal ascender Kalon of Blood Granbehl, the stipend will be automatically transferred to your runecard after the candidates have sessfully received their official ascender¡¯s badges post-preliminary ascent.¡±


    ¡°Aw, can¡¯t I receive the stipend now? It¡¯s not like there¡¯s going to be any foul y; I¡¯m guiding my siblings,¡± Kalonined.


    ¡°There are no exceptions. Please understand that these rules are for the safety and well-being of all ascenders,¡± the thin, ck-haired woman stated as if she had been asked this question countless times.


    ¡°Have there been situations where principal ascenders extorted candidates in the past or something?¡± I whispered to Haedrig as the two of us waited in the back.


    ¡°Worse. There are ounts of some principals taking candidates on their prelims after collecting the stipends only to kill the candidates and loot their bodies, then ming their deaths on the Relictombs,¡± the green-haired ascender exined with an expression of distaste.


    After our preliminary ascent had been recorded, our team headed to the center of the terrace, where the towering arch stood over us. Complex runes scored every inch of the massive edifice, making the teleportation gates I¡¯d seen up until now look like toys inparison.


    The longer I stayed in the Relictombs, the more I found myself marveling at its beauty andplexity. The flying city of Xyrus was the marvel of Dicathen, but even it paled inparison to this ce.


    Admittedly, the cryans were quite impressive as well. What they had managed to do with the first two floors of the Relictombs¡ªcreating a capital for ascenders to better prepare themselves for the unpredictable dangers lying ahead of them¡ªwas nothing less than remarkable.


    The amount of resources and time invested into making sure ascenders were not only well-equipped and rewarded for ascending into the Relictombs, but also idolized by the citizens of crya, spoke volumes of how much Agrona needed the ascenders.


    Even these preliminary ascents had been devised to give candidates a safer experience within the Relictombs.


    ¡®So why does Haedrig seem to be expecting trouble?¡± Regis asked, having read my thoughts.


    I was wondering the same thing. What did he mean when he hoped Kalon was ¡®strong enough to get us through this ascent¡¯?


    Everything I¡¯d heard up until then had made it sound like the preliminary ascent was merely dipping your toes in the water, especially for those trained in academies.


    ¡®Maybe he¡¯s not as tough as he pretends to be?¡¯


    ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± Kalon asked, stirring me from my internal deliberation with Regis. We stood just a few paces from the massive arch housing the white-gold portal.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we do a supply check?¡± Haedrig replied seriously.


    ¡°Is that necessary? Prelims usually don¡¯t take longer than a day,¡± Riah responded impatiently, her body practically gravitating toward the humming gate, which she gazed at in wide-eyed anticipation.


    ¡°We should treat this as if it¡¯s any other ascent,¡± Haedrig insisted, already taking stock of his own rations. ¡°I have enough water for myself for a week and dried rations for two days.¡±


    ¡°Haedrig makes a good point. You can never be overprepared for the Relictombs,¡± Kalon chimed in, pulling arge leather waterskin and a bundle of dried meat wrapped in cloth from his dimension ring. ¡°I have enough water for three days and dried rations for one day.¡±


    The rest of the team pulled out their rations as well. Surprisingly, I had the most food and water, courtesy of ric. The old drunk had packed two weeks¡¯ worth of water and air-sealed rations for three days.


    ¡®The man may be a grumpy old drunk, but at least he really seems to have your best interest in mind,¡¯ Regis said with a chuckle.


    ¡°All right, we¡¯re packed more heavily than some of the deeper ascents I¡¯ve gone on,¡± Kalon said, looking at Riah with an amused expression. ¡°And Riah here seems to think she¡¯s going on a pic, with all of the sweets she¡¯s brought.¡±


    Riah flushed and let out a string of curses under her breath. ¡°Whatever. I was going to share...¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Kalon chuckled. ¡°You all have your simulets, right?¡±


    We each took out a polished, rune-inscribed amulet the size of my palm, which would bind our team together as we travelled through the teleportation gates.


    Kalon nodded and turned to face the shimmering pane of golden-white light that would lead us into our first zone.


    ¡°Blood honor me, light guide me, Vritra protect me,¡± Kalon recited, followed by his siblings and Riah.


    Haedrig and I looked at each other, neither participating in their ritual. I couldn¡¯t be sure, but I almost thought I saw Haedrig roll his eyes. Not thinking much of it, we then stepped through the gate.


    ***


    We entered intoplete darkness. The air was dry and stale with a crisp breeze blowing from underneath us. Even with my augmented vision, I couldn¡¯t tell if my eyes were open or closed.


    ¡°No one move,¡± Kalon said, his voice cutting through the dark in a hushed whisper.


    I saw the soft glow of someone¡¯s rune lighting up before a burst of sparks shed in front of me, lighting up the area. Giant, gnarled faces red at us from the darkness.


    Riah, who was only a few steps ahead of me, raised her fan-shaped dagger and jumped back, nearly tumbling off the edge of the narrow raised path we were standing on. Haedrig¡¯s hand darted out and caught her by the elbow, holding her firmly until she had her feet under her again.


    Riah turned to look down over the edge, then the burst of sparks died, hiding the grotesque faces and their contorted, anguished expressions.


    ¡°Give me a second to modify my spell.¡± Kalon spoke softly as a rune on the exposed area of his lower back glowed once more.


    This time an orange re manifested from the ascender, brighter and more controlled than the sparks. It bathed the area in a warm light, revealing a huge chamber, or maybe a hallway. I could not make out the ceiling, or anything in front of or behind us. The narrow pathway where we had been deposited was about four feet wide and seemed to float amidst a sea of darkness.


    Lining both walls were what looked like carvings of faces, vaguely humanoid, though grotesque and misshapen. This wasn¡¯t forck of apparent skill, though; so detailed were the expressions that it looked almost as if they were once alive, and had been petrified in their final moments of pain and rage.


    ¡®Quite the morbid taste in decor,¡¯ Regis said. ¡®Look, you can just make out the screaming one¡¯s tonsils¡ªand you can see that one¡¯s teeth through the tear in its cheek.¡¯


    I can see them, I thought, though they were so hideous I did not look closely.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stay too close to the ledge,¡± Kalon ordered, no trace of leisure left in his voice. ¡°Spread out an arm¡¯s length apart from each other; Ezra, give yourself a bit more room for your spear.¡±


    We spread out in a line, walking slowly and keeping to the center of the stone pathway. Haedrig and I walked at the rear while Kalon took the lead, lighting the way with his hand bathed in bright mes.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell how far this path goes, but it¡¯s the only course I can see,¡± Kalon said.


    ¡°I can conjure some light as well,¡± Ada said, her eyes darting nervously between the faces peering down at us from the distant walls.


    ¡°Save your mana for now,¡± Kalon replied. ¡°And don¡¯t be so nervous, Ada. We¡¯re going to be fine.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯ve prepared for this for years,¡± Ezra growled.


    ¡°Ezra¡¯s right,¡± Riah saidfortingly, despite her uneasy expression. ¡°This is just the first zone. Don¡¯t be fazed by the distractions.¡±


    ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect the Relictombs to be this scary,¡± Ada whispered.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked Haedrig, who had been surveying our surroundings silently, his stance low, his saber held firmly in hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he muttered, not meeting my eye.


    The six of us walked in a line, heading deeper into the dark zone, our pace careful but steady. Theck of change in our surroundings¡ªaside from the diverse array of creepy faces¡ªmade it impossible to judge how far we had walked.


    In addition to staying watchful and keeping my feet on the path, I also had to limate to the high level of aether in this zone. I hadn¡¯t felt much different in the first two floors, but stepping through the portal had been like opening another eye, and it was staring straight into the sun.


    That was probably why I didn¡¯t notice them sooner.


    ¡®Arthur,¡¯ Regis warned in a grave tone.


    I sense them too.


    I hesitated for a moment, worried it might be suspicious for me to warn the rest of the group if even Kalon hadn¡¯t noticed anything yet. I was supposed to be a wet-behind-the-ears nobody on his first ascent, after all.


    ¡°I think there¡¯s somethinging from below,¡± I said finally, deciding it was better to warn them than risk them being taken unawares.


    Kalon stopped in his tracks, leaning over the edge of the stone path with his zing arm stretched out. After a minute, he did the same on the other side, then looked back at me.


    ¡°Are you sure? There¡¯s nothing down there, and I haven¡¯t sensed any other mana signatures,¡± he said, giving me a searching look before turning to Ada. ¡°Send a homing re down on one side.¡±


    Ada spread her arms apart, and, as the rune on her back glowed, a swirling orb of fire the size of her head manifested. She pushed the fireball into the abyss as the rest of us peered warily down after it.


    We watched therge ball of condensed fire descend. It didn¡¯t drop like a stone or sail through the air like an arrow, but instead weaved through the air almost as if it was alive, turning and twisting wherever Ada sent it. In its path, the fireball lit up the smooth wall of the bridge we were standing on as well as the hideous statues on the far wall of the wide hallway.


    Then, as suddenly as if a curtain had been wrenched away, dozens of humanoid faces appeared far below, theirrge ssy eyes reflecting the orange light.


    A startled yelp rang at my side and the fireball dispersed, plunging whatever creatures were down there back in darkness.


    ¡°Run!¡± Kalon roared, pushing Ezra and Riah ahead of him. He scooped up his sister with one arm, raising his other hand, still zing with light, high in the air to extend the light to its limit as he took off running down the path just behind them.


    Aether coursed through my limbs as I ran, and I found that I was able to keep up with the others with rtive ease.


    However, despite our breakneck pace, there was no end in sight. Worse yet, we could now make out the nightmare sound of the creatures below, a sort of moaning, chittering noise that grew steadily louder.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t see an end anywhere near!¡± Ezra shouted from the front, his deep voice quivering.


    ¡°Damn it! What the hell is going on,¡± Kalon cursed.


    I looked back over my shoulder at Haedrig, stoically taking up the rear. He was surrounded by a dim white aura, and he ran with his hand on the leather-wrapped hilt of his sheathed saber. I almost turned back around, but the faintest glimmer caught my eye.


    ¡°Duck!¡± I shouted as I spun on my heels.


    Haedrig dipped his head without hesitation, just barely enough to avoid a ck blur that sailed past, right where his head had been.


    ¡°W-what was that?¡± Ada shrieked. She was still being carried by her eldest brother and had been able to see it the most clearly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡± Kalon urged.


    We picked up our pace, the faces carved on the wall nothing but a blur now. However, I knew that it was only a matter of time before whatever aetheric creatures were lurking beneath us would catch up.


    The distorted wail of the beasts, along with their chittering, grew to a deafening din before more shadows began rising up from the sea of darkness.


    It was under Kalon¡¯s illuminating spell that we finally saw the creatures we were up against, and they were something straight out of a nightmare. They had snakelike bodies the size and girth of a man, with two long arms ending in gleaming ws. Atop their long necks, each monster had a disfigured humanoid face, just like the statues. These, though, were alive with hatred and fury.


    Kalon dropped Ada and drew his weapon for the first time. It was a spear, much like Ezra¡¯s, except with a pitch ck de that seemed to blend in with our surroundings.


    The ghoulish creatures tilted their heads as they climbed up onto the narrow path. Their boney jaws cked repeatedly to create that eerie chitter, melding with the low moans.


    Kalon¡¯s spear shed, decapitating three of the ghoulish serpents in a single swing.


    ¡°We need to keep moving!¡± he roared, shing at another man-serpent and sending its chittering head falling into the abyss.


    Ezra, taking the lead, followed his brother¡¯s order, spinning his spear to knock away the serpentine ghouls rather than trying to kill them.


    ¡®Should Ie out now?¡¯ Regis asked, brimming with anticipation as I struck a beast with my bare fist, absorbing some of its aetheric essence in the process.


    Not yet. The others still seem to be in control for now.


    Behind me, Haedrig moved through the ghouls like a dancer, felling one after the other with grace and precision.


    Kalon, on the other hand, fought with the mechanical efficiency of a farmer cutting down wheat in a field. His spear cut wide arcs through the air, often shearing through multiple serpents at once and flinging others back off the bridge, easily making up for where his siblings fell short.


    Ada, despite hanging over Kalon¡¯s shoulder like a sack of grain, had summoned a circr saw of fire that was not only able tocerate its enemies, but also growrger with each foe it cut down.


    Controlling this left herpletely defenseless, however, as it clearly required all her concentration to maintain the spell. She held both hands out before her, making minute adjustments with her fingers to control the saw¡¯s movements. With both Riah and Kalon by her side, though, she was defended as well as any of us from the attacking ghouls.


    Still, more and more of the serpentine monsters flowed up from the darkness. They had begun to interlink with one another, creating chains of snake-like bodies down into the depths and allowing others to climb up with startling speed.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to be run down if we keep going like this!¡± Riah shouted, trails of sweat lining her brows and cheeks as she blocked the sharp boney ws of one of the ghouls with the t of her wide de before hurtling it away with a gust of sharp wind.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to buy us some time!¡± Kalon shouted. ¡°Ezra, focus on protecting Ada.¡±


    Our line shifted as Ezra moved next to Ada, putting Riah at the front while Kalon went to the very back.


    We ran, the three students leading the way. I took down a trio of ghouls, my aether-hardened fists smashing into their deformed faces, each contact allowing me to siphon more aether from their bodies as they copsed in broken heaps or tumbled back off the path.


    ¡°Ada, now!¡± Kalon roared.


    Another rune lit up on Ada¡¯s back, and the whirling saw of jagged fire, which was now the size of a carriage, disassembled into dozens of thin ropes of fire that slithered in the air much like the ghoulish serpents we were fighting.


    A spark of electricity erupted from the epicenter of Ada¡¯s spell, using the writhing cords of fire as conduits for the tendrils of lightning. The chains of electrified fire dispersed, coiling around the ghouls closest to her, burning through them like a hot wire through candle wax and causing tendrils of lightning to leap from one to the next, creating a chain lightning effect that felled dozens of ghouls in an instant.


    Ada slumped, her skin ghastly even under the warm light of fire.


    ¡°Good job!¡± Ezra said, breathing hard as he fended off another pair of ghouls with a swing of his crimson spear.


    My eyes scanned our surroundings while my awoken aetheric senses picked up on all of the ghouls nearby.


    ¡°Riah, underneath you!¡± I yelled, spotting a boney w about to grasp the short-haired striker¡¯s ankle.


    She tried to step back out of its reach, but a deafening explosion shook the stone path and Riah stumbled forward instead, right into the ghoul¡¯s rigid ws.


    With both Ezra and Ada in the way, my only option was to use God Step to reach her in time to save her.


    But I hesitated.


    I hesitated at the thought of exposing my aetheric abilities to these people.


    In that moment of hesitation, Riah was dragged off her feet.


    Despite myself, I turned back to see what the cause of the explosion was and saw that arge portion of the stone path had been blown to pieces by Kalon.


    Haedrig was only a few paces behind me,pletely upied in fending off the droves of ghouls, which were practically piling on top of one another trying to reach him.


    I jerked around at the sound of Riah¡¯s panicked scream


    ¡°Ezra!¡± she cried in desperation as she wed at the edge of the stone path, her fan-like de spinning away into the abyss.


    ¡°Riah!¡± Ezra gasped, wide-eyed, unable to move past another pair of ghouls that were after his sister.


    My mind spun in that instant. I could bypass Ezra and Ada by using God Step to reach Riah, but revealing that here and now would be too risky.


    Instead, I utilized my imperfect, aether-version of Burst Step in order to close the short distance between myself and where Ezra and Ada were fighting.


    Ada had resorted to using small bursts of lightning to temporarily stun the ghouls, even though it didn¡¯t do anysting damage, while Ezra focused on knocking them off the tform.


    Grabbing the disfigured humanoid head of a ghoul trying desperately to bite down on Ada, I twisted, snapping its neck and causing it to slump.


    Another blood-curdling scream pierced the air. Riah was clinging on with bloody fingers as more serpent ghouls climbed on top of her small body.


    I pulled Ada behind me and met Ezra¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t waste time, rushing ahead to save Riah.


    With the trail of ghouls behind us unable to cross over therge gap in the stone path, Kalon and Haedrig were free to dislodge the ones climbing up from the side before joining up with us, providing a moment¡¯s respite.


    While the rest of the ascenders were sweating profusely from the strain of constant battle, I had gained more energy than I had spent due to the limited amount of aether I was using.


    ¡°What happened, why did you guys stop?¡± Kalon asked, his breathing still steady despite how long we¡¯d been fighting.


    Before I could answer, Ada let out a sharp gasp, her face paling in horror. ¡°Riah!¡±


    Kalon¡¯s eyes widened as his sister ran ahead. I turned around to see Ada pulling Riah off the ledge. Ezra had just killed thest of the ghouls that had nearly pulled the girl from the path.


    Kalon rushed after them while Haedrig and I focused on killing any of the ghouls that managed to reach the path.


    Even a quick nce showed me that Riah was in bad shape. Her right leg had been gnawed off at the ankle and deep gashes lined her back and her legs. Her face was twisted in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks as she clung desperately to Ada.


    ¡°We have to move,¡± I said, not even looking as I redirected a ghoul to m into another ghoul, sending them both spiraling down and out of sight.


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯s in any condition to move&gt;!¡± Ezra shot back.


    ¡°Grey is right. We can¡¯t stay here,¡± Kalon cut in, turning to me. ¡°Can you hold onto Riah? Haedrig, Ezra, and I will be responsible for keeping the two of you and Ada safe.¡±


    I nodded, hastily scooping Riah up in my arms.


    Riah¡¯s entire body convulsed as she let out a pained scream, but the small ascender managed to wrap her arms around my neck.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move! Ada, give us some light!¡± Kalon said fiercely while striking away a ghoul.


    ¡®Are you sure you¡ªwell, they¡ªdon¡¯t need my help?¡¯ Regis asked, apparently bored by the situation.


    Not yet, I quipped, beginning to run.


    Haedrig and Kalon were a flurry of strikes and shes as they focused entirely on protecting me and Ada, but with the growing numbers of serpentine ghouls, I had to resort to ducking and weaving past some of the ones that had managed to climb up the walls and get ahead of us.


    We only made it a few more minutes up the path before Ezra suddenly skidded to a stop.


    ¡°No way,¡± he gasped. ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡±


    The rest of us caught up to him, and the fiery orbs shined ahead, revealing arge chasm in the path, blocking our way.


    The same chasm that Kalon had made.

 Chapter 289

    Chapter 289


    Chapter 289: Familiar Faces


    Despite the fast-approaching ghouls both behind and below us, we stared dumbly at therge chasm that Kalon had made, collectively unable to understand why it was in front of us.


    ¡°We¡ªwe were running in a circle the entire time?¡± Ada said, her voice quavering.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Ezra panted after felling another ghoul with his spear. ¡°We were running in¡ªa straight line. I¡¯m¡ªsure of it!¡± I could hear the strain in his voice; he was starting to grow tired.


    ¡°Ezra¡¯s right. There¡¯s no curve in the bridge.¡± Kalon spun his weapon and swept the heads off two ghouls that were trying to reach me. He, at least, seemed to have retained his strength so far.


    The idea of a straight path looping in circles seemed impossible, yet waspletely usible if one took into ount the edicts of aether. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the Relictombs had brought us to this zone because of me.


    I looked down to see that Riah had lost consciousness in my arms. Perhaps it was for the better; Ada had coated her wounds with a thick paste that had stopped the bleeding, but her strained expression said it did nothing for her pain.


    ¡°What do we¡±¡ªHaedrig unleashed a flurry of shes at a trio of ghouls that had managed to reach the path¡ª¡°do now?¡±


    ¡®Still think they¡¯re in control?¡¯ Regis chimed in snidely.


    Fine. Come out, but remember not to talk.


    Regis¡¯srge wolven form leapt out of my back, startling our team and drawing their attention away from the ghouls around us.


    Kalon instinctively tried attacking Regis, and while I was curious what would happen if he struck mypanion, I intervened.


    ¡°Stop! It¡¯s my spell,¡± I snapped, immediately halting Kalon¡¯s spear before turning to Regis. ¡°Go scout ahead and see if you can spot anything.¡±


    ¡®Roger,¡¯ mypanion sent back before leaping across the chasm. He was nearly out of sight before a realization dawned on me.


    Since when have you been able tomunicate telepathically when you¡¯re not inside me?


    There was a momentary pause, then I heard Regis¡¯s voice in my head again. ¡®Not sure. My guess is, I¡¯m either getting stronger, or the ambient aether density in this zone is allowing us to. Or we might just be getting more...connected.¡¯


    I groaned. Can you not say it in such a gross tone?


    Turning my attention back to the battle, I realized that Ezra, Ada, and Kalon were looking at me with shocked expressions. Haedrig was the only one who didn¡¯t seem fazed; if he was surprised by Regis¡¯s sudden appearance, he hid it extremely well.


    Fortunately, the group¡¯s attention was forced back onto the growing horde of ghouls surrounding us. We abandoned our line formation, tightening into a close knot around Riah and Ada and inching closer to the chasm.


    ¡°What¡¯s the n?¡± Kalon shouted, ncing at me.


    ¡°We wait,¡± I said as my foot connected with a ghoul¡¯s sternum, sending it flying back down into the abyss. ¡°I want to make sure that this ce really is looping.¡±


    We held our position, restricting our mana consumption as best we could out of fear that our war against the nightmarish ghouls wouldst for hours more. Considering that I was surrounded by people I felt responsible to protect, and that I couldn¡¯t even reveal my own strength as I did so, there was little else I could do.


    ¡®Good news! Well, I guess it¡¯s bad news, but I see you all ahead of me now,¡¯ Regis thought to me.


    I cursed under my breath.


    So that confirms it.


    ¡®Did you want me to help fight? I took down about a dozen or so of these bastards already.¡¯


    No. I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to get out of here by just killing more of these beasts, I sent back. I want you to go around and carefully scan the walls.


    I could feel a wave of curiositying from Regis. ¡®You mean the gross faces?¡¯


    Yeah. Something about them has been bothering me. Just let me know if you find something out of the ordinary.


    ¡®Out of the ordinary from gross stone faces...got it,¡¯ Regis responded, turning to race away from us once more.


    A stifled groan pulled my attention behind me.


    ¡°Ezra!¡± Kalon roared. His form shed, appearing next to his brother and decapitating the ghoul that had wedged its ws through a slit below Ezra¡¯s pauldron.


    With Ezra unable to freely move his left arm due to his injury, he became a crack in our defence. It wasn¡¯t long before a ghoul was able to slip past his weak side, forcing me to throw myself into its path to save Riah. The creature¡¯s putrid ws carved a series of deep gashes into my hip and thigh.


    A pained grunt escaped from my throat as I drove my open hand straight through the ghoul¡¯s throat. It spit out a mouthful of blood and copsed before Ezra could turn to drive his spear into its back.


    The boy¡¯s face was pale and wet with sweat, but after that he redoubled his efforts, refusing to let another ghoul through.


    Have you found anything? I asked Regis.


    ¡®Just a lot more hideous faces. There aren¡¯t any patterns I can see either.¡¯


    Keep looking, I sent, pulling a ghoul off of Ezra and shoving it to the ground so he could finish it.


    ¡°What are we still doing here? We have to get moving!¡± Kalon shouted, his rxed demeanorpletely gone.


    ¡°And go where?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ve already confirmed that this zone is looping back on itself, taking us in circles. I sent my summon to check for any anomalies on the walls.¡±


    ¡°Can you share senses with your summon?¡± Haedrig asked, redirecting a ghoul¡¯s tackle and causing it to fall back down into the dark.


    ¡°Kind of?¡± I hesitated. ¡°It has a limited amount of sentience.¡±


    ¡®Hey!¡¯


    Ignoring mypanion, I turned to Ada, who had been helping out where she could, standing over Riah at the center of our circle. To conserve mana, she had resorted to firing small bolts of fire and lightning at the ghouls climbing up from the sides, but even that had been a huge help in keeping them at bay. I could tell she was at the end of her power, however. ¡°Focus on replenishing your mana reserves.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s too many of them!¡± Ada stammered, wiping away the beads of sweat rolling down her face. ¡°I-I should be helping...¡±


    I sat her down with a slight push and gave her the closest thing to a smile I could muster. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you safe.¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, Ada nodded in determination before closing her eyes.


    ¡°Haedrig. Do you have an extra sword?¡± I asked, turning toward the green-haired ascender.


    Without a word, Haedrig withdrew a thin shortsword from his dimension ring and tossed it to me.


    Grasping the handle and pulling the sword out of its sheath, I was suddenly ovee with a sense of calmness. It was a silly thing what a weapon could do, but after fighting so long with Dawn¡¯s Bad in my hand, I realized how much I had missed the sensation of wielding a sword.


    I let out a sharp breath as I imbued aether into the sword; a fine crack appeared in the de, leaking a subtle purple light that only I could see, and I knew it wouldn¡¯t hold up long. Still, though the sword was simple and obviously just a spare weapon, it was perfectly bnced with a good weight on my hand.


    It would do.


    The world around me seemed to slow and the sounds distracting me became indistinct. My first strike seemed to confuse even the ghoul, who didn¡¯t know what happened until it slumped and fell off the bridge.


    The next series of shes killed any and every ghoul within my reach. The sword in my hand travelled in a flurry of narrow arcs that shimmered, catching the reflection of Kalon¡¯s fire-d spear.


    My eyes constantly scanned our surroundings, making sure none of the ghouls managed to slip by. I hoped to see some sign that the onught was beginning to slow, but it seemed that, if anything, the ghouls became even more desperate the more of them we killed.


    Kalon and Ezra¡¯s side had it the worst, since the chasm in the bridge allowed the ghouls to climb up more easily. With Ezra injured, Kalon had to keep the ghouls from getting past him and protect Ezra.


    Haedrig¡¯s movements, on the other hand, hadn¡¯t slowed down at all, even as pools of both sweat and blood had formed beneath his feet.


    I was confident that we could hold on for a while longer, but it would all be meaningless unless we found a way out of here.


    A blinding sh lit up the hall, followed by a torrent of voltaic streams that obliterated the horde of ghouls that had managed to climb up from the chasm.


    I was gazing around to admire the pure destructiveness of Kalon¡¯s spell when Regis contacted me again.


    ¡®Uh... Arthur?¡¯ he said, his confusion clear in my mind. ¡®You shoulde see this.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s move!¡± I yelled out immediately. ¡°Ezra, can you hold Riah?¡±


    The younger spearman¡¯s brows furrowed in annoyance. ¡°What? I should help guard¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ezra!¡± Kalon snarled, cutting his brother off. ¡°Carry Riah.¡±


    Following Kalon¡¯s order without hesitation, Ezra put away his spear and picked up our unconscious teammate.


    Leading the way, I cleared the path of ghouls while Kalon remained in the back of the line as our rear guard.


    What did you find? I asked Regis.


    ¡®Something even more disturbing than the deformed stone faces,¡¯ he answered cryptically.


    ¡°Did your summon find something?¡± Haedrig asked from behind me.


    ¡°Yes, though I¡¯m not sure what yet. Keep moving!¡±


    With me clearing the way, Kalon defending the rear, and Haedrig darting from side to side casting down any monstrous serpents that climbed up the sides of the bridge, we ran as fast as Ezra could move. He was wounded and carrying Riah, so it wasn¡¯t as fast as I would have liked, but within minutes Regis¡¯s shadowy form materialized ahead of us.


    Several ghoulish corpses littered the path around him, with more climbing over the edges every moment.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, letting my battle instincts run my body, cutting down the ghouls attempting to swarm Regis while I focused on scanning the distant faces around us.


    Pointing with his muzzle, Regis directed my gaze to one statue in particr. From this distance, it took my eyes a moment to focus through the gloom and the dancing shadows, but when I realized what it was, I froze solid, forgetting for a moment that we were fighting for our lives.


    Razor sharp ws raked across my shoulder and back, tearing into my flesh and scraping bone. Flipping the short sword in my hand, I thrust backwards and up, stabbing my attacker through its chest. I turned and kicked it, pushing aether into my leg. The blow sent the ghoul flying into three others, all of which tumbled off the bridge.


    Haedrig gasped, his eyes wide as he stared at the gaping wound on my back. ¡°Grey!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I gritted through the pain, telling myself it would heal quickly, and turned instead back to the statue.


    My own face looked back at me from the wall.


    The statue had been carved as if in the midst of a fierce battle cry: the mouth was open wide, teeth bared, and even the tongue visibly carved as if in motion; the brows were turned down, angry and aggressive; the eyes were alive with fury, ring out at the rest of the zone as if this giant Arthur was about to smash the ce to dust.


    That had to be it. Why would my face be carved into the wall otherwise?


    Looking at the battered sword in my hand, crumbling from the burden of aether flowing through it, I tossed it out into the empty space between the wall and the bridge. It tumbled down into the dark and disappeared.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Haedrig grunted from a few feet away, where he was holding off four ghouls that were clinging relentlessly to the edge of the path.


    ¡°I was hoping for some sort of invisible bridge,¡± I admitted, shrugging apologetically.


    ¡®You think that¡¯s the exit?¡¯ Regis asked mentally, his jaws busy tearing at the throat of a ghoul.


    I think it might be, yeah. I think we¡¯re here because of me, because the Relictombs knows I can use aether and is trying to test me somehow. That¡¯s why this zone has been so hard for the others. I need to use aether somehow so we can escape, I¡¯m sure of it. I just need to think...


    ¡®Well think fast, or there will be a few less of us to leave once you do figure it out.¡¯


    Ezra grunted as one of the fallen serpent-ghouls, which was missing much of its lower half, grabbed at his heel and tripped him. Riah fell next to him and jolted awake with a scream of pain. The monster wed toward her, pulling its slithering torso across the ground with its long arms.


    From his back, Ezra spun his spear around and tried to drive it into the ghoul¡¯s neck, but he didn¡¯t have the angle or momentum, and he merely nicked its arm instead. Strong ws wrapped around the shaft and ripped the spear from his hand.


    Riah tried to scramble backwards away from it, but in doing so mmed the stump of her leg against the stone path. Her entire body went rigid as she screamed again, and it looked as if her strength had left her.


    Kalon was nearly overwhelmed at the rear, unable to disengage.


    Haedrig had his back turned to the pair, and though he must have heard the screams, he couldn¡¯t see the half-dead monster crawling toward Riah.


    Ada was backpedaling away from two other ghouls, shes of electricity jumping from her hands to their snakelike bodies, but she no longer had the strength to generate spells strong enough to kill.


    Regis whimpered behind me as three ghouls fell atop him, their ws ripping and tearing at his neck, ears, and belly.


    They¡¯re all going to die, I realized with grim certainty. They aren¡¯t strong enough to be here, and even with God Step I can¡¯t¡ª


    It was like a jolt of electricity went through my mind. God Step! I couldn¡¯t walk through thin air with Burst Step, but God Step would take me directly into the statue¡¯s gaping maw.


    I hesitated. If I¡¯m wrong¡ª


    ¡®What the hell do you have these powers for if you¡¯re not going to use them?¡¯ Regis growled in my head, his voice thick with frustration and pain.


    Choosing not to look behind me again, hoping against hope that I wasn¡¯t about to leave Haedrig, Riah, and the Granbehl siblings to a gruesome death, I tuned out everything. I pushed away the pain wracking my body from both the injuries that I had sustained and the rapid healing of those injuries. I bottled my emotions of doubt, anger, guilt, and frustration, and I concentrated on the way forward.


    I let my eyes unfocus, seeing the aether all around me. I found the immaterial path within the realm of spatium, the vibration to which I could attune, that would let me stop being where I was and start being where I needed to go.


    Though I couldn¡¯t see it, I felt the God Rune re with warmth, glowing through the false-spellforms on my back. The aether reacted, the vibration intensifying, and I felt the path beckon me.


    I followed it. Though my eyes told me I was standing in a different location and my ears detected the sudden muffling of the sounds ofbat, the movement was otherwise so instantaneous that even my own senses didn¡¯t feel it as a physical action of my body.


    I was standing atop the stone tongue within the giant carving of my own face. The inside of the mouth was recreated with excruciating detail except, where the back of the throat should have been, there was a stone door.


    For a single breath, nothing happened. In my mind¡¯s eye, I watched as Haedrig was pulled from the edge of the bridge and cast down into the depths; as Riah, paralyzed by pain, was mauled by the crawling ghoul; as Ada was run down by the pursuing monsters...


    Then a grinding noise like an avnche roared through the zone, so overwhelmingly loud that it shook all thought from my mind. I felt as though the entire chamber¡ªevery piece of stone, every molecule of air¡ªwas about to be torn apart. Then the stone beneath my feet began to move.


    Turning, I saw that the bridge, where mypanions had only an instant ago been fighting for their very lives, was drawing slowly nearer. It was with a wave of relief that I realized they were no longer surrounded by the awful, snakelike ghouls.


    Kalon and Haedrig both still had their weapons held at the ready, their heads turning back and forth as if scanning the bridge for enemies. Ada was kneeling down next to Riah and Ezra. Regis stood at the edge of the path, staring down into the abyss.


    ¡®They just vanished!¡¯ Regis practically screamed. ¡®One second they were all creepy faces and nasty ws, then they just turned to shadow and¡ªpoof.¡¯


    The others turned to watch as my face approached the footbridge. The walls slowed, then halted, leaving no gap between the statue¡¯s gaping mouth and the path.


    I stepped over the statue¡¯s teeth and back onto the bridge, now a narrow path between two high walls of faces. The statues carved on the wall, I noted, didn¡¯t look grotesque and misshapen from up close. They were kind, regal faces, and I was reminded immediately of the djinn I battled before I was given the keystone.


    ¡°Is everyone alright?¡±


    ¡°Ezra¡¯s a little beat up,¡± Kalon said, eyeing me warily, ¡°and Riah really needs medical attention. But she¡¯ll survive. At least it¡¯s over.¡±


    Ada looked up at me from where she kneeled next to Riah. ¡°What happened?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure exactly what to tell her. My hesitation must have shown, because Haedrig stepped in to interrupt my response.


    ¡°Any sort of exnations can happen once we¡¯re out of this hellish zone.¡± He nodded toward Riah. ¡°Let¡¯s get her up off the cold stone.¡± Haedrig caught my eye as he turned to look back into the statue¡¯s mouth. From this angle, it was no longer recognizable as my own face towering over us. ¡°Is there a portal in there?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°There is a door, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way then.¡±


    I gestured to Regis, and the shadow wolf loped up to me and leapt into my body. The gaping jaw was perfectly ced against the path, making an easy step down and into the mouth. Kalon and Ezra lifted Riah and followed behind me.


    The stone door opened easily to my touch, revealing an opaque portal. None of us said a word to each other, but we didn¡¯t have to. Expressions of relief were written clearly on the faces of Kalon, Ezra, Ada, and even Haedrig.


    ¡®Well, that could have been worse.¡¯ Even Regis sounded like he just wanted some rest.


    Our team¡¯s gaze fell on me expectantly, and, after a nod, I stepped through.


    Chapter 290: The Mirror Room


    My mind reeled in confusion as I stepped through the portal and into the next zone. A figure lunged from my left and I jerked my hands up to deflect the blow, but nothing happened. Movement from the corner of my eye caused me to turn sharply, expecting a nking attack, but no attack came from that direction either.


    ¡®Jumping at shadows now, eh Princess?¡¯ Regis chuckled in my mind. ¡®Look.¡¯


    ¡°Who¡ªwho are they?¡±


    All around, people looked back at me through rectangr windows, each wearing a look of anguish, their faces wet with tears, twisted with rage, or contorted into soundless screams. Some sat still, though most were in the midst of manic fits, gesticting wildly, striking and scratching at themselves or the ground, like wards in an asylum.


    Before I could investigate further, Kalon and Ezra were stumbling into me, Riah between them.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Ezra said, flinching back from me and from the figures within the windows.


    At the center of the room there was a square fountain, six feet to a side and surrounded by benches. ¡°There,¡± I said, pointing to a bench. ¡°Set her down there.¡±


    The brothers carried their family friend across the room, a steady stream of her blood running from the severed wreckage of her foot, spattering darkly across the marble floor.


    Ada came next, her steps halting, her eyes ssy. ¡°Is¡ªis this the sanctuary?¡± She gazed at one of the nearby figures, her brows knitting in confusion. She actually leaned toward it and squinted to try and focus on it, as if she didn¡¯t quite believe her own eyes.


    The figure, a very portly man who wore only linen pants, a pair of steel boots, and spiked gauntlets, didn¡¯t look back, but kneeled on all fours, hammering one massive gauntlet into the ground again and again and again.


    Haedrig, thest in, set a hand gently on her shoulder and guided her past me, toward the fountain at the center of the room. ¡°No, this isn¡¯t a sanctuary room,¡± he said, his voice low and ominous.


    Kalon was wrapping Riah¡¯s stub with bandages from his dimension ring while Ezra looked on, helplessly fidgeting with his spear. He snapped around when Haedrig spoke.


    ¡°What do you mean this isn¡¯t the sanctuary room? It¡±¡ªhe nced around and flinched again, as if seeing the room for the first time¡ª¡°has to be...¡±


    Haedrig guided Ada to the benches and encouraged her to sit down before turning back to Ezra. ¡°It clearly isn¡¯t, and after that first zone you¡¯d have to be a fool to think that we¡¯d end up anywhere so expected as a sanctuary room.¡±


    Ezra red petntly at Haedrig, but the mossy-haired veteran seemed entirely unconcerned. They held one another¡¯s eyes for a long moment before Ezra huffed and turned away, this time looking to his sister.


    I turned my attention back to the room. It was only about fifteen feet wide and eight feet tall, making it feel very low and ustrophobic after the enormity of thest zone.


    Though the area near the fountain was brightly lit by orbs of light that hung down over the running water, the room faded into shadow beyond the light¡¯s edge, making it difficult to tell how long the room was. The light reflecting off the many windows showing us the tortured figures made it feel as though the room stretched on forever.


    ¡®Not windows,¡¯ Regis thought, ¡®mirrors. Look.¡¯


    Regis was right. As I approached the nearest mirror, I could see the room reflected within it, though, of course, the man in the mirror was not me, nor did he exist outside of that reflection. He was an older man with a thick gray beard. He sat cross legged, staring unblinkingly back out at me, his lips moving ceaselessly.


    I leaned forward, cocking my head so my ear was nearly pressed against the mirror, and I realized I could hear the faint whisper of a voice, though I could not make out the words.


    ¡°Well,¡± Kalon said, drawing my attention back to the others, ¡°Riah is sleeping. She¡¯s lost a lot of blood, but that poultice you gave her saved her life, Ada. If we can get out of here quick enough, she¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    Kalon stepped up to a mirror near the fountain. The man within it wore a helm topped by sharp, onyx-ck horns like scimitars, giving him the appearance of a Vritra. He stood with his arms crossed and a haughty sneer smeared across his face. Based on his armor¡ªck leather and ckened steel tes with jet runes iid throughout¡ªhe was an ascender, and a wealthy one at that.


    ¡°They¡¯re all ascenders,¡± Haedrig said, as if he¡¯d read my mind.


    ¡°Look at the design and material of their clothes and armor,¡± Kalon pointed out. ¡°Especially the horns. It¡¯s been out of favor to wear horned helms for, what, several decades? They¡¯ve been trapped here for quite awhile, haven¡¯t they?¡±


    No one answered, though a collective chill ran through the group as we all considered being trapped in this room for eternity.


    ¡°Why in Vritra¡¯s name are we here?¡± Ezra said, moving to stand by Kalon. ¡°This is a prelim. It¡¯s supposed to be over!¡± The broad-shouldered young man turned toward me. ¡°You! I don¡¯t know how, but this is your fault, isn¡¯t it?!¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Kalon said quietly. ¡°Whyever we¡¯re here, it¡¯s just another test. This is a puzzle zone. We need to start looking for clues that¡¯ll help us solve the room and move on.¡±


    Ada¡¯s discouraged expression disappeared as she got up to her feet, forcing a smile for us to see. ¡°That¡¯s right! We can do this! For¡ª¡± Ada nced at the sleeping Riah, her bandages already spotted through with blood. ¡°For Riah!¡±


    The first-time ascender¡¯s bravery seemed to douse Ezra¡¯s hot head, and he gave his sister a side-hug, wincing as he did so.


    ¡°What about you?¡± I asked him. ¡°How badly were you hurt?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± he said, his chin up, his gaze haughty. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Shaking my head, I turned away and began examining the mirrors, one by one, for any hint or clue about how to proceed.


    Kalon stepped up beside me. ¡°That was an impressive spell you used to teleport back there.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said simply.


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I wasn¡¯t the best student at academy,¡± Kalon went on, ¡°and I was particrly bad at ancient runes¡ªI just never really understood the point, you know? I always knew I was going to be an ascender, and ascenders don¡¯t fight each other.¡±


    I turned to Kalon, meeting his eye. ¡°What are you getting at?¡±


    He raised his hands and smiled warmly, but I could see the tension in the way he held himself and the way his smile didn¡¯t quite reach his eyes. ¡°Just making conversation, Grey¡ªand, thinking about that spell. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it. We studied all kinds of runes at the academy¡ªmaking it more difficult increases the prestige, I guess.


    ¡°I was curious¡±¡ªhe paused, ncing up the hall toward his brother and sister¡ª¡°if I could see your...What is it you have? An emblem? It seems too powerful for a crest.¡± When I didn¡¯t immediately answer, Kalon broke into a surprised grin. ¡°It¡¯s not a regalia, surely? Is that why you don¡¯t have your runes disyed? Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Listen,¡± I said, ¡°there¡¯ll be plenty of time for war stories when we¡¯re out of here, okay? For now, let¡¯s just figure out this puzzle room.¡±


    Kalon shook his head and patted me on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll figure you out yet, Grey.¡± He turned to walk up the hall, following his siblings, then stopped. ¡°Oh, and sorry about Ezra. Don¡¯t mind him, he¡¯s just protective of the girls.¡±


    ¡®And an imbecile,¡¯ Regis said in my mind.


    I smiled and turned back to the mirrors, focusing again on the task at hand.


    ¡®Guesses here?¡¯ Regis asked after we¡¯d looked over a dozen or more of the reflections. ¡®What are we looking for, Arthur?¡¯


    If everyone here is an ascender, then they¡¯ve presumably been trapped somehow. Maybe by touching the mirrors?


    ¡®Okay, so don¡¯t touch the mirrors, check. But how do we get out of here?¡¯


    I stopped when one of the figures we passed by waved wildly with both arms, clearly trying to get my attention. He was a bearded man who also had a horned helm with locks of wavy brown hair that flowed down past his chin. His eyes were deeply sunken and ringed with shadows, but he perked up when I stopped.


    They can see us, I thought, realization washing over me.


    The trapped ascender pressed his hand to the inside of the mirror, gesturing for me to do the same. When I didn¡¯t immediately respond, he grinned and nodded, then gestured again more urgently.


    ¡®It¡¯s a trap, you know it is. What if you get sucked in after touching that mirror? What if he gets loose and tries to kill everyone else?¡¯


    ¡°Can you hear me?¡± I asked out loud, pointing at the mirror. The man shook his head and gestured again at his hand pressed against the inside of the pane. I shook my head back.


    The man¡¯s face fell, and when he looked back up there was such a pure and malevolent hatred in his eyes that I took a step back from the mirror. He began shouting, even going as far as taking off his helmet and using it as a pickaxe to try and break his way out.


    ¡®Sheesh...someone woke up on the wrong side of the mirror,¡¯ Regis said,ughing at his own joke.


    Ignoring Regis, I moved on from the enraged ascender.


    After a few more minutes of fruitlessly examining the mirrors, now conscious that the inhabitants were watching me as closely as I was them, Ada called out.


    ¡°It¡¯s...it¡¯s me!¡± Ada said, her voice carrying down the hall, which seemed to be much longer than it had at first appeared. Ada was standing in front of a mirror perhaps twenty feet away, and from where I stood I could just see the figure within.


    The mirror-Ada waved and smiled warmly, a gesture the real Ada immediately returned. Then, moving identically so it was almost as if one was genuinely a reflection of the other, both raised their hands and made as if to press them against the ssy pane.


    ¡°Ada,¡± I shouted, ¡°stop! Don¡¯t touch the¡ª¡± Ada¡¯s right hand pressed against the mirror, as did the reflection¡¯s, and purple energy¡ªaetheric essence¡ªrose like steam from Ada¡¯s skin, then moved like wind-blown mist along her body until it was absorbed into the mirror.


    Using God Step, I was at her side in an instant, but even that was toote. Her body slumped into my arms, and I watched in horror as ckish-purple energy from the mirror oozed across her and was absorbed into her skin.


    Weariness settled over me like a warm nket. Using God Step twice in such a short time had apparently taken a toll on me. I would have to grow much stronger before I could use aether in such a way more consistently. In the meantime, at least I could use Burst Step now without tearing my body apart.


    Heavy footsteps from behind me announced Kalon and Ezra¡¯s approach. I nced from the unconscious Ada in my arms to the mirror, and my stomach lurched. Ada¡ªthe real Ada¡ªseemed to be banging on the inside of the mirror with her fist, practically blind with panic and the tears that streamed down her face and dripped from her chin.


    Even though I couldn¡¯t hear her, her words were clear. ¡°Please,¡± she said. ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Ezra snapped, leaning down over his sister¡¯s prone form and cing his hand on hers. ¡°Ada? Ada!¡±


    As I opened my mouth to exin, Ada¡¯s eyes fluttered open, causing us all to recoil in surprise; they were a deep, dark, glowing violet.


    Kalon looked from the purple-eyed Ada to the mirror where the crying, frantic Ada was still screaming, ¡°Please, please!¡± The eldest sibling¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he tried to muster every ounce ofposure he had left, his hand reaching closer toward the mirror.


    ¡°Stop!¡± I released a pulse of aetheric intent, causing everyone¡ªHaedrig had joined us only a moment before¡ªto freeze in ce. ¡°Touching the mirror is what caused this. I think...¡± I paused, carefully considering how best to exin what I saw. ¡°I think that Ada was drawn into the mirror, and that something came out of the mirror to inhabit her body.¡±


    Ezra, seizing on this thought, grabbed Ada¡¯s hand and pulled her toward the mirror. ¡°Then we just make them switch back!¡±


    I reached for Ezra¡¯s arm, but Kalon stopped me. ¡°Let him try.¡±


    Before I could argue, Ezra¡ªover the terrified objections of the purple-eyed Ada¡ªhad pressed her hand against the ss. On the other side, our Ada mirrored the gesture.


    Nothing happened.


    ¡°Please,¡± Ada said, ¡°Let go of me, Ezra. You¡¯re hurting me.¡± A singlerge tear welled up within those otherworldly eyes. ¡°Please.¡±


    Ezra let go and stepped away, grimacing. He looked from Ada to Kalon and back, anguish written across his face. In the mirror, the image of Ada had fallen onto her knees, her hands over her face, her entire body wracked by sobs.


    ¡°How do we know,¡± Kalon said, speaking deliberately as tears welled up in his eyes, ¡°that the Ada in the mirror is the real Ada? What if it¡¯s some kind of trick¡ªor trap?¡±


    ¡°The glowing purple eyes didn¡¯t give it away?¡± I asked, unable to keep the annoyance out of my voice. Kalon didn¡¯t respond, but Ezra stepped toward me aggressively, his fists clenched and his eyes full of dark fire.


    I whipped my head around and met his gaze, a near-palpable intent leaking out of me. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything you¡¯re going to regret, kid.¡±


    Ezra halted and gnashed his teeth, his fists still raised in wary defiance.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to be fighting amongst ourselves,¡± I added gently, letting out a sigh.


    Ezra held my eyes for a long moment, breathing hard. Then he turned suddenly and pressed his hand to the ss of Ada¡¯s mirror prison.


    Though I couldn¡¯t sense any change, it was clear that something was happening to Ezra. His entire body tensed, and, when he turned back to look at Kalon, his face was pale and his eyes shined with tears.


    ¡°Ezra!¡± Kalon gasped.


    ¡°I can hear her,¡± Ezra said, his voice choked with emotion. ¡°When I touch the mirror, I can hear Ada. She sounds so scared...¡±


    Following his brother¡¯s lead, Kalon pressed his palm against the mirror¡¯s surface. Immediately Kalon¡¯s expression darkened. He didn¡¯t have to say anything for me to know that he, too, could hear her cries.


    Wanting to give the brothers a moment of privacy while they shared their sister¡¯s suffering, I turned to Haedrig, but he was nowhere to be seen. I looked toward the fountain, where Riahy sleeping, but he wasn¡¯t there. Neither could I see him in the dim light at the edges of the room.


    A jolt of fear ran through me, and I began searching the nearby mirrors for any sign of him.


    I passed a wispy haired young woman whoy naked on the floor, rolling back and forth with her hands stretched out over her head like a child ying in the grass; a figure in bulky armor whose face had been tattooed until only the shocking blue eyes were untouched; and a man who wore robes like a monk, but who had the mindless, murderous look of a mana beast.


    Haedrig wasn¡¯t there.


    I nced back at the others; Kalon and Ezra each still had one hand pressed against Ada¡¯s mirror and the other set upon each other¡¯s shoulder. In the mirror, Ada pressed her hands to theirs.


    The purple-eyed Ada was crawling unnoticed away from them, toward the fountain next to which Riah slept. There was something alien and malevolent in the way Ada moved, and her glowing eyes narrowed into a re as she caught me watching her. I stepped toward her, but stopped when the sound of shattered ss filled the room.


    ¡°Haedrig?¡± I called into the darkness, the creature masquerading as Ada momentarily forgotten.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯m fine,¡± Haedrig said, walking toward me out of the gloom, his sword drawn.


    Instinctively, I drew the white dagger I¡¯d imed from their of the giant millipede. Haedrig¡¯s eyes seemed almost drawn to the weapon as his gaze fixated on the white de. With a start, he seemed to realize that his own de was out, and he immediately sheathed it within his dimension ring.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I startled you, Grey,¡± he said, his voice steady, his hands out to his sides to show that he was not armed. ¡°I found my own image in a mirror farther down the hall, and¡ªwell, it may have been a bit reckless, but¡ªI was taken by an instinct, and I smashed it.¡±


    ¡®Oh, yeah, great idea, let¡¯s just smash up the cursed mirror-prisons, I¡¯m sure nothing bad will happen,¡¯ Regis grumbled.


    ¡°That was¡ª¡± I wasn¡¯t sure whether to praise Haedrig for his bravery or admonish him for his thoughtlessness, but I was saved the trouble of finishing my sentence when Haedrig¡¯s eyes went wide and he yelled, ¡°Ada!¡±


    Turning, already sure what I would see, I prepared to Burst Step to the fountain, where I knew I would find the false-Ada hunkered over Riah¡¯s unconscious form.


    You fool, Arthur! I chided myself. I shouldn¡¯t have taken my eyes off her.


    I activated Burst Step, intending to move almost instantly to the edge of the fountain, then leap the remaining distance and tackle Ada. Unfortunately, Kalon moved as well, darting toward Ada and stepping directly into my path.


    I struck the eldest Granbehl sibling shoulder-to-shoulder, causing him to tumble head over heels through the air. Unable to maintain my footing or my trajectory, I found myself veering headlong directly toward one of the mirrors with no way to stop my momentum.


    Twisting, I mmed through the mirror shoulder first, finding myself suddenly outside of the hall of mirrors. For a sickening moment, I saw empty ckness stretch out below me, but I was able to grab onto the frame of the mirror despite the jagged edges of the remaining ss biting into my fingers.


    ¡®Don¡¯t look down,¡¯ Regis urged.


    I looked down.


    ckness. Infinite ckness.


    The only thing to break up the nothingness was the bright rectangle that looked into the mirror room, a window floating in the abyss. I was dangling from the frame, blood beginning to seep down my hands and forearms from the cuts on my fingers.


    I tried to pull myself up and back through the mirror, but a cold lethargy was seeping through my muscles. My mind was foggy, my limbs weak and unresponsive. I couldn¡¯t focus...


    ¡®Arthur!¡¯ Regis yelled in my head, his voice cutting through the mist like the beam of a lighthouse. I heaved, feeling the ss scrape the bones of my fingers, but I was able to get one elbow over the lip of the mirror.


    Then Haedrig appeared above me, and he was hauling me up by my cloak, half choking me in the process. My strength came roaring back as soon as I was back on the right side of the mirror, and I tore free of his grasp the moment I had my feet under me, sprinting toward Ezra and Ada, who were scuffling over Riah¡¯s prone form.


    Ezra had wrapped both his arms around Ada¡¯s body, pinning her own arms to her sides, but she was twisting and jerking wildly within his grip. She threw her head back, smashing her brother¡¯s nose and almost slipping free.


    I tackled them, knocking both Granbehl siblings to the ground, then helped Ezra to pin Ada. Her purple eyes zed with light and fury and she kicked, scratched, and bit at us. When she couldn¡¯t hurt us, she began mming her head onto the ground with a hollow thud.


    Kalon appeared, throwing himself onto the pile and helping to hold her still and keep her from hurting herself. ¡°Ada, stop! Please...¡± His voice cracked as he pleaded with the creature controlling Ada¡¯s body.


    Regis, I need you to go in there and see what is inhabiting her body. I wasn¡¯t sure it would even work, but I thought that if Regis could go into Sylvie¡¯s stone, perhaps he could inhabit Ada¡¯s body as well.


    ¡®Gross. You want me to go into someone else¡¯s body? What if¡ª¡¯ I could sense the revulsion leaking out from Regis, but there wasn¡¯t time to argue.


    Just do it. Now!


    The shadow wolf leapt from my body, paced once around our roiling pile, then hesitantly dissolved into Ada. At first, nothing happened. Then the struggling lessened, and Ada went limp, though her eyes still zed with violet light.


    Kalon, Ezra, and I held our positions, waiting to see if Ada would resume struggling. My eyes darted around the room, taking in the scene. The figures in the mirrors all around us had stopped their wild gestictions; every single one now stood still, their eyes locked onto the four of us lying on the floor in a heap. The broken mirror now looked out onto ck nothingness, like an empty eye socket.


    Haedrig stood over us, though he wasn¡¯t looking toward our group. His gaze was turned toward the bench where Riahy, quiet and motionless. The bandage on her leg had been partially unwrapped, revealing the gory, gnawed stump beneath. Blood no longer flowed from the wound.


    Riah¡¯s face was pale, locked in an expression of fear and agony. Though her ssy eyes still stared up at the low ceiling, I knew they no longer saw.


    Riah was dead.

 Chapter 290

    Chapter 290


    Chapter 290: The Mirror Room


    My mind reeled in confusion as I stepped through the portal and into the next zone. A figure lunged from my left and I jerked my hands up to deflect the blow, but nothing happened. Movement from the corner of my eye caused me to turn sharply, expecting a nking attack, but no attack came from that direction either.


    ¡®Jumping at shadows now, eh Princess?¡¯ Regis chuckled in my mind. ¡®Look.¡¯


    ¡°Who¡ªwho are they?¡±


    All around, people looked back at me through rectangr windows, each wearing a look of anguish, their faces wet with tears, twisted with rage, or contorted into soundless screams. Some sat still, though most were in the midst of manic fits, gesticting wildly, striking and scratching at themselves or the ground, like wards in an asylum.


    Before I could investigate further, Kalon and Ezra were stumbling into me, Riah between them.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Ezra said, flinching back from me and from the figures within the windows.


    At the center of the room there was a square fountain, six feet to a side and surrounded by benches. ¡°There,¡± I said, pointing to a bench. ¡°Set her down there.¡±


    The brothers carried their family friend across the room, a steady stream of her blood running from the severed wreckage of her foot, spattering darkly across the marble floor.


    Ada came next, her steps halting, her eyes ssy. ¡°Is¡ªis this the sanctuary?¡± She gazed at one of the nearby figures, her brows knitting in confusion. She actually leaned toward it and squinted to try and focus on it, as if she didn¡¯t quite believe her own eyes.


    The figure, a very portly man who wore only linen pants, a pair of steel boots, and spiked gauntlets, didn¡¯t look back, but kneeled on all fours, hammering one massive gauntlet into the ground again and again and again.


    Haedrig, thest in, set a hand gently on her shoulder and guided her past me, toward the fountain at the center of the room. ¡°No, this isn¡¯t a sanctuary room,¡± he said, his voice low and ominous.


    Kalon was wrapping Riah¡¯s stub with bandages from his dimension ring while Ezra looked on, helplessly fidgeting with his spear. He snapped around when Haedrig spoke.


    ¡°What do you mean this isn¡¯t the sanctuary room? It¡±¡ªhe nced around and flinched again, as if seeing the room for the first time¡ª¡°has to be...¡±


    Haedrig guided Ada to the benches and encouraged her to sit down before turning back to Ezra. ¡°It clearly isn¡¯t, and after that first zone you¡¯d have to be a fool to think that we¡¯d end up anywhere so expected as a sanctuary room.¡±


    Ezra red petntly at Haedrig, but the mossy-haired veteran seemed entirely unconcerned. They held one another¡¯s eyes for a long moment before Ezra huffed and turned away, this time looking to his sister.


    I turned my attention back to the room. It was only about fifteen feet wide and eight feet tall, making it feel very low and ustrophobic after the enormity of thest zone.


    Though the area near the fountain was brightly lit by orbs of light that hung down over the running water, the room faded into shadow beyond the light¡¯s edge, making it difficult to tell how long the room was. The light reflecting off the many windows showing us the tortured figures made it feel as though the room stretched on forever.


    ¡®Not windows,¡¯ Regis thought, ¡®mirrors. Look.¡¯


    Regis was right. As I approached the nearest mirror, I could see the room reflected within it, though, of course, the man in the mirror was not me, nor did he exist outside of that reflection. He was an older man with a thick gray beard. He sat cross legged, staring unblinkingly back out at me, his lips moving ceaselessly.


    I leaned forward, cocking my head so my ear was nearly pressed against the mirror, and I realized I could hear the faint whisper of a voice, though I could not make out the words.


    ¡°Well,¡± Kalon said, drawing my attention back to the others, ¡°Riah is sleeping. She¡¯s lost a lot of blood, but that poultice you gave her saved her life, Ada. If we can get out of here quick enough, she¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    Kalon stepped up to a mirror near the fountain. The man within it wore a helm topped by sharp, onyx-ck horns like scimitars, giving him the appearance of a Vritra. He stood with his arms crossed and a haughty sneer smeared across his face. Based on his armor¡ªck leather and ckened steel tes with jet runes iid throughout¡ªhe was an ascender, and a wealthy one at that.


    ¡°They¡¯re all ascenders,¡± Haedrig said, as if he¡¯d read my mind.


    ¡°Look at the design and material of their clothes and armor,¡± Kalon pointed out. ¡°Especially the horns. It¡¯s been out of favor to wear horned helms for, what, several decades? They¡¯ve been trapped here for quite awhile, haven¡¯t they?¡±


    No one answered, though a collective chill ran through the group as we all considered being trapped in this room for eternity.


    ¡°Why in Vritra¡¯s name are we here?¡± Ezra said, moving to stand by Kalon. ¡°This is a prelim. It¡¯s supposed to be over!¡± The broad-shouldered young man turned toward me. ¡°You! I don¡¯t know how, but this is your fault, isn¡¯t it?!¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Kalon said quietly. ¡°Whyever we¡¯re here, it¡¯s just another test. This is a puzzle zone. We need to start looking for clues that¡¯ll help us solve the room and move on.¡±


    Ada¡¯s discouraged expression disappeared as she got up to her feet, forcing a smile for us to see. ¡°That¡¯s right! We can do this! For¡ª¡± Ada nced at the sleeping Riah, her bandages already spotted through with blood. ¡°For Riah!¡±


    The first-time ascender¡¯s bravery seemed to douse Ezra¡¯s hot head, and he gave his sister a side-hug, wincing as he did so.


    ¡°What about you?¡± I asked him. ¡°How badly were you hurt?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± he said, his chin up, his gaze haughty. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Shaking my head, I turned away and began examining the mirrors, one by one, for any hint or clue about how to proceed.


    Kalon stepped up beside me. ¡°That was an impressive spell you used to teleport back there.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said simply.


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I wasn¡¯t the best student at academy,¡± Kalon went on, ¡°and I was particrly bad at ancient runes¡ªI just never really understood the point, you know? I always knew I was going to be an ascender, and ascenders don¡¯t fight each other.¡±


    I turned to Kalon, meeting his eye. ¡°What are you getting at?¡±


    He raised his hands and smiled warmly, but I could see the tension in the way he held himself and the way his smile didn¡¯t quite reach his eyes. ¡°Just making conversation, Grey¡ªand, thinking about that spell. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it. We studied all kinds of runes at the academy¡ªmaking it more difficult increases the prestige, I guess.


    ¡°I was curious¡±¡ªhe paused, ncing up the hall toward his brother and sister¡ª¡°if I could see your...What is it you have? An emblem? It seems too powerful for a crest.¡± When I didn¡¯t immediately answer, Kalon broke into a surprised grin. ¡°It¡¯s not a regalia, surely? Is that why you don¡¯t have your runes disyed? Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Listen,¡± I said, ¡°there¡¯ll be plenty of time for war stories when we¡¯re out of here, okay? For now, let¡¯s just figure out this puzzle room.¡±


    Kalon shook his head and patted me on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll figure you out yet, Grey.¡± He turned to walk up the hall, following his siblings, then stopped. ¡°Oh, and sorry about Ezra. Don¡¯t mind him, he¡¯s just protective of the girls.¡±


    ¡®And an imbecile,¡¯ Regis said in my mind.


    I smiled and turned back to the mirrors, focusing again on the task at hand.


    ¡®Guesses here?¡¯ Regis asked after we¡¯d looked over a dozen or more of the reflections. ¡®What are we looking for, Arthur?¡¯


    If everyone here is an ascender, then they¡¯ve presumably been trapped somehow. Maybe by touching the mirrors?


    ¡®Okay, so don¡¯t touch the mirrors, check. But how do we get out of here?¡¯


    I stopped when one of the figures we passed by waved wildly with both arms, clearly trying to get my attention. He was a bearded man who also had a horned helm with locks of wavy brown hair that flowed down past his chin. His eyes were deeply sunken and ringed with shadows, but he perked up when I stopped.


    They can see us, I thought, realization washing over me.


    The trapped ascender pressed his hand to the inside of the mirror, gesturing for me to do the same. When I didn¡¯t immediately respond, he grinned and nodded, then gestured again more urgently.


    ¡®It¡¯s a trap, you know it is. What if you get sucked in after touching that mirror? What if he gets loose and tries to kill everyone else?¡¯


    ¡°Can you hear me?¡± I asked out loud, pointing at the mirror. The man shook his head and gestured again at his hand pressed against the inside of the pane. I shook my head back.


    The man¡¯s face fell, and when he looked back up there was such a pure and malevolent hatred in his eyes that I took a step back from the mirror. He began shouting, even going as far as taking off his helmet and using it as a pickaxe to try and break his way out.


    ¡®Sheesh...someone woke up on the wrong side of the mirror,¡¯ Regis said,ughing at his own joke.


    Ignoring Regis, I moved on from the enraged ascender.


    After a few more minutes of fruitlessly examining the mirrors, now conscious that the inhabitants were watching me as closely as I was them, Ada called out.


    ¡°It¡¯s...it¡¯s me!¡± Ada said, her voice carrying down the hall, which seemed to be much longer than it had at first appeared. Ada was standing in front of a mirror perhaps twenty feet away, and from where I stood I could just see the figure within.


    The mirror-Ada waved and smiled warmly, a gesture the real Ada immediately returned. Then, moving identically so it was almost as if one was genuinely a reflection of the other, both raised their hands and made as if to press them against the ssy pane.


    ¡°Ada,¡± I shouted, ¡°stop! Don¡¯t touch the¡ª¡± Ada¡¯s right hand pressed against the mirror, as did the reflection¡¯s, and purple energy¡ªaetheric essence¡ªrose like steam from Ada¡¯s skin, then moved like wind-blown mist along her body until it was absorbed into the mirror.


    Using God Step, I was at her side in an instant, but even that was toote. Her body slumped into my arms, and I watched in horror as ckish-purple energy from the mirror oozed across her and was absorbed into her skin.


    Weariness settled over me like a warm nket. Using God Step twice in such a short time had apparently taken a toll on me. I would have to grow much stronger before I could use aether in such a way more consistently. In the meantime, at least I could use Burst Step now without tearing my body apart.


    Heavy footsteps from behind me announced Kalon and Ezra¡¯s approach. I nced from the unconscious Ada in my arms to the mirror, and my stomach lurched. Ada¡ªthe real Ada¡ªseemed to be banging on the inside of the mirror with her fist, practically blind with panic and the tears that streamed down her face and dripped from her chin.


    Even though I couldn¡¯t hear her, her words were clear. ¡°Please,¡± she said. ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Ezra snapped, leaning down over his sister¡¯s prone form and cing his hand on hers. ¡°Ada? Ada!¡±


    As I opened my mouth to exin, Ada¡¯s eyes fluttered open, causing us all to recoil in surprise; they were a deep, dark, glowing violet.


    Kalon looked from the purple-eyed Ada to the mirror where the crying, frantic Ada was still screaming, ¡°Please, please!¡± The eldest sibling¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he tried to muster every ounce ofposure he had left, his hand reaching closer toward the mirror.


    ¡°Stop!¡± I released a pulse of aetheric intent, causing everyone¡ªHaedrig had joined us only a moment before¡ªto freeze in ce. ¡°Touching the mirror is what caused this. I think...¡± I paused, carefully considering how best to exin what I saw. ¡°I think that Ada was drawn into the mirror, and that something came out of the mirror to inhabit her body.¡±


    Ezra, seizing on this thought, grabbed Ada¡¯s hand and pulled her toward the mirror. ¡°Then we just make them switch back!¡±


    I reached for Ezra¡¯s arm, but Kalon stopped me. ¡°Let him try.¡±


    Before I could argue, Ezra¡ªover the terrified objections of the purple-eyed Ada¡ªhad pressed her hand against the ss. On the other side, our Ada mirrored the gesture.


    Nothing happened.


    ¡°Please,¡± Ada said, ¡°Let go of me, Ezra. You¡¯re hurting me.¡± A singlerge tear welled up within those otherworldly eyes. ¡°Please.¡±


    Ezra let go and stepped away, grimacing. He looked from Ada to Kalon and back, anguish written across his face. In the mirror, the image of Ada had fallen onto her knees, her hands over her face, her entire body wracked by sobs.


    ¡°How do we know,¡± Kalon said, speaking deliberately as tears welled up in his eyes, ¡°that the Ada in the mirror is the real Ada? What if it¡¯s some kind of trick¡ªor trap?¡±


    ¡°The glowing purple eyes didn¡¯t give it away?¡± I asked, unable to keep the annoyance out of my voice. Kalon didn¡¯t respond, but Ezra stepped toward me aggressively, his fists clenched and his eyes full of dark fire.


    I whipped my head around and met his gaze, a near-palpable intent leaking out of me. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything you¡¯re going to regret, kid.¡±


    Ezra halted and gnashed his teeth, his fists still raised in wary defiance.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to be fighting amongst ourselves,¡± I added gently, letting out a sigh.


    Ezra held my eyes for a long moment, breathing hard. Then he turned suddenly and pressed his hand to the ss of Ada¡¯s mirror prison.


    Though I couldn¡¯t sense any change, it was clear that something was happening to Ezra. His entire body tensed, and, when he turned back to look at Kalon, his face was pale and his eyes shined with tears.


    ¡°Ezra!¡± Kalon gasped.


    ¡°I can hear her,¡± Ezra said, his voice choked with emotion. ¡°When I touch the mirror, I can hear Ada. She sounds so scared...¡±


    Following his brother¡¯s lead, Kalon pressed his palm against the mirror¡¯s surface. Immediately Kalon¡¯s expression darkened. He didn¡¯t have to say anything for me to know that he, too, could hear her cries.


    Wanting to give the brothers a moment of privacy while they shared their sister¡¯s suffering, I turned to Haedrig, but he was nowhere to be seen. I looked toward the fountain, where Riahy sleeping, but he wasn¡¯t there. Neither could I see him in the dim light at the edges of the room.


    A jolt of fear ran through me, and I began searching the nearby mirrors for any sign of him.


    I passed a wispy haired young woman whoy naked on the floor, rolling back and forth with her hands stretched out over her head like a child ying in the grass; a figure in bulky armor whose face had been tattooed until only the shocking blue eyes were untouched; and a man who wore robes like a monk, but who had the mindless, murderous look of a mana beast.


    Haedrig wasn¡¯t there.


    I nced back at the others; Kalon and Ezra each still had one hand pressed against Ada¡¯s mirror and the other set upon each other¡¯s shoulder. In the mirror, Ada pressed her hands to theirs.


    The purple-eyed Ada was crawling unnoticed away from them, toward the fountain next to which Riah slept. There was something alien and malevolent in the way Ada moved, and her glowing eyes narrowed into a re as she caught me watching her. I stepped toward her, but stopped when the sound of shattered ss filled the room.


    ¡°Haedrig?¡± I called into the darkness, the creature masquerading as Ada momentarily forgotten.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯m fine,¡± Haedrig said, walking toward me out of the gloom, his sword drawn.


    Instinctively, I drew the white dagger I¡¯d imed from their of the giant millipede. Haedrig¡¯s eyes seemed almost drawn to the weapon as his gaze fixated on the white de. With a start, he seemed to realize that his own de was out, and he immediately sheathed it within his dimension ring.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I startled you, Grey,¡± he said, his voice steady, his hands out to his sides to show that he was not armed. ¡°I found my own image in a mirror farther down the hall, and¡ªwell, it may have been a bit reckless, but¡ªI was taken by an instinct, and I smashed it.¡±


    ¡®Oh, yeah, great idea, let¡¯s just smash up the cursed mirror-prisons, I¡¯m sure nothing bad will happen,¡¯ Regis grumbled.


    ¡°That was¡ª¡± I wasn¡¯t sure whether to praise Haedrig for his bravery or admonish him for his thoughtlessness, but I was saved the trouble of finishing my sentence when Haedrig¡¯s eyes went wide and he yelled, ¡°Ada!¡±


    Turning, already sure what I would see, I prepared to Burst Step to the fountain, where I knew I would find the false-Ada hunkered over Riah¡¯s unconscious form.


    You fool, Arthur! I chided myself. I shouldn¡¯t have taken my eyes off her.


    I activated Burst Step, intending to move almost instantly to the edge of the fountain, then leap the remaining distance and tackle Ada. Unfortunately, Kalon moved as well, darting toward Ada and stepping directly into my path.


    I struck the eldest Granbehl sibling shoulder-to-shoulder, causing him to tumble head over heels through the air. Unable to maintain my footing or my trajectory, I found myself veering headlong directly toward one of the mirrors with no way to stop my momentum.


    Twisting, I mmed through the mirror shoulder first, finding myself suddenly outside of the hall of mirrors. For a sickening moment, I saw empty ckness stretch out below me, but I was able to grab onto the frame of the mirror despite the jagged edges of the remaining ss biting into my fingers.


    ¡®Don¡¯t look down,¡¯ Regis urged.


    I looked down.


    ckness. Infinite ckness.


    The only thing to break up the nothingness was the bright rectangle that looked into the mirror room, a window floating in the abyss. I was dangling from the frame, blood beginning to seep down my hands and forearms from the cuts on my fingers.


    I tried to pull myself up and back through the mirror, but a cold lethargy was seeping through my muscles. My mind was foggy, my limbs weak and unresponsive. I couldn¡¯t focus...


    ¡®Arthur!¡¯ Regis yelled in my head, his voice cutting through the mist like the beam of a lighthouse. I heaved, feeling the ss scrape the bones of my fingers, but I was able to get one elbow over the lip of the mirror.


    Then Haedrig appeared above me, and he was hauling me up by my cloak, half choking me in the process. My strength came roaring back as soon as I was back on the right side of the mirror, and I tore free of his grasp the moment I had my feet under me, sprinting toward Ezra and Ada, who were scuffling over Riah¡¯s prone form.


    Ezra had wrapped both his arms around Ada¡¯s body, pinning her own arms to her sides, but she was twisting and jerking wildly within his grip. She threw her head back, smashing her brother¡¯s nose and almost slipping free.


    I tackled them, knocking both Granbehl siblings to the ground, then helped Ezra to pin Ada. Her purple eyes zed with light and fury and she kicked, scratched, and bit at us. When she couldn¡¯t hurt us, she began mming her head onto the ground with a hollow thud.


    Kalon appeared, throwing himself onto the pile and helping to hold her still and keep her from hurting herself. ¡°Ada, stop! Please...¡± His voice cracked as he pleaded with the creature controlling Ada¡¯s body.


    Regis, I need you to go in there and see what is inhabiting her body. I wasn¡¯t sure it would even work, but I thought that if Regis could go into Sylvie¡¯s stone, perhaps he could inhabit Ada¡¯s body as well.


    ¡®Gross. You want me to go into someone else¡¯s body? What if¡ª¡¯ I could sense the revulsion leaking out from Regis, but there wasn¡¯t time to argue.


    Just do it. Now!


    The shadow wolf leapt from my body, paced once around our roiling pile, then hesitantly dissolved into Ada. At first, nothing happened. Then the struggling lessened, and Ada went limp, though her eyes still zed with violet light.


    Kalon, Ezra, and I held our positions, waiting to see if Ada would resume struggling. My eyes darted around the room, taking in the scene. The figures in the mirrors all around us had stopped their wild gestictions; every single one now stood still, their eyes locked onto the four of us lying on the floor in a heap. The broken mirror now looked out onto ck nothingness, like an empty eye socket.


    Haedrig stood over us, though he wasn¡¯t looking toward our group. His gaze was turned toward the bench where Riahy, quiet and motionless. The bandage on her leg had been partially unwrapped, revealing the gory, gnawed stump beneath. Blood no longer flowed from the wound.


    Riah¡¯s face was pale, locked in an expression of fear and agony. Though her ssy eyes still stared up at the low ceiling, I knew they no longer saw.


    Riah was dead.

 Chapter 291

    Chapter 291


    Chapter 291: Telling Tales


    Reaching out, Haedrig closed Riah¡¯s sightless eyes before turning back to the rest of us gathered around Ada.


    Though she appeared immobilized by whatever Regis was doing in her body, I knew this wasn¡¯t over. The glowing purple eyes were locked on Riah, and a quivering smile kept flitting across her lips as she fought for control.


    ¡®I can¡¯t hold this forever!¡¯ Regis transmitted to me.


    ¡°We need to tie her up,¡± I said, my voice sounding raw and tired to my own ears.


    Haedrig helped Kalon and Ezra to their feet while I held Ada, just in case she broke free of Regis¡¯s control. Kalon scooped her out of my arms and set her gently on the bench next to Riah¡¯s body, then began to restrain her using rope from his dimension ring.


    Suddenly her head lunged forward and her teeth snapped shut, just barely missing Kalon¡¯s nose.


    ¡°Ada...I¡¯m sorry,¡± Kalon whispered, sorrow dripping from his voice.


    After she was restrained, Regis burst from her back,nding in the fountain between the benches. The shadow wolf immediately rolled onto his back and began to ssh around in the fountain, coughing in a hacking, throaty way that reminded me of a cat coughing up a hairball.


    ¡®That¡ªwas¡ªgross! I need a bath,¡¯ he thought to me.


    Thank you, Regis. It was enough for us to safely restrain her, so¡ª


    A shove from my left caught me off guard, causing me to reel back, though there wasn¡¯t enough force behind it to knock me off bnce.


    ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t have knocked Kalon over, we¡¯d have gotten to Riah in time!¡± Ezra, his face bright red and his eyes bulging, shouted at the top of his lungs. ¡°She¡¯s dead because of you! I should kill you right now¡ª¡±


    I let him vent. Behind him, Kalon had frozen in the act of covering Riah with a spare cloak. Haedrig had stepped off to the side to give the brothers some space. I could tell by the way his hand drifted toward the hilt of his sword that he was ready to jump in if necessary, however.


    ¡®How long are you gonna sit here and let him shout at you?¡¯


    He¡¯s right to be upset, Regis.


    ¡®Maybe, but that doesn¡¯t doesn¡¯t make him not a jerk.¡¯


    ¡°¡ªnever should have brought you with us, you bastard!¡±


    No, perhaps you shouldn¡¯t have, I thought.


    Just like in the convergence zone, it appeared that my presence made things more difficult for the others. From everything I¡¯d heard, the first zone should have been easy enough for ascenders as strong as Kalon and Haedrig.


    ¡°Do it, brother! Kill him!¡± Ada chimed in, her voice oozing with malice. Once she had killed Riah, any pretence of this purple-eyed creature still being Ada had slipped away, leaving behind a violent shadow of Ada¡¯s innocent excitement.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Ezra roared, turning on Ada as if he would strike her. Kalon was between them in an instant, his eyes boring into Ezra¡¯s. The younger Granbehl brother was quick to submit, turning away from us all and walking to the broken mirror, staring out into nothing.


    Ada¡¯s glowing eyes followed him, her lips twisted into a disappointed sneer. She then turned toward Kalon and put on an innocent smile. ¡°Oh, big brother, please untie me? These ropes hurt...¡±


    Having had enough, I let out a wave of aetheric intent that froze everyone in ce, including the false-Ada. I took a step toward her, my eyes boring holes into her skull.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Kalon asked through gritted teeth, my intent pressing down on him like a giant fist.


    ¡°I need answers,¡± I said matter-of-factly. ¡°So I¡¯m going to ask this...thing...some questions.¡± I released the pressure and kneeled down in front of Ada. She grinned.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked, wanting to start with the obvious.


    ¡°Ada of House Granbehl,¡± she said confidently.


    ¡°Where is the real Ada?¡±


    ¡°I am the real Ada,¡± she said without hesitation or any hint of a lie.


    ¡°How do we get her back out of the mirror?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± she answered with a sneer.


    I narrowed my eyes. Had the creature just slipped up in admitting that the real Ada was trapped in the mirror? I couldn¡¯t be sure if I was dealing with a trapped adventurer or some manifestation of the Relictombs, so I had no way to know what this phantom¡¯s purpose was.


    ¡°How do we escape this room?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± she repeated, the sneer twisting into a vindictive grin.


    ¡°The djinn wouldn¡¯t have designed a test that couldn¡¯t bepleted,¡± I shot back in a whisper.


    Taking a moment, I thought through everything I knew about the Relictombs.


    Some zones we¡¯d visited were clearly tests of our strength, requiring us to fight through powerful creatures to proceed. Others, like the millipede jungle, tested resourcefulness and adaptability, requiring less pure strength but more caution. Then there had been the tform zone, which required careful consideration instead of direct action toplete.


    These ¡°aether zones,¡± however, seemed less distinct than those I¡¯d seen on my first ascent. The hall of faces had presented itself as a test of our strength against the serpent monsters, but I had no doubt now that the horde would never have been defeated. What was the test, then?


    It had required the use of an aetheric ability I already knew¡ªGod Step¡ªtoplete. Beyond that, it also forced me to acknowledge the limits of my power; no warrior could fight forever against an endless army of foes, no matter how strong. Instead of fighting our way to victory, retreat had been the only way to win.


    What aspect of my control over aether was the mirror room intended to test then? Regis and I shared control over the destruction rune, but I couldn¡¯t see how destruction would help us escape the zone.


    I nced at Kalon, who was watching my conversation with Ada closely. Speaking inly about my abilities in front of the others would reveal more than I¡¯d intended when I sought out a group for my preliminary ascent, but it might also be the only way to escape.


    ¡°Is the ability to manipte aether required to escape this ce?¡±


    Haedrig¡¯s gaze, which had followed Ezra to the broken mirror, snapped back to me with furious intensity. He took a step forward, his mouth agape, and I met his eye. There was something strangely familiar about his expression; it reminded me of someone else, but I couldn¡¯t quite ce it in the moment.


    I realized Ada had spoken, but I was so focused on Haedrig that I missed the answer.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Though Ada said the word with a mean-spirited confidence, I heard it as the lie it was. I couldn¡¯t believe that this zone was not a test of some aspect of aether.


    ¡°Do I have to use the rune of destruction to escape this ce?¡± Kalon gave me a confused, disbelieving look. Haedrig seemed surprised, but did a better job covering his expression this time.


    Ada grinned. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Regis huffed in my head. ¡®But that doesn¡¯t make sense. If the solution requires you to use destruction, then it requires you to use aether, right? This thing is just running you in circles, bud.¡¯


    I grinned back at Ada, meeting her glowing purple eyes knowingly. I thought I understood what was happening, but I needed to make sure with a few pointed questions.


    ¡°Who is that?¡± I asked, pointing at Ezra.


    Ada rolled her eyes. ¡°Why are you asking me such a stupid question?¡±


    Pointing again, I asked, ¡°What is his name?¡±


    She red at me. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Ezra had turned away from the broken mirror to watch. He seemed about to interrupt, but I motioned for silence.


    ¡°Did you kill Riah?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Do you know who Riah is?¡±


    She nced hungrily at the cloak covering Riah¡¯s corpse. ¡°No.¡±


    Shaking my head, I asked the simplest question I could think of. ¡°Does one plus one equal two?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Ada hissed, her face twisted into a hideous scowl.


    Haedrig was the first to catch on. ¡°Everything the creature says is a lie!¡±


    I nodded, smiling faintly at Kalon. ¡°See? She said that Ada couldn¡¯t be reimed from the mirror, but everything that she says is a lie, even if the answer is obvious. Working backwards, we can use the lies to build a picture of the truth.¡±


    Far from looking happy about this revtion, Kalon was staring at me as if I were a mad drunk shouting wild tales on the street corner.


    It was Ezra, however, who spoke up first. ¡°Who the hell are you? What are all these questions about aether and destruction and stuff?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re no first-time ascender from some rural blood, are you?¡± Kalon asked, his gaze hardening as suspicion crept through him. ¡°Ezra was right. You¡¯re the reason that first zone was so hard, and you¡¯re the reason we didn¡¯t go to a sanctuary room.¡±


    There was no longer any point in hiding my abilities, so when Ezra¡¯s crimson spear appeared in his hand, glowing balefully, Regis manifested from my body and pounced on top of him, dragging him to the ground.


    ¡°What are you doing!¡± Kalon¡¯s hand shot out toward me, but I grabbed his arm, standing firm.


    Enveloping my body in aether, I squeezed down on the armored ascender¡¯s wrist. His expression contorted in pain as he tried to pry free from my grasp.


    ¡°I feel responsible for what happened to your sister, which is why I¡¯ve done nothing as your little brother continued to insult and hound me,¡± I said with an icy stare, keeping my grip on him firm. ¡°But I hope you don¡¯t mistake my inaction as fear.¡± After a pause I let out a sigh, softening my voice, ¡°I have a sister as well, and I know what I¡¯d do¡ªwhat I have done¡ªto keep her safe.¡±


    Regis¡¯s deep growl vibrated through the room like the low rumble of distant thunder as his shadowy maw drew closer to Ezra¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Enough,¡± I warned mypanion, who withdrew back into my form.


    Ezra scrambled back onto his feet, trying to put some distance between us, and I loosened my grip around his older brother¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°If what you said earlier is true, you should know that I¡¯m your best bet at saving Ada and getting us out of here,¡± I said, turning to Kalon.


    Kalon winced, rubbing his wrist. ¡°I won¡¯t pretend to understand what¡¯s going on, and I won¡¯t promise you that we aren¡¯t going to settle things when we get out of the Relictombs, but I¡¯m not stupid. Just save our sister, and get us the hell out of here, alright?¡±


    ¡°Brother!¡± Ezra burst out.


    ¡°Knock it off.¡± Kalon¡¯s voice was tired, butmanding. Ezra ground his teeth but said no more.


    Sensing an opportune moment, Haedrig coughed and said, ¡°Perhaps you two could go find the mirror copies of Grey and yourselves? And Riah, if there is one.¡±


    ¡°And what are we supposed to do if we find them?¡± Ezra asked, ring down at his nose at Haedrig.


    ¡°Destroy them,¡± I said. ¡°Just like Haedrig did. Don¡¯t touch them with any part of your body. Weapons only.¡±


    Kalon nodded and led Ezra off into the shadowy depths of the hall, his hand on his younger brother¡¯s shoulder. This didn¡¯t stop Ezra from turning to shoot me an icy look before he was hidden within the gloom.


    Haedrig was silent as I set to questioning the false-Ada. Now that I understood the parameters of the phantom¡¯s answers, I was able to target my questions to gain insight into the mirror room and its rules.


    Any ascender who entered this ce would find a mirror with their own image, just as we had. Should the ascender touch his or her own mirror, a conduit would be created that would draw the ascender¡¯s life energy into the mirror while releasing a mirror entity¡ªI decided to call them phantoms¡ªto live within the ascender¡¯s body.


    It was more difficult to discover how to reverse the process, but eventually I asked the right questions.


    Like the hall of faces, the mirror room required knowledge of a specific edict of aether. It was difficult to determine exactly what this ability would do, or which branch of aether it was a part of, but what I could discern was that it would allow me to reverse the effects of the mirror, freeing Ada and trapping the phantom back within the relic.


    The problem was, of course, that I didn¡¯t know any such ability.


    ¡®You have to know something, though,¡¯ Regis argued. ¡®This ce can¡¯t have brought us here by mistake.¡¯


    Why not? I asked bitterly. I was sitting on the ground several feet from the fountain, having left Haedrig to guard over Ada while I thought. The Relictombs are old. It¡¯s been under constant assault by Agrona and the cryans for who knows how long. It¡¯s failing.


    ¡®I guess that would exin how all these other ascenders got here. Damn. What do we do then?¡¯


    The other ascenders...


    Foolishly, it hadn¡¯t even urred to me to wonder about their presence. Theoretically, every one of the ascenders trapped within the mirrors around us should have been an aether user to be brought to this ce.


    If they weren¡¯t, it was true that we might be trapped. If they were, though...


    Thinking of the imprisoned ascender who had previously tried to get me tomunicate with him by touching his mirror, I jumped up and began searching the reflections. He had been near the fountain, and I found him in moments.


    Kalon and Ezra had been able to hear Ada by touching her mirror, and they hadn¡¯t been hurt. Shouldn¡¯t I be able to do the same with this imprisoned ascender, then? I thought. Hoping I was right, I pressed my hand to the mirror, watching as his tired, lined face light up as I did so.


    ¡°Hello?¡± I asked. ¡°Can you hear me?¡±


    ¡®Yes, yes!¡¯


    His voice rang in my mind, much the way Regis¡¯s did, or Sylvie¡¯s before him. His voice was all grit and gravel, as if it hadn¡¯t been used in decades.


    ¡®Oh, thank you, thank you. I can¡¯t tell you how nice it is to talk to someone¡ªanyone!¡¯


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine,¡± I said honestly. The thought of being trapped within this ss prison, watching ascender after ascender walk by without realizing you could see them, knowing they would likely share your fate soon...it was too awful to consider. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for ignoring you earlier. I didn¡¯t know what would happen if I touched the mirror. Can I ask you some questions?¡±


    ¡®Of course! My knowledge is the only thing I have left. Though¡¯ ¡ªthe reflection shuffled self-consciously¡ª¡®I would ask for something in return.¡¯


    I nodded, my hand still pressed against the cool surface of the mirror. ¡°If your request is something I can do, I¡¯ll do it. Go on.¡±


    ¡®I ask only that¡ªshould you find a way¡ªthat you release me from this prison.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can. Now, when you were¡ªbefore you became trapped, did you know anything about aether?¡±


    The reflection sighed and shook his head. ¡®No, I had a couple of mediocre crests for ice spells. I was never a particrly good ascender, if I¡¯m being honest. No wonder I got trapped in here, I suppose.¡¯


    Though his answer was disheartening, I forged on with my questions.


    ¡°Were you ever able to do anything that was...a little bit different? Powers that didn¡¯t line up with your marks?¡±


    The man looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled and pulled a thin dagger from his belt.


    ¡®This is an old family heirloom. When it was given to me, it looked more like a rusty nail than a de. I took it with me on my preliminary ascent, you know, for good luck.¡¯ He tossed the dagger into the air and caught it with a flourish. ¡®Well, I was talking to this girl¡ªone of my teammates, real pretty¡ªand I pulled it out to show her, and, well, a sort of vibration ran down my arm and all the rust fell off the de, and it was shining and new as the day it was forged.¡¯


    ¡°How?¡± I asked, though I already had an idea of the answer.


    ¡®Not a clue. I just figured it was something to do with the Relictombs, honestly. Anyway, it all worked out, because that pretty girl married me and...¡¯ The reflection trailed off, his gaze traveling from the dagger to a thick ring on one finger of his left hand.


    ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s helpful, honestly. I¡¯ll find a way to release you, I promise.¡± As I walked away from the mirror, leaving the ascender¡¯s spirit to ponder the life he¡¯d left behind, I hoped that my promise had been true.


    ***


    I repeated this exercise with a couple of the other more sane ascenders with simr results. Though none had been aware of possessing any aetheric abilities, they each had simr stories in which strange and unexined things happened around them, just like the first ascender and his knife.


    Knowing that those trapped here had shown at least a potential for using aether gave me hope.


    ¡®So what do you know...that you don¡¯t know that you know?¡¯ Regis asked without a hint of his usual glibness.


    I don¡¯t know, I thought, sitting on the hard floor while watching the others


    Kalon and Ezra had returned, having found and destroyed a mirror containing each of our images. A part of me had hoped that destroying the mirrors would release us, but then, there was still Ada¡¯s mirror to deal with.


    While Kalon had gone to sit with Ada, keeping watch over her, Ezra had taken to listening to the ascenders in the mirrors. I watched him for a while, wondering what the trapped men and women around us were telling him. Ezra avoided the more sane reflections, preferring to listen to the most wild and lost. He never said anything to them, apparently content just to share their pain and their rage.


    ¡°Ezra,¡± I said, getting his attention, ¡°you shouldn¡¯t be listening to them. They don¡¯t have anything to give you besides anger and hate.¡±


    When the boy ignored me, I only shook my head and turned away.


    Haedrig was lying on the bench opposite Riah¡¯s body, his green hair pulled over his face, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. His reaction to my question earlier about aether was bothering me, but I¡¯d been too upied to give it much thought. I was confident that if the green-haired ascender had some key piece of knowledge that would help us escape, he would have divulged it by now.


    A key piece of knowledge...


    My mind thundered in realization as I shot up to my feet. ¡°The keystone!¡±

 Chapter 292

    Chapter 292


    Chapter 292: Missing Pieces


    It was with a pang of regret that I sat down with the stone cube I¡¯d received from the djinn projection during my first adventure in the Relictombs. After my early attempts at understanding the relic back in Maerin, I had spent very little time studying the geometric shapes within.


    Still, my previous interaction with the keystone must have done something; the Relictombs had sensed that I had some knowledge of this edict of aether, whatever it was, and drawn us into this zone to test me. Or perhaps it sensed the cube itself, tucked away in my extradimensional storage rune, and that alone was enough to bring us here.


    For being a peaceful people, the djinn seemed to have a very dark methodology in how they trained and protected their aetheric arts.


    Settling myself cross legged on the floor with the cube in myp, trusting in Regis and Haedrig to watch over me while I worked, I began.


    As before, I imbued aether into the relic, and its aether reached back out to me. My vision faded into a wall of purple, and I pushed through it, finding myself once again surrounded by the countless floating and spinning geometric shapes.


    Using aether, I was able to manipte the shapes, moving and sorting them to try and make sense of their meaning. I felt like an infant ying with alphabet blocks. There was no rhyme or reason to the geometric forms, and although I could interact with them, I didn¡¯t have any foundation for understanding, no idea what I was supposed to be doing.


    Still, I had to believe the djinn wouldn¡¯t have given me this relic if there was no way for me to solve it. I started by collecting simrly shaped symbols and organizing them into groups. Next, since they were geometric and not rune based, I looked for ways in which they fit together, treating it like an abstract puzzle.


    This seemed easy at first, as there were enough shapes that I was always able to find a piece to fit. Once I had a couple dozen pieces locked together, however, I realized the problem. Before me, a sprawling, multi-directional fractal had taken shape, but I had run out of pieces that would connect to the shape I had created.


    With no other choice, I broke the puzzle down and began again.


    All the while, I felt my aether being drawn from me and consumed by the cube. Its sucking force wasn¡¯t as bad in the Relictombs as it had been when I¡¯d studied the keystone in Maerin, allowing me to stay in longer, but it still put a limit on the amount of time I could spend working on the relic in a single sitting.


    I organized my pieces again, then began building the puzzle for the second time, keeping in mind which pieces I had used during my first attempt. This time, however, I found myself at a dead end even sooner, but I was too tired to restart again.


    My eyes snapped open, and it took a moment for my mind to make sense of the mirror room with its constant movement and small army of reflected figures.


    Regis was curled up in front of me, one eye open and tracking the others closely. Ezra and Haedrig appeared to be asleep, while Kalon watched over Ada. Her mouth had been covered to muffle the constant stream of vitriol and lies.


    ¡°How long was I out?¡± I asked, startling Kalon, who practically jumped up to his feet.


    He cleared his throat and sat back down. ¡°Several hours, at least. Did you do...whatever you were trying to do?¡±


    ¡°I made some progress,¡± I replied elusively. I had a feeling he wouldn¡¯t like to hear that I didn¡¯t have a clue what I was doing.


    From his bench on the other side of the fountain, Ezra said, ¡°It¡¯s been hours, and all you can say is you¡¯ve made ¡®some progress¡¯?¡±


    The young ascender stood up, red at me, and turned away, stomping off into the gloom.


    ¡°I¡¯d already spent hours studying the...device before we got here,¡± I said, speaking to Kalon. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s going to take, but I¡¯m doing what I can.¡±


    His expression stoic, Kalon asked, ¡°Are you sure there isn¡¯t anything we can do to help?¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t let your brother stab me while I¡¯m in there,¡± I said, raising an eyebrow.


    Kalonughed, causing the restrained and gagged Ada to snarl at him and twist within her bindings as if the sound pained her. Kalon gazed at her sadly for a moment before turning back to me. ¡°Do what you need to do, Grey.¡±


    I felt like a well-wrung sponge; nearly every drop of my aether had been expended. I didn¡¯t need much sleep, but I did need time to replenish my aether core.


    Standing, I ran through a series of martial movements Kordri had taught me back in Epheotus to help me get the stiffness out of my limbs. After several minutes of the routine, I sat back down beside Regis and began the process of absorbing ambient aether.


    I felt mypanion shifting nearby before I heard his voice in my head.


    ¡®What¡¯s it look like in there?¡¯


    I¡¯m not sure how to describe it, honestly. I thought about the disparate shapes, the patterns I had designed, the walls of aetheric energy caging it all...What does it feel like when you go inside my body?


    ¡®It¡¯s sort of like swimming.¡¯


    I opened my eyes, breaking my meditation, and stared at Regis. The shadow wolf shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡®You asked.¡¯


    Closing my eyes, I focused on the aether around me, on drawing it through my aether channels and into my core. Inside of that relic, it¡¯s pure knowledge. I feel like I¡¯m trying to understand the contents of aplicated book by burning it and breathing in the smoke.


    ¡®Any idea how much knowledge you need to inhale to get us out of here?¡¯


    More, I thought. A lot more.


    ***


    The third attempt to put the puzzle pieces together wasn¡¯t exactly a charm, but I did reach an unexpected moment of understanding. Without consciously making a decision to do so, I stopped trying to use all the pieces and instead just built arge cube.


    The shape was rtively straightforward, fitting together naturally in my mind. Once I¡¯d decided what to build, it almost seemed as if the pieces presented themselves to me when they were needed.


    When the cube wasplete, it began to glow and shimmer like oil on water, then the lines of the individual pieces faded away until a solid, shimmering box floated in front of me. The oil-slick ripples settled and fell still, and each of the cube¡¯s six faces lit up like an electronic screen from my previous life, showing me the hall of mirrors.


    Regis was still at his ce by my side. Kalon now slept while Ezra watched over his sister. Haedrig, I was surprised to see, had his hand against one of the mirrors, apparently deep in conversation with its inhabitant. Nothing they said was audible, however. In fact, no sound came from the cube at all.


    I was at a loss. Though I¡¯d clearly made some kind of breakthrough, I didn¡¯t understand how this window to the outside world helped me, or what it revealed about the edict of aether I was attempting to master.


    Leaving the cube for the moment, I began building a second, smaller box with the remaining pieces. What I ended up with, however, looked more like a sharp-edged lump of dough than a true cube, as Icked the pieces to make it perfect.


    It took three more attempts, building the shape smaller each time, to create a second perfect box. I waited, but nothing happened¡ªno lights, no coalescence of energy, no visions of the outside world.


    That¡¯s when I had my second moment of understanding.


    What if the cube¡ªor, theoretically, any shape¡ªrepresented the subconscious knowledge of some aspect of the edict of aether I was trying to learn? If I assumed that the act of this puzzle-building was metaphorical for studying the edict itself, then studying the same thought¡ªrepresented by the shape I built¡ªwould not move me further toward understanding the whole.


    With this in mind, I deconstructed the smaller square, but by then my aether core was near empty.


    When I opened my eyes, I found things just as I had seen them projected by the screens.


    ¡°H-Haedrig,¡± I said, finding my voice croaky from misuse.


    The ascender¡¯s hand pulled away from the mirror whose inhabitant he had been speaking with and he quickly walked toward me.


    I took a long drink from the skin of water that rested at my side, dribbling some down my chin.


    ¡°Careful with that,¡± Haedrig said. ¡°We may all regret not packing as many supplies as you before we escape this ce.¡±


    ¡°How long?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say maybe twelve...fifteen hours since you went in.¡± Haedrig was watching me carefully, almost nervously.


    ¡®Actually, it¡¯s been thirteen hours and forty-eight minutes. Not that I¡¯m counting or anything.¡¯


    ¡°Wow. I¡¯msting longer at least.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯re about out of food!¡± Ezra cut in, looking at me incredulously. ¡°Are you hoping to just stay in there until the rest of us starve to death?¡±


    ¡°You should be rationing your supplies,¡± I snapped, but before Ezra could respond I drew my food bundle from the extra dimensional storage rune on my forearm and tossed it to him. ¡°I can get by for a few days.¡± ncing at Haedrig, I added, ¡°Make sure that gets split up¡ªand rationed this time.¡±


    Ezra tossed the bundle onto the bench next to him and sat back down. ¡°Thanks, hero.¡±


    Haedrig took a seat next to me and drank from his own sk. When I stayed silent, he turned to me and raised a brow. ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I made some progress, but no epiphany yet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Haedrig took another drink, then abruptly stopped himself before storing his sk in his dimension ring. ¡°Look at me, not heeding my own advice.¡±


    We sat in silence for a moment as I began replenishing my aether.


    Haedrig cleared his throat. ¡°So, aether...¡±


    I sighed. Though I was loath to discuss it, I was also surprised it had taken so long for one of them to bring it up after I mentioned aether to the false-Ada. The best way to lie, I had decided, was to tell as much of the truth as possible.


    Speaking quietly so Ezra wouldn¡¯t overhear, I said, ¡°This isn¡¯t my first trip into the Relictombs, though you couldn¡¯t call my previous visit an ascent, really.¡±


    Haedrig seemed entirely unsurprised by this revtion, giving me a deadpan look. ¡°Thank you for finally stating the obvious.¡±


    ¡°I woke up in a sanctuary room, half-dead, with no memory of how I¡¯d got there. The first room I came to was full of these awful, zombified-chimera-things, and they almost killed me, but while I was fighting them I realized I could use a new kind of magic. Aether.¡±


    Haedrig gestured toward Regis. ¡°The wolf?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he was the first manifestation. Then I learned that...teleportation trick I used to get us out of thest zone.¡± When Haedrig only nodded, I turned to meet his eye. ¡°You seem surprisingly rxed about all this.¡±


    ¡°I knew there was something different about you,¡± he answered with a shrug. ¡°I could sense it. To be honest, it¡¯s why I wanted to join you on your ascent. To see what would happen around you.¡±


    I thought back to ric¡¯s description of the Relictombs, and how it changed based on who was within it. Some ascenders, he had told me, would take every ascent with a new group, hoping to discover new and unexplored reaches of the ancient mages¡¯ creation.


    ¡°And the djinn?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what the ancient mages called themselves,¡± I answered truthfully. They were gone, thanks to the Indrath n, and I couldn¡¯t see any harm in sharing the name now. ¡°I found a...spirit, or manifestation, or something...it¡¯s what gave me the relic.¡±


    Haedrig shook his head and gave me a look of purest amazement. ¡°You¡¯ve discovered more about the Relictombs in two ascents than I have in twenty. You lucky wigeon.¡± His eyes fell to the relic in myp. ¡°Still, risky to have held onto that. The Vrita¡ªSovereigns would skin you alive if they knew you¡¯d discovered a relic and not handed it over the second you were out of the Relictombs.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately for me,¡± I said, thinking about the imbecilic guards who met me at the exit portal in Maerin, ¡°I came out in a little backwater town. They were as surprised to see me there as I was to be there.¡±


    ¡°Lucky wigeon,¡± he said again, shaking his head.


    ¡°How are things out here?¡± I asked after a short pause. It felt good to just...talk, and I realized I didn¡¯t want our conversation to end so soon.


    ¡°Tense and sullen,¡± Haedrig answered matter-of-factly. ¡°The boy¡¯s near to boiling over. He¡¯s eaten through his rations and half of what we pulled out of Riah¡¯s dimension ring. Subjecting himself to the anger and fear from the reflections isn¡¯t helping, but he didn¡¯t stop even when his brothermanded him to.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re practically manifestations of his own inner turmoil,¡± I said, thinking about my life as Grey after Headmaster Wilbeck was murdered. I had fanned the mes of my rage in any way I could. ¡°I guess it¡¯s cathartic for him.¡±


    Haedrig only grunted, and wepsed into silence.


    Casting about for a topic of conversation, I suddenly remembered Haedrig¡¯s reaction when I had asked the false-Ada about aether earlier.


    ¡°Back on the topic of aether,¡± I started, somewhat unsure how to ask what I wanted to know. ¡°Earlier, when I mentioned it...well...you seemed surprised.¡±


    Haedrig met my eye then looked down at the ground, letting his green hair fall over his face. ¡°You¡¯re observant, Grey. You¡¯ve¡ªyou¡¯ve shown a lot of trust in me. If the wrong person found out how you¡¯de to that relic, you could be executed.¡±


    There was no hint of a threat in Haedrig¡¯s words. Instead, he sounded genuinely grateful for the trust I¡¯d shown him; I¡¯d told the others only that it was a device for housing knowledge, and hoped that would be enough to satisfy their curiosity for the time being.


    ¡°I¡¯ve studied aether a bit,¡± he continued, ¡°but that¡¯s not something I can talk about often. It¡¯s not a...polite topic of conversation in most circles, and my family doesn¡¯t approve. In fact,¡± he added with a bitterugh, ¡°my family doesn¡¯t really approve of anything I do. They expect me to sit at home like a good little¡ª¡±


    Haedrig cut himself off and shot me an embarrassed nce. ¡°Sorry, family is a bit of a sore subject for me.¡±


    ¡°I can empathize,¡± I said with a sad smile. ¡°No matter how hard we try, we can¡¯t be perfect sons.¡±


    ¡°No, we cannot,¡± Haedrig replied, somewhat bitterly. ¡°Perhaps my birth parents would have thought differently, but I wasn¡¯t raised by my own blood. The house that brought me up¡ªwell¡ªthey do not appreciate my aspirations as an ascender.¡±


    ¡°But ascenders are so highly regarded in¡±¡ªI stopped myself from saying ¡°crya,¡± instead fumbling for a moment before finishing¡ª¡°in most families.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong; my adopted blood is very eager to establish renown as both soldiers in the war against Dicathen and as ascenders, whether through blood or patronage. But I wasn¡¯t meant for this life...at least, not ording to them.¡±


    Before I could say more, Headrig stood and straightened his armor. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Grey, but I think I¡¯d like some time alone with my thoughts. I¡¯ll leave you to your meditation.¡± After a moment¡¯s pause, he added, ¡°Thank you for listening,¡± then walked away.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t think it was even possible, but that guy seems to have as many secrets as you,¡¯ Regis said with a chortle. The shadow wolf was curled up between me and Ezra, his eyes closed, though clearly he had been paying close attention.


    You think he¡¯s another Dicathian stranded in crya and hiding his identity to avoid being hunted down by the Vritra? I grinned and pushed at Regis¡¯s backside with my boot.


    ¡®No, you fool, but he¡¯s definitely not telling us everything.¡¯


    You may be right. Still, I can¡¯t help but trust him. I hadn¡¯t realized it until that moment, but it was true. Despite myself, despite our short aintence, I trusted Haedrig to watch my back. I couldn¡¯t say the same from the Granbehl brothers.


    ¡®Whatever. Trust away, but if he does anything weird I¡¯ll still bite his arm off.¡¯


    Smiling and shaking my head, I went back to my mediation, preparing myself for yet another attempt at the keystone.


    ***


    When I pushed through the purple wall surrounding the field of geometric shapes, I found the cuboid screen still intact. Within it, I watched Haedrig walk down the shadowy hall, his eyes down, his expression thoughtful.


    My perspective shifted, focusing instead on Ezra as he stood up and walked toward me. Regis immediately abandoned his pretense of being asleep, lifting his head and gazing at Ezra. The young ascender stopped, met the shadow wolf¡¯s eyes for several seconds, then turned to walk away, though he stayed close enough to keep an eye on Ada.


    I forced my consciousness away from the screen, focusing instead on the remaining shapes. I already knew that creating another cube served no purpose, so I began building the first thing that came to mind: a pyramid.


    It was more difficult than the cube. The pieces didn¡¯t seem to fit together correctly. They didn¡¯t jump out at me like they had before, guiding me, and so I found myself dismantling and rebuilding the shape again and again. By the time my aether core was empty, I still hadn¡¯t discovered the right pieces toplete a satisfactory pyramid.


    Still, once my mind was set on it, I feltpelled to see it through. I knew instinctively there had to be a way tobine the shapes and figures into the image in my mind, and the next time I entered the keystone, I tried again.


    But it wasn¡¯t until my third day¡ªmy trips into the keystone weresting nearly sixteen hours by this point, with the remaining time dedicated to replenishing my aether and getting a little sleep¡ªthat I seeded in forging a perfect tetrahedral pyramid.


    As before, the pieces shimmered and formed a solid shape, and when the glow receded, each of the pyramid¡¯s faces showed an image, just like the cube. Each image was of the mirror room, but there was something very wrong with what I was seeing.


    In the first picture, I could see myself sitting cross-legged on the floor with the keystone in myp, Regis sitting in front of me, and Kalon watching over Ada. The strangest sense of deja vu washed over me, and I realized that this had been the moment I had first seen in the cuboid disy when I hadpleted it.


    What in the world?


    In the second image, the mirror room was empty except for the dozens of imprisoned ascenders. Then an opalescent portal appeared hanging in mid air, and I stepped out.


    Despite being in a room full of mirrors for thest few days, I hadn¡¯t spent much time looking at myself since my body had been rebuilt. It was strange to think that the man in the image flinching and preparing to defend himself was me.


    My pale wheat hair whipped around when I turned toward the reflections moving in the mirror, thinking I was going to get attacked. My golden eyes narrowed as I red around the room, then widened in surprise at what they saw.


    ¡°Who¡ªwho are they?¡± I heard myself ask.


    Then Kalon and Ezra appeared, bumping into me. ¡°What the hell?¡±


    I was seeing the past, I realized, as if it had been captured by a recording artifact. The cuboid shape showed me the present. In the faces of the pyramid, I could watch the past y back like a home video.


    Using aether, I spun the pyramid around to better see the third and forth sides. The mirror rooms shown by those facets were empty of people, but when I looked closely I realized more of the mirrors were empty in these visions.


    They must be older than the others, I thought, which made sense when I considered the two different sides showing me and my party.


    If the first shape shows the present, and the second shape shows the past...


    My heart beat rapidly as I considered the third shape. Was it possible?


    My attention was drawn back to the cube. Haedrig sat next to Regis, his fingers running through the shadow wolf¡¯s thick mane. Regis¡¯s eyes were closed, his tongue lolling from the side of his mouth¡ªthe very picture of a satisfied pet enjoying a good scratch.


    Traitor, I thought, smiling.


    Behind them Kalon was sitting with Ada, his head in his hands, and Ezra was standing before one of the mirrors, his hand pressed against it.


    I let out a sigh. Fool. The boy was only torturing himself by interacting with those spirits. They had nothing to share but their madness and hatred. Listening to them would only drive him to darkness and despair.


    Turning back to the images visible on the sides of the pyramid, I watched as our time in the mirror room yed out again. I found it difficult to turn away, watching for the second time as Ada was taken by the phantom.


    The false-Ada skittered across the room unseen, distracted as we all were, and crawled up on top of Riah. Riah seemed unconscious, but she still flinched away when Ada leaned down, then pressed her lips against Riah¡¯s.


    Riah convulsed, one sharp, unnatural jerk, then fell still, pale as a ghost.


    The phantom had somehow drawn the lifeforce directly out of Riah, killing her instantly. I had assumed it was some kind of aetheric being, like most of the monsters in the Relictombs, but I hadn¡¯t seen anything as powerful or deadly as this.


    In front of me, the false-Ada, now restrained, snapped forward, almost biting Kalon. No, not biting¡ªalmost kissing Kalon. We¡¯d had no idea how close to death he had been in that moment.


    I shook away the thoughts spiraling in my mind. Reliving these past moments was a trap, like living life in a circle.


    I needed to start building the next shape...and I knew exactly what it needed to be.

 Chapter 293

    Chapter 293


    Chapter 293: Devil¡¯s Deal


    If the pyramid was difficult to piece together, thest shape proved nearly impossible. It wasn¡¯t as simple as a t circle, of course, but thinking of life as a circle had led me to the shape I was now trying to construct.


    During my life as King Grey, I had studied a wide variety of subjects, including symbology. The ¡°regr polyhedra¡± were an oft discussed topic in such studies, as the ancient philosophers of my previous world had spent a lot of time discussing their existence and meaning.


    Which is why I found myself trying over and over to build a perfect regr dodecahedron from hundreds of irregr puzzle pieces. The dodecahedron represented a fifth element, the binding that held the universe together, and it was considered the mediation between finite and infinite.


    I couldn¡¯t think of any better geometric symbol to represent the future.


    It was just too bad that I couldn¡¯t figure out how to make the damn thing.


    I¡¯d lost track of how long we¡¯d been in the mirror room. Our meager rations had run out days ago, even though I hardly ate any of my own and the others rationed carefully. If it wasn¡¯t for the water I¡¯d brought, Kalon, Ezra, and Haedrig would have been out of that too, since drinking the salty fountain water would¡¯ve caused them to die of dehydration even faster.


    On the bright side, the phantom in Ada¡¯s body seemed to sustain itself, requiring no food or water. Though I worried about the condition of her body when we found a way to return her to it, for now she seemed to be holding up fine.


    My eyes fluttered open as I left the realm within the keystone after yet another fruitless attempt to solve the spherical puzzle. I was met with the sound of shouting.


    ¡°¡ªjust wait around anymore! We have to try it. For all we know, Grey is just waiting for us to die! After all, that freak doesn¡¯t need food or water like we do¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªhave no idea what will happen if you do what he¡¯s asking¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªleast we¡¯d be doing something, rather than just sitting around waiting to die¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªa trap, making things even worse!¡±


    Kalon and Ezra were standing nearly chest to chest, yelling into each other¡¯s faces. Ezra looked diminished somehow. He had lost a few pounds fromck of food, but there was something else. He had shrunk in on himself, losing his bravado as he withered away into someone weak and scared.


    Haedrig was lying on one of the benches, apparently doing his best to stay out of the family conflict.


    I sighed and got up.


    Regis, noticing my movement, said, ¡®They¡¯ve been going at it like this for about ten minutes. The kid¡¯s been talking to one of the reflections and thinks it can help us get out of here.¡¯


    What the hell does he think I¡¯m trying to do?


    Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the siblings¡¯ argument. ¡°Both of you, take a step back and let¡¯s talk about this.¡±


    Ezra looked at me with purest loathing, practically spitting the words, ¡°Oh, fuck you!¡±


    I repressed the growing desire to cuff him like the brat that he was, but held back. I knew it would just make things worse.


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle this,¡± Kalon said, his tone uncharacteristically brusque.


    I raised my hands in a gesture of peace. ¡°I¡¯d like to hear what Ezra has to say.¡±


    Ezra looked at me warily, clearly not sure whether to believe me or not. His eagerness for action won out, however, and he shouldered past his brother and walked toward one of the mirrors, his heavy boots thunking dully on the stone floor.


    ¡°Here,¡± he said, gesturing for me to look at the mirror, which contained the ascender with the tall onyx horns on his helmet. The man stood straight with his arms crossed, just as he had when we entered. ¡°This is Mythelias, once an ascender. He knows how to escape this ce.¡±


    I inspected the reflection again, taking in the little details. He was about my height, though thinner, and he held himself like a soldier as he stared back at me seriously. His skin was incredibly pale, making his coal-ck eyes stand out like empty voids in his sharp face. A single lock of grey hair had escaped his helmet, hanging down the side of his cheek.


    The ck leather-and-te armor looked light and flexible¡ªthe armor of a skirmisher. It seemed likely that it was magical; the shining jet runes iid in the steel tes weren¡¯t just decorative. The helm was particrly impressive. The long onyx horns extended over two feet from the top of the helmet, making him look even taller and thinner than he already was.


    My eyes caught on something. A small detail, just the curved edge that outlined the horns. It wasn¡¯t a joint, fastening the horn to the helm; it was a hole, allowing the horns to pass through the helm.


    The man was a Vritra, or at least of Vritra blood.


    ¡°What exactly is Mythelias¡¯s n?¡± I asked, not immediately pointing out my discovery to the others. It probably wouldn¡¯t mean the same thing to them, anyway.


    Something in my tone must have given away my incredulity about whatever this n was, because Ezra gave me another wary look again before continuing. ¡°He says he knows how to use aether, and he also knows how he can escape the mirror. He¡¯s seen it done.¡±


    The young ascender hesitated, so I pressed him to go on.


    ¡°He¡ªhe said that the spirits from the mirror can inhabit bodies. Dead bodies.¡± Ezra nced down the hall, to where Riah¡¯s remains nowy. We¡¯d been forced to relocate her away from the bench after the first few days due to the smell.


    Kalon, who had been standing behind Ezra, listening and looking thunderous, said, ¡°There is no way in hell we¡¯re giving Riah¡¯s body to this liar.¡±


    ¡°And how,¡± I said loudly, cutting their argument off before it could begin again, ¡°does getting this ascender out of his mirror help us leave the zone?¡±


    ring at his brother like he wanted nothing more than to stab him, Ezra said, ¡°He knows how to use aether. He can¡¯t tell me how to escape, but he can show us if we set him free.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s lying, of course,¡± Haedrig said suddenly, not bothering to get up from his bench. ¡°I¡¯ve spoken to some of the trapped souls here as well, and they¡¯ve promised me all kinds of things if only I¡¯d help them escape.¡±


    Ezra turned on him, snarling like a cornered woadcat. ¡°He¡¯s Vritra-blooded! One of the Sovereigns¡¯ own. Who the hell are you to question his honor?¡±


    Haedrig rolled his eyes, but Kalon started, now looking unsure. His gaze drifted to the mirror, taking in the horns, the man¡¯s features, then shaking his head. ¡°We can¡¯t be sure, brother.¡±


    Ezra looked his brother in the eye and spit at his feet before shouldering past him. ¡°I don¡¯t care what any of you say, I¡¯m doing this.¡±


    Kalon snapped. The elder Granbehl sibling grabbed his brother from behind, pulling him into a chokehold and then mming him to the ground. The false Ada cackled through her gag, her eyes wide and ecstatic as she watched the scuffle.


    Suddenly Ezra¡¯s crimson spear was in his hand, but he didn¡¯t have any room to use it, and Haedrig was quick to roll off the bench and kick the weapon out of his hand. It spun away into the shadows with a tter.


    ¡°Get off me you coward!¡± Ezra roared, mming his elbows backwards into his brother¡¯s stomach.


    Ada was iling so wildly that the gag slipped from her mouth and she began shouting, egging the brothers on. ¡°Knife him! Kill him! Kill him!¡±


    With a heavy sigh, I stepped forward to rece the gag. Regis stood at attention behind me, practically quivering with eagerness to get involved.


    Deal with this, I instructed him.


    Mypanion lept forward and his jaws were at Ezra¡¯s throat in an instant. The boy quit struggling, and both Ezra and Kalony on the ground panting.


    I let the moment linger, wanting Regis¡¯s fangs to leave an impression on the boy.


    We had passed a point of no return. Now that our internal strife had devolved into violence, trust was broken. I couldn¡¯t simply let Ezra stand up and go back about his business, but I didn¡¯t like to consider the alternative.


    Making a decision, I mentally ordered Regis to let him go and gestured for Kalon to disentangle himself from his brother. Ezra stayed where he was, staring up at me wild-eyed and red-faced.


    Kneeling down next to him, I spoke in a low, cold voice, injecting it with as much self-assuredness and authority as I could: ¡°I understand how you feel right now. You may not believe me, but I do. However, I can¡¯t ept your aggressive actions or your insubordinate attitude.


    ¡°Listen carefully, because I¡¯m only saying this once. From this point forward, if you don¡¯t follow orders, if you attack me or anyone else in this group, if you try to pursue this senseless n of yours against my wishes, I will kill you. I will¡ªwithout hesitation¡ªthrow you into the void.¡±


    I met Kalon¡¯s eyes, and I could see the tumult of emotions warring within them: protectiveness over his brother, anger at Ezra¡¯s behavior, and his own fierce grip on what little remaining hope he felt.


    ¡°And if your brother tries to stop me, I¡¯ll throw him in too. Understood?¡±


    The Granbehls stared at me, fearful and angry, but I could tell they believed me. Kalon nodded, then nudged his brother in the shoulder with the toe of his boot.


    Ezra scoffed. ¡°Understood.¡±


    I walked off without another word. Regis started to follow me, but I stopped him.


    Stay with Ezra. Watch him and don¡¯t hesitate to take him down if he tries anything.


    ¡®Aye aye, captain,¡¯ Regis said, eager to have a task tomit himself to after long days of boredom watching me sit with the keystone.


    Five minutester, I was deep in the gloom, far down the hallway from the fountain. It was strange. No matter how far I walked down that hall, I always seemed to be only a few steps away from the fountain. It was like the aether trap that protected the djinn¡¯s underground city back in Dicathen, where¡ªhopefully¡ªmy family was still sheltered.


    All my life¡ªmy second life, that is¡ªI¡¯d been surrounded by artifacts of the djinn: Xyrus, the castle, the teleportationwork...upon my reincarnation, I had epted it all as normal, never thinking to question the ancient mages¡¯ aplishments or make any effort to learn more about them.


    Was that what was holding me back now? The ways in which the djinn passed down their knowledge were much moreplex than textbooks and tutors. Even when threatened with extermination, they had not been able to teach the Indrath n their secrets, because the dragons weren¡¯t capable of learning the way the djinn did.


    I had exhausted the capabilities of my current method. It was hard to admit but, without a fresh perspective, I wouldn¡¯t be able to learn what the keystone was trying to teach me.


    Putting into practice a mental practice I¡¯d learned as King Grey, I began to categorize everything I knew about the djinn and aether. I thought through every lesson from Lady Myre, Sylvie, and Elder Rinia. I relived my battles with the retainers and Scythes, as well as the aether beasts within the Relictombs. I let Sylvia¡¯s message rey in my mind and recalled the words of the djinn projection.


    The problem was, I just didn¡¯t know enough about relics or how the djinn had used them. Though I¡¯d learned a lot since waking up in the Relictombs, my exposure to relics themselves was entirely limited to my time spent in the keystone, and I had the dead relic sitting half forgotten in my storage rune.


    I withdrew the dead relic I¡¯d won in Maerin and began inspecting the dark, unimpressive stone, but only a momentter my attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps echoing along the hall, moving toward me.


    I looked up to see Haedrig approaching, both his steady gait and poise expressing a refined sense of grace despite his haggard cracked lips and sunken cheeks. Remembering how valuable even a dead relic was for cryans, I quickly hid the lumpy stone away.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be the type of person to carry around a dead relic,¡± the green-haired ascender said as he raised a brow, a hint of judgement in his voice. ¡°Is that a blood heirloom or something you use to charm materialistic nobles?¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Yes. This is what I use to seduce all of the attractive women Ie across.¡±


    ¡°Assuming that your physical appearance isn¡¯t enough?¡± he added with a soft chuckle.


    ¡°Are youplimenting me or judging me? I can¡¯t quite tell,¡± I said, unsure whether I was amused or annoyed by his interruption.


    Haedrig took a seat a few feet away from me, appearing uninterested in the supposedly rare and expensive ancient artifact that I held in my hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit that, objectively, your facial features can draw some attention. But I wouldn¡¯t necessarily call it a good thing,¡± he noted before clearing his throat. ¡°Anyway, things turned rather tense earlier.¡±


    I rubbed the back of my neck, looking away from Haedrig. ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°You were right, though. I think you handled it well.¡± Haedrig reached out, hesitated, then patted my shoulder. ¡°Anyway, it seems that I¡¯m interrupting. My apologies.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I needed the distraction.¡±


    ¡°Ezra would probably disagree,¡± Haedrig responded as he got back up to his feet, the corner of his lips curving into a smile. ¡°Good luck, Grey.¡±


    Letting out a chuckle, I focused my attention back on the dead relic in my hand. Except for the purple haze of aether surrounding it, the stone was nd and uninteresting. It was the type of rock a child might thoughtlessly kick out of the road.


    I pushed aether into the dead relic, the same way I interacted with the keystone, but nothing happened. Next I tried to draw the aether out of it, but stopped immediately. I could tell there was very little aether still contained within the dead relic, and I didn¡¯t want to blindly destroy it for such a paltry amount of aetheric energy.


    Letting out a sigh, I took a nce at Haedrig, who was seated back on the bench beside the fountain in a meditative state.


    With a flick of my wrist, I tossed the relic into the air, watched it arc up until it nearly touched the low ceiling, then snatched it out of the air as it came back down.


    With no more straws to grasp at, I slipped the relic into my pocket, closed my eyes, and began replenishing my aether yet again.


    ***


    As I next pushed through the purple wall into the realm within the keystone once more, I could immediately sense that something had changed. The previouslypleted shapes were still there, disying the present and past within the mirror room. The remaining geometric shapes¡ªmy puzzle pieces¡ªhad drifted apart in my absence, as they always did.


    It wasn¡¯t something I could see, but there was a static charge, a sort oftent energy suffusing the atmosphere.


    Quickly, I gathered and sorted the pieces, hoping the sensation I felt was some sort of unconscious understanding achieved by my efforts to revisit my own knowledge of aether. Yet when I had the pieces in front of me, I felt no new insight into the edict.


    Like when I followed the aetheric vibrations that allowed me to step through space, I let my mind unfocus and drift along in the wake of the electric hum. It seemed to fill the space, to fill my whole mind, but there was one small, unassuming spot where it was clearer, more present.


    Using aether like a pair of forceps, I reached into that node and pulled something through.


    The dead relic.


    Stunned, I watched as the unexceptional rock drifted through the air, just like the other shapes I¡¯d found in here. Instinctively, I pushed aether into it, as I had tried while sitting in the dark in the hall of mirrors.


    The dull, rough surface of the stone shattered as if it¡¯d been struck with a hammer, revealing a zing diamond burning with white light. The diamond dissolved as it spread its radiance across the keystone realm. Wherever the light touched, I felt the dull ache of sudden growth, as if my mind were expanding to contain it.


    The field of geometric shapes seemed to absorb the light, glowing white hot themselves, and suddenly I understood. Just like when I was building the cube that became the window into the present, the pieces practically presented themselves to me, and I quickly began cing them together.


    In my excitement and the euphoric rush of understanding, I nearly missed it. An rm bell rang in my mind, and my focus turned toward the cube.


    The mirror room was in chaos.


    Kalon was struggling to fend off Ada, who was free of her bindings. She wed and bit at him with furious, barbaric strength, but he moved as if afraid to injure her.


    Haedrig was crawling out of the fountain, moving slowly as if dazed. A trickle of blood from his ear diffused into the water and stained his cheek and neck red.


    The mirrors nearest Haedrig and the fountain were nearly all shattered, now revealing only the void beyond.


    Ezra was running along the hall, dragging Riah¡¯s dead body behind him.


    Regis was nowhere to be seen.


    Abandoning all thought of finishing the dodecahedron now, I tried to open my eyes, to leave the keystone realm, but I couldn¡¯t. Whenever I approached the smoky purple barrier, my consciousness flicked back to the iplete puzzle floating expectantly amidst the field of geometric pieces waiting to be ced.


    Damn it!


    Across all the faces of the cube, Haedrig had rolled clumsily out of the fountain and was on his feet, stumbling toward Ezra. The young ascender pulled back his arm as if to hurl his spear at the green-haired ascender, and Haedrig threw himself to the ground, but it was a feint.


    The ruse gave Ezra the time he needed to drag Riah¡¯s body the rest of the way to the horned ascender¡¯s mirror. My stomach dropped as I watched him yank the corpse around and press the dead hand to the mirror¡¯s cold surface.


    Frantically, I began cing the puzzle pieces again, moving as quickly as my aetheric maniption would allow. At the same time, I kept one eye on the battle happening outside of the keystone.


    In the mirror, the Vritra-blooded ascender was grinning malevolently. And then he was gone, and purple mist was oozing out of the mirror and flowing into Riah, just like when Ada had touched her own mirror.


    Riah¡¯s eyes shuttered open and two ck voids stared up at Ezra. With one hand, the boy was warding off Haedrig with his spear, and with the other he reached down to offer his hand to Riah. When she took it, Ezra flinched, practically jerking away from her, but Riah¡¯s puffy, dead hand tightened around his until it looked as if his bones had cracked.


    Haedrig dashed forward, grabbing the spear and shoving it back and up, cracking Ezra under the chin with the shaft and knocking him backwards over Riah¡¯s body. There was an explosion of energy from Ezra that pushed Haedrig away and shattered several nearby mirrors.


    All three formsy prone on the stone floor for a moment. Riah, or Mythelias in her body, was the first to move. As he rolled over and began to push himself up, the flesh around the severed stump of a leg began to bubble and grow, forming a ck, gangrenous club of a foot.


    Next to him, Ezra began to convulse with pain. Spreading from his hand, ck boils were growing on his flesh, the skin around them turning gray. His face was twisted into a tortured, terrified scream as the pestilent growths rapidly subsumed his body...until nothing was left but a twisted, Ezra-shaped lump.


    And still, despite the chaos, Regis was nowhere to be found.


    While all this was happening, I had been working feverishly to finish the dodecahedron, unsure exactly what would happen when it wasplete. I knew I couldn¡¯t leave until I¡¯d finished the puzzle; I only hoped I would be in time for the others.


    Suddenly Kalon flew past Haedrig, his spear zing ahead of him.


    Rolling away from the attack, Mythelias came up to his feet with Ezra¡¯s spear in hand, and immediately became a storm of cuts and strikes that forced Kalon to fall back into a defensive stance. Even then he seemed barely able to avoid the lightning-quick assault.


    Mythelias kept pressing Kalon, but this put Haedrig at his back. Whether he had lost track of the green-haired ascender or discounted Haedrig¡¯s ability, Mythelias was focused entirely on thest of the Granbehls when Haedrig struck.


    The thin de punched through Mythelias¡¯s back, just to the left of his spine, then ripped outward through his side, half-severing his torso just below his ribs and leaving a horrific, gaping wound. Before I could so much as cheer, however, the flesh began to boil again, and a hard ck scar formed over the gash.


    Spinning, Mythelias cut at Haedrig¡¯s ankles with the edge of the spear-de, then let the spear¡¯s momentum carry it around his body, lining it up for a thrust to the heart that Haedrig just barely parried.


    Within the keystone realm, thest pieces of the dodecahedron were slowly falling into ce, but I was distracted by the scene ying out on one face of the pyramid, which showed the recent past. It seemed to be catching up to the present, and was now showing what had happened only moments ago.


    In it, Ezra was pacing up and down the hall, Regis prowling behind him like a murderous shadow. The boy had a nervous furtive look about him: his hands were jittery and he kept ncing around like he expected to be attacked at any moment.


    Haedrig was sitting on the edge of the fountain, his feet in the salt water. Kalon was checking the bindings on the false-Ada, something we had to do frequently to keep the phantom from injuring Ada¡¯s body.


    As Ezra approached the fountain, his nervousness cemented into a look of dark determination. He suddenly took a sharp step to the side and activated his crest.


    My heart hammered as an explosion pushed out from him, mming Haedrig across the water and head first into the edge of the fountain. Kalon was tossed backwards so I couldn¡¯t see him any more, and even Ada was jerked violently in her bindings.


    The mirrors around Ezra shattered, and, to my horror, Regis was thrown through an open frame, disappearing into the emptiness on the other side.

 Chapter 294

    Chapter 294


    Chapter 294: The Faintest Hope


    No, I thought, my heart pounding in my throat. That¡¯s not possible.


    The explosion had broken the closest benches and wrenched Ada hard enough to loosen her bindings, and she was quick to rip free of the rope.


    My focus was drawn back to the dodecahedron as thest piece fit into ce. Like before, it shimmered and glowed, the outlines of the individual pieces I¡¯d used toplete the puzzle fading away and forming a solid shape.


    In the present, Haedrig and Kalon had fallen into a rhythm, working together to keep Mythelias on the defensive, but any time they scored a hit, the wound instantly sealed over.


    Half of Riah¡¯s corpse was now covered with scabrous growths, but neither Haedrig nor Kalon had escaped injury themselves. Kalon was bleeding badly from a cut on his leg, and Haedrig appeared to have taken the butt of the spear to his cheek, which was swollen and already changing color.


    Finally, the opalescent shimmering on the faces of the dodecahedron smoothed out and stopped moving, and each face disyed a different moving picture.


    In one, the hall of mirrors had been obliterated. The entire end of the hall had been burned away, its ckened edges opening directly into the void. Every mirror was shattered, and most of the frames had been incinerated. There was no sign of life in the room.


    In another face of the dodecahedron, I saw myself standing with Haedrig and Ada, who was crying furiously as we pushed Ezra¡¯s remains through an empty mirror frame and out into the void.


    The hall was scorched and sted, the fountain empty, many of the mirrors broken, but it was overall intact.


    Haedrig pulled the girl into a tender hug, but I turned and walked away.


    My eyes were drawn to a third image. Mythelias, in Riah¡¯s corpse, was stalking across the hall of mirrors toward me. Behind him, Kalon and Haedrig had been entirely subsumed by the dark boils; they were clearly dead.


    Aday unconscious near me. Mythelias leaned down over her and pressed one ckened hand to her cheek. I turned away, pushing the dodecahedron with aether so it spun, removing the awful image from my line of sight.


    The revolving dodecahedron brought different images into sight. Some were variations on what I¡¯d already seen, but one in particr caught my eye.


    In it, I saw myself activating a god rune that glowed golden through my clothes. Purple motes of aether spun and swirled through the room like dandelion seeds, and everything they touched glowed with aetheric energy.


    I watched, awed, as the mirrors mended before my eyes and the pieces of the fountain flew back together as if time was being rewinded, the smoke and steam from the air literally coalescing to reform stone and water.


    When the purple motesnded on Ezra, the boils began to shrink, receding until they faded away entirely. The young ascender gasped and his eyes flew open. He was alive.


    Just before the ss of the shattered mirror through which Kalon had been hurled snapped back into ce, Kalon himself drifted through it, settling gently onto the ground in the hall of mirrors. The wounds he¡¯d sustained from his battle with Mythelias closed; even the damage to his clothes and armor was reversed.


    The terrified, heartbroken image of Ada in her mirror dissolved into pinkish smoke, which flowed out of the mirror, then moved purposefully across the hall until it found her unconscious body, returning her to herself.


    Where the floor of the hall was most sted and burned, ash began to swirl, creating a miniature cyclone. As the ash condensed, a form began to take shape.


    Riah¡¯s body, still missing one foot, hung in the air like a rag doll, lifeless and somehow iplete. Then the gnawed flesh of her foot began to regrow, healing before my eyes. When her eyelids fluttered open, she stared around the now pristine hall with confusion and fear before drifting down to the ground where she was met with a running hug from Ada.


    Though the visions of the past and present had suggested the possibility that the third puzzle might show visions of the future, I hadn¡¯t dared to hope such a thing might be possible, yet there I was, watching events that hadn¡¯t happened yet.


    Each face of the dodecahedron seemed to show a different potential future, some showing our other failure, true, but there was at least a chance we could defeat the Vritra-blooded ascender and escape the hall of mirrors.


    Still, fear bubbled in my gut at what I had seen, or not seen; Regis was nowhere to be found in any of the futures I could see, even the one where I was somehow able to bring back the dead.


    What is this power? I wondered, still watching the potential futures y across the faces of the dodecahedron. It seemed too incredible to be possible. Was it an aspect of Life, of vivum? A way to bring the dead back to life?


    No, I thought, it seemed more like aevum, an aspect of Time. It was like the aether was turning back the clock on whatever it touched, undoing the damage done to ss, stone, and flesh alike.


    Excitement surged within me. This was it! This was the power I needed to defeat Agrona and end the war with crya. Not only that, but I could undo the damage Agrona had done. I could save everyone: Buhnd, Cynthia, Adam, Sylvia...my father.


    I could bring them all back!


    As the dodecahedron revolved around, the panel in which Haedrig, Ada, and I stood alone in the wreckage of the hall came back into view. In that version of the future, I began using aether on any mirrors that were still intact and had an ascender trapped within.


    Like in the other vision, the cracks and chips in the mirrors began to disappear as if mending themselves. Then, one by one, the ascenders faded away. When they had all been released from their prisons, the light within the room shifted subtly, taking on a warmer tone, and a portal appeared within one of the empty frames.


    In that version of the future, however, the others remained dead.


    Why? I wondered fearfully. What is the difference between these two visions of the future? What do I need to do?


    Then the images of past, present, and future faded away, and the three shapes I had constructed within the keystone realm began to dissolve into streams of purple sand that eddied around me on gusts of wind I couldn¡¯t feel. Soon I was looking out through the eye of an aetheric tornado, and the scouring wind and rough sand were scraping across all theyers of my mind.


    It¡¯s too soon! I thought, panic taking hold of me. I don¡¯t understand yet!


    The pain and pressure built and kept building until I was sure the storm would tear my mind apart, rip my consciousness from my body, and cast it into the void...


    Then it was gone. In ce of the raw, tearing pain I felt a sense of freshness and calm, like I¡¯d just stepped out of a cool shower on a hot summer¡¯s day.


    I opened my eyes. My mental cleansing had been soplete that for just a moment I forgot what was happening around me.


    ¡®Arthur!¡¯


    It took a moment for Regis¡¯s voice to sink through my foggy confusion. Was iting from the past, present, or future? I felt as though time itself was meaningless, and wondered vaguely if this was how the trapped ascenders felt within their mirrors.


    The trapped ascenders...The thought nagged at me. I had seen them in the vision of the future...or was that the present now? And then there was the Vritra-blooded ascender, Mythelias...He had escaped¡ªor he would escape? I couldn¡¯t tell the difference.


    The room shook as, across the fountain from me, Kalon released his voltaic energy spell, the arcing energy striking Mythelias from several angles at once, nearly burning Riah¡¯s body to a cinder and imprinting jagged, fiery afterimages into my retina.


    I blinked rapidly, a creeping feeling that I should be doing something wing through the confusion.


    Kalon leapt at Mythelias, attempting to use the aftermath of his catastrophic attack to drive his burning spear down into the Vritra-blooded ascender¡¯s heart. At the same moment, Haedrig cut low, aiming to take Mythelias¡¯s leg off at the knee.


    He was ready for them.


    The flesh around his knee bubbled outward then hardened, trapping Haedrig¡¯s sword in a knot of gnarled ck tissue. In Mythelias¡¯s hands, Ezra¡¯s spear swung with the force of a battering ram, catching Kalon in the air and batting him aside like a bug.


    A jolt of adrenaline hit me like a lightning bolt as I watched Kalon fly sideways, strike the frame of one of the mirrors, and spin out into the void. He was gone.


    Riah¡¯s face sneered at Haedrig. ¡°As if you lesser scum could truly fight back against me.¡± The words slithered out between her stiff, ckened lips, sounding entirely unlike Riah. ¡°You can¡¯t even understand the honor I give you. In my time, only the greatest warriors died by my hand...¡±


    ¡®Arthur!¡¯ Regis screamed again in my head. He was inside me, I realized. I could feel his debilitated presence, his mind, his wild panic. And I could feel the Destruction rune raging like a wildfire, begging to be unleashed and burning away thest of my confusion and uncertainty.


    Before me, Mythelias casually reached down toward Haedrig, who tried to throw himself backwards but slipped in blood and hit the ground with a grunt. To his credit, the veteran ascender seemed calm even in the face of certain death.


    As the bloated, puffy white fingers reached toward my friend, I raised my own hand and summoned the violet me. Mythelias¡¯s head snapped around as he sensed my power, and with astonishing speed he cocked the spear back andunched it like a missile aimed straight at my throat.


    The spear seemed to slow until it looked as if it were hanging suspended in the air. Riah¡¯s dead face was twisted into a hateful snarl, as still as a painting. Haedrigy on his back at Mythelias¡¯s feet, one arm up to ward off the blow that had been diverted toward me.


    Without meaning to look for them, I saw thework of aetheric vibrations between Mythelias and me; all I had to do was focus on them and activate my rune, and I was able to pass through the vibrations with God Step, appearing between Haedrig and Mythelias, the power of Destruction still held in my hand.


    The world lurched into motion again, and I watched as the spear flew into the distance. Mythelias¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, still focused on where I had been just a moment ago, before twisting around with the speed of a razor grimalkin, his hand thrusting toward me like the tip of a poisoned dagger.


    But it wasn¡¯t fast enough.


    ¡°Burn,¡± Imanded, and the hungry mes leapt from my fist in a fan of pure violet destruction fueled by my aether.


    Destruction engulfed Riah¡¯s body, flinging Mythelias screaming onto his back. He rolled and beat at the mes, and his power caused a hard, ck shell to start forming all around the body.


    Even as he burned, he screamed out, ¡°I am the Mythelias Dresdium¡ªson of the Sovereigns¡ªand I¡ªrefuse¡ªto¡ª¡±


    ¡°Die,¡± I said coldly.


    The purple fire consumed the scabrous ck lumps and the pale dead flesh alike, destroying the body faster than Mythelias¡¯s ability could regenerate it.


    As I watched the body of the kind girl¡ªthe girl who brought sweets on an ascent instead of rations¡ªdisintegrate, I felt only the flush of power, the knowledge that, with Destruction at mymand, I could defeat anything. Even Agrona wouldn¡¯t be able to fight back against this kind of raw destructive force.


    Destruction fed until not even ash remained, but when Riah¡¯s body was gone, Destruction remained. I felt the power pull at me, eager for more.


    I clenched my fists and ground my teeth as I tried to snuff out the remaining mes, which had spread to the stone floor and were quickly eating through it, along with most of my aether reserves.


    A gout of the violet fire erupted from my right hand, boiling away the water within the fountain and setting two of the broken benches ame. All around me, purple embers floated through the air, and anything they touched caught fire.


    It was beautiful.


    Then a sparknded on Haedrig¡¯s leg.


    He would burn, I knew, like everything else. Kalon, Ezra, Riah, Ada...Haedrig. They were all coteral damage, but their lives had been the price I had to pay to make it this far.


    No! That was wrong, I knew. That¡¯s Destruction talking, not me!


    I saw again the future I¡¯d witnessed in the dodecahedron: the hall of mirrors destroyed, nothing but ash remaining of mypanions. That was what would happen if I couldn¡¯t control Destruction. In the end, it would consume everything. Even me.


    Feeling control slipping away from me, knowing that Haedrig would be incinerated in moments if I didn¡¯t do something, I shouted for Regis.


    We have to exhaust our aether reserves. All of it! Gauntlet Form! Now!


    Regis didn¡¯t hesitate. When he was in my right hand, I held it out, pointing through one of the many broken mirrors and away from Haedrig, who was shouting my name, pleading for help.


    With Regis in my hand to draw my aether, I turned Destruction in that direction and pushed. Purple fire boiled out of me like an inferno, spilling out into the darkness where there was nothing for it to consume.


    More and more of the destructive energy streamed from me. I burned it all, everyst breath of aether in my body. And when I was as dry and empty as a sun bleached skull, thest of the fire flickered and died, no longer able to draw from Regis¡¯s rune.


    My head whipped around, but I let out a sigh of relief when I saw Haedrig back on his feet, his armor scorched but otherwise looking unburned.


    Then my knees buckled, and the world went dark.

 Chapter 295

    Chapter 295


    A piercing pain that spread throughout my body wrenched me out of my sleep . I couldn¡¯t even muster a groan as my eyes pried open .


    It was only as I stared at the scorched remains of the long, squat hallway that memories of what had happened shed before me: Riah being possessed by the Vritra-blooded ascender, Ezra¡¯s death, Kalon falling into the void, my use of Destruction to kill the ascender, and the violet mes spreading onto Haedrig .


    Haedrig! I tensed as I thought of the green-haired ascender, causing the organ-rending pain to re in me once more .


    ¡®The first thing you do when you wake up is worry about some random ascender you met a few days ago and not your belovedpanion?¡¯ a familiar voice said in my mind, albeit a bit higher in tone than normal . ¡®I see how it is . ¡¯


    Regis! What happened?


    ¡®I¡¯ll tell you what happened!¡¯ Regis snapped, his almost child-like voiceced with frustration .


    A ck shadow emerged from my sternum to reveal my shadowypanion...kind of .


    ¡°Look at me!¡± Regis barked, floating a few feet above me . The once formidable shadowy wolf, who had beenrge enough for a grown man to easily ride, was now, forck of a better word, a puppy . He still had his wolven features, from a shadowy tail to four ck paws and two horns on his head, but he was now only about the size of my head .


    ¡°I see you...lost some weight,¡± I rasped, wincing in pain .


    ¡°Hur hur,¡± Regis mocked, ring at me . ¡°I would¡¯ve pped you already if I had the upper body strength to do so . ¡±


    ¡°Did this¡±¡ªI waved my hand in his direction, indicating his diminutive form¡ª¡°happen because we had to exhaust all of our aether?¡± I asked .


    My pup of apanion rolled hisrge eyes . ¡°No . I became this way in order to live out my dreams as someone¡¯s cuddle buddy . ¡±


    ¡°I saw you get flung through one of the mirrors,¡± I said, ignoring his sarcasm . ¡°What happened after that?¡±


    Regis thought for a moment, scratching his chin with a small paw . ¡°I don¡¯t remember exactly . I just kept falling through the void until I cked out, then I was back inside your body with a splitting headache . ¡±


    I let out a breath of relief, d to have one less thing to worry about in the future while fighting alongside my shadowypanion .


    Anxious to get moving, I tried pushing myself off the ground . With barely a sliver of aether remaining in my core and pain radiating throughout every inch of my body, I couldn¡¯t even sit up, let alone stand on my feet .


    With no strength and a headache severe enough to keep me from meditating, Iid back and let my thoughts wander . Memories and emotions that I had been bottling up and storing deep inside began to surface¡ªmemories and emotions of my friends and family back at Dicathen .


    I had been trying so hard to keep myself busy, not even giving myself time to think of the painful memories of the life I had left behind . Watching the Granbehl family¡¯s tragedy y out must have broken the dam I¡¯d been unconsciously building to hold back these emotions . I was afraid there was a genuine possibility that the hopeless odds I faced if I ever wanted to see my family and friends again would overwhelm me entirely if I dwelled on them too often .


    But what was even scarier was the fact that I felt myself slowly forgetting their faces and voices . Recognizing them wasn¡¯t the problem, but being able to picture them in my mind...that was getting harder .


    With my body slowly regenerating its aether reserves and the pain from bacsh beginning to dull, I pushed away the faces of Ellie and my mother, frozen in my mind with expressions of grief and desperation .


    Slowly getting up to my feet, I took out the dead relic I had stashed in my pocket, confirming with my own eyes that the once ck stone was now a cloudy white crystal . Eager to see what its actual purpose was, I infused it with the meager remains of aether I had left .


    Nothing happened .


    ¡®Did you break it?¡¯ Regis asked .


    I don¡¯t think so? I tucked the opaque crystal back in my pocket . We¡¯ll have to explore this moreter, when I don¡¯t feel mostly dead .


    Shifting my gaze, I noticed that a piece of cloth had been rolled up into a makeshift pillow for me . Needless emotions of attachment to these cryans that I had just met began to emerge, gripping my insides . Shaking my head, I asked the question I had been afraid to ask since waking up .


    ¡°Who¡¯s alive?¡±


    ¡°Go check for yourself . They¡¯re over there,¡± Regis grunted, pointing to his left with a pudgy paw . ¡°Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m going to hide out in your body until I can absorb some aether on my own again . Don¡¯t call for me unless you absolutely need to . ¡±


    I raised a brow . ¡°Would you even be useful in the state you¡¯re in right now?¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up,¡± he snapped before disappearing back into my body .


    Letting out a sigh, I looked around at the scorched remains of the mirror room . Just like the future I had seen within the keystone, the hall was painted in ck and red with the fountain shattered and water spilled all around it . Many of the mirrors were broken, revealing the endless void that Kalon had fallen into .


    The keystone...


    I nced around, but the cuboid relic was nowhere to be seen .


    ¡®It crumbled to dust after you snapped out of your trance,¡¯ Regis said .


    Damn it! I had hoped perhaps there would be another opportunity for me to delve back into the keystone, another chance to build on the knowledge I¡¯d gained . If that stupid kid wouldn¡¯t have released the Vritra-blooded ascender¡ª


    I recoiled from the thought . That ¡°stupid kid¡± had paid for his mistake with his life . Being mad at him now didn¡¯t serve any purpose, and there was no taking back what had been done .


    Unless...


    The keystone had shown me a future where I could literally turn back to the time on death itself . I probed my mind for the god rune, and while I could feel it there, I couldn¡¯t tell what it did .


    Regardless, I had learned everything I was capable of understanding from the keystone . That¡¯s why it pushed me out, I was sure . I would just have to try it out to see what it could do...


    Despite the chaotic state of the room after our battle, it didn¡¯t take long to find the others .


    And like I had expected, the only two left were Haedrig and Ada . Haedrig was kneeling by the gruesome remains of Ezra¡¯s deteriorated body . The sole remaining Granbehl sibling was lying on the ground near her mirror, which was thankfully still intact . The phantom was unbound, but she appeared to be unconscious .


    The Ada in the mirror, the real Ada, was also lying on the ground, her entire body shaking with sobs .


    She must have seen everything that happened, I realized with a jolt of horror . I thought of the battle at the Wall¡ªhow I had searched the battlefield in a panic, looking for my father, and how I had found him toote...


    I reached out and touched the mirror, and suddenly I was able to hear her choked, manic sobs . ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ada . ¡±


    Let¡¯s hope this works, I thought, but I hesitated before activating the new god rune . It felt so...final to activate it, to experience for real the result of my work in the keystone . Once I used it, I¡¯d know exactly what it could do¡ªand what it couldn¡¯t .


    Regardless, this needs to be done . I steeled myself, then directed aether into the god rune .


    The familiar warmth radiated from my lower back along with a flood of knowledge into the specific edict of aevum gained through the keystone . Much like my mes of Destruction and God Step, the edict molded into what I was able to grasp, manifesting itself into a form that made sense to me .


    Motes of purple began spreading from my hand, swirling around like a miniature gxy . Ada looked up, confusion and surprise overtaking her destion for just a moment, and she began to fade away, turning to pinkish mist that flowed out of the mirror and back into her body .


    A thick ckish-purple smoke was expelled from her pores and sucked back into the mirror . The phantom manifested back in its prison, a look of pure hatred on its twisted copy of Ada¡¯s face .


    At my feet, Ada¡¯s body twitched and her eyes snapped open . She scuttled backwards, away from the mirror, her eyes wide with fear . Haedrig leaned down and put his arms around her shoulders, causing her to scream .


    ¡°Shush now, Ada, it¡¯s me, it¡¯s only me . Shush now . ¡±


    Drawing the bone-white dagger that had once belonged to Caera¡¯s brother, I drove it handle first into the Ada mirror, shattering it and destroying the phantom forever .


    When I turned back around, Ada had her head buried in Haedrig¡¯s chest, her small frame quivering as she let out a wail so sorrowful that I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to go closer .


    These were cryans, the same people that had devastated Dicathen, who were responsible for the deaths of so many people that I knew and loved . I should be relishing in their misfortunes and misery .


    So why? Why did my chest feel like it was being wrung like a soaked towel?


    But then, it wasn¡¯t just about them . The disappointment and regret I felt¡ªthe sense of loss at knowing what I¡¯d failed to learn¡ªgnawed at my insides, and I couldn¡¯t help but wish I hadn¡¯t seen the potential futures .


    Although I¡¯d unlocked a new god rune, it was clear now that I¡¯d only managed to grasp a part of the intended whole . And with the keystone gone, and my affinity with aevum as weak as it was, I may never have the chance to learn it again .


    ¡°Aroa¡¯s Requiem,¡± I whispered . The flood of knowledge I¡¯d experienced had included this name-like signature imprinted in the spell itself . It was poetic and beautiful, but to me, it would only serve as a reminder of what the spell could¡¯ve been .


    A spell that could¡¯ve saved Kalon, Ezra, and Riah¡ªa spell that could¡¯ve even brought my father back .


    At least I saved Haedrig and Ada, I thought half-heartedly, trying and failing to see the silver lining in the future I¡¯d ended up in . And I can release these trapped ascenders and keep going, keep trying .


    I peeled my gaze away from the others, turning my attention to the countless intact mirrors still containing ascenders, most of whom were studying me with expressions of respect...and some even fear .


    Leaving Haedrig to tend to Ada, I began searching for a specific mirror near the fountain . It didn¡¯t take long to find the ascender who I had promised to free, and while it was riddled with chips and cracks, his mirror prison had remained intact .


    ¡°I¡¯m a man of my word,¡± I said with my hand pressed against the cool ss . The ascender¡¯s eyes widened in shock as the motes of aether swirled around my hand and began to mend the many cracks that marred the surface of the mirror . ¡°Rest well,¡± I whispered as he faded away .


    ¡®Thank you . ¡¯


    As the ascenderpletely vanished, I let out a deep breath . Stepping away from the mirror, I looked down at my palm . The few traces of the aetheric motes that continued to slowly orbit around my hand slowly dissipated, leaving me with a hollow feeling .


    Unlike God Step or Destruction, this rune didn¡¯t expend much of my aether reserves . Even with the limited amount of aether in my core, I was confident I could free all the remaining ascenders .


    Still, despite this new ability that I had unlocked, I was left with a bitter aftertaste .


    The keystone could¡¯ve unlocked a deeper and more powerful insight into aevum, but because of myck ofprehension, I was left with only a piece of the whole .


    The least part of the whole...


    Now that I fully understood the rune, I knew this ability could only affect inorganic objects like the mirrors .


    ¡®On the bright side, with this ability you¡¯ll be able to revert dead relics into actual, usable relics,¡¯ Regis chimed .


    I curled my fingers into a tight fist . You¡¯re right .


    Despite its limitations, the ability to revert time was something even Kezess Indrath couldn¡¯t do, and while I wouldn¡¯t be able to use it in battle¡ªor to bring back those I had lost¡ªthat didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t make full use of its utility . I just wished that I still had Dawn¡¯s Bad here with me now, so that I could revert the asura-forged sword to its pristine state .


    I pulled out the once dead relic from my pocket to examine it again . The edges of the clear crystal were now glowing dully . Now that I had more of my strength back, I pushed more aether into the stone, but still nothing happened . It seemed like, rather than being activated by aether, the relic had some sort of recharge period before it could be used again . At least that¡¯s what I hoped .


    Making my way through the remaining mirrors, I continued exerting my newly acquired god rune to free the souls of the ascenders trapped within until thest one faded away, a disbelieving smile on her tired face .


    The cold, white hall dimmed slightly and shifted to a warmer tone . In the distance, a translucent portal manifested within one of the empty mirrors, just like the image I had seen in one face of the dodecahedron .


    It was only then that I realized that both Haedrig and Ada had been watching me .


    ¡°How¡ªhow are you feeling?¡± I asked hesitantly, looking at Ada .


    The poor girl was barely able to muster a nod before she looked away, her swollen red eyes full of resentment .


    I swallowed heavily before walking over to the two of them . Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the simulet that Kalon had given me . ¡°Here, you should take this . ¡±


    Ada whipped her head back to face me, eyes alight with panic . ¡°Y-you¡¯re leaving us here?¡±


    I shook my head . ¡°You all ended up in this mess because I was with you . If you two go through the portal on your own, it should lead you to a sanctuary . ¡±


    ¡°You have no way to know that,¡± Ada said, her tear-lined face crumpling into a scowl .


    ¡°I don¡¯t, but I do know that if you go with me to the next zone, it¡¯ll be even more challenging than this one . ¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, she reached for the simulet in my hand, but Haedrig intervened .


    ¡°I have no intention of going back up to the surface,¡± the green-haired ascender said gravely .


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious . ¡± I let out a scoff . ¡°You almost died and you want to delve even deeper?¡±


    ¡°I almost died by you,¡± Haedrig corrected . ¡°As I¡¯ve already said, the Relictombs react differently to unique individuals . I expected something like this to happen . ¡±


    ¡°You expected this to happen?¡± Ada asked incredulously . ¡°And you still brought us along? My brothers and best friend died!¡±


    For once, Haedrig¡¯s cool demeanor was nowhere to be seen, reced by an expression of guilt . ¡°I thought your eldest brother would be strong enough to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s Kalon¡¯s fault that they all died?¡± Ada yelled, her hands clenched into quivering fists .


    Haedrig winced . ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡ª¡±


    Ada withdrew her simulet from a hidden pocket and threw it at the green-haired ascender before stomping off toward the portal .


    Haedrig followed, trying to go after her, but I caught him by the wrist and held him back .


    Just before Ada stepped through the portal, she looked back at us over her shoulder, fresh tears lining her cheeks and her vivid green eyes sharper than daggers . ¡°If the Relictombs don¡¯t eat you two alive, Blood Granbehl will . ¡±


    As thest of Ada¡¯s blonde hair disappeared through the portal, I let go of Haedrig¡¯s wrist .


    ¡°Was that wise, just letting her go like that?¡± Haedrig asked, clearly concerned . ¡°Her blood is quite imposing, especially to an unnamed blood . ¡±


    ¡°Should I have killed her?¡± I inquired, raising a brow .


    ¡°Not kill...but at least we could have tried to talk it out . ¡±


    ¡°Her best friend and both her brothers were all butchered in front of her . I don¡¯t think anything we could¡¯ve said would have convinced her . Besides, it¡¯s suspicious either way since our names are recorded . ¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Haedrig said after a pause . ¡°Are you not worried?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more worried about what the next zone will be, and you should be too,¡± I said as I tossed him my simulet . ¡°Go back . ¡±


    Haedrig shook his head, pushing the simulet back to me . ¡°I want to go with you . ¡±


    I shook my head, unable to believe his obstinacy . ¡°Are you that eager to die, or are you expecting some sort of treasure vault at the end of this?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t matter to you what I want . Even you have to admit that I can be useful,¡± he said .


    ¡°And if there¡¯s nothing you can eat or drink in the next zone?¡± I pushed .


    Haedrig revealed a yful smile . ¡°Are you worrying about me?¡±


    I let out a deep breath before stuffing the simulet back in my pocket . ¡°Do as you wish . Just don¡¯t expect me to protect you . ¡±


    ¡°I never dreamed of it,¡± he said, leading the way to the portal .


    With my aether reserves about a quarter replenished and the warm lights flickering as if to warn us to leave quickly, I followed after the mysterious green-haired ascender .


    With the decision made, there was no reason to linger in the mirror room . We stepped through the translucent portal, together, Haedrig holding onto to the back of my teal cloak just a step behind me .


    To keep me from trying to ditch him at thest second, I suppose, I thought . He really doesn¡¯t want to be left behind, but why?


    The thought was blown out of my mind as, immediately upon stepping through the portal, I was sted by a gust of icy wind so sharp that I could barely keep my eyes open .


    Unfazed by the drastic change in scenery, and with nothing in sight except a panorama of gray, I pulled out the crystalline relic again . While I didn¡¯t know its full capabilities, I was sure it had some sort of navigational function .


    Except this time, when I took out the crystalline relic, its ssy edges were once again fully opaque . Feeling instinctively that there was something off about this ce, I turned back to Haedrig...


    ...only, instead of the shaggy, green-haired ascender, a familiar navy-haired girl with two piercing red eyes looked back at me .


    I stumbled away from her,pletely caught off guard, and she stared at me uncertainly .


    ¡°Caera?¡±

 Chapter 296

    Chapter 296


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    Caera lifted one delicate hand to her face, feeling her cheek, then pulled a lock of her long hair out in front of her face so she could see it properly. She paled visibly as her hand reached up and touched one of the onyx horns that grew from the sides of her head. Each horn had two separate points: the main horns swept forward and up, while the smaller fang-shaped pair jutted back behind, framing her head like a dark crown. Thin golden rings adorned each of the smaller spurs.


    ¡°Grey, I can ex¡ª¡±


    My hand shot out in a blur, gripping Caera by her thin neck and lifting her off the snowy ground. A small gasp escaped her lips as she tried to pry herself free, but my eyes were focused on those ck horns.


    She¡¯s a Vritra! I thought, feeling foolish for letting someone I knew so little about get so close to me. No, she wouldn¡¯t be able to enter the Relictombs if that was the case. I wasn¡¯t sure what to make of this sudden revtion. Is she just Vritra-blooded?


    ¡®I know you¡¯re shocked¡ªso am I¡ªbut I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll get any answers from her if she¡¯s dead,¡¯ Regis chimed in, sobering me.


    I loosened my grip, letting the cryan woman fall to the ground, where she coughed fitfully and rubbed her throat.


    ¡°Please...Grey. I don¡¯t mean...any harm,¡± Caera pleaded, her red eyes locked on me.


    ¡°Stop,¡± I warned, drawing the white dagger from my dimension rune as I studied the high-blooded cryan woman.


    What was Caera¡¯s purpose¡ªto kill me? That didn¡¯t make sense. She could¡¯ve killed me anytime while I was in the keystone realm. Did she need proof to take back to her blood, a Scythe, or maybe even Agrona himself, so that they could find and execute me?


    In the end, regardless of her reasons, it boiled down to two choices.


    The thought of simply killing her right there and mitigating any potential risk surfaced in my mind, but holding the dagger brought up memories of Caera giving up herte brother¡¯s de so that I could have a weapon. Not only that, Caera and I had parted on good terms after our temporary allegiance in the convergence zone.


    Even then, she and her two guards had several chances to kill me while I was unconscious after our fight against the titan, though it was also true that she could have guessed my identity after returning to crya.


    She¡¯s still calling me Grey, though, which means she might not know who I am after all...


    My grip around the bone-white dagger tightened as I struggled toe up with the right decision. I had trusted Haedrig, but the green-haired man that had fought beside me never actually existed. Instead, it was a woman wrapped deeply in the veil of cryan nobility¡ªwith Vritra blood coursing through her.


    Regis let out a chortle. ¡®Why are you thinking so deeply about this? Maybe she just likes you.¡¯


    ¡°What?¡± I blurted, startling Caera, who was still on her knees in the snow.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I said, clearing my throat and silently cursing mypanion for his flippant attitude.


    I could feel Regis roll his eyes. ¡®Kill her or not, it¡¯s up to you, but chop chop. I don¡¯t fancy finding out what happens to me if you freeze to death standing here.¡¯


    My face and hands felt stiff from the cold, but my asuran body made this deadly weather a nuisance at most. Caera, despite her obvious Vritra ancestry, didn¡¯t share my fortitude, and she had already started to shake.


    Letting out a sigh, I reluctantly made up my mind. I withdrew the wool bedroll from my rune¡ªyet another piece of equipment that ric had thought to pack for me¡ªand tossed it to her. ¡°Wrap yourself up in this. We need to find shelter¡ªthen we¡¯ll talk.¡±


    She took the soft bedroll and draped it around herself like a nket. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    My eyes quickly scanned our surroundings. Like before, the portal we¡¯de through had vanished, leaving us stranded in a pure white expanse. An icy wind kicked up a lot of snow, making it difficult to see very far.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get moving,¡± I replied curtly, turning away.


    ¡®I would¡¯ve gone for the nice gentleman y, but aloof bad boy works too,¡¯ Regis teased.


    Do you want me to cut you off from my aether?


    ¡®No, sir. Sorry, sir.¡¯


    Rolling my eyes, I continued walking, paying close attention to the soft crunch of Caera¡¯s footsteps just a few paces behind me.


    ¡°You¡¯re wary of me, yet you¡¯re exposing your back to me. Are you that confident?¡± Caera asked, her silvery voice cutting through the howling of the wind.


    ¡°Do you want to find out?¡± I asked, not bothering to look back.


    ¡°Perhaps next time,¡± she said softly after a beat of silence.


    ¡®Ooh, so she wants there to be a next time,¡¯ Regis snickered.


    I ignored mypanion¡¯sment but mentally gave him his second strike.


    ¡°Keep an eye out for any kind of shelter,¡± I called out, my own eyes scanning every shadow and wrinkle in the frozen wastnd for something that could be a cave or ravine, or even just an overhang that would get us out of the biting wind.


    ¡°I can barely see past you. Even with mana, I don¡¯t think I could find anything unless it was standing right in front of me,¡± Caera said, frustrationced in her voice.


    ¡®Maybe you guys will have to dig yourself a shelter and cuddle for¡ª¡¯


    Strike three.


    Coalescing aether around Regis¡¯s incorporeal form inside me, I directed it to the palm of my hand and pushed outward.


    To my surprise, Regis¡¯s fiery cub form actually burst out of my hand, limbs pping in surprise.


    ¡®Hey! What the¡ª¡¯


    Caera gasped and burst into action. Flinging off the bedroll and drawing her thin, curved sword, she cut swiftly downwards, cleaving Regis in two.


    I watched with a raised brow as Regis¡¯s bisected form faded away, dissolving into the windblown snow.


    Caera¡¯s sharp eyes darted around the terrain, but when she didn¡¯t see any more threats, she smoothly stored the de once again. Then she noticed the look on my face, and her own confident expression slipped away.


    I pointed nonchntly at the area where Regis had disappeared and said, ¡°That thing is going to reform in a few seconds. As amusing as it was, please don¡¯t attack him again.¡±


    Her eyes went wide. ¡°That was something you did?¡±


    ¡°That was my wolf, yes.¡±


    ¡°Grey, I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    She was cut off as a pocket of dark ash began to spin within the light snow, condensing down until it was a perfectly round ball, then bursting into mes. Finally, Regis¡¯s bright eyes popped open, and the dark shadow of his mouth twisted down into aical frown.


    The will-o-wisp floated down to the ground where it shifted again, bulging outward as it transformed back into the small, wolf-like puppy. ¡°You know, I¡¯m not sure I like either one of you very much right now.¡±


    Caera¡¯s brows furrowed in confusion as her gaze shifted from Regis to me and then back again.


    I shrugged. ¡°This is Regis. You two have met before in thest two zones.¡±


    Her eyes shone in realization, then she tilted her head. ¡°But he was a little bigger then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well you were a dude,¡± Regis snapped angrily.


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Caera¡¯s lips quivered as if she were trying very hard not to smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, little friend.¡±


    The cryan leaned down and scratched Regis behind one pointy little ear. His bright eyes red at her, but he couldn¡¯t stop his shadowy tail from wagging in pleasure.


    This time, I let out a chortle, causing mypanion to stiffen.


    Letting out a growl, Regis snapped at Caera¡¯s finger, startling her so that she jerked her hand away.


    The tiny shadow wolf pounced ahead of us, bounding through the snow with some difficulty. Without looking back, Regis said, ¡°Stop staring and start walking, before you both turn into meat popsicles.¡±


    I met Caera¡¯s strange red eyes, narrowed in a pleasant smile, and forced myself to turn away. Scooping up my bedroll, the cryan shook the snow off and wrapped it around her shoulders, then we followed after our fuzzy little guide.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s a bowl,¡± I muttered, stopping so that Caera, who was walking in the track I left in the deepening snow, bumped into me.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked, taking a step back and peering around us.


    I took her by the shoulder and turned her so that she was looking down into a wide dip in thend. Visibility was poor enough that I hadn¡¯t immediately noticed it, but we were walking along the ridge of a massive, shallow crater.


    The wind let up at that moment, and a beam of silvery light cut through the gray nket above us, spilling across the snow and highlighting the entire basin. Far below us, perhaps a mile or more, there was the clear outline of arge, round bulge under the snow¡ªmuch too round and perfect to be a natural formation.


    Then the wind picked back up, and the clouds closed in, and the shape was lost behind a white curtain.


    ¡°Did you see that?¡± Caera asked excitedly, pointing down toward the hidden mound.


    She turned toward me, and suddenly she seemed very close. Her gaze thennded on my arm, which I suddenly realized was still around her shoulder. Immediately, I pulled myself away, taking a step back as Caera also shifted ufortably.


    ¡°See what?¡± Regis asked, trotting back toward us after having gone several yards ahead. ¡°What¡¯d I miss?¡±


    ¡®And what were you doing with your arm around the spy, eh?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something down there.¡± I gestured down the slope, ignoring mypanion. ¡°It looks like the snow gets deeper, though, so maybe you should get back inside me.¡± I looked at Regis pointedly, making it clear this was less a question and more of a demand.


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s been nice to stretch my legs. I think I¡¯ll stay out here. I don¡¯t mind a little snow.¡±


    I red at the pup, and Regis wiggled his eyebrows in return, a gesture that reminded me of the cartoon animals in the shows I had seen as a kid.


    ¡®I think I¡¯ll keep an eye on things from out here,¡¯ he thought to me, making it obvious that he was still upset about being cut in half.


    Caera was watching us expectantly, so I waved my hand toward the slope. ¡°After you, my mightypanion.¡±


    Regis swished his shadowy tail as he trotted on ahead. Within sixty feet, though, the drifts were well over his head, and, even though the cold wasn¡¯t bothering him, his tiny wolven body wasn¡¯t equipped to swim through snow.


    After struggling for a couple of minutes to keep up any sort of progress, pouncing and paddling through the snow, Regis gave up. ¡°You know, I think I¡¯ve stretched my legs enough. I better go back to gathering aether.¡± With that, mypanion leapt up as if trying to jump into my arms, but instead faded into my body.


    ¡°What did he mean, gather aether?¡± Caera asked as we pushed forward through snow that was now up to my hips. I was leading, breaking a path so that Caera could more easily follow.


    ¡°My summons is powered by aether. When we used...the purple fire, well, we used up all his power. So he shrunk into this form.¡± I kept my tone matter-of-fact, as if it were perfectly normal to have an aether-powered shadow wolf for apanion.


    ¡°But he¡¯s not really a summons, is he?¡± I could practically feel her piercing eyes burning into the back of my neck.


    ¡°No, I suppose not. Not the way you normally think of one.¡±


    ¡°And...¡± Caera hesitated. I kept my attention forward, shoveling through the deep, heavy powder. ¡°And you¡¯re not really a mage, are you? Not the way we¡¯d normally think of one, anyway. You don¡¯t use mana.¡±


    I stopped walking, more out of realization than out of apprehension¡ªrealization of how tired I was of hiding everything about myself to everyone that I came across. There was no way I could answer truthfully without giving away who I really was, but any lie would be as obvious as the horns on her head.


    ¡°No, I suppose not.¡±


    We marched in silence for a few minutes, and soon the snow was up to my ribs. A strong hand on my shoulder pulled me up short. I turned to see what was the matter, but was blinded by my own bedroll being tossed over my face.


    Caeraughed for the first time, a refreshing yet elegant sound. ¡°I¡¯m no ordinary mage either, remember?¡±


    I jerked the wool nket from my face, already gathering aether into my extremities to defend myself if needed, but Caera wasn¡¯t attacking me. She wasn¡¯t even looking at me.


    An ominous power was growing within her, however, and when she finally met my eyes, there was a dark fire in them. ¡°You might want to move aside, Grey.¡±


    I stepped back into the snow, getting out of her path as she drew her sword¡ªher real sword. The dark, ming aura I¡¯d seen her use when fighting the giant monster in the convergence zone flickered around the red de, turning it ck.


    This time, though, it was much more muted, less wild and dangerous.


    Then Caera thrust the sword forward and the dark mes billowed outward, carving a channel in the snow for at least two hundred yards.


    She turned back and walked toward me, sheathing her long curved de. Snatching the bedroll back and wrapping it over her shoulder, she shot me an almost childish grin. ¡°You look tired, Grey. Let me lead for awhile.¡±


    ¡°That trick was more impressive the first time I saw it,¡± I muttered, dusting the snow off of my clothes.


    Snorting indelicately, Caera spun away and started marching through the wide path she¡¯d made.


    I followed, my mind entirely upied by Caera¡¯s ability. When she¡¯d used her power in the convergence zone, I had been too busy not dying to really examine it. This time, though, I had watched carefully as she manifested the dark aura and released the torrent of ck fire.


    The mes hadn¡¯t produced heat. They destroyed without burning, kind of like the violet fires of the Destruction rune, but she wasn¡¯t using aether. In the convergence zone, those same mes had eaten through the titanic guardian¡¯s attack, literally carving a path through the beam of energy.


    I shed back to my battle with Nico, how he had controlled the dark mes to destroy my lightning storm. Caera¡¯s ability seemed simr, able to destroy both energy and matter. Then I thought of Cadell¡¯s soulfire, and how it was able to burn away someone¡¯s life force from inside, preventing even vivum from healing them.


    Then something I hadn¡¯t thought about in a very long time returned to me. I was walking through the forest with Windsom, my asuran protector and mentor. Birds were chirping. The sun shining through the leaves dappled his wise old face as we walked. He was teaching me about the different asuran races and their magic.


    He had described the nature of aether, though he struggled tomunicate into the ¡°lesser tongue,¡± and had settled on referring to it as a ¡°creation-type mana art.¡± The Vritra were made up mostly of basilisks, a race that used a decay-type mana art, though he never gave me another name for it.


    Was that what Caera was using? A unique deviant form of mana-based magic?


    I watched Caera¡¯s navy hair bounce around her onyx horns as she strode ahead of me like nothing could touch her. She was incredibly talented¡ªand equally confident in her abilities. When I¡¯d first seen the way she fought, I¡¯d immediately been reminded of myself.


    It was no secret that Agrona and his basilisks had bred with the people of crya. Clearly Caera was the result of such experiments, but she hid her ancestry when we first met in the Relictombs¡ªusing her strongest ability only when there was no other option. Something about this zone had caused her disguise to fail, but even the first time I¡¯d met her while she was with her two guards, she had hidden her horns.


    Why?


    ¡®Right? Personally, I think they¡¯re hot.¡¯


    When we reached the end of the path carved by Caera¡¯s power, the snow was deep enough that the channel had be a tunnel. Instead of a round, rippling tunnel of ice, though, the fifteen foot deep cave in the snow was rough and imprecise, like a dozen children had dug it out with their bare hands.


    With no heat to melt the snow, allowing it to refreeze and harden, the tunnel didn¡¯t seem safe to enter¡ªbut that wasn¡¯t all that was bothering me.


    Caera lifted her sword from her shoulder and pointed it forward, but I held out a hand. ¡°I don¡¯t think your power is best suited to this kind of thing. Save your strength. Based on my experience in the Relictombs, it won¡¯t be long before something tries to kill us.¡±


    ¡°I concede the point. What do you suggest, Grey?¡±


    As far as I could tell, we were still a quarter mile or more from the round bulge we¡¯d seen from the rim of the caldera. The powdery snow made walking on its surface impractical, as either one of us could sink in over our head with each step.


    ¡®You could st a tunnel with aether,¡¯ Regis suggested.


    I had already considered this, but the aether cost of utilizing Gauntlet Form for something as mundane as drilling a whole through the snow seemed reckless. Drilling...


    Regis, you¡¯re a genius.


    ¡®I...know?¡¯ I could sense mypanion¡¯s confusion, but I was already preparing myself.


    With a thought, I encouraged Regis to move to my hand to help draw the aether that I released from my core. I didn¡¯t build up arge st of aether like I might have if I were preparing for an attack, but instead I released a small burst of aetheric energy.


    As I siphoned aether through my arm, I willed it to coalesce rather than surge out, but the manifestation faded in my palm; this was something new, and it required more control than creating a straightforward burst of energy.


    Taking a deep breath and tuning out Regis¡¯s stray thoughts and Caera¡¯s boring gaze, I tried again¡ªand again.


    After the fourth attempt, the aether finally manifested into the form of a globr balloon that dispersed as soon as it left my palm. After the seventh attempt, the aether took shape into a sphere that grewrger as I fed it more aether.


    It took every ounce of my concentration to keep the shimmering purple globe from dispersing as it grew to my height. Then I shoved, driving the aetheric sphere forward into the snow.


    Despite using only a fraction of the aether it would¡¯ve taken to unleash a full aetheric st, therge aetheric orb bored through over twenty feet of snow before it faded away, leaving behind a round, stable tunnel that we could easily walk through.


    ¡°Good enough,¡± I huffed. I had hoped to manipte the aether into a cone-shaped drill, but seeing as even a half-decent sphere was barely possible, I quickly settled for something simpler.


    ¡®You know, that¡¯s pretty much exactly what I was thinking.¡¯


    Of course it was, I teased.


    Caera walked carefully into the tunnel, her hand running across the wall and roof as she warily inspected my handiwork. ¡°Clever. Can you do it again?¡±


    Nodding, I said, ¡°I should be able to get to that dome without totally draining myself, yeah.¡±


    She stepped aside, gesturing into the tunnel. ¡°After you, my mightypanion.¡±


    Whether it was because I was tired from the amount of concentration that went into the aetheric spell¡ªif it could even be called that¡ªor just because I was still proud of my aplishment, I actually let out a smallugh before building up aether in my right hand again.


    ***


    By resting briefly after every few uses of the aether cannon, as Regis quickly dubbed it, I was able to keep my core topped up, just in case we ran into anything hostile under the snow. I took it as a good sign that we did not, however, and within an hour we found what we were looking for.


    Behind me, Caera held up a light artifact, revealing a smooth, gleaming white wall. I ran my hand along the cold stone.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it¡ªlike frost that¡¯s been turned into stone,¡± I said, brushing away the snow at the outer edges of the tunnel. My aetheric sphere hadn¡¯t even scratched the surface. ¡°Let¡¯s hope there¡¯s a door somewhere.¡±


    Utilizing my new aether cannon spell, I began to open up space around the outside of the white dome. Wherever the swirling purple energy touched the shining stone, my power seemed to disperse, rolling over the smooth surface like water across wax.


    Then, with a final pulse of aether, golden-white light spilled from an arched door in the dome, causing our snowy tunnel to ze so brightly that I had to shield my eyes.


    Caera held up her hand to ward off the re. ¡°I hope that light ising from a nice, warm fire.¡±


    Blinking away the glittering stars in my eyes, I drew the white dagger, infused my body with aether, and moved cautiously up to the archway.


    The inside wasn¡¯t exactly what I had expected.


    The dome was about forty feet tall at its peak, and nearly one hundred feet wide. zing balls of light drifted through the air like papernterns. A dais rose up from the floor at the center of the cavernous room, and on it was a beautifully carved arch.


    Or, what was left of it.


    Though the dais was twenty feet across and raised up ten feet over the level of the floor, it still looked small and forlorn in the huge, empty space. There was an atmosphere of neglect and loss within the dome that made my skin crawl.


    From next to me, Caera said, ¡°It looks...broken.¡±


    Scanning the room again to make sure there were no enemies clinging to the ceiling or creeping along the walls, I stepped into the dome, then slowly crossed the open expanse to the stairs, feeling entirely exposed.


    There was a pile of random items at the foot of the stairs. Caera kneeled down to inspect them.


    ¡°Bones, mostly, but look at this?¡±


    She held up a pure white arrowhead. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s made from the same material as the dome.¡± I took it from her and rubbed it between my fingers; it was cold to the touch and silky smooth. ¡°And look at this.¡±


    Draped from her fingers was a leather cord hung withrge, curved talons, like those of a hawk or an eagle, butrger.


    ¡°Made from something native to this zone, I imagine,¡± I said, pressing my fingertip to point at one of the ws. I winced as a drop of blood bloomed on my fingertip. ¡°Damned sharp.¡±


    ¡°Made by what though, I wonder,¡± Caera asked, tossing the talon ne back into the pile.


    Although I was interested in the items and what they might tell us about this zone, I was more interested in getting out of it. Stepping over the scattered objects, I took the stairs two at a time until I reached the top of the tform.


    The arch was ten feet high and just as wide. I ran my fingers across the designs, which were incredibly detailed, showing animals at y in gardens full of impressively crafted nts and flowers.


    But Caera had been right. Several pieces of the arch were missing, which, assuming that this was the portal out of the zone, meant that we were stuck.

 Chapter 297

    Chapter 297


    My fingers ran over the arch¡¯s frame, tracing the jagged, broken edges where parts of therge structure were missing.


    Was this another challenge or just bad luck? I had hoped that crossing the frozen wastnd was enough to leave this zone, but clearly that wasn¡¯t it.


    I turned to Caera. ¡°Do you see any pieces of the arch in that pile? It looks like there are at least four or five separate chunks that¡¯ve been broken off, judging by the damage.¡±


    She sifted through therge pile for a moment before looking back up at me and shaking her head. ¡°There¡¯s quite a bit to sort through here, but I don¡¯t see anything else in the same white stone the arch seems to be made of. Maybe here under some of the bones...¡± She kept rummaging, but I wasn¡¯t hopeful. Things were never that easy in the Relictombs.


    Regis popped out of my side,nding on the tform and shaking himself like a dog, the violet mes of his mane flickering. He gazed up at the ancient structure towering over him before speaking. ¡°Do you even need the pieces? Maybe that fancy new power of yours can just...fix it.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just fix...¡± The rest of my words died in my throat as I realized mypanion had a point. Pressing my palm to the arch, I ignited the newly acquired god rune that sattent within me. Repairing all of the mirrors in thest zone had given me more than enough practice utilizing Aroa¡¯s Requiem, but the sensation still felt new and raw, almost foreign.


    The rune glowed golden from beneath my clothes as aether circted through it, and purple motes of aether began to swirl around my hand. The motes left me and flowed along the arch, concentrating where the broken edges stood out against the wlessly smooth carvings.


    Aside from some light scuffs fading away, nothing happened. I kept concentrating, imagining the missing fragments of the arch rebuilding themselves. The sparkling particles of aether had simply worked when I¡¯d used the rune before, repairing the cracked mirrors and releasing the imprisoned ascenders with no direction from me.


    But I had seen what to do in the vision of the future...


    Maybe I needed more understanding of how to repair an item, or what its purpose was, to affect it with Aroa¡¯s Requiem.


    Or maybe that wasn¡¯t it either.


    Frustrated more at myself than the circumstances we were in, I let out a sigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s not working,¡± Regis said helpfully.


    ¡°I can see that,¡± I muttered, withdrawing aether from my god rune. The purple motes flickered out one by one as the rune¡¯s glow faded. ¡°Try searching the rest of the hall for any pieces of the arch. Maybe if we can find them I¡¯ll be able to repair it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe? I mean, I¡¯m as much an optimist as the next guy, but ¡®maybe¡¯ sounds like¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do we have any other choice?¡± I snapped, ring down at the shadow wolf pup.


    Regis¡¯s ears drooped. ¡°No, I suppose not.¡±


    I sighed as mypanion hopped from stair to stair and began sniffing around the outside wall of the huge space. Sylvie and I had never fought like this¡ªbut that wasn¡¯t Regis¡¯s fault. Sylvie had always been my counterpoint, providing me wisdom when I was being foolish, temperance when I was reckless, bravery when I was afraid.


    Regis, on the other hand, was more like me, reinforcing both my strengths and my weaknesses. Was that why I was harder on him than I had been on Sylvie? I thought back to those first moments in the Relictombs, when I woke up alone and powerless¡ªalone, except for him.


    Without him, waking up in that sanctuary room without Sylvie, knowing she sacrificed herself for me...


    Sitting down on the edge of the tform with my legs dangling down the side, I withdrew the rainbow colored stone that held my bond. It had been quite some time since I had tried pushing aether into it, but I could feel that I hadn¡¯t grown strong enough yet. Despite everything I¡¯d faced and all that I had learned since waking up magicless and broken in the Relictombs, I had barely scratched the surface of what was possible with aether.


    I¡¯m going to get you out of there some day, Sylv. I promise. When you meet Regis you¡¯re going to¡ª


    ¡°Another relic secreted away from the Vritra?¡± Caera asked as she slid to a seat beside me, my bedroll pulled tightly around her shoulders. Her navy hair fell in front of her eyes and she leaned down to inspect Sylvie¡¯s egg.


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± I said, turning my eyes back to the iridescent egg.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Caera said, her words barely a whisper.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, hurriedly stashing the egg back in my dimensional storage rune before she was able to study it any more closely.


    I started to stand up when strong fingers gripped my forearm and pulled me back to my seat. I turned to make some excuse to Caera, but she was staring at me, bbergasted. ¡°What was that?¡±


    My eyes narrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m obligated to tell you what my¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about the colorful stone,¡± she said, waving my words away with her free hand. ¡°How did you do that? Where did it go?¡±


    Nonplussed, I showed her the back of my hand and the dimensional storage ring that I wore. ¡°In my¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t.¡± She shook her head, her usual calm demeanor reced by a childlike excitement. ¡°You didn¡¯t activate the ring just now, I could tell. Wait, you can¡¯t...¡± Caera¡¯s eyes widened in realization. ¡°Of course, how did I not see it before? You don¡¯t have mana to activate the ring.¡±


    My mind whirled for lies to exin what had happened: my ring could be another relic that didn¡¯t need mana, the egg could¡¯ve had simr powers to Regis, or some other convenient excuse...


    But as I opened my mouth to speak, I hesitated...tired of it all.


    What was the point of lying? Caera knew I could use aether. She knew I had at least one relic¡ªwhich was already punishable by death¡ªand probably assumed I had more. She¡¯d even seen Regis talk and absorb aether but still chose to scratch him like he was just another household pet.


    ¡°I...¡± Letting out a sigh, I pulled up my sleeve and imbued aether into my forearm to activate the dimensional rune. ¡°I have a rune¡ªa spellform¡ªthat operates on a simr principle. The ring is just for show.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating.¡± Caera¡¯s ruby eyes shone with intense curiosity as she stared at theplex runes engraved in my skin.


    I felt a slight smile tug at the corner of my lips as I watched her inspect my arm like a child opening a brand new toy.


    Catching myself, a wave of guilt forced myself to remember who this girl was. Caera had followed me and lied about her identity. She was not only an cryan but of the same blood as Agrona and the rest of his monstrosities that had wreaked havoc on my people.


    A dark part of me reasoned that I could always kill her before leaving the Relictombs if I told her too much, but I also knew I was just making excuses. Being honest with myself, it simply felt good to have even that small weight of having one less secret off my shoulders.


    A cold touch on my arm snapped me out of my thoughts, startling me.


    Caera pulled her hand away. ¡°M-my apologies! My curiosity tends to get the better of me at times, and I wanted to see how the rune felt...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said, clearing my throat.


    I pulled my sleeve back down to cover the rune, but Caera was still staring at me.


    ¡°Is there something on my face?¡± I asked, cocking a brow.


    ¡°It¡¯s just...Who are you, Grey?¡± Caera asked.


    ¡°Just a soldier that was mortally wounded,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°You should remember, you met me only shortly after.¡±


    Caera narrowed her eyes as she stuck her lips out into a pout. ¡°That¡¯s a bit of an oversimplification, Grey. If you were to ask me, I¡¯d specte that you¡¯re some sort of aberration of the Relictombs, conjured of aether to lure me into the deepest depths of the ancient mages¡¯ endless fortress.¡±


    ¡°Lure you?¡± I scoffed. ¡°Excuse me, but if I recall correctly, you were the one who somehow tracked me down and tricked me into taking you along.¡±


    Caera stiffened before clearing her throat. ¡°That, I admit, was a bit unbing,¡± she said, turning away.


    ¡°So...¡± I said quietly. ¡°Isn¡¯t it about time I get an exnation?¡±


    Caera fidgeted ufortably, still unable to look me in the eyes as her hair fell over her face like a curtain. She raised a hand and pointed at my chest. ¡°The medallion,¡± she said finally.


    ¡°The medallion?¡± I echoed, confused. ¡°What meda¡ª¡±


    Realization struck me and I withdrew her brother¡¯s bone-white dagger and gazed at the golden coin strapped to its handle. Etched into it was the sign of Denoir House: feathered wings spread out from a wreathed shield.


    Of course.


    ¡°Can anyone track me with this, or just you?¡± My voice came out cold and collected as my narrowed gaze locked onto her. If Agrona or his Scythes were able to hunt me down with a magical tracking beacon, then I would be in danger as soon as I left the Relictombs.


    Damn it. If I was still able to use mana, I wouldn¡¯t have fallen for this.


    ¡°Only I¡¯m attuned to the medallion,¡± she said hurriedly, turning to meet my eyes. ¡°No one else can track it, I swear.¡±


    She held my gaze for a moment, her ruby eyes sincere and unwavering until she dipped her head. ¡°Again...I apologize.¡±


    I held out the dagger and coin. ¡°You said that you expected these back one day. Here, take them.¡±


    She didn¡¯t move to ept the offered items. ¡°Grey, I¡ª¡±


    I set the dagger and medallion down on the tform between us, just loudly enough to cut her off. ¡°You¡¯ve told me how. You still have to tell me why.¡±


    Aether leaked from me, rippling in the air to give a tangible weight to my emotions.


    ¡°What I said back in the mirror zone was all true,¡± she said, flinching slightly. ¡°I could tell you were different and...I wanted to know more, to see for myself.¡±


    ¡°Then why not reveal yourself?¡± I asked icily. ¡°Why go to all the trouble to disguise your identity?¡±


    ¡°No offense, Grey, but passing dogs can tell how standoffish and untrusting you are. Would you have really let me travel with you had you known who I really was?¡± she asked, raising a brow.


    Surprised by the blunt response, I opened my mouth to reply, but Caera continued speaking.


    ¡°Besides, I¡¯m always in disguise, no matter where I go.¡± She smiled solemnly, her hand touching one of her dark horns.


    I stared at the cryan noble. Even after enduring two zones and a deadly winter storm, her posture remained poised as she sat across from me. But underneath that polished exterior was something that reminded me of myself when I had first wound up in the Relictombs. I could tell how alone she felt...


    Letting out a sigh, I spoke once more, breaking the silence. ¡°I want to trust you, Caera, but I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t, Grey.¡± Her gaze hardened as she swallowed audibly. ¡°If I harm you in any way, impede your goals, or do anything to cause you to think that I¡¯m sabotaging your purpose here...kill me.¡±


    I remained silent, taken aback by her confidence and resolve.


    Thankfully, the sound of little paws plodding across the silky stone floor drew our attention to Regis.


    I slid off the edge of the dais we were sitting on,nding the ten foot drop with ease, before walking toward Regis. ¡°Did you find anything?¡±


    ¡°Not a damn thing,¡± Regis muttered, shaking his head.


    ¡°Which likely means we¡¯ll have to venture back out into the snow,¡± I added with a sigh.


    I nced back at Caera, who hopped off the edge of the tform as well,nding deftly before joining us. Tossing the bedroll that I had given her over her shoulders, she gave us a nod. ¡°We should get going then.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°The blizzard sounds like it¡¯s getting worse. I doubt you¡¯dst very long out there.¡±


    Caera frowned. ¡°While it would drain my mana reserves by quite a bit, I should be able to endure if I d myself in my soulfire.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that. The storm makes it almost impossible for me to see anything even with my enhanced senses. We should set up camp here for now and get some rest while we still can.¡±


    Caera nodded, wrapping the thick nket tighter around her. ¡°That also doesn¡¯t sound like a bad n.¡±


    I managed a faint smile before turning to mypanion. ¡°And Regis?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, boss?¡±


    ¡°You better spend some time gathering aether. We¡¯re going to need you back at full strength.¡±


    The little shadow wolf grinned hungrily before jumping into my body.


    ***


    The camping situation wasn¡¯t ideal. We weren¡¯t equipped for the cold weather, though at least the light orbs floating around the dome shed some heat. ric had packed a surprisinglyrge amount of nkets for some reason, but I couldn¡¯t find any sort of matches to start a fire. Worse yet, Caera¡¯s dimension ring had been damaged in her fight against Mythelias, which meant the matches and other survival equipment she had packed was inessible.


    ¡°What about your soulfire?¡± I asked as the two of us sat on the thick pile of bedrolls we had spread out along the edge of the tform near the staircase.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t produce any heat like a normal me would,¡± she said, igniting a ck fire on the tip of her finger.


    The two of us idly watched the shadowy me as Caera made it bigger. Her gaze followed the tip of the me when her eyes suddenly widened. Extinguishing the me, she pointed up. ¡°We can use those!¡±


    I looked up to see the floating orbs of light hovering high above us in the room. Before I could argue, Caera had already jumped up to the pedestal and was climbing the arch. Reaching the top of the arch, she was just under the height they were hovering.


    Curious, I watched as Caera crouched down atop the white arch, got her feet under her, and waited. After a few minutes, one of the lights drifted close enough. Her scarlet eyes locking onto the target, she leapt from the peak of the arch, soaring through the air andnding right on top of it...


    Or, she should havended on top of it.


    Instead, she went right through it.


    Caera let out a soft squeal as she fumbled in the air before crashing gracelessly to the ground twenty feet below her.


    ¡®Ouch,¡¯ Regis groaned. ¡®That¡¯s gotta hurt.¡¯


    The cryan noble bolted up to her feet as if nothing had happened. Her hair, however, was in shambles, and dust was caked throughout her clothes and parts of her face.


    I stifled augh as she turned away.


    ¡°You alright?¡± I asked, watching her pat the dust off her clothes.


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate...if you could forget that ever happened,¡± she said, still facing away from me.


    ¡°You were waving your arms so hard that, for a second, I thought you were actually going to fly,¡± I smiled slyly. ¡°That image is pretty hard to forget.¡±


    Caera whirled around, cheeks red and eyes ring angrily. ¡°Y-you...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help butugh even as Caera ripped out a bedroll from under me and spun on her heels, marching to the other side of the room before huddling with the nket over her head.


    Feeling a tinge of guilt for making fun of her, I let Caera have some time to herself while I went back outside. Ignoring the biting winds that cut through my clothes and armor, I scooped snow into our waterskins and a small wooden cask that ric had packed for me before going back inside the dome.


    ¡°How is it outside?¡± Caera asked, leaning against the wall beside the entrance.


    I held up the cask and waterskins for her to see. ¡°Water shouldn¡¯t be a problem once this melts.¡±


    ¡°I guess our biggest problem is food then,¡± she said softly before taking a peek at me. ¡°Or rather, my biggest problem.¡±


    ¡°When was thest time you ate?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s been about five days, maybe a week...so I¡¯m not in any immediate danger of starving,¡± she said. Her stomach grumbled at that moment as if to argue.


    ¡°The pile of bones we found earlier means that there still might be some wildlife out there somewhere,¡± I stated.


    Caera let out a sigh. ¡°Whether it¡¯s for sustenance or the missing pieces of the arch, it seems like all of the signs are telling us to venture back out there.¡±


    ¡°Do you regret stalking me now?¡± I asked with a smirk.


    ¡°Investigating for personal research,¡± the cryan noble corrected.


    I handed her the wooden cask stuffed with snow. ¡°Well, Miss Investigator, chew on this for now.¡±


    Caera grabbed a handful and held it up like it was a ss of wine. ¡°You¡¯ve managed to find quite the delicacy, Grey. Is this S-grade ice?¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I walked over to the bedrolls we had stacked on top of one another to make a makeshift bed.


    Care to take the night shift, my gluttonouspanion? I asked.


    Regis emerged from my arm, falling to the ground on all four of his stubby little legs. ¡°I take offense to that kind ofnguage.¡±


    ¡°Tell that to your belly.¡± I pointed to the round bulge of a stomach that nearly touched the ground.


    ¡°Hmph! Let it digest and I¡¯ll return to my adult form in no time,¡± he argued before waddling toward the stack of bedrolls.


    ¡°You should try getting some sleep,¡± I said, handing Caera a few more bedrolls. ¡°The strength of the blizzard seems to fluctuate, so ideally this storm will subside soon. If not, we should still be ready to head out as soon as Regis is back to full strength.¡±


    She nodded, epting the bedrolls and curling up into a corner with the cloth nkets wrapped tightly around her.


    I was lying underneath a single bedroll a few feet away, leaning against the smooth wall of the tform. With my asuran body constantly supplied by the abundant amounts of ambient aether in the zone, the teal, fur-lined cloak was enough to keep away most of the cold.


    Sleep eluded me and closing my eyes caused unwanted memories to resurface, so I let my gaze wander across therge marble dome until itnded on Caera¡¯s prone form, still shivering within her bedrolls.


    ¡°Maybe it would make more sense if we shared my bedroll,¡± I said softly, reasoning that our bodies¡¯ shared heat in the confined bedroll might keep us warm.


    Caera stopped shivering as her entire body seemed to tense up underneath the coverings. Regis, who was lying nearby, lifted his head, his eyes bulging.


    Slowly, Caera turned toward me, eyes wide and blushing bright red all the way up to her curved horns.


    It only took a split second to realize why both Regis and Caera looked so shocked. I held my hand up in front of me. ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡±


    ¡°Grey,¡± Caera said hoarsely, ¡°while I admit you¡¯re quite handsome, don¡¯t think that getting me into your bedroll will be so easy.¡±


    ¡°Oh my,¡± Regis sang.


    I opened my mouth, closed it, and opened it again before burying my face in my hand. ¡°Forget I said anything,¡± I mumbled, turning my back to the two of them.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your forwardness just surprised me.¡± Caera¡¯s voice still had a tinge ofughter in it as her soft steps drew closer to me. I felt the back of my bedroll being lifted as she climbed in under the thick nket behind me. ¡°Thank you, Grey.¡±


    I didn¡¯t respond as her body shifted closer to me, her constant shivers gradually subsiding. Wey back to back, and I kept my mind carefully nk as I listened to her breathing be more even, but it was obvious that she was still awake by her asional shuffling.


    ¡°There¡¯s been something on my mind,¡± I finally said. ¡°Why do you hide your horns? I assumed that having horns would be something to take pride in.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it is normal to think so, and for many it might be,¡± she said, her voice soft. ¡°But reality is never that simple.¡±


    Caera paused, as if hesitant to reveal any more. After letting out a sigh, she went on.


    ¡°Every house that has had traces of Vritra blood in their lineage is recorded so that offsprings from those houses are immediately tested upon birth. If a newborn¡¯s blood contains traces of the High Sovereign¡¯s lineage, then they¡¯re immediately taken away from that household and ced into a Highblood house capable of raising and training the baby to be a distinguished figure,¡± she exined.


    ¡°So, the Denoirs aren¡¯t your blood parents?¡± My mind jumped to my own parents and my strange rtionship with them. Though I¡¯d been born to Alice and Reynolds, and I thought of them as my true parents, as Grey I had been birthed by a different woman, a mother I had no memory of.


    ¡°No, they¡¯re not. I don¡¯t know my blood parents. The Denoirs had the ¡®honor¡¯ of fostering me in the hopes that the Vritra blood in me manifested¡ªwhich is quite rare.¡±


    There was a hint of sarcasm at the word ¡®honor¡¯, but I didn¡¯t press it, letting her continue.


    ¡°Until then, I was to be raised, educated, and trained under the safest of conditions because if anything were to happen to me, the sovereigns would strip the Denoirs of their nobility andnd at the very least, or, in the most extreme circumstances, even kill the entire blood.¡±


    ¡°That must¡¯ve put your rtionship with the Denoirs on edge,¡± I chortled.


    Caera let out a smallugh. ¡°That¡¯s a bit of an understatement, Grey. But yes, the only one that actually treated me like a person rather than a ss sculpture was Sevren, the original owner of the white dagger, and the only one I could actually call a brother.


    ¡°He would sneak me out of my room and the two of us would spar until sunrise. After he became an ascender, he woulde back and always tell me stories of his ascent¡ªthe thrills and dangers of the Relictombs.¡± Caera shifted slightly under the nket.


    ¡°That exins your fondness for the Relictombs,¡± I said, connecting the dots with what she¡¯d told me as Haedrig. ¡°That also exins why you have to disguise yourself as someone else, but not why you hid your horns even when I first saw you with your guards.¡±


    ¡°The fact that my Vritra blood has manifested has been kept a secret from the Denoirs¡ªeven to Taegen and Arian,¡± she divulged.


    ¡°What? How do they not¡ª¡± I turned, only now noticing that Caera had been facing me.


    Her scarlet eyes widened in surprise as we came face to face and I immediately pulled away from her, lying on my back and keeping a couple inches of space between us.


    ¡°My back was taking up all of the heat,¡± she quickly exined, flustered.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay,¡± I said. ¡°But how do the Denoirs not know that you¡¯ve manifested your Vritra blood? I thought that was the whole point of taking you in?¡±


    ¡°It is, and in normal conditions, they would¡¯ve been the first to know,¡± Caera agreed. ¡°But at the time of my dormant Vritra blood¡¯s manifestation, I was with one of my mentors¡ªa Scythe sent by one of the Vritra themselves.¡±


    I stiffened at the mention of the powerful cryan generals, who had nearly killed me on multiple asions, but Caera didn¡¯t seem to notice.


    ¡°My mentor immediately took me to a secluded area and helped guide me through the process before exining what would happen to me, now that I was a true Vritra-blooded cryan.¡± A solemn smile appeared on Caera¡¯s face. ¡°She gave me a choice: I could be experimented on and molded into a soldier for Agrona, or I could continue on as I had been, the frustrated foster-child of an overprotective blood.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming you went with choice number two?¡±


    Caera let out a chuckle. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be in the same bedroll as a mysterious wielder of taboo magic with several relics in his possession if I had chosen the first option. Do you know how manyws you¡¯re breaking?¡±


    ¡°Probably not many more than the girl hiding the fact that she¡¯s able to wield Vritra magic,¡± I pointed out. ¡°And I doubt it¡¯s okay for you to be referring to the High Sovereign himself like he¡¯s your least favorite uncle.¡±


    Caera stared at me for a moment before bursting intoughter, startling me.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. Here...¡± She then reached down her undershirt, pulling out a small teardrop-shaped pendant before handing it to me. ¡°It¡¯s not working right now, but this is the relic that keeps my horns hidden and allows me to change my appearance to Haedrig.¡±


    I held it in my palm, feeling the unmistakable traces of aether radiating from it. ¡°Is it okay for you to be revealing this to me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unreasonable for you to trust me after how I deceived you, but a close alternative to trust is mutually assured destruction,¡± Caera said, giving me a somber smile.


    I raised a brow. ¡°You know I can destroy this right now...¡±


    The cryan noble¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Y-you can? That would be...problematic.¡±


    I stared at the crystalline blue relic, studying the aetheric runes that seemed to have been engraved on the inside of the translucent gem by the djinns. Caera watched me closely, biting her lip nervously as I turned the priceless relic over.


    She was right. If I held onto this relic now¡ªor destroyed it before we left the Relictombs¡ªher life would be in as much danger as mine.


    After thinking the matter through, I tossed the pendant back to her. ¡°You¡¯d be no use to me if you got locked up as soon as we got out.¡±


    Caera¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Does that mean you don¡¯t n on killing me yet, Grey?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get some sleep.¡± I turned my back to her, lying on my side under the cover as I asked myself that same question...


    The rational side of me knew that it would be safest to kill her here and now, but I had vowed to myself after first winding up in the Relictombs that I would need to take risks if I wanted to kill Agrona. And if Caera, with all of her powers and connections, really was opposed to the Vritra as much as she had led me to believe, then having her on my side might just be worth the risk.


    The sound of soft, even breaths behind me jogged me out of my thoughts. I peeked back to see that Caera had already fallen asleep.


    ¡®No funny business. I¡¯m a proponent of mutual consent,¡¯ Regis japed.


    I ignored mypanion, thankful that he had at least kept to himself during our conversation, and closed my eyes, both hopeful and anxious for what this zone would bring.

 Chapter 298

    Chapter 298


    Regis and I stood at the archway opening into the snowy tunnel . The entrance had partially copsed and was quickly being filled with snow . In front of us was a blurred expanse of gray and white, howling gales tearing and tossing snow with enough speed to tear flesh from bone .


    I scratched my cheek . ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not as bad as it looks . ¡±


    Regis chortled . ¡°Imagine those being yourst words . ¡±


    Ignoring mypanion¡¯s snide remark, I approached the end of the tunnel, where snow had piled up andrgely filled in the chasm cut by Caera¡¯s power, leaving behind only a shallow divot . Flecks of purple aether swirled within the storm, giving the snow a pinkish hue and making it even more difficult to see .


    ¡°Wait, you were being serious?¡± Regis asked, walking around me to stand between me and the storm . ¡°We were barely able to see two feet in front of us yesterday and the storm is even worse than before . ¡±


    ¡°Well we can¡¯t keep twiddling our thumbs hoping for the storm to pass,¡± I said, stepping over mypanion .


    I d myself in aether, fortifying my body against the cold and cutting shards of snow and Ice . Climbing up the divot, I began to make my way up out of the tunnel . My feet sank with each step on the soft white powder as I had to continually use my hands to shovel aside the fresh snow .


    Even with the endless amount of ambient aether replenishing my reserves, I could feel my core draining fast from the winds constantly shing at my aetheric defenses . I had to walk slowly and in a wide stance to keep from being tossed off my feet by the storm . The aetheric winds constantly changed directions, shifting thendscape with every blow and shaking my confidence in my own sense of direction .


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I cursed, my voice drowned out by the howling gale .


    Admitting defeat, I turned back . The blizzard had already started filling in the trench I¡¯d forged to reach this point, but using my link with Regis as an anchor, I quickly found the vanishing entrance to the aether-carved tunnel leading back to the dome .


    By the time I returned, Caera was awake and standing next to Regis, wrapped tightly in severalyers of bedrolls .


    Caera stared at me before letting out a shiver . ¡°Just looking at you makes me feel colder . ¡±


    I looked down to see that I was caked from head to toe with a thickyer ofpacted snow .


    ¡°Did you find anything out there? A bit of snow, perhaps?¡± Regis asked with a wolfish grin .


    Sweeping a thick clump of snow out of my wheat hair and off my shoulders, I promptly dropped it on top of mypanion .


    ¡°Hey!¡± Regis yelled, his small voice muffled by the snow . He struggled to free his diminutive form from the snow before Caera dipped down and pulled him out by his tail .


    ¡°It looks like we¡¯re going to be stuck here for a bit,¡± I said to Caera as I shook the rest of the snow off of me .


    The cryan noble let out a sigh . ¡°I figured as much . ¡±


    Walking back along the tunnel and into the dome, I took a seat at our makeshift camp and began to think . The thought of just idly waiting felt nearly as dreadful as the trek through the snowstorm . I debated whether to use this time refining my aether core but the process left me too vulnerable for myfort and Regis still needed to get back to normal .


    As I continued to deliberate our next course of action, my gaze was drawn to Caera, who was digging through the pile of random items by the foot of the stairs . Her eyes lit up as she picked up a small item before stuffing it in her pocket, then she went back to looking again . After a while, she made her way back to the pile of bedrolls we hadid out, carrying a handful of small bones and smooth stones .


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked .


    ¡°Come here and you¡¯ll see,¡± she said, patting the ground by her side .


    My curiosity getting the better of me, I walked over to where she was using a knife to draw thin lines on the smooth stone ground until a rough hexagonal grid had been carved out .


    At first, I thought she was trying to map out our coordinates within the zone, but then she started cing the random assortment of stones and bones into two opposing sides of the grid .


    ¡°Is this, by chance, a game?¡± I asked, brows furrowed .


    ¡°It¡¯s a strategy game popr amongst highbloods,¡± she exined, adjusting some of the pieces so they were in the center of their respective hexagons . ¡°I carry a portable board during my ascents, but since my dimension ring is broken, this will have to do . ¡±


    Caera hadn¡¯t eaten in days . In these frigid conditions, where her body was burning off more energy to regte her internal temperature, she wouldst a week, maybe two, without some proper food . Yet she seemed to be unconcerned as she sat in front of the crudely made board .


    ¡°Is now really the time?¡± I asked, still standing .


    Caera raised an eyebrow as she looked up . ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did you have some other pressing business to attend to, Grey?¡±


    I rolled my eyes, but sat down on the opposite end of the makeshift board . ¡°Fine, but you¡¯ll have to teach me the basics . ¡±


    ***


    ¡°So, the casters can move up to five spaces in a given direction¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, it can move anywhere as long as it¡¯s within five spaces . Here, let me show you again,¡± Caera said, speaking up to be heard over the noise of the blizzard outside .


    We each sat on top of a folded bedroll within the dome, the carved game board positioned between us while Regis remained in my body to replenish his aether . In front of me were the bone shards, each piece carved with a small image of either a square, a line, a triangle, or a circle . Caera¡¯s pieces were smooth rocks each carved with one of the same four symbols .


    ¡°And the pieces with lines are the strikers?¡± I asked hesitantly .


    ¡°Yes,¡± Caera said with a pout . ¡°And it¡¯s not a line, it¡¯s a sword . ¡±


    I lowered my head to the board to take a closer look . ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s a line . ¡±


    ¡°I had to improvise, so just use your imagination,¡± Caera retorted . ¡°Anyway, the caster pieces, the ones with the symbol for fire¡ª¡±


    ¡°The triangle,¡± I corrected .


    ¡°The fire,¡± she stressed, ¡°are the most flexible . The shields are best used defensively while the strikers are good at taking pieces . Remember that you can only capture a piece by jumping over it . ¡±


    ¡°And you win if you take my sentry?¡±


    ¡°Mhmm,¡± Caera nodded . ¡°Or if my sentry reaches your hold, which is called a true win . ¡±


    I raised a brow . ¡°What¡¯s the difference between a normal win and a true win?¡±


    ¡°True wins are much more difficult to obtain so it¡¯s considered a great achievement . ¡±


    ¡°Seems like another way for nobles to unt their skills . ¡±


    ¡°I suppose it is . ¡± Caera let out a chuckle as she set the pieces back to their original position . ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    I nodded . Though I hadn¡¯t yed this specific game before, it was simr enough to the strategy board games of my past that the rules fell into ce easily in my mind .


    ¡°Traditionally, white goes second,¡± she said, pointing to my pieces of bone .


    Dipping in a miniature bow, I gestured for Caera to take her first move . She slid a stone shield forward one space . I moved my outer striker to the leftmost corner of my side of the board .


    Caera responded by moving one of her casters up the edge of the board, opposite of the striker that I had just repositioned . I moved my caster as well this time, bringing it around my outer shield piece and up to the front so it would be in position to capture the shield in my next turn .


    However, Caera seemed to have anticipated this because she moved one of her strikers behind the shield so my caster wouldn¡¯t be able to capture the piece in its allotted five moves .


    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t think to move the pieces that way,¡± I mused, more to myself than to Caera .


    It didn¡¯t take long for the game to unfold in my opponent¡¯s favor . By about seven moves in, I knew I couldn¡¯t win, so I opted for moving pieces around in order to see how Caera would react .


    At the very least, Caera wasn¡¯t able to obtain the true win like she had wanted, making her bite her lip in irritation .


    ¡°Another,¡± she dered, already moving the pieces back to their original spots after capturing my sentry .


    ¡°Sure,¡± I said, amused by herpetitiveness .


    Caera was good . It was obvious that she wanted to use this game to learn more about me, but through the next few rounds, I was able to learn a lot about her as well .


    She moved cautiously but never passively . There was a strategy with every move, evident in her desire to keep as many pieces in y as she could while slowly whittling down my pieces . And for the first few games, I fell for her tactics, but her personality leaked into the game and she showed a crucial weakness that I was able to expose .


    ¡°That¡¯s a win for me,¡± I said with a grin, deliberately lifting her sentry slowly off the board for her to see .


    ¡°H-hold on,¡± she said, her scarlet eyes scanning every inch of the board for some kind of mistake .


    I stifled augh . My victory was a shallow one, caused by Caera¡¯s own greed to get a true win off of me . If it hadn¡¯t been for that fact, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to win .


    ¡°Look all you want but it¡¯s not going to change anything,¡± I chuckled .


    Caera whipped her head up, shooting me a re . ¡°You¡¯ve yed this game before, haven¡¯t you . ¡±


    I shook my head . ¡°I haven¡¯t . ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve yed this game for years and while I¡¯m not the best, there is no way for me to lose so easily to a first timer . ¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I put the sentry back on her board . ¡°I only won because you got greedy . Did you think I wouldn¡¯t notice you trying to go for a true win?¡±


    Caera¡¯s eyes widened and she let out an embarrassed cough .


    ¡°You isted your caster three moves before hoping to draw my sentry out of its hold to clear a path for your sentry, right?¡±


    ¡°See! The fact that you¡¯re able to think like this proves that you¡¯ve yed this game before,¡± she said .


    ¡°The only thing that this proves is that you¡¯repetitive and also a sore loser,¡± I replied with a smirk .


    ¡°You just got lucky,¡± she muttered, setting the pieces back to their original ces .


    ¡°I did, and I¡¯m pretty sure I would¡¯ve lost had you yed seriously,¡± I said calmly . ¡°You¡¯re good, Caera . It doesn¡¯t take a master to see that . ¡±


    Caera narrowed her eyes . ¡°You are continually surprising, Grey, do you know that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as aplim¡ª¡± I raised my head, just barely catching a noise different from the usual howl of the wind .


    A frown fell over Caera¡¯s face as she cocked her head side to side, but my gaze had already turned to the single doorway into the dome .


    Caera¡¯s eyes followed my own, and we both waited silently . I thought for a second that I must¡¯ve just heard wrong . It still could¡¯ve been the wind against the dome .


    Then I heard it again: the heavy scraping of somethingrge moving through the snowbound tunnel . It wasing our way .


    ¡°Behind the tform,¡± I said in a hushed tone, dashing away from our gear to put the raised dais between us and the door, Caera right behind me .


    ¡°Do you sense something? Is it stronger than us?¡± she whispered, a trace of fear in her voice .


    ¡°That¡¯s not it . ¡± I knelt down, peeking around the corner of the tform so I could just see the door . ¡°Something has been leaving things here . That suggests intelligence . I want to see what it is before we engage . ¡±


    I focused my hearing on the tunnel, listening carefully for any noise over the howling of the snow-heavy winds, but I heard nothing . By this time, Regis had woken up from his meditative state .


    ¡®Maybe it was just the win¡ª¡¯


    Mypanion¡¯s thought cut off as arge, purple mass of aether appeared in the doorway, so big that it had to squeeze to pass through . The aetheric shape paused, appearing to turn toward our equipment, and I heard an audible sniffing, snorting sort of noise .


    It wasn¡¯t until the shape turned and took a cautious step toward our bedrolls that I recognized it . It had a long, stocky body, a sloped back, and four powerful limbs . Its wedge-shaped head lowered to the ground as it continued to sniff, clearly attempting to catch our scent .


    It was simr in size and shape to Boo, though longer and not so broad in the body . Each step the bear-like creature took was slow and deliberate, its movements wary, almost delicate .


    But why can¡¯t I see it? I wondered . I could see it¡¯s aether, but not the beast . It was almost like it was an aetheric ghost, a being of pure energy .


    ¡®I doubt ghosts make noise when their sides rub against a tunnel wall,¡¯ Regis pointed out, cementing my own thoughts .


    Turning carefully to catch Caera¡¯s attention, I pointed to my eyes, then toward the intruder . She looked at me in confusion, then shook her head .


    ¡®It¡¯s invisible,¡¯ Regis thought, but I shook my head .


    More than that, it¡¯s using aether to shield itself from being seen .


    ¡®That¡¯s a trick I wouldn¡¯t mind learning,¡¯ Regis said hungrily .


    Suddenly the invisible bear pushed at the game board with its snout, scattering the pieces across the cold, white floor .


    Caera¡¯s eyes widened in surprise but she managed to keep silent . Still, the invisible mass of purple was drawing closer, it¡¯s wedge-shaped head tracing the very steps that Caera and I had taken during our hasty retreat .


    I ushered Caera around the corner of the dais, then pointed upward toward the top before clearing the height of the tform and lying t so the aetheric being couldn¡¯t see me .


    Caera followed suit, jumping the ten-feet to the top of the tform and using her hand to soften hernding .


    Only seconds passed before I caught the sound of snorting and sniffing from below .


    It was moving very slowly around the edge of the tform, so I began to push aether through my body in case the creature found us .


    ¡®Maybe we should attack first, get the jump on it . ¡¯


    No, I want to see what it¡¯s doing, if we can, I replied . If the aetheric beast was intelligent, if it could bemunicated with, then perhaps it could help us escape the zone .


    ¡®When was thest time we ran into a smart monster in the Relictombs?¡¯ Regis asked, but I ignored thement, despite the fact that he wasn¡¯t exactly wrong .


    Sliding across the silky stone, I moved around so I could just see over the lip of the tform . After the bear made aplete circle around the dais, it approached the pile of items at the base of the stairs, and I felt the sting of disappointment .


    Was it just drawn here by the smell of the bones?


    But instead of ransacking the mound, the bear set something carefully on the pile, then plodded slowly toward the door .


    Realizing the creature was about to leave, I slowly pushed myself up into a crouching position and held my hands up above my head in what I hoped was a universal sign of peace, even to aether-wielding invisible bears .


    The shimmering purple mass froze, standing perfectly still and silent .


    ¡®The big guy doesn¡¯t realize we can see him,¡¯ Regis thought . ¡®What now?¡¯


    Slowly rising until I was standing straight, my hands still held above my head, I locked eyes with the creature¡ªor least, I looked where I thought its eyes were . ¡°We¡¯re not going to hurt you,¡± I said, keeping my tone even and unthreatening .


    The bear-like beast stayed motionless . I knew if I couldn¡¯t see aether, it would bepletely invisible and silent . I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what other sorts of aether beasts inhabited the snowy zone if a creature sorge and imposing had developed such an impressive defense mechanism .


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Caera hissed .


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet,¡± I said out of the corner of my mouth . I stepped sideways toward the stairs, never taking my eyes off the aether-shielded bear, then felt around with my foot at the edge of the tform until I touched the stair below . Cautiously, I went down one step at a time .


    At the bottom of the stairs, I took a single step forward . Instantly, a roar that drowned out even the blizzard outside filled the vast dome . Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Caera whirling into action, her red de drawn .


    Dropping to all fours, the aetheric beast charged at me .


    I raised an arm, signalling for Caera to stay back while shrouding myself in a condensedyer of aether . I could feel the drain on my reserves, but it was better to take safety measures against enemies of unknown strength .


    I lowered my stance to meet it head on, expecting it to rear up and attack or to veer away, but instead it lowered its broad head and the aether surrounding it red as it ran straight into me .


    Sidestepping at thest moment, I thrust my palm at its side, hoping to push it off bnce . However, the beast shifted its weight at the moment of contact and used the force of my blow to whirl in ce . The invisible beastshed out mid-spin with a paw the size of a dinner te .


    I blocked the blow, catching its giant paw in my hands before pivoting my stance and throwing its arm over my shoulder . Aether red from my core as I summoned the strength to shoulder toss the two-ton behemoth onto the stairs, shaking the entire dome .


    The shell of aether shimmered and faded, and suddenly I could see the thing hidden underneath, strewn across the base of the stairs .


    It had thick, brilliantly white fur, which shimmered with a pinkish pearlescence when the creature moved . A t ridge of steel-gray bone protruded from its broad forehead, like horns that had been sawed off a few inches from its skull, and a te of bone wrapped around each shoulder like armor .


    ¡°Did you just...throw this giant beast?¡± Caera asked, slowly making her way down the stairs .


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you,¡± I said to the bear, which had been stunned by the impact . I had seen it leave something on the pile of objects at the foot of the dais stairs; there had to be some meaning behind that .


    I walked closer to the white, bear-like beast when its eyes suddenly shot open and it burst at me with a blurring speed .


    My eyes widened in surprise but my reaction speed wasn¡¯t any slower than the bear¡¯s . I spun on my heels just as the bear attempted to tackle me and tried to grab a hold of its thick fur . Unfortunately, the bear had surrounded itself in aetheric armor once more and my hands slipped off .


    I tumbled to the ground before catching myself . By then, Caera had already gone after the beast¡¯s fading form, her de in hand .


    ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t kill it¡ª¡±


    I felt the tingle in my spine as she summoned her Vritra-born power and caused a curtain of ck fire to burst to life within the doorway, just ahead of the escaping aether beast .


    It wasn¡¯t enough . The bear roared again and burst through the dark wall of fire, leaving behind the scent of singed hair .


    Channeling aether into the rune, I ignited God Step but was met with a sharp pain . With my aether reserves already low because of Regis and the amount I had spent in the short span of our battle, I didn¡¯t have enough aether to use God Step .


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose it, Regis!¡± I ordered, cursing inwardly .


    ¡®Aye aye . ¡¯ Regis emerged, now the size of arge hound, and raced off after the bear in a blur of ck and violet .


    ¡°Grey, it¡¯s not worth it¡ª¡±


    ¡°You saw it feign unconsciousness,¡± I snapped, cutting Caera off . ¡°It¡¯s intelligent, and if we can find out where it came from, we might be able to find the missing pieces of the arch . ¡±


    Even without Caera¡¯s uncertain gaze, I knew it was a long shot . Still, the creature could manipte aether in ways even I couldn¡¯t .


    There had to be some greater meaning to its presence within the dome . It hadn¡¯t wandered in by ident, and it had seemed surprised to find us there, which meant that it didn¡¯te because of us .


    The djinn had designed every aspect of the Relictombs to challenge all those who entered it . The fact that relics didn¡¯t work in this zone, the broken exit portal, the invisible bear: It all had to be connected .


    Caera gave me a hard, piercing look . ¡°I don¡¯t know what keeps you from freezing solid out there, but I won¡¯tst forever . I can give myself a little time, but...¡±


    She didn¡¯t need to finish the thought . I knew what she meant . If we followed after the aether beast but got lost in the storm, she could die .


    ¡°If we¡¯re not willing to take risks, we¡¯ll never get out of here,¡± I said earnestly, meeting the gaze of her scarlet eyes . She only nodded, then took a step back and gathered her power . Ghostly mes flickered to life all over her body .


    ¡®Where the hell are you?¡¯ Regis shouted in my head .


    On our way . Just don¡¯t lose it!


    I shed past the door and sprinted along the exterior of the dome, Caera just behind me . By the time we turned away from the wall, Regis was well ahead of us, nipping at the giant bear¡¯s heels .


    I could see where it had rubbed against the sides of the tunnel as it ran, its shoulders gouging thick trenches into the snowy walls, causing a partial copse of the tunnel so that Caera and I had no choice but to dig our way through, losing valuable time .


    We climbed up the hill of snow leading to the surface while I continued to replenish my aether reserves . The bear galloped nimbly through the powdery snow, it¡¯s purple mass indistinguishable from the aetherced snowstorm while even Regis¡¯s ck form was almost entirely shrouded .


    Still, it left heavy tracks, and I followed it without hesitation .


    Then Regis¡¯s voice was ringing in my head . ¡®I¡¯m losing it, Arthur! It¡¯s swimming through the snow like a big, angry fish . I can¡¯t keep up!¡¯


    Just hang on for a few more minutes, I urged, my aether reserves almost replenished enough to use God Step .


    Utilizing all the strength of my asuran body, I used thepacted snowprints of the beast as stepping stones to continue the chase . Caera struggled along behind me, the fiery aura keeping her warm and eating away at the kes that whipped past us on the aetherden winds .


    Skidding to a halt, I turned to Caera, who was still catching up . ¡°Keep following this trail!¡± I barked . ¡°I¡¯m going on ahead . ¡±


    Caera¡¯s eyes widened but I couldn¡¯t wait for a response . Turning my back to her, I ignited my rune .


    I let my eyes unfocus as I searched through the vibrations in the aether that I could slip into using God Step .


    But the aetheric blizzard zed with violet light, obscuring everything, even the vibrations and the destinations that they led to . My heart pounded as I felt for the path around me while seconds continued to tick away . Knowing that I couldn¡¯t waste any more time, I locked on to a shimmering vibration .


    Then I stepped forward .

 Chapter 299

    Chapter 299


    The world warped, stretching and folding in a sea of violet, and the omnipresent sound of the harsh winds was cut down to a distant rumble in the span of my single aetheric step .


    To everyone else, God Step was instant . But I struggled to fully process the rapidly-shiftingndscape as I approached my destination . I needed to understand and predict exactly what would be around me when I arrived, or that split second of disorientation would give my enemy more than enough time to retaliate .


    But neither the towering frame of the bearlike beast nor mypanions could be seen as I appeared at my destination . Instead, I was met withplete darkness . Then came the ustrophobic feeling of being entirely encased, like a rodent trapped in a fist . Something was covering my mouth, gripping at my arms and legs, pressing against my eyes, filling my mouth .


    A blind sense of fear coursed through me, causing my heart rate to spike and my breath toe in quick,bored gasps around the mouthful of quickly melting snow that threatened to choke me .


    ¡®¡ªck happened?¡¯ Regis thought, his own mind nearly nk with worry . ¡®Arthur? Arthur!¡¯


    Tried to God Step¡ªeverything is muddled from the wind¡ªmust have missed¡ªunder the snow somewhere...


    My thoughts were scattered and difficult to collect, even more than my sudden emergence under the snow could ount for .


    This was the sole instance where I had failed God Step, and it was the first time feeling not only the disorientation, but the repercussion of the spatium art . Had I wound up underground or deep in the ocean, the consequences might¡¯ve been life threatening .


    I shook away the unnecessary thoughts, which caused me to sink further down into the snow, opening up a bare inch of space around my face and torso .


    Twisting and turning, I used my whole body to break apart the heavy, packed snow and give myself some room to breathe . By the time I had a rough little cave to huddle in, my mind had cleared a bit as well .


    Regis, find me . Look for the st of aether .


    I could sense a tinge of hesitation from mypanion . ¡®You want me to give up on the¡ª¡¯


    If I can¡¯t use God Step, then there¡¯s no way we can keep up out here . Just look for the¡ª


    ¡®Aether cannon . Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m on my way, Princess . ¡¯


    Using the technique I¡¯d made to drill through the deep snow around the dome, I released a small amount of aether from my core and gathered it in my hand, molding and shaping it into a sphere . The violet sphere shot upward, easily passing through theyer of snow above me, then rising another fifteen feet up through the storm .


    As soon as the hole was exposed to the surface, the biting wind and the blizzard¡¯s roar rushed back in . I counted to thirty, then released another st of aether up into the sky, which glittered like a re amidst the wall of rushing ice and snow .


    I kept track of time by the number of aether spheres I sent soaring into the sky . Around the fifth shot, I started to wonder how far off course I¡¯d gone . By the tenth, I was growing nervous . Then, shortly after I¡¯d sent the thirteenth ball of purple, glowing aether into the sky, a dark shape outlined in flickering ck mes plunged unexpectedly into the hole from above,nding on top of me with a grunt . The figure yelped in surprise and something hard hit me in the nose, then the fire winked out .


    ¡°Grey!¡± Caera shouted, struggling to disentangle herself from me . ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Later!¡± I shouted back . ¡°Just waiting for Regis, then we¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    The shadow wolf¡¯s thoughts cut through my own . ¡®Uh, Arthur?¡¯


    Where are you, Regis? I thought, unable to suppress the frustration I felt leaking into our connection . I could feel mypanion¡¯s presence closer to me than before but I was unable to pinpoint him in the aetheric storm .


    ¡®Almost there, I think . Send up another re . ¡¯


    I followed mypanion¡¯s instructions and in moments he was sliding down into our now cramped hole next to Caera and me, unmarked by the raging storm .


    ¡°Nice to see you both again, lovely weather we¡¯re having,¡± Regis quipped . ¡°I think it¡¯s actually about to get¡ª¡±


    Catching a sh in the corner of my eyes, I intercepted an object just before it struck the side of my head . In my hand was a hailstone the size of my fist .


    ¡°¡ªa lot worse,¡± Regis finished as a second frozen projectile shot down next to me, leaving a crater only inches from mypanion .


    Beside me, ck mes burst from Caera¡¯s form just as a hunk of ice the size of her head struck her on the shoulder . Though the aura devoured most of the hail before it hit her, she sucked in a pained breath and flinched away from the impact .


    ¡°We can¡¯t move in this,¡± she said, speaking over the noise . ¡°We¡¯ll¡ªI¡¯ll be pummeled to death . ¡±


    Knowing she was right, I did the only thing I could think of . Twisting around in the little hole so my back was to the others, I sent a st of aether outwards and down, opening up the hole down to the perma-frozen ground and even removing a couple feet of the dark soil .


    I slid down the slick tunnel, which was about five feet deep and seven feet across, and the others quickly followed . Spreading out my cloak, I gestured for Caera toy down next to me .


    ¡°Regis, inside me . Caera, here . ¡±


    ¡°What are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not enough snow above us to block the hail,¡± I said impatiently . ¡°I can protect my body with aether, and you with my body . Justy down . ¡±


    Regis immediately leapt into my body, but Caera continued to look at me uncertainly . This moment of hesitation was interrupted when a massive bullet of ice blew through the snow above our heads and bounced off the hard ground at my feet, showering us with snow, dirt, and ice .


    ¡°I feel like we¡¯ve gotten much closer in thesest few days, Grey, don¡¯t you?¡± she said, letting out a stiffugh before lowering herself down next to me .


    ¡°A bit too close for myfort,¡± I grumbled, pulling the cloak around us and shifting so that I was hovering awkwardly above Caera, shielding her from the hail and sharing my warmth . My entire body began to hum with a palpableyer of aether .


    ¡®Well this is cozy,¡¯ Regis thought happily .


    I rolled my eyes and settled in for a long wait .


    ***


    By the time the hail stopped falling and the wind subsided, we were mostly buried again, as the continual bombardment had caused the snowy roof to copse down on us, and the blizzard had deposited several feet of new snow down into our hole .


    The enclosure had protected us from the wind, though, and left a smaller area for our bodies to heat, which likely saved Caera¡¯s life . Still, she was blue around her lips and shivering violently as we dug our way back up to the surface .


    After breaking through into the cool, still air, I froze, my breath taken away by the sight around me . The sunless sky was clear and cloudless, a brilliantly cial blue canvas painted with sweeping streaks of greens, yellows, and purples .


    The painfully brightndscape glittered under the sourceless light, and, squinting, I could see the full shape of thend for the first time . God Step had taken me past the caldera where the dome containing the broken portal was hidden, into a valley of snow that stretched out into the horizon . Still, the fact that we could see therge crater in the distance was something I was happy about .


    Leading up to the ridge of the caldera were uneven, broken borders of jagged stone and deep ravines, while behind us, the zone kept climbing until fading away in distant, misty mountains .


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Caera said, having pulled herself halfway out of the snow beside me .


    ¡°Brr¡¯ahk!¡±


    The screeching squawk was so sudden and so close that I acted on instinct, bringing one arm over my head and the other over Caera to defend against an attack from the sky . Caera stumbled from my sudden action, using my body for support as she sank down into the snow with a puff of powder .


    Behind me, there was a flutter of wings and another harsh crow .


    Whirling my body in the deep snow, I spotted a tall, thin birdlike creature just several feet behind us . It had long ck legs, thin as sticks, a teardrop shaped body covered in gleaming white feathers, broad wings that it tucked tightly to its sides, and a gracefully curving neck .


    Its neck was currently twisted to the side, tilting its headically . Two vibrantly violet eyes shone from behind its jet ck beak, which was shaped like the head of a javelin . The beak opened and snapped shut two, then three times, the sharp crack echoing across the caldera .


    I waited with caution, uncertain if the creature was hostile or simply curious . Instead, Caera was the one to act first .


    ¡°Uh, hello,¡± she said softly .


    ¡°Uh, hello,¡± it mimicked back in its high-pitched, rasping voice . The egret-like aether beast stepped to the side, then took a series of shuffling, back and forth steps that almost looked like some kind of dance, after which it pped wide wings to flutter several feet to the left .


    ¡®I think big bird here likes Caera,¡¯ Regis teased . ¡®That looked like some kind of mating ritual to me . ¡¯


    ¡°More like it was writing something,¡± I mused out loud . As if to reinforce this idea, the creature gestured sharply toward the series of w prints in the snow with its spear-like beak .


    ¡°Writing what?¡± Caera asked, her tone clipped as she grumpily extricated herself from the snow once again . ¡°Oh . ¡±


    Moving slowly so as not to spook the creature, I pulled myself free of the snow and moved to stand over the series of interwoven w marks . It did look remarkably like writing, though it wasn¡¯t in anguage I could read .


    Caera appeared beside me, her hands tucked under her armpits as she hugged herself for warmth . It wasn¡¯t as cold as it had been before, I realized . The temperature was still below freezing, but well within a talented mage¡¯s ability to survive with the effective use of mana .


    ¡°Do you have any idea what it¡¯s trying to tell us?¡± she asked, gazing down at the prints in the crystalline snow .


    ¡°Not a clue,¡± I replied, racking my brain for a way tomunicate with the being . It was clearly intelligent, possessing writtenmunication and perhaps even its own spokennguage . It had the ability to mimic the noises we made, so, theoretically and with enough time, I might be able to teach it themon tongue, but that could take months, or even longer .


    ¡°Not a clue,¡± it mimicked again, hopping side to side nervously . Then it turned and flew fifteen or so feet away, set back down, and turned to us, one wing pping toward a mountainous ridge in the distance .


    ¡°Maybe it wants us to follow it,¡± Caera said as I met her red eyes .


    ¡°What other choice do we have?¡± I asked in a resigned sort of way . ¡°I¡¯d say we either eat it or follow it . ¡±


    Nodding, she took several steps through the deep snow, each footfall breaking through the hard crust with a cracking, crunching sound . The wind had left the deep, powdery snow with a half-frozen shell on top, making each step difficult, but at the same time preventing us from sinking in over our heads again .


    Once we¡¯de within a few feet of the bird, it pped its broad wings and flew another twenty or thirty feet, then waited for us to catch up .


    We repeated this again and again, marching along after our guide in silence as it led us up the side of the caldera and into a narrow ravine, then up a naturally urring switchback trail that climbed high into a mountain of sharp, dark rock . Despite the sub-freezing temperature, theborious climb warmed us, and I didn¡¯t even need to circte aether within me to ward off the cold .


    ¡®Are you sure it isn¡¯t going to lead us up to a cliff and just push us off?¡¯ Regis asked after an hour of scrambling along the treacherous mountain path .


    No, I answered honestly . But that seems like a lot of trouble for a meal . Besides, it doesn¡¯t seem very strong . There¡¯s definitely aether circting within it, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a fighter .


    ¡®My point exactly,¡¯ Regis groused .


    Eventually, we reached a ce where the trail became a steep vertical climb . Our guide flew up to the top of the sheer cliff, perched on a little outcropping of the dark rock, and waited .


    The cliff face was only forty feet or so, and the weathered stone had plenty of hand and footholds, but I was admittedly strained after having used so much of my aether to shield us against the hail .


    ¡°Ladies first,¡± I said, gesturing for Caera to start the climb .


    Her brows turned down as she red at me, and her eyes flicked from me to the steep descent behind us and back . I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she was considering pushing me down the mountainside, but in the end she just sighed and started searching for a path up the cliff .


    I stayed right below her, hoping to catch her if she fell, but it wasn¡¯t Caera who slipped .


    About halfway up the cliff, I missed a handhold and my toe slipped from the crack in which I¡¯d wedged it . My stomach lurched as I grabbed for a protruding piece of rock, but in my haste I crushed the rock in my fist, fell back out of reach of the wall, and tumbled the twenty feet back to the ground,nding with a thud at the base of the cliff .


    From above, I heard, ¡°Cra¡¯kah!¡± followed by, ¡°You alive?¡± Caera was grinning at me from above .


    Grunting, I stood and dusted myself off . ¡°Keep going . I¡¯ll¡ªI¡¯ll be right up...¡± I said hoarsely .


    I watched from below as the highblooded cryan woman moved up the wall like a trained mountain climber . Only after she¡¯d heaved herself over the ledge above did I attempt the climb again, this time pushing aether through my legs and leaping as high as I could, then mming my aether coated hands like wedges into the narrow cracks .


    Looking down, I had covered over a quarter of the climb with a single leap .


    Getting a good foothold, I repeated the maneuver, throwing myself upward another twenty feet or so, then wedging my hands into a series of cracks, widening them and causing a shower of stone chips and dust .


    Caera peeked down from the top of the cliff just as I threw myself upward for the third time . She shook her head . ¡°Why not just grow wings and fly, Grey?¡±


    ¡°Maybe someday,¡± I grunted as I climbed the final few feet and scrambled up onto the ledge . Ahead of us, the cliff¡¯s edge sloped downward into a hollowed out basin surrounded by jagged peaks of ck stone . Squat little huts huddled throughout the basin, each one built of woven sticks, branches, and thick brown grass .


    Most had tattered bits of cloth hung across their doorways, which were decorated with more of the bird-foot-shaped letters .


    Several of the bird folk were milling about the little vige; all had stopped to stare at us, their bright eyes shining within the gloomy hollow . Most were stark white, with ck legs and beaks, but a few had mottled gray feathers and one stood out due to its jet ck coloring .


    Our guide snapped its beak several times and let out a series of sharp cawing noises that sounded to me like words, then waved one wing toward us as if to say, ¡°Follow me . ¡±


    Having alreadye that far, we did as it asked, and it led us hopping down through the center of the small vige and toward thergest of the nest-like huts . The other bird folk watched us pass, their feathers ruffled and eyes darting around with curiosity and fear . A couple even took flight, soaring up into the peaks above us, where I noticed smaller nests hidden amongst the craigs .


    As we approached thergest hut, which sat at the rear of the hollow, built right up against the ck stone wall, a truly ancient looking creature pressed aside the gray-blue cloth and hobbled out to meet us .


    Our guide began to click and caw rapidly, asionally turning to us to gesture sharply with its beak or wave its wings .


    I watched the old bird creature carefully as it listened . Its white feathers had turned gray and fallen out in many ces, and its thin legs were bent and nobbly and had developed pink splotches . Several of its ws were broken, and a lightning-bolt crack ran from the tip of its beak all the way to where it disappeared into its bumpy flesh . Three deep, pink scars ran across its face, leaving one eye ssy white instead of rich purple like the other .


    After our guide finished chattering, the elder turned to me and bowed slightly, its wings unfurling as it did so . In a voice as old and cracked as its beak, it said, ¡°Wee, ascenders, to the vige of the Spear Beak tribe . The ancient ones have told me to expect your arrival . ¡±


    I gaped at the old bird, stunned by his clear use of ournguage .


    Caera, however, returned the shallow bow without missing a beat and replied politely, ¡°Thank you, elder, for the warm wee . ¡±


    A slight nudge at my own foot turned my attention to the cryan noble, who was looking at me and gesturing with her eyes to follow her lead .


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said evenly, dipping my head as well .


    We have no choice, but we¡¯re in a pretty vulnerable position right now so be on the lookout, I warned Regis .


    ¡®Fair enough . Want me to juste out? Scare them a bit?¡¯


    No, just pay attention . You¡¯ll know if I need you .


    ¡°Come,e,¡± the elder of the Spear Beak tribe squawked, gesturing with one wing toward its hut . ¡°Enter . Sit . Talk . Then you may join with the Spear Beaks in a feast, should you wish . ¡±


    I could hear Caera¡¯s stomach grumble from the very mention of the word ¡®feast¡¯, which made her blush in embarrassment .


    ¡°My apologies, elder, but we¡¯re in a hurry and we¡¯d just like some information . ¡± My eyes flickered to Caera, who was pressing her hands against her stomach . ¡°And perhaps a light meal we can take with us . ¡±


    ¡°You wish to activate the portal out, no?¡± the elder asked, tilting his head .


    Hiding my surprise by his knowledge of our motives, I answered evenly . ¡°Yes . We would like to activate the portal in order to leave . ¡±


    ¡°If that is the case, you must first listen and learn,¡± the elder said as he scratched the lightning-bolt scar on its beak with its wing .


    Caera¡¯s scarlet eyes turned to me for answers, but I could only shrug in response before turning back to the tribe elder . ¡°We humbly ept your offer then . ¡±


    ¡°Good, good!¡± The old bird¡¯s mismatched eyes narrowed in what I felt was a smile as he gestured us toward his hut with his wings .


    After taking onest look behind me, my eyes quickly tracking across the bird vigers all staring back at us, we entered the hut .

 Chapter 300

    Chapter 300


    It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the change in light . The inside of the Spear Beak elder¡¯s hut was dim, unlit except for the thin columns of light that flowed in through gaps in the woven sticks and from around the edge of the door hanging .


    The hut¡¯s interior was simple: arge bed of feathers, brown grass, and tufts of fluffy white fur dominated the space, and a single copper wash basin full of water rested next to the door . A thinyer of ice had formed on the surface .


    Hanging around the hut from the small loose ends of the branches were what looked like trophies . There were several nes made ofrge fangs and small bones, the pelt of a four-armed creature I didn¡¯t recognize, and even a row of feline skulls lined up neatly .


    ¡®Quite the morbid sense of decor from our feathered friends,¡¯ Regis thought .


    We can¡¯t be sure they¡¯re friendly yet, I warned, my gaze flicking from item to item until my attentionnded back on the ne made of talons . Don¡¯t those look pretty simr to the ones left at the altar?


    As the elder shuffled into his bed and squatted down, his spindly legs folded beneath him and I got a better look at his wed toes .


    ¡®I think you¡¯re right,¡¯ Regis affirmed . ¡®Now the bigger question is, did they put them there or one of the bear beasts? I think¡ª¡¯


    Regis¡¯s voice was drowned out as my eyes focused on something far more interesting . As the elder shuffled in his nest, for just a moment I caught the purple glimmer of aether beneath the bedding . There was some kind of relic hidden within, I was sure of it . Maybe even a piece to the portal .


    ¡°Sit, sit,¡± the old bird croaked, waving his wing around the hut .


    Giving no indication that I¡¯d noticed anything, I sat on the hard-packed earth floor around the bed, thinking it might be rude of us to intrude on the elder¡¯s resting ce, and Caera took a seat next to me . Unsure where to start, I stayed silent and waited for the Spear Beak to continue .


    ¡°Silence is wisdom,¡± the old bird said sagely, nodding his ck beak up and down . ¡°Long, very long since an ascender has visited us . ¡±


    ¡°We have many questions, elder, but first, what should we call you?¡± I asked politely .


    The gray old bird cked his beak and honked in a way that I couldn¡¯t hope to replicate, then itughed, a sound like grain being milled . ¡°In your words, Old Broke Beak . ¡±


    Smiling at the uracy of Old Broke Beak¡¯s name, I held my hand to my chest and said, ¡°And I¡¯m¡ªAr...¡± I stopped, stumbling over the words as I nearly revealed my name .


    ¡°This one is Grey,¡± Caera cut in, ncing at me strangely from the corner of her eye, ¡°and I¡¯m Caera . It¡¯s an honor to meet you, Old Broke Beak . ¡±


    ¡°How is it you¡¯vee to know our tongue?¡± I asked, hoping to move the conversation past my near mistake .


    Despite our urgency to leave this zone, I was incredibly curious about these Spear Beaks . Since being reborn into this world, I hadn¡¯t met a mana or aether beast as intelligent as these creatures .


    Had the djinn been so powerful that they created sentient, intelligent life simply to popte their trials? It seemed imusible .


    ¡°Another ascender, wise enough to listen, taught me when I had only just learned to fly . ¡± The elder cked his beak several times, ruffled his feathers, and pecked at the bedding underneath him before continuing . ¡°I have kept this knowledge, and shared your words with every ascender to find us since¡ªor tried . Many are not wise enough to hear the words . ¡±


    I nodded along as our host spoke, imagining the types of powerful ascenders who might have reached this zone only to attack every aether beast they saw without realizing they weren¡¯t monsters .


    But if they¡¯re able to fight off ascenders powerful enough to arrive in this zone...


    ¡®Then these guys must be stronger than they look,¡¯ Regis finished .


    ¡°I am d you havee, and you bring wisdom with you,¡± the old bird went on . ¡°We need you, and you need us . ¡±


    Caera leaned forward, her scarlet eyes boring into the Spear Beak¡¯s purple ones . ¡°You know where the broken pieces of the portal are?¡±


    ¡°The ns keep them, yes, but they won¡¯t give them to you, no . ¡± Old Broke Beak shook his wizened head, his long beak cutting back and forth in the air like a sharp de .


    ¡°The ns?¡± Caera asked .


    ¡°Four ns, yes, and the wild things, the mindless things, they carry one too, but they always hunt for the others . The wild things are sleepless and fearless and forever greedy . ¡± The elder leaned forward, looking from Caera to me then back again . ¡°But the ns are worse . Cruel . Stupid . Four Fists, Ghost Bears, Shadow ws...only the Spear Beaks know wisdom . ¡±


    ¡°Ghost Bears?¡± I asked, thinking of the invisible bearish creature we fought under the dome, squatting far below us now at the bottom of the caldera .


    ¡°Huge, hungry monsters,¡± the elder said ominously, ruffling his feathers as if shivering . ¡°Ghost Bears kill as if it¡¯s a game, moving unseen through the storms, raiding in the night . If you find one¡±¡ªhe leaned forward again, his cracked beaking within inches of my face¡ª¡°kill it, or it will hunt you forever . Ghost Bears never give up a kill . ¡±


    I only nodded, carefully keeping my thoughts from my face . The Ghost Bear we¡¯d seen hadn¡¯t seemed like a murderous killing machine . In fact, it had seemed cautious and curious, then fled before harming any of us .


    ¡®We could¡¯ve just scared it,¡¯ Regis pointed out . ¡®The...Ghost Bears or whatever can¡¯t have seen many people, much less someone that could actually see them like we were able to . ¡¯


    You might be right, I admitted, but I was still unsure . I didn¡¯t want to give away our knowledge of the Ghost Bears, though, so I instead pressed the Spear Beak elder for more details about the other ns .


    ¡°The others...just as bad, yes . Four Fists n are like you, yet not like you . Short legs, long arms thick as a grown Spear Beak¡¯s breast . Squashed, ugly faces, with teeth like this . ¡± Using its feathered wings, Old Broke Beak mimedrge, misshapen tusks or fangs .


    ¡°Shadow ws live to fight, to kill . ¡± Old Broke Beak indicated the row of feline skulls . ¡°They stalk us, climb the peaks and hurl our eggs from their nests . ¡±


    Caera was listening somberly to the old bird speak . She shook her head when he mentioned eggs . ¡°That¡¯s horrible . I¡¯m so sorry, Broke Beak . ¡±


    ¡°You said we needed each other,¡± I reminded him, eager to bring the conversation back around to the portal pieces . ¡°So each of these ns holds a piece of the portal out of this zone? Why?¡±


    Old Broke Beak closed his eyes, his long neck swaying gently as if he were singing a song in his head . When his purple eyes finally opened again, there was a sense of the ancient about him, a weariness that rolled off him like an aura .


    ¡°Long, very long have I thought on this . Always the Spear Beaks have tried to spread wisdom to the other ns, but now I know they cannot learn it . The others will not give you the pieces . You must destroy them . All of them . Take their pieces . When you have the others, I will give you the piece long guarded by the Spear Beaks . ¡±


    ¡°My apologies for being blunt, but why can¡¯t you give us your piece now?¡± Caera asked, studying the elder closely .


    His neck twisted to the side to such a degree that his head was nearly upside down . ¡°If the ascenders fail, if they die in the snow, under the ws and teeth and rage of the other ns, then we would have lost our own piece of the Creators¡¯ temple . No, this is not wisdom . ¡±


    Though I recognized the sense in his words, I was distracted by something else he¡¯d said . ¡°The Creators?¡±


    The long, dark beak moved up and down slowly . ¡°The other ns sense only the Creators¡¯ energy within the relics, and so hoard them and worship them . They are too dumb and too vicious to think about the pieces¡¯ purpose, yes . ¡±


    These ns, it seemed, had developed some kind of mythology around the djinn, the dome, and the arch within . If the portal pieces exuded aether, and these creatures could sense it, then it would make sense that they coveted them .


    ¡°You will need the Creators¡¯ gifts to heal the portal . You can do this?¡±


    I nodded . Just like the mirror room, we only came to the snowy zone because I already had the tools required to move past it . Test upon test, I mused silently .


    At that moment, Caera¡¯s stomach rumbled noisily . Old Broke Beak snapped around, staring down at her midsection with wide eyes, his cracked beak open slightly . ¡°Food, yes . I have been a bad host . So eager to share words, while you go hungry . Come . We have sat . We have talked . Now, eat, yes . ¡±


    The elder¡¯s legs creaked audibly as he stood up and led the way out of his hut . Outside, we discovered several Spear Beaks lingering nearby, staring intently at us as we followed him back out into the cold mountain air .


    Old Broke Beak snapped, cked, and cawed, and the others nodded respectfully and began to follow us, forming into two long lines .


    Caera¡¯s brows furrowed in concern as she looked at me, but I just nodded and walked up behind Old Broke Beak .


    The Spear Beaks murmured and cackled in low whispers, the rustling of their features growing louder as we followed Old Broke Beak through the vige . Others peaked their beaks out of the many huts and shuffled into line in the impromptu march . Several of the Spear Beaks wheeled in the skies above us, their strange song falling down over the mountain hollow .


    We followed the elder to another, nearly identical hut with a faded gray door covering . He snapped his beak three times and the crowd behind us fell silent as the dark-feathered Spear Beak we¡¯d seen upon entering the vige appeared in the doorway .


    There was a short exchange in their ownnguage, then the ck Spear Beak pushed aside the hanging with its beak and the elder entered, waving us in with a wing .


    I nced back at the flock; they were all entirely silent and still, their violet eyes following us closely . Those that flew circles above us did so in an unnatural, interweaving pattern like an aerial dance .


    Caera vanished through the shadowy doorway ahead and I followed, a surreal, dreamlike feeling of otherworldliness settling over me like a heavy nket .


    Inside, the hut was nearly identical to Old Broke Beak¡¯s, though there was no copper wash bin, and the only trophy on the wall was a small bear¡¯s skull with a narrow hole just above the right eye socket . It looked much too small to be a fully grown bear .


    A second Spear Beak, nearly identical to our guide but with a fringe of feathers that stood up from her head, was nestled into the bed, but stood and shuffled to the side at a few cks and squawks from the dark-feathered bird .


    Sitting in the middle of the nest was arge, pinkish egg . Caera eyed me uncertainly once again, but I stayed silent, waiting for Old Broke Beak .


    The elder walked slowly across the hut, his ws crunching through the dry grass and feathers of the nest-bed, then gently tapped at the egg in several different spots . Without turning to us, he said, ¡°This egg will not grow a hatchling . ¡±


    Then, without warning, he drove his keen beak through the shell of the egg, puncturing it with a sharp crack . I looked on, horrified and fascinated, as he began to pick away pieces of the shell, crunching them with his beak and swallowing them down until there was arge hole at the top, revealing the golden, gooey yolk .


    ¡®I did not expect that,¡¯ Regis murmured in a daze .


    The elder took a single beakful of the egg, then crossed beaks with the fringed Spear Beak before she too ate from the egg . They both repeated the ritual with the dark-feathered Spear Beak, who took his portion .


    ¡°Eat,¡± the elder said simply, then all three Spear Beaks stood aside, watching us expectantly .


    I could see Caera¡¯s thoughts written inly on her face as her hunger and disgust waged a war within her .


    It was obvious that there was some kind of cultural significance, perhaps even religious ritualism, to this couple offering up their egg for consumption, and while the idea of these creatures cannibalizing their own eggs was distasteful, I expected they would not understand our hesitation, and might even find it rude if we declined their offer .


    Besides, Caera couldn¡¯t live forever on snow alone .


    Bowing respectfully to each of the three Spear Beaks, I stepped carefully into the nest and leaned over the egg . The insides were thick, warm, and slimy . Using both hands like a bowl, I scooped out a small portion and slurped at it indelicately .


    It had a musky, rich vor that wasn¡¯t distasteful, exactly, but was foreign and strange . Despite this, I quickly finished the handful of slimy egg as I realized something else about it .


    The raw Spear Beak egg yolk was swimming with aether, and eating it allowed my body to quickly absorb the aether, helping to refill my core after the long night out in the storm .


    Regis, are you¡ª


    ¡®Feeling it? Oh yeah...¡¯ Regis answered, enjoying the hum of energy that we absorbed from just that small scoop of the egg .


    Caera watched me with pursed lips and a pinched sort of look on her face . I nodded toward the Spear Beak egg, widening my eyes pointedly .


    She clenched her jaw and looked at me darkly before kneeling down in the nest-bed next to therge, pink egg and sticking her own hand into the golden goop . The cryan noble held her breath as she quickly slurped down the mouthful of warm egg .


    ¡°Yes, eat . Eat,¡± Old Broke Beak said encouragingly .


    Caera and I took turns scoping out handfuls of the musky yolk and kept eating until only a shallow puddle of slime filled the bottom of the egg shell .


    For Regis and me, the aether-rich yolk was like drinking pure, distilled energy, but I could see the changeing over Caera almost immediately . Though she¡¯d stoically done her best to stay in good humor even after days without food, having a full stomach made her smiley and sleepy, and despite her initial hesitation, she eagerly consumed thest bits of egg within the shell .


    Turning to me with drooping eyes, she opened her mouth to say something but a small burp escaped her lips instead . Caera¡¯s eyes widened in shock and she raised a hand to her mouth .


    ¡°Very udylike,¡± Imented .


    Caera merely rolled her eyes, wiping her lips before responding, ¡°That¡¯s sexist . ¡±


    Around us, almost unnoticed, Old Broke Beak and the others were engaged in a quiet conversation . ¡°Red Wings and True Feather have offered their nest to you to rest and recuperate . Then, if you are willing, Swiftsure, who brought you to us, will guide you to the Shadow w vige . Yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes . Thank you . ¡± Caera nodded, heavy-lidded but trying her best to stay awake .


    ¡°Sure thing, Broke Beak,¡± I said, feeling more drunk off the aether-rich yolk than full .


    True Feather and Red Wings stepped lightly around me and began to break down the remainder of their egg shell, snapping off pieces and crunching them in their strong beaks, and within moments the egg was entirely gone .


    Each of the Spear Beaks gave a syed-winged bow, then shuffled out of the hut, which was feeling more warm and cozy by the moment .


    As soon as thest Spear Beak left the hut, Caera slumped backwards until she was lying prone in the feathers and grass, her eyes already closed and breath steady .


    ¡®She sure has gotten..fortable around us,¡¯ Regismented, letting out a hup .


    Stop talking and stay focused . I expect you to at least be at your full strength by tomorrow, I replied, taking a seat in between Caera and the entrance of the hut .


    Letting out a controlled breath, I focused on the aether coursing throughout my body . I hadn¡¯t felt so saturated with aether since I¡¯d taken over the giant millipede¡¯s hoard of aether stones, and I wasn¡¯t about to let it go to waste .


    However, rather than refining my aether core, I ignited the God Step rune . Staying seated on the ground, I watched as my perception of the world around me expanded until I could see all the particles of ambient aether flowing in all directions .


    I could feel my heart beating against my ribcage and my mind clear as I focused on the intertwining streams of aetheric pathways .


    Failing God Step while chasing after the Ghost Bear in the storm had taught me two things: one was that, as powerful as this ability was, its misuse could be fatal; and two, it took me way too long to find the correct path .


    What was the point of having an ability that could instantly transport me across space when it took me so long to even find the path that could transport me where I wanted to go?


    So, while Caera slept, I sat and watched, the God Step rune casting a soft golden glow throughout the Spear Beaks¡¯ hut . I watched how the aetheric particles moved, how they behaved, and studied any patterns that could help me use God Step more instinctually .


    ***


    Things moved quickly when Caera finally woke, bleary-eyed and dull from oversleeping . Though I was mentally drained from concentrating the entire night, my body was flush with newfound energy . We found Swiftsure waiting patiently outside the hut, eager to set off .


    Before we left the Spear Beak vige, however, Old Broke Beak had some parting wisdom for us .


    ¡°Swiftsure is fast and wise . He will guide you to the other ns¡¯ viges, but a Spear Beak cannot fight against Shadow ws or Four Fists,¡± he warned darkly . ¡°Do not expect to share words with them . Do not hesitate . Theirnguage is violence, and you must speak it if you wish to leave this ce . Return with the other pieces, and we will give you thest . ¡±


    With that, Swiftsure led us back out of the hollow mountain top, several of the other Spear Beaks trailing along behind us as far as the cliff to send us off with happy cks of their beaks and raucous squawks that sounded like cheers .


    I peered down at the steep edge of the cliff while Caera was already preparing herself to make the climb down .


    Walking up to Caera, I pulled her back to her feet and wrapped my arm around her waist .


    ¡°Um, e-excuse me?¡± Caera stammered, while Regis wolf-whistling in my head .


    Walking closer to the edge of the cliff with Caera in tow, I turned to our guide . ¡°Swiftsure . We¡¯ll meet you down there . ¡±


    I watched the white aetheric bird tilt its long neck in confusion just before I stepped off the edge of the cliff, taking Caera with me .


    The cryan Noble let out a squeal of surprise that soon turned into a terrified scream as we plummeted toward the stone shelf eighty feet below .


    ¡®Uhh, Arthur? Being the cockroach that you are, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll survive, but I don¡¯t think Lady Horns can...¡¯


    I ignited God Step just as we were about to crash and slipped into the aetheric path that would lead us straight down into the ground just several feet below us .


    My feet hit the ground with almost no noise, the momentum that we had built during the fallpletely gone .


    ¡®Oh...¡¯ Regis muttered,pletely dumbfounded . ¡®Or you could do that, I guess . ¡¯


    Caera still had her head buried in my chest, her nails digging into my skin even as I let her go .


    ¡°You can let go now,¡± I said as her horns dug deeper into me .


    Caera flinched before she peeked down and realized we were no longer in the air . Just to make sure, she stomped her foot on the hard ground before pushing herself away from me .


    ¡°H-how did we¡ªwhat just¡ªyou!¡± Caera red at me, her breathing in quick, angry huffs before she punched me in the gut with the strength that could¡¯ve actually broken some bones had it not been me . ¡°Next time you feel the urge to throw yourself off a mountain, feel free to take the bird!¡±


    I rubbed my stomach, wincing in pain . ¡°Got it...¡±


    Swiftsurended a few feet away from us, fluttering hisrge wings as he looked at me in a curious manner . ¡°Shadow w?¡± he squawked, his tone almost like a question, but I wasn¡¯t sure what he meant .


    Our guide gave up on looking at me for an answer and let out a throaty warble before leading us back down the switchback trail .


    Caera was still angry at me, but she kept ncing at me from the corner of her eye when she thought I wouldn¡¯t notice, looking at me the same way Swiftsure was .


    ¡®That¡¯s a pretty cool trick you learned overnight,¡¯ Regis chimed in, enjoying the show .


    I¡¯ll need more time to practice God Step if I want to actually use it in battle, but I¡¯m slowly getting the hang of it .


    Once we reached the bottom of the ravine, we turned right, moving away from the caldera . This rocky, uneven path took us around behind the Spear Beaks¡¯ clifftop vige, then we turned right again and marched on in silence for hours .


    Without the wind and snow, simply walking kept us warm enough . Our bellies and cores were full, making the hike almost pleasant .


    While we walked, I thought over everything I had seen and heard during our short stay with the Spear Beaks . I couldn¡¯t help but linger on Old Broke Beak¡¯s insistence that the other ns were simple, violent aether beasts . After all, it had been the caution disyed by the Ghost Bear that had made me so sure of its intelligence to begin with .


    It was clear from the trophies proudly hung from the elder¡¯s walls that there was conflict between the ns, but the little broken bear skull in Red Wings and True Feather¡¯s hut had seemed no more than a cub .


    ¡®Didn¡¯t your pce back on Earth have a whole menagerie of stuffed critters, including two pr bear cubs?¡¯ Regis pointed out .


    My brows furrowed in annoyance . That¡¯s not...


    I hadn¡¯t made the connection, but mypanion was right . We saw those bears as only animals, and hadn¡¯t seen anything strange about having their corpses stuffed for decoration .


    Maybe the Spear Beaks do see the other ns as little more than beasts .


    ¡®I¡¯d say we just wipe ¡®em all out and get the heck out of here . Y¡¯know, if we negotiated for a few more of those eggs...¡¯


    I¡¯d had the thought myself, and Regis very well knew it . If we consumed enough of the Spear Beaks¡¯ eggs, we could reach the next teau of our aetheric power¡ªwhatever that was .


    Consuming the eggs of a sentient species felt wrong, however . It seemed somehow solemn and ritualistic that we had been invited to eat from that egg, and as I thought about it, I realized I had not seen any obviously young Spear Beaks . I wondered how rare hatchlings might be among the strange creatures .


    Old Broke Beak had imed that no hatchling would be born from the egg, but at the same time, what did those eggs represent if not the species¡¯ future?


    These and many other thoughts consumed me as we followed our guide, who would sometimes hop along with us on the ground, other times flying high above, scouting out our path . Though Swiftsure couldn¡¯t speak ournguage, he had learned a few words and couldmunicate well enough by pointing and squawking .


    The light didn¡¯t seem to change as we walked, and although we traveled for several hours, night never fell .


    I was lost in thought when Swiftsure snapped his beak to draw our attention . ¡°Near,¡± he said in his scraping voice .


    The Spear Beak stayed on the ground, hopping ahead of us toward a ridge of dark, exposed stone . When he was close, he folded his legs under him so his round body was nearly touching the ground and crept up to the edge, then waved us forward with a wing .


    Caera and I got down on our hands and knees, then began crawling through the snow .


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡± Caera whispered under her breath as soon as we arrived near the ledge where Swiftsure was positioned . My eyes narrowed as well .


    The mountainside tumbled downward into a small dell full of squat, colorless trees . Within the thick branches, a few dozen huts hunkered like fat little birds . Something was moving around within the vige .


    ¡°Four Fists,¡± Swiftsure croaked .

 Chapter 301

    Chapter 301


    I strengthened my vision and peered down into the dell .


    The huts looked simple, made of grass and packed mud . They were all built off the ground in the thick branches of the trees, with no obvious stairs, ropes, or bridges to allow the aether beasts to get around .


    Watching the Four Fists, though, it was easy to see why they had no need for them .


    Several of the ape-like creatures were moving around under the trees . Each one had a broad, muscr body, short, thick legs with feet that they used to grab and climb with, and four massive arms . They climbed and ran quickly, using all six limbs to hurl themselves forward . Even from our perch high above I could see that their bodies were entirely littered with scars .


    The Four Fists were covered with fur, mostly brown or ck, but had pale flesh . Their faces were less ape-like, reminding me instead of something between a human and a pig . They had wide jaws,rge, t noses, and heavy brows . Boar-like tusks protruded from their lower jaws, and their small eyes shone like purple fire under the shadows of the trees .


    An enraged roar shattered the mountain silence, and an instantter the source became visible . A truly massive Four Fists, draped in an ornate cowl decorated with what I could only assume were Spear Beak feathers and talons, hurled a smaller representative of its tribe from the open doorway of one of the raised huts .


    The victim tumbled ten feet toward the frozen earth before reaching out and grabbing something I couldn¡¯t quite see, then swung to the closest tree branch . The aggressor jumped from the hut, plummeting toward its prey like aet .


    The smaller Four Fists hurled itself away from the tree, again seeming to grab a hold of the very air like some sort of handrail . It swung itself across arge gap between two trees as it sought to put some distance between itself and its attacker .


    Around them, several other Four Fists looked on, some growling or roaring in agitation, but they didn¡¯t make any effort to intervene as therger of the two Four Fists chased the smaller one from the cover of the trees .


    Suddenly therge Four Fists wearing the feathered cowl cocked back one arm and hurled something at its prey . A small orb of purple energy¡ªaether¡ªshot through the air in a blur, bursting through the fleeing Four Fists¡¯ calf and causing it to stumble and roll through the snow .


    Then the huge gray aether beast was on top of the smaller one, all four heavy fists hammering down on the injured aether beast . It wasn¡¯t much of a contest, and in less than a minute, the battle was over .


    The victor dragged its opponent¡¯s corpse back toward the treetop vige while about three dozen Four Fists came out of the trees, moving cautiously, eyeing their kin nervously . With a stone-rattling bellow, therge Four Fists lifted the corpse from the ground and hurled it at the feet of the others .


    As it beat its chest like a drum, however, another noise just beside me drew my attention . Swiftsure was cking his beak nervously, a noise that carried into the mountains and echoed down into the dell .


    Every bestial face turned simultaneously toward us, ring up toward the ridge . I ducked down to hide my head, pulling Swiftsure by his beak with me, but a cry had gone through the Four Fists tribe and I could hear the hammering of their knuckles on the permafrost as they began their charge .


    Wriggling his sharp beak from my grip, Swiftsure let out a panicked squawk . ¡°Fight!¡±


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I cursed, getting up and looking behind me as I contemted retreat .


    No, it made no sense to turn and run . The apeish beasts had the portal piece we needed and they appeared just as wild and monstrous as old Broke Beak had promised .


    ¡°Prepare for battle,¡± I said to Caera, who was already at my side, her de out .


    dding myself in aether, I took in the sight below: over thirty of the four-armed aether beasts, their beady little eyes burning with fury, were stampeding up the side of the mountain toward us .


    Regis,e out when we make impact, I ordered, then leapt from the ridge, aiming tond right in the middle of the aether beasts and hold their attention .


    Immediately, the Four Fists responded by hurling projectiles of aether at me .


    With my asuran instincts at full force and my eyes focused on the barrage of aether orbs, I calcted their projection as they approached me .


    Whirling my body as I sailed through the air, I oriented myself to dodge as many of the aether projectiles as possible as they hummed through the air .


    Two struck me, one just scraping my right thigh, the other ncing past my ribs . The pain radiating from the two points of injury told me that my aetheric shroud wasn¡¯t enough topletely protect me from their aether bullets .


    Feeling my wounds already healing, I focused on the approaching battle .


    Regis . Gauntlet Form! I ordered . His presence immediately travelled to my right hand to draw aether there and allow it to build up . As I neared the ground, a hurricane of aether raged around my hand, fighting to be released . Maniacal howls of fear and panic echoed below as some of the ape-like beasts scrambled to get away .


    Just as I was about tond, however, therge Four Fists wearing the decorative cowl hurled itself between me and the ground .


    A deafening explosion resounded across the mountainside as the torrent of aether released from my fist shed against all four of therge Four Fists¡¯ aether-d arms .


    I felt the shockwave of our impact rip through its protective shroud and shatter its bones before it was sent tumbling away in a cloud of snow and debris . Still, because of its sacrifice, my attack had been mostly contained, leaving its brethren dazed but unharmed .


    ¡°Regis, now!¡± I huffed, steadying myself as I fought the draining effects of the aether technique .


    ¡®Don¡¯t die, princess,¡¯ mypanion growled as he leapt from my back and jumped on one of the approaching Four Fists, his teeth going for the throat .


    Fueled by rage over their injured brethren, the Four Fists howled madly, hurling themselves at me withplete disregard for their own safety .


    Letting out a sharp breath, I focused on the aether clinging tightly over my skin, protecting and strengthening me . My mind slipped into a trance as I recalled the years of hand-to-hand training I received from Kordri .


    I could hear angered screams of the Four Fists growing louder, Caera calling my name from the distance as she fought her way toward me, and Swiftsure honking high over our heads, but I tuned them all out until all I could hear was the sound of my own, even breaths .


    Sidestepping a pair of smaller Four Fists that pounced on me, I struck one with my fist, causing it to collide with its partner before spinning on my heels to intercept a darker Four Fists¡¯ aether bullet .


    dding anotheryer of aether over my palm, I redirected it to hit the pair that I had just knocked down before driving my elbow into my attacker¡¯s sternum .


    I ignored the choked gasps the aether beast let out as it copsed . I ignored the look of pain and fear on the other Four Fists . I just focused on the sound of my own breath as beast after beast was felled by my hands . This wasn¡¯t the time to show doubt orpassion .


    This wasn¡¯t the time to show weakness .


    A squashed, ugly face of yet another Four Fists pressed down from above, its jaws snapping and its tusks digging at the air as it tried to gore me . I grabbed the beast by those tusks and mmed its face into the ground . When it didn¡¯t go immediately limp, I stomped my feet down into its skull before scanning the battlefield .


    Nearly a third of the Four Fists n had already fallen . Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Caera outlined in a burning aura, making it nearly impossible for the big, apeish creatures to physically attack her . In the rough circle of enemies around her, I could see several with destroyed hands and arms, burned away by her dark fire as her long sword continued to carve red arcs around her .


    Regis, on the other hand, darted between outstretched arms, ripping and tearing at whatever exposed flesh he could . I felt his exhration every time his fangs closed down on an enemy throat .


    The frozen battlefield soon became colored in red as we continued to y the aether beasts that seemed even more savage than elder Broke Beak had described . Even as their bones were broken and bodies bloody, the apes just became more wild . Abandoning their ability to hurl aether bullets at us, they continued to charge in, iling their fists and gnashing their teeth like rabid animals until a baleful roar thundered across the snowyndscape .


    The Four Fists all around us instantly stiffened, then another series of growls echoed in the distance .


    ¡®What now?¡¯ Regis groaned as we watched all of the Four Fists¡ªthose still alive¡ªleap back and distance themselves from us . In a matter of seconds Regis, Caera, and I were standing in arge ring of snarling four-armed aether beasts .


    I could hear Caera¡¯s heavy breaths behind me as she waited for me to act .


    A deep, rumbling grunt drew my attention to the opening in the ring where the massive gray Four Fists that had intercepted my initial strike tread confidently into the ring of its brethren .


    I had watched this creature beat another of its kind to death, so I knew it was bigger and stronger than the rest, but it looked even more formidable up close . The beast stood tall¡ªat least two feet over me¡ªwith its scarred chest puffed out and arms crossed . Its upper two arms were caked in dried blood and snow from taking the brunt of my Gauntlet Form strike, but its injuries didn¡¯t seem to bother it .


    Its two gleaming violet eyes bore into me, looking at me with a calm hatred that contrasted its frenzied brethren . It raised one of its lower arms, causing both Regis and Caera to tense . Grabbing its feathered cowl, the gray Four Fists ripped it off of its shoulders and dropped it on the ground before pointing one of its fingers directly at me .


    ¡°Damn, that was manly,¡± Regis muttered .


    ¡°I think it¡¯s...challenging you,¡± Caera said, her eyes narrowed in confusion .


    ¡°Good,¡± I said, stepping forward and dropping my own teal cloak on the ground . ¡°That¡¯ll save us some time then . ¡±


    ¡°At least take this,¡± Caera replied, holding out her scarlet sword .


    My hand reached out toward the weapon, but as I peered into the massive Four Fists¡¯ glowing eyes, I couldn¡¯t help but grin . ¡°No, it¡¯s fine . ¡±


    I thought the cryan noble might argue . I knew it was foolish of me to put myself at a disadvantage by fighting bare-handed against an opponent four times my weight and with twice as many arms, but Caera stepped away without another word, leaving me alone in the ring with the gray Four Fists .


    My opponent let out a throaty bellow, and several of the others began pounding their chests in a steady rhythm, like the beat of war drums .


    The start of our battle was marked by the explosive charge of the Gray Four Fists .


    Pushing aether into my legs, I shot forward as well, dipping under its muscr arm as it tried to grab me .


    Just as my aether-d fist was about to reach under its ribs, my opponent¡¯s body blurred and I was barely able to guard its strike to my knee .


    I flew back in the air from the impact, the wind knocked out of my lungs, but I was able to see what had happened . It used the same spatium technique that one of its brethren had used to swing in the air, but instead, used the aether as a handle to pull itself forward, giving it incredible momentum .


    I ignited God Step and, without the time to determine which path to take, I utilized one that would simply get me out of the way .


    The world blurred and I found myself a few feet higher than I had been . Quickly reorienting myself in the air, I channeled aether into my arms just in time for the gray Four Fists to snap out of its initial surprise and create another aether handhold to fling himself back toward me .


    Our fists met, but without the aid of Gauntlet Form to strengthen my attack, our sh was no longer as one-sided as it had been before .


    I could feel the bones in my arm splintering even through the thickyer of aether protecting me as the impact caused both of us to crash back to the snowy ground .


    Leaping up to my feet, I didn¡¯t even wait for my arm to heal before I ignited God Step once more . This time, I was able to find the path I was looking for just as my opponent managed to haul himself out of the small crater of snow .


    My world shifted perspectives as God Step ced me next to the gray Four Fists, just under its arms .


    Every ounce of concentration was focused on maneuvering aether through my aether channels, letting it travel from my legs and hips and up my back and through my left fist in a perfectly timed fashion to match my final strike .


    The result was devastating .


    The gigantic ape-like beast crumpled as my fist sank into its side, and it was sent flying out of the ring of Four Fists, crashing into the side of the valley and causing a sheet of snow to break loose and cascade down over part of the battlefield .


    Silence fell as I stood panting, looking down at my bloodied fist as aether still leaked out from the surface of my skin .


    A sorrowful wail snapped me out of my daze and I immediately readied myself for battle . The Four Fists had fought madly with little regard for their own safety before their massive leader stepped in, but rather than rally for battle, the ape-like beasts fell on all six of their limbs and howled with grief as one of them pulled out the mangled corpse of the gray Four Fists that I had just defeated .


    Suddenly, a warm hand grabbed me . ¡°Let¡¯s go, Grey . ¡±


    Caera, hair disheveled and several cuts on her face, pulled me, leading me toward the vige while Regis followed shortly behind . My gaze remained on the broken ring of Four Fists all mourning over the tribe¡¯s leader .


    I was worried the tribe would pick up the attack again at any moment, and kept ncing back over my shoulder, but they made no move to follow or to defend their vige .


    ¡°Something¡¯s bothering me,¡± the cryan noble said as we passed under the boughs of the trees . ¡°Not only the leader that you fought, but a lot of the Four Fists had tattoos all over their bodies . ¡±


    ¡°Tattoos? Like spellforms?¡± Regis asked .


    ¡°No,¡± I replied, answering Regis . ¡°I¡¯m not sure about mana, but I never sensed any aether being manipted through the tattoos . ¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re different from the types of crests that we have as well,¡± Caera said, shaking her head . ¡°The tattoos actually looked really close to the carvings in the portal archway . ¡±


    I stopped, taking it all in . ¡°So they¡¯re just...art . ¡±


    The revtion made me ufortable . These Four Fists had charged us, fought furiously and to the death with no provocation at all, but these tattoos spoke of an intelligence far beyond wild mana beasts . I¡¯d seen the signs, but had chosen to ignore them . The very act of having homes in the trees, wearing decorative pieces of clothing like the feathered cowl, the way their leader challenged me to a duel...


    They were all signs of intelligence and culture, contrary to what Old Broke Beak had told us .


    ¡°Where¡¯s Swiftsure?¡± I asked, looking up in the air .


    Caera shook her head . ¡°He went ahead of us as soon as the battle started . ¡±


    I unfocused my gaze and concentrated on the ambient aether while my eyes scanned the huts . Without the aetheric snowstorm to muddle my senses, I was able to see several distinct aether signatures, most likelying from Four Fists hidden in the huts .


    ¡°Should we split up?¡± Caera asked


    ¡°That¡¯s never a good idea . It may take more time, but there aren¡¯t that many huts we have to check . ¡± I pointed to one of the rough-barked trees nearby . ¡°This one first . ¡±


    I held my hand out to the cryan noble, thinking she would need help getting to the hut high above us . ¡°Hold on¡ª¡±


    Caera¡¯s thin body flowed with a visible shroud of mana before she leaped up onto the nearest branch, kicking up a cloud of snow over me and Regis .


    Mypanion shook the white powder off him and leaned in toward me .


    ¡°Rejected,¡± he whispered before leaping up onto the lowest branch behind Caera .


    Rolling my eyes, I jumped up as well, following after the two of them until we arrived just under a hut situated on a thick, gnarled branch .


    ¡°Careful,¡± I muttered . ¡°There¡¯s one inside . ¡±


    I slowly stepped into the hut . The hut itself was simple grass and mud molded into a vaguely rounded shape . The floor was more of the same, though it was almost entirely covered in ayer of straw-like grass that had a sweet, mildewy sort of smell to it .


    Huddled in the back corner of the small dwelling was a Four Fists . It was pressed into the corner, its eyes turned away from us .


    Regis immediately tensed, the violet fire around his neck flickering wildly .


    I turned to Caera, who had taken out her sword but held it loosely at her side . The cryan had a pained expression as her scarlet eyes focused on the Four Fists . ¡°Let¡¯s just look around and leave . ¡±


    My eyes focused on the rough shelf that had been dug out of the side of the interior wall . A series of primal looking tools sat on the shelf along with some crude bowls .


    Caera and I scanned through the hut to make sure the portal piece wasn¡¯t hidden somewhere when a brief bawling cry came from the corner . The three of us turned to face the source of the sound .


    The Four Fists huddled at the back wasn¡¯t alone . It was holding an infant, which must have just woken . The little creature, which had only a thin dusting of fur over its pink skin, looked as much like a six-legged piglet as it did the massive goris . It was so small it fit within just one of the Four Fists¡¯ hands .


    Therger Four Fists quickly covered the infant, hiding it between two big hands and turning so the baby was shielded by its body . It peeked at us through the corner of its wide, trembling eyes .


    A bitter taste filled my mouth as I clenched my teeth . Prying my eyes away from the sight, I quickly searched through the rest of the room before leaving their home .


    The next hut was close enough that we could jump to it, and while it wasn¡¯t upied like thest one, it was a lot more cluttered . In a roughly hewn wooden bowl near the door, there were a handful of bright blue fruits that looked like giant blueberries . They smelled fresh, so I risked taking a nibble of one, finding it was rich and sweet with a texture like nectarines .


    A warm glow slid down my throat and sat contentedly within my stomach like I¡¯d taken a shot of alcohol .


    I tossed some to Regis, who ate it whole, then handed all but one of the fruits to Caera . The fruit wasn¡¯t as aether rich as the Spear Beak egg, or even the dangling fruit we¡¯d found in the giant millipede zone, so it wasn¡¯t as useful to me as it was to her .


    She took the fruits wordlessly before turning around and searching the rest of the hut . Along a raised t surface were a set of sharp tools and some rock bowls full of smelly ink . There were also some ancient looking steel chisels next to a collection of carved bones, ws, and tusks...but no portal piece .


    ¡°Maybe these Four Fists don¡¯t have a piece of the portal,¡± Caera offered as she inspected some of the tools .


    ¡°But Broke Beak had one and he said...¡± The words got lost in my mouth as I realized what she had actually meant .


    ¡°Let¡¯s try looking a bit more,¡± I said .


    Caera just nodded and the three of us continued searching, for both Swiftsure and the piece of the portal .


    As we made our way through the tree huts, we found one of the things we were looking for .


    High up on a tree so ancient that it seemed nearly petrified by time was a mud hut, and circling around it was Swiftsure . The high tree had been hidden from view earlier, otherwise I would have seen it straight away due to the thin, translucent bubble of aether surrounding it .


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± Caera asked, watching the Spear Beak flying around the small structure while stabbing his sharp beak in the air .


    ¡°He¡¯s trying to get in,¡± I said .


    My mind immediately thought of the near-invisible hand holds that the Four Fists were able to create out of aether and wondered if this was an advanced application of that .


    ¡°There¡¯s definitely at least one Four Fists inside,¡± I said, turning to Caera and Regis . ¡°Regis, with me . Caera, stay out here and make sure Swiftsure doesn¡¯t try flying off . ¡±


    She nodded, the scarlet sword humming with energy in her hand .


    Igniting God Step, I let my perception of the world around me stretch, as streams of aether coursed through the air . My limits had vastly increased since first using God Step in the town of Maerin, but it still took me some time to find the right path that would lead me beyond the aetheric bubble and directly into the hut .


    My heart pounded as I took the step, dding myself in aether in preparation to face off against the powerful Four Fists capable of creating such a potent aetheric barrier .

 Chapter 302

    Chapter 302


    The world shifted as I rode the currents of aether to arrive just within the open doorway of the ancient hut, and I immediately stepped into a defensive stance .


    But it wasn¡¯t necessary .


    Lying on the floor of the hut was a very, very old Four Fists, undoubtedly the source of the powerful aetheric presence .


    Its massive muscles had atrophied, shrinking in on themselves like an empty waterskin, its wiry pelt had faded to a snowy white, and its pale skin had wrinkled and shriveled . Two tiny purple eyes turned toward me and the aged aether beast crooned, low and gentle .


    It attempted to lift its head, but after straining unsessfully for a few seconds, it settled back down into the deep indentation its body had made in the bed of dried twigs and nts .


    One shaking arm lifted up and pointed toward the far wall . My gaze followed to the spot it indicated: on a shelf in the wall sat a long, thin b of white stone .


    Three quick stepster and the portal piece was in my hand, cold and silky to the touch . I ran my fingers along the intricate carvings, a sense of aplishment building within me .


    I turned back to the elderly Four Fists, lying defenselessly on the ground . The thought of killing him grew in my mind; this ape beast was such arge well of aether that I knew I¡¯d be able to grow stronger if I absorbed its power, just as I had done to the chimera when first grappling with my aetheric abilities .


    dding my fist in aether, I raised it over the old Four Fists¡¯ head, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to strike . Powerful and aether-abundant as this creature was, it wasn¡¯t a mere construct of the Relictombs like the chimera had been . Killing it purely to consume its aether felt deeply wrong...like I was eating another person .


    Unclenching my fist, I walked out of the hut and God-Stepped back to the ground where Regis and Caera were waiting for me .


    ¡°I got it,¡± I said, holding up the portal piece in my hand for the two to see .


    ¡°Good job, Grey,¡± Caera said with a soft smile as she looked down at the smooth b of stone .


    ¡®Birdy iing,¡¯ Regis pointed out just as Swiftsurended softly next to me .


    His javelin-shaped beak dipped down so he could inspect the portal piece, and it was then that I noticed thest few inches of his beak were red with blood .


    He hadn¡¯t fought with us on the battlefield, and I couldn¡¯t see any sign of a fight on the rest of his clean-feathered body .


    I grabbed his ck beak, startling him . He pped his wings and tried to dance away from me, but I held tight, twisting his head so I was looking him in the eye . ¡°Whose blood is this?¡± I asked, my voice calm but frigid .


    I released him so he could answer . The skittish bird took several hopping steps away and examined me with wide, confused eyes . ¡°Four Fists . Enemy . ¡±


    My gaze locked with his as I tried to study our guide¡¯s intent .


    Caera¡¯s warm hand touched my arm . ¡°Now¡¯s not the time for this . We got what we came here for, and we¡¯re not exactly honored guests in this tribe,¡± she said softly .


    ***


    From the Four Fists¡¯ hidden vale, Swiftsure led us back up the mountainside and farther away from the Spear Beak vige .


    Regis was back inside my body, replenishing his aether supplies, while Caera and I followed closely behind our guide . Despite being able to finally make some progress in leaving this zone, neither of us were in the mood to converse as the weight of our actions back at the Four Fists tribe¡¯s vige settled over us like a dark shroud .


    Even after finding out that the Four Fists were not only intelligent but actually sapient, I realized that had it not been for the giant gray Four Fists challenging me to a duel, we would¡¯vemitted genocide .


    Despite the brewing emotions that I kept suppressed, I made sure to keep constant tabs on Swiftsure . While I was still wary of our guide, Caera and I were reluctantly dependent on him to show us the location of the other tribes .


    In the end, whatever Swiftsure had done, it was only what he¡¯d been taught to do by the harsh world in which he lived . It was barbaric, but these warring tribes of aether beasts hadn¡¯t evolved their cultures beyond the level of barbarism yet .


    The Four Fists, I was sure, would have done just as bad to the Spear Beaks given the chance .


    Pushing aside my needless thoughts, I focused on our next leg of the journey . The path we were on took us higher up the edge of the seemingly endless mountain ranges that surrounded the caldera where we¡¯d first appeared . The skies stayed bright and cloudless, the temperature hovering just below freezing .


    ¡°How are you holding up?¡± I asked Caera, who was walking beside me with a nket wrapped over her shoulders and arms .


    ¡°I was able to replenish my mana earlier during your duel with therge Four Fists, so I¡¯m okay,¡± she answered with a faint smile .


    Swiftsure, who spent most of his time flying above us,nded ahead of us, his feet never breaking the crusty surface of the snow .


    He turned to look at me, his beak snapping twice . ¡°Shadow ws . ¡± He then held up his wings, holding them close together .


    I nodded in understanding just as a flicker of purple shed right below Swiftsure, and the snow in front of us burst upward, showering Caera and I with a cloud of powdery white .


    Caera instantly d herself in a shroud of ck fire, nket tossed aside and her sword already in her hand .


    Swiftsure let out a surprised cry and tried to take to the sky, but his terrified shriek was cut short as a set of violently purple ws ripped through his graceful neck, spraying blood across the ground at my feet .


    Swiftsure¡¯s warning cry was cut off in a honking gurgle . The Spear Beak¡¯s wings pped wildly, sending up a flurry of white feathers . Our guide rose a few feet in the air, shockingly red blood raining down into the bright white snow, then his strength gave out and he crashed to the ground, twitched, and was still .


    ~


    I was already moving well before Swiftsure took hisst piteous breaths . My aether-d fist hissed through the frigid air, but just before it should have connected with our attacker¡¯s cat-like face, the creature vanished in another sh of aetheric energy .


    God Step! I thought in shock, quickly looking around for the attacker . Behind me, Caera had her me-bathed de ready to block, but before she could do anything else the cat-like beast was behind her, its ws raking down between her shoulder des .


    Caera was protected by the shroud of soul fire, but the aether ws were able to tear through the mana barrier and slice cleanly through the chain links covering her back .


    She rolled forward, most likely saving herself from any serious injuries, but a score of long cuts ran down her back .


    I burst forward, my hand blurring in the air as Iunched myself at the aether beast¡ªa Shadow w, I assumed¡ªbut it vanished before I could reach it .


    Caera came up covered in snow and blood, her expression deadly calm, like when we had first met in the Relictombs .


    ¡°Do you know where it is?¡± she asked, positioning herself so we were back to back .


    ¡°There,¡± I said, pointing some sixty feet to our right where the Shadow w crouched atop a jutting shard of ck rock twenty feet high .


    The Shadow w had the head and spotted white fur of a snow leopard, but its torso and limbs were humanoid . Its hands and feet were feline, and a long, muscr tail swished behind it . Though it was some distance away, it looked small, perhaps five feet tall at most .


    ¡®Arthur!¡¯ Regis thought in warning as aether red behind me and to my left . I spun, pushing Caera out of the way and throwing a kick directly at the blurry source of aether .


    My counterattack failed to connect as my attacker had already managed to duck out of the way . It shed at the leg nted still on the ground with its aetheric ws before vanishing again .


    Even though I had concentrated more aether around my body in defense, the ws still managed to tear through the flesh above my knee, causing me to buckle .


    Catching myself, I let the aether clinging tightly around my body burst out in a palpable force that stunned my attacker before it could follow up on the opening .


    It was able to teleport away, but this gave me the time I needed to heal my wounds .


    ¡°G-Grey,¡± Caera stammered, wincing in pain as she slowly got up to her feet . ¡°This...¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, retracting my aetheric force .


    The cryan noble sucked in a deep breath as her eyes continued to scan our surroundings .


    My eyes, however, went straight for the two aetheric presences on the dark rocks . Now both Shadow ws crouched above us, their gleaming eyes carefully tracking our movements .


    I held back the urge to God Step onto the rocks to confront the two Shadow ws, choosing to remain beside Caera instead .


    When the aether warped on my right, my hand shed out and grabbed a third cat-like aether beast around its throat, squeezing hard enough to choke it but not to kill it instantly . The creature¡¯s eyes went wide in rm, then its impossibly sharp aether ws ripped through the flesh of my forearm .


    I squeezed, intending to break its thin neck, but it shed away like the others . At the same moment, Caera¡¯s de hissed through the air just below my arm .


    Turning to the point of rock, I found all three Shadow ws ring down at us, one rubbing gingerly at its throat where I had grabbed it, a trail of blood running down its furry leg .


    Caera began to speak but I waved her words away . I watched the three attackers carefully: they were absorbing aether from the atmosphere .


    ¡°They have to charge up before they can use that teleportation ability again,¡± I said quietly .


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Caera said as she stepped in front of me, her expression calm and icy as the ck mes dancing on the de of her scarlet sword .


    The three Shadow ws tensed as the mespletely engulfed her sword . She widened her stance and thrust the sword forward, releasing a violent jet of me toward the shard of ck rock .


    The Shadow ws burst out with a series of terrified howls as two of them vanished in a sh of aetheric energy .


    The third¡ªthe creature I had caught in my grasp when it attacked us¡ªwasn¡¯t so lucky . It hadn¡¯t had enough time to gather the aether required to use its teleportation ability again, and so it was engulfed by Caera¡¯s spell .


    For an instant the Shadow w was highlighted against the dark rock behind it, surrounded in zing ck light, then both the cat-like aether beast and the pointed peak of rock were gone, destroyed entirely .


    An angry, sorrowful howl from behind us caused me to spin around . The remaining Shadow ws were fifty feet away, crouched in the snow and squalling mournfully .


    I took a step forward instinctively, but the memories of the Four Fists mother holding onto its baby for dear life made me falter .


    My gaze flickered to Swiftsure, contorted unnaturally in the bed of red snow . He had risked his life despite barely knowing anything about us, and brought us into his home . Despite the wariness I had felt for our guide, his death wasn¡¯t just .


    The Shadow ws had ceased their yowling and now seemed to be engaged in a heated conversation . They were distracted .


    Just like the Four Fists, these creatures had ambushed us and attacked without cause . Now wasn¡¯t the time to hesitate .


    Making up my mind, I unfocused my eyes and the paths through the aether lit up like the nighttime highways of my old world before me . It was a simple thing to step through the vibrations, appearing between the two arguing aether beasts in the same moment .


    Before they could so much as widen their eyes in surprise, I hacked outward with the des of my aether-d hands, which came down on my enemies¡¯ shoulders like axes .


    ~


    The Shadow ws did not seem to guard themselves with aether, and both small forms crumpled under the weight of my unexpected blow, their shoulders and necks shattered .


    I knelt down over the bodies as I waited for Caera to catch up . Up close, I could see that the wide, feline paws had no natural ws .


    They create their only weapon with aether, I realized, curious and amazed that there were creatures in a ce as dangerous as the Relictombs with no natural defences .


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Caera asked as she walked up behind me . ¡°I saw your leg earlier...oh . ¡±


    I looked back at her over my shoulder . ¡°I heal pretty fast . ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit of an understatement,¡± she said before her gaze fell to the Shadow ws . ¡°Did you find anything?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m checking now . ¡± I turned back and studied the Shadow w corpses . They didn¡¯t wear any clothes, but both had simple leather pouches that hung from corded belts around their waists . I untied the leather string that held one of the pouches shut and fished out a handful of small objects .


    First was a b of dried meat of some kind . I sniffed at the meat, then nibbled off a corner while Caera watched me expectantly, like a puppy staring at a treat .


    I grabbed my neck, widening my eyes as I let out choking noises .


    The cryan noble let out a startled gasp . ¡°Grey!¡±


    I shakily held up the rest of the dried meat before plopping it into my mouth . ¡°Just kidding . ¡±


    Caera blinked in confusion, then narrowed her eyes . ¡°That wasn¡¯t funny . ¡±


    ¡®I thought it was funny,¡¯ Regis said with an approving tone .


    Thanks, I responded as I dug through the rest of the pouch, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth .


    Aside from a few more bs of dried meat, the Shadow w also carried a jet ck knife carved from what looked like a beak .


    ¡®These things sure do like their little keepsakes from murdering each other, don¡¯t they?¡¯ Regis pointed out .


    I put the knife into the dimensional storage rune, thinking it could perhaps be used as a bargaining chip to receive some more Spear Beak eggs, and I handed the dried meat to Caera . ¡°This, along with the fruits we recovered from the Four Fists¡¯ vige, should keep you from having to eat my arm to stay alive . ¡±


    ¡°Another joke, Grey?¡± Caera asked, horrified .


    I shrugged . ¡°It can be now . ¡±


    The next items that came out from the satchel were three white rocks that had a smooth, almost silky texture to them .


    ¡°Look . ¡± I held them up for Caera to see . ¡°It¡¯s the same stone as the dome and the arch . ¡±


    She held up four simrly sized and shaped stones . ¡°This one had some too . ¡±


    Caera had her own small pile of items: the four stones, another t lump of dried meat, a handful of some kind of small, purplish berries, and a thin rope that appeared to be woven of a tough yellow grass .


    Thest item from the pouch was a square piece of t te about three inches wide . At first I thought it was nothing more than that, but then I flipped it over to reveal a realistically etched image of two young Shadow ws leaning against one another .


    ¡®Whoa,¡¯ Regis muttered .


    It was a very well drawn picture, and I couldn¡¯t help but think it had been scratched into the hard surface with an aetheric w .


    Caera leaned close to me, studying the drawing on the te with awe . ¡°This is...basically their version of a locket . ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking,¡± I agreed .


    ¡°Strange,¡± she muttered, lightly tracing the carved drawing with a finger . ¡°Why did they attack us?¡±


    ¡°They might just be as bloodthirsty as Old Broke Beak made them out to be,¡± I said .


    ¡°After what we saw at the Four Fists¡¯ vige, it doesn¡¯t seem that simple . ¡± Caera¡¯s gaze turned to the bloody corpse of our guide . ¡°What if it was because of Swiftsure?¡±


    I looked at her questioningly, but kept silent, letting the thought tumble around in my mind . From what we had seen, the animosity between the tribes was unmistakable . The Spear Beaks hung Four Fists pelts on their walls for decoration, but the Four Fists leader that I had fought against had a decorative cowl made from Spear Beak feathers and talons, and the Shadow ws carried knives made of Spear Beak beaks . Members from both tribes had attacked us not because they were more violent or animalistic than the Spear Beaks; it was because we were with a Spear Beak .


    I shook my head . These were all just spections at this point, but one thing remained true: The tattoos, carvings, and now this etched drawing weren¡¯t just signs of intelligence . They represented a flourishing culture .


    ¡°We should get going and scout ahead,¡± I said, getting up to my feet . My gaze fell to the corpses of the two Shadow ws . ¡°We¡¯ll need to get rid of these bodies though . ¡±


    Caera nodded solemnly . The flicker of ck mes in her palm soon engulfed the two Shadow ws .


    I had utilized very little aether during the battle, so instead of climbing up the rocky cliff, I chose a point high up on the mountainside and God-Stepped directly to it, taking Caera with me so we could see far out over the high teau on which we¡¯d been traveling .


    Caera let out a sharp breath at the sight around us . It was hard to believe the djinn had created this entire ce . How absolute their mastery over aether must have been for them to leave behind something as strange and incredible as the Relictombs .


    The sharply climbing mountains all around us seemed to go on into infinity . I suspected there was some trick to it and that Caera and I could walk forever toward those far off mountains and never reach them . They seemed little more than a surreal backdrop to the caldera and the ring of jagged peaks that surrounded it .


    A gust of wind whipped at my straw-colored hair, and I realized that several gray clouds now interrupted the cier-blue sky, and the paintbrush-markings¡ªthe yellow, green, and purple swirls¡ªwere fading as a subtle mist blew in .


    ¡°The weather is turning again,¡± I told Caera . With Regis¡¯s aether levels still recovering, I was currently the only one that could survive the harsh storms in this zone .


    Despite nearly sumbing to the storm first-hand, however, the noble cryan¡¯s ruby eyes remained determined . ¡°Then we just need to find that Shadow w vige before the storm does . ¡±


    With a nod, I focused aether into my eyes to enhance my sight and began scouting out the surroundingndscape .


    It took several minutes to explore the many folds and disguised valleys hidden around the base of the greater mountain range . When I found nothing atop the teau, we crossed one rocky outcropping to the next until we¡¯d moved around the side of the jagged peak and began searching again .


    It didn¡¯t take long to spot what we were looking for . Below me on the next ridge over, there were twenty or so woven huts built within the cliffs . They were carefully hidden between two sharp ribs of stone, and I couldn¡¯t see any easy way in or out .


    A little waterfall tumbled down the mountainside, pooling at one edge of the vige . I watched as a Shadow w, barely the size of an ant from my perspective, bent down over the water to fill something, then disappeared back into a nearby hut .


    ¡°There . ¡± I pointed my finger in the direction of the vige so Caera could see as well .


    She let out a sigh . ¡°Well, in terms of strategic positioning, I¡¯d say they definitely have the advantage . ¡±


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s head back down,¡± I replied quietly . ¡°There¡¯s still a high possibility of there being other scouts or guards nearby . ¡±


    On our way back to the base of the rocky outcropping, we stopped at Swiftsure¡¯s body . It wasn¡¯t a pretty sight . The Spear Beak¡¯s once graceful neck was shed open, his white feathers stained red with his own blood . His thin, barbed tongue hung grotesquely from his beak .


    Caera, who stood beside me, gathered her hands and closed her eyes, bowing her head in respect before shifting her gaze back to me . ¡°Should we bury or burn the corpse?¡±


    I shook my head . ¡°Neither . ¡±


    Bending over Swiftsure¡¯s corpse, I dipped my hand in the fatal injury on its neck and ran my bloodied fingers over my face and clothes before turning to Caera, who was gaping at me, confused and disturbed .


    ¡°I have an idea that may answer your question earlier as well as get us into the Shadow w vige,¡± I said as I walked slowly over toward the cryan noble with my bloodied fingers .


    Caera huffed out a resigned sigh . ¡°Have I expressed exactly how much I dislike some of your ideas?¡±

 Chapter 303

    Chapter 303


    ¡°Grey . I won¡¯t pretend to know what sort of customs and rituals these tribes may have¡±¡ªCaera touched Swiftsure¡¯s blood, which was sttered over her clothes and part of her face¡ª¡°but this seems like the kind of thing that would be universally disrespectful . ¡±


    ¡°Stop fidgeting,¡± I replied, smearing some of the blood so it looked more natural .


    ¡°Ah, what a cute sight,¡± Regis chimed in, lying on the snowy ground nearby with an amused grin . ¡°Nothing says love like painting each other in the blood of your enemies . ¡±


    ¡°Nothing about this is ¡®cute¡¯, and it¡¯s not for certain that Swiftsure was an enemy,¡± Caera huffed .


    I rubbed snow between my blood-stained hands to clean some of it away . ¡°Just ignore him when he says stupid crap like that . It¡¯ll only encourage him . ¡±


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m not some puppy that needs to be trained!¡± Regis yapped, his burning mane flickering .


    ¡°You¡¯re right . ¡± I turned to Regis and smiled patiently . ¡°A puppy would at least have the decency to sulk when it gets scolded . ¡±


    Caera let out a chuckle as Regis sputtered in frustration .


    Noticing his mane quivering even more crazily in the growing winds, I looked up to see that the sky had turned almost entirely gray now .


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m still talking to you, princess! I¡¯m the amalgamation of several asuran beings powerful enough to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get moving,¡± I said, cutting him off . ¡°I don¡¯t think we have long until this turns into a real storm . ¡± Regis red at me before leaping back into my body .


    I held my hand out for Caera . ¡°We¡¯ll teleport just past the mountain ridge where we spotted the Shadow w vige . I don¡¯t want to risk using aether anywhere closer . ¡±


    She took my hand, but was shaking her head disbelievingly . ¡°The fact that I can so casually ept the fact that we¡¯ll be teleporting makes me feel like I¡¯ve lost something...¡±


    Pulling her close, I ignited God Step, following the aetheric path that I had mentally charted on our first run . In the span of several seconds, we were standing on the edge of the sharp lip of stone that surrounded the Shadow w¡¯s hidden sanctuary .


    From there, we travelled on foot . It wasn¡¯t a difficult climb, but it did take time, and we were buffeted by icy winds and blinded by driving snow before we arrived in a shallow alcove looking down on the woven huts now clearly visible even through the growing storm . Thest part of the n required that not only the two of us, but Regis be visible as well .


    ¡°Like we nned,¡± I whispered .


    ¡°Not that I mind posing powerfully and intimidatingly, but I don¡¯t see how my presence will help us,¡± Regis said softly .


    Caera nodded . ¡°I¡¯m curious as well . ¡±


    ¡°I just figured wolves and leopards are...close enough . ¡± I shrugged, keeping an eye on the vige . ¡°Who knows . Maybe you¡¯ll make some friends . ¡±


    ¡°Hard to argue with that logic,¡± Regis said sarcastically .


    Imbuing aether into my eyes to supplement my naturally enhanced vision, I studied the details and activity happening within the vige . The woven huts the Shadow ws lived in were shaped vaguely like beehives and made of oveppingyers of a straw-colored woven grass . Each structure was fitted with a simple door woven into a frame made of treated sticks .


    Though the wind still howled, the vige was protected from the worst of it . In fact, the entire hollow in which it was built was clear of snow . A handful of small, twisted trees with broad, dark leaves decorated the packed earth paths between the houses, and dense, deep green grass grew everywhere else .


    In a circr patch of sandy earth, four Shadow ws appeared to be...training . When we had first arrived, the two pairs had been attacking one another, though without their ws . As we watched, they halted their sparring, bowed to one another, and began a series of identical movements that were clearly rehearsed .


    Theirbat style was fascinating to watch . They emphasized quick strikes to vital areas, and were always moving . Every sh or swipe of a paw took them at least three steps from their starting position, and each attack was intertwined with a defensive maneuver .


    Though they didn¡¯t actively use their aether abilities while training, I could see how sudden leaps or strafing hops were meant to simte their ability to teleport . As I watched them, I wished that I could speak to them and learn about their maniption of aether .


    If this goes well, maybe I¡¯ll get the chance, I thought, running through what I¡¯d nned to say and do onest time .


    ¡°Ready?¡± I asked the others, keeping my voice low . They both nodded .


    Taking Swiftsure¡¯s corpse out of my dimension rune, I gripped it by its ruined neck and leapt from the alcove down into the vige,nding between the circr training area and the outer wall . Caera and Regis jumped down just behind me .


    The four closest Shadow ws howled in rm, scrambling away from us and falling into low crouches . Aether red around them as they conjured their ws .


    More came running from around the vige, bursting out of doors or simply appearing in front of us using their aetheric teleportation, each one snarling, ws out and ready to fight .


    I raised the stiff corpse above my head, then went down on one knee and bowed forward, letting Swiftsure¡¯s body roll out of my hands into the dense grass .


    Next to me, I knew Caera and Regis were copying my bow, each of us exposing the backs of our necks to the crowd of Shadow ws . I listened carefully to the whisper-quiet sound of a single Shadow w cautiously approaching .


    I peeked through my curtain of pale wheat hair and watched as the cat-like creature nudged the corpse, causing the neck to roll and revealing the torn throat, which Regis had chewed open to hide the razor-thin shes .


    It said something in a mewling, pitchy voice and I risked lifting my head a fraction of an inch to better see it . The Shadow w was clearly old, its thick white fur having lost its lustre, the ck spots fading to gray . Its head snapped around when I moved and it stepped back into a defensive posture .


    Very slowly and calmly, my eyes on the ground, I said, ¡°Please, we mean you no harm . Wee seeking your aid . Do any of your people speak ournguage?¡±


    Another Shadow w, this one taller than the rest, stepped out of the crowd, which had formed a half-circle around us, and gestured toward me . It began to speak in their hissing, mewlingnguage, its voice the low growl of an angry leopard .


    ¡®This doesn¡¯t seem to be going well,¡¯ Regis said, projecting his thoughts into my mind .


    Be patient . They didn¡¯t immediately attack, which is exactly what we hoped for .


    ~


    A third Shadow w, so old and stooped that it walked with the aid of a stick, stepped forward and responded to the tall one, who shot me a re, bowed, and fell back .


    The vige went silent except for the noise of the wind battering at the stone walls . I resisted the urge to d myself in aether as I waited for something to happen . Even if they didn¡¯t attack us, I didn¡¯t know what their capability formunication was, or if they would give us their piece of the portal frame once we had made them understand our purpose .


    If they did attack us, I was confident I could fight them off, even given our poor strategic position, but I really hoped it didn¡¯te to that . The longer they waited, though, the less likely a fight seemed .


    Finally the Shadow w who hade forward to inspect Swiftsure¡¯s remains said something, and two others ran up to collect the body, carrying it out of sight . Then the cat-like creature sat in front of me, its legs crossed . With one paw, it gestured for me to sit up .


    Shifting around, I sat in the grass, crossing my own legs and resting my hands on my knees, palms up . Behind me, I heard Caera and Regis shuffling around as well .


    The Shadow w¡¯s eyes shone like amethysts, although they didn¡¯t seem to be looking at me directly . Rather, it looked around me, its gaze travelling the edges of my physical form as if it could see the heat radiating from my body .


    Or my aether, I realized .


    Slowly, very slowly, one broad paw reached out toward my upturned palm . There was no malevolence in the motion, so I stayed still, watching, deeply curious about what this creature might do .


    The soft pad of the Shadow w¡¯s paw touched my hand, and for a moment nothing happened . Then everything changed .


    The quiet mountain vige of woven huts was gone, as were the stunted little fruit trees and the crowd of worried-looking cat people . Even the constant rushing of the wind had vanished .


    I felt as though I were drifting in space, though I wasn¡¯t floating, exactly . I wasn¡¯t really anything at all . Before fear could set in, however, color and light seeped out of the empty nothing, resolving into moving images, like I had closed my eyes and was picturing a favorite memory .


    Except it wasn¡¯t my memory . I watched as two Shadow w kittens chased each other through the vige . One, the chaser, was howling angrily . The other had taken something . As they sprinted toward the pool, I was suddenly in front of them, forcing both kittens to slide to a halt .


    Calmly, I took the object¡ªa little branch with a handful of purple berries on it¡ªplucked the berries one by one from the branch, and then gave each child an equal number . ¡°Be kind to one another and share,¡± I said simply, though my words came out in thenguage of the Shadow ws .


    Then the vision melted away and was reced with another . This time, I was looking down at myself, bowing, Swiftsure¡¯s body lying awkwardly before me . I relived the moments after our arrival in the vige again, though this time it was from the perspective of this Shadow w .


    Though I still didn¡¯t hear the words as words, I understood their meaning when the tall Shadow w¡ªLeft Tooth¡ªspoke, addressing me .


    ¡°Three Steps, it is clear this must be some trap of the fiendish Spear Beaks . We should kill these creatures quickly before we fall under their power . ¡±


    The other Shadow w¡ªSleeps-in-Snow¡ªstepped from the crowd and said, ¡°Take care, Left Tooth, lest your fear cause you to grow feathers and a beak . Let us see their minds and know their purpose . ¡±


    Then the vision faded and everything went dark and nk again . I felt a sense of...expectation .


    I thought I understood what the creature wanted . She couldn¡¯t speak mynguage, but by sharing our memories we couldmunicate . I could exin what we¡¯de for .


    It was delicate . I had to bring forward the right memory without thinking about anything that could upset our hosts, but I had no way of knowing if the topic itself¡ªour pursuit of the portal pieces¡ªwould anger them .


    First, I shared the memory of Caera and I standing before the broken archway and my attempt to repair it with aether . Next, I reyed the battle with the Ghost Bear, including my conversation with Caera about not wanting to fight it . Deciding to take a risk, I finally focused on the memory of the ancient Four Fists gesturing for me to take the n¡¯s portal piece .


    Thismunication-by-memory was a slow process, aided only by the fact that I had so much experience with mentalmunication through Sylvie . Unbidden, the memory of ourst moments together yed in the darkness . I watched in suden horror as her body became ethereal and broke apart into motes of gold andvender .


    I forced the memory away before she waspletely gone, as if by doing so I could keep it from already having happened, and hoped that the Shadow w didn¡¯t take offense from my unintended memory . All was nk and silent once again .


    While I waited for a reply, I grew anxious wondering how Regis and Caera were doing . While my wolvenpanion might be able to manage, Caera definitely didn¡¯t have any training in mentalmunication . If one of the Shadow ws decided tomunicate with her, our ns could be run to the ground .


    Fortunately, the connection broke without issue and the world came whirling back into existence around me . Three Steps unfolded from her seated position, using her thick tail to push her to her feet . She then gestured for us to stand as well .


    I nced behind me . Caera and Regis hadn¡¯t moved, though they were both watching me nervously .


    ¡®Where the hell have you been?¡¯ Regis asked, touching my mind . ¡®You just sort of...went away for awhile when that thing touched you . I couldn¡¯t sense your mind at all . ¡¯


    I stood and offered my hand to Caera, but she hopped to her feet without my aid . Turning to Regis instead, I said only, ¡°We made some progress . ¡±


    ~


    Three Steps announced something to the rest of the Shadow w n, sending a ripple through the twenty some creatures . Some bowed respectfully . Several quickly suppressed looks of surprise, but Left Tooth and two others shook their heads in disbelief and looked as though they might argue .


    Before they could, however, Sleeps-in-Snow knocked the end of his stick on the frozen ground and spoke briefly . Whatever was said, it seemed to quell any rising tension, at least for the moment .


    The half-circle of Shadow ws opened, allowing Three Steps to walk through . She gestured for me to follow, which I did . I watched Left Tooth from the corner of my eye as we passed through the line of cat people, most of whom stood no taller than my shoulder, but he remained motionless .


    Three Steps led us through the town to a humble home next to the pool of water, then held the door open and waved for us to enter, which we did .


    The interior was simple, just like at the Spear Beaks¡¯ and Four Fists¡¯ viges . A woven grass rug covered much of the floor, while a round bed of mounded yellow grass was pressed against the far wall . A white-feathered headdress hung just inside the door, and a short stack of te tes sat next to the bed . Like the picture we¡¯d found on the in Shadow w, the top te was etched, though I couldn¡¯t quite make out the image .


    Space is a little tight in here, I thought to mypanion . Why don¡¯t you remain on standby while you recharge?


    ¡°Meal time,¡± the shadow wolf said, licking his muzzle before jumping into me and disappearing into my body .


    Three Steps watched this carefully, her bright eyes widening when Regis vanished . Then the old Shadow w leaned forward, peering closely at my chest, and her eyes went even wider . She said something in her ownnguage, stopped, and shook her head . She pointed where Regis had been, then pointed at my chest .


    I nodded .


    Three Steps let out a sharp, yeowlingugh, surprising both me and Caera . She was grinning wildly, though I couldn¡¯t be sure what she found so entertaining . Seeing my look of confusion, she gestured to my hands, which I held out, then pressed her soft paws into them again .


    I wasn¡¯t taken away from the world this time, though I still received a vision of Three Steps¡¯ memory . Six Shadow ws were standing in the circr training area on the other side of the vige . I was exining something .


    We were discussing the nature of the Creators¡¯ power, how each tribe had been gifted with unique abilities that suited their needs . I was exining how they should never stop climbing the mountain of knowledge because it had no peak . Just because they had never seen a thing done, did not mean it couldn¡¯t be done .


    After the lecture, they began to practice with their ws and their teleportation ability . I corrected and encouraged them, provided guidance and feedback, and through the memory I began to understand something of how they used aether .


    To the Shadow ws, calling on aether was as natural as using their lungs to breathe or their hearts to pump blood . It was likely the djinn¡ªtheir Creators, I assumed¡ªhad given them these abilities, much like the chimera had unknowingly manipted aether to move, fight, and even rebuild themselves .


    The speed with which they teleported was impressive . They didn¡¯t need to stop and look for the correct path like I did, something that hindered my ability to use God Step inbat .


    The vision ended and Three Steps pulled her hands back, but I had an idea . I moved my upturned palms toward her, trying tomunicate that I wanted to connect again . She seemed to take my meaning, and touched my hands .


    I sent her snippets of memory throughout my journey through the Relictombs . In each one, I was practicing some form of aether art, trying to learn to control my new abilities, to hone them and get better at using them .


    It took several minutes, but when I broke the connection I could feel the hunger for knowledge emanating from Three Steps . Our hands had barely parted before she pressed them back together and another memory filled my mind .


    I was sitting next to Sleeps-in-Snow, somewhere in the craggy peaks above the vige . We had been speaking, dancing around a subject I wanted to broach, but was nervous to do so .


    Sleeps-in-Snow wasn¡¯t quite as old as he had been when I¡¯d seen him only minutes ago . He hadn¡¯t yet taken to using the walking stick . ¡°What is this thought I see hiding behind your eyes, Three Steps?¡± he asked me, his own stormy purple eyes burrowing into mine .


    ¡°What is our purpose, Sleeps-in-Snow?¡±


    The old Shadow w watched me closely for a few long moments before answering . ¡°What is the purpose of the mountain? Or the snow? Or the fish in the stream?¡±


    I had expected a response like this . ¡°The mountain is our home, the snow our protection¡ªand the fish fills our bellies when we grow hungry . ¡±


    ¡°This is how these things touch our lives, yes, Three Steps, but is it their purpose?¡± Sleeps-in-Snow kept his face carefully nk, but there was something teasing in his tone .


    I pressed my paw into a nk snowdrift, then pulled it carefully out, leaving behind a perfect imprint . ¡°They do not themselves have an inherent purpose . It is up to us to decide their purpose . ¡±


    Sleeps-in-Snow raised a brow as he replied in a challenging tone . ¡°And who are you to decide such a thing? Are you the master of the mountain and the snow to tell them what their purpose should be?¡±


    I shook my head, realizing I had fallen into his trap . ¡°No, I am not the master of the mountain or the snow . ¡±


    Rxing into an understanding smile, Sleeps-in-Snow wrapped his tail around my shoulder . ¡°Minds both clearer and deeper than ours have pondered the question of our purpose . Only by climbing the mountain of wisdom may we see more of what lies around us . ¡±


    ¡°And if we never climb high enough to find the answers we seek?¡±


    Sleeps-in-Snow stretched and yawned, and the cracking of his old joints echoed down the cliffside . ¡°Then hope that those you teach climb higher than you, when it is their turn . ¡±


    My eyelids fluttered open as the vision ended . I didn¡¯t even realize I had closed my eyes, but this memory had felt much more intense than the others . I couldn¡¯t help the sense that I¡¯d been shown something very private .


    Three Steps was watching my face closely, though how well she could read my features, I had no idea . What I did know was that she was hungry for knowledge, and it was possible she had as much to teach me about aether as I could teach her .


    ¡°Grey?¡± Caera said softly from beside me, making me jump . I¡¯d nearly forgotten she was there . ¡°Not to interrupt, but what¡¯s the n? Are we guests here? Are we prisoners?¡±


    I locked eyes with Three Steps before turning back to her . ¡°We¡¯re guests . ¡±


    The cryan noble let out a sigh, her horns practically sagging in relief . ¡°What about the portal piece...do you think they¡¯re willing to give it to us?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t asked yet,¡± I replied . ¡°For now, I think we should stay here and wait out the storm . ¡±


    ¡°Is that really necessary?¡± Caera asked with a frown . ¡°We¡¯ve already spent so much time in this zone...¡±


    Her voice trailed off as I looked at her¡ªtruly looked at her . She had been holding strong withoutint, but Caera had definitely lost weight and herplexion wasn¡¯t healthy . Her cheeks, splotched with dirt and blood, were sunken, and dark bags clung underneath her eyes fromck of proper sleep .


    She had been following me, someone who barely needed any food, water, or sleep to survive, and had done so without protest .


    She couldn¡¯tin, since she had been the one to lie and hide herself in order to follow after me . Despite who she was and what her blood implied, a small part of me felt bad .


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you some rest,¡± I said gently . ¡°I¡¯ll ask if we can wash up, and I¡¯ll take watch while you sleep . ¡±


    Caera nodded wordlessly, but a faint smile yed across her lips .


    ¡°Hang in there,¡± I added .


    We still needed to find the Ghost Bears and the ¡®wild things¡¯, then figure out how to get back to the Spear Beaks .


    But before all of that, I needed to stay here . I couldn¡¯t just ignore the chance to learn from the Shadow ws . Not just their ability to teleport short distances, but their ability to conjure their most deadly weaponspletely out of aether .


    Perhaps I didn¡¯t need to find a recement for Dawn¡¯s Bad . I could just make one .

 Chapter 304

    Chapter 304


    ¡°Whew . ¡± Caera dipped her head before walking in through the entrance of the straw hut . ¡°This storm is getting stronger by the day . ¡±


    Even as she spoke, the noise of the wind rushing through the craggy mountains protecting the Shadow w vige drowned out almost all other sounds, including her voice . However, even with the doors open and the hut exposed to the cold air, the wind itself was barely a breeze by the time it reached the secluded vige .


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯re enjoying yourself out there,¡± I said, almost jealous .


    Caera had grabbed a woven towel from a table near the entrance and began wiping away the sweat that ran down her neck and arms . ¡°We¡¯re stuck here . If I ever hope to catch up to you, I have to do my best to train as well . ¡±


    I raised a brow . ¡°Is that what that was? All I saw was you chasing after the little kittens . ¡±


    The cryan noble frowned . ¡°Says the one that¡¯s had his behind firmly pasted to the ground these past three days . ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not just sitting around,¡± I corrected . ¡°I¡¯m learning how to filter¡ªouch!¡±


    Rubbing my head, I picked up the wooden spoon that had been thrown at me from the other side of the woven home .


    Three Steps, who had been quietly stirring a stone pot, let out a sharp mewl before pointing to her feline eyes with her paw .


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know . I was just replenishing my aether a bit,¡± I grumbled, knowing that she couldn¡¯t understand me . Caera let out a chuckle .


    I let my gaze unfocus and put both Caera and Three Steps out of my mind before igniting God Step once again . The rune on my lower back grew warm as aether surged out from my core . I couldn¡¯t help but grow annoyed, and slightly worried, by the shadowy presence clinging tightly around my aether core .


    Regis . It¡¯s been three days now . Either answer me or stop hogging all of my aether .


    After waiting for a response for several more minutes, I gave up . Something had happened to Regis after arriving in the Shadow ws¡¯ vige . He had been taking a nap¡ªmeditating¡ªwhen all of a sudden his eyes bolted open and he shot into my body, refusing toe out .


    Since then, he¡¯d been absorbing an unusual amount of aether, and I could feel his presence shifting back and forth from my core to my godrunes .


    At least with Regis eating up so much of my aether reserves, it¡¯s allowing me more breaks in between training sessions with Three Steps, I thought somewhat grumpily .


    The past few days had been exhausting in a way that I never thought was possible with my asuran physique . After Three Steps had agreed to mentor me in the aether arts of her own kind, she started off by sharing her memories of her own tutoring by a younger Sleeps-in-Snow . They had often discussed the Shadow ws¡¯ aetheric abilities at length and in great detail, providing a very solid base for my own learning process .


    Through it, I had learned that Shadow ws are born with the ability to see the aetheric passages that allowed one to travel across space instantly . However, for newborns, this ability was actually a curse . With so much information bombarding their undeveloped brains, some of the weaker-willed infants actually died .


    It was up to the parents and mentors to properly guide their newborns, to help them learn to first shut off their ¡°mind¡¯s eye¡± until they were old enough to start learning how to shadow step, which was their term for the aetheric teleportation technique they used .


    Most of the memories I¡¯d been shown guided me through how the Shadow ws honed their shadow step ability . Three Steps didn¡¯t understand my godrune any more than I could fathom how she manipted aether without runes, spellforms, or an aether core, but by learning the way they learned, I hoped to grow stronger¡ªand quicker¡ªin my use of God Step .


    Apparently, I wasn¡¯t even at the level of a two-year-old Shadow w cub, because that was the age that they started learning how to filter out the countless paths of aetheric streams .


    Seeing it firsthand through the eyes of Three Steps as she filtered out the paths was both fascinating and humbling . There were only a dozen or so around her, which she always kept track of in order to be ready to shadow step at a moment¡¯s notice,


    With over two lifetimes of experiences in different worlds, I considered myself fairly intelligent and sharp . However,pared to how the Shadow ws constantly focused and kept track of the aetheric paths, even predicting how those paths would move based on their own movements was mind-boggling .


    My gaze remained focused on the boulder in the center of the pond just outside of Three Steps¡¯ home . Hundreds of branching paths of violet intersected in the space around me, and while I had found the aetheric path leading to the boulder a long time ago, I had no intention of using God Step .


    I continued to take in my surroundings through my unfocused eyes, trying to filter out more and more of the aetheric paths that drowned my vision . It was like trying to flex a specific set of muscles somewhere between my eyes and brain in a subtle, yet precise, order .


    During thesest few days of Three Steps showing me countless memories in hopes of expediting my training, I had learned how to contract my vision in order to filter out the aetheric routes that went past my chosen destination . Three Steps had been particrly excited about this breakthrough even though I wasn¡¯t quite as satisfied .


    I trained God Step constantly, even while Three Steps and Caera slept, stopping only when I needed to replenish my aether reserves . I knew that my time here was limited, so it was crucial that I make the most of it .


    It was only when Caera appeared again in the corner of my eye that I realized I had gone through another night training my focus on the aetheric pathways .


    ¡°How is your progress, Grey?¡± Caera asked, taking a seat on the ground beside me . She was dressed in a tight sleeveless shirt, giving her a much more casual appearance than I had grown used to . If it wasn¡¯t for the gleaming pair of horns circling her head like a dark crown...


    I performed the mental equivalent of biting my tongue, not allowing myself to finish the thought before answering the cryan noble . ¡°It¡¯s going well . The fact that I barely need sleep certainly helps . ¡±


    Caera hugged her legs and shivered from the cold . ¡°You know, I used to really envy that particr ability . Perhaps even more so than your ridiculous regeneration ability . ¡±


    I raised a brow . ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I kept thinking to myself how much stronger I would be if I only needed a few hours of sleep a week in order to staypletely healthy, how much I could get done, and how useful it¡¯d be both in and out of the Relictombs . ¡± Caera rested her chin on her knees, her gaze far away . ¡°But after being with you for this long, I¡¯ve realized that it¡¯s as much of a curse as it is a blessing . ¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    The cryan noble turned her head to me with a solemn smile . ¡°You always look lonely or in pain during the night . It¡¯s why you¡¯re always training, right?¡±


    I stared at Caera, not knowing how to respond . My mind flitted to all of the times when memories of my family and friends in Dicathen ate at me, even when I was awake . But it was worse at night .


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that,¡± I lied . ¡°There are things I have to do, and if I want to even hope to seed, then I need to utilize every advantage I have . ¡±


    ¡°With how strong you are already, it sounds like you¡¯re preparing yourself to fight the gods themselves,¡± Caera said with a thinugh .


    Before I could answer, a stern mewl drew our attention behind us . Three Steps, who must have slept and awoken again while I was lost in training, was motioning for me to follow her before walking out the door .


    ¡°Will you be okay by yourself?¡± I asked Caera, who was still sitting by the entrance .


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one that has training to do,¡± she said with a grin .


    I smiled back this time, admiring her mental fortitude . She had been stuck with me in zones far more difficult and deadly than she had ventured through before . Yet, despite almost starving to death, nearly dying several times, and almost freezing to death on multiple asions, she was still able to stay positive .


    Following after Three Steps, we made our way toward the rear end of the vige, away from the curious gazes of the Shadow w vigers .


    Much of the storm had subsided overnight, allowing some of the Shadow ws to go back out of the vige . While it was still hard for me to tell the Shadow ws apart from one another, one of them did stick out to me . It was Left Tooth .


    Three Steps let out a hiss beside me before taking a seat on the snow, drawing my attention back to her . My mentor¡¯s sharp feline eyes looked at me seriously while she began speaking in hernguage . I watched her face carefully . Her eyes were darting from my face to my chest, and her feline mouth was turned down in a slight frown as she spoke, her whiskers twitching .


    I couldn¡¯t understand a single word she had said, but I didn¡¯t need to . Three Steps held out her paws, and, as we had done so many times now, Ipleted the connection .


    As I expected, the memory she shared with me was the exact scene of her talking to me just moments ago, except it was from her point of view and I could understand what she was saying to me, even as I looked at my own self through her eyes, staring back in obvious confusion .


    ¡°I have shown you enough of our ways to befortable asking for something in return . I would like to know more about your unique abilities, passed down from the Creators, even if it is not something I can learn myself,¡± she said before my vision shifted to a memory she had shared with me previously in which she and Sleeps-in-Snow conversed about their purpose .


    The vision faded as my host pulled her hands back from mine . She waited, her eyes unblinking, until I nodded and held out my hands to her .


    ~


    Three Steps looked at me once more, but her expression had changed . No longer did she look at me as if I were a child trying to learn the very basics of shadow step . She regarded me with respect, perhaps even a hint of wonder, remaining dazed even after several minutes had passed since our hands disconnected .


    Reliving the memories hadn¡¯t been easy for me, either . This was the first time I had shared the memory of my arrival in the Relictombs after losing the battle against Nico and Cadell . Three Steps had just witnessed my entire journey through my eyes, from the giant chimeras and aetheric millipede, all the way to the titan . She had felt my darkness and pain and sense of loss as I struggled to keep fighting, and she had witnessed the evolution of my aetheric abilities with nothing short of awe .


    I held back a deep, weary sigh, not wanting to give Three Steps the wrong impression .


    I had found the Shadow ws¡¯ method ofmunication to be long and tiresome, but it was now that I realized how much more effectively you could express your meaning through the sharing of memories .


    Three Steps knew more about me, about my journey, than ric or even Caera, who had been by my side throughout this ascent . Being so open was honestly somewhat scary, but at the same time, seeing Three Steps¡¯ expression of empathy and sadness...it was as if arge weight had been taken from my shoulders .


    As if sensing my emotions, Three Steps patted me on the shoulder before motioning for me to follow her once more . This time, with most of the storm having passed, the Shadow w led me out of the protective confines of the vige and to the base of a jagged mountain nearby .


    Once again, my host held out her paw while shooting me a yful grin . Curious, I touched her hand with mine and felt my mind slipping into hers .


    In it, a young Three Steps¡ªthough she wasn¡¯t yet called that¡ªand two other Shadow ws, Tumble Down and Spear Rider, were training in the same jagged mountain just above their vige . It was a sort ofpetition, where they each teleported as far as they could across the deep folds of the mountain, and whoever made it the farthest from the starting point won the round .


    It was Spear Rider¡¯s turn to go first . As I watched the strong-jawed, dark-spotted Shadow w chart the course of his shadow steps, I found myself considering his bravery, and the awkward thought that he would make a fine mate to raise a kitten with some day passed through my mind .


    Though I knew this was part of the memory, it was still an extremely strange thing to find myself thinking .


    Outside of the memory, Three Steps pressed harder against my hand, perhaps sensing my distraction . I refocused as Spear Rider, having chosen his course, made two quick shadow steps, bringing him to a shallow ledge of rock about halfway up the next ridge over from our starting point .


    It was a fair effort, but there was another path using a boulder just past the column of stone he had used as his own middle step that would take me farther .


    Tumble Down must have had the same thought, because he chose the boulder to step to . Unfortunately for him, it was loose . The stone shifted under his feet, forcing him to shadow step to safety . He howled in frustration from a shallow bowl in the mountainside nearly fifty feet below Spear Rider .


    d that Tumble Down went first and showed me the loose stone, I scouted the mountainside again, looking for a safer path that would take me farther than Spear Rider, but couldn¡¯t find one .


    ¡°What are you waiting for, Soft Heart?¡± Tumble Down yelled . ¡°The mountains to move closer together before you take your steps?¡±


    Spear Riderughed at our friend¡¯s teasing . ¡°Perhaps she will wait until the next storm and let the wind carry her to the mountain¡¯s peak!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t hurry, Soft Heart, your name will be Slow-as-Stone!¡±


    ¡°And yours will be Dumb-as-Rock, Tumble Down!¡± I threw back, eliciting another howl ofughter from Spear Rider .


    Making up my mind, I set my feet and prepared to catch myself on the loose boulder . If I waited for it to settle, and it did not break loose entirely, I could make it to a shelf of stone twenty feet beyond where Tumble Down stood .


    Taking my eyes away from the stone and snow of the mountainside, I focused on the shadow paths, the purple lightning-fork cracks that would lead me to the boulder, and then the high shelf .


    Though the memory flowed at the speed of perception where I could experience Three Steps¡¯ thoughts as she was formting them, the actual act of her looking into the aether and teleporting was nearly instant .


    Even after days of nonstop training, my own view of the branching aetheric paths was still immensely moreplex and burdensome than her own . It was yet another reminder of how far I had to go if I wanted to utilize the full potential of my aether art .


    ~


    In the memory, my surroundings shed as I took a shadow step from the high ridge to the small boulder . My body tensed, expecting the boulder to shift, which it did . My n was to let it settle, then step to the shelf .


    Beneath the wide pads of my feet, the boulder turned¡ªand kept turning . In a second, it was sliding away from the mountainside, and suddenly I was riding the unsupported boulder as it plummeted down into the ravine .


    Rising panic had made me too slow to make my second shadow step, and when I finally did, I was already falling . Looking up, the first thing I saw was the column of standing stone that Spear Rider had used to step to . Following the purple pathways to the peak, I took my second step .


    I misjudged it badly, appearing on the side, not the top, of the column . My aetheric ws scratched at the smooth stone, scoring deep lines into it, but failing to catch hold of anything as I slid downwards, at risk of falling nearly a hundred feet to the bottom of the ravine and my death .


    A stray, dislodged thought floated through the back of my panicked mind: Why had the Creators given the Shadow ws the power to see the aetheric paths and step through them, but only allowed us to do it twice in a row?


    It was with some bitterness that I¡ªor Three Steps, it grew difficult to tell our thoughts apart during longer memories¡ªthought that if only they¡¯d given us the ability to shadow step three times in a row that I wouldn¡¯t be about to die .


    The sudden shift in gravity jerked the thought away, and I watched with horror as the branching paths, still there but unreachable, jumped and twitched, showing me a path to safety I couldn¡¯t take .


    As Arthur watching the memory, I was fascinated by the way Three Steps was able to keep near-automatically adjusting the path that would take her to safety . More than that however, it was the first time I realized that, while the Shadow ws were able to visualize the aetheric paths, they weren¡¯t necessarily seeing it through strictly their eyes .


    Through Three Steps¡¯ memories I could sense the aetheric paths all around me even as I was falling . I¡¯d thought of them often as vibrations, but it took thebination of Three Steps¡¯ senses and my own to realize that there were other ways to see them than with my eyes .


    There was a music to them, a beckoning, quivering eagerness, almost as if the aether wanted to help, to show me the way out . Almost without thinking, I reached out my paw and followed .


    The pain was so intense at first that I wasn¡¯t sure if I had shadow stepped or if I had crashed into the ground and was taking myst breaths before my inevitable death . A purple fog obscured my vision, but something cold and hard was pressed against my body, ttening my fur .


    There was shouting in the distance...then the shouting was right next to me, and strong paws turned me over .


    The purple fog faded . Spear Rider and Tumble Down were both standing over me, their eyes wide, their whiskers quivering as they waited to see if I was alive or dead .


    My heart was thumping so hard I thought it might burst . Meanwhile, there was a terrible ache gripping at every inch of my body, and a severe case of bacsh was overtaking me .


    Still, I was alive .


    As Arthur, I felt myself grinning as my mind slipped back into my own body . Three Steps was giving me a toothy smirk as well, obviously proud of the memory she had just shared with me .


    ¡°So this was your secret,¡± I said, my body twitching in excitement .


    As if understanding my words, Three Steps held a furry finger over her mouth .


    I nodded in agreement as I thought through parts of the memory Three Steps had just shown me . It was obvious that she had been holding onto this memory until she felt I was truly keeping my end of the bargain, because through it I learned something crucial¡ªmore than that, I was able to experience it firsthand .


    As I ignited God Step, I let my gaze unfocus, but this time, I went a step beyond . Instead of concentrating so hard on limiting the aetheric paths through my eyes, I expanded my focus toward my other senses . While I couldn¡¯t smell, hear, or taste the aether in any capacity, I was able to expand my intent toward the aether paths around me .


    Every aetheric stream, while intertwined with or branching from one another, had a beginning and an end . And these streams acted as highways that I could travel through . However, with my intent fully connected to the aetheric paths, I didn¡¯t try to read these intricate andplicated routes .


    Instead, I let the aether feed the information I needed to me .


    Going a step beyond Three Steps, whose feline body was already adept at sensing the aether paths, I shrouded myself in a thinyer of aether and let my body be an anchor for the aetheric paths to send information to .


    This was where Three Steps¡¯ training to focus on only the most immediate routes and limit the distance at which I perceived them was crucial . With so much information being fed to me from the aetheric pathways, I was only able to properly make out those that would teleport me just two feet away . If I tried to expand my focus out beyond that radius, it felt like hot rods were being shoved into my brain .


    Taking a deep breath, I withdrew God Step and, in my excitement, I couldn¡¯t help but give my mentor a hug .


    It was only a small step forward, but I knew now how to improve . For the first time, I could see myself not only catching up to Three Steps, but, with my aether core, surpassing her .

 Chapter 305

    Chapter 305


    A bead of sweat rolled down the side of my face as I carefully lifted my back leg and slowly brought it forward . I had learned and relearned how to walk throughout the span of two lifetimes, but this single step took more concentration than even the most intricate, multi-elemental spell that I had mastered with the use of mana .


    My heart skipped a beat in excitement as the aether paths continued to hold strong and provide me with updated information based on my new position .


    I prepared to take another step when a tap on my shoulder broke my concentration . The intertwining streams of violet crackled and distorted, sending me a barrage of chaotic information in the form of a hot knife pressed against the inside of my brain .


    ¡°Gah!¡± I recoiled in pain, but the feeling of losing my streak was even more agonizing .


    ¡°I was on my twenty-third step!¡± I groaned in frustration at Three Steps .


    My mentor scoffed and spoke in hernguage before holding out a paw .


    I pressed my palm up against her warm pads in resignation, letting her memories in .


    ¡°It¡¯s childish to get angry at me for not being able to keep your concentration . Besides, the day is ending and my tribe members should be back from their journey . ¡±


    Letting out a sigh that coalesced as a cloud of fog around my head, I nodded .


    Three Steps smirked, revealing a sharp canine before she disappeared with a shadow step . I looked down to see her on a thin nose-shaped rock about a dozen yards below from the wide mountain peak we had been training on .


    I ignited God Step once again . In that moment of focus, I felt the draining presence of Regis within me . He had remained unresponsive no matter how much I called for him . When I tried to eject him out, I could feel my aether core anchoring him inside, leaving me no choice but to remain patient .


    Focusing my senses on the streams of aether that had lit up around me, I appeared next to Three Steps with a crackle of aetheric electricity .


    Without pause, my mentor disappeared once again, her body bing a dark blur before appearing another several yards below me, near the base of a winding ravine .


    The two of us had made our way up this particr mountain using only our teleportation abilities . Three Steps had shared with me that many of the mountains surrounding the vige were sort of obstacle courses for the Shadow ws to use for training .


    With how much difficulty I¡¯d had God Stepping up the narrow ridges and jagged peaks leading to the very top of this mountain, I refused to believe that this was one of the easier courses .


    I continued to follow after Three Steps down the mountain, my breath fogging in front of me and sweat leaving a chilly trail down my face and back .


    With all of the unknowns in my life always weighing on my mind, focusing solely on training made me feel more... in control . And with a mentor helping me progress, it wasn¡¯t as frustrating as nearly killing myself over and over to see some actual results .


    I didn¡¯t want to admit it, but I was enjoying myself for the first time since my training in the flying castle .


    My mind shed to memories of learning elemental magic from Buhnd, Kathyln, Hester, and Camus back in the castle . We¡¯d had fun then . Kathyln and I had enjoyed listening to the eldersin and gossip, and I couldn¡¯t remember when learning magic had ever been more enjoyable .


    At that time, we¡¯d been at war, yes, but there was still hope that we could win . And I still had my father .


    I still had Sylvie...


    Three Steps was waiting for me on a t protrusion hidden by snow-capped trees, gazing at me with a small frown .


    One of the things that I had noticed early on was how hyper-empathic Three Steps was . She told me it had to do with how the Shadow wsmunicated using memories, allowing for a deeper sensitivity of not only scenes shared between their tribe members but also the emotions that followed .


    When I didn¡¯t immediately meet her paws, she frowned deeper and stretched her arm even closer toward me .


    I shook my head, not willing to share these particr memories .


    Three Steps looked as if she might press the issue, but the cry of a bird high above us made her flinch and fall into a crouch . She stared upward, trying to see through the clouds .


    I followed her gaze, unprepared for her excessive reaction . It was only a bird cawing¡ª


    The ck body of a human-sized bird, with a beak shaped like a spear, dipped below the surface of the white clouds . It wheeled once around the mountain top, then rose back into the white sea and vanished .


    ¡°A Spear Beak,¡± I said, more to myself than to Three Steps . Turning away from the sky, I found her practically t against the ground, the fur along her neck and back standing on end, her teeth bared in a silent hiss .


    I gently tapped my mentor¡¯s arm and pointed to a shallow cave in the face of the mountain .


    After a moment, we made our way to the cave, though Three Steps never took her gaze away from the sky .


    Standing with our backs t up against the shallow cavity on the side of the mountain, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder at the Spear Beak¡¯s visit . What would bring a lone member of their tribe all the way to the Shadow w vige? A scout, perhaps, looking for Caera and me, or maybe just for Swiftsure .


    Staring at the Spear Beak weaving up and down the clouds, an idea struck me . I knew it might be a long shot, but I had been fortunate enough to receive a warm wee from both their tribes . If I could provide at least a small bit of mediation, then it might be easier for us to retrieve the pieces of the portal arch .


    With more to gain than to lose, I grabbed Three Step¡¯s paw and sent her the image of Swiftsure saving us and leading us to their vige, of our wee there, and of being fed . I only provided snippets of the conversation we had with Old Broke Beak, as I didn¡¯t want to upset her .


    Three Steps pulled her paw away from me in surprise, looking at me with confusion, or perhaps concern . The Shadow ws¡¯ feline faces were still difficult for me to read .


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said quietly, mustering up a friendly smile for her and holding out my hands again .


    I wanted to share more memories, the moments I had spent with Swiftsure on our journey from the Spear Beak vige, but before I could send them, I began receiving one instead .


    ~


    In it, I was again with Spear Rider . We were a little older than before and this memory took ce high in the mountains . He was running, sprinting along the snow-dusted stone, and from the emotions I felt through Three Step¡¯s eyes as I watched his back, I knew that their rtionship was far past mere friends .


    ¡°Faster, Spear Rider!¡± I shouted as Spear Rider chased after a plump rodent the size of his torso .


    ¡°What use is your three steps if it takes you so long to recharge!¡± he retorted with a yful growl just before his body shed .


    Spear Rider shadow stepped right in the rodent¡¯s path, startling it, but just as he swept his aetheric ws down at our prey, the mole dipped under the snow and resurfaced several yards behind him .


    I let out a howl ofughter as my life partner yelled in frustration .


    We had been chasing after this snow mole for the past hour, hoping to bring it back to the vige and have a feast . It was rare to see one of these reclusive beasts, and even more rare to catch one, as they could burrow into the snow faster than even a Shadow w could get close . Unlike its brethren, this mole continued to resurface rather than hiding deep in the snow, which had given us a chance .


    ¡°This fearless rodent must be taught not to be so brazen,¡± Spear Rider hissed as he sprinted after it, with me following close behind .


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories about how these beasts are able to feed an entire vige twice over because of their ability to make their bodies small orrge,¡± I yelled, excitement pounding at my heart . ¡°Imagine how proud Sleeps-in-Snow will be if we bring one back!¡±


    Spear Rider looked back with an eager grin . ¡°Perhaps we¡¯ll finally be allowed to train as pathfinders!¡±


    The thought of being one of the coveted seekers of answers, traveling far beyond the safety of the vige hoping to find secrets, made my heart pound even harder .


    Filled with determination, I shadow stepped mid-sprint just behind the plump white rodent . That¡¯s when I noticed that it was chewing on something as it was scurrying .


    My moment of distraction allowed the rodent to dip back into the snow and reappear just off the edge of a ravine .


    A shadow shed by and I watched as Spear Rider leapt from the ravine¡¯s edge and shadow stepped down into it and out of sight .


    ¡°Spear Rider! Wai¡ª¡±


    My ears twitched at a sharp, wet thud and a pained grunt from below, just barely audible in the silence of the snowyndscape . Then the gut wrenching shriek of a Spear Beak¡¯s battle cry resounded across the walls of the ravine .


    My vision swam as the blood rushed up to my head . I shadow stepped to the edge of the ravine where I found a Spear Beak on top of my partner .


    Without hesitation I shadow stepped once more on top of thenky bird mounted on top of Spear Rider with my ws extended, but something shed in the corner of my eye .


    Spinning, I brought my ws up in time to block a second Spear Beak¡¯s sharp bill aimed straight for my throat .


    My paws gripped the ground and I slid to a halt just before going off the edge of the shelf of rock, which was high up on the side of the ravine .


    That¡¯s when I noticed the trail of blood that I had made . Two red lines had been drawn in the snow by my own feet, but it wasn¡¯t my blood . Despite the danger I was in, my gaze followed the crimson trail slowly, until I found myself looking at Spear Rider .


    My partner¡¯s pale pelt was red with blood that was still pooling underneath him, his hollow eyes open in shock and pain .


    A howl ripped from my throat as the anguish and grief washed over me like a blizzard, and despite the Creator¡¯s magic drained from my body, I gathered what I had left to sharpen and lengthen my ws .


    That¡¯s when I noticed .


    The Spear Beaks, both dark as a stormy night, blended in with the shadow nketed over us, and below the second Spear Beak¡¯s talons was the rodent that they had used to lure us in, a thin white string attached to its neck .


    My eyes watered in rage as I shot forward, cursing to myself that I shouldn¡¯t have wasted my third shadow step earlier to catch up to the rodent .


    The Spear Beak that had tried to kill me shuffled forward and met my ws with a barrage of stabs using its beak, forcing me to go on the defensive . I parried and dodged, careful not to slip on the melting snow beneath me, but my focus waned when the other Spear Beak began ripping a strip of flesh off my partner . It took its time swallowing the flesh down, its eyes locked on me, as if taunting me .


    The vile creature, eternal enemy of my people, continued to peck at and tear off pieces of Spear Rider, letting out ted squawks while I struggled to defend myself .


    Abruptly, the memory shed out, followed by a jumble of other memories, of altercations with the Spear Beaks, of expression of fear, hatred and grief from the Shadow w tribe .


    And as quickly as the desire to help bring these two tribes together hade... that desire faded .


    I wasn¡¯t sure if the animosity between the different tribes was a creation of the djinn or the result of eons ofpetition, war, and strife, but healing such old wounds would be the work of lifetimes, not some afternoon quest for meplete on my way through .


    For the first time, I stumbled after being pulled out of Three Steps¡¯ memories, her emotions still lingering and affecting me .


    The two of us shared a long look, and even without speaking a single word, I knew by Three Steps¡¯ expression that I had overstayed my wee .


    ~


    A palpable tension clung to the air as we arrived back at the vige and it was obvious that the gathering of Shadow ws near the vige entrance had something to do with it . Three Steps was scanning through the crowd, clearly concerned .


    It wasn¡¯t until I spotted Caera that I realized what was going on . Her de was drawn, eyes calm and deadly, but she remained in a neutral pose, unwilling to strike .


    I stepped forward to help her but Three Steps stopped me . She let out a few low mewls and stuck out her paw .


    My gaze shifted between my mentor and Caera before I impatiently epted her invitation .


    ¡°I don¡¯t wish for a battle, but if you want my aid, I will need to know the whole truth . ¡±


    With our hands pressed together, I sent her the memory of the Shadow w ambush, from the moment the first of them burst from the snow and killed Swiftsure, all the way to Caera¡¯s destruction of the bodies and our formtion of the n to get into their vige .


    Throughout the vision, I felt Three Steps flinch away from me, but she never broke the contact, allowing me toplete the sending . I ended by reying our discovery of the broken portal, the elderly Four Fists giving us their piece, and my conversation with Caera about needing to collect all the portal pieces in order to leave this zone .


    When we broke contact, I tried to get some sense of Three Steps¡¯ feeling, but her feline face was unreadable .


    Damn it . I don¡¯t have time for this .


    I got ready to ept the fact that Three Steps wouldn¡¯t help us, and was about to God Step to Caera¡¯s side when Three Steps shed past me and appeared between the gathering of her tribe members and Caera .


    Following after her, I stood next to the cryan noble, whose expression finally rxed when she saw me . ¡°You¡¯re here . ¡±


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte,¡± I muttered, my eyes locked on the two familiar Shadow ws leading the group .


    I could discern Left Tooth¡¯s aggressive growling as his gaze flickered toward me and Caera while even the calm Sleeps-in-Snow let out a wizened rumble . Anger and fear was clear amongst the tribe members, but the reaction of the group changed as Three Steps spoke .


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to assess the situation here without knowing what they¡¯re saying,¡± Caera said softly . ¡°Do you know what¡¯s going on?¡±


    I shook my head . ¡°I don¡¯t know for certain, but I think the scouts that left earlier may have found signs of our battle with their tribe members . ¡±


    While I didn¡¯t understand her words, Three Steps¡¯ tone was leveled and assertive . As she continued to speak, however, some of the Shadow ws¡¯ faces contorted into expressions of disbelief .


    Left Tooth in particr became even more enraged, puffing out his chest and regarding me with a look of derision, aether fluctuating erratically around him .


    The conversation ended with Three Steps swinging her arm in the air and pointing behind her with a growl . She then turned back to us and motioned for us to follow her .


    Caera and I exchanged a wary nce and started to follow my feline mentor toward her hut when a shadow blurred toward us .


    Left Tooth and two of hisckeys darted past mypanion and lunged toward me, his jagged aether ws humming balefully .


    My foot snapped out in a front kick but he shadow stepped at thest instant . I was ready for this, my vision swirling with the aetheric paths, feeding me the route that Left Tooth had taken . I drove my elbow back, catching him in the side of the head and knocking him to the ground .


    Caera had managed to block the shing ws of the second Shadow w, and I grabbed a third mid-teleport and mmed him into the ground . Pain exploded from my calf, and I twisted away from Left Tooth¡¯s ws as he darted away .


    Regis! Now would be a great time to be useful, I snapped, only to be met with silence .


    Annoyance grew to anger as Caera struggled to keep the other Shadow w at bay without gravely injuring it .


    Left Tooth let out a growl, his ws elongating and contorting the air around them before his form disappeared in yet another shadow step . Just as he appeared in front of me, I God Stepped as well . The haughty Shadow w¡¯s head whirled side to side as I stood behind him .


    Sweeping his legs out from under him, I grabbed the side of his head and mmed Left Tooth face first into the snowy ground .


    The Shadow w¡¯s arms iled, his ws scratching desperately at the air, but I held him down firmly, my fingers all but ready to crush his head .


    ¡°Greh!¡±


    My head spun to see that it was Three Steps who had called my name . Her eyes, filled with anger and sorrow, bore into me as she shook her head .


    It was then that I noticed that a nket of silence had fallen over the entire vige . Not even the soft howl of the wind could be heard as everyone¡¯s attention was solely focused on me .


    ¡°Tch . ¡± I released my hold over Left Tooth and stood up, sweeping my gaze over the tribe members .


    Each one I looked at flinched in fear until my eyes locked onto Three Steps, who was walking toward me .


    Three Steps held out her paw onest time, and I saw a vision of the portal piece . It was in the caves just above the waterfall, hidden in a bed of ck sand beneath a glinting, quartz-crusted boulder .


    I stood there dumbly, going over the memory once more just to make sure I wouldn¡¯t forget, when a light nudge snapped me back to my mentor . Three Steps held up her other paw, handing me a hollow ball, slightly smaller than my palm, that rattled at the slightest movement .


    I¡¯d seen the younger children y with simr balls, and Three Steps had shown me a memory in which she taught them how to use it . Rarely, the hardy little trees in the vige would grow a fruitrge enough to turn into this toy . When the fruit dried, it became incredibly hard and trapped the seed inside . The adults would pull out the stem, leaving a hole just slightly smaller than the seed in the top of the ball, and would cut a thin seam in the side just before the hardening process wasplete .


    It was one way in which the kittens learned to manifest their ws, as only by using an aetheric w could they pull the seed through the hole .


    Prying my gaze away from the toy, which I knew would be crucial for my growth, I looked at Three Steps once more .


    My chest tightened as Three Steps walked past me and picked up Left Tooth without another word . My gaze followed her as she walked off toward her tribe members without once looking back .


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go,¡± I finally said to Caera, turning my back to my mentor as well .


    Perhaps sensing my mood, the cryan noble walked silently by my side as the two of us made our way across the vige to the waterfall .


    I struggled to keep myself from looking back . Regret and guilt tore at my insides as I wished nothing more than to thank and say goodbye to the mentor who had shared and taught me so much in the past few days .


    But I knew her duty was to her vige, and it would be wrong of me to disparage the trust she had with her tribe members by acting so close to her . Of all the trials in the Relictombs, this zone was the most cruel in the way it tested an ascender .


    I was ready to be finished with it .

 Chapter 306

    Chapter 306


    I gulped down a mouthful of icy water, letting it wash down my throat before standing back up .


    Beside me, Caera winced as she swallowed down the crystal clear liquid flowing into the waterfall nearby . I continued to survey our surroundings, careful to make sure Left Tooth or his entourage hadn¡¯t followed us .


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll try and confront us again,¡± Caera said casually, walking over to me . ¡°It would be obvious to even the children how outmatched they were against you . ¡±


    ¡°You held your own pretty well back there . ¡± I raised my brow, studying the cryan noble . ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve actually grown stronger since we arrived in this zone . ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s such a rare urrence for you topliment me, Grey,¡± she said, narrowing her eyes . ¡°It¡¯s a shame that it had to sound so condescending . ¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean for it toe out that way,¡± I responded, suddenly flustered . ¡°My apologies . ¡±


    ¡°Apology epted . ¡± A faint smile yed at the edge of Caera¡¯s pink lips . ¡°Now let¡¯s grab the portal piece before any other trouble shows up . It¡¯s been too peaceful out here and it¡¯s making me anxious . ¡±


    Nodding in agreement, I pointed toward a set of caves formed on the sloping face of the mountain peak . ¡°We¡¯re nearly there . ¡±


    The two of us made our way over to the other side of the wide stream, arriving in front of an obscure crack between tworger caves . Taking the lead, I squeezed through the entrance, which was just barely wide enough for me to fit in sideways .


    ¡°Um, Grey? Care to give me a hand?¡±


    I turned back to see Caera stuck midway, struggling to dislodge her upper body .


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky Regis isn¡¯t here,¡± I said with a smirk before pulling her free .


    Even with Three Steps¡¯ memory guiding us in the right direction, it still took the better half of an hour to navigate the winding tunnel, which branched off several times as we went deeper .


    Finally, I found the glittering boulder that signified the final split and started counting twenty-eight short paces before I started digging with my hands .


    Hidden in ayer of ck sand was a thin b of white stone about four inches wide and eight inches long .


    ¡°Only three left,¡± Caera said with a deep breath .


    I stored the portal piece in my dimension rune . ¡°One step closer . ¡±


    Suddenly, a dull throb radiated from my lower back before echoing off my core, causing me to buckle forward .


    ¡°Grey!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s...fine,¡± I grunted, standing back up . ¡°It¡¯s Regis again . I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening to him, but it looks like he¡¯s closing in on whatever he¡¯s been trying to do . ¡±


    The ¡°pulses¡±, which had started just the day before, had grown steadily stronger . Luckily, they were more a bother than anything else, but I really was starting to worry about my snarkypanion .


    Snapping out of my thoughts, I turned to Caera who had been staring at me in concern . ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡±


    ***


    The two of us walked silently on the powdery snow, having already traveled quite a few miles from the mountain where we had located the Shadow ws¡¯ portal piece .


    We were headed roughly in the direction of the Spear Beaks¡¯ vige, hoping to obtain their piece of the puzzle and get more information on thest two pieces . As to whether they¡¯d willingly give us this information, I had no qualms with forcing it out of them after experiencing Three Steps¡¯ memories .


    Looking down, I focused on the dried-fruit toy that Three Steps had given me, which I had pulled out to keep me upied as we walked . While frustrating to no end, I knew that mastering this children¡¯s trinket would be the first step in creating my own aether construct .


    I coalesced aether around my hand once more before digging my index finger into the small opening of the fruit . I started trying to squeeze violet aura through the tip of my finger and into the inside of the fruit . I only served to push the fruit away as a dull purple bulge formed over my finger .


    Focusing as hard as I could on the small opening of the toy, I tried to lengthen and narrow the tip of the aetheric aura surrounding my finger, but I was only able to push it out a fraction of an inch more before it became painful .


    I was reminded of the Aether Cannon ability I hade up with to move through the snow and tried to use that as a basis . Except, once enough aether gathered at a central point, it burst out, taking the toy along with it .


    ¡°Pfft . ¡±


    I turned to see Caera watching me with a smile in her eyes and lips pressed shut from trying to keep fromughing . ¡°Have you grown frustrated with it enough to shoot it out of your own hands?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose,¡± I grumbled, jogging a few paces to where the toy hadnded . ¡°This toy is just proving to be more of a challenge than I expected . ¡±


    ¡°Shadow ws spend most of their childhood training with this, and that¡¯s taking into ount their innate aptitude for this ability . ¡±


    I picked up the dried fruit and gave it a shake before turning back to Caera . ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So...¡± Caera walked up to me and wrapped her hands over my hand and the toy, gently pushing it down . ¡°You¡¯re not going to get this in the span of a few hours, especially when half of your brain is busy figuring out what to do next . ¡±


    ¡°Did you gain wisdom alongside your horns?¡± I scoffed .


    ¡°That¡¯s discrimination,¡± Caera pouted . ¡°And no, I didn¡¯t . People just tend to grow up rather fast when their childhood is difficult . ¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but agree as I thought back to my childhoods, both as Grey and as Arthur . ¡°My joke was rather insensitive . Sorry . ¡±


    ¡°Do my horns look that odd to you?¡± Caera asked, leaning closer toward me . ¡°I¡¯ve always hidden them from everyone except my mentor, and she has horns as well . ¡±


    I stepped away . ¡°They don¡¯t look odd on you . It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t exactly had a positive experience with people who have horns . ¡±


    Caera raised a brow, her piercing scarlet eyes growing even more curious . ¡°What sort of experiences¡ª¡± Caera stopped and shook her head . ¡°Never mind . As intrigued as I am to know more about you, I¡¯d rather you tell me once you feel morefortable . ¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it,¡± I replied, tucking the dried-fruit toy back into my dimension rune . ¡°But I have no¡ª¡± I paused, staring into the distance . ¡°What is that?¡±


    Caera turned to examine the horizon .


    ¡°It looks like another storm...that¡¯s rising from the ground?¡±


    She was right . It did look like a storm, except there weren¡¯t any clouds in the sky . Above us, the cier blue expanse was still painted with the aurora colors over the endless range of mountains .


    On the ground, the snow was kicked up, swirling as if in the midst of a blizzard . But the real problem was that it was heading our way, and approaching fast .


    ~


    My vision shifted into a ze of violet trails as I instinctively prepared to use God Step, but I held myself back . The ¡°storm¡± wasn¡¯t moving in any sort of natural formation, but looked to be weaving, almost as if it were alive .


    A part of me was actually relieved that it might be an enemy . So far, the most dangerous obstacle we¡¯d faced in this zone had been the weather, and that wasn¡¯t something I could fight, much less win against .


    Deciding to confront whatever was approaching us rather than waste aether God Stepping only for it to follow after us, I pulled Caera close .


    ¡°Brace yourself!¡± I said, shrouding myself in aether as Caera did the same with mana .


    I dug my heels into the snow and prepared for impact, but instead of sweeping over us, the blizzard encircled our location . Once it was close enough, I could make out aetheric shapes moving in the snow-cloud, and I realized what this must be .


    ¡°The wild things,¡± I muttered .


    A ghostly creature made of snow and ice suspended in a tornado of aether broke free from the blizzard and rushed toward us . It reminded me of the malevolent phantom that had possessed Ada in the mirror room, except this thing had token possession of thend itself,ing to life as a sort of snow golem, a shapeless whirlwind of conscious aether .


    Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of identical aether beasts made up the storm that had surrounded us .


    Sheathing myself in anotheryer of aether, I lunged forward to meet the construct . My fist burst through the snow and aether, but it only rippled like water and swirled back together as I passed through it .


    A thin arm ending in three icy ws shed at me . Just as my fist had passed through its body, its ws moved through me, unabated by my aetheric barrier . Though they left no physical wound, a line of cold fire burned in my side . Aether flooded from my core to heal the perceived wound .


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them touch you!¡± I barked, just as Caera burst forward, her de shing down through the golem¡¯s body .


    Her attack, however, was even less effective than my punch . It shed at her with a second wed arm, forcing her to jump back . Two more arms coalesced from the snow of its body, both reaching out for me .


    I tried to grab its wrists, but my hands closed only on the suspended snow; the ws drew twin lines of icy pain along my sides, forcing my body to again heal the wounds . And draining my aether in the process, I realized .


    ¡°Now would be a great time toe out, Regis,¡± I growled, feeling his presence absorbing more of my already-dwindling reserves .


    Dodging a flurry of the being¡¯s ws, I coalesced aether into my right hand . Relying solely on the channels that I had forged myself without the help of Regis¡¯s natural ability to draw in aether, it took much more time to gather the appropriate amount of energy .


    Once I did, I raised my hand, now wrapped in a nimbus of purple light, and unleashed an explosion of aether out at the closest snow golem .


    The aether cannon ripped through not only the snow golem I had aimed at but three more behind it, distorting the aetheric mist holding them together before their frozen bodies crumbled into the snow .


    I winced at the sudden drop in my aether reserves, and all to kill only a handful of the golems .


    My gaze shed to Caera as I felt the oppressive aura of her soulfire, which cloaked her de in ck me . She swung wide, bisecting three aether golems . The soulfire around her weapon spread through the center of the aetheric beings, eating away the captured snow and ice .


    However, I could still see the purplish mists, and they were already collecting snow from the ground to fashion themselves new bodies .


    Caera noticed as well, but remained calm . ¡°It seems like the most I¡¯ll be able to do is stall them . Do you have a n?¡±


    ¡°My Aether Cannon seems to destroy them for good, but I don¡¯t have enough aether to kill all of them,¡± I said while evading a pair of snow golems .


    Caera thrust forward, disintegrating another golem¡¯s body with her soulfire . ¡°I¡¯ll follow your lead . ¡±


    ¡°Conserve your mana and stall as many as you can,¡± I replied before turning back and locking gazes with the cryan noble . ¡°And thank you . ¡±


    ¡°We both want to get out of here alive, Grey,¡± she replied before turning her focus back to the wave of golems emerging from the snow and surrounding us .


    ~


    I scanned the press of golems, suddenly worried we might identally destroy the portal piece, but I couldn¡¯t see through the blowing snow and aether to locate it . Would they simply be carrying it around with them? Perhaps it was hidden in an extradimensional storage . The worst case scenario was that they kept it hidden under the snow somewhere we¡¯d never find it .


    Dodging a swiping w, I thrust my hand into the attacking golem¡¯s chest . The aether rippled around my fist, but the creature seemed otherwise unaffected . Perhaps it was a reflex from learning to fight against the chimeras and carallians, but without thinking about it I began to absorb the tornado of aether into my hand .


    The golem shivered, and the metallic screeching that issued from it set my teeth on edge . As I drew in its aether, several pairs of ws jammed into my sides and back from the golem¡¯s brethren, sending shocking jolts of breathless pain through me .


    Feeling my core replenishing, I grinned through the pain . My newfound aether supply meant that I could be a bit more reckless in my usage .


    I pushed outward, coalescing as much aether as possible into the thinyer surrounding my body . The barrier grew thicker, now casting a purple glow over the trampled snow around me .


    A w came down from above and I lifted my arm instinctively to block it, and the ghostly form of the golem shed against the barrier . Despite the visible cracks on my protective aura where the ws had struck me, it failed to pierce through .


    Taking advantage of the golem¡¯s opening, I plunged my hand into its body . I absorbed aether once more through my hand, which was sheathed in violet energy . Like before, the golem began to emit a piercing shriek and froze in ce, quaking slightly .


    Catching another golem¡¯s movement out of the corner of my eye, I dipped under its horizontal sh and, with my other hand, did the same to a second icy being .


    They continued to desperately w at me, creating more and more cracks in my aetheric barrier until it shattered, fading out of existence . By then, however, it was already toote for the golems .


    During the ten breaths that it took to draw on their aether, more and more golems surrounded me, the two I was draining vanished, their shrieks cutting out suddenly as the snow that made up their physical form was released from the little tornado and drifted slowly to the ground .


    Before I had enough time to conjure another shroud thick enough to protect me against the golems, a set of icy ws managed to catch me across my left hip while another shed down my back .


    The icy pain drove my body to heal my injuries once more, draining my reserves .


    Before more could gather around me, I unleashed a dome of aetheric pressure, careful not to let it reach where Caera was fighting .


    The golems surrounding me stiffened in the expanse of purple that epassed the space around us, giving me the opportunity to jump onto another golem and begin draining its aether . I could see the effects my spell had on the golems, the violet mist that held their form together quivering and distorting .


    Outside the dome, Caera spun, parried, weaved, and cut like a master swordsman, each precise strike burning away the body of a golem, and each step taking her just out of range of a swiping w . However, I could clearly see the nebulous of aether gathering around her, some already forming back new bodies .


    Rather than wasting aether forming a new barrier around me, I sought protection elsewhere .


    Igniting God Step, I shed to where Caera fought and drove my hand into the mass of aetheric mist trying to form a body of snow .


    ¡°Keep the golems off of me while I absorb the ones without bodies!¡± I yelled .


    Caera sprung into action, sticking close by me and turning into a whirlwind of destruction .


    The two of us continued this for what seemed like hours, Caera sparingly utilizing her soulfire to disintegrate the golems¡¯ bodies while I absorbed enough energy to let out an aetheric st before repeating the process over again .


    The problem was that, while I could continue to replenish my aether reserves, my partner couldn¡¯t . I could see her movement slowing, and the soulfire sheathing her red sword flickered weakly .


    Caera¡¯s overhead swing came up short, leaving her open for a golem behind her to attack .


    Thanks to Three Steps¡¯ unique teaching, I was able to God Step in time to bring myself between the golem and Caera .


    Clutching the cryan noble close to me, I grit my teeth as a score of icy pain raked down my back .


    Caera¡¯s eyes widened in surprise . ¡°G-Grey?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine . I¡¯ll heal while you won¡¯t,¡± I mustered as I let go of her . ¡°How much longer can you hold up?¡±


    ¡°Not much longer,¡± Caera admitted .


    With a nod, the two of us resumed our strategy once more, but this time at a slower pace . While I was able to permanently destroy the golems, it took time for me to absorb thempletely . I needed Caera to destroy their bodies and protect me while I did so .


    With my internal reserves topped off, I focused on building up another aether st . It burst from my hand to engulf dozens of the golems that made up the blizzard surrounding us, giving me a brief glimpse of the zone beyond .


    Then something changed . The blizzard blowing in a circle around us shivered, and several dozen forms within itpressed in on each other until it looked like a single purple blob within the white wall .


    What stepped out of the driving snow wasn¡¯t a meager whirlwind of snow and ice; it wasn¡¯t even a tornado .


    The figure was at least twelve feet high to the back . It had a broad, bearish form, but walked on six muscr limbs, each tipped with gleaming ws of aether . A long,nce-like beak of pure ice protruded from its otherwise round, shapeless head .


    The resultant monstrosity looked like an amalgamation of the Spear Beaks, Shadow ws, Ghost Bears, and Four Fists, except several timesrger .


    Worse yet, it wasn¡¯t alone . Dozens of snow golems hade together to form three of these hideous snow sculptures .


    There was no choice now .


    ¡°We¡¯re not surrounded anymore . Get as far away as possible while I hold it off,¡± I demanded, igniting the rune of Destruction and praying that I¡¯d still keep my sanity after .


    ¡°I can still¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please!¡± I urged, my mind conjuring up the image of Caera¡¯s body about to burn from my mes back in the mirror zone . ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you again . ¡±


    Caera clicked her tongue, but she began to leave as the violet mes flickered into existence, dancing in the air around me .


    Just as the dark, shadowy presence of Destruction began to encroach on my mind, another pulse emanated from my core, this time with a force that brought me to my knees .


    Blood rushed to my head, pounding against my ears . I could barely make out Caera calling my name behind me . An unmistakably familiar presence emerged from my core, taking the dark presence of Destruction along with him .


    Then my shadow beneath me expanded, taking on a bestial form as a giant w the size of my torso emerged from the shaded ground .


    A pair of sharp amethyst eyes opened and gazed at me before a rumbling growl sounded over the tumult of wind and snow .


    ¡°Miss me, princess?¡±

 Chapter 307

    Chapter 307


    I watched in awe as Regis dragged himself out from the depths of my shadow, rather than my body . Aside from the fact that I only came up to his chest when he stood on all fours, his front limbs now longer and more muscr than his hind legs, the shadow wolf¡¯s appearance had drastically changed .


    Regis¡¯s fur jutted out in hard spikes, gleaming like obsidian beneath the sharp-edged des of purple mes that danced over him . His horns were sweeping spears that grew out from his temple and thrust forward like a bull¡¯s, while rows of serrated daggers protruded out to form his fangs .


    A powerful roar ripped out from the throat of my shadowypanion, carrying a palpable pressure akin to the aetheric version of King¡¯s Force that I had learned from Kordri . Sensing the danger, the three giant golems¡¯ attention turned to Regis .


    My head snapped back to Caera . ¡°Change of ns . Support Regis!¡±


    Caera, despite her fatigued state, gave me a firm nod and channeled soulfire into her scarlet de as Regis rushed forward, kicking up a cloud of snow behind him .


    Mypanion¡¯s movements blurred as he ripped a chunk out of one of the golems with his ws before spinning andshing out at another with his spiked tail . Where his ws moved, a streak of violet trailed behind, carrying with it the aspect of Destruction .


    While not nearly as potent as the violet mes I was able to produce utilizing the godrune, his attacks were able to inhibit the golems¡¯ ability to regenerate, unlike Caera¡¯s soulfire .


    Consuming the information being fed to me through the aether trails, I God Stepped near the giant golem still trying to regenerate part of its torso and leaped on top of its shoulder before plunging my hands into its body .


    As I began absorbing the aetheric neb that made up its actual form, the third golem retaliated by conjuring an icicle spear in its wed hand and throwing it at me .


    Before I even decided to react, a sphere of soulfire crashed into the giant icicle, consuming the golem¡¯s attack before billowing out .


    My expression must¡¯ve given away my surprise at the sight of her new spell because Caera shot me a smirk and said, ¡°You¡¯re not the only one that¡¯s been training, Grey!¡±


    With my reserves nearly full, I began to coalesce aether into my palm in preparation for another aether st when the golem I was standing on lurched, throwing me off .


    ¡°Watch it!¡± I growled at Regis, who had rammed his head against the golem I was on top of, skewering it with his horns .


    Twisting my body to reorient myself, Iunched the condensed st of aether at the golem¡¯s head . A muted explosion reverberated as my spell hit, but even decapitated, the golem was still able to wrap all of its six limbs around Regis .


    The other two golems quickly took advantage of Regis¡¯s limited mobility and began pummeling him with a barrage of fists, ws, and icicles . Despite the onught that he faced, however, his thick coat of spiked fur and jagged mes mitigated most of the damage he took, giving me and Caera another opening .


    Channeling more aether into my right hand, I condensed it as much as possible before shing toward the cluster of giant golems and releasing my attack point nk .


    While the close range attack greatly reduced the amount of aether it leaked while traveling mid-air, the rebound from the impact made by the spell was strong enough to blow me backwards, hurling me several yards into the air .


    I God Stepped to the ground, absorbing the momentum of the recoil, then ignited the godrune once more to avoid a giant icicle the size of a carriage that had been hurled at me, despite my aetheric st burning away two of my attacker¡¯s arms .


    Caera let loose another cluster of smaller soulfire bombs that expanded upon impact, destroying chunks of the giant golems¡¯ limbs and bodies, now thoroughly misshapen, and freeing Regis .


    Letting out another roar that sounded more like a dragon than a wolf, Regis became a whirlwind of jagged mes, fangs, and ws, mincing the trio of golems like they were in a thresher .


    ¡°I don¡¯t even think we¡¯re needed at this point,¡± Caera said with a weary chuckle, the ck mes dancing around her fingers dimming .


    As if the golems took her words as a challenge, the physical constructs of snow and ice that made up their bodies suddenly copsed to the ground .


    The purple mist that made up their true forms began to coalesce, bing thicker and clearer while also condensing into a smaller form .


    A dome of kic force erupted from where the aetheric being gathered, sending Regis soaring over the snow . Caera was barely able to anchor herself by stabbing her de into the ground, while I opted to d myself in a thickeryer of aether and dig my heels into the ground .


    From the epicenter of the explosion appeared an ethereal humanoid being with four translucent purple arms and a pair of wings that spanned twice its seven-foot height . Covering its limbs were tes of armor made of ice . But the most surprising feature was the white portal shard covering half of its faceless head like a decorative mask .


    Caera took a step forward . ¡°Is that...¡±


    A smile formed on the edge of my lips . ¡°The portal piece . ¡±


    ~


    My body was tinged with a violet hue as aether clung tightly around me . As I prepared to confront the four-armed humanoid, however, a sharp burst of malicious thoughts broke my concentration .


    ¡®This thing is mine!¡¯ Regis snarled in a voice that didn¡¯t sound quite like his own .


    My shadowypanion rushed forward in a blur, his Destruction-infused jaws snapping rabidly . However, the snow beneath Regis caved in and hardened so that his limbs were frozen to the ground .


    Letting out a frustrated growl, the shadow wolf began jerking his body, trying to free himself, but even with the aspect of Destruction coating his body, the ice held firm .


    With a beat of its translucent purple wings, the being shot up high above the ground and began raining down a shower of icicles tinged in aether .


    Caera shed ahead of me, putting herself between Regis and the flurry of aether-d icicles without hesitation, and conjured a wall of soulfire .


    Meanwhile, I ignited God Step, teleporting in the air above our opponent to stop its attack . Shrouding myself in a nimbus of violet energy, I oriented myself as I fell straight on top of the humanoid¡¯s shoulders .


    Grabbing hold of the being¡¯s neck, its wings beating frantically to either side as our bodies bobbed up and down in the air, I wrapped my legs around its waist and tried to rip the portal piece from its head . However, the white b of stone wouldn¡¯t budge and the tes of frozen armor began to gnaw away at the protectiveyer of aether surrounding me .


    Seeing that Caera had managed to block most of the attack with her ck mes and free Regis, I changed my tactics .


    Rather than trying to tear off the portal piece, I gripped the humanoid being¡¯s head with both hands . As I tried to absorb the aether that made up its purple flesh, however, I was overwhelmed by a torrent of energy .


    It was like trying to drink water from the bottom of ake . At the risk of drowning, I released my grip around its head and focused on the humanoid¡¯s wings instead .


    The being began to writhe in pain, trying to pull me off its back with its arms, or batter me with its wings, but I clung on firmly even as my foe¡¯s icy chill emanated through my protective shroud, causing my flesh to ache and burn as crystalline patterns of frost bloomed from every point where we contacted one another .


    Amassing a condensed sphere of aether around my right hand, which threatened to explode at the tiniest break in my concentration, I began molding it, much like I had practiced using the dried-fruit toy that Three Steps had given me .


    res of purple energy leaked out as I tried to change the aether¡¯s form, but I persisted until I was able to make something akin to a misshapen disk .


    I sipped from the humanoid form¡¯s aether, carefully not to let it submerge me as I continued to try and make the disk thinner, but a sharp crack resounded across the snowy in and a mind numbing pain radiated from my left leg .


    Almost losing concentration enough to explode the aetheric disk I held in the palm of my hand, I chose to fire the spell immediately instead, aiming at the base of the creature¡¯s right wing .


    The translucent purple disk shot out from my hand, dissipating into the air in mere moments, but not before it managed to sever cleanly through one aetheric wing .


    A grating sound akin to a hum and a screech issued from the being as we both began plummeting down to the snowy ground .


    ¡°Regis!¡± I roared, both aloud and in my head to grab my shadowypanion¡¯s attention .


    Seeing therge, dark blur approaching us on the ground, I released my grip around the humanoid before igniting God Step once more .


    With a crackle of violet lightning, I arrived on the ground some distance away, but immediately fell forward as my left leg gave out from under me .


    ¡°Grey!¡±


    Caera rushed to my side, her scarlet eyes staring in horror at my shattered leg . However, my own focus went to the bloody wound on her shoulder de .


    ¡°How¡¯d you get that injury?¡± I asked, wincing at the pain of my leg grinding and shifting as it healed .


    The cryan noble shook her head . ¡°It was Regis, but I don¡¯t think he realized he¡¯d hit me . He¡¯s not exactly in the right state of mind right now . ¡±


    Annoyance rose at seeing Caera injured because of us, but I was also thankful that Regis¡¯s newly-acquired Destruction ability wasn¡¯t nearly as potent as mine . If it manifested as all-consuming mes, like mine did...


    Turning my gaze to the battle ensuing in the distance, I could see Regis and the aetheric being locked in a heated melee . Each attack carried enough force behind it to release shockwaves of energy that could be felt from even where Caera and I watched .


    ¡°I should go help,¡± I said, standing up .


    Caera looked down at my healed leg, her expression hidden behind her obsidian horn, then looked back up at me . ¡°Regis doesn¡¯t seem to want help . ¡±¡°I know . ¡± I frowned . ¡°But I can feel this new form of his eating away at Regis . ¡±


    With a nod, she stepped forward, standing by my side . ¡°I¡¯ve drained too much mana to be able to keep up with the two of you . I¡¯ll support from behind . ¡±


    My gaze fell to the curved gash that reached up her shoulder . While it had stopped bleeding, I could make out a tinge of purple over it . ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that . ¡±


    Caera pushed me forward with a faint grin . ¡°If it scars, you¡¯ll have to answer to my mentor . Now go . ¡±


    ~


    Aetheric lightning crackled around me as I ignited God Step . My surroundings changed as I appeared a few paces behind the humanoid just as its arms tripled in length and mmed down on Regis, creating a crater beneath him .


    ¡®This thing is mine!¡¯ Regis growled venomously .


    Shut up, I spat back, rushing forward with an aether-d step . I was forced to duck as the being¡¯s remaining wing condensed into a scythe of aether and cut toward my neck . I grabbed the wing as it hissed over my head and twisted the being¡¯s body sideways, then nted my leg in its stumbling path, letting it tumble sideways to the ground .


    Gathering energy in my hand, I delivered an aetheric punch¡ªless-potent than Gauntlet Form, but still effective¡ªto its exposed chest, creating a swirling cavern through which I could see the snow-packed ground . I gathered aether again and prepared to release a point-nk st when something dark and heavy hit me from the side, shouldering me out of the way before tearing into the humanoid golem .


    A scoff escaped my lips as my frustration boiled over into anger at mypanion¡¯s rebelliousness . ¡°So that¡¯s how you want to do this?¡±


    An aura of violet energy hummed around my wed hand as I walked toward Regis and the aetheric being rolling in the snow like a couple of wild animals wrestling .


    Not bothering to suppress myself any longer, I raised my open palm and aimed it at the two of them beforeunching the torrent of aether .


    An inhuman screech and a deep howl of pain resounded up into the mountain peaks . Both Regis and the creature had been knocked to the ground where they writhed in pain, momentarily stunned .


    ¡°Thanks for holding this thing steady, pal,¡± I said before plunging one hand into the being¡¯s fading purple body and carefully absorbing its aether . At the same time, I worked at the portal piece with my other hand, trying to pull it free from the faceless head .


    Using the humanoid¡¯s own body to fuel mine, reinforcing the strength of my arm, hand, and fingers with its aether, I was able to finally pry the white stone b free with a satisfying crack .


    The dense concentration of aether that made up the humanoid¡¯s body unravelled . Without the portal piece serving as its anchor, the aetheric being detonated into an enormous maelstrom of violet energy that soon rippled out of existence .


    I stood awkwardly for a moment, the sudden silence ufortable after the overwhelming noise of the battle, until Regis finally found the strength to stand on his wed feet .


    ¡°Look what you did!¡± Regis spat, advancing toward me with deadly intent . ¡°If you weren¡¯t so fixated on that stupid stone piece, I would¡¯ve been able to absorb all of its aether!¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡± I matched mypanion¡¯s menacing re, not a shred of sympathy evident in my voice . ¡°You were going to kill me and Caera and romp free in this wastnd?¡±


    Regis bared his obsidian fangs . ¡°Maybe I would¡ª¡±


    My fist dug into the side of his face, pummeling his head into the ground .


    Holding out a hand to stop Caera from approaching, I kept my gaze on Regis . ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve been a bit too easy on you . ¡±


    With a rage-fueled snarl, the shadowy wolf retaliated with a swipe of his huge paw, then snapped at me with Destructionced jaws . However, his movements were wild at best and infantile at worst, making it easy to dodge .


    I returned each of his attacks with an aether-d strike of my own, except mine actually connected . After all my practicing to take in information from the aetheric paths to use God Step, I could feel the improvements in both my reaction time and mental acuity in battle .


    ¡°Did you forget that you have no idea what would happen to you if I were to die?¡± I growled, throwing a hook into his side that sent him skidding through the snow for several yards .


    He barked out a cold, unkindugh . ¡°Don¡¯t pretend that you care about me . You¡¯ve only seen me as a weapon, a tool for you to use! Now that you¡¯ve seen my potential, you¡¯re scared of me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be a lot more emotional if I had ever actually seen you as a weapon,¡± I chortled . ¡°You¡¯ve been more of a leech than anything else . ¡±


    With a furious howl, Regis charged toward me, the aspect of Destruction burning even more fiercely .


    Spinning on my heels, I dodged and parried mypanion¡¯s deadly ws, making him waste more of his reserves .


    ¡°You¡¯ve been sucking my aether core dry these past few days, and you think suddenly you¡¯re powerful?¡± I said with a scoff . ¡°I think the asuras made a mistake when they told me you¡¯d be a weapon . ¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Regis roared, his voice slowly bing more distorted as the aspect of Destruction took over his body .


    Finally, when I sensed that mypanion had all but used thest of his aether reserves, I lunged forward to grab him around the neck, then tossed him over my shoulder and pinned him to the ground so that I was ring down into one wide, glowing eye . ¡°You don¡¯t think if I can push you out of my body, I can¡¯t take you back in?¡±


    The bear-sized wolf twitched as he began to fade, turning to smoke and aether as his form receded back into the shadow beneath my feet .


    Regis burned like a star within me . I ignited my godrune in an effort to seize control of the aspect of Destruction rampaging inside me .


    It took every fiber of my being to properly utilize the pure force of aether to control the gue-like entity of Destruction, but after what seemed like an eternity, I found my eyes slowly opening .


    Above me the sky gleamed cier-blue and moved with the aurora . Caera¡¯s scarlet eyes peered down at me,ced with surprise and concern .


    ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± she said with a relieved smile .


    I let out a hoarseugh as I struggled to sit up . ¡°I can literally regrow missing limbs and you still worry?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± she said seriously, helping me up .


    Taken aback by her straightforwardness, I turned my attention inward to where Regis¡¯s presence glowed faintly .


    With a gentle push, mypanion emerged from my shadow in the form of a diminutive wolf pup . We locked eyes for a moment before he turned his gaze to Caera . ¡°Grey, Caera...I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± I said, cutting him off . ¡°You tried to kill me, I said some pretty mean things, we¡¯ll call it even . ¡±


    Touseling his shadowy head, I shot him a grin . ¡°Besides, you were pretty badass . ¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Caera said, giving me a mischievous grin . ¡°Perhaps a battle scar will help me get out of some of the potential suitors my blood has so kindly lined up for me . ¡±


    The three of us startedughing in the silence of the snowy field, but a sharp cry from high above cut us off . We looked up to find several white, bird-like shapes wheeling through the blue sky .


    ¡°Spear Beaks,¡± I uttered, the memories of the Spear Beaks ughtering Three Steps¡¯ mate still fresh in my mind .

 Chapter 308

    Chapter 308


    Caera and I appeared atop the snow-capped cliff guarding the entrance to the Spear Beak vige . Branches of aetheric lightning crackled around us from the use of God Step as we were greeted by the sharp, beady stares of several dozen oversized birds .


    Large torch lights cast a warm glow over the once eerily cold vige and filled the hollow mountain top with a wooden, slightly acrid scent .


    Suddenly, a cacophony of sounds erupted from the Spear Beaks as they began to p, honk, and screech . A few even took to the skies carrying long, colorful streamers, circling over us in an intricate pattern .


    ¡°Are they...throwing us a party?¡± Caera asked hesitantly .


    ¡°Stay on guard,¡± I whispered before taking a step forward .


    Immediately, the crowd of Spear Beaks parted to create a path for us, revealing Old Broke Beak garbed in an borate fur coat that reflected the flickering lights cast by the torches .


    Lining each side of the path to Old Broke Beak, warriors of the tribe held out a variety of food .


    ¡°Wee, wee mighty ascenders!¡± Old Broke Beak squawked excitedly, rousing another wave of cheers from his tribe . ¡°Yes! Today, we celebrate our warriors¡¯ return . ¡±


    As if possessed, the overgrown birds all began to squirm and move erratically to a rapid beat made by two Spear Beaks beating their beaks on what looked to be a giant drum .


    Old Broke Beak began to walk toward us, his stick-thin legs quaking slightly as he took slow step after slow step .


    Curious to see what he and his vige had nned, I waited for him to arrive just a step away from me and Caera . He gently ced a wing on each of our shoulders and let out a mournful honk .


    ¡°The scouts say that Swiftsure fell in battle, but he has been brave, yes, very brave, and will soar high with the Creators!¡± the old Spear Beak squawked . Caera and I exchanged a wary nce .


    Lowering his frail wings, he continued . ¡°Our scouts also tell of your triumph over the wild things . This deed will be written in history for all our tribe members to read, yes!¡±


    ¡®Their attitudes are a lot more humble than when we first talked to them . I like that,¡¯ Regis thought weakly from within me . Though he was no longer wrapped around my core like a leech and was speaking to me again, Regis wasn¡¯t yet strong enough to maintain a physical form after his use of the Destruction Rune .


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing heroic,¡± I dismissed . ¡°We¡¯re just doing what we have to do to leave this zone . ¡±


    ¡°Heroic, a good word! And a true one, yes . We Spear Beaks can only bow in awe at your bravery,¡± he said before gesturing with one wing toward the table with food . ¡°Ascenders, you must be famished . Please, the warriors of my tribe have brought you gifts of food and drink!¡±


    ¡°Is that all for us?¡± I asked, looking more closely at the items held in the Spear Beaks¡¯ wings . Two carried bs of meat, while three others did their best to hold handfuls of a fruit that looked like giant blueberries . A sixth carried a sharp ck stone, while thest two each held an earthenware jug that sloshed when they moved .


    Old Broke Beak nodded his head . ¡°A humble gift from humble Spear Beaks, yes . ¡±


    Caera subtly squeezed the back of my arm twice, though her smile didn¡¯t falter . Even without prior preparation on nonverbal signals, I knew what she meant . If the Spear Beaks were as crafty and cold-hearted as I feared, it was possible they would try to do away with us and take the portal pieces for themselves .


    How would I eliminate an unwary, yet more powerful foe?


    I looked at the food again . Poisoned? I wondered, though when I met Old Broke Beak¡¯s eye, I made sure to keep my face passive, even thankful .


    ¡°Without any disrespect, we couldn¡¯t possibly ept such gifts . Surely your brave warriors should be allowed to enjoy such spoils themselves?¡± I said, lowering my gaze . ¡°It would be more than enough if we could simply ask for your hospitality once again . ¡±


    The old bird stood wordless as his good eye travelled up and down me, his cracked beak pointing wherever his gaze went until he finally spoke .


    ¡°Very well! While some may see it as disrespectful¡ªthough not I, no, not Old Broke Beak¡ªto reject a Spear Beak¡¯s gift, I see that Swiftsure¡¯s ascension to the Creators has been difficult to bear, and so has put the ascenders off their hunger . It weighs on us also, very much so . But a feast will still be prepared, yes!¡± he said with a nod . ¡°Come to Old Broke Beak¡¯s hut, so that we may sit and discuss . There is much for you to tell . ¡±


    Old Broke Beak led us past the line of Spear Beaks holding gifts, and though the giant berries looked delicious, they served to remind me of the memory that Three Steps had shared with me, and I knew it was best to avoid any potential trap the wily birds might prepare for us .


    If they were smart enough to bait in two cautious Shadow ws, who were taught from birth to watch out for Spear Beaks, then they were smart enough to poison some food in an effort to weaken or even kill us .


    ¡®I thought your cockroach-like body was immune to things like poison, though,¡¯ Regis chimed in .


    But Caera isn¡¯t, I replied . I¡¯d rather be rude than stupid . Anyway, I wanted to see how Old Broke Beak reacted to our refusal . Now stay quiet and focus on recovering . You¡¯re useless to me in this state .


    I could almost feel Regis roll his eyes as he replied, ¡®Aye aye, princess . ¡¯


    The couple whose egg we had consumed, True Feather and Red Wings, stood amongst the rows of gangly Spear Beaks, staring at Caera and I as we followed Old Broke Beak into his hut . I thought of the dark shape in the sky above the Shadow ws¡¯ vige and wondered if it had been Red Wings who had followed and spied on us .


    Once the elderly chief led us inside his home, he dipped his cracked beak and stepped back outside . ¡°Please get some rest here . There is still much to be done, but I will be back soon, yes . ¡±


    ¡°Wait . We came here with the portal pieces like you asked,¡± I said hurriedly, not wanting to wait . ¡°I want to try and repair the portal with what we have now, so we just need your tribe¡¯s piece and we¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°No . ¡± Old Broke Beak cked his beak sharply to cut me off . ¡°You must provide the four, and we will provide the one . Right now, ascender only holds three . Rest for now, and we will together find a way to im the final piece . ¡±


    With that, the chief hobbled away, leaving Caera and I alone .


    Caera let out a sigh beside me as she sunk to the ground . ¡°How frustrating . ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s putting it mildly,¡± I said with a scoff as my eyes flickered to the bed of straw, feathers, and grass where Old Broke Beak usually sat .


    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely the old bird left the one thing we want alone in the same room as us,¡± the cryan noble chimed in as I made my way toward where the portal piece had previously been hidden .


    I rifled through the bedding, but only found the dusty floor of the chief¡¯s hut . ¡°Damn it . ¡±


    Caera remained silent as I took a seat next to her, tense and angry .


    It hadn¡¯t been that long since we¡¯d first arrived at the Spear Beaks¡¯ vige, grateful for Swiftsure¡¯s assistance and the vige¡¯s hospitality . But in that short time frame, a lot had changed...I had seen too much .


    A part of me med myself for everything that transpired . I should¡¯ve noticed it sooner: the facts that didn¡¯t quite add up to what these tall birds had told us, the animosity that all other tribes had toward the Spear Beaks, the bird people¡¯s eagerness to use us for their own purposes .


    If it hadn¡¯t been for the Four Fists chieftain¡¯s challenge, we might have exterminated the entire tribe before realizing they were anything but wild aether beasts . If it wasn¡¯t for the lingering doubt I¡¯d felt after that battle, we might have gotten revenge against the Shadow ws for their ambush .


    I shuddered at the thought of Three Steps and the rest of her tribe¡¯s corpses scattered about in a maelstrom of Caera¡¯s soulfire and my aether sts .


    No . I did the right thing in following my instincts, and while lives were lost, much worse could¡¯ve happened if I had trusted Old Broke Beak implicitly .


    While the elderly chief and his tribe still thought we were on their side, I had to be patient and wait for the right moment .


    ¡°How¡¯s Regis doing?¡± Caera asked, snapping me out of my thoughts .


    ¡°He¡¯s using my aether reserves to recover while he rests,¡± I answered, turning to the cryan noble .


    That was when I noticed that she was no longer shivering from the cold, or even wearing a nket over her shoulders . ¡°Are you not cold?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot warmer here than before . Maybe because of the torches they have lit outside for the festival,¡± she said, shaking her head . ¡°Anyway, do you know what caused him to behave so wildly earlier during our battle?¡±


    ¡°It had to do with him tapping into the Destruction godrune that I have,¡± I began . ¡°It¡¯s difficult to exin, but Regis is a lot morepatible with that specific type of magic than I am, even though I¡¯m the one that technically has ess to this magic . ¡±


    ¡°So he wasn¡¯t able to fully control it,¡± Caera said in understanding .


    I looked down at my empty palm . ¡°Basically . This magic is really harmful to the caster if they¡¯re notpatible, though, which makes it hard for me to practice it . Because Regis isn¡¯t limited like I am, I think he¡¯s learning at a much faster¡ª¡±


    I stopped, realizing that I had begun rambling .


    Looking back up, I could see the cryan noble watching me, her obsidian horns shimmering from the torch light .


    I frowned . ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± she said, revealing a faint smile . ¡°I just appreciate the fact that you¡¯re able to share these things with me . Even if I don¡¯t fully understand, I doubt this was something you would have revealed to me when we first met . ¡±


    I cleared my throat before turning away from her scarlet gaze . ¡°The fact that I could silence you at any moment hasn¡¯t changed . ¡±


    Despite my threat, however, Caera let out a chuckle . ¡°Yes, yes . ¡±


    ~


    ¡°Elder Broke Beak,¡± Caera said, her voice clear and confident as we followed behind the gangly old bird . ¡°You said earlier that your tribe would help us get the final portal piece, but we seem to be heading deeper into your vige . ¡±


    We had waited in his hut for several hours before he finally returned with a group of battle-scarred Spear Beaks behind him, only for him to have us follow him back out . Now, we were walking on a well-lit path leading toward the steep cliff that sheltered their vige .


    ¡°The Spear Beaks will help you hunt the Ghost Bears, yes . We will find, and you will fight . ¡± His cracked beak nodded up and down as he spoke . ¡°But first, you must join us for a feast . Very rare feast indeed . ¡±


    I began to think of excuses to make in order not to eat any of the food provided by the Spear Beaks as we ascended the steep cliff .


    Two of the scarred Spear Beaks carried Old Broke Beak, since he was too old to fly . While I was tempted to simply God Step to the top, I didn¡¯t want to waste any aether in case things went south, so Caera and I jumped up, using some of the jagged protrusions of the cliff as footholds .


    We appeared on the ledge of a small, t cliff overlooking the vige . Tall torch lights were embedded all over the cliff, casting a warm glow over the crowd of Spear Beaks that were already there . A pir of smoke rose from a fire behind the tall birds, which began to shuffle out of the way at the sight of Old Broke Beak .


    The elderly chief of the vige was waiting for us, his one violet eye glimmering in excitement as he motioned with one wing . ¡°Behold!¡±


    ¡°Grey?¡± Caera¡¯s voice was small and disgusted .


    I looked from Old Broke Beak to her, then followed the line of her gaze to the ¡°feast . ¡±


    Laid out on a wide, t stone was the huge Four Fists chieftain . All four of his hands had been removed, as had both his eyes and thergest of his tusks . His once silver hide had been yed, while arge gash on his stomach had stretched open and stuffed with more of therge, round blueberries as a roaring fire danced beneath the stone b he was on .


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± I asked, unable to hide my revulsion .


    ¡°A most rare feast!¡± Old Broke Beak eximed . He then turned toward the waiting Spear Beaks and began to ck and caw in their rasping, birdishnguage . The tribe listened, then cheered and crowed to the sky, a few even leaping from their perches to wheel around the high peak .


    ¡°I have told them,¡± Old Broke Beak said, turning to us, ¡°of your victory over the brutish Four Fists n, and how you killed their chief and left the n weak and without protection . ¡± He followed this promation with a little bow .


    My gaze drifted back to the Four Fists¡¯ body . ¡°How¡¯d you get this?¡±


    ¡°Raided the vige after your battle,¡± Old Broke Beak answered proudly . ¡°An honor to feast on a fallen enemy, yes . ¡±


    ¡°Barbaric,¡± Caera muttered under her breath next to me . The chieftain¡¯s purple eye flicked to her, though I couldn¡¯t tell if he understood what she¡¯d said .


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, dipping my head in an effort to hide my disgust . ¡°In our cultures, we don¡¯t eat...our fallen foes . ¡±


    Old Broke Beak let out a raspy gasp . ¡°What a waste to leave strong enemies to rot on the ground, but we will not force you . Would the ascenders, perhaps, prefer another egg for energy?¡±


    ¡®Did someone say egg?¡¯ Regis chirped, his voice half groggy still .


    I shook my head . ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary . In fact, we¡¯d like to get on our way as soon as¡ª¡±


    Old Broke Beak squawked, cutting me off . He hopped a few steps away and held his wings out to his people, then burst out with a single sharp noise .


    A cry went up from the Spear Beaks and they rushed down on the corpse, rending and tearing at the half-frozen flesh like a wake of vultures . I turned away, letting my gaze drift over the vige below .


    Two Spear Beaks had left the peak and were slowly wheeling down to the collection of huts .


    Beside me, Old Broke Beak said, ¡°Spear Beaks will celebrate in the enemy¡¯s dead flesh for you then, yes? There has been another egg that is empty of a hatchling . We will bring it . ¡±


    ¡°As I was saying,¡± I started again, my jaw clenched in frustration, ¡°we would like to leave soon . Mypanions and I see no reason to hunt the Ghost Bears unless we can¡¯t make the portal work with just the four pieces we already have . ¡±


    ¡°Three,¡± the chieftain said, watching with apparent pleasure as his tribe devoured the Four Fists¡¯ corpse . ¡°Honorable ascender agreed to fetch four pieces, and we agreed to give the fifth . You only have three pieces . ¡±


    I let out a deep breath as I locked eyes with Old Broke Beak . My gaze was calm and level but the aetherced pressure casting a palpable chill in the air made my intentions clear . Caera and the old bird stiffened, and the three scarred Spear Beaks stepped up to guard their leader .


    ¡°I¡¯ve been civil up until now, but I¡¯m at my limit,¡± I said, my voice icy . ¡°We are not a weapon for you to point at your enemies . You can either help us of your own free will, or our time as allies wille to an end . ¡±


    A veil of silence fell over the proceedings as even the Spear Beaks feasting on the Four Fists corpse stopped to stare at us .


    ¡°As you say . Stay, at least, for this feast . Such victories are not enjoyed often by my people . Eat of the egg of Rising Wind and Thunder Cutter, let the tribe live this moment, while I retrieve you the piece . Yes?¡±


    ¡°I will decline the meal,¡± I said firmly, my gaze piercing through the gangly old bird .


    Old Broke Beak cked his beak in what looked like a disy of frustration but quickly hid his emotions with a sharpugh . ¡°The heroic ascenders wish to fly as fast as Spear Beaks . Very well!¡±


    The chieftain let out a series of sharp squawks to one of the Spear Beaks behind him before turning back to us . ¡°de Wing will bring our portal piece . ¡±


    With a curt bow, the old bird shuffled back with his three guards . Despite their violet eyes boring holes in me, I finally thought we could rx .


    That was when my body began to feel sluggish, like my very muscles had frozen . My breaths came out in haggard rasps .


    ¡°G-Grey . ¡±


    I felt Caera grab onto my arm for support as she stumbled . Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Old Broke Beak¡¯s only eye glimmering in excitement as he eagerly watched .


    Caera fell to the ground in a fit ofbored breaths as I buckled to my knees, heart pounding against my chest in fear for the cryan noble .


    ¡°What...did you...do,¡± I said in a forced voice, turning my gaze fully toward the chieftain .


    The elderly bird let out a shrillugh, which was echoed amongst his tribe members as they stared at us in delight .


    ¡°Old Broke Beak may not be strong as mighty ascenders, no, but he has the best of brains!¡± he said while practically skipping toward us . ¡°You see, this one knew the ascender would not eat our food . Suspicious, yes! Obvious, yes!¡±


    I fell to my side, one ear on Caera to make sure she was still breathing behind me .


    The old bird remained a few yards away, safe behind his battle-scarred protectors, and continued to speak . ¡°This is why Old Broke Beak poisoned the fires so that smoke would be breathed in by the ascenders . Not harmful to Spear Beaks, very bad for others!¡±


    ¡°Cae-Caera,¡± I mustered through gritted teeth .


    ¡°Poison will not kill . Ascender has to fight the Ghost Bears after all, yes! Ascender will give us four portal pieces, Spear Beaks will give back ascender¡¯s mate,¡± the chieftain responded .


    ¡°Won¡¯t...kill?¡± I repeated .


    Old Broke Beak let out an impatient squawk . ¡°Yes! Won¡¯t kill, won¡¯t kill . ¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± I replied, no longerboring to breathe .


    Violet lightning crackled around me as I God Stepped behind Old Broke Beak and made a fist around his neck . ¡°Then it looks like our negotiations are over . ¡±

 Chapter 309

    Chapter 309


    I could feel Old Broke Beak¡¯s blood pumping frantically through the fragile neck I held in my grasp as he jerked in shock .


    Two of the three scarred warriors that surrounded their chieftain immediately reacted, whirling so that their sharp beaks were aimed at my throat, while thergest of the three remained still .


    A deathly silence descended on the cliff at the sudden turn of events, no one willing to make a move as I held their leader¡¯s life in my hands .


    I leaned forward to the quivering chieftain, my gaze locked on his guards . ¡°Are you willing to gamble your life on the chance that your soldiers might be able to kill me before I snap your neck...or will you call them off?¡±


    The old bird stiffened at my threat but remained silent .


    ¡°I thought you were smarter than that,¡± I muttered as I stamped my foot . An audible crack resounded as Old Broke Beak¡¯s left leg snapped near his ankle . The chieftain let out a hoarse honk as he writhed in pain .


    Panicked cries echoed through the peaks as the three soldiers brought their menacing beaks closer to me .


    ¡°Shall we try again?¡± I asked, voice frigid .


    Old Broke Beak let out a pained caw while motioning the two guards away with his gray wings .


    ¡°Th-there! Old Broke Beak has told everyone to stay back, yes!¡± he squawked, hobbling on his good leg .


    ¡°Good . ¡± Keeping my grip around my hostage¡¯s neck firm, we slowly made our way to where Caeray unconscious . ¡°Now, you¡¯re going to guide us to where you hid your tribe¡¯s portal piece . ¡±


    The chieftain nodded his gangly neck fiercely . ¡°Yes, yes! Then ascenders will let Old Broke Beak go?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you go after we have the portal piece,¡± I confirmed as I picked up Caera¡¯s limp body from the snowy ground . She was breathing much morefortably now, but with Regis deep in recovery mode, I stayed on edge . ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°B-back to this one¡¯s home!¡± he stammered, his single violet eye shifting from me to his broken leg .


    With a crackle of violet lightning, the three of us arrived in front of the chieftain¡¯s humble straw hut . Above, I could see the tribe had exploded into a frenzy as they descended from the cliff we had teleported from in an attempt to follow after their leader .


    I looked around at the empty vige . ¡°Where is it?¡±


    ¡°Down below, in a hollow beyond the vige, yes!¡± Old Broke Beak squawked, his cracked beak chittering anxiously .


    I God Stepped once more to put some distance between us and the crazed Spear Beaks, but with two passengers and an aether-hungry beast feeding off my core, I could feel my reserves plummeting with each use .


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything,¡± I said, my patience growing thin .


    ¡°Difficult to get into, yes! Need to go around that bend,¡± the chieftain said, pointing with a wing .


    My vision swept across the narrow canyon, which was tucked into the steep cliffs at the edge of the Spear Beaks¡¯ vige, and after sifting through the information each of the aether paths had ryed back to me, I God Stepped once more .


    I could see Old Broke Beak sneaking nces behind us to where the Spear Beaks circled in the sky, waiting for their chance to dive in .


    Letting out a sigh, I gently ced Caera on the ground and wrapped my free hand around the base of Old Broke Beak¡¯s right wing .


    A clean snap echoed off the canyon walls along with the rasping squawk of the old bird as his wing jutted down at an impossible angle .


    Bringing Old Broke Beak¡¯s face next to mine, I spoke calmly . ¡°If the piece of the portal isn¡¯t within arm¡¯s length of me after your next set of directions, the next thing I break will be your neck . ¡±


    ¡°Y-yes...¡± he wheezed before giving me a set of lengthy instructions . As I expected, the chieftain had been trying to buy time and waste my energy in hopes that I¡¯d run out of God Steps like the Shadow ws .


    The old bird¡¯s instructions led us farther down into the canyon to a hidden cavern, which was covered by a wovenced with feathers andyered with snow so that it blended seamlessly with its surroundings . If the chieftain hadn¡¯t guided us to this exact location, I knew that it would¡¯ve been near impossible to find the portal piece .


    ¡°Into the tunnel, straight ahead,¡± he said weakly, his broken left leg dragging in the snow .


    Adjusting Caera, who was again slung over my shoulder, I walked farther into the dark, unlit tunnel until it opened up into a dead end .


    Despite how dark the cavity was, I was barely able to make out the sight ahead, and what I saw left me speechless .


    Piled up like a greedy king¡¯s hoard was a collection of gold coins, precious jewels, and artifacts . And while it surprised me at first, the sight of this trove of priceless treasures made me even more angry .


    How many ascenders had the Spear Beaks tricked and killed in order to get all of this? While the question hung on the tip of my tongue, another part of me didn¡¯t want to hear the chieftain¡¯s answer .


    ¡°G-Grey?¡±


    My eyes widened . ¡°Caera!¡± Abandoning Old Broke Beak, I lowered the cryan noble to the ground and leaned her back against the cavern wall . ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°Heavy and¡ª¡± Caera let out a sharp breath as her eyes fell on Old Broke Beak . ¡°He...why is he...¡±


    ¡°Someone needed to help us find the portal piece,¡± I said with a soft smile . ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t be able to do anything . ¡±


    ¡°The Creator¡¯s piece is here, yes! But hard to see without light, hard to find,¡± the old bird said, gesturing to the pile of artifacts with his good wing .


    Letting out a scoff, I headed toward the back of the pile, where a particrly strong aetheric presence glowed . Momentster, I had the smooth b of white stone in my hand .


    Caera let out a sigh as she sunk back into the wall . ¡°Finally . ¡±


    Old Broke Beak stared dumbly at the portal piece I held before nodding his head . ¡°G-great ascender has found the piece . Old Broke Beak will be released, yes?¡±


    ¡°Not quite yet . ¡± I turned to the cryan noble, pointing back to therge pile of treasure . ¡°We don¡¯t have much time, but we shouldn¡¯t let this all go to waste . ¡±


    Caera nced back at Old Broke Beak, whose eye quivered in dread, before giving me a smirk .


    ~


    Holding onto the Spear Beak chieftain, I let Caera go through the pile in search of anything she wanted in particr .


    Even with Caera¡¯s dimension ring broken, I had expected her to try and take quite a bit of artifacts, but she came back carrying only one item .


    ¡°Is that all you¡¯re getting?¡± I asked Caera, staring at the thin metal bracer she held in her hand . Lines flowed through the simple piece of armor, but aside from its elegant design, I couldn¡¯t sense what it could do .


    ¡°Mhmm . When I touched it, I could feel it trying to absorb my soulfire,¡± she exined . ¡°I don¡¯t know what it does, but among the countless artifacts I¡¯ve held, this is the first one that¡¯s interacted with that part of my power . ¡±


    I shrugged . ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to im anything else? Even if it¡¯s worthless, you could probably make a lot of gold . ¡±


    Caera slipped the bracer over her left hand, and I could have sworn the metal band shrunk to fit her forearm . She held up her new artifact and gave me a haughty look . ¡°I already have more gold than I can care to spend . ¡±


    I rolled my eyes . ¡°Show off . ¡±


    Seeing Caera only take one item, Old Broke Beak let out an audible sigh of relief that was cut short right as I imbued aether into my dimension rune .


    In a matter of moments, the treasure pile that was about asrge as a Four Fist waspletely gone .


    Caera chortled . ¡°That¡¯s showing off . ¡±


    ¡°N-now Old Broke Beak can go?¡± the chieftain asked as he ground his beak together in seething anger .


    Letting go of his neck, I pushed him forward . ¡°Sure . ¡±


    The old bird hobbled on one leg, barely keeping himself from tumbling over by using his good wing to keep himself steady .


    ¡°Is it wise to let him go this soon?¡± Caera asked, her voice icy .


    ¡°I have a n,¡± I said softly, going down on one knee . ¡°Here, get on my back . ¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s fine . I should be able to run in a minute,¡± she stammered, taking a weak step back .


    Raising a brow, I asked, ¡°Would you rather I carry you like a sack of rice, or have you recently developed the ability to teleport as well...¡±


    After a pause, Caera cleared her throat and slowly wrapped her arms around my neck .


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, pressing herself against my back as I stood up .


    Regis . Stop consuming my aether until we¡¯re out of here, I sent, snapping mypanion from his hibernative state .


    ¡®What¡¯d I mi¡ªooh...that¡¯s quite the skinship you two have going on,¡¯ Regis sang .


    Shut it, I growled .


    Taking an even breath, I turned my focuspletely to my surroundings . I could sense Old Broke Beak hobbling closer to the exit .


    I didn¡¯t have much time .


    ¡°Caera, as soon as I God Step, I¡¯m going to need your help,¡± I said .


    ¡°Of course . ¡±


    After exining my n to her, I began to take in the information provided by the countless branching routes of aether, seeking out one in particr .


    At the same time, I worked to replenish my core to the point where I could make the long jump with Caera .


    Filtering out the aetherced surroundings, I focused on the unique signatures that each of the Spear Beaks had as more and more of them arrived at the mouth of the tunnel .


    Not enough...


    Minutes trickled by as my concentration continuously shifted between the aether routes and the Spear Beaks that were amassing right outside .


    I could feel Caera¡¯s heart beating faster against my back while even Regis remained silent and tense within me .


    Now!


    The world shifted in a blink as tendrils of violet lightning coiled around me . In front of me was the canyon cliff directly on top of Old Broke Beak¡¯s secret cave that we had passed by . Above us were a flock of Spear Beaks, each of which broke into a frenzy of squawking and cawing, feathers flying as they bumped each other in their rush toe after us .


    ¡°Caera!¡± I roared as I spun on my heels .


    Caera freed her hands while keeping her legs wrapped around my waist as I began running . Igniting her soulfire, she released a torrent of ck mes right at the cliff edge, creating an avnche of snow, ice, and rock down towards Old Broke Beak and therge chunk of his tribe that were waiting at the cave mouth to ambush us .


    A deafening rumble resounded through the canyon, nearly drowning out the panicked honks and caws of the Spear Beaks . The bird people above, however, had begun to follow after us, diving down in streaks of ck and gray, their wicked talons outstretched .


    I sidestepped a pair of Spear Beaks as Caera fired off bolt after bolt of ck fire, but as more and more of them began to surround us, we were forced to stop .


    ¡°I¡¯m going to God Step back toward the dome, but I¡¯m going to need a few minutes if I want to go far enough to lose them!¡± I said over the cacophony of Spear Beaks flying around us in circles .


    Caera hopped off my back, stumbling as her feet hit the ground, but able to stand . ¡°A few minutes might be all I can muster . ¡±


    Regis! Can you manifest? I asked hopefully .


    ¡®Nope . Still useless,¡¯ he said, nonplussed .


    A thick shroud of aether clung to my skin just as another pair of Spear Beaks began to dive toward us . The gangly birds that wheeled in the air above began discharging streaks of a ck substance that had a vague purple sheen .


    Pivoting to the right, I struck the side of one diving Spear Beak¡¯s neck just as it tried to sweep back up in the air, immediately before sidestepping a stream of foul ck sludge .


    The vile slime ate through the snow and ice, and part of the stone below it, leaving a hole several feet deep .


    ¡®Well that¡¯s new,¡¯ Regismented .


    Caera and I stuck tighter together, back to back . She focused on sniping the birds that were releasing the caustic discharge while I stayed on the defensive in order to continue replenishing my reserves .


    ¡°How much...longer?¡± she asked, her poison-weakened body starting to fatigue .


    Catching a Spear Beak by its neck, I used its sharp beak to impale one of its own brethren .


    ¡°Almost,¡± I huffed, just as a familiar rasping squawk sounded behind us .


    ncing back toward the source of the sound, I could see Old Broke Beak being carried by two scarred Spear Beaks with arger one trailing close behind them . They were maintaining their distance from the dome of Spear Beaks surrounding us .


    ¡°Of course he lives,¡± Caera scoffed .


    I clicked my tongue . ¡°I was hoping the avnche would slow them more than this . ¡±


    The crippled chieftain red down at us in palpable fury as he began shouting angrily at his tribe members and pointing at us with his one good wing .


    I tensed in preparation for another wave of attacks, but was surprised to see the Spear Beaks staying in the air, their heads shifting left and right as they looked at their tribe members with uncertainty .


    A few dove down once more, but without the caustic ck sludge to back them up, they didn¡¯t stand a chance .


    This seemed to make Old Broke Beak even angrier, because his hoarse cries became even louder and sharper .


    ¡°Caera, take out your sword and toss it on the ground,¡± I said .


    Her gaze shifted from the wary Spear Beaks back to me as she realized what I was trying to do . Unsheathing her red de, she stabbed it into the ground .


    The crippled chieftain became even more furious, his old body trembling in rage as he continued to squawk and honk while stabbing his wing in our direction .


    Old Broke Beak¡¯s incessant screaming was suddenly cut short as a bloodied beak jutted out of his feathered body .


    Caera and I stared, wide-eyed, as the scarred Spear Beak that had flown closely behind the chieftain and his two helpers ripped his crimson beak from their leader¡¯s chest .


    Inside me, Regis let out a loud gasp . ¡®Plot twist!¡¯


    Old Broke Beak¡¯s cries turned into gurgles as blood seeped from his cracked bill and his long neck sank limply in the air, his violet eye still wide in shock .


    The only sound that could be heard in the wall of silence surrounding us was the soft thud of Old Broke Beak¡¯s corpse hitting the ground .


    The chieftain¡¯s killer let out a deep caw that dispersed the Spear Beaks surrounding us . Casting its violet eyes down at me, it opened its bloodied beak .


    ¡°Go!¡± it half-squawked .


    Taking onest nce at the pitiful corpse of the greedy chieftain, abandoned by his very tribe, I looked up at the one responsible and gave him a nod before igniting God Step .


    ~


    The journey back to the dome was much easier than our first trip across the stormy tundra . Though we slogged through the snow most of the way, I God Stepped at intervals to break up the distance .


    When we reached the dome, I simply God Stepped into it instead of re-excavating the tunnel .


    We didn¡¯t waste any time . I withdrew the four pieces and Caera helped me to fit them into the portal frame . There was still a broken chunk about a foot long and four inches wide, but I was hopeful that Aroa¡¯s Requiem was powerful enough to rebuild it with the other pieces in ce .


    I let out a deep breath, trying to calm my pounding heart .


    ¡°This is it,¡± Caera muttered, taking a step back .


    ¡®Drumroll pl¡ª¡¯


    Regis, I swear...


    ¡®Fine, fine . ¡¯


    I set my hand on the white stone . The godrune ignited, casting a golden glow across the tform . Purple motes, like a festival of fireflies, flowed from my hand and across the arch, gathering in the cracks where the pieces had been set back in ce . The cracks sealed, healing like a wound, until the four pieces looked as if they¡¯d never been broken to begin with .


    I ran a finger over where the cracks had been . It was wless...except for thest piece that was still missing .


    ¡°Damn it!¡± I pounded my fist against the smooth white frame of our only exit, which continued its stubborn refusal to turn on .


    Caera, who had been standing next to me watching me expectantly, sank . Spinning around, the cryan noble slid over the edge of the tform, sitting with her legs dangling over the edge .


    I sat next to her . Between us, the white dagger rested on the white stone, just where we had left it before rushing unexpectedly out of the dome chasing the Ghost Bear . On the floor below us, the remains of our previous camp were stillid out . There was a thin dusting of snow over everything from where it had blown down the tunnel and into the dome .


    ¡°Does this mean we have to go back out in search of these invisible bears?¡± Caera asked, her gaze also on the pile of bedding beneath us .


    I nodded, teeth gnashing at the thought of scouring through the endless ins of snow in search of thest piece . In an effort to distract myself, I picked up the white dagger and began to turn it in my hands . It looked exactly as it had the day I¡¯d recovered it from the millipede¡¯sir .


    Despite how often I had used it, the bone white de showed no signs of wear and tear . Out of habit, I imbued aether into it once more when something ttered into the pile of bones at the base of the stairs .


    Snapping up to my feet, I rushed to the edge of the tform, the dagger held before me and already humming with a thin reinforcingyer of aether .


    My eyes darted from the pile of offerings to the door, then made a sweep of the cavernous, empty space .


    When I found nothing, I looked back to the pile of bones . Sitting atop it, where it clearly hadn¡¯t been a moment ago, was a dimly glowing piece of stone . I leapt down the stairs in a single hop and reached for it .


    My hand shook as I held the final piece . ¡°Th-this...¡±


    ¡®And you say you¡¯re not lucky,¡¯ Regis scoffed .


    Caera rushed to my side, her de out and back facing me as her head turned, constantly in search of something .


    That¡¯s when the creature revealed itself .


    Standing in front of the door, where only an instant before there had been nothing, I could now see a massive snow-white bear . Like the other we¡¯d seen, it had a thick ridge of bone protruding from its forehead and shoulders, and when it moved there was a subtle pearlescent shine .


    I lifted the portal piece and held it out in front of me, my eyes trained on the Ghost Bear, watchful for any movement or sign of attack . Instinct told me that this creature was giving us the piece, but I still wanted to be ready if it turned hostile .


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, keeping my voice even despite the quickening of my heartbeat .


    The Ghost Bear snorted, a deep rumbling that vibrated up through the soles of my feet . Its dark purple eyes met mine, and then it was gone¡ªor rather, it turned invisible, I was sure . Despite knowing it was there, I couldn¡¯t see or hear it . I watched the floor of the dome, but somehow it managed to avoid even disturbing the dusting of snow around the doorway .


    Most striking of all was the fact that I couldn¡¯t read its aether signature .


    I wonder what it¡¯d take to learn that trick, I thought idly .


    After waiting a few moments to make sure the Ghost Bear had gone, I held the portal piece up to inspect it more carefully . The silky white chunk of stone showed part of a tree . There was a little bear cub sniffing a flower at its base .


    ¡°Grey . Was that...the same Ghost Bear that we first chased?¡± Caera asked, her eyes still locked on thest ce she saw the invisible bear .


    ¡°No . The one we first saw wasn¡¯t able to hide its aether signature . This one is a lot more skilled,¡± I exined, shuddering at the thought of trying to fight a whole tribe of its kind .


    Caera stared at the portal piece, frowning slightly . ¡°Then it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if these Ghost Bears had been watching us, and wanted to avoid a conflict . ¡±


    ¡°Whatever the case...¡± I locked eyes with Caera and smiled widely, something I hadn¡¯t done in a long time . ¡°We did it . ¡±


    Caera¡¯s scarlet eyes widened in surprise, but she smiled back . ¡°We did . ¡±


    ¡®I¡¯d y some background music to fit the mood for you, but maybe we should save this heartfelt moment until after we try the portal again?¡¯ Regis interrupted .


    Clearing my throat, I made my way back onto the tform, walked to the portal frame, and set the final piece into ce . My godrune glowed as, once again, the motes of aether flowed into the cracks and sealed them shut .


    I stepped back from the portal frame and held my breath .


    Crackling energy appeared within the arch, flickering into and out of focus for a few seconds before it materialized into a clear portal . On the other side I could see a small, clean, bright white room .

 Chapter 310

    Chapter 310


    Ellie


    The little stream in our underground town built by the ancient mages was burbling away happily . It was lucky, I thought . It was able to simply exist, running among the rocks and singing its bubbly little song . Even when Boo swiped a glitterfish out of the water, it¡¯s not like the stream experienced the loss of the fish . It didn¡¯t have a heart to be broken .


    But I did¡ªand it was . Everywhere I looked I was constantly reminded of my family¡¯s legacy of failure, loss, and death .


    I was reminded of our failure in every tired, hopeless face, and in every sad, knowing look I got from the others .


    Even if they had their own losses, they still treated my mother and me like ss¡ªlike ss trophies . It was like we were something to beam at, to keep out where everyone could see, but could not interact with...to treat like we still mattered, even though we were just a relic of better times, when the great Arthur Leywin still protected Dicathen .


    When my brother and Sylvie disappeared, it was like thest piece of solid ground in the world had slipped away from under our feet, and now we were all slowly sinking into the dark waters of despair .


    Or that¡¯s how Kathyln put it, anyway .


    It was weird . I¡¯d have thought the death of her parents would have been a little more important to her than my brother¡¯s disappearance, but I guess I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised; everyone always loved Arthur the Lance, Arthur the general, Arthur the hero .


    But I had loved Arthur the brother, Arthur the friend...when he was around, anyway .


    My mother had faded into the background, happy to smile sadly and say ¡°thank you¡± whenever someone offered their condolences . At best, she offered the asional bit of healing to some injured refugee that the soldiers dragged back down into the shelter .


    I think she had been so close to the edge of despair already that when Arthur didn¡¯t return from rescuing Tessia, she lost hope for everything else . It hurt to admit, but if not for me, I think she¡¯d have just curled up and gone to sleep, then never opened her eyes again .


    Picking up a t, smooth rock, I tossed it up in the air and caught it again .


    How long had it been since Arthur and I had stood here on the bank of this underground stream and he had taught me how to skip stones across the water? Days? Weeks? I might as well have died and been reborn since then .


    Letting out a scoff, I hurled the stone violently at the surface of the water where it sshed in a satisfying sort of way .


    Boo, who had taken his catch and lumbered off to find a soft, mossy ce to eat, lifted his head to gaze seriously at me . The dark spots above his eyes came together, which always made him look grumpy .


    ¡°Sorry Boo . I¡¯m fine . ¡± Though I wasn¡¯t sure he believed me, the giant bear-like mana beast snorted and went back to his meal .


    ¡°With an arm like that, have you considered throwing rocks at our enemies instead of shooting arrows?¡±


    I turned, startled, but rxed when I realized it was only Helen Shard, leader of what was left of the Twin Horns . Helen had been my mentor in the castle, teaching and helping me improve my ability to fire arrows of pure mana from my bow .


    It had been a huge relief when she had arrived at the refuge with Durden and Ang Rose, and she had been quick to take up the role of my mentor again .


    She seemed to have some sort of magical sense of when I was slipping into ¡°a mood,¡± as she put it, because she always turned up to support me .


    I flicked my hair in the girlish way I knew annoyed her and looked back at the stream . ¡°I was trying to catch a fish for mom¡¯s dinner . ¡±


    From the corner of my eye I saw her raise a brow, smirking . ¡°A fish? With a rock?¡±


    ¡°Shooting one with my bow would be too easy,¡± I said haughtily, turning my nose up slightly and putting my chin forward, the very picture of an overconfident, self-assured child . Helen had always pushed me to be different from the noble children in the castle, and it aggravated her to no end when I acted like them .


    Turning serious, Helen gestured toward the water . ¡°Let¡¯s see it then . ¡±


    Returning her serious look, I picked up my bow from where it rested against a nearby boulder and inspected the clear water . Every thirty seconds or so, a dimly glowing fish would swim slowly past, heading down the stream .


    My brother had exined once that things you see in the water aren¡¯t quite where they appear to be because the water bends the light . With this in mind, I drew back the string of the bow and conjured a thin arrow of mana . Then I waited .


    A wobbly blue line in the gloomy stream told me a fish wasing . I waited until it passed into the wide, shallow part of the stream where I was standing, then prepared to take the shot . At thest instant, I tethered the arrow to me with a thread of pure mana, then let it fly .


    The beam of white light slipped into the water with the tiniest plop, and the fish jerked, sending up a ssh . I yanked at the tether, causing the arrow to jump out of the water and fly back to my hand, the glitterfish neatly impaled through the gills .


    Helen began to p slowly, shaking her head and letting her mouth hang open as if in awe . ¡°Incredible, Eleanor, simply incredible . ¡± She then marched toward me, pulled the glitterfish off the arrow, gave it a single hard crack against one of therge rocks lining the edges of the stream, saluted me with the dead fish, and turned to walk away .


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s mine!¡±


    ¡°Consider it payment for a lesson well learned,¡± she said over her shoulder, not breaking her stride . ¡°With a talent like yours, it surely won¡¯t be any trouble catching another?¡±


    Half irritated, half amused, I turned back to the water, feeling better . I decided that I might as well shoot a few more fish and take them home to Mom for dinner .


    As I drew my bow again, though, movement on the other side of the stream caught my attention and I instinctively aimed in that direction .


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    It took a second for my eyes to focus in the dim light, but when they did I immediately cancelled my spell, and the glowing white arrow fizzled and faded away .


    ¡°Sorry, Tessia . ¡±


    After an awkward pause, her eyes probing me like she was trying to read my mind, Tessia continued her walk down the steep edge on the other side of the stream . It was a little deeper on that side, and there was an ancient hunk of petrified log embedded in the ground that made a perfect bench on which to sit and cool one¡¯s feet in the water .


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Tessia said quietly, her gaze turned downward to the stream . ¡°I didn¡¯t realize anyone was here when I decided toe take a dip . ¡±


    But you got here, saw me, and decided to help yourself anyway . ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said in the tone of voice that told her it wasn¡¯t fine at all . ¡°I was just leaving anyway . ¡±


    Slinging my bow over my shoulder and gesturing to Boo, I turned to walk back up the embankment, but my heartbeat quickened with each step I took, pumping anger and resentment through me until I just wanted to stop and scream .


    Tessia hadn¡¯t been out and about much since Arthur disappeared . I¡¯d seen her a couple of times, but this was the first time I¡¯d been close enough to talk to her, and I realized suddenly that I was overflowing with things I wanted to say to her .


    Nothing you say here is going to change anything, Ellie, I told myself through gritted teeth . Shouting and cursing at Tessia isn¡¯t going to undo¡ª


    I spun on my heels and met Tessia¡¯s eye . ¡°It¡¯s your fault he¡¯s gone, I hope you know that . ¡±


    She flinched but remained silent, infuriating me even more .


    ¡°It¡¯s your fault, and you¡¯ll never, ever be able to fix it . ¡± My voice grew louder as I persisted . ¡°He was our best chance to ever have a life outside of this cave again, but he was also a big, fat idiot who couldn¡¯t just let you go! You should have known that!¡±


    My voice constricted as I rubbed away an angry tear with the back of my hand . ¡°W-why didn¡¯t you just stay here? Why?¡±


    The elven princess clenched her jaw as her gaze fell, but when she spoke, she was frustratingly calm . ¡°I couldn¡¯t, Ellie . I¡¯m sorry . I¡¯m so sorry . Maybe, if I knew then how it was going to end...but they were my parents . ¡± After a beat of silence, Tessia looked up at me, her turquoise eyes glimmering with tears . ¡°Tell me, honestly, what would you have done?¡±


    I wanted to grab her by her stupid, pretty silver hair and shove her headfirst into the water . She had run away from the shelter, defying both logic and the pleas of my brother and Virion, and forced Arthur to go after her . Because of her selfishness, Sylvie and Arthur had vanished .


    Boo growled and stood up, sensing my anger . His presence gave me courage .


    ¡°I¡¯d have listened!¡± I shouted, not even sure it was true .


    ¡°Then maybe you¡¯re wiser than me, Ellie¡ªand that¡¯s why I need you...and maybe you need me as well . ¡± Tessia¡¯s bright eyes locked onto mine, her gaze imploring and hopeful, but conflicted .


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you,¡± I hissed .


    A frown flickered across her face . ¡°Don¡¯t you think I notice how they treat you? Like you¡¯re a child, like you don¡¯t have anything to add? Like you only have value in your connection to Arthur? Don¡¯t you think I know how that feels?¡± Tessia rose to her feet, her jaw clenched, her expression somewhere between stoicism and desperation . ¡°I hear what the others whisper about me behind my back, Ellie, and many don¡¯t bother to hide their doubts, but say it openly for all to hear .


    ¡°But you¡¯re different...you¡¯re so much more than a hero¡¯s sister and I want to prove that to everyone . I¡¯m not asking you to forgive me¡ªI could never ask that of you after what I did . I know that if I hadn¡¯t run away, Arthur might still be here with us, but nothing I can do now will bring him back, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to just ept it and move on, princess . Arthur shouldn¡¯t have saved you! You should be dead, and he should be here, with me!¡±


    She smiled at me, sad and beautiful and infuriating . ¡°I¡¯ve thought the same thing . Over and over and over . If Arthur was here, now...and I was dead...¡± Tessia paused, took a deep breath, and forced the sad smile back on her face . ¡°But he¡¯s not . No matter how much I wished he hadn¡¯t, Arthur sacrificed himself for me . And the price he paid for that is something that I will never be able to repay . ¡±


    Practically shaking with rage, hot tears starting to run down my cheeks, I opened my mouth to tell her off, to curse at her, to empty my anger into her, but the words died in my throat . I wanted to hate her so much, but I just couldn¡¯t .


    I couldn¡¯t hate her, because Arthur had loved her . He had loved her so much that he had traded his life for hers . That¡¯s what she meant . Her life was my brother¡¯sst act of heroism .


    It¡¯s not fair, I thought . Why¡¯d you do it, Arthur? Why did you leave me for her¡ªagain?


    Tessia waded carefully across the shallow stream and walked up to me . She hooked the chain she wore around her neck with her thumb and pulled a pendant out from under her shirt, holding it up to me .


    ¡°Arthur gave me this, Ellie . ¡± It was a small, silver leaf pendant . ¡°He gave me this, and a promise . ¡±


    Caught off guard, my voice squeaked slightly as I practically whispered, ¡°What promise?¡±


    ¡°A promise only one of us could keep, it turns out . So I¡¯m going to live, Ellie . I¡¯m going to live for Arthur, do you understand?¡±


    I stared as Tessia stroked the pendant like it was a newborn . The elven princess was a powerful mage on the cusp of being a white core, a beast tamer capable of leveling mountains...yet, her narrow shoulders and her thin, pale arms seemed so delicate .


    Then those same thin arms were around me, and my face was pressed into her shoulder, my tears soaking into her shirt . I broke . I let the sadness and anger and fear and loneliness pour out of me, my entire body shaking as I sobbed .


    ¡°We¡¯ll get through this,¡± Tessia repeated quietly, her hand caressing the back of my head . ¡°And we need to be strong, because even if these people curse me and belittle you, they need us . Both of us . ¡±


    ¡°It just feels so pointless now, so hopeless,¡± I said breathily, my crying nearly exhausted .


    Squeezing me tighter, Tessia said, ¡°That¡¯s how I felt too . Grandpa Virion held me and let me cry until I passed out, then when I woke up I kept crying . I lost my parents, I lost Arthur, and I lost hope . But Grandpa Virion wouldn¡¯t let me give up, and I won¡¯t let you either . ¡±


    I pushed away from Tessia and wiped the tears from my face with my sleeve . ¡°What are we going to do?¡±


    Tessia looked over my shoulder to the center of the hidden vige . ¡°Dicathen may be lost, but it¡¯s not gone . And if that means we need to train or we need to fight, we¡¯re going to do whatever we can to get it back . ¡± The elven princess looked at me, brows furrowed in determination . ¡°No more sitting on the sidelines . ¡±

 Chapter 311

    Chapter 311


    Ellie


    I met my mother¡¯s gaze and tried not to roll my eyes .


    She let out a sigh . ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you give me that look . You¡¯re too young...¡±


    Forcing what I hoped was an understanding but slightly incredulous smile, I said, ¡°Mom, you can¡¯t seriously think we¡¯ll be safer if we just hide down here and let others fight for us than if we join them? The council needs every soldier they can get¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ellie,¡± she said in her mother-knows-best voice, ¡°we¡¯ve done our fighting, and we¡¯ve paid our price . Your father...Arthur...¡± Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn¡¯t wipe them away . ¡°Down here, we have some semnce of peace, and we have more time together . Time, Ellie . That¡¯s all I want...time with you . ¡±


    This wasn¡¯t about me, I knew . It was about Arthur . He¡¯d never been home, never been around . Our parents had so little time with him, not that it was entirely his fault .


    He hadn¡¯t asked to be stuck in the elven kingdom for years, though it had been his choice to run away and be an adventurer almost as soon as he¡¯d returned . It had been his choice to join the academy and live on his own, and he¡¯d agreed to go off with that Windsom guy, disappearing again just when we¡ªhis family¡ªneeded him the most .


    When he came back from thend of the deities, he became a Lance and fought a war . Then he was gone .


    ¡°Life down here is barely a life at all, Mom . It just feels like we¡¯re stuck in that moment when an enemy¡¯s sword is at your neck and your whole life shes by . ¡±


    My mother smiled ruefully and looked away . ¡°You¡¯ve been spending too much time with Tessia . ¡±


    ¡°Kathyln¡¯s words, actually,¡± I said, wrapping my arms around my mother and resting my head on her shoulder . ¡°She¡¯s pretty poetic¡ªwhen you can get her to talk . ¡±


    We stayed like that for a while, my mother¡¯s hand running through my hair . When I pulled away, there was a hesitation on her part, as if she didn¡¯t want to let me go . But then, I supposed she didn¡¯t .


    ¡°It¡¯s just a council meeting, Mom . ¡± I gave her a serious look . ¡°You should be going to them, too . ¡±


    My mother shook her head and walked to the little table where we ate our dinners . Then she sat at the table and ran her hand across it, almost like she was petting an animal . I think it made her feel more normal to do something as everyday as sitting at the dinner table and arguing with her daughter .


    ¡°I just don¡¯t understand why they need you there,¡± she said, circling back around to where our argument had started . ¡°Surely Virion and Bairon can handle making decisions without the input of a thirteen year old girl . ¡±


    I held back a sigh, knowing I was treading on thin ice to get her to agree . ¡°Like I said, Tessia has asked for me to tag along . ¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll need to have a word with Princess Tessia about spending so much time with you . ¡± I opened my mouth to beg her not to embarrass me, but she held up a hand, cutting me off . ¡°I just...you know how I feel about her...¡±


    ¡°Mom, I know Arthur died to save her,¡± I snapped, fists clenched . I¡¯d had the same argument with myself so many times I couldn¡¯t bear to have it again with her . ¡°But have you thought that maybe Arthur would¡¯ve died in Elshire Forest when he was four years old if he hadn¡¯t met her and Commander Virion?¡±


    A look of anger shed across my mother¡¯s face before her lips quivered in one of sorrow . We stared at each other for several long seconds, both unable to form out next words, but our standoff was interrupted by a snort from Boo, who had a bed in the downstairsnding of our little two-story shelter .


    ¡°Tessia must be here . I¡¯m going . ¡± I turned, crossed the dining room, and headed down the stairs . I could feel my mother¡¯s eyes burning into my back, and a sense of guilt bubbled up within my stomach for snapping at her .


    I stopped and turned, still just able to see her over the railing . ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom . I love you . ¡±


    She took a deep breath, smiled sadly, and said, ¡°I love you too, El . ¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± I was embarrassed by how timid and childlike my own voice sounded, but I couldn¡¯t ovee my nervousness . Maybe Mom was right, I thought .


    ¡°Of course . You are Eleanor Leywin,¡± Tessia answered firmly . We were winding through the upied area of our little town toward therge centralplex we¡¯d started referring to as City Hall . ¡°Your parents are heroes, your brother was a general¡ªand I¡¯m a princess . Even if they wouldn¡¯t normally let you attend the council meetings, Grandpa won¡¯t kick you out if I¡¯ve asked for you . ¡±


    I bit my lip to keep from saying anything else, following Tessia in silence . Since our fight by the stream, Tessia and I had been spending a lot of time together . I wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about it at first; a part of me still wanted to be mad at her, to hate her even, but I was starting to understand why Arthur had loved her .


    It wasn¡¯t just the way Tessia looked or how she was so refined . She had this quiet strength to her that I couldn¡¯t really describe .


    Whenever we passed anyone in the streets, Tessia would meet their eyes and greet them warmly, whether they looked at her like she was a princess or a traitor . She treated them all like they were important .


    I watched her face out of the corner of my eye, noticing how she always kept her chin up, her eyes forward . She was beautiful andregal .


    Her looks were probably another reason Arthur fell for her, I thought, running the tips of my fingers over my cheek, wondering if anyone thought I was beautiful .


    Then a human soldier stepped out into the road in front of us, forcing us to stop . The man had horrible burn scars all across his face and up into his hairline . He red at Tessia, then spit onto the ground and walked past .


    Though Tessia didn¡¯t even flinch, my nervousness returned, bubbling in the pit of my stomach and making my heartbeat flutter .


    ¡°I wish I could have brought Boo,¡± I said under my breath .


    Tessia grinned . ¡°Showing up at the council meeting with a giant bear might make more of a statement than we¡¯re shooting for today, Ellie . ¡±


    We fell into silence as we walked, and I gazed around the underground town for the hundredth time .


    The buildings looked like they¡¯d been molded instead of built, reminding me of a little y dollhouse the Helsteas had given me when I was a girl . Most were made from the same gray and red stone of the cavern, with highlights of petrified wood and a dull, copper colored metal . Each building was a little different than the rest, and they were all beautiful .


    Elder Rinia had told me she thought the ancient mages had shaped them using lost aether arts, literally molding the stone and wood like y . She had moved into a little cave in the tunnels outside of town, because some of the other refugees we¡¯d brought in didn¡¯t like her, but I still went to visit her sometimes .


    I liked to try and tease news of her visions out of her, but she¡¯d gone pretty quiet after Arthur disappeared . I was sure she knew more than she¡¯d say, but I don¡¯t think most of the survivors would have listened to her anyway . Once rumor spread that she had known what was going to happen, people turned against her .


    I didn¡¯t care what they said though . Rinia had saved Tessia, my mother, and me . Without her, we¡¯d have all been dragged to crya and probably tortured and killed . Whatever her reasons for keeping her visions to herself, I trusted the old seer .


    ¡°You ready?¡± Tessia asked, drawing me out of my thoughts . We were standing at the steps of City Hall .


    I nodded, then followed her through the heavy leather drape that covered the doorway . Two elven soldiers stood guard inside . While I didn¡¯t know them well, I¡¯ve heard of Albold¡¯s and Lenna¡¯s contributions in the war .


    They bowed to Tessia, keeping their eyes on the ground as we walked past . The few elves that had made it to the refuge still treated her like a princess from what I¡¯d seen . Kathyln didn¡¯t get quite the same royal treatment from the humans, but it didn¡¯t seem to bother her .


    Tessia led me down the entry hall and through arge, arched doorway . The square room took up half of City Hall¡¯s first floor, and was dominated by a huge, round table made of petrified wood . A rough map of Dicathen had beenid out on the table and covered with little figures that I could only guess represented cryan soldiers .


    The rest of the room was cold and lifeless, for the same reason our hidden refuge didn¡¯t even have a name: we were afraid to getfortable . We didn¡¯t want to getfortable, because that meant giving up .


    Several people, all powerful or important¡ªor both¡ªwere already gathered around the modest table, which took up only a small portion of therge stone room .


    Virion sat directly across from the door, watching us carefully as we walked in . During my time in the castle, I had seen the old elf many times, though I hadn¡¯t gotten to know him very well . He¡¯d always seemed jolly and sort of above everything, like a figure of out myth, but now he just looked tired .


    General Bairon sat to Virion¡¯s left . He was saying something to themander, but his gaze followed me coldly as I stepped into the room .


    To Virion¡¯s right, Kathyln¡¯s brother, Curtis, was exactly the opposite of General Bairon¡¯s stiff posture . Prince Curtis sat backfortably in his chair, a slightly bored look on his face as he listened to the general speak . He beamed at Tessia when he saw us, then shot me a weing smile . He¡¯d let his mahogany hair grow out so that it framed his strong, handsome face . I blushed and looked away .


    Kathyln sat next to her brother, her intense eyes on the map, so focused that she didn¡¯t seem to notice our arrival .


    Across from her, Madam Astera was also listening to whatever General Bairon was saying . Her face was wrinkled into a look of concern .


    Finally, Helen leaned against the wall behind Madam Astera, her focus entirely on Bairon . She wore a simrly worried look, but when she nced up and caught my eye, she smiled .


    ¡°Oh, just what we need,¡± she said, throwing her hands up and rolling her eyes theatrically before shooting me a teasing wink . ¡°Another princess on the council . ¡±


    I flushed even deeper as everyone turned to look at me . Not everyone looked happy to see me .


    Virion stared at Tessia, his eyes flicking to me for an instant . She nodded in return . He then turned his gaze on me, but his expression was unreadable . I wasn¡¯t sure what unspoken conversation they¡¯d just had, but I could guess that Tessia hadn¡¯t told anyone she was bringing me .


    ¡°This, then, would be everyone called for this meeting,¡± Virion said gruffly, and the room fell instantly silent . ¡°Please, sit down, and we¡¯ll begin . ¡±


    Chairs scraped across the stone floor as everyone took their ces . Curtis even took his feet off the table, gazing seriously at Virion . Helen squeezed my shoulder as she took a seat next to me .


    Bairon was the first to speak, and though he leaned toward Virion as though his words were for themander¡¯s ears only, he spoke loud enough for all of us to hear . ¡°Even with her lineage, are you sure we should be including a twelve year old girl, who isrgely untested in battle, in this council¡¯s deliberations?¡±


    I opened my mouth to say that I was almost fourteen, but the Lance kept speaking, now turning to face the rest of the group . ¡°Though we live in a time when all must involve themselves in our daily survival, I do not think it is sensible to start bringing children to council meetings . ¡± The general met my eye, and I did my best not to look away or to let him know how ufortable I was, though I found myself wishing again that I had Boo behind me to give me courage . ¡°The Leywins don¡¯t have anything else to prove in this war, and it is beyond reason to expect Eleanor to shoulder her brother¡¯s burdens . ¡±


    I couldn¡¯t tell if he was being dismissive or kind . Arthur had always hated Bairon, but the Lance seemed almost guilty when he mentioned my brother .


    ¡°Ellie is here at my request,¡± Tessia said firmly, her cool gaze unflinching as she met the Lance¡¯s eye .


    ¡°Enough . ¡± Virion, who had closed his eyes while Bairon spoke, suddenly mmed his hand on the table, making me jump in my seat . ¡°We aren¡¯t here to deliberate who gets to be in the room . ¡±


    Themander waited until it was clear there would be no more interruptions, then leaned forward, his palms pressed into the table hard enough that his knuckles went white . ¡°We¡¯ve received news from Elenoir . ¡±


    Beside me, Tessia tensed . I reached out and squeezed her hand under the table . ¡°We finally have some understanding of what the cryans intend for the elven kingdom, and for the elves that have been captured there .


    ¡°Elenoir is apparently being carved up into holds and gifted to noble cryan houses, or ¡®bloods¡¯, to use their own term . The captured elves are being...¡± Virion trailed off, ring down at Elenoir as represented on the map .


    When he began speaking again, there was a deathly chill in his voice that gave me goosebumps on my arms and the back of my neck . ¡°The surviving elves in Elenoir are being enved and gifted to the cryan nobles to provide gruntbor for the cryan war effort . Elshire is to be harvested and burned as fuel for the cryans¡¯ forges . ¡±


    The table was silent for quite awhile after Virion¡¯s words . Tessia was still as a statue . I felt like the rest of the council was somehow intruding on a private moment .


    ¡°This,¡± Virion continued, ¡°leads me to the purpose of today¡¯s council meeting . Our scouts in Elshire have also discovered that several dozen elven prisoners are going to be transported from Zestier to the southern holds in the next few days .


    ¡°It is my intention that we send an assault force to way the prisoner caravan, free the captured elves, and bring them back here . ¡±


    Virion¡¯s words hung heavily in the air . The old elf peered around the table, meeting each of our eyes in turn, even mine . He didn¡¯t talk loudly or emotionally, but his words shook my very bones .


    So this is the power of absolute authority,I thought .


    ¡°I¡¯ll lead the assault force,¡± Tessia said suddenly, her voice nearly as sharp and heavy with authority as Virion¡¯s . My breath caught in my chest as a physical pressure washed out of the elven princess, pressing down on me like the heavy air before a storm .


    Bairon flinched ever-so-slightly in surprise before he shook his head, leaning forward over the table as he said, ¡°No disrespect, Lady Tessia, but I think this mission requires a more experienced leader . We¡¯ll only get one shot at this, and there won¡¯t be anyone to back up our assault force if things go badly . ¡±


    Despite keeping her expression firm, I noticed Tessia blushing slightly and the pressure she emitted lessened as well . ¡°General Bairon, you may be a Lance, but you¡¯re also human, and you can¡¯t navigate the forest the way an elf can . No disrespect, of course . ¡± Bairon scowled, but leaned back in his chair and let her continue . ¡°No one here knows the area like I do, except for Grandpa Virion, and we can¡¯t risk him in the field . This is my home, these are my people . I will lead the assault force . ¡±


    Virion nodded firmly . ¡°Thank you, Tessia . I had hoped you would consent to leading the mission . ¡± Next to me, Tessia seemed momentarily caught off guard by her grandfather¡¯s words, but she was quick to hide her surprise .


    One of the things Tessia and I had inmon was that we both felt like we were treated like fragile things people were afraid might break . She hadn¡¯t been allowed to leave the underground town since she¡¯d ran away to find her parents . I couldn¡¯t help but wonder why Virion was suddenly sending her out now .


    The pressure lifted like someone had pulled a nket off my face . I could tell the others had felt it too, as the whole room seemed to take a breath all at once .


    ¡°That¡¯s decided then . Now, let¡¯s talk details . ¡±


    What followed was nearly three hours of discussion regarding the mission to rescue the elven prisoners . I mostly kept quiet during the conversation, but it was fascinating and intimidating to listen to these experienced soldiers and leaders discuss strategy . I imagined Arthur would have had a lot to say if he were there in my ce .


    But he¡¯s not, so I¡¯ll do my best, I thought with a nod to myself .


    It was halfway through the meeting before I had the courage to stand up and tell the council that I wanted to join the mission .


    ¡°Well of course you¡¯reing,¡± Tessia had said, ¡°that¡¯s why I brought you . ¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Curtis asked, his chocte brown eyes searching my face . Suddenly my stomach was full of butterflies . Why does he have to be so damn handsome . . .


    I steeled my nerves and returned Curtis¡¯s prating gaze, trying to sound mature and brave as I said, ¡°I¡¯ve had private training from some of the best warriors and mages in Dicathen and I fought at the Wall when the horde attacked . I¡¯m ready to help!¡±


    Kathyln stared at me with that unreadable expression she always had . Madam Astera was inspecting me with a disarming, almost silly grin stered on her face . Helen gave me a matronly smile .


    Virion only nodded, looking, if anything, even more tired than when the meeting started . ¡°So be it then . But you¡¯re telling your mother . ¡±


    The rest of the meeting passed quickly, while I did my best to keep up with the conversation . They decided who would be a part of the assault force¡ªTessia, Kathyln, Curtis, Helen, and about a dozen other hand-picked soldiers¡ªand started nning a strategy for a trap to catch the cryan soldiers escorting the prisoners off guard .


    Near the end of the council meeting, Kathyln, who had been nearly as quiet as I had, spoke up . ¡°Commander Virion, perhaps I¡¯ve missed something, but even if we¡¯re able to wlessly execute this n, I don¡¯t see how we¡¯re going to bring this many refugees back at once . ¡±


    Virion leaned back, regarding Kathyln critically . ¡°We¡¯ve been...investigating the medallions, trying to expand their potential, and I believe we¡¯ve discovered...¡± Virion trailed off, uncharacteristically hesitant . ¡°Well, we haven¡¯t verified anything yet, but by the time the prisoners are moved, you¡¯ll have a way to bring them back . I promise it . ¡±


    ***


    When the meeting was over, I stood up from the table to leave, but Virion waved me back . ¡°Ellie, a word please . ¡±


    I stared at him, unsure how to respond . What could he want from me? The others seemed equally caught off guard .


    General Bairon froze halfway from his seat and looked to Virion, but the old elf only responded with a subtle shake of his head, and Bairon stood stiffly and busied himself with helping Madam Astera out of her own seat .


    Helen patted me on the shoulder as she walked by, beaming at me pridefully . ¡°We should delve into the tunnels and hunt cave rats before you leave . It¡¯d be good practice . ¡±


    I smiled nervously and nodded .


    ¡°Want me to wait for you outside?¡± Tessia asked . Curtis was lingering behind her unnoticed, as if he wanted to speak to her .


    ¡°No,¡± I answered, ¡°thanks, I¡¯ll be fine . ¡±


    Not sure whether I should sit back down or stay standing, I leaned awkwardly against the table, pretending to study the map of Dicathen while the rest of the council made their slow way out of the room .


    Virion waited until we were alone . He opened his mouth as if to start issuing orders, but then he looked at me, really looked at me, and his expression softened . ¡°You handled yourself well today . Your brother would be proud of the strong young woman you¡¯ve be . ¡±


    I fidgeted awkwardly, not sure what to say .


    ¡°I¡¯m also d to see you and Tessia together . It¡¯s good, you know, having someone who understands what you¡¯re going through . ¡±


    When I still didn¡¯t respond, he coughed and said, ¡°Right, thank you for your assistance with this matter . It¡¯s somewhat sensitive, but I believe you¡¯re uniquely suited to the task . ¡±


    He looked at me expectantly, so I said, ¡°Yes, of course . Whatever you need, Commander Virion . ¡±


    Virion sighed, and it was like someone had let the air out of him as he shrank in his chair . ¡°I would like you to go to Rinia . See what she has to say about our mission . No need to be subtle, she¡¯ll know why you¡¯re there . ¡±


    I was aware that Virion and Rinia had fallen out since moving into the underground shelter . She¡¯d told me so, though she hadn¡¯t been specific about it .


    ¡°Of course . Is¡ªis there anything specific you want me to ask?¡±


    ¡°Just see what she has to say . That¡¯ll be all . ¡± Themander dismissed me with a wave of his hand, turning his gaze back to the tactical map .


    I left the room and headed back down the hall toward the exit, but the male elf standing guard stepped toward me, forcing me to stop .


    ¡°Uh, can I help you?¡± I asked defensively, though I wasn¡¯t sure why he made me nervous . My brain felt like mush after listening to nning and strategy for hours on end .


    The elf, Albold, raised his hands, making it clear he meant me no harm . ¡°Sorry, Ellie...Eleanor . I know we¡¯ve never really talked, but I just wanted to give you my condolences . For Arthur . I¡¯ve met and even talked to him before back when he was...¡± Albold ran a hand through his hair and smiled awkwardly . ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this is difficult . ¡±


    The anger red within me . I tried to smother it, but after Virion¡¯s attempt at grandfatherly kindness, my feelings were a little raw . ¡°Thank you,¡± I said stiffly, not meeting Albold¡¯s eyes . Brushing past the elf, I shoved aside the leather hanging and practically ran down the handful of steps that led into the City Hall .


    Gritting my teeth, I started to run through the narrow streets, taking the quickest path back to our shelter .


    Why does everyone think I want to hear their stupid condolences,I thought . I knew that they meant well and that it was childish to push away their kindness¡ªof course I knew that¡ªbut at this point, it just felt like they were picking at my scab, not letting it heal .


    Then I thought about the elves being held prisoner in Elenoir, and wondered how many of them were Albold¡¯s family and friends . Had he lost siblings in the war? A father? I didn¡¯t know, because instead of listening to him, I¡¯d acted like a little kid and ran away .


    You¡¯re not a little kid anymore, Ellie . You don¡¯t get to act like one .


    I forced myself to slow to a walk and rubbed the tears from my eyes . I would calmly walk home, get Boo, and head out into the tunnels to Rinia¡¯s .

 Chapter 312

    Chapter 312


    Ellie


    I heard the creatures skittering through the darkness before I saw them . The dim light artifact I carried only lit up about ten feet around me, enough to walk without twisting my ankle but not enough to show me what wasing .


    There were three, maybe four of them, and they were still at least fifty feet down the tunnel .


    Cave rats .


    We¡¯d first discovered them when exploring the tunnels around the refuge . The beasts hadn¡¯t posed much of a threat to the refugee shelter; in fact they¡¯d proven really useful since we could eat them . They didn¡¯t taste great, but without them, bringing enough protein into our refuge would have been a lot more difficult . Still, people had to be careful, because the cave rats could be dangerous for someone traveling on their own .


    Thankfully, I had Boo with me, so I wasn¡¯t too worried about one pack of cave rats .


    The rodent-like mana beasts were about the size of wolves and moved in packs like wolves too . From what we could tell, they were the dominant predator in these tunnels, surviving off the smaller vermin .


    I swung my bow off of my shoulder and drew the string, conjuring an arrow into it . Boo huffed, but we¡¯d practiced this before . He would stay behind me, out of the line of fire, until the enemy got close, then I could fall back while he charged forward .


    The scratching of the cave rats¡¯ ws on the rough stone floor of the tunnel suddenly quickened, but I waited until I saw the first pair of eyes glowing red in the reflected light of my littlentern stone .


    The string hummed as the beam of white light flew into the dark . A second arrow had been conjured and nocked by the time the first found its mark right between the lead rat¡¯s eyes .


    The beast tumbled end over end, just a shadow at the edge of my vision . My second arrow sped past it, thudding into another cave rat I couldn¡¯t see yet .


    The third beast sprinted past its deadpanions, trundling heavily like a little bear, but it didn¡¯t make it much closer before one of my arrows struck it in the joint between the neck and the shoulder . Its legs gave out and it slid forward on its chest, wheezing horribly .


    I put it out of its misery with a final arrow through the skull .


    The tunnel was silent except for the soft sound of my own breath and Boo¡¯s deep snorting behind me .


    ¡°Sorry boy,¡± I said with a smirk . ¡°I promise I¡¯ll leave some for you next¡ª¡±


    Movement from above drew my attention: a fourth cave rat was using its hard ws to creep slowly across the tunnel ceiling . It was shrunken and mangy, its mottled ck-and-gray fur sticking out wildly .


    Moving slowly, I set my hand to the bowstring and began to draw back, but the creature reacted much more quickly than its deadpanions . It dropped to the ground, spinning in the air tond on its gnarled little feet, then opened its grotesque mouth and hissed, spewing out a cloud of greenish gas .


    I loosed my arrow, but the cave rat¡ªif it even was a cave rat¡ªleapt to the side, spun, and bolted down the hallway, quickly moving beyond the range of my faint light source .


    Stumbling backwards to escape the fumes, I sent another arrow speeding down the tunnel after it, hoping to hit it blindly, but the arrow only impacted against stone and then fizzled out .


    Boo roared and barreled past me, tearing through the dark after the strange cave rat, ready to tear it apart .


    The tunnel smelled sweet and putrid, like rotting fruit, making my eyes run and my nose burn . I stepped back further and waited, a cold shiver running up my back . What the hell was that? I wondered, rubbing away the goosebumps that had appeared on my arms .


    After less than a minute, Boo came lumbering back down the tunnel . From the absence of fresh blood on his muzzle, it was clear that he didn¡¯t catch the creature . I didn¡¯t like the idea of that creature hiding somewhere out of sight, clinging from the ceiling like a bat, watching me...I shivered again .


    ¡°Let¡¯s get moving, Boo,¡± I said resting my hand on his thick, shaggy fur . Then, to reassure myself, I repeated the mantra that Helen had taught me: ¡°Eyes up and bow steady . Never falter and always ready . ¡±


    Moving quickly and quietly, I held my breath as I passed through the foul mist that still hung in the air . The dead cave ratsy in twisted lumps on the floor, and would soon enough draw more of them in from the surrounding tunnels . I¡¯d have to be cautious on my way back to the underground town .


    I looked at every jutting protrusion of rock on the ceiling and walls, and on two different asions I shot an arrow at what turned out to be loose stones that had fallen from the roof, but in the dim edges of my light they had looked like cave rats lying in wait .


    Each twist and turn of the path leading to Elder Rinia¡¯s little cavern made my heart beat more and more as I crept around the blind corners, bow at the ready, waiting for the mangy beast to jump on me from above or breathe out its noxious fumes .


    Finally, I saw the steady glow of the light artifact that hung over the crack in the wall that served as Elder Rinia¡¯s door . Letting out a deep breath of relief, I realized that the burning in my nose had moved down into my throat and lungs, and that it was painful to breathe .


    The gas...


    Rushing forward, I slipped through the crack and burst into the small cavern that Elder Rinia had imed as her home .


    Boo grunted from behind me; he usually didn¡¯t mind waiting out in the tunnel while I talked to Rinia, but he could sense my distress . I heard him pawing at the narrow opening behind me, as if he could w his way through to help me .


    The old seer was sitting in a wicker chair with her feet held to a weak little fire that burned within a natural alcove along the far wall of the cave .


    She turned as I stumbled through her door, one brow raised . ¡°Ellie, dear, what are you¡ª¡± Elder Rinia stood up with surprising swiftness, peering at me with concern . ¡°But what¡¯s happened, little one?¡±


    I tried to speak, but could only sputter . ¡°I¡ªI¡ªc-can¡¯t¡ª¡±


    The old seer was next to me in an instant, her rough fingers prodding at my neck, my lips, pushing me head back to peer into my nostrils, prying my mouth open to stare down my throat .


    My panic only grew as Elder Rinia tsked,then rushed over to a tall cab that was pressed against the rough wall of the cave and began pushing aside the clutter of items within . ¡°Where is it? Where isit!¡±


    Then my breathing stopped being painful, because I stopped being able to breathe at all . I stumbled toward the old elf and fell to my knees, one hand raised toward her pleadingly . My lungs were on fire and it felt as if my eyes would burst from my skull .


    ¡°Hah!¡± Elder Rinia hooted from somewhere above me, though she sounded very far away . Then something shoved me roughly from the side and I toppled over, rolling onto my back .


    A blurry face hovered over mine, and something cool was pressed against my lips . Thick, icy liquid filled my mouth and began to slide unaided down my throat, and it was like someone had cast a spell to freeze my insides solid .


    The liquid, whatever it was, wriggled within my lungs and throat, but when I gasped, sucking in a lungful of frigid air, I was still able to breathe . The sensation of drowning in the slime was too much for my body, however, which immediately began to try and remove the cold ooze by forcing me to be sick .


    Rolling over and pushing myself up on my hands and knees, I began to heave like a cat coughing up a hairball .


    Bright blue sludge sttered against the ground between my hands, pooled thickly, congealed back together like patches of slime mold slithering across the stone, then shriveled, ckened, and was still .


    I wiped spittle from my trembling lips and turned, horrified, to Elder Rinia .


    The old seer smiled kindly and patted my back . ¡°Alright, alright . Right as rain, now . ¡±


    I sat back on my hands and took a deep breath . The air still felt as cold as a frosty winter morning and tasted slightly of peppermint . The burning pain and the lingering smell of rot were gone .


    ¡°What¡ªwhat was that?¡± My eyes flicked toward the ck goop, then back to her .


    She turned and walked slowly back to her chair, settling into it carefully, suddenly the very picture of a frail old woman . ¡°Frost snail blubber . Works a treat for burns . Doesn¡¯tst outside of its casing, though . ¡±


    Scooting away from the pile of ck ooze, I looked at Elder Rinia in disgust . ¡°So you shoved slug snot down my throat? But I wasn¡¯t even burned . . . there was some sort of gas...I thought I¡¯d been poisoned . ¡±


    ¡°Chemical burn,¡± she said dismissively . ¡°The elder who taught me was also a gifted healer . I don¡¯t have the ancients¡¯ blood, though, so I¡¯ve had to make due with more mundane remedies . ¡±


    I¡¯d never heard Elder Rinia speak of her past or how she¡¯d learned her magical arts before . For a moment the excitement of learning more about the mysterious seer was enough to put the cave rat and my near-death experience out of my mind . ¡°Was that the same person who taught you about the runes and aether and stuff?¡±


    ¡°Aye . You could say they were singrly talented . It¡¯s taken me a lifetime to learn even a portion of what they knew...¡± Elder Rinia trailed off into thought .


    She jumped, then smiled warmly when I said, ¡°I can¡¯t imagine anyone more knowledgeable than you . ¡±


    ¡°Perhaps . It¡¯s truly unfortunate that the ancients¡¯ wisdom died with them...¡±


    The ancient mages¡¯ had built wonders that we still didn¡¯t fully understand: the floating city of Xyrus, the flying castle, the teleportation tforms that connected all of Dicathen . I¡¯d read about them a little bit, but there wasn¡¯t very much that we knew for sure .


    ¡°By the way, Ellie, would you mind calling off that great beast of yours before he tears down my front door?¡± Elder Rinia asked in amusement .


    ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± Shaking slightly, I jumped up and ran back to the crack that led back to the tunnel . Boo was still scratching at the entrance; he had forced himself into the gap up to his shoulders, but that was as far as he could go .


    He stopped when he saw me . ¡°It¡¯s okay, Boo, I¡¯m okay . You just rest now, I¡¯ll be back out after I¡¯ve spoken with Elder Rinia, okay?¡±


    My bond eyed me, then snorted and began scooting backwards, slowly dislodging himself from the narrow gap .


    I patted his snout and went back into the cave, walking carefully around the ck ooze to where Elder Rinia sat .


    There was only one chair next to the fire, so I sat cross legged on the warm stone at Elder Rinia¡¯s feet, feeling more like a child than I had in years . Despite being there for a reason, something the old seer said had stuck in my head .


    ¡°What did you mean, you don¡¯t have the ancients¡¯ blood?¡±


    Elder Rinia scoffed and looked at me appraisingly . ¡°Caught that, did you? Me and my mouth . ¡± Her expression turned thoughtful, as if she were trying to decide how much she could tell me¡ªa look I¡¯d seen many times before on the old elf¡¯s wrinkled face¡ªthen she took a deep breath .


    ¡°This isn¡¯t something most know, but when I was a girl I was taught that emitters¡ªhealers¡ªcarry the blood of the ancient mages in their veins . This, in fact, is the source of their aberrant form of magic . ¡±


    ¡°So, does that mean that Mom is descended from ancient mages? That...that Arthur and I are?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what that would mean . I wasn¡¯t even sure if I believed the old seer . It seemed fantastical, even silly, to consider it . The ancient mages were figures out of stories, like the asura .


    But then, the asura were real enough . Arthur had even gone to their homnd to train . . .


    Elder Rinia shook her head . ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve taken us quite off track . Perhaps we can speak more about these thingster . For now, I think it would be best that you exin what exactly you ran into on your way here?¡±


    She had told me as much as she was willing, I knew . I also knew there was no point in arguing with her or trying to wheedle more information out of her . No one understood the power of simple words better than a seer, and there would be no convincing her to tell me anything she didn¡¯t want to, so I scooted a little closer to the fire and began to tell her about the attack in the tunnels .


    Elder Rinia leaned forward in her chair, her hands steepled together as she listened to my story about the cave rats and the strange, sickly mana beast that had nearly killed me with its breath attack .


    When I was finished, she leaned back and let out a long sigh . ¡°A blight hob . ¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, having never heard of such a creature before .


    ¡°Wicked creatures that are able to disguise themselves in order to live among other mana beasts . Most mana beasts are just that, beasts, but blight hobs are full of hatred and cruelty . Thankfully, they¡¯re not particrly strong, though they possess a mean cleverness that makes them dangerous to underestimate . ¡±


    ¡°Sounds like something you¡¯d raise and train to keep people away,¡± I muttered grumpily .


    ¡°Only if you want to be throttled in your sleep,¡± Elder Rinia said,ughing darkly . ¡°But you¡¯re here to discuss something else, aren¡¯t you? And since you¡¯ve nearly died in the process, you¡¯d better get on with it . ¡±


    Caught off guard, I opened my mouth, coughed dryly, then closed my mouth again . Since the cave rat attack, I hadn¡¯t even thought about Virion¡¯s request, and now I realized that I wasn¡¯t sure how to ask what I needed to know .


    Nervous fear caused my palms to sweat and my mouth to go dry . Rinia was looking at me expectantly, but I couldn¡¯t seem to order the words in my mind .


    ¡°Well, spit it out, child,¡± Elder Rinia said impatiently, though not unkindly . ¡°Tell me all about Virion¡¯s grand n and ask me for my wisdom, I know that¡¯s why you¡¯re here . ¡±


    ¡°If¡ªif you know why I¡¯m here, why do you need me to ask you?¡± I stared into the fire, pointedly avoiding the old seer¡¯s prating gaze . I tried to sound nonchnt, as if I was teasing her, but my words hade out whimpering, like a frightened puppy .


    She sighed heavily . ¡°My dear...¡± There was so much kindness and warmth and tiredness in her breathy voice that I couldn¡¯t help but turn around and meet her eye . ¡°You¡¯ve nothing to fear here . You¡¯re being shouldered with burdens you shouldn¡¯t have to bear, but you need to know you can . ¡±


    I want to go fight cryans, but I can¡¯t even ask my friend a simple question without shaking,I thought angrily . I amnot a child .


    ¡°Elder Rinia,¡± I said seriously, wiping my sweaty palms on my trousers and clearing my throat, ¡°we will be sending an group¡ªan assault force¡ªinto Elenoir to rescue a caravan of elven prisoners who are being moved¡ªtransported¡ªfrom Zestier into newly formed holds along the edge of the Elshire forest . Commander Virion asks that you share your wisdom and tell us anything you can about this¡ªthis mission . ¡±


    Elder Rinia had closed her eyes as I spoke, nodding absently . I waited, watching her eyeballs dart around beneath her closed lids . I imagined that she was reading some secret book that only she could see .


    Her eyes fluttered open and she leaned forward, resting her face in her hands . Her wrinkled knuckles went white as she pressed her fingertips to her temples . When she spoke, her voice was raspy and strained .


    ¡°Before I can give my blessing for you to join this expedition to Elenoir, I¡¯m going to need you to do a little something for me . ¡±


    Her answer surprised me . ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t mean any disrespect, Elder Rinia, but I didn¡¯te here for your blessing . ¡±


    The elder gave me a knowing smile as she rested her chin on her palm . ¡°No, but you¡¯ll need it if you hope to aplish your goal . ¡±


    I bowed, acknowledging the truth of her words . ¡°What¡ªwhat do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to hunt and kill the blight hob for me, child . ¡±

 Chapter 313

    Chapter 313


    I smirked at Elder Rinia . Her wry sense of humor was one of the things I really liked about her . While everyone else in the underground town walked around as if every day was one long funeral, the old seer could still find humor despite everything that had happened .


    The smirk slowly slid off my face as Elder Rinia fixed me with a piercing, humorless stare .


    ¡°Wait, are you being serious?¡± I asked uncertainly .


    ¡°Serious as a...as a...¡± Elder Rinia trailed off, her mouth open slightly, her eyes rolling up toward the roof of the cave as she grasped for whatever she was trying to say . ¡°Damn, I forgot the phrase¡ªbut yes, I am very serious . If you think you¡¯re ready for the dangers of battle, then prove it . The creature that haunts these tunnels is a genuine danger¡ªto me, to you, and everyone else in the colony . Want my wisdom? Well, you¡¯re going to have to earn it, Ellie dear . ¡±


    I again found myself not really sure what to say . Elder Rinia was an enigma; I couldn¡¯t even begin to guess at the reason behind her actions, so I had to assume that hunting down and killing this blight hob was important to the mission in Elenoir somehow .


    The image of blue slime spilling out of my mouth and nose came to mind and I tasted peppermint again . Or perhaps Rinia needs some part of the blight hob for her stores?


    ¡°Do I need to bring any part of the beast back?¡± I asked .


    Elder Rinia grinned slyly . ¡°Clever girl . Yes, kill the creature and bring me its tongue as proof . ¡±


    I nodded to myself, my heart racing in both excitement and fear . I thought about the battle at the Wall, how the thrill and adrenaline of the fight had shed with the terror I felt as I watched the horde ughter our soldiers on the battlefield...


    It was always like that, I guessed . Even my brother must have been afraid sometimes, but I knew he¡¯d been eager to fight¡ªand to grow stronger¡ªtoo .


    He said he just wanted to be strong enough to protect his family, but if that was true, why did he sacrifice himself for Tessia?


    I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d ever understand .


    ¡°Now, there are a couple things you should know,¡± Elder Rinia said, interrupting my thoughts . ¡°The blight hob won¡¯t just stand around and try to fight you, especially not with that giant bear protecting you .


    ¡°If it can¡¯t sneak up on you, it¡¯ll try to lead you into a trap . Don¡¯t let it . If you can catch it lying in wait for you and put an arrow in its ck little heart before it has a chance to move, that¡¯s your best bet .


    ¡°And whatever happens, don¡¯t let the thing breathe on you again . That was thest of my frost snail blubber for who knows how long . ¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you know when you¡¯ll get more?¡± I asked . ¡°Being a seer and all?¡± Despite my nervousness and my fear, a giddy energy was starting to wash over me, and I couldn¡¯t help the big, silly grin that appeared on my face .


    Scowling, Elder Rinia said, ¡°Why, you little¡ª¡± then rocked herself to her feet and began to shoo me away . I hopped up and, still grinning, let her usher me toward the ¡°door¡± of her cavern home . ¡°Don¡¯te back until you¡¯ve learned some respect¡ªand don¡¯t forget that tongue!¡±


    Giggling, I slipped through the crack and out into the dark tunnel . My bond was a big, fuzzy shadow guarding the entrance . He turned his wide head to face me as I approached, and I ran my hand up his snout and between his eyes, giving him a scratch . Boo closed his eyes and huffed in pleasure .


    ¡°You ready for some action, big guy?¡± He grunted, a rumble from deep in his chest that would have been terrifying if he wasn¡¯t my bond . ¡°We¡¯re going hunting . ¡±


    ***


    We started our hunt by returning back to where we¡¯d encountered the pack of cave rats . Two more of the creatures had already found the bodies and were busily cannibalizing the remains .


    We approached in total darkness, the light artifact now hidden within a deep pocket of my loose trousers . I had decided it was safer to move in the dark than to give away our location with thentern stone, relying instead on my mana-heightened hearing to guide us .


    Still, Boo wasn¡¯t exactly stealthy, and the cave rats heard using . They puffed themselves up and hissed threateningly, protecting their meal, but they turned and fled when Boo charged them .


    When I was sure they were gone, I pulled out the light artifact and held it up . ¡°Boo, see if you can get the blight hob¡¯s scent from the roof . ¡± I pointed at the rough stone above our heads .


    My bond stood on his hind legs, reaching his shiny ck nose right up to the tunnel ceiling, and began to sniff around . After only a few seconds, he dropped back to all fours and lowered his wide snout to the floor, continuing his deep sniffing .


    I followed as he led us away from the chewed up corpses, moving slowly, his nose pressed to the ground .


    After about a minute, Boo stopped and turned to look at me, his intelligent eyes shining green in the dim light of thentern stone . He huffed, his sides expanding, then shook his shaggy hide like a wet dog .


    He had the scent . ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go get him, Boo . ¡±


    My bond grunted, then took off, moving quickly now . I stowed the light artifact again and followed, my bow ready .


    The blight hob had covered quite a bit of distance since it had attacked us . We followed its scent for an hour, then two, but we still hadn¡¯t caught sight of it .


    The tunnels around our underground town were a winding, criss-crossing maze, and the blight hob moved erratically, doubling back as though it knew we were hunting for it . Based on what Elder Rinia had said, I wondered if the mana beast was paranoid, always creeping around as if something was stalking it .


    I was walking just behind Boo, my right shoulder pressed against his left nk, so when he jerked to a stop I knew immediately .


    The bear¡¯s entire body went rigid, his tough hide quivering slightly .


    I waited, my fingers on the string of my bow, ready to draw in an instant .


    From somewhere ahead, my mana-enhanced ears picked up the faint sound of ws scraping across stone . I listened intently, trying to figure out how many there were .


    Eight, I thought nervously, wondering how many cave rats my bond could safely fight off . The pack was moving in our direction, but they were slow and unhurried, and they hadn¡¯t picked up on our scent yet .


    It sounded like there was a gentle curve in the tunnel maybe fifty or sixty feet ahead . Deciding on a n, I pressed down on Boo¡¯s back so that he crouched down in front of me, ttening himself against the hard earth so that I could see¡ªand shoot¡ªover him .


    Drawing my bow, I conjured a brightly shining mana arrow, squinting against the sudden re, then fired the arrow down the tunnel, where it lodged into the stone wall . I focused on keeping the arrow in ce, its zing light a beacon in the pitch ck dark .


    The reaction was immediate . Farther down the tunnel, the pack of cave rats burst into a sprint, racing toward the light . Just before they came into sight, I conjured a second arrow and pushed mana through it, causing the arrow to swell and the air around it to shimmer .


    At the same time, I let the brightly glowing arrow that had drawn in the mana beasts fade away, plunging the tunnel ahead into darkness . I listened carefully as the cave rats scrabbled around ahead of us, scratching at the walls and floor of the tunnel as they searched for the source of the light .


    The string of my bow thrummed as I took my shot . The bulging, shimmering white arrow left a white trail behind it as it streaked down the tunnel, then exploded in mid-air right in the middle of the pack, sending the cave rats flying .


    Boo shook with eagerness, ready to rush down the hall and finish them, but I couldn¡¯t be sure how many cave rats had survived, and I didn¡¯t want to risk my bond getting hurt for no reason .


    I focused more mana into my ears and conjured another arrow, and when I heard the scuffling sound of a cave rat trying to pick itself up off the floor, I let the mana arrow fly . I was able to shoot faster than the pack could collect itself, and within moments the cave rats werepletely silent .


    When we were sure the threat had been dealt with, Boo stood up and humphed grumpily .


    ¡°Sorry, Boo . I¡¯m just saving you for the real fight, okay?¡± My bond grumbled again, and I patted his thick fur . ¡°Let¡¯s make sure we got them all . ¡±


    I followed Boo down the tunnel, then waited as he sniffed at the cave rat corpses, nudging at them with his snout . When one hissed breathlessly, he crunched down on it with his powerful jaws, and though I didn¡¯t see it, I heard the mana beast¡¯s flesh tear and bones break as it gasped out itsst breath .


    With that out of the way, Boo found the blight hob¡¯s scent again and we moved on .


    I hope we find the beast soon, I thought . The journey to Rinnia¡¯s and back should not have taken more than a couple of hours, and I¡¯d already been gone longer than that . My mother would be worried...


    It urred to me at that moment that my mother would be furious if she knew what I was doing . I hadn¡¯t even discussed my participation in theing mission to Elenoir with her, just said I was going to visit Rinia, then run off with Boo .


    She hadn¡¯t even had time to pepper me with questions about the council meeting, which I knew she was curious about, even if she pretended not to want anything to do with the leadership¡ªor survival¡ªof our little colony .


    That conversation was going to be hard enough; maybe it was better than she didn¡¯t find out about my solo hunt through the tunnels .


    My ears twitched as I heard the tinkling sound of little pebbles bouncing down stone walls .


    Too distracted to have been properly paying attention, I jerked my bow up, an arrow forming nocked against the string, and aimed at the ceiling, looking for the shrunken, mangy form in the subtle white glow of my mana .


    I didn¡¯t even have time to decide if a shadowy shape protruding down from the roof was actually my prey or just a lump of stone before my left ankle twisted and slipped away from me .


    A panicked scream burst out of my mouth as my left leg plunged into an unseen gap in the floor, then was cut short when the stone lip of the hole hit me in the ribs . I scrambled to catch hold of something, trying to use my left arm and right leg to leverage myself in ce so I didn¡¯t slide any further down, but the wind had already been knocked out of me and I didn¡¯t have the strength to support myself .


    Boo bellowed above me, but when he whirled around to help, he practically stepped on me, then one massive paw smacked against the back of my head, jarring me so that I folded up like a piece of parchment as I slipped farther into the hole .


    My body jerked to a stop as my bow caught, braced across the mouth of the hole I¡¯d slipped into to create a sort of handhold . Holding most of my bodyweight with just my left hand on the grip of my bow, I tried to disentangle my right leg, which was bent painfully so that my foot was next to my head .


    That, it turns out, was a mistake .


    As soon as I shimmied my leg free, my body slipped again, ripping my hand away from the bow and sending me into a tumbling fall down the narrow crack in the stone, bouncing painfully off the walls .


    Realizing there was nothing else to do, I coated my entire body in mana and tucked my head into my arms to protect my skull . Momentster, the punishing walls vanished and I crashed noisily onto the stone floor of another tunnel .


    Fireflies danced in the dark all around me¡ªor were they stars? Little stars, twinkling like snowkes...


    A worried roar echoed through the tunnels, shaking the stone like an earthquake and jarring me back to reality . I realized with a fresh wave of panic that I wasn¡¯t breathing¡ªthat I couldn¡¯t breathe . The fall had knocked the wind out of me and I gasped for air, trying to fill my lungs .


    Dust and small stones rained down around me as, somewhere above, my bond dug frantically at the crack connecting the two tunnels . I tried to say something, to make sure he knew I wasn¡¯t dead, but without breath I couldn¡¯t get the words out .


    Then I received another shock as I heard the sound of wood rattling against stone: my bow, falling down the hole .


    My head burst with pain and the stars seemed to explode all around me as I rolled out of the way just in time to avoid being bludgeoned by my own weapon, which hit the ground next to me and sprung away, ttering to rest several feet farther up the tunnel .


    I took a deep, sucking breath and was finally able to get some air . For several seconds I just focused on breathing . The stars winked out, one by one, leaving me in darkness .


    Finally, when I felt like I had the air for it, I yelled croakily for my bond . ¡°Boo! It¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s okay, big guy, I¡¯m okay!¡±


    The scraping of ws on stone stopped and a pitiful moan resounded from the tunnel above .


    ¡°You¡¯ll never make it down that fissure, Boo,¡± I said, but then I had to stop to take several more shuddering breaths . Each one sent a stabbing pain through my side and pulsed in my head . ¡°You¡¯re going to have to find another way . ¡±


    Boo grunted nervously .


    Rolling over, I pushed myself up with still shaking arms . A jolt of pain shot up my right ankle and into my knee, but when I tested its strength, the leg didn¡¯t give out .


    Reaching up with one arm, I felt around in the air above me for the tunnel roof . Preparing myself for the bacsh of pain, I infused my legs with mana and leapt upward, but I could just barely scrape the ceiling with the tips of my fingers .


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I can climb back up . I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m going to keep moving . You do the same . Try to find my scent, Boo!¡±


    A dismayed, almost whining rumble .


    ¡°And be careful! The blight hob could be anywhere...¡±


    I shivered as I realized the truth of my own words . Deciding that, without Boo¡¯s protection, it was too risky to walk blindly through the dark, I dug around in my pocket and pulled out the light artifact, which immediately spilled its warm, dim light around me, illuminating the tunnel .


    It was nearly identical to the rest of the tunnels I¡¯d seen down here: a rough tube about seven or eight feet wide and high . Tessia thought that some giant worm-like mana beast must have burrowed here a very long time ago, leaving the tunnels in its wake, but Mom thought they wereva tubes .


    Dusting myself off, I walked gingerly to where my bowy in the ground . A moan of pain escaped me as I bent over to pick up my fallen weapon .


    I sound like an olddy! Iughed at myself, which only sent another wave of pain through my back, neck, and sides .


    I had been nervous the bow would be ruined by the fall¡ªor by being used as a lifeline to save mefrom the fall¡ªbut it was undamaged beyond a few scrapes and dings . I pulled the string back and held it, just to make sure the shaft wouldn¡¯t snap in half under pressure . It was stable .


    ¡°Well,¡± I said quietly, ¡°that could have been worse . ¡±


    Then something rammed me from behind .


    I threw myself forward into a roll, jarring my shoulder painfully against the hard ground . Using my bow like a staff, I swung it around behind me as I came back up to my feet and felt it strike my attacker .


    In the same motion, I twisted around and got my fingers on the bow string, preparing to draw and fire, but instead I had to jerk it up, holding it in front of me like a shield . Two gnarled, ck-wed hands grabbed the bow and shoved .


    With mana surging through my body, I was barely able to keep myself from falling back . The blight hob continued to press forward, snapping its slimy jaws toward my throat as I struggled to push back .


    Infusing mana into my arms, I heaved forward, trying and failing to throw the blight hob away from me . The creature made a choking noise in its throat that reminded me ofughter, then sucked in a lungful of air .


    It¡¯s going to use its breath attack!


    Desperate, I conjured an arrow onto the bowstring so that it appeared between the blight hob and myself . Then, I let myself fall back as the gross mana beast continued to push toward me .


    The blight hob, its ws still wrapped around the shaft of my bow, jerked forward from the sudden change in momentum, and my mana arrow impaled its shoulder .


    A horrifying cry burst out of it, interrupting its attack, and the blight hob scurried backwards and away from me, wing and biting at the mana arrow as it tried to dislodge it .


    From the ground, I drew the bow and summoned a second arrow, but the shot went right over the blight hob¡¯s deformed, ratlike head and fizzled out when it hit the wall . A second shot missed by several inches as the blight hob leapt onto the wall and skittered, spider-like, onto the ceiling .


    It jerked to a halt as a third arrow struck the stone just in front of it, then dropped from the roof tond an arm¡¯s length away .


    It¡¯s too fast!


    On the verge of panic, I fired another explosive arrow . The rippling bolt of mana soared over the blight hob¡¯s head, then exploded a couple of feet behind my target, flinging us both away .


    I was ttened by the force of it, tumbling backwards in a sort of reverse somersault .


    The blight hob bounced across the stone floor, stopping somewhere behind me and to my right .


    A voice inside my head, which sounded a lot like Arthur¡¯s, was screaming for me to Get up!


    Somehow, I¡¯d kept hold of my bow . I was lying on top of it, face down against the rough floor of the tunnel . I tried to push myself up, but there wasn¡¯t any strength left in my arms . Instead, I rolled painfully onto my side and levered myself up onto one elbow, then twisted to look around behind me for the mangey, skeletal mana beast .


    It was recovering faster than I was, already dragging itself awkwardly along the ground toward me, its beady little eyes alive with hatred .


    I heaved on my bow, trying to bring it up for one more shot, but one end was still lodged under my hip . I shifted, trying to pull it free, but it wasn¡¯t enough . I screamed with pain and fear as I rocked to the side and yanked again, and the bow finally slid free . I rolled up into a half-sitting position to better draw back the bowstring, but a scraggly hand with ck talons for ws grabbed at the bow and tried to rip it out of my hands, causing me to tip back onto my side .


    I hit the cold, damp floor hard, nearly knocking the wind out of me as the blight hob¡¯s weight pressed down on me and its mouth still snapped for my face . Mana burst through my arms as I wrenched my bow up so that the twisted and misshapen fangs buried into the wooden shaft instead of my exposed throat .


    I watched with horror as the blight hob ripped and tore at my beautiful bow: the same bow that Emily Watsken had made me back when we all stayed at the castle together .


    The horrible mana beast seemed almost delighted by the fact it was destroying something precious...so much so that it was entirely distracted from me for just a second .


    The wood around the arrow shelf began to splinter and crack . The blight hob¡¯s front hands or paws, with their long, wed toes, were still wrapped around the bow, but its back ws were digging and scratching wildly . When one caught my leg and tore my trousers, leaving a long, deep gash along my shin, I screamed again .


    The beast¡¯s beady, dark eyes shifted, focusing back on my face . Its horrid, eel-like tongue lolled from his mouth, its rotten-fruit breath nearly gagging me .


    My heart hammered in my throat as I realized I was about to die . All my training, all that time with Arthur and Sylvie shooting down blocks of stone and ming bears and whirling disks of ice¡ªand for what? Dying without properly apologizing to my mom and leaving her alone...


    If only I could control the stone like Arthur, or shoot mana from my hands like Sylvie¡ª


    The thought had barely formed in my head when I realized what I needed to do . But I¡¯d never tried to recreate the magic I¡¯d seen Sylvie use so long ago .


    I don¡¯t have time! Unless¡ª


    Using every ounce of strength I had, I pushed my bow up into the blight hob¡¯s jaw, shoving it deep into its gross mouth . The uneven teeth bore down into the wood until, with a single, final crunch, my bow snapped in half .


    The blight hob grabbed one half of the shattered bow with both ws and began to gnaw at the end, chewing it like a wolf with a broken bone .


    Without even the time to mourn for my treasured bow, I raised my freed left hand, then focused on condensing pure mana into my palm . Helen had always said I was unusually gifted at manipting pure mana into the shape of my choice, and her words ringing in my head was what gave me the confidence to conjure a thin, broad-headed dart in my palm with little effort . The next part was harder .


    Seeing the zing white arrow begin to form in my palm, the blight hob scrambled backwards, releasing the ruins of my weapon . At the same time, I heard it sucking in a ragged, rattling breath as it prepared to breathe deadly fumes on me .


    Imagining the string of my now useless bow behind the mana arrow glowing from my palm, I pictured all that force, that potential energy, stored in me, and I shaped the mana in my mind until I could feel it pushing back against my hand, a ball of force straining to be let free .


    I held it, waiting for my target to make a move, afraid I¡¯d only get one shot . Time seemed to crawl to a stop as we both froze, each of us waiting for the other to make a move .


    Then a monstrous, wild roar tore through the tunnel, causing the blight hob to spin around, its deadly breath billowing out around it in a cloud instead of being directed at me .


    In that instant, like a punch to my gut, I felt the world around me change .


    The dim tunnel, lit only by my lighting artifact, which was half-hidden in a dip in the floor somewhere behind me, came sharply into focus . Every fissure and outcropping was suddenly as clear as if a bright, midnight-silver moon shone down on me .


    My sense of smell seemed to change as well . I could not only smell the blight hob¡¯s fetid gas, but sense where and how fast its attack was spreading . I could smell the very sweat lining my own skin, the dust of the tunnel floor, and even Boo¡¯s subtle musk, even though I couldn¡¯t even see him yet .


    As my senses became sharp and bestial, a ferocious courage overtook me, and I forgot my fear of death and failure . My hand was steady as I took aim, putting the how and why of my sudden transformation to the back of my mind as I focused on my newly-sharpened senses .


    I let the bundle of force I¡¯d gathered burst, flinging the mana arrow toward the blight hob as if it¡¯d been shot from my bow . The glowing bolt hummed as it flew the few feet to my target, striking it just behind its shoulder and piercing deep into its chest .


    The blight hob fell screeching to the ground, then tried to stand up, but fell down again . Hazy green mist seeped from its mouth as it stared wildly around, its eyes bulging and tongue lolling grotesquely .


    As it went through its death throes, I scrambled backwards, getting as far as I could from the green cloud that was filling the hallway around it . The feeling of that gas burning my throat and lungs was still very fresh...


    The sound of huffing and grunting, and of heavy, wed feet sprinting across stone, came from the darkness on the other side of the gas cloud . Boo slid to a halt once he was close enough to see the blight hob¡¯s corpse and the deadly cloud that surrounded it .


    ¡°Hey big guy,¡± I said tiredly, giving my bond a little wave . He reared back on his hind legs, stalking back and forth across the tunnel and huffing anxiously as he waited for the gas to disperse . ¡°We did it, Boo . ¡±


    He met my gaze, snorted, then settled down on his haunches .


    The incredible rity of my senses faded, and exhaustion crept into my sore muscles and tired mind, pushing away the weird, unnatural courage I had briefly felt in the process . It was like I¡¯d suddenly discovered something that had always been inside me, but had now gone back to sleep . Something that felt a little like Boo .


    Lying back, I rested numbly on the hard, rough stone . A sharp edge of rock was sticking into my hip, but I didn¡¯t care . My heart pounded against my ribs with the excitement of my discovery and victory over the blight hob, though the moment was bittersweet .


    The loss of my shortbow¡ªan irreceable weapon designed just for me¡ªwas a heavy price to pay for the blight hob¡¯s tongue .


    It better be worth it .

 Chapter 314

    Chapter 314


    The pain of my fall was really starting to set in by the time we found our way back to Elder Rinia¡¯s cave . Most of my body was covered in ck and purple bruises, which I knew would look even worse by the time I made it home .


    Mom is going tofreak out .


    Boo¡¯s sense of direction was just as good as his sense of smell, so the return trip was pretty straightforward . I gave him a few scratches around his ears and across the silver crescent of fur on his chest, then limped through the narrow crack opening into the little cavern, carrying my broken bow and the blight hob¡¯s slimy tongue wrapped in a piece of cloth from my shirt .


    Inside, Elder Rinia was sitting at a little table, staring down at a square board covered in marbles . As I watched, she picked up a marble, set it back down at a different ce on the board, and mumbled something under her breath .


    I opened my mouth to say something suitably dramatic, like, ¡°I¡¯ve returned!¡± but the old seer raised a wrinkled hand and motioned for me to be quiet .


    Typical, I thought .


    After what seemed like a very long time, Elder Rinia quickly moved two more stones, then turned to me with a satisfied smirk on her face .


    ¡°You¡¯ve returned,¡± she said, eyeing the bundle in my hand . ¡°And sessfully, from the looks of it . ¡± Her gaze quickly traveled over my body, lingering on the visible bruising on my cheek, neck, and arms . ¡°Though not without a few bumps and bruises, I see . ¡±


    I opened my mouth to start telling her about the hunt for the blight hob, but Elder Rinia waved for me toe closer, cutting me off again . ¡°Here, let me see it . Quickly now!¡±


    Scowling, I stomped across the cave and handed the cloth-wrapped tongue to the elder . She gingerly unwrapped it, examining the tongue carefully .


    ¡°Yes, yes . This will do nicely . Very nicely . ¡± Without even looking at me, she hopped up and practically ran across the cave .


    I watched, bewildered, as she dumped the tongue into a pot that was steaming over her little fire . The cave, I realized, was filled with the scent of cooking food . My eyes bounced from the boiling pot to Elder Rinia and back again, then went wide with horror .


    ¡°You¡ªyou¡¯re not going to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes dear . Blight hob tongue is a very rare delicacy . Tender, juicy, fatty, with just a hint of bitterness . ¡±


    I seriously considered vomiting on her floor for the second time that day, but I choked back my revulsion .


    Opening my mouth to ask for the information I¡¯d been promised, I was cut off for the third time .


    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, but I¡¯m afraid the tongue needs to cook just right, so it¡¯ll need my full attention . Plus, I¡¯m sure your mother will want to see to those injuries, shouldn¡¯t be a problem for an emitter, I imagine . So be a dear and run along now, will you?¡±


    ¡°But what about¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Elder Rinia said distractedly . I would have sworn she was drooling as she stared down into the ck pot containing her blight hob tongue stew . ¡°Go with my blessing, of course . You tell that old fool Virion that the mission will be sessful, but it won¡¯t be without cost . ¡±


    I blinked, my mouth hanging open . ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    Elder Rinia turned to meet my eyes, serious for a moment . ¡°Yes . Know there is always a cost, child . The cost of those elves¡¯ lives may be more than Virion cares to pay . ¡±


    ¡°I¡ªI almost died!¡± I yelled, the stress of thest few hours boiling over and turning to anger, which I vented on the old seer . ¡°I gave up my bow, just so you can eat some nasty old tongue and tell me ¡®it¡¯ll cost¡¯?¡±


    Elder Rinia raised a single thin eyebrow . ¡°Died? Hardly, dear . You still have your brother¡¯s present around your neck, don¡¯t you?¡±


    My hand went to the phoenix wyrm pendant hidden beneath my clothes . I¡¯d worn it so long that I¡¯d nearly forgotten what it was actually for .


    Snorting at my surprise, Rinia continued . ¡°As I said, there is always a price to pay, a choice to make . You made one in the tunnels, and you¡¯ll have another to make in Elenoir . When the timees, Ellie, you must choose the mission . ¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± I said, throwing my hands up in the air and shaking my head incredulously . ¡°Just give me a straight answer!¡±


    ¡°Choose the mission . The price will be paid either way, but you decide if the n works or not . Now go, the others are beginning to worry, and they¡¯lle looking for you soon . ¡± She turned back to her pot, using a wooden spoon to carefully stir the contents, then dropping in a pinch of something from a little jar . ¡°And I don¡¯t want anyone turning up and ruining my meal . ¡±


    ***


    The walk back to town was long and ufortable, but thankfully uneventful . Boo let me ride on hisrge and furry back most of the way, since every part of my body hurt . I spent the time preparing my story¡ªand excuses¡ªfor my mother, though I couldn¡¯t think of anything I could possibly say that would make her any less mad when she saw how bruised up I was .


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that old crackpot,¡± I grumbled to Boo . ¡°That blight hob almost killed me, all so she could eat its nasty old tongue and tell me the mission ¡®won¡¯t be without cost . ¡¯ Like, I could have told you that . ¡±


    Boo grunted consolingly .


    I was about to say something else, but was distracted by a tiny source of light that bobbed and weaved ahead of us in the tunnel . A momentter, a voice rang out: ¡°Ellie¡ªEleanor Leywin, is that you?¡±


    Oh man,I thought, realizing that people in the tunnels looking for me was a bad sign .


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I wheezed painfully . ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    The light source moved toward me quickly, apanied by the sound of soft footfalls . The wide, kind face of Durden, one of the Twin Horns and my parents¡¯ friend, came into focus once I blinked away the brightness of his light artifact .


    ¡°Ellie, there you are . Your mother was really worried, so Helen sent me to search for you, to make sure you are¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I lied, forcing myself to sit up straight on Boo¡¯s back as I stared down at Durden . ¡°I was on a mission for themander . I need to go see Virion at City Hall, then I¡¯ll head home . ¡±


    Durden smiled sheepishly . ¡°I¡¯ve been asked to make sure you go straight to your mother, actually . Apparently she gave themander quite an earful...¡± The big mage trailed off, then added, ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone I said that, would you?¡±


    At least if Mom already yelled at Virion, maybe it won¡¯t be so bad for me . . .


    I knew it¡¯d be worse if I didn¡¯t go home right away, but this was mymission, and, despite Elder Rinia¡¯s unhelpful guidance, I felt like I needed to give her words to Virion myself .


    When I informed Durden of this, he hesitantly nodded . ¡°Well, let¡¯s get going then . I¡¯d like to get you back to your mother before she¡ª¡±


    ¡°Explodes like a volcano?¡± I suggested .


    He smiled wryly and led the way back along the tunnel toward town .


    Durden held aside the door hanging and gestured for me to enter, so I did . Boo stayed outside, curling up like a huge dog next to the stairs that lead up to the City Hall¡¯s front door . Inside the door, Albold stood at his usual post .


    ¡°d to see you¡¯re okay, Lady Eleanor . ¡± He gestured down the hall to the main meeting room . ¡°Themander will want to see you right away . ¡±


    I started down the hall, but slowed when I heard voicesing from the open archway .


    ¡°¡ªwere toote again, Commander . ¡± It was Bairon¡¯s deep, nasally voice . ¡°While there were definitely signs of Lances Varay, Aya, and Mica, we can¡¯t find a strong enough trace to go after them . ¡±


    ¡°Damn . What in the world are those three up to?¡± Virion grumbled in reply .


    ¡°We haven¡¯t found any reason or usible pattern to the location of their strikes yet . We can¡¯t even be sure they know we¡¯re alive . I can¡¯t see any other reason why they wouldn¡¯t have made contact yet . ¡±


    ¡°Keep trying . The other Lances will be essential if we¡¯re ever going to really push back against the cryans . ¡±


    I had stopped at the edge of the archway, listening to Bairon and Virion¡¯s conversation . There hadn¡¯t been any news of the other Lances since Dicathen had fallen . It was good to know they were still out there fighting .


    Albold walked around me, stopping in the doorway and bowing . ¡°Commander Virion, young Eleanor Leywin has just now returned from the tunnels . ¡± He gestured for me to enter the room, which I did hesitantly .


    I was too tired to really be nervous, but I still wasn¡¯t sure how to exin what Rinia had said .


    Virion¡¯s stern gaze took in my bruises and the cut on my leg, and his expression softened . ¡°It appears the journey to Rinia¡¯s was more difficult than expected . My apologies, Eleanor . If I¡¯d have known¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I cut in, then mentally berated myself for my rudeness . ¡°Elder Rinia asked me to prove myself so that she would know I was ready to fight, and I did . I¡ªshe...¡± I trailed off, repeating in my head everything she had told me¡ªwhat little there was .


    Virion listened carefully while I repeated Elder Rinia¡¯s words .


    ¡°A price I¡¯m not willing to pay, eh?¡± Themander looked down at the desk, but his eyes were unfocused . ¡°Shows what my old friend knows . ¡± Virion looked up, staring past my shoulder into the far distance . ¡°There is no price I won¡¯t pay for sess...for rescuing as many of our people as possible . The elves will not be ves . Better dead than that . ¡±


    He stood suddenly, his chair scraping unpleasantly on the stone floor . ¡°Thank you, Eleanor . Your assistance is most appreciated . We¡¯ll have several days to prepare for the journey to Elenoir, but I¡¯ll send Tessia to you when you are needed . ¡± Looking at Albold, he said, ¡°Please, escort Ms . Leywin home . I believe her mother is eager to see her returned . ¡±


    Albold and I both bowed, and I followed the elf out of City Hall .


    No price he wouldn¡¯t pay?I wondered . Themander had changed so much since the castle . It was like the loss of the war had stolen the kindness and warmth from him . Then again, who hasn¡¯t been affected by it?I asked myself .


    A few minutester, I said farewell to Albold and Durden, both of whom had insisted on seeing that I got home safely, outside of the little two story house I shared with my mother and Boo . I watched them walk quickly away, then smiled at Durden when he cast ast nce back at me over his shoulder .


    ¡°He looks like someone running from the scene of a crime, doesn¡¯t he Boo?¡±


    My bond huffed in agreement, then unceremoniously shoved the door cover out of the way with his snout and disappeared into the house .


    From inside, I heard, ¡°Boo! Where¡¯s Ellie? Ellie!¡±


    I thought for a second about following Durden, trying to dart out of sight around the corner of one of the nearby buildings . I imagined hiding out in one of the unupied houses, fishing from the river when everyone else was asleep, having Tessia smuggle me fresh clothes and that sweet bread the elves loved...


    Sighing, I listened to my mother¡¯s footsteps pounding down the stairs and forced an innocent smile onto my face while I waited for her to burst through the door hanging, which she did an instantter .


    Her auburn hair was half pulled out of her ponytail, giving her a sort of rushed look, and her eyes were wet and red, as if she¡¯d been crying .


    Those eyes moved over my bruises with the efficiency of a trained emitter, and she gasped . ¡°Ellie, what in the world has happened to you?¡±


    Before I could respond, she was pulling at the sleeves and hem of my shirt, following the trail of bruising up my arms, across my neck, down my back and hips . Then her hands began to emit a soft green and gold light . I immediately felt warm and cool at the same time as the scratches, scrapes, cuts, and bruises all over my body began to heal .


    Mother was silent while she worked, focusing entirely on my injuries . It seemed best to follow her lead, so I kept my mouth shut and watched as the purple and ck bruises faded to green, then yellow, then disappeared before my eyes .


    When she was done I took a deep breath of the cool cavern air . The pain was gone . I couldn¡¯t remember ever having felt better!


    Then the icy knife of her voice cut through the pleasant, post-healing fog . ¡°Inside . Now . ¡±


    I risked a nce at her face; her eyes were full of fire and fury . Oh boy .


    My mother wasn¡¯t a mean person . In fact, she¡¯d always been a very kind woman . However, the stress of being Arthur Leywin¡¯s mother had worn her down, giving her a sharp edge . She¡¯d been forced to harden herself against the constant stress and worry of having a son like Arthur who was there one day and gone the next, and always, wherever he was, in constant mortal danger .


    Or that¡¯s what I kept reminding myself as, for the next hour, she told me in a dozen different ways how reckless, foolish, immature, dangerous, and stupid it had been to go by myself into the tunnels, and how she was going to tell everyone from Elder Rinia to Commander Virion to the sad old elf woman who lived next door that I wasn¡¯t to be sent on any missions or hunts or assaults or anything else without her express permission .


    She finished off my thorough chewing out by insisting that if anything ever happened to me that she¡¯d die of a broken heart, and did I want to be responsible for that?


    I stood up from where I¡¯d been sitting on the floor, my back pressed against the wall on the second level of the house . Mom was sitting at the dining table, her face in her hands, tears dripping from her nose to ssh on the petrified wood .


    I crossed the room and walked around behind her, then leaned down and wrapped my arms around her, resting my cheek on her shoulder .


    There were a hundred things I wanted to tell her: how much I loved her, how sorry I was that Arthur and Dad were gone, how much I wished she didn¡¯t have to be so angry and scared all the time; how, no matter what, I couldn¡¯t just sit on the sidelines and watch Dicathen struggle to survive anymore...


    But instead, what I said was, ¡°I¡¯m going to Elenoir to fight the cryans, Mom . ¡±


    My mother burst out of her chair, tearing free of my grip and nearly knocking me over backwards . She stomped across the room, ripping the leather band from her hair that held up her ponytail, then turned around and brandished it at me like a whip .


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard a damned thing I¡¯ve said, Eleanor?¡± Her hair fell around her bright red face in a wild tangle . She looked like a crazy person .


    Speaking slowly and calmly, I said, ¡°I have, Mom, I really have . I¡¯ve listened to every word, and now I need you to listen to me . ¡± She scoffed, but I held up a hand and kept speaking, infusing as much confidence as I could muster into my words . ¡°I have to do something, Mom . I haveto . ¡±


    I pointed to the ceiling of our little shelter . ¡°Somewhere up there, right now, a mother is watching her child die, or a wife her husband, or a sister her brother . We¡¯re not the only ones who have lost someone, Mom . Everyonehas lost people!¡± I was pleading now, the confidence slipping from my tone, but I didn¡¯t care . I had to make her understand .


    She opened her mouth to reply, but I kept going, knowing that if I lost the thread of my thought that I¡¯d never get the words out . ¡°We¡¯re the lucky ones, Mom! The lucky ones . So many people¡ªmost people¡ªdon¡¯t have a chance to fight back . But we do! We can make a difference, all of us .


    ¡°If I just sit down here, that thing inside me that makes me capable of helping will turn against me, it¡¯ll eat me from the inside out like a leech . If I don¡¯t dosomething, I might as well already be dead!¡±


    I realized that I was huffing like Boo and on the verge of tears . My mother, on the other hand, seemed to have sobered up . She was giving me an appraising look that I couldn¡¯t remember seeing on her face before .


    After several long moments, she crossed the room again, took my hand, and led me back to the table . We sat down and she just looked at me silently for a while .


    ¡°There¡¯s something I should have told you a long time ago, Ellie . ¡± Mom met my eye, pausing to make sure I was listening, then continued . ¡°You¡¯ve grown up at the center of all this adventure and chaos and war, making friends with princesses and mana beasts, learning magic and fighting¡ªbut that isn¡¯t the life you were meant for . ¡±


    I looked at her uncertainly . ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    My mother drummed her fingers on the ancient tabletop, gazing down at the petrified wood as if hoping it might spell out the words she was looking for . ¡°Your brother...he pulled us into a life that we weren¡¯t equipped for . He was, of course, but Arthur was different . ¡±


    She looked up at me, searching my eyes, my face, for understanding . I wanted to take advantage of having this moment of peace and togetherness with my mom, but I wasn¡¯t quite sure what she was trying tomunicate .


    Sighing, she reached out and put her hand on mine . ¡°Arthur...but this is difficult to exin . ¡±


    ¡°Is this about Arthur being reincarnated or whatever?¡± I asked, my mother¡¯s words clicking into ce in my head .


    She gaped at me, her eyes wide and her mouth open . ¡°How did you find out?¡± I could see her swallowing, hesitating, before she asked, ¡°Did Arthur tell you?¡±


    I shook my head . ¡°No, though I wish he would have . I pieced it together from things you and Dad said . I overheard you fighting a few times in the castle, while Arthur was training with the asuras . ¡± Seeing the look of surprise still on her face, I let out a sigh . ¡°I¡¯m not dumb, Mom . ¡±


    She squeezed my hand and smiled . ¡°No, sweetie, you are not . ¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why it matters anyway . Just because he had memories from another life doesn¡¯t make him not my brother . He¡¯s still the same person who joked around with me, who stood by me, who helped me...He wasn¡¯t always around, but he always treated me like his sister . ¡±


    ¡°I know, Ellie, and you¡¯re right . It doesn¡¯t matter . Not anymore . What I want you to see, though, is how Arthur was meant for this life . I think...I think he was brought here to fight for Dicathen...¡± Mom was starting to falter, to lose the thread of her thought . ¡°He was a quadra-elemental mage with two lifetimes of battle experience, Ellie . But you¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just a girl?¡± I asked, my temper ring . ¡°Arthur¡¯s gone, Mom, so whatever reason Arthur might have been reborn with us, his purpose must have already been fulfilled, right?¡±


    ¡°Or failed...¡± she replied sadly, not meeting my eye .


    ¡°He could¡¯ve been here to inspire us, to show us what we could do, so that when he left we¡¯d know we could still win without him . I know you think it¡¯s safer to let Virion and Bairon and the others handle things, but I don¡¯t want to run away from a responsibility that I know I have as a trained mage . ¡±


    I held my mother¡¯s gaze with the piercing stare I¡¯d learned from Arthur . ¡°I know what happened to Dad and Brother . I¡¯m scared too, but I want to fight . ¡±


    Her mouth opened, but closed again as she wiped her tears . My mother let out a hoarse chuckle . ¡°I guess it¡¯s my own fault for raising you to be such a strong and upright youngdy . ¡±


    Augh escaped my lips as I walked around the table and pulled my mother into a seated hug .

 Chapter 315

    Chapter 315


    I followed several feet behind Tessia, keeping my face carefully passive so that the soldiers bustling around us wouldn¡¯t see how nervous I was . Most of them were elves out of necessity; humans and dwarves were at a disadvantage navigating the foggy forest of Elshire, even with the elves there to guide us .


    Boo trailed along behind me, wandering in and out of the trees as he sniffed around, stuffing his nose in the dirt to search for grubs or other small forest creatures to eat . Just by the way my bond¡¯s stub of a tail wagged, I could tell he was really at home in the deep forest and d to be out of the caves .


    We¡¯d only been in Elshire for an hour or two, but I felt like the fog had seeped into my ears and was floating around inside my head, making it hard to think . I tried to pay attention as Tessia gave orders but constantly found myself gazing dreamily at some flower or tree or rock, only to snap back to the present when Tessia would ask, ¡°Ellie, are youing?¡±


    Tessia stopped to check the progress on a pit trap that was being dug in the middle of a narrow road through the forest . Though it seemed like little more than a deer trail to me, Tessia had said that such clear paths only existed near the interior of Elenoir, connecting some of therger cities and towns .


    Three young elves were working together to build the pit trap . The first, a fair-haired boy with handsome emerald eyes, was using earth mana to dig out arge hole in the path that was at least ten feet deep .


    The other two wore their hoods up, though I could still make out their serious expressions underneath, and were coaxing roots up out of the bottom of the pit and twisting them into sharp, spiraling spikes .


    All three turned to snap quick salutes to Tessia before returning to their work .


    ¡°Make the pit just a bit wider, from there¡±¡ªshe gestured to arge chunk of granite¡ª¡°to there,¡± she said, pointing at a space between the roots of arge, knobbly tree with patches of moss hanging from it like a hundred little beards .


    ¡°That way, even a soldier walking on the edge of the path will fall in . ¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Tessia,¡± the green-eyed elf replied, immediately starting to widen the hole so that it epassed the entire path .


    Tessia moved on and I trailed along after her, watching her long, silvery-gray hair bounce against her back . She had really taken tomand . I knew she¡¯d led soldiers before, and that she had been beaten badly by the cryans in Elenoir previously, but now she seemed confident in her role, and the mages we brought with us all showed her respect .


    My mist-clouded mind was drifting randomly, and I thought of asking Tessia for advice on gaining control of my beast will, since I knew she relied heavily on hers in battle . I had to remind myself that now wasn¡¯t exactly the best time for that .


    I¡¯d had a short talk with Commander Virion after he¡¯d heard more about what happened in the tunnels, and he¡¯d made it obvious that the more powerful a mana beast was, the harder it was to unlock its beast will...and of course, Boo wasn¡¯t just any ordinary mana beast .


    Then how the heck did Arthur unlock his beast will so fast?I shook my head, not wanting to fall into the trap ofparing myself with my brother .


    Trying my luck once again, I brought Commander Virion¡¯s words to mind .


    ¡°Feel for the powerful, foreign entity deep inside your mana core and bring it out,¡± I muttered, closing my eyes .


    Feeling nothing except for Boo¡¯s damp breath tickling my neck as he sniffed me curiously, I let out a sigh .


    Ahead of me, Tessia stopped and turned back with a raised brow . ¡°Ellie, are youing?¡±


    I nodded frantically and jogged to catch up .


    A short distance from the pit trap, two dwarves were working some kind of earth magic, causing the packed dirt to shake and soften . I hadn¡¯t met the dwarves yet, though I¡¯d heard of their arrival: the brothers Hornfels and Skarn Earthborn, cousins of Lance Mica .


    They stopped their casting and straightened as we approached, though they did not salute . The dwarves were both short and broad, like most of their kin . They had identical features: broad noses, red cheeks, and wiry blonde beards . Their expressions were so different, though, that it would have been easy to miss that they were twins .


    One grinned, looking at Tessia as if she were his long lost best friend who had reappeared after having been missing for a decade or two, while the other red at her as if she¡¯d just said something very unkind about his mother .


    ¡°How are the preparations going?¡± Tessia asked as she bent down and ran her hands over the tilled earth .


    ¡°Well enough,¡± the scowling dwarf muttered . ¡°This is just the preparation, as you said . The real spell¡¯s cast when the carts arrive . ¡±


    ¡°Then, shoop,¡± the smiling dwarf interjected . ¡°The carriage tires sink in and stick fast . It¡¯d take a dozen horses to pull ¡®em out . ¡±


    Tessia pressed her hand down into the soft soil . ¡°You may be the first dwarves to ever work dwarven magic in Elshire forest,¡± she said quietly before standing up straight . ¡°And it¡¯s a privilege to be working alongside you . ¡±


    The grinning dwarf grinned wider, the scowling dwarf scowled deeper . Tessia gave them a respectful nod before turning on her heel and walking into the forest .


    The dwarves¡¯ eyes fell on me as I stood there, staring at them . I thought it was really too bad that the dwarven king and queen had betrayed Dicathen . They¡¯d left their people in such a hard position . I thought it was very brave of these Earthborns to have sought us out, when most of the dwarven kingdom had gone into full revolt in support of the invaders .


    ¡°Can we, perhaps, help you with something, girl?¡± the scowling dwarf asked, causing me to jump and look around for Tessia .


    ¡°Ellie, are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Coming!¡± I yelled .


    Giving the dwarves an awkward wave, I leapt over a knee-high boulder and jogged toward Tessia .


    She rested a hand on my shoulder once I¡¯d caught up . ¡°I have a few soldiers fortifying positions within the trees . ¡± Tessia pointed above us, where an elven archer was coaxing several tree branches into a sort of nest . It was amazing watching the tree move as if it was alive, responding to the soldier¡¯s mana . ¡°You¡¯re going to be here . ¡±


    ¡°Got it . ¡± I traced the line from the tform above to the road: it was a straight shot to the dwarves¡¯ sinkhole .


    ¡°These points¡ªhere, here, and there¡ªform the kill box . ¡± Tessia¡¯s eyes locked onto mine, her gaze deadly serious . ¡°The mages up there will be the most important part of this battle, which is why I want you right in the middle of it . This needs to be quick and quiet, otherwise we risk losing the prisoners .


    ¡°I know the mist is making things difficult right now, but if you concentrate mana into your eyes and keep shifting your focus, it¡¯ll help keep the effects of the fog at bay . The most important thing is that we keep the prisoners safe and stop any cryans from escaping . ¡±


    I returned her serious gaze, nodding in understanding . I couldn¡¯t disappoint her, I needed to prove myself here¡ªnot as Arthur Leywin¡¯s sister, but as Eleanor Leywin .


    Tessia dipped her head down, gently caressing the back of my head as her forehead touched mine . ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to be coddled, but...stay safe out there . ¡±


    Taken aback, I pulled away from her before answering with as much determination I could muster . ¡°Of course . ¡±


    ¡°Lady Tessia?¡±


    Standing nearby, tall and straight backed and handsome, stood Curtis yder, a warm smile on his face . His sister, Kathyln, stood behind him, half-invisible in a deep shadow .


    Boo perked up when he noticed Curtis¡¯s bond, the world lion Grawder, and the two cautiously approached and began sniffing one another .


    Curtis ruffled his crimson hair as he approached Tessia . ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, but I was hoping to further discuss the ground tactics before the battle . ¡±


    ¡°I need to see that preparations on the eastern line are progressing as expected,¡± she stated before nodding her head in the direction she was heading . ¡°Walk with me?¡±


    ¡°Lead the way,¡± he said, making a well-practiced gesture with his hand .


    I watched with growing annoyance as the two walked away, shoulder to shoulder . I knew it was nothing and that they had been friends since their days at Xyrus Academy, but I couldn¡¯t help it . Tessia was Arthur¡¯s girlfriend!


    But Arthur was gone, and the creeping mushy emotions that were threatening to overwhelm me burst its dam, and my stomach dropped .


    Damned mist, I thought, wiping a tear from my eye with the back of my hand .


    ¡°It¡¯s still difficult, isn¡¯t it?¡± I jerked around, just then realizing that Kathyln was walking next to me . ¡°Moving on without them . ¡± Her skin was so white and her face so still that she could have been a porcin doll, as cold and beautiful as an ice crystal .


    I had grown to really like Kathyln since she and Curtis were rescued and brought to the underground shelter . She always seemed wise way past her years, and there was that weird, flowery, almost poetic way she spoke that I found refreshing .


    ¡°Eleanor?¡±


    Blinking, I realized I had been staring silently at Kathyln for way too long . ¡°Yeah, I guess...¡± I murmured .


    We crossed back over the path and followed Tessia and Curtis through the trees on the other side . They were speaking, but I couldn¡¯t hear exactly what they were saying . Curtis said something that made Tessia smile, and she turned to look at him in what I thought was an admiring sort of way .


    Maybe I¡¯m just imagining things because this stupid fog, I thought, hoping it was true .


    ¡°Are you scared?¡± I suddenly blurted, my eyes falling to the forest floor, drifting along the contours of the tree roots and the sharp edges of the broad-leafed nts that nketed the ground .


    ¡°Only a fool isn¡¯t scared before battle,¡± Kathyln answered . ¡°But these people need our help, so I¡¯ll fight anyway . ¡±


    Kathyln and I walked in silence after that . Tessia verified that the snipers¡¯ nests on that side of the road were ready, then spent several long minutes reviewing what the ground team would be doing during the fight . Finally, she called the entire assault party together for onest pep talk .


    Once everyone was gathered, Tessia began . ¡°You all know why we¡¯re here . The lives of over a hundred elven¡ªno, Dicathian¡ªprisoners hang in the bnce . We only have one chance to free them .


    ¡°Based on our reports, we¡¯ll match the cryan soldiers in number . But we have the element of surprise, and we have the forest itself on our side . This happens quick and clean . We don¡¯t let anyone hurt the prisoners . Don¡¯t let anyone get away . ¡±


    Tessia¡¯s piercing gaze moved from face to face as if she could memorize them all . ¡°Now go, take up your positions . Be quiet, and be ready . ¡±


    When the first crunch of the mist-muffled noise of carriage wheels on dry earth was heard in the treetops, it was like someone had struck me with a jolt of lightning . Suddenly my mouth was dry and my palms sweaty . My entire body felt alive with the anticipation of battle . I forced myself to take a long, deep breath, and focused mana into my eyes, making sure not to keep my sharpened gaze in one area for too long . It was as if the wind had blown away the fog in my mind .


    Tessia had been right . Though the forest¡¯s magic was still disorienting, I felt clear-headed and ready for the first time in hours .


    I shuffled atop the tform of woven branches, moving into a better position to draw and fire my bow, but I didn¡¯t conjure an arrow . The glimmering of a spell would be a dead giveaway to the approaching cryans .


    There hadn¡¯t been a way to fix the bow Emily had made for me, so Tessia gave me one crafted by the elves . It didn¡¯t feel quite...mine, but I supposed it would have to do .


    Barely perceptible even though I knew they were there, I saw the slightest shuffling as archers and mages in other trees around me did the same, moving like leaves in a gentle breeze . Knowing they were there gave me courage .


    It seemed to take forever for the first of the cryans to appear between the trees . Several guards marched in front of the train of prisoner carts . They all seemed so young .


    The cryans marched in silence, their hands white-knuckled around their weapons, their eyes darting from shadow to shadow . It was almost like they expected to be attacked, but I told myself it was just the mist-born paranoia and disorientation .


    Then I could see the first of the carts . The squat wagon was pulled by a single moon ox . The mana beast was nearly as tall and wide as the cart itself . Its pale blue hide shimmered wherever the rare sunlight touched it, absorbing the light and glowing dimly in the deep shadows of the forest .


    The cart itself was an open cage set atop a simple wagon . Inside it, elves were pressed shoulder to shoulder, packed so tightly they couldn¡¯t even move . Several of the elves were manacled to the bars of the cage, and I could sense mana whirling through metal cors around their necks .


    Mana suppression cors, I realized . There were mages among the prisoners .


    There were four carts that I could see, each as fully loaded as thest . Eight cryans marched ahead of the wagon train while four walked alongside each cart . I couldn¡¯t see the end of the prisoner transport line, but I knew they¡¯d have at least a few soldiers bringing up the rear as well .


    I tensed as the first soldiers approached the pit trap .


    The crack of thin branches breaking and a brief, panicked yell was the signal to begin .


    Conjuring an arrow onto the string of my bow, I took aim at a surprised-looking woman marching beside the lead cart . She raised her weapon, but before she could even take a step forward, my arrow pierced her breastte, striking her in the heart before dissipating .


    At the same time, a dozen other cryans stumbled and fell under a barrage of arrows and spells flying from the trees .


    My second arrow flew at an cryan soldier who was rushing back from the front lines to the cover of the wagons, but it bounced off a magical shield . All around the cryans our attacks were deflecting off of translucent panels of mana, and bolts of fire, spears of ice, and crackling balls of lightning were now flying into the treetops as they responded with their own offensive magic .


    Then the dwarves¡¯ spell kicked in .


    A cloud of sandy dust exploded upwards, briefly covering the carts and the cryan mages around them . Several voices cried out in surprise, then a gust of wind blew the dust down the road, forcing it into the cryans¡¯ noses, mouths, and eyes while revealing our targets to us .


    The carts had sunk into the road up to their axles, and many of the soldiers were stuck up to their knees . The poor moon oxen trumpeted in fear as they were caught in the spell as well .


    In the confusion, a few of our arrows and spells slipped past the shields, and another handful of the cryans fell dead .


    A second explosion¡ªthis one unnned¡ªkicked up another storm of dirt, obscuring the wagons . The cryan soldiers were almost entirely hidden, making it impossible for us to continue firing or risk hitting the captives .


    ¡°They¡¯re trying to release the elves!¡± a voice boomed from within the chaos below, making my heart pound and my fingers tremble on my bowstring .


    A long jet of violently blue energy struck my tree several feet below me, causing the whole thing to wobble . The fear crept up in me, stronger than before, but I focused on it this time, repeating Virion¡¯s words over and over in my head .


    The same gut wrenching feeling I¡¯d had in the tunnels took over, and my already enhanced eyesight sharpened even further . But I focused on my smell . Even through the thickyer of dirt, dust, and blood, I could make out the subtle smells that distinguished everyone down below, even if I couldn¡¯t see them . I could smell the rancid odor of the elves, deprived of any sort of hygiene, and I could clearly make out the foreign stench of the cryans .


    With a short, controlled breath, I fired four mana arrows in session . Two sounded as though they had deflected off mana shields, but with each of the others came a pained grunt that sounded like it came from only a feet away, and the faint smell of fresh blood .


    Nearby, an elven soldier screamed in pain as a dozen needle-like darts of stone tore through him, tossing him into the air . I watched, detached, as he tumbled like a ragdoll then hit the ground below with dull thud before firing another arrow in the direction that the enemy¡¯s spell hade from .


    Again, I could hear the mana arrow deflect off some obstruction before it reached its target .


    A wild, monstrous roar tore through the forest, and for a heartbeat everything seemed to stop as all eyes turned toward the end of the prisoner caravan . Visible through a burned patch of leaves, I watched as Curtis charged along the road, riding atop Grawder and gleaming golden, shedding his own light like the sun .


    Boo ran at Grawder¡¯s side, answering the world lion¡¯s roar with his own as the mana beasts charged together along the line of carts, a gust of wind clearing their line of sight to where thest of the cryans were huddled between the front two wagons . Two huge stone golems followed the mana beasts, their heavy footfalls shaking the leaves around me .


    ¡°Kill the prisoners!¡± screamed one of the enemy soldiers, her voice shrill with fear . I sent an arrow at the tall woman¡¯s throat, threaded carefully through the barest crack in the shields, but it rebounded off one edge and missed .


    Fear surged through me as the enemy spellcasters turned their magic toward the packed carts around them, preparing to execute the dozens of elven prisoners inside, but there was nothing I could do . They tightened the protective barrier so that my arrows couldn¡¯t pierce it, nor could any of the other attacks raining down on the cryans from around me .


    The very air around me began to change color, taking on a translucent green hue, and for a second I worried it was some side effect of my beast will . Then thorny vines of shimmering emerald energy sprouted from the ground in the middle of the knot of enemy soldiers, inside of the dome of interlocking panels . The vines ripped and tore at the cryans, plunged into and through their bodies, filling the forest with their dying screams .


    They all fell before even a single spell was cast, all except for the tall woman, who was bound in a cocoon of the vines, unable to move or speak .


    Curtis, Grawder, Boo, and the golems fell upon the enemy just as the shields flickered and failed, ensuring that there were no other survivors .


    Suddenly everything was silent as the twang of bowstrings, the hiss of spells burning through the air, and the shouts of dying men and women all stopped . Only the low moans of the trapped moon oxen broke the eerie quiet .


    Then Tessia stepped into view, her entire body wrapped in a shroud of emerald light . Mossy grass bloomed in her footprints, and the nts and trees of the forest seemed to turn toward her as she strode calmly through the battlefield toward the carts and thest living cryan .


    When she was face to face with the tall woman, Tessia encouraged her to be calm and asked for her name and rank . The bindings slithered away from the cryan¡¯s mouth, and she spit at Tessia and shouted a vulgar curse .


    Then the woman¡¯s skin began to glow, burning brighter and brighter as if a star were being born inside her . I heard Curtis shout out a warning, then lost sight of both Tessia and the cryan as a solid dome of tree roots and thick vines burst from the ground around them .


    An instantter, a huge explosion rocked the forest, shaking the ground so that my right foot slipped and I was forced to wrap my arms around thergest limb of my woven tform to keep from tumbling from my perch .


    A thick cloud of dust enveloped the carts again so that I couldn¡¯t see what had happened . Somehow, the cryan had erupted with mana right between the two lead wagons . There were at least fifty elven prisoners in those cages alone, and Boo and Tessia had been right there too...


    Sliding so that I was hanging from the side of the tform, I let myself drop the twenty five feet to the ground, reinforcing my legs with mana to absorb the force of thending, then I was sprinting toward the road .


    Just inside the thick dust, I ran headlong into arge, hairy body: Boo . My bond rumbled with a low growl, but I ran my hand through his coarse fur and he rxed .


    ¡°Tessia?¡± I called softly, fear making my voice thin and childlike .


    ¡°Stay back,¡± Curtismanded from somewhere to my right .


    Then a gust of wind carried the dust away yet again, and I saw the cocoon of vines, still intact and hiding the cryan woman and Tessia both . As I watched, the vines and roots began to unravel, slowly copsing and revealing the charred wreckage within .


    I was amazed that the prisoner wagons had survived, but Tessia¡¯s spell had almost entirely contained the st . The cryan woman was gone, nothing left but ash and the twisted remains of her armor .


    Tessia turned, levelling me with a calm but otherworldly gaze, her beast will still active . She frowned as a giggle escaped from my mouth . Even though she seemed unhurt, her eyebrows and steely gray hair had been slightly singed, reminding me of the mad-scientist Gideon .


    My giggle turned intoughter as Tessia released her beast will, letting the writhing emerald vines fade and the air return to its natural misty gray color . Her hand went to her face and gingerly felt at her scorched brows, and a slow smirk spread on her lips .


    With her other hand, Tessia reached out and touched my cheek . ¡°Ellie, do you have whiskers?¡±


    I traced the faint lines on my cheek with my own fingers, struggling to hold back another fit of giggles . ¡°My beast will...¡±


    Around us, the prisoners were starting toe to life as they realized they had been freed . A woman¡¯s voice shouted out a cheer, then several others joined her .


    We had done it .

 Chapter 316

    Chapter 316


    An ox was bellowing nearby . A distant bird cried angrily, our battle likely having disturbed its peace . My own heart was banging against my ribcage audibly, but I could hear Tessia¡¯s and Curtis¡¯s as well, which felt wrong somehow, almost like an invasion of their privacy .


    Underneath these noises, there was something else . A thin, fearful voice whispered a prayer to the Vritra .


    I spun, an arrow already on my string, and loosed it just past Curtis¡¯s hip . My arrow thunked into a young cryan soldier who had hidden, ying dead, behind one of the cart wheels . He had been preparing a spell aimed at Curtis¡¯s back .


    Tessia and Curtis both turned, mana condensing in preparation for their spells, but the soldier was dead .


    Curtis turned back to me and ruffled his hair, looking a little embarrassed . ¡°Thanks,¡± he said quietly .


    Tessia met my eye and nodded sharply .


    By now, most of the other members of our assault force, those who had survived, wereing out of the trees .


    ¡°We¡¯ll be sure to celebrateter,¡± Tessia said, her voice carrying clearly as she cast a hard gaze at her soldiers . ¡°For now, let¡¯s get these people free!¡±


    Just like that, everyone burst into motion, breaking the locks, releasing the prisoners, and shattering their manacles .


    Tessia hesitated before stepping away to oversee her soldiers . ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I said, letting my beast will fade . For a moment, it was like someone had pressed a nket over my head, but my senses adjusted quickly . ¡°Their attacks never even got close . ¡±


    Tessia smiled her warm smile, saluted me, and said, ¡°Well fought...soldier . ¡±


    I returned the solute awkwardly, and Tessia marched away .


    Boo nuzzled me, and I leaned forward and pressed my forehead to his .


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re getting closer, aren¡¯t we, buddy...¡± I said with a sigh before my gaze wandered past him, to the young cryan I¡¯d just killed .


    I tried to look away, to distance myself internally like I¡¯d been doing ¡®til now .


    But I couldn¡¯t . I kept staring at the man, who looked only a few years older than me... Arthur¡¯s age .


    It was when his body was getting carried away by our soldiers, though, that I saw them . The nk, lifeless eyes that were still wide open in shock .


    I tore my gaze away, stumbling onto the ground in the process . I crawled to the nearest tree I could find and heaved out myst meal as tears blurred my vision .


    Boo sat behind me,forting me and hiding me from everyone else as I sobbed and threw up at the same time .


    How did Arthur do this? How did Tessia, Curtis, or anyone do such a gruesome thing like killing? Like murder .


    And yet, here I was, after having killed multiple living people, more worried that everyone would see me crying like a child .


    A delicate touch on my shoulder made me jump . I spun around,ing face to face with Kathyln, whose cool gaze was uncharacteristically sympathetic .


    A loud hup interrupted my sobs and I could taste the acidic remains of my throw up . I hurriedly wiped both my eyes and my mouth, while trying unsessfully to rearrange my facial features into a less embarrassing expression .


    ¡°How do you do it?¡± I let out another sob . ¡°How is it so easy for all of you to do this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s never easy and it should never be easy . ¡± The once-princess held out her arm for me to take . ¡°As for how I do it, I¡¯m afraid everyone¡¯s answer is different . ¡±


    Kathyln gave me a solemn smile as she looked at me . It was the same kind my brother often had... aplicated smile that I didn¡¯t get until now .


    How many enemies had Arthur killed?I wondered . How many allies had he watched die? He always kept going .


    Wiping my tears once more, I took Kathyln¡¯s arm, and she led me away toward the rear of the caravan where the prisoners were just starting to be released .


    As we passed by the other carts, each one surrounded by a handful of our soldiers helping people out and trying to remove the mana-suppressing shackles, I watched the freed elves . Many threw their arms around each other and their rescuers . Many more cried, letting relieved tears run unabated down their faces . Others gazed about dreamily, as if they¡¯d just woken and were still unsure if what they were seeing was real .


    A frightened bellow drew my attention to the helpless looking moon ox still stuck in the ground in front of one of the carts, its legs trapped within the dwarves¡¯ spell . It gazed back at me forlornly .


    We were passing by the third cart in the caravan when a tall, shirtless blond elf with dark bruises discoloring his face fell to his knees as his manacles were released . From nearby, I heard Tessia exim, ¡°Feyrith!¡± and I stopped, forcing Kathyln to release my arm .


    She turned to watch with me as Tessia ran to the kneeling elf and leaned down to wrap both her hands around his . Kathyln brushed my shoulder as she rushed past me, crouching down next them, one hand resting gently on Feyrith¡¯s back .


    I took a few steps closer, curious who this elf was that he could call both of these princesses his friends .


    ¡°Feyrith, what did they do to you?¡± Tessia asked, her voice strained . Not only was the elf bruised across his entire face and most of his torso, he was dangerously thin; his cheeks were gaunt, his shoulder des jutted from his back, and his ribs were clearly visible .


    He tried to speak, but the effort caused him to cough, which must have been painful because his face twisted into a grimace . I quickly withdrew a drinking canteen from my dimension ring and handed it to him .


    His pale green eyes lingered on me for a moment before he epted the canteen and took a long drink from it . ¡°Thank you,¡± he said hoarsely when he handed it back . ¡°You seem... familiar . ¡±


    ¡°This is Eleanor Leywin,¡± Tessia said softly, still half holding the emaciated elven mage .


    Feyrith¡¯s brows crinkled . ¡°As in...¡±


    ¡°As in the sister of Arthur Leywin,¡± Kathyln confirmed, ncing at me .


    Feyrith¡¯s eyes went wide and his tortured expression broke into the ghost of a grin . ¡°Is he here? Arthur?¡± Feyrith looked around hopefully, as if expecting to see my brother appear through the mist, grinning and rubbing the back of his neck...


    ¡°He¡¯s gone,¡± I said, my voice as cool and emotionless as Kathyln¡¯s .


    Feyrith¡¯s momentarily hopeful expression crashed . His eyes closed, his shoulders slumped, his face dipped toward the ground . ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, his lips barely moving, the words no more than a whisper .


    The four of us were still, sharing a spontaneous moment of silence for my brother . Above us, the tall trees leaned inward in a bow, as if even they felt sorry for us, while all around our soldiers were freeing the imprisoned elves .


    Then Tessia spoke again, and the spell was shattered . ¡°Come on, Feyrith, we need to get you ready to teleport back to the sanctuary . ¡± The noise rushed back in, and we were returned to the chaotic scene of the elves¡¯ hurried emancipation .


    ¡°What?¡± Feyrith asked, his eyes narrowed in confusion . ¡°No, we have to save the rest!¡±


    ¡°The rest?¡± Tessia asked, standing up and helping Feyrith get to his feet beside her .


    Feyrith tried to take a step and stumbled . He was forced to lean back against the wagon just to stand . ¡°We came from a staging camp to the north . One of the viges¡ªit¡¯s been handed over to some cryan noble . ¡± The battered elf paused, his eyes losing focus, but after a moment he shook his head and continued on . ¡°There are dozens¡ªhundreds¡ªmore prisoners there, waiting to be sent to other holds . Our people are being divided up like livestock and gifted to high-ranking cryans . ¡±


    When Tessia didn¡¯t immediately respond, Feyrith grabbed her arm, his eyes wild . For a moment he looked half mad . ¡°We have to save them . Once they¡¯re all transferred to the other towns, spread all over Elenoir¡ª¡±


    ¡°It would be impossible to rescue them all...¡± Tessia finished, the corners of her mouth turned down in a thoughtful frown . ¡°We don¡¯t have the force to storm a fortified location, but...¡±


    ¡°But Commander Virion¡¯s words are weighing on your decision, right?¡± Kathyln interrupted . ¡°He may have ordered us to save as many elves as possible, but it¡¯s safe to assume he meant within the scope of this mission . ¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t . Back then, my gran¡ªCommander Virion had this desperation that I¡¯ve never seen in him before . ¡± Tessia paused for a moment before she shook her head . ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this with the others beforeing to a decision . For now, we should organize the elves that need to get back to the sanctuary . ¡±


    Kathyln nodded at this, but Feyrith looked stricken . Before he could say anything, however, a nearby elf, one of the freed prisoners, stumbled over and threw herself at Tessia¡¯s feet . ¡°Please, Princess Tessia, my family is still being held in Eidelholm . You have to save them!¡±


    The woman¡¯s dirty face looked so pitiful, so horribly forlorn and desperately reverent, that I knew Tessia couldn¡¯t help but say yes . Instead, Tessia leaned down . She met the woman¡¯s eyes with a solemn gaze of her own .


    ¡°My duty as a leader is to get everyone we saved today back to safety,¡± she said sternly before gently pressing her forehead against the woman¡¯s . ¡°But once that has been aplished, we will carefully consider our next steps, so please help me do my part . ¡±


    The woman¡¯s lower lip trembled as she nodded, and with another encouraging pat from our leader, she went off to join the other elves that had been freed .


    Kathyln¡¯s gaze followed after the woman, expressionless, but Feyrith frowned, clearly hoping for a stronger answer .


    ¡°You¡¯ll ¡®consider¡¯ your next steps? That¡¯s it?¡± he asked, eyes red with anger . ¡°Do you even care?¡±


    I wanted to step in and say something but Tessia whipped her head with a re so fierce that I found myself flinching .


    ¡°Of course I care, and if I were by myself, I would¡¯ve gone in a heartbeat,¡± she answered, her tone icy . ¡°But my decision here doesn¡¯t impact just me, so I need to do what I can as a leader . ¡±


    Feyrith opened his mouth as if to refute, but he just turned away .


    After letting out a sigh, our leader turned away as well . ¡°Kathyln, can you round up your brother, Albold, Skarn, and Hornfels?¡±


    Kathyln nodded, her shining ck hair bouncing . ¡°Of course, Tessia . ¡± Then she vanished into the bustle of activity all around us .


    Tessia and I assisted in organizing the teleportation groups . We had twelve medallions, and each one could teleport around fifty people back to the sanctuary at a time . Apparently Virion and Elder Rinia had been working on increasing the strength of the medallions since Dicathen fell, though he had been vague on the details .


    While the soldiers who would activate the medallions finished their preparations and gave directions to the elves, Kathyln returned with her brother, the two dwarves, and Albold . Tessia pulled us all slightly away from the milling groups, and I noticed Feyrith watching us closely from the nearby crowd .


    With a flick of her wrist, Tessia conjured a dome of wind around us to mask our conversation before she spoke .


    ¡°Before anything else, I¡¯d like tomend all of you . Our mission was to secure and free the prisoners being transported in this caravan, which we have done,¡± Tessia dered before her gaze flickered back to where Feyrith stood . ¡°But I¡¯ve recently learned from one of the elves we freed that they were only part of the group held at the nearby vige of Eidelholm . ¡±


    Albold, Curtis, and the Earthborn brothers exchanged gazes of surprise before looking back to Tessia for answers .


    ¡°Before we left, Commander Virion insisted that we rescue as many of our people as possible, so we wouldn¡¯t be going against orders for doing this...¡± Tessia looked to Kathyln . ¡°But I also understand the risks of going off script . I have a n in mind, but I¡¯d like to hear everyone¡¯s opinions . ¡±


    Kathyln spoke up first . ¡°We should regroup back at the sanctuary ande back with proper reinforcements . ¡±


    Curtis shook his head . ¡°By the time we do all of that, the cryans will have heard of this attack and be much more guarded . It might not even be possible toe back and rescue the elves at Eidelholmter . ¡±


    ¡°Aye, but a win¡¯s a win,¡± Skarn insisted . ¡°As Lady Tessia said, we aplished our mission . We didn¡¯t prepare for arger assault . Didn¡¯t bring enough dwarves, for one . ¡±


    Albold was nodding . ¡°Not that I don¡¯t want to save my own people, but Skarn is right . It¡¯s a big risk to storm a fortified town, even if our casualties were minimal in this battle . ¡±


    I wanted to weigh in . I wanted to say that we should go to Eidelholm . Tessia was well on her way to breaking through into the white core, Kathyln and Curtis were both in the initial stage of silver core along with the Earthborn brothers, and even Albold, who was still a light yellow core, wouldn¡¯t slow them down .


    But the words were caught in my throat . I was the weak link here and I knew it .


    Tessia finally spoke, breaking the brief silence amongst our group . ¡°We¡¯ll go to Eidelholm . ¡±


    Curtis and I brightened at the words but our leader held up her hand .


    ¡°But...¡± she continued . ¡°Our main objective is only to scout . What Curtis said was right . By the time we go back, prepare and make our way to Eidelholm, the cryans will be ready for us . This is the only open window for us¡ªonce there, we can better assess our position without exposing ourselves . ¡±


    After a pause, the rest of the group began nodding in agreement .


    ¡°Good . ¡± Tessia said with a faint smile . ¡°The rest of the soldiers will return with the freed elves, allowing us to move much more quickly without drawing attention while we gather intel . ¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help the sudden sinking sensation I felt in my stomach as I realized Tessia likely wasn¡¯t including me with that group, but I stayed quiet .


    The others all agreed and our group separated so the news could be shared with the rest of the soldiers .


    I braced myself next to Boo as Tessia turned to me, most likely with the intention of sending me back .


    ¡°Ellie . If you¡¯re up for it, I¡¯d like to borrow your and Boo¡¯s keen senses . ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going back . I want toe with¡ª¡± I furrowed my brows . ¡°Wait, what did you say? I cane with you?¡±


    A smile pulled at the edges of Tessia¡¯s lips as she saw my confusion . ¡°Only if you¡¯re willing . ¡±


    Boo and I shared a determined nod before I turned back to Tessia . ¡°Of course I¡¯m willing!¡±


    With that settled, we both turned our attention to the people who would be teleporting back to the sanctuary .


    We were sending the rescued prisoners back in three groups . Those of us who were moving on to Eidelholm kept the other nine medallions in order to take back as many elves as possible .


    There were over a dozen mages among the rescued elves, and every one of them, Feyrith included, volunteered toe to Eidelholm, but Tessia refused point nk . None of them were in good enough condition to fight .


    Tessia, Curtis, Kathyln, the Earthborns, Albold, and I stood well outside the range of the medallions . Groups of elven prisoners gathered around our remaining soldiers, three of whom had medallions and had been trained to activate them .


    Most of the men and women who came with us were returning . Those who didn¡¯t survive the fight had beenid among the roots of the trees so that they could rejoin thend where they had been born .


    We watched solemnly as the first group activated their medallion . A translucent purple dome lit up around them, radiating from the t disk that a tall elf held over her head . The mysterious aetheric energy hummed, a sound I could feel in the little hairs on the back of my neck .


    The dome began to fracture into individual beams that fell on each person within like violet spotlights . The soldier holding the medallion spoke a word ofmand, and all at once, the people standing within those beams dissolved into thin air .


    The next group went, taking along the freed moon oxen with them back to the sanctuary . Thest group repeated this process, until only the seven of us, and our two mana beast bonds, remained .


    A nket of silence fell down on the hazy, twilight forest . A gentle wind was stirring, and for just a moment the deep blue sky was revealed . The first stars twinkled within it .


    The weight of my decision to stay behind lingered, but I didn¡¯t regret it . Out here, I wasn¡¯t just Arthur¡¯s sister . Out here, I was making a difference .


    Tessia stepped forward, her darkened-silver hair catching the moon¡¯s reflection . ¡°Let¡¯s move . ¡±

 Chapter 317

    Chapter 317


    The journey to Eidelholm passed quickly, though it took nearly two full days .


    We traveled in silence, mostly . Tessia and Albold were forced to slow their pace, guiding the rest of us carefully through the outskirts of Elshire . Hornfels and Skarn had it the hardest; they weren¡¯t woodsmen, and had spent very little time above ground . They hated the mists as much as I hated stepping in puddles of mud...which happened often .


    Boo and Grawder, on the other hand, seemedpletely at home . We let them move at their own pace, sometimes rushing ahead, charging through the forest like a couple of wild animals, and other times lingering behind to dig in the soft soil or sniff after some mana beast trail . I didn¡¯t worry about them, though . I knew that Boo would always be able to find his way back to me .


    Though we stayed cautious, Tessia and Albold weren¡¯t worried the cryans would find us in the forest . They expected that we would already be at Eidelholm before the prisoner caravan was reported as missing, and the cryans couldn¡¯t navigate Elshire well enough to have effective patrols .


    When we did actually talk, it wasrgely to discuss optimal paths we should take to scout out the area without being discovered . While neither Albold nor Tessia had a map, both knew the area well enough for us to have a good sense of what to expect by the time we reached the elven vige .


    Signs of the cryans were all over the ce before we got our first look at Eidelholm .


    The first was the corpse of an elven man lying face down at the base of a dying tree . A hole the size of an apple had been burnedpletely through him and the tree both .


    I kept my gaze fixed on the sight, despite wanting to spin away and puke . This was something I had to get used to .


    Albold leaned over the corpse, his usual cheery expression nowhere to be found . ¡°He was most likely trying to flee . ¡±


    Agreeing in silence, we didn¡¯t linger to investigate more closely .


    We slowed our pace as we got closer to the vige, moving carefully in case we ran into cryans in the woods . As we approached, the sound of axes thudding into trees grew louder and louder .


    Tessia held up a closed fist, and we all went still and tense . She leaned toward me and pointed ahead . The mists had cleared, but the trees were still dense enough to limit my line of sight .


    Using mana, I enhanced my vision to try and see what Tessia was pointing at . There was no movement, no enemy that I could see . Just trees, with sunlight shining on brown earth beyond .


    Then it snapped into ce . Where the sun shone, the forest simply ended . We crept forward again until we were just at the edge of the treeline . The cryans had cut down all of the trees around Eidelholm, an uncountable number of trees . Arge field of deforestedndy between us and a sad, gray little town .


    I was sure the elven vige must have been really pretty, once upon a time . Now the twisted timbers and boughs that made up the structure of the buildings seemed withered and dead, and the green roofs had turned brown like fallen leaves .


    I could see where a lot of the houses around the edge of the town had burned down . A few square buildings, minimal in design, had been built in their ce, and a handful of cryan men and women could be seen going about their day, doing normal, ordinary things like hauling buckets of water or armloads of wood .


    Tessia stood to my left . The set of her jaw and the angle of her body made her look like a predator . She was so tense I could practically see her quivering, like a silver jaguar waiting for its prey .


    I wasn¡¯t the only one who noticed .


    ¡°Let¡¯s find somece with some shelter so we can wait for the cover of night,¡± Curtis said, stepping up beside Tessia .


    ¡°No,¡± Tessia said simply . ¡°We need to get a good look at the vige in the light . Albold, you and Curtis make a circuit to the west . Ellie and I will go east . Kathyln, Skarn, and Hornfels, you three take the mana beasts and find somece to shelter, somewhere we can use as a base of operations . ¡±


    Curtis must have noticed the looks of confusion all around . ¡°I¡¯ll be able to find Grawder when the four of us meet back up after our circuit,¡± he exined . ¡°We always know where the other is . ¡±


    Skarn spit into the dirt . ¡°I can¡¯t wait to be done with this hiking nonsense . C¡¯mon you great brutes, you¡¯re with us . ¡± Thisst was directed at Grawder and Boo, who looked hesitantly toward Curtis and me .


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon, Grawder,¡± Curtis said, smiling warmly at his world lion bond .


    I ran a hand through Boo¡¯s fur, then scratched him under his chin . He looked at me in a way that said he¡¯d rather be by my side . Smiling, I booped his nose . ¡°You stay with Grawder, silly . We¡¯ll be right back . ¡±


    Curtis gave his sister a hug, and over his shoulder she shot me an embarrassed look, forcing me to turn away to hide my grin .


    To the dwarves, Tessia said, ¡°Thank you for being here, friends . The elven people owe you a great debt . ¡±


    Skarn simply grunted, but Hornfels gave Tessia the slightest bow . ¡°We¡¯re all in this fight together now . It¡¯s Skarn¡¯s and my hope that, some day, we¡¯ll be able to free our own kin from the poisonous ideas of thete king and queen Greysunders . Until such a time, though, we¡¯ll deliver our boots to cryan asses wherever we can find them . ¡±


    Tessia returned the bow, then turned her turquoise eyes on me . ¡°Ready, partner?¡±


    Partner...


    It was strange, being referred to like that by her . We¡¯de so far together since that first tense exchange in the underground town after Arthur disappeared . Past me likely would¡¯ve killed present me for thinking this, but I sort of looked up to Tessia now . She was also one of the few people that treated me...as me . And Tessia had been the one to push for me to be involved, for me to have the chance to help our people .


    With a deep breath, I reached for the feeling deep in my core and manifested the first phase of my beast will . ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m ready . ¡±


    With a backwards nce at Boo, who stood up on his hind legs and waved one big paw, looking as sad as I¡¯d ever seen him, I set off after Tessia .


    She led us east, always keeping under the cover of the trees . We moved slowly . Tessia scouted the vige while I kept a lookout for any threats in the forest, especially cryan soldiers .


    We hadn¡¯t been moving for more than ten minutes when I stopped Tessia after catching a whiff of something familiar . We both fell t on our stomachs, using the undergrowth to hide as best we could while I searched for the source of the scent .


    ¡°There,¡± I mouthed, pointing west .


    A young elven woman came around arge tree less than twenty feet away . She was carrying a wicker basket in the crook of one arm . Her blonde hair had been cut short, exposing red marks and bruising across the side and back of her neck . She walked with a slight limp .


    I was surprised to see that she wasn¡¯t chained or manacled in any way . There are probably other, less obvious ways to bind someone, I thought, my mind going to Tessia¡¯s parents, thete king and queen of the elves . The cryans are good at things like that .


    Distant shouting and the splintering crash of a falling tree made the girl stop . She stared sadly in the direction of the noise for a moment, then moved on .


    Tessia took a step toward the elven girl but stopped herself . It looked like we both wanted to help her, but it wasn¡¯t the right time . Tessia and I waited until the limping elf had moved off, leaving the forest and stepping into the light, where she jogged awkwardly back toward the vige .


    After that we crept along even more cautiously, our eyes mostly on the vige, but my enhanced hearing and smell was trained on the forest, cautious of anything approaching . We¡¯d gone a little more than halfway around the vige before I had to withdraw my beast will to rest .


    Shortly afterward, Tessia stiffened, then stabbed her thumb down to signal us to drop . We both dove behind arge berry bush .


    I couldn¡¯t see anything, so I watched Tessia¡¯s face carefully in case I needed to conjure an arrow in an instant, but after several long seconds she rxed and stood up . Hesitantly, I followed her lead, my bow at the ready .


    Nearby, Albold stepped out from between two trees where he was waiting for us alongside Curtis, and I let out a relieved breath .


    ¡°Things seem quiet on this side,¡± Tessia said softly, waving them over . ¡°No sign of where they¡¯re keeping the prisoners yet . You?¡±


    Albold nodded, face tense . ¡°Makeshift cages¡ªlittle more than kennels¡ªhave been constructed at the edge of town . There are a couple hundred prisoners at least . I counted thirteen guards . ¡±


    ¡°But only three mages,¡± Curtis added . ¡°The rest were just normal soldiers¡ªunadorned, they call them . ¡±


    Tessia tugged thoughtfully at a loose lock of her hair . ¡°Okay, you twoplete your circuit, put a second set of eyes on this side of the vige . Ellie and I will take a look at the prisoners ourselves . ¡±


    ¡°There is arge logging party working on that side of town, too . We had to go well out into the forest to avoid them,¡± Albold noted .


    Tessia nodded in understanding, we said our farewells, then we split up again .


    As we rounded the far side of the vige, the consistent thudding of axes into wood grew louder, and, as Albold had said, we found a group of men and women working to fell, cut, and carry away lumber . The first thing I noticed was that all the workers were cryans . In fact, there were no elves assisting with the logging at all .


    We were crouched behind a naturally fallen tree a couple hundred feet from the nearest cryan, watching them work .


    ¡°Even under threat of death, my people wouldn¡¯t cut down the trees,¡± Tessia whispered, answering my unasked question .


    Without another word, she took off deeper into the forest, giving the workers a wide berth . It didn¡¯t take us long after that to find the roughly built cages were housing elves like animals ready to be butchered .


    It was hard to believe anyone could survive long in such awful conditions . The elves were nearly all standing, their bodies pressed against one another . They had just enough room for a few toy down at once in the cramped cages . The elves looked pale and thin, their dirty skin stretched too tightly across their faces, giving them a ghastly, skeletal look .


    The cages were made of wood, but were little more than roughly milled frames connected by narrow nks . I wondered for a moment why the elves didn¡¯t try to break out, but then I realized that they were probably so tired and weak that they didn¡¯t even have the strength to break the wooden ts, much less escape from the guards .


    My eyes caught on an elven man who was pressed up against the side of one of the cages . He was slumped down unnaturally, his eyes open but zed . I couldn¡¯t bear to continue looking at the sight of his body left to rot next to his own family .


    Animals, I thought angrily . My fingers trembled, itching to send mana arrows flying at the guards right then and there .


    The voice in the back of my mind that sounded like Arthur¡¯s told me I was thinking like a child . It reminded me that we were just here as scouts . Looking at these prisoners, though, I doubted that they wouldst much longer .


    Two of the guards were ying some kind of board game, sitting at a makeshift table made of a stump . I closed my eyes and activated my beast will so I could hear what they were saying .


    ¡°¡ªtired of the stink . Babysitting a bunch of unwashed, half-dead elves wasn¡¯t what I had in mind when they told us we¡¯d be taking this ce over, you know?¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it . And with that Bl creeping around, ring down at us all the time . He¡¯s even worse than Jagrette, and she was awful . Are you going to take your move or what?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking, I¡¯m thinking . But yeah, you¡¯re right . I¡¯m not sure why we need a damned retainer for this post, anyway . My kid sister could guard these elves all by herself . It¡¯s those Milviews, I¡¯m sure . Cowards . How they ever earned highblood status, I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    But I lost track of the conversation for a moment as my mind buzzed . Jagrette, where have I heard of that name before?


    I turned to Tessia to ask her, but she held up a hand .


    Not a second passed before a chill ran down my spine, my own bestial senses picking up the deathly aura that smelled even worse than the rotting corpses nearby .


    A man stepped from between two of the buildings, approaching the guards . He looked like a walking skeleton . His face was pale and puffy, his eyes so sunken and dark that they looked like empty holes . t, greenish hair like dead seagrass clung to his forehead and cheeks . He was tall and awkwardly thin with sharp, spiderish limbs that his sheer ck mage¡¯s robes highlighted .


    The back of his robes were cut away, revealing a series of dark tattoos standing out against the white flesh . His spine and ribs were sharply defined, their gray shadows intersecting the sharply inked lines in a way I found gross...almost inhuman .


    Silently, the man walked around the end of the cages, then stopped suddenly, just outside of the enclosure with the dead elf pressed against the bars . He turned to look at one of the guards, a thick-chested man with a ck beard . The rest of the guards stood well back .


    ¡°What happened here?¡± the pale man asked the ranking guard . ¡°An early execution?¡±


    ¡°N-no, sir . They¡¯re not in good health . A few have died of¡ªof weakness . ¡±


    ¡°Is it not your job to guard them, soldier? The executions will be rather uninteresting if most of them have already sumbed to their...weakness . ¡± The man seemed mildly amused as he said this, but the bearded guard threw himself to one knee and bowed .


    ¡°Of course, Bl . We will make sure the rest survive to be killed at the proper time . ¡±


    The pale man stared down at the back of the guards head . ¡°Just keep them breathing for another day or two . ¡± He turned away from the guard, gazing out into the trees .


    I froze . There was no way he could know we were there, but still...


    Tessia was the one to act, shooting a soft gust of wind at a nearby tree rodent perched on a low hanging branch .


    The tiny mana beast, surprised, hopped off of its branch, drawing the pale robed man¡¯s gaze to where it scampered off .


    ¡°This damnable forest,¡± Bl cursed, shaking his head .


    Sneering, he turned to leave, then stopped again suddenly . He waved the bearded guard over, then, his voice low and sickly, he said, ¡°Pick out one or two of the livelier elves and have them sent to my abode, would you?¡±


    The guard paled, his nose wrinkling in disgust, but he was quick to assure the retainer he would do so .


    Tessia grabbed my hand, drawing my attention without speaking, and nodded into the forest . It was time to go .


    We sneaked away from the treeline, moving deeper under the cover of the dense boughs, then turned and navigated quickly around the vige toward our rendezvous with Albold and Curtis .


    When we found the others, both Albold and Curtis were watching for us fearfully .


    Curtis moved quickly to Tessia¡¯s side . ¡°Are you okay? We worried when you weren¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Tessia said quickly . ¡°We took our time at the prisoner cages . ¡± To me, she said, ¡°Ellie, what did you hear?¡±


    I recounted everything I¡¯d heard . The others were quiet when I¡¯d finished .


    Finally, her face hard as a statue, Tessia turned and walked south into the forest . ¡°Let¡¯s find ourpanions . Curtis, you lead the way . ¡±


    I nced at Curtis, and he smiled and winked at me . ¡°Do you regret following us yet?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± I said, forcing a smile that fell away as soon as Curtis turned to follow Tessia .


    We walked for over thirty minutes before we found Grawder and Boo . They were lying next to one another in a little patch of sun at the center of a clearing . Kathyln and the Earthborns weren¡¯t with them .


    Boo rolled to his feet and lumbered toward me . My bond rumbled deep down in his chest and nudged me so that I almost tipped over backwards .


    Iughed and wrapped my arms around his neck . ¡°I¡¯m d to see you too, Boo . ¡±


    Grawder, who must have known Curtis was returning, only raised his huge head, shook it gently so his golden mane waved like wheat in a sunny field, then went back to his nap .


    ¡°Where are¡ª¡± I started, but was cut off by the grinding of stone .


    Just behind where Grawder still lounged, the earth shifted, folding in on itself to reveal an earthen tunnel . Skarn and Hornfels stood just inside .


    ¡°You weren¡¯t followed, were you?¡± Skarn grunted, ring past our group into the trees .


    ¡°They¡¯re hot on our tails!¡± Curtis gasped, his eyes going wide . ¡°Quick, everyone inside . ¡±


    I snickered at the handsome prince¡¯s bad joke . Tessia¡¯s lips quirked up in a wry smile, and Hornfelsughed loudly, but Skarn only glowered more deeply .


    ¡°Yes, jokes about our immediate and untimely deaths...my favorite . ¡± The dwarf spit on the ground . ¡°Inside then . Couldn¡¯t find a suitable shelter, so we made one . ¡±


    Curious, I followed the dwarves down the earthen ramp into a smooth-walled cave, which was about twenty feet long and wide, and perhaps eight feet high . A handful of lighting artifacts, glowing stones like those we used in the underground city, had been set around the room to provide lighting .


    A simple set of chairs and a table had been molded out of earth at the center of the room, and seven low cots were pushed against the walls . I plopped down on one and was surprised by how soft it was . The far end of the little cave had been left open for the mana beasts .


    ¡°This is pretty nice,¡± I mentioned, nodding my approval to the Earthborns .


    Hornfels beamed at me . ¡°The cots were my idea . ¡±


    Skarn grunted and rolled his eyes as the rest of the group filed in . Tessia inspected the cave, and Curtis whistled in appreciation . Albold, however, seemed ufortable .


    ¡°I hate being underground,¡± he muttered .


    Once everyone was in, Skarn used mana to close the entryway again, hiding uspletely . Boo and Grawder pushed their way through the crowd, both sitting down at the far end of the cave . Their presence made the space feel a lot smaller than it had just a few minutes ago .


    ¡°Now that you¡¯ve all finished your tour through our humble abode, may we have the honor of discovering what fresh slice of hell awaits us at the vige?¡± Skarn groused, taking a seat at the table .


    Tessia nodded, taking a seat at the table as well . ¡°Almost everything was what we expected...¡±


    Kathyln sat down across from her . ¡°Almost everything?¡±


    Curtis and Albold exchanged a knowing look, while the dwarves wrinkled their brows in confusion .


    After everyone took their seat around the table, Tessia recounted what we experienced, from the female elf we saw all the way to the two guards¡¯ conversation and our encounter with Bl .


    ¡°A mass execution...¡± Hornfels said with a long breath .


    ¡°So much for our n ofing back with arger force,¡± Skarn chortled .


    After a moment of strained silence, it was Curtis who shot up to his feet . ¡°We can¡¯t leave these people here . ¡±


    Everyone¡¯s head turned to the crimson-haired prince, surprised .


    ¡°What does the enemy force look like?¡± Kathyln asked .


    Her brother¡¯s determined gaze wavered as Albold answered . ¡°Not many mages on their side, but...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a retainer,¡± Tessia said simply .


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s that then,¡± Skarn said with a shrug . ¡°I say we teleport straight back to the sanctuary, we¡¯ve¡ªouch!¡± Skarn red at his brother, who had just stomped on his foot under the table .


    ¡°What my brother means,¡± Hornfels said, looking much more serious than normal, ¡°is that, as much as we¡¯d like to help these people, perhaps we should take stock of our abilities . Has anyone here ever faced a retainer?¡± The dwarf looked from face to face around the table, then turned to look at me for good measure .


    I shook my head, as did the others . I expected Tessia to argue, but it was Kathyln that spoke up .


    Turning to our leader, the ice mage asked, ¡°What are your chances against a retainer?¡±


    Tessia¡¯s gaze fell as she thought for a moment before her turquoise eyesnded back on Kathyln . ¡°At worse, a stalemate . At best, a close win . ¡±


    Skarn let out an appreciative whistle while the rest exchanged excited nces .


    ¡°We have five silver core mages amongst us,¡± Curtis said with a confident smile . ¡°We can do this!¡±


    Kathyln nodded as she rubbed her chin . ¡°And having more water and nt mages back in the sanctuary would help our settlements spread tremendously¡ª¡±


    ¡°Kathyln, we¡¯re not saving them for the value that they¡¯ll bring back to our sanctuary,¡± Tessia said sternly .


    A sh of red emerged on the ice mage¡¯s pale face . ¡°You¡¯re right . My apologies . ¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t pretend to be as strong as Arthur was when he defeated Jagrette, but I don¡¯t need to be,¡± Tessia said seriously . ¡°I¡¯ll hold off Bl along with Albod, who¡¯ll be keeping the other guards busy, long enough for the rest of you to secure the imprisoned elves and send them back to the sanctuary . ¡±


    ¡°If you are able to hold a retainer off alone, why not have the rest of us join you and finish this Bl bastard off first?¡± Skarn asked .


    ¡°Because this isn¡¯t just a simple one-on-one battle like Arthur had against Jagrette,¡± Kathyln answered . ¡°Our priority is to get everyone out of here safely . ¡±


    ¡°Kathyln¡¯s right . If we were all to charge after the retainer, he might decide to harm the prisoners . ¡± Tessia¡¯s lips curved into a mischievous smile . ¡°But if the distraught and emotional princess of the elves stormed the vige with just her trusty aid for backup, wreaking havoc...¡±


    ¡°And the retainer wille running . He might not even notice that his prisoners are gone!¡± Hornfels finished, snapping his thick fingers . ¡°I like it!¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± I eximed with newfound confidence .


    The crimson-haired prince turned to the two elves and said with a grin . ¡±Looks like the two of you will have to practice your acting . ¡±

 Chapter 318

    Chapter 318


    The night was brisk . Low-hanging mists had seeped northward from the Elshire forest, floating just over the ground and making it look like we were walking on clouds . It was quiet except for the cry of some distant nightbird .


    The wide ring of clear-cut forest was just ahead, the round tops of the tree stumps jutting out above the gray mist like stepping stones leading to the still-sleeping vige .


    A strong hand rested on my shoulder, and I turned to meet Curtis¡¯s eyes .


    ¡°Fight well, Ellie . ¡±


    ¡°F-fight well,¡± I echoed, the tremor in my voice obvious .


    Hornfels grinned at us all . ¡°See you on the other side, aye?¡±


    Tessia gave them a small wave . ¡°Whatever happens, remember the n . ¡±


    Tessia, Albold, and I stayed where we were while the others turned and headed around the vige to where the prisoners were being held .


    We were giving them fifteen minutes before Tessia and Alboldunched the attack .


    Tessia spent the time mussing her hair and clothes, and dirtying her skin . She stripped dozens of tiny twigs from a low branch and rubbed them into her hair, then, with a small knife that Albold carried, gave herself a tiny cut an inch from her left eye and smeared blood across half her face .


    I winced as I watched, but the cut healed in seconds . The blood that stained her fair skin remained .


    ¡°It¡¯s going to take you forever to get those twigs out of your hair,¡± I said with a smirk .


    ¡°A small price to pay,¡± she replied with a soft smile . ¡°Do you need to go over your part again?¡±


    I nodded my head firmly . ¡°I stay out of sight and watch . Once I¡¯ve confirmed that the retainer takes the bait, I send the signal to the others to move in, then make my way through the forest to their location . Once the prisoners have been freed and everyone has teleported back to the sanctuary, I send you the signal to fall back . ¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± she said, her expression turning firm . ¡°You¡¯re strong, Ellie . More than you realize . ¡±


    I tucked a stray piece of hair back behind my ear as an excuse to hide my burning cheeks, turning back to Tessia only when I¡¯d been able to regain control of my face .


    ¡°Thank you . ¡± I let out a shuddering sigh before mustering a smile . ¡°And I¡¯m not sure I ever said this to you, but...I forgive you, Tessia . ¡±


    Our leader¡¯s eyes widened, her mouth opening just a bit as if she were about to say something when Albold stepped into our view .


    ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± he muttered, his appearance equally disheveled as Tessia¡¯s .


    She nodded, then looked at me and twisted her facial features so her eyes were wide and zed while her mouth hung a bit crookedly .


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s definitely going to scare some people,¡± I told her seriously .


    Letting the mask fall for just a second, she reached out and squeezed my hand . ¡°Stay safe . ¡±


    Then they were gone, rushing quietly through the forest toward the vige . They had broken free of the treeline and were halfway across the misty clearing before a guard noticed them .


    ¡°Intruders!¡±


    The yell cut through the silent night, but that was part of the n . Tessia gave the man just enough time to shout out a second time before a condensed gust of wind hurled him through a nearby wall with a crunch .


    Shouts went up throughout the vige as the rest of the guards were alerted .


    Three, all mages, came running from the east, bursting out between two short buildings and almost colliding with mypanions .


    Albold¡¯s bow was already up, and, with a guttural roar, he let loose an arrow at the closest cryan . Dozens of small panels of stone burst from the ground, deflecting the arrow as they began to spin around the cryans .


    The biggest of the three had icy gauntlets around his huge hands, and he lunged at Albold and threw a punch . The stone tes shifted to avoid striking him as they spun round and round .


    Albold jumped back, and Tessia¡¯s swordstaff was already cutting toward the cryan in an arc . One of the t stones moved to intercept, but the de sheared through it, then through the cryan¡¯s outstretched arm .


    His hoarse scream was cut short an instantter when an arrow struck him in the heart .


    The mage still being protected by the shield-caster, a broad-shouldered man in a green robe, had been gathering his power and hadn¡¯t yet cast a spell .


    As Tessia began hacking at the spinning disks of stone, the mage held up both hands, and a billowing cloud of yellow vapor poured out of him, engulfing Tessia and Albold, as well as his dyingpanion .


    Layers of mana shimmered around mypanions as their protection fought against the caustic cloud, but I could tell the spell must be strong by the way Albold slumped under the weight of it .


    Tessia spun her swordstaff like the de of a fan, using it to focus a jet of wind that pushed the gas-spell back over the cryan mages . The caster seemed immune to his own magic, but the one holding up the shields wasn¡¯t .


    He screamed in pain as his flesh began to run like hot wax, and within moments he was dead .


    I nced away for a moment, trying not to throw up . When I looked back, thest mage was dead too, but six non-mage warriors had appeared from the west . They might as well have been children with sticks instead of swords .


    rms continued to be shouted throughout the vige . I activated my beast will to better hear what was happening .


    My senses were instantly overwhelmed with the scent of rot, decay, and death . I spun around, looking for anyone nearby, but Boo and I were alone in the forest .


    I turned my attention back to the vige, trying to made sense of the jumble of shouted orders and questions:


    ¡°¡ªfrom the east!¡±


    ¡°¡ªa mad elf woman¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªtearing our men apart!¡±


    ¡°¡ªBl! Where is Bl?¡±


    Then Tessia¡¯s voice boomed over them all . ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll kill you all for what you¡¯ve done to my home! Justice for the elves! For Elenoir!¡±


    She¡¯s overacting a bit, I thought to myself . I could tell by the sudden hush that fell over Eidelholm that it had been effective, however .


    I reached out to pat my bond, but my hand froze halfway . Boo stiffened, ceasing his pacing . An aura of ck fear enveloped me, gripping my insides in an icy fist . I couldn¡¯t move, I wasn¡¯t even sure if I was still breathing .


    The retainer stepped out of the shadows not ten feet from Tessia, suddenly appearing from nothing . It was his murderous intent I was feeling, even so far away in the safety of the forest .


    Albold flinched back from him, but Tessia took a confident step toward the retainer, her face twisting into a snarl .


    ¡°Oh my, it¡¯s the lost princess, daughter of the betrayer king and queen,¡± Bl said, quiet and mocking as his eyes probed Tessia up and down . ¡°She appears to have gone well and truly mad . ¡±


    Without replying, Tessia activated her beast will . Emerald light infused the air around her, and the weight of the retainer¡¯s presence vanished from my chest . I took a deep, shuddering breath, and Boo growled next to me .


    Emerald vines burst from the ground in a ring around Tessia, Albold, and Bl .


    Sickly green mana extended from the retainer¡¯s arms into two long des that dragged across the ground, causing it to sizzle and pop and stink .


    As Albold nocked an arrow, I found myself already trying to get away from the fight as much as possible .


    Not yet, I told myself, nting my feet . I need to make sure that Bl is fully engaged before I go signal the others .


    ¡°This willbe interesting, elf,¡± the retainer said in his harsh, dead voice . ¡°I¡¯m quite curious to see what the famed Tessia Eralith can do . I have heard the stories of your glorious failure to push back our assault on thisnd . ¡±


    Tessia glowered . ¡°And I¡¯ve heard the word retainer spoken in fear so many times since this war began . Honestly, I expected something more from the one who reced Jagrette . Or are you really the best they could do?¡±


    She must¡¯ve struck a nerve with her taunt, because the retainer¡¯s arrogant sneer wrinkled into one of rage .


    ¡°I¡¯ve earned the title of retainer through my skills, ignorantprincess,¡± he growled . ¡°Self-assured stupidity truly is the trademark of you Dicathians, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Tessia opened her mouth to reply, but the retainer lunged forward, the mana de around his right hand extending forward until it was several feet long . The sickly green mana swept toward Tessia¡¯s neck, but she easily dodged, and countered with a swing of her glowing swordstaff .


    Bl brought his other toxic de up in time to block the swing, creating a small shockwave from the mere impact .


    Tessia¡¯s attack had been just a diversion, though, as the earth exploded upward under the retainer¡¯s feet, releasing dozens of thorny emerald vines around him .


    With a grimace, the retainer retracted his mana de and the sickly green energy dispersed around him like a suit of toxic armor that Tessia¡¯s attack couldn¡¯t prate .


    The retainer jumped with such incredible strength that he broke free of the vines and flew fifteen feet in the air . Two arrows sizzled against the energy shield, then both des extended again until they were each several feet long, and he plummeted toward Albold .


    Tessia¡¯s form blurred across a framework of the vines before leaping between the pale cryan and Albold . She swung her swordstaff once more, and it forced Bl to use both of his mana des to block her swing .


    The retainer followed up with a mana-d kick, sweeping Tessia¡¯s legs from underneath her, but the vines pulled her to safety before he could take advantage of the opening . When he tried to reform his de, Albold fired at the exposed parts of his body, forcing Bl to stay on the defensive .


    Tessia didn¡¯t give the retainer a chance to focus on Albold as sheunched a barrage of piercing stabs with her swordstaff . Her emerald vines seemed to each have a life of its own, serving to either attack Bl or grab onto his arms and legs to make it more difficult for him to deflect her blows .


    Still, while Tessia was able to put a few bloody gashes on the retainer, she hadn¡¯t managed tond a deciding blow . Theyer of pale green mana that flowed around his angr body held strong, dampening Tessia¡¯s attacks while dissolving Albold¡¯s mana-d arrows .


    I need to send the signal now! I thought to myself, stepping away from the fierce battle .


    If Tessia and Albold could keep up their current momentum, not only would we be able to rescue the prisoners, but we could also kill another retainer .


    Leaping up on Boo¡¯s back, we took off into the forest and around the outer edge of the vige . I needed to get farther away from the battle before I sent out the signal or else Bl might notice .


    Suddenly, Boo skidded to a stop, and before I could even ask why, I knew the answer .


    A sour odor of rot circled around us like a jawfish that smelled blood . I hopped off Boo and readied my bow as he positioned himself on his hind legs .


    ¡°I¡¯m d I kept my distance from your group until now,¡± a shrill and breathy voice echoed from the shadows .


    A ck silhouette appeared between two nearby trees: a tall man, his stiff ck robes clinging to him, pale skin ghostly in the gloom .


    The retainer!I thought in an instant of blind panic, then my beast will-sharpened eyes focused on him properly and I realized that this was a different man .


    Aside from the physical differences of being shorter with thin ck hair, I was relieved to sense that the pressure this person emitted wasn¡¯t as powerful as Bl .


    Next to me, Boo growled deep in his chest, a wild sound full of rage and fear .


    The man held up his hands as his bulging eyes studied us . ¡°Please, do not struggle . I would like to speak to you . The truth is, I¡¯m powerfully curious what the n is here . ¡± His thin voice scratched against my ear ufortably . ¡°I know yourpanions are preparing to ambush the men guarding the prisoners while the princess holds off my brother . But you Dicathians possess neither the requisite magic nor the technology to transport so many prisoners, and you couldn¡¯t hope to lead these people through the depths of the cursed forest . ¡±


    He continued to look down at me, a thoughtful frown creeping across his pale face . ¡°But then, I would have said the same for the attack on the ve transport . How exactly did you get all those ves away, hm? Are the asura helping you?¡±


    My mind spun, trying to estimate how long this mage had been following us for .


    When I didn¡¯t respond, he glowered . ¡°Answer me, girl!¡±


    Boo snarled and took a trembling step forward, but I put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from attacking .


    The cryan leaned down and looked me in the eye . ¡°These Dicathian rebels must be getting truly desperate to bring little girls such as you along . ¡± His eyes moved to Boo . ¡°Then again, you are one of these bonded mages I¡¯ve heard about . A strange tradition, joining yourself with mere beasts . How does it work, exactly? Do you matewith them?¡±


    His dark eyes gleamed perversely at the thought . ¡°Well, this is proving fruitless, I suppose I¡¯ll just¡ª¡±


    The man¡¯s words cut off into a hiss as Boo lunged at him, reacting to the smallest pressure from my hand . I jumped back and sent an arrow flying over Boo¡¯s head, but the cryan was gone from my sight .


    I wrinkled my nose, though, still able to smell him . His stench mingled with the trees as if he was inside them, and that¡¯s when I remembered one of Jagrette¡¯s abilities .


    If Bl could use the same kind of toxic magic that she used, then perhaps this mage, who seemed so simr to the retainer in every other way, might be able to as well .


    Ignoring my pounding heart, I condensed an arrow of mana, thinner and longer than normal .


    Catching a whiff of his rotten odor behind me to my right, I whirled around and shot at the base of a crooked tree where the stench was the strongest .


    My arrow pierced through the tree trunk like a streak of light and barely¡ªjust barely¡ªI was able to smell a hint of blood .


    ¡°Interesting brat,¡± he growled from within the tree, his voice muffled .


    His movement shifted again, this time faster .


    A light step crunched in the earth behind me, but I was too slow to avoid the punch to my side that sent me crashing into the dirt .


    Boo roared and rushed past me, but I could tell by his frustrated huffing that the man had gone again .


    His rot-and-death scent washed over me as he crouched down beside me . One long, crooked, mana-d finger pressed into my back, just below my left shoulder . It passed effortlessly through the light armor I was wearing as well as theyer of mana protecting me, then into my flesh .


    I couldn¡¯t even hear my own scream over the pounding of blood through my ears . Maybe that was what allowed me to act .


    My hand snapped out and wrapped around his ankle . Like I had done against the blight hob, I condensed a spike of pure mana in my palm and fired it through his leg . I could hear the shattering of bone even over his horrible scream, then the pressure in my shoulder was released .


    Grunts and snarls told me Boo had tackled the cryan before I could push myself up to look . The thin man was entirely hidden under Boo¡¯s bulk, and for a moment I thought we had the upper hand .


    Before I could even get to my feet, however, Boo was hurled into the air . My heart stopped as I watched the huge bear-like mana beast tumble over and crash back to the ground with enough force to send tremors up through my hands and knees .


    A helpless scream tore from my throat . ¡°Boo!¡±


    ¡°Damned beast,¡± the cryan muttered as he struggled to stand .


    His right ankle was shattered and bleeding profusely, and he had several puncture wounds in his shoulder and neck from where Boo¡¯s powerful jaws had pierced his protective mana .


    Anger¡ªhot rage like I¡¯d never felt before¡ªgave me the strength to throw myself to my feet before the cryan could finish standing up .


    I caught my bow with the tip of my boot and kicked it up into my hand, then drew and fired a concussive bolt of mana . It didn¡¯t pierce him, but the explosion was strong enough to knock him back to the ground due to his weak ankle .


    Coldughter met my attack . ¡°You¡¯re spirited, girl . You¡¯d make a fine present for my brother, but I think I¡¯d rather take the pleasure of killing you myself . ¡±


    My mind continued to spin and I found myself searching for that voice in my head that sounded like Arthur . What would he do in this situation?


    Seeing the self-assured grin on the dark-haired cryan¡¯s face as he slowly unfolded from the ground and hobbled toward me, mana already beginning to heal his foot, a n began to form .


    Firing another arrow that was made to burst before hitting him, I used the opening to sprint toward Boo .


    ¡°Boo!¡± I shouted while keeping tabs on the cryan¡¯s location using my nose .


    I fired another arrow back, this one made to spin like a drill . The cryan dodged by plunging into another tree and I could smell him drawing closer...but it didn¡¯t matter .


    Reaching Boo, who was just now able to get back on his feet, I positioned myself between him and the cryan .


    ¡°To go to such lengths for a mere beast . I¡¯d be touched, if it wasn¡¯t so idiotic,¡± he said with a cackle, stepping out from arge tree nearby .


    I should be far enough now .


    Lifting my bow, I conjured another arrow, this one riddled with holes along the glowing shaft .


    The cryan conjured his own sickly green knife of mana and hurled it at me .


    Boo intercepted in time, smacking the knife away with hisrge paw . Some of his fur sizzled from the toxic mana, but it gave me enough time to finish my special arrow .


    Letting go of the bowstring, the arrow let out a piercing screech as it sailed through the air at the cryan .


    Brows furrowed in confusion, my opponent decided not to take the risk of blocking it, instead stepping out of the way and letting the arrow whistle past him .


    Signal sent, I thought with a breath of relief .


    Without wasting time, I fired again, this time with an explosive arrow that was meant to inhibit his line of sight while Boo sprinted toward him .


    ¡°Enough with the pathetic tricks, child!¡± he snarled, bursting forward with a toxic mana knife in each hand .


    Seeing Boo¡¯s giant form about to leap on top of him, the cryan¡¯s smile curved into a wicked grin as he prepared to plunge his deadly knives into my bond .


    My heart continued to pound against my ribs as I did all I could to stay steady . Nocked against my bowstring was another arrow, glowing brightly as it held the rest of my mana... and it was aimed straight at my bond .


    Seeing this, the cryan¡¯s expression only turned even more delighted .


    My arrow struck Boo¡¯s back with a sh of gold just as my foe¡¯s twin knives plunged deep into my bond¡¯s chest .


    ¡°Did you think your arrow would be strong enough to pierce both your bond and me?¡± The cryan cackled maniacally . ¡°Looks like your beast¡¯s sacrifice was in vain!¡±


    I dropped my bow, falling on my knees...a smile shing on my lips .


    Boo, protected in a suit of gold mana, wrapped his arms around the cryan¡¯s body .


    ¡°W-what? How!¡± Our opponent struggled desperately as he was lifted off his feet . Pale green mana burst wildly from his body as he tried to use the rest of his mana to break free from Boo¡¯s grasp .


    As it became clear that he couldn¡¯t break free, his panicked shouts turned into terrified screams . ¡°Bl! Brother! Help m¡ª¡±


    Boo¡¯s jaws closed over his face, ending his yelling with a wet crunch .


    My bond released the lifeless corpse, spitting out whatever was in his mouth as he turned away . His small, dark eyes met mine for a long moment before bending to scrape at his tongue with a paw .


    Peeling my gaze away from the cryan, I scanned Boo for any injuries . ¡°Are you okay, buddy?¡±


    My bond let out a triumphant snort, and it was only then that I fully realized what had just happened .


    ¡°I¡ªI won,¡± I muttered, looking down at my trembling hands . ¡°I won!¡±


    I buried my face in Boo¡¯s neck, wrapping my arms around him as Iughed and cried at the same time .


    ¡°I¡¯m getting stronger,¡± I muttered into my bond¡¯s thick fur .


    I had mixed feelings as I nced down at the body . I knew I shouldn¡¯t be d that anyone was dead, but this man had been cruel and evil . He had deserved to die .


    My eye caught on a jet ck ring worn around the middle finger of his right hand .


    A dimension ring .


    Despite the feeling of wrongness, I bent down and jerked the tightly fit ring from the dead man¡¯s hand . The ring could have all kinds of useful things stashed inside it .


    I¡¯ll take it back to Virion, I thought, tucking it into my pocket .


    Turning away from the corpse, I clenched my still-trembling hands into tight fists and nodded at my bond . ¡°Let¡¯s go free the prisoners . ¡±

 Chapter 319

    Chapter 319


    By the time Boo and I reached the prisoner pens, the field of tree stumps between me and the vige was in total chaos .


    One of the cages had already been opened, and the released elves were scrambling to get away from the vige . Skarn led them along, trying to herd them into a single group so they could teleport away using one of the medallions . Behind them, his golem stomped through a dozen non-mage cryan soldiers that had rushed out of the vige, crushing them under its hammerlike fists .


    On the other side of the battlefield, Kathyln was holding off three mages . Though it seemed like she was sessfully keeping them away from the escaping prisoners, she was stuck defending, not able tounch an effective counter attack .


    Slipping from Boo¡¯s back and drawing my bow, I carefully manifested three zing arrows of pure mana onto the string and took aim at the three mages pinning Kathyln down . In my mind, I drew a line from the tip of each arrow to one of the mages, let my breath out slowly, and released the string .


    The mana arrows drew bright lines in the dark as they streaked toward their targets . The attack took the enemy by surprise . While I wasn¡¯t able to kill any of them, I was able to grab their attention away from their real foe .


    An instantter, a hail of razor sharp shards of ice fell down around the mages, tearing through them as though they were made of paper mache .


    There was a dull ache from my core after I¡¯d cast the spell .


    I haven¡¯t recovered from the shielding spell I cast on Boo, I realized with frustration .


    Still, it had been worth emptying my core for, since the spell had likely saved my bond¡¯s life . The shield spell was something Helen had shown me after my close call in the tunnels, and it was originally meant to protect the caster . Since I was usually in the backlines, I¡¯d yed around with the structure of the rather simple spell so that I could cast it on others that needed protection .


    Protecting all of Boo¡¯s ginormous body took a bigger toll than I thought, but it was worth it .


    A golden gleam drew my eye past the cages, to where Curtis and Grawder held back two cryan battle groups . My fingers twitched against the string of my bow out of instinct, but with my body on the cusp of going into bacsh, I held myself back .


    It¡¯s not like Curtis needed the help .


    The once-prince looked like a shininget riding on top of his bond . He was brandishing tworge swords glowing brightly in a golden red ze, burning every enemy that stood in his way . When severalyers of shields appeared over the cryan mages that Curtis was after, Grawder skidded to a stop and the two of them unleashed a joint attack of fire and pure concussive mana that shattered the barrier and engulfed all of the mages .


    I closed my eyes, but was toote to avoid the sudden sh as the spell exploded, leaving bright white circles imprinted on my sight . An instantter the roar and rush of wind hit me too .


    Diving behind Boo, I blinked away tears and waited for the burning circles and ringing in my ears to fade .


    One major w in having super senses, I thought, sticking a finger in one ear in a fruitless attempt to make the ringing go away .


    By the time I looked back, Hornfels had smashed open a second cage and was moving toward a third as his brother prepared to escape with the first group .


    I couldn¡¯t see Skarn at the center of a big ring of frightened looking elves, but the purple energy that blossomed upward and out from the center of the group told me he¡¯d activated his medallion .


    The static hum of the medallion¡¯s magic caused goose pimples to raise on my arms and the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end . As before, the dome split apart and the light focused on each of the nearly fifty people standing in a tight circle around it, then they were gone, all of them .


    The stone golem, which was still fighting off the group of cryan soldiers, crumbled the moment Skarn vanished . Two of them had survived, but they weren¡¯t in any state to fight .


    Hornfells and Curtis were working to move the remaining prisoners out into the open where they could be organized into groups, while Kathyln shot spells at anything that moved toward them from the vige .


    An elven child was crying somewhere... I scanned the crowd until I found her, a tiny thing that couldn¡¯t have been older than five . She was running through the crowd, her dirty little face looking from person to person .


    The little girl looked so scared I nearly rushed out to help her, but I stopped when Curtis scooped her up and whispered calming words to her . No one seemed to be iming her, so he kept the child with him as he and Hornfels organized the elves into separate groups of fifty .


    Hornfels was quick with his medallion, and it didn¡¯t take long before a second dome of purple energy had surrounded them . When it broke apart, the beams of light went to only to a select number of the elves, leaving behind some who had crowded into Hornfels¡¯ circle .


    A cry went up from those who weren¡¯t taken, but Curtis was shouting to get their attention .


    ¡°You there! Here, to me! Come to me!¡± He held up his medallion and waved it in the air, still clutching the elven child in his other arm .


    Nearly a hundred elves had already been rescued, but as I looked at the number remaining in the clearing, I realized there were too many .


    It¡¯ll take at least three medallions to take them all...


    The far side of the vige was still glowing with emerald green light, which flickered and shed as I watched .


    I was supposed to go back to Tessia and Albold to signal when the prisoners had been freed so that they could use their own medallions to teleport away .


    But nearly fifty of the elves would be stranded if I didn¡¯t help Curtis and Kathyln...


    Then Elder Rinia¡¯s warning rang in my mind: ¡°When the timees, Ellie, you must choose the mission . ¡±


    Is this what she was talking about? But my mission is to save the elves¡ªeven Commander Virion said so himself .


    Confident in Tessia¡¯s ability to handle the retainer, though still somewhat fearful about the other part of Rinia¡¯s warning, I sprinted out from the cover of the trees toward where Curtis and Kathyln were struggling to organize thest of the panicked elves .


    ¡°¡ªcan¡¯t leave us here, please¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªhas already gone with the others, I have to find her¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªseen my sister? She was just here¡ª¡±


    Nearly overwhelmed by the low rumble of voices, I withdrew my beast will, and, when the nket-like smothering sensation hit me this time, it was almost a blessing .


    Kathyln was waving me over to her, and I began to weave my way between the elves . The first to notice Boo behind me screamed and scattered, but they quickly realized he didn¡¯t pose a threat to them .


    Kathyln had already realized the problem . ¡°Ellie, I¡¯m d you¡¯re still here . We need you to activate one of the medallions, otherwise¡ª¡±


    Her mouth snapped shut as a de of pale, toxic mananced from the shadows, and Kathyln only barely conjured a wall of ice to deflect it .


    My heart thumped painfully as a jolt of terror went through me . Bl was suddenly standing not five feet from us, his arms again enveloped in the pale green des of mana, his face twisted in desperation and loathing, his focus entirely on Kathyln .


    Does that mean¡ª


    Before I could evenplete the thought, the field around us came to life with glowing emerald vines as dozens, if not hundreds, burst from the ground . Some snaked around Bl¡¯s arms and legs while others formed a barrier between him and the elves, who were screaming and scurrying away from him .


    Tessia¡¯s clear and sharp voice, like a bolt of lightning, boomed across the battlefield . ¡°Curtis, go! Now!¡±


    Behind me, Curtis had started to set down the child, clearly nning to throw himself at the retainer, but he froze at Tessia¡¯smand . After only a heartbeat¡¯s hesitation, he raised his medallion, and the purple dome engulfed him and the nearest elves in light, and then they were gone .


    Bl¡¯s des cut and tore at the vines as he fought to break free . ¡°Just because I can¡¯t kill the elf witch doesn¡¯t mean I have to let the rest of you live,¡± he growled, his words bubbling up from him as if his lungs were full of poison .


    But Tessia was already there, and her vines were protecting us . I had to trust her to deal with him, because all around us the crowd of elves were scattering so that we wouldn¡¯t be able to teleport them all at once .


    Kathyln was erecting additional barriers of ice to shield the closest prisoners, just in case he turned his attacks on them instead .


    ¡°Here!¡± I shouted, running away from where the retainer struggled . ¡°Here, to me! Quickly!¡±


    It took time, too much time, but the elves were desperate to flee, and they¡¯d seen that we could teleport them away if they actually listened, so eventually they began to flock back to me as I moved farther away from the battle .


    I had bent over to help up an older elf who had fallen down in the rush to escape the retainer, when, behind me, Boo roared with pain and anger, and something ghostly and green flicked past me . The toxic de only barely missed the old man before hissing into the ground .


    The old man moaned as I pulled him clumsily up . I almost stumbled over my own feet trying to maneuver myself with the elderly elf while also preparing myself for whatever wasing behind me, but two other elves grabbed him by the arms and helped to drag him back .


    A long gash in Boo¡¯s nk released a slow trickle of blood . Behind him, Bl was being lifted from the ground by a huge vine . The vine flicked him away so the retainer tumbled doll-like through the air before smashing into and through one of the nearby houses .


    ¡°Ellie!¡±


    My head snapped around to where Tessia¡¯s form blurred from vine to vine toward the house where Bl had vanished .


    ¡°Help Albold!¡±


    My eyes searched the gloomy clearing until I caught sight of Albold, who was limping badly, his hand pressed to his side .


    I reached out and grabbed one of the closest elves . She was young, with honey-blonde hair and a steely expression . ¡°Help gather them into groups of fifty!¡± When she looked at me with apparent confusion, I grabbed her arm . ¡°Group them up, now! Go!¡±


    With that I darted across the field, reaching Albold just as he stumbled and would have fallen to the ground .


    Albold had several long cuts across his chest and stomach, and the skin around them had turned a sickly green color . He tried to speak, but only managed to cough up a mouthful of blood .


    Wordlessly, I pulled the thin elven soldier¡¯s arm around my neck and heaved . While I wasn¡¯t able to recover much of my mana, with the help of the adrenaline of battle, I was able to drag him to his feet .


    In the distance, twenty-foot-tall vines were battering the house where Bl was, knocking the structure down on his greasy head .


    With the retainer out of the way, at least for the moment, Kathyln had reorganized her group, while the elven girl I¡¯d set to rounding up the others had done her best .


    ¡°Ellie, can you get that group?¡± Kathyln asked, her tone half fearful, half just tired .


    For a moment I felt a surge of anxiety at the thought of being left in charge of over forty elven lives, but Tessia was still here, she had the retainer under control, and most of the other cryan soldiers were dead .


    ¡°Yeah, I got these, get those people out of here!¡±


    Purple energy bloomed from her medallion, growing up and over the heads of the elves then spreading out into a dome that covered all of them .


    Then the shadows shifted in the middle of the group, and suddenly Bl was there, standing tall over most of the elves . His entire body was cocooned in a thickyer of his mana, but even as I watched, the mana flowed over his body and formed into the long des clinging to his hands .


    With Albold¡¯s arm still slung over my shoulder, there was nothing I could do but watch in horror as the growing des closed over each other like scissors, aimed perfectly at the back of Kathyln¡¯s neck .


    The medallion¡¯s magic had already split into individual beams, and Kathyln and the elves were spotlighted against the darkness . The elves closest had realized Bl was there, but seemed frozen in terror . Kathyln was entirely focused on the medallion...


    All at once, Kathyln and the elves vanished . The retainer¡¯s des cut harmlessly through the lingering beams of light, then the clearing was dark again .


    ¡°You still have your medallion?¡± I asked Albold, my voice barely a whisper . ¡°Can you use it?¡±


    He shook his head tiredly, but kept his feet when I pulled out from under his weight .


    ¡°I had to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± I snapped, pressing my own medallion into his hands .


    If only Curtis and Kathyln hadn¡¯t been carrying the extras...


    The retainer had paused for a moment to look around him, his expression growing more frustrated by the second .


    ¡°Hey, tall and ugly!¡± I shouted, trying to keep my voice from trembling .


    Bl¡¯s dark eyes cast a wary nce at Tessia, who was fast approaching, before his gaze drifted toward me in curiosity .


    ¡°Bad day, huh?¡± I asked, stepping away from Albold and putting myself between the remaining elves and the retainer .


    He scoffed, his attention back on Albold and the group of elves . Jagged shards of pale green mana manifested around the retainer¡¯s raised hands as he prepared to kill all of us .


    Damn it! Just a bit more time .


    Without thinking, I forced out augh . It came out squeaky and unnatural but it did the trick . Bl¡¯s eyes were back on me .


    ¡°You know, out of the two of you, I think your brother was the one that got the looks,¡± I croaked .


    Bl¡¯s eyes narrowed, his glowing hand lowering in hesitation . ¡°You¡¯ve met Bivran, yet you¡¯re still alive?¡±


    I nodded . ¡°I can¡¯t say the same for him, unfortunately . ¡±


    Mustering up the remainder of my dwindling courage, I rested my hand on Boo and took out Bivran¡¯s dimension ring .


    Behind me, a sh of violet lit up the night, and all the tension went out of my body . We¡¯d done it . Thest of the elves were safe .


    ¡°You know, out of the two of you, I think your brother was the one that got the looks,¡± I croaked .


    Bl¡¯s eyes narrowed, his glowing hand lowering in hesitation . ¡°You¡¯ve met Bivran, yet you¡¯re still alive?¡±


    I nodded . ¡°I can¡¯t say the same for him, unfortunately . ¡±


    Mustering up the remainder of my dwindling courage, I rested my hand on Boo and took out Bivran¡¯s dimension ring .


    Behind me, a sh of violet lit up the night, and all the tension went out of my body . We¡¯d done it . Thest of the elves were safe .


    The retainer¡¯s eyes went wide at the sight of the jet ck ring, and he lunged toward me . Boo jumped forward to intercept him, but it was Tessia¡¯s swordstaff that blocked his attack .


    Her bright emerald green energy pushed back his sickly mana as the swordstaff shed faster than I could follow .


    Bl¡¯s swords were just as fast, though, and his ability to redirect his mana to attack or defend at need made it difficult for Tessia to wound him . Still, the retainer¡¯s ck robes were stained dark with blood in a dozen different ces, and it was clear she had the upper hand now that Bl wasn¡¯t running away .


    Tessia, on the other hand, seemed nearly unhurt . Her face was determined, her gaze locked on her target, and Bl¡¯s des never touched her .


    I wanted to help, but wasn¡¯t sure how . My mana was only somewhat restored, enough for a few arrows maybe, but I couldn¡¯t see how that would make a difference .


    Then I had an idea .


    I don¡¯t need much mana, just enough to form the arrow...


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me...¡± I readied the shield-arrow I had used on Boo and aimed it at Bl . ¡°I¡¯ll just have to show you . ¡±


    The retainer¡¯s dark eyes sharpened as I fired the arrow right at him . Bl, not taking any chances, twisted away from Tessia .


    The golden arrow passed by where he had been and hit Tessia high in the stomach, spreading the golden glow over her body . She jerked to a stop, gazing down at the spell in surprise .


    A smirk crept up on the retainer¡¯s thin lips as he quickly took advantage of Tessia¡¯s opening . Bl shed toward her and sunk one of his pale green des into Tessia¡¯s side and the other into her leg .


    ¡°I knew Dicathians were ill-trained, but to shoot one of your own¡ª¡± Bl¡¯s eyes bulged as Tessia¡¯s swordstaff burst out of his back .


    His disbelieving gaze sank down in confusion, only to widen with realization . Although the two des had managed to pierce through my barrier, they couldn¡¯t pierce through Tessia¡¯s aura as well .


    Bl¡¯s weapons faded away as thest of his mana leaked from his pierced mana core, and he stumbled to his knees . One skeletal hand was pressed against the wound in his chest, trying uselessly to stop the blood, but it ran freely from the wound and pooled darkly on the ground .


    ¡°The Vritra chose m-me,¡± he gasped, frothy blood staining his lips . ¡°I will be a god among...¡±


    Slowly, he slumped to the ground, his face sinking into the pool of blood beneath him .


    Several vines crawled up from the blood and wrapped themselves around the body . The retainer started to sink as the vines pulled him into the ground .


    His hands and legs disappeared under the churned dirt, then most of his torso, and finally his face . Thest I saw of him were his dead, staring eyes, then he was gone .


    The emerald vines faded as Tessia released her beast will . Instead of basking in her defeat of the retainer¡ªa feat only my brother had aplished until now¡ªTessia seemed to shrink .


    Even from the back, she looked lonely, her shoulders drooping as she let out a deep breath before turning around .


    ¡°We should hurry back, Ell¡ª¡±


    Tessia¡¯s eyes went wide just as a strong hand pressed down on my shoulder .


    ¡°The two of you have gotten a lot stronger,¡± said a cool, strangely familiar voice .


    A cold, heavy weight suddenly seemed to push down on me and even without my beast will active, everything that happened next seemed like it was in slow motion .


    Boo lunged at the man behind me, only to be encased in a prison of ck spikes that manifested faster than I could even blink .


    My bond let out a thunderous roar as he started banging his paws at the shadowy spikes, but he couldn¡¯t even dent them .


    Tessia started to move, but stopped as the hand on my shoulder crept toward my throat while the other ripped off the phoenix wyrm pendant around my neck .


    I was scared . Even while facing Bivran and Bl, I hadn¡¯t felt like this...like no matter what I did, it wouldn¡¯t matter . Without that pendant, he could easily kill me, and I couldn¡¯t lift a finger to fight back .


    ¡°E-Elijah,¡± Tessia stammered, her face pale in horror .


    The mention of that name sent a sharp chill down my spine . I could feel my breath shortening as I tried to wrap my head around what was happening . Memories of Tessia exining Arthur¡¯sst battle before he and Sylvie were killed flooded back to me .


    Elijah was the one that killed my brother . He was standing right behind me, but I could barely stay conscious, let alone seek vengeance .


    ¡°I would want you, of all people, to call me Nico,¡± the man said coolly .


    ¡°Fine...Nico . ¡± Tessia raised a cating hand . ¡°Your fight is with me, right? Just release Ellie . ¡±


    ¡°You slipped away from mest time, Cecilia . I won¡¯t take any chances this time . ¡±


    ¡°Ce...cilia?¡± Ignoring my screaming body, I looked back . It really was Elijah, the boy who used to live with us in Xyrus, except he wasn¡¯t wearing sses and had dark bags under his eyes behind locks of messy ck hair . So who was Cecilia?


    Tessia stepped closer, one hand still gripped around the handle of her swordstaff . ¡°Elij¡ªNico...you¡¯re not making any sense . ¡±


    Elijah let out a sigh as his grip around my neck tightened .


    I wed helplessly at his hand while trying to tell Tessia to run, but my words came out in gagged coughs .


    ¡°Drop your weapon and put these on . ¡± Elijah tossed a pair of thick metal cuffs to Tessia . Each one had arge gem embedded in the middle and was etched with runes that I¡¯d never seen before .


    Tessia¡¯s hardened gaze fell into a look of defeat . ¡°And you¡¯ll let Ellie go?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d try to kill yourself again if I didn¡¯t, right?¡± Elijah chortled . His grip around my neck loosened, and I wanted to scream out to Tessia not to do it, but the look in her eyes told me everything .


    Tessia smiled sadly at me as she dropped her swordstaff and locked the metal wristbands around her forearms . ¡°Hopefully, with this, your brother will forgive me . ¡±


    Elijah released his iron grip on my neck and pushed me aside . I tumbled on the ground, my body shaking all over as Boo¡¯s growls turned into whimpers .


    I could only watch as Elijah grabbed hold of Tessia by the cuffs . He plucked the medallion hanging from her neck and studied it for a moment before tossing it on the ground in front of me, along with the life-saving pendant he had taken from me . ¡°I got what I wanted . Consider this as onest favor...for Grey . ¡±


    My trembling hands gripped the two invaluable artifacts, looking from it to the dark boy who used to be my brother¡¯s closest friend .


    With a flick of his wrist, he released Boo .


    My bond immediately rushed to me, picked me up by the back of my shirt, and dragged me away . I could only watch helplessly as Tessia and Elijah disappeared from sight, Elder Rinia¡¯s haunting words pressing on my mind like a branding iron .


    ¡°The cost of those elves¡¯ lives may be more than Virion cares to pay . ¡±

 Chapter 320

    Chapter 320


    ¡°All right, Ellem?¡± Tedry asked .


    I nodded .


    ¡°Guard duty for logging crew today,¡± he said conversationally . The thin, dark haired boy was sitting on his cot, pulling on a boot .


    I nodded again .


    ¡°Been almost a week since we¡¯ve been stationed here, Ellem, and I swear by the Vritra I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard you say more than three words . Why is that?¡± The cryan was looking at me with one thick eyebrow raised .


    I just shrugged .


    Tedry smirked . ¡°You know, that¡¯s why I like you, Ellem . You don¡¯t interrupt me when I¡¯m telling a good story . ¡±


    Rolluf snorted from his cot . ¡°No one has ever interrupted you telling a good story, Ted, ¡®cause you¡¯ve never told one!¡±


    Tedry paused while he was slipping on his other boot and hurled the heavy footwear at Rolluf, hitting him right between the legs . Rolluf grunted in pain and tried to roll out of his cot but was tangled up in his nket . The big cryan boy tumbled onto the ground, tipping the lightweight cot over .


    Tedryughed hysterically while Rolluf grumbled and disentangled himself from his nket .


    I was already dressed in the blue and silver uniform I¡¯d been provided . I always made sure to be awake and dressed before the others, with my hair pulled up into a knot on the back of my head, disguising its length . It had seemed easy at first, to pretend I was a boy, but the longer I stayed in Eidelholm, the more difficult it became .


    ¡°Come on, you dolts,¡± I said, making my voice deeper . ¡°We¡¯re going to bete for breakfast . ¡±


    ***


    After Tessia was captured I had thought about using the medallion to go back to the sanctuary . It¡¯s probably what everyone, especially Tessia, would¡¯ve told me to do . Then I had imagined stepping out of the portal, everyone¡¯s expectant gazes turning to confusion when Tessia didn¡¯t appear . I imagined the looks on their faces when I exined that Tessia had been captured in order to save me...and that I had run away .


    Then, of course, they would¡¯ve all told me it wasn¡¯t my fault, that I couldn¡¯t have done anything, that they understood and were just d that I was alive . They¡¯d be kind...just like how they always were . They¡¯d feel bad for me, pity me .


    They¡¯d treat me like a child .


    I didn¡¯t have a n, not at first, but I just knew I couldn¡¯t go back to that . I¡¯d seen Tessia after she got back without my brother . I¡¯d been on the other end at that time, but now I knew how much Tessia was hurting, how lonely and helpless she had felt .


    No . I couldn¡¯t return to the sanctuary without at least trying to help Tessia . After all, I was the one that let her get caught . I should¡¯ve just gone with Albold, but instead I had stayed to try and y the hero .


    She¡¯s my best friend, and she only got captured because of me . If I¡¯d just focused on the prisoners, like Rinia warned, I wouldn¡¯t have been taken hostage by Elijah, I admitted to myself . I have to at least try...


    Eidelholm was busier than a kicked anthill for a couple of days after our assault . Using the first phase of my beast will, I spied from the cover of the trees, careful of anyone I saw using mana around town, since there was no way to tell whether they could see things from afar .


    Several important looking people visited the vige and dozens of new soldiers arrived to rece the men and women we¡¯d killed . I saw Elijah once, meeting with the town¡¯s visitors and showing them the site of the attack, but I didn¡¯t see him or Tessia again .


    It was a stroke of pure luck that I overheard Tedry and Rolluf talking near the edge of the treeline on the third day after Tessia was captured .


    I found out that they were students from some cryan academy, part of a youth soldier training division . At first, their talk had mostly been about the attack . The leaders of the town were called the Milview blood . The two boys were joking about how the Milviews were cowards, how they had held half of their soldiers back to defend them instead of defending the town against the ¡°Dicathian insurgents . ¡±


    One of the older guards had smacked the back of Rolluf¡¯s head and told him to watch his tongue . After that Tedry and Rolluf had moved off a little ways from the rest of the guards, making it even easier to listen in . I had nestled myself in a hollow under a leafy bush and gotfortable . Boo was keeping an eye on me from deeper in the forest .


    The cryan boys spent a lot of timeining about being sent to such a backwater hold, and talking about how their friends got to go to ces like Zestier, where the real action was happening . It all sounded so...normal . They were just a couple of normal boys talking about stupid, normal boy things .


    Then Tedry mentioned what a nightmare it had been for them when they arrived in Eidelholm . The man in charge of their program had been killed, so they were just being shuffled around between guard posts .


    That¡¯s what gave me the idea . A crazy, stupid idea...but still an idea .


    Tedry and Rolluf followed me to the longhouse, where we each epted a bowl of oats and milk, then took our normal seats at the end of one of the series of long tables .


    ¡°Some big event in a couple of days,¡± Rolluf mumbled through a mouthful of oats . ¡°Heard one of the Shields talking about it . ¡±


    Tedry rolled his eyes . ¡°There¡¯s always some ¡®big event . ¡¯ Probably just another highblooding to scold the Milviews for letting all those elven ves escape . ¡±


    Rolluf shook his head, dribbling some oats on the table . ¡°Nope, this is something big . Real big . ¡±


    ¡°As big as your head?¡± Tedry asked teasingly . Rolluf flicked a spoonful of oats across the table, sttering Tedry¡¯s uniform . ¡°Damnit, I¡¯ll get a smack if I go to guard duty with an oat stain on my tunic, Roll!¡±


    ¡°Maybe should have thought about that before opening your big mouth, eh?¡± Rolluf teased, a big, stupid smirk on his tan face .


    ¡°Did this Shield say anything else about what¡¯s happening?¡± I asked, my mind racing . I hadn¡¯t seen Tessia since she¡¯d been captured¡ªsince she traded herself to save me, I mean¡ªbut I knew Elijah was still in Eidelholm, or at least he had been, on and off, so I thought Tessia must be too . Maybe this big event had something to do with her...


    ¡°An announcement . Something to do with Elenire¡ª¡±


    ¡°Elenoir?¡± I asked, cutting Rolluf off .


    ¡°Yeah, that . ¡±


    Tedry feigned falling asleep in his bowl . ¡°Don¡¯t get excited, you two . You know they¡¯ll make it up to be this big thing, then it¡¯ll just be, ¡®Congrattions to the whositswhatsits blood, they¡¯re being given a hold in the ass end of Elnire¡ª¡±


    ¡°Elenoir . ¡±


    ¡°¡ªand we¡¯re supposed to p and cheer and pretend like we know who they are,¡± Tedry went on, ignoring the correction . Then his eyes lit up as something urred to him . ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll be an execution! They could have caught the Dicathians that attacked the hold¡ª¡±


    Rolluf snorted, spitting flecks of oats on the table . ¡°They beat one of the retainers, Tedry . No one in this little backwater couldy a finger on them¡ª¡±


    ¡°He could,¡± Tedry said darkly, causing Rolluf to look down into his oats .


    The table was quiet for a while .


    This wasn¡¯t the first time the cryan boys had mentioned Elijah, who they seemed to carry in high, but fearful, regard .


    I¡¯d been really careful not to ask too many questions to avoid tipping Tedry and Rolluf about my ignorance of crya, which had limited my ability to dig for more information . If I was ever going to find out anything about Tessia, though, I knew I¡¯d have to start taking more risks at some point .


    ¡°Think we¡¯ll get to attend?¡± I asked, making sure to keep the deeper voice I¡¯d used since sneaking into Eidelholm .


    ¡°Only if it¡¯s boring,¡± Tedryined . He was trying valiantly to rub the oatmeal off his uniform .


    ¡°Maybe, as the youth soldiers in Eidelholm, we could...give a presentation or something?¡± I asked hesitantly . The two boys didn¡¯t like doing any extra work, so I knew they wouldn¡¯t like the idea, but if it got me involved in this ¡°big event,¡± then it¡¯d be worth it . Hopefully .


    The voice that responded came from behind me . ¡°That¡¯s a fine idea . ¡±


    We all turned to look at our preceptor .


    The man in charge of overseeing the youth soldiers in Eidelholm was a nervous mage named Murtaeg . He didn¡¯t seem to have much time or interest in managing our affairs, though, and did little more tell us where to be every day and making sure our little house, which had once belonged to one of the elves, was kept in order .


    Murtaeg had rusty red hair, a week¡¯s worth of ruddy beard that didn¡¯t grow in evenly, and watery eyes that quickly darted around the room .


    ¡°Hey, Murt,¡± Rolluf said, nodding to the preceptor .


    Murtaeg red at Rolluf . ¡°My name, as I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve exined several times now, is not Murt . Nor is it Murty, Em, Teach, or any of the other silly bynames you keep calling me . Murtaeg . Remember it, Rolluf . ¡±


    His ears turning red, Rolluf looked down at his empty bowl of oats and stayed silent .


    ¡°As I was saying,¡± Murtaeg went on, standing a little straighter, ¡°I think young Ellem¡¯s idea is a fine one . ¡± His wandering eyes stopped on me for only a second before darting around the room again . ¡°I¡¯ll stop by Milview Manor and arrange it with Ss Milview . ¡±


    ¡°Do you know what¡¯s happening?¡± I asked before I thought better of it .


    Murtaeg¡¯s eyes snapped to me again, very briefly . ¡°Since this is your idea, Ellem, why don¡¯t you choreograph a short disy for the event . I¡¯ll let you three out of regr duties today and tomorrow to prepare . ¡±


    The preceptor didn¡¯t wait for a response, but turned on his heel and marched quickly out of the longhall .


    Tedry and Rolluf were staring at me .


    ¡°What?¡± I asked defensively .


    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether to be impressed or angry,¡± Tedry said, his brows turned down but his mouth quirked up in a wry smile .


    Rolluf wore a deeply thoughtful expression, as if he were trying to do the mental math on whether he, too, was impressed or angry with me . ¡°On the one hand, no duties for two whole days, which is a total score . ¡±


    ¡°On the other hand,¡± Tedry said, picking up Rolluf¡¯s thought, ¡°we have to n, practice for, and then participate in a demonstration¡ªto be performed in front of a bunch of fancy-pants named bloods¡ªwhich totally sucks . ¡±


    What¡¯s the n here? the voice that sounded like Arthur¡¯s asked . If Tessia is here, all I have to do is get close to her, I answered .


    ¡°I suppose we better get to work,¡± I suggested .


    ¡°Hold up,¡± Rolluf grunted . ¡°I¡¯ve got something really important to say first . ¡±


    Tedry and I watched him expectantly, both half out of our seats .


    Rollof belched loudly, then blew the foul smelling gas across the table . Tedry kicked him hard in the shin, then bolted from the longhall, Rolluf, limping slightly, chasing just behind .


    Boys, I thought, rolling my eyes and following after them .


    ***


    Despite being surrounded by my enemies, people who would kill me in an instant if they found out my real identity, the next two days ended up being almost...fun .


    Tedry and Rolluf weren¡¯t mindless killing machines, as I¡¯d told myself the cryans must be, particrly the guards that had died by my arrows . To them, the whole war was just a kind of game, a distant and romantic fantasy . They were charming and stupid and funny, and we enjoyed creating the short exhibition together .


    Neither of them had marks yet¡ªthe tattoos that gave cryans their magic¡ªso they weren¡¯t at all surprised when I told them I couldn¡¯t do magic either . I didn¡¯t know nearly enough about cryan magic to exin my arrows to them, so it was safer to tell them that I had gotten archery lessons instead .


    Tedry had the idea to borrow some training gear and stage a kind of mock battle, with me and my shooting skills taking the leading role .


    By that afternoon, we had scripted the basics of our activity .


    Standing in the middle of the clearing, Tedry rushed at me with a practice sword and shield . I rolled under his swing and brought the heavy cryan bow up to fire an arrow at his back .


    The blunted practice arrow snapped dramatically in the exact spot where Tedry¡¯s wooden sword would be as he spun and deflected my attack . After that, I would let loose another arrow that would hit him in his thick padded chestte, causing him to fall backward, let out an overacted gasp and pretend to die .


    Rolluf rushed past him, a dull spear held firmly in both hands . I jumped back when he thrust the spear at me, batting it aside with my bow . Using the butt end, he tried to sweep my leg, but I stepped over it, then rolled across the muchrger boy¡¯s back so that I ended up on his other side .


    Letting myself fall backwards, I did a reverse somersault to put another few feet between us, then fired an arrow to his left . He spun and pretended to deflect the arrow . I shot another to his right, which he deflected as well .


    Movement in the forest nearby caught my eye, and Tedry¡¯s sparring de hit me on the shoulder .


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    Tedry winced at me and held his sword up . ¡°Damn, sorry Ellem, you were supposed to duck, remember?¡±


    I rubbed my shoulder and turned away from the forest, hopeful that neither of the cryan boys had seen Boo poke his head out to check on me .


    ¡°Sorry, I...I forgot . Let¡¯s go again . ¡±


    Tedry shook his head as Rolluf grinned . ¡°I expect that kind of thing from Roll, but Ellem, we¡¯re going to be doing this in front of the whole town . You better not embarrass me . ¡±


    I smirked at him and picked up the broken halves of the practice arrow . ¡°Embarrass you? Tedry, I¡¯m the only thing making you lookpetent . ¡±


    Rolluf, whose face had slowly creased into a frown as he deciphered Tedry¡¯s insult,ughed loudly and pushed the skinny boy, nearly knocking him over .


    ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Tedry asked Rolluf . ¡°If I¡¯m merelypetent, what do you think that makes you?¡±


    ¡°About half of that, by volume,¡± Rolluf quipped, pping his belly .


    I was surprised how nervous Tedry and Rolluf both were to perform, when the time came . I thought I should have been much more nervous than them, but a detached calm had settled over me since I took on the persona of ¡°Ellem¡± and settled into a routine as just another cryan boy of middle birth . Besides, I didn¡¯t really care about the performance . I just wanted to see what the big announcement was .


    Our two days of preparation went quickly as we nned and practiced . News that something important was going to be revealed in Eidelholm had spread, and there had been a lot of chatter about it, even though no one seemed to know anything specific .


    In fact, many of the other cryan soldiers hade to ask us what we knew, since we were participating in the event . We could only shrug and send them away without answers .


    The vige was much busier than usual the morning of the announcement . Carts were rolling in from the north packed with visitors, and the patrols by the town guard had been quadrupled .


    We had our regr breakfast of milk and oats . Then, since we didn¡¯t have any other duties to attend to, the three of us made our way to the Milview Manor and watched the workers rush toplete preparations .


    The hardest thing about my time in Eidelholm had been the elves . Despite freeing over two hundred ves, there had been dozens of other elves in the vige, those who ¡°belonged¡± to the Milview blood and would live, work, and die in the town as ves .


    My duties as a member of the youth soldier division hadn¡¯t put me in contact with many of the elves, which I was thankful for, but I felt sick whenever I watched the elvenborers rush around under threat of whipping, or worse, from the guards who oversaw them .


    Work was being done to arge manor at the heart of the town¡ªnow Milview Manor . A nearly-finished balcony was being added to a third-story room, andrge patches of the roof had been reced since whatever growing green material the elves used seemed to have died without their attention .


    A small stage was also being built in the square leading to the house . I imagined it was where we would put on our show, though a part of me thought it also looked like the kind of stage executions could be performed on...


    Two small sets of raised bleachers had been constructed around the stage . Probably somewhere for the higher ranking visitors to sit, I thought, growing angry and fearful as I took it all in .


    At some point we must have sat still for too long, because a clerk from the Milview blood caught us and made us help hang silk tapestries around the Manor exterior . They were blue and silver, like our uniforms, and depicted silver trees with a winding trail of silver stars leading through them against the rich blue background .


    Soon after, people began pouring in from every corner of town . The elves were herded in and forced to stand in front of the stage . There were more than I would have expected, and I wondered if more had been brought in just for this event . The higher-ranking soldiers, those not consigned to the increased patrols, stood around or behind the bleachers, while well dressed men and women began to fill the seats .


    Because I had purposely limited my interaction apart from my little group, most of the faces in the crowd were unfamiliar .


    Seeing so many non-soldiers was a first for me, and really highlighted the foreignness of the cryans . The way they dressed, the words they used, their social customs: it was all so different than what I was used to .


    I tried to pay attention as Tedry and Rolluf humored themselves by pointing out prominent cryans and telling me more about their bloods, but my thoughts were somewhere else . I was starting to fear that I¡¯d wasted my time and risked my life for nothing .


    My simple n¡ªget close enough to Tessia to activate my medallion and teleport us both back to the sanctuary¡ªnow seemed naive and childish .


    If she¡¯s not at this event, I¡¯ll leave tonight, I decided .


    Rolluf nudged me with his elbow . I looked up at him, unsure what he wanted . His attention was on the balcony above us, where a man and a woman had just stepped out into the open . The crowd fell quiet in a sort of ripple as people slowly realized the couple was waiting .


    They were both quite handsome . The man had short, honey-blond hair that shined in the sunlight, while the woman¡¯s was closer to the color of fresh-cut straw . They were both wearing blue mage robes with silver lining . His was a more traditional battle-mage cut, while hers was almost like a gown .


    They must be the Milviews .


    The man set both hands on the rail around the balcony and leaned forward . ¡°Wee!¡± he said, his voice a confident boom that I was sure I could have heard from our house on the outskirts of town .


    ¡°For those of you whom we haven¡¯t yet had the pleasure to meet, I am Ss Milview, and this is my beautiful wife Cerise . ¡± The man waited for a polite apuse from the bleachers . I couldn¡¯t help but notice most of the soldiers did not put their hands together for the lord anddy .


    ¡°As some of you may know, the Milviewse from humble roots . It is with the Vritra¡¯s blessing that I address you today as a highblood, a most gracious reward from our lord the High Sovereign for an incredible act of courage by ourte daughter, Cercei Milview!¡±


    Ss waited again as a louder, more genuine apuse burst from the audience . Both the Milviews beamed down over the crowd at this show of respect for their daughter .


    So she was the one who breached Elshire, I thought glumly .


    ¡°That wench,¡± Tedry mumbled, though he was careful to keep his voice down so only Rolluf and I could hear him . ¡°If she hadn¡¯t done that, I¡¯d still be back home in crya kissing my girlfriend between sses...¡±


    Rolluf snorted . ¡°Don¡¯t lie to Ellem, Ted . We both know the only girl you kiss is your mom . ¡±


    Tedry went red around the neck and punched Rolluf in the arm, but both boys snapped to attention and quieted down at a re from Murtaeg, who was standing nearby with a group of guards .


    ¡°¡ªfamily¡¯s achievements are not the reason we stand before you today,¡± Ss was saying . ¡°Though we are honored that our humble new home has been chosen as the setting for this truly monumental asion . ¡±


    Ss Milviewunched into a rambling speech about his family¡¯s history, bragging about the feats of his daughter in the war and his son back at school in crya, and describing the Milviews¡¯ rise in unnecessary detail . It quickly became obvious that the crowd, especially the well dressed visitors, were not interested in what he had to say . Just behind him and to his left, Cerise Milview kept ncing at the back of his head, and though her smile never faltered, her eyes began to grow wide and panicky .


    When a dark-haired man wearing a silky ck robe coughed pointedly and knocked his onyx cane against the bleachers, Ss Milview seemed to snap out of a trance . He gazed around the crowd, his smile fading, then said, ¡°Well...yes...thank you for¡ªfor your attention . ¡± The highblood cryan shot a nce to his wife, who just kept smiling, then turned back to the crowd .


    ¡°We did have some additional entertainment lined up for you today, but¡ªwell¡ªI can see how anxious you all are to find out why we¡¯re gathered here, so...um...why don¡¯t we skip straight to the announcement, eh?¡±


    In the utter silence that followed this statement, the only voice to be heard was Tedry¡¯s as he cursed . A few of the guards nced our way, some grinning, others scowling, but it was Murtaeg¡¯s murderous re that made Tedry turn white as a sheet .


    ¡°Without¡ªwithout further adieu, it is my privilege and honor to introduce the mighty retainer, Nico, who has just returned after a trip back to crya with Princess Tessia Eralith of Elenoir . ¡± The lord anddy Milview bowed and waved to the crowd, then stepped back out of view as two other figures walked out onto the balcony .


    A cry went up from the elves standing in front of the stage as they saw Tessia .


    She looked...stunning . Her silvery hair had been gathered up so that it fanned out behind her head like the tail of a peacock . Dark lines had been painted around her eyes and her lips were vibrantly red . She wore tight-fitting battle robes made of elegant silver ting and an emerald fabric that ran like liquid around her body and glinted like dragon scales .


    Faintly glowing runic tattoos were visible on the back of her neck, and from the subtle glow of her arms under the battle robes, I guessed there were more there as well .


    My mind felt nk and empty, my thoughts reced by a swarm of buzzing fire wasps between my ears . I hadn¡¯t really known what to expect, but seeing Tessia waving and smiling warmly down at her enved people, dressed like a warrior princess, certainly hadn¡¯t been it .


    And what were the tattoos? Something to suppress her mana, or control her somehow? I had no clue . I was having a hard time thinking at all...Should I rush toward the building and activate the medallion? I could take the elves and Tessia, but would I survive long enough to escape? Kathyln had somehow avoided teleporting Bl with them, but was that intention or luck?


    Now that I had her in sight, I realized I couldn¡¯t hope to get away with her, at least not right there, surrounded by enemy mages...


    Elijah¡ªor Nico, as Ss Milview had called him¡ªheld up a hand, and the elves went quiet . The reaction from the cryans had been muted at best as they waited to hear what Elijah had to say .


    ¡°Today I speak to both my people of crya and those of Dicathen . I speak to you as a child of both continents! Though I was born in the Central Dominion of crya, I was raised and schooled in Dicathen alongside your people, including Princess Tessia Eralith of Elenoir, daughter of thete Alduin and Merial Eralith . ¡±


    A whimper went through the elves as Elijah said thete king¡¯s and queen¡¯s names .


    Tessia stepped up, and Elijah wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close .


    I stared at Tessia in shock, expecting at least a smidgen of anger or disgust to leak onto her face . But what I saw was a worried¡ªyet genuine¡ªsmile .


    Elijah continued . ¡°Today is a new day . The war is over, and our two continents are made one in service of the Vritra . The High Sovereign wishes only that we put aside the animosity of our past and unite together under a banner of peace . ¡±


    A handful of polite apuse came from the bleachers, but the elves were entirely silent . Most were staring at Tessia with the same confusion and betrayal I felt .


    ¡°Now, please give your attention to Princess Tessia . ¡±


    Tessia stepped to the front of the balcony . Her steps seemed shaky, and she quickly steadied herself by grabbing the railing . Despite her beautiful clothes and makeup, I could see the dark shadows around her eyes, the sunken, sharp edges of her cheeks .


    What happened, Tessia? What did he do to you?


    ¡°My¡ªmy people,¡± she said, her voice trembling slightly . She shot a quick nce back, but continued after an encouraging nod from Elijah . ¡°I know you are frightened, but I want you to know that¡ªthat I will always, that I have always, stood between you and the darkness . Don¡¯t lose hope . Please listen to my words .


    ¡°I stand before you today to announce that I...¡± She hesitated again, her eyes flickering through the audience .


    This time Elijah moved closer to her and rested a hand on her back . She stood a little straighter . ¡°I, Tessia Eralith,st remaining member of the royal family...have ceded the right to rulership of E-Elenoir¡±¡ªgasps rose up from the huddled bunch of elves¡ª¡°and sworn fealty to the High Sovereign of crya . . . legally giving him supreme authority over allnds once belonging to¡ªto the race of elves . ¡±


    ¡°No!¡± an elven ve called out .


    ¡°It can¡¯t be true!¡± begged another .


    ¡°Traitor!¡± howled a third .


    This outcrysted several seconds before the guards stepped in and made threatening motions with their weapons, causing the elves to be silent .


    Tessia seemed to lean into Elijah before continuing . ¡°I have done this in exchange for your very lives . ¡± My friend, though I could barely recognize her as such, smiled weakly down on the crowd . ¡°You will be released immediately...and sent from this ce to search out your friends and family...wherever they may be . ¡±


    Now it was the cryans who stirred while the elves stood silent and stunned .


    ¡°All elves will be freed and...and offered a ce alongside the cryan people...as partners in a new world . ¡± Tessia stopped for a moment, and Elijah leaned forward to whisper something in her ear . ¡°We will no longer be looked upon as a lesser race, a-afraid to travel our own borders . ¡±


    I was shaking my head, unable to believe what I was hearing . The humans of Dicathen hadn¡¯t always treated elves well, and some ces in Sapin had still allowed very, but humans and elves weren¡¯t at war . We hadn¡¯t murdered the elven king and queen and put their corpses on disy!


    My fists were clenched as I red up at Tessia, and for a brief moment, I swore I thought our eyes locked . There was no sign of recognition in her weary turquoise eyes .


    She just didn¡¯t recognize me in my disguise, I told myself through gritted teeth .


    I almost wanted to rip off my hat and let loose my hair, but I didn¡¯t budge .


    No, I couldn¡¯t...none of us could . Everyone present was frozen, eyes wide in fear as a pressure unlike anything I¡¯d ever felt gripped every inch of my body .


    Elijah and Tessia, along with some of the other cryan mages, were staring upwards,pletely silent .


    Something wasing .

 Chapter 321

    Chapter 321


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    It felt like the ascent had taken us ages . So much had happened within the three zones that, when the sanctuary came into view on the other side of the portal, I couldn¡¯t help but smile with relief .


    Even though I would be going back out into the very continent that Agrona ruled, at this moment, anything was better than the snowy wastnd .


    ¡°We really did it,¡± Caera whispered with a trembling smile as we exchanged nces .


    The two of us quickly gathered up our belongings . I was storing them in my dimension rune when a sharp tingle spread from my right arm .


    ¡®What was that?¡¯ Regis asked .


    I stared at the intricate rune carved on the underside of my forearm . I¡¯m not sure .


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Caera¡¯s scarlet eyes wereced with concern as she stood by the portal .


    ¡°Yeah . ¡± Squeezing in thest of our scarce belongings, I headed back toward the portal to stand beside her .


    I looked around onest time, realizing that I might never see Three Steps again . She was the only reason this ascent had been truly worth it . Her teachings and the improvements to God Step I had made with her guidance were worth more to me than every one of the Spear Beaks¡¯ treasuresbined .


    Letting out a sigh, I turned back to the glowing portal . ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here . ¡±


    Caera grabbed onto my sleeve as we stepped forward, even though we both had a simulet, just to make sure we wouldn¡¯t be separated .


    Our short step through the shimmering portal felt anticlimactic . The sparkling white interior of the small room greeted us with a warmth that was almost ufortable after days of weathering below freezing temperatures . There was a sterile smell to the space, as if it had been recently cleaned .


    A round pool dominated the center of the room and a low white bed rested against one wall . Past the bed, there was a closed door that undoubtedly would lead deeper through the Relictombs . The main feature of the room, however, was the second portal that took up most of the wall to my left .


    While distorted from the water-like movement of the portal window, I could make out the second level of the Relictombs on the other side, the very floor where Caera and I had begun, alongside the Granbehls .


    There were an unusual number of moving figures gathered in the za beyond the portal, but my attentionnded back on my right forearm, where my dimension rune was burning against my skin like hot iron .


    The once-dead relic that I had acquired from the old man that taught at Stormcove Academy practically leapt from the dimension rune into my hand . Its cloudy white surface was glowing visibly and emitting probing fments of aether .


    ¡®What the shit?¡¯ Regis blurted, summarizing my own reaction as well .


    ¡°Grey...something¡¯s wrong,¡± Caera said, her voice sounding from the portal leading back outside .


    But my eyes were glued to the glowing crystal in my hand . The violet tendrils were coiling around my arm, and I felt a pressure...an insistent tugging from the relic .


    ¡°Just a second,¡± I muttered absently as the feeling grew stronger .


    Caera¡¯s voice carried a rare edge of panic as she said, ¡°No, really, Grey, I think those are the¡ª¡±


    Reaching out with my own aether, I probed the relic, causing the countless tendrils of violet energy to intertwine with my own . My vision blurred except for the crystal .


    At that moment, a single question, in a voice that was strange and distant and hauntingly familiar, rose to the surface of my consciousness .


    ¡®Who do you most desire to see?¡¯


    With a single thought that carried the emotions and memories I had held on to for years, my vision plunged downward into the crystal¡¯s many smooth facets .


    A wide expanse of velvet clouds rolled by in the sky beneath me . Even as the clouds drew closer, I felt no movement, no cool wind rushing across my skin or whistling in my ears . All I felt was a sense of vertigo at the suddenness of the transition .


    The clouds rippled apart so that I was staring down at blue water marred only by the asional white crest of a wave . The ocean gave way to a shoreline, but the ground went by so quickly I couldn¡¯t tell where I was until all I could see was a forest from horizon to horizon .


    Elenoir, I realized . Why am I seeing the elven homnd?


    My vision seemed to zoom into the forest, magnifying it until I could make out a small vige surrounded by a ring of clear-cut trees .


    I didn¡¯t even have time to question the clearing of the magical forest, something the elves would never allow, before my vision settled on a crowd of people in front of arge wooden building . From their dress, it was obvious that these were all cryans, except for a group of dirty, half-starved elves who had been pushed to the front of the crowd and were surrounded by guards .


    My attention was forcefully drawn to three young student-soldiers . Two of the boys were whispering back and forth and nudging each other, but the third was facing the cryan nobles ahead .


    It was only when that third boy looked up that I was able to see under his visor .


    That¡¯s when I realized he wasn¡¯t a ¡°he¡± at all .


    It was Ellie .


    A flurry of emotions stirred within me as I saw her serious, matured expression: confusion and fear as to why she was there, dressed like that, heartache from seeing her sunken cheeks and hollow gaze, and overwhelming relief just from knowing that she was still alive .


    But what exactly was I seeing? When exactly was I seeing? Aside from the fact that it had reacted to the energy within the keystone, I had no idea what the relic was or what it did .


    The timeline was definitely after I was defeated, that much was clear . Beyond that, I had no idea if what I was seeing was happening now, had happened already, or was going to happen in the future .


    Ellie was gazing up at something, and I followed her attention to a small balcony . Elijah¡ªor Nico¡ªwas standing next to Tess . The vision I was seeing refocused on Tess as I became captivated by how she looked...and by the runes that lined her fair skin .


    What had happened to her? What was she doing there? Why was she standing next to Nico? And why was my sister dressed like an cryan soldier?


    What the hell is happening in Dicathen?


    Nico¡¯s entire body went tense and he rose suddenly from the balcony, flying up into the air and out of sight of the vision . Only when Ellie turned to look was I able to redirect the relic-vision¡¯s focus to the sky behind the vige .


    The air was warped, rippling like melting ss . Though I couldn¡¯t hear anything, Ellie¡¯s face scrunched into a wince and she covered her ears with her hands, telling me some kind of tremendous noise was resounding through the vige .


    The air shimmered, bulged out, and burst, leaving a ck scar in the bright blue sky . A portal .


    Through the portal floated two familiar figures .


    The three-eyed asura, Lord Aldir, came first . Gleaming silver armor covered most of his body, and he wore a helm over his white hair that left a gap for the third eye .


    Behind him was Windsom . The asura was entirely unchanged from when I had first met him . His short, tinum hair was carefully swept to the side, his deep-set eyes gazing nobly from under permanently furrowed brows .


    Unlike Aldir, Windsom had note dressed for battle, but instead wore a simple military-style uniform denoting him as a servant of the Indrath n .


    Nico flew upward toward the asuras, and I wished that I could hear what was happening as he exchanged words with Aldir . Nico sneered, but the asuras were expressionless as they responded .


    Their words made Nico go even paler than usual, and he drifted back several feet from Aldir and Windsom .


    It was only then that I realized Tess had flown up from the balcony as well . She hovered awkwardly next to Nico, apparently having difficulty maintaining the flight, but the unsure expression she¡¯d worn earlier was gone, reced by something steel-hard and impossibly self-assured .


    The expression was very unlike my childhood friend, yet oddly familiar .


    Windsom shook his head in response to whatever she¡¯d said, then held out his hands, which suddenly gripped a long silver spear . Almost as quickly, Tess¡¯s sword-staff was out, and Nico¡¯s fists were gauntleted in ck hellfire .


    Fear curdled deep in my stomach . No!


    The asuras of Epheotus couldn¡¯t attack Agrona¡¯s forces in Dicathen . The only reason either side had agreed to any sort of truce, even as ineffective as it had been, was because the alternative would be the destruction of this world .


    Nico and Tess were no match for an asura like Windsom, much less two asuras together, but the fallout from the battle would almost certainly destroy the entire town, maybe even more .


    And considering what I¡¯d learned about n Indrath in the Relictombs, I doubted the asuras would be mindful of the lessers below .


    How many elves would die if they fought now?


    Would my sister survive?


    Why were they there?


    This direct intervention was against the terms Lord Indrath had established with Agrona . After their failed assault on the Vritra, the asuras of Epheotus weren¡¯t even allowed to contact Dicathen¡¯s defenders . Breaking that truce¡ªineffective as it had been¡ªcould mean all out war between the Vritra and the rest of the asuran ns .


    If the asuras went to war against each other, the entire continent would be destroyed...


    And all I could do was watch from the other side of the world .


    I could feel my heart pound even in this disembodied state .


    Windsom hardly moved, just a short, sudden cut of his spear, so fast the eye couldn¡¯t follow . The shockwave carved a mile-long trench in the forest to either side of the vige, sending up a cloud of dust that darkened the forest for as far as the eye could see .


    A shimmering sphere of dark spikes surrounded Nico and Tess . Though the shield shattered and fell to pieces before dissolving, it had saved them from the attack, and not only them . Below, the vige and clearing around it were untouched .


    Ellie!


    As I thought about her, my perspective shifted so I could see her again .


    Ellie was frozen, rooted to the spot, just like the rest of the crowd . The full force of the asuras¡¯ presence had been unleashed, and it was crushing them .


    Run! Get out of here! I tried iling my arms and yelling, anything to get my sister¡¯s attention, but she couldn¡¯t see or hear me .


    My mind whirled with the options Ellie had avable at hand . Even though I couldn¡¯t do anything, she wasn¡¯t without hope .


    It was doubtful she¡¯d be able to get far enough away to escape the battle even if she ran, but she might have one of the djinn¡¯s medallions . Better yet, the phoenix wyrm pendant that I had given her might still be intact .


    As fast as my mind searched for hope, doubt trickled in as well . Would Ellie even be able to use the medallion under the asura¡¯s pressure? Even if she had the pendant, would it be enough to save her against the power of an asura?


    Through gritted teeth and the sound of my own pounding heart, I forced myself to look back up at the battle .


    Behind Windsom, Aldir had closed his eyes¡ªexcept for the third eye, which never closed¡ªand had his hands held out in front of him so they intertwined in aplicated gesture .


    The very light bent around him as he coalesced power . I could see raw mana being channeled in through the ring he¡¯d made with his fingers, up his arms, and into his third eye .


    Nico responded to Windsom¡¯s attack with a barrage of ck spikes . They flew from his hands like javelins, each one unerring . I could hardly track the asura¡¯s spear as he deflected one after another, his motions so fast and precise that he hardly seemed to move .


    Tess darted forward and thrust with her sword-staff . Rather than using her beast will, the elf princess unleashed a barrage of mana strikes . Windsom¡¯s spear twirled, deflected all of them before countering with a thrust of his own . His spear seemed to grow longer as it raced toward her, forcing her to drop suddenly out of the way . She seemed to have difficulty holding focus on the flying spell and nearly struck a tree before righting herself .


    What was Tess doing? Why was she holding back like that? Why wasn¡¯t she using her beast will?


    Nico was screaming at the asuras, flying rapidly around Windsom to draw his attention away from Tess . A momentter, the asura vanished as a globe of hellfire engulfed him .


    A nova of pure mana split the dome in two, and the hellfire faded away . Inside, Windsom was unhurt . I watched as the nova spread farther and farther across the sky, dispersing the low clouds of dust .


    ck spikes appeared from the shower of hellfire sparks, eachunching inward toward Windsom, and each batted away just as quickly . The asura¡¯s steady gaze didn¡¯t even flicker as he made another short diagonal cut .


    Nico was thrown to the side as a dozen of the ck spikes appeared to deflect the blow . In the distance, the shockwave leveled a section of the forest at least a mile wide and three miles long .


    My attention turned fearfully back to the ground . The crowd of cryans and elves was still paralyzed, but Ellie was moving .


    Her arm shook with effort as she slowly reached into her armor and pulled out one of the djinn medallions .


    A wave of relief washed over me as she clenched the device in one pale hand, but instead of activating it immediately, my sister¡¯s gaze crept across the crowd to rest on the small cluster of elven prisoners .


    Fear and frustration reced my excitement as I watched her turn and take a single painful step toward them .


    Just get out of there, Ellie!


    She took another sluggish step, then another, like she was walking under water . A few sets of eyes turned to her in surprise, but most couldn¡¯t see anything except the battle above .


    From the treeline just outside of the vige, a beam of pure mana cut through the sky, aimed at Aldir . Windsom blocked the spell, deflecting it directly at Nico .


    My old friend dipped under it as his entire body burst into hellfire . He shot forward like a burning arrow and two gouts of dark me erupted from his hands . The fire dispersed against a translucent shield of mana, but gave Nico just enough time to ram bodily into Windsom . The hellfire jumped from Nico to the asura¡¯s uniform and began to spread across the rich fabric, ckening it .


    Windsom threw a seemingly casual strike, and although a huge metal spike appeared to block it, it wasn¡¯t enough . The asura¡¯s blow shattered the metal and nced across Nico¡¯s shoulder .


    Nico was sent spinning wildly through the air before crashing headlong into the forest just outside of town with such force that he dug a quarter-mile long trench in the earth and leveled dozens of huge trees .


    Aldir¡¯s eye had grown brighter and brighter as he continued to do...whatever the hell he was preparing . I couldn¡¯t imagine what kind of ability would require an asura of his strength to power up .


    Why wasn¡¯t he helping Windsom fight?


    Below, Ellie had reached the elves . She grabbed the first one by the arm and turned him around, trying to stir him into motion, but the elves were far too weak in their current condition . Instead, she pushed her way into the middle of their group and held the medallion above her head . Her arm trembled with the effort .


    The sky above her darkened .


    Shifting my perspective, I watched with awe and dawning horror as Aldir began to expand .


    As the asura grew, his third eye glowed even brighter until it shone like a golden sun from his forehead . Tendrils of golden mana writhed like holy mes from his silver armor as he continued to grow .


    Where his feet approached the ground, the golden mes caused the trees tobust, burning them to ash in seconds . The fire quickly spread, racing around the perimeter of the vige so that it was ringed by fire .


    Ellie stood like a statue, her arm still raised, but her wide-eyed gaze and ck jaw were turned upward toward the impossiblyrge asura .


    Tess and Nico rose up over the burning trees, supporting one another . The question of why she was fighting alongside Nico came to me once again, but at that moment, it didn¡¯t matter .


    It was obvious now what Aldir was about to do . This wasn¡¯t a threat, or an assassination . He was sending Agrona a warning .


    By destroying Elenoir .


    The enormous, zing golden eye in Aldir¡¯s head swelled with pure energy, rippling the very space around him . The asura¡¯s face, now a hundred times magnified, gazed nkly down at where Tessia and Nico hovered above the ground, clinging to each other .


    Ellie¡¯s fingers twitched and mana seeped out of them and into the medallion . The mana bubbled up from it, curving over the top of the elves and surrounding them in a thin, shining dome . But the dome was flickering, inconsistent .


    She¡¯s not putting enough mana into it, I realized in horror . She wasn¡¯t able to, with Aldir¡¯s pressure weighing down on the area .


    My attention jumped from Ellie to Aldir to Tess and Nico, and caught Tess and Nico¡¯s shared gaze, hers uncertain, concerned, and yet not afraid, while he was looking at her almost...tenderly .


    Then they were gone, leaving nothing behind but the faint ripple of whatever magic they¡¯d used to teleport away .


    There was a sudden massive swell of power, and a wide golden beam was unleashed from Aldir¡¯s eye . The air around it rippled and burned away, sending out a halo of visible heat and energy .


    Where the beam hit the ground, the ground was pushed up and away by the force of it . Trees were knocked over, splintered, then obliterated . The town began to vanish, the houses crushed to kindling by the force .


    I tried to focus on Ellie, but thest thing I saw of her was the half-formed dome dimming before the wall of concussive force carried the vige away .


    My perspective was shifting upward, pulling away from the vige, and I watched as the st expanded out from where the beam still zed into the earth, a constantly growing ring of destruction that leveled everything it touched, wiping away Elenoir and leaving behind nothing but a cloud of dust that rose higher and higher toward the clouds .


    And just before Aldir¡¯s form disappeared from view, I saw his gaze turned...straight towards me .


    A palpable chill ran down my transient form as his giant golden eyes bore into mine with frigid, deadly apathy . He knew I was watching .


    Our gazes locked for what seemed like eternity even as my form was dragged back away from Elenoir and Dicathen . And even as I stood once more in the in white room of the sanctuary, I could still feel the asura¡¯s gaze on me .


    Blinking the sweat that ran down my brows and into my eyes, I realized that Caera had one hand around my wrist and was trying to pull the relic out of my fist . She was shouting something, but I couldn¡¯t make out the words .


    I was nauseous and weak, and I couldn¡¯t breathe .


    ¡°¡ªey! Grey, what is it! What¡¯s wrong?¡± Caera¡¯s eyes were wide, her voice full of panic .


    I fell to my knees and the relic slipped from my hand, bouncing off the white-tiled floor .


    ¡®Where the hell have you been?¡¯ Regis sounded uncharacteristically worried, and I realized not all of the panic I felt was my own .


    I tried to speak, but there was a cold lump in my throat that made me gag .


    Elenoir was gone .


    Ellie...


    I fell forward . My forehead pressed against the cold tile as I hammered a fist into the floor, causing the ground to burst apart with a sharp crack . A deafening scream ripped out of my throat as tears blurred my vision .


    Only one asura could have given themand to destroy Elenoir . Lord Indrath must have realized the pact of non-intervention had failed and feared the cryan¡¯s expansion throughout the forest, and so he sent Agrona a message in the onlynguage either of them understood .


    My jaw clenched as I ground my teeth .


    n Vritra or n Indrath...it didn¡¯t matter, these asuras were all the same . They didn¡¯t care for the peace and well-being of the lessers . If anything, they were even more violent and greedy, willing to kill indiscriminately to get what they wanted .


    No, maybe not all of them .


    The memory of Sylvia in herst moments, dying alone to protect her daughter, surfaced in my mind .


    I thought of the white dragon, dying alone to protect her daughter . She had understood better than anyone what Indrath and Agrona really were .


    Was that why she had entrusted her daughter to me? So Sylvie could be raised outside of Epheotus, away from her own people and their inherent cruelty?


    My hand slid over the rune on my forearm where my bond was in her egg-bound form . Even after all Sylvia¡¯s sacrifices, it still came to this .


    And not just for my bond, but my father, Adam, Buhnd, and so many others .


    The cold, shallow voice of my former self rang in my mind, reminding me that it was because of them that I had be so weak, so emotional .


    ¡°Having people to protect only serves to hinder you from making the optimal and most rational decisions,¡± Lady Vera had repeatedly stated . It was why I had walked out on everyone I cared about as Grey .


    I shook my head . But it was those same people that I cared about in Dicathen that had driven me to make it this far . Rejecting Caera¡¯s outstretched hand, I pushed myself up to my feet .


    I wasn¡¯t going to let them down . This was only the beginning of my journey now . With aether, I could rewrite reality itself, it was only a matter of learning how .


    Then these gods would see what I was really capable of .

 Chapter 322: Echoes of Accusations

    <h4> Chapter 322: Echoes of usations</h4>


    The vision of Ellie vanishing in a wave of destruction yed over in my mind, again and again. My sister...dressed like an cryan soldier...caught up in an asuran attack on the elven homnd...where Nico and Tessia fought side by side, like old friends...


    It didn¡¯t seem real when I thought about it like that. Each piece was more absurd than the next. Maybe it was just a vision, I told myself, though I knew it wasn¡¯t true. Whether it was some aspect of the relic¡¯s magic or my own intuition, I knew that what I¡¯d seen was real, that it had just happened.


    Ellie¡¯s alive.


    She had to be. I couldn¡¯t ept a world where she wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Caera asked, her brows knit with concern.


    Letting out a deep breath¡ªas if that would somehow ease the weight of what I had just witnessed in Dicathen¡ªI nodded at the cryan noble. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°What happened? The stone in your hand was glowing, and then, suddenly, your eyes were zed over and you froze like a statue.¡± Caera was holding onto my arm, her upturned gaze searching for answers on my face.


    Regis waited expectantly, almost awkwardly, and I could sense his desire for answers as well.


    Answers I wasn¡¯t quite ready to give.


    Although I had made up my mind that Ellie had to be okay¡ªas if my own force of will could make it so, if I only believed in it hard enough¡ªI hadn¡¯t even begun toe to terms with what this meant for Dicathen, for the war...for the world.


    It was all too much.


    Prying Caera¡¯s warm fingers from my arm, I took a step forward dazedly toward the portal back to the second level of the Relictombs. The toe of my boot struck the relic, which rolled across the white tiles to the edge of the pool of water at the center of the room.


    I resisted the urge to kick it into the bath and leave it there, instead scooping up the multifaceted stone and examining it. The clean, shiny surface was again opaque and dull. Not quite the same in-stone texture it had been when I first won it, but it felt dead and lifeless in my hand.


    Looking more closely, I noticed a faint crack along one side, but my mind was too heavy to ponder the relic¡¯s mysteries, and so I tucked it away in my dimensional storage rune.


    Caera was standing anxiously between me and the shimmering gate, her body tense and gaze flickering back as she blocked my way. Her horns had disappeared again, hidden by the relic she was wearing, which was no longer being suppressed by the snowy wastnd of thest zone. ¡°Grey, wait.¡±


    I was angry, anxious, tired, and scared, and a part of me just wanted to crawl in a hole and deny everything the relic had shown me. But there was work to be done. I needed to go back and meet with ric. I needed resources, a n, and I needed to get back to the Relictombs.


    Because of what I¡¯d seen in the relic, I was now sure of one thing. The Vritras weren¡¯t the only n of asuras that were a threat to Dicathen.


    I could hear the dull echoes of my footfalls ring in my ears, drowning out Caera¡¯s words as I staggered through the portal.


    I was greeted by a mass of cryan soldiers positioned around me in a crescent formation.


    To my left, knights in ckened steel armor held their weapons forward, ready for battle, each individual figure thrumming with magic. On my right, knights wearing armor of glimmering white silver formed the other edge of the crescent, but, unlike their darker counterparts, their stance wasn¡¯t aggressive.


    Directly ahead of me, filling in the center of the semi-circle, were several individuals garbed in robes of varying colors, tensed and quiet.


    Caera stepped out from the portal beside me. ¡°Damn it, Grey, why didn¡¯t you wait¡ª¡±


    The sharp ring of steel on stone cut her off as the knights in white silver stamped their spears against the ground and took a knee in unison.


    ¡®Quite the weingmittee,¡¯ Regis mused. ¡®Think this is all for the demondy here, or...¡¯


    ¡°Lady Caera!¡± A woman with bright orange hair tied atop her head in a loose bun rushed through the line of soldiers in white, practically sliding to a halt before mypanion. ¡°Are you hurt? Distressed? In pain?¡± she rambled, her wide eyes scanning every inch of Caera¡¯s body.


    Despite her weariness, Caera mustered a smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Nessa, really.¡±


    The orange-haired woman frowned as she pped the cryan noble in the arm. ¡°How could you sneak out on another ascent! And without your guardians! Do you know how much trouble I have been in with the highlord anddy? My goodness, and, as if that¡¯s not enough, to think you got mixed up with¡ª¡±


    The woman named Nessa let out a frightened squeal, as if only now noticing my existence. She pulled Caera a few steps away and hid behind her.


    ¡°Y-you! You¡¯re the murderer!¡± she stammered, pointing a shaky finger at me.


    ¡°Are you finished, aide?¡±


    The resonant voice echoed through the terrace, and all eyes turned toward the source. I locked eyes with an elderly cryan who stepped forward from the rest of his robed peers.


    That¡¯s when I noticed the crown emzoned on the chest of his dark robe. In fact, now that I was paying closer attention, I realized all the dark-armored soldiers had a golden crown etched into their breasttes, too.


    Memories of the Granbehl siblings came flooding through my mind, their deaths reying as clearly as the moment it had happened.


    Damn it.


    ¡®Looks like Caera was right,¡¯ Regis mused. ¡®Should have just killed the girl.¡¯


    That¡¯s not what Haedrig¡ªnot what Caera said, and it¡¯s also not helpful, Regis.


    Reaching a pale, boney hand into his robes, the golden-haired elder pulled out and unrolled a scroll before proceeding to read it. ¡°Grey, blood unnamed. You are hereby charged with the murder of Kalon and Ezra of Blood Granbehl, and Riah of Blood Faline.¡±


    Caera stepped forward, her arm raised in front of me. ¡°Grey wasn¡¯t the one that killed them.¡±


    The elder looked up, his clenched fists betraying the forced respect in his voice. ¡°We have a statement from a key eyewitness that says otherwise, Lady Denoir.¡±


    ¡°I, myself, am an eyewitness, just as Lady Ada of Blood Granbehl is,¡± she countered.


    The golden-haired elder¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Your testimony and involvement in this matter has been revoked, Lady Denoir. Please step aside.¡±


    Anger seeped from Caera as she took a threatening step forward. ¡°By whose right?¡±


    ¡°By Highlord Denoir, mydy,¡± the elder replied immediately. ¡°At his request, with acknowledgement from Blood Faline and Blood Granbehl, the Ascenders Association has sanctioned this so that you will not be questioned and sent to trial as well.¡±


    Caera continued to argue, but it was clear she was losing the battle.


    My tired mind tried to examine the options avable to me. It was pretty obvious I wasn¡¯t likely to get a fair trial considering they were willing to forgo Caera as a witness, and I had no desire to undergo any kind of questioning from cryan officials that might lead them to realize I wasn¡¯t who I imed to be.


    Despite the number of battle-ready mages surrounding us, I knew it wouldn¡¯t be too hard to escape now that we were back to the second floor of the Relictombs. But fighting my way out, bing a wanted fugitive with my appearance revealed, would make any future ascents difficult, and would certainly draw attention. Maybe even enough attention to get a Scythe involved.


    ¡®You¡¯re not actually thinking of just going along with all of this bullshit, right?¡¯ Regis asked, his irritation growing. ¡®Just let me out, and I¡¯ll clear a path.¡¯


    For now, ying along seems like the best option. A thought urred to me. Who knows, maybe we can even turn it to our benefit somehow. At the very least, we know that none of their mana-suppression artifacts will work on me, and we can escapeter if we have to.


    A bright, silvery voice cut across my thoughts. ¡°Caera, enough.¡± The voice silenced all others in the vicinity, drawing my attention toward avishly-gowned woman with gleaming white hair. ¡°We are leaving, dear. Leave this to the administrators.¡±


    ¡°But Mother¡ª¡±


    ¡°Now, Caera.¡± The authority in the woman¡¯s voice was absolute, and Caera crumpled under the weight of it.


    I couldn¡¯t recall seeing the Vritra-blooded cryan mage look so miserable before, even when I was on the verge of killing her myself when she first revealed her true identity.


    She turned, her scarlet eyes meeting mine.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± I said. ¡°Just go. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Grey, I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    ¡°Caera!¡± the white-haired woman said again, her voicing ringing across the terrace like a bell.


    Caera flinched and rushed to follow her adoptive mother, who led the white-armored knights away from the portal. She shot a furtive nce back at me, and I was struck by how much different she looked and acted in her blood¡¯s presence.


    ¡®Families are weird,¡¯ Regis said. ¡®I mean, look at all the crazy shit you¡¯ve gotten me into.¡¯


    I realized the golden-haired elder was speaking again. ¡°...and so it is that the suspect, Grey, is to be taken to the Granbehl manor for questioning before a trial is held. This trial is currently set for¡±¡ªhe checked the scroll again¡ª¡°three weeks from day.¡±


    I scoffed. ¡°Is it standard procedure that the used is imprisoned by the users? Hardly seems fair and unbiased, does it?¡±


    The speaker cleared his throat and scowled. ¡°Blood Granbehl has every right to ensure that you stand trial for your crimes. Were you a member of a named blood or highblood, you might be released to your blood¡¯s custody to await trial, but¡ª¡±


    I waved away his exnations, knowing it was nothing but words. The truth was that the powerful always yed by different rules than everyone else. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with, shall we?¡±


    I held the man¡¯s gaze until he flinched and looked away. ¡°Put this man in shackles and get him in the cart,¡± he said, a hint of bitterness and wariness in his tone.


    Three knights stepped forward. One pulled my arms in front of me while another fitted my wrists with a pair of mana-suppression cuffs. The third kept his spear pressed against my back.


    When that was done, I was led to a small, beast-pulled cart that had been left at the edge of the terrace and wordlessly deposited inside. It was small, with only enough room for me and one other Granbehl soldier who was already sitting inside.


    The guard¡¯s features were hidden behind a full-face helmet. A shortsword rested across hisp, carefully set into the crook of his arm so that, if needed, a short thrust would pierce my core.


    A momentter, the cart rocked as the goatlike beast pulling it surged forward at themand of our driver. I rested my head against the back of the cart and closed my eyes. My thoughts were jumbled, an indecipherable mush of memories, fears, and ns for what was toe.


    I was deep enough in my own mind that I didn¡¯t notice the guard take off his helmet, and was surprised when a familiar voice interrupted my tired contemtion.


    ¡°Well, this is a hell of a scrape you¡¯ve gotten yourself into, eh pretty boy?¡±

 Chapter 323

    Chapter 323


    My eyes snapped open and I twisted to look at the ¡°guard.¡± Sitting next to me was a red-faced old man, his graying hair matted and sticking out at odd angles. He let out a belch, filling the small carriage with the stench of his alcoholic breath.


    ¡°ric, how...¡± I trailed off, waving the fumes away from my face.


    ¡®The gentleman sure knows how to make an entrance,¡¯ Regis joked, chuckling inside my head.


    ric gave me a half-cocked smirk. ¡°You didn¡¯t think I was just going to let you get arrested without paying what you owe me now, did you?¡±


    I shook my head in wonder. ¡°You can¡¯t fool me, old man. You wouldn¡¯t risk squeezing into that armor just for a few pieces of treasure¡ª¡±


    ¡°But you did get some des in there, right?¡± he asked, his bloodshot eyes widening. ¡°Not to put too fine a point on it, but you¡¯re in deep shit, pretty boy¡ªand a little gold would go a long way to turning the right ears. Or a lot of gold, if you¡¯ve got it.¡±


    I rolled my eyes, but felt in my dimensional storage rune for one of the items Caera and I had taken from the Spear Beaks¡¯ hoard of treasures. It was a sheath for a shortsword, made of deep red leather and inset with gemstones, a couple of which were missing.


    Barely looking at the ¡°de,¡± as the cryans called the treasures unearthed from the Relictombs, I tossed it into ric¡¯sp. ¡°Consider it a down payment, but you don¡¯t get the rest until I get out of this mess.¡±


    The old man ran his fingers appraisingly along the leather, pausing greedily at the gemstones. ¡°Well then, this will do nicely.¡± ric shot me a covert look from the corner of his eye. ¡°And you¡¯ve got more like this?¡±


    I held back an amusedugh, not wanting the driver to overhear. ¡°Enough to keep you drunk until your dying day.¡±


    ric¡¯s eyes closed and he leaned back, a serene peacefulness falling across his face. ¡°Just what I¡¯ve always wanted to hear...¡±


    At least he¡¯s easy to please.


    ¡®But what can this drunk really do to help us out here?¡¯ Regis wondered.


    ¡°Now,¡± I said soberly, ¡°what do you know about this trial? There has to be more to this than what they¡¯re saying.¡±


    ric¡¯s face fell and he shot me a dirty look, like I¡¯d just woken him from a pleasant dream. ¡°The Granbehls are about tops for a named blood. They don¡¯t swing as big a stick as the highbloods, but they¡¯ve been pushing for highblood status for years¡ªsponsoring ascenders, buying up property in the first two levels, currying favor with the Sovereigns, that kind of thing.


    ¡°This Kalon boy was the rising star of Blood Granbehl, from what I¡¯ve heard. Good-looking, talented, good instincts both in and out of the Relictombs...you get the picture.¡±


    I was nodding along with what ric was saying. ¡°Likely to be the future head of the house?¡±


    ric nodded in return as he stored the sheath in his dimension ring and rested his shortsword against the side of the carriage so he could get morefortable. ¡°A shoo in, yes. His death is a hard blow for Blood Granbehl.¡±


    ¡°But ascenders die in the Relictombs all the time,¡± I said, half to myself. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it first hand in the convergence zone. Most of the mages who entered that ce didn¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°Aye, but an experienced ascender who doesn¡¯t want to take on too much risk can make some good will and a name for himself by leading preliminary ascents for noble brats,¡± ric said sagely.


    For a moment I was reminded why I had agreed to work with the old drunk in the first ce. Despite hisck of grace, ric was very perceptive. Then he belched loudly, and I wondered, not for the first time, if it wasn¡¯t all just blind luck and alcohol-inspired overconfidence.


    ¡°Damned armor¡¯s too bloody tight,¡± he grumbled, tugging at the edges of the ckened steel chestte.


    ¡°So they¡¯re angry about losing their heir apparent, but how does pinning his murder on me help?¡± I asked, frowning across the carriage at ric.


    ¡°Not sure yet, to be honest, but this¡±¡ªhe tapped his dimension ring, indicating the jeweled sheath¡ª¡°will help make tongues wag. You¡¯re right, though. It doesn¡¯t make sense on the face of it. Proving murder in the Relictombs...well, it¡¯s damned tricky, especially with only one eyewitness.¡±


    ¡°Two,¡± I said, my frustration bleeding into my tone, ¡°but they¡¯re refusing to let Caera act as a witness on my behalf.¡±


    ¡°Caera, is it?¡± ric waggled his thick eyebrows up and down, an expression that reminded me of Regis for some reason. ¡°Spent some quality time with the highblood beauty in the Relictombs, aye? Shared a few romantic evenings ughtering beasts, then cuddled by the fire, still crusty with blood from the day¡¯s fighting...¡± He trailed off under the weight of my withering re. ¡°All right, don¡¯t pop your cork, boy. All I¡¯m saying is I know how it gets when you¡¯re facing death every day. No one would me you¡ª¡±


    ¡°ric,¡± I said, my voice low and calm but humming with an obvious threat even he couldn¡¯t miss. ¡°Get to the point.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s think this through then, shall we?¡± he said quickly. ¡°Highblood Denoir is more powerful than Blood Granbehl, but thetter¡¯s hungry and punching above their weight. What would the Denoirs gain by allowing their precious princess to be entangled in this whole trial fiasco?¡±


    He paused, looking at me with unfocused eyes. ¡°What was the question?¡± He scratched at his messy hair. ¡°Oh, right. Nothing, that¡¯s what. They don¡¯t want it getting around that the adoptive daughter of the noble Highblood Denoir snuck off into the Relictombs with some bloodless rookie. It looks bad. All they have to do is let the Granbehls eat you alive and, for them at least, the whole situation goes away.¡±


    ¡°But what do the¡ª¡±


    The carriage swerved and our driver exchanged shouted insults with someone. ric grinned.


    ¡°¡ªGranbehls have to gain by putting me on trial?¡± I finished.


    ¡°We¡¯re going around in circles now,¡± he said. ¡°Perhaps they¡¯ve hedged that there¡¯s more to you than you told the three Granbehl siblings. You¡¯re freaky powerful, enough to alter the difficulty of any level you walk into. Depending on what young Ada¡¯s said, they may be hoping you¡¯re secretly some disguised highblood that they can recoup losses from by forcing the issue in front of a panel of judges.¡±


    That made sense. It would be a chance to get something back from Kalon¡¯s death, I mused.


    ¡®But they still have to prove it was murder, right?¡¯ Regis pointed out. ¡®Which they can¡¯t do, because, y¡¯know, it wasn¡¯t.¡¯


    I echoed this thought to ric.


    ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s got me worried,¡± he grumbled. ¡°And why I¡¯ll be doing some digging. Blood Granbehl must have something up their silk sleeves if they¡¯re going to all this trouble.¡±


    We sat in silence for a minute, listening to the wooden wheels of the carriage crunch over the stone streets. ¡°So,¡± ric said, ¡°how many zones did you make it through?¡±


    ¡°Three,¡± I said, a little bitterly. I should have just kept going.


    ¡®And get yourself killed because you were distracted by the genocide of your girlfriend¡¯s entire race?¡¯ Regis asked. ¡®Cooling your heels in a jail cell is probably not a bad thing for you right now.¡¯


    You were telling me to fight our way out not ten minutes ago, I thought incredulously.


    ¡®Hey, I¡¯m nothing if not inconsistent,¡¯ he replied, letting out a barkingugh.


    ric whistled in response to my answer. ¡°You were in there for a few days longer than I¡¯d expected, even after word got around about the Granbehls. Must have been weeks for you.¡±


    I only nodded. The Granbehls would be forcing me to recount every painful detail of the ascent soon enough, and I wasn¡¯t eager to go through it with ric too.


    The carriage slowed to a halt, and I heard heavy iron gates rattle open outside. ¡°Must be there,¡± ric said as he lifted his helmet off hisp and set it carefully over his head.


    ¡°You never told me how you arranged this,¡± I said, waving my hand at his ck armor and the carriage around us.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see his face, but I could tell he was grinning beneath the helmet. ¡°Friends in low ces, pup. Don¡¯t worry, old ric is going to get you out of this. I¡¯m not letting you avoid paying me the rest of my forty percent...¡±


    The carriage surged forward, but stopped again only a few secondster. I steeled myself for whatever was toe, but a thought urred to me as someone began unlocking the carriage door from the outside.


    ¡°ric, take the dimension ring,¡± I said, holding my shackled hands up with my fingers syed out. ¡°It¡¯ll raise suspicion if they check it and see nothing stored in there.¡±


    He plucked it off my finger and slipped it into the bracer of his armor. ¡°Good thinking.¡±


    A secondter, the door on my side of the carriage opened and one of the ck-armored knights grabbed my arm and pulled me roughly out into a broad courtyard fronting arge manor house. It was an imposing residence made mostly of dark stone with steeply pitched roofs, with sharply pointed arches over the windows and doors.


    At least twenty of the Granbehl knights stood in the courtyard, nking the carriage. A man and woman waited beneath the mansion¡¯s veranda, which had some kind of blue-leafed ivy growing in thick vines across it.


    I could tell immediately that they were Lord and Lady Granbehl. Both were fair-haired and wearing fine dark clothes with silver trim. Lord Granbehl had the same broad-shouldered build as his sons, while Lady Granbehl was like an older, more beautiful version of Ada.


    The knight grabbed me by the shackles and dragged me toward the lord anddy. Three other knights fell into position beside and behind me, their weapons held at the ready.


    ¡®This might be yourst chance,¡¯ Regis suggested. ¡®Think of how badass it would look if you just snapped those shackles in half and drove all these mages to their knees with your ¡°angry eyes¡± before just vanishing with God Step.¡¯


    You mean my aetheric intent? I struggled to keep my eyes from rolling as I stood face to face with Lord and Lady Granbehl. Her eyes were red, and I could see dark rings under them through the makeup she¡¯d used to paint her face.


    Lord Granbehl¡¯s jaw tightened as he looked down at me from the edge of the veranda. I saw the blowing long before he threw it, but didn¡¯t flinch when his heavy fist swung down,nding a solid punch against my temple.


    ¡°Take this murderous dog to the cells,¡± he ordered, his voice booming across the courtyard. The knights behind me all stamped their spears against the ground twice as my guard hauled me by the shackles into the house, along a finely appointed hallway, and down a set of stone steps that led first into a cer and then into a sort of dungeon.


    There were four cells, all of them empty. Runes were etched along the floor and bars of the cell doors. I couldn¡¯t read them, but I was sure they were meant to keep people from using mana within, perhaps a backup to the mana-suppression cuffs.


    The guard shoved me through the barred door into one of the cells and forced me up against the wall. He began to pat me down, feeling my pockets, along my sides, and up and down my legs.


    Next, he pulled up my cloak and shirt to examine the false-spellform runes on my back.


    When he was finished, he turned me roughly around and stared at my hands before giving me a furrowed look, which¡ªalong with his massive build¡ªreminded me of Caera¡¯s bodyguard, Taegan.


    ¡°Where¡¯s all your stuff?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It was all in my dimension ring,¡± I lied, ¡°which I lost in thest zone we went through.¡±


    The big guard gave a shrug before stepping out of the cell and mming the door. ¡°Lord Granbehl will be down in a minute. I trust you won¡¯t get lost in here.¡± The guardughed stupidly at his own joke as he stomped away.


    I was too tired and mentally drained to bother offering the man any sort of reaction, instead turning my attention to the amodations.


    The cell was solid stone with no windows. A cot¡ªlittle more than a thin piece of fabric stretched across a wood frame¡ªwas pushed up against one wall. There was a drain in the corner instead of a chamberpot. That was it.


    Well, we¡¯ve slept in worse ces, I told Regis as I sat down on the cot.


    ¡®What now, effeminate one?¡¯ Regis asked, deepening his voice to mimic Taegan.


    I let out a scoff while rummaging through my dimension rune. First I need to make sure Ellie is okay.


    I pulled out the cracked relic, but it was still dull, and it didn¡¯t react when I probed it lightly with aether.


    ¡®Is it broken?¡¯ Regis asked, and I could sense him attempting to be consoling. Although I wasn¡¯t in the mood for pity, I couldn¡¯t prevent his emotions from seeping into me, and it helped to ease my mind.


    Maybe...


    I reached for the godrune that channeled Aroa¡¯s Requiem. Swirling violet motes of aether danced along my skin and over the relic, concentrating into the small crack before fading away. The crack was still there, and the stone still dull and lifeless.


    My hopes fell for a moment, but I steeled myself against the disappointment. Focusing on the aether in the air¡ªwhich was much less than in the deeper zones¡ªI examined the relic carefully. The aether was drifting slowly closer to the relic, where it congregated around the crack and, I saw with surprise, was eventually drawn inside it.


    It¡¯s recharging, I realized. Though I had hoped to look for Ellie immediately and prove to myself that she was alive, knowing that the relic was still functional was a relief.


    I stored the device away and pulled a different stone from the extradimensional storage rune: the rainbow-colored egg where Sylvie still slumbered.


    It was heavy and warm, and there was a hunger emanating from it. How long had it been since I had tried to fill the reservoir within with aether? Too long...but doing so was draining, and would leave me defenseless¡ªand if I didn¡¯t have enough aether, it wouldn¡¯t release Sylvie anyway.


    I turned the iridescent stone over in my hands as I considered what woulde next. It would be three weeks until the trial, and I was sure to be questioned, possibly even tortured. That didn¡¯t really matter though.


    The sight of Elenoir being destroyed shed in my mind.


    The reality of it was beginning to settle onto my shoulders like a heavy weight. I¡¯d always known I was going to have to fight Agrona and the Vritra n...but would I also have to defend Dicathen from the rest of the asuras, too?


    All the more reason for me to return to the Relictombs as soon as possible. With three weeks to rest and n, I should be more than prepared for my next ascent...though there was a small doubt nagging at the back of my mind.


    ¡®It¡¯s not exactly productive for us to just throw ourselves headlong into the Relictombs over and over again looking for these other ¡°ruins,¡±¡¯ Regis said, giving voice to my own doubts.


    We just have to let the Relictombs guide us, like it did when we reached the first one. Sylvia¡¯s message said she imprinted the locations into my mind. Maybe that acts as a kind of...key when we¡¯re moving from zone to zone.


    Regis was silent. The dangerous truth was that we didn¡¯t know. There were too many questions and no answers at all. Despite two increasingly difficult ascents, I was no closer to learning how to wield Fate...or even really what this ¡°higher edict¡± truly was.


    My shoulders sank from the weight of my thoughts and role in all of this. And with the scale of things so much grander than even when I was a king, I couldn¡¯t help but feel alone...now more than ever.


    I held Sylvie¡¯s egg close to my chest, trying to feel some semnce of life within. Eventually, my thoughts drifted and my world darkened.


    I curled up around Sylvie¡¯s egg and held it close to my chest.

 Chapter 324

    Chapter 324: 324


    CAERA DENOIR


    ¡°Blood Granbehl has gone too far . ¡± I seethed with malice, and mana leaked out of me, making my adoptive mother flinch . We were approaching the exterior gate of Highblood Denoir¡¯s pristine white stone and marblepound within the second level of the Relictombs . ¡°Surely you won¡¯t let this insult stand,¡± I said, my voice growing lower and more threatening . ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°It would be wise to hold your tongue until we are inside and away from curious ears, Caera,¡± she replied before studying me with a curious gaze . ¡°It is unlike you to be so emotional over someone else . ¡±


    I let out a breath as I stared deadpan back at my adoptive mother . Lady Lenora of Highblood Denoir, always so concerned about appearances . Vritra forbid anyone ever see us at less than our best...


    Our procession made its way through the gates of the outer wall, which were etched with runic wards that came with a variety of functions, powered by several tons of mana crystals . Several people were waiting in the meticulously manicured courtyard, including both Taegen and Arian . My personal guards¡¯ eyes were downcast, their faces drawn and a little pale .


    While I cared little for my adoptive parents¡¯ emotional turmoil, I did feel guilty for these people . Though I was used to keeping secrets, even from Taegen and Arian, disappearing to the Relictombs without them could only be taken as an insult, and I knew my adoptive mother and father would have made things difficult for them over thest few weeks¡ªthough I suppose it had been less long for them .


    The truth was that each man had fought fearlessly and loyally at my side several times, and even though I could not tell them the truth about my Vritra blood¡¯s manifestation, I trusted them with everything else, and even thought of them as my friends¡ªsomething I had few enough of . Aside from Nessa, they were the only members of Highblood Denoir that I could trust at all .


    There will be time to mend that rtionship after I figure out how to help Grey .


    Lenora and Nessa escorted me into the mansion while the procession of guards dispersed in the courtyard . Highlord Corbett, my adoptive father and guardian, stood tall in a white and navy suit that highlighted his athletic build next to his eldest son, Lauden Denoir . Unfortunately, unlike Sevren¡ªmyte brother, fallen in the Relictombs¡ªLauden had taken after his father, making him an arrogant bigot who preferred to step on others to elevate himself and the precious Denoir bloodline .


    ¡°Nessa, you are dismissed,¡± Father said coolly before gesturing toward a chair . ¡°Caera, take a seat . ¡±


    ¡°Corbett, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Father, Caera,¡± he said firmly, gesturing to the chair again .


    I crossed the room in silence and sat down . Corbett red down at me . He was an imposing man: a textbook image of the perfect nobleman with olive hair trimmed fashionably to frame his severe and arguably handsome face .


    Lauden, a younger, more muscr clone of the highlord, crossed the room to pour himself a drink from a crystal decanter . Behind Corbett¡¯s back, he lifted the ss and gave me a sarcastic salute .


    Finally, Corbett spoke . ¡°Your mother and I are deeply disappointed in your callous disregard for your own well-being and the well-being of this blood . No,¡± he said as I opened my mouth to respond, ¡°l¡¯m still speaking .


    ¡°You know as well as I what would happen to Highblood Denoir if you were harmed in the Relictombs, especially traveling by yourself, without any kind of guard . We¡¯ve humored your improper desires to test yourself on these ascents for the sake of perhaps manifesting your Vritra blood, but this was a direct betrayal of our trust . ¡±


    Lenora slipped her arm through Corbett¡¯s and let her look of matronly disappointment wash over me like cold moonlight . Perfected through many long hours of standing mutely at the highlord¡¯s side...


    I let my gaze flick back and forth between them . Corbett was building himself up to tell me something, but I could already guess what it was . ¡°I understand that I betrayed your trust, and I¡¯m willing to ept any punishment you see fit, even should you choose to ban me from the Relictombs,¡± I said in a businesslike tone . ¡°However, it is essential that I continue to challenge myself if I am going to fully manifest my Vritra ancestry, something you want just as much as I do, if not more . ¡±


    Several conflicting emotions warred across Corbett¡¯s face: frustration, anger, wariness, and acknowledgement . I knew there was no straighter line to his greed than mention of my Vritra blood . The Denoirs still held out some hope that it could manifest fully within me,pletely ignorant of the fact that it already had .


    Lenora answered instead, her head tilted slightly and a sickly-sweet smile stered onto her face . ¡°Caera...Dearest Caera . We only have your own safety and well-being in mind . Although you don¡¯t share our blood, you are still a member of our Blood, and we care for you and have always treated you as our very own daughter . If your...Vritra lineage does manifest, well then of course we¡¯ll be excited¡ªfor you . But we simply cannot allow you to get yourself killed in your eagerness for adventure . ¡±


    ¡°The man I was travelling with, the man who you have just allowed to be arrested for a murder he didn¡¯tmit, has some understanding of these things . ¡± Corbett¡¯s heavy brows furrowed as he regarded me suspiciously .


    Perhaps that does seem a little too convenient, I realized, but toote .


    ¡°If you truly care for my safety and well-being¡±¡ªI paused, the next words catching in my throat¡ª¡°please help him . ¡±


    Lenora¡¯s eyes widened in surprise and she exchanged a look with Corbett . Behind them, Lauden looked at his ss as if shocked and mouthed the word, ¡®please?¡¯ as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he¡¯d heard .


    ¡°We won¡¯t have you drawn into this business with Blood Granbehl,¡± Corbett answered after a moment . ¡°The best thing for Highblood Denoir¡ªand that includes you, too, Caera¡ªis to let this y out . You have to see that it would look quite bad if¡ª¡±


    ¡°Vritra¡¯s sake, is that all you think about?¡± I snapped, mana leaking out despite my firm grip on it . This earned me a scowl from Corbett, but there was also a hint of wariness, even fear . Lenora let out a disapproving tut . ¡°How does it look if the Highblood Denoir rolls over and lets a mere named blood falsely use and imprison the man who saved my life?¡±


    ¡°Not as bad as it would look to have our foster child dragged before a panel of judges in a petty squabble between lesser houses,¡± Corbett countered, his deep voice a growl . ¡°In addition to¡ª¡±


    Someone cleared their throat delicately from the door to the drawing room, and all four of us spun to see who could be impertinent enough to interrupt a family conversation .


    A strong sense of relief washed over me .


    Standing in the doorway was my mentor . Her pearl-colored hair was pulled elegantly up between her sweeping obsidian horns, and she was wearing flowing ck battle robes and an imperious expression .


    Corbett, Lenora, and Lauden all bowed deeply and held, waiting for her to speak . She met my eyes with one brow raised slightly . I stood and bowed as well, though perhaps not quite as deeply as the others .


    ¡°Rise,¡± she said simply . ¡°Lauden, pour me a drink before you go . ¡±


    Lauden rushed to do as shemanded . Lenora took a few tentative steps forward to wee her into the drawing room, but stopped when Corbett began to speak .


    ¡°Scythe Seris Vritra, we weren¡¯t expecting you,¡± he said, his voice a couple steps higher-pitched than normal .


    I always enjoyed watching Corbett struggle to maintain his regal bearing while addressing the Scythe, especially when others were watching . Even the Highlord and Lady Denoir couldn¡¯t help but bend under the weight of her presence .


    ¡°I am aware I¡¯m interrupting,¡± the Scythe said smoothly . ¡°However, I wish to speak to Caera . Alone . ¡±


    Corbett¡¯s nce flicked to me before resting back on Scythe Seris . ¡°Perhaps it could wait until after¡ª¡±


    ¡°Highlord Denoir,¡± she said coolly, cutting him off so that his mouth closed with an audible snap . ¡°I will send Caera to your study once she and I are finished . ¡±


    ¡°As you wish...Scythe Seris Vritra . ¡± Corbett gave her a deep bow and fled the room, dragging Lenora behind him .


    Scythe Seris turned her heavy gaze on Lauden who was still standing by the liquor cab with a full ss in his hand . He flinched back as he realized he should already be gone, then hurriedly delivered her ss before practically teleporting out of the room in his eagerness to get away .


    My mentor must have been waiting for me to return and would have been informed at once when I stepped out of the portal from the Relictombs . I gave her a warm smile, something I reserved for very few .


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so happy to see me, girl,¡± she said, but her rxed demeanor was enough to tell me she wasn¡¯t here to scold her pupil . ¡°Sit down . I expect we have a lot to talk about . ¡±


    I sat, resting lightly on the chair with my back straight and my eyes on the Scythe . She sipped at her drink, gave the ss an approving look, then took the seat nearest me .


    ¡°So,¡± she began, ¡°you found the unusual ascender again¡ªand spent weeks inside the Relictombs adventuring at his side?¡±


    I nodded, eager to tell her all about it, but understanding that there was a rhythm to our conversations . It would be highly inappropriate to begin my tale before allowing her to guide the conversation there, which I knew she would do in her own time .


    ¡°Grey, was it?¡± she asked, swirling her drink around thoughtfully . ¡°Did you discover his blood?¡±


    I shook my head .


    ¡°Tell me about him . ¡±


    I opened my mouth to blurt out the first thing in my head, but stopped myself and took a moment to collect my thoughts into some kind of sensible order .


    ¡°He¡¯s intense, almost like a force of nature...and even more strange and powerful than I told you . It was obvious that, despite his disys of strength in the convergence zone where we first met, he was holding back . Except, he was holding back much more than I could have guessed . ¡±


    I paused, considering his unusual abilities¡ªand hisck of mana . Would it somehow be a betrayal to tell my mentor this? To which of them did I owe my loyalty, really?


    She noticed my hesitation . ¡°Go on . ¡±


    ¡°His desmanship is impable, wless, just...brilliant . And paired with his unique magic, I¡¯m half certain he would be able to stand his ground against even you, Scythe Seris . ¡±


    My mentor wasn¡¯t angry or even surprised at my bold statement . If anything, she was even more intrigued .


    ¡°What is so unique about his magic?¡± she asked .


    ¡°He...doesn¡¯t use mana to control it,¡± I said haltingly . ¡°And he can do things that hardly make sense . I¡¯ve seen him teleport and regenerate limbs¡ªeven turn back time, in a way . ¡±


    Scythe Seris leaned forward, her finger steepled in front of her lips . ¡°Fascinating . So how does he do it if not with mana?¡±


    ¡°Aether,¡± I said, feeling a jolt of guilt now . He had told me these things in confidence, but...I couldn¡¯t lie to Scythe Seris . Not about anything .


    My mentor¡¯s eyes shed and she leaned back in her chair and took a sip from her ss . ¡°Only the asuras of the Indrath n can wield aether like a weapon . But a dragon could not enter the Relictombs . ¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he could be...something like me?¡± It was a strange, thrilling thought . Although there were other Vritra-blooded cryans, I¡¯d met them rarely and certainly never felt any kind of kinship with them . ¡°An Indrath-blooded human?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said, waving the idea away without a second¡¯s thought . ¡°The dragons would never let that happen . They¡¯re much too pure to cross their bloodline with mere lessers . ¡± She leaned forward again, her dark eyes burrowing into me . ¡°Tell me about your ascent . Leave nothing out . ¡±


    Scythe Seris listened for half an hour, asionally asking for confirmation of some detail, or for me to be more specific, but otherwise just listening as I told her of my time with Grey, from disguising myself as Haedrig to our deadly encounter with the trapped Vritra-blood in the hall of mirrors, all the way until we were stepping out of the sanctuary room and back to the second level .


    She was particrly interested in our conversations, and probed to make sure I had remembered every word . ¡°And he seemed ignorant of cryan culture?¡± she asked .


    ¡°Yes, even about the most simple things . As I¡¯ve already mentioned, when we first met he asked all sorts of strange questions, but made it sound almost as if he were testing us . We talked a lot on our journey, and I was continually surprised by what he didn¡¯t know . ¡±


    ¡°And when he found out about your identity? When he learned how you had tracked him?¡±


    ¡°I thought he was going to kill me at first, but...well, he didn¡¯t obviously . He seemed terrified that someone could track him...but then the fear faded just as quickly once he understood that only I could use it . ¡±


    Seris looked thoughtful, swirling her drink around in her ss absently . ¡°So, our mystery ascender is incredibly powerful, ignorant of our customs, and fearful of being found out . He wields aether like an ancient mage, but is incapable of channeling mana . ¡± She drained her ss and set it down with a delicate clink . ¡°Describe the man . In as much detail as you are able . ¡±


    I felt myself go red in the cheeks as I pictured Grey¡¯s handsome, severe face, and hoped Scythe Seris hadn¡¯t noticed . ¡°He is tall and lean, with an...athletic physique . He has sharp features and skin as white as milk . His pale wheat-blond hair tumbles ramshackle around his face, and he has these piercing golden eyes that seem to see right through me . He came off as really cold and distant, but after spending time with him, it¡¯s easy to tell that he¡¯s quite caring...¡± I trailed off after seeing Scythe Seris¡¯s lips twitch into a smile .


    ¡°I was merely curious about his physical appearance, but if you wish to divulge your feelings for him, I will listen . ¡±


    I let out a startledugh . ¡°M-my feelings? I just thought you¡¯d be interested to know what kind of person he is . ¡±


    My mentor remained silent, a smile still tugging at the corner of her lips .


    I furrowed my brows, pouting . ¡°I don¡¯t know what I did to deserve such teasing, Scythe Seris . ¡±


    The pearl-haired Vritra let out a melodicugh, a sound very few had the honor of hearing, before she raised a hand in a cating manner . ¡°Regardless of your feelings for this ascender, he seems likely to be walking a path of hardship and tragedy . ¡±


    I wanted to argue, but her words rang true . Grey was clearly adept at getting himself, and those around him, into trouble, at the very least . ¡°Yet, at the same time, you will find few who can match either your mind or your magical abilities, Caera . Perhaps we may be able to help your mysterious love . ¡±


    ¡°He is not my love,¡± I stammered, but my heart thrummed in my chest . If anyone could help Grey escape Blood Granbehl, it was Scythe Seris . She could end this farce of a trial with a snap of her fingers .


    ¡°But this mysterious ascender...why does this ¡®Grey¡¯ sound more and more like¡ª¡± My mentor¡¯s piercing eyes suddenly went wide, and a knowing smile bloomed on her wless face . ¡°So you really have not fallen...¡±

 Chapter 325 Painless

    <h4>Chapter 325: Painless</h4>


    Lord Granbehl¡¯srge fist struck my side. His guards stood around me, holding me up by the arms with my hands still shackled. The next blow was to my face, then a series of punches to my ribs again.


    The broad-shouldered noble was sweating, and some of his hair had pulled free of the ponytail that ran down his back, giving him a slightly disheveled look. After a few more swings, he stepped back and straightened his dark suit.


    A young man hurried to mop the sweat from Lord Granbehl¡¯s face. The boy had the same fair hair as all the other Granbehls I¡¯d met, but hecked Kalon and Ezra¡¯s build.


    Someone cleared their throat from outside my cell. ¡°Lord Titus?¡±


    My host turned and stepped out into the dingy stone hallway without even a second nce in my direction.


    It had been three days since I¡¯d walked out of the portal and right into this political mess. Every day, Kalon¡¯s father had visited me to ask one question: did I kill his sons? And every day, when I told him I hadn¡¯t, he spent a few minutes beating on me before leaving. The rest of my time was spent alone with Regis and my thoughts.


    It wasn¡¯t bad, not at all. My new asuran body was more than capable of absorbing a few punches, and so far there hadn¡¯t been any lengthy interrogations either. The worst part was the anticipation...not of the trial, but about Ellie.


    The relic still hadn¡¯t recharged. I¡¯d been checking it every few minutes, but sometime during the second day Regis pointed out that I looked like a crazy person, so I had been holding myself back to only once an hour.


    The old man that had led my arrest, who I¡¯d learned as Lord Granbehl¡¯s steward, appeared in the doorway just long enough to wave for the guards to release me, and in moments I was alone again.


    ¡®As entertaining as it is to watch you pretend to be a punching bag, I¡¯m bored,¡¯ Regis thought the moment the guards closed the door. ¡®We really going to do this for three whole weeks?¡¯


    Go take a nap then, I snapped.


    ¡®Rude,¡¯ he grumbled back.


    After ncing out the barred door to make sure the guard at the end of the hall couldn¡¯t see into my cell, Iid down on the cot and withdrew the hard fruit-toy from my dimension rune. The noise of the seed rattling around inside it immediately took me back to the snowy mountaintop vige where I had trained with Three Steps.


    Picturing the climbing peaks and plunging valleys, and letting myself slip into the meditative state I¡¯d used while training with the Shadow ws, I released a small amount of aether from my core and pushed it toward the tip of my index finger.


    The purple energy hummed softly as it formed into a thin, slightly curved extension of my finger. I slid the aetheric ¡°w¡± into the slot and fished around for the pea-sized seed. Although I could get the seed to the hole, when I tried to pull it through, the aether lost its shape and dissipated.


    Taking a deep breath, I conjured the w a second time and tried again with simr results. I kept at the seed for another hour or two before Regis interrupted my practice.


    ¡®You¡¯ve been doing this for hours,¡¯ Regis grumbled. ¡®Don¡¯t you get tired of it?¡¯


    Not really. It gives me something to focus on...to upy my mind, I guess.


    ¡®Oh. So sort of like knitting?¡¯


    I rolled my eyes. Yes, Regis. Manipting aether into a solid, deadly weapon is exactly like knitting. I intended to return to my practice, but footsteps on the stairs told me someone wasing.


    Quickly storing the seed, I stood, walked to the cell door, and rested my hand on the bars. A jolt of mana jumped into my hand, running up my arm like a bolt of lightning. I grunted and pulled away, flexing my tingling fingers.


    The steward appeared once again. He gave me a snide smirk when he noticed my obvious difort. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Ascender Grey, did they forget to mention the door? The bars are heavily enchanted against physical contact¡ªto ensure our guests don¡¯t attempt to force their way free, of course.


    ¡°Now, if you would please step back to the wall...¡±


    I did as he asked. The elder waved a hand and the wall behind me began to move. Restraints appeared, growing out of the stone and around my legs and arms, pinning me to the wall.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother struggling,¡± he said confidently. ¡°These manacles were designed by the finest Instillers in Central Dominion. The chains and their moorings are unbreakable.¡±


    I tested their strength, flexing my arms and shoulder until the stone began to quake.


    Oops, I thought. Almost broke them.


    The golden-haired elder was still smirking, apparently not having noticed. I returned the look with a deadpan, almost bored gaze. ¡°Neat,¡± I said tly.


    His smirk flickered. ¡°I realize, Ascender Grey, that your time in the Relictombs has likely inocted you against base fear, and you¡¯ve already shown yourself to be adept at holding out through pain. I¡¯ll admit, Lord Titus has been most frustrated with yourck of expressiveness. He would like to see you squirm, to use his word.¡±


    The elder stood aside so another man could open the door and enter the cell. This man was tall and gangly. He wore dark leather armor with gold studs that smelled strongly of oil, which matched his greasy ck hair and the gold ring in his ear.


    ¡°Where should I start, Master Matheson?¡± he asked in a high, simpering voice as his ck eyes trailed over my body.


    The old man wrinkled his nose at the torturer. ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t presume to tell you how to do your job. Just make him talk.¡± Matheson met my eyes from behind the torturer. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in, say, twenty minutes for the questioning.¡±


    The torturer grinned, revealing ck and rotting teeth. ¡°Yes, Master Matheson.¡± To me, he said, ¡°Grey, is it? I¡¯m Petras. I¡¯d say it¡¯s a pleasure, but¡±¡ªhis grin widened¡ª¡°I promise it won¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡®Ugh, that was so cringey it made my nonexistent toes curl,¡¯ Regis groaned.


    I didn¡¯t say anything, but kept my expression level and uninterested.


    Myck of a response didn¡¯t seem to bother Petras at all. He produced a wicked-looking dagger with a flourish and, in the same motion, drew the de across my upper arm. It was so sharp I hardly felt it.


    The wound let out a trickle of blood before healing over.


    Petras¡¯s grin faded. He regarded me warily before cutting in the same spot, slower and deeper this time. I realized that my extreme healing was going to draw unwanted attention and attempted to close off the trickle of aether from my core. It was only partially sessful.


    Regis, go to my left foot.


    ¡®If this is about my toesment earlier, I was just being¡ª¡¯


    I need to limit my healing factor. Just do it.


    Mypanion drifted through my body into my foot, and the slow trickle of aether redirected, pulled toward him by whatever gravitational force he had on it.


    The second cut was slower to heal. Petras didn¡¯t make a third right away, instead watching with interest as the remaining aether knit my flesh back together. For me, the healing was sluggish, butpared to a normal person, it was still incredibly quick.


    He ran a rough finger over where the cut had vanished without even a scar.


    He checked my mana-suppression cuffs to make sure they were tightly fastened, then took a step away from me. ¡°How are you doing that?¡±


    ¡°Doing what?¡± I replied, my face perfectly nk.


    Frowning, the torturer held the t of his de to the back of my hand. The dagger began to glow red hot, my skin sizzling and popping and filling the cell with the stench of burning flesh.


    I let my mind slip away from the pain, meditating on my core and the aether swirling around inside it, which I held onto as tightly as I could. A small stream was leaking out, half pulled toward Regis, but some traveling along my aether channels toward my hand.


    When Petras lifted his glowing dagger, the scorch mark it had left behind was a deep scar in my pristine flesh. Instead of hurting, though, I only felt a kind of tingling as aether started repairing the damage, but it was working even more slowly now on therger wound.


    The torturer stuck his thumb into the raw burn and pressed hard, his ck eyes absorbing every twitch, every flicker of movement from me, but the pain was nothing. His ck face curved down into an exaggerated frown.


    ¡°Minor healing abilities, even with mana choked off,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°High pain tolerance, likely due to the same ability. Yes, time to try something else.¡±


    He tossed the dagger, its de still glowing, into the corner, and cracked his knuckles.


    ¡°Usually I save this forter, but...¡± He gave me a devious smirk. ¡°I can tell you require...special treatment.¡±


    ¡®Ooh Arthur, special treatment. I think he likes you,¡¯ Regis teased.


    A hint of a smile crossed my face. Petras scowled furiously in response.


    ¡°Think this is funny, Ascender Grey?¡± he asked, his voice going even higher. ¡°To the pain, then!¡±


    His bony fingers mped tightly around my own, and a savage kind of glee came over him. I could tell from the concentration on his face that he was casting a spell, but nothing happened, even as sweat started pouring down his face and each breath became a desperate gasp.


    The burn on the back of my hand was still healing, and Petras kept ncing at it, his expression turning more frustrated by the second.


    He held my hands like that for another minute before throwing them down in disgust. ¡°That¡¯s not possible!¡± he shouted, storming back and forth across the small cell. ¡°Entirely impossible!¡± He rounded on me, ring fiercely. ¡°What the hell are you?¡±


    ¡°Innocent,¡± I said tly. ¡°And a bit hungry.¡±


    Hissing, Petras snatched his dagger from the floor, took two quick steps toward me, and drove the weapon into my side, just below my ribs. Though no longer glowing, it was still scorching hot, and I could feel it burning inside me.


    I¡¯d had worse.


    His beetle-ck eyes searched mine for any hint of pain or fear he could console himself with, but I gave him nothing.


    He ripped the dagger out and stared at the wound. I let the aether flow freely. Half still filtered downward toward Regis, but the rest went to the deep cut in my side. It slowly began to heal over. Finally, Petras slumped to my cot and fell into it. He stayed like that for a couple of minutes, silently ring up at the low ceiling.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone heal as quickly as you, and yet your mana doesn¡¯t react to my crest. My touch should turn every nerve in your body to fire if you have any mana in you at all. I don¡¯t understand it.¡± He turned his head so he was staring at me. His fury had faded to wary curiosity. ¡°Is it an emblem? A...a regalia? I was told your runes were vague, but nothing unusual.¡±


    I shrugged awkwardly, pinned to the wall like I was.


    ¡°A man of mystery...¡± Petras said under his breath, looking back at the ceiling. ¡°Nothing for it then but to see just how strong this ability is.¡±


    The torturer rolled out of the cot and flourished his dagger with a nasty smile.


    ***


    By the time the golden-haired elder returned, my clothes were in tatters and stained red with my blood. Petras had taken his time, inflicting wound after wound with slow, deliberate focus. My injuries were closing slightly slower now, so I recalled Regis from my foot, but I hadn¡¯t rewarded the torturer¡¯s efforts with even the flicker of an eyelid.


    The old man, Matheson, seemed surprised by my state. He red at Petras, but thenky cryan only shrugged apologetically. ¡°You can leave us now. Wait in the hall.¡±


    Petras¡¯s shoulders slumped and he sulked out of the cell. Matheson waited until he was gone to begin asking questions.


    ¡°Ascender Grey,¡± he began, ¡°I would like for you to exin to me why you murdered Lord Kalon of Blood Granbehl, Lord Ezra of Blood Granbehl, and Lady Riah of Blood Faline. Please, spare no detail.¡±


    Speaking as calmly and inly as I could muster, I said, ¡°I didn¡¯t murder anyone. The Relictombs proved much more difficult than Kalon had anticipated, and they fell to the monsters inside.¡±


    Matheson¡¯s brows came together in a small frown. ¡°You must understand, Ascender Grey, that we have an eyewitness to these acts. We know what happened. My Lord and Lady Granbehl now wish to understand why.¡±


    He took a step closer to me. ¡°Was this attack political in nature? Are you an assassin sent by a rival blood?¡±


    ¡°If I was, I did a pretty lousy job seeing that I left an eyewitness.¡±


    Things didn¡¯t get better from there. Matheson pressed me to exin the details of our ascent, from how I found the Granbehls, to the forms the beasts within the Relictombs took, all the way down to small details like what we all ate while trapped in the mirror room, and what the figures in the mirrors looked like.


    I told as much of the truth as Ifortably could, but took careful note of any omissions I made for when they inevitably asked me to repeat everything I¡¯d said.


    Finally, Matheson turned to leave the cell, but stopped in the doorway. ¡°Oh, yes. One more thing, Ascender Grey. Where did you hide your dimension ring?¡±


    ¡°I lost it,¡± I answered with a tone of regret, ¡°along with all my belongings. But I already told the guard that.¡±


    ¡°I see. Very well then.¡± Matheson left without another word, shutting the cell door with a heavy ng behind him.


    Regis, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the torture and following interview, fluttered awake inside of me. ¡®You okay?¡¯


    Fine, I replied, easing onto the cot. I¡¯d put myself through so much worse when forging my aether channels and training in the Relictombs.


    Habit caused me to withdraw the multi-faceted relic from my dimension rune to check, and I felt a jolt of adrenaline and sat back up quickly when I realized the stone was warm to the touch and humming softly with a faint aetheric energy.


    It¡¯s recharged!


    ¡®About time. So what first then?¡¯


    There was no question. Clenching the relic in my fist, I thought Ellie¡¯s name. White fog swirled across the surface of the stone, and I wasn¡¯t immediately drawn in as I had been before. Closing my eyes, I focused harder, picturing her face and chanting her name in my mind: Eleanor Leywin, Eleanor Leywin...Ellie...


    ¡®Arthur,¡¯ Regis thought consolingly, ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡ª¡¯


    Even though my eyes were closed, I felt my perception shift suddenly. Regis¡¯s presence was gone, as was the feel of cold stone beneath my feet.


    Slowly, I opened my eyes.


    The first thing I saw was Ellie. My sister, alive and safe.

 Chapter 326 Backlash

    <h4>Chapter 326: Bacsh</h4>


    ELEANOR LEYWIN


    I clenched my teeth, trying to stay focused through the throbbing pain that covered every inch of my body, as Commander Virion addressed everyone present. Mom had been pretty stubborn in her efforts to keep me at home in bed, but I couldn¡¯t miss the council meeting. They had been waiting for me to get better so I could tell them what happened after everyone else teleported back to the sanctuary from Elenoir...and why Tessia had never returned.


    But now that I was sitting in the City Hall¡¯s main conference room¡ªthe same one where Tessia had first brought me to a council meeting¡ªwith every important figure in Dicathen staring holes right through me, I kind of wished I had listened to my mom.


    I¡¯d already told Virion and Bairon about most of it anyway, but I¡¯d been sort of in and out of consciousness for thest couple days so I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d been very helpful.


    ¡°¡ªleanor?¡±


    I suddenly realized how long I had stayed quiet. ¡°Sorry, what?¡±


    Virion cleared his throat. He looked...old. Old and tired. ¡°Would you like to tell the council about your mission in Elenoir?¡±


    I stood slowly, regretted it quickly, and then fell back into my chair. ¡°Um, well, you see, I...uh...¡±


    There was a faint pop from just behind me and a chorus of shouts filled the room. Kathyln, who was sitting right beside me, sucked in a surprised breath. Her brother had his sword half out of its sheath before he realized what was happening.


    Lord Bairon was crackling with thunderous energy, but backed down when I turned and rested my hand on the furry creature that had manifested behind me.


    ¡°Boo, I said to wait outside. You can¡¯t just poof to me every time I get a little nervous,¡± I scolded him, but it was half hearted. His presence gave me strength.


    He grunted in a way that told me he wasn¡¯t sorry, thenid down in front of the arched doorway.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I mumbled, ncing at Virion. If the old elf was annoyed, he didn¡¯t show it.


    ¡°Not to worry, Ellie. Go on, if you¡¯re ready.¡±


    I took a deep, shuddering breath before words started to spill from me. I exined my part in our n to free the elven prisoners from the little town of Eidelholm, going over my fight against the retainer¡¯s brother. I told them how I gave my medallion to Albold so that the elves that were left could escape, and how Tessia had finally killed Bl.


    The hardest part was describing Elijah¡¯s arrival, but no one interrupted as I stammered my way through it. Kathyln gave me a shocked look when I got to the part where I pretended to be an cryan student-soldier, and even Bairon let out a low whistle, which I thought meant he was impressed.


    Finally, I told them how Tessia had reappeared at Elijah¡¯s side, and about the attack, and how I¡¯d tried to save the elven ves...but...


    It was too much, and I let the story end with the explosion that ripped me away from Elenoir, then leaned forward to rest my forehead on the cool table.


    Helen Shard walked around the table to set her hand on my shoulder. ¡°No one could have done more, Eleanor. What you aplished...frankly it¡¯s incredible.¡±


    Kathyln squeezed my hand. The normallyposed princess had tears sparkling in the corners of her eyes. Behind her, Curtis was downcast and pale.


    ¡°How in the world did you escape?¡± the old soldier, Madam Astera, asked.


    Sitting up straight, I pulled the phoenix wyrm pendant out from underneath my shirt. It was milky white and cracked all the way through, empty of mana. ¡°This.¡±


    I could still clearly imagine how the elven servants had looked at me as I tried and failed to activate Tessia¡¯s medallion and take them all with me. They knew that I couldn¡¯t do it. They knew they were going to die. Then the wall of light washed over me and everything went pink.


    For a few seconds, I could see the world being ripped apart around me through the tiled pink shell of energy conjured by the phoenix wyrm pendant. The cryans, the elves, the bleachers, the little stage, the mansion...it all vanished in the blink of an eye. And then so did I.


    I had woken up screaming, my legs dangling in the little stream that ran through the underground sanctuary. Boo was there, smoke rising from his singed fur, somehow alive. Thest thing I heard was his deep roar filling the cavern before I passed out from bacsh.


    ¡°Do we know¡ªhow big was the explosion?¡± a trembling voice asked. It was one of the elves we¡¯d rescued, the man who knew Tessia and Kathyln: Feyrith.


    Virion and Bairon exchanged a dark look. ¡°As soon as Eleanor returned, General Bairon flew straight to the Beast des and up toward Elenoir,¡± Virion said, nodding to the human Lance.


    ¡°Elenoir is gone,¡± the Lance said gruffly.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®gone¡¯? A country can¡¯t just d-disappear!¡± Feyrith argued.


    ¡°Well it has.¡± The Lance turned a sharp eye to the elf. ¡°Nothing remains between the Beast des and the northern coast but a scorched and twisted wastnd.¡±


    Kathyln¡¯s breath shuddered as her hands covered her mouth.


    The young elf had gone ghostly pale, but seemed frozen, his mouth half-open, his knuckles white from gripping the edge of the table. An elven woman, whose name I couldn¡¯t remember even though she¡¯d been at the sanctuary since the beginning, began to sob.


    Behind me, Helen squeezed my shoulder again in a gesture of support.


    ¡°But the asuras¡ª¡± Curtis started to say, his voice low and full of crackling energy.


    ¡°Were and still are our allies,¡± Virion said firmly. ¡°Despite appearances, we do not believe that the greater part of the destruction was caused by the asuras¡¯ attack, which was only intended to destroy the cryans gathered at Eidelholm.¡±


    From the doorway behind me, a soft voice said, ¡°How could you possibly know that?¡±


    Little waves of pain rippled through my entire body as I twisted in my seat to look at the speaker. Albold, the elven guard, was standing framed in the arched entrance on the other side of Boo¡¯s hulking form.


    He held himself awkwardly, leaning to his right side. He¡¯d been badly hurt during the fight against the retainer; I was kind of surprised to see him on duty already.


    Albold continued, not waiting for an answer to his question. ¡°Ellie saw the asura known as Aldir initiate the attack with her own eyes.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see Virion¡¯s face, but I could hear the low growl of anger in his voice. ¡°This is a closed council meeting, Albold. Return to your post. We will discuss thister.¡±


    Albold scowled, but turned and marched out of sight.


    I reached down to scratch Boo before slowly twisting back around to face the others.


    It¡¯s not just Albold. The others aren¡¯t exactly thrilled with Virion¡¯s exnation, either. Curtis yder was frowning deeply, his gaze leveled at the table instead of Virion. The elven woman was continuing to cry quietly.


    Feyrith stood. His legs were a little shaky, and he had to support himself with a hand on the table. ¡°Commander Virion, if General Bairon is correct, then our homnd...the vast majority of the elven people...¡± He paused and took a deep breath. ¡°Someone has to answer for this atrocity. We know the cryans are our enemy, but what proof do we have that the asuras are still our allies?¡±


    The anger that had suddenly overtaken Virion at Albold¡¯s intrusion went away just as quickly. He waved for Feyrith to sit down. ¡°They have been since the beginning, Feyrith. Do not forget that they saved us from the betrayal of King and Queen Greysunders. They guided the war effort in the early days, before we knew what we were up against. They tried to end the war before it began.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a strange way of saying they betrayed us when they attacked the Vritra behind the Council¡¯s back, an act that forced them into an agreement to stop helping us entirely and resulted in Dicathen¡¯s fall,¡± Curtis said. Although he kept his voice calm, the prince¡¯s cheeks had turned red, and he was staring hard at Virion.


    Virion waved Curtis¡¯s argument aside. ¡°An act that, had it seeded, would have saved Dicathen. Leaders make decisions, Curtis, you know that as well as I, and not all those decisions end the way we hope.¡±


    Madam Astera leaned forward, her fake leg syed out unnaturally to one side of her chair. ¡°But how did the cryans do it, then? If you¡¯re telling me our enemy has the power to wipe out entire countries, then why haven¡¯t they done it before? And what hope do we have in defeating them?¡±


    Virion nodded. ¡°That is a better question. To the first, we don¡¯t yet know, but I think we can guess the reason for not doing it before. After all, they wanted to take over Dicathen, not burn it to the ground.¡±


    ¡°Then what changed?¡± she shot back.


    ¡°What indeed?¡± Virion said, and I couldn¡¯t help but notice he hadn¡¯t even tried to answer the question.


    ¡°We¡¯re talking about theplete destruction of our home!¡± Feyrith shouted, his wide, furious eyes jumping from Virion to Madam Astera and back. ¡°Nothing you¡¯re saying makes any sense! It¡¯s like you don¡¯t even care¡ª¡±


    Virion¡¯s fist mmed down on the table, making everyone jump. Boo sat up and red over my shoulder at themander.


    ¡°Do not speak to me as if I¡¯m some bystander, boy. I, too, am an elf! One that has just lost the very country that he grew up in, that he fought two wars for!


    ¡°Listen to yourselves!¡± Virion¡¯s face became wild and desperate as his calm facade cracked. ¡°As if having one asura as an enemy hasn¡¯t proven bad enough, you want to go to war with all of Epheotus? No, if the asuras were truly our enemies, then we have no chance of winning this war.¡±


    Virion¡¯s outburst was met with shocked silence. I wasn¡¯t sure what to say, or even what to think. It sounded more like he was just hoping that the asuras hadn¡¯t destroyed Elenoir than that he had discovered any kind of proof...


    But what had happened? I¡¯d seen the asura, towering high above the town and radiating a pressure so strong it paralyzed everyone, fire a st of mana that ripped Eidelholm apart...but could it really have been strong enough to destroy the entire country?


    I shook my head, even though no one was looking at me. I was there, and even I don¡¯t know what happened.


    Despite his hard words, when Virion¡¯s gaze traveled around the room, meeting everyone¡¯s eyes in turn, his expression wasn¡¯t hard or angry, just weary. ¡°But we have toy me where it is due, not engage in some witch hunt against our allies. It was the cryans that attacked us and drove us from our homes. It was the cryans that murdered our kings and queens of the Council and put our people in chains. It was the cryans that stole ournd and burned our forest.


    ¡°The asuras are now our only hope to reim Dicathen. They took a great risk to attack the cryans in Elenoir, an act that would have broken Agrona¡¯s hold on our homnd, but the Vritra knew that. Instead of allowing Elenoir to be retaken, the Vritra destroyed it utterly.¡±


    The rest of the council stared warily at Virion. Albold and Feyrith¡¯s question was still stuck in my head. But how do you know?


    As if reading my thoughts, he said, ¡°Elder Rinia came to me with a vision.¡± Virion¡¯s voice was sharp and resolute, as if those words exined everything. ¡°She told me that the asuras of Epheotus woulde to our aid, but that the Vritra n were expecting their agreement to be broken, and would turn the attack back on us. She said they would try to make it look like the asuras were our enemies, but they are not.¡±


    Even Bairon seemed surprised to hear this news. Curtis and Kathyln exchanged a nce, while the elves leaned against each other for support.


    Madam Astera snorted, her old face wrinkling up into a sneer. ¡°The old soothsayer who ims to have seen all thising, and yet did nothing to prevent it? How convenient that there is always some vision we only learn about after it¡¯s toote to do anything.¡±


    That¡¯s not fair, I wanted to say. Without the seer, Tessia, my mother, and I would have been captured by the cryans a long time ago. But I bit my lip and held back because Madam Astera wasn¡¯t the only one who felt like that.


    It was part of the reason why Elder Rinia had chosen to seclude herself so deeply in the caverns. Because when people found out what Elder Rinia had known¡ªand what she could¡¯ve done¡ªthey never looked at her the same again.


    I thought¡ªhoped¡ªthat Virion might get upset with Madam Astera, but he only shook his head and looked even more tired. ¡°It isn¡¯t her fault, Astera, though I know it may be hard to trust her. Rinia has sacrificed much to help us however she can, and it has taken a terrible toll on her.¡±


    I realized with a jolt of guilt that I¡¯d entirely forgotten that aspect of Elder Rinia¡¯s magical abilities; she traded her own lifeforce to see our possible futures. ¡°Is she okay?¡± I asked, my voice sounding very small.


    Virion held my gaze for several seconds before replying. ¡°She is near the end of her power, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    Madam Astera looked as if she couldn¡¯t have cared less about Elder Rinia¡¯s failing health, but had the good grace not to share whatever she was thinking.


    I picked at the loose end of my nail as I thought back to when I had visited Elder Rinia.


    She seemed pretty healthy to me. I didn¡¯t doubt Virion¡¯s words, but, at the same time, I had trouble picturing the elderly elf¡¯s health failing so quickly.


    And what was she looking for when she had this vision? When I asked her about our mission, she¡¯d given me a vague warning about the cost being more than Virion wanted to pay. I¡¯d thought that she¡¯d been talking about Tessia...but had she already seen the asuran attack on Elenoir, and meant losing the whole country instead? But if that was the case, why hadn¡¯t she told me more at the time? Did she just see itter?


    I hate this visions-of-the-future junk, I thought miserably. It never made any sense.


    I decided to go see her again and turned my attention back to the meeting, but the meeting seemed to have ended. Everyone else looked as caught off guard by the sudden dismissal as I felt.


    Feyrith was already helping the elf woman out of the room, nervously skirting around Boo, who took up most of the doorway. Virion was having a whispered conversation with Bairon, while Curtis and Kathyln waited for a private word with the Commander.


    Helen helped me to my feet and guided me toward the door.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said gratefully.


    We made our way down the hall and through the heavy leather p that served as a door. Albold wasn¡¯t at his post when we left, but the other guard, Lenna, gave me a firm nod as we went past.


    Boo¡¯s sides scraped against the walls of the hallway behind us, and he had to squash himself through the door. My bond gave me a grumpy, mewling grunt when he finally made it out onto the steps.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I told you to wait outside,¡± I said, waiting for him to catch up. When he did, I twined my fingers into his dense fur and let him support me as we walked.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t feel this way, Ellie, but...you did good,¡± Helen said when we caught back up.


    ¡°Yeah...¡± You¡¯re right, I really don¡¯t feel that way...


    ¡°One thing I don¡¯t really understand,¡± Helen said, her tone conversational. ¡°How did Boo escape? Did the pendant Arthur gave you bring you both back?¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer right away. The truth was, everything after Aldir and Windsom showed up in Elenoir was sort of a blur. Boo had been hiding in the forest around Eidelholm, and should have been killed, but...when I came to in the sanctuary, he was right beside me.


    ¡°Or have you been keeping these powerful and mysterious abilities a secret from your teacher?¡± she asked, giving me a look of mock surprise.


    I shook my head, allowing a faint smile. ¡°I don¡¯t think it was the phoenix wyrm amulet, and this definitely wasn¡¯t something I was keeping a secret from everyone. To be honest, I¡¯ve never really figured out what kind of mana beast he is, so we¡¯re not sure what his powers are.¡±


    He moaned from behind us. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re talking about you. Ever since we came back, anytime I get...stressed out or a bit scared, he just poofs right next to me. So that must be how he escaped. It draws off my own mana, though, and nearly killed me from the bacsh...¡±


    Helen¡¯s eyes widened until her brows rose up out of sight behind the line of her hair. ¡°Either way, I think you¡¯re more like that brother of yours than anyone¡¯s given you credit for.¡±


    Ever since Elenoir, I¡¯d felt like there was this sort of crack that ran all the way through inside me, and it got a little bigger with every nice thing someone said to me. I didn¡¯t feel like Arthur. I wasn¡¯t heroic, or brave, or talented, or powerful...if I was, then I could have done something. I could have rescued Tessia, or saved those elves or...


    Could Arthur have stopped them from destroying Elenoir? I wondered.


    ¡°Hey, look at me.¡± Helen took my chin firmly in her hand and tugged my head up so our eyes met. ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself for everything that went wrong, and don¡¯t refuse to ept where you helped things go right. Your mission¡ªyou, Ellie¡ªsaved a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I said, but the words came out half choked as my throat tightened and my eyes began to overflow with tears. ¡°I just¡ªI...¡±


    Words failed me. Helen¡¯s arms were around me, and I let myself sink into her. Every wracking sob sent a hot bolt of pain through me. Boo¡¯s heavy warmth pressed against my back as he joined in our hug.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I take you to meet some of those people you saved?¡± Helen said softly. ¡°Remind you what all this was for.¡±

 Chapter 327 Enough For Now

    <h4>Chapter 327: Enough For Now</h4>


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    I forced my hand to rx around the relic, afraid of it shattering within my clenched fist, and withdrew my consciousness. My eyes opened to reveal the small cell in the Granbehls¡¯ mansion as a broad grin spread across my face.


    Ellie was alive!


    I mped a hand over my mouth out of fear that I might just burst intoughter, interrupted by a loud sigh from inside my head.


    What?


    ¡®Nothing,¡¯ Regis said with a shrug. ¡®I just feel sorry for the poor sod that tries to actually marry your little sister in the future.¡¯


    I stifled anotherugh, actually finding Regis¡¯s sense of humor amusing for once, which took even mypanion by surprise.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I whispered to the relic as I held it up against my forehead. I repeated it again and again as relief continued to wash over me like a soothing balm.


    The tension and fear that gripped my chest like an iron w loosened and I was able to breathe fully and deeply again now that I knew my sister was okay.


    It was still frustrating trying to piece together the conversation I¡¯d witnessed in my head, but what was important was that Ellie was safe.


    That was enough for now.


    They were still hidden in the underground sanctuary, that much at least was clear from the architecture of the building as Ellie recounted what happened to her in Elenoir. The relic didn¡¯t allow me to hear the conversation, but I followed along by reading her lips as best as I could.


    A mixture of emotions bubbled up as I realized that my little sister had fought off a fully trained cryan mage all by herself. I was angry at her, scared and worried for her¡ªand yet, proud of the warrior she¡¯d be.


    My brows furrowed as I considered Ellie¡¯s description of her time at the cryan camp.


    How could she be so reckless as to pretend to be a race of people she knows nothing about and infiltrate their base of operations? I thought with a sigh.


    ¡®Are you being deliberate here or are you just blind to the hypocrisy?¡¯ Regis asked.


    Shut it, I snapped, ignoring the almost tangible sensation of Regis rolling his eyes within me.


    It was bad enough that Elijah¡¯s name had appeared from Ellie¡¯s lips.The memory of thatst battle with my reincarnated friend and the Scythe, Cadell, was muddled, but his animosity bordering on hatred toward me was clear, and it made me sick knowing that he had been so close in proximity to my sister.


    But it wasn¡¯t until Virion had started to speak that things got confusing. Even though I hadn¡¯t been able to make out every word he said, his ount of the attack was clearly different from what I had witnessed.


    ¡®Huh. Well I guess you can¡¯t me a guy for wanting to deny that it isn¡¯t just one asuran n that wants you all dead,¡¯ Regis chimed in.


    I don¡¯t think it was as simple as being in denial. He seemed so sure for some reason.


    ¡®Then maybe he knows and just wants his soldiers¡¯ attention on an enemy that he can actually fight,¡¯ mypanion offered. ¡®A temporary, but maybe necessary, tactic.¡¯


    Maybe, I replied, but I wasn¡¯t convinced. I rolled up into a sitting position and rested my elbows on my knees. He could have misunderstood Rinia¡¯s warning, or maybe he¡¯s just wrong. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d have believed it either, if I hadn¡¯t watched Aldir do it.


    Ellie¡¯s safety and health was a huge weight off of my shoulders, but it also felt bittersweet. An entire country, one that I¡¯d visited multiple times, had been destroyedpletely.


    How many had died in the asuras¡¯ attack? How many elves weren¡¯t able to be evacuated during the cryans¡¯ initial assault?


    And what about Tessia?


    Standing, I began to pace back and forth across the tiny cell.


    Tess¡¯s battle against Lord Aldir and Windsom, side by side with Nico, reyed in my mind. I pictured the way she¡¯d fought, how she¡¯d moved so awkwardly, like she was having trouble controlling her own body, and how Nico had defended her, putting himself between her and Windsom¡¯s attacks.


    And that look they shared, at the end...


    I sat back down and rolled the relic around absently between my fingers.


    ¡®While I would normally encourage these sorts of sentimental moments to a tin can such as yourself, I don¡¯t think Nico making moves on your girl should be¡ª¡¯


    It¡¯s not that simple, I cut in, jaw clenched.


    Thest moments before Sylvie sacrificed herself for me, the memory I¡¯d been so desperately burying, resurfaced:


    ¡°You said taking Tess isn¡¯t going to bring Cecilia back, right? Well, what if it will?¡± Nico had asked me.


    Tess was the vessel for Cecilia. They wanted to reincarnate Cecilia into Tessia¡¯s body. Nico had told me as much.


    I narrowed my eyes, focusing on a specific crack on the ceiling. Taking a steady breath, I forced myself to calm down. I needed to make a mental step back so I could think clearly.


    I knew that my own reincarnation had somehow been the catalyst for Agrona figuring out how to bring Nico into this world. Nico had loved Cecilia and dedicated his entire life to her...and I had killed her right in front of him.


    Watching that happen, living with that anger and fear and guilt as I went on to be king and cut myself off from my old life...I couldn¡¯t bring myself to me Nico¡¯s resentment.


    Or did Agrona do something to him to make him like this?


    ming Agrona for Nico¡¯s current state was easy, but that was also me trying to shift the me. Most likely, the Vritra could only manipte him because of our ties in our previous life.


    Now, Nico wanted Cecilia back...but there had to be more to all this reincarnation stuff than just that. Agrona was calctive and maniptive¡ªI couldn¡¯t see him not doing anything that wasn¡¯t a benefit to himself or his goal. He wouldn¡¯t have promised to reincarnate Cecilia just to make Nico happy.


    Of course, he intends to use her. Just like how Vera used me. All Cecilia had wanted was peace, which is why she had...


    I shook my head, pulling away from thoughts of my past life and forcing myself to focus on the present.


    Elder Rinia had said that we had to keep Tess away from Agrona, that everything depended on it. This isn¡¯t about Nico at all. It¡¯s about Cecilia.


    Maybe it always had been.


    How strong would Cecilia¡ªthis so-called ¡°legacy¡±¡ªbe in this world?


    ¡®Well, given that a quadra-elemental white core mage and a darkness-spewing Vritra are needed to even summon her...¡¯ Regis started, ¡®I¡¯d say pretty damn strong.¡¯


    Not helping.


    My thoughts were scattered, jumping from one thread to the next before I could settle on any one idea.


    I sat up again and rubbed at my face.


    But none of this answers the question, why would Indrath choose to attack now? Unless¡ªI swallowed past a hard lump in my throat¡ªAgrona was sessful.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± I threw a punch, stopping just shy of the closest wall. Thest thing I needed was to identally break out of this cell and make things worse.


    Even if Tess was now...Cecilia, it didn¡¯t change the fact that I needed to y this trial out in order to move about freely in crya. I couldn¡¯t afford to risk facing Agrona and the Vritra and Scythes before I was ready.


    What do you think, Regis? I asked, eager to hear any thoughts but my own.


    ¡®That the answer I¡¯ll give isn¡¯t the answer you want to hear,¡¯ he responded gruffly.


    Have you ever given me an answer I wanted to hear? I let out a breath. You have my memories and a part of my personality, along with some of Sylvie¡¯s and Uto¡¯s. Just be honest.


    ¡®Well, there¡¯s a good chance yourdy love has been erased and reced with the super-powerful chick you murdered in a previous life. Sound about right?¡¯


    I bit back my immediate annoyed response. Yes, Regis, as you¡¯ve so eloquently put it, but what can I do about it?


    ¡®A passing gnort donkey can tell you that there isn¡¯t a damned thing you can do about that right now,¡¯ mypanion cut in. ¡®You¡¯re trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces. At this rate, you¡¯re going to either get the wrong answer or have a mental breakdown trying.¡¯


    I ran my fingers through my hair, once again reminded of how far I hade¡ªhow much had changed¡ªsince I first came to this world.


    Then what happens if Agrona can solve the puzzle before I can even gather all of the pieces?


    ¡®Then you lose,¡¯ he said tly. ¡®But remember what the djinn said, Agrona doesn¡¯t have insight into aether like you do, which is why you even have a chance at beating him. Why give that up to try and do exactly what Agrona has been doing for centuries to try to win?¡¯


    I pondered over Regis¡¯s words for a moment before responding. You¡¯re right.


    Anger shed from mypanion ¡®No, no, you¡¯re not listening to me. You¡ªwait, did you just say that I¡¯m right?¡¯


    I nodded.


    ¡®Thanks...no, I mean of course I¡¯m right,¡¯ Regis continued. ¡®Also, while you¡¯re actually listening to me for a change, I don¡¯t think that relic is going to be good for your mental health, if you know what I mean. Don¡¯t get addicted to spying on your sister.¡¯


    I let out a humorless chuckle. Thanks, Regis.


    The relic was still resting in my hand, smooth and sharp-edged. Looking at it gave me a sudden idea.


    I only hoped that the relic had enough power left for a second use.


    Holding it gingerly between my index finger and thumb, I pushed aether into it and thought, Tessia.


    Mist swirled across the surface of the stone, but nothing else happened.


    Cecilia.


    The clouds grew dark and the relic began to emit a soft purple light as it absorbed my aether, but I didn¡¯t receive a vision.


    ¡®Dead again?¡¯


    No, it¡¯s drawing on my aether, but it¡¯s not showing me Tessia or Cecilia.


    ¡®Well...try someone else, maybe? To make sure it¡¯s still working.¡¯


    Feeling calmer now, I took a moment to consider my options, but there was only one other person I could think of that I wanted to see, so I thought her name.


    White fog rolled around me, and suddenly I was back in the underground sanctuary beneath the desert in Darv. The massive cavern opened up all around me, and there was a small stream at my feet.


    Across the stream, my mother sat on a gray log with her feet kicking in the water. Her rich auburn hair¡ªa trait I no longer shared¡ªhad hints of gray throughout, and new wrinkles formed creases under her eyes and over her brows.


    I didn¡¯t know what I had expected¡ªwhat I hoped¡ªas I watched my mother, but I silently waited.


    It was an odd moment of realization when I thought to myself that Alice wasn¡¯t really my mother¡ªnot in a conventional way at least. I was an adult long before I was born into this world, with previous memories and experiences that should¡¯ve deterred me from seeing this woman as a mother-like figure.


    Yet, it grew harder and harder to watch her like this, small and alone. Memories of her smile, herughter, her tears as I navigated my way through this world resurfaced, reminding me that I had never been alone¡ªat least, not in this world.


    Suddenly, my mother looked up and let out a sigh. Her lips moved, and even without sound, I could clearly hear what she said.


    ¡°How are you doing up there with our son, Rey?¡±


    I felt a cold lump in my throat, and just as I tried to pull away from the vision, a sparkling fish the size of arge trout swam up and nibbled at my mother¡¯s toes.


    In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to tell her that I was still alive, and that I would keep fighting.


    A brief smile shed across her face, just a tiny upward curve of her lips before the fish zipped away downstream.


    But it was enough for me.

 Chapter 328 Face to Face

    <h4>Chapter 328: Face to Face</h4>


    Petras leaned over me, his rancid breath a form of torture in and of itself.


    ¡°Poke, poke, poke,¡± he chanted, following each word with a swift thrust of his knife into a different part of my body.


    It had been a week since Caera and I had left the Relictombs, and every day had been almost exactly the same.


    ¡°This is bing tedious, Ascender Grey,¡± Matheson said from behind the torturer. ¡°Surely you can see the writing on the wall. Save yourself from two more weeks of pain, and admit to the murders of Lords Kalon and Ezra.¡±


    Though the Granbehls¡¯ steward kept his face passive, he repeatedly fumbled with the cuffs of his sleeves. Over thest week, I had decided that this was Matheson¡¯s tell for when he was bing frustrated.


    ¡°Or,¡± I returned calmly, batting myshes while gazing doe-eyed at the old man, ¡°you could be a dear and let me go.¡±


    Inside me, Regis let out a chortle.


    Matheson returned my gaze with a re of his own, adjusting his sleeves yet again before turning to Petras. ¡°Spend some more time with him. Lord Granbehl has been most...disappointed with your service as ofte. He expects results.¡±


    He turned and strode out of the cell, leaving me shackled to the wall. Petras, who was so close he was practically leaning against me, stared after the steward for a long time.


    ¡°Well,¡± he said eventually, his high-pitched voice lower and gloomier than usual, ¡°you heard Master Matheson. We get to spend some extra time together today.¡±


    ***


    After another hour of burns, cuts, and the stench of Petras¡¯s breath, thenky cryan seemed to give up. He left without a word or even a backward nce, his arms hanging down at his sides and his steps slow and plodding.


    ¡®I¡¯m actually starting to feel bad for him,¡¯ Regis said, after the torturer was gone. ¡®Throw him a bone...give him a grunt or a wince, at least.¡¯


    I stretched out my arms and legs as the wounds quickly healed over. By spending a few hours every day focusing on absorbing aether from the atmosphere, I was able to keep up with the cost of healing the many wounds left by the Granbehls¡¯ torturer.


    ¡®So, another stimting day spent staring at that toy of yours?¡¯ Regis asked as I reclined on my cot and pulled out the dried-fruit toy. ¡®I¡¯m dying to get out and stretch my legs.¡¯


    You know we can¡¯t do that right now, I told him for the tenth time.


    A violet w grew from my finger, and I slid it into the slot at the base of the dried fruit. After rattling the seed around inside until it rested over the hole left by the fruit¡¯s stem, I pulled with the w.


    The aether held for a moment before bending and losing its shape like wet y.


    I sighed before reforming the w and trying again.


    When I¡¯d learned how to use God Step with Three Steps¡¯ help, she had been able to show me how to change my focus and see the world differently. I was sure that there must also be some kind of mental ¡°trick¡± to using aether to form a physical shape but I felt stuck in the same pattern, doing the same thing over and over.


    Still, it calmed my mind to focus entirely on summoning the aether w. I spent hours trying to w out the seed, and even though every attempt was met with failure, I wasn¡¯t frustrated by it. It felt right somehow, like this was what Three Steps had intended.


    Eventually, though, I had to admit when I¡¯d done enough for one day, and stored the toy back into the dimension rune.


    Thoughts of Tessia began to drift in the moment I stopped focusing. I had no intention to confront these thoughts right now, and searched for something else to keep me busy.


    Habit caused me to withdraw the seeing relic. It was dull and lifeless; I¡¯d used it again only a day ago to check on my sister and mother. First, I tried to find Tessia again, but it failed, just like before. After that, I watched Ellie train with Helen until the stone¡¯s power faded.


    ¡®There¡¯s that goofy grin again. You¡¯re thinking about your sister again, huh?¡¯ Regis asked, invading my thoughts.


    Yeah. She¡¯s growing to be a really talented mage, you know? And brave...


    ¡®Yet you still worry about her dating life,¡¯ Regis grunted.


    I groaned. Enough with the whole overprotective brotherbel. I would be...d if she finds a good guy that makes her happy.


    ¡®Tell that to the cot rail you just bent with your bare hand.¡¯


    I looked down to see that the metal pipe used to support the cot was dented.


    That says nothing, I retorted, straightening out the dense rail.


    ¡®Just promise not to force your sister¡¯s would-be suitors to beat you in a duel or some crap like that...¡¯


    That¡¯s actually not a bad¡ª


    Halting footsteps on the stairs interrupted our conversation, and I quickly stored the relic and stood, facing the gloomy hallway.


    The person standing on the other side was familiar, but she¡¯d changed a lot since I¡¯d seen herst. Enough to feel a pang of guilt.


    ¡°Hello, Ada,¡± I said, keeping my tone and expression t and calm.


    The youngest Granbehl sibling had cut her long blonde hair so it was shorter than mine. She¡¯d lost weight, too, making her girlish features sharper and more mature, but also gaunt and sort of...haunted, in a way.


    The fact that she¡¯de to see me wasn¡¯t all that surprising; I¡¯d been expecting it. The death of her siblings and her best friend in the Relictombs had been awful, but¡ªalthough she¡¯d med me at the time¡ªshe knew I didn¡¯t kill Kalon, Ezra, or Riah.


    The cryan girl didn¡¯t reply, just watched me with her bright, cold eyes.


    ¡®Is she just going to, like, stare at you, or what?¡¯ Regis asked. ¡®It¡¯s kind of creepy.¡¯


    I took a slow step toward the door, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. Ada flinched back anyway.


    ¡°Ada, listen¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said, her voice raw. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anything you have to say.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you here?¡± I asked simply. If I could get through to Ada, then her blood would have to drop their usations.


    ¡°It¡¯s your fault...¡±


    I replied with a gentle shake of my head. ¡°I didn¡¯t kill them¡ªany of them. You know that, Ada.¡±


    ¡°But you did!¡± Her voice cracked, and I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she hadn¡¯t used it much since returning from the Relictombs. ¡°You took us to that ce. Y-you knew it would get us all killed!¡±


    Ada¡¯s thin face twisted into a grimace as she suppressed the tears building up in her eyes. ¡°You knew...¡± she repeated, her voice barely a whisper.


    I took a deep breath. The truth was, I had known that my presence made the Relictombs more dangerous for regr ascenders. And perhaps I hadn¡¯t really cared what that meant at the time. These cryans were¡ªare, I reminded myself¡ªmy enemies. Did it really matter if a few died along the way because they couldn¡¯t keep up with me? My goal wasn¡¯t to make friends or babysit a bunch of mages who would immediately try to kill me if they found out who I really was.


    I thought of Kalon¡¯s friendly grin and Ezra¡¯s protective stance and suspicious re. Their family¡ªtheir blood¡ªwere the type of people who kept a torturer on staff and jail cells in their basement.


    Kalon and Ezra would have likely been just as bad as their father, given time.


    ¡®Or maybe they would have turned things around for their blood, you know?¡¯ Regis chimed in cheekily. ¡®I mean...if they¡¯d have survived.¡¯


    Thanks for that, I shot back.


    ¡®What¡¯s the point of having a voice in your head if it won¡¯t give you some perspective?¡±


    Ada, who had been watching me silently as I went back and forth with Regis, took a deep, shuddering breath. ¡°And the w-worst part is, you don¡¯t even care. My b-best friend, my brothers, died because of you, and you don¡¯t care.¡±


    I stared back, expression fixed. ¡°Would you have cared for my death? A total stranger you met only a few days prior?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± she snapped, her rough-edged voice catching in her throat. ¡°You¡¯re a monster...worse than those creatures in the R-Relictombs...¡±


    ¡°You may be right about that.¡±


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t been there, Kalon would have kept us all safe! A-and if I hadn¡¯t touched that stupid mirror...¡± Ada fell silent, her small, pale hands balled up into fists and shoulders trembling.


    I let out a sigh, only being able to see her as a wounded child and not as the horrific cryan that would¡¯ve made this conversation so much easier.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± I finally said, wondering if I was even entitled to give herfort.


    Ada¡¯s head snapped up, her red-rimmed eyes ring. ¡°No one said¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, but it¡¯s why you came down here, right? Because at some point in all of this, you stopped believing in your own words.¡± My gaze fell as I remembered watching everything from within the keystone...stuck and unable to help.


    Ada¡¯s brows furrowed as she opened her mouth to reply, but the words stuck in her throat.


    I leaned against the wall next to the door and slid down until I was seated on the hard stone. ¡°Contrary to what you might believe after seeing me down at the Relictombs, I¡¯ve managed to live this long and get this far only because of the sacrifices that others have made for me.¡±


    I thought of Sylvia pushing me through the portal as a child, and Sylvie sacrificing her life in order to heal me.


    ¡°And every time someone I loved died just so that I could live, I would focus on nothing else but seeking out the ones responsible. Even if it meant chasing after shadows.¡±


    Ada stomped her foot on the stone ground. ¡°Why are you telling me any of this? What¡¯s the point?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Because I hope that punishing me for your brothers¡¯ deaths will at least help you feel less guilty for surviving.¡±


    Ada gripped one hand tightly in the other. ¡°I¡¯m not doing this out of guilt! I¡¯m doing this to get revenge for them. For what you did to them!¡±


    I waited, letting her yell.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Tears began to flow freely down her cheeks. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that!¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯ve been where you¡¯re standing right now, and it¡¯s not something I¡¯d wish for anyone to have to go through,¡± I said quietly.


    I listened to her hurried steps as she ran down the hall up and up the stairs, and felt a sobering numbness settle over me.


    Staying on the ground, I leaned back against the cold wall as her steps grew fainter. A part of me hoped she¡¯de back again, but another part found it actually easier to be tortured.


    Thest footfalls echoed through the halls before a lonely silence filled its ce.


    What, no snarkymentary, Regis?


    ¡®And cut short your well-deserved self-loathing?¡¯ Regis responded. ¡®Even I know when it¡¯s not an appropriate time to make an inappropriate remark.¡¯


    I raised a brow. Is there ever an appropriate time to make an inappropriate remark?


    ¡®Sure, if you¡¯re as clever and funny as me.¡¯

 Chapter 329

    Chapter 329


    ¡°So, I take it that your extended stay in the Denoir¡¯s Relictombs estate has been especially¡­disagreeable,¡± Nessa said as she gently ced my head back.


    ¡°It¡¯s been¡­fine,¡± I said calmly, letting my eyes close.


    I heard a faint giggle. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m sure,¡± I snapped, trying to focus on the suffocating scent of flowers and spices emanating from the plethora of ¡°calming¡± candles in the bathing room.


    ¡°Then can you try telling that to your leg?¡± Nessa asked, holding in anotherugh. ¡°Because at how much you¡¯re squirming, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re going to wiggle yourself right out of the tub, Lady Caera.¡±


    I peeked an eye open, only now noticing therge puddle of water and fragrant bubbles that had pooled around my bathtub.


    Letting out a sigh, I stilled my leg. ¡°Time seems to be moving at a crawl these days, Nessa.¡±


    I closed my eyes once more, trying to rx by focusing on thebination of scalding hot water, sweat, and my dead skin topped prettily with aromatic froth.


    Meanwhile, Nessa sat at the head of the bath, working scented soap into my hair and massaging my scalp between my horns, which were kept imperceivable by my relic, even if she happened to bump against one.


    ¡°Bathing is one of the most potent methods to ease nervousness and soothe muscle fatigue,¡± Nessa informed me as she continued to work down my hair.


    ¡°It feels more like stewing than bathing,¡± I grumbled back.


    ¡°M¡¯hm,¡± she dismissed, continuing with her work.


    Frustration bubbled the more I thought about it. ¡°By the Vritra, I swear I¡¯d leap out of that window and run naked through the streets for another chance to get into the Relictombs.¡±


    ¡°Well, that would certainly get the highlord anddy¡¯s attention,¡± Nessa replied, and I could hear the smile in her voice.


    ¡°And it¡¯s another whole week until the trial. Which, of course, I¡¯m not even allowed to attend,¡± I continued, sinking a little more deeply into the tub so that the bubbles went up over my chin and mouth.


    ¡°We all must follow the highlord anddy¡¯s wishes, after all,¡± Nessa said simply.


    I opened my eyes and blew outward with my mouth, sending bubbles flying. ¡°Perhaps we could¡ª¡°


    The heavy ng of our front doorbell interrupted me. Nessa stopped kneading my hair as we both listened.


    The muffled sound of unfamiliar voices came from the main foyer.


    ¡°Go see who it is, Nessa.¡±


    ¡°Only if you promise not to jump out naked and make a run for the Relictombs, Lady Caera,¡± my personal attendant said with a grin.


    I mustered a smile. ¡°Just go.¡±


    She stood briskly and whisked out of the bathing room, closing the door quietly behind her.


    Once she was gone, I slid down under the surface of the water and forced myself to rx, letting my arms float naturally while my body rested lightly on the bottom of the excessivelyrge marble bathtub.


    My mind floated too, drifting around in the muddle of conflicted thought I¡¯d been trying to sort through for two weeks now.


    Scythe Seris¡¯s words about Grey kepting back to me. She seemed to know more than she was telling me, but I couldn¡¯t quite puzzle through it, and she¡¯d been firm in denying me more information. My mentor wouldn¡¯t budge once she¡¯d made up her mind about something, and I knew better than to push too hard. Everything woulde clear in its proper time.


    Grey¡­


    I tried to picture his face, but it was the memory of his body pressing gently against mine as we shared his bedroll for warmth that came to my mind.


    I shot upright, sshing even more sudsy water onto the marble floor and ring down at myself. I was Caera Denoir. I did not pine for anyone.


    Rising, I stepped carefully out of the bath and wrapped a heavy towel around myself just as a small knock came from the door.


    Assuming it was my attendant, I said, ¡°I¡¯m not decent, Nessa. A moment.¡±


    ¡°There are two men here to see you, Lady Caera,¡± Nessa said softly through the door. ¡°They want to speak to you. About¡­him. They¡¯re with your father in the receiving room.¡±


    My eyes widened at his mention and I hurried to dry and dress myself.


    Someone who knows Grey. They must be here about helping him, I thought as I slid into embroidered white robes. The idea that Grey had friends was unexpected. He had seemed so distant and walled off...


    Eager to find out more, I hurried out of the bathing room, but a frantic Nessa threw herself bodily in my way.


    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t! You¡¯ll have to step over my dead body if you think I¡¯m going to let you go in looking like you just got caught having an illicit affair, Lady Caera.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been reading too many of those novels, Nessa,¡± I scolded her.


    She grinned as she fussed with my hair,bing through it with her fingers, then took a moment to straighten the hem of my robes.


    Huffing, I waited impatiently for her to finish, then rushed past her to the receiving room, my bare feet padding silently across the thick red rug that ran down the center of the hallway.


    I had the good grace topose myself before stepping through the open doorway, however.


    The receiving room was lessfortable than the drawing room, which was intended only for members of our blood, but was more opulent, carefully designed to instill a sense of wonder and awe on the highlord¡¯s guests.


    Not that we ever had guests or visitors here.


    Portraits of severe- looking men and women¡ªprevious highlords anddies, mostly¡ªglowered down from the walls, and several high-backed chairs surrounded an open firece that burned either blue or scarlet when it was lit.


    Inside the room, I found my adoptive father facing off with the two men. The three were standing, and the firece was cold and empty. Although Corbett Denoir¡¯s cross-armed stance and haughty scowl were hardly unusual for the highlord, our visitors weren¡¯t what I expected.


    The first man was older, and thickly built, perhaps once a soldier or even an ascender, but he had clearly let himself go. His gray hair and beard had been heavily oiled and gleamed in the warm receiving room light, and his fine clothes hung from him awkwardly. He watched the highlord restlessly as hispanion spoke, and his hands kept patting something inside his jacket.


    He was certainly not the type of man who usually called on Highlord Denoir.


    Hispanion, on the other hand, was his opposite in almost every way. Despite Corbett¡¯s cold stare, the stranger seemed perfectly at ease. Tall and broad-shouldered, with the easy grace of a trained warrior, he had the air of nobility, but I couldn¡¯t recall ever seeing him before. His suit was finely tailored, a muted olive that highlighted his emerald-green eyes and showed off his athletic physique.


    ¡°¡ªunderstand your stance, Highlord Denoir, absolutely,¡± he was saying, ¡°and mypanion and I have no wish to put you or your daughter in a politically ufortable position, of course, but the life and livelihood of an innocent man hangs in the bnce.¡±


    The man noticed me enter from the corner of his eye, and he took a step backwards and to the side, turning to greet me without putting his back to Corbett, which would have been considered rude in noble circles.


    My adoptive father red at me, his sharp gray-green eyes lingering on my bare feet.


    ¡°My Lady Caera Denoir,¡± the stranger said, bowing deeply before giving me a wide smile and holding my gaze.


    The older man, who had been watching my adoptive father carefully and hadn¡¯t immediately sensed my arrival, grunted and spun around. His bow was bted and clumsy, which amused me all the more because of the irritation it caused Corbett.


    ¡°Lady Caera,¡± he said, his voice a coarse growl. ¡°I¡¯m ric, the ascender Grey¡¯s¡­uh¡­uncle, and this is Darrin Ordin. We were hoping to speak to you¡ª¡±


    Corbett took a step forward, his arms unfolding and his chest swelling. ¡°Which is something I had not yet agreed to allow.¡± My adoptive father looked imperiously down his nose at me, almost as if he were challenging me to argue with him.


    My thoughts, however, were on the old man¡¯s words. Grey¡¯s uncle? I stared at him, looking for any hint of a family resemnce, but there was none. Though he dressed well, ric wouldn¡¯t have looked out of ce passed out in the corner of some seedy bar somewhere.


    From Corbett¡¯s pinch-nosed expression of displeasure, I could tell he was thinking something simr.


    I met the highlord¡¯s eye. ¡°Just as well that I stumbled in then, Father, if I had guests.¡± To Darrin, I said, ¡°Why do I feel as though I¡¯ve heard your name before?¡±


    The man grinned and ran a hand through his fine blond hair. ¡°I¡¯m an ascender. Mostly retired, now, but I achieved a little fame¡ª¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± I said, interrupting him and earning myself another re from my adoptive father, which I ignored. ¡°You were the lead Striker for the Unblooded party, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    His brows shot up in surprise, but the grin Darrin gave me seemed genuinely pleased. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to be recognized by a member of Highblood Denoir, Lady Caera. I did not expect to¡ª¡±


    ¡°These men,¡± Corbett¡¯s voice boomed, cutting through our conversation, ¡°havee to beg for your testimony regarding the events of your most recent ascent.¡±


    ¡°These men,¡± Corbett¡¯s voice boomed, cutting through our conversation, ¡°havee to beg for your testimony regarding the events of your most recent ascent.¡±


    Everyone fell silent as our attention turned to the highlord. ¡°But, as I have already told them,¡± he continued, ¡°it is our wish that you not be drawn into this trial.¡±


    I opened my mouth to reply, but he quickly carried on, addressing ric. ¡°While your¡­nephew¡¯s position is unfortunate, sir, Highblood Denoir is not responsible for either his actions, or those of Blood Granbehl. Perhaps your time would be better spent speaking to them directly.¡±


    ¡°With all due respect, Highlord Denoir,¡± Darrin replied, ¡°Lady Caera is, from what I¡¯ve been led to believe, the only witness aside from Grey and the young Lady Ada Granbehl, whose testimony we believe to be suspect. Justice demands¡ª¡±


    Corbett¡¯s brow rose and he gave the man a withering look. ¡°Even justice may not make demands of me here, under my own roof. Our blood has already discussed this matter, and the decision has been made. You¡¯ve wasted your time, and mine.¡±


    I certainly did not agree to any such thing, I thought, my nails digging into my palms as I clenched my fists.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so quick to dismiss our guests, Father,¡± I said, forcing a smile. ¡°Darrin Ordin is a famous ascender. He led a very sessful group of ascenders from unnamed bloods. Surely we can afford a few moments to hear him out.¡±


    Corbett wrinkled his nose, as if I¡¯d just told him Darrin was a wogart farmer. ¡°Yes, well, be that as it may, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t help with his current request.¡±


    ¡°On the contrary, I think we could be most helpful,¡± I countered, careful to keep my voice even. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s almost as if you¡¯re afraid of these Granbehls¡­but they¡¯re just a named blood, so I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not true.¡±


    Corbett¡¯s jaw tightened, but otherwise he didn¡¯t disy the anger I knew was building within him. ¡°We have discussed this, Caera, and you know where I stand. Should you feel the need, we may continue with our discussion after our guests have left.¡±


    Darrin Ordin cleared his throat. ¡°We apologize for the intrusion. We¡¯ll see ourselves out, Highlord Denoir.¡±


    ¡°Much gratitude for your time,¡± ric grumbled, already shuffling sideways toward the door.


    The snapping of a panel on the far side of the receiving room made everyone turn suddenly, but it was only Lenora.


    My adoptive mother was dressedfortably in dark green robes embroidered with golden runes. The outfit wasn¡¯t actually magical, but the runes made it look powerful and authoritative anyway.


    She smiled warmly at our guests. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m so sorry to intrude. You wouldn¡¯t mind if I shared a brief word with my husband, of course?¡±


    Darrin bowed deeply and shed Lenora a charming smile. ¡°Of course not, Lady Denoir, but I¡¯m afraid we were just leaving¡ª¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, at least, not at this very instant. We¡¯ll just be a moment.¡± With thesest words, she shot Corbett a meaningful look and held out her arm to him.


    The highlord moved stiffly, a muscle twitching in his jaw as he swept past Lenora and disappeared through the panel at the back of the room, which functioned much like a servants¡¯ entrance.


    She shot our guests a dazzling smile as she let her arm fall to her side before following her husband from the room.


    Knowing I might only have a moment or two before they returned, I stepped closer to Darrin and ric. ¡°Are you really Grey¡¯s uncle?¡± I asked the old man, who was eyeing me warily.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious by my sharp and chiseled features?¡± he asked, a smirk tugging at the edge of his dry lips.


    Darrin rolled his eyes at this, dropping his formal demeanor. ¡°It¡¯s about as obvious as an infant shadow prowler hiding in the dark.¡±


    I let out a chuckle at their banter. ¡°Excuse me. I didn¡¯t mean to be rude.¡±


    ¡°No, being rude is this old man¡¯s forte,¡± Darrin replied. ¡°But I digress. You should know, Lady Caera, that this man¡¯s nephew wouldn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I agreed, ¡°he wouldn¡¯t. Grey can be¡­dispassionate, when he needs to be, but he¡¯s no murderer. The others died fighting, through no fault of Grey¡¯s at all. In fact, he saved Ada¡¯s life.¡± Which I told him was a bad idea, I thought icily.


    Grey¡¯s uncle pulled a sk from his breast pocket and unscrewed the cap with practiced ease before taking a drink. His bleary eyes darted to the open panel across the room before he took one more. ¡°It certainly would¡¯ve saved us from all of this trouble if my nephew hadn¡¯t, but he¡¯s a kind-hearted block of ice.¡±


    I nodded, a smile forming on my lips as I recounted all of Grey¡¯s bullish moments. ¡°That he is.¡± I paused for a moment, hesitant to ask the question that had been on the tip of my tongue for a while now. ¡°Have you been close to Grey since he was young?¡±


    What was he like when he was a child? I actually wanted to ask.


    ¡°He¡¯s been my responsibility since bing an ascender,¡± ric responded, taking anotherrge sip from his sk. ¡°It¡¯s just a shame that he¡¯s run into trouble with named bloods, especially leeches like the Granbehls, nobles who are willing to do anything and everything to climb higher, no matter who they step on. Which, I realize, describes most named and highbloods¡ª¡±


    Darrin Ordin elbowed the older man in his side sharply.


    He scratched his beard. ¡°No offense.¡±


    I had heard the usation in his tone. ¡°It just so happens that I agree with your assessment of the noble bloods. And I would like nothing more than to act as a witness on his behalf, but Highlord Denoir won¡¯t allow it,¡± I shot back defensively.


    Darrin Ordin rested a hand on the old man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We understand, Lady Caera, and wouldn¡¯t ask you to go against the wishes of your blood.¡±


    ric rolled his eyes, but didn¡¯t say anything else. There were so many things I wanted to know, questions I had hoped to ask, but at that moment Corbett strode back into the receiving room, with Lady Lenora at his side, her arm lightly tucked into his.


    ¡°After further consideration, Highblood Denoir has decided to offer our assistance in the matter of Ascender Grey¡¯s trial,¡± he announced, the very picture of a magnanimous lord granting a boon.


    I peered at my adoptive parents, trying to get some sense of why they¡¯d suddenly changed their mind, and Lenora met my eyes with a strange, knowing smile that I didn¡¯t like.


    ¡°An agent will bring Caera¡¯s statement, and whatever other documentation we may discover that would be of benefit to your case, on the day of the trial,¡± Corbett continued. ¡°Until then, it would be best that you not draw further attention to Highblood Denoir by returning here again.¡±


    ric fidgeted, frowning slightly under his beard, but Darrin gave Corbett a deep, sweeping bow. ¡°Thank you, Highlord Denoir. It is as much as we could ask for.¡±


    ¡°As much and more,¡± Corbett replied dismissively, already turning away. ¡°Nessa!¡±


    My attendant, who had been hovering just outside in the hall, hurried into the receiving room, her eyes on the cut-marble floor.


    ¡°See our guests out.¡±


    Darrin Ordin bowed yet again, followed clumsily by ric, and then both men followed Nessa out into the hall.


    When we were alone, I faced my adoptive parents. ¡°What was that?¡±


    Corbett waved a hand so that the fire burst to life, burning a deep, bloody scarlet that reflected off the white walls and floor. Turning his back on me, he strode across the room and poured himself a ss of water from a crystal container.


    Lenora walked to the doorway and peered down the hall, making sure our visitors had gone. When she turned back, she wore a gleeful smile. ¡°It appears, dearest Caera, that your mentor and our patron, Scythe Seris Vritra, has expressed some interest in this ascender of yours.¡±


    Having spoken at length with Scythe Seris regarding Grey, this wasn¡¯t exactly news to me. But I didn¡¯t immediately catch on to my adoptive mother¡¯s meaning.


    ¡°It appears your rtionship with this man could have some value to Highblood Denoir after all,¡± Corbett proimed seriously.


    I looked between them, their sudden change of mind starting to make sense. ¡°You want him to be indebted to Highblood Denoir¡­for your assistance in freeing him,¡± I said slowly.


    Lenora moved to Corbett¡¯s side and slipped her arm through his. ¡°If he is of value to Scythe Seris, then he may be worth the trouble, yes.¡±


    Of value to Scythe Seris¡­


    ¡°But when he was just of value to me?¡± I said coldly, my throat tightening around the words. ¡°Then you were happy to let the Granbehls have him?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be that way, Caera,¡± Lenora said, waving as if my words were a bad smell she could waft away. ¡°You get what you want, in the end¡ªand your blood benefits as well.¡±


    They didn¡¯t know the kind of fire they were ying with. I shivered as I remembered the ice-cold fury that had settled over me like a physical presence when Grey discovered my true identity. He could have killed me in a second, I knew that as clearly as I knew that there was Vritra blood running through my veins


    We had grownfortable together, but I was certain I hadn¡¯t yet fully gained his trust. If he thought I was somehow manipting him¡­


    ¡°Smile, dear,¡± Lenora said, disying her own gleaming white teeth. ¡°This could end up working out wonderfully for us.¡±


    I stared dead-pan at the woman.


    ¡°You should be more grateful to your mother,¡± Corbett said, setting his ss down heavily so that water sshed over the rim. ¡°While you¡¯ve been moping around the house, she learned that House Granbehl seems to have some kind of back-channel dealings going on to ensure this ascender¡¯s guilty verdict.¡±


    He held up a hand to keep me silent. ¡°I need you to understand your role in this, Caera. If Highblood Denoir is to expend time and capital, both financial and political, to assist this ascender, I must be assured that he will fully appreciate just where his aid came from.


    ¡°You will be allowed to contact him¡­after the trial, and invite him to our estate in Central Dominion. Then, we can discuss our blood¡¯s ns for the future, and where Grey fits into those ns.¡±


    Although I was seething on the inside, outwardly I smiled as Lenora had suggested. ¡°As you wish, of course.¡±


    Their conversation turned to the Granbehls¡¯ schemes, and what Scythe Seris might want with Grey. I stayed and listened, not wanting my adoptive parents to form any ns behind my back. I would need to know exactly what they were up to, if I wished to help Grey avoid exchanging one prison for another.

 Chapter 330: The Hight Hall

    <h4>Chapter 330: The Hight Hall</h4>


    The three weeks until my trial passed in a blur of repetition and monotony.


    When the morning came, I was spared the usual session of torture with Petras and Matheson, and even allowed a cold shower to wipe away the blood and grime of my three week stay in the Granbehls¡¯ dungeon. I guess they didn¡¯t want it to be too obvious that I¡¯d been deprived and tortured.


    Ada, thankfully or not, hadn¡¯te to visit me again, but I guessed I¡¯d be seeing her soon enough at the trial.


    I was sitting cross-legged on the floor, Three Steps¡¯ dried-fruit toy held firmly in one hand. The index finger of the other hand had sprouted a curved w of violet aether, which was currently wrapped around the seed within the fruit, pulling desperately at it.


    I¡¯d held the w¡¯s shape for ten seconds already, but the seed wasn¡¯t budging. Twenty seconds passed. Then thirty. My finger began to ache and tremble, and I could feel the w losing its shape.


    Finally, after nearly forty seconds, the aether w dissipated with the seed still lodged firmly inside the dried fruit.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    My eyes snapped open to find Matheson staring through the bars at me. I¡¯d been so focused on holding the aether w¡¯s shape that I hadn¡¯t heard him arrive.


    I flourished my hand, rolling the toy out of sight before storing it in my dimension rune, then cupped one hand over the other.


    ¡°Oh¡­you mean this?¡± I said innocently while slowly sticking up the middle finger of the hand I was hiding in my palm.


    Regis barked out augh.


    Matheson scowled and stepped aside so four Granbehl knights could open my cell door and march in to surround me. The tallest of the four pulled my arms behind my back and put manacles around my wrists.


    ¡°Search him,¡± Matheson ordered, and the same knight proceeded to give me a thorough patting down, but of course found nothing. He shrugged his armor-ted shoulders at the steward.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re enjoying yourself, Ascender Grey,¡± he said quietly. ¡°I myself am very much looking forward to seeing that infuriating smirk pped off your smug face.¡±


    ¡°Can we get going then?¡± I asked. ¡°I sure wouldn¡¯t want to bete for that.¡±


    Matheson adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves and marched past, leading the way up the stairs and through the well-appointed halls of the mansion above. A few household servants peered at us from various rooms as we made our way out of the Granbehl estate, but the only familiar face I noticed was Petras, who was sitting on some barrels near the backdoor that I was led out of.


    I gave him a cheery smile as I passed by. ¡°We shed so much blood, sweat, and your tears together that I¡¯m almost going to miss you.¡±


    My words made the torturer practically fold in on himself in shame, while Matheson chortled in disgust.


    ¡®Way to kick a man when he¡¯s down,¡¯ Regis said usingly.


    I rolled my eyes. Forgive me forcking sympathy to the guy that spent thest three weeks cutting me open.


    ¡®Well, if we only judged by your reaction, I¡¯d say poor Petras did nothing more than give you a rigorous massage,¡¯ Regis noted. ¡®But that¡¯s beside the point. You¡¯re awfully chipper for a guy on the way to his own murder trial.¡¯


    I felt genuine curiosity radiating from the little ball of warmth that was mypanion.


    I¡¯m just about ready to burn this damn ce to the ground. We¡¯ll see how things y out with whatever ric is up to, but whatever happens, I don¡¯t n oning back here.


    ¡®I call dibs on Matty.¡¯


    Several more heavily armed and armored Granbehl guards met us outside the house, and I was escorted to another cart like the one in which I¡¯d been brought here.


    Lord Granbehl was standing beside the door, his hands sped behind his back. He lifted his chin as I approached. ¡°This will be yourst opportunity to confess your crimes, Ascender Grey. Admit your guilt, and I will plead for leniency on your behalf. If you stand before a panel of judges and profess your innocence, it will be out of my hands.¡±


    I locked eyes with the cryan nobleman. ¡°Thank you for your wonderful hospitality, Titus.¡±


    He ground his teeth as we matched res, but eventually he waved a hand, and I was shoved bodily into the carriage.


    This time there were two knights seated inside, each with a naked de trained on me. Even if one of the guards turned out to be ric, there was no way he could let me know without giving himself away, and so I stayed quiet. Mostly.


    I let out a sigh, leaning back in my seat. ¡°They could have at least given me a carriage with windows.¡±


    One of the guards shifted awkwardly on the narrow bench across from me, which was obviously meant for luggage, not a fully armored knight.


    ¡°I guess you fine gentlemen are still a better sight than my dingy cell and ever-attractive Petras,¡± I continued with a shrug.


    The other guard stifled augh while the first raised his de so the point pressed into my throat. ¡°Be quiet.¡±


    ¡®Do you think everyone that works for the Granbehls is trained to be an ass, or do they need previous experience as an ass to qualify?¡¯ Regis asked.


    This time, it was my turn to stifle augh.


    ¡°You think this is funny?¡± The guard holding his de against my throat twisted the shortsword andshed out with the pommel, driving it into the corner of my mouth. ¡°Make another sound, and I¡¯ll give you the other end, scum.¡±


    ¡®Yup. This guy definitely likes to kick puppies.¡¯


    I smiled as I ran my tongue across the cut that had already begun to heal, tasting blood.


    ¡°Vritra, he¡¯s as freaky as they¡¯ve been saying,¡± the second guard said. He sounded young, and more than a little nervous.


    Neither are ric, then, I thought, regarding the knight coolly.


    ¡°You heard the rumors, Roffe? They say someone¡¯s been stirring up all kinds of trouble around this ascender. Some of the guards think he¡¯s secretly from a highblood house, and they¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°Would you shut up?¡± the guard who¡¯d hit me, Roffe, snarled. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to guard, not chit chat like a couple of academy girls.¡±


    The second knight went silent.


    So, someone is starting rumors? That has to be ric, I thought, frowning. What¡¯s that old drunk think he¡¯s doing, going head to head with a named blood?


    Securing his investment, I¡¯d imagine,¡¯ Regis suggested.


    Let¡¯s just hope that he knows what he¡¯s getting himself into, I thought, leaning slightly to the side and trying to getfortable, which wasn¡¯t easy considering my hands were still chained behind me.


    The rest of the carriage ride went by quickly. Within a few minutes, we rolled to a stop and someone knocked three times on the outside of the door. Roffe knocked back twice, and the door opened.


    Without waiting for them to push or pull me out, I hopped down to the ground on my own, causing the closest armored figures to step back and brandish their weapons.


    Looking past them, I took in the building they were leading me to. Even without any cultural touchstone topare it to, the massive structure was immediately recognizable as a courthouse.


    The dark stone building was covered in ornate decoration: colored ss filled the arched windows, leering, horned gargoyles leaned out from the walls and red at all who approached, and hundreds of thin, ck metal spires reached up toward the sunless blue sky above.


    Matheson appeared from between two of the many armored guards standing around the carriage. ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± he said, looking up at the courthouse. ¡°Like the Sovereigns¡¯ own justice carved in stone.¡±


    I snorted, drawing an irritated look from the steward.


    ¡°Get this criminal inside,¡± he snapped.


    I was pushed and prodded forward, under an arched entryway and into a grand hall. The inside of the courthouse was just as ornate as the outside: the floor was cut marble, the grand stairs that led up to a second floornding was wrought of the same dark iron as the spires, and an enormous fresco covered the entire ceiling.


    It showed a muscr, bare-chested man with grayish skin and sweeping horns that curved around his head like a crown standing amidst dozens of much smaller, less detailed people. Colorful motes of light were drifting down from him and being absorbed into the gathered crowd, whose faces were upturned gleefully. A ring of runes encircled the painting.


    Agrona, giving magic to the cryans¡­


    ¡®Do you think the part where Agrona tortured and experimented on the cryans for a bajillion years is drawn on the backside?¡¯ Regis asked.


    ¡°¡®Under the watchful gaze of the High Sovereign, all beings are judged,¡¯¡± Matheson said, reading the curved runes.


    I was about to say something flippant, but a jolt from Regis cut me short.


    What is it?


    ¡®Remember, you¡¯re an cryan. It wouldn¡¯t be a good look for you to go demeaning Agrona in public, especially here, now.¡¯


    I thought for a moment. Mm...Good catch.


    A hunched figure in thick, ck robes with a golden symbol on the breast approached and exchanged a few words with Matheson. I couldn¡¯t see their face, which was hidden in shadow beneath the cowl of the robe, but I could sense probing eyes on me.


    The symbol showed a sword with scales hanging from the crossguard, and must havebeled them as some kind of court official.


    They waved for us to follow and led the procession of guards, Matheson, and myself, down a long, high-peaked corridor that ended in two solid stone doors, each at least ten feet tall and four feet wide.


    As we approached, the doors opened by themselves, revealing a courtroom capable of seating a few hundred people, at least.


    It was designed like an amphitheater: half-moon shaped, with a series of ebony benches ascending in steps around a tform along the t side, where five high desks, each emzoned with the same golden symbol as the official¡¯s robes, looked down on a single chair made of twisted ck metal.


    The dark-robed figure led us down an aisle between the benches, all of which were empty at the moment, and gestured to the chair. Two of the knights shoved me into it, and heavy ck chains came to life and wrapped around my wrists, ankles, waist, and neck. The chains were blisteringly cold to the touch.


    I flexed carefully, keeping the motion subtle so no one thought I was trying to break free. The chains constricted around me like a snake, their burning cold surface biting into my flesh and threatening to choke me.


    The dark-robed official leaned forward so that we were face to face. Beneath the shadowed cowl, a young woman with dark eyes stared back at me. ¡°The more you struggle, the stronger the chains grow, ascender. Be still, and let only truth pass your lips in this ce. Only guilty men fear the High Hall¡¯s justice.¡±


    More out of curiosity than anything else, I rxed to see if the chains would cken. They did.


    ¡°Good,¡± she said, straightening. ¡°The trial will begin shortly. The rest of you may find seats, or stand along the back wall.¡±


    There was a lot of nking and rattling as the heavily armored guards maneuvered to the back of the room. At least thirty of them had escorted my carriage, and Matheson had brought every one of them into the courthouse.


    I turned my head slightly and caught sight of the Granbehls¡¯ steward sitting on the closest bench to my left. He was inspecting me carefully, his eyes following the crisscrossingwork of chains.


    The babble of voices and low thunder of dozens of footsteps on marble drew his attention to the back of the room. He glowered, apparently not liking whatever he saw there.


    I listened carefully, trying to pick up snippets of the many conversations happening behind me.


    ¡°¡ªto prove murder in the Relictombs. What are the Granbehls¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªexciting, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯ve never been in the High Hall before¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªthat him? Oh, wow, he¡¯s so handsome, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªcousin heard from one of their guards that he never even blinked when Lord Granbehl beat him¡ª¡±


    I snapped around, looking warily to my right as heavy steps approached. Arge, blond man in a gray suit was moving purposely toward me. His bright green eyes squinted into a smile when they met mine.


    ¡°Grey,¡± he said, his voice a rumbling baritone. He gave me a jaunty grin. ¡°Comfortable?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± I admitted. Another man was behind him, dressed in an ill-fitting charcoal suit.


    ¡°ric,¡± I said in surprise. ¡°Are you sure you should be here?¡±


    The ex-ascender raised an eyebrow. ¡°Who do you think¡¯s going to get you out of this mess if not me, nephew?¡±


    ¡°Well, if I were to put my bets on just appearances, I¡¯d go with the gentleman that doesn¡¯t look like he was still nursing a hangover,¡± I said with a faint smirk.


    ¡°My dearest nephew indeed.¡± ric rolled his eyes before nodding his head toward hispanion. ¡°Grey, this is Darrin Ordin. Ex-ascender like me, and once a pupil of mine. He makes it a habit of helping out other, less fortunate ascenders.¡±


    I gave the man a second look. His clothes were perfectly tailored and made of a fine wool that must have cost a fortune. He didn¡¯t have the athlete-gone-to-pasture look like ric, and I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how retired he really was.


    Mostly, though, it was the way he carried himself that made his wealth obvious: confident, straight-backed but not stiff, and an unconcerned air. ric, on the other hand, looked so out of ce in the High Hall that it was almostical.


    Darrin was scanning the seats behind me, the hint of a frown on his face. ¡°I¡¯ve been fortunate, that¡¯s true,¡± he said, turning his attention back to me. ¡°I just try to make sure others who choose the life of an ascender¡ªthose who don¡¯t have the backing of a high or named blood¡ªhave someone looking after them¡­but we can talk about meter,¡± he added, his attention turning to the tall desks that looked down on my chair.


    Five robed figures had entered from a door I couldn¡¯t see, and were each moving to stand behind a desk, elevated several feet above me. They wore matching ck robes, simr to the woman who¡¯d guided us to the courtroom, but their hoods were down, revealing five gaunt, humorless mages.


    The man at the central desk hammered a gavel, causing the room to hush suddenly. I could hear the muffled noises of people hurrying to sit behind me, then the resounding crash of the huge double doors mming shut.


    ¡°So begins of the trial of Ascender Grey, blood unnamed, on the charges of murder,¡± the judge announced in a rasping voice.

 Chapter 331: The trial

    <h4>Chapter 331</h4>


    ¡°This trial shall be adjudicated by High Judge ckshorn, Judge Tenema, Judge Falhorn, Judge Harcrust, and Judge Frihl,¡± the central judge, apparently High Judge ckshorn, said as the five ck-robed cryans took their seats.


    ¡°The purpose of this trial,¡± he continued in his slow, clear voice, ¡°is to determine the truth of whether Ascender Grey¡±¡ªhe gestured to me, chained in the ck chair¡ª¡°murdered Lord Kalon of Blood Granbehl, Lord Ezra of Blood Granbehl, and Lady Riah of Blood Faline.¡±


    ¡°And,¡± he added after a short pause, ¡°to decide upon an appropriate punishment, should the ascender be found guilty.¡±


    Whispered conversations drifted down from the onlookers behind me, but my focus was on the judges as they began shuffling through documentsid out on their desks. High Judge ckshorn was an older man, in his seventies at least. There were dark smudges under his deep-set eyes and mottled gray spots across his wrinkled scalp.


    ¡®He looks like he could drop dead any second now,¡¯ Regis said.


    Knowing my luck, they¡¯d probably me me for that too, I replied.


    Regis snorted, his incorporeal form radiating amusement.


    ckshorn cleared his throat. ¡°Judge Tenema will provide a procedural briefing.¡±


    Tenema was even older than ckshorn, with thin white hair that seemed to float around her head and thick sses that magnified her eyes to cartoonish proportions.


    She tried to speak, coughed, then tried again. ¡°This panel will hear opening statements from both Blood Granbehl and Ascender Grey¡¯s council, after which witnesses will be called.¡± Her voice cracked and faded as she spoke, the volume fluctuating. ¡°If there is physical evidence of the crimes, it will then be provided, followed by closing statements and this panel¡¯s deliberation.¡±


    The old woman took a deep, rattling breath as she finished, as if the effort of saying those few sentences had exhausted her.


    Judge Harcrust, the youngest of the judges, was staring at the old woman, his nose wrinkled in disgust. His blue-ck hair and goatee reflected the cold light of the lighting artifacts and gave his face a severe, humorless look.


    ckshorn nodded to Tenema. ¡°Now, the representative for Blood Granbehl may stand and provide their opening statement.¡±


    Unsurprisingly, it was Matheson who stood and addressed the judges. ¡°Thank you, High Judge.¡±


    He stepped forward just within my peripheral view before continuing, his voice projected so the people behind us could hear him clearly. ¡°As we all know, ascenders are the fists that swing the swords of our progress. Those who risk themselves to search for relics of our past¡ªhidden within the Relictombs by the devious ancient mages¡ªhave always been treated with respect in crya, even with love and adoration.


    ¡°Ascending through the Relictombs is a time-honored tradition of our people, a role that directly serves the will of our High Sovereign himself. When the Ascenders Association tests prospective mages, they aren¡¯t just assuring their strength of body, but the power of their will and the pureness of their hearts, as well.¡±


    Matheson let his voice fall, giving the silent crowd a crestfallen nce over his shoulder.


    ¡°Which is why it is so rare that there is violence between ascenders in the Relictombs¡­and why it is so tragic to be standing here today, discussing the unfortunate loss of three young mages, all named bloods, pirs of themon folk. Their families rose up to nobility to give them bright futures,¡± Matheson pointed a trembling finger at me. ¡°Futures that were taken from them by this man!¡±


    ¡°Ascender Grey lied to the young Granbehls, assuring them that he was on his preliminary ascent in order to gain their trust and ess to the Relictombs¡ªbut within, they found a hellish nightmare zone full of creatures far beyond their expectations for a mere preliminary ascent, which of course was exactly what Grey wanted.¡±


    Matheson gazed imploringly up at the five judges. ¡°I have seen with my own eyes the callousness, theck of empathy, shown by this man over thest three weeks. Despite my lord¡¯s pleading, Grey has refused to acknowledge his own crimes, or to show even a flicker of regret at the deaths he caused.¡±


    Regis let out a chortle. ¡®Huh...didn¡¯t know the words ¡°torturing¡± and ¡°pleading¡± were interchangeable.¡¯


    ¡°Whether by malice, hostility, or base cruelty, we can show this court with certainty that Ascender Grey led Kalon, Ezra, and Riah to their deaths, purposefully and with motive.¡±


    Matheson spun around toward the crowd, his robes swirling dramatically. ¡°It is for this reason,¡± he said, practically shouting, ¡°that Blood Granbehl asks for the harshest possible sentence for this terrible crime: public execution!¡±


    A number of voices broke out in surprised muttering, but the courtroom was quickly silenced by the hammering of ckshorn¡¯s gavel.


    ¡°Silence!¡± the old man ordered to the already quieting room, the word ringing like an echo of the gavel. His droopy eyes scanned the courtroom before he spoke again, turning to the steward. ¡°Thank you Master Matheson, you may be seated.¡±


    My gaze followed the steward as he walked back to his seat. His facade faltered as our eyes locked, and he flinched before looking nervously away.


    ¡°Next, we will hear the opening statement from Ascender Grey, to be made by¡­¡± The high judge leaned toward a scroll he was reading from, his wrinkled brow creasing as he frowned down at it.


    ckshorn turned to Falhorn, sitting to his right. ¡°Is this urate?¡±


    Judge Falhorn was arge man with graying auburn hair and a pockmarked face. He leaned forward and whispered something to ckshorn, who peered down and to my right, his face twitching.


    ¡°We call Darrin Ordin to make Grey¡¯s opening statements.¡± I could have been wrong, but there was something distinctly grumpy about the way the high judge said ric¡¯s friend¡¯s name.


    The man stepped confidently forward, straightening his suit as he stood on my right side, and a burst of noise rippled through the people in the stands, prompting another hammer of ckshorn¡¯s gavel.


    ¡°This is a courtroom, not abat arena,¡± he said, glowering around.


    Darrin half turned and gave a little wave to the audience before addressing the judges. ¡°My counterpart would have you believe that they have proof of some malicious intention on Ascender Grey¡¯s behalf, that he set out to kill these three young ascenders. He has painted Grey as a cold-hearted murderer, bereft of any redeeming qualities.


    ¡°But do the Granbehls have any proof of their usations?¡± he asked, his voice ringing through the courtroom. ¡°Even after being allowed by this court to hold Ascender Grey in their own private dungeon, with no oversight from the High Hall and no ess to his own council, during which time the Granbehls tortured him every single day, they don¡¯t have even a speck of evidence to show for it.¡±


    Darrin stepped closer and rested his hand on my shoulder. ¡°If Grey intended the deaths of these young ascenders, why did he rescue Lady Ada? Surely if he were capable of murdering the famed Kalon Granbehl, then his younger sister wouldn¡¯t have posed a challenge. And how would a first-time ascender know how the Relictombs would react to his presence, even if the Granbehls could prove that the supposed difficulty of these zones was directly influenced by Grey¡¯s presence?¡±


    The courtroom had gone deadly quiet as my council spoke, and I could tell the audience was soaking up every word. The judges, on the other hand, appeared anything butpelled.


    ckshorn¡¯s natural grumpiness had sagged into a glower. Tenema, on the other hand, had a dreamy expression as her eyes travelled slowly over the faces in the crowd. Beside her, Harcrust was twirling his goatee like a storybook evil wizard, his dark eyes locked on Darrin. Falhorn¡¯s fat face was bent low over a document, ignoring our opening statement entirely, but it was Judge Frihl that really caught my attention.


    Frihl had been quiet so far, but now he seemed to be talking to himself in a quiet but furious diatribe. The other judges were ignoring him, and Darrin¡¯s voice easily carried over Frihl¡¯s, but it was slightly disturbing to watch.


    ¡°The sad truth is,¡± Darrin continued, ¡°the Relictombs are a dangerous ce, even for those of us who have stepped through an ascension portal dozens of times before. All it takes is a moment¡¯s overconfidence, a single missed step¡­and sometimes not even that. Every ascender has a story about ending up in a zone they weren¡¯t prepared for. At least, those who make it out alive.¡±


    ¡°There is no evidence that suggests this was anything but a tragedy. No foul y, no murder plot, just a preliminary ascent gone wrong. For Blood Granbehl to make baseless ims against Grey threatens the very institution on which ascents are based: the trust and faith in each other that every ascender must have.¡±


    Darrin returned to his seat while the judges exchanged looks that varied from exasperated topletely hostile.


    ¡®Did this Ordin guy piss on all their mothers¡¯ graves or something?¡¯


    There¡¯s clearly some kind of history there, I agreed, wondering if that would end up being a good or bad thing for me.


    I assumed someone would ask for me to speak, or make a statement of my own, especially since I¡¯d never even met the man now defending me before the trial, but so far no one had addressed me directly at all.


    Judge Tenema flinched at a small tap on her shoulder from ckshorn. Her bleary, magnified eyes widened, and she shuffled quickly through the notes on her desk..


    ¡°Yes, yes, witnesses, of course.¡± The ancient woman cleared her throat and she peered down at a scroll. ¡°As the first witness, the panel calls¡ª¡±


    Darrin was on his feet again already. ¡°With all due respect to the esteemed panel of judges, I believe written testimony is to be read before calling witnesses¡ª¡±


    The sound of the gavel cut Darrin off. ¡°We do, in fact, know our own rules,¡± ckshorn said coldly. ¡°However, there are no written statements to read, Ordin. Please, Judge Tenema, continue.¡±


    Darrin Ordin¡¯s jaw clenched, and I caught him shoot another quick look around the room before taking his seat.


    ¡°Where was I¡­¡± The old judge was quiet for awhile before she let out a croaky ¡°Aha!¡± and continued. ¡°We call upon our first witness, Gytha of Blood Algere.¡±


    ¡®Who the heck is that?¡¯¡¯ Regis asked as I racked my brain to remember a Gytha.


    I couldn¡¯t recall the name, but I recognized the thin, ck-haired woman immediately when she stepped up in front of the judges.


    The official who took our information before letting us into the Relictombs¡­


    Falhorn leaned forward, looking down over the edge of his tall desk at her. ¡°You are Gytha, of Blood Algere?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± she answered. The woman was standing awkwardly, hands sped together in front of her, wide eyes staring up at the judges.


    ¡°And you are familiar with the defendant, Grey?¡± Falhorn¡¯s voice was croaky and wheezing at the same time, like a bullfrog that had just been stepped on.


    ¡°I¡¯m a clerk, and I took the Granbehl party¡¯s information before they entered the Relictombs, including Ascender Grey.¡± The woman¡¯s eyes flicked to me as she said my alias. She looked absolutely terrified.


    ¡°And what was your impression of this ascender at the time?¡± Falhorn attempted a friendly smile, but it came across as aggressively hungry, just making him look more like an overgrown toad.


    The Relictombs official nced at me again, wringing her hands. ¡°I thought it strange that someone with no blood would be traveling with such highpany. The older brother, Kalon¡­well, he seemedfortable enough, but the younger brother kept shooting what I thought were angry nces at Grey, and I got the distinct impression he didn¡¯t really want him there.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but notice how both she and the judge entirely avoided mention of Haedrig, or Caera. That can¡¯t be a coincidence, I thought.


    ¡°And what of Grey himself?¡± Falhorn probed.


    ¡°He was quiet, standoffish. Maybe even a little ufortable. Like¡­like he was hiding something.¡±


    I closed my eyes and let out a sigh.


    ¡°I see. Thank you, Gytha. You may leave.¡±


    Darrin jumped to his feet. ¡°Judge Falhorn, I would like the opportunity to question the¡ª¡±


    ¡°In the interest of time,¡± ckshorn interrupted, ¡°only the judges will be given the opportunity to ask questions of these witnesses.¡±


    I caught my council¡¯s look of confusion from the corner of my eye. Clearly, this wasn¡¯t normally how an cryan trial would proceed.


    The chains tightened around me, making me realize I¡¯d been unconsciously flexing against them, and my aetheric intent was leaking out into the room so that the judges, Matheson, and even my own council eyed me warily.


    ¡°Check those bindings,¡± Harcrust snapped, and a ck robed figure rushed over to examine the chair and chains. They nodded and returned to their post beside the row of high desks.


    I forced myself to take a deep breath and released the arms of the chair, holding my hands loose and rxed as I leaned back against the cold iron.


    By the time I turned my attention back to the proceedings, Gytha had vanished, and Judge Tenema was calling a second witness. ¡°Would Quinten, blood unnamed, pleasee forward?¡±


    Another name I didn¡¯t recognize, until I saw the man enter my line of sight as he made his way toward the judges. He had exchanged his dark leather armor for ck pants and a loose tunic, and he limped slightly as he walked.


    Quinten¡­


    I scoffed aloud as I remembered my first moments in the second level of the Relictombs, when a friendly young ascender led me into an alley and tried to mug me.


    ¡®Why the hell would they be calling him as a witness?¡¯ Regis asked angrily.


    Ignoring mypanion, I watched the crook with both amusement and annoyance as he stepped up before the judges.


    ¡°You are Quinten, blood unnamed, and an ascender?¡± It was Harcrust who asked the questions this time. His nasally voice practically oozed self-importance.


    ¡°Retired ascender, Judge,¡± Quinten said, his voice weak and tired. ¡°But yes, I¡¯m Quinten. No blood name, as I¡¯m just a nobody from a little vige in Vechor.¡±


    ¡°And why, may I ask, has a young, strapping man such as yourself been forced to retire?¡± Harcrust continued.


    Quinten rubbed at his leg and gave the judge a pained look. ¡°A few weeks ago, I had a run in with another ascender¡ªthis man, Grey¡ªright here on the second level. He tricked me into thinking he was a woga¡ªa, uh, first timer, and needed some help finding his way around.¡±


    He took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. ¡°I believed him, of course, and showed him around a bit¡ªnot expecting anything in return, just being friendly¡ªbut when we were off the main road, he knocked me out, stripped me¡­naked¡­and tied me up.¡±


    Harcrust¡¯s scowl deepened as Quinten spoke. ¡°Despicable. And what happened then?¡±


    Quinten shot me a furtive nce, like he was afraid to be standing on the same tform, and swallowed theatrically. ¡°He threatened me¡­tortured me. Shattered my leg, so I can¡¯t risk going back into the Relictombs¡­¡±


    ¡°And why did he torture you? What did Grey want?¡±


    ¡°He wanted to know about the Granbehls, Judge¡ª¡±


    The sound of shearing metal cut across the proceedings as I identally ripped one iron armrest free of the chair. The chains constricted around me, pinning my arms down even more tightly and burning my skin with their cold.


    Quinten leapt away from me, no longer limping, and Harcrust paled as he took in the damage to the chair.


    Turning, he scowled at the hooded official. ¡°Are you quite sure the mana suppression is working properly?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t hear the official¡¯s muffled words over the blood pounding in my head.


    ¡®Boss¡­¡¯ Regis¡¯s anxious worry leaked out into me, pulling me back from the precipice of my own anger.


    I scanned the judges¡¯ startled, fearful faces before dropping the broken piece of chair. It thudded heavily against the floor, resounding through the chamber.


    Finally, the chains ckened as I stopped pushing back against them, letting me breathe again.


    Harcrust cleared his throat before asking, ¡°And why do you think Grey wanted to know about the Granbehls?¡±


    Quinten was gaping at the twisted piece of metal on the ground. Harcrust cleared his throat again, making the pale, sweaty ascender flinch. ¡°I-I was too afraid to think properly at the time,¡± he blurted out, stumbling over his words, ¡°but¡­it, um, became clear afterward that he had something bad nned for them. I wish I¡¯d havee forward earlier, but¡­he¡¯d threatened to kill me if I told anyone about any of it.¡±


    Harcrust was nodding along, as if Quinten¡¯s story made perfect sense. ¡°No one mes you, Ascender Quinten. But we do appreciate you being here today. Standing in front of your attacker and speaking the truth required great courage, but finding justice always does. You may leave now.¡±


    Quinten gave a stiff bow and turned to leave. For an instant, our eyes met, and there was a twinkling amusement there, and a twitching at the corners of his mouth that could have been a smirk, but it was erased by my cold re. He forgot to limp again as he hurried away.


    Darrin had stepped forward once again. ¡°I¡¯d like to call for a brief recess to speak to Grey, so that we might appropriately refute this witness¡¯s ims,¡± he said, his voice constricted with forced calm.


    High Judge ckshorn scoffed. ¡°You¡¯ve had three weeks to arrange your refutations. In the interest of time, we will not be recessing until deliberation, and only then if necessary for the judges to pass their final decision.¡±


    Darrin clenched his fists and gave a shallow bow before returning to his seat. I could hear him and ric whispering back and forth, but couldn¡¯t make out what was being said. There was some conversation from the crowd, too, but it was silenced by a hard look from ckshorn.


    Tenema cleared her throat. ¡°Would the final witness, Lady Ada Granbehl, please step forward.¡±


    Ada appeared from my left, but she wasn¡¯t alone. Both her mother and father walked beside her, Lord Granbehl¡¯s thick arm around her shoulder, while Lady Granbehl held her around the waist, sandwiching the girl between them.


    It was ckshorn who addressed them. ¡°Lord and Lady Granbehl, Ada, let me start by saying how sorry we all are for the loss of Kalon and Ezra, and thank you for attending this trial in person.¡±


    ric snorted, then btedly disguised it as a cough. ckshorn threw him a warning look.


    Lord Granbehl¡¯s voice boomed through the courtroom when he spoke. ¡°We are here to ensure that justice finds the monster who murdered our children, High Judge ckshorn. Though the pain is still fresh, my daughter insisted on being here to look into Grey¡¯s eyes and condemn him to his face.¡±


    Ada did look into my eyes then, but I didn¡¯t see condemnation, just confusion. I saw a girl, scared and alone without her siblings. Then Lady Granbehl pulled her tight, breaking our eye contact.


    ¡°Would Lady Ada please recount Ascender Grey¡¯s actions in the Relictombs?¡± ckshorn said.


    Ada spoke haltingly as she began to tell the story about how we met and our journey into the bridge zone. I had been expecting an embellished version, or even outright lies like the bandit Quinten had told, but Ada stayed close to the truth.


    There was genuine horror in her voice when she recounted how Riah was wounded, but when ckshorn tried to guide her toward ming me, she stumbled around the question awkwardly.


    ¡°And it was Grey who got us out of that zone¡­¡± she was saying, describing our escape through the face of a statue that looked like me.


    By now Lady Granbehl¡¯s stoic smile seemed strained, and Lord Granbehl was shooting Ada frustrated looks. ¡°It is clear,¡± he said loudly, making Ada jump, ¡°that the rogue Grey¡¯s intention was to lead my family deeper into the Relictombs before¡ª¡±


    ¡°In the interest of time,¡± Darrin Ordin said, even louder than Lord Granbehl, ¡°and High Hall procedure, the witness should be allowed to give her statement without interruption. Unless, of course,¡± he added with a wide smile, ¡°the panel of judges is opening this witness up to questions, because I have quite a few.¡±


    ckshorn red down at him. After a tense standoff, the high judge turned back to Ada. ¡°Please continue, youngdy.¡±


    Ada didn¡¯t get far in her story before Harcrust and Falhorn began pressing her for details of how I got across the chasm. They made her walk through, in detail, everything I said or did, and kept circling around to whether I had activated a relic to do it.


    Ada couldn¡¯t answer, of course, having no idea that I¡¯d used a godrune, but they kept returning to this same line of questioning.


    ¡®If they think you have a relic, or relics, that¡¯d be quite the payday for whoever gets the loot when you get beheaded,¡¯ Regis joked, but I could still sense the tension and worry emanating from him.


    When it became clear Ada couldn¡¯t give them any other information, they let her proceed to the events within the mirror room. Here, her story diverged slightly from the truth. She skipped over her entrapment within the mirror and the aether phantom¡¯s possession of her body entirely, describing the scene as if she¡¯d simply been sitting in a corner watching. Lord Granbehl started to rx as Ada described the growing tension and frustration as the days stretched on within the zone, and food ran out. But when she reached the part where the Vritra-blooded ascender, Mythelias, was released from his mirror by Ezra, Lord Granbehl again spoke over her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, High Judge, my daughter is suffering from the stress of these events, and missed an important detail. Ezra actually released this ascender to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Who exactly is the witness here, High Judge?¡± Darrin said, exasperated. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that Titus Granbehl had first-hand knowledge of what happened on this expedition. If that¡¯s the case, why wasn¡¯t he called to be a witness?¡±


    A susurrus of muttered agreement came from people in the stands, causing ckshorn¡¯s gavel to fall yet again. I couldn¡¯t help but notice it didn¡¯t immediately quiet the crowd this time.


    ckshorn drew himself up so he towered over the courtroom from his high desk. ¡°I will remind all those present,¡± he said, practically shouting, ¡°that procedure is decided by the high judge¡ªin this case, me¡ªand I will do what is necessary to provide timely justice for the murdered. It is not the ce of council to question the High Hall¡¯s procedures, or my decisions.¡±


    Darrin turned his shoulder from the judge, his attention settling on Ada. ¡°Ada, do you truly believe that Grey meant for your brothers to die? That he is guilty of murder?¡±


    ¡°How dare you address my daughter,¡± Lord Granbehl boomed.


    ckshorn¡¯s gavel came down several times as he blustered wordlessly.


    ¡°Ada!¡± Darrin pushed. ¡°This man¡¯s life could depend on¡ª¡±


    ¡°I demand you take a seat!¡± ckshorn howed.


    Falhorn and Harcrust were both nodding vigorously, while Tenema held her hands to her ears and glowered at the gavel that ckshorn was continuing to hammer. Frihl had leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, and was ring murderously down at Darrin Ordin.


    The crowd grew louder. Their yells of indignation echoed off each other until their words blended into an unintelligible chorus.


    ¡°No!¡± Ada cried out, her pained voice cutting through the chaos like a siren.


    Then, the room was deathly quiet, all eyes focused on the trembling figure of the Granbehl child. Her gaze fell, her blonde bangs covering most of her face as she spoke in a quiet whisper. ¡°Grey didn¡¯t kill my brothers.¡±

 Chapter 332: Broken Chains

    <h4>Chapter 332: Broken Chains </h4>


    ¡°Grey didn¡¯t kill them,¡± Ada said, louder this time.


    Titus Granbehl¡¯s hand reached up to cover his daughter¡¯s mouth. ¡°Ada! What are you¡ª¡±


    Slipping from her parents¡¯ grasp, she stepped toward the judges. Words began to spill from her in rush as her face grew more and more red. ¡°I was trapped in a mirror and Grey was trying to save me but Ezra wouldn¡¯t listen and freed the horned ascender from the magic mirror while Grey was working with this artifact thing, and the other ascender killed my brothers, and I would have been stuck there forever but Grey saved me.¡±


    The girl hid her face in her hands as her parents stood stiffly to either side of her.


    Darrin gave me a victorious look before turning to ckshorn. ¡°Well, there you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lord Granbehl,¡± ckshorn said, speaking over my council, ¡°it is clear that your daughter is incredibly distressed. While we appreciate your blood¡¯s bravery in attending this trial in person, it is the opinion of this panel that we cannot ept Ada¡¯s testimony at this time, and will instead use the written ount of events we have already received.¡±


    Ada gaped up at the high judge as her father nodded, his cheek twitching as he suppressed a smirk.


    ¡°You may go, all of you,¡± ckshorn added.


    The chains began tightening once more as I failed to suppress my growing annoyance. I pressed my hand into the sharp, twisted metal where I¡¯d torn the armrest free, letting the pain burn bright in my mind as it cut into my skin.


    Someone behind me yelled out how this wasn¡¯t fair, wrapped neatly in a string of curses, and in seconds the entire courtroom had exploded into a chorus of shouts and insults being thrown at the judges.


    ¡°¡ªgot to be kidding¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªeven listening what the girl said¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªa sham, a total fraud¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªbetter let Ascender Grey go or¡ª¡±


    All the judges were on their feet¡ªexcept Tenema, whose wrinkled old face had scrunched up in displeasure¡ªas ckshorn hammered with his gavel over and over again, but the courtroom was in full revolt behind me. Hearing the eager crowd turn against the corrupt judges helped settle my nerves just enough for the chains to simply restrain me and not try to take my head off.


    ¡°Silence!¡± the high judge was howling. ¡°Silence! Silence!¡±


    Harcrust turned to an official who had been half hidden behind the desks. ¡°Clear the room. Do it. Now!¡±


    Suddenly, soldiers in ck armor were pouring into the courtroom, but everything was happening behind me. I twisted in my seat to get a better look, but the chains bit down, cold and hard, keeping me pinned to the iron chair.


    Regis let out a scoff. ¡®They¡¯re pushing everyone out.¡¯


    A panicked scream resounded through the court.


    ¡®Damn, one of the soldiers just knocked someone out. And of course the Granbehl guards are helping them.¡¯


    In front of me, Darrin watched in horror as the High Hall¡¯s enforcers escorted the mob through the huge double doors and out into the long hallway. The judges wore looks of mingled disgust and satisfaction.


    The doors mmed shut, and the shouts and heavy, stomping steps were dulled, then slowly disbursed, until the courtroom was left in a state of eerie silence.


    Aside from the five judges and a handful of the ck-armored High Hall guards, only Darrin, ric, Matheson, and I remained in the room.


    ¡°Is there any point in reminding the high judge that a trial before a panel of five should be open to the public?¡± Darrin asked, his voice a growl of suppressed fury.


    ¡°None at all,¡± ckshorn snarled, staring grim-faced down at the four of us. Darrin and ckshorn locked eyes, but after a few seconds my council submitted to the judge, looking down at the floor of the tform.


    ric had moved to stand at my other side, while Matheson kept his distance. ric leaned down a little and whispered, ¡°I know this looks bad, kid, but don¡¯t go doing anything stupid. We still have a couple tricks up our sleeve...I hope,¡± he added in a slightly hesitant undertone.


    ckshorn cleared his throat, a wet, rasping sound like a de being sharpened. ¡°It is clear to me that someone has worked to antagonize this rabble and disrupt these proceedings. Fortunately, we were forewarned this might be the case.¡±


    Frihl let out a sharp ¡°Hah!¡± that silenced the high judge and caused the rest of the panel to turn toward him expectantly.


    ¡°When I heard someone was spreading stories, riling people up, I knew it must be ¡®man of the people,¡¯ Darrin Ordin, fouling this trial with his sense of low man¡¯s justice. Bah!¡±


    Frihl¡¯s face melted into an exaggerated frown. ¡°You¡¯ve be predictable, Ordin. But your games won¡¯t work this time.¡±


    ¡®I wonder how many horned asses he had to kiss to be a judge?¡¯ Regis asked in a tone of mingled wonder and horror.


    ¡°Thank you, Judge Frihl,¡± ckshorn said catingly. ¡°As I said, we were expecting such tactics, but won¡¯t allow this trial to be some kind of circus.¡±


    Iughed, cold and humorless. Darrin shot me a warning look and ric shook his head, but I was done.


    ¡°It seems like Ascender Grey is finally revealing his true nature,¡± ckshorn said, raising his brow. ¡°His ability tough after such dire events have urred speaks volumes.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I feel as though this has been a trial for my patience rather than the Granbehls¡¯ ridiculous allegations,¡± I said matter-of-factly. ¡°What¡¯s next? Perhaps the honored judges will reveal that the corpses of Kalon, Ezra, and Riah were magically recovered from the Relictombs, and their wounds prove beyond a shadow of a doubt¡ªsomehow¡ªthat I¡¯m the killer?


    ¡°Or, better yet, perhaps you¡¯ve found my secret diary that I conveniently misced in some public ce somewhere, detailing my evil n to kill all the Granbehls, except of course the one I saved.¡±


    Frihl shot up from his seat, his gnarled finger pointed at me. ¡°How dare you utter such sphemy in front of¡ª¡±


    ckshorn raised a hand, quieting his colleague before leaning back in his chair. Rather than being angry at my not-so-subtle sarcasm, he merely studied me, his fingers steepled before him.


    Frihl¡¯s face was crimson with seething rage, but he held his tongue, as did Falhorn and Harcrust. Tenema was the only one who appeared uninterested, seeming to find more interest in a loose thread on her robe than me.


    ¡°The absence of physical evidence is hardly an issue, considering thepelling witness statements we received,¡± ckshorn answered with a slight shrug of his shoulders. ¡°Which brings us to the deliberation portion of this trial, I believe.¡±


    Tenema, frowning slightly, plucked the thread loose and let it drop on her desk. ¡°Guilty, I¡¯d say. I can see it clear as day.¡±


    Darrin¡¯s face fell as he nced back at the main doors. Opposite him, Matheson let a self-satisfied grin creep across his face.


    ¡®At this point, it¡¯s hard to tell which ones are corrupt and which ones are just stupid,¡¯ Regis said with a sigh.


    ¡°No deliberation necessary. Guilty,¡± Judge Harcrust spat, his finger again twirling his oily goatee.


    Falhorn¡¯s jowls jiggled and swayed as he shook his head. ¡°A piteous disy. Guilty.¡±


    Frihl¡¯s sharp gaze locked on Darrin as he hissed, ¡°Guilty, three times over.¡±


    A slight movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention: Lord Granbehl, standing in the shadows of an alcove at the far edge of the chamber. Even in the gloom, his bright white teeth shone as he smiled victoriously.


    ckshorn leaned forward over his high desk. ¡°Guilty,¡± he said slowly, savoring the word.


    ric was shaking his head, as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. ¡°They didn¡¯te, damn them,¡± he said in a hoarse whisper.


    ¡°As to the matter of punishment,¡± ckshorn said, suddenly businesslike. ¡°First, all material possessions and wealth of Ascender Grey are forfeit immediately, and will be transferred to Blood Granbehl in rpense for the loss suffered at Grey¡¯s hands. Ascender Grey, you are to turn over all assets, including whatever items were brought back with you from the Relictombs, to this court immediately. The location of any wealth or possessions you may own, but are not carrying on you at this moment, must be divulged, including partial ownership of any blood holdings.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, High Judge,¡± Matheson simpered, ¡°whatever illicit artifacts the ascender has been in possession of.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± ckshorn added. ¡°In the event, Ascender Grey, that you refuse to divulge the location of your possessions, then your mind will be peeled apart by our most powerful sentries before your execution.¡±


    He paused, his eyes boring into me as he waited for my response.


    I gave him a charming smile. ¡°I can¡¯t wait.¡±


    ¡°Guards,¡± ckshorn said, his nose wrinkled up like he¡¯d just stepped in something foul, ¡°put this murderous thug in the deepest, smallest cell avable.¡±


    ¡®Now are we going to kill all these clowns?¡¯ Regis pleaded. ¡®I call dibs on the jackass with the goatee.¡¯


    No. Not here, I replied coolly.


    The noise of shouting reached my ears from outside the courtroom; there was some kind ofmotion in the hallway beyond the huge double doors.


    ¡°That could be our trump card,¡± ric hissed. ¡°We need to keep your ass in that chair, kid.¡±


    As I scanned the guards slowly surrounding us, an icy calmness spread through me. In a way, there was a cold sort offort knowing that their decision had been made and my trial was over.


    Darrin and ric were forced back away from me and out of view. Even as the dozen ck-armored guards advanced toward me, weapons at the ready, I remained seated, dispassionate andposed.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to walk to the cell on my own two feet,¡± I said, my voice even and smooth despite the number of sharp, mana-charged weapons pointed at me.


    ¡°Do you still think you¡¯re entitled to such a freedom?¡± ckshorn retorted. ¡°No. You will be stripped and bound until the moment you die.¡±


    I let a wave of aetheric intent surge out of me, swelling through the guards and rendering them immobile. Some of the weaker ones fell to their knees, eyes wide and gasping for breath.


    The judges were all pale, their eyes scanning for some answer to exin exactly what was happening. I was a prisoner bound and stripped of any ess to mana, after all. Normally, something like this would never happen.


    Normally.


    ¡°I d-demand to know what you are doing!¡± Frihl managed to shout.


    ¡°It must be a relic, your honor! I knew he was hiding it somehow.¡± Matheson marshalled enough strength to crawl up from his knees, his expression strained as he turned toward me. ¡°I demand that you hand the relic over at once!¡±


    My gaze fell to the steward, making him recoil in surprise. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe here and take it?¡±


    Matheson, his thin brows lined with sweat, swallowed heavily.


    Time stilled in the room, as none of the people present were able to muster the courage to take a step closer toward me.


    It was only when the doors of the courtroom mmed open that I released the suffocating pressure I was holding in the room. Twisting against the tightening chains, I looked back over my shoulder to see a couple of familiar faces.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time,¡± ric breathed.


    ¡®Our cavalry has arrived, Effeminate One,¡¯ Regis said with a grin.


    The first man I noticed was the brawny, crimson-haired Striker named Taegan, and next to him was his trimpanion, the swordsman Arian. The two ascenders nked a muscr, olive-haired man that I didn¡¯t recognize, who in turn was following a furious woman with burning red hair and zing ice-blue eyes. The four paused at the head of the stairs, ring down on the standoff between the guards and me.


    ¡°Vritra¡¯s grace¡­ckshorn, why have I had a dozen different people hammering to get into my office for thest fifteen minutes? Exin yourself at once.¡±


    The high judge shrank back from the authority booming within the woman¡¯s voice, and his mouth began to open and close like a fish drowning on the shore.


    ¡°Oh good,¡± the olive-haired man said from behind the woman, gesturing to the courtroom with a stack of parchment held in one hand. ¡°We appear to have arrived just in time to prevent a gross miscarriage of justice.¡±


    Harcrust¡¯s face had lit up when the doors opened, but fell again at the sight of the red-haired woman and her entourage. ¡°High Justice! And¡­the Denoir heir, here, in person. Have you, um, brought us Lady Caera¡¯s statement?¡± he asked, his air of lofty superiority fading. ¡°You needn¡¯t have bothered, of course, we¡¯re nearly finished with this deranged criminal. High Justice, there was no need for you to¡ª¡±


    When the woman¡¯s ice-blue eyes turned on Harcrust, it was like they froze him right through to his mana core. ¡°Don¡¯t presume to tell me what I need to do in my own hall, Harcrust.¡±


    ¡°The thing is,¡± the olive-haired man said, ¡°we¡¯re here on behalf of the deranged criminal.¡±


    The Denoir heir¡­So Caera convinced her blood to help after all. I couldn¡¯t help the flicker of a smile that crossed my face.


    ¡°Be quiet, Denoir,¡± the woman snapped.


    Harcrust began to bluster, finally having regained a measure of hisposure, but the woman snapped her fingers, silencing him.


    ¡°If even half of what I¡¯ve been told is true, you¡¯ve made a mockery of the High Hall¡¯s justice, flouting every rule we hold sacred.¡± Her cutting gaze swept across the five judges. ¡°Disallowing cross-examination? Forceful removal of public observers? Stationing of third-party soldiers within these hallowed walls?¡±


    Based on the intensity of the woman¡¯s re, I was surprised that ckshorn and the others didn¡¯t burst into mes right then and there.


    ¡°High Justice, I mean no disrespect when I say this,¡± ckshorn mustered, straightening his robe. ¡°But in the interest of time, we could not strictly follow standard protocol. We only sought to keep our citizens safe from this murderer.¡±


    ¡°Is that right?¡± An amused grin stretched across the high justice¡¯s face as she was handed a stack of parchment from the Denoir man. ¡°So I suppose this extensive list of your many back-alley deals, hical promises, and fraudulent actions leading up to this trial, was all in the name of keeping our citizens safe, ckshorn?¡±


    The old judge¡¯s mottled skin paled. ¡°T-that¡­High Justice, allow me to ex¡ª¡±


    ¡°As high justice, principal arbiter of the Relictombs¡¯ High Hall, I dere this trial null, and release Ascender Grey, effective immediately.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    A fiery look from the high justice forced ckshorn¡¯s mouth shut.


    I rxed, letting the chains do the same, and scanned the dark alcoves around the courtroom looking for Titus Granbehl. He had taken a step back farther into the shadows at the arrival of the high justice. Our eyes met briefly¡ªhis ring furiously, mine squinting in amusement¡ªbefore he turned and vanished.


    ¡°Guards, see to it that the judges of this panel don¡¯t go anywhere, and for Vritra¡¯s sake someone get those chains off that man,¡± she snapped.


    ¡°No need,¡± I said simply.


    A sharp, metallic groan filled the courtroom as the chains restraining me burst apart. Shards of metal flew across the room as the guards¡¯ gazes widened in shock and awe and they stumbled back, half of them pointing their weapons at the judges, the other half at me.


    ckshorn and the other judges were staring disbelievingly at the chains, any semnce of poise they had left gone.


    Rubbing my wrists, I turned to ckshorn, whose jaw had gone ck.


    ¡°My apologies for ruining your artifact, but¡­¡± I shed him a smile. ¡°You know¡­in the interest of time.¡±

 Chapter 333 Attention

    <h4>Chapter 333: Attention</h4>


    ¡®That was pretty badass,¡¯ Regis said approvingly as we stepped outside.


    Standing beneath the vibrant blue sky, I took a deep breath of fresh air, and couldn¡¯t help but smile. The High Hall¡¯s gargoyles and iron spikes seemed a lot less imposing now that my trial was over.


    From the arched entry, the high justice cleared her throat to get our attention.


    Lauden Denoir stepped forward and bowed deeply. ¡°Thank you for your assistance today, High Justice. Highblood Denoir will not¡ª¡±


    ¡°Presume to imagine that my actions were for your blood¡¯s benefit,¡± the woman cut in with a slight toss of her fiery hair. ¡°This is a ce of truth and justice, not some gambling den where low-minded people can seek to cheat their way into a fortune.¡±


    Lauden Denoir¡¯s aristocratic smile faltered for just an instant, but it was stered firmly across his face again when he took a step back.


    ¡°It would be best,¡± the high justice continued in her sharp, authoritative voice, ¡°that today¡¯s events, and the actions taken against you over thest three weeks, were left in the past, Ascender Grey. The High Hall has a...reputation to consider, after all, and the Sovereigns may be personally involved if the violence were to escte between you and Blood Granbehl.¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°You have quite the way of asking for a favor, High Justice.¡±


    Tension crackled in the air as my gaze bore into her ice-blue eyes. I considered all of thews that the Granbehls had broken that the high justice was asking me to just forgive and forget.


    Finally, I let out a breath. ¡°As long as the High Hall¡ªand the Granbehls¡ªstay out of my way, I won¡¯t make an effort to cause trouble.¡±


    The high justice gave me a single, sharp nod. ¡°Then I would rmend you make yourself scarce, for a time at least.¡±


    I held her gaze for a moment longer before turning away, the momentary thrill of the trial¡¯s end stained by the woman¡¯s sharp reminder.


    Several small groups of people were still lingering around the edges of the courtyard, but they didn¡¯t dare approach past the oppressive pressure radiating from Taegan and Arian, who were shooting warning res around the open space.


    I heard a few cheers and a couple shouts for my attention, but I ignored them, instead focusing on Lauden Denoir, whose well-practiced courtly smile seemed stered on his face.


    ¡°Thank you for your unexpected assistance,¡± I said, watching the highblood heir carefully. ¡°Though I admit I¡¯m a little surprised that Highblood Denoir went out of its way to help a lowly, unnamed ascender.¡±


    ¡°For a friend of my dear sister? Honestly, any trouble is worth easing Caera¡¯s mind. She¡¯s been most concerned about you, in fact, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be incredibly relieved to hear of your acquittal.¡± A genuine smirk slipped through the courtly mask he¡¯d been wearing.


    ¡°I have heard Lady Caera muttering Effeminate One¡¯s name under her breath more than once,¡± Taegan grunted.


    ¡°Sticking with that nickname, are we?¡± I asked, deadpan.


    Arian, taking his sharp eyes away from the crowd for just a moment, shed me a chagrined smile. ¡°My abnormallyrge and densepanion finds it easier to just call them by their physical characteristics rather than bothering to remember their name.¡±


    Taegan shot the thin swordsman a warning look. ¡°I sense mockery underneath your embellished words, tiny sword.¡±


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Lauden cut in, that forced smile twitching again, ¡°I¡¯d love to extend an invitation for dinner this evening so you can see Caera. My parents have already returned to our estate in the central dominion, but I trust a man of your obvious talent can find the way? The Highlord and Lady Denoir are eager to meet you, especially after the investment they¡¯ve just made in seeing you released.¡± His tone became more serious, almost pointed, as he said this. The implication was clear.


    Before I could respond, ric wrapped an arm around my shoulder and said, ¡°Many thanks to you and your highblood, but I¡¯m afraid my nephew has been through a significant ordeal. He¡¯s been tortured for three weeks straight, after all, and needs some rest. I¡¯m sure Grey here would love toe around some other time, of course. We¡¯ll send a note.¡±


    Before the Denoir heir could refute, my ¡°uncle¡± was already pulling me away. I nced back to see Lauden, nked by Arian and Taegan, with his arms crossed and brows creased into a frown.


    I opened my mouth to ask ric whether it was wise to dismiss the Denoir heir so suddenly, when a shout interrupted me.


    ¡°Ascender Grey, I love you!¡±


    Surprised, I scanned the crowd until I found the source of the voice, who turned out to be a young woman in vibrant orange leather armor.


    ¡®I love you too, you tanned, sculpted goddess,¡¯ Regis hollered, his voice echoing in my head.


    My eyes lingered on her, curious, until ric thumped me on the arm.


    ¡°No time to mingle with the groupies,¡± ric said, quickening our pace. ¡°We need to get you somewhere with fewer eyeballs, regardless of how big and blue they might be.¡±


    ¡°Why does it feel like we¡¯re trying to run away?¡± I asked, keeping a leisurely pace. ¡°Lauden has a terrible poker face, but it wouldn¡¯t have hurt to visit his ce and just say thanks¡ª¡±


    ric snorted humorlessly and hurried onward. Beside him, Darrin¡¯s head swiveled back and forth, like he expected us to be attacked at any moment.


    ¡°If you think a simple ¡®thank you¡¯ is all Highblood Denoir is doing this for, you might as well slip a cor around your neck and hand them the leash,¡± ric said, turning onto a wide boulevard I recognized as leading toward the exit to the first level. ¡°Don¡¯t be thick, boy. The only reason those self-absorbed nobles would get involved is because they want to make you their loyal little pup to fetch them des and relics from the Relictombs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy enough to tell,¡± I retorted back. ¡°But unlike the Granbehls, Caera¡¯s family doesn¡¯t have anything to hold over my head besides me maybe owing them a favor.¡±


    ¡°A favor is often more valuable than a carriage of gold, especially if owed by an individual with as much potential as you,¡± Darrin replied as his eyes continued to scan our surroundings.


    ¡®Not to cast doubts on your beloved horned paramour, but it is possible that Caera told them just how powerful you are in order to try and convince her family to help,¡¯ Regis added.


    It doesn¡¯t matter, I said, as much to myself as Regis. I doubt we¡¯d have any reason to cross paths again.


    Mypanion clicked his tongue. ¡®s, If only our alcoholic friend here was half as pretty as Caera.¡¯


    I turned my attention to ric, realizing that, unknowingly, I¡¯ve been relying on the old drunk. Without him, it would have been a lot harder to get back into the Relictombs...but at the same time, he was easy to understand.


    ric saw me as his meal¡ªor rather, alcohol¡ªticket, and he wasn¡¯t interested in who I really was or where I came from. I didn¡¯t have to worry about his motivations, and I appreciated that about the man.


    It was hard to say the same about Darrin Ordin though. I wondered what ric might have told him, and what kind of promises had been made on my behalf for Darrin¡¯s help.


    ¡®Not that he was even that much help...¡¯ Regis groused.


    As my thoughts turned back to the trial, one in particr that had been nagging at the back of my mind stood out. ¡°ric, why exactly do I have groupies? Who were all those people at the trial?¡±


    ric and Darrin exchanged a look. ¡°My idea, actually,¡± ric¡¯s friend said over his shoulder, running a hand through his blond hair. ¡°Though I let ric do most of the dirty work.¡±


    We moved to the side of the road to avoid a huge carriage pulled by two blood-red oxen.


    ric shrugged, but his beard twitched in a way that worried me. ¡°I might have spread some rumors about you. Stirred up some interest, encouraged a few people toe watch your trial.¡±


    ¡°What kind of rumors...?¡± I asked, watching ric from the corner of my eye.


    The old man cleared his throat. ¡°Nothing topromise your shroud of mystery and intrigue.¡±


    I stopped walking suddenly and gave him a pointed look. ¡°ric...¡±


    ¡°Just a tale of a young ascender being bullied by a named blood,¡± he said, scratching at his beard. ¡°If I suggested that the ascender was so handsome and...gifted...that he¡¯d drawn the attention of even a certain highblooddy¡ª¡±


    I resisted the urge to bury my face in my hand. ¡°Please tell me you¡¯re joking.¡±


    ¡®That certainly exins the ratio of women to men in the crowd,¡¯ Regis teased.


    ric shrugged and started walking again, weaving through the swelling crowd of people as we neared the exit portal to the first level.


    Darrin had watched this exchange with a tight-lipped smile. ¡°That part wasn¡¯t my idea,¡± he said apologetically before following ric.


    I stared down sparkling tiles of the street, hoping that these rumors never reached Caera.


    Jogged to catch up with the others, I fumbled around for something else to talk about. ¡°So what¡¯s the n?¡± I asked finally. ¡°I¡¯ve wasted enough time out here¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get somewhere a little less crowded,¡± Darrin said, ncing around at the dozens of people passing by in both directions. Most of them weren¡¯t paying attention to us, but a few did double takes when they saw Darrin, and more than a couple pairs of eyes followed me as well.


    We bypassed the many inns and ascender bars lining both sides of the wide street as ric made a beeline for the portal to the first level. Once the portals were in sight¡ªlike two pieces of ss hovering over a pad of colorful mosaic tiles¡ªwe joined a queue of ascenders who were leaving the second level.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if we leave the Relictombs for the moment,¡± Darrin answered. ¡°First, we¡¯re going to my estate in the countryside of Sehz-r.¡±


    ¡°Sehz-r?¡± I wondered aloud, trying to remember what I¡¯d read. ¡°That¡¯s sort of rural for a famous ascender, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I like it that way,¡± he said nonchntly.


    I considered the size of crya and where we¡¯d entered the Relictombs from in Aramoor, which was in the eastern dominion of Etril. Would we have to go back through Etril before heading to Sehz-r? It was a very long way to go just to have a conversation, considering that we were surrounded by inns where a private room could be rented for a handful of gold.


    ncing back across the second level toward where I thought the massive portal into the deeper zones of the Relictombs was, I noticed a group of men¡ªall dressed in dark leather and chain armor¡ªlook away at the same time, like they¡¯d been staring at me only a second before.


    I quickly scanned the rest of the line. The woman in the orange armor was standing several people behind us. Our eyes met, and her mouth fell open slightly before she lowered her head, letting her dark hair fall across her face. Besides them, no one else seemed to be paying attention to the three of us.


    Questions arose but I kept them to myself, trusting that ric had his reasons for getting us away from the Relictombs, and not wanting to make Darrin suspicious by asking the wrong one.


    It only took a couple minutes for us to reach the exit portal, where a uniformed clerk waved us through. It was like night and day traveling from the second level to the first. Where the second was bright and airy, the first was dank and heavy with the smell of iron and excrement.


    A man dressed in the hide of some mana beast was shouting at one of the portal guards about his pass. The uniformed guard had his arms crossed, and a muscle in his wide jaw was twitching.


    Behind him, a dozen ascenders were waiting in line to enter the second level, most of them grumbling about the wait.


    I was watching themotion from the corner of my eye when I noticed the woman in the bright orange armor step through the portal. She scanned the area, and when her eyes found me she made a beeline toward us while withdrawing something from her dimension ring.


    With heightened senses and reflexes, the seconds that it took for the tanned woman to catch up to me passed by in a crawl.


    Just before she was in arm¡¯s reach, I spun on my heels and caught her by her wrist, crushing the chain bracer into her flesh.


    The woman gasped, and whatever she was holding tumbled to the ground.


    ¡°Did you not think I¡¯d notice?¡± I asked, my gaze piercing through hers as I twisted her wrist. ¡°Why are you following me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m s-so sorry!¡± she squealed, her mahogany eyes wide and her face pale. ¡°I just wanted your a-autograph!¡±


    I nced at the ground where the item she had dropped pressed against my boot: a pyramid-shaped steel box, engraved with chains that wrapped around the edges. As I watched it, the woman¡¯s foot groped forward and tapped the pointed top.


    Several things happened at once.


    The artifact at my feet unfolded, letting out a glowing golden light.


    There was a sh from the woman¡¯s free hand, and a sleek dark dagger appeared in her grasp.


    All around the portal tform, the crowd of ascenders that had been either watching us warily or ignoring us in favor of grumbling about the unmoving line drew their weapons and turned as one toward me and mypanions. Behind them, three nervous officials vanished through the portal back to the second level.


    This whole thing had been a setup¡ªand there was only one group that would go to this kind of trouble.


    ¡°Lord Granbehl sends his regards,¡± the orange-armored ascender snarled, thrusting the de at my abdomen.


    Still holding her by the wrist, I jerked the tanned woman off her feet and threw her at a nearby cluster of armed ascenders. She let out a yelp before crashing into them, but my attention was back on the artifact, which had opened like a flower and was glowing more brightly by the instant.


    Lifting one leg, I began to step down toward it, intending to crush it under my heel, but...I froze, unable to move. The golden light emanating from the open pyramid wrapped around me, shining over every inch of me like a second skin. I could just make out the ethereal shape of chains within the light, wrapping around me and mypanions.


    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned, they actually got a force cage.¡± Even with his voice muffled by theyer of energy the force cage had wrapped around him, ric was more amazed than shocked as he tried to wiggle his body. ¡°And a pretty good one at that.¡±


    His words were met by a chorus of chuckles from the many ascenders now eyeing us dangerously.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Darrin swore, sounding like he was speaking with his head under water. ¡°This isn¡¯t good.¡±


    From the corner of my eye, I saw two men struggle to pull the orange-armored woman to her feet. By the way she was holding her arm, I knew I¡¯d pulled it from the socket. That didn¡¯t stop her from beaming at me victoriously.


    ¡°Quite the handful, aren¡¯t you?¡± she said while popping her arm back into ce. The woman sauntered closer toward us. ¡°A shame that I have to hand you over to the Granbehls. So many better uses for a pretty face like yours.¡±

 Chapter 334 Last Mercy

    <h4>Chapter 334: Last Mercy</h4>


    My gaze shifted from the woman in the orange armor to the ring of ascenders around her closing in on us. Their hardened expressions, posture, gait¡ªeverything about them reinforced my impression that the Granbehls had made a significant investment to orchestrate thisst ditch effort.


    Stopping in front of Darrin, our female assant ced a hand on the golden aura restraining him. ¡°Sorry you got wrapped up in this, Ordin. I know I speak for all these men when I say that you¡¯ve earned our respect over the years.¡±


    ¡°Well, then you could let us go,¡± Darrin ventured, the charm in his voice ruined by the muffling of the golden force field.


    The woman shook her head, eyeing us seriously. ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid not.¡±


    I watched the mercenaries, their hands gripped firmly around their weapons despite their advantages. My eyes turned to where we had crossed over to this floor. A steady stream of ascenders should have been headed in both directions, but no one new came through the portal from the second level, and the street leading out into the first level was empty as well.


    ¡°Still scheming for a way out of this?¡± The woman asked with a raised brow. ¡°I admire yourposure, but it¡¯s no use.¡±


    ¡°Scheming?¡± I echoed, raising a brow. ¡°Is that what it looked like I was doing?¡±


    ¡°Superstar here thinks he¡¯s invincible after being let loose,¡± one of the men standing nearest to her said with a chortle. His red hair had been shaved down on the sides, and scars marked his face, the sides of his head, and the bare skin of his arms.


    Apparently, even the most professional of mercenaries weren¡¯t immune to the disease of a swelled head because another man¡ªthis one a much rounder axe-wielder¡ªleaned forwardzily against his weapon.


    ¡°That¡¯s a top tier force cage, moron,¡± he said with a smirk. ¡°The thing about these expensive ones is that, while they cost as much as a Relictombs estate, they drain your own mana to use against you, reinforcing the barrier.¡±


    ¡°So by all means,¡± the scarred redhead sneered, giving his shoulders a little shake, ¡°struggle all you wish.¡±


    The orange-armored woman let out a snicker and the mercenaries behind her saw that as a signal to cackle in amusement.


    So when the supposedly unbreakable golden barrier of mana shattered around me, their expressions couldn¡¯t have changed any faster.


    ¡®Puahaha! Look at their faces!¡¯ Regis guffawed, practically rolling on his back within me.


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s impossible...¡± the woman stammered, her tanned skin a shade paler.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been told that a lot,¡± I replied casually, dusting the golden shards of solidified mana off my shoulder.


    Recovering quickly from her disbelief, the woman in orange let out a guttural roar as she shed forward, twin sabers appearing in her hands, zing in a golden red fire.


    My form blurred as I used Burst Step to close the distance between us, catching her off guard. I kicked her knees and mmed her face-first into the ground with a quick strike to the back of her neck.


    By the time the rest of the mercenaries snapped out of their shock and terror, their leader was already under my foot.


    My gaze swept across the twenty some men and women in cold apathy. I had given the Granbehls enough chances.


    Regis, kill the rest, I thought.


    A shadowy wolf engulfed in violet mes burst forth, eliciting a storm of curses and yelps of surprise. Being the hardened mercenaries that they were, however, our opponents reacted with practiced efficiency, glowing mantles of all different elements erupting around them. Mana shields flickered to life as well, bathing the tform with colorful light.


    I took a moment to nce back at ric and Darrin, whose dumbfounded expressions indicated that they were still processing what exactly was going on. While the idea of freeing them for additional help crossed my mind, it didn¡¯t seem necessary...and I wanted them to get a glimpse of just what sort of person they were actually helping.


    Shrouding myself in ayer of aether, I focused on my opponents, ready to meet their barrage of spells.


    Regis struck like a meteor, spraying blood wherever his dark ws and fangs went, but after killing a few of theirrades, our attackers were able to encircle him with mana shields while their Casters bombarded him with spells.


    The scarred ascender with burning red hair was the first to approach me, rushing forward with a giant warhammer in hand, creating a depression on the ground with each mana-infused step.


    ¡°Screw taking you alive!¡± he roared. ¡°Die!¡±


    With bloodshot eyes filled with vengeance, the Striker swung his ckened steel hammer that seemed to pulsate.


    I dug my heels into the ground, directing a burst of aether from my core through my arm and into my fist while keeping a steady flow throughout the rest of my body to keep myself stable.


    My bare fist collided with the face of his metal hammer, creating a shockwave of force that ripped through the air.


    The mercenaries nearby were sted off their feet, mmed by the kic energy while the redhead¡¯s hammer shattered just like the force cage they tried to trap me in.


    Before my wide-eyed opponent could recover, I followed up with an aether-d punch to his chest that made sure he never would.


    Meanwhile, Regis had his jaws trained on the round axe-wielder¡¯s head. His agonizing scream turned into a gut-wrenching crunch as mypanion snapped his mouth shut before moving on to his next victim.


    While protective panels of mana were able to deter the shadowy wolf for a moment, Regis¡¯s ws were infused with destruction, slowly disintegrating whatever the mercenaries could conjure.


    All around me, the mercenaries scrambled chaotically, perhaps now realizing how outmatched they were.


    A Striker came from my left, hefting a huge sword surrounded by a sharp torrent of wind, but I sidestepped the unwieldy weapon easily, ignoring the scratches from its cutting aura. As the de struck the ground, I snapped out a forward kick against the t edge. There was a rending of metal as the serrated de tore free from its handle and went skittering across the ground into the distance.


    The Striker had just a moment to stare dumbfounded at his broken weapon before my second kick took him in the side, sending him crashing through the wall of one of the surrounding buildings.


    Spinning, I dodged a crackling arc of electricity that left a trail of shattered earth in its path.


    The robed caster let out a manicugh as he moved his arm, controlling the stream of voltaic mana back at me.


    With another series of aetheric bursts channeled through my body, I Burst Step past the caster, my bloodied arm ripping a hole through his stomach.


    Hisughter dissolved into a hysteric scream as he looked down at his fatal wound.


    As the ascender slumped, blood leaking from his mouth, I held his body and spun, using it as a shield to catch a series of ice spikes that flew toward me. I felt that man¡¯s body shake as the spikes impacted, then he went still in my grip.


    I let the corpse fall to the ground.


    Flicking the blood off my arm, I scanned the battlefield; one of the mercenaries had made a break for the portal. A powerful gale of wind blurred his form, and he was just a single step away from escaping, one arm already inside the glowing window of the portal.


    The world shifted as my perception stretched and the currents of aether appeared around me. Letting the threads of spatium feed information to me, I was able to find the route that led me to the escapee.


    Then I took a step.


    Tendrils of violet lightning crackled around me as my vision shifted to just behind the wind mage. Grabbing him by the back of his armored cor, I jerked him toward me.


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± I asked.


    Despite my gentle smile, the ascender¡¯s face twisted into one of horror.


    ¡°H-how...¡± he croaked before his skull was mmed into the ground.


    Feeling the absence of the rich aetheric atmosphere of the deeper Relictombs zones, I noted the drop in my reserves from that single God Step and knew I couldn¡¯t be careless about wasting aether.


    Turning back to the battle, I spotted Regis who had moved onto another victim, the huge shadow wolf ripping through armor and flesh alike with ease.


    As I stepped back toward the remainder of the enemybatants, a shadow moved through the air right in front of me. I brought my left arm up just in time to catch the hand holding a dagger, which shimmered as it moved, just like its wielder. My attacker, a short-haired girl, had somehow camouged herself and her weapons, making her almost invisible against the chaotic backdrop surrounding us.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve escaped when you had the chance,¡± I said, snapping the wrist in my grasp.


    ¡°Screw you!¡± the camouged ascender screamed as she spun on her heel and swung the second dagger she held in her other hand.


    The dagger never reached me. The tip of my finger, extended into a sharp w, tore across her throat.


    With a spray of blood and an unintelligible gurgle, she fell to her knees.


    Behind her, I watched as Regis leapt on a spear-wielding Striker, catching the shaft of the spear between his jaws and snapping it in two before dragging the man down. Spinning disks of white light kept shing past Regis¡¯s shadow wolf form from behind the corner of a nearby building, where a couple of the mercenaries were retreating.


    Movement brought my attention back to the dagger-wielding ascender, who¡ªwhile sping her torn throat with one hand¡ªmanaged to muster the strength to drive one of her daggers into my leg.


    I winced, more out of annoyance than out of pain, as I wrenched the dagger free.


    The camouging ascender froze, unable to do anything but stare as the wound she had desperately inflicted began visibly healing in front of her, before sumbing to her fatal wound.


    Finally, the enemy began to break as a couple of the men attempted to flee. Regis had already killed one of them, and was going after the second when one of the white disks caught him in the shoulder.


    Anger red from mypanion as he ignored it in favor of killing the runaway first.


    By the time I finished off a few of our remaining attackers, Regis had his attention back on the caster that had injured him with the glowing white disks. He was hiding behind a grizzled woman in armor of ovepping steel tes.


    As the two stumbled back into an alleyway away from the shadowy wolf stalking them, the woman conjured a box of shimmering mana around her and the caster. A second and third box manifested around the first, and she took a deep breath, her hard eyes bearing down on Regis as the relieved caster behind her began summoning more searing white disks.


    With each step mypanion took toward the two remaining mercenaries, the brighter and more sinister his ws glowed until destruction flickered silently, melting effortlessly through each of the three conjured barriers. I could tell that mypanion was relishing in his final two prey.


    Leaving Regis to wrap up, I walked over to where Darrin and ric were both watching me with wide eyes beneath the golden aura restraining them.


    The force cage artifact gleamed from the ground where it had been dropped, projecting ethereal golden chains that snaked around mypanions. Without preamble, I stepped down hard on the unfolded pyramid, and it¡ªalong with the ground¡ªcrunched under my boot.


    As the golden light faded, both men stumbled forward.


    Massaging his knees, ric¡¯s gaze swept across the bloodied battlefield before taking in my form.


    Clearing his throat ufortably, he shot a nce at Darrin before looking up at me. ¡°You...uh...hurt?¡±


    ¡°It would¡¯ve been faster if you two had joined,¡± I said with a shrug.


    ¡°You seemed to have things...under control, ¡± Darrin muttered, his emerald green eyes still soaking in the sight around us.


    A figure stirred on the ground to the left of where we stood.


    ric and Darrin looked to me but I shook my head. I let her recover as she peeled herself off the ground with a haggard groan. The once-orange armor was dyed in crimson, but most of the blood wasn¡¯t hers. Aside from a raw scrape across her face, and what was likely to be a vicious headache, she wasn¡¯t badly wounded.


    I walked toward her and waited silently until she was finally able to take in the sight surrounding her.


    ¡°No...¡± she whispered, eyes red and lined with tears.


    The ascender turned her trembling body toward where I stood.


    ¡°Please...just let me live,¡± she croaked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t leave you alive just to show you this mess,¡± I answered, even-toned. ¡°I have a job for you.¡±


    She nodded fiercely. ¡°A-anything you want.¡±


    ¡°Tell the man who hired you that this¡±¡ªI swept my gaze through the portal tform now littered with corpses¡ª¡°was myst act of mercy.¡±


    The mercenary¡¯s jaw clenched, but she nodded once more in understanding.


    ¡°If he chooses to disregard whatever semnce of sanity he has left andes after me again, I¡¯ll make sure that Ada is the only Granbehl left to mourn for her blood,¡± I said, giving her a mirthless smile. ¡°After all...I know where they live.¡±


    With onest nod, she scrambled away, barely able to make it through the portal.


    I made my way to Darrin and ric, who had watched my interaction with the woman in grim-faced silence.


    ¡°Do you disagree with how I handled this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The oue? No, not in the least,¡± Darrin answered before he looked off in the distance. ¡°The method, well...¡±


    ¡°The oue would¡¯ve been better if you could¡¯ve broken us out of the force cage without breaking it,¡± ric grumbled, holding the broken scraps of the artifact tenderly. ¡°Do you have any idea how much this was worth?¡±


    ¡°If you sold it, it would just end up back in someone like Granbehl¡¯s hands,¡± I replied, deadpan.


    ¡°Well, sure,¡± he sputtered, ¡°but I¡¯d be significantly more wealthy in the meantime!¡±


    I snorted, and Darrin gave me a helpless shrug.


    Regis chose that moment to reappear out of the alley. He loped up beside me, his maw red with blood, and I couldn¡¯t help but notice the way Darrin eyed him ufortably.


    Shaking himself, Regis sent a fine spray of warm red drops into the air, sttering ric, Darrin, and myself with little specks of blood. Darrin flinched back, covering his face with an arm, while ric stared off into the distance, unamused and face dotted red.


    ¡®I feel so much better,¡¯ he thought, his tongue lolling from the side of his mouth. ¡®Gonna take a nap now.¡¯


    Darrin and ric watched, awestruck, as Regis faded away, drifting back into my body.


    ¡°Your magic and...summons...¡± Darrin paused, as if searching for the right words. He opened his mouth, hesitated, and closed it again. In the end, he only shook his head helplessly.


    ¡°I¡¯m more curious how you broke out of the force cage, myself,¡± ric admitted as he tried to force one of the triangr panels closed. ¡°That should be impossible.¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± I asked, meeting ric¡¯s eye.


    He looked down at the hard-packed dirt for a second before kicking away a loose stone. ¡°Nope, I don¡¯t suppose I do.¡±


    Over his shoulder, Darrin said, ¡°Well I certainly would like to know, and I hope one day you¡¯ll trust me enough to let me in on your secret, Grey.¡±


    ¡®Which ones?¡¯ Regis snorted in amusement.


    When I didn¡¯t immediately reply, Darrin¡¯s face twitched with a tentative smile, and he turned away, leading our party out of the Relictombs.

 Chapter 335 Haunting Peace

    <h4>Chapter 335: Haunting Peace</h4>


    ¡°Wow,¡± I said, genuinely surprised by the sight in front of me.


    Darrin¡¯s home in rural Sehz-r was twice the size of the Helsteas¡¯ manor in Xyrus, and it was surrounded by rolling green and golden fields that stretched as far as I could see. A little town was tucked in between two hills a few miles away, and a handful of other, simr estates dotted the surrounding countryside.


    The main structure was two stories, but red out into low wings that opened to either side. The entire mansion was made of light red brick highlighted with white stone columns. The house was surrounded by a well manicured yard of green grass and dense, flowering shrubs, and a path led away to the east, where I could see some kind of walled off area higher up on the hill.


    The rural serenity of the estate had calmed everyone¡¯s nerves, still on edge from the assault in the Relictombs. Looking at the painting-like scene around us, I actually began to look forward to at least a small rest devoid of any torture or attempts on my life.


    ¡°The benefit of living rural,¡± Darrin said, beaming. ¡°Property costs a quarter of what you¡¯d pay in the more densely popted dominions, and these hills have poor soil, so you don¡¯t have to fight the farmers fornd rights, either.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised you don¡¯t live in the Relictombs, though,¡± I said as I ran a finger along the edge of a bright purple flower. ¡°Considering what you do.¡±


    Darrin began leading us across the widewn, which we had appeared in the middle of, toward the bright white double doors of his home. ¡°I couldn¡¯t afford a property there, so the best I¡¯d be able to do is rent a two-room suite in one of the nicer inns, and that would still cost a small fortune.¡± He paused, taking in the rolling hills and bright, wide sky. ¡°No, I think I¡¯d rather live here, and pay the teleportation fees.¡±


    I followed his gaze, taking in the sight again. ¡°I guess I can¡¯t me you. It¡¯s quite the view.¡±


    Darrin put a hand on ric¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Never would have managed it all without my mentor here. You¡¯re in good hands, Grey, even if he does feign a rough exterior.¡±


    ric huffed, his already ruddy cheeks darkening, and his gazending everywhere except on Darrin. ¡°And a fat lot of good it did me, considering you only ended up owning a single estate in the middle of nowhere...¡±


    Grinning, Darrin knocked softly on the door.


    A momentter, it flew open and a young girl, no older than seven or eight, threw herself into his arms. ¡°Uncle Darrin!¡± she yelled, squeezing her arms around his neck and grinning over his shoulder.


    When she realized ric and I were there, her eyes, green as emeralds, went wide, and she squealed and wriggled free of Darrin¡¯s hug so she could hide behind him and peek out at us.


    Giving the girl what I hoped was a friendly smile, I waved. She immediately ducked behind Darrin, whoughed.


    ¡°Pen, these are my friends, ric and Grey,¡± Darrin said, gently maneuvering her back out into the open and ruffling her dark blonde hair. ¡°It¡¯s okay, they¡¯re friendly. Well, Grey is.¡±


    ric¡¯s face twisted into a menacing snarl and he growled low in his chest. ¡°But I¡¯m the mean one, and I bake little children into yummy pies!¡±


    The girl giggled and looked up at Darrin. ¡°Your friends are funny!¡±


    ¡°They think they are, anyway,¡± Darrin replied, rolling his eyes at ric. He scooped the girl up and carried her across the threshold, waving for us to follow.


    ¡°Any word about your mom while I was gone?¡± he asked her as they led us into the entry hall, where two curved stairs led up to the upper floor.


    She shook her head and pouted. ¡°No.¡±


    Darrin pulled her into another hug and patted her back consolingly. ¡°That¡¯s okay, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be back soon.¡± He set her down on the granite-tiled floor. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go tell the others we have guests?¡±


    Nodding seriously, the little girl vanished through a door to our right, which must have led into one of the other wings of the house.


    ¡°Yours?¡± I asked, watching her bounce away.


    ¡°Oh, no,¡± Darrin said, running his hand through his hair. ¡°Her mother is one of my teammates from back in the day. She¡¯s still active. Pen stays with me sometimes, when her mom¡¯s on an ascent.¡±


    My eyes followed Pen out of the entrance hall, catching on a figure leaning against the wall in the corner. It was a young woman with bright orange hair that faded to sunny blonde where it ended just past her shoulders. She was wearing a white blouse with silver buttons and tight leather pants, and a long, slender sword hung from her belt.


    But it was her hazel eyes that stood out, or rather, it was the way they traveled slowly across me, from the toes of my boots all the way up to my pale blond hair, before spinning in a dismissive eye roll.


    Before I could do more than meet her gaze, the young woman swept from the room, and my attention was again redirected.


    ¡°Mister Darrin!¡± a happy voice said from a room behind the stairs. A plump woman with mousy-brown hair appeared from it, wiping her hands with a towel. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t hear the door.¡±


    Darrin gave her a warm smile, though the direction of his gaze lingered on the passage where the young woman had disappeared. ¡°No problem, Sorrel. We have guests for the evening.¡±


    The woman curtsied, her tightly curled auburn hair bobbing around her round face. ¡°A pleasure! Are the three of you hungry at all, Mister Darrin?¡±


    ric¡¯s stomach rumbled audibly in response, which he patted appreciatively. ¡°Never mind that, where are you hiding the good stuff?¡± Without waiting for a reply, the old man strode purposefully away.


    Shaking his head at his friend, Darrin said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you show Grey to the bathing room first?¡± Turning to me, he added, ¡°I assume it¡¯s been awhile since you had a warm bath?¡±


    Darrin¡¯s housekeeper eagerly led me deeper into the mansion until I found myself standing in what, at first nce, appeared to be a cave. The walls of the bathing room were craggy stone, and the bath itself was sunk into the smooth rock of the ¡°cave¡± floor. After Sorrel left me, I took some time to examine the room.


    Aside from the bath, there was a mirror inset into the wall, a series of racks and hooks where clothes could be hung up, and a person-sized niche that I didn¡¯t immediately understand, until I found a small copper button next to it.


    The button clicked when I pressed it, and a wave of heat rolled out. I stuck my hand in; the air was dry and warm.


    Clicking the button again turned the effect off.


    ¡®Ooh, fancy,¡¯ Regis said admiringly.


    Turning my attention to the bath, I found a row of buttons along the edge. During my life as King Grey, I¡¯d grown to enjoy warm baths in water heavy with salt. It had been a luxury that I hadn¡¯t enjoyed since being reborn in Dicathen. So when I saw the buttonbeled ¡°Salt Bath,¡± I knew I had to try that one first.


    Pressing the button caused warm salt water to seep out of the sides of the rocky bath, and it was full before I finished peeling off the simple clothes I¡¯d worn to the trial.


    Sinking into the water, a chill ran down my spine despite the warmth.


    When was thest time I enjoyed such a simplefort? I wondered, letting my head fall back so the salt water covered my ears, drowning out all noise except for my own thoughts.


    And Regis¡¯s. ¡®Maerin Town wasn¡¯t so bad, but that was like a hundred years ago now, right?¡¯


    I let out augh before sshing some of the water across my face. After wiping it away, I replied, It does feel like that. Do you want toe out for a bit?


    Regis leapt from my body to stand outside the pool. He stretched, pushing his front paws forward and yawning widely. ¡°You know, sometimes I forget how quiet it is when I don¡¯t have your broody thoughts running through my head all the time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not broody,¡± I replied defensively, ring up at mypanion from under half-closed lids.


    Regis snorted as he walked around in a slow circle before lying down. ¡°Okay, princess.¡±


    Kicking outward, I send a wave of warm salt water cascading over the edge of the bath to soak mypanion. He leapt up, sputtering with indignation. ¡°I just gotfy!¡±


    The shadowy mes that flickered around his mane red, drying him instantly, and he found another spot to settle down. He let out a yawn and stretched his long limbs before asking, ¡°So, what now?¡±


    I let my eyes drift shut. ¡°Right now? Let¡¯s give ourselves a few minutes to rx, then we¡¯ll figure out what ric and his friend have up their sleeves.¡±


    I felt the heavy fog of sleep settling over me soon after. Although I didn¡¯t really need to sleep, I relished the idea of drifting off for a while, and I didn¡¯t fight the sensation.


    The sound of a crowd chanting came from all around me, like the noise of waves crashing against a cliff face; It was distant and muffled, like I was hearing it from a very long way off.


    Slowly opening my eyes, I looked around. I was standing on a square dueling tform, surrounded by stands filled with familiar faces: ire deheart and the rest of the Disciplinary Committee, the Lances, Jasmine and the Twin Horns, Virion, the kings and queens of Dicathen¡¯s Council, the elders who trained me in the four elements, Lady Vera, Headmaster Wilbeck, Caera, Ellie, with Sylvie¡¯s little white fox form on herp, my mother...my father.


    Someone else was on the dueling tform too: Cecilia. She held out a hand, and a dual-ded sword shimmered to life in her fist, a beam of hot white light that hummed with deadly energy.


    I gave Cecilia a low bow, but she only glowered back at me before lunging across the tform, her weapon leaving a trail of light in the air. I lifted Dawn¡¯s Bad to block the attack, but the teal de shattered in my hand, and I felt white hot pain as Cecilia¡¯s weapon bit deep into my shoulder.


    For a moment, we were face to face, her turquoise eyes zing malevolently.


    She yanked the de from my shoulder and spun, driving the other end toward my stomach. I looked for the aetheric pathways to God Step out of the way, but there was nothing.


    The de sunk into my stomach and burst out my back.


    Behind Cecilia, someone was running down a long tunnel toward us. Although he seemed miles away, I met Nico¡¯s eyes, blind with hatred, twisted by fear, and felt a thickyer of ice grow over my heart, and the cold detachment I¡¯d learned as King Grey spread from it.


    Cecilia jerked her de free and twirled it around, a gold-green light emanating outward, staining the edges of my vision and shining off the frozen faces in the audience. A beam of pure light lifted her off the dueling tform, her de pointed at my chest like ance, then she streaked toward me.


    The scene froze. Standing, I clenched my fist, holding in it Dawn¡¯s Bad, the translucent teal de, now whole again, refracting the light and sending green-blue beams dancing across the dueling tform. In the distance, Nico was still running toward us, the only thing moving besides me.


    And history repeats...


    Cecilia was moving again, crashing down on me like aet. When our des shed, a shockwave rippled outward, obliterating the tform, the stands, the arena, and wiping away the audience¡ªall those familiar faces from both my lives¡ªin a cloud of dust.


    My de was zing with violent amethyst light from where it had run through Cecilia¡¯s chest. But it was Tess, not Cecilia, who slumped forward, her body falling into me, her life¡¯s blood rushing out over my hands, quickly staining the dueling tform red.


    My mouth fell open to gasp out...something¡ªanything¡ªbut the words were stuck in my throat, as if a giant hand had wrapped around my neck and was choking me. All I could do was watch, paralyzed, as the light faded from her eyes.


    Her fingertips brushed my face, running down my cheek and across my lips.


    The icy fist gripping my chest burst, and my eyes snapped open.


    Heaving a strained, half-choked breath, I pulled myself up out of the salt bath and rolled over toy on the floor, panting.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Regis barked, as I¡¯d sent a wave of bathwater sshing over the cave floor. ¡°What¡¯d I do this¡ªwhoa, you okay?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I muttered, rubbing hard at my face. ¡°Just a bad dream.¡±


    ¡°Want to talk about it?¡± he asked, resting his chin on his paws.


    ¡°Not really,¡± I said as I rolled up to my feet, the images of the dream already growing muddy and distorted in my mind, except for Tess¡¯s blood staining my hands.


    I¡¯ll find you, Tess. I promise.


    Sorrel met me in the hall outside the bathing room after I had put on a clean set of clothes from my dimension rune. One eyebrow rose as she looked me up and down, barely suppressing a smirk. ¡°Don¡¯t you clean up nicely...¡± she said. ¡°Mister Darrin and the rest are sharing a drink on the back porch. I¡¯ll show you the way.¡±


    The housekeeper swept through the mansion until we reached a sunroom entirely surrounded by ss. It contained nts of a hundred different varieties, and was filled with the rich, sweet, earthy smells of flowers and herbs. I inspected the collection as we passed, but only recognized a handful of the nt species. A door led onto an open porch that overlooked the endless rolling green-and-gold hills.


    Outside, I found not only ric and Darrin, but the girl Pen, the young woman with the orange-blonde hair, and three other children of various ages.


    Pen was the first to notice me, and immediately ducked her face down into Darrin¡¯s shoulder.


    ric looked up and gave me a mock frown. ¡°I was starting to worry you¡¯d drowned in the bath, boy. Would have sent Sorrel to check on you, but Darrin told her not to do anything I asked.¡±


    ¡°Do you me me, after what happenedst time you were here?¡± Darrin asked, patting Pen¡¯s back lightly.


    ric¡¯s cheeks, already ruddy from alcohol, turned a brighter shade of red. ¡°You said we weren¡¯t going to talk about that again.¡±


    Darrin caught my eye and winked. ¡°I did, and we won¡¯t. Grey,e join us!¡±


    I sat in an empty wooden chair and all eyes turned to me, even Pen¡¯s, who was staring out from behind a curtain of her own hair.


    ¡°Hooligans, this is Ascender Grey, another student of ric¡¯s,¡± Darrin said in introduction. ¡°Grey, this is my ward, Adem.¡±


    The indicated boy appeared to be in his early teens, around my sister¡¯s age, maybe a little older. His dark blue eyes met mine without a hint of fear or intimidation. We matched gazes for a moment before he gave me a shallow nod.


    ¡°And these,¡± Darrin said, ¡°are my trainees, Ka, Ketil, and Briar. The twins¡¯ parents are farmers here in Sehz-r and are trying to get them into one of the ascender academies. Briar is the oldest daughter of Blood Nadir, and is here to train in preparation for her second year at Central Academy.¡±


    The twins shared the same bright blonde hair, almost as light as my own but more vibrant, and were stocky and muscr, likely from growing up on a farm. Ka nodded, but kept her eyes to the ground. Ketil, on the other hand, adjusted his posture to stand taller as he interposed himself between her and the others protectively.


    Briar of Blood Nadir was rolling what looked like a shiny silver arrowhead around in her hand, except it wasn¡¯t in her hand, but hovering about an inch over it. She didn¡¯t look up or acknowledge the introduction.


    Looking at the children, I couldn¡¯t help but think about Headmaster Wilbeck, her face still fresh from my dream. I knew it was partially the sentimentality leftover from the strange nightmare, but I couldn¡¯t help but like Darrin Ordin. He reminded me of the Headmaster, and even a little of my father when Reynolds had been young...


    Prying myself away from my thoughts, I gave them a faint smile. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all.¡±


    Ka mumbled her greeting in return, although her brother was louder.


    Adem stood and bowed stiffly. ¡°Wee to our home, Ascender Grey. We¡¯re honored to have you.¡±


    Darrin¡¯s lips twitched as he hid a smile at the boy¡¯s proper greeting, but it fell to a frown when Briar let out a derisive snort.


    Adem red at her as she returned to her seat, but didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°So, Briar,¡± ric said into the awkward silence that followed, ¡°you survived a year at Central Academy, aye? Good for you, kid.¡±


    The young woman tossed her multi-colored hair as she leveled a defiant gaze at the old man. ¡°Of course. Despite Central Academy being one of the best, and toughest, military and ascender training academies in crya, I scored above average on all of the assessment criteria.¡±


    ric whistled in appreciation. To me, he said, ¡°Most of the ascender-focused academies grade by the same metrics the Ascenders Association uses. Easier to track progress that way.¡±


    I nodded, saying only, ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡± Briar asked pointedly, her brow raised in obvious skepticism. ¡°It¡¯s doubtful, given that my teacher had to bail you out for getting your teammates killed in a measly prelim.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mean!¡± Pen said, pouting at the older girl.


    ¡°Briar,¡± Darrin said firmly. The young woman stiffened, turning to him but focusing on a point over his shoulder instead of making eye-contact. ¡°Rudeness toward my guests extends to rudeness toward me. If you can¡¯t hold back your frustration, I¡¯d encourage you to head down to the training rooms and sweat it out.¡±


    I could see her jaw clench in frustration, but the young woman relented, dipping her head toward her teacher before marching back into the house.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t even apologize,¡± Adem muttered under his breath.


    Darrin let out a sigh as he ran a hand through his blonde hair. ¡°I¡¯ll apologize on her behalf. Briar is...prideful of both her upbringing and her personal aplishments.¡±


    ¡°Quite the bucket of sunshine, that one,¡± ric said as he took a generous sip from his ss of wine.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen worse,¡± I said with a shrug, my gaze lingering behind where Briar had stomped off.


    The retired ascender let out a chuckle as he lifted Pen from hisp. ¡°Now then, the three of us have some things to discuss.¡±


    The twins shared a relieved look as they scurried inside, but Pen had to be shooed away by the housekeeper. Adem lingered, looking at Darrin hopefully, his face falling when the ex-ascender waved him inside as well.


    Darrin watched the boy sulk back into the house.


    ¡°He¡¯s your ward?¡± I asked, curious about why a wealthy ex-ascender seemed to be running his own halfway house for cryan youth.


    Darrin nodded and sipped from a wooden mug. ¡°His parents were both killed in the Relictombs. I didn¡¯t know them, but Pen¡¯s mother did. The boy didn¡¯t have anyone else, and he would have ended up in the slums somewhere, or given to some rat-hole academy that¡¯d only half train him before sending him off to die in the war.¡±


    ¡°So you adopted him instead?¡±


    Darrin frowned at me in confusion. ¡°Adopted? No, of course not. Only the named bloods or highbloods are allowed to formally adopt. Is it...different, where you¡¯re from?¡±


    I quickly shook my head. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean a formal adoption, no, just that you¡¯d taken him on. That¡¯s...very kind.¡±


    Thanks for the heads up, I thought to Regis.


    ¡®Huh? What? I wasn¡¯t paying attention.¡¯


    Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I focused back on Darrin. ¡°And the girl? Briar?¡±


    ¡°You mean Miss Superiority?¡± ric snorted.


    Darrin shot ric a meaningful look before turning back to me. ¡°Briar has just been a bit upset that I¡¯ve been preupied with your trial instead of being here, training her. Her parents have paid me good money to mentor her, but she is in the mindset that physical and magical prowess is all that¡¯s needed to survive the Relictombs.¡±


    ¡°It definitely doesn¡¯t hurt to be stronger,¡± I argued, my gaze lingering on the door that the kids had left through.


    Darrin¡¯s gaze grew distant. ¡°Yes, buting out of the Relictombs alive is also a team effort.¡±


    ¡®You hear that? Apparently we¡¯ve been doing it wrong,¡¯ Regis chimed in with a chuckle.


    ¡°Anyway, while my life is definitely missing that mor it once had, it¡¯s a lot more safe for me to be training kids than ascending.¡± He scratched his cheek, looking almost embarrassed. ¡°While he¡¯s not my blood, I couldn¡¯t leave Adem alone and just go off on ascents when every one could be myst. If something happened to me...well, then he really wouldn¡¯t have anyone.¡±


    ¡°Yep, Darrin here is a real softy. It¡¯s why I knew he¡¯d help you,¡± ric said with a lopsided grin before nudging his former student with an elbow. ¡°Remember the time when¡ª¡±


    I watched silently as Darrin massaged the bridge of his nose, letting out a deep breath as ric reminisced about old times. Being around the likable young ascender¡ªor ex-ascender¡ªhad be increasingly ufortable for me. Not because I was afraid of him finding out who I was, but because it was bing increasingly difficult to see him as an enemy. His concern over Briar, his sympathy after adopting Adem, and even babysitting his former teammate¡¯s child...I just couldn¡¯t link him to the same people who I had gone to war against.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Grey. ric and I tend to get a bit sidetracked when we talk,¡± Darrin said with augh. ¡°Now, where were we...¡±


    ¡°Aside from you being ¡®a softy¡¯, as ric put it, I¡¯m still not sure why you chose to help me,¡± I answered, studying the retired ascender. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what ric promised you, but I don¡¯t have much wealth.¡±


    Darrin stood and crossed the porch, leaning against the railing. ¡°Most of the people I help don¡¯t. No, I don¡¯t need money. I still make a little on the side by visiting the academies and telling scary stories to the students to keep them in line, and of course for taking on private students like Briar, but I made my fortune in the Relictombs, and it¡¯ll keep mefortable until I¡¯m an old man.


    ¡°I just...don¡¯t like to see the little guy getting stepped on by the nobility. And I really don¡¯t like it when ascenders get thrown away, just because they don¡¯t have highblood backing.¡±


    ¡°That exins why those judges hated you so much,¡± I noted, remembering their open hostility.


    Darrinughed softly. ¡°Yeah, it wasn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve been at cross purposes with ckshorn and Frihl.¡±


    ¡°So...you expect me to believe you helped me out of the goodness of your heart?¡± I leaned forward in my chair, watching the cryan closely.


    He turned his back to the hills and rested against the rail, meeting my gaze with an intensity I hadn¡¯t seen from him before, even at the trial. ¡°Not exactly.¡±


    I watched him carefully, unsure where he was going with this.


    ¡°I invest in people, Grey. People like Adem, Ka, and Ketil. People like a dozen other ascenders who were taken to trial, over des rights, or idental death, or expired badges.¡±


    ¡°You expect a cut, like ric?¡± I said, unsurprised.


    ric snorted. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I told him to do, kid! But he doesn¡¯t have my business acumen.¡±


    Darrin gave him a deadpan look. To me, he said, ¡°I expect you to remember that people can be kind, and when you see someone who is down on their luck, or who isn¡¯t as fortunate as you are, or who needs help, that you¡¯ll do what you can.¡±


    I blinked, waiting for a punchline or an ¡°and¡± toe after, but Darrin just sat silently.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± I finally said. ¡°You just expect people to...pass it on?¡±


    Darrin gave ric a quick nce before turning back to me, his eyes sparkling and a boyish grin reappearing on his face. ¡°Okay, there may be one more thing...¡±

 Chapter 336 Protection

    <h4>Chapter 336: Protection</h4>


    Hollow footsteps echoed against the fortified walls as Darrin led ric and me down a long spiral staircase that took us deep underground.


    What greeted us at the end of the short journey was a thick rune-inscribed door that opened onto arge training area. My gaze swept the wide room as memories of the flying castle training grounds, where I had trained with Hester, Buhnd, Camus, and Kathyln after bing a Lance, resurfaced.


    With the nightmare about Tess and Cecelia still fresh in my mind, the past seemed to be floating closer to the surface than usual.


    That seems to have been in another life cycle , I thought with a sigh, stopping at the door.


    ¡¯That begs a good question: exactly how many lives do you have, anyway?¡¯ Regis asked, his disembodied form radiating amusement and genuine curiosity. ¡¯Nine, like a cat, or are you more like a river nix, just moving and rising forever?¡¯


    A river nix?


    ¡¯It¡¯s this little tube-shaped mana beast that lives in the rocks under water. It sheds its crystalline exoskeleton every morning,es out like new again, and if you cut it one by two, both halves regenerate. ¡¯


    As I entered the training room, I considered what it would be like to have a clone of myself every time one of my limbs was cut off.


    Regis cursed in my head. ¡¯Please forget what I said. That image is ghastly. ¡¯


    Like the door, the runes were inscribed on the floor, along the walls, and on the ceiling. I followed a line of runes, trying to determine what they were for.


    "Protective runes," Darrin confirmed. ¡°To keep the house upstairs safe. It means that I can do my best here without even waking Sorrel from his nap. "


    It was an impressive training room, although not as grand as the one in the flying castle.


    "So, after going up against the high judges and a name blood for me, is this all you want?" I asked, still browsing the unadorned room. "A sparring session?"


    ric touched his earzily. "He¡¯s that weird."


    "Actually? I think it¡¯s normal for a fighter to always want to prove himself ¡± Darrin replied as he stretched out on the ground.


    "Excuse me, Mr. Darrin!" Sorrel intervened from the door. The children were clustered around him, looking anxiously toward the training room. "Sir, were the children hoping they coulde see?


    Darrin looked at me, and while I wasn¡¯t interested in showing mybat prowess to more crians, these were just kids. "I do not mind."


    The retired Ascendant smiled with delight as he gestured for them to enter. "It will be a great experience for them!"


    "I should have charged you for this," ricined.


    "The amount of alcohol you already inhaled from my shelves should be enough to even call us for this favor," Darrin said with a wink.


    When the children settled into the far corner of the room, Briar walked through the door. With a towel draped over her shoulders and sweat glistening on her face, she sat down with the rest of our audience.


    While Adem and the other kids were obviously looking forward to the show, Briar looked at me even more critically than the judges in the Great Hall.


    "Do you need some time to warm up?" Darrin asked, standing up.


    I shook my head and tossed the outer robe Sorrel had provided me to the ground.


    "A couple of rules then," he continued, stretching an arm across his chest. "Not killing or maiming, obviously." Darrin followed this statement with a smile to make it clear that he was joking. "Since we don¡¯t have Shields¡ª"


    "I can create a barrier around myself," I said, knowing I was about to find out anyway.


    Most of the crians he had fought in the war had been unable to protect themselves with mana, instead relying on their battle groups, specifically the mages known as Shields, to protect them. My experience with other ascenders in the Relictombs suggested that not all crian mages were so strictly limited, but I didn¡¯t want my ability to stand out too much.


    "Good," he said. If he thought it was weird, he didn¡¯t reveal it. "The specialty has be popr since simtors allowed ascenders to climb the Relictombs together, but I firmly believe that versatility pays off when things go wrong."


    "Stop preaching," ric booed. "None of these brats want your outdated opinions."


    "You probably experienced it yourself, Grey," Darrin continued, ignoring the old drunk¡¯sment and the children¡¯sughter. "Relictombs require flexibility and creativity if you want to survive."


    I just nodded when Regis¡¯s voice sounded in my head.


    ¡¯Yes, it shows a little more creativity than¡¯ imbuing the body with aether, hitting things, ¡¯princess. Didn¡¯t you used to be a block elemental wizard? ¡¯


    True, but I couldn¡¯t grow an arm back then, I thought lightly.


    ... Touch.¡¯


    "Any other rules before we start?" I asked.


    "Normally I wouldn¡¯t mention this, but I would tell you, to avoid big attacks directed at children," Darrin added with a wry smile. "That barrier is solid, but after what I saw against those mercenaries, I don¡¯t have that much confidence in it."


    I allowed a littleugh. "I will keep it in mind.


    From beyond the barrier, a chorus of shouts of support sounded from Pen and Adem, cheering for Darrin. He gave them a polite goodbye before slipping back into a fighting stance, fists raised like a boxer.


    No shouts of support from my habitually talkative partner? I asked Regis, mentally prodding him.


    ¡¯Woo, fighting Arthur,¡¯ he replied wryly.


    Oh thank you ...


    Darrin nodded, indicating that he was ready, and I returned the gesture.


    Instantly, Darrin¡¯s form blurred as he lunged forward, his fist mming toward my chin. Catching the attack mid-strike, I redirected the blow while turning my front foot behind me, reversing my stance.


    I have carefully avoided unbncing or opening myself up for a counter, instead of throwing another jab, feinting, and throwing a hook to my ribs. I took a step forward, into the punch, and dug my elbow into his chest, sending him back a couple of steps.


    The children¡¯s cheers fell silent as Darrin rubbed the spot where he had hit him. "That was... quick," he said appreciatively.


    "You can Uncle Darrin!" Pen screamed.


    Cracking his neck, Darrin returned to his fighting stance beforeunching a flurry of punches and kicks. He struck with brutal efficiency, moving between attacks with fluid grace born of long practice. The athletic ex-ascend would have easily outmatched most people in hand-to-hand fighting, even without his magic.


    But most of the people had not been trained by an asura.


    I avoided my opponent¡¯s punches without counterattacking for a handful of exchanges, letting him maneuver around the training floor as he tried to pin my back against the wall, then, when he was fully in his rhythm, I changed course, responding to each punch with one of mine.


    Within moments I had him backtracking and iling to defend himself against attacks that were both stronger and faster than his. When he extended his back leg too far for bnce, I swept his front leg, sending him tumbling to the ground.


    Moans and cries of disbelief came from our little audience. Ketil was on her feet, her face practically pressed against the inside of the mana shield, and even Briar¡¯s once critical gaze was nowhere to be seen.


    Darrin¡¯s experience as an ascendant shed as he immediately rolled back onto his shoulder to stand up in one motion, his face now a mask of determination. He nodded again, waiting for me to do the same.


    This time when he jabbed his fist fell very close to my body, but a slight change in air pressure prompted me to dodge him anyway. Something hard and heavy brushed past my left cheek, cutting off my ear.


    Theyer of aether clinging to my skin absorbed the attack, but I was sure that the blow would have knocked out an unshielded opponent if it had fallen squarely.


    "You even managed to dodge that, huh?" Darrin noticed behind his tight guard. "That is a bit disheartening."


    "You caught me off guard," I admitted, watching his eyes intently for his next move.


    "Maybe, but it seems your monstrous speed and reflexes managed to make up for that," he replied before taking a few steps back, putting more distance between us.


    Realizing what he was up to, I ran towards him, but was met with a barrage of attacks from all different directions. The direction of the attacks didn¡¯t seem to corrte with his physical movements at all, and he was good at masking his intentions by concentrating on anywhere except where the blows woulde from.Although he couldn¡¯t sense the wind attribute mana formation, there was a slight gust of air before each attack. I ducked and moved, using my enhanced senses to track each blow extended with that subtle woosh , but the bombardment was enough to keep me from getting close to Darrin to counterattack.


    ¡¯Can¡¯t you just... I don¡¯t know, charge head-on?¡¯ Regis asked, bored. ¡¯Or are you showing off your graceful dance moves?¡¯


    A smile formed on the edge of my lips. I can, but what¡¯s fun about that?


    Ah, let¡¯s have fun. I got it. ¡¯ Regis cleared his throat before yelling like a professional fight announcer. I the retired promotion keeps Arthur Leywin on the ropes! Can Ashber¡¯s Striker flip this match? ¡¯


    Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, I ran forward, my feet carrying me forward in a zigzag path towards my opponent as I moved between his bombardment.


    Just as I reached it, the air in front of me lit up with crackling arcs of lightning, leaping around the edges of another - muchrger - gust of wind.


    Covering my arms with aether, I spun on my lead foot. Spinning past Darrin¡¯s st while using my aether-covered arms as a conduit to redirect mana, I struck back with a lightning strike of my own.


    Darrin raised his forearms in a tight crusade to block my punch. As the retreating ascendant slid back from the impact, the electricity surrounding my arms simply spread like a web of flickering yellow light through its mana-covered body before dissipating.


    One of the children screamed in sheer excitement, but Darrin¡¯s attention was on my hands, which had streaks of burnt skin branching down my arms.


    ¡¯That sure looks fun,¡¯ Regis said deadpan.


    Darrin let his guard down, concern in his eyes as he looked at my hands. ¡°That looks pretty bad. Maybe we should get you - "


    I raised a hand that was already healing and her eyes widened as the flesh returned to her naturally paleplexion. "There is no need.¡±


    Although he was still frowning, Darrin took a few steps back and indicated that he was ready once more.


    This time, I eagerly plunged into the maelstrom of lightning-infused wind blows, sharpening my focus until I saw nothing but arcing lightning and heard only the gust of wind. Darrin couldnd two or three punches per second, assuming he was doing his best, which I wasn¡¯t sure if he was yet, and I felt a real thrill of defiance as I spun, dived, and dodged, avoiding hit after hit.


    "Your speed is amazing," yelled Darrin - who looked like a shadow boxer, kicking and punching into nothingness - from out of the storm. ¡°But if you¡¯re trying to pull me out, you¡¯ll have to do better. I¡¯ve fought for days without resting in the Relictombs before, I¡¯m going to... ¡±


    Channeling aether into my muscles, nerves, and tendons, I timed Burst Step to a splinter of an opening within the blow cloud and appeared within arm¡¯s reach of Darrin.


    He could do nothing but stare, jaw dropped, as I ran the de of my hand across his chest. With the aether condensed and molded into a single point on my outstretched hand, my attack pierced through the mana clinging to his skin and ripped a single clean line through his shirt without even touching his skin.


    Toote, Darrin raised his arms to defend himself and then staggered back away from me. This time, he didn¡¯t get up right away. Darrin recovered himself and examined the remains of his shirt. "Well, I think I¡¯ve seen enough."


    ¡°What!¡± Adem yelled, running from behind the barrier. ¡°That attack didn¡¯t even hit! You can¡¯t give up now. "


    "Yes," Pen said, stomping behind the older boy, her arms crossed. "Uncle Darrin always wins." Sorrel lifted the girl from behind, making her squeak in surprise.


    "Adem is upset that he lost his bet to Mr. ric," Briar said, standing behind everyone else with his arms crossed.


    "Briar!" Ademined, turning red.


    ric crossed the training court toward us, a wide grin under his beard. ¡°You really should teach your mentee not to gamble, Darrin. Especially not against men four times her age and infinitely wiser. "


    "Infinitely wiser," Adem replied irritably.


    "Are you okay, Uncle Darrin?" Pen asked in her small voice, looking at the ex-ascent with big, teary eyes.


    I let out a good-humoredugh. "Of course, it was just a friendly meeting." He dipped his fingers into the hole he¡¯d ripped in his shirt and moved them toward the girl. "You see? Not a scratch. Never forget Pen, your uncle was the leader of the Bloodless."


    Adem and Briar groaned at the same time.


    "That was the craziest thing I¡¯ve ever seen!" the blond boy, Ketil, eximed. "How did you move so fast?"


    "Is this how all ascenders fight?" her sister asked, her eyes glued to the ground.


    "No," ric said, walking along from where he had been in Burst Step to where we were now, his old face creased thoughtfully.


    Darrin frowned at my hands until he noticed my attention, and raised his head. "Grey is fast and strong, but don¡¯t let that intimidate you," he told Ka and Ketil. "You don¡¯t have to be able to do what Grey or I can do to be sessful ascenders, but you can be as good as us if you work hard."


    Ka and Ketil shared a skeptical look on this. Briar lifted her chin and looked around fiercely, as if to tell us that one day she would be just as good.


    "Well, I¡¯m starving," Darrin announced. "Why don¡¯t we all go get that food?"


    The housekeeper bowed politely and wrapped an arm around Ka¡¯s shoulders, holding Pen in the other. "Come on kids, can you help me set the table?"


    Unlike before, on the balcony, the blond twins seemed discouraged at being alienated from the adults, their gazes of astonished excitement faded, as they murmured, "Yes, ma¡¯am."


    "Can¡¯t I ask Grey some questions?" Adem asked, pausing as Sorrel maneuvered the smaller children away. "That was great. I wanna-"


    "Adem," Darrin said quietly, and the boy¡¯s mouth snapped shut.


    "Of course I am sorry. I¡¯ll go help with dinner."


    Behind him, Briar hesitated for a long sigh, but when Darrin cleared his throat, she turned and followed the others. I couldn¡¯t help but notice when Briar paused at the door, giving me onest questioning look before disappearing.


    When the group was carried off the training floor, ric tugged at the tattered part of Darrin¡¯s shirt. The blond man pulled his hand away yfully, but ric frowned seriously.


    "That attack could have killed you," he said quietly.


    "I know." Darrin clutched his neck and led the way out of the room. Over his shoulder, he said, "It was as if my mana had melted where the attack touched ..."


    Darrin led us up the stairs to a surprisingly small dining room with a table for four.


    He pulled an ornate bottle of amber liquid from a shelf and set it down heavily, patting ric on the back. "I¡¯ve been saving this just for you."


    Old man ric¡¯s eyes lit up like a child opening presents on his birthday, and he flung himself into a chair before tearing off the wax seal around the cork.


    I slid into the chair across from ric and looked around. Aside from a couple of cabs and shelves, there was also a tall, narrow bookcase in one corner,den with leather-bound books. Next to the shelf, a window took up most of the back wall, overlooking the hills.


    "What was that move you used back there, Grey?" Darrin asked conversationally, turning his chair so he could rest his forearms on the back. ¡°You used something simr against those mercenaries, right? It was quite impressive back then, but seeing it up close and personally like that was... well, it was somethingpletely different.¡±


    I forced an awkwardugh and rubbed the back of my neck. "It wouldn¡¯t make much sense to keep my runes hidden if I brag about them to everyone I know, right?"


    "It¡¯s true," Darrin nodded. "I am against showing my runes as well - a few gapes and envious nces don¡¯t mean as much to me as they would to most mages.


    "It¡¯s because your runes aren¡¯t much to look at in the first ce," ric said as he took a generous sip from his ss.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± said Darrin, giving up prying any more about my runes, ¡°I had the children eat with Sorrel in the main dining room. We have some more serious matters to discuss. "


    The retired Ascendant exchanged a meaningful look with his drunken mentor before turning to me. "Grey, what is your n now?"


    "Now that I have more or less finished my preliminary promotion, I n to return to the Relictombs on my own," I replied. "In there at least, I only have to worry about the mana beasts trying to kill me."


    Darrin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ¡°Do you n to stay within the deepest levels of the Relictombs indefinitely? Because the first and second floors of the Relictombs are under constant surveince, which makes your whereabouts very obvious to people of high power. " "Like the Granbehl?" I asked in a challenging tone. "If they try ..."


    ric held up a reassuring hand. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sure the Granbehls got yourst message very loud and clear. I doubt they are stupid enough to attempt another attack on you directly. "


    "But that doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t tell their friends by blood names and their mothers about you," Darrin continued. "And that¡¯s without even taking into ount the much richer and more powerful Denoirs, who are also waiting to bepensated."


    "And they have a pretty curvy carrot to hang in front of you once they find you," ric added with a wave of his eyebrows.


    "Curvy indeed," Regis agreed.


    "If you mean Caera Denoir, I hope you don¡¯t think the two of us made a romantic getaway to the Relictombs," I said, a tinge of genuine annoyance entwining my words. "She was the one who disguised herself and tracked me down to observe me."


    "Regardless," Darrin interrupted. "From what I¡¯ve gathered between you and ric, it seems you want the freedom to be able to move however you want."


    I thought of all the resources avable that could help crya, as well as the possibility of returning to Dicathen to see my family. "Yes. That would be ideal."


    "Well. So we are on the same page,¡± Darrin said. There was a moment of silence as the two former crian ascenders shared that gaze again before he continued. "Okay, the next part may sound oundish at first, but the best thing for you right now would be to have some kind of sponsor or promoter. "


    I bowed my head. "I do not understand."


    "It¡¯s okay." ric stepped forward. ¡°What you need is protection. Political protection, not fighting. We know that you can take care of your little self. The problem is, there are only a few institutions - a few people outside of Scythes and the Vritra themselves - that would offer you the kind of immunity that would keep even the High Blood Denoir from meddling. And I happen to know a guy in the admissions office of the Central Academy ... "


    "Academy?" I let go. ¡°Where does Briar go to school? You don¡¯t expect me to ... "


    ric scowled at me and took another drink straight from the bottle. "This will take a long time if you keep interrupting every seven words." He paused, pinning me with a sharp gaze, but I fell silent. "Yes, the same Central Academy."


    "So what, do you expect me to... attend school?" I asked, disbelief dripping from every word.


    "No boy, I hope you teach ," ric announced, a gleam of amusement in his eyes.

 Chapter 337 Layers

    <h4>Chapter 337: Layers</h4>


    I just stared at the old cryan, not entirely sure I¡¯d heard him correctly.


    ¡°Academy faculty are outside the normal societal ranks,¡± Darrin said, following quickly on the heels of ric¡¯s statement. ¡°At least at the prestigious academies. Even a powerful highblood couldn¡¯t pull you away from a teaching post, and the Granbehls would be stripped of their name immediately if they were caught arranging an attack on Central Academy grounds.¡±


    I leaned back in my chair, arms crossed, unable to keep one eyebrow from raising. ¡°You said they wouldn¡¯t attack again anyway.¡±


    ric snorted in amusement. ¡°C¡¯mon, kid. Don¡¯t change the subject.¡±


    ¡°The post is for an initiate-level meleebat instructor,¡± Darrin continued, drumming his fingers on the table. He was watching me intently.


    ¡°Easy street, don¡¯t even have to teach the little wogarts magic,¡± ric added with a grin. ¡°Just swinging swords and running drills, that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll only actually have sses a couple days a week,¡± Darrin continued, ¡°so once you¡¯re settled, you¡¯ll have time to¡ª¡±


    A faint knock at the door brought him up short.


    A momentter, the door opened and Sorrel came in with two heavilyden trays full of food. ¡°All this back and forth is hungry work,¡± she said, smiling sweetly as she slid the trays onto the table.


    ¡®I know what you¡¯re thinking, obviously,¡¯ Regis chimed in while we waited for Sorrel to arrange the table andy out a few utensils, ¡®but you and I both know that, logically, this is a pretty solid n.¡¯


    What about this n seems logical to you, Regis? I shot back, unable to suppress a re of annoyance.


    ¡®For carte nche to keep doing our thing without interference, teaching some rich cryan brats how to hit each other with sticks seems like a small price to pay, princess.¡¯ Regis¡¯s tone was smug, since he knew he was pulling thoughts right out of my head to argue back at me with.


    You mean teach cryan kids how to kill Dicathian kids?


    ¡®Is that what you were doing when you helped little Belmun in Maerin Town get a crest? Or what about Ma and her emblem?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t have anything to¡ªI cut myself off, waving the thought away. The truth was, I suspected that the reason the two children received such powerful runes in Maerin had something to do with me. I didn¡¯t know what, but it was too big of a coincidence to ignore.


    ¡®Haven¡¯t we moved past treating every cryan we meet like a mortal enemy by now?¡¯ Regis asked, letting the sharp edge in his voice fade to something almost sympathetic. ¡®Hell, aside from you, I¡¯ve only met cryans...and I¡¯m not being sympathetic, I¡¯m being convincing.¡¯


    I focused on Sorrelying out thest of our dinner as I considered Regis¡¯s argument. He was right, but I tried really hard to keep that thought from leaking out to him. She beamed at the three of us before whisking back out of the room.


    As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, ric started up again. ¡°Remember where I first found you, kid? That little library in Aramoor City? You go to Central Academy, and you¡¯ll have ess to one of the biggest libraries in crya. And with information a little closer to the source, if you know what I mean. Not so...thoroughly curated as what you found in Aramoor.¡±


    I ignored the old drunk in favor of stabbing a slice of some ruby red fruit with a fork before taking a bite.


    ¡°Ascenders do well in academy circles,¡± Darrin added, smothering sweet-smelling butter onto a thick chunk of steaming bread. ¡°And Central Academy in particr is very prestigious. A professor can easily arrange to get to and from the main Relictombs ascension portal when they want...or make amodations to gain ess to a secondary portal, or even a private portal somewhere. A lot of professors still go on ascents, so you won¡¯t stand out.¡±


    I frowned as I chewed on the fruit, which had a rubbery, jerky-like texture. My most immediate concern was returning to the Relictombs. If pretending to be a professor at this academy wouldn¡¯t be a barrier to that...


    ¡°You¡¯d be surrounded by experts in a dozen different fields,¡± ric went on. ¡°The kind of people who love to show everyone how smart and talented they are. Mages who know everything there is to know about how runes work, about the Relictombs, about relics from the ancient mages...¡±


    Swallowing heavily, I leaned forward and took a wedge of hard cheese from one of the trays. ¡°Do they study relics at this academy?¡± I asked, trying not to sound too interested. By the way ric¡¯s face lit up, I knew I hadn¡¯t been entirely sessful.


    ¡°No, relics all go to the High Sovereign, who probably has some super secretir where his instillers do their experiments¡±¡ªI felt my face fall as ric¡¯s words doused the brief excitement I¡¯d felt¡ª¡°but they do have quite a bit of dead relics on disy there!¡± he finished in a rush.


    Darrin was nodding enthusiastically. ¡°That¡¯s true. I was a guest speaker there about a year ago, and they showed off what they call their ¡®reliquary,¡¯ sort of like a little museum for dead relics they¡¯ve attained over the decades.¡±


    An entire room full of dead relics? I considered the possibilities. If I could get my hands on more relics like the¡ª


    What should we call this thing, anyway? I asked Regis, thinking about the multi-faceted stone that allowed me to see my sister and mother.


    ¡®The Orb of Long-Range Stalking,¡¯ Regis said, drawing the name out theatrically. ¡®I¡¯ve already been calling it that in my head for weeks.¡¯


    Just...no, I responded. But whatever we call them, having a few more relics at our disposal wouldn¡¯t hurt.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said out loud, ¡°let¡¯s say, for the sake of argument, I go along with your n. How¡¯s this going to work?¡±


    ric thumped the table and grinned, spitting a few crumbs of food into his beard, and Darrinunched into a more detailed exnation.


    That evening found me sitting cross-legged on the floor in one of Darrin¡¯sfortably appointed guest rooms, considering my situation, while Regis snoozed on my bed, his huge bulk sinking into the soft mattress.


    As much as I didn¡¯t want to admit it, ric and Darrin¡¯s idea did have some merit. Director Goodsky had made me a professor when I was only twelve, and I¡¯d trained my hand-to-handbat skills for years inside of the soul realm with Kordri.


    The academy would provide me political protection from both the Denoirs and Granbehls, and it sounded like I¡¯d be able to delve back into the Relictombs almost immediately.


    The Relictombs...


    Somewhere, three more ancient ruins were waiting for me to find them. I couldn¡¯t be sure if the zones Caera and I had ascended together were the same ruin or a different one, but I felt instinctively that I hadn¡¯t been sessful in my second ascent.


    Although I¡¯d made significant progress with God Step¡ªthanks to Three Steps¡ªI hadn¡¯t had a major breakthrough, or found anything that guided me toward insight into a new godrune, since the keystone containing insight into Aroa¡¯s Requiem had technically been from the first ruin.


    I couldn¡¯t help the thought that, to master the aspect of Fate, I had to find more zones like the ruined room where I¡¯d spoken to the talking magic crystal. Why else would the djinn have left a remnant of themselves there, just waiting to hand out the keystone to the first worthy ¡°descendant¡± toe along?


    I cleared my mind and reached for the locations of the four ancient ruins, as Sylvia had described them. The imnted memories shed through my head, but I found no guidance there; none of the ces I could see were familiar, except for the one I¡¯d already been to, and I had no way to guide myself to them within the Relictombs.


    ¡°We¡¯re just stumbling around here in crya,¡± I said softly. ¡°What if Agrona gains insight into Fate first?¡±


    Regis¡¯s head lifted from the bed, cocking slightly to the side. ¡°Then...we lose, I guess. Your girlfriend leads his army into Epheotus, and Agrona uses Fate to¡ªI don¡¯t know¡ªturn all the other asuras into dandelions or something.¡±


    Shaking my head, I let myself lean back until I rested against the cool floor. ¡°Whatever Agrona and Nico did to Tessia, whatever those tattoos or spellforms were...I have to save her, Regis.¡±


    ¡°For a girl you¡¯ve been dancing around for your entire life¡ªsecond life, whatever¡ªI¡¯m sensing a lot of mixed feelings here.¡± Regis paused to consider his words. ¡°Are you saving her out of love or guilt?¡±


    I let his words steep before eventually letting out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, maybe both? It¡¯splicated...¡±


    The shadow wolf yawned and rested his chin on his paws. ¡°Coming from the guy who figured out how to rewind time to bring objects back to life.¡±


    I let out an absent chuckle, my mind drifting through all the stages of my rtionship with Tess. From rescuer to little sister to friend and ssmate, to something more. There was always some form of love amidst it all, but not in the way Regis meant it. Guilt of being a man much older than his physical body had kept me from examining my feelings in depth, pushing them away. Even the couple of kisses we shared were tentative, testing...


    And then I¡¯d disappeared to Epheotus, and Tessia had gone to war. We¡¯d hardly seen each other during the war, and romance had been so far from my mind...


    Then, suddenly we found ourselves together again at the Wall. The Tess I met there was a beautiful and talented young woman who had once promised to wait for me...


    That night, that moment on the cliffs overlooking the Wall...that was, perhaps, the first and only time our rtionship approached thebel of love. Not that I¡¯d been very good at it. Even with two lives, there were still some things I wasn¡¯t good at...


    Just like Tess had said...


    ¡°Should I have never gotten close to her?¡± I asked the room, my voice barely a whisper.


    ¡°Then how would your life here have been any different from the one before?¡± Regis asked, not bothering to lift his head.


    I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn¡¯t form a response. There were a lot of things I med myself for, but getting close to all of the people that I¡¯vee to love in this world wasn¡¯t one of them.


    Seeing me so conflicted, mypanion let out a sigh and slipped from the bed. Turning in a circle, heid on the floor next to me, his back pressed against my left arm.


    I patted his slowly rising and falling side, then pushed my fingers through his fur.


    ¡°You¡¯re weirdly soft,¡± I said, mustering a weakugh.


    ¡°I know,¡± he said sleepily, his jaw cracking with a huge yawn.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, knowing he¡¯d understand what I meant.


    Regis was silent, but I felt him fluff up with contented warmth.


    ¡°If only I could use the relic to see her...maybe we could figure out what¡¯s really going on. I would know if she was...still herself ¡± There was a part of me that was d I couldn¡¯t, though. I was afraid of what I might see if the stone worked.


    When I imbued aether into the extradimensional storage rune, Regis perked up again. ¡°Are you going to try anyway?¡±


    I only shook my head, forcing my mind away from the deep well of guilt and fear I felt whenever I thought of Tessia. She wasn¡¯t my only concern right now. There was another old friend who needed saving, too, and I missed her just as much¡ªperhaps even more¡ªas the elven princess.


    Withdrawing the iridescent egg, I turned it over in my hand, feeling for Sylvie within it. Unlike Regis, I couldn¡¯t slip my mind into the egg, couldn¡¯t console myself by touching her sleeping consciousness.


    I couldn¡¯t do anything about Tessia right now, but maybe...


    Regis lifted his head up off the floor and looked over his shoulder at me. ¡°It¡¯s been awhile since you¡¯ve tried to do your thing...crack the egg or whatever.¡±


    Too long, I thought, considering the increases in power I¡¯d made since Maerin Town. I¡¯d been tempted to try during the long, tiresome days spent imprisoned by the Granbehls, but...I had also been concerned about what might happen if I seeded.


    ¡°Well?¡± Regis prodded, scratching behind his ear with a paw. ¡°Are you going to try or what?¡±


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re safe enough here...¡±


    I gazed nervously down at the stone, which would drain me of every drop of aether if I started imbuing it. And if Sylvie suddenly reappears in front of me? Would my bonde back as a fox, or a girl...or a fully grown dragon, demolishing Darrin Ordin¡¯s home?


    I wondered, not for the first time, if she¡¯d be the same Sylvie who had been by my side since I was a child. Would she be angry with me? Would she remember everything that had happened, everything that we had done together?


    What if she reappears, and she doesn¡¯t even know who I am...?


    ¡°Only one way to find out, princess,¡± Regis said, stretching as he stood up.


    Mind made up, I hopped to my feet and took three quick steps across the room, pushing open therge ss window that looked out over rolling hills. Since I didn¡¯t know exactly what would happen, I wouldn¡¯t risk Darrin¡¯s home by imbuing aether into the egg here.


    I turned to ask Regis if he wasing, but I could already sense the answer. This was something private, something I needed to do on my own.


    I held his eyes, nodded, then turned and jumped out of the window, clearing a row of decorative bushes and a small fence beforending in tall grass. The hills were ghostly in the dark, the pale grass colorless in the starlight.


    Imbuing aether throughout my body, I jogged off toward a tall hill about a mile from Darrin¡¯s home, the softly gleaming egg in my fist.


    Despite my best efforts to keep myself calm, my heart thrummed in my chest as I sat cross-legged in the stiff grass. Thest time I¡¯d attempted to imbue aether into Sylvie¡¯s egg, it had felt like I was throwing buckets full of water into a quickly draining reservoir. But that had been a lot better than my first attempt, shortly after I¡¯d formed my aether core.


    Based on my best guess¡ªit was a lot harder for me to pinpoint the rity of my aether core than it had been my mana core¡ªmy growth between Maerin Town and now was significantly higher than what I¡¯d aplished on that first ascent.


    It hadn¡¯t taken much aether to make the short run to the hill, but I still decided to absorb all the aether I could from the atmosphere before starting. The process was significantly slower than in the Relictombs, where the atmosphere was rich with it, but I kept going until my core waspletely full.


    To make sure I was maximizing my chance of sess, I then released some of the aether from my core, letting it move naturally throughout my body and exerting no conscious influence over it. Most of the aether moved toward my hands¡ªor, more urately, toward Sylvie¡¯s egg¡ªand some of the excess was lost, but after thirty minutes or so of meditation, my core was overflowing and my body was swimming with free-floating particles of aether.


    The sensation gave me a giddy feeling, like I¡¯d had a few drinks and was just on the edge of being drunk.


    ¡°All right, Sylv,¡± I whispered. ¡°Let¡¯s see if this works.¡±


    Gripping the incandescent stone firmly, I closed my eyes and felt the warm radiance of my aether core within my sternum. Imagining the aether channels that ran all throughout my body connecting to my core like little highways, each with its own gate holding back the aether until I released it, I took hold of those gates in my mind.


    It was important that the aether all flow into the egg, but it was also important that I channel the aether fast enough to fill the reservoir within it. Of course, if I just sent out an uncontrolled st of aether, most of it would dissipate into the atmosphere instead of flowing into the egg.


    All at once, I opened the gates and pushed. My body grew hot as the flood of aether rushed through myva-forged channels. At first I was too focused on preventing aether from escaping or being absorbed into my physical body to fully appreciate what was happening with the egg, but as more and more of my aether was imbued into the stone, I realized with a shock that it was working.


    More of the purified aether was being drawn into the stone, now, with only a trickle of impure energy rushing out again¡ªa significant improvement.


    The spiraling path within, where the aether was drawn into the heart of the egg, began to glow with vibrant amethyst light. Around me, the hilltop was bathed in purple light, sshed through with green, red, and blue shadows.


    My core began to ache dully, like an overstretched muscle, as the veryst of my aether was pulled into the egg.


    The light faded as the vibrantly glowing stone went dim, then dark.


    Then, from deep inside the little stone I¡¯d carried since awakening in the Relictombs, there was a crack. It was something I felt rather than heard, like stepping on too-thin ice and feeling it shift beneath my feet.


    I waited for something to happen. Would the stone burst open as the aether coalesced back into the form of my bond, just as she had faded into nothing before my eyes? Or would she be reborn from the egg itself, crawling out the size of a newborn kitten?


    A few seconds passed, and I started to grow nervous. After a minute had gone by, I knew something was wrong.


    There was no longer any aether swirling down through the egg. It had devoured everything I had given it, but it hadn¡¯t been¡ª


    I froze. Something was different. I could sense it, even if I couldn¡¯t see it.


    Although my core ached from being drained, I spent a few minutes gathering aether, just enough to send an experimental burst into the little stone. Sylvie¡¯s egg took it hungrily, but unlike before, the aether didn¡¯t spiral down into the egg¡¯s center.


    The line of purple motes followed a sharp-angled geometric path as they were absorbed.


    I let my head hang, the wheat-blond hair I¡¯d inherited from Sylvie cascading over my face. ¡°Anotheryer.¡± The words fell like dead leaves, dry and paper thin.


    If I took into ount theplexity of the new pathway, I was certain this newyer of the reservoir would require even more aether than the first.


    And it might not be thest.


    My hands trembled as a bitter scoff escaped my lips. To have my excitement turn so abruptly to disappointment left me stunned, staring nkly at the egg until my vision blurred.


    Letting out a shuddering breath, I recollected myself and wiped away my tears before pressing the iridescent stone against my forehead.


    ¡°Even if it takes all the aether in the Relictombs, I¡¯ll get you out of there, Sylv.¡±

 Chapter 338 A Weapon Against Him

    <h4>Chapter 338: A Weapon Against Him</h4>


    Night birds chirped softly from the treetops as I wandered the orchard outside Corbett and Lenora¡¯s Central Domain estate, having been released for a brief moment of leisure after dinner - an awkward and tense affair due to Gray not showing up.


    But then, I knew he would not appear, which I had tried to exin to the High Lord and Lady. Gray must have seen through their tactless attempt to manipte him. After all, they sent Lauden of all people to the Great Hall to end the false judgment.


    Kicking off arge seed pod that had fallen from the branches above, I watched it bounce down the path before hitting the thicker grass beneath the trees. Something small and fast moved in the twilight of dusk, racing through the undergrowth to survey themotion.


    Even though I knew Gray wouldn¡¯te, I was disappointed, an emotion that frustrated me more than the cause itself. It had been three weeks, but I was still struggling to ept what I felt for the man or what I wanted from him.


    Maybe I should ask him myself: What does Gray want from me?


    I let out a deep breath into the warm night air as I pondered the question.


    Gentle footsteps creaking on the gravel driveway warned me that someone was approaching. I conjured ayer of mana that clung tightly to my skin and peered through the gloom. It was unlikely that I would be attacked here among all ces, but only the High Sovereign is not afraid of treachery, as the saying goes.


    Just when I finished that thought, the air moved behind me, and a long solid shadow melted out of nowhere, swaying towards my neck. I ducked under the attack, letting the movement take me into a cartwheel as the shadow whistled past my ear.


    My own scarlet sword was in my hand and burned with ck soul fire in an instant, but I could not sense anyone else in the orchard, nor determine the source of the ck edge that had nearly ripped my head off.


    Which meant it could only be one person.


    Spinning, I swung my longsword in a wide arc over my head, ck mes spreading from it in a destructive nova. There was a ripple in the mes just to my right, but the moment I erupted with a short, sharp punch, she was gone, and a razor-thin shard of purer ck mana was pressed against the side of my neck. .


    "Tsk, tsk," the Scythe Seris said, appearing as if she were my own shadow. "If I were a murderer, you would already be ..."


    Soul fire leapt from my flesh and ran along the edge of her sword. With a snort of amusement, she let the conjured weapon disappear, but the fire of the soul still floating in the air between us condensed into a flickering arrow that shot toward her throat.


    In the space of a heartbeat, a haze of dark energy swirled around her. My attack dissipated as the aura greedily devoured my mana.


    ¡°Your control over the fire of the soul is progressing very well,¡± she said, her lips twitching at the corners. "It seems that the mysterious Gray has pushed you past your most recent cap."


    I put my weapon away, turning my eyes to the gravel at our feet. "You give me too much credit," I replied evenly, ignoring the blush on my cheeks at the scythe Seris¡¯ taunt. "It is thanks to your training and mentoring that I have reached this level."


    She rolled her eyes and turned, her hair - normally pearl in color, but now a deep amethyst color in the low light - swirling behind her. ¡°You have never been a tterer [Lick ass], Caera. It¡¯s one of the things I like the most about you. Don¡¯t start now. "


    Biting my lip to keep from smiling, I followed my mentor deeper into the orchard. "I wasn¡¯t expecting you tonight, Scythe Seris."


    ¡°I¡¯m going for a while. I wanted you to be conscious. "


    "To the other continent again?" I asked, sping my hands behind my back. "Are you ever going to ..."


    "Yes," she said, her voice low and heavy with intent. "To both questions. But now is not the time, Caera. "


    We walked in silence for a minute or two while my thoughts turned to the war. The Denoir were one of the few high noble blood who had not imednds in the enchanted forest of Dicathen. Corbett and Lenora¡¯s star has risen even higher as they suffered so many other bloods, somepletely wiped out by the unexpected devastation there.


    My adoptive parents had sent a good number of soldiers to war, of course. It would have made them look weak to stay out of the fight, even when it was an option. But when Corbett had seen the named bloodthirsty ones, already more than a few high bloods, run to im chosennds and ves in Dicathen, they had only responded to his enthusiasm with a quiet smile, insisting that ¡°crya already has all that Denoirs need. ¡±


    It turned out, over time, she had proved him wise, as much as she hated to admit it. It would have broken the hearts of my foster parents if Lauden had been busily establishing property for the Denoir when the asuras attacked. Not that I would have cared much ...


    ¡°Apparently, the Ascender Gray¡¯s trial was quite a show,¡± the Scythe Seris said to break the silence.


    "It should have been a simple matter to resolve," I said with a bit of bitterness. "It¡¯s a shame, honestly, to know that our legal system can fail so dramatically."


    The Scythe Seris responded with a gracefulugh. ¡°High bloods have spent generations manipting the system to your advantage, so much so that most of you hardly realize it anymore. Your surprise is proof enough of this. "


    Hurrying to walk beside her, I looked my mentor in the eye. "Why don¡¯t the Sovereigns intervene?"


    "The best question is, why would they do it?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. ¡°They have carefully worked out a system whereby the purity of the blood is paramount, haven¡¯t they? They let the high bloods get away with murder, as long as it doesn¡¯t interrupt their own machinations. No, the truth is, child, that the Sovereigns care little what the inferiors do to each other, as long as it is done with due reverence for the overlord of each domain. "


    The Seris Scythe opened her mouth to continue speaking, then looked at me slyly. ¡°Smart little mongrel. You made me change the subject. "


    I straightened up, practically marching like I was in a military parade. ¡°You¡¯re kidding me again. We both know that you¡¯re not going to tell me what you know about Gray, so I¡¯m not going to ask. "


    This elicited another delicateugh from my mentor. ¡°If you want him to trust you - to really trust you - this is knowledge that you will need to acquire on your own, Caera. I won¡¯t give you any shortcuts. "


    ¡°But do you want me to stay close to him? You¡¯ve hinted at that enough. " I kept my attention forward, but I could feel her examining me. "Am I going to be your spy, Scythe Seris?"


    "You are," she confirmed. ¡°But don¡¯t think you are betraying him. After all, the boy owes me a lot. "


    I stopped at the sound of heavy footsteps moving quickly down the path behind us. If anything, my conversation with the Scythe Seris had only made me more confused and conflicted regarding this situation, so I was almost relieved by the interruption.


    My mentor and I watched as the figure of my assistant, Nessa, appeared in the gloom.


    "Lady Caera, I ..."


    Nessa¡¯s eyes widenedically when she noticed the Horned Scythe by my side, and the poor girl flung herself onto the gravel at our feet. ¡°Please forgive me, Scythe Seris Vritra! I did not realize!"


    My mentor red at the terrified assistant. "She is more vignt in the future." Despite her tone, I could see that same barely visible twitch at the corner of her lips. Then, without telling me anything else, she turned around and disappeared into the night.


    "You can get up now, Nessa," I told her.


    Trembling, my assistant stood up. "Lady Caera, again, I had no idea, I apologize for myself ..."


    I waved her apology away. "No matter. Can I only assume that my adoptive parents sent you?"


    Nessa¡¯s fast,bored breathing slowed, and she folded her hands in front of her and rearranged her facial features into a less terrified expression. Finally, after clearing her throat, Nessa spoke again. ¡°Yes, Lady, you... must see your parents in the high lord¡¯s study immediately. It took me a few minutes to find you, so you better go. "


    A loud siren from nearby made Nessa jump and she took a step closer to me. "We¡¯d better go," she murmured, looking up at the dark trees.


    *****


    When I got to Corbett¡¯s study door, I found it ajar. Lenora spoke rapidly, her voice low and full of frustration. "How cheeky, Corbett, can you imagine? The Ascenders would queue up to fight in the streets just for the chance for a private dinner with us, and yet this man has the nerve to stand up to us? "


    "That¡¯s right," Corbett said, the only word cold and sharp as broken ss. "You¡¯d think the Ascender Gray has no sense of decorum or convenience."


    "Perhaps Caera is not as important to him as we thought," Lenora continued. "If we only knew what the Scythe Seris Vritra wanted with the ascender ..."


    "And yet, once again, your informationwork has proven invaluable," Corbett said, his tone softening a bit. ¡°The fault is not yours, my love, but his. By the Vritra, if only this ascender was not so valued by our patron, I would have him thrown to Mount Nishant. "


    Having listened enough, I knocked lightly on the door before entering. Lenora, who had been pacing back and forth in front of Corbett¡¯s ornate desk, stopped and straightened when I entered. Corbett was sitting behind the desk, one hand wrapped in an empty crystal ss. He stared into the distance, as if he still imagined Gray being thrown into the caldera of an active volcano.


    I took a look around the studio. Bookcases took up nearly every inch of the wall space, enveloping the entire room, with breaks just for the door, arge window behind her desk, and a brick firece. In many high-blood households, this collection of knowledge would have been for disy only, but Corbett was an educated man, despite all his other ws.


    Above me, a ck iron railing ran around a narrow hallway, where there was another set of bookshelves. Aside from the books, the shelves disyed a wide variety of tokens and treasures that Corbett had collected over the years.


    "Caera, my dear," Lenora said, shing me her dazzling smile. "We have some news on your friend, Gray."


    I stood stiffly, my hands sped in front of me. Using a trick shown to me by one of the many tutors I¡¯d had over the years, I took two breaths before answering to avoid sounding too anxious.


    "Oh? Did he send you his apologies for missing dinner?"


    Lenora gave a tinklingugh. "No, I¡¯m afraid we haven¡¯t heard from Gray himself, but I received a letter from an old friend - an administrator at Central Academy - with strange news."


    My eyebrows turned into a slight frown. "What does this have to do with Gray?"


    "That¡¯s the news," Corbett announced through clenched teeth. Leaning back in his chair, he spun the empty ss in his hand. "Apparently, there has been a rather unusual hiring at the academy."


    Lenora nodded along with Corbett¡¯s words. ¡°Three days ago, someone lobbied to hire an unnamed, untested promotion for an entry-level position. Very unusual, don¡¯t you agree? "


    "Yes," I replied slowly. Despite understanding the suggestion Lenora was making, her words made no sense. "Especially if that same ascender was tried for murder ..."


    "He¡¯s pretty smart, really," Lenora said, leaning back against the desk and resting one hand lightly on the polished surface. ¡°A total makeover and protection from the Granbehl in the deal. Although I confess that I am surprised that he has the kind of connections that it would have required. "


    I resisted the urge to patrol the studio. Straightening up, I held my hands behind my back to hide the nervousness in my fingers. The truth is that I was as surprised as Lenora. First, the famous ascendant, Darrin Ordin, appeared to defend him, and now Gray had suddenly been recruited into one of the most prestigious academies in the central domain?


    Who are you really? I wondered, imagining Grey¡¯s golden eyes peering out from behind a curtain of pale blonde hair.


    I stopped fidgeting when a thought came to me. If Gray was going to be at Central Academy, I could easily talk to him - and without tracing him back to the locket, which he had sworn to only wear in case of a serious emergency.


    //Skydark(note): It¡¯s almosting XD... besides being a stalker... she won¡¯t be yandere...//


    I have to escape Corbett and Lenora first.


    I considered my adoptive parents. They wanted him to be in debt to High Blood Denoir for no other reason than the Scythe Seris was interested in him, though they had no idea why. He knew he could use that.


    "Lenora ... Mother," I said, knowing my use of the term would delight her, "how do you n to keep an eye on Gray if he¡¯s involved in the academy?"


    If I could convince them to let me go to Gray ...


    As I had anticipated, Lenora smiled happily at me. "Well, that¡¯s where youe in."


    Corbett cleared his throat and set his ss on a cork square on his desk. ¡°We have already arranged for you to take on your own role at the Central Academy. You will be Professor Aphelion¡¯s assistant. I¡¯m sure you remember. "


    I blinked. "who?"


    Lenora moved away from the desk, walked over to me, and rested her hands on my shoulders. ¡°This is important, Caera. I know you didn¡¯t enjoy the academy while attending as a student, but this is about blood . "


    I gave her a tight-lipped smile and stepped back, giving myself some room to breathe. While I was excited to leave the Denoir estate to spend time at Central Academy with Gray - and without even an argument from my adoptive parents, I also knew what they expected of me.


    "You will want a report on his activities, of course," I told them, my smile unwavering. "And that I convince Gray to... do what, exactly?"


    "It takes more than an idle whim to turn the head of a Scythe," Corbett said, getting up to walk around his desk and stand in front of the firece, even though it is not lit.


    "The Scythe Seris didn¡¯t... tell you anything, right?" Lenora asked tentatively. "About this ascender?"


    "Of course not," I said, bristling. "You know everything I do." This was a lie, of course, but not significant. I had not told the high lord and thedy about Grey¡¯s use of the aether, but otherwise I had told them everything I knew about him.


    Which turns out to be not much, I thought, considering again his odd recruitment at the academy.


    "He ¡¯s special," I continued, "but I have no idea what the Scythe Seris wants with him, if she wants anything at all." This was the truth, although perhaps not all. Seris knew Gray, somehow, but hadn¡¯t been willing to give me more information after ourst conversation.


    Lenora walked over to Corbett, slipped her arm through his, and my foster parents watched me silently for several very long seconds.


    Finally, Corbett spoke. ¡°We hope you impress this ascender how much we would like to meet him - maybe even work with him in the future. If you remind him of the role we yed in his liberation "- I felt a muscle in my temple contract as I avoided rolling my eyes -" so much the merrier. "


    "And of course," Lenora added, resting her head on Corbett¡¯s shoulder, "you should let us know if you learn anything ... interesting while working with Gray."


    "Okay," I said, looking my foster mother in the eye. "I will do it."


    But I won¡¯t let you use me against him , I added silently.

 Chapter 339 The Central Dominion

    <h4>Chapter 339: The Central Dominion</h4>


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    ¡°Alright, you remember everything I told you?¡± ric asked me for the third time, despite already covering it twice that morning.


    The old cryan was standing with his hands in the pockets of a royal purple robe¡ªan outfit closer to the bath robes of my previous world than the battle robesmonly worn by mages in this one¡ªthat was stretched just a little too tight across his midsection.


    ¡°Yes, Uncle Al,¡± I said sarcastically, tugging at the hem of my own simple traveling clothes.


    Darrin had offered to let me borrow a few high-end outfits, which he said would fit in better in the central dominion, but he was significantly broader across the chest and shoulders, and there was no time to have anything altered.


    ¡°You know,¡± he replied thoughtfully, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I hate that or not.¡±


    ¡°By the High Sovereign, are we going or what?¡±


    ric, Darrin, and I turned to look at Briar, who was leaning against the wall of Darrin¡¯s warp chamber. She had d herself in crisp white leather armor, and kept her hand on the pommel of her slender de.


    The intractable young woman met our gazes unflinchingly. ¡°I¡¯d like to get back to the academy before I¡¯m as old as you three.¡±


    ¡®Considering all the forces of evil arrayed against you,¡¯ Regis said solemnly, ¡®who¡¯d have guessed you would be murdered by a sixteen year old school girl.¡¯


    ric barked out augh and pped Darrin hard on the back. ¡°However much Blood Nadir is paying you, make them double it,¡± he teased.


    The girl only huffed, redirecting her line of sight to the tempus warp, which sat at the center of a raised stone tform. The roughly anvil-shaped artifact was crafted of a dull gray, pockmarked metal, and engraved with dozens of runes.


    A quick nce at the lines of runes told me it was based on a simr premise to the teleportation gates in Dicathen, but these were much morepact andplex.


    ¡°How far can this reach?¡± I asked, feigning casual interest.


    Darrin bent down over the artifact, brushing off nonexistent dust from its surface. ¡°It¡¯s powerful enough to get to the west coast of Sehz-r, or just past the southern border of Truacia.¡±


    Seeing me frown, Darrin added, ¡°More than strong enough to reach Cargidan City in the central dominion.¡±


    So not nearly capable of sending me home to Dicathen, I thought, dousing my disappointment.


    It was a foolish thought, anyway. As much as I wanted to tell my sister and mother that I was alive, returning to Dicathen now might actually put them in more danger than they already were.


    ¡®Hey, you still have the Creeper¡¯s Stone,¡¯ Regis said in what he thought was a consoling tone. Sorry, the what? I asked, my train of thoughtpletely derailed.


    ¡®I decided ¡°Orb of Long-term Stalking¡± was way too long. Creeper¡¯s Stone rolls right off the tongue¡ªfiguratively speaking.¡¯


    Forcefully shunting Regis¡¯s thoughts to the back of my mind, I returned my attention to Darrin, who was beginning to calibrate the tempus warp for travel.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to send you to the Library of the Sovereigns,¡± Darrin was saying. ¡°Briar, can you show Grey to the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Student Administration Office, yeah.¡± When Darrin cocked a brow at the girl, she straightened and said, ¡°I mean, yes, sir.¡±


    Smiling to himself, Darrin finished the calibrations and stood back. ¡°All ready to go.¡±


    I offered my hand to the cryan, and he took it. ¡°Thank you for your hospitality, and your help,¡± I said sincerely.


    Although I could have forced my way out of the Granbehls¡¯ jail cell or the High Hall at any point, it would likely have made everything else I needed to do much more difficult¡ªeven impossible, if it drew the attention of a Scythe or two. Thanks to ric and his friend¡ªand Caera¡ªI¡¯d avoided that.


    ¡°What you faced was a terrible injustice,¡± he replied. ¡°I¡¯m d we were able to help.¡±


    ¡°You owe me big, kid,¡± ric said wryly as I offered my hand to him as well. ¡°Darrin here is never going to let me hear the end of it, and that¡¯s not even including all the other favors I¡¯ve had to call in.¡±


    ¡°My hero,¡± I replied, deadpan.


    ¡°So, before you go, we better settle up.¡±


    Thinking he was joking, I gave him an exaggerated roll of my eyes, but then he slipped my old, empty dimension ring from a pocket and held it out. ¡°Forty percent, I believe?¡±


    Briar scowled. ¡°Forty percent is highway robbery.¡±


    Darrin gave the old man an embarrassed frown, but kept his opinion on our transaction to himself.


    ¡°Plus ten percent for my services as your legal counsel,¡± he added with a wink.


    I made a show of sliding the ring on my hand and ¡°activating¡± it as I rifled through the collection of des I¡¯d brought back from the Relictombs. Few of the items were of interest to me, as the weapons would degrade too quickly when imbued with aether, and I couldn¡¯t use anything designed to channel or utilize mana.


    When I pulled out the first piece¡ªa silver crown set with blood red jewels that swirled with so much fire mana it was visible to the naked eye¡ªric beamed with unsuppressed glee. One by one, I began handing over half the treasure I¡¯d collected.


    Briar¡¯s bright eyes grewrger andrger with each piece that came out of my extradimensional storage rune, and even Darrin failed to hide his surprise at the size of the payment, made up of a wide variety of shiny, lightly magical artifacts.


    ¡°I thought you said you didn¡¯t have any wealth?¡± Darrin asked, cocking an eyebrow in my direction.


    ¡°I don¡¯t. I have a bunch of stuff. It¡¯s not really ¡®wealth¡¯ until I get the chance to sell it, technically,¡± I said as I pulled another de from my dimension rune.


    ric made a show of inspecting each piece before tucking them away in his own dimension ring, trying to keep up a cool facade, but by the end he was practically drooling, and his hands trembled with excitement.


    ¡°Do me a favor and don¡¯t drink yourself to death with this,¡± I said, fixing him with a stern look.


    The old ascender hefted the ring as if he could feel the physical weight of all the treasure it now contained. ¡°When you get to Cargidan, the local Ascenders Association will buy whatever else you have and put it right on your runecard,¡± he said distractedly. ¡°And they can print you an official badge, too, now that you¡¯vepleted your prelim.¡±


    ¡°You got all that from your preliminary ascent?¡± Briar asked disbelievingly, her eyes jumping from me to the dimension ring and back.


    Darrin was quick to reply. ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up, Briar. That definitely isn¡¯t a normal haul for a single ascent¡ªor even several ascents.¡±


    I simply shrugged at the young woman. ¡°My travellingpanion and I got lucky.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say,¡± Darrin replied. ¡°Anyway, you two better be on your way. Grey, Briar will help you find your way around.¡± He eyed his student and ran a hand through his blond hair. ¡°And Briar, don¡¯t forget that Grey is going to be a professor at the academy. You may not be in his ss, but I can¡¯t imagine he¡¯ll take kindly to any more rudeness from you.¡±


    Briar was slow to peel her eyes away from me before stepping onto the tform next to the tempus warp, standing with military precision as she waited for me to join her.


    ¡°See you around, Grey,¡± Darrin said as I joined the young woman on the tform.


    ¡°Hurry up and get settled so you can go back to making me money,¡± ric added gruffly, twirling the dimension ring around his calloused finger.


    ¡°Bye bye!¡± a tiny voice said from the doorway as Pen peaked around the corner, waving. I waved back, then the mansion faded around me, and I found myself standing on a different tform, far away from rural Sehz-r.


    The transition was seamless, without any jarring sickness or twisting of my insides. The tform under my feet had changed from bare stone to dark wood, while the room around me was simultaneously cavernous and ustrophobic.


    ncing quickly around the rows of bookshelves, each oneden with leather-bound tomes, I considered the enormous amount of information contained within this library. Tens of thousands of books on every topic imaginable. Although, if it¡¯s as carefully curated as the library in Aramoor, there probably isn¡¯t anything very important or useful here, I thought, tempering my expectations.


    Still, I was eager for a few quiet moments to spend studying crya, the Sovereigns, and the Relictombs. There was still too much I didn¡¯t know, too many ways I could mess up without even realizing it. I hoped the library would contain some answers.


    Pulling my gaze away from the bookshelves, I caught sight of Briar standing on a separate small tform a few feet to my left. She was watching me carefully, but her attention was pulled away as a man in ck and gray battle robes approached.


    ¡°Identification?¡± he asked in a bored drawl, holding out a hand.


    Briar had hers ready, but I had to draw mine out of the dimension rune, making a show of activating my useless ring. The guard¡¯s eyes darted across the face of her identification badge before handing it back wordlessly.


    When he got to mine, though, he stared at it for several long moments, a deep frown forming on his face. His eyes darted to me, then back. Briar huffed again, but he ignored her.


    Eventually, he turned his focus on me, inspecting me closely, his gaze lingering on my simple clothes. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll need you toe with me, Mister Grey, so we can verify the validity of this identification.¡± Although the guard¡¯s words were professional, his tone told me clearly enough what he thought about the ¡°validity¡± of my presence in the central dominion.


    Letting my gaze pass over himzily, I said, ¡°Very well, but I hope you¡¯re prepared to handle the consequences of harassing a Central Academy professor.¡±


    Somewhat amusingly, the guard turned his uncertain gaze on Briar, who jerked her thumb at me and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me, bud. He¡¯s the big shot.¡±


    ¡°A, um, professor?¡± he asked, suddenly nervous as he nced down at the identification badge again. ¡°So sorry, Ascen¡ªProfessor Grey, I didn¡¯t realize¡ª¡±


    Reaching out, I plucked my identification out of his hand. ¡°Wise man,¡± I said coolly, marching past the man.


    He took a quick step back, halfheartedly saying, ¡°Wee to the Library of Sovereigns, Cargidan City, Central Dominion,¡± as we passed.


    Briar gave me an appraising look from the corner of her eye. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll fit in at the academy after all.¡±


    ¡°Not bad for a country bumpkin, huh?¡± I said with a wink before letting my gaze wander around the building again. The floors and walls were bright white marble, which stood out in stark contrast to the dark wood of the tforms, railings, and shelves.


    A dome of silvery-white ss above let cool morning light into the library to glint and shimmer off the marble, and every shadowy corner was lit by lighting artifacts, making the entire interior of the building seem to glow.


    Compared to the dingy little library in Aramoor, this ce was a pce. The people sitting in reading nooks or milling about between the shelves seemed to be of a different ss as well.


    They wore their wealth and stood casually, without the pompousness I¡¯d seen from the Granbehls, and seemed all the more wealthy and powerful because of it.


    In my previous life, I had met many other nobles from all over Earth who went by a hundred different titles. It was those who were the mostfortable in the trappings of their power that I knew to be wary of, and the people around me in the library seemed veryfortable.


    A wide bay of white ss doors led out onto a greenwn, beyond which a busy street bustled with people. Although there was some foot traffic here, it seemed moremon for these highbloods to travel by carriage, several of which were rolling by as I watched, pulled by a variety of mana beasts. The blood red oxen I¡¯d seen used in the Relictombs were mostmon, but I also saw one pulled by a reptilian horse, and another by an enormous bird.


    ¡°Come on then, Professor,¡± Briar said, already marching quickly across the librarywn. I followed, staying close behind her, but most of my attention was on the city around me.


    Dark gray stone tiles made up the roads, contrasting starkly against the white stone of most of the buildings, which arched, swept, and rose high into the air in spires, pirs, and towers, ented with reds, blues, and greens. All throughout, harsh, ck metal was present, adding a cohesiveness throughout the myriad of shapes and colors.


    Behind it all, visible asionally through the gaps between buildings, rose a range of enormous mountains, stabbing into the sky like the fangs of some world-eating beast.


    Briar moved purposefully, leading us away from the library at marching speed.


    ¡°The academy campus is about a mile from the library,¡± she said over her shoulder as we turned away from the main street and into a series of alleys. ¡°Longer if you follow Sovereign Avenue all the way to Central, the main street that bisects the city.¡±


    ¡°You seem to know your way around pretty well,¡± I noted, my gaze tracking over the buildings around us. The alleys were clean, clear of both garbage and lingering people, the only other pedestrians moving purposefully, like we were.


    Over her shoulder, she said, ¡°It¡¯s a requirement. Students who can¡¯t navigate quickly through the city are likely to miss deadlines or fail assignments.¡±


    ¡°Is the curriculum that intense?¡± I asked with genuine interest.


    Briar stopped and turned to meet my eye. ¡°Central Academy is one of the most prestigious academies in crya, but you should already know that, Professor. People don¡¯t be sessful ascenders by living soft, easy lives.¡±


    ¡®Yeah, princess!¡¯ Regis crowed. ¡®Stop with your soft, easy life and step up.¡¯


    I apologize for living such an easy, trial free life, oh great and powerful weapon of the asuras, I thought, deadpan.


    Out loud, I said, ¡°Not everyone learns well under that kind of pressure.¡±


    Briar wrinkled her nose. ¡°The students of Central Academy aren¡¯t everyone. We¡¯re the elite, even among named bloods and highbloods.¡±


    Without waiting for a response, she spun, sending her bright hair twirling, and began to march again.


    We walked in silence for a few more minutes before stepping back out onto a major thoroughfare. The street was heavy with foot traffic and lined with businesses that likely catered to the academy students: restaurants and taverns, armories, high end clothing stores, and a couple of shops that imed to buy and sell des.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want those,¡± Briar said when I slowed down to read the sign outside Andvile¡¯s des. ¡°These shops are all shady, and most of the people who trade with them are, too. Great if you have a stolen de to get rid of in a hurry, but not so much for keeping your reputation as a professor of Central Academy. If you¡¯re going to sell off the stuff ric didn¡¯t screw you out of, take it to the Ascenders Association. The building is right outside the entrance to campus anyway.¡±


    Almost as if to emphasize her point, the door opened and a shifty-eyed man in dirty gray battle robes came out. His attention was on a ssy stone in his hand so that he nearly ran into me. He flinched as I loomed into his peripheral vision, shot me a suspicious look, then pulled his hood up and shuffled into the crowd of passers by.


    Briar gave me a look that said, ¡°See? Told you so.¡±


    I started to turn away when I noticed a moving image ying across the surface of some kind of crystal bound to the side of the building with ck brackets. When I stepped closer, I realized the image was panning across a sted, wreckedndscape.


    Briar smirked. ¡°This really is your first time to one of the big cities, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s some kind of projection artifact?¡± I asked, taking a step closer. ¡°Showing recorded images?¡± Once I was standing within a few feet of the artifact, a strong male voice filled my head.


    ¡°¡ªtruly horrifying images captured from Dicathen¡¯s easternmost country of Elenoir. The loss of life, both to the native Dicathians known as elves, and those brave cryans who had volunteered to relocate to the distant forests, is incalcble. High Sovereign Agrona insists on


    calm, and requires all cryans to understand this assault by the vile asuras of Epheotus will not go unanswered.


    ¡°Furthermore, we will all join together to offer thanks to the High Sovereign, for continuing to protect us all in his¡ª¡±


    I took a step back, and the voice cut out. ¡°Proximity telepathy?¡± I looked at Briar for confirmation.


    She nodded, stepping back out of range herself. ¡°My parents thought they were being really clever, guessing that the war was ending and betting on ascents instead. I guess the war isn¡¯t quite as over as they thought.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the idea of going to war with beings capable of obliterating an entire country scare you?¡± I ask, slightly surprised by herck of either empathy or fear at the images still ying silently across the projection artifact.


    Briar shrugged and began walking again. Over her shoulder, she said only, ¡°The Vritra protect crya.¡±


    I made note of the other merchants lining Sovereign Avenue, but didn¡¯t stop to linger again. Within a few minutes, we were standing between two toweringplexes, and before us a ck iron gate blocked entrance into what could only have been Central Academy.


    Several groups of students were making their way toward the gates. A handful of girls paused suddenly as they noticed Briar and me, and gave a happy shout. Briar grinned and waved back.


    ¡°Even though this has been so much fun, this is where I leave you, Professor.¡± She was already moving away when she said, ¡°I assume you can find the way from here?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll manage,¡± I called after her.


    Trying to put the cryan girl out of my mind, I turned to examine the Ascenders Association building¡ªor rather, buildings. The towering white buildings nking the entrance to Central Academy were actually connected by several arched stone bridges at varying heights above me.


    ¡°Oh my Vritra, Briar. Who is that gorgeous man?¡±


    Despite the distance to the group, the noise of the street, and my own distraction, my enhanced hearing was enough to pick up everything the group of girls was saying.


    ¡°Is that your boyfriend? You said you couldn¡¯t hang out because you were in training, Bee! But instead you¡¯ve been off gvanting with¡ª¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not, and you can shut up right now, Valerie, before I show you exactly how hard I¡¯ve been training,¡± Briar said in a low growl that only made the other girls grin even wider.


    I cast a discreet nce their way to find the three girls staring¡ªmuch less discreetly¡ªin my direction, while Briar was already making her way toward the academy gates. Unlike Briar, who was in her white armor, the other three had donned matching ck and azure uniforms.


    They lingered only a moment before following Darrin¡¯s student away, but not without sending a couple of curious nces back in my direction.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯m kind of surprised they¡¯re so...normal,¡± I said, watching the students queue up at the academy gates. A memory of Ellie ying with the other girls from the School for Ladies surfaced, bringing a smile to my lips.


    ¡®Honestly, I¡¯m more surprised Briar has friends,¡¯ Regismented.


    Smirking, I returned my attention to the Ascenders Association buildings. ck metal signs indicated that the entrance to my right was for ¡°Testing & Teleportation¡± while the entrance to the left led to ¡°Administration & Facilities.¡±


    Choosing the left entrance, I followed the short path up to the double doors¡ªwide enough an entire carriage could have driven through them¡ªand pulled the ck iron handle. The door didn¡¯t open, but a momentter a small panel around face height slid open, revealing a helmeted guard.


    ¡°Badge?¡± he said in a bored drawl.


    I withdrew the badge I¡¯d received in Aramoor and held it up to the narrow slit. The man plucked it out of my hand and the panel slid shut again, leaving Regis and I to wait. A minute or two passed, long enough for two other ascenders¡ªboth short, thin men in the style of battle robes favored by Casters¡ªto line up behind me, muttering grumpily about the wait.


    After another minute, the lock finally released with a heavy thunk and the door swung inward.


    A man in silvery battle robes with ebony pauldrons, bracers, and boots that caught and bent the light in an unusual, liquid way stepped forward. He had short ck hair and a well-trimmed beard, with a hint of gray at his temples and chin.


    ¡°Wee to the Cargidan City Ascenders Association Hall, Ascender Grey. We¡¯ve heard quite a lot about you already.¡±

 Chapter 340 Burden and Stakes

    <h4>Chapter 340: Burden and Stakes</h4>


    To either side of the well-dressed bearded man, the Ascenders Association guards were giving me curious stares, and the two Casters in line behind me muttered something about ¡°the high mage.¡±


    Amusement¡ªand something else, something hungry¡ªglittered in the man¡¯s eyes as he bobbed his head respectfully and gestured into the building. Turning on his heel, he moved away with the light but confident strides of a warrior, leaving me in a small entry chamber nked by guards.


    Though the entrance was uninspiring, stepping out into the wide hall beyond was anything but. I had thought the Aramoor Ascenders Association building had been impressive, but this ce had more inmon with a temple or pce than a simple guild hall.


    The walls, ceiling, and floor were white stone¡ªbrighter and cleaner than marble¡ªand carved columns broke up the room every twenty feet or so. Golden runes were inset into the floor in the shape of pathways leading from one section of the hall to another, and I could see the shapes of beastsid out in jade in several ces as well.


    The walls were hung with dozens of tapestries depicting ascenders within the Relictombs battling against aetheric beasts. Onerge tapestry caught my eye; it showed three men in golden armor surrounded by a swarm of carralions¡ªthe wed, babyish creatures I¡¯d fought in the convergence zone.


    I followed the man through the hall in silence as we moved swiftly past the grand tapestries and decor. My gaze lingered on the extravagant artworks, wondering if these depictions weremon tales that any passing cryan would recognize.


    After passing a series of desks andfortable seating areas, we made our way up a narrow staircase tucked away in one corner of the main hall. This brought us to a balcony surrounded by ck iron railings, and led into arge office that overlooked the hall below. New episodes will be published on light?nove?lpu?b.c-om.


    Despite theck of conversation during our journey, it was clear he wasfortable with the silence, or perhaps his position. The way he slid into his seat behind a massive desk carved of ebony and iid with gold filigree, then kicked his heels up on thevish piece of furniture, suggested thetter. He waved at a plush chair in front of the desk, and I took a seat, never taking my eyes off him.


    ¡°So, here you are.¡± The man grinned, but I could see the snarling grizzly wolf behind his amiable mask.


    ¡°I¡¯ve justpleted my preliminary ascent,¡± I said, businesslike. ¡°I need my new badge.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve already seen to it. My assistant will be up with it any minute.¡± His smile cut into something more sly. ¡°And I bet you have a whole dimensional storage artifact full of des to turn in too, right?¡± His eyes went pointedly to the ring on my finger. ¡°Clever of you, to keep it from the Granbehls.¡±


    I sat up straighter, my lip curling into a sneer. ¡°That matter is resolved,¡± I said coldly.


    He raised his hands innocently. ¡°Don¡¯t misread me, Ascender Grey. That whole affair was bad for business¡ªour business.¡± His grin took on that sly quality again. ¡°That little named blood doesn¡¯t have any power here in Central Dominion anyway. No, I was being quite serious: you¡¯ve shown yourself to be quite clever. Follow the light?nove?lpu?b.c-om tform for thetest episodes.


    ¡°So, how did you manage it?¡±


    I let the question hang in the air while I considered my answer. It didn¡¯t help that I couldn¡¯t be sure which ¡°it¡± he was referring to.


    Not wanting to give anything away about myself, I finally said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean.¡±


    He slid his feet from the desk and leaned over it, eyeing me hungrily. ¡°How did you secure the posting at Central Academy? An unnamed ascender, fresh from his prelim...it¡¯s unheard of.¡±


    I let out a sigh. ¡°Complications often arise from knowing too much.¡±


    It was the man¡¯s turn to let my words hang for a moment before he leaned back andughed, an uncontained, mirthful guffaw.


    ¡°That may just be the most pleasant way someone has threatened me,¡± he beamed, pointing his fingers at me. ¡°I like you, Grey! Damned but I like you.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯ve managed to attract yet another weird one,¡¯ Regis chortled.


    Ignoring mypanion, I scanned his desk to see if the man in front of me had a namete somewhere. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Vritra¡¯s name, where are my manners? My name is Su of Named Blood Drusus, but everyone around here calls me Sul. I¡¯m the high mage of this little establishment.¡± The mage gestured out over the hall below.


    ¡°Do you wee all new ascenders like this, Su?¡± I asked doubtfully.


    ¡°No,¡± he said, leaning back in his chair. ¡°I certainly do not. But then, not many new ascenders are given a principal¡¯s badge after a single ascent, or made a professor at the most prestigious academy in crya¡±¡ªI didn¡¯t think it was possible, but his grin grew sharper¡ª¡°I wanted to see you for myself.¡±


    I ground my teeth. This was exactly the kind of attention I wanted to avoid.


    ¡®Maybe you shouldn¡¯t always make such a spectacle of yourself then,¡¯ Regismented mockingly.


    ¡°I¡¯d just like to get my badge, exchange my des, and be on my way,¡± I said with finality, making it clear that I¡¯d like to end this interaction. ¡°I still need to check into the Student Administration Offices and get settled in. It¡¯s been a long journey here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course,¡± Su responded professionally, but the slouch in his shoulders and the way he leaned back suggested that he was slightly put out. ¡°Once again, I¡¯ve let my enthusiasm override my good sense. But promise you¡¯lle back soon, Professor Grey. I¡¯ll make sure your trip won¡¯t be wasted.¡±


    After selling the majority of the treasure I¡¯d taken from the Spear Beak tribe, I escaped the Ascenders Association building and the high mage¡¯s probing questions, then proceeded straight for the Central Academy campus, eager to meet with my contact and find my rooms, which I hoped were quiet and free of any more probing eyes.


    The ck iron gates had opened of their own ord when I approached. On the other side, the close confines of the city streets were left behind in favor of wide walkways bordered by short hedges.


    A fifteen foot wall of white stone wrapped around the campus, encircling it and setting it off from the city. The gates opened into a semicircr za, from which three paths branched away toward clusters of school buildings.


    Dozens of young men and women in the ck and azure uniforms of Central Academy were milling around the za, some chatting animatedly while others sat quietly on benches or in the grassywns between the hedges. A few cast me curious nces, and I realized that Briar had been right: I stuck out in my in traveling clothes, even more than if I¡¯de to the academy in full battle attire.


    Directly across the za from the gates stood the Student Administration Offices, a castlelikeplex with a dozen peaks and spires that seemed to loom over the campus entrance. The central path from the za went straight through this building, under an arched tunnel lit with bright globes that hung from the roof.


    A woman in tight-fitting white battle robes was standing just outside this tunnel, her eyes casting around as if looking for someone.


    As I approached, making my way toward the open entryway into the offices, her amber eyes stopped on me, traveling up and down my body several times. Blonde hair tumbled in waves over her shoulders, bouncing in a way that seemed to defy gravity when she hopped in ce before taking a few quick steps toward me.


    ¡®Her hair isn¡¯t the only thing that defies gravity...¡¯ Regis said suggestively. ¡®If you die, can she be my new master?¡¯


    Why wait? I answered, pushing with my aether as if I intended to expel the shadow wolf from my body.


    ¡®Hey!¡¯ Regis groused. ¡®No need to get pouty.¡¯


    The woman dipped into a shallow bow as we approached. ¡°in clothes, gorgeous eyes, too young by half...you could only be our new level one Melee Enhancement Tactics professor, right?¡± She beamed at me and bounced on the balls of her feet. ¡°I¡¯m Abby of Blood Redcliff. I teach a couple of higher level wind-specialization Caster courses.¡±


    ¡°Um, hello,¡± I said, caught off guard by her forwardness. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting¡ª¡±


    ¡°A weingmittee?¡± she said with a happyugh. ¡°Well, a shy guy like you might not want to hear this, but you¡¯re pretty much a celebrity around here already.¡±


    Damn you, ric, I thought grumpily.


    ¡°Anyway, I just really wanted to be the first one to meet you, after everything I¡¯ve heard.¡± She gave me a winsome smile, twirling a lock of her golden hair around her finger. ¡°Did you really break the containment chains at your trial?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯mte to meet my contact in administration,¡± I said stiffly, stepping around her and making my way toward the door.


    A surprisingly strong hand caught my elbow. ¡°It can be kind of overwhelming here at first. I¡¯d be happy to show you the ropes, Grey. You just let me know, m¡¯kay?¡±


    With a wink, my fellow professor released me and turned away.


    I was distracted as I made my way into the administration offices and announced myself to one of the young clerks at the front desk. He gave me directions to a fourth floor office where ric¡¯s contact could be found, giving me a bemused smirk when I admitted I needed to hear the instructions again.


    ¡®You okay, chief? What¡¯s got you so rattled?¡¯


    First the head of the Ascenders Association, then this other professor...We¡¯re getting way too much attention, Regis.


    ¡®You¡¯re thinking of cutting and running.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t really a question since he could read my mind.


    No...yes...I don¡¯t know, I admitted. I don¡¯t like feeling trapped.


    Regis barked out augh in my mind. ¡®You just spent three weeks in jail.¡¯


    Stone and bars weren¡¯t holding me. I chose to stay, let that y out. I was trying to avoid drawing too much attention.


    ¡®How¡¯d that work out?¡¯


    Almost as well as that piece of lorite Wren Kain gave me, I answered with a smirk, taking the stairs three at a time to the fourth floor.


    ¡®I feel personally attacked. You know what, I¡¯m going to take a nap. Wake me up when you¡¯re feeling less venomous, all right, princess?¡¯


    Despite my conversation with Regis¡ªor perhaps because of it¡ªI felt better by the time I was knocking on the office door of a man named Edmon of Blood Scriven, a mid-tier clerk within the administration office.


    A reedy, nervous voice invited me into an office that wouldn¡¯t have looked out of ce in one of the old detective movies from my previous world. The lighting artifact suspended from the ceiling was flickering and gloomy, casting a gray haze over the small office, including a simple desk piled with parchment and scrolls with the man hunched behind it.


    ¡°Close the door,¡± he said impatiently, his watery eyes following me as I did so before sitting down in the worn chair across from him.


    ¡°Edmon, I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know bloody well who you are,¡± the thin, pale man snapped as he wiped at his nose with the sleeve of his brown robe. ¡°What that son-of-a-lurk-worm thought he was doing, forcing you in here, I swear to the Vritra I have no idea...¡± the man grumbled under his breath, as if unaware that I could still hear him.


    We red at each other over the top of his desk for a moment before I let out a long sigh. ¡°What do I need to know, Edmon?¡±


    He sniffed and wiped his nose again as he shuffled through some of the scrolls on his desk. ¡°Once you¡¯ve signed your contract, you can have your schedule and curriculum, and be on your way. Once you¡¯ve left this office, I sincerely hope not to see you again for the remainder of your tenure here.¡±


    Based on the man¡¯s open hostility, I could only assume that his agreement with ric hadn¡¯t been entirely equitable.


    Edmon shoved a stack of parchment out of the way and unrolled a document exining the details of my employment with Central Academy in legal jargon. I was surprised to note the pay, which hadn¡¯t even crossed my mind.


    ¡°In the event that you don¡¯t understand some piece of your contract...¡± Edmon shrugged his hunched shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s not my job to exin it all to you.¡±


    Taking the offered quill, I wrote my false name, my hand automatically tracing the same swooping letters I had used to sign official documents as a king. Edmon¡¯s spiderish hand snapped the contract away the instant I¡¯d finished, and he reced it with a single t piece of parchment and two long scrolls bound with iron rings.


    ¡°This¡±¡ªhe indicated the parchment¡ª¡°has your schedule on it, while these¡±¡ªhe waved at the scrolls¡ª¡°are your curriculum for Melee Enhancement Tactics and a list of the academy¡¯s rules. Read them very, very thoroughly, because I swear by the Vritra, I will not go down for your criminal uncle...¡±


    ¡°Listen,¡± I said, starting to lose my patience with the man¡¯s snide remarks, ¡°I don¡¯t know what sort of deal you and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Deal?¡± he hissed, his eyes wide. ¡°That no good drunk bullies and coerces me into hiring his wogart of a nephew, and you call it a deal? Just because he thinks you¡¯re worth this risk, doesn¡¯t mean I do. Now get the hell out of my office, and don¡¯te back, or I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    The man¡¯s mouth snapped shut as my aetheric intent washed over him, crushing him back into his chair. His eyes bulged, insectlike, and his fingers wed at the surface of his desk, disrupting several of the scrolls.


    ¡°I¡¯m just as happy to pretend this conversation didn¡¯t happen as you are,¡± I said, my voice quiet and emotionless. ¡°But I won¡¯t be threatened.¡± To emphasize my point, I strengthened the aura, watching as the pale man¡¯s breath was choked off by the pressure. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re afraid of ric, but it would be wise to extend those feelings toward me as well...at the very least.¡±


    Grabbing the papers from his desk, I released my aetheric intent and swept out of his office.


    ¡®What did I miss?¡¯ Regis asked, the mental projection of his voice drawn out as if he were yawning.


    Just making more friends, I joked. You know me.


    Mypanion snorted, and I felt his consciousness drift away again as he went to ¡°sleep,¡± which for him was more of a meditative mindset while he absorbed aether from my core.


    Back down on the ground level, the front-desk clerk looked up when I stepped out into the entry hall. ¡°All done here at administration? Can I arrange for someone to give you a tour of campus or introduce you to the other faculty?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve had a long journey here and would just like to see my room,¡± I answered, recycling the excuse I¡¯d given to the high mage at the Ascenders Association. ¡°Can someone show me the way?¡±


    The young man smiled with understanding. ¡°Sure thing, Professor Grey. Let¡¯s get you settled in. Adide?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± A distracted young woman looked up from where she had her nose in a scroll at another desk.


    ¡°Can you watch the front desk while I show Professor Grey to his rooms?¡±


    ¡°Hm,¡± she said in affirmation as her eyes jumped back to her reading.


    Shaking his head and giving me a chagrined look, the young man led the way out of the building and turned right. We passed between two hip-height hedge rows that separatedrge, grassy areas where students were lounging and talking, reading scrolls, and wrestling around.


    ¡°sses haven¡¯t started yet, obviously, but students are expected to arrive early, and the administration keeps things more or less open so everyoneing back from the recess can enjoy themselves for a moment before the work starts.¡±


    My guide continued to chatter away, apparently feeling the need to give me the tour despite my insistence that it wasn¡¯t necessary. He told me the names of the buildings, yards, and zas, as well as the history of the families for which they¡¯d been named.


    Although I had questions, I wasn¡¯tfortable asking them, and instead maintained an air of tired, slightly bored aloofness. No need to give the talkative young man any reason to be suspicious about me.


    It wasn¡¯t until we were passing a dark building that seemed to loom ominously over the path, that I saw something that truly interested me.


    ¡°Is that a portal?¡± I asked, looking at the rune-carved stone arch. It looked exactly like the teleportation gates in Dicathen.


    ¡°Sure is!¡± my guide said enthusiastically. ¡°As I was just about to say, the Chapel¡±¡ªhe pointed with his thumb at the brooding, ck-stone building¡ª¡°was a gift from the High Sovereign himself, and houses Central Academy¡¯s collection of relics and artifacts. It was ced here exactly because the High Sovereign wanted it to look down over and guard the Relictombs portal.¡±


    There was no shimmering portal of energy hanging in the air inside the frame at the moment, but I could see a familiar series of controls next to it. ¡°Can this portal be programmed to go anywhere, or just to the Relictombs?¡± I asked, feigning mild curiosity as I thought of Dicathen and my family. These episodes are published on light?nove?lpu?b.c-om.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the really cool thing, actually,¡± my guide gushed. ¡°Apparently, a really, really long time ago, these kinds of portals were everywhere, connecting all of crya. But during some ancient war, most of them were disabled or destroyed. The whole Central Academy was built on this spot¡ªwhich used to be well outside of Cargidan City¡ªexactly because that portal still existed.¡±


    I waited.


    The young clerk grinned at me for a moment before jumping. ¡°Oh, right. Whatever magic made the portal work in the past was broken, but the Sovereigns had it retrofitted into a tempus warp set to take you directly to the second level of the Relictombs. You have to have a token to activate it, but yours should be waiting in your rooms.¡±


    Too bad, I thought. Even if the portal still operated normally, though, it might not have reached all the way to Dicathen, and connecting it back to my home would have been much too dangerous anyway.


    ¡®Maybe you can use Aroa¡¯s...thingy to fix it?¡¯ Regis pointed out. ¡®Like you did with the portal back in the Relictombs.¡¯


    If we ever need to leave crya and don¡¯t n oning back, I¡¯ll try, I replied. But for now, I need ess to the Relictombs to gain control over the aspect of Fate.


    ¡°So the academy was built around that thing?¡± I asked as we moved away.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Central Academy used to be like a city to itself. It still operates separately from Cargidan, with the director answering straight to Taegrin Caelum,¡± he answered importantly. ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know this, but the Sovereigns ce a very high value on the education and betterment of young soldiers and ascenders, which is why schools like Central Academy have their own ce in the politics outside of the standard governments and blood structure.¡±


    I rxed as I realized this young man would tell me anything I wanted to know as he happily continued exining what must have been basic, well-understood facts about the academy and its role in cryan society. Suppressing a smirk, I imagined how his constant stream of information would have been pretty irritating for an actual cryan professor.


    For me, though, his thoughtless banter made him the perfect guide, and allowed me to probe without worrying about giving myself away.


    ***


    Finally, nearly an hourter, I sagged into the deep-cushioned couch in my own private quarters in a building called Windcrest Hall. Apparently it had been named after some highblood family in thanks for their contributions to the academy, but I¡¯d tuned out most of the impromptu history lesson I¡¯d received from my chatty young guide.


    The three-room suite was significantly nicer than I had expected. Apparently Central Academy treated even their new professors to the finest amodations. It wasn¡¯trge, but the living area contained a private projection crystal, like the one I¡¯d seen outside the des shop, as well as a small table designed specifically for the game Caera had taught me to y in the Relictombs.


    There was an empty bookshelf and a small writing desk, as well as the couch I was sitting on, and arge bay window that looked out over campus. Afortable bedroom and a luxury bath opened off the living area.


    I had been surprised to see there was no kitchen or any other way to cook within the private room, but the guide hadughingly assured me that I could have food or any book from the academy library brought up to my room at any time by a runner.


    ¡°Not too shabby,¡± Regis said from where hey curled up on the floor. ¡°Would have been nice if they¡¯d given us a second bed for you, but I guess you¡¯ll be fine on the couch, right?¡±


    I let out a tired snort. Despite the fact that it was only early afternoon, my journey from Sehz-r felt like it had taken days. I could fight for days, even weeks on end, but dealing with this subterfuge and drama exhausted me.


    It was hard to believe I¡¯d somehow found myself back at school, once again a teacher. But this time, the stakes were much higher.

 Chapter 341 Ashes and Dust

    <h4>Chapter 341 Ashes and Dust</h4>


    Aldir


    Ash and dust.


    Everything¡ªevery tree, every beast, every lesser being¡ªfor hundreds of miles, had turned to ash and dust. This was the power of the asura. I scanned the barrenndscape for anything, any sign of life or speck of mana, that might have escaped my attack.


    But there was nothing.


    My steps crunched through the broken surface of the ground with every step as I wandered the wastnd that had once been Elenoir. Even the ground was not stable, threatening to copse beneath me at any moment.


    I was a soldier, doing my duty and following the orders of my lord. The scorched forest should have instilled in me a sense of pride, knowing I had struck a terrible blow against our enemies. Pride, however, was not the emotion I felt at the sight of this grim image. Not nearly.


    When I was sent to kill the Greysunders, I had done so without hesitation. There had been no pride¡ªbecause one does not feel prideful at the swatting of a gnat¡ªbut neither was there pity or remorse. It had merely been a necessary moment in the war, the elimination of two important enemy agents.


    When Lord Indrath exined what was to happen to Elenoir, however¡­


    ¡°I can no longer afford to sit idly by while Agrona expands his control over the lessers. crya was a sacrifice I was willing to make, allowing him to keep busy with his mutts and experiments, but his continued expansion into Dicathen will not be allowed, especially now that he has somehow seeded in his efforts to create a weapon of untold power through reincarnation.


    ¡°Dicathen is but a stepping stone toward Epheotus, and I refuse to let that traitorous snake bring this war here. For generations, we have worked to make sure Dicathen could fight back against Agrona, but they have failed. We will not sacrifice ourselves to keep them alive. New episodes will be published on light?nove?lpu?b.c-om.


    ¡°What we will do is send a message that Agrona cannot ignore. He has so far used the lessers as a shield, holding their lives hostage to protect his own. No longer. If the choice is between giving him the power to move against us or tearing down the world, then I will see it all burn.¡±


    Windsom was the first to step forward, bowing so low he could have kissed Lord Indrath¡¯s boots. ¡°I volunteer for this honor, My Lord. I will strike the first blow.¡±


    Lord Indrath did not smile, but there was a victorious light in his eyes. ¡°You will continue to serve in your role as guide and protector, Windsom, but you will not swing the axe that is to fall. No, there is only one among us who is capable of wielding the World Eater technique.¡±


    The secret technique of the Thyestes n is Mirage Walk, an ability that made us unparalleledbatants, but long ago, when the asura often warred with one another, we had another technique, so powerful and devastating that it was forbidden to be used when the Great Eight formed, and was no longer taught, except for one student in each generation.


    Which made me the only living member of the Thyestes n with the knowledge Lord Indrath required.


    The World Eater technique allowed the caster to channel an incredible amount of mana,pacting it until the individual particles began to burst, causing a chain reaction that would spread out to the atmospheric mana and continue until not a spark of the caster¡¯s own, purified mana was left, causing unparalleled devastation. Follow the light?nove?lpu?b.c-om tform for thetest episodes.


    ¡°This technique is forbidden, Lord Indrath,¡± one of the Thyestes n leaders insisted angrily. ¡°Knowledge of the World Eater is kept alive so that our n will never forget the horrors of limitless power¡ª¡±


    ¡°This moment is exactly why the technique has been taught to one talented young member of your n since time immemorial, which I myselfmanded as you may remember.¡±


    Although there was grumbling from my n, no one else challenged Lord Indrath as he summoned me to stand beside Windsom.


    ¡°General Aldir, I call on you now to prove your loyalty. You and Windsom will travel to Dicathen, to the forestnd of Elenoir, and locate the cryan Scythe Nico and the elven princess Tessia Eralith¡ªor her physical body¡ªand activate the World Eater technique. Give my message to Agrona, and rob him of his new weapon in the process.¡±


    In that moment, I had felt something inside me crack, something I thought had been unshakable: the foundation on which my entire identity as a servant of the Indrath n was built.


    Kneeling, I ran my fingers through the dry, gray nothing that I had created when I followed my lord¡¯smand¡ªamand I knew was wrong the moment it was uttered, but to refuse would have risked the future of my entire n. Lord Indrath would not hesitate to lift one of the other¡ªmore servile¡ªpantheon ns into the Great Eight, andbel the Thyestes n as anathema¡­


    Even so, our failure to destroy the reincarnates had drawn Indrath¡¯s ire. We had not expected that they had any method to teleport away so quickly, and Windsom had gotten carried away toying with the angry, ck-haired child. And yet, still, the lord¡¯s wrath fell on me.


    Do not mope, Aldir, I told myself. It is unbing of a member of the Thyestes.


    My fingers continued to trace through the thickyer of gray nothing, and I found myself examining the bumps and folds in thendscape for some reminder of what this ce had been: a fallen tree, the rubble of a copsed house, even the charred bones of one of the millions of lives I had extinguished.


    The World Eater technique left nothing, though, no sign that this ce was once a beautiful forest inhabited by millions of elves. Thebustion of mana destroyed absolutely.


    No, there is still something here, I thought, peering into the hazy air as if hoping to see the amethyst particles of aether suspended in the clouds of smokey ash. Though I could not, I knew it was there, all around me, undisturbed even by the World Eater technique. The thought gave me a sliver of peace, which was disturbed again immediately.


    Two figures were approaching from a distance, drawing me out of my spiralling thoughts. Even when they reached me, I didn¡¯t stand up, didn¡¯t turn to look at them. Instead, I scooped up a handful of ash and let it run through my fingers to blow away on the wind.


    ¡°Back again, Lord Aldir?¡± the cool, confident voice said. ¡°You¡¯ve been here often since¡­well, you know.¡± Although it irritated me to know I was being watched, I wasn¡¯t surprised. My act had reset the bnce of power in Dicathen, sending a tremor of terror through every cryan on the continent.


    Of course someone has been tasked with watching the wastnd, but choose to show themselves now? I wondered, my back still to them.


    ¡°They say ten thousand cryans died here,¡± she continued, her tone unreadable. ¡°But we both know that was just a fraction of the casualties.¡±


    The two stood well back, just close enough to speak without shouting. Their mana stood out like an oasis in the desert, since the atmosphere here was still empty of it.


    ¡°Is it confidence or naivety that you dare reveal yourself to me here, Scythe?¡± My words contained no threat, merely an observation. They knew I could move through them with no more effort than brushing away a spider¡¯s web; there was no need for threats.


    ¡°I know genocide makes you somewhat irritable, Lord Aldir, but I wasn¡¯t the one who ordered the deaths of millions of innocent elves,¡± she replied, gently mocking, devoid of any fear. ¡°Do you think he considered what the act would do to you, asura? Perhaps he did, but then, if a sword breaks, you simply forge another, you do not mourn the loss of steel.¡±


    Then, I turned my eye to her. To her credit, she didn¡¯t flinch away, although the same couldn¡¯t be said for her retainer. ¡°What do you want, Seris?¡±


    ¡°I merely wish to talk, Aldir. Share a few words, in the hope that you¡¯ll hear them.¡± She smiled, but it wasn¡¯t mocking or amused, only¡­sad? ¡°If I am right, at this very moment Kezess is busily spinning his web of lies, convincing the Dicathians that it was the Vritra who did this¡±¡ªshe waved one hand at the destion¡ª¡°so that the poor fools don¡¯t even know who is really killing them.¡±


    Strategically that would be the correct move, although it risked breaking what little spirit the Dicathians had left. To counter this, Windsom would be working with their Commander Virion¡ªone of the few lessers I thought had any real leadership ability¡ªto make sure that didn¡¯t happen.


    ¡°But who do you think has killed more Dicathians in this war?¡± Seris continued, cocking her head to the side and tapping her lips with a finger. ¡°Agrona¡¯s forces have killed, what? Twenty thousand? Fifty? But Kezess, well¡­¡±


    ¡°Deaths made necessary by Agrona¡¯s continued treachery,¡± I said, repeating Windsom¡¯s words when I had shared this same thought in confidence after the destruction of Elenoir. It was unnerving to have this Vritra mutt throw the same words at me now. ¡°And that¡¯s Lord Indrath to you.¡±


    ¡°You sound just like him,¡± Seris said quietly, digging the toe of her boot into the ash.


    I raised my chin and stood, letting my form expand until I was half again as tall as she was. The retainer tried to step in front of his Scythe, but she stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I am proud to sound like the great Lord Indrath, and I will not be spoken down to by the likes of you, half-breed.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean Kezess. You sound like Agrona.¡±


    Sneering, I summoned Silverlight, which appeared as a long, thin rapier glowing with moonlight, and pointed it at Seris¡¯s heart. ¡°You have exhausted my patience, Scythe. I can cut you both down right now, and there isn¡¯t a soul in hundreds of miles to risk coteral damage.¡±


    I regretted my choice of words immediately as Seris gave me a sardonic look.


    ¡°You already took care of that, didn¡¯t you, Aldir?¡± she asked wryly. The retainer shot her a fearful nce, as if even he thought she was pushing their luck. ¡°But is that all you are now, pantheon? An executioner? Assassin? Faithful automaton, devoid of empathy or the ability to think for yourself?¡±


    Why doesn¡¯t she fear you, Aldir? I asked myself.


    Because she knows you are done with death, the answer resounded from the deep recesses of my mind.


    I ground my teeth and released Silverlight. ¡°If you expect me to abandon Lord Indrath for Agrona, you are¡ª¡±


    ¡°Indrath, Agrona. Agrona, Indrath.¡± Seris ran a hand along the length of one curving horn. ¡°You speak as if they are the only two beings in the world, as if there is no choice but to serve one or the other.¡±


    I scoffed. So this was the mutt¡¯s n? To install herself as some kind of opposing queen to the Vritra lord? ¡°This is a war of two sides. Everyone must choose a side, even you, Seris.¡±


    ¡°But is it, though?¡± A storm raged in the Scythe¡¯s dark eyes as she held my gaze. ¡°If the world is a coin, Agrona on one side, Kezess on the other, then someone else has flipped that coin, and no matter how itnds¡ªwhichever face looks up from the ground¡ªit will be that someone who is looking back down.¡±


    ¡°Who is it you speak of so reverently?¡± I asked, somewhat unnerved by her demeanor. ¡°Who do you believe could rival these two, who are considered great even among the asura?¡±


    The Vritra half-breed smiled coyly. ¡°Oh, you know him well, Aldir, perhaps even better than I do. A certain human mage with a penchant for biting off more than he can chew.¡±


    My eyes flew open¡ªall three of them¡ªas my mind went back to the moments before I finished casting World Eater, when I felt an alien presence watching me, almost as if some greater deity¡ªa true god¡ªhad arrived to witness my lowest moment and judge me by it. I hadn¡¯t known who it could have been at the time, but now¡­


    ¡°Arthur Leywin¡­¡±


    SERIS VRITRA


    I was cautiously optimistic as I held the asura¡¯s strange, three-eyed gaze. Cylrit stood protectively at my side, wound more tightly than a spring, more than ready toy down his own life for me were we to be attacked.


    Although the conversation had gone exactly as I had hoped, I wasn¡¯t yet ready to turn my back on Aldir. Instead, we stood like that for some time, him ring down at me with an expression I hoped was thoughtful, me gazing back as cidly as I could manage given his crippling aura.


    I knew it was risky,ing to Elenoir without the High Sovereign''s approval and revealing myself to the asura, and I even felt just a little bit bad about giving Arthur¡¯s survival away to the asuras as well. But the boy needed a push. Agrona had his new pet, and it would only be a matter of time before he decided to use her. If Arthur took too long running around the Relictombs ying pat-a-cake with young Caera Denoir, or hiding under the guise of ¡°Professor Grey¡± at Central Academy, the escting conflict between the Vritra and Epheotus would ruin everything. These episodes are published on light?nove?lpu?b.c-om.


    Finally, Aldir released a heavy breath¡ªhalf irritated scoff, half world-weary sigh¡ªand shrunk back to normal proportions. Wordlessly, he raised a hand, conjuring a ck-opal portal, and vanished with a sudden rush of mana.


    A sharp breath escaped my lungs as they deted. I looked down at my trembling hand, then closed it into a tight fist in frustration. I refused to shake with fear, despite the gap in power between the asura and me.


    ¡°Will he tell Indrath about Leywin?¡± Cylrit asked as he reached out a hand to draw in the few lingering particles of mana from Aldir¡¯s spell.


    ¡°Not right away, no,¡± I answered, considering my words just as I considered my knowledge of the asura. ¡°He¡¯ll ponder what we¡¯ve said, agonizing over why we¡¯ve shared this information, afraid it may be a trick or a trap. Then, eventually, his sense of duty will overwhelm his concern, and he will tell Indrath. Exactly like we want him to.¡±


    A slow smile spread across my face as I considered our current situation. My ns were continuing to move forward, keeping just ahead of the war, but the reappearance of Arthur Leywin as the mysterious Ascender Grey was a wee wild card. And with my protegee so conveniently ced at his side, well¡­


    ¡°Agrona will kill us if he finds out about this meeting,¡± Cylrit said quietly.


    ¡°Agrona cannot currently see beyond the walls of Taegrin Caelum, Cylrit,¡± I answered smoothly, elbowing my retainer in the shoulder. ¡°He has eyes only for her right now, at least until he decides if this whole reincarnation gambit was worth it.¡±


    ¡°And if he does?¡± Cylrit¡¯s voice carried an edge of nervousness I wasn¡¯t used to from the stalwart retainer.


    ¡°I imagine he¡¯ll grow significantly less careful with his Scythes and their retainers,¡± I answered.


    There was a brief silence. Then, Cylrit cursed. ¡°Sovereign¡¯s horns. It¡¯s eerie here, isn¡¯t it? No mana, no noise, no life at all¡­¡±


    ¡°This,¡± I said, linking my arm through his, ¡°is what our world will look like if Agrona and Kezess have their way. Agrona will happily take Epheotus in exchange for crya and Dicathen, and Kezess is willing to rebuild life here from the ashes up if he has to.¡±


    A shiver ran through my retainer at my words as he gazed around the empty waste. ¡°Agrona wouldn¡¯t really let this happen to crya, would he?¡±


    I snorted indelicately. ¡°If, in exchange, he could rule over all the other asura ns¡ªor destroy them and take Epheotus for the Vritra¡ªthen you know damned well he would. What is one mortal world in exchange for thend of deities themselves?¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve never really understood,¡± Cylrit admitted, slowing slightly so that I had to release his arm. I turned to meet his serious, steady gaze. ¡°Why the human? He¡¯s strong, yes, but he only lived long enough to grow into his strength because of you. What¡¯s so important about him?¡±


    I floated into the air and turned southwest toward Darv. ¡°Even now, I can¡¯t say what Arthur Leywin¡¯s part in all this is going to be. He¡¯s an anomaly, a force of change. I sensed that the moment Iid eyes on him. In a world where deities have the strength to wipe out entire countries, one human shouldn¡¯t matter. Even you and I are a ripple in the sea of power next to beings like the asuras. These episodes are published on light?nove?lpu?b.c-om.


    ¡°It was the mana that told me, Cylrit. The way it seemed to be drawn to him, as if awaiting hismand, like he was constantly reshaping reality without even trying. He didn¡¯t just move through the world, the world moved to amodate his passing.¡±

 Chapter 342 Duality

    TESSIA ERALITH


    It was cold. Really cold. But the sensation of frigid air biting at my skin¡ªmy skin, I had to remind myself¡ªwas exhrating. It reminded me that¡­


    I¡¯m alive.


    Resting my bare hands on the icy-cold railing that ran around my ten-foot-wide balcony, I stared out at the endless range of snowy mountains, miles and miles of jagged peaks that rose up from the earth like the teeth of an enormous dragon.


    No, not the Earth, not anymore. Despite reminding myself of this startling fact at least a hundred times, I have yet toe to terms with it. Who could have known there were other worlds out there? And that you could be¡­reborn into one. New episodes will be published on light?nove?lpu?b.c-om.


    My gaze was drawn to the series of runes marking my bare arms, glowing faintly with warm light. These arms were more slender than those I¡¯d had before¡­


    Before what?


    I closed my eyes hard against the fog in my head, squeezing until I saw stars before opening them again.


    It had been worse¡ªmuch worse¡ªthe first time I had seen the thin arms and the tattooed runes. Nico had been there, standing over me¡ªalthough I hadn¡¯t recognized him, of course. His alien eyes had stared into mine from beneath his new, dark brows. I had immediately vomited all over his shirt before passing out¡­


    In the distance, a winged creature the size of an airne was wheeling around one of the peaks, hunting. What had Nico called the creature?


    A mana beast.


    As I watched, letting my attention move entirely away from my own body and the glowing runes that marked my now fair skin, the magnificent monstrosity suddenly tucked in its wings and dove, vanishing in the dips and valleys. I wished I could join it, flying through the mountains, nothing between me and the jagged rocks but the magic I¡¯d inherited with this body.


    Of all the amazing things I¡¯d seen and learned, flying was definitely my favorite.


    Flying, though, made me think of my first battle in this new world, of the impossible strength of our enemies, and a chill ran through me that had nothing to do with the cold, raising gooseflesh along my arms.


    We hadn¡¯t expected an attack¡­I had barely known what was going on still, only that my new friend Agrona¡ªthe one who gave Nico and me another chance at life¡ªneeded my help. I simply repeated what they told me to, until¡­


    I flew, I thought dizzily. I¡¯d never done that before.


    Turning suddenly, I whisked back into my room and shut the door against the cold and the alienndscape. A twisting sense of vertigo threatened to overwhelm me, so I threw myself into a chair in front of the zing firece, rubbing the bridge of my nose forcefully, my entire body rigid against the nausea.


    An unwanted memory surfaced. I was walking across the school campus on a day like any other, when my body began to ache and tremble, the swelling ki washing across me like waves over a stormy ocean, and when those waves of ki brokend¡­I was lying on the floor, my body jerking and twisting within a cocoon of dark, spear-tipped vines, the angry presence hidden within meshing out, roaring with hatred and confusion¡­


    Shaking my head violently, I recoiled from the images, tucking my legs up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them.


    Breathe, just breathe, Cecilia.


    This dizzying sensation of wrongness had beenmon at first. Nico said it was just my mind limating to my new physical form, but¡ª


    A knock at the door made me jump.


    Unfolding from the chair, I stared at the back of the door. ¡°Yes?¡± I asked after a few seconds.


    ¡°Cecilia, it¡¯s Nico. Can Ie in?¡±


    I turned back to the fire, dancing in shades of orange and yellow, and took a deep breath to push back the lingering dizziness. ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    The heavy wooden door swung smoothly inward, revealing a figure a head taller than me, with baster skin and jet-ck hair. He stepped inside and let the door close softly before crossing the room to sit stiffly on my bed.


    Nico looked so different, and not just his physical features. Whatever had happened to him in this new life had been hard on him. It had made him hard. You can find the rest of this content on the ligh?tnove-lpub.c?om tform.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± he asked, his piercing eyes burning into me as if he were trying to see my soul, hidden beneath the skin I was wearing.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I replied, too quickly.


    Liar.


    ¡°I had an attack of vertigo, just now,¡± I admitted. ¡°But I¡¯m okay.¡±


    Nico was off the bed and kneeling beside me in an instant. When his hand came to rest on mine, I pulled away as something inside of me recoiled.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I whispered, but I didn¡¯t put my hand back.


    ¡°No, Cecilia, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s fine, really.¡± The obvious hurt this caused him shone back at me from those unfamiliar eyes, but he took his hand off the arm of my chair. ¡°I know this is all so confusing.¡±


    Confusing doesn¡¯t begin to cover it.


    ¡°Do the exercise,¡± Nico suggested.


    Nodding, I closed my eyes and began to focus on the orange glow of the fire ying across the inside of my eyelids. Then, breathing deeply, my focus followed the breath in through my nose and down into my lungs, where I held it.


    As I breathed out, my focus stayed on my lungs, on the way my sternum shifted as my chest rose and my stomach expanded, causing an intricate intery of the muscle, bones, and internal organs. There, I searched for my mana core, trying to feel it, to be consciously aware of it.


    It took a minute, but eventually I found it near my sr plexus. Once I had it in my mind, it felt impossible to miss: a ball of white hot power, waiting for me to draw on the gusting hurricane of energy contained within. Sort of like my ki center, but¡­more.


    But there was something else there, too.


    Within the core, I could sense another will, separate from my own, just like in the memory. Angry green tentacles wriggled, making my stomach churn.


    The elderwood guardian¡¯s beast will¡­


    My eyes snapped open as I was shunted out of the meditation by the queasy feeling the beast will gave me. From the corner of my eye, I saw Nico watching me closely.


    ¡°Better?¡± he asked when I opened my eyes.


    I only nodded in response.


    ¡°Anyway.¡± Nico stood and took a hesitant step back. ¡°Agrona would like us to join him for dinner in an hour, in his private rooms. Want me to wait for you to get dressed?¡±


    I shook my head this time, then tucked a stray lock of gunmetal hair behind my ear. ¡°No, I¡¯ll¡­see you there.¡±


    With a nod, Nico fumbled behind him for the door handle, then backed out into the hallway, not taking his eyes off me until the door had snapped shut.


    Sighing deeply¡ªsomething I couldn¡¯t remember doing often in my past life, but felt the need to do frequently now¡ªI sank down into the chair and moved my feet closer to the fire, close enough to be ufortable.


    Like the cold, the sensation of the too-warm mes licking at my bare toes made me feel¡­


    Alive?


    Remembering what Nico had said about dinner, I jumped up and dashed through a door on the other side of my bed that led into my own private dressing room. Inside, there was a desk with drawers full of perfumes and makeup, several mirrors, three dressers for different types of clothes, and a closet that ran the length of the room.


    It was, I thought a little guiltily, my favorite ce in Taegrin Caelum.


    I¡¯d never had my own stuff before, not really. Or at least, I didn¡¯t think so. So much of my previous life was still a blur, although Nico and Agrona assured me that it would alle back with time. But I remembered the orphanage, and Headmaster Wilbek, and I remembered the testing¡­


    Pulling away from the memories to avoid another fit, I began to sort through the clothes hanging inside the closet. It contained mostly dresses and strange robes of a hundred different colors and designs, and all just for me.


    My fingertips brushed a simple, onyx-colored dress with ck runes along the back that I thought would make my new hair stand out, but dismissed it for an ankle-length green dress with golden leaves embroidered up the side.


    As I quickly changed, I prepared myself for a conversation with Agrona, ordering my thoughts and preparing answers to the bombardment of questions I knew I¡¯d receive.


    Once I was dressed, I started the long walk through the fortress to Agrona¡¯s private rooms without even ncing in the mirrors to check my appearance; looking at the stranger¡¯s rune-covered body and unfamiliar face staring back at me would only give me vertigo again.


    Taegrin Caelum¡¯s halls were always bustling with activity: hundreds of servants rushed about, tending to the needs of the many soldiers, aristocrats, and military leaders who frequented the mountain fortress. The castle was like a city unto itself, contained within the towering walls of dark stone.


    Each hall was lined with paintings and portraits, or artifacts hung in rune-marked ss cases. Stuffed mana beasts weremon, every one posed as if it were about to lunge and attack passersby. I was fascinated by the grotesque and alien forms, and had mapped out much of the fortress by learning the location of the many stuffed monsters, but there was no time to linger and examine them today.


    Wherever I crossed paths with a servant who was polishing an artifact or scrubbing stains from the scarlet carpet that ran down the center of the hall, they would press their backs against the walls and bow deeply until after I¡¯d passed.


    Early on, I¡¯d tried to talk to a few of these servants, but they wouldn¡¯t speak to me, except to answer direct questions, and they never made eye-contact. In fact, aside from Nico and Agrona, I had no one to talk to.


    They want you to be isted, to see only what they¡¯re showing you.


    I shook my head, knowing this wasn¡¯t a fair observation. Too much stimulus overwhelmed me, especially after the attack¡­They had to introduce this new world slowly, and even then I found myself having a hard time retaining information.


    Like where things were in the huge fortress.


    It was when I passed the lunging form of a feline beast with two heads and three tails for the second time that I realized I¡¯d turned myself around while lost in thought.


    ¡°Was it the second right after this cat-thing, or the third?¡± I muttered to myself, peeking down corridor after corridor.


    Turning at the third corridor, I increased my pace, hurrying to the door at its end, which I thought opened into a narrow, spiralling staircase that would take me up several floors to the level on which Agrona maintained his private rooms.


    Instead of a staircase, I found arge, dimly lit suite. Surprised, I froze in the doorway, my eyes tracking slowly across the chamber as I tried to figure out where I was.


    ¡°Who''s there,¡± a thin, tired voice said from deeper in the chamber. ¡°Just leave whatever it is by the door and go away!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯m a little lost. Do you¡ª¡±


    Something was scrabbling against the floor near the corner, and I could just make out a lithe silhouette unfolding from where ity and stalking toward me into the ring of light from the open door.


    I stepped back out into the hallway, my heart suddenly pounding in my chest, although I wasn¡¯t quite sure why.


    The woman seemed to fill the doorway, despite her stick-thin stature. She rested her hands on the frame on either side of the opening and scowled out from behind thin, greenish-ck bangs. I was taken aback by how ill and¡­inhuman she looked.


    Her cheeks were sunken beneath dark, red-rimmed eyes, and when she sucked in a hissing breath through her thin, gray lips, I saw that her teeth had been filed to sharp points. The ck robes she wore exposed her arms and sides, which were skeletally thin.


    ¡°Are¡­¡± I trailed off, my voice failing as I struggled to ovee whatever instinct was urging me to flee from the woman. Swallowing heavily, I tried again. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Am I¡­? Am I okay?¡± she hissed, staring at me as if I¡¯d suddenly grown a third arm. ¡°You speak to Bivrae,st of her blood¡­and ask if she is okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I muttered, unsure why the woman repulsed me sopletely.


    She looks just like him.


    This thought took me by surprise, but the moment I had it, I knew what it meant. I could picture the man, puffy and skeletal at the same time, with seaweed green hair and sunken pits for eyes¡­


    Bl. The retainer. Her¡­brother?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss,¡± I choked out, overwhelmed by a strangling collision of emotions I couldn¡¯t exin. ¡°Forgive my intrusion.¡±


    Bowing slightly, I fled back down the hall.


    ¡°Wait!¡± she screeched, but I didn¡¯t stop, rounding the corner and nearly colliding with a servant woman.


    I dodged around her and was halfway to the next corridor before I heard her yelp of surprise, then increased my pace still more, practically flying through the halls, hammering through a door and shooting up a winding staircase.


    Only after I¡¯d burst through another door into a wide hallway with an elegantly curved roof covered by a long, detailed fresco did I skid to a stop, breathing hard.


    ¡°Cecilia?¡±


    Jumping, I spun around only to realize that Nico had been standing near the stairway door, admiring a gold and silver shield hung on the wall.


    His expression fell when he noticed my heaving breaths, and what I assumed was a wild, panicky stair. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡±


    ¡°N-nothing,¡± I stammered, working to collect myself. ¡°Just¡­got turned around¡ªdidn¡¯t want to bete.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re perfectly on time, actually,¡± a deep voice said from down the hallway, the rumble of it carrying through the stones and vibrating up into the soles of my feet. ¡°No need to have gotten yourself worked up, Cecilia dear.¡±


    Turning toward the voice, I bowed deeply, but the motion made my head swim as a wave of vertigo crashed around me, and I stumbled forward. A powerful, marble-gray arm caught me, and I felt myself being lifted like a child and set firmly back on my feet.


    Standing in front of me, his hands on my shoulders, was Agrona, his vibrantly scarlet eyes staring right through me. The lord of the Vritra n, and my new home of crya, was handsome, with smooth skin and a sharp jaw that reminded me of an actor. His frame was lithe and graceful, and he moved with an easy confidence that drew your eyes to him.


    Enormous horns sprouted from the sides of his ck hair like an elk¡¯s antlers, except shiny and ck, each pronging to a spear-sharp point. Several gold and silver rings wrapped around the many prongs, and bejeweled chains traced the lines of the horns. On anyone else, it would have looked gaudy, but to Agrona, it only added to the sense of power that hung from him like a cloak.


    Lost in the twisting vertigo, I couldn''t help but stare as his presence overwhelmed me.


    ¡°Oh, those pesky memories,¡± he said softly. ¡°Riling you up again, aren¡¯t they? Let me help.¡±


    No! Please don¡¯t¡ª


    Then Agrona was in my head, in my mind, poking around like a potter molding y. The confusion of memories and thoughts that weren¡¯t mine began to recede, as did the cascading avnche of emotions.


    As his mental fingers kneaded my brain, I took a deep breath and let myself rx. First, he removed her memories, pushing them away and burying them down deep, then he began to sift through my own, giving a tug here or a prod there to help me remember things from my previous life.


    A rush of images yed in my mind¡¯s eye, shing by in quick session:


    Nico, just a boy, inviting me to y with him and his friend, even though I was too shy to even speak.


    Nico dodging between sts of ki energy, moving faster than his age should have allowed, to press a gloved hand to my stomach, saving me and everyone else in the orphanage from the surging unstable ki threatening to explode out of me.


    Nico handing me a medallion that he¡¯d made just for me, to keep me safe, his nervous smile speaking more than his words ever did.


    Nico saving me from violent men in an alley, men who wanted to take me away, who were willing to kill to get me.


    Nico, his arms wrapped around me in congrattions after we¡¯d been epted into the military training institute we attended together.


    Nico, his arms wrapped around me in¡­


    My eyes snapped open and I took a quick step back from the towering Vritra, who gave me a knowing smile before straightening. ¡°There there, all better now, isn¡¯t it Cecilia.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord Agrona,¡± I replied calmly, the noise in my head finally settling. ¡°Thank you for your assistance.¡±


    Next to me, Nico¡¯s fingers were fidgeting at his side, and I knew he wanted to reach out and take my hand, but he held back. I didn¡¯t make any effort to encourage him, appreciating the distance. For some reason, physical contact with Nico, no matter how innocent, always triggered the sickening sense of vertigo. You can find the rest of this content on the lig?htno-velp?ub.c?om tform.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯ve had an exquisite meal prepared for us,¡± Agrona went on, turning and gesturing for us to follow. ¡°Star fruit and moon oxen from Elenoir¡ªbit of a rare delicacy now, all things considered¡ªbut that¡¯s not the reason I wanted to speak to you both.


    ¡°I know you want to get out and see the world, Cecilia dear. This all still seems very alien and otherworldly, and I don¡¯t want you to feel like a bird trapped in its cage. Which is why I am sending Nico¡ªwith you at his side, as it should be¡ªto investigate some strange goings on at the High Hall within the Relictombs.¡±


    Smiling up at the Vritra lord, Nico and I followed him into his private dining chamber, eager for the opportunity to prove myself to the High Sovereign.

 Chapter 343 Professor Princess

    <h4>Chapter 343 Professor Princess</h4>


    After a quick scan of my quarters, I sank into one of the plush chairs facing a small table and let out a sigh. Holding a civil conversation with strangers had be increasingly more exhausting¡ªmore so because of how much I had to watch my tongue.


    Pulling myself out of my daze, two items caught my half-lidded eye, both resting at the center of the small game board with a note.


    ¡°This must be the token that activates the ascension portal,¡± I muttered, fiddling with the jade runestone while reading the note.


    The second item was an open ring crafted of ebony, taking the shape of an intricate snake that adjusted its size around my finger to fit better.


    My gaze settled on the pale ring wrapped around my middle finger, letting the fact that I had officially be a professor of the very continent I was at war against sink in. New episodes will be published on light?nove?lpu?b.c-om.


    Turning my attention back to the table in front of me, I read the small brass que that read:


    Sovereigns Quarrel


    Pieces in the red and gray of Named Blood Hercross


    ¡°It is often the sharper mind that wins the war, not the sharper de.¡±


    A gift to Central Academy by Lord Leander


    Unlike the crudely made ¡°pieces¡± Caera and I had yed with, positioned on the marbled hexagonal board were exquisitely carved representations of Strikers, Casters, and Shields in deep red stone on one side and thundercloud gray on the other.


    ¡°Fancy,¡± Regis said, sniffing around the board and knocking several of the pieces over.


    Pushing his head away, I reset the pieces and stood up from the table.


    Next, I turned my attention to the projection device. The oval crystal, which was slightly rough, as if it had been hand carved from arger piece, was mounted to the wall with metal brackets.


    ¡°On,¡± Imanded, unable to find any controls near the device.


    No response.


    ¡°Activate,¡± I said hesitantly while waving my hand in front of the oval crystal to see if it reacted to physical gestures.


    Regis let out a snicker, causing me to turn toward him, one eyebrow raised. ¡°You just give it a little pulse of mana to turn on. It turns off again when the mana crystal embedded inside is either out of mana, or you draw all the mana back out.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, realizing my mistake. It was such a stupid little thing, but if someone else watched me stumble around like this, it would be immediately obvious I wasn¡¯t an cryan.


    ¡°You know,¡± Regis said with the air of someone about to state something very obvious, ¡°the whole ¡®no mana¡¯ thing seems like a bigger deal now that we¡¯re in civilization. You¡¯re going to need to be more careful.¡±


    ¡°If only I had someone¡ªapanion of some sort¡ªwho had more detailed knowledge of cryan technology and customs,¡± I said sarcastically. ¡°Someone who could help me by pointing out potential missteps before I made them.¡±


    Regis stopped sniffing around and gave me an affronted look. ¡°What do I look like, a mind reader?¡±


    ¡°We can literally read each other¡¯s minds, Regis,¡± I said, pushing past the huge shadow wolf before throwing myself onto the couch. .


    ¡°Then you must know that I¡¯m bored,¡± Regis said, taking a seat in front of the couch and staring at me with his dark eyes, his fiery tail thumping softly on the floor.


    I let my eyes close. ¡°We¡¯ve only been here ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°Ten very long, very boring minutes,¡± the wolf countered, moving to rest his chin on the edge of the couch next to my head. ¡°Let¡¯s at least go look around, where there are cute girls I can gawk at.¡±


    I groaned. ¡°The girls here are all teenagers, Regis. Don¡¯t be disgusting.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m barely a few months old, and not even the same species. So what? Besides, there are probably some good-looking professors for you, old man.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I sighed, giving into his relentless badgering and rolling to my feet. Fresh air could be good for me. ¡°I should figure out where my office is anyway. My teaching supplies are supposed to be there.¡± I stopped at the door. ¡°But you¡¯ll have to sightsee from inside me.¡±


    ¡°But I¡ª¡± mypanion spluttered.


    ¡°Regis. You stand out even worse than I do. In.¡±


    The shadow wolf huffed in annoyance, but did what I asked.


    I shook my head as I felt his ethereal form meld into me, drifting around near my aether core. Let me know if you sense I¡¯m about to do something that will draw attention, I told him.


    ¡®Aye aye, Professor Princess.¡¯


    ***


    It was a short walk across campus to the building where I would be teaching, a grand structure that reminded me of the universities of my previous life. The building wasrgely empty, since sses hadn¡¯t started yet, and I wandered the spacious halls in peace until I found the right room.


    The single door opened into a half-circle shaped space, like a small arena with a dueling ring on the floor level. It was smaller than I¡¯d expected, with seating for no more than thirty or so students.


    As I took the first shallow step down the stairs, lighting artifacts along the outside wall and ceiling lit up automatically, filling the space with cool light. Something caught my eye, and I stopped to bend down over one of the seats, which had a rune engraved into it.


    ¡°Am I reading that right?¡± I muttered.


    ¡®Yup, pretty sure you are,¡¯ Regis confirmed for me.


    The rune, when activated, would send a jolt of pain up the spine of whoever happened to be sitting on it. ¡°Barbaric.¡±


    ¡®Wee to the cryan school system,¡¯ mypanion shot back.


    Following the stairs down to the dueling ring, I walked around it to the far side where there was a metal panel with a series of knobs and levers on it. Curious, I flicked one, and a shimmering, transparent shield vibrated into ce around the tform.


    This was no different from the training rings at Xyrus, but the rest of the controls were more interesting. I discovered that, with the flip of a switch, I could activate a force-dampener that would dull all impacts within the bounds of thebat tform, and there was a dial that let me control even the force of gravity, making it heavier or lighter to challenge the students.


    Although I was no more eager to be teaching potential enemybatants than when ric first exined his hairbrained scheme, I had to admit the cryans had some fancy toys.


    Another door opened into the wall just behind the dueling ring. Using the jade runestone, I unlocked it and entered a small office with a desk, three chairs, a couple of shelves, and arge trunk with runes etched into the metal.


    A stack of scrolls, parchment, and books was already waiting for me on the desk. Withdrawing the two scrolls I¡¯d received from ric¡¯s contact, I set them on the desk, deciding to dig into the more detailed aspects of the sster.


    The runestone also unlocked the trunk, which provided storage for more sensitive items. Currently, it was full of training gear for the ss. I recognized vests that would allow detailed analysis of mana flow, physical force, eleration, and probably a dozen other metrics. It was simr to the training gear Emily had invented to test my abilities back in the castle, but obviously much more advanced. You can find the rest of this content on the light?nove?lpu?b.c-om tform.


    If Gideon and Emily could get their hands on some of this cryan technology¡­


    I closed the lid, which locked again automatically, and gazed around the small office, unable to keep the frown off my face.


    ¡®Boring room, check. Boring office, check. Can we puh-lease do something more interesting?¡¯ Regis begged, giving the mental equivalent of puppy-dog eyes.


    I brushed my fingers past the cover of a book on my desk. Sure.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t exactly what I had in mind,¡¯ Regis said when we stepped into the Central Academy Library. A que next to the entryway offered thanks to Highblood Aphelion for donating this library building, which had been built several decades ago.


    Did you think we¡¯d be creating havoc with a scantily-d girl on each arm or something? I retorted.


    The short entry hall was decorated with paintings of previous academy directors and ended with arge portrait of a stern man with short grey hair and thunderous brows creased into a furrow. ording to the brass que on the wall beneath it, this man¡ªAugustine of Highblood Ramseyer¡ªwas the current director of the academy.


    ¡®That guy looks like he¡¯d be a st to have at a party,¡¯ Regis noted sarcastically as we moved past it.


    Regardless of his personality, Director Ramseyer would be someone I would have to watch out for.


    As we passed from the entry hall into the foyer, an older woman looked up from a stack of books and frowned. She tidied the stack momentarily before beelining toward us.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, young man, the library isn¡¯t yet open to students,¡± she announced in a voice that sounded much younger than her appearance.


    ¡°What about professors?¡± I asked levelly, holding up my hand to disy the ebony ring.


    ¡°Oh! My apologies,¡± she said, looking me briefly up and down before waving me in. ¡°You all get younger and younger every year, I swear.¡± Spinning around, she quickly made her way to arge round ind in the center of the foyer. ¡°Smart, young man, though,ing to the library first thing.


    ¡°What ss will you be teaching?¡± she asked as she began fiddling with a strange device next to her desk.


    ¡°Melee Enhancement Tactics,¡± I answered, following the librarian to the circr desk that wrapped around her.


    She winced and gave me a sympathetic look. This melted away into a teasing smile as she said, ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll have to take back what I said about your intelligence? I¡¯d assumed you were here to brush up on course material before sses started but¡­¡±


    I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the desk, and watched her manipte the device. ¡°Is the ss really that bad?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well¡­¡± she started hesitantly, ¡°it¡¯s just that teaching highblood mages how to punch and kick things has never been exactly¡­a highly respected position among the students.¡±


    ¡°I see. How long did thest professorst?¡± I asked, my employment at the academy suddenly making more sense.


    ¡°Two sessions,¡± the librarian admitted, frowning back at me. ¡°Then the ss was cancelled for the rest of the season.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help butugh at that, earning a raised brow from the librarian. ¡°To be honest, I was feeling a little nervous about this whole teaching thing, but you¡¯ve put my mind at ease.¡±


    This caused her raised brow to crawl all the way up to hide behind her bangs. ¡°The students scaring off thest teacher after two days made you feel better?¡± She blinked several times before adding under her breath, ¡°I take it all back. You¡¯re obviously mad.¡±


    Grinning, I drummed my fingers across the desktop. ¡°It just helps ease my mind, is all.¡± To Regis, I added, Because it sounds like I won¡¯t actually have to teach these kids anything.


    Shaking her head, the librarian turned back to her strange device, which was made up of a smaller version of the disy crystal in my room set on top of an iron pedestal, and touched the screen. By the way it lit up, I assumed she had imbued mana into it.


    ¡°Melee Enhancement Tactics,¡± she said, apparently to the device. The projection crystal disyed a handful of books, including what appeared to be a location within the library.


    ¡°Impressive,¡± I muttered, scanning through the titles. ¡°And that works for any topic?¡±


    ¡°Topic, author, or title,¡± she said proudly, patting the machine like it were an obedient pet. ¡°Want to give it a go?¡±


    Feeling my lips form a thoughtful frown as I looked at the screen, I said, ¡°The ancient mages,¡± thinking that asking about relics might cause some suspicion.


    The disy shifted, the list changing to show arge number of books about the ancient mages, the Relictombs, and a number of other rted topics. I memorized the locations of a couple at random.


    ¡°Is it okay if I look around?¡± I said.


    ¡°Of course, Professor¡­?¡±


    ¡°Grey,¡± I answered politely.


    ¡°Dehlia,¡± the librarian responded. ¡°There are more of these consoles around. If the screen is off, just give it a poke with a little mana.¡±


    ¡°Thanks again, Dehlia,¡± I said with a nod before walking deeper into the library.


    All around the foyer, shelf after shelf of books spread out to fill the huge building, which extended two additional levels above. Dozens of reading nooks were arrayed around the outer edge of the library, giving students a ce to hide away to study.


    ¡®Or other, less academic things,¡¯ Regis pointed out.


    The Central Academy Library wasn¡¯t asrge or grandiose as the city library, but it must have contained tens of thousands of books and scrolls. I read titles at random as I strolled between the high shelves, curious about what the cryans would consider important. Follow new episodes on the light?nove?lpu?b.c-om tform.


    One row contained at least two hundred separate books about cryan runes, from marks to regalias. Another held Highblood biographies, each of which appeared to bepeting against its neighbors to be the thickest or have the most ornate cover. I found an entire section for poetry extolling the virtues of Agrona and the Sovereigns.


    Eventually, I found the row I was looking for, and plucked a heavy, leather-bound volume that sounded interesting off the shelf. It imed to be a thorough examination of cryan adaptation of the ancient mages¡¯ technology throughout the ages.


    ¡®Please tell me we¡¯re not going to skulk around this library reading all day? At least take me back to the boring rooms so I can get out of you,¡¯ Regis moaned.


    Ignoring mypanion, I opened the tome and began to flip through pages when a soft, nervous voice said, ¡°You¡¯d be better off with the response by Crenalman.¡±


    Turning, I saw a mousy young man staring at me from under his thick sses. The boy¡¯s gaze fell to my hand as he scratched at his muddy-brown hair, his eyes widening after spotting my ring. ¡°S-sorry, sir, I just¡­nevermind.¡±


    He spun on his heels and quickly marched away.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± I called out, causing the boy to nearly stumble before he turned back to me.


    ¡°Are you supposed to be here?¡± I asked, more out of surprise than any authoritarian desire to make sure he wasn¡¯t trespassing in the library without permission.


    ¡°S-sorry, sir, I¡¯ve been here f-for a couple of weeks, and have special¡ª¡±


    I waved him to silence. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. What were you saying about this?¡±


    He nced fearfully between me and the book before replying quietly, ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­well¡­there isn¡¯t much information in that one. It¡¯s all theoretical, and spends too much time thanking the Sovereigns for¡ª¡±


    The boy¡¯s mouth snapped shut as his eyes went wide. ¡°There isn¡¯t anything wrong with¡­I just meant that¡­um¡­¡±


    I tried to keep from smiling as I watched the boy flounder. When he finally trailed off into silence, I raised a hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know what you mean. So you suggest something better?¡±


    Tentatively, like someone walking out onto thin ice, he said, ¡°Yeah. There is a response piece by Crenalman that directly addresses the problems with that one. It should be¡±¡ªhe took a few steps into the row, scanning the shelves quickly¡ª¡°here.¡±


    The boy slid a slightly thinner book from the shelf and handed it to me with a shy smile.


    ¡°You seem to know your way around this ce. I¡¯m new here, and honestly not very well read. Might I ask for some rmendations?¡± I paused, thinking for a moment. Did I dare reveal my primary interest to this young student? It seemed safer to enlist help from a nervous student than the librarian, so I decided to risk it. ¡°My primary interest is in relics.¡±


    The boy¡¯s eyes lit up and his demeanor quickly transformed. He hastily shoved the book by Crenalman back, then did the same with the one in my hands. ¡°I¡¯ve read all about relics. Histories, catalogues, theoretical treatises¡ªbut this library has hundreds of books on them, most of which I¡¯d never even heard of until I got to the academy!¡±


    He waved for me to follow, then practically ran through thebyrinth of shelves, leading me up a stair tucked away near the back of the library, then winding through several more rows. Near the center of the second level, overlooking the foyer, there was a small section dedicated to relic rted books.


    He grabbed three and held them out to me. ¡°Start with these,¡± he said proudly, then quickly added, ¡°if you haven¡¯t read them already.¡±


    epting the proffered collection, I looked at each in turn: a history of relic retrieval and the evolution of thews surrounding it; an exploration of relic powers and how they were; and a catalogue of dead relics discovered over thest hundred years, including an entire section of the reliquary of Central Academy.


    The boy watched my face carefully, and what he found in my expression must have prompted him to exin his choices. ¡°I know relicw doesn¡¯t sound interesting, but the author does a great job making the material essible. It¡¯s the best of its kind, I promise, and really helpful to understand the little ins and outs. There are all kinds of ways ascenders can get in trouble if they don¡¯t understand thew.¡±


    Holding the books under my arm, I gave the boy a thoughtful look. ¡°Is learning more about the Relictombs why you want to be an ascender?¡±


    Perhaps I said something too invasive, because his face, already pale, seemed to drain of color. ¡°I¡­um¡­no¡­¡± He stopped and took a deep breath. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to be an ascender, sir. Or a soldier,¡± he added guiltily. ¡°But I always wanted to be a mage, and my sister¡ª¡±


    He cut himself off, giving a little shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir. I don¡¯t mean to bore you with this. Just¡­thanks for asking for my help.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Thanks for the rmendations¡­¡± I paused, waiting for the boy to provide his name.


    ¡°S-Seth, sir,¡± he provided after a moment¡¯s hesitation.


    ¡°Thanks for the rmendations, Seth.¡±


    With an awkward smile and a wave, he turned and disappeared back into the sprawling library.


    ¡®Seems like an all right sort of kid,¡¯ Regis said.


    I only shrugged as I rearranged the books in my arm and headed back to the front desk to check out.

 Chapter 344 Eyes Locked

    <h4>Chapter 344 Eyes Locked</h4>


    The afternoon sun warmed my back, its bright rays reflecting off the yellowed pages of the book I was reading. From my secluded corner of the campus cafe, which was located near the administration building, the din of students and faculty conversing over drinks and dessert made for a pleasant change of pace from my room.


    And while this was a bit more socially active than I would have preferred, it still beat having to listen to Regisin about being bored.


    ¡°Here you go, Professor.¡± A young waitress in her mid-teens slid a small te of food and a mug of tea onto my table.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t order the food,¡± I said as I picked up the mug and blew steam across the surface of the hot tea.


    ¡°On the house,¡± she said, bouncing on her toes as she vanished back into the kitchen.


    From my head, Regis let out a groan. ¡®Your looks are wasted on you. If I were you, I¡¯d¡ª¡¯


    I thought we agreed you wouldn¡¯t bother me if I came here, I replied as my gaze swept through the cafe.


    The academy was already much busier than it had been only two days ago. Students were arriving regrly, some with their family and attendants, while more of the faculty began appearing throughout the halls.


    Sipping the fermentedtle tea, I continued to flip through the pages of my book, passing over several sections until I found the one I was looking for, then began to scan through the information. I had already nced through thew book and the treatise on relic powers, but neither contained what I was looking for.


    Fortunately, the third book I¡¯d borrowed from the library was a bit more interesting: a catalogue of relics brought back from the relictombs. I¡¯d already known that Agrona himself kept any relics that were functional, but I was surprised by how much the cryans knew about the dead relics they recovered.


    Through abination of interviews with the discovering ascenders and the work of dedicated Instillers who specialized in relics¡ªall of whom operated out of Taegrin Caelum, Agrona¡¯s fortress¡ªmost dead relics were identified, including the powers they once contained. Not all dead relics were thoroughly understood, but with the Relictombs at their disposal, the cryans had made much more progress in their study of the ancient magical technology than the Dicathians or even the asuras of Epheotus.


    Although the book contained details regarding well over a hundred dead relics, I was most concerned with a specific group: those housed within the Reliquary at Central Academy. Throughout the centuries, they had managed to procure eleven, and I read each one¡¯s description carefully.


    Safe to say, however, I was mildly disappointed. It was my own fault. The knowledge that I¡ªand only I, as far as I knew¡ªcould revive and use any djinn relic had encouraged all kinds of fantasies. Reading through the descriptions, though, I was reminded that the djinn were peaceful people.


    Not that the relics were useless, necessarily, but I wasn¡¯t looking for tools and trinkets. I wanted a weapon.


    ¡®Thank you for acknowledging that I am neither a weapon nor your possession,¡¯ Regismented with a snort. ¡®But this stuff isn¡¯t all bad, you know. What about these Binding Chains? Just think about someone, activate them, and wham! The chains wrap your target up and then follow you around? I can think of several uses for those.¡¯


    ording to the author, the relicbeled the Binding Chains had other functions as well, including mana and aether suppressing abilities, preventing speech, and even putting the affected person or creature into a paralyzed stupor if necessary.


    While the idea of dragging Agrona across crya¡ªbound, gagged, and powerless¡ªso his people could witness his end held a dark appeal, I had my doubts about how powerful any single dead relic might be.


    I don¡¯t know how much I trust the author¡¯s deductions here, I pointed out. Like right here. It says, ¡®While the Imbuers weren¡¯t able to confirm this theory, it is possible that the Binding Chains can search out a target anywhere on the continent.¡¯ It¡¯s just fluff.


    ¡®What about this one then?¡¯ Regis sent, focusing on a drawing of a diator-style.


    Labeled the Mana Net, the relic could ¡°catch¡± mana out of the air like a fishing caught fish. The author theorized that it was a defensive device meant to absorb iing spells.


    It certainly seemed useful, especially since I could no longer use the spell cancetion ability I had developed utilizing Realmheart and my quadra-elemental abilities. But how effective would it be against Scythes or even asuras? If not, would it help me find the remaining ruins within the Relictombs?


    ¡®Maybe the real question is: why aren¡¯t we just going to take everything?¡¯


    I knew Regis was only asking because that was still a question in my mind as well. Since I could use Aroa¡¯s Requiem to reactivate all of the academy¡¯s dead relics, I could just take them and worry about how helpful they would beter. But I couldn¡¯t imagine a scenario that would allow me to steal the priceless collection and maintain my cover at the academy, or even stay in crya.


    Then of course, there was the other question that constantly nagged at me.


    How long am I going to keep this up?


    Closing the book, I absentmindedly popped a bright red berry into my mouth. The rich sweetness of it was a pleasant surprise. I¡¯d gotten out of the habit of eating regr meals, since aether kept my body alive without it, but I realized that I missed the tastes and textures of food.


    I ate a couple more berries, chewing slowly to relish the vor.


    There was something so¡­normal about sitting at the small cafe enjoying a meal in the fresh air. I couldn¡¯t remember thest time I¡¯d taken a moment for myself like this.


    Leaning back in my chair, I took a deep breath of the bittersweet herbal aroma from my tea and forced away my thoughts.


    ¡®Getting prettyfortable, aren¡¯t we?¡¯ Regis asked teasingly. ¡®Hopefully you don¡¯t get too used to this lifestyle.¡¯


    You don¡¯t need to remind me why we¡¯re here or what¡¯s at stake, I pointed out, setting my cup down.


    With the books under one arm, I stood and left the cafe patio. Reading about the dead relics was one thing, but it seemed like a good time to see them for myself.


    The campus was bustling with activity, but the atmosphere had changed from when I first arrived. Instead of milling around and chatting, the students I saw were all focused on preparing for sses. Most were either sparring or exercising, but there were also quite a few students reading quietly in the fresh air.


    Quick footsteps from behind made me spin around. The look on my face must have been hard, because the approaching young man stopped short, his jaw working silently as he struggled for something to say.


    Forcing my expression into something more cid, I nodded to the young man. It was the clerk who had originally given me the tour of campus and showed me my rooms. I realized I¡¯d never gotten his name.


    ¡°Professor Grey,¡± he mumbled finally. ¡°Sorry if I interrupted, I was just¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said, waving his apology away. ¡°Resting professor face. What did you need?¡±


    The small joke got a chuckle out of the clerk, and he settled in beside me as we began walking again. ¡°Oh, nothing really! I¡¯m off duty this morning, but I saw you wandering and thought I¡¯d check in and see if you needed anything. I know the academy can be a little hard to navigate when you first get here.¡±


    ¡°No thank you, I was just going to visit the Reliquary after I dropped these books off at the library,¡± I answered, dismissing the young man.


    ¡°The Chapel is such a fascinating building! And those dead relics¡­Did you know that Central Academy officially has thergest collection of any school in crya? Director Ramseyer himself has overseen many of the acquisitions.¡± His eyes wandered enthusiastically until he caught sight of another professor being followed by a group of students. For more, visit lightno?velpub.c?om


    ¡°Oh, and that over there is Professor Graeme. He¡¯s one of the academy¡¯s top researchers,¡± he said in a nervous whisper.


    My guide went silent as his face turned down into a thoughtful frown. Speaking quietly, he added, ¡°He¡¯s also a bit, well¡­harsh.¡±


    My gaze followed the student¡¯s to a man in silky ck dress robes. Azure lines ran down the sleeves to the cuffs and from his neckline to trace the opening along his spine. He had six runic tattoos on his exposed back.


    A group of students trailed along behind him, listening intently as he talked. A familiar head of orange hair that faded to yellow near the tips stood out among the others. The professor said something I couldn¡¯t hear, causing Briar tough and toss her hair.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t think Briar was physically capable ofughing,¡¯ Regis deadpanned. ¡®Maybe she¡¯s been possessed.¡¯


    As if he sensed our attention, the professor stopped and turned. He had burnished brown hair that hung in loose curls down to his shoulders and a youthful, cleanly shaved face. Bright, intelligent jade eyes took me in at a nce and his lips quirked up into a half smile.


    ¡°Students!¡± he announced, lifting both arms to gesture toward me. ¡°It seems we have the good luck to be introduced to Central Academy¡¯s newest faculty member. Will any of you be taking Melee Enhancement Tactics this season?¡±


    The professor nced around his group. A round of snickers went through the young men and women, most of whom were shaking their heads in denial. Briar was looking at her feet instead of me, and winced as another girl elbowed her and whispered something in her ear.


    ¡°No, I suppose you wouldn¡¯t be, would you?¡± He shed the group a knowing smile. ¡°There are of course more important topics of study for such aplished students than learning to punch each other like drunken unads.¡±


    My guide fidgeted nervously beside me. ¡°When I said harsh¡­¡±


    ¡®What you meant was sandpaper asswipe harsh,¡¯ Regis finished for the young clerk.


    ¡°I do hope that you¡¯re better fit for the duty of teaching than thest professor who taught that ss.¡± He gave me a simpering smile. ¡°It¡¯s such an embarrassment to the academy when we employ such useless mages.¡±


    Keeping my face nk, I said, ¡°Pleasure to meet you,¡± and began to walk away, but the man moved swiftly to cut me off. I paused and met his eyes expectantly.


    ¡°There is a certain hierarchy among both faculty and students here,¡± he informed me. ¡°It is best to figure it out quickly, or you¡¯ll fare no better than your predecessor.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pretend to keep that in mind,¡± I said politely, eliciting a few bug-eyed looks from the students.


    With a nod, I stepped around the stunned professor and walked away, ignoring his near-tangible gaze on my back.


    ¡®At least you can¡¯t be racist about his behavior,¡¯ Regis thought.


    I held back a smirk thinking back to the professor I beat on my first day of school in Xyrus. Whether it¡¯s here or Dicathen, or even Earth, there are always going to be those sorts of people.


    ¡°Sorry about him, sir,¡± the clerk said, reminding me that he was still there.


    ¡°Did you personally transform him from a normal person into a mule¡¯s ass?¡± I asked, not looking at the young man.


    ¡°Um¡­No?¡±


    ¡°Then why be sorry,¡± I said firmly. Stopping, I took another look at him. He was tall with dirty blonde hair and an easy smile. His uniform was a little wrinkled, and he had messy hair sticking out at odd angles from his head. ¡°What was your name?¡±


    ¡°Oh, jeez, so rude of me¡­Tristan, sir. Of Blood Severin. We¡¯re from Sehz-r, small blood, I¡¯m only here because I got lucky enough to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Tristan,¡± I interrupted before he could get lost in a self-deprecating spiel. The boy¡¯s mouth snapped shut. ¡°I appreciate yourpany but I can find the library on my own.¡±


    Dipping into a bow, he shed me a wide grin but said nothing else as he spun on his heel and walked quickly away.


    ¡®A bit of a teacher¡¯s pet, but he seems like a useful one to keep around,¡¯ Regismented as Tristan left.


    Technically, you¡¯d be the teacher¡¯s pet, I replied with just a flicker of a smile.


    ¡®If you¡¯re still thinking of a way to get all of those girls off of you, just keep telling jokes like that,¡¯ Regis retorted.


    ***


    Dehlia, the old librarian, wasn¡¯t on duty when we arrived in the library, so I dropped the books unceremoniously at the front desk with one of her many assistants.


    Before leaving for the Reliquary, there was one more topic of research I knew I couldn¡¯t keep running away from. Since I couldn¡¯t activate the catalogue system, I began to wander the library at random in search of the right section.


    ¡®Why do you need to read books when you have me?¡¯ Regis asked, understanding my intent. New episodes will be published on light?nove?lpu?b.c-om.


    No offense, but you haven¡¯t been particrly timely or reliable with your cultural knowledge, I thought as we walked through the ¡°Epic Poetry¡± section.


    ¡®Offense taken,¡¯ Regis huffed.


    I¡¯d been lucky to find people eager to be helpful, like Ma and Loreni in Maerin Town, andter ric and Darrin. At the academy, though, I was surrounded by cryans who would be paying closer attention to me, and it was suddenly much more important to have some basic knowledge of cryan terms and customs. To that end, I was searching for a book or two that might help give me context to the simple daily normalities of cryan life that I wasn¡¯t familiar with.


    As I passed the ¡°Folktales¡± section, I heard the heavy thump of a fist impacting flesh, and a gasp of pain.


    ¡®Hey, that sounded pretty interesting,¡¯ Regis perked.


    It also sounded like it wasn¡¯t our business, I countered indifferently.


    Beyond the rows of cryan folktales, I found a sectionbeled ¡°Customs and Traditions.¡± The shelves were full of bound books detailing the differing customs of crya¡¯s five dominions. Some looked at the topic from a more historical view, exploring how these traditions came to be, while others functioned more like guides for travelers or the nobility.


    A low, threatening voice reverberated through the shelves from a nearby section, distracting me from my search.


    ¡°¡ªstop pretending you¡¯re one of us. Just ¡®cause your family all got wiped out in the war doesn¡¯t make you a real highblood.¡±


    ¡°I never said I¡ªoof!¡±


    I paused after hearing the familiar voice before he was cut off by another blow.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak without permission in the presence of your betters.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I moved slowly and rounded the corner.


    Regis let out a snicker. ¡®What happened to minding our own business?¡¯


    Shut up.


    Moving along the lengthy bookshelf, I found a gap that opened into a secluded corner.


    Four boys had crammed into the shrouded nook. They all wore the ck and azure uniforms of Central Academy, but the disparity between them was clear.


    Two of them had Seth, the scrawny kid who had helped me pick out my books, pinned up against the wall. One was very tall and on the thinner side, giving him a stretched appearance. Braided locks of red, ck, and blonde hair hung from his head. The other was shorter, but with broad, bearish shoulders and a mop of wild red hair.


    Thest young man, whose skin was dark ebony and his hair a darker ck, stood back a few feet, his arms crossed. He was more ssically highborn in appearance than the others, and he wore his nobility openly, in the set of his shoulders, his stance, and the careful pacivity of his face, his nose upturned slightly slightly, lips parted in a practiced smile.


    ¡°A homeless orphan like you has no ce here,¡± grunted the heavy-set boy.


    ¡°Go home,¡± wheezed the other, wrapping his hand around the back of Seth¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Oh wait.¡± The broad boy twisted Seth¡¯s arm, causing him to let out a pitiful moan.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a home, do you?¡± asked the thin student as he shoved Seth¡¯s head back into the wall.


    Stepping into the aisle, I wordlessly passed the dark-haired student and approached the other three.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± he asked incredulously as I stepped between him and his friends.


    The thinner student looked me up and down, his hand still pinning Seth¡¯s head to the wall. ¡°Need something?¡±


    Stepping up next to him, I raised a hand. He flinched back, then scowled as I reached past him to pluck a book off the nearest shelf. As I flipped it open to read the title, I made sure my spiraling ring was inly visible.


    Letting go of Seth¡¯s arm, therge boy stuck out his chest and took a step toward me.


    I looked up from the book. And waited.


    His attempt at a threatening glower twitched. His friend nced past me to the third boy, grimacing. I let my brows crease into the smallest frown.


    Therge boy deted, stepping back again.


    ¡°You must be the newbat professor,¡± the ck-haired boy said from behind me. ¡°For the no-magic ss.¡± When I nced at him over my shoulder, he nodded slightly in a bow that would have been considered disrespectful in any formal setting. ¡°Professor Grey?¡± His thin lips turned up in an amused smile. ¡°Show the professor some respect, gentlemen. We¡¯ll be seeing him often, after all.¡±


    ¡°My bad,¡± therge student grunted.


    Hispanion shed me a jovial smile as he straightened Seth¡¯s uniform for him, causing Seth to flinch back. ¡°Sorry, professor.¡±


    Both boys skirted around me as best they could as they followed their ringleader out of the alcove.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Seth said as he unfolded out of his defensive posture.


    I scanned the bookshelf absentmindedly, not actually taking notice of any of the book titles. ¡°Liking to read is fine, but you should probably learn how to defend yourself if you n on staying at this academy.¡±


    He was silent as I walked away, letting my words hang in the air.


    With a couple new books in hand, I left the library several minutester and headed for the Reliquary.


    I was surprised to find a couple dozen students gathered around the Chapel¡ªthe building Tristan had gloated about earlier¡ªwatching a procession of mages march out of the portal. Two by two, the armed and armored mages formed a barrier leading from the portal arch to the dark stone steps of the Chapel.


    When an unfamiliar horned figure stepped out of the portal, my blood turned to ice in my veins.


    The Vritra-blooded man was colossal. He stood well over seven feet tall and had the physique of a titan. His horns jutted from the sides of his shaved head and curved to point forward like a bull¡¯s.


    ¡®Dragoth,¡¯ Regis whispered in my mind. ¡®A Scythe.¡¯


    Throughout the entire war, I had thought that word with fear and anticipation. The entire Dicathian army trembled at the mention of the title, terrified of the day one would appear on the battlefield and show us what they could really do as elite cryan generals. You can find the rest of this content on the light?nove?lpu?b.c-om tform.


    This fear had only been amplified when the Scythes had finally made an appearance. I had watched Seris Vritra tear the mana-infused horn from Uto¡¯s head as effortlessly as a child pulling the wings off a butterfly. I had witnessed the aftermath of Cadell¡¯s destruction at the castle, where he overpowered a Lance and themander of Dicathen¡¯s armies without breaking a sweat.


    Even at the peak of my strength, I had nearly killed myself to fight to a stalemate against Nico and Cadell¡ªand I would have, had it not been for Sylvie.


    These thoughts passed through my mind between one heartbeat and the next, and I realized something.


    It wasn¡¯t fear that I was feeling.


    It was anger.


    As one, the body of students took a knee, and suddenly I was exposed to the Scythe.


    Dragoth¡¯s wide head swiveled around until his blood red eyes locked on mine. He frowned, halting for a moment, and I felt as if he was looking through my eyes and into my mind, seeing my hostility as inly as if I¡¯d pointed a sword at his heart.


    ¡®Art! Your intent, he can feel it!¡¯ Regis sounded panicked, but distant, and I realized with a start that I had inadvertently suffused my entire body with aether.


    Blinking, I withdrew my intent¡ªwhich had only just leaked out and was still shrouded under the Scythe¡¯s own oppressive aura¡ªand the crowd of students stood, once again obscuring me in the throng.


    ¡°Scythe Dragoth Vritra!¡± a deep voice announced from the doors of the gloomy Chapel. ¡°It is with great honor that we receive you!¡±


    The speaker looked just like his portrait: short grey hair that contrasted sharply against his ebony skin, and a permanently stern expression on his face that didn¡¯t break apart even in the face of a Scythe.


    Relief mingled with regret as Dragoth turned away from me to face the director. ¡°Augustine,¡± he answered in a warm baritone. He ran a hand through his thick beard. ¡°I¡¯ve brought the relic as agreed. In person, as Cadell required.¡±


    Clenching my fists, I forced the anger down and took an iron grip on my intent. As I looked at the Scythe¡¯s ck horns, though, the image of Cadell¡¯s demonic form standing over the dying Sylvia shed in my mind. Then Alea, her eyes gone, her limbs nothing but blood stumps. Then Buhnd, on his back in the rubble, burning from the inside out.


    Dragoth had said something to the crowd, but I missed it. The Scythe and the director were walking toward the entrance to the Chapel as his guards formed a line across the base of the stairs.


    Chatter broke out amongst the crowd all around me, but I could only stare at the Scythe. He was right there. I could kill him now. I could deprive Agrona of one of his most powerful soldiers. I could¡ª


    ¡®¡ªlistening to me?¡¯ Regis¡¯s voice was suddenly shouting in my head. ¡®We can¡¯t just¡ª¡¯


    I know, I thought, pushing back my emotions and turning away. Now isn¡¯t the time.

 Chapter 345 Socialite

    <h4>Chapter 345 Socialite</h4>


    Setting down the scroll detailing the lessons I was expected to teach, I sighed and leaned back in my chair. I was forcefully reminded of the military academy I had attended in my previous life, and not in a good way.


    The warrior in me¡ªthe man who had been a master swordsman, a king, a Lance¡ªlooked at these drills, which focused on mastering repeated movements and perfecting the minutiae of stance and the cement of hands and feet, and saw the kind of iron-fisted control over training that defeated creativity in battle. This part of me knew I could do better than grinding students on form.


    But then there was another part, too: the brother, friend, and son. I was a Dicathian, disced and surrounded by enemies, being asked to train soldiers that may one day use these abilities against the people I loved most, just to keep myself safe. Although it had only been two days, it had grown increasingly difficult to focus as that part of me kept asking the same question.


    What is the point? I asked myself for the tenth time since the Scythe, Dragoth, had appeared at Central Academy. That anger had clung to me since then, coloring every interaction, poisoning every thought.


    I wanted to be doing something more than just going over papers behind a desk.


    All of ric and Darrin¡¯s arguments felt so far away now that I was here, sitting in an office in Central Academy, preparing to teach. Had there really not been a better way for me to escape from the political knot I¡¯d been tied up in, trapped between the hostility of the Granbehls and the maniption of the Denoirs? For more, visit lightno?velpub.c-om.


    Is all of this even worth it?


    ¡°Is all of what worth it?¡± Regis cut in from where hey in the corner. ¡°The political protection, the free, no-questions-asked ess in and out of the Relictombs? Or maybe the trove of dead relics and textbooks we have ess to?¡±


    I closed my eyes. ¡°You know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Just admit that you¡¯re scared you¡¯re going to see these cryans as real people instead of devils incarnate,¡± he said with a smirk. ¡°I imagine humanizing your enemies can¡¯t be easy on your already-messed-up moralpass.¡±


    Prying an eye open, I threw a scroll at the big roll of fur and fire. Just as it should have bounced off him, his body red with purple mes, engulfing the projectile.


    Regis¡¯s smirk merely widened as his tail wagged annoyingly. ¡°I hope that wasn¡¯t anything you needed.¡±


    I opened my mouth to retort, but a soft knock at the door interrupted me.


    ¡®Do you want me to go back in?¡¯ Regis asked.


    I shook my head. At this point, it should be fine.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I said aloud, the wordsing out more bluntly than I intended.


    The office door swung inward and a woman stepped in, her floating waves of blonde hair trailing after her slightly as if she were surrounded by a gentle breeze. ¡°Grey! I hope you don¡¯t mind my stopping by.¡±


    I acknowledged her with a terse nod. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m a little busy¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, do you need help preparing for ss? I¡¯m sure you have so much on your te.¡± She bounced across the room and leaned one hip against my desk to look down at the materials spread out in front of me. ¡°This is the third season I¡¯ve taught both my sses, so I¡¯m all set, myself. I¡¯d be happy to spend some time with you¡ªhelping you, I mean.¡±


    Frowning, I considered how best to get rid of the woman without burning a bridge, but Regis shuffled, his mes ring, and Abby squealed and retreated back across the small office.


    ¡°Wh-what is that?¡± she eximed, her amber eyes wide with fright.


    ¡°My summons,¡± I answered nonchntly.


    ¡°Wow, a summons?¡± Abby asked breathlessly, her cheeks flushed from fright. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one quite like this before.¡± Taking a few tentative steps away from Regis, who was having a difficult time maintaining a serious face, she hiked herself up onto my desk, one leg crossed over the other. ¡°That¡¯s really impressive. Do you mind if I ask, though¡±¡ªher lips quirked up into a teasing smile¡ª¡°having your summons out, do you feel in danger or something?¡±


    Regis waggled his brows as he watched Abby lean in closer toward me, obviously enjoying my difort. I was tempted to call him back with the verbal cue that Regis and I had agreed on beforehand for cases like this, but mypanion shook his head now that Abby wasn¡¯t looking at him.


    ¡®I like the view from here, if you don¡¯t mind,¡¯ he said with a satisfied smile. ¡®And watching you squirm makes it even better.¡¯


    I shook my head, locking my gaze with Abby¡¯s and returning a soft smile. ¡°Perhaps I just wanted to impress a fellow colleague.¡±


    ¡°O-oh,¡± The blonde-haired professor¡¯s eyes widened, taken aback. Regis¡¯s eyes did the same.


    After a brief pause, I gave her a wink. ¡°I only jest, Miss Redcliff. Though, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re well ustomed to shrugging off leering suitors.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too much,¡± she said with a giggle, her ears burning bright as she looked away. ¡°And please, call me Abby.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± I stood up and walked around my desk, leaning against it next to her.


    I held out my hand and waited for her to take it. Her fingers barely touched my own as she returned my gesture. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to see you again, Abby.¡±


    ¡°The pleasure is mine,¡± she replied with a light squeeze of my hand.


    Pulling away, I took a peek at mypanion, whose jaw was ck, before turning my attention back to my guest. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not sitting too close. Talking to you from behind my desk makes it feel like I¡¯m talking to my students.¡±


    ¡°No, I prefer this as well, I mean¡ªI¡¯m not a student, after all,¡± she said, shaking her head.


    ¡°Good, I¡¯m d,¡± I chuckled happily before letting my grin fall. ¡°Though we may have to keep our conversation short today.¡±


    Abby kept her expression impartial, but her shoulders slumped at my words. ¡°Oh? I take it you¡¯ve made ns for the rest of your day?¡±


    ¡°I n to enjoy a lovely date with these piles of papers over here,¡± I said with a tired smile.


    ¡°Like I said before, I¡¯d be happy to help you prepare for your ss, Grey,¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not really about my ss, per se.¡± I scratched my cheek while looking away, feigning shame. ¡°Nevermind, it¡¯s a bit embarrassing for me to say aloud.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Abby¡¯s amber eyes twinkled in curiosity as she leaned closer to me. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t tell.¡±


    I let out a sigh. ¡°Well, I¡¯m from a rather detached area of Sehz-r so I¡¯m terribly uninformed about much of what everyone here would considermon knowledge.¡±


    Abby¡¯s face brightened in realization. ¡°Oh! You couldn¡¯t have told anyone better!¡±


    I raised a brow, shooting her a timid upward nce. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    My colleague gave me a mischievous grin. ¡°You see, I¡¯ve known most of the other professors here long before I took a teaching post myself, and a lot of us like to talk.¡±


    I leaned closer to Abby, just enough to let our shoulders touch. ¡°Really now?¡±


    She nced at our shoulders before looking back up. ¡°And amon gossip topic we all share is about the students here, especially which highbloods we have to watch out for.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m jealous.¡± I let out a meek chuckle. ¡°I really want to make a home out of this ce and fit in, but asking for you to share so much with me would only be a burden on you.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a burden at all!¡± She lit up like Xyrus during the Aurora Constete. ¡°Oh, where do I even begin?¡±


    ***


    I let my hand rest gently on her arm for a moment as I gave Abby a wistful smile. ¡°You¡¯re a lifesaver, Abby. That was really helpful.¡±


    Beaming, she slid from my desk and bent into a curtsy, holding her white battle robes out like the hem of a dress. ¡°At your service, Professor Grey. Please¡±¡ªthose honey-tinted eyes held mine with fierce attentiveness¡ª¡°don¡¯t hesitate to call on me again, okay? Maybe for drinks next time?¡±


    I walked after her, leading her toward my door with a light touch at the small of her back and a smile to apany it. ¡°Let me walk you out.¡±


    ¡°Quite the gentleman for someone so socially disinclined, or so you put it,¡± the Caster said with a shy smile before stepping out of my office.


    As soon as I closed the door behind Abby and her hair, which billowed in a wind she was obviously conjuring around herself, my shoulders slumped and a breath escaped my lungs. The lingering anger had finally burned itself out, but I was left feeling cold and detached. .


    Turning around, I was faced with a dumbstruck Regis, his uprehending eyes staring at me.


    ¡°What?¡± I snapped.


    ¡°Who are you and what have you done with my antisocial, charming-as-a-grumpy-log owner?¡± he asked with a mixture of suspicion and admiration leaking into my head.


    ¡°Just because I choose to be reserved, doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t be charming when need be,¡± I argued, sinking back into my chair.


    Regis followed me to my seat and put his muzzle on my desk. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that Miss Loose Lip over there will tell other professors all about her conversation with you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m counting on it,¡± I answered wearily, leaning my head back. ¡°My fake background will be a lot more believable if ites from someone else¡¯s mouth.¡±


    ¡°Should I be scared of your uncanny proficiency in the art of seduction?¡±


    ¡°You make it seem like I just sold myself to her or something,¡± I scoffed.


    ¡°And the way you avoided herst question by putting your hand on her back¡­did you learn that from a textbook or something? Because I¡¯d like to read that as well,¡± he said, shaking his head.


    I ignored mypanion as I kicked one foot up on the desk, resting the heel of my boot in the middle of the stack of parchment.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be working on all that, anyway?¡± Regis pointed out.


    ¡°Yes, assuming I had any interest in actually teaching these kids.¡± Standing up again, I left the office. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s make some use out of this training facility before school starts.¡±


    Regis tottered after me. ¡°Ooh, a battle for the gravity-defying hottie?¡±


    ¡°Get your head out of the gutter. She¡¯s not an object,¡± I shot back. ¡°And besides, I thought you had a thing for Caera.¡±


    ¡°Why do I need to only like one?¡± Regis asked seriously.


    I rolled my eyes as I made my way to the control panel. ¡°Just go stretch or something so you don¡¯t me losing to a pulled ethereal groin.¡±


    After fiddling with a few switches, the shielding barrier sprang to life with a low hum. Next, I turned the gravity within the ring up as high as the system would go, biting back a smirk.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you an ethereal groin,¡± Regis quipped, leaping up onto the tform and immediately stumbling under the weight of his own body. ¡°Hey, wait a damned second!¡±


    I chortled as I hopped up next to him. The force of the increased gravity was oppressive¡ªmaybe seven times normal¡ªbut nothing I couldn¡¯t handle with aether infusing my muscles and bones.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, pup?¡± I teased, beginning to bounce on the balls of my feet as I limated to the change in environment.


    Regis let out a low growl and stalked back and forth across his end of the tform as he, too, attempted to adjust. ¡°Oh ho. You are so lucky that I¡¯d probably cease to exist if I sted you with Destruction right now.¡±


    Holding back a grin, I began to throw tentative punches and kicks in the air, feeling out the extra weight of my blows, then shifted into a set series of motions I¡¯d learned while studying under Kordri. The minute, careful movement required to implement most of the asuran martial skills was made significantly more difficult by the intense weight of my limbs.


    Regis twisted his neck with a resounding crack, and his entire body quivered with anticipation¡ªor maybe it was the effort of standing in the increased gravity. ¡°You ready for this, princess?¡±


    Focusing, I narrowed my attention on the shadow wolf, blocking out the subtle hum of the shield and the sound of students¡¯ voices that asionally drifted in from the courtyard outside.


    Mypanion¡¯s haunches tensed, and in the next instant he was hurtling through the air like a ballista bolt, but I had already stepped to the side, the t of my handing up to deflect his snapping jaws.


    As he flew past, my other hand snatched at one of his rear paws. The simple disturbance of his momentum,bined with the increased gravity, was enough to send him spinning so that he crashed heavily to the mat,nding on his back and tumbling painfully into the shielding.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t have¡­turned on the impact dampening?¡± Regis huffed as he fought back to his feet.


    ¡°Finished already?¡± I asked in a tone of mock disappointment.


    The mes around Regis¡¯s lupine body red, painting the ssroom with sshes of purple light. Once he was on his feet again, he squared up for another leap, apparently out of things to say for once.


    The tensing of his body was even more pronounced on his second pounce, but rather than lunging directly at me, he feinted forward only a few feet, waiting for me to step aside, then redirected his attack.


    I brought up my aether-d hands, intending to catch Regis in midair, but his form shifted and became ethereal, and he vanished into my body. I spun, expecting what followed, but with my body weighted down I wasn¡¯t fast enough, and his jawstched around my calf and pulled the leg out from under me, sending me crashing heavily to the ground.


    The shadow wolf''s fire-wreathed head smirked down at me. ¡°One-one, boss.¡±


    Raising myself up onto one elbow, I inspected mypanion thoughtfully. ¡°Utilizing your ethereal form to outmaneuver me like that was pretty clever.¡±


    Regis puffed out his chest. ¡°I¡¯m a literal weapon designed by a deity, for Vritra¡¯s sake. You think I¡ª¡± Regis stopped, staring down at me with wide eyes.


    I returned his gaze with a wry smile, one brow lifted. ¡°For Vritra¡¯s sake?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, sorry. Some of Uto slipping through.¡± He sat back and smirked mischievously. ¡°That part really enjoyed putting you on your ass, by the way.¡±


    I heaved myself to my feet. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can do that again.¡±


    ***


    We continued to train and spar until our legs shook with the effort and my core ached from the amount of aether it took to strengthen my body against the heightened gravity. Regis was circling me, biding his time before another attack. Although he was trying to shield his thoughts, I knew he was at the end of his physical strength for the moment.


    Which is why I thought he¡¯d be caught off guard when I Burst Step across the dueling ring onto his back, but before his legs could copse from the added burden, the shadow wolf vanished, drifting safely into my body while I mmed to the ground hard enough to shake the entire tform.


    ¡®We¡¯ve gotpany,¡¯ Regis¡¯s voice sounded from inside my head. ¡®You take care of this guy. I¡¯m going to take a nice, long nap in your aether core.¡¯


    Remind me to start locking that door while we¡¯re in here, I groused.


    Kicking up off the mat, I scanned the room and saw that a man was making his way slowly down the stairs toward me, limping slightly on each step. He looked ten or so years older than me, but something¡ªmaybe the way he held himself, the slightly soft lines of his face, or the expression of youthful amusement he wore¡ªtold me he was younger than he looked.


    Once he saw me look up, he gave a little wave, which I didn¡¯t immediately return. His hand went to his auburn hair, ruffling it so that it looked even more wind-blown and mussed than it already had, but my attention was on the other hand¡ªor theck of it, as it ended in a stump at his elbow.


    ¡°Hi there. Grey, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said breathlessly. ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    He tilted his head curiously before giving me a polite smile. ¡°No, not particrly. My ssroom is just down the hall, and I wanted to stop by and introduce myself. I¡¯m Kayden of Blood Aphelion.¡±


    I gave him a single nod of my head, which sent a fresh wave of sweat rolling down my cheeks and nose. In my head, Regis said, ¡®Even Uto had heard of the Aphelions. Highbloods, military family.¡¯


    A frown flitted across his face for less than a second, but was smoothed away just as quickly as he limped toward the dueling ring. ¡°You¡¯re asconic as the rumors say, which is a wee change around these parts.¡±


    ¡°Your tone suggests a dislike of gossip, but it seems like you¡¯re rather well-inclined towards rumors yourself,¡± I replied with a raised brow.


    ¡°I choose to listen rather than partake, but I will admit to the minor hypocrisy,¡± he said with a chuckle, continuing to take careful steps down the stairs. ¡°Anyway, I managed to catch yourst movement and I have to say¡­your speed is almost as impressive as your mana control. Even now, I can¡¯t sense even a drop of mana leaking from you.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t until he stepped over the boundary of the tform that I realized¡­


    ¡°Personally, I don¡¯t spend as much time as I¡ªoof!¡±


    Like he¡¯d stepped off the edge of a cliff, Kayden copsed, his injured leg giving out immediately on contact with the tform as his weight increased seven-fold.


    Ignoring Regis, who was roaring withughter, I jumped down to the floor and hit the control to reset all settings. The mana shield crackled as it faded away, and the highblood cryan was able to push himself up into an awkward sitting position.


    ¡°Vritra¡¯s horns, how were you even standing up here?¡± he asked, gaping at me. Then he let out a surprisingly genuineugh. ¡°Of course the man who broke his detention chains right in front of the panel of judges attempting to execute him would train like this.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, although in the back of my mind I was wondering just how many people here knew about the trial. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°No harm done,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°I¡¯ve had worse.¡±


    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t doubt that,¡± I replied, looking down at his stump of an arm.


    After a brief pause, Kayden stifled augh.


    My brows furrowed. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± He waved his hand, still smiling. ¡°It¡¯s just that, I¡¯ve seen a lot of people look at what¡¯s left of my left arm, but you¡¯re the only one whose expression didn¡¯t turn into pity.¡±


    ¡°Who am I to pity when that could be your medal of honor or token of sacrifice,¡± I said simply.


    Kayden¡¯s lightheartedness disappeared as he stared at me like I had just sprouted wings before catching himself and shaking his head while muttering, ¡°I¡¯m really d I brought this.¡±


    Using my shirt to mop up my sweaty face, I considered the man as he sat up and kicked his legs over the edge of the dueling tform. He withdrew a bright white bundle from his dimension artifact, which appeared to be a simple golden bracelet around his remaining wrist.


    He held out the bundle with careful nonchnce. When I hesitated, he gave me a knowing smirk. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not in the habit of giving gifts that might harm the recipient.¡±


    I pulled the gift from his loose grip. It was soft to the touch. I shook it so the bundle unfolded, revealing a brilliant white cloak with a white fur-lined hood. It was trimmed in subtly shining silver that felt metallic to the touch.


    A closer look revealed nearly invisible runes embroidered across the hood. ¡°Magic?¡± I asked suspiciously.


    The man grinned. ¡°I thought perhaps you might appreciate a little anonymity when you travel outside the academy grounds, considering.¡±


    I rubbed my fingers over the white-on-white thread forming the runes. ¡°Some kind of concealment spell?¡±


    Kayden nodded, his brows twitching upward. ¡°Specifically, the cloak will conceal you from the attention of others, causing their eyes to slip away from your face. Only when the hood is up, and only when they don¡¯t look too closely.¡± He cleared his throat and shuffled slightly. ¡°I hope I haven¡¯t misread the situation¡­¡±


    Frowning, I nced at the man, who was watching me closely. I realized I¡¯d been staring at the runes as I thought about what his gift¡ªand his words¡ªimplied. ¡°This is a costly present,¡± I said, folding the cloak back up. I held it out to him. ¡°I can¡¯t ept this.¡±


    Kayden¡¯s expression softened, but he didn¡¯t move to take it back. ¡°I understand why you¡¯d think that, but it¡¯s nothing, honestly. Whether you choose to use it or throw it away, do with it what you will.¡±


    After a beat of hesitation, I nodded, epting the magical cloak. ¡°You have my thanks,¡± I said formally, giving the other professor a small bow.


    Kayden waved away my gesture before making a somewhat clumsy dismount from the tform. ¡°It was a pleasure meeting you, Grey.¡± He began to limp toward the stairs, then paused and looked back over his shoulder. ¡°Everyone around here has their demons, Grey. Most people won¡¯t be able to see yours past their own.¡±


    Smiling to himself, the man made his delicate way up the stairs and out of my ssroom.


    ¡®Weird dude,¡¯ Regis noted. ¡®But he brought presents, though, so I¡¯ll forgive him.¡¯


    ¡°Most people won¡¯t see yours past their own,¡± I echoed, takingfort in those words.


    ¡®Yeah, stop being so paranoid. That¡¯s basically what I¡¯ve been telling you,¡¯ Regis chimed.


    I looked down at the refined white cloak. ¡°How many days until sses start?¡±


    ¡®Yes. Just yes,¡¯ Regis said, reading my thoughts.


    ***


    ¡°And you¡¯re sure you want to go in alone?¡± the woman asked me again. She was middle-aged, with a hint of gray in her brown hair. A burn scar covered the left side of her face. ¡°There are plenty of groups looking for¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± I said with a stale smile.


    The clerk finally relented with a shrug as she marked something down on the scroll in front of her. ¡°Professor Grey of Central Academy, solo ascent. Your identity has been verified. All relics and des must be logged on your exit. May your ascent be fruitful.¡±


    Stepping away from the booth, I pulled the fur-lined hood back up to hide my features and looked around.


    A few dozen ascenders were gathered in front of the massive ascension portal, either lined up behind me or preparing to enter. I scanned the banners showing the sigils of the many high and named bloods hanging from the white walls and stifled augh when I saw that someone had defaced the Granbels¡¯ banner.


    A group of young men and women, no older than theirte teens, was standing nearby, and one of them attempted to catch my eye. He was holding an artifact that looked like a simple ck box with a mana crystal affixed to it. .


    ¡°Hey, sorry to bother you,¡± he said, shing a sheepish smile, ¡°but would you mind taking our picture? It¡¯s our first ascent without a principal¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said simply, walking past the surprised group and directly into the golden-white light of the portal.

 Chapter 346 A Dim Spark

    <h4>Chapter 346 A Dim Spark</h4>


    My eyes took a moment to adjust to the sudden dimness as I stepped out of the ascension portal.


    I sucked in a lungful of aetherden air, and it felt like the first real breath I¡¯d taken in weeks. The tension faded from my muscles, and there was a hungry jolt from my core as it reacted to the dense atmospheric aether.


    I was standing on a small floating ind. The portal had faded, leaving behind only an empty frame overgrown with sharp purple crystals. Dozens of other floating inds hovered at the heart of what appeared to be¡­


    Regis let out an appreciative whistle. ¡®Whoa.¡¯


    A few strides were all it took to cross the ind I was on. I gazed down into the gloom below before looking up at the roof high above; the curving walls, floor, and ceiling of this cavernous structure were made of enormous purple crystals. Simr growths dotted the many inds as well, some the size of small bushes, while others grew into huge, jagged boulders.


    It was like standing at the heart of an enormous, glowing geode.


    Regis¡¯s shadow wolf form coalesced next to me, looking down as he licked his lips. ¡°Imagine how much aether is stored in all these crystals.¡±


    My eyes focused on a ck spire that rose from an ind in the center of the zone. Augmenting my vision with aether, I could just make out the carvings covering the entire three-story structure. It was also the only thing in the zone that contained no aether. ¡°What is that?¡±


    Mypanion managed to pry his hungry gaze away from the aether crystals to take a nce at the ck spire. ¡°Beats me¡­but knowing the Relictombs, it¡¯s probably going to try to kill us.¡±


    ¡°Reasonable assumption.¡± I nodded in agreement before turning to the archway shimmering with opalescent light on the far end of the geode. ¡°At least the exit is within sight.¡±


    ¡°Seems too easy,¡± Regis said, sniffing around the edge of the tform. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to just y leapfrog from ind to ind until we reach the portal?¡± Regis sprang across the twenty-foot gap to the closest ind, then back again to prove his point.


    ¡°Feel free to y leapfrog by yourself.¡± I began charting the aetheric paths all the way to the portal before shooting mypanion a wink. ¡°See you on the other side.¡±


    Regis cursed as I started to God Step across the zone.


    As I stepped onto the next ind, however, the pathways began to shimmer before twisting and melting away in a fuzzy haze. The atmosphere trembled with a sickening vibration.


    Suddenly dizzy, I stumbled to one knee.


    ¡°Wha¡ª¡±


    The howl of a rushing wind filled the entire zone. Clouds of purple motes flew from the thousands of glowing crystals, being drawn toward the obelisk at the heart of the geode. My instincts took hold and I forced the gates around my core shut, but it was no use; my reservoir was emptied, the aether I had collected since our training session forced out of me and drawn away on the receding tide.


    A thin, strained voice cried out over the howling wind.


    My eyes widened in horror at the sight of Regis, copsed, his physical form rapidly dwindling as the aether that bound it together was forced away. The shadow wolf became a pup, then a will-o-wisp, before fading into a dim spark.


    I reached out a trembling hand as the glowing strands of his ck and violet form faded. My fist closed just as the final spark began to disperse, and his incorporeal form drifted into me, his mind dark and cold.


    The wind faded, as did the horrible vibration, though the sensation lingered behind my eyes and deep in my aching core. Bacsh sent spasms through my chest and stomach, but I resisted the urge to be sick, and instead forced myself back to my feet in order to figure out what the hell had just happened.


    Every inch of my body ached as I moved. Dragons needed aether to survive; their bodies consumed themselves if they didn¡¯t have enough¡ªand my physical form was mostly asuran now. I couldn¡¯t be sure how long I had, but it felt like even my blood had dried up into sand. And there wasn¡¯t a single particle of aether left in the atmosphere.


    Regis was silent, his minuscule spark floating near my empty core.


    The zone had gone dark except for the obelisk. Now containing every mote of aether within the geode¡ªincluding my own¡ªthe obelisk glowed like a neon light, burning with impossible power. I was stunned.


    Even as my tired, aching mind had trouble focusing, my eyes were locked onto the glowing spire like it was an oasis in the middle of a desert.


    But the obelisk continued to grow even brighter.


    I cursed, pulling my gaze away and scanning the other inds. Most of them had crystal protrusions, but mine didn¡¯t. If the growths had all been suffused with aether when we arrived, it made sense that¡ª


    I cursed again. The twenty feet to the nearest ind felt a lot farther now that I couldn¡¯t strengthen my body with magic, but there was no other choice but to make the jump.


    Backing up until my heel was pressed against the quiet portal frame, I gathered all my strength before bursting into an all-out run. I hit the edge of the ind at full speed and kicked off, hurling myself through the air toward the neighboringndmass, but my bacsh-weakened muscles resisted, and I knew the moment I jumped that it wasn¡¯t going to be enough.


    My chest impacted the stony cliff with crunch. I scrambled for something to grab onto amongst the bare stone and loose dirt as I slid down the side, but failed. Just as my lower half swung out into the open air, my left hand closed around something hard and sharp: a knife-like shard of crystal growing out of the dirt.


    I hung that way for the space of a single breath before the obelisk shed. A sphere of aetheric fire burst out from it, quickly engulfing the closest inds. A pained yell ripped out from my throat as I heaved myself up¡ªthe crystal cutting deep into my palm¡ªuntil I could kick one leg over the side of the ind.


    On pure instinct, I threw myself behind therge crystal growth and curled up in a ball, my back pressed against it just before the nova engulfed me.


    Rather than burning my flesh, the aether was drawn into the crystal growth at my back. The explosion continued to expand past me, but the small area just behind the barrier was shielded.


    I was able to watch from rtive safety as the expanding sphere of light crashed against the distant walls, infusing them with aether and lighting up the entire zone again.


    With no way of knowing how much time we had, I struggled back to my feet, each breath a pained gasp, and pressed my bleeding hand to the boulder-sized growth. My core hungrily devoured the aether stored within, and I was finally able to breathe. It wasn¡¯t much, but enough to heal my hand and fortify my body to stave off the bacsh.


    I fought the urge to check in on Regis and focused on getting out of the zone. My stomach twisted and churned as I searched for aetheric pathways.


    There was no path to the exit portal. At least, there was no path I could follow. The branching, interconnected points¡ªwhich usually made a kind of road map from one space to the next¡ªwere tangled in a convoluted knot.


    To make matters worse, I could already feel the nausea-inducing vibration building up again, trembling through every particle of aether in the zone simultaneously.


    With no other recourse, I threw myself back behind the crystal shield and hoped it would protect me again. When the obelisk activated, all the aether in my core was ripped away for a second time. All I managed to maintain was a thinyer that I wrapped around Regis to keep him safe.


    The pain was immeasurable. As my eyes rolled back in my head and my mouth opened in a silent scream, I focused every ounce of my remaining strength on staying conscious.


    The second explosion rippled past me, a visible wave of dark purple fire that washed over the series of inds, lighting up clusters of aether crystals one by one until it hit the far walls. The cavern burst into light again.


    I can¡¯t die like this. There has to be something I can do, I assured myself over the sound of my teeth grinding against each other. My sluggish mind struggled to sort everything I knew and what I could potentially use.


    The obelisk on the central ind absorbed all the aether from the zone, then utilized it in some kind of explosive attack. I didn¡¯t know what would happen if I was struck by the explosion, but with no aether to defend myself, I was sure it wouldn¡¯t be pretty. Aside from whatever destructive effect it had, the explosion also redistributed aether throughout the zone.


    The time between the first wave and the second had been different by several seconds, so it seemed likely that there was some randomness involved. Unfortunately, this meant I couldn¡¯t rely entirely on timing to move through the zone.


    But the crystal growths on the inds acted like shields due to their reabsorption of some of the aether. It was just too bad that they didn¡¯t also protect against the part when my core was drained over and over again. If I couldn¡¯t find some way around that, the bacsh would kill me before anything else got the chance.


    When my brain cells and the blood in my veins began to shudder again, I clenched my teeth and prepared for the worst. It hade faster this time by at least fifteen seconds, and I hadn¡¯t even absorbed any of the aether from the protrusion I was sheltered behind to protect myself with.


    This time, though, was different. The amethyst light ying within the clear crystals dimmed as the aether particles were drawn away, but I felt nothing. The tiny piece of aether I had held on to, wrapped protectively around Regis, had trembled with the vibration, but hadn¡¯t been pulled away from me.


    The puzzle clicked into ce.


    Knowing I would have to move quickly, I rose up to one knee, making sure my body was still entirely blocked from the st that came shortly after. I was already absorbing the aether from the crystal barrier before the rest of the explosion hit the outer walls. Once I had absorbed the entire reservoir, I strengthened my body and sprinted to the edge of the ind, clearing the twenty-five-foot gap with room to spare.


    I barely had time to lunge behind arge, curved growth of the clear crystals before the warning vibrations shivered through my core again. When the stones at my back dimmed, and the walls released streams of amethyst particles, my own aether gave a faint tug but stayed safely in my core.


    A shuddering breath escaped my lips.


    ¡°That¡¯s it¡­¡± I gasped in relief.


    By hiding behind stones still full of aether while the obelisk drew it in, then absorbing it for myself after the following explosion, I could jump from ind to ind while refilling my core and avoiding the djinn¡¯s trap. The only variable became timing.


    Before maneuvering to the next floating ind, I turned my attention to Regis. It took a quarter of my aether reserve, imbued directly into the tiny wisp, to bring back any signs of life. A sluggish confusion leaked from him before quickly sharpening into panic as he flew into my core, drawing on the rest of my reserves in a rush.


    Don¡¯t take too much! I warned quickly. I need as much as I can if we want to get out of here.


    Regis didn¡¯t respond. Instead, I felt a cold, numb fear¡­something I¡¯d never felt from him before.


    You all right now? I asked tentatively. He hadn¡¯t been this weak since he first formed from the lorite given to me by Wren Kain.


    ¡®How¡¯d that even¡­I almost¡­¡¯ Regis let out a resigned sigh. ¡®That fucking sucked.¡¯


    We¡¯ll get through this, I assured him. Just stay near my core and focus on recovering when I absorb more aether.


    Another explosion rolled by. This one had been forty seconds from the previous, and ten seconds since the absorption process.


    And Regis?


    ¡®What?¡¯


    d you¡¯re not dead, I thought evenly, suppressing the fear and worry that had gued me when he nearly disintegrated.


    Mypanion let out a groan. ¡®Don¡¯t get all emotional on me now.¡¯


    I was just worried that all of the aether I fed you would¡¯ve gone to waste if you had died back there, I lied.


    ¡®Ah, there¡¯s my loveable master,¡¯ Regis said, his weak voice still oozing with sarcasm.


    While I¡¯d been checking on Regis, three more sts had gone off. The shortest gap between the explosion and following absorption was seven seconds, which didn¡¯t leave a lot of time to maneuver around. The next time a stwave emanated out from the obelisk, I quickly drained the crystal shield and leaped to the closest ind. It was a barren little patch of stone with no protrusions, so I moved on immediately, sliding into cover a full ten seconds before all the aether was sucked in again.


    I waited, catching my breath and allowing another phase to go by. The jet ck spire zed amethyst as the power built up before being released yet again. Wrapping my hand in a thick protective barrier, I reached up into the oing st.


    Now that I had a better grasp on my overall situation in this zone, I wanted to test the strength of the st while simultaneously attempting to absorb aether directly from the explosion. The zing wall of light burned away my protective aether, then my hand along with it, leaving behind nothing but a cauterized stump.


    ¡®That turned out nicely,¡¯ Regis noted.


    ¡°The sarcasm¡­I don''t miss,¡± I hissed breathlessly. "Hand. Now.¡±


    The wisp drifted down my arm to the scorched stump of my wrist, and I released nearly all of the aether from my core. It rushed through my aether channels, further condensed by Regis, and began to rebuild my hand, knitting flesh, blood, and bone from the purple particles.


    The destruction of my appendage made me realize that I had, at some point, stopped fearing the Relictombs. I¡¯de to think of it as a personal training ground, like the flying castle or Epheotus, and forgotten that it was designed to kill me; its difficulty would always grow to match my strength.


    By the time I had restored my hand, nearly all of my meager aether reserves had been depleted.


    ¡®Have I ever told you that you¡¯re a masochist?¡¯


    ¡°Once or twice.¡± I mustered a weak grin as I leaned back against the cool glowing barrier.


    When the vibration came again, signaling the start of another phase, I burst into motion.


    Several inds passed by quickly, each in the same fashion, and by the time I was halfway to the exit portal I was feeling better. My core was rich with absorbed aether, and my body had healed. Mypanion wasn¡¯t as lucky.


    ¡®This is the worst,¡¯ heined from within me. Even though I had absorbed more than enough aether to share, it was impossible for Regis to draw on it as quickly. After experiencing something akin to muscle atrophy, he would need to spend time rebuilding his strength.


    ¡°Just stay in there and absorb what you can,¡± I said while also counting down the time since the obelisk had drawn in the zone¡¯s aether. It had been over a minute, but the ck spire was still growing brighter, building up toward the inevitable explosion.


    Finally, it burst with the sound of a thousand cannons. I waited for the ripple of aetheric fire to roll past, then quickly drew out the energy trapped inside my protective barrier and prepared to leap to the next ind.


    The obelisk exploded a second time.


    My course took me in the direction of the oing nova, so for a moment I was suspended in the air, watching the ze overtake one ind after the next as it expanded toward me.


    I hit the ground in a roll, mming hard into a small cluster of crystals just barely big enough to cover my whole body. When the st struck the crystals, already burning with purple light, they trembled and began to splinter with sharp cracking sounds.


    Not bothering to absorb the aether from the crumbling protrusion, I threw myself at the next floating ind just as the obelisk exploded for the third time.


    The crystal shield on this ind was thergest I had seen so far and curved inward to create a small cave. As I scrambled into the shallow depression, a noise like shattering ss filled the zone in short bursts.


    The crystal barriers, I realized just as the wave of aetheric fire roared past my shelter. Pressing both hands against the glowing walls, I began to absorb the aether as fast I could, draining the crystals to prevent them from bursting apart.


    All around me, clusters of violently glowing crystals shattered, sending shrapnel spraying across the other inds.


    Looking around the edge of my shield, I saw that the only protective barrier to survive was the one I had hidden behind. I quickly charted a path to the exit portal, but it was too far to reach before the next explosion.


    Using most of my stored aether to activate Burst Step, I propelled myself across several inds.


    ¡®Uh, that¡¯s the wrong way!¡¯ Regis pointed out as we sprinted and leaped toward the central ind and the obelisk.


    Lacking the time or mental energy to put my n into words, I tried to project the idea directly into Regis¡¯s mind.


    ¡®You¡­sure about this?¡¯ Regis asked.


    ¡°No,¡± I grunted as wended on the central ind, the three-story spire rising high overhead. ¡°But it can¡¯t be any worse than swimming inva, right?¡±


    The obelisk was dark and empty, but I didn¡¯t think I had long before the next wave began. Hurrying to it, I pressed my hands to the smooth sides. It had a ssy texture and was cold to the touch.


    I waited. Thoughts ran in a jumble through my mind. If this failed, then I would probably die.


    When the vibration started, my eyes snapped shut and my lungs seized in my chest. It was much more intense this close to the obelisk. I prepared for the bacsh.


    Having my core suddenly and forcibly drained for the third time in thirty minutes made my legs shake and my palms sweat. I heaved for breath, trying to force my lungs to work again, but it felt like a titan bear was sitting on my chest.


    I started to absorb aether from the spire before it had even finished taking it from me. I needed to utilize every possible second before the next aetheric st.


    The offsetting flow of aether kept me on my feet despite the pain of bacsh. I sucked at the aether building within the obelisk-like a half-drowned man gasping for air. My hands were already pressed against the quickly-warming stone, but I leaned forward and rested my forehead against it as well, absorbing the swelling energy as quickly as I could.


    The aether was pure. Much more so than any source I¡¯d encountered before. It was like breathing in pure oxygen; my head swam with the power of it, burning like a bonfire in my sr plexus.


    My aether core couldn¡¯t even condense or refine it further. Instead, the purified aether was scraping the remaining impurities from my core, and my chest began to ache.


    As my core filled to the brim, I continued to draw aether from the spire¡ªI had no choice. If I stopped, it would explode and kill me¡ªbut it felt like I was trying to drink the ocean. My core was so full that it began to quake and tremble. A radiant bolt of pain shot out of it, and I tasted bile in the back of my throat.


    The light from the obelisk grew brighter and brighter through my closed eyelids. I wasn¡¯t even sure how long it had been.


    I tried to expel most of the aether from my core, just like I had when I first began to trace my aether passages, but when I opened the gates around my core, the streams still running in from all over my body overwhelmed my attempt to push outward, creating a backflow that caused an uncontrolled flood of purified aether that I couldn¡¯t stop.


    ¡®I¡¯m drowning in here!¡¯ Regis shouted, his wisp form entirely inundated with aether.


    Strobing shes of light pierced my eyelids. I pushed my face away from the obelisk and opened my eyes; the spire flickered, struggling to release the intended expulsion of destructive energy butcking the force to do so. I was acting like a release valve, giving the aether an outlet that kept the pressure from reaching the necessary level.


    There was a resounding crack from my sternum.


    Looking inward, I saw a dark fissure appear across the surface of my aether core.


    My vision swam. Fireworks went off behind my eyes. A white hot de of pain cut all the way through me.


    No.


    A second crack branched off the first, shivering like a slow-motion bolt of lightning around the circumference of my sphere, nearly breaking it in two.


    No!


    Taking a ragged breath, I bent every ounce of my formidable will on the task of molding the aether to my will. With somewhere else to go, it stopped overflowing into my weakening core, and I eased into a delicate bnce between the obelisk¡¯s continued efforts to explode and my inescapable absorption and reformation of the purified aether.


    Despite the precarious nature of my position, a grin formed on the corners of my bloody lips.


    Regis hovered within my core, watching me work. ¡®No way.¡¯


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I huffed, my smile stretching wider. ¡°Definitely better than bathing inva."

 Chapter 347 A Stroll With Gods

    <h4>Chapter 347 A Stroll With Gods</h4>


    ALDIR


    A sea of mist moved in the unconscious rhythm of earth and air, eddying around the base of the mountain and under the many-colored bridge that guarded Castle Indrath. Wide, white rivers streamed past further out, away from the tumultuous currents near the stone cliffs.


    It was almost as if one could ride the wild river of clouds away from Castle Indrath and into the far reaches of Epheotus, where the politics and intrigue of war were a distant, meaningless shadow.


    I¡¯d carried the knowledge of Arthur Leywin¡¯s survival for several days now, but the understanding of what to do with it eluded me. As a soldier, I owed it to my lord to inform him at once, and yet¡­


    My fingers traced the story carved into the wall where I¡¯d stopped to think. It told the tale of an ancient Indrath prince, and how he challenged Geolus, the living mountain. Hundreds of miles had been torn apart by the ferocity of their battle, but in the end, Arkanus Indrath cleaved Geolus nearly in two, and the mountain fell still.


    In ages after, Akranus¡¯s descendants built their home on the mountain¡¯s back. As a sign of respect, they forbid the use of mana when ascending or descending Geolus, a tradition that lived on to the present era.


    A wisp of earth mana trickled from the runes and along my outstretched fingers, imparting me with the stolid essence of ancient bedrock. My mind quieted as my spirit settled. This tale was a favorite of mine; it imparted the passiveness of rock and stone, allowing for more rational thought.


    ¡°I guessed that I might find you here, old friend,¡± Windsom''s voice came from down the hall. ¡°Is your mind still gued with doubt?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I answered, half turning to watch the dragon approach. He wore his uniform as always, which denoted his position as a servant of Lord Indrath. The midnight blue fabric was embroidered with gold thread at the cuffs, shoulders, and cor, and a rope of woven gold hung from his right shoulder to the middle button of his jacket. I had allowed myself morefort, wearing a simple gray training robe bound with a silk cord. .


    His gaze settled on me with the weight of the night sky. ¡°When west spoke¡­¡±


    He left the rest unsaid, but we both understood well enough. I had expressed concern that our actions had led to more Dicathian deaths than Agrona¡¯s ever had or likely would, a moment of weakness I now regretted.


    ¡°I did not carry the burden of my actions lightly or well, but distance widens one¡¯s perspective,¡± I answered.


    Windsom nced at the story wall. ¡°Are these the words of Aldir, or of Geolus?¡±


    ¡°I am a warrior,¡± I answered simply. ¡°My mind is full of tactics and battle, and at times requires calming.¡± Stepping back from the wall, I gestured down the hallway. ¡°Walk with me? I am enjoying the castle this morning.¡±


    Windsom nodded and fell into step beside me, his hands sped behind his back, his eyes straight ahead. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯ve epted the necessity of what was done. At least your part is yed, for the time being.¡±


    We stepped aside as two armored guards marched past. They stopped to bow deeply before continuing on their patrol. ¡°Is that why you were so quick to volunteer to lead the attack? To end your long-suffered role as guide to the lessers?¡±


    Windsom straightened his uniform. ¡°I will do as Lord Indrathmands, now and always. But the truth is, you had it easy, old friend. The lessers have be more tedious by the day. At least the boy, Arthur, was interesting. The rest are just fireflies.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t be sure if the dragon spoke out of ignorance, or if he was testing me with his suggestion that my task had somehow been ¡°easy.¡± It was possible he was attempting to push me to anger so that I might reveal some hidden reservation. I let his words go by unanswered.


    ¡°Is the situation in Dicathen salvageable?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They have not epted our version of events as readily as the asuras,¡± he answered, his tone usatory. ¡°Lessers are suspicious by nature, and they yearn for hope above all else, even if it means abandoning logic.¡±


    I nodded solemnly as we turned a corner. On our right, a training room was open to the hallway, separated only by a series of columns carved into the shape of serpentine dragons. Four students practiced a coordinated series of movements and strikes, each in near-perfect unison with the others.


    I stopped to watch for a moment. I¡¯d witnessed a thousand¡ªmaybe even ten thousand¡ªsuch disys in my life, but now I couldn¡¯t help but see it as much more than the slow perfection of form, speed, and delivery that we taught our youth. With each practiced strike and block, they learned a blow intended to disarm or kill an opponent. If the asuras continued on their current path, these young warriors would have reason to use them soon.


    ¡°Taci looks strong,¡± Windsom remarked, his eyes on a tall young pantheon.


    The boy¡¯s head was cleanly shaved, as was the tradition among the fighting ss of pantheons. His once nut-brown eyes¡ªof which there were only two, a rarity among the pantheon¡ªhad darkened to beetle-ck.


    Taci, the only pantheon among them, was just into his teen years, but time spent training in the aether realm¡ªa privilege, especially for those not of the Indrath n¡ªhad left him more intense and mature than his age would suggest.


    It was clear watching him train that he was not in pursuit of physical or mental exercise. No, for Taci, this was about mastering the art of death. I could nearly see the image he held in his mind: an enemy breaking under each punch and kick, an army falling before him.


    I understood what he felt, because I was very simr once, a long time ago.


    The young warriors finished their form and stopped to give Windsom and me a deep bow. While the others began paring up to continue their training, Taci ran up to us and bowed again.


    ¡°Master Windsom. Master Aldir. Please ept my gratitude again for allowing me to train within Castle Indrath,¡± he said in a crisp, serious tone.


    ¡°Kordri has seen great promise in you,¡± Windsom answered. ¡°See that you live up to it, Taci.¡±


    The fierce young Pantheon bowed yet again and ran back to his training partner.


    ¡°If he continues as he has been thesest several years, he could be the next wielder of the World Eater technique,¡± Windsommented.


    ¡°I was over two hundred years old before I was chosen,¡± I pointed out. ¡°If he were chosen, it would not be for many years yet.¡±


    Inside though, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder: When the elders inevitably asked me to pass on the technique to another warrior, would I do it? Could I give this burden to another member of my n, knowing they may one day be forced to use it?


    Leaving Taci and the others behind, we continued on our slow circuit of the castle interior. We walked infortable silence for a minute before Windsom spoke again.


    ¡°Why do you think he chose to use it this time? Even with the¡±¡ªWindsom nced around the hall, making sure we were alone¡ª¡°djinn, Lord Indrath never considered its use.¡±


    ¡°Your ears are closer to the mouth of our lord than mine,¡± I pointed out. ¡°But I see no reason we would have needed it. The djinn were pacifists. They had no army and littlebat magic. That was a culling, not a war.¡±


    ¡°It was a war,¡± he countered, watching me from the corner of his eye. ¡°We simply struck preemptively.¡±


    There were few, even among the asuras, who truly understood what had happened to the djinn. Most asuras never looked beyond Epheotus, and cared nothing for the lessers. Those who did were told a very convincing lie. Those who saw through the lie and cared were dealt with.


    ¡°Our lord did what he thought needed to be done, both then and now,¡± I hedged.


    Windsom chuckled. ¡°And you say you have no mind for politics. You¡¯re as careful with your words as any courtier.¡±


    ¡°There is no need for caution when words are shared between old friends, is there?¡± I asked, stopping to ponder a tapestry that hung from floor to ceiling. ¡°Take this image, for example.¡±


    The tapestry portrayed a young Kezzess Indrath at council with his best friend, Mordain, a member of the phoenix race. A golden que beneath it was engraved with the title: ¡°Let Rest.¡±


    ¡°Even after the formation of the Great Eight, the dragons and the phoenix race carried their ancient animosity openly, but Kezzess and Mordain spoke truly with one another, each opening the other¡¯s eyes to the atrocities of their endless warring.¡±


    Windsom had stopped beside me and was running his fingers along his chin thoughtfully. ¡°And in thisparison, which am I?¡±


    I frowned at the tapestry. ¡°I did not mean to imply¡ª¡±


    ¡°Because, of course,¡± Windsom said casually, ¡°Mordain waster at odds with our lord on the issue of the djinn, was he not? As prince of the Asclepius n, he threatened to reveal Lord Indrath¡¯s actions before disappearing from Epheotus.¡±


    Of those few who knew about the extermination of the djinn, even fewer knew that Mordain and Kezzess had fallen out. Their argument was kept secret so that no asura might ever grow suspicious that Lord Indrath yed a role in Mordain¡¯s disappearance. The rumor waster circted that the Lost Prince, as people began to call him, left Epheotus to join Agrona.


    It was a near-perfect parable, if I had wanted tomunicate any such thing to Windsom. But I did not.


    ¡°It was happenstance alone that brought us to this tapestry, old friend, and my mind was not on the wider story between these two.¡± I rested a hand on Windsom¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I am not Mordain, and you are not Indrath.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Windsom said in answer, turning away to begin walking again. ¡°You asked me about the situation in Dicathen, but my answer was flippant. The truth is that they have no great leaders or mages among them anymore. Unless I am wrong, it wille to war with the Vritra n and their mutts.¡±


    We turned down a short corridor and stepped out onto an open terrace overlooking the many-colored bridge. A steady breeze buffeted the castle walls. ¡°That is my fear as well.¡±


    ¡°It is a shame,¡± Windsom continued. ¡°So much work, wasted¡­but then, I always thought giving them those artifacts was a bad idea.¡±


    And yet. you delivered them and taught the lessers to wield their power, I thought, but kept this to myself.


    ¡°The Dicathians grewzy,¡± he went on, heedless. ¡°With a white core mage soulbound to protect them, the royal families never needed to defend themselves, and their magical strength faltered. As for the mages who benefited from the artifacts¡­¡± Windsom scoffed irritably. ¡°They never learned to be strong. They became strong. It is not the same.¡±


    A sky swimmer soared out of the clouds, its iridescent scales glittering in the sunlight. The long, fishlike body was supported by triangr wings that folded and unfolded to catch the updrafts. I watched as the mana beast glided along the top of the clouds for a moment before tucking the wings to its sides and plunging invisibly back into the depths.


    Windsom¡¯s eyes stayed on me, careless of the wildlife.


    ¡°Would you visit Lord Indrath with me?¡± I asked, finallying to a decision regarding the Leywin boy.


    I could not be certain if it was unnerving orforting that Windsom showed no surprise at my question, answering only, ¡°Of course, Aldir.¡±


    We did not make for the throne room. Instead, we headed deeper into the castle. The carved, story-filled halls gave way to natural tunnels as we went down. Luminescent moss filled the crags and hung in patches from the roof, and in several ces. natural springs sent rivulets of clear water trickling down the sides of the tunnels.


    There were no carvings down here, no tapestries or paintings. These tunnels, the veins of the mountain, had been left untouched for a dozen generations of asura.


    Earth mana was heavy in the air, and only grew heavier as we proceeded downward. It clung to us as we moved, like mud sticking to our boots. Weaker asura would find these passages ufortable to navigate as the mana weighed them down, and lessers would quickly crumble under the force of it.


    We passed several guards in the form of conjured earth golems, but they did not bother us. Above, in a morefortable guard chamber, the dragons controlling them recognized us and let us pass.


    The tunnel ended in a copsed wall. Broken stone woven through with thick roots barred the way. Or appeared to, at least. The most up-to-date novels are published on lightno?velpub.c-om.


    I stepped through the illusion first.


    And I stepped out into a small cave. A thick carpet of moss-covered the floor, while jewels shone like stars in the ceiling, reflecting the light from the glowing pool that took up most of the cave.


    Lord Indrath sat unmoving at the center of the pool, his hands resting palm up on his knees, his eyes closed. He had not changed during my entire life. His cream-colored hair clung wetly to his head, while his unintimidating form dripped with condensation from the pool.


    Windsom and I stood to the side and waited.


    Lord Indrath enjoyed expressing his displeasure in subtle ways. For example, he was well known for leaving his counselors out of meetings when he was displeased with them, or asking envoys from the other ns to wait for days-or even weeks-if he disagreed with the n¡¯s lord.


    After several hours, Lord Indrath finally stirred. The blue glow reflected off his purple eyes, giving them an unnatural indigo color. The simple change to his visage transformed his face, and I had to resist the urge to step back.


    Standing, the Lord of Dragons stepped out of the pool and waved his hand, summoning a white robe.


    ¡°Windsom, Aldir. Thank you for waiting.¡±


    We each bowed, staying bent until Lord Indrath spoke again.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had something on your mind, Aldir,¡± he said easily, shifting so that his hands were sped behind his back. He smiled softly, but his eyes were hard and sharp as obsidian. ¡°You¡¯vee to tell me what that is.¡±


    ¡°I have, my lord,¡± I answered, opening my lower two eyes to meet his, which was an expected sign of respect. ¡°I have news that could affect our course in the war.¡±


    I could feel Windsom¡¯s gaze burning into the side of my head, but I kept my eyes on our lord. He was contemtive for a moment, then gave another wave of his hand.


    The cave disappeared from around us. Instead, we were standing in a regally appointed sr: one of Lord Indrath¡¯s private rooms. ¡°Sit,¡± hemanded simply.


    Sinking down into the thick cushion of a royal-purple armchair, Iid my arms awkwardly on the rests. Lord Indrath took the seat across from me, while Windsom was ced to the side, more a witness to than participant in the conversation.


    So as not to stare, I let my gaze settle just over Lord Indrath¡¯s shoulder, focusing on the wall of climbing gold and silver vines behind him. Purple flowers bloomed inconsistently over the vines. Very rarely, a tiny sapphire-blue fruit grew as well.


    Lord Indrath nodded his head, indicating that I should begin.


    ¡°An envoy of the enemy came to me, seeking to take advantage of some perceived weakness and turn me against my lord,¡± I said clearly. ¡°To this end, she brought me this piece of information, although the mere fact she thought it might sway my loyalty says more about her than it does of me, I believe.¡±


    The two dragons waited for me to continue.


    ¡°ording to the cryan Scythe, Seris Vritra, Arthur Leywin is still alive,¡± I announced formally. ¡°He is currently in crya, and he has developed some new power. I believe he witnessed my use of the World Eater technique against the elven homnd.¡±


    There was no twitch of his eyelid or straightening of his back, no hitch in his breathing to tell me my lord was surprised. But there was a faint ripple in his aura, and that was enough: he had not known.


    ¡°Then Lady Sylvie may yet¡ª¡±


    Lord Indrath held up a hand to silence Windsom. ¡°We must ascertain both the human¡¯s strength and his attitude. He may still be a useful tool against Agrona and this¡­Legacy.¡±


    ¡°And if he is no longer willing to work alongside the asura, my lord?¡± I asked.


    My lord¡¯s gaze held true, his tone impassive. ¡°Then he will die.¡±

 Chapter 348 Melee Enhancement Tactics

    When I stepped back into the second level of the Relictombs, my limbs practically dragging behind me, a bespectacled clerk rushed up as his eyes darted across my bedraggled form.


    ¡°Sir?¡± he asked tentatively. ¡°Are you all right? Where is your party?¡±


    I shook my head and took a step past him. ¡°Fine. Solo ascent.¡±


    The man kept pace, his hands fidgeting with a scroll he was carrying carefully in front of him. ¡°I see. Yes, solo ascending is notoriously difficult, sir. Name, so I can record your return? Any des to report?¡±


    Still walking, I said, ¡°Grey. Just Grey. And no.¡±


    The clerk winced, making his sses slip to the end of his nose. ¡°Sorry to hear that, Ascender Grey. Might I scan¡ª¡±


    I stopped suddenly, forcing the man to jerk to a halt and turn back around to face me. Leveling an irritated re in his direction, I said, ¡°I am exhausted and would like to be on my way. Whatever you need, just do it.¡±


    The clerk cleared his throat and fixed his sses before pulling out some kind of wand. ¡°If you¡¯re carrying a dimensional storage artifact, please present it,¡± he said, somewhat stiffly.


    I held out my hand, showing him the dimension ring. He waved the wand past it, then along the length of my body. He clicked his tongue. ¡°No des, as you say.¡± Next, he turned his attention to a scroll he was carrying. ¡°Ascender Grey¡­Ascender¡­Oh, a professor!.¡± He scribbled something, muttering under his breath. ¡°My apologies. You¡¯re so young, I didn¡¯t realize¡­¡±


    ¡°Are we done?¡± I asked impatiently.


    ¡°Yes, sir, of course. Thank you for your patience.¡± He gave me a nod and started to turn away, then stopped.


    Closing my eyes, I rubbed two fingers against my temple and down to my eye socket. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± he started tentatively, ¡°I just thought you might want to know that sses at Central Academy began three days ago.¡± With an awkward smile, he returned to his post.


    ¡°Sh*t,¡± I grumbled, and began dragging my tired body across the second level toward the teleportation tforms.


    ***


    From the hall outside my ssroom, I could already hear theughter and shouts of the unsupervised teenagers inside.


    I caught snippets of conversation as I stepped through the door.


    ¡°¡ªtold me that the new professor isn¡¯t even a named blood. Should be easy to¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªhear about the hot new assistant for Professor Aphelion?¡±


    ¡°¡ªss is such a joke. I can¡¯t believe Strikers have to waste our time with¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªkidding me? The rest of my sses are so freaking hard, I¡¯m looking forward to doing nothing in here.¡±


    I nced quickly around as I descended the stairs. Two young women were sparring roughly in the dueling ring while another student goofed around with the controls. A couple others had pulled out sparring dummies and were punching them awkwardly. The rest of the students were lounging around doing nothing.


    ¡°The professor isn¡¯t here again,¡± a bespectacled boy said without looking up from his book.


    ¡°He is the professor, Deacon,¡± another student said. It was the ck-haired boy who had ordered the two bullies around in the library.


    ¡°You¡¯rete,¡± his broadpanion grumbled, crossing his thick arms over his chest.


    ¡°And you missed the first day,¡± their tall friend added, kicking his long legs up on the back of the chair in front of him.


    ¡°Very perceptive,¡± I said as I opened my office door and half stepped through it. ¡°You all seem to have things under control for today. I¡¯ll be in my office.¡± I closed the door before anyone could respond, cutting myself off from the prying eyes.


    The ssroom burst into chatter again the moment my door closed.


    ¡°Nice! Free day.¡±


    ¡°¡ªbe exactly likest season¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªstupid idea to train without mana anyway.¡±


    Sighing, I tuned them out and sank into my office chair, leaning forward to rest my head against my forearms. Despite my exhaustion, though, I felt my face crack into a wide grin. You can find the rest of this content on the lightnovelpub.c?om tform.


    I had actually done it.


    My mind buzzed as I considered the results of my experiment in the Relictombs. I wanted to talk through it, but Regis seemed to be hibernating like he had while I trained with Three Steps in the peaks above her secluded vige. I hoped that meant he would restore himself more quickly.


    Withdrawing the puzzle toy Three Steps had given me, I tapped it against the table, listening to the seed within rattle. I hadn¡¯t been able to replenish much aether on my journey through the second level of the Relictombs, and my core seemed to be strained to the edge of my endurance, but having something to upy my hands would make it easier to think.


    Turning my awareness inward, the first thing I noticed was my aether channels. The flood of pure aether from the obelisk had widened them and scoured the insides clean of imperfections.


    There was a deep ache from my core as I manifested a w and began to dig around inside the seedpod, but I focused on holding the shape. Although I didn¡¯t have much aether to pull from, I found that the aether itself was moving along my channels more quickly, meaning I could manifest it to a specific point of my body almost instantly.


    It still took time to condense the aether into a thin w off my index finger, though, and my tired mind struggled to focus on the shape. Instead, I focused on my core.


    The core itself wasrger and more transparent. The reddish tint was entirely gone, and the aether within had resolved into a deep, rich violet hue. Focusing closely, I could see the clear delineation between two separateyers of my core: the original shell supporting and holding the pieces of my mana core, and a second, thickeryer.


    I had first forged my aether core by pure intent and sheer will. At my weakest and most desperate point, I had turned total loss into an impossible victory, doing something perhaps no one in the history of this world had aplished.


    When my aether core began to crack, I realized that I had to move beyond my current limited perspective. I had followed the same path as a mana-wielding mage, expecting growth through use, meditation, andbat.


    Mana cores lightened in color as they became purer. This was a purely biological mechanism, natural to its function. Although it required intentional meditation to make the most of it, even someone who never focused on refining their mana core would see it slowly progress through use, like the strengthening of a muscle.


    But my aether core wasn¡¯t natural.There was no set biological progression.


    Through significant effort, and the knowledge born of my time both as a white core mage and a ki user, I had been able to remove many of the impurities and imperfections within it. Although this had allowed me to more easily absorb aether, and in greater quantities, it had not brought about significant stages of progression like advancing through the orange, yellow, and silver stages.


    I realized that I needed to be more intentional. If my aether core wouldn¡¯t evolve on its own, I had to find some way to force it.


    Utilizing the vast reservoir of aether from the obelisk trap, I had formed a secondyer around my core¡ªvery slowly, and very painfully.


    Unfortunately, the process had required nearly all of the aether channeled into the obelisk, so that by the time I was done there was none left to absorb for myself, leaving my body weak and aching.


    Now that I had done it, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder: Could I do it again? With enough aether, could I continue to addyers to my core, growing exponentially more powerful with each one?


    It was possible. The biggest hurdle was finding a source of aether strong enough to forge theyer in a single sitting, almost the reverse of holding enough aether in my core to imbue into Sylvie¡¯s stone and break through ayer.


    In my moment of necessity, when I had no choice but to do something drastic or risk crippling my aether core, it was exactly that thought that had given me inspiration. The way Sylvie¡¯s stone, or egg, utilized multipleyers to capture and hold aether had served as the foundation of my own attempt.


    Thanks, Sylv, I thought. Even asleep in your egg, you keep finding ways to keep me going.


    There was a knock at the door. I ignored it.


    Another knock. ¡°Professor Grey?¡±


    I sighed and released the aether w. ¡°In.¡±


    The door opened, and a familiar face peered around the frame. Seth, the boy from the library, was pale and sweaty, and his uniform was sticking to his chest and arms. ¡°Sir, are you going to be teaching the ss today?¡±


    My surprise at seeing the boysted for about a second before I waved him away. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard? This isn¡¯t a real ss.¡±


    ¡°But you told me to learn to defend myself,¡± Seth said quietly. ¡°I thought you meant¡ªthat you wanted me to¡­¡±


    ¡°You thought I was going to teach you?¡± I raised a brow. ¡°You¡¯re a highblood, right? You¡¯d be better off hiring a private tutor.¡±


    A chorus ofughter came from the ssroom, and Seth, looking crestfallen, stared down at his feet as he slowly closed the office door, but I only activated the aether w and tried again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we can help teach you a thing or two,¡± someone jeered.


    There was a thump and a pained grunt from just outside the door.


    The aetheric w on my finger faded in and out as I struggled to ignore the distraction. Without realizing it, I had pulled the seed into the round opening and held it there, bnced perfectly within the stem hole, for thirty seconds or more. I closed my eyes and refocused on the w, pulling steadily while holding the aether¡¯s form.


    ¡°No, not like that, orphan. When you curl up, you lose sight of your opponent and¡±¡ªthere was another, sharper thump¡ª¡°leave yourself open to blows to your head.¡±


    The edges of the hole buckled slightly and the w slipped, but I was able to adjust my grip and maintain my hold on the seed. So close, I thought. Just a bit more¡­


    A series of sharp, heavy knocks at the door broke my concentration, and I heard the seed tter back to the bottom of the pod.


    Standing, I quickly crossed the office and jerked the door open. ¡°What?¡±


    The uniformed man on the other side of the door wrinkled his nose and pinned me with a disapproving frown. ¡°Professor Grey, yes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me. Can I help you?¡± I asked with a slight tilt of my head.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t had an opportunity to meet yet. My name is Rafferty.¡± The man was middle-aged, with gray hair at his temples and wrinkles starting to appear around his eyes. He was wearing a ck and azure suit and a look that told me he wasn¡¯t exactly d to meet me. ¡°I, in case you did not know, am the head of your department.¡±


    He held out a scroll. ¡°This is an updated ss list, which you need because several students have already dropped this course.¡±


    I took the scroll and tossed it on my desk. ¡°I see. Well, is there anything else I can do for you?¡±


    The department head glowered. ¡°Yes, as a matter of fact, you can. Looking at your qualifications and rmendations, I am not entirely certain how you came to be employed here at Central Academy, young man, but I will not ept anything less than maximum effort from the professors in this department. Please ensure that you attend sses on time in the future, and that you adhere to the academy-provided training regimen.¡±


    His tone should have bothered me, considering my situation, but I was too caught between exhaustion and excitement to worry about this thin cryan¡¯s threats.


    Forcing a contrite frown, I bowed shallowly. ¡°I apologize, there was a mix-up in the Relictombs. I don¡¯t n on missing ss again.¡±


    His frown smoothed somewhat. ¡°See that you don¡¯t. We don¡¯t need any more trouble like that in the High Hall, Professor Grey.¡±


    Spinning on his heel, Rafferty swept out the open door. On the other side, my dozen students were all motionless, obviously having heard every word of my chastisement.


    Wordlessly, I shut the door and returned to my mess of a desk. I hadn¡¯t bothered to look over the ss roster I¡¯d received in my original paperwork, so I pulled the new scroll open and scanned the¡ªmuch shorter¡ªlist.


    I didn¡¯t recognize most of the names: Brion of Named Blood Bloodworth, Deacon of Blood Favager, En of Highblood Frost¡­h h h¡­Ma of Blood Fairweather, Pascal of Blood Bancroft, Portrel of Highblood dwyn, Remy of Highblood Seabrook¡­h h¡­Seth of Highblood Milview¡­


    Milview, I thought, the name sounding familiar for some reason. I¡¯d heard it before, but where? Some soldier in the war? Not the man I¡¯d tortured¡­Vale¡­so where¡ª


    My eyes widened in realization.


    There weren¡¯t many cryan soldiers important enough to have their names recorded in our reports, but that was exactly where I¡¯d read the name before. The sentry who charted a path through Elshire Forest¡ªthe person responsible for the fall of Elenoir¡ªhad been named Milview.


    A scoff escaped my lips as I set down the scroll. Was this coincidence or some sick twist of fate?


    Standing up, I crossed my office, opened the door, and leaned against the frame to watch.


    Seth was cowering between the same two students who¡¯d cornered him in the library, trying awkwardly to protect his stomach and head. The wide, squat bully had his fists upzily. He met hispanion¡¯s eye, winked, then threw a knee up into Seth¡¯s unprotected face.


    As Seth hit the ground, the rest of the ss seemed to focus on me. The short-haired girl sparring on the training tform grimaced, obviously ufortable, and another young man was leaning forward in his chair, frowning at the spectacle. Others were chuckling softly or simply waiting curiously to see what I¡¯d do.


    I strode forward toward the Milview boy, shouldering the other young men out of my way. I met the heavily-set student¡¯s eyes, looking down my nose at him. ¡°Name?¡±


    ¡°Portrel,¡± he said, his chin up and chest puffed. ¡°Of Highblood dwyn.¡±


    ¡°If you n on fighting, do it in there,¡± I said, nodding toward the training ring.


    Portrel¡¯s squashed face twisted in confusion as I jerked Seth up from the ground by the back of his uniform and pushed him toward the ring. ¡°Did I stutter?¡±


    Letting out a chortle, Portrel strode purposefully to the dueling ring while Seth followed hesitantly, dabbing at a bloody nose with his sleeve.


    The girl with the short golden hair, one of the two already training in the ring, scowled at them, actually baring her teeth. ¡°We¡¯re using this.¡±


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± I said evenly. ¡°Move.¡±


    She scoffed but leapt off the training tform. Herpanion, a thin girl with brown eyes and dark hair that ran in twin braids down her back, winced as she stepped off the tform, her hand pressing against her ribs.


    The two boys climbed up onto the tform and positioned themselves a few feet apart before stepping onto the tform myself.


    I sensed the fear that struck Seth as he realized I had no intention of helping. However, he still got in a defensive stance as he faced the dwyn boy.


    Crossing my arms, I stood between the twobatants, arms crossed, ignoring the rest of the ss. ¡°Continue.¡±


    They were as mismatched a pair as I could imagine. Portrel was twice Seth¡¯s weight, even if he wasn¡¯t any taller, and was probably a Striker. From how he settledfortably into a fighting stance, both hands up and his right foot back slightly, I was sure he had trained in hand-to-handbat.


    Seth, on the other hand, was of average height but looked shorter because of the way he slouched. He was skinny to the point of looking sickly, an impression heightened by his pale skin, and had clearly never been taught to throw a punch.


    Maybe if he didn¡¯t spend all of his time in the library, I thought, ignoring the memory of him helping me that was scratching at the back of my brain.


    ¡°Well? What are you waiting for?¡± I asked the bulky Striker. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to hit him?¡±


    An even deeper confusion riddled their faces as they looked at me. Portrel recovered first, smirking as he lifted his fists. ¡°Whatever you say, Professor.¡±


    His first punch waszy, striking Seth on the inside of his shoulder, but the following uppercutnded squarely on Seth¡¯s chin, rocking the unprepared boy¡¯s head back and sending him sprawling to the ground.


    ¡°I know we¡¯re not using mana, but I expect you to at least try to throw a decent strike,¡± I said, my voice level, almost bored. ¡°You punch as if Milview here is going to lean into your fist.¡±


    His cheeks reddened. ¡°I¡¯m one of the best fist fighters my age in Vechor!¡± he argued. ¡°I have trained with¡ª¡±


    ¡°Someone who was afraid to tell you how sh*t you really are,¡± I finished for him. ¡°That¡¯s the weakness born of too much power. Now, go again.¡±


    There were some surprised snickers from the audience, including his colorful-haired buddy, which made Portrel blush even deeper. He scowled and squared up across from Seth, who was watching me instead of his opponent. Portrel didn¡¯t hold back, unleashing a series of powerful punches that Seth couldn¡¯t hope to defend against.


    The skinny boy was on his back within seconds. Portrel kicked his defenseless opponent sharply in the ribs once, then pulled back for a second, but seemed to remember himself. He gave me a defiant re, as if daring me to criticize him. .


    ¡°Your feet were crossed, and at one point you had both fists extended,¡± I said tly.


    Seth¡¯s lip had broken open, and he was slow to regain his feet. The next time Portrel struck him, he copsed immediately.


    ¡°You pulled your punch and let your wrist go limp,¡± I pointed out.


    The stocky highblood ground his teeth and nced out of the ring at the darkhaired boy who seemed to be his ringleader. From the corner of my eye, I saw him shake his head.


    Realizing I should have read through the entire list of students¡¯ names, I thought about the different bloods Abby had mentioned during our conversation, and which students she told me to be wary of. Although she had spoken about him very diplomatically, she had mentioned that the grandson of Director Ramseyer attended the academy. Looking at the dark-haired boy, I could see the resemnce.


    It made sense, then, why he was ringleader even among the highbloods.


    Turning back to the ss, I pointed to the short-haired girl. ¡°You. Are there training swords somewhere?¡±


    She nodded slowly and pointed to an open door in the corner of the room.


    ¡°Well?¡± I asked, giving her an expectant look. ¡°Can you go get them?¡±


    Her expression fell into a disbelieving grimace, but she didn¡¯t move. Her training partner gave me an ufortable look and said, ¡°I-I¡¯ll get it¡­¡± before hurrying across the ssroom to retrieve the practice swords. When she returned with them, she gave me a squinty, apologetic smile.


    The sparring swords were simple lengths of light, springy wood. I handed them to thebatants. Seth, who had finally dragged himself back to his feet, looked at the weapon as if it were a snake that was about to bite him, while Portrel twirled his with practicedfort.


    ¡°Fighting stance,¡± I ordered.


    Portrel adopted a middle stance, his left foot back with the sword held in front of him in both hands, pointed at Seth¡¯s face.


    I nced at the Milview boy, who copied him awkwardly, looking like he¡¯d never held a sword in his life, and felt a pang of annoyance. It grew from the fact that I felt more pity toward Seth than anger. He was the brother of the soldier responsible for not only the conquest of Elenoir but its destruction as well.


    If the cryans hadn¡¯t taken over the country, the asuras would¡¯ve never¡­


    A shift in the room snapped me out of my thoughts. The students around us, most of whom were only half paying attention a second ago, were now gazing at the ring with tense excitement. Seth¡¯s eyes widened as he focused on the dull de of his opponent¡¯s practice sword.


    Seeing that Portrel had adjusted his posture suddenly and seemed much more focused, I knew, even without being able to sense magic, what he was up to.


    ¡°No mana,¡± I said firmly.


    He scoffed. ¡°Such a stupid rule. What is the point of¡ª¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid to spar without it?¡± I asked with a tilt of my head.


    Portrel swelled. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of anything! My blood has¡ª¡±


    ¡°Begin,¡± I barked, catching both boys off guard. Seth jerked his sparring de down, catching Portrel on the bridge of the nose with a crack. Blood sttered the front of his uniform.


    Snarling, Portrel lunged forward, swinging the sword like a club. Seth¡¯s eyes snapped shut, and he stumbled under the wild swing purely by ident. He let his sword sag so that it ended up between Portrel¡¯s off-bnce legs, and the enraged highblood tripped and crashed to the ground at Seth¡¯s feet.


    The tall boy with multi-colored hair let out a hoot ofughter. ¡°Nice one, Port!¡±


    I blinked dumbly. ¡°Well that was fun. Did the two of you practice that littleedy skit or was it improvised?¡±


    Seth looked away, embarrassed, as he scratched the back of his head. Portrel, on the other hand, was practically vibrating in anger.


    ¡°How dare you, you unnamed trash!¡± The bulky Striker got back on his feet and pointed his sparring sword at me. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you did, but my father will¡ª¡±


    ¡°Portrel, you forget yourself,¡± a firm, authoritative voice said. I was surprised to see the Ramseyer boy on his feet. ¡°Your actions bring disrespect to your blood.¡±


    Portrel flinched, looking from his ringleader to me and back. ¡°Sorry, Valen.¡±


    The director¡¯s grandson, Valen, shed a diplomatic smile. ¡°I apologize on the behalf of both Highblood Ramseyer and Highblood dwyn, Professor. Portrel is an excellent fighter, but he has a temper.¡± There was a glimmer in Valen¡¯s eyes and a wry twist to his smile that was unsettling, but I couldn¡¯t tell what he was up to.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame you chose to match him up against such an underwhelming opponent. Perhaps your lessons will be better imparted through a personal demonstration.¡± That glimmer brightened. ¡°I¡¯m sure Portrel would be honored to spar with you, Professor.¡±


    ¡°So very honored,¡± he echoed, trying and failing to keep a vindictive smirk off his face.


    ¡°Very well,¡± I said as I slowly twisted the spiral ring off of the middle finger of my right hand.


    The ground beneath Portrel¡¯s feet trembled as the Striker darted forward with a speed that wasn¡¯t possible without magic.


    I made the slightest step to the side to avoid the wooden sword aimed at my shoulder. And with a gentle snap of my wrist, I pped the kid across the face with the back of my hand.


    Portrel¡¯s head jerked from the impact before he lost his footing and rolled right out of the unshielded dueling ring.


    Silence clung to the room as the students watched Portrel dig himself out of the seats he had crashed into.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have rolled so hard if you hadn¡¯t used mana,¡± I said matter-of-factly, securing the ebony ring back on my finger.


    ¡°ss is over,¡± I announced, focusing on Valen. ¡°Get out of here.¡±


    Laughter and excited chatter broke out from the rest of the ss as they began collecting their bags and ascending the stairs out of the ssroom.


    ¡°Help Portrel up, Remy,¡± Valen said dryly. While the tall boy helped his strugglingpanion disentangle himself from the seats, Valen¡¯s gaze lingered on me, that wry smile never slipping from his face.


    Portrel, on the other hand, glowered at his feet, careful to avoid looking in my direction, but his fists were clenched white as his friend teased him all the way up the stairs.


    From behind me, barely a whisper, I heard, ¡°Professor?¡±


    Seth had stood frozen in the corner of the tform during my exchange with Portrel, and he was now staring at me with a hopeful expression that made my stomach squirm with difort. His lip was badly swollen, and I could see the beginning of a dark bruise appearing around his left eye.


    ¡°Don¡¯t expect ss to get any easier than this, Milview,¡± I said dispassionately, the intent of my words more threat than warning. Being in crya, pretending to be a teacher¡­that was one thing. But teaching the family member of the woman who let the cryan army overtake Elenoir?


    I wasn¡¯t sure I could do that.


    ¡°Thank you for the advice, sir,¡± he answered resolutely, even as his gaze was lowered. ¡°I¡­I¡¯ll keep that in mind for your next ss.¡±


    As Seth slumped past me, my attention was drawn to the exit, where students were starting to bottleneck. ¡°I said ss is over! What¡¯s the hold up?¡±


    Reluctantly, the gawking boys stepped aside, revealing a blue-haired, scarlet-eyed woman.


    ¡°Long time no see, Grey.¡±

 Chapter 349: Hope and Lies

    <h4>Chapter 349: Hope and Lies</h4>


    My mana arrow struck the clod of dirt dead center, causing it to burst apart in a dusty cloud. The arrow continued along its path to the golem that had just thrown it, clipping it in the right temple. Although part of the golem¡¯s head copsed, it apparently wasn¡¯t enough to count as a kill, because the animated pile of dirt and rocks shuffled to the side, preparing another attack.


    At the same time, a second golem appeared, growing up out of the ground like it was melting in reverse. It had a huge stone axe trained at my head. I let out a snort.


    ¡°Dirt clods and blunt axes? I¡¯ve trained with a Lance, Hornfels,¡± I said flippantly as I sidestepped a clumsy swing by the axe-wielding golem.


    The axe came up in a side-hand cut aimed at my hip, but I rolled backwards over my shoulder. Reinforcing my bow with mana, I swept the golem¡¯s leg out from under it, then had two arrows glowing against the string of my elven bow before I was on my feet again. Splitting the mana arrows with my finger, I sent them on slightly different trajectories so that one pierced the axe-wielding golem¡¯s chest, while the second took the clod-thrower in the throat.


    ¡°Nice shot, Ellie!¡± my new friend Camellia whooped.


    I shed the young elf a toothy grin, then yelped in surprise as the ground beneath me turned to muck. As I sank up to my knees, three more golems grew out of the ground and glowered down at me.


    I threw myself t in the muck to avoid a crushing blow from a stone fist. The ground hardened again, trapping me half in the rocky cavern floor. I spit out a mouthful of mud.


    ¡°Yuck,¡± I moaned, trying to adjust my position butpletely stuck.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I¡¯ve also trained with a Lance, you overconfident little twig,¡± Hornfels said jovially.


    Soft footsteps darted toward me. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Camellia asked.


    Hornfels let out a low chuckle, and the stone turned to sand, releasing me. ¡°She¡¯ll be just fine. Don¡¯t fawn over her, girl. Thess has a big enough head as it is.¡±


    I drew myself out of the sand pit and brushed myself off. ¡°I do not have a big head!¡±


    Someone huffed sarcastically, and I turned to see two familiar figures walking toward us.


    ¡°Jasmine! Emily!¡± I shouted with excitement. ¡°Come to see how awesome I¡¯ve gotten?¡±


    ¡°No, not big-headed at all¡­¡± Camellia teased. I shoved yfully at her shoulder, and she poked me in the ribs, then jumped away before I could get her back.


    ¡°I just needed to make sure this one wasn¡¯t getting into trouble,¡± Jasmine said, nodding to Camellia.


    The serious adventurer hadn¡¯t changed much since I was a little kid. I liked all of the Twin Horns, but was secretly a little scared of Jasmine. When Helen, Durden, and Ang Rose had originally been brought to the sanctuary, Jasmine hadn¡¯te with them. Camellia had told me all about how Jasmine saved her, though, so I was d she¡¯de back.


    ¡°Actually, we were looking for Hornfels,¡± Emily piped in. ¡°Helen suggested we get some training time in too.¡±


    Unlike Jasmine, Emily had changed a lot in a pretty short amount of time. There was a hardened edge to her that she definitely hadn¡¯t had before, and sometimes I¡¯d notice her go sort of nk and cold. She¡¯d chopped off her hair after it¡¯d been burned in an explosion, but at least her eyebrows were growing back.


    I¡¯d been so happy when she arrived with the Twin Horns and Gideon. We weren¡¯t best friends or anything, but Emily had always been nice to me, and she had even made a custom bow back then that took advantage of my pure mana techniques.


    She was a total genius, though, so it wasn¡¯t exactly surprising that she¡¯d found a way to survive. She and Gideon had been captured by the cryans and forced to work for them, but the Twin Horns had helped to save them. Or they¡¯d helped to save Jasmine? I was still a little fuzzy on the details.


    She had been almost as bummed as I was to hear that my bow had been destroyed. Unfortunately, we didn¡¯t have any of the tools or resources she needed to make another one in the sanctuary so I was stuck using a practice bow.


    It was still really good to have them both back. And seeing more familiar faces had been good for Mom, too. She¡¯d started toe back to life a little as she realized that a lot of our friends were still alive out there, just waiting for help.


    ¡°I¡¯m about done with Princess Leywin anyway,¡± Hornfels jeered, making Camellia giggle.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I said indignantly.


    ¡°Another princess? Just what we need¡­¡± Jasmine said, and she seemed so serious that I couldn¡¯t tell if she was joking or not.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind her,¡± Camellia said, wrinkling her nose. ¡°She¡¯s just not very good at expressing herself.¡±


    Jasmine raised a brow at the elven girl. ¡°Careful, Skunk.¡±


    Camellia crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at Jasmine.


    ¡°All right then,¡± Hornfels said,ughing loudly. ¡°The Watsken girl I¡¯m familiar with, but you¡¯ll have to walk me through your abilities, Miss mesworth¡­¡±


    My attention drifted away from the others as Jasmine and Hornfels began to discuss sparring.


    We had chosen a t ridge overlooking most of the cavern to be our training ground. It was far enough away that we weren¡¯t likely to identally break something in the process. I also liked it because it looked down on the vige, and I could see almost every house from up here, and most of the tunnels out of town.


    Curtis and Kathyln yder were marching quickly toward the tunnel leading to the teleportation gate. After what happened in Elenoir, most of us never left the sanctuary anymore, but the yders, along with a few other strong mages, were still going on missions to look for more refugees.


    The members of our expedition to Elenoir had stayed pretty close after we all got back from Elenoir. Kathyln described it as a ¡°shared guilt.¡± Each of us thought we could have¡ªshould have¡ªdone more to make sure Tessia was safe.


    The only one who didn¡¯t seem interested in checking in with us at all was the elven guard, Albold. Apparently he¡¯d wanted to return to the forest almost immediately when Tessia and I didn¡¯te back, but Virion wouldn¡¯t let him. Then, when Bairon confirmed that Elenoir was entirely gone, well¡­


    I shook my head. I¡¯d tried to consider how it would feel to know Sapin was just¡­gone, but¡­


    ¡°Ellie, you okay?¡± Camellia asked, nudging me with her elbow.


    ¡°Of course,¡± I said as I slung my bow over my shoulder. ¡°But I¡¯m pretty tired. I¡¯m going to call it a day, okay?¡±


    Waving to the others, I turned and began the long descent into town, unsure what to do with myself. I was tired, but I was also¡­


    I didn¡¯t even really know. I never knew how to feel anymore, and so I¡¯d started just pushing it all into the background.


    Was that how you dealt with it, Brother? I wondered.


    Sighing, I kicked a stone down the size of the natural ramp I was walking down. It ttered away over the edge, eventuallynding with a ssh in the stream.


    It didn¡¯t help that I was surrounded by people who had lost everything. I¡¯d lost my dad and my brother¡ªand my childhood¡ªto the war, but then I thought of Camellia¡­her entire family had been killed during the invasion, her home was gone, most of the people she¡¯d ever met were dead¡­


    I wanted to understand it. I wanted to help Camellia and Virion and all the others, but I just couldn¡¯t wrap my head around what they¡¯d experienced.


    Albold was the only other elven member of our group. Maybe it was selfish of me, but it felt like he was my connection to what happened. I wanted him to help me understand what he was feeling, but he¡¯d pretty much gone into hiding.


    There were other elves I could talk to, of course. Commander Virion was in meetings all the time, though, and, as much as I had wanted to speak to him, I hadn¡¯t been allowed in weeks.


    Rinia said she was too weak for visitors, but she hadn¡¯t moved back into the sanctuary. I couldn¡¯t help feeling that something was going on between Virion and her. I just couldn¡¯t guess what. And since neither one was speaking with me, well¡­


    Having Camellia was great, at least. There were a few other kids in the sanctuary, but no one who understood what I¡¯d been through the way she did. Maybe it was because we were so much alike that we both struggled to really understand what had happened. Before Jasmine saved her, she had already lost her whole family, and seemed kind of numb when it came to the attack on her homnd.


    There were others, too, but no one I felt like I could talk to. If Tessia were still here, she could¡ª


    Could she? I shed back to that moment in the little elven town, with Tessia, looking beautiful, standing above her shocked and confused people¡­


    Shaking my head, I turned away from that thought. Instead, my mind went back to Albold. I¡¯d gone looking for him a few times over thest few weeks, but hadn¡¯t found him. Still, trying again wouldn¡¯t hurt, I told myself, and maybe he needed to talk to me as much as I needed to talk to him.


    Although I was sure he wouldn¡¯t be there, I headed for the town hall first. Albold hadn¡¯t been at any of his regr guard shifts since I¡¯d given my report to the council, but I really wasn¡¯t sure where else to look.


    As I¡¯d expected, two unfamiliar guards nked the door, while the elven woman named Lenna stood at the foot of the stairs. She was watching me approach.


    I hadn¡¯t made it within thirty feet of her before she said, ¡°Sorry, Miss Leywin, the Commander is not avable.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± I started nervously, ¡°I was looking for the guard, Albold. Do you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Albold is still on his leave of absence, due to his injury,¡± she interrupted me, speaking firmly.


    I happened to know that my mother had personally tended to the elf¡¯s wounds moments after he teleported back to the sanctuary. Although there would have been some lingering difort for a bit, he had gone back to his duties almost immediately. Still, there was no point arguing with the head guard. I also knew what she¡¯d say when I asked where he was now, but I tried anyway.


    ¡°As I said before, Albold has been given a private cave outside of the town, and has asked not to be disturbed. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll let you know when he is feeling better.¡± The way she said this made it very clear just how likely she thought it was that Albold would seek me out for anything.


    I wanted to be mad about her attitude, but then I just thought of Elenoir again, and my stomach folded into a knot. ¡°Sorry to bother you. Thank you for your time and¡±¡ªI scrambled for something to say, feeling myself grow more awkward with each word¡ª¡°your service,¡± I finished with a wince.


    Turning at the edge of the town hall, I intended to weave into one of the alleys and just walk for a while, but a noise from inside therge building brought me up short.


    As I listened closer, I realized there was a sound dampening spell in ce, but someone had shouted loud enough for my sensitive ears to pick it out.


    Looking around to make sure no one was watching, I moved closer to the side of the town hall where therge conference room was, but there was something there, like an electrical charge in the atmosphere, or a crushing pressure, enough to make my ears pop. Even though I wasn¡¯t sure what was causing it, I trusted my instincts enough not to get any closer.


    There was a smallmunal garden right next to the town hall. It only grew roots and mushrooms and stuff, so I didn¡¯t usually spend much time there, but it was the perfect cover now.


    Taking a seat in the middle of the garden, I pretended to be examining the nts. Instead, I activated the first phase of my beast will. Noises from all over the cavern grew loud in my ears as my senses sharpened dramatically so that I had to take a few seconds to carefully tune it all out. I focused on the town hall, listening for Virion¡¯s growling voice.


    ¡°¡ªartifacts we were promised. This lie you¡¯ve made me tell is only worth it if we¡ª¡±


    Another voice interrupted themander. ¡°The lie you¡¯ve agreed to tell is best for all, Virion, as we¡¯ve discussed at length. I understand you are eager to retake your continent, but the artifacts are not yet ready. Nor, for that matter, are the asuras.¡±


    Although I hadn¡¯t heard this second voice in many years, I knew immediately who it was. There was no way I could forget the man¡ªor deity¡ªwho gave me Boo.


    But what were they talking about? Lies? Artifacts? I didn¡¯t understand.


    Virion¡¯s voice was a snarl when he replied, ¡°Damned your games, Windsom. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve forgiven your crime against my people. I spread your lie only because I have no other choice. Knowing what the asuras did would shatter what little hope remains in Dicathen.¡±


    ¡°You are correct,¡± Windsom said, his voice cold and emotionless. ¡°You have no choice, Commander Virion. If you wish to lead your people¡ªelves, humans, and dwarves alike¡ªthrough this war, then convincing everyone that the destruction of Elenoir was an act of the Vritra n is essential.


    ¡°The story has yed well in Epheotus,¡± Windsom continued. ¡°Even the remaining basilisk ns have starteding around. Soon, Lord Indrath will have enough support to proceed with a full-scale war.¡±


    ¡°But Dicathen will be protected?¡± Virion asked¡ªsomewhat nervously, I thought.


    ¡°You have my word,¡± Windsom answered firmly. ¡°Lord Indrath is fervent in his desire that Dicathen will be unharmed by this war. As for the cryan popce, well, it is unfortunate¡­¡±


    ¡°And my granddaughter?¡± Virion shot back. ¡°Will she be more coteral damage for your war? You told me you¡¯d find her, asura.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have nothing new to report on this matter,¡± Windsom confirmed. ¡°We know only that Tessia¡¯s vessel¡ªher body¡ªis currently in crya, but the ns of Epheotus have no knowledge of this reincarnation technique Agrona has used. In the event that it is not reversible, you must be prepared to¡ª¡±


    Reincarnation? My heart was beating so loud in my chest that it drowned out Windsom¡¯s words. Like Brother?


    A faint pop made me jump, and suddenly all I could see was the big, hairy body of my bond. His head was swiveling around, looking for danger, and as he turned around hisrge rump knocked me over. My concentration on keeping my beast will active broke and the enhanced senses faded.


    ¡°Boo!¡± I grumbled as I tried to sit up, but couldn¡¯t because of the wall of fur hovering over me.


    He let out a grumble that shook the ground.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not in danger! I was just¡ª¡±


    Another rumble, this time apanied by a whine.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m sorry I interrupted your hunt, but I didn¡¯t ask you to¡ª¡±


    The enormous, bearlike mana beast sat back with a humph, crushing a patch of glowing mushrooms.


    ¡°Hello, Eleanor,¡± a voice said from nearby, causing me to let out a yelp. Boo was on his feet again in an instant, his bulk obscuring the speaker.


    Grabbing a handful of my bond¡¯s fur, I pulled myself up and stepped around him. Windsom was standing just outside the garden, his hands held behind his back.


    ¡°Um, hello¡­sir?¡± I said nervously. Had he somehow realized I was eavesdropping on his conversation? What would he do to me if he knew that I¡¯d overheard¡­?


    To my surprise, the asura took a seat on arge rock just outside the garden and raised his hand toward Boo. My bond approached him warily, sniffing at the outstretched hand. Then my bond¡¯s demeanor seemed to change, and he gave the asura a lick.


    I gawked as Windsom let out a smallugh. ¡°Apparently he remembers me.¡± He started scratching Boo¡¯s forehead between the white markings above his eyes, and my bond¡¯s rear paw began to thud against the ground in pleasure.


    We sat in silence for a few seconds. My mind was nk with fear.


    ¡°You know, I had intended to return to you eventually,¡± Windsom said, his gaze on Boo¡¯s wide head. ¡°You need to know more about your bond, if you¡¯re to begin the assimtion phase of¡­¡±


    His head turned to face me, and I could practically feel his eyes burrowing down into me, looking at my core. ¡°Fascinating,¡± he murmured. ¡°You havepleted the assimtion phase, and can utilize his beast will. And you aplished this without aid?¡±


    My tongue seemed to swell up to the size of Boo¡¯s in my mouth, and I couldn¡¯t respond. Was this some borate trick so I would reveal that I¡¯d been spying on them?


    ¡°I¡¯m making you nervous,¡± Windsom observed. ¡°I speak to so few of your kind. My apologies.¡±


    Boo turned back to me and nudged my arm with his broad head. When he touched me, warmth poured out of my core, pushing away the fear. I let out a shaky breath.


    Windsom smiled, and I could see his eyes tracking the movement of the warm glow as it moved throughout my body. ¡°You have indeede a long way with your bond. Again, I apologize for not having this conversation sooner. I had not guessed you wouldplete your assimtion without my assistance.¡±


    I looked at the backs of my hands and my arms, where the fine hairs were standing on end. ¡°What¡­what kind of mana beast is Boo, anyway?¡±


    ¡°We call them only guardian beasts,¡± Windsom answered, shifting on his seat so he was facing me directly. ¡°They are bred¡ªor perhaps created is a better term¡ªby the Grandus n of the titan race. A guardian beast¡¯s entire purpose bes the protection of its bond.¡±


    ¡°What else can he do?¡± I asked breathlessly, my eyes locked on Boo¡¯s, my fear forgotten. I had known he wasn¡¯t a normal mana beast, but I¡¯d never guessed he was some kind of super-Epheotus mana beast.


    ¡°Their powers manifest differently based on their form,¡± Windsom went on, ¡°but all guardian beasts are meant for protection, and so they can sense when their bond is in danger and teleport to them at great distance, if necessary. Eventually, this guardian bear will be able to protect you in other ways, too, such as absorbing physical damage to your body and taking the wounds himself.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said softly, running a hand along Boo¡¯s neck. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like that very much.¡±


    Windsom gave me a curious look. ¡°Such is the purpose of a guardian beast. A guardian bear can also inspire great courage in its bond, allowing you to push past your fear when necessary, as I believe you just experienced.¡±


    ¡°When I channel Boo¡¯s beast will, I can¡­um¡­¡± I trailed off, realizing I didn¡¯t really want to talk about my enhanced senses.


    ¡°It gives you insight into the beast¡¯s own senses, yes,¡± Windsom said, picking up my train of thought. ¡°It can be quite powerful. The second phase should then manifest some of your bond¡¯s strength and fighting prowess, but it differs from asura to asura, and I honestly can¡¯t tell you how a human will adapt to the second phase. It is possible¡ªquite likely even¡ªthat you will never pass the integrate phase.¡±


    I slowly nodded. Virion had said something simr when I asked him about my beast will. It was apparently prettymon for beast tamers to stop at the assimte phase, and some couldn¡¯t even assimte properly.


    ¡°Why did you give me Boo?¡± I asked, unable to suppress the thought. Now that I knew the truth about what Boo was, it seemed pretty unlikely that a deity would decide to just hand me one of their special guardian beasts.


    Windsom sat in silence for a while, pondering. A frown slowly creased his brow, and I felt his strangling aura leak out for an instant. Then he was on his feet. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I must return to Epheotus.¡±


    He looked down at me, and rather than being drawn to his strange, cosmic eyes, I felt my body trying to pull itself away from him. It only took a second more to figure out why.


    The night sky over Elenoir, that¡¯s what his eyes looked like¡­Before he and Aldir destroyed the entire country, I reminded myself with a tremor of fear.


    ¡°Know that your brother is not forgotten among the asura, Eleanor. You were important to him, and so you are important to us. That is why I gave you a guardian beast.¡±


    Before I could respond, the asura had vanished.


    I sat in the garden for a long time after that, thinking. I still couldn¡¯t be sure if Windsom had somehow realized I overheard him and Virion or not. Was that why he decided to tell me about Boo now? I wondered. To distract me? Or maybe show me that he wasn¡¯t a threat, that he still cared about us?


    I wanted to be mad, but if Commander Virion was willing to go along with this lie to save Dicathen, then what right did I have to question him?


    Then I thought of Albold, who wanted to know the truth more than anything. Doesn¡¯t he, and the rest of the survivors, deserve to know the truth? I asked myself.


    Wrapping my forearms around my knees, I pulled myself into a ball and wished, not for thest time, that Arthur or Tessia were there with me.

 Chapter 350: Colleagues

    <h4>Chapter 350: Colleagues</h4>


    CAERA DENOIR


    I kept my face impassive, my tone leveled, and my posture straight as I strode into his ss. After all, I was to be seen by others as merely a colleague, nothing more.


    So why in the Vritra¡¯s grace did I blurt out his name, announcing the fact that we know each other already?


    Around me, the students broke out into shocked whispers as they tried to determine the rtionship between us. My mind was already whirling with what my next words should be to hopefully quench any potential rumors that might spread from this room. Grey wasn¡¯t a fan of attention, and I preferred not to start off on the wrong foot once again.


    I attempted to make my way through the wave of pampered teens when a fierce young woman with short-cropped golden hair stepped into my path.


    She gave me a practiced curtsy before speaking just loudly enough for her ssmates to hear. ¡°Lady Caera of Highblood Denoir, my mother and father asked that I pass along their well wishes to you and your blood should we meet in school.¡±


    ¡°You must be the youngest of Highblood Frost,¡± I affirmed.


    ¡°En,¡± the blond said proudly. ¡°I¡¯ve been a fan of yours since your earlier ascensions were made public. I strive to one day be an ascender as distinguished as yourself, Lady Caera.¡±


    I gave her a nod. ¡°Then you would do well taking notes in this ss.¡±


    The Frost girl, along with the students around her, frowned in confusion and offense as I walked past. The girl to En¡¯s right, who stuck to her in a servile way that marked her as being of the Redcliff blood, gave me a quick bow before escorting her master out of the room.


    The whispers grew louder as the students now tried to deduce what myst words meant, but my attention was on the golden-eyed professor standing with his arms crossed in the training ring.


    Grey was silent, his face unreadable even as we locked eyes.


    I feared that he already knew what had brought me to this school. But worse than that, I feared he didn¡¯t know but naturally assumed.


    ¡°I apologize for my ssmates¡¯ rudeness,¡± a voice rang, pulling me from my thoughts.


    The speaker, a lean young man with ebony skin and piercing eyes, shouldered past a couple of the others and held out his hand. ¡°I am Valen of Highblood Ramseyer. We¡¯ve never had the pleasure, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°I have business with your professor,¡± I interrupted, ignoring his outstretched hand while sweeping a cold gaze through the crowd of students. ¡°And as he mentioned¡­ss is over.¡±


    The Ramseyer heir¡¯s jaw clenched as he recoiled his hand before strutting out. The whispers and murmurs only grew as the rest of the ss followed suit. Only thest student to leave was wordless, his thin frame hunched forward as he struggled to climb the stairs, his gaze glued to his shoes.


    I straightened my blouse as I began descending toward him. Now that it was only the two of us, my mind began racing, trying toe up with the next words to break this tension.


    Letting out a sigh, I stopped halfway down the stairs and settled for the words, ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again.¡±


    Again, I was met with silence, the only change in his expression being a raised brow of suspicion.


    I held up my hands in a cating gesture while also showing him my ring. ¡°I merely came to say ¡®hi¡¯ and to catch up with a friend.¡±


    ¡°And here I was worried you were stalking me,¡± he answered, unwavering in his impacivity.


    I nodded seriously. ¡°Oh yes. Because I¡¯ve yearned for your grumpy, vaguely-threatening presence.¡±


    The smallest twitch disturbed the corner of his lips. ¡°I¡¯m not grumpy.¡±


    I let out a scoff as I sat down in the nearest seat. ¡°Right¡­¡±


    Turning his back on me, Grey began to fiddle with the controls of the training tform. Kayden¡¯s ssroom had something simr, so I should have guessed what was about to happen, but¡ª


    A sharp jolt of pain shot up through my rear end and into my back, causing me to yelp and jump out of the seat.


    Grey stifled augh, finally dropping his cool demeanor as I red down at him. ¡°Too bad Regis is sleeping,¡± he said. ¡°He¡¯d have loved that.¡±


    I rubbed at the spot where the pain-inducing rune had shocked me. ¡°So childish¡­¡±


    He had the good grace to look sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck¡ªbut still smiling like an idiot. ¡°I was just wrapping up here. Want to go for a walk? We should talk about what happened.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I snapped.


    Then, I let out a sigh. ¡°Yes, I suppose.¡±


    After he locked up his office and haphazardly put away a few training implements, we left the building, walking slowly in the general direction of Windcrest Hall, where we were both staying.


    ¡°So¡­¡± I started after a minute of awkward silence. ¡°Professor Grey, hm?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It seemed¡­¡±


    ¡°Prudent?¡± I finished for him.


    He gave me a stiff nod.


    ¡°It was a smart move,¡± I affirmed with a slight smile. ¡°What you did to those mercenaries in the Relictombs¡­well, it¡¯s an open secret that was you, but after your trial, the High Hall had no interest in pursuing you, and the Granbehls left their Relictombs estate and returned to Vechor, where they¡¯ve been pretty quiet.¡±


    Grey¡¯s pace stuttered and his brows furrowed. ¡°You¡¯re awfully well informed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, I have my resources,¡± I said, watching a group of students jog past.


    The constant activity and bustle of the campus had always been both exciting and, in a way, exhausting for me. I¡¯d had private tutors growing up, and when Sevren, Lauden, and I were socialized, it was for the sake of formal dinner parties at our¡ªor some other highblood¡¯s¡ªestate. It was only muchter, when I was a teenager, that I was allowed to attend the academy, and even then only for two seasons. Although many of the students here were from highbloods, my Vritra blood had assured me I would always be treated as a crystalline statue rather than an actual person.


    Even in the Relictombs, I had always been protected by the Haedrig disguise and the presence of my guards, Taegan and Arian. The academy was different, especially because my adoptive blood along with my own aplishments brought a fair amount of undesired attention.


    ¡°Lady Caera,¡± a crisp voice announced from behind us. Grey and I both stopped and turned, and I saw Grey¡¯s face tten into an impassive mask from the corner of my eye.


    The speaker was a mage with overly-styled hair and a showy robe. I didn¡¯t recognize him.


    ¡°Lady Caera,¡± he repeated with a bow. His eyes stayed on mine, never so much as acknowledging Grey¡¯s presence. ¡°An honor to finally meet you. I am Janusz of Blood Graeme, professor of¡ª¡±


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± I said in a polite tone that still managed to convey my dismissal. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve interrupted my conversation with Professor Grey. Perhaps we can speakter, at a more appropriate time.¡±


    With a curt nod, I turned away from the man, who looked as if I had pped him.


    I turned toward Grey, curious to see his reaction, but the heartless ascender had already left me.


    Jerk, I thought with a frown before catching up to him.


    I found myself sneaking nces at Grey, taking in his sharp profile as we walked together in silence. ¡°I apologize if any rumors spread because you were seen with me.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize being in your mere presence would evoke so much attention,¡± Grey said, his tone carrying just a hint of teasing humor. ¡°Forgive me for being unaware of how much of an honor it is.¡±


    ¡°You are forgiven,¡± I replied sagely before letting out a soft chuckle.


    ¡°Maybe having some drama between us will keep these highbloods distracted from me.¡± The corner of Grey¡¯s lips curved up ever-so-slightly as he gazed idly ahead.


    I scoffed. ¡°You act as if the only thing we value is interesting gossip.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Grey returned.


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ll have to introduce you to Professor Aphelion. You two should be fast friends given your mutual loathing of the noble ss.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already met,¡± Grey stated, before he turned his gaze to me. ¡°But I¡¯d like to know more about him.¡±


    ¡°Kayden of Highblood Aphelion was a distinguished mage,¡± I answered as we passed between the Chapel and the Relictomb portal. The portal frame was humming with energy, indicating someone had just used it. ¡°A regalia on his third rune, foremost son of his house, and in line to be the next highlord before he was wounded in the war.¡±


    ¡°He was in the war?¡±


    Grey had fallen back to concealing his emotions behind an expressionless face. He might as well have been wearing a mask.


    ¡°He was,¡± I said, uncertain why this would surprise him, or even if he was surprised. ¡°The rumor is¡­¡± I caught myself and let the words trail off. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not really my ce to say. But it ismon knowledge that he was captured and tortured by the Dicathians.¡±


    Grey frowned and seemed to focus far into the distance. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what memory had surfaced. Had he lost people in the war?


    ¡°Have I misspoken?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m just¡­thinking about the war,¡± he said.


    I stopped short, biting my lip as I thought about what Grey had said.


    Suddenly, everything made sense. His insistence on doing things alone and avoiding others, the way he seemed to step back from himself whenever Dicathen or the war was mentioned, how he never spoke about his life prior to the Relictombs¡­


    ¡°You were in the war, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    Grey froze before turning in my direction, his usually-apathetic eyes now frigid and sharp. ¡°What makes you think that?¡±


    I hesitated. It seemed in as day, now that I¡¯d made the connection, but it was also my mentor¡¯s interest in him. But I wasn¡¯t sure if I could¡ªor should¡ªconfirm that Scythe Seris was my mentor just yet.


    ¡°Nevermind,¡± he said with a single sharp shake of his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Yes, I was, but I¡¯d prefer not to talk about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Of course,¡± I said.


    Grey wouldn¡¯t be the only soldier that had been scarred from this war. When he refused the Denoirs¡¯ invitation, I had attributed it to his frustrating individuality, but now I could see how he intensely avoided any of the politicals woven into cryan society. I didn¡¯t push the topic further, despite the fierce curiosity I had for this mysterious ascender and his past.


    Still, I couldn¡¯t help but linger on thoughts of the war as we walked on in silence. The war itself was a regr topic of conversation among the named and highbloods, but I¡¯d never imagined myself fighting against Dicathen much less thought about how that might have changed me.


    I had never yearned for the kind of glory war brings. I had no interest in killing those who had never harmed me, regardless of where they were born or to who they swore allegiance.


    And because of Scythe Seris¡¯s teachings, I knew that the High Sovereign''s expansion to Dicathen was self-serving at best, and that it didn¡¯t benefit the people of crya, nobility or otherwise. I couldn¡¯t imagine being forced to fight for a cause I didn¡¯t support.


    If my life had been different, though, if Scythe Seris hadn¡¯t hidden the knowledge of my blood¡¯s manifestation, I very well could have been trained for ughter and unleashed upon the Dicathians.


    What then? Would I have returned like Grey, quiet, cold, and often unreadable? Or would I have be more like Kayden, withdrawing into a mise and acting as if nothing in the world mattered at all anymore?


    I forced myself to focus on the canopy of trees and the singing birds around me, pushing any further thoughts of the war away. There was no benefit in thinking about all of this now.


    When we finally reached Windcrest Hall, I followed Grey into his room. As he held the door open for me and I saw the inside, I couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    He scanned the room, frowning. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just exactly how I imagined it. Entirely barren of personal belongings or homelyforts. It looks like you¡¯re ready to leave at a moment¡¯s notice.¡±


    Grey regarded me with a raised brow. ¡°That¡¯s kind of rude. What does your room look like then? Did you bring your entire collection of stuffed dolls with you?¡±


    I gaped at him, then narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms defensively. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I only brought one, and it would be an insult to call him a mere ¡®stuffed doll¡¯ considering how ferocious he looks.¡±


    His icy facade cracked momentarily, letting through a brief but bright smile that reminded me of our time in the Relictombs. Things were always easier minus the distractions of ¡°normal¡± life.


    Helping myself to a seat at the Sovereigns Quarrel board, I read the inscription and ran my fingers along one of the red stone pieces. ¡°I like the Hercross red and gray,¡± I said absentmindedly. ¡°It¡¯s more striking than the in ck and white pieces I have.¡±


    Without preamble, Grey withdrew a couple of items from his dimensional storage. ¡°It¡¯s about time I returned these.¡±


    He held out my brother¡¯s white-ded dagger, handle first. The Denoir medallion dangled from it, catching the light as it spun slowly.


    I had resisted the urge to follow Grey¡¯s location using the medallion after he was released from the High Hall. Even when my parents and mentor insisted I spy for them, I hadn¡¯t activated the tracking function. I wanted to earn the man¡¯s trust, and stalking him with magic seemed like a poor way to do it.


    Still, there was a certainfort in knowing that I could find him if I really needed to. The thought of giving up that capability made me uneasy.


    ¡°Keep them,¡± I said, my voice shaking slightly. ¡°Sevren would be d to know his dagger continues to find use in the Relictombs.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t want to sacrifice your power to track me down if necessary,¡± he added. The words weren¡¯t cruel or angry, just matter-of-fact.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡ª¡±


    ¡°I already lost your brother¡¯s cloak,¡± he interrupted. ¡°If this dagger is all you have to remember him by, then you should keep it. As for the medallion, I won¡¯t be needing Highblood Denoir¡¯s protection.¡±


    My throat constricted as I thought of Sevren. Lenora and Corbett had decided he must be dead and chose to move on even before I received confirmation from Grey, but I had always held out hope. Seeing Grey with that dagger and the teal cloak Sevren favored had dashed that hope, but failed to provide any real closure.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I said after taking a steadying breath. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The brushed silver handle was cool to the touch. I pressed my fingers into the grooves, but they were toorge for me. Tugging the sheath up to examine the de, my breath caught in my throat. Inscribed at the base of the de was a symbol: a hexagon with three parallel lines carved inside it.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Grey asked, studying my expression carefully as he took the seat across from me.


    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just that¡­¡± Sliding the sheath back into ce, I stored the dagger and medallion both in my new dimension ring. ¡°Before, in the room of mirrors, while I was still¡­¡±


    ¡°Haedrig?¡± Grey asked when I hesitated.


    ¡°Yes. I told you I¡¯d studied aether, a little.¡± Grey nodded as he leaned forward in his chair. ¡°It was mostly Sevren who studied aether. That¡¯s what the insignia is: an ancient rune meaning aether. Three marks for time, space, and life, and the hexagon as a symbol of connection, binding, and building. He used it like a sort of¡­signature, I suppose. Something he started as a child, marking things with the symbol for aether to give them ¡®power.¡¯ It just kind of stuck with him.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Grey¡¯s attention lingered on the ring where the dagger was now stored. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize. I hadn¡¯t seen that particr rune before.¡±


    I twisted the ring around my finger as the animated conversations with Sevren regarding magic and the Relictombs came back to me. ¡°He thought there was more to the Relictombs than what the Sovereigns told us. That by ascending, we could learn how to do what they did¡­manipte the fabric of reality through aether.¡±


    Grey began to fiddle with the game board, moving a center shield forward. ¡°Is that what you think?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to y or was just fidgeting, but I countered by taking a caster along the right edge to threaten any piece that broke away from the line. ¡°Well, I met you in the Relictombs, and you can wield aether, so¡­¡±


    Grey was impassive as he moved a second shield to support the first.


    I tucked a lock of blue hair behind my ear as I sent another caster along the left of the board to force his sentry down the middle.


    The key to true victory in Sovereigns Quarrel was to secure a path through the board. This required forethought, but also creativity. It was a slow and cautious game. Alternatively, by focusing on the destruction of the enemy Sentry alone, it was possible to end the game quickly, but often left both yers dissatisfied.


    ¡°We both know your being here is no coincidence,¡± Grey said as he made his next move.


    ¡°No,¡± I admitted, weighing my move¡ªand my words¡ªcarefully. ¡°It is not.¡±


    Deciding bold action was required, I moved a striker into the center of the field. ¡°When you didn¡¯t throw yourself at my adoptive parents¡¯ feet after the trial, they arranged for me to assist Professor Aphelion in order to spy on you and¡­win you over, if I can. My mentor¡±¡ªI held Scythe Seris¡¯s name back, hesitant to reveal that connection yet¡ª¡°asked me to keep an eye on you as well, separately.¡±


    Grey¡¯s focus never left the game board. He didn¡¯t flinch, frown, or blink. We exchanged a handful of moves before he spoke again.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯m pretty popr.¡±


    I pouted my lips and stared at him angrily. ¡°You are an aberration that no one seems to know what to do with, and through my own recklessness, I have been shackled with the responsibility of keeping track of you.¡±


    Grey blinked in surprise, to which I responded with a genuineugh. ¡°I only jest¡­at least partially. I think forcing me to be an assistant to Professor Aphelion was also my parents'' way of punishing me for sneaking out.¡±


    The mysterious ascender scratched ufortably at his wheat-blond hair, and his eyes lost focus for an instant.


    ¡°Oh, so you choose right now to wake up,¡± he said tartly.


    I quirked a brow at him, not following until a momentter when the small, fiery puppy form of Regis leapt out of his side andnded on the ground with a stumble.


    ¡°Again?¡± I asked as he spun around, his fiery little tail wagging. ¡°Is your master abusing you?¡±


    The puppy plopped onto its rear and stared up at Grey, his muzzle scrunched up condescendingly. ¡°My current state was due to his gross negligence, yes.¡±


    Smirking, I bent down to pat him on the head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re much more grand when you¡¯re full size.¡±


    Regis¡¯s furry chest puffed out. ¡°I know, right?¡±


    I turned back to Grey, who was staring at the shadow wolf pup in that way he had when they weremunicating mentally. ¡°It¡¯s rude to exclude guests from the conversation, you know?¡±


    Grey grimaced and scratched the back of his neck. ¡°I was just catching him up. He¡¯s been out for a while.¡±


    I waited for Grey to say something else, to pick back up our previous conversation¡ªask me questions, tell me to leave, anything¡ªbut he stayed silent. Tiring of the game, I decided a true victory wasn¡¯t in the cards for the day. Using a caster I had allowed to be isted near his hold, I killed a stranded shield and stopped a few spaces from his sentry.


    ¡°Do you n on going through with what the Denoirs and this mysterious Scythe mentor have asked?¡± he said finally, shifting his sentry forward a space.


    I felt the blood rush to my face. This is exactly what I had worried about most: that, even after everything we¡¯d been through in the Relictombs together, he still wouldn¡¯t trust me.


    ¡°If you think that I would spy on you even after informing you that I have been sent to spy on you, then one of us does not deserve to be molding young cryan minds, although I can¡¯t be sure if that someone is you or me.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you really here?¡± he asked, his steady gaze pinning me to my chair.


    The question shouldn¡¯t have caught me off guard, but I still struggled to form an answer.


    The truth was that I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that Grey was somehow the key to unlocking the secrets of the Relictombs. He was an enigma, a person unlike any I had ever met before, and I couldn¡¯t help being drawn to him. Sitting across from him now, feeling the weight of his attention crushing me, I knew it was foolish to call my feelings for him romantic. It was a fascination, and one that I knew would be dangerous for both of us.


    I wanted to see what he would aplish. Not to bask in the reflected glory of his achievements, but to be a part of whatever change he wrought on the world, to have the power to make my voice heard.


    Taking my caster piece, I made my final move.


    ¡°Because I trust you, Grey. There aren¡¯t many people in this life I can say that about, but I trust you, and I¡¯m still hoping to earn your trust for myself.¡±


    He met my eye then. For a moment, his mask fell away. I saw surprise and doubt in the lines of his brow, appreciation in the curl of his lips, wonder and fear in his eyes¡­His face carried a world of conflicted emotions, just for that heartbeat, and when the mask went back up on the beat following, I understood.


    No one could bear the weight of all those contradictory feelings all the time, and so he buried them.


    ¡°Good,¡± he said firmly, his eyes on the game board instead of me. ¡°Because people worthy of trust are rare, and I would like to be able to trust you too.¡±


    As if we¡¯d been speaking of nothing more pressing than the weather, Grey grabbed a striker piece and slid it across the board, through a gap in my defenses I hadn¡¯t noticed, and clicked it against my sentry. The piece toppled to the table with a tter.


    I gaped at the board. While Grey had beaten me on a fluke when we¡¯d yed in the Relictombs, it was only because I¡¯d been greedy, too focused on the true win. This time he had set and baited the trap, then waited for me to fall into it.


    Grey leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. ¡°We¡¯ll keep letting the Denoirs think you¡¯re doing what they want. Send a report, tell them whatever you like.¡±


    I dragged my gaze away from the board, where I was caught up retracing thest several moves. ¡°What? Are you sure?¡±


    The golden-eyed ascender only nodded. ¡°The surest way to lose a war is to a traitorous messenger.¡±


    Regis shook his little head at his master. ¡°He says such scary things with so little emotions¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, now that we¡¯ve all caught up and have agreed to trust each other¡­¡± Grey leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, a fiery gleam in his honey-gold eyes. ¡°How would you like to help me steal a dead relic?¡±

 Chapter 351: Minimally Catastrophic

    <h4>Chapter 351: Minimally Catastrophic</h4>


    ¡°Did you get it?¡± I asked as Caera let down the hood of her cloak and closed the door. Her blue hair was clinging wetly to her head, and water dripped from her to pool on the tiles.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said confidently, a mischievous glint in her eye.


    With a flourish, she activated her dimension ring and withdrew a pewter-colored orb the size of both my fists held together. The metallic shell was pock-marked and covered in ridges and crevices, making it look like a round metal sponge.


    Caera held it out and I carefully plucked it from her grip.


    ¡°It¡¯s heavy,¡± Imented, shifting it up and down in my hand to feel the heft. ¡°Is that going to matter?¡±


    She unsped her sopping cloak and hung it by the door. ¡°I certainly hope not. I didn¡¯t see any runes that indicated pressure sensitivity engraved on the disy pedestal, did you?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s true,¡± I replied. ¡°And it seems unlikely the dead relics are removed from their cases often. By the time anyone discovers the switch¡ª¡±


    ¡°Professor Grey and Assistant Professor Denoir will have long since moved on from Central Academy,¡± she finished.


    Caera had been surprisingly receptive to my idea. I knew from our adventures in the Relictombs that she had a rebellious and somewhat reckless streak, but I had still expected her to take some convincing. Always perceptive, she understood my intention immediately and was quick to agree. We¡¯d then spent the rest of that afternoon and evening formting a n.


    Together, we had discussed the strengths of each relic¡ªor at least what we could learn about them from books and Caera¡¯s careful questioning of the curator. Personally, I had wanted to take two or three, but Caera had rightly suggested that would add an unnecessaryyer of risk. After discussing what the theft would require, we eventually decided on a single dead relic to ¡°liberate¡± from the Reliquary. Of all the relics avable, I didn¡¯t see how any single one would give me a sizable boost in power, so we ended up choosing the one that the cryans knew the least about, which also happened to be Central Academy¡¯s most recent addition.


    Although the curator had been quiet on why Scythe Dragoth had brought the orb to Central Academy, he had been more than happy to discuss its powers¡ªwhat little was known about them¡ªwith Caera.


    ording to the old man, the dead relic was unique in that its form provided no hints about its function. The pock-marked surface wasn¡¯t by design, but rather wear; when the relic was first discovered, it was unblemished, a perfect silver sphere, but when removed from the Relictombs it decayed quickly. The Instillers had surmised that it was some kind of tool¡ªperhaps something used in the construction of the Relictombs itself¡ªand the sudden degradation was a kind of defense mechanism to prevent the ancient mages¡¯ secrets from being discovered. The curator couldn¡¯t provide Caera any more information than that, though.


    The idea of having a tool of the djinn, something that would let me manipte the Relictombs directly, was too good to pass up.


    ¡°And you¡¯re sure the artisan¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not unheard of for highbloods to have fake dead relics made in order to impress their friends¡ªand rivals.¡± Caera indicated the orb with a smirk. ¡°She¡¯ll be quiet about it, as loose lips, in this case, would likely result in her death.¡±


    ¡°Still, if she were to¡ª¡±


    Caera waved my concern away. ¡°I was disguised, as you know, and pretended to be representing a different blood. So even if she did talk, I wouldn¡¯t be implicated.¡±


    Imbuing my extradimensional storage rune with aether, I stashed the fake relic. ¡°What blood did you impersonate?¡±


    The mischievous glint in Caera¡¯s eyes returned. ¡°Oh, I think you know.¡±


    Regis barked withughter, nearly toppling back in his diminutive form. ¡°Serves those Granbehl jerks right. Almost makes you hope this shady craftdy does turn over on them¡ªor us, or whatever.¡±


    I threw my own white cloak over my shoulders, giving Caera an amused smile. ¡°If things do go poorly, at least there will be a silver lining.¡±


    Caera pulled out the teardrop pendant she always wore and whispered an incantation. Her features blurred in a way that made my eyes twitch with difort, then reformed as the familiar green-haired ascender, Haedrig.


    ¡°That is really strange to watch,¡± I said, scanning the face and body for any hint of Caera beneath.


    Haedrig cocked out a hip and batted his eyshes at me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Grey?¡± he said in his croaky voice. ¡°Don¡¯t you find me attractive anymore?¡±


    Regis walked a slow circle around Haedrig, sniffing at his boots. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to feel about it, to be honest. For one, what happens to your boo¡ª¡±


    ¡°Can we maybe be just a little more serious?¡± I cut in as I pulled up my hood. ¡°We¡¯re about tomit a major crime.¡±


    Haedrig, who had just conjured a filthy green cloak from his dimension ring, frowned and scratched the stubble on his chin. ¡°Don¡¯t know what you¡¯re going on about. I¡¯m just going for a stroll over to the Reliquary¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Regis said. ¡°Just prerceny jitters.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going,¡± I said, gesturing for Regis to return to my body. ¡°The Reliquary should have just closed.¡±


    Caera¡ªor Haedrig¡ªled the way out into the hallway that connected the many suites in Windcrest. Haedrig went left, taking a more direct route to the exit, while I turned right, following the roundabout path.


    The weather was grim. Rain poured from the sky and asional shes of lightning revealed a bedraggled campus. The weather was a lucky coincidence; it meant there would be a lot less people moving around in the open.


    Pulling the brilliant white cloak more closely around me, I dove into the storm. The rain was punishing, but, whether due to its magical nature or the quality of the craftsmanship, the cloak kept me both warm and rtively dry.


    I couldn¡¯t see Haedrig, but I could hear a lilting, drunken tune from somewhere ahead, muffled by the noise of the downpour.


    ¡®I never would have expected fairdy Caera to know such a suggestive song¡­¡¯ Regis said, humming the tune himself.


    The brightnterns lighting the Chapel entry slowly became visible through the thick curtains of rain. Haedrig was already stomping up the stairs to the still-open double doors and the guard who stood beside them.


    Haedrig paused as the guard addressed him, but they were too far away and the storm was too noisy for me to hear. I assumed the guard was simply informing him that the Reliquary within was closed, but we already knew that. Haedrig nodded and proceeded into the building, stumbling on the threshold.


    An exterior hallway ran in a rectangle around arge central space where the dead relics and other more valuable contributions were disyed. While the entry hall was left open¡ªbut not unguarded¡ªthe Reliquary itself was closed and locked after hours.


    The guard was watching Haedrig closely. After a moment of apparent indecision, he abandoned his post to follow the apparent drunk.


    Moving quickly, with my back hunched and my cloak still pulled tightly around me, I headed for the Chapel doors. To anyone watching, I would just look like someone caught in the storm and seeking shelter.


    Clearing the stone steps three at a time, I paused to listen just outside.


    ¡°¡ªtold you, it¡¯s fine,¡± Haedrig was half-shouting from down the hall. ¡°I just want to pop in and get a look at my old¡±¡ªHaedrig belched loudly¡ª¡°armor.¡±


    A clear, authoritative voice answered. ¡°And, as I told you, it is not fine, sir. You will have toe back tomorrow when the Reliquary is open.¡±


    Haedrig replied with a phlegmy snort. ¡°I have friends, you know! Powerful friends. I know damned near everybody. I¡¯m sure someone will let me in.¡±


    ¡°Sir!¡± the guard insisted. ¡°Sir, if you don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    A long peal of thunder cut off the rest of the guard¡¯s threat. I peeked into the hall just in time to see Haedrig turning the far corner with two armed and armored men following closely behind.


    I knew there would be two more guards in the outer hallway. Focusing aether into my ears, I listened closely for their footsteps: It sounded like they were on the far side of the building, circling back toward the source of themotion. I winced as Haedrig began to shout about having them all thrown into the sea before cutting off the flow of aether to my ears, letting my hearing return to normal.


    Before entering the building, I let my eyes refocus in order to see the aetheric pathways connecting every point around me. I couldn¡¯t see beyond the far wall and door into the Reliquary, but I took careful note of the paths from the door back out into the rain.


    Darting across the hall to the Reliquary door, I examined the ck iron handle. As was popr at the academy, the door was locked with a runestone. Unlike my room or office doors, however, there was a glowing rune ced at the base of this handle. Itbined symbols for fire-attribute mana and mana transference, suggesting that touching it would result in a bad time.


    Go.


    Regis, in his shadowy ck wisp form, drifted out of my chest and directly through the door.


    Although I couldn¡¯t see through his eyes, I could feel mypanion¡¯s emotions and hear his thoughts as he scanned the interior of the room for additional defenses.


    In the far hallway, Haedrig began to shout about ¡°respect¡± and ¡°honor¡± and ¡°the good ol¡¯ days.¡±


    ¡®The floor behind each door is marked with another rune. It¡­¡¯ Regis trailed off in thoughtful silence as he attempted to read it. ¡®Anyone who walks over this thing will have their mana core drained. The rune traps the mana¡­probably so they can identify who it was.¡¯


    I smirked at the door. Easy. What about the lock? Can you open it from that side?


    ¡®Less easy,¡¯ Regis said, his worry transmitting along with his words. ¡®There¡¯s no handle or way to release thetch from the interior.¡¯


    In our reconnaissance of the Reliquary, Caera and I had spent nearly two full hours inspecting the building and disys as closely as we could without drawing suspicion. Although it had been clear the doors had handles only on the outside, we hadn¡¯t been sure if they could be opened some other way from within the room.


    I had an idea, but wasn¡¯t entirely sure it would work. Regis, I need you to picture your surroundings as clearly as you can and send me that thought. As clearly as you can, all right?


    ¡®Yeah yeah, I got it.¡¯


    I took a step back from the door and focused on the aetheric pathways again, right up to where they stopped at the closed door. When the mental picture of the Reliquary interior began to form in my mind, I connected it with the purple fractal paths I could see, forming a mental map of where I thought they continued to.


    Three Steps had taught me not to just look for the paths, but to feel them and let them guide me along. This made the ability much faster and more efficient to utilize, but it also¡ªtheoretically¡ªmeant that I could use God Step to move somewhere I couldn¡¯t directly see.


    Activating the godrune, I vanished with a sh of amethyst light.


    And appeared on the other side of the door, crackling with aetheric energy. Aside from the fact that it had worked¡ªI just teleported through a solid door, I realized with delight¡ªthe more exciting sensation was how little aether the godrune had consumed. Although I hadn¡¯t even been able to absorb enough atmospheric aether to fill my newly strengthened core yet, God Step took only a fraction of my aetheric reserves.


    The thrill of using the godrune for the first time since forging the secondyer of my aether core was interrupted by a tingling sensation all over my body.


    Beneath my feet, the rune trap had activated and was attempting to draw out all my mana. I stepped off it, unharmed, my aether core undisturbed by the magic. I had to assume the rune would have drawn some ambient mana from my body¡ªthe traces of water or earth mana that would naturally linger near me¡ªbut with no mana core to manipte it, the small traces of mana wouldn¡¯t carry any signature of my identity.


    I knew I didn¡¯t have much more time before the situation between Haedrig and the guards escted, so I forced my mind back to the mission. Moving quickly to my target, I examined the plinth holding it, looking for any wards or runes that Caera and I hadn¡¯t noticed before.


    Unlike the warding runes behind the doors, which hadn¡¯t been there during the day, the stone base on which the dead relic was disyed didn¡¯t reveal any new protections. But that didn¡¯t mean it was unguarded.


    A series ofplex runes had been engraved around the base of the disy to ward off anyone from touching it. A light touch would reward the offender with a shock, and the disy would buzz in rm to warn the curator. Anything beyond a light touch¡ªfor example, attempting to lift up the ss and ess the dead relic within¡ªwould release a paralyzing jolt of electricity before issuing a screeching rm that half the campus would probably hear.


    I had only thought of one way to bypass the runes without triggering the rm.


    Manifesting aether into my hand, I formed a single w. I also wrapped myself in a barrier of protective aether before kneeling down next to the plinth. Lining the w up with the runes¡ªstarting with those responsible for creating the rm effect¡ªI shed at the stone.


    As the w gouged into the marble, a bolt of vibrantly blue lightning leapt to my hand, burning through theyer of aether and scorching my knuckles before I could react. Reinforcing the aether, I focused on redirecting and channeling the lightning, forcing it to skitter and jump across the surface of the barrier.


    It travelled up my arm, across my chest, and down my other arm. If I let the super-charged electrical current fly off into the room, I was likely to st a hole in the wall or destroy one of the other dead relics. Instead, I pressed my hand firmly over the remainder of the runes so that the lightning bolt travelled in a circle, mming back into the same runes that conjured it.


    The marble split with a loud crack.


    I froze, my heart racing, listening hard for any indication the noise had been noticed.


    Thunder was rolling in the background, and I could hear Haedrig¡¯s argument with the guards through the walls.


    I hoped it was enough to cover the sound of shattering stone.


    ¡°¡ªVritra¡¯s name was that?¡±


    ¡°Go check it out,¡± the same authoritative voice from earliermanded.


    Sh*t.


    ¡®Better hurry it up,¡¯ Regis warned, his puppy form watching me with wide eyes.


    I ignored the lightning-patterned burn already healing across my arms and torso, focusing instead on the relic before me.


    The relic was also protected by a ss case, which was protected by a series of runes that strengthened it and protected it from magical attack, but it didn¡¯t react as I lifted it from the plinth and set it carefully on the floor. Before touching the real relic, I withdrew the fake from my dimension rune and held it up next to the original, which was sitting on a square velvet pillow. They were identical.


    Well done, Caera, I thought as I picked up the dead relic with my other hand.


    It was light as a feather and felt weightless inparison to the heavy pewter copy.


    Taking great care, I slowly settled the recement onto the pillow. It sank into the soft fabric and immediately looked wrong, but before I could work out anything else to do, I heard the heavy clunk of a magical lock being triggered.


    ¡®Art, someone¡¯sing!¡¯ Regis shouted mentally as he hopped around my feet.


    The door closest to where Haedrig was shouting shifted as someone pulled on the handle.


    At the same time, there was a hollow thud as a body mmed against one of the walls. ¡°Get your hands off me!¡± Haedrig shouted.


    The door paused, hanging open only an inch or two.


    I stared at the false relic sinking into the pillow. With some time¡­but that was one thing I didn¡¯t have.


    Cursing again, I rushed to pick up the ss casing and fit it carefully over the top of the plinth.


    cing a hand over the lightning-scorched runes, I activated Aroa¡¯s Requiem, filling the museum with golden light as the rune lit up beneath my tunic. Sparkling purple motes danced along my arm and across the pedestal, scouring away the cracks, burns, and w marks and leaving behind unblemished marble. The warding runes along the base glowed dimly in the gloomy light, indicating they were functional once again.


    The door began to open again. On the other side was a young guard. One hand was on his sword, the other on the handle of the door, but his head was turned to look down the hall, his focus still, for that instant, on Haedrig.


    I conjured a map of the aetheric pathways in my mind just as Regis leapt up and disappeared into my body. In the space of a single heartbeat I connected the pathways I could see with my mental picture of those on the other side of the door.


    Drawing in a shallow breath, I activated God Step.


    The first sensation I had was of the cold rain crashing against every part of my body at once. The aetheric lightning that jumped and danced across my skin arced out into the rain, causing the air around me to pop and sizzle.


    The second sensation I felt was my heart skipping several beats as I realized a figure was looming out of the darkness,ing straight at me with their head down against the pounding rain.


    Aether flowed to d my body as I prepared to defend myself, but the hunched person stopped so suddenly they nearly fell to the ground when their foot slipped on the wet stones.


    Reaching out instinctively, I grabbed them under the arm to keep them from falling.


    ¡°Vritra¡¯s bloody horns!¡± a man¡¯s voice eximed from under his hood.


    We stared at one another.


    ¡°Professor Aphelion¡­¡± I said, still holding his arm.


    ¡°Professor Grey, I¡­¡±


    His eyes were wide and searching, shifting from my face to the hand gripping his arm to the Chapel entry behind me, where I could already hear the noise of the guards struggling with Haedrig.


    My mind raced.


    I couldn¡¯t be sure what the professor had seen, or why he was even there. If he had watched me appear out of thin air wrapped in amethyst lightning, then he was a liability. I considered simply breaking his neck and God Stepping away again, but that would definitelyplicate the situation. Besides, I didn¡¯t really know what he had seen, and murdering an innocent man¡ªeven an cryan¡ªdidn¡¯t sit well with me.


    Amotion from the entrance of the Chapel drew both our attention as three guards appeared, half dragging, half pushing a limp Haedrig.


    ¡°You two there!¡± one of the guards shouted. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Haedrig was hanging from the guards¡¯ arms, his eyes half-closed, but I caught the surreptitious nce he shot me, and the tightening of his jaw when he noticed Professor Aphelion. Another guard appeared in the open doorway to the Chapel, his lip bleeding and his brows turned down in a thunderous scowl.


    The professor tugged his arm out of my grip and limped past me as I channeled aether in my hand and prepared to eliminate all the witnesses if necessary.


    ¡°Hello friends,¡± he said amicably, addressing the guards. ¡°I¡¯ll forgive your rudeness due to what appears to be a rather tense situation, but you are speaking to two of Central Academy¡¯s professors. We simply noticed the absence of a guard at the Chapel¡¯s door and wereing to investigate.¡±


    ¡°My apology, sirs,¡± the guard said quickly, snapping into a shallow bow that forced Haedrig down as well. ¡°This drunk was causing a ruckus, and we thought¡ª¡±


    ¡°That we were his aplices,ing to aid in his mischief?¡± Professor Aphelionughed loudly. ¡°No, but the three of you do have the honor of manhandling¡­uh¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ascender Haedrig,¡± I whispered in answer to his searching tone.


    ¡°¡ªthe once-great ascender, Haedrig, who it appears has fallen on hard times. Show a little pity and release him into our care, would you? No need to embarrass his blood over a mild case of public drunkenness, is there?¡± When the guards frowned and shared an uncertain look, he added, ¡°It wouldn¡¯t exactly look good if his blood made a fuss to the director, would it?¡±


    ¡°No, sir,¡± the guard answered, but he kept a firm hold on Haedrig¡¯s arm. ¡°However, I would be remiss in my duty if I didn¡¯t report this to campus security. They¡¯ll decide on what to do with¡ª¡±


    While the guard was speaking, Haedrig continued to slouch lower in the guards¡¯ grip. The apparently passed-out ascender suddenly kicked up from the ground, bursting out of the guards¡¯ hands and flipping gracefully through the air tond at the base of the stairs. He snapped azy solute before bolting, his mana-enhanced speed carrying him out of sight beyond the veil of rain.


    ¡°Go after him!¡± the head guard eximed, causing the other two to burst into a run. Their armored boots slid on the rain-slick pavers, and it was immediately clear they had no chance of catching the quick-footed highblood.


    ¡°Well¡­uh¡­best of luck,¡± Professor Aphelion told the remaining guards, who shot us irritated res.


    He nodded to me as he pulled his hood up. ¡°Untilter then, Professor Grey.¡±


    I returned the nod, watching his face and eyes carefully for any indication he had seen what had happened or guessed at the reason for my presence near the Chapel, but his face was nk except for the shadow of a sardonic smile.


    ¡°Yeah, untilter¡­¡± I said cautiously, flipping up my own hood and turning away.


    I couldn¡¯t help but harbor some lingering unease about Professor Aphelion¡¯s unexpected involvement in the heist, but as far as things that could have gone wrong, it seemed minimally catastrophic.


    It was hard to be too worried, considering the prize waiting in my dimension rune.

 Chapter 352: Relic, Revived

    <h4>Chapter 352: Relic, Revived</h4>


    CAERA DENOIR


    The torrential rain blocked out everything but the wet pping of my own boots on the cobblestones and the rapid-fire beating of my heart.


    ¡°Go after him!¡±


    The shouted order was nearly washed away by the rainfall. Even without the downpour, I knew how to evade unwanted attention and avoid prying eyes, so I wasn¡¯t fearful of being caught. No, it was something else that made my pulse thunder in my ears.


    Kayden¡­


    What the hell had he been doing there? How much had he seen?


    What is Grey going to do to him?


    My throat constricted as I remembered the feeling of Grey¡¯s powerful hand around my neck, lifting me off the ground. I had no doubt that Grey would kill Kayden if he thought it was necessary.


    Depending on what the professor had seen, I wasn¡¯t even sure I could disagree. I likely wouldn¡¯t be punished in the traditional sense; I was still a Denoir, and knew as well as anyone that cryanw worked differently for the highbloods. Still, too much attention could result in the discovery of my Vritra blood¡¯s manifestation.


    I knew I would do whatever was required to prevent that from happening.


    Turning down a wide alley between two academy buildings, I used the window sill of one tounch myself up into the second story window of the other, then jumped back across the alley onto the roof of the first. The tiles were slick, but I was able to crawl up over the peak of the roof and slide down the other side. When I reached the edge, I kicked off the roof, soaring a dozen or more feet tond on the ledge of a second story window leading into Windcrest Hall.


    The shutters were closed and locked against the storm, but using my brother¡¯s white-ded dagger, I tripped thetch. Before pushing the shutters open, I withdrew my mana from the relic hanging around my neck, letting my appearance return to normal.


    Slipping down from the sill, I found myself at the end of one of the many long hallways carving the building up into the various quarters and suites. Grey¡¯s suite was a few doors down the hall.


    I froze as I realized someone was standing just outside his door, her body swaying nervously. She didn¡¯t appear to have noticed the noise of my entry into the building.


    Her blonde hair hung straight and damp, and the white battle robes she wore clung to her figure, soaked half through from the storm. I could tell from the puddle that had formed around her that she¡¯d been standing there for at least a few minutes.


    ¡°Hi,¡± I said as I carefully closed the shutters behind me.


    The woman gave a startled yelp and slipped in the puddle. She threw out a hand and released a gust of wind to keep from tumbling over. ¡°Where in the world did you¡­¡±


    Trailing off, she took in my appearance and the shuttered window behind me. Her hand raised so that her palm was pointing toward my chest, fingers syed out, and her expression hardened. ¡°Please note that I am a professor of this academy and more than capable of defending myself and the property of those who live here.¡±


    ¡°d to hear it, considering I live here,¡± I said, pointing at the hallway ceiling. ¡°Third floor, actually, but the second story window was a cleaner jump.¡± I gave her a shallow nod, then tucked back the wet strands of hair that had fallen into my face. ¡°Caera of Highblood Denoir. And you are?¡±


    Her hand drifted down to her side as her eyebrows rose up. ¡°Oh. Oh! Oh Vritra, I¡¯m so sorry!¡±


    I shrugged, gesturing at myself with a handwave. ¡°I don¡¯t me you. Looks like we were in the same boat.¡±


    The woman grabbed a handful of her robes and squeezed water onto the floor. ¡°Tell me about it. I was only out there for like two seconds.¡±


    I let a knowing smile y at the corner of my mouth. ¡°So, you and Professor Grey¡­¡±


    She froze, one hand still wrapped up in her robes, her wide amber eyes lingering on the door to Grey¡¯s rooms. ¡°N-no, I just¡ªthe storm, and¡ªthought that¡­¡±


    The woman paused and forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m Abby of Named Blood Redcliff. Can I help you with that?¡± She gestured to my clothes, which were dripping water onto the floor in a steady stream.


    Without waiting for a reply, she waved her hands and conjured up a gust of warm wind that blew through my clothes and hair. I squinted against the draft and grabbed the edges of my cloak to keep it from pping about. After several seconds, I was dry and warm again.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you already do that to yourself?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± The woman smoothed her soaking clothes, refusing to meet my eye. ¡°Well, it appears that Professor Grey isn¡¯t home right now anyway. Uh, pleasure to meet you, Lady Caera.¡±


    Swirling so quickly that an arc of water droplets sprayed across the hallway, the woman began a quick march down the hall. As she turned a corner at the far end, she cast a wary nce back in my direction. Her lips tightened when she saw me still watching her, and then she was gone.


    It shouldn¡¯t have surprised me. A man as striking and mysterious as Grey would have women flocking around him like birds. Evencking a blood name, the fact that he had attained the level of professor at such a prestigious academy suggested he had connections and wealth. Many named blood women were expected to marry for political connection and enhancement of their blood, generally by creating a stronger bond between two named bloods of simr status.


    The Redcliff blood was well known in the central dominion for their constant efforts to climb the socialdder. However, something told me this Abby wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with Grey even if she caught him.


    In fact, it was exceedingly difficult to picture him with any woman. I couldn¡¯t see how romance or love¡ªeven the kind that happened in a single evening¡ªwould fit into his ¡°solo-ascender¡± lifestyle. I found myself trying to picture Grey doing something as simple as walking hand-in-hand with someone through the park, or preparing tea and breakfast for his lover in bed. I couldn¡¯t manage it.


    Wet footsteps on the stairs behind me brought me back to myself. I turned just in time to see a very bedraggled Grey appear in the hallway behind me.


    He frowned at my clothes. ¡°How¡¯d you get dry so fast?¡±


    ¡°I ran into a friend of yours,¡± I answered, leaning up against his door. ¡°You just missed her, I¡¯m afraid. Professor Redcliff, I think she said.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± was all he said. He pulled out his runestone and shed it at the door, which opened with a click.


    Inside, he immediately unsped his luxurious white cloak and tossed it into the corner, then began to peel away his wet tunic. Although I knew the polite thing to do was avert my gaze, my attention was drawn to the runes on his spine. Unlike most cryans, Grey kept his covered. Even in the depths of the Relictombs, I¡¯d never caught sight of them.


    They were strange and untraditional, but only someone who had traveled with him and seen him fight extensively, or perhaps a schr of cryan runes, would question them.


    The other runes, those that channeled his powerful aether abilities, weren¡¯t visible.


    Realizing I was getting distracted, I looked away. ¡°So? Did you get the dead relic?¡±


    In answer, something tapped my shoulder. Without looking behind me, I took the sphere. It was light, practically weightless. ¡°The weight wasn¡¯t a problem, was it?¡±


    ¡°It sits differently on the pillow, but I don¡¯t think anyone will notice since the relic hasn¡¯t been here long,¡± Grey¡¯s voice came from his bedroom.


    I took a seat and rotated the sphere in my hands as I waited for Grey to return. When he did, he was dressed in ck trousers and an azure tunic with ck embroidery. It suited him, making his hair and eyes seem even brighter.


    I tossed the dead relic to him, and he plucked it out of the air. ¡°Hurry! I¡¯m dying to see what this thing is capable of.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± he muttered, holding the sphere up in one hand.


    The puppy form of Regis popped out of Grey¡¯s side and then jumped up on the couch next to me. I gave his head a scratch as he leaned against me.


    ¡°Go on then, princess,¡± he said, pressing his head into my hand. ¡°Make with the pretty sparkles already.¡±


    Grey focused on the sphere. He must have activated his godrune, because a golden glow suffused the room, and brilliant amethyst particles began dancing along his arm toward the relic. When they reached it, the motes skittered across the burnished silver surface and vanished into the crevices and holes.


    For a few seconds, it didn¡¯t look like anything was happening. I tried to catch Grey¡¯s eye, but his attention was entirely on the relic. I drew in a sharp breath as the wear began to vanish, the pockmarks filling in, the wrinkles smoothing, the burnished gray brightening. Then the flow of particles thinned to a trickle and finally stopped, and thest amethyst mote vanished.


    Grey held up the perfectly smooth sphere, turning it so it caught the light and shined like a silver moon. As it turned, I noticed a line bisecting the top and bottom halves of the sphere, so thin it was nearly invisible. Grey must have seen it too, because he took a half in each hand and twisted lightly.


    The relic came apart.


    ¡°Whoa,¡± Regis said softly.


    The inside of the sphere was an organic framework supporting a crystal that cast pinkish light through the room. The crystal was shedding a fine dust that hung in the air, drifting aimlessly around Grey¡¯s hand.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, breathless with excitement.


    Grey shifted slightly and lowered the empty half of the relic as his focus on the crystal intensified. The subtly glowing crystal immediately zed with bright purple light.


    ¡°What the¡ª¡± Grey eximed as that half of the sphere jerked out of his hand and floated to the ground at his feet.


    My hand went involuntarily to my mouth, and we watched, stunned, as the crystal began to disintegrate before our eyes. A cloud of shimmering particles rose up to hover above the half-relic, each grain carrying some of the crystal¡¯s light. When thest piece disappeared, the cloud let off a strobing sh of light that made my head spin, and I forced myself to look away.


    Puppy Regis winced as he held up a paw to cover his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure this is how demon overlords are summoned!¡±


    ncing from the corner of my eye to make sure the shing had stopped, I let out an astonished gasp. ¡°Vritra¡¯s horns¡­¡±


    The cloud had coalesced into an opaque oval hovering in the air, which Grey was pacing slow circles around. It had an oily sheen to its surface and was radiating a dim purple light.


    ¡°It¡¯s an ascension portal, it has to be,¡± I said, sinking further back into the couch. ¡°But one you can activate anywhere¡­That means¡ª¡±


    ¡°I can go to the Relictombs whenever I want,¡± Grey finished. Facing me, he held up the other half. ¡°What do you think this one is for then?¡±


    I considered the silver half-sphere and the matrix of organic supports within. ¡°Well if the other one takes you in¡­¡±


    ¡°Then this one might bring me back?¡± Grey was nodding, and his serious gaze turned back to the portal. ¡°Caera, wait here.¡±


    I shot up from my seat, nearly sending puppy Regis tumbling. ¡°What? You¡¯re going to go now? Without any sort of research or tests?¡±


    ¡°This will be the test,¡± he stated, his eyes still glued to the shimmering gate.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s at least go together,¡± I reasoned. ¡°Even if you do end up inside the Relictombs, what happens if that half of the relic leads you out into one of the main gates? With me there, it¡¯ll be easier to get through any sort of questioning.¡±


    Grey¡¯s brows furrowed in thought before he turned his leveled gaze at me. ¡°I appreciate it, but I¡¯d rather have you here to keep prying eyes away from this room.¡±


    I opened my mouth to argue, but all that came out was a frustrated huff. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll keep a lookout in case any other woman you¡¯ve managed to seduce decides to pay you ate night visit.¡±


    He regarded me with obvious amusement. ¡°Come on, Regis.¡± The diminutive shadow wolf nced at me and shrugged his little shoulders before following themand. ¡°And I haven¡¯t forgotten about our promise.¡±


    The mention of our agreement brought a faint smile to my face. I wasn¡¯t expecting any sort ofpensation for helping Grey, so it had caught me by surprise when he said he would go on an ascent with me.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll be pleasantly surprised at how much stronger I¡¯ve be since ourst ascent,¡± I said confidently.


    ¡°I hope training isn¡¯t your excuse for losing to me in Sovereigns Quarrel,¡± he smirked just before vanishing through the portal.


    I stared, open-mouthed, at the portal suspended in mid-air before letting out a chuckle. ¡°How immature.¡±


    Not long after Grey had left, the gate hovering above the relic half began to fade, the opaque oily surface growing transparent, like fog fading from a mirror. After a few seconds, it was only a ghostly shape in the middle of the room.


    I approached the dormant portal and carefully reached toward it. When my fingers brushed the transparent oval, they passed cleanly through and I felt nothing. I waved my hand back and forth, but the movement didn¡¯t disturb the shape.


    ¡°At least no one can chase after them,¡± I muttered.


    Too restless to sit around, I began pacing the small suite.


    Thoughts of Sevren came to me. I remembered so clearly when he¡¯d left on his preliminary ascent after only his first season at Central Academy. It had felt a lot like this: the excitement tempered by disappointment that I couldn¡¯t follow him or fight alongside him.


    Withdrawing the white-ded dagger from my dimension ring, I unsheathed it to reveal the symbol at the base of the de. This dagger had been his first de. He¡¯d carved the aether rune into it while telling me all about his ascent, still so excited about his adventure that he¡¯d practically been vibrating.


    It broke my heart to think of him now, dying alone in the Relictombs, a victim of some hideous monster. I thought he was going to be the one to unlock the secrets of the Relictombs. I¡¯d been wrong.


    But I didn¡¯t think I was wrong about Grey.


    As my thoughts turned to him, I realized that Grey had been gone for a couple minutes already. Considering how time functioned differently in the Relictombs, he should have been able to activate the relic and return already.


    ¡°What if it wasn¡¯t actually an ascension portal?¡± I muttered, fidgeting with the tip of the dagger¡¯s de. Bending down, I peered at the half-relic, but it told me nothing.


    Even if the portal did take him into a zone, it was possible he was in danger and hadn¡¯t been able to activate the other half of the relic¡­or perhaps we¡¯d been wrong, and he couldn¡¯t immediately return. He could be trapped there, forced to clear the zone and find a descension portal before returning. The second half hadn¡¯t contained a crystal, which could mean¡ª


    I squinted against a bright amethyst light as the portal red to life again, the ghostly outline solidifying into opaque pearlescence. The figure that appeared from it looked a lot like Grey, but his fine clothes were in tatters and his face was coated with blood and grime.


    When he was clear of the portal, it dissolved into a cloud that slowly settled downward, condensing back into a crystal set within the relic.


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    Grey¡¯s grime-caked face broke into a grin and he held up the ck horn of some beast. A glob of dark blood dripped from it to stter on the floor. ¡°It works.¡±

 Chapter 353: Paradigm Shift

    <h4>Chapter 353: Paradigm Shift</h4>


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    I kicked one leg over the rooftop¡¯s sheer ledge, leaning back against the crented wall and letting my attention wander across the Central Academy campus. Regis, back to his full strength in the form of arge shadow wolf, put his front paws atop the red stone merlon and let the cool breeze fan the mes of his mane.


    It was still early morning and the campus was mostly dark, with a spray of pink and orange highlighting the distant horizon. Despite the hour, students were already active around the campus, exercising or working through drills. shes of asional magic lit the campus like fireworks, but it was whisper quiet atop the tower. Perfect for thinking.


    ¡°So, you really think we should stay, huh?¡± Regis said, sniffing at the wind. ¡°With the relic¡­¡±


    I leaned my head back and stared into the blue-ck sky. ¡°The ascension half of the Compass stays in ce when we enter the Relictombs. Even though we cane and go at will, we still need a safe ce to activate it.¡±


    Regis looked back at me curiously, his glowing eyes intelligent. ¡°And is this ce really that safe? We could go back to Darrin Ordin, or hell, just find a cave in the mountains somewhere or something.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s another set of variables that I can¡¯t ount for. Here, I know what to expect. We¡¯re at risk no matter where we go in crya, but at least we have a story here, an identity.¡±


    As a professor, not only did I have a cover story and political protection, but I¡¯de to realize that the respect inherently offered to my position was its own kind of shield. Whatever curiosity or doubt my students and co-faculty might have about me, it was unlikely that they would ever suspect I was a Dicathian spy. There were a host of simpler exnations for any missteps I might make, and the wealthy and powerful would always assume any mystery somehow fit into their own pet intrigues.


    ¡°Besides, we don¡¯t fully understand the Compass yet.¡±


    Regis stretched before lying downzily. ¡°Don¡¯t we? It seems simple enough to me.¡±


    I took out the descension half of the Compass from my storage rune and stared idly at its curved and unblemished surface as if waiting for it to refute Regis.


    He was right though. While one half of the relic created a portal into the Relictombs, the other allowed me to return, although not by creating a second portal. It had taken me some time to piece the functionality together, as the second half of the relic had not reacted in any way when I entered the Relictombs, forcing me to clear the zone. However, when I imbued aether into it near the zone¡¯s exit portal, the second half of the relic had zed to life, outlining the portal with a brilliant light. When the glow faded, I could see my rooms on the other side, Caera waiting impatiently for me to return.


    Being able to enter and leave the Relictombs at will changed everything. After the original test, Caera, Regis, and I had gone back in together to further explore the relic¡¯s capabilities, absorbing a significant amount of aether in the process.


    ¡°So, exactly how much grape juice can your core hold now?¡± Regis asked, obviously reading my thoughts.


    Despite exploring the zone for an hour or more, and absorbing aether from both the beasts I killed and the atmosphere, I still hadn¡¯t reached the twoyer core¡¯s limit. ¡°We¡¯re not calling it that,¡± I said with an amused huff, ¡°and I don¡¯t really know. At least ten times more than before.¡±


    Eager for any excuse to tap into that power, I withdrew the seed-pod toy from my dimension rune. Mypanion shifted to lie on his side, watching me work with a slightly bored air.


    The size of my aether reservoir had never been the primary roadblock keeping me frompleting Three Steps¡¯ challenge, but the increased purity of my stored aether and efficiency of my aether channels only made focusing on it easier.


    When I channeled aether to my hand to form the w, I could feel the difference right away. First, the drain on my core wasn¡¯t even noticeable. The form of the w was steadier and more solid, and it felt inherently easier to focus. And while this w was simply a step toward my real goal, it felt good to finally be making tangible progress.


    Regis let out an exaggerated yawn, drawing my attention. Leaningzily on his side, he made a show of extending and retracting his own, sharper and longer, ws.


    I scoffed. ¡°Show off.¡±


    Taking the hard shell in one hand, I slid a w into the slot and fished around for the seed within. As it settled into the hole left behind by the stem, I pulled downward, trying to force it out, just as I had done dozens of times before. The w held its form, automatically drawing on aether from my core to keep itself stable.


    Releasing a slow, steadying breath, I imagined the shape of the w extending and curving inward more deeply, almost wrapping around the small seed so that it fit perfectly within the curve. The aether responded quickly to my intention.


    I grinned.


    Then I pulled. Not too hard, but with a steady pressure that I slowly increased until the edges of the hole cracked and bulged outward, and I could feel the seed sliding through.


    Then the pressure released.


    The dull brown seed popped free andnded in my palm.


    I stared down at it, imagining that the Shadow ws had some ceremony to celebrate when one of their childrenpleted this right of passage. If I¡¯d had more time in the Relictombs with Three Steps, perhaps she would have had some encouraging memory to share with me to congratte me, but¡­


    A gust of wind whipped across the tower roof and tugged at the seed, forcing me to close my hand tightly around it. It was a strange and sobering thought to realize that the result of my long efforts with the seed-pod could be blown away in an instant, leaving nothing behind.


    I nced around the barren rooftop and the idle streets below. Snow-capped mountains rose purple in the distance. The unfamiliar stars above were fading away, absorbed by the sunrise.


    For a Shadow w cub, retrieving the seed would have meant securing a ce in their tribe. For me, though, it was simply a reminder that I was without one.


    ¡°I mean if you really don¡¯t want it, I can take it off your hands,¡± Regis said, sniffing eagerly at the small brown sphere.


    Following his gaze, I looked more closely at the seed and noticed a nick in the in brown surface. A subtle purple glimmer was shining through where my w had dug into the seed. Using an aether w, I scratched away more of the brown, revealing a solid orb of condensed aether within, it¡¯s signature entirely hidden away by the organic exterior.


    As I stared at my prize, wondering just how much aether the seed contained, Regis¡¯s chin came to rest on my knee. His bright eyes were locked on the seed, and his head inched closer.


    Thinking back to the aether-rich fruit that grew in the jungle zone where I¡¯d fought the millipede, I popped the seed into my mouth and swallowed.


    It burned going down and settled in my guts like a molten stone as the seed¡¯s aetheric core was broken apart and absorbed. My core thrummed as it epted the rush of energy, and it was full in an instant.


    It burned like a star in my sr plexus. I began to glow as a solid barrier of amethyst light shimmered across my skin, the aether threatening to escape. Flexing my intent, I felt the tower groan as its fortified stones and mortar strained against the pressure. The ambient aether buzzed to life, swirling like snowkes around the rooftop.


    ¡°There¡¯s a bit left over if you want it,¡± I said, snapping Regis out of his baffled daze.


    Mypanion snapped his head away, scrunching his muzzle in a pout. ¡°A god-made weapon of destruction like myself shouldn¡¯t have to settle for second-hand scraps.¡±


    Shaking my head, I closed my eyes and turned my attention inward, exploring my zing core. ¡°Suit yourself. I¡¯ll take it all then.¡±


    Regis ced a cating paw on my knee as he looked at me deadpan. ¡°Many apologies, sir.¡±


    ¡°Smooth as gravel,¡± I smirked as the shadow wolf¡¯s immaterial form merged with my body and began absorbing from the ocean of aether.


    ***


    I stayed on the tower¡¯s roof until mid-morning, watching the campus rouse while Regis was busy siphoning the remaining aether from the seed in me.


    Bathing in the warm glow of the sun and my sess, I descended the tower and headed toward my ssroom. My steps felt light, as if I had been moving underwater all my life until now; the seed had contained significantly more aether than seemed possible, considering its size.


    I took my time to cross the campus, reluctant to face a room full of coddled cryan teens. Instead, I focused on controlling the power that was straining to burst out of me. The secondyer of my core wasn¡¯t an additive growth to my aether reserves, it was exponential. I could tell it would take time to adjust to the weight of it in my chest.


    I had just passed the library when I caught sight of a familiar head of orange hair that faded out to bright yellow.


    Briar was standing around with some other girls her age. One of them saw me and must have said something, because Briar turned and gave a small wave, causing her friends to giggle and tease her. Rolling her eyes at them, she broke away and walked quickly toward me.


    ¡°Hey, Professor,¡± she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet with her hands sped behind her back. ¡°I just heard. Congrattions. I am actually a little bummed that I¡¯ve already taken that stupid ss, otherwise I¡¯d sign up. Vritra knows you¡¯ll need good fighters.¡±


    I frowned, caught off guard. ¡°Sorry, what are you¡­?¡±


    Her face reflected my own confusion. ¡°Wait, have you not¡­Oh. Sorry, I assumed¡­¡± One of her friends called to her, and her frown deepened. ¡°Nevermind. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find out soon enough. Take care. And¡­good luck.¡±


    Just like that, Briar retreated and was folded back into the group of girls. Their heads bent together as they began to whisper, and Briar sent me onest uncertain look before they turned as a group and vanished into one of the many academy buildings I hadn¡¯t explored yet.


    ¡®What was that about?¡¯ Regis asked.


    Not sure. I¡¯d seen the serious young cryan a few times around campus since she¡¯d first guided me across Cargidan, but she never made a point to have friendly conversation.


    Shrugging off Briar¡¯s crypticmentary, I turned toward the Strikerplex, where my ssroom was. I didn¡¯t make it far before I was brought up short by another familiar face, one I would never have expected to see at Central Academy.


    Am I seeing things? I asked Regis.


    Someone bumped into me from behind. When I turned a sharp eye on the person¡ªa young man wearing darkened steel armor over his uniform¡ªhe winced. ¡°Sorry, Professor.¡±


    I had to search for her in the crowd, as she was moving quickly, but she seemed to keep herself slightly apart from the stream of students, which made her stand out.


    Walking even more quickly to catch up with her, I reached out and set a hand on her shoulder.


    The young woman let out a surprised squeal and she spun around, her eyes wide and one hand going to cover her mouth.


    ¡°Ma?¡±


    I almost didn¡¯t recognize the young mage from Maerin Town. She had just been a girl, equal parts nervous and excitable, but here, she seemed transformed.


    Her surprise bloomed into delight as she recognized me. ¡°Ascender Grey! It¡¯s you! When I saw you listed as professor for the Melee Enhancement Tactics ss, I had hoped, but then you didn¡¯t show up the first couple days, so I thought¡ªI don¡¯t know¡ªit was just a mistake or coincidence or something¡­¡± She trailed off as her cheeks turned red, reminding of her sister, Loreni, the first time we had met. Tucking a stray lock of auburn hair behind her ear, she said, ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m rambling.¡±


    ¡°Ma, what are you doing here?¡± I asked. ¡°After the bestowment ceremony¡ª¡±


    ¡°I went through a bunch of testing with the Ascenders Association,¡± she answered, ¡°and they sent me here to be trained, because of my emblem. At first I was really scared and bummed, because it¡¯s so far from Maerin Town, but it¡¯s actually been okay.¡± She nced at a few of the passing students out of the corner of her eye. ¡°Except some of the highblood students aren¡¯t very nice.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said as her rushed words wormed their way through my surprise. ¡°Is your blood name Fairweather?¡±


    ¡°Yup, that¡¯s me.¡± She gave me a small curtsey.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize when I saw you listed on my ss roster¡­but where were youst session?¡±


    She kicked at the ground and gave me a sheepish smile. ¡°Sorry, some of the other students were picking on the no names, y¡¯know, and a nice boy tried to stick up for us, but then they only made fun of him, too, so I ended up leaving when I saw the professor¡ªyou weren¡¯t there. Hoped that it would help the boy, too.¡± She shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s okay, though, honestly. I¡¯ve learned so much already, it¡¯s hard to believe it¡¯s only been a few months.¡±


    I began moving again, gesturing for her to walk with me as we headed for the ss. ¡°You¡¯re a Sentry, right? So why take a non-magic fighting ss?¡±


    Her expression brightened again. ¡°I¡¯m taking everything I can. I may be a Sentry, but if I¡¯m going to the Relictombs then I want to be able to defend myself. Besides, it¡¯s been totally fascinating so far.¡±


    Ma kept up a steady dialogue, telling me about her other sses and professors, as well as her sister and the other people of Maerin. Apparently, the town had received an influx in resources as well as interest from academies all over crya after Belmun and she had received such advanced runes.


    ¡°The Ascenders Association even voted to expand services at the descension portal in Maerin which will lead to a huge boom in trade and merchants, so my family is¡ª¡±


    I held up a hand, quieting her as we approached the end of the hall in front of my ssroom.


    A small crowd had gathered there, all trying to peek through the small window in search of something inside.


    Caera was the first to notice me, her lips pressed into a stern expression.


    My eyes narrowed when I realized that Kayden Aphelion was also there. I had not spoken to him since the night when he nearly caught me teleporting out of the Reliquary. My first thought was that he had told someone after all, and a group of armed guards¡ªor perhaps even a Scythe, like Dragoth or Cadell¡ªwas waiting for me, but then I remembered Briar¡¯s congrattions.


    When I saw the self-satisfied smirk on Professor Graeme¡¯s face, however, I was again unsure. ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure, Grey. Bad luck, really. Although, in my humble opinion, I would say that increasing the quality of this institution''s faculty is never bad,¡± he prattled before exchangingughs with his associates nearby.


    The rest of the professors broke up and moved away from my door, their expressions varying from pity to curiosity, with one old man even giving me a hard nod before stepping back. Caera squeezed my shoulder, eyes hard butforting.


    Kayden leaned in close and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t let them take you down without a fight, aye?¡±


    I paused, again picturing Cadell, Dragoth, or even Agrona himself standing in my ssroom, waiting for me to arrive. Had the Scythes finally tracked me down?


    ¡®As if we¡¯d be so lucky,¡¯ Regis said, now wide awake and practically humming with anticipation. ¡®Do you think we¡¯d even need to break out Destruction to kick Dragoth¡¯s ass at this point? I mean, with that new dualyer core of yours¡ª¡¯


    Like the other professors had done, I nced through the small window in my door. And while it wasn¡¯t a Scythe waiting for me, what I saw didn¡¯t exactly settle my nerves.


    Four figures were standing at the bottom of the stadium seats, near the training tform. Valen of Highblood Ramseyer was speaking to the director, his grandfather, who shared the same duskyplexion as Valen, but wore his nobility less pompously. The head of the Combat Department, Rafferty, was standing off slightly to the side. I assumed by his stance¡ªstill as a statue with his gaze downturned to his shoes¡ªthat he was ufortable about something.


    The fourth man was lean and muscr. His dark hair was pulled into a topknot, and he hade dressed in leather armor dyed the ck and azure of Central Academy. He wore a broad smile that showed too much teeth and nodded along with whatever Valen was saying.


    ¡°Professor? Should I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait out here,¡± I instructed Ma, only just remembering that she was still there.


    When I entered the ssroom, Valen ended his monologue in favor of narrowing his gaze and jutting his chin. The stranger immediately turned his attention to me, his te-gray eyes crawling across me as they studied me hungrily.


    Director Ramseyer broke the silence. ¡°Professor Grey. Come in. We do not mean to ambush you in your ssroom, but a runner sent to your private suite this morning was unable to reach you.¡± Although the words were polite, his tone was clipped and sharp with reproach. ¡°Now that you are here, however, we have a most serious matter to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡± I asked, allowing my concern toe through in my voice.


    ¡°It hase to my attention¡±¡ªDirector Ramseyer shot Valen a pointed nce¡ª¡°that your behavior toward this ss has been less than attentive, Professor Grey. This is uneptable at the best of times, but now more than ever it is essential that apetent teacher is avable to guide the Melee Enhancement Tactics students.¡±


    I stood tall, my shoulders loose as my hands sped together behind me. ¡°And why is that, if you don¡¯t mind my asking?¡±


    The director, who himself stood ramrod straight, inspected me closely before answering. ¡°In different circumstances, I would be here to congratte you.¡± He paused, letting the moment linger. ¡°As you likely know, Vechor will host the Victoriad this year. Melee Enhancement Tactics has been selected as one of the sses topete.¡±


    I opened my mouth to ask why, but Regis growled a quick mental warning to stop me.


    ¡®The Victoriad is this huge tournament that brings cryans from every dominion topete, mostly inbat. The type or ss ofbat is chosen by raffle, so intermediate non-magicalbat must have been one of the sses picked.¡¯


    ¡°I see,¡± I said out loud. Piss poor luck for us, though.


    ¡®It¡¯s worse than that. The tournament mostly focuses on the Scythes and their retainers,¡¯ Regis continued. ¡®Challenges are sanctioned by the Sovereigns, allowing a sufficiently powerful or connected mage to challenge an old Scythe or retainer for their ce. Uto survived a dozen challenges over the years. The Victoriad is thest ce we want to be.¡¯


    I met and held Director Ramseyer¡¯s eyes, crossing my arms and cocking my head to the side slightly. ¡°I understand why you might want to make a change. Am I to assume that this man¡±¡ªI bobbed my head in the direction of the stranger¡ª¡°is to take my ce?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the director confirmed matter-of-factly. ¡°This is Drekker of Highblood Vassere. He has been Valen¡¯s private tutor for several years now, and is an excellent fighter. He has offered to lead this ss in their preparation for the Victoriad, and I have epted. He will start immediately, and you will be given¡ª¡±


    ¡°I would like a chance to defend my post,¡± I said evenly.


    Regis sighed in resignation. ¡®My words might as well be a fleeting fart to you.¡¯


    The director squinted at me, frowning slightly. He seemed more intrigued than angry. ¡°Please exin.¡±


    Before I could speak, the door into the ssroom banged open and En strode in, looking extremely irritated. When she saw the director and department head, however, she froze. Director Augustine held up a hand and said, ¡°Please wait outside a moment, Miss Frost.¡±


    ¡°Let her stay,¡± I said, gesturing to the door. ¡°In fact, let theme in and watch.¡±


    ¡°Watch what?¡± Rafferty asked, though his attention was on the director, not me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight for it,¡± I said, looking past Valen and the director toward the tutor. ¡°You need someone who has been in actualbat and can show the students how important being able to defend themselves without magic really is.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± my would-be recement snapped, his aloof pompousness falling away. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let them watch our duel. It¡¯ll give them confidence in whoever wins.¡±


    Director Ramseyer rubbed his chin, his gaze flicking to the door where the students were starting to gather.


    ¡°Grandfather, this is preposterous. You can¡¯t expect Drekker to¡ª¡± The director waved for silence, causing Valen¡¯s mouth to practically snap shut.


    ¡°Yes, an excellent idea, Professor Grey.¡± To Drekker, he said, ¡°I am confident in your abilities, but showing them to the students will build excitement for the transition.¡±


    Drekker bowed. ¡°I am at your service, Director Ramseyer.¡±


    ¡®You know, being able to read your mind only makes you more confusing.¡¯


    I gestured for the students waiting outside in the hall to enter. En slowly descended the stairs while the rest of the ss filtered in, including Ma. There was some confused chatter as people saw the director and department head, but at my signal, they all found their seats and quieted down.


    The director stepped forward and introduced himself for the benefit of any students who had never met him before, then exined what was about to happen. A nervous tension settled over them, but I didn¡¯t think it was for my benefit.


    Most of their attention was firmly on Valen¡¯s tutor as Director Ramseyer motioned him to step forward. ¡°I know it is untraditional for the academy to step in and change a professor mid-season, and for this reason, I would like to more fully introduce Drekker of Highblood Vassere. Hailing from Sehz-r, Drekker has spent his entire life perfecting the art ofbat as a Striker.


    ¡°An ascender, a soldier, a trainer, a tutor¡­you will find yourselves in very good hands with Professor Vaserre.¡±


    ¡®But has he had his limbs blown off and regrown, bathed inva, or been shat out an insect¡¯s rectum like we have?¡¯ Regis asked in a snippety tone. ¡®I think not.¡¯


    Well put, I thought, holding back a smile as I watched the students.


    Most of them had taken Melee Enhancement Tactics to goof off, not to learn how to fight, and I could tell from the nervous looks that several of them were already thinking about dropping the ss. Those who were most excited¡ªEn, in particr, seemed about to burst out of her skin¡ªwere giving appraising looks to their potential new professor.


    ¡®You act like you care what they think of you,¡¯ Regis pointed out fairly. ¡®The real question is¡­what the hell are you doing?¡¯


    I¡¯ve just found another reason I need to stay as a professor.


    I could feel mypanion roll his eyes, but no other words were said.


    ¡°Now, if ourbatants would please enter the ring,¡± the director announced, standing off to the side to allow a clear view for the students. ¡°Let¡¯s see who is best fit to prepare this ss for the Victoriad.¡±


    Drekker and I mounted the raised tform from opposing sides. The man had stopped grinning the moment I walked in the door, but now he was giving me a confident smirk. Making sure I was watching, he quickly shifted between multiple stances, his feet practically dancing across the tform. ¡°Are you a proponent of the Vechorian guard stance or forward basilisk stance?¡±


    Ignoring his question, I take a slow, measured breath, making sure my strength is restrained and I¡¯m in control.


    Director Ramseyer¡¯s voice rang through the ssroom. ¡°Begin.¡±


    Drekker¡¯s feet flickered as his body swayed. I could see him raise his brows in curiosity behind his raised fists. ¡°I implore you to get into a proper stance. Better yet, I give you the first move.¡±


    I nodded as I put strength into my legs. ¡°My apologies, this isn¡¯t personal.¡±


    The length between us disappeared as my fist mmed into my wide-eyed opponent, who was barely able to guard in time. Pivoting forward, I brought my right foot between Drekker¡¯s legs and drove my elbow into the side of his head. Two strikes to the jaw and one to his ear, and Valen¡¯s tutor hits the ground. I pinned one knee down under his corbone as my other foot locked an arm in ce.


    My eyes shed up to the director, waiting for him to call the match. Drekker iled about, but only seeded in mming his forehead into my shin.


    ¡°I think that is quite enough, Professor Grey. It would appear there is more to you than I was told.¡± Director Ramseyer gave his grandson another pointed look. The boy had enough sense to look chagrined.


    Releasing Drekker, I got up to my feet and offered him a hand.


    Hair disheveled and face already beginning to swell, Valen¡¯s tutor gave me a hard stare before epting my hand and pulling himself up.


    ¡°I might¡¯ve refuted if I thought I had a chance,¡± he acknowledged meekly.


    Allowing a faint smile, I let go of his rough, calloused hand. ¡°You have a strong guard.¡±


    Hopping down from the training tform, I turned my attention to the students. Most were watching with open-mouthed surprise. Ma beamed at me, while En was looking at me with a newfound flicker of respect. Seth, I noticed, wasn¡¯t watching me, but was looking down at his own clenched fists.


    Still, it was Valen who surprised me. The highblood boy didn¡¯t sneer or scowl like I might have expected. Instead, he calmly took a seat next to Portrel and Remy, shushing them when they began to whisper frantically, and waited.


    I rubbed the back of my neck. ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡±

 Chapter 354: Somewhat Teaching

    <h4>Chapter 354: Somewhat Teaching</h4>


    Holding out the half-sphere relic, I imbued a small amount of aether into it. The relic red to life, burning with a quicksilver glow that coalesced around the zone¡¯s exit portal. The opaque field of energy rippled and became clear as ss. It was like looking through a window into my rooms at Central Academy.


    I gestured for Caera to go first.


    ¡°I¡¯d call you a gentleman but I know you¡¯re using me as a test rodent for your new toy,¡± she said with a smirk before disappearing through the portal, immediately bing visible again on the other side.


    Walking through it was as seamless as going through a door. There was no difort or sense of vertigo, as people sometimes felt when using the teleportation gates around Dicathen. It felt strange to move so smoothly from the Relictombs into my clean, mostly empty rooms at the academy.


    Caera was standing in the middle of the room, her scarlet eyes tracking my every movement as I bent down to deactivate the ascension portal. When both of the pieces were pressed together, they made a faint click and reconnected, forming a perfect sphere. I stored the Compass in my dimension rune.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry it didn¡¯t work, Grey,¡± she said finally, her gaze softening.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I grunted. ¡°It will, eventually.¡±


    Caera gave me a tight-lipped smile and waved a hand across her body, which was covered with spatters of dried blood and ck gore. ¡°Anyway, I better go get cleaned up.¡± She nced out the window, where light was already creeping across the campus. ¡°Looks like we were in there for most of the night. ss is soon.¡±


    ¡°You should probably clean up here,¡± I pointed out, gesturing toward the bathroom connected to my bedroom. ¡°It might raise a few eyebrows if anyone sees you roaming the building covered in blood.¡±


    Caera looked at the ceiling as if charting a path from my room to hers. ¡°Good point.¡±


    After handing her a fresh towel, I sat down at the Sovereigns Quarrel board and mindlessly prodded the pieces.


    ¡®Maybe it didn¡¯t work because Sylvie is an asura and we were in the Relictombs?¡¯ Regis asked, picking up on my own half-formed thoughts.


    No, I thought. It felt the same as before, just after I¡¯d formed the aether core. Except now, instead of putting buckets of water into ake, I¡¯m dumpingkes into an ocean.


    With my aetheric reserves having grown ten-fold by fortifying my core with a secondyer of binding aether, I had thought for sure I could break the second seal within Sylvie¡¯s stone. I was wrong. Instead, I had watched as all the power I had gathered¡ªboth from the Relictombs itself and the seed of Three Steps¡¯ dried-fruit toy¡ªdisappeared into the vast depths of the runic framework, draining away like sand through a sieve.


    But you¡¯re right, I continued, closing my eyes and letting myself sink into the soft mattress. We shouldn¡¯t try it in the Relictombs again. We don¡¯t know what¡¯ll happen if a full-blooded asura emerges from inside.


    Caera appeared from the bathing room a few minutester, scoured clean of the grime and d in fresh clothing. ¡°It just urred to me while I was in your shower that my leaving your room in the early hours of the morning, freshly bathed, might start just as many rumors as if I were covered in blood,¡± she said matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Less damaging rumors,¡± I said.


    She frowned down at me, one brow raised. ¡°For you, perhaps. But then, you are not a highblooddy with a reputation to maintain.¡±


    I tilted my head, holding her gaze. ¡°Do you want me to open the portal so you can cover yourself in blood again?¡±


    Caera deted and wearily waved my words away. ¡°Have a good day in ss, Grey.¡±


    When she was gone, Regis¡¯s voice filled my head. ¡®It¡¯s impressive, you know?¡¯


    What? I asked, sensing some trap in his words.


    ¡®How you can be so good and so bad with women at the same time.¡¯


    ***


    It was obvious how much the mood within the Melee Enhancement Tactics ss had changed as I walked down the steep stairs of the room.


    After it was established that they would bepeting at the Victoriad¡ªin front of retainers, Scythes, and Sovereigns¡ªstudents began to arrive early, even those who had mocked the idea of learning to fight without magic only a few days ago were eagerly waiting with their peers.


    En and her subservient friend, Laurel of Named Blood Redcliff¡ªProfessor Abby¡¯s niece, I found out¡ªhad taken up most of the training tform, while the rest had paired up with one another and were spread throughout the ssroom, sparring awkwardly.


    ¡®What¡­are they doing?¡¯ Regis asked, disturbed and unsettled.


    My brows furrowed in confusion as I watched the students.


    These were mostly highbloods from powerful houses¡ªincluding several from Vechor, where young men and women were trained to be soldiers from the moment they could walk¡ªbut only a couple of them seemed to have any idea of what they were doing.


    Their punches and kicks werecking, like they were y fighting with a toddler. Of the entire ss, only Valen, En, and Marcus of Highblood Arkwright looked like they were actually sparring.


    I let out a scoff in realization. ¡°They¡¯re not using mana.¡±


    cryans awakened as mages earlier than Dicathians, so it made sense that the majority of their training before attending Central Academy relied on mana to fuel their movements and attacks, rather than muscles and technique.


    ¡°Professor Grey!¡±


    I turned my gaze to see Ma scurrying up the stairs toward me, brows lined with sweat.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be teaching today, right? Seth has been showing me some of the exercises he read about in a book to help us warm up for your lesson!¡±


    ¡°Seth?¡± I felt a small pinch in my chest at the name, my face involuntarily scrunching into a grimace.


    I had kept Seth far back in my mind. It was easier to ignore his existence than continuously trying to convince myself that I was justified in despising him for his sister¡¯s actions during the war.


    After all, it had led to countless elves being enved and eventually the decimation of Elenoir.


    Who cares if it wasn¡¯t directly his fault.


    His family got what they deserved¡­


    ¡®Even if Seth was personally the one that charted the path to Elenoir instead of his sister, let¡¯s not forget, you did some terrible things as a soldier in the war. too,¡¯ Regis said, his voice tinged with annoyance.


    I know that¡­ I know. Just¡­


    I rubbed my temples, walking past Ma. My eyes shifted away from Seth, who was struggling to do push-ups. I made my way toward the office, ignoring the stares of the students I passed until I was stopped by a figure standing in front of my door.


    En had her arms crossed, eyes staring icily at me even as sweat rolled down her face.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    She lowered her arms and let out a scoff. ¡°It¡¯s been days since it was announced that our ss would be in the Victoriad, and you haven¡¯t done anything besides tell us to exercise our bodies.¡±


    I raised a brow, jerking my head over my shoulder. ¡°It looks like you all are doing more than that already. I don¡¯t think sparring was part of the regimen.¡±


    En clenched her hands tightly as she stepped forward. ¡°Because we¡¯ll be fighting in the Victoriad for Vritra¡¯s sake! We have to do something!¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re free to do whatever you want,¡± I responded coolly. ¡°This facility is at your disposal. I¡¯m not holding you back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± The Frost blood¡¯s heir lowered her head, her shoulders sagging. ¡°Train us. Show us how we can fight like how you did against Valen¡¯s tutor.¡±


    I hesitated, looking away from her pitiful disy when my eyes caught sight of Seth once more.


    Annoyance and resentment red as I turned my head back and stepped around En. I opened the door when I felt a small tug at my elbow.


    ¡°Please,¡± En whispered, her voice quivering faintly.


    I waited, silently hoping that Regis would crack a joke or just remind me of the justifications I had made before that were eluding me right now. And for once, he didn¡¯t have anything to say.


    I looked back, regretting it immediately. Regretting having to see how the students all looked at me with hopeful eyes, Valen even going as far as bowing slightly along with his friends. Seth stood and peered from the corner of his eye, too afraid to look directly at me, while Ma smiled meekly.


    ¡®You made the right choice,¡¯ Regis thought.


    Who said I made a choice, I replied, gently removing En¡¯s hand.


    ¡®That stubborn brain of yours,¡¯ mypanion responded with a chuckle.


    I shook my head and faced the ss. ¡°Everyone on the training tform!¡±


    The kids dropped everything and rushed to the elevated tform, En somehow being the first one there despite the fact that she had just been next to me.


    I made my way toward the crowd, scratching the back of my head and trying not to think about whether or not I had made the right choice.


    Inside the ring, En had sat down with Laurel while Valen, Remy, and Portrel were close behind. One by one, my eyes scanned the rest of the students, recalling how they had sparred with each other.


    Marcus and Sloane, both Vechorians, had been training together with simr styles, a close-in form ofbat utilizing hard-hitting knees and elbows. Another of the students from Vechor, Brion of Named Blood Bloodworth had been sparring with the kid he was sitting next to now, a tanned, blonde boy from Etril named Linden.


    Linden looked more like a farmer than a fighter and his swings were messy and widepared to Brion, who had obviously had some level of training.


    Out of all of the students watching me eagerly like baby chicks, only Deacon seemed uninterested sitting next to Yanick in the back, his face hidden behind a book.


    I let out a sigh. ¡°What would you get if you injected babies with the muscles of a veteran warrior?¡±


    Raising my right hand, I pointed my finger at the ss. ¡°You.¡±


    This statement was met with a mixture of responses, ranging from confusion to annoyance and even anger.


    ¡®That¡¯s one way to get them fired up for ss,¡¯ Regis responded.


    ¡°Simply put, you guys might as well be punching with your wrists,¡± I said, demonstrating with a flick of my own wrist. ¡°And the only reason why it¡¯s been working is because you have enough mana to make even that hurt.¡±


    En bolted up to her feet, her mouth already open, but I cut her off. ¡°I¡¯m not here to stroke your ego or make ss fun and exciting,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m going to be teaching one thing today. Whether you choose to listen is up to you.¡±


    ¡°Throwing a punch takes your whole body, starting not from the swing of your arms, but from the ball of your feet.¡± I swiveled my right foot slowly and pointed to my hips. ¡°Like a tornado, you generate momentum from your leg, rotating your hip and letting power build up as you turn your shoulder and explode your fist forward. Any questions?¡±


    To my surprise, it was Valen¡¯s hand that shot up first. ¡°Can you show us a demonstration using a target?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I deadpanned. ¡°Pair up and demonstrate on yourselves.¡±


    ***


    Two dayster, when I entered my room for the next ss, I was surprised to find half the students already waiting for me. Rafferty, head of the Melee Combat Department, was also there, sitting in the row closest to the training tform.


    En was standing in front of him, throwing the same punch I had shown the ssst session.


    ¡°¡ªstarts in the foot, legs and hips, like this¡­¡± I overheard her say as I made my way down the stairs. Her eyes lit up as she made her way to me.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing the punch you taught us, and you were right! The force score on my impact gauge artifact more than doubled after reading my punch, and it¡¯s continuing to improve,¡± she said excitedly while showing me her battered knuckles.


    ¡°I-I see,¡± I responded, caught off guard by her excitement. Turning to Rafferty, I gave him a small bow, only ncing at the stack of parchment in his hand.


    ¡°Just here for a standard inspection, nothing to worry about, Professor Grey. Miss Frost here was just filling me in on yourst lesson,¡± the department head said with a cough.


    I gave him a hollow smile before heading to the bottom of the bleacher-style seats. While I waited for the rest of the students to arrive, I listened to the din of conversationing from the ss. Ma was sitting halfway up the bleacher-style seats between Seth and Linden, the only other student in Melee Enhancement Tactics who was from Etril.


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll get a second rune during the bestowal?¡± Linden was asking Ma. ¡°It¡¯s still hard to believe you got an emblem as your first rune¡­¡±


    Ma looked down sheepishly. Although she was confident and energetic toward sswork, she seemed to struggle when it came tomunicating with the other students.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know,¡± she finally answered. ¡°Everyone who hears about how I got the¡­rune is always so surprised. No one has ever heard of it happening like that.¡±


    Linden was shaking his head, his mouth slightly open. ¡°You¡¯re so lucky. On the verge of being unadorned, then wham! Emblem.¡±


    Ma twirled a lock of hair around her finger absentmindedly. ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Marcus leaned back in his chair and looked over his shoulder at the pair. ¡°My first rune was a crest. Personally, I¡¯m hoping for a second one during this bestowal. Not as impressive as an emblem¡±¡ªhe gave a little nod to Ma, who blushed¡ª¡°but if I can get a second one early, it¡¯s realistic that I could have a third rune while still at the academy.¡±


    ¡°ording to my grandfather,¡± Valen interjected from several seats away, drawing the attention of nearly everyone in the room, ¡°fewer than ten percent of students manage three runes before graduating, but that¡¯s still higher than nearly any other academy in crya.¡±


    Marcus shrugged nonchntly, as if he didn¡¯t find these numbers troublesome in the least.


    ¡°I already have my second,¡± En said, taking a seat in the front row. ¡°A crest during my first bestowal at the academy.¡±


    Rafferty cleared his throat, and all eyes turned toward him. ¡°Remember, the bestowment ceremony is a time for introspection, and your bestowal is a reflection of your effort to master both mind and mana. Focus less on what you will receive, and more on what you have done to earn it. Professor Grey, please start.¡±


    My eyes swept over the students waiting for me to speak. ¡°Last ss, I taught you how to throw a proper punch. This time, you¡¯ll work on how to properly dodge.¡±


    A hand went up. It was Ma.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Professor, but is it possible to review your lesson from thest ss? I want to make sure that I¡¯m doing it correctly,¡± she asked with her hand still up in the air.


    ¡°No. Ask your ssmates, make some friends,¡± I replied as Yanick slipped through the door, thest to arrive. Before he could take more than a couple of steps, I waved him down to the floor. ¡°Yanick, good timing. You¡¯re up first.¡±


    He frowned with concern, but made his way down the steps to stand beside me.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to throw two punches at you. A straight right at your face, then a left hook at your ribs,¡± I informed him.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I raised my fists. ¡°Dodge.¡±


    Stepping forward, I threw my right fist straight at his face. Despite his initial surprise, Yanick was still able to step back away from my reach.


    Pivoting on my right foot, I swung my left fist in a wide hook.


    Yanick took another step back to dodge.


    I turned back to the ss, who were watching from the bleachers. ¡°What did Yanick do wrong?¡±


    ¡°He had too much wasted movement,¡± Valen answered promptly.


    ¡°Correct.¡± I turned to Yanick once more. ¡°Again.¡±


    My little sparring partner nodded seriously, readying himself this time.


    I punched again, limiting both my speed and power. This time, the young cryan leaned away from the cross rather than jumping back, then parried the hook.


    ¡°Faster.¡±


    I repeated the exercise, and Yanick¡¯s response was the same, lean back before parrying the hook. The third time, his jerking lean back forced him to take an unnned step, and he only barely got his hand down in time to intercept my hook.


    My fistnded solidly in his side on the fourth repetition, just hard enough to knock the wind out of him.


    The boy let out a cough as I turned to the rest of the ss. ¡°Learning to dodge effectively means that you not only cause your opponent to miss, but also create an opportunity for you to attack at the same time.¡±


    The students looked at me with renewed interest; even Deacon had put down his book to pay attention.


    ¡°Who would like to go next,¡± I said, waving Yanick away. The boy¡¯s braids bobbed as he hopped off the tform before taking a seat.


    A couple of hands went up, with En practically waving her hand to be picked.


    ¡°Valen,¡± I said, turning toward the highblood.


    Portrel let out a cheer, but Valen¡¯s cool look quieted therger boy.


    ¡°You understand what to do by now?¡± I asked, adopting my stance.


    Valen nodded as he slid back into a stance I recognized as the Vechorian guard stance from my short duel with his tutor, Drekker.


    When I threw my cross, he leaned forward, and his elbow fell down to block the hook.


    I took a step back. ¡°Take note of how small Valen¡¯s movements are. By leaning into the first punch, Valen is setting himself up to both block the hook with a smaller movement than Yanick¡¯s parry, and to be inside my guard for a counter.¡±


    I raised my fists. ¡°Let¡¯s see if he can do it faster.¡±


    Valen and I went several more rounds, with eachbinationing quicker and quicker. Finally, his initial in-step was too shallow, and my cross clipped him on the cheek, nearly knocking him to the floor.


    Despite seeing the headmaster¡¯s grandson get hit, Rafferty seemed unaffected as his pen continued to blur across the parchment as he took notes.


    ¡°Everyone pair up. Go back and forth, trading off as attacker and defender. Attackers, start at half speed and work your way up.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the lesson,¡± Valen said with a bow before walking away.


    ¡®It¡¯s so boring now that the kids are so obedient,¡¯ Regis groused.


    Are my lessons too basic for the mighty god weapon of destruction? I asked with a chuckle.


    ¡®Yes, as well as anatomically useless for me. So unless you¡¯re going to start teaching your students to fight on all fours, I¡¯m going to take a nap,¡¯ he answered as his presence faded.


    The rest of the session passed quickly, and most of the students seemed genuinely surprised when I announced their dismissal.


    ¡°Get out of here,¡± I shooed impatiently.


    ¡°Thanks, Professor,¡± Marcus said as he led the way up the stairs. A couple of the others nodded. Ma shed me a wide grin and waved as she took the broad steps two at a time.


    Rafferty was on his feet, his papers tucked beneath his arm. He quickly adjusted his ck and azure suit. ¡°Your teachings are¡­unusual, but effective. It looks like I won¡¯t have to worry too much, Professor Grey.¡±


    ¡°Appreciated,¡± I said as the head of the Melee Combat Department marched up the stairs and out of my ssroom.


    I made myself busy putting things away and shutting everything up. I was almost done when I felt someone watching me.


    ¡°Were you going to announce yourself, or just stand there acting all creepy?¡± I mused, closing and locking my office door.


    Caera was leaning against the doorframe.


    ¡°I was just a bit stunned watching you clean,¡± she said with a hand over her mouth. ¡°I am unustomed to you looking so domestic.¡±


    ¡®Domestic indeed,¡¯ Regis chortled.


    I sighed. ¡°If you¡¯re going to poke fun, at least help while doing it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here for something else,¡± Caera said, straightening. ¡°With the bestowment ceremony starting tomorrow, sses are suspended for the next few days¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I said, feigning nonchnce. ¡°I¡¯ll finally have time to do those errands that I¡¯ve pushed back, along with some other domestic chores.¡±


    Caera rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t be a tease. We¡¯re going in, right?¡±


    A smile formed on the corner of my lips. ¡°Of course.¡±

 Chapter 355: Just His Name

    <h4>Chapter 355: Just His Name</h4>


    TESSIA ERALITH


    Lifting my hand, I reveled in the response of the mana. The red particles jumped and danced, full of energy. The yellow hovered low to the ground, rolling and tumbling like tiny stones. The blue mana washed over me like the iing tide and clung to my skin like dew. The green ones were my favorite, though. They had a cutting quality, like a sharp de, whipping and snapping like the wind they represented, but there was also something cool and clean about them. The wind mana was both hard and soft at the same time.


    I was standing on a nameless teau, high in the Basilisk Fang Mountains. Not far from Taegrin Caelum. There was nothing around for miles that I could identally destroy¡­but I wasn¡¯t out here because Agrona feared I might lose control. Rather, he knew the extent of my power, and he wanted me to let loose.


    Reaching into the sky, I focused on the mana, pulling it to a specific point high above. Water and wind condensed, smashing into each other to build into a huge, ck storm cloud that darkened the mountains for miles all around us.


    My small audience watched in silence. Nico was there, of course, along with three of the other Scythes. Draneeve, Nico¡¯s attendant and a few other ranking figures from the fortress hade as well. Agrona hadn¡¯t, but I¡¯d never seen him leave the castle before.


    Fire mana drifted up from the sun-warm stones and fused into white, hot bolts of lightning that crashed back down to shatter boulders and cast shrapnel across my training ground. Water condensed into ice, which began to fall like catapult stones to smash craters into the hard mountain soil.


    Even at the height of my strength on Earth, I¡¯d never been able to do anything like this with ki.


    My memories had been much more stable in the weeks since Agrona promised I could leave his fortress. He said that I would begin to feel more like myself the longer I was in this body. The runes covering my flesh helped hold me together, helped keep the other voice quiet.


    Wind mana coalesced into wide, cutting streams that wove around me like a dragon, separating me from the others. Wind, both soft and hard¡­


    My life¡ªmy previous life¡ªhad required me to harden myself to endure the constant and torturous training I had received. But there had always been a piece of myself that I kept in my heart, that piece where I had felt loving warmth for the first time in my life, and it was that warmth that maintained me until¡­


    I refocused on the mana, recoiling from the shattered remnants of those memories. I still couldn¡¯t remember my death, and Nico had only said I would learn about it in time.


    Nico¡­


    I nced at where he stood, watching me cast spells, his dark hairshing his face. I couldn¡¯t help but notice how he stood well away from the others. Poor Nico, an outsider even here.


    Draneeve pped his hands and shouted into the wind, his mask giving his voice a grating quality that I found ufortable to listen to. Nico motioned for Draneeve¡¯s silence, and the masked man stopped shouting, though he continued with a slow, inconsistent apuse.


    Reaching out, I tugged at the corners of the huge storm and drew it inward and downward until it hovered just above me, hardly the size of an apple tree. The creation, moments ago a deadly manifestation of raw power, was now something entirely different. Tiny winged creatures made of air wheeled within the clouds, while little watery dolphins jumped and sshed below them.


    It was beautiful. Mana was beautiful. Ki had been energy, capable of being gathered and unleashed but never really formed, not in the same way mana could take shape. This was real magic.


    My attention twitched nervously over to the three who stood apart from the rest: the Scythes. Technically, Nico was one of them, but they held him apart, or he kept his distance. Or both.


    Their varying shades of gray skin, ck horns, and red eyes all served to define them as something firmly other. Their gazes held both curiosity and unease, like an audience watching a lion tamer at a circus. It made me believe what Nico kept telling me: they knew I¡¯d be stronger than them eventually.


    ¡°Very, very well done!¡± Draneeve piped up in his purposefully grating voice. ¡°You¡¯ve grown so much more quickly than Lord Nico. Barely weeks in the skinny elf girl¡¯s body and you¡¯re¡ª¡±


    There was a loud crack.


    Draneeve straightened his mask¡ªa in white thing with small holes for eyes and a crudely drawn smile¡ªand rubbed the side of his head where Nico had backhanded him. I frowned at Nico, who had the good grace to at least look embarrassed. He hated Draneeve, I knew, but he wouldn¡¯t tell me why.


    Cadell and Dragoth were watching Nico.


    Dragoth was enormous, asrge as any man I¡¯d ever seen, but he was otherwise cut from a familiar cloth. When I was rising through the ranks in the King¡¯s Crown tournament, there were many like him. Cocky, self-absorbed warriors. Quick tough at their own jokes, and quick to fight at any perceived insult.


    Cadell was stranger, scarier. He had a cold and cruel face, like the sharp side of an axe, but was businesslike in his manners. I didn¡¯t like him.


    But it was the third Scythe who I found most interesting. I¡¯d only met her once before, and that was brief. Although she looked young¡ªtwenty at the most¡ªthere was a deep, curious wisdom in her eyes, and a worldly intelligence. I felt like she was dissecting me with her dark eyes, both then and now. Unlike her counterparts, she was still watching me. Not my spell, with it¡¯s silly wind-gulls and water-dolphins, but me.


    Looking into her eyes, it was almost like I could see the gears behind them turning, trying to figure me out. Did she see me as a threat? A tool? I wasn¡¯t sure.


    ¡°Nico,¡± Cadell said, his tone full of frost and fire, ¡°be nice to your pet. After all, it is Draneeve who returned you from that awful continent.¡± Draneeve fidgeted, his attitude unreadable behind his ugly mask¡­ ¡°He¡¯d be a general now, perhaps even a retainer, if he hadn¡¯t retreated from Dicathen to save your ungrateful hide.¡±


    My spell faded away, the cloud dissolving to mist and then to nothing as I waited for Nico to respond. He clenched his fists and took a step away from Draneeve. ¡°Don¡¯t speak to me like I¡¯m your lesser, Cadell. I¡¯m a Scythe too, remember?¡±


    Dragoth grinned, his teeth shining white as moonlight through his beard. ¡°You are right, little Nico. You are a Scythe. And the name Scythe meant a little less the day we counted you among our number.¡± Heughed loudly at his own joke, but didn¡¯t stop there. ¡°Perhaps Bivrae should be a Scythe, or even Draneeve!¡± he said, practically shouting, his grin turning predatory.


    Nico sneered. ¡°And where was the mighty Dragoth during the war? Tell me, Titan of Vechor, why was it your retainer went to Dicathen and died while you stayed safe and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Be careful what you say next,¡± Dragoth growled, his smile dropping quickly. He took a step toward Nico, his huge muscles bulging.


    The ground swelled as a twisting, thorn-covered vine erupted between them, quickly expanding into a wicked briar fence. I hadn¡¯t meant to cast a spell at all, but I was agitated by their fighting. My defensive instinct always veered toward nt magic, even when other elements would make more sense.


    Dragoth leaned forward, resting both arms on the thorn-covered vines. ¡°You are young and little, yet already at the peak of your power, reincarnate.¡±


    Nico¡¯s head tilted to the side. His eyes were cold as dead coals. ¡°Everyone who might hope to challenge me is already here,¡± he said softly before turning to me. ¡°It¡¯s clear that you are ready to go. We¡¯ve waited long enough¡ªat Lord Agrona¡¯s insistence, of course,¡± he added quickly, shooting a sour look at Cadell.


    ¡°Your ability to mold mana is impressive,¡± Scythe Seris said, her razorde gaze cutting me apart bit by bit, ¡°but don¡¯t be clouded by what''s in front of you. Keep your eyes and ears open and do not reach beyond your grasp.¡±


    ¡°She is the Legacy,¡± Nico countered darkly. ¡°The stars themselves are not beyond her grasp.¡±


    ***


    My first experience of this world was the forest homnd of the elven people. Its strangeness was lost on me. I was too confused and astonished by my own reincarnation to pay much attention to their enchanted forest. Even the appearance of the three-eyed giant¡ªan asura, I reminded myself¡ªhad failed to impress upon me the otherworldliness of my new home.


    It was in Taegrin Caelum when I began to understand how different this ce really was from Earth. But there, everything I learned was filtered by Agrona. It wasn¡¯t until Nico led me into the Relictombs that I appreciated the full depth of the strange and wonderful differences between the two worlds.


    Agrona¡¯s private portal could connect to any other in crya, allowing us to teleport much too close to our destination. I would have liked to explore, to spend time taking it all in as we meandered across the second level of the Relictombs. The sky alone nearly took my breath away as I gazed up into the vast blue expanse. I thought my storm had been an impressive piece of magic, but this¡­


    I knew logically that the sky itself was a magical construct, but I couldn¡¯t understand it. It seemed iprehensible that anyone could create such a thing. When I shared this thought with Nico, he ignored me, focused instead on bullying his way through the crowds of armored men and women around us.


    ¡°Are you entirely immune to the wonders of this world?¡± I asked, keeping pace beside him. ¡°You might¡¯ve gotten ustomed to all of this, but I¡¯ve only recently arrived here.¡±


    ¡°We have somece to be,¡± he snapped. He must have seen me frown from the corner of his eye, because he slowed down a little. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Cecil. I¡¯m¡­a bit agitated. Lord Agrona hinted that what we¡¯ll find here might be important to me, but he¡¯s left out any sort of details and¡­¡± He trailed off, wincing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s not your fault. I¡¯m just impatient to speak to these judges.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, feeling immediately guilty for my choice of words. He¡¯d told me at length about his lives, both what it was like for him after my involuntary induction into the King¡¯s Crown tournament and his divided life here. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to make light of what you¡¯ve been through.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± was all he said.


    I followed along silently as Nico led us straight as an arrow toward arge, intimidating building of dark stone and ck spines. It looked a little like a huge porcupine with an army of gargoyles clinging to its back.


    A woman with a head of hair like a beacon fire was waiting for us in front of the building. She was wrapped in dark robes embroidered with a golden sword and scales. Her eyes stayed on her shoes as we approached, and even when she began to speak, she did not look up.


    ¡°It is a great honor to wee a representative of the High Sovereign.¡± Her tone was authoritative, even when she tried to be subservient. ¡°Although, I must admit, we expected you sooner.¡±


    Nico marched past her, and she spun around to follow, keeping just slightly farther back from him than I was. ¡°The High Sovereign has little time for such trifling things as a few corrupt judges. I¡¯m still not sure why a Scythe was needed at all,¡± Nico said briskly.


    I wanted to look around, but we were walking too quickly for me to really take the ce in. I nearlyughed when I saw a giant fresco of a man I assumed was supposed to be Agrona. It seemed like the artists had never even seen him, but I realized quickly that was a possibility. Then we were past it, with neither Nico nor the red-haired woman taking any notice.


    Nico stopped at a ck iron door, tapping his fingers impatiently while waiting for the high justice to open it. Waving her mana-swathed hand in front of the door, she motioned us toward a dimly lit stairway made of dark stone and gray tiles. Nico took the lead again, descending the stairs rapidly. By the time we reached the bottom, he was marching at an ufortable speed, forcing the high justice and I to practically jog to keep up with him.


    A maze of narrow tunnels opened up to our left and right, lined with barred cell doors. In the closest cell to the stairs, a raggedy woman leaned forward into the torchlight, saw Nico, and immediately ducked back into the shadows, her face twisting as if she¡¯d just seen a demon.


    Nico ignored the branching tunnels as he led us straight down the middle path.


    Then, something clicked.


    His standoffishness, the way he was practically ignoring me after spending thest three weeks working tirelessly to prove to Agrona that I was ready, his ill temper¡­Nico was anxious about this interrogation.


    It was hardly a stretch to say that my once-fiance was always anxious, but he had gone rigid, every movement stiff and awkward, and he wouldn¡¯t even look at me. He wasn¡¯t merely anxious; he was dreading whatever was toe.


    The hallway ended in a pair of wide iron doors, ck as night and entirely covered in silvered runes. They looked like they could keep a rampaging rhinoceros inside. Despite their size, though, they swung open all by themselves as the high justice approached, revealing arge, circr room on the other side.


    My stomach did a flip.


    ¡°What did these people do to deserve this?¡± I asked, averting my eyes.


    Inside the cell, five figures hung spread-eagle from the ceiling by their wrists and ankles. Bronze bands covered their mouths. Although there was mana in the chains and gags, I couldn¡¯t sense anything from the prisoners. Either their mana was being suppressed or¡ªI swallowed hard¡ªtheir mana cores had been destroyed.


    ¡°They colluded with a noble house to convict an innocent man of a crime he didn¡¯tmit,¡± the high justice said firmly. ¡°Their tant abuse of authority for their own personal gain deserves this and worse.¡±


    I stepped toward the cell, despite not being entirely sure I even wanted to, but Nico stopped me. He reached out to touch my arm, but stopped. ¡°I think it would be better if you waited out here.¡±


    I was almost relieved. Taking a step back, I nodded. Once he and the high justice were inside, the doors began to close. At thest moment, as his eyes turned away from mine, his face changed, hardening like it was carved out of pale marble. Then he was gone, and I watched as yellow mana particles raced along the grooves between the doors, ceiling, and floor.


    There was a wooden stool next to the doors, so I sat down. My mind kept fluttering back to the manaless figures in the room. I¡¯d had my own mana core for such a short period of time, but still the idea of losing it terrified me beyond words. To discover that mana exists¡ªand learn how to restructure the physical world with a thought¡ªonly to lose that power¡­


    The cryans couldn¡¯t have understood. Even Agrona, even Nico¡­


    On Earth, I had learned early on that, although I had a rtivelyrge ki center, that power would never be mine to wield. I was the weapon. That¡¯s what they thought the Legacy was.


    Agrona is no different.


    I dug a palm into my eye socket, pushing away the irritating thought. Maybe it was true that Agrona hoped I would use my strength for him, but he had reincarnated me knowing it would be my power. He knew what I really was. And he wanted to show me what I was capable of.


    They¡¯re constantly hiding things. Like right now. What is Nico doing that he doesn¡¯t want you to see?


    Once this thought had invaded my brain, I couldn¡¯t escape it. I was just as curious to know what was happening inside that room as I had been hesitant to enter it. I listened closely, but there was ayer of deviant wind mana creating a sound barrier around the cell.


    As I focused on the mana, it rippled, and the sound of muffled conversation reached my ears. I remembered swimming at the academy, learning to focus my ki in different environments, and how the water distorted the voices of those outside the pool. It sounded exactly like that. I swam close to the metaphorical surface, and the voice became even clearer. I pushed through the barrier of sound, and suddenly I could hear Nico as if he were standing right next to me.


    ¡°¡ªtell me every single damned thing you remember about him. Don¡¯t leave out the smallest detail.¡± Nico¡¯s voice was deep and hollow, like he was speaking from the bottom of a canyon.


    A chorus of croaking voices answered, each one more desperate to be heard than thest.


    ¡°¡ªcruel cleverness in his eyes as he¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªsat like a statue, like he never feared for a¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªmight be an unadorned, ¡®cause we never did sense his mana or¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªexuded such a terrible pressure¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop. Stop!¡± Nico snarled. The cell went quiet. ¡°If you keep shouting over each other, I¡¯ll burn out your tongues so only one may speak.¡± I recoiled from his gruesome threat, but told myself he was only doing what he had to do. ¡°You, tell me how this ascender came to your attention.¡±


    There was some moaning and clearing of throats before a thin, nasally voice answered. ¡°A servant of the Granbehl Blood brought us a strange story¡­of an ascender without any blood ties, who seemed unountably powerful, and who projected no mana signature.¡± The speaker paused, breathing heavily. ¡°They suspected that Ascender Grey had smuggled a relic¡ª¡±


    The voice choked off as stone and bones both cracked. I could feel the weight of Nico¡¯s rage through the warded doors.


    When Nico spoke again, his voice was strained. ¡°Why was I not informed of this ascender¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°I-it was in the report we sent to Taegrin Caelum,¡± the high justice said swiftly, her voice shaking.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make any sense,¡± Nico snarled under his breath, and I heard soft steps as he began to pace.


    Standing, I moved tentatively toward the doors. The steel bolts retracted as I approached, and the doors swung open. Inside, the high justice had shrank back against the curved wall, her head down. Nico paced back and forth in front of the four remaining prisoners. The fifth, a man with a goatee, had been impaled by three ck spikes. His blood ran in dark streams down the spikes before seeping into cracks in the floor.


    ¡°He¡¯s dead,¡± Nico said firmly. He spun on his heel, pacing back the other way. ¡°But he¡¯s like a freaking cockroach. If anyone could survive¡­¡± He spun again. ¡°Even if he survived, he couldn¡¯t havee to crya without us seeing.¡±


    ¡°Nico, what¡ª¡±


    He snapped his fingers and pointed at me before continuing to speak to himself. ¡°He could have found an ancient portal, still active¡­but even he wouldn¡¯t be self-absorbed enough to use that name¡­like lighting a signal fire in the dark¡­¡±


    Is this the man you love?


    I trembled as the vertigo surged through my body, beginning behind my eyes, then jolting down into my guts. I grabbed his wrist with a shaky hand. ¡°Nico, what did you do?¡±


    He wrenched his arm free of my grasp, baring his teeth at me like an animal. ¡°Shut up!¡±


    A monster roared to life inside me. The elderwood guardian¡¯s will was all twisted, boiling rage. It was the trapped beast screaming against the chains that bound it, but it was also the grass and vines and trees that retake the world when humans abandon it. It frightened me, this wild thing sleeping inside me. It was too much like my ki in myst life: uncontroble, explosive, relentless¡­


    I had learned to touch every kind of mana. Even the so-called deviants, the use of which seemed simple as snowballs in winter¡­but Agrona had warned me away from the beast will. Perhaps some day I could tame it, but for now¡­


    The light in the room took on the dappled green of the forest beneath a thick canopy, and a single emerald vine curled around my arm, reaching toward Nico.


    The fury melted off his face, leaving him pale and green-tinged. He recoiled from me as if he¡¯d been burned.


    ¡°Cecil, are you okay? I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m¡­¡± Trailing off, he ran both hands through his limp hair.


    The tendril receded, and the light returned to normal. But I could still feel the beast will vibrating with rage. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Nico cleared his throat and faced the four prisoners. The old woman had fainted, and the fat man had thrown up on the floor. They had been caught unprotected between the sudden surge of force from Nico and me.


    He¡¯ll hurt you.


    That didn¡¯t matter. Nico¡¯s spirit was shattered. He wasn¡¯t himself. But that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t be healed with time.


    ¡°What did this ascender look like?¡± Nico asked, addressing the central prisoner, a frail old man.


    ¡°Pale blond hair¡­¡± the old man rasped. ¡°Golden eyes, more feline than man. Twenty years of age, perhaps, with sharp and proud features¡­¡±


    Nico frowned, his eyes losing focus as he tried to picture the mysterious ascender.


    ¡°And regal,¡± the old man added. ¡°He held himself like royalty¡­like a king.¡±


    Nico scoffed, a vicious sound that wed the air. ¡°Like a king, you say?¡± Nico¡¯s body erupted, his sudden swelling rage no longer able to be contained by mere flesh and bone. ck mes engulfed him, leaping from his body like hot ash.


    ¡°Who is a king!¡± he roared. ¡°We have only Sovereigns here!¡±


    I could see the mana, ckened by the basilisks¡¯ decay influence, working itself into a frenzy inside the prisoners¡¯ flesh. All of them were burning on the inside. On the outside, they writhed in silent torment, the pain too great to even scream.


    Nico was panting heavily, and with every exhtion, the air around him seemed to distort. The high justice had already scrambled backwards out of the cell to avoid the ck fire. She could only watch, unable to speak out in defense of the justice she imed to represent.


    ¡°Useless old fools!¡± Nico shouted, his voice cracking. The old man¡¯s flesh began to blister and crack, and little ck mes leapt out of the wounds as the soulfire devoured them.


    It did not take long.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t necessary,¡± I said, soft but firm. I didn¡¯t want to draw Nico¡¯s fury, but I wasn¡¯t afraid, either. ¡°They didn¡¯t deserve to be burned away by your fear and rage.¡±


    Nico closed his eyes. His breathing slowed, and the mes outlining him like a deadly halo receded back into his flesh and faded. ¡°They are nobody. They are entirely insignificant.¡± His voice was utterly devoid of emotion.


    ¡°Grey again¡­¡± I said, my voice barely a whisper. ¡°Why does this man have such a hold over you that just his name can cause such a strong reaction? Who is Grey?¡±


    Nico, his back to me, seemed to shrink in on himself. ¡°He was our friend¡­¡±


    He turned, and for just a moment I didn¡¯t see the stranger¡¯s face that Nico wore. I only saw his eyes, red-rimmed and glistening with tears. I knew the sadness in them. He was looking at me now the same way he used to look at me, helpless. Desperate.


    ¡°And he was the one that murdered you, Cecilia.¡±

 Chapter 356: Closure

    <h4>Chapter 356: Closure</h4>


    ARTHUR


    The aetheric de in my hand¡ªnorger than a simple dagger and hazy around the edges¡ªdrove into a winged creature made of stone before shattering partway, not yet able to withstand the impact.


    My hand wrapped around the creature¡¯s throat. It looked like a bat with a petrified squashed face and a huge mouth. Its wide jaws snapped crazily just inches in front of my face as its jagged ws dug into my arms in a desperate effort to pull itself closer.


    Holding the gargoyle back with one hand, I conjured the de again in my other hand and plunged it into the beast¡¯s head, which split apart with a resounding crack.


    The de broke and faded away, leaving me with empty arms to defend myself as two more gargoyles plummeted toward me.


    Twin bolts of dark fire struck the descending gargoyles, and the swooping beasts exploded. Their rubble ttered to the ground like hail and sent up little sshes where itnded in the stream bisecting the zone.


    I nced back to see Caera holding her arm out, revealing the silver bracer she had taken from the Spear Beaks¡¯ treasure room. It seemed thin against her wrist, barely more than a decorative cuff covered in intricate engravings.


    Two narrow silver shards were revolving defensively around her, zing with dark light. In the next breath, they began to dim as they drifted back to the bracer and reconnected to it, fitting into the pattern of engravings.


    Regis loped toward us, spitting out a chunk of rock from his mouth.


    Behind him, the zone stretched out far into the distance, covered with the wreckage of our passing.


    We were in a canyon with sheer, rocky cliffs to either side. They climbed so high that only a sliver of sky could be seen above us, like a reflection of the thin, clear stream that ran along the canyon floor. Loose rocks and rubble¡ªthe remains of the gargoyle creatures¡ªlittered the canyon floor.


    ¡°That rocked,¡± Regis said, deadpan.


    ¡°I admit, it wasn¡¯t bad once things got rolling,¡± Caera replied, carefully maintaining a straight face except for the slightest quiver of her lips. ¡°In fact, it was rather¡­marbleous.¡±


    ¡°I guess fun, like beauty, is in the eye of the boulder¡­¡± Regis answered, his voice trembling as he desperately tried to keep fromughing.


    I faced the exit portal with a deep sigh. ¡°I¡¯m so d I brought you two.¡±


    Caera stepped up beside me. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be so stone-faced, Grey.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Princess. You shouldn¡¯t take us for granite.¡± Regis broke, barking withughter.


    Ignoring mypanions, I focused on the portal, my mind working at a question I¡¯d been carrying with me ever since acquiring the Compass.


    It had to be more than just a portal generator that took us in and out of the Relictombs at will. My mind kept going back to the djinn. As difficult as it was to believe, they had designed and built this ce. They must have had a way to travel through it, and I already knew that the Compass could interact with a Relictombs portal.


    An image shed in my mind, the false memory imnted by Sylvia with herst message to me. The rity of the memory had faded with time, but I knew it was one of the zones leading toward the next djinn ruin.


    So far, I had stumbled blindly through the Relictombs, knowing that this ce was guiding me toward my goals¡­or so it seemed, at least. But trusting blindly to the machinations of a long-dead race of aether wielders didn¡¯t suit my needs. Not if I was ever going to master Fate.


    Sitting down, I focused on the fading memory that Sylvia had left me with as I activated the half-sphere relic. It thrummed with aether as misty gray light engulfed the portal, recing the oil-slick shimmer that hung like a curtain inside the cut-stone frame with a clear view of my room back at Central Academy.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I cursed, cutting off the flow of aether into the relic, causing the portal to shift back to its original appearance.


    ¡°Protein paste for your thoughts?¡±


    I looked up to see Caera holding out nutrient-filled rations stuffed in an insted tube packaging.


    ¡°Just thinking about how to properly use the Compass,¡± I answered, flinching away from the strong smell it emitted. ¡°How do you eat that stuff? It smells horrible.¡±


    She shrugged before squeezing the contents from the tube into her mouth. ¡°Unlike you, I actually have to eat to survive. This stuff is easy to carry around in bulk for long ascents.¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯m d I don¡¯t need to eat,¡± I said, wrinkling my nose.


    Caera waved the tube around, fanning the smell of jellied meat in my face. I cringed and swatted her hand away, my knuckles ringing against the silver cuff around her wrist. ¡°How does your new artifact feel?¡± I asked, eager to divert her from torturing me further.


    ¡°Ridiculously frustrating,¡± Caera pouted. ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯ve grown a new limb that I have to learn to use from the ground up.¡±


    ¡°Eh, he does that all the time,¡± Regis said, shrugging his lupine shoulders.


    I mped my hand around Regis¡¯s muzzle before responding. ¡°It looked like you had the hang of it by what I saw back there.¡±


    A faint smile tugged at the corner of Caera¡¯s lips before it disappeared just as fast. She held up her silver bracer as she turned toward the portal. ¡°Do you think the Compass works kind of like my artifact?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked as I let go of Regis.


    ¡°When I first channeled mana into the artifact, I actually thought it was just a defensive item because of the way the shards barely hovered in ce around the bracer. It took me days of constant experimentation to realize that the shards were able to be controlled independently,¡± she exined, tracing the grooves etched into the silver bracelet. ¡°What if the return function of the Compass is the default and for you to do more, it needs further guidance?¡±


    Caera¡¯s expression softened. ¡°It seems unlikely that the ancient mages would let their people traverse these zones aimlessly. Otherwise, what would have stopped them from being trapped, wandering haphazardly to their deaths?"


    I watched as she unconsciously fiddled with the silver bracer around her wrist. Her gaze was empty, focused on a distant memory. She wasn''t thinking about djinn, or me, or even herself. Because it wasn¡¯t about her.


    ¡°You¡¯re scared of the possibility that the Relictombs sent your brother somewhere he couldn¡¯t escape,¡± I said softly, winning a surprised look from the blue-haired cryan noble.


    ¡°Is reading minds another of your otherworldly powers?¡± she asked in horror. ¡°Please tell me you haven¡¯t been hiding the fact that you can¡ª¡±


    I let a small smile slip onto my face. ¡°I¡¯m good at reading people, but it¡¯s not magic.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she confirmed with a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering for a while now¡­was that zone you found his dagger and cloak in somece¡­¡±


    ¡°Somece only I could escape?¡±


    She nodded hesitantly. ¡°Like the mirror room or the frozen mountains? Even the bridge of faces would not have been escapable without your¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been calling it God Step,¡± I filled in.


    ¡°Without your ¡®God Step¡¯ ability.¡± She gave me an appraising look. ¡°Regis named it that, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    I let out a loudugh that resounded off the canyon walls. ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡±


    She smiled wryly. ¡°Something tells me you wouldn¡¯t be so¡­grandiose in the naming of your abilities.¡±


    ¡°One, it¡¯s a great name,¡± Regis replied defensively after pulling his muzzle out of my grip. ¡®And two, you used to use a spell called ¡®Absolute Zero,¡¯ so¡­¡¯


    ¡°No,¡± I said in answer to her original question. ¡°The zone where I found your brother¡¯s dagger wasn¡¯t like those. It was deadly enough to im the lives of many ascenders before I found it, but it didn¡¯t require the use of aether to escape.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something at least. I¡¯m d he had a fighting chance, even if he didn¡¯t make it out.¡± Caera forced a smile before turning and walking away.


    Regis remained by my side as I returned my focus back on the half-sphere relic in my hand. Like what Caera had said, maybe the Compass needed more guidance. Shutting my eyes, I visualized the zone that had left the biggest impact on me, the one I could recall with utmost rity.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually changing,¡± Regis said with disbelief before he let out a groan. ¡°You just had to pick that one.¡±


    I pried one eye open to see the smooth marble floor, high arched ceiling, and rune-covered doors capping both ends¡­along with the armed statues lining both sides of the hallway.


    ¡°It actually worked,¡± I huffed, feeling the drain from my core as the Compass continued to siphon aether out of me in order to hold the new destination open.


    Deactivating the relic, I began recalling the details of our destination in my head. Once the image was clear in my mind, I patted Regis on his side. ¡°Get Caera. We¡¯re leaving.¡±


    By the time the portal had stabilized to the next zone we would be heading into, Caera had arrived with Regis, wide-eyed in awe.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you actually figured it out so quickly,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°Your advice helped,¡± I said, holding out a hand as Regis disappeared back inside me. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    With a deep breath, the two of us stepped through, immediately greeted by a humid gust of wind. Around us were dense trees growing from both floor and ceiling, speckled with the asional colors from the aether fruits, while webs of tangled roots spread endlessly beneath our feet.


    ¡°Well, this definitely isn¡¯t your room,¡± Caera observed. ¡°So this is one of the zones you need to visit on this mysterious quest of yours?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said quietly, turning to her. ¡°It¡¯s where your brother died.¡±


    The cryan noble¡¯s head whipped toward me, her intelligent red eyes wide and trembling before she turned away, letting her hair fall to shield her face. ¡°Thank you, Grey.¡±


    Ignoring the prickling sensation of Regis¡¯s taunting grin, I stored the Compass back into my rune before stepping forward. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet.¡±


    Thest time we were here, Regis and I had killed the giant millipede and all but one of its eggs so that we didn¡¯t destroy the delicate ecosystem contained within the zone. But time worked strangely in the Relictombs, so we didn¡¯t know what we would find here.


    Scouting the nearby trees, I found one with strong branches and began hoisting myself upwards, avoiding the dangling fruit and the invisible creatures that used them as bait. Once I was seventy feet in the air, I scouted out our surroundings, looking for the millipede¡¯sir.


    Although the rough-dug hole that opened up into the millipede den was nondescript, the aetheric glow that emanated from it wasn¡¯t, and it didn¡¯t take long to find. It was less than a mile away. Before I could drop down to the others, though, movement caught my eye in the distant canopy. Treetops rustled as something moved beneath them.


    The two-tailed monkeys weren¡¯t big enough to make the trees shake¡­


    Dropping from branch to branch, I was on the ground in seconds. I held a finger up to my lips before speaking to Caera in a bare whisper. ¡°The creature is out of its den. It¡¯s a couple of miles away, but we need to move quietly.¡±


    Nodding my head in the direction we needed to go, I began to lead the way, taking each step carefully to avoid making unnecessary noise.


    ¡®Why are you so tense? We¡¯re a lot stronger than we were when we first came here,¡¯ Regis noted with a scoff.


    I know, but it¡¯s hard to let go of the kind of fear that grows in you when you¡¯re weak. It grows along with you.


    The jungle was quiet. Even the heavy footfalls of the millipede were too far away to hear. Theck of birds chirping or insects buzzing felt unnatural. But, aside from the voracious millipede, the zone was home only to the two-tailed monkeys, and they had adapted to bepletely silent. Even as I listened for them, I couldn¡¯t hear a single one.


    I paused, scanning the dense trees. Aether-rich fruit hung like fat pears all around us, but there wasn¡¯t a single two-tailed monkey in sight. Imbuing aether into my eyes, I focused on the ceiling, where trees grew down like clinging vines. Although I scanned the distant shadows for a minute or more, I saw no movement.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Caera whispered, her head swiveling from side to side. ¡°What do you see?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I admitted. ¡°Nothing at all.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure why the absence of half of the local fauna made me nervous, but it did. I reinforced theyer of aether dding my body and moved on.


    We reached the entrance to the den without seeing any signs of life at all. Caera knelt down and peered into the dim tunnel. She sniffed and wrinkled her nose. ¡°What is that foul stench?¡±


    I copied her and nearly gagged on the smell of rotting flesh. I felt Regis wince inside. ¡®It¡¯s gross enough just by reading your thoughts. I¡¯ll just wait this one out.¡¯


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the millipede¡¯s corpse,¡± I whispered, taking a few tentative steps down the steeply descending tunnel.


    The tunnel radiated faint purple light, like before, but it feltrger than it had, and the churned dirt of the floor had a red tinge to it below the purple glow.


    We moved stealthily along the tunnel until it widened and opened to our left. Aether crystals were scattered across the tunnel floor, some crushed to gravel and no longer glowing. This eventually opened up into the huge cavern where we¡¯d fought the first millipede.


    Caera put a hand over her mouth and nose. We had found the source of the smell, and it wasn¡¯t the millipede we¡¯d killed.


    Aether crystals carpeted the ground, no longer in piles but spread out and smashed. They were stained red by rotting, half-eaten monkey corpses mixed in among them like grotesque chaff. It was like something out of a nightmare.


    ¡°Grey¡­¡± Caera looked like she might be sick, but I didn¡¯t think it was just from the sight before us.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like this before,¡± I said gently. ¡°Nothing so gruesome.¡±


    I began to maneuver through the cavern, trying to avoid the worst of the mess. Cracked and broken aether crystals crunched under my feet, making an ufortable amount of noise. I was looking for the bowl-like nest where I¡¯d originally found the millipede eggs and the crystals containing armor and weapons¡ªall that remained of the ascenders devoured by the beast¡ªbut it was gone.


    Where the nest had been, the ground was dug up and trampled, the only spot devoid of crystals and corpses. As I approached the barren pit, my foot hit something beneath the crystals, and I pulled out a broken sword handle. It was the one I had imbued with aether and smashed, before I found Sevren¡¯s dagger and cloak. I tossed it back into the clutter.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said as Caera came to stand beside me. ¡°I thought this would be more¡­sentimental.¡±


    Caera¡¯s hand came to rest momentarily on my shoulder. She didn¡¯t say anything, but she didn¡¯t need to.


    Walking gingerly down into the center of the barren pit where the nest had been, she kneeled. Her fingersbed through the freshly tilled soil. I stayed quiet, letting her work through whatever thoughts she was having. I imagined she wanted to say goodbye, something her adoptive parents had never really given her the opportunity to do.


    My mood turned mncholy as I thought of my father. I wished I had done more to memorialize him. Reynolds Leywin had been a great man¡ªa hero¡ªand had deserved more than a sudden death fighting mindless beasts. Then again, Caera probably felt the same way about Sevren.


    ¡°Grey?¡± I looked down into the pit at Caera. She frowned. ¡°Did you hear that?¡±


    I¡¯d let myself be distracted, and so hadn¡¯t immediately noticed the growing noise. It sounded like an entire army was approaching, like a thousand armor-ted soldiers sprinting through the jungle above.


    ¡°Sh*t, it¡¯s here,¡± I said, giving her my hand to help her out of the pit. ¡°Regis!¡±


    ¡®Do I have to?¡¯ he grumbled, but the wolf appeared beside me anyway, his mes flickering in agitation.


    We quickly arranged ourselves for battle. I stood near the center of the cavern, prepared to draw its attention. Regis crept around to the left, staying close to the far wall. Caera stayed well back, her sword drawn and the two silver spines orbiting her defensively.


    The sound of its hard exoskeleton scraping along the tunnel walls made the entire den shake and sent trails of dust raining down from the roof. It slowed as it came closer, so that I could hear the mandibles cking in a measured, steady rhythm. ck ck ck. Again and again. Then it would scrape forward a little more. ck ck ck.


    Then its head inched into the cavern.


    ¡®Oh. Sh*t.¡¯


    This millipede was easily half again asrge as the one we¡¯d killed. Its body had turned a rusty red color, now only slightly translucent. Each mandible was as long and broad as a man and serrated like a bone saw.


    It froze. It¡¯s head lowered a few feet. The mandibles cked.


    Then it burst forward in a rush of speed that should have been impossible for something of its size. I dodged back as the mandibles snapped shut just ahead of me, then rolled forward beneath it and grabbed the very front leg. With a sharp twist, the leg ripped free of the body, but the giant millipede was moving again, every leg stabbing downward, the body bucking and coiling, every inch of it in motion.


    I could just see Regis darting around the back end, biting and snapping at whatever he could. From the other direction, ck fire was mming into the hard carapace like ballista bolts, but the mes only left dark scorch marks. The entire exoskeleton was covered in a thickyer of aether, which was shrugging off even the soulfire.


    Imbuing the severed leg with aether, I tried to thrust up into the millipede¡¯s belly, but another leg mmed into my shoulder and the blow skated off the aether-coated chitin.


    Throwing down the severed appendage, I conjured an aether de instead and shed out at the closest leg. My de chipped it, then broke. Cursing, I willed more power into the aetheric dagger, focusing on its form, forcing it to expand and grow longer. The dagger swelled into the rough size and shape of a spade, then burst apart.


    Caera braced herself as the millipede shifted its attention on her. It let out a whistling screech and surged toward her.


    Gathering as much aether into my hands as I quickly could, I punched straight up. The chitinous underbelly cracked, and the millipede¡¯s body jerked, the legs scrabbling at the crystal-covered dirt. I punched again and again, creating a series of broken craters along the underside of its body, but it wasn¡¯t enough to slow it down or reim its attention.


    The silver shards of Caera¡¯s artifact were spinning rapidly in front of her, no longer firing projectiles. Instead, a steady beam of soulfire connected them, forming a thin barrier in front of her. As I prepared to grab the millipede¡¯s legs in ast ditch effort to hold it back, a third satellite broke loose from the bracer, then a forth, and they joined with the others.


    The thin barrier bloomed into a wall of ck fire an instant before the millipede struck it. Caera¡¯s eyes sharpened as she leaned forward, focusing on holding the defensive barrier in ce. The impact shook the den, and the millipede''s body crumpled up like a derailed train as the front end suddenly stopped, but the back end kept churning forward.


    The mandibles opened wide, trying to close around the edges of the soulfire shield. ck-purple sparks flew wherever the aether-d millipede touched the dark mes, scorching everything theynded on. The dark light reflected off the sweat clinging to Caera¡¯s face, highlighting her features. Her teeth were bared in a grimace of concentration, her scarlet eyes zing like they too had been set ame.


    She was holding it back, but I knew she couldn¡¯t hold it for long.


    A sudden swelling pressure from the other end of the cave made me spin around, wary of some new threat. Instead, I saw Regis picking himself up out of a pile of aether crystals. His mes grew jagged, his form less obviously wolflike as his features melted into shadow while he transformed. I could see the edges of the hard spikes that were growing out from all over his body and the horns jutting from his head, but I could tell it was going to take time before he could rejoin the fight.


    There wasn¡¯t time to second guess his use of Destruction. Aetheric lightning shed around me as I God Stepped onto the millipede¡¯s writhing head. Infusing aether into my fists, I mmed them down into the aether-d exoskeleton again and again, creating a spiderweb of cracks in the thick chitin.


    The millipede recoiled from the blows, its head whipping out from under me so fast that I spun in the air beforending on my feet. The head shook back and forth and the mandibles cked together threateningly. For a single breath, things in the cavern were nearly still.


    Caera was breathing hard behind her shield, but when I met her eyes she inclined her head just an inch, assuring me that she was fine.


    All our attention¡ªeven the giant millipede¡¯s¡ªwas drawn to Regis. The shadows melted away from him, revealing the full extent of his Destruction form. Just like when we¡¯d fought against the so-called ¡°Wild Things,¡± he was huge. His chest and forelegs grew thick with corded muscles, his back sloping down slightly and afire with jagged, unnatural purple mes. Horns like sharpened battering rams curved forward like a bull¡¯s, while his snarling maw was filled with serrated daggers.


    When he spoke, his deep voice reverberated through the den, more primal growl than speech. ¡°Try sh*tting this out, bitch!¡±


    Regis leapt half the length of the den to crash into the coiled millipede, his Destruction-infused jaws rending and tearing. He ripped off legs and tore huge gashes in the carapace, through which a thick, reddish muck spilled out. But the millipede was fighting back. Despite Regis¡¯s size, the giant beast was still muchrger, and it curled around him like a python, using its bulk to crush him. Legs stabbed like daggers all over his body, deflecting off the hardened fur.


    Burning ck bolts of soulfire pelted the creature, firing even faster than before. The thick barrier of aether was fading, and for every ten bolts that dissipated against it, one made it through, causing the chitin to pop and hiss as the soulfire burned it away.


    Suddenly the millipede went into a death roll, crashing manically through the cavern with Regis pinned against its body. Caera¡¯s artifact shed back into defensive mode as part of the millipede¡¯s body crushed her against the wall.


    Taking a deep, steadying breath, I conjured an aether de in my fist. I guided the formation, keeping a clear picture in my mind: a long, thin de, translucent purple instead of blue. I had the aether required¡ªI knew I did¡ªit was only the understanding Icked. Some key insight into how aether could form a solid shape¡ªa weapon¡ªcontinued to escape me.


    Still, I tried. The dagger lengthened, but the edge grew indistinct. The form wavered, coiling like the millipede¡¯s enormous body, which was twisting and crashing all around me. I hardened my will, and the de straightened. The edges shivered and danced, more like forgefire than tempered steel, but the form held.


    I tracked the path of the millipede¡¯s coiling frame. It was chaotic, mindless¡­but there was a pattern in all that chaos. Holding the de with both hands, I split my mind. With one part, I held the sword¡¯s form. With the other, I focused aether into every muscle, joint, and tendon. My head ached with the effort, my body screamed as it struggled to hold itself together against the tension.


    Burst Step pulled the world beneath my feet, and then I was standing on the other side of the den, nothing left in my hands but a faint wisp of aether. Behind me, there was a steady, continuous crashing noise as the millipede''s body slumped to the ground. A deluge of red sludge poured from a gash that ran half the length of its body, turning the ground into a gory soup of crystals, half-eaten remains, and the bloody goo.


    You okay? I thought to Regis, who I couldn¡¯t see among the folds of the millipede¡¯s corpse. The pressure put off by his Destruction form had waned.


    ¡®Don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯m just going to lie here in this stanky death soup for a minute,¡¯ he thought tiredly back.


    With a weary chuckle, I turned my attention to Caera, who was leaning against the far wall. I had promised to bring her on these ascents in return for her help in stealing the Compass. However, seeing the cryan noble hold her own in thesest few zones, having her as a teammate felt less out ofmitment and more like a genuine partnership.


    ¡°Caera,¡± I called out as I saw her pushing herself back up to her feet. ¡°Nice wo¡ª¡±


    Something about her expression kept me from walking closer to my blue-hairedpanion as she hobbled toward the center of the den.


    Regis appeared around a mound of millipede, shaking off the muck clinging to his fur. He came to stand beside me, and we watched silently as Caera found a rtively clear space near the center of the den. Soulfire suddenly burst out of her, forming a sphere of ck mes that faded as quickly as it had appeared.


    Now standing at the center of a bare ring of earth, she withdrew something that shed silver in the dim light, then plunged it into the ground. Her brother¡¯s dagger.


    Dropping to her knees, she leaned forward and rested her forehead against its pommel. Her shoulders began to tremble as tears traced her cheek before dropping to the ground.


    ¡°Come on,¡± I whispered before turning away. Regis followed, allowing her a moment of privacy to grieve. The half-choked sound of broken sobs resounded in the silence.

 Chapter 357: Blood Relic

    <h4>Chapter 357: Blood Relic</h4>


    Aether coursed through my body, igniting my channels with liquid fire before coalescing into the deep well of my core. Despite my thoughts being elsewhere and the fact that I¡¯d done this countless times before, the feeling was still intoxicating. This profound and elusive power that not even asuras could fully control was inside me, waiting to be unleashed.


    ¡®I think we got it,¡¯ Regis sent as we finished piecing together our memories. Sylvia¡¯sst message hadn¡¯t shown the four djinn ruins, but they did show the zones that led to them. Only, it took time for both of us to recall the details clearly enough for the Compass to get us there.


    Yeah, I answered simply, visualizing the image of narrow earthen tunnels winding like a maze of giant wormholes in every direction.


    I pried my eyes open to be greeted by the chitinous corpse of the giant millipede, which I was sitting on top of while siphoning its aether.


    With my core mostly replenished and our destination set, I dropped to the ground just in time to see Caera getting up from her brother¡¯s improvised memorial. The whites of her eyes had turned red from crying, but her gaze had hardened, her jaw set firmly with resolve.


    No words were exchanged, only a simple nod before we moved on.


    The exit portal was hours from the den, and the rest of the journey through the empty zone was uneventful. We moved quickly and in silence. Regis stayed inside my body, regaining his strength after the use of Destruction. His control over the ability had strengthened significantly since he¡¯dst used it, but I could feel the toll it took on him.


    ¡°You should get some rest before we go through,¡± I said as we finally reached the exit. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you slept.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± she replied, casting a nce behind her. Though she didn¡¯t say it, I knew that she was ready to get out of this zone.


    Focusing on the image of those winding tunnels, I activated the Compass, and Caera stepped through. The zone beyond was thick with dust that hung in the air, making it difficult to see what we were walking into, and all I could make out of Caera was a dark silhouette.


    ¡®Arthur,¡¯ Regis barked inside me just as two more silhouettes appeared on either side of her.


    Stay inside for now, I ordered, focusing on the dull red light glinting off their weapons.


    The shining portal evaporated behind me as I stepped through, my eyes immediately searching for Caera and her attackers.


    Caera¡¯s red de shed in the thick dust, ringing against her attacker¡¯s weapon. Deep-throated shouts filled the small space, and a glowing spear thrust out of the obscuring dust. I grabbed it just before it would have struck Caera in the back. The mana-reinforced steel haft screeched as I ripped the spearhead from its shaft and hurled it back at the wielder. The jagged tip pierced the attacker¡¯s chest, and his dim shadow was lifted off the ground and mmed into the bare dirt wall.


    The dust began to settle, revealing another manrge and caked in dirt and y¡ªhacking and shing at Ceara with a serrated, frozen scimitar, and two Strikers nking a narrow earthen tunnel that led out of the small room we were in.


    God Step brought me behind them, amethyst lightning arcing across my skin. The first died instantly as my aether-d hand struck the back of his neck, breaking his spine despite his chain gorget. I backhanded the second as he began to activate one of the runes disyed along his spine, sending him flying into the tunnel wall. Hended on his own spear, impaling himself through his bare biceps.


    He hissed out a curse before rolling over and tugging futilely at the spear, his spell forgotten.


    Caera¡¯s opponent growled in bestial rage as their des shed, a sound that cut off in wet gurgling as her sword plunged through his chest.


    I dug my heel into thest mage¡¯s bloody wound, ignoring his desperate attempt at defending himself with a shroud of fire.


    ¡°Why did you attack us?¡± I asked evenly, leaning down to meet his eye.


    ¡°Kage¡¯s o-orders!¡± the man yelled out, his dirt-caked face contorted in pain. ¡°Please, we¡¯re just doing what we were told!¡±


    I tilted my head, raising a brow. ¡°Am I supposed to be familiar with that name?¡±


    ¡°Our leader,¡± he panted, his panicked eyes trained on the blood gushing from his wound. ¡°Any¡­anyone who steps through that portal belongs to him.¡±


    Caera had knelt down to check on the man I¡¯d impaled with his own spearhead, but now she stood up and leveled a fierce re at the surviving ascender. ¡°Why would any ascender ¡®belong'' to him?¡±


    My ears picked up the faint sounds of footsteps approaching. Lifting my foot off his bloody arm, I took a step back.


    The mage was panting, his eyes losing focus. Gauging by the bloody mud pooled beneath him, he didn¡¯t have much longer. ¡°The relic needs blood,¡± he said. ¡°So we¡­we¡ª¡±


    A stone spike erupted from the floor and impaled him through the chest, spraying blood across Caera¡¯s face.


    I spun to see a dozen more ascenders huddled together farther down the tunnel. One man stood at the forefront of the group. He was as dirty as the rest of them, but under theyers of filth, I could see awork of scars criss-crossing his face, arms, and hands. His hair was a fine stubble that looked like it had been shaved with a dagger instead of a razor, and a knotted blond beard covered his face. He wore a mismatched suit of armor that looked like it had been scavenged from a dozen different sources.


    ¡°Would you care to tell us what the hell is happening in this zone?¡± Caera asked as she calmly wiped the blood off her face with a handkerchief.


    ¡°Hell is the appropriate word,¡± the scarred ascender drawled, grinning. He was missing more than one tooth, and those that remained were filed to sharp points. ¡°You¡¯ve reached the very bowels of the Relictombs, where ascenderse to die.¡±


    Caera took a confident step forward, her dark blue hair fluttering as she leveled her thin de to the man¡¯s throat. The ascender matched it, a small crater forming beneath his feet as he stepped forward and pressed his neck against the tip of Caera¡¯s de.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way out of here,¡± he continued, his dark eyes wide and more than a little mad. ¡°Except by blood. Everyone either gives it or takes it, but no one who stays neutral survives for long.¡±


    I shuffled tentatively in between the two and held up an arm. ¡°We have no desire to fight you if you don¡¯t make us. But can you exin what is happening here? Less cryptically, this time.¡±


    The leader¡ªKage, I assumed¡ªseemed to dismiss me immediately, instead frowning intensely as he sized up my partner. Caera¡¯s ruby eyes zed in the dark despite her gaze being frigid. Their standoff ended suddenly when his frown cracked like thin ice and his face shuddered into a forced grin.


    Kage tapped his dirty finger against his temple. ¡°I can tell your blood isn¡¯t the letting kind. You¡¯re just the vor of fresh meat¡±¡ªhis goons chuckled darkly at this¡ª¡°that we need here. You see, minds, bodies, and spirits go stale in this purgatory.¡± As Kage spoke, one eye began to twitch. ¡°The longer you stay, the worse it gets, but the only way out is by emptying your friends andrades of their life¡¯s blood. Cruel, those ancient devils¡­¡±


    The scarred ascender¡¯s eyes lost focus for a moment.


    ¡°I believe we asked you to be less cryptic,¡± Caera said impatiently.


    The men behind Kage shuffled, hands tightening around weapons as their res cut toward mypanion. One raised a weapon that crackled with electricity. Kage¡¯s hand shed out, catching the man in the side of the head. ¡°Don¡¯t go rattling sabers when I¡¯m talking!¡±


    He graced Caera with his gap tooth smile. ¡°I can tell you¡¯re people of means. Wyverns, not woggarts, as the saying goes. And so I¡¯ll level with you. You¡¯ve found yourself trapped in a zone with no exit. The only way out is to im a relic held at the center of this maze of tunnels, but that can only be done by blood sacrifice. And so far, no one has managed to spill enough of it to bypass the wards.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t heard wrong. Kage said it as well¡­


    There was a relic in this zone.


    My attention remained on Kage as he spoke: his hands constantly gravitated toward his weapon, his grin would fade only to be forced back on his dirt-caked face, and he swelled up like a fanged musk as he spoke. It all created a subtly threatening image, like an animalistic defensive measure to ward off potential threats.


    ¡°We¡¯d like to see this relic,¡± I said gently. ¡°Can you take us to it?¡±


    ¡°Piss off, twig!¡± one of the men snapped, pointing his sword at me.


    Kage let out a craggyugh and took a backwards step, then spun on his heel like he was in a military procession. A narrow spear of stone burst out of the ground and skewered the offending ascender¡¯s hand, sending the sword flying. Kage kicked the man¡¯s knee, causing it to crack and bend backwards, then took him by the throat and mmed him to the ground.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember telling you to speak!¡± Kage roared in his face, spittle flying. The runes on his back red as he raised one hand over his head, and a crust of ck and glowing-orange stone formed from his elbow down, radiating a heat so intense that I could feel it from several feet away.


    The smoldering gauntlet hit the man¡¯s face like a sledgehammer. It fell again and again, filling the cave with the smell of scorched flesh. The rest of the ascenders had backed away. Some watched with a wicked sort of anticipation, but most averted their eyes.


    When there was nothing left of the ascender¡¯s face but a burnt pulp, Kage straightened. He was panting slightly, and gouts of smoking fire were shing around the conjured gauntlet. With a crack of his neck and a sigh, he faced Caera. ¡°It takes a firm hand, you know,¡± Kage said, chuckling. ¡°A firm hand, get it?¡±


    Caera¡¯s nose wrinkled in disgust, but Kage¡¯s men let out scatteredughter. I kept my face nk. ¡°Waste of blood, though. Bah.¡± The molten gauntlet fell away in ashy chunks as Kage released the spell. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing, neer. Trust earns trust. First, you and your servant boy wille back to camp with us. There, we can decide who gets to see what, aye?¡±


    Caera¡¯s mouth opened, and I could tell from the look on her face she was about to dismiss Kage¡¯s offer. I grabbed her sleeve and gave it a small tug. ¡°Lady, no good cane from rejecting this man¡¯s offer. Look what he did to his own ally. We should go with him and see what he has to say.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± she answered, searching my eyes questioningly. To Kage, she said, ¡°we¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    ¡°A wise little sidekick you have there,¡± Kage grunted. ¡°Can¡¯t be an unad. Must be a pissy Sentry hiding his mana, eh?¡± He looked me in the eye and spit on the ground. ¡°Or maybe thedy keeps you around for other purposes, eh boy?¡±


    I flinched away from his gaze, which only made him and his menugh.


    ¡°Well then?¡± Caera asked, maneuvering between us. ¡°Your camp?¡±


    ¡°Guests first,¡± Kage said, gesturing down the tunnel like a doorman weing us into crya¡¯s finest inn. His men split apart, leaving a narrow space for Caera and me to walk through.


    ¡®Is just killing everyone and everything thates our way starting to bore you?¡¯ Regis asked. ¡®What¡¯s with the meek and fragile act?¡¯


    Just stay inside and keep your eyes open, I snapped.


    ¡®Fine,¡¯ he grumbled.


    The zone was made up entirely of earthen tunnels, like I had seen in the false memory. They twisted and turned continuously, like some giant worm had eaten through the ground here, leaving a maze of paths behind. Veins of some red hot stone broke through the dirt in ces, shedding rusty light through the tunnels.


    asionally a thick vine or root would protrude from the tunnel wall, and Kage was quick to direct us around them. ¡°I''d avoid the stranglers. Doubt I need to exin the name.¡±


    As we walked, turning this way and that so regrly that I struggled to maintain a sense of where we were, Kage continued to speak. ¡°It¡¯s a war you¡¯ve found yourself in, friends. Chaos and bloodshed as ascender turns on ascender for a chance at a real, honest-to-Vritra relic. Even if we could leave, most wouldn¡¯t. Not with that kind of prize on the line.¡±


    ¡°There must be more to it than that,¡± Caera said. ¡°Ascenders are not wild animals.¡±


    ¡°Was worse when I got here,¡± Kage said proudly. ¡°A total bloodbath, every man set on killing his way to the top.¡±


    ¡°What happened when you arrived?¡± I asked, carefully moving around anotherrge vine that was blocking half the tunnel.


    Kage snorted in delight. ¡°Exerted a little order, of course! Cracked enough skulls to prove my strength, then made the rest of them stop killing each other. Forged a tribe, gave ¡®em purpose. We took control of the shrine, and from then on, I decided who lives and who dies.¡±


    I didn¡¯t miss the subtle threat in his tone as he said this.


    ¡°If you think about how fewer people have died since I got here, I¡¯m actually a hero. A savior, not some butcher like you might be thinking.¡±


    I shot a nce behind us. Kage was nodding his head, smirking as if pleased with himself.


    ¡°How far out do these tunnels go?¡± Caera asked. ¡°Is there an end?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a kind of maze. Roughly a big circle, with the relic shrine dead center,¡± he answered. ¡°Big enough you could get lost and starve to death before anyone found you.¡± I could practically hear the cold sneer in his voice as he added, ¡°But the tunnels are still full of mad ascenders just waiting to slit your throat in the dark, and they¡¯d get you before then.¡±


    Knowing the relic was at the center of the maze was something, but I didn¡¯t have any reference for where we were yet. But, as interesting as the presence of yet another relic was, my curiosity was focused somewhere else.


    ¡°If this ce is that big, maybe you just haven¡¯t found the exit portal yet¡ª¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Kage snapped, his footsteps halting. I turned around to find him scowling at me, his fists clenching and unclenching. Short, burning spikes pressed out of the tunnel walls all around us. ¡°Are you doubting me, boy? Plenty of strong men have withered away in the tunnels searching for the way out. We know where the door is, so only an idiot would keep looking. And the key is¡±¡ª¡®Blood,¡¯ Regis thought sarcastically at the same time Kage said it¡ª¡°so we just got to figure out how to use it.¡±


    I nodded, taking a timid step back. My foot bumped against a vine that slithered along the side of the tunnel, and it struck like a snake. The strangler wrapped around my leg and receded into the dirt, trying to pull me with it.


    Caera¡¯s de shed, severing the root just above the ground. It released its grip, writhing like a dying worm at my feet. I scrambled backwards in the dirt to get away from it as Kage and the others broke into an uproar of wildughter.


    Kage jerked me to my feet and threw his arm around my shoulder, wiping tears and snot from his bright red face as he continued to chuckle. ¡°You know, boy, my court could use a good jester,¡± he said between fits ofughter. ¡°Perhaps there¡¯s a reason to keep you around after all.¡±


    Regis let out a pleasant sigh. ¡®This is fun. I get to watch you get bullied while simultaneously looking forward to seeing you crush their gonads.¡¯


    It took another hour to reach Kage¡¯s encampment. I wondered how he had arrived at the exit portal so quickly, but the thought was driven from my mind as I entered into arge, smooth-walled tunnel.


    Unlike the naturally carved paths that had led us here, the ascenders¡¯ encampment bore obvious signs of having been carved out by magic. Whereas the tunnels had been low, barely high enough for me to walk standing straight in most ces, the ceiling here was fifteen feet high. At least a hundred small lighting artifacts were suspended above us, casting a pale, but bright, white light over the men there.


    About a dozen men in mud-stained armor upied the tunnel, which ran nearly seventy feet from end to end and was thirty feet wide. A few were training, but most were sitting around small, red-med fires and speaking in hushed and tired voices.


    Several more were half-naked and shackled at their wrists, ankles, and throat.


    Caera sucked in a surprised breath as she took it in, but had the wherewithal to bite her tongue for the moment.


    The shackled men were all skinny and brown with dirt, their beards long and tangled, their hair matted. But I could see the runes on their backs marking them as mages. Two were carrying arge earthenware jug between them¡ªcareful to avoid a huge strangler root that grew down one side of the cavern¡ªwhile a third cast a spell over a simr jug near the far end of the camp. Another was turning a spit over the fire, roasting some kind of meat. I didn¡¯t want to know what kind. A couple others stood by open doorways into a series of small caves that had been carved off the main tunnel, their eyes downcast.


    Kage¡¯s scarred hand pped my shoulder. ¡°Wee to my castle. Home of the Kaged Men!¡±


    ¡°There are no women,¡± Caera said softly, like she was speaking to herself.


    ¡°Ah, well, anything of value is rare in this pit of despair,¡± Kage grunted humorlessly. ¡°Food, water, entertainment¡­¡±


    His eyes lingered on mypanion, moving slowly up and down her body, as he said this.


    ¡°Savages,¡± she said, matching his gaze.


    ¡°Ohe off it!¡± He howled withughter. ¡°Once upon a time, I was a highblood, just like you. In here, though, everyone¡¯s blood is red and ripe for tapping.¡±


    He brushed past us, his arms open wide as he entered the encampment. ¡°Your savior has returned!¡± he shouted, his voice booming. ¡°And I bring new recruits!¡±


    The ascenders all began to gather, with several moreing out of the caves lining the walls, but the men in shackles hardly seemed to notice. They stopped and bowed whenever Kage came close, but otherwise hurried on with their duties.


    ¡°Enough gawking!¡± Kage shouted suddenly, pushing one of the men¡ªa dangerously thin boy who couldn¡¯t have been more than sixteen with the way his facial hair grew in uneven patches¡ªcausing him to stumble and fall, nearlynding in the fire. ¡°Get back to work!¡±


    I scanned their faces as we followed, taking in the sunken eyes, gaunt cheeks, and most of all the hard looks they gave us. Every one of them was ready to kill at a word from their leader, despite how he treated them. Men who fell into despair here were likely fed to the relic, so they embraced fury and hatred instead. These were the survivors. I could see the terrible things they¡¯d done to make it this far in their eyes.


    Kage led us into thergest of the caves, although to call it a simple cave didn¡¯t do it justice. A talented mage had carved out a spacerge enough for a family of four. The floors were hardened into something like marble, while the reddish walls had been carved to look like bricks. Stone furniture wasyered with furs and nkets¡ªsignificantly more than one man could have brought with him into the Relictombs.


    A huge bed took up the center of one wall, and was piled high with more furs and bedrolls bound together with silky cords.


    ¡°At least you haven¡¯t had to give up yourvish highblood lifestyle,¡± Caera said sarcastically as she took in his makeshift home.


    Kage threw himself into a lounge chair and kicked one muddy boot up on a stone footrest. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been all bad, I¡¯ll admit. Out there, I was the fourth son of a failing blood, but here I might as well be a Sovereign.¡±


    Caera rolled her eyes. ¡°And what happens when the Ascenders Association learns of what happened in this convergence zone? You¡¯ll be executed.¡±


    Kage grinned at her like a gap-toothed shark. ¡°That¡¯s assuming we ever escape, mydy. And if we do, that means we¡¯ve imed the relic. No one will give half a sh*t what we did to get it.¡± He put his hands behind his head and gazed up at the ceiling. ¡°Imagine it. The first live relic returned in how many years? Two decades? Three? Wealth enough for us all to keep our bloods strong for generations.¡±


    I could tell from Ceara¡¯s sour expression that she knew Kage was right.


    Scuffling steps at the door announced the arrival of a neer, who bowed while trying to hold up a cask heavy with some sloshing liquid. He was ghostly pale with muted hair halfway between gray and brown that hung limp down to his shoulders. His flint ck eyes just touched on Caera and me before he stumbled to the table, struggling under the weight of the cask.


    ¡°Ah, Rat, perfect timing. Is that the Truacian Stout?¡± Kage asked, licking his lips. When he saw my questioning look, he winked. ¡°Some fool had half a tavern stuffed in his dimension device. All the better for us.¡± His face grew sorrowful. ¡°Nearly done now, though, isn¡¯t it, Rat?¡±


    The man called Rat wiped sweat from his brow as he went about tapping the cask. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so, my lord. Only one more cask is all, and it¡¯s the pale from Sehz-r.¡±


    Kage snorted. ¡°Might as well be drinking Rat¡¯s piss.¡± He spat on the ground.


    Rat wore a simple linen shirt and trousers, but no armor. He wasn¡¯t outfitted with manacles like the others we¡¯d seen. He avoided looking at Kage, keeping his head averted subserviently, and when he spoke, his words were soft and nonthreatening. He immediately reminded me of his namesake, scurrying around the edge of the room like a rodent trying to avoid being stepped on.


    Strangely, he was quite clean. There was hardly a speck of dirt on his clothes or his face, and his hair, although shaggy, was not full of muddy clumps like everyone else''s. Only his hands showed any sign of the filth that clung to the rest of them like a second skin.


    His darting eyes caught me watching him, but jumped away again instantly.


    ¡°Is it possible¡­¡± I started, my voice trepid. ¡°To see the relic now?¡±


    Kage took a y mug from Rat and tipped it back, chugging down several mouthfuls and dribbling at least half of it into his beard and down the neck of his chestte. ¡°Ah, that is good. All the fine wines mighte from Etril, but those Truacian bastards know how to make beer.¡±


    He set the mug down and leaned forward, giving me a curious look. When he spoke, though, it was directed to Caera. ¡°You¡¯re in my domain now. You¡¯re strong, I can tell, maybe even almost a match for me, one on one¡±¡ªhe smirked in a way that suggested he didn¡¯t believe this, but was simply being polite¡ª¡°but I have two dozen hard bastards at my disposal, and you¡¯ve got one timid meat shield.¡±


    Caera crossed her arms, looking unimpressed.


    ¡°You want to see the relic. You need to find a ce for yourself in this zone, because you¡¯re not leaving anytime soon.¡± That ugly, predatory grin split his face. ¡°I have wants and needs of my own. So what are you willing to trade for your lives?¡±


    ¡°If you had everything you wanted already, you would¡¯ve just killed us by the portal.¡± Caera leaned down so she was eye to eye with the scarred ascender. ¡°No, I think you need help, and you¡¯re hoping that we can provide it.¡±


    ¡°You think I need help? I know the way out. I solved it! All I need is more blood.¡± Kage stood suddenly, knocking over the footrest before jabbing a filthy finger at my unfazedpanion. ¡°And I can have you and your man-damsel killed any moment I want.¡±


    ¡°Then there shouldn¡¯t be a problem with showing us the relic,¡± Caera answered coolly.


    Rat was fidgeting while tapping his fingers rapidly on the table, his wide ck eyes frozen on Kage. When he saw me watching, he stopped and busied himself preparing another mug of beer.


    Kage red at Caera. ¡°Rat will take your servant to the shrine to see the Relic. But you stay here with me, understood?¡±


    ¡°No, she needs toe with me,¡± I said quickly, moving a little closer to her.


    ¡°Afraid to be without yourdy-knight, princess?¡± Kage asked, fingering the handle of his scimitar.


    ¡°Your offer isn¡¯t eptable,¡± Caera said tly. ¡°I would see it with my own eyes, to best judge the situation for myself.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re confused. This isn¡¯t an offer. It¡¯s an order.¡± He said with a sharp toothy grin. ¡°He can go, but you¡¯ll stay right here. By my side.¡±


    Both ascenders had their hands on their hilts at this point. I preferred not to leave Caera alone with this murderous lunatic, but I wasn¡¯t quite ready to give up on my ruse, either.


    Caera looked at me, searching my eyes for some guidance. I nodded imperceptibly and her hand left her weapon. Kage¡¯s didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Fine,¡± she said, half-resigned, half-annoyed. She stepped up to the warlord, who was only a bare inch taller than her. ¡°Touch me, though, and I¡¯ll cut off the offending body part.¡±


    ¡°Cheers to that.¡± Kage raised the mug to Caera as he waggled his brows lewdly.


    Rat hurriedly escorted me out. Despite the prospects of a new relic and encountering another djinn, my thoughts went errantly to Kage, considering how best to deal with him after all this was over.

 Chapter 358: Blood Relic II

    <h4>Chapter 358: Blood Relic II</h4>


    Feigning nervousness, I crept warily through the tunnels behind the man called Rat, my eyes jumping from shadow to shadow. The way was winding and twisting like a knotted rope. We moved cautiously and stopped often to listen and peek around corners, but the zone was quiet except for the light scraping of Rat¡¯s foot as it dragged behind him.


    ¡®I kind of feel bad leaving Caera with all those murderous thugs,¡¯ Regis said, the warm ethereal ball that was his presence hovering around my core.


    I know, I acknowledged. I can¡¯t fathom what she¡¯ll do to them without us there to keep her in check.


    We passed a copsed section of the tunnel, and I noticed a churned, loose patch of wall that made me wonder if some beast¡ªor ascender¡ªcould tunnel through the dirt. Thinking back to Kage¡¯s rapid appearance at the zone¡¯s entry portal, it made sense. The ability to pass through solid earth was fairlymon among more powerful earth-attribute mages back in Dicathen.


    We took a right turn that reversed sharply back on itself a momentter to dive below the tunnel we had been traversing. There were many more loose patches of wall that suggested someone travelled this way often, and the veins of red rock that lit the passages grew thicker and brighter the longer we traveled.


    The aether in the atmosphere grew denser as well, filling the air like a purple mist. I was confident that Rat was leading me the right way, and that I could find the shrine even without him using the ambient aether.


    I expanded my focus in order to feel the aetheric paths connecting each point in space around me. However, with howrge theseworks of tunnels and caverns were, it was impossible to make sense of the feedback I received.


    ¡®As boring as it was getting to watch you act like a pansy woggart, I¡¯ll admit it was the right call.¡¯


    I know. That¡¯s why I so rarely listen to you, I mocked.


    ¡°It¡¯s unfair, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked, slightly caught off guard when Rat suddenly started speaking.


    ¡°How we are expected to serve like pets, but in the act of doing so, we be reliant on our masters¡¯ strength to keep us safe.¡± The pale, quiet man gave me a tight-lipped smile.


    ¡°Is that why you serve Kage?¡± I asked, altering my inflection to sound as if I was afraid to even say the maniac¡¯s name.


    Rat¡¯s hunched shoulders shrugged. ¡°His brutality has made him effective in this ce. You may not believe me, but things were worse before he came.¡±


    ¡°You¡­don¡¯t think he¡¯ll hurt Lady Caera, do you?¡±


    Although I wasn¡¯t particrly worried about Caera, knowing her to be more than capable of taking care of herself, I hoped to strike an emotional chord with my guide. If I could get him to open up to me, I could more easily navigate to the truth of what was happening in this zone, including finding out how to escape it.


    Rat¡¯s back hunched further at my question. When he spoke, it was hardly more than a whisper. ¡°Kage and his men are¡­not kind to womenfolk. I won¡¯t defend it, but¡­¡± He paused as I faked a frightened noise from the back of my throat, stopping and turning to face me. His ck eyes peered at me searchingly. ¡°We should keep moving. We¡¯re still some distance from the shrine.¡±


    Rat¡¯s ears twitched and he paused for a second before moving on. We travelled in silence for a time, until we reached a tunnel where thick stranglers had grown from floor to ceiling, blocking the way forward. Rat reversed course, finding another tunnel that he said would bypass the overgrown passage.


    ¡°How long have you been here?¡± I asked softly.


    ¡°A year¡­maybe more.¡± His shoulders bobbed up and down in a helpless shrug. ¡°I fought for a while, like the others. Then hid. Then Kage came. At least with him we have some form of order while we figure out how to im the relic.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think it takes a blood sacrifice to get it?¡± I asked, unsure.


    Rat sniffed and spat on the ground as he led us through a crossing of several different tunnels. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a year of blood drained into the glyph, and it¡¯s never been enough. A few months ago, Kage dragged all the ascenders he¡¯d imprisoned to the shrine and had their throats cut at the same time, sure that no one had ever spilled enough blood at once¡­but even that wasn¡¯t enough.¡± Rat halted, listening around before addressing me. ¡°There are some in these tunnels who think it must be something else. That maybe we read the runes wrong¡­¡± A shiver ran down his spine, and I could practically see the weight of those deaths pressing down on him.


    ¡°Which is why¡±--he dragged the thought out, again giving me that searching look¡ª¡°I have made arrangements for you to see more than just the shrine.¡±


    I watched him uncertainly, but said nothing.


    ¡°I think we are very much the same,¡± he continued warily, with just a hint of hope tinging his words. ¡°We may not be made for bloodshed and battle, but we are worth more than our masters give us credit for.¡± He hesitated, then shook his head with a nervous smile. ¡°My time here has dulled my manners. I haven¡¯t even asked your name.¡±


    ¡°Grey,¡± I said, returning his smile awkwardly. ¡°Do you have a name other than¡­¡± I trailed off, rubbing the back of my neck.


    He frowned sadly, but said, ¡°Amand. But in here¡­call me Rat. Everyone else does.¡± He straightened. ¡°Grey, I think that together, we can end this awful cycle. I¡¯m ready to go home, to see my¡­¡± He paused again, his frown deepening. ¡°I have a mother¡­and brother¡­who probably think I¡¯m dead¡­¡±


    I opened my mouth, then closed it again, not having to feign my emotions as I thought of Ellie and my mother, hidden away under the Darvish desert, with no idea that I was alive.


    Clearing his throat, Rat continued. ¡°I hope you can appreciate the risk I am taking by telling you this but¡­for some time now, I have been passing information about Kage to the other factions in this zone.¡±


    Regis chortled. ¡®So our Rat is actually a mole.¡¯


    ¡°It has been months since anyone but Kage and his people have been allowed to see the relic, or the ward that protects it. Although Kage keeps some semnce of order here, he is not particrly¡­intelligent.¡±


    ¡°And fresh eyes might find new meaning in old words,¡± I said, quoting a line from a book on spellcasting I had read while still a student at Xyrus Academy.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Rat agreed. ¡°So¡­you will help me?¡±


    I nervously opened my mouth, closed it, then opened it again. ¡°I just want to get my Lady away from this zone safely.¡±


    Nodding in acknowledgement, Rat continued leading me to the shrine, which wasn¡¯t far from where we¡¯d stopped to talk. Several turnster, we found three women standing in the tunnel, their weapons drawn.


    I froze, but Rat kept moving toward them.


    ¡°Who is this?¡± a tall woman with tightly-braided hair asked, pointing her golden spear at my chest.


    ¡°He¡¯s new,¡± Rat replied breathlessly. ¡°Not one of Kage¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Why is he here?¡± Her liquid brown eyes tracked distrustfully across me, seeming to linger around my sternum. Her frown deepened.


    Rat scratched behind his ear. ¡°The same reason you are, Tya.¡±


    She clicked her tongue, but moved to the side of the tunnel. Rat slunk between the women, each one several inches taller than him, his eyes lingering on their weapons.


    I mimicked his wariness as I too passed between them, standing like sentinels to either side, regarding me coldly.


    We came to a point where the path split, curving away to the left and right. Rat circled around to the left, then stopped at a bare patch of wall. He closed his eyes and pressed a hand against the wall, and a humming vibration shook the passage.


    Like a curtain being drawn to the sides, the wall opened, revealing a chamberpletely cut off from the rest of the zone. Three men, all ragged and filthy¡ªobviously part of Kage¡¯s gang¡ªbrandished weapons, then backed down at the sight of Rat.


    An ogre of a man whose beard hung nearly to his belly set the butt of his massive two-handed axe on the ground and rested his hands on the head. He leered at the three women, showing off a mouthful of crooked, stained teeth, but his expression fell when he noticed me.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t say nothing about another man,¡± he said gruffly. ¡°Does Kage¡ª¡±


    ¡°Would I be here if our master didn¡¯t will it?¡± Rat wheezed. ¡°Kage grows impatient for the relic. This man is a potent Sentry in service to a powerful highblood. Kage has instructed that he be allowed to see the shrine along with Tya and her womenfolk.¡±


    The burly guard didn¡¯t seem convinced, eyeing us skeptically.


    ¡°Do you ever wish to leave here, you bloodless oaf?¡± Rat snapped, shoeing the three guards off of a huge carving that took up most of the floor.


    The man thought about this for a moment, then deferred to Rat and moved aside. Rat waved us in, gesturing to the floor.


    My eyes were drawn past it, however, to what could only be the relic so many had killed and died for.


    My immediate reaction was¡­disappointment.


    The garment, which hung suspended within a golden beam of light, was best described as armored robes. They were thick and bulky, the fabric a muted grayish brown, with dark leather pauldrons, vambraces, and a gorget. Runes were embroidered into the seams and carved along the edges of the leather armor pieces.


    Putting the dated style aside, the relic armor seemed to have been made for an ogre rather than man.


    ¡®Oh, I don¡¯t know. It seems rather fitting,¡¯ Regis said thoughtfully. ¡®A macho dress for a macho princess.¡¯


    Something about the way the aether was moving in the room caught my eye, and I looked closer. A subtle amethyst glow of aether infused the armor.


    ¡®Is that¡­?¡¯


    I think so, I confirmed, enraptured by the way aether seemed to swirl around the armor, drawn to it from throughout the zone. That¡¯s why the atmospheric aether is so much thicker here.


    Tya crossed in front of me, breaking the relic¡¯s spell. She kneeled down over the glyph, her fingers tracing the deep grooves in the stone floor.


    The glyph was aplex series of runes, carefully arranged into concentric circles. It was ingenious, like painting a picture with words, but it was an untraditional design. I couldn¡¯t help but think that even a professor of djinn runes would struggle to divine the exact meaning. This was made moreplicated because parts had been worn away or damaged over time, and the grooves were stained reddish brown from all the blood that had been spilled here.


    At the head of the glyph, it merged into a second, smaller symbol, where the suit of armor hovered within its protective barrier.


    I bent down for a closer look, my fingers tracing the carved lines.


    ¡°Light guide me¡­¡± one of the ascender women breathed in wonder as she took in the shrine.


    Rat sniffed. ¡°What do you make of it?¡±


    ¡®No wonder no one has figured out how to get the thing. That glyph is a mess,¡¯ Regis said helpfully.


    I reread the same section for the third time, struggling with the construction of the runes.


    ¡°It begins here,¡± Rat said, pointing to a break in the concentric circles near the golden light and the relic. ¡°Perhaps it would help if you read from beginning to end.¡±


    I moved to where he had indicated and began to trante with Regis¡¯s aid.


    ¡®That¡¯s a lot of blood for a race of pacifists,¡¯ Regis thought.


    He was right. When Kage and Rat had revealed the reason for the violence infesting this zone, I had expected to discover that they were fools and had misread the djinn¡¯s instructions, but the glyph was thick with references to blood.


    ¡®¡­the blood of one who¡­what¡¯s that rune say?¡¯


    I don¡¯t recognize it, I admitted. Maybe it¡¯s been damaged.


    ¡®¡­of one who something something blood of our blood, may¡­be burdened? That doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­¡¯


    Tya pointed out the same rune we had struggled with, asking if anyone could read it, but they couldn¡¯t.


    My attention turned briefly to the three guards pressed against the wall. Each one was bigger¡ª¡®and dumber,¡¯ Regis added¡ªthan just about any other ascenders I had seen, and I understood why Kage had chosen them to stand guard. Men like that showed no curiosity, and would be unlikely to think too deeply about the puzzle they stood upon, despite it being the key to a fortune they couldn¡¯t evenprehend.


    ¡°The ancient mages were a people of peace,¡± I said, half to myself. ¡°Their dedication to this ideal was so great that they didn¡¯t defend themselves even when another race destroyed them. Instead, they built the Relictombs to keep their knowledge alive. They didn¡¯t forge weapons or armor. That¡¯s why this relic was locked away.¡± I pointed out a piece of the glyph. ¡°They even call it ¡®a shrine to futility.¡¯¡±


    ¡°But the relic is also the key to leave,¡± Rat pointed out, picking at the whiskers on his chin. ¡°Are you suggesting this is a dead end?¡± A sense of nerves settled over him. ¡°That just can¡¯t be¡­¡±


    Tya spat on the ground. ¡°There is a way. There is always a way in the Relictombs.¡±


    I returned my attention to the glyph, muttering to myself as I worked around it in a circle, tranting it again from scratch. ¡°Blood of our blood¡­burdened by purpose¡­one who¡­¡±


    My brows furrowed as I reread the glyphs a few more times, focusing more on the seemingly contradictory portion of runes and piecing together what they meant.


    I held in the urge to sigh at my revtion. Things were never easy.


    Letting out augh, I got up to my feet. ¡°I-I think I got it.¡±


    Rat approached me, his eyes narrowing at the glyphs before giving me a guarded look. ¡°What did you find, Grey?¡±


    My mouth opened on its own in excitement. ¡°The blood isn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    Catching myself, I let out a cough.


    I took a deep breath to slow myself. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­I¡­the runes call for a certain lineage¡¯s blood¡­¡±


    Seeing my reaction, Rat softened, bowing slightly. ¡°I apologize, Grey. Many times over thest year has someone imed to understand the runes, but it¡¯s never been true. I didn¡¯t mean to discount you, I am just¡­wary.¡±


    I nodded and let a smile slowly creep over my face. ¡°It needs someone of¡­¡± Then I froze, letting my mouth hang open.


    ¡°Of what, Grey?¡± Rat snapped, taking a step closer to me, his expression a mixture of anticipation and frustration.


    ¡°Vritra, I¡¯m crya¡¯s worst servant,¡± I moaned, looking at him in dread. ¡°I¡¯ve nearly forgotten about Lady Caera. Do you think she¡¯s okay? I¡­I¡¯m willing to tell you how to get the relic, but we need to make sure she is safe first.¡±


    Rat shook his head. Tya and herpanions had stopped what they were doing and were watching me distrustfully. The three guards exchanged confused looks.


    ¡°It will be easier to free her from Kage after we¡¯ve imed the relic. Then we¡¯ll have the upper hand,¡± Rat insisted. ¡°Once we know how to leave¡­¡±


    The ogre of an ascender took a heavy step forward and pointed his axe at Rat. ¡°Kage didn¡¯t send you this time, did he, Rat? You lied!¡±


    Rat flinched away from the spittle that flew from the huge ascender''s lips. Before the man coulde after us, however, a golden spear burst through his neck. The other two fell in the same breath, simrly impaled as Tya and herpanions ran them through.


    The tall woman ripped her spear from the dead man¡¯s neck and pointed it at me. ¡°Exin.¡±


    ¡°The blood has to¡­to¡­¡± I swallowed heavily. ¡°The blood needs to be from someone of asuran descent,¡± I finished in a rush.


    Tya¡¯s spear pressed against my throat. ¡°Foolishness. Lies. That is impossible.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± I hissed. ¡°¡®Spill the blood of one who has harmed the blood of our blood.¡¯ The asuras¡­the asuras were the enemy of the ancient mages¡­¡±


    Tya¡¯s hard eyes seemed to bore into mine as she searched them for the truth. After a long few seconds, she cursed and stepped back, lowering her spear. ¡°Then we truly are doomed to rot here forever.¡±


    I rubbed at my throat, where a bead of blood was dripping down my skin. The wound was already healed, but no one seemed to notice.


    Rat was staring at me intently. I grimaced. His eyes narrowed. ¡°What is it, Grey?¡±


    I hesitated until Tya let out an angry huff, then said, ¡°Lady Caera¡­she is of Highblood Denoir, but not by birth. She is Vritra-blooded.¡±


    Rat¡¯s eyes shed, his gaze so intense that I could feel it like a physical presence, then realized there was some physical sensation, like kneading fingers working through my brain. Rat¡¯s face split into a wide, satisfied grin, and he raised a hand.


    My body simply stopped responding. Somewhere deep down in my consciousness I could feel a nearly-imperceptible hum that was more in my bones than my ears. A sound-attribute spell, directly attacking my nervous system to paralyze me. My back was to the others, but I was sure they were affected just the same.


    ¡®It¡¯s a regalia,¡¯ Regis said in realization. ¡®Some kind of sound-based paralysis spell. It¡¯s pretty strong.¡¯


    That was true. The appropriate mana shielding would prevent it from working, but the way it directly attacked the nervous system made it very effective. Physical strength made no difference in my ability to counter it.


    Rat¡¯s beady ck eyes twitched as he watched me, his hands clenched together in front of his chest. ¡°You¡¯re dangerously clever,¡± he said, licking his lips. ¡°The ruse with the girl¡­Kage was a fool to make assumptions so quickly. I knew right away you weren¡¯t just some Sentry hiding his mana signature.¡±


    He tapped his head. ¡°Another of my many very useful runes. I can hear the flow of your blood, the beating of your heart, the air whooshing through your lungs. I can tell when someone is lying. And since I know you were telling the truth just now, thankfully there is no more need for this charade on either of our parts. It has been an interesting duel¡ªwho can pretend to be more weak and pathetic¡ªbut I¡¯m tired of it. Thank you, Grey, for your assistance.¡±


    ¡®Art, what should I do? I¡ª¡¯


    I told Regis what I needed from him, and hepsed into silence.


    With azy grin, Rat drew a long curved dagger from his belt and walked up to me. He kept eye contact as he drew the de across my throat, and I could distantly feel the warmth of my blood spilling down my front.


    My body copsed to the ground, and Rat leaned over me. Although I couldn¡¯t move, I could still feel it as the dagger plunged into my side, my back, and finally my heart. My eyes fluttered closed, and my breath stilled.


    RAT


    Blood pooled under the golden-eyed ascender¡¯s body as he slumped lifelessly.


    ¡°Looks like you were of use after all.¡± I wiped the de with the sleeve of Grey¡¯s arm before standing up and turning to face Tya.


    The tall, proud ascender stood motionless, herpanions nking her. The rest of her people would fall quickly without these three, I was sure. I waved my dagger in front of Tya¡¯s bloodshot eyes. Although she couldn¡¯t move, I could tell from the steady rhythm of her heartbeat that she already knew what was about to happen.


    The sonic stasis spell was beginning to wear on me, so I didn¡¯t take the time to savor their deaths the way I would have liked. Once shey dead next to herpanions, I released my spell and took a weary, joyful breath.


    ¡°Onest sacrifice before the end,¡± I said, holding my dagger up to the relic like a toast.


    Channeling mana into one of my lesser runes, I pressed my hand to the ground. ¡°Kage. Bring her.¡±


    If that degenerate had followed my instructions, he would already be nearby with the highblood. There was no way to be entirely sure that Grey could solve the problem of the relic, but I had sensed the unshakable confidence he held in himself.


    It had been a genuine surprise to learn the woman¡¯s secret. Although he¡¯d left the most important part unsaid, I had heard the subtle variations of his tone that gave it away. Not only was Lady Caera Vritra-blooded, but her blood had also manifested. Without Grey¡¯s assistance, I might havemitted the error of piercing her core and giving her to Kage. Knowing that she carried Vritra blood, though¡­that changed things.


    Kage arrived a minute or twoter, dragging Lady Caera behind him. Her jaw clenched when she caught sight of herpanion¡¯s body on the floor. ¡°Was killing him really necessary?¡±


    ¡°Lady Caera of Highblood Denoir,¡± I said, giving her a slight bow. Her mouth snapped shut. ¡°Blood of the Vritra.¡± Her mouth formed into a tight line, and her face paled. I grinned with mirth at the sight. Moving to stand just in front of her, I tweaked the chains that held her wrists. ¡°Do you have any idea how useful mana canceling restraints are on an ascent? And these are particrly high-level variations. You just never know when you¡¯ll need to disable an enemy¡ªor ally¡ªwhen there are des to be imed.¡±


    Her chin lifted, emphasizing how she looked down on me. ¡°If you know my blood, then you wouldn¡¯t darey a finger on me¡­¡±


    Chuckling, I reached out and fumbled around her neck for the artifact I knew must be there. When my hand wrapped around the thin chain, I gave it a sharp jerk, tearing it off her neck.


    Horns appeared from the sides of her head, sweeping forward and up, with secondary prongs pointing back, framing her head like a ckurel. I rang a finger along the hard, smooth surface, momentarily struck by them. She quivered in suppressed rage but didn¡¯t pull away. Instead, she spoke with forced calm, her scarlet eyes narrowed into two bloody daggers.


    ¡°When we leave here, I will have both a living relic and a Vritra-blood. Imagine it, Lady Caera. I arrive with a tale of discovering you in this convergence zone, half dead, betrayed by your most faithful servant¡­You wouldn¡¯t be the same, of course, not after everything you¡¯ve seen, but you are alive. And with the wealth acquired from the relic, perhaps the Denoirs would even find me to be a suitable husband for your shattered self?¡± I gave her a mocking smile. ¡°In a single day, I will be the most famous ascender in crya. I bet I¡¯ll even get an audience with the High Sovereign. Perhaps, for the relic-finder, he would deign to marry us himself?¡± My smile faltered as I had a curious thought. ¡°Why did you do it? Why hide this beautiful gift?¡±


    Those deadly scarlet eyes only red back at me.


    ¡°Well, enough time for such intimate conversationter. For now¡­¡± Tugging on the horn, I dragged the struggling woman across the zone¡ªmaking sure she had to step over the body of her deadpanion on the way¡ªand kicked the back of her leg so she fell to her knees.


    Wrenching her hands up by the manacles constraining them, I drew a bloody line across her palm with my dagger, then shoved her to the ground, where her bleeding hand mmed into the carved stone of the floor, smearing across the glyph.


    To my disappointment, she hadn¡¯t so much as gasped in pain, but that was a trifling thoughtpared to what was about to unfold.


    Except¡­nothing happened.


    Letting out a put upon sigh, I felt some of my good mood slip away. ¡°I was really hoping I could have both my prizes, but s. We do not always get everything we hope for, do we, mdy?¡±


    Once again taking her by the horn, I spun Lady Caera to face me, doing her the honor of not slitting her throat from behind. Her eyes focused on something behind me, widening, and a smile spread over her face instead of the terror I should have seen.


    Turning slowly, I found Grey on his feet, his wounds healed, his skin unblemished by my de. But I knew I had stabbed him¡­cut his throat, pierced his heart¡­the blood still soaking his clothes proved I had!


    Kage cursed and drew his scimitar, but he did not get the chance to attack. A ck shadow burst out of Grey¡¯s body, mming Kage to the ground. I hardly noticed, unable to look away from Grey¡¯s golden eyes.


    It all made sense now: that impossible confidence the man couldn¡¯t hide. Even now I couldn¡¯t sense his mana at all. Not because he was some odd little Sentry, capable of masking his presence¡­no. It was because he was just that much stronger than me¡­but I¡¯d taken down bigger, stronger, harder bastards than me before.


    My core ached as I pushed mana into my regalia again, casting sonic stasis. A low hum of sound vibrated out from me, the exact frequency required to interrupt the nervous system, preventing all movement.


    The shadow wolf froze in ce, its jaws hanging over Kage¡¯s face, drool dripping off massive teeth. Kage was paralyzed as well, on his back under the creature, his mouth open in a howl more fear than battle-cry. Behind me, I heard Lady Caera¡¯s breath stop in her lungs.


    The golden-eyed ascender was motionless. I smirked and twirled my dagger for him to see.


    ¡°Do I need to sever your head from your neck to ensure you don¡¯t get back up again? Perhaps, after I¡¯ve done that, I¡¯ll burn it just to be safe.¡±


    Impossibly, he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯d rather you don¡¯t.¡±


    Although I could see the certainty of my own death zing within his eyes, I refused to go down without a fight. Spinning, I lunged for Lady Caera. If I could use her as a hostage, then¡ª


    Then he was next to me, the handle of a jagged amethyst dagger glowing between his fingers, the de in my belly. In my core. My magic released with a burst of angry static that made my ears ring. I could hear the woman¡¯s steady breathing, and Kage¡¯s growling as the beast pinned him to the floor.


    The strength left my body as I sank to the ground at Grey¡¯s feet. My blood flowed freely, filling the grooves of the glyph.


    Above me, the golden light began to flicker. With thest piece of my strength, I stretched to see the relic.


    The barrier, so long imprable, faded away.

 Chapter 359: Potentials

    <h4>Chapter 359: Potentials</h4>


    ELEANOR LEYWIN


    The long tunnels between the sanctuary cavern and Elder Rinia¡¯s little cave were empty and devoid of life. We had already hunted the cave rats to extinction, apparently. There were a few hundred people to feed in the sanctuary now, and even though the mana beasts tasted like a treeskunk smells, they were edible¡ªif you burned the meat ck and didn¡¯t think too hard about what you were eating.


    Although Elder Rinia had said she was too ill for visitors, I couldn¡¯t just stay away after what I¡¯d overheard between Virion and Windsom. I had to talk to someone, but I was terrified to tell anyone else. Since Rinia would already know¡ªshe was a seer after all¡ªat least I wouldn¡¯t be endangering her by revealing what I¡¯d learned.


    When we reached the mouth of the narrow crevice that served as an entrance to Rinia¡¯s home, I scratched Boo under his chin and behind his ear. ¡°You wait here, big guy. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    There was a bitter, earthy smell wafting out of the cave that reminded me of dandelion leaves.


    I shimmied through the crack in the solid stone. Before I even poked my head out into the cave, a tired, croaking voice said, ¡°Well,e in, I suppose.¡±


    A fire was burning in the far wall, and Rinia was sitting in front of it in her wicker chair, covered in a thick nket. The cave was sweltering hot and thick with the bitter scent.


    ¡°I seem to recall telling you I wasn¡¯t in the mood for visitors,¡± Rinia rasped, her back to me. ¡°And yet, the curse of the seer is that I can¡¯t even be surprised that you didn¡¯t listen.¡±


    I nced around the cave before responding. Aside from the natural alcove in which Rinia¡¯s fire zed, she had a small checker-board table covered in stones, a massive cab against one wall, and a low stone table that was covered in cuttings and pulped nts, likely to brew whatever was bubbling away in the pot over her fire. A small alcove contained her bed and a very fine, very out-of-ce dresser.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disturbing you, Elder Rinia, but I needed to¡­¡± I hesitated, taking in her current status, ¡°Are you okay?¡± As much as I wanted to speak to her about Elenoir, I couldn¡¯t suppress the feeling that something was wrong.


    ¡°Fit as a flitter flea,¡± she japed, pulling the nket more tightly around her.


    I slowly crossed the room and walked around Rinia¡¯s chair so I could get a better look at her. Her skin was withered and dry, and her eye sockets sunken and dark. Thin, white hair draped over her face and loose strands clung to the nket, having fallen from her head. Most startling, though, were her eyes: they stared at the fire, milky white and sightless.


    ¡°Rinia¡­¡± I started, but my throat constricted and I had to pause and gather myself. ¡°Why? What have you been¡ª¡±


    ¡°Looking, child,¡± she said, her voice low and croaking. ¡°Always looking.¡±


    I went to my knees in front of her and took her hand in both of mine, leaning forward to rest my cheek against it. Her skin was dry as parchment and ufortably chilly considering the zing heat in the cave. ¡°For what? What could possibly be worth this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all in the bnce, now. My home¡­Elenoir¡­¡± Rinia trailed off, her hand twitching feebly against my cheek. ¡°It was just the beginning. Dicathian, cryan¡­human, elf, or dwarf¡­kindling. Our homes¡ªour entire world¡ªwill burn unless I see¡­¡±


    ¡°See what?¡± I asked after a prolonged pause. ¡°What are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°Everything,¡± she whispered.


    We sat there in silence for a long time, and I thought for a while that she had fallen asleep. My mind felt numb, and I realized that I hadn¡¯t really believed Virion or Rinia when they talked about her being ill. Seeing her now¡­she was like a ghost of herself, barely clinging to life. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder at how much she must have used her power to decline so rapidly.


    Our homes¡ªour entire world¡ªwill burn¡­


    A shiver ran through me as those words echoed in my mind. ¡°What can I do?¡± I asked, my voice escaping my lips as little more than a whisper.


    ¡°Be in the right ce at the right time,¡± Rinia answered, making me jump.


    I scooted away from the fire and sat on the floor with my legs crossed, gazing up at Rinia¡¯s craggy face. ¡°Where is the right ce, and when is the right time?¡±


    ¡°That is always the question,¡± she answered vaguely.


    My heart was hammering in my chest. I hated these games, but felt more pity for the old woman than frustration. It was more clear than ever that she really was trying to help. ¡°This has something to do with what Virion and Windsom are hiding, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    She turned, shifting her body under the nket to a chorus of popping and creaking. ¡°Don¡¯t get involved, child. It is a¡­delicate situation. Your instincts on this were right: just keep it to yourself. Whatever we think about what was done, fighting against Virion now only leads to catastrophe. We both know you didn¡¯t need toe see me for affirmation of that.¡±


    ¡°Did¡­¡± I struggled against the urge to press her on what she¡¯d known and when. It seemed like that always ended up with me feeling bitterly disappointed. But the tension built up inside me until the words just kind of tumbled out. ¡°Did you know what would happen to Tessia¡ªto me¡ªwhen I asked you about the mission?¡±


    She let out a rattlingugh that quickly turned into a cough. ¡°Every choice, every future, all leading to a single oue. Always, always.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, insistent.


    ¡°It was fate that Tessia would fulfill her role as vessel for Agrona¡¯s weapon,¡± she said, closing her eyes and sinking back into her chair. ¡°All I could do was attempt to arrange for the most positive circumstances in which that would happen.¡±


    ¡°You could have said. You could have told me Tess shouldn¡¯t go. Virion would have stopped her, he¡ª¡±


    ¡°In the future you describe,¡± she snapped, ¡°the ve caravan is saved, but Curtis yder elects not to go on to Eidelholm and rescue the rest of the elves held there. One of those young women, while begging her new master not to desecrate her, offers up a piece of knowledge, the only thing she has of value: the name of a man who has helped others escape the cryans.


    ¡°They find him. Then they find us. Many of us die. And Tessia is taken anyway,¡± Rinia finished bitterly.


    ¡°Then what about Arthur? Why tell him not to let the cryans have her?¡± I asked, my voice cracking a little when I said my brother¡¯s name. ¡°Why did he have to¡­have to¡­¡± I choked on the sentence, turning away from the elder to hide my tears.


    ¡°Because it wasn¡¯t time yet,¡± she sighed.


    I stared at her, my tears drying as quickly as they¡¯d appeared when anger quickly took over. ¡°But he died!¡± I hissed. ¡°And they captured her anyway!¡±


    ¡°I know, child.¡± She reached a trembling hand out toward me, but I scooted a few inches farther away, and eventually her hand slowly fell. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Was it his fate to die?¡± I asked quietly. ¡°Did it have to happen?¡±


    Rinia shivered, a slow tremble that seemed to start in her chest and work outward until it had passed through her toes. ¡°Oh, how the hell should I know. A puzzle piece that doesn¡¯t fit, that¡¯s what your brother was. I could never really see his future, not like everyone else.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always games with you,¡± I muttered angrily, my temper getting the better of me. ¡°Arthur wasn¡¯t some piece on a game board. He was my brother!¡± I shouted, then immediately felt guilty as Rinia¡¯s blind eyes slowly fluttered open. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    She only shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not easy, child. Your entire life is moving a small stick floating in a pond, from one side of the water to the other. But you can only move the stick by throwing pebbles into the pond and letting it ride the ripples. And the thing is¡ªyou¡¯re blindfolded. Sometimes the wind kicks up and blows the stick about. I¡¯m no different. One eye open, maybe, and I can see all your little sticks and the ripples that move them, but everyone is always disrupting the flow by throwing their stones in at random, disrupting the whole mess¡­¡±


    Lifting my knees up to my chest, I curled up around them. My eyes were burning, my throat swollen, but I didn¡¯t let any more tears fall. I ground my teeth and pinched myself. The suppressed tears weren¡¯t for my brother, or Tessia, or even myself¡­it was everyone, everything. A deep-rooted sadness had settled over me, cold and somehowforting, like a nket of snow. I felt the pressure, the drive to do something, to fight back and change things, fading away. The world¡¯s problems were so big, there was nothing else I could do to save it.


    The realization that I could just let go brought me a kind of peace.


    But I didn¡¯t want to be hopeless. I didn¡¯t want to give up, to let everyone else fight to take back our future while I hid,fortable in my hopelessness.


    Mentally, I called out to Boo, and a momentter his huge bulk popped into the cave, just behind me. He filled the small space and could have easily made a wreckage of Rinia¡¯s things, but he seemed to sense that I neededfort instead of protection; hey down behind me, and I leaned against him, letting my fingers y through his fur.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s new,¡± Rinia said, the ghost of a smile on her lips.


    A flood of warmth issued from my core, clearing my mind and burning away the cold nket of apathy.


    ¡°Give me hope,¡± I said softly. ¡°Please Rinia. In all your looking, you must have seen some glimmer¡­¡±


    The old woman pushed the nket aside, letting it fall to the floor. I would have sworn I could hear her bones creaking as she began to stand, but when I moved to help her, she waved me back down. Once free of the chair, she took a few slow, shuffling steps toward me, until she could rest her hand on Boo¡¯s back. Very carefully, the old seer began to lower herself down next to me.


    ¡°Rinia, you shouldn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t imagine you can tell me what I should or shouldn¡¯t do, child,¡± she snapped.


    I helped to guide her as best I could, until she was resting on the ground next to me, her back against Boo¡¯s side, just like mine was.


    ¡°Hope isn¡¯t always a good thing,¡± she said, panting slightly. ¡°When lost, it can break a person¡¯s spirit. When false, it may keep people from taking care of themselves.¡±


    ¡°Then give me real hope,¡± I said, reaching for her hand again and squeezing very gently.


    Rinia leaned sideways so that her head was resting on my shoulder. ¡°There is a right ce and a right time. And I know when and where that is.¡±


    ***


    I stayed with Grandma Rinia for a couple more hours, eventually helping her back into her chair, getting her a bowl of soup, and reminiscing about the time when Mother, Father, and I had hidden with her in a different secret cavern. But eventually she grew tired, so I helped her to her bed and left.


    The conversation had worn me out. There was just something about trying to wrap my head around Rinia¡¯s seer-talk of potential futures and positive circumstances that exhausted my mind and made me feel small and childish. But then I reminded myself that when Arthur was fourteen he was off in thend of gods, training with deities to fight a war that would change the entire world.


    I patted Boo¡¯s side as we hiked silently through the winding tunnels. ¡°Mind if I ride, big guy?¡±


    The guardian bear grunted an affirmative and stopped. I sidled up onto his back and leaned forward to rest my head on my forearms, just letting myself float atop his broad frame. ¡°Whatever happens, we¡¯ll always take care of each other, right Boo?¡±


    Another grunt.


    ¡°Just like Arthur and Sylvie, together until the end.¡±


    He huffed at theparison, making meugh.


    Boo didn¡¯t need any guidance from me to find the sanctuary, so I closed my eyes and reyed my conversation with Rinia. It had been long overdue, and I was d to have left her on positive terms. Seeing her had made me realize just how little time she likely had left. I wished she could have told me more about this ¡°right ce and right time¡± she kept talking about. If she slipped away before the time came¡­ I could only trust that she knew when the end woulde.


    ELDER RINIA


    Once the Leywin child and her beast had finally left, I returned to my work.


    Lying in bed, I stared at nothing, my physical eyes now useless. But that hardly mattered. Only my third eye was needed, the one that could see beyond the here and now to what could be.


    My core ached when I reached for the mana, and I struggled to build up enough strength to cast the spell. Damned old body, I cursed to myself. But I knew that, in truth, my physical body had held together far longer than it ever should have.


    It had been my sister who learned of the potion that could strengthen our bodies, even as our life force faded. Toote to do herself much good¡ªbut then, even in the midst of her impassioned efforts to save Virion¡¯s life, she had never pressed herself the way I did now.


    I sent a silent thanks to her, wherever her spirit rested in the afterlife. I couldn¡¯t yet be sure if my efforts would make a difference in the end, but I¡¯d gained months of time to look thanks to the potion still bubbling over my little fire.


    Casting Sight, I felt myself rx as the third eye opened in my spirit. Through this metaphysical eye, the aetheric world became visible, revealing an infinitelyplex web of intertwining threads spreading out into the future. Just seeing them wasn¡¯t enough, however.


    As my master had taught me, I reached out toward the aevum¡­slowly, tentatively, like one would approach a half-wild animal. But it was my affinity for aevum that gave me my diviner¡¯s powers, and as it had a thousand times before, the aether reacted, drifting toward my third eye and connecting my mind to the tapestry of possible futures that wasid out before me.


    I ignored the way they all cut off at the same point.


    Now where was I¡­


    Picking a thread, I plucked on it. It pulled back, drawing my consciousness along the timeline it represented.


    When I didn''t like what I saw, I found a branching thread and plucked it instead.


    It was even worse.


    I knew where I needed to be, and when. But there was more to it than just being in the right ce at the right time, regardless of what I¡¯d told Ellie. The journey was equally as important as the destination.


    Which only made it all the more frustrating to know I was running out of time.


    Heaving a shuddering sigh, I picked the next thread, then the next, and the next after that.


    ELEANOR LEYWIN


    I was woken from my doze by the sensation of falling, like stumbling in a dream.


    The tunnel was foggy and the air had a heavy, sickly-sweet smell that made my stomach clench up and my head swim.


    ¡°Boo?¡± I asked, my tongue stumbling thickly over the familiar name. ¡°What is it?¡±


    My mind was slow from the nap, and I couldn¡¯t shake myself awake, but I was sure something was wrong with Boo. He was walking sluggishly, taking deep, snorting,bored breaths¡­


    My bond let out a nervous whine. I patted his neck and said, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s just fog, Boo, we¡¯re¡­¡±


    I sniffed at the air again. The fog¡­


    Closing my eyes, I focused on the beast will lurking in my mana core, which was now dark orange. Reaching into myself, I prodded the will, igniting it and receiving a burst of smells and sounds from my enhanced senses.


    The tunnels were dank and smelled a little like rot. Boo¡¯s heavy musk was everywhere, as was the stinky smell left behind by the cave rats that used to live here, but the rotten scent of the fog overwhelmed everything else. The tunnels were almost entirely silent. Somewhere below me, I could just hear the faint pitter-patter of water dripping from a cave roof to ssh into a shallow pool, but the only other sounds were Boo¡¯s uneven, scuffling steps and my own slow heartbeat.


    Boo missed another step, sending an ufortable jolt through my stomach.


    I reached for my bow, but couldn¡¯t fumble it off of my back. One of Boo¡¯s legs gave way, and I tumbled off tond heavily on the ground. I knew that it should have hurt, but all I could feel was the overwhelming desire to shut my eyes.


    Boo¡¯s powerful jaws closed on the back of my shirt and he began to drag me, but even through my foggy senses I could hear hisbored breathing.


    ¡°Boo¡­?¡±


    I let out a mindless giggle at the sound of my own voice, slurred and silly. I knew I should be scared, but really, I just felt like¡­going¡­to¡­sleep¡­


    Boo released me, letting out a warning growl. I just barely managed to turn my head enough to look down the tunnel, where I could see two silhouettes approaching. Their faces were covered¡­or maybe that was just my eyes going blurry.


    ¡°Easy now, big guy,¡± one of the silhouettes said, their voice muffled by the cloth.


    Boo roared and lunged, his massive paw shing drunkenly at the figures. They dodged back, but I heard a hissing breath and a curse.


    ¡°You¡­get ¡®em¡­Boooo,¡± I slurred.


    Boo lurched forward and stumbled on the ground while swinging his ws. He let out a low, mewling grunt I thought was fear, then everything went dark.


    Through the darkness, I could hear footsteps approaching.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­mess¡­with me,¡± I mumbled weakly. ¡°I¡¯m¡­a¡­¡±


    Strong arms scooped me up like I was a baby.


    ¡°Leywin¡­¡±


    A voice, soft and sad, echoed out of the ck nothing that surrounded me.


    ¡°Sorry, Eleanor.¡±


    ***


    My eyes blinked open, or at least I thought they did. Everything was gray and fuzzy. My head felt like it was full of cobwebs, and my mouth and throat were so dry they hurt. I blinked again several times, slowly.


    ¡°Mama?¡±


    I giggled at the sound of my own voice, which croaked like a fat old toad. The noise died instantly as my breath caught in my chest, and I realized with a spike of rity that something really bad had happened.


    ¡°Mama? Papa?¡±


    A shadow moved across my blurred vision and garbled voices ozzed through my cobweb brain. I couldn¡¯t understand them.


    ¡°B-Brother? Brother!¡±


    The voices were speaking nonsense, and one of the figures came closer. I lifted my hands to ward them off and was shocked by a metallic jingling and the sensation of cold on my wrists.


    ¡°Bro¡ª¡±


    Everything came rushing back to me, forcing out a choked gasp. My father and brother were dead. Rinia, the gas¡­Boo!


    ¡°Boo!¡± I shouted, not trying to hide my panic. He should be with me, I knew. He should teleport to me, be right beside me. ¡°What did you do to Boo?¡± I began to sob.


    Strong hands pressed down on my shoulders. A face was right in front of mine, blurry at first, then vaguely familiar, then¡ª


    ¡°Albold¡­?¡±


    ¡°Please calm down, Ellie,¡± he said firmly, releasing my shoulders. ¡°Boo is unharmed, though I can¡¯t say the same for us. We left him in the tunnels. I would have preferred to do this a different way, but we must know what you know.¡±


    ¡°We¡­what?¡± I shook my head, trying to clear thest of the cobwebs. ¡°You¡­you attacked me!¡± I red at him usingly.


    A second figure moved into view to rest his hand on Albold¡¯s shoulder. The gaunt elf¡¯s hood was still up, but the cloth covering his face had been removed. ¡°We need the truth, Eleanor. We didn¡¯t think you¡¯d tell us unless you had no choice.¡±


    ¡°Feyrith you¡­you¡­you jerk!¡± I snapped. Leaning back, I screamed, ¡°Boo! Boo, help!¡±


    Albold kneeled in front of me and grabbed the manacles chaining my hands together. He gave a sharp jerk that tweaked my shoulders and elbows ufortably. His eyes¡ªcolorless in the dark cave¡ªpinned me like arrows. ¡°Enough, Ellie. We took steps to ensure that your beast couldn¡¯t follow us. Those mana suppression cuffs should¡ª¡±


    Pop!


    A roar like earth and stone being ripped apart exploded from right beside me, and Albold was flung backward across the cave, mming hard into the jagged stone. A hairy wall moved in front of me, breathing heavily, and snarling with rage and fear.


    A thick barrier of water appeared with a whoosh and bisected the cave, separating Boo and me from Albold and Feyrith, though I could only just see the edges around Boo¡¯s huge bulk.


    Feyrith¡¯s voice was muffled as he shouted, ¡°Eleanor, please listen! We won¡¯t hurt you, we just need to talk.¡±


    ¡°You have a funny way of talking,¡± I snapped back. Boo turned to look me over, making sure I was okay. I held up the chains. With an irritated snort, he bit down on them, crushing the enchanted metal links like they were old bones. The suppressive magic vanished, and I felt my core thrumming to life again.


    ¡°We¡­we needed to be sure, ¡°Feyrith said desperately. ¡°With everything that¡¯s at stake, we couldn¡¯t have you to brush us off or tell us you couldn¡¯t discuss it.¡±


    I stood and shook out my arms and legs, which still felt half asleep. When I was certain I wouldn¡¯t fall over, I stepped around Boo and walked up to the wall of water, ring at the elves on the other side. Boo moved like a shadow beside me, his teeth bared.


    Albold was brushing himself off, and I noticed his pants had been ripped and he had a bandage around his leg, soaked through with blood. Both elves were eyeing my bond warily. I patted Boo¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve been trying to find you for weeks,¡± I grumbled, meeting Albold¡¯s eye. He grimaced, but didn¡¯t look away. ¡°What do you jerks want? You get one chance. And don¡¯t think Boo won¡¯t eat you if you attack me again.¡±


    Boo snarled threateningly.


    Feyrith released his spell and the wall of water fell away, draining into the floor and leaving dry rock behind. His hands were up in a gesture of peace as he stepped forward. ¡°We know Virion is lying, Eleanor. His story doesn¡¯t make sense. And we know you spoke to the asura, Windsom, and that you have visited the old seer.¡± His hands fell to his sides and gripped the edges of his cloak desperately.


    Albold ground his teeth audibly. ¡°I have no idea why a twelve-year-old girl is so involved in all this, but we need to know what you know.¡±


    ¡°Fourteen!¡± I said indignantly, crossing my arms over my chest. ¡°And whatever Virion has told you, it¡¯s for your own good.¡± I remembered Rinia¡¯s words. ¡°Fighting him will only lead to catastrophe.¡±


    Albold scowled. ¡°That¡¯s not good enough. We¡ªall of the elves¡ªdeserve to know the truth. If Virion is working with the enemy¡ª¡±


    I blew a raspberry, acting like the age that they thought I was and drawing shocked looks from both of the elves. ¡°The truth sucks! Knowing it doesn¡¯t help, trust me.¡±


    Albold had a hard, desperate look, but Feyrith seemed to be shrinking in on himself. ¡°You aren¡¯t an elf, Eleanor. You can¡¯t know what this is like.¡±


    I opened my mouth to snap back that I did know what it was like to lose people, but the words died in my throat.


    What did Rinia say again? I asked myself, trying not to waver while wracking my stressed brain for the details of our conversation. Don¡¯t get involved. It¡¯s a delicate situation¡­


    ¡°I know you¡¯ve lost people too, Eleanor¡­¡± Feyrith said, taking a half-step forward, but freezing when Boo let out a low growl. ¡°I didn¡¯t know your father, really, but¡­Arthur Leywin was my greatest rival, and a close friend. His loss affected us all.¡± Feyrith¡¯s voice was shaking. ¡°But I lost everyone, do you understand? My¡ª¡±


    The elf broke, his face twisting into a grimace as tears flooded down his cheeks and sobs wracked his shoulders. He pressed a hand over his eyes, curling in on himself even further. Through his sobs, he said, ¡°My entire family¡­they¡­they¡¯re all gone.¡± He sank to the floor, and Albold kneeled awkwardly next to him, his expression unreadable.


    Feyrith wiped a sleeve across his face and took a shaky breath. ¡°I tried to save them¡­but I got caught¡­never even got close. I left them against their wishes to attend Xyrus Academy¡­to be more than just the fourth son of a noble family, but I failed them, do you understand? And now they¡¯re¡­just gone¡­¡±


    Albold was pale as a ghost next to the red-faced Feyrith. His gaze focused into the distance, not looking at hispanion or me. ¡°Our king and queen, gone. Our princess, gone. Our home, our culture, gone. Our friends and family, teachers, lovers, rivals¡­our whole world, gone.¡± Only then did he meet my eye. ¡°And we don¡¯t even get to understand why.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t look away from his piercing eyes. What could I possibly say to ease suchplete and bitter loss? If they knew what had really happened in Elenoir, would it actually make them feel better, or just more helpless¡ªhopeless¡ªlike me? Besides, I reasoned with myself, Rinia told me to stay out of it.


    But then, she hadn¡¯t told me not to tell anyone else. I didn¡¯t think the truth would bring the elves any sort of closure, but didn¡¯t they deserve it anyway?


    I leaned against Boo, running my fingers through his fur and listening to his heart hammering in my ears over the sound of my gnashing teeth. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

 Chapter 360: Blood Relic III

    <h4>Chapter 360: Blood Relic III</h4>


    My gaze stayed pinned to Grey¡¯s back as we navigated thebyrinthine tunnels, silent except for Kage¡¯s constant wheedling. Despite now appearing perfectly healthy, it was difficult to dismiss the image of Grey lying motionless, his throat cut¡­


    I squeezed my eyes shut, blinking away the image and instead focusing on the persistent prattleing from Kage as he guided us toward the hidden exit portal.


    ¡°¡ªnot really my fault at all now, see? When Rat saw how people would just leave after a while, after they decided the relic couldn¡¯t be imed, he came up with the idea to close the portal and force people to stay. I just went along with it is all¡­but what else was I supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°And were you forced to make the female ascenders who found their way into this zone your ythings, as well?¡±


    Kage¡¯s hulking form shrunk under my gaze despite the fact that we hadn¡¯t bothered to restrain him with mana shackles. Still, the dog had some bite left in him, and I could feel his mana ring in anger.


    ¡°Keep walking, grunt,¡± Regis snapped as he stalked closely behind the scarred ascender.


    My eyes found themselves settling on Grey¡¯s back again as he moved mutely behind Regis, letting the shadow wolf herd Kage to our destination.


    An ufortable, writhing frustration was worming its way through my insides as I considered again what Grey had asked me to do.


    He knew that Kage wasn¡¯t a threat to me, but the truth was that Grey still had silently demanded hisplete trust. I was left on my own as coteral, like some damsel in distress¡ªa stereotype of weakness and fragility I¡¯d been fighting against my entire life¡ªand Grey had expected me to put myself in a state of vulnerability without even the opportunity to question or understand what he was doing.


    It took every fiber of self control to keep myself from killing Kage when he had withdrawn a pair of mana suppression cuffs and announced that we would be following after Rat and Grey together.


    I rubbed at the faint bruises on my wrist, the dull aches a physical reminder of the danger in trusting too much¡ªsomething I had never been guilty of before. I chose to let my power be taken away, trusting in Grey that nothing would happen to me.


    Nothing too bad anyway, I conceded as I pressed the bandages against the bloody gash on my palm.


    Preupied by these thoughts, I found myself nearly bumping into Grey, not realizing that Kage had stopped.


    ¡°It¡¯s right here, just so,¡± he mumbled, giving Regis a gap-toothed grin, like a beaten servant seeking his overbearing master¡¯s approval.


    ¡°Do you want a cookie or something?¡± Regis¡¯s burning mane flickered with annoyance. ¡°Open it.¡±


    Kage nched before raising his hands to the bare earthen wall. The soil trembled, then melted away to either side, flowing like mud in a suddenndslide to reveal a hidden tunnel. Regis herded our unwilling guide into the passage, which led to a dead end. Kage repeated the spell, opening up a second hidden tunnel, which led to a third and fourth before finally opening into a round cave.


    Veins of glowing red rock grew in a circr pattern on the ceiling, lighting the cave with an eerie glow and bathing the portal in rusty light. The portal itself, which sat at the very center of the room, looked like a scarlet curtain falling through the brick-red stone of the frame.


    We all walked around Kage, who had stopped dead at the mouth of the tunnel, nervously watching us. As soon as our attention was off him, he spun and sprinted back in the direction we¡¯de.


    Regis watched him go with a look of faint amusement on his lupine face.


    Without even looking back, Grey said, ¡°Get rid of him,¡± and Regis took off at a run.


    Grey seemed to have already put Kage out of his mind, his attention entirely on the portal. He walked around it twice, staring into the opaque depth as if he could see what was waiting on the other side.


    His clothes were torn where he¡¯d been stabbed, and stained red with blood. I didn¡¯t yet fully understand what had happened. Grey hadn¡¯t exined how he¡¯d deactivated the shield, only how he¡¯d taken the relic and ordered Kage to lead us to the portal. He¡¯d been silent nearly the entire way.


    He stopped suddenly and his gaze fell to my injured palm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that.¡±


    I flexed my cut hand, which was wrapped in a piece of Grey¡¯s torn shirt. The wound burned, but it wasn¡¯t particrly deep and would heal quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you if you exin exactly what happened back there.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± He turned thoughtful for a moment. ¡°Rat¡¯s demeanor was unnatural for someone being held captive. Little things. But it all really clicked when I saw the glyph and realized they had no idea how to really open it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Grey bent down and used dirt from the floor to scour away some of the blood staining his hands. When he looked at me, his eyes were cool and calcting. ¡°I thought about what I¡¯d do if I were in their position. How I would motivate the strong, often intellectual, ascenders who arrived in this zone¡­¡±


    ¡°But if you figured out the glyphs right away, why let yourself be cut to ribbons?¡±


    Grey¡¯s fingers unconsciously yed with the holes in his tunic where Rat¡¯s de had pierced him. ¡°Because I needed him to. They were right in that it demanded a blood sacrifice, but it had to be from one who had harmed the blood of the djinn.¡±


    So you let him stab you? I nearly asked, but I was already putting the pieces together in my mind. Viins were often predictable, after all. All Grey had to do was give Rat a reason to spill his blood, making Rat himself the key to unlocking the relic. But then, that meant¡­


    ¡°So, you have ancient mage¡ªdjinn¡ªblood?¡±


    Grey shrugged nonchntly. ¡°I imagine plenty of people do. But the Relictombs called me ¡°descendant¡± before, and confirmed I had a djinn ancestor¡­I guess that¡¯s all it took.¡±


    I opened my mouth to ask about this ancient mage ancestry, but slowly let it close again. Although I wanted to know more, I could tell by the way Grey was growing more deadpan and terse that I wouldn¡¯t get the answers I craved. It was beyond frustrating that he continued to live behind this veil of mystery after I¡¯d shown such trust in him, but then¡­I knew what I had signed up for when we made our agreement.


    A brief moment of silence passed before I let out a deep breath. ¡°What drives you to such lengths?¡±


    Grey¡¯s brows rose in surprise. He cleared his throat and stood suddenly. He was silent so long I didn¡¯t think he was going to answer, but then a sad smile crept across his features, an expression that contained so little yet so much emotion. ¡°I owe it to everyone I left behind toe back strong enough to take care of them.¡±


    I tried to fit this answer into the broken mosaic that was my picture of Grey¡¯s life¡ªfilled with gaps that represented everything I didn¡¯t know about him¡ªbut it did little to resolve the mystery of what drove him to such extremes.


    Before I could decide if I wanted to pry further, a scream, followed by a deep, booming voice resounded down the tunnel. ¡°Only I get to call him princess!¡±


    The tunnels trembled, and a light trickle of dust fell on us from above. I met Grey¡¯s wide, golden eyes, and we both broke into a quiet fit ofughter.


    Shaking my head, I asked, ¡°So? Are you going to check out the relic or are tattered rags a part of your new image now?¡±


    He rolled his eyes, but activated his dimension rune and withdrew the relic.


    I stifled augh as he held up the set of ancient heavy battlerobes. The gray-brown robes were much too long for him, and would drag behind him like a wedding gown. ¡°Try it on, Grey,¡± I said, unable to help myself. ¡°Perhaps a pretty dress for the pretty princess will actually help you stay incognito¡­¡±


    He ignored me as he investigated the robes, his fingers trailing along the rows of embroidered runes. The touch was gentle, a curious caress, and I could see his lips moving though he did not speak aloud. I knew he must be able to sense something from the robes, although I could feel only a small charge of mana within them, little more than the ring he wore on his finger.


    Grey let the robes drape over one arm and pressed his hand down into the fabric. ¡°I think¡­¡±


    The battlerobes vanished, leaving behind a vague nimbus of purple light that faded away a moment after.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked, unsure if he had simply stored the robed away again, or activated some kind of aether-based ability that I couldn¡¯t sense.


    The corners of his mouth twitching, Grey did something¡ªa kind of mental flexing that pressed against the air around us and made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck¡ªand the robes reappeared, now draped over his frame. He held his arms out to his sides, examining the effect.


    He looked ridiculous. I opened my mouth to tell him so, but froze. The robes were moving, the dry fabric rippling like muddy water, shrinking to fit his frame.


    The brown-gray coloring darkened to a brilliant ck, and the heavy fabric that hung down to drag on the ground separated and reformed into individual legs. The relic¡ªno longer a robe at all¡ªcontinued to tighten until it fit Grey like a second skin. The material hardened into small, liquid-ck scales that clung to his body, highlighting his lithe but muscr frame. Gold glittered between the scales, running along the length of his body like shining tendons.


    Scaled sabatons molded around his boots, the ovepping des held together by a gold mesh, just barely visible when he moved, and ridged pauldrons formed to cover his shoulders. wed gauntlets grew over his hands and up his forearms.


    The robe¡¯s cowl transformed into the same ck scales, but shrank to cover Grey¡¯s throat, chin, and the sides of his head, leaving his bright hair to hang over the void-ck armor and keeping his face visible. Just as I thought the transformation wasplete, obsidian horns formed over his ears, growing out of the armor and sweeping forward and down to frame his jaw.


    I gasped, sucking in a choked breath as I realized I had forgotten to breathe.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    I flexed my hands, which were entirely epassed by the wed gauntlets, and conjured an aetheric de. The long dagger shivered, its form momentarily jagged, then stabilized. I could feel the pressure of it against my palm, uninhibited by the gauntlets. Dismissing the de, I raised my arms and rotated my shoulders, thenshed out at the air with a series of kicks and punches.


    The armor moved with me perfectly, leaving my motions unhindered.


    A dark shape in the corner of my eye caught my attention, and I raised my hand to touch the horn growing from the half-helm.


    ¡°Whoa,¡± Regis¡¯s familiar voice said as he loped back into the small cave. ¡°What the hell happened while I was gone?¡±


    Smirking at mypanion, I sent a pulse of aether to the armor, and it vanished, melting away in an aetheric nimbus.


    His bright eyes bulged, then grewically wider as I resummoned the armor with only the barest application of aether. It wrapped around me like a shadow, so light and well-fit that I could barely feel it.


    ¡°Ayy! Matching horns!¡± Regis gave a throaty chuckle. ¡°We can be the horny trio.¡±


    Caera sputtered as she glowered at mypanion. ¡°We¡¯re not calling ourselves that.¡±


    Regis circled me, sniffing. ¡°It¡¯s there, real and physical, but also¡­¡±


    ¡°A manifestation of aether,¡± I finished for him. ¡°Like energy bound into a physical form.¡± Curious, I held out my arm. ¡°Regis, bite me.¡±


    Showing a worryingck of hesitation, he bit down on my forearm, his teeth grinding against the armor. I felt it as a pressure, obvious but painless. Tilting my head at mypanion, I goaded, ¡°Is that all you got?¡±


    Growling, Regis bit down harder, and the pressure increased. Focusing on my forearm, I pushed aether out to my skin in the same way I would protect myself with an aetheric barrier. The armor seemed to react to it, drawing on the aether to bolster its defensive capabilities and reducing the crushing pressure.


    Regis let go and pawed at his tongue. ¡°Yuck. It¡¯s like sticking my tongue on a battery. My mouth¡¯s all tingly now.¡±


    Though I was curious to keep testing the abilities of this new relic, the low hum of the exit portal was drawing me in, and I was eager to move onto the next zone and test the armor properly. ¡°We should go.¡±


    Caera frowned as she nced at the tunnel into this small cave. ¡°What about the other people in this zone? Should we¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to give anyone any more reason to think we were the ones who took the relic than we already have,¡± I answered. ¡°The tunnel that leads here is obvious enough now, and they¡¯ll inevitably start looking again, now that Rat and Kage are gone. They¡¯ll find it.¡±


    Caera looked uncertain, but moved to stand next to me in front of the portal. ¡°Do your thing with the Compass, then.¡±


    I reached out and took her hand, surprising her. We had matched simulets to keep us together as we navigated the Relictombs, but this time around, I felt certain that the portal¡¯s destination would only be essible to me and wanted to ensure we weren¡¯t separated. ¡°This portal already leads to where we need to go.¡±


    Once Regis was back inside my body, we stepped into the scarlet curtain together.


    And then, we found ourselves in a bizarre dreamscape that my mind struggled to ept. It was like the sterile white hallway Regis and I had navigated to reach the first djinn ruin, except¡­


    Chunks of bright white floor and wall floated over¡ªor under, or within¡ªan endless ck void, shattered and pulled apart, each individual section floating free, some spinning, others upside down or sideways¡­but in the gaps, when viewed from the corner of my eye, I saw a room like a library, except instead of books on the shelves there were rows and rows of rainbow-colored crystals, and in the facets of the crystals, images moved like memories¡­


    ¡°Grey¡­¡± Caera¡¯s voice came from far away, echoing as it folded over itself, repeating several times, but she wasn¡¯t beside me. I wasn¡¯t sure when she had left, or even when I had released my grip on her hand.


    I took a tentative step forward and my perspective shifted. Caera was there, leaning against an iplete section of wall. The floor beneath our feet was slowly rotating, bringing into view another part of the disassembled corridor and, far away, a vortex of shattered ck crystal, which was pulsating as the pieces rbined to form a gate, then shattered again, repeating this every few seconds in a way that was difficult to look at.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said, taking her arm. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±


    The library¡ªor the immaterial vision of it that I had seen from the corner of my eye¡ªwas gone, reced by a crumbling ruin simr to the one in which I¡¯d discovered the first djinn projection. Like the library, I could only see it when I didn¡¯t look directly at it, and I didn¡¯t know how to reach it, because it felt like we were already there.


    ¡®The gate,¡¯ Regis suggested. ¡®If we can get to it somehow.¡¯


    Caera¡¯s eyes fluttered open, and she slid her arm out of mine and straightened. She was pale and sweating slightly, but steeled herself against the sickening disorientation of the copsing zone. ¡°What a horrendous ce¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is intended to be¡ª¡± Looking at Caera, I realized with a jolt of panic that her horns were visible.


    Afraid that the zone was somehow interfering with the magic, just like in the frozen zone, I checked my new armor, staring at the scales and reaching up to touch a horn¡­but the armor was intact. However, something in the zone was affecting it, causing it to emit a kind of aura that seemed, somehow, to stabilize the area around me.


    When I bent my head to look through the narrow aura¡ªa half-inch wide zone around me where space was bent back into the correct shape¡ªI could see the whole and unbroken corridor wrapping around us.


    With Caera at my side¡ªshe drew her long de to help keep her bnce as she walked along a corridor she couldn¡¯t fully see¡ªI led the way along the passage, using the image filtered through the hazy aura surrounding my armor to navigate until we stood before the ck crystal gate.


    In my mind, a broken, garbed voice said, ¡®Enter-wee-descendant-please,¡¯ causing a spike of pain behind my right temple.


    The million shards of the crystal gate folded outward, unfurling like a g and dissolving into an ashy cyclone. I waited to find myself suddenly standing in the library I had seen out of the corner of my eye, but nothing happened. Then the gate was reforming, the crystal shards reappearing and flying back together.


    ¡®Enter-wee-descendant-please,¡¯ sounded in my head a second time, driving the spike of pain deeper.


    Regis¡¯s voice sounded fuzzy around the edges when he said, ¡®We need to do something, chief. I don¡¯t think Caera canst long here.¡¯


    Caera wobbled slightly, her eyes shut tight against the painfully unreal vision of the breaking and reforming gate. ¡°What¡¯s happening, Grey? I can¡¯t bear to open my eyes¡­¡±


    Blinking hard against the line of zing agony in my skull, I watched as the crystal gate shattered and started to reform again. Some survival instinct ingrained deep within me warned against stepping into the gate. I imagined being caught in its loop forever, pulled apart and rebuilt over and over until the Relictombs degraded and the zone copsed¡­


    I saw the circr room of ruined stone again from the corner of my eye. It was so close, like I could just¡­


    In a sh of realization, I unfocused my eyes and searched for the aetheric pathways I could ess with God Step, but they were warped and knotted amongst themselves. But if I was right, it wouldn¡¯t matter.


    I grabbed Caera¡¯s arm and activated my godrune.


    The zone resolved into a clone of the first ruin I¡¯d visited, made up of bare gray stone, broken and crumbling in many ces. At the center of the room was another rune-covered pedestal, around which rotated four stone halos. Or, there should have been four.


    Instead, only two halos kept up their slow revolutions. From the shattered mass of stone at the base of the pedestal, it was clear what had happened to the other two.


    Like before, a small crystal hovered just over the pedestal, pulsing with an inconsistentvender light. And like before, something within the room, something other than the crystal, contained a monstrous amount of aether.


    A woman stepped out from behind the pir. Caera lifted her de defensively, but I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She shot me a probing nce before slowly lowering the weapon.


    The woman had ignored Caera entirely. Her glowing purple eyes were locked on me, or more specifically my armor.


    She was barely five feet tall, and so thin as to be frail. Her skin was a muted pinkishvender color, her short-cropped hair more amethyst, and she wore only white shorts and a chest wrap that disyed the interlocking patterns of spellform runes that covered every inch of her body. Where the first djinn projection I had met was cid in both movement and attitude, this woman¡¯s unflinching gaze and noble grace carried a furious intensity that seemed to radiate from her like heat off a bonfire.


    She gave me a weak, sad smile. ¡°So someone recovered my creation after all. In truth, I expected its shrine to sit undisturbed until the end of time.¡±


    ¡°Your creation?¡±


    She dipped her head, gesturing to the armor I wore. ¡°When it became clear that the Indrath n would rather destroy our people than ept we could not give them our insight into aether, I attempted to form a resistance against them. The very few who were willing to fight back helped me to forge that armor, but it was too little, and much toote. Rather than donning it myself and charging alone into a lost battle, I designed the zone where you found it in the hopes that it might one day be imed by someone willing to fight against the asura.¡±


    Caera gave me an uncertain look. ¡°Grey, what is going on? Is this a¡­an ancient mage?¡±


    I gestured to the crystal, which flickered like a dying light artifact. ¡°No, not exactly. She¡¯s a consciousness, contained in that crystal. They¡¯re like¡­some kind of guardians or something.¡± To the djinn woman, I said, ¡°Thest projection I met was a lot more confused to see me. Why aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I have some echo of his memory, and I knew you wereing. I only hoped you would arrive before the edifice housing my consciousness failed entirely.¡± She nudged a piece of the broken stone halos with her toe. ¡°My sense of time is¡­inurate, but I know the time I have left is limited. We should begin the test soon.¡±


    ¡°Test?¡± Caera shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    I quickly exined what had happenedst time I found one of these djinn projections, and how I believed each one protected a piece of knowledge¡ªhidden in a keystone¡ªthat could help me unlock new powers.


    ¡°Will we fight each other?¡± I asked the djinn woman, who had watched us curiously while I exined.


    She smiled wryly. ¡°The irony of my cement here is that I was tasked to administer a different kind of test. Punishment for dering our inaction against the dragons to be folly and failure as opposed to peace.¡±


    She held up a hand to forestall the questions already forming on my lips. ¡°However, it speaks to mypatriots¡¯ inability toprehend the desire to fight¡ªto defend oneself¡ªthat they did not forbid me from passing on the martial techniques I developed in my life. By tasking me with a mental test instead of a physical one, they perhaps assumed that I would simply do as instructed and nothing else.¡±


    She lowered her arms to her sides, and an aether de appeared in her left hand. It was long, thin, and very slightly curved, its form startlingly clear without the degradation my own meager attempts yielded as I forced the aether into shape. The amount of energy contained within that single de was enough to unleash several aetheric sts.


    ¡°As I said: short-sighted.¡± Then a second de appeared in her right. She crossed them in front of her, their sharp points searing twin lines in the stone at her feet, and when they touched one another, sparks flew hissing and popping through the air.

 Chapter 361: The Second Ruin

    <h4>Chapter 361: The Second Ruin</h4>


    My eyes remained firmly on the twin aetheric sabers glowing in the djinn woman¡¯s hands. Admiration, excitement, and envy swirled in me as I examined her near-perfect creations until I forcefully pried my gaze away. ¡°What about the trial you¡¯re supposed to give me?¡±


    ¡°It has already begun,¡± she answered confidently. ¡°I will judge your worthiness as we battle.¡± She spun on her heel and the room vanished, melting away both my armor and everything around us into a nk white nothing-space. ¡°Don¡¯t dawdle now.¡±


    The djinn shed toward me, her form bing a streak of amethyst as her twin sabers swung outward in a broad arc at my throat.


    I swiveled on my heel, parrying her blows with a strike to her hands before I forced aether into the shape of a hazy de. Using the brief window as she brought her swords back up, Inced at her side with my dagger.


    The djinn spun mid-swing, twisting her whole body fiercely to gain the momentum to intercept my strike with her left de.


    Sparks red upon impact, but the only weapon remaining after the exchange was hers.


    The djinn hardly waited for me as she began her assault, her twin des bing a barrage of intersecting crescents hell-bent on shredding me apart.


    I summoned de after de of my own, each time pushing harder to force the shape together, to hold it when deflecting her attacks, but nonested more than a single strike.


    ¡°You¡¯re holding back,¡± the djinn said tersely, mid-swing of her saber. Just as the amethyst de whistled past me, it warped into the shape of a long staff. Pivoting on her lead foot, she grabbed her new weapon with both hands and swept at my legs with the butt of the staff.


    I fell to one knee from the force, and by the time I looked back up, her staff had be a warhammer.


    Jagged bolts of violet lightning arced across my body as God Step took me several dozen feet away just as the giant bludgeon created a shockwave of force upon impact with the white ground.


    The short-haired djinn¡¯s expression turned to that of surprise for the first time, her eyes wide and brows furrowed as she took in what had just urred.


    ¡°Again,¡± she growled,unching herself toward me in a blur.


    I stepped forward, concentrating on the aetheric paths converging around her even as I conjured a de of my own. Using my aether de to merely redirect her strike was already enough to make it shatter, but it bought me enough time.


    Tendrils of violet lightning arced across me once more as I shed behind the djinn. However, in the time that it took me to form another dagger, the djinn¡¯s own aether de had already intercepted my attack.


    ¡°Had you chosen to attack with your fist, I most likely wouldn¡¯t have been able to block it,¡± she admitted, her sharp eyes seeming to look through me rather than at me. ¡°Your mind seems to have connected this godrune with the deviant mana element of lightning. It exins much about your tendencies when using aether.¡±


    I furrowed my brows in confusion. ¡°My tendencies?¡±


    The djinn waved my question away, stabbing her aetheric sword into the ground and casually leaning against it. ¡°Before that, I would like to ask first what it is you want from me, Arthur Leywin,¡± she asked, her tone harsh.


    I froze before answering, realizing she had used my real name.


    The djinn¡¯s cropped hair bobbed as she cocked her head to the side. ¡°Have you grown ufortable with that name already?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I answered, caught off guard. I wasn¡¯t sure how I felt. It had been months since anyone except Regis had called me by my real name, and I realized that I had be far too used to hearing myself referred to as Grey. ¡°It¡¯s fine. But I don¡¯t understand your question.¡±


    Her bright eyes roved over me like searchlights. ¡°What do you want, Arthur?¡±


    Is this a part of the test? I wondered, but out loud, I said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s the right question. What I need is to learn how to control Fate.¡±


    ¡°If Fate were something that could simply be taught, passed on from person to person, then our universe might as well fit within a snowglobe.¡± She rested her chin on the back of her hand as she continued to devour me with her eyes. ¡°No. What you want is power. The power to protect all of your loved ones and defeat your enemies.¡±


    I crossed my arms. ¡°But isn¡¯t that the same thing? Even with all four elements at my disposal, I couldn¡¯t defeat even a single Scythe. I want¡ªneed¡ªsomething stronger. From what I¡¯ve been told, that¡¯s Fate.¡±


    She stood tall once more, prying her aether de out of the ground. ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to open your mind to new ideas. You are blinding yourself by attempting to see aether through the lens of mana, equating one to the other. Only after you understand aether as itself can you begin to understand Fate. Now form your de. Show me that you understand.¡±


    My dagger formed as I stood up, its edge jagged andcking substance.


    She eyed it with distaste. ¡°Strike me.¡±


    I didn¡¯t hesitate, lunging forward and feinting to the right. When her de moved to intercept, I conjured a second dagger and thrust up into her ribs from the left.


    Her sword came around to deflect both blows, and my aether des copsed. I caught her counterattack with my hand, then God Stepped behind her, but she was already rolling forward, her de sweeping behind her to catch me if I followed after. It was a clean move, and impossibly fast.


    She held up a hand before I could attack again. ¡°Focus. You are trying to win, and perhaps you even could, but you should be trying to learn. Why does your weapon copse whenever you use it?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m not strong enough to maintain such aplicated form,¡± I answered honestly.


    She frowned at me as though I were a foolish child. ¡°Wrong. You are stronger than you should be. Stronger than me¡ªat least, this remnant of me, contained with the memory crystal. And yet¡­¡±


    A perfectly formed sword appeared in her right hand. Then a second in her left. Then a third, hovering just over her shoulder. And a fourth floating near her hip.


    She glowered at me, and all four des pointed at my face. ¡°It is not power youck. It is perspective. As a human, you have always been expected to build on what you already know. Crawl, walk, run, yes? To wield aether, you must forget that there are rules to things. Constraining yourself to a system that already exists around you only holds you back. Do not seek to walk or run. Ignore gravity and simply fly.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but shoot her an amused smirk. ¡°I already learned how to fly¡ª¡±


    One of the flying des hacked at my neck. I deflected with an aether de of my own, but it shattered. The second flying sword swept across the side of my knee, while the two she held thrust at my chest and hip. Remembering Kordri¡¯s lessons, I fell into a defensive position and used short, rapid movements of both my hands and feet to intercept or avoid each attack, conjuring several aetheric daggers one after the next, each one evaporating under the strain of her attacks.


    Her bombardment was relentless, with attacksing from several directions at once. Although I was fast enough to dodge or block most, I still felt the repeated cuts and piercing thrusts where her blows didnd.


    Eventually, she simply stopped, dismissed her weapons, and sat once again. I cautiously mirrored her, waiting silently for the lesson to continue. I wanted to think I had learned something, but so far her guidance had been too esoteric, too vague, to really help me understand how she conjured such powerful aether des. While she made a fantastic sparring partner, my ability to maintain the form of a pure aether weapon hadn¡¯t much improved.


    ¡°That is because you¡¯re waiting for me to tell you what to do, like we were learning mana maniption back at that academy of yours,¡± she said shortly. ¡°But I cannot.¡±


    I frowned at her. ¡°You im to want to teach me, but also that I should simply pull this knowledge from the air, manifesting it as if by magic.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± she said, giving me a single, sharp nod. ¡°But I can sense your frustration, and I recognize that you are not a djinn, even if you share a drop of our essence. And so I will attempt to exin this in a different way.¡±


    She paused, her searching eyes peering deep into my own. ¡°I mentioned your tendencies earlier. You fail to form a true aether weapon because you treat the aether just as you would mana. You feel a constant, ever-burning need to be in control, Arthur Leywin. Of your body, your magic, your life. With mana, this desire coupled with the depth of your confidence allowed you to progress at a remarkable speed. But with aether, you seed only at building a barrier between yourself and your desire.¡±


    Resisting the urge to argue about my apparent need for control, I said only, ¡°Can you borate further? If I¡¯m not supposed to control the aether, then what?¡±


    ¡°Do you understand how your heart works, or your lungs?¡± she asked immediately, pressing a hand to her chest.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said slowly, unsure where she was going with this.


    ¡°Do you control your lungs?¡± she asked. ¡°Do you force each breath, absorbing just the right amount of oxygen in your body? Without your focus, do you stop breathing?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not. But I can control my breath¡ª¡±


    She snapped her fingers and pointed at me. ¡°Yes, you can. But if you focus on every single breath you take over a day, a week, a year, would it somehow make you better at breathing?¡±


    I frowned at this and began tapping my fingers against my ankle. ¡°No, although practicing the control over one¡¯s breathing does help to¡ª¡±


    She reached out and pped the side of my head. ¡°Don¡¯t be smart. Be focused.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I said, rubbing my temple. ¡°So if I can¡¯t control it, what do I do?¡±


    She smiled as she stood, motioning for me to do the same. ¡°Aether is not mana in the same way water is not a stallion. One may be controlled, the other must be guided. Trusted. A bond formed. But aether is not a stallion, either. It should not be broken. Further, your aether is not my aether. While, through the very careful application of spellforms and decades of practice, I learned to slowly guide aether to assist me, absorbing and directing it, because of your core and your ability to easily absorb and refine aether within your own body, your rtionship to aether is more akin to a parent and child.¡±


    I felt inward toward my core, brimming with bright, pure aether. Lady Myre¡¯s first lesson for me regarding aether was to reinforce the idea that it had a kind of ¡°consciousness,¡± and that it could only be coaxed, never controlled. When I forged my core and proved her wrong, I assumed my core allowed me to manipte and control aether in a way the dragon race of the asuras simply couldn¡¯tprehend, and hadn¡¯t thought much further than that.


    But¡­


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the aether I absorb and purify within my core¡­I can exert such a strong influence over it because it¡¯s¡­what? Bonded to me?¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± she eximed, focusing on my sternum as if she could see through my flesh and into my core. Then her face fell into a little frown, almost a pout. ¡°While your spatium technique earlier was impressive, I still find myself underwhelmed¡ªdisappointed even¡ªthat this is all you have managed to aplish considering the immense potential of your body and corebined. You should be able to form an aether weapon with a thought¡ªno, the aether should react to your intention before you even fully articte it into a conscious thought.¡±


    I scratched the back of my neck, both frustrated and a little stung by her rebuke. ¡°I think I¡¯m beginning to understand.¡±


    The djinn womanughed and shook her head as a single de appeared in her hands. ¡°No. But with more practice and less conversation, you will.¡± Her face as emotionless as stone, she lunged, her de aimed at my core.


    ***


    After what felt like days, our sparring continued unabated. I was forcefully reminded of my time in the aether orb training opposite Kordri as the djinn and I fought each other to a standstill, our battles raging on for hours at a time. Neither of us held back, nor did we give an inch to the other. The djinn could summon several weapons at once and change their forms with an instant and unpredictable precision, but I was the better swordsman.


    And for the first time since Dawn¡¯s Bad had shattered, I had a real sword again.


    It had taken time for the djinn¡¯s forceful message to sink in, but it wasn¡¯t the first time I¡¯d had to relearn something I thought I knew well. Slowly, over the course of hours or days, I had practiced letting my intention shape the aether de.


    In practice, the concept was simr to how Three Steps had trained me to perceive the aetheric pathways of God Step without first having to ¡°see¡± them. Whereas before it had felt like trying to mold water with my bare hands, it had be asfortable and natural as closing my hand into a fist, although maintaining the de still required nearly all my concentration.


    I grinned as we fought, reveling in the feel of the aetheric weapon in my hand. The de itself was both longer and wider than Dawn¡¯s Bad had been, slightly wider at the base and tapering into a razor-sharp point, and glowed a bright amethyst color. A crossguard protected my hand¡ªan addition I¡¯d made after the djinn struck a painful blow against my knuckles and disrupted my focus on the weapon.


    Holding the sword revitalized me, giving me back something I hadn¡¯t even realized I was missing. Both as King Grey and as Arthur Leywin, mastering the art of swordsmanship had been pivotal to my sense of self, and when Dawn¡¯s Bad was shattered, it was like losing a limb.


    Whenever my aether de crossed with one of the djinn¡¯s many weapons, a deep, resonant hum filled the air, and the space around them seemed to warp, flexing outward slightly and causing a visible distortion. It gave the impression that ourbat was altering the very fabric of the world around us, and I had to wonder if it was merely due to our being in an entirely mental realm¡ªsome representation of my mind growing with the use of the de¡ªor if this mental simtion was urately portraying the aether weapons¡¯ genuine physical impact.


    The djinn threw herself at me with a piercing battle cry. The weapon in her hand shifted to a ive, while twin des spun at my head and hip. I leapt into the air, spinning horizontally with the ground so that the flying swords cut only air above and below me. With the ive, the djinn cut upward in a short, sharp motion meant to catch me midair, but I didn¡¯t need to have my feet on the ground to react.


    I God Stepped behind her, but couldn¡¯t maintain concentration on the summoned aetheric de in that between-space. The time it took to reform the de cost me any advantage, giving the djinn time to spin around to find me and then leap over my sh aimed at her waist. I redirected the momentum of my swing into an overhead chop, forcing her to bring up her own weapon¡ªa sword again¡ªto defend.


    I leaned into the contact and shoved hard, sending my opponent sliding backwards as I held my sword out to ward off a surprise attack from the weapons that flew unsupported around her.


    Triggering God Step, I shed to her side, then immediately God Stepped again to her opposite side and formed my de, thrusting it at her chest, but she was already moving, her many des swinging around to defend from multiple possible angles.


    I repeated this several times, each time trying to catch her off guard, attacking from a different direction, but she matched me step for step, neither of us able tond a solid blow against the other.


    Then suddenly her weapons vanished and she blinked¡ªnot her eyes, but her entire body, like she¡¯d turned momentarily invisible. I let my own sword fade away.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    She nodded, but I couldn¡¯t help but think that her form wasn¡¯t as bright as it had been. ¡°I¡¯m afraid our time is running short. We should¡±¡ªthe white nkness vanished, and we were once again standing in the dpidated stone ruins¡ª¡°return to yourpanions.¡±


    The djinn projection was gone, and the voice was now emanating from the crystal at the center of the room. ¡°You have performed well, descendant.¡±


    Caera and Regis stood from where they had both been sitting against one of the crumbling walls. Caera looked relieved, but Regis was giving me an annoyed scowl. I noticed I was back in my armor, or more likely that I had never actually dismissed it, since the fighting had all taken ce in my mind.


    ¡°You took your sweet time,¡± he said sulkily. ¡°Thatsted a lot longer thanst time.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, not having given the passage of time even a second¡¯s thought while I was training with the djinn. ¡°How long has it been?¡±


    ¡°Ten minutes, at most,¡± Caera answered, nudging Regis¡¯s side with her knee. ¡°You were just kind of standing there, staring nkly¡­It was a bit creepy, really.¡±


    The crystal pulsed as it interjected, saying, ¡°It is unfortunate that I did not have the energy to continue, but manifesting the thought realm is taxing. However, I believe you have made enough progress to continue training your aether de technique on your own.¡±


    ¡°And the trial?¡± I asked. Aside from sparring and discussing how I could improve, she hadn¡¯t given me any other test.


    ¡°A test of character and will,¡± the crystal answered, brightening. ¡°You have passed, per my judgement, and will have your reward.¡±


    My dimensional storage rune grew warm, and I hurried to withdraw a in ck cube that had just appeared within. Like the previous one, it felt much heavier than it should have. A part of me wanted to imbue aether into it immediately, entering into the keystone to see what it held, but I resisted the urge.


    Caera leaned over, peering at the relic. I handed it to her to examine, trusting that she would care for it, and turned my attention back to the crystal.


    ¡°Can you tell me what sort of insight this relic contains?¡± I asked hopefully.


    The crystal dimmed, pulsing unevenly. ¡°I am afraid not. Discovery is essential to learning. By telling you anything at all, I could inadvertently limit or even corrupt your eventual understanding of the godrune.¡±


    I considered for a moment, then asked, ¡°And where do these godrunese from? Who or what gives them to us? Yourpatriot wasn¡¯t able to answer.¡±


    ¡°That information isn¡¯t stored within this remnant.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t exactly be disappointed, since I¡¯d expected this. Besides, I had too many other things to worry about. The mystery of godrunes would have to be resolved some other day.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t think to ask earlier¡­What is your name?¡±


    The crystal seemed to hum, its light flickering dimly. In a raw, emotional tone, it said, ¡°That information isn¡¯t stored within this remnant, either.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else you¡¯d like to tell me before we leave?¡± There were a hundred questions I would have liked for the djinn remnant to answer, but if we were short on time, I didn¡¯t want to waste it by asking things she couldn¡¯t tell me.


    Thevender light of the crystal flickered silently for a minute. ¡°Do not try to force the world into a shape to suit your needs, but you should also not ept the limitations of this world as it is. Your path is yours alone, and only you may walk it. I genuinely hope my creation aids you on this path. It will draw aether to you, making it easier for you to then absorb, and will protect you from nearly any attack, but it is not imprable. A strong enough opponent, with potent control over mana or aether, will still be able to harm you. Do not let them.¡±


    I nodded to the crystal. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The ruin shifted around us, only partially bing the library I had seen out of the corner of my eye while navigating the copsing passageway before. It was like looking at two transparent images set over the top of each other, bing both the library and the ruined room at the same time.


    One wall of the library was dominated by a shadowy portal, the frame of which was an arch of shelves full of the crystals. The library was busy with tiny movements as little pictures yed across the many facets of the hundreds of crystals, but I found them impossible to focus on, and when I reached for one, my hand passed through as if it wasn¡¯t really there.


    Facing the portal, I asked, ¡°Will we even be able to use this?¡± But there was no answer from the crystal.


    ¡°This is beyond strange,¡± Caera said, walking directly through a wide table. She moved her hand through the back of a chair. ¡°An illusion?¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯re the illusion,¡± Regis said, sniffing around. ¡°There¡¯s no smell here. Just a faint hint of something like ozone¡­like there is nothing here at all. Or like we¡¯re not really here.¡±


    I withdrew the Compass. ¡°The djinn bound and shaped reality with aether here, but it¡¯s beginning to copse. This ce is like three different rooms stacked on top of and within each other¡­but the boundaries between them aren¡¯t stable. We need to leave.¡±


    Holding up the half-sphere relic, I imbued aether into it. Misty light settled over the portal, and the frame solidified, bing more solidly real. Through the portal was my room at the academy, but my attention was drawn to the crystals, which were also solid. The images ying across their many surfaces showed djinn¡ªtheir race obvious by the variation of pinks and purples in their skin tone, and the spellforms that often covered most of their bodies¡ªperforming any number of mundane activities.


    Many of the facets showed only djinn faces, speaking. Most looked tired, and deeply sad.


    Tentatively, I reached out to lift a crystal off the shelf. At my touch, a dozen ovepped voices¡ªor rather, the same voice, but saying a dozen different things at the same time¡ªemitted from the crystal, directly into my mind. Instinctively, I touched the crystal with aether, and the voices cut off and the images faded away.


    Curiosity won out over caution¡ªand a small twinge of guilt¡ªand I stored the crystal away in my dimensional storage rune forter.


    Caera and Regis had watched this silently. Despite her stoicism and unnatural endurance, Caera looked tired. Regis, on the other hand, was unreadable, his emotions hidden from our link even as he disappeared inside me without a word.


    With much to think about and even more to be done, I left my partner alone as I recalled the relic armor. The ck ethereal suit of scales evaporated, but I could feel it still, waiting for me to call on it again.


    Sharing a nod and a weary smile, I gestured toward the portal. ¡°Let¡¯s go see what happened at the bestowment ceremony.¡±

 Chapter 362: Fate Intertwined

    <h4>Chapter 362: Fate Intertwined</h4>


    NICO SEVER


    I marched from Taegrin Caelum¡¯s primary tempus warp chamber through the castle¡¯s cold halls, moving purposefully toward Agrona¡¯s private wing. Servants bowed and pressed themselves to the walls as we passed, and even the many elite soldiers and high-ranking military leaders shrank back in fear of me¡ªas they should. I was in no mood to be disturbed or interrupted; I wanted answers, and wouldn¡¯t be dismissed until Agrona himself delivered them to me.


    I took the spiralling stairs to Agrona¡¯s chambers two at a time, my grip firmly around Cecilia¡¯s wrist as shegged behind me. The stairs opened up on a hallway that connected the main body of the castle with Agrona¡¯s private chambers. Unlike the cold stone halls we¡¯d juste from, this chamber zed with warm light.


    The walls were covered in artifacts and souvenirs of Agrona¡¯s many victories. Scattered among the dead relics and artifacts of Agrona¡¯s favored highblood families were more gruesome keepsakes: a phoenix wing, mounted so that it was spread out, disying the feathers that still gleamed red and gold; a headdress made of pearlescent dragon feathers over an ornate ne of ws and fangs; and a pair of dragon horns that sprouted from the wall.


    I stopped short. The way forward was barred.


    ¡°I am here to speak to Agrona. Move, Melzri.¡±


    The other Scythe pressed a hand to her heart and let her mouth hang open mockingly. ¡°Now is that any way to speak to the one who trained you and took care of you after we got you back from that trashy little ind, little brother?¡±


    I scoffed, letting a murderous intent seep out into the fancifully decorated hallway where Melzri stood guard. Though I red at her, she only smiled back, looking exactly as she always had: perfect silvery-gray skin, pure white hair ited into a thick braid that ran down her back, and dark lips and eyes that matched the two pairs of shining onyx horns that sprouted from her head and curved sharply back, a smaller pair directly beneath tworger horns.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your brother,¡± I said waspishly. ¡°What are you even doing here, anyway?¡±


    She gave me a simpering little giggle, which she knew I hated and did purely to irritate me. ¡°Just some Victoriad business. Viessa was here too, but she left only minutes ago, I¡¯m sorry to say.¡± Her red-ck eyes, the color of congealed blood, drifted to focus on Cecilia. ¡°Ah, the famous Legacy. You wear the elven girl¡¯s skin well, I must say. That hair is to die for.¡±


    I growled, stepping between Melzri and Cecilia. ¡°Shut up and leave her out of this.¡±


    I felt Cecilia shuffle next to me. ¡°Nico, it¡¯s okay. Why don¡¯t we just go wait in our rooms?¡±


    Melzri¡¯s smile sharpened into a predatory grin. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, little brother? Not willing to share your ything¡­although, I suppose really she is the High Sovereign¡¯s pet, right? Which makes you¡­what? Her nanny? No¡­¡± Melzri put a hand over her mouth as she gave another littleugh. ¡°You are her ything, I think¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you have to say, Melzri,¡± I said, trying to sound like I meant it. I thoughtlessly reached for Cecilia¡¯s hand, but she dodged it, and the anger rushed out of me like air knocked from my lungs.


    Melzri saw, but instead of mocking me, she gave me a disappointed frown and stepped back to block the way forward. ¡°The High Sovereign is not avable to speak with you at this moment. You may wait here or return to your room.¡±


    ¡°This is urgent¡ª¡±


    Melzri sniffed. ¡°I¡¯m just looking out for you, little brother. If you storm in there and interrupt the High Sovereign¡¯s meeting with Dragoth and Sovereign Kiros, you might find yourself with something other than your little feelings hurt.¡±


    This caught my attention.


    ¡°The Sovereign of Vechor is here?¡± It was rare for the Sovereigns to leave their dominions. Although I was paraded around before each of them when I was named a Scythe of the central dominion, I had never met any of them again.


    Melzri didn¡¯t bother to answer, and so I turned my back on her and walked to the farthest corner of the room, next to the stairway door, where I stood and red at a matched pair of ruby des, crossed over the crest of some long defunct highblood.


    Did the members of this ancient blood see the ending for them? I wondered. Did they feel safe in their nobility, as if they had carved out a ce for themselves in this world, or were they always waiting for someone to put a knife in their back?


    I yed through the events at the High Hall again, trying to make sense of it. There wasn¡¯t a single doubt in my mind that this blond, golden-eyed Ascender Grey was really my Grey, despite the change in appearance. But I didn¡¯t understand why Agrona hadn¡¯t told me the name beforehand.


    Was it some kind of test?


    I had been tested often, and experimented on, and pushed to my limit. Sometimes these trials were painful, even cruel, but they had always made me stronger. There was always a reason.


    I sighed deeply, failing to understand.


    Cecilia had followed me, staying by my side but never touching me, never offeringfort¡­


    Needing to look anywhere but Cecilia or Melzri, I let my eyes wander up to the ceiling, where an enormous fresco stretched the length of the hall.


    It showed the flight of the Vritra from Epheotus, depicting the dragons of the Indrath n as monstrous beasts swarming in a blood-red sky, while people¡ªboth lessers and the Vritra n basilisks¡ªcowered behind Agrona, disyed here in shining tinum armor and radiating a golden light that kept the dragon¡¯s at bay¡­


    ¡°Nico¡­?¡± Cecilia asked from my side. I could feel her gaze on my cheek, but I didn¡¯t turn to look at her. I couldn¡¯t. If I did, I was worried I might break.


    It shouldn¡¯t have been like this. I had spent an entire life trying to protect her, first from her own monstrous ki and then from the many people who sought to use her, and this new life had been dedicated topleting the reincarnation ritual and giving her a second chance, but when I¡¯d finally aplished it, it seemed like everything had gone wrong for me.


    Agrona had once fawned over me the same way he now treated Cecilia¡­but he had turned dismissive and sarcastic toward me. He had sent me to the High Hall knowing who this Ascender Grey really was. He must have, or why else chose me to go, and with so little information? But I didn¡¯t understand his motivations. Was it nothing more than a cruel game?


    He should have told me what he knew, or suspected.


    My mind flinched away from these thoughts, rejecting them, because to linger there meant I would have to acknowledge the creeping fear that was stealing through my mind, corrupting every dark corner of it. Fear was uneptable. It was weakness. The other Scythes, the Vritra¡­they could all smell it, and to show fear here meant being devoured alive.


    ¡°Nico,¡± Cecilia said again, moving to be in my line of sight.


    ¡°What?¡± I said, more coldly than I¡¯d intended.


    ¡°How¡­¡± She trailed off, biting her lip. After several long seconds, she took a deep breath and tried again. ¡°I want to know about my death.¡±


    My jaw clenched and I ground my teeth together. Although I wanted her to understand¡ªwanted her to hate Grey as much as I did¡ªI couldn¡¯t bring myself to speak.


    ¡°Experiencing the memory of a death can be quite traumatic,¡± Agrona¡¯s rich baritone said from the end of the hallway, announcing his sudden arrival. ¡°But I think you are ready, Cecilia.¡±


    Melzri slid aside, putting her back to the wall and keeping her head down. Agrona¡¯s red eyes took in everything within the hallway with an easy sweep, a cid movement that almost seemed likeziness, and yet I knew in that instant he had read everything in the room. He moved with an unhurried grace, obviously expecting the world to stand still and wait for him to arrive. As he passed Melzri, he reached out and ran a finger along one of her horns, but his attention was otherwise entirely on Cecilia.


    ¡°Do you really¡ª¡± My mouth snapped shut at a nce from the High Sovereign, my argument dismissed before it could leave my mouth.


    I wanted to wrap my arm around Cecilia, draw her close to me so I couldfort and protect her, but instead, I did nothing as Agrona approached. He brushed aside her gunmetal gray hair and ced his fingers against her temples. She closed her eyes as her body went stiff.


    Although I couldn¡¯t directly experience what the High Sovereign was doing in her mind, I knew well enough. Agrona was a master of direct maniption of the mind, able to both remove and alter memories, and even able to directly control another person¡¯s body to a limited extent. Right now, he was giving Cecilia back the memory of her death¡­in only a few moments, she would know.


    She would remember.


    I forced back the nervous, guilty energy tingling through my body. It would have been better if I could have told her all the truth from the beginning¡­but it was too great a risk. I knew that Agrona had twisted the memories she¡¯d received, highlighting my role in her life while diminishing Grey¡¯s. She just had to have someone in this world she could trust entirely, implicitly. Adjusting those little memories made sure she had that¡­in me.


    This memory, though, the memory of her death¡­even I didn¡¯t want it in my head, and I wished, not for the first time, that Agrona would help me forget it. Cecilia shouldn¡¯t have to remember it either, but she had to see, she had to know what had happened. With Grey alive, it was only a matter of time until they crossed paths. She needed to know who he really was. It didn¡¯t matter how many names he¡¯d taken or lives he¡¯d lived¡­inside, he was still the same cold, selfish Grey. The man who chose kingship over his only friends¡ªfamily¡ªin the world.


    I wouldn¡¯t let him take her from me again.


    Cecilia began to tremble. Her eyes stayed shut, but a pained whimper escaped her lips. Her knees threatened to buckle.


    ¡°Stop, she¡¯s¡ª¡±


    A crushing force wrapped around my throat, choking off my plea. My hands wed at my neck as I sank to my knees, but Agrona didn¡¯t even look at me.


    Cecilia was falling, tumbling backwards, but he caught her, scooping her up and holding her in his arms like a child. ¡°Hush, Cecil. I know, and I am sorry to burden you with the truth of your death. Rest now.¡± Agrona lowered his forehead until it touched Cecilia¡¯s. There was a spark of magic, and her breathing became even and slow, and the whimpering ended.


    Melzri was by their side, and Agrona handed Cecilia¡ªmy Cecil¡ªto the Scythe. ¡°Take her to her room. Guard her until she wakes, then return to Etril.¡±


    ¡°As youmand, High Sovereign.¡± Then she was marching away, and taking Cecilia with her.


    Only when they¡¯d gone did the invisible fist around my throat release. I coughed and choked, falling to my hands and knees, gasping for air. I felt the dark aura building within me, angry and eager to burst out, but suppressed it utterly. With angry tears in my eyes, I looked up at Agrona. His face was impassive.


    After my coughing had subsided, he said, ¡°You forget yourself. You are so terrified of losing your fianc¨¦ for the second time that the fear is ripping you apart from within.¡±


    I stood, finally, and raised my chin to meet Agrona¡¯s eyes. ¡°You were hurting her.¡± I nearly bit my tongue in half in frustration as I heard my own intive, whiny voice. ¡°You swore that you¡¯d¡ª¡±


    ¡°Nico.¡± My name left his lips like a javelin, and I felt it pierce me somewhere deep within. ¡°Do you understand what Cecilia is? What the Legacy is?¡± He shook his head, the decorative chains hanging in his horns jingling softly. Hisrge, cold hand brushed the side of my face, but there was no warmth in his gaze. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t. She is the future. But you, Nico¡­there is room in that future¡ªin the world I will build with Cecilia at my side¡ªfor warriors, but not for weak lessers who sumb entirely to their own stubborn impulses.¡±


    I tried to swallow. It stuck in my throat, almost as if I were being choked all over again, but it was only my own rage, fear, and disappointment¡­My stubborn impulses, I thought bitterly. It wasn¡¯t fair. My anger and rage had been cultivated since I was an infant, harnessed and turned into a weapon¡ªby Agrona. It was the purity of my fury that made me powerful. Without it¡­


    I knew I had peaked as a mage, that I couldn¡¯t continue to grow stronger, and obviously Agrona knew it too.


    I hadn¡¯t been a powerful warrior or ki user on Earth, not like Grey or Cecilia. When I realized my potential in this new world, before my memories were stripped from me and I was transformed into Elijah and sent away, I was ecstatic. My new life would be nothing like my old one. I would have power, real strength¡ªphysical, political, and magical, and all because of Agrona. He had given me everything I needed¡ªtraining, elixirs, the strongest runes, a body capable of channeling the basilisks¡¯ decay-type mana arts¡ªto make sure I would be strong.


    But now, those I cared about were still reaching beyond me and leaving me behind. Again.


    ¡°Do you know why you were reincarnated?¡± Agrona asked, turning away from me to look at one of the ornaments hanging from the wall. ¡°You were reincarnated because you were close to her. You and Grey both. To maximize the potential of the reincarnation¡ªto make sure the Legacy was able to fully integrate into this world¡ªa sort of array had to be formed between her lives. I needed anchors to hold and bind the Legacy¡¯s spirit. That¡¯s all you are.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but shake my head. ¡°No, you said¡ª¡±


    ¡°You see and encourage the lies I tell Cecilia, and yet you don¡¯t think I would do the same to you?¡± Agrona smiled, a nonchnt, disarming expression that showed no guilt or regret. ¡°Utilizing what I learned from the Relictombs, I looked across worlds until I found the Legacy, and next to her, you and King Grey.¡±


    I flinched, my anger ring at the reference to Grey¡¯s kingship, won by taking Cecilia¡¯s life. ¡°But you needed me. You said so yourself. Grey¡¯s reincarnation showed you how to bring me here. Without me, you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I attempted the reincarnation on Grey first, that¡¯s true, but his soul never arrived in the chosen vessel. A simple miscalction, I thought. He had been alive still, back in your home world of Earth, while my preparations for the Legacy had assumed a soul passed on from its mortal sheath.¡± Agrona cocked his head to the side slightly, his tongue running over his sharp canines. ¡°None of this matters now, you realize? There is little to no point in discussing it. But¡­I suppose I can humor you, Nico, if only to watch you struggle to understand.¡±


    I red back at him. His cool words¡ªnot cruel or mean spirited, but curious and demeaning, like a disappointed parent humoring their child¡¯s foolish ideas¡ªcut sharper than any knife, but I wouldn¡¯t show it. I, too, could be cold and dismissive if I wished. ¡°Tell me. I deserve to understand.¡±


    Agrona shrugged hisrge shoulders. ¡°Although I can exin it, I can¡¯t make you understand it. Taking what I¡¯d learned from attempting to spark King Grey¡¯s reincarnation, I began the process of your own reincarnation next, into the body of a newborn child from a prominent magical family with some lingering Vritra blood. You arrived, as nned.¡±


    Keeping my pace empty of emotion, I sat down onto a cushioned bench that ran along one wall of the hall. Leaning back against the wall, I crossed my legs and waited for him to continue.


    ¡°But I needed two anchors,¡± he continued, ¡°and Cecilia had been close to no one else. We tried a few others, but none of their souls were strong enough to be reincarnated, and so eventually I set the experiment aside. Without the appropriate anchors, the Legacy¡¯s reincarnation was too much of a risk; a proper vessel could not be forged.¡±


    I thought back to my childhood in crya, to the endless training and experimentation. The thought of having Cecilia back allowed me to endure any torture. Although I hadn¡¯t known the full truth about my reincarnation and purpose, she had always been the carrot Agrona dangled in front of me, promising that, if I grew strong enough, some day he would be able to reincarnate her as well. That promise kept me from going insane.


    ¡°What about me, then? My childhood? Everything you did to me?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t know what benefits your reincarnation might provide, so I kept you here, ordered that you be raised and trained among the Vritra. We tested you, experimented on you, and you proved that a reincarnated soul was indeed extraordinarily potent. It kept my hope up that, some day, I could return to my n, and the Legacy would be mine to control. And so¡­¡±


    ¡°Arthur¡­¡± I felt a twinge as I said the name, and memories of our time together at Xyrus Academy came rushing unbidden to my mind.


    ¡°Yes. Arthur. Somehow born a Leywin, a continent away, outside of my dominion.¡± Agrona shook his head with apparent amusement, causing his ornaments to jingle again. ¡°Ah, Sylvia. Always the clever one. Hidden away in the wilnds of Dicathen, fatally wounded, and yet still a thorn in my side.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t until Cadell found her that we learned the truth. I¡¯m sure Sylvia thought she had hidden the boy, but in the bare instant before she used her cursed aether art to freeze time, he saw. Who else could it be? What human child could be so important that Sylvia would drain herself of energy and reveal herself to my hunters in order to save them? As soon as I learned what had happened, I knew.¡±


    ¡°And so you took my memories and sent me to Dicathen, to Rahdeas¡­¡± My life as Elijah had begun with the dwarves, a nk te. Even my real powers had been suppressed and hidden from me. I wondered, now, what I might have be if those years spent as Elijah hadn¡¯t been stolen from me.


    Would I have still reached the peak of my abilities so soon?


    I didn¡¯t think so. Agrona had stolen that potential from me, all just to bring me close to Grey.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have sent me as a spy? Why¡­¡± I swallowed hard. ¡°Why take my memories? Why take that time from me?¡±


    ¡°Do you think you could have kept yourself from attacking Arthur the moment you saw him?¡± he asked with a taunting smirk. ¡°Could you have forged a true friendship and bond in this life, if you were carrying the prejudice of your old life?¡±


    ¡°For Cecilia, yes. Anything,¡± I answered, wanting desperately to believe it, for Agrona to be wrong.


    ¡°Your anger was an unwanted variable. Why would I take an unnecessary risk just for your sake? By taking your memories¡ªyour knowledge of your own reincarnation and birth in crya¡ªI could more safely bring you together, the two anchors for the Legacy¡¯s reincarnation.¡±


    I put my head in my hands and pictured ripping Agrona¡¯s horns free from his skull and plunging them into his chest, again and again until there was nothing recognizable left of him. ¡°How did you know I would even find him¡­Arthur?¡±


    A heavy hand rested on the top of my head, and I closed my eyes. ¡°You two were bound by fate. You, Grey, and Cecilia made up the three points of the array. I was certain you would find your way to each other. But I set my spies into motion, regardless, and they expanded ourwork across Dicathen, and I waited.


    ¡°It was years before he resurfaced in Xyrus. But our people were well ced there to find him, and once he¡¯d revealed himself, there was no mistaking the signs: impable swordsmanship, a quadra-elemental mage, awakened at only two years of age. And he wore a dragon feather around his arm.¡±


    ¡°Rahdeas¡¯s sudden insistence that I be an adventurer, despite my age¡­¡± I muttered, already understanding the rest. ¡°And it was our closeness with the elven princess, Tessia Eralith, that made her the perfect vessel for Cecilia¡¯s return. Just like on Earth¡­a girl who loved Grey first, who only even saw me because I was standing next to him¡­¡±


    Agrona¡¯s strong fingers wove into my hair before suddenly and painfully jerking my head up so I was staring into his scarlet eyes. ¡°What did you expect to happen, Nico? That you and the Legacy would retire to a cabin in the woods and live the rest of your days carefree and peaceful, frolicking and copting and forgetting everything that had ever happened to you? After I dedicated such time and resources to her reincarnation? No. You had a purpose, which you dutifully, albeit unknowingly, served.¡±


    He released me and began walking away down the hall, but I wasn¡¯t finished with him yet.


    ¡°What about Grey?¡±


    Agrona stopped and turned, giving me a confused frown, as if he couldn¡¯t possibly understand why I would ask about my arch-nemesis. ¡°King Grey¡­Arthur Leywin¡­Ascender Grey¡­his name no longer matters, because he no longer matters. His role isplete, just as yours is. I suspect he survived because my daughter somehow sacrificed herself using the aether arts of her dragon mother, which serves me well. Sylvie was always the greater danger than your little quadra-elemental friend.¡±


    ¡°But how did you know this ascender was the same Grey? Why¡­¡± I took a deep breath, holding onto that image of Agrona desecrated at my feet. ¡°Why send me to the High Hall if you already knew?¡±


    ¡°Seris told me some time ago,¡± Agrona said nonchntly, as if he were referring to some mundane, unremarkable rumor. ¡°She thought like you¡ªthat Arthur was somehow important, that news of his unlikely survival should matter. You lessers and your silly grievances. Ever since Dragoth¡¯s retainer was in in Dicathen¡ªwhat was his name? Uto?¡ªit¡¯s been, ¡®Let me kill him, High Sovereign!¡¯ ¡®Oh no no, please, give me the honor!¡¯ There was a time when he could have been a threat, perhaps¡ªwhen he had the asuras in his pocket, because of my daughter¡ªbut that time has passed.¡±


    I felt the foundation that had held up my entire new life shift and begin to crumble beneath my feet. In both lives, Grey had been my closest friend and most hated enemy. Even more than Cecilia, his very existence hadpletely changed the course of my lives. I wouldn¡¯t simply allow him to live, knowing what he had done.


    And what he still might do, I thought. As long as Grey lives, Cecilia isn¡¯t safe.


    And yet Agrona dismissed him, dismissed us both. Why did he not understand the threat Grey posed?


    ¡°You are wrong,¡± I said coldly, standing and slowly approaching the towering Vritra lord. He smiled in amusement. ¡°Please, allow me to hunt Grey down, High Sovereign,¡± I said, trying not to beg, but very aware of how my words were an echo of his own mocking imitation. ¡°I thought he was dead once, but somehow he escaped my revenge. Let me have another chance. After everything you¡¯ve done to me, you owe me this. You owe me Grey.¡±


    Agrona¡¯s smile twisted into something sour, almost pitying. ¡°You are owed nothing. But if you wish to run off and reenact your revenge, be my guest. Perhaps killing him will do something to quench your eternal inferiorityplex. Assuming he doesn¡¯t kill you first.¡± Agrona shrugged as if he truly didn¡¯t care either way. ¡°First, though, return to the Legacy and relieve Melzri. And do not forget. Cecilia is the future. Make sure she has everything she needs.¡±


    Agrona turned on his heel and moved with unnatural swiftness down the hallway, leaving me to stew in my disappointment and anger. I do not need your approval. I will find Grey. I will find him and I will kill him, and this time, he will note back.

 Chapter 363

    <h4>Chapter 363</h4>


    The sun had just risen, covering the campus in a nket of amber and violet. I settled in again atop the t, crented roof of the Hollow Tower, relishing the view and the cool breeze that I couldn''t get in my room. While it had been built as a watchtower ages ago and had been kept as a ce to meditate, newer and fancier buildings had left this structure all but abandoned.


    Letting out a heavy breath, I withdrew the keystone and turned it over, examining the simple ck cube. Its surface was in and matte; its only remarkable physical trait was its weight.


    "Who would guess that this homely thing contained insight capable of rewriting the world," I mused. Even knowing everything that I did, I still found it hard to believe that something this small and¡­tangible held the secrets that could ultimately allow someone to gain insight into Fate itself.


    Regis jumped out of my body and sniffed the relic. "It could at least have some ominously glowing runes or something to tell you how important it is." Turning his back to me, he crossed the roof and put his paws up on the parapet. "Anyway, you have fun with that."


    His body tensed to jump.


    "Hold on," I said quickly. "Where are you going?"


    He replied with his back still to me, "I have some training of my own to do."


    "Training separate from absorbing aether? Why all of a sudden?" I asked, moving to stand next to him.


    Regis stiffened but refused to look at me. "Because. I was brought into this world to be your weapon¡ªyour protector¡ªbuttely it feels like I''m doing neither. We''re supposed to be partners, but you keep getting stronger by learning new edicts of aether. I don''t want to just watch as the gap between us widens."


    For the first time in a while, I was at a loss for what to say to mypanion.


    I stood silent, watching the dark wolf, when a four-winged bird settled onto the parapet nearby, cking its beak and watching us expectantly. I withdrew my packed rations¡ªa habit I kept up despite rarely needing to eat¡ªand pulled out a slice of dried and peppered meat, tossing it to the creature. It hopped down to the stone roof and grabbed its prize before shooting off, its four wings carrying it swiftly out of sight.


    "I¡­didn''t realize that it bothered you so much," I finally mustered.


    "Well, you can thank Sylvie for this infuriating drive to keep your ass alive," Regis japed.


    I let out a smallugh and nudged the shadow wolf. "Fine, just be careful out there. The world is a scary ce for a little puppy."


    He turned his bright eyes on me derisively. "Ha. Ha. Hrious."


    Then, in a maneuver I wasn''t even sure he could pull off, Regis leapt from the side of the tower. I watched as he plummeted toward the ground, purple mes trailing behind him like a g before he became incorporeal and sank into the ground slightly.


    Once he was solid again, Regis took off at a sprint to the north, headed out of the campus toward the mountains. He, of course, took the extra effort to pass by a small crowd of students, causing a chorus of screams, before he vanished from sight behind another building.


    I followed his progress for a while, still able to sense him even as the distance between us grew. He seemed to be heading out into the mountains. I wondered briefly if the energy that tethered us together would allow him to go that far, but we''d both feel it if he began to reach the maximum distance he could be away from me. Since we hadn''t tested this aspect of our rtionship since the bridge zone I traversed with the Granbehls, I didn''t really know how far he could go.


    I''m sure he''ll be fine, I told myself, turning back to the reason I''de up to this tower in the first ce.


    The ck cube sat heavily in my hands as I stared at it. A minute passed, and then another as I regarded the keystone.


    With a sigh, I stored it back into my dimension rune. I should be diving straight into the keystone¡ªtraining, absorbing aether, doing something to get stronger. But my mind wasn''t there. I couldn''t push myself every waking moment, more so after just getting back from one of the djinn ruins.


    Instead, I pulled out the far-seeing relic, tracing the sharp-edged facets while thinking of the very people that would motivate me to keep moving forward.


    I activated the relic and was transported across the world, zooming in until I found myself in the dim underground cavern of the djinn sanctuary. Ellie was waist-deep in the stream, sshing water at Jasmine, who was holding up an elven child I didn''t know as a shield,ughing.


    A knot formed in my chest as I then noticed my mother, Helen, and the rest of the Twin Horns sitting around a low-burning campfire at the edge of the stream, watching with weary smiles. Behind them all, Boo was hunkered protectively over a pile of glitterfish.


    I dug my nails into my hands, holding back the growing lump in my throat as I forced a smile myself. Afterall, they were all okay, and they wereughing and smiling.


    That was enough.


    With a shuddered breath and a hollow smile, I pried myself out of the relic and swapped it for the keystone again.


    The ck, palm-sized cube was much less aether dense than thest one, but otherwise nearly identical. "All right, let''s see what you''ve got for me."


    Releasing aether from my core, I channeled it up my arm and into the keystone. My consciousness seemed to follow it as I was drawn out of my own body and inside the djinn relic. First, I was met with a wall of purple clouds, as expected. The wall shivered at my approach, and I passed through easily.


    I expected to find another puzzle, something to manipte or work at like in thest keystone, but instead¡­


    Darkness.


    Complete, utter darkness.


    Panic overcame me as I was suddenly jolted back to the tower roof, clutching the ck cube, sweat pouring down my face and making my palms slick. My breath came quickly, and then I realized why: the inside of the keystone felt exactly like that in-between ce after my body had been destroyed and before I woke in the Relictombs. Like my mind was the only thing that existed in the entire universe.


    Hovering in a field of reflectionless ck, I remembered. But it''s not the same. I''m still here, this time. Nothing has changed.


    Taking several deep breaths to calm myself, I tried again.


    This time the sudden absence of anything except for myself was less startling, but the inside of the keystone was no less eerie. I drifted around for a while, unsure if I was actually moving or only trying to, never striking a wall or any sort of mental object, like the sea of geometric shapes I''d had to manipte inside the Aroa''s Requiem keystone.


    It was oblivion.


    Even time held no meaning within the keystone, and I had no way of knowing how long I drifted for. At some point, I began to worry I might miss my ss, but when I stopped channeling aether and left the ck space, only a few minutes had passed. And so I pushed myself back in, and continued to wander the empty depths.


    It was like swimming deep down in the ocean, where the light doesn''t reach. Up, down, left, right¡­direction lost meaning, even though I continued to experience the sensation of movement. I tried to push out with aether in random directions, or all around me, but nothing happened. I tried to imbue myself¡ªor whatever of me existed in that space¡ªwith aether, but again, this aplished nothing.


    Then I just allowed myself to drift. My thoughts wandered for a while, then stopped, and it was kind of like sleeping.


    The darkness rippled suddenly, a visual distortion within the ck-on-ck void, like something had moved within it. I reached out with aether, trying to interact with the phenomenon, but nothing happened.


    The door onto the rooftop creaked open, a vague noise heard just as the edge of my consciousness, and I withdrew from the keystone in irritation. This sh of frustration quickly melted into curiosity as a familiar face peered at me from the doorway.


    "Valen?" I said stiffly, looking up at the highblood youth, who was standing framed in the dark doorway, one hand still on the door. His eyes lingered on the keystone as I returned it to the extradimensional storage rune. "Are you lost?"


    Valen''s eyes swept nervously across the tower roof, but he didn''t move away from the door or even let it close. "I¡­um¡­" He cleared his throat. "I was looking for you, Professor."


    I cocked an eyebrow at the boy, frowning. "How did you even know I was up here?"


    Valen shot a quick look back into the door stairwell behind him, took a deep breath, and stepped away from the door, letting it close.


    He cleared his throat again before speaking. "I happened to run into Seth on my way to your ssroom¡­I think he was looking for you too, and he mentioned he''d seen youe here a few times, so I thought¡­" He winced, letting the thought trail off.


    "What do you need?" I asked tartly, then remembered that the bestowment ceremony had taken ce earlier today. "Is this about the bestowals?"


    The tall young man leaned back against the heavy door, letting his head rest against it with a solid thud. His dark eyes gazed up into the brightening sky. Just as I was about to repeat my question, he said, "I received an emblem."


    An emblem was the second highest tier of rune for an cryan mage. From what I understood, receiving such a powerful rune at a young age was life-changing, even for highbloods.


    I cocked a brow. "Are you sure? I''d congratte you, but you don''t look very pleased about that."


    Valen let out a humorless chortle. "Father is ecstatic, of course. My blood seems to think I''m some kind of prodigy now¡­"


    I let out an impatient sigh while leaning back against the parapet opposite of him. "Well, I''m sure you didn''te all this way just to brag, so out with it."


    He scratched the back of his head. "I just didn''t have anyone else to talk to. My blood¡­they don''t understand. And my associates¡ª"


    "Associates?" I scoffed. "That''s an odd way to address your friends."


    Valen gave me a hard look, breaking through his awkward hesitancy somewhat. "A Ramseyer does not have ''friends'' ording to my father. Just servants, acquaintances, associates, and allies." After a brief pause, he added, "And enemies, of course."


    I nodded in understanding, thinking back to Trodius mesworth and what he was willing to do for the sake of his family name.


    "I don''t want to be a prodigy" Valen blurted, his head down. "Ever since I was an infant, I''ve been raised as a warrior, schr, and leader, with the expectation ced on me at birth that I would be Highlord of the Ramseyer Highblood. Never¡ªnot once in my life¡ªhas anyone asked me what I want to do or be."


    "And receiving such a potent rune will only have exaggerated that expectation," I confirmed.


    He nodded wordlessly as he turned back around.


    "Well then, let me ask," I retorted. "What do you want to do?"


    Valen deted, and for the first time, he looked like the kid he was, not someone trying to put on the airs of a highlord. "I don''t know, but¡­I wish I had the chance to find out. That''s all I mean. Maybe¡­maybe what my blood wishes of me is exactly what I want to do, in the long run. But it will never feel that way unless I am allowed some kind of choice in the matter.


    "I want to explore the world outside of the narrow boundaries my tutors and blood have set for me. But receiving this emblem only seems to have cemented my fate, instead of giving me power over it."


    He watched me carefully for a response, good or bad. Perhaps he expected me to rebuke him, to tell him how fortunate he was, to encourage him to do as his family wished, but I kept my silence.


    Suddenly he gave me an unexpected smile, and his eyes focused somewhere far into the distance. "You know, my uncle was in the war in Dicathen, and he told me something strange. Over there, teenagers¡ªsometimes as young as thirteen or fourteen¡ªoften go off on their own to be adventurers, fighting against monsters and delving into dungeons."


    I was taken by surprise by the sudden mention of Dicathen, memories of my time as the masked adventurer, Note, surfacing . It seemed like another lifetime ago, now. "Mages are lessmon in Dicathen, and bing an adventurer is a right of passage for many of them. But it''s not so different from how crya treats ascenders. Or so I''ve heard," I added quickly.


    Valen''s smile lingered for a moment as he thought about this, but it slowly slid from his face. Eventually he nodded and said, "Thank you, Professor. For listening. I won''t take up any more of your time."


    With a stiff bow, he turned to leave.


    "You know, Valen," I said to his back, my voice soft, "it''s only going to get harder to go against their wishes as you get older. If you really want to live your life without regret, it might be better to disappoint your parents now thanter."


    He froze, half turning to look back at me, his face inscrutable. Finally, with a curious smile, he left, and the door closed between us again.


    Unwilling and unable to face the many conflicting lines of thought tangling up in my brain, I withdrew the keystone again and activated it, momentarily embracing the void-space it contained. But instead of insting me against my thoughts, it bared them, leaving me with nothing at all but my own conflicted mind.


    I knew that it was unfair in the extreme to me Valen or his ssmates for anything that had happened in Dicathen. They were as much a victim of the war as my friends and family back home, and yet it had been their friends and family killing mine. They were Agrona''s subjects, his servants and tools, each one of them a potential weapon against me. Or worse, against my mother or my sister.


    But, more and more, I had detected a hesitancy in the cryans to follow their overlord, especially among the students. At first, I had assumed Caera''sck of respect for the Vritra was something unique to her¡ªa manifestation of her existence as a Vritra-blooded cryan in hiding¡ªbut my time at the academy had shown me this wasn''t true. Aside from Professor Aphelion''s poorly hidden disdain for the war, the students'' feelings were in enough on their faces every time Elenoir was mentioned.


    A lot of powerful young cryans had lost everything that day. And I don''t think all of them med the asuras for it.


    With a frustrated sigh, I stepped out of the keystone and put it away. It was clear I wasn''t going to get anywhere with it while I was so distracted, or while my mind was full of uncertainty.


    ***


    From the Hollow Tower, I meandered around campus for a short while before making my way to my ssroom. I was rtively early, but my thoughts refused to settle and I couldn''t focus on anything, so I turned the gravity up by several times in the training ring and started to work out my body. Although I would have enjoyed a chance to summon the aether de, I didn''t want to exin it to anyone who happened into the ssroom.


    I didn''t train for long.


    The sound of the door mming open and hurried footsteps moving down the stairs pulled me out of repeating one of the many forms Kordri had taught me.


    "You''re here!" Ma shouted, rushing toward the ring.


    Quickly hopping out of the training tform, I pressed a finger against her forehead to keep her outstretched arms from wrapping around me.


    Ma let out a surprised squeak as she hugged the empty air between us.


    "Good news?" I asked, crossing my arms nonchntly while leaning back against the base of the raised training tform.


    The girl from Maerin Town was bouncing on her toes as she said, "Yes! It''s so crazy. Unbelievable! I''ve just been added to all these high-level Sentry sses, and apparently the odds are so low that Central Academy has no record of it happening before, and they''re offering to waive my attendance fees and send this huge stipend to my family back in Etril if I agree to do some one-on-one study with the head of the Sentry department here, and¡­"


    She trailed off, noticing the look of confusion growing on my face. "I got another emblem!" she cheered, her voice raising an octave in her excitement,ing out as a squeek. "Two in a row, and at my first two bestowment ceremonies. The chances are, like, next to zero. They thought about pulling me out of this ss to focus on Sentry stuff, but the director apparently really wants me at the Victoriad now."


    Her grin faded, and she looked at me with obvious concern. "What''s wrong? I¡­thought you''d be proud of me. Did I say something I shouldn''t have, Professor?" Suddenly she stepped back and bowed so low her hair brushed the floor. "I apologize!"


    As she was speaking, my mind had jumped from her to Valen, and then back to Maerin Town, where both Ma and the boy Belmun¡ªthe only two children I''d interacted closely with¡ªreceived unusually powerful rules. I''d suspected before that my presence had something to do with it, but there had been no reason to think deeply about the bestowal process. I didn''t know enough about how the cryans allocated magic to make guesses, other than an assumption that aether was involved somehow.


    "Professor?"


    My attention snapped back to her, and I realized I had been wearing a deep, thoughtful frown. I let my features rx. "I''m sorry, Ma, I was just thinking¡­but this is all a big change for you. How are you holding up?"


    When Ma had received her original rune, it had been met with conflicted emotions. Her sister was unadorned, and would likely spend the rest of her life in Maerin Town. Two emblems all but guaranteed Ma would be drawn into a life of adventure and danger. If she didn''t be an ancender, she would certainly end up being drafted into the war.


    And the next one won''t be fought against Dicathian soldiers, I thought, realizing what the advanced runes might mean for them.


    "I was scared, at first," she admitted. "I didn''t want to leave home, but now that I''ve been here for a while¡­" She turned toward the door, where the sound of several sets of quick footsteps and multiple voices were approaching. "I''ve never felt special before. I always assumed I''d spend the rest of my life in Maerin Town, like Loreni." Her face fell. "Is it wrong that I don''t feel guilty?"


    "No," I answered, although I wasn''t entirely sure if I believed myself. "As long as you haven''t left your family behind in your heart, then you''re not abandoning them. Everything you do now is for them, as long as that is your intention."


    Unspilled tears shone in Ma''s eyes, and she nodded vigorously. "I''m¡­really d the Relictombs brought you to Maerin Town, Professor Grey."


    I waved her to her seat wordlessly. She shuffled, then drew in close. I thought about stopping her again before she could wrap her arms around me, but only sighed instead, returning the hug with one arm while I patted the top of her head awkwardly.


    Regis would have made so much fun of me if he were here¡­


    After a couple seconds, I stepped back and turned away to clear my throat as the rest of the ss began pouring in, their energy and excitement evident from the overflowing noise they produced.


    The students burst into eager exnations of the runes they''d received during the bestowment ceremony. Every single member of the ss had received at least a crest, as it turned out, with a handful of emblems as well. Even Deacon turned away from his books for long enough to brag about his new crest.


    Sharp footfalls ringing in the outer hallway drew my attention away from the excited chatter just as Professor Irongrove, Head of the Melee Combat Department, pushed in the door. It took a moment for the students to notice, but one by one they hushed suddenly, their attention drawn to the older man. He paused at the door, then stepped aside to allow two familiar figures to enter before him.


    Briar''s signature hair¡ªorange fading out to bright yellow-blonde at the ends¡ªmade her obvious from across campus, much less standing right in front of me, and I immediately wondered what the hard-shelled young woman was up to. Her hazel eyes met mine defiantly as she descended the shallow steps.


    Behind Briar was another familiar face, though it took me longer to ce her. A dark-haired girl, simr height and build to Briar. Her eyes tracked over the ssroom before settling on me, and then I remembered: Aphene of Blood Mandrick. She was the granddaughter of Elder Cromley, from Stormcove Academy. We had "fought" during the bestowment ceremony in Maerin.


    Professor Irongrove stopped halfway down the stairs and opened his arms to epass the ss. "Melee Enhancement Tactics! Our star ss. Victoriadpetitors as well as the champions of the bestowment ceremony, I must say."


    There were a few hoots and a round of apuse from the students, to which Irongrove responded with a good natured smile. When the ss quieted, he met my eye. "Professor Grey, I''m sorry to intrude, but I was hoping for a quick conversation before your ss begins for the day?"


    I nodded and gestured toward my office. Rafferty and the two young women let themselves into the small office, and I followed. The moment the door closed behind me, the ssroom burst out into noise again.


    "I won''t keep you, busy as you are preparing for the Victoriad," Rafferty began, his tone businesslike. "In fact, that''s why I''m here. Since you do not have a ssroom assistant, the director wanted to ensure you had help. A bit of an oversight that it wasn''t seen to earlier, honestly¡­" He cleared his throat and his gaze dropped to the ground for an instant. "These two very capable young women have offered to join you as assistant professors leading up to and during the Victoriad. A couple more sets of eyes¡ªand fists¡ªto keep the students on task, if you understand me."


    I shot Briar a look, my lips quirking into a wry smy. "Figured out a way to get to the Victoriad after all, huh?"


    Rafferty nced between us. "It was my understanding that you''d trained alongside Briar of Blood Nadir before. She is an excellent student, I assure you¡ª"


    I held up my hand. "Only teasing, Professor. She''s wee to be my assistant." My attention turned to Aphene. "I''m more curious about this one."


    Aphene lifted her chin, and couldn''t help but notice the slight tremor that ran through her. Whenst we met, I had soundly defeated her and her friend¡ªI couldn''t recall his name¡ªin a two-on-one duel.


    "Aphene''s grandfather sought sponsorship from the Denoirs for her to attend Central Academy," Rafferty informed me. "The Denoirs were quite vocal in their eagerness that she be given a ce within our ranks, and Cromley himself reached out to me to provide a rmendation for his granddaughter. I heard the story of your duel in Etril. Based on that alone¡ªtwo students fighting an aplished ascender nearly to a standstill!¡ªI''m sure you agree that she would make an excellent assistant."


    My eyebrows rose slowly higher as Rafferty talked, and I had to consciously repress a surprised scoff at the mention of our fight. The young woman had some talent, but if the Denoirs were involved, it seemed very likely she would be asked to spy on me, just as Caera had. Pushing back on the posting had its own set of disadvantages, however, and seemed more trouble than it was worth.


    I nodded in affirmation. "Both fine. I''ll be d to have a couple of babysitters around, while I focus on the important stuff." I bit back a smirk as Briar and Aphene shot me matching res. "Now, Professor Irongrove, I''m sure you have things to attend to, because I know I do."


    ***


    The void was empty and motionless around me. The darkness no longer rippled, and I sensed nothing else¡ªno presence, no energy¡ªinside the keystone with me.


    Intermittent pulses of aether emitted from my body as I drifted through the dark. There was no response. Eventually, my mind strayed away from the emptiness and back to the real world.


    The ss had responded well to Briar and Aphene''s presence. Although Briar was only in her second season at the academy, she was older than most of the others¡ªand had benefited from Darrin Ordin''s private tutoring¡ªwhile Aphene was nearing her final season. The two young women had stepped eagerly into their roles, helping me drill the ss on a series of new forms, offshoots of Kordri''s training that I thought would challenge them leading up to the Victoriad.


    It was then, when I let myself be distracted, that I saw it again: a curtain-in-the-wind movement through the inky ck space.


    A knock at the door once again interrupted me, but I ignored it, focusing on the ripples disrupting the aetheric realm within the keystone. The knock came again, louder and more insistent this time.


    I withdrew from the keystone and stored it away. "Come in," I said irritably.


    The office door opened and Kayden Aphelion poked his head inside. "I''m not interrupting some secret cabal meeting or something, am I?"


    "What can I help you with?" I asked, deadpan, not in the mood to exchange pointless witticisms.


    Instead of being put off by my attitude, the other professor seemed to take it as a challenge. He limped through the door and eased down in the seat across from me. "In the hopes of convincing you not to take my life for interrupting this secret, undoubtedly high-society meeting¡ªwere there masks? I feel like there would be masks. And scantily dressed servants. Anyway, where was I?


    "Right," he said, leaning back in the chair and struggling to cross his legs, an act that required him to physically lift one over the other with his hands. "Straight to business, then. I thought you might be interested to know that you''ve drawn just a tiny bit of attention to yourself, Professor Grey."


    Still leaning back against my seat, I held Kayden''s steady gaze. His eyes were sharp and watchful, not quite matching the wry smirk he wore. "Speak inly, Kayden."


    He nced around the office, checking the corners yfully, a mocking pantomime of searching for spies. "Word of your ss''s sess during the bestowment ceremony has traveled quickly, and far. You know Su of Blood Drusus, yes? The head of Cargidan''s Ascenders Association? He''s a friend of mine, and apparently has received letters from every corner of crya wondering about you, where you came from, et cetera."


    He waited, watching me curiously.


    "Is there some reason you''re telling me this?" I asked.


    Kayden shrugged nonchntly. "Like I said when we first meant, you seem like a man who prefers to keep his business private. And yet, it seems like half the highbloods and ascenders from Rosaere to Onaeka now know your name. It''s whispered often in Vechor, in particr, ording to Sul."


    "And why would that be?"


    Kayden''s smirk sharpened. "You should know as well as I that every instant of the Victoriad¡ªevery appointment, every match, hell, every handshake orck thereof¡ªis closely watched, because the event itself can change the political face of entire dominions. A change of retainer or Scythe can cause bloods to rise and fall¡­the perfect opportunity for an ascender of unknown blood to make a sudden and violent ascent through the ranks of power."


    His smile fell away as he spoke. "But I''m not here for answers, or even to share my conjecture. I simply wish to let you know¡ªas your self-proimed friend¡ªthat you are being watched closely, and from many angles. Whether you seek to challenge for the position of retainer of Vechor or not, you have certainly spawned a whirlwind of rumors."


    I couldn''t help the surprisedugh that burst out of me, drawing an uncertain smile from Kayden. "Is that the rumor?" I said, practically gasping with amusement. "Oh, perfect. Perfect."


    Kayden must have found myughter contagious, because he began to chuckle as well. "So you don''t intend to challenge to be Dragoth''s retainer?"


    I shook my head and wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. "No, not in the slightest."


    "Ah well, there goes the bet I nned to make. Anyway, I won''t keep you longer, I just thought¡ª"


    "It''s fine," I said, my irritation soothing. "I appreciate the information."


    Kayden limped his way to the door, moving slowly. As he left the office, I said, "Caera mentioned you were in the war. We should¡­trade stories, one of these days."


    He pauses, his eyes widening slightly. "Sure. Maybe invite me to your next cabal meeting, and I''ll tell you all about it."


    I still wasn''t entirely convinced that he hadn''t seen something the night Ceara and I stole the Compass, but if he had, he was keeping it close to his chest. It seemed more likely that he hadn''t seen anything at all, considering the dark and the rain, and he hadn''t brought that chance meeting up again, or even asked how "Haedrig" had fared.


    I was still considering his words as I left the building for the day. Although any attention was unwanted at this point, at least the nobility had invented their own reasons for my fame, as I''d expected. And if Agrona or his Scythes had caught wind of me yet, they hadn''t made the connection between my two identities. If they had, I was sure they''d have arrived in force already.


    Thoughts of conflict with Agrona''s forces were interrupted as I caught sight of a familiar head of navy blue hair just a few dozen steps ahead of me. I moved more quickly in order to catch up to Caera, but slowed when I noticed she was reading a letter as she walked, disregarding the crowd around her. After a moment, she tossed her hair and began to rip the letter to pieces.


    "More orders to spy on me?" I asked, making her jump. She spun around, crumpling the ripped pieces of the letter into her fists. Her cheeks were quickly turning red. "I was joking but¡­it was, wasn''t it?"


    She nced around us at the passing students. "Yes and no. It was¡­an invitation to dinner. Again. I''ve already refused, but my adoptive parents are persistent¡­"


    The gears in my brain turned as I thought back to Kayden''s advice about all the highbloods growing curious about me. With the Victoriad looming, I had to consider what mighte after my time as a professor ended. It felt appropriate to start nting a few seeds for the future.


    I held out an arm for Caera to take, which she did with a suspicious nce¡­ "I''ll need some help picking out my outfit if I''m to be in the presence of such renowned and powerful highbloods as Highlord and Lady Denoir."

 Chapter 364

    <h4>Chapter 364</h4>


    A path of rich red paver stones led up to the Denoir estate, nked by thigh-high bushes that were currently blooming with bright blue flowers despite the chill from the mountains. The mansion itself was huge, easily three times the size of the Helstea estate where I had lived in Xyrus, and the grounds around it rivalled the yards of the royal pce from my previous life.


    After taking a moment to make sure that Regis was still well within range of me, I strode forward.


    Floating light artifacts began to blink to life throughout the gardens as we approached, bathing the grounds in a soft yellow glow. One of the oversized double doors into the estate opened, and a woman in an ash-gray uniform came rushing out, moving quickly to meet us. Her bright orange hair was pulled up in a bun, just as it had been when I''d seen her outside the Relictombs descension portal.


    "Lady Caera!" she said warmly, stopping in front of us and bowing. "And Ascender Grey." She bowed again. "Wee to the Denoir estate."


    "Thank you," I said, returning her warm smile. "And you would be Nessa, correct?"


    The woman was clearly surprised, but made an effort to hide it, bowing a third time. "You honor me." Although her tone was steady, I could just see a red blush spreading onto her cheeks.


    "No need to be so humble," I said, gesturing for her to straighten. "Caera expressed that you are half the reason she stayed sane under the highlord anddy''s roof."


    Nessa''s blush deepened, and she seemed unsure how to reply. Caera saved her by reaching for the woman''s arm and continuing toward the house.


    After a few steps, Caera shot a nce back over her shoulder, her expression both yful and scolding.


    She had prepared me for the evening, telling me everyone''s names and exining the evening''s protocol, even outlining the likely topics of conversation should her adoptive parents attempt to wrangle me into some political debate.


    Caera most likely viewed me as some sort of unsociable brute who preferred picking fights with mana beasts to being sociable¡ªand I guess she wouldn''t be entirely wrong¡ªbut she didn''t know that I had been a king in my previous life, which had given me years of practice dealing with people like the Denoirs.


    A few more servants were waiting in the entrance hall. Although most kept their eyes down in a respectful bow, a younger woman nced a peek only to meet my eyes. I shed her a polite smile, which she responded with a panicked look before averting her eyes back to the floor. From there, we were led to a posh sitting room. Lavish furniture was arrayed in small groupings throughout therge room, which burst with color, and an entire bar ran along the far wall.


    Standing at the bar was Lauden Denoir, who I''d met at the culmination of my trial. A woman in a sprawling maroon dress with brilliantly white hair that draped over her shoulders was leaning back in a lounging chair¡ªCaera''s adoptive mother, Lenora Denoir. The blond swordsman, Arian, stood in one corner.


    Lenora stood gracefully as we entered, practically floating up out of her seat and giving us a well-practiced but weing smile. Her eyes took in everything from my boots up to my wheat-blond hair in a single nce, and I could practically see the gears turning behind her perceptive eyes.


    Nessa bowed and stepped aside. "Lady Lenora of Highblood Denoir. Lady Caera has returned. She brings with her a guest, Ascender Grey." Then she straightened and backed up so she was nearly pressed against the wall next to the sitting room door, still as a statue.


    "Please," Lenora said, gesturing to the closest couch. "Join me and my son for a drink while we wait for my husband. He should be down any moment."


    Lauden carried two sses from the bar, one of which he handed to his mother, then he turned and held out his hand to me. I took it firmly, meeting his eye. "How nice to see you again, Ascender Grey. Or do you prefer professor, now?" His manners were impable, but they couldn''tpletely shroud the obvious tension that he carried in his shoulders and brows.


    "Please, Grey would be more than adequate," I answered.


    Lauden handed the second ss to Caera. As soon as her adoptive brother''s back was to her, she wrinkled her nose and set it down surreptitiously. Lauden didn''t seem to notice as he returned to the bar. "Well then, Grey, what would you like to drink? My father takes no little pride in the quality of our collection. Here you will find only the finest and most potent drinks, specifically tailored to be enjoyed by those with the elevated metabolism provided by strength in magic."


    "It''s only proper that I wait for the highlord, as tradition dictates he has the first drink when imbibing with guests," I answered properly before giving him a wink. "But I would enjoy the opportunity to sample your fine collection, of course."


    Lauden chuckled. "A man of culture. My father will no doubt appreciate your adherence to the social norm, although I hope you''ll forgive me for starting without you."


    With this formality out of the way, Lauden continued to make small talk while Lenora questioned Caera about the academy. Lady Denoir and Caera''s attitude toward each other was stiff and businesslike, and I caught Caera ncing in my direction more than once.


    After a few minutes, the noise of heavy, unhurried footsteps in the hall announced Highlord Corbett Denoir''s arrival.


    We all stood as the highlord entered the sitting room, appearing from whatever preupation he had feigned in order to keep me waiting, amon tactic among these noble types. His clever eyes jumped to each of us in turn, though they lingered on me the longest. His white and navy suit looked like it cost as much as some people''s houses, and he wore a golden-hilted saber at his side.


    Crossing one arm over my chest with my fist just below my shoulder, and the other behind my back, I bowed slightly, just the gentle inclination of my back. It was the type of bow one gave to show respect, but not subservience. This simple gesture¡ªI had all but shouted that I saw our positions as equal¡ªwould set a spark to the questions in his mind, since the Denoirs already suspected I was secretly a highblood.


    "Wee to our home," he said, unperturbed, before moving around behind where his wife was sitting and resting a hand on her shoulder. "This meeting has been too long ining, hasn''t it my love?"


    "Indeed it has," she replied, beaming up at him. To me, she said, "You''ve given us such a novel experience, as neither of us are ustomed to having our invitations rejected."


    Her execution was wless¡ªpolitefully teasing with barbs hidden between her words and a de in her smile.


    "You have my apologies," I replied with a weary smile. "It was my selfish desire to express to the other professors at Central Academy that I had rightfully earned a position there."


    "Come now, we only jest," Lenora said with a chuckle. "Regardless, Corbett and I are quite curious about you. Why don''t we move to the dining room, and you can tell us about yourself over a wonderful dinner our cooks have prepared in your honor?"


    Standing, I held out my arm to the Denoir matron, who took it with a curious smile. "Lead the way, Lady Denoir," I said politely.


    She did so, with the rest of the Denoirs following after us. Corbett spoke quietly with Lauden about some business dealing while Lenora showed off the mansion, telling me about the many items on disy throughout the estate, including several very fine paintings and tapestries, and at least a dozen different des returned from the Relictombs.


    A long table dominated the dining room, with seating enough for at least thirty people. Three chandeliers hung from a high ceiling, filling the space with a brilliant light. Another small bar ran along one side of the room, while the other was covered up by cabs and shelves filled with fine dishes and silverware in dozens of different stylings. It was clearly a valuable collection, and likely something Lenora took great pride in, a fact I filed away for our conversations.


    The table was already set, and Lenora led me to the far end, gesturing for me to take the seat just left of the head of the table, where Highlord Denoir sat a momentter. Lenora sat across from me, with Caera to my left, and Lauden across from her next to his mother. It was a position of honor, to be sat at the left hand of the highlord, which I assumed was normally reserved for his son.


    Lenora continued to chat away while hors d''oeuvres were served, and I grinned andughed freely between bites of spiced figs topped with crisp bits of meat. The conversation shifted to Corbett over an appetizer of stuffed mushrooms, but he avoided any serious topics, expressing interest in my ss at the academy and telling me about his interest in literature as he subtly bragged about the Denoirs'' donations to the Central Academy library. Caera kept a cool kind of silence, not interjecting in the conversation unless she was addressed directly.


    It wasn''t until the sd arrived that the conversation shifted into something more serious.


    "So, Grey," Corbett began, stabbing his fork into his bowl, "I was hoping to learn more about your blood. It''s no mean feat, securing a position at Central Academy. It speaks highly of your blood''s connections."


    I gave the man a wide smile and shrugged nonchntly. "I''m sorry to disappoint, but there is no mystery to uncover, whatever rumors might be flying around. My parents are from a remote vige, and they were both simple people. My father was killed in the war," I said passively, my voice devoid of emotion. "After the war was over, I turned to the Relictombs and became an ascender instead, trying to take care of my mother and sister."


    Corbett listened as if he only half believed me, but Lenora''s hand had moved to cover her mouth. "Too many were lost fighting those savages in Dicathen."


    Lauden grunted unhappily, turning away from the conversation and taking a long drink from his ss.


    Seeing an opportunity to take the reins of the conversation, I said, "Indeed, far too many, especially in¡­what was it called? Dicathen''s magic forests?"


    "Elenoir," Lauden answered, staring down into his drink, his expression sour.


    "That''s it," I said, rapping my knuckles on the wooden table. "Poor souls. Although, from what Caera has told me, Highblood Denoir didn''t have a presence there."


    Corbett and Lenora exchanged a quick nce. "No," Corbett answered after a moment. "I recognized that we already had everything we needed in crya. Maintaining a hold in such a far offnd, and still full of turmoil, seemed an unnecessaryplication."


    "A fortuitous decision. Many others weren''t so wise." I turned to Lauden. "You lost people in Elenoir?"


    He tipped back his ss, finishing off his drink in one gulp. "A lot of those who went to Elenoir to set up the holds were blood-heirs, or second sons. I knew many of them. Some entire bloods¡ªthose who dedicated the most to this effort¡ªwere wiped out, depriving crya of many powerful voices and ending many potent bloodlines. And what did we aplish¡ª"


    "Lauden," Corbett chastised, giving his son a subtle shake of his head. "This isn''t the time for such a conversation. Grey, I hope you''ll retire with me to my study after dinner? A good fire and a Sovereigns Quarrel board make for a better backdrop to politics than the dining room, wouldn''t you agree?"


    Although disappointed¡ªI wanted to delve more into this tension Lauden disyed, to see how deep it ran¡ªI only nodded politely, and the conversation turned back to more mundane matters for the remainder of dinner.


    After we''d eaten as much roasted meat and fruit tarts as was polite¡ªleaving thest bite on our tes to show that we''d been well fed and weren''t gluttonous¡ªthe table was cleared and Lenora whisked Caera away.


    Lauden leaned back in his chair and gave me a curious look. "Your star seems to be rising fast, Grey," he said with just a hint of a slur after several sses of strong amber liquor. "Best of luck at the Victoriad. It is the ce to cement your position amongst the nobility¡ªor to see yourself fall with all speed back to the ground."


    "See to your mother and sister before retiring," Corbett said firmly, leveling a steady gaze at his son. He held out a hand to a side door out of the dining room. "Grey?"


    Wordlessly, I followed Corbett through the house and up into an office. I''d known people whose entire homes would have fit into the two-story study, and there were as many books as the Aramoor City library. The fire was already burning.


    "Have a seat," Corbett said, gesturing to a very fine leather chair resting to one side of a carved marble table, which had a game board etched into the surface and pieces alreadyid out. "I assume you y?"


    I nodded, then gave a helpless sort of shrug. "I should say I have yed. Caera enjoys reminding me that she has benefited from significantly more practice and training than I have."


    Corbett''s expression didn''t change as he poured us both yet another drink and took the seat opposite me. I took a sip from the offered ss. It burned going down, but settled warm and heavy into my stomach. Some of my surprise must have slipped through onto my face because Corbett''s lips twitched in a bare smile.


    "Dragon''s Breath," he announced. "I''m not surprised you''ve never had it. It''s made with a rare spice that only grows along the banks of the Redwater near Aensgar. The warriors of Vechor will often drink it before a battle."


    "And is that what this is?" I asked, resting my ss on the edge of the board. "A battle?"


    The brief glint of a humorless smile returned. "That depends on your skill."


    He gave me the first move, and I started the game conservatively, moving a shield up the middle of the game board. "Have the events in Elenoir soured the highbloods'' taste for this war?" I asked conversationally, although I watched Corbett''s face carefully.


    He responded more aggressively than I''d expected, drawing a caster along the edge of the board. It was the same opening maneuver Caera often used. "My son is headstrong, and has reason to be frustrated. Several of our friends and allies were lost in the asuras'' attack."


    "Although, to be fair, many more Dicathian lives must have been lost in the attack than those of cryans," I pointed out, continuing to inch forward with my shields.


    "All the more reason they should embrace the High Sovereign," he grunted, his eye on the game. Still, there was something in the lines around his eyes and in his stiff posture that told me he found the topic of Elenoir and all those deaths ufortable.


    "Perhaps," I replied, pretending to think about my next move as I took another drink of the fiery liquor. "And yet, I can''t help but wonder¡­if it meant avoiding further conflict between the asura, would it be worth giving up Dicathen?"


    He frowned deeply, which highlighted his wrinkles and made him look about a decade older. "You mean withdraw the forces there and abandon the continent?" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That is a risky proposition. The blow to morale¡ª"


    "Let me phrase it another way," I said, dragging a striker across the board to take out his caster. "If the cost of the war¡ªthe cost in highblood lives¡ªhad been made clear up front, would they still have supported it?"


    We yed a couple moves in thoughtful silence, although Corbett''s eyes kept flicking away from the board to me. After a minute or two, he said, "It ismon for the lesser bloods to overestimate the power and authority of the highbloods."


    I bit back an eager smile at his slip. "Surely if a majority of the highbloods spoke together as one, the Sovereigns¡ª"


    "You have climbed far, and too quickly," Corbett said, taking his hands away from the board and leaning back in his chair. "It is evident in the way you speak, like you have no experience with the higher levels of politics in crya. You should be careful, Grey. The wrong word in the wrong ear can get you killed."


    As if to emphasize his point, he took a striker through a gap in my shields and killed one of my casters. It left the striker piece open to a counterattack, but it weakened the inner circle of defense around my sentry. "Rushing in, being bold¡­that is what those bloods who died in Elenoir did. And now many of them are less than the lowest unnamed."


    When I responded by killing the striker, I noticed Corbett''s knuckles were white as he picked the piece up, squeezing it between his fingers as if he could crush the carved stone to dust.


    "Why encourage such heavy investment in Elenoir if there was still such risk?" I asked, my tone innocent and unassuming.


    Corbett set the piece down with a sharp clink and met my eye. "Perhaps the Sovereigns didn''t think the asura had it in them to break the treaty¡­" But the truth was there, gleaming like a fire in his eyes. He didn''t believe that the Vritra¡ªdeities themselves¡ªcould be caught so off guard. Which meant¡­


    "You think it was a trap," I said tly, a statement of fact. "Bait, to make the asuras break the treaty."


    Corbett tensed. "You are aware of the rtionship between Caera and the Denoirs, correct?"


    I nodded.


    "Did you know that, should we fail in our duty to the Vritra and to Caera, Highblood Denoir could be stripped of all titles andnds? Lenora and I could be executed."


    Again, I nodded in response.


    "We are one of the most influential highbloods in the central dominion, even in all of crya," he said, although there was no smugness in the statement. "And yet, a misstep would mean our sudden and violent end. We do not serve kings or queens, as the Dicathians do. Our lords are gods themselves, and we are all subject entirely to their will, from the lowest unnamed to the wealthiest highblood. You would do well not to forget this fact, Grey. Do not think yourself untouchable because you have found some sess."


    Pondering this, I made a series of quick moves to end the game. Although I felt certain I could have ended it in a true win, taking my sentry across the board to Corbett''s hold, my taste and patience for the game had faded. Besides, I doubted I would gain anything else from Corbett or his family that evening.


    When my caster finally killed his sentry, he gave a resigned sigh and held his ss up to me. "Tell me, Grey, is it generally after you''ve beaten her that Caera reminds you of her tutoring in this game?"


    I let a genuine smile show through the stoic calmness that I''d kept up for most of our conversation. "How''d you guess?"


    As soon as we returned to the ground level, Caera took me by the arm. "Grey, I''m afraid we really should be going. Plenty to do still in preparation for the Victoriad."


    "You''re right, of course. Highlord Denoir and I¡ª"


    "Please, call me Corbett," he said, his tone shifting noticeably toward something approaching friendliness. He patted me on the shoulder and said, "I enjoyed our game, although I''m afraid you distracted me with conversation¡ªby design, I imagine," he said, giving me a sharp look. "You owe me a rematch, which of course means you and Caera will have to return for dinner at ater date."


    Caera was watching her adoptive father with unsuppressed surprise, and even Lenora seemed taken aback for a moment before sliding her arm around around the highlord. "If anything, I''d say you owe it to us for keeping us waiting so long!" Lenora and Corbett both shared a smallugh.


    I gave them another bow, slightly deeper than before. "Thank you, both for the fine food and stimting conversation."


    Caera looked at me like a third eye had just grown in my forehead. "Okay then, we''ll see ourselves out, so¡­bye."


    With that, the Denoirs bid us farewell, with Lady Lenora seeing us to the door herself while Nessa stood by. Caera gave a perfunctory farewell before leading us quickly away from the estate and out to the street where we could g down a carriage to return us to the academy grounds.


    "What in the name of the Vritra did you do to Corbett?" she said once we were well away from the doors.


    "What?" I asked innocently, my mind already at work sorting through everything Corbett had told me.


    "I swear, you''re like a handsome, mysterious onion," she said wryly. "Every challenge that we face together reveals yet anotheryer to you. How exactly does a self-proimed nobody from the outskirts of Sehz-r learn to rub elbows with highbloods like you?" Before I could answer, she kept going. "No, never mind. Honestly, I don''t want to know."


    Iughed quietly as I threw the white cloak Kayden had given me around my shoulders. "I''ve had reason to learn many skills. A dining room can be just as deadly as any battlefield."


    "And your tongue is sharp as a sword," she scoffed as a carriage pulled by a bright orange lizard stopped for us.


    ***


    ck void.


    Just that, nothing more.


    What am I missing? I asked myself as I swam through the keystone realm. There is something here. I''ve felt it.


    The real problem was context. Djinn had handed down their knowledge in an esoteric way designed to spark insight, not to allow for memorization or the building of a skill. They likely had an instinctive understanding of their own teaching methods, much the same way that I had been able to read encyclopedias and tomes on magic when I was first born in this world. The Dicathian method for teaching and learning operated on the same principles as those of Earth. But the djinn''s keystones did not.


    And yet I had gained insight into Aroa''s Requiem from the first keystone¡ª


    An idea struck me, sending my heart racing. I withdrew from the keystone and held up the ck cube. If it was damaged somehow, perhaps¡­


    The golden rune red to life on my back, glowing through my shirt, and amethyst motes of energy danced and jumped along my arm, flowing to the keystone until they swarmed over it like purple fireflies.


    But they didn''t appear to be doing anything.


    There were no cracks to flow into, no damage to repair. More frustrating still, I didn''t know if the godrune wasn''t working because there was nothing to fix or because it couldn''t repair the damage¡ªlike the exit portal in Three Steps'' zone.


    Cursing my iplete insight into the godrune, I released it, and the motes flickered and faded away.


    Several minutester, I was still sitting there staring at the ck cube when my office door opened suddenly, and En marched in and seated herself in the chair on the other side of my desk.


    "By all means,e in," I said, setting the heavy cube on my desk and looking at the precocious young woman. She was ring down at her hands, which were clenched together in herp. My voice softened slightly as I continued. "You weren''t in ss after the bestowal. Did you receive such a powerful rune that they''ve allowed you to skip the rest of your schooling?"


    She rubbed at her face thenbed her fingers through her short golden hair. "No. My blood matron recalled me to our estate for a couple days," she said stiffly. "To discuss my future."


    When did I be a teen counselor? I nearly said the words aloud, but bit my tongue.


    "I received a regalia," she said, her voice gravelly with restrained emotion. "The only one in the academy to do so during this ceremony, even among the older students."


    I let out a low whistle. "That''s serious."


    With huff, En stood suddenly, nearly knocking over the chair, then winced and set it back in ce. She stood behind it, her hands clenching the back. "My blood has already arranged a posting for me in Dicathen after this season. I should have another two and a half years of academy, but they are moving me around like a piece on a Sovereigns Quarrel board, using my regalia to elevate our highblood."


    "And putting you front and center if this conflict with the asura esctes further," I pointed out carefully. I considered saying more, offering her advice or a calming word, but I couldn''t bring myself tofort her; she was being sent across the sea to help keep my friends and family in check.


    En turned her chin up proudly. "I''m not afraid to go or anything. I''m a warrior. But¡­" She swallowed heavily. "Is it really even a war, if we''re battling asura? It seems more like an extermination to me. Regalia or not, how can regr soldiers make a difference in such a conflict?"


    They can''t, I wanted to say. Aldir had burned an entire nation like Elenoir had been built on the head of a matchstick.


    "My¡­" She paused and slipped around the chair, taking her seat again. "My brother was killed in Dicathen. In the early days, one of our first assaults. The same battle in which Jagrette, the Truacian retainer was killed." She smiled bitterly, looking past me instead of meeting my eye. "I remember because they announced it like dying alongside a retainer was some kind of honor."


    I couldn''t help but wince. I had fought and killed the poison witch Jagrette in a swamp near Slore, and a sudden realization hit me. While I was busy being angry about what these students'' families had done, I hadn''t even stopped to consider the fact that I could have killed their rtives in battle.


    "You must hate the Dicathians," I said, feeling somewhat guilty for my deception.


    "No," she said immediately, her answer firm. "My brother died in honest battle. War is war. They were our opponent. Although I''ll miss him, my brother was lucky to have such a war to fight in."


    En fell silent, and I knew what she was thinking.


    "But fighting asuras¡­" I probed.


    "I want to be a soldier, or maybe a powerful ascender." She crossed her arms and sagged back into the chair. "But I do not wish to be tossed away or burned up as kindling in a battle between greater beings." Her eyes locked onto mine, then, like she was daring me to argue with her.


    Resting my elbows on the desk, I sighed. My gaze drifted to the keystone, and En''s followed. "Any one soldier can change the course of a battle," I stated. "The strongest warrior can fall unexpectedly, while the weakest and most cowardly might stumble ass-backwards into victory." I picked the keystone up and turned it over in my hand, recalling the djinn projection''s words. "But your path is your own, and only you can walk it. You might choose to give up your life, if necessary, but no one gets to throw your life away like it means nothing."


    En tensed, her jaw visibly tightening as her eyes bore into me. "Do you really believe that?"


    I smiled and knocked the cube lightly against the desktop, breaking the tension. "With every fiber of my being."


    She gave me a single sharp nod, then looked again at the keystone. "What is that?"


    "Oh, this old thing?" I said, flipping it in the air and catching it again. "It''s just a tool to help me meditate and channel my¡­mana."


    As I stumbled over the word, very nearly saying aether instead, my mind connected two points of data I hadn''t previously considered. Both times I saw the ck-on-ck movement within the keystone, it was when someone had approached me, interrupting my meditation. I had thought it was just bad luck, with the interruptionsing at exactly the wrong time, but what if¡­


    "Here, let me show you how it works," I said quickly, channeling aether into the keystone.


    My mind rushed into the darkness. It was alive with movement. All around me, subtle streams of inky ck writhed and ran like oil over water.


    The keystone reacted to the presence of mana. Which exined why I couldn''t sense anything within.


    Like a blind man trying to navigate abyrinth, I thought, alive with sudden motivation in the face of such a challenge.


    I would find the insight stored within, and take one step closer to discovering the edict of Fate.

 Chapter 365

    <h4>Chapter 365</h4>


    Valen''s fist snapped out in a sharp jab at Seth''s nose. Instead of stumbling away as he once would have, the thin boy moved into the blow, sapping it of any strength. His knee came up into Valen''s ribs, but Valen blocked with a palm before leaning forward and throwing his shoulder into Seth''s chest, sending him reeling backwards.


    A spinning sweep at Seth''s legs¡ªalready poorly positioned for bnce¡ªsent Seth crashing hard to the mat.


    "Well done you two," Aphene was saying, and I turned my attention back to the papers in front of me with a sigh.


    Each attending professor had been provided with documents exining the Victoriad. Due to the nature of the event, adherence to tradition and protocol was of extreme importance, and so the information provided was thorough to the point of tedium. I knew it was necessary tomit this to memory, but my mind kept wandering back to my own ns for the event.


    I was stronger now than I had been as a white core Lance, even if I''d lost some of the weapons in my arsenal. Still, I wanted to use this event to gauge my strength against that of my enemies¡ªwithout giving away my identity if at all possible.


    With the reputation that I''d built here as both a professor and ascender, I wanted to test my strength¡ªif not against a Scythe, then at least against a retainer. Both Caera and Kayden mentioned that it was umon for even retainers to receive a challenge, but after reading this document, it became increasingly clear just how rare it was.


    Nevermind challenging a Scythe, even requesting a duel from a retainer required the consent of their Scythe beforehand. Caera had mentioned that since there were two open retainer positions this time, people spected there would be many more prospects than normal.


    And since both Scythes and retainers could refuse a challenger if they found such a contest to be beneath them, it would be difficult for me to even fight against a retainer.


    Worst case, if none of the retainers epted my challenge, I''d have to watch the duels from afar.


    Normally, this is where Regis would have interjected with some blunt but annoyingly urate assessment of this situation, but no such response came.


    It was quiet in my head without the sardonic ming wolf. Although I could still feel him, connected to me by a thin thread that stretched high up the slope of the closest mountain range, his thoughts were shielded from me, his focus entirely on himself. But brief pulses of excitement or frustration that weren''t my own red up asionally, and I knew he was growing. I could sense his strength.


    I had gotten used to having my mind to myself, but that didn''t mean it was peaceful. I had forgotten how much my brain spun without Regis to cut me short.


    Realizing I hadpletely lost the thread of what I had been reading, I set down the parchment to watch the next training bout.


    Aphene had brought two more students up to spar while Briar led the rest of the ss in a series of exercises. Marcus and Sloane were exchanging a brutal series of punches and kicks as the ssroom doors opened and several armored men stepped inside.


    Sloane saw them first and missed a block, taking an elbow into his chin thatid him out t. This drew the rest of the ss''s attention, and the students burst into a round of surprised chatter. Briar and Aphene were quick to stamp it out, their eyes turning questioningly in my direction.


    "Can I help you?" I said, standing from my seat at the training tform control panel and ascending halfway up the stairs toward the intruders. "We''re in the middle of ss."


    A familiar figure strode forward, scratching his trimmed beard and giving me an awkward smile. "Sorry, Grey, but I''m afraid you''re going to have toe with us."


    I scowled at Su, head of the Ascenders Association in Cargidan. "Can this wait until¡ª"


    "I''m afraid not," he said firmly.


    My mind began to race as I considered what they could be there for.


    Su''s grim expression made it clear his visit wasn''t social in nature. But since this was the Ascenders Association and not academy guards or localw enforcement, I wasn''t sure what the issue could be. If my identity had beenpromised¡ªa possibility I was always conscious of¡ªthen it would have been Nico or Cadell knocking down my door.


    So what, then?


    I turned and met Briar''s eye. "You and Aphene finish ss. I won''t be gone long."


    Ascending the stairs, I watched the group''s hands and eyes for any sign they were prepared to attack. The men were tense and watchful, maybe even a little nervous, but I also sensed a mutinous kind of frustration in their matching frowns. "Sorry about this," one of them muttered, quieting immediately when Su shot him a warning re.


    The head ascender himself had the stiff, awkward look of a man doing something against his will. Whatever was going on, these ascenders weren''t thrilled about it.


    And so I didn''t resist, but let them march me out of the building and across campus. They took up positions around me, but no one drew a weapon or prepared any spells¡ªat least that I could detect. Most of the students were in ss, but we still passed many dozens of people on our way out of campus, and I could already sense my name at the heart of a hundred whispered conversations behind me.


    Thankfully, the Ascenders Association Hall was close by.


    I followed Su up into his office, which overlooked the building''s main floor. The other ascenders posted up outside the doors, which Su closed behind us.


    I took a seat without being invited to do so, then waited. Su picked up a leather satchel from behind his desk, watching me carefully. Then, with a sudden surge of frustrated anger, he mmed the satchel on his desk and slumped into his chair.


    "Damn it, Grey, do you even understand how close to death you''vee?"


    I turned my head slightly to the side and made a show of looking around the office. "I don''t seem to have a knife to my neck, so no, I really don''t."


    Su gave a humorless scoff. "It seems unlikely you worry about little things like knives." Grabbing the bottom of the satchel, he upended it, spilling a stack of parchment out across his desk. "Do you know what these are?"


    Still watching Su, I picked up a loose page that had fluttered across the desk toward me. It contained a bracket with each of my own students paired up against an unfamiliar name. The Victoriad tournament, I realized.


    "I don''t understand the problem," I said, feigning nonchnce and tossing the page back into the pile on Su''s desk.


    His left eye twitched. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Then please allow me to educate you, Professor." He had to take a moment before continuing, during which he riffled through the pages. When he found what he was looking for, he held it up for me to see. "This is a report on the Victoriadbatants from Bloodrock Academy in Vechor¡ªor at least, those who will bepeting specifically in the non-magical, unarmed duels." He set it down hard and picked up another page. "This provides some very specific details on one of Bloodrock''s top fighters. Lists of runes, type of mage, preferedbat styles¡­Vritra''s horns, Grey, it even names which members of her blood could be threatened or bribed to influence her performance."


    He proceeded to go through a handful more pages, which all contained simr details regarding other top performing fighters from a variety of academies.


    "Great, this seems like some very thorough research," I said finally, interrupting him as he started exining yet another page. "But what does it have to do with me? This stuff isn''t mine."


    Su sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Then why has a reliable witnesse forward and asserted that you are attempting to cheat in the Victoriad, using these documents as proof."


    I stared at the pile of papers for a moment, then let out a surprisedugh. "You''re kidding, right?"


    Su sat back in his chair and stared at me like a horn had sprouted from the middle of my forehead. "Do you deny that you are leading an effort to give your students unfair advantage in the Victoriad?"


    "If my students have an advantage, it''ll be because they''ve worked for it, not because I bullied some teenage girl''s mom," I snapped, irritated to have been bothered with this nonsense. "No, I really do have more important things to do¡ª"


    Su ced both hands on his desk, knocking a few pieces of parment to the floor, and leaned toward me. "Then someone is trying to get you killed, Grey."


    I eyed the veteran ascender curiously, waiting for him to continue.


    "Cheating at, tampering with, or otherwise disrupting the events of the Victoriad will result in your execution as part of the Victoriad ''entertainment''," he proimed ominously. "So if you didn''t order all this information collected¡ªinformation which makes it clear you intend to threaten harm to several members of important highbloods¡ªthen someone else did, and purely to get you used of a crime that could end your life."


    I was listening more seriously now, but something about what Su was saying didn''t make sense. "You said you had a witness? Someone who imed they were working with me or for me or something?"


    He squinted thoughtfully before replying. "Yes. They came to us of their own ord, iming they were forced to make several contacts between you and academy staff all over crya. When they intercepted this satchel of documents¡ªsupposedly intended for you¡ªthey realized what you were up to and feltpelled to turn in the evidence."


    Su paused. "You should know, a handful of people are corroborating this statement, confirming that they received threatening letters from you to provide all this." He gestured at the papers. "The best case scenario is that you are banned from attending the Victoriad. The worse, well, I''ve already told you."


    Even from the moment Su and his enforcers had arrived in my ssroom, he had seemed ufortable. Now the reason was clear. "Why are you so certain I didn''t do it?"


    He scoffed again. "Anyone who''d actually met you would know you wouldn''t need to cheat. I''ve heard about your students'' bestowals, too. No, this smelled like a setup from the beginning."


    Nodding, I rested my elbows on my knees and leaned forward. "Then tell me who the ''witness'' is."


    Su hesitated, looking ufortable. "I could¡ªbut if you kill him, this will be out of my hands. Right now, it''s only been reported to the Ascenders Association. If Central Academy or any of these highbloods get involved¡­"


    "I won''t kill him, but I will figure out¡ª"


    I was interrupted by a device on Su''s desk lighting up and beginning to hum softly.


    He stared at it like it was a demon leech for several seconds, then reached out and touched it.


    A familiar voice boomed out of the device: "This is Corbett of Highblood Denoir, contacting Su of Blood Drusus. Su?"


    The dark-haired ascender''s eyes went wide at the mention of Corbett''s name, and he looked at me with something akin to panic. "Y-yes, Highlord Denoir, this is¡ª"


    "You''ve just apprehended a Central Academy professor named Grey. The foolish charges against him are false, and I have information that will help to prove it." Corbett''s voice echoed with a slight distortion from themunication artifact, but it still effectively conveyed the weight of his authority. "I demand he be released immediately."


    I couldn''t help the surprised smirk that crept onto my face listening to the highlord speak. Though he maintained a noble air, there was a subtle threat to his words as well.


    Did Caera put him up to this? I asked myself. Or did our conversation make more of an impression than I thought¡­


    Su quickly regained hisposure. Although the Denoirs must have outranked Blood Drusus by several times over, he didn''t seem like a man to be cowed by the nobility. "You say you have information pertinent to this investigation?" he asked, his tone all business.


    "The Granbehls are behind it," Corbett said firmly. "They''ve made false ims against Grey before, and they are at it again. I believe a thorough interrogation of Janusz of Blood Graeme, currently a professor at Center Academy, will reveal that he was paid¡ªand very well¡ªto deliver false evidence against Grey. Now, confirm that Grey will be released immediately, or I will be forced to personally visit the Ascenders Association."


    Su glowered at themunication artifact, his face reddening slightly. "There will be no need for that, Highlord Denoir. I am equally assured of Grey''s innocence, and will not be charging him. He is here with me now, as a matter of fact, to discuss how best to deal with this situation."


    "Oh," Corbett said, his noble mannerisms slipping for just an instant. "Very well then. I''ve heard good things about your fairness and wisdom, and it seems these rumors are not unfounded. Grey, meet me at Goldeberry''s Throne on High Street in two hours. Good day then."


    "Good day, Highlord¡­" Su said, his expression caught somewhere between frustration and relief.


    When the artifact dimmed, his attention turned back to me. "So, you really do have friends in high ces¡­"


    "A recent acquaintance," I said with a shrug. "So, Professor Graeme¡­"


    Su winced. "Like I said¡ª"


    "Oh, don''t worry. I won''t kill him." Standing, I gave him a questioning look. "Am I free to leave?"


    "For the moment, yes," he said with a humorless smile. "But this situation will need to be dealt with, Grey."


    I nodded, a certain drunk uncleing to mind. "Then could you get in contact with someone for me?"


    ***


    Two hourster, I was walking briskly along High Street, home to many ostentatious businesses that catered to the highbloods.


    Various scenarios whirled in my mind like clips from different movies as I thought about what I had learned. If what Professor Graeme had so kindly informed me was true, then it changed everything.


    My thoughts were interrupted as I was forced to step out of the way for a pair of young highbloods walking side by side down the middle of the path, but before I could spare them a second thought, I was brought up short by the sight of the ce I was supposed to be meeting Corbett, a highblood cafe named Goldberry''s Throne.


    The building looked more like a temple than a cafe. Gold-capped marble pirs wrapped around an open air gallery at the front of the building and around one side, and the carved entatures that rested atop the pirs gleamed with iid gold and a dozen colors of gemstones, making the roof glitter like a crown. Multi-colored mes rose from ever-burning braziers affixed to the pirs, giving the ce a distinct mystical quality and giving off a mixture of sweet scents that made my mouth water and stomach rumble.


    Several sets of eyes followed me as I entered the cafe, likely because my attire was not up to the standards at Goldberry''s. Inside, the warm aroma of coffee and freshly baked bread mixed with a dozen different colognes and perfumes to make the air ufortably heavy.


    A matronly woman dressed in ck with a maroon vest was working behind a short bar carved of some kind of opaque crystal. She dipped at her waist into a respectful bow as I approached, her expression wlessly masked aside from the quick twitch of her eyes as she scanned me from head to toe.


    "I''m here to meet Highlord Denoir," I said, feeling the attention of a handful of the cafe''s patrons turn in my direction. "Has he arrived yet?"


    The woman motioned to her right, her gaze still lowered. "Highlord Denoir''s private room is located around the corner there, third door."


    I nodded and turned my back on her, just catching it as the patrons¡ªmany of whom had been staring at my back only a second before¡ªlooked away and pretended to mind their own business.


    The indicated door was cracked, and swung slowly open when I knocked lightly on it. Corbett looked up from a leatherbound journal full of cramped writing. "Close the door behind you," he said as he stashed the journal.


    I did, and a series of wards that ran along the edge of the door lit up briefly. "Sound proofing?" I mused aloud.


    "Among other things. Goldberry''s is not sessful with the highbloods simply for the pretentious decor," he said, gesturing to a seat across from him.


    The room wasn''trge, but it''s high ceiling gave it a sense of grandeur. A low table made of some dark wood and engraved with a realistic depiction of the Basilisk Fang Mountains took up the center, with a wraparound couch on one side and two lounge chairs on the other. I sat in one of these, sinking into the soft cushioning.


    A low fire burned in a small firece in the corner behind me, and a window let in diffused light behind Corbett. I frowned at the window, unsure why it seemed so out of ce, then realized there couldn''t be a window in this room, which was in the center of the cafe with no outside-facing walls. Looking more closely, I realized it was a pane-shaped light artifact that acted as a faux window.


    "Nice ce," Imented.


    "Good for thinking, or having a conversation that should not be overheard," he said meaningfully. "Were you able to locate Professor Graeme?"


    "Graeme is still alive, though I can''t say the same for his dignity," I answered nonchntly. "But that''s beside the point."


    The highlord nodded. "I figured as much, which is why I wished for us to meet here."


    "I need to know what kind of retaliation I can get away with," I said without preamble. "What kind of trouble could I be in if I go after the Granbehls?"


    He eyed me critically, clearly weighing his words. "Well, if you were a highblood¡ªor even a named blood equal to the Granbehls in stature¡ªyou would be entirely within your right to strike back." He put on a knowing smile. "But as an unblooded, you are without recourse outside of the court, and you already know well how just the halls of justice truly are."


    A ''feature'' implemented by highbloods like yourself, I wanted to say.


    "The Granbehls understand and manipte the system like a true highblood," he continued. "They haveunched an all out assault on several rival named bloods, but so far have not crossed any lines that would see them stripped of their titles or executed¡ªat least not in broad daylight. Their enemies seem to die under suspicious and convenient circumstances, including a recent fire that killed both the lord anddy of Named Blood Rothkeller."


    "Why do you think these rivals haven''t struck back?"


    Corbett tapped the side of his nose. "That is the question, isn''t it? But not every questiones with an answer. In this case, I have only spection based on rumor. However, it appears that they have somehow acquired the patronage of a powerful benefactor, someone whose protection has allowed them to maneuver more or less uninhibited."


    When a person like Corbett Denoir called someone powerful, it really shortened the list of suspects. Only another ranking highblood could offer that kind of protection¡ªor even someone above the normal constructs of cryan society, like a Scythe.


    "That doesn''t change what I need to do," I replied, my expression hidden from Corbett.


    "Do you have some n in mind, then?" he asked. His hand moved to the couch cushion beside him, and I noticed a velvet bag that was half hidden in his shadow.


    My lips twitched. "Yes, but it''s not very subtle."


    "I thought as much," he said, lifting the bag and reaching inside it. He pulled out a metal emblem and set it on the table between us.


    The ck metal was stained, and when I bent down over it I realized it had been scorched by fire. The emblem itself appeared to be a grapevine set before a rising sun, once brightly colored but now ckened and robbed of the small details.


    "Named Blood Rothkeller?" I asked.


    Corbett nodded. "If one of the few remaining members of that blood sought retribution for the burning of their estate¡ª"


    "No one would bat an eye," I finished, lifting the emblem and turning it over in my hand. With my thumb, I rubbed the soot off the sun, revealing a cracked and faded red coloring. "Would the Rothkeller blood be likely to deny it?"


    Corbetts eyes gleamed with cold calction. "If their emblem was nted like a g of victory in the wreckage of their enemy''s estate? What would you do in their ce?"


    "Fair point," I conceded before putting the emblem back down on the table. "My only question is why are you willing to do all of this for me?"


    They gained nothing from helping me aside from my ownpliance in the future, but if things went poorly with the Denoirs, I couldn''t exactly kill them all, considering their rtion to Caera. Allowing Corbett to have such a dangerous secret was certainly a problem, but with no proof, it would only be his word against mine.


    "Curiosity? Intrigue?" Corbett mused. "You''re a man with manyyers, Grey. And these circumstances allow me to uncover some of them."


    "Well, whatever I choose to do, I wouldn''t have been able to do it without your help," I said, holding the emblem like I was making a toast. "So here''s to asting bond built from mutually assured destruction, Corbett."


    The highlord sat up a little straighter, but a smile slipped through his guarded demeanor. "Of course. After all, there is still this mysterious benefactor to be concerned about."


    My thoughts cycled through everything Professor Graeme had told me yet again, but I didn''t confirm anything else with Corbett. Instead, I asked, "Is it possible whoever is backing the Granbehls would go after the remaining Rothkellers?"


    He nodded, his expression unchanged. "Entirely, but even if they die, they would do so with pride knowing that their blood has been avenged. You offer their blood redemption, while avoiding any personal entanglement, legal or otherwise."


    I didn''t agree with the highblood view on pride over life, but empathizing wasn''t hard. In the face of gods as rulers, sometimes, pride was the only thing left in their control.


    With a n in ce and all of the pieces in my head nowing together, I bid him farewell and made my way out onto High Street.


    A frigid smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I stretched my neck. Regis, get back here. It''s time for a little reunion with the Granbehls.

 Chapter 366

    <h4>Chapter 366</h4>


    "Oh, I nearly forgot to mention," my wife said from across the dinner table. Smiling happily, she set down the skewered chunk of pink meat she had been about to bite into. "The Vale blood has agreed to our terms. A messenger arrived only an hour ago with their letter."


    I finished chewing and reached down with my fork and knife to cut another piece. "Yes, I thought seeing what happened to the Rothkeller blood might set a fire under the Vales¡­"


    Karin''s cool eyes darted to Ada, but the girl was paying us no mind as she stirred her food around her te mindlessly.


    "Anyway," Karin continued, her eyes widening slightly as if to remind me, like I would need a reminder of our agreement.


    My grip tightened around my utensils as I sawed deeper into the scorched white-tailed sambar. Ada is too frail, too weak to suffer the knowledge of our actions.


    I thought of Kalon and Ezra. My eldest was too proud and self-righteous to have understood what we did now, but had he survived, perhaps such extreme actions wouldn''t have been necessary. Ezra though, he was the child who most took after me.


    With my appetite leaving me, I pushed my unfinished te away.


    If only Ezra had survived instead, I thought bitterly, casting a dour nce at my scarecrow of a daughter.


    "And I''ve sent out feelers to some likely highblood candidates regarding our proposal," she went on. As she spoke, she reached over and began to cut up Ada''s food, even lifting bites to the girl''s mouth.


    "Karin, let the girl feed herself, she''s¡ª"


    She shot me a fierce re, and I relented, biting back my words.


    Her and her obsessive doting.


    I watched as Karin spoon-fed my daughter like she had no arms, yet I said no more. As difficult it was to admit, much of what we had aplished in this short time would have been impossible without my wife.


    She was cunning, charismatic, and ruthless. But she was also a mother that had lost two of her children. With Kalon and Ezra gone, Ada had be the woman''s entire world. While that had pushed her to lengths I would not previously have imagined possible, in her mind, it was all done for Ada.


    "Titus, are you listening?"


    "Of course," I said, searching my memory for her half-heard words. "Highbloods Lowe and Arbital. Both fine candidates for Ada."


    I pushed away from the table and a servant rushed in to collect my dishes and utensils. "I''m going to make my rounds, then perhaps we can retire together?"


    A knowing smile yed at the edge of my wife''s lips. "Of course, Lord Granbehl."


    "It''ll be Highlord soon," I said before marching out of the dining room and making my way outside.


    There was a salty sweetness to the warm breeze blowing from the west, from the sea. When the winds turned, they would bring bitter cold down from the distant mountains. And yet whichever way the wind blows, it is always at our backs. Even our defeats turn into victory.


    My failure to secure Ascender Grey''s holdings had been a dangerous time for Named Blood Granbehl. When the justices we''d bribed were executed in their cells, I had worried we might soon meet the same fate. With my heir deceased, our entire blood rested on a sword''s edge, and any wrong move could spell our end. But fate, as it turned out, was kind.


    At least to us.


    The sun was just setting as I began my evening rounds to review the estate''s enhanced security. We had turned many rivals into bitter enemies, and in a rather short amount of time. Although they had so far been too cowardly to attack us directly¡ªthanks inrge part to the rumor of our benefactor''s involvement¡ªI had thoroughly prepared for such an eventuality anyway.


    Despite my good mood, I affixed a thunderous scowl to my face as I marched slowly past each group of mercenaries, guards, and ascenders I''d hired as security for our Vechor estate. They had to fear me if I expected them to stay in line, after all.


    As I passed by the main gates, my head of guards came out of the gatehouse and snapped to attention. "Lord Granbehl."


    "At ease, Henrik."


    The man bowed, then pulled a rolled parchment from the satchel at his side. "This arrived for you only a few minutes ago."


    I suppressed a victorious grin as I held up the rolled parchment, which was marked with the Central Academy seal. "Perfect. The grounds look in order, Henrik."


    The man¡ªloyal to a fault and dumb as two rocks, but good with the other guards¡ªbowed again and returned to his post.


    I, on the other hand, hurried inside, eager to read Professor Graeme''s report. I came up short when I noticed Petras lingering in the entryway. He flinched back at the sight of me.


    My lips curled into a sneer. "What are you doing up here? Stop lurking and return to your dungeon."


    Petral bowed deeply, his dark hair tumbling over his face like a greasy waterfall. "My apologies, Lord. I wished to tell you that thest of the prisoners has¡­expired, and the body has been taken away. The dungeons are empty, and¡ª"


    "Report received," I said, making a shooing motion with my hand. "Now leave me. You''re spoiling a rather long-awaited victory."


    The torturer slunk back into the shadows and vanished down the servants'' stairs, leaving behind a strong scent of oil. Shaking my head, I returned my attention to the scroll, ripping open the seal and unfurling it, a boyish grin spreading over my face.


    My grin darkened and I gnashed my teeth in frustration at the hastily-scribbled words in the letter. The fine parchment crumpled in my fist as I mmed it into the wall.


    "Ipetant fool. Perhaps I ced too much trust in Janusz for being a highblood."


    With our mutual distaste for Ascender Grey, it seemed obvious at the time to use Janusz, but that sorry excuse for a highblood couldn''t even keep Grey detained by the Ascenders Association for a day.


    My thoughts carefully skirted around my benefactor, who had left the details of this part of the n entirely up to me. If I failed to deliver¡­


    "Father?" I spun at the sound of Ada''s voice. "Is everything all right? You were muttering to yourself."


    Giving her a false smile, I quickly replied, "Nothing to worry about. Why aren''t you in your rooms? Study, and then go to bed. You know you need your rest."


    The girl''s simple, defeated shrug was so pathetic¡ªI didn''t know whether to hug her or p her across the face. With a heavy sigh, I ced a hand on her small shoulder. "Ada, it''s time to move past this. You''ve moped long enough. Now stand up straight and¡ª"


    I cocked my head, listening carefully. It had almost sounded like a¡ª


    Shouts from outside. A burst of spellfire.


    A red glow radiated through the front windows, staining the foyer walls and floor a bloody scarlet. A heartbeatter, the warning bells began to ring.


    "Ada, go down to the basement," I said, not looking at my daughter. She whimpered, hesitating, so I snapped, "Vritra''s Horns, girl, now!"


    I heard her quick steps recede, vanishing down the servants'' stairs the same way Petras had gone, but I wasn''t thinking about her any longer. Faltering steps took me to one of the front windows, where I confirmed that the estate''s shield had been activated, creating a red dome that covered my entire property.


    The courtyard shed with spells as bullets of fire, arcing bolts of lightning, and spears of ice cut through the early evening gloom. All I could see of their target was a shadow that seemed to flicker within a shroud of purple electricity, appearing and disappearing more quickly than I could follow.


    "A rival house?" I muttered, my knuckles grinding down into the windowsill. "But who would dare¡­?"


    My thoughts leapt unbidden to our benefactor, the source of our recent sesses¡­but surely it could not be him. He could not know about our misstep with Grey yet, and even if he did, we had time to correct the mistake, there was no need to¡ª


    I froze as a cold sweat began to pour down my face.


    Grey¡­


    I crushed the letter in my hand before tossing it to the floor. My face was nearly pressed against the ss as I looked for any sign that I was right.


    A bestial form shrouded in purple mes rushed past the window, causing me to gasp and step quickly back.


    Men were screaming all around the estate. Screaming and dying.


    The front doors¡ªwarded to magically lock when the estate''s shielding barrier activated¡ªshook under the weight of a heavy blow.


    A muffled voice was shouting and cursing incoherently¡ªHenrik, I realized, though I''d never heard such panic in his gravelly voice before¡ªthen cut off abruptly as a purple de of pure light thrust through the door with the cracking shriek of splintering hardwood.


    I stared at the de protruding into my home, not ten feet from me. It was like nothing I had seen before, like liquid crystal amethyst folded over on itself. The color shifted subtly but continuously, growing darker and more deeply purple, then brighter and more violent. For a heartbeat, I became lost in the otherworldly depths of that de.


    Then it vanished. Blood began to run in a thin stream from the hole in the door.


    I backed away slowly, already picturing what was about to happen. The wards shouldn''t allow it, but I knew they wouldn''t hold.


    The warded doors exploded inward, sending a shrapnel of sharp shards of wood and twisted ck iron spraying across the entry hall. A shield of bright blue fire roared to life in front of me, evaporating both wood and metal, and I heard the hurried footsteps of more guards running from the interior of the house.


    Through the distortion of the blue fire, I could see only a rough silhouette standing where my door had been, Henrik''s corpse at his feet.


    "Get me out of here," I snarled to the guards approaching from behind me. "And kill that unblooded cur!"


    A firm hand grabbed my shoulder and began pulling me away, the fire-shield moving with us. Two heavily-armored Strikers thudded past me, weapons zing and magical energy suffusing their armor. A spinning wheel of wind and me cut the air between them, aimed at the intruder, but he was no longer there.


    A choking gasp made me spin around. The Caster, one of my elite guards, was already tumbling to the ground, his body bisected at the waist. His legs crumpled to the floor while his torso fell backwards, a look of a surprise etched on his already-dead face.


    A dark silhouette flickered next to us,shing out at my protector. The Shield hurtled backwards with a screech, too quickly to adjust his spellcasting. His scream cut off as his own blue fire burned away the air in his lungs, and what hit the wall was no longer recognizable as a man.


    Both Strikers were staring around in confusion, trying to find their attacker, their weapons ready but useless when he appeared between them, the bright purple de blurring in the air as it passed through their weapons, armor, flesh, and bones like they were made of silk.


    Both men copsed, dead.


    The lingering aspect of the fire shield faded away as the Shield choked out onest, rasping breath.


    Grey simply stood there, staring at me, the red barrier defending my estate flickering pointlessly in the background.


    My fists clenched, my body shaking¡ªnot with fear, I told myself, but fury.


    "Y-you overstep," I said, my voice cracking. "The Granbehls are protected. We are being"¡ªI swallowed heavily, my mouth suddenly very dry¡ª"elevated. You have no station, no authority, while we are protected by a Scythe. Do you understand? You''ll die for this. You''ll¡ª"


    "You were told what would happen if you came after me again," he said, his voice devoid of emotion.


    I flinched back as a creature¡ªa huge wolf wreathed in ck and purple mes¡ªappeared in the doorway, stepping up beside him. "The backside is all clear."


    Trying to bolster my courage, I stood straighter and cleared my throat. "I am under the protection of Scythe Nico of Central Dominion. You dare attack me? He''ll¡ª"


    Grey took a step forward, and I backed away so quickly I nearly tripped over the dead Caster''s outstretched arm.


    "He''lle after me," he finished. "I know."


    The de zed in his hand, and his summoned wolf growled low in its throat.


    "No!"


    The yell hade from the top of the stairs.


    "Karin!" I shouted, time seeming to stop as I stared wide-eyed up at my wife. Her hair was wet and she was wrapped only in a sheer gown that clung to her body. She must have been in the bath, I realized distantly, my mind rushing to process information while my body remained frozen in ce.


    She should have run, escaped out one of the back entrances or down into the dungeon to hide, but instead she hade running to defend our blood''s home. And unlike me, she hadn''t frozen. Her hands came up and I sensed the swell of mana from her as wind began to dance between them.


    Damn it, woman, you need to¡ª


    The wind spell blew through the room like a hurricane, tearing portraits and tapestries from the walls and upending furniture. White cords of wind condensed around the ascender to form an ensnaring web, trapping him. I wished again that she would flee, but Karin tightened the web, mping down on Grey and pummeling him from several dozen different directions with her powerful emblem.


    I''d seen mages pulled apart by this spell as the gusts ripped and tore at them from every direction. My wife preferred to suppress her power in public, but she had never been shy about getting her hands dirty if it meant assuring the future of our blood. I would have felt a swell of pride in her spellwork, had Grey not simply stood there, the emblem-level Wind Web spell doing nothing more than mussing his hair¡­


    "No, Karin you¡ª"


    My words caught in my throat as I turned and met my wife''s eyes, already glossy with death. Behind her was Grey, his violet de sheathed in Karin''s blood.


    I opened my mouth, trying to say something¡ªsay anything¡ªbut I could only stare like a fish gulping for air as the light left my wife''s eyes.


    Then the spell was broken as her lifeless body tumbled forward, rolling grotesquely down the stairs tond at my feet.


    I fell to my knees next to her, dragging her limp form up into myp. My body was trembling, even the breath in my lungs seemed to shake, and I could do nothing but stare down at Karin''s corpse as the debris of her dying spell ttered to the ground around me.


    Heavy, awkward bootsteps broke the silence, and I saw Petras appear from the servants'' stairwell. Grey was standing at the top of the stairs, his distant gaze emotionless, unreadable.


    "Petras, kill him," I choked out around an icy fist of raw emotion that seemed to be crushing my throat.


    Grey started down the stairs, his brow raised in Petras''s direction. "It''s been a while, old friend."


    Petras, the gangly weasel, dropped his curved de to tter on the ground. He turned his back on me¡ªon me!¡ªand stole out through one of the many doors off the entry hall without a word.


    "Bastard," I muttered. To Grey, with as much venom as I could muster, I said, "Why couldn''t you just die?" I shuddered as a cold emptiness suffused me. "I thought, when Scythe Nico contacted us¡­" My fist mmed into the floor, and I felt the knuckle bones break. "It should have been easy." I red up at my killer. "So why couldn''t you just fucking die?"


    Grey approached wordlessly, a thunderous pressure exuding from him.


    I spit on the floor. "Do you think you can get away with this? You are the reason my sons are dead. You¡ª"


    The man scoffed as he slowly descended the stairs. The wolf was stalking toward me from the door, its mouth hanging open, a dark hunger gleaming in its bright eyes.


    "Even now, you try to use your family to justify your greed."


    "Who are you to assume my reasons?" I hissed, clutching my wife''s cold body tighter. "You are no god to know that, nor do you have any authority to judge me!"


    The ascender walked toward me, unhurried as tendrils of violet condensed to form a shimmering de. "You''re right, Granbehl. I''m no god, and I''m not a judge, either. I''m just here to keep my promise."


    Primal fear coursed through me like poison in my veins, but I refused to show this bastard any semnce of weakness. I jutted out my chin and chest so that the Granbehl insignia emzoned on my cor would stare right back at the unblooded. "Go to hell¡ª"


    I heard rather than felt the violet de slide into my chest. Raw coldness spread through me, seeping through every inch of my body as I slumped forward. The ground caught me as I stared up past my killer and at my home.


    Everything that we had worked for to rise above everyone else¡ªto be a highblood¡ªhad been for naught. Only Ada would remain as my legacy, the weakest of the Granbehls, a poor eulogy by which we would be remembered.


    My thoughts blurred, losing all shape and form.


    Then, the world went dark.


    ARTHUR


    The aetheric sword melted away as I released my hold on its form. Lord and Lady Granbehly at my feet, their corpses intertwined.


    "Well, that''s done," Regis sniffed, looking down at Titus Granbehl''s corpse before turning to me. "So¡­you want to grab some shawarma on the way back?"


    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath; the smell of scorched flesh hung heavy in the air. "Neither of us need to eat, and I''m pretty sure that dish doesn''t exist in this world."


    Regis opened his mouth, paused, then slowly lowered his head. "I mean, yeah, sure, I guess you''re technically right, but it seems appropriate." He wrinkled his nose. "Or maybe the smell is just making me hungry."


    "Regis," I said slowly, "these are the kinds of thoughts you really should keep to yourself."


    The sound of soft steps echoed nearby, drawing my eyes to a narrow alcove in one wall. The familiar young girl who crept out of the servants'' stairwell was even thinner and paler than thest time we had met.


    "Hello, Ada."


    Ada wiped a hand down her face, smearing dirt through half-dried tears. "You killed them." The words weren''t an usation, merely a statement. "I knew you would."


    "Maybe if your father had known¡­" I stepped away from her parents'' corpses. "It wouldn''t havee to this."


    She was so silent and pale, she could have been a ghost.


    I thought about just leaving, not wanting to burden the poor girl further, but I needed her. "Ada?"


    "Hm?" she mumbled, looking past me at the bodies. Although she stared, she made no move toe closer.


    I withdrew the Rothkeller emblem. Using a decorative spike protruding from the bottom, I drove the emblem into the banister of the main stairs leading up to the second floor, where it stuck up like a g of victory.


    Ada flinched from the noise, but made no other movement.


    "People are going to see this and assume the Rothkeller blood took retribution on your family. Do you understand?"


    She took a few tentative steps around so she could see the scorched symbol of her family''s rivals. "I''ll tell everyone I didn''t see anything¡ª"


    I shook my head. "No, not everyone."


    Ada tilted her head in confusion.


    "You''re going to tell the Scythe that wille find you the truth¡­" My eyes watched her for signs of understanding. "And that I''ll be waiting for him at the Victoriad."


    ***


    It was an abrupt transition between the secondyer of the Relictombs and Darrin Ordin''s country estate in Sehz-r. It was still warm in the south of crya, far from the mountains, and a sweet-smelling breeze was tumbling lightly across the rolling hills and rustling the low shrubs in Darrin''s front yard.


    From Vechor, I had entered the Relictombs via the local Ascenders Association Hall, then used one of the second level tempus warp chambers to get to Darrin''s, where Su had told me my "drunk uncle" would be waiting.


    We found ric sitting on a bench near the front door, staring down the path. Due to the dy between my appearance and his reaction, which was to belch loudly and lean back on his elbows, sticking his ponchy belly out in front of him, I assumed he was somewhat intoxicated.


    ''You know, I''ve missed this old coot,'' Regis said happily.


    "So," ric said as I reached him, "I hear you''re once again in need of legal counsel."


    "Not exactly," I said, sitting on the bench beside him. "What do you already know?"


    "I know you''re in trouble," he said with a scoff. "And that, as usual, you''ve bitten off twice what you can chew." He peered at me with unsteady eyes. "The Granbehls tried to finish the job, but you finished them instead, aye?"


    I filled him in on exactly what happened, but I left one important piece of information forst. "They were backed by a Scythe. Nico, of the central dominion."


    ric''s permanently bloodshot eyes went wide, and he heaved himself to his feet and stared disbelievingly down at me. "Sovereign''s sack, boy, why in the hell are we just sitting around talking? The professor identity is right and truly buggered then, and your connection to Darrin and myselfpromises most of my usual contacts¡­"


    He began to pace rapidly back and forth, careless as he stepped on one of Darrin''s carefully tended nts. He was speaking rapidly in a low mutter that I couldn''t follow. Instead of stressing him further by interrupting him, I let the old man go on like this for a minute.


    ''I think you just knocked the buzz out of the poor drunk,'' Regis noted, a hint of concern in his voice.


    ric stopped suddenly and red down at me. "How the hell did you get on the wrong side of a Scythe anyway?"


    "We''ve got history," I said, deadpan. "As for why he''s out to get me now¡­"


    ric shook his head and sat back down, resting his head in his hands as though he were utterly exhausted. Voice muffled, he said, "It doesn''t matter, boy. It doesn''t matter how you''ve managed to get a Scythe on your ass, only that you have."


    "Whatever got you into this," he said after a minute, "it won''t be easy to go into hiding. Not with so much power sniffing around behind you."


    "That''s fine," I said, leaning back as well, "because I won''t be hiding. I''m here to secure a couple contingencies in case I might need to escape Vechor."


    "Vechor¡­? You don''t mean to¡ª"


    "I''m still attending the Victoriad," I answered firmly.


    He looked at me with a wry grin. "Now, I know you''re joking, because only a moron would think of doing a thing like that." His eyes narrowed. "You''re not kidding. You moron. What the hell are you thinking?"


    I leaned back, putting my hands behind my head and crossing my legs as I stared up at the blue sky.


    "I''m thinking of killing a Scythe."

 Chapter 367

    <h4>Chapter 367</h4>


    SETH MILVIEW


    It was freezing! The winds had turned, bringing icy mountain air down to Cargidan and giving us a chilly sendoff as we prepared to leave.


    My breath frosted in front of me, rising and intermingling with the icy fog around us. I pursed my lips and blew out, watching it rise up and vanish.


    It was such a small and stupid thing to do, but even being capable of this meant so much to me. Just a few years ago, a few cold breaths while ying with Circe¡ªthe two of us pretending to be dragons billowing fire instead of steam¡ªwas enough to get me bedridden.


    I forced my lips to smile, tricking myself into thinking of these memories as happy ones, before turning my attention back to the scene around me.


    It was early in the morning on the first day of the Victoriad, and we were all lined up outside of the tempus warp chamber, a small octagonal building at the heart of campus. A lot of other students, both those who would bepeting in other events and those who hade to wish us good luck, hung around the courtyard, huddled into groups and wrapped in heavy cloaks. I even noticed a few who had dragged their bed nkets out here to stay warm.


    There were a lot of students going to Vechor, too many to use the tempus warp at once, and our ss wasst in line to be teleported. Inside, Professor Abby of the Redcliff blood was in charge of teleporting each ss in turn.


    I looked around and noticed a figure hurrying through the crowd. The person was bound up in a furry parka with a hood so deep and padded that itpletely hid their face. They got in line behind us and adjusted the hood slightly.


    "Oh, hey Laurel," Ma said, giving the other girl a cheery wave. "Chilly, isn''t it?"


    Laurel peeked out through the fur lining of the hood and her eyes squinted around in an apologetic smile until she found Professor Grey, who was standing off to the side with the two assistants. Her voice was slightly muffled as she said, "S-sorry, Professor. I had to find my coat. I h-hate the cold¡­"


    "Now that we''re all here"¡ªthe professor dismissed Laurel with a wave¡ª"I have a couple of things you each need to have."


    "Oh, presents!" Laurel said, bouncing on the balls of her feet.


    "Not exactly," Professor Grey answered as he withdrew a bundle of items from his dimension ring and split them with Assistant Aphene and Assistant Briar.


    Each student received two items. The first was a cloak made of velvet in the azure and ck of Central Academy. The second was a white half-mask that covered my face from my hairline down to below my nose. A pattern of dark blue lines was painted over it, sharp and angr like runes, although more artsy. Small horns protruded from the top of each mask.


    Ma held hers up to her face. It was identical to mine except for the patterns, which were more natural and smooth, like gusts of wind or flowing waves. She stuck out her tongue and made a silly growling noise.


    "I shouldn''t have to remind you," Briar said disapprovingly, her focus on Ma, "that Sovereign Kiros Vritra will be in attendance at the Victoriad. Since this is likely a first for all of us¡ªbeing in the presence of a Sovereign¡ªyou need to understand a few things.


    "While these items identify us as representatives of Central Academy, the mask in particr should be worn whenever you are within sight of Sovereign Kiros Vritra¡ªwhich, for us, means at all times. Our behavior at the Victoriad represents not only the Academy, but, since we are from Central Dominion, the High Sovereign himself.


    "Your victories are not yours, but his. You do not do this for your own glory, but for the High Sovereign''s. Any insult you may make, purposeful or inadvertent¡ªsuch as going without your mask or looking Sovereign Kiros in the eye, will also reflect on the High Sovereign, and will be punished severely."


    The ss was quiet as the rest of the attire was handed out. Laurel took hers and left us to join En at the front of the line.


    Marcus, who was standing just in front of us, was staring down at his own mask with a strange, kind of distant expression. His fingers traced along the heavy, angr blue lines painted on it.


    Ma must have noticed his expression too. "What do you think your markings represent?"


    He nced up at her, his face tightening nervously for just a second before smoothing out into his usual at-the-ready sort of expression. "I can''t imagine the patterns are matched to us personally in any way, can you? After all, they''re to limit our personal identity before the Sovereign, not make us stand out as individuals."


    "Oh," Ma said, frowning. "I hadn''t really thought about it."


    Yannick, usually quiet, scooted a little closer to Marcus and leaned toward us. "The Vritra care about your utility, that is all. It is foolish to think otherwise." He slipped on his mask¡ªa pattern of jagged, wild cuts that looked kind of like ws¡ªand tied it around the back of his head before moving away again.


    The line began to move again as the ss in front of us was brought into the tempus warp chamber, and the crowd broke up as people headed back to their rooms. A few people waved in the direction of our ss, but I knew no one was waving at me.


    I didn''t let this fact bother me, though. The truth was, even though I''d lost a lot, this season at the academy had been better than I ever could have imagined, and mostly due to Melee Enhancement Tactics. I was stronger physically than I''d ever been, even before I got an emblem. The sickness I''d lived with my entire life, which I had always expected to kill me, was almost entirely gone.


    Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined I would be an emblem-bearer. Even Circe had hoped only that I wouldn''t end up an unad with a sickness likely to kill me before my twentieth birthday.


    And I was good at something. Maybe I wasn''t as strong as Marcus, as fast as Yannick, or as powerful as En, but after training under Professor Grey, I knew I could get in the ring with any of them and give them a fair fight. But more than that, my ssmates all showed me respect, even Valen¡­maybe not Remy or Portrel as much, but at least Valen kept them from beating me up anymore.


    If they even could, I reminded myself, unable to suppress a silly grin.


    I nced at the professor, who had turned away from us to watch a blue-haired woman approach.


    I really didn''t understand him. Even though he always seemed reluctant, he taught all of us how to be passable fighters. I knew he didn''t really like us, especially me. Actually, that''s a pretty huge understatement. Sometimes, the way he looked at me, I thought he must hate me. But I had no idea why.


    Ma elbowed me sharply in the ribs. "Ooh, do you have a crush?"


    I flinched and stared at her in confusion. "What?"


    "You''re totally staring at Lady Caera," she teased, and I realized I must have been looking at Professor Grey for a while, lost in thought. "She is awfully pretty, but she''s a little old for you, isn''t she?"


    I opened my mouth, no idea how to respond to Ma''s teasing, but Professor Grey started speaking and I kept quiet to hear.


    "You''rete."


    Assistant Professor Caera looked behind her, then back at him, one hand on her chest. "Excuse me? Have you already arrived in Vechor, Professor Grey? Because if not, it seems I am perfectly on time."


    "Besides," Ma murmured, leaning in toward me, "I think she''s already taken."


    I blushed and turned away, super ufortable even thinking about the stern professor''s love life. I was saved from any more teasing as the line started moving again, and we were all invited into the warmth of the tempus warp chamber.


    Once we were all inside, Professor Abby arranged us in a circle around the device, which was humming gently and putting off a warm radiance. A few of the students shuffled closer, putting their hands out to warm them.


    A breeze kicked up out of nowhere, and I realized that someone was casting wind magic. Ma giggled and pointed: Professor Abby''s hair was dancing lightly around her as she led Professor Grey by the arm to an open ce in the circle. "I''m really looking forward to this, aren''t you, Grey?" she asked, her bright voice carrying in the small chamber. "The Victoriad is so exciting, and there is so much to do! We should get a drink while we''re there."


    Some of the other students burst out into muffled snickers so that I couldn''t hear the professor''s answer.


    Whatever it was, Professor Abby pouted as she moved to the anvil-like tempus warp artifact and began to activate it.


    I took a deep breath to steady myself, feeling my nerves start to re. Not so long ago, I would havee up with any reason to keep from doing this, but now¡­I was ready. I was excited even. I was going to have fun and do my best, and even if I got knocked out in the first round, it didn''t matter, because I got to go to the Victoriad.


    There was a feeling of warmth and the sudden smell of the sea.


    Thousands of voices came together in a chaotic roar, and I realized we were standing on a massive stone walkway in the middle of a ring of ck iron posts topped with lighting artifacts. A dozen identical tforms lined the walkway.


    Before I could take even a second to look around, a man in a blood-red mask that was made to look like some kind of monstrous demon swept into the center of our group. "Wee to Vechor and the city of Victorious. Professor Grey of Central Academy and the Melee Enhancement Tactics ss, correct?"


    "Right," Professor Grey answered, not looking at the man but staring around at the streams of students in different styles and colors of masks that were moving steadily by.


    "Please make your way to the staging area," the man said, pointing after the trail of students from all over crya. "Staging area forty-one, on the south side of the coliseum. From there you''ll be able to watch the otherpetitions as well as prepare for your own."


    The professor thanked the man and gestured to Assistants Briar and Aphene. "Don''t let anyone wander off."


    Reminding me of the veteran drill sergeants I''d read about in stories, the two assistants herded us into two lines and guided us into the river of students and teachersing from the other tforms. I was separated from Ma and found myself walking between Valen and En instead.


    High steps led down from the stone path and into a sea of brightly colored tents and canopies. Aside from the noise of the students and their teachers, there were also the shouts of dozens of merchants all fighting each other for attention through the chaos, the braying of mana beasts, ringing of forge hammers, and the random pop of distant magical explosions.


    Looming over all of this was a massive coliseum. The curving walls rose high above us, casting a long shadow over the merchant stalls. From where we were, I could see a dozen different entrances, each with a long line of well-dressed cryans slowly filtering through. At the closest, arge, armored mage was waving some kind of wand over each attendee before allowing them in.


    "Wow, it''s so¡­big," I said, stumbling over my tongue.


    Behind me, Valen snorted. "All that reading and ''wow, it''s big'' is the best you cane up with?"


    En chuckled at this, her neck craning to see the top of the coliseum walls. "Something like this¡­it can steal the words from any of us."


    I tried to think of something witty to shoot back at Valen, but it took far too long and the moment passed.


    Our line split into two, one group heading left while our ss followed the right-most stream, which took us down a wide boulevard between two rows of merchant stalls. Everyone was immediately distracted by the huge variety of goods and souvenirs on disy.


    The entire thing seemed like a carnival, with well-dressed and masked attendees wandering everywhere while a hundred merchants and gamesmen tried to get their attention.


    We all gasped when we passed by a lumbering, six-legged beast with a t head like a boulder and pockets of glowing crystals growing all over its body. It reared its awkward head at us and let out a grinding bellow, nearly sending Linden toppling over backwards.


    A mage who swallowed fire from a stick and then made ite out his ears danced alongside our group for the length of several stalls before Assistant Briar shooed him off, getting a goodugh out of the ss.


    Shortly after that, we were all forced to stop short as a procession of highbloods from Sehz-r passed ahead of us wearing dazzling battlerobes and jeweled masks. One in particr caught my eye, or rather the silver medallion that hung from his belt did.


    "What does ''In blood, remembrance,'' mean?" I asked to no one in particr. Something about the phrase was familiar, but I couldn''t ce it.


    "It''s worn by fools that are too stubborn to forget thest war between Vechor and Sehz-r," someone said under their breath.


    Looking around, I saw Pascal staring at me, scowling. The right side of his face was wrinkled from a bad burn when he was younger, giving him a mean look even though he was generally a pretty nice guy.


    "Oh," I said, realizing I must have read it in one of the many books on inter-dominion conflicts I''d read. "You''re from Sehz-r, right?"


    Pascal grunted and slowed down, looking at a bunch of jeweled daggers spread out on a booth next to the path. Assistant Briar was quick to snap at him to get back in line, but he was now several people back, too far away to talk to.


    The winding route to the coliseum took us past clothiers and woodcarvers, cksmiths and ssblowers, bakers and beast breeders. I couldn''t help but lick my lips at the smell of roasting meat drifting away from a butcher who specialized in the flesh of exotic mana beasts.


    Each new sight was something I had never seen before, and the more I saw, the more excited I was. My eyes grew wider and wider as we marched along, and I saw a hundred things I wished I could stop and buy: quills that that used sound magic to trante your voice and write down whatever you said; elixirs that sharpened your mind and made it so you could memorizerge amounts of information in just a short time; a dagger that contained its own wind spell and would return to your hand when thrown¡­


    Actually, I decided thatst one probably wasn''t such a great idea¡­


    Eventually, we were directed to a separate entrance just for participants. As the many students from other schools made their way down a long slope that led into a tunnel below the coliseum itself, our group was forced to pause. A few dozen onlookers were gathered here, cheering and waving at the Victoraidpetitors as we marched by.


    "It''s a little overwhelming, isn''t it?" En said as she looked around and gave a little wave to several small children pressed against the short wall near the start of the descending tunnel.


    "Yeah, a little," I admitted.


    She turned around, her surprise obvious even behind her mask. "A little? Seth, I''ve trained my whole life for this moment, and I''m still terrified."


    Portrelughed, having snuck up through the line to stand next to Valen. "At least if you sh*t yourself, your cloak will hide the worst of it, En."


    Everyone within earshot groaned, and a hand came out of nowhere and scuffed the back of Portrel''s head, making him yelp with pain.


    "Mind your manners," Professor Grey said firmly. "And keep the inane chatter to a minimum."


    Portrel rubbed his head and gave a smirking En a sour look, but then the line began to move again and our ss started descending the ramp.


    More than a couple of the others cast longing nces back toward the merchants as we dipped down into the entrance tunnel, where solid stone cut out much of the noise from above. The huge structure above seemed to press down on us, making everyone go quiet.


    "I''m sure there''ll be time to spend your parents'' moneyter," Professor Grey said into the heavy silence, adjusting his mask and ncing around the dim tunnel. Thick wooden doors and intersecting tunnels opened to the left and right at irregr intervals, hinting at arge undergroundwork beneath the coliseum floor. "For now, remember what you''re here for."


    I stared at the professor''s back as he moved to the front of our ss. Here, in the middle of so many students my own level, his ability to entirely suppress his mana made him stand out even more. It was so perfect, I would''ve guessed he was an unad if I hadn''t known better.


    We all slowly wound through the coliseum underworks until another sloping path led up onto the edge of thebat field, and we all got our first look at just how massive the structure really was.


    ording to The Wonders of Vechor, Volume Two by the historian and ascender Tovorin of Highblood Karsten, the ovalbat field was six hundred feet long and five hundred feet across, capable of seating fifty thousand people in the open-air seats and with fifty private viewing boxes.


    Still, the book didn''t evene close to doing the ce justice. There was no way the numbers could express how truly enormous the Victorious coliseum was.


    Tens of thousands of spectators had already taken their seats, blurring into a sea of color as each blood disyed their own emblems as well as masks that represented their dominions and Sovereigns. A few cheered at our appearance, but most of the crowd seemed oblivious to our presence.


    Many of the younger named and highblood men and women in the audience were sending up bursts of magic to create sparks of lightning or bolts of colorful me that exploded in midair. Under this disy, several dozen warriors and mages were already on thebat field, training and preparing for the uing tournaments, and their shouting and spellwork added to the cacophony and gave the impression of a huge battle.


    The tunnel entrance hade up in front of staging area thirty-nine, and once again the groups of students broke left or right. We found the sectionbeled forty-one easily, and Assistant Briar led the way into what was part private viewing chamber, part training room.


    "This is so cool," Remy gushed, receiving a round of agreement from several others as everyone stared around.


    Dark-stained walls separated each staging area from the next one, while the rear wall was made of stone with a single door that opened into a bunch of tunnels that led up into the stands. The front, facing thebat field, was open, although a series of portal emitters generated a shield that would keep anyone inside safe from the magical battles happening just outside.


    The room itself was spacious enough for five times as many students as there were in our ss, but none of usined as we spread out and eagerly began to explore.


    "Normally we''d have to share a staging area with the entire delegation from Central Academy," Valen was exining to Sloane, "but I saw the rest of the students from our school being led in the opposite direction. My grandfather''s doing, I''m sure, giving us a private space."


    The rest of the ss settled in, but I was drawn to the front of the staging area so I could look out onto thebat field. It was nearly all set up, and the first events would begin in only a couple of hours, including ours.


    I rested my hands on the balcony, suddenly finding myself wishing Circe was here to see this with me.


    Everything my sister had done, she had done for me. She went to war for me. She died for me. But she''d never be able to see the results of her efforts. The war, won. Her brother,pletely healed.


    If Circe hadn''t done these things, she would have been alive. Mother and Father might have been alive. But I wouldn''t, at least, not in any way that mattered.


    I wouldn''t be here.


    Letting out a sigh, I looked dumbly into the distance, staring at thebat field without truly seeing it.


    I liked to think that Mother and Father were with Circe now somewhere in the beyond, waiting for me to join them someday.


    My thoughts wandered to maybe one day traveling to Dicathen myself. Afterall, if I could do this, then I could do just about anything.


    I could make her a tombstone¡­no, a statue! There would be¡ª


    I grimaced, my mood souring. Assuming we don''t all get ground to dust between the Vritra and the asuras.


    "Don''t tell me you''re already feeling sick," Professor Grey said, appearing beside me.


    I flinched, stumbled over my reply, then finally said, "N-no sir, not sick. Just¡­" I trailed off, swallowing down the urge to tell him everything I was feeling, knowing without a doubt that he didn''t want to hear any of it. "I''m fine, sir." Then, as if some outside force had suddenly taken control of my mouth, I blurted out, "What if I''m not good enough?"


    Professor Grey watched me for a few seconds, his face impassive. "Good enough for who? The crowd of pompous highbloods? Your ssmates?" He lifted one eyebrow. "Yourself?"


    "I¡­" Whatever I''d been about to say, the thought died on my lips. I didn''t know how to answer him. To make her sacrifice worthwhile, I thought, but couldn''t bring myself to say it out loud, because I wasn''t sure it was even true.


    A horn red, making me jump. Thebat field was empty. Four huge fireballs flew into the air and exploded, sending multi-colored sparks showering down across the coliseum.


    "It''s starting!" someone shouted, and the rest of the ss crowded up to the front around me and the professor.


    There was a low rumbling noise, so deep I felt it more than heard it, and a huge ramp in the center of the arena began to lower. Four guards appeared, marching up the ramps into the sunlight and dragging heavy chains behind them. Attached to the other end of the chains by manacles at their wrists and ankles were a crowd of people.


    The prisoners were dressed in loincloths and chest wraps, their bodies painted with runes. Some marched up the ramp, but others were practically dragged. Many had roughly shorn hair that had been shaved at the sides to show off pointed ears, while others were shorter and stouter¡­


    Just like the elves and dwarves of Dicathen.


    The crowd began to boo the Dicathians, shouting out jeering insults and taunts as the guards gathered the prisoners into a group at the very center of thebat field. The prisoners huddled there, staring around in obvious dread as the ramp closed behind them.


    The guards hurried off thebat field and the stadium grew quiet again as everyone waited to see what was going to happen. This quietsted the space of a few breaths, then the grinding noise came again as two smaller ramps lowered to either side of the prisoners.


    Four dark-furred beasts stalked up ramps. Each one looked like a wolf, except long-legged and with burning orange eyes. Their teeth were shaped like arrowheads and shone ck in the sunlight.


    "ck-fanged wolves," Deacon said. "Rated as B-ss monsters on the Dicathian scale. They have fire-resistant fur and can eat rocks! Isn''t that insane?"


    "I don''t think they''ll need rocks tonight," someone else muttered.


    The chains fell with a ng to the ground, magically separating from the prisoners'' manacles and causing the ck-fanged wolves to scurry away momentarily.


    The Dicthians began to move as the stronger, healthier-looking people pushed the weaker and frailer ones into the center of the group. I didn''t sense any mana or or see spells being cast.


    The ck-fanged wolves'' wariness didn''tst long. Once they realized their prey was entirely defenseless¡­


    The first of the beastsunched itself into the ring of defenders, its dark fangs closing around a man''s head. The other three followed, and although the prisoners fought back, kicking and punching wildly, there was nothing they could do.


    The stands exploded in noise at the bloodshed.


    A sudden shiver ran down my spine and made my skin break out in goosebumps. I jerked, staring around for the source of the sharp, bitter cold aura raking at me like ws.


    Professor Grey¡­


    Standing right next to me, he seemed¡ªjust for an instant¡ªlike an entirely different person. He was as still as a statue, and his normally inexpressive face was sharp as a de. His golden eyes, dark and ruthless, gazed down at thebat field with such ferocity that it burned even to me.


    Only Lady Caera seemed to have noticed. When she reached out and curled her fingers around his wrist, I flinched away, instinctively afraid that the killing intent I felt wouldsh out at her.


    Then the spell was broken, and I was left with an empty feeling, like someone had scooped out my insides with a frozen shovel.


    Why did seeing the Dicathians make him so distraught?


    Did his family die over there too? I wanted to ask.


    Before I could work up the courage to say anything at all, an even more overwhelming presence settled over the staging area. I immediately felt like I was back in the training room, the increased gravity crushing me into the ground.


    Brion and Linden both kneeled immediately and pressed their faces to the floor while the rest of the ss looked around in bewilderment, the "battle" outsidepletely forgotten.


    As one, we turned to face the figure that had just appeared in our staging area. Laurel let out a whimper and fell to her knees, and soon the rest of the students had followed suit. I realized with a stabbing panic that only Professor Grey, Lady Caera, and I were still on our feet, but my legs were locked straight, and I couldn''t move.


    She met my eyes, held me there, and I felt like I was sitting in the palm of her hand as she inspected me. I tried again to kneel, but couldn''t look away from her face, the only one in the room not covered by a mask.


    Purple paint flecked with gold stained her lips, and her cheeks glowed with silver stardust. Dusky pearl hair rose up in braids and curls atop her head, resting between two narrow, spiraling horns. She wore a battle dress crafted from scales that glittered like ck diamonds and a fur-lined cloak that was so dark it seemed to absorb the light.


    I wanted to look away, to close my eyes, to do anything. But I couldn''t.


    Then a heavy hand was on my shoulder, forcing me out of my stupor. I let myself fall, dropping immediately to my knees with a grunt of pain.


    "Scythe Seris," Professor Grey said from above me¡­ "How nice to see you again."

 Chapter 368

    <h4>Chapter 368</h4>


    mping down on my emotions with a cold iron grip, I refused to let myself be overtaken by rage at the sight of mana beasts ripping apart unarmed and magicless people¡­my people.


    My stomach turned at the sight while the rest of me wanted nothing more than to God Step onto the field and kill the beasts.


    The power to defy reality in my grasp, yet I couldn''t even save those people.


    I reasoned that restraining myself now was for the greater good, that it was the price we all had to pay for losing the war.


    But that didn''t make it any easier to sit and watch my fellow Dicathians be ughtered. And then there were the cheers that rolled like hateful thunder down from the tens of thousands of onlookers as they gorged on the sight just like the wolves gorged on the innocents¡­


    For a single, dark moment, I hated them all.


    I imagined Destruction leaping from my hands to burn the entire stadium and everyone inside it to less than ash¡­but there were no cheers orughtering from our staging area. Though I couldn''t bring myself to look away from these Dicathians''st moments, I could hear the shallow,bored breathing of my students, the crack of their knuckles as they gripped the rails, the quiet whimpers of disgust as the wolves feasted¡­


    Then the hair on the back of my neck stood up as a familiar force filled the room, breaking the spell of the ughter.


    The students began dropping to their knees as they followed the source of the pressure to the back wall of the staging area, where a horned figure dressed all in ck stood watching us. Regis bristled, the mental equivalent of putting his hackles up.


    Seris Vritra looked much different than she had that day on the battlefield, when Uto nearly killed Sylvie and me. Instead of a wartime general, she looked regal as an empress draped in a ck scale battledress, though she wore the same midnight-ck cloak she had when I first saw her arrive in Darv.


    Next to me, Seth remained on his feet, ck-jawed and staring. While the rest of the ss had the good sense to go down on their knees, Seth seemed frozen in ce. The Scythe''s sudden appearance cemented one piece of information I had only guessed at so far: Nico wasn''t the only one who knew my real identity.


    Seris was watching Seth like he was some amusing little critter. Whatever her reason foring here, I didn''t need the students involved in it, and so I ced a hand on Seth''s shoulder and pushed him to his knees.


    "Scythe Seris," I said. "How nice to see you again."


    "Professor Grey of Central Academy. Lady Caera of Highblood Denoir." A tremor ran through


    the kneeling students at the sound of Seris''s silvery voice. "With me."


    She spun, her cloak flowing like liquid around her, and vanished through the single door set into the stone wall at the back of the staging area. Caera jumped to follow her, but I stayed where I was.


    ''Yes, because what this whole ordeal really needed was anotheryer ofplication,'' Regis thought, our link clearly transmitting his hesitant resignation.


    The fact that Seris had also discovered my identity wasn''t exactly a surprise since Nico obviously knew, but I had to wonder why she would contact me now, and so openly.


    Even with Seris gone, the students were still petrified. Their shock and awe were tangible, floating in the viscous silence that the Scythe''s sudden appearance and departure had created. Even the noise of the crowd had been muffled, as if unwee in this ce.


    "Briar, Aphene."


    Both young women flinched as my voice broke the silence, their heads snapping up to stare wide-eyed and searching around the room. Briar''s eyes blinked several times behind her mask as if she were waking from a long, uncertain dream.


    "You''re in charge until I get back," I said quickly, then marched out after Caera and Seris.


    The Scythe was silent as she led us through the bowels of the coliseum. She walked with purpose, and yet her movements maintained a fluid grace and elegance that hinted at a wless control over her physical form. Her confident rhythm never broke, not even to look back and make sure we were following. As we strode after her, we saw no one else despite the constant bustle of officials, workers, and ves that must have filled the underworks.


    After a minute or two, I noticed Caera watching me from the corner of her eye. She opened her mouth, but closed it again without speaking.


    "What is it?" I asked, my voice sounding hollow in the underground tunnels, but she only shook her head in response.


    Seris''s head turned a fraction of an inch as I spoke. I wondered what unspoken tension was weighing down Caera''s shoulders, but kept my silence.


    I was wary, but not afraid. Although Seris was too distant and mysterious to consider an ally, I didn''t count her among my enemies, either. If she wanted to harm me, there had been plenty of opportunities to do so before the Victoriad.


    When we arrived in a private viewing box overlooking thebat field, I immediately scanned the room for any threats¡ªas if there could be anything more dangerous than the Scythe within¡ªbut found only a plush lounge from which to watch the games below. The decor didn''t interest me, and my attention turned immediately back to Seris.


    "Make yourselvesfortable," Seris said, her light tone at odds with her dominating presence. When I made no move to do so, she waved a hand as if to brush away my wariness. "I didn''t bring you here to harm you, Grey, but you already know that. You look well, by the way. Golden eyes¡­very subtle. Why don''t you remove that mask so I can see your face properly?"


    "Thank you for the hospitality," I replied, doing as she asked. "Nice ce, if a bit lonely. Where''s Cylrit? Lurking in the closet, waiting to jump out and give me some dire warning?"


    Serisughed happily. "My retainer is seeing to something else for me at the moment. No dire warnings today, but that doesn''t mean we don''t have business to discuss. I''m sure it won''t surprise you to learn that I''ve been keeping close tabs on you ever since you so conveniently appeared in the Relictombs."


    Caera flinched, looking slightly past me, not quite meeting my eye. "I''m sorry, Grey. Scythe Seris, she is my guide¡ªmy mentor, as I''ve mentioned before¡ªand at first of course I had no idea you might know each other, but only told her about you because you were so¡­" She paused, biting the side of her cheek. "So curious and interesting, and then she wanted to know more about you, and she asked me to keep an eye on you¡ªbut I told you, so I hope you know I¡ª"


    As she spoke, I had noticed Seris searching my eyes from behind her and giving me a coy, knowing smile. When I returned the expression, Caera faltered, her worry giving way to a confused frown.


    "It''s fine, Caera. I mean, you have a powerful female Scythe mentor with an unusual interest in me?" I gestured to Seris, unable to suppress a guilty smirk. "I never pressed you for more details because I didn''t need to. It wasn''t all that hard to figure out."


    Caera let out a deep breath and ran a lock of blue hair between her fingers. "Thank you for understanding. You two can stop making silly eyes at each other now."


    "Caera of Highblood Denoir, is that any way to speak to your mentor?" Seris asked with only a slight mocking air. "Your adoptive mother would be appalled."


    ''Pretty ssy, the way you handled that. But then, I guess it''d be pretty childish of you to get all pissy at her for not telling you, considering the uncountable number of lies you''ve told about your own identity,'' Regis scoffed.


    Fair point, I thought back. And also, shut up.


    Seris reclined against the warded ss that fronted the chamber. "You''ve grown predictable, Grey."


    "Oh," I asked, quirking an eyebrow at the Scythe. "How much of what I''ve aplished have you predicted, exactly?"


    Her lips parted to respond, but I saw her eyes flick to Caera, and she seemed to rethink whatever she had been about to say. Finally, she said only, "Enough."


    I met the Scythe''s piercing eyes, no longer smiling. "What do you want with me now, Seris?" "The same thing I have always wanted." She turned to face the window. Below, a dozen ves were cleaning up thest of the mess left by the ck-fanged wolves. "To see your potential grow."


    The Scythe drifted to a chaise lounge and eased into it while indicating we should take the couch across from her. Caera didn''t hesitate toply with her mentor''s unspoken request. I moved to stand behind the couch, but did not sit, instead resting my hands on the cushioned back.


    "Speaking of potential," Seris said, her focus on my sternum, "Caera tells me you have exchanged your ability to manipte mana for mysterious aether arts that even she does not understand." Caera shifted ufortably at Seris''s words. "How did thise to be? I hope myst gift to you wasn''t entirely wasted, was it?"


    ''Uto''s mana wasn''t wasted at all, if you ask me,'' Regis thought with the mental equivalent of letting his tongue loll contentedly from his mouth.


    "My injuries in the war were catastrophic," I answered, my body tingling as I remembered the feel of it breaking down due to prolonged use of the third stage of Sylvia''s beast will. "I had to adjust."


    "Yes, well, that is certainly something I couldn''t have predicted," she said in a low voice, more to herself than Caera or me.


    "What do you want with me?" I asked again, more firmly this time. A sudden suspicion dawned on me, and I added, "Did you bring me here? To the Victoriad?"


    Seris''s painted lips quirked up. "I''ll admit, it has pained me to see you sit on your hands at that university for so long. A professor, really?" She gave me a disapproving look, as if I cared what


    she thought about my actions in crya. "As I said, predictable. But you are also right, I did arrange for your ss to be here."


    "Why?" I asked, trying to piece this new information into everything else I already knew. "Because I wanted to remind you who you are, and what is at stake," she said, her voice heavy with authority, a sharp change in tone from the rest of our conversation. "To that end, I have arranged for your presence here to ask something of you. Think of it as calling in the debt you owe me."


    "Debt?" I asked, not sure I liked where this was going. "So you didn''t simply help me out of the goodness of your heart? Shocking¡­"


    Caera turned slowly, staring at me with eyes the size of full moons. Her jaw was clenched so tightly I thought she might crack a tooth.


    Seris, though, only adjusted herself to be morefortable. "I want you to challenge Cylrit to be my retainer."


    This seemed to be too much for Caera, whose mouth fell open in surprise. She ripped off her mask, snapping the cord, and let it fall to the couch beside her. "What is happening right now?" I disguised my own surprise beneath a wry smirk. "And what do I have to gain by doing that?"


    "I will assume that is a rhetorical question, because we both know why you''re really here," she said, her tone that of a judge delivering her verdict.


    ''Tell her Scythe or nothing,'' Regis japed. ''We aren''t ying second fiddle to anybody.''


    "You don''t want me to be your retainer," I guessed, rapidly considering the various goals she could be pursuing with this course of action. "You want me to draw attention to myself."


    She nodded, just a minute dipping of her horned head. "By defeating Cylrit and then refusing the role of retainer, you will be sending a very clear message."


    Agrona knows I''m here, I realized with absolutely certainty, wondering if Seris might even have told him herself. After all, who else would she need to send a message to. But he already has what he wants, and he doesn''t care about me anymore.


    This realization struck me like a thunderp. All this time in crya, I had always assumed he would make me a priority if he discovered that I had survived my battle with Nico and Cadell. I had worried that the Scythes would kick in my ssroom door or rain fire and ck iron down on Windcrest Hall while I slept.


    But to find out Agrona had discovered that I had not only survived but was living in his ownnds, and he didn''t care¡­


    I was conflicted, to say the least.


    ''If Agrona doesn''t think we''re a threat, that''s his own dumbass miscalction,'' Regis thought with a snarl. ''But if the horned goddess over there wants us to expose ourselves¡­''


    This knowledge threw my entire n into question. While Agrona knowing I was alive¡ªand where I was¡ªwasn''t exactly great, Regis had a point. Dismissing me was a mistake on his part, one I was happy to capitalize on. But if I drew his attention now, showed him my power before I was ready¡­


    "That n seems bad for me, and I''m not sure how it benefits you either," I hedged, curious how much of her n Seris would give up before she made me confirm my intentions.


    "Oh,e now, put that clever mind of yours to work," she insisted, the crushing authority gone from her voice, which was once again light and teasing. "How long do you n to run and hide?"


    Sitting in front of me, Ceara remained quiet, although she still wore a confused frown, and I could see the gears in her head turning as she struggled to make sense of the conversation. Standing straight, I looked down at the Scythe. "I''m not going to challenge Cylrit."


    Seris''s mouth thinned into a hard line.


    "But I''ll still send your message," I went on, making my decisions only as I said the words out loud. "It''ll be loud, and abundantly clear."


    Seris straightened, then stood. Even though she was quite a bit shorter than me, when she looked into my eyes it felt like she was looking down on me. "I would prefer it if you''d tell me exactly what you''re up to. I might be able to help."


    "Come on, Seris," I said, mimicking the same teasing expression she''d worn only a moment ago, "put that clever mind of yours to work."


    ***


    Hearing Caera''s footsteps halt, I stopped and turned to face her. We were deep in the underworks, and the stone around us vibrated with the noise of cheering and battle from above. Caera''s gaze was on the ground at my feet, what little of her features I could see behind her mask subdued.


    "Trilby tie your tongue?" I asked, not trying to guess which part of my conversation with Seris had her head spinning. I couldn''t begin to imagine what kind of wild story she was creating in her mind.


    Caera hummed nervously as she looked up to meet my eye. "I want you to know that you can trust me. Obviously there are a great many things I don''t know about you, and based on what I just witnessed between you and a Scythe, whatever fanciful notions I''d had up until now are woefully inurate."


    I scanned the dim tunnel where we''d stopped. It ended at a junction just ahead, where turning left would take us back toward thebat field and staging area, while the rightmost path would lead us back outside.


    Doing some quick calctions about how much time we had before the tournament started, I smiled and held out my arm. Caera looked at me uncertainly before letting her hand rest in the crook of my elbow.


    "Let''s take a walk and clear our heads for a bit before subjecting ourselves to the millions of questions likely brewing in my students'' heads," I said with a soft chuckle.


    "I''m not sure I, a humble Vritra-born highblood, deserve to be seen walking arm-in-arm with such a well-connected and mysterious figure as yourself," she teased.


    "Perhaps not, but I''ll extend you this honor just this once," I shot back, leading her toward the exit.


    The noise outside was deafening after the muffled quiet of the underworks. Merchant''s hollered, mana beasts squalled, and thousands of excited cryans shouted over one another to be heard.


    We turned out of the crowd, moving down less densely packed alleys, although this had the drawback of making us easier targets for the many venders and gamesmen.


    "Ho, sir with the golden eyes, stop here to win your beautifuldy a fine prize," a man in a sparkly silver mask sang, waving us toward his cart.


    A fat man bowed as he walked past, then practically shouted in our faces. "Gemstones! Gemstones here! Finest cut, finest color! Sapphires to match thedy''s lovely hair, or perhaps rubies for her enchanting eyes."


    For the first time in a while, I really missed being a quadra-elemental mage. A simple wind barrier spell would have made the walk a lot more peaceful.


    "What are you smiling about?" Caera asked.


    I fixed my face. "Nothing, just¡­wondering how you came to be under the tutge of Seris."


    "Oh really?" she asked, her gaze following the line of colorful carts, tarps, and tents. "You already know more about me than perhaps anyone else in the world, while you are a locked book with pages of which are out of order, encoded, and probably written in invisible ink¡­" She trailed off, shooting me a wry look, then sighed. "But by all means, let''s talk about me. "Vritra-blooded children, those of us with pure enough blood to potentially manifest Vritra magic, are notmon, but we''re not so rare that each of us gets our own Scythe, either." A woman who recognized Caera, a vendor selling extremely expensive leather goods, shouted out, and Caera gave her a small wave as we continued on. "She imed to have chosen me because of Highblood Denoir''s standing, which of course only grew after being assigned a Vritra-blooded foster daughter, but I''ve always wondered¡­"


    "If she knew somehow? That you''d¡­" I gestured at her head, where her horns were kept invisible by the teardrop pendant she wore around her neck.


    "Right," she answered. "I was¡­eight, maybe nine when she started training me, making me not only a Vritra-blood and adopted highblood, but also protege to a Scythe. It made for a¡­conflicted childhood."


    "Why do you think she has helped to keep you hidden?" I asked, lowering my voice as a group of highbloods sauntered past, dressed so brightly they could have been mistaken for peacocks. "What does she want with you?"


    Caera eyed me curiously. "Are you asking for my benefit, or your own? Perhaps trying to figure out what she wants with you in the long run?" She shook her head. "I still can''t believe she asked you to be her retainer."


    "But she didn''t, really. She only wants me to fight him, remember?" I pointed out.


    "Which only makes it more confusing, at least for me," Caera said, sounding exasperated. "I won''t pressure you to exin anything¡ªthough I''ll happily listen when you decide to do so¡ªand promise not to hold it against you if you chose to hold some things back"¡ªRegis let out a mental snort¡ª"but why would she want you to draw attention to yourself? From who? For what purpose?"


    Caera chewed on her own tongue for a second before continuing, obviously giving voice to some thought that had been bothering here. "Are you¡­Scythe Seris''s concubine?"


    I nearly choked on my surprise, the question catching me entirely off guard.


    ''Talk about a whole new level of "keeping your enemies closer",'' Regis thought with a barkingugh.


    "No," I finally answered, rubbing the back of my neck. "Nothing remotely like that."


    She gave me a frustrated shake of her head. "Then I just don''t understand."


    "I know," I said, sounding suddenly tired even to my own ears, "but you will someday."


    "That''ll have to be good enough then, I suppose," she said with a chagrined smirk. "Anyway, we best get back to your ss¡­ Their bouts should begin soon."

 Chapter 369

    <h4>Chapter 369</h4>


    SETH MILVIEW


    "They''ve been gone for so long," Pascal muttered to Deacon, who was standing next to him. We were all lined up in rows as Assistant Aphene led us through a series of movements and forms to warm up our muscles. "What in the name of the High Sovereign could the Scythe of Sehz-r want with our professor, anyway?"


    "Maybe he offended or angered her in some way?" Deacon suggested, fidgeting nervously with his mask.


    Like me, Deacon usually wore sses, but they didn''t fit with the masks. Luckily my sight had been slowly improving since my debilitating sickness went away, but Deacon kept having to pause and squint up at Assistant Aphene to see what stance she had twisted her athletic frame into.


    "Don''t be stupid," Valen scoffed. "A Scythe wouldn''te personally for that. She''d send her retainer, or maybe just a bunch of soldiers. With almost all the Scythes present at the Victoriad, it''s to be expected that they would appear in person at some point."


    "Maybe the professor is Scythe Seris Vritra''s secret lover!" Laurel giggled, hiding her mouth behind one of her long braids.


    Ma leaned toward me and whispered, "Someone needs toy off the cheesy romance stories."


    "Or he''s been training to rece her retainer," Marcus suggested. "We''ve all seen how scary he can be when he wants to. Have you known anyone else, even professors, who can train so easily at max gravity in the fighting tform at school? He doesn''t even break a sweat."


    Valen shrugged, breaking form for an instant.


    Assistant Briar was walking around offering small corrections on the form of our movements. Her orange and yellow hair was pulled back, which for some reason made her look kind of scary. Like she was getting ready to kick someone''s butt. "Less chatter, more following along," she scolded.


    "Interesting theories," Valen went on, his voice lower, "but it could be more mundane than that. I''ve personally met Scythes Cadell Vritra, Dragoth Vritra, and Viessa Vritra already myself. It''s¡ª"


    "And I''ve kissed Scythe Melzri Vritra," Yanick said, cutting into the conversation and getting a surprisedugh out of everyone, even Valen. Assistant Aphene cleared her throat and brushed the dark bangs from her eyes as she moved into a new stance.


    "What I was trying to say," Valen said as the noise petered off, "is that it isn''t unheard of for the Scythes to make social calls to high-ranking bloods."


    "Except that Professor Grey isn''t a high-ranking highblood, as far as we know," Deacon pointed out, huffing slightly from talking and stretching at the same time. "And besides, Scythe Seris Vritra is known to be a recluse. She doesn''t make social visits."


    I stayed out of the conversation, too embarrassed by freezing up in front of the Scythe to say anything or draw attention to myself.


    And so of course Ma chose that moment to lean toward me again and ask, "Hey, you all right? You seem a little shaken up."


    "More like frozen stiff," Pascal said, starting another round of poorly suppressedughter. Ma pinned him with a warning re, and he held his hands up, wobbling slightly. "Just kidding, sheesh."


    Assistant Aphene cleared her throat again, but before she could scold anyone for talking, all eyes turned toward the front of the staging area, where an event official wearing a red demon mask had just appeared, marching into our space and staring around.


    At nearly the same moment, the door in the back wall of the staging area opened and the professor stepped through, Lady Caera just behind him. The professor raised a hand and seemed about to say something to the ss when he noticed the official.


    "Professor Grey of Central Academy?" the official asked in a clipped tone.


    "Are you here about the tournament?" the professor asked. "I hope I haven''t kept you waiting long."


    The official''s eyes narrowed behind his mask as he marched across the room and held out his hand, which the professor shook perfunctorily. "You haven''t, which is good as I have four more team leads to meet with."


    He sniffed indignantly and began what sounded like a very rehearsed speech. "The unarmed nonmagical duels begin in twenty minutes, Professor. Multiple matches run concurrently, but your students will be ced at these tforms closest when possible. Students should be at the ready at their assigned ring noter than five minutes before their bout begins. This is a single-elimination tournament. Loss urs by knockout, forfeit, or by being forced from the ring. "I''m sure I don''t need to remind you, but magic is not allowed under any circumstances. Any use of mana beyondtent body-strengthening caused by the presence of runes will result in immediate forfeiture of the match and expulsion from the Victoriad. In addition, attacking with intent to maim or kill is also forbidden."


    He took a breath as he unrolled the next length of his scroll. "The firstpetitors from Central Academy are: En, blood Frost, at ring six. Deacon, blood Favager, ring seven. Portrel, blood dwyn, ring nine. Sloane, blood Lowe, ring eleven."


    I let out a sigh of relief. At least I wasn''t one of the first to fight, so I wouldn''t be the first one knocked out of the tournament. Probably.


    Professor Grey checked with the four named students to ensure they had their ring numbers, then thanked the official.


    He nodded curtly back. "We also ask that the team lead¡ªin this case, you, Professor¡ªremain present in case any issues arise." Spinning on his heel, the man then rushed out of our staging area and on to the next.


    "Well, you all heard him. Let''s¡ª"


    The professor paused, his gaze sweeping over the students.


    "You look like a flock of little chicks waiting to be fed," he said with a sigh. "I suppose none of you are going to focus until I''ve exined, correct?"


    "What did the Scythe want with you?" Assistant Briar asked in a hushed tone.


    The professor shrugged. "We drank tea and had a casual chat. Nothing special."


    Assistant Briar snorted and rolled her eyes as Assistant Aphene wrapped an arm around her shoulder, grinning. "My grandfather won''t believe I was standing so close to a Scythe, not even at the Victoriad!"


    Laurel leaned in close to Ma. In a singsong voice, she whispered, "Secret lover."


    Everyone burst out with questions and excitedments, but the professor waved away themotion. "En, Deacon, Portrel, Sloane¡­get to your rings. Everyone else, pay attention."


    En and the others hurried out to the rows ofbat rings and waited. Just like the official had said, they were fairly close by, near enough to see all four fights at once. I jogged to the front to get a good view, the rest of the ss right behind me, and ended up sandwiched between Ma and Brion.


    En was the first into her ring, striding confidently up the stairs right on the heels of the official who was leading her, her golden hair gleaming in the sunlight.


    Deacon, on the other hand, walked like he was being sent to the director''s office, his feet dragging on the ground, his head constantly swiveling to look back at us.


    When Portrel did the same, I snorted in amusement. After all his trash-talking about me being nervous, there he was, constantly checking back over his shoulder to look at Valen, even when he was in the ring across from his opponent.


    Thebatants were introduced one by one, drawing a few excited cheers from the audience, but mostly from their own ssmates at each staging area. Next, an organizer and referee shouted out the instructions, their voices all mixing up and growing muddypeting with each other and the crowd.


    ording to what I''d read about the Victoriad, the student tournaments were mostly just a warm-up event¡ªincredibly important to the students and our bloods, but not really attended otherwise.


    The fact that the stands were only half-full yet proved this, but didn''t bother me. A smaller crowd means fewer people to see me get my butt kicked¡­


    The officials each raised their right hand, and all at once, they shouted out to begin.


    It was chaotic trying to keep track of all four fights at once, not to mention all the other battles going on in front of us that weren''t from Central Academy. I saw Deacon barely dodge as a dark-skinned girl with a mossy green mohawk jumped up and tried to knee him in the chest, but then Sloanended a punch that dropped his opponent to the floor, and my attention turned to his fight instead.


    Sloane jumped on his opponent, a broad-shouldered boy in a green and gold uniform, throwing knees and elbows, but Deacon let out a yelped and so I turned back to his fight just in time to see him stumble backwards through the shielding barrier to fall hard to the dirt.


    Next to me, Brion hid his face in his hand, and there was a chorus of groans from the rest of the ss.


    Ma grabbed my elbow and pointed to Portrel, and I felt a distinct pang of jealousy watching therger boy grab his opponent''s fist out of the air. "He''s so strong," I muttered.


    "Yeah, it''s crazy. Oh, ouch!" Ma winced as Portrel mmed the boy he was fighting to the floor before knocking him out cold with three quick punches to the face.


    "That''s right! Knock his ass out!" Remy shouted, his fists raised in the air over his head. Another cheer went up, and I realized with a jolt of excitement that Sloane won his match as well. "Way to go, Sloane!" I shouted,ughing when Brion threw his arm around my neck and jumped with excitement, cheering along with me.


    Several other fights had also already ended, making it easier to see past the empty rings to where En was still going toe to toe with a girl who was at least four inches taller and thirty pounds heavier than her.


    But that didn''t even matter. En fought like a crazy demon. She was so talented, it was hard to believe I waspeting in the same tournament she was. Even though the other girl was bigger than her, En was a way better fighter.


    Hearing chantinging from several staging areas down, I leaned over the rail and pointed the other school''s students out to Ma. "Do you know what academy they''re from?"


    "Not sure," she said with a shrug, not taking her wide eyes off En''s fight.


    "Bloodrock Academy," Marcus said, shifting over between me and Brion. "They tried pretty hard to recruit me, but my parents were set on sending me to the central dominion for training."


    "They seem pretty intense," I said, watching the rows of students shouting and stomping in unison. There were a lot more of them than us, since we''d been given a private staging area away from the rest of the Central Academy students.


    Laurel started chanting, "En! En!" and waving her arms around at everyone else, encouraging us to pick it up. The name rang through the stadium with the beat of a drum.


    Our chant continued for as long as the fight went on, which was several minutes longer than any others. I got so into it that I found myself dipping and ducking, shadowing En''s movements without really meaning to.


    "Hey, watch it, Seth," Marcus grumbled when I identally stepped on his foot.


    I stopped and gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Uh, sorry."


    Maughed, poking me in the ribs. "You''re like, a fight nerd, Seth."


    I stuck my tongue out at her, but then turned my attention back to the fight.


    It was pretty clear when therger girl started to get tired, and when she did, En moved in to finish it with one of the specialbinations Professor Grey had taught us.


    She threw several punches and kicks in quick session, each one timed to take advantage of her opponent''s most likely defensive action, pushing to make the girl desperate, each dodge or block wilder and more out of ce, and ending with a spinning elbow to the girl''s undefended temple. Or at least, that''s how the professor exined it.


    Our staging area exploded. Ma jumped on my back, surprising me and nearly knocking me over, but we onlyughed and cheered even louder.


    En, Sloane, Deacon, and Portrel entered the staging area shortly after to raucous apuse.


    I pped Deacon on the arm. "Don''t look so glum. You didn''t do too bad, considering you couldn''t even see."


    "Whatever, at least now I can just sit back and rx," he mumbled, giving me an appreciative smile. "And watch the rest of you get your butt''s kicked, of course."


    I wanted to congratte En too but hung back with Deacon, Ma, and Linden when I realized she was beelining for the professor. "So¡­how''d I do?" she asked, almost too quiet for me to hear with Remy and Portrel wrestling around and shouting at each other.


    "Your execution was a little sloppy. You''d have won in half the time if you''d¡­" He paused, then seemed to rx slightly. "You did well."


    En beamed as she spun away, catching my eye for an instant. I gave her a thumbs up and mouthed, "Great job," then she was absorbed into the group as Brion, Linden, Marcus, and Pascal started peppering her with questions and reliving their favorite moments of her fight.


    It seemed like only a few seconds passed before the masked official was back, bringing the celebration in our staging area to a sudden halt. He repeated the part of his previous speech


    about where to go and not using magic, h h h, and I felt my body tightening up as he prepared to announce the next round of fights.


    "Remy, blood Seabrook, ring seven; Laurel, blood Redcliff, ring eight; Ma, blood Fairweather, ring nine; Seth, blood Milview, ring eleven."


    A hand grabbed mine and squeezed. "Good luck, Seth!" Ma said excitedly. "Let''s show everyone just how much we''ve learned, okay?"


    "Yeah," I said, my voiceing out hoarse.


    Then we were all marching out onto thebat field along with a dozen other students from other schools. I immediately nked and forgot which ring I was supposed to go to, and ended up walking around in a circle before an official took me by the arm and dragged me to ring eleven. My face burned as I heardughter from the closest staging area, but I didn''t turn to look at which academy it was.


    I blinked and suddenly the official was urging me up onto thebat tform opposite my opponent.


    He wasn''t much taller than me, but he was athletic, very much unlike me. Where I had pale, stick-thin arms, his were tan and muscr. My legs were trembling, but his were stout and tree trunks. His uniform was red and gray, and he wore a ck mask with scarlet runes painted on it. "Not fair!" someone shouted from nearby. This time I did turn to look and realized I was right next to the Bloodrock Academy staging area. A huge boy¡ªif he even was a boy, and not a mountain ogre in disguise¡ªwas leaning on the rail and shaking his head. "How''d you get so lucky, Adi? I didn''t know little kids couldpete in this event."


    His ssmates all hooted with appreciativeughter and cheered for my opponent, who was smirking now beneath his ck mask.


    The official said something that I didn''t catch, then a heavy gong announced the beginning of the fight.


    My opponent didn''t even adopt a form, just sauntered across the ring toward me. With a casual air, he threw a forward kick at my stomach, looking at me with a frustrating mix of pity and disdain.


    My training kicked in. I stepped to the side and forward while aiming a low kick at his ankle, knocking his foot out from under him. He crashed straight down with a pained grunt, his legs going in opposite directions, but I had already reversed my stance and kicked straight backwards with the other leg, my heel connecting solidly with my opponent''s temple.


    He copsed sideways, mask askew and eyes rolling back in his skull.


    And it was over. Pairs of students were still fighting all around me, but the official judging my match hopped up into the ring and shouted out my victory above the din, then instructed me to wait next to the ring until all matches had finished. The stunned boy shifted so I paused to offer him my hand to help him up, but he swatted it away and struggled to right himself.


    Moving down the steps to the dirt of thebat field, I stared around at the other fights without really seeing them, not quite sure yet what had even happened.


    "Lucky move, woggart," the big boy said from behind me, crossing his arms as he stood to his full height. He was as tall as Remy but beefy as Portrel. His eyes were a dark, bloody red behind his mask. "You better hope you don''t end up in the ring with me. I''ll break your scrawny ass in two."


    Doing my best not to look as scared as I felt¡ªany joy at my victory forgotten¡ªI tried to watch Ma, but my head felt like it was full of tar, and I kept thinking about the big, angry ogre ring at me from the Bloodrock staging area and wondering if he was going to jump on me like a wild animal.


    Several minutes passed by in a daze before I was instructed to return to the staging area with Ma, Laurel, and Remy. With a pang of guilt, I realized I hadn''t even seen if Ma won.


    By the way she was grinning, though, I thought she had. "I missed your whole fight!" she said excitedly as we walked side by side. "Like, I blinked and it was over. What happened?"


    "He won!" Yannick shouted, jumping over the rail and rushing out to us, followed by Marcus. Before I knew what was happening, I was sitting on their shoulders being bounced around as they began to chant, "Seth! Seth! Seth! Seth!"


    I had to duck to avoid knocking my head when we entered the staging area, which was in an uproar.


    "Hell of a move!" someone shouted.


    "Fastest victory yet," someone else said, and it went on like this for a minute or more with everyone cheering and congratting me.


    I wished I could have taken more of it in, but my mind was buzzing and I had a hard time following what was happening. My thoughts jumped from the surreal feeling of being cheered for back to the fight¡ªwhich now felt like a half-remembered dream¡ªto the Bloodrock boy''s threat¡­


    Professor Grey caught my eye, and my mood evened out. He didn''t utter a word, but gave me a nod before turning to wee the event official, who was back yet again.


    ***


    When the first round of battles was over and everyone had fought, only Deacon, Remy, and Linden had lost. The fightssted longer in the second round, but with only half of thebatants remaining, it went quickly.


    The highlight was definitely when Laurel let out a squeal of panic as she narrowly missed catching her opponent''s knee in the mouth, tumbled backwards, then fell out of the ring on her own, which of course was met with lots of groans and embarrassed silence from the rest of the ss. But she wasn''t the only student to go down in the second round; Sloane, Pascal, and Brion all joined her pretty soon after.


    As much as I''d like to say my second fight was as cool as the first¡­it wasn''t. I was matched with a girl from some academy in Etril, and she stayed back and bounced around the ring like we were at a formal dance instead of abat tournament. Our fight actually took the longest, and only ended when I managed to bull-rush her and push her out of the ring.


    Still, I was d not to have drawn the big ogre from Bloodrock, at least until Ma was called out to ring eleven¡­


    I groaned, feeling slightly sick as he hopped up onto the tform across from her, cracking his knuckles and leering like amon street thug.


    "Ma, blood Fairweather versus Gregor, blood Volkunruh," the official announced, his voice lost in a tangle of others, and then the gong sounded.


    Gregor thundered across the ring and took a huge backhand swipe at Ma. She rolled beneath it and kicked out at the back of his knee, but he pivoted with frightening speed and


    attempted to stomp on her. She only barely tossed herself out of the way, but it had been a trap. Pushing off using the leg he had stomped with, he lunged in the other direction, following her. When his knee connected with her chest, Ma was lifted off her feet and thrown through the air. My own chest and stomach contracted like I was the one who''d been kicked, but my first thought was that at least the fight was over, and he couldn''t have hurt her too badly.


    I choked on this thought when his massive fist wrapped around her ankle, jerking her iling body to a halt and bringing it crashing back down onto the tform instead of outside the ring. "Hey!" I shouted, my voice cracking slightly. It seemed crystal clear to me that Gregor had every intention of hurting Ma, not just beating her, but the official refereeing their fight didn''t react. Ma was dazed on the floor and didn''t even try to block or dodge when Gregor''s boot mmed into her ribs, sending her tumbling across the dueling tform. Somehow, she used the momentum of the roll to push up to her feet, but she was too winded to attack back effectively.


    Inside, I was begging her to just forfeit, but I couldn''t even bring myself to shout, only to watch in horrified fascination as Gregor pped aside her defenses and grabbed her by the throat. Ma was lifted up off the ground until she was eye to eye with him. Gregor paused there, Ma''s hands wrapped around his wrist, scrabbling feebly to free herself.


    "What the hell is that guy doing?" Marcus spat.


    "Oh, shit," someone else cursed, and I realized most of my ssmates had been watching En''s fight instead and hadn''t seen what happened.


    "He''s going to¡ª"


    Gregor turned toward our staging area, grinning beneath his mask. Then his hand came up like a battering ram into Ma''s stomach, the sound of it audible even from where I stood. He punched her again, then again, then let her drop. Bile rose up in the back of my throat as she curled in on herself, obviously still conscious but badly hurt.


    I wanted to rush out and help, or to punch Gregor in his big, stupid face, but instead I just stood there while Assistants Briar and Aphene went out and helped Ma back to the staging area. I stood aside while theyid her on one of the couches and checked for broken ribs. I didn''t say anything even after they''d rubbed her down with pain-relieving ointment and wrapped her in half-frozen towels.


    It wasn''t until the professor came over that I snapped out of it, moving to sit by her feet and the end of the couch.


    "You alive?" he asked.


    Ma''s response was muffled from beneath a towel.


    The professor met my eye, his face impassive¡­except for a tightness around his eyes and the corner of his mouth. My hands balled into fists, which the professor must have noticed, because he asked, "Are you angry, Seth?"


    "Yes," I said, my voice raw.


    "Good. Use that." Then he moved away again as the rest of the fights ended.


    "He''s so good at pep talks, isn''t he?" I said.


    Ma chuckled, then groaned from beneath her wrappings. "Don''t make meugh," she grumbled, her words barely discernible. "But¡­don''t leave, okay?"


    There was an awkward fluttering in my stomach and chest at her words. "Yeah, sure. I''m right here. You just rest."


    ***


    I don''t know if it was fate, or luck, or perhaps just that the event organizers had a cruel sense of humor, but in the next round I, of course, found myself standing opposite "Gregor, blood Volkunruh."


    When I saw the giant Striker from Bloodrock Academy approaching ring eleven from the other direction, the bottom fell out of my stomach. I suddenly wanted to scream at the official that I forfeit and flee.


    But I was afraid to even do that.


    There was something else, though, beneath the fear. The image of Ma bruised and bloodied beneath a wrapping of iced towels fed it like kindling. Even though I couldn''t put a name to the feeling, I knew I needed it if I was going to make myself get into the ring with Gregor, much less actually fight the monster.


    And so I embraced it, picturing my friend, watching her fight against Gregor in my mind as I waited for the official to wave us up onto the fighting tform. I thought about how he had purposely prolonged the fight, how he had tried not just to win, but to hurt her. How he had seeded.


    I heard Professor Grey''s voice in my head: Are you angry, Seth?


    Yes, I was pretty freaking angry, but it was a moreyered emotion than that. And it ran deep. Desperation, motivation, eagerness¡­it was all burning beneath the fog of fear in my mind and spirit.


    And so I didn''t run. I stepped into the ring and red up at Gregor. He smirked back down. Everything else blurred into the background.


    Then the gong was ringing.


    My body started moving before I had any kind of n or thought about what to do. I felt like just another onlooker as I quick-stepped forward and dipped right, just beneath the opening haymaker I knew Gregor would throw. I hit him with two quick punches in the kidney then retreated out of reach of the back kick that followed.


    Gregor was stronger than me. He was faster than me, too, and had better form. I''d never had to fight anyone with the raw power behind their attacks he had. But Professor Grey hadn''t tried to make me as strong as En or as clean as Valen. He knew I couldn''t win on talent alone. Instead, he''d taught me to develop my own style, to lean into my natural talents.


    Analyze my opponent. Anticipate their movements. n my counterattacks.


    It was almost like a puzzle: see what the opponent does, consider the forms andbinations the professor had taught me, and then put the right one in the right ce. It was a fighting style I could excel at.


    Anticipating Gregor''s attacks, I ducked and dodged, throwing a few punches and kicks of my own when he left himself open, but retreating away from any concerted effort to corner me. The few times his blowsnded, they mmed aside my inadequate defenses and nearly crushed me. Still, it was working.


    "You hop around like a scared little toad," Gregor grunted after a couple of minutes. His wide, ugly face was red and his knuckles were white. "You''re embarrassing yourself. Fight back or get out of the ring, toad."


    Heunched a series of punches, elbows, and knee strikes that I only barely managed to slide away from, although Inded a strong kick to the inside of his thigh in return. Every time I


    scored a blow, he swelled up and grew even more red, like an overwatered tomato about to burst.


    But the real problem was that I wasn''t hurting him. My kicks and punches just bounced off his heavily muscled body like he was wearing armor.


    Eventually, my strategy failed.


    Gregor engaged in a prolongedbination of quick kicks and sweeps, trying to put me on the ground. Several moves in, I lifted my foot to avoid a low kick at my ankle, responding with a kick of my own to the side of his knee. I overextended and couldn''t get my feet back under me in time to avoid his big elbow crashing into my shoulder and driving me painfully to the ground at his feet.


    With a roar of victory, Gregor fell down on top of me, mming his knee into my stomach.


    The sound of my ribs breaking cut through my mind like a dagger, shredding my focus. My entire torso lit up with hot pain. The air in my lungs exploded out in a dull grunt, and I couldn''t catch my breath again.


    Gregor''s fist fell, hammerlike, on the side of my head, making it bounce off thebat tform and filling my ears with ringing. Stunned, unable to defend myself at all, I just stared up at him and waited to get pummeled into unconsciousness. Only, the next punch didn''te.


    Instead, Gregor stood and turned his back on me, arms out wide as he yelled something at his ssmates. Their response was a meaningless roar in my malfunctioning ears.


    I focused on trying to breathe until my lungs finally inted again and my head cleared a little, just in time for Gregor to grasp the front of my uniform and pull me bodily to my feet.


    "I hope you enjoyed that while itsted," he said, his breath hot on my ear. "It''s my turn to have some fun now."


    My head snapped back as he drove his forehead into the bridge of my nose with enough force to crack my mask, which tumbled to my feet. The world jumped, shifting out of position as my eyes lost focus.


    Three Gregor''s allughed in my face. "Going maskless in front of the Sovereign? You worm. You should be punished!"


    Huge, hard hands wrapped around my throat and lifted me off the ground. Somewhere, so distant it could havee from another dominion, or even the other continent, someone shouted my name.


    My fingers wed at Gregor''s wrists uselessly. I iled, kicking his legs and kneeing his sides, but I might as well have been fighting back against a marble statue.


    The wild, irrational thought that this ogre of a boy was going to kill me right then and there overtook me, and the desperation burned away some of the fog clouding my mind. I focused on my pulse, following the drumbeat in my skull back to awareness.


    Releasing his wrists, I pushed my arms between his, forcing them as far up as I could. It wasn''t enough to break his grip, but it gave me just enough room to tuck my legs up into my chest. The pain of my broken ribs tried to steal my breath again, but I focused on that pulse, timing my breath to the heavy thumps.


    I wedged one foot up between his outstretched arms and kicked hard, my heel striking his nose with a wet crunch. I kicked again, then again, then braced myself.


    With an animalistic battle cry, Gregor swung me down toward the ground.


    I lurched forward, just getting my hands around the back of his neck and pulling him down with me. When we hit the ground, my knee was just under his sr plexus, and the full weight of his own attackbined with his body weight to drive my knee into his sternum and the mana core beneath it.


    I felt something move and break in my leg or maybe my hip. Everything hurt as I was crushed beneath Gregor, so it was hard to tell. The arena shed ck, then slowly faded back in, blurry around the edges but still there. It was quiet. Almost peaceful, like a fine ce to justy back and die.


    Gregor rolled off me, lying on his side just next to me. His mouth was opening and closing rapidly, his eyes bulging. Then he gagged and a stream of vomit sshed onto the tform between us.


    A sufficiently hard strike to the mana core was a lot like getting kicked between the legs. And I''d just delivered enough force to his sternum to break my hip, I was pretty sure.


    The official was on the tform with us now, shouting, but everything sounded like I had my head in a vat of tar. Still, I got the jist.


    Rolling through Gregor''s sick, I pushed him over on his back and forced myself up on one knee, sending lightning bolts of pain through my entire body. I raised my clenched fist and tried to meet Gregor''s eyes, though neither one of us seemed to be able to focus. "Do you¡­forfeit?" He coughed, shaking his head. I gathered as much strength as I could manage and punched him in the sr plexus, sending his body into convulsions of sickness and pain.


    "Forfeit?" I asked again, struggling to even get the word out.


    Gregor coughed up vomity drool and spit on the floor. A single, shallow nod, and then his eyes closed.


    A firm but careful hand pulled me away from Gregor. I screamed as something shifted in my hip, and the hand released me, letting me fall onto my back. The official was speaking quickly, but the words were meaningless.


    The blurriness around the edges of my vision grew more intense, going ck and slowly swallowing everything I could see. Onest thought tumbled through my tired brain before I lost consciousness.


    I won.

 Chapter 370

    <h4>Chapter 370</h4>


    ARTHUR


    I knocked lightly at the door before pushing it open and peering inside. A round-cheeked woman nced up at me, nodded, then returned to caring for her patient.


    Sethy in a bed, wrapped in bandages, every inch of exposed skin shiny with healing ointments. The woman was passing some kind of rod-shaped device over his torso, treating his multiple broken ribs, fractured pelvis, and dislocated hip.


    ¡®Tough kid,¡¯ Regis said. ¡®I thought he was done for.¡¯


    Yeah, well, that kind of grit probably runs in his blood, I sent back. His sister probably showed the same.


    ¡®Sure, sure, let¡¯s me these kids for what Agrona made their friends and family do. Totally fair, because they definitely could have resisted his will, right? What a bunch of pussies.¡¯


    I sighed. We¡¯ve had this conversation already, Regis. I was just being petty, and I recognize that.


    ¡®Don¡¯t sweet talk me like one of your princesses, Princess,¡¯ Regis said with a snort.


    There wasn¡¯t anything I could do for Seth, and so I returned to the staging area, where I¡¯d left Briar and Aphene in charge. As I opened the door, I was met with Briar¡¯s bellowing over the cacophony of my overexcited ss.


    ¡°Would you all be quiet! We have a guest¡ªoh, Professor Grey¡­¡±


    Briar looked from me to Director Ramseyer, who had just entered from thebat field, looking unusually rxed, even bemused. ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on our championship team,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s only natural they¡¯re excited, considering. Which is why I¡¯m here, of course, to say a few words. If you don¡¯t mind, Professor Grey?¡±


    I motioned for him to continue.


    The director waited for thest few chatting students to quiet. ¡°What a treat that was to watch,¡± he said, beaming around at the students. ¡°Congrattions to each and every one of you for such an impressive performance during the tournament, and of course an exceptional job done by our tournament champion, Lady En of Highblood Frost.¡±


    Cheers and apuse burst out of the students, but it tapered off quickly as the director looked on expectantly.


    ¡°Additionally, I¡¯d like to recognize Marcus of Highblood Arkwright and Valen of Highblood Ramseyer, who both performed up to the high standards of their bloods, going farthest in this tournament aside from our champion!¡±


    Another round of apuse, though I also caught a few exasperated looks at the director¡¯s unsubtle calling out of his own grandson. Valen seemed oblivious, practically radiating pleasure at his grandfather¡¯spliment.


    ¡°And of course,¡± Director Ramseyer went on, ¡°we can¡¯t forget your injured ssmates, Seth of Highblood Milview and Yanick of Blood Farshore. I hope you will pass along both my sympathy and my pride when you see themter.¡±


    Shortly after Seth¡¯s barely-won victory against the club-fisted kid from Bloodrock Academy, Yanick¡¯s leg was broken by a careless opponent, but they were the only major injuries. Central Academy became a standout in the tournament after that, putting up a better win percentage than any other academy present.Read more chapters at ReadNovelFull.org!


    The students had grown more wild and boisterous with each passing round, and had rushed out onto thebat field in a frenzy when En ultimately won the championship. I found myself in a strange position, unable to ignore my part in their sess. It was my training that brought them to this point, after all. And knowing that instilled me with pride, but also guilt.


    And so, instead of giving these kids the positive reinforcement they needed, I had stepped back, steering my thoughts toward my n for the Victoriad, eventually excusing myself entirely, using Seth¡¯s injury as an excuse to get a few minutes alone in the rtive quiet of the underworks while my mixed emotions cooled.


    ¡°Now,¡± Director Ramseyer said, pping his hands together, ¡°with today¡¯s events wrapping up, I¡¯m sure you are all eager for a moment to rest your bodies and rx your minds, and so I¡¯ll leave you in the capable hands of Professor Grey and his assistants. Again, well done everyone, well done!¡±


    The director made a point to shake my hand as he left, the students buzzing with tired conversation in the background. ¡°To you, Professor Grey, I must also extend my congrattions. Melee Enhancement Tactics has never exactly been our school¡¯s priority, I¡¯m afraid, but look at what you¡¯ve aplished with them.¡± His normally severe expression gave way to a wide grin. ¡°And to think I nearly had you reced. Hah!¡±


    Shaking his head, he made his way out of the staging area, and I clearly heard him mutter, ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t wait to rub this in the other directors¡¯ noses at supper this evening.¡±


    Briar and Aphene were watching me, waiting. I gave them a nod.


    ¡°Listen up!¡± Briar shouted. ¡°We¡¯re headed to our rooms. No dallying, no straying. You all look like you¡¯ve had sixteen shades of shit kicked out of you already, but don¡¯t think for a second that I won¡¯t kick sixteen more out of anyone who feels like screwing around.¡±


    Biting back a smirk, I followed behind, only half keeping an eye on the group.


    ¡°Everyone should have your room numbers already,¡± Aphene said when we reached the hall where we¡¯d been provided rooms. ¡°If you forgot your number, then I guess you¡¯ll have to sleep in the hallway.¡±


    ¡°I know most of you are eager to sneak out of your rooms and hang out with friends,¡± I added. ¡°All I have to say is¡­just don¡¯t get caught.¡±


    There were a few appreciative chuckles at this, and even Aphene cracked a smile, but Briar only rolled her eyes and shot me an exasperated look. The line then broke apart as students began hunting for their rooms.


    With my professorially duties absolved, I entered into the quiet confines of my little chamber and closed the door behind me.


    Regis immediately hopped out of my body and sniffed around. ¡°Not exactly a castle, is it?¡±modations provided for visiting students and professors were sufficient, if somewhat spartan. We were given rooms in the coliseum itself, and had been invited to stay for the rest of the event, which consisted of another day of wargames and duels between high-ranking ascenders.


    It wasn¡¯t until the third and final day of the Victoriad that the retainers and Scythes would ept challenges for their positions. If Nico was going to take my bait, it would be on the third day. Until then¡­


    Reaching into my extradimensional storage rune, I conjured out thest keystone I had received. It had been a long and mentally taxing day, and what I really needed was to meditate and focus my mind.


    Sitting cross-legged on the bed with the keystone between my knees, I closed my eyes, but didn¡¯t imbue the relic with aether. Instead, I waited. My brief training session with En and the keystone had shown me that what I really needed to make progress with the relic¡¯s insight was help.


    A couple of minutes passed before the knock at my door came.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    The door opened and Caera entered, looking frazzled around the edges. She¡¯d spend thest couple rounds of the student tournament with her blood in their private box at Corbett¡¯s request.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she muttered. ¡°Lenora trapped me in a very ufortable conversation with a young Vritra-blooded man who has been fostered out to some highblood in Sehz-r.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± I said, adjusting my position and gesturing to my room¡¯s single chair sitting at the foot of the bed. ¡°Is there a potential betrothal in your future, Lady Caera?¡±


    ¡°No, Professor Grey, but that won¡¯t stop Lenora from trying.¡± Caera fell into the chair with a huff, then gave me a more serious look. ¡°So what did you want to discuss? Finally nning on telling me what this mysterious n is?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I admitted, giving her an apologetic smile. ¡°Actually, I need your help with something.¡±


    She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, giving me a suspicious look. ¡°Oh really?¡± Her focus moved to the keystone. ¡°Something to do with that thing, I assume?¡±


    I spent a couple minutes exining what I wanted her to do, after which she adjusted her chair and got a little morefortable.


    ¡°So, just¡­?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± I answered.


    She closed her eyes. Warmth radiated from her body, and although I couldn¡¯t sense her mana, I could still feel the physical effects it caused. A faint movement in the air dislodged a lock of her hair, which fell in front of her face. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she focused. Her eyes flicked around beneath her closed lids, which were lightly painted a smoky gray color for the Victoriad.


    ¡°Thank you, Caera,¡± I said, closing my own eyes and pushing aether into the keystone, letting my consciousness follow. As before, beyond the wall of purple energy I found only the empty ck nothing of the keystone realm.


    The darkness was alive in the presence of Caera¡¯s mana, shifting and moving. Drifting through the dark, I watched the rhythmic dance happening inside the inky ckness carefully, taking note of every aspect I could think of.


    For some time¡ªfifteen minutes, assuming Caera followed my instructions, but the time seemed tost much longer inside the relic¡ªthe movement took on vertical striations that jumped and writhed like mes on a log.


    Then the movements shifted, gaining a jagged, cutting edge, their movements erratic and difficult to quantify, like the many disparate shapes¡ªeach still a part of the whole¡ªwere waging a sudden and violent war on each other.


    This didn¡¯tst as long before the shape of the motion changed again, now subtle streams, both flowing and radiating outward, like a river ofva and the intense heat it gave off.


    At each step, I practiced forming aether in a variety of ways, attempting to cause some kind of reaction in the colorless motion of the keystone realm. Lashing whips, cutting arcs, shaped bursts, and even a rough spade-shaped aetheric form that I dragged through the ckness, but nothing affected my surroundings.


    Nothing worked.


    Whatever this puzzle was, Icked something essential¡ªwhether understanding or ability¡ªto navigate it¡­


    Cold sweat dampened my forehead at a sudden, chilling realization, and I backed out of the keystone, my eyes snapping open.


    Caera was sitting in the chair, currently channeling mana throughout her body to enhance her physical abilities. Her eyes were open, and she¡¯d been staring at me. She jumped slightly and cut off channeling her mana. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting¡ª¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± I said, handing over the keystone.


    She hesitated, looking at it as though it might explode.


    I unfolded from my sitting position and moved to the end of the bed. Taking her hand in my own, I set the keystone in her palm, then wrapped both my hands around hers, cupping the keystone in the middle.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to channel aether into the keystone,¡± I exined. ¡°I need you to tell me what you see¡­assuming this works.¡±


    ¡°Um, okay, are you¡ª¡± Her words cut off in a surprised gasp as I started.


    Caera¡¯s eyes snapped shut and her body stiffened. ¡°I see¡­a huge, ethereal wall¡­like I¡¯m approaching the edge of the world.¡±


    Maneuvering by practice and instinct, I guided her consciousness deeper into the keystone realm.


    ¡°I¡¯m moving through, it¡¯s all purple, a hundred different shades¡­and it¡¯s warm. It feels like¡ª¡± She gasped again, this time even louder. ¡°Light guide me¡­it¡¯s mana. I can see it! All the colors¡­the whole world in here is made up of mana, shaped by it. What is this, Grey? What am I seeing?¡±


    I jumped out of the bed, swiftly pacing the short distance to the wall and back, my stomach clenching ufortably.


    The keystone has something to do with mana, we¡¯d already learned as much. Only, Caera can see mana particles within the keystone, but it looks like a ck void to me, which means¡­what?


    I don¡¯t have a mana core, but the presence of a mana core doesn¡¯t allow a mage to see mana particles. Sense them, yes, but I needed to activate Sylvia¡¯s beast will and the power of Realmheart to see the mana directly, even before my core was destroyed.


    ¡®So why is it all endless darkness and creepy ink-monster ripples when you go in there?¡¯ Regis asked from where he had curled up in the corner.


    Myck of a mana core must be preventing me from properly sensing whatever it is the keystone is trying to show me, I answered, looking down at the cuboid relic resting in Caera¡¯s hand, still drawing on my aether to keep it open and her mind submerged within. The ripples in the dark, they¡¯re obviously caused by the mana itself moving, but that doesn¡¯t make sense¡­unless it''s a manifestation of the mana¡¯s effects, like the heating off Caera¡¯s body as she channeled fire mana.


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s sort of like when you see a heat haze rising off a sun-baked stone. The mana is moving, causing a change in the environment, and, you know, interrupting the sensory information you receive.¡¯ Regis rolled over, burying his face in the pillow from my bed, which he must have stolen when I wasn¡¯t looking. ¡®But the fact that you can sense something in there, anything at all, is a good sign, right?¡¯


    I leaned against the wall as I considered this, wondering what mechanism of the keystone and whatever insight it contained allowed me to sense the movement of mana, even if I wasn¡¯t seeing it. The realm within the relic was aetheric in nature, and there wasn¡¯t any natural light, so Regis¡¯sparison to a hot stone didn¡¯t quite fit the picture I had in my head. It was more like¡­


    ¡­the reflection of water seen from the outside of the ss. My mind reached far back to before the war, when Lady Myre had first exined aether to me. ¡°Aether makes up the building blocks the world is made of, while mana is what fills it with life and sustenance.¡± Shepared aether to a cup, and mana to the water that fills it. But if water changes shape, it doesn¡¯t alter the cup in any way. Or¡­does it?


    ¡®Okay, you¡¯re losing me. Aren¡¯t the dragons a little behind the times on aether art stuff?¡¯ The wolf let out a rumbling chuckle. ¡®Aether ¡°Art¡± stuff. Haha, get it?¡¯


    The keystone realm itself is aetheric in nature, only housing mana within. I can¡¯t see the mana, but somehow my connection with the aether is letting me sense its movement. At least when it is reacting to outside stimulus, which must cause stronger fluctuations.


    ¡°Grey?¡± Caera¡¯s voice was a quiet, nervous whisper, making me realize I¡¯d been quiet for some time.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said immediately, ¡°I was just thinking. Do you mind staying in there for a bit? There are a few more things I¡¯d like to try.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Caera grinned. ¡°This is amazing. It¡¯s¡­beautiful. Imagine seeing the world like this all the time?¡±


    I smiled sadly, but pushed thoughts of Realmheart and Sylvia¡¯s beast will away.


    There was work to do.


    TESSIA ERALITH


    Cold wind caressed my cheek and brushed a stray strand of my gunmetal gray hair behind my ear. It danced around me, carrying a little flurry of snow that spun outward with every twist and dip to drift down toward the fortress of Taegrin Caelum below.


    ¡°Weak.¡±


    I rubbed hard at the point on my chest where Grey¡¯s de had pierced me¡­in a different life, a different body, and yet now that I had the memory of it, it was like I could feel the scar of the old wound.


    ¡°I had expected more from you.¡±


    The wind swirled inward, tugging at my blouse like it wanted me to dance too. So high above Agrona¡¯s fortress, the air was frigid and clear, and eager to feel the touch of mana.


    Mountains stretched as far as I could see in every direction. Clouds gathered on the horizon¡ªfluffy-gray and full of snow¡ªbut otherwise the huge sky was crystal blue. Cold but inviting.


    ¡°I¡¯m the better contender.¡± Read more chapters at ReadNovelFull.org!


    I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to push away thosest moments of my life, which had now reyed over and over in my mind for days¡­weeks? Time moved strangely in Taegrin Caelum, like the turning of the world meant little to the fortress or its ruler.


    ¡°If I have to leave you and Nico behind to achieve my goal, I will.¡±


    Those had been hisst real words to me, this person who was supposed to be my friend. Before he had plunged his sword through my chest. And Nico had watched it happen.


    That was myst memory. Turning my head to see Nico, ringed in a halo of light, half-obscured by clouds of dust, his face frozen in a tortured mask as he arrived toote to help¡­


    I let out a shuddering sigh.


    No wonder he is the way he is.


    I shook away the thought. It wasn¡¯t Nico¡¯s fault. All I had to do was die and wake up, but Nico¡­his path had been much longer, much more painful.


    Being forced to remember my own death had put me into a fugue for days, and even after that it took days more to return to myself. After taking so long to adjust to my new body¡ªmy body¡ªbeing trapped in my rooms again had felt like prison, like torture. I¡¯d already lived one life of imprisonment, in which I¡¯d never been allowed to be myself, to live for myself, make choices for myself.


    But how is serving Agrona any different?


    ¡°I will make it different,¡± I told the dancing wind. ¡°I will control my own fate.¡±


    I released my hold on the magic that made me fly.


    My body twisted in the air until I was staring down at the fortress. The air thinned ahead of me while blowing hard from behind, sending me hurtling at a break-neck pace downward. Taegrin Caelum, small as a child¡¯s toy only an instant ago, rushed toward me, expanding to engulf my vision.


    I turned suddenly, my body aching from the force, and flew through my open balcony doors with enough speed that they mmed shut behind me. The door into the maze of hallways jumped open just before I would have smashed through it, responding to my will, and I hurtled along the castle corridors with dangerous speed.Read more chapters at ReadNovelFull.org!


    When I stopped, the sudden burst of wind my passage created sent a stuffed mana beast tumbling off it¡¯s wide plinth to crash down the hallway. I winced, not having meant to cause any damage, but there was also a small part of me that felt vindictive pleasure in the act.


    I knocked on Nico¡¯s door, but there was no answer. Earth mana lingered in the heavy metal lock, and it jumped to the side at mymand, allowing the door to swing open.


    My feet drifted up off the floor and I flew into the room. It was dark, empty, and absent of warmth¡­


    Nico wasn¡¯t there.


    There was only one other person in Taegrin Caelum I could talk to, really, and so I left Nico¡¯s room, flying off his balcony and around the edge of the fortress. I stopped, hovering in the air as a set of balcony doors high in the wall of Agrona¡¯s private wing pushed outward as if to wee me.


    Each time we met, it was like I was seeing Agrona for the first time.


    His horns were empty of ornamentation, his usual fine clothes reced by dark leather pants and a simple white tunic that hung casually off his lithe form, the top buttons undone to expose his chest and allow the runic tattoos that covered it to peek through. His marble skin shimmered in the cold mid-morning light, or perhaps that was the strength of his mana shining through his body from his core, which burned like a miniature sun within his sternum.


    ¡°Feeling better?¡± he asked, feigning a casual air. ¡°I was just thinking of you. Draneeve said you missed yourst assessment. I¡­¡± His head cocked slightly to the side, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. ¡°What is weighing so heavily on your mind, Cecil?¡±


    I met his brilliantly scarlet eyes¡ªthis being who was closer to god than man¡ªand lifted my chin. ¡°I¡¯ve had a lot of time to consider everything you¡¯ve shown me, Agrona, and I need to tell you something.¡±


    His smile was kindly, but carried the confidence of a conqueror. Whatever I had to say, I knew he would listen, but he wouldn¡¯t be bent or broken by it.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be your weapon,¡± I continued, my voice carrying on the wind. ¡°Or your tool. I want to be able to make my own choices, to have a life, not just to be alive.¡±


    Agrona¡¯s shrug was perfectly casual. ¡°Of course, Cecil. Your life is your own.¡± He gave me a charming, warm-hearted, understanding smile that made it difficult to remember what I wanted to say. ¡°I would ask you inside to discuss this further, but honestly I love the drama of you flying there, face like carved ice, ready to make demands.¡±


    He¡¯s lying, of course.


    I drew in a deep breath and the mana all around us swelled outward like it was a part of me. The air warmed, water vapor solidified and began to fall as wet kes of snow, even the stones of Taegrin Caelum groaned.


    ¡°Tell me the truth.¡±


    Agrona stepped farther out onto the balcony. His eyes closed and he sniffed at the wind, filling his lungs with it. ¡°Power,¡± he said, his voice a booming whisper. ¡°Raw and impossible.¡±


    Opening his eyes, he held out a hand to catch some of the snowkes. ¡°Would I repeat the mistakes of those fools who caged you in yourst life? Suppressing your potential by constraining you, trying to control you? I hope I do not strike you as foolish.¡±


    ¡°But you did something simr to Nico,¡± I pointed out, holding in the tremor that would have wracked my body at Agrona¡¯s casual mention of the many years of imprisonment and torture¡ªin the guise of training¡ªI went through in myst life. ¡°He¡ª¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the Legacy,¡± Agrona said easily. ¡°Although¡­what he endured for you, just for the chance to stand by you again¡­Nico was weak and powerless as he watched Grey take your life. Unable to do anything, anything at all. He was willing to endure any pain to bring you back and keep you safe, no matter the cost to himself.¡±


    Agrona inspected me closely. ¡°But Nico is not what you¡¯re here to talk about, is he? I¡¯m not lying when I say your choices are your own, but there is something you need to know.¡±


    He paused when a bird flew right past me to settle on the balcony rail. It tapped its beak on the metal, issuing a hollow ng, and ruffled its shiny ck and red feathers. Agrona held out his hand, which was suddenly full of seeds. The creature hopped from the rail into his palm and began to eat, fanning its four wings.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­beautiful,¡± I said, momentarily distracted.Read more chapters at ReadNovelFull.org!


    ¡°You won¡¯t find them anywhere else in crya,¡± Agrona mused, watching the bird peck at the seeds. ¡°Theye from Epheotus, native only to the precipitous cliff sides of Mount Geolus. I had some brought here, long ago, when¡­¡±


    Agrona¡¯s features grew intense as he trailed off. Suddenly his fingers closed like a cage around the bird. It gave a frightened squawk and began to p around in his hand and peck futilely at his fingers.


    ¡°They are out of ce here, just like you,¡± he said, his intense gaze on the bird. ¡°You are in danger, Cecil, and you will be until the war is won and the Indrath n is thrown from their mountain.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked, unable to take my eyes from the bird, a strong sense of foreboding making my stomach lurch.


    ¡°Unlike the Vritra, who pride ourselves on exploring the unknown, the rest of the asura ns are terrified of it. If they were ever to get their hands on you¡­¡±


    His eyes drifted away from the bird to meet my own, and I felt myself drawn into them, like staring down the caldera of an active volcano. I could feel him riffling around in my mind like he was flipping the pages of a book. But instead of feeling like a vition, there was a warmth andfort to it, like having him in there with me meant I wasn¡¯t alone.


    But you aren¡¯t alone, Cecilia.


    His hand closed. The bird gave a muffled shriek, which was immediately reced by the crunching of small, hollow bones. When Agrona¡¯s hand opened again, the beautiful creature was little more than bent feathers and broken wings.


    With a flick of his wrist, the little corpse tumbled over the edge of the balcony and down to the sharp stones far below.


    ¡°But I am not going to war with the other asura for your sake,¡± Agrona said, his voice heavy with intent. ¡°They are not just a danger to you, but to all lessers. And the people of both crya and Dicathen deserve an existence without fear of their tyranny. I may rule the lessers, guide their evolution, but I have no interest in building them up only to break them and start over again as Kezess has done.¡±


    He held out his hand toward me, palm up, as if expecting me to take it. ¡°If you fight with me in the war toe, you can protect yourself and the people of two continents from the danger that the asura pose. After all, they¡¯ve already shown the depth of their disregard for lesser lives in Elenoir when theymitted genocide just for the chance to stop you growing into your full power.¡±


    At the mention of Elenoir, an emerald haze leaked from my core, filling my vision and making me wobble in the air. Agrona tensed, but I regained control immediately and pushed the sensation down deep, back into my core where the alien presence of the elderwood guardian remained, its power still shuttered from me.


    Agrona was tracing my body with his eyes, inspecting every inch of me. ¡°The beast will riles at the mention of the attack,¡± he noted. ¡°Most interesting. Should you ever gain control over it, adding its formidable power to your own freeform control over mana will be a boon, but not strictly necessary for you to attain your full potential.¡±


    I rubbed my sternum over my mana core, ufortable.Read more chapters at ReadNovelFull.org!


    ¡°But I understand that this world will never be your home,¡± Agrona continued, like he was pulling thoughts straight from my head. ¡°And so I promise you this. When we defeat the asuras and topple the Indrath n, I will use the knowledge I have gained from the Relictombs to give you back your old life, your old world¡ªbut as they should have been.¡±


    My breath caught in my chest.


    ¡°Imagine it, Cecil. Picture exactly what that life would be like, whatever you want. Now, what would you do to im it?¡±


    It¡¯s a trick, or a trap, or¡ª


    But already his treatment of me was changing. His tone was respectful, even cautious. The way he looked up at me, I could see it in his eyes, like he saw me as a partner, not a tool, and that was exactly what I¡¯de here to demand. There was both a confidence and a question in that gaze, and I knew with utter certainty that he could do what he said.


    But what would I do in this life for a chance to return to the life I should have had?


    ¡°Anything, Agrona.¡±

 Chapter 371

    <h4>Chapter 371</h4>


    SETH MILVIEW


    Standing at the bottom of a long stretch of stairs leading up into the stadium seats, I nearly turned around and gave up. I was so tired¡­but then, having your bones and muscture stitched back together by magic wasn¡¯t exactly what I¡¯d call restful.


    I¡¯d stayed in bed for the entire second day of the Victoriad, which sucked. While everyone else was cheering on the wargames or spending their allowance at the market, I was curled up under about four nkets, shaking and sweating as my body worked overtime to heal.


    Still, the doctor had been optimistic as she exined that a fractured pelvis was rtively easy to fuse, and how I¡¯d have been looking at a much longer, more painful recovery if my hip had been broken and not just dislocated. And most of the ss stopped by in groups to see me, with Maing back several times throughout the day to check in and drop off cakes and candies to make me feel better.


    I thought of that fluttery moment where she¡¯d asked me to stay with her every time she walked in the door, and through the pain-induced haze, I realized something.


    I liked her. Like, like liked her. I¡¯d never had a crush before. I¡¯d never been close enough to a girl to have a crush before¡­


    ¡°Seth?¡±


    I flinched, feeling my face grow hot as I peeked at her out of the corner of my eye. Ma was holding my arm while helping me walk, and I¡¯d just frozen for about thirty seconds. ¡°Sorry, I, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°We could sit lower if¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay,¡± I assured her, starting up the stairs. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    A hot poker jammed into my side with each step as we ascended about halfway up the stadium to where Brion, Pascal, Yanick, Linden, and Deacon were seated. Most of our other ssmates were in private viewing boxes with their bloods as everyone prepared for the main event, the real reason for the Victoriad: the challenges.


    ¡°Hail, Seth the Undefeated, yer of Giants!¡± Linden cheered as we shuffled in to sit next to the others.


    ¡°We are both honored and humbled by your presence,¡± Pascal added, a genuine smile creasing the burned side of his face.


    Iughed, then winced.


    Yanick leaned back and stuck his heavily wrapped leg in the air. ¡°I feel your pain, man. At least you still won your fight.¡±


    With an appreciative smile at my friends, I scooted past a few other people¡ªthe stands were almost entirely full now¡ªand slid onto the bench next to Linden. ¡°So, have they announced the challenges yet?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Yanick said, pouting down at the emptybat field, which had been cleared of all the smaller fighting tforms. Then he brightened. ¡°But, the rumor back home is that Ssanyu the Stone Eater is challenging to rece Bl as Scythe Viessa Vritra¡¯s retainer.¡±


    Pascal grunted. ¡°Ssanyu may be a legendary ascender, but everyone knows Scythe Viessa Vritra prefers a certain type of retainer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± I said, nodding along with what they were saying. ¡°Have you read The Forging of Scythes by Tenebrous?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have!¡± Deacon said brightly, getting augh out of everyone else. He looked affronted, pressing his hand to his chest as he said, ¡°Well excuse me for being well read, you barbarians.¡±


    ¡°In the newest version, Tenebrous mentions that Scythe Viessa Vritra prefers to train up her retainers personally,¡± I continued, adjusting myself on the hard bench to try and getfortable. ¡°Herst retainer, Bl, was a wartime appointment, but he¡¯d been her ward since he was a kid.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Deacon said. ¡°Him and his siblings. Bl, Bivran, and¡­Bivrae, right? The Dead Three?¡±


    ¡°Dead Three?¡± Ma echoed, looking confused.


    I winced as I turned toward her. The sun gleamed off her auburn hair, which framed her face and entuated the slight roundness of her cheeks. She was¡­


    Clearing my throat, I said, ¡°Three little kids, eight or nine years old, who were found alone in their home. The building had beenpletely destroyed by some kind of explosion, and everyone else inside was killed. But somehow the triplets survived.¡±


    ¡°Whoa,¡± Brion said. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard that story.¡±


    Linden leaned forward, chiming in for the first time. ¡°I wonder if¡ª¡±


    But he was immediately interrupted by a series of magical gong noises echoing throughout the stadium. It was like someone had created a sound barrier as the audience suddenly wentpletely silent.


    Into that silence marched a Vritra-born man in dark ted armor, a purple cape trailing behind him, striding purposefully toward the center of thebat field. Horns jutted out of his short-cropped ck hair. He had a serious face, and wherever his red eyes focused, the crowd seemed to tremble


    There was no announcement to tell us his name or list his aplishments. Everyone already knew who he was: Cylrit, retainer of Sehz-r.


    When he reached the middle of the field, he turned toward the high box, his posture straight as a sword, and then bowed deeply. I could just make out Scythe Seris Vritra move to the front of the balcony, and I was d I was already sitting down. The sight of her¡ªher hair glowing like liquid pearl in the sunlight, her battlerobes shining like ck diamonds¡ªmade my knees tremble.


    She stepped back into the shadows of the high box just before a second figure appeared, marching toward Cylrit.


    Althoughpletely focused on the woman, I found it really hard, almost painful, to look at her. My gaze kept wanting to slip off, like turnshoes on an icy path. Her figure was indistinct, sort of ethereal¡­shadow made real. in ck robes hung from her thin frame, but they seemed to drift and move, copsing back into nothing around her ankles, like they stopped being robes and just became darkness.


    She seemed to float over the ground, carried on a wind of ck mist. No horns sprouted from her head, but her short white hair, which practically glowed in contrast with her midnight ck skin and robes, was styled up into straight, sharp spikes.


    Mawar, the ck Rose of Etril¡­


    Stopping beside Cylrit, Mawar also bowed to the high box.


    Another woman stepped out onto the balcony, raising her hand toward her retainer. She was a lot like Scythe Seris Vritra, and, at the same time, almost her opposite. The woman¡¯s silvery-gray skin wasn¡¯t painted, and she wore no ornamentation in her bright white hair. Unlike Seris¡¯s delicate horns, this woman had two pairs of thick ck horns that curved away from her scalp, dark and heavy.


    She wasn¡¯t wearing a dress or battlerobes, but was d in armor made of white scales:rger, slightly darker tes at her shoulders, neck, and hips had an organic look to them, almost like bone, while smaller, arrow-shaped scales meshed together over the rest of her body.


    Scythe Melzri Vritra¡­


    She stepped back, and retainer Mawar straightened.


    The ringing of gongs made the entire audience jump. Yanick cursed as Linden slipped out of his seat. I let out a groan of pain, having flinched so hard it felt like I¡¯d cracked a rib again.


    A deep voice spoke,ing from the air all around us. ¡°No challengers have stepped forward to face Cylrit of Sehz-r. Would any prospects now offer challenge?¡±


    As one, the entire audience, several tens of thousands of people, all focused on thebat field, waiting breathlessly. But no one stepped forward.


    ¡°Cylrit goes unchallenged,¡± the voice boomed.


    Bowing again to the high box, retainer Cylrit marched stiffly from the field.


    ¡°No challengers have stepped forward to face Mawar of Etril. Would any prospects now offer challenge?¡±


    Again, the call for challengers went unanswered.


    ¡°Mawar goes unchallenged,¡± the voice boomed.


    Following Cylrit¡¯s lead, Mawar bent into a fluid bow, then floated from thebat field.


    When she was gone, the voice spoke again. ¡°Scythe Cadell Vritra of Central Dominion has elected to refuse any and all challengers to retainer Lyra of Highblood Dreide, who remains in thend of Dicathen, helping to settle our new sister continent and bring peace to its citizens.¡±


    There was some muttering from the crowd at this, but it quieted immediately when the voice continued to speak.


    ¡°In times of war, even the strongest soldier may fall pursuing the will of the High Sovereign. The world is vast, and its perils are many, which is why crya needs the High Sovereign to watch over us, protect us, and make us strong. We honor the dead for their sacrifice. Retainers Uto of Vechor, Jaegrette of Truacia, and Bl of Truacia. Their names, like their deeds, will be remembered so long as a single cryan heart still beats.


    ¡°But where one falls, another rises. Four of crya¡¯s champions have stepped forward to challenge for the position of retainer of Truacia under Scythe Viessa Vritra. Sovereign Kiros Vritra wees and invites to the field: Ssanyu the Stone Eater¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hah, told you!¡± Yanick whispered, grinning ear to ear.


    ¡°¡ªAadaan of Named Blood Rusaek, Kagiso of Highblood Gwethe, and Bivrae of the Dead Three.¡±


    As their names were spoken, the four challengers appeared from one of the many entrances and marched toward the center of the field to the spot that Cylrit and Mawar had only just vacated. They stood side by side in a line¡ªBivrae standing well away from the others, her face an ugly mask of disdain¡ªand bowed as one to the high box.


    ¡°Would any other prospects offer challenge?¡± the voice said.


    A moment passed. No one moved.


    The voice boomed again, deeper and more grandiose. ¡°Then bow before Sovereign Kiros of Vechor, and let the challengesmence.¡±


    A suffocating presence washed over the coliseum. It felt as though someone had flipped the world upside down and I was standing under the weight of the entire continent, waiting for it to fall and crush me to nothing.


    The shadow of arge being appeared at the edge of the high box balcony. All around me, people were already looking down, staring at their feet or theirps.


    sping my hands together, I kept my eyes on my interlocked fingers, not daring to look anywhere else. From the top of my vision, I could just see the four challengers, each facedown in the dirt, prostrate before the Sovereign.


    When he spoke, the Sovereign¡¯s voice boomed with blood-stained thunder and white-hot power, scorching my ears and stealing my breath. ¡°Prove yourselves, challengers. Show the depth of your mettle and the range of your desire. Bring pride to your bloods and your Sovereigns. Let no weakness creep in upon you, but im every eager ounce of strength from your bodies.¡±


    Then the force of his presence was gone. I waited, afraid to look up and identally meet the Sovereign¡¯s eye. But the crowd began to shuffle, and I could hear a few whispered conversations, and finally Ma¡¯s hand was resting on my forearm.


    ¡°Seth, you can¡ª¡±


    I nced up, meeting her eyes. ¡°That was¡­¡± But I trailed off, unsure how to describe what I¡¯d just felt.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    The projected voice of the unseen announcer came again, this time grating on my frayed nerves, making it feel like someone was standing right behind me, shouting into my ear. ¡°Challengers Kagiso and Aadaan, please remain on the field. All others, return to your staging area.¡±


    Ssanyu and Bivrae left in opposite directions, the former striding proudly, thetter slinking along in a way that reminded me of the creatures in horror stories my mother read to me as a child.


    The two men remaining on the field bowed again to the high box, then to each other.


    Aadaan was tall and lean, with arms and legs that looked like they¡¯d been stretched on a rack. He was d in rune-inscribed leather armor, the dark brown nearly the same color as his skin. He wore a clever grin, and his eyes never left Kagiso.


    Kagiso made a show of stretching, his mane of tawny hair bouncing around his shoulders with each movement. The tips of his ck horns were just visible through his hair, and he had one zing red eye and one jet ck one. His armor was a mesh of leather and chain in a deep red that matched his eye, with silver runes glowing from the pauldrons, chest, and down either side of his exposed back.


    ¡°Dang, that¡¯s a lot of runes,¡± Linden muttered, but I could tell he wasn¡¯t talking about the armor. The man¡¯s spine was marked with at least a dozen emblems, and even a couple of regalia. ¡°Does anyone know anything about him?¡±


    ¡°Only that he was fostered by Highblood Gwethe and he¡¯s a solo ascender,¡± Deacon answered. ¡°He fell out of the public eye when he manifested his Vritra blood.¡±


    Pascal grunted and scratched at his scarred cheek. ¡°I heard they do all kinds of crazy experiments on any of the Vritra-blooded that manifest.. That¡¯s why there are so few of them.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid,¡± Brion said, earning a re from Pascal. ¡°There are so few of them because it¡¯s super rare for even someone with even a lot of Vritra blood to be able to use their asuran mana arts. For the few that do, the High Sovereign takes them all to Taegrin Caelum and has them trained to fight the other asuras.¡±


    Lindenughed. ¡°Man, even total badasses can¡¯t fight asuras. Scythes maybe, but only after they¡¯ve been strengthened with elixirs and stuff. I bet the High Sovereign has some secret weapon against the other asura. That¡¯s why he¡¯s never been afraid of them. I mean, think about it. They decided to blow up half the other continent instead of attacking us here. Why would they do that if they weren¡¯t afraid of crya?¡±


    Pascal rolled his eyes. ¡°Linden, bud, you¡¯ve been watching too many broadcasts¡­¡±


    The conversation was interrupted by the ringing of gongs, announcing the start of the fight.


    Except thebatants didn¡¯t move. Kagiso and Aadaan were standing thirty feet apart, weapons summoned to their hands. Aadaan wielded a long, thin silver spear, while ck iron gauntlets formed around Kagiso¡¯s hands, sharp ws extending from the knuckles.


    ¡°What are they doing?¡± Ma asked, her voice barely a whisper.


    ¡°Gauging each other,¡± Deacon muttered, his eyes wide behind his mask. ¡°At this level, a careless move could mean instant loss.¡±


    Aadaan moved first.


    Cocking back his arm, he let his spear fly toward Kagiso. The air distorted around the spear, moving like melting ice as it coalesced into a huge wind-spear with the silver sliver at its center. At the same time, several dust devils sprang to life, circling Aadaan and spinning protectively around him.


    Kagiso raised a hand. The gauntlet melted away into dozens of small, ck dots, which moved to intercept the attack. Like a swarm of attacking hos, theypletely covered the spear, and when they broke apart an instantter, it was gone, and the wind around them had dissipated.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± Brion asked breathlessly. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen magic like that.¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s Vritra magic,¡± I answered, keeping my eyes on the battle. ¡°Decay type. Erosion, probably wind-attribute.¡± The others all looked at me with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Read about it in a book,¡± Linden, Brion, and Pascal all said in unison.


    We allughed for a moment, but the stadium was so quiet, it sounded unnatural, and we quickly turned our attention back to thebat field.


    With a flick of his wrist, Kagiso had already sent the swarm of ck dots flitting through the air toward Aadaan. They didn¡¯t even slow as they cut through his defensive cyclones like hot iron through parchment, but Aadaan just stood there grinning. There was a silver sh, and he was standing twenty feet away, his grin sharpening into a dangerous smirk.


    The crowd, silent since the first introduction of the retainers, finally woke up, and the arena exploded with the noise of cheering and shouting.


    ¡°Wind Runner,¡± Yanick breathed. ¡°His signature regalia¡­¡±


    The swarm of ck dots changed direction to follow Aadaan, but, in another sh of silver, he stood fifty feet away, behind Kagiso.


    But Kagiso hadn¡¯t been just standing around sucking his thumb while Aadaan ran. Instead, the Vritra-blooded ascender had been channeling mana into another rune, sending out tendrils of earth mana all over thebat field. I couldn¡¯t tell what he was doing, but¡ª


    Aadaan vanished in a sh as the swarm beared down on him, but a huge column of stoneced with veins of ck metal burst from thebat field. There was a crack, and the column broke and fell to the ground with a crash that I felt shake the bench beneath me.


    Aadaan, moving at the speed of wind, had mmed into the stone with enough force to break bones, but he didn¡¯t even look stunned. Instead, a condensed field of shimmering energy had surrounded him. Kicking off the broken stump of the column, he hurtled toward Kagiso, exploding in a nova of pure force.


    The battlefield was momentarily hidden in a cloud of dust.


    ¡°What the heck was that?¡± Linden asked, squinting as he tried to see through the brown cloud below.


    ¡°Some kind of force redistribution spell,¡± Deacon answered, following the fight by holding his sses up over his mask so he could see. ¡°But strong. Emblem, maybe even regalia level.¡±


    A torrent of wind pushed the dust cloud out of the stadium. In the few seconds we hadn¡¯t been able to see what was happening, the arena floor had be a minefield of Kagiso¡¯s little ck motes. Aadaan was stuck. There was no way he could use Wind Runner to get around in such tight quarters.


    Kagiso was standing on top of the shattered stump of the column he¡¯d conjured, basically switching ces with Aadaan. His red eye gleamed.


    It seemed like he had the Truacian pinned.


    Then something pulled at the air mana all around us, everywhere. I could sense the rush of it pouring down into the arena, bombarding Kagiso¡¯s spell, the sheer amount of mana overpowering the motes¡¯ ability to erode it.


    Ma gasped and grabbed my hand, squeezing it hard, and my stomach fluttered. I peeked at her from the corner of my eye, but her gaze was on the arena, and her expression gave no sign that she was even thinking about holding my hands. Linden elbowed me from the other side, his brows bouncing up and down as he gave me a thumbs up.


    Embarrassed, I thought about pulling my hand away, but¡­I realized that I didn¡¯t want to. It felt¡­nice. Really weird, butforting, too.


    When I managed to focus back on the fight, the battlefield was clear of the ck motes¡ªthe overwhelming rush of mana had exhausted them, burning them out¡ªand a slowly-revolving cyclone was beginning to spin around Aadaan. Kagiso held out his bare hand, and the wed gauntlet reformed around it. The two eyed each other for a long moment, both warriors wary and confident in a way I found difficult to understand.


    Then Aadaan grinned and pushed outward with the gathering storm.


    And that was just the beginning.


    The noise of the crowd ebbed and flowed as the fight stretched on, five minutes, ten, twenty. My friends and Iughed, gasped, and shouted at one another as the pace of the fight continued to build, awed by every new spell cast or rune activated, jeering when one of the fighters got the upper hand only to have the tables turned a momentter by some unexpected reversal by their opponent.


    I¡¯d never seen anything like it. And I¡¯d never had more fun.


    Ma didn¡¯t let go of my hand until the final moments. Kagiso¡¯s defensive capabilities¡ªhis power to erode his opponent¡¯s mana and turn away even the most deadly attacks¡ªoutmatched Aadaan¡¯s mana pool. Once Aadaan could no longer use Wind Runner to flit around the arena, it was over.


    Kagiso closed the distance, smashing through Aadaan¡¯s defensive wind barriers with those heavy gauntlets and crushing him to the ground. With his ws to Aadaan¡¯s throat, Kagiso looked to the high box for direction.


    The crowd, which had grown quiet again, sucked in a collective, hissing breath, and Ma turned away, pressing her face to my shoulder.


    A gong sounded. Kagiso dismissed his gauntlets, and Aadaan rolled over and pushed himself up onto his knees. Sand clung to his sweat-soaked skin, and even from the stands I could see that he was shaking.


    The crowd burst like a dam, flooding the arena with ecstatic cheers. Even Yanick jumped up, hopping on one leg while supporting himself on Brion¡¯s shoulder, shouting along with everyone else. ¡°Kagiso! Kagiso! Kagiso!¡±


    I felt a moment¡¯s disappointment when Ma let go of my hand as she jumped up and down, her face flushed, her hair bouncing in a way I found kind of hypnotic. ¡°That was crazy!¡± she yelled over the cacophonous cheers.


    I leaned closer to speak without shouting. ¡°I know, they¡¯re really on another level. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well fought,¡± the unseen announcer¡¯s voice said, cutting through the audience¡¯s excitement and silencing everyone in the arena. ¡°Well fought to the prospects, Kagiso of Highblood Gwethe and Aadaan of Named Blood Rusaek. Victory goes to Kagiso!¡±


    The twobatants bowed again to the high box where the Sovereign and Scythes were, veiled beneath thick shadows, then left thebat field, Kagiso striding confidently away, Aadaan slinking after him, his eyes downcast.


    ¡°Ssanyu the Stone Eater and Bivrae of the Dead Three, return to the field and prepare yourselves.¡±


    Ssanyu entered the arena first. He was tall with bulging muscles. He wore a chest te that left his abs and the ridge of his runed spine exposed, along with steel tes covering most of his lower body. A kind of iron crown ringed his shaved head.


    After Ssanyu reached the center, a green mist began to boil out of the ground, forming into a woman with thin, sharp limbs and a grotesque, twisted stance, like her bones were put together in the wrong shape. As if to entuate the grossness of her figure, the ck robes she wore were sheer and cut in ces to reveal her ribs and spine, which stuck out of gray, sickly skin.


    She snarled at Ssanyu, revealing teeth filed down to points.


    Bothbatants bowed to the high box, then faced each other. Vomit-colored green mist was floating around Bivrae¡¯s inhuman body,


    The sound of gongs announced the beginning of the fight.


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s he doing?¡± Ma asked, standing and shielding her eyes from the sun with one hand.


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­surrendering¡­¡± I muttered, taken aback.


    Ssanyu had gone down on one knee, his head lowered to stare at the ground under Bivrae¡¯s wed feet. Her lips pulled back like an animal¡¯s, bearing her sharp teeth. The mists fluttered in an agitated sort of way before being drawn back into her body.


    She turned to the high box, straightening as best as her twisted frame allowed.


    ¡°Ssanyu the Stone Eater yields,¡± the voice said, it¡¯s tone perfectly t. If the announcer was surprised, they hid it pretty well. ¡°Victory goes to Bivrae!¡±


    There was some grumbling from the audience, and no cheering for Bivrae as there had been for Kagiso, but the adults around us kept theirints and conversation quiet, and I knew why. Below, Bivrae cast a challenging stare around at the audience, almost like she was daring anyone to voice their displeasure at the result loud enough for her to hear.


    After a few seconds, she stalked out of the arena to a smattering of half-hearted apuse.


    ¡°Un-freaking-believable,¡± Yanick said grumpily. ¡°And I was so excited to see Ssanyu fight. That was stupid. Is Kagiso just going to roll over and show Bivrae his belly, too?¡±


    Deacon snorted. ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait a bit to find out. He¡¯ll get a break to rest and recuperate, so we¡¯ll see the battles to rece Dragoth¡¯s retainer next.¡±


    Brion pped Yanick on the back. ¡°Everyone knows Scythe Dragoth Vritra is the most popr Scythe. I¡¯m sure there will be a¡ªooph!¡± Brion grabbed his stomach as Yanick elbowed him, and everyone elseughed.


    But before anything else could be said, the announcer began speaking again. ¡°Twelve more of crya¡¯s champions have challenged for the position of retainer of Vechor under Scythe Dragoth Vritra. Sovereign Kiros Vritra wees and invites to the field¡­¡±


    The announcer began listing off the challengers, all powerful ascenders or war heroes. As each name was spoken, the prospect stepped onto thebat field and joined the growing line facing the high box. As thest of the challengers stopped, the line bowed in unison.


    ¡°Challengers Echeron and Lancel, please remain on¡­¡±


    The voice paused. I nced at Linden, then at Ma. She looked as confused as I felt. Something was¡­wrong.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that?¡± Pascal asked, pointing into the air. ¡°Do you feel it?¡±


    A ck speck in the sky was quickly growing in size. Other members of the audience were starting to notice it now, and thousands of voices echoed Pascal¡¯s question. A few even conjured shields, others shouting, leaving their seats, or channeling magic into runes in preparation to face what they obviously thought was a threat.


    For the umpteenth time since the Victoriad started, my breath was crushed from my chest by the sudden presence of a powerful aura.


    The prospects on the field scattered, activating their powers and preparing to defend themselves. A jet cketnded in the center of the arena an instantter with an explosion of dark energy then sent them all flying like bugs. Tens of thousands of people screamed, but no one was running now. The entire audience seemed frozen, unable to do anything except watch.


    The arena below waspletely obscured in a cloud of dust yet again. In the high box, all four Scythes moved forward onto the balcony. Although they made no move to cast defensive magic, the sight of them¡ªall together at once like that¡ªmade my head swim, and I worried for a second I might pass out.


    Ma¡¯s hand on my arm brought me back to myself. I put my own hand over hers and squeezed.


    A nova of ck mes cleared the dust, revealing a slender man¡ªa boy, really, not so much older than most of us¡ªwith short ck hair and sharp features, almost unassuming except for the untamed, hate-filled rage in his eyes¡­


    He stepped up out of the crater he had made in the arena floor, his dark eyes sweeping the coliseum around him. Spikes of ck iron thrust up from the ground with every step, and dark mes wreathed his body. The sight of that ck Decay magic¡ªso much stronger than Kagiso¡¯s¡ªfilled me with dread.


    Scythe Viessa Vritra spoke first, her voice carrying effortlessly through the dead-silent stands. ¡°Nico. Exin yourself! What in the High Sovereign¡¯s name do you think¡ª¡±


    ¡°Grey!¡± the neer¡ªScythe Nico Vritra of the central dominion, I realized with a tremor¡ªscreamed, his voice cracking. ¡°I know you¡¯re here! I ept your challenge, you bastard! So face me!¡±


    Ma¡¯s eyes went wide as dinner tes, her lips trembling. ¡°Did h-he¡ª¡±


    ¡°Grey?¡± Linden choked out. ¡°Like¡­Professor Grey?¡±


    My mind raced as every wild theory about the professor¡¯s weird meeting with Scythe Seris Vritra tumbled through it, scattered like leaves on the wind. I¡¯d thought my ssmates werepletely nuts, the way they¡¯de up with more and more unlikely exnations for what we¡¯d seen. But this¡­


    Who was Professor Grey, really?


    Scythe Dragoth Vritra smirked down at the other Scythe. ¡°You¡¯re out of line, little Nico. This isn¡¯t how we¡ª¡± His head suddenly snapped to one of the many entrances into thebat field, his smirk turning down into an angry frown.


    Someone was walking toward Scythe Nico. A man in a fur-lined white cloak and Central Academy uniform. Wheat blond hair tousled by the Scythe¡¯s raging aura, golden eyes shining from behind his mask. He walked with such confidence and purpose, his mere presence a shield against the hateful aura radiating like a sickness from Scythe Nico.


    I knew him, but something in my brain wouldn¡¯t quite ept that this could be the same person I knew, who I had first met in the library before the season started, who had spent so much of his time turning a thin, weak, sickly kid into a half-decent fighter, despite looking at me like he wanted to wring my neck¡­


    Because how could my grumpy, mysterious, emotionally distant Melee Enhancement Tactics professor be the same person now approaching Scythe Nico on the field of battle as if he weren¡¯t stepping toward death itself? I couldn¡¯t make sense of it.


    But it was him.


    Even the other Scythes didn¡¯t intervene further as Professor Grey and Scythe Nico came to stand nearly toe to toe.


    ¡°Nico,¡± Professor Grey said with a smile that didn¡¯t quite reach his eyes. ¡°You look like garbage, old friend.¡±

 Chapter 372

    <h4>Chapter 372</h4>


    ARTHUR


    Nico took a half step toward me, jaw tensed and a vein pulsing visibly at his temple. ck spikes thrust up out of the ground at his slightest movement, his skin tinged with faint wisps of soulfire mes. ¡°Even after two lifetimes, you haven¡¯t changed.¡±


    The false smile fell from my face at his words, and I bit back more goading words. Any pride I¡¯d felt at my own ingenuity in drawing Nico into this fight¡ªone where he couldn¡¯t run away or call for backup¡ªvanished now that he stood in front of me. His face, on which only a mere shadow of Elijah¡¯s features now remained, filled me with conflicting emotions.


    He¡¯d been my best friend in two lives, after all. First as Nico, then as Elijah. And I had failed him in both. It was those failures, in part, that had led him to be who he was now.


    Hateful. Desperate. An inhuman shell of a man.


    Still...I didn¡¯t me him for hating me.


    I couldn¡¯t.


    I couldn¡¯t even me him for what he¡¯d done in this life...no matter how easy it would be to do so. He was reincarnated here only to be manipted and used as a tool by Agrona. Fate hadn¡¯t given him the opportunity to learn from his past life¡¯s mistakes. Instead of a second chance, Nico¡¯s fear, insecurity, and rage had been manipted into a tool and weapon from the first moments of his life.


    But, regardless of how we¡¯d both arrived at this point, we¡¯de much too far for apologies, for reconciliation.


    Despite knowing what Tessia meant to me, Nico had aided Agrona in Cecilia¡¯s reincarnation, using Tess¡¯s body as a vessel¡ªthe ramifications of which I still didn¡¯t understand. Cecilia, who had wanted to avoid being someone else¡¯s weapon so badly she fell on my sword to do it...


    And he, in his infinite selfishness and ignorance, had handed her to Agrona.


    ¡°Say something!¡± Nico growled, almost shouting. A burst of soulfire ate away the ground beneath him, leaving him hovering in the air.


    ¡°Like what?¡± I snapped, his petnt whining working at my nerves like an old wound. ¡°That I didn¡¯t kill Cecilia? That I never meant to abandon the two of you? Would you even listen if I told you the truth? And what would it change, Nico? Certainly not the fact that you¡¯ve killed thousands of innocents, that you took Tessia out of pure selfishness¡ª¡±


    ¡°I just took back what was mine!¡± he yelled, his eyes full of dark, hateful fire. ¡°What I was supposed to have. That¡¯s fate. Just as much as it is for you to die. Again.¡±


    I don¡¯t know why, but the finality of Nico¡¯s statement caused a sharp ache deep within me. I wished, in that moment, that I could undo everything that had happened. That Cecilia could have survived, and they could have run away together just like they were nning. That I wouldn¡¯t have shut them out so I could train with Lady Vera, and would have tried harder to help Nico find Cecilia when she disappeared.


    There was so much I could have done differently.


    But I hadn¡¯t. And although I could look backwards at the path I¡¯d taken, I couldn¡¯t change its shape. Nor could I change where that path had brought me. But I could look forward, and make new choices¡ªdifferent ones¡ªto change the direction I was headed.


    Ever since waking up in the Relictombs, I¡¯d been cold and detached. I¡¯d had to be, I knew that. I didn¡¯t fault myself for it.


    The persona of Grey was like a shield, one I wrapped around my mind, keeping out thoughts of those I couldn¡¯t help right now: Tessia, Ellie, my mother, everyone back in Dicathen...Instead, I focused on the Relictombs and pursuing the ruins as Sylvia¡¯sst message had instructed, and on understanding my new abilities and the new world I found myself in.


    But it was time to go a different direction. And that started with Nico.


    I couldn¡¯t help the softening of my expression, knowing the full weight of my sadness and pity was in on my face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Don¡¯t look at me like that,¡± Nico said, shaking his head in defiance. ¡°I don¡¯t want your pity.¡±


    My body rxed as I epted what was about to happen. ¡°I wish things could have turned out differently.¡±


    SERIS VRITRA


    I clicked my nails together, a nervous habit from my childhood that I¡¯d long since cured myself of, or so I thought.


    Arthur¡¯s machinations had sped past my own, yet again, it seemed.


    I found myself off guard, vaciting between a rushed attempt to put the pieces into ce and a mute eptance that I didn¡¯t fully understand what was happening.


    Still, I had not arrived at my current station by being dense, and after giving myself a moment to ponder, I realized that Arthur¡¯s n had really been quite simple, although effective.


    Nico¡¯s stumbling and impatient alliance with the Granbehl¡¯s, who shared his hatred for Arthur. Arthur¡¯s less-than-cautious reprisal and bare attempt at a cover-up.


    It would have taken more restraint than Nico could muster to build up his allies¡¯ strength enough to be a threat toward Arthur, the subterfuge working contrary to his impulsive, wrathful nature. When his ill-nned scheme failed, Arthur knew it would lead to a tantrum.


    Nico had always been a temperamental boy. He embodied a weak man¡¯s concept of power, a fool¡¯s idea of intellect, and a child¡¯s view of maturity. And yet I had never discounted him. The other Scythes didn¡¯t yet see it, but none of the reincarnates were what they seemed. They were each a force of change¡ªof chaos¡ªin their own way.


    Seeing Nico and Arthur¡ªor Grey, who was in many ways an entirely different person than the boy I¡¯d saved in Dicathen¡ªstanding across from each other on the battlefield, I felt a sudden thrill.


    ¡°An unscheduled interruption, but perhaps this will be an opportunity for little Nico to prove himself,¡± Dragoth mused with a carefreeugh.


    ¡°Prove himself?¡± Viessa asked, her voice a low hiss. ¡°Merely by fighting this¡ªwhat is he, some kind of school teacher?¡ªNico embarrasses himself, and us by extension.¡±


    Sovereign Kiros let out a huff of irritation, his bored eyes traveling aimlessly around the high box, which had been appointed with everyfort imaginable. ¡°So long as this doesn¡¯t slow things down too much,¡± he grumbled. His gaze lingered in the darkest corner of the room. ¡°Perhaps you should go chastise your brother-in-arms.¡±


    Cadell stepped out of the shadows and bowed to Kiros. ¡°Forgive Scythe Nico¡¯s impudence, Sovereign. The High Sovereign has let him off his leash too long and too often, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    Kiros¡¯s lips twisted in a wry half-smile. ¡°Do you question the High Sovereign¡¯s actions or judgment, Scythe?¡±


    Cadell sank to one knee, resting both arms across the other. ¡°No, Sovereign Kiros, of course not.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re saying something,¡± Melzri said, leaning against the balcony rail and turning her head slightly. ¡°Pointless, pratling banter.¡± She exchanged a dark look with Viessa. ¡°We should have beaten Nico more during his training.¡±


    ¡°Who is this Grey, anyway?¡± Dragoth asked, looking around at the rest of us. ¡°He seems somewhat familiar.¡±


    Cadell, once again on his feet, was watching from the shadows instead of stepping out onto the balcony with the rest of us. ¡°A dead man,¡± he said simply, meeting my gaze as he spoke.


    So Agrona did not confirm Arthur¡¯s presence in crya with the rest of the Scythes, but he has told Cadell. Interesting.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how much I believed Agrona¡¯s insistence that Arthur no longer mattered to him. The High Sovereign often yed his own games, some with purpose, some purely for entertainment. There were times where he worked at cross purposes to himself, perhaps simply to confuse anyone who was keeping track, including his allies, or maybe because he enjoyed the thrill of not knowing exactly how things would unfold.


    Below, Arthur pulled the white cloak from his shoulders and made it vanish with a flourish. No hint of mana or intent leaked from him, a fact the others were quick to notice as well.


    ¡°His control over mana is perfect,¡± Viessa said, her ck-on-ck eyes squinting as she peered at Arthur.


    I didn¡¯t try to hide my amusement at this statement, and she turned her gaze on me. It had been quite some time since I¡¯d spoken with the Scythe from Truacia. As we matched gazes, I took in her stance, expression, and features.


    Her skin was as pale as her eyes were dark, and a sea of purple hair spilled down over her shoulders and back. She was taller than me, made even taller by the heeled leather boots she wore, their teal coloring matching the runes stitched into her fine white and gray battlerobes. The ck voids of her eyes were always unreadable, and emotion rarely interrupted the porcin coldness of her face.


    Of all the Scythes, Viessa was the one I was most unsure of.


    But I didn¡¯t spare her any additional thought just then. There were more interesting things to focus on. ¡°They¡¯re going to fight.¡±


    In the arena, Arthur and Nico had separated, putting twenty feet of distance between them. Nico was an inferno of ck fire. Arthur could have been carved of ice.


    With an angry scream, Nico hurtled forward. The ground came apart beneath him, copsing in on itself as ck spikes grew like weeds wherever his shadow touched. A vortex of ck mes coiled around and extended in front of him as he prepared to bathe Arthur in hellfire.


    But Arthur did not flinch in the face of Nico¡¯s rage. I might have thought him as mad as Nico if I didn¡¯t know better.


    My eyes widened and I leaned over the rail next to Melzri, well past ready to finally see for myself the power that Caera had described.


    With a hungry roar, Nico¡¯s soul mes burst forward. Arthur¡¯s hand rose, and a cone of amethyst energy spilled out to meet the fire.


    Where the two powers touched, they intertwined and ate away at one another, each perfectly canceling the other out.


    ¡°Impossible,¡± Cadell grunted from behind us.


    ¡°Oh, now that¡¯s interesting,¡± Kiros said, leaning forward on his throne. ¡°You there, Melzri, scoot aside, you¡¯re blocking my view.¡±


    ck spikes punched out of the ground all around Arthur, but they shattered against ayer of glowing aether that tightly d his skin.


    Nico burst through the crackling cloud that remained behind after the aether and soulfire collided, a dozen more des of ck metal orbiting around him. With a shove, he sent them flying like missiles at Arthur.


    A sword shimmered to life in Arthur¡¯s hand. A de of pure aether, glowing vibrantly amethyst. The air around it warped in a way that made my eyes ache, like the de was pressing away the fabric of the world to make room for itself. In movements so quick that most wouldn¡¯t have been able to follow, Arthur cut through spike after spike, letting the pieces careen past or ricochet harmlessly off the protective barrier over his skin.


    Then Nico was on him.


    Their collision sent tremors through the foundations of the stadium, and for a moment I lost sight of the action as it was happening. Arthur¡¯s weapon was a line of vibrant purple light glowing through a screen of dust. Nico was a silhouette, highlighted by the nimbus of ck fire that still surrounded him.


    The line of purple light intersected the dark silhouette...


    Then...Nico was hurtling past Arthur, tumbling through the air like a tossed ragdoll.


    Nico¡¯s body struck the arena floor with a crash, digging a deep furrow half the length of the coliseum behind Arthur.


    ¡°Wait, what happened?¡± Dragoth asked, his deep voice thick with confusion.


    Viessa let out a slow breath. ¡°Nico¡¯s core...¡±


    She was right. Already, the mana was abandoning Nico. I could sense it flooding from his ruined core and disbursing into the atmosphere around him.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Dragoth grunted. ¡°I guess I was wrong about him proving himself.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you oaf,¡± Melzri said, leaping off the railing and striking the ground below with enough force to crack it.


    Finally, Arthur turned. His golden eyes followed the line of Nico¡¯s crashing descent to where the broken Scythey in a tangle. They fixed on Melzri, but when she stopped to kneel next to Nico¡¯s prone form, they traced a line up to the high box.


    Time, which had been crawling slowly by, suddenly caught up with itself.


    I heard the gasps and frightened screams of the crowd, the shouted questions of the guards and event officials seeking direction, the tumbling of stones and broken timber as tunnels beneath thebat field copsed.


    I took in Melzri¡¯s worry, Viessa¡¯s frustration, Dragoth¡¯s curiosity, Cadell¡¯s cold detachment.


    I was already considering the ways in which I could get Arthur out of this, but I stopped myself. This had been a part of his n. He would already have prepared his own method of escape, if escape was even necessary. What were my fellow Scythes going to do, after all? Nico challenged Arthur¡ªor epted his challenge, based on his own words. And it had been Nico who interrupted the Victoriad. Arthur had done nothing wrong...but had still sent a message.


    Loud and abundantly clear, indeed.


    I thought¡ªhoped, even¡ªthat Arthur would simply walk away, ending the confrontation there before it escted. Instead, he strode purposefully toward the high box, walking right past Melzri as she inspected Nico¡¯s wound.


    ¡°I apologize for the dy this duel has caused in today¡¯s events, but I¡¯m afraid a further interruption is necessary,¡± he shouted, making sure his voice carried not just up to the high box but throughout all of the coliseum.


    ¡°This duel was an unsanctioned challenge,¡± Viessa answered cooly, her voice effortlessly projecting across the stadium. ¡°Whatever the reason for your assault on our fellow Scythe, know that defeating him has earned you nothing from Sovereign Kiros or the High Sovereign, and gives you no right to im Scythe Nico¡¯s position, or to ask us for anything at all.¡±


    Arthur met Viessa¡¯s ck eyes unflinchingly. The sharp line of his jaw was rxed, his lips firm and straight, his stance attentive butposed. He looked for all the world like he was the one in charge here.


    ¡°I respect the rules you¡¯ve put in ce,¡± Arthur continued, shifting so his hands were sped behind his back, his legs in a wider, more aggressive stance. ¡°Nevertheless, it was your own Scythe that instigated and forced me to make this challenge out of order.¡±


    Dragoth¡¯s form expanded, growing by a foot, then two. With both hands on the rail, he looked down on Arthur, his reserved curiosity clear in the set of his jaw and subtle cocking of his brow. ¡°Fine then. What is it you want? Maybe if you beg for it, we will be¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Arthur said, his voice cutting across Dragoth¡¯s pomp like the crack of a whip.


    Dragoth, always more rxed than the other Scythes, only chuckled at this offense, a crime punishable by death in any other circumstance.


    When Arthur continued, he met my eyes for a bare instant, then shifted his gaze past me to Cadell, speaking with a calm surety that belied the extraordinary nature of his request: ¡°I only ask for what I¡¯ve earned. To challenge Scythe Cadell of Central Dominion.¡±


    Viessa¡¯s lips twitched in what I thought almost might have been a frown.


    Beside her, Dragoth waved dismissively toward the battlefield. ¡°We don¡¯t have to entertain challenges from school teachers.¡±


    Below, Melzri was holding a vial of elixir, her hand frozen halfway to Nico¡¯s mouth, her eyes wide and mouth partially agape.


    Just five minutes before, I would have assumed any conflict between Arthur and Cadell would be a one-sided victory. If Arthur would have confided his full n to me¡ªto not only draw Nico into a fight where no one would intervene on his behalf, but also to challenge Cadell before the entire Victoriad¡ªI would have either dissuaded or discarded him from the tournament, if necessary.


    Which, of course, is why he didn¡¯t.


    Now, any recourse I may have used to remove him¡ªor help him escape¡ªwas gone. With my gaze lingering on Melzri and Nico, I realized I could no longer be confident of Arthur¡¯s abilities. Though Nico was no Cadell, he was still a Scythe...but he had let himself be baited into an unknown situation, fallen right into Arthur¡¯s trap. Cadell would not be as foolish.


    I met Cadell¡¯s eye. His frown turned down into a deep scowl. My eyebrows rose. His furrowed.


    ¡°No,¡± he said finally, loud enough for only those of us in the high box to hear. ¡°Scythes cannot start entertaining every challenge thates along. To do so would demean us and give a tform to every self-important fool who¡ª¡±


    ¡°Who just defeated one of us with a single blow,¡± I cut in.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dragoth said with a throaty chuckle. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that Cadell, the yer of dragons, is afraid of a school teacher?¡±


    ¡°The people must be shown that we are not as weak as Nico has made us appear,¡± Viessa added.


    Cadell¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°This challenge is beneath me. He is not¡ª¡±


    Sovereign Kiros shifted. It was a small movement, but it silenced the building argument. We all turned to face him.


    Kiros was as tall and broad as Dragoth, though he was softer around the middle. Thick horns grew from the sides of his head, curving up and then forward, ending in sharp points. Golden rings of varying thickness ornamented the horns, some studded with gems, others engraved with glowing runes. His golden hair was shorn close on the sides around his horns, then pulled back into a tail. Shiny red robes draped from his frame.


    He popped a fat, purple fruit into his mouth, then began to speak as he chewed, dribbling juice down his chin. ¡°Go. This strange little man has caught my interest. I¡¯d like to see more of what he can do, so don¡¯t end things too quickly.¡±


    Cadell stood ramrod straight, then bowed deeply before turning and stepping off the balcony. Regardless of his own desire, he couldn¡¯t refuse Kiros¡¯s order.


    It was with a deepening sense of apprehension that I watched Cadell float out over the battlefield, looking down on Arthur. He waited as Melzri scooped up Nico¡ªor the boy¡¯s body, I couldn¡¯t tell, there was no mana circting within him¡ªand withdrew from sight.


    ¡°I ept.¡± Cadell¡¯s voice was strained and bitter. ¡°But this battle¡±¡ª he paused, letting the words hang in the air with him¡ª¡°will be to the death.¡±


    The held breath of the rattled audience was audible.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arthur answered, taking several steps back toward the center of the half-ruinedbat field. ¡°It certainly will be.¡±


    Cadell wasted no time, gave no warning. An aura of ck mes ignited the air, both surrounding Cadell and billowing out and down in a wide cone. The arena floor where Arthur stood was obliterated, the earth ckened and burned away, leaving a widening crater the length of the battlefield, Arthur vanishing within it.


    The crowd gasped as the inferno dissipated.


    Arthur had not moved, except he was now standing at the bottom of a deep crater. His body was undamaged, and no soulfire mana burned within him, eating away his life force as it should have.


    I had to bite back a chagrined smile at the sight.


    It had been a good trick. From where Cadell was, with his vision obscured by his own attack, he probably hadn¡¯t even seen, and the movement had been much too fast for anyone in the audience to follow, even with strong magic enhancing their vision. For a blink, just long enough for the wave of fire to pass, Arthur had vanished with a sh of purple lightning.


    Caera had mentioned this ability, but the incredible speed and control Arthur exerted astonished even me.


    This growing feeling of ignorance gnawed at me from the inside. What exactly was it that Arthur had done? How could he do what even the dragons could not? What more had he hidden from everyone?


    The soulfire aura around Cadell red as he dove, expanding behind him like giant wings. Fiery ws extended outward from his hands. His figure, mes and all, dimmed, turning to shadow as the Decay-based fire ate away at the light itself.


    Arthur shifted, his legs separating, his hands clenching into fists. Again, the bright de of aether shimmered into existence.


    The two vanished in a nebulous cloud of ck-purple fire and lightning.


    The crowds screamed as the shields keeping them from being vaporized by the aftershock trembled and flickered.


    Behind me, I heard the rustling of Kiros¡¯s robes as he inched forward on his throne.


    Arthur reappeared first.


    My jaw clenched and my fingers sank into the decorative railing, twisting the metal until it sheared in my grip.


    His uniform had been ripped from his stomach up to his ribs. Soulfire danced along the wound, burning into him. It would keep going, igniting his blood and scorching his mana channels until it reached his core. Eventually, it would consume his life force, killing him from the inside out.


    As thebusting cloud of mana and aether fizzled out, I caught sight of Cadell on the other side of the arena, hovering thirty feet in the air. One hand was pressed to his neck, and blood was oozing from between his fingers. He grimaced with pain, but there was a vindictive gleam in his eyes. Already, I could see the purple-tinged ck mes licking at his wound, healing it.


    But Cadell wasn¡¯t the only one healing. The soulfire burning in Arthur¡¯s side dimmed as waves of purple light washed over it, dousing it bit by bit until the mes were quenched. Then, as if the wound had been nothing but a line drawn in sand, the same waves wiped it away, leaving Arthur¡¯s flesh clean and unblemished.


    ¡°Fascinating,¡± Kiros mumbled. ¡°Some surprise of the High Sovereign¡¯s, perhaps? A staged fight to highlight some new magic he has unlocked?¡± I nced at the Sovereign. His eyes were alight with curiosity and wonder, his lips curved into a silly smile. ¡°What a wonderful surprise,¡± he added, drumming his palms against his knees with excitement.


    Everything was a game to the Sovereigns. That¡¯s what came of a life livedpletely disconnected from real consequences. Especially to the basilisks of the Vritra n, who looked at the world like one bigboratory, everything inside of it an experiment. War, disease, natural disasters...little more than opportunities for the Vritra to dissect the aftereffects.


    My mind tried to turn back to thest war between Vechor and Sehz-r, as it often did when I pondered both past and future, but I pushed the thoughts away, focusing instead on the scene unfolding before me.


    Arthur had turned to face Cadell, who was slowly drifting toward him, his nose wrinkled in a sour expression as he tried and failed to hide his surprise at Arthur¡¯s survival.


    Arthur¡¯s form shimmered, a transformation akin to how the asura were able to shift matter and take on pure, mana-empowered forms. I sucked in a breath, momentarily taken aback as ck scales grew over his skin and onyx horns jutted from the sides of his head, pointing forward and down to frame his jaw.


    Then he moved, gold shimmering between the ck scales, and I felt off my guard again¡ªa sensation I was not ustomed to, and yet seemed to happen with aggravating frequency in rtion to Arthur. His armor was magnificent, its manifestation a wonder to behold, carrying the same elegance and prestige as the asuras themselves.


    Arthur adjusted his stance and conjured a sword, which cast its purple light over the ckened and battle-scarred ground. ¡°I¡¯ve learned a few tricks since west met,¡± Arthur said, his voice resonant in the ethereal silence. ¡°I hope you have as well, otherwise this will be over far too soon.¡±

 Chapter 373

    <h4>Chapter 13: 373</h4>


    ARTHUR


    Cadell stiffened at the sight of the relic armor, taken aback by my transformation. I could see his jaw working as his teeth ground together, the frustration he felt emanating from him like heat from a me.


    "Your tricks are a mockery to the asura, boy," he said scornfully as his form crackled with energy.


    But his voice was muffled, smothered by the sound of blood rushing to my head. The world blurred and my eyes locked onto Cadell¡ªthe first true monster that I hadid eyes upon in this world.


    I hurled myself into the air to meet him as Cadell fell from the sky like a bolt of dark lightning.


    A wave of ck fire roiled out from his hand. I countered it with an aetheric st before shing at his throat with my aether de. However, Cadell''s body dissipated like smoke, vanishing into the mes still filling the sky.


    My arms blurred as I shed around me, shredding the mes like silk curtains.


    But when Cadell reappeared, it was from behind me. His hand, wreathed in fiery ws, plunged into my side, through the armor and aether, and curled up into my ribs. Ignoring the pain, I reversed the aether de and stabbed back and down, barely missing his chest as he flew away from me.


    I willed myself to follow, to fly, to simply ignore the restraints of this world as the djinn manifestation had instructed, but gravity pulled me back down.


    With a roar of frustration, I flung the aether de after him, which immediately began to dissolve after leaving my grip.


    I hit the ground with another weapon already conjured, and threw myself after the Scythe, swinging with abandon, carving through the cloud of soulfire. But my weapon never found purchase, and again Cadell coalesced from the ze to strike, this time raking fiery ws across my arm, nearly severing it at the elbow.


    Dismissing the aether de from my injured arm and conjuring it again in the other, I thrust at Cadell''s chest with the full force of my momentum as I careened like a catapult stone through the air, but he burst into ck mes and vanished back into the burning cloud.


    Inded in the midst of the ruined arena floor fifty feet away, cursing loudly.


    Cadell''s form warped in my vision¡ªthe afterimages of how he had looked before he massacred the people in the castle, before he killed Buhnd, before he killed Sylvia all ovepping. He was responsible for so many deaths, including what was supposed to be mine had Sylvie not sacrificed herself for me.


    Death wouldn''t be enough for him. I needed to crush him, to make him feel weak and helpless, just as I had felt. Here, In front of all of crya, Cadell would suffer.


    Blood and aether rushed through my limbs as the emotions I had been suppressing all this time threatened to overwhelm me. It wasn''t Destruction this time trying to overtake my sense of self. It was me.


    The cloud of fire dissipated, revealing Cadell hovering over the battlefield, a de in each hand. One was the same ck iron that Uto and Nico favored, but the other was void-ck, like a piece of night sky carved into the shape of a longsword.


    "You are a lesser to the end," Cadell spat.


    Letting loose an aetheric st for cover, I burst across the ground before leaping at him, my de poised.


    We crashed together.


    ck and purple sparks flew as aether impacted against his soulfire-sheathed weapons. I shed and stabbed, but each furious blow was deflected. A dozen new wounds opened up across my body, but they hardly mattered.


    Then I was hurtling away in the air.


    The tip of the void-ck weapon was embedded in my chest, and it was growing, carrying me along with it. Ten feet, twenty, fifty, a hundred, until I mmed high against one of the huge shield walls that protected the crowd of onlookers.


    But thence continued to expand, growing through me, pressing into the shield so hard that it began to quiver. My armor was peeled away as thence grew wider, ripping a hole in my chest.


    My aether deshed out, but the void-ck material shifted, moving and reforming around my sword. I hacked at it wildly, like an untrained boy trying to split a log. My head began to pound, my pulse racing, each beat of my heart sending blood pumping out around the edges of thence.


    Then an icy coldness was pouring from my core, washing over the hot rage, dousing it in a focused kind of detachment.


    A shadow loomed over me.


    Regis, in his pure Destruction form. Huge wings of ck shadow kept him effortlessly aloft. His massive, fang-filled maw opened and a gout of Destruction zed across thence. The violet mes raced in both directions, devouring thence. I felt, for an instant, the hunger of those mes dancing in my open chest cavity, licking the inside of my wound, reaching downward toward my core.


    Then I was falling.


    I hit the ground on my back, copsing in a heap.


    Regis floated above me protectively, and I could see his sh with Cadell, holding off another attack with a st of Destruction.


    ''After patronizing Nico¡­ look at you.'' His voice was an inferno in my head. ''Get a hold of yourself.''


    I spit up a mouthful of blood as the hole in my chest slowly grew back together, bones fusing, organs reseating themselves. Finally, I was able to take a deep, heady breath. And through each breath after, I realized, through thesest reckless exchanges, I had channeled too much of my aether into my attacks, ignoring my wounds and neglecting my armor.


    Despite where I was and how the situation was unfolding, Iid in the ash and rubble for a moment more and let the rage that had overtaken me fizzle into frustration and embarrassment.


    What had been the point of growing stronger, learning aether arts, obtaining relics, if all I was going to do was hack blindly in rage?


    Yeah. I''m good now, I sent Regis with a sobering sigh.


    Clearheaded but still incapacitated, I continued to draw in aether from the atmosphere while studying the battle above.


    Purple mes erupted from Regis''s jaws as a barrage of void-ck missiles swarmed like a flock of corrupted ravens, spinning and darting around the purple mes, but not fast enough.


    Destruction leapt from one to the next, burning Cadell''s Decay-attribute magic to nothing, then chasing Cadell up into the sky, forcing him to retreat. Patches of purple me burned in the arena and over the shields, but they were quickly doused by mypanion.


    I''d faced both soulfire and the ck metal before, but the changeable, gusting ck magic was a different attribute, likely wind, which meant Cadell could control at least three different elements. And he couldbine them, like his ability to fuse soulfire and wind to meld into the atmosphere.


    His power was more versatile than mine, but mana didn''t offer strong protection against aether. All it would take was a single decisive blow to defeat Cadell, just as I had Nico.


    The sky above grew dark. Cadell flew at the center of a hurricane of blustering Decay-infused wind, which coalesced like an imprable cloud.


    He jerked his hand downward, and a rain of ck spikes and soulfire wasunched from the cloud like a downpour of ballista bolts. Coal-ck lines of infernal wind chased the burning spikes, pushing them faster and faster as they fell.


    The coliseum trembled as the ck spikes mmed into the ground around the edges of the ruined stadium floor, some ncing off the walls or punching through the shield protecting the closest seats. A ck sphere momentarily wrapped around the high box, and any spikes that struck it dissolved, the soulfire flickering out like expired candles.


    But over Regis and me, a shield of Destruction devoured everything that came in contact with it, keeping us both safe.


    ''I know you''ve got your deep physical and psychological injuries to sort out, but I have a limit you know,'' Regis thought with a mental grunt of exhaustion.


    I noticed the shimmering, smokey apparition before Regis did.


    Cadell solidified from the gloom still cast by the clouds overhead, swinging down with a burning ck de. Activating God Step, I appeared just before him, catching the attack with an aetheric sword.


    I was just waiting for you to tap out, I answered, straining under the force of Cadell''s blow.


    The shadow wolf dissolved, bing immaterial and drifting into my body. ''Since you''re back to making crappy jokes, I assume you''ve got it from here?'' Despite his banter, I could sense the fatigue setting into mypanion. He was near the end of his strength.


    ck metal spikes burst out of the ground between us. My sword swept cleanly through them, but it gave Cadell time to step back and bring up his own sword. "Your new bond is a rather crude excuse of a beast."


    "I think the word you''re looking for is ''majestic''," I quipped, hurtling forward and unleashing a flurry of cuts and jabs, pressing him further back. He tried to fly up into the air, but God Step allowed me to cut him off, pushing him back toward the ground where we were on more even footing.


    Cadell may have been more versatile, but I was the better swordsman.


    Driving the aether de into his ribs, I tried to sh sideways and cut him in half, but his hands closed around my arm, holding me there.


    Our eyes locked, and I took in the snide, cruel expression that seemed permanently affixed to his pale gray face. His chin jutted out proudly between the serrated horns that curled around below his ears. But the air of absolute confidence he usually exuded was long gone. He was worried.


    And he was afraid.


    I noticed the shadow almost toote.


    God Stepping away just as a spike several times the size of my body would have struck me, I watched from above as, instead, it crashed into the arena floor, dragging Cadell down into a huge crater.


    Cracks snaked out from the crater, running beneath the stands and making the entire coliseum shift and tremble. Somewhere, metal sheared and wood snapped, and two sections of the stadium seating began to separate.


    The forgotten audience screamed as the shield protecting them flickered and vanished, only to be reced by dozens of smaller shields as the mages leaped into action.


    The underworks copsed, opening fissures in the coliseum walls and causingrge portions of the seating to sag. A few people had the wits to run for the exits, but most were still frozen where they sat or stood. I noticed Seth, Ma, and some of my other students hunkering together beneath a clear panel of mana being cast by an older mage, their mouths agape, awe etched on their distant faces.


    Something shifted in the shadows as I caught myself along the edge of one of the hundreds of ck spikes sticking up from the floor. A creature, more shadow than man, crawled out into the light and stretched long, thin limbs tipped with jagged ws.


    The shadows around Cadell twisted and bit at the air like mes. "Enough." His voice grated like teeth shearing through bone. "There are no dragons around to save you this time, boy."


    Cadell''s shadow-d arms spread wide, and ck fire began to boil out of him. His corrupted magic spilled like burning tar into what was left of the arena and sshed against the shields protecting the staging areas, the light of which crackled inconsistently as the shields reached the end of their capabilities.


    I felt an icy w clutch at my insides as I remembered thest desperate moments of my battle against Nico and Cadell, racing away from this same hellfire congration with Tessia, desperately exhausting thest of my strength. Only this time, Cadell wasn''t holding back.


    Regis emerged beside me, fiery hackles raised but only barely able to hold his normal form.


    My brows furrowed as I nced down at mypanion. Regis. You shouldn''t¡ª


    ''Rx, Princess. I''m no martyr; I''m your weapon, remember?''


    shes of instructions zed in my mind like a branding iron, showing me glimpses of Regis in a dark forest clearing.


    This is¡­How did¡ª


    My vision darkened as Cadell''s shadowy form barrelled toward us.


    ''It''s not perfected, but it''ll probably still work. Just do it!''


    As the flood of hellfire was almost on us, Regis closed his eyes, his lupine body growing shadowy and see-through as it became incorporeal. I raised the aetheric de in my hand, but rather than attacking, I reeled back and¡­


    I plunged the aetheric de into mypanion.


    His body red before enveloping my sword until the aetheric de grewrger and was sheathed in dark violet mes.


    "It doesn''t matter how many more tricks you pull out, lesser!" Cadell roared as his shadowy, demonic form neared.


    My grip tightened around the Destruction-d sword and a shared sense of a cold, emotionless void wiped my senses clear of anything other than Cadell. His long, taut limbs of flickering obsidian, his jagged horns that had grown twice in size, and the aura of soulfire wrapped around him like wings¡ªI took it all in.


    Cadell unleashed his arsenal of spells with abandon¡ªa volley of blood iron, a maelstrom of void wind, a barrage of soulfire¡ªbut it was useless.


    The dark violet sword in my hand arced in jagged mes as my body blurred. Concise, wasteless movements carried behind the small openings carved out by my new sword.


    Arcs of violet tore through every spell spat out by the Scythe, and his gleaming red eyes widened in fear more each time.


    Ignoring the icy grip around my core, I let God Step carry me right in front of Cadell''s distorted visage. I raised my sword over my head, Destruction blooming in a ze of violet. His ghoulish ck arms crossed in front of him, wreathed in soulfire, ck metal spikes materializing like shields.


    The de came down, passing through the ck spikes as if they were nothing but mist. I struck him with the full force of my strengthened body, flooding every muscle with aether. He was crushed to the ground, and a shockwave rippled outward from us, toppling the thirty-foot-tall spike that jutted up just behind Cadell.


    Screams filled the stadium as part of the coliseum copsed, dragging down the thousands of people seated there, swallowing several private boxes, and filling the coliseum with a thick cloud of dust.


    Cadell struggled to regain his feet. His arms were flickering with soulfire and Destruction. He iled desperately, like he could shake the purple mes away. His body flickered in and out of incorporeality, but the Destruction clung to him, his own outpouring of mana the only thing keeping him from being consumed.


    The Scythe''s face was pale as he shivered, and the shadows clinging to him melted away as he returned to his normal form. His scarlet eyes were full of fear, his usual snide face a mask of desperation. Turning away, he stared up at the high box, perhaps hoping the other Scythes or even the Sovereign would appear to save him.


    As I looked down on him, I felt only the cold eptance of justice finally fulfilled. "This is for Sylvia."


    The violet mes flickering jerkily around the aether de grew even more agitated as I thrust forward. It plunged through his chest and burst out of his back. Destruction leapt across him, devouring Cadell from the chest outward. There was no blood, no gore of internal organs spilling out, just the cleansing mes of Destruction wiping him away as if he had never existed.


    No, I thought, not quite like that. The stain of Cadell''s existence would always be on this world, visible by the holes he had left in it.


    "Sorry it took so long," I said, watching in my mind''s eye as Sylvia''s draconic eyes shined with tears as a portal drew me in, herst words echoing in my mind: "Thank you, my child." My guilt for what I couldn''t do then lessened, but I knew it would never leave me entirely.


    I pulled the sword from Cadell''s chest and swept it over his head, shearing off both horns. Regis, sensing my intention, withheld Destruction, leaving them whole.


    Then he was gone, nothing but the severed horns remaining.


    Regis drifted out of the sword as it disappeared, moving back into my body near my core, his aether exhausted, no words necessary to express how either of us felt in this moment.


    I bent down to retrieve the horns and stowed them in my dimension rune. A deep, crushing fatigue settled over me as my gaze swept across the broken coliseum.


    Dozens of mages swarmed over the copsed section, working to pull survivors from the rubble. The shields, those still functional at all, were flickering in and out. The rest of the audience was in shock, their eyes either following me or boring into the ce where Cadell had been.


    There was movement in the high box¡ªone of the only untouched spaces in the entire coliseum¡ªand my attention settled there.


    A huge man with ornamented horns thrusting forward from the sides of his head moved into the dust-filled light. He was wearing a loose-fitting robe and a hungry smile. Though suppressed, his aura was heavy enough to bend the heads and shoulders of every cryan in the stadium. This was a Sovereign, Kiros Vritra of Vechor.


    He was underwhelming,pared to the likes of Aldir, Kordri, and Lord Indrath.


    I kept my eyes just slightly averted, not downcast or in a bow like the tens of thousands of cryans around me, but I didn''t meet his eyes.


    The slow, resounding p that came from the high box caught me by surprise.


    Kiros was apuding. His smile widened to a grin as his hands came together faster and faster. A confused and mistimed smattering of apuse followed from the audience.


    "Amazing!" Kiros said, his voice projecting effortlessly through the coliseum and silencing the weak apuse. "A beautiful disy of power. Such unexpected death! And delivered with¡ª"


    A pearlescent oval opened over the arena floor, twenty feet in front of the high box.


    Kiros frowned.


    Two figures stepped through.


    The first was someone I had never seen in person before, but I knew him instantly, and the mere sight of him was enough to sober me from my fatigue.


    Agrona''s horns syed out from his head like an elk''s, the dozens of sharp ck points ornamented with chains and rings. He had strong, sharp features that reminded me ufortably of Sylvie.


    The second, I was less prepared for.


    Tessia looked exactly as she had when I''dst seen her, speaking to her people from a balcony in Elenoir. She wore form-fitting battlerobes, simr to the dress worn by Seris, except the individual "scales" were emerald green and shaped like little leaves. The battlerobes left her arms bare, showing off the faintly glowing runes I''d noticed in my vision.


    Although she looked the same¡ªgunmetal gray hair draped down her back and over her shoulders, braids tucked behind her pointed ears, shining teal eyes¡ªshe was immediately and unequivocally not Tessia.


    Tessia¡­


    Tessia was a princess. She''d grown up in the royal pce in Zestier, been tutored in the manners of customs of elven, dwarven, and human nobility. That grace extended to the way she held herself, the resting expression of her face, the cadence of her walk¡­


    But all that was gone now.


    Instead, this person masquerading as my oldest friend moved with aggressive confidence¡ªnot the Cecilia of my youth, but not far removed from the young woman I had battled in the King''s Tournament. Whatever harm that experience had done to her mentally, clearly it had carried through into this life, no doubt fostered by Agrona, just as Nico''s misced rage had been.


    Logically, I understood what I was looking at.


    But the cold, distrustful look Cecilia gave me from Tessia''s eyes still drove a knife through my chest.


    Agrona''s appearance wasn''t unexpected, necessarily, but Tessia¡ªCecilia¡­


    I had buried her too deep,beled her a problem that could only be resolved in the future when I''d had more time to consider¡­


    Could Tessia even be saved? Was she still in there, somewhere? And if she could¡­was protecting her more important than depriving Agrona of the Legacy?


    I hadn''t been ready to face these questions.


    I still wasn''t.


    Regis tugged at my core. ''This is dangerous, Art. If we push ourselves much farther¡­''


    I should have been afraid. There was no way I could fight Agrona. I wasn''t even sure that I could fight Cecilia, knowing nothing about her powers in this world. But I wasn''t frightened. If anything, Agrona''s willingness to appear here in person simplified things greatly for me.


    It meant there was only one path forward, that I was free of the burden of deciding what to do after the Victoriad.


    Kiros''s voice boomed, shaking the already unstable stadium. "Vechor wees the High Sovereign. All hail Agrona Vritra!"


    People fell on their faces to properly bow throughout the stands, their voices echoing back: "All hail Agrona Vritra!"


    "I guess I finally got your attention," I said into the silence that followed.


    Agrona smirked. He rested one hand on the small of Cecilia''s back, and her arms came up in aplicated gesture.


    Something happened in my core. It felt like a pinprick of light, burning right in the middle of me. Cecilia''s hands went wide, and that pinprick expanded into an orb of white light thatpletely surrounded and encapsted me, pushing away the dust and dirt. Little eddies of wind and bursts of me manifested around the outside of the sphere, with moisture condensing against it to drip down, like the outside of a window on a dewy morning.


    Clear crystal bars thrust up out of the ground in a square with me at the center. The crystal had a liquid smoothness to it, turning just above my head so the bars all ran together, forming a cage.


    Uncertain, I took hold of the bars. They were cold as ice and vibrating with energy. I pulled. They didn''t break.


    ''It''s some kind of mana nullification,'' Regis thought with a sense of exhausted wonder.


    Though I couldn''t sense the mana she''d just disced, I was pretty sure Regis was right. Cecilia had pulled all the mana out of the atmosphere, even out of my body¡­If I still relied on a mana core, this single spell would have left me powerless. I couldn''t even begin to wrap my mind around how such a thing was even possible.


    Agrona''s smirk sharpened. "Was this all done just for me? I''m ttered, Grey. For a lesser, your over-inted sense of self-importance is astounding. But you seem to have tried very hard to get my attention. And, well, now you have it." Agrona''s head cocked to the side a fraction of an inch, sending the tinkling of golden chains rustling through the deadly-silent coliseum. "I find myself quite eager to see how your new abilities function. I''ll take great pleasure in dismantling you piece by piece to find out."


    ''We should go,'' Regis thought.


    I nced around the stadium. First, my gazended on Ma, Seth, Deacon, and the others. Though still bowing, Seth was staring at me, his eyes wide with confusion and fear. I wished suddenly that I had been kinder to him. He had a warrior''s heart, and didn''t deserve the hand life had dealt him.


    I found Valen and En, their bloods'' private boxes close to one another. Though kneeling to their High Sovereign, both students were practically pressed against the transparent shields protecting them, staring down at me just like Seth.


    I was surprised to see Caera with one foot on the scorched dirt of thebat field, fallen into a kneel at Agrona''s appearance, which must have interrupted her rushing out to check on me. She, too, risked lifting her head just enough to watch me. There was genuine terror in her scarlet gaze as her lips moved in some silent prayer.


    Hopefully, she wouldn''t hate me for what I had to do. I regretted not telling her who I was, but even now I couldn''t say what her reaction would have been. It could be that she would have turned against me, and I would have ended up regretting telling her instead.


    She had been a good friend to me, if a true friend could be based on a foundation of lies. I could only hope my gaze properly expressed that sentiment.


    While I''d been gazing around the coliseum, the Scythes had flown out of the high box and maneuvered around the arena floor to box me in.


    Seris''s face was unreadable, her thoughts carefully hidden. Melzri had left Nico''s side, and was staring at me with open hatred. Dark energy writhed like wet tentacles around Viessa, though her gaze was on Agrona instead of me, waiting patiently for hismand. Last was Dragoth, frowning down at the dark stain that had once been Cadell.


    One thing was consistent through all of their expressions, even Seris''s¡ªan edge of uncertainty undercutting their usually unshakable confidence.


    Before following Regis''s advice, I again met Cecilia''s eyes, searching within them for something. Some sign. I had made a promise. But I didn''t even know if the woman to whom I''d promised myself was alive in her own body.


    Agrona waved for the Scythes to take me. "I''ll admit, I''m ever so slightly disappointed. I expected you''d have yet another trick up your sleeve. Still, even if what I''ve witnessed from you so far is the extent of your abilities, I''m sure I''ll find dissecting you a useful distraction."


    I had to decide. It was time to leave. I could go without her, turning my back on the question entirely, trusting that there would still be a chance to answer it in the future.


    Or I could try to take her with me, try and find some way to pull Cecilia out of Tess''s body, bring her back¡­


    Or¡­


    I grew slightly sick at the thought.


    But it was the clearest path forward, the most decisive measure. I could assure that Agrona couldn''t use Tessia or Cecilia, that whatever power the Legacy had couldn''t be controlled.


    I felt my eyes grow wet, but I hardened my heart.


    Forgive me, Tessia.


    Bracing myself, I channeled aether throughout my exhausted body. Every muscle and joint protested angrily, and I struggled to focus on theplex interweaving of aether and physical form required to use the Burst Step technique.


    Remembering what it had been like struggling to teach myself in the forests of Epheotus, I knew what might happen if I wasn''t precise, or if my strength failed¡­


    The cage bars were unnaturally strong. But my armor and asuran physique protected me as I crashed through them, sending crystalline shards spraying in every direction. Mid-step, I conjured the aether de, drew it back, aimed for her core.


    Her teal eyes followed me every inch of the way, as if she were able to trace my progress even when using Burst Step. When the tip of my sword was pressed against her sternum, her eyes widened and shed green. Mossy green veins spread out across her face beneath her skin and, for an instant, she looked¡­resigned as a strained smile graced her painted lips.


    Her body trembled, her hand rising not for the de¡ªnot in defense¡ªbut toward my face. A caress. "Art, please¡­"


    It was Tessia''s voice.


    I released the aether de. She held my eyes for a heartbeat, two, then¡­


    The green veins receded, her eyes returned to their natural color, one hand went to the tear in her battlerobes where my sword had nearly pierced her. Tess¡ªCecilia took a step back, giving me a look of deepest loathing.


    "Oh, that was close, wasn''t it?" Agrona said, amused. "You really thought for a second you could do it, didn''t you?" Agrona''s arm snaked around Cecilia''s shoulder and pulled her to his side. "You''re only cold-hearted and calcting when it''s easy, Grey. In reality, you''re weak, emotional, and rather prone to attachment."


    I looked down at my empty hand, my mind nk except for Agrona''s words.


    What should have been a moment of victory instead rang hollow and empty, filling my mouth with the taste of cold ashes.


    "Take him," Agrona ordered. The Scythes closed in.


    Agrona''s confident smirk finally slipped away as I activated God Step. He reached for me, his power suddenly unleashed, the weight of his intent making even Kordri''s King''s Force feel amateurish inparison.


    His look of astonishment was thest thing I saw as the aetheric pathways took me far away from the coliseum and the Victoriad.

 Chapter 374

    <h4>Chapter 374</h4>


    TESSIA ERALITH


    I stood lifelessly, unmoving as if paralyzed, my eyes unseeing as my thoughts turned inward.


    Agrona was shouting, but through the blood rushing through my head, his words were muffled like thunder in the distant mountains.


    This man who¡¯d supposedly been my friend once¡ªI ignored the nagging sense that almost every memory of him continued to elude me¡ªhad tried to kill me. Again. But more disturbing than that, I had lost control of my own body.


    I had almost let him run me through. But no, that wasn¡¯t entirely true¡ªshe had almost let him run me through.


    Choppy and full of turmoil, my thoughts raced back along the short span of my new life, and I realized she¡¯d always been there, hidden inside this body, tangled up within the elderwood guardian¡¯s will. Rooted inside me.


    And she¡¯d taken over. Just for a second, but long enough to show me she was more than her memories.


    But that was wrong. This body¡­Nico and Agrona said it had belonged to an enemybatant, a princess, but she¡¯d been wounded in the fighting, her body living on but her mind gone¡­


    Lies, always lie¡ª


    Now that I could fully sense her, knew what she was, I recognized this thought as hers, not my own, and silenced it. I thought about how it had felt for Agrona to muffle the memories, which had constantly gued me in the first days after my reincarnation. Reaching for this feeling again, I instinctively wrapped the beast will in mana, creating a dampening barrier between her mind and mine.


    My thoughts are my own, no one else''s, I thought angrily.


    There was no reply.Read first at ReadNovelFull.org!!


    I drew in a deep breath. The stadium smelled like tar and cold ash, overwhelming the subtle fragrances of ambient mana still in a disarray after the battle.


    Agrona nced in my direction, frowning slightly. Beyond him, I saw, in the stands, rows and rows of bystanders, still kneeling, some slumped over, clearly passed out from Agrona¡¯s intent. Those faces I could see¡ªthe ones brave enough to raise their head in the presence of the High Sovereign¡ªwere tired masks of fear and wonder.


    ¡°What did you sense from him, Cecil?¡±


    I shook my head and a loose strand of gunmetal gray hair tumbled into my vision. Maybe I should have it dyed? I thought to myself, before remembering that Agrona was waiting on me. ¡°Nothing. I sensed no mana from him at all, even when he was clearly using magic.¡± I paused, searching Agrona¡¯s zing scarlet eyes. ¡°Would you have let him kill me?¡±


    His gaze went back to the sky, searching. ¡°You were never in danger. I knew he would try, and I knew he would fail.¡±


    Nodding, I turned away. My breath caught as I noticed Nico¡¯s prone and battered form lying just within one of the many staging areas surrounding thebat field. I took a step toward him, but Agrona took hold of my elbow.


    Without looking at me, he said, ¡°Leave him. The boy is no longer of any value to either of us.¡±


    Scowling, I shook free of Agrona¡¯s hold. ¡°He matters to me, Agrona, and so he should matter to you.¡±


    Floating up from the ground, I flew over the field of spikes and charred earth, then drifted to a knee at Nico¡¯s side. His breath was halting and ragged, and his dark hair stuck out wildly. Sweat beaded across his pale, dirty face


    There was a blood-stained hole in his armor, just above his sternum. The wound was no longer bleeding, already healing around the edges, but whatever elixir he¡¯d been given couldn¡¯t save his core. The mana ignored him. A few particles of earth mana clung to his skin, some blue water mana trailed the flow of blood in his veins, but his core was empty. Broken and useless.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nico,¡± I said, wiping a spot of grime from his cheek. ¡°I should have protected you. You get so¡­angry¡­I should have realized you were going to do something like this.¡±Read first at ReadNovelFull.org!!


    Nico¡¯s chest was rising and falling. His eyelids fluttered. All around him, manay heavy in the ground, blew on the breeze, basked in little fires left burning from Cadell and Grey¡¯s fight¡­


    But none of it was drawn into his mana veins or fueled his body via his channels. The runes etched into his flesh sat empty and manaless as well, no different from the in ink tattoos of my previous world.


    That wasn¡¯t fair. That wasn¡¯t right.


    I felt Agrona¡¯s oppressive power approaching from behind, could sense his curiosity even without looking at him. His gaze was like a spotlight, lighting up the world wherever it turned. ¡°After all his work and pain to grow stronger, Nico will never use magic again.¡± Agrona didn¡¯t sound sad, made no attempt to affect emotion at all, merelymenting on the fact.


    His words rang hollow in my ears. A wound that didn¡¯t even kill the body shouldn¡¯t be able to steal a mage¡¯s magic. To give someone this gift only to snatch it away from them? It was a fate worse than death.


    Agrona was speaking again, but I couldn¡¯t process his words through the spiraling of my thoughts. My vision tunneled on the motes of mana lingering around Nico. There was something here, some potential, something only I could do.


    My body began to move as if in a trance, drawn by some deeper instinct. My hand drifted to Nico¡¯s sternum, then my fingers pushed down into the still-healing wound. They moved down through his warm insides until they bumped against something hard: his core.


    Blue, red, green, and yellow motes swirled around us, floating like glowing pollen in the air, then began flowing into his mana veins, winding their way through his body and back into his broken core. With the mana, I could feel the ck scar marring his core and the roughness within it, filled with clotted and hardened blood.


    The core itself¡ªthis strange organ found in this world but not in myst¡ªdidn¡¯t react to the presence of the mana. It was as if the core were dead, despite Nico¡¯s other organs continuing to function. Normally, a failed organ would cause a cascade of other failures, eventually resulting in death. But humans were capable of surviving without a mana core¡­


    I had been reincarnated into a body with a fully formed, beautifully silver core, and so had never needed to form my own. The reincarnation process itself¡ªor perhaps my status as the Legacy¡ªhad near-instantly purified the body¡¯s silver core to white. But the lingering mana surrounding Nico¡¯s core felt like a blueprint for what it used to be¡­for what it could still be.Read first at ReadNovelFull.org!!


    Using the mana like steel wool, I scoured the dried blood from the inside while burning away the residue with careful ignition of fire-attribute mana.


    Nico let out a low moan and twitched, but remained unconscious, which I was d for. This process wasn¡¯t quick. My ability to master new techniques, however, was, and within a couple of minutes I had cleansed the inside of the core.


    The core itself was harder. Like one that had just been newly formed, the hard walls of the organ were contaminated with blood.


    Taking hold just of the water mana, I pulled them through the core walls. Each individual particle leeched out some of the trapped blood, and the more I repeated the process, the cleaner and clearer Nico¡¯s core grew.


    This was a slower process, and so I stopped when his core was still a murky yellow color. For now, I just needed to know it would work.


    But the presence of the cleaned core and mana alone did not seem to spark anything within him. He rested uneasily, his brows pinched and mouth curved downward in an ufortable frown.


    cryans, unlike the humans in Dicathen, were born with their mana cores in ce: One of the many mutations caused by Agrona¡¯s experimentation and crossbreeding. The bestowals did the work of activating the natural core, harnessing mana for the mage so they could tap into the runes¡¯ powers. In Dicathen, however, I knew that young mages meditated to collect and purify mana until they ¡°awakened,¡± using the mana itself to manifest the core.


    Reaching outward, I called to the mana filling the stadium, drawing it to me in swirling streams. I again siphoned it through Nico¡¯s mana veins, into his core, and then out again through his channels and into his runes until his body was glowing with it, his dark features alight from the inside.


    I heard the Scythes returning, but Agrona waved off their excuses and conjectures. He was focused entirely on me, his mind probing mine curiously.


    I ignored it.Read first at ReadNovelFull.org!!


    The shields¡ªthose that had survived the battle¡ªdimmed as I stole the mana from them. Mana powered lighting artifacts flickered and went out. Imbued artifacts failed. I stopped only at drawing mana directly from the cores of the shivering, frightened people in the stands, otherwise taking every particle of mana I could reach and pouring it into Nico.


    His eyes flickered open. ¡°Cecilia?¡±


    He began to cough. I released his core and slowly pulled my hand from his chest, carelessly wiping his blood off on my battlerobes. ¡°I¡¯ve done my part, Nico. I need your help now. Draw in mana, take control of it. Can¡­can you do that?¡±


    Nico took a deep breath, choked, and coughed some more. ¡°I can¡¯t feel it.¡±


    Taking his hand, I squeezed hard enough for it to hurt. ¡°Children on the other continent can manipte the mana in their bodies before they form a core. Surely, you can too.¡± Seeing the confidence leave his gaze, I spat thest words, trying to spark a fire in Nico. ¡°Grey aplished it in the body of a three-year-old, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    By the way he tensed, I was sure it had worked. Nico red at me, then closed his eyes. A heartbeat passed, then two, then¡­the mana I had condensed into his body rippled. A small movement at first, like a light breeze over the surface of a pond, but it was enough to bring a smile to my face.


    ¡°What exactly did you do?¡± Agrona asked as he leaned down next to me and rested his hand between my shoulder des.


    I exined the process as best I could, keeping my voice low so Nico could focus. ¡°But I¡¯m not exactly sure if it¡¯s working yet.¡±


    ¡°Once again, your reign over mana surprises even me,¡± Agrona said, his rumbling baritone warm with praise. ¡°I truly believe there is no limit to your ability, Cecil. And I apologize for what I said earlier. I was too quick to give up on Nico.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I answered coolly. ¡°Because I won¡¯t ever give up on him. And I won¡¯t let you forget your promise, either.¡±


    The mana particles within Nico¡¯s core began to change, growing brighter and more pure. His channels woke up, too, pulling the newly purified mana out into his body to help him recover. His runes activated in brief shes, one by one, like muscles being stretched.


    Nico¡¯s eyes fluttered open. The smile he gave me was full of softness and wonder and the tentative kindness I saw in my memories of him from the orphanage.


    ¡°How?¡±


    I squeezed his hand again and realized the vertigo and nausea I¡¯d previously felt at his touch¡ªsome abstract remnant of the feelings Tessia Eralith had for him¡ªwas gone. I considered leaning down to kiss him, but then remembered Agrona¡¯s promise.


    Someday, Nico and I could have our lives back. Our real lives¡ªincluding our rtionship with each other. But for now, in this body¡­intimacy felt like a desecration. I nearlyughed at the childishness of this thought. What a silly line to draw, I told myself. Was it ethical to fight a war in the body of another, but not to share a kiss?


    But the truth was something else. Something moreplex, and much stranger.Read first at ReadNovelFull.org!!


    This would not be like a life at all, I decided. More like¡­purgatory. Though I wasn¡¯t going to be merely a weapon in Agrona¡¯s arsenal, neither could I be myself, not really, not as long as I wore this skin. Nico couldn¡¯t either. But we would work together, changing the face of this world to Agrona¡¯s design, and when the war was won, we could leave. Together. Be ourselves again.


    Together.


    Standing, I pulled Nico up with me. He grimaced, rolling his shoulders and stretching his neck. His eyes flicked to Agrona before jumping away again, focusing into the distance. ¡°What happened to¡­¡±


    ¡°Grey?¡± Agrona said, raising an eyebrow over an otherwise impassive face. ¡°After your spectacr failure, he vanished again.¡±


    Nico¡¯s face fell, but I took him by the chin and forced him to meet my eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose yourself to the despair and anger,¡± I said, softly chiding. ¡°I need you. If we¡¯re going to kill Grey, we need to do it together.¡±


    ARTHUR


    My core groaned in protest as Ipleted the God Step.


    Stomach lurching, I plummeted to the ground, my body crashing into a thick carpet of dry needles.


    For a couple of seconds, I just stared up from my back. A thick canopy of tall evergreens blocked out the sky. Gray-brown trunks rose high in the air, thick limbs spreading out until they wove into those of their neighbors.


    My hand wed at the ground beneath, clenching the dirt into my palms. I mmed the fist down, and again as a frustrated shout tore free from my throat.


    I knew I had made a mistake. But I wasn¡¯t sure yet if the mistake was in trying and failing to kill Cecilia, or in trying at all.


    It was painfully clear that she was not the person who had died on my sword in the King¡¯s Tournament. Agrona had done something to her, either during or after her reincarnation. The look of loathing she¡¯d given me¡­it wasn¡¯t the look of a tortured girl who threw herself on a friend¡¯s weapon to end her life.


    But there was something else. I just didn¡¯t know yet if it was good or bad.


    Tessia was still in there. She had taken over her body, just for an instant, long enough to tell me.


    I could have grabbed her, God Stepped away with her¡­


    But I also knew that Agrona wouldn¡¯t have let that happen.


    A light weight suddenly pressed down on my chest as Regis appeared in his puppy form. The small shadow wolf pounced off me and began to patrol the perimeter of the small clearing we had just appeared within.


    Thanks, I thought to him, unable to muster up the energy to say it out loud quite yet.


    ¡®For what, saving your ass?¡¯ Regis paused, cocking a tiny lupine brow. ¡®Not the first time. Won¡¯t be thest.¡¯


    I paused to gather my thoughts. That too, but for letting me have my battle against Cadell. It was selfish, dangerous even, but it was something I needed to do.


    Regis gave a small, sniffling scoff. ¡®You¡¯re telling me.¡¯


    So, that power you used¡­


    ¡®I¡¯ve said it before¡­my strength hasn¡¯t kept up with yours,¡¯ Regis thought matter-of-factly. ¡®I trained, sure, but I also spent a lot of time thinking. Meditating.¡¯


    A vision of Regis sitting on a rock, eyes closed, paws resting on his knees, bathed in cool mountain sunshine made my lips twitch. Meditating, huh?


    ¡®Hey, don¡¯t be fooled by my gorgeous set of teeth. I¡¯m an intellectual. But the point is, I gave a lot of thought to how I could better keep us sane while you utilize your insights into aether¡­¡¯


    So, by restricting the application of Destruction to a specific spell¡­ I considered, recalling the jagged violet mes sheathing the aetheric sword.


    ¡®Exactly,¡¯ Regis thought, then stiffened.Read first at ReadNovelFull.org!!


    I heard the crunching of soft steps a momentter, and turned my head to look more closely around the forest.


    A heavy nket of orange and gold needles covered the forest floor, interrupted by dark green bushes that grew around the base of the trees, making it difficult to see more than a few dozen feet in any direction.


    Just behind me, a weathered arch interrupted the naturalndscape. It was carved of white marble, but the detailed engravings had long been worn away, and the stone had been stained yellow. Crawling vines crept up the sides, gripping it as if they would pull it down and drag it back into the ground where it belonged.


    A wizened old man, portly around the middle but with broad shoulders that hadn¡¯t yet lost all their definition, stepped around one of the huge trees, his bushy brows raised. ¡°I thought you said this was a quiet operation, boy. Crashing out of the sky and shouting like a madman isn¡¯t exactly that, is it?¡±


    I pushed myself to my feet and gave him a tired nod. ¡°All the more reason for me to get moving.¡±


    ric stuck his thumbs into his belt and looked me over. ¡°Well, considering the hints you gave me, I expected you to look a lot worse if you ended up here. Things otherwise went to n then?¡±


    ¡°More or less.¡± I grimaced and rubbed at my aching sternum. ¡°Did you get everything?¡±


    ric harrumphed. ¡°Straight to business then, eh?¡± Drawing out a in ring of polished ck stone, he tossed it to me. ¡°Everything is there.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, slipping the ring on my middle finger. ¡°They¡¯ll be looking for me. I think they¡¯ll keep things quiet, but I expect they¡¯ll check up on anyone I¡¯ve had contact with.¡±


    ric looked right into my eyes and let out a loud belch. ¡°Piss on ¡®em all. I¡¯m just a washed-up ascender, anyway. Too dumb and drunk to turn down easy coin when a stranger offers to pay me to guide him around, pretend to be his uncle.¡±


    I snorted, watching the old man warily, feeling a crack run through the icy coldness that was creeping like frost through my insides. ¡°Thanks, ric. I hope I haven¡¯t made your life any harder.¡±


    He kicked the ground lightly, scattering dead needles. ¡°Indeed you have, but then, I imagine you meant those words as a half-assed apology, because you already know that.¡± ric¡¯s eyes followed Regis as the shadow wolf pup continued his circuit. ¡°I wasn¡¯t exactly living the Sovereign¡¯s life when you met me, after all.¡±


    I stayed quiet, my thoughts only half on his words, turning instead toward what came next for me.


    ¡°I, uh¡­¡± ric cleared his throat, his bloodshot eyes darting to me, then away again. ¡°I had a son, you know. Vritra-born.¡±


    Caught by surprise, I looked up with knitted brows as he continued.


    ¡°He was taken, of course, the moment he was identified. Plucked away from us and fostered with some highblood.¡± ric leaned back against one of the nearby trees and closed his eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t find out ¡®til yearster what they did, but apparently they were of a mind that for his blood to manifest, they had to push him. Hard.


    ¡°They¡­killed him.¡±


    ric let the words hang in the dense forest air. ¡°His mom had pissed off years before. Never saw her again. We weren¡¯t allowed any contact, not even to know which highblood had him, and I guess she just didn¡¯t see the value of continuing on together. I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Regis hade to join us, apparently satisfied that we were, for the moment, safe.


    ¡°Dug around in the Ascenders Association records with the help of some friends yearster, when he¡¯d have been old enough to go on ascents. No match at all for my boy, so I kept going. Don¡¯t know why, really.¡± ric scratched his beard, below which a pained smile was hidden. ¡°But it became a kind of obsession. One connection led to another, and eventually I figured out which highblood he¡¯d been sent to.


    ¡°Got myself signed up to go on an ascent with some of their folk. Brought plenty of drink, got ¡®em talking. Wouldn¡¯t have even needed the drink.¡± ric¡¯s eyes were far away now, staring into the abyss of his memories. ¡°Proud to talk about how they¡¯d pushed him. Pushed and pushed. They¡¯d fostered three manifested Vritra-born already, he would have been the fourth. But¡­¡±


    ric paused to clear his throat again. ¡°He broke. Died when he was only eight. Got carted off to Taegrin Caelum to be dissected and researched. Quite a blow for the blood, they said. Stripped down to a named blood. For killing my son.¡±


    A cool breeze blew through the trees, and a mana beast howled in the distance¡­yet, a heavy silence clung in the air as words of sce failed to form.


    After all, I had been that boy. Taken from my family, raised first by Sylvia, then the Eraliths, my parents having no idea what had happened to me¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ric,¡± I said finally.Read first at ReadNovelFull.org!!


    He swatted the words out of the air with one hand while fumbling for his sk with the other. ¡°Don¡¯t be. I¡¯m telling you this so you don¡¯t leave here worrying about me, thinking you¡¯ve made some big mess of my life. Besides¡­¡± ric mustered a grin. ¡°Where better to release some of my inner demons than onto a boy I might not see again.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± I smiled back, holding out my hand. ¡°Regardless. Thank you for everything you¡¯ve done for me.¡±


    ric took it. ¡°You paid well and offered me some kind of¡­hell, I don¡¯t know, purpose or something, in my old age.¡± His gravelly voice grew hoarse. ¡°Well get going then, Grey, before a Scythe crashes down on our heads and makes this whole sad story for naught.¡±


    I nodded, giving his hand a firm shake. ¡°Arthur. Call me Arthur.¡±


    ¡°Arthur,¡± he repeated slowly. His brows furrowed in thought, and his eyes darted to me before going wide. ¡°As in¡ª¡±


    ¡°I better get going,¡± I said with an amused smirk.


    ¡°Right.¡± ric let out a stiffugh, fumbling with the runic token in his hand before touching it to the marble. With a soft hum, an opalescent portal appeared in the frame. ¡°You being back from¡­wherever it is you¡¯re going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I admitted. ¡°But I expect I will eventually.¡±


    ¡°Well, when you do, look your old uncle Al up.¡± He leaned against the portal frame and crossed his arms over his belly. ¡°Unless I¡¯ve already drank myself to death, in which case, you took too bloody long.¡±


    Regis trotted along beside me as we approached the portal, and ric bent down to give him a pat on the head. ¡°Take good care of the boy, got it?¡±


    Regis turned in a circle, nipped at ric¡¯s finger, then jumped back into me.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to miss that old codger,¡¯ he said, a hint of a whimper in his voice.


    I gave the old drunk onest smile. ¡°Goodbye, ric.¡±


    He winked. ¡°See youter, Arty boy.¡±


    Shaking my head, I braced myself for what was toe and stepped into the portal.

 Chapter 374.5

    Chapter 16: 374.5


    SETH MILVIEW


    Everyone was screaming as the stadium shook.


    A translucent bubble of mana covered our group. Ma was clinging to my arm. I was dimly aware of blood dripping around her fingernails where they''d dug into my skin, but I couldn''t feel it.


    Deacon was on the ground, holding his head. Yannick had slumped back in his seat, unconscious. At least, I hoped he was just unconscious.


    Brion and Linden were screaming at them both, half their attention still on the fight that was tearing the coliseum apart.


    Only Pascal didn''t seem to bepletely losing it, but then I followed his line of sight¡­


    The first several rows of our section were full of corpses. Spikes that were the size of crossbow bolts stuck out of stonework and flesh alike, having broken the shield that was supposed to protect us frombat even between retainers and Scythes. Some of them must have used their own magic to conjure shields, but, against the full might of a Scythe¡­


    There was a crashing boom and an entire section of the coliseum crumbled, directly across from us. I watched as thousands of people were swallowed up by a cloud of brown dust. Gone, just like that¡­


    The arena was a ckened and broken field of rubble. Blood iron spikes stuck up like gravestones everywhere. The cloud of void wind was breaking up and fading away. Soulfire burned in dark patches, just like the wisp-mes they always mentioned in stories. The ones that would lead the hero astray, into the swamp or the beast''sir¡­


    At the very heart of the battlefield, Professor Grey stood over Scythe Cadell Vritra of Central Dominion. They could not have looked more different. Professor Grey¡­Can I even call him that still? I wondered. It seems like such an insufficient title now.


    Professor Grey stood straight and tall, his strength an undeniable, inescapable¡­physical presence. d in ck-scale armor, with onyx horns like a Vritra''s curving out from his head, he might have been a deity himself.


    I struggled to understand what I was even seeing. I''d studied magic and runes since I was just a little kid. My illness meant I couldn''t begin training like Circe, and so I''d stayed inside and read. All the time. But I''d never heard of mana arts like these.


    He had flitted around the arena with impossible speed. His weapon came and went instantly and with no apparent effort. His summons changed from an already intimidating wolf-creature to a huge, flying monster that could destroy every kind of Decay-attribute mana attack just by breathing!


    It didn''t even make sense. I''d never felt any manae from him, none at all. Scythe Cadell Vritra''s was overwhelming, stifling, but the professor''s power was¡­something else entirely.


    And so it was with a certain amount of detachment that I watched Professor Grey''s weapon plunge through the Scythe and devour him. It felt¡­inevitable. The way the weird purple fire curled across the Scythe''s skin, unmaking him, made me feel deeply ufortable. As if I were watching the rules that bound my world together unravel before my eyes.


    "H-he¡ªbut¡­what?" Ma stammered.


    "No freaking way," Linden said, forgetting the unresponsive Yannick as our collective attention was pulled to the sight of Scythe Cadell Vritra burning to ash.


    "What even was that?" Pascal muttered, his head shaking like he couldn''t believe what he was seeing. "I''ve never seen magic like that."


    "The way he just stabbed his summons¡­" Ma''s voice was full of horror.


    "I think he absorbed it into his weapon," I pointed out, remembering how the wolf had dissolved and the de hade alive with violet mes. "Some kind of crazybo attack."


    It was all pretty hard to make sense of, honestly.


    Professor Grey had defeated a Scythe. But no, that wasn''t quite right. I had nearly forgotten about Scythe Nico already, my mind and memory both sluggish from trying to process everything that had just happened.


    The professor had just defeated two Scythes. And he killed one!


    "He must be freaking covered in regalias," Linden said. "That''s why he doesn''t show them off like most mages."


    Pascal''s eyes went wide. "Dude, maybe that''s why everyone in the ss ended up with such strong runes at thest bestowal¡­"


    Doubt suddenly smothered my wonder. And with it came¡­dread.


    This wasn''t right. It was way, way outside the bounds of what usually happened at the Victoriad. A challenge alone was rare, but to have killed a Scythe, maybe even two¡­this could be a deration of war.


    I swiftly became ufortably aware of just how little we knew about Professor Grey. If Pascal''s guess was urate, what would this mean for all of his students? Was the professor some kind of enemy of the Vritra? We''d all benefited from his training, maybe even somehow from his mere presence. Did that make us¡­aplices, somehow?


    I leaned my head against Ma''s.


    Her eyes rolled up to look at me askance. "I''m scared, Seth. What''s going on?"


    "I don''t know," I answered, my chest tightening. "But I am too."


    SERIS VRITRA


    The wave of relief I had felt at Sovereign Kiros''s joyful eptance of Cadell''s death copsed into disappointment as the portal appeared below us, cutting off the Sovereign''s words.


    Immediately, I set to work nning how I might get Arthur out of this situation alive.


    I was now more certain than ever that this human boy was the key to everything, and I absolutely could not allow him to fall into Agrona''s hands.


    It was quite frustrating, really. If he would have simply done as I requested, dueling and defeating Cylrit then declining the position of retainer¡­it would have made things much simpler. I still could have used his victory to put him on a pedestal, holding him up as a leader among the "lessers," but without drawing Agrona''s attention. At least not yet.


    This victory though¡­it was much toorge, and too soon. Agrona had banished all thought of the boy, focusing entirely on the Legacy instead, no longer concerned with the anchors that brought her here. That was useful. It couldn''tst forever, of course, but if I''d only had a few more months to work with¡­


    If I didn''t get him away, somehow, then Agrona would strip him down to his baseponents to figure out how Arthur''s aetheric powers functioned. I''d seen enough of the dungeons andboratories beneath Taegrin Caelum to know exactly what fate awaited him. More frightening perhaps than losing Arthur was the prospect of Agrona somehow divining a way to control aether from Arthur''s dissected corpse.


    Given the situation at hand, even giving myself away would be worth it. I''d prepared thoroughly enough that my ns could be put into motion from hiding if necessary, despite not being ideal. Arthur, or rather Grey, would be a household name in crya within days. No one of any stature wouldn''t know of his victory. In the event we actually could manage some miraculous escape from the Victoriad, utilizing him as a figurehead would be a simple task.


    I resigned myself to simply watching and listening as I waited for the right moment. But when the Legacy cast her spell an instantter, the bottom fell out of my stomach.


    Despite charting her progress, I hadn''t seen this ability before. Such a spell could, theoretically, defeat even a Scythe, if her control over it were strong enough. No, not just a Scythe. Considering that asura relied on mana simply to exist, with it infusing their very bodies, such a spell might be able to neuter even the strongest beings in this world, dividing them from their own power.


    Dragoth and Viessa drifted into the sky, moving to circle Arthur''s trap. I had no choice but to follow, letting the situation y out.


    Watching Arthur''s face, though¡­somehow, he did not seem afraid. If anything, he was calcting.


    Even a little¡­sad?


    I listened to Agrona speak, heedless of the words until the others moved in to capture Arthur. Perhaps I could make my move while transporting him back to Taegrin Caelum, offer to escort him into the dungeons myself¡­


    Suddenly, Arthur shifted, smashing out of the trap and streaking toward Agrona and the Legacy, a de of vibrant purple aether humming to life in his grip.


    I stopped breathing, so intently did I have to focus to see what was happening.


    Fool, I thought only an instantter, mouthing the word but knowing better than to speak out loud.


    He had stopped. He could have struck a killing blow, his de was so close he''d seared a hole in the Legacy''s battledress, but he''d stopped himself. Because of his rtionship with Tessia Eralith, he didn''t have the stomach to do what needed to be done.


    The idea of killing her myself shed through my mind for the dozenth time, but I couldn''t risk alienating both Agrona and Arthur in a single move. If Arthur struck the blow himself however¡­


    But I knew there was no hope for that as Agrona began to jeer, insulting Arthur. Then, his eyes never leaving the boy, Agrona gave the order. "Take him."


    I knew that it was now or never, but I hesitated. Although stricken, his face pale, fingers trembling at his sides, Arthur did not yet look defeated. I flew toward him, keeping pace with the others, at a loss for how to proceed.


    And then he was gone. Just like that, so fast that even Agrona, face twisted in rage, could only grasp at the afterimage of purple lightning left hanging in the air, all that remained of Arthur.


    I began tough.


    CAERA DENOIR


    "What the actual fuck."


    The words left my mouth as if they''d been spoken by a stranger, but I couldn''t have more eloquently described my feelings if I''d been given a month to think the words through.


    Grey was¡­gone. Just gone.


    As the High Sovereign began to shout out instructions to all the Scythes, I slipped back into the shadows of an empty staging area, stumbling over rubble before leaning back against the wall and closing my eyes.


    The first thing I saw was the memory of Grey, caged and wrapped in some kind of anti-mana bubble, looking directly into my eyes. A plethora of emotions and thoughts had shed across his face in that single instant, but one was clear above the rest.


    Regret.


    Which could only mean one thing. He was leaving.


    He hadn''t just used his aether arts to escape the stadium, I was sure of that. He intended to disappear.


    I felt like I should''ve been mad¡ªshould''ve felt betrayed. But I wasn''t. Grey had always warned me of getting too close¡­of knowing too much. This had confirmed it. What he had sought to do was beyond the scale of my imagination.


    I remember first seeing him in the Relictombs, manaless and seemingly at death''s door, taking pity on what I thought was a young woman whose core had been destroyed. Against all odds, we then crossed paths again in the convergence zone, where he carried my own brother''s weapon into battle. This alone was too much to write off as mere coincidence, and yet I thenter learned of a mysterious connection between him and my own lifelong mentor, Scythe Seris¡­


    So, while whatever force had brought us together¡ªaether, or fate, or the will of some divinity beyond the asuras¡ªI knew the next steps were up to me. Whether or not Grey intended to involve me further in his adventures, I had to choose what to do from here.


    "Whatever that is," I muttered aloud, pressing myself into the wall, which was trembling subtly.


    Separately and simultaneously to these considerations, Grey''s fight with Cadell was rapidly reying in my mind. Despite having fought side by side with him, Grey''s powers seemed as much an enigma to me now as they ever had.


    It was well known in crya that Scythe Cadell was not just a Scythe¡ªhe was Agrona''s private enforcer, dealing with issues that required the High Sovereign''s personal attention. ording to Scythe Seris, he had only been named a Scythe when Agrona began ramping up for the war with Dicathen nearly fifteen years ago, but even before that had been more powerful and dangerous than the other Scythes.


    And yet, Grey had defeated him in singlebat, killing him where every important person on the continent would get to see.


    My throat grew constricted as questions tumbled haphazardly through my mind. There was so much more to this than a single, stunning defeat. Because the Victoriad had revealed that Grey not only knew Scythe Seris, but Cadell and Nico as well. And even Agrona, judging by the way he had spoken.


    But what was their rtionship? Why did Grey make these challenges? Who was Grey, really? And what was he trying to aplish?


    Could I have been right when I suggested to Scythe Seris that he was asura born? Perhaps some descendant of the dragons sworn to take vengeance against Agrona? If I hadn''t adventured at his side within the Relictombs, I would almost believe him to be a full-blooded asura. It would at least exin his control over aether.


    Or¡ªI felt a thrill as I considered this¡ªcould he be one of the ancient mages? A djinn, surviving within the Relictombs and hidden among us since the dragons exterminated them. It was true that he had a way with the Relictombs, far beyond any ascender I had ever seen. To my knowledge, no ascender in history had ever discovered one of these ancient ruins before, much less spoken to a djinn remnant.


    And he did have these spontaneously manifested runes¡ªgodrunes¡ªone of which even allowed him to revive relics from that ancient culture¡­


    My cheeks grew warm. Even thinking these things made me feel like a silly little girl. But the truth was, I couldn''t think of a simpler, more reasonable exnation for how Grey would be at the heart of all this power. To have drawn the attention of the High Sovereign himself, who rarely if ever left the confines of Taegrin Caelum, high in the Basilisk Fang Mountains¡­


    I realized with sudden and absolute certainty that Grey could be one of the most powerful beings in the world. If not yet, eventually. I knew with equal certainty that I would not be content to return to my old life, knowing he was out there, somewhere.


    My coddled noble life, my efforts to live up to my brother''s legacy as an ascender, even the reality of my being a hidden Virtra-born whose blood has manifested, it all seemed entirely unimportant in the face of whatever breakthroughs Grey had made and would continue to make.


    That was real power, the kind that could reshape the face of our world.


    A small smile came to my lips as I remembered a conversation with Sevren, a very long time ago. We were y-fighting in the gardens with wooden swords¡ªeach one carved with the symbol for aether, of course¡ªand the duel grew heated, until I identally rapped his knuckles with my "weapon" hard enough to make him yelp in pain.


    In my embarrassment, I''d teased him about yielding to the power of my aether magic, but instead of being mad, he''d simply sat down in the grass and thoughtfully flexed his bruised hand.


    "One day, I''m going to be an ascender, sis. I''m going to go into the Relictombs and learn all about this stuff for real." I still remembered so clearly how his eyes shined as he looked up at me from the ground, his face much too serious for a boy not yet twelve years old. "Then nobody will have to fight at all, not anymore. We could make the world whatever we want it to be."


    I hadughed at him. "Can you make it rain toffee for us, then? Lenora told the cooks not to make anymore after I snuck somest time."


    But Sevren hadn''t even cracked a smile. "The first thing I would do is make it so no one ever takes you away from our family. I''d create a world where you were safe from the Vritra n."


    The torrent of conflicting thoughts and emotions overwhelmed me, and I realized that there were tears streaming down my cheeks. Outside the safety of the empty staging area, I could hear the noise of thousands of footsteps hurrying from the arena, of people shouting, the bones of the coliseum shifting, magic humming¡­so much life being lived, pain and fear and awe all wrapped up into one, no one fully understanding what they''d just seen.


    I considered Grey''s students, likely awestruck and terrified,cking any context to help them make sense of what they''d just witnessed.


    My adoptive parents were out there somewhere as well, likely scrambling to arrange a tempus warp back to the central dominion in order to avoid being caught up in any fallout, already establishing their story for when Grey''s connections to Highblood Denoir came clear.


    Perhaps the right thing to do would have been to go help. Dozens of mages still swarmed over the copsed section of the coliseum, searching for survivors in the rubble. The officials would need all the help they could get to manage the churning herds rushing toward the tempus warp tforms.


    But when I finally pushed myself away from the wall and wiped my tears, there was only one thing I could think to do. I needed to know what came next. And to do so, I needed my mentor.


    I couldn''t help but feel it was quite past time for me to get some real answers.

 Chapter 375

    Chapter 375


    ELEANOR LEYWIN


    I rocked side to side as Boo¡¯s broad back swayed with each slow step. His breath was heavy and even, almost sleepy after gorging himself on glitterfish. We were taking our time, moving slowly as we returned from Boo¡¯s favorite fishing spot and headed toward the square outside Town Hall.


    I could already hear the low rumble of many voicesbining. It sounded like dozens, maybe even a hundred or more¡­


    It was weird. Growing up in Xyrus, a day at the market meant crossing paths with hundreds, even thousands of people. I never thought twice about the noise of a crowd back then. All those people just kind of blended into the background, there but¡­not important.


    Now, the idea of so many people¡ªeach one having suffered such horrible loss, surviving the nightmare of thesest several months¡ªmade me feel ufortable. Constricted. Even as this feeling took root in me, though, a golden light issued from my core, infusing me with confidence and bravery.


    Smiling, I patted Boo¡¯s neck. ¡°Thanks. I can always count on you, can¡¯t I, Boo?¡±


    The crowds¡¯ volume inched higher and higher as I approached the gathered refugees, almost all elves. Several sent wary looks in my direction as I rode by, and I was surprised by how ufortable and agitated the crowd seemed. I wasn¡¯tpletely sure what was happening, only that Albold had sent me a message to be here.


    My mother was waiting for me in the mouth of an alley that led toward one of themunity gardens, outside of the dense pack of elves filling the square.


    Staying mounted atop Boo, I reached down and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I thought maybe you would tell me,¡± she said, her eyes darting nervously around the crowd.


    Following her line of sight, I realized why. More of the elves were looking at me now. Some stared openly, while others shot me poorly hidden nces as they talked quietly to their friends and family. And while some seemed just curious or even¡ªI hoped¡ªfriendly, others were much less so.


    Then I realized why Albold had asked for me.


    I wondered exactly what he and Feyrith had told these elves. Everything I had shared with them about Virion and Windsom¡¯s conversation? That seemed foolhardy, but then, I wasn¡¯t exactly sure what I expected them to do with the information. By the way people were looking at me, though, that must have been it.


    I found myself wishing they would have at least not mentioned where they got their information¡­


    Not that I felt frightened. Sitting on Boo¡¯s back, with my mother¡¯s hand wrappedfortingly around my calf, I had the same warm feeling I did as a little kid when Art would fall asleep next to me while putting me to bed. Like I was protected.


    But I couldn¡¯t help but feel like all this unhappiness and frustration I saw around me was my fault.


    It had been a couple weeks since I told Albold and Feyrith about Virion and Windsom¡¯s lies. Rinia had warned me to stay out of it, but I still thought they deserved to know. I knew a bit too well what it felt like to be lied to, to have things hidden from me to ¡°protect¡± me. Mom and Dad were always keeping things about Arthur from me. Even when the Lances took him away, they made all kinds of excuses so I didn''t worry.


    Like I was too stupid to understand that when Mom locked herself away and cried, something was wrong.


    But I wanted to be told the truth so I could grow from it, react to the world as it was, not through the rosy lenses of what my parents wanted to show me.


    Still¡­I knew that the elves might not feel the same. Maybe in scary times like these, some people would prefer to stay ignorant, unaware and clenching onto the hopeful, filtered words of our leaders.


    And so I waited, expecting for something to happen since my conversation with Feyrith and Albold, almost hoping for it just to get it over with.


    Because, if something bad happened, I knew it would be because of me.


    ¡°Thank you foring, Ellie,¡± someone said from behind me. I spun around so I was sitting backwards on Boo. Feyrith and Albold had juste out of a narrow alley.


    ¡°What exactly is happening here?¡± Mom asked, moving so she was between Boo and the pair of elves.


    They both bowed to her before Feyrith said, ¡°Thanks to your daughter, we elves were finally told the truth of what happened to our homnd, something our leaders have lied about to protect an alliance with false friends.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to make Virion exin himself and his actions,¡± Albold said forcefully.


    Feyrith gave me a tight-lipped smile. ¡°We wanted you to be here, Ellie, to hear what Virion has to say and¡­offer some perspective, if necessary.¡± He quickly held up a hand when Mom started to object. ¡°You have been guided by the seer Rinia herself. You were in Elenoir when the destruction urred¡­the only survivor of that attack. You heard for yourself the lies shared between Virion and the asura. We need you here, Ellie.¡±


    So I wasn¡¯t brought here to be questioned, I thought in relief. But what¡¯ll Virion say¡ªor deny¡ªwhen they ask him for an exnation? Either way, it was because of me and the information I chose to share that this gathering of elves happened in the first ce.


    Mom sighed, stepping back and looking up at me. Boo was twisted around so he could watch the elves, his heavy brows low over his small eyes, and his huge teeth bared.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said to no one in particr. ¡°We¡¯re already here. I just¡­did you have to tell everyone it was me?¡±


    A light flush appeared on Feyrith¡¯s cheeks and he looked down at the ground. ¡°People took convincing just to show up. We had to tell them exactly how we¡¯d discovered the truth.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said. I wanted to be upset, but I couldn¡¯t me them. If I didn¡¯t want to be involved, after all, I could have just kept my big mouth shut.


    I guess I won¡¯t know if what I did was right or wrong until I see how it all turns out. Hopefully, most people are d to learn the truth, but I bet a bunch of them think I¡¯m lying, or me me for causing problems.


    I nced around again. More eyes had turned my way now that I was speaking with Feyrith and Albold. An old elf with a cane¡ªone of the council, I thought¡ªwas making her way toward us, but behind her, I caught sight of a genuinely friendly face.


    Riding above the crowd on Jasmine mesworth¡¯s shoulders, my friend Camellia beamed and waved at me. Her pale blonde hair was tied back in thin braids, and there was a sprig of holly tucked behind her ear. She tapped the top of Jasmine¡¯s head and pointed in my direction, drawing a sour frown from her mount.


    The rest of the Twin Horns were with them, and when they turned in our direction, the crowd parted to allow them through.


    Helen gave me a warm smile and patted Boo¡¯s side. ¡°Ellie. I should have known they¡¯d drag you into this.¡± She gave Feyrith and Albold a sharp look, her smile quickly dropping.


    Durden, who stood out from the crowd due to being at least a head taller than everyone else, frowned in an exaggerated kind of way, highlighting the scars over half of his face. ¡°Ellie, you do know you¡¯re riding your bear backwards, right?¡±


    Camellia rewarded his joke with an appreciativeugh, but it faltered quickly. She looked down, letting a loose braid of pale hair fall over her face. ¡°Sorry, I suppose this isn¡¯t the time forughter.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s always time to remind ourselves we¡¯re still here kicking,¡± Ang Rose responded as she wrapped her arms around my mother, pulling her into a tight hug.


    The old elf woman finally made her way through the crowd. She hesitated, looking around at the Twin Horns and me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, but¡­¡± Her gaze shifted to Feyrith. ¡°I was hoping for a word before we began.¡±


    Feyrith nodded, looking gaunt and serious. But when he looked at me, there was a softness in his features that seemed to undo some of the damage his time spent as a captive of the cryans had done. ¡°Thank you again for being here, Ellie.¡±


    And then they were gone.


    I turned around so I was sitting properly on Boo, and Camellia mbered off Jasmine¡¯s shoulders and onto Boo¡¯s back behind me. Her arms wrapped around my waste and she rested her head on my back, squeezing me slightly.


    ¡°Things are going to get pretty rough,¡± Ang Rose mumbled, one arm still wrapped around my mother.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope not,¡± Helen said. ¡°But if it does, remember that our role here is to keep people from hurting each other.¡±


    Durden pulsed with mana, and a stone arm coalesced in ce of the one he¡¯d lost fighting at the Wall. ¡°We¡¯re with you as always, Helen.¡±


    Our strange little family fell into a tense silence as we waited.


    It wasn¡¯t long.


    Albold and Feyrith eased through the crowd until they could climb the stairs that led into the Town Hall. The usual guards that would have stood there were absent, and the doors were closed.


    Albold tried to shout something, but his voice was lost in the din. Feyrith fired a kind of water burst up into the air, where it exploded with a popping, hissing noise, silencing the crowd.


    ¡°Most of you already know why we¡¯re here,¡± he said when thest of the chatter had died down. ¡°Some of you had already seen through the lies of ourmander and are here to support this effort, but I know many of you are still skeptical. And I don¡¯t me you for that.¡±


    He paused, letting his words settle over the crowd. ¡°My fellow elves, we have lost much.¡± His voice cracked, and he paused again. ¡°No one can heal the hole that has been torn in our hearts and souls at the destruction of our home, the careless genocide of our people. But I, Feyrith Ivsaar III, am telling you now that you deserve to understand why this was done to us.¡±


    Feyrith¡¯s voice rose as he spoke, bing a shout that filled the cavern. ¡°We have been lied to. Treated like children. Asked to align ourselves with our destroyers. Betrayed by our own leaders!¡±


    This was met with supporting cheers from several elves, but most remained quiet. A few were obviously hostile to Feyrith¡¯s message, ring fiercely up at him. Beside me, I could see Helen clocking everyone who seemed like a potential threat, regardless of which side of the argument they were on.


    ¡°Proof!¡± a gray-haired elven man yelled, cutting over the cheers. He had a brand burned into the side of his neck, still shiny and scabbed. ¡°How dare you use Virion Eralith, a man who has fought for us all his life, of betraying us without proof!¡±


    There were a few cries of support, but more boos as Feyrith¡¯s supporters tried to shout the man down.


    ¡°Are we supposed to take the word of a human girl over our ownmander!¡± another elf shouted, a woman this time, her bright green eyes so full of bitterness and disdain that I felt bile rise up in the back of my throat.


    The crowd fell into bickering, shouting across each other so their words were lost. All I could see was the division that was being caused, the fracturing of our fragile resistance, and how my words had brought us here.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re not taking their words personally, El,¡± a worried voice said as Emily Watsken appeared out of the crowd. Curly hair framed Emily¡¯s soot-stained face, and there was a crack around the edge of one of her lenses.


    ¡°Em!¡± Slipping off Boo, I gave her a big hug. ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    She rubbed her cheek, further smudging the soot clinging to her skin. ¡°An explosion at theb, one of Gideon¡¯s new projects¡­but never mind that. What did I miss?¡±


    I sighed, leaning back against Boo. ¡°Nothing but a bunch of shouting and dirty looks so far.¡±


    Everyone else said their hellos, although the Twin Horns were mostly focused on the still seething crowd. I crawled back up on Boo, leaning into Camellia, who rested her chin on my shoulder.


    ¡°No one really mes you for anything, you know,¡± she said in a whisper. ¡°They¡¯re just scared.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we all?¡± I grumbled, then blew out an unnecessarily loud sigh. ¡°I just¡­¡±


    Mom squeezed my leg and gave me an apologetic smile. ¡°Being caught in the middle of world-altering events is apparently the curse of my children.¡±


    I took my mom¡¯s hand andughed a little. ¡°We¡¯re just lucky, I guess.¡±


    In front of the Town Hall, Albold had turned away from the crowd and was now hammering on the doors. ¡°Virion! Virion, your people need to hear your voice. Address these usations, or be named a¡ª¡±


    The doors flung open, nearly knocking Albold over backwards.


    The Lance, Bairon Wykes, now personal guard to Commander Virion and member of the council, stood framed in the doorway, his gleaming armor alive with crackling lightning. His eyes zed as little lightning bolts jumped from him to the walls and floor, burning scorch marks into the stonework.


    ¡°Clear off,¡± he ordered, his voice thrumming with the kind of power I¡¯d rarely witnessed up close. Even fifty feet away, I felt the static discharge tingling across my skin, and tiny arcs of electricity jumped between the fine hairs on my forearms. ¡°Themander won¡¯t be dragged from his home by an unruly mob. If you want to talk, make an appointment.¡±


    Feyrith and Albold were quick to recover. ¡°Our ownmander, once king of Elenoir, sends his attack dog to run us off. What is your n, Lance? Will you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough, Bairon, enough,¡± a rugged voice sounded from inside the Town Hall. The crowd¡ªnearly driven into a frenzy by the Lance¡¯s threats¡ªwent still and silent as a field of standing stones. ¡°I will speak to my people.¡±


    The Lance red fiercely around before stepping out into the open and moving to the side. Virion came up behind him.


    Although the old elf stood tall, each step firm and confident, I felt immediately like something was off. He was dressed in forest-green batttlerobes embroidered with golden leaves and vines, his hair pulled back into a tail, making him look regal and powerful¡­but that alone wasn¡¯t enough to hide the deep tiredness that hung about him like a ck cloud.


    He didn¡¯t immediately speak, but let his sharp old eyes track across the gathered refugees. Wherever they fell, the elves looked down. A few even wept, their soft snuffling the only sound.


    ¡°My brothers and sisters,¡± he began, his voice both firm and soft, somehow. Still the practiced tone ofmand, but also the grandfatherly projection of understanding. ¡°You have asked for me, so here I am.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to make of Virion¡¯s expression when his eyes scanned the crowd. ¡°It pains me to see us like this¡ªthest dregs of our civilization, hidden underneath the earth instead of flourishing in the forests of our birth¡­but more so that we are being pulled apart, and at a time when we need toe together more than ever.¡±


    ¡°No one is questioning anything you¡¯ve said,¡± Feyrith responded from the bottom of the steps, looking up at Virion. He gestured to the onlookers with one hand. ¡°But it¡¯s hard to reconcile your message of unity with the reality of our situation, at least for me. Our home is gone, Virion¡­and the asura of Epheotus took it from us. Not the cryans. Do you deny it?¡±


    Virion nodded along with Feyrith¡¯s words. Before he answered, he took a deep, shuddering breath. ¡°No, I don¡¯t deny it.¡±


    The crowd burst as people cried out in dismay or disbelief, some demanding to know why, others shouting that it couldn¡¯t be true, that Virion was being manipted somehow.


    ¡°Then why lie?¡± Albold shouted above the din.


    ¡°It was a necessary lie, told to keep the ragged tatters of our civilization from copsing into despair.¡± As Virion spoke, he held his head up, facing the using gazes without flinching. ¡°I may regret its necessity, but, given the chance, I would make the same decision again.¡±


    ¡°You would protect the asura over your own people?¡± Feyrith asked in disbelief.


    Virion stood straighter, and when he red down at the younger elf, his eyes were full of fire. ¡°Do you see an asura before you, or are these ears not proof of my heritage!¡±


    His sudden outburst smothered all other noise.


    ¡°Do you really think I have lived so long and fought so hard for Elenoir that I do not mourn its destruction just as deeply as any of you? Did the asura destroy Elenoir? Yes! And in the act, they eliminated an enemy foothold in this continent and cut the heads from many of the highest-ranking families of crya. They burned the enemy¡¯s war camps and magicalboratories. They cut off many of the long-range teleportation devices that connected Dicathen to crya.¡±


    From where I stood in the crowd, I could see the very moment when the crack in Virion¡¯s disciplined, royal demeanor formed¡ªthe empathy and the emotion winning out as Virion¡¯s eyes grew wet with barely suppressed tears.


    ¡°But they did not take our home.¡± Virion pressed one hand against his chest, gesturing to the crowd with the other. ¡°Wherever we go, whatever bes of the elven people, we carry our homes with us. Trees can be rented. Houses rebuilt. Magic reimed. No one can take that from us.¡±


    ¡°But the people they killed can¡¯t be reborn!¡± someone shouted, their voice choked with emotion.


    ¡°This is war!¡± Virion¡¯s gravel-filled voice cracked, the word ¡°war¡± crashing like a fallen tree among the crowd. ¡°Sacrifice is necessary, even when the price seems beyond paying.¡±


    The fire, momentarily so bright it seemed to glow out of him, died, leaving behind a very old, very tired elf. ¡°Don¡¯t let this tragedy push us into an even worse situation. We can¡¯t properly mourn those we¡¯ve lost until we save everyone who remains¡­¡±


    The crowd was silent, watching Virion, Feyrith, and Albold with wide, wet eyes.


    I didn¡¯t agree with Virion. But¡­I understood him. His people were so fragile, had already been through so much. He was just trying to save them from whatever pain he could.


    After a long pause, Virion motioned behind him for something. ¡°It was the cryans who attacked our continent, invaded our homes, murdered our friends and family¡­executed our kings and queens¡­¡± A single tear fell from Virion¡¯s eye, traveling in a zigzagging pattern down his craggy face. ¡°This war ends when they are thrown from our shores.¡±


    He turned to take something from the head guard, Lenna Aemaris, who then bowed and retreated back into the Town Hall. When he again faced us, he was holding a long, ornate box. It was made of a deep, richly ck wood and bound with luminescent silver metal. With one hand, he opened the lid, revealing the contents to the crowd.


    It was a rod, around two and a half feet long, with a gleaming red handle wrapped with golden rings every few inches. At the head of the rod, a crystal glowed with diffusedvender light. It was beautiful, but the sight of it sent a shiver down my spine.


    ¡°You all now know of the artifacts used to empower the Lances, which were long kept secret from the poption, used to guarantee the safety of our kings and queens by both creating and binding the continent''s most powerful mages in their service,¡± Virion said to the enraptured audience.


    ¡°Those artifacts no longer serve a purpose,¡± Virion continued, his voice soft, almost reverent. ¡°And so, to keep them out of the enemy¡¯s hands, our asuran allies have ensured they can¡¯t be used again.¡±


    Several onlookers shouted in dismay, but Bairon waved for silence, lightning crackling between his fingers.


    ¡°Instead, they have given us new artifacts,¡± Virion said, his voice rising, growing less tired and more powerful. He held up the box, making the rod¡¯svender gem glint in the soft light of the underground cavern. ¡°This is one of three artifacts capable of raising a mage to white core or even beyond, which could be our best chance to fight back against the cryans. Each artifact is specifically attuned to one of the three races of Dicathen, and can¡¯t be used by anyone with Vritra blood, making them useless to the cryans.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but be surprised by the number of cheers that rose from the crowd. ncing around, I realized that most of these people had been drawn here out of fear, not a search for truth, and Virion had just shown them what hope might look like. It suddenly mattered a lot less who had caused the disaster in Elenoir if we had had weapons like this to fight back against the cryans with.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­pretty good, isn¡¯t it?¡± Camellia asked, still sitting behind me on Boo.


    People were shouting out questions or words of praise, but one cut through the rest. ¡°Who will be granted this gift, Commander Virion?¡±


    Virion frowned, his browsing together sharply as he closed the box and handed it back to Lenna. It grew quiet again as we all waited for an answer.


    ¡°Much remains to be decided,¡± he admitted, taking the first step down toward the people. ¡°The old way¡ªselecting just two warriors from each race¡ªwill no longer be sufficient. With these new relics, we could create an entire Lance Corps, and¡ª¡±


    ¡° ¡ªcause untold devastation while shackling our most powerful defenders to the Indrath n,¡± a croaky old voice cut in from somewhere in the audience.


    I rapidly scanned the surprised faces until I found her. A hunched form, wrapped in both a cloak and a nket, shuffled out from the doorway of one of the houses surrounding this square, pulling her hood back as she did so.


    The crowd shuffled to give her room. A few of the elves bowed respectfully, but more gave her wary or even outright hostile looks.


    She paid them no mind, moving shakily toward Virion. ¡°These artifacts are designed to trap us in power. Ensure our subservience. I know what will happen if we make use of them.¡±


    Virion¡¯s frown etched deep wrinkles into his face. But instead of anger, I thought his expression showed more sadness and regret. ¡°Rinia. Please,e inside and we can discuss this further.¡±


    Ignoring Virion, Elder Rinia turned her head left and right, meeting the eyes of those closest to her. ¡°If used, these relics will indeed help our mages grow strong, strong enough to fight the cryan Scythes. Together, in number, strong enough even to fight the asuras of the Vritra n.¡±


    The audience was briefly filled with whispering, but it died out quickly. ¡°Our enemy will respond by escting his efforts on this continent¡ªa distraction put in y by the Indrath n. The battles that follow will leave the continent in ruin. Xyrus will be ripped from the sky. Etistin, shattered and taken in by the ocean. The Wall, crumbled back into the earth. Dicathen, our home, will be in ruins, with titans still battling in the rubble.¡±


    Virion was quiet when he asked, ¡°And what will happen if we refuse Lord Indrath¡¯s hand of friendship and break our alliance with the asura? With no allies, and no hope, I don¡¯t need visions of the future to understand the fate of our continent then.¡±


    Rinia scoffed derisively. ¡°Your allies will use our people as fertilizer, from which they¡¯ll grow a new nation after their war with the Vritra is settled.¡± Rinia¡¯s demeanor softened somewhat as she looked at her old friend. ¡°There are so few of us left, Virion. Don¡¯t march thest of the elves to their own extinction.¡±


    ¡°Then what should we do?¡±


    ¡°The gods have turned against us¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªdie fighting, at least!¡±


    ¡°¡ªept the asuras gift¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªdestroy the artifacts¡ª¡±


    And so it went for a while. Helen and the Twin Horns stayed sharp and watchful, just in case things escted, but no one took it beyond shouting or the asional shove. Camellia stayed with me, her cheek resting against my back, her body tight as a bowstring. Mother wrapped her arm around my leg and leaned against Boo, her face unreadable.


    ¡°I wonder how they work?¡± I just barely heard Emily mutter under her breath. ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Gideon¡­¡±


    After a couple minutes of this, a heavy pressure, like before aing thunderstorm, filled the chamber and made my ears pop.


    Everyone went still as Lance Bairon took a step forward. ¡°Silence,¡± he said firmly.


    Virion gave Rinia a searching look. ¡°We have a choice before us, then. But¡­¡±


    Virion¡¯s gaze tracked across the cavern,nding on Albold and Feyrith, and a few other leaders among the elves, beforeing to rest meeting my own eyes. ¡°If you all want to be heard¡ªif you wish to shoulder the weight of not only your lives, but others¡¯ as well¡ªthen that¡¯s exactly what we¡¯ll do.¡± Lance Bairon shot him a concerned frown, but wiped it away almost immediately. ¡°Speak to your kin. Spread this information to everyone in this sanctuary, so that each and every one of us¡ªdisced as we have been by the cryans¡ªmay express our desires. In three days, every human, dwarf, and elf in this sanctuary will be given the chance to vote on the matter, and determine the direction of our people. For better or worse.¡±


    Mother pulled away, turning to leave, but I stayed, watching Virion as he took the steps down from the Town Hall slowly.


    The crowd was breaking up, starting to disperse, some lingering to speak to Feyrith and Albold, others gathered around Rinia as if she were a candle in a dark room, but through the noise of it all I could just barely hear Virion¡¯s words as he approached Elder Rinia.


    ¡°Rinia. Come inside. Let us speak, like we used to.¡±


    The old seer pulled her nket close around her shoulders. ¡°Can¡¯t,¡± she answered gruffly. ¡°You don¡¯t listen to me like you used to.¡±


    She shuffled off, several elves trailing after her, and Virion caught me watching them. He inclined his head slightly in my direction, his emotions unreadable behind the fatigue and resignation clear in his every little movement.

 Chapter 376

    <h4>Chapter 376</h4>


    VIRION ERALITH


    My boots felt as if they were covered in thick mud, each step through the empty halls heavy and dragging. The weight of confrontation bowed my shoulders and made my temples ache. The impromptu rally, or rather my response to it, was already chasing in circles through my mind as I reconsidered each word and phrase, fearing that I hadn¡¯t articted my thoughts well enough.


    When I reached my private chambers, I turned to close the door only to find that Bairon had shadowed me from the rally, and was now standing in the hall and watching me carefully. His presence was afort, and I couldn¡¯t help but consider the path our rtionship had taken. I had never liked the human Lance, considering him selfish and egotistical. There were many times I would have dismissed him if I¡¯d had the power, or perhaps consigned him to a purgatory of some demeaning, inglorious task.


    At some point, however, in our long days within the ancient mages¡¯ hidden sanctuary, it had urred to me that these traits were perhaps not intrinsic to Bairon himself, but were fostered by both his family and the yders. Whether due to their absence, his own near-death, or the failure of the Council and Lances to protect Dicathen, Bairon had changed.


    Now, he was a level head and steady hand at my side on the council. Still prideful, perhaps, but not vainglorious as he had once been.


    ¡°Commander?¡±


    I started, realizing I had just been gazing at him like an old dottard for several seconds. ¡°Bairon. Have I expressed my appreciation to you for your assistance thesest long months?¡±


    He eyed me, uncertain. ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Things like a simple ¡®thank you¡¯ are so often let slip in dire times,¡± I mused. ¡°As I likely haven¡¯t said it enough, thank you for your service to Dicathen.¡±


    He swept aside the blond hair that fell down across his bright green eyes¡ªfeatures of the Wykes family. ¡°Such things don¡¯t need to be said between men like us, Commander.¡±


    I scoffed. ¡°Perhaps once I would have thought the same, but I¡¯m too old and tired for masculine pride.¡± Bairon¡¯s lips twitched, but he didn¡¯t reply. ¡°Now leave an old elf to rest.¡±


    The Lance hesitated, grimacing, then blurted out, ¡°Are you sure about this, Commander?¡±


    I could only offer the young human an uncertain shrug. ¡°We haven¡¯t had a king or queen who didn¡¯t try to throw their people to the mana beasts for their own gain. Not in this war. Maybe...maybe the time of rulers is past. The people need to choose for themselves how they¡¯re going to die.¡±


    Bairon¡¯s face fell as he bowed, turned sharply on his heel, and marched away. As I watched his broad back recede, I considered just how separate¡ªeven lonely¡ªour positions had left us.


    Bairon had gone to what remained of his family soon after regaining his strength, hoping to help them flee Xyrus for the sanctuary. With his level of power, it would have been an easy matter, but he hadn¡¯t been prepared for what he found in Xyrus.


    It wasn¡¯t the cryans, who had quickly arrived in force after taking control of the teleportation gates at the flying castle, that stymied his efforts, but his own family members.


    The Wykes were a powerful and renowned house. They could have rallied the other houses and organized a defense of the city. Instead, they were one of the first to swear service to Agrona, likely in some short-sighted effort to ingratiate themselves with the invaders. Bairon went to help his family escape, but instead found them actively working alongside the cryans to suppress whatever small pockets of resistance had survived so long.


    It had nearly broken him again to return empty handed. I had to wonder if the old Bairon¡ªthe person he was before our defeat at the hands of the Scythe¡ªwould havee back at all. I shuddered to think what would have happened to us if he¡¯d followed his family instead of me.


    Once he had turned a corner and left my sight, I eased the door closed and moved to my desk, taking a seat. With my elbows rested on the stone desktop, I let my face sink into my hands.


    Learning that the asura, our allies, had destroyed Elenoir was a blow to our morale. I knew when I epted Windsom¡¯s proposal that it was a risk, but I agreed with him that the truth could have broken our spirit entirely. And I stood by that assessment, though I couldn¡¯t help but second guess my decision, now that the truth had been revealed through gossip and whispered conversation.


    Through my syed fingers, I looked at the three long boxes resting on my desk. Gingerly, I reached out and flicked thetch on the first box, then opened the lid. The rod¡¯svender gem shed in the light, and I ran my fingers along the richly red leather of the handle. There was a crackle of energy, and the hairs on my arm stood on end.


    These artifacts had given me hope, and I¡¯d expected my people¡ªboth my people, the elves, and all those under my care within the sanctuary¡ªto share this feeling. Windsom¡¯s timing couldn¡¯t have been better. With the artifacts in hand, I had the tools necessary to dampen the shock and despair we all felt, show them a future where we had the strength to be victorious.


    Perhaps it was shortsighted of me that I hadn¡¯t foreseen Rinia¡¯s involvement. But then, I wasn¡¯t the seer.


    Chuckling darkly, I pressed my palms hard into my eyes to relieve the pressure building there. I was already wondering whether my offer to allow a vote on the artifacts¡¯ use had been an act of wisdom or weakness.


    This was a question I had asked myself many times before, and it was almostforting to think that I would never know the answer.


    Judging the correctness of my actions would be left to future generations. If there were any future generations. If what Rinia had said was true, if she¡¯d foreseen catastrophe and destruction across the continent, perhaps there wouldn¡¯t be. But then, what was the alternative? It seemed the choice was that we either grew strong enough to destroy ourselves in the fighting or be destroyed because we were too weak to fight back at all.


    And that, I suppose, is exactly why I called for the vote.


    Should these people not be allowed to choose their own end? I had grown too old,manded too long, sent too many to their deaths to bear the weight of this decision on my own.


    Taking a key from my belt, I unlocked the single drawer in the desk and slid it open with the rough grinding of stone on stone. Pushing items out of the way until I found what I was looking for, I carefully withdrew a crystal orb about eight inches in diameter.


    The artifact was a dear possession, but something I used sparingly, trying to move on from my past. But I found myself growing more and more dependent on it, using it to escape to a better time in my life.


    The orb swirled with misty light, which seemed to grow agitated as I set it on the desk, holding it with one hand to ensure it didn¡¯t roll off and shatter.


    ¡°Lania...¡± I whispered, staring deep into the swirling light.


    At the sound of my voice, it began to coalesce into a bright image...a face, molded of liquid light. It was the single most beautiful face I had everid eyes on, one I hadn¡¯t seen in person in many, many years.


    My wife smiled out at me from within the memory orb. ¡°The king of the elves shouldn¡¯t look so glum. What weight is it that drags the corners of your lovely lips down so?¡±


    The voice in the orb was hers, but there was a subtle echo to it, like it had been resounding through the years and was reaching me from far away and a long time ago.


    My own voice, though many decades younger, sounded from the orb in response. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. The war...it¡¯s gone on too long. Far too long. I¡¯ve started to question the price we¡¯ve paid. I¡¯m afraid, Lania. Afraid that this makes me weak.¡±


    ¡°No, my love. You are not weak. You are brave and beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Beautiful, huh?¡± my younger self replied with a snort. Though the memory was from my own point of view, I could picture the elf who spoke, a younger man, face not yet creased with wrinkles, shoulders unbent by the burdens ofmand. A tear trailed along the path of theugh lines she¡¯d given me. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly the kind ofpliment kings hope to hear.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s true, now and always. Inside and out, you are a beautiful man, and you have lived a beautiful life. And I will always protect you.¡±


    Another snort issued from my past self, but I remembered the way my face had softened as I gazed lovingly at her. ¡°Don¡¯t you mean I¡¯ll always protect you?¡±


    ¡°No, my love.¡± Her hand rose up to caress my cheek, and I could practically feel the softness of her fingertips against my skin.


    The image faded back to a swirl of misty light.


    I sat hunched over the crystal orb, staring at my wrinkled hands through its transparent surface.


    Would these same hands be here had it not been for my wife¡¯s gifts?


    Would Dicathen¡¯s fate have been better without me in it?


    Feeling more empty now than I had before using it, I shoved the memory orb back into my desk before pushing away.


    ¡°Damned future-sight,¡± I cursed, bitter that my whole life seemed almost entirely defined by the visions of seers.


    Whether it was a gift or a curse, I thought, as I had many times before, that we were better left to our own devices, navigating our lives as best we could within the range of our own vision and forethought instead of relying on pictures of futures that may or may note to pass. Even the wisest of us could drive themselves mad attempting to decipher the impossible branching pathways thaty ahead of each and every elf, human, or dwarf.


    But I had seen first hand how heavy such foresight weighed on those who possessed it. The responsibility of knowledge is, in many ways, even heavier than that ofmand. No matter how many times I begged my wife to stop looking forward, to stop trying to protect me at the expense of her own life, she could not. If something had happened to me when she was in a position to prevent it, it would have broken her.


    But had she ever considered what my life without her would be like?


    Rinia had always understood my bitterness towards her gift. When the war between humans and elves finally ended, she did not offer to use her abilities to help me lead. After what happened in the flying castle, though...it was difficult to forgive her for not sharing what she¡¯d foreseen sooner.


    ¡°You old hypocrite,¡± I mumbled to myself, standing and beginning to pace around the small square room.


    Regret prickled in my chest. Seeing Rinia, who looked even older and more worn than I felt, drove home how much of herself she had sacrificed over thest months. She was following my wife¡¯s¡ªher sister¡¯s¡ªpath, but I wouldn¡¯t thank her for that. Still, I had to believe that she had done so with purpose, and had chosen to step back into the light for a purpose as well.


    I would be a fool to discount everything she¡¯d said.


    I moved to the window and leaned against the sill with a shaky sigh. Below, a family of elves was working in the mushroom garden next to Town Hall. Three little elves ran and skipped through the garden, pointing out mushrooms to their father. At each one, he would stoop to see if the mushroom was ready, then either pick it or exin to the children why it wasn¡¯t ready...


    I wondered what he had done beforeing to this sanctuary. Had he been a soldier? Or a woodsman? Perhaps he¡¯d been a cook. I was curious what he thought about the artifacts, and even more so about whether or not he wanted to be responsible for the decision that would be made in three days¡¯ time.


    Because, regardless of his own desires, this man would be expected to lend his voice to the decision. I had put that pressure on him.


    Had it been an act of wisdom that had led me to do so?


    I was afraid that, deep within me, I had made that decision because I was just tired. I didn¡¯t want to shoulder this burden alone, not when the future of my entire race was in the bnce.


    Not when we stood alone between the great powers of the Vritra and Indrath ns.


    WINDSOM


    Far below, the sanctuary vige swarmed with lessers. A few hundred, by my estimation, all crammed together at the center of the underground town. If I closed my eyes and pushed mana to my ears, I could hear their muddled banter, like a field of mooing aurochs.


    It was with some disappointment that I had learned of Virion¡¯s recusal in the matter of the artifacts he¡¯d been so eager to take ownership of. From an outside perspective, it seemed like he folded the moment his people discovered the reality of Elenoir¡¯s destruction by the World Eater technique.


    The lie was never meant tost forever, but simply to buy time for the next stage of Lord Indrath¡¯s n tomence. A hopeless Dicathen was of no use to my lord. I had even offered Virion several suggestions about which of his people here should be the first to be anointed by the new artifacts. He could have began this process at any point over thest three days, and mages like the yders, Earthborns, or even Lance Bairon Wykes would already be parading in front of these people as beacons of hope.


    In a way, this made the immediate copse of his judgment almost personal. All our long conversations¡ªall my advice and guidance¡ªwere abandoned in an instant.


    It had been Aldir¡¯s decision to cast Virion asmander of Dicathen¡¯s joint forces, back when the war began in earnest. Aldir saw him as a man worthy of time and training, but this failure was a stark reminder that all lessers had limits, and it appeared Virion was reaching his. Short-lived and even shorter in foresight, lessers had no concept of time¡¯s true passage or what was at stake beyond their own lives.


    So much time wasted, I thought, irritation clinging to me like road dust after a long journey.


    As envoy to Dicathen, too much of my life had been spent tending to the continent, assuring that the lessers¡¯ civilization didn¡¯t implode before it was fully established. Though I hadn¡¯t voiced the thought to my master, I was eager for this war to finally end so that I might seek a higher role in the court.


    Of course, depending on what Virion and his people decided, my service to them could be over sooner than I¡¯d imagined.


    My body melted into inky ckness, reforming into the shape of a ck cat, and I leapt off the ledge I¡¯d been watching from, springing from stone to stone until I reached the path leading toward town.


    Perhaps I should have dealt with the seer years ago, I mused, frustrated by Rinia Darcassan¡¯s intervention. She alone among the lessers understood Lord Indrath¡¯s purpose clearly, although she was blinded by the sacrifice asked of Dicathen as opposed to seeing the good they would do by fulfilling their given role.


    I reached the outskirts of the congregation before the meeting began. The garbled susurrus of the crowd congealed into individual voices as I grew closer. Each voice expressed an opinion, each opinion contrary to every other, creating an iprehensible, directionless quagmire. How decisions could be made in such a way was beyond me.


    As the lessers became more densely packed, I slipped between their legs and hopped up on a small ledge protruding from the side of a molded-stone building. I immediately regretted my seat of choice when the child below attempted to make a grab for my tail. There was no time to relocate before I sensed a shift in the crowd.


    Across the square, the doors of the Town Hall opened and Virion appeared, carrying one of the rod-shaped artifacts Lord Indrath had gifted him. The human Lance walked just behind him, holding a second, its gem blue and handle silver, while a blond dwarf grasped the third, which was forged in gold and set with a red gem, as if it were a venomous serpent.


    The crowd¡¯s noise quieted in waves as they realized a few at a time that theirmander was now present. He simply watched the milling people, which filled the square and all the nearby alleys, some even leaning out of windows or gathering on the low rooftops. When the entire cavern was silent, he began to speak.


    ¡°Dicathians.Thank you for being here today. The matter in front of us is one of dire importance for every soul within this refuge, and it is essential that every voice be heard as we determine how to move forward as a collective.¡± Virion paused, allowing a smattering of conversation to peter out. ¡°I hold in my hand an artifact capable of advancing a mage to or even beyond the white core. This power is being given to us so that we may finally be on even footing with our enemies.¡±


    There was some cheering and shouted questions at this. I found theck of discipline and respect appalling, but Virion only waited for the noise to subside before continuing.


    ¡°These artifacts have been crafted by the asuras of Epheotus and gifted to us by Lord Indrath. But, as I¡¯m sure you are all aware by now, it is true that Lord Indrath also issued the order for the asura known as General Aldir to attack the cryans in Elenoir, resulting in the elven homnd¡¯s destruction.¡±


    ¡°Murderers!¡± shouted a pot-bellied human.


    ¡°We won¡¯t ept help from those devils!¡± an elf woman screeched. She was missing an eye, the ghastly hole where it had once been uncovered for all to see. ¡°You¡¯re just as bad as them! Traitor!¡±


    ¡°Beyond white core, fools!¡± hollered a deep voice I couldn¡¯t locate. ¡°We could take back our homes, your pride be damned!¡±


    From a rooftop, a young human male cracked his warhammer against the stone. ¡°Why vote? Commander, just let those of us who want to grow strong use the artifacts!¡±


    A dozen voices rang out in a confused muddle of support and condemnation, and the crowd seemed ready to copse into violence. Before it could progress further, however, the sound of a thunderp shook the cave. The child that had been osting me whirled toward its parent, wailing in surprise and fear.


    I examined the Lance. Bairon Wykes could have been a firm hand to direct the Dicathians under different circumstances, but he was too closely aligned with Virion.


    There were still the rest of the Lances, of course. Varay Aurae in particr would have been a potent figurehead. She had shown herself to be entirely loyal to Dicathen, however, and was unlikely to side with us over Virion and the lesser council.


    ¡°There is ample time to discuss how we will respond to the asuras, or indeed what the people wish to do with me,¡± Virion went on, his voice ringing through the cavern. ¡°But today, we are here for a specific purpose, one of dire import that will change the face of this resistance. The choice is this: do we ept the gift of power, which we have been warned could lead us down a path of destruction, or will we refuse, spurning the Indrath n and perhaps setting the meager remnants of our nation against the asura themselves?¡±


    Although I would have liked to close my eyes and ears to the circus that followed, I had no choice but to listen intently as, one by one, people began to speak their mind.


    Some spoke of survival, others of right and wrong. Many tearfully mourned for the loss of their forest home, while others preached pragmatism. For all their words, it didn¡¯t seem to me as if anything was aplished. Still, I took note of what was said as I gazed around at them all, attentive to both their words and actions.


    Eleanor Leywin watched with her mother and guardian bear from a porch to my left, but I didn¡¯t let my gaze linger in case the perceptive young human noticed my eyes and connected this form with my normal appearance.


    The inventor Gideon was present as well, his arms crossed, a sour look pinching his face. It wasn¡¯t often that the asura took note of Dicathen¡¯s artificers, but Gideon had an unusual mind. It would have been most unfortunate if the Vritra n had gotten their ws on him.


    There were few enough other lessers in the sanctuary that had been of any real note.


    An hour or more passed as they went back and forth like children ying boulder toss. More than long enough for me to consider the irony of feeling the minutes of my life ticking uselessly away, despite being older than even the most ancient of the elves. Just as I decided they must have forgotten the reason for this conversation, Virion called for silence.


    ¡°We will now vote. Friends, I would ask that anyone who is in favor of using these artifacts raise their hand.¡±


    Hands all through the vige raised, but there were too many people to be sure if it was more or less than half. Next to Virion, a mage raised her hands and sent out a pulse of wind-attribute mana that spread through the crowd like a ripple in a pond, pulling at my fur as it sped past. She bent to Virion and whispered a number in Virion¡¯s ear.


    He nodded. ¡°Would anyone opposed to using the relics please raise their hand?¡±


    Hands went up again. I noticed very clearly that Eleanor was among them, as was Gideon. I was surprised to see that Virion hadn¡¯t raised his hand either time, and neither had the Lance.


    Again, a pulse of wind fluttered through the cavern. The mage leaned into Virion¡¯s ear. He did not immediately address the crowd, but when he did, it was with a clear tone of resignation.


    ¡°The people have spoken. We will refuse the artifacts, and in doing so refuse Lord Indrath¡¯s hand of friendship. Our mages will not be bound to the asura, and we will continue to search for a way to resist the cryan upation of our continent.¡±


    ¡°But those of us who want to should¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wisdom prevails!¡±


    ¡°¡ªdemand a recount¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªmade enemies of the deities!¡±


    ¡°¡ªshould stand trial as a traitor¡ª¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but sigh, my small shoulders rising and falling in disappointment as the lessers boiled over, the crowd immediately turning to screaming and shoving now that the niceties had failed. Guards and some of the stronger mages waded in, breaking apart quarreling groups and shouting for people to disperse and return to their homes. Wives clung to their husbands, parents enfolded shaking children into their arms, friends shared uncertain looks.


    So foolish, I thought, hopping down from my perch and weaving through the stomping feet.


    For so long they¡¯d regarded us asura as deities. They should have been more grateful for what we¡¯d done, held us in higher regard.


    Or, barring that, they should have remembered to be afraid.


    Perhaps history is destined to repeat itself after all, I considered, already mentally preparing my report for Lord Indrath.

 Chapter 377

    <h4>Chapter 377</h4>


    ALDIR


    The familiar shape of Dicathen¡¯s flying castle slowly came into view through the dark clouds looming high over the Beast des. The castle seemed cold and dead, no longer the vibrant hub of Dicathen¡¯s Council.


    One of therge bays that allowed flight in and out had been smashed open. I banked in that direction, passing through the thinyer of mana that contained the castle¡¯s atmosphere beforeing to a stop just outside of the castle itself. The door had been crushed inward, and the floor beyond was littered with corpses.


    Landing among them, I kicked the body of an armored man over to reveal the cut-away portion of his cuirass. Runes marked the skin along his spine, which was slightly bluish and d in ayer of frost.


    The castle was quiet. No noise of battle echoed through the halls, no shouted orders or death yells. Distantly, I could detect only three mana signatures within the structure. Everyone else, it seemed, was dead.


    Just as well. There would be fewer distractions for what was toe.


    A line of corpses guarded the hallway I took as I followed the mana signatures. Their bodies had been crushed into the floor as if by an enormous weight.


    In the stairwell leading up to the next floor, several more cryans were draped over the steps, their own weapons embedded in each other¡¯s bodies, their faces frozen in masks of utter terror.


    It was much the same as I continued moving through the castle toward the three mana signatures, my own carefully suppressed. Instead of investigating corpse after corpse, however, I was considering my purpose here. Despite having an entire day to think as I flew over the Beast des searching, I was no closer to a decision.


    Would I act as a soldier, doing as my lord hadmanded me? To do anything else would ce the entire Thyestes n in danger, but then, I knew that Indrath had sent me for exactly that reason.


    A test. Of loyalty, not of skill. It would be another member of my n who received that trial.


    My steps grew soft as I approached my quarry. Their voices drifted out of the Council chambers, still breathy with the exhration of battle.


    ¡°¡ªcould, but I¡¯m not sure it is worth holding.¡±


    ¡°I still say we should destroy the portal controls and just leave.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but that could not be undone, Aya. We may do more harm to Dicathen¡¯s future than to the cryan forces.¡±


    ¡°Mica has always liked it here! Why don¡¯t the Lances set up shop in the castle? If the Scythe returns, we will just kick his ass.¡±


    I stepped into the doorway, examining the women. Aside from looking battle-worn and rugged from their time in hiding, they did not appear injured. Varay Aurae¡¯s white hair had been cut short, cropped in a military style, only highlighting her severity. She was leaning against the far wall of the chamber, her eyes downcast.


    Mica Earthborn seemed entirely unchanged since her time in my service, grinning like a child even while covered in the blood of her enemies. Her needlesslyrge hammer rested beside her.


    The elf, Aya, on the other hand, seemed like a ghost of her past self. Her eyes were dark and sunken, her skin pale, and every muscle in her body seemed to be held taut. Her gaze lingered on a body slumped in a chair in the corner. From the look of the man, he had been tortured severely before his death.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± I said before any of them noticed me.


    The three Lances jumped up, weapons in hand and magic swirling around them. Color drained from their faces, and their spells writhed and nearly slipped away as panic broke their focus. Despite being Dicathen¡¯s most powerful warriors, they were no match for me, and they knew it.


    ¡°General Aldir,¡± Varay said, the tip of her ice-sword trembling only slightly as it pointed at my chest. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°The Scythe, Cadell, won¡¯t be returning,¡± I said, standing straight, one hand raised non-threateningly in front of me.


    ¡°What?¡± Mica asked, frowning in confusion, her hammer lowering slightly.


    I gave her a slight nod. ¡°He was killed in a duel with an unknown cryan.¡±


    Mica and Varay exchanged a nce, but Aya¡¯s eyes never left me.


    ¡°How do you know this?¡± Varay asked. ¡°In fact, how did you know we were here?¡±


    I kept my eye on Aya as I answered. ¡°crya is momentarily distracted, a fact which certainly aided in your assault on this fortress. Our spies are still attempting to sort out truth from exaggeration. But...that is not why I am here.¡±


    Aya¡¯s eyes fell to the ground. Her voice was cold as frostbite when she spoke. ¡°Was it you?¡±


    Both Varay and Mica turned in her direction, but before they could intercede, Aya looked up to meet my eye and took a step forward, a gust of wind whipping her dark hair around her face. ¡°Did you destroy my home? I felt it...your power...¡±


    Opening my other two eyes, I held her gaze with the full force of my attention. ¡°I did, Aya Grephin. And now I¡¯ve been sent her to kill you and your sisters-in-arms as well.¡±


    Varay stepped toward the elven Lance, but Aya was already moving. Her hands raised toward me, fingers spread wide, and visible tendrils of wind coalesced around her, knocking the others back. Her mouth opened, unleashing a banshee screech of frustration and fury, a windnce firing from each tendril.


    I didn¡¯t move as dozens upon dozens of semi-transparent spears of condensed wind-attribute mana crashed into and around me. The stone wall splintered, cracked, and crashed down, spraying debris across the room. The floor beneath my feet gave way, a foot of solid stone shattering and falling into the space below, but I continued to hover in ce.


    Eventually, the barrage brought down the ceiling, and stones tumbled past me like rain. When I determined that the Lances were in danger as the room¡¯s stability quickly degraded, I decided to move.


    Utilizing the Thyestes n¡¯s technique, Mirage Walk, I empowered my body with mana and moved in a single near-instant burst to Aya¡¯s side. My hand wrapped around one of her wrists, and I pushed outward with my mana in a rippling wave that mmed into every cell in her body all at once.


    Aya stiffened as the mana feedback overwhelmed her senses, her eyes rolling back in her head. She went limp and began to fall, but I caught her and eased her to the ground.


    A stone hammer crashed into my shoulder with enough force to shatter it, the impact shaking the dpidated floor beneath our feet.


    I met Mica¡¯s gaze. She gave me a sheepish smile. Then the gravity in the room swelled several times over, and the floor gave way. Furniture and stone all crashed into the void below, along with Aya¡¯s unconscious body, falling much faster and harder due to the gravity field.


    The two Lances and I, on the other hand, remained flying. I shook my head slightly. ¡°We¡¯ve been through this before, Mica Earthborn. Have you forgotten that lesson already?¡±


    ¡°Mica isn¡¯t going down without a fight, three eyes!¡± she shouted, sweat beading her brow as she attempted to amplify the force of gravity even further. The three walls still standing began to shake.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to copse this entire section of the castle,¡± I pointed out, keeping my voice steady. ¡°This would damage several important substructures while doing nothing to me.¡±


    ¡°You sure, asura?¡± Mica shouted. ¡°Mica thinks dropping the entire castle on you might do something.¡±


    Though trembling, her flight unsteady, the human Lance was able to shift position so she was next to Mica. ¡°If he was going to kill us, we¡¯d already be dead!¡± She had to shout to be heard over the groaning of the castle. ¡°Let¡¯s hear what he has to say!¡±


    Mica stared at her fellow Lance for a long moment before releasing her spell. A few more stones fell down into the room below, ttering amongst the rubble, then all was quiet. Suddenly her eyes went wide and began hurriedly scanning the dusty space below. ¡°Aya!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll live,¡± I noted as the dwarf plunged downward in search of her friend.


    Varay was inspecting me carefully, her own face a cool mask of impassivity. ¡°Why are you here if not to do as you¡¯ve beenmanded? I always had the sense that your loyalty was to your master, not us lessers.¡±


    I considered my words as Mica reappeared, Aya draped across her arms.


    ¡°If my life were represented by a tapestry, yours would be but a single thread,¡± I said. ¡°And while your world may change suddenly, and often, like a hades serpent shedding its skin, mine remains as static as that same tapestry. Epheotus is like a ce trapped in time, unchanging, unevolving.¡±


    I paused, unsure of the words, or even of my intent. I was a soldier, and had never been good at this. But then, I¡¯d never had reason to doubt the path my lord took us on.


    Lord Indrath had sent me to kill these Lances as a test of my loyalty, knowing how the use of the World Eater technique had strained it. Meanwhile, across Dicathen, a boy of my n would face a much different kind of trial. If I failed and he seeded, there was no doubt the World Eater technique would be passed on to him instead.


    Knowing this should have solidified my purpose, or made it easier to follow through with this task, and yet, I found myself unwilling to submit to these games. It was a kind of stubbornness I had not seen in myself before. No matter how many stories of our history I explored, though, I hadn¡¯t been able to convince myself that Lord Indrath¡¯s way was the right one.


    Mica scoffed, shooting Varay a disbelieving look. ¡°Mica thinks the asura intends to bore us to death.¡±


    Varay hissed for the dwarf to be silent, then nodded for me to continue.


    ¡°Instead of bringing you death, I have brought opportunity,¡± I said finally, still hovering in the air over the copsed floor. ¡°Your Commander Virion and Lance Bairon live, guarding over hundreds of refugees.¡±


    Varay¡¯s eyes narrowed, but before she could speak, Aya¡¯s eyes fluttered open, her body stiffening. ¡°W-what did you just say?¡±


    Crossing my arms over my chest, I bowed at the waist. ¡°Hundreds of your kin are there, evacuated from Elenoir only shortly before...¡±


    ¡°Before you destroyed it,¡± she choked out, pushing free of Mica¡¯s arms and flying unsteadily until she was just in front of me. ¡°Where? Where are they?¡±


    ¡°I will tell you,¡± I answered, straightening. ¡°But I must also tell you something else. Virion has upset Lord Indrath, stinging his pride. All those in the sanctuary are in danger. They need their Lances.¡±


    ¡°Then we will¡ª¡±


    I held up a hand to forestall Varay¡¯sment. ¡°But know that, in sending you there, I may still be killing you.¡±


    Cold wind cut through the room, buffeting the rising dust. ¡°Will we have a chance to save those people if we go?¡± Aya¡¯s voice shook loose more stones, sending tremors down to the castle¡¯s foundations.


    ¡°You will.¡±


    The elf waited impatiently as I exined how to reach the hidden sanctuary, then turned her back on me, flying down through the copsed floor and out a doorway with a gust of wind.


    Mica only nced at me before taking off after herpanion, leaving Varay and I alone in the ruined conference chamber.


    ¡°If Virion and Bairon are still out there, why didn¡¯t we find them sooner?¡± she asked. ¡°We¡¯ve watched for signs, and left those of our own.¡±


    Flying down into the lower room, I pulled an unbroken chair from the wreckage and set it upright, taking a seat. Though my gaze was to the ground, truly I was seeing the distant mountains and valleys of my home. ¡°The Lances were kept separate on purpose, to build desperation among your people. Lord Indrath thought perhaps he could use you, but recent events have changed his mind.¡±


    Varay only nodded. ¡°Farewell, General Aldir.¡±


    I closed my eye and rested my chin on my knuckles. ¡°We aren¡¯t generals anymore, are we, human?¡±


    I followed the three mana signatures as they left the empty castle and sped over the Beast des toward Darv, but eventually, they moved beyond the reach of my senses.


    I wondered if I should have told them about Arthur Leywin¡¯s unlikely survival in crya, but I wasn¡¯t sure what it would mean to them, even if they survived theing battle. If they didn¡¯t, then Lord Indrath¡¯s will had still been done, if not in the way he wished. If they did, and Arthur Leywin was somehow able to return to Dicathen...


    In no hurry to return to Epheotus, I let my mind wander back to my conversation with Seris. What was it that she had said?


    ¡°Indrath, Agrona. Agrona, Indrath. You speak as if they are the only two beings in the world, as if there is no choice but to serve one or the other.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said, my breath roiling the dust still thick in the air. ¡°Neither of you are worthy of service, in the end.¡±


    VIRION ERALITH


    ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± Lania was saying, her voice both old and young. Her eyes shone like aquamarines in the sunlight, her pale lips trembling as they curved into a gentle smile. ¡°Virion, it¡¯s time to go.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I begged her. ¡°Not yet. Please, not¡ª¡±


    ¡°Virion,¡± she said again, her voice like cartwheels on gravel. ¡°Virion, you old fool, wake up!¡±


    I felt myself frown in the dream, the hardness of my bed pressing against me, and realized I was asleep. My eyes blinked open, struggling to focus in the dark room.


    ¡°It¡¯s time, Virion,¡± a different voice said, older and rougher. ¡°The evacuation has already begun.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± I pushed myself up on my elbows, struggling to pull free of the dream. ¡°What do you mean? What evacuation?¡±


    Finally, my vision settled on Rinia. She was wrapped in a nket, hunkering in the chair in the corner of my chambers. Steam rose from a mug that she held in front of her face. She blew on it, sending a trail of misty gray swirls outward.


    ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on,¡± I said more firmly, sliding off my bed to stand.


    Rinia¡¯s milky eyes trailed trailed past me, her brows furrowing slightly. ¡°I can¡¯t see everything. What ising, yes...where we must go, that too, but then...¡±


    ¡°There is somethinging? What do you mean?¡± Frustration was beginning to burn away the fog of sleep. ¡°How did you get in here, Rinia? What are you¡ª¡±


    My old friend scowled up at me with such ferocity that I went silent, my mouth slowly closing.


    ¡°If you want to save your people¡ªnot all of them, no, that¡¯s impossible, but many of them¡ªthen please shut up and listen to me.¡±


    We red at each other, her sightless eyes none-the-less digging into me from across the dark room. My teeth ground together, and for a moment I considered shouting for the guards. But then my dream drifted back into my thoughts, and I sighed. ¡°Go on.¡±


    Rinia sipped from her mug, which made her cough. She drank again, then said, ¡°Albold and the others are ushering people into the tunnels as we speak. Some are resistant, waiting to hear from you. I have seen a ce, deep below us, and can lead us there. If we reach it in time, some of us may yet survive what ising.¡±


    ¡°But what ising, Rinia?¡±


    ¡°Our death, if things go poorly,,¡± she said simply.


    My stomach fell. I knew, of course, that denying Lord Indrath¡¯s gift would have consequences, but I never thought...


    What could the asura lord possibly gain by sending one of his own after us, destroying us? We were no threat to him, likely wouldn¡¯t even survive the cryans without his assistance. ¡°So why?¡± I said, voicing thisst thought out loud.


    ¡°Why does the storm-tossed sea sink a ship?¡±


    Rinia, shaking, pushed herself up out of the chair, letting the nket fall to the floor. She set her mug on the desk, then straightened, her old joints popping audibly. ¡°And no, before you ask, the artifacts won¡¯t help. To use them now would only ensure our immediate destruction.¡±


    I knew she didn¡¯t want to answer any more questions, but my mind was brimming over with them. ¡°What will happen at this ce? How will reaching it save us?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes you just need to be in the right ce at the right time,¡± she said with infuriating nonchnce.


    Thest months and weeks shed through my mind¡¯s eye in an instant. It had been difficult to trust Rinia¡ªno, not to trust her, to listen to her¡ªafter she failed to stop me from sending Tessia into Elenoir, and failed to forewarn me about the destruction that would follow. But, though she hadn¡¯t always told me what I wanted to hear, she had never led me astray, either.


    Especially in moments like these.


    ¡°I will follow your leadership, Rinia. Let¡¯s save our¡ª¡±


    The door to my chambers flew open, cracking against the wall, and I reached instinctively for my beast will, sinking down into the second phase, the darkness oozing over my skin, every senseing to life so that I could hear the shouting from across the cavern and smell my own fear lingering in the air.


    A sh of lightning lit up the room as Bairon, already armed and armored, stared around the dark room. ¡°Commander? There is...¡± He trailed off, his sight missing me entirely and focusing on Rinia instead. ¡°What?¡±


    I slipped free of my beast will. ¡°Bairon, we need to organize the people. Everyone has to leave the sanctuary, flee into the tunnels.¡±


    The only sign of Bairon¡¯s surprise was a slight twitch of his eye. He considered me for half a second before snapping to attention. ¡°Of course, Commander!¡±


    He turned to rush away, but Rinia stopped him, gesturing to her trembling legs. ¡°Actually, you had better carry me, or we¡¯re all going to die.¡±

 Chapter 378

    <h4>Chapter 378</h4>


    BAIRON WYKES


    The ancient elf was weightless in my arms as we rushed between houses toward the edge of the cavern. The streets were still filled with people, some standing idly, confusion etched across their faces, but most were hurrying in the same direction as us.


    A cascade of voices rose up and then faded away as we rushed past. Virion addressed each and every one without stopping, directing them toward the deeper tunnels. Those who were most loyal to Virion had hesitated to flee, but at his words, they quickly followed with whatever family or friends they still had.


    The tunnel entrance was overwhelmed by a crowd of people. At least half the sanctuary was there, already packing into the narrow hole that led out unto thework of caves and tunnels.


    ¡°Remember, stick with the appointed leaders!¡± the elven refugee, Feyrith Ivsaar, was shouting from atop an earthen tform that had been summoned next to the tunnel mouth. ¡°They¡¯ll lead you somewhere safe! We¡¯ll send a message to them when the danger has passed!¡±


    Rinia wriggled out of my arms, patting my elbow once her feet were back on the ground. ¡°Thank you for your service to Dicathen, General Wykes. I need you to organize a group of guards and search the vige. We must make sure everyone escapes this cavern. Virion and I will take the lead while you cover the rear.¡±


    I looked to Virion for confirmation, and he nodded. ¡°I¡¯m relying on you to make sure these people have time to get away from the cavern.¡±


    I snapped a salute. ¡°Of course, Commander.¡±


    Turning on my heel to leave, a strong hand grabbed my arm. Virion met my eye and said, ¡°Don¡¯t linger. I expect you back when this is over, understand?¡±


    I nodded sharply, and Virion let go.


    Those on the fringe had noticed Virion and Rinia, and in moments the pair was swallowed up by the frightened crowd, dozens of voices all shouting out at once.


    I turned away from them, scanning the scene for any of our guards. A few had gathered above the path on one of the many rocky outcroppings, while others were intermingled within the crowd, helping Albold and Feyrith in their efforts. I took careful note of who had been quick to join with the pair of troublemakers, then started toward the rest of the guards.


    ¡°You, head back out into the vige and look for any stragglers. Everyone needs to evacuate.¡± The men cast uncertain nces toward the clogged exit into the tunnels. ¡°Now!¡± I snapped, making them jump.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± they said in unison before rushing off.


    I flew upwards, watching them sprint back into the underground town from forty feet in the air. The chaos below reminded me ufortably of the castle¡¯s fall. I tried to press the shes of memory to the back of my mind, but images of lightning ricocheting off gray skin kept intruding into my thoughts. Read thetest chapters at l i g h t n o v e l r e a d e r . o r g


    Nothing I had thrown at the Scythe had hurt him. And now, something even stronger and more dangerous wasing.


    My gaze swept across the crowd as the fear grew. I hated it, the impulse to flee, the questions that came unbidden to my mind. Should I have stayed with my family, abandoning Virion and all these people to their fates? Should I leave now, to save myself? Did I owe these people my life?


    Lightning jumped from my skin and ran across the surface of my armor. It crackled between my fingertips, eager for direction.


    I focused on that sensation. That urge to strike. I let its brightness blind me to my own weaker impulses. Like Virion, despite everything he had faced and the losses he had suffered, I would make myself a beacon for everyone to draw strength from.


    *


    With an efficiency born of desperation, the refugees under our care continued to funnel out of the cavern. Virion and Rinia had already gone on ahead, leading the main group toward some unknown destination. My soldiers had swept the vige twice; the only people who remained now crowded around the tunnel entrance, awaiting their chance to escape.


    I was the first to sense the shift in the mana. Just beyond thest building at the edge of town, a tremor ran through the air, and light began to coalesce into a hovering oval. Someone shouted.


    I dropped to the ground between the portal and the remainder of the people still trying to flee. The guards were hollering directions, urging them to move faster.


    Two figures appeared. The first was d in the same immacte uniform he always wore, his inhuman eyes taking in everything in a blink.


    The second was younger, fiercer. He was lean and clean-shaven, a head shorter than Windsom, with angry ck eyes that reflected no light. Instead of a fancy uniform or armor, he wore loose red training clothes as if he were here for a simple sparring match.


    The crushing weight of his intent was a sharp counterpoint to his appearance.


    ¡°Asuras!¡± I shouted, my voice crashing over the stone like a thunderp. ¡°You are no longer wee in this ce. Leave now, or¡ª¡± An intense pressure squeezed my chest, cutting the words off.


    ¡°Silence, human,¡± Windsom said. There was no hint in his expression or tone that we were or ever had been on the same side of this war, entirely empty of empathy or regret. ¡°I havee with a promation from Lord Kezess Indrath of the Indrath n of dragons, chief among the asuras of Epheotus.Read thetest chapters at l i g h t n o v e l r e a d e r . o r g


    ¡°Our alliance has failed.¡± These words vibrated through stone and air, seeming toe from every direction at once, even echoing back out at us from the tunnel mouth. Fearful shouts followed. ¡°You have shown yourselves to becking in judgment and weak in faith. You are a danger to your own nation, to the future of your own races. For this, Lord Indrath has deemed it necessary to eliminate this sanctuary and all that reside within.¡±


    I strode forward, chin raised, a longspear of molded lightning crackling into my hand. ¡°Your lord has no authority here. Go back to your home and leave us to ours. We¡¯ll win this war without you.¡±


    The younger asura scowled, his nose wrinkling as if he¡¯d just stepped in something foul. It was Windsom who spoke, however. ¡°You know what to do, Taci. Lord Indrath has high expectations of you.¡±


    The gxy-eyed dragon turned and vanished back into the portal, which faded away.


    Behind me, thest few refugees were shoving and pushing to get into the tunnel, the mouth of which was clogged with scrambling, screaming, frightened people. The guards encircled them, their weapons turned toward the young asura.


    Gathering my power, I thrust forward with my spear, which extended outward in an arc of lightning, but the asura, Taci, shed to the side several feet, and the bolt sted a crater in the stone floor.


    The world seemed to slow as electricity coursed along my nerves, heightening my reflexes and perception¡ªsomething I had learned from the Leywin boy before his death. Thin tendrils of lightning arced out from me like extensions of my nervous system, allowing me to sense attacks from any direction, and before they even reached me.


    The noise of the explosion was still resounding off the walls¡ªdull and muffled to my sped-up senses¡ªwhen Taci moved. Even under the effects of Thundercap Impulse, I could barely follow along. He took a single step, and the ground seemed to pull me toward him. I only just managed to dodge sideways to avoid his scything hand, the tendrils of electricity helping to disburse and redirect the force of his attack, but even as he shed past, I could see his ck eyes tracking me.


    The asura¡¯s momentum changed mid-strike, his form blurring and leaping inhumanly, too fast for me to react.


    Suddenly I was hurtling toward the closest building. My breath left me as I crashed into and through it. Dust and debris blinded me, and I heard the groan of stone shifting, then felt the weight of an entire building crash down on top of me.


    Even through the dense rubble, though, I could hear the death screams of the guards.


    Thunder exploded outward from me, and the weight pinning and blinding me was blown away. I wrapped myself in a cloak of lightning and flew with all speed toward the tunnel entrance. Stones from the rubble pile I¡¯d just sted were raining down all throughout the cavern.


    The mutted corpses of my soldiers littered the ground, their blood staining the gray stones red. It looked like an army had charged over them, butchering them where they stood.


    Taci stood over the prone form of Lenna Aemaris, head of Virion¡¯s guards since we first escaped to the sanctuary. She turned in my direction, coughing up blood, her eyes wide and disbelieving. Then his foot came down, crushing out thest of her life.


    Though he could move faster than the eye could follow, Taci took his time as he began walking toward the huddled mass of people just inside the tunnel mouth, each step leaving behind a bloody footprint.


    Lightning crackled between my fingers, condensing into a vibrant blue-white orb, then arced through the air. It flew several feet over the asura¡¯s head, hovering in the air between him and the people, then shed. A bolt of lightning crashed into the wall above the tunnel, and a section of the wall copsed, heavy stones tumbling down over the tunnel mouth, muffling the screams from within.


    At the same time, the orb began to spin, shedding sparks that coalesced into long javelins of lightning andunched themselves at the asura. As he batted each javelin aside, they embedded into the ground all around him.


    Lightning jumped from the end of each javelin, sticking up all around him like pilons, and formed chains and manacles that wrapped around Taci¡¯s wrists and ankles. My entire body radiated mana as I flew across the cavern and crashed into him.


    There was an explosion of bright white-blue energy, followed by a thunderp that shook the cavern, resounding off walls and buildings to build into a deafening shockwave.


    My head spun as I pulled back, readying a lightning spear and again charging my nervous system with electricity, my eyes dting as they jumped around in search of my opponent, who should have been right in front of me but wasn¡¯t.


    Toote, I heard the near-silent swish of his clothes cutting air. Even with my enhanced reflexes, I couldn¡¯t get my arms up in time, and his blow took me in the chest as he appeared right in front of me, sending me tumbling across the ground. I thrust downward with my spear, impaling it into the stone, which cracked and screeched in protest as I jerked to a sudden halt, my muscles screaming inint. Read thetest chapters at l i g h t n o v e l r e a d e r . o r g


    A dull, throbbing ache deep inside me immediately pushed this lesser pain out of my mind. Looking down, I realized the front of my armor was caved in and pressing painfully on my sternum.


    Soft steps drew my attention back to Taci, who was watching me curiously as he approached. ¡°I thought Lord Indrath said this was supposed to be a test of my strength...¡±


    I snorted and pulled my spear free from the stone. ¡°Indrath should have waited until you were out of your swaddling clothes before sending you here, boy.¡±


    Taci¡¯s ck eyes narrowed, then his body blurred around the edges and he repeated the single-step maneuver. My spear swung around to intercept him, but he shifted his momentum, taking a near-instant step to the side and around the spear before closing the rest of the way. The point of his elbow came down on my shoulder to the sound of metal shearing and bones breaking.


    My vision darkened, then I was looking up at him from the ground, my entire body numb, all of my spells fizzling out as I lost focus.


    He held out a hand. There was a rush of mana, and then he was holding a long, blood-red spear. The spear lifted over his head, but instead of thrusting down into me, it kept raising up into the air, taking Taci with it. I blinked. Taci was below me, falling toward the cavern ceiling, and I was plummeting after him.


    The world seemed to have turned upside down. I caught a sh of Taci¡¯s face as he scanned the cavern thoughtfully before something hit me hard from the side, jarring the broken bones in my shoulder.


    The sounds of spells¡ªshattering ice, rushing wind, crashing stones¡ªexploded from nowhere and everywhere at once.


    I blinked, trying to see what had hit me. A pixy-ish face looked at me and winked, then we were swerving violently to avoid something¡ªa streak of red¡ªand somewhere stone copsed on stone.


    ¡°Mica?¡± I said, my thoughts sluggish with pain and exertion.


    ¡°Always the show-off, aren¡¯t you? Fighting an asura one on one without waiting for the rest of us.¡± Mica hummed as we touched down, the impact again jarring my whole body. She set me on my feet, her gaze turning back to the Taci. ¡°How long since the poption fled?¡±


    ¡°Not long enough,¡± I ground out, shifting my arm as I attempted to assess how bad the injury was. ¡°We have to hold him here.¡±


    She studied me for a moment, the air exploding with frozen missiles in the distance behind her. ¡°Well then, you better pull yourself together quick.¡± She shed me a jaunty grin, then flew off to support Aya and Varay, who I could see flitting like flies around Taci, their spells cutting colorful lines through the air.


    I turned my attention inward, trying to get some sense of what was wrong with me. The asura had only struck me twice and hadn¡¯t even used any spells, but the entire area around my core was tender, swollen, and bruised. My vicle was broken at least, perhaps more bones, and there was a grating ache that went up my neck and into the base of my skull that suggested my neck was fractured as well.


    I stood and pushed mana into the injured sections of my body, supporting the broken and fractured bones. Without an emitter, there was nothing I could do to speed the healing. I would simply have to fight on as I was.


    The air above the vige had be pure chaos. Read thetest chapters at l i g h t n o v e l r e a d e r . o r g


    Even from where I stood, I could feel the chill of Varay¡¯s spells as she froze the very air, causing heavy kes of snow to fall down on the ancient buildings. Ice formed over Taci¡¯s arms and legs, and though it shattered when heunched himself at Varay, it slowed him just enough that she was able to avoid the attack, conjuring a wall of opaque ice between them and hurtling away at full speed.


    As soon as he slowed down the ice began forming again, clinging heavily to him. His dark eyes seemed to lose focus for a moment, staring into the distance instead of scanning the sky for the other Lances.


    A shiver ran down my spine at his passive, slightly curious expression. His mouth was a straight, dark sh across his face, one brow slightly raised in consideration. It wasn¡¯t the look of a man fighting a life and death battle, but closer to that of a young mana beast testing its limits as it yed with its prey...


    Despite hisck of focus, Taci easily batted aside a series of spells before fixing his attention once again on the battle. Wherever he looked, however, pirs of ice appeared to interrupt his line of sight, and a strong headwind blew in his face to distract him no matter which direction he turned.


    Several cyclones carrying chunks of ice and jagged stones were whirling in between all the ice, constantly attempting to pull the asura in and pummel him. As I watched, still focused on preparing my body, one of the cyclones swept over him. Instead of trapping him, however, it seemed to shatter against his defenses, the wind-attribute mana dissipating and the cyclone fading, its contents raining to the cavern floor far below.


    In the same instant, though, he bucked backwards. Only a foot or two, but enough to prevent him fromunching another attack. Then gravity shifted again, and he dropped a foot toward the floor, and again a few inches toward the ceiling, keeping him off bnce.


    Gritting my teeth, I took off into the air, already gathering mana in my hand.


    Taci stopped attempting to resist the maelstrom of spells hitting him, his chest rising as he took a deep breath. One hand slowly came up, the fingers curling together. The mana all around him shivered, then he twisted his wrist sharply. There was a booming crack, and I felt the mana break.


    Mica screamed, and from the corner of my eye, I saw her tumble out of the air like a bird struck by an arrow.


    At the same time, Taci kicked off a pir of ice and vanished. Instinctively, I turned toward Aya just as he appeared at her side. She was surrounded by a barrier of quickly changing gusts of wind, but Taci¡¯s spear punched through it without effort.


    I released the lightning held in my hand in the form of a sh of blinding light between Aya and Taci.


    At the same time, the air around the asura froze solid.


    For a moment, I couldn¡¯t see what had happened. Then the block of ice shattered, and I watched as Aya slid from the end of the red spear and fell.


    With a roar, Mica appeared like a catapult stone to crash against the asura. Her hammer shattered against his upraised arm, reformed, then broke again as he swatted it aside.


    A jolt of electrical force leapt from my fingers to her hammer, and when the next blow fell, an explosion of lightning rocked Taci to the side. Just behind him, an orb of pitch-ck nothing¡ªa dark sphere that light couldn¡¯t escape¡ªappeared, and he lurched back into it.


    But I had to turn away as I aimed for Aya¡¯s falling body. There was a low boom as I reached my top speed, scooping her out of the air just before she would have crashed into the rubble of one of the many buildings destroyed in the fighting.


    She was breathing heavily, her eyes wide, his teeth bared like an animal. ¡°Damned he¡¯s strong. That spear...¡±


    I flew behind the cover of a house, hoping against hope that Varay and Mica could hold him for a moment so I could inspect Aya¡¯s wound. But as I set her down and began looking her over, she pushed me aside.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Bairon. That spear did something, interrupted my mana, but I¡¯m not badly hurt,¡± she said, gesturing to a bloody wound in her side.


    As she spoke, I took Aya in with fresh eyes. It had been months since I¡¯d seen the other Lances. Aya was gaunt, her eyes dark. Gone was the mana vibrating alluringly in her voice, the pouted lips, the pretense of seductiveness that she used to wear like a suit of armor.


    There was no time to wonder what the others had been through since the battle at Etistin and the fall of the castle, but I also knew we all might die here. ¡°Aya, are you sure you¡¯re all right?¡±


    She shoved me aside. ¡°There¡¯s no time. Let¡¯s¡ª¡± Read thetest chapters at l i g h t n o v e l r e a d e r . o r g


    ¡°We can¡¯t fight him toe to toe. Even these dying tactics will work for only so long. This isn¡¯t a fight for him, it¡¯s some kind of damned wargame,¡± I pointed out, drawing a re from Aya at the interruption. ¡°What about your illusions? Perhaps¡ª¡±


    She scoffed, floating off the ground and staring fiercely up toward Taci, her eyes full of hatred, the desperate need for vengeance carved in every hard line of her face. ¡°Maybe¡ªmaybe¡ªsomething like that would work once before the asura realized what I was doing, and what difference could it possibly make? No, I¡¯m not ying games with this deity.¡±


    Wind whipped around her as she bulleted back toward the fight, and all I could do was follow.


    The ck hole Mica had conjured was gone. Varay had closed in as well, her body encased in gleaming ice-armor, but the two Lances were on the defensive and couldn¡¯t break away from Taci¡¯s barrage of attacks.


    Aya was screaming straight toward him. The air warped, twisting and condensing into curving missiles that fired in rapid session, pelting the asura¡¯s back.


    I followed close behind her, sending arcs of lightning into Aya¡¯s wind missiles, twisting the lightning into something more subtle as I cast Nerve Fracture. When the lightning-infused boltsnded, the electrical impulses spider-webbed across Taci¡¯s skin, vibrating through his mana barrier and into his nervous system to paralyze him.


    He barely twitched.


    Aya closed on Taci, a dozen transparent des scything toward him from every direction.


    Taci¡¯s form seemed almost to stutter and skip around, moving with such instant precision that it was like he was teleporting an inch at a time, only utilizing as much movement and effort as was absolutely necessary to avoid an attack or let it shatter against an arm or shoulder. With each movement, his red spearshed out, shing and thrusting in every direction at once, cutting through the spells he couldn¡¯t dodge, breaking apart our spells and then reabsorbing the mana to fuel his own strength.


    The others needed to fall back, but they were locked in ce.


    Scanning the ceiling, I found what I needed. There was arge chunk of iron-rich stone above where the others were fighting. I hurled a bolt of lightning-attribute mana into it, but instead of destroying the stone I infused it with the mana, then manipted it to spin in a looping arc through the iron.


    Taci kicked backwards, sending Mica spinning away, then whirled his spear around him in a circle. As he shifted his hold on it, I pulled. The iron became an enormous ma, ripping the spear out of Taci¡¯s unexpecting hands. It flew straight up into the air and hit the ceiling with a ng.


    I immediately struck out with so much lightning that the stone melted, fusing the spear to the ceiling. Read thetest chapters at l i g h t n o v e l r e a d e r . o r g


    Varay took the opportunity, falling back, conjuring several barriers of ice as she did.


    But Aya kept fighting. The sphere of des encircling her expanded and condensed, so many moving so fast that Taci could no longer dodge them. Instead, he turned cold ck eyes on her, letting the wind des strike at him from every direction, but they did nothing.


    ¡°Do you know the purpose of this trial?¡± the asura said, looking Aya right in the eye. ¡°To prove that I have the strength to learn the World Eater technique...the same one that destroyed your home.¡±


    The battlefield seemed frozen. As if in slow motion, Taci reached out and grabbed the mana swirling in the air, as he had before. But the instant before he broke Aya¡¯s spell, she released it. Her body became as the wind, which coiled around Taci and reformed, Aya now right behind him, her de across his throat.


    They moved simultaneously. Her de shed to the side as he spun, his hand pointed like the tip of a spear to strike her in the stomach, shattering her mana barrier.


    With horrible rity, I watched as his arm plunged through her stomach and burst out of her lower back. It was dripping with her life¡¯s blood, and had a section of what I thought must be her broken spine clutched in a tight fist.


    Even from where I flew sixty feet away, I saw the light leave her eyes. As her body fell, so did my stomach.


    My eyes tracked her downward motion until she vanished, then snapped back to the battle just as Taci blurred away before smashing Mica into the wall with the back of his bloody hand.


    A thickyer of glittering ck crystal formed around Mica, but when the asura struck there was a sound like shattering ss, and cracks webbed across the surface. He struck again, and pieces of ck crystal flew glittering into the air. On his third strike, the ck Diamond Vault spell broke, his arm sinking in up to the elbow.


    When it ripped out an instantter, blood sprayed from between the jagged shards of ck crystal.


    A solid beam of white-hot lightning warped the air between us with the smell of burning ozone, and Taci rocked to the side.


    Varay appeared from the frigid, misty air right beside me, a slight breeze feathering her short hair. Her icy cold hand wrapped around my wrist, and the lightning beam became a crackling ray of cold white energy. She met my eyes, her own full of determination. ¡°Don¡¯t save anything forter.¡±


    I could haveughed. ¡°Back ten minutes and already giving orders.¡±


    Under thebined weight of our mana beam, Taci was being pushed back, ayer of electrically-infused frost building up over his skin. For an instant, I felt a flicker of hope.


    There was a sh of red as the spear reappeared in Taci¡¯s hand like a shield, splitting the beam in half so that it fired off to either side of him with a crash where it impacted the walls. An avnche of stone copsed onto the buildings below, crushing them and burying half the vige in the rubble.


    I pushed and pushed, concentrating everything I had into that singr attack, Varay¡¯s grip getting tighter and colder on my arm as she did the same.


    Taci¡¯s spear swept through the mana beam, carving it in two.


    I lurched sideways as the cavern exploded. An invisible de of mana split open the roof and carved a deep ravine into the wall behind us with a deafening st.


    The air around me was clouded with red mist. With dawning horror, I slowly turned toward Varay. Her left arm, with which she had pushed me to safety, had been vaporized, leaving only a smoldering red-ck gash at her shoulder.


    Then Taci was on us. A shield-shaped panel of blue-white lightning appeared in front of me with the crack of thunder, but Taci¡¯s red spear cut effortlessly through it, striking me across the chest. Blood gushed through the rent in my armor, and everything went ck for a second before reality lurched back in.


    I was falling. Above, Varay had grabbed onto the red spear with an arm of semi-transparent ice. Taci spun the spear, shattering the arm, the long de shing through Varay.


    My vision dimmed and my eyes lost focus. I blinked, then she was falling.


    Varay¡¯s head drifted in one direction, the rest of her body in the other.


    I tried to stand, but my entire body howled in pain. Looking down, I saw that I had been cut from shoulder to hip, through both armor and mana. It was difficult to tell if I was already dead and my mind just hadn¡¯t realized it yet, or if the blood spilling out between the jagged edges of my armor would be what finished me off. Read thetest chapters at l i g h t n o v e l r e a d e r . o r g


    But I was the only one left.


    I drew in a trembling breath as my eyes shifted to where each of mypanions had fallen. My chest tightened. An intense pressure built up behind my eyes. Growling low in my throat, I rolled onto my side and forced my way onto my feet, only vaguely acknowledging that my guts didn¡¯t immediately spill out.


    Taci was already moving toward the copsed tunnel to begin his hunt.


    ¡°Asura!¡± I shouted, my voice hoarse, my vision blurry with welling tears.


    He stopped and nced back at me, his ck eyes heavy-lidded and disinterested. A single drop of bright blood was smeared over the side of his neck where Aya had cut him, even though the wound itself had already healed.


    My fists clenched, the stone beneath me quaking, a raging ze of fury roaring to life inside me. The tears dried as my spirit hardened. I was prepared for death, but knowing that the Lances¡ªthe greatest mages of Dicathen¡ªhad all died to draw only a single drop of blood from this asura was unbearable.


    I knew that ensuring the others escaped was the true goal of this battle, but that didn¡¯t mean I had abandoned my pride. I was a Wykes, even if the rest of my family had proven unworthy of the name.


    ¡°Thunderlord¡¯s Wrath,¡± I uttered. The spell took all my focus, every ounce of my anger and mana.


    My blood turned to lightning in my veins. White light began to spill out of the wound across my torso, burning from my eyes and inside my skin. Deviant mana infused every particle of my body.


    The asura shifted his spear into a defensive position, his matte ck eyes burrowing into me.


    My battle cry was a thunderp as I screamed out my rage. A trail of lightning followed when I flew up into the air, aiming myself like a weapon at Taci. I moved like the lightning I channeled, jagged and unpredictable, and I was on him in an instant. The lightning bursting out of me stabbed at him from every direction, a thousand jolting, burning daggers plunging into every square inch of him.


    His spear pierced my side, but lightning ran up the shaft and into his hand. When he ripped the weapon free, a thunderbolt struck him in the chest.


    I smiled, lightning-infused blood between my teeth. ¡°Burn, little deity.¡±


    Shockwaves began to burst out of the long gash on my torso, each one mming into the asura, scouring away his defenses. I wrapped a hand around the back of his neck to ensure he couldn¡¯t flee, and when his spear pierced me again, it only let more of my power flow through.


    A cool breeze caressed my cheek, and I closed my eyes. I was ready. I had held out as long as I could. This was a death I could be proud of.


    Just before I erupted, a small, familiar voice whispered in my ear. ¡°You¡¯ve done enough, Bairon. It isn¡¯t your time.¡±


    My eyes bolted open, and I searched wildly for the voice, unsure how it could be real, afraid it was my own dying mind ying tricks on me.


    As I lost concentration, the light spilling out of me dimmed. Taci¡¯s spear came up, breaking my hold on him, then down again on my already shattered shoulder. I barely noticed when I cratered into the ground.


    Taci brushed soot from his red uniform. Even the fabric he wore was unscathed, I noticed with detached bitterness.


    I fought to get my elbows underneath me, to push myself back up, set on finishing my spell, doing whatever damage I could to the asura, but the voice came again, breathy and very real in my ear. ¡°Don¡¯t move. No matter what you see. Don¡¯t move.¡±


    Tacinded beside me. He did not grin at his victory, or offer me any meaningless titudes about our battle. There was a thoughtful frown on his face as he raised the red spear onest time.


    I let my body rx, finally setting down the burden I¡¯d carried since the Council¡¯s fall. I¡¯d done everything I could. Though I hoped Virion and Rinia would reach their destination in time, there was a kind of peace in submitting to the softly spoken orders of this strangely familiar voice.


    The spear fell, plunging into my chest and through my core. Read thetest chapters at l i g h t n o v e l r e a d e r . o r g


    As darkness overtook me and I let my eyes close for thest time, a fleeting thought settled into the cold drowsiness.


    I expected death to hurt more.


    You can read The Beginning After the End manga at readmanga.org

 Chapter 379

    <h4>Chapter 379</h4>


    ELDER RINIA


    The ancient bedrock trembled beneath my feet. I felt how the atmospheric mana quivered at the release of such enormous power. It wouldn¡¯t be long now.


    Someoneid a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Do we have enough time?¡± It was Albold¡¯s voice. ¡°Should we set up an ambush somewhere, slow the asura further?¡±


    I scoffed. ¡°Our hope now is in haste and good luck, not by force of arms. Do not be so ready to die a meaningless death, any of you.¡±


    Another voice, from farther back in the line. ¡°You could join me on the beast.¡± It was Madam Astera, who Eleanor Leywin had allowed to ride her bond, seeing as though she was missing a leg. It was a kind offering from someone who hated my guts.


    ¡°I know the way by foot and feel, not by bear. I¡¯ll walk.¡± I squeezed Virion¡¯s arm as he guided me along. ¡°We need to go faster.¡±


    I felt his concerned look, despite not being able to see it, but he did as I asked., and I pushed my old body to keep up.


    This was the point where paths of potential diverged, and my ability to influence a specific potential future was limited. Our group was sixty, perhaps seventy people: some council members, the adventurers known as the Twin Horns, the artificer Gideon and his assistant, and those among the refugees who had shown the most faith in me.


    They would need it.


    Smaller groups had broken off to head down dozens of different tunnels, led by the yders, Earthborns, or other strong mages. If the Lances fell too quickly, or fought too long, preventing the asura from reaching us at the right time, we would all die. If Taci hunted us down too quickly or spent too much time prowling the tunnels, again, we would all die. The timing was crucial.


    My right foot brushed a sharp outcropping of stone. ¡°Take the next branch right and downward,¡± I told Virion, and after another fifty steps he guided me to the right, and the path sloped under my feet.


    An explosion from somewhere far behind and above us shook loose dust from the tunnel ceiling. Someone muffled a scream.


    At the bottom of the decline, the tunnel curved sharply left. ¡°You¡¯re all going to feel a strong disinclination to continue onward. This is a trick of the ancient mages to prevent this ce from being discovered. You must push past it.¡±


    We wound along through another handful of turns before the creeping sensation of unease set in. It was mild at first, just a twinge in the back of our minds that said, ¡°Something is wrong here. Be wary.¡± The sensationhis increased rapidly as we pressed forward, bing a near-overwhelming sense of dread.


    Those we guided began to whimper andin, and our pace slowed despite my encouragement and the thudding of spells breaking stone in the distance. Even the bear was panting, each breath sharp and desperate.


    ¡°Albold, take all the guards to the rear. Keep these people moving forward. Don¡¯t let anyone turn around,¡± I said.


    ¡°Y-you can¡¯t force us on!¡± someone choked out. ¡°You¡¯re leading us to our deaths!¡±


    Several sets of footsteps ceased, and I heard people pushing and shoving. Guards moved to intervene, but there was a sharp pulse of intent from right beside me, and everyone grew still.


    ¡°You can all sense the danger behind us. It is very real, while this magic works against only your imagination. If Rinia says that salvation lies ahead, then we will press on.¡±


    Virion¡¯s confidence andmand settled the riled crowd, at least for a moment. When he turned and began marching again, his body stiff at my side, everyone else followed.


    Thrum, the mana responded to the distant battle. Thrum. Thrum.


    It was almost enough to keep even the most frightened of the refugees moving forward against the magical dread that sought to push us away.


    But not entirely.


    After only fifty more steps, some were halting again. After a hundred, I heard weeping. After five hundred, the guards in the rear were dragging the weakest forward. After a thousand, the guardscked the strength, and the first of those too weak to face the fear broke away, sprinting back along the tunnel, their cries echoing throughout the dark depths.


    ¡°Let them go,¡± I demanded, hearing Albold¡¯s light steps start to follow. ¡°Anyone who turns back now isare doomed, including you.¡±


    Our pace slowed to a crawl. Each step felt like moving deeper into a tar pit, waiting for the ckness to close over my head and choke the life out of me.


    I had known we would have to cross this barrier. I thought I was ready.


    I was wrong.


    My feet stopped moving. Virion tugged at me, his frown audible. He was saying something, but I couldn¡¯t hear through the roaring of my own blood in my ears.


    It had all been for naught. I¡¯d pushed my body too far, and now it didn¡¯t have the strength to continue on.


    The earth seemed to tremble, then go silent. The mana stilled. The asura¡¯s battle against the Lances was over. Ourst line of defense had fallen. There was no time. Not for doubt, not for fear.


    A thin arm wrapped through mine, and Virion released my other arm, stepping away. Someone else, shorter and even thinner more thin than the first, reced him.


    Cool, soothing mana flowed through me. Most of my body had be one interconnected ache, so ever-present that I had almost forgotten it was there, but at the mana¡¯s touch, this pain faded. My breath came easier. I stood straighter.


    From the other side, a golden light was moving through me, warming my core and pushing away the darkness and despair.


    ¡°Thank you, Leywins...¡± I muttered once I was capable of speech. ¡°Now, get moving. We¡¯re wasting valuable time.¡±


    Alice chuckled to my right, but Ellie only held on more firmly. ¡°We¡¯re going to make it. Right ce, right time?¡±


    I cleared my throat as it suddenly constricted with an upwell of emotion. ¡°We¡¯re nearly there.¡±


    The two held my arms and helped me forward, Virion walking just ahead of us. The zone of dread seemed to go on and on, pushing against our bodies and wills with a mounting desperation to break us. Then, like plunging through an icy waterfall, we were free of it, every nerve in my bodying to life as the repelling aura vanished. My mind cleared, immediately calcting the approximate amount of time we¡¯d lost.


    Wordlessly, I set the pace, my body refreshed by Alice¡¯s healing magic and feeling light as a feather without the ancient mage¡¯s wards pulling me down.


    A virulent intent entered the tunnels somewhere behind us, moving faster than I could imagine.


    We began to run.


    The rough stone floor grew smooth, and relieved exmations from behind me echoed along a finished hall. I knew what they were seeing: gem-studded carvings, telling the story of a ce called the Relictombs, made by the ancient mages before their fall.


    But there was no time. Not to exin them, not even to spare the breath I needed to run, and so I pushed the others onward.


    Virion¡¯s light steps halted ahead of us, but I shooed him on. ¡°Go, we must get everyone inside.¡±


    The oing aura was like a red haze on the mana now, agitating it.


    Though my blind eyes couldn¡¯t see the room, I knew well from my visions. An arched door frame opened into arge hexagonal-shaped space a hundred feet wide. Steep stone benches led like steps down to a dais in the middle, where a rectangr stone frame stood.


    ¡°Take me down to the center,¡± I said, desperately focusing on the carved stone frame. There wasn¡¯t long now. If it didn¡¯t happen soon...


    When we reached the dais, I pulled free of them and rested my hand on the stone frame, my fingers tracing intricate carvings.


    It was cold. No mana or aether hummed within it.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Madam Astera asked as she was helped down off Ellie¡¯s bond. ¡°You¡¯ve led us into a dead end!¡±


    Others joined her, pleading for there to be more to this ce, something else, anything that could save them. Someone knocked against the frame as if it were a door, hoping someone might let them through. Most rushed to the back of the chamber, getting as far from the approaching aura as possible.


    ¡°I have led you to where you need to be in order to survive,¡± I said, letting my tiredness and frustration bleed into the words. ¡°If I nned on allowing you all to die, it would have been much easier to simply stay where we were.¡±


    ¡°Move away from the door,¡± Virion was ordering elsewhere. ¡°Everyone to the back of the room!¡±


    I nodded in his direction. ¡°These people will need capable leaders when this is over. Do as he said, Astera. Survive this.¡±


    A scream scythed through the cold air, and I heard flesh tear and bones break.


    A figure so rich with mana that the outline of him glowed in my senses stepped into the archway above. His killing intent was like a murderous fist around my heart, squeezing the life from me.


    The world seemed to jerk to a halt, the only sound a half-muffled cry of abject terror, the only movement the slow turning of the figure¡¯s head as he scanned the room.


    ¡°People of Dicathen, followers of Commander Virion Eralith, I am Taci of the Thyestes n.¡± His voice was lilting and arrogant, the words echoing out of him and through the chamber stained with his disgust for us. ¡°For your failure to see the way forward, your inability to understand the necessary evils of this war, Lord Indrath has proimed that you all must die to make way for a more sensible future.¡±


    Virion stepped forward. Brave fool, I thought, though I didn¡¯t try to stop him. We needed everyst second now.


    Mana surged from Virion as he activated his beast will. His voice was a low growl as he said, ¡°False allies and betrayers. The Indraths are no better than the Vritra.¡±


    He dashed forward, his movement lightning quick. I heard his sword slide from its sheath and cut the air, watched the radiant outline of Taci move to defend, then the chamber lit up with magic as a dozen other mages hurled whatever spells they could to support Virion.


    I held my breath.


    The asura moved with the liquid grace of a lifetime of dedication and practice. Against it, Virion¡¯s animalistic speed and ferocity were as impotent. Taci blocked several rapid strikes and shrugged off a dozen other spells. Virion lunged from side to side, always moving and shing, a dark whirlwind, but his blows never pierced the asura¡¯s mana.


    Then Virion lurched to a stop. Several people screamed or shouted. His body mmed against the stone benches with a painful crunch.


    Boo gave a mighty roar that cracked, bing a tortured yelp, and a heavy weight crashed down the stairs. Behind me, Ellie shouted out in despair.


    The asura shed across the room, his mana signature melding into the atmosphere for the blink of an eye, and when he reappeared there was the sharp, wet sound of a de cutting flesh. Then he shed again, and again, and everywhere he went, a mana signature winked out.


    But the portal frame stayed cold and lifeless, empty of magic.


    ¡°Stop!¡± I shouted over the screaming. I stepped forward, yanking myself free of grasping arms that attempted to hold me back. ¡°Taci of the Thyestes n, I, Elder Rinia Darcassan of Elenoir,mand you to stop!¡±


    The asura stopped, and I had to listen as his de slid out of a body, which then crumpled to the floor.


    ¡°Would you willingly, eagerly let them make a weapon of you?¡± I asked, taking another step forward. ¡°You would be no more important to your lord than we are. A tool, to be sharpened, used, and reced as necessary.¡±


    Heughed. A simple, disbelieving, cruel sound. ¡°I have been trained since I was a child, spending decades in the aether orb, to be my lord¡¯s weapon. It is my purpose, seer.¡±


    Throughout the chamber, people were whimpering, crying. Someone was choking on their own blood. You can¡¯t save them all, I told myself for the hundredth time.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never understood why we bothered with you lessers at all,¡± Taci went on, his aura focusing around the room, taking in the terrified, helpless people he was about to murder. ¡°Epheotus doesn¡¯t, has never needed anything from you. So why¡ªwhy?¡ªwas one of your own, a boy, a stupid child, trained among us?¡±


    Someone broke and ran for the door. Taci¡¯s spear whistled, and blood sshed against the ground.


    ¡°It dishonored Elder Kordri. It dishonored me, and everyone else who had to spar with the brat. I¡ª¡±


    He paused, and I felt the full force of his consideration rest on me. Then he was standing directly in front of me, his intent a bonfire that threatened to consume me.


    ¡°You think I¡¯m a fool,¡± he said, his breath like hot summer wind in my face. ¡°I was warned about you, student of the lost prince. Now, though, I don¡¯t understand why. Whatever stolen aether arts you have, you¡¯ve burned yourself up with them. You are nothing but a leaf on the wind.¡±


    His hand rested against my shoulder, and then pushed.


    ELEANOR LEYWIN


    Like some horrible nightmare, I watched, paralyzed, as Rinia lifted off her feet and flew backwards until she struck the stone frame. Back in Xyrus city, I¡¯d once seen a boy throw a sack over a rat and then stomp on it. It sounded just like this.


    Her body slumped to the ground, motionless. I was screaming. Mom was clutching at me, trying to pull me away, shield me with her body, but I fought to get free, to pull my bow up. It was like I was watching everything happen from above, not in control of myself at all.


    Several of the guards were already dead. Booy in a heap, unmoving except for the shallow rise and fall of his sides. Durden was bleeding from a wound to his head, though I thought¡ªhoped, maybe¡ªthat I could still sense his mana. Jasmine and Ang Rose were shielding Camellia and Emily against the back wall. I couldn¡¯t see Helen, wasn¡¯t sure if she was okay, but it didn¡¯t seem like a good sign that her bow wasn¡¯t firing.


    The asura¡¯s ck eyes scanned the room, settled on me, focused on my screams. An arrow formed against my string and flew. He moved an inch, the arrow hissing past his ear. A second jumped from my bow, and this one he caught, the mana breaking and fading away at his touch. The third came faster still, but he wasn¡¯t there anymore.


    A sh of red, and my bow fell to pieces in my hand, the arrow on its string fizzling to nothing.


    I heard my mother¡¯s screams over my own as the red spear lifted like a manticore¡¯s tail. I wasn¡¯t afraid, not really. I¡¯d always known I was going to die fighting, like Dad, like Arthur. I wanted to be strong and brave, just like them. But in this world, the strong and brave people always died fighting.


    The asura hesitated. Mom grabbed me, pulling me tight, the destroyed pieces of my bow pinned painfully between us. ¡°Please!¡± she screamed, her voice ragged and choked with tears.


    His frown deepened. ¡°You must be Arthur¡¯s sister.¡± His pure ck eyes flicked to Mom. ¡°And his mother?¡± The spear lowered. ¡°It¡¯s too bad that Arthur isn¡¯t here now. It has been an honor to undertake this task for my lord, but I would have really enjoyed facing your brother again, to show him how small his potential really ispared to one of the pantheon race.¡±


    Slowly, the asura grabbed Mom¡¯s arm, pulling her away.


    ¡°No! Let me go! Don¡¯t touch her! Ellie!¡±


    My mother¡¯s pleading screams fell on deaf ears as the tip of the red spear rose, slipping into my side beneath my ribs. My knees began to shake as I felt it pushing up through my body, as easy as cutting birthday cake.


    Birthday cake? I wondered, watching my pale face reflected in the asura¡¯s eyes. That¡¯s a funny thing to think about when dying. But it made a silly kind of sense, too. I thought about thest birthday party I¡¯d had before the war a lot. When we were all together, even Brother, when the world wasn¡¯t ending...


    I made sure not to scream. I decided, in the midst of my delusional, swirling thoughts, that I wouldn¡¯t die screaming.


    The spear slid out of me just as easily as it had gone in. My shaking legs failed and I copsed to the ground.


    Mom was on top of me, tears streaming off her face, sshing all over me. My back was warm and wet, but I could feel a coldness inside, spreading slowly outward. Mom¡¯s hands were shing with a pale light. ¡°It¡¯s okay, baby, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m right here. I¡¯ve got you, and I¡¯m going to take away the pain, sweetheart, Ellie. I¡¯m going to take care of you.¡±


    Above her, Taci¡¯s spear was poised to strike at the back of her neck, but all her focus was just for me.


    No, run Mom. Get away, I wanted to shout, but couldn¡¯t seem to get any air into my lungs.


    Taci hesitated again. His gaze shifted to where the stone frame stood in the center of the dais, and I realized there was lighting from it. I had to struggle just to turn my head, but inside what had been a nk stone rectangle, now there was a brilliantly glowing purple portal, swirling with ethereal patterns.


    Beneath my mother¡¯s frantic chanting and the sobs of those waiting their turn to die, a gentle, rhythmic humming was issuing from the portal.


    The liquid-purple curtain rippled as if a breeze had blown through it, and two silhouettes appeared.


    The features were hidden, but there was something about the shape and stance that was so familiar. Almost like...


    A smile crept across my face as my eyes drifted shut. I felt safe for the first time in a very, very long time.


    ELDER RINIA


    The sound of sobbing came from nearby, working their way through the ringing and buzzing in my aching skull. It was a familiar noise. Alice. I sensed for Ellie. She was near, but fading. The asura was standing over them, but his focus was elsewhere...


    I followed it to the aetheric glow of a portal, visible even without my sight. But it was a pale thing inparison to the figure standing within it.


    My heart thrummed.


    What I sensed was beyond the scope of my understanding, but I knew it wasn¡¯t my mind failing me. My body was broken, my life slipping away. This was the moment I had foreseen, where all the threads ended, but I could never make sense of how we might be saved, only the when and where. But now I knew why.


    ¡°Arthur...¡±


    He¡¯d been absent from my visions of the future since his disappearance, his future never very clear to me even as a child. I hadn¡¯t fully believed him to be dead, but couldn¡¯t scry him, or find any future in which he reappeared. Even though I had seen this moment, it had been like watching it through the bottom of a thick ss bottle: unclear, colored by my ownck of knowledge and understanding.


    Now I could see him just as clearly as I could Taci, a radiant nimbus of amethyst light, the warmth of him spilling through the chamber like the noon-time summer sun.


    ¡°Regis, help my sister.¡±


    A wisp of purple light¡ªa living spark of aether¡ªdove into Ellie¡¯s fading mana signature, and life bloomed within her.


    Taci stepped back, shifting the burning brand that was his weapon into a defensive position. ¡°Who...Arthur Leywin?¡± His confusion and uncertainty was palpable,ced within his tone, woven into his stance.


    Arthur¡¯s aura grew darker, hints of deep, bloody red in the purple. A beam of pure aether in the shape of a sword rippled into existence, warping the fabric of reality.


    Lightning-like tendrils of aether swallowed Arthur, and space seemed to bend to his will as he reappeared just behind Taci. Purple light shed against red as Taci spun the spear behind him, catching the attack.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re here,¡± Taci snarled, his voice grating against my ears.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be,¡± Arthur replied, his voice a cold white me of anger.


    The aether sword winked out of existence then back in the same breath, now thrust up and under the spear. Mana and aether screeched against one another and the sword shed across the asura¡¯s ribs.


    With a growl of pain, Taci stepped back, again disappearing and reappearing, using what could only be the Thyestes n¡¯s Mirage Walk technique.


    I sensed aether swelling within Arthur, and he burst toward his foe, the aether sword carving an amethyst arc through the air. Taci¡¯s spear again came up to deflect.


    The sh sent out a shockwave that rolled me over, nearly toppling me off the dais. My body screamed at me that I was dying, as if I didn¡¯t already know.


    Arthur paused, nced around. Alice had been thrown backwards off her feet. Ellie had been sent tumbling. Screams filled the chamber as many others had been knocked t by the collision of these two titans.


    Taci whirled his spear around in a wide arc, and I felt a wave of cutting mana fly overhead. Some of the screams stopped, cut suddenly short, and several mana signatures were extinguished.


    Arthur was back on him in an instant, his purple de moving faster than should have been possible in the hand of a human, but Taci matched him strike for strike. And with each sh, the chamber quaked.


    They will bring the roof down on us if Arthur doesn¡¯t do something.


    I tried to shout, but my lungs could no longer make more than a muted whisper. Instead, I reached for thest dregs of my power. It wasn¡¯t much. Mana red within me, and I tried to reform it, shape it into a message, a vision, and send it directly into Arthur¡¯s mind, but...there wasn¡¯t enough of me left.


    For the first time, the possibility of failure, despite everything I had done to reach this point, seemed horribly real. So often the world had asked more of me than I could afford to give, and yet I gave it anyway, and now, at the end of it all, Icked the strength to see my visions through.


    A section of the chamber roof fell.


    The aetheric wisp I had sensed earlier emerged from Ellie¡¯s prone form, throwing itself under the stones to shield a huddled group of survivors.


    The twobatants forms became a muddle of color and power, white light fusing with purple, aether shing against mana, their weapons humming against one another. Several times I sensed Arthur take wounds, and felt rifts of mana left behind where the spear struck, but he seemed tireless and inexorable as he pressed the asura.


    Taci¡¯s spear suddenly smote the ground. The earth shook and the dias cracked. More stones tumbled free from the ceiling, and the chamber was filled with the rush of mana forming into spells to deflect or destroy debris.


    Arthur¡¯s weapons vanished and he grabbed Taci¡¯s spear. The two strained as they wrestled for control of the weapon. Tacished out with knees and elbows, mana surging into his strikes, each one creating another shockwave.


    Arthur looked in my direction. I had to make him understand. Again, I gathered up all my remaining mana and formed the message. The room was full of aether, spilling out of the open portal like a ruptured dam. I reached for it, pleading, begging it to help me.


    I felt Arthur¡¯s mind connect with mine.


    Arthur, use the portal! Take Taci away from here. I stared with wide and urgent eyes, unsure if he could really hear and understand me.


    ¡®Asuras can¡¯t go into the Relictombs.¡¯


    I felt the granite-hard coldness of his mind through our tentative connection. This wasn¡¯t the boy I had known. He had sacrificed so much to return to us, leaving something of himself behind wherever he had been.


    Just trust me.


    Aether red around Arthur, and he spun the spear up over his head, turning so that he and Taci were back to back, each holding the spear aloft. The two struggled, neither one able to gain leverage over the other, then Arthur blinked away in a sh of aetheric lightning, reappearing in the same spot only facing the other direction.


    Taci stumbled forward from the force of his own strength. Arthur¡¯s arms wrapped around him from behind, tackling him forward.


    Into the portal.


    And then...they were gone. The chamber was hauntingly silent, and the air seemed lighter and easier to breathe. I took a shaky breath, feeling a great weight on my chest.


    Something shifted at my side, and a warm hand sped my own, our fingers weaving together. Under the smell of sweat and blood, there was sunshine and maple leaves and sword oil. I wondered how long it had been since Virion¡¯s skin saw the sun that the smell of it still clung to him.


    I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk. You¡¯re hurt. But...we have¡ªwhere is...?¡± His gravelly voice cut off, and I could tell from how he strained that he was gravely injured. ¡°I need an emitter! Alice?¡±


    His voice was fading, and I felt something wet drip onto my skin. The pain suffusing my body began to ease...and then it vanished, leaving me only the warmth of his hand around mine.


    A shame. I wanted to tell him...


    I was d he was at my side here at the end.

 Chapter 380

    <h4>Chapter 380</h4>


    ARTHUR


    ¡®Just trust me.¡¯


    Rinia¡¯s words echoed in my mind as Taci and I collided with the portal. It bulged out and away from us like the surface of a bubble, fighting back against the asura, refusing to allow him entry.


    Anger burned through the fear I should¡¯ve felt facing an asura. The only thing keeping it in check was the presence of my friends and family. Even within the cloud of raging emotions, I knew Rinia was right. It would be impossible to defeat Taci while keeping everyone around me safe.


    The portal¡¯s surface warped to wrap around us, rippling dangerously. I could sense the aether struggling to maintain its form as we pressed against it, simultaneously attempting to ept me and reject Taci.


    It¡¯s going to break. I hesitated, my mind racing for another solution. Regis, we¡ª


    The world fractured.


    Purple shards of portal-stuff sprayed across an empty-nothing limitless expanse of aetheric twilight, refracting the everywhere-from-nowhere light like shattered mirrors.


    A hungry omnipresent something devoured each shining shard, disintegrating them back into pure aether, then into nothing at all.


    There was a sharp pang of something missing, like I¡¯d lost a limb, though I couldn¡¯t make sense of it.


    I was drifting, afloat or maybe falling, but where and in what, I wasn¡¯t sure.


    What had I been doing just now?


    I knew I was angry. Or that I had been angry. Now I was just...out of ce.


    No, not hungry, I considered, my derailed train of thought leaping back to the something in which I was drifting. Just there, but what...


    I squinted, peering through the hazy amethyst light at a ghostly shadow below me. Drifting in the twilight purple sea was a rollingndscape of dunes, their shape discernible. Familiar.


    Instinctively, my head tilted forward as I tried to fly toward the dunes, but there was no sense of movement, and the familiar-but-notndscape didn¡¯te any closer.


    ¡°W-where are we?¡± a strained voice said from somewhere above and behind me.


    Turning without thinking, my body started to spin, bringing the figure of a bald young man into my vision.


    My memories collided with my current dazed state of mind like two icebergs crashing together in an open sea.


    The tion I had felt at finally finding a portal that was already linked to Dicathen, waiting at the bottom of a ravine under a dune-filled zone, washed over me, as did the fury and terror of activating the portal only to watch a spear plunge through my little sister...


    Zone after zone hade and gone as I searched, focusing on Dicathen each time I used the Compass, finding nothing but dead portals that were no longer connected anywhere waiting at the end of each one.


    But I knew there had to be at least one Relictombs portal in Dicathen somewhere. I just didn¡¯t understand how to even look without a memory map like the ones Sylvia had left for me.


    My head splintered in pain as the memories came together in a muddled, half-senseless mess.


    ric had helped with the preparations. Acquired the portal rune key. Bought or stole a collection of items I wanted in case I couldn¡¯t return to crya.


    When I learned of the Victoriad, I knew attending could mean exposing my real identity, which would mean going into hiding. There was only one ce to go: back to Dicathen. Home. To my family. Finally.


    And I had made it. I had made it only seconds toote...


    I had fought Taci, heard Rinia¡¯s voice in my head...


    ¡®Just trust me,¡¯ her voice sounded again, bringing my spiraling thoughts full circle.


    I searched the pink-stained shadow of the dunes, my attention sticking on it, confusion entangling me like a giant spider¡¯s web. This was thest zone I¡¯d gone through before arriving in Dicathen. A huge canyon split the ground. The remnants of the zone¡¯s guardian, a hydra made of living ss and liquid fire, stilly shattered next to it.


    The Relictombs were somehow programmed to prevent asuras from entering, but this aether realm was separate¡ªmore, maybe¡ªthan the Relictombs themselves, which seemed only contained within the greater expanse.


    We must have bounced off the Relictombs and ended up in this between-space.


    As I stared down on the dimndscape, a gust of wind kicked up the sand, whipping across the dunes with impossible speed and wiping them away. When the windstorm faded, the zone seemed to...reset. Back exactly to the way I¡¯d found it. I could see the hydra¡¯s form writhing just below the canyon¡¯s edge, lying in wait for the next ascender to challenge it.


    What is¡ªRead thetest chapters at


    . o rg


    The cutting pain, the sense of something missing, came back, drawing my attention to a void within myself.


    Regis! I shouted mentally, searching for mypanion¡¯s mind. He was nowhere to be felt.


    Our connection had been severed.


    I followed this thread back to those moments¡ªa few seconds¡ªI¡¯d stayed in Dicathen. Regis was still there, I had sent him into Ellie to...I didn¡¯t know what. Help. Somehow. I saw again her thin frame lying on cold stone, bleeding out, my mother¡ªher hands had been so red¡ªstruggling to heal her.


    I¡¯d needed to hold back my anger. Losing control risked killing everyone there, including Ellie and Mom. All the rage I¡¯d felt in that moment rushed back into me as the shock wore off.


    I wouldn¡¯t have to hold back here.


    Before I had even fully formed the thought, aether coalesced into a sword in my right hand.


    Gnashing my teeth, my entire body going tense, I leaned toward Taci. But I didn¡¯t move.


    The bewildered frown on Taci¡¯s face had slowly morphed into a furious grimace that mirrored my own. ¡°Where are we, Leywin? What did you do!¡±


    Then he was on me, his crimson spear¡ªstained yet redder with the blood of my friends and family¡ªknocking aside my weapon and driving through my shoulder. I grabbed the spear¡¯s shaft with my free hand and used it as leverage to kick Taci in the chest, sending him spinning away.


    His spear ripped free of the wound, leaving a bloody gash just below my corbone. Blood drifted out in little globules, and despite the danger Taci posed, I couldn¡¯t help but watch them float through the aetheric nothing-space.


    The red was quickly infused with purple as particles of aether clung to them. The sharp pain in my shoulder lessened, and I realized aether was flowing into the wound from the atmosphere, not out from my core. The wound was healed in an instant.


    Drawing on the atmosphere for the first time since appearing here, aether rushed into my core. The atmosphere wasn¡¯t just thick with aether¡ªit was aether. All of it. Everything. That devouring presence I had sensed was an endless ocean of aether eager to reabsorb the tiny fraction of it that had been shaped into the Relictombs portal.


    Taci was watching me warily, his eyes focused on my shoulder where the wound had vanished. ¡°What have you be, Arthur Leywin?¡±


    Letting out a scoff, I called on the relic armor. Waves of obsidian scales coalesced around my body, practically quivering against my skin as it reacted to the ocean of pure aether.


    My left hand thrust forward, palm outward, and a cone of zing violet energy scorched the space between us. Taci flew backwards, hacking at the aether with his spear, but the st followed him, writhing like a snake as it grew and grew, a living torrent of aether eager to devour him whole.


    With no ground to shove off of, he could fly but couldn¡¯t use the Mirage Walk technique to reposition. Still, his mobility far outstripped my own, which seemed limited to spinning in ce as I very slowly drifted away from where we¡¯d appeared. If I had any hope against him, I needed to figure out how to move.


    Dismissing the aether de¡ªbut still concentrating on the coiling stream of aether flooding from my hand¡ªI mentally felt around me. Flying would be optimal, but even if I just had something to stand on...


    My feet came to rest against something solid. Caught off guard, I lost focus on the aetheric torrent as I looked down at a small tform of purple-gray, slightly luminous energy. It was perfectly smooth and radiated a gentle warmth.


    This is aether...


    My head snapped up at a sh of movement in my peripheral vision. The amethyst sword hummed to life in my grip just in time to deflect a sweeping cut aimed at my neck. Taci used his momentum to m into me, hurtling me off the tform toward the dunes below. I spun out of control, flying wildly through empty space, but was quickly jarred to a stop as my back struck a solid, vibrating surface.


    Taci was on top of me, his spear leaping and thrusting so fast it was nothing but a red blur. Each strike was a near-instant burst of movement, as Mirage Walk sped not only his movement, but his attacks as well.


    Getting my feet under me, I matched the asura move for move. We fell into the patterns taught to us long ago by Kordri, but it quickly became clear that Taci¡¯s training had gone far beyond my own, his every strike countering mine with brutal efficiency. If not for my asuran physique, he would have outpaced me in moments.


    Taci vanished. I let my senses unfocus, searching for the aetheric pathways with the God Step rune, but...there were no paths here.


    Something hit me like a battering ram between my shoulder des, the relic armor only just withstanding the blow, and I was knocked forward. Taci appeared in front of me, and the long, winged de of his spear plunged through my armor just above my stomach, the ck scales bending and shearing apart.


    I felt it as the spear impacted off the twice-hardened shell of my aether core. A sickening ripple went through me, every atom of my being recoiling in horror. I jolted painfully when the spear¡¯s point wracked against the armor over my back,cking the force to puncturepletely through.


    Panic rising like bile in my throat, I turned my senses inward, focusing on my core.


    It was intact.


    Despite the pain of my wound, the fear drained from me, reced with a cold fury as I shed at his throat with the de of my hand.


    The spear disintegrated as Taci moved to catch my arm. I twisted, breaking his hold, then snapped a jab into his chin, letting off an aetheric st directly into his face. His arm coiled around mine as he reeled back, using the momentum to pull me up off the ground, spin, and send me flying.


    Through the pain haze, I realized where we were; we¡¯d been fighting on the side of some kind of barrier encasing the dune zone. It was a rough, transparent shell that separated the zone from the aetheric expanse. In the half-second I had to consider this, my mind rebelled against the idea. The dunes had seemed endless from within the zone, with no walls or ceiling, and yet...


    Tacinded on my back, smashing me into the shell. I felt the aether pushed aside as he raised his spear, heard the creak of his teeth and jaw as he snarled down at me, poised to drive the weapon through my skull.


    Aether was rushing into me. My core was brimming with it, the wound in my chest already healed.


    I shoved away from the ¡°ground¡± as hard as I could while conjuring the aether de in a reverse grip, sweeping it behind me.


    The spear nced off the armor around my neck, and Taci howled in agony.


    I spun, the aether de automatically shifting to a forward grip as I brought it up defensively, but Taci was fifty feet away, one hand pressed against a bloody wound in his side, half his face scorched a dark, sooty gray. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, his breath hissing between gritted teeth, eyes bulging.


    I stretched my neck as aether healed the bruise Taci¡¯s blow had momentarily caused. ¡°First time you¡¯ve had to bleed for Lord Indrath¡¯s ambitions?¡±


    With an angry shout, Taci reared back and hurled his spear at me. It streaked like red lightning out of the purple sky. I took one shallow step, letting it cut through the air less than an inch from my face.


    It struck the zone¡¯s shell like a hammer striking a gong, sinking into it. A series of cracks raced out from the impact, and purple motes began to leak out and vanish into the atmosphere.


    Instinctively, I took the spear in my hands and jerked it free of the shell. The shaft bowed in my grip as I flexed, intending to break it in two, but it was heavily reinforced with mana. The next second, I was holding nothing. The spear had dematerialized and reappeared in Taci¡¯s hand.Read thetest chapters at


    . o rg


    A thick stream of aether particles was now leaking out of the hole it had left in the shell at my feet.


    Spear in hand, Taci flew farther away, onlying to a stop when there was a hundred feet or more between us. ¡°Whatever half-breed mongrel beast you¡¯ve made of yourself, Arthur Leywin, know that it is my honor to unmake you,¡± he shouted through the void.


    Then he began to transform.


    Broad, ck horns burst through the skin above his ears, growing out and forward until they crossed over one another in front of his eyes, then melding together into a t te that masked the upper half of his face. Two additional pairs of arms pushed out of his sides, ripping off his shirt and stretching inhumanly. His tanned skin hardened and feathered outward into golden scales that shone dully in the defused purple light. The wound just above his hip closed, the skin melting back together as scales grew over it.


    Finally, four eyes, two on each side of his head, opened, their brilliantly white irises seeming to stare outward in every direction. ¡°See what a pantheon¡ªwhat I¡ªam truly capable of, lesser.¡±


    Held in four hands, the red spear swept from the side as air hissed like pistons from between the scales that lined his arms. I felt the distortion in the aether as the attack was projected, and dark aetheric sparks flew from the zone¡¯s shell.


    Activating Burst Step, I dodged just under the force attack. Behind me, there was a series of sharp, sudden cracks, and the gash in the shell began to cave inward, the barrier itself shattering like an eggshell.


    A small aether tform appeared beneath my foot, and I charged my body with aether before pushing off it with Burst Step again, aiming for Taci. But he moved just as fast. Deflecting the strike at his heart with one hand, the asura grabbed my wrist with another and caught the full force of my momentum with his knee into my stomach.


    My armor flexed, and the ribs beneath it cracked. I started flying backwards, but Taci still had my wrist. He jerked me to a halt, rearing back with his spear.


    Using him as an anchor, I spun around and nted my feet against his chest, then pushed outward, again activating Burst Step.


    His grip broke, but my leg screamed in pain at the thigh as his spear punched through my armor and cracked my femur. At the end of Burst Step, I was left floating in the void, spinning around and shedding a thick trail of blood from my shredded leg.


    It hurt like hell, but aether was already flooding to the wound, pulling the flesh back together, the armor sealing over it just as quickly. As I spun, I caught sight of Taci struggling to regain control of his flight, as he¡¯d been catapulted away from me by the force of Burst Step.


    Then my rotation brought the dune zone back into my eyeline.


    Aether was spilling out of a thousand cracks across the surface of its shell, a significant part of which had copsed. The dunes within were dissolving, solid matter breaking apart into aether particles before being sted out into the void.


    My skin was suddenly damp with a cold sweat as I watched the violet plumes be reabsorbed into the atmosphere. I sucked in a surprised, delighted breath, my heart beating like a drum at the realization.


    Sylvie¡¯s stone...


    I nearly reached for it before the reality of my situation came crashing down on me¡ªan instant before Taci himself did the same.


    Our limbs intertwined as we hurtled like a meteor toward the copsing zone below, four hands struggling to grapple me while the other two mmed the spear into my ribs. The wide-tipped de slid over ck scales with a metallic shriek.


    I summoned the aether de into one of my pinned wrists and twisted.


    The violently purple light swept across one of Taci¡¯s wrists. The fine golden scales shifted, changing angles to deflect the blow; my strikecked the force to pierce through.


    The asura scoffed and pulled me in close, the spear wrapped around my back to pin me to him, my arms trapped between us.


    Taci¡¯s head pulled back, then the horn-te over his eyes mmed into the bridge of my nose with a crunch. Stars exploded in my vision, then winked into ck-purple striations of pain as Taci headbuttted me again. I felt more than saw him pull back for a third blow, but something collided with us from the side, sending both of us spinning away from each other.


    Before I could make sense of what was happening, I crashed into the side of a dune, the coarse golden sands swallowing me.


    All around me, I could feel the matter breaking down, whatever magic the djinn used to bind and shape reality failing.


    Still reeling from Taci¡¯sst strike, it took real effort to push outward with a nova of aether, destroying the dune I had sunk into. I found Taci waiting for me, floating at the border where the still-copsing zone met the void.


    The once endless sand sea now seemed little more than an ind in the purple void. The shell was visible from inside the zone now, the sky no longer vibrant blue by a dusky blue-purple with bright cracks running through it. The canyon containing the hydra and exit portal had already dissolved, leaving only this patch of dunes and the frame of the zone¡¯s entrance portal, which stood in a valley at the very center.


    Damn it, I thought, feeling myself grow pale.


    That portal seemed like the only way out of this ce. And the zone was rapidly copsing around it. I wasn¡¯t sure what would happen when the entire zone was gone, but I knew it wouldn¡¯t be good.


    Small tforms appeared at will as I stepped up into the air toward Taci.


    There wasn¡¯t much time, but I couldn¡¯t activate the portal and risk himing through it with me.


    ¡°You must have really hated me back then to bring us to this point,¡± I said, buying myself a second to think.


    Taci scoffed, a sound like stones shattering. ¡°You have nothing to do with my current mission. Although this has been an interesting encounter, and killing you will bring a certain redemption for the insult of being forced to train alongside you as a child, you have not stopped me from doing as my lordmanded.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t I?¡± I quirked a brow at him, smiling wryly. ¡°You don¡¯t know where you are, or how to leave. Kill me or not, my family and friends are safe from you. You¡¯re trapped here, Taci. Forever.¡±


    Taci¡¯s mouth bent down into a deep frown. ¡°That¡¯s a lie. You¡¯re just trying to save yourself, because you know you can¡¯t defeat me.¡±


    I snorted derisively. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I really bought into the asuras¡¯ mystique, still thinking of you as gods. But the truth is, you¡¯re just a frightened child, and Lord Indrath is a short-sighted coward.¡±


    Taci¡¯s spear shed, and I Burst Stepped to the top of a neighboring dune. The hill I¡¯d left behind burst in a shower of sand, cutpletely in two. The spear shed again, and I dodged, then again and again, each strike carving away at what little was left of the zone.


    I activated God Step.


    Inside the zone, my senses lit up as all the amethyst pathways connecting every point to every other burned bright to my senses. But they were unstable, copsing alongside the zone, the points shifting and fading as I held them in my mind.


    I stepped into them anyway.


    And appeared right in front of Taci.


    His inhuman eyes widened in surprise, but he managed to bring his spear up to defend as a de appeared in my hand. I swung toward him, baiting him to move his spear to catch the blow, but let the de dissolve at thest moment, using the force of my swing to strike him in the chest.


    The spear came up and around, but God Step took me behind him. The golden scales shifted again, seeming to follow me, his four eyes offering him a clear line of sight in every direction.


    My knee drove into his lower back, my elbowing down on the base of his neck, and I God Stepped again, appearing just behind the arc of his spear. Aether rushed into my fist, releasing in a burst as I struck him just below the ribs, the force of it pushing me away.


    But I appeared again at Taci¡¯s side, grabbing two of his arms as I drove my elbow up into his chin and pushed off the back of his knee with one foot. Using the momentum of my own perpetual fall along with the subtle shifts my strikes and kicks created, I spun through the air, conjuring an aether de and swinging it up under his arms.


    Two fists hit me at the same time, sending me tumbling out of the zone¡¯s limited atmosphere and into the aetheric space that surrounded it.


    A vertical wall formed to catch me, and I mmed into it with enough force to crack it.


    I jerked around, looking for Taci. He was staring at his right side, where all three of his arms drifted beside him, connected to his body only by the streams of blood spilling out of the severed joints and limbs.


    But past him, I saw what was left of the zone. The portal frame stood at the center of an ind only thirty feet across, golden sand spilling from the broken edges and transforming into purple aether particles.


    Pushing against the cracked tform, I Burst Stepped again, aiming for the ind, my entire mind bent on reaching it before it copsedpletely. The djinn projection¡¯s words returned to me, and the aether reacted to my thought, seeming to wrap itself around me, lifting me, pushing me up and then speeding me toward my goal.


    Strong hands grabbed my ankle, and I jerked to a near halt. Looking over my shoulder, I realized I was towing Taci behind me, two of his remaining hands holding onto me while the third jabbed with the spear. It nced off my hip, then again off my back, my armor ring with aether as it absorbed the impacts and turned the de aside.


    I shed at his wrists, and he iled backwards to avoid losing any more limbs. Turning back toward the portal, I rushed forward again, flying through the aether like I had wings.


    The ind shrank before my eyes. Fifteen feet wide, ten feet. Aether rushed into my storage rune, the Compass appearing in my hand. Eight feet. Infusing the Compass with both aether and will, I twisted it into two. Five feet ofnd remained beneath the portal frame, which was growing distorted around the edges, the aether struggling to hold its form.


    Focusing on the Compass and the chamber where I¡¯d found Ellie and Mom, I slowed despite every impulse to move faster, faster. Purple light began to glow within the sandstone frame, sharpening into a view through the portal.


    I saw Virion kneeling beside Rinia, tears on his face. Mother was casting spells over my sister, her eyes dry, her face determined. My heart skipped a beat as I took in the redness of Ellie¡¯s cheeks, the rising and falling of her chest. She was alive.


    And sitting directly in front of the portal was Regis, concern etched into his lupine features, the fire of his mane waving in agitation.


    There was only a foot of ground left on either side of the portal as I hurtled toward it.


    A streak of red pierced the portal frame. Sandstone exploded outward, and the purple-tinted window rippled, faded, and popped with a sound like boiling tar. Inded in the wreckage an instantter. Around me, thest of the ind dissolved, then the remains of the portal frame, and finally thest few shards of hard aether shell that had contained the zone.


    We were stranded in the void, nothing but the two of us as far as I could see.


    ¡°You¡¯re staying here with me, lesser,¡± Taci said, his three remaining hands holding the severed stumps across his body.


    As I watched, the horns receded back into Taci¡¯s head, the rest of his body reverting to his original shape an instantter. He looked pale and weak as he listed to the side, missing an arm, the bloody hole in his shoulder shining with mana to bind the wound. And still, somehow, he maintained his frustrating arrogance.


    His lip curled up into a sneer, his eyes searching, digging into my own. ¡°Shall we be two immortals, battling for eternity in this outer realm?¡±


    I shook my head, willing the aether to move me up to his level so I could look him in the eye. ¡°There is no mana here, is there? And you¡¯ve expended all yours maintaining that form. I don¡¯t have to fight you forever, Taci. In fact, I don¡¯t have to do anything at all.¡± I looked him up and down pointedly. ¡°With no way to replenish your mana, your body will consume itself. You¡¯re already dead, and you know it.¡±


    The facade of his overbearing confidence cracked, and for an instant he was just a boy¡ªa terrified kid who wasn¡¯t ready to die.


    Then the spear appeared in a scarlet shimmer, and he pointed it at my core. ¡°Then I won¡¯t hold anything back.¡±


    Arge aether tform formed underneath us. I settled my feet on it. Seeing my intention, Taci did the same, his spear held down and out to his left. I conjured a de into my right hand and set my feet.


    ¡°For Lord Indrath, may he reign forever under the golden sun,¡± Taci said proudly.


    ¡°Not if I can help it.¡±Read thetest chapters at


    . o rg


    Aether flooded to every point in my body, preparing it for Burst Step. Taci¡¯s eyes narrowed. Then I was moving.


    Taci hadn¡¯t shed forward to meet me. Instead, he settled back, his eyes tracking me even in the midst of Burst Step, his spear moving to catch me.


    I let go of my aether de and activated God Step. There were no paths, and no time to sense for them even if there had been, but the space around me warped, pulling me into and through the distortion, and I appeared behind Taci, aetheric lightning wreathing my limbs.


    Infusing the de of my hand with aether, I spun around and struck Taci at the base of his neck, just where it met his shoulder. There was a loud crack as his body folded inward.


    The aether de, which I had released while still moving forward, flew past Taci. I caught it in my free hand and plunged it between his shoulder des. His body was turning, the spear spinning around to thrust backwards, but it slipped from his fingers as he instead stumbled down to a knee, his jet ck eyes staring up at me in despair.


    ¡°You want to know what I¡¯ve be?¡± I asked, driving my de through his neck. ¡°Godkiller should be appropriate.¡±


    Taci coughed, spraying blood over the tform, then copsed and went still.


    I dismissed my armor and then the tform, releasing Taci¡¯s body to drift in the void. I watched it float for a few seconds until Taci¡¯s face turned in my direction and I met his wide, dead eyes, frozen in thisst moment of surprise.


    Then I turned away, refusing to take joy in his death. For all Taci had done, he was still just a tool for Kezess.


    The crimson spear, its winged de outlined in a shimmering haze as the aether in my blood was reabsorbed into the atmosphere, floated nearby. I plucked it out of the void and sent it into my dimension rune, knowing a proper inspection would have to wait.


    After that, I spared Taci and his weapon no further thought, turning away from his body to examine the endless void around me.


    Immediately, I noticed a deviation in the atmosphere¡¯s coloration just where the exit portal had been, like a stain on the dark sky. The aether there fluctuated, rippling like water.


    I rushed to it, reaching out and just letting the tips of my fingers brush the surface. A tingling sensation like static electricity ran up my arm and made my teeth itch.


    Something was forcing it open, holding it there for me. I pushed my palm against the distortion, but it resisted. There was a connection back to Dicathen, I could feel it, but the portal itself was gone. This was more like...a scar.


    ¡®¡ªthur. You...shit, you better not be dead or I¡¯ll kill you myself.¡¯


    A tired grin spread across my face as I heard the sound of Regis¡¯s voice in my head, echoing along the scar.


    Regis. You kept the portal open. How?Read thetest chapters at


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    I practically heard him scoff. ¡®Yeah, I¡¯m amazing, details don¡¯t really matter right now though, because¡¯¡ªhis mental voice was strained, like he was holding up a great weight¡ª¡®I can¡¯t keep this here much longer. You need¡ª¡¯


    Regis¡¯s thoughts fizzled out, and I felt the distortion waver as it faded perceptibly before my eyes.


    Almost without meaning to, I conjured Sylvie¡¯s iridescent egg from my dimension rune. It was warm to the touch, and practically vibrated in the presence of so much aether. There was more than enough here to bring her back, I knew it. But¡ª


    A spike of panic surged through me. Not my own, but Regis¡¯s. He couldn¡¯t hold the portal scar in ce any longer.


    I squeezed the egg. ¡°I¡¯lle back, I promise.¡±


    The egg went back into my rune as I faced the scar, reaching for it with both hands, pressing on it with all my mental and physical strength, willing Regis to hear me.


    Seconds past. I pushed harder, feeling the fabric of reality quake under my hands. Golden light suffused me as Aroa¡¯s Requiem activated, the golden motes flowing down my arms and into the scar.


    Regis¡¯s thoughts came to me clearly as the dying connection suddenly strengthened.


    There were no words, but a mental projection of what he was seeing: a dozen mages working to pull others from rubble, dozens more only staring at Regis, mouths open and tears streaming down their faces.


    I focused on Ellie and Mom. I saw the space from me to them, pictured the web of interconnected aetheric pathways linking each point between us.


    I activated God Step.


    Walls of amethyst mist and violet lightning sped past. My core lurched as reality warped around me.


    Then my feet touched solid ground.


    Slowly, like waking from a long, deep dream, I opened my eyes.


    The portal chamber hadrgely copsed. Dust was heavy in the air, tinged with the copper smell of spilled blood.


    A warm presence drifted into my back and settled near my core. ¡®Wee back. You can take things from here, yeah?¡¯


    My sister was staring up at me from the edge of the dais supporting the portal frame. Her blood and dust stained face twitched from one emotion to another, confusion pushing away lingering pain and a distraught sadness. Under it all, though, there was a hopeful glimmer.


    ¡°B-brother? Is that really you?¡±


    I felt my expression soften and my body rx. ¡°Hey, El. It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    Tears burst from her eyes as she jumped up and mmed into me, wrapping me into a desperate hug.


    I hugged Ellie back, squeezing her tightly and picking her off her feet. When I set her down, she looked up at me, her cheeks streaked with tear trails. She had grown so much. There was a depth and maturity to her almond-shaped brown eyes I didn¡¯t remember from before, and she was lean and athletic, like my father in his youth.


    She frowned slightly and plucked at a strand of my pale hair.Read thetest chapters at


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    Then she punched me in the arm as hard as she could. ¡°I thought you were dead!¡±


    My smile faltered, and I pulled her back into a hug, one hand patting the back of her head. I looked over her to where my mom had half stood. She was pale and shaking, her eyes wide, mouth hanging open. She seemed thin and weak, like she¡¯d shriveled away in the months since I¡¯d seen her. But she was still my beautiful mother.


    I smiled at her the way Dad used to. ¡°Hi Mom. I¡¯m back.¡±


    As if the words had stolen thest of her strength, she fell to her knees, her hands going to her face as she sobbed into them.


    Dozens of other people stood or sat around us, all dusty and covered in blood. But my eyes settled on Virion, who gave me a faint nod before looking down to the person in his arms.


    Elder Rinia, her body stiff and obviously devoid of life. She had exhausted thest of her lifeforce to bring these people here, where I could protect them.


    My gaze fell back to Ellie, shaking in my arms.


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±

 Chapter 381

    Chapter 381 - Epilogue


    A dry cough wracked my body, and I jerked awake to pain. A thick cloud of dust obscured everything but the blood-stained stone floor I had expected to be my funeral bed.


    Myst thought before falling unconscious floated back into my mind. This was how I expected death to feel. Every part of me screamed in anguish, the pain of each wound crowding against the rest, one overriding another in my mind until it felt as if my entire body had been cut to pieces by¡ª


    The asura!


    Despite a strong desire to never move again, I turned my head, jostling my broken bones and creating a fresh chorus of agonies.


    I couldn¡¯t see anything through the heavy nket of dust. But neither could I sense the asura¡¯s unbearable presence.


    Taking a deep, steadying breath, I rolled onto my side and heaved, pushing myself up to my feet. Rocks and debris ttered off me, and the gash in my chest pulled painfully, partially sealed by dust clotting in the wound.


    My legs wobbled, the tattered scraps of my armor nging together like empty tin cans. I tried to push mana out into my body to give myself strength, but was met only with a dull, squeezing pain from my core, which was all but empty.


    The bacsh made my stomach turn and bile rise in the back of my throat.


    shes of the battle starteding back to me through the waves of nausea and pain, and my breath seized in my lungs.


    Varay, Mica, Aya...


    They were all¡ª


    I spun around as stone ttered from the wall or ceiling somewhere in the distance. My senses were dulled, my thoughts crawling along like slugs in my skull, and there was a low roar in my ears like I was underwater. Only my sense of smell seemed to be functioning properly; the cavern stank of brimstone and scorched soil.


    Dim, murky light cut through the obscuring cloud, a few quick shes, and I sensed mana moving.


    My mouth opened of its own ord, but I stopped myself from shouting. I didn¡¯t know who or what was out there. It could be the asura, or survivors returned from the tunnels¡ªor cryans, alerted by the disturbance our battle had no doubt caused in the desert above. And I was in no fit shape to defend myself if they turned out to be hostile.


    The image of blood gushing out of shattered ck crystals oveyed thest memories of my own ¡°death,¡± and I felt a brief glimmer of hope, but just as quickly tamped it down.


    I shouldn¡¯t have survived that battle, and I couldn¡¯t find it in myself to harbor even the smallest hope that any of the others had as well. I¡¯d seen what Taci did to Aya and Varay, and despite the voice that had sounded in my head in thosest moments of consciousness, I knew that not even a Lance could survive those wounds.


    Still, I couldn¡¯t simply ignore the presence of another here, and began limping in the direction of the light, moving as quietly as my battered body and ruined armor would allow.


    The cavern floor was in ruins. The rubble of lightning-sted and cold-shattered rock made footing treacherous, and I had to navigate around several deep gouges scored in the earth by Taci¡¯s strikes. A partially intact wall from one of the many demolished buildings had been flung several dozen feet and was now resting at an angle against a huge boulder dislodged from the ceiling.


    Carefully, I crept up the side of this wall, then from the bolder to a higher shelf of rock that curved around toward where I¡¯d seen the light. The dust thinned as I moved toward the far edge of the cavern and I squinted through it for any sign of who or what had used mana.


    It was difficult to believe what I saw.


    ¡°M-Mica?¡± The words wed reluctantly out of my throat, the effort of speaking setting fire to my many other wounds.


    The dwarven Lance nced up at me from where she kneeled beside a second figure. The right side of her face was stained with tear streaks through caked-on dirt. Dozens of long, straight sh marks criss-crossed over the left side of her face, and a ck, bloody hole was all that remained of her left eye. Her entire left side was soaked red-brown with dried blood and some kind of wet mud that she hadpacted over her ribs.


    There was blood dripping from her palms where she¡¯d dug her fingernails into them, and her normally yful gaze met mine with a hollow emptiness that made me question if she was truly alive or just some dark aspect of my own subconscious.


    When she turned her unsteady gaze back on the second figure, my eyes reluctantly followed.


    Aya¡¯s face was pale, her dark eyes staring sightlessly up to the cavern ceiling high above. Her stomach was a gory ruin where Taci had dealt her fatal blow.


    ¡°I...¡± I had to stop and clear my throat, then went on. ¡°I thought I heard her, just before the end. She...she said...¡±


    But I had to stop again, unable to speak around the lump in my throat.


    Mica¡¯s shoulders sagged, but she didn¡¯t reply.


    Sliding awkwardly, painfully, down the ledge, I moved to Aya¡¯s other side and gingerly sat.


    Once, it would have been impossible to imagine myself on the verge of tears over the death of another soldier¡ªespecially another one of the Lances. It was with little guilt that I remembered my callousness after Lance Alea¡¯s unexpected death. She deserved better, and so did Aya. There was no shame in shedding tears for a friend taken far too early.


    The Six Lances had be only two, and¡ªI nced at Mica¡ªthere wasn¡¯t much left even of us. That, too, was something to mourn. We should have been Dicathen¡¯s greatest defenders, but yet, this is what had be of us.


    The noise of a boot scuffing against hard stone made me jump up. My legs immediately gave way, and I stumbled painfully to one knee, grunting through gritted teeth. Mica wobbled as she stood, but kept her feet, and even managed to conjure a small stone hammer as her remaining eye red into the darkness.


    ¡°Announce yourself!¡± she snapped, her voice raw.


    A lopsided silhouette limped toward us, veiled behind the dust, one hand pressed against the side of its neck. It looked like a ghost.


    The ghost of...


    Varay coalesced before our very eyes, as if she¡¯d just stepped back out from thend of the dead.


    Her left arm was missing, cut away at the shoulder, the wound frosted over. A patch of crimson ice also clung to her neck beneath her hand, but blood was running freely from several cracks.


    Her eyes were dull, jumping between Mica and me in a bleary, unfocused way. She hurried toward us, her right leg dragging slightly with each step, but when she reached the edge of the rocky shelf, she missed her footing and sprawled down the side face first with a muted groan.


    Mica rushed stiffly to her, rolling her over and dragging her up into Mica¡¯sp.


    The ice around her neck had shattered and melted away, revealing a grisly cut that opened her neck almost to the throat. Blood poured out like a fountain, drenching Mica.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    Mica scrambled to scoop up a fistful of loose dirt. She focused on it, closing her eyes, her face scrunching up with effort, and I watched it soften and boil into a thick muck, which she hurriedly spread all over the wound. When this was done, there was another sh of mana, and the ylike soil hardened, stopping the bleeding.


    I settled back, staring at Varay.


    I had seen her die, seen Taci strike her head from her shoulders. ¡°An illusion,¡± I muttered, turning to Aya¡¯s body. Her wound was certainly no illusion, though. ¡°She...she said the illusions wouldn¡¯t fool an asura more than once...and used thest moments of her life to save us. Layering illusions of our deaths over our real bodies.¡±


    I was stunned by her final show of strength, and her words suddenly made sense.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done enough, Bairon. It isn¡¯t your time.¡±


    She was using thest of her strength, sacrificing herself to save the rest of us, even stopping me from burning myself out with Thunderlord¡¯s Wrath.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move. No matter what you see. Don¡¯t move.¡±


    I had been lying on the ground at Taci¡¯s feet, his spear poised above me.


    I probed at a deep wound in my right shoulder, then my fingers trailed across to my sternum. Though aching and bruised, there was no wound there. My core was intact.


    A disbelieving snort burst out of me, which drew a tired, vaguely irritated look from Mica. ¡°What?¡±


    Varay¡¯s eyelids dragged slowly open at the sound of Mica¡¯s voice. They meandered sluggishly past me until they came to rest on Aya. Her lips parted, her throat bobbing as she attempted to speak, but nothing came out. She only sighed and sank even deeper into Mica¡¯s blood-stainedp.


    Mica petted Varay¡¯s hair, but her gaze was drawn back to Aya¡¯s body. ¡°I felt the mana rush from her core. I thought...I thought she¡¯d died instantly, but¡ª¡± A choked sob cut Mica off, and she gnashed her teeth in frustration.


    Varay shifted and tried again to speak. ¡°She...emptied her...core...on purpose.¡± Her voice was thin and weak, scraping out of her. ¡°To...make the...illusion...more realistic.¡±


    ¡°She needed the asura to believe what he saw and felt,¡± I added, regarding each of our wounds, considering how close to the edge of our power we¡¯d been pushed. Our mana signatures must have faded to almost nothing in those final moments. ¡°It was the only way he wouldn¡¯t see through it.¡±


    ¡°But was it enough?¡± Mica asked, her voice scraping and raw. ¡°For the people down in the tunnels?¡±


    ¡°Those lives are out of our hands now...¡± I answered. Wecked the strength even to walk, much less to chase after the asura. ¡°Aya¡¯s life, though. We can remember and mourn our friend. While we wait for whatever end toe.¡±


    Mica broke into cracked, half-choked sobs. Varay forced trembling lids to stay open, letting fresh tears flow down her cheeks, but never looking away from our fallen teammate.


    Turning, I reached shaking fingers out to Aya and gently closed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, my voice a hoarse rasp. Normally, Varay would have been the one to handle things like this, but I knew what I wanted to say. ¡°And thank you, Lance Aya Grephin of Elenoir. Your long battle is at an end, but those who you leave behind won¡¯t stop fighting until it is our time to join you. Rest now.¡±


    A/N:


    Well, that wraps up volume 9 of The Beginning After the End. It¡¯s been a wild ride this past year writing this but I can¡¯t wait for Volume 10. Like I¡¯ve announced a while a go, TBATE novel will be going on a two week break while I prep for Volume 10. For those that stayed a patreon despite this brief hiatus, thank you for your loyalty <3


    Hope you will look foward to Volume 10! Lots of things nned ^^

 Chapter 382

    <h4>Chapter 382</h4>


    A/N: Hi, hey, hello, it¡¯s TurtleMe. Many of you have been waiting patiently and eagerly for the arrival of Volume 10. During these past two weeks of writing the first few chapters, I really had to think about how I wanted to start this volume and where I wanted to pick up. It took some deliberation but I decided that it will start off almost exactly where we left off. I say almost because I decided to write a prologue for this volume in order to step back even further and actually start just a little before where we left off, but in a different perspective. This chapter was definitely bit of a challenge but I hope you enjoy, and wee to the start of our journey into Volume 10 of TBATE! Thanks for sticking through with me this far!


    Volume 10 ¨C Prologue


    ALICE LEYWIN


    Time slowed and the very air around me turned viscous as the asura¡¯s spear so effortlessly passed through Ellie¡¯s body.


    The asura¡¯s heavy hand released me and the screams that had gone mute behind the ringing in my ears exploded as I watched Ellie¡¯s body crumple to the ground.


    I choked back sobs. ¡°It¡¯s okay, baby, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m right here. I¡¯ve got you, and I¡¯m going to take away the pain, sweetheart, Ellie. I¡¯m going to take care of you.¡±


    My hands pressed into the wound in Ellie¡¯s side, ineffective in staunching the flow of blood that came out in spurts with each beat of her weakening heart. Mana rushed out of my core and through my channels, jumping from my hands to the deep wound as visible light, but I choked on the incantation in my panic, the magic shing in and out.


    But Ellie was smiling. She was smiling, her eyes closed, her face tinted a light purple. She wasn¡¯t breathing¡­my baby girl was dying.


    The asura¡¯s killing intent was suffocating. It swelled just above me, and I knew what was going to happen. A sob shook my entire body, and the healing spell faltered again.


    I pictured Reynold¡¯s face, imagined him giving me that nonchnt smile and running his hands through my hair and along the back of my neck. His features shifted like wet y, bing Arthur¡¯s. But even in my mind, in my memories, Arthur was covered in blood, his face half-hidden and stained ck and crimson as he dragged himself back to me from some distant, deadly threat¡­


    My eyes refocused on Ellie. She looked so much like him, now, lying on the ground covered in her own life¡¯s blood¡­


    I closed my eyes to the sight and waited for the spear to fall, for the asura to send Ellie and me to her brother and father¡­


    ¡°Regis, help my sister.¡±


    My head snapped up. The purple light, I realized btedly, was issuing from a shimmering portal that hade to life inside the portal frame. The words came from a figure silhouetted by the amethyst glow. I made out only his sharp features, bright hair, and golden eyes before he was moving.


    Something else came toward me¡­toward Ellie. Help my sister. What did those words mean?


    What could they possibly mean?


    A wisp of shadow and energy flew into Ellie¡¯s body, but nothing happened, nothing changed.


    I nearly pped myself. My hands pressed hard against Ellie¡¯s side and I began chanting again. There were other words¡ªand fighting¡ªbut I pressed it out of my awareness, focusing entirely on the healing magic. The incantation spilled out of me, as did mana, filling the hole that pierced entirely through my baby girl.


    But there was something else, too.


    An emitter¡¯s magic touched something else, something just beyond the reach of my awareness that no one had ever been able to exin to me before. Mana alone couldn¡¯t heal wounds like Ellie¡¯s, but my spells drew it in, encouraged it, showed it what I wanted.


    Like a guiding hand, the wisp of energy drew my magic along, feeding it with this external power, strengthening it. I felt¡­strong, powerful in a way I could hardly remember anymore. Muscles and bones began to fuse, veins and nerves knit back together, then¡ª


    The room spun wildly beneath my feet, sudden pain and confusion wiping all thought from my mind.


    I blinked hard against a sickening ringing in my ears and suppressed the bile creeping up the back of my throat. My skull ached. I looked around, trying to get my bearings; I was lying on my back at the foot of the benchlike stairs, beneath the edge of the dais. I could just see Ellie¡¯s arm dangling off the side of it.


    The asura and the man with golden eyes shed, their movements so fast I couldn¡¯t follow.


    I tried to move, to stand, but my head swam dizzily and I nearly retched. Someone took me by the elbow, tried to pull me to my feet. The world seemed to tilt, and there was an ear-splitting crack from above. I fell into myself, curling into a ball as the shadow of the stone ceiling descended on me.


    Dust swallowed me, but a jagged, burning purple light cut through it. Uncurling, I looked up.


    A huge mana beast towered over me, arge chunk of stone propped up on its back. Its wolfish body was wreathed with dark purple fire, and its glowing eyes met mine with obvious intent and intelligence.


    Someone cursed from my side, a deeper voice gave a pained grunt from the steps at my back. I wanted to help them, but¡­


    Scrambling on my hands and knees, I dragged myself free of the copsed rubble and up the side of the dais. Ellie had been sent sprawling by whatever st had knocked me off my feet, and shey twisted awkwardly, her wound stretched open and furiously pumping out blood.


    Nearly right in front of me, I watched the asura and the stranger struggle before vanishing into the portal. Stranger? some distant corner of my mind wondered. The words ¡°Help my sister¡± echoed in my mind yet again.


    ¡°Ellie!¡± I rolled her over, pressed my blood-stained hands to her wound. Saving her was all that mattered.


    The chant poured out of me, and mana followed it. Distantly, I heard the cries of pain and terror, the shifting of rubble, the shouts for help. Virion¡¯s crushed-gravel voice ground over the rest, calling my name, but I couldn¡¯t. I just couldn¡¯t leave Ellie. Not until¡ª


    Her eyes snapped open, blinking away the dust and blood. ¡°Arthur?¡±


    My throat constricted. I choked on my own words, swallowed heavily, and tried again. ¡°Hold still, Ellie. You¡¯re still hurt. You¡¯re¡ª¡±


    She tried to push herself up onto her elbows, despite the half-healed wound still piercing much of her body. I gently but firmly pushed her back down. Her hand grabbed mine, but instead of struggling against me, she only squeezed. ¡°Mom. It was¡­that was Arthur.¡±


    I shook my head, tears beginning to build up behind my eyes. ¡°No, honey, no. Your brother is¡­he¡¯s¡­¡± A cold nkness swept over my mind as I trailed off. I didn¡¯t know what I¡¯d seen, what I heard, but I couldn¡¯t dare to hope. Not now, not yet. I couldn¡¯t think about it. ¡°I still have a lot of healing to do, sweetheart. Just¡­just lie back, okay? Just let your mother work.¡±


    My heart nearly broke as my little girl gave me a look I could only describe as pitying, but she did as I said, and I closed my eyes and began chanting again, letting the entire world fall away, nothing in my mind except for her and the spell.


    Time became nothing, rushing past like an engorged spring river while simultaneously frozen, like a painting of the same. I knew others needed me too, but I ignored my guilt for saving my daughter, just as I ignored those who needed saving. The healing was slower, harder, without the guiding presence, but that was all right. Together, we had already healed the worst of her wound. And for what remained¡­


    I was strong enough on my own.


    Ellie¡¯s hand gripped mine, gently pushing it away from her. ¡°Mom, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m healed.¡± Her voice was soft and consoling.


    I startled, realizing she was right, and that I had been too intensely focused and not even sensing the wound, simply pouring healing magic into her. The spell faded, the magic dying out as I stopped channeling.


    My attention finally turned to the rest of the people in the cavern. Many were still struggling with fallen rubble, searching for survivors. I could see more than a few unmoving bodies. Panic surged through me as I searched for the Twin Horns.


    I found Ang Rose first, on the benches behind me, using gusts of desperate wind to hurl broken stone away from where I¡¯d nearly been crushed, and I remember the hand on my arm, just before the cave in.


    Heleny against the wall not far from the entrance, her eyes closed, her dark hair matted with blood. But there was a subtle rising and falling of her chest, so I knew she was alive.


    Before I could find Jasmine or Durden, the light of the nearby portal flickered, revealing a faint aura radiating out from the mana beast, who had been standing just before it, unmoving for some time.


    My eyes widened as a silhouette once again appeared within the portal frame. The portal itself wavered and dissolved, momentarily bing a pink mist wreathing the figure, then vanishing. The mana beast did the same an instantter, seeming to be incorporeal, then nothing but a ball of light, receding into the man¡¯s back.


    Golden eyes settled on Ellie and me. I searched them carefully, trying to prove to myself that the hope I felt was nothing more than a grieving mother¡¯s foolishness.


    His eyes were the wrong color, not Reynold¡¯s sapphire blue, and they were cold¡­but curious, too, and looking at us with a certain¡­familiarity.


    And this man didn¡¯t share my auburn locks. Instead, wheat-blond hair framed a face as hard and sharp as a de. The jawline, the curve of the cheeks, the line of the nose¡­no, the man was more mature, older¡­it couldn¡¯t be him. I knew it couldn¡¯t, as I knew the hope inside me would turn to poison if I let it linger, gave it light and life, only to be proved wrong.


    Then Ellie spoke. ¡°B-brother? Is that really you?¡±


    The man seemed to rx, and the otherworldly glow of power that had ringed him like a halo faded, allowing me to see him properly for what I felt like was the first time. ¡°Hey, El. It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    I grasped at Ellie¡¯s arm as she jumped up and ran to the figure, throwing her arms around him.


    Help my sister. That¡¯s what he¡¯d said when he arrived, before the thing went to Ellie. And there was something else. Words half-heard, but suppressed until the moment I could properly deal with them. Arthur Leywin? I¡¯m d you¡¯re here. But it wasn¡¯t possible.


    This stranger couldn¡¯t be my¡­


    I flinched as Ellie suddenly mmed her fist into the man¡¯s arm. ¡°I thought you were dead!¡±


    Those golden eyes met mine over Ellie¡¯s back as our rescuer pulled her into a tight embrace. He smiled, and it was like a bolt of lightning ran through me. That smile¡­I never thought I¡¯d see it again. It was Reynolds¡¯ smile, and it both lit and softened the man¡¯s face, letting the truth shine from him so bright and warm that the icy barrier I¡¯d been building around myself melted away.


    ¡°Hi Mom. I¡¯m back.¡±


    Arthur¡­it really was him. My son.


    I wanted to rush to him, to wrap him up in my arms like I could when he was just a little boy, hold him and squeeze him and make us both feel safe. But my knees were weak, and already I could feel the tearsing, stealing my breath away.


    There was so much I wanted to tell him.


    So much had been left unsaid, words that I thought I would never get the chance to say to him. How sorry I was, and how thankful. For him, and for everything he had brought into our lives. For how much he had sacrificed.


    I wanted to tell him how much he meant to me. How d I was to have him¡­as my son.


    I wanted to. And I would, eventually. But in that moment, it was all just too much.


    My hands flew to my face as my legs gave out, and I began weep.

 Chapter 383

    <h4>Chapter 383</h4>


    ARTHUR


    A cascade of cracked stones and rubble tumbled from the cave roof just over Ellie and me. With her in my arms, I turned and took a small step, letting the stones rain harmlessly on the dais behind me.


    Ellie winced. ¡°Oh, ouch.¡±


    Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying, her jaw tight with pain. I prodded at the hole in her clothes just below her ribs. The skin beneath was clean, only the barest hint of a scar. My mother had done a good job healing her.


    I sensed inward for Regis, who was hovering near my core, drawing hungrily from my aether. I couldn¡¯t sense anything different between us, even after our separation by the portal. Although the range we could travel apart had increased greatly, that was the first time we had been cut off from each other like that since he first appeared out of the lorite in my hand.


    d to have you back, Regis.


    Mypanion hummed his muted acknowledgement. Holding open the broken portal from this side had been a drain on him, and so I left him to rest and to continue drawing aether from my core.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been saved!¡± a young elven woman shouted suddenly, pulling me sharply out of my reunion with my family.


    Another voice called out, ¡°Our savior!¡±


    Ellie flinched away from the shout as she slipped past me and hurried to our mother¡¯s side, easing down beside her. Mom looked different. Not as different as me, maybe, but thinner, older...and something more difficult to pin down. There was a hardness to her, even as she shook and trembled on the floor.


    There was so much to say between us. Even if we had hours or days, I wasn¡¯t sure if that would be enough time. But we didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Is it really you, Lance Godspell?¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± the first woman said, now reaching out both her arms to me, ¡°speak to us!¡±


    I had seen faces like this, wide-eyed with awe and supplication, directed at me as King Grey but never as Arthur. It was a conflicting sight. I didn¡¯t want to be worshiped like some deity, an instant recement for the asuras who kept trying to kill these people despite having for so long been looked up to as gods.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your savior,¡± I said, gently removing my arm from the woman¡¯s grasp. My gaze shifted to where Rinia¡¯s bodyy in Virion¡¯s arms, and when I spoke again, I could hear the sadness in my own words. ¡°The leaders who brought you here...they are.¡±


    A tense, still silence followed my statement, at least among those who were more focused on me than the work still needing done around them.


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to be the focus of your false hope, a recement for that source of wonder the asuras gave you. Take strength from yourselves, don¡¯t force others to hold you up.¡± I paused, looking away from the crowd. ¡°The path is only going to grow more difficult from here.¡±


    I turned back to my mother and Ellie, hoping for even just a moment to be together, but it wasn¡¯t to be.


    Madam Astera limped up to the edge of the dais, leaning against it just beside my mother. Despite having dueled her and fought beside her when she lost her leg, I still saw her first as the hard-drinking cook I had met back when the war just started.


    But the look on her face now wasn¡¯t that of a cook. ¡°Alice, I¡¯m sorry to break this up, but there are too many wounded. We need you.¡±


    My mother wiped at her tears, smearing blood across her face, which made her look like some wild, fierce warrior. She nced up at me, and I knew that whatever we both needed to say could wait. I was here to keep her safe, and now she knew that I was alive.


    For the moment, that was enough.


    Mother turned and slid off the dais, moving first to Ang Rose and Durden, who I realized had been hunkered on one of the broad stone benches that encircled the Relictombs portal. Ang Rose seemed to be favoring her leg, but Durden was lying still, his eyes open but unfocused, a steady trail of blood flowing down over one ear.


    Regis, could you help my mom again, even if it¡¯s just the most dire ones. She won¡¯t have the strength to heal all these people alone.


    ¡®All I did was draw aether into the spell, which was reacting with the natural vivum in the...¡¯ Regis trailed off. ¡®Yeah, all right. But I better be getting some kind of raise, here.¡¯


    I watched as Regis drifted out of me, leapt across to where my mother had climbed up next to Durden¡ªearning a surprised yell from both Ang and Madem Astera¡ªand dematerialized, drifting into Durden¡¯s body.


    A blend of wariness and curiosity flitted in Ellie¡¯s eyes as she watched him go. When she looked away, her focus settled on the portal frame, which once again stood empty. ¡°Wait, where¡¯s Sylvie?¡± she asked in the tone of voice that suggested she already suspected the answer.


    I activated my dimension rune and called up the egg. The gloom leached the iridescent shine from it, and it looked like little more than a smooth rock. ¡°She¡¯s in here.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what does that mean?¡± Ellie asked, leaning down to peer at the stone in my hand. ¡°Is she okay? Why is she¡ª¡±


    I stopped her with a smile, though I knew it didn¡¯t reach my eyes. ¡°Later, okay?¡±


    Her mouth opened, more questions ready to tumble out, but she caught herself. Nodding firmly, she hopped to her feet with a poorly concealed wince. Her eyes jumped around from person to person, group to group, and mine followed.


    I didn¡¯t recognize everyone. It seemed like most were elves¡ªsurvivors who had fled Elenoir during the cryan invasion, I assumed. Those who weren¡¯t there when Aldir arrived.


    Helen Shard, leader of the Twin Horns, was unconscious but alive.


    Boo dragged himself up to his paws as I watched, shaking his head. Therge bearlike mana beast stiffened, staring around, but when he caught sight of Ellie, he rxed. His dark, beady eyes moved to me, and I could have sworn he squinted. I nodded, d to see my sister¡¯s bond was alive. The bear hesitated for a moment, then nodded in return.


    Virion was closest, his cheek resting on the top of Rinia¡¯s head, his arms wrapped around her to hold her prone form upright against his chest. He stared at the ground at my feet, almost as if he was avoiding looking at me. As much as I wanted to offer himfort, though, there were too many people who needed my help.


    Scrambling to dig away a pile of small stones near the back of the room, an uncharacteristic look of desperation on his face, was Gideon. His entire body was covered in a thickyer of gray dust, but he himself didn¡¯t seem injured. Which meant...


    Ducking through the empty stone rectangle that was the portal frame, I leapt off the dais and climbed up a rockslide until I was next to him. Gideon looked at me with wide, bloodshot eyes beneath half-grown brows. Despite his obvious terror, he still paused long enough to give me a thorough inspection.


    He wheezed, coughing up a lungful of dusty air. ¡°Em...ily,¡± he choked out between more coughs.


    I scanned the hill of stones and dirt, cursing myck of ability to sense mana. ¡°Stand back,¡± I said, pushing aether out of my core and beginning to shape it.


    Though the aether within the in-between realm where I¡¯d fought Taci had reacted to my will instantly and in ways I didn¡¯t fully understand, such as the formation of the tforms that had consistently appeared just where and when I¡¯d needed them, now that I was back in the real world, I felt the same struggle I always had.


    But I had experienced what was possible.


    Picturing the shape in my mind, I shuffled to the side and released an aetheric st over the surface of the rockslide, carefully molding the st to only scrape away the top couple inches of stone. When it worked, I did it again, then a third time, revealing the scratched surface of a stone bench.


    A gust of wind sted upward, coiling and spinning so that the remaining dirt and gravel was suspended in a funnel of air over three huddled figures.


    Jasminey atop Emily Watkins, my old friend from Xyrus Academy and Gideon¡¯s apprentice, and a girl I only knew from my visions within the seeing relic. All three looked choked with dust and half suffocated, their faces blotchy red and caked in sweat-moistened dust. Jasmine must have shielded the two young women when the ceiling copsed on them.


    With a jerk of her arm, Jasmine sent the revolving debris ttered to the ground in a rough circle around us. She leaned back against one bench and rested her head against the cool stone. I was surprised when her red eyes opened a slit and stared at me. I¡¯d nearly forgotten.


    Gideon pulled Emily to her feet and began brushing her off with rough pats. Her green hair was a tangled mess, and her sses had been knocked askew. One lens was cracked, and she had a bloody gash across the bridge of her nose, which was probably broken. Other than that, she didn¡¯t seem dangerously injured.


    I grabbed the third figure, an elf girl perhaps slightly younger than my sister, and helped her to sit up. She scooted away from me to lean against Jasmine, who winced. Only then did I see the deep gash in Jasmine¡¯s side, a clean cut that sheared through the ck leather of her armor and the flesh beneath.


    She followed my gaze, staring at the wound as if only just noticing it was there. The elf girl did the same, whimpering quietly. ¡°J-Jasmine...?¡±


    My old mentor and friend ruffled the girl¡¯s hair in a very un-Jasmine-like way. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Her scarlet gaze moved back to me. ¡°So, while we were all here fighting for our lives, you were busy getting your hair dyed, huh?¡±


    I let out a startledugh. It resounded awkwardly through the cave, shing against the noises of pain and remorse that surrounded me. ¡°I¡¯m d you recognized me.¡±


    Jasmine shrugged. ¡°You could havee back with green skin and three heads, and I¡¯d still know you. I¡¯m...d you¡¯re not dead, Arthur.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m d you figured out how to use your tongue while I was away,¡± I said, nudging her foot with mine.


    Emily reached out and touched my arm as if trying to make sure I was real. ¡°Art? Is it really...¡± She paused, and I realized there was a greenish tint to her face that matched her hair. ¡°Um, just a...¡± Turning, she rushed away, bent over, and was sick.


    ¡°Stay here, I¡¯ll go get my mother,¡± I said, watching Emily with a look of concern etched on my face.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Jasmine repeated insistently. Then she nced at Emily¡¯s back. ¡°She may have hit her head though.¡±


    ¡°All right, just wait here,¡± I said, scanning the room for my mother.


    She had moved from Durden to a small, huddled group of elves. An elderly woman was lying on the ground between them. I could see Regis within her, moving throughout her body and drawing aether to himself. The aether seemed to ignore her wounds, and my mother was shaking her head.


    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to steady myself. Even with magic, it was impossible to save everyone.


    When I opened my eyes, Mom was looking in my direction. I waved my hand and pointed at Emily and Jasmine. She nodded and held up one finger, then turned back to the elves.


    With Jasmine and Emily out of immediate danger, I began to hurry along the upper ring of benches, searching the room below for anyone who looked as if they needed help. As I did, many pairs of eyes followed me, filled with hope and fear, the awe I inspired in them written clearly on their filthy faces.


    I passed a young elf about my age. He was sitting on the ground between two corpses, his head in his hands. Both bodies were carved nearly in two¡ªone of Taci¡¯s ranged attacks that I hadn¡¯t been able to stop.


    But when he looked up at me, I didn¡¯t see my failure reflected back in his eyes. He scrambled forward onto his knees, bowing.


    ¡°T-thank you,¡± he stammered. ¡°Justice for the f-fallen.¡± When he looked up again, his eyes were hard and full of fire. ¡°May all the asura burn, like the trees of Elenoir.¡± I couldn¡¯t help the thought that both his words and his voice seemed too old for him, like the war had aged him beyond his years.


    Nodding, I moved on, keeping up a quick circuit of the cavern, my mind and spirit both heavy.


    Near the arched door, which led out into a hallway covered in carvings, several corpsesy butchered. Guards, by the look of them. I found no familiar faces among them until¡ª


    ¡°Albold,¡± I muttered, going to one knee beside the young elven guard who I had first met in the flying castle. His skin was pale and cold to the touch, his eyes staring sightlessly up at the unstable ceiling.


    Where his chest used to be, there was now only a bloody hole.


    I closed his eyes, bowing my head over him, but only for a moment. There were more living than dead, and I needed to make sure they stayed that way.


    There will be time for mourningter, I told myself.


    Not far from the entrance, an older woman with a bloodstained face reached out and grabbed my hand, tugging insistently. When she tried to speak, I realized her jaw had been broken, but she was sitting off to the side by herself and no one seemed to have noticed. As I bent down to lift her in my arms, there was a sharp grinding noise and a puff of dust as the ceiling shifted above us.


    I grabbed her and used God Step, letting the paths guide me across the room, where I appeared next to my mother. Wordlessly, I set the woman down, then God Stepped back across the cave just as the ceiling copsed.


    Aether rushed to my hand, then outward in a st of energy that destroyed the copsing stone.


    My gaze tracked over the benches and rubble even as vibrant purple arcs of lightning still ran over my limbs, but everyone else had been quick enough to pull away from the rockslide.


    ¡°A true deity,¡± one of those still watching me with awe said a quiet, almost reverent voice.


    ¡°Lance Godspell!¡± someone cheered, and several others followed suit.


    But a different voice cut across these, raised in frustration and anger, drawing my attention to the dais in the middle of the cave.


    Framed in front of the empty portal, Madam Astera stood awkwardly, the foot of her prosthetic leg shattered, leaving it a few inches shorter than the other. Her finger was pointed down at Virion, her voice raised like she was scolding a child.


    Feeling as though I was being pulled in twenty different directions at once, I hopped down the steps and over onto the dais. Astera turned at the sound of my approach, her brows raised. ¡°Is it true then? Is it you, Lance Arthur Leywin?¡±


    I gave her a hard look. ¡°It is. Now what¡¯s going on?¡±


    The older woman¡¯s brows turned down in anger, and her jaw tightened. After a moment, however, she took a long breath and let the tension fall away. ¡°You talk some sense into him, then. We need a n, Arthur, and we need to get moving.¡±


    Astera limped down the steps that led off the dais, shaking her head, but I was focused on Virion.


    He didn¡¯t look at me until I settled down next to him. The woman in his arms was Rinia, I knew that, but she looked so old, like she¡¯d been living ten days for every one that passed.


    ¡°She was using her powers too much,¡± Virion confirmed, as if plucking the thought from my mind. ¡°Saw Taciing, but couldn¡¯t figure out how to escape it.¡± He closed his eyes and shook his head bitterly. ¡°I failed her, Arthur. I wasn¡¯t there when she needed me.¡±


    I felt a pang as Virion¡¯s regret and self-doubt matched my own. Reaching out, I took a firm hold of his forearm. ¡°She did what she had to do, Virion. Rinia knew better than any of us the price of using her power, and she did it anyway.¡± I gently pushed aside a lock of gray-white hair that had fallen over her face. ¡°My mother and sister are alive because of Rinia. Again...¡±


    Rinia Darcassan had always been an enigmatic character in my life, quick to dole out mysterious, vaguely-worded advice but withholding any real details on the future. And yet, when things were most dire, she seemed to appear out of nowhere, like a ghost from the shadows, to deliver salvation.


    An echo of her words from so long ago came back to me then, almost like I was hearing them for the first time.


    She¡¯d told me to have an anchor, to set myself a goal, and I thought I had: power, enough to keep those I loved safe, but...


    I looked down at her, then around at the destroyed cave.


    It had never been enough.


    Which, I suppose, was why she gave me another piece of adviceter on: ¡°Do not fall back to your old ways. As you well know, the deeper you go into that pit, the harder it will be to climb back out.¡±


    And I did have a long way to climb to be the person I wanted to be. The callouses I¡¯d built up around myself to survive in crya wouldn¡¯t fade in a day, but they would eventually, if I let them.


    ¡°As soon as my mother has healed who she can, we should get moving,¡± I said, watching Virion carefully. I had no way of knowing everything he had been through since my disappearance, but he seemed much too close to his breaking point. ¡°Perhaps we can set up a kind of cairn or¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Virion said, his eyes shing. ¡°I can¡¯t¡ªI won¡¯t leave her down here.¡±


    I nodded in understanding, but shot pointed looks at several other corpses, clearly visible among the wreckage. ¡°I understand, Virion. I¡¯ll return for the bodiester, then. So they can all receive proper burials.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Virion¡¯s voice gave out, and he shrugged. ¡°Very well then. I...I do not understand this...how you are here...but I am d you¡¯re alive, Arthur. These people need a strong leader.¡±


    I rested a hand on his shoulder, looking him gravely in the eyes. ¡°They already have one.¡±


    As if waiting for some cue, Astera reappeared with Helen, Gideon, and a middle-aged elven woman I didn¡¯t know.


    The inventor held out a hand to me. I took it firmly, ncing to where Emily sat huddled with Jasmine, Ellie, and the young elf girl. Boo was keeping so close to my sister he was practically sitting on her.


    ¡°Concussed, but your mother has already seen to it,¡± Gideon said, his voice raw. ¡°Got here just in the nick of time, as usual. Like to make an entrance, don¡¯t you, Arthur?¡±


    Despite his scathing tone, I knew this was Gideon¡¯s way of saying thank you while deflecting any real emotion.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have plenty of time to y catch up and figure out where Lance Arthur has been hiding all these months after we get the hell out of here,¡± Astera cut in. ¡°We¡¯re all that remains of the council, at least here. The yders, Earthborns, and the Ivsaar boy should be scattered all over the tunnels, waiting for word that it¡¯s safe toe out.¡±


    ¡°But where do we go from here?¡± the elven woman asked. She had a kind face beneath a tangled web of auburn hair that had just started to gray. ¡°We can¡¯t exactly return to the sanctuary,promised as it is.¡± Bright, leaf green eyes focused on me. ¡°What is your guidance, Lance?¡±


    ¡°Please, Arthur¡¯s just arrived back,¡± Helen said quickly, a defensive edge to her tone. ¡°He likely had no idea what he was walking into. You can¡¯t expect him to simply take up leadership of all these people, Saria.¡±


    The elf woman bowed her head deferentially. ¡°Of course, Ms. Shard. I simply thought, due to his obvious strength, perhaps...¡±


    ¡°Virion, do you have anything to put in?¡± Gideon asked into the silence that followed the elf, Saria¡¯s, words.


    Everyone looked down at themander, who was still sitting on the ground with Rinia pulled against him. His gaze trailed from one set of feet to the next, never going higher. Just when it seemed he wouldn¡¯t respond at all, Virion said, ¡°I need time. Do not look to me for leadership, not now. I can¡¯t give it to you.¡±


    Saria kneeled down to him, reaching out her hand, then hesitating and withdrawing it. ¡°Virion. You have been a hero to all elves for my entire life. And I understand the pain you face now, I do. My own mother lies dead not fifty feet from here. But we must not give in to our sorrows, lest we risk losing all the rest, too.¡±


    I held out my hand to Virion. ¡°She¡¯s right, Gramps. We need you.¡±


    Virion looked between us, heavy tears shining in his eyes, and took my hand. Saria eased Rinia¡¯s corpse to the ground while I pulled Virion to his feet. We all watched in silence as Saria undid the sash around her waist andid it respectfully across Rinia¡¯s face.


    ws scratched against stone as Regis loped over to us, making the rest of the council members flinch back.


    ¡°We¡¯ve done everything we can for the wounded,¡± he said tiredly, then drifted into my body.


    The others stared at me in confusion, but were too tired and overwhelmed to press for details.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get moving then,¡± I said, already feeling the weight of theirbined expectation.


    ***


    Though exhausted and wary of more traveling, no one among the survivors was eager to linger in the cave, which continued to tremble and rain down dust and gravel at random intervals. I caught many nervous nces being thrown at the portal frame as well, as if they feared Taci might spring back out of it at any moment.


    The deceased wereid out as respectfully as we could manage in the moment, but then we moved on.


    The tunnel leading away from the descension chamber was entirely covered in carvings unlike anything I¡¯d seen around the Relictombs in crya. I could only hope there would be an opportunity to return in the future, as I had promised Virion, so that I could study them more closely.


    We didn¡¯t go far before Ellie grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. ¡°There is a...thing up ahead. A trap.¡±


    Moving forward alone, I found the passage inundated with aether. I could feel the edge of its effect, warning me away from this ce, urging us forward at all speed. I reached for that aether, feeling its purpose and the shape of the spell cast by the djinn so long ago, and as if the hallway were filled with cobwebs, I waved it aside.


    There was a violet shimmer in the air as the aether particles sank back into the walls, clearing the passage.


    A gasp ran through the group. I ignored it, waving a hand forward. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving.¡±


    This tunnel was deep under the sanctuary, and we marched for more than an hour without seeing any signs of life.


    Ellie, who had been walking with me at the front and giving me directions, suddenly held up a hand, forcing a stop. ¡°There is a mana signature ahead, just there.¡±


    As she said it, half a face peeked out of a narrow tunnel branching off the wider path we were taking. Raven-ck hair framed a pale, porcin face, out of which stared onerge, chocte-colored eye.


    Kathyln¡¯s thin lips parted as she stepped out into the open, seeming to forget her wariness. She scanned the group quickly, but her gaze settled on me, and she frowned deeply. She looked at Ellie, then me again, and finally rubbed her eyes. ¡°Who...A-Art? Is that...?¡±


    ¡°No time,¡± Astera grumbled from atop Boo. ¡°Where is the rest of your group?¡±


    Kathyln had taken several quick steps toward me, but stopped at Astera¡¯s words and straightened suddenly at the reminder of the reason she had been hiding. ¡°We took shelter in a cave about twenty minutes farther down this tunnel. After feeling the asura¡¯s intent vanish, I came out to wait. I haven¡¯t seen anyone else.¡±


    Our group rested while Kathyln hurried off to retrieve another group of survivors. When they returned, I was pleased to see how many there were. A moment was taken for reunions, then we began marching forward again.


    It was Boo who warned us next, sniffing deeply and bullying past me to get in front of Ellie, earning a startled yelp from Astera.


    ¡°What is it, Boo?¡± Ellie asked, pressing her hand into his thick brown fur. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s someoneing. They smell like blood.¡±


    I stepped out in front of the group and waited, aether swirling between my fingers in case I needed to form a weapon.


    Slow, unsteady footsteps resounded down the tunnel just before a silhouette coalesced out of the darkness. For an instant I thought it must be some kind of monster, then I realized the truth.


    A tall, broad-shouldered man was approaching, and in his arms he held another, thinner figure. Mahogany-colored hair rose up from the man¡¯s head, spiky like a lion¡¯s mane. Intense brown eyes searched desperately for something behind me.


    ¡°Curtis!¡± Kathyln yelled, breaking from the group and sprinting past me, only to pull up short.


    ¡°Oh, oh no...¡±


    I moved forward cautiously, focusing on the unmoving form in Curtis yder¡¯s arms. The blonde, braided hair was matted with blood, the face nearly unrecognizable. Still, I knew the curve of his brows and shape of his ears.


    Curtis sagged, and I darted forward to scoop up Feyrith¡¯s body before it tumbled to the ground.


    The tunnels went cold and silent as I stared down at the body of my once friend and rival.


    I didn¡¯t expect so many goodbyes, so soon after my return, I thought, letting a cold sense of detachment keep the sorrow at bay.

 Chapter 384

    <h4>Chapter 384</h4>


    ELEANOR LEYWIN


    My heart gave a painful squeeze as I saw my brother holding Feyrith¡¯s body. Pressure built ufortably behind my eyes, but I didn¡¯t have any tears left.


    Albold, Feyrith, Rinia...and how many others, people whose names I don¡¯t even know?


    The shock of so many conflicting emotions scraped at me, making me feel raw, brittle. From certainty of my own death to wordless amazement and joy at my brother¡¯s return...to the slow dawning realization of how much had been taken from us in thest several hours.


    As if sensing my difort, Mom wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close.


    We stayed back and watched as Durden hurried forward to conjure an earthen bier for Feyrith¡¯s body. I felt a pang of guilt thinking of all the bodies we¡¯d left down in that weird chamber, but reminded myself that the living were more important right now.


    The dead had time to wait.


    Then, we were moving again. Arthur and the yders walked ahead, and I found my gaze constantly settling on my brother¡¯s back, watching his soft, strong steps and the effortless way he seemed tomand the others without even trying. It was like his mere presence settled our minds and spirits...or maybe it just settled mine.


    I caught Mom watching him too, her face slipping between little frowns and half-hidden smiles.


    Just a couple minutes farther down the tunnel, Curtis and Kathyln broke away, heading to get all the people who had been traveling in Curtis¡¯s group. He confirmed that all the refugees who had been hidden with Feyrith¡ªat least fifty people¡ªwere dead. After that, we found the rest of the surviving groups one by one.


    Hornfels and Skarn Earthborn had each led separate groups, but in simr directions, and had sealed the tunnels behind them, only letting the conjured barriers fall away when they sensed our group approach and Curtis confirmed through the walls that the asura was dead.


    By the time we reached the main cavern, we were a long, winding river of tired, frightened, surprised-to-be-alive people. The tunnel mouth had copsed, but the Earthborns easily moved it aside, revealing a pile of corpses: the guards who had been at the rear.


    Arthur went through first, along with a group of our strongest mages, instructing everyone else to stay in the tunnels.


    It was soforting to have him there, to watch him step right back into the role of protector as if he¡¯d never left, but I couldn¡¯t help but also be a little sad. Seeing how the others looked at him, how even the members of the council seemed to walk just a step behind him at all times, it felt like he was there but still somehow just out of reach.


    Like he was keeping us all at arm¡¯s length...or maybe it was the other way around. By immediately treating him like he was some storybook savior, everyone was pushing him away, putting him in front of us like a shield instead of weing him back with open arms.


    I shook my head to snap myself out of it. We would have time to do all the lovey-family stuff when we were safe.


    From the mouth of the tunnel, I could see Arthur and the others fan out, carefully scanning the wreckage of the sanctuary, which had been our home for so long. The ce was in ruins. Huge gashes had been carved in the ceiling and walls, giant boulders had fallen down on the vige, crushing entire houses, and everything was sted with ice and lightning.


    There was movement to our left, and a figure stepped up onto a higher shelf of rock to look down at everyone else.


    I slipped free of my mother¡¯s grip and took a few quick steps out into the cavern, stepping over familiar bodies in order to see what was happening.


    ¡°Lance Bairon!¡± Curtis shouted, his voice echoing eerily in the otherwise deathly quiet. ¡°You¡ªyou¡¯re okay!¡±


    Despite standing straight and tall, it looked for all the world like the Lance had been chewed up by some giant mana beast and spit back out. ¡°I was lucky that the¡ª¡± He cut off suddenly, staring down at the group of mages. ¡°Who...?¡±


    ¡°Bairon,¡± my brother said. Anyone who didn¡¯t know him might not have sensed it, but I could hear the undercurrent of tension in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m d to know I¡¯m not thest of the Lances¡ª¡±


    ¡°Arthur!¡± Bairon burst out, sputtering.


    The wounded Lance half-slid, half-jumped down a section of crumbled wall that made a ramp up onto the higher ledge, rushed toward my brother¡ªwhose eyes went wide with surprise¡ªand grabbed him by the shoulders. The usually stoic Lance had tears in his eyes and he stared at Arthur in disbelief, then he leaned forward, resting his forehead against Arthur¡¯s in a sign of respect and care.


    Two more figures appeared on top of the ledge, and I felt my jaw fall ck.


    Lances Varay and Mica looked a lot different from thest time I¡¯d seen them¡ªin the castle, before Elder Rinia had rescued us from the cryans.


    Lance Varay followed Bairon down. Her long, snow-white hair had been cut short, and instead of her uniform, she wore battered and ruined silver armor. As Bairon finally released my brother and took a step aside, Varay stepped into his ce, her arms slipping around my brother¡¯s waist in a soft embrace. One of her arms was an icy, deep blue, and shined like ss.


    I was surprised by how small she seemed next to Arthur. How...normal.


    Still standing on the ledge above, Mica snorted. ¡°You¡¯rete."


    The dwarven Lance was badly injured. An ugly wound marred the left side of her face, and a ck gem glinted in the socket where her eye should have been. She was leaning on a huge stone hammer, watching Arthur and Varay with a look I couldn¡¯t read.


    I realized with a spike of rm that I could barely sense the Lances¡¯ mana signatures. Even though it must have been hours since their battle with Taci ended, they still seemed near the edge of bacsh.


    Varay pulled back from Arthur, inspecting him closely. ¡°It¡¯s good to have you back, and apparently in the final moments before disaster. You must have been what the old elven seer sawing?¡±


    Arthur cleared his throat, looking ufortable. ¡°That seems to be the case, yes, though I had no idea what I would be walking into.¡± He paused and looked around. ¡°Where is Aya¡ª¡±


    ¡°Brother!¡± I said, the word slipping out almost without my meaning to.


    Everyone turned to look at me, brows raised in surprise or lowered in clear irritation, like I should know better than to interrupt when the adults were speaking.


    Boo stepped around me, his eyes narrowing in the direction I had felt it.


    ¡°There are mana signaturesing,¡± I said past the lump in my throat, pointing toward where dim beams of light were piercing the cavern ceiling. Sand was raining down through the light, and as we all watched it seemed to pick up, bing a steady stream. ¡°A whole lot of them.¡±


    I realized then that people had been slowly trickling out of the tunnel mouth behind me, because they all began to panic and surge back toward the tunnel entrance, pushing at the people just trying toe out, and I was suddenly caught in the middle of it, being jostled from all sides.


    Boo gave a warning growl as he stepped in to shield me from the rushing bodies.


    ¡°Everyone, back to the tunnel!¡± Bairon barked, his voice still heavy with authority despite his injured state.


    Despite his own words, he and the other Lances hesitated. Varay said something, questioning, her expression strained. Arthur¡¯s reply was short and met with clear frustration from the others, but then someone bumped hard against my elbow and I stumbled, reaching out to Boo for support. By the time I looked back, the Lances were marching in our direction, though not without throwing resigned nces back at my brother.


    Arthur¡¯s form grew smaller, the only one still moving away as he walked toward the oing mana signatures. Alone.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just let him go by himself!¡± I said as Kathyln hurried past me.


    The once-princess gave me a wry, apologetic smile as she slipped her arm into mine. Wordlessly, she began pulling me gently, but firmly, back toward the others.


    Boo gave me a sniff and nudged me hard with his nose, growling.


    ¡°Boo thinks we should fight too,¡± I muttered, a sense of foreboding filling me with nervous energy that made my fingers tingle and yearn for a bow to hold, since mine had, yet again, been destroyed.


    ¡°Boo is brave,¡± Curtis said from Kathyln¡¯s other side, smiling sadly. ¡°Grawder has been eager for battle as well, but to be honest, I think he¡¯s enjoying his current duty.¡±


    I looked into the dark mouth of the tunnel, but it was packed with people, and Grawder was too far back for me to see. I knew, though, that Curtis had set the giant world lion to guard the many children that were with us, including my friend Camellia, who was no doubt chafing at being treated like a little kid.


    When I turned back to the cavern, Arthur had crossed over a pile of rubble that had fallen across the once-beautiful little stream that ran through the cavern. His steps were light, almost rxed, as he approached where the sand pooled over the smooth stone floor.


    The movement of the flowing sand shifted, taking on an undting pattern of waves, then condensing into several smoothly flowing pirs. Up above, I could just make out a bunch of shadows descending down through the pirs like they were elevators, followed immediately by several more. At the bottom, fifty feet from where Arthur stood, cryan soldiers began pouring out of the sand.


    The ground beneath my feet trembled, and walls of semi-transparent ice began growing up from the floor in a rough curve around the entrance. Only Arthur was outside the barrier, facing a literal army of cryans all by himself.


    Helen Shard appeared at that moment, shuffling through the crowd to stand next to mother. She waved for me to join them, reaching out for me to take her hand. Next to me, the wall was growing quickly; it was already beginning to curve overhead, and in moments would entirely contain the tunnel opening and everyone inside.


    Half the faces were turned inward, calming and encouraging, while the rest stared out through the ice, trying to see what was going on. The air was thick with tension and a smothering sort of silence. The other Lances stared most intently of all, someplexbination of hope, frustration, and fear written on each of their faces.


    Once again, everyone was standing back, looking to my brother as a savior, no one standing at his side.


    Has he been alone all this time? I wondered, trying and failing to imagine what might have been on the other side of that portal.


    It wasn¡¯t fair that all these people were just going to push their burdens off on Arthur. It didn¡¯t matter how strong he was, he shouldn¡¯t have to do everything by himself. He needed to know that there were still people by his side.


    Without deciding to, I was moving. Helen¡¯s eyes widened as I plucked the bow right out of her hand, then shot toward the still-growing walls. My mother¡¯s voice cut over the general din, but I didn¡¯t look back as I leapt up the stone wall of the cavern, caught my toes into a shallow indentation, and then pushed upward, reaching for the top of the curving ice.


    My chest hit hard, and I nearly slipped and tumbled backwards as I struggled to hold onto the moving edge of the ice barrier. Swinging inward, I kicked off the ice and pulled my body up over the lip, so suddenly I was on the outside of the carve and sliding downwards. A momentter, Inded in a roll, curling myself protectively around the bow and then letting momentum carry me back up to the feet, already running.


    I could still hear my mother¡¯s yells for a few seconds, then the ice barrier must have closed over everyone and sealed them in, because the sound cut out.


    Staying close to the cavern wall, I jumped down the rocky slope that led to where the now-dry stream used to run down into a series of cracks in the wall and floor that were too small for a person to get through. I leapt the algae-slick stones at the bottom of the stream and scrambled up onto a higher shelf of rock on the other side, then from there to another, before finally hiding myself in a fold in the cavern wall that perfectly hid me from the cryans.


    Arthur¡¯s eyes flicked to me. I was over a hundred feet away, but I could see into his bright gold eyes as if he was standing right next to me. He made a face like he was concentrating on something, the same face he always made when he would talk to Sylvie in his head, and the shadow-and-fire wolf leapt out of him and ran in my direction.


    I felt a moment of uncertainty, and Boo appeared next to me with a pop.


    The shadow wolf jumped up to me with a single leap. ¡°Stay back, stay quiet,¡± he said gruffly before turning and settling protectively in front of me.


    Boo eyed the wolf¡ªRegis, I reminded myself¡ªand moved next to him, matching his defensive posturepetitively.


    So much for staying hidden, I thought. But at least Arthur knew I was out here with him. He knew he wasn¡¯t alone.


    Arthur still hadn¡¯t attacked, only let more and more of the cryanse down through the earthen elevators. As each battle group appeared, they rushed into formation before conjuring swirling barriers of air, translucent panels of mana, and flickering walls of me.


    I didn¡¯t understand why he wasn¡¯t doing anything. Why let them prepare? He wasn¡¯t afraid, anyone could tell that just by looking at him. Arthur was calm almost to the point of seeming casual, his golden eyes tracking across the enemy force intently, but without any sign of concern.


    Finally, an cryan soldier stepped forward. He was a thin man in silky ck battlerobes that were tied tightly to his body by a series of belts. Dozens of daggers were sheathed to the belts on his arms and across his torso. A bright white scar cut across the almond skin of his hard-lined face, and his dark eyes were watching Arthur carefully.


    At the man¡¯s back, at least fifty battle groups were arranged in rows, all of them focused entirely on Arthur, ready tounch spells at the man¡¯smand.


    ¡°Give me your name,¡± the cryan leader shouted, his voice rough and slightly nasally. When Arthur didn¡¯t immediately reply, he went on. ¡°We are hunting Dicathian rebels. There was very recently arge-scale disturbance of mana in this location, and we have reason to believe that a sizable group of rebels is hidden here. Are you their leader? Tell your people to surrender peacefully, and we may avoid any unnecessary bloodshed.¡±


    ¡°Avoiding unnecessary bloodshed is what I would like as well,¡± Arthur said nonchntly. Then, firmer, he added, ¡°So turn around and leave.¡±


    The cryan¡¯s face reddened. He flicked his wrist, and the knives all over his body flickered out of their sheaths, hovering around him, the gleaming steel des all pointed at my brother. At the same time, his soldiers all stepped forward, igniting spells and conjuring magical weapons and armor.


    ¡°By the decree of retainer Lyra Dreide, in her position of interim regent of Dicathen, all native-born Dicathians who raise arms against any faithful servant of the Vritra, or who willfully disobey any order by an crya soldier or official operating in the High Sovereign¡¯s name, may be struck down to ensure the peace,¡± the man said, rattling the words off as if he¡¯d said them many times before.


    ¡°If you resist, you and all those who have been foolish enough to follow you will be put to the¡ª¡±


    My knees gave out, and I sank down to the ground, unable to escape the sudden weight pressing down on me. I felt lost and trapped at the same time, as if I was being swallowed up by an ocean of thick ck tar. Boo spun, whining, his own huge bulk shaking with a fear I could feel in my bones.


    Through the gap between the two mana beasts, I could just see the cryan leader sputtering out a series of wheezing, choking breaths. It was Arthur¡¯s intent, I realized. Even from where I was, all the way at the edge of the cavern, it stole the breath from my lungs.


    Among the rows of soldiers, many fell to their knees as I had, their held spells fizzling out in their hands. My senses sharpened as I instinctively slid into the first phase of Boo¡¯s beast will, and suddenly, I could hear their whispered prayers to the Vritra and the heady stink of their fear.


    With my sharper senses and instincts provided by the beast will, I could tell just how controlled and precise Arthur was being. This was only a warning, a stifled show of power.


    ¡°Casters!¡± the leader gasped out. ¡°Release spells!¡±


    I sucked in a terrified breath as dozens of spells shot toward Arthur. Regis stiffened, but did not move away as we both watched Arthur raise a hand.


    A shower of bright purple light exploded forward, like ten thousand lightning-bolts all tied together at their tails. The hail of spellfire converging on Arthur vanished into the radiant st as it kept fanning out from him. The leader¡¯s eyes widened and he scrambled back, several shields appearing in front of him, but it wasn¡¯t enough. He, too, vanished in the st, shields and all.


    The amethyst wave rolled over the front line of the enemy forces, then crackled out, leaving only a bright pink afterimage that I couldn¡¯t blink away.


    Arthur was unhurt. None of the spells had even reached him. The cryan leader was entirely gone, and the closest battle groups had been reduced to smoking lumps.


    The rest were so motionless I would have thought time itself had stopped, except that Arthur took a single, steady step forward and leveled them with an imperious re. ¡°Leave now. It¡¯s not toote.¡±


    Like the breaking of a spell, the cryans burst into sudden panicked movement, stumbling over themselves and each other as they began to flee.


    The columns of sand shuddered and reversed course, falling back up to the desert it hade from. The cryans were sprinting back into the columns, their shadows just visible as the magic lifted them up and out of the cavern.


    I squeezed my eyes shut, hard, still struggling to catch my breath as the weight of Arthur¡¯s intent chased the cryans away. I couldn¡¯t believe what I¡¯d just seen.


    At least fifty men¡ªtrained cryan soldiers and mages¡ªhad just fallen before Arthur in the blink of an eye, and my brother hadn¡¯t even been scratched. I¡¯d seen him fight before, raining down spellfire on the mana beast hordes that attacked the Wall, but this was different...a casual kind of massacre. Arthur had waved his hand and snuffed the life out of the enemy, as simple as that. It was...scary.


    As thest of the cryans hurried to escape, I slipped down from my hiding spot and made my way toward Arthur, who had only watched as they fled. His strange, golden eyes left the enemy and turned to me, a slight frown wrinkling his older, sharper features. The weight of his gaze made my back bend and my knees tremble as I found myself suddenly nervous to be alone with him.


    Boo nuzzled my side, and that glowing golden energy that gave me courage pushed away the moment of hesitation.


    Arthur smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve reached the Acquire stage. I wasn¡¯t even sure if your and Boo¡¯s bond worked like that, considering.¡±


    ¡°Oh, um...yeah,¡± I said awkwardly, caught off guard. My eyes jumped to what was left of the cryan corpses, and Arthur¡¯s followed. ¡°Why did you let them go?¡±


    Arthur frowned toward the sand, which had returned to falling in rainy sheets, the magic affecting it broken. He put his hand on my head and mussed my hair lightly, his expression suddenly strained, like his sour frown was hiding a deeper, stronger sense of hurt. ¡°Those people aren¡¯t our enemies. They¡¯re just following orders, trying to survive, same as us. I¡¯d like to give them a chance.¡±


    The sound of ice cracking fell away, and I nced toward where the rest of the Dicathians were starting to spread out away from the tunnel entrance.


    ¡°Do you really think we can win like that?¡± I asked, wondering again what Arthur must have been through while he was gone. ¡°It¡¯s not like they¡¯ve treated us like people. If we¡¯re afraid to¡ª¡±


    Arthur wrapped his arm around my shoulder, cutting me off. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid to fight, El.¡± He gave me a wry smile. ¡°Neither are you, obviously. But we should be afraid to be as bad as the thing we¡¯re fighting against.¡±


    Arthur left me to ponder his words, turning toward Lance Varay, who was the first to arrive, flying as she was, but Mom was right behind her, looking thunderous. She looked from me to Arthur as she approached, though, and slowed down, taking a deep breath.


    I hurried to her, wrapping my arms around her waist, not saying anything.


    She smoothed down my hair, taking my lead in remaining quiet. Most of the crowd stayed well back, and I could see the same hesitancy and intimidation I had felt only a minute ago written inly across their faces.


    ¡°We can¡¯t stay here now,¡± Varay said, eying the aftermath of the battle with a calcting expression. ¡°General Arthur, did you have some n for what to do next?¡±


    Arthur nced at Lance Mica, approaching on foot next to Bairon. ¡°Yeah, I have an idea.¡±

 Chapter 385

    <h4>Chapter 385</h4>


    ARTHUR


    There was too much to do after the cryan attack. With the djinn sanctuary exposed, it was no longer safe. Somehow, we had to move several hundred people across the Darvish desert, keeping them safe both from the elements and the cryans.


    As people continued to pour out of the tunnels, the leadership gathered across the stream near where I¡¯d fought the cryan forces. Varay flew up through the holes in the ceiling to scout while the rest of us discussed what the next step would be.


    ¡°Xyrus would make more sense,¡± Madam Astera was saying. She was leaning back in a conjured chair of soft earth, massaging the stump of her leg, the broken prosthetic abandoned on the ground nearby. ¡°We can disperse the non-fighters throughout the viges around Sapin¡¯s southern border. If we can make it to ckbend City, General Arthur can easily get us to a teleportation chamber.¡±


    The old soldier wore a cold smirk as she added, ¡°Then we just unleash him on the forces guarding the city. It would be ours in a night.¡±


    There were a few murmured agreements at this idea, but Hornfels Earthborn was quick to step in. ¡°The Sapin border is twice as far as Darv¡¯s capital city, and there aren¡¯t any tunnel systems that far north. Plus, we¡¯d be abandoning the civilians if the cryans pursued them after we¡¯d left.¡±


    ¡°But surely they wouldn¡¯t waste their time, would they?¡± the elven council member, Saria, asked softly. ¡°The cryans will almost certainly pursue the stronger force.¡±


    Madam Astera gestured to Saria in agreement, but was looking at the dwarves. ¡°Exactly. Plus, we can trust the people of Xyrus¡ª¡±


    ¡°And what the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?¡± Skarn Earthborn, Hornfels¡¯ brother, growled.


    Hornfels pressed his hand against Skarn¡¯s chest, holding him back. ¡°The meaning is clear enough, but you¡¯re mistaken, Madam Astera. The dwarves¡ª¡±


    A thin, almost childish voice silenced all others as a pulse of heavy, frustrated intent pressed down on everyone present. ¡°The dwarves have suffered from some very poor leadership, and have been exposed to constant propaganda since before the war even began.¡± Mica paused, her gemstone eye glinting as she stared around. ¡°But the people of Darv are not cruel or evil, and Mica...I know they have started to see through the Vritras¡¯ lies.¡±


    Madam Astera nodded deferentially. ¡°As you say, Lance. Still, we should hear from everyone.¡± She eyed Bairon and Helen, who hadrgely stayed silent. Virion had insisted he needed to look for something and excused himself before the meeting started. ¡°Do the rest of you have anything to say for yourselves?¡±


    ¡°The people of Xyrus may prove less trustworthy than you hope,¡± Bairon said, an edge of poorly suppressed bitterness in his tone. ¡°If Generals Arthur and Mica believe the dwarves will work with us, then I stand with the Lances.¡±


    Helen shrugged. ¡°It¡¯ll be a fight wherever we go. Arthur gives us the best chance of victory, so the Twin Horns will be staying close to him.¡±


    She looked at me with a blend of fierce pride and respect that reminded me of my father, and a warm tightness moved up from my chest and into my throat.


    ¡®Look at you getting all mushy. Being surrounded by your enemies for so long has made you¡ª¡¯


    You must be bored, I pointed out to my incorporealpanion. Go help my mom if you¡¯re just going to be narrating my emotions.


    ¡®Meh. She¡¯s betterpany than you anyway,¡¯ Regis thought with a mental snort before jumping out of me and loping off toward the town. There was a chorus of gasps and a choked yelp from Saria at his sudden appearance, but then it fell quiet again as the group watched him bound over the dammed stream.


    Everyone reluctantly turned their gazes back to the meeting when Madam Astera began to struggle to her feet, doing her best to hide a scowl. Hornfels took her arm to steady her as he conjured a simple stone prosthetic around her leg. I was d to see that, despite any disagreements they might have about our course of action, they still treated each other with respect.


    ¡°We should leave immediately,¡± I said, looking pointedly at the sunlight still streaming in from the cracks in the ceiling. ¡°I caught them off guard just now, but we don¡¯t want to give the cryans time to regroup and attack again.¡±


    ¡°I advise you to give these people some time,¡± Astera replied, countering my suggestion with her own. ¡°Both to rest and to gather what little remains of their belongings. And we need to prepare defensive positions, map out our path, conjure transportation for those who can¡¯t walk.¡±


    I matched her steel-hard gaze for a moment, then nodded.


    ¡°So that¡¯s it?¡± Skarn Earthborn said, focusing on me. ¡°Just, ¡®Let¡¯s all run off to Vildorial, meeting end¡¯? Nothing about how you just sent a hundred cryan soldiers pissing themselves back into the desert?¡± Skarn threw his hands in the air and red at Mica. ¡°What in the red zes are the rest of us supposed to be doing then, eh? If this boy can crush armies and asuras alike, what is the purpose even of Lances, cousin? I just¡ª¡± Skarn stopped suddenly, spitting on the stones before marching away.


    Hornfels gave the group an apologetic shrug, then followed his brother.


    ¡°He does have a point,¡± Bairon said, frowning at me. There was aplex emotion in his expression, something existential that was leaking up from the deepest roots of his sense of self-worth. ¡°How are any of us supposed to help you, Arthur?¡±


    Mica looked down and away, not meeting my eyes. The others did the opposite, peering hungrily at me, eager for my protection and the hope my presence gave them.


    ¡°This war isn¡¯t over,¡± I said simply. ¡°cryan soldiers¡ªeven retainers and Scythes¡ªthey aren¡¯t the threat Dicathen has to be ready for.¡± My lips turned up in a wry, mirthless smile. ¡°Taci was just the beginning, Bairon. The gods themselves are our enemies now. And...whatever you all think, I can¡¯t fight them alone.¡±


    Bairon¡¯s jaw clenched and a tremor ran along the muscle of his neck. Through gritted teeth, he said, ¡°Then we must find some way to grow stronger.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Reaching into my dimension rune, I withdrew Taci¡¯s long spear and threw it to Bairon. ¡°This will be a start.¡±


    He snatched it out of the air, then seemed to realize what he was holding and nearly dropped it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want the weapon that killed Aya,¡± he said after a moment, spinning the handle toward me and holding it out for me to take back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a thickhead,¡± Mica grumbled, though she looked at the scarlet spear with unsuppressed loathing. ¡°That is a powerful weapon, and there is no better way to pay your respects to Aya than using it to kill a few more asura.¡±


    She reached out and flicked the head of the spear, making a clean, silvery ringing. Then she was moving off after her cousins, her despair and rage a nearly physical thing burning like a mantle of fire around her.


    Bairon¡¯s fist clenched around the haft. By simply holding the weapon, the Lance already seemed stronger, more present. ¡°Thank you, Arthur.¡±


    I nodded, and Bairon spun on his heel and marched away, effectively ending whatever was left of our meeting. Saria gave me a small bow, then took Astera¡¯s arm as the pair began making their slower way back into town.


    ¡°You all right, kid?¡±


    I looked up to realize Helen was watching me. ¡°Kid?¡± I asked, my lips quirking up in amusement.


    She mirrored my expression. ¡°I¡¯ve seen your mom wipe poop off of you. You¡¯ll always be a kid in my book.¡±


    I rubbed the back of my neck, chuckling. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s fair.¡±


    The two of us began moving back toward the sanctuary, which was swarming with activity as people did their best to reim what items they could from the ruins. Although Ellie had wanted to stay with me, I¡¯d asked her to keep an eye on Mom, who was worn down after so much healing. But there wasn¡¯t time to rest yet.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, you know,¡± I said as we crossed over the rubble-dammed stream. ¡°Just...feeling impatient, I guess. But I am d to be back. To be...¡± I trailed off, not sure how much I could tell her.


    ¡°Home?¡± Helen filled in for me. There was a lilting curiosity in her tone, an unasked question buried in that single word.


    I nodded, and we walked in silence as the noise and motion of hurried preparations grew around us.


    A man¡¯s ankle turned on a loose stone and he stumbled under the weight of his pack as he marched by, but I caught him and helped him straighten.


    A crying child sat on a copsed wall squeezing a battered and torn stuffed mana beast as her tired, red-faced mother struggled to wrap their belongings in an old nket.


    An older woman scrabbled frantically at the ruins of a house only to copse back on her rear with a crumpled piece of parchment in her hands. She held the paper gingerly to her chest and wept.


    ¡°They¡¯ve lost everything. Again,¡± Helen said softly. Then she cleared her throat and squinted down at the ground, looking embarrassed.


    I wished there was more I could do, but for all my power, I couldn¡¯t use Aroa¡¯s Requiem to mend their broken hearts or God Step to take them away from their grief and fear. Their lives would never be the same, and although the holes left behind would heal over in time, there would always be the ache of loss, scars reminding them of everything that had been taken from them.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Helen said, reaching out and grabbing my wrist. ¡°Come on. We should take a moment to mourn properly. With settled spirits, we can straighten our backs and help these people carry their burdens.¡±


    She led me to the far edge of the cavern. My breath caught as I looked down on arge, crystalline tomb. Even in the dim light, it shined with blues and greens. Floating in its center was a familiar body. Aya¡¯s hands were crossed over a wound in her stomach, not quite hiding it. Her eyes were closed, her expression one of peaceful rest.


    Several smaller tombs¡ªsimple bs of cold gray rock¡ªhad been raised around Aya¡¯s. To her right was a marbled tomb overrun with vines and bright, out-of-ce flowers. The words, ¡°Feyrith Ivsaar III¡± were carved into the top of the stone. In smaller lettering below, it said, ¡°The most important truths are sought within the cracks of one¡¯s own self.¡±


    I ran my fingers along the grooves of the lettering, uncertain as to their meaning. Helen was walking in between the other bs, touching each one briefly. When she saw me look in her direction, she smiled sadly. ¡°Feyrith and Albold, they...well, your sister can probably exin it better than I.¡±


    ¡°You did good out there, old friend...¡± I said to the cold stone, echoing my own words from what felt like yet another lifetime ago.


    Moving on to Aya¡¯s tomb, I rested my hand atop it, looking down at the elven Lance¡¯s serene face. I didn¡¯t need to be able to sense mana to see how the other Lances had worked together to craft Aya¡¯s resting ce. Bright lights, like frozen sparks, gleamed within the crystal, and her body rested on a nest of fractal, frostlike patterns.


    Closing my eyes, I nudged aether into the tomb. It rushed along the sharp edges and frozen contours, into the subtle striations within, grabbing onto the frozen sparks and filling in the fractal patterns.


    Helen¡¯s breath caught, and I opened my eyes. A light sheen of purple infused the blues and greens, seeming to move constantly inside the crystal, swirling and gusting like slow-motion wind.


    ¡°This tomb will be an enduring testament to all you¡¯ve aplished,¡± I spoke softly. ¡°Because that¡¯s something even death can¡¯t take from you, Aya.¡±


    ***


    Boo grunted irritably as he shook sand out of his coat, jostling Ellie atop his back. She scratched his neck fondly. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, big guy. Not too much farther now.¡±


    A gentle breeze had blown consistently into our faces for thest few hours, and, like Boo, everyone had sand clinging to them, which actually worked like a form of camouge, helping to blend our long train into the surroundings.


    Hundreds of people wound along in the rifts between shallow dunes. It was ck and moonless in this part of the desert, with the only lighting from the bright stars overhead. We carried nonterns or lighting artifacts, which would have been visible for miles across the empty central deserts of Darv.


    Regis and I walked alongside Ellie, Boo, and my mother, near the head of the train.


    Varay guarded the line¡¯s rear, while Bairon and the Earthborn brothers guided us at the front, and Mica flew ahead to scout the route. If Hornfels and Skarn¡¯s estimate was urate, we were getting close to the outermost tunnels that would lead us to Vildorial.


    ¡°And so then there I am, getting ¡®processed¡¯ out the thing¡¯s backside,¡± Regis was saying. Ellieughed, and Mom¡¯s eyebrows rose uncertainly. ¡°But I got the better of the thing in the end. Well, Arthur helped, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Another!¡± Ellie wheezed through her giggling. ¡°I want to hear everything.¡±


    ¡°You know, Princess here has quite the temper. It almost got us in trouble a few times, like when¡ª¡±


    Mom stumbled as the sand slipped away beneath her feet, and she barely managed to catch herself.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± she said before anyone could ask. ¡°Just lost my¡ªhey!¡±


    As my mother had spoken, Regis slipped up beside her and scooped her off her feet and onto his back. The sight of my surprised and frightened mom frozen like a statue atop Regis would have beenical if I wasn¡¯t so surprised as well.


    ¡°Um, Arthur?¡± Mom¡¯s wide eyes turned in my direction.


    ¡°He¡¯s just...trying to be helpful,¡± I said, reaching for the link between us. Uncharacteristically, Regis stayed silent, his bright eyes staring seriously ahead.


    Sitting stiffly, Mom wrapped her fingers into his fur, careful of the mes leaping and gusting around his mane.


    Ellie hid her mouth behind her hands, but I could still hear her half-suppressed giggles as she shot me a what-is-happening-right-now look from Mom¡¯s other side.


    We walked on in silence for a few minutes, until the call of, ¡°Alice?¡± came from somewhere behind. Some half-healed wound had be infected, and so, his chin up regally, Regis carted my mother off down to the line to help.


    The sun was just beginning to brighten the eastern horizon, and Ellie was little more than a shadow atop her bond. Still, I could tell from her hunched shoulders and downturned head that something was bothering her.


    Over thest few hours, Regis had kept his stories mostly lighthearted, and in exchange Ellie had told us what she¡¯d learned about Boo and the training she¡¯d done in my absence, but mostly she¡¯d listened, eager to hear everything about my time away, especially in the Relictombs. She¡¯d been a quiet and patient listener, asking a few questions but otherwise just letting Regis talk¡ªsomething he could do at length and without encouragement.


    ¡°Brother?¡± Ellie asked after a few minutes of silence between us.


    I looked at her expectantly.


    She hesitated, then seemed to steel herself. ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe home sooner?¡±


    My gaze settled on Durden¡¯s broad back, which was slung with several heavy bags. The big conjurer was walking not far ahead of us, while the rest of the Twin Horns were spread throughout the train, constantly on the lookout for any approaching danger.


    Although it hadn¡¯t even been a day since my return to Dicathen, I had felt my inability to sense mana more distinctly. I was entirely reliant on the other mages to forewarn us of an approaching enemy. And, unlike the other Lances, I couldn¡¯t even fly to scout. It was a limitation I had maneuvered around in crya, but now, with many more lives than my own at stake...


    Finally, I spoke up. ¡°I did want toe back sooner...as soon as I realized where I was, but...I knew if I came back too soon, if I didn¡¯t take my time, grow strong again....then the same thing would have happened all over. There would be no one to save me this time, and then I wouldn¡¯t be able to protect you.¡±


    Ellie¡¯s body sagged in defeat and I quickly added, ¡°But I did keep an eye on you.¡±


    She rose again just as fast as she had deted. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    I withdrew the djinn seeing relic and showed her, turning it so the pink light of the horizon caught on its many facets. ¡°It uses aether. Lets me see a person, even from a long way away. It only ever worked for you and Mom, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s...kind of creepy,¡± Ellie said, her face scrunching into a wrinkly frown.


    I chuckled and stowed the relic. ¡°That¡¯s what Regis said you¡¯d say.¡± I paused. ¡°I am sorry, though, El. For being gone so long.¡±


    She looked past me, her gaze unfocused, then said, ¡°I know. And...I think I can forgive you for that, but...¡±


    I raised a brow, unable to keep a frown from my face. ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°Coming home without even bringing me a present? That¡¯s unforgivable.¡± She crossed her arms huffily, like she had done when she was a little girl, and stuck her tongue out at me.


    Bending down, I scooped up a handful of sand and chucked it at her. She squealed and leaned to the other side of Boo, trying to use him as a shield, but not quick enough. Just like Boo had done, she shook herself to knock the sand from her hair and red at me.


    ¡°You know, I forgot how annoying you can be.¡±


    I gave her my widest grin. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what big brothers are for?¡±


    She rolled her eyes, her mouth opening to respond, but she froze for an instant, focusing on the sky, and the light-hearted moment came to an end.


    I followed her gaze to Mica, who was drifting down toward us. ¡°Are we nearly there?¡±


    She waved her hand and a stone tform coalesced out of the sand. ¡°We¡¯re flying ahead to scout the entrance.¡± She inclined her head to the tform.


    I gave Ellie an apologetic smile, brushed sand off Boo¡¯s face, then stepped on the tform.


    Mica turned and sped forward, and the tform followed. We quickly outpaced the train, but didn¡¯t go too far ahead. Hornfels, Skarn, and Bairon were waiting. They had taken shelter behind a formation of sharp beige rocks that grew up from a hilltop. In a valley below them, a dark rift broke the rolling waves of tawny sand: one of the entrances down into the spiderweb of tunnels that made up the dwarven kingdom.


    ¡°What¡¯s the n?¡± I asked as soon as my feet were on the ground.


    Hornfels pointed to the shadows. ¡°Behind that door will be miles of tunnels to hide the civilians in, and a more or less straight shot to Vildorial. These smaller gates aren¡¯t guarded, only patrolled at random, so with a bit of luck we¡¯ll have time to get everyone inside without being bothered.¡±


    ¡°Then, you lot hit the city,¡± Skarn said, sounding even grumpier than usual.


    ¡°The Lances, he means,¡± Bairon confirmed. ¡°The rest of the mages will stay and ensure the people are safe.¡±


    Sending just the four Lances into Vildorial allowed us to keep a solid fighting force in the outer tunnels to deal with any random patrols, although the Twin Horns and other mages present in our band of refugees wouldn¡¯t be enough to defeat a sizable cryan assault force.


    ¡°And you¡¯re sure it won¡¯t be guarded?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not this far out, it won¡¯t be,¡± Hornfels assured me. ¡°There aren¡¯t enough dwarves in Darv to guard every crack and crevice.¡±


    ¡°The priority right now is getting these people out of the open,¡± Mica chimed in. ¡°The strike against Vildorial will need to be hard and fast.¡±


    Skarn was scowling deeply as he tugged at his long beard. ¡°If the dwarves fight with the cryans, it¡¯ll be a damned bloodbath.¡±


    Mica smacked her cousin¡¯s arm. ¡°We won¡¯t let that happen.¡±


    Skarn rubbed his arm and spit in the sand. ¡°Aye. Well then. We better get moving.¡±


    The brothers turned back toward the train as Mica, Bairon, and I made our way down the hill toward the entrance. Just inside the shadows of the small ravine, a heavy stone door was inset in the wall.


    When I¡¯d snuck into Darv during the war, to search for proof that the dwarves¡¯ had betrayed Dicathen, I had been able to bypass the strange magical locks with Realmheart, but with Mica at my side, there was no need.


    She reached into what looked like a patch of stone, and I knew she was releasing bursts of mana in a specific pattern. Momentster, the door began to grind open.


    It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, which is when I saw five men sitting around a table in a small carved-out room off the side of the tunnel. They hesitated for a few seconds, then leapt to their feet, sending their chairs ttering to the ground.


    Mica made a quick downward movement with her hand, and all five men and the table copsed, crushed to the ground. One of them managed to send out a bolt of sickly green energy toward us, but it only burst against the stone wall of the tunnel, pulled off course by Mica¡¯s gravity field.


    ¡°cryans,¡± I pointed out, noting that none of the guards were dwarves.


    Mica clenched her jaw, and there was a wet crunch.


    ¡°I thought there weren¡¯t supposed to be guards?¡± I asked, moving forward to inspect the remains.


    ¡°Do you feel that?¡± Bairon asked, looking at Mica.


    She nced around, the line of her gaze tracking something invisible through the stone. Then her eyes widened. ¡°It¡¯s an rm. Shit.¡±


    She held up a hand, her wrist and fingers working in the air as if she were manipting someplicated pieces of machinery. When this apparently wasn¡¯t working, she clenched her fist, and I heard stone shattering inside the tunnel walls.


    ¡°Subtle,¡± Bairon said, moving quickly into the tunnel. ¡°Assuming that signal reached the city, we don¡¯t have time to wait for all the people to file in. We have to go now.¡±


    ¡°Varay?¡± I asked, looking back out the door into the desert.


    ¡°She¡¯ll catch up,¡± Mica snapped, already flying away at top speed.


    Bairon made to follow, then hesitated. ¡°Can you...?¡±


    ¡°Go!¡± I urged him, God Stepping well ahead of both of them.


    Tendrils of purple electricity arced off me to ripple over the smooth walls of the passage, and I began to sprint, pushing aether into my muscles in order to keep up with the two flying Lances, whose speed were limited in the tight quarters anyway.


    The journey of miles took us twenty minutes, and we didn¡¯t even slow down when we approached the massive stone gates that closed the tunnel off to the city of Vildorial.


    A hook-nosed cryan mage was leaning against the edge of a small square opening. He only had time to widen his eyes as Mica hit the gates. Instead of exploding inward, however, the stone rippled out from the point of impact, turning into sand that sshed down to the tunnel floor. Several cryans had been standing along a rampart that ran along the back of the gates, and their screams were cut off abruptly as they were swallowed by the sand.


    We rushed through the now empty twenty-foot opening into the huge cavern of Vildorial. A wide road of reddish paving stones curved down to the right and up to the left, connecting different levels of the cavern.


    Several dozen dwarves were arranged along this road, rushing into positions, shouts of rm apanying the sounds of defensive spells being cast.


    Up and down the path, cave-like homes were carved into the outside walls, and a few doors opened as the residents stepped out to see what themotion was.


    A cheer rose up from nearby.


    A dwarven woman, her fist raised in the air, was shouting, ¡°Down with crya! Down with the Vritra!¡± A nearby man hissed for her to be quiet, but she only gave him the back of her hand across his stunned face and resumed cheering. A few others joined in.


    The dwarves¡¯ spells and weapons alike dropped, heavy steel nging off the stones and the crackle of fading magic filling the air. A look of utter shock was carved into each dwarven face, surges of horror and guilt fracturing their features like tremors. Tears began to spill from wide, wet eyes, and, one by one, the dwarven soldiers fell to their knees before their Lance.


    The rest of us stayed silent as Mica observed her people. She grimaced, her own eyes shining with the long hurt of watching her people betray Dicathen again and again. But, as she wiped a tear with the back of her arm, her expression softened into a sad smile.


    She flew up into the air, making herself more visible while also being able to look down on the terrified soldiers. ¡°First the Greysunders and then Rahdeas...they poisoned our minds with rose-colored lies, promising us equal footing with the humans and elves¡ªno, superiority to them. But the whole time they were doing everything in their power to ensure that they were raised up but that their people¡ªyou¡ªremained in squalor. You have been lied to! Betrayed. The cryans only use you, like tools, like livestock.


    ¡°Since before this war even began, our leaders have plotted against us, convinced us to fight against each other and our own well-being. Mica...I mean, I understand. And...I forgive you.¡±


    There was a moment of stillness and silence as all the dwarves present to hear this message struggled to absorb it. This stillness was broken a momentter when a line of cryan mages appeared from above, marching around a granite tower and down the curving road toward us, shields hovering in front of them.


    Mica conjured her huge stone hammer, and Bairon floated up off the ground, lightning crackling around him. Varay flew in behind us, taking in everything with a single nce beforending next to Mica. The two exchanged a nod, and an icy aura leaked out to freeze the ground around Varay.


    A magically projected voice boomed through the city. ¡°Warning, dwarves. Return to your homes! Vildorial is under attack. Return to your homes!¡±


    Before the voice had even stopped echoing, a crimsonnce of energy fired from the approaching soldiers. But it wasn¡¯t aimed at us.


    I God Stepped into the path of the spell and released a burst of aether that devoured the ray before it could strike its target: the woman who had cheered at our arrival. After a moment of dy, she gasped and stumbled back against the wall of her home.


    Still d in purple lightning, I moved out into the center of the road and away from people¡¯s homes, eyeing the approaching force. There were around thirty battle groups, all hardened men and women, but I still saw more than a few fearful looks tremble across their faces. It was hard to say, but I thought some might even have been at the sanctuary during the attack there.


    Spells began to fly.


    ¡°Arthur!¡± Varay shouted, but I held my hand up to the other Lances.


    Pushing as much aether as I could manage out to the barrier clinging to my skin, I let the spells hit me. Stones broke against it, fire fanned out and faded, wind dispersed. A few of the strongest spells broke through, cutting or burning me, but aether rushed through my body, coalescing around the wounds, and I healed faster than I was being hurt.


    After a minute or more of constant barrage, the spellfire slowed, then stopped entirely.


    The ground around me had been sted ck. The far edge of the road gave an ominous crack, and severalrge chunks of paving tumbled down toward the lower level of the city.


    Light steam and dark smoke mingled around me, drifting up from the broken stones, obscuring me in mist.


    I stepped forward.


    A heavy, threatening silence hung like a stormcloud over the city. For several heartbeats, no one moved. Then, one by one, the cryans began to shift, looking at one another or back the way they¡¯de with pale faces. Shields flickered as the soldiers conjuring them struggled to focus, and the straight, organized lines of men wavered and broke apart, their strict training failing them.


    I waited until the tension was nearly ready to burst apart. ¡°Anyone who wants to live, go now. For the rest¡±¡ªI activated God Step, appearing in the center of the cryan force and unleashing my aetheric intent¡ª¡°I can offer only a quick death.¡±

 Chapter 386

    <h4>Chapter 386</h4>


    CAERA DENOIR


    The sun was setting behind roiling storm clouds over Central Dominion, the sky¡¯s mood mirroring my own. It had been a tense and dull few days since the Victoriad¡¯s iprehensible finale.


    Read first at ""


    Highblood Denoir had, expectedly, gone on full alert after the Victoriad. They had immediately withdrawn me from my post at Central Academy and arranged for the entire extended blood to return to our primary estate for an all-hands-on deck meeting. For days, the estate had been swarming with lower-ranking cousins and vassal lords, but Corbett and Lenora were keeping me isted even from our own blood.


    It seemed like they didn¡¯t want anyone else to ascertain the full depth of my connection to Grey until they hadid the appropriate political groundwork.


    This suited me just fine. I had been unable to speak with Scythe Seris since the Victoriad, and I hadn¡¯t heard from Grey¡ªnot that I expected to¡ªwhich only led to more and more questions, none of which I had answers for.


    I found myself frustrated in a way I hadn¡¯t experienced since I was a freshly awakened teenage girl, forced to hide a power that I simultaneously wished I didn¡¯t have but also wanted to explore and understand. Until I could go to Scythe Seris, however, I saw no better alternative than simply lying low and ying along with my adoptive parents¡¯ wishes.


    A boy suddenly appeared in the yards below my window, sprinting with all his might. Not far behind him, a slightly older boy was giving chase, a sling spinning in one hand. With a jerk, he let a projectile fly, but the younger boy dove forward, rolling under it. When he popped back to his feet, he took just enough time to stick his tongue out at his pursuer, then vanished out the other side of the frame, the older boy close on his heels.


    I smiled. It was a faint thing, heavy against my cheeks, but it felt good to know that there was someone out there unburdened by everything that was happening. Even if it was only my young cousins, who were both about as intelligent as the average toadstool.


    A thunderp shook the ss of my window pane only a moment before heavy raindrops began to patter against it. The boys began to shout as they were no doubt soaked by the sudden deluge.


    Closer at hand, barely audible beneath the noise of the storm, fabric rustled.


    Grabbing a silver hairpin from my desk, I spun to my feet and brandished it like a weapon, then sighed and lowered my hand.


    My adoptive brother, Lauden, was leaning against the doorframe of my bedroom. His muscr figure filled the doorway in a vaguely threatening way, although the look on his face was more amused than hostile.


    He swept his carefully trimmed olive hair to the side, his smile widening. ¡°Your senses are growing dull, little sister. If I were an assassin¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then this pin would be in your eye, and your blood would be on fire,¡± I said coolly, turning my chin up slightly. ¡°And I would be saved from listening to any of your didactic dithering. What do you¡ªor rather, what do Corbett and Lenora want?¡±


    Lauden held up his hands as a sign of peace. ¡°No need to punish the messenger, Caera. Your tongue is sharper and burns worse than that of a sun-scythe toad. Father would like you to be ready, that is all. We¡¯ll be meeting within the hour.¡±


    I set the pin down and leaned against the desk. ¡°Within the hour. Message received.¡±


    Lauden¡¯s brows rose, but he said nothing else as he turned on his heel and marched out of my rooms.


    ¡°Perhaps it is a good thing my brother is an ignorant oaf,¡± I muttered under my breath as I followed him to the suite door and locked it.


    There was a guilty squirming in the region of my stomach; what I was feeling had nothing to do with Lauden, and he had actually¡ªperhaps for the first time in my life¡ªmade a genuine effort to be pleasant since the Victoriad. Of course, he also teased me several times about my ¡°boyfriend¡± Grey, who, as it had turned out, was somewhere above Scythe-level in strength, so it may have been fear spurring his sudden good manners.


    Moving to my dressing table, I took a seat on the cushioned stool and gazed at myself in the mirror, my mind lingering on Grey.


    ¡°Where is he now?¡± I asked the mirror, but there was no answer except my own expectant face staring back at me.


    The Victoriad had changed everything for Grey and me¡ªmaybe even for all of crya. That was yet to be seen, which was inrge part the purpose of the meeting I was supposed to be getting ready for. The events of the Victoriad had shown light through a crack in Agrona¡¯s perceived infallibility. His own right hand had been challenged and killed, and when Agrona arrived to show off the power of his new pet mage, they had both been outmaneuvered, failing to capture Grey in what could only be seen as a stunning defeat.


    But not every cryan would understand what had happened. And even if they did, most could be made to forget amidst the threat of war with the other asuras, or would simply continue to toe the line for fear of the Vritra.


    Cowards, I thought, watching my lip tense into a frown.


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    Taken by a sudden reckless impulse, I unsped the medallion that I always wore around my neck and set it down hard on the dressing table. In the mirror, my horns simply appeared, no longer hidden by the medallion¡¯s illusory powers. I pulled my lips back from my teeth and snarled at the mirror.


    Now that would be quite the look for this evening¡¯s meeting, I mused before letting the expression fade. The face left behind was cold, almost forlorn. Lonely.


    I was so tired of hiding who I was. Of being isted from the people around me. Grey had been something to me that I¡¯d never had before: a peer, a confidant. A friend.


    I pictured again his regretful gaze in the moments before he vanished. He didn¡¯t want to leave me behind, I assured myself, but...


    How well did I really know him?


    Sighing, I took up the amulet and resped it behind my neck. In the mirror, the horns disappeared in a blink. Reaching tentatively up, I ran my hand along the invisible horns, feeling the curves, grooves, and points. Just because I couldn¡¯t see them, that didn¡¯t mean they were really gone.


    With practiced efficiency, I prepared for the meeting. Lenora wished for my face to be painted, and Corbett had already picked out a gown for me. They expected me to appear graceful and elegant, but non-threatening. Many a highblood had devoured itself tail first in less dire circumstances than what the Denoirs now faced.


    And as an outsider¡ªan adoptive Vritra-blood¡ªmy entire life had been a double-edged de for the Denoirs. As much as I was a point of pride and potential empowerment, any misstep either with or from me could just as easily lead to their ruin. Thus the tight leash I had been kept on my entire life, which only grew tighter by the day.


    I had just finished pinning up my hair when there was a light knock on my door. Read first at ""


    Standing, I twisted the gold gown around me, watching the light glint off blue gems that matched my hair, which I had folded into a slightly messy twist and fixed with a gold-and-ruby pin that doubled as a de if necessary. I didn¡¯t expect to be attacked in my own home, but...one could never be too careful.


    Slipping into a stately walk, I crossed the room and opened the door. Nessa was waiting outside with Arian. Nessa clicked her tongue, her eyes narrowing critically at my hair.


    Her fingers twitched as she said, ¡°Lady Caera, Highlord and Lady Denoir request your presence in the parlor.¡±


    ¡°By all means,¡± I said, and she turned and began marching down the hall. I fell into step behind her, and heard Arian¡¯s soft footfalls behind me.


    We crossed paths with only a few other Denoirs on the way to the parlor. Each of them stopped whatever they were doing to give me a shallow bow, but I could feel their eyes burning into my back once I¡¯d gone past. There was curiosity there, but also fear, frustration, and even outright hostility.


    They may not know what my rtionship with the mysterious Grey had been, but they knew it was a beacon drawing unwanted attention to Highblood Denoir. While other bloods¡ªhigh, named, or otherwise¡ªwere excitedly gossiping about recent events, the Denoirs were on high alert, uncertain if they¡ªwe¡ªwould survive.


    Read first at ""


    Although I was certain the Denoirs would ce the me on me, in reality it was Corbett and Lenora¡¯s insistence on involving the highblood in Scythe Seris¡¯s business that had led to this point. Inviting Grey for dinner, meeting with him in public, asking endless questions about him around Cargidan and Central Academy...they had tried to draw connections between themselves and Grey. And they had seeded, which put the entire blood at risk.


    Not that I¡¯d fault them for that. Whatever their reasoning, they¡¯d given Grey a chance, even protection during the trial. It almost made me dread what was toe. I hadn¡¯t been able to read Corbett¡¯s mood at all over thest few days.


    Instead of entering the parlor through the main doors, Nessa took us down a servants¡¯ stairs and in through a shadowed alcove. Corbett, Lenora, and Lauden were already there, as was Corbett¡¯s brother, Arden. Teagen and a woman I didn¡¯t know¡ªone of Arden¡¯s guards, I assumed¡ªwere nking the parlor doors.


    Lenora¡¯s hand went to Corbett¡¯s arm when she noticed our entrance, interrupting whatever he¡¯d been saying. The pair of them looked me over with the same critical air Nessa had, although with a hundred times more judgment, but Arden didn¡¯t give them time to say anything.


    Seeing the line of their gaze, he turned around, grinned, and then held out his hands in a gesture of wee. ¡°Caera, dove!¡± he said, his voice deeper and slightly more raspy than his brother¡¯s.


    ¡°Uncle,¡± I replied, giving him a courtly curtsy.


    I knew well enough to be on my best behavior, including using the preferred titles for my adoptive parents and their many rtives and vassals, but I¡¯d always called Arden ¡°Uncle.¡± In part because he had insisted on it throughout my childhood¡ªand I hadn¡¯t seen him often enough as I grew into adulthood to break the habit¡ªbut also because I knew it irritated Corbett that I didn¡¯t fight back against the familial title the way I did with ¡°Mother¡± and ¡°Father.¡±


    ¡°What kind of trouble have you gotten us into now, ay little bird?¡± he chuckled, moving over to give me a stiff one-armed hug.


    Despite being Corbett¡¯s younger brother, Arden looked ten years older. He was shorter and heavier, with a pronounced belly and olive hair that was receding away from his temples. But he used these softer features to his advantage, hiding a de-sharp mind behind his outwardly unimposing features. That, and a potent regalia.


    ¡°That remains to be seen,¡± Corbett said, drawing the words out so they lingered in the air.


    My adoptive father wore white and navy, as usual, but his suit had an aggressive, military-style cut, and he wore a single shining pauldron that extended into a narrow gorget that wrapped around his neck. His thin de hung from his belt as well, making him look like he was prepared to lead a charge into battle.


    Lenora, on the other hand, wore a soft, flowing navy gown, billowing out and lending matronly curves to her thin frame.


    Sugar and spice, I thought. It was a presentation they had perfected over their long marriage. One intimidating, one weing. In reality, they were more hammer and anvil.


    I¡¯d never seen them engage in these political mind games with their own blood, however. My pulse quickened. It made me nervous.


    ¡°Bring the rest in,¡± Corbett said next.


    Instead of sending one of the servants, Lenora went herself.


    Corbett waved for me to join him and Lauden. Arden stood slightly to the side. No other words were exchanged, and I felt like the three men were carefully not looking at me.


    Within seconds, Lenora returned, followed by Arden¡¯s wife, Melitta, who entered with their children, Colm and Arno, the two little boys who had been ying so roughly beneath my window. Arno, the younger of the two, still had the grass stains on his clothes.


    The three bowed deeply to the Highlord and Lady, and I caught Alden give his sons a wink as they marched by.


    Lord Justus Denoir followed. Corbett¡¯s uncle was in his sixties. His hair had gone gray, and there were two gray streaks in his goatee, but he stood straight and strong, carrying himself like the lifelong nobility he was. Corbett and Justus had always had a difficult rtionship, as Justus had intended to be highlord when Corbett¡¯s father, Corvus, died, but the deceased highlord had outmaneuvered his brother and set Corbett in his ce.


    Still, infighting and backstabbing was an inevitable path to see your own highblood crumble, and so the two willful men had kept a forced sort of peace between them for thest fifteen years.


    Following Justus was Lady Gemma Denoir, Lenora¡¯s oldest sister. She walked stiffly, like she was carrying a sword in her backside, taking her time entering the room. Her white hair was carefully coiffed and shining with ck gemstones that matched her glittering ck gown. The effect made her crystalline blue eyes shine like diamonds.


    Though Lady Gemma smiled, there was a simpering, frustrating tone to every movement she made, and her bow to the Highlord and Lady was shallower than was proper. When her eyes caught mine, her smile slipped away entirely, her nose wrinkling in disgust, and she simply walked past.


    And so it went, for a while. The Denoirs traipsed in by ones and twos, starting with the highest ranking members of the blood and working down to the lowliest vassals. There were others who were also technically considered members of the highblood but whocked any station within it, and so had not been invited to this meeting.


    Finally, when thest of the highblood had been seated and plied with drinks by Lauden, Corbett gestured for me and my adoptive brother to take seats as well. The parlor was justrge enough to amodate such a crowd, but small and private enough to give the meeting a conspiratorial air.


    When Corbett¡¯s chief attendant closed the doors, leaving only members of the highblood and a handful of trusted guards, such as Taegen and Arian, inside the room, the impression deepened.


    ¡°As you are all certainly aware,¡± Corbett began without preamble, ¡°the events of the recent Victoriad are without precedent in the known history of crya.¡±


    Lady Gemma snorted, drawing a raised brow from Lenora.


    Despite being the older sister, Gemma was an adoptive member of the blood, taken in after her own husband died, and she carried no position or authority beyond what her rtionship with Lenora granted her. There was nearly always an edge of bitterness and one-upmanship between the pair when they were together.


    ¡°True enough, Highlord,¡± one of the older cousins¡ªDereth or Drothel or something, I¡¯d forgotten¡ªsaid amicably, but his bushy brows were pinched in a nervous frown, ¡°but what does that have to do with the Denoirs? Are you confirming that there is truth to the rumors that our highblood is somehow entangled with this Acender Grey fellow?¡± Read first at ""


    Corbett nced to where I was lounging back in a thick-cusioned chair, my face hidden behind a ss of bright red wine that I wasn¡¯t drinking. That subtle tic was the only sign of his agitation, however, and when he spoke again, his words came out clear and calm. ¡°Before we speak to Highblood Denoir¡¯s rtionship with the man called Grey, first we must share information only very recently acquired.¡± He gestured to his brother.


    Arden stood, sping his hands behind his back so that his pouchy belly stuck out even farther. ¡°Yes, indeed. Thank you, Brother.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°Just yesterday, arge detachment of cryan soldiers¡ªthousands of mages, in all¡ªreturned from Dicathen.¡±


    Arden was carefully watching the rest of the blood, likely trying to ascertain who else might know whatever he was about to tell us. From the eager way Gemma stared at him, the wine ss in her hand suddenly going still, it was clear she, at least, certainly did.


    ¡°All from the homnd of our dwarven allies,¡± Arden continued. ¡°Darv, for those of you who don¡¯t follow these things. And with a number of Dicathian dwarves in tow.¡±


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    This caused a stir. I shifted forward in my chair slightly and set down my drink, keeping my back straight and my expression poised.


    So far, Dicathians had only been brought to crya for public disys of punishment, like those at the Victoriad. There was little other reason for prisoners to be teleported from the other continent, and no ¡°allies¡± had been offered quarter in ournd before. Or if they had, it had been kept very quiet.


    ¡°The returned force ounts for nearly seventy percent of the soldiers stationed in a city named Vildorial, the dwarves¡¯ capital,¡± Arden continued. ¡°And they returned not under order, but because they were defeated.¡±


    A chorus of disbelieving chatter interrupted Arden, some expressing bewilderment, others even calling Arden¡¯s story into question. He scowled, and the Highlord called for quiet.


    ¡°Were any members of our highblood present?¡± Justus asked, his deep baritone ringing like a gong over the lingering remnants of chatter that struggled to die out. ¡°If so, they should have been brought before the entire highblood to exin their cowardice.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Arden confirmed, nodding to the older man. He took a moment topose himself, then continued. ¡°The small force we fielded are staged in a city called Etistin. But...¡± Arden paused, his gaze now flicking to me in a way that made the small hairs on my neck stand on end. ¡°But I was able to secure several firsthand ounts of what happened there.¡±


    Arden began to pace, cleverly using it as an opportunity to meet the eyes of several different people, somehow making it feel like he was speaking to each of them individually. ¡°The strike on Vildorial came out of nowhere. There hasn¡¯t been any real resistance in Dicathen in months, and thergest cities have already begun transitioning, building newer,rger forges and foundries for the Imbuers.


    ¡°And so Vildorial¡¯s peacekeepers had little warning before a small group of Dicathen¡¯s elite warriors¡ªthe Lances, I believe they are called¡ªsmashed down the gates.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I read all about the Lances!¡± little Arno piped up, his small voice cutting right through the electrified tension building in the room. There were a couple of surprised chuckles at this, but his mother pulled him close, quieting him.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not following,¡± one of the more distant cousins asked, giving Arden an embarrassed smile. ¡°While this is stunning news, what does it have to do with us?¡±


    ¡°The attack on Vildorial was led by a man with golden eyes,¡± Arden said slowly. ¡°Who, it appears, could walk through lightning and conjure purple mes from his hands.¡±


    The bottom dropped out of my stomach. Whatever the rest of the blood¡¯s reaction, I didn¡¯t hear it over the sudden pressure in my ears.


    It was a simple description, but there was only one man on either continent who fit it.


    ¡°Grey,¡± I mouthed noiselessly.


    Like a single stone that falls and begins an avnche, this piece of information tumbled into ce amidst everything else I knew about Grey. The strange questions in the Relictombs, hisck of basic knowledge despite being so powerful, his unusual magic, hisck of blood connections, Scythe Seris¡¯s interest in him, the fact that he¡¯d fought in the war but never talked about it...the pieces of information all came crashing down around me.


    But it didn¡¯t make sense. Grey couldn¡¯t be a Dicathian...could he? Scythe Seris knew him, apparently trusted him, and that alone was enough for me to do the same. But should it be? I asked myself, suddenly wary.


    ¡°You¡¯ve destroyed us.¡± Justus¡¯s voice thundered over the tumult, bringing the scene around me back into focus. He was staring at Corbett, his finger pointing usingly. ¡°You¡¯ve always been too greedy and power hungry, Corbett, clinging to Scythe Seris Vritra like a bloodworm ever since she was forced on our highblood,¡± he ground out, his using finger momentarily turning in my direction.


    The parlor fell quiet.


    Though some may have agreed with him, no one had the spine to join in his usations, and in fact, those sitting closest to him scooted away, as if worried he might spontaneouslybust.


    ¡°And if Ascender Grey returns, Uncle?¡± Corbett asked, breaking the ufortable silence. ¡°Would you prefer we were on bad footing with a man capable of felling two Scythes?¡±


    ¡°But what actually ties us to this man, Grey?¡± the same cousin from before asked into the silence, again feigning embarrassment.


    Lenora had wrapped her arm around Corbett¡¯s waist, and together, they looked defiantly out at their blood. Read first at ""


    ¡°We were made aware of Scythe Seris Vritra¡¯s intense interest in Ascender Grey some time ago,¡± she said pleasantly, her tone as simple and non-confrontational as if she were discussing the weather, ¡°and so we made inroads to establishing a rtionship with the man. He kept himself rather apart from the normal social circles of Cargidan, but through a happy ident had already made the acquaintance of our daughter, Caera.¡±


    I stiffened slightly as all eyes jumped to me, then just as quickly away. Only the red-faced Justus let his gaze linger, his brows lowering angrily as I gazed back at him, refusing to be intimidated.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t it be that this ¡®idental acquaintance¡¯ was really Grey worming his way into Highblood Denoir¡¯s good graces?¡± Justus asked, standing and copying Ardent by pacing around and looking not at Corbett but the rest of our blood. ¡°Taking advantage of us in order to ce himself at the Victoriad, in a position to weaken the leaders of the war in Dicathen and embarrass the High Sovereign?¡± Only then did Justus look at Corbett, a disappointed sneer marring his face. ¡°An act that, by aiding him, you have made us all aplice to?¡±


    ¡°I can assure you that isn¡¯t the case,¡± I said before Corbett could respond. When all eyes yet again turned to me, I paused to take a slow sip from my ss, gathering my thoughts. ¡°It is fundamentally impossible for our meeting to have been by design, considering we were in the Relictombs at the time, and I was the one who initiated that contact, not Grey.¡±


    Justus opened his mouth to counter me, but I spoke over him, keeping my tone calm but firm. ¡°And before you embarrass yourself by making usations about either my or Scythe Seris Vritra¡¯s intentions regarding Grey, know that my parents¡¯ assumption was entirely correct. She saw his power¡ªthe same power you all saw for yourselves at the Victoriad, and grew interested, that is all.¡±


    I felt Corbett¡¯s gaze on me, but didn¡¯t look away from Justus. Although his features were rigid and angry, I could see the fear in the jittery back-and-forth movements of his eyes.


    The room devolved into severalyers of loud conversation, each voice fighting to be heard over every other.


    ¡°I mean, he did defeat a Scythe, it makes sense¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªshould throw ourselves at the High Sovereign¡¯s mercy¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªbe a counter attack? Perhaps we could save face by joining¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªpure fire, and to escape the Victoriad apparently unscathed¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªdoes this mean for Highblood Denoir, Highlord?¡±


    Corbett focused on Melitta, Arden¡¯s wife. ¡°A good question, Melitta, thank you.¡± Slowly, the room around him quieted again. ¡°We would not be meeting like this if the situation did not present some danger to our highblood, but Lenora and I believe there is opportunity here as well. For¡ª¡±


    ¡°Of course you do,¡± Justus muttered, loud enough for all to hear.


    A muscle near Corbett¡¯s eye twitched, but he kept going. ¡°For the moment, outwardly we will take no action, only biding our time and watching,¡± Corbett said, focusing on Justus. ¡°If there is an official inquiry into Highblood Denoir, rest assured that we have only extended what wee and courtesy was due to a potent ascender and member of Caera¡¯s team.¡±


    ¡°Foolishness,¡± Lady Gemma said, leaning farther back in her chair and swirling her wine ss. Her predatory gaze lingered on Arden. ¡°What about the counter attack already being prepared? Do we n to participate? To make up for your failure of judgment?¡±


    Corbett and Lenora exchanged a nce. ¡°We¡¯ve determined it is best to maintain our current strategy in Dicathen,¡± Corbett answered.


    Justus scoffed. ¡°This only makes us look more guilty.¡± Read first at ""


    ¡°No inquisitor, not even the Scythes themselves, will find a hint of wrong-doing in Highblood Denoir¡¯s actions,¡± Lenora insisted. ¡°But change is on the wind, Denoirs.¡± Lenora gazed around the room, masterfully letting her expression vacite between a small frown and conspiratorial smile. ¡°And, as we all know, sometimes the wind blows hard from the mountains. We¡¯ll need sure footing to weather it.¡±


    I blinked, unsure I had understood Lenora¡¯s words properly. It almost sounded as if she were endorsing Grey and Scythe Seris if there were some kind of power struggle between them and the High Sovereign...


    The rest of the blood was quiet and thoughtful. Little Arno caught my eye as I surreptitiously scanned the room, gave me a big smile, and waved.


    Justus stood, his shoulders back, chest out, chin held high. His steady eyes cut into Corbett and Lenora like daggers. ¡°I¡¯m afraid this line of thinking is untenable with the continued well-being of this highblood. Highlord Corbett Denoir...I am forced to officially request you step down from your position. Beg mercy of the Scythes¡ªScythe Seris Vritra herself, if you must. Assure them that your mistakes are your own, and that leadership of Highblood Denoir will rest in steadier hands. I will¡ª¡±


    The words hissed into silence as Justus jerked his sword free of its sheath. Taegen was by Lenora¡¯s side in an instant, Arian rushing to stand over me, the bare steel of his thin de glinting in the soft light as he looked frantically in every direction at once.


    ¡°There won¡¯t be any need for that at the moment,¡± a calm voice said, drawing all eyes to the shadows of the servants¡¯ entrance.


    A gray-skinned man in dark leather armor stepped out of the shadows. He was quite handsome, with an undeniable strength despite how he suppressed his mana.


    I stood as everyone else¡ªeveryone except Justus¡ªwent to a knee, bowing deeply before Cylrit, retainer to Scythe Seris and the dominion of Sehz-r. His scarlet eyes met mine, and I felt a bolt like lightning pass between us. He could only be there for me. Finally, Scythe Seris was rescuing me from these long, dreary days of tedium and tension.


    ¡°Do as the highlord anddymand,¡± Cylrit said to Justus, who had somehow managed to go pale and flushed at the same time. ¡°Highblood Denoir should take no action at this time. Lady Caera is toe with me.¡±


    ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± Lenora stammered, her mask of absolute control and confidence cracking. ¡°Caera is¡ª¡±


    Read first at ""


    ¡°Let them take her,¡± Justus said, very carefully resheathing his sword and taking a knee. ¡°Please, Lord Cylrit, with your approval, I would¡ª¡± Cylrit smiled, a subtle, dangerous thing, and Justus¡¯s mouth snapped shut.


    ¡°Lord Denoir,¡± the retainer said slowly, enunciating each syble carefully. ¡°Do as you aremanded. Or things may go poorly for you.¡±


    Thest of the color left Justus¡¯s face, and a muscle in his jaw pulsed.


    Like that, Cylrit seemed to dismiss them all entirely. To me, he gave a softer smile and held out his arm. ¡°Please, Lady Caera. Scythe Seris is expecting us.¡± Read first at ""

 Chapter 387

    <h4>Chapter 387</h4>


    Chapter 385: Purity


    ARTHUR


    ¡®Ugh, spending five hours listening to these dwarves y the me game is making me miss passing through a mana beast¡¯s colon,¡¯ Regis grumbled.


    These meetings may not be exciting, but they are important. Just...try to enjoy the view or something, I thought tiredly.


    The Hall of Lords within Vildorial¡¯s Royal Pce was an astonishing sight. The hall itself was within an enormous geode that stretched at least seventy feet wide and was perhaps a hundred feet from floor to ceiling. It was difficult to tell how much exactly because the floor was hidden by a swirling pool of silvery mist.


    Read first at "  "


    The long, hand-carved table where the dwarven nobility met rested atop a thin sliver of crystal that floated unsupported in the air in the geode¡¯s center. To reach it, we had crossed a series of hovering stones that made a kind of walkway.


    The geode itself shone with a kaleidoscope of colors: aquamarine bleeding into rusty orange cut through with purple striations, sparkling with yellow and white. When the light shifted, the colors seemed to jump and run together. Instead of lighting artifacts, ever-burning candles floated at intervals throughout the space, ensuring constantly flickering light that made it look like waves of color were washing across the geode¡¯s million little surfaces.


    I had examined it at length, mostly when the gathered dwarves began pointing fingers or arguing about who had failed in what duty, which ns deserved a seat at the table, and who had proven the worst failure to dwarvenkind.


    ¡°With all respect to Lance Mica,¡± Lord Silvershale said for probably the seventh time, ¡°the Earthborns stayed nice and chummy with the cryans in Vildorial throughout the upation. Never had to leave their homes, none of their kin died defending¡ª¡±


    ¡°A tant lie,¡± Carnelian Earthborn responded, rolling his beetle-ck eyes. ¡°And not even a clever one, considering that my own daughter led the damned war.¡±


    I looked from Silvershale to Earthborn. The former was older, with shoulder-length hair that hadrgely gone gray and a beard braided into three prongs. Carnelian, on the other hand, looked rtively young. His mahogany red hair didn¡¯t match Mica¡¯s at all, but there was a roundness to his cheeks and a bright shining youth in his eyes that gave him that same childlike appearance as his daughter.


    ¡°Where has the Earthborn n been, then, thesest many months?¡± Lord Silvershale looked around the table, not at Carnelian but the rest of the dwarven nobility. ¡°Certainly not in the tunnels fighting against the cryans and turncoats,¡± he finished, crossing his arms and shing the others a victorious grin.


    Okay, you¡¯re right, I admitted to Regis. The important part appears to be over.


    Before the two could take the argument further¡ªor worse, draw in any of the other lords¡ªI stood. The crystal below my feet rang against the petrified wood of my chair, drawing all eyes to me. Everyone in attendance¡ªas many dwarven nobles as we could round up on short notice, the surviving members of Virion¡¯s council, and the other Lances¡ªhurried to stand as well.


    Read first at "  "


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I need time to prepare before moving on to the other long-range teleportation gates,¡± I said.


    Mica let out a relieved sigh, then seemed to catch herself, stood straight, and smoothed her expression into something slightly more noble. ¡°All the Lances, in fact, have other duties to attend to. Father,¡± she finished with a slight inclination of her head.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Carnelian said, beaming at his daughter. ¡°We¡¯ve kept our guests far too long. Let this meeting of the Lord¡¯s Assemge be adjourned, to reconvene tomorrow, midday.¡± He rapped his knuckles on the tabletop like a judge swinging his gavel.


    From across the table, Helen caught my eye, widening hers just slightly, her lips pressed tightly together. I knew exactly how she felt.


    It was hard to feel sorry for the dwarves, difficult to avoidparing their pain and loss to that of the elves. But there was no denying they had suffered. Since the war began, they¡¯d been quietly ughtering each other in the tunnels beneath the desert. The two factions saw each other as fools and blood traitors, each side betraying what was in the dwarves¡¯ best interest.


    This animosity wouldn¡¯t fade in a day, and I felt certain we hadn¡¯t seen thest of the bloodshed between the dwarven factions. Still, we had done what we could in such a short amount of time.


    Read first at "  "


    Most of the dwarves had been thrilled to see the cryans pushed out of Vildorial. Almost as many had been furious when the cryans had been allowed to teleport back to crya, however. Even among the Lord¡¯s Assemge, manyined that we hadn¡¯t executed all the cryan soldiers for their crimes. I couldn¡¯t exactly me them.


    Even more controversial was the decision to allow those dwarves who were most dedicated to the cryans to leave with them. Despite the dwarven nobility¡¯s concerns that we¡¯d just given Agrona more soldiers, I hardly thought they¡¯d be treated as equals in crya. But by the time they realized their own folly, it would be far toote.


    For those men and women, however, I felt no sympathy at all.


    An attendant opened the doors that led back into the pce proper, which, after the grandeur of the Hall of Lords, felt almost in byparison. Gideon was leaning against the wall just outside, while four heavily armed and armored dwarves glowered at him unweingly.Read first at "  "


    The inventor pushed himself away from the wall at the sound of the doors opening and gave me a wide, boyish grin. ¡°Finally! These dwarves think as slow as the stone they live in...¡± Gideon trailed off, then cleared his throat as the guards¡¯ faces darkened. I kept walking, and he fell into step beside me. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve been waiting for you, boy. I¡¯ve got a few things to show you, inventions I worked on while in the cryans¡¯ care. There are a few things that I really think¡ª¡±


    I held up a hand, forestalling the deluge of information about to spill from Gideon. ¡°I want to see it, I do, but not right now, Gideon.¡± The old inventor¡¯s face fell. Twisting the ring of polished ck stone off my middle finger, I held it out to him. The moment of disappointment melted away as he plucked it out of my hands. ¡°I need you to focus on this.¡±


    He held it up to his eye and turned it over several times. ¡°But this is just a dimension ring. What...¡± He trailed off, his wide bloodshot eyes jumping from the ring to me as an excited grin spread across his face. ¡°Oh, please tell me you¡¯ve brought presents from the other continent.¡± He bobbed on the balls of his feet, nearly skipping. ¡°Some of their technology, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°Very specific technology,¡± I confirmed. ¡°Figure out how it works, if we can replicate it. Whatever else you¡¯ve been working on, this takes priority.¡±


    Read first at "  "


    We made our way out of the pce together, Gideon peppering me with questions that I answered to the best of my ability. He hurried off from the front gates, rushing toward the Earthborn Institute to unpack the dimension ring and begin his studies, assuring me he wouldn¡¯t eat or sleep until he had answers.


    From the front gates of the Royal Pce, which was on the highest level of Vildorial, I could see the entire cavernid out below me.


    The city was bustling with activity: soldiers preparing defenses against Agrona¡¯s inevitable counterattack, food and materials being carted in from the expansive tunnel system that surrounded the city, and temporary homes being found for the hundreds of refugees we¡¯d brought with us, all of which mingled with the day-to-day activities of the city¡¯s residents.


    The city center, a huge za that dominated the bottom level, had be ground zero for receiving the hundreds of mostly elven refugees we¡¯d brought with us. Even from the pce, I could see that the za was filled withrge tables, crates, and tents for handing out fresh food and giving the most tired and feeble refugees a ce to rest while they waited for morefortable lodgings.


    Plenty of dwarves were lined up to receive food as well, although I couldn¡¯t help but notice how little they mingled with the elves. Pushing aether into my eyes, I looked more closely at the individuals. No one bothered to hide the bitter sideways nces between the two races, and there was a palpable tension hanging over the za.Read first at "  "


    Unfortunate, but not unexpected, I thought. The elves see the dwarves as turncoats, while these struggling, starving dwarves see the elves aspetition for too few resources.


    ¡®They better figure it out,¡¯ Regis chimed in. ¡®They¡¯ll all be in Agrona¡¯s crosshairs together. Or Kezess. Pick your megalomaniac.¡¯


    I took a deep breath, held it for several seconds, then slowly let it back out. I know.


    ¡®I still think the Relictombs would have been better,¡¯ Regis thought with the mental equivalent of shrugging his shoulders. ¡®Lessplicated.¡¯


    It was true that the Relictombs would have been an imprable shelter from the asuras, considering they couldn¡¯t even enter it.


    But then I would be no better than the asuras, I thought with an edge of rebuke. The Relictombs would be as much a cage as an asylum, and I¡¯d be their master.


    ¡®Better a master who protects them than one ready to sacrifice them for his own ends,¡¯ Regis thought mullishly.


    ¡®I imagine that¡¯s what Kezess and Agrona both thought before they became the tyrants they are today, I refuted.


    ¡®The real problem is that you won¡¯t make up your damned mind,¡¯ he shot back, agitated. ¡®Arguing with yourself¡ªand by extension, me¡ªevery moment of every day about what¡¯s the ¡°best¡± way to do something. It¡¯s war. There are going to be consequences and you have to be ready to ept that no matter what you do.¡¯


    I know.


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    ¡®Do you?¡¯ Regis pressed. ¡®Like this whole portal-to-crya thing. You want to destroy it, but don¡¯t want to give it up as a tool, but just turning it off is still dangerous, and you¡¯re afraid of what will happen if you¡¯re wrong. It¡¯s exhausting being in here.¡¯ His huge shadow wolf form leaped out onto the road beside me. He shook out his mane, causing the mes to re.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go exploring,¡± he grumbled, loping away down the road and ignoring the chorus of surprised and frightened shouts from the dwarves he passed.


    I sighed as I watched him go, but my mind was settling into a discordant nkness, my thoughts fluttering like tattered cobwebs in the dark, disrupted by Regis¡¯s frustration that was still leaking into me.


    I closed my eyes hard, then opened them and focused on the crowd again, looking for Mom and Ellie. After a minute, I found them at one of the long tables. Mom wasdling soup into bowls while Ellie handed out chunks of bread and full waterskins.


    I wanted to go to them. Almost as much as I wanted to be alone. I couldn¡¯t bear the thought of all those people, their eyes turned expectantly in my direction, pleading and begging...


    I didn¡¯t me them. Not at all. I understood. I¡¯d lived it all before, after all, as King Grey. But now wasn¡¯t the time.


    Instead of descending the looping path down to the lowest level, I turned and moved around the edge of the Royal Pce and through a garden filled with glowing mushrooms. Around the far edge of the pce, where the cut stone merged back into the rough, natural cavern cliff, there was an arched tunnel carved into the wall. Steam and the heavy, sulfuric smell of a natural hot spring wafted out.


    The short tunnel opened up onto a ledge above a series of round pools. The water had a subtle blue luminescence, almost like it was absorbing and reflecting the light of the many glowing fungi and hanging vines that grew over the walls and ceiling. No one else was present; during our short tour of the Royal Pce, Carnelian Earthborn had exined that the cryans had forbidden dwarves to use these pools.


    I suspected the nobles would move back in soon enough, but for the moment, it was the perfect ce to rest and think.


    Letting myself move slowly, almost meandering, I walked along the edge of the pools until I found a spot I liked, next to a small, private pool where a patch of long-stemmed mushrooms grew. They waved on their stalks like the antenna of some subterranean mana beast.


    Slipping off my boots, I eased my feet into the water and took a seat on the soft, mossy ground.


    Read first at "  "


    The keystone had be my primary tool for meditation, and so I withdrew it from the dimension rune. I turned the heavy, matte-ck cube over in my hands a few times, considering it.


    So far, I had discovered that the ckness within the keystone realm reacted to mana use, but not in a way I could see or manipte. It was nothing more than inky-ck ripples in the dark. Thanks to Caera, I had learned that the ck ripples were mana itself, and theorized that having a mana core allowed one to see the mana particles around them when they entered the keystone. Myck of a mana core seemed to be the primary obstacle preventing me from moving forward.


    As I¡¯d done dozens of times now, I imbued aether into the keystone. My consciousness rushed into it, passing through the purple walls into darkness. And I stayed there, surrounded by nkness, the lightly sulfuric smell of the hot water only barely pressing through to my conscious mind.


    I didn¡¯t bother activating any of my aetheric abilities, didn¡¯t hunt through the nothing for signs of magic or mana. I didn¡¯t even think, at least for a little while. It was like being asleep, except I didn¡¯t have to struggle as I would to sleep naturally.


    Then, after some indeterminate amount of time, something changed. I wasn¡¯t quite sure what at first. It was a subtle sensation, like a prickling at the back of my neck when someone was watching me.


    But this feeling wasing from within the keystone realm.Read first at "  "


    Near the edges of what I would consider my ¡°vision,¡± something shifted in the darkness. It wasn¡¯t the ck-on-ck slithering I had felt before. More like...stars, barely seen through light, night-time clouds. They were barely perceptible gray motes that pulsed, turning this way and that, almost like they were hunting for something.


    I opened my eyes.


    Across the room, Ellie crept out of the entryway, her hand on the wall, her nose wrinkled up against the thick air, tension tightening every muscle. She squinted into the strange, fungi-born light, saw me, and rxed.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Her whisper carried in the silence of the hot springs.


    El. Had my sister been the source of the gray motes inside the keystone realm? But if so, how? Why? What had she been doing? Instead of firing off these questions like arrows, however, I gave her a warm, if tired, smile. ¡°How did you find me?¡±


    She wrinkled her nose again. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s going to sound weird, but I smelled you.¡±


    ¡°Smelled me?¡± I chuckled, one eyebrow raising. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I don¡¯t stink that bad, do I?¡± I sniffed at my tunic just to make sure.


    ¡°It¡¯s part of my beast will,¡± she said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. She hesitated at the stairs that led from the ledge down to the moss-covered stone that ringed the pools. ¡°Is it okay if...¡±Read first at "  "


    ¡°Of course,¡± I said immediately. As much as I wanted to be alone to explore the keystone¡ªto discover more about the gray particles I¡¯d seen¡ªafter all this time, I also just wanted to spend time with my sister. ¡°Come sit with me. The water feels amazing.¡±


    Ellie beamed at me as she practically skipped in between the pools to join me, kicked off her turnshoes, and plopped down with her feet in the water.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Boo?¡±


    Sheughed, kicking her feet in the water and sshing us both. ¡°He was terrifying the dwarf children in the food lines, so I sent him to hunt in the tunnels.¡± She frowned suddenly. ¡°I hope he¡¯ll be okay. What if someone thinks he¡¯s a wild mana beast or something? I should have thought of that sooner.¡±


    ¡°I can send Regis to keep himpany,¡± I told her, pinging mypanion mentally to do just that. I had felt the boredom trickling back from him, so I knew he would he eagerly agree. Both of them were technically born of Epheotus, and I had sensed Regis¡¯s curiosity about Boo several times since returning.


    Ellie smiled in thanks, but the smile flickered at the edges. ¡°Hey...why didn¡¯t youe down to see us? You¡¯re...it¡¯s not because of Mom, is it?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not...¡± I stopped, forced to gather my thoughts. ¡°It was mostly the crowd, but, maybe a little because of Mom. Don¡¯t get me wrong. I have nothing but love for her. It¡¯s just...¡±


    ¡°Complicated?¡±


    I kicked my foot and watched the ripples move outward, slowly fading as they went. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s best for her, El. Time with me, time apart to digest everything that¡¯s happened, starting the conversation, waiting for her to take the lead...¡±


    Ellie shrugged. ¡°It¡¯ll take time. But you need to know that Mom really, really wants to fix things between you two.¡± She grinned. ¡°And not just because you¡¯re some crazy, super-powered hero now.¡±


    Iughed, pushing her sideways. She slid down the mossy slope and got soaked up to her knees, then sshed water at me.


    When theughter subsided, she noticed the keystone in my hand for the first time. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°A djinn¡ªancient mage keystone. It¡¯s like...an instruction manual for aether arts. But I¡¯ve been working on this one for a while, and I can¡¯t seem to make sense of it. Every time I think I¡¯m making progress, I just end up at another dead end. Except...¡± I hesitated, weighing my curiosity about the gray motes versus my concern in involving my sister.


    She ran a finger along one edge, peering closely at its surface. ¡°How does it work?¡±


    There was no way to separate these parts of my life, I decided with a sigh. Not anymore. ¡°Do you want to help?¡± She nodded excitedly, so I quickly exined the training process I¡¯d used with En and Caera. ¡°It¡¯d be just like when we used to practice forming different shapes with your mana back at the castle.¡±


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    Ellie¡¯s face scrunched with concentration as she held up a hand. An identical cube formed on her palm, but this one was made of her own bright, pure mana. ¡°Like this?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Now, my mind is going to go into the keystone. It¡¯s hard to concentrate on my other senses, so I may not be able to hear you, but just keep going until Ie back, okay?¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± she said seriously, letting the cube dissipate as she prepared to conjure a different shape.


    I nervously slid back into the keystone realm, quelling any hopes or expectations. For a moment, all was still, quiet, and empty. Then the mana began to move, and my heart stopped.


    Burning amidst the otherwise formless ck was an uneven orb of blurry gray motes. After a few seconds, the orb began to change, adding in more mana particles as it became moreplex. Like watching a ball of y be molded into shape, the shadowy mana particles became a rough but recognizable bear. I could see Ellie continuing to work at it, thinning the body, widening the legs, adjusting the bear¡¯s heavy brows. When the bear began to walk, I lost focus.


    My eyes snapped open and I stared at the water in front of Ellie, where an identical little bear of pure mana was slowly maneuvering across the surface of the water. She was so intently focused on her creation that she hadn¡¯t noticed me return.


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    Most mages adapted an affinity toward a specific element quite early on, but Ellie¡¯s mana had never manifested in that way. Like an augmenter, Ellie used the pure mana from her core to cast, but used a bow to focus that mana and project it away from herself, giving her a longer range than most augmenters could manage.


    Most augmenters eventually revealed an affinity for a specific element, with their augmentations taking on aspects of that element due to the abundance of elemental mana in their core. But Ellie¡¯s had stayed pure. She was the only non-elemental caster I knew. The mana used for her spells was entirely pure.


    Closing my eyes again, I returned to the keystone realm. There was the bear, out of focus but clearly visible, pacing around in the darkness. Then the bear melted away, and a simple silhouette took its ce. At first the silhouette was featureless, but Ellie slowly added more detail, giving it long hair, a little face, and distinct horns.


    A girl...Sylvie.


    I felt my throat constrict as her face came clear. Molded from the blurry mana, she looked ufortably simr to myst moments with her, like I was watching her dissolve all over again...


    Sensing my focus slipping away again, I pushed those old, painful memories to the back of my mind, focusing entirely on the shape.


    What am I supposed to be seeing, sensing?


    The purpose of the keystone was to guide me toward insight over some principle of aether. The first keystone had led me to Aroa¡¯s Requiem, but the path to that understanding had been bizarre, almost nonsensical.


    But that was the point, I thought. It was the journey that provided wisdom, not the keystone itself. Less of an instruction manual, more a map.


    Sylvie¡¯s figure began to change again. It bloated out, mana particles rushing to it as the figure expanded, forming wings, a tail, and a long neck. Sylvie¡¯s draconic form.


    While the end goal was a mystery, it seemed clear that the path involved watching the mana particles as they moved or reacted to the casting of a spell.


    Although I couldn¡¯t be sure, I doubted that the djinn could see individual mana particles the way Realmheart had allowed me to. This keystone gave them that ability, which must have allowed them to then gain some additional insight.


    But what could that be? And why can I sense Ellie¡¯s pure mana, but not elementally aligned mana?


    The djinn¡¯s focus had been on learning about aether, not mana, so whatever the keystone¡¯s purpose, the insight it provided had to be rted to aether. Caera had been able to see the mana with it, but simply seeing had not granted her any greater understanding, and I doubted it even could, since she had no affinity for aether.


    Growing frustrated, I released my hold on the keystone realm and let my consciousness drift back into my body.


    Ellie was trying to make the dragon¡¯s wings move, but was having trouble with theplex motion. Her face was pinched in a frown of concentration.


    Read first at "  "


    I stayed still and silent, embracing the quiet peacefulness of my surroundings.


    As a quadra-elemental mage with the ability to use Realmheart, at one time I had a better understanding of mana than just about any other mage in Dicathen. I didn¡¯t need to see it now to understand it. Although it wasn¡¯t physically in front of me, I could still picture the jagged energy of red fire mana, the liquid grace of blue water mana, the sharp, cutting gusts of green air mana, and the heavy rolling of yellow earth mana.


    The djinn may have needed the keystone to see and understand how mana particles moved and reacted to spells being cast, but I didn¡¯t.


    Earth, air, water, fire...


    My gaze jumped from the cavern walls to the steamy air to the warm pools. Mana was drawn to the physical elements it represented. This room was full of all four elements. Without a spell being cast, however, the atmospheric mana was dormant. I needed to agitate it.


    ¡°Ellie,¡± I said, louder and more forcefully than I¡¯d intended.


    My sister jerked out of her highly concentrated state, and the dragon vanished. ¡°Oh, darn.¡±


    ¡°Nevermind, I need you to try something else,¡± I said in a rush. ¡°Create shapes that interact with the elements in the room. Disrupt the water, stone, air...shoot it, whatever. Get creative.¡±


    Without waiting for a response, I dove back into the keystone.


    After a moment, there was a sh, a beam like an arrow flying in the dark. Distantly, I heard the cracking of stone. In the keystone, I watched a ripple spread out from where the arrow had vanished, inky ck but not formless.


    Earth, I thought, watching the way the mana bumped up against itself like stones rolling down a hill.


    Read first at "  "


    ¡°Again,¡± I said.


    This time, I watched the spot even more closely. The arrow appeared, shed, then vanished.


    Ellie shot arrow after arrow, and each impact set the atmospheric mana into brief motion. Then she made spinning des to push the air, and finally spheres like cannonballs to hurl into the peaceful water.


    But, although the tremors and waves and ripples made logical sense, it changed nothing about how I saw them. I tried picturing the inky ck disruptions within the keystone realm as the brightly-colored particles they really were, began anticipating how they would react to Ellie¡¯s spells.


    I understood the mana, could see it even without seeing it. But...maybe that was part of the problem. I wasn¡¯t learning anything. There was no new insight here.


    What am I missing?


    I thought back to my childhood, how I had taught myself to be a quadra-elemental mage. And Xyrus Academy, learning to focus on my weakest attributes. Then Epheotus, and how I¡¯d needed to entirely change how I looked at mana maniption, inventing new techniques to adapt to the challenges I faced. And then I learned about aether.


    Lady Myre had told me that aether was creation. It was like a cup, mana like water. Aether shaped mana. It controlled the forms it could take. But I had already learned that the dragons¡¯ understanding of aether was limited. This simplisticparison was wed...but that didn¡¯t mean it couldn¡¯t be useful.


    I attempted to channel aether through my body. It didn¡¯t work; my mind and body were too separate, too metaphysically distant. I tried again, trying to reach back for my physical form without losing my connection with the keystone realm. It was like trying to make my arms longer or force a bone to bend.


    I needed to sense two things at once, hold two separate ideas in my mind at the same time. And slowly, very slowly, I began to feel the hard edges of the keystone in my hands, hear the trickling of the spring water flowing from one pool to the next, and feel my breath moving in and out of my lungs.


    ¡°El?¡± I asked, testing.


    ¡°Yeah, should I¡ªoh! Are you...?¡±


    ¡°Still in here,¡± I said, my mouth forming sluggishly around the words. ¡°Going to try something...¡±


    And then I pushed. I didn¡¯t try to form the aether, just expelled it from my core and body, sending a pulse of formeless, harmless aetheric particles out into the atmosphere. I struggled to keep my senses open from both directions, feeling the aether moving through the room while also watching the invisible mana particles move inside the aether realm.


    I lost track of both. Resisting the urge to leave the keystone realm in pure frustration, I tried again, then again. I wasn¡¯t sure how long I kept trying, with Ellie continuing to disturb the atmospheric mana in whatever ways she could think up.


    Slowly, two opposing pictures formed in my mind.


    One was the shape of the aether. The way it moved based on a fusion of its will and my own, but regardless of the physical space around me. Then there was the mana tied to individual elements, dormant until agitated by Ellie¡¯s magic.


    I understood how the aether moved, and I understood how the mana moved. No new insight to cultivate there. But where they interacted with each other...


    The aether simultaneously contained and gave shape to the mana, and yet the mana continued to move exactly as expected of its nature.


    Read first at "  "


    Like a cognitive illusion, I realized. A picture that is two things at once, with the negative space of one image creating the other.


    My perspective shifted. Suddenly I wasn¡¯t just sensing the aether, but the shape of the mana in between it. The keystone realm realigned itself to my new perspective, and, between one breath and the next, everything changed.


    Instead of an endless field of ck nothing, I saw the rough shape of the grotto, painted in the colors of mana. Next to me, my sister glowed with it, all the elements being drawn in through her channels to be purified in her core.


    The colors ran together, the scene disappearing into a spinning vortex of mana, with me at its center. Unlike the previous keystone, I didn¡¯t feel the scouring sensation in my mind. Instead, I felt warmth spreading across my physical body, while at the same time a window opened in my head, letting golden light bathe my innermost thoughts.


    My eyes fluttered open.


    Ellie was staring at me, no longer casting her spells. I sensed for the godrunes. They were there, dormant, waiting for aether to touch them, give them life and purpose. And there was a new one, still warm against my skin.


    I pushed aether into it.


    ¡°Whoa,¡± Ellie breathed. ¡°You¡¯ve got glowing purple tattoos under your eyes. That¡¯s so cool.¡±


    As before, my mind was filled with knowledge. This new godrune had a name, a purpose, a history, but it felt iplete. Unlike before, it was not my understanding that was iplete, but the djinn¡¯s. I instinctively understood that they had not taken this aether art to its full potential. I could do more with it.


    And so I abandoned the name it hade with. As my vision shifted and the atmospheric mana suffusing the cave appeared all around me, I decided what I would call this godrune.


    Realmheart. Read first at "  "

 Chapter 388

    <h4>Chapter 388</h4> <h4>Chapter 31: 387</h4>


    ALDIR


    Lord Indrath¡¯s great hall was as full and loud as I remember it ever being. Representatives of all the great ns were present, but Lord Thyestes had brought an unusuallyrge entourage, rivaling even the Indraths in number. The other ns mingled between the dragons and pantheons, but not freely. One only had to open their eyes to see how the political turmoil shaped the room.


    The leiah n of the leviathan race had also brought arge delegation, and the leviathans carefully moved between Indrath and Thyestes, making sure to give both ns time and attention.


    That was in contrast with the Mapellia n, chief among the hamadryad race. Their alliance with the dragons was as old as the foundations of Mount Geolus, and they honored it unflinchingly, lingering among the dragons while giving the pantheons only perfunctory greetings.


    The titans, on the other hand, had long been friends of the pantheons. Though they showed no outward signs of enmity toward the dragons, the members of the Grandus n gravitated to my own. Conversation between my n and theirs was open and essible, whereas the few titans who spoke to dragons did so in a more formal manner.


    There were few sylphs in attendance, as the carefree people did not enjoy subjecting themselves to such tensions. Lady Aerind hade herself, however, and the few of her n to apany her mingled carelessly between the other ns.


    Even fewer were the phoenixes. Their antipathy toward the dragons was deep-rooted and slow to burn, and the Avignis nrgely kept their people out of both politics and courtly turmoil. After their predecessors, the Asclepius n, were removed from the Great Eight, it had been difficult for the Avignis n to rebuild trust between the phoenixes and other races of Epheotus. Lord Avignis and his daughters kept to themselves amidst the frustration and anger of the pantheon warriors smoldering in the air.


    As I scanned the great hall, my brother caught my eye. It was rare for Kordri to attend court, but, as Taci¡¯s trainer, Lord Thyestes would have demanded his presence. The death of an asura¡ªany asura, much less a pantheon warrior¡ªat the hands of a lesser was unheard of. Our n demanded answers.


    "Ah, General Aldir."


    Read first at


    Turning from my brother, I realized that Lord leiah had appeared at my side. The leviathan was an elder of his long-lived race, nearly as old as Lord Indrath. Unlike the lord of dragons, Lord leiah wore his age proudly. His pale skin was thoroughly wrinkled, and the ridges that ran along his temples had lightened from the deep-ocean blue of youth to a light, nearly transparent hue. A milky-white film covered his once sea-green eyes. Even of those with several working eyes, only few could see the world as clearly as he seemed to, however.


    "An unpleasant setting for a pleasant meeting," he continued. "It¡¯s been at least a hundred years, I¡¯m sure. Far too long. Please, allow me to extend my great sorrow for your n¡¯s loss."


    He held out a hand to me, palm down. Taking it gently in my own, I bowed and pressed my forehead to the cold skin on the back of his hand. "Thank you, my lord."


    He smiled, deepening the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. "Should Lord Indrath ever allow you even a moment¡¯s rest from your duties, you must visit our n, Aldir. Zelyna still harbors feelings for you, I believe. She¡¯s settled down a bit now, you know. Not quite the firebrand she used to be."


    I said nothing, and Lord leiah¡¯s cheek trembled as he tried to suppress his amusement. "Well, can¡¯t be seen ying favorites between the ns. I suppose I¡¯ll have to find some dragon to talk with until Lord Indrath makes his appearance." He gave me a quick wink, turned, and melted away into the crowd.


    After my odd conversation with Lord leiah, I kept to myself, exchanging simple greetings with a few dignitaries, but otherwise doing my best to avoid being pressed into conversation and staying to the rear of the crowd. There was a gnawing sort of guilt growing in me, and it sharpened each time I heard Taci¡¯s name. Although I had no way of knowing the truth, it was possible my actions had contributed to his death.


    While I had hoped he would fail to wipe out Virion Eralith and his refugees, I had never imagined he would die in the effort. He was a pantheon. A youth, perhaps, but with decades of advanced training within the aether orb. Had he returned form his mission, he would have been weed back as an adult.


    The white mes of Lord Indrath¡¯s throne red, interrupting my thoughts. The myriad voices filling the great hall went silent in an instant.


    Lord Kezess Indrath appeared before his throne, stepping through the mes. His perpetually youthful face was carefully impassive, lightly weing, and entirely controlled. When his purple eyes swept across the still, silent crowd, however, there was a predatory intensity to his gaze.


    Read first at


    Indrath didn¡¯t speak until the silence had reached the point of difort. "Lords and Ladies. Greatest among your great ns. It is too rare that we meet in this way. You stand in the heart of my home, and I wee you."


    As one, the attending asuras all bowed. "Hail and wee to his grace, Lord Indrath."


    The ceremonial greeting carried a rough edge, drawn begrudgingly from the lips of my nsfolk. Though I was certain Lord Indrath noticed and kept a carefully mental tally of all who replied without the expected vigor, his demeanor didn¡¯t change.


    Once thest asura had stood, Indrath eased himself back on his throne, the white fire dancing harmlessly around him. "I have brought you all here because one of our own has been lost. We all understand how easy it is for lies and misinformation to spread among our people, which is why it is essential you know the truth of this unfortunate death."


    Lord Thyestes stepped forward but did not immediately speak. Instead, he waited for Lord Indrath to address him.


    Lord Indrath looked him in the eye but continued speaking. "As war with the Vritra n creeps closer, pruning our rtionships in Dicathen is ever more important. It was also an opportunity for me to see for myself how the young pantheon, Taci of Thyestes n, handled himself on the battlefield."


    Lord Thyestes took a firm step forward, putting himself directly in line with the throne. Read first at


    "The rumor has already spread that Taci was defeated in battle by the lessers," Indrath continued gravely. "At best this is a ridiculous falsehood born of fear. At worst, a cruel lie meant to disrupt rtions between the ns."


    "And who would wish such a thing?" Lord Thyestes snapped, speaking out of turn. My nsfolk burst out with a low rumbling of support for our lord, and those present who were not already watching him carefully turned to stare.


    Indrath¡¯s face stayed cool and impassive as his attention settled back on Lord Thyestes. "Ademir. Go on then, speak. You clearly cannot contain your thoughts any longer."


    "Nor should I have to, your grace," Lord Thyestes shot back.


    The lord of the Thyestes n, Ademir, was tall and lean, like most pantheons. His four front eyes stared fearlessly at Indrath. His long ck hair was shaved along the sides, revealing two additional eyes, one on each side. These bright purple eyes tracked with a jittery quickness across the faces of the other asura, no doubt scanning the room for support.


    Lord Thyestes was in a difficult position. Our n demanded answers and satisfaction, but if he pushed Indrath too far, the Thyestes n could fall just as quickly as the Asclepius n had. But pantheons were not easily cowed, and Ademir would find it difficult to back down from Kezess¡¯s threats in front of his peers, a fact Kezess understood full well and would not hesitate to take advantage of. We were a warrior race, and we responded to threats with strength.


    "Taci was a talented and promising young pantheon," Ademir said, his words directed to the half of the great hall where the Thyestes pantheons had gathered. "I was unsurprised when Lord Indrath expressed interest in testing the boy. Taci had trained extensively within the aether orb with Kordri, had studied alongside young dragons in this very castle, and was whispered to be a suitable heir to learn the forbidden World Eater technique, currently safeguarded by General Aldir."


    A few eyes turned in my direction¡ªmost notably Lord Indrath¡¯s¡ªbut most of the hall remained fixated on Lord Thyestes.


    "But this will nevere to pass, because his future has been taken from him, and for what? Why have we been deprived of a son, a friend, a pantheon with thousands of years of grace, strength, and life remaining to him?" Ademir¡¯s eyes turned back on Kezess, who hadn¡¯t moved, not even the flicker of an eysh. "Tell us, your grace. Exin this esction. First you fail to destroy the outcast, Agrona Vritra, then you break our treaty with him by using the Thyestes n¡¯s forbidden mana art, and now you lose a pantheon warrior to the lessers." Read first at


    As Ademir spoke, his tone became harsher and sharper and the force of his mana swelled until it distorted the air around him. "You must forgive us if some of your subjects have begun to question your judgment."


    Raised voices crashed through the great hall like waves against a rocky shore, rising and falling, tumbling over one another as asura turned against asura.


    "How dare you¡ª"


    "¡ªnot a justification for¡ª"


    "¡ªremoved from the Great Eight immediately¡ª"


    "¡ªdamned good question!"


    A shadow fell over the hall, and the outpouring of Indrath¡¯s power stole the oxygen from the air, quenching the arguments like candle mes. Each asura in attendance was considered among the strongest of their ns, and yet we all flinched away from our lord, knees going weak, breath shuddering out of our lungs.


    Lord Kezess Indrath didn¡¯t move. He didn¡¯t scowl or even frown. His eyes became a slightly darker shade of purple, perhaps, but that was the only outward sign of his displeasure.


    "You forget yourselves," he said after a long moment. "We are asura. We do not squabble and yell like lessers."


    Lord Thyestes¡¯ hands curled into tight fists, his own King¡¯s Force radiating around him, pushing back at Indrath¡¯s aura. But he kept his silence.


    "It is unfortunate that you over-represented Taci¡¯s abilities to me," Indrath continued. "Had you been more open, I could have sent another." Ademir¡¯s scowl deepened, but Indrath kept speaking. "For it wasn¡¯t ack of martial prowess or control over mana that condemned Taci, but ack of wisdom. He was not defeated by the lessers but tricked into destroying himself. There are no lessers in either crya or Dicathen that post a threat to us. That is the message you must take home to your ns."


    "What a load of¡ª" Read first at


    "Enough," Indrath said, smothering Ademir¡¯s curse. "My decrees are not subject to discussion, even among the great ns." Indrath¡¯s gaze traveled through the room, and he finally withdrew his King¡¯s Force. "You are dismissed, for the moment. We will reconvene when tempers have calmed so that I am not forced to do something...dramatic."


    The sudden dismissal after so short a meeting caught the room off guard, but I didn¡¯t wait for Indrath to repeat himself. Moving quickly, but not so quickly as to draw attention to myself, I was at the doors by the time the guards heaved them open. Both snapped into quick salutes as I moved past.


    I took the first side hallway, then turned again, and then again, losing myself in the sprawling interior of the castle. Tempers among my n were sure to be running hot, and I had no desire to be drawn into the indignant debates that were certain to follow such a heated conference.


    I hadn¡¯t gone far, though, before I became aware of the steps shadowing my own. At the next corner, I took a careful look behind me, but whoever it was kept out of sight. One of the guards? I wondered. Or perhaps Kordri, or some other member of my n sent by Lord Thyestes to track me down.


    Despite my desire to stay away from the well-trafficked areas of the castle, I took the most direct route to the front gates, which stood wide open. A cool breeze blew in, carrying little eddies of cloudy fluff that dissolved almost immediately. The sun winked off the translucent, many-colored bridge that spanned the gap between the two peaks of Geolus.


    I hesitated before stepping foot on that bridge.


    "Where are you going, General Aldir?"


    I resisted the urge to sigh deeply and turned to face the man who had been following me. "Windsom. I didn¡¯t see you at the council."


    "I hardly stand out among so many asuran leaders," he said, giving me a small, humorless smile. "You left very quickly."


    "I¡¯ve decided to return home," I said immediately, making up my mind that I would do so in the moment. "I will be away from the castle for some time."


    Windsom¡¯s brows rose. "And have you informed Lord Indrath of this leave of absence from your duties?"


    I didn¡¯t reply. We both knew full well I hadn¡¯t.


    "I have be aware of two small but interesting facts, Aldir, which is why I sought you out." He gave me that smile again, and I felt an iprehensible tremor run up my spine. Windsom was a dragon, but he¡¯d spent his long life minding the lessers. He was no threat to me.


    So why do I feel so threatened?


    "When I returned for Taci, I discovered that the lessers¡¯ sanctuary was empty, but a tomb had been left behind. A tomb for one of the Lances, who you were meant to have killed."


    I felt for the threads of mana that connected me to my weapon, Silverlight. "That is because I let them go," I said slowly, watching for any hint of aggression from the dragon.


    He inclined his head slightly. "I know. I appreciate your honesty, though I should expect nothing less."


    "And what is the second interesting fact?" I asked, unsure what game Windsom was ying.


    "There was a certain amount of...carnage left at the lessers¡¯ sanctuary," he said, his nose wrinkling. "Arge number of cryans were brutalized. Based on what I saw there, I am certain that Arthur Leywin has returned to Dicathen, and that it was he who killed Taci. Additionally, I believe Arthur to be the same person as this mysterious Grey who killed the Scythe, Cadell Vritra, at Agrona¡¯s Victoriad."


    "You believe quite a lot," I said, crossing my arms and looking out over the edge of the mountaintop. There was nothing but an endless sea of clouds below. Read first at


    Windsom took a step toward me. "Aldir,e with me to Lord Indrath. Throw yourself on his mercy, tell him what you¡¯ve done." He paused as if weighing his words carefully. "Offer to go to Dicathen andplete your task. Prove that you can still be a leader among the asura."


    "When did being a leader among the asurae to mean destroying lessers...people who once relied on us, called us their allies," I said, trying to sound musing, but my words came out hard even to my own ears.


    Windsom waved a hand dismissively. "The lessers of Dicathen only exist because of Lord Indrath. We both know very well what he¡¯ll do if it bes necessary to wipe them out and start over again. What is a handful of lesser lives when held up against the well-being of all of Epheotus?"


    Windsom¡¯s words mmed shut a gate in my mind. It blocked the way forward...or rather, the way back. This immediate and unthinking eptance that Kezess could determine which lives had value and which did not, and that we were expected simply to be the tools of his will, was too much. I couldn¡¯t ept it.


    "Anyone capable ofbeling one group of lives as unimportant can just as easily make the same determination of another. How long until the dragons determine the phoenixes¡¯ lives do not matter, or the titans¡¯, or the pantheons¡¯." Windsom opened his mouth to respond, already wearing a condescending, dismissive smirk, but I quieted him with a pulse of my King¡¯s Force. "The asura have lost their way. We have been led astray by the corruption and selfishness of Kezess Indrath."


    Windsom darkened. I saw the edges of his true form flicker around him, the alchemy of fury, fear, and frustration boiling into something only barely controlled. "You know what this will mean," he said through clenched teeth. "Do not expect that Lord Indrath will tolerate such seditious speech just because of your long service to him, Aldir."


    "I hardly expect loyal service means anything at all to him," I answered, spinning on my heel and marching across the bridge.


    The colors red wherever my feet touched, and I wondered what Kezess was sensing. It hardly mattered. He would not make a scene here, now, not with Lord Thyestes and so many of my kin in the castle. No, he would wait until a more convenient time.


    As I expected, nothing happened as I crossed the long bridge. I had hardly stepped off it when a figure stepped out from the shadows of the tree arch. I stopped, again reaching for Silverlight, but did not summon it.


    "A bit edgy, are we?"


    I felt the tension ease from me. "Wren Kain. It¡¯s been a while."


    The frail man looked as disheveled and emaciated as ever, hardly living up to the name of titan. His dingy hair hung down over his face, which was covered with uneven stubble. But I knew there was a steel-hard core to his outwardly feeble appearance.


    "Lover¡¯s quarrel?" he asked, looking past me to the castle gates. Windsom was no longer standing there.


    I grunted, unamused. "Epheotus is changing."


    Wren chuckled and scratched his chin. "Is it, Aldir? Or is it you who has changed?"


    I bent down and took up a handful of soil. It was dark and moist, full of potential. Full of life. I¡¯d never noticed before. I hadn¡¯t looked.


    Maybe I had changed. But...I didn¡¯t understand what that meant. If I wasn¡¯t General Aldir, keeper of the World Eater technique, then who was I?


    Wren wiggled his fingers, and the soil came alive in my hand. It shifted and ran together, forming a small wolf with dusty clouds around its neck and tail. "Did you know that¡¯s the form Arthur¡¯s lorite manifested? Fascinating, huh? Heard from the boytely?"


    "Don¡¯t bury your meaning with me, Wren," I said tiredly. "What are you doing here?"


    He tutted, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms as if I¡¯d offended him. "Just because Lord Grandus didn¡¯t see fit to invite me to the party doesn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t curious about what¡¯s happening inside."


    The animated wolf in my hand melted back into soil, which I let trickle between my fingers. "Windsom believes Arthur killed Taci," I confided, curious what Wren might think of that. "But Lord Indrath wants the great ns to assure everyone it was a fluke, a trick."


    Wren whistled, a low sound thick with disbelief. "What are you going to do?" Read first at


    I straightened, careful of each word and movement. Wren had never been sychophantic in his service to Kezess, but this was a dangerous moment for both of us. "I believe my service to Lord Indrath has ended."


    Wren¡¯s nose twitched. "You¡¯ll go to Dicathen, then? To Arthur? Try to teach the lessers the way of the pantheon warrior?" He gave me a wry smirk. "So that maybe, in a hundred years, they¡¯ll be slightly less incapable?"


    I shook my head. "Nothing is certain at the moment."


    Wren tapped the side of his nose, giving me a knowing look. "You know, Aldir, I¡¯d love to get a closer look at that weapon of Arthur¡¯s..."


    Read first at

 Chapter 389

    <h4>Chapter 389</h4>


    Chapter 387: Long-Worn Shackles


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    The violet markings of Realmheart burned hot against my skin as I focused on the godrune. Now that I could once again see and sense mana, I felt connected to the physical space around me in a way I hadn¡¯t since waking in the Relictombs.


    Read first at " "


    The smell of sweat and ozone, the sight of mana particles rolling and tumbling out of Mica¡¯s core, the sound of Bairon¡¯s heavy breathing, and even the weight of my own body pushing down on the ground beneath me all wove into one intertwined tapestry of sensation.


    I focused on the mana along Mica¡¯s arms as it rushed into the huge hammer she swung with both hands. The hammer thickened and hardened, swelling to be even more unnaturallyrge. The sound of thunder crashed and rolled through the cavern, and the hammer shattered, exploding into a million knife-like shards.


    Mica rolled under a lightning spear as the stone shards all shivered to a stop in midair, turned, and hurtled back at her target. Crackling static shivered through the air, and the stones became maized, snapping to each other and veering off course. The few that managed to reach Bairon burst against his mana barrier.


    Next to me, behind ayer of transparent ice that protected us from any stray spells, Varay shifted. Her eyes were half-closed as she focused more on sensing the two sparring Lances¡¯ cores and the strength of their mana maniption than the physical aspects of their fight. ¡°Their cores both feel strong. Nearly replenished.¡±


    I bit my tongue. It is true that they¡¯ve nearly returned to their full strength, but...


    ¡®Their full strength barely dented a toddler asura,¡¯ Regis cut in, looking up from where hey in the corner, uninterested in the sparring.


    The air in the room grew heavy as the gravity swelled. Going stiff, Bairon strained against the massive weight of his own body, which threatened to pull him to the ground. Sand was swirling up all around him and hardening into boulders that immediately flew in his direction.


    Another thunderp shook the training cave, lightning-attribute mana shivering and sparking in my Realheart-enhanced vision.


    The stones quivered but didn¡¯t break, their forms momentarily seeming somehow indefinite, and then they hit him. Instead of solid rock meant to crush and bludgeon, the stones exploded across Bairon like mud¡ªor maybe quicksand¡ªcaking him from head to toe. Mica¡¯s core again thrummed with the release of mana, and the sand became stone, hardening around his body.


    Bairon¡¯s eyes dted, and the hair on his head stood on end.


    A cloak of lightning coiled around him, and the crack of thunder shivered through the stone, causing it to burst apart before it could fully harden.


    Read first at "


    Lightning spread out like a web across the floor around his feet, creating many individual bolts that snapped up from the ground to destroy the pieces of stone that Mica tried to control, including the hammer forming again in her hand.


    The currents of electricity¡ªvisible as streams of bright yellow mana¡ªraced up Mica¡¯s arm, causing her fist to spasm and tighten around the hammer. Her eye went wide as her muscles were swiftly paralyzed by the overload of electrical energy. But even when she suddenly reversed gravity and sent Bairon plummeting up toward the ceiling, it wasn¡¯t enough to break his spell.


    With Thunderp Impulse active, Bairon was able to react with near-instant precision. He spun in the air, stabilized himself so that he was hovering upside down, and activated the lightning web burning across the floor.


    Each individual tendril of electrical energy formed a small bolt and struck out in a seemingly random direction, ricocheting off the walls and ceiling to create a chaotic maelstrom of lightning bolts filling the cave.


    The mana felt so close, like I could almost touch it. The muscle memory was still there, and it twitched as I watched the fight, like a one-armed soldier trying to lift his missing arm to ward off a blow.


    With a sigh, I nced at Varay¡¯s conjured arm of ice. A thin but constant stream of deviant ice-attribute mana was trickling from her core into the arm, holding its form. If she could use mana to duplicate the effect of having a physical arm, was there a way that I, too, could replicate what I¡¯d lost?


    A haze of fine sand had risen to fill the cave, absorbing the electricity and nullifying Bairon¡¯s spell. A new hammer was growing in Mica¡¯s second hand, this one formed of dull iron. The lightning mana paralyzing her muscles was drawn out of her and into the metallic hammer. Bairon¡¯s hair fell t, signaling the end of the Thunderp Impulse spell, just as Mica hurled the lightning-infused chunk of iron at Bairon. At the same time, gravity flipped again, and this time he was mmed backward into the closest wall.


    I focused on how the atmospheric aether reacted¡ªor didn¡¯t react¡ªto the mana. It seemed to ignore the manapletely, while at the same time always fitting into the space not upied by mana. It was neither avoiding nor shaping the mana, not really. It was more urate to think of the two forces as shaping each other, like a mountain stream following its banks after having formed the banks through erosion.


    Read first at "


    However, like the water and cup metaphor, this idea failed to properly exin the rtionship between the two forces.


    Pinned against the wall, Bairon couldn¡¯t react in time to avoid Mica¡¯s electrified metal hammer. It crashed into him, and he was lost in a cloud of dust and debris.


    The visible mana particles faded away as my concentration on Realmheart gave out.


    ¡°Bairon?¡± Varay said, stepping out from behind the protectiveyer of transparent ice.


    A dry cough came from the dust, then Bairon¡¯s silhouette appeared, hunched slightly. He straightened and cracked his neck as he strode back out into the open. Behind him, the dust faded, revealing a hole in the cavern wall several feet deep. ¡°Well fought, Lance Mica. I¡¯m feeling nearly recovered. You seem to be as well.¡±


    Mica flexed the arm that still held her oversized hammer. ¡°Mica does feel much better, yes.¡±


    The Lances had been strained to the point of bacsh during their fight with Taci, with wounds that would leave a mark for the rest of their lives. Although the scabs around Mica¡¯s eye had already fallen away to reveal shining scars beneath, the eye itself would never heal.


    Varay¡¯s arm of magical ice and the onyx stone resting heavily in Mica¡¯s eye socket would stay with them as stark reminders of their near-deaths, but for me, they were something else entirely.


    The other four Lances together hadn¡¯t been able to defeat Taci. Aya had sacrificed her life just to slow him down. And Taci was only a boy by asuran standards. How could I expect them to stand against the likes of Aldir or Kordri, much less Kezess and Agrona?


    The truth was that we were preparing for a war against deities, but we¡¯d already lost a war against men, and our most powerful mages not only hadn¡¯t grown in strength, but couldn¡¯t.


    Read first at "


    ¡®There is still Fate,¡¯ Regis reminded me. ¡®Maybe they wouldn¡¯t have to fight if we went back to the Relictombs.¡¯


    Or, by the time we came back, there might not be a world left to save, I thought, feeling a dark mncholy creeping to overtake my mood.


    Instead, I turned back to the Lances and forced a smile onto my face. ¡°So Bairon, how did Mica manage to win with only one eye?¡±


    A scowl shed across Bairon¡¯s face, but it quickly transformed into a wry grin as he took in my expression. ¡°Well, you know how grumpy she gets when you don¡¯t let her win.¡±


    Mica stamped her foot and crossed her arms, making her look more childlike than ever. ¡°You let me win, did you? Maybe if you were more versatile, Bai, you wouldn¡¯t have ended up buried ten feet into the wall.¡±


    I chuckled and felt the sourness leaving me. Even one side of Varay¡¯s lips quirked up in something that almost looked like a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious, though, what were you doing with the lightning tendrils while you were under the effects of Thunderp Impulse?¡± I asked. ¡°I couldn¡¯t keep up with the micro-movements while your reactions were so fast.¡±


    Bairon¡¯s head turned to the side slightly as he regarded me in surprise. ¡°You noticed? But how? I...¡± He cut himself off with a disbelievingugh. ¡°Nevermind, nothing you do surprises me anymore. As for your question, I can extend my senses out through the lightning-attribute mana when casting Thunderp Impulse.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ve even improved on my spell. Impressive.¡±


    Mica snorted. ¡°If you¡¯re going to be a one-trick pony, it better be a good trick.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps your head has grown too big for your small body,¡± Bairon said, flexing his hands and making electricity jump between his fingers. ¡°I think a rematch is necessary.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Varay cut in, raising her brows at me, ¡°I was hoping Arthur might agree to a bout with me. It¡¯s been a very long time since we sparred. I know I speak for all three of us when I say that we¡¯d like to get a closer look at your capabilities.¡±


    Read first at "


    I thought about this, then shook my head. Although I knew I needed to help the Lances grow stronger¡ªsomehow¡ªI didn¡¯t think that sparring was the way. ¡°Actually, I was just about to excuse myself. I¡¯ve been waiting on Gideon for something, and I¡¯d like to check on his progress.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± she replied. ¡°I suppose I should check in with Lords Earthborn and Silvershale on the defensive alterations they are making to the city.¡± I could sense the mostly-concealed hesitation in Varay¡¯s voice. When I gave her a wry smile, she sighed. ¡°Their bickering is tiresome.¡±


    Chuckling, I said, ¡°Well, good luck with that.¡± I gave the three Lances a small wave in farewell, then started down the long tunnel back to Vildorial, where I circumnavigated the city to arrive at the Earthborn Institute. Regis padded along silently behind me.


    The gate into the school was guarded, but the dwarves there only watched warily as we passed by. The school¡¯s carved-stone halls hummed with the constant rumble of machinery, folding in any noise Gideon¡¯sb may have made, and eventually, I had to ask for directions from a passing faculty member in order to track him down. Read first at "


    This led me deep into the bowels of the school where the hallways were in and unadorned, looking more like a prison than an educational institution. Heavy stone doors lined both sides of the hall at regr intervals on my right, while those on the left were much more spread out. I found what I was looking for halfway down the hall .


    The door was propped partially open, a fact that probably had something to do with the dry heat and burning stench that was wafting out into the hall, Gideon¡¯s harsh voiceing along with it.


    ¡°Bah. Let¡¯s start from the beginning. Emily, have you been writing all this down?¡±


    ¡°Writing what down, Professor? We haven¡¯t covered anything new in hours,¡± she said, her tone teasingly insubordinate.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that, girl, and just...write down everything I say.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± she answered, the rolling of her eyes practically audible from the hallway.


    I slipped through the door and leaned against the frame, but didn¡¯t announce my presence. Regis poked his head in beside me. ¡®It smells like burnt ass in here.¡¯


    Gideon and Emily were standing next to a metal table draped with a ragged, scorched leather cover. Several lighting artifacts hung over the table, casting bright light down on several artifacts that had been carefullyid out atop it.


    Read first at "


    ¡°We know¡ª¡±


    ¡°Think,¡± Emily interrupted.


    ¡°¡ªthat the obsidian staff is the primary device used in what we have been told is the ¡®bestowal ceremony,¡¯ a ritual using these artifacts to grant cryan mages ¡®runes¡¯¡ª¡±


    ¡°Spellforms,¡± Emily said.


    ¡°¡ªbut simply channeling mana into the staff does not cause an immediate reaction.¡±


    Resting lengthwise across the table was an obsidian staff, just like the one I¡¯d seen used in Maerin Town during their bestowment ceremony. The gem at its head glittered green, yellow, red, and blue. Not visible to the naked eye, but clear as day to me, was the concentration of aetheric particles contained within the crystal.


    Curious, I activated Realmheart.


    Warmth flooded through my back, along my arms, and under my eyes as the godrune lit up. The world around me shifted as the mana became visible. Earth mana clung to the stone walls, floor, and ceiling. Eddies of wind-attribute mana were tossed around on the subtle currents that moved away from where fire mana zed in a couple of low-burning forges built into one wall.


    Emily tensed, and I could see the goosebumps forming on her arms from across the room. Slowly, she turned toward the door. ¡°Arthur, what...?¡±


    Gideon turned a secondter. He stared at me, his head cocked slightly to one side. ¡°You going to a party, kid?¡±


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    I smirked at the joke, but my focus was on the staff: densely packed mana particles gave it its glow, and even without being activated, it seemed to be drawing more mana toward itself in a slow trickle.


    Mana clung to the other items on the table as well, but being able to sense this didn¡¯t tell me anything new, so I stopped channeling aether into the godrune. The mana particles faded away until they were once again invisible, and my ability to sense them cut out.


    I blinked a couple of times as my eyes adjusted to the change in my vision. ¡°So, it sounds like the research hasn¡¯t been very productive?¡±


    Gideon and Emily exchanged a look, and Gideon scratched his half-regrown eyebrows. ¡°Hard to put a puzzle together when you don¡¯t know what the hell it¡¯s supposed to look like,¡± he grumbled, waving a hand at the artifacts. ¡°Maybe if you would have graced us with your presence a bit sooner...¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m here now,¡± I said as I crossed the room to the table. ¡°And I brought a research assistant.¡± I gestured to Regis, who reared up to put his front paws on the table. ¡°Understanding this technology is essential if we hope to match the cryans, much less stand against asuras.¡±


    ¡°So you implied,¡± Gideon said wryly, his consternated gaze on the shadow wolf staring thoughtfully down at the artifacts. ¡°I think¡±¡ªhe shot Emily a sharp look¡ª¡±the runes woven into the ceremonial robes have something to do with activating the staff. Like a key. But there is a sequence to the runes that isn¡¯t immediately obvious, and I don¡¯t want to just blindly try things. Someone could get hurt, or worse we might destroy the robes by ident.¡±


    Emily¡¯s brows rose as she considered her mentor. ¡°Your priorities seem to be out of alignment,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I think I agree with Professor No Brows,¡± Regis said off-handedly, eliciting a giggle from Emily. ¡°The robes are definitely necessary.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I think,¡± Gideon grumbled.


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    ¡°Do your memories from Uto contain anything useful about the bestowal?¡± I asked.


    Regis¡¯s lupine brows knitted together as he struggled to parse the mix of thoughts and memories that had originallybined to give him consciousness. ¡°Uto¡¯d seen a hundred bestowals, usually higher-ranked officers or highbloods. But only the officials who actually perform the ceremony, and I suppose the Instillers and Vritra who designed the things, are taught the specifics.¡±


    ¡°And nothing in the book helped?¡± I asked Gideon.


    Next to the ceremonial ck robes rested a thick, well-worn tome. Gideon reached out and opened it to a random page. ¡°It¡¯s a catalog of the many marks, emblems, et cetera that have been handed down by this staff in particr. Fascinating, but no help in using the thing.¡±


    ¡°I guess it was too much to hope it came with an instruction manual,¡± I said.


    Regis¡¯s snout wrinkled. ¡°I think you¡¯re trying to be funny, but that would sort of defeat the purpose of having a super-secret ritual.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good, he insults you too,¡± Gideon said, giving Regis a bemused look. ¡°I was worried it was all just you pantomiming through your summons, and I was wondering what I¡¯d done wrong.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not being insulting,¡± Regis replied defensively. ¡°I just call it like it is.¡±


    Focus, I thought to Regis, then turned my attention back to the artifacts.


    The in ck dimension ring given to me by ric was also on the table. Beside it, a ne of small beads had been arranged in a coiling pile between the ring and the book. The beads were dull yellow-white, and I immediately thought they looked like bone.


    ¡°They are,¡± Regis said seriously, the mes of his mane writhing in agitation. ¡°The carved bones of djinn whose remains were stolen from the Relictombs.¡±


    I carefully scooped up the artifact and let the beads tumble through my fingers. Faint grooves were barely visible distorting the surface of the smooth bone. I squinted and pushed aether into my eyes. Although most of it flowed in the direction I indicated, some of the aether slipped away, drawn toward the ne.


    I thought I understood.


    ¡°This technology must have been co-opted from the djinn¡ªancient mages¡ªand requires some small ability to channel aether,¡± I said, rolling a bead around between my fingers.


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    ¡°I don¡¯t follow,¡± Emily said, looking from me to Gideon.


    I set the ne carefully back on the table.


    Regis leaned down and sniffed at the old bone. ¡°Most of crya¡¯s technological advancements havee from the Vritra¡¯s research into this endless, monster-filled dungeon called the Relictombs. Half tomb, half creepy carnival, but full repository of ancient knowledge, you know? But the djinn mostly worked their magic with aether, which the cryans can¡¯t use. These dead-djinn beads attract aether.¡±


    ¡°Which must simte the capacity for direct maniption,¡± Gideon suggested. He grabbed the robes and shook them out, then began tracing the runes embroidered into the interior lining with the tip of his finger. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely fluent, and the runes areplex, but I believe the robe serves a simr purpose, only for mana.¡±


    I tugged down a corner of the fabric to get a better look. ¡°You¡¯re right. I bet these robes allow for channeling all four types of elemental mana. Not in a quadra-elemental spellcaster sort of way, but enough¡ªin conjunction with the ne¡ªto activate a device that requires earth, air, fire, water, and aether to properly use.¡±


    Gideon tapped his fingers on the table. ¡°It seems unnecessarily convoluted.¡±


    ¡°But maybe that¡¯s purposeful,¡± Emily suggested, her face brightening. ¡°I mean, think about it. If magical strength were as simple as waving around an artifact¡±¡ªshe pointed to the staff¡ª¡°then whoever controls this bestowment controls everything.¡±


    ¡°And lesson one of megalomaniac studies is that they don¡¯t like to share power,¡± Regis replied.


    I picked up Regis¡¯s train of thought. ¡°The bestowals allow Agrona to create mages and enhance the purity of their cores with little effort, but the same technology would allow, for example, one of his Sovereigns to do the same in an effort to challenge him.¡±


    Gideon let out a thoughtful hum and leaned over the table, staring down at the staff. ¡°By controlling who understands how the pieces fit together and limiting ess to the secondary artifacts, you maintain control of the process.¡±


    ¡°Although...¡± Emily bit her lip hesitantly. ¡°If the artifacts can simply be stolen...¡±


    ¡°Oh, there are definitely secondary means of protection,¡± Regis said, hopping down from the table. ¡°Carefully manufactured ignorance is only one part of it. The threat of a horrifying death alone is enough for most. But I¡¯d bet my horns there is some kind of ward or trap woven into all this technology for anyone who does try to steal it and use it against Agrona.¡±


    We were all silent for a moment as we considered this thought.


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    Then the silence shattered as an explosion shook the walls and brought down trails of dust from the ceiling.


    Regis¡¯s fiery mane bristled as we both turned toward the door. Orange-gray smoke was filling the hall outside.


    Gideon chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s just the new experiments I¡¯ve been trying to show you.¡±


    Without waiting for me to acknowledge his words, Gideon headed out into the hall and toward the source of the st. Emily shrugged and gestured for us to follow. Regis and I exchanged a look, hesistant to leave the robe and the ne given the implications we just unlocked, but followed Emily after she locked theb door behind us.


    Not far down the hall, thick red-orange smoke was pouring out of a set of heavy stone doors. Just inside, two dwarven mages were using what looked like scorched cloaks to wave the worst of the smoke away.


    They nched when they noticed Gideon leaning against the doorframe. ¡°Eh, sorry, sir, a spark from one of the weapons ended up in a beaker of niter spirits.¡±


    Gideon was wearing a wide grin, and he took a deep breath of the noxious smoke that was starting to clear. ¡°You can¡¯t make an omelet without causing a few explosions!¡±


    Regis gave a throaty chuckle. ¡°You know, I¡¯m starting to like this guy.¡±


    Emily sagged tiredly. ¡°Great. It¡¯s like there are two of them...¡±


    The old inventor waved us into the room, then practically jogged through theb to a second set ofrge doors. ¡°The prototypes aren¡¯tpletely stable, as you can no doubt see, but I really think you¡¯ll like what we¡¯ve been doing.¡±


    He yanked the doors open, revealing a muchrger chamber. It looked like a warzone. The bare stone walls were scorched ck in a hundred ces. Along one wall, a scarred metal table held a handful of strange-looking devices.


    ¡°Ta da!¡± Gideon held out his arms, beaming at the arsenal.


    I stepped up to the table and looked down at a series of long, tubr devices that looked vaguely like a cross between an ancient musket and a modern rocketuncher from my old world. Only these were also inscribed with a series of mana-channeling runes. ¡°Are these what I think they are?¡±


    ¡°If you think they are weapons capable of converting energy from dwarven fire salts into destructive sts capable of incinerating even yellow-core mages, then yes, absolutely,¡± Gideon said, rubbing his hands together and grinning like some storybook evil genius.


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    ¡°Theoretically,¡± Emily mumbled, eyeing the weapons with clear distaste.


    ¡°I call them rune cannons,¡± Gideon added, oblivious to Emily¡¯s hostility.


    ¡°I want one,¡± Regis said immediately, his tongue lolling from his mouth. ¡°No, make that two. Quick, Arthur, strap them to my back.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not perfected yet, but when they are¡ª¡±


    ¡°By ¡®not perfected¡¯ he means they¡¯re unstable and still require the presence of mages capable of channeling both fire and wind,¡± Emily pointed out. ¡°They¡¯re difficult to use, and incredibly dangerous¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s entirely the point, isn¡¯t it?¡± Gideon snapped, ring at his assistant. ¡°And those bestowal robes actually gave me an idea how we could use mana crystals and focusing runes to fix the mage problem. The idea is that, with the right training, anyone could use them.¡±


    Although I wanted to¡ªnned to¡ªwin this war, I understood much better than Gideon the wide-ranging effects of his invention, as well as the barriers to its use. My hesitation must have shown on my face, because Gideon¡¯s excitement faded away. ¡°What is it?¡±


    I¡¯d decided a long time ago not to be the filter through which Dicathian technology was either held back or escted, but I couldn¡¯t hold my tongue. ¡°I was just thinking of the Dicatheous.¡±


    Emily crossed her arms and shot Gideon a vindicated look. ¡°See?¡±


    He pouted and kicked the floor with his toe. ¡°Like I didn¡¯t consider that myself? With the appropriate safeguards¡ª¡±


    ¡°What about training?¡± I asked, cutting him off. ¡°Manufacturing? Distribution? You¡¯re talking about entirely changing the way Dicathen approaches warfare.¡±


    Gideon leaned against the table and began to tap his fingers on its surface. ¡°Yes, yes, but to bnce the power dynamic between Dicathen and crya, as well as mages and non-mages, arge-scale change is both necessary and warranted, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It does seem a little hypocritical to worry about putting weapons into the hands of non-mages in a world where single beings are capable of wiping out entire countries,¡± Regis added.


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    ¡°Exactly,¡± Gideon said, rapping hard on the tabletop.


    I regarded the rune cannons, considering both Regis¡¯s and Gideon¡¯s words. Perhaps there was a way to utilize Gideon¡¯s discoveries without handing untrained soldiers weapons that might literally blow up in their¡ªand our¡ªfaces.


    ¡°Tell me more,¡± I said. ¡°Especially about the fire salts.¡±


    The entric inventorunched into a rapid-fire exnation of his many discoveries and many, many experiments that led him to this invention, and as he talked, an idea grew in my mind.


    Gideon was right, though. We did need a way to make our non-mage soldiers more effective.


    As I opened my mouth to exin the idea, another explosion shook the underground tunnels¡ªthis onerger and farther away. I shot Gideon a questioning look.


    He turned from me to Emily and then back. His face had gone pale. ¡°That wasn¡¯t me.¡±


    Read first at "

 Chapter 390

    <h4>Chapter 390</h4>


    Chapter 388: Defending Vildorial


    VARAY AURAE


    The shifting earth of the battle map rotated around under the careful control of three dwarven mages working in concert. The three-dimensional blueprint showed the tunnels and egress points in and around Vildorial in detail, the image of it held in the dwarven tacticians¡¯ minds. In the short time since our arrival and ouster of the cryan forces, most of the tunnels had already been diverted or capped off, isting the Darvish capital from therger undergroundwork that connected it with other dwarven cities.


    ¡°Just a handful of tunnels remain open to the north of the city, here.¡± Carnelian Earthborn, Mica¡¯s father, pointed to a section of small tunnels thatced into several muchrger thoroughfares. ¡°But they¡¯ll be closed off in the next of couple hours. All mining and farming operations outside of the city have been halted, and all civilians have been brought into the city.¡±


    ¡°Fast work,¡± I said appreciatively. ¡°And the city gates?¡± I asked, turning to Daglun Silvershale, who had been given charge of the work within the great cavern itself.


    ¡°The city¡¯s sealed up tighter than a rockworm¡¯s sphincter,¡± he confirmed, nodding grimly. ¡°And the Royal Pce has been opened up to provide shelter for a few thousand, at least.¡±


    I bit my tongue. This had been a part of the n I hadn¡¯t agreed with, but the dwarvish lords had insisted that the highest-ranking dwarves¡ªthemselves, in other words¡ªand their families be evacuated to the Greysunders¡¯ Royal Pce. Carnelian himself had wheedled a promise out of Mica that she would stand guard over the estate.


    Despite this frustrating waste of resources, I had been forced to acknowledge that the Lances were not ¡°in charge¡± of the dwarves, and had no right, other than that provided by our power and prowess, to give orders or make promations. We had already agreed that the Lances would not force control away from the lords in some kind of authoritarian military coup.


    There had been enough in-fighting already, and we needed to be focused on the cryans. The dwarven people had a lot of soul-searching to do when this war was over. Again and again, their leaders had failed them. If the people wanted the Lances¡¯ help to rectify that after the war, I would be more than happy to acquiesce, but we had to survive the oing storm before we could begin to clean up the mess that was our own house.


    However, I didn¡¯t try to hide my contempt for their n as I met Lord Silvershale¡¯s eye. ¡°And fortifications to the other city structures, as I requested?¡±


    He cleared his throat. ¡°Ongoing, Lance.¡± Read first at "


    . o r g"


    Carnelian stepped in with a grim smile. ¡°A squad of mages from the Earthmovers¡¯ Guild can be reassigned from the tunnels into the city to strengthen fortifications.¡±


    Silvershale tugged at the braids of his beard, and he looked like he wanted to argue, but eventually seemed to think better of it, deting slightly. ¡°Aye, we could use the assistance.¡±


    If the cryans attacked the city, they would have to st their way in. This ced the many dwarves whose homes were built into the walls of the cavern directly in harm¡¯s way, and stones dislodged from the cave¡¯s ceiling would have the velocity of catapult stones by the time they reached the lower levels, easily demolishing unfortified structures. Simply instructing people to shelter in ce wasn¡¯t enough. Not nearly.


    ¡°There is no telling how long we¡¯ll have to prepare,¡± I reminded the two lords. ¡°We¡¯ve bitten the cryans¡¯ hand, but somewhere, that hand is curling into a fist to strike back.¡±


    As if conjured into reality by the weight of my words, an ominous rumbling shook the foundations of the Earthborn Institute, sending tremors up through the soles of my boots.


    Carnelian rushed to the door of the chamber and looked out into the hall. Panicked voices could be heard echoing through the school. The three-dimensional map crumbled back into dust as the mages turned to their lords for direction.


    ¡°Defensive positions,¡± I said immediately. ¡°Get a squad of mages to those northern tunnels to finish closing them off.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be right in the line of fire if the cryanse from the north,¡± Carnelian said, his tone hesitant and lightly questioning, as if asking for confirmation.


    ¡°And our defenses are breached before the battle even begins if those tunnels are not sealed,¡± I replied, fully understanding the risks. This was hardly the first time I had sent soldiers to what could very well be their deaths. ¡°And send up the rm. People need to take shelter wherever they can.¡±


    Waiting only long enough to see the two lords¡¯ sharp nods of understanding, I wheeled around and flew out of the room, along a series of square tunnels, and then out through the front gates of the Earthborn Institute.


    Mica flew up from some lower level, the ck gem in her eye socket giving her a menacing look as she red through the stone walls in the direction of the rumbling. ¡°Someone is opening the blocked tunnels...or trying to. They must have set off one of the stone-sheath traps.¡±


    The dwarves were, unsurprisingly, quite adept at hiding all manner of devious traps within the tunnels of their home. Even if the cryans had dwarves among their forces, they would find it difficult to brute-force their way through the many obstacles the Vildorians had erected around the city.


    The approach of a powerful aura made Mica and me turn in unison, but it was only Arthur appearing from the Earthborn Institute¡¯s gates. As he strode purposefully toward us, I couldn¡¯t help but stare at him, my eyes traveling slowly across his features as I tried, again, to match this man to the sixteen-year-old boy he had once been.


    His wheat-blond hair was set waving by the speed of his own movement, hanging down around a face that could have been chiseled from stone, any youthful softness erased by the trials of this war. The most startling, though, were his eyes. Those golden orbs burned like the sun, his gaze carrying a physical warmth, a raw and indefinable power, whenever it fell on me. HIs sudden presence caused goosebumps to raise along the backs of my arms and neck, ufortably reminding meof how I¡¯d felt in the presence of General Aldir.


    Small. Insubstantial. Without purpose.Read first at "


    . or g"


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Arthur asked, stopping next to me.


    I gave myself a mental shake before answering. ¡°Movement in the tunnels. No word from the scouts yet, but some of our traps have been set off. The cryans areing.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get ready for them,¡± Arthur answered, his tone unwavering.


    ***


    After the hurried rush of preparation, Vildorial fell into a tense, quivering stillness. I had ensured the defensive forces were moving into position as directed, then fallen back to a remote curve of the highway that ringed the city so that I could see the entire cavern at once. Watching. Waiting. But there was no sign of the cryans. Not yet.


    An approaching mana signature drew my gaze upward, and I watched as Mica flew across the open expanse tond next to me.


    ¡°The lords and their families, as well as a few select...important residents, have been seen safely to the Royal Pce,¡± Mica said, her cheeks red with clear embarrassment. ¡°Mica...I mean, I¡¯ll be, um, guarding the pce. Is there anything you need before I...?¡±


    I shook my head, trying not to target my irritation at her. ¡°The dwarven forces have been posted around the city at the most likely points of entry should the cryans reach the city. Bairon and I will rotate between these forces.¡±


    ¡°Has the scouting party returned?¡±


    Again, I shook my head. We¡¯d sent a dozen elite mages, all highly capable of earth-attribute maniption, out into the eastern tunnels to investigate the source of the original disturbance, but they¡¯d been missing for hours.


    Almost as if he had heard our wondering, the air thrummed, and Bairon appeared, flying at speed. A cloud of dust burst from the ground at the force of hisnding. ¡°A handful of mages just returned from the northern tunnels,¡± he was saying before the dust had cleared. ¡°Less than a quarter of the mages sent to close the tunnels.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Mica said, her agitation setting the stones beneath my feet vibrating.


    ¡°They im they were attacked by shadows,¡± Bairon said, his voice low and cut through with an edge of superstition. ¡°And then the corpses of their own dead.¡±


    This promation was met with a moment of silence.


    Then, ¡°Are you fucking kidding me?¡±


    ¡°What kind of magic could do such a thing?¡± I asked, ignoring Mica¡¯s foulnguage.


    ¡°None that I¡¯ve ever encountered before,¡± Bairon said ominously.


    I clenched my ice-fist and let soothing mana flow through me, cooling my nerves. ¡°Did they seed in closing off the tunnels before the attack?¡±


    Bairon floated up into the air, a gust of wind rippling across him as electricity arced over his armor. ¡°They did, though not as thoroughly as should have been done. It may not hold, especially if the enemy is already there.¡±


    ¡°Bairon, see that the wards are in ce over thest two entrances. Mica, to your duties.¡±Read first at "


    . o r g"


    The other Lances both gave me grim solutes, then they were off, leaving me alone. Dwarves scurried like ants below, hurrying to whatever safe-haven they¡¯d arranged for themselves. Most of the elven refugees had been taken to the Earthborn Institute, while our strongest mages¡ªthe yders, Twin Horns, and surviving guards¡ªhad joined in the defense throughout the cavern.


    I wondered idly where Virion was holed up. He had been absent from most of the preparatory meetings, and I hadn¡¯t seen him at all in thest day. Though my blood oath had been sworn to the yders, Virion had been ourmander during the peak of the war, and I had great respect for the man. Watching him fade away caused a slow-moving, cial ache that I wasn¡¯t prepared to navigate at the moment.


    A sh of purple light cut through my thoughts, and I took a quick step back before realizing that it was Arthur. ¡°I will never get used to that,¡± I muttered, chagrined.


    Arthur¡¯s stoic features were carved down into a slight frown. ¡°Have you seen my mother or sister?¡± he asked without preamble. ¡°They aren¡¯t with the refugees at the Earthborn Institute.¡± Then, looking slightly embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his neck, he added, ¡°I just wanted to make sure they were somece safe before¡ª¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin yourself to me,¡± I said, saving him from exining further. ¡°And yes, to set your mind at ease, I did see your sister and the bear leading your mother to the highest level earlier, toward the Royal Pce. And¡±¡ªa tiny smirk forced its way across my lips despite myself¡ª¡°I may have overheard Eleanor berating Alice about how the pce would be the safest ce for her, considering Lance Mica will be guarding it.¡±


    The hardness of Arthur¡¯s features rxed, and he let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Oh. Good. I was...worried she might run off into battle again.¡±


    I cleared my throat, then turned my attention back to the movement below. ¡°I hate this waiting.¡±


    Arthur shed me a smirk that very much reminded me of the boy he¡¯d once been. ¡°Is the unppable General Varay, perhaps, slightly pped?¡±


    Iughed, caught off guard by his teasing. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be. After all, we have the mighty Lance Godspell present to protect us.¡±


    Arthur¡¯s smile faltered, twitching into something more wry and, I thought, even slightly bitter. ¡°A title I¡¯m not sure I ever earned, Lance Zero.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t expected such self-deprecation, and had to take a moment to consider a response. It was easy to forget that Arthur was still just a boy, really, no older than perhaps neen or twenty. Although he had tremendous power¡ªmore than I could safely wrap my head around¡ªhe had been subjected to horrible trials and great pain both before and during this war.


    But then, perhaps that is what makes a Lance, I thought before immediately cutting myself off and returning my mind to the conversation at hand.


    ¡°If not that one, then maybe another? I¡¯ve heard some of the sanctuary survivors calling you Godkiller...¡±


    Arthur snorted in disbelief. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t exactly¡ª¡±


    A piercing static hum vibrated through the air, making my ears ring ufortably. ¡°What in the¡ª¡±


    ¡°People of Vildorial,¡± a magically magnified voice announced, resounding from every surface at once, folding in and over and through itself, like a wave striking and then receding from the face of a cliff.


    ¡°Lyra Dreide,¡± I hissed, searching the cavern for her mana signature.


    ¡°Please listen carefully to what I have to say,¡± the voice pleaded gravely. ¡°You havemitted a most unfortunate error in fighting back against the cryan soldiers in your midst. By aligning yourself with the rebels known as Lances, you have angered High Sovereign Agrona.¡±


    She let these words bowl over each other, echoing round and round within the great cavern. ¡°But the Lord of the Vritra is not without mercy. He knows that many of you feel as if you have no choice. He does not me you for your confusion, yourck of courage. You will be offered a second chance at a life in his new Dicathen, so long as you simply don¡¯t fight back.¡±


    Arthur cursed. ¡°More likely, he¡¯ll kill everyone in this city to make sure the rest stay in line, if we let him.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t,¡± I assured him. ¡°We¡¯ve already defeated the retainer once. She can¡¯t hope to stand against you inbat.¡±


    ¡°Please, people of Vildorial. As your regent, I do not wish to see you ughtered...but I will ensure all who stand against High Sovereign Agrona are appropriately punished.¡±


    Her words stuck grotesquely to the insides of my ear. ¡°Awful creature,¡± I muttered, shaking my head as if I could dislodge the voice.


    ¡°Generals!¡± a hoarse voice puffed. I turned to see a stocky dwarf sprinting furiously in our direction. ¡°The¡ªthe...¡± He coughed, choking on his own tongue as he struggled to form the words without enough breath in his lungs.


    Arthur vanished and reappeared at the man¡¯s side, d in dancing purple lightning. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The...portal!¡± he gasped out,ing to a stop with his hands on his knees. ¡°A group of dwarves...took it¡ªreactivated it.¡±


    I met Arthur¡¯s eye, my mind spinning. ¡°If they¡¯re drawing our attention to the outskirts...¡±


    ¡°Then their strongest force is likelying through the portal,¡± Arthur finished for me. I watched as his unyielding gaze swept across the cavern, lingering on the Royal Pce where his family was. Then something clicked into ce in his expression. ¡°I¡¯ll hold off whatever forcese through the portal, destroy it if I have to. Can you and the others¡ª¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I answered firmly, drawing myself up to my full height. ¡°I¡¯m done losing battles, Arthur.¡±


    His jaw tightened, and then he was gone, leaving nothing behind but the purple-white afterimage of a bolt of lightning.


    ¡°Sh-should we gather reinforcements to guard the tunnel mouth in case any of the attackers escape Lance Godspell?¡± the man asked, stumbling over his words.


    ¡°No,¡± I said, my eyes still on the ce where Arthur had vanished. ¡°We need the resources elsewhere. If this enemy can get past General Arthur, then we are lost in any case.¡±


    The dwarf, shaken and slightly pale, soluted. ¡°Yes, General.¡± Then he was off again, huffing back down the wide spiral of the highway.


    I was looking from sealed entrance to sealed entrance, sensing for any mana signatures, trying to guess which direction they woulde from, when my vision flickered strangely, and I had to hold out a hand to steady myself. Screams ofplete and utter terror trembled up to me from the lower levels, thousands of voices so piercing they cut through rock and earth to fill up the cavern.


    I watched, horrified and paralyzed, as a ck scythe of energy shed through several buildings, copsing them on the civilians huddled inside. The screams only grew louder.


    ¡°No,¡± I breathed out in disbelief. How had the cryans gotten inside the city?


    Stepping forward, I plummeted off the edge of the highway and toward themotion below. The light changed again, like a shadow crossing over me from above, and I wobbled mid-flight. A pressure stabbed at my temples, white-hot pain bleeding in behind my eyes, making the world go dark...


    At thest instant, I pulled up, but I still struck the ground with enough force to shatter the paving stones. Nearby, the frame of a partially-copsed house shifted and fell in on itself.


    Down here, the screams were louder still.


    Where is everyone? The dwarven forces? Bairon? Who is making all that noise?


    I spun around, searching frantically for any signs of life. But it was just the voices. Screaming, screaming...and there were words in the howls of pain.


    I sucked in a choked breath that caught in my throat.


    ¡°You! Your fault!¡± the screams said. ¡°You could have protected us! Saved us!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± other voices pleaded through their piteous dying moans. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you make sure we would be safe?¡±


    ¡°You saved the lords and left us to die! You should have done more!¡±


    My pulse quickened, and a sense of dread seemed to steal the air from my lungs.


    A cold, bitter voice sounded in my head, cutting through all the other noise. You can hide your fear and self-doubt from the rest of the world, but not from yourself. Put on your ice-queen mask and take shelter behind your own inadequate power, but when the frost melts, the real you will always be just under the surface.Read first at "


    I closed my eyes hard, squeezing until I saw snowkes glittering in bright rainbow light. Deep breath in, long, steady breath out. A half-seen shadow writhed just at the edges of my vision.


    You can never escape what you truly are. Frightened, lonely, and weak. Even the strength that made you a Lance isn¡¯t your own. You couldn¡¯t save Alea, or King and Queen yder, or Aya. You lost the war, and soon everyone you know will be dead. Just lie down and die, coward.


    My eyes snapped open. I¡¯d heard these words before. Whispered them to myself in the dead of night in our dark, hopeless cave in the Beast des after we¡¯d been defeated and sent into hiding. When I¡¯d watched King and Queen yder continually sumb to their own weakness and selfishness, I¡¯d heard these words in my plush rooms in their castle. And I¡¯d heard them when the Scythe, Cadell, had sneered down on me, his red eyes burning with disdain, just before he¡¯d swatted me like a fly.


    I focused on shielding my core at the same time as I gathered mana into my hand. The shadows shifted at the edge of my vision. An ice-spike flew.


    The world twisted sickeningly, then snapped back into ce. The shadows vanished, and the reality of my situation came surging in.


    I was on my knees in a crater at the center of the city¡¯s lowest floor. Several buildings around me had copsed, and dozens of people were huddled in corners and behind whatever meager protection they could find. Bulging, terrified eyes stared not at me, but a woman standing at the edge of the crater staring down.


    She lifted a hand to her neck and wiped away a thin trickle of blood where my spell had wounded her, then licked the blood from her thumb. ¡°Given Cadell¡¯s stories about how pathetic you Lances were in the war, I¡¯m surprised you were able to break through even part of my illusions.¡±


    Dark purple hair flowed down over her shoulders and framed the pale gray skin of her face. Her eyes were colorless in the gloomy cavern light, two ck coals set in her expressionless face. White and gray robes, fit tight to her wispy frame, were hung with silver cord, and from these cords dangled gray-yellow lumps that could only be dozens of vertebrae.


    Her expressionless mask didn¡¯t change as she followed my gaze to the chunks of bone. ¡°Macabre, I know. But each represents a life, a story. Some even carry the faint aura of the previous owner¡¯s mana. Yours will go here,¡± she said, tapping a cord that ran from beneath her ribs and across her body to her opposite hip.


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to wear me down by ying on my worst fears, but something like this...¡± I paused, my mouth suddenly dry. ¡°I see and hear worse whenever I close my eyes, Scythe.¡±


    She nodded as I stood to my full height. ¡°I am here because you Lances have scurried around in the dark and avoided this fight for too long.¡±


    ¡°Rich of you to use us of cowardice,¡± I said, fighting to keep my voice even. ¡°Where have you been during this war? Safe at home, hiding behind the Vritra n¡¯s skirts.¡±


    The Scythe did not bat an eysh, only looked off to our right.


    There was a crash of stone and the head of a huge hammer exploded through the wall of a half-fallen building. I tensed, ready to attack alongside Mica, but then I saw her.


    The dwarven Lance scrambled through the hole she¡¯d made, eyes huge and shining, like two moons reflected in the surface of ake. Her pale face was smeared with dirt and blood, and she was swinging the hammer around her in short, sharp jerking motions. Several civilians scrambled away, crying in fright.


    ¡°No, Olfred, stop! M-Mica is sorry! Please...¡±


    Her plea choked off, and she flipped the hammer around and smashed it into the floor. The Stone gave out, and she tumbled into the chasm she¡¯d made with a scream of absolute terror.


    ¡°Mica!¡± I lunged up the side of the crater, prepared to hurl myself into the chasm after her, but the light flickered sickeningly, and when it came back she was gone, along with the hole she¡¯d tumbled through.


    A harsh growl emitted unbidden from the back of my throat, and I sent the des of ice hurtling at the Scythe. They passed harmlessly around and through her to shatter against hard rock. ¡°Where is she? What are you doing to her?¡± I demanded, conjuring a new arsenal but not wasting my energy in attacking again.


    I needed to figure out what this Scythe¡¯s power was, and how to defend against it.


    ¡°The dwarf has a staggeringlyplexbyrinth of inner demons to navigate,¡± she said, wiggling her fingers. When she did so, I could just hear the echo of Mica¡¯s voice, like it was seeping up through the solid floor, but I couldn¡¯t make out the words. ¡°You, on the other hand, are quite simple, really. Boring. Cliche.¡±


    I felt the white-hot pain behind my eyes again. Reaching inward, I found the coldfort of my power waiting for me. Ice began to form along my skin, racing from my sternum up over my shoulders and down my legs, finally enveloping my head. The touch of it soothed the burning and dimmed the Scythe¡¯s power and voice.


    ¡°Get out of my head, witch.¡±


    Throwing out both hands, I sent the array of spikes and des hurtling at her. A ck shadow shed the air, and the projectiles exploded. The Scythe took a step back, her form seeming to ripple as she did so, splitting into three images. For one, hideous moment, the figures seemed to be several people at once, and then they solidified. In the middle, Lord yder looked down at me disapprovingly. He seemed taller and stronger, but his look of cold disapproval was as bitter and sharp as it ever had been. To one side, Alea Triscan was ring at me out of ruined, empty eye-sockets, her leggless body hanging in the air like some horrible mannequin. To yder¡¯s other side...Aya. My longtime friend andpanion had a gaping hole where her core should have been.


    ¡°You were supposed to be the strongest of us,¡± the three said in unison, their voices bleeding together into a tinny, unrecognizable cacophony. ¡°But you failed us all.¡± Alea¡¯s one remaining arm rose.


    Twenty feet to my left, there was a rush of wind. Four dwarves, huddled behind an overturned trolley, were lifted screaming into the air. Their wild eyes turned to me for a single devastating moment, then they burst into red mist as shes of ck wind erased them from existence.


    I ground my teeth in impotent fury, then threw out my hands to wrap the remaining survivors in thick barriers of ice.


    ¡°You can¡¯t protect them,¡± the blended voices said again. ¡°How many were there, just like us? How many have you failed, how many have you sent to their deaths?¡±


    Something burst up from the ground between my feet and grabbed hold of my ankle. I looked down in horror as more and more hands wed free of the earth, reaching for me. I tried to fly upward, but the grip held, keeping me tethered. Then the heads were free, and I saw a dozen dwarves, recently dead, their flesh pale and torn, their eyes sightless and wounds bloodless.


    Squirming horror threatened to rip myst meal from my guts, but I couldn¡¯t turn away.Read first at "


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    ¡°You ordered us into the tunnels knowing we¡¯d die,¡± one dwarf moaned around a gray, lifeless tongue.


    ¡°Join us,¡± another grunted, baring her teeth and brandishing a mud-caked ax. ¡°It¡¯s only fair, Lance.¡±


    The ax swung, but Icked the wherewithal to even try to block it. When it hit the ice around me, the shaft snapped and the head went tumbling away, leaving a shallow chip in my armor.


    Unlike the images of King yder, Alea, and Aya, the ax wasn¡¯t an illusion. She was animating the corpses of our dead and using them against us...


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I muttered, then let out a deep breath.


    Frosty mist roiled over and through the walking corpses, then froze solid where it touched their skin, cocooning them in shells of ice. I yanked my ankle free of the murderous corpse still gripping it. The dead hand shattered.


    ¡°Your tricks are stale,¡± I ground out, doing my best to ignore the illusions as I searched for some sign of the real Scythe. ¡°The others were more straightforward. They knew how to stand and fight!¡± I forced a sarcastic smirk onto my face. ¡°Have the rest of you gotten cold feet since one of your own was butchered?¡±


    I lifted an arm just in time to deflect a line of dark wind, then watched as the ck line went through the ice dding my body and then through my arm, which ttered to the broken stone tiles and shattered.


    Shadows coalesced in front of me, forming the pale, purple-haired Scythe. The back of her wed hand caved in the ice around my chest and sent me hurtling backwards. I felt myself nce off one of the ice-barriers protecting a group of huddled dwarves, then lost all sense of up and down as my body bounced along the ground like a skipped stone.


    In the distance, I could hear the meldedughter of Aya, Alea, and King yder fading away.


    She seemed to float as she approached, her dark eyes hellish voids that threatened to consume me. ¡°This is over. My sister will have finished your ¡®Thunderlord¡¯ already, and the dwarf will soon sumb to my power.¡± The barest hint of a smile turned up the corners of her lips for the first time. ¡°And if you think your guardian angel with the golden eyes will sweep in to save you, I¡¯m afraid you are so very, very wrong.¡±


    I pulled myself up out of the dust and brushed off my clothes, then stared straight into her dead eyes. ¡°No reason to keep spitting pointless barbs at one another then, is there?¡±


    The ground beneath the Scythe exploded upward as the head of a dragon formed entirely of deep-blue ice ripped through the stone tiles. The huge jaws snapped shut around the Scythe, lifting her up into the air as the construct wed its way from beneath the earth. Inside its belly, stunned and nearly unconscious, was Mica.


    ck lines of stabbing wind pierced the dragon¡¯s skull, but I reformed the ice before it could shatter.


    The dragon kicked off the ground and began flying up into the air, while at the same time the pocket of air containing Mica slid lower through its body, eventually expelling her fifty feet up.


    I held my breath, trying to keep the dragon¡¯s form whole while also watching Mica plummet ten feet, twenty, thirty. When it was clear she couldn¡¯t stop herself, I conjured a sloped ramp just beneath her body. She slid uncontrolled to its base and rolled to the ground just at my feet.


    Above, ice shattered as the head of the dragon burst outward.


    The Scythe, wrapped in a ck cloak of her deviant wind mana, spun like a top. Dark lines shed through the dragon in a dozen ces, and I released my hold over its form, letting the ice dissipate harmlessly instead of crashing down on any nearby civilians.


    Mica moaned.


    Above, the cloak of shadows was expanding out around the Scythe, while at the same time curling inward like huge ck ws, all pointed down at me.


    Reaching for my core, I prepared to defend the attack, if I could.


    But before it fell, a red line shed through the air, straight at the Scythe. Her power coalesced into a shield, but the red line punched straight through. She twisted at thest second, avoiding the scarlet missile, but I could see the ripple running through her mana from the smoldering hole it had left.


    The burning red line turned in the air and flew back past the Scythe and over my head. I spun around.


    Reaching out a hand, Bairon caught the spear. A red gleam stained his blond hair as the spear red with its own internal light. When the light faded, though, I realized it wasn¡¯t only that staining him red.


    Bairon was covered in blood from the tips of his well-trimmed hair to the heels of his boots. From the wounds I could see, it seemed to be his own.


    He strode forward, favoring his left side. His leg dragged and his arm hung limp, but there was a zing fire in his eyes that told me he was far from epting defeat.


    ¡°A Scythe,¡± he said, his deep baritone strained with the pain of his many wounds.


    I only nodded, looking back up at the purple-haired woman. She was struggling against the growing agitation in her magic as the shadows bucked around her like a wind-tossed sea.


    ¡°No, another,¡± Bairon said, leaning into the spear to take the weight off his left side. ¡°I fought a horned woman with white hair. There are...two.¡±


    Coughing, Mica pushed herself up to her knees. Blood dripped like a tear from her ruined eye socket. Her core felt drained; she had used up an inordinate amount of her own mana fighting against herself.


    ¡°Stop looking at me like that,¡± she grumbled, wiping the blood away. ¡°I¡¯m alive. And very pissed off.¡±


    ¡°The Royal Pce?¡±


    Mica waved me away. ¡°The cryan forces have...moved to block escape routes, but are holding back from the city. The lords are only in danger if we...lose down here.¡±


    Wobbling slightly, a second woman appeared in the sky, flying toward the first. Two thick ck horns sprouted from her brilliant white hair and curved outward. Her hand was pressed against a cut in her side, deep enough to expose ribs. Drops of blood shimmered like falling rubies beneath her.


    ¡°You fought her alone?¡± I asked Bairon, unable to suppress the wonder in my tone.


    Bairon snorted. ¡°The spear. A lucky blow. Cut off her mana, but just temporarily.¡±


    I remembered well enough the feeling of the scarlet de disrupting my mana as we fought a losing battle against the asura. ¡°That¡¯s how we hold them off,¡± I said, holding out a hand to Mica.


    A harsh aura fell like an iron curtain down atop us as Mica pulled herself to her feet, and I heard the barriers of ice I was still focusing on shatter. The people beneath them screamed.


    ¡°Tricks and gimmicks won¡¯t save you!¡± the second Scythe screamed, her blood-red eyes bulging in her head. The purple-haired Scythe had regained control of her mana after Bairon¡¯s strike, and she was steadier than her counterpart, the only sign of any emotion a slight ring of her nostrils.


    Two Scythes...This was a battle we¡¯d lost before, in Etistin.


    Bairon stepped up beside me, the asuran spear held in a white-knuckled grip as he leveled it at our enemy. Mica moved to my other side, unable to keep the apprehensive frown from her face. I understood, as I was struggling to ignore the cold ws of doubt and uncertainty that clutched at my insides.Read first at "


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    And then I remembered Arthur, the way he had looked at the Royal Pce, gauging his family¡¯s safety before entrusting us to protect the city, and then what I had told him. ¡°I¡¯m done losing battles.¡±

 Chapter 391

    <h4>Chapter 391</h4>


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    Living with this constant fear of being unable to protect my loved ones...I had nearly forgotten what that felt like. In crya, my battles had been entirely distant, separate, from my friends and family. It was only ever my own life on the line, or at worst, the lives of strangers and people who I had, for most of my unintentional stay there, seen as enemies.


    Now, as I God Stepped from Varay¡¯s side, I couldn¡¯t stop considering the potential death toll of a full-scale assault on Vildorial. The people here were tired and afraid, the Lances only recently recuperated from very nearly dying, and our most powerful warriors, mages like Curtis and Kathyln and the Twin Horns, could not stand against even retainers, much less Scythes.


    Another God Step took me from the edge of the city down two levels to where a series of arched gates opened into a long, straight tunnel wide enough for thirty dwarves to march abreast.


    A miasma of brutal, animalistic killing intent was radiating from the portal room ahead, purposefully projected to loudly announce their presence. I ignited Realmheart, and five distinct mana signatures became clear, each burning with the sickly intensity I¡¯de to understand as the corrupted deviant mana used by the Vritra. Read first at "


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    Hesitating, I looked over my shoulder up to the highest level, where my sister and mother were sheltered with a thousand dwarven nobles. The Royal Pce was much too close.


    ¡¯This definitely seems kind of sus to me,¡¯ Regis thought, sharing in the same nervousness that quickened my heartbeat.


    I stepped beneath one of the arches leading toward the portal room, resting my hand on the cold stone pir. Of course. It¡¯s a trap, after all. Even if I defeated whatever enemy was giving off such an awful killing intent in front of me, there were still the enemies behind me to consider. I didn¡¯t know if the Lances could hold the line. If it took me too long...


    The pir crunched in my fist, which came away full of pinkish dust and stone shards. But what other choice do we have?


    Hurling the mess to the ground, I took a step forward. And then another. And with each cautious step, I pushed down another question and source of anxiety. The truest way to protect those I cared about was to make any fight as swift and decisive as possible and to do that, I couldn¡¯t be shackled by my own uncertainty.


    At the end of the tunnel, there was a matched set of arched openings carved of some light red stone. They opened into a huge, empty cave that surrounded the thirty-foot-high, fifty-foot-wide portal frame, which provided enough space to stage a small army if necessary. Columns of gray and red rock held up a series of balconies that encircled the cave thirty feet up.


    The room was lit by the natural glow of the still active portal.


    My eyes moved quickly from the portal¡¯s opaque screen of undting energy the four dwarven corpses bleeding out in front of it, their bodies impaled by ck metal spikes, and then to the five figures spread out throughout the chamber.


    Within me, Regis trembled with a mixture of anticipation and nervous energy. I felt Uto¡¯s memories bubbling up unbidden in Regis¡¯s mind and bleeding over into my own. I saw the sons and daughters of the basilisks who followed Agrona from Epheotus, the intery of asuran and human magic fine-tuned over a hundred generations. I knew what these beings were. Windsom had told me about them, long ago.


    ¡¯The Wraiths,¡¯ Regis thought, giving a name to Agrona¡¯s hidden half-blood soldiers.


    "You must be my weingmittee," I said curtly, taking in each figure.


    The foremost was a tall, broad-shouldered man. Flowing locks of earth-brown hair tumbled around thick, corkscrew horns that stuck up several inches from the top of his head. He wore red chainmail under ck half-te armor that glowed with protective runes.


    His dismissive eyes met mine. "We are here to eliminate a threat, not engage in witless banter."


    "Ohe on, Richmal, we hardly ever get to have any fun," one of the others said, whipping thick blond braids around his head and staring at me with hungry eyes. "If it is true that this one killed Cadell, we should have some fun with him before releasing him to the oblivion of death." Like Richmal, this second man also had blood-red eyes and onyx horns. His curled out and down from the sides of his head, nearly touching again under his chin.


    While they spoke, Regis¡¯s Uto-memories continued to ripple across the mental connection we shared. I saw a distorted, half-remembered thought of the man called Richmal standing over the gaunt, ashen corpse of a woman with brilliant white-blonde hair, through which two lightly-curved ck horns protruded¡ªa dragon, I was certain of it.


    Her golden eyes stared lifeless up at Richmal as the Wraith bent down and wrenched one of her horns free of her head. The noise of it breaking sent a psychic tremor through me that made my stomach turn violently.


    With an acute sense of urgency, I reached for the thread of aether that always connected the djinn¡¯s relic armor to me. The ck scales feathered into existence across my body. There was aforting weight and coolness to it as the armor wrapped itself around me, and I felt the swelling of aether as the limited amount in the atmosphere pulled closer.


    "Ah, I think he wants to be one of us!" a rich, feminine voice drawled. "Look at his little horns!" The speaker was a marble-skinned woman in heavy ck te armor. Only her face and head were exposed, showing off her short, bright blue hair, which was styled into spikes around her ridged horns. Runic lightning bolts were tattooed across her scarlet eyes. Ulrike, I knew, her name manifesting from Regis¡¯s uncontained stream-of-consciousness.


    "Cadell must have been sauced on elder nectar to let this skinny lesser best him."


    The rasping voice crawled like bugs out of the shadows and into my ears, making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I traced it back to a Wraith whose robes were dark with burn marks, the hood of which was pulled half up over his bald head. Two daggerlike horns thrust forward from his forehead. ise. The bright red of his eyes was interrupted by dark splotches that seemed to float over their surface, matching darker, ash-gray patches that marred his cold, marble skin.


    Next to him, the fifth cryan was half-hidden in living shadows. I caught shes of jet-ck hair curled up into horns atop her head and dark, ox-blood eyes surrounded by gray-ck skin. Valeska.


    "Enough," Richmal ordered, the deep well of his baritone burying the other voices. "You demean yourselves." A coiledsh of dark green, stinking liquid shivered into existence in his fist, and he met my eye. "We will waste no more breath on you, lesser."


    In the same moment, I activated God Step. The room shifted in an amethyst sh, and I appeared just beside and behind Richmal. "Suit yourself," I said, conjuring an aetheric sword and sweeping it backwards.


    The room exploded into chaos.


    ck iron spikes shot from the ground to deflect my de, and a gust of ck wind seemed to enfold Richmal. I felt the aether de strike home, then the wind carried my target away. A breathter, he reappeared across the room from me, his armor torn and blood seeping from a wound in his side. Read first at "


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    This enemy was fast, and they worked together with wless efficiency. I couldn¡¯t afford to hold anything back against them.


    Regis, the de.


    Mana condensed within the dust and shadows hovering in the air, and a ring of ck iron spikes thrust out of nothing to stab at my face and core. Using Realmheart to sense the formation of the attack, I sidestepped, pivoted, and ducked around the spikes, shing through those I couldn¡¯t dodge.


    A specter shaped from ck me reached for me, soulfire ws scraping over my armor. My sword spun around, flicking out toward the specter¡¯s throat. Just before it made contact, Regis reached the sword, and the thin amethyst de bursted in dark violet fire.


    Destruction devoured the specter, leaving behind nothing, not even a residue of mana.


    All five opponents were moving, casting. Shields of ck wind and soulfire moved with them, turning the room into an inferno.


    Twin torrents of ck fire and sluggish, bubbling ooze sprayed at me from different directions. I leapt upward, grabbing the railing of the balcony and flipping myself up onto it. The metal twisted when I Burst Stepped away again, ripping apart under the force of my movement, and then hissing and melting as a cloud of soulfire chased behind me.


    The room became a dark blur as I moved near-instantly toward my next target, the blue-haired Wraith, Ulrike. I had only an instant to be surprised as her crimson eyes followed me, her shield shifting up to block my strike just as her spear lowered into a position to catch my momentum and use it against me.


    The Destruction de crashed against her towering shield, which was wrapped in a thick shell of blue-ck lightning. Her conjured spear hit my armor like a battering ram, just above my core.


    A concussive burst of pure energy shook the chamber as we were both thrown away by the force of our simultaneous blows. I tumbled,nded on my feet, and had only an instant to take in the sight of violet mes engulfing her shield before acidic tentacles wrapped around my legs. I shed down through them, and Destruction ripped the spell apart.


    The soulfire cloud caught up to me, inundating me within an opaque ck mist of seething fire that tried to force itself into my nose and mouth. I burst outward with an untargeted nova of aether, nullifying the mes.


    The ground heaved beneath me as a partially-formed golem made of hundreds of interlocked spikes ripped through the granite tiles and reached for me. I slid one foot back across the broken tiles as spiked ws closed on nothing but dust, then flicked out with the Destruction de once, twice, three times.


    Violet mes raced across the golem, which crumbled and burned. Read first at "


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    Greenish mana condensed beneath me, and I dodged back just as the floor began to ooze thick, poisonous sludge. A cyclone of ck wind forced me to dodge again while deflecting a three-pronged bolt of lightning with the Destruction de and releasing an aetheric st to ward off the clouds of soulfire.


    There were too many of them, and they left me few openings between theirbined spell attacks to go on the offensive. As I pivoted to stay out of the gusting cyclone, I considered my own capabilities. I needed to maximize my mobility and rebnce the scales.


    Sensing Regis following along with my thoughts, I prepared my maneuver, condensing aether into my fist until the bones began to ache.


    God Step red, and I was standing across the room, just inside the arched entryways.


    The aether de vanished, as did my connection to Regis and the Destruction godrune.


    Extending my arm, I released the st.


    Ulrike and the braided Wraith, Ifiok, vanished in a cone of roiling purple aether. It engulfed the long-range teleportation portal beyond them as well, and the portal frame shattered with a sound like a thunderp. The hard stone came down in a fluttering wave of glowing confetti as it dissolved. The opaque liquid energy of the portal itself swirled with the turbulence of its failure, then hissed and faded away.


    At least they wouldn¡¯t be bringing in any reinforcements that way.


    Ulrike lowered her shield, which was pockmarked and burn-scarred from Destruction. Scarlet runes burned brightly across its dim metallic surface. Ifiok stepped out from behind her, his braids smoking and one horn cracked. The flesh on the side of his face was torn and bleeding.


    Now, I sent.


    In the breath that followed, Regis exploded into being between the two, fully manifesting his Destruction form in a rush of aether. Caught by surprise, the two Wraiths were battered aside by his bulk, and his huge, square jaws full of razor-de teeth crunched down on the wounded Ifiok¡¯s shoulder and arm. Destruction flicked between his fangs, its jagged edges cutting and snapping as they leapt across Ifiok¡¯s pale flesh.


    Simultaneously conjuring a de and sending aether into every muscle, tendon, and joint, I Burst Stepped, de thrust forward at the side of Ulrike¡¯s head.


    And sank into an ocean of pain and filth.


    The air had turned into a jelly-like acid sludge that sucked me in and absorbed the momentum of my Burst Step. It hissed and popped where my aether struggled to keep it back, but the caustic substance was attacking every inch of me simultaneously. My eyes burned and the relic armor trembled as the acid ate away at its structure.


    Although I couldn¡¯t see through the sludge, with Realmheart active I could sense the locations of the five enemies, and even their Decay-type mana arts couldn¡¯t stop me from finding the aetheric pathways. Focusing through the pain, I imbued aether into the godrune and ignited God Step, reappearing just behind ise. Read first at "


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    With uncanny quickness, the bald Wraith diverted the stream of his soulfire away from Regis, who three of the others had pushed back against one curved wall, and into a shield between us. At the same time, I formed a sword and shed across his side. Aether shivered against soulfire. My de jolted with the force of the two opposing powers, then sank through his shield and shed across his throat.


    ise tried to shout but only gurgled up blood. His cloudy red eyes squinted into an agonized snarl, then ck wind wrapped him up and yanked him away from me.


    ws of the same Decay-type wind mana raked at me and grabbed for my wrists. I released the de and pushed aether into my hands, reinforcing my protective barrier until it shone as visible gauntlets of amethyst light around my wed gloves, so much aether built up that the fine bones in my hands began to ache.


    The wind scrabbled to get a hold, but was unable to grasp the aether.


    Sensing multiple other spells targeted toward me, I made a sharp cutting motion with one gauntleted hand, releasing the pent-up aether in a wide, curving arc to eat away the barrage of pursuing spellfire.


    A pained, enraged howl punctuated the sound of fire burning the air, ck spikes erupting from the ground, and lightning crashing.


    Across the chamber, Destruction erupted from Regis. A hot wind, like the leading edge of a charging inferno, sh-dried the sweat beading my brow, and all the active spells in the vicinity were burned away like dry leaves.


    "Valeska!" Ulrike shouted, her drawling voice pierced through with a spike of uncontained fear.


    In an instant, I took in the chamber.


    Regis was on the far side of the room, pierced through in several ces by blue-ck barbs of solid lightning. The stone around him had been carved away by Destruction for twenty feet in every direction, and the balconies above him had copsed. His jaws hung open, thick ropes of saliva dangling from between his teeth, and his bright eyes were entirely focused on his prey.


    On the floor just beyond the ruins, Valeska was dragging herself away with one arm while conjuring a thick shield of wind between her and Regis. Parts of her ck hair and the ends of her horns had been burned away, and her face was covered in ugly blisters. One leg was missing at the knee.


    Ulrike was floating twenty feet off the ground, a bombardment of blue-ck bolts spraying from her fingertips down on Regis. Some burned away in Destruction before they reached him, but not all, and he was making no effort to defend himself.


    Ifiok was on a balcony behind me. One fleshless, skeletal arm hung useless at his side, and the flesh of his neck was broken open and oozing. His remaining hand was waving as he conjured dozens of ck spikes from the ground to hurl through the room in every direction, carefully cutting just around his allies as they targeted both Regis and me.


    ise had relocated to just outside the series of arched frames that opened into the chamber. He was surrounded by an oval field of flickering soulfire, fingertips pressed to his throat. Purple-tinged soulfire mes danced inside the wound as the flesh knit back together, while clouds of conjured me continued to burn in the air between us as he struggled to envelop me within his power.


    Richmal was controlling several long tentacles of dark green acidic liquid that had boiled up from between the granite tiles. The wound in his side had healed, and even his armor seemed to have mended itself. One of his tentacles wrapped around Valeska¡¯s waist and helped pull her away while two others began harrying Regis, going for his neck and legs. Read first at "


    . org"


    Meanwhile, three more cameshing at me, cutting whiplike through the air and spraying acidic slime in every direction.


    Using God Step, I maneuvered out of the middle of the maelstrom of spells to the balcony, then away again immediately as ise¡¯s cloud of fire seared through the air toward me.


    Regis¡¯s jaws were snapping furiously at the caustic tentacles when I reappeared standing over Valeska. An aetheric de formed in my hands pointing down, and I thrust at her core. She let out a piercing cry that cut off suddenly as she was jerked away by the tentacle around her torso. My de carved a smoking hole in her side and the granite beneath her.


    A huge iron spike manifested from my own shadow and thrust upward. Bracing my de against my forearm, I caught the momentum of the spike and let it propel me up into the air and away from the grasping tentacles. Spinning, I deflected a burst of lightning that had ricocheted off Regis, thennded just in front of him. The aether de swept through the vines harrying him, and then those chasing me, but more spells were already bearing down on us.


    ¡¯Move,¡¯ Regis¡¯s deep, half-mad voice sounded in my head. Destruction was swelling within him, building up like magma within the caldera of a volcano, and it was about to rupture.


    Jumping up, I nted one foot against the edge of an expanding spike and Burst Stepped after Valeska, my aether de searing through the granite tiles of the floor in a straight line toward her and Richmal.


    Behind me, a nova of Destruction washed across the room, erasing everything it touched. But my focus was on finding Valeska. She seemed to operate as the group¡¯s Shield, hiding them, protecting them, and even repositioning them when necessary. Without her, the rest would be exposed.


    Richmal tried to repeat his trick of catching me mid-Burst Step, but I was ready for it. The aether de swung up at the same time as the chamber blurred past me to the sides, and I sliced through his spell and mmed into him shoulder first.


    He was hurled off his feet to crash against the chamber¡¯s outer wall, and all his spells flickered out for just a moment.


    Valeska had pushed herself up to one knee after Richmal had saved her. Despite her grievous wounds, she was still casting, surrounding herself with a buffeting force while cutting at me with wicked scythes of condensed air. I pivoted and dodged those I couldn¡¯t block with an aether-wrapped fist, then, when I was nearly on her, invoked God Step.


    Jumping, wild arcs of purple lightning ran along my firearm as I punched down at the side of her head from my new position. There was a crunch of bone as my fist connected, and then everything went dark.


    ck wings were wrapped around my face, pping and reeling, jerking me this way and that. With my hand still wrapped with aether, I raked my fingers through the spell, shredding it. But by the time I could see again, Valeska had already been whisked away.


    Resummoning my de, I leapt toward the downed Richmal, swinging at the back of his undefended neck. A blue-ck blur flew at me from the side, hammering into me and pushing me off course. My sword cut up and sank through both rune-covered armor and flesh.


    "ise, send Valeska back," Richmal¡¯s resonant baritone rumbled as he pulled himself to his feet. His expression was strained, and his tangled hair was matted to his head and stained red-brown.


    Ulrike slid to a stop ten feet from me, pinning me between her and Richmal. Blood was gushing from her leg, which appeared to be nearly severed at the knee. She supported herself on her towering shield, which rested between us, and leveled a conjured spear at my face, snarling, herx self-assuredness gone.


    A bestial howl shook the cavern, and Regis leapt in from the side, his massive paws mming Ulrike to the ground. Read first at "


    . o r g"


    Dozens of sickly green darts flew from Richmal¡¯s hands, peppering Regis¡¯s side. I watched as the dark green mana seeped into him, circting through his bloodstream in a matter of seconds.


    Liquid fire ran through my channels as I siphoned aether from my core, down my arm, and into the palm of my hand, where it built up until the pressure forced it to explode outward, bathing the cavern in violet light and engulfing Richmal.


    There was a sh, and a wedge of blue-ck static disrupted the air around Regis. He roared, breathing out a gout of Destruction, but the static buzzed around and away from the mes before coalescing like a guillotine above him. At the same time, Ulrike was jerked out from beneath him by the lightning bolt in her hand.


    The static moved through Regis¡¯s body like a saw, cleanly dividing flesh, bone, and even aether. Mypanion howled as his huge, slope-backed torso came in two, the rear half stumbling on its shorter, thicker legs, the front struggling to bnce as he lunged awkwardly after his prey.


    Regis¡¯s barely-contained rage and need to unleash Destruction crashed into me through our connection, warring against his survival instinct and a desperate edge of existential uncertainty.


    A razor-sharp knife of panic shed at my guts, and I could only watch the horrifying spectacle as I struggled to process Regis¡¯s inner conflict alongside my own suppressed emotions. I missed the mana coalescing from the shadows above me just before a spear-thin spike thrust out from the nearest column and drove at my face.


    I spun at thest moment, taking the blow to the side of my armored head where the horns sprouted out. The spike shattered, and a foot-long shard twisted in the air and drove into my cheek. I felt it scrape bone as it deflected downward to push out the base of my skull.


    The force of the impact knocked me back into a supporting column, where I leaned for a moment, dazed, one hand scrabbling against the jagged butt of the spike where it poked out of my face.


    The ground shattered beneath my feet, dropping me to one knee in a pool of burning sludge. Dozens of ck iron spikes interlocked over the pool to create a sharp-edged dome, pinning me into the poison that I could already feel sapping my strength as it attacked my nervous system. The spikes tightened, forcing me down farther into the ooze. My lungs seized, and I felt my heart stutter.


    The iron dome lit up with blue-ck light, and hundreds of bolts of electricity began to crash back and forth between it and the pool of sludge. My body locked up. My mind went numb from the shock as the ooze continued to eat away at my armor. When I reached for God Step, I couldn¡¯t sense it. I couldn¡¯t feel anything at all past the pain of mana attacking every nerve in my entire body.


    "Now, while he¡¯s pinned! Valeska, report to the High Sovereign, inform him¡ª" Read first at "


    . or g"


    My ears popped and stars burst behind my closed eyes and my muscles began to spasm as I pushed back at the spikes, but to little effect. I lost all sense of Richmal¡¯s words, only knew that the Wraiths were shouting at one another. Although I couldn¡¯t understand what they said, the desperation in their voices was clear.


    Blue-ck particles of deviant lightning mana shed and popped as they impacted the amethyst motes that made up my aetheric barrier. Dark green mana sizzled and burrowed into the aether before evaporating. Gray-brown deviant earth mana cracked and broke against the purple barrier.


    Through a gap in the spikes, I saw Regis, or what was left of him. Mypanion had been reduced to little more than a wisp of aether trapped within a cage of Ulrike¡¯s mana. I could feel him, but just barely, burning, his consciousness receding with each passing moment as more and more of his aetheric essence was exhausted just to keep his feeble form.


    I reached for him, tried to pull him to me with the force of my will alone, but he wasn¡¯t reacting, couldn¡¯t escape the spell burning him away to nothing.


    Time seemed to slow, almost like when I¡¯d been able to use Static Void, before. Suddenly, I could feel the weight of all that mana shing with my aether, see the way the particles bent and rippled and jumped as one, the shapes of the individual spells, how they were formed, their purpose, the metaphysical stitching that held them together.


    The mana wove together in a shape formed by the will of the caster, while the aether both contained the mana and determined its natural behavior, but also moved to amodate the mana¡¯s passing, the two forces fitting together like light and shadow. I couldn¡¯t believe I hadn¡¯t seen it before.


    My hand quivered as I reached into the turmoil. All along it, the intery of metaphorical light and darkness¡ªmana and aether¡ªshifted and moved, always together, simultaneously in coordination and opposition. And, in between them, a kind of curtain separating light and shadow.


    My fingers twitched. The curtain shifted. Aether wrapped around mana and moved it aside.


    The interlocking spikes pinning me down released, floating out in the air around me. They trembled, uncertain, Ifiok¡¯s will pushing them to one purpose, but the flow of aether repelling them, redefining what mana was allowed to do.


    A web of electricity jumped from spike to spike, crackling threateningly, tendrils reaching out toward me, deflecting, and being reabsorbed into the whole, unable to strike farther than what they aether allowed.


    The pool of acid parted, separating, pulling away from me. Read first at "


    . o r g"


    As I slowly stood, my legs shook with the effort of enforcing my will on the aether, and through the aether, the mana. My enemies surrounded me, but gone was the physical force of their confidence and their brash expressions.


    Instead, I saw wide red eyes amid gray faces turned pale with fear.

 Chapter 392

    <h4>Chapter 392</h4>


    Chapter 390: Apathy and Ecstasy


    The scene around me seemed frozen in time.


    Richmal¡¯s face was ck, his focus on the magicing undone as he watched with awe. At his side, Ulrike zed with internal light, more and more mana pouring out of her, the web of electricity growing brighter in coordination with her efforts. Her crimson eyes avoided me as she focused on her spell, the muscles of her jaw working as she ground her teeth.


    Behind them, Ifiok sagged, sweat pouring down his face, the ruins of his arm hanging limply at his side, his channeled mana trickling away to nothing.


    ise and Valeska had retreated down the tunnel toward Vildorial, and ise was fumbling with a tempus warp. The familiar anvil-shaped device hummed as it collected and condensed mana.


    I was still reeling from my discovery of the intery between aether and mana. Even though I still didn¡¯t fully understand yet what Realmheart was capable of, I had no time to question what I was doing. It took a tremendous effort just to lift one foot and ce it in front of the other. There were still five half-Vritra Wraiths to deal with, and I could feel Regis¡¯s life force weaken by the moment.


    The orbiting field of spikes and blue-ck lightning shifted as I moved, rotating away as I passed, my aether containing and redirecting the mana making up the various spells. The force of my will was matched against that of the three opposing mages. I had to maintain a more forceful hold over the aether than they could enforce on their mana, but there was also something else, some resistance from the aether I didn¡¯t yet understand.


    Moving the short distance to Regis sapped even my asuran physique of its inhuman stamina and strength, and by the time I reached the cage of lightning, my legs were trembling. I released the pool of acidic sludge, which sshed back together and then sank between the cracks in the granite tiles and vanished.


    Richmal gasped and sucked in a deep, desperate breath, as if he¡¯d been holding it the entire time. ¡°Valeska! Go, now!¡± he barked, his voice raw.


    Releasing aether from my core, I manipted it around Ulrike¡¯s spell, looking once again for the metaphorical curtain separating the two powers. It was just like in the keystone, when I¡¯d practiced with Ellie. I had to let my mind refocus, shift my perspective. Three Steps had once told me something very simr as well, and even Kordri¡¯s lessons had required that I experience the motion and intery of our bodies differently.


    Perhaps that¡¯s what all knowledge boiled down to: new experiences that shifted one¡¯s perspective slightly, revealing more of a world that was already there, but which we couldn¡¯t see.


    My breath caught and my mind stuttered, and I wrenched myself back into the moment. Dozens of poisonous slime-darts were hissing through the air at me.


    My hand raised, too slowly, my mental fortitude drained and exhausted. The darts parted, their path shifting as they swarmed around me to either side, and I let out a breath simultaneously full of wonder and fatigue. I could feel where each particle of mana and aether interacted, how the aether took hold of the mana and redirected it to create a momentary sympathetic binding of the two forces.


    But I was also shouldering thebined force of all that mana, trying to hold each of the individual spells separately in my mind, and, as the darts curved to avoid me, I was forced to release my hold over the spikes and lightning web the other Wraiths had used to pin me down.


    The field of ck spikes fired away wildly, nearly impaling Ifiok and crashing against Ulrike¡¯s shield. The lightning, which she had continued to pour mana into until it burned to look at, condensed into a single bolt and struck the ground, exploding in a blinding sh.


    The chamber quaked.


    Turning my attention swiftly to the small cage of lightning, I looked for the ce where the two forces moved to allow each other¡¯s presence, and tugged, peeling control of the small cell away from Ulrike. It snapped and seared the air as I pulled it away from Regis. The wisp bobbed drunkenly as it drifted up around my ankles. Reaching out, I closed my fist around it. It sank into my flesh and drifted toward my core.


    Regis offered no response to my sudden presence, but I could sense his consciousness, distant and unaware but alive. I could only hope he would recover if we survived this battle.


    Mana red from the hallway as the tempus warp began to activate.


    The bright mana was clear, as was the rim of atmospheric aether that moved to encircle it. Valeska trembled as she leaned toward the mana, her hand stretched out, her fingertips brushing the surface of the portal as it manifested.


    I reached out, my gloved hand curling into a w as I attempted to seize the portal. The aether jumped at mymand, contracting around the portal andpressing the mana. The tempus warp¡¯s magic seized, leaving the half-formed portal wavering tenuously in the air.


    ¡°I can¡¯t get through,¡± Valeska screamed as she scratched at the portal¡¯s surface.


    ¡°Take him down!¡± Richmal¡¯s deep voice cracked as he roared, and spells rained down on me from every direction.


    Iron and fire broke against my armor and aetheric dding. Lightning and acid nced aside, bursting or burning into the ground, shattering the stone with the fury and hellfire of my enemies.


    But with most of my focus on forcefully distorting the tempus warp portal, it was all I could do to deflect even half their attacks. Acid and lightning burns scarred my face and metal spikes ripped through both armor and flesh. My face and skull burned where the metal spike had punched through it earlier.


    Too much aether was being focused through Realmheart to defend against the Wraiths¡¯ spells and the portal.


    But I knew I couldn¡¯t let the Wraiths retreat. Not even one.


    In Agrona¡¯s hands, information was a weapon. I couldn¡¯t give him that. I couldn¡¯t let them escape to report on my abilities.


    They all had to die.


    Ulrike was repositioning to stand between me and the half-formed portal. Her leg, sheathed in a cast of pure mana that sparked and jumped at every subtle movement, dragged limply behind her. Richmal¡¯s arm was pressed down over a huge open wound in his side where armor, flesh, bone, and organs alike had been cleanly removed to reveal sharp bits of rib poking through a fleshy red mess, a wound caused by Regis¡¯sst desperate burst of Destruction.


    Destruction.


    I hesitated even as spell after spell pummeled me, deflecting what I could, absorbing the rest, the pain at once all-epassing and nothing at all as I focused past it to the thing waiting dormant in Regis¡¯s meager form.


    I hadn¡¯t attempted to use the godrune on my own since the mirror zone, but even then Regis had been conscious, flying to my hand to help me concentrate all of my aether in one specific direction. I knew all too well the risks of using it now, without Regis to help me focus and control it. With the abundance of aether in my dualyer core, I could burn through all of Vildorial.


    The spells were bing more random and madcap, their movements jerky and difficult to follow, and I realized Ulrike was imbuing her lightning-attribute mana into the others¡¯ spells. The resulting fusion of magic was faster, wilder, and much more difficult to counter.


    As lightning infused bolts of burning brine struck me like cannonfire, and my pain-wracked mind fought to maintain concentration, I understood that there was no other choice. I couldn¡¯t defend against the bombardment and keep control over the portal and fight the rest of them.


    Eventually my focus would slip, the portal would open, and one or more of the Wraiths would escape.


    Even then, I would still have to defeat the others. But what would keep them fighting? If they withdrew to the city, made me fight in the great cavern¡­


    I imagined the power of these Vritra half-bloods unleashed on the defenseless people of Vildorial. If that happened, nothing else would matter.


    I clenched my fists. The godrune contained within Regis¡¯s essence came alive with hunger and power, and the violet mes burst to life in my hands, giving off a bright, jagged, deadly aura.


    A spasm of pain came from my back where the Realmheart rune burned with golden light, and my vision and sense of mana jolted. I found myself caught off guard by the difficulty of maintaining both godrunes, but couldn¡¯t release Realmheart. Not yet.


    Somewhere in the back of my mind, I considered that the hungry, eager power of Destruction was all I needed.


    I lifted my hand.


    Destruction lurched forward, wild, uncontrolled mes expanding and devouring as they shed their rageful light across the chamber.


    Ifiok¡¯s iron spikes thrust forward to meet it. Purple mes raced across ck metal, unmaking his magic as it leapt from spike to spike, chasing them back to their source. Unshackled from Regis¡¯s morepatible insight, Destruction rushed wildly, like a stampede of stallions on fire, and Ifiok began to scream. It raced up his arm and across his chest, converting his flesh and blood and mana to purple light and then to nothing at all.


    I spun with a poorly suppressed sense of giddiness, spreading the wave of Destruction haphazardly in every direction.


    Richmal dragged himself and Ulrike out of Destruction¡¯s path with his watery tentacles while sending out a flood of green sludge to douse my fire, but Destruction only ate that as well.


    ¡°Agrona thinks these lessurans are going to kill asuras for him?¡± I asked the mes, my voice undercut by the force of Destruction vibrating within it. ¡°Pathetic.¡±


    I grabbed a spear of ck iron out of the air and watched as Destruction pulled the spell apart and unmade it.


    Noxious fumes were pouring out of Richmal¡¯s skin, staining the air with a greenish murk and filling what little remained of the chamber with the smell of death and rot in a feeble attempt to cut me off from the portal.


    Above me, the same static guillotine that had destroyed Regis¡¯s physical body was forming again.


    I mmed my will into it, and the mana trembled, caught between my force and Ulrike¡¯s. Wherever Realmheart conjured the purple runes, I began to burn and sweat, but I only pushed harder, Destruction consuming my pain and fear, until Ulrike¡¯s spell broke.


    A bone-crushing shockwave of pure force, created by the static distortion¡¯s failure, hurled both the Wraiths backwards into the wall. I leaned into the force of the explosion and Destruction jumped to wreath my body in a jagged aura of me, the violet mes curling between the scales of my relic armor, eating it from the inside.


    Instinctively and without consideration, I dismissed the armor, and it dematerialized. I didn¡¯t need it anyway. Destruction was better armor than any old djinn relic.


    Ulrike hunkered behind her shield as Destruction caught up with her, but it aplished nothing. Destruction ate away the runes, then shield, then Ulrike, her armor, flesh, and then bones vanishingyer byyer.


    Richmal stumbled back, but he didn¡¯t try to run. Instead, he threw himself in front of the exits, and a wall of steaming, stinking liquid rose up to block the way.


    ¡°Valeska, ise, go!¡± he shouted, and I was surprised to hear something akin to genuine care in his voice.


    ¡°Weak,¡± I snarled, the word burning like a chant, the force of it sending a tremor through my enemy.


    Through the semi-transparent wall, I could see ise and Valeska both fighting with the tempus warp, pouring magic into it in an attempt to rest control of the portal¡¯s mana away from me.


    The misshapen glowing oval shook and striations of distortion ran across its surface, but I held it entirely, the apathy of Destruction shielding me from the growing pain of focusing on both godrunes.


    Valeska turned and met my eye. Now, there was something akin to real terror in them. These creatures had been trained to wage a quiet, shadowy war against deities. But they were children ying at being gods. They understood nothing. They were nothing.


    Still holding her gaze, I sent Destruction to roll across Richmal. Mana poured out of him in the form of a thick, greasy steam, momentarily holding the purple mes back as they consumed his power instead.


    With Realmheart, I looked for the curtain separating the light and shadow, and ripped it aside. His spell was snuffed out like a candle me, and then his flesh lit up like much the same, and then he was gone.


    Somewhere deep within me, something cracked.


    My vision and sense of mana blinked out, and I had to squeeze my eyes closed against sudden vertigo and nausea. When I opened them again, the glowing oval of a portal appeared over the tempus warp device. ise was shouting and shoving Valeska toward it, but she was still staring at the ce Richmal had been only seconds before.


    I stumbled. Looking down, I realized that violent mes were burning along the backs of my hands and forearms, and my skin was unraveling beneath the fire. I was losing control.


    ¡°Go!¡± ise screeched, shoving Valeska hard.


    Her arms iled, and her hand, arm, and then face vanished through the portal.


    A groan escaped my lips as I forced aether back into the Realmheart godrune and it sputtered to life with a wave of sickening agony. I wrenched hard on the aether around the portal, crushing it.


    The portal shivered, rippling violently. The mana particlespressed, and the force binding them shattered. The portal died out with a grotesque squelching noise, and what remained of Valeska on this side of the portal copsed wetly to the ground.


    I trembled as the Realmheart godrune cut out again, severing my connection to the mana for the second time. I spit out a mouthful of blood and bile.


    ise howled. An enormous serpent of soulfire filled the tunnel, racing toward me. Violet fire subsumed the ck, and then flowed into ise¡¯s eyes and nose and mouth before burning him away from the inside out.


    Grinning and burning, Iughed. A single long, mirthful, insaneugh as thest of the Wraiths, Agrona¡¯s supposed ¡°asura killers,¡± fell before me, the entire essence of their beings wiped away by my power, not even the stain of their corrupted mana remaining.


    Theugh cut out, and I sank down to one knee.


    The fingers of my left hand were beginning to disintegrate. There was so much aether in my core now for Destruction to feed on. It was a beautiful sight. I could just picture it burning and burning and burning and¡ª


    In the distance, I vaguely sensed the ring of powerful mana signatures and a storm of mana raging throughout the cavern of Vildorial.


    I could burn the city. All of Darv, if I wanted to. Dicathen and crya and Epheotus¡­


    I felt my face crack into a wide, vicious, victorious grin just as the flesh of my arms began to crack and bleed under the force of Destruction.


    I thought of Valeska¡¯s face and arm tumbling through a portal somewhere in crya. ¡°That will be a very different message than she intended to give Agrona, I imagine,¡± I said aloud, my voice crackling with fire.


    With some amusement, I realized my arms had burned away up to my elbows. Destruction was in the stones now, eating away the chamber and tunnel, searching out more fuel, more, more, reaching for the city where there was so much substance, so much life¡­


    ¡®Art¡­¡¯


    Regis¡¯s voice, distant, hollow.


    ¡®Art!¡¯


    More insistent, a note of panic bleeding through the apathy and glory of Destruction.


    It was a voice that would grow silent soon enough. All would be Destruction in the end. Everyone, everything.


    I thrust my ruined arms outward. Destruction boiled forth to consume the walls and ceiling and floor beneath my feet.


    An image pierced my mind like a crossbow bolt. I could feel Regis holding it there, projecting into my consciousness with thest of his strength. Ellie and Mom. They were holding each other, shivering in fear where they huddled with a mass of nameless, faceless dwarves as the ground beneath them trembled and buckled as it was being eaten away by bright amethyst mes¡­


    Everyone. Everything.


    Above me, the ceiling copsed, and elsewhere I dimly heard the crashing of stones as part of the cavern fell in on itself, but everything within sight was only violet fire.


    Everything. Everyone.


    No, that¡¯s wrong, I thought, the effort of holding even a simple thought like walking across broken ss. Mom. Ellie. Everything I¡¯ve done¡­


    But this is victory, a voice ufortably like my own replied. This is finality. This is the end of our enemies.


    And of everything else.


    Gritting my teeth, I leaned forward and frantically smashed my head into the rough stone of the crater I was sinking into, trying to jar loose Destruction¡¯s hold over me.


    When that failed, I attempted to m shut the gates that controlled the flow of aether out of my core and cut off the flow of aether to the Destruction godrune, but I couldn¡¯t.


    I pushed at Regis, intent on forcing him out of my body, removing my connection to the rune, but the feeble wisp form wavered, and I stopped, afraid that separating him from my aether would destroy him.


    My arms were gone up to my biceps. Destruction burned in their ce. Soon, it would rece me entirely, leaving only the void.


    The void¡­


    I thought of the mirror room again, the void beyond it, how I had exhausted all my aether by sending Destruction into the empty nothing to save Caera. Except I wasn¡¯t in the Relictombs. I didn¡¯t have the luxury of burning away all my aether into nothing. Here, there was always something to burn, something to consume.


    A sharp spike of adrenaline partially cleared my mind as an idea manifested. I didn¡¯t take time to consider what I was doing or what it would mean if it worked. I couldn¡¯t let the guilt stay my hand, not if it meant saving my family.


    Moving as quickly as my failing form could, I wed my way free of the crater, then stumbled out into the tunnel toward Vildorial.


    Sitting against one smooth, Destruction-scoured wall, was the tempus warp.


    I copsed in front of the anvil-shaped device. It was half in ruins.


    Closing my eyes, I focused on the godrune for Aroa¡¯s Requiem. It was distant, and even when aether flowed into it, no rush of power announced the rune¡¯s activation. Destruction clouded everything else, and my body was failing, but I pushed harder. That power couldn¡¯t be erased, even if my body failed.


    Warmth bloomed across my back, and I began to shiver uncontrobly.


    Destruction was jumping from me to the stone walls and floor, eager for more matter to consume. Flickering motes of purple energy began to trickle away from me and into the tempus warp device. I focused on keeping Destruction away, sending it everywhere but the tempus warp, but I only half seeded.


    Destruction and Aroa¡¯s Requiem pushed back and forth, the artifact dissolving in ces while being rebuilt in others.


    Dragging in a deep breath, I pulled Destruction into myself.


    The aetheric motes danced along the pockmarked metallic surface of the tempus warp, and the artifact reconstituted before my eyes, the holes and gouges filling back in, the runes reappearing.


    My breath turned ragged as the fire reached my chest and lungs. I could feel Destruction wrapping around my core, pulling more and more and more aether from it. The feeble form of Regis hunkered in close, huddling incoherently within the core¡¯s shell.


    Aroa¡¯s Requiem finished its work, and I gratefully released my focus on the edict. The motes faded into nothing. Above the tempus warp, the portal relit, a gray-blue-purple-white oval through which I could just see the ghost of whatever was on the other side.


    Aroa¡¯s Requiem had returned the device to the same state it was in just before Destruction reached it.


    Something hot and wet welled up from my eyes and ran down my face as I crawled on ws of Destruction and my burned legs into the portal.


    The world wrenched nauseatingly around me. Empty space ripped past. I hurtled through a blurred nothingscape. With no other matter to turn on, Destruction feasted on my aether and my body.


    Then I was¡­somewhere else.


    A rush of cold air. Hard ground beneath my knees. The vague impression of sharp, fanglike peaks in the distance.


    There were people all around me, dozens and dozens of them, surprised faces jerking away, swirls of color as shields were cast from a dozen different sources, incoherent shouting¡ªquestions,mands, pleas¡ªand staring up at me from the ground was part of Valeska¡¯s face, disembodied and sitting in a pool of blood.


    Sharp-edged tongues of violet me tumbled out of me, and I felt only relief as the Destruction found something else to feast on.


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s him! Grey!¡± several voices shouted, and the people¡ªmages, soldiers, cryan soldiers¡ªsurged backward.


    ¡°Retreat! Retreat!¡±


    A few spells flew at me, but Destruction pulled them out of the air and devoured them.


    ¡°Move aside!¡± a vaguely familiar voice snarled.


    The feverish confusion I felt cooled, and my mind seemed to shift back into focus. I was in an enclosed courtyard surrounded by heavy gray buildings. In the distance, the faded blue outlines of the Basilisk Fang mountains wed at the sky. I was in some kind of military base or encampment, probably around the eastern edge of Vechor based on the position of the mountains and the brutalistic, military styling of the encampment.


    The soldiers and mages in the courtyard were all wearing the red and ck uniforms and armor of cryans. A man in clean, azure-lined robes had pushed through the line and was staring at me with a vindictive grin.


    ¡°What are you all so afraid of?¡± he crowed, his bright jade eyes gleaming from a cleanly shaven face framed by carefully styled brown hair. ¡°Look at him. There¡¯s barely anything left¡ª¡±


    Violet fire began to spill away from me in waves, tumbling across the hard ck stone of the courtyard floor and toward the lines of cryan soldiers.


    A soldier grabbed him by the shoulder and tried to pull him back behind the line of shields. ¡°Professor Graeme sir, it isn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    Janusz Graeme¡¯s victorious sneer shattered as realization dawned across his face.


    Destruction caught up with him as he turned and tried to drag himself over the soldier, knocking the young man down. They both went up like so many dry pine needles, and then were gone.


    Iughed. A mindless bark of pure delight, empty of empathy or care. The sound of it sobered me instantly.


    More shields shed into existence as dozens of voices crashed together in a concentration of fear and confusion. I pushed, and pushed, and pushed, all my focus turning back into myself as I tried to force out every particle of aether in my core, projecting the wild, uncontained Destruction as I did.


    Tears or blood¡ªI couldn¡¯t tell which¡ªwelled up behind my eyes as I watched line after line of cryan soldiers vanish within with violet fire. Then the ze moved into the buildings enclosing the courtyard, and everything and everyone within them, and still there was more.


    Destruction spread beyond my line of sight, but I could feel it gleefully leap from structure to structure, leaving no tile or brick or timber behind, destroying utterly and without consideration.


    But I¡¯d regained myself, and I no longer felt the apathy and ecstasy of the ruination I was causing. I felt hollow, like the mes had burned away something intrinsic to my being, like I was shedding a piece of my humanity with each passing moment as the violet inferno spread and massacred all within the base.


    I pictured Ellie and Mom again and steeled myself. There was no choice, not this time. Not when it was between my loved ones and the people who sought to murder them.


    But I still couldn¡¯t help but picture the ring of force speeding through the forests of Elenoir and leaving nothing but devastation in its wake.


    My core gave ast, final, painful squeeze, and the mes guttered out with sudden finality. My reservoir of aether was exhausted. There was nothing left. And with no aether to fuel it, the Destruction godrune dimmed and went quiet.


    I turned in a slow circle, staring around at what I had wrought.


    The base was argeplex at the center of an entire town. A circle of ashen nothing spread for half a mile in every direction. The devastation ended suddenly with simple, functional stone buildings, many of which were partially copsed or destroyed. A three-storyplex sagged and crashed to the ground as I watched, sending up a tall plume of dust.


    In the distance, I could hear the ghosts of screams, dozens of them, perhaps hundreds.


    Just behind me, the hovering oval of the portal remained intact, the tempus warp on the other end continuing to project.


    Turning away from the destion, I felt something hard turn underneath my boot and almost stumbled. Sheltered by my own body, Valeska¡¯s single remaining horn had escaped the worst of Destruction. Tiredly, I bent down to retrieve it, then stepped through the portal.


    The sickening rush of long-range teleportation, and then I was stumbling back into Dicathen. I kicked the tempus warp aside, breaking its connection with the conjured portal, which shivered, cracked, and blinked out of existence.


    My body and mind gave out, and I slumped to my knees, then onto my side. The true pain of my wounds was gripping me, and without any aether in my core, I couldn¡¯t heal.


    Deep inside me, the wisp that was Regis shook itself awake, nudging me wordlessly, the onlyfort mypanion had the strength to give.


    I returned the simple gesture, then sank into unconsciousness.

 Chapter 393

    <h4>Chapter 393</h4>


    <strong>BAIRON WYKES</strong>


    I could practically feel the frayed ends of Varay¡¯s nerves firing next to me. At her other side, Mica¡¯s mana signature was a weak hum. And yet, both Lances stood firm in the face of a terrible enemy. A swell of pride fortified my ownmitment.


    I was d to stand next to these warriors in defense of my home. Each of us had faced down certain death at the hands of an asura. Looking away from mypanions, I leveled a ready stare at the two Scythes hovering above, refusing to let any fear of them creep into my heart.


    Cruelughter echoed through the cavern, resounding from stone to stone as it built like the pressure before a thunderstorm.


    ¡°Done losing? You¡¯ve already lost!¡± the white-haired, scarecrow of a Scythe I had wounded shouted down at us, her previously yful voice now full of menace and cruelty. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel it?¡±


    On the far edge of the cavern, a horrible pressure was drumming out of the walls in sharp bursts, several sources of mana and paralyzing killing intent all mming into one another with the force of maces against a bare skull.


    Even from so far away, the sensation made my fingers grow weak around the haft of the red spear.


    ¡°But please, don¡¯t stop fighting,¡± the Scythe continued, her snarl easing as she adopted her darkly yful mannerisms again. ck-purple mes were burning through the wound I¡¯d given her, wiping it away as if it had never existed. ¡°It would be oh so disappointing to finally get a chance to fight in the war only for the mighty Lances to give up so soon.¡±


    Speaking for only Mica and me to hear, Varay said, ¡°Mica, cast defensively, keep them upied, distracted. Bairon, focus onnding blows with that ungodly spear. We have a chance if we can cut off the flow of their mana, even briefly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the spirit,¡± the Scythe said, suddenly giddy. ¡°Scheme away. I can¡¯t wait to shove that cursed spear up your¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough, Melzri,¡± the purple-haired Scythe cut in, her voice oozing like sludge through the air. ¡°Let us finish this before the Wraiths arrive.¡±


    The Scythe I¡¯d fought, Melzri, sobered. ¡°Of course, Viessa. Good impressions and all that.¡±


    Even to my enhanced senses, Melzri was little more than a shadowy blur as she suddenly flew into our midst. I had just enough time to pull my spear up into a defensive position before her strikended. The blow sent me skating backwards, my feet digging long gouges into the courtyard.


    She wielded a long, curved sword in each hand. One swirled with ck wind, the other with dark fire. Both des snapped out simultaneously, one at Varay¡¯s ribs, the other at Mica¡¯s throat. The strikes deflected off stone and ice, and the other Lances let themselves be pushed away by the force, then flew up into the air.


    A dark cyclone was spinning into being above us as Viessa worked some horrid spell, but my focus was on Melzri.


    She didn¡¯t pursue the others, but spun again and catapulted herself at me.


    Ice reached up from the earth to wrap around her limbs, and the dust sank unnaturally to the earth as the gravity between us became several times heavier. The Scythe jerked mid-lunge, and I sidestepped and pulled up my spear. Her des nged against the shaft, and I countered with a series of lightning-quick thrusts that were batted aside by her des.


    Above me, everything became howling darkness, and I lost sight of Varay and Mica.


    Melzri was a vortex of burning, cutting steel, leaping, spinning, and striking with impossible force and speed, the twin des seeming toe from every direction and angle simultaneously as I struggled simply to keep my spear between us.


    She¡¯d been ying with me before, I realized with a sickening certainty. Just waiting for the other Scythe to finish off Varay and Mica. Otherwise, I never would havended the blow that forced her to temporarily retreat.


    Cutting off these spiraling, unhelpful thoughts, I focused on the Scythe and her weapons, letting myself sink into the hyper-focused state required to effectively utilize Thunderp Impulse.


    Mana infused every synapse in my body. It sparked in my mind, enhancing both my thoughts and reactions by several times over.


    Her swords were both cutting toward me, one at my right knee, the other at my left elbow. Instead of iling wildly in an effort to block both blows at once, I leaned into them, the enhanced perception of my lightning-enhanced senses allowing me to thrust my body forward between the two blows. My pauldron rammed into the Scythe¡¯s face.


    It was like running headlong into an iron hyrax.


    Lightning rushed through me, condensed into a single point on my arm, and then exploded outward with enough force to send Melzri hurtling backwards. Her swords closed around me like shears.


    I dove into a forward roll, so close to her weapons that I felt the fire lick at the back of my neck.


    As I came to my feet, Melzri was bearing down on me, already recovered, her body rotating and her des turning around her like those of a thresher.


    The ground cracked beneath me as Iunched myself backward with another condensed burst of lightning. Cocking back, I threw the asuran spear with all my might.


    Melzri twisted in her flight, flowing like wind around the spear. My sped-up senses barely saw as she let go of her own weapon and tried to grab mine out of the air.


    Her body jerked violently. The grace and precision of her movement were suddenly a chaos of limbs as the spear yanked her sideways and sent her spinning to crash and tumble across the ground. She vanished with the crunch of breaking stone into one of the fallen buildings.


    The red spear turned in a wide arc and flew to my hand, but I was already moving in to close the distance between me and the Scythe.


    With a curse, she hurled away arge section of wall that had copsed onto her, giving me the perfect opening. I aimed for her core, driving the spear down with both hands.


    Her counter was little more than a blur, even with Thunderp Impulse active. The wind-wreathed de jumped up to parry my thrust, and the spear¡¯s head sank deep into the stone beside her. At nearly the same time, something burned across my back, and then her ming sword was in her hand again as well. As I hissed in pain and reached for the line of fire across my back, sheshed out with a kick to my chest.


    The cavern bent and wobbled as my perspective struggled to correct with my sudden backward motion. I was vaguely aware of crashing into and through something very hard, and then, I was lying on my back.


    Above me was the writhing, roaring ck stormcloud. Within the cloud, I could vaguely sense the other two Lances struggling against the second Scythe. They were relying on me, on the asuran weapon Arthur had gifted me, and I needed to stand up, to help them, to fight.


    But the fire seeped into my blood.


    I knew it immediately. No matter how much time passed, I would never forget that wretched encounter with the Scythe, Cadell, in the flying castle, or how it had felt to lie there, helpless as a newborn as his magic ate away my life from the inside.


    I imagined actual mes alive in my blood, each frantic thump-thump of my heart spreading the ze.


    Melzri appeared above me, her movements businesslike. One arm was hanging lower than the other, but as I watched she rotated it until the arm popped back into ce. She gave me a curious look, her eyes burrowing through my skin and into my blood and bones.


    ¡°What does it feel like?¡± Her words were soft, almost reverent. ¡°Tell me, and I¡¯ll speed your demise.¡±


    Iughed with derision, then my body spasmed and my back arched with agony, every muscle going taut. ¡°It feels¡­just like I remember,¡± I gasped out through clenched teeth. The spasm settled, and I took several deep, painful breaths. ¡°It took me months to regain my strength after the other one filled me with fire.¡±


    Her gaze sharpened, and she leaned toward me, the wind-shrouded de pressing against my breastte. Her eyes were wide, and a muscle in her cheek trembled as she suppressed a manic grin. ¡°Go on¡­¡±


    I met her eyes the color of curdled blood. Outwardly, I was calm. Peaceful. I had epted my death¡ªagain. But inside, the real battle was raging.


    ¡°My body didn¡¯t feel like my own, not for a long time,¡± I continued, inwardly focused on controlling my release of mana. ¡°This alien force had been within it, and even after it was gone, it had left a residue that I couldn¡¯t wash off my soul.¡±


    The edge of her sword slid across my breastte, sinking into it with the low whine of metal on metal. ¡°You¡¯ve got a surprisingly beautiful way with words, Lance. Finish, and I will relieve you of this pain.¡± She bit her bottom lip as she waited, filled with anticipation.


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d never heal, not really. My time as a Lance was done. I was cursed to linger as a burned-out husk of my former self.¡± Her eyes closed as her de slowly parted the leather backing of my armor and then the flesh beneath. ¡°But I had so long to think about it, Scythe. I nned, and I hoped.¡±


    ¡°What did you hope for, Thunderlord?¡±


    Slow, steady downward pressure. The feel of steel scraping across bone, and then¡­


    ¡°That, one day, some foolish cryan would be stupid enough to try it on me again,¡± I growled.


    Her eyes shed open, reflecting the white lightning burning from my many small wounds as Ipleted casting the spell I had designed for this very moment.


    Thunderlord¡¯s Wrath, I chanted in my head, nearly gasping with relief.


    For all her speed, Melzri couldn¡¯t react quickly enough.


    Instead of retreating, she leaned into her de, and I felt it scrape against the edge of my sternum as it bit deep. The lightning filling my body¡ªmy blood¡ªraced up the steel and into her. I could feel every particle of mana as it attacked her nerves, crashing along her arms and into her torso.


    She was thrown off her feet, then crashed through a statue of some ancient dwarven lord. He fell to the ground in pieces, his cracked face staring up at me forlornly.


    I floated off the ground after her, wreathed in reaching tendrils of lightning.


    ¡°I just couldn¡¯t get rid of that feeling of fire in my blood,¡± I said as Melzri thrust herself up from the ground and into the air. The twin des jumped back into her hands. One arm was ckened up to the elbow. ¡°So I learned how to turn my blood to lightning!¡±


    I punctuated thisst word by focusing on the deep wound in my chest. A blinding ray of lightning exploded out of me. Melzri brought up both of her swords to deflect the st, and a shield of wind and fire encircled her. The lightning condensed and built where the two spells impacted, growing and growing until the pressure ripped the mana apart.


    The explosion sent us both hurtling backwards, tumbling through the air like newborn birds fallen from the nest.


    Inside me, white-hot light struggled against the devouring darkness. Every vein and artery screamed with the strain of it, but I was winning. The spell she¡¯d used was specific, designed to eat away at my life¡¯s blood. Without anything to burn, the soulfire was fading.


    Taking hold of my tumbling flight, I righted myself and readied the spear, letting mana flow around it, infusing it in a shell of electrical energy.


    The ck cloud above me rippled, and a small dwarven body plummeted out of it, crashing into the ground nearby. I gave Mica one quick nce to ensure she was breathing, then cocked back my arm to throw. But, Melzri was gone.


    With a sound like the cracking of thin ice, the cloud above snapped. Darkness was reced with fluttering white as it became a snowstorm, and I could see the entirendscape of the battle raging above.


    Varay and Viessa were both stationary, each facing the other as they hovered a hundred feet overhead, their battle one entirely of will and magic.


    The snow of the conjured storm was falling inward toward Viessa. Within it, the shapes of armed and armored men formed out of the gusting kes were cutting and shing all around her. ck scythes of wind countered, defending and destroying the conjured warriors as quickly as Varay could form them.


    Several mages had gathered along the winding roads that curved around the cavern, and as one they began sending spells hurtling at Viessa.


    Helen Shard was firing arrows of burning light from one edge of the cavern with her band of adventurers at her back, each casting and throwing spells of their own.


    From another ledge, the Earthborn brothers were sending earthen spikes like stctites at the Scythe. Beside them, Curtis and Kathyln yder were both casting defensive spells in the form of shields of ice and glowing golden panels of me. The cavern shook with the roars of Curtis¡¯s world lion.


    Adjusting my target, I threw the asuran spear.


    It painted a bright red afterimage across the cavern, flying true toward Viessa¡¯s heart.


    I sensed the re of mana and took a jagged, lightning-infused step away. The tendrils of electricity surging around me reached for the twin swords closing in on my neck.


    It wasn¡¯t enough.


    ck wind and fire cut through white lightning. Steel glinted hungrily.


    Melzri had manifested out of the shadow right beside me. Her face was a mask of concentration.


    Then the light was warping, the air hardening and turning to dark crystal around me, and in an instant I was trapped, my entire body encased within a shell of ck diamond.


    The twin des rang off the protective spell, lodged into the diamond, and stuck fast.


    Through the opaque crystal, I could just see Melzri¡¯s silhouette spin around as a smaller shadow wielding an oversized hammer flew at her from the side. I felt each blow of the hammer shiver up through the ground beneath me as the two exchanged strike after strike. I could also sense the strain on Mica¡¯s core as she pushed herself to her limits.


    Whatever magic Viessa had used on her had left her weak. She was almost to the point of bacsh.


    The crystalline structure trapping me in ce shattered.


    Mica was on the ground, Melzri pinning her. The Scythe¡¯s hands were wrapped in bands of ck fire, and each blow burned away ayer of Mica¡¯s flesh, leaving her face cracked and bleeding.


    I channeled all the power of Thunderlord¡¯s Wrath and lunged, wrapping my arms around the Scythe. The lightning coiled around us both, pinning her to me as I yanked her away from Mica¡¯s prone form. Desperation fueled my strength, and I held on despite Melzri¡¯s power swelling in my arms, threatening to shatter me.


    Her body burst into mes. Soulfire battered against the energy dding my body and restraining her.


    I began to tremble.


    I couldn¡¯t hold the Scythe for long.


    Then my mana winked out like a doused candle me.


    I was stumbling backwards, Melzri still in my arms. Her soulfire was gone.


    Together, we fell.


    As Iy on my back, waiting for the pain to hit me, I saw what was happening above.


    Varay was sagging, near the end of her strength. Viessa was winning the battle of wills, pushing back against Varay¡¯s conjured army, the lines of sharp ck wind cutting closer and closer to where Varay hovered.


    An arrow slipped through Viessa¡¯s defenses and sank into her thigh.


    Then the pain hit.


    I sucked in a choked gasp. A bloody hole had been ripped through my side just below my ribs. With no mana flowing through my channels to begin healing the wound, I felt the full force of it. Draped across my arm, Melzri stiffened, and her hand pressed to her ribs just below her chest, where an identical wound had been ripped in her armor and flesh.


    Without mana, I could no longer sense the spear, which had been returning at full speed while I¡¯d grappled with Melzri. Knowing I couldn¡¯t deliver a blow, I¡¯d done the only thing I could: held her and let my weapone to us.


    Melzri¡¯s twin swordsy several feet away, where they¡¯d dropped from the ck Diamond Vault spell when it failed. I struggled to roll onto my side, one arm reaching out, but every nerve in my body red with pain.


    Sensing my movement, Melzri twisted to look at me. As if moving in slow motion, her fist clenched, and she drove it into the open wound in my side. We both yelled in agony.


    Above, something was happening. I blinked several times, thinking perhaps it was my own delirium, but when I looked again, it was still happening.


    Shadows were coalescing around Viessa and forming copies of her. One became two, then four, then eight, until the sky was full of visions of her. Everywhere I looked, spells were passing through the illusory copies.


    Melzri was moving again. She rolled over and kicked one leg over me, straddling my stomach. Her hands reached for my throat. I grabbed her wrists and tried to twist them one way or the other to shove her off me, but Icked the strength. Both our arms shook with effort.


    Over her shoulder, the Viessa copies were wavering in and out of focus, popping one by one, the air around them shivering with a kind of ck static. Then, it was just Varay and Viessa again.


    Suddenly more spells were finding their marks. A squadron of dwarven guards had appeared, abandoning whatever position they were supposed to be guarding, and were flinging spells, filling the sky with projectiles. Viessa seemed shocked as an arrow pierced her arm, then wavered and nearly fell as a boulder twice her size mmed into her from the side. Her mouth was moving, but no sound came out.


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Varay shouted, her voice projecting triumphantly throughout the cavern. ¡°We¡¯re wearing her down. Focus fire! Everything you¡¯ve got!¡±


    Melzri rxed suddenly and our arms snapped out to the side. Her head surged down and drove into my nose with a meaty thunk. My vision went blurry for a moment, and then her fingers were around my throat.


    ¡°You¡¯ve really surprised me.¡± Her words were ground out between gritted teeth. I pulled at her wrists, but my arms were weak and overtired. ¡°It seems like you Lances learned a trick or three since fighting Cadell. This has almost¡­been¡­fun¡­¡± Her hands tightened as she spoke, and I could feel the heat in them, the vibration of her mana stirring back to life.


    In the same moment, my own core thrummed as the spear¡¯s mana-suppression effect began to wear off.


    Something moved nearby. A small motion, but I saw the glint of a jet-ck gemstone eye.


    Just as Melzri¡¯s hands lit up with soulfire, condensed bolts of lightning poured through my own hands and up her arms. I manipted the currents to target and disable her muscles, aiming to paralyze her. Her body seized, her legs spasming and digging into my wound.


    Her fingers clenched around my throat.


    Her soulfire ate into my flesh.


    Then a hammerrger than me mmed into the side of her head, knocking her to the ground. Before Melzri could recover, another blownded, then another, driving the Scythe into the stones like a nail.


    Mana flooded my body, lending strength to my muscles and dulling the pain of my wounds. I stood slowly.


    Above, Viessa fell back, surrounding herself with shadowy shields, no longer able to counter the barrage of attacks.


    The spear was nearby, half buried into the stone floor. I gave it a mental tug, and it wrenched free and flew to my hand.


    Mica¡¯s weapon stopped falling. Panting, she stumbled back from the crater she¡¯d hammered into the courtyard tiles. I raised the spear, preparing to finish Melzri.


    But the crater was empty.


    A giggle escaped Mica¡¯s bruised and bloody lips. ¡°Mashed her to dust, heh.¡± Then she was copsing.


    I caught her and eased her to the ground. The conjured hammer copsed, her will unable to hold the weapon¡¯s shape any longer.


    ¡°At least Varay seems to be winning,¡± she said, her dted eyes staring up at the fight above.


    I knew Melzri was still here, illusioned into invisibility, but I couldn¡¯t help but follow Mica¡¯s gaze. She was right. Even Viessa¡¯s defenses were trembling now, the shields quaking and cracking as the Scythe reformed them over and over again.


    Arrows, stones, bullets of wind, spears of ice, gouts of fire, and dozens of other spells all concentrated on the Scythe, but my attention was drawn to Varay.


    She was flinging curved des of ice at Viessa, one after another, each sinking into a shadowy shield before breaking and dissipating. She had a fierce, determined look as she simultaneously directed the attacks and flung spells of her own.


    But I couldn¡¯t shake the sense that something was wrong.


    Looking more closely, I watched the way her spells moved, and felt the sensation of all that mana crashing through the air.


    My pulse spiked.


    Varay had no mana signature.


    ¡°An illusion,¡± I gasped, meeting Mica¡¯s confused gaze.


    ¡°Wuh?¡± Mica¡¯s eyes lost focused, then closed. ¡°Oh, that feels bad. I¡¯m just gonna¡­lie here and die, I think.¡±


    I looked from Mica to Varay¡ªthe real Varay, wrapped in the guise of Viessa, being crushed under a wave of spellfire¡ªand then back. With Melzri still prowling around, leaving Mica alone could mean her death, but Varay was losing strength, being torn down by her own friends and soldiers¡­


    ¡°Curse you all for giving me feelings,¡± I snapped, scooping Mica¡¯s unconscious body off the ground and throwing her over my shoulder, then lifting up into the air. I kept the spear ready in case Melzri attempted another sneak attack, but none came.


    As I flew, I attempted to rearrange my expression, putting aside my anger and letting very real feare forward. I thought of Virion, who had gone into hiding since reaching Vildorial, and my family, and the tremendous amount of mana still surging violently in the direction of the portal, where Arthur was, and the distant tombstone encasing Aya¡¯s corpse.


    And¡­I gave myself permission to feel it. To¡­break. Even for a moment.


    Tears built up in my eyes, and a knot of difort in the back of my throat. I flew slowly, taking a roundabout route to avoiding between Varay and all the spells flying at her. Through the wall of shields, her Viessa-form gave me a intive, hopeful look, and I could see just how close to failing she was.


    I ignored her. I had no choice.


    Instead, I approached the Varay I could see, the illusory skin wrapped around Viessa like a shield.


    She looked at me warily, her eyes tracking across my face, lingering on the tears wetting my cheeks, and she rxed. ¡°She¡¯s almost done. Hold back, if you must. I¡¯ll finish this.¡±


    ¡°V-Varay,¡± I said, my voice catching. ¡°It¡¯s Mica. She¡¯s dying.¡±


    Varay-Viessa nced down at Mica. ¡°Ah. Most¡­unfortunate.¡± She squinted, looking closer. ¡°She¡¯s breath¡ª¡±


    I thrust with the asuran spear.


    Her lips curled back from her teeth in an animalistic snarl, and she spun away from the blow, her attacks already turning away from the real Varay toward me.


    The spear, aimed for her core, cut wide, barely catching the fabric of her robes.


    She caught the haft with one hand and shed across my torso with her other, drawing a ck line across my armor. Blood sprayed from the gash, spattering the false Varay¡¯s pale face.


    I wrenched back on the spear and released a bolt of lightning along the handle.


    Sparks jumped between Viessa¡¯s fingers, and her hand twitched.


    The haft slid through her grip, and the de carved a thin line across her palm.


    She hissed, and her eyes flew wide open. She wed the air in wild panic.


    The illusions vanished. Across the cavern from us, Varay was huddled behind shields of ice, bleeding from dozens of wounds, her mana signature trembling weakly.


    ¡°Stop! Cease fire!¡± Helen Shard shouted, but her voice was drowned out by the noise ofbat. Spellfire kept pounding Varay¡¯s position.


    Viessa was falling, her mouth open in a silent scream. Defenseless.


    But Varay needed me.


    Despite the blood running hot and fast from the wound across my torso, I flew up into the path of the spells and released a bright sh from the end of the spear. All the mages focused on Varay threw up their hands or turned away, and the bombardment was broken, even if only for an instant.


    ¡°Use your damned eyes!¡± I yelled, falling back into a protective position in front of Varay.


    Far below, Viessa¡¯s body was still plummeting. I held my breath.


    A white-haired figure flew from between two first-level structures and scooped the Scythe out of the air, and I let out my breath in a curse.


    ¡°This fight isn¡¯t over!¡± I shouted to the confused mages, focusing on Curtis yder, who I knew better than the rest of them. I pointed to where the two Scythes were streaking across the cavern below. ¡°We need to¡ª¡±


    I was interrupted by the shattering of stone as a portion of the cavern wall copsed.


    cryan soldiers protected by transparent barriers of mana began rushing through.


    ¡°To the breach!¡± Varay ordered, swinging around and gathering her mana.


    Melzri and Viessa floated to a stop over the army pouring into the city. ¡°You haven¡¯t won!¡± Melzri screamed, her face pale and pained. ¡°You¡¯re just losing slowly, Lances!¡±


    As if to drive this point home, both Scythes red with purple-tinged ck mes, and their wounds were wiped away. Dark eddies of wind were already beginning to reform around Viessa as her mana returned. Beneath them, dozens of battle groups quickly fell into formation.


    Mica stirred, but did not wake. Varay looked as if she might plummet out of the air at any moment. Our allies were pale and shaken as confusion gave way to horror at their attacks against Varay.


    Distantly, I realized the signs of battle from the direction of the portal had ceased. I could not bring myself to hope for Arthur¡¯s victory, however.


    There was motion all around as Varay still fought to organize what troops we had. Some were shouting for reinforcements. A few dwarven soldiers turned tail and ran.


    I floated forward through the chaos and met Melzri¡¯s curdled-blood gaze. ¡°Today, I saw fear in the eyes of a Scythe. That is enough.¡±


    She shook her head, bright hair swaying around dark horns, and smiled. ¡°At least you will die brave, Lance.¡±


    ¡°cryans.¡± Viessa¡¯s voice cut through all other noise like a razor. ¡°Advance¡ª¡±


    A purple sh lit up the highest level of the cavern. The entire world seemed to grind to a halt, all sound and motion ceasing.


    Standing at the high road¡¯s edge near the pce, Arthur Leywin stood armored in gold-rimmed ck scales with onyx horns curling down from the sides of his head like a Vritra. He zed with purple light, his blond hair lifting up from his head as if charged with static, bright runes burning purple beneath his eyes.


    He stepped forward, closer to the edge, and each footfall was the beating of a wardrum. The sound of it swelled in my chest, setting my heart racing and blood pumping with adrenaline.


    The enemy, on the other hand, shrank. The cryan mages pulled back, huddling close behind their shields, frightened eyes turning to the Scythes.


    The Scythes seemed to dim. The cutting wind around Viessa slowed. The mana around Melzri¡¯s weapons flickered and died.


    The entire city seemed to hold its breath.


    Slowly, Arthur raised one arm. In it, he held a broad, ck horn that curled like a mountain ram¡¯s. He tossed it over the edge, and it seemed to fall unnaturally slowly, turning over again and again.


    ¡°Agrona has exhausted my patience,¡± he said, his voice rolling like thunder through the cavern. The Scythes flinched backward, and a tremor ran through the cryan forces. ¡°You have ten seconds.¡± A breath. ¡°Nine.¡±


    The cryans broke. Men shouted as they stamped and shoved, bowling over one another in an effort to retreat back through the raw hole in the cavern wall.


    ¡°Eight.¡±


    Melzri and Viessa floated up slightly. Viessa was impassive, but Mezlri struggled and failed to maintain herposure. Together, they bowed slightly, then turned and flew out of the cavern, over the heads of their retreating soldiers.


    ¡°Seven. Six. Five.¡±


    No, I thought, sudden realization waking me from my stupor. ¡°Why¡­are you letting them live? We need to kill them,¡± I wheezed, but Arthur couldn¡¯t hear me.


    It took longer than the promised ten seconds, but the rest of the cryans were allowed to flee in peace. No Dicathian moved a muscle to stop them. Most were not even watching their exodus, but staring up at the glowing figure of Arthur Leywin instead.


    Then they were gone. Just like that¡ªthe battle won.


    I let out a weary sigh and began floating up toward Arthur. I didn¡¯t know what to say, or how to say it, only that I needed to acknowledge him.


    Before I reached him, his golden eyes rolled up toward the cavern roof, then back into his head.


    He stumbled back a step, then copsed to the ground.

 Chapter 394

    <h4>Chapter 394</h4>


    Chapter 392: Sovereign¡¯s Quarrel


    <strong>CAERA DENOIR</strong>


    Scythe Seris¡¯s soft steps were entirely silent against the stone stairs in front of me while retainer Cylrit¡¯s were barely a whisper behind, making my own echoing footfalls sound like so many war drums in the long, winding stairwell beneath her Sehz-r estate.


    Dark gray stone pressed in around us, making the narrow stairs feel even more cramped and ustrophobic. It was as though I could feel the weight of the cliffsidepound looming above us, tons upon tons of rock, soil, and sandstone all supported at the top of these impossibly long and narrow stairs...


    ¡°Your silence surprises me,¡± Scythe Seris said over her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have questions.¡± Herposed presence seemed at odds with the rushed, furtive nature of my visit to Sehz-r, which only enhanced the sense of anticipation and worry building in me.


    ¡°Too many,¡± I replied quietly.


    Despite having had nothing but questions wheeling like a deranged flock of halcyons through my head since the Victoriad, all of them were knotted together, and I found it difficult to untangle one from the next to ask them.


    What do I need to know? I asked myself. Which of my questions are more than mere curiosity?


    ¡°Is Grey really from the other continent?¡± I asked finally.


    ¡°He is,¡± Scythe Seris answered nonchntly.


    I bit my lip as I considered this fact. It was the answer I had expected after everything my blood had discovered, but it only served to further confuse my many other questions.


    ¡°Did you know the entire time?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± she said simply.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that put you¡ªall of us¡ªin danger?¡± This wasn¡¯t really the question I meant to ask, but it slipped out nheless, my tone one of disbelief with no small amount of trepidation.


    ¡°It does,¡± came the deadpan reply.


    I barely managed to bite back a scoff. ¡°Are you going to answer any of my questions with more than two words?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± she said, an edge of humor creeping into her voice.


    Behind me, Cylrit stifled augh, and I shot him a thinly-veiled look of annoyance over my shoulder. Despite this exchange providing absolutely no new insight, it was clear that, despite her goading, Seris had no intention of divulging any real information yet.


    I could only assume I was present in Sehz-r for a reason, and so I chose to be quiet and patient until she revealed her purpose.


    There were no more interruptions as we wound down into the depths. Eventually, the stairway ended in arge square of iron inset in the wall at its base. It looked like a door, but there were no handles or hinges, only a dully glowing mana crystal on the wall. Scythe Seris wasted no time, raising one hand to the teal crystal and pushing mana into it before Cylrit and I had even stepped off the bottommost stair.


    The wall hummed, then gave a clunk that was more physical impact than noise, and finally the door began to lift up from the ground and recede into a gap above it with a mechanical whir.


    I stepped up beside my mentor and stared into the room beyond. Read first at "


    . org"


    A series of floor-to-ceiling ss tubes filled a massive industrial space. The tubes each glowed electric blue, their light reflecting off the white walls, floor, and ceiling of the room to give the entire chamber a surreal air.


    Scythe Seris walked into the room and approached the closest tube. As I followed, I saw that, in a grated trough around the tube¡¯s base, it was heated by piles of glowing orange rocks that gave off a sulfurous stink and enough heat to keep me well back. Translucent bubbles rose up through whatever liquid was inside.


    ss tubes as thin as my pinky finger left the artifact in a dozen different ces, some connecting to identical adjacent artifacts, others running up into the ceiling or the walls, a few tracing along one wall toward a panel of devices midway into the room: gauges, projection panels, and mana crystals, the purpose of which was a mystery to me.


    One thing was quite clear, however.


    ¡°So much mana...¡± The bright blue liquid radiated mana more intensely than the orange rocks radiated heat. ¡°Is it some kind of...storage device? Like...liquid mana crystals?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is exactly right,¡± she said with no little pride. ¡°Only, these batteries are infinitely more expandable, and can be manufactured en masse with the appropriate resources.¡±


    I closed my eyes and let my senses wander, basking in the glow of thepacted mana swimming within the devices. ¡°It¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s...important,¡± Scythe Seris started, a note of hesitancy in her voice.


    My eyes snapped open and I stared at her in concern. She met my eye for a moment, then shot Cylrit a nce and made a small gesture with her hand. He bowed, turned on his heel, and marched out of the room.


    A momentter, the door clunked again and slowly slid back into ce.


    Scythe Seris sped her hands behind her back and began slowly maneuvering around the outer edge of the room. I followed, watching her carefully, the creeping nervousness I¡¯d been feeling since arriving in Aedelgard City returning with a startling suddenness.


    ¡°Do you know what the Wraiths are, Caera?¡±


    ¡°Half-blood Vritra warriors secretly guarding crya from the other asura ns,¡± I answered immediately. ¡°I¡¯ve always assumed they were just a scary story for children.¡±


    Scythe Seris gave me a rare smile. ¡°They are quite real, I¡¯m afraid. Agrona¡¯s secret army, the children of Vritra n basilisks and Vritra-blooded cryans. Their reputation as boogeymen is intentional on Agrona¡¯s part. Not to scare cryans, no, he has no need of that to keep order on this continent, but to build a wall of uncertainty between him and the other asura.¡±


    At first, I didn¡¯t understand how these Wraiths could possibly strike fear into the hearts of full-blooded asura like the Sovereigns or Agrona himself. Even a Scythe like Seris was no match for a Sovereign¡ªshe¡¯d told me so herself¡ªso how strong could these Wraiths be?


    And then I registered her words. ¡°A wall of uncertainty? You¡¯re suggesting that they really are scarecrows, then? Boogeymen, as you put it. A force meant to scare off the other asura, not necessarily fight them.¡±


    ¡°They even take their name from ancient asuran legend,¡± Scythe Seris mused, her eyes drifting to the bubbles rolling up through the electric-blue mana containment tubes. ¡°A little on the nose of Agrona, if you ask me, but effective. Don¡¯t mistake this for ack of their strength, however. The Wraiths are trained asura-killers. A strong squad is capable of taking down even an aplished asuran warrior.¡±


    I felt goosebumps raise across the back of my neck.


    Scythe Seris stopped in front of the panel of devices and ss tubes. ¡°And Agrona has sent one such squad to Dicathen¡ªto hunt down and capture Grey if possible, or kill him if not.¡± My heart sank, and I looked at my mentor in dread, but before I could respond she added, ¡°But they failed. And then, because he¡¯s nothing if not showy, he appeared via portal in the heart of Vechor and obliterated an entire military base, killing a few hundred battle groups and several battalions of unads.¡±


    I leaned into the wall and rested my head against it,ing to the realization just how thoroughly I had overestimated my own understanding of the world I lived in. It had seemed a near-impossibility when Grey had defeated not one but two Scythes before immediately escaping the High Sovereign himself. But to y five half-Vritra Wraiths...


    ¡°If Agrona is trying to capture Grey, then he must want answers of some kind. About aether.¡± This thought was instantly confirmed by the dire look on Scythe Seris¡¯s face.


    ¡°But Agrona will not let his greed for knowledge interrupt his other ns,¡± she said, flicking one of the small tubes, setting the ss to ringing and the little bubbles wobbling. ¡°He is growing tired of the conflict in Dicathen and is ready to abandon his initial ns to subdue and utilize the continent¡¯s poption.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯ll wipe them all out,¡± I said, staring down at my feet. ¡°And Grey with them.¡±


    There was one thing I couldn¡¯t puzzle out for myself. It was a question I was afraid to ask, but so much else hinged on knowing my mentor¡¯s purpose. ¡°Why risk certain and horrible death by hiding Grey¡¯s identity, working with him? You are directly opposing the High Sovereign himself. Isn¡¯t this...treason? Betraying crya?¡±


    Scythe Seris let out a bitterugh that startled me. ¡°We are saving crya, child. Which is why you¡¯re really here.¡±


    I gave her a questioning look, and she reached out and took my hand.


    ¡°It is my turn to pose a question to you, Caera. Knowing now who Grey is, can you still support him? If he stood here now and asked for it, would you offer him your allegiance?¡±


    I hesitated. The truth was, I wasn¡¯t yet sure. My feelings toward him were alreadyplicated, and knowing he had lied about who he was for the entire time I knew him didn¡¯t help that. But...I wasn¡¯t exactly sure what it really changed, either.


    ¡°My allegiance is with you, Scythe Seris,¡± I said after a long pause.


    Some difficult to parse emotion shed across her face¡ªgratitude, pride, surprise, I wasn¡¯t entirely sure¡ªand she squeezed my hand. ¡°Then listen carefully. If we hope to help Grey and Dicathen, we must keep Agrona¡¯s attention in crya. Very shortly, Sovereign Oeth of Sehz-r will arrive to inspect this machine I have built. But it is not what I¡¯ve promised him.¡±


    I felt the color drain from my face as my heart fluttered against my ribs.


    ¡°The mana input system for the device is a trap,¡± Scythe Seris said, a dark light shing in her eyes. ¡°It will draw his mana out of him, weakening him enough that I can deal with him. Be wary of your thoughts, however. Oeth is powerfully empathic, and he will sense it if you do not control your emotions.¡± Read first at "


    . or g"


    My stomach sank. ¡°You expect me to shroud my emotions from a Sovereign?¡± I asked, the high pitch of my voice giving away my fear.


    Scythe Seris released me and took a step back. ¡°I have not brought you here without reason, Caera. You and Cylrit, your emotions will provide much-needed noise to keep Oeth from focusing entirely on me.¡±


    I nced back at the door. ¡°Your retainer doesn¡¯t know this part of the n, does he?¡±


    ¡°Clever,¡± she said with an approving nod. ¡°He is purposefully being kept blind to my true intentions so that his emotions will contradict your own.¡±


    ¡°And...¡± I hesitated, not wanting to question her judgment, but unable to move past my fear.


    ¡°If you fail?¡± Scythe Seris asked, picking up my thread of thought. ¡°There is a secondyer to the n. Oeth is a genius. My trap is well hidden, but if he senses your anxiety and fear, or sees through the ruse, he may not take my bait.¡± I thought I sensed a hint of trepidation in the way Scythe Seris¡¯s voice constricted, which only heightened my own. ¡°But all I need him to do is use his mana, even if not on the machine directly. That will be enough.¡±


    ¡°Scythe Seris, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please, Caera. My name is Seris. After today, no one will call me Scythe.¡±


    She held my gaze, the weight of her presence both a balm and a burden.


    I jumped as heavy pounding came from the metal door, and she rose one brow questioningly.


    ¡°It is time. Come.¡±


    Just like that, she whisked past me and led us from the chamber, only briefly stopping to open and then reseal the door. Cylrit was waiting at the base of the stairs, and together we began the long climb back up to her estate.


    Under different circumstances, I would have been thrilled to explore Seris¡¯s estate. I had only been once before and remembered it as a sprawling mansion that dwarfed even Highblood Denoir¡¯s home. Now, I had no mind for the details, following her mechanically as I struggled to order both my thoughts and emotions, a task made only more difficult by a quickly approaching aura that seemed to shadow the entire city of Aedelgard.


    Our quick march took us from the stairs through a series of hallways and arched openings, past a sprawling atrium, and into arge, almost empty space that opened onto twin balconies overlooking the cliffs that ringed the Vritra¡¯s Maw Sea.


    Dozens upon dozens of rugs in every shape, size, and color imaginable had been strategicallyid out over top of the sandstone flooring, and a plush chair, almost a throne, sat central against the back wall, directly opposite the narrow gap between the two balconies.


    Next to the throne was another series of devices and artifacts simr to those in the mana storage facility below, though instead of gauges there were a series of mana crystals of different shapes and sizes, and several tightly-wound coils of a silvery blue metal I didn¡¯t recognize.


    I turned my attention away from the panel, trying to neither think about nor feel anything regarding its existence. It had nothing to do with me, and I knew nothing about it.


    And I certainly don¡¯t know that my lifelong mentor is attempting to use this device to overpower a Sovereign, I thought, unable to entirely squash the racing of my pulse.


    There was blessedly little time for my worries to build, however, as the growing pressure soon reached its crescendo.


    Only once before had I felt such aplete and overpowering presence, and that was Agrona himself in the moments after Grey¡¯s disappearance from the Victoriad.


    Cylrit took me firmly by one arm, and I realized I had been standing frozen in the middle of the room. He maneuvered me to the side of the throne away from the strange artifacts, and I could think of nothing other than to let him.


    Seris moved with unconcerned elegance out onto the balcony and waited for the source of that killing intent to arrive.


    When the mannded on the balcony opposite her, however, he did not crash down like a meteor, but barely touched the balcony before striding into the room, his irritation so palpable I felt it like a whip across my back.


    I had never seen Sovereign Oeth in the flesh. I had only ever seen portraits of him during my studies of Sovereigns that every cryan child was tasked to do.


    It didn¡¯t prepare me for the sight of him.


    The man¡ªif such a simple term was appropriate for one of the asura¡ªwas tall, but not inhumanly so, and incredibly reedy. But it was hard to register anything at all past his heads, for he had two of them.


    Despite my fear, which seemed to be bubbling up from somewhere deep inside me in a constantly upheaving well of uncertainty and self-doubt, I couldn¡¯t help but be fascinated by the sight of him.


    The two heads were each covered in a mop of dark hair, and each had two horns on the outside of the head. The lower horns pointed outward to the sides, while the upper pair pointed straight up before curving slightly. On the inside of his left head, mostly hidden beneath his unkempt hair, were the stubs of two more horns, and I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he¡¯d somehow used them to create his other head.


    The two faces looked nearly identical, though the heads themselves were offset, further suggesting that the rightmost head had been attached after the fact. Their expressions, however, could not have been more different. The right head took in the three of us with cool, calcting efficiency. Its red eyes¡ªwhich were slightly darker than the other¡¯s¡ªlingered on me, and all the feelings that had been roiling in me since the Victoriad surged to the surface with such force that I nearly vomited in my mouth.


    And suddenly, something made sense. The power and sense of my doubt and anxiety...it wasn¡¯t entirely me. The feeling I¡¯d felt since heading down the stairs into Seris¡¯sboratory was an effect of the Sovereign. He was, quite literally, drawing my emotions out of me.


    So he can more easily read them. I swallowed heavily and tried to set my head and heart straight. Seris was relying on me. I wouldn¡¯t fail her.


    The left head didn¡¯t so much as nce at any of us, its furious scowl turned to the panel of artifacts on the other side of the throne.


    ¡°Sovereign Oeth,¡± Scythe Seris said respectfully, ¡°thank you for¡ª¡± Read first at "


    . or g"


    ¡°You said the systems were ready for my examination, Seris,¡± the leftmost head snapped. Then, as if speaking to the right head, it added, ¡°The situation in Vechor is tenuous. First the Victoriad, now this assault. Kiros looks weak. He willsh out, could attack Sehz-r again if the High Sovereign abandons the other continent. And with the treaty with Epheotus broken, it is only a matter of time before they strike. If this lesser reincarnate can strike in the middle of our Dominions, then Indrath certainly can. They may even decide to target us instead of the High Sovereign, to weaken him before all out war.¡±


    ¡°The High Sovereign has outmaneuvered Indrath at every turn,¡± the right head answered. ¡°With our gift, we will prove our loyalty and usefulness. He will side with us against Vechor, if necessary, and ensure we are protected from the other ns.¡±


    ¡°Assuming the lessuran has seeded in her task,¡± the left snapped again. Both heads turned toward Seris, one pinched and ring, the other lifting its brows curiously.


    Scythe Seris bowed deeply. ¡°Forgive the dy, Sovereign. It turned out theponent we needed was hidden beneath the desert in Dicathen¡ªa peculiar mineral that gathers and condenses fire-attribute mana. With it¡ª¡±


    ¡°Begin the demonstration,¡± Oeth¡¯s left head barked, and I couldn¡¯t help the low moan that escaped my lips at his spike of intent.


    Seris¡¯s jaw tightened for a heartbeat. She recovered almost instantly and took several steps toward me. ¡°Caera, perhaps you would be morefortable in the atrium...¡±


    She doubts me, I realized, and it felt as though a fist were crushing my heart. We¡¯ve barely begun, her n isn¡¯t even in motion yet, and already I am failing her.


    ¡°No,¡± Oeth¡¯s right head said firmly. ¡°She should stay.¡±


    Although he spoke to Seris, his gaze had settled on me again, and I could feel his power forcing my emotions to the surface. I purposefully turned my thoughts away from the Sovereign, from Seris, from the machine, the trap, the n, all of it.


    Feigning indifference at his gaze, I looked inwards for something else to focus on. So, I let my mind settle where it had so often turned since the Victoriad.


    I thought of Grey. I was almost surprised by the overwhelming strength of emotions that responded to this thought, foremost among them was the cutting edge of betrayal. He had lied, again and again. About everything.


    In the background, I remained dimly aware of Seris and the Sovereign¡¯s movement.


    ¡°Of course, Sovereign,¡± Seris had said before marching purposefully to the series of devices and artifacts I had noticed upon first entering the room. ¡°This will mark the first full-scale test of the system, although all prior small-scale tests have been sessful¡ª¡±


    ¡°Seris,¡± Oeth¡¯s left head snapped, ¡°I understand the protocol, which I developed, and the shielding array in question, which I ordered you to create.¡±


    ¡°Her unnecessary verbosity is for the benefit of the lessers,¡± the right head noted. ¡°Her retainer is confused and concerned with theck of information she has given him, and the unmanifested Vritra-blood is struggling to constrain her emotions by focusing on¡±¡ªhis nose wrinkled in distaste¡ª¡°a man.¡±


    I turned away from his inhumanly piercing gaze. Next to me, Cylrit was stoic and unmoving as a statue. As if he were red at by a Sovereign every day. Despite how my heart hammered at the inside of my chest, I attempted to emte the retainer.


    Grey, I thought, refocusing on my best attempt at a distraction. Logically, it wasn¡¯t fair to be angry with him over his lies. Of course he¡¯d lied, he couldn¡¯t tell me the truth of his identity. He hadn¡¯t even been the one to seek out a partnership with me; I¡¯d pursued him, even magically tracked him down after our chance meeting in the Relictombs. And hadn¡¯t I also lied about my identity? If anyone were to understand lying for the sake of protection, it would be me. How long might I have kept up my Haedrig persona if the Relictombs themselves hadn¡¯t intervened?


    I hadn¡¯t fully understood what I was getting myself into by partnering with him, but I knew he tried to keep me at a distance, tried to keep me from getting too close. I¡¯d epted him despite not knowing the details of his life. The fact that he was born on another continent didn¡¯t change anything.


    Seris¡¯s magic red as she sent pulses of mana into several different crystals. Lights yed through the crystals and ss tubes like the glimmer of many-colored stars, reflecting off the white walls and filling the room with color. A deep hum began to resonate upward as the mechanism driving the shield generator came to life far below us, and the edge of a transparent ripple began to rise up from the cliff¡¯s edge.


    I held my breath, momentarily forgetting everything else.


    ¡°Mana fluctuation seems in line with expectations,¡± Oeth¡¯s left head muttered. ¡°Output is gging, though. Shield density is at less than half of what I¡¯d calcted.¡±


    It was beautiful in its raw power. Like a soap bubble, the expanding edge of the shield refracted the sun¡¯s light and swirled with all the colors of the visible spectrum, giving the impression that it was harnessing the energy of the sun itself.


    And then...the low hum became a harsh grinding, and the shield¡¯s surface melted away in a sudden liquid vibration,rge, unevening patches dissipating before the entire structure finally copsed with a defeated pop.


    My held breath hissed out.


    Sovereign Oeth¡¯s left head burst out with a judgemental huff, and he crossed his arms. ¡°There is a problem with the output. The battery array is outputting significantly less than it should be. A failure of the activation matrix to properly align all mana batteries.¡±


    The right head was quiet, its expression thoughtful. The dark red eyes were unfocused, and it didn¡¯t respond to the other¡¯s musings.


    ¡°Forgive me, Sovereign,¡± Seris was saying, her voice carrying a pleading edge I¡¯d never heard from her before. ¡°You must be right, of course. Perhaps some miscalction in the alignment of the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Quiet,¡± the right head ordered, not the waspish barbs of the left head, but a thrummingmand that forced Seris¡¯s jaws to snap audibly shut.


    Stars burst behind my eyes as the Sovereign¡¯s intent pressed at my temples.


    Inundated in a wash of my own emotions, I decided in that moment to forgive Grey. My reasons for fighting at his side had never been patriotic, and I¡¯d never seen sense in the Dicathian war. I was no fawning tool for the Vritra n. Grey was the source of the power I was looking for. He¡¯d conquered aether in a way even the dragons couldn¡¯t. Heightened or not, I couldn¡¯t allow my emotions¡ªthat simplistic sense of ¡°hurt feelings¡±¡ªto distract me from what really mattered.


    If it took a Dicathian to protect crya from the Vritra, then so be it. There was even a kind of sense to it, really. cryans had been bred like pets for the Vritra n, simultaneously wogarts and weapons. Who among us would truly ever be capable of fighting back? Of breaking Agrona¡¯s hold over the continent?


    Seris, I realized. She was risking everything to do exactly that. And she supported Grey.


    I stifled a gasp at the train of my thoughts and I risked a nce over at the two great powers of this Dominion. Oeth was running his index finger along various parts of the device, his leftmost face pinched into a thoughtful frown. His lips were moving rapidly as he muttered silently to himself. One hand tugged absently at the lowest of his mismatched antlers.


    But his right was staring at me.


    Suddenly all thought of Grey fell away, and all I could think of was the Sovereign¡¯s fingertips tracing along the activation matrix. When would Seris spring the trap? Was it truly capable of disabling even an asura? What if it failed? I felt an intense insistence that, in that moment, I wasn¡¯t ready to die...


    ¡°Stop,¡± the right head said, and for a moment, I thought Oeth was speaking to me.


    The left stopped, his fingers pulling back from the activation matrix.


    ¡°This is a trap,¡± the right said.


    No, I thought desperately, panic stealing the breath from my lungs. I¡¯ve given it away, I¡¯ve failed, I¡¯ve¡ª


    My eyes widened in horror as tears blurred my vision before streaming down my cheeks. Frozen stiff, I could do nothing except mutter in dismay, ¡°I¡¯m...s-so sorry, S-Seris. So s-sorry...¡±


    Frustration intermingled with the unbridled terror overtaking me, the understanding that the Sovereign was forcing this outpouring of emotion on me clear in the logical part of my mind, and yet I was entirely unable to protect myself against it.


    Bitterness welled up as I considered how Seris had at least prepared for my failure by having a fallback n in ce.


    Oeth stood and took a step back from the activation matrix. ¡°Yes, of course. In my haste I nearly missed it. See this? The mana acquisition coils have been tampered with, and these crystals here. Once they begin drawing off my mana, it would create a high pressure loop in conjunction with empty mana batteries to forcefully draw out all my mana and store it.¡±


    ¡°Leaving us helpless to defend ourselves,¡± the right head confirmed, its tone growing dark. Read first at "


    . or g"


    Turning unhurriedly, Oeth raised one hand, and I felt myself rx at the fact that at least the second part of the n would still happen, whatever it was.


    ¡°Relief? Wait...¡± the right head said, and the hand froze. Slowly, the left head turned around to look askance at the right. ¡°There is something else.¡±


    Both sets of eyes swept the space, tracing across every surface, every curve and line. Then Oeth kicked aside a rug, revealing awork of silvery-blue metal running between the tiles beneath. ¡°As I thought. Look. The mana acquisition system has been spread throughout the entire room. If we use mana here, it will start the process.¡±


    The left head¡¯s expression softened, growing curious, but the right head was glowering fiercely, his face so dangerous and menacing that I couldn¡¯t bear to look at it. ¡°You always have aimed far too high for your station, Seris. It is a shame that your cleverness couldn¡¯t keep up with your ambition.¡±


    Suddenly the Sovereign turned, ripped the heavy chair from its ce against the wall, and dashed it against the activation matrix. ss shattered, metal bent and sheared, and mana crystals burst and sent sparks shing through the room.


    I flinched away btedly, instinctively releasing mana to d my skin as I prepared to defend myself, but Oeth took no notice at all, and I knew why.


    I¡¯m an insect to him, no more dangerous than a mana fly...


    ¡°It¡¯s a facade,¡± the left head told the right as Oeth¡¯s fingers wriggled through the air, like he was following the trails of mana moving through the room. ¡°All the mechanisms required for the trap to spring are still in ce below us.¡±


    The right head sneered. ¡°You¡¯ve been practicing your ability to shroud your emotions, Seris. Clearly, you¡¯ve put great effort into this trap. As much as I¡¯d enjoy breaking your bones with my bare hands, it seems likely you¡¯ve ounted for that, too.¡± The sneer became a cruel smile. ¡°It would be more appropriate that your servants do it for me, considering.¡±


    While everything had been happening, Seris had slowly backed away and was now standing near the middle of the rug-covered floor. Despite Oeth¡¯s cold fury crushing the oxygen from the room, she was outwardly calm. ¡°It appears you¡¯ve seen through each of my machinations, Sovereign. I should have known I couldn¡¯t surpass your intellect. I won¡¯t apologize for trying, though. You asura are a pox upon this world, and you deserve everything that ising for you.¡±


    ¡°Spoken with the true bravado of a lesser.¡± Oeth¡¯s right head looked over his shoulder to Cylrit and me. When he spoke, it was again with a tone of suchmand that it felt like a physical force. ¡°Lessers. Bring me her horns.¡±


    I stood and reached for my de. I couldn¡¯t help it. Suddenly, all the conflicting emotions Oeth had forced to surface were submerged beneath a ss-smooth shell of subservience.


    Cylrit was faster. He shed past, his rune-etched de hissing as it cut the air.


    Oeth growled as he reached up and caught the de. Confusion ground my movements to a halt, and I could only stare.


    He had attacked the Sovereign. But that was wrong. The Sovereign hadmanded...Seris¡¯s horns...to do anything else was wrong.


    Oeth¡¯s wrist twisted, ripping the de from Cylrit¡¯s hand. In the same motion, he swung the de like a club, striking Cylrit across the chest and sending him tumbling end over end across the room, then crashing through the wall and out of sight.


    The right head stared into my eyes. ¡°Bring. Me. Her. Horns.¡± Read first at "


    . or g"


    My entire body trembled as I tried to separate who I was and what I wanted from the puppet Oeth sought to make of me. One leg stepped forward of its own ord, while one hand released its grip on the de.


    ¡°You won¡¯t break her.¡± Seris¡¯s voice sounded distant. ¡°She¡¯s one of the strongest people I¡¯ve ever met. Even you Vritra can¡¯t turn her into something she isn¡¯t.¡±


    These words echoed around in my mind as my body half-dragged itself toward her.


    At any other moment in my life, I would have gushed over with mushy silliness to hear such glowing words from my mentor, but now, I felt only the bitter reality that either she would be forced to kill me in defense of her own life, or she would let me strike her down, because, despite her words, I did not feel strong enough to resist the Sovereign¡¯smand.


    Even you Vritra can¡¯t turn her into something she isn¡¯t.


    My lurching forward progress slowed further. What did those words mean? Was she trying to tell me something? Some hint at how to break the spell, how to resist?


    Seris had given me an option to live my own life. When the entire cryan apparatus was designed to create, foster, and make use of people exactly like me, Seris opened the door for me to choose my own path. Without her, my entire existence would have been spent doing exactly what Agrona or some other Vritramanded.


    I refused to be anyone¡¯s tool.


    My body ground to a halt, trapped between the conflicting signals it was receiving, unable to move forward, unable to resist.


    ¡°So it would seem, Seris. Interesting.¡±


    Orleath¡¯s right head watched me, his gaunt features softening as his curiosity won out. The left head seemed to take over. Its guise of irritated, put-upon genius scientist faded away as he held up Cylrit¡¯s weapon, and I saw the truth of the asura¡¯s power, for they were not one thing, not definable by a single trait, but were grace and strength and authority and divinity entwined, never sacrificing one aspect for another, embodying each simultaneously.


    If I weren¡¯t paralyzed by my own resistance to the Sovereign¡¯s powers, I might haveughed. Death made us lessers philosophical, apparently.


    ¡°Then I suppose I¡¯ll have to deal with you myself,¡± Oeth¡¯s left head said tiredly as he closed in on Seris and thrust Cylrit¡¯s sword.


    Several things happened all at once, and it took far too long for my sluggish perception to catch up with the scene.


    The de ran effortlessly through Seris¡¯s corbone, sticking out of her back and staining the rugs beneath her with a ssh of hot blood.


    Using one foot, Seris kicked aside one corner of a plum-colored rug, revealing a dull silver-blue te inset in the floor beneath it. A short spike sprang up from the te, and Seris stomped down hard onto the spike so that it plunged into and through her foot, its bloody point sticking up into the air.


    With a drivenmitment, Seris grabbed Oeth¡¯s wrist in both hands and pulled the sword deeper into her. Blood spurted between her lips, staining them crimson as they curved upward into the barest hint of a smile.


    A sphere of inky, gray-ck mana wrapped around their joined hands. I could feel in my core how her nullification magic struggled against the overwhelming surge of mana boiling out from the Sovereign.


    ¡°Stop!¡± the right head shouted to the left, but toote.


    The effect was instantaneous.


    The force ofmand driving me forward released, and I fell sprawling onto the floor, my head suddenly spinning. Mana began to pour from the Sovereign in rivers and floods, passing through Serisnd into awork of channels that ran down into the floor beneath us.


    There was a surge as Oeth attempted to withdraw his mana, but the tugging force only strengthened.


    ¡°Get your lessuran hands off me,¡± the Sovereign hissed from both heads, struggling backwards, but the de resisted him, some pulling force of its own keeping it firmly lodged in Seris¡¯s body, and the ck sphere seemed to be binding his hand to the de.


    Seris was grinning with blood beneath her teeth. ¡°Spoken with the true bravado of an asura.¡±


    The back of Oeth¡¯s hand crashed across Seris¡¯s cheek, and for an instant I thought her strength would fail as her magic flickered and her body trembled. The hand rose for a second blow, but before it could fall, Cylrit was there. The retainer struggled to pin down Oeth¡¯s arm with the full weight of his body, his eyes flickering between Seris and me, determined but searching for answers.


    I tried to push myself up, but my head swam dangerously. All I could do was watch as more and more mana was drawn from the Sovereign. And as it was, he seemed to weaken, unable to shake off Cylrit or break his connection with Seris. The struggle dragged on and on, and I thought for sure one side or the other would fail, but now I saw it.


    Seris didn¡¯t need to defeat the asura, simply oust him until... Read first at "


    . or g"


    The machinery underneath thepound hummed back to life, and out beyond the balcony, the shields started rising over the cliffside once again.


    ¡°Look, Sovereign, your shields are working,¡± Seris said, causing blood to leak from the corner of her mouth.


    ¡°The High Sovereign...will have your...core...for this,¡± the left head groaned weakly. With his next breath, thest of his mana left his body.


    Seris dragged herself off Cylrit¡¯s de and stumbled back, her foot leaving the spike with a wet pop, a hand pressed to her chest as blood poured between her fingers.


    Cylrit twisted the Sovereign¡¯s arms, forcing him to drop the sword and then mming him face-first into the ground.


    Seris sagged without Oeth and the de holding her up, and I realized how insubstantial her mana signature was, wavering like a candle me in a stiff breeze. But she didn¡¯t fall.


    Her eyes sought out mine. ¡°Where does your allegiance lie, Caera? And...what are you willing to do to prove it?¡±


    ¡°It has to be now!¡± Cylrit growled, shaking with effort as the asura struggled in his grip.


    I looked dumbly at the scarlet de, dull against the bright blue rug beneath it.


    Pushing mana into my extremities to give myself strength, I pointedly didn¡¯t think about the way my hand felt gripping the handle of my sword, or how many steps it took to close the distance to the asura, or the weight of the de as I lifted it over my head.


    ¡°Take...the left head,¡± Seris said as she let out a shuddering breath.


    Instinct pushed soulfire into my de to strengthen the blow, and then it was a ck-wreathed red streak. I didn¡¯t think about the way the de jerked entering the asura¡¯s flesh, or the dead sound of the headnding on a royal purple rug.


    The second head let out a gargled screech, and its eyes rolled back into its head. The body spasmed, gushing blood from the gaping wound, and Cylrit released it.


    Oeth slumped, unmoving but still alive, ambient mana already being drawn like breath into his body.


    I stuck the point of my de into the floor and leaned against it, breathing heavily. There was a faint buzzing in my ears as the sudden surge of adrenaline wore off and my emotions slowly settled. The effects of the Sovereign¡¯s presence were fading, leaving me oddly calm, considering.


    Cylrit, already on his knees, rolled over to lie on his back beside the asura and let his eyes drift closed.


    ¡°What now?¡± I asked hollowly.


    Seris wiped the blood from her lips. ¡°Now...we prepare for war.¡±

 Chapter 395

    `\n


    Chapter 393: Beneath Taegrin Caelum


    NICO SEVER


    My feet pounded along the bare floor of the long hallway. It was so, so long¡­had it been this long before? The pale lights blinking on and off, on and off¡­


    I could hear them, the idiots in the crowd, cheering as if my entire world wasn''t about to end, as if he wasn''t going to kill her. When had my friend be so blinded by his desire to rule?


    In the distance, I could just see the miniscule arch of a paler light at the end of this tunnel that seemed to stretch from the beginning of my life straight to its end.


    Something moved to my right, and I flinched away from it, then slowed, my rushed steps bing an awkward sideways shuffle as I tried to both stay still to watch and continue to move forward. Through a sort of window in the hallway wall, an image was ying.


    A group of adventurers were gathered in a small clearing in the woods. The Beast des, I remembered. Introductions were being made to a young boy in a white mask that covered his face, but not the telltale auburn hair draped around it. "Elijah Knight. A-ss, dark orange conjurer. Single specialization in earth."


    The voice shivered through me like an electrical shock. It was my voice, except¡­it also wasn''t. This was my memory, but not. Elijah Knight had been my false name growing up in Dicathen, when my real self was subdued, hidden¡ªno, taken from me.


    I''d thought most of these older memories were buried. I''d purged them. Elijah''s purpose had been to grow close with Arthur, but he was weak, a tool that had served its purpose and been tossed aside. That wasn''t me. He wasn''t me. These weren''t my memories.


    I could hear Grey and Cecilia fighting in the distance. The sounds of their des hammered against one another, each resounding ng a near-death blow in my electrified, nerve-wracked mind.


    I began to run again.


    More memories of Eiljah Knight''s brief life shed by to either side: The Dire Tombs, Xyrus Academy, his growing bond with Arthur, the kindness from the Leywins and Helsteas, Tessia Eralith¡­


    Enough with these things, I ordered. I don''t care. I don''t want these memories.


    "What a mess," one of the lights said, flickering nervously.


    I slowed again, staring at it. Since when did lights speak?


    "This? I thought it cleaned up well enough. A few more hours and he won''t even know he was cut open," a man said, his voiceing from a television screen tucked away in the corner between the shallow ceiling and unadorned wall of the endless hallway.


    "Didn''t you hear? Vechor was attacked. A staging area for the war in Dicathenpletely wiped off the map," the light answered with a pulse of brightness.


    "You know I''ve been down here for days. I haven''t heard anything. What time is it, even?" The man on the television looked around, aically weary expression on his face. "We''ve been the only ones down here for hours. I''m tired as a wogart boar after breeding season."


    "Sovereigns. You''re gross sometimes, you know that?"


    Below the screen, a window into another memory showed young Arthur stepping into the room we''d shared at Xyrus Academy. "Arthur!" Elijah yelled, grabbing Arthur firmly.


    "There, there. Yes, I''m still alive. You can''t get rid of me that easily," came the sarcastic response.


    "I know," Elijah said with a wet sniffle. "You''re like a cockroach."


    I had been so thrilled to have my best friend back. Bile rose up in my throat. The best friend who murdered my one true love¡­


    "No," I ground out through clenched teeth, tears welling up from the corners of my eyes. "I don''t care about any of this. Where is Cecil? Show me Cecilia!"


    I felt the light grow brighter, almost like it was leaning toward me. "Did he say something?" it asked.


    "Shit, let''s finish cleaning him up and get him back to his room," the man in the television said. "Agrona won''t be happy if he wakes up on the table, and I sure don''t want to be the one to exin what happened."


    Wakes up? I thought, repeating the words to myself. Why would¡­


    A dream, I realized with a jolt. Only a stupid dream.


    Wake up!


    My eyes snapped open. The damp-darkened stone of a low ceiling filled my vision. Two blindingly bright lighting artifacts on moveable stands were illuminating my bare, blood-covered torso. There was a cross-shaped incision over my sternum, the edges raw as the flesh slowly knit itself back together, the entire wound shining with a chemical-smelling ointment.


    A woman in red robes approached, focused on wetting a square of cloth from a bowl on a table next to me. Then, she met my eyes, and froze. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.


    I tried to move and realized my wrists were shackled to the table. Kicking out experimentally, I confirmed my legs were as well. I tensed. The thick, worn leather creaked as I strained against it. A feeling of panic rose up in me as my strength gged, then the bindings finally snapped, and there was a loud ping as a rivet ricocheted off the wall.


    The woman let out a startled gasp, and the other voice cursed as something metallic ttered to the ground.


    "S-Scythe N-Nico," the woman sputtered, taking a step back and bowing.


    With my free hand, I unstrapped my other wrist and sat up.


    I was resting on a cold metal table at the center of a sterile,rgely empty room. The air pressed close around me, heavy with moisture. The woman slowly lowered her rag back into its bowl, which sat on a small bench next to a tray of tools, some still slick with blood. Arger table was pressed against one wall, and several implements I didn''t immediately recognize were arrayed across it, along with an open notebook.


    Metal scraped on the ground, and I turned to see a man in the same white robes. He was slowly putting several metal pins back onto a tray that he must have dropped when I woke.


    "What did you say?" I asked, but when the man looked confused, I realized it had been some time since anyone had spoken. "What don''t you want to exin?"


    I wasn''t sure what was happening or where I was. Thest thing I remembered, I''d been in Vechor, and¡ª


    Grey!


    My hand went to the cross cut into my sternum. I reached for my mana, a half-remembered nightmare of my core being destroyedpping at the edges of my mind.


    My core felt strange. Distant, both mine and not mine. Just like the Elijah memories. I ground my teeth against the thought.


    A blood iron spike manifested from the shadows beneath the table and sank into the man''s chest. His eyes bulged madly as he wed at the spike, but his movements quickly became lethargic, and within seconds his limp body sagged, his blood running along the smooth ck metal in little rivers before dripping to the damp floor.


    Icy ws raked at my insides, my core a heavy ball of pain in my sternum, and it was all I could do to hold on to the magic.


    "W-what happened to me¡­" I turned back to the woman, holding myself on one trembling elbow. "What were you doing to me?"


    She had shrank back a step but was paralyzed by my gaze. "The High S-Sovereign, he¡­he¡­"


    Both her hands came up, and a weak shield of light blue transparent mana hummed into existence between us. She turned to run and mmed into a second spike. From my angle, the sharp point speared out of her lower back, and a crimson ring began to stain her white robes.


    Cold sweat broke out across my brow at the effort of casting and the pain it caused me. My arms shook as I broke the ankle restraints, and I had to support myself on the side table as I maneuvered around to the woman''s front.


    The spike had gone in just above her hip and was pinning her in ce, but it was thin, its form a weak, trembling thing, just like me.


    Despite the pain and fatigue, I took hold of her chin and forced her to face me. "What were you doing to me?"


    "W-wanted to understand¡­examining your¡­core," she gasped. "She¡­healed it. But it''s¡­imperfect¡­"


    I pressed my fingers into the incision marks again. These two had opened me up and poked around inside my body. They hadn''t asked, hadn''t even nned on telling me. I felt no anger at this, which in itself seemed remarkable. I was always angry, now. My temper burned like a forgefire right beneath my skin, and any gust of adversity made it re bright and hot.


    Except¡­


    I looked at the woman. Really looked at her. She had dull brown, unremarkable eyes, and mousy hair that matched it almost exactly. Worry lines were etched into her face, and she had patches of chewed skin on her lips, which I could picture her biting with nervous curiosity as she peered at my insides like I was a bullfrog pinned to the table.


    "What happened at the Victoriad? Did we capture Grey? Kill him?"


    I read the answer in the woman''s face. Her eyes dted, leaking frightened tears that mixed with the snot dribbling from her nose. Her lips parted then squeezed shut, the muscles in her jaw working silently.


    And I felt¡­


    Nothing.


    Soulfire jumped to life over the metal of the spike, then raced along the trail of her blood and into her body. Her brown eyes rolled back in her head, and she screamed, but only for a moment. The soulfire was in her lungs an instantter, and she was dead. Not because I was angry, but simply because she didn''t matter.


    I dismissed the two blood iron spikes I had summoned, letting the bodies fall unceremoniously to the floor, then slumped back against the wall and slid down it into a sitting position. There, I could only wait for the pain and weakness to recede.


    My attention turned back to the room.


    There were two exits. Through an open door led, I could see a small room with a desk and shelves full of scrolls and journals. After a few minutes of rest, I pushed myself up on the wall and moved to investigate the contents, but there was nothing there of interest. It did, however, lead me back to the open book on the table in the examination room.


    The notes were in runic shorthand. I flipped through several pages until I got the jist of it, then spent a few more minutes perusing the contents.


    It only confirmed what I''d already guessed.


    Cecilia had saved me. She had used her powers as the Legacy¡ªher absolute control over mana¡ªto heal my core after Grey destroyed it. But it wasn''t as strong as it had been before. With time, perhaps I could regain what I''d had. Agrona would allow me another rune or two, I was certain. That would force my core to rify further.


    "And if it doesn''t¡­" I said aloud, but stopped, surprised that the numbness I felt was captured so clearly in my voice. I was certain the weakness of my core and my magic would infuriate meter, but right now, in the moment, in this ce, within the aftereffects of whatever these researchers had done to me, I only felt calm.


    No, not even calm. I felt¡­nothing. Except, perhaps, a mild sense of curiosity.


    The second door was closed and barred. I pulled the bar from its housing and let it drop heavily to the floor, then opened the door.


    I found myself in a wide, high-ceilinged corridor. I could sense the weight of the earth-attribute mana pressing in around me; wherever I was, it must have been deep underground.


    To my right, the corridor opened up into arge space that looked and felt like a cross between a scientificboratory and a dungeon. I''d been in too many simr facilities in Taegrin Caelum, being poked and prodded and tested.


    Bitter bile burned the back of my throat, and I spit on the floor.


    Theb wasn''t currently upied, and I sensed nothing interesting in that direction, so I turned left instead. Several sources of mana radiated weakly further down the hall, and I was in no hurry to return to the fortress above. The surgical wounds on my bare chest itched, and my core ached.


    I wasn''t ready to face any of that yet, not Agrona''s disappointment or Cecilia''s worrying. Down here in the cool dungeons, I felt at home in the loneliness. It was difficult to admit even to myself, but I was enjoying the apathetic catatonia that had reced the ever-present rage always burning in my chest.


    And so I followed the hallway, curious about what secrets might be buried beneath Taegrin Caelum.


    The stone of the floor and walls were asionally marred with gouges like w marks, and old blood discolored it in streaks and smears. Labs, offices, and surgical rooms opened off both sides, some closed and locked, others open, but all empty and uninteresting.


    Then I reached the first cell.


    A vibrating barrier of repelling force separated the cell from the hallway. Inside the ten-by-ten square, three naked dwarven corpses hung upside down by hooks in their legs. Their bodies gaped open grotesquely, the flesh of their bellies affixed with pins and mps to their sides, revealing that the yawning cavity of their torso had been hollowed out, all organs removed.


    I scanned the details of their faces, searching my submerged Elijah-memories for some connection to these corpses.


    The two men, I couldn''t find memory of, but there was something familiar in the plump lines of the third figure''s face. Now, hanging like a b of butchered meat, her jaw unhinged and her bloated tongue filling her mouth, she looked monstrous and unreal, but the memory of her I had was different. In it, she was firm but not unkind. A hard-working woman who had helped train me when I was young, some servant of Rahdeas''s.


    Even though she was a tough teacher, she had never beaten me or experimented on me, unlike so many in Taegrin Caelum. I should have remembered her name.


    But I didn''t.


    I turned away from the corpses and the ufortable squirming they caused in my guts, not yet ready to give up the impassivity that had wrapped itself around me like a heavy wool nket.


    Each cell in the hallways contained a simr scene: corpses of men, women, human, elves, cryans, mana beasts, and even a scaled and horned man who I thought must be a half-transformed basilisk. The walls of the cells were lined with tables containing piles of notes and trays with stacked and numbered bones and offal, patches of flesh, and any number tools for the purpose of harvesting these objects.


    This was where the Vritra''s true power came from; they epted no barrier to their pursuit of knowledge. Nothing was too cruel, too inhumane, for them, as long as it advanced their understanding of the world.


    That hallway ended at the intersection with a perpendicr corridor, again full of cells. I sensed nothing of interest to my right, and so followed the vague mana signatures to the left.


    I was brought up short at the very first cell I came to.


    Inside, through the barrier of transparent mana that sealed the room, a young woman was chained to the wall. From the fiery orange color of her eyes, the way her red hair fell in t sheets like feathers, and the smokey, gray-purple dusk of her skin, I knew she must be an asura of the phoenix race.


    "Not young then," I said to myself, my voice sounding loud in the silent corridors of the dungeon.


    The phoenix shifted, and her zing eyes seemed to engulf me. "Notpared to you, child of another world¡­" Her voice was like warm coals. Once it had zed, I felt certain, but it was cooling as the asura herself dimmed.


    "You know me?" I asked, genuinely surprised.


    She shook her head, the only real motion allowed by the tightness of the thick ck chains binding her. "No, but I smell rebirth in your very cells. You are a reincarnate."


    My brows rose and I moved a step closer to the mana barrier. "What would you know about reincarnation?"


    She cocked her head slightly as she peered at me, suddenly reminding me very much of the birdlike image often used to represent phoenixs. "My kind knows much about rebirth. Do you wish to more fully understand what you are? I will exchange knowledge for freedom, reincarnate. Release me, help me escape this ce, and I will take you to the wisest members of my n, those who have themselves traveled the paths of death and returned."


    A flicker of my old anger burned beneath my skin, and I took a step away from the cell. My curiosity had wilted. "I''m not interested in bargaining with you, asura, and I certainly won''t work against Agrona to help you. If you don''t want my conversation, you can go back to the silence that is slowly swallowing you."


    Her head fell to her chest as she let out a defeated sigh, then slowly raised again so she could look into my eyes. "Go then. Chase your tail in pursuit of the mad basilisk''s approval, foolish, yipping little animal. When you end up where I am, perhaps you will understand."


    The ever-present rage coiled around my insides like a hades serpent, but I pushed it back down and pulled the heavy nket of apathy close around me. Instead of further agitating myself by arguing with the phoenix, I turned my back on her and walked away.


    The next few cells passed by without my focusing on them beyond acknowledging that they contained more prisoners. No one as interesting as the phoenix asura, but then, I was regretting having stopped to speak to her. Her attempts to barter for her freedom had instantly upset the fragile bnce of my emotions, and I could feel the blessed nkness being eaten up by my anger. Acknowledging this only sped up the process.


    Foolish, yipping little animal, I heard in my head, repeated over and over. The thought of simply turning back and killing her where she was, chained to the wall and defenseless, crossed my mind. Would they call me the "Asura Killer" if I did, I wondered, the thought only serving to further rile my temper.


    Because no, of course they wouldn''t. Cadell had killed an old, half-dead dragon, and that made him the "Killer of Dragons" for another fifteen years, but if I did the same? No, Agrona would only punish me for my actions. Even if I ran to him now and told him his asuran prisoner was attempting to escape, he would only scold me for being down here or tell me how that didn''t matter because it didn''t involve his precious Legacy.


    I jerked to a halt and sobered instantly.


    "I won''t let you make me hate her, too," I said into the silence, looking up to the ceiling as if I could see through the tons upon tons of stone that separated us at that moment.


    Everything I had done for Agrona in this life had been to secure Cecilia''s reincarnation. Everything. Nothing mattered except that we had a chance at a life together beyond this world. Agrona would see to it that¡ª


    Chase your tail, she''d said. You''ll understand.


    My feet began to move of their own ord, following the corridor as my thoughts skirmished in my skull.


    Something was different inside me. My hand drifted up to my sternum and my fingers pressed into the still-healing flesh, but it wasn''t my core I was feeling. It was like¡­a door had opened, letting a hot breeze blow through the dark corners of my mind. Just like with the Elijah memories¡ªmemories buried and suppressed for years now¡ªI was feeling and remembering things differently than I had before the Victoriad.


    Whatever Cecilia had done, it had altered more than just my core.


    It had broken Agrona''s spells on my mind.


    A dull, disced sickness gripped my guts. How much of what''s in my head is me, and how much is Agrona?


    I understood his power, knew he''d used it on me many times, but that had always felt like a good thing. I''d never taken to alcohol, but I''d seen people who gave themselves entirely over to it, sinking into a bottle in order to soothe the pain of the past and forget. Agrona''s power was something like that.


    But now, looking back with a clear head¡­


    Cecilia¡­


    I''d done that to Cecilia. I''d let Agrona tamper with her mind¡ªhelped him, offered suggestions, made demands¡­


    The dull sickness surged into nausea, and I sagged against the wall between two cells.


    I had wanted her to trust me so badly that I''d begged Agrona to imnt that trust in her mind, to change even the memories of our past life together. All I had ever wanted was to be with her, to keep her safe, and give her a life free of the pain and torture that she''d endured because of her ki pool¡ªbecause some fools thought she was something called "the Legacy." But I hadn''t trusted her. I''d never just trusted in her to be able to take care of herself, to know what was best for herself.


    She needed to know. I had to tell her.


    The closest mana shield buzzed horribly as the cell''s upant pressed against it, and I jumped back, my heart racing.


    I had to squint and do a double take to make sure I was seeing things correctly.


    "Please, tell Agrona I''m sorry. Scythe Nico, tell him, tell him I''ll make it up to him, I promise!"


    "Sovereign¡­Kiros?" I asked, dumbfounded.


    Therge asura was dressed in tattered rags, and his hair hung in dirty, shaggy locks around his horns, the points of which were crackling with energy where they touched the mana barrier containing him.


    "You''ll tell him, yes?" His red eyes shed, the pupil''s narrowing into slits, and golden scales rippled across his skin. "Tell him!"


    It was all too much. The weight of memories¡ªa conflicted tumult of Earth Nico, Elijah, and my life in crya¡ªof guilt, and of the asura''s fury and terror, threatened to rip me to pieces, and so I turned and ran. I sprinted back along the corridor blindly, running like I was a child in the streets again, being pursued by some angry shopkeep or city guard because I''d filched a book or a handful of berries¡­


    The cells shed by at my sides. The corridor felt like it was unfolding around me, peeling apart and leaving me exposed, the sanctuary of its cool darkness suddenly a trap I couldn''t escape.


    I slid to a stop, breathing hard.


    I''d reached the end of the hallway.


    The world seemed to settle back into ce around me. The fear and anxiety and frustration and self-loathing were all still there, clinging to me like a million little spiders, but each breath pushed more of the panic out of my body, and the urge to flee morphed into a bone-deep fatigue. Had it not been for what I was seeing, I might haveid down and closed my eyes right on the floor.


    But I couldn''t take my eyes off the contents of the cell before me.


    I must have run past the intersection of the previous corridors and gone down the right path without realizing. At its end was a huge cell, at least seventy feet square.


    The coiled form of a fully grown dragon filled the space. Her white scales glistened in the soft light suffusing the cell, and the way her huge head rested on her front arms made it look like she was sleeping.


    But¡­I could sense no mana or intent from her. And there was no steady rising and falling of her body, no expanding and contracting of breaths taken, even shallow ones. She was entirely, perfectly still.


    In my still-resurfacing Elijah memories, I found a familiar description to this asura. Arthur had told me all about the wounded dragon who had saved his life and given him the egg that hatched into Sylvie. Stepping to one side and sinking into a crouch, I could just see the ancient wound that marred the dragon''s chest. Around it, scales had been removed, but I couldn''t see well enough to guess what else Agrona''s researchers might have done to the body.


    "Grandma Sylvia." The name slipped from my lips without intention, but once I''d heard it, I was certain it was correct.


    Pulled by a morbid curiosity, I stepped up to the mana barrier and rested my hand against it. It resisted. I pushed harder, imbuing my hand with soulfire despite the pain, and the barrier rippled and pulled away from the mes. I stepped through, and it resealed around the hole I''d made.


    A dizzy wobble shook my entire body, and I lurched forward and caught myself on the dragon corpse''s cold nose.


    There was some kind of powerful magic in the room. I squinted my eyes hard against the vertigo, waiting for it to pass, and when it eventually did, I walked a slow circle around the massive form.


    Around the barrier inside the cell, and in the seams between wall, floor, and ceiling, fine runes were etched into the stone. Aplex structure of spells was interwoven to maintain the barrier, among other things, but the runes were soplicated I couldn''t follow everything they did. Part of the spell, though, maintained a kind of stasis within the room, preventing its contents from decaying over time.


    Several tables had been left against the back wall, although they were mostly bare. Arge tome of bound parchment was open to the first page, which read: "Observation on the Dragon Sylvia Indrath''s Remains."


    A tag of fabric marked a spot about a third of the way into the tome. When I pulled the tag, the heavy parchment fell open to a second title page. This one read: "Observations on Dragon Physiology, Cores, and Maniption of Aether."


    Next to the book, resting on a metal frame, was a round object the size of both my fists together.


    The white sphere had a slightly rough, organic texture to its surface, and was slightly transparent, revealing a faint purple tinge to the inside.


    It was a core. A dragon''s core. Sylvia Indrath''s core.


    But it felt empty and lifeless, as if any hint of mana that once might have been contained within it had been scoured away. The dragon''s will, I knew, had been given to Arthur just before her death. So what was this, then? Could it really be nothing more than an empty, dead organ, like a heart with all the blood squeezed from it?


    Reaching out, I let my fingers brush across the core''s surface, and a brilliant electric shock ran up my arm.


    My vision shifted, revealing swarming particles of energy moving in and around the core, like bright purple fireflies.


    I snatched my hand back, and the particles vanished.


    Gingerly, I reached back out and pressed one fingertip against the core.


    But¡­nothing happened. The vision did not reur. No purple particles, no rippling vision. Carefully, I picked the core up and turned it over in my hand. It was very light, almost weightless, but the surface was hard and inflexible. I didn''t put any pressure on it, though, afraid it might be brittle. I couldn''t really exin to myself why, but I didn''t want to break it.


    Neither, I thought, did I want to leave it here in this cold ce, forgotten and abandoned.


    Although I had no idea what I would do with the core, I made the reckless decision to take it for myself. With a pulse of mana, I activated my dimension ring and hid the core within it.


    This minor act of rebellion made me feel unexpectedly light, helping to buffer the overwhelming flood of emotions I''d felt only minutes ago.


    With a conspiratorial smile at the dragon''s remains, I burned my way free of the cell, feeling less strain this time, and began searching for my way out of the dungeon and back up into Taegrin Caelum.


    I needed to find Cecilia.


    We needed to talk.\n`

 Chapter 396

    <h4>Chapter 396</h4>


    Chapter 394: What Makes Home


    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    I was floating in a familiar hazy amethyst sea of emptiness.


    The nothing-space stretched away into infinity in every direction. The absence of anything real and tangible was simultaneously a source offort and anxiety. Floating within it, I felt like a child huddled within my nkets, afraid of a monster under my bed I was almost certain wasn¡¯t real¡ªbut not certain enough to let the fear fade.


    Not that I¡¯d ever had a childhood like that, but here, in the aether realm, it was easier to imagine all the different lives I might have had.


    For the first time since I¡¯d been just a small child on Earth, I imagined a life in which I¡¯d known my real parents, ones who had raised me with love. What might I have been, then, if I hadn¡¯t grown up as an orphan with that desperate need for attachment and love, that heart-wrenching desire to prove my worth so that someone would care for me?


    I saw a life in which I¡¯d never met Nico or Cecilia, or Headmaster Wilbek or Lady Vera. I would have learned a trade, ran a sessful business, started a family of my own, and eventually died having been happy in my one peaceful, unimportant life.


    ¡°No,¡± a soft voice said, a physical thing that was more energy than noise.


    I rotated around in the void. In the distance, a star burned bright white against the dark purple.


    ¡°Even if you lived a thousand lives, not one of them would be ¡®unimportant.¡¯¡±


    My chest constricted, and I willed myself closer to the source of that shining light. It radiated a silvery warmth that made me feel confident and afraid and protective and loved all at once, and these feelings only grew more potent andplex as I zoomed closer.


    The star grew and solidified, bing a silhouette, which in turn manifested the refined details of a young girl with hair and eyes identical in color to mine.


    I stopped just before her, greedily drinking in the sight of her, whole and unblemished. Reaching out tentatively, I poked the tip of one horn, and she stifled a delightedugh.


    ¡°Sylvie...¡±


    My bond smiled, and the sight of it filled me with tingling warmth.


    There was so much I wanted to tell her: how sorry and grateful I was, how much I regretted everything that had happened, how much I missed her...


    But I could feel our minds connecting, and I could sense in her the understanding of everything I was thinking.


    ¡°It¡¯s still nice to hear those things said out loud sometimes, though,¡± she said, her head tilting slightly to the side as she examined me. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m dreaming, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s...good to see you, Sylv.¡± I rubbed the back of my neck, a movement my oldpanion watched with clear amusement. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s taking me so long to bring you back.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ve got all the time in the world.¡± Her smile sharpened into a smirk, like she¡¯d just said something she found very humorous.


    ¡°I will rescue you, Sylv.¡±


    ¡°I know. For now, though...¡± She reached out and poked me in the chest with one finger. As she did, a dull murmur of distant voices began to intrude on the dream. ¡°It¡¯s time to wake up, Arthur.¡±


    My eyes blinked open. I was lying on a hard bed in a small chamber and staring up at the low, gray stone ceiling.


    ¡°Ouch! Damned, this thing is sharp,¡± the grumbling voice of Gideon eximed.


    I turned my head slightly, revealing the old inventor with his back to me. Leaning against the far wall, Emily was watching him with the unique blend of amusement, fondness, and exasperation reserved for the old inventor. She noticed the small movement and met my eye, her expression dissolving into a look of pure relief.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be some kind of genius?¡± I asked, getting augh out of Emily.


    Gideon spun around and gave me an affronted look, the effect of which was somewhat dampened by the fact that he was sucking on his index finger like a wounded child. Removing the spit-shined digit, he red at the dot of blood that immediately welled up, then at me instead.


    ¡°About time you¡¯re awake. It¡¯s been a day and a half, boy. Aren¡¯t you supposed to be some kind of unkible uber hero.¡± He scoffed. ¡°Ourst conversation was very rudely interrupted by a bunch of cryans dead set on murdering us all, if you remember.¡±


    I pushed myself up onto my elbows and maneuvered so I could sit up with my back against the wall.


    The first thing I noticed was Valeska¡¯s horn resting on a stand next to the bed.


    The second thing was that everything hurt.


    Looking down at my body, I realized I was covered with bandages from head to toe. The stump of my arm had regrown to the wrist, but my hand hadn¡¯t fully formed yet. Worried, I checked my core, but it didn¡¯t seem damaged, just low on aether. Being unconscious for such an extended period had no doubt hampered my ability to collect and purify aether effectively. Considering that, I had actually healed a lot quicker than I should have.


    Something else was strange, too¡ªan empty feeling, like something was missing.


    ¡°Regis?¡± I asked, worry quickening my heart rate.


    He had barely been holding on when I¡¯d woken up on the ground in the tunnel to the portal chamber, and I¡¯d had no time to check on him beyond acknowledging that he wasn¡¯t dead yet. I¡¯d barely had the wherewithal to conjure my armor and build up enough aetheric reserve for a single God Step, but that alone had pushed me past the breaking point. If the Scythes hadn¡¯t fallen for my bluff...


    A small ball of purple mes and angst leaped up onto the bed, ring at me tiredly. ¡°What? I was napping. And having this really nice dream about¡ª¡±


    I reached down and tousled Regis¡¯s puppy-form head with my good hand. ¡°I thought you were done for.¡±


    Regis huffed as he plopped down and rested his chin on his overlyrge paws. ¡°I could say the same for you. Really went full nova back there. You were so dry on aether I haven¡¯t been able to incorporealize myself into your core because I was soaking up too much, and I was worried you¡¯d shrivel up like some mana-starved muckrva.¡±


    ¡°Well, thanks for not letting me die,¡± I said, bemused.


    ¡°Same though,¡± Regis replied before closing his eyes and immediately falling asleep again.


    ¡°You two are so cute,¡± Emily said, melting into a doe-eyed puddle as she stared at Regis. ¡°I have to say, I like him a lot better this way.¡± She eyed Gideon carefully. ¡°Arthur, do you think there is some way we can¡ª¡±


    ¡°I am not your pet, girl!¡± Gideon snapped, crossing his arms and generally looking very huffy. ¡°And anyway, all these tedious feelings are starting to give me a rash. Arthur, we need to finish our conversation so I can get back to work.¡±


    I looked at him for a long moment as I searched my memory for some hint of ourst discussion, but nothing immediately came to mind. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s been a busy couple of days...¡±


    ¡°The fire salts!¡± he eximed, waving his hands. ¡°The cannons, the...the...all of it!¡±


    The moments before the Wraiths¡¯ attack solidified in my mind, and the idea I¡¯d had rushed back in, almost fully formed. ¡°Right. Your weapons. Actually, I did have a thought.¡±


    Gideon¡¯s eyes lit up, and he pped a hand at Emily. ¡°Girl, write this down.¡±


    Her eyebrows rose indignantly, but she pulled a scroll, pen, and ink out of a shoulder bag and made busy getting ready, shooting annoyed res at Gideon¡¯s back every few seconds.


    ¡°So, here¡¯s the thing,¡± I began, knowing I was about to crush the old inventor. ¡°No cannons.¡±


    His face fell, vaciting between confusion and disappointment. ¡°No...cannons?¡±


    I shook my head and gave him an apologetic smile. ¡°But, we do need to fortify our non-mage soldier¡¯s fighting capabilities, and the technology that you¡¯ve been working on is the foundation for how we¡¯re going to do that.¡±


    Although hesitant at first, as I exined my proposal in full, Gideon¡¯s frustration transformed into studious curiosity, and then blossomed into outright excitement. Meanwhile, Emily scribbled frantically to capture everything we were discussing, only asionally throwing in a suggestion of her own.


    ¡°This...well, it can definitely work!¡± Gideon said as he stared down at the long scroll full of our notes. ¡°Not as shy or impressive as the cannon idea, but¡±¡ªhe gave an exaggerated shrug¡ª¡°it is a little more practical, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°But the priority remains on discovering how to operate the bestowal artifacts¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes,¡± Gideon said, not looking at me as he turned away and started movingnguidly toward the door, his nose still in the scroll. Consequently, he was also not looking at the open door and ran face first into the still form of Bairon, who had stopped in the doorframe.


    ¡°Oof! Bah, you make a better lightning rod than a door, Lance,¡± Gideon grumbled, conjuring a sour look from Bairon. The broad-shouldered Lance didn¡¯t move, and Gideon was forced to shimmy through the narrow opening to leave. Emily curtseyed awkwardly in front of Bairon, who shifted, allowing her to hurry after Gideon.


    Bairon watched the pair go, then looked at me with one brow raised. ¡°It is good to see you¡¯re awake, Arthur. We were...worried.¡±


    I eased my legs off the bed and sat up straight. ¡°Worried? About me?¡± I held out my stump of an arm, which was already healing more quickly now that I¡¯d regained consciousness. ¡°Just a couple minor flesh wounds.¡±


    Bairon¡¯s mouth twitched, but his brows turned down, as if he couldn¡¯t decide whether to smile or frown. ¡°I won¡¯t pretend to understand what has happened to you, Arthur, and I doubt even you yet know the full capability of your powers. What I do know is that Dicathen is fortunate that you returned when you did, and that, after everything, you¡¯re still willing to fight for this continent.¡±


    I looked down at my feet, unsure what to say. My rtionship with Bairon had always been hostile, and I wasn¡¯t yet sure how to process this sudden change in the dynamic between us.


    ¡°I...want you to know something, Arthur.¡± I looked up to see Bairon ringing his hands, his gaze ascanse. ¡°Maybe this won¡¯t carry much meaning for you, but I forgive you...for my brother. For Lucas.¡± Finally, he met my eye. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry for attacking you, for¡±¡ªhe looked away again, some of the color draining from his face¡ª¡°threatening your family.¡±


    ¡°Bairon, it¡¯s¡ª¡±


    He raised a hand to forestall my response. ¡°My pride blinded me to the evils of my family. My rage wasn¡¯t even about Lucas, but your insult to our house. I was a fool, Arthur. And I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I waited a moment to make sure he was finished speaking, then said, ¡°I ept both. And I stopped ming you for that a long time ago. The way you reacted, it wasn¡¯t any different than what I did to Lucas. I thought it was justified in the moment¡ªthat I¡¯d been right¡ªbut really, how I dealt with things, it made enemies, and that wasn¡¯t smart, strategically.¡±


    Bairon watched me with a distant, detached wariness, and there was a cold formality in his expression that reminded me of the old Bairon. Then, with a shake of his head, it was gone. ¡°Even Lances, it appears, make mistakes. But...that is not why I¡¯m here.¡±


    He stood aside from the doorway, revealing a figure that had been hidden in the hallway behind him. All thought of fire salts and weapons and even the bestowment artifacts fled my mind.


    Virion entered the room hesitantly, resting one old, tired hand on Bairon¡¯s arm for just a moment. Then Bairon backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.


    Virion pulled a wooden chair away from the wall and sat stiffly. His gaze roamed around the room for several very long seconds before settling on me. He cleared his throat.


    ¡°Virion, how are you feel¡ª¡± Read first at


    . o r g


    ¡°Listen, Arthur, I needed to¡ª¡±


    We had both started speaking at the same time, then both immediately stopped. Virion leaned forward, his fists clenched together, and stared at the floor in silence, his body tense, a simmering animosity evident in each still movement.


    I realized just how on edge I was, too. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to rx. Beside me, Regis rolled over and continued sleeping. At least, I thought he was sleeping until one eye peeked open a slit, caught me watching, and quickly shut again.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, Gramps. How...are you?¡± My tone was hesitant, almost awkward. There had been no time to address it since my return to Dicathen, but it was clear that Virion was keeping his distance from me, and I wasn¡¯t sure why.


    Virion stared down at his hands for a long moment, then said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Arthur.¡±


    I opened my mouth to immediately interrupt, caught myself, and closed it slowly, waiting for Virion to continue.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been avoiding you. Because...¡± He cleared his throat, and his gaze began to wonder again, almost as if he didn¡¯t want to look at me. ¡°When I saw youe back through that portal, alone, all I felt was the bitterness of knowing that Tessia wasn¡¯t with you. You were returned from the dead, while her body is left to be tugged and pulled across crya like a marite. And...I didn¡¯t want to hate you for that.¡±


    I swallowed hard.


    I expected him to be disappointed in me for arriving sote, perhaps even me me for being unable to save Rinia or Aya...or even Feyrith.


    I didn¡¯t even realize he knew what had happened to Tess. I suddenly wished he didn¡¯t know what was happening to her. Virion had lost his son, his Lances, his country...it was enough to break anyone. Knowing that Tessia¡¯s body was out there being controlled by the enemy, unsure if she still existed within it...he shouldn¡¯t have had to shoulder that burden too.


    Anger overtook my guilt as I considered Windsom and Kezess manipting and taking advantage of Virion, making him lie to his own people, stringing him along with bits of information about Tessia, just enough to keep him desperate and unsure.


    One more thing they should have to answer for, I thought, balling the nket up in my clenched fist.


    After a long silence where we didn¡¯t meet each other¡¯s eyes, Virion continued. ¡°I needed to mourn, but didn¡¯t know where to begin. Losing Rinia and so many other elves when there are so few of us left...I spent so long holding it all back, after Elenoir¡ªafter Tessia¡ªand then to suddenly feel like I¡¯d lost my granddaughter all over again...¡± Virion¡¯s head slumped, and a tear dropped onto his sped hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t save her, Virion. I tried, I¡ª¡±


    My words cut off as the image of Tessia¡¯s resigned smile intruded on my thoughts. The aether de pressed against her sternum, mossy green veins spreading over her face, her words... ¡°Art, please...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s alive,¡± I said instead. Virion looked up quickly and blinked his shining eyes. ¡°Her body may be under Agrona¡¯s control, but Tessia is alive, buried beneath the personality of a being known as the Legacy.¡±


    Virion shifted, hesitating, then finally asked, ¡°You¡¯re sure? Windsom, he thought perhaps...but...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m certain,¡± I confirmed with a nod that sent a pulse of difort through my entire body. ¡°I looked into her eyes, Virion. Tess was still in there.¡±


    Virion searched my gaze for a long time, then his face wrinkled up and he broke, sobs shaking his shoulders as more tears flooded unchecked.


    I slid off the bed and went to one knee in front of him, reaching for his hands. There are no words for moments such as this, and so I kept my silence. Virion leaned down and pressed his forehead to my hand, and we stayed like that for a while. His mourning soothed me, and my presence buttressed him as he vented his long-held grief.


    After a few minutes, Virion¡¯s sobs ceased, and most of the tension left his body. We lingered as we were for another minute or two. It was Virion who spoke first.


    ¡°I can¡¯t sense the dragon¡¯s will within you.¡±


    I pressed my fingers into my sternum, over my aether core, which I¡¯d formed from the broken remnants of the mana core that had once contained Sylvia¡¯s will. Settling back onto the hard bed, I began to tell Virion about everything that had happened to me: my defeat and near death battling Cadell and Nico, Sylvie¡¯s sacrifice, waking up in the Relictombs, Regis, the aether core, and everything after that.


    Virion proved an intent listener, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, hardly even blinking. As I neared the end of my tale, however, he leaned back, crossed his arms, and gave me a sour frown. ¡°So you¡¯re telling me I wasted four years of my life training you to be a beast tamer, just for you to go and lose your bond?¡±


    My mouth hung open as I struggled for a reply, but Virion¡¯s frown broke and he gave me a wry smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s a heck of a story, brat. But...I¡¯m d you made it back. And...¡± He paused and cleared his throat. ¡°Thank you, Arthur.¡±


    ¡°And thank you, Virion, for making sure my mom and sister were safe,¡± I said in return.


    He let out an amused scoff. ¡°That sister of yours, she¡¯s just as much a ma for trouble as you ever were. Chafes at even the idea of ¡®safety.¡¯¡± My expression must have given away exactly how I felt about Ellie¡¯s recklessness because Virion chuckled. ¡°Speaking of, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re eager to see your family. They were both here for the first day, but Lance Varay finally made them leave to go get some rest.¡±


    I gave him a tight-lipped smile. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He stood and stretched, letting out an old man¡¯s groan. ¡°Before I go, though, there is one more thing. Bairon!¡± he said loudly, turning toward the closed door.


    The door opened and Bairon entered again, this time carrying three identical boxes of polished ck wood, each one bound in softly glowing silver.


    ¡°The artifacts Windsom gave you,¡± I said thoughtfully, eyeing the boxes as though they might explode at any moment. ¡°You kept them. I wondered...¡± Thinking back to the moments after I¡¯d driven the cryans from the Sanctuary, I recalled Virion rushing off and disappearing for some time. ¡°That¡¯s what you were doing while the rest of us were meeting.¡± Read first at


    . o r g


    Virion took the top box off the stack from Bairon and opened the lid, holding it out toward me. Resting inside was an ornate rod. The red wood of the handle had golden rings wrapped around it at intervals, and it was capped with a glowingvender crystal. Aether seemed drawn to the crystal, bobbing around it like so many curious bees.


    I activated Realmheart. There was a sharp tug that sent a jolt of pain up my spine as the godrune lit up, then a rush of warmth from my lower back up into my limbs and eyes.


    The mana came into focus. My breath came out in a rush.


    The rod-shaped artifact had be a glistening rainbow of radiant mana, the rings, shaft, and crystal alike not only infused with mana, but constantly drawing more from our surroundings, so that the entire surface, as well as the box in which it was stored, positively swam with blues, greens, yellows, and reds.


    ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure what to do with them,¡± Virion admitted, holding the box out. ¡°We can¡¯t use them. Not now, after everything that¡¯s happened. Not after Rinia...¡±


    I carefully took it from him, holding the box in the crook of my injured arm while I lifted out the artifact in the other, turning it so the facets of the crystal caught the light and sparkled through the glow of mana.


    ¡°Ellie told me about Rinia¡¯s visions,¡± I said, using Realmheart and my own innate ability to see aetheric particles to track the magic¡¯s flow through the artifact. ¡°Has Gideon looked them over?¡±


    Virion burst out with an indelicate snort. ¡°Took one look at them and said he agreed with ¡®the old bat¡¯ and promised to vote against using them.¡±


    Regis shifted, no longer pretending to be asleep as he ogled the artifact hungrily. ¡®If we¡¯re not going to do anything else with it, I could always absorb that aether. You know, deactivate it, for safety or whatever.¡¯


    Curious what would happen, I attempted to draw on the aether swarming the artifact. The artifact seemed to be exerting its own force on the aether particles, which flowed down the handle toward my hand only to waver and draw closer to the crystal again. Focusing, I pulled harder. The aether trembled, and the mana seemed to quake and ripple, small plumes of mana escaping the artifact and spraying out into the atmosphere.


    If we take the aether, the artifact would break. With this much mana, the explosion might be pretty violent. Besides, I added thoughtfully, I¡¯m not convinced yet that we can¡¯t make use of these.


    ¡°They resist being ced into a dimension device of any kind,¡± Virion said, watching me with his brows creased, clearly confused about what I was doing. I realized that to him it must have looked like I was having a staringpetition with the rod. ¡°I don¡¯t want to just cart them around, but I¡¯m not sure what else to do with them.¡±


    Twirling the artifact like a baton, I returned it to its case, closed andtched the lid, then imbued aether into my dimension rune.


    The box vanished, drawn into the extradimensional storage space controlled by the rune on my forearm.


    ¡°But, how...?¡± Virion nced at Bairon questioningly, but Bairon only shrugged.


    ¡°Here,¡± I said, reaching for the other two boxes. Bairon gave them up dly. In a moment, they too were gone, and I could sense them within the extradimensional space, along with the items I¡¯d collected in crya.


    I held up my forearm to show Virion the rune. ¡°I have an original, not an old relic that¡¯s been hacked apart ten times over. Must make a difference.¡±


    Virion chuckled again, his brows rising all the way up into his hairline. ¡°One of these days, I suppose I¡¯ll stop being surprised by you, brat.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope not, Gramps,¡± I said earnestly, then looked at Regis. ¡°I think I¡¯veid around long enough. Ready to get out of here?¡±


    He yawned and stretched, sticking his rump up in the air like an actual puppy. ¡°I¡¯m ready to find a real source of aether, because I don¡¯t relish the idea of being stuck like this for a week while we drip-feed off the atmosphere down here.¡±


    With the Compass, I could return to the Relictombs at will, and mentally agreed that we should go replenish our aether reserves as soon as possible, but first I needed to check on Mom and Ellie.


    After adding Valeska¡¯s horn to my growing pile of artifacts within the dimension rune, I wished Virion and Bairon farewell, then made my way through thebyrinthine halls of the Earthborn Institute.


    Regis stayed inside my body while we walked, hovering near the stump of my hand instead of my core. It eased the pain of the regrowing limb, but the healing was slow¡ªat least, slow for me. I¡¯d be so ustomed to losing entire limbs, it made me genuinely worry for my sanity. There was something distinctly inhuman about watching my hand regrowing in real-time.


    ¡®Are you really human anymore?¡¯ Regis sent, knowing just what to say to further agitate me, as always.


    I don¡¯t know, I answered, then cast the thought aside as I approached the door to the rooms where my family was staying.


    It opened before I reached it, and Ellie was half through it before she noticed me and jerked to a stop. Her face lit up, then her focus shifted to my hand. ¡°Oh, Art, that looks...¡±


    I took her by the chin and turned her face up toward mine. ¡°I¡¯m fine, El. I¡¯ve healed from worse.¡±


    She gave me a single decisive nod, then pulled back. ¡°I was justing to check on you, so you saved me a trip. Mom is asleep.¡± She continued talking as she turned and led me into the rooms. ¡°She was awake for about thirty hours straight, and she put herself into bacsh trying to heal you.¡± She flinched and looked into my eyes. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said, ruffling her hair like I¡¯d done when she was little. It drove home how tall she was, how much she¡¯d grown. And how much I¡¯d missed.


    ¡°Arthur?¡± a wispy voice said from somewhere deeper in the suite. I heard feet hit the ground, and quick but uneven footsteps. Mom appeared in the hall, her hair disheveled and dark bags under her eyes.


    Still, when she saw me, she smiled. ¡°Oh, Art, I was so¡ª¡±


    Mom wobbled, her eyes losing focus. I was at her side in an instant, supporting her and leading her to the closest couch.


    ¡°I¡¯m...fine,¡± she mumbled as I eased her down onto the couch, but it was easy enough to tell she wasn¡¯t.


    Activating Realmheart, I looked more closely, seeing the mana particles moving in her body and sensing her core strength.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re glowing,¡± she said, her eyes crossing as she tried and failed to focus on me.


    She had clearly pushed herself way past the point of exhaustion. Her core was so strained that it was struggling to start processing mana again, leaving her in a fatigued delirium, not to mention the intense full-body ache she would have been feeling with such severe bacsh.


    I let Realmheart fade away again.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got extreme bacsh. You need to be more careful. You¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lucky?¡± she said clumsily, cutting me off. ¡°I do feel quite fortunate, you know. Not everyone gets¡ªhow many chances are we on now? Four? Five? Anyway, not everyone gets a second, second, second chance to make things right.¡±


    I winced at the mention of the past.


    The regrets that I had from telling my parents the truth about me, and the sce that I felt from finallying clean...the emotions all came back, forming a knot in my throat that I forcefully swallowed down.


    Giving Mom a somber smile, I pulled a loose nket over herp. ¡°What do you mean? You made things right a long time ago, remember? After Dad died...¡±


    She sobered, shaking her head and squeezing my hand weakly. ¡°I may have said it, but I was never able to act on it. I never got to just...be your mom. But I want to be. I will be.¡± Her eyes fluttered closed, and she sank deeper into the couch. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s kind of what it must be like being you, huh? Like...being reborn. Trying again to make it right.¡±


    I knew it was the delirium talking, but still, hearing her so casually and calmly mention my reincarnation made my insides squirm. ¡°Yeah, maybe. We can only just...keep trying. To learn, and do better.¡±


    Softly, the breathiness of her tone telling me she was drifting back to sleep, she said, ¡°I made you some porridge, Arthur. I know it¡¯ll take time, but...I hope you can slowly let me be your mom again.¡±


    Turning toward the kitchen, I could just see the small, round table, and on it, a wooden bowl with a spoonid neatly beside it.


    And suddenly, the armor of callousness and apathy I had donned in order to survive my time in the Relictombs and crya crumbled.


    My throat tightened and my vision blurred.


    A part of me resisted getting up and walking toward the table. With Agrona¡¯s swift counterattack, I knew I couldn¡¯t stay here much longer. I knew he would attack again, and I knew it would only be worse.


    But I let my heavy legs drag me toward the bowl of porridge, barely noticing as Regis led my sister out of the room.


    Slowly, I took up the spoon and took a mouthful of the cold, tasteless mash. As I did, I gave in to the weight of it all.


    Tears spilled freely as I took bite after bite. Alone in this little kitchen, far away from anywhere I¡¯d ever called home, I wept silently as I ate the first meal my mother had cooked for me in years.

 Chapter 397

    The scalding metal sizzled against bare bone, charring it ck as the flesh around it melted. Water hissed as it hit the ck iron, sending up a cloud of steam. I cursed and pulled back.


    Ellie pped my hand away from the pan heating on the stove. ¡°Just let me do it already! Who mixes water and hot grease, anyway? Have you ever even cooked before?¡±


    I dipped my fingers into the saucer of water I¡¯d cooled the pan with and flicked several drops into her face as she struggled to flip the b of meat I¡¯d burned. ¡°Thising from the girl who''s been eating nothing but fish, rats, and mushrooms for thest how many months?¡±


    Regis was sitting in the middle of the table, watching with interest, his nose twitching with every waft of meat-scented air. ¡°You know, that looks pretty much irreparable. Just toss it over to me.¡±


    Ellie dropped a handful of cut-up mushrooms in with the meat and grease, humming with irritation. ¡°I can do more with rat and mushrooms than you can with the whole royal pantry, I bet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s something to brag about,¡± I pointed out,ughing.


    Ellie¡¯s leg shot out and thumped against my thigh. I grabbed her ankle and yanked her leg out from under her, holding her upside down with her hair pooling on the tiles beneath her.<sub>Visit ?????????????.??? for a better_user experience</sub>


    ¡°Hey, not fair!¡± she shouted, swinging her arms as she tried futilely tond a punch.


    The whisper of soft turnshoes on stone tile drew my attention to the kitchen doorway.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± I said, waving with the hand suspending Ellie upside down so that my sister bobbed around like a ragdoll. ¡°It¡¯s not much, but Ellie and I tried making some breakfast.¡±


    ¡°I tried making breakfast,¡± she grumped, her arms crossed. ¡°Arthur was mostly just in the¡ªow!¡± she yelped as I let her tumble to the floor.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ellie mumbled quickly and quietly, ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong?¡± It was then I realized there were quiet tears running down Mom¡¯s cheeks.


    ¡°Huh? What do you¡ªoh.¡± She wiped at her cheeks with the back of her long sleeves. ¡°Why am I crying?¡± she asked herself with augh.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s just¡­waking up to something like this¡­it¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    I pulled out a chair for her, and she eased into it with a grateful, tear-streaked smile. Her motions were still slightly sluggish, but her gaze was much more steady than it had been just the day before. Regis scooted back so that he was directly in front of her, and she began petting him behind the ears.


    Ellie and I pushed and shoved at the stove, but in the end I let her im victory, instead grabbing a handful of wooden tes and utensils to set the table. Ellie delivered stacks of slightly burned meat, eggs, mushrooms, steamed greens, red beans, and a coil of some kind of eel¡ªcaught from a nearby undergroundke¡ªthat Ellie insisted was delicious, and together we filled up three tes.


    Mom cut off a burned end from the slice of meat we¡¯d given her and fed it to Regis, who took it right off her fork.


    ¡°He''s going to keep asking for stuff like this if you spoil him, Mom,¡± I said around a mouthful.


    She waved my words away. ¡°Oh, it''s fine. Don¡¯t you think with everything he''s done to help out around here, he''s earned it?¡±


    Regis¡¯s oversized puppy eyes gleamed as he stared up at my mother like she¡¯d just given him an award. ¡°Would you believe this man never feeds me?¡±


    ¡°You get plenty of aether,¡± I mumbled as Mom held out half a mushroom.


    Regis eyed it uncertainly, then said, ¡°Maybe some more of that meat instead?¡±


    Mom¡¯s brows rose. ¡°It¡¯s important you eat a healthy, bnced diet, Regis,¡± she lightly scolded.


    Regis blinked cartoonishly, then leaned forward and gingerly took the mushroom from her hand, chewing it with such clear dejection that Ellie took pity on him and tossed over a chunk of her eel, giggling when he pounced on it and swallowed it with a single bite.


    Truly a magnificent sight to see from the very manifestation of Destruction, I thought.


    ¡°Anyway, how are you feeling this morning?¡± I asked Mom as I speared a chunk of my own eel, keeping my tone light, but watching her carefully.


    ¡°So much better,¡± she said. Her bloodshot, tired eyes squinted in appreciation. ¡°Thank you, Arthur, but you don¡¯t have to worry about me. You have so much on your mind already.¡±


    Ellie scoffed and opened her mouth, but paused when Mom shot her a look. My sister took a moment to finish chewing and swallowing, then said, ¡°He let us think he was dead for months, didn¡¯t he? Let him worry.¡±


    My mother¡¯s soft smile wavered, and I reached across the table to squeeze her hand. ¡°I do have a lot on my mind. But you and Ellie are always at the top of that ever-growing pile.¡±


    Mom¡¯s eyes fell to her te, but I still saw the moisture shining in them. Ellie watched her, a small frown on her mature features. I slid most of my burned meat over to Regis, who chewed loudly, oblivious to everything except the warm food in front of him, although I could feel the thrill he felt at sharing a family meal with us through our mental connection.


    We ate in silence for a while after that, but it wasn¡¯t the kind of quiet that was awkward or tense. Instead, it wasfortable. Easy. Easier than it had been in a very long time, since the attack on Xyrus.


    The thought that it felt like another life shed through my mind, but I knew that wasn¡¯t really true. I had lived another life on Earth, and then, in crya, I had pretended to be someone I wasn¡¯t, reviving a part of me that had died when I¡¯d been reincarnated in Dicathen. I had needed Grey to survive there, and as much as I wanted to just be Arthur, living as Grey again had reminded me why I¡¯d be him in the first ce.


    Until this war was over, truly over, I couldn¡¯t let Grey go. Not yet.


    ¡°¡ªthur?¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡± I asked, realizing my mother had said something.


    ¡°I was just saying that I really should go check in at the medical center now that I¡¯m feeling a bit better.¡± She looked slightly embarrassed as she nudged her half-full te toward Regis. ¡°There are only a couple of emitters in the whole city, and they were relying on me to be there. Besides, I¡¯m sure you have your own business to attend to.¡±<sub>Thetest_epi_sodes are on_the ?????????????.???</sub>


    Before I could respond, there was a gasp from Ellie. ¡°Oh! That reminds me! I told Saria Triscan that I¡¯d help relocate the elven refugees today. Most of them were temporarily housed on the lower levels, which were pretty badly damaged in the attack. We¡¯re going to start moving them to more permanent ces to stay,¡± she added by way of exnation as she pushed herself away from the table.


    At the same time, there was a faint pop and the sudden presence of arge furry body shoved the table aside, nearing knocking Regis to the floor.


    ¡°Boo!¡± Ellie said, exasperated. ¡°I¡¯m not freaking in danger! And I¡¯ve said not to poof into the rooms!¡±


    The guardian bear grumbled, and Ellie¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Don¡¯t me me. You interrupted your own nap by being so overprotective.¡± The bear let out a humming grunt that shook the tes on the table, which were pressed against his side.


    Mom had squeezed around Boo, who was taking up arge percentage of the kitchen, but stopped to lean against the doorway arch and look at us all, smiling brightly. ¡°I¡¯ll see you both back home for dinner tonight, okay? I¡¯ll cook.¡± Her smile faltered slightly, her brows knitting as her expression became apologetic. ¡°Something warm this time.¡±


    ¡°Sounds amazing,¡± I said, giving her the warmest smile I could muster.


    She returned it, waved, then vanished behind Boo¡¯s bulk. I heard the suite door open and shut, then turned to Ellie. ¡°Do you think she¡¯s okay?¡±


    Ellie was scratching Boo between the big mana beast¡¯s eyes. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her smile like that since Dad died.¡±


    Without looking at me, she put her shoulder into Boo¡¯s side and shoved. ¡°Come on you big goof, we need to figure out how to squeeze you through the front door.¡± She stopped and threw a tentative look over her shoulder at me. ¡°Do you¡­want toe with us? The refugees¡­they¡¯ve had a hard time. Seeing you might make them feel better.¡±


    I gave her an apologetic smile before shaking my head. ¡°I would, El, but I have duties of my own to see to.¡± Things that need to be taken care of before I can leave, I almost added.


    She rolled her eyes, but her smile was both good-natured and understanding. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know, there is so much saving the world to do right now, and only one big brother. Well¡­see you, then.¡±


    Ellie slipped around Boo, who turned to inspect me thoughtfully, his face scrunched between his shoulder and the wall before grunting and turning to follow her. He nearly overturned the table, and then had to squeeze to fit through first the kitchen doorway, then the front door into the Earthborn Institute¡¯s sprawling series of interconnected tunnels.


    My smile slipped away. I looked longingly around the suite, wishing I could stay longer. The time with my family had been a much-needed reprieve from my duties, but time was against me, and there was still too much to do.


    I¡¯d spent most of the evening studying the empowering artifacts while my family had slept. The intery between aether and mana around them was unlike anything I¡¯d seen before, but it reminded me of the soul realm within the aether orb, where I¡¯d trained with Kordri for so long. The artifacts didn¡¯t contain an extra-dimensional space, but they weren¡¯t simply containers for massive quantities of mana, either. It was almost like Kezess had drawn in and contained potential, and by using the artifacts, that potential was expended into a living being.


    It was a difficult concept to wrap my head around, but I was only at the beginning stages of understanding. I needed to see the artifacts in use, but without activating whatever power Rinia had seen destroying the continent.


    ¡°So,¡± Regis said, interrupting my thoughts. I could sense his contentment with his belly full of home-cooked food. ¡°Relictombs for a top-off, then back to being the Triple Ds?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I sputtered, rubbing a hand down my face, then turned to scowl at mypanion. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Dicathen¡¯s Dynamic Duo. You know, me and you, the Triple Ds.¡±


    Deciding it was best not to engage Regis on this front, I instead said, ¡°No time for the Relictombs yet. First, we need to make sure we can leave Vildorial without it immediately falling to Agrona¡¯s forces.¡±


    I gave Ellie a minute or two head start, then followed her out the door. Instead of heading toward the exit, I went deeper down into the Earthborn Institute.


    As I¡¯d expected, I found Gideon, Emily, and their team of dwarven mages already at work.


    The old inventor barely spared me a nce as I walked into theb, clearly unsurprised to see me. ¡°I only saw you sixteen hours ago, at least four of which I spent sleeping. Nothing has changed in the meantime, Arthur.¡±


    Emily, who was bent over the crystal-topped staff with a pair of wands, waved one at me. It gave a shrill, humming whistle. She jumped, grinned sheepishly, and moved it back into ce.


    ¡°Gideon, I need you to gather whatever mana-output monitoring equipment you can scrounge up,¡± I said. ¡°Meet me by the Three Lakes fishing outpost in an hour.¡±


    Gideon slowly set down the notes he was perusing, stuck a finger in his ear and dug around for a bit, then shook his head and gave me a sickly-sweet smile. ¡°Forgive me, Arthur, but I¡¯d swear it seems like you just marched into myboratory and started giving me orders without context or consideration for projects already underway¡ªprojects I have been repeatedly informed are of the highest priority by you yourself.¡±


    Looking him dead in the eye, I continued. ¡°Emily, I need you to track down Lances Mica, Varay, and Bairon, and bring them to meet us.¡±


    She tapped the wands together twice, thenid them carefully next to the staff. ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± As she moved quickly past Gideon, she reached out and closed his mouth for him, which had been hanging open as he continued to stare at me.


    He red at her back as she headed out the door, but his attention quickly returned to me.


    ¡°This is more time sensitive than our other projects,¡± I said consolingly. ¡°One hour, Gideon.¡±


    ¡°Bah,¡± he said, grumbling, but he started bustling around theb grabbing things and throwing them onto an empty table. ¡°An hour it is then. But why are you making me drag these old bones all the way down to Three Lakes?¡±


    ¡°See you there,¡± was all I said in response before turning and leaving theb myself.


    My feet carried me quickly out of the Earthborn Institute, down the winding highway, past the crews rebuilding the many structures destroyed in the cryan assault, and out one of the tunnels that connected to the city¡¯s bottommost level.


    ¡®Are you sure this is all going to work?¡¯ Regis asked. He¡¯d been silently stewing on my refusal to even acknowledge his suggested ¡°team name¡± for us, but his irritation has finally settled into a kind of resigned agreement to simply disagree.


    It has to, I thought, although we both felt myck of surety in the process itself. We can¡¯t fight a war from under the desert. We need to get out there and push back against the cryan forces inhabiting Dicathen.


    These thoughts brushed up against a wall of hesitancy in my mind. Because, as much as I needed to leave, I also needed to stay. Vildorial was now the epicenter of the fight to reim Dicathen, and all the people of Sapin and Darv needed us. But everything I had done to keep the people of this city safe would be for naught if Agrona sent another attack while I was gone.


    I needed thences here to protect the city in my absence, and in order for them to do that, they needed to break through their current restraints.


    The tunnels between Vildorial and the Three Lakes area were cool and lightly traveled, meaning I was left in peace to mull through what I hoped to aplish.


    Mostly, I organized my thoughts, trying to remember everything I had heard about both sets of asuran artifacts: those given to Dicathen¡¯s kings to make Lances, and these new ones that, apparently, could make a mage strong enough to fight back against even the Scythes.


    Ellie had told me everything she could about the conversations between Virion and Windsom, and thenter Rinia and Virion. And of course, the old elf himself had exined the Lance artifacts to me when he made me a Lance, but there was still much I didn¡¯t understand about how the asura had created them.


    These and many other thoughts upied my mind until the air grew heavy with moisture and the smell of the undergroundkes filled the tunnels. Brine, algae, and the heady odor of giant mushroomsbined to create an otherworldly scent, like I was stepping out of Dicathen into a ce older and more wild. The distant rumble of tumbling water could be felt through the floor soon after.


    The tunnel was capped by a rough granite wall, but the gate through was open. Just inside it, several buildings huddled together around the edge of the first of the threekes that gave this ce its name. A stone pier ran along the edge, and a couple of square, t-bottomed boats floated against it. But the outpost was empty today, as I had expected; most of Vildorial¡¯s poption was being kept in the city in case of another attack.


    The cavern was enormous, evenrger than the sanctuary. Although not as tall as the spiraling city of Vildorial, it stretched on and on, the first hugeke spilling into a second in a series of wide waterfalls, which in turn drained into the third almost a mile along the cavern.


    As I walked between the empty buildings, I took it all in. Although the smell was something that would take some getting used to, there was an awe-inspiring sort of beauty to the ce.


    Regis jumped free of my body and strolled next to me. ¡°Y¡¯know, this almost reminds me of the Relictombs.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the djinn took inspiration from ces like this,¡± I mused absently. ¡°Or even created them.¡±


    Along one edge of theke, a forest of giant mushrooms sprouted up from mossy ground, and across from that, the cavern wall was patterned with striations of orange and white. Water drained across these salt deposits constantly, spilling into theke and giving off the smell of brine I¡¯d noticed before.


    Deep in the dark water, bioluminescent creatures could be seen slowly trolling, like dim stars crossing the night sky.


    It was, at least for a short time, a pleasant distraction.


    But it wasn¡¯t long before footsteps announced the arrival of the others, and the spell was broken.


    The Lances arrived first, moving with purpose. Mica led them. Her one remaining eye locked onto me the moment she crossed the threshold into the cave, just as hard as the ck stone that inhabited the scarred socket of the eye Taci had ruined. Although at ease in the tunnels of her home, there was something missing from Mica; she had lost more than an eye when Aya died.


    Varay was just behind her, towering over the dwarf, as stoic and unreadable as always. Her short white hair seemed to glow in the diffused light of the underground world, giving her a mystical air. Her conjured arm of magical ice was fixed and unmoving, but her flesh-and-blood hand fidgeted with a constant nervous energy, subtly undermining her otherwise indomitable presence.


    Finally, Bairon entered a few yards behind them. His gaze trailed behind hispanions¡¯ heels, unseeing, or rather, seeing something other than uneven ground. I wondered where his thoughts were, what invisible scene was ying out before his unfocused eyes that made him frown so deeply.


    I stood on the pier, Regis sitting on his haunches beside me, and waited for them toe to us.


    Varay spoke first. ¡°I hope you haven¡¯t brought us all the way down here just to take us fishing,¡± she said, focusing on one of the boats floating behind me.


    I gave a quietugh, drawing uncertain looks from the other Lances. ¡°I actually learned to hone my reflexes and adjust my perception by catching fish with my bare hands when I was just a boy in¡­¡± I caught myself and let the thought trail off. ¡°Anyway, no, I think you¡¯re all well past that point in your training.¡±


    ¡°We are here for you to train us then?¡± Mica asked, raising a brow and crossing her arms. ¡°The Watsken girl was a little light on the details when she delivered your summons.¡±


    ¡°Not a summons,¡± I corrected gently, ¡°an invitation. I think you all understand what is happening, what is at stake. When Agrona sent his Wraiths after me, he must have thought they were more than enough to capture or kill me, and likewise that two Scythes and a retainer would be able to regain control of Vildorial and mop up the rest of the resistance against him.¡±


    ¡°And it would have been,¡± Mica added, scowling. ¡°Despite giving everything we had, all we could do was hold them off for a time. Without Bairon¡¯s new weapon, we wouldn¡¯t havested even as long as we did.¡±


    ¡°You think he¡¯ll escte again?¡± Varay asked, her fingers tapping constantly against her thigh.


    ¡°He will.¡± I began to pace back and forth in front of the three Lances, their eyes following me warily. ¡°My defeat of the Wraiths and subsequent attack on cryan soil might give him pause, but not for long.¡± I stopped pacing suddenly, forcefully containing my nervous energy. ¡°Although I stopped any of the Wraiths from returning to him with information, the fact that I was even able to kill them has given him a better understanding of my power.¡±


    I took a moment to collect my thoughts, then said, ¡°The truth is, you three just aren¡¯t strong enough to protect this city without me.¡±


    Varay went stiff as an ice statue. Her face didn¡¯t betray her emotions, but the others were less capable of masking their surprise and frustration.


    Mica ground her teeth and inadvertently made herself so heavy that the smooth, slightly slick stones of the pier cracked beneath her.


    Bairon mmed the butt of his spear against the ground and stood tall, looking at me defiantly and reminding me firmly of his old self. ¡°We can be, Arthur. And I assume you know that, otherwise you wouldn¡¯t have brought us here.¡±


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right, Bairon,¡± I said, softening my tone. ¡°Because, if you aren¡¯t, then I don¡¯t know how we can reim our homnd, defeat Agrona, and prevent any further assaults by Kezess Indrath.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s not waste any more time,¡± Bairon said, his chin turning up as his pride struggled against my words. ¡°I will fight until my core cracks and my muscles give out if it will offer a chance at breaking past the barriers ced on us as Lances. Just tell us what you want us to do, Arthur.¡±


    Not long ago, I would have marveled at the idea that the noble Bairon Wykes was so willing and open to following my lead, but even in my short time back, I could see just how much he had matured. The war had forged him into a true leader in a way neither of us could have expected, especially after his near-death at Cadell¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Thank you, Bairon, but this won¡¯t be that kind of training,¡± I said.


    Before they could ask questions, we all heard the grumbling approach of Gideon as he came through the open gate with Emily tottering along beside him underneath a pile of equipment. He wrinkled up his nose, presumably at the smell, and radiated pure irritation. ¡°What in all the worlds you think we need to be down in this abyss for, I¡¯ll never know.¡±


    ¡°Now that we¡¯re all here, let¡¯s get started,¡± I said, gesturing for everyone to follow me.


    We circled around the edge of theke until we were under the broad purple, green, and blue caps of the giant mushrooms. Varay and I¡ªand, to a lesser extent, Regis, who insisted on dragging a single leather satchel¡ªhelped Emily carry the equipment, then set it out on a series of t boulders after Emily made a fuss of clearing the dirt and moss off. I directed the three Lances to take seats in the thick moss next to the still water of theke. <sub>Visit ?????????????.??? for a better_user experience</sub>


    While Gideon and Emily set about the task of readying their equipment, I addressed the Lances. ¡°If we hope to break through the artificial barriers ced on you, we need to better understand them. The blood oaths you made don¡¯t inherently limit your ability to grow stronger, that is something Kezess Indrath did when he originally gave Dicathen the Lance artifacts, and I can tell you exactly why, because I¡¯ve seen Agrona do the same thing to his people.


    ¡°They¡¯ve seen what lessers are capable of. They know we can reach far beyond them, given the chance.¡± I told them about the djinn, how they had gained insight into aether and mana beyond even what the dragons could do, and how, when Kezess couldn¡¯t force them to share that insight, he had destroyed them.


    Mica cursed. Bairon frowned thoughtfully down at his knees. Varay¡¯s eyes were glued to me as she hung on every word I said.


    ¡°The asura expect¡ªdemand¡ªcontrol above all else. The Vritra n breeds people like mana beasts, while Indrath just ys god from afar, poking and prodding our societies into the shape he desires, then, like a rageful toddler, knocking all his toys down if he gets upset.


    ¡°In giving Dicathen the Lance artifacts, Kezess assured that certain family lineages were kept safe and politically powerful while actively declining in magical strength¡ªthe true power of this world. He did this by giving them you. Powerful protectors that were bound by blood oath from betraying them. And yet still, to keep any one person or nation from growing too strong magically, he prevented you from getting powerful enough to be a threat to the asura ns.


    ¡°Agrona had a finer line to walk. He needed soldiers who could fight asura, whether that be the other ns still in Epheotus or his own people if they thought to turn against him. But he had to be certain they couldn¡¯t ever grow strong enough to challenge him, and so he became the ultimate arbiter of who gets magic in crya.


    ¡°The truth is, the asura don¡¯t want us to make progress because they see it as an existential threat to their own dominion.¡±


    Something made a ssh in the middle of theke, the ripples slowly moving outward and disrupting the mirror-like surface.


    Varay adjusted herself on the mossy ground. ¡°You¡¯ve spent more time with the asura than any of us, Arthur. We trust your judgment on this issue, but it does beg the question: what do we do about it?¡±


    I held my hand out to her. She took it, and I pulled her to her feet. ¡°I didn¡¯t see it before, but the first dragon I ever met hinted at what wasing, and what the answer would be. She left a message embedded in the mana of my core, but told me I would only hear it when I had reached beyond white core. It was a temptation she knew I couldn¡¯t resist, a way to push me to a level far beyond what most mages would ever achieve.¡±


    ¡°And did you?¡± Varay asked, her hand a frigid w around mine. ¡°Is that how you gained your aetheric powers?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°My core shattered, releasing the message before its time, and my chance of passing beyond white core is gone. But¡±¡ªI activated Realmheart, seeing the reflection of the glowingvender runes on the surface of Varay¡¯s eyes¡ª¡°yours isn¡¯t, and I believe Kezess himself has given us the key to unshackle your true potential.¡±


    A/N: ICYMI: I wanted to leave a friendly reminder that there will be no chapter update next week!


    I will be spending the next week preparing¡ªboth emotionally and physically¡ªfor Emerald City Comic Con, where I hope to meet some of my readers there. ^^


    This is a big step for me, so I am equal parts excited and nervous. There will be a lot of behind-the-scenes and Q&A contenting from Comic Con(mostly in regards to theic), but I hope you will all enjoy it!

 Chapter 398

    Varay remained utterly still as my hand rested over her sternum. With Realmheart active, I could see the purified mana-like translucent snowkespacted within her core, perfectly controlled and radiating with purpose. The particles were steadily being distilled and released back into her body through her channels to strengthen her physical form and keep the conjured arm in ce.


    Along with the ability to see mana, Realmheart replicated the sixth sense a mana core provided for feeling mana in others, allowing me to feel the crushing weight and cial steadiness of Varay¡¯s core radiating out from her.


    I closed my eyes, focusing on this second sense.


    ¡°Release a small burst of mana,¡± I said quietly, then followed along as purified water mana¡ªnow sparkling motes of its deviant ice form within Varay¡¯s core¡ªraced out through her mana veins and into the atmosphere. ¡°Now, draw on the ambient mana and focus on purifying it inside your core. Specifically, think about rifying your core itself.¡±


    Varay took a steady breath in. I opened my eyes to watch the particles of atmospheric mana¡ªalmost all water and earth¡ªbe pulled into her body and then her core, just like how her lungs drew in the air. Within the snow-white core, the mana was quickly purified and made ready for her use.


    I asked her to repeat this process a couple of times, then moved on to Bairon. He studied me carefully as I pressed my hand to his sternum. I was surprised by the smoky tinge to his otherwise bright white core.


    ¡°Does your core or your mana feel any different now than before Cadell attacked you with soulfire?¡± I asked, watching closely as he released mana, took a stiff breath, and then drew it back in.


    He repeated the exercise again before answering. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to answer that question. I had to work tirelessly to rebuild my strength after that battle, and I nearly gave up and epted my fate.¡±


    ¡°Physically though¡­when you channel mana now, do you feel anything different in your core?¡±


    He closed his eyes as he repeated the cycle two more times. ¡°I¡¯m not confident that I¡¯ve regained all my strength,¡± he said eventually. ¡°But I also don¡¯t remember if the magic felt any different before.¡±


    Nodding silently, I moved on to Mica. As my hand pressed against her sternum, her lips curved up into a cool smirk. ¡°I told you once before, I¡¯m too old for you.¡±


    Regis was watching from the rocks where Gideon and Emily hadid out all of their equipment. He chuckled appreciatively. ¡°And much too pretty, too.¡±


    She cast a surprised look over her shoulder, then turned a raised brow in my direction. ¡°Is that tiny creature trying to flirt with me?¡±


    ¡°Actually, he¡¯s an asuran weapon of mass destruction, and he flirts with everyone,¡± I said matter-of-factly. ¡°Now focus. Release your mana, hold it, then draw ambient mana back in.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t sense whatever mechanism Kezess had used to put a ceiling on the Lances¡¯ potential, but I hadn¡¯t expected it to be this easy. Moreso, I needed to establish some baseline in the feel of each Lance¡¯ particr core and mana maniption.


    All three were incredibly efficient at both releasing and reabsorbing mana. Whatever hampered them, it seemed specifically designed so it wouldn¡¯t interrupt the process of actually using magic.


    ¡°All right, we¡¯re all set up over here,¡± Emily said, interrupting these thoughts.


    I nodded, and Emily and Gideon began outfitting the three Lances with various apparatus that would allow them to read mana output and reaction times much more urately than I could on my own.


    While they were doing that, I withdrew three items from my dimension rune. I handed the first to Mica, who turned it over curiously in her hand, and then its twin to Varay. Bairon received the horn I¡¯d taken from the ruined remains of the Wraith, Valeska, holding it carefully in front of him like it was a wasp nest.


    ¡°These horns contain a huge amount of mana,¡± I exined. ¡°You¡¯ll be drawing from them like I did with the retainer Uto¡¯s horns a long time ago. They are incredibly potent, but,¡± I said quickly, as both Bairon and Mica opened their mouths to speak, ¡°I need to warn you, there are additional effects as well. You¡¯ll capture some of the previous owner''s memories. It can be¡­ufortable.¡±


    The Lances¡¯ intrigue quickly soured into uncertainty. ¡°But what benefit do you hope that we¡¯ll gain from such a source of mana?¡± Varay questioned, setting the horn in herp and looking up at me. ¡°If your hope is to simply overpower the barrier with a sudden influx of mana, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s been tried before. Elixirs have no effect on us.¡±


    ¡°Nothing as easy as that,¡± I admitted, ncing at Emily, who gave me a thumbs up as she finished activating thest of the monitoring equipment. Behind her, Gideon was staring at the readout, his half-grown eyebrows furrowed in concentration. ¡°I can¡¯t promise our time and effort will bear fruit. But none of us can afford to just ept our current limitations.¡±


    Mica stared at the ground, her gaze distant and her expression stony. Next to her, there was a charge in Bairon¡¯s eyes, an intensity that filled the air with a buzzing static that raised the hairs on my arms.


    But it was Varay who surprised me.


    She stood up in one swift, graceful motion, her furrowed gaze locked on the mossy stone at my feet. ¡°Arthur, I know I speak for all the Lances when I say we are grateful for your time and effort.¡± A pause, just a heartbeat, then: ¡°But are you certain your efforts here are worth your time? You are the key to victory against crya and Epheotus. If your time would be better spent training yourself¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said firmly as her intense eyes bore into me. ¡°Dicathen doesn¡¯t need a savior or a¡­¡± I struggled for the word, then blurted out, ¡°another deity to rece the asura. It needs soldiers and generals. People. Heroes. Dicathen needs the Lances.¡±


    The ever-immovable Lance Varay faltered, just for a moment, her gaze searching to determine whether to believe my words. ¡°Of course. You¡¯re right.¡± Giving me a stiff bow, she sank back onto the soft bed of moss, holding the horn in both hands across herp. ¡°What do you want us to do?¡±


    Kneeling next to theke, I ran my fingers through the icy cold water. ¡°The first step is to figure out what exactly is preventing you from purifying your cores further. I want each of you to meditate while drawing on the mana contained in these horns. Normally, taking in such arge amount of mana so quickly would force a core to rapidly rify. As we monitor your cores during this sped-up process, we¡¯ll be able to watch for any signs of the binding affecting you.¡±


    ¡°You hope,¡± Gideon grumbled, drawing an irritated look from Emily.


    ¡°I do,¡± I said simply, holding my hands out to my sides. ¡°Now, are you ready to begin?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Varay said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this,¡± Mica added with a firm nod.


    Bairon said nothing, but closed his eyes and focused on the horn in his hands.


    ¡°All set over here,¡± Emily said eagerly.


    Regis hopped off the boulder and trotted up to Mica, who looked down at him in surprise, then up to me questioningly. The puppy gave a resigned sigh and said, ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited about this, but¡­¡± and then vanished into her body.


    Mica gasped and nearly jumped to her feet, but I stopped her with an outstretched hand. ¡°The mana in these horns could drive you mad. Regis and I are going to help keep you stable until you¡¯ve gotten control of it, okay?¡±


    ¡°Maybe a little warning next time?¡± she snapped. ¡°I feel vited.¡±


    I focused on Realmheart, channeling as much of my sensory perception through the godrune as possible. ¡°Go ahead, Mica. Begin.¡±


    The effect was immediate.


    Umbral mana, tinged by the ck shadow that clung to all things Vritra rted, began seeping from the horn and into Mica¡¯s body.


    She cringed at the sensation, and very nearly tossed her horn away. Her wide and frightened eyes stared ahead unseeing.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a vision,¡± I assured her, keeping my voice low and soothing. Her fingers were white around the jet-ck horn. ¡°Stay in yourself. Remember our purpose. Focus through it. Don¡¯t pull too hard. Just let the mana flow.¡±


    I kept up a steady stream of consoling, guiding words as I began pushing out with aether, intermingling it within the mana. It was drawn into her body alongside the mana, pulled by Regis¡¯s presence. Not all of the Vritra-born mana wanted to be drawn to her core and instead seeped out of her mana veins and into her body, but through careful maniption of the aether, I was able to round up these stray particles and herd them in the correct direction.


    Meanwhile, Mica¡¯s eyelids were pressed shut so hard the skin around them turned bright white, while her cheeks flushed plumb purple and she began to sweat heavily. By the way she gnashed her teeth and fidgeted restlessly, I knew whatever visions she was seeing must be pretty bad.


    ¡°I¡­I¡¯ve got it,¡± Mica said a few minutester, letting out the breath she¡¯d been holding. ¡°That was¡­totally, incredibly, extremely awful.¡±


    I bent down and closed her hands tight around the horn. ¡°Keep drawing on it, but not too fast.¡±


    Next, Regis and I moved onto Bairon. He adapted more quickly to the flow of the decay-corrupted mana and surfaced from the visions after only a minute or two. Varay had it harder, her visions so severe that I had to hold the horn in her hands for her as she whimpered and twitched. Eventually, though, she too had made it through, with Regis drawing my aether toward himself while I guided the gray particles of mana and prevented them from permeating her body.


    The Lances settled into a rhythm of slowly withdrawing and purifying mana from the horns, which almost looked as if they were burning as the dark mana boiled out to wreath the Lances¡¯ bodies in a smokey nimbus.


    Finally, with no danger of the mana poisoning their bodies or minds, I was able to really watch the process. Once in their cores, the mana was being processed, the impurities removed and culled by the core itself, leaving nothing but pure mana behind. But whatever process prevented the cores from rifying further wasn¡¯t immediately apparent.


    ¡°What are you seeing?¡± I asked Gideon as I watched the mana move in constant eddies within their cores.


    Gideon¡¯s grumpy facade had melted away as his mind bent to the task. I knew it would; he couldn¡¯t resist such aplex problem. ¡°There is a higher-than-normal amount of resistance as they draw in and begin processing the mana¡ªexcept for Lance Bairon, whose channels and core seem to be functioning at expected efficiency given the Lances¡¯ strength. I suspect it is due to the nature of the mana in question, however, not some symptom of the limiters ced upon them by the Lance artifacts.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too bad we don¡¯t have those artifacts still,¡± Emily added thoughtfully, one finger tapping against her cheek as she stared down at their equipment. ¡°It would make this easier if we could peel those apart and figure out how they worked.¡±


    ¡°That would be ideal, but¡±¡ªI imbued aether into the dimension rune, withdrawing two of the empowering rods¡ª¡°we do have these.¡±


    In one hand, I held the dwarven artifact, which was crafted from a handle of pure gold and studded along the length with obsidian rings. Arge ruby-red gem glowed faintly at one end. The second rod¡ªthe artifact designed only for use by humans¡ªwas topped with a blue gem, and its handle was forged of silver.


    ¡°But we can¡¯t use those,¡± Emily said nervously.


    ¡°Screw those evil things,¡± Gideon snapped vehemently at the same time.


    Of the Lances, only Bairon seemed able to focus on both the horn and our conversation, but he stayed silent, his visage that of a nervous soldier trusting his leaders¡¯ judgment.


    What Virion had said about Gideon¡¯s reaction to the artifacts came back to me. ¡°What did you discover in your examination of these?¡±


    ¡°¡®Godly tools are not crafted for mortal hands,¡¯¡± Gideon said as if reciting something from memory. ¡°Anyone with half a brain only has to look at those things for two seconds to see that they¡¯re a veritable bava of different spells allyered one over another, none of them decipherable even to a genius like myself. Maybe there is some good wrapped up in it all, but the asura haven¡¯t exactly proven their intentions good, so it would be utter foolishness to assume that there isn¡¯t more.¡±


    The truth was, I agreed entirely with Gideon¡¯s assessment. In my own overnight examination of the rods, I had discovered much¡ªmore, apparently, than Gideon¡ªincluding cataloging the first fewyers of spells and how they would unfold when the rods were activated. It was a risk, but I knew for certain that Kezess had to have built in a key to undo the Lances¡¯ imposed limit if the artifacts were to make them any stronger.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Gideon. Which is why we¡¯re not going to use them,¡± I said. ¡°At least, not the way Kezess Indrath intended.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve discovered something then?¡± Gideon¡¯s half-grown brows drew up into the middle of his wrinkled forehead and he leaned over his boulder toward me. ¡°Go on.¡±


    I exined what I had deciphered in my admittedly short time spent studying the artifacts. Gideon nodded along, and before long Emily was grinning beside him. ¡°That¡¯s a good thought,¡± they said simultaneously, drawing a barkingugh from Regis.


    ¡°You two spend too much time together,¡± he cackled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you primarily live inside Arthur?¡± Emily shot back, still smirking. ¡°Like¡­a parasite or something?¡±


    ¡°Point, Watsken,¡± Regis said, his little snout bobbing up and down appreciatively.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not waste any more time,¡± I said, returning the dwarven artifact back to my dimension rune and maneuvering around in front of Varay. ¡°Mica, Bairon, reduce your draw on the horn to as little as possible without severing your connection. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re at risk of draining the horns prematurely, but better safe than sorry.¡±


    They wordlessly did as I asked, and there was a slight reduction in the amount of smoky mana pouring into them.


    Varay¡¯s icy gaze followed me intensely. The fingers of her natural hand twitched against the horn. She drew in a deep breath and steadied herself.


    To Realmheart, it looked as if the uneven flow of mana through her body smoothed into a steady flow, its movement in her core bing a consistent rotating motion as the new mana was continually integrated into that which was already purified.


    With aether acting as an extension of my senses, I reached into her core, felt the walls, where mana should have continued to scour away what minute imperfections it still had. But the mana moved just inside the core¡¯s walls, never touching or prating it beyond where the body¡¯s channels and veins ran into the organ.


    Varay was quickly reaching the limit of how much mana she could absorb. Soon it would be difficult for her to continue drawing in mana, and, for all the mana she could still absorb, an equal amount of purified mana would leak out of her core. This would waste the mana while also being far too slow of a process to help us see what was happening.


    Despite how much mana she had already absorbed, I still couldn¡¯t sense any mechanism behind the phenomena I was witnessing. I ground my teeth, feeling frustrated for the first time. I had thought for sure that the influx of mana would be the key to discovering what Kezess had done to them.


    ¡°What¡­should I do?¡± Varay asked after another long moment, her voice strained between clenched teeth.


    The gears of my mind were spinning hastily.


    Emily and Gideon hadn¡¯t yet seen anything useful in all their readings. I had the rod, but I couldn¡¯t trust the artifact¡¯s internal programming to function if I was inhibiting certain effects. Before I could use them, I needed to understand exactly how the limiting spell worked. Even making an educated guess could be horribly dangerous to the Lances. If I couldn¡¯t appropriately direct the spells once I¡¯d released them, this would all be a total waste.


    Varay needed to move more mana.


    Think, Arthur. Kezess had designed the Lance artifacts to create a limiter, but more than that, this limiter was carefully hidden, undetectable even when the mage was maniptingrge amounts of mana. Certainly, that meant he had concerns, even back when the artifacts were created, that the artificial barrier could be circumvented somehow. But what did he do? How could he hide a spell like that? And, more importantly, how could I find it?


    One problem at a time, I told myself, trying to coral the rushing torrent of my mind.


    More immediately a problem, I needed Varay to be able to keep moving mana. If only she could use mana rotation.


    My mind ground to a halt. Mana rotation¡­


    Sylvia had insisted humans were too rigid in their thinking to learn the ability, but much of what the dragons had told me had turned out to be wrong, or at the very least iplete. Now it seemed entirely possible that the dragons themselves were too rigid and simplistic in the way they saw humans, elves, and dwarves to see our potential.


    Steeling myself, I said, ¡°I know this is going to sound impossible, but, Varay, I need you to expend a pretty significant amount of mana without breaking your connection with the horn.¡±


    Her brows furrowed into a frustrated scowl. ¡°You¡¯re¡­right. That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± I assured her. ¡°I learned how when I was only four.¡±


    She scoffed, and the flow of mana wobbled. Her expression hardened, and I could practically feel her will mping down like a vice as she regained control. ¡°Way to¡­kick me while I¡¯m down.¡±


    Rubbing the back of my neck, I gave her an apologetic smile. ¡°I was going to say that the dragon who taught me said only someone with a pliable body and core could learn it. Like a kid. But¡­I think she must have been wrong.¡±


    Reading my thoughts, Regis became incorporeal and jumped into Varay¡¯s body.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to help guide the mana with aether, like before, to stabilize the connection. I need you to keep part of your focus on the horn, but the other part, I need you to cast a spell. Something you can do without thinking.¡± To help the connection, I leaned toward her and took her hands in mine, keeping them clenched tightly around Cadell¡¯s horn.


    ¡°Try flying,¡± Bairon said, most of his attention on us as he continued to draw only a trickle of mana from the horn in hisp.


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect,¡± I said, giving him a grateful nod before turning all my attention back to Varay and the stream of mana and aether that connected us and the horn.


    Varay bit her lip, a sh of uncertainty crossing her face, then again wrenched control back. Nothing happened for a minute, then two. Then five.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Varay finally admitted, a hint of shame in her voice, ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Refusing to let myself be frustrated, I kept going back over Sylvia¡¯s lessons in my head.


    But¡­I can¡¯t teach Varay the way Sylvia taught me, I realized with a sudden rush of adrenaline.


    I had to do it my own way, how only I could.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I shook my head. ¡°Follow along carefully. I can show you.¡±


    Like shaping y with a trowel, I began to reform the mana in Varay¡¯s core with my aether. This couldn¡¯t be done with mana, as a mage couldn¡¯t influence the mana inside another mage¡¯s body. At first I was just pulling it out, creating little more effect than if we¡¯d let it be forced out naturally, but that was only the start. Bairon¡¯s suggestion, I thought, was perfect.


    Flying was second nature to the Lances as white core mages, something they did without thought, manipting the ambient mana around them to lift them off the ground. For even a silver core mage, such a feat would have drained their mana reserves in minutes, but a white core mage could fly for hours. It was something Varay and I both understood intimately, and one of the few ¡°spells¡± that worked exactly the same for all Lances.


    Another minute passed as I practiced the mana-through-aether maniption while simultaneously keeping a steady stream of aether flowing to herd the horn¡¯s mana to its final destination in her core, where Regis hovered to draw the aether more urately.


    And then, with a suddenness that caught me off guard, Varay drifted up off the bed of moss.


    ¡°This feels so strange,¡± she muttered, wobbling slightly.


    ¡°Hone in on that feeling,¡± I said as I stood up to stay on a level with her, my hands still wrapped around hers. ¡°Just hold it in your mind for a minute. Getfortable with the sensation of both manipting the mana and drawing it in at the same time.¡±


    Varay nodded as she frowned. Her expression soon turned into unyielding determination, as though her pride wouldn¡¯t ept anything but sess.


    Then,ing out victorious, her expression softened. Her breathing evened and her body stilled as though she was meditating.


    We stayed like that for another minute, then slowly, very slowly, I began withdrawing my own influence, leaving her to keep the mana flowing on her own. With each step, her flight would be unstable as she rocked about in the air, then she¡¯d mp down and exert control over it, and I¡¯d ease off a little more.


    Just as I was about to release thest piece of my influence, Varay reached out and clutched my hand. I couldn¡¯t suppress a surprised smile despite the biting cold of the ice. Holding on tight, I stopped channeling aether through her core and the spell.


    Still cross-legged, Varay hovered a few feet off the ground as gray mana poured over and into her from Cadell¡¯s horn.


    It was a wonder, really, but the breakthrough was so far from what we were trying to aplish, it was hard to see it as such. For our purpose, it was hardly a stepping stone.


    ¡°Emily, tell me you see something here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, the readings don¡¯t show anything¡ª¡±


    Gideon¡¯s voice interrupted hers. ¡°Open your eyes, girl. Look, here.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? I really don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Right here¡ª¡±


    ¡°Guys!¡± I snapped, my nerves taught as a pulled bowstring.


    ¡°Oh! I think I see it,¡± Emily said, her voice an excited squeak.


    I was following the absorption and release of Varay¡¯s mana through Realmheart, but couldn¡¯t see or sense anything new. ¡°So what is it then?¡±


    She was leaning down toward the series of indecipherable readouts arrayed before her, squinting through her sses as Gideon pointed at something. ¡°Sort of like¡­crevices or wounds in the core itself, ces where the core is inactive.¡±


    Regis, do you sense anything like that?


    ¡®Everything is all shiny and white in here. No wounds to be seen.¡¯


    Aetheric particles swarmed in and around Varay¡¯s core. With them, I poked and prodded everywhere I could reach, but I couldn¡¯t sense these crevices Emily was describing.


    ¡°I need you to output more mana,¡± I told Varay. A sudden thought lit up like a lighting artifact in my mind. ¡°Your arm. Varay, you¡¯re already maintaining a constant stream of mana just to sustain your arm. Focus on that. Push more mana to it, out of it. It doesn¡¯t matter what the mana is doing, just so long as you are channeling it and maintaining space to keep drawing in more.¡±


    Frost began creeping along the frozen exterior of Varay¡¯s conjured arm. Just a hint at first, then more as crystals of ice formed over the smooth surface, freezing my skin and sending a web of light blue ice crawling up my arm. The air around us grew bitter cold, finally resulting in a gently falling snow all around us.


    ¡°Perfect, keep that up.¡±


    As more and more mana began to leave her core, it reached a kind of equilibrium.


    Emily gasped. ¡°There!¡±


    Just as she said it, I found them. Amidst the perfectly bnced input and output of mana through the core, there were six points where a faint disturbance in the otherwise smooth flow could be sensed. Simply absorbing mana hadn¡¯t highlighted the spots due to the way the iing mana swirled and eddied as it pushed andpacted against the already existing mana.


    In any other circumstance, the wounds¡ªno, scars, I thought¡ªwere entirely undetectable. Kezess must have thought his spell was perfectly hidden. A spark of retaliatory pleasure brought a smirk to my lips.


    ¡°Well done, Emily. That has to be it.¡±


    But what are these points, and how are they preventing the mana from continuing to rify the Lances¡¯ cores?


    Each breakthrough was only the smallest stepping stone on the path to understanding.


    ¡°I need to let go. As much as you can, don¡¯t let this mana spread in your body. But I think we¡¯re almost there.¡± Varay gave me a single jerky nod in acknowledgement, and I released both her hand and my constant output of aether.


    Brushing the frost off my skin, I picked up the silver-handled rod. ¡°Emily, leave the readouts to Gideon. I think I¡¯ll need your help for this.¡±


    Reluctantly, she left her equipment behind and circled around the Lances to stand beside me. I set the incandescent sapphire crystal against Varay¡¯s sternum. ¡°Okay, imbue mana into the rod.¡±


    I felt her eyes burning into the side of my face, but kept my gaze on the crystal and staff, watching every infinitesimal movement of the mana and aether. After a few seconds, she gripped the staff between two of the silver rings, just below my own hand, and pushed out with mana.


    The crystal zed with blue light, refracting off the snowkes in the air and bathing thekeside in sparkling sapphire light. Immediately, mana and aether jumped to life, the particles condensing into spells and rushing along the length of the staff.


    Reaching out, I pulled at the aether surrounding and imbuing the staff. The coalescing spells jerked to a halt, jagged and misshapen, and the staff began to tremble in my hand.


    A cold sweat broke out across my brow, and I redoubled my effort to hold the magic in ce. The rod itself was designed to release several spells in sequence, but I couldn¡¯t allow that. Whatever Kezess intended for these implements, they would only harm us in the long run. Instead, I needed to release only the spell that would undo the damage to Varay¡¯s core.


    With the screech of metal shearing, a crack ran the length of the rod. The force of holding back so much mana was ripping the artifact apart from the inside.


    Regis!


    Mypanion flew free of Varay¡¯s body, his form appearing only for an instant as a burning wisp, then he vanished into the rod.


    His pain wracked my body as the surging force around the artifact began tearing at his incorporeal form. ¡®Argh! It¡¯s like¡­trying to piss in a¡­hurricane¡­¡¯


    The gem¡¯s light began to sh intermittently from the buildup of energy. The heat turned the snowkes to rain.


    My heart thrummed like the wings of a butterfly, and sweat was pouring into my unblinking eyes. There was too much energy¡ªmore than there should have been. It was like the rod was reacting to being tampered with. A safeguard, I realized with a sick twist in my guts. A trap in case anyone messed around with the artifacts. Damn it!


    My entire body began to shake. ¡°You all need to¡­run,¡± I said, the words vibrating oddly as they left my mouth.


    Varay was oblivious to my warning, but Mica and Bairon were halfway to their feet in an instant. Bairon reached for Varay as Mica turned, apparently intending to grab Emily and Gideon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move, you idiots,¡± Gideon snapped. He¡¯d coiled some kind of wire around his shoulder and was slowly, carefully approaching me, Varay, and the artifact.


    With a kind of clip, he attached one end of the wire to the artifact. The other trailed like a long copper worm back to the equipmentid out behind the Lances. The pressure instantly lessened, and I sensed mana being drawn quickly back along the wires and into a series of mana crystals.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got about twenty seconds before those crystals overload and we all die horribly,¡± Gideon said nonchntly.


    With the pressure lessened and Regis there to help draw and focus my aether, I wrapped the rod¡¯s magic in my own power and mped down as hard as my will allowed. The mana stabilized, but it wasn¡¯t going tost for long.


    ¡®What exactly are we doing here?¡¯ Regis asked with the mental equivalent of letting out a deep, momentarily relieved breath.


    The third spell contained in the rod was a vivum-based healing spell. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s the spell to heal their cores, but everything is all jumbled up.


    Worse than being jumbled up, many of the spells looked broken. The ramping pressure and subsequent drain on the artifact¡¯s mana had left many of the spells iplete.


    ¡®Here!¡¯ Regis thought urgently, drawing my attention to a specific swarm of mana and aether within the relic.


    Crushed and distorted, a thread of vivum-type aether wound around an amorphous wave of silvery mana like that used by my mother in her healing spells.


    Using my own purified aether, I began to weave together a barrier around the spell, effectively cutting it off from the rest of the mana, like a seamstress cutting away the stitching to remove a single piece of fabric from a garment.


    ¡°Running out of time,¡± Gideon said as he examined the bank of mana crystals.


    Next to me, Emily whimpered. Her knuckles were white around the silver shaft. Suddenly her knees buckled, and she began to fall.


    I wrapped one arm around her, pulling her against my side.


    With the spell separated from the rest, I released it, then watched as it flowed out through the crystal and into Varay¡¯s core. The mana and aether buzzed around the core, but nothing happened.


    ¡°Gideon?¡± I shouted.


    He bent over the readouts. ¡°No change.¡±


    My breath caught. All that leaked mana, all thepression and dy, shearing apart the spells¡­


    We must have broken something. The spell wasn¡¯tplete, wasn¡¯t functional.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I ground out through clenched teeth. A fuzzy static was building up around the edge of my peripheral vision from the strain.


    Taking the smallest piece of my consciousness, I broke away a sliver of aether and empowered the Aroa¡¯s Requiem godrune. Golden light burned against the conjured rain pattering softly around us. My vision became little more than a clear tunnel at the center of a static void. I tried to blink it away to no avail.


    Aetheric particles danced down my arm and across the surface of the rod. The cracks closed as the particles broke away and condensed there, undoing the damage to the artifact itself. Thergest share of my focus remained on the broken spell, and I willed the golden motes past the artifact and into Varay¡¯s core.


    Fix the spell, I urged. I understood the intent behind the spell, if not the specifics. That had to be enough. But Aroa¡¯s Requiem only bumbled about within the core. The particles didn¡¯t gravitate toward the broken spell. In an act of pure desperation, I turned them toward the core itself, hoping to scrub away the scars and reverse the damage Kezess had done.


    Still, nothing happened. My insight into the godrune wasn¡¯tplete. I couldn¡¯t heal a person, and apparently I couldn¡¯t remake a broken spell either.


    I found myself considering those moments back in the Relictombs when I rushed to acquire insight via the keystone. So much of what had happened since could have been fixed if only I¡¯d had a moreplete insight into Aroa¡¯s Requiem. But whatever force handed down these godrunes seemed to be ying cruel jokes on me.


    ¡®Art, the spells in the rod,¡¯ Regis said, drawing my attention back to where the spell had first been formed within the artifact.


    With the sharp sound of the silver shearing over and over again, the artifact kept healing and breaking, then healing again. Within it, the spells were doing the same.


    Each time the aetheric particles from Aroa¡¯s Requiem fixed the artifact, the spells within reappeared, whole and undamaged.


    That¡¯s it!


    Reading my thoughts, Regis rushed out of the artifact and took physical form, his jaws closing around the crystal at the end. Just as the rod healed, I cut away the healing spell with aether, and Regis pulled at the Vivum enveloping the silvery mana. It tugged loose before Gideon¡¯s device could disce any of the mana, and Regis swallowed it.


    The spell drifted into him, searching for a core. He pounced at Varay, bing incorporeal just as his paws touched her, and then shot into her core. The spell, pulled into her through him, was released. It immediately broke into six equal parts, but they were directionless.


    Releasing Aroa¡¯s Requiem so I could send a tendril of aether into Varay¡¯s core, I maneuvered each drifting star of silver mana to one of the scars.


    White radiance spilled across the surface of Varay¡¯s core, then raced along her channels and veins until it came out her pores, bathing her in a soft white light.


    ¡°Now, Emily, now!¡± I said in a broken croak.


    Emily¡¯s mana receded, and she yanked her hand away from the artifact, her body slumping against me from pure exhaustion.


    The magic surging within the rod went still, the particles tumbling free of their constricted shapes, the spells fizzling out without effect.


    Varay¡¯s eyes rolled back in her head and she tumbled out of the air, falling prone on the ground beside Bairon. He jerked as if to catch her, remembered the horn in his hand, and froze.


    As quickly and softly as I could, I eased the tremnt Emily onto the ground before hurrying to Varay. Her breathing was shallow and her connection to the horn had been severed, but she was alive. I pulled her upright. ¡°Varay? Varay. Come on, Lance.¡±


    Suddenly her arms wrapped around me and she was pulling me into a tight hug, her breathing in shallow gasps. I froze, caught off guard.


    ¡°It worked,¡± she gasped. ¡°I can feel it, Arthur.¡±


    I searched her core, and a broad grin spread across my face as I realized she was right. The mana filled her entire core, pressing out against the hardened shell. As I watched, she reached for the atmospheric mana around us and drew it in.


    Where it scoured against the white walls of the organ, no longer held at bay by whatever scars the Lance artifacts had left on her.


    We¡¯d done it.


    Indrath¡¯s spell was undone.

 Chapter 399

    The air of the Cerulean Savanna, home of the Thyestes n, was warm and dry, but a slight breeze always blew over the grasnds, making the tall blue-green des dance like ocean waves. We called this the Warrior¡¯s Wind, a magical phenomenon conjured millennia past to ensure that the pantheons training out in the hot savanna would always have a breeze to cool them.


    I could see the savanna for many miles in each direction from my perch, over the top of the blue-tiled roofs of Battle¡¯s End. Our sprawling vige grew in shades of red and blue from the very center of the Cerulean Savanna, and was the ce all pantheons thought of as home, even those from other n¡¯s who had never lived here. It was the hearnd of all our race.


    ¡°The way your eyes drink in the sight of the savanna, one might be forgiven for thinking you expect never to see it again, old friend.¡±


    ¡°Sharing such tidings brings me no sce, Lord Thyestes,¡± I said, dragging my gaze away from the horizon to focus on the many-eyed pantheon lord, ¡°but I fear it may be so.¡±


    Ademir¡¯s four front-facing eyes all focused on me, while the eyes at each side of his head moved rapidly, tracking even the smallest motion around us. ¡°Are you ready to tell me why you¡¯ve left Indrath Castle, then?¡±


    I steadied my breath and adjusted my posture, which was slipping. A sign of my inner turmoil, I thought.


    Ademir and I were both high above the ground, carefully bnced atop towering poles norger around than my pinky. A spiral of such poles filled the central courtyard of Battle¡¯s End. The shortest and thickest were to the outside of the spiral, and they grew thinner and taller until reaching the central rod, which was delicate as a needle.


    We were several poles from the center, across from one another. Ademir had taken a slightly higher, thinner pole than I, and while I could have gone higher, it would have been an act of disrespect to speak down to my lord.


    As was tradition, the higher-ranking pantheon also chose the training pose. Ademir had opted for the rtively simple de-dancer¡¯s pose. Matching him, I bnced on one toe with my left leg stuck out at a downward angle behind me, my toes pointing to the ground. My hands were held stiffly across my body, one palm-down at the level of my core, the second palm-up before my stomach.


    ¡°My service to Kezess has ended,¡± I said at length. This promation was followed by another long pause as I considered my words. ¡°I am not a sword to be swung without consideration.¡±


    Ademir broke form just long enough to flick a venomous hunter fly from the air, then slid effortlessly back into the de-dancer¡¯s pose. ¡°Few asura now alive can remember the time before Kezess Indrath forged the Great Eight and brought the ns together. Epheotus was a ce of endless war and death, a wild and untamed world full of walking catastrophes like the living mountain, Geolus. It is said that the Cerulean Savanna itself was ttened by pantheons wielding the World Eater technique in battle against the dragons and hamadryads.


    ¡°And Kezess has long taken credit for ending that age, forbidding the use of the World Eater technique because of its history. Its use nearly destroyed our n, our race, and all of Epheotus. It breaks not only the world, but the caster as well, and so the pantheons of that age realized it would be better to live in subservience than die among the shattered remains of our world.¡±


    A sudden truth revealed itself to me, and the knowledge left a bitter-cold sickness in my guts. ¡°Lord Indrath refused to allow our n to forget the technique. He demanded that at least one Thyestes pantheon always carry knowledge of the World Eater technique, so that he could use it if necessary.¡±


    Ademir did not respond. He didn¡¯t need to.


    I thought back to my training, the crushing weight of my pride as I worked for decades to assimte my teacher¡¯s knowledge of the technique. The eager young pantheon that I had been thought himself a righteous guardian, a protector of sacred forbidden knowledge and of his n, his people, of all Epheotus.


    And yet my pride had made me easy to manipte.


    Just like young Taci.


    Because Kezess needed us to be willing to use the World Eater technique if he somanded.


    ¡°I am afraid I must leave Epheotus,¡± I said, the words sounding as tired as I suddenly felt.


    ¡°I know,¡± Ademir replied. His head turned slightly, and one bright purple eye stopped its rapid movement as it focused on something. I followed the line of his gaze. Wren was hurrying toward the base of the bnce posts, waving a hand to get my attention.


    Ademir released the de-dancer and settled into a rest pose. ¡°I won¡¯t insult you by acting as though I have wisdom to share with you, Aldir. You are a paragon of our kind.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lord Thyestes.¡± Then, seeing how agitated Wren was, I added, ¡°Excuse me,¡± before leaning off my perch and falling. I caught my momentum at thest moment and touched down softly on the hard-packed ground. ¡°Wren, what is it?¡±


    Wren was stone-jawed and spoke stiffly as he said, ¡°My golems have seen a force of dragons on the move through the savanna, led by your old buddy Windsom. Something about their pale, scowling faces and the way their knees shake with each step tells me their mission isn¡¯t a peaceful one, but that they also don¡¯t seem too terribly excited about what they¡¯ve got to do. Do you think, just maybe, that has something to do with you?¡±


    ¡°Dragons? Marching on Battle¡¯s End?¡± Ademir growled as hended beside us, the threat in his words unmistakable. ¡°Now of all times? If he thinks I¡¯ll let this outrage stand¡ª¡±


    ¡°Peace, old friend,¡± I said, touching my closed eyes and then resting my hand over his heart. ¡°I ask for your vow, Ademir. Do not involve the n, whateveres of this incursion. They are not here for the Thyestes.¡±


    ¡°They maye for one, but they¡¯ll find us all, Aldir,¡± he said firmly, starting to turn away from me. ¡°No member of the Thyestes n will¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then you must banish me.¡±


    Ademir was so caught off guard by the interruption that it took him several seconds toprehend my actual words. He scoffed, but didn¡¯t move or speak.


    ¡°Lord Thyestes, I have given every moment of my very long life¡ªsacrificed everything outside of my duties¡ªto protect my n and people.¡± Moving my hand up to the back of his neck, I gently pulled him forward until our foreheads touched. ¡°Now, I am prepared to go willingly into exile to do the same. But you must let me.¡±


    His hand rested on my forearm for a moment, then he pulled away. Craggy lines of pain marred his usually calm features. Several seconds passed, and I sensed him gathering his strength.


    ¡°Go then. You¡­are banished, Aldir, from this ce and this n.¡±


    As he said the words, a scorching fire ripped through the flesh of my neck. The Brand of the Banished. A physical symbol of myck of a ce within Battle¡¯s End or the Cerulean Savanna. The pain was like nothing I had ever felt before, and yet I did not allow myself to express it beyond the grinding of my teeth.


    ¡°No pantheon in Epheotus will aid you.¡± His voice grew rough and emotional as he said thest. ¡°But know that you still may find aid and sor, should you need it. If you do seek respite in the lessers¡¯ world, go to the ce known as the Beast des on their continent of Dicathen. The ancient dungeons there still contain many secrets, and perhaps even assistance for any wayward sons and daughters of Battle¡¯s End.¡±


    The road of my life had been both long and strenuous, but before I had always known it finished here, at Battle¡¯s End. Now, that future was gone. Despite having asked for it, it left me feeling momentarily disoriented and adrift, cut off from my own future and fate.


    At the very least, it frees me of the burden of ever teaching the World Eater technique to another, I realized as an afterthought.


    Then Wren shifted, his clever eyes reading me as inly as if I were one of the story tapestries in Indrath Castle, and I settled into my new direction. For a being as old as I was, new was a difficult concept to wrap my head around.


    But I wasn¡¯t rudderless. I knew where I was going next, even if I didn¡¯t understand what mighte of that journey.


    And so, with a final bow to Ademir, who could not meet my eyes as I was no longer of the Thyestes, I turned on my heel and marched from the square and into the wide, packed-earth streets of Battle¡¯s End. Eyes followed me while pretending not to as I passed the homes, training yards, and merchant stalls, all of which were now shut to me. No one wished me farewell or good luck, or bayed me good health and strength on my travels, as was tradition.


    It hurt more than I had imagined it could. Myck of respect for Kezess and his decisions fomented into hate in that moment. When I used the World Eater technique, I sacrificed my honor and pride. That had been bad enough. But now he had taken my home and heritage as well, and for that, I would never forgive the lord of dragons.


    It was with this bitter, fury-fueled fire zing within me I stepped beyond the boundaries of Battle¡¯s End, but it was fear that kept me from looking back, fear that the loss would sweep my legs from beneath me if I did.


    The savanna grasses grew shoulder-high to either side of the well-trodden path, their aquamarines, cyans, turquoises, and teals endlessly whipping back and forth in the Warrior¡¯s Wind. The grasnds no longer felt like a softly rolling ocean, but ten million spears marching at my side toward my oldest and dearest friend among the dragons. It was something, to think that the savanna still stood with me.


    It was not long before I found them. I took some small, vindictive pleasure from seeing a dozen dragon soldiers stop suddenly, like their legs would not carry them any closer to me. Windsom, who was leading them, lifted his chin and dragged his most imperious mask across his face, waiting for me to approach.


    ¡°Aldir of the Thyestes n, I have been sent to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Of the Thyestes no longer,¡± I said formally, cutting across his haughty speech. ¡°I have been banished.¡±


    Windsom¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°A convenient shield for your nsmen, but it also simplifies things for Lord Indrath.¡±


    ¡°You are here to arrest me and take me back to receive Kezess¡¯s judgment,¡± I said, taking a step closer, the magic connecting me to my weapon, Silverlight, tingling across my fingertips.


    The soldiers¡¯ hands tightened around their weapons.


    Windsom¡¯s expression remained impassive. ¡°Only if you make us. Lord Indrath demands your presence immediately, and we are here topel your acquiescence.¡± His brows arched and he straightened yet further, his mana swelling in a poor imitation of true King¡¯s Force. ¡°With violence if necessary, although Lord Indrath and I both believe you wille peaceably.¡±


    I scanned the faces of the soldiers. I knew them all. Brawny Tassos I had saved from a phoenix me-rider during the skirmishes after Prince Mordain disappeared. The twins Alkis and Irini had been trained by Kordri since they were just children. I was surprised to see Kastor, who was one of Lady Myre¡¯s private guards. But then, I was quite unsurprised to see the glowering Spiros, who I¡¯d demoted for his callous and bitter attitude toward the other ns, and who had hated me ever since.


    It was just the same with all the others. I knew them. I¡¯d trained them, fought with them,manded them.


    That was why he¡¯d chosen these dragons. Not because of their strength¡ªalthough they were each powerful in their own right¡ªbut because they had served and fought alongside me.


    And now those years of service counted for nought. Like Windsom, they were entirely loyal to Kezess, and they wore their loyalty like a blindfold, ensuring they saw nothing but what he wished them to see.


    Right now, he sowed fear among them, I could see it in their eyes. These dragons were ready to fight me, but afraid to do so. As they should be.


    The wrath reared up like a hades serpent within me again. I thought I was done with death. After Elenoir, I had neither the heart nor stomach to end more lives, or so I¡¯d told myself. Now, looking at these once-friends and allies, each of them ready toy down their lives to protect Kezess¡¯s lies, I made a decision.


    If they did not value their lives, then neither would I.


    ¡°I won¡¯t return, not by choice, not by force.¡±


    Windsom could not entirely suppress his surprise. His eyes widened and his right foot slid back half a step. The aura emanating from him wavered. ¡°You have changed, old friend. I see nothing of the once great General Aldir left in you.¡± Turning to Spiros, he nodded. ¡°Alive if possible, but Lord Indrath would rather have his corpse than nothing.¡±


    ¡°But, Lord Windsom, you assured us that¡ª¡±


    Irini¡¯s question was cut short as Spiros thrust his short spear forward and shouted, ¡°Take him down!¡± Then the soldiers were moving, breaking into formations of four, with Spiros, Tassos, and two others closing first.


    Silverlight shimmered into my hand in the shape of a curved kopis, and I stepped into Spiros¡¯s charge. The curved de caught his spear, which I pulled up to block a downward cut from Tassos¡¯s overge two-handed sword. A longspear thrust at my back snagged the fabric of my tunic as I pivoted, and a burning whip cracked before wrapping around my forearm.


    Twisting, I hurled Spiros and Tassos backwards while ripping the whip-wielding dragon off his feet.


    The longspear thrust again, but Silverlight snapped out and caught the haft just below the forged tip, shearing it in two.


    Time began to slow.


    One of the soldiers teamed with Alkis and Irini was glowing with golden runes that ran along her tan flesh. Another was standing between her and me, two short, leaf-shaped des raised defensively. Alkis and Irini were to either side of the pair, their weapons up, but their focus was on each other as they shared some silentmunication.


    Opposite them, having circled around me, thest four dragons were transforming. Their physical forms swelled outwards, bumping into one another, scales racing over their bodies as the humanoid features melted away to be reptilian and monstrous.


    I saw only a ssh of colors: white and gold, blue-ck, emerald green, and the burning orange of distant fire before turning back to the more immediate threat.


    The severed spear tip was still somersaulting through the air. I took hold of it, spun, and let it fly at the rune-covered dragon¡¯s left eye. The defending twin des came up and knocked the projectile aside, but not before the rune-covered dragon¡¯s eyes flinched shut.


    My mana signature melted away as I channeled Mirage Walk. Before her aevum spell could fully take form, I pushed mana into every cell of my body and stepped out from between my attackers, past the dragon bearing two des, and just beside the rune-covered soldier. Her eyes snapped open just as Silverlight pierced her core.


    The slowly building weight of the time-stop spell snapped like a frayed rope.


    Spinning, I hurled the dying dragon into her protector, sending them both crashing to the ground.


    Silverlight jumped out of my hand and shed through the burning whip, the end of which fell to the dirt and writhed like a dying viper. At the same time, a shadow fell over the battlefield.


    The now fully-transformed dragons wheeled in the sky above. Thergest, her scales glowing white and gold, opened her jaws and breathed out a cone of blue fire tinged purple with aether.


    Silverlight shot back to my hand and I shed the air while calling upon the force-type mana arts of my kind. The mes were shed into two separate halves, and the soldiers all around me were forced to dodge as the attack burned away the ground to either side of me. The white-gold dragon twisted rapidly in the air, folding in her wings and diving to avoid my strike.


    Pirouetting, I carved a wide arc around me, projecting out a scything force. The savanna rang with a sound like forge hammers falling on hot steel as the force crashed against the soldiers¡¯ aether-infused weapons.


    All except for the man with the twin leaf-shaped des.


    Half-risen, his furious gaze still on his dyingpanion, he brought his des up far toote, and my attack struck him full across the chest, rending his armor and opening his flesh. I sensed his mana flicker and die before his body had even hit the ground. A momentter, the rune-covered woman faded as well.


    This. This was yet another cruelty I wouldy at Kezess¡¯s feet. These deaths were as much his work as mine.


    ¡°General Aldir, please, stop this madness!¡± Irini shouted from beside the road. She had thrown herself into the savanna grass to avoid the dragon¡¯s fire and was bleeding from cuts all down her arms and legs as the Warrior¡¯s Wind whipped the grass about. ¡°We only meant to¡ªhurk¡ª¡±


    A de of cyan grass thrust up underneath her chin, piercing her skull. Her misty pink eyes blinked rapidly as she stared at me with dawning terror, then the grass all around her was cutting and shing, ripping her to pieces.


    The savanna was burning, I realized. The dragonfire had set it aze. It was under attack, and so it was fighting back. Defending itself and the pantheons.


    ¡°Irini!¡± her brother shouted, his voice cracking. He sprinted for her, no threat to me, and I turned my focus away.


    Two of the transformed dragons dove from opposite directions, one unleashing a ball of blue fire from its mouth, the other a beam of white lightning. Hidden within the maelstrom of spellwork, I felt Spiros¡¯s shortspear whistling through the air, and from another direction the whip cracked and cut toward my legs.


    With Mirage Walk already active, I was able to instantly step from ce to ce, easily avoiding the attacks. Or rather, I should have been able to do so, but when I tried, I felt myself m into some invisible barrier. My shoulder ripped free of its socket from the force of the impact, and I went stumbling back.


    The spear hit me just below the breastbone. With a purple shimmer, the aether infused within it punctured my mana. The pain of it traveling through my body and lodging against the ribs near my spine was nothingpared to the brand still burning on my neck.


    Dropping to one knee, I took the butt of the spear in one hand while lifting Silverlight over my head with the other.


    A transparent sphere of cool light wrapped around me just as the dragon¡¯s breath-weapons converged.


    Fire and lightning crushed in on the barrier, and Silverlight trembled in my fist as she drank desperately from my mana. Violent ripples ran through the shield.


    It shattered.


    I burst upward, running along the beam of lightning. With a screech, the blue-ck dragon breathing it out snapped closed its jaws and banked sharply away.


    An instantter, Silverlight cut the air, projecting a wide arc of cutting force. Blood burst from the dragon¡¯s underbelly, and it listed to the side before careening into the savanna, where the grass came alive, turning the blues and greens to dark crimson.


    Curved ws like scimitars closed around me, pinning my arms to my side. The massive bulk of an emerald green dragon blotted out the sky above me, and both dragon and I began to tremble.


    ¡°Go, Kastor!¡± the white and gold dragon shouted, and I understood.


    The trembling became a vibration, and the ck scales took on an amethyst sheen.


    Kastor was teleporting us back to the base of Mount Gelous.


    I released Silverlight and groped for the end of one of therge ws. When I found one, I twisted my wrist, resulting in a splintering sound as the w shattered in my grip. Kastor flinched, and his remaining ws closed hard around me. Dull pain overrode all sensation in my left arm, which separated from my body and fell from between the dragon¡¯s talons, taking Silverlight with it.


    As the sword tumbled free, she whirled around and flew up just above me, then shed at Kastor¡¯s emerald-scaled ankle.


    Still partially contained within the severed w¡¯s grip, I began falling.


    Spiros hurtled to meet me. He had partially transformed so that lustrous ck scales covered his flesh and wide wings sprouted from his back. His eyes burned scorching violet, and fire was flickering between elongated fangs.


    I kicked free of Kastor¡¯s severed w, rotated, and swam around Spiros¡¯s wild thrust. Silverlight was back in my hand, and she drew a raw, red, gory line from Spiros¡¯s shoulder to hip.


    In the same motion, I carried through with a short, sharp cut, the force of which sheared through everything between me and the ground, including the whip-wielding Urien of n Somath, who burst apart in a shower of blood.


    With a fierce tug, I pulled my arm back into its socket just before striking the ground. I hit hard, using the force to kick up a cloud of dust to obscure me, even for a moment, while I tracked the remaining dragons¡¯ mana signatures.


    On the ground, Tassos and the longspear wielding dragon, Orrin, both of the Indrath n, stood shoulder to shoulder to my left. To my right, in the distance, Windsom had fallen well back from thebat. Alkis, Irini¡¯s twin, had vanished. Taken by the savanna, I was sure.


    In the sky, I could hear Kastor cursing his pain while the other two transformed dragons continued to circle the battleground.


    ¡°Let this end,¡± I boomed, not speaking to any of the dragons in particr. ¡°There is no need for the rest of you to die as well.¡±


    ¡°Traitor!¡± Tassos shouted, the word rolling like thunder across the savanna.


    Through the cold fury of my rage, I felt my heart thump painfully. This,ing from a warrior whose life I had once saved, who had sworn to return the favor someday as he grinned through the pain of his flesh regrowing over burned limbs¡­


    Could none of them see what I could see?


    But no, of course they couldn¡¯t. Even I hadn¡¯t seen it, not until Kezess had forced me to use the World Eater technique. Until then, Kezess¡¯s control over my worldview had been absolute, a veil so subtle and ethereal that it could not be seen or touched.


    It would have been better if I could show them. Perhaps another could break Kezess¡¯s spell someday. But because I could not, it would be toote for these dragons.


    Sensing around me, I felt the walls this time before I utilized Mirage Walk. Distortions in space itself, invisible to every sense except my thoroughly-honed pantheon¡¯s instinct. One of the dragons was utilizing aether to block the near-instant bursts of speed allowed by Mirage Walk, the Thyestes n¡¯s ¡°secret¡± technique.


    But of course, when all ns answered to Kezess, there were no secrets from the dragons.


    Silverlight shifted forms, bing an ornate silver longspear, and I thrust at the invisible barrier. Though the dragons¡¯ ability to influence aether had made them the strongest of all the races, they did not control it. Creating something solid, such as an invisible barrier, was a subtle use of their influence that even the strongest of aether-wielders would struggle to maintain against the application of pure force.


    The barrier shattered. High above, the white-gold dragon howled in surprise and pain.


    Tassos was already moving, his two-hander radiating a ck-purple glow that seemed to draw the light from the very air. To my right, Kastor turned into a dive, shooting toward us like a dark star.


    Tassos was strong, one of the most physically powerful dragons I had evermanded. His ability to encourage aether into his weapon made him a truly deadlybatant. But I had trained and fought beside him,manded him, and I knew his abilities better perhaps than he himself.


    All of his strength was behind the swing, aimed directly at my neck with force enough to shatter any defense. I dyed my forward lunge, channeled Mirage Walk, and took a single step.


    Like a sovereign cobra striking, Tassos repositioned his de, pulling it in tight and drawing it across his body in an impressively quick maneuver. If I had stepped toward him, his de would have been perfectly positioned to deliver a killing blow.


    But I hadn¡¯t. My step had been just to the right, barely a half-step, but enough to take me out of the range of his original sweeping cut. That short step urred with such speed and momentum, however, that when I released Silverlight, it flew as if it had been fired from a godbow.


    Kastor¡¯s mouth opened to unleash a st of lightning, and Silverlight sped into his throat. The dragon went stiff as an old fossil and copsed to the ground, dark green wings splintering and neck twisting unnaturally as the diffused savanna light glittered off the wreckage of emerald scales.


    Tassos hissed in anger and frustration, his de zing. Beside him, Orrin Indrath raised clenched fists, and mana began to swell between them.


    Sickly sweet smoke was wafting across the path from the smoldering savanna.


    A dragon roared in the sky.


    The earth shook.


    A ring of ground around me copsed, falling into an infinite void below. Screaming wind came boiling up from the void like one of the ancient elemental beasts that once roamed Epheotus, turning the narrow pir of earth on which I stood into a prison cell.


    Within the raging hurricane ripping upward from the rent in the world, the roughly shaped, nearly-invisible nes of spatium aether could just be seen, like ss in water.


    Through the wind and aether, I could see the sweat shining on Orrin¡¯s brow and how his fists shook with effort.


    The void prison spell was no mean feat. Opening a hole to the void was dangerous at the best of times, but channeling its power was dangerous for all but the most talented mana maniptors. Orrin Indrath had always chafed at his position of guard and soldier. He sought above all greater magical strength, to stand out among his n, the greatest of all the ns.


    A dragon had to reach high to stand out atop Mount Gelous. This one, it seemed, reached too far.


    Holding out my hand, I summoned Silverlight from the depths of Kastor¡¯s corpse. Twirling the spear, I drove it down into the circle of packed dirt beneath my feet, projecting a wave of force deep, deep into the ground.


    The pir, carved by Orrin¡¯s spell, splintered and broke to pieces before tumbling down into the void. I flew upwards, hovering, fighting the growing pull as the void thrummed hungrily, devouring all that touched it. The wind went up and up and up, and it grew more and more difficult to keep flying. But the situation was escting outside the spell¡¯s circumference far more quickly.


    The roar of the wind was too loud for me to hear anything being said, but the way the two transformed dragons wheeled about in panic and how Orrin¡¯s entire body shook suggested very clearly that he was struggling, and failing, to control the spell.


    Painfully slowly, I began being dragged back down toward the void. My attack had disrupted the shape of the spell, making it unstable. Eventually, Orrin¡¯s hold over it would copse, but that wouldn¡¯t help me if I¡¯d already been unmade in the oblivion below. And so I reared back with Silverlight. She became a slim, beautifully-crafted rapier and left a silvery arc in the air where she cut.


    Below me, the void roiled, the ck-purple nothingness bucking and shifting as it devoured the force of my attack. I shed and thrust and cut, each blow reaching far beyond Silverlight¡¯s gleaming point, pouring more and more force and mana into the void.


    The walls of wind were growing steadily more unstable. Orrin¡¯s form became indistinct, his edges blurred.


    The spell broke.


    The magic ripped Orrin¡¯s physical form apart down to a cellr level, nothing left but a cloud of his purified mana, and even that quickly faded into the atmosphere.


    I was left hovering over a deep, circr pit that ended in a rough patch of broken rock some hundred feet below.


    Tassos stared, mouth agape, at the ce where his cousin had ceased to be. Silverlight thrust forward, and his neck opened with a spray of arterial blood. Both hands flew to his throat, but they couldn¡¯t stop the red running through his fingers. His sword fell to the ground, the aetheric glow infusing it blinking and going out. He followed it a momentter.


    The flying dragons pulled back, one beautiful gold and white, the other the orange and red and yellow of a sunrise, both radiating a powerful aura of fear as they circled tightly in the sky above Windsom. ¡°What do we do?¡± the white-gold dragon shouted down.


    ¡°I think we have seen enough,¡± Windsom said, feigning sadness. ¡°It is clear the once mighty and loyal Aldir Thyestes has been lost to madness. We will return with a greater force.¡±


    I flew toward Windsom, rising slowly so I couldfortably look down at him. ¡°We never should have continued to follow Kezess after the djinn, old friend.¡±


    Windsom''s nose wrinkled. ¡°Lord Indrath.¡±


    ¡°We should have seen what he was then. We have a chance to do so now. Make things right.¡±


    Windsom was shaking his head and scowling. ¡°You simply proved too weak to carry out the duty assigned to you.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t expected Windsom to show remorse or change his allegiance, but I still felt the stabbing pain of regret and loss knowing that we were now truly enemies.


    No more words were exchanged. Windsom conjured a portal and stepped through it. The two surviving dragons turned and flew away at speed. I let them go.


    Movement to my right caught me off guard, but it was only Wren in his floating earthen throne.


    ¡°This is what Kezess wanted,¡± I said with a sigh, speaking as much to myself as Wren. ¡°For blood to be shed, so that he could paint me as a monster and erode any support I might have remaining in Epheotus.¡±


    ¡°Quite fitting for that high-functioning sociopath to use the very soldiers you helped train as fodder to paint you as a monster.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°You know, I think it might be time to get the hell out of here,¡± he went on, watching the dragons recede into the horizon. ¡°Property values in the Cerulean Savanna are sure to go down considering the infestation of dragons here. And void holes. And killer grass.¡± He eyed me skeptically. ¡°Did you know about that, by the way? A little warning would have been nice. What if I stepped on the wrong de of grass and all the others got pissy and turned me into titan confetti?¡±


    ¡°This is hardly the time for japes,¡± I answered, too cold inside to find any amusement in his words.


    He shifted in his seat, leaned back, and rested one leg over the other. ¡°I beg to differ. There is no better time for gallows humor.¡±

 Chapter 400

    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    Leaning against the base of a squat apple tree and chewing on thest of its ripe fruit, I stared out at the fields south of ckbend City.


    Once these t ins and low, rolling hills would have gleamed gold with endless fields of wheat, butrge swaths of farnd had been crushed t by the tent city now ringing ckbend¡¯s southern edge and the ten thousand or more troops stationed there. The gray-and-ck d soldiers moved with stiff, short steps, and I saw many heads bent in conversation and furtive nces being cast about. More than once, ranking officers stopped to shout at a group of gossipers as messengers rushed about with a frantic air.


    After a brief jaunt to the Relictombs to ensure both Regis and I were at full power, we¡¯d followed the wide swath of churned sand that marked the cryan army¡¯s passage through the desert and into the foothills separating Sapin and Darv. The tempus warp I¡¯d recovered from the Wraiths would have made it a simple matter to teleport the distance, but I needed to ensure that the cryan force didn¡¯t split or divert to a different destination.


    Despite their multi-day lead, the soldiers who had retreated from Vildorial had only recently arrived. From my distant vantage point, with my senses heightened with aether so I could more clearly follow the bustling of the many soldiers, I tracked theings and goings of the war camp for a while, content to just watch as the cryans stewed in their own uncertainty.


    It had already been a couple of hours while Regis and I waited under the apple tree. Unforunately, there had been no sign of the retainer and regent, Lyra Dreide, or of the two Scythes. They would have made a convenient prop for the spectacle.


    It felt good to be in the field again, an enemy in front of me. My return to Dicathen had been defined by furtive rushing through underground tunnels and living in fear for my family and all the Dicathians under my protection. I was tired of skulking about and hiding. This was a war. It was past time to fight it.


    But I could only do so now because of the Lances. The damage to their cores, forced on them in the same ritual that bound them to their respective kings and queens and catapulted them to white core, had been healed. Varay, Bairon, and Mica were, at the very moment, back in Vildorial, meditating over the remains of the mana in the Vritra horns I¡¯d acquired in order to grow stronger for the first time in a very long time.


    When the Lances next faced the Scythes, I was confident the results would be very different.


    A horn sounded in the war camp, and soldiers began to gather.


    Ready?


    Regis drifted free of my body and condensed into the form of a full-grown shadow wolf. ¡°Oh, this is going to be fun.¡±


    Together, we began moving quickly from the hilltop where the lone tree grew, down into a slight valley that opened up into the trampled fields, and directly toward the sprawling encampment. Once in in sight of the guards watching to the south, we slowed to a steady march. It didn¡¯t take long for them to spot us.


    Another horn blew, then another. These were more wild and, I thought with some amusement, somehow afraid. Several men jumped on broad, quick-moving lizard mana beasts called skitters and rushed to cut me off.


    Still a hundred feet away, one of them gave a shout, and the sand-yellow lizards all skidded to a stop, holding well back.


    Their leader, a man in his early twenties with a thin blond beard and dark, steady gaze, took in my appearance and went pale. The other soldiers all turned in his direction, and I could tell that they all recognized me from the rumors even if they had never seen me directly. The skitters, sensing their riders¡¯ difort or perhaps made nervous by Regis¡¯s presence, shied and tried to pull back.


    ¡°St-state your identity,¡± the leader said, his voice cracking slightly. He cleared his throat and sat taller. Without waiting for me to respond, he immediately asked, ¡°Are you the traitor to crya known as Grey? If so, know that the regent Lyra of Highblood Dreide has given orders that you are to be killed on sight.¡±


    I looked him right in the eye and said, ¡°What are you waiting for then?¡±


    He raised his chin, one hand on the bridle of his skitter, the other on the handle of his sword. ¡°What do you want here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy,¡± I said, pointing past him to the tent city. ¡°That, gone. You, gone. Now.¡±


    The boy¡¯s jaw tightened beneath his blond beard. To his credit, he did not immediately flee, although I could tell he was thinking about it. ¡°You are only one man. There are several thousand soldiers at my back. Surely you don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    I reached for the relic armor. The sight of it unfolding over my skin made the soldier yank hard on the reins, and his skitter danced sideways and nearly threw him. ¡°If you¡¯ve seen me before, then you know I always offer the opportunity toy down your arms and leave with your lives. The Vritra n is my enemy, not the people of crya. Disband this encampment and prepare to leave Sapin immediately.¡±


    He kept up eye contact for a long moment while his skitter still strafed side to side, now actively attempting to pull away. Finally, he let it, and the mana beast whirled around and shot off toward the war camp. The rest were quick to follow.


    ¡°Tired of sounding like a broken record yet?¡± Regis asked, letting his tongue loll from one side of his mouth.


    ¡°It gets harder to offer clemency each time they refuse it,¡± I admitted, crossing my arms as I watched the skitter-riders hurry away. ¡°But it¡¯s the right thing to do, Regis. If I could snap my fingers and send all these cryans back to their own continent without any violence, I would. But¡­¡± My voice grew firm as I felt my will harden. ¡°Anyone who would make themselves a pawn of the Vritra¡ªwhether they¡¯re born in crya or Dicathen¡ªhas chosen their own fate.¡±


    The scouts had reached the camp, and a muddle of chaotic activity followed. Shouts and arguments rang across the hills. I watched as the higher-ranking officers shed with growing animosity and the camp¡¯s organization quickly dissolved under ack of leadership. I thought the cryans might copse into violence, but then a booming voice drowned out all others.


    A gargantuan woman in heavy ck te armor hurled a man to the ground and pointed at me with a burning greatsword, and the cryans began falling into line. While a few groups of soldiers broke ranks and fled north, most hurried into well-ordered rows of battle groups at the woman¡¯s direction. Shields red, empowered weapons and armor zed to life with mana, and a rainbow of spells were activated.


    I couldn¡¯t help but be disappointed as I looked across the field at the thousands of cryan mages.


    ¡°This really would be so much easier if they had sense enough to run for their lives,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Much less fun though,¡± Regis japed, chuckling darkly. ¡°Maybe it would help if they got a good look at me in all my glory?¡±


    I nodded my approval. ¡°Do it.¡±


    With a wide, lupine grin, Regis activated the Destruction godrune. His body zed with the purple mes, his physical form expanding and transforming, growing huge and bestial, all hard, sharp angles and jagged fire and long ck spikes. His head widened and ttened as obsidian fangs grew out of his mouth. Wings sprouted from behind his arched shoulder des, and then I leapt onto his back.


    Regis lifted up off the ground and gave a roar that shook ckbend. He breathed out mes of pure Destruction as he wheeled through the air high above the enemy.


    A tremor of terror shook the awestruck cryans. A Shield ceased conjuring and turned to flee, but the woman who had taken charge of the army appeared before him in a sh of white-hot fire, her sword already swinging. He didn¡¯t even have the chance to conjure another protective shield before he fell into two burning halves.


    ¡°Any other who shames their blood by turning tail condemns their blood as well! By the Vritra, I¡¯ll make sure your mothers and daughters bleed for your cowardice!¡±


    At the woman¡¯s threat, spells began to fly, filling the sky with blues, reds, cks, and greens. Cutting rays and bursting missiles erupted around us like fireworks. Regis¡¯s Destruction-infused breath burned away several of the strongest spells. Others, I batted aside with aether. More missed or reflected harmlessly off the relic armor or the thickyer of aether dding Regis¡¯s bulk. What little damage we took healed almost instantly.


    ¡°Cockroaches,¡± Regis rumbled in his much deeper voice. ¡°They¡¯ll be less than ash when I¡¯m done with them.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said, counting on onest gambit to break the line without a full-scale ughter.


    I didn¡¯t have to look for the aetheric pathways between me and the cryan leader. As I imbued the godrune with aether, it guided me, and I vanished from Regis¡¯s back and appeared in front of the leader, just inside the effective range of her overge sword.


    She grunted in surprise and brought the de up defensively, both the mes and the purple lightning wrapping around my limbs reflecting in her dark eyes.


    Faster than she could react, my hand snapped out and caught the de. Realmheart red to life, making visible the mana in her weapon. I severed the flow, snuffing out the mana, then pushed aether into the steel. Although of fine make, the metal couldn¡¯t handle the pressure and exploded, peppering us both with shrapnel. Although harmless to me, a piece shed across her cheek, and she snarled as she stumbled back from the explosion.


    God Step took me behind her. My gauntleted fist drove into her spine where her armor opened to reveal several runic tattoos. The bones shattered, and her lifeless body flew into the backs of a nearby battle group, knocking them to the ground.


    The exchange had been so fast that most of the cryan soldiers hadn¡¯t noticed and were still slinging spells at Regis. Only those closest at hand had witnessed their leader''s demise, and most of them could only stare in dawning horror. The smart ones, however, broke ranks and fled. And as soon as a few had done so, dozens more followed.


    ¡®Well, that was dramatic,¡¯ Regis thought from above. ¡®The center of their line is caving in on itself. Most of them are running like hell.¡¯


    Lay down a line of fire just beyond the front line, I thought back. Avoid the fleeing soldiers where you can, but don¡¯t hesitate to burn anyone who keeps fighting.


    The jagged fire jumped and twisted in a way that expressed gleeful excitement. ¡®You got it, boss.¡¯


    Tipping into a dive, Regis ducked and weaved between the bombardment of spells before leveling out just in front of the foremost shields, which made up a kind of wall of wavering mes, whirling water, crackling lightning, and transparent panels of mana. Destruction zed from his monstrous maw like dragon¡¯s fire, spilling over the field and sshing against the shields, devouring the mana.


    I stood at the center of the chaos, a stone unmoved by the retreating sea. No one attacked me¡ªmost would not even look at me, as if avoiding me would somehow make me less real. They stumbled over each other, pushing and shoving as they ran around me, away from the violet mes and toward the city.


    The encampment itself became an obstacle, but the surge of bodies trampled it under heavy boots, copsing tents, overturning tables, and kicking campfire ash everywhere as they charged headlessly past.


    I began moving toward the city gates, slowly walking amidst the chaos and insanity. The front lines had crushed back into the rear ranks, and where those who attempted to flee were blocked by those who fought on, all out brawls erupted. But no one came within fifteen feet of me, even if avoiding me meant diving through the high mes of a cooking fire or batting down their own allies.


    The heavy, resounding vibration ofrge bells suddenly rang all throughout the city of ckbend, the backdrop to our battle. Many of the fleeing soldiers were rushing toward the city¡¯s open gates, although, as the army shed more soldiers, many were forced to flee east or west along the lines of the city wall or risk clogging the gates and being stuck outside.


    ¡®Something¡¯s up inside the city. Spellfire all over the ce. People are fighting back.¡¯


    Through the narrow openings on the second level of the gatehouse, I could see men scuffling and fighting. Then, an instantter, a mossy-haired elf hurled an cryan guard from the gatehouse to be dashed on the stones below. In the next moment, the grinding and nking of thick chains rumbled across the battlefield, and the gates began to pull shut, right in the face of the retreating army.


    I appeared before the gates wreathed in aetheric lightning and conjured a gleaming violet de.


    I was surrounded by charging cryans. Some few had already breached the city before the Dicathian warriors managed to winch the gates closed, but many more were still approaching.


    A woman barreling toward me shouted out in dismay and wildly swung her frozen mace, but my aetheric de bisected her weapon effortlessly. I caught her momentum on my shoulder and sent her flipping over me, and for a moment tendrils of bright violet lightning connected us.


    Suddenly, the cryan soldiers closest to me were stumbling and copsing to the ground. I took a step toward the retreating force, and more fell to their hands and knees, bodies trembling. One more step, and my intent reached its peak, crushing everyone within a hundred feet of me into the churned soil.


    Cries of dread and the sounds of grown men wretching and weeping lingered for a long, timeless moment, and then the battlefield went utterly silent, leaving them wing at their throats or chests as the weight of the aura stole the air from their lungs.


    Those still outside of the worst of my intent pulled up short, then quickly dissolved into pushing and shoving. Behind them, Regis let out a monstrous roar that shook the ground, and a wall of amethyst fire engulfed a dozen battle groups that were still fighting back.


    ¡°Listen to me,¡± I announced, easing the pressure I was exuding to refocus their attention. ¡°This city is no longer under cryan dominion, and soon, the rest of Dicathen will be freed. You can go home so long as you do not harm any Dicathian. All cryans who refuse to leave or who harm any Dicathian will be executed immediately.¡±


    In the distance, there were no more gouts of Destruction or answering spellfire from the ground. The cryan force at ckbend had been routed.


    ¡°W-where will we go, then?¡± a thin Caster shouted.


    An answer was shouted from the top of the wall behind me in a familiar, cutting voice. ¡°Might I rmend the end of a de?¡±


    I turned to see a reed-thin man with a sharply angr face. His ck hair was flecked with gray now, and shorter than thest time I¡¯d seen him, but the rimless sses perched atop his nose were the same, as were the clever, observant eyes. He had aged, developing worry lines down the side of his face and across his brow.


    When the man saw me looking, he nodded firmly. ¡°General Arthur. The cryan highbloods managing the city have been quite upset for thest few days, terrified that you would show up and hoping fervently that you wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Kaspian,¡± I said, caught off guard by his sudden appearance. Kaspian deheart had once managed the Adventurers Guild Hall in Xyrus, and was the uncle of my old friend, ire deheart. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten old.¡±


    He scoffed and shook his head. ¡°And you hardly look anything like the boy who I once tested to be an adventurer. But I suppose now isn¡¯t the time to catch up, is it?¡± He gestured behind him. ¡°The Adventurers Guild has managed to retake the city, General Arthur.¡± His gaze turned to the cryan army, sweeping across the hundreds of soldiers knocked prone around me to pin the thousands more hovering uncertainly between the city and the distant mes of Destruction. ¡°Now, I strongly suggest you have your beast finish the rest before whatever you¡¯ve done to them wears off.¡±


    The world seemed to hold its breath. Then, ¡°No, Kaspian. That isn¡¯t my intention.¡±


    A muscle in his jaw twitched and his voice strained as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know where you¡¯ve been, or what has happened to you, Arthur, but perhaps you haven¡¯t seen the brutality and cruel vindictiveness of these cryans. I feel no shame in saying that every one of them should be put to the sword.¡±


    I ignored him, instead watching Regis return, his enormous bulk casting a dark shadow over the cryans. He took a moment to hover in front of the gatehouse, staring Kaspian and the other Dicathian adventurers down beforending heavily next to me. The jagged mes of his mane trembled, and then he was shrinking in on himself, losing his more bestial features, until he was a shadow wolf again. His teeth pulled back from his deadly fangs and he growled menacingly before bing incorporeal and drifting into my body.


    How many chose death for Agrona?


    ¡®A couple thousand at least. There was still a small force holding back, defensive positions only, no more chucking spells, but if I stayed in that form much longer I¡¯d have been stuck as a pup again, and I don¡¯t think either of us wanted that right now.¡¯


    Well, if my n works, they¡¯ll be dealt with by their own.


    With Regis no longer swooping over the battlefield like a giant mutant bat, some soldiers were breaking away from the crowd and following the others who had already fled around the city. I let them go. I knew they were a risk¡ªthere were dozens of small farmingmunities to the north where trained soldiers and mages could cause havoc¡ªbut I had to deal with therger threat first.


    Releasing my intent, I scanned the cryans. It was unfortunate that the ranking cryans in the city had already fled. With Bairon and Virion¡¯s assistance, I had already brainstormed a general n for how to handle enemy soldiers who were smart enough toy down their weapons. It wasn¡¯t without its problems, however.


    ¡°You,¡± I said after a moment, pointing at a man who was gingerly lifting himself off the ground and brushing the dirt from his uniform.


    He froze and stared at me. His hair and beard were carefully trimmed, and he wore what looked like a very expensive de at his side, despite not carrying himself like a warrior.


    ¡°You¡¯re a Sentry,¡± I observed. ¡°And at least a named blood, by the look of it.¡±


    His brows pinched together and he opened his mouth, hesitated, bit the inside of his lip, then finally said, ¡°I am Balder of Highblood Vassere, sir.¡±


    ¡°Vassere? Oh, perfect,¡± I said, giving the man a cid smile that only made his frown deepen. ¡°Balder, you are now responsible for the lives of every cryan stationed at ckbend¡ªeven those currently running north like their lives depend on it.¡±


    Color drained from his face, and he looked around in panic. ¡°But I¡­um¡­¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯m notmander of this force¡ª¡±


    ¡°The men and women around us are no longer a force,¡± I said firmly, letting my gaze burrow into him. ¡°They are stranded citizens of a far off continent, and if they ever hope to get home, they¡¯ll need someone to keep them organized and out of trouble. That¡¯s going to be you, Balder. Assuming you want to see home again. You do, don¡¯t you? Central Dominion¡±¡ªBalder startled at my mention of his home dominion, then went white as a ghost as I continued¡ª¡°Drekker and all the rest.¡±


    ¡°But¡­how do¡­¡±


    ¡°Just listen,¡± I said, softening my tone somewhat.


    I could feel Kaspian¡¯s concerned gaze on my back as I exined loudly to Balder of Highblood Vassere what I expected of these cryans if ever they hoped to see their homes again. With the long-ranged teleportation gates in Darv deactivated¡ªand reactivating them, even for a short time, a substantial threat¡ªthere was no easy way to relocate so many people. Until I was sure the continent was firmly back in Dicathian hands, they needed to be moved somewhere they wouldn¡¯t be a danger.


    It had actually been Virion¡¯s idea to use the ruins of Elenoir. Even with tens of thousands of cryans gathered there, they wouldn¡¯t have enough resources to mount any kind of counterattack through the mountains or the Wall. Just staying alive by hunting the outer edges of the Beast des would take all their time and resources for such arge poption.


    Getting them there from the cities in the east of Sapin was rtively straightforward as well, and the Wall was apparently still under Dicathian control, so I wouldn¡¯t even have to retake it to allow the n to move forward.


    ¡°Start organizing your people,¡± I said after Balder had assured me he understood. ¡°I want to know exactly how many lives make up yourpany. And, if you¡¯ve managed to hold onto any skitters, send riders north. Find as many of those who fled as you can.¡± I let an edge of threat creep into my voice as I added, ¡°I will hold you responsible for any crimes theymit.¡±


    Balder swallowed heavily. ¡°I u-understand.¡±


    Leaving the cryans behind, I God Stepped to the top of the wall, appearing right next to Kaspian. He flinched and his hand went to the hilt of his thin rapier, the same de he had tested me with when I was only a boy in this world. A handful of adventurers surrounded him, and half of them brandished weapons while the other half jumped back in surprise.


    I ignored all the others. ¡°What happened in the city, Kaspian? I was expecting to have to root out the entrenched cryan leadership after dismantling that army.¡±


    He straightened his light gray tunic, which had bloodstains on the sleeves and chest, and waved for his men to lower their weapons. ¡°The truth is, we¡¯ve been waiting for an opportunity to strike back ever since the Lances raided the ckbend Guild Hall. As the war camp organized to face you, the city¡¯s so-called leadership was flying into a panic. As soon as we drew our weapons, they fled, abandoning the city.¡±


    Turning, I rested my hands on top of a crention and took in the confused and milling crowd of cryans. Balder was shouting as he tried to sort out the highest ranking soldiers and other highbloods, but the army was in shock andrgely unresponsive.


    So much rested on this Sentry¡¯s ability to create calm from chaos. I didn¡¯t have time to linger in ckbend, but I couldn¡¯t just leave a disorganized and frightened army at the city¡¯s gates, either.


    But, to furtherplicate matters, I didn¡¯t entirely trust the Adventurers Guild. It wasn¡¯t an army, exactly, but many of Dicathens most adept warriors and most powerful mages were adventurers. Many branches of the guild had opted out of participating in the war, then quickly entered talks to work alongside the cryans when they won.


    Kaspian deheart seemed like a genuine and honorable man. ire certainly had been, although, as Jasmine mesworth showed, sometimes the fruit ended up a long way from the tree. But without even a council to determine the direction of Dicathen or Sapin as a whole, this presented a unique opportunity for the Adventurers Guild to seize power and authority.


    What I really needed was someone in ckbend who I could trust implicitly, but was also a respected member of the Adventurers Guild.


    The answer was obvious the moment I had the thought.


    ¡°Kaspian, are you the ranking member of the guild here in ckbend?¡±


    He had been watching me carefully through the sses perched on the end of his nose, and he wriggled them back into position with a frown before answering. ¡°No. The guild hall manager here is a close friend of mine, but many of the rankingmittee members are also based out of the ckbend Guild Hall now. Xyrus became¡­troublesome to navigate, especially after the Lances¡¯ attack on the academy.¡±


    ¡°Xyrus is next on my list,¡± I said, turning to meet his sharp-eyed gaze. I held him there, pinned, impressing upon him the reality of my station with nothing but a look. ¡°But before I can deal with the forces there, I need to know something. Can I trust you, Kaspian?¡±


    His thin brows shot up in surprise. ¡°Is this some move to seize power over the continent?¡±


    I shook my head firmly, encouraged by our parallel thinking. ¡°Only to reim it from the cryans. As for what happens when they¡¯re gone, I promise that I have no desire to be a king again.¡±


    ¡°Again?¡± he asked, clearly confused.


    ¡°Nevermind,¡± I said with augh. ¡°I just meant, I want to save our continent. Not rule it. Virion and Tessia Eralith are both alive, as are Curtis and Kathyln yder. And¡±¡ªI couldn¡¯t help the wry smile that crept over my face¡ª¡°there are about a hundred dwarven lords who all think they should rule Darv.¡±


    Kaspian shot a thoughtful nce at his men, sucked his teeth, then said, ¡°I¡¯ve only ever heard good things about you, Arthur, and my niece spoke very highly of you. I believe I can trust you, so, yes, you can trust me.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± I said, reaching out a hand. He took it firmly. ¡°Because I¡¯m handing this city over to the Twin Horns, and I need you to facilitate a smooth transfer of power.¡±

 Chapter 401

    <strong>NICO SEVER</strong>


    The sterile glow of my workbench lighting artifacts illuminated an array of parts that were spread out over the dark wood. Silver runes ran around the edge and across the surface of the Imbuing workbench in circles of varying sizes.


    I picked up two nearly-identical objects: hexagonal fittings with a series of grooves and notches etched into the inside. Both were alloys of silver rather than pure silver¡ªI spected these might perform better for housing active mana crystals, but I would have to experiment to see which silver held up better and resulted in a cleaner transfer of mana.


    There were a thousand variables to consider while undertaking an Imbuing project asplicated as this, and I couldn¡¯t afford anything less than perfection.


    My eye caught on a blemish on the edge of one of the interior grooves in the fittings. With a frustrated breath, I tossed it back on the charwood workbench surface.


    Yet another dy. That blemish is going to prevent the mana crystal from seating properly. And I¡¯ll have to order a recement from a different silversmith too.


    My right eye twitched, and another memory of Earth invaded my focus.


    In it, I was perhaps eight or nine, sitting by myself out behind the orphanage. With a small pocketknife in hand, I was whittling a stick I¡¯d found in the street. Nothing special, just carving a bunch of circles around it so that it kind of looked like a pretend magic wand.


    I¡¯d carved just over half of the stick when the knife slipped, slicing deep into my thumb. It hurt, but I was more afraid of being caught with the knife. Headmaster Wilbeck would have taken it away and scolded me, then I¡¯d have had to see that stupid I¡¯m-suffering-with-you look on Grey¡¯s face for a week. It was a small but important lesson.


    Be more careful. Pay attention, but don¡¯t draw attention. Hide when you¡¯re hurting.


    A life was made of thousands of little moments like this¡­the fear and the pain clear over everything else, teaching a person not to touch a hot surface or put their thumb on the wrong side of the de. It was arge part of the material that forged a personality.


    Without those memories, what did a person be?


    Faced with questions I couldn¡¯t answer, I reached for the apathy I had felt after waking up in theboratory far below¡­after Grey destroyed my core and left me to die.


    After Cecilia did the impossible and healed me again.


    One fist hammered on the workbench, making the prepared parts jump.


    The dragon core I¡¯d stolen rolled out of a circle of runes and toward the edge of the workbench. The rage I¡¯d felt was washed away by a sudden pang of rm, and I practically lunged across the table to grab the core, cradling it in both my hands.


    Holding the cold hard shell, it was easier to push away the angry voice within me and focus on the apathy instead. I would need that control. As much as these invasive memories of my past life¡ªon both Earth and Dicathen as the fool, Elijah¡ªwere troublesome, I also felt fiercely protective over them.


    They were mine. And now that I had them back, I wouldn¡¯t give them up again.


    Which meant I would have a secret from Agrona. There was something thrilling about that prospect. He was not a man who could easily be fooled, however. I would need to feign ack of control while actually holding an iron grip over myself and my emotions. I couldn¡¯t give him any reason to tamper with my mind.


    This line of thought caused a sharp twinge of guilt that I couldn¡¯t ignore.


    Cecilia¡­


    Despite my eagerness to speak with her after the resurgence of my old memories, I¡¯d only crossed paths with her briefly, and I hadn¡¯t found it in myself to start the discussion I knew we needed to have. At that very moment, any number of falsified memories were clouding her mind, memories that I had helped develop. More than that, though, I had no way of knowing how many little moments of her previous life she might be missing.


    How much of what made you the person I love most in all the world is still intact? I wondered, biting the inside of my cheek until I tasted the metallic tang of blood.


    I closed my eyes hard, scrunching up my face and tightening my muscles, then released the tension. If I tumbled down into the deep, cold darkness of these thoughts now, I¡¯d neverplete my current task.


    Carefully, I eased the core back onto the workbench and examined the array of parts and equipment I had managed to get hold of quietly. It would have been much simpler if I hadn¡¯t also felt the need to keep my activities shrouded from Agrona¡ªor whatever much of it was possible.


    The problem was that I couldn¡¯t make everything myself. Sure, there were facilities inside Taegrin Caelum to do so, but everything I did there would be watched. And if I ordered all the materials from the same Imbuers and smiths, I risked giving away too much of my design. And so I¡¯d quietly gathered everything piecemeal.


    This was better for keeping things quiet, but not so much for efficiency. In addition to the scuffed fitting, I¡¯d already received three mana crystals with imperfections, a piece of charwood three inches too short, and an order of refined quicksilver that was contaminated with cinnabar.


    But the resurgence of my old memories had reminded me exactly where my strengthsy. For far too long now, I¡¯d relied on the inherent raw power that came from being reincarnated into a Vritra-blooded body. The ability to master even one of the Vritra¡¯s decay-type mana arts made me stronger than most other mages in this world, and I had leaned on that almost exclusively throughout my training in Taegrin Caelum. Even the runes marring the flesh along my spine seemed paltry afterthoughts byparison.


    But with more of my old memories returning in bursts, I realized I had something else, too, something no other cryan had.


    On Earth, I¡¯d been a technical wizard, mastering advanced scientific principles at a young age to achieve feats like suppress Cecilia¡¯s ki and allow her to function in something like a normal life. After her death¡­I spiraled, throwing myself into my research, learning everything about engineering, physics, and ki-rted studies that I could.


    A surprising amount of this knowledge was directly transferable to working magic, especially Imbuing and artificing. Energy had to be sourced and efficiently transferred, instructions were presented, power outputted to provide a specific result.


    Efficiency, I repeated to myself. That is the real problem. If what I¡¯m doing is going to work, it has to allow entirely efficient maniption of the mana, with no dy or loss.


    In Dicathen, I¡¯d been trained to manipte atmospheric mana, not just my runes and the spell formations they provided. I¡¯d gone to one of the best magic schools on the continent and studied under talented professors, learning mana theory and a type of maniption that wasn¡¯t studied in crya.


    Mages learned to understand the shape of a spell, to mold the mana with their mind and their intention through chants and other devices, like wands. It was harder, and it took longer, but it was much more versatile. The mage could adjust the focus of their intent or the words of a chant to change a spell¡¯s output, or even invent an entirely new spell.


    Runes, on the other hand, could be mastered but never changed. They were fixed, as was the benefit they provided to both the mage¡¯s core and body. And without new runes being slowly doled out by Agrona¡¯s servants, no cryan mage could make true progress, even among the Scythes.


    But there was no reason I had to rely on Agrona to gain power. Not with all the knowledge and skill I had at my disposal.


    I saw everything more clearly now that my core had been ruined and rebuilt.


    Cecilia had worked a miracle I still didn¡¯t understand in returning the gift of magic to me, but it wasn¡¯t without a cost.


    My core was weak.


    And that meant everyone would see me as weak.


    But the world was changing. Everything was shifting around us, bing more dangerous by the day. Cecilia had been so busy since I¡¯d recovered, and I knew there was only one reason that would be.


    Agrona was preparing her for war.


    If she thought I was too weak, she would leave me behind. There would be sadness in her eyes when she did so, and she would truly believe it was for my own protection, but it would destroy us. She¡¯d never look at me the same way again, and Agrona would slowly cut me out of the picture. Soon, she would be nothing but a weapon for him, and worst of all, she wouldn¡¯t even know that she¡¯d wanted to be anything else.


    I had to stay by her side. I had to protect her.


    And I would do anything to make sure I was strong enough to do so.


    With a firm grip on my purpose, I lifted a long, twisted ck branch of charwood¡ªone I¡¯d risked raiding from Agrona¡¯s private stores after the first sample had been inadequate. Charwood came from Agrona¡¯s home in Epheotus, and was as hard as steel and perfect for working runic magic, but also very rare and expensive. The six-foot-long staff came to a dull point at one end but was splintered on the wider end where it had been broken free of its tree.


    I took up a tool that looked somewhat like a shallow spoon crossed with a scalpel and pressed it against the charwood. Mana jumped from my hand to the tool¡¯s handle, and runes hidden beneath leather wrapping converted the mana to heat. In moments, the ckened metal scoop was glowing orange.


    I pressed hard on the raw charwood, and the tool bit into it, giving off a thin wisp of smoke that smelled of vani. Fueling my muscles with mana, I drove the tool into the wood, but still managed to scrape away only a thin shaving. Gritting my teeth, I repeated the process, then again, each timeing away with a paper-thin wafer.


    After twenty minutes, I had scoured a shallow divot into the staff. After an hour, I had an uneven pit. In two, I was able to carve out a precise facet.


    Next, I took up one of the metallic fittings, double-checking to ensure it was perfect. I pressed it into the facet, then took up a small hammer and drove it into the opening. The hammer¡¯s ringing drowned out all the other subtle noises of the castle, such as servants moving back and forth in the hallway outside and muffled bursts of magic from one of the training rooms below.


    After setting down the hammer, I inspected the results: the silvery fitting had settled perfectly into the carved facet, and suddenly the in stick appeared to be something more than it had been. No longer a piece of nature, but something crafted and given purpose.


    Taking up another item from the workbench, I slipped a hexagonal jewel into the fitting. The bright red stone looked bloody and dark against the ck wood and silver metal. But I didn¡¯t permanently set the stone. Instead, I shook it loose and ced it back on the workbench, turned the staff over, and picked up the carving tool again.


    ¡°That looks like a fascinating project.¡±


    I flinched so hard that I scraped the scorching tool across my knuckles. It burned hot enough to pierce my mana barrier and y the flesh underneath. I cursed and threw the stupid thing back on the table.


    ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± Cecilia hurried to my side, leaning down and taking my hand in her own.


    I wondered nervously how long she¡¯d been standing there, then realized she must havee in while I was hammering.


    She bit her lip as she inspected the wound, and when she looked up into my eyes, her own were shining. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I said, my voice hard, then added, ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± in a softer tone.


    Mana trickled out of her fingertips and across the wound, cooling the flesh and easing the burning sting. My own mana was already circting through my body to enhance my rate of healing as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re here, actually,¡± I added after an awkward pause where we both just stared at the cut. ¡°I need to talk to you about something.¡±


    She shed me a chagrined sort of smile and subtly rolled her eyes toward the door. ¡°It¡¯ll have to wait, I¡¯m afraid. Agrona has called for us. For all the Scythes, and me.¡±


    Her tone carried the same uncertainty I felt at this news. It was rare for all the Scythes to be gathered at once.


    ¡°Do you¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, but he¡¯s¡­riled,¡± she said slowly. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him like this before.¡±


    I wanted to tell her that she hadn¡¯t been with him that long, didn¡¯t know him well at all, hadn¡¯t seen him at his worst, but I kept my thoughts to myself. Whatever this news was, it didn¡¯t bode well that Agrona had allowed himself to appear outwardly upset.


    Before following Cecilia from my chambers, I took a moment to look over the workbench. I used a rag to wipe my blood from the carving tool, fiddled with a few items to line them up better in their respective runic circles, then, realizing it would be exceedingly foolish to leave it here while I was gone, I surreptitiously grabbed the core and slipped it into an inside pocket of my jacket.


    ¡°What are you working on, anyway?¡± Cecilia asked as we stepped out into the hall.


    I turned around and set the mana lock. ¡°Oh, nothing really, it¡¯s¡­¡±


    She smirked at me and I trailed off. ¡°I can tell it¡¯s something you¡¯re excited about. You don¡¯t need to say, of course, but I¡¯m d you¡¯ve found something to upy your time.¡±


    Sticking my hands in my pockets, I rubbed the core with my thumb through the fabric of the lining, but I didn¡¯t borate.


    Cecilia turned right instead of left down the hallway, catching me off guard.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to Agrona¡¯s private wing?¡± I asked, hurrying after her.


    ¡°No. He¡¯s called us all to the Obsidian Vault.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have anything to say to that. I wasn¡¯t even sure what I felt. The Obsidian Vault was where the highest echelons of Agrona¡¯s subjects received their bestowals: Wraiths, Scythes, retainers, and asionally even highblood warriors or ascenders who captured Agrona¡¯s attention.


    There was only one reason he would call us to the Obsidian Vault.


    There was going to be a bestowal. Maybe it¡¯s not bad news after all.


    ¡°Nico, I wanted to say¡­¡± Cecilia¡¯s voice drew me back out of thought, and I turned to look at her.


    I¡¯de to terms with her change of appearance, just as I¡¯d epted my own. Seeing the fine elven features¡ªthe pointed ears, almond-shaped eyes, and silvery gunmetal hair that she kept threatening to dye¡ªnow, though, wrapped up with all Elijah¡¯s memories of Tessia Eralith, caused more conflict than I was used to.


    ¡°¡ªsorry that I haven¡¯t been around much thesest few days. I have wanted to speak to you¡ªI¡¯m sureing to terms with what happened at the Victoriad has been difficult¡ªbut there is a lot going on in both Dicathen and crya, and Agrona has kept me unusually busy, so¡­¡±


    That only confirmed what I¡¯d already guessed. Agrona was getting ready to unleash Cecilia, send her into real battle.


    My mind turned swiftly to the staff, lying barely started back in my room, and I suddenly chafed at this waste of time. Whatever Agrona had to say, it couldn¡¯t be as important as my ensuring I had the strength to defend Cecil.


    A hand alighted delicately on my shoulder, and I realized that I had, yet again, be distracted.


    ¡°Nico, are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± Cecilia asked, her concern written in the frown lines creasing her otherwise wless face.


    ¡°Like you said, it¡¯s been¡­difficult. I¡¯m sorry for getting distracted. I just have a¡­lot on my mind.¡±


    She smiled the kindliest and most understanding smile I could imagine, and her fingers brushed my cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me. We¡¯re the only two people who can really understand what the other¡¯s been through.¡± Emotion swelled up inside me, filling my chest with a warm sweetness, and then she added, ¡°Well, except Agrona of course,¡± and the feeling withered and faded away.


    I followed Cecilia down a series of narrow, winding stairs and into a roughly-hewn tunnel. At its end, we entered a chamber carved out of smooth, rippling ck stone that glinted with a purple sheen, almost as if it were giving off its own internal light.


    Agrona was already there.


    He stood before a pair of doors carved with the image of a transformed basilisk with its long, serpentine body coiled into a ¡°V¡± shape and its leathery wings tucked in against its sides. Runes tumbled from his ws down upon a series of upturned faces. Agrona giving magic to the people. I¡¯d always found the carving serene, the sight of it somehow bolstering and peaceful simultaneously.


    The real Agrona, standing before it with his arms crossed and his face the very mask of displeasure, was its exact opposite.


    Melzri and Viessa were already there. I was stunned to see the two powerful women with their eyes averted, folded in on themselves like two thiefmp eels drawing their hoods over themselves to appear as small and unthreatening as possible. It was not a look I had ever seen attempted by either Scythe before.


    Behind each Scythe stood a retainer.


    I was more than familiar with Mawar, the ¡°ck Rose of Etril.¡± Garbed in pure ck wispy robes, she nearly vanished into the gloom of the antechamber, except of course for her short white hair, which was so bright it seemed to glow. Although only slightly older than me¡ªor, at least this body¡ªshe had been Viessa¡¯s retainer for nearly four years, and we had trained together extensively.


    The poison-witch Bivrae, on the other hand, I hadrgely avoided. She was a horrifying creature to look at, like someone had stuck together a handful of broken sticks with swamp sludge and then hung some ratty old rags over for clothes. Her brothers had been tepid mages at best, with Bl hardly capable of holding off Tessia Eralith long enough for me to arrive, and of course dying in the process.


    Mawar had the good sense to keep her eyes on Melzri¡¯s back, but Bivrae stared at Cecilia and me as we entered the antechamber, and didn¡¯t avert her gaze until, several very long secondster, heavy footfalls announced another arrival.


    Dragoth had to bend over to walk through the connecting tunnel without scraping his horns, and when he entered the antechamber he stood tall and stretched casually. With a careless grin at Agrona, he stepped around me and Cecilia in order to stand right in front of us, his back so broad it blocked both of us from Agrona¡¯s sight.


    Dragoth was followed by a mage I knew by name and reputation, but not by sight: Echeron, his new retainer. The man was tall and statuesque. Short onyx horns protruded like spikes from his carefully groomed golden hair. Silvery-gray eyes met mine, and the retainer¡¯s chiseled features twitched into a scowl before smoothing out again. He stood beside and just behind Dragoth.


    Silence filled the antechamber, growing more ufortable the longer it lingered.


    Beside me, I could sense Cecilia¡¯s frustration emanating from her like an aura as her turquoise eyes burned holes in Dragoth¡¯s back.


    Any sense of the intimidation I knew she used to feel in the Scythes¡¯ presence was gone, but I wasn¡¯t sure what was driving her current emotions. There was a sickly oozing in my stomach as I connected the brooding fearfulness of Melzri and Viessa with Cecilia¡¯s simmering anger.


    The Scythes had failed Agrona at something.


    Which I found myself not giving a shit about, but seeing just how loyal and attached Cecilia had be to Agrona was a slowly dawning horror I didn¡¯t know how to process. It was almost like looking in a mirror that showed a much younger version of myself, back when I would have hurled myself into Mount Nishan at Agrona¡¯smand.


    A bone-deep cold suddenly began to seep through the room, conjuring frost crystals across the walls and floor, and even the fabric of my jacket.


    Then Agrona began to speak.


    ¡°First, you fail me at the Victoriad, allowing the boy Arthur Leywin to escape, then you somehow manage to lose Sehz-r to a traitor.¡±


    My mind got stuck on these words, like a wagon wheel in a rut.


    Sehz-r, lost? What? It was then I processed the absence of Seris and her retainer.


    ¡°Finally, two of my Scythes retreat before a wounded and likely near-dead opponent, leaving Dicathen under the authority of a single retainer, one we have now lost touch with.¡±


    Agrona¡¯s furious scarlet eyes swept through the room, burning like hellfire wherever theynded.


    ¡°Forgive us, High Sovereign, we feared that¡ª¡±


    The breath rushed from Melzri¡¯s lungs as Agrona turned the full force of his ire on her, and whatever pleas she intended to utter died on her lips.


    ¡°You are weak.¡± He paused, letting this promation sink in. ¡°The enemy has grown beyond you. And yet, as thoroughly as you have disappointed me, I won¡¯t ce the entire me for that at your feet.¡± He uncrossed his arms and moved to stand in front of Melzri, caressing her horn. ¡°I gave you what power you needed for the role I intended you to y. Now, it seems your roles will have to change. Our enemy has evolved, and so shall you.¡±


    Melzri instantly went down on one knee. ¡°Please, High Sovereign. Allow me to be the first to step within the Obsidian Vault.¡±


    No emotion marred Agrona¡¯s smooth features as he looked down at the back of her head. After a short pause, he said simply, ¡°No.¡±


    Then he turned and crossed the antechamber to stand before Dragoth. As he did, the proportions of the room and everyone in it seemed to change, so that the Scythe and the High Sovereign were of equal height.


    I blinked several times, struggling to push away the strange sensation.


    When I had cleared my head, Agrona was speaking again. ¡°Of my four remaining Scythes, only one was brave enough to face Arthur Leywin in battle. The rest of you stood on the sidelines at the Victoriad, letting the best and worst of your number fall.¡±


    All of Dragoth¡¯s prodigious muscle mass went tense, then the lumbering goon shuffled aside, offering me a clear view of Agrona.


    Agrona was looking directly at me. ¡°Today, the least of the Scythes will be the first to enter the Obsidian Vault.¡±


    I stiffened, caught by surprise. The taunts and jibes were nothing new, but in this case, it seemed Agrona was offering me a backhandedpliment instead of a straightforward insult. A soft hand came to rest between my shoulder des, and I turned to look at Cecilia, who was smiling encouragingly.


    I stepped forward.


    The carved vault doors opened as two ck-robed mages pushed from the inside. Agrona gestured toward the opening as the mages put their backs against the wall and waited.


    I hesitated. Not that I could refuse even if I had wanted to, which I didn¡¯t, but I couldn¡¯t help but wonder why Agrona was really sending me first. Was it just a tactic to light a fire under the other Scythes, or maybe he wanted to see what effect a bestowal would have on me after my core was destroyed and subsequently repaired¡­


    Games within games, I reminded myself.


    Moving slowly but with purpose, I entered the Obsidian Vault and passed between the two mages, who closed the doors behind me.


    The Obsidian Vault was a strange, twilight ce. The walls, the ceiling, even the descending stairs, were all shaped from ck obsidian and shined with purple reflections.


    The smooth stairs went downward for a long time. Behind me, the soft steps of the mages followed, their whisper like a shadow of my own louder steps. After what seemed like several minutes, the stairs ended in an arched opening.


    The room beyond the arch was notrge, but the way the light twinkled off the million folds and facets of the ceiling made it look like the night sky opened above me, shining with a purple aurora.


    Like the Aurora Constete in Dicathen, I thought absently, the first memory of that distant phenomena to resurface in my healing mind.


    The center of the chamber was dominated by an altar, a b of charwood-topped obsidianrge enough for a man to lie down on. It radiated power.


    That¡¯s weird, I thought. I¡¯d never sensed that power before, even though I¡¯d been to the vaults multiple times throughout my life.


    Something had changed.


    My thoughts turned immediately to the contents of my pocket, the thing I couldn¡¯t bring myself to leave unguarded in my chambers. I recalled, too, the purple lights I¡¯d seen when I¡¯d touched it, down in the dungeons, how I¡¯d seen them through the core as if it had been a kind of lens. Although I¡¯d tried to recreate the phenomena several times, I¡¯d failed.


    Almost of its own ord, my hand slipped into my pocket and took hold of the core.


    Nothing happened.


    The bestowment ceremony suddenly seemed trivial and unimportant. I wanted to investigate this sensation further, but the two mages¡ªofficiants of the ceremony¡ªwho had followed me down the stairs were on either side of me, reaching for my jacket, then the hem of my shirt, trying to pull the clothing off me.


    Anxiety and fear rippled through me at the thought of them finding Sylvia¡¯s core. I wanted to push the men away, but knew it was futile. Whatever was happening here, I had to follow the protocols demanded by the ceremony. These officiants would allow no alteration, and I dreaded to think what Agrona might do if I harmed them in any way. These were no mere researchers hidden away in the dungeons, these officiants were the key to Agrona¡¯s hold over crya, and he would personally y the skin from any man or woman who crossed them, even me.


    Mechanically, I followed their demands. A man I hadn¡¯t seen¡ªdistracted as I¡¯d been by the altar itself¡ªmoved out of the shadows and into position on the opposite side of the altar. Carved into the obsidian around me was a ring of wide runes, and I knew a simr feature adorned the floor around the third officiant.


    The other two guided me to the center of the runic circle, where I kneeled. My hands rested on the charwood surface of the altar, ced carefully over top of twoplex sigils, each made of many small, interconnected runes.


    Across from me, the officiant lifted his staff from where it was leaning against the altar. It cked against the floor three times, loud in the stillness. The other two moved around behind me, each one taking up a staff that had leaned against the sides of the arched entryway.


    There was no chant. No guiding words. Nothing but the quiet power of the altar, the subtle weight of the mountain, and the soft by sure movement of the three hooded mages.


    Cold crystal pressed into either side of my spine from behind.


    In response, warmth and a vibrating, nerve-tingling power rushed into my hands and up my arms from the altar, tracing across my shoulders and setting the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. Finally, it cascaded down my spine to meet the two points of cold.


    For an instant, I was afraid. I¡¯d never felt anything like this during a bestowal before.


    What in all the hells is happening?


    The vibration built and built, developing from a tingle to an ache into outright agony. I was certain something was wrong, wanted to scream at the officiants, but my jaw was locked, my muscles so tight they were unresponsive.


    Somewhere very far away, or so it sounded to my pain-addled brain, a reedy voice uttered a prayer to the Vritra.


    I began to shake and sweat. I was trembling from head to toe. Then, like a fist releasing, the pain subsided.


    The room wobbled, and I would have copsed except for the strong hands of two officiants. They pulled me upright and clumsily worked my shirt back over my head, then tugged my arms into my jacket.


    Suspended between them, I was dragged clumsily up the stairs, one step at a time. Behind me, I heard the flipping of parchment and the muted mumbling of the third officiant.


    My core began to ache fiercely.


    One held me while the other struggled to force open the huge stone doors by himself. When one side finally ground out of its frame and swung heavily outward, tears sprang to my eyes at the brightness, and I could only blink them back as they trailed warm and wet along my cheeks.


    I was hauled out of the stairs into the antechamber. Blearily, I stared around at a semi-circle of surprised faces. When my unsteady gazended on Cecilia, it caught and stayed there. The radiance of her beautiful hair and her turquoise battlerobes stood out against the rest like the moon in a starless sky. Concern was etched into her features, but she was holding back.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± Melzri¡¯s voice. The hint of worry.


    ¡°Has the bestowment ceremony failed?¡± A deep baritone. Agrona¡¯s voice. Drawling, almost bored. Unsurprised. Like he expected me to fail¡­


    Suddenly I was being turned around, and my shirt pulled up so that the cold air bit at my hot flesh.


    Words. More words, but harder and harder to understand.


    I struggled to turn my head, looking over my shoulder. Cecilia¡¯s hand was over her mouth, her brows knitted in concern. A series of emotions on blurry faces¡ªcuriosity, confusion, irritation¡ªthen Agrona¡¯s features coalesced as he leaned forward to get a better look, his expression inscrutable.


    A regalia, the officiant was saying, but¡­something new?


    Something not registered in the old tomes.


    Then the weariness and uncertainty and the deep, deep ache from my core proved too much, and the darkness reached up for me. dly, I embraced it.

 Chapter 402

    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    Spells burst in the air in showers of blue, green, and gold, trailing sparks and popping to an apaniment of cheers from the ground below. The breeze carried the sound of hundreds of jubnt voices and the smells of roasting meat and sweet pies. A little girl, no more than five or six, sprinted past us, her face red and her grin growing wider with each step. Right behind her, a one-eyed man¡ªa fresh scar, from the war no doubtughed as he gave chase.


    A smile tugged at my lips as the Dicathian adventurer scooped the girl off her feet, eliciting a delighted squeal from the child. He plunked her on his shoulders, where she continued to giggle andugh, tipping farther and farther back to watch the magical fireworks that were exploding in a near-constant disy high above the city.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen people this happy since before the first attack on Xyrus,¡± Helen Shard said from where she leaned against the side of the marble gazebo that housed ckbend¡¯s only teleportation gate.


    Ang Rose was sitting in a patch of grass, Regis sprawled in herp with his head resting on her chest. ¡°It¡¯s sort of like a veil has been lifted, isn¡¯t it?¡± she said, absently scratching Regis beneath his chin.


    ¡°Beautiful and wise,¡± Regis said, giving Ang a quick lick on her cheek. ¡°Why haven¡¯t we been acquainted before? It seems like a crime.¡±


    She rewarded him with a honeyedugh. ¡°I don¡¯t know about this beast of yours, Arthur. Are you sure this isn¡¯t you pantomiming through your summons?¡± She raised a brow coyly at me.


    ¡°If it was, I wouldn¡¯t be nearly as crass,¡± I said, shooting mypanion a re.


    Jasmine had spent the night listening from the street with her back turned to us¡ªher perceptive gaze no doubt tracking the many people moving through the streets around us. Absentmindedly rolling a dagger between her fingers, she turned around. ¡°This isn¡¯t exactly a favor you¡¯ve done for us, you know.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I know. But I trust the Twin Horns to maintain control over the city without also trying to forge some kind of city-state controlled by the Adventurers Guild. Besides, it won¡¯t be for long, if things go well, and you won¡¯t even be here.¡±


    This caused a stir among the group, everyone¡¯s attention quickly turning to me. Durden, who had barely said a word since arriving in ckbend, suddenly spoke up. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I was hoping,¡± I began, looking from Jasmine to Helen, ¡°that Jasmine woulde with me to Xyrus.¡±


    Jasmine¡¯s expression gave no indication of surprise but instead shifted into something thoughtful. Still, she said nothing.


    Helen, on the other hand, frowned deeply as she pushed away from the pir she was leaning against. ¡°For what purpose? I can¡¯t imagine having all the Twin Horns, or even all the forces in Vildorial, for that matter, would have made a difference to the oue here in ckbend. Forgive me for saying it, Arthur, but the sort of battles you¡¯re likely to have¡­are you sure you want anyone that you care about by your side?¡±


    Of course, Helen was right. I didn''t, not really. If I could have had it my way, I¡¯d have stuck everyone I cared about in a hole somewhere deep in the Relictombs to keep them safe. But I also needed someone by my side that could tell me when I was wrong¡ªthat could ground me as my own station continued to rise. Perhaps if I had known this before, in my past life, I wouldn¡¯t have engaged in a war that cost millions of lives as retribution for Headmaster Wilbeck''s murder.


    But I didn¡¯t say any of that. ¡°I¡¯ll keep her safe,¡± I told Helen. Then, to Jasmine, I added, ¡°If you¡¯re willing, that is.¡±


    Jasmine lifted her chin, and her red eyes caught the reflection of a distant burst of ice shards. ¡°Of course.¡±


    Helen looked between us, her fingers fidgeting at her bowstring, then she let out a sigh and nodded. ¡°Fine, but I swear¡±¡ªshe threw her arm up over my neck and tried to pull me into a headlock¡ª¡°if I see one hair on her head missing¡ª¡±


    Effortlessly, I swept her off her feet, cradling her in my arms and making her squeal in surprise. ¡°You know hair falls out naturally, right?¡±


    Her hand hammered on my shoulder. ¡°Put me down, you ridiculous boy!¡±


    Laughing, I set her back on her feet, keeping my hands on her shoulders and holding eye contact. ¡°I understand your worry. This is a war, and none of us are truly safe, not even me, but I promise I¡¯ll keep her as safe as possible.¡±


    Helen hmphed, trying and failing to hide a chagrined smile.


    ¡®Well, you have fun, I think I¡¯ll just stay here with Ang Rose and her¡ª¡¯


    Not a chance, I shot back. Come on. It¡¯s time to go.


    While Regis finished being aplete idiot and embarrassing himself in front of Ang Rose, I entered the stonework gazebo and began calibrating the teleportation gate to the flying city of Xyrus. Jasmine followed wordlessly.


    When the portal hummed to life inside the frame, I stepped up before it, but turned around to face Helen, Durden, and Ang Rose before passing through.


    Regis drifted into my body. Ang Rose gave a cheery wave. Durden scratched at the stump of his arm, his gaze settling somewhere to my right.


    ¡°Good luck, General Arthur,¡± Helen said, her knuckles knocking against the carved stone pir. ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for word of your sess.¡±


    I nodded to Helen and gave a look to Jasmine to say her goodbyes before going through.


    The world blurred around me, and I had a brief moment as I was disassociated from time and physical reality to consider the next step.


    I had only spent hours in ckbend, total. Sess required a feverish pace on my part, and Xyrus was even more important than ckbend.


    As the most prosperous and defensible city in Sapin, it had be home for many of the highbloods who had been drawn to Dicathen¡ªor at least those who hadn¡¯t dedicated their resources to building holds in Elenoir only to see them decimated by Aldir.


    It was also home to many of the wealthiest Dicathians, especially turncoat houses like the Wykes.


    My fear was that I faced less a battle and more an extended period of digging out the cryans from the city like ticks from a wolf¡¯s pelt. And the more time I spent in any one ce, the more time the next city in line had to prepare. I¡¯d already given Agrona far too much time to react and counter my victory in Vildorial.


    The world lurched to a halt as I arrived at one of a row of identical teleportation gates.


    A squad of cryan soldiers stood at attention nearby. The rest of the street was entirely empty.


    Jasmine appeared behind me, her hand already on her des.


    A middle-aged guard with a heavy Truacian ent stepped forward. ¡°Wee to Xyrus City, General Arthur and¡±¡ªhe looked pointedly at Jasmine. When neither of us answered him, he pursed his lips and finished¡ª¡°honored guest.¡±


    I considered for a moment before responding. The fact that he knew who I was and had clearly been prepared for my arrival, yet wasn¡¯t attacking me, meant that someone in the city wanted to have a conversation.


    ¡°I am Idir of Blood insrunner,¡± he continued, and this time I caught the slight tremble in his voice. ¡°My men and I are to escort you to the Courthouse to meet with the heads of Xyrus. If you please.¡±


    And if I don¡¯t please? I almost asked, but refrained. ¡°And who would that be?¡± I asked instead.


    ¡°The ranking members of the five highbloods given stake in this city are Augustine of Highblood Ramseyer, Leith of Highblood Rynhorn, Rhys of Highblood Arkwright, Walter of Highblood Kaenig, and Adaenn of Highblood Umburter.¡± I must have given away some sign of recognition at the names Ramseyer and Arkwright, because the soldier added, ¡°Powerful bloods on both continents, as you know.¡±


    ¡°And what will this meeting entail?¡± I asked.


    The soldier, Idir, gave a humble bow. ¡°I am just a messenger. I know you¡¯vee from a battle and are weary, but I can assure you, no cryan in this city wishes to cross des with the man who slew Scythe Cadell Vritra.¡±


    I didn¡¯t doubt his words, but they didn¡¯t exactly put me at ease. Just because a soldier didn¡¯t want to fight didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d refuse when the order was given.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I said at length. ¡°Lead the way, Idir.¡±


    Although the streets were mostly empty, faces pressed against the windows of the many buildings we passed. Of the very few people that remained in the streets, all appeared to be Dicathian working ss folks. A few even called out questioningly, but were warned away by our escort. It wasn¡¯t until a man in a sweat-stained, colorless tunic shouted out ¡°Lance Arthur!¡± that I intervened.


    A heavy-set woman in armored robes brandished her staff at the man, but I grabbed it. Everyone froze.


    Jasmine, already tense, had her daggers half drawn in a blink, but I gestured for her to stand down. ¡°I won¡¯t have you bullying Dicathians in my presence,¡± I said, directed at the cryan soldiers, then released the woman¡¯s staff.


    The man was just past middle-aged with shoulder-length hair that was receding at the temples. It took a moment before I recognized him. ¡°Jameson?¡± I asked, certain he was one of the men who worked at the Helstea Auction House for Vincent.


    He nodded excitedly, wringing the front of his tunic. He kept opening his mouth to speak, but stopped every time under the hostile stares of the cryans.


    ¡°I suggest you return to the manor, Jameson,¡± I said firmly, but kindly. I also widened my eyes just slightly, a nonverbalmunication that I meant more than I said.


    He gave me a nk, startled look, but didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Jasmine, maybe you should go with him?¡± I paused for emphasis, then added, ¡°To make sure he gets home safe?¡±


    ¡°But Arthur¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please. Ensure that all is well, thene find me,¡± I said, interrupting her.


    Jasmine nodded, clearly understanding. ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon.¡±


    Then, she grabbed Jameson by the arm, subtly dragging him away. The man finally seemed toe to some understanding, and he bowed clumsily as he half back-pedaled, half was dragged, before turning and following swiftly behind Jasmine in the direction of the Helsteas¡¯ mansion.


    Uneasy at the thought of being separated from Jasmine after I said I¡¯d protect her, I reached for my connection with Regis, but he had already started moving.


    As if my shadow itself hade to life, he leapt out from my back,nding heavily, his ws scraping the ground and startling the soldiers. We shared no manifest thoughts as he trotted quickly after them, since we both understood what needed to be done.


    Jameson gave a yelp of surprise as Regis fell in beside him, but Jasmine was quick tofort the man.


    After watching them walk away, I leveled a cold look in Idir¡¯s direction. He cleared his throat, spun on his heel, and began the march again.


    Although I would have preferred to have Jasmine and Regis at my side, I needed the message to get to the Helsteas that I was in the city. ording to Jasmine, they had been helping targeted citizens get out of the city ever since the cryan upation began. That meant they had contacts, awork, people who should know that things were about to change.


    It wasn¡¯t a long walk from the teleportation gates to the Courthouse. I was somewhat surprised to find the cobbled square in front of the building¡ªan ornate courtyardplete with well-tended gardens, fruit trees, and several statues of famous mages throughout Xyrus¡¯s history¡ªentirely empty. I had expected a show of force, at least. A hundred battle groups would have filled the space nicely, and given it an appropriately militaristic air.


    ¡°Our soldiers within the city have mostly fallen back,¡± Idir said stiffly, answering my unasked question. ¡°Lady Augustine didn¡¯t want to give you the wrong impression.¡±


    We moved quickly across the courtyard, but the soldiers stopped at the base of the marble steps. Ahead and above us, the white and gray lines of the huge edifice that was the Courthouse seemed to dominate the city skyline.


    Five impably-dressed cryans walked in a stately line out from under the towering archway that opened into the Courthouse beyond, each one oozing highblood authority and grooming with each step.


    A surprisingly young woman with russet brown skin and tight ck curls stood a half step in front of the others. ¡°Ascender Grey. Or¡­Arthur Leywin, is it?¡± She batted her thick eyshes at me innocently. ¡°A pleasure to meet you. My grandfather found you to be such an interesting andplex problem as a professor. I¡¯m interested to better understand why.¡±


    As she spoke, her words crisp and sharply enunciated, the family resemnce became clear. ¡°You are Augustine of Highblood Ramseyer, then? Valen¡¯s sister?¡±


    ¡°Cousin,¡± she said with the slightest shrug of her thin shoulders. ¡°Though we were raised more as siblings. I am a graduate of Central Academy¡ªa fact that I now consider to be a great shame, since my time there was over before your short tenure as a professor began. Seeing your performance at the Victoriad, I¡¯m sure your ss was most interesting.¡±


    ¡°You seem to know a little about me, Lady Ramseyer, so I¡¯m sure you also know why I¡¯m here,¡± I said, pointedly scanning the five highbloods.


    She raised a delicate hand. ¡°Please, do you n to discuss business here on the stoop, as if we were shady des dealers?¡± Her thin eyebrows rose, and there was a sparkle in her dark eyes. ¡°Let us retreat to morefortable amodations, so we might discuss your purpose in Xyrus like civilized people.¡±


    The other four highbloods led the way, while Augustine stood aside and gestured for me to follow. I took a moment to scan the courtyard and what I could see of the Courthouse building. The squadron of guards led by Idir was waiting at the base of the wide steps, but there was nothing else¡ªno one else¡ªto be seen.


    As I moved past her, Augustine reached out and slipped her arm through mine. She was a head shorter than me, and her slender arms looked like frail sticks next to mine, but there was a liquid grace and abiding confidence to her movements that revealed no fear of me.


    As we walked arm in arm through the grand halls, I found my thoughts drifting back to Central Academy. I hadn¡¯t had much time to consider the chaos I had left in my wake. Those kids, the ones I¡¯d had the most impact on¡ªValen, En, Seth, Ma¡­


    Did I do more damage than good, by making them trust me only to break that trust and disappear? I wondered.


    Who knows what kind of propaganda Agrona and his minions had spread after the Victoriad.


    ¡°The kids from my ss,¡± I began, then hesitated, unsure exactly what I wanted to ask¡ªor if I even had the right to ask given our situation.


    ¡°No me was ced on them, and they were given ample opportunity and resources to recover from the shock,¡± Augustine confirmed. ¡°My grandfather may be a hard man, but he is dedicated to his academy and its students.¡±


    That, at least, was a relief. I knew ric would have no such protection, but I trusted the old drunk to be able to look after himself.


    Realizing I was letting sentimentality drag my focus down, I began drawing from the same well of impassivity that had helped me survive in crya.


    Augustine guided me through several short corridors before we arrived at arge lounge. Like the rest of the Courthouse, the floor was of polished granite, while the carved walls were all brilliant white marble. Arched windows bathed the lounge in light, which only made it even brighter. Dozens of fine chairs and couches were carefully arrayed through the room, broken up with a hundred different kinds of potted greenery. One wall was dominated by a massive marble bar, behind which were shelves and shelves of bottles.


    At the center of the lounge, I noticed that a table had been moved and several seats rearranged to make room for a small round table topped with a Sovereigns Quarrel board. Two high-backed, velvet-cushioned chairs had been set on opposite sides of the table.


    The four silent highbloods stood aside, and Augustine led me to the table. I pulled one chair out and offered it to her. She veiled her surprise well, smiling and inclining her head in thanks as she took a seat. I pushed the chair in slightly, then sat down myself.


    ¡°You¡¯re familiar?¡± she asked, her index finger tracing an ornately carved striker.


    ¡°I¡¯ve yed,¡± I answered, examining the board. The pieces were exquisitely carved, each caster, shield, and striker unique. Her pieces were crafted of blood-red stone, while mine were marbled gray and ck. ¡°I¡¯m not here for games, though, Augustine. You know that.¡±


    Her smile widened, but she was focused on the game board and didn¡¯t meet my eye. ¡°ckbend City fell to you in¡ªwhat?¡ªtwenty minutes?¡± While she stared at the pieces, her fingers caressed the outline of her lips. ¡°Clearly strength of arms is a poor counter to your power, Arthur¡ªcan I call you Arthur?¡± she asked, interrupting herself as she looked at me for confirmation.


    I nodded, and she continued. ¡°But Xyrus is a different beast. Hundreds of cryans have made the city their home, and there are five soldiers posted here for each civilian. Many Dicathians have already sworn allegiance to the High Sovereign. Do you n to go street by street, house by house, kicking in doors and dragging away families¡ªchildren, servants¡ªindiscriminately?¡±


    Picking up a striker, she moved it in a line deep into my end of the field. An aggressive move.


    ¡°Usually soldiers surrender after I¡¯ve destroyed their leadership,¡± I said evenly, maneuvering a caster to counter her striker.


    She bit her lip, then moved one of her own casters to support the striker. ¡°Such bravado, Arthur. I thought you wanted to have a discussion. Do you expect me to treat with you when you keep holding a de to my neck?¡±


    I shrugged, carelessly repositioning a shield. ¡°I didn¡¯te to negotiate. I came to retake the city. Bloodless is better, but I¡¯m prepared to do what needs to be done, just as in ckbend.¡±


    ¡°So what then?¡± Her fingers tapped on the hardwood table. ¡°You want us¡±¡ªshe gestured to the others¡ª¡°to take our people and go home? Just that simple?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. And you can take anyone who bent a knee to Agrona with you.¡±


    She leaned away from the game as she carefully scrutinized me. ¡°Before we go any further, I have a confession to make. Please, stay your hand and listen.¡± Augustine shared a look with one of the others, who gave her a sharp nod. ¡°Every cryan soldier at our disposal has already been disbursed throughout the city. Their orders are simple: if any harmes to me or mypatriots, they will start butchering the people of Xyrus.¡± She held up her hand again, her features softening. ¡°Don¡¯t mistake me, I am not a monster. I was ced in charge of our blood¡¯s expansion into your continent specifically because I was eager to work alongside the people of Dicathen, to learn from them and guide them into Agrona¡¯s service.


    ¡°But,¡± she continued, and for a single instant herposure broke, and I saw real fear sh across her fine features, ¡°just as you said, I will do what needs to be done. Because, on my blood¡¯s honor, I cannot simply give you this city.¡±


    I looked down at the game board, offering her no outward reaction to her threats. Instead, I said only, ¡°I believe it¡¯s still your turn, Augustine.¡±


    Biting her lip, she slid the striker through the newly formed gap in my line. ¡°I know that you carry no fear for yourself,¡± Augustine continued, louder and more confident, ¡°but you aren¡¯t callous with the lives of others. Even in crya, surrounded at all times by enemies, you took pains to ensure the students in your care were well tended to, students like Seth of Highblood Milview and Ma of Blood Fairweather in particr.¡±


    ¡°Surrender yourself and the people of this city will be spared,¡± one of the other highbloods added, his honeyed baritone positively oozing with pompous arrogance.


    Feigning a stifled yawn, I withdrew my forward caster in order to block her striker from my sentry. ¡°I get the feeling you¡¯re not giving the game your full attention.¡±


    Her jaw clenched tight as she shot the other highbloods an uncertain look. Walter of Highblood Kaenig nodded, and she slid back slightly from the table.


    Several things all happened in the same instant: the air all throughout the room rippled violently, and suddenly the lounge was full of armed and armored knights; several ovepping shields of translucent mana appeared between me and Augustine; and, somewhere in the distance, horns began to blow.


    I heard the whistle of a polearm swinging, reached up and caught the shaft, then twisted my wrist so the wood shattered. My attacker bore the symbol of house Wykes one his breastte. I recognized the symbols of several noble houses among the crowd of soldiers: Wykes, rell, Ravenpoor, Dreyl, and, most surprisingly of all, mesworth.


    By then, Augustine had kicked aside her chair and retreated into the press of Dicathian soldiers. The other highbloods were busily scuttling from the room like rodents fleeing a burning barn.


    I stayed in my seat. No one else attacked immediately, so I went back to perusing the game board.


    ¡°These men, these Dicathian-born men, are willing to fight to keep you from returning things to the way they were!¡± Augustine shouted over the sudden noise of a hundred men in armor nking against one another. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that give you any pause? Or are you so single-minded that you would murder even your own people to ensure the world is as you think it should be.¡±


    There was a wildness in the young woman¡¯s dark eyes that reminded me of a cornered shadow panther.


    I took a second to look from face to face, seeing in them a stoic certainty that I found surprising. The mere sight of me conjured abject terror in the cryan men, but these knights of Xyrus¡¯s noble houses seemed so self-certain. Like the little carved men on the board, they simply went where they were told, oblivious to the ramifications of their actions or their own lives.


    ¡°You think you¡¯ve outmaneuvered me,¡± I said, pressing my index finger down on the head of the striker piece that was now sitting behind the line of my shields, dangerously close to my sentry. ¡°You¡¯ve isted a weakness and exploited it. Left me with no further actions to take.¡± Picking up my sentry, I moved it next to the opposing striker. ¡°But I don¡¯t forfeit, Augustine.¡±


    I let my gaze fall heavily on all those nearest to me. ¡°So, strike me down.¡±


    Not even a breath interrupted the silence that followed.


    Then themand split the quiet, resounding off the marble walls. ¡°Attack!¡±


    A Dreyl knight lunged forward and thrust his sword at my side. A spike of ice flew at me from behind Augustine, cast by a man in rell colors. Then another attack came, and another, and soon I was at the center of a barrage of blows, some magical, others by sword or ax or spear.


    But they crashed against the relic armor, which unfolded over my flesh in an instant. I stood, absorbing the brunt of the assault without fighting back. Five seconds passed, then ten. At twenty seconds, there was a lull in the assault as the reality of the situation started to dawn over the knights.


    In that moment''s hesitation, I fell on them like a silver panther among raptor squirrels.


    Ripping the sword from the Dreyl knight¡¯s hand, I thrust it into another man¡¯s chest, took him by the throat, and hurled him into a mesworth knight¡¯s oing spear. Activating Realmheart with a flicker of aether, I deflected a roiling ball of molten metal, sending it into the face of a rell soldier at the same time as I conjured an aether de and twirled it around in a wide arc, cutting down several more men.


    While the knights had been charging forward, Augustine had been retreating, sliding back through the wall of Dicathians until she was at the lounge door. She didn¡¯t flee farther, didn¡¯t run for her life or attempt to disappear into the streets outside. Instead, she stood and watched. Entranced or petrified, I couldn¡¯t tell.


    Directing aether into my fist to form a concentrated st, I turned toward a group of conjurers bearing the Wykes House crest. ¡°Please, General Arthur,¡± one of them begged, ¡°I served with you at¡ª¡±


    The plea cut out, swallowed by the forge-fire roar of aether sting the conjurers to pieces.


    With the efficiency of a lumberjack splitting the day''s wood, I cut through the remaining soldiers. Dozens upon dozens of them fell into bloody and broken heaps upon the granite floor, their blood pooling until the gray vanished beneath a wet red carpet.


    The fight barelysted a minute before thest of them fell.


    I wiped blood from my face and turned toward Augustine. To her benefit, she didn¡¯t run. As I started in her direction, she watched me approach like one who has epted death.


    The room was silent again. And now that it was, I could hear the sounds of shouting and spellfire in the distance.


    ¡°Order your soldiers to back down,¡± I said, my voice an apathetic void. ¡°No more Dicathians are to be harmed. All cryans are to gather and prepare to relocate. If this isn¡¯t done now, I¡¯ll spare no one.¡±


    Her dark eyes were unfocused, looking through me into the middle distance where the Dicathian knights¡¯ corpses littered the floor.


    ¡°Lady Ramseyer,¡± I snapped, and she jumped and stumbled backward, horror dawning across her face.


    She began to retreat clumsily backwards, her disbelieving gaze locked on me. Behind her, I saw the swishing robes of the other highbloods vanish around a corner.


    ¡°Don¡¯t test me further.¡±


    Nodding frantically, she began running. Then I was alone.


    My eyes shut, the lids suddenly ponderously heavy. I was tired. So tired. It wasn¡¯t weakness of body or my core that weighed on me, but a fatigue of the spirit.


    I released my connection with the relic armor, and the ck scales enveloping me fell away into nothing. Forcing my eyes open, I took in the carnage I¡¯d wrought.


    Shining steel was muted with red-brown smears of rapidly oxidizing blood. Severed appendages sat like gruesome inds amid the sea of scarlet. The colorful emblems of Xyrus¡¯s noble houses were indistinguishable beneath the stains.


    So many of our own had been ready to wee Agrona even before the war started to turn against us, it shouldn¡¯t have surprised me that, with crya firmly in control, some people had fully sworn themselves to his service. Fear alone would drive many to that end, and greed many more.


    Still. As I stared at the corpses, I knew these deaths were a weight I would have to carry.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how long I¡¯d stood there in silence, deaf to everything but my own inner turmoil, when the sound of hurried steps drew me back out of my own emotions.


    Jasmine marched into the room, stepped in blood, and pulled up short. Her eyes went wide, then focused on me. She must have seen something in my appearance that gave away what I was feeling, because her normally hard exterior softened.


    I realized Regis wasn¡¯t with her and reached out to him. I could sense him outside, helping to break up the fighting.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Jasmine asked after a moment.


    ¡°I¡­¡± When my voice came out raw, I bit back my words, hesitant to look weak in front of her. Fool, I chided myself, remembering why I¡¯d asked for her toe with me in the first ce. ¡°I¡¯ve worked so hard to keep this war from bing a ughter,¡± I continued after a moment, ¡°but these men¡­¡±


    I trailed off again, sweeping my hand across the room in a futile gesture. ¡°I didn¡¯t give them a chance,¡± I finally finished.


    Jasmine nudged a body over with her toe so the breastte was facing up. There were very few identifying features left of the knight, whose face had been carved by an ax, but clear on his breastte was the symbol of the mesworth House: a stylized rose, its petals formed from gently curling mes. Her face remained expressionless.


    ¡°They had their chances,¡± she said tly. ¡°Many of them. And they made their choice every time.¡±


    She trailed between the bodies, each step leaving behind an empty patch of granite in the blood. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize my father had been released from his cell under the Wall.¡±


    Trodius mesworth had sent his own daughter away for preferring air-attribute mana to fire. He had nned to sequester himself and his noble friends in the Wall to save themselves from the war. And he had betrayed the trust of his own soldiers when he refused to drop the wall on the army of mutated mana beasts the cryans had conjured from the Beast des, an act that had directly resulted in the death of my own father.


    But he wasn¡¯t some outlier of viiny inside an otherwise altruistic institution. No, every leader of every one of these noble houses had done things just as selfish, cruel, and treasonous, of that I was certain.


    ¡°Durden still mes himself for your father¡¯s death, you know,¡± Jasmine said, seemingly out of the blue.


    I felt myself sag, and leaned back against the bar, pushing a knight¡¯s corpse off the polished surface in order to make room. ¡°It wasn¡¯t his fault. That battle¡­even the strongest mages could have fallen prey to those beasts.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, it wasn¡¯t his fault,¡± Jasmine said firmly, still pacing through the ughter. ¡°It was Trodius¡¯s. He was careless with the lives of men who trusted him.¡± She stopped and pointed down at a torso that had been cleaved free of its bottom half. ¡°Lord Dreyl was careless with this man¡¯s life.¡± She nudged a mage in blood-soaked battlerobes with a toe. ¡°And Lord Ravenpoor with this man¡¯s.¡± She stopped, her feet on either side of a severed head. ¡°And Trodius sent this woman to her death as well.¡±


    Our eyes met. There was fire behind the red of her irises. ¡°Don¡¯t punish yourself for the deeds of others, Arthur.¡±


    I had to clear my throat before speaking. ¡°This war won¡¯t be over when thest cryan leaves these shores. We have too many enemies who were born here and call themselves Dicathians.¡±


    Jasmine nodded, making her way to my side. She reached across the bar and pulled down a bottle, swirling the golden liquid inside. There was something distant and haunted in her face, then she tossed the bottle away. ¡°Even continents have to exercise their demons, I suppose.¡±


    More footsteps announced the arrival of several people. Jasmine¡¯s hand went to her daggers, but I could feel from my connection with Regis that the fighting was over. Augustine and her cohorts had pulled back their troops, as I¡¯d ordered.


    I pressed my palms hard into my eyes, until white static yed across my vision. Then, with a steadying breath, I moved quickly to the doorway, not wanting to have any more conversations in the lounge-turned-abattoir.


    Despite hoping for a few reunions, I was still surprised by the approaching figures, all of whom stopped when they saw me.


    Vincent Helstea looked strange in his leather armor and helm. He had aged since I¡¯dst seen him, and added some weight around the middle, and there was a haggard weariness behind his once yful eyes.


    Beside him, his daughter, Lilia, was a grown woman, fierce and beautiful even covered in blood. She was pale, and there were tears clinging to the corners of her eyes as she stared at me in shock.


    And behind both of them was Vanesy Glory, unmarred by the battles outside.


    While Vincent was looking at me with a kind of delirious bemusement, like he wasn¡¯t quite sure if this was all a dream or not, Lilia simmered with a furious intensity, her eyes moved quickly over the lines of my face, except when they would meet my own and catch there.


    Behind them, Vanesy Glory had stopped and was standing at attention with one hand behind her back, the other on her de, its point down, resting on the granite. Her bright eyes were shining, and her lips were pressed together so tightly that they¡¯d turned white.


    ¡°Art, my boy, is that really you?¡± Vincent asked from the doorway.


    I tried to sh him a warm smile, but it felt more mncholy resting on my face. ¡°Surprise.¡±


    Lilia let out a whimpering breath, her body tensed like a pulled bowstring, and she sprang forward and wrapped her arms around me. ¡°Arthur¡­I¡ªI can¡¯t believe you¡¯re alive!¡±


    I epted the embrace gratefully. She pressed her face into my chest, her body shaking with suppressed sobs. ¡°What about Ellie? Alice? There¡¯s been no word for so long¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I said consolingly, my bloody hand softly caressing her hair. ¡°They¡¯re both fine, Lilia.¡±


    She pulled free and wiped her eyes, grimacing with embarrassment. ¡°So much for being a stoic leader of the rebellion,¡± she said wryly. ¡°But I suppose that is more Commander Glory¡¯s thing, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Never be ashamed of your emotions, dear,¡± Vincent said, automatically slipping into a fatherly tone. ¡°You cannot control how you feel, and those who love and respect you will not judge you for expressing yourself.¡±


    Smiling, I slipped past Vincent and extended a hand to Vanesy. She let go of the rigid stance she¡¯d been holding and took my hand firmly. When I¡¯d first met Vanesy Glory as a professor at Xyrus Academy, there had been a youthful exuberance to all her actions. Just after the war started, I found her to be steadfast and serious in her role, with much of that lighthearted air subdued, but on the whole unchanged.


    Now, she¡¯d been tempered by years of conflict. Unlike Vincent, the war hadn¡¯t aged her physically; the same Vanesy still stood before me, with her brte hair pulled back and tied, as usual. But the easy smile was gone, as was the amused squint that normally wrinkled the corners of her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry there won¡¯t be more time for a proper reunion,¡± I said, ¡°but the situation here rests upon the edge of a de. I need to get these cryans out of Xyrus as soon as possible.¡±


    She squeezed my hand, then let me go and took a step back. ¡°Of course, Arthur.¡± She hesitated. ¡°I¡­everyone thought you were dead.¡± She looked at the ground, her jaw tightening.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not,¡± I said lightly. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll tell you everything, but for now, we need eyes across the city. Can you send out patrols? We need a presence in the street to make sure the cryan soldiers don¡¯t have apse of judgment.¡±


    Vanesy was frowning, and it only deepened as I spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why are we allowing them to just¡ª¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help the deep sigh that came unbidden from my lips. She stopped speaking, and her jaw began working back and forth in agitation.


    This is something I need to remember, I thought. While I was on the other continent learning to see the cryans as people, those here in Dicathen witnessed only the most monstrous of their actions. I can¡¯t fault my allies for not being eager to simply wave as their oppressors march to freedom.


    ¡°I know many of these cryans havemitted crimes worth punishing. War is war, and that is hard enough to forgive. I won¡¯t pretend to know everything they¡¯ve done to you and yours since the war''s end. But please, right now is not the time to exercise whatever rage is inside you.¡±


    I held her gaze for a long moment. Her gloves creaked against the handle of her sword. Then she bent at the waist and gave me a shallow bow. ¡°Of course. General.¡±

 Chapter 403

    <strong>CAERA DENOIR</strong>


    Heavy ck clouds had turned day to night, pouring down thick sheets of rain that pummeled the streets of Aensgar on the Redwater. The city was eerily quiet under the nket of rainfall, broken only by the rattle of carriage wheels over wet cobbles or the rare shout from an unlucky soul caught out in the storm as they rushed furtively toward their destinations.


    I''d had nearly a week toe to terms with the events in Sehz-r, but the rushed pace of Seris''s maneuvering had left little time for contemtive thought. Still, I knew what was at stake. In truth, I almost found myself enjoying the subterfuge, despite the danger of being outside the shields.


    Finding the street I was looking for, I pulled the hood of my cloak farther down over my face and shrouded my mana signature before cautiously edging around the exterior of arge three-story inn. Dim light filtered through yellowed panes of ss, the low rumble of drunkenughter and conversation spilling into the street from the open door.


    I scanned the alleyway behind the inn, but it was empty aside from the usual collection of rubbish that had been tossed out by the too-busy staff.


    Slipping along the rear wall of the building, I tucked myself into the narrow alcove the backdoor provided and waited, watching the street. No one breached the mouth of the alley, and the street beyond remained empty except for the sshing rain. Confident that no one was following me, I eased open the door and ducked into the dim interior.


    I found myself in a narrow corridor. To one side, the cacophonous din of the bar vibrated through the thin boards, and a handful of doors opened into storage rooms and the proprietor''s private quarters on the other.


    Once I had passed these, the susurrus of quiet voices edged into my perception, subtle beneath the louder volume of the barroom. The voices wereing from a room at the end of the hall.


    I cautiously approached thest door, and the voices grew slowly louder until I could make out the words over the rest of the general mor. A thin de of light was issuing from a space between two nks in the wall, and when I put my eye to the spot, I could see a slice of the room beyond, including several of the speakers.


    I could haveughed.


    Each of the men visible from my angle was dressed more ostentatiously than thest. It was a wonder they hadn¡¯t arrived apanied by a parade of blood members, servants, and captured mana beasts. One might have been forgiven for thinking that a ndestine meeting such as this would be a good time to dress down, but apparently these highbloods couldn¡¯t resist the opportunity to unt their wealth, even if only to each other.


    Although, to give them some credit, there was a row of in, rain-soaked cloaks hanging from hooks on the back wall.


    ¡°Scythe Seris Vritra¡¯s emissary iste,¡± an older man said. His bushy blond goatee had faded nearly to white, but there was steel in his eyes and he stared around the room. Lord Uriel of Highblood Frost, I thought, recognizing him immediately.


    A much younger man, dark-haired and barrel-chested,ughed low and dangerous. ¡°Highlord Frost, this is a Scythe we¡¯re discussing.¡± He drummed his fingers across the scarred table that dominated the back room. ¡°Although, I suppose such a title is no longer appropriate. At any rate, her representative will arrive, and when they do, they will consider themselves exactly on time. The real question is why they chose such an unruly, meager sort of ce to meet.¡±


    Highlord Frost¡¯s thick brows rose as he considered the younger man. ¡°I suppose you are correct, Lord Exeter. Although, if Scythe¡­ah, Lady Seris expects to win our goodwill, perhaps she should start by treating us better than her previouspatriots have.¡±


    A cool female voice belonging to someone not visible from my current vantage cut in, saying, ¡°Oh really, Uriel. When have you ever been treated poorly in your life? Born a highblood and heir to the title of highlord, your sess and authority were very nearly predestined. You¡¯ve heard the parable of the silver spoon, I assume?¡±


    There were several scandalized scoffs from the men in front of me.


    Highlord Frost scowled, a look that would have frozen the blood of most cryans. ¡°Some of us have had the good fortune to be born into our position, while others have fought and bled to scrape their way up from the dregs of the unblooded.¡± His tone was mild, with the barest cutting edge just audible in the undertones. ¡°But we are all highbloods now, Matron Tremy. And all here for a shared purpose. I suspect if your blood¡¯s interactions with the Scythes and Sovereigns had been positive, you would not have answered Seris¡¯s invitation.¡±


    ¡°Well said, Uriel,¡± said one of the others, a younger man whose back was to me so all I could see was his tight ponytail.


    ¡°Oh, indeed,¡± Matron Tremy answered teasingly. ¡°An absolute paragon of facundity.¡±


    I pulled back from the crack in the wall and headed toward the door, deciding to make myself known before things escted further.


    ¡°If you have some grievance against me or my blood, Maylis, air it,¡± Highlord Frost¡¯s voice rumbled through the shabby wall.


    ¡°Pay her no mind, Highlord Frost. These newbloods have no appreciation for those who came before,¡± Lord Exeter said.


    I opened the door to the sight of a tall, athletic woman rising to her feet. She had one finger extended toward the men at the other end of the table and her mouth open to hurl what was no doubt to be a well-practiced insult. But her burgundy eyes shifted to me, bright and overrge in her sun-kissed face, and she stopped.


    ¡°Caera?¡± she asked uncertainly.


    I focused on the short horns that grew from her forehead to curve back close atop her lustrous blue-ck hair, which she had pulled back into a tail. She was Vritra-blooded. But her blood name, Tremy, wasn¡¯t familiar. Then, btedly, I realized I¡¯d heard her first name as well.


    ¡°Maylis¡­¡± I had a sh of a much younger version of the fierce young woman now standing in front of me, a skin-and-bones teenager with blue-ck hair down to the back of her knees. ¡°I see your blood has manifested.¡±


    She nodded vigorously, clearly excited and eager to speak, but the men were all on their feet now, and we both seemed to realize this wasn¡¯t the time for a reunion at the same moment. Biting back her smile, she sat back down.


    On the other side of the room, a couple of the men offered me perfunctory bows, but most were staring warily.


    Only Lord Exeter approached, moving quickly and offering his hand. I went to shake it, but he turned my hand and pulled it toward him. I could only watch, surprised, bemused, and mildly annoyed, as he pressed his lips to the back of my glove.


    Maylis snorted.


    ¡°By the Sovereigns¡¯ grace, Lady Caera of Highblood Denoir, what are you doing here?¡± he asked, moon-eyed and ogling.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± a wheezing voice said, drawing my eye to a puffy, balding highblood in purple and silver battlerobes. ¡°This is some kind of setup! The Denoirs have already spoken out vocally against the situation in Sehz-r¡ª¡±


    A bark ofughter from Highlord Frost cut off the wheezing man. ¡°Which, I imagine, Highlord Seabrook, is why this girl is here, instead of the heir, Lauden, or Highlord Denoir himself. ying both sides I would imagine.¡±


    I leveled a cold, unblinking gaze at the room. ¡°This ¡®girl¡¯ is here because Seris herself has chosen me to share her message. I¡¯m the emissary you¡¯ve been waiting on.¡± I focused on the plum of a man I now knew was Highlord Sebastien Seabrook. ¡°And, Highlord, if this were some kind of trap, you lot would have already thoroughly incriminated yourselves with your startling absence of prudence.¡±


    Next to me, Lord Exeter had gone pale as a ghost. He took a halting step back, bumped up against the table, sputtered something incoherent, then finally managed, ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    Maylis was grinning fiendishly. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Zachian? You were so eager to present yourself as a vacuous, self-indulgent blowhard only a moment ago.¡±


    This seemed to snap him out of his surprise. He straightened his jacket and turned his nose up. ¡°Forgive me, Lady Denoir. I¡¯ve disrupted the meeting. Please,¡± he said, waving me into the room. He then shot a withering re at Maylis before returning to his seat.


    ¡°Indeed, we seem to have gotten somewhat off from our purpose,¡± Highlord Frost said into the silence that followed. ¡°If you have trulye on behalf of Lady Seris, pray tell, what exactly does she hope to aplish with this act of rebellion?¡±


    This question, I knew, was intended more to usher us into a conversation than seek an actual answer. Each of these highbloods had received a number of missives already, which offered exnation for Seris¡¯s purpose. They knew what she was trying to do, but what they really wanted to gauge was if there would even be a chance that she could be sessful. And, perhaps more importantly to them, what would it cost the highbloods to align with her against Agrona.


    ¡°Seat yourselves and I¡¯ll answer any sensible questions you might have,¡± I said firmly. I kept my physical presence poised and confident but not rigid.


    Normally, in a room with so many other highbloods, the practiced courtly demeanor my foster parents had drilled into me would have taken over, but I wasn¡¯t here to move through the typical machinations of noble politics. If they saw me as their lesser¡ªor even their equal¡ªthen it would be all but impossible to aplish my goal.


    I was here as Seris¡¯s emissary, and she had high expectations.


    Moving in a delicate dance of who would sit first and in which seats, the highbloods filled the long chipped, stained table. There were eight people representing various highbloods that had shown cautious interest in Seris¡¯s message. I stayed on my feet with my hands sped behind my back and let the faint impression of impatience bleed into my expression.


    Lord Exeter was quick to take a seat halfway down the table. His gaze kept twitching toward Maylis, and although he presented himself as outwardly calm, I could sense his temper simmering below the surface. I hadn¡¯t heard of Highblood Exeter, but by the way he had sneered at Maylis about being a ¡°newblood,¡± I doubted he himself was newly raised up. More likely, his was some middling blood from Sehz-r or Etril, raised up due to the amount ofnd they¡¯d managed to acquire rather than strength in war or sess as ascenders.


    Highlord Frost took the seat at the head of the table opposite me. I¡¯d met several of his blood at Central Academy, and the Frosts did asional business with the Denoirs. I¡¯d been quite impressed with his great-granddaughter, En, who had won her event at the Victoriad.


    Highlord Seabrook, the puffy, purple man with the wheezing voice, sat to Frost¡¯s left. He was staring at me and chewing on his cheek in a distracted sort of way.


    To his left was the second son of Highblood Umburter, whose given name I couldn¡¯t recall. His brother, I knew, was off in Dicathen managing the blood¡¯s affairs. The fact that he was here instead of his father, Highlord Gracian Umburter, suggested that they were simply testing the waters. At least the Exeters had sent their heir.


    Still, the Umburter boy was a step above the aging man next to him. Chambein to Matron rvelle, I thought his name was Geoffrey. The rvelle Highblood had been close to the Denoirs when I was a child, but some falling out between my adoptive mother and Matron rvelle resulted in the two bloods drifting apart. As chambein, Geoffrey was a trusted member of the household, but to send him to such a meeting as this was almost deliberately insulting.


    We¡¯d have to be careful with the rvelles.


    On the other side of the table, Highlord Ector Ainsworth sat to Highlord Frost¡¯s right. In his sixties, Ector still had dark ck hair, except for a slight lightening at his temples and down either side of his carefully groomed goatee. He had been quiet so far, both before the meeting and since my arrival, but his clever gray eyes seemed to be trying to look through me from across the room.


    Beside him, a twitching, nervous-looking man was fiddling with the cuffs of his robes. He kept ncing at Highlord Frost like he was trying to catch his eye. His back had been to me as I watched from the hallway, but now I recognized the hawkish downturn of his nose and his unusual eyes; one was bright scarlet, the other a muddy brown.


    ¡°Lady Caera¡­¡± he said softly when he realized I was looking at him, although his eyes focused on the table and not me.


    ¡°Lord Redwater,¡± I said in return, nodding politely.


    Wolfrum of Highblood Redwater was a Virtra-blooded foster like myself. His own adopted siblings¡ªfour brothers and a sister¡ªhad all perished tragically in the Relictombs. As his Vritra blood never manifested, the Redwaters were allowed to name him heir so the highblood¡ªa very old blood that took its name from the river running not half a mile from the inn¡ªwould live on.


    I¡¯d met him, like Maylis, at the ¡°gatherings¡± of young Vritra-blooded foster children I¡¯d been forced to attend when I was young. I remembered him as an awkward, anti-social boy that stood out among the self-important Vritra-bloods.


    ¡°Before we begin,¡± I said when I¡¯d finished scanning the room, ¡°there are two points I must make clear immediately. First, this is not a battle to rece one overlord with another. Seris does not seek to make herself High Sovereign over crya, or even to rule at all.¡±


    Highlord Seabrook made a show of rolling his eyes and looking across the table at Highlord Ainsworth with a foolish grin on his face.


    Frost steepled his fingers and leaned toward me. ¡°So her missives have exined. Thus far, she has painted herself as a¡­freedom fighter, leading this uprising for the good of the people of crya.¡± Wolfrum chuckled awkwardly but went quiet after realizing he was the only one. ¡°I would ask you to speak inly, on your honor as a Denoir. What is Seris¡¯s true purpose, and why now, in this moment of turmoil?¡±


    ¡°Does it have something to do with the sudden turnabout happening on the other continent?¡± Seabrook burst in. ¡°I lost ten battlegroups in the city of¡­well¡­whatever it''s called,¡± he finishedmely.


    ¡°The second point I am instructed to make clear,¡± I continued, ignoring their questions for the moment, ¡°is that this is not a symbolic resistance. You ask why now, Highlord Frost? Because this is ourst opportunity.¡± I put my hands on the table and met each of their eyes in turn. ¡°The brewing war with the other asura ns will wipe out our world if we don¡¯t prevent it.¡±


    A chorus of voices broke out as Umburter, Seabrook, Exeter, and Frost all attempted to speak at once.


    ¡°¡ªabsurd¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªcan¡¯t be sure that¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªstop it even if¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªbelieve a word of that nonsense!¡±


    My hand came down hard on the table. The resulting crack cut through the noise like spellfire, and the men settled down, although I drew hostile looks from Umburter and Seabrook.


    ¡°Apply the same lessons of etiquette you would enforce on your own blood,¡± I said coldly, my gaze sweeping over the highbloods. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me again.¡±


    The room went still in tacit admission of their rudeness. I waited the length of three breaths, then continued. ¡°There are few enough who can im to know the mind of Agrona Vritra, but Seris is one of them. He will burn this world as fodder to return to thend of the asura, and all of us with it. The rest of the Scythes and Sovereigns are prepared to follow him even to that end, but Seris is not.¡±


    ¡°And¡ªif you fine lords will excuse my speaking,¡± Chambein Geoffrey said in his deep voice, ¡°what part does the disappearance of Sovereigns Oeth and Kiros Vritra y into this rebellion? One hears all kinds of strange rumors.¡± His sharp eyes narrowed as he watched me closely for a response. ¡°I¡¯ve even heard it suggested that Seris has somehow been assassinating them¡­with the help of the golden-eyed man from the Victoriad.¡±


    I was ready for the question¡ªand the mention of Grey. Tongues hadn¡¯t yet stopped wagging about his appearance, seemingly from nowhere, at the Victoriad. There were also those who suspected he had something to do with the destruction here in Vechor, although official sources had imed it to be a tragic ident with an artifact from the Relictombs.


    ¡°Sovereign Kiros is currently in chains beneath Taegrin Caelum,¡± I said pointedly, standing straight and crossing my arms under my chest. ¡°As for Sovereign Oeth, well¡­¡± Here, Seris wasn¡¯t quite ready to let the full truth out, fearing that, should word get back to Agrona, it would somehow help him disable her defenses. ¡°Just know that he has been incapacitated, but not killed.¡±


    The gathered highbloods stared around at each other, their expressions mostly falling within the spectrum of incredulity. Ainsworth shifted in his seat. Frost leaned back in his chair, causing it to creak. Umburter picked a sliver from the side of the table and frowned down at it, disgusted.


    ¡°What does Seris want with us?¡± Maylis asked. She was reclined back in the wooden tavern chair, one leg crossed over the other, her fingertips fiddling at the golden hilt of a dagger.


    Seabrook barked out, ¡°Soldiers, obviously,¡± before I could respond.


    ¡°No, she needs legitimacy,¡± Ainsworth said in answer, the first words he¡¯d spoken since my arrival. ¡°Support to establish that this is more than an upstart rebellion meant for a sudden and violent end.¡±


    ¡°But is it?¡± Wolfrum asked, looking to Frost for support.


    The athletic older man nodded to Wolfrum. ¡°Young Redwater asks a good question. While I am not so cowardly that I would refuse to say aloud that this continent has extensive problems, the reality is that we are ruled over by literal deities. We¡¯ve all seen endless broadcasts of the wreckage the asura attacks left in Dicathen. And the High Sovereign has many such Vritra at hismand, each one capable of crushing entire armies. There is no standing up against that.¡±


    Grabbing the nearest chair, I turned it around and sat down, my arms on the backrest. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re aware the castles we all live in are made of sand.¡± This promation was met with another round of exchanged nces and murmuring. ¡°Lovingly crafted and beautiful, perhaps, but standing only because a Sovereign hasn¡¯t yet decided to knock it down. What good is your blood if, for even the most meager slight, an irritated, irrational god can wipe it away with one breath, then have forgotten you entirely by the next?¡±


    Frost shifted in his seat. Maylis went still, her body carrying the tension of a coiled spring despite her rxed posture. Umburter looked down at his hands, his face pale.


    ¡°And yet,¡± I said more softly, ¡°the High Sovereign hasn¡¯t smashed the shield around western Sehz-r or ughtered Seris, and every day another city in Dicathen falls, taken back by the people of that continent. His control is already slipping.¡±


    I focused on Seabrook, and the others did as well. The plum-faced man raised his chins proudly. ¡°You asked about the golden-eyed man,¡± I said. ¡°No, he hasn¡¯t been sneaking around crya slitting Sovereign throats. Because it is he who has been single-handedly retaking the continent of Dicathen, just as it was he who burned the military encampment to the north of Victorious.¡±


    Exeter let out a low whistle. ¡°So it¡¯s true then? Ascender Grey is Dicathian?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°He arrived on our continent to master the Relictombs. And he has seeded.¡±


    Maylis let out a shocked scoff. ¡°But what does that even mean, Caera? To master the Relictombs?¡±


    ¡°Simple.¡± My lips curved in a nonchnt smile. ¡°To master the Relictombs means to master aether.¡±


    This was one of the hardest parts. Seris wanted these people to see Grey as some kind of folk hero, more myth than man. Even given everything I¡¯d seen him do, though, it was difficult for me to think of him that way.


    ¡°In all your ascents have you ever met someone who can navigate anywhere they want in the Relictombs?¡± I asked, still focused on Maylis.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± she said immediately.


    ¡°Or, Highlord Frost, have you ever seen an ascender spontaneously receive a new rune without a bestowment?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said slowly, rolling the word around in his mouth as if considering its implications.


    ¡°I have,¡± I said simply, the statement devoid of gravitas. ¡°Because I ascended alongside Grey through many zones and watched him do these things, and many more besides.¡±


    Chambein Geoffrey¡¯s gaze was very far away, but across the table from him, Wolfrum was staring intently at me. ¡°Then what my friend in Taegrin Caelum told me¡ª¡±


    ¡°You mean the Wraiths?¡± I asked, and all eyes turned to him. He shrank in on himself nervously. ¡°Tell them what happened,¡± I prodded.


    His gaze darted all over the table as he took in a deep breath, obviously steeling himself for whatever else he had to say. ¡°He said, well there were rumors that¡­a battle group of Wraiths¡±¡ªhe whispered the word ¡°Wraiths¡±¡ª¡°was destroyed on the other continent.¡±


    ¡°But the Wraiths are a fairy story, a¡ª¡± Umburter started to say, but Wolfrum cut him off with a violent shake of his head.


    ¡°They¡¯re not! The Redwaters, they¡±¡ªhe swallowed with some difficulty¡ª¡°wanted me to be one, when my blood manifested. Only¡­¡± He trailed off.


    Seabrook cleared his throat, somewhat nervously I thought. ¡°Are you suggesting that this Ascender Grey killed them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Ainsworth answered in Wolfrum¡¯s stead. ¡°I had men in that battle, one of them my own nephew. He described how the Scythes were crushing the enemy¡¯s generals as terrible magic was unleashed in the distance, but then a golden-eyed man appeared and threw down a Vritra horn for all to see, and Scythes Melzri and Viessa retreated with a bow.¡±


    ¡°They bowed to the man?¡± Chambein Geoffrey burst out, scandalized.


    Again, the table broke down into muttering and cross-chatter, but this time I let the moment linger.


    ¡°You all saw for yourself what he did at the Victoriad,¡± I said when the noise had quieted down. ¡°Alone, armies can¡¯t fight asura. But with a man such as Grey leading them¡­¡±


    I let the words linger. I expected someone to argue, im a foreigner couldn¡¯t possibly lead cryans, or that we¡¯d just be recing one authoritarian deity for another, but, to my surprise, that wasn¡¯t the response I got.


    ¡°Eight battle groups made it back to my blood before the long-range teleporters were deactivated,¡± Lord Exeter said, his low voice now soft. ¡°They all shared the same story: this ascender Grey gave them a choice, multiple times, toe home rather than die.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like eight groups of cowards to me,¡± Seabrook huffed.


    Exeter¡¯s scowl was a violent, nearly physical thing.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the same from several others,¡± Ainsworth pointed out, his focus also on Seabrook. ¡°Apparently our enemy is more gentle with the lives of our men than our own leaders are.¡±


    I stood suddenly, stepping around my chair and closer to Exeter, the fingertips of my right hand trailing along the table¡¯s edge. ¡°Do you know what the asuran word for our kind is?¡± No one answered. ¡°Lessers.¡±


    Frost watched me thoughtfully. To his side, Ainsworth investigated the scarred tabletop as if it were a battle map. Wolfrum¡¯s mismatched eyes followed me now, no longer bouncing around the other highlords. Seabrook was silent and brooding, Umburter unfocused, appearing lost, Exeter somewhere in between. Geoffrey was leaning forward on the table, tapping his lips with one finger as he contemted everything that had been said. Maylis wore the stoic expression of one who had looked into the face of death often and fought for everything she¡¯d ever had.


    ¡°To the Vritra, there is no difference between the most powerful highblood mage and the lowliest unblooded unadorned. To them, you are all lesser, and that is all any of us will ever be. And as lessers, our lives are only as valuable as what they can be traded for, sacrificed for. Amodity.¡±


    Umburter was nodding along now. Seabrook¡¯s cheeks had flushed red as wine.


    ¡°Seris is not content to let the lessers of this world be burned as fuel for a war of asuras. I am not content, Grey is not, and so together we will fight to ensure you are not so misused.¡± Frost¡¯s hands clenched into fists. A silly, drunken smirk stretched across Wolfrum¡¯s face. ¡°Even if you will not,¡± I finished somberly.


    The words settled over the table like a heavy snowfall, nketing everyone and dulling all other noise. Even the inn¡¯s barroom seemed to go quiet for just a moment.


    And through the silence, I felt them. Several powerful mana signatures approaching from down the street.


    No one else had sensed them, but Maylis must have caught the sudden tension in my stance, because she stood and rested a hand on her dagger. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Mages¡ªpowerful ones.¡± I scanned the faces, all tensed like silk hoppers about to spring as they waited for me to give an order. I didn¡¯t need them to give me any further indication of their support; that moment of servility from these otherwise decisive andmanding men revealed how the perception of power had shifted within the room.


    ¡°Go,¡± I said, and they all began to move.


    Young Lord Umburter threw a cloak around his shoulders, and suddenly I found myself blinking rapidly, no longer able to focus on him. Although in, the cloak was enchanted so that my attention would slide right off of him.


    The others all had simr magical outerments to keep them safe and unnoticed, but I didn¡¯t wait to investigate each one by one.


    Pulling the door open slowly, I peeked into the hall before leaving the room. There was no one to be seen, so I hurried toward the back door. Halfway there, an arm slid through mine. Surprised, I started to pull away, then btedly realized it was Maylis.


    Grinning, she grabbed a bottle of some deep red liquor from a shelf against the wall, pulled the cork with her teeth, and took a long quaff. When my further surprise showed on my face, she gave a throaty chuckle and said, ¡°What? We¡¯re just a couple of old friends meeting for a drink in these uncertain times. Come on.¡±


    Then she was trying to pour the liquor into my mouth,ughing all the while.


    After recovering from my near drowning, we went out the door, not quietly, but with Maylis kicking it open and cheering into the cool night. It still smelled of rain, although the storm had let up while I¡¯d been in the inn.


    Arm in arm, we left the alleyway and Maylis guided me to the right.


    ¡°You know, Caera, I¡¯m pretty surprised your blood never manifested,¡± she said conversationally, her breath fogging slightly. ¡°Of the Vritra-blooded kids I was paraded around in front of, you seemed the most focused.¡±


    I felt a wriggle of guilt through my insides, but this was a truth Seris and I weren¡¯t ready to tell anyone yet. ¡°I¡¯m certain my adoptive parents would agree with you. Although, surprised and disappointed would probably describe their disposition morepletely.¡±


    Behind us, I sensed the mana signatures stopping somewhere around the inn. My mana was still suppressed, and I could sense that Maylis had taken the same precaution.


    Maylis chuckled and handed me the bottle. I took a sip, then asked, ¡°How long ago did yours manifest? And I don¡¯t recall hearing of Highblood Tremy before.¡±


    ¡°Four years,¡± she said, pulling me to the side so we didn¡¯t tromp through arge puddle. ¡°And I¡¯m not surprised. After I manifested, I spent some time¡ªabout three years and six months, to be exact¡ªtraining in Taegrin Caelum. And being poked and prodded by about forty different researchers. Whatever they were looking for, though, I must not have had it. About six months ago, they sent me on my way with a new name and title¡ªMatron Tremy¡ªand now I¡¯ve got properties and estates and servants and¡­well, it¡¯s quite the change.¡±


    ¡°But you still go on ascents,¡± I stated, certain by her reaction earlier that she was no stranger to the Relictombs.


    Her answering smirk was wry. ¡°Much to everyone¡¯s chagrin, abso-fucking-lutely. I¡¯m not just going to sit on my ass for the rest of my life.¡± She suddenly peered at me, and one brow quirked up slightly. ¡°So, this Grey guy. You two had a lot of alone time, huh?¡± Her eyebrows wiggled up and down, reminding me of Regis for some strange reason. ¡°I only saw the broadcasts, but he seemed pretty hot¡­¡±


    I felt myself go red in the face as I realized what she was insinuating. ¡°Maylis! You really do have a lot to learn about being a highblood¡­¡±


    But my embarrassment only made herugh harder.


    We continued on like this for a few blocks, then Maylis released me. ¡°Whoever those mages were, they don¡¯t seem to be following us. Pity, I wouldn¡¯t have minded a fight.¡± She grinned, shoving me yfully as I began to protest. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m off in this direction. I do hope we see each other again soon, Caera. It seems like things are about to get really interesting here in crya.¡±


    ¡°I hope we can rely on Highblood Tremy for support,¡± I said formally, then, more conversationally, added, ¡°because ¡®interesting¡¯ isn¡¯t the word I¡¯d choose for the times ahead, and I¡¯d feel better facing them with you on our side.¡±


    Sheughed, loud and carefree. ¡°Always so focused, as I said. Farewell, Caera.¡± She spun away and began taking long, purposeful strides. ¡°Oh, and of course, don¡¯t die,¡± she shot over her shoulder before dipping into the shadows of an unlit street.


    The mirth slipped away, her words conjuring a wary mncholy into its ce. ¡°I can only do my best,¡± I said to myself, then turned and hurried toward the back-alley tempus warp I would use to return back to the eastern edge of Sehz-r, outside the asura-powered shields.


    I became aware of the figure shadowing me almost instantly, though I couldn¡¯t be certain if they¡¯d been there before and I¡¯d missed them, or if they¡¯d just appeared. I didn¡¯t hurry my pace, but kept up a steady march as my mind raced. Their mana signature wasn¡¯t overwhelming, but it could be a stronger mage partially shielding their presence, or just a scout or spy sent to track me to my destination or keep other, stronger mages apprised of my location.


    After a couple of minutes, I made a sharp turn away from my eventual destination, drawing my pursuer into a tightly-packed residential area with limited line of sight.


    After my third quick turn, I stopped and drew my de. When the figure stepped around the corner, they found scarlet steel at their throat. I peered into the shadows under their hood, but it was too deep and too dark, hiding their features.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± I ordered. ¡°State your name and purpose immediately.¡±


    They were motionless, their hands out to their sides. From beneath the hood, a husky, raw voice said, ¡°Can I move my lips, or¡ªwell, supposing I can¡¯t, I guess it¡¯d be toote for me anyway, but since you aren¡¯t running me through, I guess I can.¡±


    I felt my features pinch into a confused frown as the man rambled. ¡°Who are you, and why are you following me?¡±


    Slowly, hands raised up to the sides of the hood, pulling it down to reveal an older man, heavyset, with middle-length gray hair and an unkempt beard.


    ¡°Lady Caera,¡± the familiar figure stated, his eyes nearly crossing as he tried to look at the point of my sword.


    ¡°ric,¡± I replied, plucking the name from the fog, only partially remembered. ¡°To what pleasure do I owe such an unlooked-for visit from Grey¡¯s counterfeit uncle this fine night?¡±


    ¡°I could hardly stand to see you ying patty cake with those prissy, over-pruned nobles.¡± He chuckled, and his ssy eyes went dark. ¡°It won¡¯t be enough,ss. No, if you want to foment a rebellion, you need to look a lot lower.¡±


    I withdrew my weapon but didn¡¯t stow it. My mind whirled with questions, but I held back, still reserved. I didn¡¯t know this man well, and had only his tenuous connection to Grey for assurance.


    ¡°Continue.¡±


    ric grinned, showing off yellowing teeth. ¡°You need friends in low ces, and nobody¡¯s got more friends, and none lower, than me.¡± He hesitated, and there was a twinkle in his eye. ¡°And my service will only cost you a bottle of mead for the walk.¡±

 Chapter 404

    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    ¡°You¡¯re doing the right thing,¡± Jasmine said, her steady voice rising above the noise of the crowds milling around below.


    Lines of disarmed cryan soldiers queued ufortably in front of the rows of teleportation gates being manned by loyal Dicathians. Jasmine and I had found a t rooftop to watch Vanessy¡¯s soldiers work from above.


    I let out a heavy breath. ¡°I know.¡±


    The resistance against my n had been stiffer here than in ckbend. The hostility between the two sides hung in the air like a viscous mist. Many of the cryan soldiers didn¡¯t understand why their highblood leaders had given in so easily, and they were still eager for a fight. Their control here had been iron-d, and the people of the city had suffered with nowhere else to go.


    The city felt like a powder keg, and sparks were flying in every direction.


    Even as we watched, I saw a Dicathian augmenter shove an unarmed cryan hard in the back when the man didn¡¯t immediately move forward to close the gap in his queue. The man spun and pulled back his fist, which sprouted stone spikes, but the augmenter already had his sword in his hand, and the tip was pressed to the cryan¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Just say the word,¡± Regis said as he lifted a leg off the edge of the roof. ¡°I can piss down a stream of Destruction on them to set an example.¡±


    I felt the same urge to intervene as Regis. It wasn¡¯t in my nature to watch this strife and do nothing, especially since I could end it with a wave of a hand.


    ¡°You relegated management of this city to Commander Glory and the Helsteas for a reason,¡± Jasmine voiced, her perceptive gaze catching the slight shift in my posture that gave away my thoughts. ¡°To intervene now is to show that you don¡¯t trust them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± I said, forcing myself to rx.


    As if conjured into being by Jasmine¡¯s words, Vanessy appeared through the crowd and forced the fighting men apart, shouting down her man while promising swift justice to any cryan who brandished weapon or spell against the Dicathians.


    I stood up, letting Regis return back to my body. ¡°We should get moving.¡±


    Together, Jasmine and I hopped off the roof and marched across the broad street that connected all the portal frames.


    Most of the portals were busy, sending a non-stop stream of cryans beyond the Wall into a small town in the Beast des, which just happened to be the location of the only surviving teleportation gate on the other side of the mountains. But a single portal at the very end wasn¡¯t currently being used, as I¡¯d requested.


    As we passed through, heads turned in our wake. Every human emotion was present, written on the faces and burning from the eyes of those gathered there, many mingled together into an incongruous alchemy of uncertain feelings.


    I kept my focus forward, however, letting the fear, hatred, respect, and adoration of both cryans and Dicathians spill past me without absorbing it.


    The teleportation gate hummed to life as the attendant calibrated it for Etistin City, and the world lurched around me when I stepped into the portal.


    It was a significant journey from Xyrus to Etistin, crossing nearly the entire breadth of Sapin. As the blurredndscape ripped past, I felt myself settle, leaving the problems of Xyrus behind.


    My vision lurched, and the inside of the stone structure housing the receiving teleportation gate came into focus. It was empty. No guards manned the receiving gate, or guarded the iron-banded doors that led to a broad za beyond. Through one of the open windows that circled the structure, I could see the royal pce in the distance, gleaming white in the bright sun.


    Jasmine appeared behind me a momentter. Her daggers came out, but I gestured for calm.


    Beyond the open doors, no less than fifty battle groups stood arrayed throughout the za. The soldiers, standing stiffly at attention, wore their gray and red uniforms, but they were not armed or armored.


    As I crossed the tiled floor of the portal chamber, our footfalls were the only sound save for the distant crowing of some sea bird circling the bay.


    Standing out in front of the gathered force was the retainer, Lyra Dreide, her fire-red hair blowing like a g in the steady breezeing off the sea. She stiffened at the sight of me.


    ¡°Wee, Lance Arthur Leywin,¡± she said, her honey-sweet voice carrying easily throughout the silent za. ¡°I am Lyra of Highblood Dreide, retainer of Central Dominion and regent of this continent on behalf of High Sovereign Agrona.¡±


    Jasmine let out a sharp breath as she appeared beside me halfway through Lyra¡¯s speech. Exchanging a quick nce, the two of us stepped out of the wide double-doors and looked around.


    A gap had been left between two lines of battle groups where thirty corpses had been neatlyid out on the cobbles. My first thought, felt with a sh of fury, was that it was yet another ploy from the cryans, and I was afraid of the faces I might see among the dead. Their garb, though, was cryan.


    Behind the corpses were piles of weapons and armor.


    Lyra Dreide followed the line of my gaze. ¡°This is what happens to cryans who won¡¯t follow orders.¡±


    None of the remaining soldiers let their attention settle on the corpses. Those closest¡ªthe ones who would be able to hear the buzz of flies beginning to swarm the bodies¡ªkept their eyes firmly forward.


    Still, I remained wary of some trap, and so I activated Realmheart.


    A ripple ran through the crowd, like wind stirring the leaves of a great tree.


    Realmheart lifted my wheat-blond hair from my head, and I could feel the warm glow from my back and beneath my eyes. The fear I instilled in them shone from their own eyes, reflected back at me in the shape of the violet Realmheart runes.


    And I couldn¡¯t help but wonder, what did these men and women from that distant and alien continent see me as? Had I made myself a symbol for mercy, or could they only see me as an embodiment of death?


    And, perhaps more importantly, regardless of which it was, would it be enough to overpower their fear of the asuras who controlled them?


    ¡°What is all this?¡± I asked, returning my attention to Lyra Dreide.


    She raised a hand, and all of the soldiers present went down on one knee and bowed their heads. Slowly, she followed them, although she did not bow her head but rather kept an unflinching eye-contact. ¡°This,¡± she said with a slow, exaggerated enunciation, ¡°is my surrender.¡±


    A subtle movement to my left made me turn. Jasmine¡¯s fist was white-knuckled around the hilt of one dagger, and she was chewing the inside of her lip. For most people, it would have been little more than a faint tick, but I could read her surprise, caution, and distrust clearly.


    I took a step closer to the retainer and looked down into her quick, curious eyes. ¡°What are the terms of this surrender?¡±


    Her tongue darted across her lips as she considered how best to respond. After a long moment, she said, ¡°I have note to bargain or plead with you, Regent Leywin. There are no terms. crya¡¯s forces in Dicathen surrender.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s keeping me from killing you now?¡± I asked. ¡°Or these men?¡±


    Lyra Dreide gave me a tight-lipped smile. ¡°You offered men who were actively trying to kill you their lives, and yet you would y those who now stand before you, unarmed and at your mercy?¡±


    ¡®I told you you were starting to be predictable,¡¯ Regis pointed out.


    It isn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing, I argued.


    Jasmine took a step closer to me. ¡°Perhaps executing the retainer would make removing the soldiers simpler?¡±


    Lyra cleared her throat. ¡°Regent Leywin, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not regent,¡± I interrupted, considering both Jasmine¡¯s and Regis¡¯s words. ¡°Lance or general, maybe, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, Regent Leywin, but I have ceded authority over this continent to you.¡± I red at the woman as she interrupted me, but she didn¡¯t back down. ¡°Until such a time as you reestablish your own form of government, I believe that does, in fact, make you regent of Dicathen.¡±


    ¡°This is no ce to have this conversation,¡± I said with a meaningful look at the crowd of enemy mages in their tidy rows. ¡°Lyra of Highblood Dreide, you are, for the moment, my prisoner.¡± She bowed ever so slightly. ¡°If I sense any treachery from you, you die.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± she said without missing a beat, a stark reminder that, in crya, the price of failure at her position was always death.


    ¡°Is this all the soldiers in Etistin?¡± I asked as I turned toward the royal pce.


    Jasmine and Lyra fell into step behind me.


    ¡°No, the greater bulk of our force here is still being escorted out of the city. Since Etistin has remained a hotbed of rebellious activity, there is arge force of troops here. Over sixteen thousand in the city alone, and nearly as many scattered throughout the surrounding countryside. The majority are currently being relocated into camps outside the city.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with camps,¡± I said over my shoulder.


    A face peered down at us from the second-story window of a well-constructed estate: a girl, maybe seven years of age, her eyes wide as dinner tes and blue as the bay. I wanted to give her a smile, maybe even a wave, but I simply watched as she ran back out of sight.


    ¡°All cryans are being relocated beyond the Wall until this war is over,¡± I continued. Now that I was looking, I could see other signs of movement from the residents of Etistin. Lyra Dreide hadn¡¯t told the people what was happening, I realized.


    ¡°Regent, perhaps I can¡ª¡±


    I stopped and turned, pinning her with a sober scowl. ¡°Was there a part of ¡®you are my prisoner¡¯ that you failed to understand?¡±


    She paused, waiting for me to finish speaking, then went on. ¡°¡ªoffer you some insight into the situation in Etistin that might provide some options beyond just your current n.¡±


    Next to Lyra, Jasmine raised her eyebrows very slightly and slid a dagger partially out of its sheath. I gave her a subtle shake of my head.


    I immediately found myself more curious than annoyed by the retainer¡¯s daring. Groveling, begging, pleading¡­that was what I¡¯d expected. Where did this boldnesse from, I wondered.


    When we reached the pce gates, armed cryan guards immediatelyid down their weapons and marched away, following some pre-given orders. Several people curiously watched us approach from the pce entry, but scattered to get out of our way, and no one engaged with us.


    I¡¯d been in the pce briefly before the Battle of the Bloodfrost, but not enough to know my way around. Jasmine and I allowed Lyra to lead us through the grand entry and into a series of srs and apartments until we reached a private study.


    I looked around curiously.


    The room was tidy, but stuffed full of scrolls, maps, stacks of parchment, and books. Picking up a piece of heavy waxed parchment, I realized it was a detailed drawing of the pce itself. The piece below it in the pile was much the same, but from a different angle and with a cutaway revealing the pce interior.


    I set the parchment down. Lyra and Jasmine were both watching me expectantly. ¡°We need to fill the void left by your absence,¡± I said after a moment.


    Lyra rested one hip against the side of the desk dominating the study and fiddled with the edge of a scroll. ¡°Many of the previous Dicathian king and queen¡¯s servants and courtiers still reside in the city. Some are imprisoned in the bowels of this pce, others have taken up new lives, new careers. I¡¯m certain they will make themselves known when you publicly announce my surrender.¡±


    What she said was true, but I knew I couldn¡¯t just pull some courtier out of prison and tell them they were in charge of Sapin¡¯s capital city. No, I needed people who knew the city well, who understood the politics and yers, and who would immediately have public support.


    ¡°Wait here,¡± I said, reaching for my extradimensional storage rune.


    The heavy metallic tempus warp appeared in my hands, and I carefully set it down next to a crowded bookshelf. Warmth flooded my body as I activated Realmheart again, through it using aether to manipte the mana required to calibrate the device for Vildorial.


    After a moment, a portal shimmered into existence beside the tempus warp.


    ¡°Would you mind bringing the yders here for me?¡± I asked Jasmine.


    She nodded before vanishing through the portal without hesitation.


    Lyra pushed away from the desk and approached the tempus warp, kneeling down to examine more closely. ¡°Impressive. Only the High Sovereign himself is allowed tomission artifacts capable of such long-range teleportation.¡±


    I continued to peruse the stacks of parchment and scrolls. ¡°The Wraiths I killed brought it with them,¡± I said casually. ¡°An emergency escape route in case things went poorly, I assume.¡±


    She scoffed, standing upright, hervender eyes settling on me. ¡°That certainly backfired on them, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    I leaned against a shelf, arms crossed, and met her gaze. ¡°You know a lot about what has been happening. On both continents, it seems.¡±


    ¡°That is my job,¡± she answered simply. ¡°To know things. For example, perhaps it has urred to you that the defense of Dicathen was rather ramshackle and ineffective? Well, it might interest you to know that Agrona¡¯s attention has been forced back home. Treachery at the highest ranks. Maybe even civil war.¡±


    Regis manifested from the deep shadows around me, his eyes wide with interest. ¡°Ooh, do spill the tea.¡±


    Giving no other indication that she was surprised by Regis¡¯s appearance other than a step back from the shadowy wolf, the retainer plucked a scroll from the desktop and tossed it to me with a forced smile. ¡°Scythe Seris Vritra somehow defeated or otherwise removed one of the Sovereigns and imed half of Sehz-r for herself.¡±


    I unrolled the scroll. It was a missive detailing the events of the rebellion in crya. So Seris finally made her move, I mused. ¡°But even if she had the support of all crya, she can¡¯t win a civil war against the Vritra n,¡± I said aloud.


    ¡°It does seem like an unnecessarily roundabout way of getting herself and all her followers killed,¡± Lyra answered. She shifted her weight and dug the toe of her boot into the polished wood of the floor. ¡°Unless¡­¡±


    I followed the thread the retainer hadid out for me. ¡°Unless she isn¡¯t trying to win. When exactly did this rebellion start?¡±


    ¡°Almost immediately after you destroyed a secret military facility in the dominion of Vechor,¡± she answered.


    I frowned. It had been a week since the Wraiths ambushed me in Vildorial. More than enough time for Agrona to respond to their defeat. I¡¯d made it more difficult for him to send additional soldiers to Dicathen, but not impossible. And even I couldn¡¯t fight all his forces, especially if he sent more Wraiths or even Sovereigns.


    A fact Seris would know well.


    I recalled that first meeting, looking up¡ªbloody, broken, manaless¡ªfrom the bottom of a crater, Sylvie beside me, pinned to the ground by Uto¡¯s blood iron spikes. Even then, before we had ever met, Seris had shielded me from Agrona¡¯s servants.


    Is that what she¡¯s doing now? I wondered. There didn¡¯t seem to be any other likely exnation.


    ¡°Do you mind my asking,¡± Lyra began, ¡°what you will be doing next? With Vildorial, ckbend, Xyrus, and Etistin under your control, it is only a matter of time until the rest of Dicathen falls back to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m expectingpany after this,¡± I said vaguely, but at that moment, the opaque portal shivered, and a ripple passed over its colorless surface as Jasmine materialized.


    Just behind her, Curtis and Kathyln der came through.


    I smiled to see the wonder on both their faces. Kathyln took a faltering step toward the desk, her hand reaching slowly out, fingers trailing across the smooth mahogany surface.


    Curtis¡¯s focus was on me, a grin lighting up his square face, but then his head turned, and the grin copsed into an outraged snarl. ¡°What the hell is she doing here?¡±


    Lyra, who had stepped back into the corner of the study, bowed to the yders. ¡°Wee, Lord and Lady yder. I understand this is¡ª¡±


    Suddenly Curtis was moving. Golden fire zed from his fist up the length of his arm, which cocked back to deliver a mana-reinforced blow. But, quick as Curtis was, Kathyln was even quicker.


    With a single step, she interposed herself between her brother and the retainer, her ck hair flying behind her like a g. Her hand came up and pressed against Curtis¡¯s chest, forcing him to stop.


    ¡°Kat, this is the woman who¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know who she is, brother,¡± Kathyln said, betraying no emotion.


    Jasmine kept ncing in my direction, perhaps hoping for some guidance on whether or not to intervene, but I only watched. It would build resentment in the yders if I forced them to stand down or appeared to side with Lyra Dreide. They needed to work through this on their own. Besides, Lyra was a retainer. From what I¡¯d heard, she¡¯d put up a half-decent fight against Varay, Mica, and Aya all together. Even if the yders attacked her, I doubted they could kill her.


    Kathyln had turned around, leveling an icy stare at Lyra.


    The retainer cleared her throat. ¡°I understand your hatred of me, but know that I only ever did as I wasmanded by Scythe Cadell or the High Sovereign himself. After all, each one of us is but a piece on the board, it is the Sovereigns who¡ª¡±


    Kathyln¡¯s hand crashed against Lyra¡¯s cheek with a sharp crack, snapping the retainer¡¯s head to the side. ¡°Your excuses are feeble and pointless,¡± she said,pletely in control of herself. ¡°Regardless of whether you butchered our parents for fun, or only paraded their bodies around the countryside for fear of death at the hands of your own lord, you are a monster, and if it were up to me, you¡¯d already be dead.¡±


    ¡°Ooh,¡± Regis whispered before I shot a re at him.


    Curtis, arm still zing, pointing a fiery finger at me. ¡°Arthur, what¡¯s the meaning of this? Why did you bring us here? Why isn¡¯t this creature¡¯s head on a spike already?¡±


    I pushed away from the bookshelf and closed the distance to Curtis. Reaching out, I rested one hand on his upper arm¡ªthe arm that was burning. Golden mes danced between my fingers. He kept the conjured mes in ce for a breath, two, then suddenly they vanished, leaving the room feeling much darker and less warm.


    ¡°Because, at least for the moment, we need her.¡± Curtis opened his mouth to argue, but I kept speaking. ¡°This city is in shambles. I need a strong hand to help lift the people of Etistin back up, to provide leadership and security after the cryans are gone.¡±


    ¡°You want us to lead the city,¡± Kathyln said, one eye on me, the other on Lyra.


    ¡°You know the city, the people. Your name means something here, carries a natural authority.¡± I released Curtis¡¯s arm. ¡°There is a lot of rebuilding to be done. I trust you to do it.¡±


    Curtis glowered around the study, his eyes focusing anywhere but me or Lyra Dreide. ¡°What about the cryans? Rumor is you¡¯re sending them all beyond the Wall.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡ª¡±


    Lyra Dreide cleared her throat again and gave me a smile simultaneously apologetic and yet very much not so. ¡°As I tried to suggest before, I don¡¯t believe sending so many cryan soldiers across the entire breadth of the continent to forage off your Beast des is the only¡ªor the wisest¡ªcourse of action, Regent.¡±


    Curtis¡¯s neck and cheeks flushed red. ¡°Who said you could speak, demon?¡±


    Such brazenness, I thought, almost amused. ¡°What do you suggest then?¡±


    Curtis¡¯s teeth ground together as he red at me, shocked.


    Lyra hesitated a moment, apparently waiting to see if the yders were going to interrupt her, then said, ¡°We have many ships in the bay. Allow any cryan¡ªor Dicathian¡ªwho wishes it to depart for crya immediately. We have surrendered. It would be a sign of good faith, and a sound strategic decision as well, as the journey is a long one. Any soldiers who spend the next month at sea can¡¯t be used against you, but they are also safe from the High Sovereign¡¯s wrath as well.¡±


    ¡°A sign of good faith?¡± Curtis sputtered, but Kathyln took his hand and squeezed it firmly, silencing him.


    ¡°And¡­¡± Lyra started but immediately paused.


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°I would suggest that anyone who renounces their service to the High Sovereign be allowed to stay in Dicathen.¡± She raised her chin as Curtis scoffed, hervender eyes looking down her nose into the deep brown wells of his. ¡°Many of these men and women have been here for over a year, Lord yder. They have homes, families¡ª¡±


    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Curtis snapped. ¡°As if any Dicathian would willingly form a family with an cryan. What you mean is our people have been forced into very, sold off, their homes and lives stolen¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lyra said firmly. ¡°In fact, the High Sovereign forbids such things. Our culture values purity of blood, and the Sovereigns were firm in their insistence that there be no intermingling of Dicathian and cryan blood.¡± She smiled, and there was a wicked sort of gleam in her eye. ¡°But the Sovereigns are a long ways away, and love is a strange and powerful thing.¡±


    ¡°Love?¡± Curtis ground out. ¡°As if the conquered can ever fall in love with the conqueror, except by force and fear.¡±


    ¡°You may have lived thest year in a hole in the ground, Lord yder, but I have not,¡± Lyra said sharply. ¡°You will see for yourself soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Kathyln said to Lyra, but she was looking at me. ¡°I admit I¡¯m ufortable with the retainer¡¯s suggestion. Ships full of soldiers could just as easily circle the continent and attack from another direction. Or bide their time off the coast until the next major attack, then we would be dealing with a conflict on multiple fronts. If more of those Wraiths were toe¡­¡±


    She made a good point. I understood the intention of Lyra¡¯s n, and it would be much easier to board the soldiers on boats than transport them all the way to the Wall, but that meant we were giving Agrona back several thousands warriors.


    I nced at Jasmine, who had been silent throughout the encounter. She only shrugged.


    I found myself agreeing with Lyra¡¯s judgment, but I was still wary of simply making decrees and expecting everyone to jump in line and follow orders. ¡°The three of you will be working together on this. Lyra has surrendered, but her suggestions aren¡¯t without value. However we proceed, everyone should be in agreement.¡±


    There was a tense pause. Curtis turned to Kathyln, who held my gaze.


    ¡°I suggest we do as the retainer has suggested,¡± she said at length.


    I expected Curtis to argue with her, but he seemed to be forcing himself to rx, releasing his balled fists and taking a deep breath. ¡°If we¡¯re going to allow cryans to stay, we should at least imprison them for a while¡­thirty days, if not more.¡±


    Lyra frowned.


    Kathyln¡¯s brows rose as she considered her brother. ¡°That will allow the ¡®families¡¯ some separation to ensure any such agreements are truly mutual, and protect both the people of Dicathen and the cryan soldiers. It¡¯s a goodpromise.¡±


    A ripple of force disturbed the air in the study, casting a palpable veil over us and causing all five of us to turn in the direction it hade from.


    ¡°What in the¡ª¡± Curtis muttered, his hand on his sword.


    ¡°So much mana¡­¡± Lyra said, her eyes widening.


    I quickly activated Realmheart, and a smile slowly bloomed on my face as I recognized the signature of that mana .


    I started for the door with Regis close behind, then stopped suddenly and turned to face the yders. ¡°This should go without saying, but Lyra Dreide is my prisoner. For the time being, she will stay here and help you with the arrangements. I expect her to remain unharmed.¡± My focus shifted to the retainer. ¡°When I return, I¡¯ll decide her fate. Depending, of course, on how helpful she has been in that time.¡±


    Three sets of eyes blinked at me uncertainly, but I knew I couldn¡¯t spend more time lingering in Etistin. The next phase of the war was already beginning.


    I pushed open the door and headed for the main gates, Jasmine a quiet shadow just behind me.


    Once we were out of earshot of the study, I stopped.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Jasmine asked as I turned toward her.


    I gave her an apologetic smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I need to do this next part alone.¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°I figured.¡±


    Then, thinking to Regis, I added, I need you to stay here as well. To keep an eye on Lyra. Stay out of sight and watch her. My gut tells me we can trust her sense of self-preservation, but I won¡¯t risk the yders¡¯ lives on that alone.


    I felt Regis¡¯s disappointment and frustration bleeding through our link. ¡®I don¡¯t know about this, Art.¡¯


    This is important, Regis. I don¡¯t know Lyra, but I know Kezess. I won¡¯t be in danger.


    He sighed before turning to Jasmine. ¡°I know this is weird, but do I have your consent to hide within the meat puppet you call a body?¡±


    A shiver ran down her back as her red eyes widened with disbelief. ¡°W-what¡­?¡±


    I rolled my eyes and would have kicked Regis, except he¡¯d already be incorporeal. ¡°He¡¯s going to stay behind to keep everyone safe, but I want him out of sight. Lyra shouldn¡¯t know he¡¯s here.¡±


    Jasmine took a moment topose herself, straightening her armor and smoothing the shocked expression from her features. ¡°Whatever needs to be done.¡±


    Without a sound, Regis vanished into Jasmine. Her jaw tightened as she clenched her teeth as the ball of aether that was Regis hovered around her core.


    ¡°So weird,¡± she ground out.


    ¡®Hey, it¡¯s not much better for me, okay?¡¯ Regis thought, but by herck of reaction, I assumed Jasmine couldn¡¯t hear him.


    ¡°Stay safe. I shouldn¡¯t be gone long,¡± I said. And you mind your manners, I thought at Regis.


    Then I was marching through the pce again, now alone.


    Outside, I found a roughly oval disc of opaque energy hanging before us. Shouts rose up from the pce as the few people who had snuck out to see what was happening rushed away from the area.


    A blinding white silhouette appeared, stepping through the opaque disc to hang in the air before it.


    Then the portal faded, revealing a man with tinum blond hair in a dark, military-style uniform, and his otherworldly eyes¡ªeach one like a window into a distant gxy¡ªsettled on me.


    ¡°Arthur Leywin. It has been some time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about damn time,¡± I replied conversationally. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure he would send you considering everything.¡±


    Windsom¡¯s expression remained cid. ¡°I am Lord Indrath¡¯s envoy to this world. And as such, I am here to fetch you.¡± Mana hardened into a shimmering set of stairs that led up to the portal. ¡°Come, Arthur. Lord Indrath would speak with you.¡±


    I gave a throaty chuckle. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure he does.¡±


    <strong>A/N:</strong> I''m not sure if anyone caught on, but this line was a homage back all the way to the beginning of Volume 5 when Arthur said this line to Windsom when he came to break Arthur out of his cell. ;)

 Chapter 405

    Something heavy was grabbing me, pinning me down. And it was dark, all so dark. Wetness clung to me, slicking my bare skin, while something soft was pressing against me like the tongue of some giant creature, giving life and texture to the sickly-sweet onion smell sticking to everything.


    I thrashed suddenly, certain that I was being devoured. A heavy nket, which had been draped across my face, slid off the side of the bed and onto the floor.


    I gasped, sucking in cold air that made me sputter and cough. Rolling onto my side, I meant to hang my head over the edge of the bed in case I got sick.


    I wasn¡¯t alone.


    Standing at the foot of the bed, now staring down at me with a look of disgust, was Agrona. Cecilia lingered next to him, her expression caught between nervousness, dismay, and embarrassment.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave then,¡± Agrona said, his ruby eyes turning on Cecilia. ¡°No more dys, Cecil dear. You leave in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Yes, High Sovereign,¡± Cecilia said as she bowed deeply. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    My thoughts moved like msses as I struggled to understand what the two were saying. A spark cut through the sluggishness, however, bringing me back to thest thing I remembered. ¡°The regalia¡­¡± My tongue was thick and unwieldy, my mouth desert-dry. I moistened my lips and tried again. ¡°What happened during the bestowal?¡±


    Agrona gave me an unreadable look, then stepped up to me and rested his hand on the top of my head. I felt a thrill at the contact, but bitterness immediately oozed up, a counterpoint to the initial emotional response. Am I a hound that wags its tail at any sign of affection from its distant master?


    ¡°As usual, Nico,¡± Agrona said, his voice vibrating in my chest, ¡°you have managed to fail in the most incredible fashion.¡± He didn¡¯t sneer the words. They weren¡¯t filled with bitterness or insult. It was said simply, a statement of fact. ¡°I had hoped perhaps your recent experiences would instill in you the sort of drive which you have alwayscked. But s, this new regalia is a perfect match for your talents.¡±


    His hand pulled away, and his brows rose a fraction of an inch in a silent question, asking, Do you have anything to say about that, idiot boy? When I didn¡¯t reply, I seemed to confirm something Agrona had expected, because he nodded his head, then marched away, the ornaments in his horns jangling slightly.


    When the door clicked shut, Cecilia hurried forward to the edge of my bed, sinking down to her knees and pushing sweat-damp hair from my eyes. ¡°Oh, Nico. Are you okay? You¡¯ve been unconscious for a whole day.¡±


    I rolled onto my back and focused on breathing so I didn¡¯t vomit in front of her. ¡°Fine.¡±


    Her graceful fingersced into mine, and she rested her head on the mattress and watched me silently.


    ¡°Agrona said you¡¯re leaving,¡± I ventured after a couple minutes of silence. ¡°Where is he sending you?¡±


    She sat up, releasing my hand to brush a strand of gunmetal gray hair out of her face as she did so. ¡°I¡¯m to lead the assault on Sehz-r. Agrona wants me to put on a show of force to assure this rebellion doesn¡¯t spread.¡±


    I closed my eyes and bit back the bitter words that leapt to my tongue. It was the news I had been expecting, and yet I was still having trouble drawing breath. ¡°You sound¡­pleased.¡±


    I heard Cecilia shuffle as she got to her feet, then the mattress shifted. I opened my eyes again to find her sitting next to me.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m pleased,¡± she said, frowning. ¡°I¡¯ve been training for this since I was brought to this world. It¡¯s finally a chance for me to prove to Agrona that I¡¯m worth everything he¡¯s given me¡ªus.¡± She met my eyes and held them. ¡°This is how we earn our lives back, Nico.¡±


    I swallowed hard. My tongue felt swollen, and I was suddenly afraid I might choke on it.


    She leaned in closer, still staring deep into my eyes. ¡°But I¡¯m not going anywhere without you. So rest up, all right? I¡¯ll be back in the morning, and then, we¡¯re going to kill a traitor.¡±


    With a big smile gracing her gorgeous face, Cecilia ran her fingers through my hair, then jumped off my bed. She stopped to look back from the doorway. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot.¡±


    From a pouch, she withdrew the slightly-rough sphere of the dragon¡¯s mana core. ¡°I don¡¯t think Agrona would have been very happy if he¡¯d found this. You need to be more careful.¡± Despite the admonishment, she smiled as she set the sphere next to me. Then, with a quick wave, she was gone.


    I blew out a gusting, frustrated breath. ¡°Shit.¡±


    A few hours¡­that was all the time I had to get ready. Cecilia was going to war. And I¡¯d be right beside her, protecting her.


    A darkugh bubbled up unbidden from within me. ¡°How exactly am I going to do that?¡±


    I let my eyes drift shut again.


    And then shot upright as if on a spring. ¡°Idiot,¡± I cursed myself, jumping out of bed


    Mana poured out of my weakened core, empowering the new regalia that rested across my spine just below my shoulder des. I didn¡¯t know what to expect, which was an odd sensation in itself. Normally, the officiants would exin the runes, but from what little I could pull from my foggy memory, they hadn¡¯t known what my regalia was.


    It was something new.


    Something that matches my talents, I thought bitterly, the words sounding in Agrona¡¯s voice.


    The light of my chambers shifted as the regalia activated. It was a subtle thing, hardly noticeable at first, like clouds slowly creeping in overhead while the lighting artifacts activated in the street.


    I followed these new points of brightness as I scanned the room. The walls, floor, ceiling, furniture¡ªeverything mundane within the room¡ªseemed dull and shadowy, while the lighting artifacts glowed more brightly. There was a subtle shine to the metal knob and lock of my door, but, curiously, no glow at all from the dragon core.


    I picked the sphere up and rolled it around in my hand, inspecting it from multiple angles, but it was dim and dark. This seemed strange to me since something as small and inconsequential as the Imbued quill on my writing desk burned in my altered perception, as did the sending parchment I¡¯d collected for ordering some of the materials for my new artifact.


    As my mind touched upon the staff, I hurried to the door into my workspace and opened it. Inside, it was much the same, except there, all the items arrayed across my workbench glowed with various potency.


    It was more than a visible sensation, though. I could feel them, almost as if they were connected to me¡ªand to each other. Each magic item, and even those that were not yet magical but had the capacity for being Imbued, stood out to my senses.


    Glowing most brightly of all in this altered form of perception was the charwood branch itself, inset with a single fitting. The silver metal of the fitting was dull against the bright ck wood. On the table, set aside for further experimentation, was a collection of different fittings molded from a different alloy. These burned brightly.


    Curious, I set down the core and picked up a fitting. Nothing changed. As I moved it closer to the twisted branch, however, both sources of this connection shifted, but the change was less a glow and more a vibration. There was something shared between them, an attunement¡­


    And then, with a crashing, world-shifting realization, I knew what my regalia did, and a wide grin broke across my face. ¡°Something that matches my talents indeed.¡±


    Grabbing the specialized carving tool in one hand and holding firm the staff¡¯s base in the other, I set to work, knowing I had only a few hours to make myself ready.


    ***


    The sun¡¯s light had only barely turned the horizon gray-blue behind the distant mountains when a knock came at my door. I ignored it at first, so engrossed in my work I had forgotten the reason for its urgency. The knock came again, louder and more insistent, and time and space coalesced inside my mind, bringing me back to reality.


    ¡°Come in,¡± I shouted from the workbench, certain Cecilia hade to collect me for our mission to Sehz-r.


    The door opened, then closed again, and I heard her soft footfalls cross to the inner door. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nico, I¡ªwhere are your clothes? Have you rested at all?¡±


    I looked down at myself.


    When I¡¯d woken after the bestowal, I had been stripped down to my briefs. Only now did I realize I had been so engrossed by my regalia and the artifact I was creating that I hadn¡¯t even dressed myself.


    ¡°Here, look at this,¡± I told her, too excited to care about any of that.


    Grabbing her hand, I pulled Cecilia to the workbench and grinned proudly down at my creation.


    Where a twisting branch hady before, now there was a smooth and polished staff of purest ck. The head of the staff red outward subtly, and where it widened, four gems had been inset into the charwood.


    An emerald as green as a viper¡¯s eyes, a sapphire bluer than the deepest depths of the ocean, a topaz bright as a sh of lightning, and a ruby rich as crystalized blood.


    The trueness of color was important, as was the purity of the gem, the cleanness of the cut, and the strength of my intention when each gem was set. That was what my regalia did. It connected my mind to the truth of the materials that I worked with. I could see, feel, even taste the way the different materials fit into the world.


    But that was just the beginning, I was certain. The more advanced and powerful a rune was, the harder mastering it became, but the greater the results. With time, practice, and patience, I could only begin to conceive of what would be possible with the regalia.


    ¡°¡ªit do?¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡± I asked, realizing that Cecilia had been speaking.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful! What does it do?¡± she repeated, eyeing me warily.


    I lifted the staff, feeling the nearly imperceptiblework of glyphs, runes, and connective elements that had been carefully scored into nearly every inch of the charwood surface. Taking it in both hands, I imbued mana directly into the staff. My mana was drawn across the surface via the circuitry of silver iid into the invisible grooves before being absorbed into a specially-designed mana crystal hidden between the four visible gems.


    Cecilia¡¯s eyes followed the trail of mana, and once again I was amazed by her enhanced senses. In part, the design of the staff was intended to shroud its abilities. After all, it would be a poor amplifier of my power if it also gave away exactly what I was doing. Despite this, however, Cecilia had no trouble following the mana through its journey.


    Around the staff¡¯s head, the atmospheric mana began reacting to the mana imbuing the staff. I could sense it, but I knew she could see the individual particles being drawn into the respective gems.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing¡­¡± she muttered, her fingertips stretching out toward the wood but not touching it.


    ¡°The purified mana within the internal crystal gives shape to the magic, which then draws from the stored atmospheric mana to materialize as an elemental effect, bing a spell,¡± I said, pride swelling within my chest. ¡°It was the dragon core that gave me the idea for the structure, but I couldn¡¯t have reformed the mana crystal without the regalia. Here, let me show you.¡±


    Although the staff had been charged for less than a minute, it had enough mana for a simple spell. Through the connective circuitry, I could still feel and manipte my stored mana. I shaped it into the spell I desired.


    The gems shed, and a whirling jet of hissing steam billowed from the staff, out my open window, and off into the distance.


    ¡°That was water, fire, and air mana,¡± she noted with some curiosity.


    ¡°With this, I can hone my own spells the way they do in Dicathen,¡± I said, breathless with excitement and the flush of victory. ¡°Shape them however I want, without relying on only my runes. And¡±¡ªmy grin widened¡ª¡°I can utilize all four standard elements.¡±


    Perhaps it was my imagination, but something dark passed over Cecilia¡¯s face for just an instant. Then, she was grinning with me, her hands on mine around the staff. ¡°This is really amazing, Nico. But¡­¡± She hesitated, and something squirming and hot wriggled around in my stomach. ¡°Is now really the best time to be experimenting? We¡¯re going to war. What if¡­¡± Her words trailed off, and she bit her lip.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, ice now seeping out from the hot thing worming through my guts. Can¡¯t you see I did this for you?


    ¡°Your core is still recovering,¡± she said finally. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to get hurt by pushing yourself too hard. What if the staff fails? What if it hurts you somehow, or¡­or doesn¡¯t work like you hope?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have any faith in me?¡± I asked, my voiceing out thin and painfully whiny.


    Her fingers closed hard around my hands. ¡°Nico, now isn¡¯t the time for this,¡± she said firmly. ¡°You brought me here, now let me do my part so I can get us home. Okay?¡±


    This is wrong, I wanted to say. I was wrong¡­


    ¡°Yeah, okay,¡± I said instead. ¡°I¡¯m ready to go.¡±


    She looked me over for what felt like a very long time, then the shadow of a smile broke the tension. ¡°You should probably put on some clothes first, though.¡±


    After quickly dressing in dark battlerobes, I was whisked through Taegrin Caelum without truly registering where we were going. My excitement had melted into mncholy, and I found myself drifting within a dreary fog.


    A portal was ready for us. Cecilia exchanged words with a handful of officials and high-ranking mages, but I didn¡¯t take any of it in. Then they were activating the tempus warp, and we flitted across half the continent in an instant.


    I blinked several times as we appeared under the bright early-morning sun, which wasn¡¯t hidden by the mountains in Sehz-r. It took a moment for our surroundings toe into focus.


    The receiving tform was at the heart of a sprawling garden. Large bushes, small trees, and dozens of types of flowers surrounded us. The air was heavy with sea salt. It made for a strange transition from the dark depths of Taegrin Caelum. I had expected a war camp, soldiers surging through the streets, destructive artifacts arrayed toward the massive shields conjured by Seris.


    As my eyes adjusted, I saw the shields in the distance. ¡°Wow. But how? How could she wrap an entire dominion¡ªor even half of one¡ªin such a thing?¡±


    Cecilia stepped down from the raised tform we¡¯d appeared on and started beelining for the garden¡¯s exit. Over her shoulder, she said, ¡°Agrona only has theories at this point. I¡¯m relying on you to discover the source of this power.¡±


    The mncholy I had felt only moments before faded as my mind set to work considering the implications of Seris¡¯s creation. But it just didn¡¯t make sense. Even with a mountain of mana crystals, it wasn¡¯t possible to store enough energy to maintain such a colossal conjuration. And even then, charging the crystals would require more mana than could possibly be maintained, no matter how many mages she had working in concert.


    The gears continued to spin as Cecilia led us toward the shield.


    As we approached, it became more clear that the barrier had split the city cleanly in two. Behind the transparent bubble of mana, steep cliffs rose several hundred feet into the air. Soldiers and mages were busy at work on that side, but the streets were strangely empty and quiet outside of the shields.


    ¡°Where are our soldiers?¡± I asked Cecilia.


    She didn¡¯t look at me as she answered. ¡°Forces are being gathered outside of Rosaere, and all civilians who live within a mile of the barrier have already been sent away.¡±


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡±


    Her turquoise eyes were jumping rapidly across the shield¡¯s surface, like someone speed-reading a scroll. ¡°The seams stitching this spell together.¡±


    As if from nowhere, a gust of wind grabbed me and lifted me off the ground. Cecilia flew ahead of me, following the curving arc of the barrier.


    Those on the other side had taken notice. Indecipherable shouts rang out from a dozen different sources, and those closest to the shielding began falling back.


    My stomach flipped, and I worried I might be sick again. Though I had been able to fly myself before Grey destroyed my core, it wasn¡¯t the same as being carted around like an infant with someone else''s magic. I can¡¯t say that I enjoyed it in the slightest, even with Cecilia, but I kept silent and let her consider the barrier.


    After a handful of minutes had passed in stationary silence, I felt a familiar mana signature approaching from the other side of the shield.


    A lone figure flew down from the clifftops, moving fast. In a moment, she was before us, hovering just on the other side.


    Seris.


    ¡°Ah. The Legacy. I was starting to wonder what was taking so long,¡± she said, her voice only slightly muffled by the mana between us.


    ¡°Is Sovereign Oeth still alive?¡± Cecilia asked back, her demeanor entirely calm.


    I found myself staring at the fine elven features she inhabited and wondering where this poise came from. We were a very long ways away from the training rooms of Taegrin Caelum, and she wasrgely untested. Facing Seris was unlike anything Cecilia had done in either of her brief lives.


    So why wasn¡¯t she afraid?


    Seris shed us a wry smirk as she said, ¡°Actually, he is with us at this very moment. He is everywhere in fact, still guarding Sehz-r as he always has.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in your word games,¡± Cecilia said, and I sensed the mana all around us tremble. ¡°Drop these shields. Order your men to stand down, and allow my forces entry. Come willingly before the High Sovereign to face judgment, and he promises a swift end. The longer you drag out this farce, the longer he will do so with your death.¡±


    Agrona¡¯s words, I thought, sensing him behind each syble. His words from her mouth. I hate this.


    ¡°Surely, there are a thousand other messengers Agrona could have sent to threaten me,¡± Seris said dispassionately. ¡°You aren¡¯t here just for this unpleasant conversation, are you? Because I¡¯ve no interest in engaging in a battle of wits when my opponent arrives so poorly armed.¡±


    Mana surged, a tempest of crushing, rending force from the clear blue. Cecilia reached out and wed downward, and the mana forming the shield shook like castle gates being struck by a battering ram.


    ¡°If you won¡¯t¡­bring it down¡­then I will,¡± Cecilia ground out through clenched teeth.


    We flew closer, and Cecilia pressed her hand against the barrier. The air thinned around us, and I struggled to draw breath. I felt helpless, not in control of my own body, and all I could was watch.


    I¡¯d never sensed anything like this battle before.


    The world itself seemed to flex as Cecilia pushed in on the shield. The bubble warped, bending inward toward Seris.


    My attention caught on my ex-colleague.


    She didn¡¯t move, didn¡¯t flinch away from Cecilia¡¯s assault. Her scarlet eyes tracked every movement, every fluctuation of mana, but it wasn¡¯t wariness or fear I saw in that gaze. Seris was studying Cecilia, taking in and cataloging her use of mana, her strength.


    It was then I knew Cecilia wouldn¡¯t break the shield, not like this.


    But she wasn¡¯t backing off. Pressure built and kept building around us as she pulled mana from everywhere except the shield. She couldn¡¯t control that mana, that much was clear, but I had no idea why.


    ¡°Cecilia,¡± I called, then louder, ¡°Cecil!¡±


    But she couldn¡¯t, or wouldn¡¯t, hear me. I reached out, trying to grab her, but she was too far away and I was trapped.


    ¡°Cecilia, stop!¡± I shouted again.


    Suddenly I was falling as the magic holding me aloft was withdrawn. I cursed as I hit the ground rolling. The butt of the staff, strapped to my back, cracked against my head.


    Like the fool I was, I¡¯d nearly forgotten it was there.


    Ripping it free of its sling, I began channeling mana into it. There was no time to wait for a charge to build, so I immediately worked the mana into an air-attribute spell, copying what Cecilia had done to make me fly.


    It worked. Soft cushions of air wrapped around my limbs and lifted me from the ground, and I shot back up to Cecilia¡¯s side.


    Her assault was gging. Sweat was raining down her face. The depression she¡¯d made in the shield was healing, strengthening, pushing her back.


    I grabbed her wrist with my free hand.


    Her head whipped around, and she glowered at me like some feral monster, her teeth bared and her eyes zing. I shrank back, and something inside her snapped. The storm of mana faded away just like that. Her expression crashed into dismay as she stared at me, one hand over her mouth.


    ¡°Nico, I¡­¡±


    But I wasn¡¯t watching her. My attention was pulled to the knowing smile quivering on Seris¡¯s lips.


    I flew close to Cecilia, muttering, ¡°Not now,¡± then interposed myself between her and Seris. ¡°We didn¡¯te here to hurl threats from the other side of this wall you¡¯ve conjured,¡± I said as firmly as I could manage. ¡°Many, many cryans will lose their lives in a war between Sehz-r and the rest of crya, Seris. Why? Why lead these people to their deaths in a war you can¡¯t hope to win.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a war, little Nico, but a revolution,¡± came her quick reply. ¡°And Agrona knows well enough that it certainly isn¡¯t Sehz-r versus crya, but the people against the Sovereigns.¡±


    ¡°What people?¡± I shot back, gesturing to the empty city behind me. ¡°What rebellion? This is the height of foolishness.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d know all about that, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± she replied. ¡°Your entire existence is formted on the premise, founded on foolishness. You two¡ªreincarnates¡ªhave no understanding of what life is truly like in this world. To you, it¡¯s a yground, a game, a dream you¡¯ll wake up from one day.¡± She wasn¡¯t smirking anymore. There was a hardness to her features that made the hairs on my arms stand on end. ¡°I know what he¡¯s promised you, Nico. But I also know that he can¡¯t do it. He doesn¡¯t have that kind of power.¡±


    Her words went straight through me. I should have prepared myself, should have known better, but everything Cecilia and I were doing was so Agrona would send us back to Earth, to an Earth where we had a chance for a life together¡ªa real life, as ourselves, not as the forms we¡¯d taken when reincarnating in this world.


    But I¡¯d always feared it might be a lie. Ever since Cecilia¡¯s reincarnation had beenpleted, a doubt had grown.


    Agrona had barely been able toplete our reincarnations into this world. What had ever made me think he could so casually imnt us back into another world?


    Next to me, Cecilia¡¯s expression faltered, but only for an instant. ¡°Liar,¡± she said, breathless. ¡°You¡¯d say anything to save your pathetic skin. You don¡¯t know Agrona, not the way I do. He¡¯s more powerful than you can even imagine, and so am I.¡± She was huffing now, and even I was taken aback by the viciousness with which she addressed Seris. ¡°I promise you, little Scythe, I¡¯ll rip this barrier down one way or another, and then¡±¡ªa cloud rolled in above us, casting its darkness over Cecilia¡ª¡°I¡¯lle for you.¡±

 Chapter 406

    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    Windsom waited, his otherworldly eyes trained on me, his expression unreadable.


    My head turned slightly so I could see the cavernous arched entry to the pce, where Jasmine¡¯s silhouette was just visible within the shadows. Inside the darkened outline of her form, Regis¡¯s violet glow was like a beacon.


    I ced a foot on the bottommost of the ethereal stairs leading up to the portal Windsom had manifested. ¡°Did you try to talk him out of it?¡± I asked, stopping.


    Windsom frowned and ran his fingers through his tinum blond hair. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Elenoir,¡± I said, turning back to him, staring into those gxy-like eyes. ¡°As envoy to this world, did you try to talk Lord Indrath out of the attack on Elenoir.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Windsom said, rxing. ¡°I volunteered to go along and ensure General Aldir was able toplete the mission.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said with a nod.


    Unhurried, I climbed the rest of the stairs until I was standing just in front of the portal. Windsom''s crimes would be punished eventually, I told myself. But at that moment, my mind was on much more important beings than him.


    Drawing in a deep breath and mentally preparing myself for what was toe, I stepped through.


    The pce, Etistin, all of Dicathen melted away into golden light.


    Even before Epheotus resolved in my sight, I felt the distance yawning between Regis and me. The tether requiring physical proximity between us had been broken when I dragged Taci into the Relictombs, but there had been no time to consider the ramifications during that fight. At that moment after the battle, I had felt no change in whatever aetheric binding connected us. Now, in the instant where I was entirely within the golden beam of light, no longer in Dicathen but not yet in Epheotus, I felt my connection to him fade, leaving behind a biting kind of emptiness that would have felt like madness if I hadn¡¯t already understood its source.


    Then the light faded and I was weed by that familiar feeling of being in another world, just like the first time Windsom had brought me to Epheotus, and all thought of Regis was driven from my mind.


    There were no twin mountain peaks, no shimmering bridge, no pink-petaled trees, no towering castle. Instead, I was standing on the carefully-trimmedwn of a simple cottage with a straw roof.


    My heart skipped a beat.


    Turning in a quick circle, I confirmed that the cottage was surrounded by towering trees with sprawling canopies of leaves that wove together, leaving a small clearing where the familiar cottage stood out strangely.


    Windsom appeared beside me, stepping through the golden light with his thin blond brows raised. He barely nced at me before gesturing to the cottage door.


    ¡°Why are we here?¡± I asked, but he only repeated his gesture, more firmly this time.


    I hadn¡¯t seen or spoken to Lady Myre, Kezess¡¯s wife, since I had trained here years ago. But I thought of her often, especially as my own understanding of aether increased and revealed the failure of the dragons¡¯ perspective.


    I didn¡¯t allow my uncertainty to show in my movements or expression, however. When Windsom made it clear he wouldn¡¯t answer, I moved with outward poise to the door.


    It opened with the lightest tug.


    The bright, clean light of a magical lighting artifact spilled out.


    The interior was exactly as I remembered it, nothing moved, nothing out of ce. Well, almost nothing.


    In the center of the room, lounging in a wicker chair, was Lord Kezess Indrath. He wore simple white robes that caught the light like liquid pearls, and jagged, blood-red hoops through his ears.


    I quickly scanned the rest of the visible cottage, but he appeared to be the only one present.


    I stepped inside. The door closed behind me, seemingly of its own ord.


    Kezess¡¯s eyesvender at first, but shifting to a darker, richer shade of purple as I entered¡ªfollowed my every movement, their hardness and intensity at odds with his otherwise cid expression and bodynguage. The smooth lines of his youthful face and rxed angle of his thin limbs were likewise out of alignment with the air of unassable power radiating from him. Not his intent¡ªKing¡¯s Force, Kordri had called it¡ªbecause I still couldn¡¯t sense his mana or aura, but there was nheless a constant and inexorable force around him, like gravity or the heat of the sun.


    Kezess shifted in his seat, and his mid-length silvery hair waved slightly. The silence between us lingered.


    I understood the game well enough. No doubt Windsom would have stood at attention for hours waiting for Kezess to acknowledge him should the lord of the asuras deem it so. But I didn¡¯t ept him as my sovereign, and I hadn¡¯t epted his invitation to simply stand in his presence.


    ¡°How long have you been following my progress?¡± I asked.


    The corner of his lips twitched and his eyes darkened further. ¡°Arthur Leywin. I should wee you back to Epheotus. Now, as before, you are brought before me just as war stirs in your world.¡±


    ¡°Stirs?¡± I asked, shifting my weight from one leg to the other. I was very aware of the physicality between us, with Kezess still sitting, almost motionless, and me standing before him. ¡°You know all too well the state of the war between Dicathen and crya.¡±


    ¡°That conflict is no longer important,¡± he said with the tone of one discussing an expected change in the weather. ¡°I told you before that I saw you as a necessaryponent in that conflict, but you failed to heed my advice, which led to your inevitable failure. Now it is time to determine if there is a ce for you in the uing war between the Vritra n and all of Epheotus.¡±


    Something he said stuck out to me, and I couldn¡¯t bring myself to move past it, despite other aspects of our conversation being more important. ¡°Your advice I ¡®failed¡¯ to heed¡­you¡¯re talking about Tessia.¡±


    His brows rose a fraction of an inch, and his eyes shed magenta. ¡°Through you and the other reincarnate, Nico, Agrona groomed the perfect vessel for the entity known as the Legacy. And through her, you have given him knowledge and power enough to be a threat to Epheotus, and in doing so all but assured the destruction of the world you¡¯vee to love and everyone in it. You think yourself wise because you have lived two short lives, and so you refuse to listen to well-meaning advice, forgetting that those giving it lived for centuries before King Grey was born, and will live centuries after Arthur Leywin¡¯s bones have turned to dust.¡±


    I suppressed a scoff. ¡°I don¡¯t think you know half as much as you pretend to. If you¡¯d understood any of this before Cecilia¡¯s reincarnation, you would have had Windsom kill Tessia, or Nico, or even me.¡± I crossed my arms and took a step closer to him. ¡°How has Agrona gotten so far ahead of you?¡±


    Without the appearance of moving, Kezess was suddenly standing. His eyes were the color of angry violet lightning, but his expression remained cid except for the tightening of his jaw. ¡°You aren¡¯t making a good showing of yourself right now. Before, you had your bond with my granddaughter to shield you. As you have, in your many failures, allowed her to die in battle, you can no longer im such protection. If you do not prove to me that you yet have a part to y in the war, I will destroy you.¡±


    I¡¯d been expecting this, both the threat and his mention of Sylvie. I couldn¡¯t guess how much Kezess knew about what had happened to Sylvie, but there was a certain way to find out. Empowering the spellform on my forearm, I reached for the iridescent stone egg I¡¯d recovered from the Relictombs after waking.


    The stone appeared in my hand, wreathed momentarily in aetheric particles. ¡°Sylvie didn¡¯t die.¡±


    Kezess reached for the egg but stopped just short, his outstretched fingers lingering just inches away. ¡°So. It is true then.¡±


    I waited, hoping Kezess might give something away. Asking any questions about the egg or what Sylvie had done would reveal my own points of ignorance, and I didn¡¯t want to give the ancient dragon any more leverage over me.


    But he was just as careful, and, after searching my eyes briefly, he let his hand fall and shifted back subtly. ¡°I trust you will continue to work to revive her.¡± A statement, not a question.


    ¡°Of course. She is my bond.¡±


    Aether reached out to grab hold of the egg and withdrew it into the extradimensional storage space.


    Although Kezess hadn¡¯t given much away, his response told me two very important pieces of information. First, he knew what was happening with Sylvie. I still didn¡¯t understand how she had transformed into this egg or been transported into the Relictombs with me. Obviously Kezess knew what the egg-stone was.


    Second, he couldn¡¯t revive her himself. If he could, I felt certain he would have tried to take the egg from me. This most likely meant that only I couldplete the process of imbuing the egg with aether.


    Kezess turned and, unhurried, made his way across the cottage to where several herbs and nts were hanging from the wall, drying. ¡°Lady Myre will be sad to have missed you,¡± he said conversationally, pinching something that smelled like mint between his fingers. ¡°Although, I can¡¯t help but wonder if her attachment to you was due more to the presence of our daughter¡¯s will within your core than any innate characteristics of your own.¡±


    He turned, and his eyes had softened tovender again. ¡°It was an impressive feat that you reached the third phase of connecting with Sylvia¡¯s will. Too bad it killed you, or would have without Sylvie¡¯s intervention. And yet, even though you lost her will, you have retained the ability to influence aether¡ªeven grown more proficient in it.¡± His eyes burrowed deep into mine, and the sensation of maggots crawling into my skull made my stomach turn. ¡°You will tell me everything, Arthur.¡±


    Aside from a minute twitch in my right eye, I kept my difort off my face. ¡°What are you going to do for me in return?¡±


    The bright lights of the cottage dimmed as Kezess¡¯s nostrils red. ¡°As I have already stated, you will be allowed to live if you convince me of your use.¡±


    I chuckled. Without answering, I moved to a wooden rocking chair and took a seat, kicking one leg up to rest over the other. ¡°You want to bargain for my knowledge. I understand. After all, you have sought this insight for centuries, evenmitted genocide only to fail to acquire what I learned in a year.¡±


    His eyes narrowed. ¡°If you know what happened to the djinn, then certainly you see that I won¡¯t hesitate to sacrifice one lesser life for the greater good.¡±


    I stared at the dragon, deadpan, rocking slightly back and forth in Myre¡¯s chair. ¡°Greed and greater good may share a few letters, but you¡¯ll rarely find them sharingpany.¡±


    ¡°Show me,¡± Kezess ordered, ignoring my jibe. ¡°I can sense the aether around you, burning inside you, but I wish to see you use it. Prove to me this isn¡¯t more than some parlor trick.¡±


    I bit my tongue to keep from speaking more barbed words. I wasn¡¯t afraid of Kezess, but I hadn¡¯te here just to provoke him, either. He had a purpose in summoning me, and I had a purpose in epting.


    I considered the runes at my disposal and what would cost me the least to reveal, but there was an obvious choice.


    Sending aether into the godrune, I activated Realmheart. The heat of the magic brought a flush to my cheeks as it infused every cell of my body, and the air was filled with color, the godrune making visible the individual motes of mana that infused everything around us. Immediately visible as well were the borders between aether and mana, as the atmosphere here was rich with both. They seemed so obvious now that I had learned how to look properly.


    I wondered if Kezess could see them.


    Kezess made a short, sharp cutting motion with one hand, and aether red outward from him, rippling through the atmosphere, causing the world itself to harden and go still. The mana particles drifting in the air were motionless, and a string of herbs, which had been slowly rotating in the subtle air currents, froze. Then the ripple rolled over me, and I felt time stopping.


    My mind shed back to a time before the Relictombs, before my draconic form, before Sylvie¡¯s sacrifice.


    I remembered sitting with Elder Rinia. I¡¯d been suspicious about the nature of her powers, and so activated Static Void without warning. She¡¯d used aether to counter me, freeing herself from the time-stop spell.


    Reacting on pure instinct, I pushed outward against the ripple with a burst of my own aether. It clung to my skin like a thin film, repelling Kezess¡¯s spell.


    His eyes went wide, showing real surprise and even, I thought, uncertainty for the first time.


    Everything else in the cottage was frozen, motionless. But my chair kept rocking slightly, and I felt one brow quirk up as my lips curled into a wry, humorless smile. ¡°I think you¡¯ll find my understanding of aether sufficiently worth your time.¡±


    Kezess nced around, frowning slightly. He bent down to inspect something, and I realized there was some kind of spider clinging to the leg of Myre¡¯s table. Kezess pulled the spider from its perch, examining it closely. His fingers closed, and the spider¡¯s insides stained his fingertips. He tossed the tiny corpse to the floor, then returned his attention to me.


    ¡°You havee by this knowledge within the series of dungeons known as the Relictombs,¡± Kezess said, an echoing dissonance resonant within his voice. ¡°But Agrona has been sending mages into the djinn¡¯s final redoubt for many years.¡± His eyes narrowed as he peered at me, time still stopped. ¡°What made you different? How did you conquer where all others had failed?¡±


    Experimentally, I pushed back against the time stop spell. The aether around me flexed, but I wasn¡¯t able to expand the barrier beyond myself and the chair on which I sat. ¡°I¡¯m willing to give you information. But only if we cane to some kind of agreement.¡±


    Kezess twisted his wrist, and the spell faded away.


    I breathed easier, only then realizing what a drain it had been to hold off the aevum ability.


    Before continuing, Kezess returned to his own simple wicker chair, lounging into it in a way that made it seem like a throne. He watched me for a while after that, considering. Then, slowly, as if tasting the words as he spoke them, he said, ¡°The retaking of Dicathen has been a surprise, both for me and Agrona Vritra, but it can¡¯tst.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m aware that Agrona¡¯s attention has been turned to his ownnds. Once he¡¯s resolved the rebellion there, his eye¡ªand his forces¡ªwill return to Dicathen. He may not have aplete understanding of my capabilities, but he knows I took down a squad of his Wraiths. Next time, he¡¯ll send a force he knows will win.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Your time is running short.¡±


    I dropped my rxed posture, instead leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees. ¡°You want knowledge. Dicathen needs time. You spoke of a war between the asura, but before, I¡¯ve always been told such a war would destroy my world.¡± I paused, letting my words hang in the air, then said, ¡°I won¡¯t let that happen, Kezess. That¡¯s my price.¡±


    Kezess was suddenly standing, again without my perceiving any physical movement. At the same time, the cottage melted away, dissolving like a cobweb caught in a rainstorm. The woodsy brown tones gave way to shades of gray, which materialized into the hard lines of stone and soft curves of clouds, and we were standing high atop the Indrath n¡¯s castle, in the very highest tower.


    The clouds were thick, rising halfway up the castle to hide the mountain peaks and the many-colored bridge below. Eddies of white, gray, and gold clouds swirled in between the towers and around the statues and stonework. Pink petals asionally appeared tumbling through the mist, plucked from the hidden trees below and carried high into the sky by the updraft.


    But the part I found most amazing was that I had only sensed the barest application of aether from Kezess, and unlike his time-stop spell, I hadn¡¯t been able to react or deflect the teleportation, if that¡¯s even what had happened. My mind raced to consider the implications of this and where the power stemmed from. If the situation ever devolved into violence between us, I couldn¡¯t allow him to simply shunt me around Epheotus at will.


    Kezess ced his hands on the sill of an open window and stared out at his domain. The room around us was in and empty, but there was a circr groove worn in the purple-tinged gray tiles that made up the floor. Like someone has paced endlessly around in a loop for hundreds of years.


    ¡°You will exin the powers you have gained,¡± Indrath said, still not looking at me. ¡°And you will tell me in detail how you have managed this insight, and how you created a core that can directly manipte aether. In exchange, I will guarantee that no conflict between asura spills into Dicathen, and I will assist you in preventing Agrona from retaking the continent.¡±


    I swallowed my surprise. I hadn¡¯t expected him to make such a fair offer so quickly, but was d to avoid an extended back and forth, threatening and bargaining in turns. Still, I knew the lengths Kezess would go to in order to understand my power. ¡°The people of crya shouldn¡¯t be harmed either,¡± I said firmly, adopting the mannerisms of a king making a promation, something I had done often enough as King Grey. ¡°What happened in Elenoir can never happen again, on either continent.¡±


    Kezess finally turned to look at me, his gaze piercing me like ance. ¡°It is interesting that you mention Elenoir, because there is a second part to my offer, but we will get to that in due time. I won¡¯t use the World Eater technique in crya, but preventingrge-scale losses there willreduce my ability to assure safety for Dicathen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I said, giving him a nonchnt shrug. ¡°I won¡¯t trade millions of lives to protect thousands. Until Agrona is ready to move the war into Epheotus, he won¡¯t sacrifice his foothold in our world. So the onus is on you not to escte the conflict.¡±


    Kezess nodded. ¡°This is true. But can you deliver on my request?¡±


    ¡°We both know insight can¡¯t be directly transmitted from one person to another,¡± I said, thinking about everything the djinn projections had told me. ¡°I will exin my powers and how I received them, as well as my own process for gaining insight into the individual godrunes. What you do with the information is entirely up to you.¡±


    His eyes darkened as he considered. ¡°You offer me mist and maybes but expect concrete results in return.¡±


    ¡°You knew what you were asking me,¡± I said, leaning back against the wall. ¡°You tortured and exterminated an entire race chasing their insight, but you didn¡¯t learn a damned thing, did you?¡±


    ¡°That is the second time you have mentioned this,¡± he said, his voice taking on a low rumble as a stormcloud darkened his face. ¡°Take care, Arthur, that you do not overstep. The events of that age are not a subject for politepany, and mention of that ancient and dead race is forbidden here.¡±


    I weighed my response, torn between pushing him further and letting it go. Indrath¡¯s atrocities against the djinn were unforgivable, but there was no point interrupting the current tenuous alliance we seemed to be forming over it. Not right now.


    ¡°You said there was a second part to this agreement,¡± I said at length. ¡°So let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    Indrath crossed the empty chamber to a different window. The view from the window shifted as he approached, one moment showing a distant mountain peak just barely piercing the clouds, like an ind in the sea, and the next endless rolling fields of tall grass in colors ranging from deep blue to turquoise. A narrow road ran winding through the grass. The ground was shattered and covered in blood and corpses.


    ¡°In addition to sheltering Dicathen¡ªand crya¡ªfrom theing war,¡± Indrath said, his tone wary, the words drawn out tiredly in a way I hadn¡¯t heard from him before, ¡°I offer you justice, if you will give me the same in exchange.¡±


    I don¡¯t think you would enjoy the kind of justice I¡¯d offer you, I thought. Still, I was curious about what had happened and what he meant. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°I ordered Aldir to use the World Eater technique. You and I both know he was a soldier doing his duty.¡± Kezess turned to face me. His eyes shifted through several shades of purple, settling as a cool mauve. ¡°But to the people of your world, it was his power that unleashed such devastation. Aldir is the wraith in the darkness they now fear. And so I offer you his life to cate the masses. Punish him for his crime and heal the wound the World Eater left in the hearts of your people.¡±


    For the first time since opening Myre¡¯s cottage door and finding Kezess waiting for me, I felt wrong-footed, entirely caught off guard by this unexpected proposition. ¡°What justice do you want in return?¡± I asked slowly, buying myself a moment to think.


    Kezess looked back at the blood-smeared grasnds. ¡°Your justice is my justice. I asked too much of my soldier. The World Eater technique was not forbidden for its destructive capabilities, but because of the damage it did to the caster. It degrades the mind and corrupts the spirit of the pantheon who uses it.


    ¡°These red smears were once brave dragons, soldiers who fought beside Aldir, trained under him.¡± Kezess ced a hand on either side of the window, staring hard down at the alienndscape. ¡°He abandoned his post, and when they reached out to him, sought to help him, he butchered them.¡±


    I let out a barkingugh.


    Kezess sobered immediately, the emotion he¡¯d exhibited vanishing as his normally cid expression returned. ¡°You walk a dangerous line, boy.¡±


    ¡°So your idea of giving us ¡®justice¡¯ is to have us clean up the mess you yourself made?¡± I asked incredulously. ¡°I know you don¡¯t think much of us ¡®lessers¡¯ bute on.¡±


    Kezess eyed me for a long moment, then turned back to the window and waved away the view of the grasnds. The slowly rolling sea of clouds reappeared. ¡°Then let this be a warning to you instead. Aldir has left Epheotus for Dicathen, and he is dangerous. If you give him shelter or attempt to ally with him, the rest of our bargain will be void.¡±


    He¡¯s serious, I realized. Aldir must have really tweaked the old dragon¡¯s tail to get him this mad.


    ¡°Noted,¡± I said in answer. ¡°And agreed. If you keep your war with the Vritra n from escting in our world, and you help me keep Agrona from overrunning Dicathen again, I¡¯ll tell you everything I¡¯ve discovered about aether.¡±


    Kezess reached out a hand. I hesitated, knowing better than to trust him but unsure what kind of insult it would be to refuse. He waited.


    After a moment, I took his hand. Tendrils of purple light appeared around our conjoined hands, then extended outward along our wrists and forearms. The aether gripped tightly, binding us together almost painfully.


    ¡°An agreement has been made, and you are bound to it,¡± Kezess said solemnly. ¡°Break it, and this spell will devour your core.¡±


    As he spoke, the coils of aether began worming their way into my flesh, digging through my muscles and into my nerves. It was painful, but not unbearably so. In seconds, the aether had reached my core, wrapping around it like chains, exerting a physical pressure on the organ.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t agree to that¡ª¡±


    ¡°We begin immediately,¡± Kezess saidconically, a sliver of a smile marring his otherwise expressionless mask. ¡°You walk the Path of Insight.¡± My perspective of the room lurched, and I found myself standing on the worn stone path. ¡°Walk, and activate your ¡®godrunes¡¯ as you called them.¡±


    I stared at him, equal parts angry and uncertain. I hadn¡¯t expected to begin immediately, and chastised myself for being caught off guard by the binding. Of course he wouldn¡¯t just trust me to tell him everything he knew. There had to be a safeguard.


    Damn it, I thought, then immediately redirected my mental energy in a more positive direction.


    ¡°You¡¯re wasting time,¡± Kezess said. ¡°Walk, and cast.¡±


    I started moving, following the path of worn-down stone. Light immediately began to flicker and sh throughout the circle. Then I reached again for Realmheart. The circle burst to life with light and energy, forming a series of runes connected by dozens of bright lines. Mana particles of every color ran rich and eager around the circle, herded on by amethyst motes of aether. But I was only half looking at the sudden swell of mana moving through the runes.


    Inside me, I could sense the foreign aether clinging tightly to my core. It reacted to my each and every thought, tightening if I even considered the possibility of lying or limiting what I showed Kezess. I knew if I hid anything, it would react violently and attempt to force my hand. And then kill me if I still refused.


    It just wouldn¡¯t do.


    I wasn¡¯t ready to reveal more about Realmheart than its presence. There was no reason for Kezess to know that I could move mana with aether. And so I let the godrune fade, then channeled aether instead into Aroa¡¯s Requiem.


    I felt Kezess¡¯s hungry gaze on me with every step, just as I felt the cord of aether constricting around my core. Violet particles danced along my fingertips with nowhere to go, but that didn¡¯t matter. The Path of Insight reacted, flickering and ring, both mana and aether following my progress like one giant eyeball.


    But inside my body, something else was happening. As I imbued the godrune, I also let aether leak from my core. But I kept it close, a halo of my own aether orbiting my core and Kezess¡¯s binding spell.


    If I was going to make a deal with the lord of the dragons, it was going to be on my own terms, not his.


    Carefully shaping my aether, I drew it close around the invasive chains, and my aether clung as tightly to Kezess¡¯s as it did to my own skin when I created a protective barrier. Then I pulled.


    The spell resisted, the aether eager to hold its shape, to keep to its purpose.


    I kept walking. A golden glow flickered across the room as the Aroa¡¯s Requiem godrune burned at my back, bright enough to show through my shirt. The Path shined just as brightly in response.


    Like a bird dragging a worm from its hole, my aether pulled Kezess¡¯s slowly into my core.


    This was the risky part. I¡¯d never directly faced off against another aether-wielder before. But I¡¯d also never encountered a source of aether I couldn¡¯t draw from.


    Within my core, I felt the aether being purified, Kezess¡¯s influence overridden. Bit by bit, his aether became mine. Then, to help camouge the change in case he could somehow sense it, I reformed the ¡°chains¡± around my core with my own aether, no longer beholden to the shape of his spell.


    With thatplete, I felt confident enough to stop walking and step off the Path.


    Kezess, who had been entranced by the Path of Insight itself, blinked back to awareness. ¡°Why are you stopping? Surely that isn¡¯t everything you¡¯ve discovered.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± I said with a light shake of my head. ¡°You¡¯ll get more once I¡¯ve seen some progress on your end of the bargain.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I agreed to,¡± he said, an undercurrent of hostility barely detectable in his tone.


    ¡°It seems we both should have been more careful in our wording,¡± I replied. ¡°I suspect you have enough to upy your mind for a while already, anyway. And you still have your leash in ce. Once I¡¯mfortable in the knowledge that Dicathen is safe without me, I¡¯ll return to give you more.¡±


    He looked at me. I looked back. He gave no outward physical sign of agitation, but I could still sense it rolling off of him in waves. After a minute or more, he finally gave in. ¡°Return to your world, but be waiting for my summons. We are not yet finished, you and I.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°No, we certainly aren¡¯t.¡±

 Chapter 407

    <strong>CAERA DENOIR</strong>


    ¡°Report,¡± Seris said, her tonemanding.


    My mentor had been more serious and straightforward than usual since her brief conversation with Scythe Nico and his strangepanion, the woman who wore the body of a Dicathian elf¡ªthe Legacy.


    ¡°The bombardment in Rosaere has started,¡± Cylrit answered with snappish military precision. ¡°We estimate twenty thousand troops currently, although forces are still being rallied. The shield is holding.¡±


    ¡°And the Legacy?¡±


    Cylrit¡¯s handsome features darkened at the name. ¡°She has so far seen fit tomand from the rear.¡±


    A frown, hardly perceptible, creased Seris¡¯s brow. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°A fleet of twenty steamships left Dzianis this morning, heading south,¡± Cylrit answered immediately, ncing out the open window toward the glittering ocean in the distance. ¡°We expect them to make for the Vritra¡¯s Maw and Aedelgard.¡±


    Seris¡¯s piercing gaze shifted to me. ¡°Do we know if the Redwaters were able toplete the n you suggested?¡±


    I tapped one of the many two-waymunication scrolls that littered therge table at the center of Seris¡¯s war room. ¡°Wolfrum sent wordtest night that friendly sailors had been sessfully relocated to Dzianis to help ¡®fill out¡¯ the steam ship crews.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Seris said with a nod. ¡°Have we received any additional confirmations?¡±


    I nced at Cylrit, who responded with a slight shake of his head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± she said softly, clicking her nails together. Realizing it, she stopped and straightened. ¡°Then I shall leave for Rosaere at once. Cylrit, you are to stay here and ensure the shield battery remains operational. Caera, relocate our strategic operations to the city of Sandaerene. You will be safer there.¡±


    I bit my lip but didn¡¯t speak the thoughts that came to my mind.


    Seris¡¯s brows rose a fraction of an inch.


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± I started, still grasping for the appropriate phrasing, ¡°but I have no interest in remaining ¡®safe.¡¯ I am not¡ª¡±


    ¡°Expendable,¡± Seris said unexpectedly. My mouth snapped shut in surprise. ¡°No one knows your strength better than I, Caera. But I have soldiers. What Ick is an abundance of Vritra-born highblood foster children with in-depth knowledge of both the intricacies of noble politics and the Relictombs.¡±


    She paused, giving me an opportunity to speak, but I had no response. ¡°This is not a contest of power and strategy between two sides, where strength of magic and arms will win the day. This is a revolution. This is about reshaping the world so that it works for the people who live in it, instead of the deities who simply use it. And even if it isn¡¯t the role you would have chosen for yourself, your part in all this is to guide your peers toward understanding.¡±


    My head fell, my unfocused gaze on the ground at Seris¡¯s feet. She quickly closed the distance between us, her hand gently but firmly lifting my chin. As she had so many times before, she seemed to peel me apart with her eyes, lying bare my frustration and fear.


    ¡°Even I can¡¯t foresee everything that wille to pass,¡± she said, more gently. ¡°But I know for certain that any ns I make require you to seed. Without good people to care for the world we seek to build, what would be the point?¡±


    Her grip tightened on my chin, and she forced me to look her directly in the eye. ¡°Now, you¡¯ve wheedled enoughpliments out of me for one day, and you¡¯ll get no more. Make the arrangements with my contacts in Sandaerene. And reach out if you must, otherwise continue stirring the pot outside of Sehz-r.¡±


    She nced at Cylrit, who gave her a shallow bow.


    Then she was marching out of the room, off to lead the primary defense at Rosaere.


    I nced around the war room, where I had spent many, many hours sinceing to Sehz-r. It was a sprawling, undecorated space on the west end of Seris¡¯spound, dominated by a long oval table, with smaller desks pressed haphazardly to the walls around us. Open arches led out to a wide balcony that overlooked the western half of Aedelgard and gave a grand view of the Vritra¡¯s Maw Sea and the ocean beyond it.


    ¡°Lady Caera, please let me know if you need any assistance,¡± Cylrit said with a bob of his horned head, then he started out of the room in Seris¡¯s wake.


    Just before he passed under the arched opening deeper into thepound, I said, ¡°Do you think she¡¯s all right?¡±


    He stopped and turned to consider me. It took a moment for him toe to an answer. ¡°She doesn¡¯t think about things like her own health and well-being. For her, it¡¯s all about the n.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the chagrined reverence in his tone. ¡°Is that why she has you, then? To think about her health and well-being?¡±


    No flicker of emotion broke the stoic expression Cylrit always wore. ¡°Perhaps.¡± He started to turn away, then stopped. ¡°We¡¯ve set up several recording artifacts around Rosaere. If your mind won¡¯t settle, perhaps being able to see what is happening will ease your thoughts.¡± Then, like Seris, he was gone.


    I wondered how he stayed so calm and collected all the time. Despite looking rtively youthful, Cylrit had been Seris¡¯s retainer for many years. Together they had led Sehz-r¡¯s forces against the Vechorian invasion, back before I had even been born. Most of the time he seemed just as poised and confident as Seris. Sometimes, when I struggled to see a positive oue, it was Cylrit I attempted to emte. As my mentor and a Scythe, Seris had always felt like something other, beyond reckoning. In contrast, Cylrit¡¯s story was very simr to my own, which somehow made modeling myself after him feel more attainable.


    But nothing at all will be aplished by standing here thinking, I told myself. Straightening my stance and pulling my shoulders back, I began rifling through the many maps, missives, andmuniques, sorting them into hasty piles to be relocated.


    I stopped suddenly, irritated with myself for forgetting that I had an entire staff of attendants to aid me with this sort of thing.


    As if summoned by the thought, a young woman named Hae of Highblood Tremy¡ªa cousin of Maylis¡¯s¡ªpoked her head in the door. ¡°Oh, forgive me Lady Caera, I saw Commander Seris and retainer Cylrit leaving and¡ª¡±


    ¡°No need to apologize,¡± I said with a wave of my hand. ¡°Call everyone in, actually. We¡¯re relocating.¡±


    ***


    After a quick meeting with the rest of our small clerical entourage¡ªall trustworthy individuals who agreed with our cause and had talents or runes that helped with the distribution of the many missives we sent out¡ªI retired to my private quarters and began to collect my things.


    I chafed at the idea of hiding in Sandaerene, a city in the near center of the west half of Sehz-r, as far as possible from any potential fighting. But I knew Seris was correct in her assessment. And, while I would have liked to stay in Aedelgard and help watch over the shield battery array and the Sovereign at its heart, Cylrit was more capable than I.


    To help still my mind and stop second-guessing mymander, I did as Cylrit suggested. Set into one wall of my sitting room was a projection crystal I often used to keep apprised of Agrona¡¯s messaging to the people of crya. With a pulse of mana, I activated the crystal, then set about attuning it for the mana signature of our recording artifacts.


    It didn¡¯t take me long to locate the artifacts Cylrit had mentioned.


    The image showed the towering curve of the shield splitting the city of Rosaere in twain. The device seemed to be located around the city¡¯s central boulevard, facing outward.


    The image it captured made my pulse quicken.


    On the other side of the shield, several hundred battle groups were lined up and hurtling thousands of spells. Bolts and bullets of every element, green beams, ck rays, and bright missiles crashed into the shield, many dozen per second.


    The artifact wasn¡¯t portraying the sound of the battle, but I could imagine the cacophonous crashing of the spells, a noise to shake the bedrock foundations of the continent.


    But, so far as I could tell, the shield barrier was holding without strain.


    I adjusted the attunement again and found myself looking at nearly the same image, but from a higher and farther angle. This vantage point allowed me to see the depth of the enemies¡ªI frowned, realizing I had taken to calling these cryan soldiers the ¡®enemy¡¯ without even noticing¡ªand the war camp far in the distance, beyond the eastern borders of the city.


    Changing the attunement for the second time revealed a sweeping, rushing image of the city from a bird¡¯s eye view, and my frown curved up into a smile. I found the simple birdlike automatons, one of which I knew was carrying this recording artifact, endlessly charming. They were a rtively new invention, ording to Seris, having been piloted in the war against Dicathen but never put into full-scale use due to the difficulty of crafting such things.


    I watched for some time, forgetting what I was supposed to be doing. Seris had gathered just over five-thousand soldiers in Rosaere as a failsafe should the shields be breached, and from the high, circling vantage I could see them in their defensive positions throughout the western half of the city.


    I tried not to think about how much I would have preferred to be with them, closer to where the action was.


    A noise like thunder reverberating inside a bell jar ripped through the air, so loud it shook the floor beneath me and made the projected image jump and blur.


    I reached out and grabbed the nearby tabletop to steady myself. The noise came again, and thepound shook even harder, and for a moment I worried it might slide off the cliff face and into the sea.


    Screams came from a dozen different directions all throughout Seris¡¯s home.


    My mind whirled, struggling to think through the reverberations left by the tremendous noise, then it was sounding again, sending a vibration through my teeth and eyes and into my brain, filling it with a dulling fog.


    What in the abyss is¡­


    It hit me all at once: the shields.


    The shields were under attack.


    Moving at a dead sprint, I mmed through the door to my chambers and along the hall, hurtling up the stairs three at a time and then peeling through one of the upper dining chambers and out onto a balcony.


    Beyond the shield, which came up from the base of the cliffs far below to curve gently overhead, two figures flew high above the tumultuous waters of the Vritra¡¯s Maw Sea.


    The blood rushed from my face, and I had to clench my fists to keep my hands from shaking.


    I knew these figures.


    The pieces came together quickly. The Legacy must have ordered the bombardment of Rosaere to lure out Seris, then took a tempus warp northwest into Vechor before flying south over the sea. Whether she knew thispound was the source of all the energy currently powering the dominion-sized shield or was targeting this location only because it was Seris¡¯s home and base of operations, I couldn¡¯t guess.


    I stood immobile as she reared back again, gathering a swelling force of mana to her, and hurled her hands outward. The thunder sounded yet again, a noise so great and terrible that it drove me to my knees with my hands pped over my ears.


    Through the railing of the balcony, I watched as jagged lines of white hot light spread across the surface of the shield, like cracks over thin ice.


    Strong hands grabbed me beneath the arms and heaved me to my feet. Dazed, I struggle to focus on the face swimming just before me.


    ¡°Caera, listen carefully.¡± A familiar voice from that blurry face¡ªCylrit? ¡°Evacuate as many as you can, then send word to Commander Seris. Go yourself if you can, but leave now¡ª¡±


    The thunder crashed again. I shook my head, blinking rapidly. Cylrit¡¯s face finally came into focus, even more pale than usual. His jaw tightened and he flinched away from the noise, making me feel better¡ªbut also simultaneously worse. It was so much more frightening knowing that he was also afraid.


    As the echoing vibrations receded, I risked a nce at the shield and was horrified to see how far the cracks had spread.


    ¡°Caera!¡± Cylrit said urgently, his hands gripping the sides of my neck with a tender firmness. ¡°I will stay and fight, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Cylrit¡­¡± I said, his name barely a whisper on my lips. He followed the direction of my wide-eyed gaze, and together we watched as the Legacy flew toward the shield.


    Both her hands reached out and pushed into the cracks, taking hold and pulling.


    Like ss shattering, except a thousand times more cutting, the shield began to give way.


    Cylritunched himself toward the breach with such force that the balcony cracked. I threw myself back into thepound just as the supporting timbers shattered, and the balcony separated from the building with a sound like breaking bones.


    By the time I had my feet under me, Cylrit had reached the barrier, a pure ck greatsword as long as he was tall clenched in his fists.


    All I could do was watch as the Legacy¡¯s fingers wed through the transparent barrier, ripping a hole the size of an outstretched hand. The shield crackled with desperate energy around her fingertips, surging against her power and control as it attempted to reseal itself.


    Silently, Cylrit thrust his void wind de into the gap, aimed right at the Legacy¡¯s core.


    ¡°Cecil!¡± Scythe Nico shouted in rm, his voice barely audible over the pounding in my ears.


    Suddenly Cylrit jerked violently, attempting to pull away from the breach. He was struggling, but from my vantage, all I could see was his cloaked back. Btedly, I ripped my own de free of its sheath, but any attack I made would do more damage to my ally than the Scythe and Legacy still on the opposite side of the shield.


    The barrier bulged inward like a distorted bubble, until Cyrilt was outside of it. It was then I realized his hands were empty; his sword had vanished, and the Legacy was gripping him by the front of his armor. The cracked section of shield snapped back into ce as she ripped him through it, then shattered with a prolonged crashing, like trees being felled in a hurricane wind.


    Despite Cyrit urging me to flee, I knew I couldn¡¯t. The shield had been breached. The hole wasn¡¯trge, perhaps eight feet tall and five wide, but it was more than enough for a person toe through, and I was the strongest warrior present aside from Cylrit himself. If I ran, many more might die.


    As I stood, considering, Scythe Nico flew through the shield.


    I cursed, and his gaze fell on me. Beyond him, the Legacy held Cylrit up by one hand. There was a surging conflict of invisible mana between the two. It was less a battle of spells than a contest of pure control over mana. Unfortunately, I¡¯d seen enough at the Victoriad to understand who would win.


    But there was no more time to watch. Scythe Nico was already moving toward me, flying on a shimmering cloud of air.


    Leaping back, I shed with my sword, rending a crescent of ck mes wing toward him, but he dipped below it, narrowly avoiding the soulfire.


    I stumbled as Ipleted the arc of my cut. The floor had liquified beneath my feet, just for the blink of an eye, then turned solid again, and my feet were half stuck. In the moment it took me to wrench myself free of the stone, the Scythe hadnded within the open arch in front of the shattered balcony.


    A blood iron spike thrust up from the floor, just where my foot had been. I pirouetted away, bringing my de up to deflect a second spike that thrust down from the ceiling. I was already breathing hard, too hard¡ªmuch too hard¡ªwhen I realized each breath brought me only the barest lungful of oxygen.


    When I spun around to put my de between me and the Scythe, the emerald on the end of his staff was glowing withradiant light.


    He¡¯s doing something to draw the air out of the room.


    My de burst to life with soulfire mes, and I thrust it into the ruined floor.


    The stones shattered as the soulfire ate the floor out from under me, and I fell through tond atop a circr table. The legs snapped like kindling, and I leapt off its copsing surface, twirling through the air tond on my feet several feet away. Gratefully, I sucked in a lungful of good air.


    The room was dark, but I didn¡¯t have time to take stock of my surroundings.


    The floor beneath me burst upward, a solid column of stone hurtling toward the ceiling above. At the same time, several jet ck metal spikes grew from the ceiling like so many stctites.


    nting one foot on the edge of the column, Iunched myself away, tucking into a roll and wreathing myself in a halo of soulfire as I went. Behind me, the column exploded, sending knives of solid stone pelting through the room, shredding everything inside.


    The soulfire saved me, burning away all but one of the stone daggers, which shed across my side, leaving behind a line of white-hot pain. As I rolled back to my feet, I quickly checked the wound; it was shallow, but not dangerous.


    Scythe Nico appeared above, floating down through the hole I¡¯d carved in the floor. I brought my de up, ready to defend against his next attack.


    ¡°Lady Caera Denoir.¡± His voice was as quiet and cold as a tomb. ¡°I¡¯ve enjoyed reading your many missives. Seris has really kept you busy, hasn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯vee to arrest me, I refuse,¡± I shot back, more to buy myself time than anything else.


    There was a closed door to my back and an open arch to my right. I needed to move, to keep him upied and hope that some of the other servants or guards managed to reach Seris. I had to be considerate about how and where I fought, though. The machines far beneath us were well-protected by wards and thick walls of metal and stone, but a battle here would still be dangerous.


    And that¡¯s not even taking into ount the fact that I¡¯m facing off with a Scythe, I thought.


    Still, unlike the other Scythes, I could sense his mana signature and its potency. It was being distorted somehow¡ªmy eye was again drawn to the strange staff in his hand¡ªbut the signature was there, and it wasn¡¯t as strong as I might have suspected.


    ¡°You still aren¡¯t recovered from your battle against Grey, are you?¡± I prodded. Although I wasn¡¯t ready to ce bets on whether or not I could defeat even a weakened Scythe, the fact that he had started talking worked in my favor. The longer I kept him upied, the more of our people could escape thepound.


    His pale skin flushed, and his heavy, dark eyes narrowed into a scowl. ¡°If you take me to Oeth or the source of power for the shield around this dominion, Cecilia¡ªthe Legacy¡ªhas agreed to spare your life. Refuse or stall for time, and I will immediately send word to our soldiers in Cargidan to begin exterminating your blood.¡±


    As his face flushed, I felt the color drain from my own. I bore little love for my adopted blood, but that didn¡¯t mean I wanted them all butchered. ¡°Why bargain from a ce of strength? Obviously the Legacy expects your surprise incursion to be countered. Perhaps she is not as strong as¡ª¡±


    The staff whirled in Scythe Nico¡¯s hand, and the entire wall to my left was ripped free and came crashing inward. Channeling mana into one of my runes, I conjured a burst of wind that threw my sideways through the open archway to my right. The walls collided as I slid to a stop. The sound of copsing stone and furniture swallowed everything else as the floor of the room I¡¯d just escaped copsed inward.


    I found myself in a small chamber upied by nothing but a few tiered benches and a beautiful harp that dominated the center of the room. Moving with a speed born of desperation and wind-attribute mana, I conjured a fistful of soulfire and sted through the outer wall of thepound, then dove through the opening as the walls behind me began to unfold. Bullets of liquid fire hissed passed me as I arched out into the open air.


    All motion¡ªthe whole world¡ªseemed to slow down as I fell.


    I had rotated so that I could see where the hole in the barrier was. Beyond it, the Legacy was turning, her turquoise eyes snapping to the motion of my fall. Thirty or so feet below her, the ashy-gray-haired figure of Cylrit was tumbling end over end toward the sea and rocks far below.


    I locked eyes with the Legacy.


    Then the world lurched into motion again. I pulled in my body to turn in the air and grabbed a broken support from the balcony above, spun around it, andunched myself toward a lower balcony cut directly into the side of the rock.


    I collided with something, an invisible wall, keeping me from the balcony. At the speed I was moving, my legs crumpled and I bounced off the surface before falling straight down. Stretching until my shoulder popped, my fingers just brushed the top of the balcony rail, but skated off them. I scrambled to grab onto the bars, failed, but then caught the bottommost ledge of the balcony itself, jerking to a halt, my fingernails scoring lines into the wooden boards.


    Heaving, I pulled myself up and over the railing in one smooth motion. Behind me, a cloud blotted out the light. I spun around.


    The Legacy had just reached the hole in the shield. It had shrunk down to the size of a window, but she was gripping the sides and pushing outward, forcing it back open.


    But a dark cloud was growing in front of her and the hole, billowing up from nowhere, condensing and dragging in the mana all around it. It seemed to leech the color from everything in sight, turning the whole world shades of gray.


    Awed, I watched as the mist rushed out through the gash, boiling over the Legacy. She shot backwards, abandoning the shield as she defended herself from the spell. With each wave of her hand, parts of the cloud were wiped away as if they were nothing more than soot smeared on the sky, but I could sense the raging mana pushing, ripping, and pulling from both directions.


    Then Scythe Nico drifted down in front of me, interrupting my view of the battle.


    ¡°You¡¯re good at running,¡± he said, feigning a casual air. But I could feel him flinch every time the mana burst behind him, and every muscle in his face was taut as a pulled bowstring. ¡°But I was hoping¡ª¡±


    Suddenly he twisted around, and several blood iron spikes appeared, weaving together to form a shield. In the same heartbeat, a pure ck jet of energy struck the shield, ringing like a giant gong. The blood iron burst apart, and the Scythe was sent tumbling down out of my sight with a yelp.


    A figure, little more than a liquid pearl-and-ck streak, shed past my vision and through the shrinking hole.


    On the other side, I realized the ck mist was gone. The Legacy was flying fifty feet from the shield. She appeared unhurt. The pretty elven face she wore glowered, and a horrible aura shivered out from her that made the mana itself tremble.


    Seris hovered before the closing rift in the shield, glimmering like a gemstone in her ck scaled armor. Although I could hardly fathom it, she maintained her usual businesslike nonchnce as she said, ¡°It¡¯s pretty rude to show up at my home unannounced and uninvited, Cecilia.¡±


    ¡°Nico?¡± the Legacy shouted, her gaze flicking past Seris to thepound. ¡°Nico, are you all right?¡±


    Remembering the Scythe, I nced down from the balcony, but there was no sign of him.


    When there was no response, the Legacy¡¯s expression hardened, and she drifted toward Seris. ¡°This is over, Scythe. I control mana. All of it. And I can pull down your barrier. Submit and take me to Oeth. Now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re winded,¡± Seris said, and although I couldn¡¯t see her face, I could tell she was smiling. ¡°You don¡¯t have the strength left to fight me. Leave. Go back to Agrona and tell him you failed, that everything he¡¯s sacrificed to bring you here was for nought. Tell him I¡¯ll be waiting right here if he wishes to speak to me.¡±


    A ripple passed through the space between them, and Seris¡¯s mouth snapped shut. Her body leaned into whatever the Legacy was doing. Dark lines of void wind banded around her, flexing outward against the invisible force assailing her.


    Then, starting with Seris and rapidly expanding outward, a sphere of pure inky ck obscured them both.


    A ragged gasp slipped uncontrolled from my lips.


    ¡°She can¡¯t win,¡± a voice said from behind me.


    I spun, bringing up my de and wreathing it in soulfire, but Scythe Nico held up his hands catingly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to attack you again,¡± he said sincerely.


    I waited, watching closely for any sign of aggression. His mana was still, his movements cautious and steady. There was a spark of curiosity in his eyes¡ªor was that victory I sensed emanating from him like an aura?


    A sudden jolt of panic surged through me, and I nced at the shields. They were still operational. Surely he couldn¡¯t have breached theplex below in such a short time, and even if he had, the shields would already be showing the effect.


    ¡°Maybe not, but what is to stop me from attacking you?¡± I asked to fill the silence, unsure what he could want from me or why his attitude had suddenly changed.


    ¡°This,¡± he said, drawing an item from an inside pocket of his battle robes.


    It was a rough-surfaced sphererger than his hand, transparent except for a light purple shading. I¡¯d seen cores before, and felt certain this was one, but it wasrger than any mana core I¡¯d ever seen. There was something almost maic about it, as if it were calling out to me, pulling me to it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about this rebellion,¡± the Scythe continued, pulling the core slightly closer to him as my gaze clung to it. ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit about Oeth or any other Vritra.¡± He focused past me, into the ck sphere. ¡°If you¡¯ll do something for me, I¡¯ll leave. I¡¯ll even buy you time.¡±


    I hesitated, then dragged my attention from the core up to Scythe Nico¡¯s face. Everything I''d ever heard about him framed him as some kind of monster. A cold-blooded killer, careless as a sharpened de, eager to cut anyone who Agrona targeted. But now, looking at him, his ck hair clinging to his forehead, his dark eyes simultaneously furious and pleading, I could see he was hardly more than a boy.


    ¡°What?¡± I finally said.


    ¡°Take this core,¡± he said, holding it back out to me. ¡°Give it to Arthur Leywin¡ªGrey¡ªon the other continent. Tell him¡­¡± He paused, and a pained look crossed his face. ¡°Tell him he has to save her. He owes her a life.¡±


    I frowned, uncertain. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    He took a quick step forward, heedless of the de pointing at his throat, and pressed the core toward me. My sword nicked the side of his neck, drawing a thin line of blood on his sickly-pale skin.


    ¡°Take it, and tell him.¡±


    Slowly, I took one hand of the hilt of my sword and took the core. It was cool to the touch. ¡°What does this have to do with Grey?¡± Arthur Leywin. ¡°Who is ¡®she¡¯? The Legacy?¡±


    Nico had taken a step back. His jaw tightened, and his voice was strained when he next spoke. ¡°I¡¯m trusting you with the most important thing in this entire world.¡±


    Before I could press him further, or think to refuse and hurl the core into his face, he had slipped the staff from his back and cast a spell to wrap himself in wind, then shed out of thepound and toward the ck sphere, vanishing into its imprable depths.


    I clutched the core and stared into the abyssal dark. Not only could I see nothing, I couldn¡¯t sense anything either. It was as if Seris¡ªor the Legacy, I thought with a chill¡ªhad carved out a piece of the world and left behind only an empty patch of nothing.


    Just when I wondered how long anyone could keep up such a spell, the sphere exploded.


    Darkness swallowed all light, and for a heart-stopping moment¡ªa breath that felt like eternity¡ªI was utterly blind.


    Just as quickly, the ck melted back into light and color. I sagged against the wall and stared up to where Seris and the Legacy had been.


    Inside the shield, Seris hung in the air, one arm holding the other limply against her side. Opposite her, well outside of the transparent barrier, Nico was supporting the Legacy, who leaned against him, her gunmetal hair hanging down across half her face. One mad turquoise eye red out. Unlike Seris, though, the Legacy bore no signs of physical injury. Between them, the asura-powered shield was once againplete and unblemished, no sign of the rift the Legacy had torn.


    Nico began turning the Legacy away, and she let him. At thest moment, he nced away from her, just for a single instant, and our eyes connected. Then the two were hurtling away at speed.


    Seris watched them go until they had vanished from sight to the east before finally drifting down toward me. She looked tired, a bone-deep fatigue I couldn¡¯t have imagined seeing in her even at the very end of her power, and my heart skipped a beat.


    ¡°Go down and check on the battery array,¡± she rasped. ¡°And have the technicians create an opening near the base of the cliffs.¡± She winced as she looked down toward the water. ¡°I need to go find my retainer.¡±

 Chapter 408

    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    Golden light again enveloped me, and for the first time since arriving in Epheotus, I felt the tension leave my body. Even though I was returning to a war, the threats I faced here were simple inparison to the yawning abyss of negative possibilities Kezess presented.


    The golden light faded from my eyes, revealing the inner courtyard and surrounding walls of the royal pce in Etistin, exactly where I had left. As the conjured stairs were no longer there, I immediately plummeted toward the ground,nding with enough force to crack the paving stones and kick up a cloud of dust.


    Shouts rang out from several different sources, and the silhouettes of armed and armored soldiers encircled me. The sea breeze carried the cloud away, and I watched as the hard eyes of the royal guards widened with surprise before they quickly scrambled to stow their weapons.


    ¡°General Arthur!¡± an energetic female voice sounded, conjuring a chorus of chanting from the soldiers.


    I focused on the speaker, a half-elven woman that regarded me with a warm smile. ¡°I need to speak to the yders. Are they in the pce?¡±


    She jogged forward, quickly breaking free of the surprise that made the rest of the soldiers hesitate, and pointed toward the pce doors with one heavy battle gauntlet. ¡°I can take you to them, sir.¡±


    I nodded and let her take the lead.


    The pce halls were much busier than when I¡¯d left Etistin. Dozens of well-dressed people gathered, chatted, and marched about, all of them doing so with an air of importance. Their conversations stopped as we appeared, and wandering eyes began following me.


    ¡°The yders have been busy,¡± I mused, more to myself than my guide.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a hectic few days, that¡¯s for sure,¡± she said over her shoulder. ¡°Who would have expected that so much could change so quickly?¡±


    I stopped, and she turned around and gave me a quizzical look. ¡°A few days?¡± I asked, surprised.


    Her brows rose as she gave me an uncertain smile. ¡°Well, yeah. It¡¯s been a few days since the cryans retreated and the yders¡­¡± Her uncertain smile edged down into a frown. ¡°Is everything okay, General?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Yes. It was just a lot less time for me.¡±


    In fact, my quick trip to Epheotus had only felt like hours. How long did I walk the Path of Insight? I wondered.


    The guard gave me a helpless shrug, as if she didn¡¯t have a clue what I was talking about, then continued leading me deeper into the pce. It was as I trailed behind her, idly watching her curly hair bounce up and down as I considered the next dozen steps I needed to take, that I realized who she reminded me of.


    ¡°My apologies if this is a strange question, but did you know a soldier named Cedry?¡± I asked.


    The woman¡¯s shoulders stiffened as she missed a step, and she seemed to pull into herself. Slowly, she nced back over her shoulder. ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    Even as I said the name aloud, it felt so foreign, so long ago. I had only shared a brief conversation with the half-elven soldier, but perhaps it was because she fought with the same style of gauntlets as my father that I still remembered her name.


    And of the many lives I had failed to save during the Battle of Slore soon after, her radiant gaze and yful smile stood out, and the way Jona¡¯s voice had cracked as he told Astera and me that he¡¯d intended to marry her¡­


    ¡°She, ah, was my sister,¡± the soldier said, her gaze falling. Then her face pinched into a tentative frown. ¡°Did you know her, General?¡±


    ¡°We met at Slore,¡± I said gently, watching as the soldier¡¯s face hardened to keep the tears forming in her eyes from falling. ¡°She was a fierce and brave warrior.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she said softly.


    We began walking again, more slowly. ¡°What happened to her friend, Jona?¡±


    She took a long moment to respond. ¡°He died,¡± she said quietly. ¡°Here, in Etistin, during the battle of the Bloodfrost.¡±


    I didn¡¯t say anything. There was little to be said. But it served to reinforce my decision to work with Kezess. I would do everything in my power to keep their story from bing everyone¡¯s. cryan, Dicathian¡­no one deserved to die in the petty squabbling of the asura.


    We exchanged no more words until Cedry¡¯s sister bid me farewell outside a conference room. As she walked away, her head hanging, I realized I hadn¡¯t even asked her name. Before I could do so, however, something shifted within the shadows of a nearby column and Jasmine stepped out into view.


    Arms crossed, she leaned against the pir and looked me up and down. ¡°About time.¡±


    ¡®Wee back to thend of the lessers,¡¯ Regis said with mock reverence. ¡®I¡¯d ask how tea with old Kezzy went, but I can already see it in your mind.¡¯


    ¡°No problems here?¡± I asked to Jasmine, while at the same time thinking to Regis, You cane out now.


    ¡°A lot of side-eyeing and thinly veiled irritation, but no violence,¡± Jasmine said with a casual shrug.


    ¡®Oh, I¡¯lle out when the time is right,¡¯ Regis said, veiling his thoughts.


    Although unsure what antics mypanion was getting up to now, I had more pressing matters to attend to. With Jasmine at my heel, I made my way into the conference chamber where I could already hear Curtis¡¯s low baritone.


    Inside, seated around one end of an ornate mahogany table, Curtis, Kathyln, and Lyra Dreide were deep in conversation with a half-dozen well-dressed nobles.


    Lyra saw me first and was quick to jump up from her seat and bow. All eyes went from her to me, and then everyone was standing.


    ¡°Arthur, you¡¯ve returned,¡± Curtis said somewhat stiffly. ¡°We were just discussing you, actually. Your sensational departure has continued to cause a stir over thesest few days.¡±


    One of the men present, whose shortness and roundness was only exaggerated by his proximity to the heroically proportioned Curtis yder, hurried around the table, his hand extended. ¡°Lance Arthur Leywin! A pleasure, an honor, sir, truly.¡± Somewhat bemused, I grasped his hand and let him shake mine vigorously. ¡°Otto Beynir, sir, at your service.¡±


    ¡°Beynir?¡± I repeated, certain I had heard the name before.


    Curtis, who had walked up to join us, rested a hand on the man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The esteemed Beynir House are old friends of my family. Otto here has been indispensable in putting the city back together.¡±


    I looked more closely at the plump man. His brown hair circled up from his head in a color that didn¡¯t quite match the darkness of his brows, and the skin of his face was rashy and pockmarked. His grass-green eyes were intense, and there was a sharpness¡ªa cunningness¡ªburied within them.


    ¡°And these others are?¡± I asked, pulling my hand away from Otto.


    A quick round of introductions followed. There was another yder¡ªa third cousin of Curtis and Kathyln¡ªa big man from House Maxwell, an older woman of House Lambert, a paunchy middle-aged man from House Astor, and finally a nervous young woman named Dee Mountbatten.


    A part of me questioned whether these nobles would be a good influence on the yder siblings. However, Curtis and Kathyln weren¡¯t children anymore and, truth be told, I was tired and eager to return to Vildorial.


    ¡°How did the rest of the exchange go after I left?¡± I asked after nodding politely to the Mountbatten girl.


    ¡°As smooth as could be expected,¡± Curtis said, giving me a tight-lipped smile. He nced back at his sister and Lyra. ¡°Let¡¯s retire to a morefortable space for long-winded exnations, and we¡¯ll fill you in.¡±


    My gaze lingered on Lyra, who was staring at me with an intensity bordering on violence. ¡°No time for that. I¡¯m headed straight back to Vildorial, I just wanted to collect the retainer and Miss mesworth.¡±


    The barest hint of a frown disrupted Kathyln¡¯s stoic expression. ¡°Are you certain, Arthur? There are a number of decisions we¡¯ve made that I feel you should be apprised of.¡±


    Lyra Dreide had edged away from Kathyln and was slowly approaching in a roundabout way that kept several feet between her and anyone else. ¡°I¡¯m happy to fill him in.¡±


    A scowl flickered across Curtis¡¯s face, but he quickly forced a smile. Interestingly, Kathyln was watching her brother instead of the retainer. The rest of the yders¡¯ new council was watching the proceedings as if it was some kind of sporting event.


    I looked from one face to the next. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Kathyln. Could you put everything into a report and send it to me in Vildorial?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said quickly. ¡°Let me take you to your teleportation artifact, at least.¡±


    Curtis reached out and pped my arm. ¡°Don¡¯t wait too long to return. The city is eager to hear how we n to hold our continent now that we¡¯ve taken it back.¡±


    I reached up and took hold of his wrist, squeezing it firmly. ¡°I have good news on that, but exnations will have to wait.¡±


    Curtisughed and took a step back. Emting him, Otto Beynir did the same. The other nobles all joined in awkwardly.


    ¡°Untilter then,¡± Curtis said. To his sister, he added, ¡°I¡¯ll be here with Beynir and the others when you¡¯re finished, Kat.¡±


    Turning on my heel, I led the strange procession of Lyra Dreide, Kathyln yder, and Jasmine mesworth out of the conference room and into one of the many grand hallways lined with paintings, statues, and other items collected by the yder royal family over generations.


    ¡°Your friend has hardly let me out of her sight,¡± Lyra mused, falling in beside me. ¡°She would even sit through these interminable meetings, I imagine, if Lord yder allowed it.¡± Lyra cocked her head slightly, side-eyeing me. ¡°What did you expect the poor girl to do if I went mad and betrayed you? She appears to have some talent, but shecks true power.¡±


    Regis chose that moment to manifest from Jasmine¡¯s shadow, rearing up fully formed and glowering next to Lyra. ¡°Then your body would have been reduced to a fine ash.¡±


    Lyra¡¯s brows knitted together, and one side of her mouth quirked up into a wry half-smile. ¡°I see.¡±


    Regis chuckled in my mind. ¡®Worth the wait.¡¯


    ¡°We moved your teleportation artifact to a safer location,¡± Kathyln said, moving up to walk beside me and guide us through the pce.


    Lyra gave a soft scoff. ¡°She means they hid it from me so I didn¡¯t attempt to teleport away, forgetting that returning to my homnd is a death sentence.¡±


    ¡°Threat of death alone does not an ally make,¡± Kathyln replied calmly, her chin turned up and her eyes forward.


    Kathyln led us through the pce in silence, down into the bowels of the undercroft to a guarded vault. There, we were allowed entry on Kathyln¡¯s orders, and inside she took us to an individual room locked with a wardstone she was carrying. Within, resting on a metal table by itself, was the tempus warp.


    As Kathyln stood aside to allow the four of us into the small room, I took in her stance, her expression, and where she was focusing her attention. ¡°Thank you. I know this can¡¯t have been easy, but Etistin¡ªDicathen¡ªneeded you.¡±


    She rewarded my words with a small but warm smile. Then the smile faltered, and she looked away from me, her eyes losing focus. ¡°I know you¡¯ll be busy in theing days and weeks, but Etistin still needs you. Please return when you can.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± I promised, then turned my attention to the artifact.


    Imbuing the Realmheart godrune with aether, I felt that heady rush as the mana came to life all around me. I quickly input our destination into the device and then activated it by manipting the mana with my aether. An opaque disk opened t against one wall. Aether reached out and tugged on the tempus warp, drawing it into my storage rune.


    Jasmine nodded to Kathyln and went through.


    ¡°Thank you for your hospitality, Lady yder,¡± Lyra said, putting a hand on her chest and giving a shallow bow.


    Kathyln said nothing as the retainer followed Jasmine through the portal. Regis went quickly after her.


    The former princess of Sapin then gave me a nod before stepping back.


    My gaze lingered on her¡¯s. ¡°Are you sure everything is all right?¡±


    ¡°These areplicated times, Arthur,¡± she said in that cool, distant way she had before giving me a small bow. ¡°Farewell.¡±


    Just as she began to turn around, I reached out and took her hand. For a moment, the two of us stayed silent as I watched a flush of color spread in her cheeks. But her expression mirrored my own; an expression moreplicated than just pain or sorrow, but one forged throughout the time and tribtions we¡¯d shared together.


    Gently pulling her hand loose from mine, Kathyln wrapped her arms around me in a loose hug, her forehead resting on my chest. ¡°Farewell, old friend,¡± she said again, more kindly.


    She pulled away, and her fingers feathered through her hair where it had fallen over her shoulder.


    ¡°See you soon,¡± I assured her. Then, with no more to say, I turned and stepped into the portal.


    The scene shifted from the small, barren vault to the massive cavern of Vildorial. With the tempus warp, it was a smooth transition, nearly seamless, but the view itself was still dizzying.


    Nearby, Lyra was looking out over the edge of the curving road with mixed emotions, while Jasmine and Regis watched her carefully. A handful of dwarves in heavy te armor were already moving in our direction from the gates of the Earthborn Institute, our destination. One dwarf put himself out front, and I recognized him immediately as Skarn Earthborn, Mica¡¯s cousin.


    ¡°Lance Arthur,¡± he said, stopping several feet away. His contingent of guards halted just behind him. His gaze lingered on Lyra Dreide. ¡°I¡¯ve been on the lookout for you for thest few days. Do you mind if I ask¡­nevermind, not my business.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°My uncle, Carnelian, needs to speak to you as soon as¡ª¡±


    I held up a hand, forestalling the rest of Skarn¡¯s message. ¡°I¡¯ll make my rounds as soon as I¡¯ve had a moment to check in on my family. Tell Carnelian that I¡¯m back and will find him soon enough.¡±


    Skarn¡¯s always pinched, vaguely hostile expression darkened, but he held back whatever argument he obviously wanted to make. ¡°Aye, Lance. I¡¯ll tell him.¡± To his guards, he said, ¡°Back to your posts!¡±


    He hurried away, his armor nking furiously.


    ¡°Do you want me to hang around?¡± Jasmine asked, looking pointedly at Lyra.


    ¡°Go get some rest,¡± I answered, certain she hadn¡¯t been sleeping much as she babysat the retainer in Etistin. ¡°We¡¯ll catch upter.¡±


    Jasmine punched my arm. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of politics. If you¡¯re going to drag me along on any more adventures, it better be something exciting.¡±


    Chuckling, I shooed her off.


    She turned away, waving over her head without looking back.


    ¡°You are a strange leader,¡± Lyra said from just beside me. She, too, was watching Jasmine descend the winding road. ¡°But then, perhaps only one who doesn¡¯t wish for authority can wield it without corruption. Assuming, of course, that you really are this paragon of purity that you present to the world.¡±


    I stared down at the retainer cidly. She stared back, matching my expression, almost as if issuing a challenge. But she said nothing else, only followed as I made a beeline for the open gates of the Earthborn Institute.


    The guards let us pass without a word, and then we delved into the stone halls cut into the side of the cavern. Instead of heading straight for my mother and Ellie¡¯s rooms, I took Lyra well past the ssrooms and living quarters. Although not a prison, the Earthborn Institute had arge number of secure vaults.


    I found one that was easy enough to return to and currently appeared unupied. It had a barred front like a prison cell, and between each bar was a warding rune that would repel mana usage to some extent.


    Reading my intention, Lyra scoffed. ¡°Surely you don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    I empowered God Step and grabbed her by the arm. Although the runes repelled mana, they did nothing to interrupt the aetheric pathways, and, in a sh of amethyst lightning, we appeared within the vault.


    Her words cut off in a surprised gasp.


    Before she could react, I God Stepped back out of the vault. With lightning still cascading across my skin, I looked through the bars to meet her eye. ¡°We both know this vault probably can¡¯t keep you, but I think we also both know it¡¯s not in your best interest to break free.¡±


    And just for safe measure, I want you to stay here and guard her.


    ¡®How did I know that wasing,¡¯ Regis groused. ¡®When did I stop being your fierce asura-crafted weapon and be a full time babysitter?¡¯


    If you¡¯re good at something, people will keep asking you to do it, I quipped.


    ¡°Is this really necessary, Regent?¡± Lyra asked with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ve already¡ª¡±


    ¡°Behave yourself, and maybe I¡¯ll start to let out your leash,¡± I said over her, then turned and marched away quickly.


    Finally, after what, for them, would have been well over a week, I found myself back before the door to my family¡¯s quarters.


    The smell of something hearty, like a meaty soup or chili, was drifting from under the front door.


    I knocked, softly at first, then slightly louder. Voices exchanged from within, muffled by the thick dwarven door, and a few seconds went by. The door¡¯stch lifted with a resonant clunk, and the door swung open.


    My sister¡¯s sandy-brown eyes flew wide as she saw me, and she jumped into my arms with a delighted screech. ¡°Arthur!¡±


    I pulled her into a tight embrace and spun her around, making her squawk in surprise. When I finally set her down, she was red and her mouth was somehow both smiling and pouting.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a child anymore, you know,¡± she said, sticking her tongue out at me. ¡°Where have you been, anyway?¡±


    It was my mother who answered. She had stepped out of the kitchen and was leaning against the wall, wiping her hands on an apron. ¡°Off saving the world, of course.¡±


    I rolled my eyes as I crossed the room and gave my mother a hug as well. ¡°It smells amazing in here.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been practicing,¡± Ellie said, bouncing past us toward the kitchen. ¡°I was pretty sure she was going to poison us all in the first week, but she¡¯s gotten better.¡±


    Mom reached out to swat Ellie as she went by, but my sister dodged out of the way and ducked through the kitchen arch. Mom hurried after her, saying, ¡°Keep your sticky fingers out of that pie, youngdy!¡± She threw me an exasperated look over her shoulder. ¡°Come on, you can help finish up. Or at least pin your sister down and keep her from eating everything before it¡¯s ready. I swear, I¡¯ve never seen anyone who could put down so much food.¡±


    ¡°Ish ah mah trainung,¡± she said around a mouthful of food. I followed mom into the kitchen, where Ellie again dodged her while simultaneously snatching another roll from a heaped te.


    Mom threw her hands up and went back to chopping up a pile of vegetables that were going into a pot over the fire. ¡°Somehow she¡¯s weedled the Lances into teaching her personally. By throwing your name around, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Ellie swallowed hard, downing what looked like an entire roll at once. ¡°Hey, after all the near-deaths and running and hiding, being a Leywin shoulde with some perks¡­¡±


    Her voice trailed off as mother froze, and my own face fell.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Ellie said quickly, immediately recognizing the shift in mood. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡±


    My mom stood stiffly for a moment, but when she turned around she was smiling. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, dear. You¡¯re right, we¡¯ve been through a lot. I¡¯m d they¡¯re teaching you, since your brother is too busy saving the world.¡±


    Theyughed together, albeit a little awkwardly, but that sound alone made all their teasing worth it.


    ¡°This again,¡± I shot back with mock offense. ¡°You keep saying it like it¡¯s a bad thing. I guess I could just let the world end. That way I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Ellie ever dating.¡±


    Momughed even louder and a bit more genuinely this time around, as Ellie sputtered with outrage and chucked a roll across the kitchen at me. I snatched it out of the air and took a bite.


    As I chewed, though, a force red deep under the institute. I flinched at the mental impact of it, but Ellie and Mom showed no sign of noticing. Looking down at my feet, I stretched my senses.


    A sudden, sharp wave of aether had burst like a geyser somewhere below, sending cascading shes of mana ricocheting all throughout the institute. It was potent enough that certainly others should have sensed it¡­


    ¡°Arthur?¡± Mom said, noticing my faraway look. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I said, heading for the door. ¡°Stay here, and¡±¡ªI made eye contact with my sister¡ª¡°summon Boo, just in case.¡±

 Chapter 409

    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    The Earthborn Institute¡¯s dim halls blurred past as I rushed downward, deeper into thebyrinthine mass of tunnels. No rm had been sounded, and the few dwarves I passed appeared unaware of any strangeness, though my hurried descent drew nervous and questioning looks from most.


    The aether had appeared in a rush, then dissipated almost immediately, from the direction of theboratories. There were few enough people or artifacts who could cause such a phenomena, and although she wasn¡¯t one of them, I was conscious of Lyra Dreide¡¯s presence in the institute.


    Is our guest minding herself? I thought to Regis.


    ¡®She didn¡¯t have anything to do with that spike of aether, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. Want me toe with you to check it out?¡¯


    No, stay where you are for now.


    ¡®Yippee,¡¯ mypanion groused, his boredom and irritation leaking through our mental connection.


    As I moved off in nearly the opposite direction, my thoughts lingered on Kezess. He had promised assistance in defending Dicathen, but hadn¡¯t been clear about the specifics of what that might entail. However, I didn¡¯t think that meant portaling in asura without informing me. I couldn¡¯t entirely trust his word anyway¡ªthat would have been the height of foolishness¡ªand I knew it was within reason he might reverse course and take some hostile action instead.


    Still, this didn¡¯t feel like Kezess. There was nothing to gain in either case, as far as I could see. No, the more likely scenario led me down familiar tunnels, and when I saw two burly dwarven guards, each fully outfitted with shields, spears, and heavy te armor, standing outside Gideon¡¯sb, I felt certain my guess was correct.


    The two shifted positions as they heard my approach, tensing but then rxing almost immediately. Simultaneously, they mmed the bases of theirrge shields against the ground. ¡°Lance, sir!¡± they barked together. One went silent, and the other continued, almost apologetic. ¡°Gideon has given strict orders that no one bother him¡ª¡±


    The doors shot open, and Emily¡¯s bespectacled face poked out, her eyes wide behind the lenses. She looked at the guards, opened her mouth to say something, spotted me, then seemed to change tack in the middle of her thought. ¡°Arthur, you¡¯re a healer!¡±


    She was breathing hard and slightly flushed around the cheeks. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m d you¡¯re here.¡± To the guard, she added, ¡°Go get a healer.¡±


    The guard snapped a salute, then jogged away at a quick pace, his heavy armor nging with every footfall.


    Emily pulled the door open and I slipped through, then she let it swing shut behind me.


    Theb, I was surprised to see, was empty. ¡°Where is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Come on, through here,¡± she snapped, already rushing away.


    I followed her through an arched door at the other end of theb, then down a flight of stairs and into another hall. Hidden beneath was a series of smaller chambers I hadn¡¯t visited before, each one blocked by a heavy stone door inscribed with runes. Emily stopped at the third door on the right, empowered it with mana, and pushed hard.


    On the other side of the thick stone door was a wide, dimly-lit chamber with a low ceiling. A single table had been dragged down here, but the main feature of the room was a protective circle in the center. A small shield generator was connected to several mana crystals, and when activated would create a very dense, dome-shaped mana shield around the protection circle.


    Sitting on the floor, his bare back against the curved wall, was Gideon. His gray hair was a mess, and there was a gaunt, pale look on his face, but when his eyes settled on me as I followed Emily into the chamber, they were full of fire.


    ¡°I figured it out!¡± he croaked, heedless of Emily¡¯s worry. ¡°The bestowals, the artifacts, the spellforms, all of it.¡±


    A manic grin spread across his face, and words began to spill from his mouth. ¡°The hard part was the sequencing of the runes in the robe. I suggested before it was like a password, and your summons was right in that there is a trap woven in¡ªif you channeled mana into the runes out of order, they will keep drawing on your mana until you either break the connection or run out, incapacitating or even killing the wearer, and before you say it, getting out would be no easy feat, as there are belts within the robes that are tricky to do and undo, and they have to be buckled correctly for all that mana to move properly.¡±


    Gideon drew a deep breath, and I opened my mouth to ask him a question, but he immediately continued barrelling onward. ¡°In fact, the robes use the wearer as a kind of conduit for certain aspects of the maniption, so just holding them on yourp or touching them with one hand doesn¡¯t work, they have to be worn. It¡¯s rather devious, honestly.¡±


    Gideon shook his head, looking impressed. ¡°But,¡± he continued, ¡°I figured out the correct sequencing, naturally.¡± He gestured to Emily, and I realized with a sinking feeling in my stomach that she was wearing the ceremonial robes.


    ¡°Gideon,¡± Emily said urgently.


    She had crossed the room and kneeled beside him while he was rambling, but only then did he seem to even notice her.


    Still grinning, he said, ¡°Oh, of course. Miss Watsken was quite the help, testing the artifacts individually to ensure that our hypotheses¡ª¡±


    ¡°Gideon,¡± she said again, exasperated. ¡°I sent for a healer. We should¡ª¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡± Gideon burst out, struggling to push himself up the wall to stand. ¡°Arthur, you¡¯ve distracted me. I need to move on to the testing phase immediately.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± I said, raising a hand to stop him. ¡°We should really talk this through before we try the bestowal on a person. If something were to go wrong¡­¡±


    I trailed off. Gideon¡¯s half-grown brows raised and furrowed simultaneously, his expression caught somewhere between confusion and disbelief. Behind him, Emily stared at the ground, rubbing her eyes with her hands.


    My gaze tracked from Gideon¡¯s thin, soft bare form to the table, where the staff and other artifacts rested.


    Then Gideon burst out with a wildugh and shook his head, his shoulders shaking with amusement. ¡°What do you think is going to go wrong? I channel mana and my torso explodes?¡± He stopped, and a thoughtful look crossed his face for a moment. Turning to Emily, he asked, ¡°Is that something we considered?¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said, feeling wrong-footed. Then, like a trapdoor opening in my mind, I connected the burst of aether I had felt with Gideon¡¯s words. I drew a hand down my face with a sigh. ¡°You already used it, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Gideon flipped a switch, channeled a burst of mana into the shield artifact, and took his ce in the middle of the protection circle. ¡°This spellform? No, of course, not, I¡¯m¡ªoh! You mean the bestowal artifacts. Well yes, of course, I couldn¡¯t sit around waiting for you forever, could I?¡±


    I groaned. ¡°Gideon, I say this with all due respect, but only an actual insane person wouldmit to a human trial of unknown and only partially understood magic on himself.¡±


    Gideon closed his eyes. ¡°All magic is the constant act of self-experimentation. If I recall correctly, you once caused yourself a near-crippling number of micro-fractures throughout the bones of your legs by experimenting with a spell.¡±


    I ground my teeth but had to admit he was right. ¡°Fine. But before you take this further, can I at least call in someone who understands the use of spellforms? Who can perhaps guide you on their use?¡±


    Gideon opened one eye. ¡°You just happen to have an cryan mage in your back pocket or something?¡±


    ¡°Not in my back pocket, no,¡± I shot back. ¡°Just¡­don¡¯t do anything else stupid until I get back.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I feel like you don¡¯t appreciate my genius.¡±


    There was a dull hammering from the door, and Emily jumped. ¡°Oh, that¡¯ll be the healer.¡±


    I pulled the door open to reveal the guard and a heavy set dwarven woman, whose scowl sent shivers up even my spine. She stomped into the chamber, red around, and then settled her irritation firmly on Gideon.


    I slipped out into the hall past the guard but could still hear the reverberation of her voice as she shouted, ¡°This is the sixth time this week,¡± and then her words were lost.


    Lyra Dreide¡¯s vault-cell was not far, and I reached it quickly. Regis had sensed meing, of course, and was standing in front of the bars with his mes waving fiercely.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lyra asked as I appeared in front of her. ¡°I sensed your beast¡¯s agitation, but he¡¯s even lessmunicative than you.¡±


    Saying nothing, I God Stepped into the vault, took hold of her arm, and stepped back into the hall. ¡°Stay close, and don¡¯t try anything.¡±


    The retainer let out a put-upon sigh. ¡°Perhaps I was mistaken¡­¡±


    For the second time, I made my way down into the lower halls where Gideon had hisboratory. The guards said nothing, but stepped well back from the door as I led Lyra and Regis into theb, their hard eyes following the retainer closely.


    Emily was quick to open the inner door when I knocked, and we all entered the chamber together. Lyra, who was looking around curiously at everything, immediately honed in on Gideon. ¡°He has a rune.¡±


    Gideon took in her dark eyes, her me-red hair, her suppressed aura. His skin wrinkled as he frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the regent?¡±


    ¡°Well spotted, both of you,¡± I said sarcastically. ¡°She is my prisoner, and has forsaken service to the enemy and promised to make herself useful.¡± To her, I asked, ¡°How could you tell?¡±


    ¡°There is a faint signature of the mana, brightest just after formation, though eventually hidden by the mage¡¯s own mana signature.¡±


    The sight of mana particles burned into my vision as I activated Realmheart. Sure enough,yered behind Gideon¡¯s own mana signature, there was the more subtle glow of the spellform. It was then that I noticed his core itself; it was still burning with mana, and within the mana currents was a thin trail of aether particles. As I watched, this swelling of mana began to fade, allowing me to see his core more clearly.


    It was rapidly rifying to a light yellow color.


    ¡°You have figured out how Agrona¡¯s bestowment ritual works,¡± Lyra continued, her tone curious, musing. ¡°A clever turnabout, but not without risk.¡±


    ¡°What risks?¡± Emily asked, keeping well back from the retainer and yet watching her with a kind of wary eagerness. ¡°We assumed that, once a spellform was in ce, it was only a matter of learning to control it.¡±


    Lyra nodded along as Emily spoke, pursing her lips slightly. ¡°Yes, practice and patience will allow a mage to master a new rune, but our entire culture is predicated on the training and knowledge to do so. cryan children prepare to wield runes even before their first bestowment, and still plenty of young mages have pushed too hard, too fast, and burned themselves to dust with a rune they didn¡¯t fully understand and weren¡¯t equipt to make use of.¡±


    Gideon huffed, but Emily seemed slightly shaken as the color drained from her cheeks.


    ¡°But the greater risk is in the bestowment itself,¡± the retainer continued. ¡°Our people are adapted to the bestowals. You might even say we were bred for it. We are born with our cores, and twenty percent of our poption develops magic. Your peopleck asuran lineage, something even the lowliest of cryan unadorned can im. Do not discount the danger just because this single Imbuer has survived unscaled. The process may very well kill some who attempt it.¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡± Gideon burst out, losing his patience. ¡°It¡¯s easy enough to see the divide between crya¡¯s development of the mechanism involved in this ritual and the original magics formted by the ancient mages. If it worked for them a thousand years ago, and then for the cryans now, why wouldn¡¯t it work for us too?¡±


    He shifted his focus to me, scowling darkly. ¡°Perhaps your ¡®prisoner¡¯ is attempting to forestall our progress or sow doubt, eh?¡±


    I considered his im and the retainer simultaneously. Her cidity seemed a direct counter to his bubbling antagonism, but I didn¡¯t sense any misdirection or untruthfulness in her words. ¡°What she has said lines up with my own experience in crya,¡± I said after a moment. ¡°We proceed cautiously, understanding the risks and mitigating them where we can.¡±


    Gideon tossed his hands in the air in a mockingly jubnt prayer to the heavens. ¡°Great. Can I light this thing up and see what happens now, or do any of you have any more dire warnings for me first?¡±


    Regis¡¯s lips pulled back from his teeth in a lupine grin. ¡°Only that having one of these runes tends to coincide with being a homicidal maniac set on following a living deity into war with the kingdom of the gods,¡± he tossed out casually. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a side effect of rune, really, but you never know.¡±


    Gideon snorted in bewilderment, shook his head, and then closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened just one and looked at Lyra. ¡°So I¡­uh¡­just push mana into it or¡­?¡±


    Her lips formed a hard line as she nodded. ¡°Feel for it. The rune itself is a part of you now, and you should sense it.¡±


    Gideon closed his eye again, frowning deeply as he concentrated.


    With Realmhart still active, I watched as mana flowed through him and into the rune. It lit up, and mana radiated out from it before rushing up his spine and into his brain.


    Gideon gasped. His lips were moving, but no noise wasing out.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Emily asked, her fingers kneading white-knuckled into the front of the ceremonial robes. ¡°Professor Gideon, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said, almost a moan. ¡°This is¡­¡±


    The flow of mana cut off as he released his channeling. He was breathing hard, and his eyes were moving rapidly beneath his lids.


    Lyra was smirking. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There is a heady rush to a new rune, especially a crest or higher.¡±


    Finally, Gideon¡¯s eyes fluttered open. ¡°I don¡¯t entirely understand what just happened,¡± he admitted with a quiet reverie. ¡°It was like the magical equivalent of drinking far too much coffee in far too short a time.¡±


    ¡°A mental rune then,¡± Lyra mused, moving slowly around the protective shielding. ¡°Probably either that of a Sentry or an Imbuer. A crest, certainly. Without the proper tomes¡­¡±


    Emily held up the book containing a description of all the runes granted from this particr staff.


    Humming to herself, Lyra took the book and flipped through it. ¡°Here it is. Awakened Mind, the crest of an Imbuer. Not surprising, of course, although runes do not always align with previous life experience. It has only been granted twice that was recorded in this tome, but the notes indicate mastering it allowed both Imbuers to convert mana into a sort of mental energy, providing wakefulness and focus.¡±


    She handed the book back to Emily, who took it with both hands like it was a child.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I felt, but it was a chaotic energy,¡± Gideon said, gingerly pushing himself up to his feet and stumbling through the shield. He flicked the switch, and the transparent barrier dwindled and vanished. ¡°It¡¯ll get easier?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes,¡± Lyra confirmed. ¡°And the effect will continue to grow in strength as you master the rune. When you¡¯ve done that, attempt the bestowal again, and you may receive another, more powerful rune. Often they areplimentary, although not always.¡±


    Emily looked from Lyra to Gideon to myself, a slowly dawning horror falling over her features. ¡°So he¡¯s going to be even¡­more hyperactive?¡±


    I chuckled appreciatively, but Gideon himself took no notice as he slipped a loose tunic over his bare torso and stretched, his back cracking like gravel crunching beneath a boot.


    ¡°Then we move on to the second experiment,¡± he said eagerly.


    The chamber went quiet as we all looked at the old artificer in surprise.


    ¡°I know I said this is important,¡± I said, breaking the silence, ¡°but you should rest, take time to make sure there are no side effects¡ª¡±


    Gideon wagged his finger in my face with almostical violence. ¡°You did say this was important! And I¡¯ll be thrice-damned if I¡¯m going to waste our momentum. ording to our previous conversation, just being around you enhances the rune received. I¡¯ve tested myself to ensure that the process won¡¯t kill either the officiant or the recipient of the spellform, but I¡¯m a middling case. We¡¯ve spent a bit of time together since your return, but not an abundance. Now we need to bestow someone who hasn¡¯t been around you at all.¡±


    I met Emily¡¯s eyes, but she only shrugged. She knew all too well how pig-headed her master was, and although she might not hesitate to voice her opinion, she wasn¡¯t about to help me try and talk him out of charging onward with this.


    Lyra stepped closer to Gideon and said softly, ¡°My own caution, then, would be against pushing your officiant too hard. Performing the bestowment ceremony is taxing on both mind and body. Agrona¡¯s officiants spend their entire lives training to handle the huge crowds that can show up to a bestowment, and often the load is shared between many people.¡±


    She hesitated, then added, ¡°I would be willing to lend my services as an officiant if you teach me what you have¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said tly, crossing my arms. ¡°We will consider who else to bring into this, but for the moment, Emily will be our officiant.¡±


    Lyra shrugged, smiling pleasantly. ¡°Of course, Regent Leywin. I am only trying to help.¡±


    ¡°Well, what are we waiting for?¡± Gideon asked, looking around at all of us. ¡°Emily, go find me a dwarf. Arthur, you get the hell out of here so you don¡¯t contaminate my experiment.¡±


    ***


    ¡°So, what next?¡± Regis asked from where he was curled up at my feet at the end of the hallway.


    It had been some time since either of us had spoken, and I had to collect the wayward shreds of my attention before replying. ¡°After this second test?¡±


    ¡°No, after all that. We¡¯ve mostly taken back the continent, broken Kezess¡¯s limitation ced on the Lances, and now given spellforms to Dicathen to help even the odds in any future battles. But a couple of white core mages and a few magical tattoos aren¡¯t going to defeat Agrona.¡±


    I leaned back against the wall and let the back of my head rest against the cool stone. ¡°Strategic provisioning of the spellforms may not defeat Agrona, but it will allow us to rapidly provide power boosts where they are needed and add a lot of new tools to our repertoire, you know that.¡± I thought for a few seconds. ¡°Any one of the steps we take might be what allows victory in the end.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± I continued after another long pause, ¡°I understand that you and I have other things to do. Seris is fighting a war for us in crya, and there are two more ruins to hunt down.¡± I left unsaid the problem that loomed over everything else, the one I had done my best to keep to the back of my mind ever since Sylvie¡¯s sacrifice and my appearance in the Relictombs¡­because I still had no idea what I could do about Cecilia and Tessia.


    Regispsed into silence, and together, we waited for Emily¡¯s return.


    It took longer than Gideon would have liked to recruit a second test subject whom I¡¯d had no interaction with. There was some worry that even incidental contact, such as my speaking to the guards out in the hallway, would sway the results, and most of the guards and soldiers in the Earthborn Institute had crossed my path at least once or twice.


    But the real dy was that, when Skarn Earthborn discovered what Emily was asking about, he insisted on informing his uncle, Carnelian, about the tests, so that the dwarven lord could voice his opinion. This inevitably became a struggle between the Earthborns and Silvershales to send forth a member of their house, but most had spent hours in close proximity with me in meetings with the Council of Lords.


    But eventually, after what felt like many hours but was probably only one, Emily returned with a young dwarf lord called Daymor Silvershale, youngest son of Lord Daglun, Carnelian¡¯s chief rival. Daymor kept his pitch-ck beard trimmed to only a few inches and his hair slightly shorter. He looked every bit the royal as he appeared in a regally-tailored tunic and breeches, with rings on his fingers and a golden-hilted sword hanging at his hip.


    I, of course, only watched from the end of the hallway with Regis at my side. Daymor met my eye before following Emily into the bestowal chamber, and his lips twitched beneath his beard. I thought he looked nervous, and he grew even moreso when the two guards and attendant who had trailed him down into these deep tunnels were made to wait outside in the corridor.


    Although I could not watch the process, a fact I found somewhat disappointing, I listened to the muffled voices of Gideon, Emily, and Lyra exining everything that was to happen. Still, I consoled myself with the fact that I had seen the bestowment ceremony before, in Maerin, and knew what was happening.


    The ceremony itself took much less time than finding our test subject.


    When the door opened again, the three dwarves were quick to hurry in. I followed behind, curious but hopeful. There had been no panicked shouts to indicate we had just killed off a member of the noble house of Silvershale, and indeed, when I peered through the door, I saw Daymor grinning as he rubbed at the bare flesh of his back.


    He tried to turn around to look over his shoulder, as if he might be able to see his own spine, while Gideon shooed the other dwarves to the outer edges of the small room.


    ¡°Now, feel for the rune, and push your mana into it. It should feel natural, instinctual,¡± Lyra was saying.


    Daymor turned his nose up at her and spit on the ground. ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t take orders from cryan filth, and especially not the Bitch Queen of Etistin.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Daymor,¡± I said firmly. ¡°What we are doing is important, and Lyra of Highblood Dreide is here at my order.¡±


    The dwarf attempted to scowl at me, but his wide eyes and the twitching of a muscle beneath his beard gave away just how frightened he was. After a few seconds, he cleared his throat and said, ¡°Aye, let¡¯s get on with it then. This bloody thing itches like the dickens.¡±


    Gideon sucked his teeth in irritation. ¡°Fine, then perhaps you¡¯ll listen to me. Stay within the circle, and empower the spellform.¡±


    Daymor followed Gideon¡¯s instructions, settling himself in the center of the protection circle and taking a deep breath, making his broad chest swell.


    Lyra had fallen back to stand beside me. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said under her breath. ¡°For defending me.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t,¡± I said, also keeping my voice low. ¡°But it will grow awfully tedious if every conversation has to wait for a string of expletives to be thrown at you first.¡±


    Lyra didn¡¯t answer, and so I returned my focus to Daymor, quietly activating Realmheart so I could watch the flow of mana. Like with Gideon, it poured from Daymor¡¯s core and down into his rune, but this time the resultant spell flowed down his legs and into the ground.


    Thin fissures cracked the ground inside of the protection circle, and wispy mes erupted from them. I could see the fine line where the protection circle¡¯s runes rebuffed the flow of the mana, preventing the spell from affecting anything outside it.


    ¡°Fire, my lord!¡± the attendant said, clearly shocked.


    Daymorughed, a booming noise like a cannon. ¡°Ah, but it feels strange. Good, but strange!¡±


    All in all, it was not an impressive spell, but I knew Daymor was a single-attribute earth mage. The mark had granted him the ability to cast a spell of a different type than his natural affinity; that alone was a great boon for a Dicathian mage. It was certainly something his father could crow about in the Council of Lords meetings for the foreseeable future, especially as Daymor¡¯s mastery of the rune grew.


    As Emily and Gideon began exining to Daymor what was expected of him¡ªdaily training and monitoring, reports on how the spellform impacted his magic, and so forth¡ªI let my thoughts drift to the next question. Gideon would want to do a third test, of course. This time with someone who I had spent a significant amount of time with¡­


    Although the list was short, that did not make it easy. Who had I spent enough time with since returning to Dicathen?


    The better question, I thought to myself, is who among that short list am I willing to put at risk?

 Chapter 410

    <strong>ELEANOR LEYWIN </strong>


    As I heard the dwarves¡¯ excited murmuring grow louder, I slipped deeper into the shadows of the room where I¡¯d hidden. The guards further down the hall hadn¡¯t moved from their positions in front of Gideon¡¯sboratory, but they had cracked open theb door to try and eavesdrop on the excitement below, which worked in my favor.


    With my beast will active, I had been able to listen in as Daymor Silvershale received his bestowal. The increased sensitivity not only picked up sound from farther away but trantedthe subtle vibration of their movements and mana usage up through the stone into sensation as well.


    Daymor and three other dwarves burst out into the hall a momentter, chattering like a bunch of teenage girls in the shopping district.


    ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t wait to see old man Earthborn¡¯s face when he gets a load of my new power,¡± Daymor was saying. ¡°And my older brothers¡¯ as well. How they¡¯ve lorded their attendance of the council meetings over my head. Well, let¡¯s see who has something to crow about now!¡±


    Another voice was quick to add, ¡°A dual-elemental augmenter, the first in three generations of Silvershales. Your father will be ecstatic, sir.¡±


    Their conversation meant little to me, and so, despite the fact that I could have continued to listen to them for at least a couple of minutes, even as they moved farther and farther away, I instead tried to block out the noise and focus on my brother and those with him¡ªGideon, Emily Watsken, and a woman I thought must be the retainer he had captured, Lyra¡ªwho were once again shut up in a chamber below me. I had to focus through two doors and ten feet of solid stone, but if I held my breath, I could just make out the weak vibrations of their conversation.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± my brother was asking Emily.


    ¡°Fine, just need a moment¡¯s rest,¡± came her faint reply.


    ¡°Give her an hour or two, at least, before attempting the ritual again,¡± said the retainer.


    Gideon¡¯s reply was louder than the others. ¡°But I need a third data point or what we¡¯ve seen so far is worthless! Someone who Arthur has spent a lot of time around, the most time around, hours and hours. No middle-ground or close enough, it needs to be¡ª¡±


    ¡°Gideon, quit activating your spellform,¡± my brother said, his tone both exasperated and resigned.


    The funny old artificer cleared his throat and mumbled something I didn¡¯t catch, because at the same time something heavy fell to the ground a few floors above, and a deep dwarven voice cursed.


    I shifted position, keeping one eye on the open doorway into this room as I leaned closer to the ground, attempting to hear better.


    ¡°I need to think, and Emily needs to rest,¡± my brother said, speaking firmly.


    ¡°Fine, fine, but don¡¯t take all day. Make your choice and bring them here this afternoon,¡± Gideon demanded.


    They said their farewells, and I heard Regis¡¯s ws scraping on stone as they began moving in my direction.


    I cast a quick nce around the room where I was hidden, which was just down the hall from Gideon¡¯sboratory. It looked like a disused ssroom of sorts, full of dwarf-sized desks, empty shelves, and a few soot-stained tables. Where the door used to be was now just an open doorway.


    As near as I could tell, I was pretty close to being right over the chamber where Gideon had been running his experiments.


    Arthur and hispanion moved in silence, but I knew they couldmunicate without speaking. I wondered what they were talking about¡­or perhaps who they were talking about.


    They needed someone my brother had spent a lot of time around¡ªbeen close to¡ªfor the next stage of their experiment¡­


    I immediately and absolutely wanted it to be me. Not because I wanted an cryan rune¡ªor a spellform, as Gideon and Arthur referred to them as¡ªalthough a sudden boost to my power and rification of my core did sound good. But what I really wanted was to be involved, to be helpful. Between the long journey through the desert together, our training and meditation, meals and even sleeping in the same space, I couldn¡¯t think of anyone who would have spent more time with him, not even Mom.


    But I also knew right away that he wouldn¡¯t want to put me at risk.


    So, I just need to convince him I¡¯m the only choice, I thought, steeling myself for the task.


    I watched Arthur and the big shadow wolf pass by from where I wascarefully hidden behind arger table, but didn¡¯te out right away. Instead, I focused on their footsteps, waiting until they were far ahead to follow. The hall was clear except for the two guards, and if I stayed against the far wall, I could use the support columns that ribbed the otherwise smooth walls of the corridor to stay out of their line of sight, just like I had when I sneaked down here to begin with. The guards were focused on themselves anyway, chatting animatedly about Daymor Silvershale and what Gideon¡¯s experiments would mean for Vildorial.


    With my beast will still active, I was sensitive to even the slightest noise, especially my own, which helped me to creep along in utter silence. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d get in trouble just for being down in these tunnels, but I didn¡¯t want Arthur to know I had been spying on him after he ran out in such a rush. He¡¯d be upset with me, say that I constantly disregarded my own safety and took unnecessary risks,pletely oblivious to how hypocritical he sounded giving lectures.


    I forced myself to stop from going down this mental path. I needed to be thinking about how I was going to convince him to let me participate in Gideon¡¯s ¡°experiment.¡±


    Arthur had been moving slowly, no doubt deep in thought and in no rush, but I had to assume he was heading home. Taking a slightly longer route back, I hurried quickly and quietly, using my heightened senses to avoid crossing paths with any of the guards, mages, or other residents who frequented these tunnels.


    Instead of going inside, however, I leaned against the wall next to the door and waited. When, a couple minutester, I heard the telltale scraping of ws, I released my beast will and carefully arranged my features into an innocent smile.


    When Arthur stepped around the corner, I gave him a little wave and said, ¡°Everything okay down there?¡±


    Arthur stopped, his surprise reading clearly on his face. ¡°Yeah, it wasn¡¯t an emergency. What are you doing out here?¡±


    ¡°Waiting for you,¡± I said honestly, digging the toe of my turnshoe into the floor. ¡°You were gone for a while.¡±


    ¡°Gideon,¡± he said simply by way of exnation, and I smiled.


    Arthur leaned against the wall opposite me in the squat hallway and watched me silently. I felt guilt prickle into goosebumps on the backs of my arms as I thought about how best to convince him to choose me without giving away my spying expedition.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked after a moment.


    ¡°What? Nothing,¡± I said in a rush, tucking a lock of hair back behind my ear.


    His eyes narrowed, and then his expression softened. ¡°How much did you hear?¡±


    I opened my mouth, and he cocked a brow. Instead of trying to lie, I let out a gusting breath. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Your guilt might as well be written across your forehead in ink,¡± he said, chuckling.


    I groaned, pulling the hair I¡¯d just fixed down in front of my face to hide my eyes. ¡°Sorry, I just¡­¡±


    He waved my apology away. ¡°I get it. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Despite his forgiveness, the silence that fell between us felt sour and awkward. ¡°I want to help with the bestowment trial,¡± I forced out.


    He nodded seriously. There was no surprised smirk or disbelievingugh, which made me feel better. He really seemed to be considering it. Then he said, ¡°I¡¯ve already decided on Jasmine. She¡¯s older and more battle-tested, and has spent nearly as much time with me as you have.¡±


    I had anticipated this answer but I remained silent.


    Regis, who had been pacing up and down the hall as we talked, stopped. ¡°Plus, I lived in her core for a few days. That might make a difference, too.¡±


    ¡°When I was in camp with all those cryans, some of them were really young,¡± I pointed out, bringing up the counterargument I had prepared. ¡°They get their first bestowals really early, right? I¡¯m a lot younger than Jasmine, closer to the age a bestowment should happen.¡±


    ¡°Point, Ellie,¡± Regis said as his head turned from me to Arthur then back.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just about you being my sister,¡± Arthur said, pushing away from the wall and taking a step closer. ¡°The truth is, you have a lot of variables Jasmine doesn¡¯t. You¡¯re a pure mana mage with no elemental affinity, you¡¯re a beast tamer, and you have djinn ancestry. Variables mean danger in this case, El.¡±


    ¡°Still, I¡­¡± I trailed off, unsure how to respond. I didn¡¯t have an argument against the points he made, only felt sure that, despite the risks, I was the best choice.


    ¡°Why are you so insistent on this?¡± Arthur asked, inspecting me carefully with those bright gold eyes. ¡°This isn¡¯t the only chance you¡¯ll get. Once the process has been tested thoroughly, you¡¯ll get your turn, I promise.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t understand,¡± I said in the direction of my feet. Tension crept into my shoulders and neck, and the instinct to bury what I was feeling made speaking difficult. ¡°You don¡¯t have to cower with your mother every time retainers or Scythese knocking, telling yourself you¡¯re protecting her when both of you know full well that you can¡¯t, that you¡¯re useless against that kind of enemy¡­¡± I turned away from Arthur, staring blindly down the empty corridor leading away from our rooms. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­so frustrating, to feel so helpless¡­¡±


    I rested my head against the wall and let out a long breath like a sigh. I could feel Arthur¡¯s gaze burning into the side of my face, but I didn¡¯t want to look at him, didn¡¯t want to see pity or disapproval or disappointment.


    There was a groan of hinges, and my mother¡¯s voice said, ¡°You should choose Ellie.¡±


    I whipped around to look at Mom, ck-jawed with surprise at her intervention. Even if I convinced Arthur, I had expected to have the fight all over again with her.


    Arthur seemed just as caught off guard, and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly but didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°You heard everything?¡± I asked her.


    She gave me a wry smile. ¡°You¡¯re not exactly being quiet out here.¡±


    She watched us for a moment, sad but determined, before continuing. ¡°We are, all of us, in constant danger. Maybe taking risks is the only way forward. Maybe¡­we¡¯ve been too cautious, too willing to let you protect us. But there is no way to know when one of our many enemies will appear and rain hellfire down on us. You might not be here when they do¡ªif our enemy is wise, he¡¯ll make sure of it. But it seems like this might be a way to help us prepare, and if your sister is the best choice of test subject, then so be it.¡± There was something haunted and forlorn in her eyes, a tired weariness that nearly broke my heart to see.


    Biting my trembling bottom lip, I stared down at the ground, wordless..


    ¡°All I ever wanted¡ªeven before the war, before any of this started¡ªwas the power to protect you guys,¡± Arthur said, his voice low and sad. I nced up at him, but his face was hidden behind a curtain of wheat-blond hair. ¡°I guess even now, after everything that has happened, I couldn¡¯t,¡± he finished, his chin tilting up to reveal a pained smile behind his hair.


    Mom crossed the hallway, her hand feathering through Arthur¡¯s hair. ¡°We are never promised another day,¡± she said somberly. Then she half-turned to look at me. ¡°But we have today, and there is so much we can do with it.¡±


    ***


    Emily was waiting for us in Gideon¡¯sb, arge room chock-full of tables, shelves, buzzing equipment, and stacks of notes, all warmed by arge firesalt furnace on one side. She gave me a quizzical look, which then moved to Arthur questioningly. He only nodded, so she shrugged, turned around, and led Arthur, Mom, and me through an arched opening across from us, down a flight of stairs, and to a specific door.


    I nced around the featureless hall, trying to map it outpared to the ssroom above, curious about the strength of my beast-bonded senses.


    The door opened to Emily¡¯s touch, and she led us into a in, dimly-lit chamber. A circle of runes had been carved into the floor and filled with silvery metal that glowed faintly, and some kind of artifact had been constructed just outside the circle. A single table was pushed against one wall, and a seemingly random assortment of items sat atop it.


    The master artificer, Gideon, was fiddling with the equipment, while the retainer, Lyra Dreide, sat with her back against the curved walls and perused some kind of old tome.


    ¡°About time,¡± Gideon mumbled, sparing me only a cursory nce. ¡°The sister, huh? Well, I suppose there are worse people you could have been spending all your time with. She¡¯s not quite an ideal candidate though, is she? Dark orange core, a beast tamer¡ªno idea how that interacts with the bestowment, if at all¡ªand barely a child. A more mature test subject would be¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Leywin,¡± I said firmly, cutting across his criticism. ¡°My brother and I both had to mature fast.¡± Of course, there was the small detail of Arthur already being well into adulthood, mentally, when he was born into our family, but I didn¡¯t know how many people were aware of that fact. ¡°I¡¯m ready for this.¡±


    ¡°O-ho, are you?¡± Gideon asked, leaving off his work and leaning toward me. ¡°Ready to have a potentially potent spell writ into your flesh by unknown and hostile magics, a spell that will certainly be unlike any magic your small mind has conceived of previously and could very well kill you if you don¡¯t do exactly as you are told?¡±


    My lips parted to assure him that I was indeed ready for exactly that, but I choked on the words. It had all been well and good arguing for this from the safety of our rooms above, but now, down here in the dark, seeing Emily dressed in her strange ceremonial robes, her fingers unconsciously tracing the lines of a ck staff, I was suddenly nervous.


    ¡°She is,¡± Arthur said, stepping up beside me and resting a hand on my shoulder.


    A swelling of warm pride eased my nerves and unwound the knot forming at the back of my throat.


    Emily approached, giving me aforting smile, and slipped her arm through mine. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, I¡¯m sure. Arthur has already told you what is going to happen?¡±


    I nodded as she led me to the center of the circle of runes. She gestured to the ground, and so I sat, my legs crossed and arms resting on my knees, and looked up at her. She only smiled again before moving to the table, where she slid some kind of bracelet over her wrist, then picked up the staff.


    ¡°Mrs. Leywin, if you¡¯ll stand back,¡± she asked respectfully. Mom seemed hesitant, and I felt certain she was starting to regret supporting this, but she did as Emily asked.


    My brother, on the other hand, kneeled down beside me, just outside of the runes. His golden eyes met mine and he winked. ¡°Maximum aether exposure,¡± he exined quietly.


    Gideon had pulled a notebook and pen from his robes and was writing furiously. The retainer was standing silently against the wall opposite my mother.


    Emily¡¯s shadow crossed over me as she moved around to stand behind my back. I could feel her looming there, and my instinct to move or turn red, causing goosebumps to roughen the skin of my arms and neck.


    ¡°Ellie, we expect this might be painful,¡± Emily said, her tone sour, like she didn¡¯t like what she had to say. ¡°A mark was received easily by a veteran mage, but even a crest struck Master Gideon like a blow, knocking the breath from him. If you receive a stronger spellform¡­¡±


    ¡°Then the effect on my body will be stronger as well,¡± I finished for her, staring down at the shimmering runes in front of me.


    ¡°Yes.¡± There was a pause, then, ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    I clenched my teeth together and forced myself to sit up straight. I wasn¡¯t afraid of pain. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Behind me, I heard Emily begin to move, the fabric of the heavy robes scuffing against itself, the butt of the staff clicking against rock, a long exhale¡­


    The light in the room changed. There was a subtle glow, probably from crystal at the top of the staff.


    Then every muscle in my body seized.


    I jerked, my back locked into an ufortable arch, my mouth open, a moan halfway to my lips, my fingers wing into my thighs, my eyes wide, so wide they burned and filled with tears.


    It felt like a brand, like red-hot iron pressed against the base of my spine that set fire to every nerve in my whole body.


    I snapped like an over-pulled bowstring, the paralysis breaking, the moan turning into a weak scream as I crumpled to the cold floor, sucking in a feeble breath, fighting my own lungs, which refused to move air.


    Mom said something, a panicky warbling that came in and out of focus, followed by Arthur¡¯smanding baritone.


    My lids dragged themselves shut, and in the dark, everything was worse. No, not worse, just more. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn¡¯t. I wanted to ask for help, but my tongue wasn¡¯t following instructions. And the weight of the sensation grew, a building pressure centered on the small of my back.


    A powerful hand had me by the shoulder, dragging me back up into a sitting position, but I was only dimly aware of it, like it was happening in thest remnants of a dream just as I woke.


    Mana crashed over me, wave after wave of it, like nothing I¡¯d ever felt before.


    My eyes snapped open. Two golden orbs like little suns hovered just above me, moving rapidly in tiny bursts.


    My core trembled, and I thought I might be sick.


    Then it did something I have no words for, and I knew I was dying, because even when the asura¡¯s de ran me through, I had still felt like myself, still been present for the pain in my body, but now, with stunning suddenness, the pain was gone, and I felt nothing but its absence.


    ¡°She¡¯s going into shock,¡± a lilting, honeyed voice said firmly, and the golden eyes vanished, reced by me-red tresses. ¡°Eleanor, focus on my voice. Think and take the meaning of my words. Your core is being rapidly rified, and your body is struggling to adjust. It will be over soon, but you must stay present. Your mind and your thoughts guide the process. Stay here, with my voice.¡±


    I felt my face scrunching up in confusion as my brain struggled not with the meaning of the words, but to make sense of the strangeness of the situation: an cryan retainer, a woman responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Dicathians, was now sincerely guiding me through a process we had stolen from her people¡­


    And I think it was exactly this that snapped me out of the cold spiral I had been following. My breath came easier and sensation returned. I became aware of the cold stone pressing against my legs and rear, and of the sweat clinging to my face, and the deep ache in my muscles due to the sudden clenching and releasing, and finally the hands holding either side of my face firmly, forcing me to look into the retainer¡¯s eyes.


    A slight smile broke across her face, and she let me go. I leaned forward, pressing my hands to the ground and drawing in slow, steady breaths. A hand rubbed gently at my back, between my shoulderdes.


    ¡°Eleanor, we need to look,¡± the retainer said. I could only nod in reply.


    I felt the hem of my shirt being tugged up as Lyra shifted around me, then Mom was there, her hands resting on top of mine. Her eyes trailed after the retainer at first, but then snapped to my own. They were full of tears about to fall, but there was a quivering smile on her face.


    ¡°So, it is true,¡± the retainer said quietly, her voice full of awe and reverence. ¡°A regalia. It¡­should not be possible.¡±


    Sliding one hand free, I reached behind me and rubbed the skin of my lower back, where the spellform still tingled.


    ¡°And look at that. It¡¯s pushed her clear to the light-yellow stage,¡± Gideon said.


    My heart thumped inside my chest, and I turned my attention inward. He was right!


    Despite the aching and the fatigue, I knew what came next, and I couldn¡¯t wait to begin. ¡°I¡­want to test it,¡± I said around a dry lump in my throat.


    ¡°We can wait¡ª¡± Mom said, but Gideon was already moving.


    He shooed everyone else back and activated the artifact. A transparent bubble of mana shimmered to life over the circle, cutting me off from the others.


    ¡°Gideon,¡± my brother said with a note of warning, but Gideon ignored him as well.


    Standing in front of me, just on the other side of the shield, with a notebook in hand and eyes gleaming with curiosity, Gideon said, ¡°Well, go on then!¡±


    The retainer began to coach me through the process, exining how to look for the rune, what it should feel like. Cautiously, I followed her instructions.


    The rune bloomed into warmth and power as mana channeled into it from my core, and I waited for some revtion, some power to manifest itself.


    And it wasn¡¯t that nothing happened; there was a certain focusing in on the mana, like I was more aware of everyone¡¯s cores and the barrier of mana manifested into the shield, but that was it.


    ¡°Perhaps you aren¡¯t able to channel enough mana to properly activate the regalia,¡± Lyra mused as I exined what I was feeling.


    ¡°Here, try this,¡± Gideon said as he disabled the dome-shaped shield and handed me arge mana crystal, then reactivated the shield again. ¡°Draw on it.¡±


    I nced at Arthur, who was watching everything carefully, then at Mom, who had both hands over her mouth and practically vibrated with nervous energy.


    Closing my eyes, I pulled on the mana trapped inside the crystal and directed it down into the spellform. The sensation of awareness returned, and it felt easier than I remembered to draw on the mana crystal, but no additional effects revealed themselves. I released my control over both crystal and rune with a sigh.


    ¡°What am I doing wrong¡ª¡±


    Emily, who had been leaning against the table while everything else was happening, gave a soft moan and copsed. Arthur moved so quickly I barely saw it, catching her before her head could hit the hard stone, thenying her down gently.


    My mother was there only a secondter, both hands pressing against Emily¡¯s pale skin. Mom¡¯s hands gave off a silver glow as she cast some healing spell, but it cut off quickly. She exchanged a look with Arthur as she exined, ¡°She¡¯s put herself into a state of bacsh. I can¡¯t heal her, but she should be all right given time.¡±


    Gideon shifted his weight from one foot to the other and bit his lip to stay quiet. Seemingly without thinking, he flipped the switch, turning off the shield that contained me within the runes.


    I went to Emily¡¯s side, kneeling down next to my brother and taking her hand. Her eyes fluttered open, but she groaned in pain and closed them again.


    There was something¡­ufortable about being near here. The enhanced awareness of mana I¡¯d felt when activating the regalia remained, and the absence of mana in Emily¡¯s core stood out as something wrong or unnatural, something that needed to be corrected¡ª


    Mana flowed out of me in white loops, glowing across my skin like an aura, and then maneuvered to Emily¡¯s body, into and through her veins, all the way to her core.


    Her ragged breathing softened, and her eyes fluttered open. ¡°Oh!¡± she gasped, flustered. ¡°G-good morning?¡±


    The light of the mana exchange faded.


    Gideon¡¯s pen was scribbling furiously in his notebook but everyone was quiet as they all turned to stare at me, wide-eyed.


    What I had just done, it shouldn''t be possible.

 Chapter 411

    <strong>CECILIA</strong>


    My insides seethed with nausea as the tempus warp returned us to Taegrin Caelum.


    I had failed. Now, I somehow had to face Agrona and exin that failure. The Legacy had been defeated by amon Scythe.


    Draneeve was waiting for us with a number of attendants. The crimson-haired, half-mad mage bowed deeply as I stepped down, arm-in-arm with Nico, off the reception tform. ¡°Wee home, Scythe Nico and Lady Cecilia. The High Sovereign is waiting for you.¡±


    Despite the bone-deep exhaustion that had settled over me, requiring a full day of rest before I could even face the tempus warp, I knew there was no escaping this summons.


    Nico knew as well. ¡°Maybe he can help you understand what happened at Aedelgard?¡± he asked consolingly.


    In my previous life, my handlers and the train of scientists and ki-optimization specialists they paraded through my life hadn¡¯t understood what I was¡ªnot really. Even the name they gave me, ¡°the Legacy,¡± seemed born from myth or legend, a term not of their own invention.


    But Agrona, he understood me. He saw beyond the constraints of his own perception, and by doing so he gained knowledge that was inessible to others. But he shared little of what he saw, and he needed to work around my still-human mind, and so we progressed slowly and only when he decided I was ready for more.


    ¡°I am ready,¡± I said, more in answer to my own thoughts than Nico¡¯s question.


    Draneeve spun away, his unkempt crimson mop of hair sshing along in his wake. The other attendants¡ªImbuers, healers, Sentries, anyone who might have been needed on my return¡ªfell into line behind us wordlessly, like a flock of ducks mindlessly following their leader.


    My eyes were blind to the passing halls of the fortress. Unconsciously, I stared at Draneeve¡¯s crimson and ck uniform, the sight of him tethering me like a leash so that my feet could follow where he led, but my thoughts were in Sehz-r, stuck there as if a part of me hadn¡¯t really left. I wished to understand why the barrier resisted me. No other mana that I had encountered was outside of my control, not even the purified particles within the bodies of other living beings.


    And yet, somehow, Seris had found some way to bind the mana sopletely that it resisted even my influence. Not only that, but even an omnidirectional bombardment on multiple fronts from thousands of powerful mages hadn¡¯t shaken anything loose, either. And then there was the Scythe herself¡­I had already known she was dangerous. All the other Scythes regarded her with a warybination of respect and fear. Now, I understood why.


    At my full strength, I knew that I could have overpowered the mana void technique she used. But I hadn¡¯t been at my full power, and so, had allowed her to overwhelm me and push me back.


    At least I eliminated her retainer, I thought, but it was a small victory, and there was no pride or pleasure in it.


    Draneeve stepped aside at the top of a stair that led down into the lower research levels. Nico was eyeing the stairs apprehensively, like a child afraid of the dark. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but then nced again at Draneeve and all the attendants. No, I could ask when we were alone. I didn¡¯t want to draw attention to Nico¡¯s difort, and remembering the mana core he had been hiding, I put two and two together.


    ¡°The High Sovereign will look for you where the phoenix roosts,¡± Draneeve said, his voice gravelly, his eyes darting and ufortable.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± I asked, confused by the unnecessary dramatization.


    ¡°I know the way,¡± Nico replied quickly. ¡°You are dismissed, Draneeve.¡±


    Nico took my arm again and led me toward the stairs. I nced over my shoulder onest time, frowning at Draneeve and the other attendants, but got no more answers from them.


    ¡°It was a message,¡± Nico said after a moment, his voice very low, almost a whisper. ¡°Agrona knows I met her. He¡­might even know about the core I took.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, then, ¡°Met who?¡±


    ¡°One of his prisoners, an asuran woman. A phoenix. After I was¡­after you healed me.¡±


    The stairs were cramped enough that it was ufortable to walk side by side, and so I slowed, falling into step behind Nico, looking down on him from above. The lower we went, the darker the stairs became, until the ck stone steps were almost indistinguishable from the shadows. ¡°Why would it matter that you¡¯ve met this phoenix? Did something happen?¡± I said after a minute.


    Nico¡¯s steps stuttered, and he started to turn around to look up at me. Whatever he was thinking, though, he quickly smothered it and resumed the slow descent. ¡°No.¡±


    I let out a littleugh, but stopped when the darkness swallowed the sound. ¡°I don¡¯t see the problem, Nico.¡±


    ¡°Just¡­don¡¯t say anything about the core? Even if he knows I took it, don¡¯t admit you know?¡±


    ¡°But I could¡ª¡±


    He stopped his descent fully this time, and I nearly ran into the back of him. ¡°Please?¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± I said, reaching out toy a hand on the top of his head but stopping myself. Such little acts of intimacy still gave me horrible, wrenching nausea that I couldn¡¯t escape. Damned body, I thought, suddenly angry. ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t fear him so much,¡± I snapped, venting that anger on the only target I had. ¡°He isn¡¯t a threat to you. Agrona is the key to our future.¡±


    Nico¡¯s shoulders went stiff and he curled in on himself ever so slightly, and I bit my tongue. Guilt and regret immediately overshadowed my anger. Seris¡¯s words had shaken him, I knew. I could tell the moment she uttered the foul lie¡ªtelling us that Agrona didn¡¯t have the power to send us back to our lives¡ªthat it had taken root in Nico¡¯s mind, and I had watched it grow in him as he watered it with his thoughts and attention.


    But what I saw when he turned to nce at me was a smile, and in his eyes I saw only his trust and love for me. Regardless of what trials we faced, at least I always knew that would be there.


    We started moving again, continuing the slow climb down the winding stairs in silence.


    It wasn¡¯t long before voices began drifting up to us from somewhere below. Nico stopped again, this time holding a hand up to warn me against making any noise. Two voices, those of the Scythes, Viessa and Melzri.


    ¡°¡ªtreating us likemon rabble, it¡¯s absurd,¡± Melzri was saying, her voice echoing slightly in the narrow stairwell, low and angry.


    ¡°We are lucky to be alive, sister,¡± Viessa replied. The words seemed to creep along the ck stone and tickle my ears like some haunting specter. ¡°Take care with your words.¡±


    ¡°Tch, what is Agrona doing, anyway?¡± Melzri hissed. ¡°Sequestering himself away for days at a time, holding back the Wraiths¡ªVritra¡¯s horns, why not send the other basilisks to Sehz-r or Dicathen? His treaty with Epheotus is long since dust, along with the elven forests, and yet he has done nothing.¡±


    ¡°The lives of asura are long,¡± Viessa said, her tone lightly critical. ¡°What, to us, may feel like ages, for the High Sovereign is a blink. Perhaps what looks like inaction is in truth only patience.¡±


    ¡°Then our failure should hardly matter, should it?¡± Melzri shot back.


    Viessa started to respond, but Nico chose that moment to step down loudly as he descended. Both Viessa and Melzri went dead silent, their footsteps faltering.


    When Nicopleted another slow revolution of the stairwell and caught sight of them, he stopped, feigning surprise. ¡°What are you two doing down here?¡±


    ¡°None of your business, little brother,¡± Melzri snapped, ring suspiciously up at us both. ¡°I don¡¯t have to ask why you¡¯re crawling down these steps, of course.¡± Her eyes burrowed like maggots into mine. ¡°Perhaps the Legacy¡¯s failure will sap some of the sting from our own, or at least make us look better byparison. I should thank you for that, Lady Cecilia.¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Nico said firmly, then he began walking again.


    I didn¡¯t have the energy to care about her childish sniping, and I followed Nico wordlessly, eager to get the inevitable confrontation with Agrona where he expresses his disappointment over with. Then we could figure out how to take down Seris¡¯s barrier, together.


    Viessa shrank against the inner wall to allow Nico to pass, but Melzri stood firmly in the center of the stairs.


    ¡°Agrona himself has asked for our presence,¡± Nico said stiffly. ¡°Would you like to be the reason we are detained? It may not be a particrly dark ck mark on your record, but with everything else that¡¯s happened, perhaps it will be the board that broke the wogart¡¯s back.¡±


    Melzri sneered and stepped aside. ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t me you for your urgency. Since Agrona was happy to leave you for dead after your pathetic disy at the Victoriad, I¡¯m sure you feelpelled to prove you¡¯re not entirely worthless.¡±


    My fists clenched, and a fury of mana sprang unbidden into action around us, mming Melzri and Viessa against the curved inner wall of the stairwell.


    Tendrils of ck mana writhed around Viessa, grappling with my own power, trying to extricate her and force me away. I grabbed those tendrils¡ªher power¡ªand wrapped them around Melzri¡¯s throat, squeezing.


    ¡°Stop this,¡± Viessa hissed, her wide eyes staring helplessly at her out-of-control spell.


    Soulfire rippled and jumped across Melzri¡¯s skin as she attempted to burn away my influence, but I suppressed her power, holding it down against her, no more dangerous to me than smoke on the wind.


    ¡°For far too long, you¡¯ve treated him¡ªa Scythe of Central Dominion!¡ªlike a dog you can kick to make yourself feel more powerful,¡± I said, grinding the words out between clenched teeth. ¡°Speak to me or Nico in this way again, and I will pull the core from your chest and drink its mana while the light fades from your eyes.¡±


    I released my hold over the mana, and both their spells faded away. Melzri¡¯s hand went to her throat where the void wind had choked her.


    Not a single word was spoken as we moved down the stairs past them, and Nico was quiet until he must have been certain they were far above us.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that,¡± he said eventually, not stopping or turning to look at me.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked incredulously, letting out a wryugh. ¡°The other Scythes be more irrelevant with each passing day. If anything, you should be more angry. Why aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Nico cleared his throat, then threw a dark scowl back up the stairwell behind us. ¡°Like you said, they are bing irrelevant. Why waste any feelings on them at all?¡±


    After another minute or two, Nico led us through a door of ck stone into arge, rectangr room with a high ceiling. A sudden and unwee series of memories flooded into my thoughts as the sight of the sterile space reminded me of the many simr rooms I had seen in myst life: ces where I was cut open, drugged, and put through inhumane tests.


    Vertigo made my knees tremble, and beyond the sickness of the sensation itself, there was also the deeper underlying shame I felt at being so weak. Only moments ago, I had felt so powerful putting the two Scythes in their ce, and yet here I was, ready to curl into a ball and vomit at the sight of a few tables, tools, and bright lights.


    ¡°Cecil, are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I muttered, blinking rapidly.


    Nico must have understood, because he again put his arm through mine and quickly guided me across the room and into a long hallway. Cells lined both sides, but I had no mind for inspecting them, and Nico seemed to know where we were headed.


    When that hallway ended, he led me left into a second, nearly-identical series of cells, then stopped in front of the first to contain a living upant that I had noticed.


    The woman on the other side of the cell¡¯s shielding barrier was truly beautiful¡ªor had been before her captivity. She looked young but felt very old, with tired eyes the color of fire and a smokey gray tint to her skin. It was the way her rich red hair clumped together in the shape of feathers that I found most interesting and beautiful, though.


    Her power was suppressed, what little she still had shielded behind the barrier, but I could still sense her mana. It burned beneath the surface, like hot coals under a nket of ash.


    ¡°The reincarnate returns,¡± she said, her voice a dim and dying rasp. Those glowing eyes settled on Nico, who shifted ufortably. Then, slowly, as if dragged by force of will, they shifted to me. Several heavy heartbeats passed, then they widened in recognition. ¡°Legacy¡­¡±


    My lips parted, a question forming on my tongue, but Nico spoke first. ¡°She¡¯s an asura, a phoenix. ording to her, they have some understanding of rebirth and reincarnation.¡± He seemed distinctly ufortable, his eyes never alighting on the asura for more than an instant before he looked away.


    Her dry, cracked lips turned up at the corners. ¡°The dragons have their aether arts, the pantheons the art of war. Titans will im to understand life best of all asura, but they only understand creation, just as the basilisks know corruption and decay. Life, and all the many facets that make it up, is the domain of the phoenixes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being uncharitable, Lady Dawn,¡± a deep voice boomed from just behind me, causing me to twirl around in surprise.


    The sight of Agrona never failed to impress upon me a sense of awe. His lithe yet statuesque features maintained an evenness that settled my nerves, as the series of chains and jewels adorning his expansive antler-like horns caught the light and held my attention.


    Beside me, Nico shifted back, away from Agrona, and bowed, his gaze remaining on the floor except for a single nce thrown down the hallway, right of where we¡¯de from. I knew instinctively the cell must be in that direction, the one he¡¯d taken the dragon¡¯s core from. He was wondering if Agrona had been down there, afraid he had been found out.


    ¡°High Sovereign Agrona Vritra,¡± I said, not smiling as I used his full title, something I rarely did. ¡°I¡¯vee to report my failure to retake Sehz-r. The shield proved more robust than I anticipated, and in my weakened state, Seris¡¯s void mana technique¡ª¡±


    He raised a hand, one finger extended, and I went silent immediately. His eyes, like two fathomless pools of rich red wine, drew me in. ¡°It is my fault, Cecil dear, for not seeing the truth of things sooner.¡± Agrona ran his fingers through my hair, smiling fondly down at me. ¡°I sensed Oeth¡¯s signature in the barrier Seris has erected but assumed it was of his design. That may be the case still, but his presence within the magic is much more literal, I now realize.¡±


    I reached for my understanding of this world¡¯s technology, but it was still too limited, and I found only confusion.


    Nico sucked in a startled breath. ¡°You mean¡­but how could such a thing even be possible?¡±


    Agrona grinned at Nico, but it wasn¡¯t exactly a pleasant expression. ¡°Olraeth was a paranoid genius. No doubt he built the shield to protect himself from me, and Seris somehow baited him into a trap. The truth remains, Oeth is certainly the power source behind the shielding mechanism.¡±


    I gasped, understandinging atst. ¡°Like she¡¯s using him as a¡­a battery?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Nico said, one hand running down his face, his eyes losing focus as he looked at something only he could see. ¡°So it wasn¡¯t just about how much mana you could control, or how fine your control is, but also the fact that this mana is being controlled by an asura.¡±


    ¡°Which has brought us here,¡± Agrona finished, taking me by the shoulders and turning me around to face the phoenix, Dawn. ¡°If you wish to counter asuran mana arts, you must first taste asuran mana.¡±


    The phoenix clenched her jaw, a muscle twitching in her cheek. Her glowing eyes bore into me like hot pokers. ¡°Touch me, and I¡¯ll burn through you from the inside out, Legacy or not.¡±


    Agrona chuckled darkly. ¡°Lady Dawn, you are hardly in a position to make threats. If you were as vicious or powerful as you wish Cecilia here to believe, perhaps you would not have spent these many years imprisoned under my fortress.¡±


    The phoenix scowled at Agrona, her chest swelling as if she were about to scream, but all energy seemed to leave her at once, and she sagged against her bindings and released a defeated sigh. ¡°Do what you will, then. Death would be better than rotting here any longer.¡±


    ¡°d we¡¯re on the same page, so to speak,¡± Agrona said, releasing my shoulders and waving away the wall of mana that kept her imprisoned. ¡°Be d that you, in your death, will be more useful than you ever were in your long and wasted life.¡±


    She turned her head away, no longer looking at any of the three of us.


    From the corner of my eye, I caught Nico shifting ufortably from one foot to the other, a guilty expression on his pained face. He seemed to realize it himself at the same time and forced his features into a passive nkness.


    ¡°W-what do you want me to do?¡± I asked, looking up at Agrona.


    ¡°Take her mana,¡± he said firmly. ¡°All of it. Everyst drop.¡±


    I knew what he intended before I asked the question, and somehow the answer still managed to catch me off guard, sending a tremor down my spine and raising gooseflesh along my arms.


    This was different from anything else I¡¯d done. What was it I had thought while kneeling over Nico¡¯s broken body after Grey pierced his core?


    It is too cruel to take away magic once someone has felt the joy of it.


    This wasn¡¯t just taking a life, or even taking away the phoenix¡¯s magic. I would be draining her life force¡ªthe mana that empowered her body and kept her alive¡ªlike an oversized leech¡­


    I stared for a long time at the gaunt but beautiful lines of Dawn¡¯s face, and wondered suddenly how old the asura was. She could have been thirty, or three hundred, or even three thousand years old for all I knew.


    How much life could one live with so much time? And yet here she was, bound and powerless, her long life boiled down to this final moment of misery and hopelessness. It really was cruel, that she had to know it would be her power used against Agrona¡¯s enemies. If his n worked, of course.


    I didn¡¯t let these musings turn too far inward, however. Didn¡¯t examine my own ce in this cruelty. I was only doing what I had to in order to reim my real life. One day, I would wake up on Earth, in my own body with Nico at my side, and my time in this world would seem like nothing more than a dream, just like Seris had said¡­


    Agrona shifted, a subtle movement that loudly expressed his impatience, and I stepped toward the phoenix.


    She did not meet my eye as I began.


    Though her mana was suppressed, particles were still thick within her physical form. While a human¡¯s body needed blood and oxygen, the asura¡¯s also needed mana, and I could see it imbuing every part of her. The hardness of her bones, the strength of her muscles, the durability of her flesh, even the electrical impulses of her mind: it all required mana to operate properly.


    Which meant there was still a rather significant amount of mana infusing her body.


    I reached out to that mana, gingerly at first. This was no simple mana relocation spell like I¡¯d used against Grey; I wasn¡¯t just trying to evacuate all mana in an area, I was specifically trying to withdraw the mana inside her body and bring it into mine. I would need to purify the asuran mana inside my own core in order to adjust to it.


    Her mana answered my call.


    It was slow at first, just a trickle. I could sense how she held back, tried to keep the mana in despite outwardly giving up all hope. It was instinctual, I imagined, like pressing a hand to a bleeding wound after seeing the first sudden rush of crimson.


    Perhaps, if she¡¯d been in better condition, less weakened by her long imprisonment and mana suppression, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to forcibly take the mana. Or maybe it just would have been more difficult. As it was, there was a moment of back and forth as my will struggled against hers, then her control cracked like the breaking of a dam, the trickle quickly became a flood.


    The phoenix¡¯s face fell, all fight gone out of her, and I thought she looked almost serene¡­


    Something in the mana changed suddenly. Images began to y across my mind, thoughts or memories carried along with the mana, a vague impression of the phoenix¡¯s life that leaked into my mind from hers. I saw a flight of massive winged creatures, huge dragonish bodies covered with ember-orange feathers, long graceful necks ending in fierce hooked beaks, bright orange eyes searching the horizon for their enemies, the dragons.


    Then these phoenixes were in their human forms, but they were less of them. Disagreement had burst into shouts, threats, curses, and pleas, which all blended together in the memory. Some wished to stay and fight, others to flee and join the Vritra in the lessers¡¯ realm, more still to beg the Indrath n for forgiveness¡­but when a man with unruly orange hair and bright yellow eyes raised his hand, the many voices went silent all at once.


    Then there were fewer still, far fewer, and they were somewhere else entirely. The background coalesced as the memory focused on it: wild, untamed forests full of mana beasts. A hand on her shoulder, the handsome man with the yellow eyes, a sad smile on his face¡­


    Images shed past, moving more and more quickly, difficult to digest: dark tunnels and endless days ofbor; strange-looking, tattooed people intermingling among the asura; the slow growth of towering trees, their silvery-gray bark shining like steel in the low light of a hidden underground cavern, their autumn-red and orange leaves fluttering like mes; a child, just a boy, running andughing, his mismatched eyes¡ªone burning orange, the other icy blue¡ªfull of joy and wonder.


    A love that wasn¡¯t my own warmed my heart and made my own eyes swim with tears¡­


    The backdrop shifted again, and I was looking out from the phoenix¡¯s cage. The shift from warm to cold was so sudden, I worried I might shatter like ss. Agrona looked back malevolently, a cruel grin like a sh across his face. ¡°Mordain was foolish to expect I¡¯d let his messenger simply walk free after having seen so much of mynd and stronghold. I¡¯ve heard much about you, Lady Dawn of the Asclepius n, and I find myself very much looking forward to testing the bounds of your rumored stoicism.¡±


    The phoenix moaned, and the memory shifted, wobbling in and out of focus as I experienced days, then months, then years of loneliness, boredom, pain, and regret all forced together into a handful of seconds¡­then it was over, the memories were yed out, and my mind settled into my own body again.


    A warm flush was radiating out from my mana veins and core as the asura¡¯s mana filtered into me. The mana itself was pure, as much so as any mana I had ever experienced, but it felt like fire. I wondered idly in an unupied space at the back of my brain if this was some inborn attribute of the phoenix race, but the rest of my mind stayed focused on the task.


    Sweat was building up on my brow, now, both from the warmth and the effort of controlling the mana. Even as it entered my core, it felt like something wild, an animal only half under control, like if I lost focus it would toss me from its back and run free. Or like it will burn me up from the inside, a wildfire just barely contained. Like she said she would¡­


    The thought made me mp down even harder. My teeth clenched until they began to ache, and my core quickly felt swollen and tender. I forgot all about the memories, the threat, banished everything but focusing on maintaining control. But, even as the flow of mana picked up speed, more and more remained inside of the phoenix¡¯s body, a massive reservoir that was difficult to wrap my mind around.


    No. I had suffered worse than this before. Compared to the outbursts of ki that had wreaked havoc on my body, this was nothing.


    ¡°You are starting to feel it, aren¡¯t you?¡± she asked, her voice a breathy whisper barely audible over the pounding of my own pulse in my ears. ¡°Your spirit may carry your potential from one life to the next, Legacy, but you are still wrapped within weak elven skin and bones.¡± Her own skin had lightened into an ashy, sickly gray, and all the fire was gone from her eyes, but her colorless lips still managed to form a wry smirk. ¡°Like the water hen who swallowed the wyvern¡¯s core, you¡¯ll¡­burn away¡­¡±


    Nico was fidgeting stiffly, his hands clenching and unclenching, but Agrona was perfectly still and outwardly calm. If he harbored any concerns that this phoenix could be right, he didn¡¯t show it.


    He would never let that happen, I told myself. And yet¡­the more of her mana I took in, the harder it was to contain it, and the more I ached. Pressure was rapidly building in every part of me, so that I felt like an overfilled balloon about to burst¡­


    A painful quake shook my core, and I let out an involuntary gasp of agony.


    ¡°Cecilia!¡± Nico said intively, reaching toward me.


    Agrona¡¯s hand grabbed Nico¡¯s wrist. ¡°Do not interfere.¡±


    I closed my eyes, pushing away these distractions. Agrona said I needed to ¡°taste¡± her mana, to absorb it all. There was more to it than just that, though, there had to be. Simply taking her mana wasn¡¯t going to help me bypass the shield because¡­


    My eyes snapped open.


    I needed to understand.


    Mana was all just mana, that much I knew. It took on the attributes of fire, water, earth, or air, depending on the environmental stimulus, and could then be further molded into deviant attributes by an appropriately talented mage, but¡ªaside from purity, something determined by the rity of a mage¡¯s core¡ªthe mana utilized by one mage was identical to any other. Likewise, the mana itself I was pulling from the phoenix should not be different, and yet¡­


    The physically superior asuran body required mana to even function, unlike a human body¡ªor elven, I thought somewhat awkwardly¡ªand that meant the core, veins, and channels were probably structured differently, too, if for no other reason than mana had to constantly, and automatically, be circted, in the way my heart kept pumping blood without my focusing on flexing and unflexing the muscle.


    Does that cycling of mana somehow make it stronger or more pure? I wondered, d that my mind had a puzzle to work on, which took away from the strain on my body.


    A thick stream of mana particles¡ªmostly pure, though intermingled with some freshly absorbed atmospheric mana that kept its natural hue¡ªwas running out of the phoenix and being drawn into my mana veins, making us both glow with a bright orange-white light.


    It could be both¡ªbut it could also be more attuned to the asura¡¯s body¡­like blood-types in a human!


    I made this final connection with a sharp breath. ¡°Phoenixes, basilisks, dragons¡­the form of their pure mana has changed over the ages, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    I directed the question to the phoenix, then realized that she was too far gone to answer. Her skin, now more pale blue than gray, had tightened unnaturally over her frame, and beneath it the muscles had atrophied and shrunk. The orange had leached from her eyes, leaving them a dull cloudy color.


    ¡°It is that evolutionary change that has fueled the deviation in our mana arts,¡± Agrona said softly.


    A sudden spike of pain from my core drew my back inward, and I realized I was at the end of my ability to continue drawing on the phoenix. I immediately lessened my grasp over what little mana remained to her, but a strong hand gripped my elbow painfully.


    ¡°No, you must take it all in,¡± Agrona said firmly.


    I met his eye, tried to read whatever alien thoughts or emotions shined back at me and failed, then said, ¡°I-I can¡¯t, my core is¡ª¡±


    Then, I experienced a second moment of realization.


    Dawn¡¯s entire body had been full of mana, and asuras had to circte mana at all times to support their body. Icked the physical attributes that made this possible for them, but I had something else even better.


    With a single thought, mana spilled out of my core. Instead of being released from my body or focused into a spell, I guided it through my mana channels, into every limb, every organ, focusing on strengthening my physical body. Instead of stopping there, as most Strikers would, I guided the mana to keep moving, cycling from one part of my body to the next, and eventually back into my core.


    Soon, my entire body was infused with mana. This, in turn, eased the pressure on my core and allowed me to drag thest particles of mana from the phoenix¡¯s cold, lifeless husk.


    I watched where the phoenix mana and my own intermingled, curling in and around each other like mes. Although her mana had been too warm and alien at first, I realized I had already limated to it, made it mine, and I knew with absolute certainty that, if faced with a phoenix, I would have no more trouble defending against their spells than I would any other mage.


    This thought brought a frown to my face, and I looked at Agrona. Behind him, Nico was watching me carefully, his entire body tense as apressed spring.


    Agrona was grinning, beaming down at me pridefully. ¡°Well done, Cecil.¡±


    ¡°Will it be enough?¡± I asked, thinking about Seris and her damned shield. ¡°I feel it, the phoenix-attribute mana. I¡¯ve already taken it into my body and made it my own. But the shield¡­will this insight be enough against basilisk mana?¡± A tentative thought was worming around in the back of my mind, but I was afraid to give voice to it.


    Nico, apparently, had no suchpulsions. ¡°Is Sovereign Kiros still imprisoned? Cecilia could¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Agrona said firmly, his grin cracking like thin ice. Then, softer, letting a shadow of the smile return, he said, ¡°No, that won¡¯t be necessary. I may have other uses for Kiros. An understanding of asuran mana will be enough.¡±


    Nico held my gaze from behind Agrona, making no other move than a slight ring of his eyes. It was enough tomunicate his thoughts.


    ¡°There is something else,¡± I said, flush with the power rolling through me like a firestorm. ¡°I saw other asuras. In Dicathen¡ªin the Beast des.¡±


    Agrona¡¯s brows rose as he considered the withered corpse of the phoenix. ¡°Interesting. So, Lady Dawn, all these years protecting Mordain, and you give him up as life leaves you. Tragic.¡± To me, he said, ¡°Perhaps, after you have eliminated the mild threat that Seris and her ¡®rebellion¡¯ pose, you can sharpen your ws on a real enemy, Cecil dear.¡±

 Chapter 412

    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    ¡°Where¡¯s your pet cryan?¡± Gideon asked, staring around warily as if Lyra Dreide might jump out of the shadows from any direction. His face was soot-stained, and I couldn¡¯t help but notice that his eyebrows were gone again, and part of his hair had been singed. ¡°Not that I want her to see this, but where can you lock up a retainer and expect her to stay?¡±


    Next to Gideon, Emily gave me a small wave. She was pale-faced and had dark bags under her eyes, but the fact that she was on her feet at all spoke to the return of her strength. It had only been a couple days since the bestowment test, and without Ellie¡¯s regalia, I felt sure it would have taken Emily several more days to recover.


    ¡°I had one of the vaults in the Earthborn Institute fitted out to be a cell,¡± I said,ing to a stop before the two inventors. ¡°Regis and Mica are watching over her while she coaches my sister on the regalia.¡±


    Gideon huffed as he turned around and started to walk quickly away.


    We were standing on the lowest floor of Vildorial, surrounded by freshly constructed stone dwellings, the destruction of the Scythes¡¯ attack on the city already a distant memory¡ªat least physically. I could still see the threat of attack in the furtive nces of the dwarves and elves that bustled about, in the way they avoided small talk and never moved their hands too far from their weapons.


    It was with mixed feelings I saw some of that tension melt away whenever they saw me, my presence bolstering their courage.


    ¡°You should have all three Lances on her, at least,¡± Gideon continued after a moment as he led us into a narrow tunnel that I knew connected to some old mining shafts.


    ¡°The Lances are not mine to order around,¡± I pointed out conversationally. A small dwarven boy waved, a huge, gap-toothed grin on his round face, and I raised a hand in return, then followed Gideon into the dark tunnel. ¡°Bairon stays by Virion¡¯s side at almost all times, and Virion has been busy tending to his flock. With Dicathen shifting back into our control, he¡¯s been able to reach out to more of the elves scattered around the continent.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re trying to figure out how many are left¡­¡± Emily said softly, her voice hoarse with emotion.


    The same despair that clung ragged to her words wed at the back of my throat, and I had to cough to shake it loose. ¡°Fighting broke out in Kalberk, and Varay went to assist. Apparently, some of the soldiers who fled from ckbend made it to Kalberk and warned them what was happening. Instead of surrendering, the highbloods in charge of the city locked it down and dug in.¡±


    ¡°All the more reason to forge ahead with my other project,¡± Gideon insisted, moving quickly despite the dim lighting. ¡°This war isn¡¯t over yet.¡±


    No, it isn¡¯t, I thought, considering what woulde next.


    I had been trying to put myself in Agrona¡¯s ce, using everything I knew about him to gauge his next move. If Kezess fulfilled his end of our agreement, then it was my hope that we¡¯d seen thest of any full-scale battle on Dicathian soil, and it was possible, if perhaps overly hopeful, that Agrona might simply write Dicathen off as more trouble that it was worth and turn his focus to Epheotus.


    One particr element made that course unlikely, however: me.


    I still didn¡¯t understand how Agrona hade by his knowledge of reincarnation, or how he had been able to search across worlds to find the Legacy and the two anchor points he needed to fully manifest her potential in this world¡ªme and Nico. But, regardless of how he had made these discoveries, their implementation hadn¡¯t gone as he nned. I had been reincarnated on the wrong continent, in the wrong body, and he had been forced to look outside his own domain for a vessel. Instead of being an anchor-point entirely under his control, I became his enemy.


    And through the actions of his own daughter, I was given the only power in this world potentially capable of standing up to both Agrona and Kezess.


    I was under no illusion that either one of them would just let that go. Kezess was willing to exchange favors for knowledge in a tenuous alliance, but Agrona¡­


    I knew the lord of the Vritra n couldn¡¯t help but want what I had. The idea of striking a simr bargain with him¡ªa trade of aetheric knowledge for his vow to leave Dicathen alone¡ªhad crossed my mind, but after much consideration, I also knew there was no vow he could make that I could rely on. And even if I decided to take such a risk, I couldn¡¯t consign the entire poption of crya to their fate just because Dicathen had been made safe.


    Regardless of his intentions toward Dicathen, Agrona woulde after me again eventually. I couldn¡¯t just sit around Vildorial waiting for that to happen.


    These and many other thoughts upied my mind as we delved into the old mining tunnels.


    The tunnels grew hot and stuffy, the rock all around us radiating heat, and the air was thick with a sulfuric burning smell. We passed through several exhausted fire salt veins, the shafts themselves abandoned for more fertile ground, until eventually our tunnel opened up into a muchrger cavern. Scaffolding had been constructed up the sheer walls and railings hung from the ceiling high above. Thin veins of fire salts were still visible in some ces, but their low glow was overshadowed by a series of bright lighting artifacts that had been set up in a grid across the floor.


    I was surprised to see six men and women¡ªfour dwarves, an elven man, and a human woman¡ªalready waiting for us. They had been sitting around a worn worktable and chatting idly, but jumped to their feet as a group when they saw us approaching.


    ¡°Master Gideon, sir,¡± one of the dwarves said. He had a frizzy mop of dark hair and a beard down to his waist.


    ¡°Crohlb, I assume you got the package down here without trouble?¡± Gideon asked, moving directly to a stack of metal crates resting on the other side of the table.


    ¡°¡®Course,¡± the dwarf said, grinning. ¡°d to finally see these artifacts put to use.¡±


    Gideon grabbed the first crate, heaved, immediately failed to move it more than an inch or two, and then turned to two of the other dwarves. ¡°You two, drag this over here and open it up for me.¡±


    I watched curiously as the two dwarves together lifted the top crate, moved it to a separate workbench, and then opened the lid. A shimmer of heat haze appeared momentarily above the open crate, apanied by the same sort of dim orange glow that lit up the darker recesses of the cavern ceiling above.


    Gideon pulled on a pair of heavy leather gloves, like those used at a forge, and then reached into the box. Metal scraped against metal, and then Gideon lifted out one of his artifacts. It was a sword with a straight, double-edged de. Curling veins of dim orange swirled and spiraled through the dull gray steel. As I leaned in closer to get a better look, I could feel heating off the weapon. The crossguard was slightly toorge, almost clunky, with a bastard-style hilt that could be wieldedfortably with one or two hands.


    I activated Realmheart, and the cave shifted into a riot of color as the mana particles became visible. Fire-attribute particles clung to the de, dancing up and down its length along the glowing orange lines. A strong source of mana radiated from the hilt as well.


    Gideon held the sword out to me, handle first. The dark leather was warm to the touch, but not hot. Gingerly, I ran a finger along the t of the sword, but pulled back as the scorching heat of the fire salt-infused steel seared my flesh.


    Gideon snorted. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to add a warningbel to the hilt that reads: hey idiot, don¡¯t touch the glowing hot steel.¡±


    I chuckled as I took a step back and swung the de experimentally. It wasn¡¯t the finest craftsmanship I¡¯d ever felt, especially in the bnce department, but as these were only Gideon¡¯s prototypes, I expected the designs to be refined as more weapons were crafted.


    ¡°Infusing the steel worked as we discussed?¡± I asked, spinning the de around and down in a cut that left a heat-haze arc in its wake.


    Emily responded through a half-stifled yawn. ¡°The crucible method was genius. Suffusing the fire salts into the melted iron allowed us to get the mineral itself hot enough to liquify, and increasing the carbon content of the steel by infusing it with high-carbon iron allowed the fire salts to bind to the steel, solving two problems at once.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, the wunderkind did it again,¡± Gideon grumbled, though I could tell he wasn¡¯t actually unhappy.


    At the center of the workbench rested a much smaller shield generator, like the one we¡¯d used during the bestowment testing. Gideon activated it with a pulse of mana, then stepped back and looked at me expectantly. ¡°Go on, touch the de to the shielding. Gently though,¡± he added quickly. ¡°We don¡¯t need freakish Lance strength right now, I just want you to see.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I lowered the de toward the small bubble shield. When the edge contacted the transparent barrier, it hissed and popped, sending off sparks. I raised the edge slightly, breaking the contact, and the noise subsided, though a thin trail of smoke rose up from the sword.


    Without waiting for further instructions, I pushed the de down again, harder this time. Sword and shield surged against each other, the mana inherent to the de¡¯s structure shing with the mana forming the shield. Itsted a second, two, then¡­


    With a sputtering hum, the shield artifact lost power, and the shield itself popped.


    ¡°This is only a very low-power generator, but you see?¡± Gideon said, his eyes bright. ¡°The fire salts, even in this form, continue to attract fire-attribute mana, creating a strong enough force to counter¡ªand with enough strength, even break through¡ªan opposing mage¡¯s shields.¡±


    I held the weapon up to examine it more closely. There was a sort of trigger embedded into the clunky crossguard. ¡°What¡¯s this do?¡±


    Gideon grinned manically. ¡°A weapon hot enough to sear flesh and capable of countering enemy shields without being imbued with mana was a good starting point, but a non-mage, even a talented warrior, would still be at a disadvantage against an augmenter. The mage can empower his body, strengthening his muscles and enhancing his speed and reaction times. This feature may not entirely counter such overt imbnces between an augmenter and non-magical soldier, but it definitely adds to the experience.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure Master Gideon just wanted to fit his original cannon idea into the weapon somehow,¡± Emily said under her breath.


    Gideon scowled and shooed Emily and the six non-mages back. ¡°Go on, trigger it, but only for a moment. It has the strongest effect if done while swinging the weapon.¡±


    Moving back to put even more room between myself and the others, I took a couple more practice swings with the sword, getting used to its heft and bnce. Then, as I made a sharp sideways cut from left to right, I pressed the stiff trigger.


    Mana rushed from the grip into the de, and the sword burst into mes. At the same time, it lurched forward as if propelled from behind. I absorbed the unexpected momentum by twirling the de, releasing the trigger in the act, then bringing it back up in front of me so I could examine the effects.


    The orange veins were glowing more brightly, although the excess mana was being burnt through very quickly. Perhaps twenty percent of the mana stored in the handle had been expended in that single explosion.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Gideon said, practically vibrating as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. ¡°When triggered during a forceful movement, the sudden influx of mana into the fire salts causes a violentbustion effect, which can add to the speed and strength of a strike, as well as creating a fiery explosion.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little unwieldy at the moment,¡± Emily added, ¡°but with the right training, a non-mage soldier should be able to properly time and target pretty devastating strikes with it.¡±


    Her words drew my attention to the six non-mages watching quietly from a safe distance. I nced around therge, empty, shuttered mine. ¡°What are we doing here?¡±


    Gideon pped his hands together. ¡°I¡¯m sick and tired ofb tests, that¡¯s why. It¡¯s time to see these babies in action.¡± He waved towards the rest of the boxes while shouting at non-mages. ¡°All right, test dummies, grab your equipment and get ready.¡± After a moment, he added, ¡°And make sure to stretch! Thest thing I need is my test scuttled because someone pulled a muscle.¡±


    I was staring at Gideon, but he seemed to be purposefully ignoring me. Emily moved to my side, reaching for the sword with a gloved hand. ¡°Sorry, he insisted. You don¡¯t have to, but you really are the best choice. If something goes wrong, you can just heal, after all¡­not that I expect any of these people to evennd a hit on you.¡± She smiled, half-turned, then said, ¡°Although, if you let them get a couple hits in, it would help with the testing.¡±


    ¡°I think you need to spend some time away from Gideon, Em,¡± I grumbled, cracking my neck and rolling my shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound just like him.¡±


    As it turned out, these six non-mages had already been training with the weapons, both to test them for Gideon and to prepare for a livebat exercise. Crohlb and the other dwarves had been involved first, but Gideon had gone out of his way to find both a human and elf volunteer with previousbat experience, to ensure the heat and force of the de wouldn¡¯t be too much for someone with a slighter skeletal structure and less gically tough skin.


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to get ready, armored in heavy leathers designed to protect them¡ªnot from me, but from the weapon each of them wielded. There were two swords, each with a slightly different design, three battle axes, and one long ive. As Gideon exined, they wanted to see how the fire salt-infused steel reacted when forged into different shapes, as well as vary the size of the mana-crystal rods that had been inset into the handle of each weapon.


    Standing in the center of therge cave, surrounded by the leather-wrapped warriors, I brandished a in metal rod pulled from some of the abandoned materials¡ªa much safer ¡°weapon¡± for the experiment than my conjured aetheric de.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go easy on him, you lot. Remember, he¡¯s practically immortal, he can take it! Now, get to it!¡± Gideon¡¯s eyes gleamed hungrily from where he and Emily had barricaded themselves behind a much stronger shield generator. Next to him, Emily was hunkered silently over a notebook and quill, ready to take note of everything that happened.


    I exchanged a respectful bow with my opponents, then settled back into a loose defensive posture.


    The elven man moved first, his ive shing downward and exploding into me the moment Gideon gave themand. But the force of the burst was too powerful for the lithe elf, especially since he couldn¡¯t strengthen his body with mana, and the ive yanked to the side, mming into the ground in front of Crohlb, who had jumped forward to sh with his ax at my legs. The dwarf tripped over the ive¡¯s handle and went sprawling.


    I spun away from the muddle, bringing my piece of iron up to deflect a swing from a sword-wielding dwarf. I made sure to control my movements, working to match the speed and strength of my opponents, otherwise I risked shattering bones or dislocating limbs with my blocks and counterstrikes.


    The fire salt sword bit into the iron rod, then exploded in abustion that singed my face. The sword surged downward, shearing my weapon into two pieces and ncing harmlessly off the aether dding my skin.


    With a short iron bar in each hand, I smacked the sword aside and stepped into a chopping ax, letting it rebound off my unarmored shoulder without trying to block it and instead throwing my forearm into the wielder¡¯s chest, not hard enough to injure, but more than enough to send him sprawling onto his back.


    The human woman jumped over the fallen dwarf and brought her sword down with both hands toward me. I crossed the short bars over my head to catch the de between them, but the woman triggered the fire salt burst, creating an explosion of fire and a burst of momentum that forced the searing-hot steel straight through the remainder of my iron rod.


    Taking a single short step back, I purposefully let the de¡¯s glowing point w across my front. To my surprise, it seared through the thin skin of aether that always d my body, and scored a line across the front of my shirt and into my flesh before mming into the ground at my feet, driving into the solid rock.


    The woman¡¯s eyes went wide, and she started to mumble out what I¡¯m certain was meant to be an apology, but the words never manifested. Gripped tightly in both her hands, the trigger was stillpressed, and mana built rapidly in the de until it vibrated. Before I could warn her to release it, the sword exploded.


    A storm of mes and steel shrapnel engulfed us.


    Lunging forward, I wrapped my arms around the woman as she rocked back, lifting her off her feet and pulling her leather-covered body close against mine. The aether pathways revealed by God Step were humming to me before I even thought to look, and I stepped into them..


    We appeared in a sh of purple lightning while the white-orange mes of the sword¡¯s explosion were still erupting behind us. Hot steel shards pinged into stone all over the chamber, so hot and fast they buried themselves into the hard stone walls, floor, and ceiling.


    The others dove away from the st, covering up as best they could, their heavy leather armor providing good protection against the heat, but very little against razor-sharp shrapnel.


    The woman¡¯s panicked panting as she struggled to rip off her protective helmet forced my attention back on her. She was wing at the helmet with one hand while her other trembled violently in herp. I helped to unbuckle the helmet, and she tossed it aside. Her face was red with exertion and the heat of her armor, but she began rapidly paling as she stared at me in horror.


    Looking down, I realized my torso was peppered with small wounds. As I watched, the line she¡¯d drawn down my chest with the tip of her de and the many smaller punctures healed over, in some cases pushing out small fragments of the sword, which clinked on the ground at my feet.


    ¡°After all our training, ugh,¡± Gideon grumbled,ing out from behind the shield. ¡°Rule number two, don¡¯t hold down the trigger!¡±


    ¡°I-is anyone hurt?¡± Emily asked weakly, staring at a crater in the stone where the woman¡¯s sword had been.


    I nced around the space, but it didn¡¯t seem as if anyone had been badly wounded. I appeared to have absorbed a significant amount of the shrapnel, so that even the human woman only had superficial cuts and scrapes from the shards themselves, although I could tell from the holes burned in her armor that there had been a few near misses as well.


    It went wrong so fast, I thought sourly, listening to the otherbatants calling out to one another to make sure everyone was okay. If I¡¯d have thought more quickly, I could have forced the mana to implode instead of explode, or even stabilized the sword itself to prevent the ident entirely.


    This was a problem I had been dimly aware of in the back of my mind, but was highlighted by this incident. As I gained more abilities such as Realmheart, it became more difficult to fully utilize each inbat. Although I could teleport instantly with the God Step godrune, my reaction times and even my perception were still limited by my own training and physical attributes.


    A hiss of pain drew me back to the human woman, who was shaking as she tried to pull off her heavy gloves. Gently, I took hold of the fingers and eased the gloves off her. Underneath, her hand was already turning purple.


    ¡°Broken,¡± I said softly. ¡°But not irreparably so. We have emitters in Vildorial who can heal this painlessly.¡±


    ¡°Emily!¡± Gideon shouted as he walked up. He chewed on his bottom lip as he stared down at the wound and waited as Emily hurried over, one hand holding her notebook and pen, the other adjusting her sses as they bounced up and down. ¡°Get Shandrae here to a healer, would you? I suppose I should¡¯ve had an emitter on standby, just in case, but then, I didn¡¯t expect one of you to immediately forget the rules and¡­¡± Gideon trailed off as Emily, Shandrae, and I all gave him meaningful looks. ¡°Bah, give me that,¡± he said, plucking the notebook out of her grasp. ¡°The rest of you, back to your ces. We go again.¡±


    Emily wrapped her arm around Shandrae and helped her up. The woman¡¯s face had finally settled on green, and she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off her shattered hand and wrist.


    ¡°And for the love of life itself, don¡¯t hold down the damned trigger,¡± Gideon snapped, watching Emily and Shandrae stumble from the cavern.


    ***


    The experimentation with the fire salt weaponssted only an hour longer, during which time there were no more idents. After wrapping up, providing my feedback to Gideon, and wishing the rest well, I hurried back into the city to check on my sister.


    Leaving her with an enemy retainer, even on the other side of a mana-repressing cell door watched over by a Lance and my ownpanion, had been ufortable. When I returned, however, it was to the sound of Ellie howling withughter, the noise of it carrying far down the halls of the Earthborn Institute.


    When I rounded the corner that brought Lyra¡¯s cell into sight, I found Ellie sitting cross-legged on a mat in front of the cell, curled over in breathless glee, while Regis pranced around on his hind two legs, iling as if he were in terrible pain. Mica was gasping for breath, one balled fist pounding on the wall and she, too, seemed entirely overtaken by hrity.


    ¡°No Regis, it¡¯s the only way,¡± he was rumbling in a cartoonishly affected baritone. ¡°I just have to boil myself inva, I can¡¯t possibly do this without¡ª¡± He caught sight of me and stopped suddenly, then slowly sank down on all fours. ¡°Oh, hey there, boss¡­¡±


    Ellie¡¯s eyes opened, and she pointed at me andughed so hard that snot spurted from her nose. Mica gave a wild snort, and then the two onlyughed harder.


    Once I was close enough to meet Lyra¡¯s eye through the bars, I sent her a serious frown. ¡°Are you messing with their brains or something with your sound-attribute spells?¡±


    Lyra, who was leaning against the inside wall with her arms crossed, shrugged. ¡°No, your summons has proved ample distraction without me doing anything. I was happy exploring the depths of your sister¡¯s new regalia, but I won¡¯t pretend not to have enjoyed his stories about your time in the Relictombs. You really have seen and done some strange things, Regent Leywin.¡±


    Mica was struggling to stand up straight and suppress her fit of giggles. Her jaw was clenched tight, but both her lips and a muscle in her cheek were twitching constantly. She threw me azy salute and said, ¡°Wee back, General Masochist. The cryan has been surprisingly well-behaved.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mica,¡± I said with a bone-deep sigh. To Ellie, I asked, ¡°Did you aplish anything?¡±


    Wiping tears from her eyes, she grinned up at me. ¡°I¡¯m figuring things out, I think. It¡¯s hard¡ªnot hard, weird. Like¡­relearning how to use magic from the beginning. But there is all this power there, ready to respond. Lyra thinks I¡¯ll need to grow into the regalia.¡±


    Lyra moved to the front of the cell, standing just inside the runed bars. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely certain ¡®regalia¡¯ is even the correct term. This ability of yours to impact the bestowment, it is¡­¡± She trailed off with a shake of her head, her lips curling up wryly. ¡°The High Sovereign would pull off his own horns to be able to do what you can, I¡¯m certain of it. The rune she received is powerful, beyond what I¡¯ve seen received even by other retainers or the Scythes themselves. To be honest, it is too much for her.


    ¡°The purpose of mastering a lower rune before gaining a crest, emblem, or regalia is to build a mage¡¯s strength and magical talent. Most mages never receive an emblem, much less a regalia. Your sister, well, I¡¯m not sure she¡¯ll ever be able to make use of this regalia properly. It will require a significant strengthening and rification of her core to fully control.


    ¡°Beyond that, as I have attempted to make clear to her, it is also quite dangerous. If she pushes too hard, the rune could empty her core and leave her crippled.¡±


    I didn¡¯t respond immediately, instead taking the time to digest Lyra¡¯s words as I looked down at my sister. Her ash-brown hair¡ªthe same color as our father¡¯s, I remembered¡ªwas slightly disheveled. As the retainer had talked, the mirthful expression had slowly slid off Ellie¡¯s face, reced by a small but determined frown, making her look more like our mother.


    I couldn¡¯t help but be of two minds, both about Ellie and the bestowals in general. Being able to instantly rify a mage¡¯s¡ªpotentially any mage¡¯s¡ªcore while simultaneously granting them ess to a powerful spell could change how Dicathen viewed magic. We could potentially churn out elite mages at a pace previously unheard of. But, to get the best results from this process, I needed to spend a significant amount of time with each mage.


    And I¡¯m only one person, I rationalized, knowing this drastically limited the tool¡¯s overall usefulness, at least right now. Also, I¡¯d spent enough time in crya to see how the presence of these spellforms couldpletely overtake our magical culture. There were benefits, certainly, but the potential dangers were so varied and widespread that it was difficult to see the whole picture.


    A deep-set guilt was also already seeping into me for allowing Ellie to get involved. I¡¯d given her this power, knowing it could be dangerous, but having such clear confirmation that she could easily harm herself with the spellform reminded me that I was responsible for anything that might happen to her.


    I looked deep into Ellie¡¯s almond-shaped brown eyes. Beyond the slight frown that turned down her lips, it was her eyes that revealed the depth of her maturity¡ªa depth that felt too deep for her age.


    I was aware that, during my absence, she had stepped up for our mother, for Dicathen, at a level I wish she didn¡¯t have to. Yet, I still thought of her as a child. And because of that, I hadn¡¯t allowed myself to trust her, especially not with this newfound power. She was reckless, true, and had proven herself irresponsible on more than one asion, but she was also perceptive, courageous, and self-sacrificing.


    She¡¯d been through far too much to still be considered a child¡­but she was still much too young to carry the burden of being an adult. But I knew at that moment that I¡­we had no choice. She no longer saw herself as a child, and I needed to stop treating her like one.


    Rather than constantly opposing her desires as I tried to force her into a role I wasfortable with, I needed to step back and allow her to grow in the direction she found most rewarding andfortable.


    She needed guidance instead of opposition.


    I held back a sigh and forced a smile on my face, then reached out a hand to pull my sister to her feet. She took it, hopping up energetically.


    ¡°Come on, El. Walk with me for a bit.¡±

 Chapter 413

    Our steps, both light, whispered off the carved stone of the tunnel walls. The low rumble of an earthen grinding was vibrating down through the Earthborn Institute from somewhere in the distance, and everything smelled of dust and stone and damp. I ran my fingers along the sandpaper texture of the stone as we walked, thinking.


    ¡°I kind of miss the open sky, don¡¯t you?¡± I asked Ellie.


    ¡°Do I ever,¡± she replied wistfully. ¡°It feels like I¡¯vepletely lost track of time and normalcy while hidden underground. Still, it¡¯s better here than the sanctuary. At least we¡¯ve got more than mushrooms and cave rats to eat.¡±


    I didn¡¯t apologize out loud¡ªI¡¯d already said those words to her and didn¡¯t want to cheapen them further¡ªbut I did in my heart. The guilt of knowing I could have returned sooner and didn¡¯t still lingered.


    Boo was shuffling along in our wake, his thick fur asionally scratching against the walls, and his ws scraping the floor, making a lot more noise than either Ellie or me. He huffed at the mention of cave rats, nudging Ellie from behind. Sheughed, pulled what remained of a piece of salted meat from her bag, and tossed it over her shoulder to him. The bear snapped it out of the air in a single bite.


    ¡®Bring me back some snacks, too,¡¯ Regis thought to me, obviously keeping tabs on my thoughts despite the distance between us. Much to his annoyance, I had left him to maintain his vigil, standing guard over our retainer prisoner.


    ¡°How were things here while I was gone?¡±


    Her narrow shoulders bobbed up and down. ¡°Weird. Most people don¡¯t know how to feel yet. Excited, hopeful, uncertain, terrified¡­they¡¯re¡ªI don¡¯t know¡ªtougher? Now, I mean. In the early days of the sanctuary, it was just fear. Everyone was waiting to die, every single day. Y¡¯know? And I see a lot more smiles, especially from Mom when you¡¯re around. Although, for the elves, it¡¯s worse. Their hope isplicated.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s starting to sink in for them,¡± I said, mulling over her words. ¡°That, even when Dicathen is retaken, they¡¯ll never be able to go home again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ellie muttered, her eyes on the floor. ¡°Especially the kids. My friend, Camellia, it¡¯s like she¡¯s not even a kid at all. I don¡¯t know if that makes sense.¡±


    I stared at my little sister, not yet even sixteen, andpletely oblivious to the irony of her statement. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different,¡± she said, blushing slightly. ¡°Besides, the way you treat me, it sure makes me feel like I¡¯m still a child¡­¡±


    I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her against my side in a walking hug. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what overprotective big brothers are for?¡±


    She huffed, but didn¡¯t pull away. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve said this, but it¡¯s really kind of you to spend so much time helping the elves.¡±


    She bit her lip, hesitant, then words spilled out of her in a rush. ¡°But I¡¯m not¡ªnot really. What good is that when I can¡¯t do anything to make it better?¡±


    I waited to reply as a pair of robed dwarves went by. ¡°It may be yourpassion that helps the few elves remaining stay hopeful enough to rebuild. You never know how even a small kindness will stick with a person, what it might mean to them. Besides,¡± I added as an afterthought, ¡°you have your new regalia. Maybe it¡¯ll let you help further, when you¡¯ve learned how to use it.¡±


    ¡°But how am I going to master it if you won¡¯t even let me use it,¡± she pouted, sounding like the fifteen-year-old girl she was.


    ¡°I never said that¡ª¡±


    ¡°What if I only do it under careful supervision?¡± she rushed on, speaking over me. ¡°Lyra promised to teach me as much as you¡¯ll allow, and Emily and Gideon want to study me thoroughly, and I bet Mom would even watch over the sessions, and if she can heal me from an asuran spear, she can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ellie,¡± I said, trying to derail the out-of-control train of her thoughts. ¡°Eleanor!¡±


    She stuttered to a stop, looking slightly chagrined.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to keep you from using your regalia,¡± I said. The tunnel walls fell away as we exited the Earthborn Institute,ing out into the open courtyard. ¡°But I think it¡¯s best if you only use it when I¡¯m there.¡±


    She opened her mouth, rolled her tongue against her teeth, then took a deep breath. Finally, after she¡¯d collected her thoughts, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, big brother, but you¡¯re not exactly around a lot. How am I supposed to progress when you run off to save the world again?¡±


    I slipped my arm off her shoulder and pulled her half into a headlock. ¡°That¡¯s why you areing with me.¡±


    Struggling, she slipped free of my grasp, mussing up her hair in the effort, and stared at me. ¡°Don¡¯t be mean, Arthur. You¡¯re joking¡­right?¡±


    I shook my head, but felt my smile cken and grow somber. ¡°When I was your age, I was training in Epheotus with literal deities. Even in myst life, I was training to be king by now. You¡¯ve been given a tremendous power, but you¡¯ll never be able to wield it properly if you don¡¯t test yourself.¡±


    Laughing, she twirled around, then jumped into Boo, burying her face in his thick fur.


    ¡°Besides, I can¡¯t trust you enough to let you out of my sight,¡± I muttered as I turned to keep walking.


    She bounced up beside me and punched me in the arm, then quickly slid her arm around mine and held on. ¡°So, since we¡¯re on the subject of how mature and ready I am for danger and stuff, don¡¯t you also think I¡¯m old enough to start dating?¡±


    Stopping mid-step, I raised a brow in suspicion. ¡°Huh? Where is thising from?¡±


    ¡°Just wondering,¡± just said with an innocent smile.


    I peered down into her brown eyes as if I were considering her proposal. ¡°Sure. But my rule hasn¡¯t changed. You can start dating¡­when your ¡®date¡¯ can beat me in a fight.¡±


    Boo snorted and nodded his agreement, while Ellie pouted, leaning her head against my arm. ¡°Not fair¡­¡±


    Once we were outside of the Earthborn Institute gates, I stopped and looked around. Aether rushed to imbue the Realmheart godrune, and the world lit up with the visible manifestation of mana. As my body flushed with the warmth of that power, I focused on the sixth sense for mana the ability provided, searching throughout the massive cavern of Vildorial for a specific mana signature.


    Two stood out amongst the entire poption of the city. One was still behind me, lingering somewhere in the Earthborn Institute, but the other was above, in the dwarven capital¡¯s pce. Without exining further, I led Ellie and Boo up the winding highway, letting Realmheart fade.


    The pce guards bowed and opened the doors as I approached. Inside the entry hall, a few members of the dwarven lords¡¯ houses lingered in conversation or leisure. They watched curiously, more than a few gazes focused on my sister as we passed through the massive hall, heading for one of the mana passages that would lead deeper into the pce.


    Unlike a more terrestrial castle or fortress, such as the Royal Pce of Etistin, much of the dwarven pce was buried within the cavern walls, with tunnels and hallways interconnecting hundreds of individual chambers designed for a wide array of purposes, some of which seemed very alien to me as a human.


    Each set of kings and queens had expanded the pce even farther, constantly seeking to outdo their predecessors with the splendor of their additions, leading to ces like the meeting room for the Council of Lords, carved from the heart of an enormous geode. One of the older such additions had been constructed during a time of extraordinary closeness between the elves and dwarves, before the most recent war between Sapin and Elenoir, which saw Darv retreat back into its desert in order to avoid being pulled into the conflict.


    The chamber in question was higher than most of the others, and so Ellie and I, with Boo trailing along behind, found ourselves climbing up a long, switchback stairs. By the time we reached the top Ellie was glistening with a thin sheen of perspiration, her breathingbored despite her efforts to hide it. Boo was grunting mutinously with each step.


    ¡°Have you been up here yet?¡± I asked with a smirk.


    She shook her head, apparently having no breath for words.


    The stairs opened into a sort of alcove, a small cave that itself was hidden behind a fold of rock. It wasn¡¯t until we exited the cave and moved around the jutting stone that we could see the full chamber.


    I had to shield my eyes against the bright light, a sharp change from the dimly lit stairs. Slowly, as my eyes adjusted, I was able to take it in properly.


    Ellie and I stood at the edge of arge grotto, and for a moment it was easy to forget we were underground. The entire chamber was lit bright as day by floating lights, white as sunlight or the stars at night. On the ground, thick moss grew like grass, softening and hiding the stone, and abination of moss and creeping vines turned the walls emerald as well. If you didn¡¯t look right at them, it almost felt like you were surrounded by a dense forest.


    About thirty feet up the walls, the green gave way to ck, as the entire domed roof was carved of obsidian, which caught the light and reflected it in every direction, twinkling and shining like the night sky.


    A singlerge tree dominated the center of the chamber. Its boughs spread out for dozens of feet in every direction, covered with broad, bright green leaves and little pink fruits. Supported within its massive boughs was a small structure, which looked as if it had grown into the tree itself, or perhaps out of it.


    ¡°The Elshire Grove,¡± I announced quietly.


    Beside me, Ellie¡¯s mouth fell open in wonder. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful¡­¡±


    It was another voice who spoke next,ing from inside the structure. ¡°A gift from the ancient elven king, Dallion Peacemaker.¡± Virion stepped out into the false sunlight, then leaned on the rail of a balcony that ran around the outside of the dwelling and smiled down at us both. ¡°To the dwarven king, Olfred Ironhands, as a symbol of their friendship. The Council of Lords has been kind enough to gift it back to the elves for the duration of our stay here.¡±


    Bairon came out behind Virion and leaned against the door jam. ¡°This tree very likely represents thest remnant of the Elshire forest. It is only right that it belongs to the elves, and it should go with you when you eventually leave Vildorial.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Virion said, with the air of someone avoiding a repeated argument. ¡°While it may only take one acorn to nt a forest, Elenoir is a graveyard, and the soil there may never bear life again.¡± He pulled his attention back to me and Ellie. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s notrge enough for all of the elves to stay here, of course, but I have made sure to invite every elf here at least once, so they may experience this small memory of home. Anyway, we¡¯lle down to you. I¡¯m sure you have something important to discuss, Arthur, if you went to all the trouble toe up here.¡±


    As Virion and Bairon climbed down a steep series of steps that wound around the trunk of the tree, I led Ellie to a t patch of moss near a small brook bubbling away near the edge of the cavern. We each lounged back in the thick, soft moss, which released an earthy, slightly sweet smell as we disturbed it. Boo went to investigate the creek, no doubt hoping to catch a fish or two.


    Virion and Bairon joined us only a momentter, the former sitting cross-legged next to us. Bairon stayed standing.


    ¡°Any word from Varay on the situation in Kalberk?¡± Bairon asked.


    ¡°Not yet, but if the cryans there are as dug in as our early reports suggested, it could take some time.¡±


    ¡°You could have gone yourself,¡± he suggested, his tone and intentions unclear. ¡°It was good you didn¡¯t,¡± he added after a moment, giving me a firm nod. ¡°We¡¯ve been underground for too long¡ªliterally in my case¡ªand the Lances need to be seen, their presence felt.¡±


    Virion snorted with amusement, turning to look up Bairon. ¡°An ironic sentiment, since I tried to send you and you refused to go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­needed here, at your side,¡± Bairon replied hesitantly, looking down and away. ¡°Varay is the better choice to revive the name of Lance in the hearts of the people.¡±


    I felt hope dwindle as I listened to the exchange, feeling I already knew the answer to the question I¡¯de here to ask, but I forged on. ¡°Well, I¡¯m d to hear you say that, Virion, because it rtes to why I¡¯m here.¡±


    Virion returned his gaze to me, the wry smile smoothing out into an impassive, curious expression, while behind him Bairon¡¯s features hardened.


    ¡°The continent isrgely back in our hands,¡± I started, considering my words carefully, ¡°and I¡¯ve extracted a vow from Kezess Indrath himself to help protect Dicathen from further reprisal from Agrona, who is busy minding his own continent at the moment anyway. But that won¡¯t be enough, not in the long run. It¡¯s time I return to the task that kept me away for so long¡­¡±


    Virion leaned forward, resting his chin in his hands. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been expecting this. I¡­am d. If it means a chance to bring Tessia back¡­¡± Virion cleared his throat then went quiet.


    ¡°If I¡¯m able to gain insight into the aspect of Fate¡­well, I¡¯ve already told you everything, but I have hope.¡±


    Virion smiled softly, highlighting the wrinkles etched deep into the skin of his face. ¡°Hope is enough, for now. It has to be, because it is all we have.¡± He refocused on me. ¡°Is this a courtesy to inform me you¡¯re leaving, or was there something else?¡±


    I sat up, mirroring Virion¡¯s cross-legged position. ¡°I don¡¯t n on returning to the Relictombs alone.¡± I nced meaningfully at Ellie, who had remained quiet throughout the conversation, then looked over Virion¡¯s shoulder at Bairon. ¡°I¡¯d like a Lance toe with me as well.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Bairon said instantly, his head shaking. ¡°Sorry, Arthur, but Virion needs me here.¡±


    Virion patted the ground next to him without looking back at Bairon, who hesitated but eventually gave in and sank down into the soft moss with us.


    Sitting stiffly and looking incredibly ufortable, he continued. ¡°There are thousands of elven families to reach out to. We¡¯ve started a census, with the goal to reunite as many families as possible. We still don¡¯t even really know how many refugees were able to escape Elenoir after the cryan invasion.¡±


    ¡°A noble undertaking,¡± I acknowledged, ¡°but hardly a job necessary for a Lance.¡±


    Bairon breathed out hard, started to stand, nced at Virion, and forced himself to be still. ¡°I¡­wasn¡¯t always kind to others, before. You¡­¡± He paused, his eyes darting everywhere but me or Ellie. ¡°You know what I was like. You were on the receiving end of it yourself, more than once. And yet, after you vanished, when I thought I would never recover from the¡­from my wounds, Virion and his people cared for me in a way I don¡¯t think anyone had before. They helped me rebuild my strength, and convinced me I had a purpose. This is my purpose, Arthur.¡±


    Bairon¡¯s jaw worked silently, and finally, his gaze met mine. ¡°Don¡¯t think I do not yearn to test myself. I can feel the potential within me, stretching out into the distance like an open road. The mana from that horn has brought me far, but there is so much more for me to learn and aplish.¡± He set his hand on Virion¡¯s forearm. ¡°After.¡±


    There was nothing I could say to counter Bairon¡¯s argument. My original interpretation of the situation¡ªthat there was little need for a Lance to be involved in such a mundane procedure as a census¡ªwas short-sighted and even, perhaps, a little selfish. If Ellie was going toe with me, I needed assistance to make sure she was safe. But I couldn¡¯t ask Bairon to leave behind this work, especially if it meant so much to him.


    ¡°I understand,¡± I said after taking a moment to process these thoughts. ¡°And I appreciate what you¡¯re doing. Elenoir was my home too, after all, even if only for a few years.¡±


    Bairon¡¯s brows rose at that, and he chuckled. ¡°I¡¯d nearly forgotten. It''s difficult to think of you as a child.¡±


    I rose to my feet, giving Virion and Bairon a tight smile. ¡°To be fair, I never really was.¡±


    We said our farewells, Ellie and I wished the pair luck, and we began the long descent back down the stairs, hurrying out of the dwarven pce before the Earthborns or Silvershales could try to drag me into some courtly drama, then made our slow way down the spiraling highway.


    Ellie was the first to break the silence. ¡°So, you¡¯re really taking me to the ce you talked about, the magical dungeon with a whole different world in each room?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± I answered, bemused.


    ¡°Wait, then why didn¡¯t you ask Mica earlier, since she was right there?¡±


    I grimaced and shot my sister a warning look. ¡°Honestly, I thought Bairon would be the more¡­stablepanion for this ascent. The Relictombs can be strange, as can Mica, and the two together¡­but I expect that to stay between us, got it?¡±


    ¡®Ooh, I¡¯m telling,¡¯ Regis piped in from afar, his boredom palpable.


    Ellie hid her smile behind her hand, stifling augh. ¡°She is really eager to get out of the city, though. She mentioned it, like, twenty times while I was training with Lyra earlier.¡± The smile faded, and my sister sobered considerably. ¡°I think the death of the other Lance¡ªAya?¡ªhit her pretty hard¡­¡±


    shing in and out of Realmheart again, I located Mica¡¯s mana signature, still within the depths of the Earthborn Institute. ¡°Let¡¯s go see if she¡¯ll join us then, shall we?¡±


    ***


    ¡°So¡­we¡¯re just going to do this right here, in¡­¡± Lyra paused and looked around the small room with a single bed pressed against the wall. ¡°Is this your bedroom?¡±


    The space was rtively cramped with Lyra, Ellie, Mica, and me all standing awkwardly around the smooth, silver half-sphere of the portal-generating portion of the Compass, which was already projecting an opaque, oil-slick oval into the air above it. Boo had shoved his head and shoulders into the room, and my mother was craning her neck to watch from outside.


    ¡°The Compass needs to remain somewhere safe while we ascend through the Relictombs,¡± I answered. ¡°Here, we¡¯ll have an emitter close at hand if anyone gets injured and we need to return.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t go anywhere,¡± Mom said gravely, standing on her tippy toes to better be seen. Worry lines wrinkled her face, and she pinned me with a sharp look that was both promise and threat: if anything happened to Ellie, there would be hell to pay, but she would be ready. Despite her obligatory parental apprehension, we had approved of the mission, acknowledging her role in arguing for Ellie to be our test subject for the spellforms.


    Mica was bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet. ¡°Come on already, are we going to do this or what?¡±


    Come out as soon as we¡¯re on the other side, I thought to Regis. I want you focused entirely on¡ª


    ¡®Protecting little sis, yeah, I know. I¡¯ve got this.¡¯


    I took a deep breath and met the other¡¯s eyes in turn.


    Mica had eschewed the Lance¡¯s military uniform for a set of heavy dwarven-style armor. Each piece of matte, blocky steel was engraved with runes, and there was a shimmer of visible mana projected just a fraction of an inch across her entire body. A circlet of smooth stone covered her forehead, extending down the bridge of her nose like a helm. Subtle runes were etched into the surface. Below it, her eyes, one bright and alive, one a dark gemstone, narrowed in determination.


    Ellie stood beside her, a new bow in her left hand, the knuckles white around the grip. It was a simple, graceful recurve bow made from t ck metal, a dwarven design altered to meshfortably with Ellie¡¯s pure-mana style of fighting. A gift from Emily, to rece the bow she¡¯d designed for Ellie so long ago.


    She wore leather and chain to keep herself mobile while still offering some protection. Like Mica¡¯s, her armor was heavily enchanted with protective runes, but I would be relying on Boo, Regis, and myself to keep her safe.


    She steeled herself, giving me an almost imperceptible nod.


    On Ellie¡¯s other side, Lyra Dreide was draped in bright white armored battlerobes. She¡¯d requested something other than the ash gray and crimson uniform of her previous station, and she looked somehow less threatening in this new attire.


    ¡°Mica, you go first. Lyra will follow right behind you, then me. Ellie, you¡¯re bringing up the rear with Boo.¡± When everyone had acknowledged their understanding, I focused on Mica. ¡°Watch out for the geysers, the water is acidic and full of¡­well, you¡¯ll see.¡±


    Mica cracked her neck and conjured a huge earthen warhammer, then plunged into the portal. Lyra cocked an eyebrow at Mica¡¯s back, but followed immediately after, no obvious weapon drawn.


    Reaching out, I mimed a soft punch on Ellie¡¯s bicep, like she¡¯d done to me earlier. ¡°Deep breaths.¡± Before she could reply, I stepped into the oily surface of the portal.


    And manifested at the edge of a slimy green pool, one of hundreds¡ªperhaps thousands¡ªthat made up the floor of the zone. Ten feet to my right, a geyser was mid-explosion, sending acidic sludge spraying for dozens of feet in every direction. But Mica and Lyra had already jumped into action, one conjuring a heavy shield of dirt and stone to catch the spray, the other hitting the jet of water with vibrations that interrupted the liquid¡¯s momentum, causing most of the acid to ssh harmlessly back into the pools it had originated from.


    Regis materialized next to me just as Ellie stumbled from the ascension portal, and he interposed himself between her and a second geyser that burst up behind us an instantter. Then Boo was there, pressed against her other side, his bulk barely fitting on the narrow shelf of solidnd the portal appeared above.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to move as a group, with one acting as pathfinder through the muck while at least two watch the pools,¡± Lyramanded, her sharp eyes darting across the alienndscape. ¡°Regent Leywin, is there any safe ce within¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, can it,¡± Mica snapped, already lowering her guard as she followed Lyra¡¯s gaze around the zone, her lip curling up in disdain. ¡°Even the bear outranks your prodigious station of prisoner.¡±


    ¡°Wow, it really stinks here,¡± Ellie muttered from between the living walls on either side of her. ¡°It¡¯s definitely not what I was expect¡ª¡±


    The pool right in front of us began to bubble, and a monstrous beast the size of a horse lunged into the air, the diffused light reflecting off its slimy skin. A giant slug, cker than tar and covered in dozens of toothy, snapping maws, arced into the air toward us.


    While Mica was still adjusting her grip on the oversized hammer and Lyra¡¯s lips were forming a whispered curse, I stepped forward. An aether de shimmered to life in my fist, moving in a smooth arc that bisected the beast, cleaving it in two and sending the disparate parts flying to either side of the others.


    Mica¡¯s hammer fell on one writhing half, smashing it to a pulp, while a silent but visible vibration emanated from Lyra, distorting the air around the other half until it suddenly burst apart into green and ck slime. Behind them, Ellie held an arrow against the string of her bow, her mouth open in surprise, eyes wide.


    ¡°Wee to the Relictombs,¡± I said somberly.


    visual: https://tinyurl/Tbate413


    A/N: Just trying something out. Not sure I¡¯ll be doing this for every chapter but I wanted some visualizations for you in at least the Patreon version

 Chapter 414

    <strong>NICO SEVER</strong>


    My fingers drummed across the surface of the charwood staff, the beat creating no discernible rhythm but acting as an outlet for the chaotic energy dancing nervously within me. Though I¡¯d tried to embrace the cold, emotionless state again to help me progress without distraction in my work, the vision of Lady Dawn¡¯s shriveled and desated body still haunted me, appearing every time I closed my eyes.


    It was also impossible to keep up any coherent train of thought with the constant wasp-hum droning of Draneeve in the background, and yet I couldn¡¯t bring myself to shut him up. There was something equallyforting about the noise that I had gotten used to over the years of his servitude.


    ¡°When I saw you, I think I about died right then and there, horrified into a heart attack,¡± he said, chuckling. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor like a child, rolling a wooden ball around in circles, while I was standing at my workbench and staring down nkly at a collection of artifact parts. ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡ªnever thought¡ª¡¯cause when I first went to Dicathen, you were safe in the dwarf-home, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    He paused, taking a rattling breath, the noise of the rolling ball stopping for just a second, then going on again. ¡°Well, that¡¯s what done me in, wasn¡¯t it? Bad luck, that was all. Cursed bad luck.¡±


    Without looking back at him, I said, ¡°I think disobeying orders and nearly destroying Agrona¡¯s ns had something to do with it.¡±


    Draneeve let out a simpering noise that was partugh, part the whine of a kicked dog. ¡°A cautionary tale, isn¡¯t it? Maybe my ill luck will save some wee little mage a whole catastrophic heap of consequences one day.¡±


    Hearing a strange note in his voice, I turned from my work to look at Draneeve. He had taken off his mask and set it aside. Beneath it, his features were unremarkable. When I¡¯d first been brought home and returned to myself, I had found thisck of interesting scars or gruesome disfigurement both strange and a little disappointing. Even now, despite his constant talking and retelling of the same old stories, he¡¯d never exined why he wore the mask. When asked, he would simply pretend as if he hadn¡¯t heard and change the subject.


    Now there was a faraway look in his eyes, and a lopsided grin on his unassuming face. ¡°They¡¯ll call it ¡®The Dreary Bad of Draneeve, the Would-be Retainer.¡¯ A fable about how ambition, when not tempered with patience and good sense, leads even the greatest of heroes to ruin!¡±


    Feeling my brows rising up my face, I licked my lips to speak, caught myself, and suppressed a sigh. Silently acknowledging that any interruption now would only prolong what was toe, I returned my attention to the unfinished artifacts on my workspace and tried to focus, letting Draneeve¡¯s words roll past me like wind against the window panes.


    ¡°Our intrepid hero, Draneeve, sought to prove himself in the eyes of the High Sovereign, and so gleefully epted the most dangerous of tasks. He took an unstable portal to a new and distantnd full of strange magic and monsters, where he began the careful process of forging contacts and testing the locals, discovering who among them would be amenable to the High Sovereign¡¯s will.¡±


    Imbuing my regalia, I searched yet again through the now-glowing parts arrayed across my workbench, asionally shifting them around to see how the different pieces attuned with one another. When I had the pieces I wanted, I moved them closer to an iplete pair of cylindrical devices, each not muchrger than a charcoal pencil. The result was unsatisfying, so I redistributed the individual parts and began again.


    ¡°The races of Dicathen were divided, and Draneeve found what he was looking for in the depths of the dwarven kingdom. The desert sands were fertile nting ground for promises of a better future, and Draneeve worked himself up from lords to the king and queen themselves, until they agreed to support us.¡±


    I stopped, distracted. This was when my earlier childhood memories were locked away and the persona of Elijah imnted into my mind. Thinking about it now, with both sets of memories unlocked, caused a dizzy rocking sensation to run up my legs and into my core, like I was standing on the deck of a small boat bobbing in the sea. So much of the damage Agrona had done to my mind still lingered, like scar tissue.


    ¡°Networks of spies were established, branching out from Darv and into Sapin, with Draneeve at their head, and a n formed, a devious and ingenious n. Draneeve saw an opportunity, weakness in the loose thread that wove the races and nations together, and an eagerness for hostility as they were pushed closer together.¡±


    ¡°An old enemy, a spy like Draneeve, a traitor, pushed back at every opportunity, but Dicathen was struggling, and the task of holding it together was far more arduous than that of pulling it apart. But s, our hero finds failure in sess, because in his avarice of ambition, he went beyond the High Sovereign¡¯s design, and in doing so threatened a n of which he knew not, risking the lives of both reincarnates and the vessel for a third yet toe¡­¡±


    Draneeve trailed off with a long, long sigh.


    Choosing a prototype part made with an alloy I¡¯d invented myself, I slotted it into the artifact I¡¯d been feverishly struggling to build. I¡¯d worked without sleep since the moment I had the idea, in the aftermath of Cecilia¡¯s altercation with the phoenix, but every step had been a bitter and difficult process. Even as I examined it again under the effects of my regalia, I knew I wouldn¡¯t be certain until I actually used the artifacts. There were too many variables, too much that could go wrong¡­and yet, what other choice did I have?


    I considered my other choices, as I had been doing every hour for what felt like days, and cast them aside for thest time. No, I¡¯d already made a decision. There was no point in hesitation now.


    Turning around again, I looked at Draneeve. He was staring down at the ball in his hands.


    ¡°And so Draneeve retreated home, removing me from where I was supposed to be and failing even to acquire the vessel,¡± I said, continuing the story for him. ¡°The High Sovereign was furious, and nearly had Draneeve executed, but felt that was too easy a punishment. And so you were demoted and assigned to be my attendant instead, after which I spent years trying to make your life as miserable as possible.¡±


    Draneeve¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°A sad end to our hero¡¯s tale¡ª¡± He snapped upright suddenly, leaping to his feet as he realized what he was saying, then falling into a deep bow, so low his crimson hair pooled on the floor. ¡°Forgive me, Lord Nico, I did not mean to¡­to¡­¡±


    ¡°Agree with me?¡± I asked, amused despite myself. The moment I noticed my amusement, it soured, and bile rose up in the back of my throat. I felt the childish impulse to apologize, but kept the words back. ¡°Draneeve, would you like to be free of this life?¡±


    His back unbent slowly, and when I could see his face again, his uncertainty was obvious. ¡°As difficult as things can be, Lord Nico, I¡¯m¡­not eager to die.¡±


    I blinked at him a few times, then realized the confusion. ¡°Vritra¡¯s horns¡­no, I didn¡¯t mean I was going to kill you. I need something. I¡¯m hesitant to confess this to anyone, even you, and would only be willing to do so if there is some way I can reciprocate this favor.¡±


    Draneeve¡¯s eyes slowly widened. ¡°You mean¡­be released from your service?¡± He paced quickly left, realized there was no room to pace, and froze. ¡°But the High Sovereign would never allow it. This is my punishment.¡±


    ¡°Gee, thanks,¡± I said, giving him a genuine smile. ¡°What if I can release you, help you escape this life? No Agrona, no more punishment. If I could do that, would you help me with something very important?¡±


    He hesitated, his eyes darting away, returning to mine, and then jumping off again several times. ¡°I am alreadymitted to doing as you wish¡­¡±


    My smile turned slightly predatory. ¡°And reporting everything back to the High Sovereign. But this is something that needs to stay a secret. If you can do that, I will help give you a new life.¡±


    The wooden ball clinked against the wall, having rolled slowly away when Draneeve stood, making him flinch.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for how I¡¯ve treated you,¡± I said, recognizing the right time for those words. ¡°The spymaster of Dicathen shouldn¡¯t flinch at every pin-drop. That is, at least in part, my fault. And I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Finally, Draneeve¡¯s head bobbed in acknowledgment. ¡°What do you need me to do?¡±


    ***


    An hourter, with the finished artifacts stashed in my dimension ring, I hurried along the corridors until I reached the stairs back down to the cells where the phoenix had been imprisoned. The stairs were empty, as they usually were, but when I reached the door at the bottom, I found it sealed shut.


    A crystalline panel was mounted to the ck stone of the wall beside the door. It sensed certain mana signatures and only opened the door when it found one it recognized. Touching the tip of my staff to the panel, I began cycling different kinds of mana through it, in different strengths, to simte a variety of mana signatures. It would have been easier if I¡¯d known any of the researchers who worked down here, but still, such a lock wasn¡¯t designed to defend against a quadra-elemental mage, and after a couple of minutes it hummed as the pulling force was deactivated, allowing the door to swing open.


    ¡°Scythe Nico?¡±


    I froze halfway through the door. Inside, sitting around a table ying some mundane game, were four guards. Two more had been pacing the room, but their steps faltered at the sight of me. A half-dozen researchers and Imbuers were at work in the room, and they all went stiff and silent as the grave, likely remembering what had happened to the two who¡¯d ¡°inspected¡± me after my core was broken.


    Straightening, I glowered around at the guards. ¡°What are you doing down here? Lazing? Names, immediately. I¡¯ll have you reported to the master-of-arms and see youshed for avoidance of duty. And you lot,¡± I snapped, directing this at the researchers, ¡°I need the level cleared immediately. Now go!¡±


    The four seated guards leaped up, knocking their chairs about as they hurried to solute. ¡°But S-Scythe, we were assigned here. A new duty shift,¡± one of them said, stumbling over his own tongue in his haste.


    Half the researchers had taken a few halting steps toward the door, but they stopped when the guard spoke.


    ¡°We¡¯re not supposed to let anyone in who isn¡¯t already assigned to this level,¡± an older guard said, less shaken than the others. I took him to be the ranking officer and faced him directly. ¡°Even Scythes,¡± he added after a moment. ¡°This orderes directly from the High Sovereign. Feel free to take it up with him if¡ª¡±


    I moved faster than he could respond. My core wasn¡¯t what it had been, but I still far outstripped normal mages. Grabbing him by the neck of his armor, I lifted him up off the ground. ¡°Then I would suggest you hurry to report my intrusion to the High Sovereign. If you don¡¯t get out of my way, I¡¯ll kill you all. Perhaps his annoyance¡ªand your corresponding punishment¡ªwill be less than your lives if you simply choose to leave.¡±


    Setting the man back on the ground, I shoved him toward the door. Not hard enough to send him hurtling, but with enough force that he stumbled several steps before catching himself. As he righted himself, all other eyes turned to him. He seemed to consider for a very long time, then said, ¡°Alright, men, out.¡± When they didn¡¯t immediately respond, he shouted, ¡°Now!¡±


    Everyone lurched into a hurried retreat from the room, Imbuers leaving work half-finished, researchers abandoning their projects, the guards moving to usher them through the door.


    As I watched thest few of them rush from the room, I considered the guards and what they meant. I had expected it to take twenty, maybe thirty minutes for word to spread from theboratory workers to the point where Agrona would take notice, but the presence of guards could speed or slow that time, depending on how afraid of punishment they were. In the end, though, it changed nothing. If Agrona arrived too soon, all would be lost, but I wasn¡¯t ready to abandon my n.


    Taking out a simple mana detection artifact, I affixed it to the inner edge of the door frame and activated it, then hurried along the corridors to the phoenix¡¯s cell. Her remains had been left there, still strung up by her wrists. If I hadn¡¯t watched Cecilia drain the mana from Lady Dawn, though, I wouldn¡¯t have recognized the body, shriveled and decrepit as it now was.


    I turned away. The phoenix wasn¡¯t my reason for being here.


    A few cells down, I found Kiros staring wearily out of his mana-shielded cell, as if he¡¯d been waiting for me.


    ¡°I need information,¡± I said without preamble, watching the Sovereign closely.


    How he reacted would tell me a lot about his state of mind, and if I had any hope of sess, I needed to gauge him urately.


    Kiros loomed lessrge here, trapped and chained. Some of the bulk around his middle had shrunken, and his marble gray flesh had gone sallow and murky. Absent all his ornamentation, he seemed much less imposing. But then, who could manage to look intimidating while manacled with their arms out and spikes shoved through their wrists.


    Grey could. I ground my teeth as if I could crush the intrusive thought between them, and then took a step closer to Kiros, whose gaze had sharpened, but who hadn¡¯t replied to my statement.


    ¡°What do you know about Agrona¡¯s ns for the Legacy?¡± I asked, growling the question.


    Kiros puffed himself up as best he could, lifting his chin and staring down his nose at me. ¡°Scythe or not, how dare a lesser speak to me that way.¡±


    I only stared, unblinking. After a moment, all the bluster oozed out of him and he deted.


    ¡°The Legacy is a being capable of ultimate control over mana. A weapon to use against the other asuras.¡± He tried to shrug, but it was a feeble movement chained up as he was. ¡°Always sounded like a fairy story to me.¡±


    ¡°Can she do it?¡± I said quickly. ¡°Can she destroy asuras, defeat Kezess Indrath and the dragons? Does she have that power?¡±


    He grunted. ¡°Not yet. But maybe someday. If she lives that long.¡±


    ¡°And when she¡¯spleted his mission? What ns does he have, then?¡± I hadn¡¯t meant to ask this question, but I was surprised by Kiros¡¯s transparency, and my fear for Cecilia surged forward, drowning my other concerns.


    Kiros spit phlegmy saliva against the inside of the shield. It sizzled and popped, boiling away in a moment. ¡°The High Sovereign keeps his own council. If he has ns for an after, he has not seen fit to share them with the rest of the Vritra n.¡± The sneer smoothed out into a cruel smirk. ¡°If I had to wager, though, I¡¯d guess the same will happen to her as happens to most weapons after a war. They either get put on disy or melted down and turned into something more useful, don¡¯t they?¡±


    I forced down a half-dozen other panicked questions that surged into my mind. This is not relevant, idiot, I chastised myself.


    ¡°And if she wanted to prevent such an oue? If the Legacy wanted to¡­preemptively strike back at Agrona himself¡­¡± Each word was voiced carefully, my enunciation painstaking and exact as I thought through each syble. ¡°Perhaps, if you were to be useful enough, there is a future for you outside of this cell.¡±


    Kiros was already shaking his head halfway through my speech, his horns scything through the air from side to side. ¡°You¡¯re daft. All that muddling about the High Sovereign has done must have scrambled your brains, boy. But¡­¡± Kiros trailed off, growing thoughtful. ¡°Perhaps, with me by her side, she might have a chance. Release me, and I¡¯ll help the girl take Agrona¡¯s head.¡±


    A mental ping of mana notified me that Cecilia had just left the stairwell, passing in front of the device I had left at the entrance to this floor. There was no more time.


    Activating my regalia, I followed the path of the mana, isting the many individual parts that made the shield function. Within the wall, there were a series of housing units and tranted power from mana crystals into the shield itself. Channeling my own mana through the regalia and into the shield, I forced it upstream until it ran back into those housings. The force immediately overloaded one, which caused a cascading failure of the others, and in a handful of seconds, the entire device gave a static crackle and the shield vanished. Kiros stared at me hungrily from within his now-open cell.


    ¡°Promise me,¡± I said urgently. ¡°That you¡¯ll help her. Promise.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, I promise. On my honor as Sovereign,¡± he said,psing into an amused smile. ¡°Just hurry up and release me.¡±


    Working quickly, I forced open the manacles. Kiros squirmed as the spike inside his wrist shifted, and I shot him a warning look to be still. Slowly, I eased the rune-covered spike free of his wrist. As I did¡ªinterposing my body between Kiros and what I was doing¡ªI very quickly but carefully stabbed one of my newly created artifacts into the same wound, before it could heal over.


    ¡°Damn, careful what you¡¯re doing. That hurts,¡± Kiros moaned.


    The artifact was slightly smaller in both length and thickness than the spike, and as soon as it had been inserted and the spike fully removed, the flesh of Kiros¡¯s wrist began to heal over.


    With the second artifact hidden in the palm of my hand, I moved around him and repeated the process on the other side, then much more quickly released the manacles around his ankles.


    After releasing thest of the chains, I stepped back.


    Kiros groaned, stretching his back and rolling his shoulders. Then, with an almostzy motion, he backhanded me across the chest, sending me hurtling down the hallway. I felt myself bounce off one of the other shielded cells, then crumpled into a heap on the floor. My vision went in and out for a moment, the hallway wobbling violently around Kiros¡¯s muddled form as he stalked in my direction.


    In the distance behind me, a silvery halo of blurry hair peered around the corner¡­


    ¡°Pathetic creatures,¡± Kiros mused under his breath as he stared down at me. ¡°Why the High Sovereign has such a perverse interest in¡ª¡±


    Kiros spun around, facing Cecilia, who had lifted up off the floor and was flying toward us.


    ¡°Perhaps if I take Lord Indrath your heads, I¡¯ll be allowed back into Epheotus!¡± Kiros shouted at her, his handsing up as if to wrap around the handle of a weapon. Mana seethed and boiled all around him, condensing into a shapeless mass in his fists, then bursting apart again, crashing like a tsunami all around us.


    I groaned as the force mmed me down into the floor like a battering ram, and lights swam in front of my eyes.


    Kiros snarled as even he was struck with enough force to be driven back into the wall by his own failed magic. He stared down at his hands in shock, but he had very little time to wonder what had just happened before Cecilia was on him. Even weakened by imprisonment and limited mana, he was far superior to Cecilia physically, and his huge hands balled into fists as he crouched and prepared to meet her head on.


    Every cell barrier in the hallway blinked out at once, and dozens of sets of chains struck at him, looking like nothing less than metal vipers snapping and lunging to wrap around his arms, legs, throat, and waist, wherever they could find purchase.


    ¡°No, release me, Imand you!¡± he shouted, his voice cracking.


    Cecilianded before him, leaning slightly to the side to see around him to me. I only stared back from where Iy awkwardly syed across the floor, giving no indication if I was alive or dead, although I felt certain she would sense my mana well enough to know I wasn¡¯t fatally wounded. The angrier she was, however, the higher likelihood of sess we had.


    Mana surged around Kiros again, spilling out of him and choking the breath from me, but Cecilia was unphased. His control over mana was too imprecise with my artifacts imnted directly into his wrists. Every muscle of his towering form flexed against the chains, and a couple even broke with the sound of shearing metal, sending a spray of sharp steel pinging off the walls and ceiling, but for every one that shattered, two more snapped out to bind him.


    ¡°What were you thinking, Nico?¡± Cecilia snapped, again ncing past Kiros to me. I didn¡¯t respond, and so her attention moved back to the struggling Vritra. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have attacked him. I bore you no ill will, Sovereign Kiros, I was even sorry to see what Agrona was putting you through. So why?¡±


    ¡°A¡­mistake,¡± he choked out around the chains, which were imbued with so much mana that they were beginning to glow, like metal left in a hot forge. ¡°I can¡­see that¡­now. Release me, and I¡¯ll¡­help you kill him.¡±


    I held my breath. Everything hinged on this moment.


    Cecilia¡¯s expression crashed down into a confused scowl. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Together¡­we can kill¡­Agrona¡­¡±


    Teeth bared, Cecilia reared back and shed with her hand. A scythe of cutting wind and white fire bit into the basilisk¡¯s neck and chest, spinning his body half around. The wound had barely left a scratch.


    Cecilia pulled the chains tight, but Kiros let out a low, dangerousugh. Without attempting to channel mana again, he flexed against the chains, and another broke, then another.


    ¡°You may be strong enough to drain the life from the shriveled remains of a long-imprisoned phoenix, girl, but I am of the Vritra, a Sovereign of thisnd, this world. Your strength is as of yet nothing next to¡ª¡±


    Kiros cut off with a choked gasp. Mana was pouring from him, swelling and streaming out of him like water through a ruptured dam.


    Cecilia was taking it.


    I did everything I could not to let my smile show through.


    Kiros tried to speak, but he couldn¡¯t. The chains around him grew continually tighter as his body diminished, shrinking in on itself, the mana that kept it strong and full of vitality no longer present.


    Standing, I maneuvered carefully around the web of chains that bound him until I stood at Cecilia¡¯s side. Her entire body trembled, and a trickle of blood ran from the corner of her eye, like a scarlet teardrop. Although I couldn¡¯t see mana particles like she could, I was very aware of the way her physical body seemed to strain against the ocean of basilisk mana. Her core had no room for it, and so it filled every muscle, bone, and organ. Mana was bleeding from her veins into the atmosphere, but even that she grabbed and pulled back. Then, with a gasp, she had finished.


    I let out a breath I hadn¡¯t known I was holding. ¡°Cecil, are you¡ª¡±


    Suddenly her body was limp and falling. I grabbed her in my arms and eased her to the ground, wiping the blood off her cheek. She was unconscious, but her breath continued steadily, even though her heart was pounding like she¡¯d been running for days on end.


    As I stared down at her, hoping this had been the right course of action, another ping warned me of someone else approaching just as I felt the sudden swell of his mana grasping like ws at the entire level.


    Spinning, I conjured blood iron spikes from the chains, focusing my entire mind, all my will and mana, on the task. What remained of Kiros¡¯s body nearly exploded with them, dozens on dozens rending his withered flesh, pulling him apart into an unrecognizable, bloody mess. I felt a few of the spikes shearing into the fragile artifacts in his wrists, releasing a slow trickle of Kiros¡¯s captured mana.


    Just like thest vestiges of mana leaving a dead mage¡¯s body.


    Then, with terrifying suddenness, I was immobile, entirely frozen, my mind and body no longer connected.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this!¡± Agrona snarled from behind me, his uncontained rage threatening to y the skin from my bones.


    My body spun around to face him, and his scarlet eyes burrowed into mine. I could feel the probing of his magic worming into my brain.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked, only slightly calmer.


    I swallowed heavily as my facilities were partially returned to me. Not enough that I could move, but I was at least able to blink and speak. ¡°I was talking to Kiros when Cecilia came to find me. She overheard him speaking of treason, and in her rage she attacked him. His magic overwhelmed her, and she fell unconscious, but he was weak enough that I managed to destroy him before he could do any more harm.¡±


    The tendrils in my mind shifted about, poking and prodding each statement to verify its truth. I held that idea very carefully, confirming to myself that every word I¡¯d just said was true.


    ¡°But what were you doing down here?¡± Agrona asked after a long pause, and the tendrils dug deeper. ¡°Why did you threaten those assigned to this level?¡±


    I was suddenly grateful that my body wasn¡¯t my own, as I felt the overwhelming urge to squirm with difort under Agrona¡¯s unblinking gaze. ¡°I was afraid. I wanted to know¡­I had to ask, if she could really do it. Do the things you expect of her, defeat the other asura ns.¡±


    Agrona¡¯s thin brows rose in surprise. Then his gaze shifted to the ruined corpse behind me. ¡°Well? Do you have your answer?¡±


    I tried to nod but couldn¡¯t. ¡°I¡ªI do, High Sovereign.¡±


    I sagged in on myself, my body seeming simultaneously very light and very heavy, but it was mine again. I rubbed my chest where Kiros¡¯s backhand had caught me.


    Agrona bent low and eased Cecilia¡¯s prone form from the floor, cradling her like a child. As he turned his back on me, he asked, ¡°Did she drink from Kiros¡¯s mana, Nico?¡±


    I stared through him, past him, into the distance,pletely out of this world. I imagined I was looking into a new world, a different one. In that alternative version of this world, she hadn¡¯t. I could see it. So clearly. I made myself believe what I was seeing with every fiber of my being. ¡°No, High Sovereign.¡±


    Agrona hummed softly as he carried Cecilia down the hall. Before turning the corner, he nced behind him and past me to the corpse, where he no doubt saw thest bits of Kiros¡¯s mana trailing off into nothing.

 Chapter 415

    CECILIA


    My entire body quaked with convulsions that I couldn¡¯t suppress as the power within me wed and hammered its way out. Beneath me, the small bed I¡¯d finallye to ept as my own rattled against the floorboard, the wooden frame crackling like pine needles in a fire. My eyes wouldn¡¯t close, instead staring wide-eyed around the unadorned room, the line of their gaze determined more by wherever my head bucked and bounced than any intention of mine.


    There was a furious punching sensation against the inside of my chest, and for a wild moment, I was certain the power was trying to rip its way out of me. Then I heard voices behind the heavy iron door of my room, and I realized the sensation was only my heartbeat as it gave a sickening lurch.


    I wanted to shout out, tell them to go away, that there was no way they could approach. It was too much this time. I could see the ki in the air, cutting in every direction.


    But the door was opening, and I could not push air through my constricted throat.


    Framed within the opening, I could just make out Headmaster Wilbeck and a couple of others. Randall, the big man who helped clean up after all of us children, was leaning forward, one hand up to shield his eyes from the energy whipping around inside my room. He hesitated, and just before he forged forward, a much smaller figure darted into the room in front of him.


    Nico, I thought, my heart seizing with equal parts fear and gratitude.


    Nico dodged a st of ki that hit Randall in the chest, lifting the big man up and throwing him back into the wall.


    ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± I said, the words finally grinding out between my clenched teeth. ¡°You¡¯ll get h-hurt.¡±


    But something was wrong. Whether caused by the storm of ki destroying the room or my own weakening sense of perception, Nico was beginning to blur¡ªor rather, Nico stayed brightly, vibrantly clear, the clearest thing in the room, while a blurry halo surrounded him. I tried to focus, but staring at the halo made my head ache terribly.


    Nico was crawling toward me, reaching out for me. I couldn¡¯t look right at him, and so turned away, but I could still see him out of the corner of my eye. The crystal clear image of Nico and the fuzzy halo separated into two individual images.


    One was Nico, clean and clear, his face set in a heroic grimace as he powered through the onught of ki my fit was unleashing.


    The other, the blurry image, was a boy our age, sweat pouring down a face twisted in desperation as ki swelled within him.


    The bed came apart, the feathers and fabric and chunks of wooden frame swirling up into the air and spiraling around me like they were trapped in a miniature tornado. I felt myself being lifted up. The two boys were as well, Nico pulled to one side, the blurry boy to the other. Every few seconds, they would ovep, bing one figure, then burst apart again, tumbling end over end.


    Then the room wasing apart, then the orphanage, as the storm of my ki grew and grew, peeling awayyer afteryer of the world and leaving it all bare.


    Nico and the blurred boy suddenly split into dozens of copies of themselves, each slightly different, like light through a kaleidoscope. They began to fall like snowkes, drifting down into as many ovepping scenes, pictures of my life¡ªmemories¡ªeach one yed side by side, Nico¡ªstill crisp and visible¡ªgoing through the same motions as the blur that moved like a shadow just behind him.


    My eyes snapped open.


    Leaning over, I released the pressure that had been building within me. An attendant shoved a bucket under my face just in time to catch the contents of my stomach, and someone patted my hair and cooed soft,forting noises.


    ¡°Tell the High Sovereign she¡¯s awake,¡± a disembodied voice said quietly from nearby.


    Now that the dream was over, my waking mind could feel the gaps between the dual memories¡ªces in my brain where Agrona had reced my original memories with manufactured ones. But even acknowledging them was like sticking a finger into an open wound, triggering another wave of vomiting that made my mind go nk.


    Grey, I realized, the context of the memories bleeding through the haze obscuring my mind¡¯s eye. So much Grey in my life¡­so many empty holes filled in, or paved over with Nico¡­


    Feeling a surge of nauseous panic that triggered another wave of vomiting, I tried to search my memories for the parts muchter in our rtionship, times I¡¯d never fullye to terms with when seen through this body, terrified of what I would find.


    But¡­those were intact. That was real. Our love was real.


    As the nausea eased from my tired, aching body, I leaned back and closed my eyes, catching only a glimpse of the dark-haired attendant who reached out with a rag to clean my lips and chin.


    ¡°There now, love, you just rx,¡± she said with a hint of Vechorian lilt.


    I had no sense of the passage of time, and lost all coherence as my thoughts drifted from memory to memory. I could feel the fault lines between real and manufactured memories in the same way one¡¯s tongue feels the gap of a missing tooth. Without any direct guidance, my mind seemed to rush from memory to memory, exploring the inner depths of itself, mapping out and making sense of the shift in my awareness.


    Whether a minute or an hourter, a stifling presence appeared at my side, pushing everything else away to make room for itself.


    My eyes fluttered open. Agrona was at my bedside, gazing down at me with a slight frown thatmunicated both worry and concern.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± he asked, his scarlet eyes locked onto mine. ¡°My best doctors and healers have been to see you, and they say that, physically, you are unharmed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I assured him, the words feeling scratching in my throat. When the horns spreading above his head tilted slightly, I said, ¡°Honestly. He didn¡¯t hurt me.¡±


    Agrona, whose hands were sped behind his back, was entirely motionless as he asked, ¡°Cecilia, can you tell me what you were doing in that cell block?¡±


    I furrowed my brows, putting on a frustrated frown, and looked at my feet. ¡°Forgive me, Agrona. I know I shouldn¡¯t have been, but¡­¡± I trailed off as I felt the tendrils of Agrona¡¯s magic probe my mind. Like fingers kneading the soft tissue of my consciousness, they searched out my thoughts, hunting for both truth and untruth. But¡­


    ¡°Go on,¡± he said, still motionless.


    ¡°Nico¡¯s attendant, Draneeve, came to me¡­said that Nico was acting strangely, that he was obsessed with the idea that Sovereign Kiros had information we needed, something he was afraid to ask you. Draneeve said that Nico had snuck down to interrogate the Sovereign, and so I followed.¡±


    As I spoke, I kept half my mind on the probing magic. It traced along the pathway of my thoughts and caressed the words as they formed in my head, even before they reached my tongue. I¡¯d felt this same sensation a hundred times before, but something was different just then.


    ¡°I should havee to you and told you straight away,¡± I admitted, letting my eyes drift shut. ¡°Kiro¡¯s tried to kill me.¡±


    Strong fingers gripped my chin and turned my head slightly. When I opened my eyes, I was staring up into Agrona¡¯s face. ¡°Yes, you should have. Nico was foolish not to ask me his questions directly, and you were foolish for chasing him down to save him. That is a weakness, one easily exploited by those out to do you harm, even right here in Taegrin Caelum. If you truly wish to win me my war and return to your original lives, you need to keep him safe.¡± Agrona¡¯s nose wrinkled slightly in distaste. ¡°Especially from himself. Which may mean shortening his leash.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, maybe,¡± I said nomittally.


    I always found it difficult to discuss these kinds of things with Agrona. He made it sound so simple, when in reality it was anything but. Nico was sensitive, self-conscious, and prone to heroics. I knew he felt increasingly sidelined by my increasing power, something he found very difficult to manage. Not because he wanted to be the strongest or most important, but because he wanted to keep me safe.


    ¡°Where is he?¡± I asked, suddenly realizing that Nico hadn¡¯t been present when I¡¯d woken up, and what that might mean. ¡°Nico?¡±


    Agrona gave me an understanding smile and reached out to brush his fingers over my hair. ¡°He¡¯s been temporarily confined until I could gain a moreplete understanding of the events with Kiros. I will see that he is released toe see you immediately. Now that I know you are unharmed, though, I¡¯ll leave you to rest.¡±


    He started to turn away, paused, then nced back at me. ¡°Although, there is one other question I should ask you.¡± His tone was light, curious, almost nonchnt. ¡°Did you absorb any of Kiros¡¯s mana when he tried to kill you?¡±


    The probing tendrils were still in my mind, but I finally realized what was different than before: he was being reserved, limiting his use of mana.


    Is it kindness, or something else? I wondered. He¡¯d told me before how dangerous his kind of mental magic could be, if not wielded carefully and by one with appropriate control and insight.


    If not for that realization, I don''t think I would have had the courage to do what I did.


    ¡°No, Agrona. You had forbidden it. Even though it almost cost me my life, I didn¡¯t take any mana from the Sovereign.¡±


    The thin line that formed between his brows was the only outward sign of his feelings. He nodded, setting the ornaments in his horns jangling. I thought he intended to leave, but instead he turned back to me, patting my shin with one hand. ¡°You should focus on processing the phoenix¡¯s lingering mana in your body. Your core is nearing Integration, I can sense it.¡± He bared his teeth in a hungry smile. ¡°You will be the first in many, many generations of lessers to do so.¡±


    I was silent. The tendrils of magic in my brain had subsided, and I couldn¡¯t read Agrona¡¯s intentions.


    ¡°Integration is a strange quirk of your lesser biology,¡± he mused, looking past me and through the wall into some distant vision only he could see. ¡°For an asura, such a thing is unimaginable. As we grow in strength, our cores grow too. The longer an asura lives, the more they grow. Not in size, but potency and strength. And yet, strangely enough, we are still constrained.¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡± I asked, hesitating. Agrona was not usually prone to simple conversation, and I felt certain there was some deeper purpose behind his words.


    ¡°Integration, I believe, is the key to unlocking a new level of magical understanding. I have pursued it among my followers for decade upon decade, but it has proven quite elusive. Your role as Legacy, however, has put you on the cusp of only a fraction of the time I¡¯ve invested. It is quite remarkable. You ask why the asura are constrained, and I will tell you.¡± The pressure of his hand on my shin tightened. ¡°We have power, but we do not evolve. You lessers, you replicate like insects, and each generation changes, molting the shell of their forebears and bing something new. In change there is opportunity, and in opportunity power.¡±


    ¡°Like¡­insects?¡± I asked, almost amused by the untteringparison.


    Agrona waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Once you have reached the Integration stage, then you will be able to fullye into your power as the Legacy. Until then, do not let minor setbacks disrupt your progress. Yesterday¡¯s defeat bes the lesson that informs tomorrow''s victory.¡±


    He straightened and smoothed the rich purple fabric of his shirt. ¡°Beings like the two of us cannot afford to let slip even the smallest of lessons, Cecil. You must absorb it all, internalize every lesson, and then weaponize what you¡¯ve learned. Do you understand?¡±


    I bit the side of my cheek, uncertain if I really did understand, but after a moment I nodded.


    ¡°Rest, then, and consider my words,¡± he said, and then strode away. Only then did I realize I was alone, and that all the attendants and healers had left me.


    I sank back into the bed and stared at the nondescript ceiling of my bedroom, forcing each breath in and out, deep and consistent. Despite everything Agrona had said about absorbing and internalizing and Integration, I found my thoughts drifting away from his unheeded advice and to Nico.


    I had always known what Agrona was capable of. When he soothed my emotions or helped me bury her memories, I knew what we were doing. He¡¯d even limited my ess to my own previous life¡¯s memories with my knowledge, waiting until I was strong enough before revealing certain things to me.


    But this had been for my own protection, and often at my insistence. Or so I¡¯d thought. Why Nico and Agrona had felt it necessary to change some of these memories, inserting Nico in ce of Grey¡­I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around. Much of my rtionship with Nico¡ªall the best parts, even¡ªwere real and true. But they had built him up, tried to make him more¡­heroic.


    And they all but erased Grey from my life. Just to help me hate him?


    That had been unnecessary. I hated him on Nico¡¯s behalf alone¡ªexcept, as I examined the emotion building in my chest, I had to acknowledge that it wasn¡¯t hate I was feeling. I mped firmly around the resolve I felt in killing him to free Nico of his rage. That, at least, was still true. I didn¡¯t need to hate him to destroy him.


    As I considered this and a great many other things, my eyes grew increasingly heavy, and I drifted off to sleep.


    It felt as if I¡¯d only closed my eyes for an instant, however, when a small knock at the door woke me again.


    ¡°Cecilia?¡±


    A sleepy smile spread over my face. ¡°Come in.¡±


    Thetch clicked, and Nico stepped into the room. He eased the door shut again behind him, then moved to the foot of the bed, looking at everything everywhere except at me. He sat down stiffly, supporting himself on one arm but carefully not touching me. The silence between us built until it was awkward.


    ¡°Were they unkind to you?¡± I asked when I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°If they were I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he answered btedly, his voice soft. ¡°Do you¡­how are you feeling?¡±


    I watched the side of his face as he stared down at hisp. He was pale¡ªwell, more pale than usual¡ªand he had a withdrawn expression. His fingers fidgeted nervously against the side of his leg. Despite the way his body seemed draped in on itself, it was also tense. Something was clearly wrong.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, honestly. Except, well¡­¡± I swallowed heavily. ¡°I lied to him, Nico. You made me do that. You were letting him out, but I don¡¯t understand why. Please, tell me why we did this.¡±


    Nico nced at me, but only for the barest instant. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Cecilia.¡± He went quiet, and I could see him chewing on the inside of his cheek. The silence went on long enough that I didn¡¯t think he was going to answer me, but then he started to speak again. ¡°I¡¯m really d you¡¯re okay. I didn¡¯t think that¡ªshould have guessed Kiros would do something like that. I didn¡¯t want you to get hurt, just thought, well, he could¡ªI don¡¯t even know, really¡ªthat if you¡­um¡­¡± He trailed off, cleared his throat, and then looked at me for real.


    I sat up, pulling my legs under me so I was sitting cross-legged, then leaned toward him. ¡°You¡¯re lucky Draneeve saw fit toe tell me. If he hadn¡¯t you¡ªyou¡¯d be¡­¡± As I mentioned Draneeve, Nico¡¯s fist balled up in the fabric of my nket. ¡°Don¡¯t you go taking this out on him, Nico Sever. It¡¯s because of Draneeve that you¡¯re alive.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s because of you that I¡¯m alive,¡± he ground out through clenched teeth. ¡°Draneeve is a traitor. You have no idea what he¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Is it any worse than what you¡¯ve done? What I¡¯ve done?¡± I asked waspishly, then immediately regretted allowing myself to be frustrated as Nico shrank in on himself. ¡°Let¡¯s just¡­not fight, okay? I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    He nodded quickly. ¡°I know. Me too.¡± He searched my eyes for a long time before speaking again. ¡°Are you sure you feel okay? Is anything¡­different? Y¡¯know, with the basilisk mana,¡± he added quickly.


    Aside from feeling myself unravel one memory at a time? I wanted to say, but held back. I had no way of knowing how much Nico might know about what exactly Agrona had done, the kinds of changes he had made, and I couldn¡¯t bring myself to ask.


    Then, with the ufortable recognition of my own stupidity, I suffered the chilling realization that Nico¡¯s mind may have been manipted just like mine. Only, without any way to break through Agrona¡¯s magic, he would still be trapped in those false memories. My hesitance to speak about it suddenly seemed almost prescient, as drawing attention to the dual memories without first establishing some kind of framework might trigger any kind of reaction from Nico. He could fly into a rage, or rush straight to Agrona in some kind of pre-programmed response, or have aplete mental breakdown.


    Did Agrona rece Grey in your mind too, to make you enemies? I wondered. Or did he only take the hatred you already felt and fuel it, trimming out the good times and leaving only the bad? Agrona was like a surgeon with a scalpel, careful in his nicking and cutting. But I had no doubt he could wield his power like an ax if it suited him.


    ¡°Cecilia?¡± Nico aked.


    I blinked several times, realizing I had been drawn deep down into my own thoughts. ¡°I was just¡­inspecting myself, I guess. But no¡­I don¡¯t sense any major changes within me. Perhaps it will make it easier to manipte the shield around Sehz-r, though? I mean, certainly if the phoenix mana would have helped, then basilisk mana has to be even better, right?¡±


    Several emotions seemed to sh across Nico¡¯s face at once before he reigned them in. ¡°Yeah, of course. Silver linings, right?¡± He tried to smile, but it was weak and pained. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell Agrona?¡± he asked suddenly, catching me off guard.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± I stammered, leaning back and letting my head rest against the wall.


    Nico resituated himself, sitting more fully on the bed and facing me directly. ¡°And you don¡¯t think he knew? He can sense lies¡­practically read minds, I think.¡±


    I shook my head, certain in my earlier observations. ¡°He was holding back for some reason. I think he was afraid to hurt me.¡±


    Nico scoffed, but I quickly reached out and took hold of his wrist. ¡°No, listen. I know you¡¯ve suffered at his hands, Nico, and I¡¯m so, so sorry for that. But he does care about us, and about this world, and his own world beyond it. There is a passion and kindness and loneliness deeply rooted inside him that he keeps wrapped up, but I know it¡¯s there. Just like I know he can do what he says¡­give us a life together, a real life, in our own bodies, on our own world.¡±


    Despite everything, I knew this to be the truth. Agrona had an inhuman mind, and he did things others might consider immoral, but it wasn¡¯t fair to judge him on the morality of lesser beings. My mind was my own, unaltered by any foreign magic, with no outside influence insisting on my loyalty or care, and my feelings about Agrona and this world hadn¡¯t changed.


    I wished Nico and Agrona hadn¡¯t thought it necessary to alter my memories, to hide those things from me, but nothing I saw in these false memories made any difference. My feelings for Grey, perhaps, were moreplicated than I had realized; the ghost of his presence in my altered memories had been easier to deal with, simpler, and I could understand why that had been preferable for all of us, even me. But Grey wasn¡¯t my priority.


    I opened my mouth to continue speaking but choked on the words. A new memory surfaced, but I struggled to make sense of it as two voices spoke out as one, two people ying through the same role, one clear and the other a faded halo, just like in my dream. It was thest memory that Agrona had unlocked for me, and as I relived it¡ªnow holding both the fake and real memory together, oneid over the other¡ªmy eyes grew slowly wider, my breath shallow and weak.


    ¡°Cecilia? Cecil! What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Hands on my shoulders, a gentle shake, warm breath on my face¡­


    ¡°N-nothing,¡± I stammered, struggling to collect myself, unable to hold the present and both memories in my mind simultaneously. ¡°Everything just¡­caught up with me all of a sudden I guess.¡±


    Nico jumped off the bed, running a hand through his ck hair nervously. ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t mean to¡­I¡¯ll leave. You need your rest.¡±


    As I struggled even to keep my eyes open and tear-free, I registered Nico searching my face onest time. Then, without even a farewell, he spun on his heel and bolted from the room.


    I slumped over onto my side and curled up into a ball, squeezing my eyes shut tight to block out the visual present, allowing the split-memory to continue ying behind my eyelids.


    In it, underneath the false version crafted by Agrona, I listened to myself say all those bitter, vile things to Grey. I taunted and insulted him, toyed with him¡­all the things I¡¯d thought he had done to me. Except, in the end, after his sword plunged through my body, there was more. Only the false memory snuffed out, allowing what wasyered behind it toe into focus.


    As his de pierced through my chest, my blood ran down his hands and arms. My full weight pressed down on him, the hilt of his sword between us, and I wrapped my arms around him, almost like an embrace.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Grey. This¡­ was the¡­ only way,¡± I said, blood bubbling in my lungs and staining my lips.


    He released the sword, and my body sagged against him. ¡°W-what¡ªwhy?¡±


    ¡°As long as¡­ I live¡­ Nico will be¡­ imprisoned¡ªused against me.¡±


    He stumbled back, and I fell atop him, driving his de even deeper into me. I let out a gasp of pain, but I barely felt it. Most of my body was already cold.


    ¡°No¡­ no, this can¡¯t be¡­¡± Grey sputtered.


    He held me in his arms, trembling, until the memory faded to ck.

 Chapter 416

    <strong>ELEANOR LEYWIN</strong>


    ¡°This would be much easier if we just flew,¡± Mica said grumpily as she wiped a glob of ckish-greenish sludge from her face, all that remained of yet another beast that had attacked us.


    ¡°You can¡¯t simply bypass the rigors of the Relictombs,¡± Lyra pointed out, sounding exactly like a school teacher. ¡°The point is to ascend through them, defeating their challenges, not circumventing them. Otherwise, you gain nothing. Besides, flight is mana intensive, and you¡¯ll need to learn to conserve your strength.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Mica scoffed. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize this was a day trip to kooky school.¡±


    Something flopped in the muck to our right, and my head twitched nervously in that direction. The light in the zone was diffused and hazy, making visibility weird. The green murk hid the distant walls and ceiling, giving the ufortably impression that the ce just went on forever and ever. It also swallowed sound, making it difficult for me to tell whether it came from right beside us or halfway across the zone.


    The smell was the worst, though. Like boiling rotten eggsyered over moldy manure and dposing animals¡­


    ¡°This might be the first time I don¡¯t appreciate having your enhanced senses, big guy,¡± I muttered, patting Boo on the back. He rumbled back, agreeing.


    My bond with Boo made me the best scout and lookout, and so I was sitting on top of him and watching for signs of geysers exploding or terror leeches¡ªa name I¡¯d invented myself¡ªattacking from beneath the acidic pools, while also scanning the horizon for any sign of an exit.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t need to conserve mana if Arthur would just show us the way through this ce,¡± Mica went on, her knuckles creaking audibly around the haft of her hammer.


    ¡°Think of it as your first test,¡± Arthur answered humorlessly.


    Catching sight of a dim glimmer through the gloom, I pointed it out to the others. ¡°I think that shiny thing over there might be a portal.¡±


    Mica floated up off the ground and squinted in that direction. ¡°Mica doesn¡¯t¡ªI don¡¯t see anything.¡±


    Regis chortled in amusement. ¡°Then that means we made the right choice in making Eagle


    Eyes here our scout.¡±


    ¡°Oh, L-Lyra!¡± I burst out, catching sight of a crimson ball of slime oozing its way up the back of her boot.


    Her head snapped around, and she quickly followed the line of my wide-eyed gaze to the blood slug. Her hand scythed down and a de of wind sliced the thing off her. With a sharp stomp, she crushed it. A circle of blood sprayed around her foot like a gory halo.


    ¡°You¡¯re all getting distracted,¡± Arthur said, his arms crossed and one brow raised judgmentally. ¡°Focus.¡±


    Lyra nodded deeply, almost like a shallow bow. ¡°Of course, Regent Leywin. You are correct. During an ascent, one member of the team should always be given leadership authority, even among freshly forged groups. I would suggest¡ª¡±


    Mica scoffed for about the hundredth time and spun toward Lyra, but, before she could speak, a massive tentacle snapped out of the pool of acid she was hovering above. I gasped and fumbled with my bow as it wrapped around her leg.


    ¡°Oh, rock and root, get off me!¡± she snapped, swinging her conjured hammer into the slimy appendage.


    Instead of bursting, the tentacle seemed to stretch, absorbing the impact. As it stretched, it sort of melted,ing apart in sticky strands that very obviously defied the normalws of nature, then solidified again in a loop around the hammer, trapping it while still holding Mica. Tendrils of smoke were rising from wherever the acidic tentacle touched her.


    I drew the string of my bow and mana formed into a white beam of light nocked against the string. With the twang of release, the arrow drew a bright line through the murky air and struck the tentacle with a wet thump.


    Mica pulled against the tentacle, attempting to fly upward and break its grip, but it somehow resisted even the strength of a Lance.


    Stone spikes thrust up from under the surface of the water, each one pointing in a slightly different direction, many piercing the not-quite-real looking tentacle, but still it held onto her.


    The air began to vibrate. The noise this made was so low I doubted anyone but me could hear it. For a second, I wondered what kind of new monstrosity was attacking us, but then I sensed the mana pouring out of Lyra and into the tentacle. I held my breath for a second as I waited for something to happen, then the tentacle burst apart into a shower of inky, slithering snot blobs.


    Boo lurched beneath me, dodging a sttering of the stuff.


    ¡°Gross,¡± Mica said, shaking like a wet dog as she brushed the hissing slime and bits of tentacle off her.


    ¡°See, Lance?¡± Lyra said with a poorly suppressed smirk. ¡°It alles down to knowledge and your ability to act on said knowledge without panicking. I was able to save you because¡ª¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t panicking!¡± Mica practically shouted, followed quickly by, ¡°And you didn¡¯t save me¡ª¡±


    I jumped so hard I nearly fell off Boo¡¯s back as a sh of violet light suddenly filled the zone, apanied by a bonfire roar. I looked away, but not quickly enough, and suddenly found myself blinking rapidly as tears came to my stinging eyes. Boo grumbled, backpedaling away from the light and bumping into Regis, who had been walking just behind and beside us. The huge shadow wolf was knocked sideways, sliding down the edge of the raised lip of dirt we had been following until his paws hit the burning goop that filled the pool.


    I turned back in time to see dozens of wriggling bits of exploded tentacle dissolving back into the acidic pool, blown away from Lyra by Arthur¡¯s aetheric st.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± I said immediately, the words directed somewhere between the cursing Regis and glowering Arthur. ¡°I should have seen that those bits were still moving and alive.¡±


    Regis was grumbling as he crawled back up the slope, his paws sizzling. ¡°What a total cluster¡ª¡±


    Arthur shot a re his way, and the shadow wolf¡¯s jaws snapped shut.


    Boo gave a quiet grumble, and Regis shook his head in response. ¡°I know, right?¡±


    Mica had alreadynded back on the ground, and both her and Lyra were looking at Arthur sheepishly.


    ¡°For some reason, Ellie is the one apologizing even though she¡¯s actually doing the task she¡¯s been given,¡± Arthur said pointedly. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. ¡°Lyra, you¡¯ve been in the Relictombs before, but never with me. And Mica, you¡¯re used to the Beast des, where there isn¡¯t much you can¡¯t handle. This ce is different. The strength of the monsters grows with the people inside, and this whole ce has adapted to my presence. You can¡¯t rely on just brute-forcing your way past every encounter. You have to be strategic, fight smart. The Relictombs is designed to test you¡­or kill you.¡±


    Mica lifted her chin and met my brother¡¯s eyes unflinchingly. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of anything this ce can throw at me.¡±


    Lyra scoffed, but cut off at a warning look from my brother.


    ¡°But that¡¯s part of the problem. You have no idea what this ce can do and I need you to understand why you¡¯re even here. Ellie is travelling with me so she can practice her new ability, and Lyra needs to be kept close to me because I can¡¯t trust to leave someone as powerful as her locked up anywhere¡±¡ª¡°Thanks for that vote of confidence,¡± she said under her breath¡ª¡°and so I need you to keep an eye on them both.¡±


    Mica¡¯s brows rose so high they vanished into her hairline, and her mouth hung open. It seemed like a rare thing for the dwarven Lance tock any words, but I was too tense to see the humor in it at that moment.


    As Arthur was speaking, I watched another blood slug start to crawl up the back of Mica¡¯s leg. ¡°Um, Mica? You¡¯ve got a¡­¡±


    She grabbed the pulsating red lump in one hand, gritted her teeth, and squeezed. Crimson pulp oozed out between her fingers. ¡°I understand,¡± she said, tossing the mess into the closest pool of acid with a heavy ssh.


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s get moving again then,¡± Arthur said, gesturing for Mica and Lyra to take the lead.


    Moving together, they started off in the direction I¡¯d indicated. Arthur immediately lit up with a dim violet light, his blond hair floating up from his head. I watched him curiously. Even though I¡¯d seen it several times now, it was still kind of eerie. Arthur already looked so different than from before he¡¯d disappeared, and the strange runes only highlighted his alien nature. With Realmheart active, his head shifted from side to side and up and down, scanning our surroundings.


    As we passed the pool, I was distracted by something strange.


    My arrow, the one I¡¯d shot at the tentacle grabbing Mica, was floating on the surface of the acid. Boo, sensing my attention shifting, stopped and let out a grunt.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Regis asked, staring hard into the pool, perhaps expecting some other monstrous manifestation to jump out at us.


    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just¡­¡± Mentally, I reached for the arrow. I could feel it, sense the mana stillpacted into that form. My regalia tingled, and I realized the arrow was still tethered to me by the spellform. I purposefully released that tether, and the arrow dissolved, the mana dispersing. ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡±


    Boo whined, informing me that the others had moved on ahead. ¡°Go on, catch up,¡± I said, but my thoughts stayed with the arrow.


    I¡¯d always had a talent for forming my pure, elementless mana into shapes outside of my body. Although I didn¡¯t do it often, practicing making shapes with Arthur had really helped me to extend the range and power of my arrows. And Helen had taught me how to shoot a mana arrow that formed into a protective shield around the target instead of harming them. But all the abilities I¡¯d ever learned required me to focus and keep channeling mana, otherwise the effect ended.


    Holding out my hand, I pictured a ball. As mana flowed from my core to my palm, the ball appeared, formed of glowing white mana. I tossed the ball aside, where it sshed into one of the pools. It bobbed up and down for a moment, then was batted aside as a tentacle slithered across the acid¡¯s surface.


    ¡°Don¡¯t disturb the pools,¡± Arthur said over his shoulder, his voice vibrating with the energy channeled by Realmheart.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said immediately, biting my lip.


    In my hands, I conjured another ball, taking my focus away from the first, but I was careful not to actively dismiss the innate connection my regalia maintained with it. Even though my focus was on the ball in my hands, I could still sense the other one floating in the acid.


    Somewhere up ahead, Lyra shouted out, and Mica struck down a terror leech with her huge hammer.


    Dismissing the sphere in my hands, I twisted around on Boo to better see the other ball, which was now about fifty feet behind me. The draw on my mana was barely noticeable, but the form seemed unaffected by myck of focus. Curious, I attempted to manipte the physical structure of the sphere.


    The mana imploded, causing a burst of energy that sent acid spraying up in the air like a miniature geyser.


    I spun around, my gaze jumping guiltily to Arthur, but he dismissed the noise after a perfunctory nce, apparently mistaking it for one of the many natural geysers that were going off constantly.


    ¡°That was pretty cool,¡± Regis said, plodding up to walk next to Boo as the path widened briefly. ¡°You were using your spellform, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, um, yeah,¡± I said, feeling awkward. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure what it¡¯s doing though¡ªor what I¡¯m doing with it.¡± The rotten-egg smell intensified, drawing my attention to small bubbles forming on the surface of the pool next to us. ¡°On our left!¡±


    An earthen wall sprouted from the ground, curving over us like a half-arch, and I heard the spray of sludgy water on the other side. ¡°Thanks,¡± Mica shot back over her shoulder.


    ¡°Try again,¡± Regis suggested after the noise had passed.


    I thought about what I wanted to do for a moment, then began shaping the mana. When I was ready, I tossed it onto the path behind us, but maintained active focus on it, attempting to continue to manipte the shape so that it moved with us.


    A small blob with four stubs for legs trotted stiffly after Boo and Regis, glowing white in the dim light.


    I turned around so I wasn¡¯t looking at the conjured figure and scanned our surroundings. When I found what I was looking for, I drew my bow, conjured an arrow, and loosed. The white beam of mana thunked into a fat Blood Slug that was hunkered at the edge of the path, ready totch onto the first thing to get close enough.


    ¡°Nice shot,¡± Lyra said, kicking the remains down the ledge.


    Quickly looking behind me, I saw that the four-legged blob had stopped moving. It was still there, frozen with its stubby legs lifted as if it was in the middle of taking a step, but it was no longer following us. I tried to start it moving again, but like the sphere in the pool, it burst, creating a nova of mana that expanded outward for several feet before dissipating.


    ¡°The mana holds its shape after I stop focusing on it, but I don¡¯t seem to be able to reconnect with it. When I try to change the shape again, it copses,¡± I told Regis, d to have someone to bounce my ideas off of.


    ¡°Copses¡­or explodes,¡± Regis shot back, giving me a wolfish grin. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just because I¡¯m a walking, talking weapon, but I wonder¡­can you make something burst with more energy than that? Maybe if youpact arger amount of mana into the shape? Or forge it with the intent that it, y¡¯know, goes boom?¡±


    I giggled at the excitement in his tone, but went quiet when Arthur cocked his head, turning his ear back toward me.


    Is right now really the best time to be ying around with your power? I asked myself with Arthur¡¯s voice. What if I draw in a bunch more of those monsters? Or something goes wrong, like Lyra said, and I go into bacsh?


    As I considered this, I noticed the golden glow emanating from Arthur¡¯s lower back glow brighter. ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± I asked aloud, mostly to myself.


    ¡°Meditating,¡± Regis answered. ¡°He¡¯s been focused on Dicathen, and hasn¡¯t made much effort to continue improving himselftely. This isn¡¯t just a chance for you and the insane dwarf to train. It¡¯s his, too.¡±


    I set my jaw. That made sense. And if even my invincible, god-killing brother was doing what he could to train and be stronger, I had to too.


    I didn¡¯t worry much about the physical form, just shaped the mana into a kind of rough, t, very dense disk.


    When I was satisfied, I tossed the disk behind us. Itnded on the hard dirt with a quiet thud. Inside my head, I disengaged my focus from the mana but left the tether with my regalia intact.


    This time, I waited until we were almost a hundred feet away from it. There was a dull aching sensationing from the spellform by then. I was nearing the outer range of the tether. That¡¯s good to know.


    Instead of just trying to change the mana¡¯s shape, I specifically attempted to force the mana outward, imaging it as a violent explosion¡ª


    A huge boom shook the ground and tore the raised lip of solid ground apart, copsing it into the acid pools on either side. Three geysers went off one after another, set off by the explosion, and several terror leeches and huge tentacles burst out of the acid to slither toward the wreckage.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Mica asked, flying back over us and hovering between me and the site of the explosion.


    ¡°S-sorry!¡± I squeaked, my heart fluttering in my chest. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that it would be so¡­so¡­¡± Panicking, I pointed at Regis. ¡°It was his idea!¡±


    The shadow wolf barked out a gleeful, manicugh. ¡°Hell yeah it was.¡±


    Arthur was beside me, one hand resting on Boo. He¡¯d stopped channeling his godrunes, and the alien light that had infused him was gone. ¡°You did that?¡± he asked, his piercing golden eyes tracking over the copsed patch of trail. ¡°How?¡±


    A little haltingly, I exined what I had noticed about the arrow and the discoveries that had spiraled from that observation.


    As I talked, Arthur activated Realmheart again. ¡°Create something,¡± he suggested, watching me carefully.


    I formed another ball, but paused before I did anything with it. Tilting my head slightly to the side, I listened. ¡°Does anyone else feel that?¡±


    Suddenly the ground where my mana mine had gone off ripped apart, churning as if being swarmed by Darvish sand sharks. The handful of terror leeches still milling around the spot disappeared into the ground, where their bodies were pulverized by something I still couldn¡¯t see.


    Lyra hurried to Mica¡¯s side, between me and the cacophonous noise. Regis started forward with them, but he stopped, shot Arthur a questioning look, then shrugged his shoulders helplessly.


    As the ground gave way, something started to surface from beneath it. A wormlike body rose up and up, rivers of muddy acid running down its shining crimson carapace. It was as tall as an elshire tree before it stopped growing, and I had to wonder how much of it was still hidden beneath the ground. It didn¡¯t have a head, only a huge hole for a mouth, filled with rows and rows of triangr teeth that rotated around within the chasm of its mouth, like one of Master Gideon¡¯s crazy inventions.


    Even Mica didn¡¯t have anything flippant to say as we all stared at the humongous monster.


    The gaping maw bent toward us, unleashing a roar so loud I had to cover my ears with my hands. Three tentacles slithered out of the mouth, each one covered with dozens of smaller, tooth-filled sets of jaws, just like the terror leeches. Thes tentacles swayed back and forth, each one letting out a low, irritating hissing noise.


    ¡°Work together,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Ellie, you stay back. Regis will be at your side.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get it done then,¡± Mica said. Cocking back her arm, she hurled her hammer with incredible speed. It hit one of the leech-tentacles and burst straight through, only to turn in the air and zoom back to her hand. ¡°Huh, maybe this won¡¯t be too hard after¡­all¡­¡±


    As Mica¡¯s words trailed off, the severed tentacle¡ªIs it a tongue? Or maybe a head?¡ªbegan to grow back, its stump dividing into two at the base and forming twin leech-tentacle-head things.


    ¡°Oh, great,¡± Mica muttered.


    As one, the four heads reared back and sprayed streams of swampy green acidic slime from all their mouths.


    Jagged ck lines scored the air with a noise like nails on ss, shielding us from the attack. Wherever the acid touched the ck lines, it sizzled and seemed to be pulled apart into its baseponents, steam rising and clear water falling as the mana was destabilized.


    But all the noise was drawing other things, too. More terror leeches and blood slugs were swimming through the pools of acid in our direction,ing from all sides.


    With a battle cry, Mica threw herself into the air, moving like a ballista bolt. She spun midair, her hammer swelling with mana as she enhanced gravity¡¯s pull on it, until she collided with the two freshly-grown leech heads.


    They burst apart like sacks of half-melted butter, spraying acid in every direction¡ªincluding all over Mica herself. She gasped in pain, but didn¡¯t slow down as she redirected her hammer, swinging at one of the two remaining heads. But it slithered away from the blow, which missed, while the other head snaked around behind her.


    From the corner of my eye, I saw a ck sh bisect the attacking head so that it peeled apart down the middle, flopping grotesquely. But I had my arrow trained on one of the terror leeches speeding toward us. Waiting for it to crest up out of the thick acid, I aimed for one of the many mouths and loosed. My aim was precise, and the arrow sank into the rubbery flesh and out of sight, but the leech kepting.


    ¡°Boom,¡± Regis said, an unnerving gleam in his eyes.


    Following his meaning, I focused on the tether of mana connecting me to the arrow, and pushed outward on the mana.


    Inside the terror leech, my arrow burst apart with a bass-heavy whump. The monster¡¯s sides swelled with the force, then copsed inward like a deted waterskin, and it tumbled end over end for a couple of seconds before sshing to a stop, floating on the acid¡¯s surface.


    But all I felt was a growing dread as a dozen more followed behind it. ¡°There are too many!¡±


    Topound this, the giant hydra worm had gone from four heads to seven. Mica was flitting around between them, dodging spraying acid and snapping mouths, striking instead at the towering wormy body, but her blows hardly seemed to do any damage.


    I released arrow after arrow, each one bursting within a terror leech body and stopping it in its tracks. On the other side of the path, Arthur had started unleashing aetheric sts to fend off the swarm of monsters from that direction.


    A scream drew my attention back to the hydra worm.


    One of the heads had finally caught Mica, several mouths biting down on her legs and torso. When she drew her hammer back to strike at it, another coiled around the head of the hammer, holding it fast.


    Lyra shed her hand through the air, but yet another head moved to intercept the spell. The ck sh sheared the tentacle-like head from the body, and two more grew in its ce.


    My heart was racing, and I could feel the panic start to cloud my mind. Drawing my bowstring, I conjured two arrows and used my index finger to part them slightly, giving them different angles. Focusing on maintaining both arrows separately, I took my shot.


    The bright white beams flew just inside the two newly formed heads. One sank into a mouth on the trunk holding Mica, but the second missed its mark, impacting against the thick flesh of the second head, which had pinned her hammer.


    Both arrows burst in a shockwave of mana.


    The head biting Mica shivered and went limp, while the second was jarred forcefully enough that it released her weapon. Wasting no time, Mica shot straight up into the air, only to be followed by several arcing streams of acidic slime. Spinning, she hurled her hammer straight down. Even from a hundred feet away, I felt the swelling of its gravity, and watched as it flew faster and faster until it vanished into the writhing mass of tentacle-like heads.


    The ground shook as the hammer impacted somewhere deep inside the hydra worm¡¯s body. It squealed, the humming of its many heads taking on a sickening resonance as it was amplified several times over. My stomach churned, and I distantly felt my body wobble atop Boo¡¯s back.


    With unfocused eyes, I watched as two more heads grew, splitting off the trunk of the limp head that I¡¯d shot to free Mica. There were so many I could no longer count them¡­


    Lyra spun, sending a vitriolic re at Arthur. Her voice was barely audible over the continued screeching. ¡°Lesson¡¯s will help none of us if we are all dead. This beast is matched to your strength, not ours!¡±


    The ground shook again. The hydra worm was lunging upward toward Mica, growing taller and taller as its many heads strained after her. She flew straight up until her small form disappeared into the gloom and the fog. The beast on her heels was sixty feet tall, then eighty, then a hundred¡­


    Arthur didn¡¯t respond, but something in his posture changed, then he was gone, vanished into a bolt of amethyst lightning.


    Regis jumped into action at the same time, his jaws opening and purple fire rolling out over the oing hoard of terror leeches. Whatever the fire touched vanished, not even ash remaining.


    My brother had reappeared above the hydra worm, his distant body wrapped in coiling arcs of purple lightning, a beam of pure violet energy in his hand. Although I should have been helping Regis, I couldn¡¯t do anything but watch, all my focus on Arthur. His de spun in an arc, severing several of the heads.


    But the huge maw from which they all grew was still rising, and I could picture how those spinning rows of teeth were closing around Arthur.


    At first I thought it was a trick of the light, but by squinting and focusing mana into my eyes, I realized the truth. Arthur¡¯s sword was growing, lengthening into a huge two-handed weapon that rivaled Mica¡¯s hammer in size. When he shed again, several heads went tumbling away, including some of those just now regrowing.


    Regis had spun to the other side and was unleashing another st of purple fire that devoured any remaining terror leeches. Mica was out of sight, but Lyra, like me, was just staring up at the fight overhead.


    As the heads formed and started to grow again, Arthur kicked off one of the trunks, hurling himself out of the way of the grinding mouth, then brought his huge de over his head, swinging downward as he fell.


    Where Mica¡¯s hammer had done little to the hydra worm¡¯s armored body, the aether de cut effortlessly through the side of the gaping maw. As Arthur plummeted downward, he dragged the de through the beast¡¯s body, opening it up like a fileted fish. The humming screech came again, but as more and more of the towering body gaped open above the falling point of light that was Arthur, the noise died into a grotesque gurgle.


    Then, feet from the acid pool around the hydra worm¡¯s base, Arthur vanished in a violet sh, only to reappear back where he had been seconds earlier, wreathed in electricity.


    ck blood and green acid rained down from the gaping insides of the hydra worm as it swayed back and forth, then it tipped toward us, the ps of its opened body pushed out by the rush of wind. Lyra darted back past us, and Boo moaned as he turned around and trotted farther down the trail, putting more distance between us and where the body would fall.


    Arthur and Regis didn¡¯t move.


    Ground and acid exploded outward as the corpse struck the ground, crushing the trail we¡¯d been following, the longest of the heads falling just at Arthur¡¯s feet. Then I lost sight of everything as a wall of dust and yellow steam engulfed the zone with a noise like the worlding apart.


    I closed my eyes against the stinging spray of acid and dust, feeling it prickling along my exposed skin wherever it touched me, despite the mana dding my skin. Boo rumbled out a worried groan, and I patted his neckfortingly.


    A gust of wind kicked up and pushed the caustic mist away. Arthur and Regis were walking toward me, the fallen hydra worm behind them. Its stench was unimaginable.


    I felt Mica approaching before I saw her. She drifted out of the cloud, flying wearily, his skin covered in blisters from all the acid she¡¯d been sshed with. Parts of her armor were ripped open, and blood was oozing from several bite wounds.


    Instead ofnding on the ground, she settled onto Boo behind me, her back resting against mine so she was facing toward Arthur and Regis. ¡°Mica thinks this ce kind of sucks,¡± she said under her breath.


    ¡°You need to practice your Mana Rotation,¡± Arthur said as he reached us. ¡°You didn¡¯t use it at all that entire fight.¡±


    I felt Mica¡¯s head lean back onto my shoulder. ¡°Yes, Professor Leywin,¡± she mumbled tiredly.


    ¡°And you were all distracted by what was in front of you, so you ignored what you couldn¡¯t see. The mana fluctuations from the main part of the body¡ªmostly still underground¡ªthat happened every time you cut off a head should have told you where to strike.¡± His frustrated gaze focused on me. ¡°Ellie, you should have been the first to notice this. Being on the backlines doesn¡¯t mean simply fighting from the back. You need to see the bigger picture andmunicate with your allies.¡±


    I acutely felt the sting of his rebuke, but could only respond with a firm nod, not trusting my voice to speak.


    The truth was, in that moment, Arthur didn¡¯t even quite feel like my brother. Not here, in the Relictombs. The bond we had been reforming back in Vildorial had stayed there. Here, he was a cold and distant teacher, an emotionless protector¡­brotherly love was an obstacle, and so he was suppressing it.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how that made me feel. I don¡¯t think I could iste my feelings like that. My emotions are a part of who I am. Who is he, really, when he¡¯s like this?


    ¡°We should leave this zone quickly,¡± Lyra said, just ahead of me. She was staring warily around at the surrounding pools. ¡°We need rest, but this is no ce to set up camp.¡±


    Arthur gestured for her to lead the way, and she did so, continuing in the direction where I¡¯d originally seen the distant glimmer of light.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a strong mana beast,¡± I said into the following silence, trying to reduce the tension. ¡°How did the ancient mages ever create such a thing? And why?¡±


    ¡°crya¡¯s most talented minds have been trying to figure that out for hundreds of years,¡± Lyra answered over her shoulder. ¡°The ancient mages were a pacifist race, or so we believe. That they created things like this abomination¡­well, it seems contrary to our understanding of their nature.¡±


    I was silent for a while, not having expected an answer to my rhetorical question.


    ¡°You did well, Eleanor,¡± she continued. ¡°With practice, you will be able to increase the range and number of conjured creations you can maintain. With enough willpower, you will be able to make moreplex and powerful manifestations as well, I am sure.¡±


    I felt Mica shift behind me. ¡°I thought this spellform thing was for handing off mana or something?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± I felt a wave of embarrassment roll through me. Half-turning, I set a hand on Mica¡¯s shoulder and focused on my spellform, pushing mana into it. That mana rushed out of me, following the course of Mica¡¯s mana veins into her core. ¡°Sorry, I almost forgot!¡±


    Mica took a deep breath, rxing against me. ¡°Thanks, kiddo. That¡¯s¡­better.¡±


    Lyra had turned around to look at us, and I caught her hiding a smile as she faced forward again. ¡°Most runes have multiple levels or phases of activation, bing more powerful as the bearer grows stronger and gains proficiency in the provided spells. Emblems and regalias often have potent innate effects as well, which do not require activation to provide their benefit.¡±


    Mica shook her head. ¡°Something I still don¡¯t understand, I guess. Why aren¡¯t all the cryan soldiers rocking a full-body ink suit of these regalias and stuff then? If one little tattoo can nearly put a teenage girl into the silver core stage, why don¡¯t you guys have entire armies of white core mages? Or even beyond white core¡ªIntegration stage mages.¡±


    ¡°Most bestowments do not result in a rune,¡± Lyra exined. ¡°And when a rune is granted, it generally matches the capabilities of the bearer. Simply performing the ritual more times doesn¡¯t result in more runes. It is said that, in the early days of crya, the Sovereigns attempted to do as you suggested, forcing their subjects to undergo years of forced bestowments, over and over again, even tattooing or burning the marks into their flesh in an attempt to recreate the ancient mages¡¯ powers.


    ¡°But this is little different than if your Dicathian mages were to inject ink into your cores. The color of a mage''s core is a byproduct of a myriad of factors, such as lineage, talent, and insight, as is the reception of a spellform for an cryan mage.


    ¡°Which, of course, exins why these efforts were a dismal failure, and tens of thousands of people died. That, at least in part, led the High Sovereign tobine the bloodlines. The bestowment doesn¡¯t work on asuras, but lesser physiology can be enhanced with asuran blood, creating a new race of beings capable of handling more and stronger runes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so creepy,¡± I muttered, a shiver running down my spine.


    ¡°An entire continent birthed as an experiment in cross-breeding,¡± Mica said, her tone suggesting she was thinking the same thing I was. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder you¡¯re all absolutely psychotic.¡±


    Lyra¡¯s shoulders stiffened. ¡°One must step beyond the swamp to understand its fetid nature. I promise my pride in being named retainer and regent was no less than yours when you were made a Lance, Mica Earthborn. But experiencing a life outside the iron grip of the Vritra n, well¡­¡±


    Her stride slowed, and she looked up into the gloom and mist above us. ¡°At first, I thought it was you Dicathians who were mad. Your disorganized and ramshackle brand of magic, the way you bent the knee to lesser kings and queens, like poor imitations of our Sovereigns¡­and all that freedom. How could anything ever get done when every man and woman was free to skitter across the surface of your continent like insects in the dark?


    ¡°But the longer I stayed in Dicathen, the more clear it became to me¡­which of us was mad.¡±


    We walked in silence for a minute or more, growing close enough to the edge of the zone that everyone could see the curving stone wall and the gleaming arched portal that Arthur would use to take us on to the next one.


    ¡°How many Dicathians d¡¯you think you¡¯ve killed?¡± Mica asked suddenly. I could feel her body tense against my back.


    ¡°By my own hand?¡± Lyra asked without hesitation. ¡°Hundreds, I imagine. On mymand? Tens of thousands, at the very least.¡±


    Already tired and on edge, my stomach soured at the thought of all that death. So many people were killed in this war, and for what?


    I nced over my shoulder at Arthur, expecting him to intervene, to stop Mica and Lyra from falling into another fit of bickering. He was looking away from us, his profile clear against the dim backdrop of the zone, and I realized he wasn¡¯t really listening to this conversation. I could see in the set of his shoulders, his stiff gait, the slight frown on his sharp features¡­


    My brother was a million miles away. I wondered which of his many adventures was on his mind now. With the hydra worm¡¯s corpse still visible in the distance behind us, it seemed impossible that anyone could be thinking of anything but that fight, but it seemed to be consuming only me.


    Arthur had been through so much, and although he¡¯d told me plenty of stories, I knew there was more he was leaving out. Was this talk about the war and all the unnecessary deaths making him feel guilty? It probably is, I thought. He mes himself for not being able toe back sooner. Not being strong enough.


    ¡°And what about you, Lance?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°How many cryans have you killed?¡±


    ¡°Not enough,¡± Mica shot back, hostility oozing from those two simple words. Then, after a second¡¯s hesitation, she added, ¡°Or far too many. I won¡¯t know, I suppose, until this is all done.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± I said as the zone wall rose up in front of us, the only breach in the dark stone a single carved arch. The portal inside the frame was softly luminescent, but wherever that portal led, I knew it wasn¡¯t where we were going.


    Arthur seemed toe back to reality, marching ahead of us and drawing a metallic half-sphere from his dimension storage. ¡°The path forward isn¡¯tpletely clear,¡± he said as he activated the device.


    The opaque portal became translucent, like an open door, and several images melted in and out of focus in quick session on the other side.


    ¡°I have a map in my head, but it¡¯s just pictures. The way to the next djinn ruin¡ªthe next keystone¡ªis confused. It might take us a few tries.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in this together,¡± I said, immediately embarrassed by the childish optimism that came out in my voice.


    Mica slid off of Boo¡¯s back, her gaze moving from Lyra to me, then to Arthur. ¡°Hopefully the next zone or whatever smells better than this ce, yeah?¡±


    Lyra shook her head, her me-red hair tumbling around her shoulders. ¡°Rarely do the zones be more pleasant as you ascend farther.¡±


    Mica rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. ¡°So my hopes of us finding a resortplete with hot springs and honey wine are out the window?¡±


    With a wry, humorless smile, Arthur gestured to the portal. ¡°Only one way to find out.¡±

 Chapter 417

    <strong>ALARIC MAER</strong>


    I reread Lady Caera of Highblood-bloody-Denoir¡¯s letter for the third time, unsure if it was the alcohol that made the words so insensible or if it was just what she was asking me to do. The bar below was quiet¡ªa sign of the times¡ªwhich actually made it harder to focus, if anything. I needed noise, movement, action¡ªdistraction. I missed the boy, although I would have never admitted it to anyone out loud. He was good for a distraction.


    Heaving a great sigh that ended with a foul-tasting belch, I turned the parchment over and leaned back in the rickety wooden chair, ring around the small room as if it had been insulting toward my mother.


    I was back in Aramoor City in Etril, only having narrowly escaped from Itri in Truacia, where I¡¯d been helping to organize the smuggling of weapons and artifacts along the coast and up the Redwater.


    A task much more aligned to my skills and interests, I thought darkly, ncing at the back of Lady Denoir¡¯s parchment.


    But our smuggling efforts had been sessful enough to draw the attention of Bivran of the Dead Three, new retainer to the Dominion of Truacia, resulting in a sunk ship, dozens dead, and me running like my life depended on it.


    ¡°Just like the old days, huh?¡± a shadow said from my periphery.


    I didn¡¯t look straight at her, so she moved around the edge of the room and leaned against the wall right in front of me. ¡°You used to live for this kind of thing.¡±


    I scoffed, looking everywhere except at the vision of the woman, whose golden hair framed her sharp face and the hardened brown eyes that seemed to look into me.


    Still, I saw as her lips turned up wryly. ¡°You should acknowledge yourmanding officer when she¡¯s speaking to you, soldier.¡±


    ¡°Not mymander anymore,¡± I mumbled, closing my eyes and leaning forward to rest my head on the small desk. ¡°I¡¯m no soldier, and you¡¯re dead.¡±


    Sheughed lightly. ¡°All those years trying to get yourself killed in the Relictombs don¡¯t change who you are, Al. You¡¯re still an operator. That¡¯s why you can¡¯t stay out of the fight, no matter how hard you try. Sides may have shifted, but your purpose remains the same.¡±


    I rocked my forehead back and forth, enjoying the feel of the cool wood on my hot skin. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. I have changed. I¡¯m not the man I was when you knew me.¡±


    She snorted. ¡°And who could know you better than me? I¡¯m in your head, Al. All that remorse and regret, that hatred and rage that burns like the core of Mount Nishan and makes you feel like if you don¡¯t do something your bones might just vibrate to dust¡ªI can feel all of it.¡±


    I opened my eyes as I straightened up and red at the vision. ¡°You know what they did. You know why I walked away. I¡¯d string Vritra guts from Onaeka to Rosaere if I could, but neither of us could ever be more than a part of their machine in the end. Even as an ascender, it was all for their benefit at the end of the day. The murderous lizards even got you, didn¡¯t they?¡±


    She strode across the room, moving like a shadow, and put her hands on the desk, leaning down to pin me with her steely gaze. ¡°I made my choices. What happened changed my life just as much as it did yours, and you know that. But¡­¡± She hesitated, then stood, turned around, and leaned against the edge of the desk, her back to me. ¡°We both could have done better.¡±


    Another figure appeared in the shadows at the corner of the room, beyond my oldmander. No, not a single figure. The silhouette of a woman holding a child in her arms¡­


    My hand trembled as I scrambled for a half-full bottle of amber spirits from one of the desk shelves. After wing at the cork for a few seconds with weak fingers, I gripped it in my teeth instead, pulling it out and spitting it onto the floor. My eyes closed as the cold ss touched my lips. ¡°Get out of my head, ghosts,¡± I muttered into the open bottle, then tipped it back.


    The satisfying burn of the alcohol trailed down my throat and into my belly, where it radiated out to warm the rest of my body.


    I focused on thatforting feeling for a long moment, then half-opened one eye, peeking out at the small room. The visions were gone.


    ¡°Must be getting old,¡± I mumbled, giving the bottle a shake. ¡°Sobering up too quickly these days¡­¡± Tipping the bottle back again, I drained the remainder of its contents, then set it down heavily on the floor behind the desk.


    But I barely had time to do more than sigh with relief before someone was knocking lightly on the door.


    ¡°Damn,¡± I grumbled, grabbing Caera¡¯s letter and stuffing it into an inside pocket of my coat, carelessly crumpling it.


    ¡°Sir, your¡­guests have arrived,¡± a growling voice said from the other side of the door.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, send them in,¡± I grumbled.


    With a moan, I stood and stretched out my back, which ached from spending too much time in rickety old chairs like this one. I rubbed my hands vigorously over my face and through my beard, then ced them on the desktop, copying the vision¡¯s pose from only a few moments earlier.


    The door opened, and a handful of cloaked figures slipped in before closing it once again.


    The first stepped forward and pulled back his hood immediately, revealing a carefully groomed noble with dark hair and a goatee. My brows rose of their own ord.


    ¡°Highlord Ainsworth. I hadn¡¯t expected you toe personally¡ª¡±


    ¡°What in the abyss is happening out there?¡± he snapped, puffing up like an angry bog hopper. ¡°We¡¯ve received nothing but assurances from Scythe Seris, who is still holed up behind her shield in the south, while the rest of crya remains vulnerable to the High Sovereign¡¯s reprisals. I have yet to see any tangible benefit of the risks my highblood have undertaken.¡±<center></center>


    Behind him, the other figures, four in all, also lowered their hoods. To Ector¡¯s right, a nervous looking Kellen of Highblood Umburter was making a show of examining his fingernails, while to the left, Su of Named Blood Drusus, head of the Ascenders Association in Cargidan and an old friend of mine, was looking on with a raised brow. Then there was a surprise, a girl with golden hair trimmed short, the brightness of it highlighting the dark freckles across her face: Lady En of Highblood Frost, unless I was very much mistaken.


    The final member of this strange group was one of my people, who had shifted to the side slightly, putting room between her and the others.


    ¡°And now,¡± Ector continued, his face growing slightly red, ¡°Seris has asked us to directly expose ourselves in a way that will almost certainly destroy us. Does she even have a n, or is it simply one desperate action after the next?¡±


    I waited a moment, letting the highblood vent his frustration. Internally, I agreed with him. As eager as I was to strike at the Vritra in any way I could, it seemed to me that our efforts were far too small to do anysting damage or pose a threat to the High Sovereign¡¯s absolute control over our continent.


    Still, I had nothing to lose. But for men like Ector, this rebellion was a constant bncing act between fighting for a life without Vritra control and consigning his entire blood to a painful and longsting execution.


    Not that I have any sympathy for these preening highbloods, I reminded myself.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only just been informed of this new course of action myself,¡± I admitted, unsure what this highblood expected me to do or say about it. ¡°It¡¯s a risk, I¡¯ll admit, but not outside of your highblood¡¯s abilities.¡±


    As Ector ground his teeth, my young spy, an unblooded mage named Sabria, cleared her throat. ¡°Highlord Ainsworth, excuse me sir. ric, the two water-attribute emblem-bearers we hired were able to retrieve several of the crates lost from thest shipment from Itri, including the interference artifacts.¡±


    I pped the desk and grinned at Ector. ¡°See? That¡¯ll help. And so will these,¡± I added, pulling a wad of fabric out of a basket behind the desk.


    After catching it as I tossed it over to him, Ector let the fabric unroll, revealing a set of robes in the purple and ck coloring of Stormcove Academy with their cloud and lightning emblem emzoned across the chest. ¡°What in Vritra¡¯s name am I supposed to do with this?¡±


    ¡°Put it on,¡± I said, tossing a set to Kellen, En, and Su as well. ¡°In about thirty minutes, arge group of Stormcove Academy supporters will be marching past this bar on their way to an exhibition tournament between Stormcove and Rivenlight Academies. A handful of our people will be in the crowd. You¡¯ll leave with them, blending in until you can each safely make your way to a tempus warp.¡±


    ¡°Enough with both theints and the unnecessary espionage stuff,¡± Lady Frost said, stepping forward to be on a level with Ector, who she was almost as tall as.


    Ector¡¯s jaw clenched as he bit back whatever response had jumped to mind. Personally, between the two of them, I found En more intimidating, despite how young she was. And even though, as highlord, Ector outranked her, Highblood Frost was more powerful than Highblood Ainsworth.


    ¡°Promises were made. Half of the reason my father agreed to join this insane venture is because I convinced him that Professor Grey¡ªsorry, Ascender Grey was worth it. Lady Caera of the Denoir Highblood assured us he was involved in this, but we haven¡¯t seen or heard from him since the Victoriad.¡±


    ¡°Well, there was that attack in Vechor,¡± Kellen said with an irritating shrug.


    I eyed the girl curiously. Since saying goodbye and sending him through that Relictombs portal, I¡¯d learned much about what Grey¡ªArthur Leywin, Lance of the Tri-Union forces of Dicathen, I reminded myself¡ªhad done at Central Academy and the Victoriad, as well as what he¡¯d aplished in the war before ending up on our shores. Would she be as eager to follow his leadership if she knew who he really was? I wondered.


    But that wasn¡¯t for me to decide. Scythe Seris Vritra would determine when the people got to know that little detail, or perhaps she would wait for Arthur himself to make it known.


    Regardless, much of our support hinged on the high and named bloods¡¯ interest in him.


    ¡°He¡¯s the most wanted damned person in crya, isn¡¯t he? You¡¯re not likely to find him strolling about in broad daylight where any old Scythe or Sovereign can catch sight of him,¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°But he is out there?¡± she asked, a note of desperation creeping into her otherwise steady timbre. ¡°Rumors are beginning to spread. Rumors that he has been captured. Some people¡ªeven those who were there¡ªinsist that he never escaped the Victoriad at all.¡±


    Kellen let out a littleugh. ¡°Of course they¡¯d say that. It¡¯s rather difficult to maintain the illusion of absolute control if someone is actively evading said control, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    En turned to re at him, wiping the smug smile off his face.


    I rubbed the bridge of my nose between my callused fingers, already feeling the need for another drink. Vritra help me that I got saddled with these highbloods. ¡°He¡¯s out there.¡±


    Su, in the dangerous position of being a named blood among highbloods, had carefully avoided interrupting the conversation so far, but he seemed to see his opportunity. ¡°The Ascenders Association has been carefully maneuvering resources in preparation for a call to action. Grey is well-liked and respected among us, although, of course, bringing in new ascenders is still slow and dangerous work¡ªthe wrong word in the wrong ear could lead to the entire association being disbanded¡ªbut we have a sizable force prepared, along with a significant investment of resources¡ªweapons, artifacts, and the like. All of whom have rallied to his banner.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but shake my head, curious what Arthur would think about bing the rallying cry of this cryan rebellion against the Vritra.


    Ufortable, I¡¯d wager, I thought, amused. But not as ufortable as I am.


    ¡°Just like in Vechor, Grey will make his presence known when it suits him,¡± I said, fully aware that I was talking out my ass. ¡°For now, we all take our marching orders from Scythe Seris Vritra. Highlord Ainsworth, I can¡¯t speak to the purpose behind her request of your highblood, but I have been instructed to put my entirework of informants and operators at your service. Orchestrating the necessary acquisitions, manipting the systems in ce, and even absorbing the fallout, should there be any.¡±


    Ector looked at me as if I¡¯d just suggested I¡¯d be his concubine for the evening. ¡°While I¡¯m sure your resources are sufficient for what they are, I don¡¯t see how you can assist me, given that this is my highblood¡¯s direct responsibility.¡±


    I shrugged off the insult. A thousand worries hung like knives over my head, and this highlord¡¯s respect¡ªorck there of¡ªhardly even rated.


    Sabria, though, was having none of it. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry Highlord Ainsworth, is there something about this whole rebelling-against-the-gods-themselves thing that isn¡¯t living up to your expectations? What exactly has your blood sacrificed to be here right now? Because I¡¯ve lost three fucking friends this week alone to loyalist soldiers.¡±


    Ector looked disdainfully down his nose at the girl. ¡°Perhaps you and your friends should be better at your jobs, then.¡±


    ¡°How dare you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± I snapped, staring Sabria down. ¡°You forget yourself. This bickering serves no purpose except to waste time and reduce our readiness. If we¡¯re done seeing who can piss the farthest and least urately, let¡¯s continue on with the true purpose of this meeting.¡±


    The others¡ªthree highblood nobles, a named blood ascender, and an unblooded orphan¡ªwent silent, and all attention turned to me. Life is a bitterly unfunny joke, I thought to myself. One that drags on and on, so that by the end of it, you¡¯ve forgotten where it started and what the punchline was supposed to be. I took a drag from my hip sk, heedless of the looks this received¡ªespecially from the highbloods¡ªandunched into the details of the instructions I had received.


    It took the better part of twenty minutes for Ector and I to get on the same page. Highblood Umburter¡¯s assistance wasn¡¯t strictly necessary, but would make several aspects of the n a hell of a lot easier. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure why Seris had invited the Frosts, except perhaps to keep Ainsworth in line, and maybe force Highlord Frost¡¯s hand. He¡¯d been reluctant to take any real risk so far, but I would say putting his great-granddaughter¡ªthe shining star of his highblood¡ªright in the thick of things showed he was ready to be involved.


    That, or he was a sadistically cold-hearted bastard.


    As for Su, mywork and the Ascenders Association tied Seris¡¯s whole operation together, and we nearly always had a higher-ranking official involved in these ndestine meetings. I suspected Su hade himself for the same reason Ector and young Lady Frost had: they were getting nervous.


    ¡°Better get those uniforms on,¡± I said, nodding to the bundles of cloth each of them still held. ¡°Only a few minutes now until the procession arrives, and then you¡¯ll need to be quick.¡±


    There was a moment of silence as they each pulled on their disguising robes.


    ¡°cric?¡± Sabria asked, cocking her head and looking askance at the door.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Does it seem quiet to you?¡±


    I focused through the low-grade hum in my ears, listening for the normal clinking of sses on the bartop or scraping of stools over the much-abused floorboards. But Sabria was right, the bar below was utterly silent.


    ¡°Shit, time to¡ª¡±


    The door ripped inward, exploding in a storm of shrapnel that dissipated against a shield, rapidly conjured by Kellen.


    The doorframe opened onto a pitch-ck void.


    Leaping over the desk, I shoved Highlord Ainsworth to the side and activated the second phase of my crest, Myopic Decay. Mana vibrated through the air in the room, targeting its inhabitants eyes and buzzing violently to disrupt the focus of their cornea, resulting in heavily blurred vision.


    At the same time, I sent a pulse of mana into the floor, activating the mana-cutters I¡¯d installed as a precaution the moment I got back to Aramoor.


    But, fast as I had moved, our enemy was faster.


    An indistinct female form¡ªas much smoke as flesh, except for the bright white of her short hair¡ªdrifted out of the void, seeming to float over the ground on a cloud of ck mist. Tendrils of steel-hard shadow rose up about her like dark mes, and as my power ignited the first of the mana-cutters, one of those tendrils thrust out like a spear, shattering Kellen¡¯s shield and shearing through his corbone.


    The floor ripped itself to shreds, sending us plummeting down into the barroom below. My desk¡ªand all three bottles of booze hidden inside it¡ªcrashed straight through the shelves of liquor behind the dirty bar. I hit the bar itself and leaned forward to tuck into a roll, jarring my hip against the floor but ending up on my feet.


    Ennded on a stool, which shattered beneath her weight and downward force, but her mana red and she caught herself without a stumble. Ector was less lucky. Off bnce from my shove, hended hard, his head barely missing the bar as he crashed into the floor with enough force to break the nks. Su had vanished behind the bar, out of sight.


    My focus caught on Kellen, dangling fifteen feet above us. Untethered from gravity, our attacker hadn¡¯t fallen with us. As I watched, the shadowy tendril split in two, one ripping up through Kellen¡¯s shoulder, the other cutting down and out his hip. The two halves of him spiraled off in opposite directions, painting the floor and walls crimson.


    Then I noticed Sabria. The very edge of the floor above hadn¡¯t copsed, and the foolish girl had put her back against the wall and was standing with just her heel on all that remained of the floor. The shadow woman¡ªthe retainer, Mawar, called the ck Rose of Etril¡ªhad her back to Sabria. The girl¡¯s only hope was to stay still and let the retainere after me.


    Sabria leapt up, put both her feet against the wall, and shoved outward, a curved de appearing in her hand. Her body glowed with a dim orange radiance as she activated a fiery aura, and the de sliced through the air toward the back of the retainer¡¯s neck.


    With the nonchnce of one swatting away an insect, Mawar flicked out with her tendrils and caught Sabria in the side. The girl¡¯s momentum redirected and she flew away from the retainer and through the wall with a sickening crash.


    Then the woman¡¯s feline-yellow eyes settled on me, and I felt my insides shrivel up.


    Don¡¯t piss yourself, I thought, clenching myhers.


    The Frost girl was already moving, darting toward the back door, away from me and Hector. I was still channeling mana into Myopic Decay, so to everyone but me she would just be a hazy blur. Hopefully it was enough to keep the retainer from identifying the others. It wouldn¡¯t matter in the slightest, though, if they were all caught here.


    With one hand, I grabbed the back of Ector¡¯s silky tunic and heaved him to his feet and toward the front door, forcing the retainer to split her attention.


    More smokey tendrils curled up in front of the door, so I changed direction and headed for the closest window. ¡°Shield yourself if you can,¡± I grunted, pushing mana into my arms as I lifted Ector off his feet and hurled him toward the window.


    I could already feel the retainer¡¯s mana shifting with her focus as she attempted to catch Ector in her shadowy clutches. A pulse of mana into one of my marks, Aural Disruption, sent out a shock of sound-attribute mana that disrupted channeled abilities by interrupting the casting mage¡¯s focus and drawing their attention to me. It wasn¡¯t nearly powerful enough to stun someone as strong as a retainer, but I felt a spark of satisfaction as the grasping tentacles writhed in ce for the blink of an eye, just long enough for Ector to fly past them and smash through the window.


    Behind me, I heard En scream.


    Mawar¡¯s disconcerting gaze was still entirely focused on me as she drifted down from the room above, moving slowly on her ck mist, but her tendrils had wrapped themselves around the Frost girl and had her pinned.


    I ground my teeth. Of all of us, she was thest person I would want to be caught.


    Sensing the attack, I lunged to my right as tendrils tried to snake around my legs and torso, feeling them brush against my back. I went into a roll and came up under one of the tables, lifting it and hurling it toward the retainer. With line of sight broken, I pushed more mana into the Myopic Decay, activating the third level of the crest.


    The table shattered, and several tendrilsshed at me like whips from every side. My body was a hazy blur now, one of several that surrounded me. I ducked a tendril, but most sliced through the false images. Breaking out into a sweat from the effort it took, I sent the blurry forms racing away in every direction, while I bee-lined toward En.


    The tendrils churned like thresher des, sending splinters of wood flying like confetti through the air as the retainer ripped the bar apart.


    A board broke beneath my feet, and I stumbled. She was on me instantly.


    Only a second burst of my Aural Disruption rune saved me as I fell t on my ass to avoid the grasping tendrils, which shivered and froze for that all-too-necessary instant. But they were everywhere, all around me. The retainer showed no signs of hurry as she drifted toward me, probably suspecting that I was penned in and couldn¡¯t run.


    I could see her inhuman eyes squinting as she tried to peer through the blur of Myopic Decay. I didn¡¯t expect that it would take her too long to imbue enough mana into her eyes to overpower my spell, and if she did, both my identity and En¡¯s would be revealed.


    The light had taken on an uneven, jumping quality, and I realized that coals had been knocked out of the firece, lighting little fires in a dozen ces.


    My hold on the crest weakened as I pushed all the mana I could spare into my emblem. The little fires explode outward into roaring zes, engulfing the bar between one second and the next. The light these bonfires gave off, though, was a brilliant silver color, so bright it was impossible to look at, and suddenly the destroyed barroom was bright as the surface of the sun.


    The retainer hissed and raised a hand to cover her face, as I¡¯d hoped.


    Darting between the squirming tendrils, I sprinted for all I was worth toward En. From the inside pocket of my jacket, I pulled another mana-cutter, fired a half-second burst of mana into it, and tossed it into the air toward the retainer. It went off with a sub-audible wump that made my ears ring, sending out a pulse of destabilizing force that could break down walls, shatter floors, or, in a pinch, act as a kind of concussive weapon.


    The retainer reeled back from the explosion, undamaged but knocked further off kilter. She was already struggling to get her bearings in the blinding brightness and seemed to have lost track of me entirely.


    As I struggled toe up with a n to release En, a golden aura surrounded her, pushing away the retainer''s hostile magic. An emblem, I realized, shocked that a mage so young could have such a strong rune.


    The tendrils couldn¡¯t find purchase against the golden aura, and the retainer must have sensed it, because the tendrils melted together into three spear-sharp shadow-tentacles instead. One crashed into En¡¯s shoulder, lifting her off her feet and driving her into a wall. A second stabbed toward her chest but skated off to punch through the drywall instead. The third cut like a sword across her throat, and the golden aura cracked and broke, and the girl copsed to the floor.


    For a moment, I feared the worst, but there was no blood. The spell from her emblem had absorbed the worst of the attack, but her movements were sluggish and her eyes were unfocused. She was hurt, maybe concussed, or at least nearing bacsh from trying to resist such powerful attacks.


    Reaching out with my own emblem, I sent a shockwave of mana running through the mes devouring every surface around me, closing my eyes against the results. Even through my lids, I could see the re as the silver mes grew bright enough to blind. But I didn¡¯t have the strength to hold both crest and emblem any longer, and so I let go of my focus on the Sun re spell.


    The light immediately dimmed, but it didn¡¯t go out. The mes were in every board and beam, and I could already hear parts of the buildinging down, although I couldn¡¯t see beyond my immediate vicinity.


    En was stumbling to her feet, and only by the grace of good luck did the scything tendrils around her miss as they swung about blindly.


    Twisting to avoid one such sh, I grabbed the girl in both arms, wrapping her up and pulling her close without slowing down. I had only a bare instant to nce along the back of the bar for Su, afraid I¡¯d see his burning body among the wreckage of the bar¡¯s stock of alcohol, but he wasn¡¯t there. I could only hope that, in all this madness, he had somehow escaped.


    Leading with my back, I collided full force with the already weakened wall, bursting right through it and nearly tumbling over backwards. This saved us both, as one of the tendrils thrust at us through the hole, but only scraped my arm instead of pinning En and me both through the chest.


    With no time to nurse my wound or admire my continued good fortune, I sprinted down the short corridor with En in my arms. It ended in a window, but a pulse from Aural Disruption, this time formed into a condensed st, caused the ss and most of the frame to burst apart, and I leapt through without slowing down.


    Although I didn¡¯t dare look back, I could hear the ceiling of the bar copsing into the inferno that was the building.


    There were people all over in the street, people dressed in purple uniform robes, half which were wearing masks. I¡¯d had masks in the desk, too, but hadn¡¯t had the chance to hand them over. Oh well, I thought wryly. Hardly the worst of our problems now.


    The crowd, which must have stopped to watch the fire, was now whipping itself into a panic. Finally, I nced back and realized why. The retainer had floated up out of the ze, her impassive face now marred with an irritated scowl as she searched the street. It only took a moment for the onlookers to surge away, pushing and shoving and screaming.


    Feral yellow eyes met mine, and I cursed.


    The retainer''s hand lifted, her fingers outstretched toward me like ws.


    With En supported in one arm, I slipped a hand into my jacket and tossed several capsules up into the air, which shivered under the effects of Aural Disruption, ripping the the casings apart and activating the contents.


    Thick smoke began boiling out into the street, instantly swallowing most of the crowd.


    And then I was running again, dragging the highblood girl along beside me, waiting for the ax to fall. Unfortunately, I knew the fear of coteral damage wasn¡¯t going to stop Mawar from unleashing her worst, and I was all out of tricks.


    My hand went automatically to the re hanging off my belt, but I had already made up my mind not to use it. There was nothing my people could do against the retainer except get themselves killed.


    Instead of the crashing sound of magic ripping the world apart, though, Sabria¡¯s unexpected voice screamed out into the night, piercing the rising noise of the frenzied crowd. ¡°Hey, is that really the best you¡¯ve got, bitch?¡±


    On the roof of the building next to the smoldering bar, barely visible through the smoke, Sabria stood with a curved de in each hand. She was limping to the side slightly, and I suspected she was badly injured¡ªprobably several broken ribs, at least¡ªbut I couldn¡¯t help but feel a flush of pride as I saw her stare that retainer down.


    Then, with both des facing down like two long fangs, she jumped off the roof, arcing through the air toward the retainer. I expected the tendrils of shadow toe to Mawar¡¯s defense, but instead the retainer brought her raised arm around and caught Sabria by the throat. The des drove home, but only nced off the powerfulyer of mana dding the retainer¡¯s body.


    With nothing but an irritated hiss, Mawar squeezed, ripping out Sabria¡¯s throat. With a casual flick, she tossed the body down into the fire.


    A bolt of fire shot from a nearby window, striking the retainer in the chest. Then a spear of iceunched up from the crowd. Spells flew from other buildings as well, from a half-dozen different directions.


    I felt something inside me go numb. ¡°I didn¡¯t send up the signal, you idiots,¡± I grumbled.


    None of the spells managed more than a scratch, but it was everything I needed. Giving everything I had left to the Myopic Decay crest, I surged into the third phase again, extending the effect to En. I needed to find one of my people, someone disguised in the crowd who could help her disappear. Even through the smoke, it didn¡¯t take long; they were already looking for me, too.


    A man with long blond hair and angry dark eyes came up beside me, looking dour. ¡°Sir, we got Highlord Ainsworth and Ascender Drusus out already, but¡ª¡±


    I shoved the semi-conscious girl into his arms. They both had the purple uniforms and could blend in with the escaping crowd. ¡°Get her the hells out of here, now!¡±


    ¡°Sir, what about you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Go!¡±


    He didn¡¯t waste anymore time, but scooped her up and fell in with the rest of those escaping. An ill-timed breeze was kicking up eddies in the smoke, pushing it away from the ruined bar and down the street after them.


    I came to a slow stop, and the pain of thest couple minutes caught up with me. My skin, I realized, was ckened and blistered all over, and was weeping blood in ces where it had burst open from the heat. My joints felt like the mes were in them, and every muscle wasining with fatigue.


    A dull ache was working its way into my skull. Unsheathing my sk, I turned around and looked up at the retainer again. She sent a missile of dark energy through the window of a nearby building, and the entire upper floor detonated. The explosion sent shrapnel raining down into the street, falling like deadly hail among the stampeding bystanders.


    I tipped back the sk, draining it to thest, and then threw it on the ground.


    ¡°Enough!¡± I shouted. If I brought her attention back to me, the loyal, foolish mages who had been stupid enough to fire on her might get away. ¡°I¡¯m right here, you scarecrow. I¡¯m the one you want!¡±


    Her head slowly turned around as she searched the street for me. The crowd had moved past me, and only those moving slowly due to injury or dragging along the injured were still nearby. Whirls of smoke blew here and there, obscuring parts of the street, but not me.


    Heavy, nging footsteps moving in time suddenly became audible over the rest of the noise, and I turned. Through the gloom and the smoke, a force of loyalist soldiers was approaching. Quickly, I searched their number for any prisoners. They had a few, mostly people in purple uniforms, a couple of whom were indeed members of mywork, but Ector and En were not among them. I let out a deep sigh and raised my hands.


    ¡°That one is for the High Sovereign,¡± Mawar said, her voice like ice water down my spine. ¡°Bind him with mana suppression cuffs and hang him somewhere ufortable. I¡¯m not done here.¡± Then, like I didn¡¯t matter in the slightest, she turned away and drifted toward another building where spells had been fired from earlier.


    A strong hand grabbed my shoulder as an armored boot took my feet out from under me. I went down hard on the cobblestones. My arms were yanked behind my back, and cold steel bit down around my wrists. I realized just how close to empty my core was when I couldn¡¯t even feel the effects of the mana suppression.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got this pile of woggart dung,¡± a woman said. Someone, I assumed the same woman, jerked me painfully up by the cuffs. ¡°Keep looking for the others, the ones he was meeting with. They couldn¡¯t have gone far.¡±


    The other soldiers moved aside as she marched me through them. From the shadowed doorway of a nearby shop, the vision of my priormander was shaking her head, her disappointment quite clear despite the dark, the smoke, and the distance.


    ¡°Not sure what you think you¡¯ll get out of me,¡± I mumbled as we moved out in the open, away from the rest. My heavy eyelids kept trying to drag themselves shut, and I wished very much to polish off a bottle of something hard and bitter before crashing into a deep, drunken unconsciousness. ¡°I¡¯m just an old, washed up ascender.¡±


    The back of a steel gauntlet caught me hard across the ear, making the world tilt on its side. ¡°Shut up.¡±


    The pain of the strike was little more than a tickle considering the chorus of agonies currently screaming for attention across my body, but the sound of the woman¡¯s voice piqued my interest. It was strangely familiar, but I couldn¡¯t ce it, and that rarely happened to me.


    Turning slightly, I caught her rather striking profile. Horns grew out from her forehead to sweep back over her blue-ck hair, which was pulled into a tight, all-business sort of ponytail. Her burgundy eye turned toward me, and she bared her teeth. ¡°Need another one?¡±


    ¡°Lady Maylis of Highblood Tremy. What brings a lovely young woman like you to a dive like this?¡±


    She leaned in, almost close enough I could feel her lips moving against my ear. ¡°If you want either one of us to get out of this alive, I really need you to shut up.¡±

 Chapter 418

    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    The zone trembled as its behemoth protector copsed, its chest pierced with translucent mana arrows and stone shards, its final piteous roar choked with ck blood.


    Mica, sweating and caked with dirt, nudged the behemoth with a toe, making the massive, fur-covered corpse rock slightly. Its tiny ck eyes were staring sightlessly past me from above the piggish snout and tusks.


    ¡°And¡­another one¡­bites the dust,¡± Mica said, flopping down on one huge forearm like it was a shaggy couch.


    A shiver ran through the aether in the zone, and I scanned our surroundings.


    We stood atop a column of dry, crumbling rock. We¡¯d had to cross from column to column, fighting various monsters of increasing size and power, to reach this final battle. The ground was an indistinct sandstone wastnd a mile below, so far that the columns blurred together before reaching the bottom. The zone seemed to go on forever in all directions, with the columns slowly fading out into a heat haze where they met the soft blue of the sky on the horizon.


    Boo moaned, and I nced in his direction. Ellie was standing beside him, giving himforting pats.


    Regis chuckled. ¡°Who would have guessed that an asura-bred guardian beast could have a fear of heights?¡±


    The shiver happened again.


    Ellie had started to give Regis a dirty look, but stopped when she saw my face. ¡°Brother, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡ª¡±


    The stone at my feet cracked. All eyes turned to the crack, only a few feet long at first, but even as we watched, it began racing across the rough surface of the column¡¯s t top. Boo and Ellie jumped to one side as the crack split the column¡¯s face nearly in two. Then, with a guttural grinding that vibrated in my bones, a dozen other fractures split off the central crack, and the stone beneath our feet began to shift.


    All around us, the zone exploded with the avnche cacophony of shattering stone, and a thick cloud of dust choked the air.


    The exit portal, which was inset into the floor and had been guarded over by the behemoth, red to life, offering us passage to the next zone.


    Lyra sprinted for it, her feet hardly touching the crumbling surface as she ran.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go through!¡± I shouted, and she slid to a halt just beyond the square frame. ¡°Stabilize the tform if you can!¡±


    As Mica and Lyra hurried to follow my order, I scooped Ellie up and leapt half the width of the column¡¯s top tond by the portal, the Compass already in hand.


    Setting Ellie down, I channeled aether into the Compass and focused on the portal. If my mental map from Sylvia was correct, the third djinn ruin was just on the other side, but sincewe didn¡¯t have simulets, the others might not end up there unless I stabilize the portal first.


    Mica jumped to the center point of the crack and mmed her hammer down into it. Instead of sending the column bursting apart, magic raced from the hammer along the spreading cracks, pulling stone back against stone. Lyra sprinted around the outside of the column, a gust of magical wind flowing out from behind her and down around the edge of the lip to stabilize it by buttressing the structure with a supportive band of hardened air.


    ¡°It¡¯s like something else is controlling the mana!¡± Mica shouted, an edge of panic in her voice.


    ¡°Thendscapes of the Relictombs are immutable,¡± Lyra huffed as she ran. ¡°They built this ce using aether, and their creation resists tampering by even the most powerful mages¡­¡±


    With the sliver of my attention I¡¯d given to everything except the Compass and portal, I realized I had never considered this fact before. I¡¯d lost my mana core before entering the Relictombs, and so had always relied on aether to survive here. While it made sense that the djinn¡¯s intention would preclude allowing those testing within to simply remake the zones with mana, it also suggested that, with the proper utilization of aether, the fabric of the Relictombs itself could be rewritten.


    There was no time for such considerations right now, though. From my periphery, I saw as Mica began to tremble, her biceps bulging as she held onto her hammer with all her strength. The stone beneath Lyra¡¯s feet copsed, and she vanished into the hole. From somewhere below, I felt the mile-high column shift and twist, the noise of it lost in the cacophonous tumbling of rocks from every direction.


    The column shattered.


    Lyra and I were standing on the edge of the portal frame, which didn¡¯t move. Ellie was standing right beside me, but one foot had been off the frame. When the surface crumbled, her eyes went wide and her hand reached for me as she was pulled backwards by gravity.


    Behind her, Boo, Regis, and Mica plunged down with the broken rubble, the guardian bear giving out a despairing roar as its ws scrambled for purchase against stone no longer capable of supporting it.


    I nearly lost hold of the Compass as my hand snatched out for Ellie. My fingers brushed hers, but I had been focused on stabilizing the portal¡­


    Her hair flew up past her face, whipping in the wind like a g, her hands wing at the air as if she could take hold of it somehow or catch herself on nothing. Btedly, a scream pierced the air, pleading and helpless.


    Cursing, I leapt off the side after her and activated God Step.


    The paths shed past at a speed that was difficult to process, especially with my heart in my throat. With my eyes on Ellie, I let the rest of my senses focus on the paths.


    Aiming my body toward her and making myself as aerodynamic as possible, I sped after her. It felt like it took a very long time. Her body was twisting around in freefall, and when I caught up and wrapped my arms around her, it was with enough force to knock the air from her lungs. She scrambled to take hold of me however she could, pulling my hair and jamming her thumb into my eye. We both began tumbling end over end, locked together by her grasping fingers and my arm around her waist.<center></center>


    ¡°El¡­Ellie! You have to¡±¡ªmy fingers finally closed around her wrist, and I pulled her around to face me¡ª¡°calm down!¡±


    She pulled closer and wrapped me in a tight hug, screaming, ¡°Boo!¡±


    About twenty feet to our right, the guardian bear¡¯s huge bulk was rotating end over end. A long, low, mindless growl was issuing from him, and he was trembling wildly.


    Regis was closer, nearly straight ahead. He did a kind of twirl and spun to look at me, his tongue lolling from the side of his mouth. ¡®I always thought I¡¯d like skydiving,¡¯ he thought. ¡®And dodging several million tons of killer rockfall definitely adds to the experience.¡¯ His shadow wolf form melted away, leaving behind only a small wisp, which began drifting back up toward the portal frame.


    ¡°We need to save Boo!¡± Ellie screamed in my ear.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to summon him from the top,¡± I hollered back over the wind.


    Ellie¡¯s brows furrowed in determination as she nodded despite the wind-whipped tears streaking across her cheeks.


    My focus turned to the aetheric paths, searching for one that would return us to the portal frame now high above, but then Ellie¡¯s grip tightened on me again. Noticing her horrified gaze, I followed it.


    Mica was nearly a hundred feet above us, the aetheric paths shifting and fading as her rtive position to us kept changing. I cursed, struggling to calcte how I could get to her and then the portal frame in time.


    ¡°Brother, hold me still!¡±


    Ellie raised a glowing white hand as she clutched tightly to my robe, stabilizing herself as she took aim at thence. A misty white bolt shot out, barely grazing past a falling rock before finding its target.


    With a sudden infusion of mana, Mica stopped falling. She hesitated, looking down at us, but I shook my head. She nodded and flew straight back up into the air.


    I spared a second to watch the ground growing rapidly closer, then tried to bring all my focus to the aetheric pathways. When they didn¡¯t immediately coalesce in my mind, I closed my eyes, feeling them the way Three-Steps had taught me.


    There.


    With Ellie firmly in my arms, I ¡°stepped¡± into the aether. We appeared atop the thin edge of stone surrounding the glowing portal.


    ¡°Boo!¡± Ellie screamed, her voice shrill.


    With a faint pop, a shadow appeared overhead, and the enormous guardian bear crashed down on top of me.


    From under a fringe of fur, I saw Mica¡¯s bootsnd next to us.


    ¡°Boo!¡± Ellie eximed, her sobs muffled as she must have shoved her face into her bond¡¯s side.


    Careful not to send the mana beast tumbling off the edge again, I extricated myself from his bulk and brushed myself off. Regis drifted into me, humming a tune, heedless of the fact that everyone had nearly just died.


    The rest of us all shared a look, but no one had any words.


    Once again, I pulled out the Compass and set to work stabilizing the portal so that it wouldn¡¯t send the others off on their own. I nodded when it was ready, and Lyra stepped in, looking like she was sinking into a pool of quicksilver. Mica reached up to rest her hand lightly on Ellie¡¯s shoulder. The two shared a look and a pale smile, then Mica hopped in after Lyra.


    Ellie hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said after a moment. ¡°I should have¡ª¡±


    I held up a hand to forestall her continued apology. ¡°Stop feeling like you need to apologize for everything.¡±


    ncing over the edge, a shiver ran through her and she nodded. Boo needed no encouragement to wade into the portal, and Ellie followed with a look of grim determination.


    I looked around the zone onest time, taking in the destruction with a sigh, and then stepped into the portal.


    On the other side, we found ourselves in a familiar corridor, brightly lit by panels of light running along the top of the walls. Mica, Lyra, Ellie, and Boo were staring around. Feeling a sense of deja vu, I turned to watch the portal we¡¯d entered through vanish.


    ¡°Well, this is eerie,¡± Regis said as he stepped from my shadow. I shook my head, realizing that he¡¯d said exactly the same thing when we found the first ruin.


    Before, the sterile environment had put me on edge, but now I knew what to expect. Sure enough, a momentter, runes lit up along the walls, and the lights faded to a low violet color.


    Once again, an irresistible force took hold of me¡ªof us all¡ªand suddenly our group was skidding across the tiled floor, bringing us to a massive, ck crystal gate.


    Cursing, Lyra spun around, but the white hallway was gone. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± I assured her. ¡°On the other side of that gate we¡¯ll find what we¡¯re looking for. I¡¯ll face some kind of test or challenge. You won¡¯t be able to help me, so you should have the chance to rest there.¡±


    ¡°Who needs¡­rest¡­¡± Mica asked, leaning against Boo¡¯s side to hold herself upright.


    ¡®Wee, descendant. Please enter.¡¯


    ¡°What was that?¡± Ellie asked.


    ¡°Did you hear the words?¡± I asked as the runes on the gate pulsed brightly.


    ¡°Not words, just¡­something. Like a whisper beyond the edge of my hearing.¡±


    I frowned, considering. It would have made sense if Ellie could hear the message too, since she was also a descendant of the djinn, but she didn¡¯t have any insight into aether, so maybe the Relictombs saw her differently.


    Better get inside me, just in case, I suggested to Regis. I don¡¯t want you trapped on the wrong side of the door.


    He became incorporeal and drifted into my body, his wisp form settling near my core. ¡®Wake me up when something interesting happens.¡¯


    ¡°This next part can be a bit trippy,¡± I said, reaching out and brushing my fingers across the smooth surface of the gate.


    My fingers went through, the crystal clinking lightly as it folded away from my hand, making room for my passage. Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the solid surface, my skin tingling from the strange, warm caress of the ck crystal flowing around my skin.


    Everything went dark for a moment, and it felt like I was walking along the bottom of a warm ocean, then the crystal veil parted again. This time, when I saw the geometric patterns, I recognized them as being simr to those I¡¯d seen in the keystone when I learned Aroa¡¯s Requiem. Something about that magic and this was the same, although it was still beyond me toprehend exactly what.


    I wasn¡¯t expecting danger, but I still quickly scanned the space on the other side of the crystal door.


    It was brightly lit by arge number of lighting artifacts giving off a sunshine-like glow. The room was lined with ss disy shelves, and the middle of the room contained over a dozen low, ss-encased tables.


    Stepping up to the closest disy, I searched for a que or card that might exin what I was seeing, but there was nobel on the contents. Inside the ss, resting on a purple velvet cushion, was a featureless cube.


    The air changed behind me, and the shifting ck crystals folded into existence just long enough for Lyra Dreide to step through into the room, then the apparition melted away again.


    Wide-eyed, she stared around, her mouth hanging open. ¡°Is this¡­some kind of museum?¡±


    I walked slowly down the aisle between two rows of disy tables, examining the artifacts. ¡°Something like that, yeah. This is different from what I¡¯ve seen before. And I don¡¯t recognize any of these artifacts.¡±


    The tinkling whisper of the crystal door came again, and this time Ellie stepped through, followed immediately by Boo. ¡°Whoa, this is so cool,¡± she muttered, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement.


    Boo¡¯s bulk was so great that he couldn¡¯t move without bumping into something, but the disys seemed fixed in ce, not moving even when the guardian bear rubbed up against them.


    Mica arrived only a few secondster. After looking around for a moment, she shrugged. ¡°So this big test thing is happening in a dusty old museum? Isn¡¯t that kind of weird? I think it¡¯s weird.¡±


    I didn¡¯t respond, finally seeing something that I recognized. On the opposite wall from where I¡¯d first appeared, one of the shelves held three identical spheres. More Compasses, I noted, tracing my fingers along the edge of the ss front. Carefully, I attempted to shift the ss or otherwise open it, but it didn¡¯t respond to subtle force.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any way to open them either,¡± Lyramented as she ran a hand along the bottom edge of a table. ¡°We could smash them open. The contents of this museum¡ª¡±


    Balling my fist, I struck the front of the ss hard enough to rip through steel. The case neither resisted the force nor shattered under it. Instead, my fist passed through it, the image wobbling incoherently until I pulled my hand back. Once the case was solid again, I pressed my forefinger against it. It felt solid.


    When Caera and I had reached the second djinn ruin, the ce had been copsing. The entrance hall and the library on the other side had been merged into one another. They weren¡¯t quite real. This museum was probably the same, a visual representation of a ce that didn¡¯t exist.


    ¡°It¡¯s more like¡­¡± I trailed off, trying to think of an appropriate metaphor.


    ¡°Like a picture made real,¡± Ellie said, gazing curiously at an engraved rod made of dull metal, about a foot and a half long.


    ¡°Yeah, something like that. Even the Relictombs zones we¡¯ve cleared reset after we leave. They¡¯re meant to be manipted, though, to test us. This room is nothing, really. Just a distraction.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly working,¡± Lyra said, her voice full of awe as she nearly pressed her face up against one of the disys.


    I craned around to see what she was looking at and felt a sudden jolt of recognition at the handful of many-faceted crystals resting on the velvet cushion. Images¡ªdjinn faces¡ªwere projected across each facet with steadfast but forlorn expressions. Imbuing aether into my extradimensional storage rune, I called forth a matching crystal, which I had taken from the second ruin and then forgotten about.


    When the crystal appeared in my hand, Lyra immediately reached out for it, then caught herself and slowly lowered her hand. Her eyes darted back to the collection of djinn crystals protected underneath the ss disy, her confusion clear.


    ¡°These are sort of like books. Or journals,¡± I said in answer to her unasked question. ¡°Or at least, that¡¯s the impression I got before. I¡¯ve been carrying this one around for a while.¡±


    ¡°What does it say?¡± she asked, almost reverent.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­not sure,¡± I admitted. ¡°I¡¯ve never listened to the creator¡¯s message.¡±


    Ellie came close, leaning into me for a better look. ¡°So you could have been walking around with the secret to ancient magic in your pocket and not even known it?¡± Her brows rose and she shook her head at me.


    ¡°I very much doubt that,¡± I said, but Ellie¡¯s words made me uneasy.


    I¡¯d taken the crystal from the copsing library, which had ovepped the second ruin, more or less on a whim, and had felt guilty about it at the time. My focus afterwards, though, had been entirely on the keystone, and I¡¯d never given the crystal another thought.


    ¡°Can you activate it so we all can experience it?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°I have never heard of such a repository of ancient mage knowledge, and I would be incredibly interested to hear what this man had to say.¡± She pointed to the face speaking silently across the various facets.


    I turned the crystal over in my hand, considering it, then sent it back into my dimension rune. Lyra looked put out as she gazed at my empty hand, but I ignored her. Something was wrong. Before, even in the copsing library of the second ruin, I¡¯d only had to activate aether to ess the ruins hidden below the surface. But I¡¯d just used aether to ess my dimension storage twice.


    Mica said something, maybe asked a question, but I didn¡¯t register any of her words. Holding up my hand, I channeled aether, releasing a harmless burst of formless energy that manifested as glowing purple light.


    Again, nothing happened.


    In order to be more intentional, I reached down and put my hand against the floor, then pushed outward with aether. Nothing changed.


    I tapped my fingers on the floor, and Lyra¡¯s words atop the crumbling column came back to me. ¡°I wonder¡­¡±


    I imbued the Realmheart godrune.


    It was strange. Mana was there, but normally the presence of mana particles aligned with the physical attributes of the space in question. One would expect to see a high concentration of earth-attribute mana clinging to the floor and walls, air-attribute mana floating in the atmosphere, and, in a ce like this, only lingering traces of water- and fire-attribute mana.


    But the mana particles didn¡¯t line up with the space we were seeing at all.


    It was like I was looking at a second image superimposed beneath the picture my eyes were showing me, a collection of dots loosely outlining the features of another space.


    Because the mana is aligned with the realities of the chamber. The ruins, the pedestal, the ring, like in the other two ruins.


    Again, I considered Lyra¡¯s words. A mana-wielding mage may struggle to alter the physical characteristics of the Relictombs, but there had to be a way for me to pierce the veil of separation between the museum and the ruin just behind it.


    Aether began to radiate out from me, filling the chamber with violet light. Mentally, I reached for the invisible seams, the ces where the illusion contained itself in opposition to the real. It was like feeling for the gap around a hidden door¡ªa ce where the two separate pieces didn¡¯t perfectly align.


    The grasping fingers of my probing aether touched on a jagged edge, and the entire room wobbled in and out of focus.


    Mica groaned, her eyes trying to follow along. ¡°Reminds me of when I tried to beat Olfred in a drinking contest, ugh. Are you trying to make us all sick?¡±


    I had to trace back over where I¡¯d been twice before I found the edge again. As soon as I touched it, a static blur vibrated through the chamber, making my eyes go crossed. Boo grunted in agitation, and Ellie made soft cooing noises to calm him.


    Closing my eyes to let my other senses do the work, I held on to that edge with aether. I pictured it like a piece of parchmentid over our senses, and so did the most appropriate thing I could think of. I tore it in two.


    Mypanions burst out with dismayed moans, and it sounded as if Mica was very nearly sick as she wretched. Someone fell to their hands and knees. Lyra cursed under her breath¡ªor offered a prayer to the Vritra, it was difficult to tell which.


    When I opened my eyes again, we were surrounded by light gray stone.


    The third ruin, I thought, still wary.


    Unlike thest two, however, this ce wasn¡¯t a ruin at all. The stone walls and floor looked as if they¡¯d just been quarried and shaped yesterday. There was no overgrowth, no broken walls or crumbling ceiling. It was all in perfect condition.


    Even the structure in the center of the room was undamaged, but the four rings that should have been orbiting the pedestaly dormant, and the crystal itself was dark.


    ¡°That was bloody horrible,¡± Micained.


    Ellie was kneeling on the ground beside me, Boo moaning and nudging at her. I rested a hand on her hair, and she looked up at me. Sweat was pouring down her face. ¡°Seconded,¡± she said weakly.


    ¡°It was like¡­having my eyes pulled out of their sockets, then thrown into the air while still connected to me,¡± Lyra breathed, leaning back against the unblemished stone wall.


    Regis manifested next to me, his mes casting a jumping, purple light over the stonework. ¡°You Vritra sure have a way with words.¡± To me, he said, ¡°What now, boss? This ce seems dead as barbequed roadkill.¡±


    I set the palm of my hand against the crystal. It was cold, and there was no reaction to my touch.


    Keeping part of my focus on Realmheart, I channeled additional aether into Aroa¡¯s Requiem. Bright motes of restorative energy flowed down my arm and hand and onto the crystal. I pushed more and more motes into therge object, watching as they swarmed across the surface, congregating in every crevice as they searched for anything to fix.


    Some was absorbed into it, melting right through the crystal¡¯s surface. I kept in my mind my understanding of the artifact, its purpose and what was likely stored within, giving the godrune a pattern on which to build if it found anything broken.


    But, after a full five minutes, nothing had changed.


    I released the godrune, and the motes slowly faded away. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s broken.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s more like¡­out of power?¡± Ellie asked tentatively. She had gotten to her feet and was slowly walking around the circr rings.


    Frowning, I gathered aether into my hand and imbued it into the projection crystal. The crystal absorbed the aether, but it did note to life.


    Like she was moving in a trance, Ellie slowly reached out for the crystal as well. Her fingertips just brushed its surface, and a spark of mana rushed out of her core, through her veins, and into the crystal.


    It flickered with cloudy, dim light from deep within.


    ¡°That appears to have done something,¡± Lyra said, twirling a strand of fire-red hair around her fingers. ¡°Eleanor, can you give it more mana?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Ellie whispered as she pressed both hands firmly against it. Her small frame red with white light as pure mana poured into the device.


    The crystal emitted a soft glow and an audible hum. The rings shifted, jolting slightly, but they did not rise up from the ground or begin to orbit the pedestal like I¡¯d seen in the first ruin.


    And yet my sense of foreboding grew. I could only hope the captured remnants of whatever djinn mind haunted this ce still remained.


    The runes covering the pedestal and dormant rings shed, and a voice emanated from the crystal, sharp and ancient and wary. ¡°Life¡ªinto my old bones¡ªbut¡­¡± The voice trailed off for a moment, and the runes dimmed, only to sh again as it said, ¡°Is my mission notplete? Tests given, keystone rewarded¡­I¡¯ve slept for such a very long time. For what purpose am I now roused?¡±


    I nced down at Regis, sharing the bad feeling that was emanating to me from our connection. ¡°Djinn, are you saying that the keystone in your care was already given to someone else?¡±


    The light within the runes shifted, almost like it was focusing on me. ¡°A worthy descendant presented themselves¡­a very, very long time ago. They passed my tests and imed the knowledge I guarded, and so the structure housing my mind and memories went to sleep, the energy sustaining me utilized elsewhere.¡±


    My heart gave a painful thump, and it suddenly felt strenuous to draw breath. Clenching my fists, I forcefully steadied my breathing. ¡°Can you tell me who this descendant was? Or what knowledge was contained within the keystone?¡±


    ¡°That information is not stored within this remnant.¡±


    I was acutely aware of mypanions¡¯ eyes all lingering on me, but I didn¡¯t meet any of their gazes in return. ¡°What about your test? The previous manifestations or guardians or whatever you call yourselves tested me, and through those tests I was able to gain insight. Even without the keystone¡ª¡±


    ¡°This housingcks the energy tomit to another test. Whatever arts you¡¯ve used to wake me are sufficient only for the most surface-level application of my stored consciousness, and already I can feel it running out. My purpose is fulfilled. I can see the anguish in your mind, but I can offer you no balm for your pain. I¡­am¡­s-sorry¡­¡±


    The voice lost integrity, gaining a tinny quality like it was echoing out of a can, then faded away entirely. Thest of the light left both runes and crystal.


    ¡°Well, shit,¡± Regis said sinctly, sitting back on his haunches.


    ¡°Agrona must have it,¡± I said immediately, turning to look at Lyra for confirmation.


    She shrugged helplessly. ¡°It is possible. This ¡®keystone¡¯ may be what allowed him to form our nation to begin with, or to survive the assassination attempts sent by the other asura, or even unlocked the knowledge of the reincarnates and the Legacy. Or all of it. But I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know for certain.¡±


    Mica flew up off the ground, suddenly in Lyra¡¯s face. She pushed her hammer against the retainer¡¯s shoulder, shoving her back into the wall. ¡°Aren¡¯t you one of his generals or whatever? How could you not know? Don¡¯t lie to us!¡±


    Lyra lifted her chin and red at Mica. ¡°The High Sovereign is quite effective atpartmentalizing his forces. No one except Agrona himself sees the entire picture. The Scythes and retainers are political figures, both carrot and stick for the civilians. The deeper workings of his empire arergely left to the Vritra n themselves, those who still remain after fleeing from Epheotus beside him so long ago. His army of Wraiths do nothing but train and prepare, a secret even from most of his own continent.¡±


    ¡°A likely story,¡± Mica shot back, pushing harder with her hammer.


    ¡°But Agrona couldn¡¯t have gotten in here himself, right?¡± Regis asked, careless of the tension between the two powerful women. ¡°Who could have gotten in here besides you?¡±


    I shook my head, unsure. Crossing the room, I took hold of Mica¡¯s hammer and gently pulled it away from Lyra. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to fight against each other.¡±


    Grumbling, she lowered her weapon. Lyra and Mica glowered at each other.


    Ellie was watching them nervously as she yed with the hem of her shirt. ¡°So, what do we do?¡±


    ¡°There is still one more ruin out there,¡± I said firmly. ¡°We need to find it. Now.¡±

 Chapter 419: One of Mine

    <strong>CAERA DENOIR</strong>


    Our base of operations in Sandaerenecked all the charm and beauty of Seris¡¯s vi in Aedelgard. Seris hadmandeered one of the Sovereign¡¯s research facilities for us to use as amand center, and there was something about the sterile, functional building that left me feeling chilled all the time. Nothing but cold metal and even colder white light everywhere one looked.


    The grated floor rang with a somber, impersonal tone as I marched down the hall toward the central meeting chamber where we held our daily conferences. The door¡ªcold metal like almost everything else¡ªsensed my mana signature as I approached and slid open with a dull grinding noise.


    The inside of the meeting room was no better. The central table looked more like aboratory counter than anything else, and the chairs surrounding it were purposefully ufortable. Crystal viewing panels lined one wall. The primary broadcast from Central Dominion yed in the middle screen, while smaller disys to the left and right showed a number of locations. I recognized the battery chamber and Sovereign Oeth¡¯s holding cell on one screen, and a moving panoramic of the city of Rosaere on another.


    ¡°You¡¯re early.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re out of bed,¡± I answered, turning to find Cylrit sitting on a bench against the wall to my left, his head resting back against the wall. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be.¡±


    He rubbed one hand down the side of his pale gray cheek, scratching at the stubble growing there. ¡°If I lie in bed any longer, I may actually die.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°All men truly are babies, aren¡¯t they? Even retainers.¡±


    His brows rose very slightly. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know about that. I think I¡¯ve recovered fairly well considering my core was nearly shattered by the Legacy.¡±


    Cylrit and I both turned toward a door on the opposite wall of the room, sensing a powerful mana signature approaching. The door slid aside with the same quiet grating noise, and Seris stepped into the room. Cylrit eased up from his bench to bow, and I followed suit.


    Seris waved our greeting away. ¡°Cylrit. I have no use for a retainer who can¡¯t follow orders. You are to remain at rest until our healers are satisfied that your core has suffered nosting damage.¡±


    I looked very closely at the Scythe, trying to read her expression, tone, and bodynguage. Our conflict with the High Sovereign and his forces had not been going as well as we might have hoped, and I felt certain the stress of our recent losses must have weighed on Seris, but she gave no outward sign at all.


    ¡°Forgive my impudence, Scythe Seris,¡± Cylrit said, sinking back down on the bench, ¡°but Doctor Xanys did release me, not thirty minutes ago.¡±


    Seris walked around the table to stand in front of the screens, staying just outside the range of the telepathic field. The broadcast was showing a long line of men and women being paraded past the recording artifact in chains and with metal gags mped around their mouths. ¡°Named Blood Ak of Truacia.¡±


    The Ak blood had been part of the smuggling operation out of Truacia, moving both silver from their mines and armaments brought up from Vechor.


    ¡°No one from their blood was assigned to the shipment we lost,¡± Cylrit said, watching the screen with a sour expression. ¡°It¡¯s possible they slipped up, but it¡¯s equally possible someone gave them up.¡±


    I remained quiet, acknowledging the guilt I felt without wallowing in it.


    I¡¯d been the one who brought the Ak blood into this. In a way, I was responsible for what was happening to them now. But I couldn¡¯t shoulder that me personally; this was a war. There would be suffering and loss on both sides. Still, when the youngest member of the Ak blood, a girl no older than eleven, was marched past the recording artifact with tears streaming down her bright red cheeks, I had to look away.


    But Seris watched, holding a silent vigil for them all, knowing they would be executed. Even when the others started to arrive in twos and threes, thenrger groups, until the room was full to bursting with analysts, operators, Imbuers, andmanders, she kept her eyes on the broadcast. The chatter that would pick up with each new arrival, as people acknowledged each other with quick greets, died quickly.


    Only when everyone had arrived did Seris turn her back on the broadcast. Behind her, the rest of us watched as carts carrying the prisoners rolled away from the recording artifact.


    ¡°Reports?¡±


    In the instant of hesitation that followed, I stepped in. ¡°Maylis¡ªMatron Tremy¡ªhas reached out and confirmed that our high-value assets in Aramoor have been sessfully relocated.¡± All eyes turned to me, some wary, others hopeful. ¡°It was very close, and we lost multiple mages in the conflict with retainer Mawar, but so far it appears the identities of those present have not beenpromised.¡±


    ¡°The High Sovereign¡¯s forces are getting more aggressive,¡± one of our fieldmanders said. ¡°And not just against us. They¡¯re using violence against the people to turn public opinion against our efforts.¡±


    ¡°We believe they¡¯re tracking inter-dominion travel, at least among highbloods,¡± an engineer from Highblood Redwater put in.


    ¡°How?¡± asked someone else¡ªI didn¡¯t catch who in the packed conference room.<center></center>


    ¡°Not sure yet,¡± the engineer admitted. ¡°But we¡¯ve seen enough reactive movement to high-value assets maneuvering that we¡¯re confident they are.¡±


    There was some mumbling at this promation, but it died out after only a few seconds.


    ¡°Are our ns for the next assault on the shield in ce?¡± Seris asked, scanning the room for the several people involved in that project.


    An Imbuer from Highblood Ainsworth cleared her throat. ¡°Despite this recent setback, our highblood will do its part. I received a message from the highlord just this morning confirming ourmitment to your¡­n.¡±


    The Imbuer¡¯s halting cadence suggested she wasn¡¯t exactly thrilled about what Seris had asked them to do, but then, I was rather surprised they¡¯d agreed to go forward with it at all, especially after Hector nearly lost his life to Mawar. He was a prideful man, however, and such close calls tended to either break a person¡¯s will or buttress it. Clearly, he was one of thetter.


    ¡°The necessary alterations to the estate have been made,¡± another engineer added. ¡°Testing the wider connectivity is¡­difficult, of course, but if Highblood Ainsworth follows through, we¡¯re confident in our work.¡±


    The Imbuer lifted her chin and looked down her nose at the engineer. ¡°We¡¯ll do our part. Even if it leads us to the same fate as the Ak blood, apparently.¡±


    Despite the growing tension, the conversation changed course, honing in on a number of technical details that were outside of the scope of my role, and, though I did my best to stay invested, many of the finer points escaped me.


    One of the doors slid open. Many sets of eyes turned to thete arrival, but the flow of conversation didn¡¯t stop. Wolfrum of Highblood Redwater froze under so many gazes, looking like a startled rocavid as he searched the room. When he saw me, some of the tension left him, and he followed the wall to where I was standing.


    We exchanged silent nods, then both turned our attention back to the conversation, which was finally shifting away from the previous topic.


    ¡°There have been five recorded descensions within the shield over thest week,¡± the head of the Ascenders Association in Aedelgard said. Anvald of Named Blood Torpor was a bald man with broad shoulders and a severe look. ¡°Sixteen ascenders in total. All were interviewed, logged, and released beyond the shield in Rosaere. None were operating with the express purpose of reaching Sehz-r.¡±


    The few descension portals in the western half of Sehz-r were kept under heavy guard. Seris had been monitoring traffic out of them since even before the shield went up, and we continued to do so now to make sure Agrona wasn¡¯t actively trying to get agents into the dominion. It was possible to destroy the portals, of course, but Seris said that, until they had proof that Agrona could weaponize them against us, she wasn¡¯t willing to break anything she couldn¡¯t rebuild.


    After everything I had seen while adventuring with Grey, I felt confident a handful of descension portals weren¡¯t going to matter to the Relictombs¡¯ future, but I hadn¡¯t argued the point. It was nearly impossible to target a specific descension portal outside of the second level anyway.


    A few follow-up questions were asked about the ascenders, and then the meeting moved on.


    ¡°We need to reconsider our supply lines from eastern Sehz-r and Etril,¡± one of the analysts said beforeunching into a report on the amount of food our territory was consuming versus the amount produced and smuggled in. It was a concerning problem. ¡°At this rate, therger cities will be rationing the sale of food to civilians in three weeks. The smaller towns may not feel the hit for another six weeks, but within two months, you¡¯ll have people starving in the streets.¡±


    ¡°There are too many eyes on the coast,¡± one of Seris¡¯s strategic advisors said. ¡°Thest four ships that have tried toe down the coast¡ªfrom Vechor or Etril¡ªhave been caught and sunk. We tried expanding some of the research tunnels under Rosaere, but the mana usage required drew attention, and we had to copse everything we¡¯d done and then some to prevent it being used to circumvent the shields.¡±


    ¡°Central Dominion isn¡¯t being watched so closely,¡± I said aloud, having a thought. The entire room turned as one to focus on me. ¡°We could route supplies to our allies there under the pretense of highbloods stocking up on provisions, hedging against potential economic copse due to the ongoing rebellion. There is a river that springs up near the border between Central Dominion and Sehz-r, primarily used for shipping goods from Sehz-r up to Cargidan for distribution through the rest of the dominion. But it is also amon destination for recreation among the highbloods.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be just as thoroughly watched as the coast, surely?¡± the analyst countered. ¡°Moving resources into Central Dominion would be easy enough, but getting them down here has the same problems.¡±


    Seris was thoughtful for several seconds as she considered our arguments. ¡°Thework of tunnels and undergroundbs around Sandaerene is extensive. Begin opening a supply line straight through to the base of the cliffs around the Vritra¡¯s Maw. Hire unadornedborers for thest ten miles or so. That will limit outside detection of the digging. The tunnel system shoulde out just across the sea from the river Lady Caera mentioned.¡±


    Several people hurried to take note of thismand.


    ¡°Meanwhile, arrange for distribution of iing food throughout our highblood allies in Central Dominion, Vechor, and Etril. Devise several routes for supply lines. Make it appear as if the goods are being shifted from one highblood to the next. We¡¯ll need several unaffiliated highbloods involved as well. Make sure it isn¡¯t only our allies who are suddenly stockpiling provisions.¡± Seris¡¯s mouth twitched in a barely-visible smile. ¡°Make it clear that people are beginning to question Agrona¡¯s ability to end this rebellion.¡±


    Once again, the conversation broke down into a discussion of specifics, with representatives of each group asking questions and others offering suggestions to solve new problems. This went on for nearly half an hour before Seris dismissed everyone. People began to filter out quickly, many of them rushing off to immediately start work on the details discussed.


    I started toward the door as well, but Seris caught my eye,municating clearly that we, at least, were not yet done. Settling in beside Cylrit, I waited for the rest to leave. The only other person not queuing up to get out one of the doors was Wolfrum, a fact I was curious about, but expected to learn the reason for momentarily.


    Once thest person had left and the doors had closed behind them, Seris rxed ever-so-slightly. She eyed Cylrit for a moment, considering the retainer before focusing on me and Wolfrum. ¡°Things areing to a head,¡± she said, leaning one hip against the table and crossing her arms over her stomach. ¡°Word from within Taegrin Caelum is that Agrona has taken steps to prepare the Legacy to attack our shield again.¡±


    Cylrit stood slowly. ¡°We¡¯ll be ready if she breaches it.¡±


    Seris raised an eyebrow a fraction of an inch. ¡°Of course we will. But there must be a counter strike as well. It is time to change the narrative.¡±


    We all waited as she let tension build. Wolfrum bit his lip as his fingers twitched nervously, but Cylrit was still as a statue.


    ¡°We¡¯ve given Grey time to put his house in order,¡± she said, meeting my eyes. ¡°Now, we need him. A decisive victory, in in sight where Agrona can¡¯t sweep it under the rug. And I¡¯m sending you to retrieve him.¡±


    ¡°To¡ª¡± I cut myself off, looking pointedly at Wolfrum.


    Seris nodded. ¡°It¡¯s all right, Caera. Wolfrum can be trusted. He¡¯s one of mine.¡±


    I experienced a moment of confusion, then felt my brows shoot up. ¡°Another Vritra-born prot¨¦g¨¦?¡±


    He smiled awkwardly. ¡°Lady Seris helped me when everyone else gave up on me. When my V-Vritra blood didn¡¯t manifest¡­well, I owe her a lot.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± I asked my mentor, unsure how I felt about this revtion.


    ¡°It was essential that my connection with the Redwater blood be kept entirely secret,¡± she said, no hint of apology or even acknowledgement in her tone. ¡°Only Cylrit was aware. I hope you¡¯ll need no further assurances?¡±


    I straightened, suddenly conscious of how I was still looking at Wolfrum. It was difficult to imagine the painfully antisocial boy I¡¯d known, who had turned into the jittery man before me, being mentored by Seris. If he had gone through the same sort of training and preparation I had, however, then there had to be a lot more to him than I¡¯d ever suspected. At the very least, he possessed a hidden strength that I appreciated.


    ¡°Good,¡± Seris said after a moment. ¡°Because he¡¯sing with you to Dicathen.¡±


    Wolfrum paled. ¡°To the other continent?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve sent a team ahead to ready my personal long-range tempus warp. Grey¡ªArthur¡ªis based out of the underground city of Vildorial. The dwarves were heavily divided by the war in Dicathen, and tension will still likely be high there. Do not expect a warm wee. If Arthur isn¡¯t there, you may also speak to Virion Eralith, the Lances Bairon Wykes, Varay Aurae, or Mica Earthborn, or whichever dwarven n is in charge of the city itself.¡±


    Wolfrum¡¯s wide eyes turned to me, his mouth open slightly. It seemed Seris¡¯s alternate prot¨¦g¨¦ was feeling somewhat overwhelmed.


    ¡°I need Arthur¡ªGrey¡ªto return to crya soon,¡± Seris continued. ¡°He is¡­singrly focused on the protection of his family, and I worry that, now that he has finally returned home, he may not be eager to leave it again. Convince him.¡±


    I set my jaw. ¡°Of course, Scythe Seris. I trust him¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask myself if that was true, causing me to trail off. Immediately, I added, ¡°I trust that he¡¯ll do what is right.¡±


    Seris pushed away from the table and headed for the same door she had entered through. ¡°Come on, then. You¡¯ll take a tempus warp to the oceanside, where a member of the forward party will meet you.¡± She hesitated, then added, ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, Caera, I trust him too.¡±


    Wolfrum and I followed on Seris¡¯s heels, leaving the silent and brooding Cylrit behind. The research center¡¯s primary tempus warp chamber was tucked away between several offices and protected by a guard station. At a word from Seris, the operator programmed the device and stepped back.


    ¡°Remember what we¡¯ve put the Dicathians through when you arrive in Vildorial,¡± Seris said as we stepped up in front of the matte metal of the tempus warp. ¡°Be patient with their hostility. You will find, given a chance, that they aren¡¯t the barbaric failed continent Agrona has painted them as. And I believe it is important that they learn to see crya not as their aggressor, but as an equal victim to the asuras¡¯ plotting.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± I answered, and Wolfrum repeated it.


    ¡°Then go.¡±


    The operator activated the tempus warp, and I felt the magic grab hold of me, pulling me through space. In only seconds, we were deposited in a small bunker. A young woman in olive leather armor jumped up off the stool she¡¯d been lounging on and snapped a salute. Her gaze flicked to Wolfrum before settling back on me.


    ¡°Lady Caera, ma¡¯am. The long-range warp is set up just on the other side of the shield. Follow me, please.¡± And then she was moving.


    Wolfrum and I followed her out of the steel door and down a steep rocky path that led toward the coast, perhaps half a mile away and a couple hundred feet below. The base of the shield was just visible where it curved down out of the sky to sink into the sand and stone of a rocky beach. I recognized it as the north-western coastline of Sehz-r.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve been quite central to Seris¡¯s operation here, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    When I looked at Wolfrum, he responded with a stiff smile, and I realized he was trying to make small talk. Aside from the short meeting with Highlord Frost and the others, I hadn¡¯t seen Wolfrum in a few years, not since my adopted mother and father stopped forcing me to go to parties with the other Vritra-blooded fosters. As children, our rtionship had been amiable, but I had never formed close bonds with any of the other Vritra-bloods.


    ¡°I agree with what she¡¯s doing,¡± I answered after a moment.


    ¡°Yes but¡­she trusts you, clearly. You seem to be involved in all her decision making.¡±


    Iughed despite myself, but there was no humor in it. ¡°Not all, apparently.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­angry.¡±


    I bit my tongue, immediately feeling guilty. I knew all too well how difficult Wolfrum¡¯s life had been, and how he had been treated by the others like us. ¡°I apologize. I¡¯m not, really. Just¡­your rtionship with Seris¡­took me by surprise, is all.¡±


    His brows pinched together in a serious expression. ¡°She is good atpartmentalizing. It¡¯s interesting, you know.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I asked, hopping down a steep step as I carefully followed after the soldier.


    ¡°The way she thinks, ns, and executes¡­lessons taken directly from the High Sovereign. But she is using his own tools against him. It¡¯s¡­almost poetic.¡±


    I stopped and looked over my shoulder at Wolfrum, who had fallen behind me as the trail down the steep slope narrowed. There was a strange, almost wistful look on his face.


    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s a bit of a hike still, and our window through the shield is scheduled for¡­¡± Our guide shaded her eyes with her hand and looked toward the sun. ¡°Shit, only about seven or eight minutes. It onlysts thirty seconds, so we need to hoof it.¡±


    She began hurrying down the slope, asionally sliding on loose stones or leaping over the edge of several-foot drops. I hurried after her, listening to Wolfrum¡¯s steps behind me to make sure he was keeping up. He¡¯d never been very graceful.


    The rocky hill plummeted straight down into a cliff before joining the beach, and our guide led us into a series of steep stone steps cut into the cliffside.


    ¡°So, what should I expect on meeting this Ascender Grey¡­or Lance Arthur Leywin of Dicathen. It sounds like you know him well.¡±


    As I took a sharp switchback, I nced up at Wolfrum again. He was staring down at me, and there was an intensity in his mismatched eyes that didn¡¯t match his tone.


    ¡°He¡¯s difficult to describe,¡± I said, growing ufortable. ¡°You¡¯ll understand once you¡¯ve met him.¡±


    I realized that this difort had been building in me as we¡¯d descended the hillside, but, not understanding what I was feeling, I had pushed it to the back of my mind. I considered everything, as I¡¯d been trained to do, moving backwards from thisst question up the hill, searching for subconscious details that had triggered my unease.


    My heel turned on a loose stone, and I slid down two steps. I nted my hand to catch myself at the same time Wolfrum¡¯s fist closed around my arm to stabilize me. Something silver tumbled out of my sleeve, bounced off the hard stone, and went spiraling down the cliffside, vanishing in the rugged bushes that lined the beach''s edge at the bottom.


    I cursed.


    ¡°That looked valuable,¡± Wolfrum noted, helping me back to my feet.


    ¡°It was,¡± I muttered unhappily.


    ¡°No time to search for it,¡± the soldier said from below, shaking her head. ¡°Unless you want to exin to Scythe Seris Vritra why we missed our window.¡±


    I only shook my head, and we went on in silence for a minute or so. ¡°I was thinking, you¡¯ve been training to fight with Seris, right?¡± I asked, breaking the silence as I realized what had been bothering me. ¡°Your footing is much more stable than I remember. Those dances we were all forced to attend¡­¡± I met his eye over my shoulder, forcing a clumsy, half-suppressed smile to my lips. ¡°You¡¯ve changed. The nervous act¡­it¡¯s just that, isn¡¯t it? A masquerade?¡±


    He shrugged as he straightened his shoulders, but he didn¡¯t miss a step. ¡°It¡¯s not so different from your role with the Denoirs, is it? People expect you to be something, and Seris has taught you to show them what they want to see. If anyone ever thinks of me at all, they remember the clumsy, terrified young Vritra-blooded boy who managed to embarrass himself at every turn. They expect me to be just that, so convincing them I am has been all too easy. Seris taught me that there is power in underestimation.¡±


    I let out a breath, rxing as I reminded myself that we had both undergone the same training from a Scythe. I was suddenly d that Seris had sent Wolfrum along, and curious about what he was capable of. When I opened my mouth to ask about his training, though, I was cut off by another curse from our guide.


    The soldier jumped off thest set of steps, plummeting fifteen feet down to the sand below, where shended with a grunt. Then she was up and moving, jogging across the beach and waving us after her. ¡°See those striations? It¡¯s time. We¡¯re alreadyte!¡±


    There were lines like stretch marks running vertically down the shield. Outside of it, on an outcropping of rock that broke the otherwise smooth stretch of sand and water, several people were waiting for us. Our guide was kicking up sprays of wet sand as she ran across the beach toward the spot where the lines converged on the ground.


    Empowering my legs with mana, I leapt off the cliffside, clearing twenty feet of air beforending softly, my boots sinking into the sand. Wolfrumnded beside me a momentter, and we both hurried to follow the soldier.


    The shield split apart with a low, electrical hum, creating an opening ten feet wide and fifteen feet high.


    There was a sh of green light.


    A bolt of mana lifted our guide up off her feet and flung her back at me. Reacting on pure instinct, I caught her, but in the second it took me to do so, several more spells were fired off. Half of the group waiting beyond the shield copsed as bullets of fire and raining acid took them unaware. It was over before it even began.


    The young soldier was squirming in my arms, trying to twist around enough to look over her shoulder at me. Her eyes were wide, her breathing in quick, shallow gasps.


    The attackers were already hurrying to the gap in the shield.


    Wolfrum was standing just at my side, almost touching me. But he wasn¡¯t watching the mages, who had stopped at the gap and started throwing down what looked likeponents of an artifact of some kind. He was watching me.


    ¡°It¡¯d be better if you don¡¯t fight back. We¡¯d prefer to bring you in unharmed,¡± he said, his voicepletely changing as the intensity in his eyes turned into a dark confidence.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re calcting your odds of victory right now, but¡­¡± Wolfrum expanded outward, growing taller and more muscled. Onyx horns sprouted from his head, short and sharp. ¡°Let me assure you, a battle can only result in your injury or death.¡±


    I stepped away from him, still cradling the soldier in my arms. A red stain was growing over her left side.


    His Vritra blood manifested, but he¡¯s been hiding it. Like me.


    Underneath the shield opening, the mages, each of whom wore an emblem symbolizing a winding red river, had set up an arch of ck metal rods. High above them, the streaks in the shield were wiped away as the thirty-second timeframe passed. When the streaks were gone, the shield flexed around the artifact. The two forces conflicted, issuing a ringing buzz, but the gap didn¡¯t close.


    I needed time to think. There was no way for me to know how strong Wolfrum was, and I was outnumbered seven to one, so I couldn¡¯t be sure of the results of a fight. I needed to understand more about what they were trying to aplish. ¡°How long have you been a traitor?¡±


    Wolfrum was stalking toward me slowly, but he paused to consider the question. ¡°I was never Seris¡¯s, regardless of what she says. Besides, if you betray a rebellion, doesn¡¯t that make you loyal?¡±


    One of the Redwater soldiers ran up with a pair of manacles nking in his hands. Wolfrum took them by the chain, holding them up for me to see. Mana-suppression cuffs.


    ¡°It¡¯s ironic, of course, that Seris gave me all the tools I needed to spy on her,¡± he went on, jangling the manacles. ¡°Everyone thinks she¡¯s the clever one, but even she never suspected that my blood manifested.¡±


    ¡°Shiping ¡®round the bend!¡± one of the Redwater mages shouted. He was standing atop the rocky outcrop with spyss pressed against his eye. ¡°Five minutes!¡±


    Wolfrum took a step toward me. ¡°Here, let¡¯s get these on you. I¡¯d hate for you to be tempted to do something stupid when Scythe Dragoth gets here.¡±


    Silently apologizing to the soldier in my arms, I dropped her.


    Wolfrum lunged at me, reaching for my wrist, but I threw myself into a backwards roll, drawing my de from my dimension ring as I came back to my feet. But Wolfrum was fast, and he was still right on top of me. His fist drove down like a club, wrapped in sable mes to smash my de out of the way. I pivoted around the blow, absorbing the shift in momentum from his strike to bring my sword around in a wide arc toward the back of his legs.


    Heunched himself into the air, hisrge frame rotating in a graceful backflip as hended a few feet away.


    I felt the mages at my back beginning to conjure their spells.


    ¡°As much as fighting back is not the right call, Caera, I¡¯m curious to see what you¡¯re capable of,¡± Wolfrum said with an air of confident curiosity. ¡°Seris has so much faith in you.¡±


    Spinning the manacles over his head, he hurled them at me. They flew like a b, whirling around and around.


    I set my feet as best I could in the sand, ready to dodge or deflect the wild throw.


    The air around me hardened, congealing into an obfuscating snarl of jet-ck wind that blinded and restrained me. Void wind, I thought feebly as the manacles, guided by his magic, snapped closed around my wrists before pulling my hands together in front of me.


    The queasy sensation of my mana being snuffed out filled every cell of my body as the cuffs locked it inside me.

 Chapter 420: Shackles

    The oppressive gusts of void wind pressed in on me from every direction, blinding and deafening me. I could sense nothing but the rapidfire beating of my heart and the cold metal pressing against my wrists. Even the omnipresent hush of the oceanpping against the shore was obscured.


    ¡°You two, get the tempus warp packed up for travel.¡± Muffled by the spell, Wolfrum¡¯s voice was distant, only barely audible. ¡°The rest of you, over here. I¡¯ll lower the spell. Disarm her and move her outside of the shield. Scythe Dragoth Vritra will be here soon.¡±


    The darkness changed, swirling as if it were being moved by the wind. I felt its hold on me lessen and smoothed out my expression, unwilling to give Wolfrum the satisfaction of seeing me struggle.


    Just as the void wind spell faded, strong hands took me by the arms, and something sharp dug into my back.


    ¡°How anticlimactic,¡± Wolfrum mused, studying me. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I did sort of idolize you when we were younger. Now, I have no idea why.¡±


    I lifted my chin, not flinching away from his unnerving gaze or his words.


    ¡°Still, you¡¯re quite the prize for Dragoth. With a little¡­incentive, I imagine there is a whole lot you can tell us about Seris¡¯s operation, hm?¡±


    I didn¡¯t fight back against the mages holding me, letting my arms sag in their grip. ¡°Nothing that will save any of you,¡± I said, keeping the quaver out of my voice.


    Something small and bright caught the sun above and behind Wolfrum, and I tensed.


    Mana surged, and a ray of ck light shot from it. Wolfrum, sensing the mana, grimaced in surprise as he spun, attempting to conjure a shield of soulfire at thest second. The soulfire passed just above his shield, striking him at the base of one horn.


    With a resounding crack, the horn shattered, spinning off into the sand. Wolfrum howled in pain as his eyes went wide with rage.


    ¡°Reinforcements!¡± one of the mages shouted, letting go of my arm as they conjured a spell.


    The sharp object at my back pulled away, leaving only one mage still holding on to me. I drove an elbow up into his nose, snapping his head back, then wrenched forward out of his control.


    My de was on the ground at my feet, knocked from my grasp by the manacles. Catching the de with a toe, I kicked it upright so that the handle stuck in the sand with the long, scarlet de pointing straight up.


    There was a second burst of mana, but thence of soulfire flew a few feet to Wolfrum¡¯s left. It bypassed his shield and struck my de. The scarlet steel burst into ck soulfire.


    With all my manaless strength, I drove the chains down on the point of the burning de, and several things happened all at once.


    The four mages were shouting all around me, caught between searching our surroundings for their attackers and stopping me from escaping. Wolfrum had both hands raised, one emanating the fiery shield, the other¡ªpointed at me¡ªswirling with void wind.


    Utilizing the limited pool of mana I had already charged into it, two additional silver shards released from the bracer and rushed into orbit around me, firing offnces of ck fire. Wolfrum reacted with lightning swiftness, reshaping his spells andbining them into a vortex of ashen wind and fire, absorbing the barrage of attacks.


    The point of my sword lodged up through one link in the manacle chains. My pulse spiked as the sword¡¯s handle sank deeper into the sand, deadening the force of my downward strike. Then it caught, buttressed by something hard deeper down.


    The mes wed through the Imbued steel, and the chains shattered with a bright spark.


    Something cold and sharp shed across my hip, and I dodged forward, pulling the scarlet sword from the sand and shing behind me as I moved.


    A steel-hafted spear blocked my rushed strike.<center></center>


    Finally, I got a good look at the four Redwater mages surrounding me: a Shield, two Casters, and a Striker.


    Both Casters were holding fire in their hands. The Striker was already spinning his spear around to go on the offensive. Sand formed into metal discs and floated up to defend them as the Shield retreated to a safe distance. They were potent mages, and as my sense for mana returned, I got a feel for their power. Their mana signatures suggested emblems, but Seris had encouraged our forces to cover their runes, so I couldn¡¯t be sure.


    The vortex shield around Wolfrum exploded outward.


    Conjuring soulfire along my de, I stabbed into the ground. A shield of fire sprung up around me.


    The third orbital shard¡ªthe one I had ¡°lost¡± while descending the cliffside¡ªflitted past Wolfrum to join the other two, and they shifted into position just outside of the shield, their mana resonating with each other. I gritted my teeth as I struggled to maintain focus on both the soulfire and the artifact.


    When the shockwave hit, the orbitals sent out a pulse of mana to counter it. They held for a full second before being knocked out of position and sent tumbling away behind me. I braced for impact as the soulfire shield emanating out from my sword quivered, cracked, and then red out. But the remaining strength of Wolfrum¡¯s spell was only enough to set my hair waving in the resulting light breeze.


    The mages were huddled behind several metal discs, and their Shield was sweating profusely. Wolfrum had apparently been willing to destroy his own men without a second¡¯s thought.


    ¡°I doubt you¡¯ll be wee at any more Vritra-blooded parties looking like that,¡± I said, standing and lifting my sword to point at his shattered horn. The bracer drew on my mana, and the three orbitals flitted back into ce, hovering around me defensively.


    Wolfrum snarled as he fingered the broken stub. ¡°So, I¡¯m not the only one hiding their real power. I should have guessed. Are you hiding your horns as well? Is it that bracer there on your arm or¡±¡ªhe focused on my pendant, which had slipped out of my shirt in the fighting¡ª¡°that little bauble around your neck? An illusion? That would be Seris¡¯s way. Go on, I want to see who I¡¯m really fighting. Show me, for old time¡¯s sake.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost a shame you decided to be a Vritrap dog.¡± I conjured soulfire along the scarlet de again, causing it to writhe with ck mes. The other mages were holding back, waiting on Wolfrum¡¯smand. I could now see the boat in the distance, being rowed swiftly along the shore. ¡°If you¡¯d ever actually listened to what Seris was trying to teach you, you could have been so much more.¡±


    Wolfrum conjured ck fire in each of his hands as he adjusted his stance. ¡°I think you¡¯ll find I learned much more than you.¡± To his soldiers, he barked, ¡°Bring her down. Kill her if you have to.¡±


    The spear-wielding Striker lunged forward. Twin bolts of fire followed, tracing a smooth arc through the air as they passed him on either side. In the distance, arge, transparent panel of mana shimmered into existence over the hole being held in Seris¡¯s shield, cast by one of the two men who had been in charge of the tempus warp. The other, a Caster, conjured a cloud of caustic green haze to stain the air and make the path to them impassable.


    Two lines of soulfire met the me bolts,unched from the orbitals. The soulfire burned the spells to nothing. A third ray targeted the Striker. When one of the metal discs lurched into position to defend him, the soulfire scorched right through it, but the Striker was fast, and he¡¯d already dodged. Still, the mes scoured the ground at the Casters¡¯ feet, making them jump back and interrupting their next spells.


    Behind me, Wolfrum thrust both hands forward, unleashing a torrent of soulfire pushed on a gust of void wind.


    I lunged to meet the Striker. His spear licked out twice, three times, four, with the quickness of a lightning bolt. I parried each strike without breaking my stride, the soulfire wreathing my weapon burning through the spear so that when he thrust for the fifth time, only the short end of the ruined steel remained. He realized his defenselessness toote, and the edge of my de effortlessly parted his armored uniform, mana, flesh, and bone.


    In the wake of my de, a crescent of ck fire rolled toward the two Casters. Bullets of bright yellow me shot back, flying all around me, a few scorching my flesh. All the metal discs shifted into position to block the soulfire, but it wasn¡¯t strong enough. Not nearly. The ck fire devoured the shields, then the Casters behind them, and the barrage of bullets ceased.


    The Shield turned to run. As I focused on his back, I pulled on the three orbitals, like squeezing the trigger of a crossbow, and three rays of ck menced through him. His body tumbled in pieces.


    Channeling mana into one of my runes, I conjured wind to push at my heels, speeding my flight as Wolfrum¡¯s soulfire licked at my back.


    I had no choice but to rush straight into the acidic cloud of water-attribute mana. It hissed and popped against the mana dding my body. On the other side of the shield, standing atop the outcropping of rock in front of the tempus warp, the Caster waved his hands and the cloud condensed into viscous drops of rain, which immediately began burning through my protection.


    Releasing the soulfire wreathing my de so I could focus on both the wind-attribute spell and the orbitals, I aimed at the two mages beyond the shield. Twinnces of fire ripped through the barrier cast by their Shield, burning arge hole in each mage¡¯s chest. The final orbital fired backwards blindly as I hoped to disrupt Wolfrum¡¯s concentration.


    I felt his soulfire sh against mine as the inferno surged. Risking a nce behind me, I saw the full effect of his spell for the first time.


    A huge, smokey skull, its mouth wide and eyes empty as death, trailing a twenty-foot trail of pure soulfire, was closing in on me. The orbital¡¯s attacks were vanishing into the skull¡¯s open mouth, never reaching Wolfrum.


    I aimed for the tempus warp. With the way clear, there was no reason to stand and fight. Not when a Scythe was closing in on me.<center></center>


    A bead of dark mana condensed in the air above the opening. Wild lines of void wind began reeling out of it, spiraling downward until they touched the ground to form a cyclone that blocked the way.


    I sprinted straight at it while recalling the orbitals, wind-attribute mana pushing me forward faster with every stride. They snapped into ce in the bracer, and I released the mana and concentration powering it just as my de red with soulfire once again.


    shing at the air with my sword, I felt a thrill of sess as soulfire carved through the artifact they¡¯d installed to hold Seris¡¯s barrier open. The metal melted away as if it were woggart butter, and the arch copsed. The shield around it flexed, pushing inward.


    In my periphery, I could see the darkness of the encroaching spell starting to surround me.


    Wrapping myself with wind, I leapt, making myself as narrow and aerodynamic as possible, shooting forward like an arrow.


    The shield closed around me.


    I was immediately picked up by the void wind cyclone, which cut through my own wind mana effortlessly. My senses reeled for a moment as I was spun end over end, then the cyclone released me.


    Catching my bnce, I rotated my body tond crouched on both feet, one hand pressing into the sand for stability.


    Fifty feet out in the ocean, the tempus warp sshed down into the water. It had been lifted by the cyclone, then tossed away as the wind¡¯s momentum vanished. My stomach plunged with it.


    ¡°If it makes you feel any better, we didn¡¯t program the tempus warp anyway, Lady Caera,¡± Wolfrum said from the other side of the shield. ¡°You were never going to leave here.¡±


    I spared him no words. He was no longer a threat to me. The approaching ship, however¡­


    The boat was close enough now that I could sense the monstrous mana signature emanating from it. Even as I watched, a silhouette, somehow still loomingrge even from such a distance, floated up from the deck and hurtled toward me, onyx horns gleaming.


    Focusing on the ripples still rolling away from where the tempus warp had sunk under the water, I sprinted out along the rocks toward it, stowing my de as I ran. There was a surge of mana, and the rocks under my feet heaved, rolling away from me like the deck of a ship. I would have plunged face first into the jagged stone if not for the wind-attribute mana already imbued around my feet.


    Pushing off against the air itself, I leapt out over the open water, pulling my body into a streamlined diving position. When I hit the water, I shot deep down below the constantly rolling waves. The frigid cold bit at my skin, and the drag of the water pulled at my hair and clothes, threatening to tow me away.


    I scoured the seafloor for the tempus warp, but it sloped steeply away from the beach, growing darker and darker as it went deeper.


    Strengthening my vision with mana, I peered through the gloom, searching for the roughly anvil-shaped artifact. A cloud of silt obscured the ground, but there was a subtle emanation of mana within the cloud. Focusing on it, I pushed harder, swimming as fast as I could, all too aware of the Scythe¡¯s mana signature growing closer by the second.


    Using wind-attribute mana to cause a current, I pushed away the floating silt. The tempus warp was sticking up from the soft soil, half sunk into the ground. Dozens of scratches had been scored into the surface from the void wind, matching the dozens of raised welts all over my body.


    Please work, I thought, the Scythe¡¯s shadow moving across the top of the water in my peripheral vision.


    I was certain Wolfrum had been lying about not activating the tempus warp. If he hadn¡¯t, he wouldn¡¯t have kept talking. He was trying to engage with me and keep me there. They couldn¡¯t spring their trap until Wolfrum arrived and the shield opened, and it would have raised suspicion to prevent the other mages from preparing the artifact.


    Or so I hoped.


    The ground around the tempus warp moved suddenly. Mana swelled through the soil, and a giant hand made of ck iron formed, with the artifact in its palm. A second hand punched up beneath me, mming into me and sending me spinning off through the dark water. Bubbles burst from my lips as I gasped, every bone in my body aching from the force of the blow. As I reeled, the hand grabbed me, squeezing, and more bubbles rushed from my mouth as it crushed the air from my lungs.


    Both hands began moving up toward the surface, but I could hardly see them through the stars sparkling behind my eyes.


    Gathering thest of my strength, I pressed my own hands against the blood iron restraining me. My eyes drifted closed. I searched for the inborn confidence that always assured me I could do anything I attempted. Desperation kept it at bay. So I reached for my rage instead.


    My mind went nk. Except for the mana¡ªthe soulfire that burned in my blood and my heart and my core. That, I embraced. I took hold of it with my entire being, gathered every ounce of my power, and pushed.


    ck mes flooded out of my hands. The water began to boil wildly as it was destroyed. Soulfire ate into blood iron. The hand quaked beneath me. Metal began to dissolve. The grip lessened.


    A funnel of wind whipped the ocean water into a frenzy, ripping me free of the giant hand¡¯s clutches and shooting me straight at the other hand, and the tempus warp held in its palm. I mmed against it, scrambling to reach the tempus warp pinned under thick metal fingers.


    Spikes erupted from the surface of the hand. I felt the pain, saw the red trails in the water, but had no time to check the nature of my wounds. My fumbling fingers found the controls.


    I felt, rather than heard, the ssh from above. Drawn as if by gravity, my head turned so I could see above me.


    Therge, muscr form of Scythe Dragoth Vritra drove down through the water like a bullet. His eyes gleamed like rubies, and there was a white crest trailing from his horns due to his speed. One of his hands was curled into a tight fist, and the other pulled back as if to swat a fly. The crushing press of his aura was enough to make my heart stop, but it was the unfiltered rage in his expression that drained all the warmth from me.


    The blood iron fist next to me clenched harder. Metal shrieked against metal as the surface of the tempus warp began to cave in.


    Trembling, I activated the artifact.


    The world was ripped away from me, or I from it. There was no air in my lungs. My entire body erupted in pain. I thought the process must have failed. It was taking far too long. Everything was dark.


    My body sshed, wet and heavy, against stone, but I had no wind left to be knocked from me. Gasping, struggling and failing to bring in air, I dragged my eyes open, uncertain when I had closed them. I didn¡¯t understand what I was seeing. My hands clutched my chest, my body desperate for oxygen. Finally, a breath came.


    Dimly, I became aware of something hard and sharp pressed against my cheek. A spear. Without moving, my gaze followed the line of the spear¡¯s long half to the man holding it. I registered blond hair and green eyes, dark in the low light.


    ¡°Move, Vritra, and I¡¯ll pin you to the floor,¡± he said, his voice carrying an edge of thunder.


    The sound of his voice, the sight of him and his surroundings, melted together with pain and fatigue into a muddle. I blinked several times, my focus moving inward. Each breath came with a deep ache that suggested broken ribs, and I had been pierced by blood iron spikes in both legs, my side, and the inside of my left arm. But all these wounds were superficial and would heal with time.


    I wouldn¡¯t die.


    Assuming, of course, this Dicathian didn¡¯t follow through on his threat.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your enemy,¡± I said, keeping my voice slow and steady as I met the man¡¯s eye. Others had approached as well. Dwarves, by their stockiness, I guessed. Hopefully that meant I was in the right ce. ¡°My name is Caera of Highblood Denoir. I¡¯vee looking for¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a Vritra,¡± the man snapped. ¡°I can guess well enough why you¡¯re here.¡± He frowned, focusing on my wounds. ¡°Though you don¡¯t look to be in any shape to attack us.¡±


    I took a deep, steadying breath, unable to keep the grimace off my face at the resulting pain in my chest and ribs. ¡°Please. Bring the Lance, Arthur Leywin. He knows me. I assure you that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Arthur isn¡¯t here,¡± the blond man said. To my relief, however, he withdrew the spear, keeping it pointed at my core, but at least it was no longer digging into my skin. ¡°Which would be a convenient time for a spy to attempt to slip into Vildorial, especially one who presented themselves as too weak and injured to be a threat to us.¡± He sneered. ¡°Perhaps it would have been a wiser n to send someone without demonic horns sprouting from their skull.¡±


    Momentarily confused, I reached for the pendant that normally hung around my neck.


    It was gone.


    I started to sit up, but the spear pressed against the side of my neck. I held out both hands. ¡°I really don¡¯t intend you, or anyone else here, harm. Arthur is my friend. I¡ª¡± I bit off my words. I¡¯d nearly stated that I worked with Scythe Seris, but I couldn¡¯t be sure how such information would be taken. ¡°He spent time in crya, you must know this. We met, traveled together. If you¡¯ll¡ª¡±<center> </center>


    ¡°As I said,¡± the man interrupted yet again, ¡°Arthur isn¡¯t here. Perhaps you are some friend of his. Perhaps you¡¯re a lying demon. Until we know for certain, you¡¯ll wait in the dungeon.¡± He stepped back and gestured with the spear.


    Slowly, I stood up. A dozen sources of pain bloomed hot and bright across my body, and I sucked in a sharp breath between gritted teeth.


    ¡°Mana-suppression shackles!¡± the man ordered.


    When a heavily armored dwarf nked up with a pair, I nearlyughed at the irony. I held out my wrists, which were already bound with the broken manacles from crya.


    The dwarf eyed them curiously. ¡°She¡¯s¡­already wearing a pair, General Bairon. Not of Dicathian make, by the looks of it.¡±


    The tip of the spear nged against the broken cuffs as the blond man inspected them. General Bairon¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re Lance Bairon Wykes,¡± I said as he indicated that the dwarf should shackle me anyway. As he pped the cold metal around my wrists, I added, ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m a friend of Arthur¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°As am I,¡± he replied, only redirecting the point of his spear when the dwarf nodded to confirm my shackles were firmly in ce. ¡°But I am also a protector of Dicathen, while you share the look of our enemies. In the event your words are proven true, I¡¯ll offer you my apologies. Until then, you are a prisoner.¡±


    Lance Bairon took hold of the shackles and inspected my wounds for a moment. ¡°Send for an emitter. She looks likely to bleed out if we leave her manaless in a cell.¡±


    One of the dwarves saluted, then hurried off. We went in the other direction, with the Lance leading me by the chains. A sea of dwarves parted to allow us through, some falling in line behind us, others watching as he led me up a curving road that ran around the edge of a truly enormous cavern.


    ¡°Can you send him a message?¡± I asked after a moment, trying to stay calm. ¡°My reason for being here is an urgent one, and¡­¡± I trailed off as Lance Bairon stopped and turned to look down at me.


    ¡°Tell me why you¡¯re in Dicathen.¡± I hesitated, and his nostrils red. ¡°I thought so. If you¡¯ll only speak to Arthur, then I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re going to have to wait. I can¡¯t send him a message.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± The moment the words left my mouth, I knew why. ¡°He¡¯s in the Relictombs.¡±


    This caused the Lance¡¯s brows to rise. ¡°I won¡¯t be confirming any details. Know, however, that you haven¡¯t found this city undefended. At this moment, you are only alive due to my good will. Attempt any sort of treachery, and that good will ends.¡±


    I blinked. There was something about the straight-forward bombast of the Dicathian mage that felt¡­refreshing. ¡°Noted.¡±


    I followed Lance Bairon up the long road, taking in the sights and people of Vildorial as I went. Among the dwarves I saw a smattering of humans and even a few people I thought must be elves. Despite being underground, there was nothing cramped or ustrophobic about the city. In fact, I was quite taken aback by its beauty. The way the buildings and homes were carved into the side of the cavern, how the rays of light, generated byrge crystals affixed to stone pirs or hanging from long chains, reflected off the cavern walls to glint like stars in the night sky, even the rugged, fearless way the people of the city¡ªmost not even mages¡ªlooked at me, their gazes inevitably drawn to my horns¡­it was all so charming, while still being undeniably solid and strong.


    I thought we were making for a sort of stone fortress that filled the highest level of the cavern, but before we reached its gates, he took me instead through a in, if heavy, iron door inset into the wall, and suddenly the ce lost its charm.


    The hall beyond was narrow and cramped. It led through a guard post, where several dwarves snapped to attention as we passed, into a series of unadorned corridors. Cells lined both sides.


    Lance Bairon led me through the prison to what seemed to be the deepest cell farthest from the entrance, opened the door, and waved me in. I went withoutint. It wasn¡¯t ideal, but this would be exactly the wrong time to create hostility between us. With time, even if Arthur didn¡¯t return immediately, I was certain I could convince this Lance, or perhaps the lords of the elves or dwarves, that I meant them no harm.


    The door, which was heavy oak banded with iron, closed with a dull thunk. Although I couldn¡¯t sense it due to the mana-suppression shackles, I was certain the cell was magically warded and locked.


    The cell itself was in. A straw-stuffed mattress on the floor, with a single woolen nket folded atop it. I grimaced at the bucket resting in the opposite corner.


    ¡°I understand these amodations may not meet the standards of a ¡®highblood,¡¯¡± Lance Bairon said through the barred window inset in the door, ¡°but I¡¯m afraid the morefortable cells normally reserved for nobles in the pce are upied by families made homeless by the Vritra n¡¯s invasion.¡±


    I clenched my jaw, working it back and forth in frustration. Before I turned around to face him, though, I smoothed out my features, presenting a stoic front. ¡°It was exactly that: the Vritra n¡¯s invasion. My people have suffered under their rule for hundreds of years, yours for barely a single year. They are just as much my enemy as yours, I promise you that.¡±


    The Lance¡¯s brows wrinkled in a thoughtful frown. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±

 Chapter 421: Black Doors

    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    As I watched the others vanish one by one through another portal¡ªthe fourth now since leaving the third djinn ruin¡ªI considered the mental map left for me by Sylvia. Despite my confidence in isting the proper zone, it was still strange. Unlike all the other pictures in my mind, which included a sense of what to expect in the zone, this one was empty, nothing but an intangible nk te.


    I cast a nce back at the zone we¡¯d just cleared: a suffocatingly cramped castle full of traps and monsters. It had been dangerous, but straightforward. The unknown beyond this next portal unsettled me.


    It was the gentle swirling of the portal¡¯s internal light that dragged me back into the moment. Whatever else might wait on the other side of the portal, my sister was already there without me. With this in mind, I stepped in after her.


    I appeared surrounded by¡­nothing. Absolutely nothing. Void emptiness in every direction. And I was alone. When I tried to call out for my sister, no sound came. I tried to look down, but there was no down, or up, or me.


    It felt like when I¡¯d first appeared in the Relcitombs. I didn¡¯t relish the sensation.


    ¡®At least you¡¯ve still got me,¡¯ Regis¡¯s voice sounded in my head. ¡®Wherever I am. Can I still be inside you if neither of us exist?¡±


    Then, like a scene fading in at the beginning of an old Earth movie, the zone materialized in front of me.


    I was looking across smooth, ssy ck ground at Mica, Boo, and Ellie. Except something was wrong with them. They were t, like reflections of themselves on dark ss, and their movements were stiff and unnatural.


    ¡°El,¡± I said, my voice sounding muffled and iplete.


    Her mouth moved in response, and I read my name on her lips, but I couldn¡¯t hear her.


    I need to get out of here, I thought. I felt myself drifting forward, and then my feet touched down on solid ground.


    Turning around¡ªI had a body again, I realized¡ªI examined where I¡¯de from. Behind me, a smooth rectangle of mana, about seven feet tall and three feet wide, hovered just beyond the edge of the ground I now stood on. An identical shape stood a few feet to its left. Lyra was peering curiously out from its surface.


    I heard my name spoken by Ellie¡¯s voice, like a pleading whispering from a great distance.


    Turning away from Lyra, I crossed to the other panels¡ªdoors, I decided mentally, although in truth they resembled a physical door only in their outline. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I assured my sister, reaching up and pressing my hand against the surface of the door. She raised hers as well, cing it where mine was. ¡°Just think about leaving, and you will.¡±


    She nodded, her features hardening, the panic easing away. When nothing happened, her brows furrowed in concentration, but she was still inside the door.


    Regis manifested next to me, shaking his burning mane. ¡°Something seems off.¡± He sniffed at the door, his breath fogging the smooth surface. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s some trick to all this.¡±


    ¡°Aether,¡± I said, realizing Regis was right. The doors were wreathed in aetheric particles. With my hand still pressed against the door, I sent aether out through my fingertips.


    Ellie immediately appeared at my side, sagging in relief. ¡°Ugh. That was really ufortable.¡±


    The doors reminded me of the mirror zone. Remembering what happened to the Granbehls, I hurried to release Boo, Mica, and finally Lyra in the same fashion.


    I watched each of them for a moment, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any aftereffects or strangeness in their behavior, as there had been with Ada when she was possessed. And, when they stepped out of their respective doors, no reflection or image was left behind.


    Once they were all free¡ªand I was convinced they were themselves¡ªI turned my attention back to our surroundings.


    We were standing on smooth ck ground, almost indistinguishable from the darkness beyond. Boo kept his side pressed against Ellie protectively, his small eyes staring out into the nothing.


    Mica rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck, an uneasy frown creasing her features. ¡°I feel¡­weird. Not sure how to describe it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is a strange sensation in the atmosphere here, like gravity or the air is wrong¡­or like we are wrong,¡± Lyra said as she bent down to run her fingers across the smooth ground. ¡°This is mana. Pure, focused mana. No physicalndscape at all.¡± Her eyes traced a line into the distance. ¡°It¡¯s a tform. See there, a subtle shift in the ckness?¡±


    I moved to where she had indicated. She was right. We were standing on a floating tform in the void, a twenty-foot square. ¡°There could be others that we can¡¯t see,¡± I proposed, squinting and pushing aether into my eyes, searching for any sign of more tforms. ¡°Maybe we have to navigate blind. I should be able to¡­¡±


    I activated God Step, but nothing happened. No aetheric paths lit up in my vision or called out their presence to me, and I didn¡¯t experience the expanded, innate sixth sense of my physical surroundings, either. The godrune didn¡¯t even glow. It was like it was dormant, unreachable. I couldn¡¯t feel it at all.


    Regis clicked his tongue in frustration. ¡°It¡¯s the same with Destruction. It¡¯s there, but¡­not.¡±


    With no clue what that might mean, I sent aether into Realmheart. The godrune lit up, the mana particles forming the ground glowing like multi-colored fireflies. Aside from the mana of our tform and some lingering atmospheric mana drifting in the void, Realmheart showed me nothing.


    But at least it worked.


    Turning my attention back to the doors, I ran my hand along the closest one, from which I¡¯d released Lyra. It felt smooth and silky, like polished obsidian, but there was a static tingle to its surface. ¡°If aether pulled you all out of these things¡­¡±


    I sent a small amount of aether into the door.


    With a sickening lurch, my perspective shifted. Suddenly I was looking back at mypanions and their surprised expressions.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said, my voice again sounding strange, as if I were underwater. I was certain that these doors had something to do with clearing the zone, but their purpose wasn¡¯t immediately obvious. ¡°I just need a minute to think.¡±


    My perspective was fixed, so I couldn¡¯t look to the side, or up and down. I couldn¡¯t move at all. Like when I¡¯d first appeared in the zone, it was as if my body didn¡¯t even exist. From this door, I could see nothing but mypanions, the tform, and the other doors.


    The thought of other doors gave me pause. What if they really are doors? I wondered. I had stepped out of a door by thinking about it. Perhaps¡­


    I focused on the door Ellie had appeared within and thought, I want to go through that door.


    Like before, I began drifting forward. For an instant, I thought I would appear standing in front of Lyra¡¯s door, as I had my own, but instead I kept floating, picking up speed slightly as I moved in the direction of my thoughts.<center></center>


    A couple of secondster, I stepped back out onto the tform, but it was through Ellie¡¯s door and I was now standing behind mypanions.


    Boo groaned in surprise, stomping back and forth as Ellie gasped out, ¡°Arthur!¡± She took a couple halting steps before Boo moved to intervene, pushing her back with his broad head. She twisted around, searching frantically; her eyes skated right past me, stopped, then jumped back. She pressed a hand over her heart and her expression softened. ¡°You scared the crap out of me,¡± sheined, causing the others to turn around as well. A low, nervous whine from Boo served to add emphasis to her distress.


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± Lyra asked, her lips pursed as she considered the ck rectangles lined up along the tform¡¯s edge.


    I quickly exined what I¡¯d done, and my theory.


    ¡°So you think these¡ªdoors?¡ªcan move us around the zone?¡± Mica asked. Brows raised, she turned to her left and right, gesturing at the vast emptiness. ¡°And go where?¡±


    ¡°There must be other tforms and doors out there,¡± Lyra insisted, moving to the edge of our tform and staring into nothing. ¡°It¡¯s the only thing that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°If this is one of the djinn¡¯s puzzles,¡± I said, thoughtful, ¡°then there is always an intended solution.¡±


    With my hand against the cold surface of the door, I released another pulse of aether and felt myself be drawn back into it.


    This time, instead of letting myself be distracted by what was right in front of me, I focused on the emptiness around our tform. And, as I stared out unblinking into space, something caught my eye. Far off to my right and a few dozen feet below us, there was a second tform with two doors visible from my angle.


    ¡°I found it,¡± I said, carefully stopping myself from thinking about going through that distant door. It felt reckless to go and leave the others, especially if they couldn¡¯t navigate the doors on their own. ¡°Regis, you can sense the direction in my thoughts. Can you see the tform?¡±


    Regis loped to the edge, staring out in the direction I indicated. ¡°There¡¯s nothing out there.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you can only see it from inside the door?¡± Ellie asked, tapping a finger on her lips thoughtfully.


    ¡°Only one way to find out, Regent Leywin,¡± Lyra said, turning away from me to watch in the distance, following Regis¡¯s line of focus.


    I hesitated, but only for a moment. While I didn¡¯t like leaving the others behind, this seemed like the clear way forward. With a thought, I was drifting through the empty space toward the leftmost of the two doors I could see. Like before, I slowly picked up speed as I moved, but it wasn¡¯t fast. A strange foreboding built within me as I grew closer and closer to the second tform, but I was unsure if it was some trick of the Relictombs or my intuition trying to warn me about some unseen danger.


    Twenty seconds or more passed before I stepped out onto solid ground again. The diffused, sourceless light of the zone lit up this much smaller tform, and I couldn¡¯t help but wonder why I hadn¡¯t seen it immediately.


    ¡®Oh, hey, we see you,¡¯ Regis thought. ¡®The tform just kind of appeared a second before you did.¡¯


    Looking back, I could just make out the others¡ªBoo by far the most obvious¡ªstanding along the edge of their tform perhaps three hundred feet away.


    Between me and mypanions, the void oozed, like shadows moving within shadows.


    I thought I was imagining it, until a four-fingered, wed hand reached out from the void and grabbed the tform, digging into the t, ck panel of mana. A second w followed, and, very slowly, spindly arms formed, dragging a horribly skinny creature out of the ck background and into reality right in front of me.


    Its bones protruded in sharp ridges against shiny ck skin that blended into the darkness behind it. The t face had no mouth or nose but four out-of-ce eyes. As it uncoiled from its crouched position, I found myself looking up at it; the creature was at least seven feet tall.


    It blinked, each eye closing and opening slightly out of time with the others. Then it lunged forward, wing at my stomach.


    I stepped into the blow, conjuring an aether de in my left hand. The monster¡¯s ws dug into my side beneath my ribs, slicing right through the aetheric barrier that d my skin.


    My sword punched into its bony chest, then ripped up and out the side of the neck. Its eyes rolled in four different directions as it toppled over, and when it struck the ground it dissolved into the tform under my feet.


    Pressing a hand to my side, I checked the wound; it was healing rapidly, as expected. At least that power is working.


    ¡®You know, we¡¯ve seen a lot of shit in here, but that thing was nightmare-inducing,¡¯ Regis said via our telepathic link.


    ¡°This is going to be a problem,¡± I said to myself, considering the obstacles this zone presented. Is everything still clear over there?


    ¡®Yeah,¡¯ he confirmed, absent his normal flippant attitude.


    Returning to the others worked the same way: the jarring feeling of floating disembodied through space, the shadows rippling as if the void itself was alive, before I finally stepped out of Ellie¡¯s door on the starting tform. I searched for the distant tform, but it was gone.


    ¡°This is going to take some trial and error,¡± I said, exining what I¡¯d learned to the others.


    Mica jumped forward, looking up at me with grim determination. ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    I had released her from the doorway by imbuing it with aether, and I attempted to put her back into it the same way. With Mica¡¯s hand pressed against the same door I¡¯d used, I sent a small pulse of aether into the surface.


    Sure enough, Mica vanished from the tform, reappearing inside of the door like a moving portrait of herself.


    ¡°Now, can you see the other tform? Think about leaving through one of those doors,¡± I instructed.


    She nodded, but nothing happened. Considering what we already knew, I assumed that aether was the problem. She couldn¡¯t move in the same way she couldn¡¯t release herself. But I thought I already knew the solution to that.


    I confirmed that she was focused on the distant door, then imbued aether into the doorway again.


    Mica appeared right in front of me. Her face rose, then fell again as she realized where she was. ¡°It didn¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you were not focused enough,¡± Lyra said, crossing her arms.


    ¡°Or maybe the portal is racist against dwarves,¡± Regis muttered, getting a sputteringugh out of my sister.


    Mica¡¯s eye narrowed, but I stepped in between them. I had no patience for an argument.<center></center>


    She focused on me instead, clearing her throat. ¡°I was one hundred percent focused. It has to be something else. Although, if Professor Relictombs Know-it-All wants to try, be my guest.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worth being exhaustive,¡± I said, waving Lyra forward.


    She passed into the door easily, but, when I imbued it the second time, she too stepped back out onto our tform. The only silver lining was that no more monsters showed up to attack us while we were on the starting tform. However, we were getting no closer to progressing through the zone.


    ¡°Now that we know there are other tforms out there, why don¡¯t we just fly through?¡± Mica asked, stepping up to the edge of our tform. ¡°I can¡¯t see it anymore, but you were just over there somewhere.¡±


    Not waiting for a reply, she lifted up off the ground and flew out into the void. The moment she crossed over the outer edge of our tform, a spindly, ck-wed arm congealed from nothing and wrapped around her throat. A second raked down her face, shearing through her protective mana with ease, while two more grasped at her ankles.


    I grabbed the back of her armor and yanked her onto the tform.


    Three of the creatures came with her.


    Imbuing my hand with aether, I struck the one choking her in the side of the head. Unlike the other, this one had no eyes, only an open mouth full of serrated, gnashing teeth. The skull copsed, sttering dark ichor over Mica and me both.


    Mica kicked down hard, shattering the corbone of another. Twin arrows sprouted from the third, one in the throat and one in its single, off-center eye.


    Ripping herself free of my grasp, Mica conjured her hammer and started swinging.


    I took a step back. The overge hammer made short work of the monsters¡¯ remains, crushing them into a heap of soggy ck bone. As soon as she stepped away, breathing hard, the three corpses dissolved.


    She brushed her hair from her face as she turned around. ¡°Perhaps flying is¡­not a great idea.¡±


    ¡°It does seem that the djinn intend a certain path be followed to navigate the zone,¡± Lyramented, raising her brows and looking at me. ¡°Your path. Which I must say, for the rest of us, is rather unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°There has to be a way through,¡± I said, stepping up to one of the doors and staring at it. ¡°We just have to find it.¡±


    ***


    An hour and several experimentster, and we still hadn¡¯t moved beyond the first tform. But we had learned a few things about the zone.


    I couldn¡¯t travel beyond the second tform. I could see a third, but couldn¡¯t move to it. It felt like strong hands were holding me back, and my working theory was that the zone would only allow me to move one tform beyond mypanions. Although I had hoped to go to the end and see if activating the exit portal would free the others from the purgatory of the first tform, this wasn¡¯t an option.


    Any attempt to cross through the void resulted in an immediate attack. The longer Lyra or Mica stayed out there¡ªthe farther they tried to push¡ªthe more creatures clung to them, rending and mauling with ws capable of ripping through mana and aether alike.


    I had even attempted to send a bolt of aether from one tform to another, but the aether fizzled away before reaching its target, absorbed back into the zone.


    And as long as anyone was standing on the second tform, the horrifying monsters kept appearing, slithering free of the void one after another.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite strange,¡± Lyra mused, pacing back and forth across the tform as we rehashed our ideas for the third time. ¡°I feel strange. Has anyone else noticed?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Mica answered, drumming her fingers against the tform as she leaned back on her elbows. ¡°I can¡¯t put my finger on it exactly, but all this¡±¡ªshe gestured to her torso¡ª¡°isn¡¯t the way it should be. It reminds me of how I felt the first morning I woke up without my eye.¡±


    Lyra nodded. ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Ellie pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them, looking nervous. ¡°Do people ever get¡­stuck in the Relictombs?¡±


    Boo rumbled, nudging her shoulder with his nose tofort her.


    ¡°We¡¯re not stuck,¡± I said firmly. ¡°We just haven¡¯t made the right connection yet. I¡¯ve been in several zones where the solution wasn¡¯t immediately obvious¡ª¡±


    ¡°Arthur!¡± Ellie said, bolting to her feet. ¡°A connection!¡±


    I stared at her for a moment, unsure what she meant.


    ¡°My spellform¡ªthe tether!¡± When I still didn¡¯t understand, she spun in a circle and tugged on her hair in exasperation as she reached for whatever words she was looking for. ¡°My arrows, maybe we can make a connection somehow, y¡¯know, between doors¡­¡±


    My brows furrowed into an uncertain frown, and she trailed off, losing her confidence.


    ¡°The doors require aether, El,¡± I said, thinking out loud, ¡°and the void would probably break down your arrows before they could reach another tform.¡± She looked down at her feet, but I was starting to see through her words to the intention behind them, and I kept brainstorming. ¡°But your spellform might be enough to keep the mana¡¯s shape intact and within your control as it passes through the void¡­¡±


    Mica sat up and crossed her legs, resting her elbows on her knees and leaning forward. ¡°But how does that help us?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t, unless I can imbue aether into Ellie¡¯s arrow.¡±


    ¡°But¡­the tform isn¡¯t there,¡± Lyra pointed out.


    Cursing, I realized she was right. I would have to go first, opening the doorway so to speak.


    ¡°But you have to be here to send everyone through,¡± Regis said, stepping up to the door. ¡°It¡¯ll have to be me. I¡¯ll go ahead to activate the next portal.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be attacked the entire time,¡± I pointed out.


    He puffed up his chest, and his ming mane red brightly. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ve forgotten because you¡¯ve been looking upon my beautiful face for so long, but I¡¯m a god-weapon, remember?¡±


    I eyed him for a long moment, then nodded. ¡°If this works, Mica will be right behind you as backup. Assuming you¡¯re up to test this?¡± I asked, meeting her eye.


    She floated up to her feet with a shrug. ¡°Better than sitting on my thumb any longer, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Adios, muchachos,¡± Regis said before pressing his nose to the door and vanishing within it. I felt my connection to him vanish, and knew he was within thework of doors, drifting toward the next tform.


    We waited a few seconds before Mica pressed her hand against the door. I imbued it with aether, but nothing happened. She wasn¡¯t pulled in.


    ¡°Perhaps because it is already in use?¡± Lyra asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s going to slow things down,¡± Mica said, watching the dark patch of nothing in the distance where Regis would soon appear.


    ¡°Be ready. We need to move fast.¡±


    Several very long secondster, the tform lit up as Regis appeared in front of one of the doors. Mica was still touching the doorway, so I wasted no time in sending her through.


    Ellie conjured an arrow. ¡°Now what?¡±


    Activating Realmheart, I wrapped my hand around the arrow and sent out a small amount of aether, the aether and mana shifting slightly to mingle together. I looked at the arrow and felt a frown creeping onto my face.


    ¡°It¡¯s just going to bleed out. It needs to be¡ª¡±


    The mana particles moved, leaving a sort of reservoir in the arrow¡¯s head that would bepletely surrounded by Ellie¡¯s mana.


    ¡°¡ªlike that,¡± I said, moving the aether. I focused on pushing it through the outeryer of mana until it was fully shielded within.


    She took her time setting up the shot. It was a long way to the door she was aiming at.


    From this distance, I wasn¡¯t able to see the monster forming to attack Regis, but it was obvious when it did. Regis, glinting like a purple jewel, leapt on a shadowy silhouette and tore it to pieces.


    Ellie¡¯s arrow trailed through the dark like a shooting star, striking the distant door with a quiet but satisfying thwack. She turned to me and grinned.


    ¡°Now, the other one,¡± I said, and we repeated the process, Ellie¡¯s second aether-infused arrow sticking into the bottom corner of Mica¡¯s door.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it,¡± I cautioned.


    Ellie waved me away, closing her eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    Her eyes moved back and forth beneath the lids for a few seconds, then, with a soft burst of mana, both arrows detonated simultaneously.


    I held my breath.


    Mica vanished from the door. When she didn¡¯t immediately appear in front of us, I hurried to the edge, peering into the darkness. Regis had a second monster by one arm, shaking it violently. His pain radiated through our link as its other w tore at the flesh of his back, but so did his intensity. He ripped the arm off and spit it on the ground, then pounced, mming the skeletal horror in the chest with both paws and driving it to the ground. Finally, his jaws closed around its throat, and it dissolved beneath him.


    When Mica stepped out of the door a few secondster, her hammer already in hand, she jumped into action, fighting side-by-side with Regis as another monster climbed out of the void.


    ¡°Woohoo!¡± Ellie eximed, jumping up and raising a hand to Boo, who gently met it with his paw in a sort of high-five.


    I let out a relieved breath, but, with the mystery of how to move mypanions across the zone solved, I felt an anxiousness to get through it as quickly as possible building within me. ¡°Let¡¯s send Boo next, just to make sure it¡¯ll work for him too.¡±


    Ellie sobered slightly as she exchanged a look with the guardian bear. But when Boo pressed a paw to the door, I was able to send him in, and Ellie¡¯s trick with the aether-infused arrow worked just as we expected. With Regis, Mica, and Boo on the distant tform, the continually manifesting horrors were taken down one by one.


    Lyra went next. It wasn¡¯t until only Ellie and I remained that we realized the w in our technique.


    ¡°So¡­how do you think I get over there?¡±


    ¡°Shoot your arrows, but don¡¯t make them explode. Then I¡¯ll send you into the door,¡± I suggested.


    Shrugging, Ellie worked with me to infuse two arrows, shooting one into the door on our tform and the other into the distant tform where the others were fighting for their lives. With that done, she pressed a hand against the dark rectangle of mana, which I imbued with aether.


    She vanished. And the instant she did, her connection with the arrows was severed, causing them to shatter with a slight pop.


    My sister¡¯s image vanished from the doorway in front of me. It was with a growing sense of unease that I waited for her to appear on the other side, watching as the others took down two more of the horrors. It wasn¡¯t until she finally stepped out of the far door that I was able to rx and follow her through.


    By the time I stepped out of the portal, mypanions had formed a protective ring around Ellie. Her bow was drawn, a glowing arrow of mana against the string, and when a skeletal monster dragged itself free of the darkness, she let the arrow fly. There was a dry crack, and the monster¡¯s head snapped back as the arrow pierced its skull. Slowly, it tumbled back into the void, vanishing.


    ¡°All right, Regis, head for the next tform,¡± I ordered, moving to Ellie¡¯s side.


    Regis wasted no time with banter, vanishing first into a door on the opposite side of the tform, then from the door as well.


    A long, chitinous tail with a scorpion-like stinger at the end stabbed down from the void as another monster appeared. Lyra deflected the attack with a burst of wind, and Ellie sent an arrow into its chest. It fell on all fours, scrambling like an insect. Mica brought her hammer down at its head, but it jerked away erratically, and her hammer rang against the floor.


    The tail swung wildly, whipping around like an untethered electrical wire. I pulled Ellie down with one hand as I conjured a de in the other, shing across the inky ck, shiny skin in the same motion, slicing the deadly appendage off. Boo pounced on the monster, crushing it lifeless.


    In the distance, I saw the next tform appear, followed a secondter by Regis.


    ¡°Mica, go,¡± I ordered, rushing to the door. She met me there, and I sent her in with a pulse of mana. ¡°Ellie!¡±


    As Boo and Lyra worked to corner a new horror¡ªthis one with four wing arms and two mouths where its eyes should have been, each filled with needle-like teeth¡ªEllie disengaged, conjuring an arrow with a reservoir for my aether in its head. The next monster to appear crawled out of the void right beside us as I sent my aether into the arrow, and its ws sank into my shoulder.


    Vibrations rippled visibly in the air, so strong I felt my skin tingle, and the monster crumpled, letting out a horrible squeal. I stomped down hard, and the noise ceased.


    Ellie shot the arrow first at the far tform. When it hit its mark, we repeated the process with Mica¡¯s door. Ellie wasted no time in bursting the arrows and releasing the contained aether. With the connection formed, Mica vanished.


    ¡°This is going to get difficult,¡± I said into the momentary quiet between attacks.


    Boo was ready the moment Mica passed through the other doorway, and I sent him in. This time, I worked with Ellie with one hand as I held my de in the other. With only Lyra on the tform with us, defending Ellie became my entire priority.


    But we were getting faster. Only one monster appeared, and was subsequently cut down, before Boo was on his way.


    ¡°We can do this,¡± Lyra said firmly, standing by the doorway, some dark spell crackling on her fingertips as we waited. When the next horror oozed out of the darkness a momentter, her spell crashed into it, sending it flying off the tform and out of sight.


    Then it was her turn. She watched us nervously from within as Ellie hurried to form her arrows, and I filled them with aether. When a two-headed horror dragged itself onto the tform, I reabsorbed the de, focusing it into a single point in my hand before releasing it as an aetheric st.


    The two-headed horror dodged to the side andunched itself at Ellie.


    With an aether-infused arrow already on her string, she adjusted her aim and released. Instead of arcing toward the next tform, the arrow struck the monstrosity in the stomach. Then, it exploded.


    The monster was ripped apart from the inside, showering our tform with ck gore, which rained down around us with a heavy, wet sttering.


    Without missing a beat, Ellie conjured another arrow and held it out to me. Beside us, a chunk of oozing ck mush ran down Lyra¡¯s two-dimensional face.


    Once Lyra was gone and Ellie was inside the door, I felt better. I¡¯d entirely forgotten to track the other group¡¯s progress on the third tform, but Regis¡¯s thoughts were filled with the glow of battle and sess. I dispatched two more monsters before I could make the jump myself.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Regis said a minuteter, stepping back out of a door on the third tform, which wasrge with several doors lining each edge. He had just tried multiple doors looking for the way forward. ¡°There are three tforms.¡± Sidestepping a w, Regis dragged down an attacking monster with its arms and head in the wrong positions on its torso. When it was finished, he asked, ¡°Do I just pick one or what?¡±


    ¡°Yes, just go,¡± I said, shielding Ellie from the swiping ws of another creature. ¡°But make note of your choice. If this ce turns into a maze¡­¡± I left the rest of my meaning unsaid, certain we all understood the danger of getting lost or having to backtrack while under constant attack.


    In the twenty seconds it took Regis to reach the next tform, we dispatched three more monsters, which were appearing much more quickly than on the second tform. Already, Mica had a deep wound in her side, and Boo was bleeding from a dozen cuts all over his massive body.


    ¡°Their damned ws go right through mana and steel,¡± Mica said with a grimace as she took another shallow cut across her forearm. ¡°They may break like shale, but with so many of them¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s a dead end,¡¯ Regis thought back to me. ¡®The doors only face back.¡¯


    Come back and try another, I thought, suppressing my frustration.


    All we could do while waiting for Regis to return was keep fighting. One particrly horrible manifestation with a vertical mouth down the middle of its face and three eyes on each side, lunged at me. I brought the aether de up, severing its outstretched arm, pivoted to the side, then carved through its torso as it flew past.


    Boo reared up in front of Ellie, bringing both huge paws down on the shoulders of another creature, which copsed under the guardian bear¡¯s weight. Mica was doing her best to conserve her mana byunching stone des out of her hammer from a distance. Lyra had pinned two of the creatures beneath a wave of sonic vibration that was pulling them apart.


    As my target fell, I scanned the tform for any more.


    Ellie was braced behind Boo, firing off arrow after arrow. My attention caught on her face, which was a mask of determination. No fear, no hesitation. Pride warmed me.


    Lyra and Mica had gravitated to opposing corners of the tforms, fighting separately. Most of the creatures were focused on them. Even as I watched, a wed hand crept over the edge of the tform and shed at the back of Mica¡¯s leg. She went down to one knee with a suppressed cry of pain, holding off another horror with her hammer.


    I cleared the tform in an instant, shing twice through the three-armed monster on the tform and allowing her to spin around and m her weapon into the other one¡¯s face, sending it tumbling off the edge.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she muttered, pressing a hand over the fresh cuts.


    ¡°A-Arthur?¡± The sound of Ellie¡¯s voice drew my gaze back across the tform.


    Staring with wide, wet eyes, Ellie was pressing both hands against her sternum. Blood was gushing freely between her fingers and running down her front.


    Her stomach was a red ruin, and I could see clear through her to the emptiness beyond.


    Boo roared, his ws rending and tearing through the monster that had appeared behind Ellie while I was helping Mica, ripping it to tattered pieces.


    With a sick lurch, time slowed, and the distance between me and Ellie seemed to grow wider and wider.


    Ellie¡¯s knees buckled and she started to fall. Moving in a daze, I swept her up in my arms, gently easing her to the ground, my hands iling against hers as I futilely attempted to help.


    ¡°I d-didn¡¯t think¡­¡± Ellie said, struggling to speak as her body and voice both shook uncontrobly. ¡°I¡¯m s-so sorry.¡±


    ¡°No no no.¡± Desperate, I empowered Aroa¡¯s Requiem, remembering my visions in the keystone. I only need better insight, maybe I could¡­but no, there was nothing. Like God Step, it was dormant, a useless mark on my skin. I pushed aether into the wound, urging it to do something, to heal her the way it could heal me.


    My vision was growing blurry. The blood-stained hands at the ends of my arms didn¡¯t even feel like mine. They were trembling so hard flecks of blood were sshing off them. I didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡®Arthur, what¡¯s wrong?¡¯ Regis thought from the next tform, but my mind was buzzing with static, and I barelyprehended his words.


    Boo was trying to get to Ellie, his roar blending into the hurricane rush of blood pounding in my head. When I pushed him back, his ws shed across my shoulder in fury, but I barely noticed.


    Because, even as I watched, Ellie¡¯s tear-filled eyes lost their spark and rolled back, her body going stiff as a finalbored breath came out of her lungs, and then she sagged in my arms.


    All life was gone from her.

 Chapter 422: Black Doors II

    A choked sob lodged in my throat as I stared down at Ellie. My mind was nk. I grasped for sense, but the image of her ripped open and crimson with her own blood seemed so impossible, so unbelievable, that all reality shivered to a halt. The only thing to prate my brain aside from the horrible sight was the mournful roaring and tramping of Boo behind me, which felt like a manifestation of the emotions I couldn¡¯t shake loose myself.


    ¡°¡ªthur!¡±


    A hand was on my shoulder, squeezing and shaking. A heavy wave of aether rolled outward from my body in response, and the hand pulled away. Distantly, I was aware of Mica and Lyra struggling against the monsters.


    A shadow crossed over Ellie, and I looked up into Regis¡¯s bright eyes, now full of our shared despair. He phased into incorporeality, then took on the shape of a wisp as he sank down into Ellie¡¯s body.


    My spark of hope was doused before it even fully manifested. ¡®She¡¯s¡­gone,¡¯ Regis thought, drifting around her core. ¡®Wait. There¡¯s something wrong¡ª¡¯


    The weight of Ellie¡¯s body vanished from my arms as she became transparent. For a moment I could see inly how the dark wisp of Regis settled into her outline, then they both vanished, dissolving like the monster that had killed her.


    I opened my mouth to yell or curse, but only a wheezing breath came out.


    ¡°W-what happened?¡± Mica asked, batting aside a skeletal, grinning beast, but not before it took a chunk out of her side.


    ¡°Regent¡­Leywin, you must¡­release your¡ª¡±


    Rage red within me and I spun on Lyra. The cryan retainer shrank back and fell to her knees, sumbing to the force of my intent. Aether formed into a sword in my hand without my conscious maniption. There was fear in her eyes, radiating as bright and clear as the reflection of my weapon.


    Grimacing, I swung the de.


    It carved through flesh and bone. A brief shriek of pain, then silence.


    The monster that had manifested behind Lyra copsed into two pieces, then melted away.


    Closing my eyes, I forcefully retook control of my aura. When I opened them again, Lyra was watching me warily. She swallowed heavily, then eased back to her feet, as if she was afraid that any sudden movement might set me off again. In the next instant, her entire body flinched at a roar from Boo. The bearunched itself at another attacker, ripping into it mercilessly.


    What am I going to do now?


    ¡®You have to go on without us,¡¯ a somber voice answered in my mind.


    I froze. Regis?


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry about us. We¡¯re in heaven now. It¡¯s beautiful. Nothing but busty demon babes as far as the eye can see, you know? Just like I always wanted.¡¯


    An eerie tremor ran up my spine. Before I could reply, a light bloomed in the distance, arcing across the empty ck background like a re.


    One of Ellie¡¯s arrows.


    It had to be. Boo looked up from his kill, the light reflecting in his small ck eyes, then he vanished with a slight pop.


    Regis, you son of a bitch, exin or¡ª


    ¡®Don¡¯t speak ill of the dead, princess,¡¯ Regis shot back.


    I rushed to the door that would lead me backwards, but hesitated, turning to look at Mica and Lyra. Another horror had manifested, but Lyra and Mica were already unleashing their spells.


    ¡°Go, we¡¯ll be fine,¡± Mica said, spinning to m her hammer into the jaw of a faceless monstrosity.


    Wasting no more time, I went through the door. It seemed painfully, impossibly slow moving, dragging me through empty space with deliberate mise. When I finally reached the second tform, I fired an aetheric st from my palm, ripping apart two of the monsters, then hurried back into the door.


    My heart stopped.


    Standing on the edge of the starting tform, staring out into the zone, was Ellie, her bow in hand. Boo stood next to her, nuzzling her and moaning deep in his chest. Ellie, who was pale and shaking, had one hand entwined through his fur, holding on as if afraid she was about to fall.


    ¡°Ellie,¡± I gasped as I stepped out of the door.


    Twisting around, her face wrinkled up as sobs overtook her, and she threw herself into my arms, heaving breathlessly. I could do nothing but hold on to her, too shocked to even feel joy that she was alive.


    Eventually she pulled away from me to wipe her face on her sleeve. Her eyes were red and swollen, and there was a sense of horror in them that kept her from looking at me straight on.


    I stroked her hair and made gentle cooing noises to try andfort her. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°What happened is easy,¡± Regis said, sitting back on his haunches. ¡°Like our furrypatriot here, we poofed across the zone. Ellie reappeared in her door, and I came out of yours. How and why it happened¡­¡± He trailed off with a shrug.


    I pulled Ellie to me, lifted her up off the ground, and pressed my lips to the top of her head. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, El. I never should¡¯ve¡­I¡ª¡± I felt her small hands press against me, and I eased up, allowing her to pull back.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault, Arthur,¡± she said, wiping her puffy, tear-reddened eyes. ¡°It happened so fast. It felt¡­it was so real.¡±


    I went quiet, unable to think past one all-epassing fact.


    I had failed. My sister had died in my arms. Whatever was happening in this zone that brought her back didn¡¯t change that.


    Reaching into the extradimensional storage rune, I withdrew the Compass.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ellie asked, taking a step back, a slight flushing to her ghostly-pale cheeks.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take you back.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a debate,¡± I said firmly, not looking at her. I didn¡¯t want to see the expression of hurt I knew was on her face. ¡°I know exactly what you¡¯ve just been through, because I went through it myself a hundred times in Epheotus. But now, unlike there, we don¡¯t know if you¡¯lle back again, or how many times. We don¡¯t have any idea what¡¯s happening here. The tforms are only going to get harder, and if I couldn''t protect you in the earlier ones¡­¡±


    Ellie grabbed my arm and pulled at me, reminding me suddenly of the way she¡¯d used to drag my mother around the shopping district. Bile rose up in my throat as I imagined telling Mom that Ellie had died¡­


    Warm tears slid down my face. ¡°I can¡¯t lose you too, El.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t¡ªBoo, help me!¡± she sputtered.


    The guardian bear sat down and huffed, turning his face away from Ellie. Her grip loosened and slid off my arm. ¡°Boo¡­¡±


    She approached her bond slowly, but he kept turning, putting his back to her. She sighed and leaned in against him, pressing her face into his fur.


    I gritted my teeth and resisted the urge to crush the metal half-sphere in my trembling fingers.


    It wasn¡¯t working. The aether moved into and through the artifact, but didn¡¯t activate it. It was dormant, like God Step and Destruction.


    We were trapped.


    One of the doors glinted with internal light, and Mica appeared within it. Her breathing wasbored, and I almost thought I could hear the rapid hammering of her heart. I released her almost instantly. She solidified in front of her door, her hands patting up and down her body frantically as she confirmed it was really there.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°I died¡­¡± She blinked several times in a fashion that would have been almostical if not for the horror of our situation. ¡°But¡­I¡¯m not dead.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very much alive,¡± I said, squeezing her shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re not sure what¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Mica said, the exhtion part gasp, part moan.


    I turned to follow the line of her gaze. Lyra had appeared in her doorway, looking slightly green.


    I hurried over and, with a spark of aether, drew her out. Her eyes drifted closed and she took a deep breath, then wrapped her arms around herself.


    ¡°I can still feel it, the ws and teeth inside me, ripping and tearing at the meat,¡± she said in a breathy whisper. ¡°I¡¯ve been subjected to many tortures in my life, but that was by far the worst¡­¡±


    After taking a few minutes to calm down, we were all sitting in a circle around a small bottled me that Mica had brought. It took some prodding, but I had convinced Ellie, Mica, and Lyra to eat, and they were chewing mindlessly on some of their rations. Ellie was leaning back against Boo¡¯s side, her focus somewhere deep in the void darkness. Lyra and Mica both watched the mes curl and snap with matching haunted expressions. Regis was standing several feet away from everyone else, his back to the fire.


    ¡°When we first arrived here, you two mentioned feeling strange in your own skin,¡± I said, breaking the long-held silence. ¡°And some of my godrunes are dormant and unusable.¡±


    Mica only grunted in response.


    Lyra leaned toward the fire, moving her index finger in and out of oneshing tongue of me. ¡°You think¡­what, exactly? That we¡¯re¡­¡± She waved her hand in shallow circles, trailing off as she searched for the words.


    ¡°I doubt even the Relictombs can resurrect the dead,¡± I said, steepling my fingers in front of my lips. ¡°This zone is different. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s real. Not in a physical sense, anyway.¡±


    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± Mica asked gloomily. She punched the ground beside her. ¡°That feels pretty real to me.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I know, but hear me out. When I trained in Epheotus, I spent a lot of time¡ªyears, actually¡ªinside a relic called the aether orb. It¡¯splicated, but it basically manifested my mind and spirit inside another realm, where I could train and fight¡ªand die¡ªindefinitely.¡±


    Lyra hissed. ¡°Vritra¡¯s teeth, that¡¯s cruel even by cryan standards. So what we just went through¡­¡±


    I gave her a tight-lipped, humorless smile. ¡°I¡¯ve done hundreds, if not thousands, of times. You¡­¡± I looked at Ellie and hesitated. ¡°Experiencing death over and over is something you can never get used to. It messes with your mind, and warps your sense of what¡¯s real. I didn¡¯t bring you here to experience that.¡± After all, what was the point of going through such trials myself, if not to keep those I loved from experiencing the same?


    ¡°You think this is¡­like that?¡± Ellie asked, plucking absently at Boo¡¯s fur.


    ¡°I know the djinn have simr magic. In the first two ruins I discovered, I fought the djinn manifestations inside of my mind. It felt real, but it was separate from physical reality. This zone could be too.¡±


    The silence crept back in as everyone considered this theory. After a couple of minutes, Lyra said, ¡°Perhaps this is the universe punishing us, forcing us to feel the deaths of all those we¡¯ve killed¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lump me in with you,¡± Mica snapped, jumping to her feet and leveling a re at Lyra. ¡°I¡¯ve always had reasons to kill someone. Right reasons.¡±


    Barely audible, Lyra whispered, ¡°From where I stood at the time, so did I.¡±


    Mica scoffed but sat back down, ring into the small me. ¡°We need some kind of n of attack here.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. Even if we cannot die here, I have no desire to experience that again.¡± A shiver ran through Lyra as she finished speaking.


    We discussed it for a while. Although no revtion was made about how we could progress deeper into the zone, it provided an opportunity for the others to rest and rebuild their confidence.


    But one aspect of our progress in particr continued to vex me. I didn¡¯t voice my concern out loud, but thosest moments where it was just me and Ellie on the tform were the most difficult and dangerous.


    How can I protect Ellie from the increasing number of monsters while we both have to concentrate on creating the connection between doorways?


    My aetheric powers had given me the strength to reim a lifetime of training and power in a matter of months, but I was well aware that there were limitations to what I could aplish with such limited flexibility.


    ¡®The problem with a sword is that it¡¯s only as useful as the swordsman¡¯s ability to wield it,¡¯ Regis said, watching me from across the fire. ¡®Which, of course, is why I am the superior weapon.¡¯


    When I was a quadraelemental mage, I had a dozen spells at my disposal that would have been more effective. I need to be able to defend myself without one hand tied behind my back, so to speak.


    ¡®You¡¯re thinking about the second djinn projection,¡¯ Regis noted, frowning.


    I should have pushed myself harder to learn her techniques.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t the point of all this insight business that you have to discover these things for yourself?¡¯ Regis pointed out.


    It¡¯s not enough. If I can¡ª


    I cut myself off, acknowledging the spiraling pattern of my thoughts. It was a deep, twisting road down the path of self-doubt and regret. And another part of me knew that I had learned what I could, or what I had to in order to progress. Now, though, was one of those times. Without increasing my skills, there was no way to get mypanions through this zone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think talking¡¯s going to get us any further,¡± Mica said unexpectedly. When she turned to face me, her huge hammer coalesced in her hands. She let the hammer¡¯s head fall heavily to the floor, and I felt the weight of it tremble through the mana. ¡°I don¡¯t care if I die a thousand times, I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m going to let this ce get the better of me.¡±


    Beside her, Ellie gave me a grim-faced nod.


    Lyra unfolded from her sitting position, rolling her shoulders as she stood. ¡°Indeed. Though, I would prefer avoiding feeling the grasping ws of death again¡­¡±


    I studied mypanions for a moment. Although I could sense the scars of their experience hidden just beneath the surface, outwardly they projected strength and defiance. With aether, I plucked at the force that was always tethered to me. ck scales iid with gold feathered into existence over my body as the relic armor enveloped me.


    Mica cracked her neck and gave me a vicious grin. ¡°I¡¯m ready. Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    ***


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t ready for that,¡± Mica gasped, wiping vomit off her mouth.


    She was on her hands and knees, a pool of sick sttered across the ground beneath her, but I understood the reaction. Watching as a headless horror pulled her intestines out through a gaping hole in her stomach wasn¡¯t like the quick deaths I had experienced at Kordri¡¯s hands so many times.


    Taking her under the arm, I helped lift her to her feet, then wiped a streak of bile off her cheek with my sleeve.


    As we had moved to the fourth tform, the horde of grotesque monsters had overwhelmed Mica before Lyra could even arrive. Regis had fought them off, killing enough to make way for Lyra, and the rest of us tried to push on. Unfortunately, it had taken Regis three attempts to find the fifth tform, and in that time Boo fell under a wave of attackers.


    Deciding there was no point in moving forward, we headed backwards, but that proved just as difficult, and Lyra perished on the way, dragged off the tform by rending ws. But at least my sister hadn¡¯t died again.


    Once Mica was steady on her feet, I went about releasing the others from their doorways. Boo seemed unphased by his repeated deaths. Lyra was quiet, and the others seemed to take their cue from her.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how much of this they could take.


    ¡°We need to move faster,¡± Mica said after the post-death fog had cleared. ¡°Sometimes there are multiple doors facing the next tform, right? We should send two through at once.¡±


    ¡°But that removes two people from the battlefield,¡± I countered.


    ¡°True, but it would speed up getting two of us to the next tform, which is when things are the most dangerous for us,¡± Lyra pushed back. ¡°You are always thest to leave one tform for the next, and you are the strongest. It is as the rest of us move to a new tform that we are going to struggle, especially the first person there.¡±


    Regis hummed deep in his chest, almost more of a growl. ¡°Even if Ellie and Arthur can keep up with sending two more-or-less at once, there have only been a couple of tforms where that¡¯s even an option. Really, whoever is following me needs to get there and turtle up until help arrives.¡±


    ¡°Then send me first this time,¡± Lyra said, not quite able to hide the quaver of fear in her voice. Mica scowled, looking as if she wanted to argue, but Lyra forged on. ¡°My defensive spells are more potent. If we can¡¯t be sent at the same time, then I go first. You¡¯ve¡±¡ªher tone softened somewhat¡ª¡°had it worse than I have. It is my turn to take that risk.¡±


    Mica¡¯s anger morphed into uncertainty, then begrudging eptance. ¡°Yeah, all right. Whatever.¡±


    ¡°Third time¡¯s a charm,¡± Regis muttered, then vanished through a door.


    ***


    As Ellie finished firing the connecting arrows between two doors, Boo¡¯s image vanished from the door in front of us. I was keeping tabs on the battle at the next tform through my link with Regis. So far so good.


    Ellie transitioned from preparation tobat with growing ease. Arrows of white light and pure mana leapt rapidly from the string of her bow, hitting target after target. We were on the sixth tform, and the monsters were surging constantly from the void, manifesting two or three at a time.


    I counted in my head as I cut them down, moving constantly so as to try and protect her from every direction. Her arrows picked off some just as they formed, but any who closed in on us, she left to me.


    My de carved through a shing arm, severing it at the elbow, then reversed direction and bit deep into the monster¡¯s boney hip. With my free hand, I pulled Ellie away from the scything ws of a four-armed horror that was skittering up from behind. With a forward kick, I sent it flying off into the void, where it vanished, reabsorbed by the darkness that birthed it.


    Vaulting over Ellie, I came down de first, bisecting a headless creature from shoulder to hip. Two closed in on me at once, one lunging at my legs while the other leapt into the air, pushing off a skeletal, whip-like tail. Focusing aether into my fist, I sidestepped the low attack as I caught the flying creature on the tip of the aether de. It¡¯s body slid onto the de effortlessly, and gnashing jaws closed around my throat as ws raked across the ck scales of my armor.


    A surge of aether from my core answered, reinforcing the armor. At the same time, I yanked my de sideways, tearing a line through one monster¡¯s chest as I released the aetheric st. The second attacker vanished in a violet cone.


    Twenty.


    ¡°Ellie, door!¡± I shouted.


    She conjured her arrows, which I struggled to imbue with aether as I simultaneously fought off our attackers. Without her arrows picking them off as they formed, it grew even more difficult.


    Her first arrow sank into the corner of the door in front of us. Her second went flying off into the void, aimed at the next tform.


    I was surrounded by the grisly creatures, my focus split between getting her into the door and defending her.


    The distant arrow sank into the void, falling just short of the door she¡¯d been aiming for. In the quarter-second the sight of the plummeting arrow distracted me, one of the creatures darted beneath my swinging de. It¡¯s three wed limbs wrapped around Ellie, the force of the impact jerking her off her feet and carrying her out over the void.


    I jumped into the air, reaching for her.


    Her hand closed around mine, but a dozen spindly arms had already grabbed her and were dragging her down. Three more of the horrible things mmed into me from behind, and I was half pushed, half dragged over the edge with her. In an instant, we were both pulled into the darkness, and then everything went cold and nk.


    I stepped out of the door onto the starting tform the moment I manifested. Across from me, Ellie was staring out from her door with a defeated expression.


    ¡®Well, shit,¡¯ Regis thought, sensing my frustration and angst. ¡®What do we do?¡¯


    Can you hold out long enough for us to get back? I sent, moving to Ellie¡¯s door and releasing her. The instant I did, Boo popped out of nowhere, nudging between Ellie and me and growling sternly.


    ¡®Not now,¡¯ Regis thought. ¡®Lyra¡¯s already wounded, and we¡¯repletely surrounded.¡¯


    Only a few seconds passed before Lyra once again appeared in her door. Wearily, I released her. She sank to the ground and leaned her back against it, her eyes closed.


    Mica returned less than a minuteter. ¡°What happened?¡± she asked as she manifested. ¡°I felt like we were getting the hang of things.¡±


    ¡°I missed my shot,¡± Ellie answered, her voice sinking. She rubbed her hands down her face, then turned away, groaning and mussing her hair. ¡°And then one of those things got me and dragged me off the tform.¡±


    Mica kicked the ground with the armored toe of her boot. ¡°I really hate this ce.¡±


    ¡°What now?¡± Lyra asked, not bothering to open her eyes. ¡°We made it farther, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m too slow,¡± Ellie said matter-of-factly. ¡°And Arthur has to split his attention.¡±


    ¡°Take some time to rest,¡± I suggested. ¡°Prepare yourselves mentally. That¡¯s the important part.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do, then?¡± Mica asked, raising a brow.


    ¡°What I do best,¡± I said with a humorless smile. ¡°Train.¡±


    With a mentalmand to Regis, I headed for Ellie¡¯s door, taking it to the second tform. As I drifted through empty space, surrounded by the perception of shadows moving within the darkness, I forced my mind clear of all my worries and fears, all considerations beyond this very instant and what I nned to do with it.


    When I arrived at the second tform, I moved to the center. With my eyes closed, I pictured the second djinn projection, the woman who had guarded over the keystone containing knowledge of Realmheart. I copied the stance she had used during our battle. The aether, responding to my intentions, flowed into the shape of a de in my right hand. A momentter, a second de consolidated in my left.


    It wasn¡¯t strenuous to hold them both, but this kind of two-weapon fighting had never been my focus. Acknowledging this fact helped me see part of the problem: I¡¯d learned to fight with a single de, been taught that my weapon was an extension of my arm.


    One of the monsters congealed out of the void, crawling onto the tform and snarling with a mouth that took up most of its face. Yellow eyes stared at me from its shoulders, and a whip-like tail snapped back and forth.


    I waited. When it lunged, I took a step back, letting its ws pass right in front of me. My swords swept across its neck, closing like shears, cleanly removing the grotesque head. The monster dissolved, and I returned to my starting position.


    Even now, the way I held a sword, the way I fought, was based on the principles I had learned as King Grey. Kordri¡¯s influence was there, too, in my footwork and timing, in mastery over the micro-movements of my de and body in concert. But, really, I was still very much the same swordsman I had been in my previous life.


    Except I couldn¡¯t be. It was a limiter, locking my perspective into a single way of doing things. What was it the djinn had said?


    ¡°It is not power youck. It is perspective. Constraining yourself to a system that already exists around you only holds you back.¡±


    I was unknowingly locked into an out-of-date methodology, and this was preventing me from utilizing my own abilities fully. My abilities as a swordsman made me strong¡ªor so I¡¯d thought, but now I recognized the need to evolve past what I already knew.


    ¡°You are trying to win, but you should be trying to learn.¡±


    Recalling how a third sword had appeared over her shoulder, then a fourth by her hip, I imagined simr des hovering around me. Aether flowed from my core. From my peripheral vision, I watched the purple light flicker like sunbeams through stained ss. Sensing my own distraction, I closed my eyes instead, entirely focused on the mental image.


    The aether was there, but I couldn¡¯t shape it. Thinking perhaps it was a matter of dividing my attention, I released the des in my hands.


    Another of the things came for me. I listened as its taloned feet scratched against the smooth mana-forged surface. Although I could feel the aether infusing its body, I focused instead on the sound of air rushing over the surface of its dark flesh when it attacked. Eyes still closed, I caught one arm, then the other. A third scraped across the scales of my armor. With a swift turn, I lifted its emaciated body and tossed it, sensing as its physical form was reabsorbed by the void.


    Minutes past in this state of flux. I defended myself when necessary, otherwise focused entirely on the aether. I treated it like meditation, letting myself stop worrying about whether it worked as I embraced the effort itself.


    I kept track of the time by counting the monsters I slew as they crawled out one by one to attack. Five became ten, became twenty, and then forty. When I eventually lost count, I acknowledged the need for a break and took the doorway back to the others.


    Mica and Lyra, who had been watching me for thest thirty minutes or so, avoided my eyes, and I realized I was scowling, my frustration bleeding through my attempts to limit my expectations and stay calm. I wiped the dour expression off my face. ¡°I¡¯m getting closer,¡± I assured them, although I wasn¡¯t entirely sure if that was true.


    The twang of a bowstring drew my attention to Ellie, who was standing on the opposing edge of the tform and summoning arrow after arrow. Some she sent off into the void, directionless, while others she let dissipate. Boo watched her attentively, asionally making deep grunting and humming noises.


    She must have felt me looking at her; she nced in my direction, but immediately refocused on her training. ¡°I need to get faster,¡± she said simply.


    As I watched another glowing arrow streak through the darkness, I had an epiphany.


    ¡°El,¡± I said, excitement practically vibrating out of me.


    She stopped mid-draw, her lips pursing into a pouty frown. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I need you to train me!¡± Moving to stand in front of her, I rested my hands on her shoulders, turning her body to face me directly. ¡°The tether you use to maintain a spell''s shape. That¡¯s what I¡¯m missing.¡±


    Her brows furrowed and she looked at me with obvious confusion. ¡°I can¡¯t teach you that, though. The spellform just kind of¡­does it. I don¡¯t know¡ª¡±


    ¡°But you do,¡± I insisted, a smile widening across my face. ¡°The spellform may help you shape the mana, but it¡¯s still your mana. The way it feels, the shape it takes, that¡¯s what I need to understand.


    Ellie looked to the others for support. ¡°But I¡ª¡±


    Lyra cut in, saying, ¡°It is true that the runes provide the shape of the spell, but it is the mage¡¯s knowledge and understanding that allows them to master it. Although you are just beginning, you still know about this spell. Whether you can provide enough context into your understanding for Regent Leywin to share your insight, I can¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°I mean, of course I¡¯ll try,¡± she said after a moment, smiling weakly and hanging her bow over her shoulder. ¡°So, um, where do we start?¡±


    ***


    Ellie sat in the center of the tform, her eyes closed. Several spheres of mana gently orbited her, each glowing with soft white light.


    I was pacing slowly around her in the opposite direction of the sphere''s orbit. Realmheart was active, conjuring the glowing purple runes under my eyes and across my skin and revealing the mana particles. There was a constant flow of mana from Ellie¡¯s core into her spellform, which then sent a thread of mana out to each of the spheres: the ¡°tether¡± that Ellie had felt.


    She wasn¡¯t manipting the atmospheric mana, which was how a conjurer would do something simr, but utilizing her own purified mana in a method consistent with being an augmenter. But I still didn¡¯t understand what the spellform was doing. The effect of sustaining her spell without her conscious input¡ªor even understanding¡ªwas closer to how an artifact might work than an actively cast spell.


    The important part for me, however, was whether or not I could simte this ability to do something simr with aether.


    One of the threads shone brighter suddenly. ¡°What did you just do?¡± I asked, honing in on the phenomena.


    ¡°It¡¯s sort of like¡­flexing a muscle,¡± she said slowly, thinking about each word. ¡°Like when you are trying to rx before meditation, and you tighten and release each individual muscle. Some of them are hard, because you don¡¯t use them very often. I¡¯ve been stretching, trying to touch the tether itself, and I think I just did.¡±


    ¡°I saw it,¡± I said, mulling over her exnation.


    As I paced, I formed a sphere of aether, the amethyst light of which stained Ellie¡¯s mana pink. At a thought, the sphere lifted out of my grasp, hovering just a few inches above my palms.


    Thinking of Ellie¡¯s description, I began to flex and release the various parts of my focus. Simr to how I¡¯d found the gaps around the edge of the illusion in the third ruin, I needed to bring any unconscious aspects of my aether usage into my conscious mind.


    It was difficult. As Grey, I¡¯d learned the internal maniption of ki, and be exceedingly efficient at it. Then, as a quadraelemental mage, I¡¯d been an augmenter, shaping mana inside myself before sending it outward as a spell. This had carried over into my aetheric abilities as well, with all my powers either being initiated within my body or channeled through a godrune.


    But Ellie was an augmenter as well. She may have had the benefit of a spellform to shape the mana for her, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that her technique was still possible.


    I returned my attention to her, the spellform, and the tether of mana particles that flowed between Ellie and the orbiting sphere. The key was there. I just needed to find it.


    ***


    Mica¡¯s image in the doorway vanished as Elliepleted the connection utilizing her aether-imbued mana arrows. With one hand, I unleashed an aetheric burst that destroyed three creeping monsters. With the other, I caught a barbed tail that hadshed out at Ellie. Before the monster could react, I activated Burst Step, having already pushed aether into my muscles, joints, and tendons.


    The single, near-instant step took me across the tform, where my armored elbow impacted against a two-faced horror¡¯s skull, crushing it. I still had the other monster by the tail, and its momentum carried it into two more only partially on the tform. All three went flying away into the void in a tangle of shattered limbs.


    Arrows zipped past me constantly, leaving bright afterimages in the dark before impacting target after target.


    Boo was back-to-back with Ellie with three of the misshapen horrors pinned beneath him. A violet de of aether spun around the pair, chopping and hacking at anything that came too close.


    By studying Ellie¡¯s tethering ability, I had been able to visualize something simr, like an invisible third arm attached to the weapon and holding it aloft, freeing my hands and giving me a wider range of motion. It was imperfect. It took very nearly all my focus and I had to be aware of where it was in rtion to my allies at all times, my control over it was clumsy at best.


    Still, after several hours of practice, I had learned how to wield the sword from up to twenty feet, which proved especially useful when I was focused on imbuing aether into Ellie¡¯s arrows. This had allowed us to progress to the twelfth tform, where Regis, Mica, and Lyra were defending themselves against a horde of attackers.


    Boo roared out a warning as a jagged, spiderish manifestation dropped from above, too many arms and legs syed out as it plummeted toward Ellie.


    Aether concentrated in my fist, quickly building up enough pressure to make the small bones ache.


    Mentally reaffirming my grip on the aetheric sword, I lifted it above Ellie and shed with all the grace of a butcher¡¯s cleaver.


    Ellie dodged away from the falling monster, but two more were moring onto the tform less than five feet from where she ended up.


    The aether de sheared off several limbs with the first strike then split the monster in two with the second, raining down thick ck ichor. At the same time, I released the aetheric st that had built up in my hand, obliterating the two other grasping horrors before their ws could reach her.


    Lunging across the tform away from the striking tail of another, I headed for the doorway to the next tform. Ellie raced to meet me there, sending arrows back past me. I heard the mana sink into my pursuer¡¯s flesh, and its body tter to the floor.


    Ellie conjured two arrows and I hurried to imbue them both with aether while simultaneously swinging the hovering de, hacking apart any enemies that got close enough. Boo rushed around the edge of the tform, his massive paws delivering crushing blows to monster after monster.


    The first arrow sank into the portal right next to us. Barely an instantter, the second was arcing through the void, aimed at a door almost five hundred feet away.


    I knew from the relief on Ellie¡¯s tense face that the arrow had hit its mark, and took Ellie by the arm with one hand as the other pressed against the door. When I channeled aether, she vanished off the tform and her image appeared in the glossy ck panel.


    Instantly, both arrows detonated as her connection to the mana was severed, releasing my aether into the tether her arrows created, and she vanished again.


    Boo howled in pain as a headless abomination with deformed limbs covered in spursnded on his back and tore at his tough hide, but there were three more between us.


    Dismissing the tethered sword, I reconjured it into my hand, set my feet, and Burst Stepped toward the guardian bear. At the end of the step, I released my weapon. It spun away in a blur, passing through Boo¡¯s attacker before dissolving in the void. Behind me, three corpses sloughed to the ground in pieces.


    I knew when Ellie had reached the next tform because Boo vanished with a pop, and I wasted no time in entering the door myself. Within it, I could more clearly see the next tform and the series of doors surrounding it. Picking one of the three that faced back in this direction, I thought about moving to it.


    I drifted forward, out of the door and into open space. It was a familiar sensation by now. Little by little, I picked up speed as the void seethed with oozing shadows around me.


    During the slow passage of time between the two tforms, I watched mypanions battle the now constant surge of skeletally-thin, humanoid monsters that poured out of the inky ck space between tforms.


    Regis zed with violently purple aetheric mes, which he unleashed from his mouth to engulf several monsters at a time. He never stopped moving, throwing himself between ourpanions and their attackers, absorbing as much punishment as possible.


    Mica and Lyra fought back-to-back with Ellie in between them. Walls of jagged ck void wind sprang up wherever a monster appeared, keeping the tide at bay as Mica¡¯s hammer unleashed cannon-ball sized lumps of stone and Ellie fired arrow after arrow. Whenever a creature was able to approach, the oversized hammer crushed it into the ground or a burst of void wind vibrated it apart.


    The second I arrived on the tform, Regis vanished into the doorway, and I took up his role as defender. While the conjured horror¡¯s ws weren¡¯t slowed by the aetheric barrier any more than the mana protecting mypanions, the relic armor deflected all but the most direct blows. In concert with my ability to heal rapidly, I shrugged off a number of strikes that would have killed any of the others.


    Regis reappeared on the tform a momentter, and my stomach sank, fearing another dead end.


    ¡®The exit portal is on the next tform,¡¯ Regis thought, excitement bubbling under the surface of his thoughts.


    ¡°Hold the line!¡± I shouted, spinning around shing ws before driving a de into the attackers chest. ¡°This is it, we¡¯re almost out of here.¡±


    Mica let out a victorious battle cry and mmed her hammer into the ground. Stone spikes stabbed up through half a dozen monsters, then burst apart, sending sharp shards of rock into as many more.


    In response, Ellie gathered a silvery orb of mana and sent it into Mica, replenishing her mana levels even as she began to unleash bigger and more devastating spells.


    ¡®Hey,¡¯ Regis thought when he arrived on the distant tform a minuteter. ¡®It¡¯s safe here. No more H. R. Giger-fever-dream-looking monstrosities.¡¯


    I refused to allow myself to rx with the end so close. A misstep now would be catastrophic. ¡°Mica, you¡¯re up!¡±


    A gravity well formed to one side of the tform, dragging several monsters off it and clearing Mica¡¯s way to the portal. She wasted no time in closing the distance, and I instantly sent her into the door. Ellie and I hurried to imbue the arrows as Lyra and Boo defended us. I supported them with the hovering de, hacking and chopping at the endless horde.


    It took almost a full minute for Mica to appear on the far tform, after which Lyra went next. To better defend ourselves now that we were down to three, Ellie, Boo, and I moved to the center of the fifty-foot-wide tform. Boo guarded Ellie from one side while I guarded the other. We became a maelstrom of aetheric sts, mana arrows, and razor-sharp ws, keeping back the tide until I counted to sixty in my head.


    ¡°Time,¡± I announced, grabbing my sister and Burst Stepping to the door. We imbued the arrows in an instant, and then I sent her through.


    Alone on the tform, I fell into a rhythm, moving with deadly efficiency as I carved through attacker after attacker. When the minute was up, though, I was d to step through the door and to begin myst short voyage through this zone. A smothering mental fatigue was hovering just outside my thoughts, but I could feel it pushing in like the leading edge of a storm.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s what it looks like when you go all out¡­¡± Ellie said as I stepped out of the door a minuteter. Her shoulders were sagging and there were dark bags under her eyes, like she hadn¡¯t slept in days.


    Wrapping my arm around her shoulders, I dragged her along with me to the exit portal. She was tired enough not to protest.


    I wasn¡¯t entirely sure what waited on the other side. ording to my mental map, this was thest zone before reaching the final ruin, but I hadn¡¯t interacted with any other zone that took me out of my own body. Perhaps we would just wake up, refreshed and ready to go on to the next zone. Perhaps not¡­


    Feeling certain that I wouldn¡¯t need the Compass, since we weren¡¯t actually traveling anywhere, I reached for the portal.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Ellie said, pulling away from me. She hesitated as everyone looked in her direction.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, searching her eyes.


    ¡°I know the ruin is important, and obviously reaching it is our goal, but¡­¡± She swallowed and took a moment to find the words. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll ever get another opportunity like this.¡± She gestured behind her, into the void. ¡°I came here to learn about my powers, to train and get stronger. I think we all did. It¡¯s like you said, about the aether orb thing¡­that¡¯s how you trained. Well, isn¡¯t this a chance for us to do the same?¡± She looked at Mica and Lyra. ¡°You both have gotten better already, and I definitely have.¡± Her eyes drifted back to me. ¡°Even you¡¯ve been able to progress here. You learned that flying sword thing so fast.¡±


    She took a steadying breath, then continued. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen between Dicathen and crya¡ªand even Epheotus¡ªbut I know I need to get a lot stronger if I want to be able to protect myself and¡­Mom. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°El,¡± I said softly, reaching out to her.


    She batted my hand away and forced herself to stand up straight. ¡°I know what you¡¯re going to say, that you¡¯ll always be there to protect us, but we both know you can¡¯t be. You don¡¯t know where you¡¯ll be dragged off to next. But my point, anyway, is that we have this ce where we can fight and train and even if ¡®dying¡¯ here sucks, we just wake back up. We should take advantage of it.¡±


    She took a deep, steadying breath and looked defiantly into my eyes. ¡°We should do it again.¡±

 Chapter 423: One Last Ruin

    The noise and turmoil ofbat filled my senses as I watched each of mypanions carefully. Whining squeals of pain erupted from the horde of scurrying monsters, while Boo voiced his battle fury in a roar that shook the mana that made up this tform. Mica and Lyra shouted at each other in turn as they worked side by side to hold off the surge.


    Although Ellie herself was quiet, she made the most noise of all.


    Three explosions rocked the small tform as Ellie jumped backwards, away from the scything ws of a three-armed monster. Her attacker, and three more of the grotesque manifestations that had only been halfway on the tform, vanished in a sh of white light. When the light faded, Boo was standing between her and the source of the st.


    It had happened so fast I had to rey it in my mind, slower and more deliberate this time. As she dodged inward, away from the edge, she had dropped three globes of softly glowing mana. Tucking into a roll, she then immediately sent a pulse of mana through the tether connecting her to the spheres, causing them to erupt one after the other. The contained power was enough that she cleared that corner of the tform of enemies.


    In almost the same breath, she sent a ripple of mana through the air to Boo. I recognized this as amand trigger for him to teleport. As Mica had rightly pointed out, relying on emotional outbursts to trigger the guardian bear¡¯s teleportation wasn¡¯t an effective battle strategy, so Ellie had been practicing its control over thest few runs. At themand, Boo had disappeared from behind her and reappeared in front of her, shielding her from some of the force.


    This had happened in less than a second. But Ellie didn¡¯t pause to catch her breath, because each monster we killed was instantly reced by another in an endless cycle of conjuration and destruction.


    Mica¡¯s huge hammer spun around with the grace of a baton-twirler, crashing through groups of enemies at a time. I could feel the gravitational force of the hammer even from across the tform as it pulled monsters into its path only to pulverize them an instantter. With Realmheart active, I could both see and feel the careful bncing act of mana usage, with Mica actively engaging in Mana Rotation while simultaneously ensuring the efficiency of each spell she cast.


    Although Mana Rotation had been instrumental in breaking the binding on her core, it was difficult for her to practice or utilize. All this fighting, though, had proven the perfect training ground. In just the short time we¡¯d been training in this zone, her ability to conserve mana had increased several-fold.


    Void wind shields appeared and disappeared in shes like ck lightning, warding off any creeping horror that got close to the others long enough for a stone spike, mana arrow, or hammer blow to fell it. As a retainer, Lyra hadn¡¯t been trained in one specific role like a normal soldier, but she was a natural Shield. Her abilities took time toe out, but I saw them more clearly as her teamwork with the others improved. But she didn¡¯t constrain herself to just defensive spells: scythes of cutting air-attribute mana and bursts of sonic force flew out from her in such quick session. She hardly seemed to aim at all, and yet every strike found its mark.


    Regis darted back and forth across the tform, driving like a wedge through any knot of monsters thatsted more than a couple of seconds, but like me, he held back his full power. He acted as a failsafe, preventing the others from getting overwhelmed as the front line while I studied their progress.


    As I watched the shadowy wolf prowl outside the arc of Mica¡¯s hammer, he suddenly spun,shing his tail like a whip. The mes of his mane raced along his spine to the tail, ring like a torch, and ash of aetheric fire cut across two monsters that had jumped on Boo, sending them sprawling. Boo, in turn, pounced, ripping them limb from limb.


    ¡®And they say you can¡¯t teach an old dog new tricks,¡¯ he thought to me, sensing my interest. ¡®It¡¯s got a ways to go before it¡¯s as good as transforming into a winged, Destruction-breathing wolf-dragon, but it¡¯s useful.¡¯


    ¡°We must be doing something right,¡± Mica grunted as she unleashed a spray of stone shards from her hammer, slicing through several monsters before Lyra finished them with a sub-audible sonic st, momentarily clearing the tform of enemies. ¡°The general is smiling.¡±


    I shook my head, realizing it was true. ¡°Just pay attention¡ª¡±


    As I spoke, an abomination with skeletal wings instead of arms manifested above us, diving toward me like an overgrown bat.


    I waited until it was nearly on me, then my fist blurred, and the monster¡¯s chest burst apart, leaving a gaping hole all the way through it. The long, shriveled limbs cracked like dry sticks as it tumbled across the tform before finally dissolving into nothing.


    I winced, shaking out my arm, which ached painfully from my knuckles to my shoulder.


    Noticing that the tform had gone silent, I looked up to see mypanions regarding me with confusion and shock.


    ¡°Were you able to catch what happened?¡± Lyra asked Mica.


    ¡°No, and I didn¡¯t even blink,¡± Mica scoffed, her eyes tracking from my hand up to my face. ¡°What in the molten-rock hell was that?¡±


    ¡°Something I¡¯ve been working on. Just an idea,¡± I answered, but by then a new wave of the aberrant horrors were surging onto the tform.


    Ellie, whose eagle eyes had been focused on the void instead of me, raced past, nting a series of disc-shaped mana objects as she ducked between the ws of newly forming monsters. When one fell toward her from above, Boo teleported beside her, knocking her out of the way as he caught the thing out of the air. His jaws closed over its eyeless face, and it dissolved into nothing. An instantter, Boo teleported again, shifting position only a few feet, and all the mana discs Ellie hadid down exploded one after the other. Pieces of several monsters flew in every direction before melting away.


    I inspected their performance for a few more minutes, but it was bing increasingly clear that they were a match for this zone. We had reached the end of what it could provide. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough,¡± I said aloud. ¡°It¡¯s time to move on.¡±


    Sweat dripped from Ellie¡¯s nose as she nodded in agreement.


    We wasted no time shifting into our well-practiced procedure of moving from one tform to the next. It took a few minutes, but the tension had eased from the process. Ellie and I worked together fluidly, having honed the process to a rapidfire exchange. Learning to wield the tethered de felt like trying to teach myself to write calligraphy with my off hand, and I wasn¡¯t sure how viable it would be outside of this ce, but the skill had proven essential for clearing the zone.


    I stayed on the tform after Ellie and Boo went through the door, focused on nothing but me and the endless stream of enemies. Their ws raked against the relic armor, teeth gnashing and the asional barbed tail stabbing like a spear, but they couldn¡¯t touch me as I moved fluidly between their attacks,shing out with fist, foot, and de, always in the eye of the storm of monsters.


    It was like a kind of meditation, almost peaceful after everything that had happened to us here.


    I practiced my new technique a couple more times, but each strike left my limbs momentarily stunned and opened me up to attacks from other monsters. Still, it was a foundation.


    The flow of attackers never ended, but after a minute or two, I was satisfied. Activating Burst Step, I crossed to the door and pulled myself into it with aether, focused on the veryst tform, and began to cross.


    ***


    My eyelids felt like lead as they struggled open. I couldn¡¯t immediately make out my surroundings; my vision was sleep-stained and blurry. I blinked several times to try and clear it. A moan came from somewhere nearby, and I shifted to one side.


    The tip of my nose touched something soft, and my sight, which had just started toe into focus, went blurry again. Warm breath blew across my face, and I pulled back slightly, still trying to get a feeling for my body.


    Mica was lying next to me, so close that our noses had touched when I turned. There was a poorly suppressed smirk on her face, and she raised one brow. ¡°I always knew you¡¯d try something like this one day.¡±


    Feeling myself flush, I tried to sit up, but the sudden motion made my head spin, and I had to close my eyes again. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my body¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh, I¡¯m starving¡­¡± Ellie said from right next to me. ¡°How long were we in there? I feel like my stomach has half eaten me.¡±


    Boo answered with a low, despondent rumble,municating clearly that he felt the same way.


    The rush of vertigo passed, and I was able to open my eyes again and stand. Mica had pushed herself up onto her elbows and was looking around. Lyra was curled in a ball on Mica¡¯s other side, cradling her head, her face hidden behind a curtain of me-red hair. Ellie had crawled from my side to Boo, shoving her face into his thick fur.


    We were in a short, low-ceilinged hallway. It was in white and unadorned, except for a series of t, ck rectangles along the walls, identical to the doorways we had used to navigate the previous zone. Our bodies had been left to lie on the stone floor while our minds were trapped.


    ¡°Is everyone all right? Any other side effects?¡± Of dying over and over again? I asked, purposefully not speaking thest words out loud.


    ¡°My head feels as though it might crack in two like an egg and give birth to something horrible,¡± Lyra mumbled from within the cocoon of her hair and arms.


    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s been infested,¡± Mica said, wrinkling her nose at the cryan. ¡°One of those ugly things is going to crawl out of her brain. We should put her down now before¡ª¡±


    Lyra unfolded and jolted up into a sitting position, glowering at Mica. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, thank you. I believe I am just dehydrated.¡±


    Standing, I approached one of the doors. It was smooth and reflective enough that I could just see my mirrored image on the surface, but I sensed no aether or, via Realmheart, mana within it. When I pressed a hand to the door, it was smooth and cool, but it didn¡¯t react. I could only shrug and turn away, looking instead for the zone¡¯s exit portal.


    At the far end of the hallway, a jet-ck arch contrasted against the bare white stone. No portal was visible inside of the arch at first, but when I took a few steps toward it, the air distorted, and an opaque, oily portal shimmered into existence.


    ¡°Wake your bodies up. Eat, drink,¡± I suggested, ncing over my shoulder at the others. ¡°After thatst ruin, I no longer feel confident about what we¡¯ll find in this one.¡±


    Mypanions didn¡¯t need to hear this twice, as they were all famished and parched. There was some chatter as they dragged out their rations, but only the sound of ravenous chewing¡ªand the asional creak of a stiff joint¡ªas they devoured several days worth of traveling food in one sitting.


    Meanwhile, I let the wheels of my mind turn, considering what might await us in the fourth djinn ruin. This, though, was more frustrating than helpful, as I could only hope that thest keystone was still in ce, and its djinn guardian active.


    ¡®What insight do you think the fourth keystone will contain?¡¯ Regis mused, drifting around my core. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­Aroa¡¯s Requiem is aevum, right? The ability to turn back the ravages of time on an object. And Realmheart lets you see mana particles, which helps build an understanding of how mana¡ªand aether, actually¡ªworks. So what¡¯s the connection?¡¯


    I shrugged, then stretched my neck from side to side in response to the stiffness in my muscles. Honestly, I don¡¯t see how the two fit together, or how either ability leads to an understanding of Fate. We¡¯ve spent so much time in the Relictombs following Sylvia¡¯s message, but we¡¯re no closer to understanding why.


    When mypanions had finished gorging, they joined me one by one in front of the portal.


    Lyra was the first, and when I looked at her inquisitively, she raised her hands defensively. ¡°Fine, I¡¯m fine. I suppose I am adapted to a certain kind of lifestyle, even at war, but my brain is not infested with monsters.¡± She tossed a chagrined look at Mica, who was stowing her remaining food back in her dimension ring.


    ¡°Not that you know of,¡± Mica said with a vexing smile, humming under her breath.


    Withdrawing the Compass, I used it to fix the destination of the portal, ensuring none of mypanions would be sent off into the Relictombs at random. Then, with a deep breath, I stepped through.


    Expecting to step from one white hallway to the next as I entered the exterior portion of the fourth ruin, I instead found myself disoriented, standing amidst piles of copsed and scorched wreckage. I hardly had time to take it in before Lyra appeared next to me, and then Ellie just behind her. In a moment, we were all upying a rtively small clear space at the end of a nk hallway. In front of us, a pile of fallen stone blocked the way forward.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t look like thest one,¡± Ellie said under her breath.


    ¡®Are those¡­w marks?¡¯ Regis thought, drawing my attention to onerge piece of rubble.


    I ran my fingers along three lines scored deep into the stone, wiping away a smudge of ash to reveal the white underneath. Looking up, I saw the familiar, sterile lighting artifacts. ¡°We¡¯re in the right ce, but it looks like it¡¯s been¡­attacked.¡±


    Mica waved one hand in a shing motion, and the obstructing rubble copsed into sand, which quickly ran through cracks in the shattered floor. Copsed sections of the walls and ceiling revealed a strange sight beyond: solid bedrock, which was in ces marked by fire and ws.


    Stepping carefully, I told the others about my experience in the second ruin, which had been failing when Ceara, Regis, and I reached it. Whatever had happened here seemed quite different.


    ¡°Do you think the dragons attacked?¡± Ellie asked, digging the toe of her boot into a deep sh in the floor.


    ¡°Can¡¯t have, as far as I understand,¡± I answered, exining that asuras couldn¡¯t enter the Relictombs.


    A momentter, we were grasped by the hall¡¯s magic and dragged forward. The copsed hallway vanished, and instead we were standing in a nk space before the crystal door.


    It was in ruins.


    ck crystal shards were scattered around the space, crunching beneath our feet. What remained of the door itself was an uneven, jagged mess, with clusters of crystals stabbing out of the smooth ck surface. Every few seconds they would pulse, sending a little ripple through all the individual shards, like a heartbeat.


    ¡®That can¡¯t be good.¡¯


    Approaching, I pressed my hand into the portal. Before, the crystals had always shifted to allow me passage. Now, however, they felt rigid and immoveable. Sharp. Dangerous.


    The godrune for Aroa¡¯s Requiem burned gold as I imbued it with aether, and motes of aevum flowed over my skin to spill across the malformed crystal structure. More and more poured into it, filling every nook, then flowing away from the door to touch every individual crystal that had been ripped free of the portal.


    As if time were reversing, the loose shards jumped up from the floor and flew back to the portal. The craggy, mutted ridges smoothed. Fluid movement returned to the edifice, and my hand pushed into it. As the previous portals had done, the crystals rolled smoothly away to make room for my passage.


    I looked over my shoulder. The others were watching me with a kind of uncertain awe. ¡°Follow right after. Don¡¯t linger.¡± Then I plunged into the portal.


    Though I feared the magic itself may have been broken by whatever destroyed the outer chamber, my passage was unaffected. Momentster, I found myself once again surprised by my surroundings.


    Ethereal walls, floor, and ceiling drew a loose representation of a room around me in misty white lines. Underlying this immaterial space was the expected structure: the central pedestal, its aetheric crystal floating above it, surrounded by orbiting rings that hummed with intense magic. I tracked the motion, releasing a breath I didn¡¯t realize I was holding.


    ¡°It¡¯s working,¡± I said to myself, relief washing away the tension in my shoulders and behind my eyes.


    One by one the others appeared. The instant the portal faded away after depositing Mica, who brought up the rear, I channeled aether into my fist.


    The immaterial shell of the nk room faded away like tattered clouds on a strong wind, leaving us standing on solid stone bricks. Lyra clicked her tongue in disappointment, and I heard Ellie¡¯s bow creak as she put tension on the string.


    Mica approached the whirling rings, holding up a hand and closing her eyes. A curious, yful smile lit up her face. ¡°It¡¯s¡­singing.¡±


    But my focus was elsewhere.


    A strong aetheric presence was moving cautiously through the chamber, circling around us. It avoideding too close, and when one of mypanions would move, it would alter its course to keep its distance. I tracked it from the corner of my eye, ready to conjure a weapon if its behavior changed.


    ¡°So¡­what now?¡± Ellie asked, running her fingers across the crumbling stonework of one wall as she moved around the room¡¯s outer edge.


    ¡°We wait,¡± I answered distractedly.


    Mica and Lyra exchanged a nce, both tensing. A momentter, they jumped as the hidden figure coalesced.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I said quickly, holding up a hand to stop them from attacking. I knew they couldn¡¯t harm the projection but worried they might do something to interrupt the trial.


    The djinn¡¯s projection gave us a small, amused smile. His skin was a dullvender color, and, like the others I¡¯d seen, he was covered in spellforms everywhere except his face. The crown of his head was bald, with a curtain of white hair hanging to his shoulders below it. Even his bare scalp was marked with spellforms.


    ¡°I apud your restraint,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°Interesting, that you can sense me but yourpanions cannot. Then, you have the mark of the djinn upon you already. I am not the first remnant you have interfaced with.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said, offering him a respectful bow. ¡°I have learned from three other remnants already, although one of those no longer had a keystone to offer me. I¡¯m hoping you do.¡±


    The djinn¡¯s violet eyes shed with some internal light, and it seemed to shrink. ¡°I see. Your journey so far has been strange and¡­unfortunate. Let us not tarry, then, but proceed with your trial.¡±


    The ruins dissolved into a nk white canvas, and mypanions vanished. Even Regis, who had been safely hidden within my core, was gone.


    The djinn moved to stand in front of me, his hands sped behind his back, his stance wide. ¡°You have been tested on your senses, reactions, awareness. Through circumstances I do not understand, you were even trained inbat by a rebel djinn¡¯s bitter essence. Then, due to what can only be seen as a failure of the Relictombs¡¯ design, an opportunity to further test yourself was taken from you. Most unfortunate.¡±


    The djinn went quiet for some time, but his eerie stare never left my eyes. ¡°The Relictombs, it seems, has failed.¡±


    I started to protest, but hesitated, really taking in the djinn¡¯s words. ¡°You mean more than the loss of a single keystone, don¡¯t you? But how has it failed? What was the purpose of all this?¡± I asked, gesturing at the nk background.


    Expecting to hear the same refrain of, That information is not contained within this remnant, I was surprised when the djinn answered. ¡°The creation you call the Relictombs is nothing less than our civilization¡¯sbined knowledge in both mana and aether. It is a living library, a multidimensional encyclopedia containing all our insight. Everything we¡¯de to understand is contained within, and each chapter is intended to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Chapter?¡± I asked despite myself, not intended to interrupt.


    ¡°What you call zones,¡± he said. ¡°Each one is not a test as you see them, but rather designed to provide insight into some aspect of aether. One only has to move through the chapters to gain insight into the tools we used to write them. Even then, it was an imperfect solution, but such is the only way we could teach these skills to future generations.¡±


    ¡°For a nation of pacifists, the djinn have protected their creation pretty violently,¡± I pointed out, the memory of mypanions'' repeated deaths still very fresh in my mind. ¡°If this ce is supposed to be a library, why all the awful monsters?¡±


    The djinn looked down and away, a cascade of different emotions passing over his soft features. ¡°Much of the Relictombs was built as our civilization crumbled. There is a certain¡­darkness that crept from the subconscious of our people as they sought to protect this, our greatest andst work. We djinn could move through it safely, and we knew that whoever eventually imed our knowledge would discover how to as well, or would be strong enough to bypass these protections.¡±


    ¡°But, your people¡­¡± I trailed off, unsure how broad these programmed memories¡¯ knowledge really was.


    ¡°Are gone, I know,¡± he said. His jaw clenched, and he turned away for a moment. When he met my eye again, though, there was a deep sadness there, not rage. ¡°The dragons couldn¡¯t¡ªwouldn¡¯t¡ªunderstand. And so they burned our civilization, attempted to scour us from the world. But a powerful descendant of the djinn stands before me, so they have not seeded.¡±


    Since this remnant seemed much more amenable to answering questions than the others, I pushed further. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the power of Kezess Indrath first hand. But with everything your people aplished¡±¡ªI again indicated the nk te surrounding us¡ª¡°I still don¡¯t really understand how you were wiped out. If your knowledge was so important that you enshrined it in this¡­ce, then why not fight to keep it alive in you?¡±


    ¡°The answer is not simple or satisfying,¡± the djinn said, sighing wearily. ¡°Perhaps, though, this trial will help you understand. Or perhaps it won¡¯t. You should know more than you do, have much greater insight. The fact that you have progressed so far while understanding so little speaks well of you, Arthur Leywin, but poorly of our design.¡±


    Unsure how to respond, I stayed quiet.


    The djinn smiled more warmly. ¡°But do not despair. You are something we could not have foreseen. It is enough to give an old djinn hope. But I will not hold you back from your purpose any longer. Steel yourself. This trial will be unlike any you have faced in the Relictombs thus far. Let us begin.

 Chapter 424: Through the Djinn’s Eyes

    Light and color bled across the nk white canvas in greens, blues, and purples. My surroundings ran like watercolors, coalescing into a stained-ss diorama before finally realizing recognizable shapes. I found myself sitting on a soft cushion made of a deep navy material. In front of me was a small wooden desk, expertly crafted to highlight the whirling grain of whatever alien tree it was crafted from.


    A couple of dozen simr seats and desks were arranged in tidy rows under an open-air pagoda, carved of soft white stone and tiled with an iridescent cyan material I didn¡¯t recognize. A clear stream ran through a shallow trough in the middle of the floor, separating the seating area into two halves.


    At the edge of the pagoda, the stream joined arger body of water as it tumbled off a cliff¡¯s edge. Standing, I moved to the edge to look down. The spray from the waterfall lightly obscured a sprawling city spreading out from the base of the cliffs. When I tried to focus on the city, though, the mist seemed to shift and swirl, preventing me from focusing on it.


    ¡°An illusion,¡± I whispered. The voice that came out wasn¡¯t my own.


    Looking down, I realized the skin of my arms was a light pink. Spellforms covered much of my exposed skin. But more than that, I was small¡ªa child, perhaps the equivalent of eight or nine years old in a human context.


    ¡°Very good,¡± someone said from behind me.


    Spinning, I realized it was only the djinn remnant. His hair was a couple inches shorter, and he¡¯d lost less of it, but he was otherwise the same. He was standing on a dais raised four inches or so above the floor, from under which the stream was bubbling.


    ¡°Please, sit.¡± He gestured to the cushion I¡¯d upied when the trial started. Wordlessly, I did as he requested. Something shifted in his posture and expression, but it was difficult to read. ¡°You are here today to test your aptitude and knowledge, pupil, so we may best judge the future of your individual learning. First, exin what you know of the rtionship between mana and aether, if you would.¡±


    I nced around, uncertain, before focusing on the djinn. ¡°Really? This is the trial?¡±


    The shadow of a frown crossed his face, but it passed in an instant, and he gave me a reassuring smile. ¡°It may seem elementary, but it is my Lifework to gain a full understanding of my pupils¡¯ knowledge and talents so that they may fulfill their potential in their own Lifework.¡±


    ¡°I preferred the fighting trials,¡± I mumbled under my breath. Louder, I said, ¡°Mana and aether are simultaneously opposing and coborative forces. Although they have unique defining properties, they constantly press against one another, shaping each other. The metaphor I was taught used water and a cup. In reality, if mana is like water, then aether would be a waterskin, because they are both changeable with the appropriate force exerted by the opposite, but I don¡¯t think that metaphor holds up either.¡±


    I paused, thinking. ¡°No, a more appropriateparison would describe aether as an arrow and mana as the wind.¡±


    ¡°Your understanding is rudimentary. Blunt,¡± the djinn replied immediately, but there was no disapproval in his t tone. ¡°You view aether as both a tool and material¡ªa thing to be wielded and utilized. Your thoughts are muddied by the violence of your past experiences. This mechanical exnation of how the twin forces of mana and aether interact is urate at a surface level, but you do not understand what separates them.¡±


    My fingers drummed across the surface of my desk as I attempted to suppress a twinge of irritation. ¡°Can you correct my mistakes, then?¡±


    The djinn¡¯s head turned very slightly to the side. ¡°But you haven¡¯t made any mistakes.¡±


    My knee began bouncing of its own ord. ¡°But you just said¡ª¡±


    ¡°I have voiced observations. Truths, not judgements,¡± the djinn said with an air of schrly diplomacy. ¡°My purpose is to help you direct your efforts in the future. Your path is fluid, not deterministic. Next question: given only the strength and magic currently at your disposal, how can you participate in the progress of our nation?¡±


    I stared at the djinn. ¡°Your nation? But¡­¡±


    Something clicked into ce. The shift in his demeanor, the absence of current context in his questions and responses¡­this conversation was taking ce as if I really were a djinn child living before the genocide of his people. He wasn¡¯t really addressing me as Arthur Leywin, but reying what must have been an oft-repeated exchange with real children from a very long time ago. Whatever else this test was, it was also a look directly into the heart of the djinn people before their extermination.


    I decided to be forthright. ¡°Instead of building an encyclopedia, I¡¯d build walls. Based on what I¡¯ve seen in the Relictombs, I don¡¯t understand why you didn¡¯t transnt your entire cities into the aetheric realm. You could have protected yourselves.¡±


    The djinn nodded. ¡°Violence, again. You¡ª¡± The djinn faltered, stumbling a step. One hand pressed to the side of his head as he eased himself down onto the dais.


    I started to stand, but froze. Was this a part of the trial? Or had I broken some parameter or disrupted the remnant¡¯s thoughts by not ying along? ¡°Are you all right?¡± I asked after a moment, easing back into my seat.


    The beautiful clifftop scene melted away, the colors running and darkening like wax. I had to close my eyes against the vertigo of the sudden shift. When I opened them again a few secondster, I was still seated, but everything else had changed.


    Rows of dark wooden benches faced a raised podium, behind which sat three hooded djinn. The building¡¯s interior was brightly lit by high, arched windows lining the walls to my left and right. Through them, I could see the cliffs in the distance, and, at the top of a thin waterfall, the cyan-roofed pagoda.


    Birdlike creatures flitted among the rafters high above, chittering happily, but the light and cheer of the surroundings did not extend to the many djinn present.


    I blinked several times as I tried to look at the djinn crowd, but beyond a vague impression of unease, or perhaps disappointment, I couldn¡¯t focus on their features. Except for the three behind the podium, only the djinn remnant, who was standing at the back of the room, was clear.


    One of the presiding djinn cleared their throat, and a spellform began to glow on their neck. When they spoke, their voice was magically amplified, filling the room without volume, like they were standing right next to me. ¡°It is a rare and sad asion when there is need to convene this council, the Legal Body of Faircity Zhoroa. Today, we address the crimes of the defendant: abandonment of his Lifework and the corruption of aether to devise implements of hostility. As is tradition, first, we will allow the defendant to exin his actions.¡±


    Judges, I realized, recalling my experience in the High Hall. This is a courtroom.


    All eyes turned toward me. Thrown off by the sudden transition into this new scene, I struggled to form a response.


    An indigo-robed djinn standing next to me rested his hand on my shoulder and gave me an encouraging smile. ¡°Just speak the truth. Remember, everyone here is eager to understand.¡±


    ¡°But maybe I don¡¯t,¡± I said slowly, trying to wrap my head around the judge¡¯s usations of crimes I hadn¡¯t even existed tomit. This trial-within-a-trial was clearly purposeful, however, and my response was not only expected, but would be gauged by some metric I wasn¡¯t aware of. ¡°Are these usations even crimes? What keeps me chained to the same job¡­Lifework¡­forever? Can¡¯t I change my mind?¡±


    The three judges nodded under their hoods, and then the central figure spoke again. ¡°Is this the defendant¡¯s only response?¡±


    ¡°A life¡¯s work can¡¯t be abandoned, only change its course,¡± I said, getting my footing as I tried to fathom the trial¡¯s purpose. ¡°And as for my use of aether as an ¡®implement of hostility,¡¯ I make no defense or apologies. The aether itself is eager enough to adopt a destructive form. Why would there be something like an edict of Destruction if aether wasn¡¯t intended to be used as such?¡±


    The central judge leaned forward, deepening the shadows under their cowl. ¡°Is it not the role of civilization to use those natural elements at our disposal to suppress their destructiveness as well as our own? Fire may burn, and water drown, as is their nature, and yet we call it wrong to harness them for this express purpose, do we not?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not if the person you are burning is an enemy intent on doing the same to you,¡± I answered, immediately regretting my flippantness. I didn¡¯t want to risk somehow failing the trial. ¡°What I mean to say is, surely there is some allowance for defending myself.¡± I struck on an idea and decided to run with it. ¡°After all, I¡¯ve seen some horrible and violent aetheric creations guarding the Relictombs. Grotesque monsters, deadly traps, terrible implements of war. And all created to safeguard the djinn¡¯s knowledge. Why is it eptable to guard knowledge but not lives?¡±


    ¡°You answer questions with questions, and in doing so ask that we provide your defense for you,¡± the judge said. ¡°So be it. We will deliberate.¡±


    Suddenly, the courtroom spun. The dizzying sensationsted only a fraction of a second, and when it stopped, my perspective had changed.


    I found myself sitting behind the podium, facing the other two judges. ¡°And you?¡± one asked, as if we¡¯d just been having a conversation. ¡°What is your judgment of this case?¡±


    Needing a moment to think, I made a point of looking over the podium at the defendant. The indigo-robed djinn was still there, but a stranger with purple skin and a body covered in jagged spellforms sat beside him staring up at us, the me of defiance burning within his eyes. The illusion was so real that it was difficult to remember that this wasn¡¯t actually happening. This man¡¯s life didn¡¯t hinge on what I was about to say because he¡¯d been dead for a very long time, if he¡¯d ever lived at all.


    ¡°Law isn¡¯t always justice,¡± I answered. ¡°It seems like this djinn has only done what he thought was right. And, someday, your descendants may look back on this moment and agree with him.¡±


    ¡°For five thousand years, the djinn have constructed a nation built on the peaceful acquisition of knowledge,¡± the central judge exined. ¡°Disease, hunger, violence¡ªthese are all symptoms of an ailing civilization. It is not our advancement in mana or aether arts that is our greatest aplishment, it is our civility. Should we allow outside forces to take that away from us? If we lower ourselves to the station of our enemies, then we have already lost. This is why ourw is written as it is, and as today¡¯s presiding judges over the Legal Body, we are responsible both for upholding thew and the good of both our great city and the wider union. What then, is your judgment?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but shake my head. ¡°I judge his actions justified.¡±


    The other two judges nodded, then the light vanished as deep shadows enveloped the courthouse. Everyone turned toward the windows, craning their necks to see. Everyone except the djinn remnant guiding my trial, who was staring at his feet. Then the scene melted away again, the shadows deepening until I couldn¡¯t see anything at all.


    When the light returned, my surroundings had changed yet again.


    I was in a spherical chamber, surrounded by djinn. A stained-ss domed roof let in the sunlight from above in a thousand shades of purple and blue. Flowering vines grew up the walls, and little streams trickled along the edge of the stairs that broke up concentric rows of amphitheater-style seating. Every seat, it seemed, was filled.


    Next to me, the djinn remnant had a faraway, unfocused look in his eye as he stared down at two people seated opposite each other from across a round table. Something was carved into the table, but I couldn¡¯t make out the details. And I didn¡¯t have the attention to spare on wondering what it was, because the mere sight of the man sitting on the far side of that table was like a lightning bolt of shock through my nervous system.


    Kezess Indrath.


    There was no way to know how long ago this vision had happened in the real world, but he appeared no different then than he had when I¡¯d just met with him in Epheotus. Everything was identical, from the style of his cream-colored hair to the cool, distant quality of his hue-changing gaze, which was aimed like a weapon at the djinn opposite him. Despite his rxed posture, though, he possessed some intangible quality that made him feel like a fox in a chicken coop.


    The djinn, a woman with blue-tinted skin and hair so fine it seemed to drift around her scalp, appeared to have just finished speaking.


    ¡°My position hasn¡¯t changed, Lady Sae-Areum,¡± Kezess said, oozing ostentation. ¡°Your knowledge of the magic arts called aether are a danger to your civilization¡ªthis entire world¡ªand must be folded into the dragons¡¯ understanding of it, no matter the effort or cost. There is simply no alternative but for your people to teach mine.¡±


    The audience was entirely silent. The remnant next to me shifted in his seat, though, revealing the tension gripping his body like an electrical current.


    ¡°You seem to think that you only need to visualize that the world operates in a manner of your choosing to make it so,¡± Sae-Areum replied, a bone-deep sadness in every word. ¡°But it is exactly this inflexibility that has stopped you from gaining further insight into aether arts. We can not teach you, not in the way you wish to be taught.¡±


    The slight wrinkle of Kezess¡¯s nosemunicated more than the most hostile of sneers. ¡°We know what you¡¯re working on. Honestly, I approve. Our world of Epheotus is something simr: a piece of this world drawn into another dimension, nted there and grown by my ancestors¡¯ ancestors. So the question is, if you are so convinced the asura can¡¯t learn djinn arts, why are you trying so hard to keep them from us.¡±


    A piece of this world drawn into another dimension¡­


    Kezess¡¯s words lodged in my brain like a broken bone in a wolf¡¯s throat. Although I knew Epheotus was a realm of its own, not a physical ce on this world, I was shocked to realize that the asura had created it themselves, and immediately spiraled into wondering how such a thing was even possible, or where exactly it was. Were there more dimensions, ces separate from the physical space where this world and, presumably, my old home of Earth resided?


    The aether realm, I thought immediately. It must be something like that, perhaps even the same ce. Before I could think farther on it, though, my attention was forced back to the moment.


    ¡°We are not,¡± Sae-Areum said cidly. ¡°But your warning of what awaits any civilization that bes too magically powerful encouraged us to look beyond the bounds of our own world and the narrow scope of our own timeline, and in doing so we realized the true importance of ensuring our knowledge is written down in a way that will never fade. It is no easy thing to pass on insight, Lord Indrath, even to the receptive.¡±


    A tinkling, dangerousugh escaped Kezess. ¡°But we dragons aren¡¯t¡­receptive, is that what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    ¡°I have exined our position, and you yours.¡± Sae-Areum¡¯s gaze swept the quiet audience. ¡°Does any djinn here wish to make their heart known?¡±


    The audience was silent. I couldn¡¯t even tell if the djinn remnant next to me was breathing, he was so still.


    Did no one answer her? Did no one argue, or please¡­or get angry?


    I stood, and a tremor ran through the room. ¡°You can¡¯t give the dragons what they want. Not only because they still would have wiped you out, even if you¡¯d done so. No, the real reason is that their understanding of aether is, at its core, wed. Theyck the ability to gain further insight because they won¡¯t reconsider the foundations of their knowledge.¡±


    I paused, thinking about what I wanted to say. This was a test, after all. I needed to express myself clearly, because I thought I was starting to see the purpose of all this.


    ¡°Their sense of superiority and infallibility prevents their civilization from advancing,¡± I continued, my baritone resounding through the chamber. ¡°The dragons¡ªall the asura¡ªare entirely beholden to Kezess¡¯s strict worldview. Chained to it. Regardless of the strength of their physiques or power of their magic, they do not grow. Not anymore.¡±


    Kezess¡¯s eyes darkened to a thunderous violet as he stared right through me. ¡°The djinn custom of letting all voices be heard, even in a matter of state such as this, is a tiresome one, Lady Sae-Areum. If you are not wise enough to treat with me individually, perhaps I am speaking to the wrong djinn.¡±


    ¡°And yet, isn¡¯t that the descendant¡¯s point?¡± Sae-Areum ask, but the words sounded like a whisper in my ear, like they were meant only for me.


    ¡°But the truth is,¡± I continued, stepping down onto the bench in front of me and passing right through the two djinn, ¡°this decision is already made. You don¡¯t want my input, because I can¡¯t change what already happened. I doubt even Fate can rewrite the past like that, can it? But you¡¯re judging my intentions, my ethics, and my understanding of your people. And, in a strange way, I think you¡¯re trying to confirm whether you did the right thing or not.¡±


    I stepped from bench to bench until I reached the floor, not twenty feet from where Sae-Areum and Kezess sat. ¡°So have my answer. You did the only thing you could do¡ªwhat you thought was right.¡±


    Sae-Areum didn¡¯t look at me, but she smiled and absently traced her finger along the grooves carved into the round table. Kezess stood, giving me a piercing look. I expected him to have some rebuke, but instead the scene dissolved, turning to ash and blowing away.


    I thought perhaps it was over when everything became white, but, like when I was first drawn into the trial, light and color bled across the nk white canvas. This time, though, it was soot-gray and bright orange and ruddy crimson. My surroundings ran not like watercolors but like the flickering of a me.


    The same pagoda from before took shape. The cyan roof was ckened and half-copsed. The stream was gone, drained away through the floor where a crack the width of my fist had opened up in the stone b.


    A distant roar trembled in the air, followed by the forge-fire rush of me and wind, drawing my attention to the city. Zhoroa, they had called it. Clouds of smoke billowed up from mes a hundred feet tall, thick enough that they blocked out the sun and darkened the sky for miles around. And the dragons were still attacking, breathing fire so hot the stones glowed orange and ran like blown ss.


    I wasn¡¯t alone. A woman was sitting at the pagoda¡¯s edge, her feet where the stream once joined the narrow river before it plunged down the cliffs. Even the river was gone.


    ¡°Lady Sae-Areum¡­¡± I said, reaching out a hand before realizing it was my own hand, not that of a djinn.


    She turned to look at me, and I realized I was wrong. She had the same blue tone in her skin, but her hair was darker and thicker, flowing like water instead of floating on the air.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± she asked, the despair so thick and sharp in her words that they wed at my heart. ¡°Tell us what to do¡­¡±


    I started to reach for her to make someforting, futile gesture, then remembered where I was and let my hand fall. This scene seemed different than the others, somehow. After the meeting with Kezess, the trial had seemed to be over. I¡¯d realized its purpose and answered as best I could.


    So why, then, is it continuing? I wondered. Out loud, I said, ¡°Your choice is already made.¡±


    She swallowed heavily and wiped away her tears. ¡°And was it the right thing to do? If it happened all over again, would you follow our path, descendant?¡±


    I watched the wheeling dragons breathe death on the city for a long time, half expecting the trial to end and return me to the ruin, but it kept going. It expected something else from me, clearly.


    I¡¯ve spent the entirety of both my lives struggling to be more powerful, I thought, sure the djinn mind that was conjuring all this could read my thoughts as inly as if I¡¯d spoken them. If Kezess led his dragons to burn Dicathen tomorrow, I would fight them no matter how hopeless the battle.


    Did that mean it had been wrong for the djinn to refuse to fight, though? If their final days had been spent at war, perhaps the Relictombs would never have beenpleted. And then all their knowledge, the memory of their entire civilization, truly would be gone.


    ¡°You thought it was. But no, your way isn¡¯t mine,¡± I said at length, in answer to the sobbing girl¡¯s questions. ¡°Perhaps, in the eyes of this trial, that makes me unworthy, but I hope you can see I only want to do what I think is right, too. If no one fights back, our world will be crushed between the Indrath and Vritra ns. Then, what good will guarded knowledge be?¡±


    The mes died down, and the ashy-filled smoke smothered thendscape. When it cleared, I was standing in the crumbling ruins once again. Ellie, Boo, Lyra, and Mica were all leaning against the wall or sprawled on the floor.


    Some small movement must have given away the fact that I was back with them, because Ellie yelped and jumped to her feet. ¡°Arthur! Are you¡­in there?¡±


    I nodded and cleared my throat. ¡°How long was it this time?¡±


    Mica pushed away from the wall and crossed her arms, looking sour. ¡°Almost an hour. A little warning would have been nice.¡±


    ¡®Back from total brain-death, huh? And here I thought I was going to inherit all your vast wealth if you didn¡¯te back,¡¯ Regis thought, chuckling in my mind.


    You couldn¡¯t see any of that? I asked.


    ¡®Nope, quiet as a grave in here the whole time.¡¯


    Disconcerted, I turned to the crystal hovering over the central pedestal. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what the purpose of this all was. Why show me these things?¡±


    The crystal pulsed, and the djinn¡¯s voice echoed out of it. ¡°It was a test.¡±


    ¡°Did I pass?¡±


    The extradimensional storage spellform grew warm on my arm as the crystal spoke. ¡°It is not my ce to judge. You must decide for yourself. I¡¯m only a memory, after all.¡±


    Activating the rune, I drew out the nondescript cube cut from dark stone that had just appeared in my dimension rune. ¡°Can you tell me anything about what this keystone contains?¡±


    A barely-audible static hum vibrated from the crystal, and then it said, ¡°No. But that does not mean I can¡¯t help you. The process of your mind, the weave of your thoughts, is very different from the djinn. This could be fatal to your understanding, or it may allow you to be something beyond what we ever imagined. Either way, know that the path forward will be difficult.


    ¡°But I feelpelled to say that I, at least, believe you will aplish what you¡¯ve set out to do. The four spellforms locked within these keystones are themselves a map toward a deeper insight. Our greatest minds theorized that if one could understand these four edicts of aether, then perhaps they could also gain insight into Fate itself. It was a distant, desperate hope, but now that I have met you, Arthur Leywin, I believe it may actually happen.


    ¡°I¡­feel a sense of loss.¡± The crystal gave a mncholy hum. ¡°It has been a very long time that this piece of my consciousness has watched over this keystone. Now, I am thest, and soon I will be gone.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me anything about what happened to the third keystone? The missing one? If I can verify that Agrona somehow recovered it¡ª¡±


    ¡°That information isn¡¯t stored within this remnant.¡±


    Knowing instinctively that time was running short, I voiced another thought that had lingered in the back of my mind since speaking to Kezess. ¡°During that conference with Lord Indrath, he imed that Epheotus was taken out of this world and housed somewhere else, and that the djinn were creating something simr. What is the ce where the Relictombs are contained?¡±


    ¡°You should understand better than I, as you bear a godrune that connects you to the inner fabric of the universe,¡± the crystal said, almost sounding amused.


    ¡°God Step,¡± I said softly to myself.


    Severalyers of understanding settled into ce,pleting a picture that I hadn¡¯t even realized wasn¡¯tplete.


    ¡°The godrune doesn¡¯t reveal hidden pathways,¡± I continued, feeling my expression cken, ¡°I¡¯ve been using the connective tissue of this word, the in-between ce where Epheotus and the Relictombs are, to move.¡±


    The godrune burned against my back, casting a dim golden light through the room.


    ¡®It changed,¡¯ Regis noted, drifting down through my body to inspect it. ¡®The design is moreplicated.¡¯


    My understanding had changed too, but before I could activate the godrune, the crystal spoke again. ¡°The damage to the external edifice has been very draining for me to maintain. You have already seen how I was forced to withdraw the energy from the secondary illusion that should have impeded progress to this room. I will need to manifest a portal for you to leave through, but it will drain what energy I have left. Apologies, Arthur Leywin, but you must leave now.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound great,¡± Mica said. ¡°We should probably listen to the talking-crystal-gyroscope-thing, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said distractedly. Then I looked at Ellie, and the bottom dropped out of my stomach as I remembered every single time she¡¯d died in front of me in thest zone. ¡°We¡¯re ready. And¡­thank you.¡±


    The crystal hummed again, much louder this time, and we all floated upward through the immaterial, transparent floor of the nonexistent room above. Through the crystal¡¯s power, the ¡°floor¡± hardened, allowing us to stand on it, and then a rectangr portal swirled into existence, inset in one wall.


    As this happened, the rest of the room began to copse, the aether maintaining its shape being shifted to the portal.


    Withdrawing the Compass, I hurried to connect the stuttering portal with its other half, and a distorted image of the small bedroom came into view. ¡°Go!¡±


    Mica jumped through before the word was even out of my mouth. Lyra urged Ellie through, followed by a nervously mewling Boo, and then went through herself without so much as a backward nce.


    But my attention was stuck on the slowly dissolving space around the portal. Beyond it, the twilight purple sea of the aetheric void. I took a step away from the portal and touched the rune marking my forearm. The horror of thest zone, the djinn¡¯s test and everything I¡¯d learned, even the new insight I¡¯d gained into the God Step godrune, it all went out of my mind in a moment.


    Because there was one thing more important than all of that.


    When I¡¯d been in the aetheric realm fighting Taci, I¡¯d realized that, with the limitless ocean of aether I finally had enough power toplete Sylvie¡¯s egg. But it had remained out of my reach ever since.


    Until now.


    Less and less of the room remained by the moment as the djinn remnant spent its power to maintain the portal.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t look like we have time, chief,¡¯ Regis said.


    Time¡­


    Holding out my hand, I imbued Aroa¡¯s Requiem. Bright aetheric motes flowed out of me, racing along the edges of the copsing room.


    But nothing happened. ¡°Please, can you hold it a while longer? I just need¡ª¡±


    ¡°I apologize,¡± the crystal voice said, echoing from all around me. ¡°If you do not leave now, you will be trapped.¡±


    I closed my eyes and sighed, letting Aroa¡¯s Requiem go dim.


    With a heavy heart, I turned away from the image of the endless aetheric void and stepped into the portal.

 Chapter 425: Unexpected Visitor

    By the time I stepped out of the descension portal into my family¡¯s room in Vildorial, the others had already spread out. Boo was in the kitchen slurping up something out of a cast iron pot, and Ellie was wrapped in our mother¡¯s embrace. Mica had thrown herself down on the couch, heedless of how filthy and blood-stained she was. Lyra was standing near the small firece on the far side of the sitting room, her arms crossed and a faraway look in her eye.


    Mom pulled back from Ellie just enough to take my sister¡¯s face in her hands, inspecting her closely. ¡°You¡¯re back in one piece¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom, you¡¯re embarrassing me in front of a retainer and a Lance,¡± Ellieined, trying in vain to wriggle free of our mother¡¯s grasp. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I promise. I mean, okay, I did die like ten times, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mom eximed, looking incredulously from Ellie to me and then back again.


    ¡°She¡¯s clearly in one piece, like I promised,¡± I said, giving my sister a warning look. When this didn¡¯t immediately quell Mom¡¯s furious worrying, I gave her a smile and pulled her into a hug. ¡°How long were we gone, anyway? It always feels much longer in the Relictombs.¡±


    ¡°A few days,¡± Mom answered, giving Ellie a side-eye look that suggested she wasn¡¯t done with the whole ¡°died ten times¡± conversation. ¡°It¡¯s been busy here though. Lord Bairon has been here multiple times looking to see if you¡¯d returned yet. Apparently some very important visitor is waiting for you at the pce. And Gideon has been driving me a little crazy, if I¡¯m being honest. He¡¯s absolutely desperate to study any advances Ellie has made.¡±


    My sister copsed into Mom¡¯s favorite chair and started to kick her boots up on the footrest, but she froze when Mom¡¯s brows shot up. With a chagrined smile, she eased the dirty boots off her feet and set them aside carefully, then leaned back and put her feet up. ¡°He¡¯s going to flip out when he sees everything I can do. I bet he¡¯ll be so surprised his eyebrows will fall out again.¡±


    I shook my head at my sister¡¯s antics, but was still focused on what Mom had said before that. ¡°Who is this important visitor? Do you know anything?¡±


    Mom sighed and shrugged her shoulders. ¡°No, the general didn¡¯t tell me much, just insisted that you be sent to the pce immediately upon your return.¡± Her mouth pressed into a thin line, revealing her irritation. ¡°I told him I may be your mother, but I wasn¡¯t going to order you about. I also reminded him that you¡¯d likely be tired and in need of a good home-cooked meal after traipsing around for who knows how long in the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Mom,¡± I said,ughing lightly. ¡°It¡¯s all right. Thank you. I¡¯ll go see him immediately.¡± I turned to mypanions. ¡°Mica, you¡¯re free to do as you wish. Ellie, you should clean yourself up and get some rest. Don¡¯t let Gideon pressure you, but track him and Emily down when you¡¯re ready to debrief them on the ascent.¡±


    ¡°Aye aye, captain,¡± she said sarcastically, saluting me with two fingers at her temple.


    ¡°General,¡± Mica muttered sleepily.


    ¡°And me, Regent Leywin?¡± Lyra asked, letting her arms fall and standing straighter, an edge of defiance in her posture. ¡°Will you be escorting me back to a prison cell?¡±


    The tension hung in the air like an electric charge. It would have been the safe thing to do, of course. Disabling her core and putting her on trial for her crimes would have beenpletely justified. She would always be remembered as the cryan who paraded the corpses of Dicathen¡¯s king and queens from city to city while praising the Vritra n for their kindness and good will.


    ¡°So you can rest? No, I¡¯m not letting you off that easily,¡± I stated. ¡°I¡¯m sending you beyond the Wall to check on your people, see what they need. Consider it both punishment and rpense for your crimes against this continent.¡± To Mica, I said, ¡°Arrange transport back and forth. Lyra of Highblood Dreide is free to move between the Elenoir Wastes and Vildorial.¡± My gaze went back to Lyra. ¡°Just there, understand? This isn¡¯t freedom.¡±


    Lyra lifted her chin as she regarded me. ¡°I understand, Regent. I acknowledge this punishment and ept an opportunity to aid both your people and mine.¡±


    ¡°I want you to represent your people on this continent,¡± I said, softening somewhat. ¡°Those soldiers in the Wastes should know they haven¡¯t been forgotten. But all isn¡¯t forgiven, either.¡±


    Mica had sat up to watch this conversation y out with a growing frown.


    ¡°Problem?¡± I asked, addressing my fellow Lance.


    ¡°No, just thinking. Things might have been a little boring if we¡¯d actually killed this skinny cryan back when we had her chained up in the Beast des.¡±


    Lyra snorted and rolled her eyes. ¡°This continent has many positives, but as torturers and jailors, you are woefullycking.¡± She pursed her lips thoughtfully. ¡°I suppose this is not a bad thing, though.¡±


    The two devolved into familiar bickering as they headed for the front door of my mother¡¯s rooms. Just before it closed behind them again, Lyra met my eye. She gave a small bow, then let the door close.


    Ellie smirked. ¡°The great Lance Godspell showing his soft underside to the enemy, who¡¯d have guessed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a punishment,¡± I said, glowering at my sister.


    Mom rested her head on my shoulder. ¡°With all your many responsibilities, you may have an image to uphold to the public, but it¡¯s just us here. No need to put up a facade in front of your family.¡±


    Ellie broke into a fit of giggling, but I ignored her as Mom pulled away from me and headed through the kitchen arch. She had to shimmy around Boo, who took up nearly the entire room.


    ¡°Do you want anything to eat? Or will you be rushing off right away?¡±


    I considered ignoring Bairon¡¯s request for at least an hour or two so I could spend some time with her, but the fact that he hade here, to our home, multiple times in my absence made me ufortable.


    ¡°I should go,¡± I said. ¡°Hopefully I¡¯ll be back shortly. I wouldn¡¯t mind something hot to eat, if you can reim your kitchen.¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s any food left in it when I do, you mean,¡± she said, standing on her tiptoes to see over Boo¡¯s back. ¡°Go on, then. The world might fall apart if it goes without you for an hour, but your family will hold itself together.¡±


    Waving, I headed toward the door. On the way, I carefully kicked the footrest out from under my sister''s feet, making her sink half out of the chair.


    ¡°Hey!¡± she grumbled, flicking a spark of mana at me that sizzled away against the aether d around my skin.


    Iughed and opened the door.


    ¡°Art?¡±


    I looked back. Ellie wore a serious expression despite the slight flush to her face.


    ¡°Thank you, y¡¯know, for¡­letting mee with you, and protecting me and stuff. I¡ªit was really¡­cool.¡±


    ¡°Love you too, El,¡± I answered with a knowing wink, then left.


    The hike through the Earthborn Institute was uneventful. You¡¯ve been quiet, I noted of Regis as I walked. Normally he liked to get out of me as soon as he could, but he had remained in wisp form near my core since before thest ruin.


    ¡®I was just thinking,¡¯ he noted, his tone more serious than usual. ¡®This world is fucked up.¡¯


    I scoffed. ¡°It really is, isn¡¯t it.¡± Memories of the djinn trial yed behind my eyes, lingering on the city in mes.


    ¡®Just makes moments like this, with your family, with Caera back in crya¡­ all of it a bit better.¡¯


    All I could do was agree, and we continued on in silence.


    At the Earthborn institute gates, I looked up and down the highway at the crowds of people. My passage always drew attention, but at the moment I had no desire to be the object of their stares. Instead, I channeled aether into God Step.


    A web of interconnecting violet lines appeared, oveying the city before me, each line connecting two points to create awork that seemed to connect every point to every other.


    Looking at them now, there had been a subtle shift in my perspective, more an awareness of potential than any visible change in the aether paths themselves. When I had learned to stop just ¡°seeing¡± the paths and to hear and sense them under Three Steps¡¯ tutge, it had felt like a significant paradigm shift in my insight. Now, I feltpelled to do more than simply see and hear them. I wanted to grasp them.


    The aetheric pathways weren¡¯t simply doors, tools to be used for simple navigation..


    I raised my hand, drawn to these streams of amethyst light that represented another dimension. My fingers twitched as they drew closer to the paths, and I felt a draw from the godrune as it reacted to my intentions.


    External to the aetheric pathways, a descending pressure sent an icy shiver down my back.


    My arm whipped toward the oing source of energy, aether coiling around my fingers and palm as I released God Step.


    The aether wound around my hand faded as I saw the vaguely familiar sight of olive-green feathers.


    As the shadows receded from the flying figure, I was able to make out its avian body and the single horn sprouting from the owl¡¯s head.


    Avier, I remembered.


    This owl had been the bond of Cynthia Goodsky, director of Xyrus Academy. But he¡¯d vanished after her imprisonment and eventual death.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for your return,¡± the owl said, bobbing its horned head as itnded on a post.


    ¡°So you can speak,¡± I said. Most bonded animals couldmunicate with their tamer, but very few could speak to anyone else. ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s been waiting for me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re confused,¡± Avier said. ¡°I understand my appearance hasn¡¯t been expected, and you might be hesitant.¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°Hesitant, suspicious, either works.¡±


    Avier¡¯s head tilted as he regarded me with wide, intelligent eyes. ¡°To get straight to the point, Aldir has sent me.¡±


    I sobered instantly, but the mention of Aldir¡¯s name only raised more questions. ¡°You were Cynthia¡¯s bond. Why are you working with Aldir?¡± I asked, voicing the most immediate one.


    The owl ruffled its green feathers. ¡°I am not. But I have been waiting too long already, Arthur. I need you toe with me. We can discuss more on the journey.¡±


    Motion drew my eye to the highway, where two dwarves followed by a cadre of guards were rushing toward us. Looking more closely, I recognized Lords Daglun Silvershale and Carnelian Earthborn. I could only watch, mystified, as Carnelian waved off their guards as the two dwarven lords slowed to a quick walk for thest fifty feet. Both were breathing heavily as they arrived, bowing first to me and then to the owl.


    Daglun cleared his throat. ¡°Ah, Lord Avier, you left so quickly we didn¡¯t finish our conversation. Before you leave, I would like to extend the respect of this great city, and wee you back into it any time you wish.¡±


    Not to be outdone, Carnelian added, ¡°Indeed, the Earthborn Institute¡±¡ªhe waved a callused hand to the gates behind us¡ª¡°would be most interested in hosting you for a longer stay next time. There is much we could learn from one another, I believe.¡±


    Avier¡¯s bushy brows rose as his head turned halfway around to face them. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I do not see that happening, but I thank you both for your hospitality. Farewell.¡±


    The two dwarven lords could only stare, astonished, as the owl hopped into the air and fluttered to my shoulder. ¡°Leave through the third eastern gate. I believe that will take us most quickly to the surface.¡±


    Considering, I realized I really had no choice. If there was a chance to meet with Aldir, I had to take it. Addressing the dwarven lords, I said, ¡°Please inform Virion, the other Lances, and Alice Leywin that I¡¯ll be leaving the city for¡­¡± I trailed off, raising my brows questioningly to the owl on my shoulder.


    ¡°A few days, at least,¡± it answered.


    ¡°Of course, Lance,¡± Carnelian said quickly.


    ¡°And what of the cryan, General?¡± Daglun asked, stepping forward to be a few inches closer to us than Carnelian was.


    ¡°General Mica has heard my instructions and can take responsibility for the prisoner until I return,¡± I said, uncertain why Daglun had thought to ask.


    The two dwarven lords exchanged a confused look, but I was already moving past them toward the highway. Skarn Earthborn, Mica¡¯s cousin, was among the dwarven guards, and we exchanged a terse nod.


    Curiosity bubbled from mypanion. ¡®I wonder where Aldir¡¯s been all this time. He¡¯s not exactly inconspicuous, is he? But Windsom pretended to be a shopkeeper, so maybe Aldir is, like, tending a bar somewhere.¡¯


    Avier guided me up the highway and out one of the many side tunnels. From there, he flew ahead of me, leading me toward the nearest passage up to the surface. We reached the barren desert at dusk, just as the sun was setting behind the dunes.


    ¡°How are we traveling?¡± I asked as Avier wheeled around above me.


    ¡°I will carry you on my back, if you¡¯ll allow it,¡± the owl said, stopping to hover in front of me. ¡°That will be the fastest way.¡±


    I looked the olive-green owl over carefully. It wasrger, slightly, than a normal owl, but still small enough tofortably ride on my shoulder. ¡°And how¡¯s that going to work exactly?¡±


    ¡®Ufortably. By bncing on your tippy-toes.¡¯ Regis chortled at his own joke.


    The owl made a sound that was more reptilian than avian, then began to grow.


    Its wings expanded outward at a rapid pace, the olive-green feathers morphing into scales of the same hue. As the short neck lengthened, frill-like spikes grew along the spine. The thick, scaleless flesh of his wings and frills was a dim golden color. His beak elongated and widened, bing a reptilian face with a gaping mouth full of dangerous-looking fangs, and two long horns swept back from the rear of its skull. The thick, powerful legs ended in curved talons like scythe des, and a heavy tail dangled just over the sandstone.


    ¡°You¡¯re a wyvern¡­¡± I said, recalling what I¡¯d heard about them. They were exceedingly rare, supposed descendants of the dragons that hardly ever interacted with humans, elves, or dwarves. And yet this one had been bonded with a human woman, and an cryan at that. ¡°I never knew.¡±


    ¡°Cynthia kept my true form a secret at my request,¡± Avier said, his voice deeper and richer than in his owl form. The beating of his wings kicked up sand all around us, but hended a momentter, the wed protrusions on his wings curling inward so he could walk on them like front legs. ¡°Now, we have a long journey ahead of us.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked, not moving to climb onto his back.


    He huffed, and the force of his breath blew my hair back. ¡°If you do not trust me, you shouldn¡¯t havee this far. But I will tell you. Aldir is in the Beast des. I can answer any more questions you may have on the way, but there are things you should learn in the proper time, and from the proper source.¡±


    I don¡¯t see how we can refuse, I thought, probing Regis for his perspective.


    ¡®If it¡¯s a trap, sending a strange mana beast you haven¡¯t seen since you were, like, fourteen is a weird way to set it,¡¯ he pointed out. ¡®At worst, I¡¯m sure you can turn the experience of being eaten by a thirty-foot-long flying lizard into some kind of training.¡¯¡¯


    I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes, aware that Avier¡¯s fiery golden gaze was leveled intently on me. After another second, I gave in and jumped up onto the wyvern¡¯s back, settling in between two separate ridges.


    Avier wasted no time, pouncing straight up into the air then snapping out his wings to catch the hot desert breeze. Wheeling, he turned away from the setting sun and shot like an arrow westward.


    Despite saying he would answer my questions, we spoke very little as we flew. He moved with a speed that rivaled even Sylvie¡¯s, and the wind cutting past his spine fringes howled against my ears, drowning out all but my own thoughts. I felt myself drawn into a mncholic reverie, the flight on wyvernback drawing my recent failure to bring Sylvie back to the forefront of my mind.


    I started paying more attention when we flew over the mountains into the Beast des. As the rocky slopes gave way to dense forests, I activated Realmheart, watchful of anything powerful enough to be a threat. The longer we flew, the more thendscape changed; we passed over barren, lifeless wastes, putrid swamps, and ss-smoothkes. We were headed into the heart of the Beast des, where S-ss beasts that had scared even Olfred Warender resided.


    Nothing bothered us, though, a fact I attributed to Avier himself. Cynthia¡¯s former bond surprised me once more, making me question how powerful he might actually be when he began putting off a tremendous warding aura, warning away any predatory mana beasts that got too close.


    ¡°What have you been doing out here since Cynthia¡¯s death?¡± I yelled over the wind, finally voicing a question I¡¯d wanted to ask since Avier revealed his true form in Darv.


    ¡°While imprisoned, she released me from my bond,¡± he answered, his voice carrying easily on the wind. ¡°She didn¡¯t want me to risk myself attacking the castle to free her. I think she had an inkling of her fate and didn¡¯t want me bound to her when it happened. At her request, I retreated into the Beast des.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, quiet enough that I didn¡¯t expect him to hear me. ¡°She deserved better than what happened.¡±


    Avier let out a sharp cry that seemed to cut through the air like a de. Once it died away, he said, ¡°She was very fond of you.¡±


    I waited, but the wyvern said no more, and so Ipsed back into thoughtful silence.


    Not long after, he began descending toward the forest below. Trees a hundred feet tall with canopies just as wide and trunks thick as watchtowers rose up to meet us. Burning orange leaves swayed in a constant breeze, making the canopy look like a bed of smoldering coals.


    When we dipped below the boughs, though, the shadows were as deep as an overcast night, and my vision was nearly overwhelmed by the abundance of mana particles. The leaves, the trees, the ground itself, every aspect of natural growth was alive with mana. And lurking in the distance, each one bearing a forceful mana signature, were mana beasts of impressive size and strength.


    Yet even these S-ss mana beasts were kept at bay by Avier¡¯s warding aura.


    Suddenly we dipped down again, and I thought we were going to crash straight into the ground. A deep ck shadow within the dim light under the canopy became clear only in the moment before we entered it, and Avier threw out his wings, catching a gentle updraft and hovering. Slowly, we descended down a natural crack wide enough for two wyverns to fly side by side.


    Strangely, I could sense no mana from within the crevice, but there was an ufortable pressure against my eardrums that made me wary.


    As we neared the bottom, mes red to life in sconces set around the crevice, lighting up the floor beneath us, presumably so Avier didn¡¯t identally crash into the floor.


    Chalky white shapes covered the floor, and when Avier touched down, his talons crunched in the detritus. The bones of hundreds of mana beasts carpeted the floor.


    Avier paid this no mind, however, walking carelessly over the boneyard and into a cave that opened up off the ravine. The cave seemed dim and empty except for a few more scattered bones, until more sconces lit on the opposite side, revealing arge set of doors carved from matte ck wood.


    ¡°A dungeon,¡± I said, sliding off Avier¡¯s back and approaching the door. Barely visible in the dim light, a scene of some sort had been etched into the wood, but it was too dark, and the engravings too faded, to make sense of. I looked back into Avier¡¯s gold eyes, which glowed subtly in the dark. ¡°Aldir is here?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Avier confirmed. ¡°Though we may have to fight our way to him.¡± Reaching out one wing, he sent aplicated series of mana pulses into the wood: a code orbination of some kind.


    The doors swung open silently, and the dungeon¡¯s fetid breath spilled over us, heavy with death and rot. Regis manifested next to me, the mes of his mane stiff, like a wolf with its hackles raised.


    Side by side, Regis and I stepped into the dungeon. Avier, his wings folded in on themselves as he walked on the knuckled joint, followed. As the doors closed behind us, more torches lit up by magic, revealing a wide chamber carved out of the dark bedrock. Bones, and even some more recent corpses, lined the walls. The floor was caked with dark stains that crackled under our feet. The instant the torches lit, a shadow flitted down a tall, broad tunnel that opened ahead of us.


    ¡°What is this ce?¡±


    ¡°No adventurers have reached this dungeon to name it. We simply call it Hollow¡¯s Edge,¡± Avier answered. ¡°Its inhabitants are referred to as ebon scourges. I expected to be back before the dungeon reset, but you were too long in returning.¡±


    There was an edge of wariness in Avier¡¯s voice that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.


    Something moved in the dark tunnel ahead of us.


    Stone crunched, and a jet-ck mana beast the size of a bear charged out of the darkness. It ran on four muscr limbs like a gori, much faster than its size suggested. Its body was glossy ck like obsidian, with a shovel-shaped, eyeless head that jutted out in front of it like a weapon. Three curving horns extended forward, two from the sides of the t head and one from the bottom, where a chin or lower jaw would normally have been. In between the three horns, a gaping mouth full of yellow teeth the size of daggers gleamed like a grim grin.


    Avier lunged past me, gliding on extended wings. One talon mmed down on the ebon scourge¡¯s neck, which was protected by bony protrusions that extended back from the top of its skull half the length of its body. The mana beast, despite its size, was crushed to the ground under Avier¡¯s weight, but his talon¡¯s only scraped across the rock-hard exterior of the skull.


    Wings still extended for bnce, Avier used his free talon to rip at the scourge¡¯s side and belly as it struggled against him, twisting enough to get one huge three-wed hand around Avier¡¯s ankle. Each w was four inches wide and twice that in length, and, after a moment of struggle between the scourge¡¯s strength and Avier¡¯s mana, the scourge pierced Avier¡¯s scales, while Avier¡¯s talons struggled to wound the scourge.


    Aether took form in the shape of a sword, and I dug my heel into the floor. The world blurred as Burst Step propelled me to the mana beast, the translucent de piercing a hole in its thick skull with a crunch.


    Even with a hole in its skull, the mana beast refused to relent,shing an arm as thick as my torso like a battering ram.


    I drove my elbow down to block its attack, but the force of the impact threw me off guard.


    Regis was on top of it in an instant. With one of the horns locked between his jaws, he twisted its head around. The ebon scourge roared in defiance and rage, and Avier¡¯s neck snapped downward like a striking cobra. His jaws opened, and a stream of emerald mes poured into the scourge¡¯s open mouth.


    The mana best trembled, its flesh cracking and fissuring in several ces, allowing tongues of green me to reach out.


    Avier¡¯s fire continued for several seconds before he relented. The smoking remains no longer moved, and both Avier and Regis stepped back.


    I brushed myself off and got closer to look at the corpse.


    The hardened flesh was formed of dense rock, more like an exoskeleton than hide.


    Avier¡¯s long, thin tongue snaked out and licked the bloody wound in his leg. mes curled up from the spot, and the scales healed. ¡°Let us continue.¡±


    In the next section of the dungeon, we found a chamber that split off in three different directions. Ebon scourge corpses were scattered across the floor and piled against the walls. Some were shattered in half, the stone shells of others scored with deep w marks. One had a scourge horn stabbed through its throat and into its skull, where it must have destroyed the beast core.


    ¡°Do these mana beasts often battle among themselves?¡± I asked Avier, but his head was on a swivel, and he did not immediately respond.


    A hollow roar tore through the dungeon from the tunnel to our left, and we maneuvered into a defensive position, Regis right beside me, his mes rearing, while Avier circled around to the other side, acrid smoke rising from his jaws.


    Conjuring a new sword and fixing my footing, I waited as heavy, thumping footsteps resounded down the corridor.


    Except it wasn¡¯t the squat, bestial silhouette of an ebon scourge that appeared.


    It was a hulking statue of a man that stepped into the low light, nked by a bearlike mana beast easily twice Boo¡¯s size with rich mahogany-colored fur and ck markings like scars down its face.


    Avier rxed. ¡°Evascir. It is good to see you.¡±


    The statuesque figure, I realized, was actually wrapped in ayer of stone, like a pilotable golem. As I recognized this, the stonework manifestation crumbled away, and a muscr man stepped out. His head was bald, his skin the color of gray limestone. Inside his earthen armor, he had towered to ten feet tall, but even without it he was still over seven. The weight of his aura would have been enough to crush most people to the floor.


    This man was an asura.


    ¡°Good timing, Avier,¡± the man said, his gazending on the wyvern¡¯s injury. ¡°Since you weren¡¯t back yet, I decided to clear the dungeon. Guess I missed one.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, you have saved us much needed time,¡± Avier dismissed. ¡°Thank you foring.¡±


    The asura gave the wyvern a nod before eyeing me spectively. ¡°This is the one you were sent to fetch? Hopefully he is as powerful as he is pretty.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason I call him princess,¡± Regis chimed in with a lupine grin.


    ¡°Is your initial judgment a formal test or an ignorant observation?¡± I asked, matching his unblinking gaze.


    The asura¡ªa titan, I thought¡ªlet out a boomingugh, pure and joyful. ¡°No, not a test, and perhaps a bit biased rather than ignorant, lesser.¡± He gestured to his oversized bearpanion, and it moved aside, making way for Avier, Regis, and me to pass. ¡°Come. Let us leave the stinking wretchedness of these dungeons and return home.¡±

 Chapter 426: Changing the Narrative

    <strong>CECILIA</strong>


    ¡°And here we are, once again,¡± I said, ncing to my left.


    Nico was flying next to me as we hovered just outside the protective barrier surrounding the western half of Sehz-r. Behind us, twenty thousand loyal cryan soldiers filled the streets of Rosaere, the city spanning the two distinct halves of the dominion. The translucent shield neatly bisected it.


    It was nearly dawn. A cool breeze blew in from the Vritra¡¯s Maw Sea, tugging at the silvery-gray hair I¡¯d never gotten around to dyeing.


    The shield itself seemed different to my eyes now. Whereas before it was an inexplicable monolith, now I could see it clearly. The signs of basilisk mana were obvious as a blood stain, and its underlying was structure easily observed.


    On the other side of the shield, I could sense only a meager resistance. Pockets of traitorous rebels were dug into defensible positions throughout the city, but we outnumbered them five to one.


    ¡°Seris knew I wasing,¡± I told Nico. ¡°She¡¯s pulled her forces back.¡±


    Nico was quiet. We¡¯d barely spoken since he ran out of my bedroom after our conversation. I purposefully avoided thinking about the lie we now shared, and the truth that I was keeping from him. But I wasn¡¯t ready to take the risk of divulging what I¡¯d learned. Not yet¡­


    Turning suddenly, I flew up higher so all my forces would be able to see me. When I spoke, my voice came from everywhere at once, each molecule of atmospheric mana my bullhorn. ¡°Warriors! Today, you fight for the spirit of your continent. This isn¡¯t a war, but a remation. These traitors have attempted to fracture crya itself by sowing lies and discord. But, look!¡±


    I waved at the opposing half of the city. Mana red as it peeled away from the giant shield and drifted toward the pockets of resistance, making those few thousand men and women glow and highlighting the small size of the force. ¡°Even they know the fight is already lost; the bulk of their force has already fled!¡±


    A distant but thunderous roar came back to me, twenty thousand voices raised in a deafening battle cry.


    With a flourish, I twirled and pressed one hand against the barrier.


    The power of a Sovereign wasced through hundreds of miles of protective force, pushing out against the rest of the world. My consciousness traced the lines of it, all the way back to Aedelgard, down thework of mana-conductive material to the heart of Seris¡¯s machine, to Oeth Vritra himself. I could sense him¡ªthe battery on which all this operated¡ªbut that was all; I had no sense of what they had done to him.


    This time, when I turned my senses toward the mana, it reacted. Like leaves growing toward the sunlight, the individual mana particles that made up the barrier drew toward me, and the entire structure shivered.


    Curling my fingers, I gouged them into the shield. When I withdrew my hand, a fistful of immaterial energy came away with it, sparkling like fireflies in the predawn gloom. I opened my hand and let the mana pour through my fingers, where it dissolved into its base form.


    The hole in the shield expanded, the edges ring with flickering white light. The light crawled over the lustrous surface, and the hole expanded, picking up speed with each passing second.


    Even though my soldiers couldn¡¯t see my face, I arranged my features into an expression of calm determination. I was a leader at the head of an army, not a child like Seris thought. Wherever she was hiding, I hoped she could see this. What she hadbored for years to create, I had just unmade in an instant.


    The gap in the shield grew until it was a few hundred feet wide, opening the way for my soldiers, but I didn¡¯t immediately call for the charge. My gaze followed the receding edge until, with a suddenness that surprised even me, the shield burst like a bubble. One moment it was there, and the next¡­


    ¡°The High Sovereign has proimed that any mage, unadorned, or ve who has turned their back on this continent is unfit to live on it. Give no quarter.¡± I took a slow, deep breath. ¡°Attack!¡±


    The spring-snap noise of catapults firing followed my order like an exmation as Imbued ammunition arced through the air, past where the shield had been, and crashed among the buildings in the western half of the city. Condensed stones burst apart, sending out deadly shrapnel for dozens of feet. Barrels of mmable liquid shattered and sprayed their surroundings, which ignited instantly, setting the city on fire. Clusters of mana crystals spread out in wide arcs, exploding from the force of theirnding and copsing entire structures.


    A shockwave of noise and mana rippled past me.


    Enemy shields sprang up all over, and there was a flurry of return fire and counterspells. A blue bolt of lightning shot up from the ground, aimed at me. When I reached out to the mana, it froze, a jagged, dancing line of electricity hanging in the air. A wave ran along the length of the lightning bolt, starting at the end hovering fifty feet below me and racing down toward the ground.


    Dozens of smaller bolts exploded outward from the point of impact, and I sensed several mana signatures go dark.


    Something squirmed ufortably in my guts. Better a quick death in battle than weeks of torture and starvation in the depths of Taegrin Caelum, I thought.


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason for us to linger here,¡± Nico said, drawing me back into the battle. ¡°Our side will have this cleaned up quick enough without our assistance.¡±


    Melzri was leading a force from the west to capture Seris¡¯s base of operations in Sandaerene while Dragoth and the soldiers from Vechor patrolled the Vritra¡¯s Maw to prevent a mass retreat.


    Looking down toward the center of my soldiers¡¯ formation on the ground, I said, ¡°Echeron, you¡¯re inmand. You have your orders.¡±


    My voice traveled on the wind directly to Dragoth¡¯s retainer¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Yes, Legacy,¡± sounded his response, wispy and distant.


    I looked at Nico and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s not waste any more time then.¡±


    Flying higher up, we spend northward. As we crested the cliffs above Rosaere, several dozen spells¡ªbolts and jets of green, blue, red, and ck magic¡ªflew from a series of covered bunkers.


    Grunting in annoyance, I grasped the threads of each spell and pulled, dragging the spells off course and forcing them to cluster in the air in front of us.


    Nico¡¯s staff shed with red light, and he shed it through the air in front of him. Retina-searing balls of blue fire bombarded the bunkers, shattering their shields and copsing the reinforced structures on the mages within.


    Condensing all the gathered spells into a storm of multi-elemental bullets, I sent them hurling back down at the smoldering remains of the bunkers, snuffing out the few remaining mana signatures I could detect.


    Nico held his position for a moment, watching for any more activity, but I could tell the substructure beneath was clear. ¡°Come on. These soldiers are unimportant. Our real target is waiting for us in Aedelgard, unless she¡¯s already fled.¡±


    ¡°This is a token defense,¡± Nico said thoughtfully, as if he hadn¡¯t heard what I¡¯d said. ¡°Even discounting the presence of any Scythes or retainers¡ªor you¡ªsuch a meager fortification wouldn¡¯t have held for even a day against our superior numbers. So where are her armies?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll find out soon enough, I imagine,¡± I answered, speeding forward. I sensed him follow after me, the wind spell he used to replicate flight pushing him along in my wake.


    The countryside north of Rosaere was dotted with small settlements and private estates, but no additional fortified locations. We flew at top speed, north and west, and as we approached Sandaerene, I felt the battle long before I could see it. Nico and I kept slightly east of the city, not intending to involve ourselves in the battle, where Melzri and Mawar would have things tidily in hand.


    Although Nico and I could have breached the shield near Aedelgard as I had before, avoiding the hundreds of miles flight, the bulk of our army had to attack over ground from Rosaere, and I had wanted them to see me break the shield. In addition, it had been an opportunity to sweep the length of the dominion, making my presence known to the people there, citizenry and rebel mages alike.


    Still, I was anxious to put an end to things by the time we reached Aedelgard, where Seris¡¯spound and the shield¡¯s source of energy were.


    Seris was wily, a survivor, and I doubted I would find her standing on the balcony of her estate waiting for me. After all, she had managed to outwit and capture a Sovereign.


    When the city came into sight, I was surprised to see smoke and fire rising up from several different locations throughout. A potent mana signature radiated from the city¡¯s eastern edge.


    ¡°Dragoth already moved in,¡± Nico noted sourly, ncing at me.


    I kept my expression impassive. ¡°Unimportant, as long as he hasn¡¯t let Seris slip away by disregarding his duties.¡±


    All Scythes¡ªexcept Nico, of course¡ªwere bitter and frustrated with my position. They scrambled for whatever small acim they could find, each of them hoping to rece Cadell as Agrona¡¯s right hand and prove themselves worthy of their station. It was no surprise that Dragoth had taken this opportunity to win a victory for himself. But it hardly mattered. Given the scale of theing war, the Scythes were no longer relevant in my eyes.


    As we approached Seris¡¯s estate looking over the Vritra¡¯s Maw Sea, I finally caught sight of Dragoth. He was flying over the estate, his arms crossed, watching us approach. With his sprawling horns and incredible bulk, he looked like a side of beef hanging on the rack.


    ¡°You¡¯re out of position, Dragoth,¡± Nico snapped once we were close enough to speak.


    Dragoth floated up a foot or so in order to look down his nose at Nico. ¡°I had a resource in the city before the shields fell, who informed me of a rush of activity. Since your tour of the dominion dyed you, I thought it best to lock down the city.¡± He gave me a sneering nod. ¡°To prepare for your arrival of course, Legacy. Vechor¡¯s ships and soldiers are still patrolling the sea, but if the rats are fleeing their sinking vessel, we haven¡¯t seen them.¡±


    Perhaps that¡¯s because you can¡¯t see beyond the confines of your own ass, I thought.


    Out loud, I asked, ¡°Has there been any sign of Seris?¡±


    Dragoth shook his head. ¡°The lower depths of the estate are shielded, however. She may be hiding down there. If I know her, she¡¯ll have some trick up her sleeve.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what she tries,¡± I said, not trying to hide my irritation with the Vechorian Scythe. ¡°This is over.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. The fact that I was able to turn one of her own suggests she¡¯s lost her touch.¡± Dragoth chuckled. ¡°Made weak-kneed by some unblooded nobody from the other continent¡­it¡¯s no wonder she¡¯s fallen so far.¡±


    Tipping toward the ground, I flew to one of the open balconies of the estate. Dragoth¡¯s soldiers were ransacking the ce, dragging out anything of value and tossing it into piles. One particr mage caught my eye; he was standing at attention as if waiting for our arrival.


    His appearance was generally unremarkable, but there was a strange duality to him. On one side, he had a red eye and a short horn that stuck up from his ck hair, but on the other side, his eye was brown and the horn had been shattered, leaving only a jagged stump half-hidden. Still, he didn¡¯t flinch back at our approach, like most of the soldiers. Instead, he fell into step beside and just behind Dragoth like he belonged there. Several mages broke away from whatever else they¡¯d been doing and took up formation around the two.


    ¡°What have you discovered here, Wolfrum?¡± Dragoth asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve followed most of the mana cabling down several levels, but haven¡¯t managed to bypass the door at the bottom. We presume it leads into whatever is¡ªwas¡ªpowering the shield,¡± the Vritra-born man said in a confident, slightly nasally voice.


    ¡°Take us to the door,¡± Dragoth said, then amended, ¡°If that is what the Legacy wishes.¡±


    I stopped, having walked through arge sr and into a connecting corridor covered in fanciful paintings. Instead of replying, I only waved a hand. The young man, Wolfrum of Highblood Redwater, I now realized, hung his head and hurried past me, not meeting my eyes. He led us through several more rooms until we reached a steeply descending staircase. By the length of time we followed the cramped stairwell down, I knew we must be deep into the cliffside under Seris¡¯s home.


    The ¡°door¡± in question was a thick iron square inset into the wall. The only sign of how to open it was a dim mana crystal affixed to the wall nearby.


    ¡°Whatever magic is Imbued into this door, we haven¡¯t been able to crack it,¡± Wolfrum said. ¡°I¡¯ve sent for multiple Imbuers to help us gauge¡ª¡±


    I could sense the mana inhabiting the crystal, as well as the stored mana in a device above the door that would drag it up into the wall, and a series of mps that held it firm on the bottom, preventing it from being forced. The door itself was heavily warded against magical force, but the attached mechanisms were reliant on the mana input system and so more easily manipted. By me, at least.


    Disbursing the mana forcing the mps shut, I activated the chain mechanism. The door shifted slightly, making the floor vibrate, then lifted up into the recess above it with a gentle hum.


    The space beyond, aboratory of some kind, was lit with cool blue light from huge ss cylinders full of a glowing liquid. Incredible amounts of mana were suspended within the liquid, and it quivered at my presence.


    ¡°Wait out here,¡± Nico ordered the soldiers before stepping warily through the door.


    Dragoth snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t presume to give my soldiers orders, where I¡ª¡±


    He caught my scowl, and I saw recognition dawn slowly on the Scythe¡¯s broad face. ¡°Stay here, men,¡± he said, leaving unspoken the part Nico and I had already figured out: whatever state Sovereign Oeth was in, we wanted as few people to see him as necessary.


    ss tubes connected many of these cylinders to each other and a variety of devices and artifacts attached to the walls, none of which made any sense to me. nk projection crystals dotted the walls like sightless eyes among the other equipment. I nced at Nico; his eyes were rapidly tracking across theb, and his mouth hung open slightly. I wished, for a second, that I could have given him more time to enjoy that moment, but there was something much more pressing to take care of.


    Beyond the first rows of cylinders, the center of theb was isted by a dome-shaped shield. There was a smokey tinge to its coloration, and it was incredibly dense, but I recognized the source of the mana.


    Walking forward, I moved between the bright blue, silently bubbling cylinders, and arger tank came into view, right at the center of the shielded area.


    Oeth Vritra was floating within it. The Sovereign had a wasted look to him, and his face was vapid and empty of thought or expression. At least, he did on one of his heads. The other was missing entirely, nothing remaining but a bare stump of a neck that had healed over in a gory scar.


    Standing next to the tank, her pearl hair standing out against her ck scaled battlerobes, was my prey.


    ¡°I promised that I woulde for you, Seris. And here I am.¡±


    The Scythe gave me the same frustrating, unppable smile that I¡¯d seen too many times before.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Dragoth said with a nod to Seris, crossing his arms and leaning carelessly against one of the tanks.


    Seris spared Dragoth only a passing nce before focusing on the young Vritra-blooded mage. ¡°All this time, Wolf? Did I really teach you so little?¡±


    He raised his chin, ring fiercely at the Scythe. ¡°You taught me everything I needed to beat you, my mentor. That was all I ever needed from you.¡±


    Dragoth boomed withughter. ¡°Big dumb Dragoth outys the dangerous intellect of Seris. Who¡¯d have thunk it, huh?¡±


    Seris picked at her fingernails absently as she regarded the pair from behind her shield. ¡°Hardly. I admit that my feelings are hurt, but it¡¯s better to have trusted and lost than to never have had that potential at all. Besides, I believe that Caera was sessful in her escape, was she not?¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± I snapped, stepping toward the shield, further irritated that Seris had ignored me in favor of exchanging pointless jabs with an angry little boy. ¡°I thought you were smart, Seris. But you¡¯ve backed yourself into a corner and are now relying on an old trick that I¡¯ve already bested. I¡¯m actually kind of disappointed considering the fearful reverence all the other Scythes seem to hold you in.¡±


    Before she could respond, I pushed my hand into the shield and ripped it apart.


    Or rather, I tried to, but it resisted me.


    ¡°Oeth still actively controls this mana,¡± Seris said, stepping closer to her side of the shield just across from me. ¡°With it spread so thin and processed through ry after ry to reach the far corners of Sehz-r, his control over it was weakened. But here, so close¡±¡ªshe gestured at theatose basilisk floating behind her¡ª¡°I think you''ll find it much more difficult to rest control away from him.¡±


    Ished out with my mind and mana, bringing to bear the full might of my power. Mana crashed against mana, and the shield trembled. It did not, however, break. ¡°Bring it down,¡± I ordered, focusing all my power intoshing out again.


    Nico sent multi-elemental bullets and blood iron spikes into the shield on one side while Dragoth conjured a jagged ck warhammer wreathed in void wind and smashed it again and again into the barrier.


    Seris only gave us a solemn, demeaning smile for our efforts.


    ¡°For far too long, crya has served as the yground of mad gods,¡± Seris said, loud enough to be heard over the concussive st of so many spells, but not speaking to any one of us in particr. ¡°They breed people like beasts, assign us purpose at birth based only on ¡®purity of blood,¡¯ and cast off any who do not meet their needs. But the truth of our daily lives is so much worse than anyone knows.¡±


    Beside me, Nico faltered as he looked around the room in confusion.


    ¡°Because all of this¡ªour entire existence back to our bloods¡¯ earliest known ancestors¡ªwas only to create a people strong enough that Agrona could step upon our backs as he reached toward his ultimate goal,¡± Seris continued, turning to her left, no longer even looking at us.


    ¡°Enough!¡± I barked again. ¡°Back away,¡± I ordered Nico, Dragoth, and the one-horned boy.


    Thrusting both hands forward, I pressed against the shield again. Theboratory went quiet except for the incessant droning of the equipment.


    Instead of pushing outward toward the mana in an attempt to control it, I drew it into me.


    A victorious grin spread across my face as the surface of the smoke-tinged shield swirled. Seris was right, I couldn¡¯t break Orleath¡¯s irond hold over his mana, the Sovereign was far too powerful, but I could absorb it as I had done with the phoenix and Sovereign Kiros.


    Seris had paused to watch me begin, and sadness overtook her features as she realized in truth that she¡¯d lost. ¡°Agrona has started a war with Epheotus, thend of the gods. He doesn¡¯t expect you to win the fight with him, nor his Vritra-bloods, his Scythes, or even his Wraiths. He will burn us all for fuel in the furnace of his ambition, because he doesn¡¯t want to be Lord of the Lessers; he intends to be King of the Asuras.¡±


    Mana poured into me. I opened myself to it entirely, absorbing until I swelled to bursting. Ghostly mes wreathed me, flickering from my skin as I burned the mana I couldn¡¯t contain. ¡°You¡¯re wrong,¡± I growled through clenched teeth. ¡°I will win his war for him, and then I¡¯ll return home.¡±


    ¡°Cecilia¡­¡± Nico said, sounding ufortable as he took a step back from me.


    Seris turned her head in my direction, brows raised slightly. ¡°Oh, Lady Cecilia, Legacy born of another world. Forgive me, did you think I was speaking to you?¡± Her eyes widened slightly, then she resumed facing away from me.


    At the same time, several projection crystals lit up around theboratory.


    I faltered as I saw the image reflected in several screens: Seris, seen through a dim gray haze, looking solemnly into the recording artifact, while beside her I sweated under an aura of colorless mes, struggling against her shield like a baby trying to take its first step. Then the picture changed, showing the stairway outside theb, focusing on the diforted expressions of my soldiers as they exchanged nces or backed away. Then again, this time on Sovereign Oeth¡¯s mindless, ck-jawed face.


    ¡°What is this?¡± I asked, feeling my face redden as I realized that Seris had sprung some kind of trap after all, but not yet understanding what it was.


    ¡°She¡¯s projecting this,¡± Nico said, looking from panel to panel. ¡°But to¡­oh, oh no.¡±


    ¡°Hear me, crya,¡± Seris continued, projecting her voice as if giving a speech. ¡°Do not believe the lies you¡¯ve been told. Any time an cryan dares to voice opposition to this cruel regime, the narrative is always the same. But I do not fight to seize power, or to increase the standing of Sehz-r, or even because I believe I alone can defeat Agrona. I fight to show you that it is possible. Our civilization may have been grown in the Vritra¡¯s fetid soil, pruned by theirck of empathy and humanity, and watered in our own blood, but it is our civilization, not the asuras. It is time to cast down our Sovereigns. You and only you can im sovereignty over yourself.¡±


    Oeth began to squirm inside his tank, and I sensed a weakening of the shield. I redoubled my efforts, and the mes around me grew.


    ¡°Cecil, we should¡­¡±


    The blood pounding in my ears drowned out whatever else Nico had to say, but I was almost there. In a moment, the shield would fall, and when it did I would use Oeth¡¯s captured mana to pull Seris apart cell by cell.


    She must have sensed this as well, because she suddenly strode toward the tank in the center. A bolt of ck energy shot from her hand, shattering the ss. Thick, bluish liquid poured out, spilling across the floor and filling theboratory with a preservative stench.


    Oeth¡¯s body ripped free from the cables stabbed into his flesh, flopping onto the floor like a corpse.


    ¡°For those of you who do not believe me,¡± Seris continued. A de of dark mana manifested in her hand. ¡°We can change the narrative of our lives. We can make the Sovereigns bleed!¡±


    The sword shed, and Oeth¡¯s remaining head tumbled across the floor,ing to rest face up in the slime, sightless eyes staring at me.


    The shield vanished.


    The ghost-fire rushed to my hands, and I met Seris¡¯s eye. She was resigned, but still she gathered her mana.


    I thrust out with all that power, exalting in it.


    Seris¡¯s mana red. And then, she was gone.


    ¡°No!¡± I screamed, feeling like time had wrenched to a sudden halt as I felt the tempus warp on which she¡¯d been standing pull her away.


    The mes red out. Something broke inside of me.


    ¡°What?¡± Dragoth roared, lunging forward to where the tempus warp, embedded in the floor, was now exposed. He said something else, but his words were lost beneath the ringing in my ears.


    Gravity seemed to be changing, listing slowly sideways like a leaking ship about to sink. Mana was flowing toward me, smothering me, and I felt like I was sinking below waves that grasped me and tried to pull me under.


    But my core was worse. So much worse.


    I was on the ground, although I didn¡¯t remember falling. Hands were grabbing at me, gripping my face, forcing my head to turn, but the sharp, panicked features staring back at me didn¡¯t line up properly. It should be Nico, I knew distantly in the back of my mind, but it wasn¡¯t my Nico¡­


    A spike of pain pulled my senses away from his pale, sweating face to my core again. It was throbbing, aching¡­cracking.


    The core¡ªmy core¡ªwas covered in a spiderweb of microscopic fissures, but even that was wrong because, instead of the mana inside the core pushing outward, all this mana¡ªfrom the slime covering the floor, the huge lightning-blue cylinders, the equipment¡ªwas seeping into my core, and the pressure was building and building and building and¡­


    My core imploded.


    In an instant that felt like a lifetime, the white, hard shell of the magical organ dissolved as it was pulled inward, into the inferno of mana that now raged in my sternum.


    I gasped, breathless, tears rushing down my cheeks. Something was happening outside of me, but I had only the vague sensation of movement, shouting, a bust of magic, then I was drawn inward again.


    My core was gone.


    And all that mana came rushing out in a white explosion. For a moment, I was floating at the center of a nk white universe, as if the st had wiped the te clean, leaving behind nothing but me.


    Then the darkness rushed in, and everything went ck.

 Chapter 427: Amends

    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    The dungeon grew darker and morebyrinthine as we continued. Mana beast corpses littered the halls, the detritus of their broken bodies evidence of the titan¡¯s incredible strength. The corpses grewrger as we went deeper into the tunnels, and the dungeon became little more than broken walls full of their raw, dug-in nests.


    As Avier led the way, I attempted to strike up a conversation with Evascir, but he only suggested I save my questions for one better equipped to answer them.


    Our path took us through a second level of the dungeon. We passed through a chamber at least a hundred feet wide and half as high with dozens of dents wed into the walls. A towering pile of mana beast corpses filled the center of the chamber, including one several times the size of the others. It was simr in shape, but with strange protruding ridges under its belly¡ªsome of which were broken off¡ªand a smoldering heat trapped in its three horns, which glowed like coals.


    ¡°The emperor scourge,¡± Avier said, noting the direction of my gaze. ¡°A mana beast worthy of hunting, even for the asura.¡±


    Evascir grunted, but sounded pleased with himself when he said, ¡°I¡¯ve in the emperor of this dungeon more times than I care to consider, but it is always a battle worth recounting.¡±


    From this chamber, it was only a short way to our apparent destination: a second set ofrge doors, the ck wood engraved with the image of a huge bird, its wings spread wide. The engraving was inset with some kind of metal that caught any small amount of light and flickered with a dim orange sheen. Vines crawled down from a crack in the ceiling to frame the door with orange leaves the color of autumn me.


    Evascir went ahead. A tall, reddish stone staff grew in his fist, which he knocked against the ground. The doors swung open, revealing a twenty-foot square chamber and another simpler set of closed doors. His bestialpanion took up position in an alcove at one side of the chamber while Evascir pushed open the inner doors.


    ¡°They will be waiting in the hall,¡± he said to Avier, who nodded appreciatively and went through.


    I did the same, curious who ¡°they¡± were and where this ce was, but withholding my questions. Evascir didn¡¯t watch us walk away, but closed the door behind us and returned to whatever his duty was.


    ¡°Is this some kind of¡­asuran stronghold?¡± I asked quietly.


    Avier¡¯s tale swished in agitation before he paused, turning around to look at me. ¡°Those doors have not been opened to a human, elf, or dwarf since they were carved from the first of the charwood to mature in the Beast des. Though you have been invited, it remains to be seen if your presence is weed. A king¡¯s grace will suit you far better here than a dragon¡¯s physique.¡±


    Without waiting for a reply, he continued down the hallway.


    Instead of the dark, rough stone of the dungeon, this interior passage was warm gray marble studded with silver sconces from which burned little orange mes. More vines grew along the walls and across the curved ceiling, adding a bucolic airiness and sweet autumn scent that made it easy to forget that we were far underground.


    The short hallway opened onto a balcony that jutted out from the wall of an enormous room. I gaped down at a gardenrger than that of any royal pce, a wild riot of colorplete with soaring, silver-barked trees covered in bright orange leaves. Several globes floated near the roof of the gardens, giving off a pleasant light that felt like mild summer sun on my skin.


    ¡°I thought the dwarves did a good job making their caves homey, but this¡­¡± Regis let out a muffled whistle. ¡°It looks more like Epheotus than Dicathen.¡±


    Avier¡¯s head bobbed at the end of his long, reptilian neck. ¡°Indeed. In some ways it is. The charwood trees, the nts, these people you see here, they are all remnants of Epheotus.¡±


    A few people lounged or walked around the gardens, chatting or just sitting with their faces turned toward the lighting artifacts. Their matching shades of true-me red or smoky ck and gray hair and their vibrant orange eyes marked them as members of the phoenix race.


    Those eyes began turning upward toward us as more and more of the phoenixes noticed our presence. Some only watched curiously, but others abandoned their leisure and quickly exited the garden.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see birds less friendly than our tour guide owl here,¡¯ Regismunicated mentally.


    I cracked a smile.


    ¡°Retake your seat on my back,¡± Avier grunted, as if hearing mypanion¡¯s thoughts. ¡°We will fly from here.¡±


    My brows rose at the idea of flying through an underground dungeon, but I did as he suggested after Regis was tucked safely back within me.


    Avier stepped lightly off the edge of the balcony, and we drifted out over the garden. The asuras still remaining there watched us go with an air of apprehensive curiosity.


    We flew between two of the trees, then down into a yawning tunnel entrance. This tunnel was much more in than what I¡¯d seen previously, just bare marble that was covered in ashy ck streaks like scorch marks. The tunnel split, and Avier banked right, then drifted back to the left, where our tunnel joined with another.


    The passage ended abruptly, opening high up into another exceedinglyrge chamber. My first impression was of a theater, with several levels of balconies looking down on a central tform, but I couldn¡¯t immediately see any way to navigate up to them.


    Like the other chambers I¡¯d seen, the stonework was predominantly gray marble, but columns of ck wood held up the balconies, around which grew more of the vines, fringed with colorful fall leaves.


    Arge circr table currently rested on the central tform, around which sat four people, two of whom I knew well and one I could already guess at, but the fourth was both a stranger and somewhat out of ce.


    Avier circled the space once, thennded gently. When I slid to the ground, he transformed back into an owl and fluttered up to a nearby balcony, perching on the railing and watching us with his overge eyes.


    The four figures had stood up from their seats around the table, watching our approach. Aldir was closest to me. He¡¯d abandoned his severe, military-style uniform for a rxed tunic and light training pants, and his long white hair draped over one shoulder, but he otherwise seemed unchanged. The vivid purple eye in his forehead watched me emotionlessly, while his regr eyes remained closed.


    Wren Kain stood to his left, draped in a soot-stained white cloak and appearing distinctly out of ce in the grand hall. Like Aldir, he looked the same as when I¡¯d trained with him in Epheotus: dirty, tired, and almost purposefully unkempt. The only thing that stood out was a single bright-orange feather in his hair and the way his observant gaze seemed to burrow into my chest to my core.


    But it was neither Aldir nor Wren who spoke first.


    A tall man with an athletically graceful physique stepped past Aldir. He was dressed in a golden robe embroidered with stylized feathers and mes over a cream-colored silk tunic and dark pants. His hands were tucked into the robes, held together at the waistline by a dark belt. Markings like feather-stems glowed like coals down the sides of his face, which had the same air of eternal youth as Kezess¡¯s, but where Lord Indrath could only appear dispassionate and smug, this man¡¯s sharp-lined face conveyed an undeniable sense of wisdom and curiosity.


    He was smiling, but there was somethingplicated about the simple expression. Perhaps it was the way his eyes zed like two captured suns.


    ¡°Arthur Leywin, son of Alice and Reynolds Leywin, bond of Sylvie Indrath, reincarnated soul of the Earth King, Grey.¡± The man dislodged one hand from his belt and ran his fingers through his untamed mane of orange hair. ¡°I am Mordain, phoenix of the Asclepius n. Wee to the Hearth.¡±


    I rolled my tongue against my teeth, considering my words. ¡°Thank you for the kind wee. I realize that allowing me toe here must have been a carefully-weighed decision, but I have to ask¡­am I here at Aldir¡¯s request or yours?¡±


    ¡°Admittedly, it took some convincing on Aldir and Wren¡¯s part for me to invite you here,¡± Mordain answered without hesitation. ¡°The truth is, my eyes have been turned away from your world for a very long time. Except¡­¡± He paused, and some emotion I couldn¡¯t identify passed over his features, but receded just as quickly. ¡°I found myself quite surprised, then, when they turned my head and showed me you. But I wasn¡¯t immediately convinced that meeting with you face to face was worth the risk.¡±


    Although the courtly thing to do would have been to exchange several rounds of probing pleasantries to inch closer to the conversation''s true purpose, I didn¡¯t think Mordain or I had the patience or interest in such games. ¡°Do you n on helping us against the Vritra n? Or even Epheotus, if ites to that?¡±


    <strong><sub><i>§´h§Ö l§Ñt§Ö?t §Ñnd m§à?t §â§à§âul§Ñr n§àv§Öl? §Ñt l?ghtn§àv§Ölw§àrld?§ã§àm</i></sub></strong>


    ¡°Straight to the point, and a valid question.¡± Mordain took a step back, gesturing to the table. ¡°Please, join us. There is much to discuss.¡±


    As Mordain returned to his seat, I met Aldir¡¯s eye. He looked away as he eased into his own chair.


    Moving around him, I took the seat next to Wren, who bit his lip as he eyed me spectively, cast a sidelong nce at Mordain, then leaned toward me in barely concealed anticipation. ¡°So? Where¡¯s the weapon? I can sense the lorite¡¯s energy within you, but¡ª¡±


    Giving Regis a nudge, I forced him out of my body. Purple fire wreathed the edges of my shadow as Regis manifested, his jaw momentarily ck with surprise.


    ¡°A conscious manifestation¡­¡± Wren mumbled, leaning forward to get a better look. ¡°And such a unique form. I¡¯ll need to be told everything, of course, about your state of being when the weapon manifested, and inputs prior to manifestation. Personality traits are of primary interest when evaluating a conscious weapon, but acquired powers are essential too, of course¡­¡±


    Wren trailed off, his eyes darting rapidly, and I could just imagine him mentally cataloging all these thoughts.


    ¡°Say hello to your creator, Regis,¡± I said, suppressing a chuckle.


    Regis blinked, inspecting Wren. The mes of his mane were still. ¡°Daddy?¡±


    Wren¡¯s brows wrinkled up, and he frowned at me. ¡°Did this weapon just¡­?¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the guy who made me, huh? We really need to have a talk,¡± Regis continued, his tone changing. ¡°I¡¯d like to file aint. Being alive is great, and I don¡¯t mind even being a weapon¡ªI am a really badass one¡ªbut did I really have toe in a box with Lava-Burn Barbie? Do you have any idea what this guy has put me through?¡±


    Wren seemedpletely flummoxed as he looked nkly between Regis and me.


    Mordain cleared his throat. ¡°It seems the two of you have much to discuss. With Arthur¡¯s permission, perhaps you could continue this conversation somewhere else, at least for the moment?¡±


    ¡®You know how much I love these politically fraught, socially awkward little business meetings, but I¡¯m willing to sacrifice attending if you¡¯d prefer I go chat with this old loon?¡¯


    Go, but keep your eyes open, I sent back. I want to know anything you can discover about this ce.


    Wren¡¯s chair floated away from the table, and I realized he was sitting on a stone conjuration. Already talking animatedly, he drifted toward one of the few lower entrances to the chamber, Regis loping along beside him.


    After watching them leave, I returned my attention to Mordain, but it was the table between us that caught my eye. Its surface had been carved in exquisite detail, bringing to life a beautiful cityscape. It was a city I recognized.


    ¡°Zhoroa,¡± I said, tracing a finger along the roofline of a building that could have been the courtroom I¡¯d seen in thest djinn trial.


    Mordain let out a sharp breath, and his burning gaze swept to the fourth person at the table, who had still not been introduced. The man was broad-shouldered and barrel-chested, wider in stature than Aldir and much bulkier than Mordain, but less tall. His face was broad, with soft but handsome features, and he shared the orange hair that marked most of the other phoenixes, except slightly darker, and with a smokey tinge that shone purple when he moved and the light caught it.


    His eyes, though, stood out the most; one was bright orange, like looking into the caldera of an active volcano, while the other was cial blue, so light and clear it was almost white.


    ¡°That city¡ªand its name with it¡ªhas been gone for a very long time,¡± Mordain said, drawing my attention back to him. ¡°This table is indeed a relic from when that city still stood.¡±


    I pictured Lady Sae-Areum, the djinn woman who sat across a table¡ªthis table, I was certain¡ªfrom Kezess in my visions, and wondered what the connection was between that scene and this ce.


    But I had to put my curiosity aside, because I hadn¡¯te to learn about Mordain, or even the djinn.


    ¡°This is all interesting, but I feelpelled to address the reason I came here at all,¡± I said, focusing on Aldir. ¡°I know what I¡¯ve seen with my own eyes, and I know what Kezess has told me¡ªand offered me. I¡¯d like to hear you answer for your crimes.¡±


    Mordain raised a hand, no doubt preparing to interject someint, but Aldir stopped him with a small shake of his head. ¡°It is only fair. Arthur was there, after all, when I used the World Eater technique¡­¡± My eyes widened slightly. ¡°I felt your presence, though I didn¡¯t realize it was you at the time.¡±


    I swallowed past a lump in my throat as I remembered that moment, my vision flying from crya to Elenoir, where I watched as Windsom battled Nico and Tessia¡ªalready turned into Cecilia¡¯s vessel, even though I didn¡¯t know it¡ªand Aldir destroyed the country I¡¯d called home for half of my youth, nearly murdering my sister in the process.


    Aldir continued to speak, but I didn¡¯t interrupt as he exined what happened afterwards, how he began to doubt his purpose and Kezess¡¯s leadership, was banished from the Theyestes n at his own request, and fought against soldiers he himself had trained.


    He retrieved a small box from a hidden dimension artifact and set it on the table in front of me. ¡°I had at first thought toe to you immediately and offer to assist in retaking Dicathen, but I was uncertain you would ept, and understood all too well how your people would look at me¡ªlike a monster. Wren agreed, and so we bided our time, taking up temporary residence in the flying castle over the Beast des, since Dicathen¡¯s forces haven¡¯t attempted to take it back yet.¡±


    ¡°I became aware of them almost immediately,¡± Mordain interjected. ¡°Our security is very reliant on knowing when other asura are around. But it helped that my sources in Epheotus had made me aware of the situation with Aldir, so I was already on the lookout.¡±


    ¡°Mordain weed us into the world he has created for his people, and so I¡¯ve waited for an appropriate time to meet with you,¡± Aldir finished.


    Throughout his exnation, he spoke with the cold efficiency of a soldier delivering an important missive. Clerical and absent of any emotion.


    ¡°Are you not sorry?¡± I asked, the words raw in my throat.


    Aldir only nudged the box slightly closer to me. ¡°I¡¯ve brought you this small token.¡±


    I nearly struck the box off the table to shatter on the floor, but I restrained myself. Instead, I deliberately lifted the lid on the box. It was full of dark, fragrant earth.


    ¡°Soil from the slopes of Mount Geolus,¡± Aldir said stiffly. ¡°I hope that, perhaps, it may help make amends by undoing some small part of the destruction I¡¯ve caused.¡±


    Slowly, I closed the lid. ¡°Can I regrow the lives you took there, Aldir?¡±


    Aldir did not turn away from me. His two normal, very human eyes opened and met mine.


    ¡°Trees aren¡¯t a culture or a civilization. A forest won¡¯t bring back the elves from the edge of extinction.¡± My voice grew sharped as I spoke, my jaw tightening in anger. ¡°Kezess wants me to kill you, you know. Said it would bring justice to both our people. Even if I choose not to, he¡¯s forbidden me from allying with you. In exchange for sharing my knowledge of aether, he¡¯s going to help us protect Dicathen from Agrona, a deal which your continued existence puts in jeopardy.¡±


    A meaty fist pounded on the table, making the box of soil jump. We all turned to face the young asura with orange and blue eyes.


    <strong><sub><i>l?ghtn§àv§Ölw§àrld?§ã§àm f§àr §Ñ b§Ött§Ör u?§Ör §Ö§ç§â§Ör?§Ön§ã§Ö</i></sub></strong>


    ¡°You¡¯de here and make threats?¡± he growled in a deep, bassy voice that vibrated in my chest. ¡°General Aldir has¡ª¡±


    ¡°Peace, Chul,¡± Mordain said, lowering his hand slowly in a gesture of calm. ¡°Arthur has the right to speak his mind, and we will listen. Although I must admit, I am troubled at the idea of Lord Indrath sending dragons to Dicathen. Even if he upholds his end of your bargain, which he just might if the payoff really is aetheric knowledge, that means that he already has loyal soldiers in position to strike when you are no longer of use to him.¡±


    I kept my hard stare on Chul for a moment longer, then addressed Mordain. ¡°You mean, the presence of Indrath forces will put the Hearth at risk of being discovered.¡±


    ¡°It would, should ite to that,¡± Mordain agreed amicably, ¡°but things are advancing that are outside of your ken. With the Legacy.¡± I focused in on him, goosebumps rising all over my body at the mention of the Legacy. ¡°Agrona has long held one of my people prisoner. I¡¯ve been able to sense some of what she¡¯s been through, and very recently she was¡­executed.¡± His eyes flicked to Chul, almost too fast to see. ¡°The Legacy absorbed all her mana, killing her.¡±


    Chul stood suddenly, sending his chair crashing backwards. ¡°And still you refuse to move against Agrona!¡± he shouted, his voice booming like a cannon.


    ¡°We mourned the loss of your mother a very long time ago,¡± Mordain said, his voice soft and full of a controlled despair.


    ¡°What of you, stranger?¡± Chul demanded, putting both hands on the table and leaning over it toward me. ¡°Are you afraid to fight back against the Virtra? Will you hide your nation beneath the wings of dragons and stick your head in the sand?¡±


    ¡°Forgive him,¡± Mordain said, giving the young asura a stern look. ¡°Lady Dawn was imprisoned when Chul was only a boy. He would see us fly to battle, raining fire down on Taegrin Caelum in retribution.¡±


    ¡°Are there others like you,¡± I asked Chul, ¡°who are eager to leave your hiding ce and take the fight to Agrona?¡±


    He crossed his muscr arms and turned his head to the side, looking away. ¡°No. You¡¯ll find that those here prefer to live out their lives strolling in gardens and forgetting they were once the mightiest hunters in Epheotus.¡±


    Mordain stood. I thought perhaps he was going to reprimand Chul, but instead he gave me a bright smile. ¡°And so an opportunity presents itself. Arthur, you haven¡¯t asked for it yet, but you want my aid in this battle. Chul, you wish to leave and bring your fight to the Vritra n.¡±


    I saw immediately where he was going with this. ¡°It¡¯s almost amazing, the way you asura can twist things around to try and make what¡¯s good for you sound like the best thing for everyone else, too. It sort of seems like you¡¯re just setting me up to babysit an asura who is straining your patience.¡±


    Chul¡¯s mismatched eyes bulged, and he pointed a thick finger toward Mordain. ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I meant! I want us to¡ªbesides, what chance does this lesser have against the Vritra, it¡¯d be a waste to¡ªhe probably can¡¯t even fight!¡±


    I raised a brow, regarding him passively. ¡°How many battles have you won, asura?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps a spar then,¡± Mordain suggested, slipping his hands into his belt. ¡°An opportunity to test each other''s strength and worthiness.¡±


    Chul scoffed.


    ¡°Fine by me,¡± I answered, eager to release some pent-up frustration.


    Mordain gestured for us to stand away. With a wave of his hand, the table was drawn down into the stone like it was sinking in quicksand. Braziers burst alight with bright orange mes, and a translucent shield hummed to life, separating the center of the room from the balconies.


    Mordaine and Aldir flew to the lowest, most central balcony. ¡°You are trying to make allies of each other. Fight ordingly,¡± Mordain said. Next to him, Aldir wore a thoughtful frown.


    Chul cracked his neck and raised his fists, each one the size of my head. ¡°Ready, human?¡±


    I rolled my shoulders and reinforced the aether dding my body, but I didn¡¯t conjure my weapon or armor. Instead of speaking, I lunged off my back foot, sprinting forward. Despite his size, Chul was fast. His stance shifted between one step and the next, and his fist burst into mes as it shot toward my face.


    Falling to my knees, I slid beneath the punch, hooked his arm with mine, and let myself be pulled back up by the force, driving my knee into his ribs. Fire-attribute mana exploded out from him in a nova, pushing me backwards while I was still in the air, and he pounced after me, his fists clenched together and held over his head like a hammer.


    Still in the air, I rolled my body to catch the blow on one forearm.


    His strength was like nothing I¡¯d ever felt before.


    The force of the two-handed strike mmed me into the floor with enough force that the mes trembled in the braziers. Instead of pressing his attack, however, he backed off, allowing me time to get to my feet.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost impressed,¡± he said, grinning fiercely. ¡°I half-expected all your bones to shatter.¡±


    ¡°And I expected you to hit harder.¡± I didn¡¯t mention the fact that several of my ribs were quickly settling back into ce after being fractured by the force of his strike.


    Chulughed, and I recognized that a change hade over him. He wasfortable in battle, much more so than at a meeting table. Or trying to make a life for himself here in this calm, detached ce.


    This time, he moved first. In a me-wreathed blur, he charged straight at me,shing out with burning punches and kicks that blistered my skin even through the aether. I struck back, but it was like punching a granite wall. With each strike, the burning energy around him built, until he was the center of a raging inferno, so hot even countering his attacks left me with burns.


    He wasn¡¯t holding back, I was d to see.


    I wouldn¡¯t either.


    Aether infused my body, heightening my speed and the strength of my muscles, bones, and tendons. Using the technique I had started to learn in the Relictombs, I took a short step and drove my fist forward in a straight jab.


    My knuckles connected solidly with his sternum. With a grunt, Chul slid backwards several feet, the shockwave of the impact blowing out his burning aura.


    He sucked in a pained breath, one hand pressed against his sternum as he stared at me, uprehending.


    I heard Aldir hum and spared him a nce. He was holding onto the balcony railing tightly as he leaned forward, engrossed in every movement.


    The move was a modification, or expansion, of the same technique Burst Step was built on. By carefully engaging a series of mico-bursts of aether, I could not only move near-instantly, but also strike. It was a technique that would have broken my body as a human, and even now I felt the strain of using it just once, but this simple spar had shown me it could wound even an asura.


    After several seconds, the grin returned to Chul¡¯s broad face. ¡°Now, maybe this will be some fun after all.¡± With a cacophonous battlecry, he threw himself at me again.


    We exchanged blow after blow, our fight growing continually faster as we both sought to push the other to their limits. After a few minutes, I noticed other people starting to slink into the room, watching us at first curiously, then with growing amazement.


    <strong><sub><i>l?ghtn§àv§Ölw§àrld?§ã§àm f§àr §Ñ b§Ött§Ör u?§Ör §Ö§ç§â§Ör?§Ön§ã§Ö</i></sub></strong>


    It wasn¡¯t long before Chul was sweating profusely, his chest heaving with each breath, but his grin remained firmly in ce, no matter how hard we fought.


    After catching me with a spinning kick that I had expected to be a feint, he stepped back, letting me pick myself up yet again. I could tell from the way he held himself that his energy was gging.


    Suddenly his hand thrust out, palm open, and a roaring fire boiled outward. I Burst Stepped straight through the mes, expecting to catch him off guard, but as I took that near-instant step, Chul was engulfed in a sh of golden light, and I passed straight through where he had been. The brightness overwhelmed me, and I stumbled as I came to a stop. Two huge arms wrapped around me, pinning my own arms to my sides and lifting me up. Chul and I were both wreathed in phoenix fire.


    ¡°Yield!¡± he roared as my aetheric barrier struggled to ward me from the roiling heat.


    My bonesined loudly, threatening to shatter under his asuran strength, and my skin began to blister and cken.


    A grin as big and wild as Chul¡¯s split my face.


    Sensing for the aetheric paths, I moved into them, leaving Chul behind as I appeared on the other side of ourbat floor. But I didn¡¯t give him time to recover.


    I Burst Stepped once more, aether coursing through my body in short, controlled spurts. It felt like I was being stretched in eight different directions, but I gritted through the pain as I focused every fraction of a second on properly maintaining control.


    Chul bent sideways as he was lifted up off the floor, unable to evenprehend what hit him, before a blurring hook snapped his jaw in the opposite direction followed by a straight that sent him barrelling towards the shields like a missle.


    Thin wisps of violet-tinted smoke rose from my mending arms as the young phoenix crashed heavily against the protective barrier surrounding us and fell to the ground. The shields fell away and Mordain was at his side in an instant. More casually, Aldir drifted down from the balcony toward me, inspecting me seriously.


    I allowed a moment for my wounds to heal as aether seeped from my core into my broken bones and burned flesh.


    ¡°I see your physique is no longer a barrier to utilizing Mirage Walk, or at least your version of the technique,¡± Aldir said, brushing out a me still lingering on my clothes. ¡°A very illuminating battle.¡±


    Meanwhile, Chul was struggling to his feet despite Mordain trying to keep him prone while inspecting his wounds. The big phoenix bullied his way past and marched up to me, fists clenched and huffing like a startled moon ox.


    ¡°A good fight,¡± I said, holding out my hand.


    He looked at the extended appendage, batted it aside, then wrapped me in a crushing bear-hug. ¡°A good fight!¡± he bellowed, making my ears ring. He suddenly released me and took a step back, his fists on his hips. ¡°¡®A good fight¡¯ he says,¡± he repeated, grinning brightly. ¡°A damned good one, I¡¯d say.¡±


    Not letting his enthusiasm obscure the reason for our spar, I held his gaze until the grin started to fade. ¡°I noted toward the end you seemed to be running out of energy, though.¡±


    He sobered quickly, looking at the ground for several seconds before answering. ¡°I¡¯m only half-phoenix. My mana tends to¡­burn up fast, if I get carried away.¡± He lifted his chin. ¡°But I¡¯m as strong as any asura my age, I can promise you that.¡±


    ¡°I believe it,¡± I said. ¡°And I ept. If you want toe with me, I¡¯ll dly take you.¡±


    Chul let out an eager whoop and thrust his fist into the air.


    Mordain ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it. ¡°I know that for you, Arthur, this will just be going home, so to speak, but for the Asclepius n, and all the other asura who have joined us here, this will be a momentous asion. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to arrange a celebration to mark Chul¡¯s leaving.¡±


    My mood immediately soured as I considered everything that needed my attention back in Vildorial and beyond. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mordain. Time may stand still here, but it is rushing by out there, and I don¡¯t know when Agrona will strike again.¡±


    Mordain¡¯s eyes seemed to age rapidly as I looked on, but when I blinked, he was the same as he had been. ¡°Of course. Chul, go prepare to depart.¡±


    Chul¡¯s face ckened, and I could see the reality of his situation falling on him. ¡°Of course,¡± he said, seeming slightly out of sorts, then hurried off, flying up to one of the many tunnels exiting the theater.


    ¡°He has the fiery temper of his mother,¡± Mordain said, watching him depart, ¡°but her strength as well. You¡¯ll find no fiercer ally in your battle against the Vritra.¡±


    I felt myself frown, catching something that had gone unsaid in Mordain¡¯s words. ¡°And what about his father? He¡¯s a half-phoenix, he said? Who¡­¡± My mind jumped to the table now hidden beneath the stone. ¡°He¡¯s half djinn.¡±


    Mordain nodded, his gaze moving to the floor as if he¡¯d read my mind. ¡°Some came with us when we found this ce. Far too few¡­we could have saved more, but they would not leave their ¡®Lifework¡¯ as they called it. Too set on finishing their aetheric vaults, where they imed all their vast knowledge would be stored. The Relictombs, Agrona calls them.¡±


    I stared at Mordain, his mention of the Relictombs giving me an idea.


    The floor rippled, and the djinn table floated up through it,ing to rest once the stone surface had hardened again. Mordain moved to take a seat, leaning on his elbow. ¡°There were very few such pairings, and of the handful of offspring that urred, most carried as much djinn blood as phoenix. Their lives were¡­limited in length. At least rtive to asuran longevity.¡±


    Regis chose that moment to reappear, walking just ahead of Wren Kain. ¡°What¡¯d I miss?¡± he asked, in good cheer.


    ¡°Good timing. I hope you got what you needed. We¡¯re headed back to Vildorial as soon as Chul is ready.¡±


    ¡®We¡¯re bringing that meathead with us? We¡¯re going to need a bigger wyvern.¡¯


    Maybe not.


    ¡°Lord Mordain, you mentioned the Relictombs,¡± I began, knowing it was too much to hope that they would be able to fulfill the request I was about to make. ¡°I discovered a deactivated portal into the Relictombs underneath an ancient djinn vige in Darv. You¡¯ve been in the Beast des for centuries¡­have you found any other old portals in that time?¡±


    His brows wrinkled in a frown, making him look significantly older. ¡°The Hearth, as many of the dungeons that dot thendscape of the Beast des, was created by the djinn. There is an old portal here. It was operable for a short while after we took this ce as our home, but the djinn who lived here eventually deactivated it.¡±


    My face lit up. ¡°Can you show me?¡±


    After sending word to Chul, Mordain led me and the others along a series of tunnels and past many other curious phoenixes, moving in a general downward direction. Eventually we came to a small cave. Green and gold moss grew in a thick carpet across the floor, and luminescent crystals sprouted from the ceiling, casting a pale blue light on a carved stone rectangle in the center. It was ancient and crumbling, the runes in the stone no longer readable.


    Avier glided through the cave andnded on top of the frame. ¡°If you were hoping to use this to transport yourself back to Darv, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be of use.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been down here in many years. It¡¯s like walking into a living memory,¡± Mordain said with a sigh.


    <strong><sub><i>§´h§Ö l§Ñt§Ö?t §Ñnd m§à?t §â§à§âul§Ñr n§àv§Öl? §Ñt l?ghtn§àv§Ölw§àrld?§ã§àm</i></sub></strong>


    Walking up beside the phoenix, I gently touched the stone arch before turning around to face Aldir.


    I held out my hand, revealing Sylvie¡¯s stone resting in my palm. ¡°You said you wanted to make amends, right? This is how you can start.¡±

 Chapter 428: Hoping

    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    Aldir looked uncertainly at the iridescent stone in my palm while Mordain sucked in a shocked breath. Avier shuffled across the top of the portal frame and leaned down to peer curiously. Regis¡¯s attention honed in on the others, sensing that there was some understanding about the egg that wecked.


    Behind the others, Wren Kain whispered something under his breath. He had lounged back in his floating rock throne, absently making several stone spheres orbing above his curled hand.


    ¡°This is old magic,¡± Mordain said, unable to take his eyes off the stone. ¡°Do you have any idea what it is that you carry?¡±


    ¡°I know Sylvie is inside this stone, and I¡¯ve been slowly bypassing a series of¡­locks, I suppose. My hope is that, when I¡¯ve finished, she¡¯lle back to me¡­¡±


    Mordain reached gingerly toward Sylvie¡¯s egg. When my fingers instinctively curled around it, he blinked as if waking from a dream and let his hand fall. ¡°There is a legend¡ªa myth really¡ªtold as a bedtime story to our children that described a phenomenon like this. True self-sacrifice being rewarded to the brave and genuine. That, though the body may perish, our mind and soul will mold themselves into a physical form and be reborn.¡±


    Wren Kain scoffed as he floated closer on his moving throne to better see the egg. ¡°How is it that beings with world-altering abilities still manage to fall victim to fables of impossible magic? It''s mind-boggling that you would think it¡¯s appropriate to bring up a bedtime story in this situation. He¡¯s asking for help, not to be tucked to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Bedtime story or not, Sylvie is inside,¡± I stated, looking between the two ancient asura. ¡°Regis can inhabit the egg, and I can feel that it¡¯s her. And it just¡­appeared, after she¡­¡± I trailed off, not wanting to relive the moment of her sacrifice. ¡°Somehow I was transported from Dicathen into the Relictombs, and that egg came with me.¡±


    The stone spheres Wren had been controlling fell still as the asuran artificer¡¯s face wrinkled in thought.


    Mordain took a shaky breath. ¡°Some members of the phoenix race have learned to control their own rebirth, guiding the soul into a new form, but these old tales describe this as something else. A recreation of body, mind, and spirit, just as it was before¡­¡± Mordain¡¯s gaze traced from the egg in my palm up my arm to my torso. ¡°The draconic aspects of your body¡­she destroyed herself giving them to you, didn¡¯t she?¡±


    I could only nod, unable to speak past a sudden lump in my throat.


    ¡°And does Lord Indrath know of this?¡± Mordain asked innocently enough, but there was an intensity in his burning eyes that suggested some deeper context to his question.


    ¡°He does,¡± I admitted, ¡°but he wouldn¡¯t give me any further details. I¡­was hesitant to give away my own ignorance by asking too many questions.¡±


    Mordain gave me a wry smile. ¡°Kezess was likely doing the same. Still, if he knows his granddaughter will be reborn¡­¡± He trailed off with a shake of his head. ¡°I will have to think on this. But do not let the musings of an old man hold you back from your purpose. You want Aldir¡¯s help with something? What, exactly?¡±


    Instead of answering immediately, I stepped up beside him and activated Aroa¡¯s Requiem.


    Bright motes of aether danced down my arm before jumping eagerly to the portal frame, causing Avier to leap off and fly to Mordain¡¯s shoulder. Mordain took a step back, watching with wary interest as the motes flowed into all the cracks and crevices. The portal frame rapidly began to repair, as if time was being turned back before our eyes. In moments, thest cracks had sealed and the final loose pieces of stone were drawn into ce.


    A dim, purple portal hummed to life within the frame.


    Aldir¡¯s single amethyst eye lingered on the egg as if he could burrow down into its core and see the asuran spirit resting there. ¡°I will do what is needed.¡±


    As concisely as I was able, I exined the portal and the Relictomb¡¯s rtionship to the ¡°aether realm¡± in which it existed. Sparing them the details of our fight, I told them how I¡¯d drawn Taci through into that ce, identally discovering it. I was careful not to give them the impression they could use this technique to breach the Relictombs itself, however, whether it could be done or not. The djinn had chosen to keep even their phoenix allies out of the Relictombs for a reason. I wouldn¡¯t be the one to kick the door in for them.


    ¡°Sounds utterly stupid and dangerous to me,¡± Wren Kain said, catching me off guard. ¡°You did what you had tost time, but it sounds like you nearly couldn¡¯t escape.¡±


    ¡°That was because I was fighting an asura hell-bent on keeping me from escaping,¡± I shot back.


    ¡°Even still.¡± His baggy-eyed gaze turned to Mordain. ¡°In all the years you sheltered djinn, no one ever told you about this?¡±


    Mordain stepped up to the portal and reached out to it. It responded by projecting a repulsive force, like a ma pushing back against another of the same prity. ¡°No, the phenomena Arthur has described was never exined or, to my knowledge, used by the djinn who came to live in the Hearth.¡±


    Avier hopped up onto the top of the portal arch. ¡°Perhaps they didn¡¯t tell anyone because it could be dangerous. For the travelers, the Relictombs, even this world.¡±


    <strong><sub><i>§´h§Ö l§Ñt§Ö?t §Ñnd m§à?t §â§à§âul§Ñr n§àv§Öl? §Ñt l?ghtn§àv§Ölw§àrld?§ã§àm</i></sub></strong>


    ¡°Thank you! Finally, someone speaking sense,¡± Wren said with a scoff. ¡°It sounds like breaking something. And while I may not be a mighty dragon or member of the Indrath n, I can tell you that, when ites to either mana or aether, breaking things is generally pretty bad.¡±


    ¡°It is equally as likely that they knew it was too important to keep this knowledge from Lord Indrath to trust even us with it,¡± Mordain countered thoughtfully. ¡°Asuran lives are very long, and thest surviving djinn had every reason to expect the worst of the future.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re all assuming they even knew about the realm,¡± Regis said from where he was lying in the moss. ¡°No matter how smart these guys were, the djinn were idealists to the point of silliness. They definitely didn¡¯t understand everything that they created. We¡¯ve seen that with our own eyes.¡±


    I recalled what thest djinn remnant had said. ¡°They were fracturing at the end, too, I think. The Relictombs is¡­a dark ce. Out of character with the way the djinn attempted to live¡ªand the way they chose to die. I think they definitely had a pretty grim outlook on the future of our world, based on what I¡¯ve seen. Enough to poison their trust even in their only allies.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it is for the best that we¡¯ll never see their creation,¡± Mordain said, stepping away from the portal. His face fell for a moment, but quickly brightened again. ¡°I know you are eager to proceed, so I won¡¯t press you any further, except to ask how long we should expect you and Aldir to be gone?¡±


    Regis joined me in front of the portal before stepping into me and sheltering near my core. We hadn¡¯t discussed if he shoulde or not, but it felt right having him with me.


    Aldir immediately followed, standing just beside me. He was expressionless, neither tense nor cid. Despite my earlier anger with him, I couldn¡¯t help but appreciate his fearlessness in this situation.


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know,¡± I answered.


    With an understanding nod, Mordain rested a hand on Aldir¡¯s shoulder. They exchanged no words and yet stillmunicated something very clearly between them, even if it was unreadable to the rest of us. When this moment passed, Mordain moved around us to the exit of the small cave, and Avier again flew to his shoulder. Together, they watched in silence.


    Wren Kain suddenly drifted forward. ¡°Listen, there is no reason to rush this without a better understanding. That stone or embryo you¡¯re carrying isn¡¯t going to expire. Lady Sylvie isn¡¯t going anywhere. You¡¯re being stupid.¡±


    My brows rose, but Aldir pped Wren Kain on the arm. ¡°Urgency is a matter of perspective, isn¡¯t it? Why forgo doing now what we mayck time for in the future?¡±


    Wren Kain shrank further into his floating throne. ¡°Well, if you rip a hole in the fabric of the universe and wipe out this continent, I guess that¡¯s on you two.¡± He focused on Aldir. ¡°Whatever. Just get this done and get back here, all right? If Indrath is sending dragons to Dicathen, we need to prepare.¡±


    ¡°You know I didn¡¯t bring you here to fight a war, old friend.¡±


    Wren Kain blinked and a somber smirk tugged at the edge of his lips. ¡°Yeah¡­ but I was kind of hoping you had.¡±


    Aldir returned the sober smile, then turned to face me.


    Each gripping the other¡¯s forearm, we stepped closer to the portal and immediately felt the repulsive pressure meant to prevent an asura from crossing through the portal¡¯s boundary. Aldir¡¯s vicelike grip clenched down hard enough to hurt, and we both leaned into the portal.


    It wavered, bending away from us. We leaned farther, then took another shuffling half-step.


    The stone of the arch shook, and the purple energy of the portal¡¯s surface flexed farther, trembling.


    As before, I could feel the opposing forces within the portal attempting to draw me in while rejecting Aldir, but I kept his arm mped in mine as we took another small step.


    My stomach lurched as I sensed the portal reaching its breaking point, like I had stepped on a rotting board in a bridge.


    The portal imploded.


    A raging aetheric wind dragged the two of us inward, and the world dissolved into fractals of interdimensional connective tissue. For just the barest instant, I recognized thework of aetheric pathways that I saw when activating God Step, then everything went dark.


    I was anticipating the mental bacsh this time and managed to retain my senses and intention as the aetheric void coalesced around us. Purple-tinged space stretched away in every direction, broken only by thest of the portal energy that was being absorbed into the aetheric soup and an unknown Relictombs zone floating off-kilter below us.


    ¡®Whoa,¡¯ Regis thought, a mental shiver running through his incorporeal form. He flitted out of me but didn¡¯t take the form of a wolf. Little eddies of aetheric current swirled around the dark wisp as he began to absorb the boundless aether. ¡®We¡¯vee a long way since the days of sucking up millipede poop crystals, haven¡¯t we?¡¯


    <strong><sub><i>§´h§Ö l§Ñt§Ö?t §Ñnd m§à?t §â§à§âul§Ñr n§àv§Öl? §Ñt l?ghtn§àv§Ölw§àrld?§ã§àm</i></sub></strong>


    He was right, but my mind stayed on the task at hand. Regardless of what the aetheric void could do for me, I needed it for something much more important first.


    Drawing out the stone, I clenched it in my fist. Sensing my thoughts, Regis broke off of his gorging and merged into it.


    ¡®Nothing has changed in here,¡¯ his thoughts came floating back to me a momentter. ¡®Her mind is here, still sleeping.¡¯


    I want you to stay in there and monitor everything that happens, I thought, starting to grow nervous without knowing why.


    An upside-down Aldir drifted in slow circles nearby, his amethyst eye wide and staring.


    I opened my mouth to interrupt his reverie, but reminded myself how I had felt the first time I¡¯d been drawn into this ce, with Taci. The urgency to get here and to begin imbuing the egg cooled. Suddenly, I was¡­afraid.


    ¡°I saw something in a djinn memory¡­¡± I said softly. ¡°In it, Kezess imed that Epheotus was built somewhere like this. A different dimension.¡±


    Aldir hummed in thought. ¡°ording to asuran legend, some of our earliest ancestors removed and expanded a piece of your world, creating Epheotus within it. Some believe that the asuras only discovered the path between these two dimensions. But yes, Epheotus is shielded within its own realm, connected to, but not a part of, your world.¡±


    We floated in silence for several seconds as Aldir gazed into the distance, obviously deep in thought. Then his visage sobered, and his attention went to the stone in my hand.


    ¡°Do not hesitate on my ount,¡± he said, drawing his legs up toward his body so it looked like he was sitting cross-legged in the air. ¡°Please, do what you set out to do.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, I cupped the iridescent stone between both hands. Simultaneously pushing and pulling, I began imbuing aether into the stone while drawing it from the rich atmosphere. Aether rotation, based on mana rotation, the very art taught to me by Silvia, now the lesson I¡¯ll use to save her daughter. This and many other thoughts flitted through my mind, but I kept my focus on the flow of aether now filling in theplex geometric designs inherent to the stone¡¯s inner structure.


    Several minutes passed as I bnced on the precipice of this exchange, absorbing and imbuing. It became clear that, despite the depths of my aetheric reservoir, I wouldn¡¯t have been able toplete theyer outside of this realm with its endless supply of aether. My mind wandered, trying to piece together the wider puzzle that the egg presented.


    If Sylvie¡¯s egg was a naturally manifested phenomena, how could it have such aplex structure? Theparison to the godrunes I received was immediately obvious, and just as equally a mystery. Sophisticated magical constructs didn¡¯t appear by coincidence, an ident of a universe always in motion. Unless¡­


    I considered the aether itself. Particles of magical force capable of divining intent and responding ordingly. The dragons believed that aether had its own designs and purpose, and even the djinn¡¯s teachings suggested it was conscious. Was it somehow the source of both the egg and the godrunes?


    With no answers, only questions, I forced my mind quiet and let myself be absorbed into the rhythm of the process.


    ¡®Something¡¯s happening,¡¯ Regis said after several more minutes.


    I focused on the stone; it was nearly full and starting to throb in my hands. The pulses came faster and faster, like a quickening heartbeat, and then something cracked.


    Outwardly, there was no change, but I had been expecting this and immediately pushed more aether into the structure.


    It didn¡¯t take it.


    Regis, what can you sense?


    ¡®Her mind stirred when thatyer broke, but now¡­I¡¯m not sure. I think there¡¯s anotheryer, but I can¡¯t feel it the same way.¡¯


    Neither can I¡­


    I felt sick. I was missing something, clearly had missed something, but what?


    If only Kezess or Mordain had know more, maybe¡ª


    <strong><sub><i>l?ghtn§àv§Ölw§àrld?§ã§àm f§àr th§Ö b§Ö?t n§àv§Öl r§Ö§Ñd?ng §Ö§ç§â§Ör?§Ön§ã§Ö</i></sub></strong>


    A pair of strong hands wrapped around my own. Aldir was floating right in front of me, all his eyes open, giving me an understanding smile. ¡°Aether isn¡¯t enough,¡± he said simply, and then I understood.


    Unfolding my hands, I let Aldir press his own on top of the egg. Instinctively, I activated Realmheart to watch the process. Aldir¡¯s mana¡ªbright, strong, and pure¡ªwas flowing rapidly into the stone. A minute passed, then two, then five¡­


    Nerves began to eat at me. I knew the pantheon general was powerful, but here, in this ce with no mana, would he be able to sate the starved egg?


    The aura around Aldir began to dim as more and more of his total mana reserve was given over to the egg. After ten minutes, I was about to demand he stop when the internal structure of the stone suddenly shifted again with an inaudible crack. Sweating and sagging under the weight of his own body, Aldir pulled back.


    For the first time since I had known him, the third eye gleaming in his forehead was closed.


    ¡®It worked, anotheryer opened up. I can¡¯t be sure but¡­I think this may be the final lock.¡¯


    I firmly resisted the impulse to look into the egg, focusing instead on Aldir. The act of giving up his mana had left him diminished. ¡°This isn¡¯t why I asked you toe here.¡±


    ¡°But it is why I came,¡± he said weakly, forcing his two normal eyes open and regarding me with weary sincerity. ¡°I knew before we entered the portal that I would not be returning.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°As punishment for my act of war against Dicathen and my treason against Lord Indrath, you will imprison me in this ce,¡± he said, his voice unwavering. ¡°It is a fitting punishment, and will be a victory you can take to both your people and to Kezess.¡± A silver rapier shimmered into existence in his hand. He held it out to me. ¡°My sword, Silverlight. Proof of my death.¡±


    I stared at the de but did not take it. My jaw worked as I gritted my teeth, considering my response carefully, then finally saying, ¡°Keep it. Use it to fight beside me, against Agrona and Kezess both.¡±


    Aldir smiled sadly and gave a small shake of his head. ¡°I believe that my days of fighting are done. I won¡¯t kill more of my own kind, even to get to Kezess. Both your world and mine deserve more than endless war. I hope you find a way to end the threat posed by the Indrath and Vritra ns without mass casualties.¡±


    ¡°Quitting is a luxury people like us don¡¯t have,¡± I pushed back. ¡°We don¡¯t always get to live life as we¡¯d choose, Aldir, especially when it is over. We both have a responsibility to that world¡­¡±


    I took in his expression, the way he held his body¡ªlike an old man struggling to stay upright¡ªand the gging focus of his mana, and my words died on my lips. I could only stare at him, my churning thoughts suddenly still. His mind was made up, and any argument I could make seemed futile. Unable to meet his eyes, my gaze slid away from him, settling on the distant Relictombs zone without truly seeing it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look like that on my ount,¡± Aldir said, straightening to his full height. ¡°I have lived a very long, very violent life, and for the first time, I am truly tired, Arthur. This ce¡­it offers me a quiet, peaceful end. Perhaps more than I deserve.¡±


    Carefully, slowly, I took the sword. ¡°So be it then.¡±


    Aldir¡¯s third eye slowly opened. He gave me a respectful nod, then turned and began to drift away. I could only watch as he grew smaller and smaller against the endless purple sky. Eventually, I blinked, and when I opened my eyes again, I couldn¡¯t find him at all.


    Between Regis and me, there was only silence. We shared the same sense of loss for words, not yet able toprehend the repercussions of this decision.


    I took a deep breath and looked sadly down at the stone in one hand and the sword in the other. ¡°Silverlight,¡± I whispered into the void, gripping its hilt in a white-knuckled fist. It vanished into the dimension rune, and all that remained was Sylvie¡¯s egg.


    Aether rushed down my arm, and I resumed the act of simultaneously imbuing and absorbing.


    Thisyer appeared as a series ofplex runes, like spellforms or godrunes. I couldn¡¯t read them, but their meaning was in. They described the shape of a person. Of Sylvie¡­


    Unlike thestyer, which had taken ages and unquantifiable amounts of aether, thisyer filled up rapidly. I was finished almost before I realized it.


    I held my breath and felt as if my heart would stop.


    The color drained from the stone as it began to glow with pristine golden light. Then, little by little, particles broke away from the stone, condensing and taking shape in front of me¡­


    <strong><sub><i>l?ghtn§àv§Ölw§àrld?§ã§àm f§àr th§Ö b§Ö?t n§àv§Öl r§Ö§Ñd?ng §Ö§ç§â§Ör?§Ön§ã§Ö</i></sub></strong>


    In that timeless, motionless ce, it seemed as if all the universe hade to a stop except for the unraveling embryo.

 Chapter 429: A Dream Yet to Happen

    Chapter 427: A Dream Yet to Happen


    <strong>SYLVIE INDRATH</strong>


    ¡°Arthur, you¡¯re not going to make it.¡±


    My voice sounded distant to my own ears as I reached into Arthur¡¯s thoughts. He tried to push me out, tried to keep me from the worst of it, but he was too weak.


    I didn¡¯t shy away from the desperation and despair I found there. I wanted to, but I couldn¡¯t, because he couldn¡¯t. He thought he knew how this had to end, believed with his entire silly, brave heart there was only one way forward.


    ¡°The portal isn¡¯t¡ªit isn¡¯t going to stay stable for much longer, Sylv. P-please, I can¡¯t have you die too.¡± Instead of continuing to shield his feelings, Arthur suddenly reversed course, flooding me with his desperation, sadness, and despair. And hope. So much like my bond, to give me hope, even when he held none for himself.


    The pocket dimension Arthur had conjured shivered and twisted, but I held back, not allowing myself to be moved through it as Arthur tried to force me into the same portal Tessia and the others had gone through.


    Don¡¯t worry, papa. I¡¯ll always take care of you. Reaching for my true draconic form, I embraced it, simultaneously unleashing and containing myself. My thin human frame radiated violet light as I expanded outward, fair skin bing dark scales until I was towering over my bond.


    ¡°Sylv? What are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Try to keep yourself alive while I¡¯m gone, okay?¡± I said, giving him a wide grin to try and ease his hurt. Why did I phrase it like that? I wondered, distant and disconnected, in the back of my mind. There was noing back from this. Still, though, it felt¡­right. Better than goodbye. Suddenly I felt stronger, more decisive. No, this isn¡¯t goodbye. Just¡­see youter.


    I hope.


    ¡°Sylv, no! Don¡¯t do this!¡± Arthur reached out, pressed his hands into me, shoving, but the process had already begun. His hands passed straight through me.


    This¡­wasn¡¯t magic I¡¯d been taught. As if anyone in Epheotus would care enough about a ¡°lesser¡± to do what I was about to. No, this was something inherent in our bond. It unlocked within me the moment I understood that Arthur was about to die, like that knowledge had been the turning of a key.


    Everything that made me was intrinsically, inseparably linked to him. We were one and the same. My body, my magic, my vivum arts¡­they could save him, but only if I gave it up for myself.


    I didn¡¯t receive this insight in a sh, like thunder from the mountaintops or the quaking foundations of my beliefs. No, it was just there, as if it always had been. He was my bond, and I could always help him, even now.


    Even now.


    My physical body had be ethereal as I gave up my dominion over it. Gold andvender motes of pure lifeforce floated away from me to stick to Arthur, until his whole being was glowing inside and out.


    I could still sense his pain. His body had been shattered by overuse of my mother¡¯s will, and now it was being reforged, and every mote of me felt like hot coals and hammer blows to him. I¡¯m sorry, Arthur. If I could take away the pain too, I would.


    As he sagged, I scooped him up and pushed him toward the portal he¡¯d created.


    ¡°Until we meet again¡­¡± I said, my voice distorted and somehow incorporeal, and I could only hope he heard me.


    The portal drew him in, then began to copse, taking the pocket dimension with it. I knew that when it was gone, I would be too, and thest of my essence would be picked up by the warm wind blowing through the ruined city to be carried off and spread throughout Dicathen. Knowing I would be in the grass, trees, leaves, and water of Arthur¡¯s home made me feel at peace, and I let go of thest vestige of resistance that was keeping me together.


    Only¡­I was caught.


    The copsing portal was pulling itself apart, and my w, which I¡¯d used to push Arthur through the portal, was being reeled in. Icked the strength to resist or the awareness to understand what might happen next. I could only give in.


    Irresistible force pulled at my essence, dragging me in two different directions¡­


    Everything became stardust and the ever-expanding universe. Suns caught fire, stuttered, then zed. Constetions formed, faltered, and then fell from the sky. Everywhere I looked, people flickered in and out too fast for me to see. And all the while, I was being drawn through it, plunging like a shooting star in the night sky, insensate with wonder, too awestruck and alienated from my own perspective to even be confused.


    The expanding universe became nothing but a tunnel of light, every color of it feltso bright it burned my spirit. I felt myself simultaneously racing¡ªpulled inexorably toward some distant source of gravity¡ªwhile also going quiet and calm, like I was sleeping.


    The light faded.


    I was in a small, sterile-white room. There were people there. A woman in a white uniform with a white mask over her face was standing over the room¡¯s single bed, staring at a clipboard. A pale woman with mousy brown hair was lying in the bed, breathing heavily as she stared up at the woman in white. Tears were streaming down her face. An overweight man with sad, tired eyes sat on a stool on the opposite side of the bed.


    The door behind me opened, and a masked man in a light blue paper gown strode in. I stepped back to avoid him, but he was moving too quickly, and he bumped into me.


    Or rather, he passed right through me as he marched to the bedside. He said something, then began checking strange artifacts, but I was staring down at my own hands.


    They were small and pale, like I remembered them. I ran them over my face, hair, and horns, but nothing seemed different. Except¡­


    Reaching out, I touched a tray that was sitting on a small, rolling table. My hands passed through it.


    What am I?


    Suddenly the woman burst out with a piteous, raw growl, and the man¡ªa doctor, I realized¡ªhurried to the foot of the bed. I only then became aware of a soft gold andvender light radiating from the woman¡¯s belly, which was swollen.


    The doctor started giving orders. The overweight man clumsily reached for the woman¡¯s hand. The nurse seemed to be doing five things at once, but it was all so confusing¡­


    And then, almost before I fullyprehended what I was witnessing, it was over.


    The nurse held out the baby boy, swaddled and cleaned and crying, to the woman, who took him carefully and nestled him into her arm. He was glowing, radiating that same gold andvender light.


    I stepped closer, leaned down to him, and took his tiny little hand in my incorporeal fingers, shaking even as I smiled.


    The woman stared at him for a long time, as did I. Then, like tearing her gaze away from him was also ripping something inside her soul, she looked at the man. ¡°A-are you sure? We could¡ª¡±


    He shook his head, and she made a sound like a knife had just been shoved between her ribs. He looked down and away, clearly unable to bear it, and a single tear flowed down the crease between his nose and cheek. ¡°You know I wish we could, but we¡¯re already struggling as it is. Without a parental grant¡­what kind of life could we give a child. He¡¯ll be cared for. Trained even, to fight for our country. And then, maybe¡­¡± He swallowed hard. ¡°Maybe in a few years we can try again?¡±


    I saw the light leave the woman¡¯s eyes as something broke inside of her, and knew beyond all shadow of a doubt that they wouldn¡¯t, but they didn¡¯t hold my interest. They weren¡¯t my reason for being here¡­he was.


    My gaze drifted down to his round, red face, and I didn¡¯t take it away again. Not as the baby was taken from the parents he would never know, or as he slept and was fed in a bright room with a dozen others, and certainly not when he dragged himself along the hospital floor for the first time¡ªthough no one else was watching except for the other infants¡ªor when he took his first, shambling steps.


    I followed him when he was relocated from the hospital to a small orphanage, watched him watch the world as he grew and learned.


    Years passed, and I watched him. Incorporeal, sleepless, empty of all desire except to keep my vigil, I experienced the young boy¡¯s life with him, step by step. I was by his side as he made and lost his friends, as he trained and was guided toward bing king, as he was manipted into striking down his best friend, as he waged war for the defacto mother figure he lost.


    I did not look away. Even as he diminished, losing the spark that had driven him to be king, floundering in a world that was ill-suited to him and didn¡¯t deserve who he would be, I knew it was a necessary travail. Without these experiences, both sess and failures, this sad king would never be my bond. The detachment and weakening link to humanity he felt now would define his worldview in the next life as he set himself in opposition to it.


    But he didn¡¯t have to suffer long, because, even from the moment of his birth, the long arm of fate had been extending toward him. And I was there for that, too, the end of his journey as King Grey.


    I stood beside him, my incorporeal fingers feathered through his hair¡ªnot yet the auburn he would inherit from Alice Leywin¡ªas I sensed doom approaching.


    The rapid passage of time¡ªmeaningless to one who does not sleep, eat, dream, or even live¡ªcame to a sudden and thundering halt, and I felt the presence as my own pulse in my throat. Like the ck w of death itself, my father¡¯s magic manifested, clutching at the sleeping king.


    I found myself helpless. I was present in awareness only,cking both substance and power, and could do nothing more than clutch at the spirit being drawn from his body by the looming, dark w of forced reincarnation. But¡­I knew, even if I¡¯d been given the ability to do so, I wouldn¡¯t have stopped what was happening. Because this moment was bringing Arthur a step closer to me, even as I was already walking beside him.


    Agrona¡¯s methods were cruel and awful, and yet he brought me Arthur. Or¡­was bringing me Arthur? After so long on Earth, drifting along in Grey¡¯s wake like a haunting ghost, it was sometimes difficult to keep sense of time. My life felt like a dream yet to happen, my death like the beginning after the end¡­


    Clinging to the sundered spirit, I was dragged upward, away from the body left behind, the pce it rested at the heart of, the country of which it had been king, and the world that had forged the spirit I wouldn¡¯t let go.


    Time and space opened before us, a reversal of the force that drew me to my bond¡¯s first birth. The universe itself seemed to unfold, like curtains of stars being pulled to the side, revealing the stage behind: our world, simple and sleepy and quiet after the noise of Grey¡¯s Earth.


    Still firmly in the w¡¯s grasp, we were pulled toward that world, toward the skull-shaped continent of crya and a waiting infant, naked and crying on a rune-carved dragon¡¯s skull.


    But that was wrong.


    Arthur wasn¡¯t¡ªcouldn¡¯t¡ªbe born in crya.


    Panic shed through my incorporeal essence. I pulled at the spirit, trying to hold it back from its course as my weakened mind struggled to understand. But the force of Agrona¡¯s dark w was inexorable. I might as well have tried to stop the sun from setting.


    But I would. For him, I will stop the world from spinning if I have to.


    Wrapping myself around the spirit, I focused away from the dark aspect of crya toward distant Dicathen. Whatever strength my current form maintained, I exhausted it all. Suddenly I was no longer the ghost of the small, horned girl. Wide, transparent wings spread and caught the cosmic wind. Powerful talons closed around the spirit. My long tail whipped the air in time to the beat of my wings.


    ¡°You¡¯ll never have him,¡± I said, voiceless and eternal. ¡°His fate is outside of your dominion.¡±


    Our course shifted an inch. My spectral wings beat. Miles slipped away beneath us. My long neck strained. Dicathen came closer still.


    The ck w trembled. The shape of Agrona¡¯s spell hadn¡¯t ounted for resistance. It struggled to retain course, but the farther away I dragged it, the more its strength gged.


    Dicathen rified beneath us. Sapin flew past. Ashber rushed toward us.


    A woman came into view, auburn-haired and pale. Young, strong, and swelling with the silver light of an emitter¡¯s magic. That felt right. I wasn¡¯t sure why, but it felt right. And beside her, a wide grin stered across his handsome, square-jawed face, was the man whose pride would build up my bond¡¯s life, and whose death would very nearly tear it back down again. But that hadn¡¯t happened yet, wouldn¡¯t happen for a long time.


    Except it already happened. Didn¡¯t it?


    It was growing more and more difficult to focus. There was a song like a sweet scent in the air, calling to me.


    In my moment of distraction and weakness, suddenly I was slipping backwards, being pulled away from the family that my Arthur had to have. Waiting within that auburn-haired woman¡¯s belly was Arthur¡¯s vessel. No other would do.


    My wings beat again, and I matched my diminishing strength against the will of my father.


    My father, I thought bitterly. But not my papa¡­


    Pulling so hard I worried my incorporeal essence woulde apart, I dragged the ck w back toward the house and the baby. A silent roar tore out of me and rippled through the fabric of reality. Space again unfolded between me and my destination: the baby being born beneath me. The doctor had already gone to work, giving quiet, firm instructions¡­


    The spirit in my talons touched the nimbus of white light infusing the baby.


    Agrona¡¯s dark w melted away, the ck mist of his lingering magic disbursed by the wind of my beating wings.


    With mingled glee and sadness, I watched as Grey¡¯s strong, mature spirit took over and absorbed the infant spirit within the unborn child. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, my own soul suddenly heavy with the weight of what I¡¯d had to do. ¡°This was the only way.¡±


    I wanted to stay, to watch as Arthur grew and learned, to witness him form his core, to experience this part of his life that I had missed, but¡­


    The sweet siren song was calling to me, and I found that I couldn¡¯t ignore it. Uncertain when it had happened, I had eschewed both my draconic aspect and the girlish form I had lingered in so long on Earth, existing now only as my essence.


    It was with a deep ache that I was pulled away from that baby, that family, that home. My spirit drifted eastward toward the mountains. As I crossed them, though, I was halted by the strangest of sights.


    A caravan of familiar faces making their way up the mountain paths. Alice, Reynolds, the Twin Horns, young Arthur¡­


    But how? I wondered. It had only been moments, and yet years had passed¡­


    I could only watch helplessly as they were attacked. I knew what happened next, but to see it unfold in front of me was different. Darker. So much worse.


    If my heart had been beating, it would havee to a stop as Arthur, only four years old, plummeted off the cliff¡¯s edge to save his mother.


    Plunging after him, my shapeless spirit dragged at his, as I¡¯d done before, trying to hold him up, to arrest his fall. But my power was spent. A feeble scream shivered through space and time as I fell with him, infusing him with what little of me there was left, so that at least he was not alone.


    And then, I felt her. So clearly here, so strangely the opposite of my father in every conceivable way.


    My mother.


    Her power wrapped around Arthur¡¯s small body, cushioning him, bringing him slowly to the ground, and I suddenly remembered him recounting to me that was what had happened. For an instant I had forgotten, lost myself in the desperation and fear. There was so little of my essence left¡­


    I wanted to stay with Arthur, be with him when he woke, but the song¡¯s source was so close now, and too strong. It filled all my senses, emptied me of all other thoughts as it subsumed them so that only the song remained. And so I followed, unable to do anything else.


    Its indefinable notes were issuing from a cave hidden on the border of the Elshire Forest and the Beast des. I knew that ce, and when I saw it, I understood the source of the siren¡¯s song¡­


    The trail of summoning notes led me down into the cave.


    Mother¡­


    Despite seeing her, being aware of her presence, it was difficult to focus on my mother. Her gigantic, demonic form radiated a strong Vritra aura, but that wasn¡¯t what forced my attention away. No, it was the song still. For, resting in her huge hand, was an egg. My egg. Even in the dim light, it gleamed with a rainbow-infused hue.


    The song wasing from the egg. Drawing my spirit into it.


    Correcting the paradox of my multiple existences, I thought sleepily. The next moment, I could not recall having the thought at all, or any other desire beyond wanted to be inside that egg, all curled up, safe, waiting for my bond to bring me back into the world.


    And so flowed into it. There, I rested.


    Until¡­


    I woke suddenly, confused by my surroundings, uncertain what had been real and what had only been a dream.


    The shell of the egg holding me transmitted sensation like a second skin, and I was aware of it cracking and opening up. Light spilled into the tranquil darkness of the egg¡¯s interior. I blinked rapidly as a blurry face appeared above me as more of the shell broke away.


    Slowly, the face came into focus.


    A young boy with auburn hair and wide, hopeful azure eyes, was staring down at me. Arthur. My Arthur. Except¡­


    I blinked again. I¡¯d been wrong. Arthur was older, not the boy who first hatched me, but the general and Lance who rode on my back into war, strong and severe, but also kind and protective.


    His face was still fuzzy, though, and I blinked. Arthur was still there, but his face was even older. Sharper, leaner. His azure eyes had turned to liquid gold, and his hair¡­it was the same color as mine.


    ¡°Kyu¡­?¡±


    A wry, trembling smile curved one corner of his lips.


    ¡°Wee back, Sylv.¡±

 Chapter 430: Opposition

    <center></center>


    <strong>A/N: </strong>It¡¯s been four weeks Book 10 has finished and the first time I¡¯ve taken a break for this long (not counting my health scare a few years back). While many of you expressed that I should keep my Patreon active despite my hiatus, and even told me to take a longer break, I chose not to for the sake of being able to feel less guilty during my break haha. Even so, I¡¯m so thankful that my closest fans are so patient and considerate (even while I see you all having withdrawal symptoms in the discord chat) and I¡¯m excited to be back.Enjoy the chapter and I hope to see you here throughout the rest of this journey that is TBATE.Love,


    TurtleMe


    <strong>SERIS VRITRA</strong>


    It happened slowly at first. Wide, bloodshot eyes turning toward me, probing the gloom for the source of the aura they felt dulling their senses and seizing their hearts. As they saw me, their stunned gazes, one by one, were inevitably drawn downward to the gory artifact clutched in my right hand. Mouths opened in horror, but whatever words they might have said lodged in constricted throats. Tools slipped from limp fingers to tter on the ground, forgotten, and a tremor ran through the collective consciousness of a people unequip to understand what they were seeing.


    At the eye of this storm of attention, I moved with unrushed purpose, the rough path crunching beneath my feet, my flowing white robes glowing like a beacon in the industrial gloom.


    Every miner,borer, and wogart farmer I passed froze, before quickly parting before me. Those closest stepped back, instinctively putting distance between themselves and the palpable force emanating from me, while others were drawn to it like moths to me, forgetting their mundane tasks as curiosity and awe overwhelmed their sense of self-preservation.


    A heavyset woman with thin hair and gray dust dirtying her face let out a ragged cheer. When my eyes settled on her, those closest hurried to step back. I didn¡¯t smile but allowed a second of eye contact, gazing deep into her, assuring her that she¡¯d been seen.


    Others couldn¡¯t keep the hostility from their faces¡ªthose who were loyal to Agrona or who believed the ill-conceived propaganda that was broadcast about me¡ªbut none of them had the courage to give voice to their feelings or impede my progress.


    A few, the smartest of them, ran.


    By the time I reached the portals to the second level, they were already in chaos. Guards were scrambling to find their battle groups and maintain anything resembling a formation. They were shouting at each other, no one apparently willing to ept the responsibility ofmand. Relictombs officials¡ªthe clerks and attendants who were in charge of monitoring the portals¡ªwere standing off to the side, wringing their hands and looking on nervously.


    As my intent washed over them, they all slowed to a standstill. Someone uttered a prayer to the Vritra.


    Wanting them to hear and understand me, I reined in my aura and stepped up to within easy hearing distance. The thing in my hand twisted slightly, as I came to a stop, leering at the soldiers and guards. Half of them stared at me, their weapons held nervously before them, but half couldn¡¯t wrench their eyes away from the artifact.


    One of the attendants, an older man with a bald head and long, gray mustache and wearing the official robes of a Relictombs clerk, found his courage. He took a few shaking steps toward me and raised his chin, his eyes carefully avoiding my hand. ¡°S-Scythe Seris Vritra.¡± He paused, swallowing heavily. ¡°You are under a-arrest for crimes against crya, by order of the High Sovereign!¡± He finished stronger, building confidence as he spoke.


    When I smiled at him, that confidence shattered like teeth beneath a maul. He stepped back, trying to lose himself in the other officials, but they stepped back as well, sacrificing him to the pyre of my attention.


    But I wasn¡¯t there to bully or murder lowborn mages, even those too blind to see that I was on their side. ¡°I have note here for bloodshed. None of you will die here, unless you insist on it. Leave. Flee the Relictombs and return home to your blood.¡±


    Still, I couldn¡¯t feel righteous about the choice I was giving them. I¡¯d been a Scythe too long not to see the trap in it. Really, it was a choice in how to die. Either they stay and fight me in a hopelessly one-sided contest or they flee and wait to be hunted down and executed by loyalist forces.


    The nonbatants all broke and ran, scurrying away like insects suddenly and unexpectedly exposed to the light. The guards exchanged grim-faced looks, but they stayed. They understood the choice.


    A tall man shouted, and the soldiers reformed into their battle groups. Shields, both magical and mundane, were raised against me. I held my position.


    Another shout, and spells began to fly, lighting up the dim zone with bright blues, yellows, and reds. Bolts of fire and des of wind impacted the barrier of mana dding my skin and robes, deflecting harmlessly. My mana rippled with a dusky shadow, turning the outline of my body gray. The spellfire slowed, then stopped.


    I let a heartbeat pass, then thrust my free hand forward. A ck cloud poured from my palms, spilling over my attackers in an instant. It surged into and through them, my void magic burning away the mana inside them.


    To a man, they copsed, the bacsh of suddenly expelling all their mana knocking most of them unconscious. A few stared up at me from the ground, whimpering or choking. Expecting to die.


    I marched past them, leaving them where theyy. Giving them a choice only in how to die felt wrong. It was how Agrona operated. They had chosen to stand their ground. Perhaps they were blindly loyal to Agrona, but maybe they were just hopelessly trapped in a system that they had been born into and had lived every second of their lives inside of. Did they even know there was a world outside of the too-close walls pressing in on them? It urred to me that they likely couldn¡¯t see it.


    But I could see. And I could choose, too.<center></center>


    Casting a quick look back at the field of fallen mages¡ªfallen, but alive¡ªI activated one of the portals to the second level and stepped through.


    And I found the second level to be exactly as I expected it.


    The courtyard containing the ascension and descension portals, which capped the end of the long boulevard that ran through the heart of the zone, was a rush of organized activity.


    A hundred mages, perhaps more, encircled the courtyard, weapons drawn and spells active, cordoning off the portals. Another twenty were hurrying to set up a series of devices in an arc in front of the portals. Small pockets of people lingered around the edges of the courtyard, outside of the cordon, and in the shadows of the nearest buildings.


    The devices were constructed of dull, blue-tinged metal housings containingrge mana crystals that had been carefully carved into concave bowls. Heavy wiring ran from one to the next, chaining them all together, and finally to a ss tank full of bubbling blue liquid.


    Several of the mages jumped at my appearance, turning weapons on me.


    ¡°Scythe Seris Vritra!¡± a mage with ck hair and a well-trimmed beard barked, snapping a salute. The rest snapped to attention and followed suit.


    I waved the formality away. ¡°Su, things have gone to n.¡±


    The High Hage of the Cargidan Ascenders Hall nodded vigorously. ¡°Yes, Scythe Seris. Resistance was limited.¡± He nodded to a few bodiesid out nearby. ¡°Fighting has been worse elsewhere, I know, but our efforts to set up your¡­whatever this is¡­have been unimpeded, and it¡¯s almostplete.¡±


    Another man, who wore no armor or battlerobes and went bare chested, proudly disying his bronze skin and chiseled form, jogged up and bowed quickly. ¡°Perfect timing, as expected,¡± Djimon of Named Blood Gwede, High Mage in Itri, said with his customary sharpness. ¡°All tempus warp tforms in the city have been destroyed, as you ordered, except for one currently being defended by Highblood Rynhorn. The fighting is fierce there, but they can¡¯t hold out. Ten more minutes and their soldiers¡¯ bodies will litter the Relictombs floor while my Casters see to the tform.¡±


    ¡°With the receiving tforms destroyed, that will be our only way in and out,¡± Su added, gesturing to the array of permanent portals that allowed transit between the first and second level. I could tell he was seeking assurance that the n wouldn¡¯t result in us being trapped or overrun.


    ¡°Not the only way,¡± I said instead of attempting to cate the man. My gaze followed the line of the central boulevard to where I could see the distant glow of the primary ascension portal even from here.


    The sound of approaching armored footsteps brought my head around, mostly due to the slight hitch in every other step. Cylrit bowed slightly and the two ascenders took a step back, giving us space, their eyes on the ground. My retainer had blood spattered over his face and armor.


    ¡°Would you like me to take that, Scythe Seris?¡± he asked, his tone even. I was certain only I would notice the pinched stiffness in both his voice and posture.


    I held out the item I¡¯d carried through the first level of the Relictombs: a severed head, jaw frozen open by rigor mortis, tongue ck and shriveled as a salted slug.


    Cylrit showed no squeamishness as he epted the proffered appendage. He lifted it up to look into the dead, staring eyes, then made his way to the mana battery that would power the artifacts I had designed.


    The rest of the mages moved back, their work done. Everything was ready.


    Cylrit lowered the head into the liquid, which immediately began to glow, then quickly removed himself from the array.


    The carved crystals of each device began to emit a resonant hum, then to glow a matching hue to the blue liquid, and finally to project visible waves of mana through the air, bombarding the portals with raw energy.


    The effect was immediate. The shimmering portals jumped and jerked, their subtly shifting surfaces suddenly alive with shockwaves and multi-colored striations. Ripples and waves rolled away from the portal frame, collided, and rebounded in every direction at once across all of the portals.


    ¡°And you¡¯re sure that¡ª¡± Djimon cut himself off mid-question.


    I knew we wouldn¡¯t have to wait long to see proof that the artifacts were working. The encircling ascenders turned their gazes inward, watching. I was joined by a few other high-ranking individuals¡ªAnvald of Named Blood Torpor, Harlow of Highblood Edevane, who were both High Mages of their respective Ascenders Association factions in Aedegard and Nirm, as well as Highlord Frost and his granddaughter En¡ªbut they stayed silent, simply watching, waiting.


    Within a few minutes, one of the portals changed. It stretched, smoothing momentarily, the ripples melting away, and a figure appeared within it.


    Dragoth, his broad form filling the entire portal, glowered, his face strained, out from the bombardment of mana, but he was gone again almost as soon as he had appeared. A minute passed, and he appeared again, flickering into and out of another portal so fast that to blink would have meant missing it.


    He repeated his futile attempts with each portal in turn, but the portals were destabilized by the bombardment of mana and were not maintaining a strong enough connection toplete the transition. As soon as he arrived on the second level, he was already being drawn back to the first.


    There was no way through the portals as long as my artifacts remained in ce, empowered by Oeth¡¯s remaining mana.<center></center>


    Others began to appear as well, several at a time in every portal frame. After only a minute, a rippling running across the surface of one of the portals crossed over a man just as he appeared, ying the skin from the right side of his face. He was gone again in an instant, and the attempts to breach the portals ceased abruptly.


    A cheer went up, led by En of Highblood Frost.


    I stayed by the portals for some time after, congratting all who came to report in and giving orders where necessary. A slow procession of Highlords from my Highblood allies arrived when they were certain the fighting was done and the portals were deactivated, seeking to express their gratitude with the same handful of titudes while wheedling for assurances that I did in fact know what I was doing.


    Eventually, news came that thest of the receiving tforms had been destroyed, which made it impossible for anyone to use a tempus warp or dedicated portal to reach us. My n had been a sess.


    I turned my face to the sunless sky, enjoying the warmth it projected onto my skin. So much of thesest months had been spent underground inboratories or bunkers, it felt good to stand beneath open sky, even if it was a construct of magic.


    A handful of Imbuers remained with the equipment, as well as ten battle groups to ensure no one attempted any manner of sabotage. Eventually, it was only these guards, myself, and a patient Cylrit left in the courtyard, the ascenders and highbloods having gone about other duties or retired to their estates and inns to celebrate and rest.


    Cylrit shuffled on his aching leg, clearly ufortable. I waited for him to break the silence between us. ¡°Are you certain about this?¡± he finally asked, his voice low.


    I began walking and motioned for him to follow. We moved down the wide central avenue that continued uninterrupted all the way to the primary ascension portal into the rest of the Relictombs. People watched us go by from shop windows and inn balconies, unsure what was happening.


    We hadn¡¯t been able to ensure that only my supporters were within the zone, of course. My people had done the best they could, with the Ascenders Association purposefully slowing the flow of traffic while the highbloods spread rumors encouraging those not affiliated with us to leave, even if temporarily, but many of the people who lived within the zone, those who served in the economy that had grown up around the ascents, were neutral to or even ignorant of our efforts against Agrona.


    Some would eventually prove outright hostile to us., I knew.


    ¡°There is too much here outside of our control,¡± Cylrit continued, his attention constantly shifting as he, out of habit, watched for any potential threats. ¡°Ways this can go wrong that we haven¡¯t even considered yet.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I answered. If this argument came from anyone else, I would have assured them that every variable had been ounted for, everyyer of the n designed to be infallible, but Cylrit understood what we were facing just as well as I. ¡°Perhaps, with ten more years to n, we could have perfected this gambit. But this is war, Cylrit. And when you¡¯re fighting gods, time is not on your side.¡±


    ¡°It alles down to that, doesn¡¯t it? Time¡­¡± Cylrit paused, and I stopped to look at him. ¡°How long can we power the disruption artifact? When will Caera return with Arthur? Can we hold out longer than it will take Agrona to figure out a way in?¡±


    I didn¡¯t remind him of what we¡¯d already aplished¡ªtaken over half of Sehz-r, evading Agrona¡¯s armies, embarrassed his pet Legacy, in one of his Vritra n Sovereigns, and now blocked him from the Relictombs itself¡ªand instead let him vent his fears.


    ¡°We¡¯ve taken many risks these past decades, Seris, but this¡­it feels too much like we¡¯ve backed ourselves into a corner with no way out.¡± Cylrit took a deep breath, then added, ¡°My apologies. I do not doubt you, I¡ª¡±


    I raised my hand and he went silent. ¡°Remember, we¡¯re not trying to win this war. Only to stand in opposition to a tyrant. But I don¡¯t think this will be ourst stand. Have faith.¡±


    ¡°In Arthur?¡± he asked, his brows wrinkling in the rare show of genuine frustration.


    ¡°In humanity. In fate. In me. Take your pick.¡± I smiled and teasingly brushed at his face as if I could wipe away his frown. ¡°Everyone needs faith. These ¡®gods,¡¯ the asura, rely on it to maintain their control over those they call lesser. And the people need it, too¡ªthey need to believe in something. If we truly want to break Agrona¡¯s hold over them, we need to give them somewhere else to put their faith, even if only for a short time. Just to transition them into the new world we¡¯re trying to build.¡±


    ¡°And if we die trying?¡± Cylrit asked, the emotion draining out of him.


    ¡°Then we die well.¡±


    <strong>CECILIA</strong>


    Where am I? I wondered, pulling back from something moving beneath me.


    A bed of entangled vines and roots was writhing across a nk stone floor, jostling me and making my stomach lurch. My eyes grew wide as I traced the path of the vines: they grew over the floor, walls, and ceiling with no beginning or end,pletely encircling me. And as they squirmed, they constricted around me.


    Only the way forward was open, although the way was diminishing moment by moment. I began to scramble overtop the vines, but my hands and feet were constantly pulled into the living floor, and each time the vines would grasp at me, threatening to grab hold of me and not let go.


    I lost all context of time as I first hurried on hands and feet, then on my knees, and finally crawling forward on my belly like a worm. The vines and roots were crushing me, suffocating me, and my heart battered against my chest as my lungs struggled to draw in breath, and suddenly I felt certain I was going to die there, throttled by the vines.


    An emerald green beacon shone from somewhere ahead. Desperately, I pulled myself toward it, now pressed t by a giant green fist. Every inch forward took so much effort and energy that I was sure I wouldn¡¯t make it. And I didn¡¯t, not far. A vine wrapped around my ankle, another my right arm, and then a ck vine covered in thorns reached for my throat.<center></center>


    A hand extended out from the light. Its delicate strength seemed familiar¡ªfelt like looking in a mirror¡ªand I grasped it with frantic strength.


    In contrast, the hand had the kind of calm, inexorable force I associated with Agrona. That pure, unwavering surety of confidence. It should have crushed my own hand, but instead I was pulled through the vines until I slithered out onto a patch of sun-warmed grass.


    The hand pulled me to my feet.


    Slowly, for some reason afraid to look, my gaze followed the slender arm up to the graceful arch of a shoulder and smooth, unmarked skin of a neck, half hidden beneath silver-gray hair. Finally, I met the turquoise eyes.


    Tessia Eralith. My vessel.


    ¡°W-what is happening?¡± I asked, frustrated by the weakness of my own voice. I felt like a whimpering child standing before her, but the elven woman waspletely at ease in this clearing at the heart of a storm of strangling vines and roots. ¡°Where are we?¡±


    ¡°In your mind,¡± she answered simply. ¡°You are dreaming, and your subconscious is trying to convey what is happening inside of us.¡±


    A dark green, snakelike coil bumped against me, and I took a nervous step toward the center of the clearing, having to stand less than an arm¡¯s length away from Tessia to keep from touching the moving walls. I brushed a lock of dusty brown hair out of my face, unsure what to say.


    ¡°It¡¯s the elderwood guardian,¡± she continued, casting a thoughtful, sad sort of look around. ¡°Our body absorbed its mana core. Integration¡­I never knew.¡± She shook her head in wonder. ¡°When the core dissolved, the elderwood guardian¡¯s beast will was released. As, I suppose, was I.¡± She shrugged, as if this second point didn¡¯t mean very much to her. ¡°The unconstrained will is feeding off the mana now integrated within our body. It is tearing us apart.¡±


    ¡°My body,¡± I ground out, the word ¡°our¡± stabbing like a dagger into my mind each time she said it.


    A humorless smile yed at the edges of her lips, but I couldn¡¯t read the intent behind her expression. Even as we were talking, the clearing in which we stood was shrinking. A pulse like a slow heartbeat ran through them every few seconds, and with each beat they grew.


    I tried to close my eyes, wanting to focus, but I couldn¡¯t. A dream, I remembered. ¡°How do I stop it?¡±


    There was cold fire in the elf¡¯s eyes as she answered. ¡°You control it. Only¡­¡± She paused, watching a tendril of leafy vine uncurl beside my face. ¡°You can¡¯t. The elderwood guardian¡¯s beast will isn¡¯t just mana for you to dominate. It takes time, focus, and a little bit of luck. We don¡¯t have time. This body will be dead within the hour.¡±


    I gnashed my teeth and stepped toward her threateningly. When she looked at me with pitying amusement, I suddenly felt like a child balling my fist at an adult. And I hated it. ¡°You¡¯ll die too then,¡± I ground out, struggling to maintain my senses and not give way to despair. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡ª¡± The words caught in my throat as I remembered her wrestling for control of my body when Grey had attacked me at the Victoriad.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die,¡± she admitted. As the vines pulsed and grew, she sank down to her knees and eased back, sittingfortably among the writhing nts. Instead of looking down on her, I found that I too was sitting, even though I hadn¡¯t made the conscious effort to do so. ¡°But I am willing to. We are enemybatants, Cecilia. If we met on opposite sides of the battlefield, I would be ready toy down my life to defeat you. Here, if I could trade my life for yours, wouldn¡¯t it be worth it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡± I started, then stopped again, chewing my lip as I struggled for words.


    Strategically, she was correct. She was no one, just the vessel for my reincarnation, whereas I was the Legacy. If she sacrificed herself here to destroy me¡­


    ¡°Please¡­¡± I begged in a raspy whisper, reaching for her hands. ¡°My life was stolen from me, all because of an ident of my birth, something I couldn¡¯t control. I never asked for any of this. I just want my life back. You can understand that, can¡¯t you?¡± I caught on an idea and began speaking faster. ¡°Eventually, Agrona will send me back to my own world¡ªme and Nico. You¡­you can have this body back when I¡¯m gone! I promise it. I¡¯ll make Agrona¡­¡±


    Tessia let out a little, musicalugh, then covered her mouth and looked at me with a sickening fusion of mirth and pity. ¡°Stars above, you don¡¯t even see the irony, do you?¡±


    I sat up straight and red at the elf. ¡°You don¡¯t understand anything. You have no idea what I¡¯ve been through.¡±


    Her brows crept up as the amusement in her smile bled away, leaving only sadness. ¡°Nothing you¡¯ve ever done¡ªno thought you¡¯ve ever had¡ªis a secret from me.¡±


    I swallowed heavily, unable to exin the sudden cold, hopeless dread that clutched at my chest.


    ¡°So much about Arthur makes sense, now, knowing¡­everything.¡± A vine as thick as my arm wrapped around Tessia¡¯s waist like an embrace, and she plucked a golden flower from it, twirling it in her fingers as she spoke. ¡°His maturity, his confidence, even as a child¡­and I thought you¡¯d be the same, having lived two lives, but¡­¡±


    She met my eyes and held them. ¡°You¡¯re a child. Stunted.¡± I started to snap a retort, but she kept talking. ¡°You haven¡¯t had two lives. Not even one. Which is why you can¡¯t see what¡¯s being done to you. You know, of course. But you don¡¯t see.¡±


    I reached for my mana, wanting nothing more than to burn the elf¡¯s soul from my mind, but my magic was gone. I was defenseless, empty. It was my worst nightmaree true.


    In my despair, I failed to notice the vine wrapping itself around my right arm. When I finally realized what was happening, I flinched away from it, but it held me fast. Then they were all over me, these bright green tendrils blooming with crimson flowers, pinning my arms and legs, wrapping around my throat¡­<center></center>


    And Tessia just watched with that distant sadness. I wanted to curse her, beg her, but I couldn¡¯t do anything. I was paralyzed. The elderwood guardian was choking the life from me, both in the dream and out of it. I was dying.


    I couldn¡¯t believe it. It felt so purposeless, so empty of meaning. At least my death on Earth had been my choice. The only way I could seize control. But this, this was¡­


    I woke up.


    The room was dim, and in the gently wavering light of a burning torch, the shadows looked like vines crawling up the walls. I shrank from them, and my body burned. I gasped from the pain, and a marble-skinned hand stroked my hair as a face loomed over me.


    There was a frightening intensity in the way Agrona was inspecting me, but I couldn¡¯tprehend the emotion behind the look.


    ¡°What¡­?¡± I tried to ask, but my throat was dry, the muscles of my neck still sore from where the vines had strangled me¡­except that had been a dream. Only a dream.


    ¡°Hush, Cecil dear. Your body struggled to handle both the Integration and the release of the beast will, but you are through the worst of it.¡± Agrona petted my head, speaking in a low, soothing tone while prodding me with invisible fingers of mana, massaging my mind to help calm me down. ¡°Do not doubt yourself. You¡¯ve done wonderfully.¡±


    I leaned into the mental probing of his power like a feline begging to be pet. Recognizing this fact made me ill, but I was too weak and tired to resist. Instead, my gaze drifted through the room, and I realized that we were not alone. Several other mages were standing around the table or lingering in the shadows. We were in aboratory or Imbuers¡¯ workshop of some kind, but I didn¡¯t recognize it.


    ¡°Who¡­where¡­?¡± Again, my thoughts and voice gave out before I could create aplete thought.


    Agrona waved his hand and the other mages quickly began filing out of the single door. ¡°We were working to hold your body together while you fought for control of the mana inside you.¡±


    I frowned, trying to remember the dream, the feel of my body being pulled apart by the elderwood guardian¡¯s will, what Tessia had said, but it was all starting to blur together now. Still, I couldn¡¯t shake the sensation that something was wrong.


    ¡°You¡¯re not telling me something,¡± I said, watching thest of the mages vanish like the tattered edges of my dream.


    Agrona¡¯s expression softened, and he looked down on me like I thought a father was supposed to look at his daughter. ¡°You¡¯re confused, Cecil, and no wonder. You need time to rest and recuperate.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t argue with him, not now, not about that.


    Something stirred inside of me. I felt her consciousness present just beneath the surface, watching, waiting, simultaneously curious and guarded. There was the elderwood guardian, too, now docile. Tessia¡¯s mind pressed against mine like a building migraine, but the beast will sat heavy in my stomach and made me want to vomit.


    Why did you stop it from killing me? I asked, unsure if Tessia¡¯s disembodied spirit would even be able to respond.


    There was a long pause, and I thought perhaps she couldn¡¯t, or wouldn¡¯t, answer me. Then her voice sounded in my head, clear and bright as a silver bell: ¡®I have a promise to keep.¡¯


    I swallowed hard but couldn¡¯t leave it at that alone. When you struggled for control, before, you were trying to get us killed. Where was this promise then?


    She didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°Come now, let¡¯s get you to your room,¡± Agrona said, making me flinch. I had nearly forgotten he was there. ¡°What you¡¯ve aplished is incredible, a feat no other lesser has managed in a long, long time. And soon, you will be given the opportunity to test just how powerful you¡¯ve be.¡±


    Head aching and stomach roiling, I let myself be helped up from the table, which I only then realized was covered in indecipherable runes. I blinked several times and tried to read them again, but they were like nothing I¡¯d ever seen before. My skin crawled to look at them. Something is wrong, I thought again. Agrona¡¯s tone, the runes, the dreams¡­


    Subtly, I drew away some of the mana lingering in the rune-etched table, charging it with holding the memory of those runes and their purpose. I had no core to channel the mana, but I didn¡¯t seem to need one.


    The mana flowed through me as effortlessly as the blood in my veins. Instinctively, it infused my muscles, offering my trembling body strength. I was aware of it in a way I never had been before, like my senses extended directly into the atmosphere, epassing the air, walls, floor, even the table I¡¯d woken up atop. I felt it all as if it were a part of me.


    Agrona stretched out his arm, smiling warmly.


    I stepped past him, avoiding his hand as I wrapped my mind and thoughts firmly in mana.


    Just like my benefactor, the undeciphered runes weighed heavily on my mind, their true intention also hidden beneath a facade.

 Chapter 431: Time

    <strong>SYLVIE INDRATH</strong>


    ¡°Kyu¡­?¡±


    A wry, trembling smile curved one corner of Arthurs lips. ¡°Wee back, Sylv.¡±


    I blinked again, and Arthur was an old man with streaks of gray in his wheat-blond hair and deep furrows wrinkling his skin. Without meaning to, I withdrew, pressing my fingers against my lips.


    This too-old image of my bond hesitated, his hand, which had been reaching out toward me, pulling back slightly, just an inch, his brows creasing into a frown. I blinked, and the vision faded. Arthur, the real Arthur, was standing¡ªno, floating¡ªin front of me, his liquid-gold gaze like the hot summer sun on my skin.


    His hesitation abated and he leaned forward, wrapping strong arms around me and pulling me to him.


    I closed my eyes and let out a shaking breath. Arthur¡¯s relief washed over me, pure and warm and hard-won. So many moments where my return was within arm¡¯s reach and then snatched away by circumstance, so much time and energy focused on the stone containing my essence. Beneath the relief, there was a hint of regret¡ªslight but bitter¡ªthat it had taken so long or been necessary at all. And the anxiety¡­the fear, the weight of it enough to crush anyone weaker, enough to choke the life from anyone else.


    My mind was still knitting itself back together, and as we held each other, I lost track of where my bond began and where I ended. ¡°Papa¡­it¡¯s really you. I was afraid you were a dream.¡±


    The concept of time was all but shattered. Floating in that strange, aetherial ce, just the two of us, our embrace may have been only the briefest contact orsted yet another lifetime. I held desperately onto that connection, needing Arthur¡¯s presence to anchor me into that moment in time and space.


    ¡°So¡­hey there,¡± a voice¡ªnot Arthur¡¯s¡ªsaid from the void.


    My eyes snapped open, and I stared incredulously at a strange being floating next to Arthur.


    He was shaped like a wolf, except his fur seemed to be grown out of purest shadow and a burning ring of aetheric me wreathed his neck. He was considering me with bright eyes, which glowed in the gloom beneath a pair of straight, onyx horns.


    I reached up and brushed the horns sticking out from my own head, feeling inexplicably nervous. But no, that wasn¡¯t quite right. I wasn¡¯t nervous, I was confused. The creature was nervous, but his emotions were bleeding into me, like Arthur¡¯s. I prodded, but there was a wall between our minds.


    ¡°Sylvie, hi¡ªy¡¯know, actually, I¡¯m not quite sure what to call you. Like, are we siblings? Step-siblings? Are you my mom? My aunt? Y¡¯know, Aunt Sylvie has kind of a¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hello, Regis,¡± I said with a growing smile, his name appearing to me from Arthur¡¯s mind.


    Suddenly, shing memories and disjointed thoughts were jumping like electrical sparks behind my eyes. It was too much, and each sh was apanied with a dull-needle jab of pain.


    Closing my eyes, I pressed my fingers into my temples. ¡°Arthur¡ªyour thoughts¡ªI can¡¯t¡­¡±


    An undercurrent of rm ran beneath all my other conflicting emotions, then the deluge ceased. I drew a steadying breath, relief washing away the lingering pain.


    ¡°Sylvie, I¡¯m sorry, I should have realized,¡± Arthur said, and I felt him drifting back slightly.


    I shook my head. ¡°Not your fault¡­¡± Slowly, my eyes opened again. They met Regis¡¯s, who appeared stricken, as if he himself had done something to harm me. ¡°My mind is¡­full of a raging storm right now. My own thoughts are disparate and disjointed and¡­it¡¯s a lot. But it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Regis.¡±


    The wolf bent his front legs and dipped his head in a sort of awkward, floating, lupine bow. I couldn¡¯t help but giggle at the sight, which made Regis chuckle too.


    ¡°You look different,¡± Arthur said into the silence that followed.


    The words made me ufortable, but it took me a moment to realize why. We¡¯d been apart for such a long time, but for me, the battle against Nico and Cadell in Dicathen was both moments and a lifetime ago, and I was unustomed to Arthur shrouding his thoughts and feelings sopletely from me.


    Closing my eyes, I reached for his mind. I felt the barrier, then a question. I nudged into it, and it gave way, molding itself around me. Not breakingpletely, but making room for me. I saw myself through Arthur¡¯s eyes.


    My blonde hair spilled down over my shoulders. ck horns protruded from the hair, stabbing downward and out. My eyes were bright yellow, gemlike, set in a face that had grown slightly sharper, slightly older. I wore a ck dress of fine, glossy scales that caught the purple light of this realm and reflected it back, making it look like my body blurred away into the void.


    ¡°I look older,¡± I said, opening my eyes. ¡°Just like you. But then, I¡¯ve waited a lifetime to return.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Arthur asked. The worry in his face was also mingling into my own emotions, though distantly. ¡°Sylvie, what did you do, back then? Where have you been?¡±


    ¡°Time,¡± I said, then shook my head, uncertain how much of what I remembered was reality. ¡°There will be time to tell you everything I know.¡± I looked around again, growing more curious as the haze of my return faded. ¡°Where are we?¡±


    ¡°If it has a name, I don¡¯t know it,¡± Arthur said seriously. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking of it as the aether realm. The djinn built their Relictombs within it.¡±


    Knowledge of what those terms meant manifested from Arthur¡¯s thoughts as he spoke, but that only served to confuse me further.


    ¡°You have a lot to tell me too, it seems,¡± I said with a shake of my head. As I spoke, I became aware of a difort in my lungs, like I was breathing under a heavy nket.


    ¡°Sylv?¡±


    There is no mana here, I realized with a sort of detached curiosity. I experienced thisck of mana as a burning that was slowly growing outward from my chest. It was not dangerous¡ªnot yet¡ªbut it was ufortable and further disoriented me.


    ¡°We should go,¡± Arthur said, his worry growing sharper. ¡°This ce isn¡¯t safe for asuras. We can catch up in¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m okay,¡± I assured him, honing in on something that had jumped across the partially shielded connection between our minds. ¡°There is something else you want here, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Arthur rubbed the back of his neck, the sight of which conjured a warm glow in my chest. ¡°No, really, I don¡¯t want to keep you here any longer than necessary.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile at his feeble attempt to lie. ¡°Your mental barrier has grown¡­crass, Arthur.¡±


    ¡°me him,¡± he said, chagrined, gesturing to Regis.


    ¡°Whoa, hey, I¡¯m just floating here. What¡¯d I do?¡±


    Reaching out, I touched the tips of my fingers to Arthur¡¯s chest. ¡°Your core,¡± I said, piecing together tendrils of half-formed thought that drifted along our mental connection. ¡°You really have changed, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Little by little, Arthur opened his thoughts to me, showing me the truth of what had happened to him. The connection didn¡¯t overwhelm me like before since Arthur was still keeping a barrier between us, but it was enough that I could make sense of the memories that drifted through: his core, broken; rebuilding it with aether; the trap, pushing energy into him until his core cracked¡­


    ¡°Sylvie, I¡¯m just d to finally have you back. Nothing else matters. I don¡¯t even know if I can form anotheryer around my core, but that¡¯s a problem for another day. Right now¡ª¡±


    ¡°Arthur, everything is important when you bnce the weight of worlds on your shoulders.¡± I pushed down the ache in my chest, steeling myself to do whatever was necessary. ¡°You¡¯ve worked so hard to bring me back, but now I am, and I¡¯m not going anywhere. If staying in this ce just a bit longer will help you stand up against my father and grandfather, then you have to do it.¡±


    When Arthur¡¯s difort wasn¡¯t immediately soothed, I added, ¡°Please, it will help me understand. A lot of what you¡¯ve shown me feels so unreal.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s a lot of conflicting emotions from both sides,¡± Regis said, shaking like a wet dog. ¡°This is going to take some getting used to.¡±


    Arthur regarded Regis for a moment, then closed his eyes and settled his mind. ¡°You were my priority ining here, Sylv, but if I can take this opportunity to increase my power as well¡­¡±


    No need to exin, I said mentally.


    He gave me an abashed smile and pulled me in for another quick hug. ¡°Thank you, Sylv. Sorry I haven¡¯t already said it, but I¡¯m d you¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°I shudder to think what you¡¯ve been up to without me,¡± I teased, reinforcing my own mental barrier so my thoughts didn¡¯t leak into Arthur¡¯s. I needed to be strong, for him, like I always had. I was his protector. Despite what this ce made me feel¡ªlike I was warm water in a leaking bath, slowly cooling and draining away¡ªthis next step for Arthur felt essential.


    I had waited for him for a lifetime. I could wait a short while longer.


    Arthur closed his eyes and the aether began moving. I drifted back several feet, giving him space to focus.


    Regis left his side, swimming through the void until he was next to me. I could tell he was eager to say something, but he seemed to be building his courage. The shadow wolf both looked and felt unlike any creature I had ever seen, simultaneously alien and familiar,fortable and antagonistic.


    As I looked at him, I noticed something else for the first time. Far below us, something like a dungeon was floating freely in the void. Thick, semi-transparent walls of earth and stone encased it, but I could see dark hallways inside.


    ¡°The Relictombs,¡± Regis said, ncing downward. ¡°Sort of like home. I guess you could say I was born there. Not there, in particr, just, y¡¯know.¡± He was quiet for a moment, almost sheepish, then, ¡°Hey, I just wanted to say, no hard feelings, right? Like, I¡¯m not the ¡®Sylvie recement¡¯ or anything like that. He didn¡¯t, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Fill the void I left in his life by bonding with another talking, shapeshifting, aether-wielding being?¡±


    ¡°Uh, exactly,¡± Regis answered uncertainly. ¡°I was born from the lorite in his hand right after you disintegrated and stuff.¡±


    ¡°No hard feelings,¡± I answered with a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m d he had you. He can be¡­well, it¡¯s hard to say what would have happened if he¡¯d been alone, but it probably wouldn¡¯t have been good.¡±


    ¡°I can hear you, you know,¡± Arthur said, opening one eye to peek at us. ¡°Sorry to interrupt, but I need Regis. There is boundless aether here, but harnessing enough of it without the djinn¡¯s artifact forcing it into me is going to be difficult.¡±


    Regis rolled his eyes at me. ¡°Master calls¡­¡±


    I giggled behind my hand as the shadow wolf form vanished, momentarily bing a small horned wisp of energy before plunging into Arthur¡¯s chest. Arthur gave me a tired, yet gentle, smile before closing his eye again.


    I watched closely, trying to follow what was happening with limited sess. The aether core itself was impossible not to be aware of, burning like a star beneath Arthur¡¯s sternum, but my senses weren¡¯t fully aligned yet. The strange void, the absence of mana within it, the overwhelming presence of the aether, all served to confuse sight, hearing, touch, and the finer senses of my mana core.


    It would require patience, I knew. My body and mind were still regenerating.


    Even in the brief glimpse of memory I¡¯d received from Arthur, there was so much toe to terms with. Just as I had given of myself to save Arthur, he had turned around and poured himself into me to bring me back. It had been his care, protection, and love that had helped me hatch the first time, as well. But even before that, I had guided his spirit¡­


    I winced and rubbed my temples again. It was painful to think too hard about the paradox of his reincarnation and my own return to my egg, my spirit divided and scattered through time like fall leaves that in turn shelter and fertilize the new growth beneath them¡­


    A moan escaped me, and I had to bite my lip to keep from shouting in agony. Arthur, his eyes closed and his mind deep within his meditation, was oblivious, but his mere presence continued to be the mooring with which I tethered myself to reality. The dissonance between my soul and my body was growing, and without him I worried I would dissolve back into nothing.


    I squeezed my own eyes shut tight, so tight that strange colors and shapes bloomed behind my eyelids. My knees curled up into my chest and I wrapped my arms around them, contorting myself into a ball as I hoped for the pain to pass.


    ¡®Even time bends before Fate,¡¯ a voice like my own said in my head. ¡®You¡¯ll find that out soon enough.¡¯


    Sucking in a rattling breath, I felt consciousness receding from me. But what if one or both of us drifted apart? Or some hidden threat sensed our weakness and attacked. I had to remain conscious.


    Growling, I wed my way back to wakefulness, refusing to sumb. I couldn¡¯t, not here, with Arthur so deeply within himself that he was nearly insensate. Not now, after just returning.


    I tried to calm my mind, but the storm raging inside my skull was only growing in strength, and it seemed to heighten the intensity of the pain spreading from my core. Images shed before my eyes faster than I couldprehend, my whole life ying out in rapid session, but the timeline was jumbled, the images being plucked from all over.


    I was training with my grandfather, Kezess Indrath, in Epheotus.


    I was hunting in the Beast des while Arthur delved into dungeons as the masked adventurer, Note.


    I was losing the battle to the retainer, Uto, a dozen of his ck spikes already piercing my scales.


    Disembodied, I was watching Grey train to be king.


    Arthur and I were flying, high, so high it was as if I could flick my tail and touch the stars, the world below us hidden by the clouds. We were both grinning, happy.


    I was pitting my dragonfire against Cadell¡¯s soulfire as my mother¡¯s will devoured Arthur from the inside out.


    I looked on, helpless, as Arthur mourned his father¡­


    The rawness of that memory shunted me back into the present.


    I was breathing heavily, but the pain in my skull was receding, and I began to uncurl, stiff and aching. The burning in my core had expanded through most of my body, like I was starving for oxygen, except it was mana that I needed.


    My eyes flickered open, blurry and unfocused, revealing Arthur¡¯s face only inches from my own. His hands were on my arms, gently trying to shake me into wakefulness. He was pale with fear.


    ¡°...vie. Sylvie!¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I said, my voice a barely-audible croak. I cleared it before continuing. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Arthur. Your core, are you¡­¡±


    Arthur¡¯s golden eyes searched mine. ¡°My core has cracked. I¡¯m still attempting to contain it in a thirdyer with the aether Regis and I have gathered. It was¡­a lot harder this time. I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t realize how long it¡¯d been.¡±


    I shook my head and pulled away from him, trying and failing to maintain a stoic expression. I was shivering, and fine bumps had appeared all over my exposed skin. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how long it''s been, either. A few days, maybe.¡±


    He grimaced, but I felt a jolt of shared realization and he gave me a reassuring smile. ¡°Time moves faster here. Even if it''s been a few days, it¡¯ll only have been a day or so in the real world. I¡¯m sorry though. We shouldn¡¯t have stayed. I didn¡¯t think it would take so long. I¡¯m almost finished.¡±


    I was d his eyes closed a secondter, because the shaking became more violent. I hugged my arms around myself, but it was no help. Instead, I tried to follow the final process of Arthur¡¯s creation of this thirdyer around his aether core, feeling the aether move within him, hardening as he shaped it. I was disoriented, my senses dull, but at some point the barrier between my mind and Arthur¡¯s had fallen, and I was able to trail along in the wake of his thoughts.


    The process had been taxing for him. It involved drawing in incredible amounts of aether, far more than his core could handle, and incrementally overfilling the organ until it began to rupture. Then, in a rush, the collected aether was used to seal and hold the core together, forming a hardenedyer around it. This newyer could only be made by sealing it into the cracks created by the fracturing process, otherwise the aether would simply dissipate.


    I saw in Arthur¡¯s mind the moment the process wasplete. We both opened our eyes at the same time.


    He immediately flew to me and took me by the hand. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s get you out of here.¡±


    We rapidly descended through the void until we reached the floating dungeon, Regis trailing along behind us. From the outside, I could partially see through the rock and earth as if it were incorporeal or translucent, but when Arthur released a condensed st of aether, it proved very real. Stone shattered, flying in every direction as Arthur ripped a hole into the outer wall, opening the way into the dungeon.


    We flew into the gap against a rush of air, mana, and aether. My starving body instinctively reacted, absorbing whatever mana it could, but there wasn¡¯t enough to sustain me.


    Within the dungeon, wended on a tform that upied one end of a cavernous room. A single arched tunnel opened into it from the other side, across a pit at least a hundred feet wide. Something massive and squirming moved within the pit. I could feel it reaching for us.


    But Arthur paid the dungeon, the pit, and the monster no mind. He was facing the portal, and a metallic sphere had appeared in his hand. It came apart at a touch. ¡®Hang in there, Sylv. We¡¯ll be out of here in just a minute.¡¯


    He used the device to change where the portal would take us.


    ¡®It urs to me that we¡¯re going to have quite a bit of exining to do when we get back to Mordain,¡¯ Regis said, his voice strange in my thoughts. ¡®Minus an Aldir but plus a Sylvie. Hopefully the phoenixes don¡¯t start to molt at the sight of a dragon.¡¯


    ¡°Mordain? The Lost Prince?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°I learned a little about him in Epheotus. He¡¯s alive?¡±


    ¡°Well, he was when we left him,¡± Regis answered with a shrug before melting back into Arthur¡¯s body. ¡®Been caged up in the Beast des hiding from Grandpa Kezess for who knows how long, apparently.¡¯


    The portal shifted, showing the ghostly image of an overgrown cave on the other side. Arge man upied the room. He appeared to be going through the motions of some training form, but I saw him for only a moment before Arthur took my hand and pulled me through the portal with him.


    I gasped.


    My body reacted viscerally to the sudden presence of so much mana, and I instinctively began gorging on it, my core hungrily demanding it faster than my veins could even draw it in.


    A booming voice let out an ear splitting ¡°Hah!¡± and I struggled to look more closely at the man.


    No, not a man, an asura, or at least part asura. He had a powerful frame with broad shoulders and a deep chest. Like his body, his face was broad, but there was a hint of youthful softness to it as well. His hair marked him as a phoenix, but I¡¯d never seen a being with stranger eyes: one the orange of hot iron, the other a cool sky blue.


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d return,¡± he said, his voice still far too loud. He pped Arthur on the shoulder, and somehow my bond wasn¡¯t sent careening into the wall. ¡°Despite your fragile appearance and frigid demeanor, there is an inferno in your heart that burns hot as any phoenix fire, and I knew you would not turn away from the battle ahead.¡±


    ¡°It took longer than expected,¡± Arthur admitted. He was uncharacteristically ufortable. ¡°And¡­Aldir will not be returning.¡±


    The half-phoenix¡ªChul, I heard in Arthur¡¯s thoughts¡ªlooked somber. ¡°Ah. So you engaged him in gloriousbat for what he did to your elvennds? It must have been quite the battle to havested two months.¡±


    Arthur froze. ¡°What do you mean, two months?¡±


    Chul gestured to the wall, where dozens of marks had been scored into the stone. ¡°I have trained here every day since you left, awaiting your return so that we can take the fight to Agrona. One sh for each day.¡± He beamed proudly at Arthur. ¡°I¡¯m ready to journey with you, Arthur Leywin.¡±


    But Arthur wasn¡¯t listening. The color had drained from his face, and his thoughts were racing faster than I could keep up as he considered his family, Dicathen, the army of disarmed cryans in the Beast des, the war¡­


    Regis congealed into being, rising up from Arthur¡¯s shadow. His brows rose as the mes of his mane dimmed. ¡°Well, that''s a little longer than we expected¡­¡±

 Chapter 432: Overdue

    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡±


    I stared at the marks on the wall. Chul was wrong. He had to be. I couldn¡¯t ept that I¡¯d been gone for so long. It felt like mere hours.


    Chul shrugged nonchntly, then lifted one muscr arm over his head to stretch. ¡°Must be, because it has been.¡±


    ¡°But what¡¯s happening with the war?¡± I demanded, getting in the half-asuran warrior¡¯s face. ¡°Has Agrona¡ª¡±


    Chul grunted and turned away. ¡°You better talk to Mordain. Come now. I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    Grinding my teeth, I followed. Sylvie and Regis fell into step behind me, each transmitting a different intensity of confusion and difort.


    ¡®Too soon to start trying to guess what in the abyss happened?¡¯ Regis asked in my mind.


    Yes, I shot back irritably.


    ¡®I felt the passage of time only as a growing ache in my blood and bones as my mana was exhausted,¡¯ Syvie thought. ¡®I want to say it couldn¡¯t have been months¡ªI should have withered away from dehydration in a much shorter time than that¡ªbut¡­¡¯


    ¡®You were pretty out of it when we checked on you,¡¯ Regis answered her. ¡®Is it possible you were, like, in stasis or something?¡¯


    ¡®My mind was¡­¡¯ Sylvie paused, struggling for the words. ¡®I believe that I was still regenerating from the use of the egg¡ªstone?¡ªthing. My flesh-and-blood brain struggled to meld with the paradoxical memories of what I experienced between my death and return. It is possible that the mana and aether infused within the egg to resurrect me might have also sustained me in that ce, but really I have no idea.¡¯


    ¡®Cool, cool cool,¡¯ Regis thought. ¡®Is it just me or is Chul poorly trying to hide something?¡¯


    Enough, I snapped, the flow of mental chatter threatening to unravel myst frayed nerve. Please, just¡­enough.


    A hint of the sting they both felt at my reproach leaked through our mental connection, and I quickly put up my mental barrier to block them out. My own thoughts were a low, meaningless buzz of noise. I simply stared at Chul¡¯s back and followed him through the dungeon-turned-sanctuary of the rebel asuras¡¯ home.


    ¡°You are different,¡± Chul said, seemingly out of the blue. ¡°Your energy. You seem stronger than you were. Your presence is like a forearm against my throat.¡±


    I frowned at his back, in no mood to make small talk. In the rush to get Sylvie out of the void only to discover our long absence, I hadn¡¯t had even an instant to turn my focus inward toward my core, yet again empowered by the formation of a thirdyer of aether around the remains of my original mana core.


    Chul seemed to take the hint from my silence. He asked no more questions, and the Hearth passed by unnoticed until the rich smell of the alien nts made me aware of my senses once again.


    A dozen or so asura were inside the grove, milling about beneath the reaching limbs of the charwood trees. Our arrival caused a stir. From the expressions of shock, dismay, and even outrage that were directed toward Sylvie, it was clear that these refugee asuras of the phoenix race didn¡¯t appreciate having a dragon in their midst.


    ¡®Called it,¡¯ Regis thought, apparently unable to help himself.


    It seemed strange to me that their reaction was so strong. They¡¯d been living in the Hearth for hundreds of years, safe from Kezess¡¯s machinations. Sylvie was no threat to them.


    But I only had a few seconds to consider it, because my attention caught immediately on Mordain. The tall phoenix was pacing slowly between the trunks of two charwood trees, his hands behind his back, his golden robes just brushing the grass.


    I maneuvered around Chul, quickening my pace. Some of the other phoenixes started to leave. The ones who stayed were tense and watchful. I had no doubt that if I were hostile with Mordain in any way they would leap to his defense unquestioningly.


    Sensing my approach, Mordain turned, his brows knitting together, his lips pressed t. ¡°Arthur Leywin, you have returned to us atst¡ª¡±


    ¡°I need to know what¡¯s going on out there,¡± I said, not caring if I was being rude. ¡°Chul says it''s been two months. If that¡¯s true, is Dicathen safe? Has Agrona attacked again?¡±


    Mordain held up his hand in a sign of peace, then gestured to a nearby bench. ¡°There is much to tell you. Perhaps if we¡ª¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I cut in, my sharp voice ringing ufortably in the quiet grove. ¡°Just tell me.¡±


    Mordain regarded me with unaffected, almost casual, grace. Then, with a small smile, he nodded again to the bench and made his way in that direction.


    ¡®Arthur, perhaps it would be faster to stop arguing than to keep making demands?¡¯ Sylvie suggested.


    I closed my eyes and forced in a deep breath, letting the air fill me. When I let the breath go, I pictured it taking some of my panicked anger with it. When that didn¡¯t help, I marched to the bench and sat down stiffly next to Mordain.


    ¡°Agrona has not attacked Dicathen again,¡± Mordain said immediately. He crossed his legs and shifted into a morefortable position on the bench before continuing. ¡°In part because he is still upied managing the affairs of crya. Also, though, because of the dragons.¡±


    My entire body tensed. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Mordain¡¯s fingers drummed on the back of the bench. It was only once, then the noise and motion stopped, but it was enough to give away his agitation. ¡°Less than a week after you and Aldir went through the portal, a rift opened in the sky above the Beast des. Not far from here, in fact. Dragons began pouring out.¡±


    I jumped to my feet. ¡°Kezess¡ªthe dragons¡ªare they¡ª¡±


    ¡°They spread across the continent rapidly. Your people, it seems, have weed them with open arms. Dragons patrol the coastlines and sky, but also have installed themselves in yourrgest cities. Advisors and protectors, or so they are iming.¡±


    The painful hammering of my heart began to ease somewhat. ¡°They haven¡¯t attacked anyone?¡±


    Mordain shook his head, then waved for me to be seated again. ¡°It seems Kezess has followed through with his promise to help you safeguard your continent. Although¡­¡± He trailed off, not finishing his thought, but his zing eyes stayed on mine.


    I eased myself back down. ¡°Dragons in every major city. You think they are as much a threat as protection.¡±


    The devious ingenuity of Kezess¡¯s ploy came clear as I considered it. The threat of direct violence never needed to be more than implied as a possibility, but this upation also allowed him to weaponize the safety of Dicathen indirectly by threatening to remove his forces. What leader¡ªking, counselor, or Lance¡ªcould convince the people that they would be safer without the dragons present?


    Do even I have that kind of political capital? I wondered.


    Mordain¡¯s countenance had turned grim. ¡°Kezess is ancient, and he has yed this game many times before in Epheotus, with much greater stakes than now. Or, at least that is the case so far as he is concerned.¡±


    I scanned the grove. Regis and Sylvie were standing nearby, watching the conversation y out. Sylvie wore a thoughtful frown, and I could tell she was thinking about her time training in Epheotus. Regis, on the other hand, was unconcerned with the appearance of the dragons.


    When he felt me probe his mind, he cocked his head slightly and met my eye. ¡®The whole point of siding with the almighty psychopath was to buy time, right? Deal with ourundry list of deitific assholes one at a time? This lets us do that. The dragons in Dicathen aren¡¯t going to move against us or the people while your agreement with Kezess stands.¡¯


    ¡°Do you have any news of my family?¡± I asked, unable to hide the guilt I felt at having left them for months without a word.


    Mordain gave me a sad smile and shook his head slightly. ¡°While the dragons may be your allies, they are very firmly still my enemies, at least for so long as Kezess rules them. It has been difficult to learn even the little I have of what is happening outside the Hearth.¡±


    Biting back a sigh, I stood again. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I need to leave immediately, then. I¡¯ve been away for far, far too long already.¡±


    Mordain stayed where he was, looking up at me from the bench. ¡°Perhaps the urgency is not as great as you believe. If you¡¯ll take my council, I would suggest preparing yourself more fully before you rush into the dragon¡¯s mouth, so to speak.¡±


    ¡®Listen, it¡¯s not like little Ellie is likely to be hanging by her toes over the caldera of an active volcano and rushing back to Vildorial right now will be the only thing tosave her, right?¡¯ Regis asked with all of his usual charm and tact. ¡®We should probably, y¡¯know, figure out what the hell is happening first.¡¯


    ¡®While I don¡¯t necessarily agree with the delivery,¡¯ Sylvie added, shooting Regis an exasperated look, ¡®Regis is right. If the dragons are in control of Dicathen, that makes it very dangerous for all of us.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t find their arguments convincing, but I knew there was another way to ensure that my family was safe. Returning to my seat, I withdrew the seeing artifact. ¡°Excuse me one moment, Mordain. I want to hear you out, but I need to be sure.¡±


    Gripping the milky white crystal, I imbued it with aether. My vision shifted, focusing on the crystal¡¯s surface as tendrils of aether met my own. As I¡¯d done many times before, I thought of Ellie, and my senses were drawn through the artifact and across the miles separating us. When the rush of movement stopped, I was looking down on her from above. She was lounging in a wooden chair, her leg kicked up over the arm, and she wore a look of intense boredom.


    I recognized Gideon¡¯sb around her, and when I thought of the old inventor the perspective shifted slightly, revealing both Gideon and Emily. They were talking, asking Ellie questions. They didn¡¯t appear to be in any danger¡­


    I watched for another minute but nothing changed. Emily or Gideon would say something I couldn¡¯t hear, then Ellie would offer a mute response. With enough effort, I could have read their lips, but it was enough just to know that Ellie was safe. Seeing her so rxed¡ªbored, even¡ªmade me confident that my mother would be fine as well.


    Withdrawing from the artifact, I returned it to my dimension rune.


    ¡°Thank you for your patience,¡± I told Mordain, who had let his gaze wander while I¡¯d focused on the distant vision offered by the artifact.


    ¡°Where''s Aldir?¡±


    I looked up to realize that Wren Kain had appeared while I was focused on the crystal.


    ¡°He¡­¡± I paused, my gaze sweeping over all the asuras listening in.


    Aldir had been right. His death was capital I could spend both with the people of Dicathen and Kezess. Now, with the dragons present in Dicathen, I needed every advantage I could get.


    From my dimension rune, I withdrew the silver rapier Aldir had called Silverlight, regarding Wren firmly but solemnly. ¡°His crimes against Dicathen couldn''t go unpunished.¡±


    Both Mordain and Wren stared at the de, momentarily frozen.


    ¡°You ignorant lesser,¡± the titan spat, throwing his arms up and ring at me. ¡°Aldir wasn¡¯t your enemy. You have no idea what he gave up to leave Epheotus. If you think Kezess will reward you for doing his dirty work, you¡¯re a bigger fool than I ever realized. Had I known that training you would lead us to this, I¡¯d have let you twiddle your damned thumbs on that crater.¡±


    More than anything else Wren said, thisst part stung. Silverlight vanished again, and I straightened to my full height. ¡°Millions of elven voices will never ring through the forests of their forefathers again, because Aldir destroyed both the voices and the forests. If you think that Aldir died simply so I can get a pat on the back from Kezess, then you asuras are even more ignorant than us so-called lessers.¡±


    Wren¡¯s re could have shattered granite. ¡°So you can forgive the tyrant who ordered such an atrocity but not the soldier forced to carry it out? You truly were once a king, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mistake necessity for forgiveness,¡± I answered, the words as hard and cold as a knife¡¯s edge.


    Wren let out a derisive snort, but if he had anything else to say, he kept it to himself.


    Mordain cleared his throat. ¡°It isn¡¯t my ce to pass judgment on what has been done. Epheotus will mourn the passing of a great warrior, but it may also be that your people will celebrate his death as justice. What¡¯s done is done.¡± His gaze shifted to Sylvie. ¡°It seems that you were sessful in your purpose.¡±


    Thanks to Aldir, I thought, acknowledging his sacrifice quietly even if I could not voice it aloud.


    Sylvie took a step forward and bobbed her head in a shallow bow. ¡°Lord Mordain of the Asclepius n. Thank you for assisting my bond.¡±


    Mordain¡¯s brows inched up, his expression as he regarded her difficult to parse. ¡°Lady Sylvie of n Indrath. Your heritage is known to me. Half dragon, half basilisk, raised by a human. An alchemy of contradictions. Where, I wonder, does your loyalty lie?¡±


    Sylvie raised her chin, and I felt the inner fire of her resolve swell. ¡°With Arthur, as it always has. Dicathen is my home, its people my people. It¡¯s enemies¡±¡ªshe held the ancient phoenix¡¯s eye, every syble honed to a fine point¡ª¡°my enemies.¡±


    Mordain hummed thoughtfully. ¡°And yet you¡¯ll always be pulled in not two but three different directions. Both factions of asura will attempt to use and manipte you for their own gain. Arthur already walks along danger¡¯s edge in his dealings with your grandfather. Your return willplicate that further.¡±


    I moved to stand beside my bond, resting a hand on her shoulder. Regis stalked forward, standing on my other side. ¡°Your words of caution are beginning to sound more like threats.¡±


    ¡°I would not dream of it. You do not seem like a man who would be easily ensnared, but against such a force as Agrona, no one is immune to temptation,¡± Mordain said.


    His gaze seemed to pierce my mind and conjure up the memory of how I had begged Agrona to ept his deal: my family¡¯s safety in exchange for my own agreement to stop fighting in the war.


    My demeanor grew frigid as I stared back. ¡°I¡¯ve gone through failures and I¡¯ve grown, but, unlike those who would instead choose to keep their heads buried in the ground, I continue to fight.¡±


    Mordain waved a hand, dismissing our argument with a sagely chuckle. ¡°I won¡¯t presume to tell you all what to do. The fate of this world lies in your hands, not mine. But I know Lord Indrath well¡ªand Agrona, too¡ªand both will see Lady Syvlie¡¯s return as an opportunity to hurt the other, whether they use her as a weapon or a shield. You musn¡¯t let them do either.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t,¡± I said, squeezing Sylvie¡¯s shoulder before letting my hand drop.


    ¡°Good!¡± Chul¡¯s voice boomed like a cannon, making several nearby phoenixes flinch. ¡°Time to go then?¡±


    Facing the half-asura, I gave him an apologetic smile. ¡°I¡¯m afraid the presence of the dragons makes it dangerous for you to apany us. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Already thought of that, didn¡¯t we?¡± Wren said, his words barbed. ¡°I developed an artifact that will hide Chul¡¯s unique mana signature so that he presents as just another dimwitted human.¡±


    ¡°So quickly?¡± I asked.


    Wren Kain snorted. ¡°Quickly? It¡¯s been two months, boy.¡±


    Chul puffed out his chest and held up a nondescript metal bracer forged of dull metal. ¡°While I strive to be the spear that drives into our foes, I will don the mask of obscurity for now.¡±


    Activating Realmheart, I examined him more closely. His mana signature was powerful but did not stand out as being inhuman. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have fixed his eyes, too?¡±


    Chul crossed his arms and red at everyone and everything. ¡°My eyes are not broken.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll have to be enough then.¡± I held out a hand to Mordain.


    He stood and took it, shaking it firmly. ¡°You won¡¯t make it far without drawing the attention of Dicathen¡¯s new guardians. There is a secondary exit that will take you quite a distance from the Hearth before going above ground. I will show you the way. As we walk, I can tell you what little I know about the dragon presence on your continent.¡±


    ¡°Farewell then,¡± I told Wren, offering him my hand as well. ¡°I understand your feelings and won¡¯t hold your anger against you. But I¡¯d prefer to part on good terms.¡±


    ¡°Part?¡± he asked, looking at me incredulously. ¡°I¡¯ming with you. I didn¡¯t tag along with Aldir just to hide.¡± His gaze jumped to Mordain. ¡°No offense.¡±


    Mordain gave him a soft smile. ¡°Come, this way. It is a couple hours walk through rarely used tunnels.¡±


    ***


    As we approached the end of the long, roughly-dug tunnel, thick tree roots began overtaking the ceiling and walls. A sort of den had been carved out of the roots, with many other tunnels converging into it. Where the tree should have been above us, instead only a hollowed out stump remained. The rock and remaining wood had been scored ck.


    ¡°A phoenix wyrm used to nest here, but it disappeared several years ago,¡± Mordainmented, standing beneath the opening. ¡°I can sense dragons even from here. You could attempt to hide your mana signatures, but I doubt you could sneak all the way from here to Darv.¡±


    ¡°Sneaking is for weaklings and for those who have things to hide,¡± Chul said, his voice so deep it shook dust loose from between the roots spreading out above us.


    ¡°You''re what we need to hide, smart one,¡± Regis said with a snort.


    Wren rolled his eyes, and Chul scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed frown.


    ¡°These are Kezess¡¯s soldiers. Supposedly, they are my allies,¡± I said. ¡°Trying to hide from them could generate even more suspicion than my sudden reappearance after two months is already going to.¡±


    ¡°How you proceed is up to you, of course,¡± Mordain acknowledged, nodding. He took Chul¡¯s hand in his own fist and held it against his heart. ¡°Do not let your passions fly away with you. If you truly wish to find justice for your mother, it will take time and patience. Let your newpanions guide you in this.¡±


    ¡°Let them protect me from my own worst impulses, you mean?¡± Chul said seriously. ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Farewell then. It is my hope that you¡¯ll return to us when all this is over.¡± To me, he added, ¡°I¡¯m trusting you to watch over one of my own, Arthur Leywin. It is not a duty¡ªor trust¡ªthat I ce on you lightly.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Mordain,¡± I said, then leapt through the burned out stump tond on the forest floor above. The others flew out behind me.


    ¡°Suppress your mana signatures,¡± I said, then began marching away through the thick underbrush.


    We were surrounded by huge, leafy trees like guardtowers that blotted out the midmorning sky. I kept Realmheart active, sensing for the mana signatures of the dangerous mana beasts that inhabited the deepest parts of the Beast des. There was no mana beast on either continent that would pose a threat to this group, but I didn¡¯t want the dy or distraction of having to dispatch the kinds of mana beasts we were likely to encounter.


    ¡°At this rate the war will be over before we get anywhere,¡± Chul grumbled after twenty minutes or so. ¡°Are you going to walk the whole way?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I answered quietly. ¡°This should be far enough.¡±


    Like the others, I had been holding back the aetheric aura that always radiated out from me, effectively masking myself from the aether-sensing dragons. I unclenched, like a fist releasing, and my aether signature radiated outward like a beacon. I actively pushed, wanting to make sure it was sensed.


    Wren and Chul couldn¡¯t sense aether, but they could feel the pressure. ¡°What are you up to?¡± Wren asked, eyeing me uncertainly.


    A roar rent the air like a thunderp. Tree limbs snapped and heavy wed feet crushed and scraped at the forest floor. The ground shook with each footfall.


    Chul grinned and stepped confidently out in front of the others. A colossal weapon appeared in his fist, little more than a roughly-shaped iron sphere at the end of a long haft. Cracks in the sphere let out orange light as if the core was molten. The head itself was as wide as my shoulders. It must have weighed a ton, but he held it effortlessly.


    A towering, bipedal horror barreled into sight, its massive, elongated jaws wide, three beady eyes on each side of its t skull dted with the thrill of the hunt. It reminded me of an Earth alligator standing on its back legs, except its arms were thick with corded muscle and ended in razor sharp ws, and it stood over twenty feet tall.


    With a gleeful battle cry, Chulunched himself at it, bringing the weapon down on its head.


    The S-ss beast¡¯s natural protective mana barrier shattered beneath the force of the blow, and bright orange mes sputtered out from the cracks in the weapons head as it crushed the thick, leathery hide, rock-hard bone, and meaty flesh to pulp.


    Chulnded with surprising grace for one sorge. The mana beast¡¯s corpse struck the ground much more forcefully, sending a shockwave through the forest. A handful of simrly powerful mana signatures that had been converging on our position halted, then slowly dispersed.


    ¡°Ah, to feel the blistering heat of battle flowing like honey-wine in my veins,¡± Chul said, drawing in a deep breath. ¡°Too bad this venator was so young. Had it been fully mature, our battle might have been one worth recounting!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯reing,¡± Sylvie said, her eyes on the single patch of bare sky we could see through the dense tree limbs and foliage.


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet them on more even ground,¡± Wren said,bing dirt-smudged fingers through his tangled mass of hair.


    With a wave of his hand, earth-attribute mana began to coalesce, drawn up from the ground to harden into solid stone. Within seconds, a ship molded to look like a sailing vessel hovered between the boughs of the huge trees. It was conjured out of stone, but the textures were so finely manifested that it was almost indistinguishable from wood and cloth.


    Sylvie slipped her arm around me and floated up over the ship¡¯s railing, setting us down on the deck. The others followed, and the ship began rising up through the branches.


    Regis took a deep breath and let it out happily. ¡°This is great. I¡¯ve always wanted to be a pirate. An eye patch would really enhance my general roguish aesthetic, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°What is a ¡®pirate¡¯?¡± Chul asked, his blunt features pinched in confusion.


    Resting my hands on the railing, I looked west toward the distant Grand Mountains. The vast desert of Darvy on the other side, and hidden beneath it was my family and all those who were relying on me. Already, though, I could feel the distant but oppressive waves of the King¡¯s Force radiating from multiple dragons.


    ¡°Get the ship moving, but slowly, like we¡¯re searching for something,¡± I told Wren. The ship began to drift over the tops of the trees, moving generally westward.


    ¡°We should have some kind of signal if you wish us to attack,¡± Chul said seriously, staring in the direction of the closest mana signature. ¡°Perhaps if you shout, ¡®Attack.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Noted,¡± I said, my focus on the distant dragons.


    Sylvie stepped up beside me. There was a rigidity to her posture I wasn¡¯t ustomed to. You okay? I asked in her mind.


    ¡®Just thinking about what Mordain said. These dragons will know what I am by sight, even if they don¡¯t know who I am. I can¡¯t even begin to foresee all the¡ªthe¡­¡¯ Sylvie winced, her eyes clenching shut. She turned her face away and the mental connection between us cut off as she shielded herself.


    ¡°Sylv, what¡¯s¡ª¡±


    She shook her head, and her eyes fluttered back open. ¡°Nothing. Just some kind of aftershock from the resurrection.¡± She stared straight ahead in the direction where two of the mana signatures were emanating from.


    Uncertain how tofort her, I kept my own gaze straight ahead as well. One signature,ing from the north, became a tiny dot on the horizon. The second was slightly farther, flying from the mountains to the northwest. The third approached from the coast to the southwest.


    The first to arrive was arge, emerald-scaled dragon, half the size of our ship. When he was a hundred feet away, he turned so he was flying alongside us, his bright yellow eyes scanning the deck. They stopped on Sylvie, first squinting as if unsure he could trust his own eyes, then going wide.


    The second, slightlyrger than the first, with pearlescent white scales that glinted in the sunlight, circled around to fly above and behind us, her huge bulk eclipsing the sun and plunging the deck into shadow.


    The third was a lithe creature with dark crimson scales that seemed to drink the sunlight, not gleaming or shining even as his wings beat. His face, with jawsrge enough to swallow even Chul whole, was covered in battle scars, and there was a tattered rip in the edge of his right wing. He banked sharply along our port side so that the dragons had us nked.


    The green dragon spoke, mana radiating through the words to carry them easily across the noise and distance. ¡°Arthur Leywin. We have not met, but I recognize you by description. Lord Indrath will be pleased to know you are alive. There has been¡­concern at your long absence.¡±


    ¡°Where have you been?¡± the red dragon growled, tipping his wings to drift closer to the ship, hisrge ochre eyes probing each of us in turn, ending with Sylvie. ¡°What are a dragon, a titan, and a couple of humans doing this deep in the Beast des?¡±


    ¡°This is hardly the reception I think my grandfather would have expected for me upon my return.¡± Sylvie tilted her head, managing to look both irritated and apathetic at the same time as she looked down her nose at the red dragon. In contrast to her outward poise, I felt a squirming difort bleed through our connection as she invoked Kezess in our defense. ¡°You should be careful who you mark with that malevolent gaze.¡±


    The red¡¯s eyes widened and he pulled back. ¡°Lady Silvie Indrath?¡±


    The three dragons exchanged disbelieving looks. It was the white who spoke, her voice tight with emotion. ¡°Lady, you muste with me immediately. I will lead you to the rift connecting this world with Epheotus. Lord Indrath¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop,¡± Sylvie said, her voice ringing withmand. ¡°My duties lie here in Dicathen for the moment. If you wish to inform Lord Indrath, feel free, but I will not be apanying you.¡±


    The dragon winced at her words, wounded and fearful. ¡°Lady, Lord Indrath would wish¡ª¡±


    Sylvie released a tangible wave of mana to project her displeasure, cutting the white dragon¡¯s words short once more.


    ¡°Neriah of n Mayasthal will obey,¡± the dragon uttered quickly before turning to the other two. ¡°Escort Lady Sylvie to her destination.¡±


    Wheeling away, the white dragon flew at speed to the east, deeper into the Beast des.


    Only then did I sense the subtle movement of mana from that direction, like a light breeze was blowing it westward over the Beast des. ¡°What is that?¡± I asked Wren, who had so far looked on in silence and not addressed the dragons directly.


    ¡°Lord Indrath has opened the way between the words,¡± he said softly. ¡°Epheotus lies bare to the wider universe.¡±


    ¡°You two, give us some space,¡± Sylvie ordered the green and red dragon. ¡°You are not escorting prisoners.¡±


    The green nodded respectfully before banking away, flying a few hundred feet to our starboard. The red hesitated, inspecting her closely, then his gaze went to me and his face hardened. Much more slowly than his counterpart, he drifted away.


    Our ship picked up speed and corrected course so we were flying straight toward the Grand Mountains.


    In the distance, more dragons became obvious, flying over the mountains and the border between the Beast des and the Elenoir Wastes.


    A shield of wings, fire and ws.


    ¡®A shield¡­or a prison,¡¯ Regis sent back with a smirk. ¡°Let¡¯s see which it is.¡±

 Chapter 433: Respect and Regards

    The droning of the mana-powered skyship shooting through the air provided a calming ambient static as I sat down at the foot of the ship cabin¡¯s bed where Sylvie was lying down. Outside, the pressure emanating from the two remaining dragons was a constant reminder of their presence. The third had left after a brief conversation with the others, and I could only assume she was reporting either to Windsom or directly to Kezess himself.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me,¡± Sylvie said, shifting as she tried and failed to getfortable on the stone bed. ¡°I just need more time to recover from being brought back. These waves of fatigue and difort¡­I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll pass. My body and mind need to recover and process, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Sylvie¡­¡± I started, then trailed off, not sure how to ask what I needed to. ¡°I keep seeing things, shes of memory from our linked minds, of my life¡ªGrey¡¯s life. But what I see doesn¡¯t make sense, because they¡¯re not my memories, even though they¡¯re things that happened to me. How¡­¡±


    I thought I¡¯de to terms with the whole reincarnation thing years ago. But every time I learned some new piece of information about how I came to this world, it furtherplicated my understanding.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can exin with words,¡± Sylvie said, propping herself up on her elbows. ¡°But I can let you in. I¡¯m already struggling to hold onto those memories. Only a part of me was there, pulled through time and space by the copsing portal you¡¯d ripped in our universe, while the rest of me followed you to the Relictombs and became that¡­stone egg.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to cause her unnecessary strain, but the desire to understand what was happening overpowered my fear, and even my empathy. ¡°If you think you¡¯re strong enough.¡±


    My bond smiled, closed her eyes, andid back. ¡®Open your mind to me fully.¡¯


    I did as she requested.


    I was reliving thosest moments all over again, watching as she sacrificed herself for me through her own eyes, and then the diffused energy of her being was pulled apart. The memories were cloudy and distorted, but I recognized my own previous life ying out in front of me, seeing it from Sylvie¡¯s perspective, who stayed by my side through it all, right up until¡­


    It was difficult to understand.


    ¡°Nico thought the spell went wrong. That Agrona had miscalcted, bringing me to the wrong ce at the wrong time, but¡­it was you. You interrupted his spell¡­you made me a Leywin.¡±


    I stood, rubbing my hands over my face as I struggled to make sense of what I¡¯d seen. But of the dozens of questions I had, one in particr thrust itself forward, and I asked it almost without intending to. ¡°The infant¡­did I kill him when I took the body? Alice¡¯s¡­son?¡±


    Sylvie¡¯s arms were wrapped around her torso, and she was shivering slightly. The mental link between us closed off and she curled in on herself, wrapping her arms around her knees. ¡°No, Arthur. There was no other soul there. The body¡­I think you were fated to have it.¡±


    I moved to sit next to her and rubbed her arm to warm her. From the memory, it hadn¡¯t been clear, and I wasn¡¯t sure if Sylvie could really know that, but I didn¡¯t press her further. ¡°Thank you for showing me the memories.¡±


    She nodded, her thin frame trembling even harder.


    Withdrawing a nket from the gear stashed in my dimension rune, Iid it over her, and she was asleep in moments. Uncertain what else to do, I returned to the foot of the bed.


    ¡®That¡¯s a whole lot to process,¡¯ Regis sent from the deck of the ship, where he was keeping an eye on our dragon escorts with Chul.


    My mother had once, not so long ago, struggled with the question of whether or not I was truly her son. It had never been a question to me before, but now, knowing that it had been Sylvie who ced me inside that particr baby, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what it meant for my rtionship with my family.


    The question I had asked Sylvie was only one of many stuck in my brain like a pebble lodged in a horseshoe. More answers seemed necessary to understand why my life had be what it was. How could Sylvie have known what baby to bring my soul to?


    Knowing that no amount of self-reflection would bring answers to the questions I had, I did my best not to think about them. Instead, I withdrew the keystone I¡¯d received from thest ruin. So much had happened in such a short amount of time¡ªdiscounting the fact that nearly two months had passed in the blink of an eye, of course¡ªthat I hadn¡¯t been able to give the keystone more than a passing thought since returning from the Relictombs with it.


    Sitting with my legs crossed, I rested the small cube in myp, considering its dark, matte surface. Both the previous keystones, which had helped me gain insight into Aroa¡¯s Requiem and Realmheart respectively, had provided difficult, prolonged puzzles for me to solve. Although my mind was unsettled, I felt a thrill as I prepared to imbue the cuboid relic with aether.


    My excitement soured only momentster as I mentally withdrew from the keystone. I stared down at it, stricken, then attempted to imbue it with aether a second time. My consciousness was pulled into it, the same as the other keystones, then¡­nothing. I simply came back to myself. I couldn¡¯t reach the keystone¡¯s inner realm at all.


    Activating Realmheart, I stared at the stone cube. Both mana and aether clung to it, but that fact alone didn¡¯t reveal anything about the keystone¡¯s inner workings or suggest what I needed to do to operate it.


    Not willing to give up immediately, but incredibly frustrated that I¡¯d met with failure so quickly, I continued attempting to interact with the keystone, pushing more¡ªand then less¡ªaether into it, shaping the aether in specific ways, and using aether to manipte the mana as well, but nothing I tried allowed me to progress into the inner realm where I would hopefully gain insight into a new godrune.


    Feeling defeated, I finally put the relic away when Regis informed me that we¡¯d crossed the mountains and were now flying over the desert. Joining the others on the deck, I watched the sand dunes and rocky crags speed by below us.


    Chul had his weapon out and was slowly moving through a series of choreographedbat techniques. His eyes were closed, but he must have felt me watching him because he said, ¡°I would have preferred to spar with you, but Wren rightly worried that the force of our sh might shatter his conjured construct.¡±


    ¡°There will be real enemies to fight soon enough,¡± I said absently.


    Chul guffawed. ¡°I do not n to fight Agrona¡¯s forces, my brother in vengeance. I will break them.¡±


    I shook my head, a tentative smile creeping across my face. Some of my tension eased, and I fell into idle conversation with Regis and Chul. All too soon, though, our destination approached, and what waited for us wed its way back into my thoughts.


    I pointed out a crack in the ground to Wren¡ªone of the many surface entrances to the dwarven tunnels surrounding Vildorial¡ªand we began descending toward the sand. Sylvie was already up when I went to retrieve her, and within a couple minutes we were standing on the baking stone at the edge of the small ravine.


    Both dragonsnded as well, transforming into their humanoid forms. The green dragon became a tall, blond man in dark armor that shimmered emerald when the light caught it at a certain angle. The red¡¯s humanoid form was shorter and more wiry. His jet-ck hair and robes contrasted sharply against his pale skin, but his ochre eyes and scowl were the same.


    ¡°Come, Guardian Vajrakor will be waiting for you,¡± the blond asura said stiffly. He took the lead down into the ravine while his counterpart moved to the rear of our group.


    Wren Kain dismissed the ship, allowing it to dissolve and flow as sand, then followed close on the first dragon¡¯s heels.


    ¡°Ah, if only we could stand beneath the sun¡¯s warming gaze for a while longer before delving back under the ground,¡± Chul said, his eyes closed and face turned to the sun. He was smiling broadly.


    I said nothing, too tense to make conversation.


    Inside the tunnel entrance, which was hidden within the shadows of the ravine, we were greeted by a cadre of guards. The dwarves bowed to the dragons, hardly even taking stock of who apanied them, and let us through without issue.


    We passed through several more barricades on the route to Vildorial. After the third such obstruction, where the dragon offered a quick call and response to the guards before they allowed us through, I brought it up to our guide.


    ¡°The guardian has done much to increase the security of this city,¡± he exined as we continued to march quickly. ¡°Several of the old tunnels were copsed and many additional guard posts erected, along with a password system to ensure lcryan sympathizers and spies aren¡¯t able to move freely within Darv.¡±


    I didn¡¯t miss the tone of usation, as if the fact that these things hadn¡¯t been done before exined why the dragons were needed so badly.


    The final gate into Vildorial was already open when we arrived, and a small crowd was waiting for us on the other side.


    I saw Ellie and Mom before anyone else.


    Rushing past the troop of soldiers, counselors, and lords, I let my mother pull me into a tender hug. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said quietly. ¡°I¡¯ll exin everything, but I didn¡¯t intend to be gone so long and without sending a message. For me it¡¯s only been a few days.¡±


    My mother gave me a smile that I thought was somewhat stiff. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Arthur, you don¡¯t have to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Jerk!¡± Ellie snapped, punching me hard in the arm. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡ªSylvie!¡±


    Ellie¡¯s anger melted away as she made the realization. She slipped around me and jumped on my bond, wrapping her arms around Sylvie and squeezing fiercely, tears already spilling down her cheeks. ¡°You¡ªyou¡¯re alive!¡± she squealed, her throat constricted by the sobs racking her.


    Sylvie patted Ellie¡¯s back. ¡°I am, though perhaps not for long if you continue to crush the breath from my body.¡± Sylvie beamed at me over Ellie¡¯s shoulder, leaning her head against my sister¡¯s.


    A strong sensation of being home washed over me, doubled in potency as I experienced my own emotions and Sylvie¡¯s simultaneously. The moment was then immediately interrupted when Daglun Silvershale, the lord of one of the most powerful dwarven ns, interposed himself between me and my family.


    ¡°Ahem. Excuse me General Arthur, but I, along with these other fine lords, have been sent to greet you on behalf of Guardian Vajrakor.¡± Somewhat btedly, he bowed to the two dragons escorting us, looking nervous, then continued. ¡°He awaits you in¡ª¡±


    I missed whatever else Daglun was saying as my attention settled on Varay, who had also been waiting with the group of dwarves and my family. It had been awhile since I¡¯d seen the other human Lance, who¡¯d spent time helping to clear the cities of Sapin of several cryan holdouts. Although her white hair was now short, she hardly seemed to have changed at all since I first met her at Xyrus Academy years ago.


    She was watching me intently, her gaze an icy ray that conjured goosebumps on my arms.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked, stepping around the still-speaking Daglun, who sputtered with indignation.


    Varay gave me a shallow nod of greeting. ¡°Wee back. It was an¡­unfortunate time for you to disappear.¡± There was a note of reproach in her voice, but it was shrouded beneath the frost of her icy stoicism.


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡± I nced meaningfully back at the dwarven lords, all of whom were giving me disapproving res. I noticed that Carnelian Earthborn, Mica¡¯s father, wasn¡¯t among them.


    ¡°There is a situation I thought you would want to be apprised of immediately,¡± she continued.


    Daglun cleared his throat. ¡°Perhaps we should allow Guardian Vajr¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lord Silvershale,¡± Varay cut in. ¡°Neither the dragons nor your Council of Lords have the authority tomand the Lances.¡±


    Daglun¡¯s fists clenched and face flushed. He turned his back on us and began an urgently-whispered conversation with the other dwarven lords present.


    The dark-haired asura stepped forward, giving Varay a withering re. ¡°Arthur Leywin is being escorted directly to Vajrakor. You have no business interrupting us, Lance.¡± He grabbed me by the upper arm and attempted to drag me along after him.


    I nted my feet, causing the dragon to be pulled back mid-step. He tugged once more, but I stood unmoving, aether and anger simmering under my skin, controlled but ever present.


    My head turned as I regarded the dragon with a gaze that made him freeze. ¡°Did we not make it clear earlier?¡±


    The dark-haired asura¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°What do you¡ª¡±


    ¡°We are not escorting prisoners,¡± the blond asura interjected, prying hisrade¡¯s hand off of my shoulder. ¡°But it is important that you¡ª¡±


    ¡°It appears that there are more pressing issues that require my attention,¡± I said formally, giving them a cold, courtly smile. ¡°Inform him of my arrival if you wish.¡±


    The two dragons exchanged an uncertain look, then Wren stepped in. ¡°I¡¯ll apany you in Arthur¡¯s stead.¡± Out of the side of his mouth, he added, ¡°And try to keep this all from blowing up in our faces.¡±


    After a moment¡¯s hesitation, the blond asura turned and began to march quickly away. His dark-hairedpanion lingered a moment, his suspicious gaze shifting between Wren and me, then spun and followed. Wren let out a deep sigh and trailed behind them.


    Varay¡¯s dark brown eyes lingered on the asuras before returning to me. ¡°Before you left, an cryan woman arrived in the city via some kind of teleportation artifact. She imed to know you. I¡¯m told that you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Teleportation artifact?¡±


    The memory of my rushed departure from Vildorial crashed into me like a thunderbolt. Daglun had said something about ¡°the cryan,¡± and I had assumed he was talking about Lyra Dreide.


    ¡°This cryan, what color is her hair?¡±


    Brows rising ever so slightly, Varay answered, ¡°Blue.¡±


    I bit back a curse. ¡°Take me to her.¡±


    Daglun, having watched this exchange from the side, looked stricken. ¡°But Generals Arthur, Varay, you really must¡ª¡±


    ¡°Feel free to return to the pce, Lord Silvershale, your job here isplete,¡± Varay said frigidly.


    The dwarves responded with a collective ¡°harumph¡± before marching away, allowing me to finally turn my attention back to my family.


    Ellie was standing at Sylvie¡¯s side, both arms around her waist and head on her shoulder. ¡°So we¡¯re all going to rescue Caera? Awesome! Let¡¯s go.¡± She started to pull away from Sylvie.


    Confusion at how Ellie knew who Caera was quickly turned to worry at the thought of my family present if there was a confrontation with an irritated dragon.


    My mouth opened to hurriedly form an excuse when my bond cut in.


    ¡°Eleanor, it sounds like things might get busy. I¡¯d like to spend some time with you and Alice before we have to rush off again. Can you show me where you live?¡±


    Ellie nced between Sylvie and the upper levels of the city, looking torn.


    ¡°I¡¯ve no interest in helping you serve cryans, only to face them inbat.¡± Chul red at me as if I¡¯d offended him simply by knowing an cryan. ¡°I will explore this dwarven city for a time.¡±


    ¡°No, you need to stay with¡ª¡±


    ¡°And he¡¯s gone,¡± Regis said, watching Chul march quickly away, heading down toward the lower levels and drawing stares from everyone he passed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine?¡± Sylvie said, unable to keep her voice from rising into a question at the end of her statement.


    Careless as always, Regis immediately forgot about Chul as he nudged my mom. ¡°So, I just spent two months floating in empty nothing-space, and I¡¯m famished. Would you be so kind as to fix me a home-cooked meal, Mama Leywin?¡±


    Mom scratched Regis¡¯s head. ¡°I guess. Do you even need to eat, though?¡±


    Regis bent low to scoop my mom onto his back. She squealed in surprise and struggled for a ce to hold on, not trusting to plunge her hands into his fiery mane.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t many things I need, but there are a whole lot that I want!¡± Regis trotted down the curved highway, taking my mother with him.


    ¡°At least if I have your bond, I know you can¡¯t vanish again,¡± Ellie said with a hint of a pout, letting Sylvie lead her away.


    ¡®Do not lose sight of why the dragons are in Dicathen in the first ce,¡¯ Sylvie reminded me as she descended along the highway. ¡®This Vajrakor will test you. It is our way, apparently. But he won¡¯t go outside of whatever orders my grandfather has given him.¡¯


    I¡¯ll mind my manners, I thought back, turning to Varay, who had looked on with her customaryck of outward emotion throughout this exchange. ¡°Now, perhaps, you can take me to her.¡±


    We did not go to the prison but continued on directly to the dwarves¡¯ royal pce, Lodenhold Hall, a huge fortress carved into the walls at the highest level of the cavern.


    We were nearly to the pce before Varay spoke. ¡°The cryan woman was treated well on Lance Mica¡¯s order, though she was kept imprisoned for the sake of security. The other one, Lyra, was able to confirm the prisoner¡¯s identity but had no knowledge of your rtionship. Things changed when the dragons arrived, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, heat rising to my face.


    ¡°When Vajrakor discovered her presence in the prisons, he had her transferred to a holding cell in the pce. He thought to extract information from her on Agrona¡¯s ns. Mica, Bairon, and I attempted to dissuade him, encouraging him to wait until you returned to verify her identity, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Obstinate fool,¡± I sighed. ¡°She¡¯s an ally.¡±


    ¡°Of yours, perhaps, but not the dragons¡¯.¡± Varay stopped before leading us into Lodenhold. ¡°You should know, Arthur¡­the dragons seem to be working to undermine you. Your presence may not be well received.¡±


    ¡°The only dragon I need to worry about is Kezess Indrath,¡± I assured her. ¡°He¡¯ll keep the rest of his soldiers on a leash as long as our deal stands. For now, if the dragons¡¯ presence keeps Agrona from attacking again, let them drag me through the mud.¡±


    Varay regarded me intently for a second, then nodded and continued on.


    We moved quickly once inside the pce grounds. I could feel the burdensome aura of Vajrakor¡¯s mana signature, which made the air inside the fortress heavy. Unlike my many previous visits to Lodenhold, the entrance hall was empty. Those who had previously been given shelter within its carved walls likely relocated when it was taken over by the dragons.


    Varay led me through several tunnels, each one narrower, shorter, and dimmer than thest, until we reached a heavy iron door blocking the way. Varay knocked. A te slid to the side at the eye level of a dwarf, which was somewhere around Varay¡¯s sternum.


    ¡°Ah, General Varay, we weren¡¯t expecting anyone to¡ªoh! And General Arthur, returned from the dead yet again, I see. Does the, uh, guardian know you¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°Open the door, Torviir,¡± Varaymanded.


    The dwarf¡¯s eyes, previously squinted in suspicion, now went wide. The window slid closed with a rasping nk. A murmured exchange between the guards was muffled by the thick door. After several frustrating seconds, I heard a heavy bar drawn aside, and then another, and finally the tter of a chain, and the door swung inward.


    Torviir stood in the open door. He was stocky, even for a dwarf, and his weathered skin bore the scars of many battles. His bright red hair had faded to an ashen red-gray with age, but his eyes were still sharp as flint, though the corners were creased with obvious difort. ¡°General, as you well know we have strict orders to¡ªGeneral!¡±


    I moved around the guard, knowing full well he wasn¡¯t about to try and stop me. The second dwarf took a step back, looking increasingly nervous.


    The chamber was no more than eight by ten feet, barren except for a small table and two chairs. Two more heavy iron doors were set in the wall opposite the room¡¯s entrance. Both the doors and the walls around them were rune-etched to prevent them from being assaulted with magic.


    ¡°General, I must insist¡­¡± Torviir said halfheartedly.


    Ignoring him, I approached the right-hand door and slid the viewing window aside, peering into the gloom beyond. The narrow, dark cell was empty. As I moved to the left, I prepared myself for the worst. When the window slid aside, a beam of dim lightnded on the prone form of a woman in rags. Her eyes opened and turned toward the light, gleaming scarlet.


    Grabbing the door¡¯s handle, I heaved. The series of bolts that secured the door groaned and bent, but it was the stonework that gave way first, bursting apart with a shower of rock dust. The door flew open, ripped free as the hinges sheered, and embedded itself into the wall.


    ¡°Torviir, Bolgar, you are dismissed,¡± Varay said behind me. ¡°I¡¯ll cover for you when he arrives.¡±


    I didn¡¯t need to turn around to know they¡¯d obeyed as their heavy bootsteps and the nging of their armor receded down the hall away from the prison cell.


    Caera scrambled back against the wall but came up against the end of the length of chain that bound her mana suppression shackles to the floor. ¡°G-Grey?¡± she asked, her voice cracking with dehydration and disuse.


    Hurrying to her side, I took hold of the chains and ripped them off the shackles. Then, being careful not to hurt her in the process, I pried the manacles apart, freeing her wrists.


    Wordlessly, I helped her up off the floor and led her slowly out of the cell.


    ¡°Grey¡­¡± Caera was looking up into my face, searching my eyes so intensely it felt like she was trying to make sure I was real. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a shaky hug.


    Then she pushed me away, ring at me with an authority that channeled her mentor, the Scythe Seris Vritra, and pped me across the cheek. ¡°How dare you leave me imprisoned for¡ªfor¡ª¡± She threw her hands up in frustration. ¡°However long it''s been! Where were you? Seris¡­is she?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything yet,¡± I said, frustration, guilt, and disappointment seething within me. ¡°I just found out you were here ten minutes ago, and I came straight here. What are you doing in Vildorial? In Dicathen? Seris should have known better, she¡ª¡±


    ¡°She sent me to you for help,¡± Caera said, her gaze skating off my face as she struggled to focus. ¡°Things were not going as well as they could have been, she wanted¡­¡± Caera¡¯s face fell. ¡°Vritra¡¯s horns, what will have happened to her? It¡¯s been so long.¡±


    I held her straight, leaning down slightly so I could look into her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Caera,¡± I said again, anger beginning to bloom from the alchemy of my other emotions. ¡°These dragons¡ª¡±


    A furious pressure built up so suddenly that my words caught in my throat. Caera, already weak from her long imprisonment, sagged back into my arms, and Varay had to steady herself on the wall, her legs trembling.


    Aether flooded my muscles, reinforcing and steadying me so that when the dragon arrived at the end of the hall, I was standing as still as a statue, unbent.


    Appearing in his humanoid form, Vajrakor was my height, but had a lithe build that belied his asuran strength. Flowing ck hair tumbled around his shoulders and eyes the color of lcs met mine across the length of the hallway. He stopped short, his expression shifting from fury to surprise. He smoothed this away almost instantly, but not fast enough that I hadn¡¯t seen it.


    Straightening his loose-fitting robes, which were cut from rose quartz silk and embroidered in a soft purple thread that matched his eyes, Vajrakor lifted his chin and stepped forward at a more controlled pace. ¡°Arthur Leywin. For weeks you¡¯ve been absent from the face of the very continent you begged us to protect, and yet the first thing you do upon return is help the enemy. Exin yourself.¡±


    ¡°The world is a messy shade of gray, where enemies can be allies and allies¡±¡ªI let a minute pause break up my words, holding Vajrakor¡¯s gaze¡ª¡°can be enemies.¡±


    Helping Caera to stand straight, I took a step away. She was strong, and she forced herself up to her full height even under the weight of the dragon¡¯s presence. Stepping past Varay, I approached Vajrakor, arranging my features into a businesslike smile and extending my hand. ¡°Before we get into what I can only assume will be a heated argument, how about we show some level of courtesy since it seems like we¡¯ll be seeing each other quite frequently.¡±


    Vajrakor made no move to take my hand. ¡°There will be no argument, especially not with a lesser pretending to understand aether.¡±


    ¡°Yet Kezess seems to be very interested in what I pretend to know.¡±


    ¡°When you speak of him, you will do so appropriately. It is Lord Indrath.¡±


    ¡°Then as a courtesy to your Lord Indrath, I will let your uneptable treatment of my friend pass this once, on the assumption that it was out of ignorance.¡± I stepped slightly closer, just too close to be polite. ¡°Because if I were to believe that Lord Indrath¡¯s guardians were taking my friends and allies as hostages and torturing them for information, then we''d have a problem.¡±


    Vajrakor drew in a long breath, seeming to swell as he did so, blocking the hallwaypletely. ¡°Windsom has told me much about you, Arthur Leywin, but try as he might he could not fully express the depths of your arrogance, apparently. You are not my equal in this, not in political stature and certainly not in raw strength. I¡¯m not done with that one yet, and youck the power to take her from me.¡±


    I smiled, showing my teeth. ¡°Neither of us knows if that¡¯s true, but only one of us is willing to find out. We both know what would happen to you, even if you fought and defeated me. You¡¯re here because Kezess wants knowledge that I have. Does your baseless confidence extend to standing up against your own overlord?¡±


    His facade of confidence cracked, just slightly, as a shadow of doubt passed over his face. ¡°Such disrespect for the dragons here to save you from an enemy that has already defeated you.¡±


    ¡°Respect?¡± Caera asked, the word grinding out from beneath her teeth. Slowly, she pushed herself up so she could stand straight as she addressed Vajrakor. ¡°Is that what you¡¯ve shown me here, monster?¡±


    ¡°Monster? You carry the filth of Agrona Vritra¡¯s blood in your veins and call me monster?¡± He chuckled. ¡°You can¡¯t even see yourself for the perversion you are, lessuran.¡±


    I cocked my head and narrowed my eyes at the dragon. ¡°While I¡¯ve enjoyed our little debate, I do have better things to do, so allow me to speak in the way you may best understand: If you wish to be my ally, you will step aside. Stand in my way and I will consider you an enemy.¡±


    Vajrakor¡¯svender eyes grew bright with anger, but he moved aside, seeming to shrink as he did so. ¡°The world is made up of shades of gray, indeed,¡± he sneered.


    Pulling one of Caera¡¯s arms around my shoulder to support her, I led her down the tunnel. ¡°You dragons catch on quickly.¡± Varay moved like a shadow behind us.


    ¡°Lord Indrath will be most curious as to the reason for your unnecessary hostility. I¡¯ll inform him of your return¡ªand attitude¡ªimmediately,¡± the dragon said to my back.


    ¡°Send him my regards.¡±

 Chapter 434: Fellowship Forged

    Vajrakor¡¯s presence receded with each step we took while Caera¡¯s strength returned bit by bit. Cramped tunnels gave way to sprawling, ornate halls, and finally, to the open expanse of Vildorial¡¯s primary cavern. From the steps of the pce, the entire underground metropolis sprawled out before us.


    Varay eyed me with an air of uncertainty, clearly second-guessing how I¡¯d handled the altercation with the dragon. ¡°I¡¯m going to make sure that Torviir and Bolgar are sufficiently insted from this situation, then I have my own duties to attend to. Will you be in the city long?¡±


    I nced at Caera. ¡°Probably not.¡±


    ¡°Be careful, Arthur,¡± she said, a small frown creasing her brow. ¡°Despite winning back our continent, I can¡¯t help but feel as if Dicathen has never been in more danger than it is right now.¡±


    I let out a humorlessugh. ¡°What¡¯s that saying about frying pans and fires?¡±


    ¡°Except in this case, it is dragon¡¯s fire,¡± Varay said darkly. She held out her hand to Caera. When Caera took it, Varay pressed something into her palm. ¡°I grabbed this when I heard Arthur was approaching the city. I know I¡¯m only returning what is yours, but I want you to know that, if Arthur trusts you, I do too.¡± Then her feet lifted off the ground and she flew out into the open cavern.


    Caera slid an ornate ring onto her finger, her gaze shifting to me as she fidgeted anxiously. ¡°I am¡­grateful that you came. And I apologize for striking you, I¡ª¡±


    I waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I deserved worse. You never should have had to endure that, any of it.¡±


    Silence fell between us, and I awkwardly started walking, trying to think of what else to say. I¡¯d been forced to leave crya without exnations or goodbyes; thest time I saw her, she still thought I was Ascender Grey. I wouldn¡¯t me her if she hated me for my lies, but Iforted myself with the fact that Seris had known the truth and still sent Caera to find me.


    ¡°My mother is an emitter¡ªa healer,¡± I said after a couple minutes just to break the awkward silence. ¡°She can mend your wounds.¡±


    ¡°My wounds aren¡¯t important,¡± Caera said forcefully, then her mouth mped shut and she looked away.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, watching her from the corner of my eye. ¡°For this, and for lying to you about my identity.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it makes us even,¡± she said humorlessly, still not looking at me.


    A patrol of dwarven guards stopped to watch us, nervously fingering their weapons. I kept an eye on them until we had moved past and they resumed their march.


    ¡°Where were you?¡±


    ¡°The Relictombs are built in a dimension all made of aether. The zones just sort of¡­float, disconnected from everything in this vast aetheric ocean. I used that aether to bring back my old bond, Sylvie, the one who¡­¡±


    ¡°Who sacrificed herself for you? And you seeded? In bringing her back, I mean.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± I hesitated to continue, turning my senses inward to my aether core.


    The broken shards of my original mana core were still fused together within a solid barrier of aether, an almost crystalline structure. The core had taken on a deep magenta color when I originally forged it, but had darkened with each subsequentyer. Now, the threeyered core was a vivid purple sphere resting dark and heavy in my sternum. Eachyer provided greater refinement of the stored aether and allowed more aether to be drawn in and stored inside the core.


    When I had first forged the aether core, I could hardly condense enough for a single aetheric st. It had taken significant training and refinement of the core to allow for even two or three sts, but adding a secondyer had increased my capacity exponentially in an instant.


    There hadn¡¯t been time to test what my core¡ªand by extension, what I¡ªwas capable of doing now, but it felt different, more potent, like a miniature sun trapped in my chest.


    Speaking falteringly, I continued, exining what I had done and why. ¡°Unfortunately, disconnected from the world, none of us were capable of sensing the passage of time.¡±


    ¡°So you spent two months meditating and gathering aether?¡± Caera asked, sounding dumbstruck. ¡°Grey, that¡¯s¡­insane.¡±


    I rubbed the back of my neck, embarrassed. ¡°Honestly, it was probably longer since time seems to move faster in the Relictombs.¡±


    Caera shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s true. It could have been six months for all you know¡­¡± She let out a long, weary sigh. ¡°You could have ended up noting back at all.¡±


    We were interrupted by someone shouting my name, and I realized we were passing through one of the small markets that dotted the highway. A young elven girl ran up to me, pressed a dried flower into my hand, then sprinted away giggling. Most of those we had passed by simply stared at us, but the focus was always on Caera.


    I had grown used to the horns wrapping around her head like a crown, but to the people of this continent, those horns made her look like an enemy.


    ¡°Why did Seris send you to Dicathen?¡± I asked, turning off the winding highway toward the gates of the Earthborn Institute. ¡°And without your pendant to hide your horns?¡±


    ¡°She said she needs¡ªneeded you in crya soon. But that was¡­¡±


    ¡°Two months ago,¡± I finished for her.


    ¡°I was attacked on my way to the tempus warp. An ally of Seris¡¯s, another pupil, betrayed her,¡± she continued, her words dripping icy venom. ¡°I was nearly captured, only just escaped Scythe Dragoth Vritra. I must have lost the pendant during the battle.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± I said slowly, letting the word linger in the air. ¡°My friend Haedrig is dead then?¡±


    Caera gave a startledugh. ¡°Oh my. I hadn¡¯t even considered that.¡± Her momentary smile faded. She had dark circles under her eyes, and I could practically see her straining to keep them open. ¡°Perhaps you were right. Seris shouldn¡¯t have sent me here. You aren¡¯t even cryan. What¡¯s happened to your people, to your¡­family¡ªyou don¡¯t owe us anything. If I¡¯d known¡­¡±


    I had still been supporting Caera¡¯s weight while we walked, but now she pulled away from me. When she spoke again, it was with an air of resignation. ¡°You have your own battles to fight, I understand that now. If you can just help me get back to cryan, I will¡ª¡±


    Gently taking hold of her forearm, I stopped. She did the same, her scarlet eyes full of questions.


    ¡°In that convergence zone, the first time we really met, I was just figuring out what was going on. I was ready to leave everyone there to die once I realized you were all cryan. You were enemies, and I thought you all had to be twisted, evil monsters. It was simpler for me to think that.¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°Caera, you showed me the truth about this war. You and ric, Seth and Ma, everyone I met who was just trying to get by on a continent darkened by Agrona¡¯s shadow. You aren¡¯t my enemy. The asuran tyrants who seek to mold this world into their own cruel little ygrounds¡ªor worse, burn our world to the ground. They are our enemies.¡±


    She gazed up at me for a moment, then gave a small shake of her head. ¡°Does anything frighten you?¡±


    I hung my head, suddenly ashamed. ¡°I¡¯m terrified, Caera. Of not being powerful enough, smart enough, clear-headed enough. But most of all I¡¯m scared of losing. Too many people already look up to me like I¡¯m some kind of deity. I just need you to be¡­my friend.¡±


    Her eyes searched mine for a long moment, her lips slightly pursed, and then she heaved a long, melodramatic sigh. ¡°Fine, fine. And here I was, all ready to start the first Temple of Grey, He Who Walks Among Us.¡±


    I snorted but couldn¡¯t hide my smile as we started walking away. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯ve managed to retain your sense of humor through everything.¡±


    Caera¡¯sughter died on her lips, her face darkening. ¡°The dragon¡¯s idea of torture was little worse than what any cryan child faces when they begin training for their trials.¡± But each step she took was heavy, and I knew she was hurting more than she let on.


    My amusement shriveled within me.


    We didn¡¯t speak anymore until we reached the unassuming door that led into my mother and sister¡¯s home in Vildorial, a small suite of rooms within the Earthborn Institute itself. The door opened before I could knock. Sylvie smiled and stood aside, waving us in.


    ¡°Your sister had me paranoid you were going to vanish,¡± she said lightly. ¡°I think she¡¯s nning to shackle herself to you so you can¡¯t leave her behind again.¡±


    ¡°Sylvie!¡± Ellie yelled from across the room, indignant. ¡°That was supposed to be a secret.¡±


    I led the way in and scooped Ellie into a bearhug. ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re not mad at me anymore?¡± I asked, crushing her to me.


    ¡°Irate,¡± she gasped, squirming to get free. ¡°Oh, hi Lady Caera, d my goon of a brother was able to get you out of there.¡±


    I started to release her, frowning. ¡°Did I miss something? How do you¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, Ellie stiffly pulled loose of my grip. She straightened her clothes and looked past me. I followed her gaze to Chul, who had appeared in the doorway behind Caera and me. My brows rose.


    ¡°Um, hi,¡± Ellie said, brushing past me and holding out her hand to the half-asura. His hand engulfed hers. ¡°We didn¡¯t get introduced earlier. I¡¯m Eleanor Leywin.¡±


    ¡°Chul,¡± he said politely as he scanned the small living room.


    ¡°You have really pretty eyes,¡± she added, staring up into the orange and blue orbs.


    He looked away and released her hand. ¡°They are like battle gs, proudly disying to the world that I am descended from the phoenix and djinn races. Our enemies should tremble at the sight of them.¡±


    ¡°Um, of course,¡± she said, taking a step back and smiling awkwardly. She walked backwards for a few more steps, then turned and marched into the kitchen. ¡°Mom, Arthur is here with morepany!¡±


    Regis, who was lying on his side on the floor, his stomach distended, rolled onto his feet to give Caera a small bow. ¡°Mdy. d to see you embracing your horns. The trio, back together again atst.¡±


    Sylvie appeared from the kitchen arch wearing an uncertain smile, caught halfway between amused and ufortable. ¡°What¡¯s he¡ªoh, really now! Regis! Don¡¯t be crass.¡±


    Just as I was beginning to regret all my life decisions, my mother appeared. She gave me a peck on the cheek as if to assure me that everything would, in fact, be all right, then stiffened at the sight of Caera. ¡°Oh, dear, look at you!¡± She whisked across the room to Caera¡¯s side, slipped her arm around the startled cryan, and then red at me. ¡°Arthur Leywin! How dare you drag this young woman around the city in this state.¡±


    I opened my mouth to defend myself against this unfair usation, second-guessed the impulse, and let my mouth slowly close.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get you cleaned and patched up,¡± Mom said, leading Caera toward the hallway that connected to the bedrooms and bath.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine, Mrs. Leywin, seriously, there¡¯s no need to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Call me Alice, dear, remember?¡±


    Caera threw an uncertain look back at me, but I could only mirror her look back as Mom led her deeper into the rooms. A litany of concerned muttering trailed behind them.


    ¡°How¡¯d you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, Mom was called in to heal Caera¡¯s wounds when she first arrived,¡± Ellie said conversationally. ¡°When I heard she supposedly knew you, I went to see if it was true. She¡¯s, ah, pretty cool.¡± Something about the way Ellie looked at me as she drew out the word ¡°cool¡± made me squirm ufortably.


    ¡°What an amusing family you have,¡± Chul chimed in. He made his way to the couch and eased down on it, testing its strength to make sure it would hold him. When it didn¡¯t copse, he nodded in satisfaction. ¡°I have looked around this city and decided I have seen enough. Everyone stares at me and there are no enemies to bash. Unless you count the dragons, which I understand are off limits for now. So, when do we start killing basilisks?¡±


    Ellie returned from the kitchen and leaned against the archway. ¡°So, you¡¯re all definitely going to rcya then?¡±


    ¡°Our first point of business is to rescue Seris,¡± Regis said, sitting up and looking serious. ¡°If there is anything of her little rebellion left to save.¡±


    ¡°We are, but we can¡¯t just run off. Caera needs time to rest, and we need to get organized.¡± I paused, following the progress of a powerful aura approaching us. ¡°There is still a lot I need to wrap my head around. I won¡¯t feel right about leaving the continent until I know certain wheels are in motion.¡±


    ¡°My grandfather will be furious that you didn¡¯t bring me to him immediately,¡± Sylvie mused.


    I shrugged, already heading toward the door. ¡°I don¡¯t think trying to ingratiate ourselves with Kezess is a winning strategy in any situation,¡± I said over my shoulder.


    Opening the door, I looked out into the hallway just as Wren Kain floated around the corner on his stone chair. The titan always wore a look of fused irritation and disappointment, but now he disyed both in abundance.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s about how my meeting with the city¡¯s guardian left me feeling, too,¡± I said,miserating with Wren Kain¡¯s mood.


    ¡°Still more enjoyable than being forced to train an idiot lesser child,¡± he snapped, pulling up short in his floating throne, which took up most of the hall¡¯s width. His eyes narrowed. ¡°I can see you have something on your mind. What is it you¡¯re nning?¡±


    Chul appeared behind me. One big fist hammered against his chest in a kind of solute. ¡°Elder Wren Kain, fourth of your name, wee to the strange, ustrophobic abode of n Leywin. There will be a great many things here for you toin about, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Comining is how I get things done,¡± Wren countered, leaning back farther into his throne.


    ¡°If you really wanted to help, you would join us in crushing the Vritra,¡± Chul went on. ¡°Aldir said you can control an entire army of golems at once. That would be a useful ability when we face Agrona¡¯s forces.¡±


    ¡°If Arthur was eager for help inbat, perhaps he shouldn¡¯t have executed one of Epheotus¡¯s greatest warriors,¡± Wren shot back, the emotion in his voice surprisingly raw and visceral.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± I answered quietly. It was one thing to keep up the lie for Mordain and an audience of phoenixes, but an entirely other thing to continue lying to Wren, especially considering what I needed to ask him. ¡°Aldir chose to exile himself in that ce. It was his suggestion that I use his ¡®death¡¯ to earn des from both Kezess and the people of Dicathen.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª¡±


    Wren cut himself off, glowering at me. ¡°Your story stinks more than titan bear shit. Why would Aldir do that?¡± The asura huffed before I could answer, then said, ¡°Ah, that damned pantheon and his sense of honor. Of course he did.¡± He looked me up and down with a disappointed grimace. ¡°I was stupid to believe that you¡¯d somehow killed Aldir anyway.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, one brow raised slightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I had to lie to you, Wren. I wasn¡¯t sure if I could trust everyone in the Hearth.¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡± Chul burst out, crossing his massive arms over his broad chest. ¡°My family has roosted for too long. None of them would have interfered either way. They see themselves as separate from the world. And perhaps they are, because they have been made to be, no longer wee in Epheotus but not fitting in here. The Hearth might as well be locked in time. Once thest of the djinn faded¡­¡±


    Chul trailed off, then snorted and returned back to my family¡¯s rooms.


    ¡°Listen, Wren, I need to speak to you. Would youe with me?¡± I asked, d to have cleared the air between us so that I could speak my mind more inly.


    Wren¡¯s scraggy brows rose, and he leaned forward in his seat. ¡°So, you do have something on your mind. Fine, lead the way.¡±


    I sent a probing thought to Regis and Sylvie.


    Regis groaned directly into my mind in a way I found somewhat grotesque. ¡®Too full, I might have ruptured something. Staying right where I¡¯m at, thanks.¡¯


    ¡®I want to speak more with Ellie,¡¯ Sylvie thought. ¡®I¡¯m eager to learn more about her spellform.¡¯


    I¡¯ll be back soon, I thought, leading Wren deeper into the institute''s winding passages.


    We hadn¡¯t gone far before a bestial snuffling noise brought me up short. A huge, hairy mana beast was approaching along the hallway, so broad he took up nearly the entire width.


    ¡°Boo, I was wondering where you¡¯d been,¡± I said, standing aside to let the guardian bear pass.


    He snorted and grunted before stopping to sniff at Wren, who made his throne shrink in order to clear the way.


    ¡°Windom¡¯s gift to your sister, I presume,¡± Wren noted, peering appraisingly at Boo. ¡°He seems to have been handled well. A strong bond for a teenage human.¡±


    Boo let out a huff that blew Wren¡¯s hair back, then continued down the hallway, his bulk shifting from side to side with each step.


    I considered what Wren had said. It was easy to forget that Windsom had gifted Boo to Ellie. So much had changed since then, it was difficult to think that Windsom had ever been anything but my enemy.


    ¡°So what¡¯s your n exactly?¡± Wren asked a minuteter as we made our way down into the lower passages of the Earthborn Institute.


    I had to think about this before I could respond. I¡¯d expected to spend some time navigating the new power dynamic of the dragons embedded throughout Dicathen. Mordain¡¯s warning was still fresh in my mind, and I needed to know the people of the continent were safe. Finding Caera in Vildorial had shifted my priorities, however.


    ¡°I need to know what¡¯s happening in crya.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ll go yourself.¡± Wren picked at the ends of his messy hair, frowning thoughtfully. ¡°You¡¯ll need eyes and ears here in Dicathen, though. Who do you trust?¡±


    This question also required some thought. ¡°Virion Eralith. He¡¯s dealt with asura before; even Aldir never cowed him. And the other Lances. To be honest, as a group we were pretty self-absorbed and insufficient during the war, but I¡¯ve seen how much Bairon and Mica have changed. I can¡¯t see any of them being subservient to an asura like Vajrakor.¡±


    ¡°Is that it?¡± Wren asked, derision dripping from the words. ¡°I¡¯d expected better of you.¡±


    ¡°In less dire circumstances, I would say there are many others I trust. Considering who we¡¯re up against¡­¡± I let the statement hang in the air, then continued. ¡°I need your mind, Wren. I don¡¯t think I can do this without you.¡±


    ¡°Intriguing. Do go on.¡±


    ¡°Once I¡¯ve introduced you to your new team.¡±


    A few minutester, we entered the door of one of several undergroundboratories within the Earthborn Institute. The room we entered was more cluttered than thest time I¡¯d visited, with stacks of parchment spread over every surface. Several more tables and shelves had been brought in, and a wide variety of hand-drawn diagrams covered the walls. I couldn¡¯t even begin to take it all in.


    Emily Watsken, her curly hair pulled into a messy knot at the back of her head, looked up from her work, and her eyes went so wide they nearly eclipsed the thick, round sses she wore. ¡°Arthur!¡±


    Her shout immediately preceded the noise of a body part cracking against something hard, which was followed closely by a pained curse and then an explosion. Parchment flew everywhere, and theb began to fill with smoke.


    A figure stepped out through the haze, his eyebrows smoldering. Burning parchment rained around him. ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t the bane of my existence. Where did you vanish to this time? Land of the gods? A secret third continent full of magical talking lemons?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s the third time I¡¯ve transcribed those notes!¡± Emily whined.


    Something began emitting an angry buzz, and the smoke was pulled to one corner. The room quickly cleared, and I realized an artifact in the corner had drawn in all the smoke. Emily was standing next to the artifact, empowering it with mana. She waved, her hand smudged with dark stains. ¡°Don¡¯t take it personally, Arthur. He¡¯s d to see you. In fact, he¡¯s been practically distraught at your absence, as its¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, be quiet, Watsken,¡± Gideon snapped, scowling at his pupil. ¡°Anyway, now that you¡¯re back, there are several things to discuss. First, though, who is this?¡± He looked suspiciously at Wren.


    Wren was inspecting a nearby diagram. ¡°Huh, this isn¡¯t the worst. A little rudimentary in its use of mana, but the idea itself is almost clever.¡±


    ¡°Gideon, this is Wrain Kain IV. He¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°An asura, obviously,¡± Gideon interrupted waspishly. ¡°What do you mean, rudimentary?¡±


    I stepped in between them. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to waste on you twoparing the size of your beakers. Have the dragons interfered at all with your work?¡±


    Gideon managed to look both insulted and self-satisfied. ¡°No, I¡¯ve kept our primary purpose quiet, using the fire salt-imbued weaponry as cover. Windsom himself came to investigate, since he knew me from the war, but he barely looked at the weapons before writing them off as inconsequential and leaving me to it. I don¡¯t think these dragons of yours have much respect for us lessers.¡±


    ¡°Weapons?¡± Wren turned away from the diagrams, looking genuinely interested. ¡°What¡¯s this about then?¡±


    I exined what we¡¯d already developed. Gideon put in technical details here and there, and Emily made a point to correct us both when necessary. ¡°But the dragons¡¯ arrival has made this even more pressing. Empowering our mages is important, but they make up only one percent of Dicathen¡¯s poption. Weapons alone aren¡¯t going to be enough, not really.¡±


    Thinking it through even as I attempted to exin it, Iid out my idea. The others only interrupted to ask a question or point out some contradiction as I circled around my purpose, but confusion and skepticism quickly transformed into interest and then, dare I say it, even excitement.


    ¡°It¡¯ll never let a magicless lesser stand up against an Indrath n warrior,¡± Wren said after the entire idea had beenid out. ¡°But it would make Dicathen less dependent on old Kezess.¡±


    ¡°And less subject to his threats to abandon us,¡± I finished. ¡°Can you handle this? It¡¯ll need to be kept quiet from Vajrakor and the rest of the dragons, of course.¡±


    Wren and Gideon exchanged a look that sent a shiver of pure horror down my spine as I wondered what I had wrought on the world by introducing the two.


    Emily¡¯s expression mirrored my own feelings, and she mouthed the words, ¡°What have you done?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been forging weapons since before this continent had a name,¡± Wren said smugly. ¡°Whelps like Vajrakor and the rest of these baby dragons don¡¯t scare me.¡±


    Gideon snorted. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve brought me an able assistant, boy. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll manage. Or blow up half of Vildorial in the process. Now, we should really talk about¡ª¡±


    ¡°No time now,¡± I interrupted, backing toward the door. ¡°When I get back.¡±


    ¡°You just got back,¡± Gideon grumbled, throwing up his hands.


    ¡°Well, bye then,¡± Emily said from across the room, waving weakly.


    I raised my hand in a gesture of farewell, then was out in the hall and already hurrying back to my mother¡¯s rooms. Despite the urgency of everything that needed to be done, I felt a sense of peace. I could see it allid out in front of me like a Sovereign¡¯s Quarrel board and, at least for the moment, I knew what move came next.

 Chapter 435: Entourage

    ¡°All I can say with certainty is that Sehz-r fell, but Seris escaped,¡± Caera said. ¡°This knowledge was provided by Lyra of Highblood Dreide before the dragons arrived, and may be weeks out of date.¡±


    ¡°But we can use this to get anywhere, right?¡± Ellie asked, indicating the heavy chunk of hammered metal that looked vaguely simr to a cksmith¡¯s anvil.


    ¡°Almost anywhere, yes,¡± Caera confirmed. Her index finger tapped on her lips as she considered the tempus warp, which I had acquired from the Wraiths. ¡°But that only helps us if we know where we¡¯re going.¡±


    ¡°Why not go straight for the throat?¡± Chul leaned forward on his elbows, his orange eye gleaming with an internal fire. ¡°We can use this to go anywhere, you say? So we could attack Agrona directly.¡±


    ¡°Almost anywhere,¡± Caera repeated. ¡°Taegrin Caelum is an imprable fortress guarded by Vritra magic and technology.¡±


    ¡°My grandfather sent an entire force of asuras to assassinate Agrona, and they failed,¡± Sylvie added. ¡°We don¡¯t know how or why. Until we do, it¡¯s too risky to face Agrona directly, especially in the seat of his power.¡±


    Silence fell around the table, the only sound was of Boo, who was sitting in one corner grooming himself loudly. A day had passed since our arrival in Vildorial. Caera, Chul, Ellie, Sylvie, Regis, and I sat around arge table with the tempus warp resting between us. We were deep under the Earthborn Institute in a chamber that was shielded against both sound and mana, so even Vajrakor would have a hard time spying on us if he was motivated to do so.


    I pointed at Caera, thinking over what she¡¯d said. ¡°But Lyra Dreide might know more. I don¡¯t trust Vajrakor enough to go to him for information, but it makes sense that Lyra¡¯s been keeping an eye on crya. If Seris¡¯s efforts are in any way being made in the public eye, then we might be able to figure out where to start.¡±


    ¡°Vajrakor had considered locking her up as well,¡± Caera said, a bitter edge creeping into her tone. ¡°He was musing about it one day while pressing me for information, trying to use her continued freedom against me. Apparently he banned her from traveling and threatened to burn the cryan encampments¡ªand the cryans in them¡ªif she didn¡¯tply. I know she gave him some information because he then used me to verify it, but I can¡¯t be sure that he wasn¡¯t just attempting to manipte me further.¡±


    ¡°More cryans?¡± Chul stood up from the table and turned his back on us. ¡°We blend the lines of ally and enemy too much.¡±


    ¡°Careful there, wise one, you¡¯re sounding an awful lot like Vajrakor,¡± Regis japed.


    Chul stared at Regis for a long moment, seeming to roll this thought around, then returned to his seat. ¡°So I am.¡±


    There was a knock at the stone double doors that led into the room, causing Boo to let out a low growl.


    Activating Realmheart, I verified the mana signatures of those beyond, then opened them and allowed Gideon and Wren Kain in. Mica was approaching just behind them, and I held the door open for her as well. Wren immediately slumped into a chair that grew up out of the ground for him even as he sat in it, while Gideon found a seat at the table.


    Mica leaned against the back wall with a frown carved across her face. She had abandoned the uniform of the Lance in favor of simple dwarven armor and a heavy fur cloak that added to her bulk, disguising her childlike frame. A ck gem shone from within her left eye socket.


    I stepped out of the room, closing the door behind me to ensure the seal remained intact, and waited for the rest to join us.


    Varay was the next to arrive. We exchanged a few polite words, and I let her into the meeting chamber.


    My mother looked incredibly nervous when she turned the corner into the hall, but rxed when she saw me. Pulling me into a hug, she kissed me on the cheek and then looked searchingly into my eyes. ¡°Arthur, what¡¯s this all about? I¡¯m not made for sneaking around.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but grin. ¡°You¡¯ve survived being an adventurer, a front-line medic in the war, and my mother.¡±


    She rolled her eyes and swatted me yfully. ¡°That¡¯s true, I suppose. It¡¯s a wonder all my hair hasn¡¯t gone gray and fallen out,¡± she said, plucking at a length of gray among her auburn locks.


    ¡°Before you go in¡­¡± I withdrew something from my dimension rune and held it out to her. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about this a lot, and I want you to have this.¡±


    She carefully plucked the milky white stone from my palm, turning it over to look at the many facets. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember that ring Vincent Helsea gave you when I started adventuring?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s kind of like that, except¡­well, if you are able to use it, you should be able to check on me or Ellie and see exactly what we¡¯re doing. I thought¡­I didn¡¯t want you to have to worry. Unless of course you turn it on and find me being ripped apart by angry aetheric monsters,¡± I added.


    My mother¡¯s cheeks paled at my joke, and she pressed the stone back on me. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s best that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, rubbing the back of my neck. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯d make me feel a lot better if you kept it. I¡¯ve only been able to use it to see you and Ellie anyway, and if Ellie is with me¡­¡±


    She sighed and took hold of it with both hands. ¡°Okay, what do I do?¡±


    I¡¯d given this some thought since I used aether to activate it. Although it took time to recharge after each use, it drew in its own aether, so it was only a matter of triggering it. ¡°Just send in a burst of healing magic. When it touches your mind, think about Ellie.¡±


    ¡°Should I¡­?¡±


    I nodded, and Mom closed her eyes and imbued the relic. I watched as her healing magic interacted with the vivum in the atmosphere, drawing it to the relic, then as the tendrils of aether reached out to her in response.


    ¡°Oh,¡± she said softly. The connection cut off and her eyes blinked open. ¡°I could see her speaking with Chul.¡± Her eyes jumped to the closed doors. ¡°Inside that room. Oh, thank you.¡± She pulled me into another hug.


    ¡°It takes a few days to be used again, so you won¡¯t be able to watch us every step of the way,¡± I exined.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably a good thing,¡± she replied, staring down at the stone and turning it over and over in her hands. A small smile yed across her face. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m strong enough to resist the urge of checking to make sure you¡¯re okay every five seconds, and I have far too much to do for me to lose myself to this artifact.¡±


    Behind her, the final guests entered the hall. She waved at Virion and Bairon, then I let her into the meeting chamber.


    Virion put his hands on my shoulders and looked me up and down. The old elf was unchanged physically, but it was clear that the events of thest couple years had drained him of the exuberance and vitality he had once possessed in abundance. ¡°It¡¯s strange. Sometimes, when it¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve seen you, I almost expect to find that sixteen-year-old boy waiting for me.¡± His smile faltered, and he patted my cheek. ¡°Then I see this hair, these eyes, this face, and I wonder if it can really be you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get sentimental on me, Gramps,¡± I teased, although my heart wasn¡¯t in it. ¡°There¡¯s¡­a lot to catch you up on.¡±


    ¡°Brat,¡± he muttered, and together, we entered the chamber. There was an ominous finality in the way the heavy door closed with a thud.


    My gaze tracked across everyone there, all the people I trusted most, even against the maniptive power and authority of Kezess Indrath. ¡°Thank you foring, everyone. This won¡¯t take long.¡± I took a moment to introduce everyone for the benefit of those who didn¡¯t know each other.


    ¡°I have news, and I have a request,¡± I said when that was finished. Not intending to make too much of a ceremony over it, I withdrew Silverlight, Aldir¡¯s sword, from my dimension rune and held it up. ¡°This weapon belonged to the pantheon asura, Aldir.¡±


    The reaction was immediate. Varay and Mica exchange a wary look, while Virion stiffened, his jaw clenching.


    ¡°Aldir was the asura responsible for the destruction of Elenoir. That crime has now been punished. Aldir will never harm another human, elf, or dwarf, and I carry his weapon as proof.¡±


    Locking eyes with Virion, I maneuvered around the table until I was standing right in front of him. Carefully, I held out the silver rapier with both hands. Fingers trembling, he reached for it.


    His flesh passed through the solid metal as if it were a reflection on water. Ripples ran through the silver, and with each undtion the rapier dissolved further until nothing remained but light. Before I could react, the light condensed into a single point, like a silver star, and then shed across the room.


    It swerved past Wren¡¯s face then zipped at Varay, turning aside just before striking her chest. Bairon jerked away as it skimmed the crown of his head, then it shot at Mica.


    Finally, so fast even I didn¡¯t have time to intercede, it struck Ellie in her sternum. My sister was rocked backwards, her body mming into Boo¡ªwho had rushed to her side the moment the star had begun zipping around¡ªand his bulk cushioned her.


    Mother let out a choked gasp, and the Lances had weapons and spells at the ready, Bairon holding Taci¡¯s red spear out toward my sister as if afraid she might attack.


    With one hand, Ellie was rubbing at her sternum, appearing more in shock than pain. In her other hand, silver light was flowing into the shape of a long, bent staff.


    ¡°Ellie, are you okay?¡± Mother asked, already channeling a healing spell.


    ¡°Y-yeah, just¡­startled,¡± she said, still checking herself over to be certain her words were true.


    ¡°Oh, put that away,¡± Wren scolded Bairon, who in turn shot the titan a distrusting nce. ¡°Unless you n on sparring with the Leywin child and her new weapon.¡±


    I honed in on Wren, who wore an amused and yet still irritated expression. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Silverlight has chosen the girl for whatever reason. An asura¡¯s weapon is bonded to them. Sometimes it will allow no other master, other times the dying asura may release it to find a new hand to carry it. A weak bond may be ovee by a strong enough spirit.¡± As he said this, he indicated the red spear still clutched in Bairon¡¯s fists.


    Mica¡¯s focus lingered on the bent staff. ¡°So, what, we¡¯re just handing asuran weapons to children now?¡±


    Mom scowled at Mica but said nothing.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like much of a weapon to me,¡± Chul chimed in, bending closer to inspect the staff.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bow,¡± Ellie answered.


    Boo sniffed at it, and I realized Ellie was right. What I¡¯d mistaken for a curved staff was the body of an unstrung bow.


    ¡°In this case, Silverlight has always been malleable by nature. She has chosen young Eleanor to wield her, and in doing so taken on the form that will be most useful. You should be proud to have been found worthy by such a weapon,¡± Wren concluded, his gaze bearing heavily down on my sister.


    Ellie¡¯s eyes were wide as full moons and nearly the same color as they reflected the silver gleam of the asuran artifact. This wasn¡¯t exactly what I¡¯d intended, but I couldn¡¯t pretend not to be pleased that she would have such a powerful weapon. ¡°But there is no string.¡±


    ¡°I said Silverlight recognizes you as worthy. As for ready¡­¡± Wren shrugged carelessly.


    Boo gave a grunt as if to disagree with Silverlight¡¯s judgment before returning to his corner. Sylvie patted his rump consolingly as he went by.


    I returned my attention to Virion, as I wasn¡¯t finished with my news yet. His gaze was distant, pointed in the direction of the shimmering bow but not focused on it.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve provided justice, Arthur, and I thank you for it.¡± He let out a breathyugh, but it was almost a sob. ¡°And yet, it feels so shallow.¡±


    My brows creased in confusion. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°I know that, for the people of Dicathen to stand united, this needed to be done,¡± he replied softly, ¡°but perhaps I didn''t truly wish for Aldir, who I once respected greatly, to perish. Can one death ever truly make up for millions?¡±


    I wished then that I could tell him the truth of what had happened, but I knew it would only undercut anything that might be gained by Aldir¡¯s sacrifice. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s true that justice can never end in death, or it bes vengeance instead. In that case, perhaps this can be the true justice your people¡ªour people need.¡±


    I swallowed heavily, nodded, and withdrew another object. Setting the small box on the table, I pushed it toward Virion. He took it delicately, opening the lid as if afraid it might shatter. His heavy brows knit together, the harsh lines of such heavy emotions smoothing into simple curiosity.


    ¡°This soil is from Mount Geolus in Epheotus,¡± I exined. ¡°I¡¯m told it¡¯s capable of growing nts anywhere¡ªeven somewhere destroyed by the World Eater technique.¡±


    With one trembling digit, Virion reached for the dirt, but he did not touch it. When he met my eyes again, there was a clear and desperate need written in them. ¡°Truly?


    Sylvie shifted in her seat. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to describe to anyone who hasn¡¯t seen Epheotus, but ording to asuran history, the soil of Mount Geolus spread life to the entire realm.¡±


    Virion¡¯s face was turned toward the table, and a tear dropped from his nose to ssh against the stone. Bairon rested a hand on Virion¡¯s back, looking down helplessly.


    When Virion finally looked up, his eyes were red but empty of tears. He had to clear his throat before speaking. ¡°It is this, life rather than death, that might bring hope to the elves, as it has brought hope¡ªfor so long a distant and unreachable thing¡ªinto my heart. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Good. Well, then.¡± I paused, searching for what I was trying to say.


    Wren had made his way around the table and was whispering in Ellie¡¯s ear. My sister was concentrating very hard on the staff in her hands, but it didn¡¯t seem to be responding. She let out a loud sigh, then hurriedly pped her hand over her mouth in embarrassment.


    ¡°There is another reason I¡¯ve asked all of you to be here,¡± I continued. ¡°As part of my deal with Kezess, he has sent dragons to Dicathen to protect the people from Agrona. Things are never as simple as that, though, when dealing with asura.¡±


    Varay was the first to respond. ¡°You¡¯re worried about the dragons manipting public support in favor of Kezess instead of our own leaders¡ªsuch as you.¡±


    I let my response simmer for a moment, not wanting to misspeak considering the potentially dire circumstances. ¡°I¡¯ve never desired to be ruler of Dicathen, not as king or regent or anything else. But if the dragons gain enough sway over the citizens, Kezess will use it against us. The people may not see it now, but there would be very little difference between life under Kezess¡¯s rule than Agrona¡¯s.¡±


    Everyone was nodding along as I spoke. I hadn¡¯t expected any dissent, but I was still d not to be taken by surprise. ¡°Dicathen needs not only hope, but strength. We need to empower humans, dwarves, and elves alike so that their only choice isn''t to bow to whatever higher power they see as the lesser evil. Which is why Wren Kain IV¡±¡ªI indicated Wren, who was still standing beside Ellie¡ª¡°is going to be working on my half to ensure we are capable of doing just that. I¡¯m asking that you help him and Gideon in any way they need.¡±


    ¡°Help them how?¡± Bairon asked, the first words he¡¯d uttered since his arrival.


    Sparing them too many extraneous details, I exined some of what Gideon and Wren would be attempting to aplish, as well as how I expected Kezess to proceed with this new phase of the war. There were several questions, but after a few minutes I started pushing these questions to Wren, hoping to establish some kind of rapport between the groups.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do what we can,¡± Virion said as the conversation began cooling down. ¡°The dragons have hardly acknowledged me, but the elves still see me as their de facto leader for the moment. Those of us who are left.¡±


    Mica leaned away from the wall and strode up to the table. She rested her elbows on it and leaned forward, her steely gaze jumping from me to Wren. ¡°If we¡¯re working to ensure these dragons don¡¯t make ves of us all, then you know I¡¯m in.¡±


    Varay said nothing, but she didn¡¯t need to.


    I stood, and everyone else followed suit. ¡°We¡¯re leaving immediately. If Vajrakor or the otherse looking for me, there is no need to hide where I¡¯ve gone. Do your best to maintain good rtions with the dragons. Keep their focus on me, don¡¯t bring attention to yourselves if you can avoid it.¡±


    I opened the doors, and Virion strode out first, clutching the box tightly in both hands. He gave me a small nod and a distant smile, an expression that made him look as old as he was.


    Bairon followed right behind him. ¡°Don¡¯t take a year this time, eh?¡±


    ¡°Only a couple of months.¡±


    Bairon frowned at my attempted joke. ¡°Farewell, Arthur.¡±


    Behind him, Mica adjusted her cloak and levered her thumbs into her belt. ¡°Just go do what you need to, all right? I¡¯ll take care of things here.¡±


    Varay rested her hand on my arm for just a moment, then followed the other Lances out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t die, kid, as that would be incredibly inconvenient,¡± Gideon grumbled, marching past with barely a look in my direction.


    Wren¡¯s chair had disconnected from the ground and was floating along in Gideon¡¯s wake with Wren lounging atop it. Instead of addressing me as he left, he focused on my sister. ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it with that weapon. Just because it has chosen you doesn¡¯t mean it won¡¯t burn you up if you invest too much of yourself in it.¡±


    I bit my tongue, avoiding the impulse to pile on the warnings.


    Besides thoseing with me, only my mother lingered, her arm around Ellie¡¯s waist, looking increasingly nervous.


    Knowing we would need to move quickly, I had already seen to all the necessary preparations for an extended journey, which were safely stored inside my dimension rune.


    Wasting no more time, I activated the tempus warp. The artifact gave off a warm glow as it opened an opaque portal next to the table, hanging like an oil spill in the air. ¡°Regis, you go first.¡± Regis leapt into the portal without hesitation.


    Chul didn¡¯t wait for me to send the next person through. Instead, he loudly proimed, ¡°Like the spears of war, smoky dog and I will clear the path for ourrades,¡± then he too was gone. Caera and Sylvie hurried through behind him. When it was Ellie¡¯s turn, Mom gave her a big hug and took a step back. Ellie shot me two thumbs up before skipping into the portal, and Boo trundled in just behind her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say how long we¡¯ll be gone,¡± I told my mother, putting one arm around her in a quick side-hug.


    ¡°Well, at least I¡¯ve got the stone thing,¡± she said, smiling in a way that I didn¡¯t find entirely convincing.


    ¡°The Orb of Long-Ranged Stalking,¡± I said, suppressing a grin at her expression. ¡°Bye, Mom. And be careful.¡±


    ¡°You too, Arthur.¡± She gave me onest firm squeeze, then stepped back, standing tall and maintaining her determined expression as she watched me confidently. It was enough to push me on, even though I hated leaving her behind yet again.


    Drawing the tempus warp into my dimension rune, I stepped through the portal.


    The transition was seamless. I stepped from within the underground chamber in Vildorial and out into bright sunshine. A cool breeze was blowing from the north, bringing with it the smell of ash. Beneath our feet was a smooth, cobbled path. We had arrived in the first of a series of encampments that skirted the border between the Elenoir Wastes and the Beast des.


    The portal faded out behind me as I took in our surroundings. Simple, square buildings had been erected in rough rows along the path. They were grayish-brown, and I suspected the bricks that formed them had been made out of the ash.


    Arge number of cryans were watching us warily. Most wore simple tunics and breeches, and they were almost all covered in ash from whatever work they¡¯d been doing that morning. I was immediately struck by how normal they looked without their ck and red armor or their runic tattoos proudly disyed. They could have been farmers or miners from any vige in Sapin.


    ¡°We¡¯re looking for Lyra of Highblood Dreide,¡± I announced, scanning the crowd.


    Many of the cryans exchanged looks with their neighbors, and a few whispered among themselves, their words too quiet for me to pick up.


    A bald man with a thin, patchy beard and a dark smudge across his cheek stuck the shovel he was carrying into the ground. ¡°Lady Lyra will be here soon. She does her rounds every day, making sure things are in order and everyone has what they need.¡± There was a bitterness in his voice that didn¡¯t seem targeted at Lyra.


    ¡°She visits every encampment each day?¡± I asked, surprised.


    ¡°Unlike the person who sent us here to barely survive in this wastnd,¡± the man said, meeting my eye and spitting on the ground.


    ¡°Thoren!¡± a middle-aged woman scolded, ncing at me fearfully. ¡°Forgive him, Regent. We appreciate what you¡¯ve done for us! But not everyone transitions from the life of a soldier to being a hunter or farmer easily.¡±


    I stepped up to the cryan she¡¯d called Thoren, my expression leveled but stern. ¡°I understand your frustration, but I¡¯m certain you can agree with me that this is better than the inside of a prison cell¡ªor the bottom of a shallow grave.¡± My gaze swept our surroundings, taking in the signs of life andmunity in the once-destend. ¡°The fact that you¡¯ve been so sessful in carving out a chance at survival here, under the guidance of the one cryan leader who has shown she cares for your wellbeing, tells me I made the right decision.¡±


    The man stared at the ground. ¡°Yes, well, I suppose when you put it like that.¡± He marched away without another word, his shoulders hunched and shovel held like a spear.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here¡ªRegent Leywin!¡± a honey-rich voice said. Turning around, I found the once-retainer, Lyra Dreide, striding confidently along the pathway in our direction. Her me-red hair spilled down over her shoulders, standing out in stark contrast against the in, rustic clothes she¡¯d adopted. ¡°Ah, and Lady Caera as well. I¡¯ll admit, I feared for you in the clutches of that beast, Vajrakor.¡±


    ¡°Retainer Lyra,¡± Caera said, giving the other cryan a small smile. ¡°We are actually here looking for you.¡±


    The crowd around us broke up, the cryans going back to their duties, and Lyra gestured for us to follow her. We walked along between the rows of buildings. Most had nters full of herbs out front, and I saw where two wells had been erected. Everything was geared toward purpose, nothing appeared to be ornamental.


    And all of it, everything, was colorless. Even the ground, where no grass grew, was just a darker shade of gray against the lighter cobblestone path. To our right, the horizon grew dark with greenery from the Beast des. Rows of raised-bed farming plots broke up thendscape. Dozens of cryans were hard at work hauling soil and water, minding crops, and erecting new beds with abination of physical and magicalbor. Beyond them, several mages stood guard facing the Beast des.


    On the other side of the vige, the northward horizon simply vanished in a heat haze above rolling gray hills.


    ¡°Not exactly a great view, is it?¡± Lyra mused, following my line of sight. ¡°Still, we¡¯ve done quite well here. There is a certain¡­peace to it.¡±


    A keening cry suddenly interrupted the rustic silence, and it took me a moment to recognize the sound.


    ¡°A baby,¡± Sylvie said, arriving at that conclusion a moment before I did.


    Lyra smiled and brushed the bright hair from her face. ¡°Our first. An cryan child born on Dicathian soil. What exactly does that make him, Regent?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know, but Lyra saved me the trouble of struggling for an answer. ¡°Our presence draws a steady supply of edible mana beasts out of the Beast des, and we have found several moon oxen that must have been far enough south when¡­and we¡¯ve managed to start a few crops with seed sent by that Helen Shard woman. Yes, I¡¯d say we¡¯ve done as well as could be hoped, considering.¡±


    Turning south, Lyra led us away from the settlement and toward the edge of the forest that marked where the Elenoir Wastes ended and the Beast des began. Clusters of yellow grass grew up here and there, and then a few sparse, living trees among the ck remains of many more dead ones. It wasn¡¯t until we approached within a few hundred feet of the denser forests that she stopped beneath the outstretched limbs of a dying tree.


    ¡°You¡¯ve brought an entourage,¡± she said, standing with her hands on her hips. ¡°Eleanor, my apologies for not saying so earlier, but I am d to see you, of course. And Regis, you too I suppose. But who are these others?¡±


    ¡°I am Chul.¡± He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down his nose at Lyra. ¡°I cannot say I am pleased to meet an cryan, but Arthur considers you an ally, so I must do the same.¡±


    ¡°And this is my bond, Lady Sylvie of n Indrath,¡± I continued.


    ¡°Indrath¡­¡± Lyra¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at Sylvie. ¡°Oh my, I¡­¡± She nced between us, perhaps the only time I¡¯d ever seen her at a loss for words. ¡°Well, these are strange times. But it is of course a pleasure to meet you, Lady Sylvie.¡±


    ¡°Just Sylvie,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m about as much an Indrath at the moment as Chul.¡±


    Chul snorted, turning away.


    Lyra chuckled, rxing. ¡°So, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Retainer Lyra, we need to know what¡¯s be of Scythe Seris,¡± Caera said into the silence that followed.


    Lyra bit her lip, frowning. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised you hadn¡¯t heard. I¡¯ll tell you what I can.¡±


    Activating a dimension artifact, she withdrew arge roll of parchment. The ash between us expanded upwards and out, forming a table, and sheid out the parchment to reveal a map of crya. It was covered with notes. A few more pieces of parchment appeared from the dimension artifact, and she set these strategically around the map.


    The Legacy, we learned, had torn down the shield around Sehz-r and cornered Seris. In typical fashion for her, however, she was ready for Cecilia, broadcasting the confrontation for the entire continent to see.


    ¡°But then, and this was a true stroke of genius, her forces attacked the Relictombs and took over the second level, somehow blocking the ascension portals and preventing anyone else from entering,¡± Lyra exined, her voice rich with awe.


    ¡°No,¡± Caera gasped, her hand covering her mouth. ¡°She had spected such a thing was possible, but I never thought¡­¡±


    Lyra held up a scroll that I recognized as an artifact to transmit messages over great distances. ¡°Indeed. My sources are a couple of weeks old, but there has been no news from the Relictombs since she first took them several weeks ago. If I know anything about the High Sovereign, I think it is likely he is simply waiting her out. The second level has no crops or industry. No matter how well prepared she was, she can¡¯t host her rebellion within the Relictombs indefinitely.¡±


    I felt Sylvie¡¯s confusion bubble up through our connection as she tried to get a grasp on everything being said. Regis took the lead in filling in the gaps for her while I focused on Lyra.


    ¡°We need to get to crya and verify that nothing has changed,¡± I told the others. ¡°If she¡¯s still holed up in the Relictombs, I may be the only person who can get to her¡ªa fact that no doubt yed a role in her n.¡±


    ¡°It seems as if Scythe Seris nned on upying the Relictombs until you arrived to support her, Regent, but that has been months,¡± Lyra said warily. ¡°She will have undoubtedly nned for potential dys and tangents, but even she has certainly been pushed to the very end of her resources.¡±

 Chapter 436: Obscured

    A child¡¯s scream cut across our conversation, bringing Lyra up short.


    We all tensed as I searched for the source of the noise, expecting to rush into defensive action. A momentter, I rxed, letting out my held breath.


    Several children ranging from perhaps eight to their early teens were chasing each other between the plots of raised farnd. The girl in the lead was sprinting with a heavy leather ball in her arms while the others struggled to steal it from her.


    A boy, slightlyrger, caught her arm, and she attempted to throw the ball to another girl. However, it was too heavy andnded several feet short. It rolled into the path of another child, who kicked it wildly by ident, sending it careening in our direction.


    ¡°Why are there children here?¡± Ellie asked, confused.


    Lyra watched the children y with a distant expression. ¡°Many cryan families had taken up residence in ces like Xyrus and Etistin. Mostly those of higher ranking soldiers. They have nowhere else to go.¡±


    The ball rolled to my feet. The children stopped chasing it, keeping their distance as they stared at me nervously. I tossed the ball into the air with my toe before kicking it back over their heads, sending it sailing. A chorus ofughter broke out among the kids as they took off after it again.


    When I turned back around, Lyra was inspecting me intently.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to crya,¡± she said, ¡°there is something I¡¯d like to ask of you.¡± A stack of rolled scrolls and folded parchment appeared from her dimension ring. ¡°Some of the people here have written letters to their bloods in crya, but I¡¯ve had no other opportunity to send them.¡±


    Chul snorted. ¡°Are we to be postmen now? Letter carriers for the enemy?¡±


    ¡°Of course we¡¯ll take them,¡± Caera said, stepping forward to ept the stack of letters from Lyra. She gave me a questioning look.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be an issue getting them to crya, at least,¡± I said nomittally, feeling more in agreement with Chul than Caera.


    Lyra let out a clear, honey-richugh, and I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as well. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to go door to door and deliver them, Regent. But thank you. Your assistance in this, though it may seem menial to you, is greatly appreciated.¡±


    Caera clutched the letters with care for a long moment before sending them into her dimension ring. ¡°Do we have a destination in mind, then?¡±


    ¡°Is there somece in crya where we¡¯ll be safe?¡± Ellie asked in response, fidgeting nervously. Under her breath she added, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going to another continent.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know where to start. Lyra, is there somece nearby that is out of sight of the vige? I¡¯d rather not upset your people by activating a portal to crya right in front of them.¡±


    Lyra agreed before leading us to a small but thriving copse a bit farther away from the vige. It was thick enough to shield us from prying eyes.


    Withdrawing the tempus warp, I set it on the ground among the yellow grass and activated it, using aether to mold the mana as necessary. The tempus warp glowed, bright in the shadows of the spreading tree limbs, and a portal appeared next to it.


    This time, Caera went first. I couldn¡¯t be entirely sure what was waiting on the other side, and I wanted a familiar face to step out of the portal.


    The rest followed quickly.


    ¡°Thank you, Lyra,¡± I said, offering the retainer my hand.


    She took it. ¡°Things areing to a head, Regent. I can¡¯t help but feel that Agrona is done biding his time. He does nothing without a n, and even if his asuran nature sometimes makes him aloof in the moment, I do not believe anything that has happened is outside of his intentions. Even his defeat here in Dicathen.¡±


    ¡°For our sake, I hope you¡¯re wrong,¡± I said, squeezing her hand firmly one more time before releasing it.


    As I reimed the tempus warp, I felt my gaze drawn into the middle distance. Beyond the trees, I could still hear children ying andborers shouting, followed by the low, mournful trumpeting of a moon ox. I thought of soldiers bending the nature of their attack spells to till and water crond, of organized battlegroups working in concert to build homes instead of destroying them.


    I realized that weaker people might have starved out here, or let their situation be so dire they felt no recourse except to attack again, but the cryans had thrived.


    Who could have guessed that the woman once responsible for spreading Agrona¡¯s vicious lies to this continent would be the same person who now stood beside me, dedicating her life to the betterment of those Agrona¡¯s saw only as fodder?


    Seeing the possibility of better days on the horizon after so long at war, I stepped into the portal.


    I was enfolded in trembling light, which took a moment to coalesce into solid shapes as I appeared at my destination. Disembodied voices seeped into my awareness before I could make sense of the shapes, several different voices, most of them shouting.


    As the blurred colors took on meaning, I realized I was facing a wall of defensive spells. Obscured by several shields of wind, fire, ice, and translucent panels of mana was a two-story brick estate, which in turn was surrounded by green hills and golden fields. The portal had deposited us right in the middle of a finely maintained yard, and Chul had his foot in a bed of tangerine-colored bulbs.


    He also had his weapon out, and he was scowling at the opposing mages. Regis had jumped in front of him, dissuading Chul from leaping at the cryans, while Ellie, holding Silverlight like a quarterstaff, had taken cover behind Boo. Caera had stepped forward with her hands raised over her head and was now calmly attempting to defuse the situation.


    ¡°We¡¯re not a threat, just rx. My name is Caera of Highblood Denoir. Please, just¡ª¡±


    One of the shields melted away, and a young woman stepped out through the defensive line. Her orange hair faded to yellow at the tips, framing her disbelieving face and bright hazel eyes. ¡°Professor Grey?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t attack my friends, Briar,¡± I said, slowly stepping out in front of the others. ¡°That would make this pretty awkward all around.¡±


    One by one, the other shields flickered out, revealing several young mages, all school age. The only one I recognized immediately was Adem, Darrin¡¯s ward. The boy¡¯s dark eyes had gone cartoonishly wide at the sight of me, and his face broke into a huge grin. All around him, the other young mages began to chatter excitedly, looking to Adem for confirmation of what Briar had just said.


    The front door of the estate mmed open, and Darrin rushed out into the sunlight, wind already swirling around his fists. At the sight of me, he pulled up short, his expression copsing into pure shock, then relief, and finally into a grin almost as wide as Adem¡¯s.


    ¡°Grey! You incorrigible ass, I nearly soiled myself when the perimeter rm went off,¡± he said, getting a round of unsureughter from the crowd of teenagers. ¡°What in the Vritra¡¯s name are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I could ask you the same thing,¡± I replied, letting my gaze sweep across the estate¡¯s defenders. ¡°Your program has expanded, apparently.¡±


    The grin faltered, and he took a turn inspecting them. ¡°A lot has happened since you left for Central Academy. Why don¡¯t you and your friendse inside? You can tell me what kind of trouble you¡¯ve brought to my door, and I¡¯ll do the same.¡±


    The young mages stepped aside, allowing us to approach the mansion. Sylvie fell into step on my left while Ellie moved to my right. I heard her whisper to Boo to stay in the yard. The guardian bear grumbled but did as she asked. Caera and Regis walked just ahead of me.


    ncing back at Chul, who kept a watchful eye on the cryans from the rear, I said, ¡°Thank you for showing restraint.


    He met my eyes for barely a single step, then returned to watching the cryan children. ¡°The signal to attack had not been spoken.¡±


    Inside the entrance hall, more young faces were peering out from doorways and down from the banister around the second floornding.


    ¡°Master Ordin, what¡ªProfessor Grey!¡± Aphene, her dark hair longer than when I¡¯dst seen her at the Victoriad, was blocking off one of the hallways.


    Behind her, several much younger children were struggling to hide behind her while simultaneously trying to see what was happening, including the little girl Penka I had metst time I was here.


    ¡°Do you have all the kids from my ss here?¡± I asked, further caught off guard by Aphene¡¯s presence.


    Darrin¡¯s lips curled in a forced smile that didn¡¯t make it to his eyes.


    ¡°Marcus is around here somewhere,¡± Briar said from the doorway behind my group. ¡°His blood was smart enough to get him out of the academy before things really started going to shit.¡±


    ¡°Briar, mouth,¡± Darrin said, his tone lightly scolding.


    I wanted to ask more questions but felt it would be best to do so in private, and so I followed Darrin deeper into the estate. A trail of kids followed at a distance, slinking behind us as if we wouldn¡¯t notice a dozen pairs of pattering feet. Briar followed more brazenly, acting as if she were one of us, and fully intended on joining whatever conversation followed our arrival.


    Sylvie took in every weapon or piece of art hanging on the wall intently. ¡°crya doesn¡¯t seem so different to Dicathen,¡± she mused.


    Darrin led us to the same sitting room where he and ric had revealed their Central Academy n to me. Mypanions and I entered the room, but Darrin stopped Briar at the door.


    She crossed her arms and lifted her chin defiantly, but he only had to cock an eyebrow at her. She deted, flipped her hair in irritation, and shouted at all the other children to get back to their duties, herding them away.


    The small, finely appointed chamber was an awkward fit for all of us. Regis, sensing this, became immaterial and vanished into my core. Chul moved to the window and stared out, his back to the rest of us. Caera, still showing the signs of wear from her long ordeal with Vajrakor, eased into a plush chair. Ellie did the same, although she sat much more stiffly, her hands on her knees with Silverlight gleaming across her legs.


    Sylvie stayed at my side, her sharp eyes watching Darrin carefully.


    It¡¯s fine. We can trust him.


    ¡®Maybe, but can¡¯t you sense how stressed he is? Things haven¡¯t been going well for him.¡¯


    Arms crossed, I leaned against a bare patch of wall, one of the few not covered by bookshelves or drink cabs. ¡°So, what¡¯s the deal with all the kids?¡±


    Darrin sighed and slumped into a chair. His head slowly panned across the room as he took in each of mypanions, and he didn¡¯t answer until his eyes met mine. ¡°Civil war, Grey. Some are recently orphaned, others are in hiding to avoid being sent intobat. Your impact can¡¯t be understated, either. I¡¯m told that many of your students convinced their bloods not to participate in the war because of you.¡±


    ¡°Which is, in a way, why we¡¯re here,¡± Caera interjected, drawing Darrin¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Lady Caera, it¡¯s a pleasure to see you again,¡± Darrin said, his gaze lingering on her horns.


    In a motion that seemed unintentional, Caera¡¯s hand drifted up to her horns, almost as if she¡¯d forgotten they were visible. ¡°Some of us have been fighting this civil war for a long time. Like Scythe Seris. We¡¯re seeking word of her. Is there anything you can tell us?¡±


    Darrin¡¯s jaw clenched, then rxed. Standing suddenly, he went to a low shelf containing bottles and sses and poured himself a drink, then drained it in a single quick gulp. ¡°Half of these kids¡¯ parents are trapped in the Relictombs with her. Forces under Scythe Dragoth Vritra have been assaulting the portals to the second level nonstop for weeks.


    ¡°ric has a couple people embedded with those soldiers feeding us intel, although it¡¯s hardly necessary. The first level industry hasn¡¯t slowed at all, even with the ascents basically shut down. All I know is that the assault forces are growing more confident each day that they¡¯re going to breach the second level soon.¡±


    Caera nced at me, her urgency apparent. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t wait then, Grey¡ªsorry, Arthur. We need to go immediately.¡±


    Darrin¡¯s brows shot up as she said my name. ¡°So, it¡¯s true then. You¡¯re Dicathian, like the rumors say?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Ellie asked defensively, clutching Silverlight as she looked nervously at Darrin.


    Darrin responded to Ellie¡¯s difort with a warm smile. ¡°Nothing, really, I just¡­I¡¯m sorry, Grey¡ªArthur¡ªhasn¡¯t introduced us. I¡¯m Darrin, ex-ascender and current wrangler of terrified children. I¡¯ve helped him out of more than one precarious predicament, and I¡¯m hoping he¡¯s here to return the favor.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ellie said, looking sheepishly down at her knees.


    Sparing him too many details, I quickly introduced everyone other than Caera, with whom he was already acquainted.


    ¡°It does sound like we need to leave immediately, but¡­there is a problem with this next part,¡± I admitted, pushing away from the wall and meeting my bond¡¯s eye.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go into the Relictombs,¡± she said with a pinched frown.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay with Sylvie, if that¡¯s what you want,¡± Ellie volunteered, surprising me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave anyone behind, but we don¡¯t have a choice. It¡¯ll be fastest if Caera, Regis, and I go alone.¡± To Darrin, I asked, ¡°Can the others stay here? Sylvie and Chul should be of great help in keeping your wards upied.¡±


    Chul turned away from the window, glowering. ¡°I did not trade one hiding ce for another.¡±


    I began to respond when something caught my attention. Realmheart bathed my vision in a sea of colors, allowing me to see the wind-attribute spell with sound deviancy altering the protection cast on the door.


    Darrin¡ªnoticing my gaze¡ªstrode quickly to the door and swung it open. A handful of the older students spilled to the ground. Behind them, Aphene and Briar had the decency to at least pretend to be sorry.


    ¡°Really now,¡± Darrin chided, shaking his head. ¡°What are you, a bunch of wild animals?¡±


    ¡°My parents are in the Relictombs,¡± one young man said from his knees. ¡°I want to know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Professor Grey will need help if he¡¯s going to help Scythe Seris Vritra.¡± Bold as always, Briar didn¡¯t flinch under thebined gaze of my entire group. ¡°We can fight¡ª¡±


    ¡°Which is exactly what you were sent here not to do, correct?¡± Darrin said softly. I saw then just how much he cared for his many wards, as his kindness only grew in the face of Briar¡¯s defiance. ¡°Now go on, all of you.¡±


    With the door closed and protected once again, our conversation continued for some time. Darrin was more than willing to allow mypanions to stay with him, although they themselves were less enthusiastic about being left behind, especially Chul.


    In the end, though, it was the Relictombs that set our course.


    Withdrawing the Compass, I dislocated the two halves and activated the ascension portion. As I¡¯d seen it do many times, the crystal within disintegrated and formed an opaque portal above the half-sphere. I knew immediately that something was wrong.


    The portal itself was distorted, the light spilling out from it bending unnaturally. I stepped quickly aside to avoid touching the clutching rays of viscous light, only then catching sight of my bond.


    Sylvie was staring at the portal as if a trance, and it almost seemed as if the portal itself was reaching toward her.


    ¡°You okay?¡± I asked, my fingers twitching with the desire to cancel out the portal.


    Sylvie nodded, her handing up slowly as she reached out toward the light that was simultaneously reaching for her. ¡°I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s just¡­there¡¯s some kind resonance between me and the portal¡­¡±


    Faint striations were rippling through the atmospheric aether, I realized, connecting Sylvie and the ascension portal.


    ¡°Sylvie,¡± I warned, a vague, disembodied panic tightening my chest.


    She hesitated, looking to me as if asking for permission. ¡°It feelsfortable.¡±


    My fists clenched at my sides as I resisted the urge to hold her back. I tried to consider the situation rationally, but I had no basis for making a decision. The portal should simply push her back, like what had happened with Taci and Aldir, but Sylvie could be different. Alternatively, the Compass could work differently, but I had no way of knowing if that was a good or bad thing.


    All I could do in the end was trust her. I nodded. Her fingertips brushed the edges of the opaque oval, and she stepped through, vanishing into the Relictombs.


    ¡®Well shit,¡¯ Regis thought, leaping through the portal after her.


    ¡°Change of ns,¡± I snapped. ¡°Chul, go with her.¡±


    He grinned, conjured his weapon, and leaped in. Caera set her jaw in determination and followed.


    Ellie was watching me carefully, clearly still unsure if she wasing with or not. I nodded and waved her toward the portal. There was a faint pop and Boo appeared next to her, his bulk overturning an end table. ¡°Oops, sorry,¡± Ellie said before striding into the portal, followed closely by Boo.


    ¡°No one else will be able to enter the portal after I go through,¡± I exined to Darrin, ¡°but don¡¯t let anyone tamper with the artifact.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be locked in this room. No one will enter, I can promise you that,¡± Darrin assured me as he righted the overturned table. ¡°Do you have any idea what you¡¯re getting yourself into?¡±


    ¡°Nothing pleasant, I¡¯m sure.¡± Not wishing to leave mypanions inside the Relictombs without me for any longer than I already had, I strode through the portal.


    And stepped into¡­something indescribable.


    Furious violet pressure locked my body in ce. An invisible storm raged, and my pulse seemed to start and stop again, my heart being rapidly and then not at all. I couldn¡¯t see, hear, or think clearly. I wasn¡¯t even sure if I¡¯d arrived in the Relictombs.


    ¡®It¡¯s Sylvie¡­¡¯ Regis¡¯s voice came to me through the crush of aether, distorted and halting.


    Along with his voice came the sh of a memory: Regis, appearing on the other side of the portal. Sylvie, her body stiff and falling like she was having some kind of seizure. Moving a half step toward her. Then, an explosion of aether,pressing Regis into little more than a wisp trapped inside viscous aetheric tar.


    Activating Realmheart, I sensed for the others. They were there, immobile, frozen, but otherwise they didn¡¯t appear to be harmed in any way.


    Gathering as much of my own power as I could, I pushed outward, attempting to force my way through the obstruction while carefully maneuvering between mypanions. Bit by bit, the opposing aether gave way, and I was able to inch forward. One step, then another, deeper into the morass, until¡­


    My right foot bumped into the source of the chaos.


    Bending down¡ªslowly, as I had to be careful now to push out only enough aether to keep from being locked in ce again¡ªI reached for Sylvie.


    The air between us cleared, the amethyst fog pushed aside by my countering force.


    Sylvie was on the ground, her eyes open but rolled so far back in her head that only the whites showed. Her body was rigid and motionless. Grabbing her shoulders, I shook her gently. When she didn¡¯t respond, I shook harder.


    She didn¡¯t react.


    ¡°Sylvie!¡±


    Sylv, can you hear me?


    She didn¡¯t respond.


    My mind raced. I couldn¡¯t be certain if the aether was being controlled by her in some kind of spell or emanation, or if the Relictombs itself was generating the phenomenon. She was unconscious, but the aether felt like her, neither of which made sense. A defensive mechanism, maybe? I wondered. Triggered by some reaction from the Relictombs.


    Attempting to expel the aetheric storm was too dangerous. I might rip Ellie or Caera to pieces in between the opposing forces. I could try to cancel it, but without understanding what was happening or why, I was afraid to inhibit Sylvie in any way.


    Still, I knew I had to do something.


    Expanding my senses, which required a forceful effort on my part as I exuded my own aether to push outward through the spell¡¯s effect like worms burrowing through soil, I tried to find the edges of the cloud.


    My pulse quickened at what I discovered.


    The storm was expanding outward, building on itself with the atmospheric aether of the zone. Sylvie didn¡¯t have an aether core and so had no purified aether of her own to utilize. Like all dragons, she could only influence the aether around her. If I could force the aether back inward, containing it somehow, I could prevent her spell from affecting the rest of us without cutting her off from it.


    Only, I saw a problem with this almost immediately.


    If I was spending all my energy containing Sylvie¡¯s unconscious spell, I wouldn¡¯t be able to help the others clear the zone. But Sylvie had no natural way to contain so much aether, no ability to draw in and store the aether like I did.


    Except I did have a way to manipte aether outside of my body without constant conscious input.


    Reaching for the tether to my relic armor, I tried to manifest it without conjuring it onto my body. The ck scales appeared over my skin. I ground my teeth and attempted to physically remove it, but unlike normal armor, there was no way to do so.


    ¡®Maybe I could help, if I could move,¡¯ Regis thought.


    If we could just¡­yeah, that might work. Let me see what I can do.


    Kneeling next to Sylvie, I opened the floodgates of my core. I didn¡¯t attempt to control the aether that began pouring out of me, simply let it expand out into the atmosphere. It spread through the cloud, doing nothing to disrupt the spell but blending in with the atmospheric aether forming the emanation.


    I could feel the expanding edge of the cloud and the density of the atmospheric aether, and I tried to match my output to how much the spell was influencing. It took a minute. When I thought the two forces were nearly in bnce, I took control.


    Each purple particle of my purified aethertched onto a particle of what made up Sylvie¡¯s spell. I couldn¡¯t hope to individually control each mote, but the aether responded to my intention and reacted appropriately.


    Finding Regis within the storm, I stilled the aether around him, then opened a sort of tunnel between us. He was with me instantly, flying out of the cloud and into my core.


    ¡®What even is she doing?¡¯ he groused, mentally shaking off the effects of the spell.


    No time. After.


    The basis of our idea was the same concept Regis and I had utilized when I imbued a conjured sword with Destruction by channeling ourbined power into my aether. First, Regis flowed into the armor itself, maintaining his incorporeal state. Then I released the armor. Regis stayed with it, allowing himself to be pulled between aetheric states.


    The armor faded, bing incorporeal as well, but did not entirely vanish. However the djinn had crafted the relic, they had never ounted for it bringing along another aetheric form, and so it froze between states.


    When Regis flew toward Syvlie, the shadowy armor was dragged with him. He disappeared into Sylvie, and I tugged at the thread between me and the armor, making it physical again. Or, rather, trying to.


    Instead, the shadowy essence of the half-summoned armor tore like a silk shirt. Cursing, I reached out with my aether and attempted to grab onto the armor, simr to how I manipted mana with aether. Regis pulled at it, trying to draw the armor around Sylvie while I held it together.


    Closing my eyes, I made one thought clear in my mind. Protect her.


    I let all other thoughts slip away, focusing entirely on the armor and that simple idea.


    Time seemed frozen.


    In a jittery, sped up fashion, the armor started to coalesce, shrinking to fit Sylvie¡¯s body while hardening into its corporeal state around her. I let out a breath I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d been holding.


    My mind went back to the aether I¡¯d released into the atmosphere, each particle bonded with those of Sylvie¡¯s spell.


    The atmospheric aether fought me, attempting to maintain the shape Sylvie¡¯s will was influencing it into. But as the djinn projection had exined, my core gave me the advantage of much tighter control and a much stronger bond with the purified aether. I overpowered Sylvie¡¯s influence.


    The spell¡¯s area of influence was forced inward toward Sylvie herself. I could feel the edges of the storm shrinking as the obscuring purple haze faded from the air. Bit by bit, it was all contained within Sylvie using the relic armor as the shell.


    A bloodcurdling battle cry exploded just beside me as Chul reared back, his weapon held at the ready as his head jerked this way and that in search of an enemy.


    Someone else heaved, and I turned just in time to see my sister be sick on the ground not far from where Sylviey. Caera wrapped an arm around her and pulled Ellie¡¯s hair out of her face, muttering something soft and consoling.


    ¡®Hah, it worked. I didn¡¯t expect that,¡¯ Regis thought as he drifted free of Sylvie¡¯s body. He transformed into his physical form and shook the mane of fire burning around his neck.


    I cupped Sylvie¡¯s face in my hand and used Realmheart to search for any signs of injury, bacsh, or magical damage, but she seemed physically unharmed. Now that the spell had been contained, it was clear that this effect was being projected by Sylvie herself and wasn¡¯t an attack by the Relictombs.


    ¡°The armor is doing most of the work, but I¡¯m going to have to stay focused on it to keep her spell from breaking free again,¡± I exined to the others.


    ¡°Pah, what here could threaten me?¡± Chul asked, staring around confidently.


    My gaze followed his, fully taking in our surroundings for the first time.


    We had been deposited on a narrow patch of t, barren ground in the midst of a forest. Except for where we stood, the trees grew up out of calm, clear water. Giant roots asionally rose above the surface like winding highways, mirroring the limbs above.


    There was no sky, only the constantly climbing flora, branches as wide as highways weaving together to create the impression that there was no beginning or end to the forest canopy. Despite theck of sun or sky, the forest was lit with cool, sourceless light.


    ¡°Is¡ªis Sylvie okay,¡± Ellie asked weakly, struggling to stand straight as she wiped her mouth clean. Boo moaned and nudged her with his broad forehead. ¡°Why does she look like that?¡±


    Sylvie was still rigid, her eyes rolled back into her head. I tried shaking her again, then lifted her up into a sitting position. Her muscles were so taut it was difficult to move her. ¡°Hey, Sylv¡­Sylvie?¡±


    When there was no response, I closed my eyes and projected my voice directly into her mind. Sylvie, can you hear me?


    My constant connection with her mind was absent. My thoughts reached nothing.


    The others weren¡¯t silently waiting for me to give orders. Caera had already activated the artifact bracer she¡¯d imed from the Spear Beaks¡¯ treasure. Multiple silver spikes flew outward, some going up into the limbs above, others skirting the top of the water.


    Chul had leaped from the ground to a nearby root that stuck up fifteen feet above the water¡¯s surface. With one hand on a tree the size of an old Earth skyscraper, he searched our surroundings.


    ¡°We need to move, to reach the exit portal,¡± I said, lifting Sylvie andying her carefully across Boo¡¯s broad back. ¡°Maybe this state is only temporary, or maybe we need to get her out of the Relictombs, I don¡¯t know. Either way, I don¡¯t want to linger here any longer than necessary.¡±


    Ellie jumped up behind Sylvie to hold her in ce. She gave me a fierce look. ¡°We¡¯ve got her, Arthur.¡±


    ¡°Grey,¡± Caera said softly, her eyes flickering open and closed rapidly as she focused on whatever input wasing from her drones. ¡°We¡¯re not alone.¡±

 Chapter 437: Scales of Understanding

    <strong>SYLVIE INDRATH</strong>


    The Compass portal wrapped around me, embracing me and pulling me in. The transition was seamless, unlike the ancient portals dotted around Dicathen. On the other side, I found myself in a picturesque world that seemed more likely to be found in Epheotus than in Dicathen or crya. Towering trees, their tops not visible from the forest floor, grew up from an expansive, crystal-clearke. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. Like a picture.


    Likeing home.


    Even as I acknowledged the strangeness of this thought, I was already losing focus on the scenery. A purple haze fell over my eyes, like a curtain lowering. My body felt stiff and distant, outside of my control.


    I sagged, then jerked upright.


    The forest was gone. Above me, the aetheric void stretched into infinity in every direction. My feet rested not on solid ground but smooth water, opaque with the reflection of the purple sky.


    The moment I acknowledged the water, I descended into it. There was no ssh, only cool pressure enveloping me from the feet up. I tried to swim, to w my way back to the surface, but my limbs slid through the water without creating the upward force necessary to propel me. My eyes burned, my lungs ached, and panic threatened to overwhelm me.


    The water, solid as ink, parted. A hand reached down for me, but it wasn¡¯t made of flesh and blood. It felt more like aetheric wind molded into the approximation of an arm and hand.


    It didn¡¯t matter. I took it.


    My skin prickled as if I¡¯d grabbed a charged mana crystal where the aetheric limb touched me, then I was rising, pulling free of the water, and was back out under the void sky.


    A violent fit of coughing racked my body, and I struggled to wipe the viscous liquid from my eyes.


    ¡°Breath. Calm your heart. Take control.¡±


    Blinking rapidly, I tried to look at the figure before me, whose hand I was still holding¡ªor rather, whose hand was still holding me up. My toes sank into the water, and without their support, I would have plunged down once again.


    ¡°This power will swallow you whole if you let it. Take control.¡±


    The speaker was¡­a dragon, but¡ªno, she was humanoid, slightly taller than me, horns of deep purple wind thrusting up from amethyst hair¡ªand yet, at the same time, she seemed to be a huge, demonic creature staring down at me. All three at once, perhaps, or changing from one to the next in rapid session, unless it was a trick of the swirling winds that formed her frame, or¡ª


    I shook my head and sank slightly deeper into the water as her grip on me ckened. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, I¡ª¡± A distant, time-blurred memory surfaced. ¡°Sylvia? M-Mom?¡±


    The wind-carved lips twisted up, indistinct. ¡°Your identity is forged of contradictions. Both dragon and basilisk, an asura bonded to a human, twice born and twice adapted to the power that is aether. You are order from chaos, but the nature of this universe is entropy. These contradictions¡ªthese paradoxes¡ªwill always be trying to pull you apart. Father and grandfather, dragons and humans¡­vivum and aevum.¡±


    I listened the same way a child listens to a conversation between adults: I heard the words but could make little to no sense of them.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked again, and my feet sank deeper still, the ss-smooth water caressing my ankles.


    ¡°I am not here. But you are. And you will not leave if you continue to focus on all the wrong things. You and you alone can keep yourself from sinking forever.¡±


    I closed my eyes, but the aetheric realm, the endless expanse of water, and the figure were still clearly visible before me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. What do I need to do?¡±


    ¡°First, you must stand on your own.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t walk on water,¡± I protested, peeking down at the water around my ankles.


    ¡°There is no water.¡±


    I wanted to argue, to point at the liquid overtaking me and let out some sarcastic retort. But I held back, remembering what else the figure had said. Breathe. Take control.


    I did, or at least I tried. I was hardly in afortable enough position to search for mindfulness, but I started with my breath. When I gained control of that, I moved outward, taking hold over one muscle, one limb at a time. Finally, I pulled myself up so my feet were out of the water.


    Considering what she had said, I approached the most obvious solution first. ¡°If what I¡¯m seeing isn¡¯t real then¡­I¡¯m in my own mind, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    When I¡¯d been in the aetheric realm with Arthur, the only interruption of the empty aetheric space was a single Relictombs zone as seen from the outside. This ce was simr, but not the same.


    My breath steadied. My feet felt sturdier. I lowered them until the soles rested against the cool water. Be stable, I thought, both to myself and the water.


    My flesh pressed against the ssy surface. It held.


    I was standing atop the water like I had been when I first appeared here, in that single moment before I recognized the floor for what it was. My perception of the floor had caused it to change, taking on the characteristics I expected from it. Like how mana reacts to both my purposeful intention and my expectation of it simultaneously.


    ¡°You have many questions. This is your conversation to lead. Ask them. Understanding is how you¡¯ll take control. Time is of the essence.¡±


    Time, I thought, the word triggering a deeper memory, something half lost and only partially found. Even time bends before Fate.


    ¡°You¡­it was your voice I heard in the void. What did you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Time is an arrow.¡±


    Lines formed in the air all around, wind made visible, drawing a bombardment of arrows that fired past us, all moving in the same direction. I stared, unable to make sense of the figure¡¯s words, but the longer I looked, the more I noticed about the arrows. Some moved slightly slower or faster, and others weren¡¯t straight at all. They curved, weaving in and out of the paths of other arrows.


    ¡°My innate capacity to influence aether in the path of vivum has regressed,¡± I said, voicing an ufortable thought that had been growing in me since my return. ¡°You¡¯re saying that¡­my aptitude has shifted toward aevum instead? ording to what I was taught, this isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    ¡°Many things are thought impossible until they be real. Fools insist reality must conform to their expectations, while the wise know that knowledge of our reality is constantly evolving, timeless and without finality.¡±


    The arrows arced sharply downward and began to fall as raindrops, and where the rainnded, it revealed the outline of a building. Lacking color, contrast, or detail, it took me a moment to recognize the shape of Dicathen¡¯s flying castle over the dense canopy of the Beast des. Aetherial clouds drifted overhead, wind-blown and dark. The water below reflected the rain-drawn outlines above.


    Of all the ces I had lived¡ªZestier, Xyrus, Mount Geolus¡ªthe flying castle held the strongest memories for me. I had enjoyed being close to the Beast des, where I had hunted for years while Arthur adventured. There was a magic to the ce, something unexinable and ancient, and I had enjoyed that too.


    But mostly, it was where I grew into myself.


    My eyes refocused as the indistinct figure, now a towering being with huge horns, as she faded in and out, the aetheric wind dispersing in chaotic gusts.


    ¡°Time is also limited, the most finite of resources. As your mind wanders farther away from here, the sands run faster. You are still in danger.¡±


    ¡°What danger?¡± I asked. ¡°What is this ce? Did you bring me here?¡±


    ¡°Entropy.¡±


    ¡°Is that the answer to one question or all three?¡± I asked quickly, trying to force myself to be present, to hold one thought in my mind at a time.


    But the castle was slowly being destroyed in the background, and my heart sank to think of it. Zestier demolished, only dust and ash, Xyrus taken by the cryans, and the flying castle destroyed by Cadell.


    My mother¡¯s murderer, I thought bitterly.


    The figure faded further, the winds growing even more wild.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I breathed, clenching my eyes shut and focusing on the image. In my mind, she was a beautiful white dragon withvender eyes. When I peeked through half-closed lids, the figure was stable again. ¡°What are you here to tell me?¡±


    ¡°What do you need to know?¡±


    I shook my head. It was too open-ended, too broad. I hadn¡¯t been back long enough, didn¡¯t fully understand what was needed. Only¡­


    ¡°What is Fate?¡± I asked, holding my breath.


    The voice spoke. The noise of her words entered my ears. I blinked several times, my head lolling helplessly as I stared at the figure. It was just that, noise, but absent meaning or understanding.


    I shook my head again. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t¡­¡± I trailed off, struggling even to form a coherent thought as the meaningless buzzing of the figure¡¯s exnation still wriggled through my brain.


    ¡°Unlike the djinn, you can¡¯t construct a castle in the air. Lacking the foundation to build such insight upon, there is no hope for you to understand it.¡±


    I dragged in a long, conflicted breath. The air smelled of smoldering citrus and tasted of ozone. By now, the flying castle, shown only by where the dots of aetheric rain sshed against it, was nothing but a crumbled ruin of orbiting bricks and broken stone.


    One thing was starting to make sense to me, at least. ¡°This conversation¡­I¡¯m molding it, aren¡¯t I? You can¡¯t volunteer information. You aren¡¯t here to tell me something specific. I have to ask you the right questions.¡±


    ¡°In a way, though perhaps there are no specific ¡®right questions,¡¯ only those that bring you closer to insight or push you farther from it.¡±


    ¡°Why did my innate capacity toward vivum change?¡± I asked, deciding on a path forward.


    The figure was humanoid now, her wind-drawn body thin and graceful, the features of her face sharp but the details indistinct. ¡°Only one who has progressed far down the path of aevum in their aetheric knowledge can be in two ces at once, separating body and spirit to pursue knowledge outside the trail of their own time¡¯s arrow. To travel as you have and returned left this insight¡¯s mark on your spirit like a long journey builds calluses on your heels.¡±


    ¡°And when my body reformed, my spirit¡¯s connection to aevum was stronger than my body¡¯s to vivum,¡± I said, picking up where the figure left off. I thought I understood, but that understanding was tenuous, hovering at the edge of my consciousness. ¡°But¡­I don¡¯t feel like I have any insight into aevum. My ability to heal¡­¡±


    The downpour of aetheric rain receded, blown away by visible striations of gusting wind. The swirling lines of wind straightened and became the dark purple outlines of sharp spikes protruding from the darkness. Amethyst rivulets trickled down the spikes and dripped from their sharp points into the cool, ssy water. It was blood, though I wasn¡¯t exactly certain how I knew.


    I began to move, walking through the field of spikes as if in a dream, afraid who I might find pinned beneath them: Alea Triscan, Cynthia Goodsky, Alduin and Merial Eralith, Arthur¡­


    The figure walked beside me in the form of a huge dragon, each step sending out a ripple across the water¡¯s surface. ¡°You remember the many painful lessons of your life, but what you experienced on your spiritual journey was something very different. That insight is woven into the fabric of your being, not burned into your soft tissue by a specific sequence of firing neurons. And yet, it is still there.¡±


    The spikes, pulsing with each gust of the aetheric wind that formed them, seemed to grow closer and closer no matter where my feet took me, even when I stopped entirely. Soon, they were nearly pressing into my skin.


    ¡°Agrona and Kezess, they seek this insight, don¡¯t they?¡± As I spoke, a spike pressed against my throat. ¡°Why was I able to gain what other asuras have tried and failed to for so long?¡±


    ¡°Fear.¡±


    I looked at the spikes all around me but did not feel afraid.


    ¡°Not your fear. Theirs. Fear has long rooted them in ce. Kezess has made himself and his people unchangeable for fear of what change might bring, terror of the beyond. Agrona, in his fear, seeks to change himself at the expense of all others, to burn worlds as fuel for his own ascension. Both are incapable of risk and self-sacrifice, and so they are incapable of gaining new insight.¡±


    I took a step forward, and the spike at my throat receded. Wherever I walked, the spikes unfolded away from me. ¡°But they are the two most powerful beings in this world. What are they both so afraid of? Each other?¡±


    The figure unraveled at the edges. ¡°Focus. That is a story for another time, and unrted to what you need to aplish in this moment.¡±


    I did as the figuremanded, preparing myself to ask a question I already knew the answer to. ¡°If I¡¯m at risk of unraveling because of all these opposing forces that make me up, then that insight will be lost, right?¡±


    ¡°Not just you. Never just you. You are bonded. Three parts of one whole. Spacium. Vivum. Aevum¡±


    ¡°Aether,¡± I breathed. ¡°Arthur¡­and Regis. And me.¡±


    The dragon nodded its long graceful neck. With each step she was passing through spikes that came undone, dissolving into wind and drifting away.


    I stopped walking through the field of spikes, and the spikes melted like ice. ¡°And this is important¡ªno, necessary. For the¡­understanding of Fate?¡±


    The figure¡¯s indistinct humanoid face disyed a warm smile. I realized we were each standing in a small pool of water now. The aetheric wind was forming something between and around us, long arms above and bowls below, containing the water. A central beam between, and¡ª


    ¡°A scale,¡± I muttered, staring at the fulcrum.


    The figure was a huge dragon again. The scale was much lower on her side than mine


    ¡°Only one who has mastered the paths of aevum, vivum, and spacium can begin to understand the fourth edict of Fate. But no single being can walk three paths at once.¡±


    ¡°But if three were as one¡­¡± Mentally, I charted the path of our conversation so far, and my mind stuck on one point. ¡°Ites back to entropy, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°The nature of all things. Time¡¯s arrow. Movement from order to disorder, form to formlessness. The dissolution of structure.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re suggesting there is a danger of Arthur, Regis, and I separating,¡± I thought outloud, staring into the figure¡¯s empty wind-drawn eyes. ¡°But¡­not all things are divided by entropy. Isn¡¯t it also the process by which thingsbine and settle, bing more homogenous?¡±


    ¡°Note that the scales of your understanding have not shifted. Think deeper, farther.¡±


    I struggled to see where this could be going or why it was important enough for me to be speaking with an ephemeral, nameless figure in my mind that may or may not be the disembodied spirit of my mothermunicating to me through the aetheric realm. Still, I tried.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that I have to hold myself together against these opposing forces, the ones threatening to pull me to pieces¡­but I also have to hold us together. Regis is chaos, the living embodiment of entropy¡ªDestruction manifest¡ªand Arthur is¡±¡ªI smiled, feeling my eyes wrinkle at the corners¡ª¡°still so very human. He¡¯s already proven once that he¡¯ll rip himself to pieces, cell by cell, to defeat his enemies, burn himself up from the inside if he has to. His sense of self preservation iscking.¡±


    The scale shifted slightly closer to equilibrium, though the humanoid figure was still looking up at me from several feet down.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m aevum-aligned now,¡± I said, feeling understandinging a little more easily. ¡°Time may be an arrow, but I can slow its flight, bend it even. To ensure that we remain together long enough to finish this.¡±


    Even as I said these words, they conjured in my mind a time after, when we weren¡¯t together, and my concentration snapped like a frayed rope.


    The scales dissolved, and once again, the figure and I were standing atop the water. My feet sank slightly, just breaking the surface, and the aetheric winds swirled into meaningless chaos, an artist¡¯s rendition of discord and disarray drawn in violet lines against the deep purple sky. The breath caught in my lungs, and each quickened heartbeat pulsed through the water and sky, the aetheric wind, and even the giant demonic figure watching me with what I thought was sympathy.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t ready yet. To lose concentration now would be¡­catastrophic.¡±


    The harder I tried to hold onto my focus, the more violently it seemed to resist me.


    ¡°What is too rigid will break under force. That which is too pliable and allows too much freedom of movement can be torn or peeled away. Control. Bnce. That is what you are, and what you must find.¡±


    I clenched my teeth and shut my eyes, frustrated that it failed to block out the vision. A moment to adjust, to recover, that was all I asked, all I¡­


    I swallowed heavily. ¡°All thingse to an end,¡± I said, barely a whisper. ¡°But if we¡ªas we master aevum, vivum, and spacium¡­as we seek insight into the edict of Fate, we get to control when the end is.¡± My breathing calmed again. I opened my eyes and stared into the figure¡¯s indistinct face. ¡°And for every end, there are new beginnings too. Endings don¡¯t have to be something to fear.¡±


    Jagged lines straightened and the formless mass began to take shape. It was a deeplyfortable ce, one that made me want to curl up in a ball and take a long nap atop my bond¡¯s head: Arthur and Elijah¡¯s bedroom within the Helstea estate.


    On all fours, I hopped up on the bed, walked in a circle around Arthur¡¯s pillow, and then curled up atop it. The woman rested gracefully at the foot of the bed, watching me.


    ¡°The aetheric realm, it¡¯s how things end, isn¡¯t it?¡± I mused sleepily. ¡°As pure energy when everything else hase apart, the universe separated down to its base. That¡¯s why aether is so potent for the creation of things¡ªbut also why the Relictombs is degrading. It is against the nature of that ce to maintain form and function.¡±


    She nodded, her eyes leaving me and traveling around the blurry recreation of Arthur¡¯s room.


    ¡°But it remembers what it was. The aether. That¡¯s why we can create spellforms. Even the godrunes. They¡¯re an expression of that held memory, insight made manifest. Knowledge of the spellforms is housed in djinn-crafted implements, but the godrunes¡­¡±


    I had to stop, to really think. It was getting so hard. I just wanted to rest, to sleep.


    ¡°The aetheric realm. All the knowledge of any form aether has ever taken. Like¡­a sleeping god. As Arthur¡¯s understanding of specific edicts grows, the aether remembers and forms a godrune. But this only happens for him. Because of his connection with the aether. The djinn remnant said he was unique, that the aether saw him as kin, in a way.¡±


    Again, a simple nod.


    Outside Arthur¡¯s window, a horned owl flew past.


    ¡°But if I¡¯m in danger right now, understanding this isn¡¯t helping me.¡±


    I paused, looking more closely at the figure. She was a giant demoness again, but still resting gracefully on the foot of the bed, her broad, frightening visage silent and watchful. But she was unraveling at the edges, and it had been some time since she¡¯d spoken. I had grown distracted. Whatever connection was holding our minds together wasing undone.


    Standing suddenly, I physically shook off the sense offort I felt. Comfort meantcence, andcence was the death of growth. She¡¯d said it before: insight required risk. But more than that, growth required pain.


    The bed dissolved into individual threads of wind, and Inded on all fours on the water¡¯s surface. Wind-drawn walls, windows, and furniture alike unfolded and billowed away. I stood, returning to my own humanoid form. The demoness became a dragon again, each scale gusting and distorted.


    The bright lines of aetheric wind carved themselves into the rough stone walls of a ravine. The water beneath me began to pop and bubble as it glowed with a bright, violently violet light.


    In a slow, controlled motion, I began sinking into the floor. The sensation was purely mental anguish, and it woke me from my drowsingpletely, setting my mind alight at a cellr level.


    I let out a hissing, pain-filled breath, imagining the water-turnedva boiling the insight from my bones and releasing it into the atmosphere where I could see it manifest in the scenery around me.


    The dragon watched from above, her long neck craning down from atop the ravine walls, her expression unreadable.


    ¡°I have to understand my new power or I¡¯ll die,¡± I said, reciting the problem as if reading it from a book. ¡°If I die, Arthur will fail to gain insight into the edict of Fate.¡± I let myself sink lower, the aethericva now all the way up to my neck. ¡°Time. Time is an arrow. But through the path of aevum, I can influence that arrow. Bend it to avoid or strike a target at will. The insight I gained while experiencing Arthur¡¯s past life is written on my spirit.¡±


    I slipped entirely beneath the surface. The pain wiped every thought and impulse from my mind except for one immediate idea: the remation of that subconscious understanding of aevum and aether¡¯s impact on time. I had to reconnect my body and spirit, make sense of all the many aspects of myself that were contradictory in nature.


    I understand that I am both dragon and basilisk, the result of the lines of Indrath and Vritra. This is my lineage, but it is not my identity. I choose to be something beyond either of them. I chose to be unafraid.


    I appreciate that I am an asura¡ªa so-called greater being¡ªbonded to a human, a ¡°lesser.¡± Arthur is the third choice, thest hope, humanity¡¯s ascension. There is no shame in my service to him, because through it the very idea of greater and lesser beings will be made meaningless.


    I ept that I am order from chaos, spontaneous rebirth, the bond that holds against the inevitable. I am what the rest of my kind are not: changeable. I had my time, and I gave everything I was, and now my time hase again.


    I am guardian and guide, caution and fury, daughter and partner.


    But I am not my mother¡¯s mistake or my father¡¯s tool. I am not my grandfather¡¯s treasure to be hoarded or weapon to be swung.


    I reject the role required of my birth ns, and I refuse the name of Indrath or Vritra.


    <strong>SYLVIE LEYWIN </strong>


    I burst up from the aethericva, pressing against its bubbling surface as I dragged myself onto my hands and knees, and then stood trembling to my feet.


    The ravine walls were copsing, wind spinning like stones that bounced from one another then fluttered away as birds and butterflies.


    The ground was mirror smooth again, and the wind calmed, then vanished entirely. I was standing alone atop the infinite expanse of water under an endless aetheric sky. The figure was nowhere to be seen, though I thought I could still sense her, feel her like breath on the back of my neck.


    My reflection was looking up at me from the floor, this taller, leaner frame I had returned within, my face sharper, older, like Arthur¡¯s, our hair and eyes almost making us look like twins. I leaned down, peering more closely. There was more of Arthur in my reflection than I had remembered, almost as if¡­


    I gasped, sinking down onto my hands, staring.


    Within my reflection, Arthur was staring back at me. Kind but serious, urgent but patient. He was speaking slowly, calmly, calling to me. I couldn¡¯t hear his words, but I could understand his meaning. They needed me. He needed me.


    The water-floor bulged upward. Arthur¡¯s hands, his voice, his presence were pushing through into the mental world I¡¯d be trapped within.


    I let my hands sink through the water and inteced my fingers with his.

 Chapter 438: A Broken Path

    A dark shape passed between the enormous limbs of the endlessly climbing trees. The movement was too fast and the cover too dense for me to make out any details. Even with Realmheart active, I could sense neither mana nor aether from the shadow in the brief moment I was able to see it.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Ellie asked, her voice high-pitched with nervous tension.


    ¡°We need to get moving,¡± I said, searching our surroundings for any hint of the passing shadow or the way forward.


    The roots snaked through the water like winding paths, most wide enough to support a beast-drawn carriage. The water through which they grew was so clear that it disguised its depth, creating an optical illusion that made the mossy stones of theke floor seem only inches below the surface.


    ¡°Up or down?¡± Caera asked, her eyes unfocused as she utilized whatever senses her drones provided instead of her own. ¡°The branches are wide enough to navigate easily, even for your bear, and more densely woven together than the roots.¡±


    I nced at Sylvie, who was lying stiffly across Boo¡¯s back shrouded in my armor. Ellie had one hand on her protectively. ¡°That¡¯s risky. If we¡¯re attacked, any of us could be knocked off one of those branches.¡±


    ¡°Hey Chulio, as half a phoenix, what happens when you transform? Do you, like, only get one wing? Or do you just get the beak and tail?¡± Regis asked teasingly.


    ¡°I get no such sproutings from my buttocks. I can transform fully, but¡­it¡¯s difficult to maintain such a form,¡± Chul admitted, apparently heedless of Regis¡¯s quip.


    Ellie conjured a band of mana that wrapped around Boo and Sylvie, holding my bond down. When that was done, three orbs of bright mana appeared and silently circled her right hand. The sweat beading her brow and the tight grimace across her face said everything I was already thinking: with both Chul and Sylvie present, this zone would be harder than anything we had faced on ourst ascent.


    ¡°Chul, lead the way.¡± I indicated a nearby root that we could easily climb on and use to cross the water. ¡°The roots are thicker in that direction.¡±


    Chul marched to the edge of the small ind we stood on and jumped casually onto the root, the top of which protruded six feet out of the water. Hended with unexpected grace for one of his size, looked around, and then extended his hand back to help up the next person.


    Just as Caera reached for his hand, a dark blur streaked from the shadows, and Chul vanished within it.


    Caera leaped back, narrowly avoiding a pair of long tails that scythed behind the speeding beast.


    In the blink of an eye, the blurred shape had wheeled away from us, skirting the top of the water before pulling upward and rising into the web of oversized limbs above us.


    I channeled aether into God Step, and the aetheric pathways lit up before my eyes. The paths spread out from me like violet lightning, connecting each point to every other, but only for fifteen feet. The pathways simply cut off, those directly around me severed from the paths everywhere else, both sets constantly in flux as they shifted and distorted but never reconnected.


    A surge of energy from Sylvie was enough to exin exactly what was happening.


    ck bolts of fire cut across the shadowy forest as I released the godrune. Caera¡¯s shots missed, trailing after what I could now tell was a diamond-shaped creature with dusky flesh. It had two long whiplike tails, each with a nasty barb growing from the end. Despite its enormous bulk¡ªits wingspan was as wide as Sylvie¡¯s in her dragon form¡ªit swam through the air with a greater speed than any fish in water.


    Regis¡¯s attention focused on the flying creature, an amused scoff ringing in my mind. ¡®Looks like spicy chicken doesn¡¯t agree with the demonic manta ray.¡¯


    ¡°There¡¯s something on its back,¡± Ellie said urgently, her sharp eyes picking up details the rest of us couldn¡¯t make out. ¡°I think it¡¯s slowing down.¡±


    Imbuing my vision with aether, I could make out the glossy red patch against its ck hide. As I watched, the creature began to glow from within, its flight bing erratic as the winglike protrusions wobbled. The indistinct red shape separated, vanishing into the water as the glow grew rapidly brighter. Flesh split, and orange mes leapt out of the resulting fissures.


    A sharp screech suddenly erupted from the beast, causing my vision to spin as the vibration drove knives into my brain. In the distance, one of the beast¡¯s wings clipped a tree, ripping the limb free of the body with a horrible wet tearing sound. The vibration intensified, then cut out entirely as the beast crashed into theke, disappearing beneath the churning waters.


    Shaking off the aftereffects of the vibrations, I jumped up onto the root where Chul had been attacked. I paused, searching the forest for any sign of danger before attempting to make out the aetheric pathways again.


    I was just beyond the edge of the effect I¡¯d seen, where the paths broke. The ind we¡¯d appeared on was still disconnected from everywhere else, but I could now sense my way to where Chul had crashed, and I wasted no more time before stepping into them. Appearing several hundred feet away atop the root closest to where the lifeless body of the creature was submerged, I was immediately inundated with hot steam as a cascade of furious bubbles erupted from the surface of the water, popping and foaming as the cloud obscured what was happening beneath the water.


    Just as I was about to jump in, something burst out.


    Chul was steaming and smoking. His skin had taken on an ashen gray color, and molten veins ran along his arms, neck, and across his face. His eyes zed with internal light, shining through the steam. As I watched, though, the discoloration receded from his flesh.


    He put out a hand to the root on which I stood, using it to support himself. ¡°Wipe away your frown of concern. I am uninjured.¡±


    ¡®Heya, boss man, Sylvie¡¯s getting all¡ª¡¯


    I cursed, suddenly sensing the chaotic influx of aether beginning to surge against the relic armor, leaking out and wing at the air. I¡¯d been too tuned into the monster andpletely lost my focus on containing the aetheric spell.


    Grabbing Chul, I God Stepped as close as I could to the others. The space inside the sphere of broken paths was growing rapidly, and the atmospheric aether was thick around them. Concentrating on Sylvie, I pushed the spell back down until it was once again fully housed within the relic armor.


    ¡°This seems like it might be just a little bit of a problem,¡± Regis said.


    Caera¡¯s cheeks paled as she searched the surrounding forest, her sword clutched tight in both hands. ¡°I never sensed a thing from that creature. Only caught hints of its movement from my relic. Could anyone else feel its mana?¡±


    Ellie shook her head. Beneath her, Boo growled in frustration.


    ¡°I sensed its maw when it closed around me,¡± Chul said, his weapon tossed casually over one shoulder. ¡°Still, it died easily enough.¡±


    From the disbelieving expression on Caera¡¯s face, I knew what she was thinking. Had that creature grabbed her or my sister, the attack would have yed out very differently.


    There was a shift in the mana around Ellie, and her eyes dted dramatically. She leaned toward Chul and sniffed. ¡°They may not give off a mana signature, but there is a distinct scent to them. Oily and¡­ew, gross. Like, decayed fish. It¡¯s kind of overpowering. Should be enough to tell me when one is around.¡±


    ¡°I do not see any reason for worry,¡± Chul said with a shrug. ¡°I easily destroyed the skyray. If little sister can sniff them out from the stench left on my flesh, then we won¡¯t be taken by surprise again.¡±


    ¡°Skyray? You know these creatures?¡±


    Chul rested the head of his weapon on the ground and leaned on the haft. ¡°I¡¯ve heard tales of simr mana beasts in Epheotus. The abyssal skyray is an unparalleled predator, its mana control so perfect and its wings so swift that even phoenix hunters were sometimes taken unaware.¡±


    ¡°Abyssal skyray, huh?¡± Regis asked with a snort. ¡°A little dramatic.¡±


    ¡°Does it really matter what it¡¯s called?¡± Caera said, her neck on a swivel as she watched the trees. ¡°What is our n for getting through this zone with our lives?¡±


    ¡°The roots are too exposed,¡± I said, thinking out loud.


    Down at water level, the roots stuck out, growing around each other in an intricate web. Above, the branches of the giant trees at least had foliage to offer us some cover. It seemed likely that these predators used them to stay out of sight while watching for anything that moved along the roots below. I could only hope we might be able to do the same.


    Caera followed the line of my gaze. ¡°Do you think we could get above where these creatures hunt? With your ability to teleport, we could climb for miles with rtive ease.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not so simple.¡± I rubbed the back of my neck. ¡°Any time I take my mind off Sylvie, her power surges unpredictably, which only puts us in more danger.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I can solve this easily.¡± Chul lifted Caera like a child and set her on Boo behind Ellie.


    Caera froze, holding her breath until it was over, then released it with a gust. ¡°Please do not do that again,¡± she said stiffly as she adjusted her seat on the bear, looking incredibly ufortable.


    Chul¡¯s confusion was clear, but he only shrugged. ¡°Hold on to the beast.¡±


    Kneeling, Chul reached beneath Boo and scooped the guardian bear and everyone else up in his arms. ¡°If this creature is akin to the skyrays of Epheotus, it will be drawn to quick movement.¡±


    Chul didn¡¯t wait for a response before floating up into the air, moving slowly toward the branches above.


    I waited, watching all around for any sign of an attack. The forest was calm, and no attack came.


    Channeling God Step but not activating it, I watched the rough sphere of disconnected pathways rise with Sylvie. When Chul had safely set Boo down, I God Stepped to them, just outside the sphere of Sylvie¡¯s influence. In even the instant it took to do so, her spellshed out, making mypanions stutter like a graphical glitch in an old Earth video game.


    I mped down on my control over the effect, and everyone stabilized.


    Caera quickly slid off Boo¡¯s back, and I caught the glint of silver as her drones moved closer. ¡°I don¡¯t sense any movement nearby.


    Waving to the others, I pointed along the branch. It was wide enough for twenty soldiers to march side by side before curving steeply down at the edges.


    Showing no hesitation, Chul led the way. We moved cautiously, both to avoid creating noise or sudden movements that might draw attention and to keep our footing on the rough bark. I walked next to Boo, while Caera stayed between me and Chul.


    Progress was slow, and the mood tense. My focus was split between concentrating on containing Sylvie¡¯s spell, watching for any more skyrays, and searching for a path forward.


    Caera and Ellie became our primary scouts. My sister¡¯s beast will enhanced her senses beyond what I could aplish with aether, and Caera¡¯s drones let her search all around us for threats and easily-reached crossings between branches.


    We moved outward, away from the tree¡¯s trunk, and the branch narrowed slightly as we went. Our first transition to another branch was rtively easy. I chose one that crossed directly below our own, but which would keep us going in rtively the same direction. We were able to hop down to it without incident.


    Keeping a slow but steady pace, we passed from branch to branch this way for thirty minutes or more without incident.


    ¡°Arthur, the water.¡± Ellie pointed over the edge to a wide stretch of clearke below.


    Formless red dots swirled in theke, too far away to make out any detail. Even as I watched, a diamond-shaped shadow drifted down to the water, and a red speck leapt up onto its back. In moments, the skyray and its passenger vanished into the forest.


    ¡°Something was riding it,¡± Ellie said, leaning over the edge of the branch for a better look. ¡°It looked¡ªokay, this is weird, but it almost looked like a person.¡±


    ¡°Something akin to the sentient being we met in the snowy zone?¡± Caera asked, craning her neck curiously.


    At a jolt of concern from Regis, I looked behind us just in time to see another skyray dive from above. Time seemed to slow down, and I watched the shadowy skyray descend foot by foot, inch by inch.


    Conjuring an aetheric de, I pivoted slightly, correcting my footing on the uneven bark, and leapt toward the monster. As I did so, its entire forward momentum ceased, then reversed, and it flew back up into the air out of reach. In a blink, it shifted again, changing position without seeming to move so that it was ten feet to the left of where it had been. Stranger still, I was back to standing on the branch.


    Time, which had been nearly at a standstill, rushed forward so fast I couldn¡¯t react to the skyray¡¯s approach, not even to warn the others.


    It struck our branch headfirst, its body splintering and gushing blood from the force. The branch shook so fiercely I stumbled to one knee, my sense of bnce already thrown off by being whipped back and forth in time and space.


    Ellie screamed, losing her footingpletely, and Boo had to snatch her by the back of her armor so she dangled from his jaws like a cub.


    Caera stumbled forward, and it looked like she was going to fall off the branch, but her foot pressed against solid air, and she shoved herself back onto more stable footing. Beside her, Chul had spun and brandished his weapon, but he could only blink in bewilderment as the skyray¡¯s ruined body.


    The branch shook again, and a tremendous crack resounded through the forest. The wood split where the skyray had struck, and the entire structure fell by a foot. Boo dug in his ws and hunkered low to the bark. Chul, reacting more quickly this time, grabbed Caera and floated up off the branch.


    Making a split-second decision not to utilize any of my movement techniques, fearing that Sylvie¡¯s magic may prove more dangerous than a fall, I bolted for Sylvie and Ellie.


    Wood and bark splintered. All several hundred feet of the branch sheared free and fell, and we fell along with it. I could only just make out Caera and Chul flying above us before my body twisted away.


    Somewhere in the distance, near the thinner end, the falling branch struck another tree limb and broke again with a sound like an earthquake.


    With its momentum very briefly slowed, I struck the falling branch just as it exploded through the solid wood of the other. Pushing with both my hands and feet against the rough bark, I threw myself at Boo. The resulting impact carried us both out into open air as the falling branch collided with yet another colossal tree limb and both shattered with an earth-shaking crash.


    Boo and Inded on the lower branch in a tangle of limbs, the wood beneath us quaking sickeningly, the air full of my sister¡¯s screams.


    Reinforcing my hold over the aether straining to break free of the relic armor¡¯s constraints, I jumped back to my feet and searched for my sister, who was no longer held in Boo¡¯s jaws. Regis manifested and went to Boo¡¯s side, immediately on guard for any creatures that might be drawn by the noise.


    Ellie was dangling from a visible tether of mana beneath the broken branch I was standing on, splintered wood still raining down around her. Far below her, the two titanic branches crashed into theke with enough force to shake the very foundations of the skyscraper trees.


    Ellie was no longer screaming. She was breathing hard with sweat running down her face in sheets, all her focus on the mana supporting her.


    Reaching down, I tried to grab the arrow that the tether was connected to, which Ellie had shot into the side of the broken branch, but when my flesh touched the mana, the entire spell trembled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Ellie squawked, taking the mana rope firmly in both hands and closing her eyes in concentration. ¡°I¡­can climb up.¡±


    Before I could respond, movement drew my focus into the depths of the forest as a ck streak banked around a distant tree and sped toward Ellie. Three bizarre creatures were clinging to the skyray¡¯s back, chittering madly and brandishing strange, organic weapons.


    Aether coalesced in my fist to form a sword, but the energy pressing out from Sylvie surged as I split my attention.


    Beams of ck firenced down from a higher branch. Two burned across the skyray¡¯s back, making its flesh bubble and swell, like a scab forming. The third hit one of the creatures in the chest and sent it tumbling into the open air and down toward the waters below, still churning from the wreckage of falling branches.


    Sparing a quick nce, I saw Caera pressed t against the trunk of a neighboring tree, her sword out but focus entirely on controlling the drones. Chul was facing a second skyray as the creature wheeled above.


    Behind me, Boo moaned in despair, dancing back and forth as he peered over the edge in the direction Ellie was currently crawling hand over hand up the mana tether.


    Regis suddenly bolted past me and leaped off the broken branch. His body swelled outward, the mes bing jagged, his fur like sharpened spikes, and wings sprouted from his back. He collided with the skyray, and Destruction leapt from his jaws and he tore into it midair. I felt it as dozens of knifelike legs, which ran in rows along the skyray¡¯s belly, cut and shed at his hardened hide, but only in the same vague way the pain reached Regis¡¯s brain through the influence of Destruction.


    Ellie reached the point where her mana arrow stuck out from the broken branch and got a handhold in the bark. I grabbed her by the back of her armor and lifted her easily onto solid ground¡ªor at least, the closest proximity to solid ground we had. She wasted no time in dismissing her spell and taking cover at Boo¡¯s side.


    Regis and the skyray were plummeting toward theke hundreds of feet below. One of the creatures clinging to its back was thrusting a three-pronged spear at mypanion, each impact like the sting of a bee, but the other was no longer visible.


    Until a momentter, when it mbered up the side of the branch we were standing on, giving me my first good look at it.


    Although humanoid in its torso and arms, a wide, t tail covered in interlocked tes made up its bottom half. Like the skyray, the underside of this tail sprouted dozens of hooked legs that easily gripped the dense bark, letting it skitter across the tree¡¯s surface like a termite. Fins grew like wings from its back, and the entire humanoid torso was covered in very fine scales.


    Clutched in its wed, webbed fingers was a chitinous shortsword the same light-red hue as its scales. Four small eyes red from above two slitted nostrils in its t face, and its broad mouth opened in a snarl, revealing rows of needlelike teeth.


    An arrow zipped past me, striking the crustacean creature in the chest. The mana arrow rippled outward, deflected, and then dissipated, failing to damage its target.


    Buttressing my hold on the relic armor and Sylvie within it, I split my focus and sent aether out to my muscles and joints, reinforcing not only my legs and lower body, but my shoulders, chest, and arms as well. If I was fast enough¡­


    I stepped forward, utilizing the Burst Step technique to cross the distance between me and the creature in an instant. At the same time, aether flowed up my spine and through my shoulders, down my arms, and into my forearms, wrists, and knuckles. At each muscle and joint, the aetherbusted in a perfectly timed burst, each driving my strike forward with an exponentially growing amount of speed and force.


    The mercreature¡¯s upper body came apart in a gory red spray as my fist collided with its sternum. Its lower body stumbled back and forth for a breath before tipping off the side of the branch and spiraling away into the distance.


    Despite my best effort, my irond grip on Sylvie¡¯s spell slipped. From the corner of my eye, I saw Ellie and Boo stutter, and the arrow conjured against Ellie¡¯s bow string exploded. She was lifted off the ground and mmed into Boo¡¯s side.


    I sprinted to catch her before she fell. She was shaking and staring down at her arm in shock. The dwarven bow had splintered, and a bone was protruding through the skin of her forearm.


    ¡°El!¡±


    She pushed against my chest with her good hand and took a halting step away. ¡°G-give me some room to breathe, Art¡­¡±


    Mana wrapped around her forearm before tightening like a splint. Ellie gave an agonized cry and sagged back against Boo, trembling from head to toe, and the mana sputtered.


    I ripped free a chunk of bark. ¡°Here, bite down on this.¡± I held it up, and she took it between her teeth.


    Boo rumbled and pressed his nose against her cheek. Golden light suffused her, traveling down into her chest, and the shaking eased.


    The conjured splint continued to tighten, forcing the bone back down beneath the skin. With a twist of her arm, she set the broken bones back into ce. Though swollen and purple, the steady flow of blood slowed to a trickle, held in by the mana.


    She wiped away her tears with the back of her good arm, then struggled to stand straight. ¡°Something mom showed me, just in case. Now ce on¡­¡± Although her face was pale and beaded with sweat, she straightened. ¡°We can¡¯t waste any more time.¡±


    Nodding, I turned away, curling and uncurling my own hand.


    My arm, from my knuckles to shoulder, twinged with pain. The Burst Strike technique seemed like a natural extension of Burst Step now that my asuran physique could handle the strain, but I¡¯d had precious little time to practice it. Unlike a step, where all my carefully executed pushing force went down into the ground and was absorbed, a punch fueled by so much speed and precision delivered almost as much impact back to me as it did to my target, causing a series of micro-tears and fractures up my arm.


    Clenching my fist, I followed along with my body¡¯s healing, aware of each torn muscle and strained tendon as they fused, wishing I could extend the same power to my sister and heal her arm.


    But there was no time to linger on my mistakes. Ellie jerked to a stop as she mbered one-handed onto Boo¡¯s back, staring into the limbs above. ¡°I heard wind over wings. And¡­I can smell another one.¡±


    There was no more discussion before we began moving again, sprinting along the branch with Chul at the front. Ellie, her arm bound and in a sling and her weapon destroyed, stayed on Boo¡¯s back, her good arm holding onto Sylvie. Caera rushed along between Boo and Regis, half her focus on the drones zipping through the foliage around us. Although I couldn¡¯t sense the skyray¡¯s mana signatures, I kept Realmheart active, watching the movement of both mana and aether for any sign of further danger.


    Before we¡¯d even transitioned to the next branch, a speeding skyray passed overhead, moving in the direction of the fallen limbs. Thanks to Ellie and Caera¡¯s warning, we were able to duck into a thicker patch of sail-sized leaves, letting it vanish behind us.


    But as we came out of her hiding spot, another appeared, this one with two of the crustacean mercreatures riding on its back. One clicked and squawked, jabbing its two-pronged spear in our direction.


    I let out a frustrated curse. ¡°Go, keep moving!¡±


    mming the ball of his weapon into the palm of his hand, Chul sprinted onward. Boo sped up to match him, but I could tell Caera was struggling to split her focus. She seemed to consider for a moment, then leapt on Regis¡¯s back. He paused only long enough to let her situation herself, then bolted after the others.


    In an instant, the skyray spun around and came down from behind us, but it didn¡¯t attack. Instead, it released a subsonic vibration like the death knell of the first one we¡¯d encountered. Pushing aether into my ears to dampen the noise, I stared around, certain of what woulde next.


    As I expected, another skyray appeared from behind the first. Then a third, banking sharply through a thick tangle of branches to our right.


    ¡°There are two more below us,¡± Caera said, twisting around on Regis¡¯s loping back to face me. ¡°Each with a handful of those scaled creatures. They¡¯re penning us in!¡±


    Considering the skyrays¡¯ speed, there was no way for us to outmaneuver them. With this being such an obviously coordinated attack, however, I knew that stopping to fight it out might allow even more enemies to find us. ¡°Keep moving,¡± I ordered after taking a second to think.


    Sylvie, now would be a great time to snap out of it, I thought, not expecting a response.


    Suddenly one of the skyrays wheeled around and set down on the branch a hundred feet ahead of us. Its three riders scrambled off, then split up, crawling along the sides and beneath the branch itself. Another skyraynded behind us, and two more riders dismounted, their weapons drawn as they charged toward us on dozens of knifelike legs.


    ck beams of soulfire scored the air. Two struck the skyray, causing the flesh to bubble and pop. The other two beams fired left and right, aimed at the mercreatures skittering along the vertical edge of the branch.


    At the same time, a glowing white bolt shot from Ellie¡¯s palm. It curved down around the outer edge of the branch, followed an instantter by a concussive st that I felt through my soles.


    I focused on Sylvie, on the armor and the spell surrounding her body. Keeping Sylvie¡¯s unconscious spell in check was my priority.


    With Sylvie fully centered in my consciousness, I utilized just the periphery of my thoughts to conjure an aetheric de forty feet behind me and sh wildly with it.


    The attack was clumsy, swinging too short, and the crustacean mercreature jumped back to avoid it. And even that failed effort caused a jolt that made Boo miss his footing and stumble, nearly toppling my wounded sister.


    Still, in the second that bought us, Chul¡¯s round-headed mace went flying. He threw it like a missile, and the fissures in the head roared with mes before ripping through flesh and bone and nearly splitting the monster in half.


    To our left, a red-tinged mercreature scampered up the branch¡¯s side, its many stabbing legs easily clinging to the thick bark. Streaks of soulfire scored the air like the very shadows of Ellie''s conjured bolts, throwing the mercreature off bnce for Regis to finish with a whip-crack sh of his tail.


    Chul sprinted right over the corpse of the skyray as his weapon returned to his hand, and Boo and Regis kept pace as we continued in his wake.


    ¡°Below us!¡± Ellie shouted, pointing toward the base of a neighboring tree.


    Moving like termites, dozens of the mercreatures were rapidly scaling the towering structure. They moved up as fast as we were able to sprint along the horizontal surface, and it seemed as if they intended to cut us off.


    I scanned the nearby branches through a hail of spellfire, looking for a way to change course.


    Without my full arsenal of abilities, there was nowhere else to go but straight forward. As we ran, I searched the shadows of every branch and root for any signs of an exit portal. This zone wasn¡¯t a limited space like a cave, but more like Three Step¡¯s snow-covered zone, or the desert Taci and I had destroyed. In both ces, which seemed to expand forever, the zone itself had led me to the destination. We had followed the branches in the most natural direction, which I hoped meant¡ª


    My eyes caught on something, a straight edge among rough and winding organic shapes. I had only barely noticed it half-hidden within a cluster of entangled roots far out into theke below us.


    Ellie confirmed my suspicions immediately, her glowing brown eyes focused into the distance. ¡°It¡¯s the portal!¡±

 Chapter 439: Holding Ground

    <strong>CAERA DENOIR</strong>


    The bottom dropped out of my stomach as Regis leapt off the side of the gargantuan branch on which we¡¯d been running. Treesrger than even the most grandiose cathedrals and pces rose all around us, their branches crossing over and beneath one another in an iprehensiblework both above and below. Under me, Regis¡¯s flesh began to writhe.


    His back broadened and fur hardened into spines. The purple mes of his mane grew jagged, more solid, nicking me and drawing a line of blood across my forearm. Wings sprouted from his back, catching our momentum.


    Being so close, the Destruction emanating from him made my bones ache.


    Two skyrays swerved to pursue us.


    ¡°On our left!¡± I barked as beams of soulfire leaped off my de and scored the beasts¡¯ flesh, leaving bubbly raised scars in the ck hide.


    Regis banked hard as a skyray mmed into us from the side, and I could focus on nothing but maintaining my seat on his back. Purple fire zed between his teeth, and he ripped a chunk out of our attacker¡¯s wing. The mes spread from the wound quickly, consuming the beast as it plummeted from the sky.


    We spun in the air, headed back toward our branch where the others were fully engaged inbat. Grey shouted something, and Eleanor stood up on her bear¡¯s back. Regis snatched her in his paws, then wheeled around again, descending toward the portal frame in the distance.


    ncing behind us, I watched as Grey pulled Sylvie from Boo. Even now, in the midst of such chaos, there was such tenderness to the way he held her.


    With a sudden burst of pain, a three-pronged chitin spear struck me in the leg, punching through the mana dding my body and into Regis¡¯s side. I hissed with pain and nearly tumbled off when Regis banked hard to avoid a volley of spears thrown by the horde of crustaceans crawling up the tree.


    ¡°You good?¡± Regis asked, the concern clear even in his guttural growl.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I hissed through gritted teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t slow down!¡±


    As I struggled with the spear, several of the crustaceans leapt from the sides of the tree. The frills along their shoulders expanded out like wings to catch the wind. First a few, then a dozen, then more glided after us.


    At a thought, my orbitals drew in close. The mana resonated between them, conjuring a shield around us. Another spear nced off the shield, then a small de.


    We arrived at the small ind of knotted roots just ahead of them, but skyrays were already circling. Regis began transforming, and I slipped off his back, one hand holding the spear steady. Boo appeared next to Eleanor with a burst of mana, but I was focused on the approaching horde as I wrenched the spear free and tossed it aside.


    Suddenly the gliding crustaceans were in disarray, falling like stones or banking hard away. A smokey-skinned figure plowed through their formation, and I held my breath as Chul ripped the frills off one of the monsters, drove his fire-imbued fist into another causing it to go up like kindling before mming two more together so hard I heard the crunch from where I stood.


    They gave up their pursuit of us and dove into the water to escape him, giving him time tond beside me.


    Following the constrained pressure his bond exuded, I found Grey, Sylvie in his arms, leaping between two branches. A skyray dove for him mid-leap, but Sylvie¡¯s spell pulsed, and the skyray froze in midair, sped up sickeningly, and vanished behind a tree.


    Grey was rushing from branch to branch, moving downward and in our direction as best he could with Sylvie cradled in his arms, her body still wrapped in his conjured armor. When several crustaceans moved to cut him off, he shed forward with such speed that they were sted off the branch. A couple plummeted, unconscious and unable to save themselves, while the others threw out their frills and drifted to other branches or down into the water.


    The zone rocked as Chul bashed his weapon into one of the roots leading to our ind. Wood exploded, burning splinters flying like knives in every direction. mes raced along the wood toward a group of crustaceans. A few were caught in the ze, while others escaped to the water with enraged, gurgling chitters.


    A transparent, smokey ck bubble of mana appeared around us. Chitinous projectiles mmed into it an instantter, sending tremors through the mana.


    ¡°We just need to hold until Grey catches up,¡± I said, considering our options.


    The strain on Chul¡¯s mana reserves showed clearly in his zed eyes and erratic breathing. Eleanor had mounted Boo, her broken arm cradled against her stomach as mana swirled around her. Eager tension was emanating palpably from Regis, the only one of our number who didn¡¯t seem to have been taxed by this battle.


    The frequency of projectiles quickly increased until the whole shield was trembling and barely maintaining its form.


    Suddenly there was a lull in the barrage.


    From the smoking ruins of the root that Chul had destroyed, a blurred form burst into sight, sprinting toward us. The speed of Grey¡¯s passage gusted away the smoke, revealing dozens of corpses beyond.


    I dropped the shield as he raced onto the knot of roots and into the alcove where the portal frame was hidden. A subtle glow infused the alcove, bathing Grey in pale light as the portal activated.


    The light dimmed, and the shield reformed above us just before a skyray mmed into it.


    As I held it there, straining against the Relictombs beast¡¯s strength, Grey cursed, and my heart sank. He had the Compass in hand, but the face of the portal was distorted with static.


    As if feeling my eyes on him, he turned and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not working.¡±


    The shield emanating from my orbitals gave out.


    Phoenix fire, Destruction, and pure mana all struck the attacking skyray at once. Its subsonic death knell stole my breath away, and I barely brought my de around in time to deflect a thrown spear.


    Chul grunted in pain and went to one knee as the dying skyray crashed into the water.


    ¡°Eleanor, help Chul!¡± I ordered, knowing someone needed to take charge or we would copse under the weight of these constant attacks.


    ¡°On it!¡±


    Ellie¡¯s gaze flickered toward her bond, and Boo rushed in front of Chul, taking a spear to the side. White light emanated from Boo into Eleanor, and then from her to Chul. His mana signature swelled, but the drain on Ellie was clear, even after borrowing mana from Boo.


    The water erupted in front of me, and a crustaceannded heavily on the root¡¯s edge. It was broadly muscled with scales the color of dried blood. Huge pincers clicked together in ce of hands. It chittered dangerously, eyeing me for a long moment, then scrambled forward, its pincers outstretched.


    A bolt of pain ran up my leg as I shifted my weight to bat aside one pincer before hacking across my attacker¡¯s ribs, the crimson de igniting with dark fire. I felt a jolt of fear as the sharp edge of my sword drew only a thin line of dark blue blood.


    One pincer snapped out and closed around my de. My arms jarred painfully as they were pulled to a halt midswing. The other w opened wide as it carved toward my neck. I knew, in the second between one thought and the next, that the strike would take my head off.


    Golden light suffused me as something hit me from behind, and the w cracked against it. I stumbled backwards just as the light shattered. Instead of taking me solidly on the side of the neck, the pincer¡¯s sharp tip shed across my vicle. My sword jumped forward, soulfire burning ck over the red steel, and plunged into the monster¡¯s open mouth and up through its brain. Its furious little eyes rolled, and it slumped off the root and back into the water.


    Spinning, I saw Eleanor staring at me, breathing hard, and although I didn¡¯t know how, I knew she had just saved my life. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, gingerly prodding my wound. It was deep, and the bone beneath had broken, but I didn¡¯t think it would be life-threatening in the short term.


    She nodded, then set about trying to remove the spear from Boo¡¯s thick hide with her one good arm.


    Inside the alcove, Grey hadid Sylvie down and was kneeling next to her. I could just hear the soft words he spoke only for her. ¡°...you to listen to me, okay Sylv? It¡¯s time to go. We can¡¯t leave until youe back to us. I need you to wake up now, okay?¡±


    As he spoke, the pressure of his intent built until it became difficult to breathe. Perhaps sensing the change, our attackers faltered, pulling back, the zone full of the noise of their alien chittering. I could see now that more crustacean creatures were swimming in from the waters all around us.


    There was a roar of warning from above.


    Regis, again in his Destruction form, was flying tight circles over the knot of roots. All around him, the skyrays swarmed.


    Each wasrge enough to cover the entire ind in its shadow, and yet they flowed past each other as they flew like a school of fish. Three closed in on Regis, the first melting away in a gout of Destruction. The second, though, ripped at Regis¡¯s wing as it passed, and the third mmed into him head-on, sending him spinning in the air.


    Another descended upon the rest of us, its twin tails curled beneath it like hooks. As it flew past, those tailsshed out. Eleanor threw herself onto her stomach, screaming when shended badly on her broken arm.


    Boo caught one tail in his jaws, heedless as the barb stabbed into his ribs. The other deflected against a soulfire shield.


    The skyray jerked midflight, and its tail ripped free. Its massive bulk was pulled violently off course so that it collided with a neighboring root before sshing down onto its back, the many legs churning feebly as it sank.


    Waves of fire were rolling off of Chul, holding back a small army of crustaceans. Whenever one reached the ind, a burst of force, from the many discs of condensed mana Eleanor had set as traps around the edge of roots, sent it sshing back into theke.


    And yet there seemed no end to the zone¡¯s upants.


    Regis hit the ground hard, crushing a couple of crustaceans beneath him. Purple mes licked between his teeth and raced to his paws and tail as he spun, snapped, and wed at any monster that came too close. Even as he fought, he shrank, reverting to his normal shadow wolf form.


    A spear nced off the smokey mana sheathing Chul¡¯s body, but an instantter a chintin dagger punched through it and plunged between his ribs. In front of me, two of the crustacean creatures jumped onto the roots, one with a forked spear, the other swinging a woven from fibrous nts.


    The flew, opening as it did so. A beam of ck fire sliced through the fibers, and I unleashed a wave of soulfire with my sword. Both enemies leaned into it, turning their t faces away. Their scales ckened and cracked in ces, but neither were destroyed.


    As their gazes returned to me, a shining bolt of mana lodged into the top right eye of one. It screeched and fell back into the water, which sprayed up like a geyser a secondter as the bolt exploded. The other ducked under another mana bolt before skittering over the bark toward me. It caught my de in the forked spear and turned it aside, nearly wrenching the weapon from my grip.


    I limped back, dislodging my de and avoiding a swiping w, but the foot of my wounded leg turned in a gap between roots, and I fell. Mana exploded against the crustacean¡¯s side, but it only rocked back for an instant before its spear came up again. Eleanor screamed and Boo roared. The spear came down, and I caught it with my sword, partially deflecting it.


    The prongs punched through my armor and arm alike, pinning me to the wood below. Pulling back both legs, I conjured wind into them. When the monster fell on me, I kicked with all my might, unleashing a st of wind-attribute mana along the length of my legs. My attacker was lifted off its feet and sent tumbling off the roots and back into the water.


    The kick sent a lightning bolt of pain up my leg, and stars burst beyond my eyes.


    Several more magical sts went off. I could hear Chul bellowing his war cry and Regis snarling.


    Turning over, I experienced a sh of d¨¦j¨¤ vu as I pulled the crustacean spear from my flesh before letting it fall to the ground. Nearby within the root cave, Grey was kneeling next to the portal frame and Sylvie. His eyes were closed, his brows furrowed in concentration, sweat beaded on his forehead. Gentle purple light was radiating from him and his bond. His lips were moving, but I couldn¡¯t read them.


    ¡°Grey¡­Grey!¡± My voice cracked as I shouted, my head swimming as I unintentionally put pressure on my cracked vicle.


    From the corner of my eye, I watched as Chul was swallowed in a wave of crustaceans as they poured over the edge of the ind. To my other side, Regis and Boo were standing over Eleanor. She was curled into a ball and cradling her broken arm. The mana bracing it was gone, and blood was flowing freely. Even as I watched, two more spears hit the guardian bear, lodging in his tough hide.


    A sharp pressure broke the surface of the flesh around my calf, and I was suddenly dragged backwards. Another huge blood-red crustacean had me in its pincer and was pulling me toward the water. My de came down on its arm just below the w, shearing it off, but already two more were reaching for me, grabbing me.


    My fingers skated across the slimy, blood-slick surface of the roots, unable to get purchase. My wounds screamed with each desperate movement, but this was buried beneath the churning waters of my panic.


    Something struck my elbow, and my hand went numb. The handle of my sword slipped from my grasp.


    Rolling over, I kicked furiously, sending out bursts of wind with each blow. It wasn¡¯t enough.


    A massive pincer raised above me like a guillotine.


    Then¡­everything stopped. The noise, the pressure, the grasping ws, even the shadow of a skyray enveloping the root ind.


    Slowly, I looked down at my legs. The crustacean whose w I¡¯d severed was reeling away, its face a hideous mask of pain and fury, strings of blue blood frozen in the air around its wound. Another held me, its ws pinched around my leg. The third reared over me with its pincer outstretched.


    Repeated wet crunching interrupted the silence. Chul had dragged himself out of the pile. His massive weapon was falling down on unmoving enemy after enemy, but each swing came slower than thest, and he was wobbling drunkenly.


    Eleanor used her good arm to drag herself up Boo¡¯s side. She looked to be on the verge of passing out.


    Finally, I looked back within the cave.


    Sylvie was on her feet. Grey was at her side, supporting her. The asura¡¯s eyes were glowing, the gold flecked with amethyst motes.


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­hold this long¡­¡± she said warily, sagging against Grey.


    ¡°Everyone, hurry!¡± I shouted, jerking free of the immobile crustaceans and dragging myself to my feet. ¡°To the portal!¡±


    Groaning with pain, Eleanor clutched Boo¡¯s fur as he half guided, half pulled her toward the portal frame. Chul had stopped swinging, and his weapon had vanished. He seemed on the verge of copse when Regis appeared next to him, taking some of the half-phoenix¡¯s weight. Inside, Grey had already turned around and was channeling aether into the Compass.


    When the relic activated, the portal shifted to reveal a ghostly outline of whaty beyond.


    Time slipped back into sequence with a feeling like my ears popping. Grey vanished in a violet sh, reappearing outside the mouth of the cave of tangled roots, his de carving through the crustaceans that had attempted to drag me into the water.


    I stumbled forward and into the portal.


    My feet moved from slick bark to solid stone bathed in golden white light from the huge portal now at my back. I swayed dizzily. My heart was pounding, each beat throbbing in my blurred vision. I focused on controlling my breath, reigning in the heady, post-battle rush. Long moments passed before I finally found the strength to lift my head up.


    The terrace, usually full of excited bustle, was empty and dour byparison. A couple dozen ascenders stood at stiff attention, their focus primarily on the various entries into the terrace. A handful, along with a couple of clerks, were looking at me expectantly, although their brows rose higher the longer they stared.


    Before I could speak, Eleanor and Boo appeared beside me, then Chul opposite them.


    ¡°Caera!¡±


    ¡°Lauden?¡± I breathed, disbelieving.


    My adoptive brother broke away from a group of guards and came running. The attendants who had been staring at me ck-jawed took a step back, exchanging strained nces.


    My surprise turned to shock when Lauden wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him in a familial embrace. I waited wordlessly for something to happen, my breath catching in my chest.


    After a few seconds, he pulled back and cleared his throat. ¡°We were afraid you had¡­¡± He trailed off as his focus shifted to the others. ¡°How did you get here? Who are your¡­friends?¡± Before I could answer, he seemed to notice my wounds for the first time, and his face fell. ¡°You¡¯re wounded! Come with me, I¡¯ll¡ªno, wait, I¡¯ll have people brought here. Bring them seats!¡± he snapped at the nearby soldiers, who were watching with growing interest.


    Eleanor was leaning against Boo, blood weeping from several wounds, her eyes barely open.


    In worse shape was Chul, who sagged even as I looked at him, as if the weight of my attention was more than he could shoulder. The ground trembled as he copsed to one knee, his eyes tightly shut and breathing inbored gasps. ¡°I am¡­fine,¡± he said, his words slurred.


    ¡°Nonsense, we can¡ª¡±


    Grey, Regis, and Sylvie appeared beside Boo.


    ¡°¡ªbring healers¡­¡± Lauden finished before noticing the new arrivals. He took an involuntary step back, his eyes going wide as full moons. ¡°Ascender Grey¡­¡±


    Grey hardly acknowledged Lauden, going straight to his sister¡¯s side. He tipped her chin up so he could look into her eyes. Over his shoulder, he said, ¡°Yes, healers. Whoever you have. Quickly.¡±


    Eleanor brushed Grey¡¯s hand away and stood up straight, taking her weight off the guardian bear. When she started walking toward Chul, Boo followed.


    Grey reached for her, but Sylvie rested her fingers lightly on his forearm, and so he turned to her instead. Something passed between them unspoken, and some of the tension in Grey¡¯s shoulders rxed.


    I felt Lauden approach to stand at my side, and together we watched as Eleanor once again drew mana from her bond and instilled it directly into Chul¡¯s core. ¡°Vritra¡¯s horns,¡± he whispered. ¡°What is happening right now?¡±


    ¡°I could ask you the same,¡± I said, not yet having shaken off the uncharacteristic joy he had disyed upon seeing me. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in charge of a rotation guarding the portal,¡± he said without taking his eyes off the others. ¡°Our highblood split right down the middle. Half followed Father into the Relictombs while the rest sided with Justus.¡±


    ¡°Corbett and Lenora sided with Seris?¡± I asked, unable to believe it. ¡°Publicly?¡±


    Chul grew strong enough to stand, and Eleanor stumbled back. He scooped her up and set her on top of her bear. Both looked simultaneously grateful and exhausted beyond words.


    Lauden let out a weak scoff. ¡°Our dear Great-Uncle Justus did it for them.¡±


    I knew highblood politics well enough to understand, but I had no head for it in the moment. I had been doing my best to ignore my wounds so far, and I hadn¡¯t forgotten why we were there. ¡°Where is Seris, is she¡­¡±


    Lauden¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Most of our healers will be with her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s waited for me long enough.¡± I looked at mypanions, weariness creeping in with each syble I spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving.¡±


    Regis nudged me with his head. ¡°Get on.¡±


    Grateful to take the weight off my wounded leg, I eased onto his back. Together, we all left the terrace and went through the za where ascenders would have normally looked for groups for their ascents. Like the portal terrace, it was eerily empty. Lauden walked just ahead of us, and although he shot asional nces back at me, he said nothing else.


    He¡¯s changed, I thought. Whether it was from fear of the circumstances or from growth in maturity, I didn¡¯t know, but my adoptive brother no longer acted like the spoiled highblood Corbett and Lenora enabled him to be.


    We proceeded directly along the main boulevard toward the portals between levels. People peered out at us, but no one approached. I saw familiar innkeepers and store proprietors and realized that they had been stuck in here as well. It¡¯s amazing Seris has been able to maintain control for this long.


    Despite having discussed some details of a potential n to cut off ess to the Relictombs, I still couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing when we reached the zone¡¯s entrance.


    Surrounding the bank of portals that normally made transit between the first two levels of the Relictombs a simple matter was an array of unusual devices. Constructed of a simr blue-tinged metal as those we¡¯d used to capture Oeth, the metal housings contained unusuallyrge mana crystals, connecting them with artifacts shaped like bowls turned on their side. The entire structure was a mess of thick wire.


    Visible striations of contorted mana emanated from the bowls to the portals, distorting their normally smooth surfaces.


    Surrounding these devices¡ªseveral per mana crystal¡ªwere a couple dozen mages. As best I could tell at a nce, they were channeling immense quantities of mana into the crystals.


    It was only after taking all this in that I realized there were many other people around. Most were armed and attentive ascenders. Guards, some of whom focused on Grey, clearly recognizing him, while others moved hands to weapons as they stared down Chul, Boo, or even Sylvie, their nervousness writ in in the tense lines of their face.


    But there were also arge number of mages bustling about. Some appeared to be waiting, others were helping fatigued men and women leave the za. A few people were lying on cots or being carried to a nearby building, which I guessed had been retrofitted to be a hospital.


    I was momentarily confused by this, unsure what would be causing so many injuries, then one of the mages tending the mana crystals copsed.


    A handful of others hurried to his side, and I was surprised to see Eleanor there as well. Despite her own mana signature wobbling with the effort, she channelled what little mana she had into the mage, bringing him back from the edge of bacsh. Those holding him watched this in wonder, ck-jawed and wide-eyed as the unconscious mage in their arms stirred.


    Eleanor stepped back, allowing them to help the mage away. Meanwhile, another mage had stepped in to take the ce of the first.


    And at the center of all this was my mentor.


    Seris was kneeling on a cushion next to a ss container filled with glowing blue liquid. Inside the container rested the severed head of Sovereign Oeth Vritra, or what was left of it. The flesh had dposed in ragged patches, the hair melted away, empty sockets staring soullessly out through the ss.


    Seris¡¯s eyes were closed and ringed by dark shadows. She seemed pale, her mana signature weak. One hand was dipped into the open container, her fingers clenched around Oeth¡¯s horn.


    She¡¯s powering the device herself. This slow-dawning realization left me cold with disbelief.


    Cylrit was standing beside her, watching us approach. He stared at Grey for what felt like a very long time, then bent down and said something softly in Seris¡¯s ear.


    She startled, her fingers spasming around the horn, and a ripple ran through the mana distortions aimed at the portals.


    Her eyes opened slowly, and she had to blink several times before she could focus on Cylrit¡¯s face. She did not speak, but her gaze slipped off the retainer to Grey, and her spine straightened.


    ¡°It looks like our roles are reversed from our first meeting, Seris,¡± he said. Although he was outwardly rigid, his tone was soft, consoling. ¡°You sent for me, and I¡¯m here. But I¡¯m not sure how I can help you.¡±


    She shook her head, sending a cascade of pearl-colored hair spilling into her face. When she spoke, her voice was raw. ¡°Oeth¡­the hornsted until¡­¡± She trailed off, her features going ck with confusion.


    My hand reached instinctively toward her, my fingers twitching with the desire to help, to somehow make this better. I could not recall ever seeing Seris so weak, so broken. I wanted to apologize, to beg for her forgiveness, but I held myself back, forced my emotions into check. Grey was who she needed now, not me.


    Seris¡¯s strength and support were the bedrock upon which my life had been built. Seeing her like this didn¡¯t fit cleanly into reality as I understood it. She was immovable, immutable¡­and apparently, at the limit of her prodigious abilities.


    ¡°They test the portals constantly¡­at irregr intervals.¡± Seris paused to take a breath. ¡°Without the mana from Oeth, mages have had to channel around the clock, while I have operated as the focus. If we stop¡­¡± She trailed off tiredly.


    ¡°They¡¯ll know in minutes,¡± Cylrit finished for her. ¡°It¡¯s been two weeks like this. Scythe Seris hasn¡¯t moved, hasn¡¯t slept. She¡ª¡± Cylrit cut himself off as his voice broke, the strongest disy of emotion I had ever seen from the stoic retainer. ¡°We¡¯ve failed toe up with a workable solution to redirect the mana without her acting as focus. Several theories had already been considered before we arrived here, but they have all failed.¡±


    ¡°If only Wren or Gideon were here,¡± Grey said under his breath, taking in the situation with a thoughtful frown.


    ¡°Why not just destroy the portals?¡± I blurted out, looking from face to face. ¡°I¡¯ve seen Grey bring old, broken portals back to life before.¡±


    I knew Seris wouldn¡¯t have forgotten about this, of course, but as loath as she had been to destroy anything created by the djinn, I knew she wouldn¡¯t eagerly destroy these relics either unless she knew they could be recreated.


    ¡°Without a chance to experiment, we were unsure what exactly was possible,¡± Cylrit answered. His eyes jumped to Seris for a heartbeat, then back to me, continuing quietly. ¡°Although, if this had gone much farther, I would have¡ª¡±


    ¡°Never disobeyed a direct order,¡± Seris cut in, firm despite her condition.


    ¡°Even I can¡¯t promise it would work,¡± Grey added, his golden eyes locked on the portals. ¡°But is all this¡±¡ªhe waved his hand around at the equipment¡ª¡°really worth the suffering and risk?¡±


    Seris didn¡¯t answer, and the conversation was interrupted as a couple of their healers finally turned their attention to us. They hurried to set Eleanor and I down on nearby cots and began tending to our wounds. They poked and prodded at me, thered me in rejuvenating ointment, and cast spells to speed my healing and reduce the pain.


    Throughout, though, my focus remained on Seris and Grey, and the problem they now faced.


    I wanted to offer advice, solutions, ideas¡­to make use of the training Seris had provided over thesest several years. But my mind was clouded with pain, fear, and most of all regret. I couldn¡¯t avoid asking myself what I had to contribute when I was surrounded by Scythes, retainers, asuras, and¡­whatever the hells Grey was.


    Arthur, I reminded myself. Arthur Leywin, Lance of Dicathen.


    I wanted what I¡¯d always wanted¡ªto be at the center of everything. To be the instrument of change. That was Sevren¡¯s dream, which he had left to me when he vanished into the Relictombs. And now I was closer than he ever could have imagined it to realizing true change in crya, but I wasn¡¯t the catalyst for that change.


    No, that honor belongs to a man they literally call Godspell¡­


    My thoughts trailed off, and then, without meaning to, I burst out with a manicugh that startled the healer working on my shoulder so badly that she jammed the broken vicle. Myugh turned into a pained groan.


    Everyone looked at me, and I felt myself flush. ¡°Apologies, I¡­I think I might have an idea.¡±

 Chapter 440: A Loose Idea

    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    ¡°It was a loose idea at best, Arthur,¡± Caera said with uncharacteristic hesitance, her tone almost pleading. ¡°A whim really. If it¡¯s not possible¡­I¡¯m not an artificer¡­you don¡¯t need to take it so seriously¡­¡±


    I was sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of Seris with Realmheart active, the violet runes it conjured burning beneath my eyes as I carefully watched her focus mana into and through the rotting head of Sovereign Oeth. ¡°I¡¯m taking it seriously because I think it might just work.¡±


    Caera¡¯s answering frown was contemtive as it turned from me to Seris. I followed her gaze.


    Seris¡¯s baster skin was sickly gray and covered in a sheen of perspiration. Even since our arrival, she seemed to have shrunk into herself.


    I needed to understand exactly what was happening between her, the machinery, and the cadre of other mages acting as a living battery.


    At first, it seemed impossible that she had been able to keep this up for two weeks without rest. Her mana signature was incredibly weak, her core nearly empty. Her feat would not have been possible at all except for the fact that, in her desperation, she had developed her own rudimentary version of mana rotation that allowed her to absorb and purify mana from the atmosphere while also channeling it into the horn.


    I followed the mana as it was drawn in through her veins to her core, where there was a constant swirl of purification before ck-tinged mana was released to trail down her arm and into the gory artifact. From there, it seemed to condense rapidly¡ªsome inborn trait of the Vritra¡¯s horn that I didn¡¯t understand¡ªbefore being drawn out again by the bright blue liquid.


    The mana took on a darker hue after being released by the horn. Metallic wiring then guided it to severalrge crystals. These were being constantly imbued by a handful of mages each. Thanks to Realmheart¡¯s ability to see the individual mana particles, I was able to follow along as chunks of stored mana were pulled out of the mana crystals and into artifacts that reminded me of old-school Earth satellite dishes.


    These dishes, which were covered in aplex diagram of runes, condensed and projected the mana in such a way that it distorted the portals, creating something like a feedback loop in which the portals still existed, but anyoneing through them wouldn¡¯t be able to leave before being drawn back through the portal and deposited on the other side.


    As Cylrit exined it, the blue liquid was an alchemy of pulverized mana crystals suspended in a biologically-originatedpound crafted mostly of mana beast cores and chemicals proven particrly adept at transmitting mana. In effect, Seris had invented a mana battery. In this case, however, the artifact was specifically designed to utilize Oeth¡¯s mana, and their attempts to pivot to alternative sources had proved unsessful.


    Caera¡¯s idea would only be possible because of my presence.


    After bursting out in a pained, manicugh, Caera had grown nervous, clearly second-guessing herself. ¡°Go on,¡± I¡¯d encouraged her, curious. My own mind was already whirling with ideas as I struggled to see how to help Seris, and her input was wee.


    After clearing her throat and waving away the frustrated healer who was tending to her wound¡ªwhich looked much worse than I had originally thought¡ªshe had said simply, ¡°I was just thinking of your¡­unique magic, and how you may be the only person who could possibly even do something like this, but¡­could we somehow power this device using the abundant aether in the relictombs?¡±


    Her simple suggestion had firmly nted the attention of all the many mages in the za back on me. Since the moment I¡¯d appeared inside the Relictombs¡¯ second level, I¡¯d been on the receiving end of countless stares. Some gazed at me with starry-eyed wonder, while others glowered distrustfully, but everyone turned away when I met their eyes.


    I had be something of a mythical figure in crya since the Victoriad, it seemed.


    At least it meant that, when I took over and started giving orders to the mages operating the disruption artifact, everyone listened.


    I¡¯d already been watching Seris¡¯s process for quite some time. She had left it to her people to answer my many questions as she instead focused on the continued transmittal of mana.


    My sister was asleep on a cot straight ahead of me, Boo passed out beside her. Both had pushed themselves to the extreme in escaping thest zone. I was thankful that Ellie had continued to push herself while I¡¯d been gone for nearly two months, as Gideon and Emily¡¯s testing had helped her discover an additional connection between Boo and herself. Her ability to imbue mana was limited by her own light-yellow core, but by drawing on Boo¡¯s inherent mana, she could push far beyond her own limits.


    As much as he burned out quickly, Chul recuperated just as fast. His many wounds were already scabbed over despite him not allowing the cryan healers to treat him. Now he paced around the outer perimeter of the za, drawing nervous looks from the ascenders.


    Sylvie and Regis stayed near me. They kept their thoughts quiet and unobtrusive, but our connection was never entirely severed. Sylvie¡¯s mind was buzzing with the aftermath of her experience in the Relictombs, but we hadn¡¯t had a moment to talk about it. Regis, on the other hand, wasser-focused on my task, attentive to each detail. Even though I didn¡¯t experience his thoughts directly, I could still feel the gears of his mind turning like the shadow of my own.


    ¡°There are three main obstacles to this sort of conversion,¡± I said softly so that only the handful of people directly around me could hear. ¡°The battery housing here was designed from the ground up to make use of this Vritra¡¯s mana as a source. Because of how the basilisk¡¯s physiology utilizes mana, the withdrawal and disbursement of that mana can¡¯t be effective with any other source that I know of. A mana crystal just can¡¯t be condensed enough to handle the draw.¡±


    One of Seris¡¯s Imbuers shrugged uncertainly. ¡°Yes, this has been the primary roadblock we¡¯ve experienced. Seris¡¯s active focus has been the only alternative to work so far, but that is obviously unsustainable.¡±


    ¡°That also means that this design is basically useless for the storage or transmission of aether,¡± I continued. ¡°The second problem is the projection artifacts. The runes are specifically designed to work with mana, and not only that, but decay-attribute mana natively associated with the basilisk race.¡±


    ¡°We designed additional runework,¡± Cylrit replied. He was standing behind and beside Seris, looming over the tank where she held the Vritra¡¯s horn, his arms crossed. ¡°But without being able to channel enough pure mana, the alternative projection artifacts were useless. And it is exceedingly dangerous to switch between the designs, as taking down more than one or two of the artifacts weakens the disruption.¡±


    I nodded, unsurprised. ¡°But the biggest problem is that there is no way to collect ambient aether into the machine, even if we are able to correct the other two problems. I don¡¯t even know if something like that is possible. Even the Relictombs themselves, which exist in a ce entirely made of aether, degrade and copse with time. The very nature of aether is actually counter to what we¡¯re trying to do.¡±


    Sylvie looked up, her gaze sharpening. ¡°The armor draws in aether.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°But to do anything with that aether, it still needs the person inside it¡±


    ¡®Listen, we¡¯re not trying to revolutionize the way we power all artifacts across the world, right? We just need to get the little rebel queen here unplugged and buy these people some time. So use me. I can draw in aether and focus it through the rest of this shit if you can make it all work.¡¯


    I hesitated. It was true that aetheric particles were naturally drawn to Regis; that fact was instrumental in my creation of the aether core to begin with.


    We¡¯d basically be recing Seris with you. It would be a temporary bandage at best¡­


    ¡®It seems worth a try.¡¯ Sylvie rested her hand on Regis¡¯s mane. ¡®It will buy us all time at the very least.¡¯


    I examined my bond carefully. Lines of worry creased her brow and the corners of her lips, and there was a deep-set fatigue in her eyes, but her thoughts were clear-headed.<center></center>


    Seris shifted slightly, and the disruption of the mana wobbled. Her eyes moved beneath the closed lids.


    I sighed. We had no time for a lengthy exploration of what was possible. If we were going to do anything to help Seris and prevent Agrona¡¯s forces from piercing this level of the Relictombs, it needed to happen immediately.


    ¡°Tell me again about the fluid battery,¡± I said, and one of the Imbuersunched into a repeat of Cylrit¡¯s earlier exnation.


    As they spoke, I watched the particles moving within the horn and the bright liquid. I examined the housing and wiring again, as well as the rtionship between the severed Vritra head and Seris¡¯s mana. But I also paid careful attention to how the aether moved around this artifact as well. Because such a condensed amount of mana was suspended within the artifact, very little atmospheric aether existed inside of it.


    With a thought from me, Regis became immaterial and drifted through the ss and into the rotting head within, casting dim purple light from the empty sockets.


    ¡®I kind of like how this empty skull doesn''t have seven different counter scenarios and ns intersecting across his thoughts at any given moment. You know, like a certain someone. I dare say it''s almost peaceful,¡¯ Regis japed.


    The effect was immediate. More aether was drawn into the battery, flowing into the space not taken up by mana.


    Releasing aether from my core, I encouraged it toward the device, willing it to disce the mana if necessary. The manapressed further, allowing more room for the aether, which was then in turn drawn into the head by Regis¡¯s presence. The horn didn¡¯t absorb or condense the aether like it did Seris¡¯s mana, but I hadn¡¯t expected it to. Basilisks had no natural affinity for aether.


    ¡°Bring one of the spare projection artifacts and exin the runes to me.¡±


    One of the Imbuers hurried toply, soon returning with the round blue-tinted metal dish. Heunched into a precise lecture about the function of the runes and how these differed from the ones currently in use. I was no expert in this matter, but I was the only one present with any insight into aether. Even as I thought this, though, I realized it might not be true.


    ¡°Does anyone here have knowledge of the bestowals?¡±


    They exchanged looks, then Cylrit said, ¡°There were two officiants on this level at the time it was taken. They are loyal to Agrona, so they were locked away within the High Hall with anyone else who fought against us.¡±


    ¡°The bestowment ceremony requires activation of aether to work. The artifacts those officiants use are what make that possible. Sylvie, go with them and interrogate those men. Use the artifacts¡ªthe staff and the bracelet, primarily¡ªto see if you cane up with a rune sequence that will allow these projection devices to utilize aether instead of mana.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Sylvie said with a nod, her wheat-blonde hair spilling down around the jet-ck scales of the relic armor.


    It made me feel morefortable, somehow, to know that she was still being protected by it.


    Sensing my thoughts, she raised a brow and gave me a wry smile, then hurried after the Imbuers.


    I returned my focus to the battery itself. The mechanism was designed to store and release mana with no consideration to aether. The high density of mana within Oeth¡¯s horn allowed the battery to create a draw that naturally pulled the mana along the connected wiring to the rest of the devices.


    The real question was how¡ªor even if¡ªit was possible to adjust this battery so that it stored and transmitted aether instead of mana.


    With Regis attracting aether, it already filled all the space between the mana particles, giving the bright blue liquid avender hue. Focusing on this loosely stored aether, I pushed it toward the wires and was surprised when some small number of particles, caught between mana particles, was pulled along into the rest of the machine. It dissipated upon reaching the mana crystal, but that proved the aether could be transmitted simr to mana.


    ¡®Poop crystals,¡¯ Regis thought suddenly, bringing my thought process to a grinding halt.


    What?


    ¡®The giant millipede,¡¯ Regis said seriously. ¡®The processed aether¡ªpoop crystals¡ªsome of them were about the same dimensions as these mana crystals. Maybe we can swap them out.¡¯


    I looked at Seris, still sitting silently right in front of me, her mana flowing endlessly into the Vritra horn in her grasp. ¡°Can you hold on for a bit longer?¡±


    Her head tilted slightly to the side, letting a lock of pearl-colored hair fall across her closed eyes. I wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d heard me, but then she nodded. ¡°I can hear your mind whirling. Go, do what you need to do. I will be fine.¡±


    I hesitated, certain that no reasonable person would describe her current condition as ¡°fine,¡± but I knew what needed to be done, and that meant keeping her in ce just a little while longer.


    ¡°Chul,e on,¡± I said, hopping to my feet and heading out of the za.


    Caera started to stand, but I waved her down. ¡°Rest,¡± I urged. ¡°We won¡¯t be gone long.¡±


    ***


    ¡°We¡¯ll start here¡ªthe end of the chain and farthest from the source of power¡ªand work backwards,¡± the head Imbuer, a mage of the Ainsworth highblood, said for what was probably the hundredth time as he instructed the other Imbuers.


    Sylvie had returned from the High Hall shortly after Chul, Regis, and I got back from the giant millipede zone. Sylvie and the Imbuers, along with some less-than-eager assistance from the bestowal officiants and their artifacts, were able to mock up abination of runes that proved capable of projecting aether with a simr effect as the current mana disruption.


    I watched as the team quickly dismantled the device to rece the mana crystal and projection artifact. The moment the new equipment was in ce, Regis began pushing aether out of the battery. It traveled along the wires, dissipating where it reached the other mana crystals but being absorbed into the newly ced aether crystal.


    Nothing happened.


    The Imbuers¡¯ faces fell. Cylrit¡¯s jaw clenched. Caera was wringing her hands, her face pale as she looked on nervously.


    It¡¯s about intention, I thought to Regis. Remember, the aether listens to you, responds to your intent. You can¡¯t just push it, you have to guide it.


    I felt Regis¡¯s focus sharpen, extending to the aether he had sent into the crystal.<center></center>


    A few particles disced from the crystal, running into the projection artifact. Then a few more. Slowly but surely, a steady trickle, then a stream of aether was flowing, until suddenly the device activated.


    A wave of amethyst light distorted the air between the artifact and the portals.


    It was working.


    A collective held breath was released as the Imbuers cheered and pped each other on the back. Cylrit gave me a firm nod, suddenly looking ten years younger.


    Seris seemed oblivious, focused on the act of empowering all the other pieces of the disruption array.


    ¡°Welle on!¡± the Ainsworth Imbuer snapped. ¡°No time to waste, let¡¯s get the rest of these converted over.¡±


    One by one, they changed out the original pieces of their design with the new, aether-aligned parts. With each addition, I helped Regis by forcing more of the mana out of the battery and infusing it with my own aether instead, allowing him to focus on just maintaining the flow.


    More and more people arrived in the za as we worked. I recognized a couple of faces, such as Su of Named Blood Drusus, High Mage of the Cargidan Ascenders Hall and, surprising me, Kayden of Highblood Aphelion, the wounded professor I had taught alongside at Central Academy. Kayden gave me a jaunty wave from the outskirts of the za, where he lingered with feigned disinterest. Many others were clearly ranking Highbloods or ascenders as well.


    It was a technically arduous process, and time ticked by slowly as the Imbuersbored. All together, it took hours before thest projection artifact was finally in ce, thest crystal was changed, and all the mana was pushed out of the battery, leaving room for a significant deposit of aether.


    Although I¡¯d done little throughout, keeping Realmheart active for so long was taxing. It did not require a significant amount of aether to do so, but it was simr to keeping a muscle flexed for hours on end, and a dull headache was burning at the corners of my eyes.


    It was with a feeling of relief that I released the godrune, feeling the energy burning up from under my skin in the shape of runes dissipating. At the same time, the visible motes of mana painting the zone in reds, yellows, greens, and blues faded away to nothing.


    But something was different.


    I rubbed at my sternum, feeling a tension there that I couldn¡¯t immediately identify. Worried that I¡¯d strained myself, I looked around at everyone else.


    Cylrit¡¯s fist was wrapped firmly around Seris¡¯s forearm, and he eased her hand out of the battery tank, allowing the Imbuers to seal it back up. At first, Seris¡¯s mana kept flowing in an uninterrupted loop, spilling out into the atmosphere with no effect. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up, confused, into Cylrit¡¯s face.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. You¡¯ve held long enough. Let go.¡±


    The flow of mana abated, and Seris stared at her hand, which she seemed to be struggling to unclench.


    Her mana, I realized with a start. Despite no longer channeling Realmheart, I could still sense her mana.


    My insight into the godrune, which represented the rtionship between aether and mana, had advanced without my even realizing it. I bit back a grin and closed my eyes, just feeling the mana signatures of everyone around me.


    ¡°Did it work?¡± Seris asked, snapping me back into the moment.


    No one could answer yet. Together, we waited with breathless uncertainty. Even to the naked eye, the ripples in the air and portal surfaces were clear beneath a dim purple glow, but it wasn¡¯t until, a couple minutester, when an cryan soldier appeared briefly in one of the portals before vanishing again, that we all truly rxed.


    ¡°It worked,¡± I confirmed.


    A cheer went up, and the Imbuers and attendant mages copsed into back-patting and embraces all around us.


    How does it feel in there?


    ¡®I assume you¡¯re not talking about this rotting skull,¡¯ Regis shot back, sounding in good humor. ¡®Seriously, though, I¡¯ve always wanted to be the little engine that could.¡¯


    Sylvie snorted, her brows raised nearly into her hairline. ¡®You find the strangest details in Arthur¡¯s old Earth memories.¡¯


    ¡®Hey, ¡°Strange Details¡± is going to be the name of my memoir.¡¯ Regis¡¯sughter rang in my head as I turned away with a groan.


    ¡°I need to take Scythe Seris somewhere she can rest,¡± Cyrlit said, her armced through his for support. ¡°We will convene when¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Seris said firmly. He started to object, but she cut him off again. ¡°I will recover as we walk. Come, Arthur. Gather yourpanions.¡± She looked around, caught sight of Su, and gestured for him to approach. Unbidden, a couple of other men came with him. ¡°Su, Harlow, send men to collect the Highlords, Matrons, and other ranking blood members. Have them gather at the Dread Craven within the hour.¡±


    Chul helped Ellie and Caera to stand and mount Boo, and they fell in behind me while Sylvie stayed at my side. A number of guards broke off from those stationed around the za and marched to either side of our party, while several others followed us out of the za as well. As we approached the boulevard that ran lengthwise across the zone, I realized that arge number of people were being held back by more guards.


    I stopped walking, my body going rigid.


    ¡°What the hell are they doing here?¡± I asked, feeling my cheeks flush with anger.


    ¡°Professor!¡± Ma jumped up and down, waving her arms to catch my attention. ¡°Hey, Professor Grey!¡±


    Next to Ma, Seth of Highblood Milview rubbed his neck and smiled awkwardly, looking increasingly embarrassed.


    Seris turned stiffly to acknowledge me. ¡°Forgive me, Arthur. They were intended to be a¡­research project, of sorts.¡±


    My fists clenched and unclenched at my sides. ¡°You endangered these kids¡¯ lives for a¡ª¡± I cut myself off, full understanding dawning. ¡°You wanted to know why their runes were so strong.¡±<center></center>


    Seris only nodded before turning away, and Cylrit continued walking.


    I broke ranks and hurried over to where a couple of ascenders were holding back the pair of teenagers. Ma was grinning wildly, but Seth looked nervous.


    ¡°Professor Grey, you¡¯re back!¡± Ma gushed, looking like she wanted to rush up and hug me. ¡°Everyone has been talking about you, ever since you left. Some of the other students thought you¡¯d disappeared forever, but Loreni was so sure you¡¯d be back, and so was S-Scythe Seris¡­Vritra¡­¡± Ma trailed off, her attention sliding to where Seris had yet again stopped and was now watching my conversation.


    ¡°Seth, Ma, it¡¯s good to see you both,¡± I said, giving them a small smile that I knewcked any true warmth. ¡°I can¡¯t speak now, but when I have a moment, perhaps you two can help me understand¡ª¡±


    ¡°Maybe you can help us understand something, Professor,¡± Seth said suddenly, cutting over me. His face was pale, and he was staring past me, not meeting my eye. ¡°Who are you? Why¡­why did you do this to us? Get us into this? I¡­¡± He shook his head and trailed off, looking like he might be sick.


    I hesitated to answer. I didn¡¯t want to leave them feeling like everything that had happened to them was without reason, but I didn¡¯t have time to tell them the truth in the right way. ¡°I¡¯ll exin what I canter. Where are you staying?¡±


    ncing between me and Seth, Ma gave me directions to the mansion of the Highblood that had taken them in. ¡°See you soon?¡± she asked, the words almost pleading.


    ¡°As soon as I can.¡±


    I returned to the others under Seris¡¯s curious gaze, but she said nothing, and we began marching along again. The ascenders moved the crowd out of our way, and our own guards kept everyone well back.


    I wasn¡¯t heedless of the shouts that followed us, some pleading, others resentful and usatory, but I was too on edge to give any of it much thought. Our victory with the portal disruptor already seemed like a distant memory as the weight of the problems still facing these people settled heavily across my shoulders.


    Cylrit and Seris led us to a three-story building that overlooked a small street several blocks from the High Hall, which loomed in the distance. I was surprised both by the location and construction of the building. I wasn¡¯t sure what I had been expecting, but this wasn¡¯t it.


    A sign depicting a split face, one half bright white and twisted into a cartoonish grimace of terror, the other pitch ck and screaming a battle cry, marked the building as the Dread Craven. Constructed mostly of dark stone and wood, it reminded me of many inns I¡¯d seen throughout both crya and Dicathen.


    Four mages guarded the door, which they opened as we approached. By theck of surprise on their faces, word had already reached them about Seris¡¯s arrival.


    ¡°Not quite how I imagined you living,¡± Caera said under her breath, having dismounted from Boo and limped in after me and Sylvie.


    Seris turned, her face ck like someone just woken from a deep sleep. ¡°No, I suppose not. The previous owner attempted to fight his way out on the first day after we arrived, leading a number of his blood and employees to their unfortunate demise. Since this building was then vacant, I decided it would be a suitable base of operations.¡±


    Cylrit cracked a smile. ¡°Besides, she enjoys dragging the highbloods all the way across the zone into the low part of town.¡±


    ¡°Hush,¡± Seris answered, waving her hand dismissively at her retainer. ¡°And, perhaps, fetch me a drink?¡±


    Cylrit nodded and headed toward the bar running half the length of the back wall.


    We were standing in a wide open tavern room, standard except that all the rectangr tables had been pushed together in the center. It was unusually clean for an inn or bar, and the walls were barren, all their decorations having been taken down at some point. The lower windows had all been barricaded over by an earth-attribute mage, and the walls reinforced in ces to provide a more defensible base.


    A door behind the bar led to some back room, and a set of stairs dominated the left side of the open tavern. A couple of people¡ªmembers of Seris¡¯s staff, I assumed¡ªpeaked down the stairs briefly, their faces alight with a pleasant surprise, but they vanished just as quickly when Seris shot them a meaningful nce.


    Serris¡¯s movements were slow and calcted as she moved to a plush chair at the end of the pushed-together tables and eased into it with a groan. She waved for the rest of us to join her.


    At the door, Ellie scratched Boo between his eyes and told him to wait outside.


    I sat on Seris¡¯s left, while Caera took the chair to her right. Nervousness rolled off Ellie in waves as she sat stiffly next to me. Sylvie, on her other side, squeezed her forearm gently. Chul stood, leaning against an upright post with his arms crossed.


    Cylrit appeared from behind the bar and set a in ss full of golden liquid in front of her. ¡°Are you sure you wouldn¡¯t rather go rest for a few hours¡ªor days¡ªbefore we¡ª¡±


    He quieted at a look from Seris. They said nothing more to each other, but Cylrit stayed beside her, one hand on the back of her chair, his expression hard enough to crack the inn¡¯s stone foundations.


    Seris took a small drink, let out a deep, shaky breath, and set the ss back on the table.


    ¡°So, here I am,¡± I said, deciding to speak first to break the tension. ¡°You took a big risk, both in sending Caera to Dicathen and with this gambit in the Relictombs. I might not havee.¡±


    An nearly imperceptible frown line creased the smooth skin between her brows. ¡°I¡¯ll thank you, of all people, not to lecture me on taking risks, Arthur Leywin.¡±


    I raised my hands off the table in a gesture of warding. ¡°Point taken. But really, Seris, what is all this about? Why did you send for me?¡±


    ¡°A moment,¡± she said, sagging under the weight of her fatigue. ¡°The others will be here soon, and I¡¯ve only the strength to have this conversation once.¡± She took another small sip of her drink, her attention lingering on my sister. ¡°Eleanor, yes? Umon talent and bravery runs in your blood, I see.¡±


    Ellie flushed and stared at her hands, which were sped together on top of the table in front of her. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, uh, Scythe Seris¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please, call me Seris. My time as a Scythe and general of crya is past, I think.¡± She gave me a rueful smile. ¡°And this must be¡­Lady Sylvie Indrath. Cadell thought you¡¯d sumbed to your wounds in Dicathen after your battle. ¡®Like mother, like daughter,¡¯ he¡¯d said. A cold one, that Cadell. Colder now, of course.¡±


    Sylvie raised her chin, her face framed by the two sets of horns. The gold of her eyes was molten even in the bright light of the inn¡¯s interior. ¡°You seem to be quite well informed, Lady Seris.¡±


    Seris¡¯s face darkened, her focus momentarily far away. ¡°That has always been my strength, of course.¡± Her gaze lingered on Sylvie for a moment before drifting to Chul. ¡°And who is this hulking figure behind you? To look at him, I would almost think¡­¡± Her eyes narrowed, and she inspected him more closely. ¡°Of asuran lineage? Phoenix, even?¡±<center></center>


    Chul¡¯s jaw hardened. ¡°Did you have a great deal of experience with the member¡¯s of my race locked in your master¡¯s dungeons? How much of a hand did you have in their questioning and torture? Perhaps you were even there when my mother, the great Lady Dawn of the Ascepius n, was butchered in her cell?¡±


    Suppressing a groan, I leaned in. Although Chul¡¯s standoffishness was justified, it didn¡¯t serve us in the moment. ¡°We¡¯re all friends here, remember?¡±


    Seris wasn¡¯t put off by his attitude, however. In fact, she gave him a sad smile and some of the tension bled out of her. ¡°Of course, I understand now. Forgive me. I was aware of your mother, even saw her briefly once or twice, but I never met her properly. Your people¡ªthe hidden followers of the Lost Prince¡ªare a bit of a curiosity in Taegrin Caelum, almost mythical really.¡±


    Her attention returned to me. ¡°So, you really have been busy thesest couple months, haven¡¯t you?¡± Turning only her head, she met Caera¡¯s eyes. ¡°And what of you, then, hm? Off gvanting with Arthur on his adventures, heedless of¡ª¡± She cut off suddenly as she really looked at Caera. ¡°No, I can see that¡¯s not the case.¡±


    Caera chewed the inside of her cheek for a couple long seconds before providing a brief exnation of her imprisonment, first at the gentle hands of the Dicathians, and then much lessfortable among the dragons.


    ¡°So, war with the dragons really hase,¡± Seris mused under her breath, staring down into the alcohol as if it were a crystal ball and she was trying to divine the meaning of these events.


    Her reverie was interrupted by a knock at the door.


    Snapping out of her thoughts, she forced a weing smile onto her tired face. ¡°Well, it would appear they have started to arrive. Brace yourselves.¡±


    The door opened and two familiar figures filed in: Corbett and Lenora Denoir.


    Lady Lenora froze, staring at the horns atop Caera¡¯s head, but only for a second. She quickly broke with decorum and hurried to Caera. Caught off guard, Caera didn¡¯t even stand as Lenora leaned down over her, brushing a hand down her cheek and ncing from one bandaged wound to the next, looking increasingly pained.


    ¡°Oh Caera, what¡¯s happened to you?¡± she breathed. Her eyes jumped to the horns, then back to Caera¡¯s bandage, and it wasn¡¯t entirely sure which she was referencing.


    I could sense Caera¡¯s difort as she gazed up at her adoptive mother, jaw ck. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said btedly.


    Corbett passed the two women, sparing Caera only the briefest nce and instead approaching Seris. He bowed deeply, his eyes on the floor. She acknowledged him by name, and he stood and turned back to Caera. ¡°Lauden said you were gravely wounded. I am¡­d to see his estimation of your poor health was exaggerated.¡±


    Caera hesitated, then muttered only, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Unlike his wife, Corbett was staring unabashedly at the horns inly visible on Caera¡¯s head. ¡°Scythe Seris was kind enough to inform us of your¡­situation as well. And a good thing, too. I can¡¯t pretend not to be shocked to see it, even though¡ª¡±


    The door opened again, revealing a man with well trimmed blond hair and a bushy goatee.


    Corbett cleared his throat. Lenora took the seat next to Caera, and he sat beside her.


    ¡°Highlord Frost,¡± Seris weed the man. ¡°Please, take a seat.¡±


    The man¡¯s severe gray eyes lingered on me for several seconds before he entered the tavern. ¡°So, the famed Ascender Grey has returned. Hopefully this means I haven¡¯t doomed my blood to a slow death by starvation under this faux-sky after all?¡±


    Cylrit softly cleared his throat. When he spoke, his words were equally soft, but the sharp edge in them glinted like a razor. ¡°Have a seat, Uriel.¡±


    Highlord Frost hesitated only a second before taking the seat at the end of the table opposite Seris.


    Next in was a younger man, dark-haired and barrel-chested, that it took me a few moments to recognize. He stood in the doorway and stared at me, his eyes growing misty.


    ¡°Lord Umburter,¡± Seris announced.


    Suddenly he was moving quickly around the table toward me. Ellie tensed, and I gathered aether into my fist, prepared to defend myself or her if necessary.


    But he jerked to a stop several feet away from us, then went to a knee, tears dripping from his downturned eyes. ¡°Lance Arthur Leywin, th-thank you.¡±


    I suddenly remembered him. He¡¯d been one of the highbloods given authority over Xyrus. This man, along with most of the others, had been happy to let Augustine do all their talking¡ªand threatening¡ªfor them.


    Before I could say anything, he kept talking. ¡°Even though you had every reason to kill me, you didn¡¯t. And yet, here in crya, my brother was ughtered by one of our own retainers without hesitation. Th-that was everything I needed to understand about this war.¡± Swallowing heavily, he stood and took a seat halfway between Ellie and Uriel.


    I watched the young man for several long moments, but he kept his eyes, now dry again, firmly forward. Then another individual entered, and she gave me pause.


    It was the short horns sprouting from her forehead that caught me most clearly by surprise. Shiny blue-ck hair was pulled into a tight tail over the horns, dark against her pale skin. Her wine-colored eyes settled immediately on Caera, and she let out a relieved breath. Seris announced her as ¡°Matron Tremy,¡± and she took a seat next to Corbett after spending several very long seconds ogling Caera¡¯s horns.


    Over the next several minutes, various highbloods, matrons, and high-ranking ascenders arrived in a steady stream to fill up our table. A few, like Su, stood to make room for those of a higher station than themselves. Some of the names I knew, but most meant nothing to me.


    Thest to enter was another surprise, as I once again saw Kayden of Highblood Aphelion limp through the door after it had closed.


    Seris regarded the man with mild surprise. ¡°Ah, Lord Aphelion. Wee.¡±


    Kayden waved with his signature brand of carelessness and headed straight for the bar, away from the tension building up from those around us.


    The shrewd and perceptive gazes of the highbloods were glued to Seris and me, their anticipation palpable as they waited for us to speak.


    Seris met my eye. I gave her a small nod. She cleared her throat. ¡°Now that everyone is present, let us begin.¡±

 Chapter 441: The Message

    ¡°This is not the Victoriad, and I am not introducing a contestant fighting to be a retainer, so I will skip over the grantpliments and unnecessary list of achievements.¡± Seris paused for a moment, letting the collection of highbloods look around at each other suspiciously. ¡°Although known in crya as Grey, the truth is this: I introduce to you Arthur Leywin, Lance of the country of Elenoir on the continent of Dicathen.¡±


    The room didn¡¯t so much erupt into noise as it simmered, the highbloods¡¯ sense of decorum fracturing only enough to allow some suppressed exmations and half-whispered exchanges between neighbors. The attitude was all over the ce, with some people leaning back in their chairs wide-eyed and bbergasted, while others wore smug looks like they¡¯d just won a bet. The reaction from most, though, indicated that they¡¯d at least suspected the possibility of my being Dicathian.


    Kayden was sitting at the foot of the stairs across the room, a ss in his one remaining hand. Slowly, he looked up from the ss and stared at me, our eyes locking. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be shitting me,¡± he burst out, thenughed long and loud, silencing everyone else. ¡°So you were¡­at the academy¡­and the students¡­¡± Kayden broke into heedless chuckling again as the others looked at him with thinly veiled annoyance.


    ¡°So our savior is Dicathian,¡± one of the ascenders, a man named Djimon, said with a hint of disbelief.


    Next to him, Su was shaking his head. ¡°I heard the rumors, but¡­¡± He looked me hard in the eye for a long moment, then shifted to Seris, his expression weakening. ¡°Scythe Seris¡­what¡¯s all this really been for?¡±


    Several other attendees echoed this question, some nodding along, a couple rapping their knuckles on the table to show their support.


    ¡°Enough,¡± Highlord Frost said. His voice wasn¡¯t loud, there was no harshmand in his tone, and yet the word carried like the sound of distant thunder, quieting everyone else.


    Seris looked around for a few seconds, taking the time to meet each highbloods¡¯ eye in turn. ¡°The question isn¡¯t what this was all for, because each of you know the answer already. We fight for ourselves and our bloods, to shape our world so it is fit for those of us with ¡®lesser¡¯ blood and not just the asura who have marked it and imed it as theirs.¡±


    She paused for a moment to let these words settle. ¡°No, I¡¯m certain each of you understands all too well why you¡¯re here. And because of this, you also know that this is not a war between two continents. The Dicathians are as much the victims of the Vritra n¡¯s hubris and self-righteous apotheosis as we are. They are our allies in this struggle, not our enemies.¡±


    ¡°So, are you the leader of your continent?¡± Matron Tremy, the Vritra-blooded woman with blue-ck hair, asked me. ¡°What gives you the right to treat with this body on Dicathen¡¯s behalf?¡±


    I returned her unflinching gaze. ¡°That¡¯s not why I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Then why exactly are you here?¡± Highlord Frost asked. ¡°I¡¯ve heard quite a lot about you from my granddaughter. And more still from my soldiers in Dicathen who were unfortunate enough to cross paths with you. A Dicathian who teaches our children and spares our soldiers? You¡¯ll have to forgive me, Lord Leywin, if I don¡¯t fully understand what connects you to crya.¡±


    A number of the others murmured their agreement.


    I sensed Chul shift his stance behind me, his mana billowing as he instinctively called on it. Sylvie, feeling my attention on him, took a step back to whisper in his ear, urging him to be patient.


    ¡°My time as an ascender and professor wasn¡¯t intentional,¡± I said after taking a moment to collect my thoughts. ¡°I didn¡¯te here to spy on you, infiltrate your institutions, or harm you, but I did consider you my enemy. Seris¡ªand Lady Caera of Highblood Denoir¡ªhad done their best to convince me otherwise, but it was your children¡ªkids like En¡ªthat really showed me the truth. I have enemies on this continent, many of them, but not everyone.¡±


    Uriel smiled, a calcting expression. ¡°Forgive me, but that doesn¡¯t really answer my question. Why are you here now?¡±


    I nodded, appreciating the man¡¯s attention to detail. ¡°Seris helped me protect my people, and so, I am here now to help protect hers.¡±


    The bald ascender named Anvald grunted. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you go through those portals and kill Dragoth and all his soldiers?¡±


    ¡°I could,¡± I admitted, ¡°but more would rece them, and then even more after that. You and I both know Agrona doesn¡¯t mind spending lives. Besides, you can¡¯t survive in here forever. I don¡¯t know what Seris has nned, but I doubt it includes hiding in the Relictombs until you¡¯ve all starved to death.¡±


    ¡°No, it does not,¡± Seris cut in firmly. ¡°But this does bring us a step closer to the question we¡¯re actually here to discuss today. Which is, of course, whates next.¡±


    Corbett Denoir took his wife¡¯s hand and exchanged a brief look with her. ¡°I think that¡¯s a question on all our minds, Scythe¡ªLady Seris. Many of us have sacrificed everything to get to this point. Each time it seemed as though our situation had be unnavigable, you have seen us through, but¡­¡± He paused, his gaze tracking across the table. When he resumed, he spoke very carefully. ¡°I think it is well past time that we have some understanding of the goal in all this. Not grand designs of self-governance and the ousting of the Vritra n but real, tangible results. Even if we understand why Grey here can help us, I, at least, do not see how.¡±


    Adaenn of Highblood Umburter, the young man I¡¯d spared at Xyrus, sputtered indignantly. ¡°Did you not see what he did at the Victoriad? I wasn¡¯t even there, and still I¡¯ve heard it recounted dozens of times. He single-handedly retook the Dicathian cities of Vildorial, ckbend, Xyrus, and Etistin, defeating entire armies. Even the Scythes, I¡¯m told, bowed before his superior might.¡±


    I cleared my throat and gestured for Adaenn to settle down.


    ¡°But it wasn¡¯t just Scythes,¡± Caera said unexpectedly.


    The room''s attention sharpened. They all knew Caera had been traveling with me, and from the change in atmosphere, it was obvious they had been waiting for her to speak. Additionally, her horns, now proudly disyed without her pendant, had quickly drawn the attention of nearly everyone present. When she spoke, it was like she gave them permission to stare.


    She raised her chin and sat a little straighter. ¡°The High Sovereign sent a battle group of Wraiths to track down Arthur in Dicathen. He killed them all.¡±


    Kayden whistled. Matron Tremy frowned down at her hands.


    ¡°The Wraiths¡­I thought they were a myth.¡± Su rubbed a hand down his face. Shaken, he nced in my direction. ¡°And you¡­?¡±


    An older woman, who had been introduced as Matron Amelie of Highblood Bellerose, scoffed. ¡°Fantastical poppycock. Lady Seris, surely you haven¡¯t brought us here only to insult us with bedtime tales.¡±


    Cylrit went rigid, but Seris remained passive as she said, ¡°Matron Bellerose, perhaps my current weakened state has given you the wrong impression. I am not, in fact, so weary yet that I will ept being spoken to in such a manner.¡±


    Matron Bellerose paled, folding her hands in herp and looking just past Seris to avoid meeting her eye. ¡°I apologize, Lady Seris, you are right of course. My tone was unbing my station. Forgive me.¡±


    Seris inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement. ¡°I do not me you for your skepticism, which is healthy, but it is equally true that none of you would be here if you didn¡¯t have the capacity to see beyond the rigid structure of our society and culture. The Wraiths are quite real, and what Lady Caera has said is true. I tell you this to reinforce one essential point: Arthur has the strength to help us break free of this prison we¡¯ve built around ourselves.¡±


    The room was silent for a long moment after this statement. I caught Highlords Frost and Ainsworth sharing an uncertain look. Matron Tremy¡¯s eyes never left me, while Kayden seemed lost in thought as he swirled his drink. The others all disyed some simrbination of outward expressions, but no one voiced their thoughts.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t what they were expecting.¡¯ There was a tense edge to Sylvie¡¯s thoughts. ¡®They¡¯re terrified.¡¯


    They have relied on Seris for all their hope of change throughout this uprising, I sent back, allowing the silence to linger. To be told that she, in turn, is relying on someone else¡ªand an outsider¡ªwill be difficult for some of them to ept.


    ¡°And so we move on to our next steps,¡± Seris continued after a long pause. ¡°We have in Arthur an ally capable of striking Agrona¡¯s forces in a way no one else can. In order to build public support, it is essential that we continue to erode the people¡¯s faith in Agrona¡¯s divine infallibility. My publicized execution of Sovereign Oeth was the first step. By showing this continent that the asura aren¡¯t in fact immortal, we also reveal to them a potential future where the asura are gone entirely. But one quickly projected image isn¡¯t enough. No, we need a decisive victory, and in in view.¡±


    ¡°You mean to send Arthur after the Sovereigns,¡± Sylvie said, moving to stand behind me once again, her hands on the back of my chair.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Chul burst out, making everyone jump. He thrust his fist up in the air and grinned. ¡°It is about time.¡±


    Next to me, Ellie let out a deep breath, trying to rx from the fright Chul had given her. ¡°Fighting asuras¡­¡± she whispered, picking at the edge of the table nervously.


    ¡°I was expecting more than a show of force,¡± Highlord Ainsworth noted as he stroked his goatee.


    Lord Lars Isenhaert, a wiry blond man with a draping mustache, pped his palm on the table. ¡°Indeed. My thoughts exactly, Ector.¡±


    Seris regarded them both impassionately. ¡°Destroying the Sovereigns may not weaken Agrona¡¯s power, but it will weaken his image with the public. And, more importantly, such a bold strike against him will draw his greatest weapon into the field.¡± Seris was facing the highbloods as she spoke, but I knew she was speaking directly to me as she said, ¡°His entire mind has been consumed with the Legacy for decades. Its removal is now our highest priority.¡±


    My fists clenched and my jaw tightened. Despite these physical reactions, though, I wasn¡¯t really sure what I was feeling.


    One of the highbloods spoke, asked a question, but my thoughts were plunging inward, and I didn¡¯t process the words.


    Tessia¡­


    ¡®She¡¯s right, Arthur,¡¯ Sylvie said, projecting her thoughts into mine. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯ve been putting this off for too long. Cecilia needs to be dealt with.¡¯


    But how do we do that?


    ¡°Why let the girl live long enough to grow into a threat, then?¡±


    Uriel¡¯s words took a moment to sink it, but once they did, I forced my mind back to the conversation happening around me.


    ¡°It would have been more prudent, it seems, to kill her months ago, even if that would have meant losing the opportunity for our current act of rebellion,¡± Corbett added, speaking carefully.


    Seris¡¯s dark eyes flicked to me for half a heartbeat before she responded. ¡°Perhaps, but there were many reasons not to as well, not least of which was my own curiosity. I had to know if this power was real and what it was capable of. Additionally, the vessel in which the Legacy resides is the princess of Elenoir, Tessia Eralith. I was not ready to consign her to death.¡±


    ¡°But you are now?¡± I asked, trying to sound curious and nonchnt. The words came out hollow.


    She tilted her head slightly to the side, regarding me intently. ¡°The Legacy needs to be removed from this war. Her control over mana has grown to be absolute, and I believe you are the only one capable of facing her headon.¡±


    Before I could respond, Ellie leaned forward on her elbows and stared hard at Seris. ¡°We¡¯re not going to kill Tessia.¡±


    I felt the bittersweet sting of pride and regret as I looked at Ellie¡¯s fierce expression.


    Seris leaned back in her chair, unphased. ¡°I haven¡¯t asked for your presence to tell you what to do. This isn¡¯t an order, but a plea. Weck the strength, either in magic or numbers, to defeat Agrona. From the beginning, this has been about eroding the base of his power. Sehz-r, Oeth, the Relictombs, each a new crack in that foundation. Without working together, however, neither of us can topple him entirely.¡±


    I knew there was anotheryer to Seris¡¯s ns. Lyra had told me that Seris¡¯s rebellion was in part to keep Agrona upied while I fought to retake my continent. She would lose face with her followers if she said it out loud here, but I couldn¡¯t ignore that our sess had been, at least in part, at the cost of her people.


    Maylis stood, her hands woven into her hair behind her head as she faced away from the table. ¡°But even weakening his foundations, Agrona is too powerful to attack directly.¡± She spun around, her hands lowering and curling into fists. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t see how one Dicathian can match him.¡±


    ¡°Take your seat,¡± Seris said with themand of one who knows she¡¯ll be obeyed.


    Maylis bit her lip and did as she¡¯d been told.


    Addressing the table atrge, Seris said, ¡°As Matron Tremy has noted, even with his hold over this continent weakened, Agrona is not someone anyone in this world can defeat. But my goal has never been to engage with him directly.¡± Seris¡¯s dark eyes swept across the highbloods. ¡°The way to Epheotus is finally open, and dragons have arrived in Dicathen. My n is and has always been to simply set the ying field properly so that when Agrona and Kezess eventually battle, the oue can only be in their mutual destruction.¡±


    The room was utterly silent at this promation. Only Kayden wasn¡¯t openly staring at Seris, instead gazing gloomily into his drink.


    ¡°You are wrong,¡± Chul said, his deep voice shattering the silence like ss.


    Seris¡¯s frown was almost cartoonishly amusing as she regarded my half-asuranpanion, clearly at a loss for words.


    ¡°Agrona can be defeated by someone in this world. My brother in vengeance and I will prove it when the coward basilisk finally leaves his hole in the mountains.¡±


    ¡°I need time to think about this,¡± I said, pushing away from the table and standing before the conversation devolved further. Ellie quickly followed my example.


    After several seconds, Seris dragged her focus away from Chul and back to me. It was a testament to her fatigue that Seris didn¡¯t stand. ¡°I have a number of other things to discuss with my council. You will find plenty of room upstairs to amodate your party, and my staff will bring you anything you need.¡±


    I nodded and started to turn away.


    ¡°But Arthur,¡± Seris said, her tone taking on a new urgency. ¡°Time is only one of many resources that we arecking.¡±


    I only nodded again before circling around the table and heading for the stairs, the watchful eyes of the many cryan highbloods burning into my back.


    Kayden moved out of the way, listing slightly as he kept the weight off his bad leg. ¡°A Dicathian. It¡¯s strange, Grey. I should hate you, but the whole reason I liked you is that you seemed immune to the blood mania of our culture. And now I know why.¡± He held out his hand, and I took it. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Arthur Leywin.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see you here,¡± I admitted, my gaze inadvertently traveling past him to the stairs, which I longed to ascend. ¡°It seemed like you¡¯d had enough of war.¡±


    His smile faltered, and he bit his top lip, frowning. ¡°I¡¯m not much good in a fight nowadays, but my blood has resources that are useful to Seris. After what I saw at the Victoriad¡­¡± He searched my eyes for a long moment. ¡°I knew things weren¡¯t ever going to be the same, and I knew which side I wanted to be on.¡±


    Unsure what else to say, I pped him on the shoulder and headed up the stairs, my mind full of a thousand possible oues to a confrontation with Cecilia, all of them negative. A servant met us at the top of the stairs and showed us to a row offortable rooms. Everyone piled into the first behind me.


    ¡°This is a good n,¡± Chul said as the door closed behind us. He stretched his shoulders and let out a deep breath. ¡°I like this n.¡±


    I threw myself into a plush chair in the corner and ran my hands through my hair, looking up at Sylvie with growing desperation. I¡¯m not ready to face this.


    She sat on the bed, looking out of ce. The relic armor was nowrgely obscured beneath a set of flowing jet-ck robes made of tiny interlocking scales, but that didn¡¯t hide the fierce half-helm or the second set of horns following the line of her jaw. ¡®Have we ever been ready for the things this life has thrown at us?¡¯


    I closed my eyes and let my head loll back, frustrated with myself.


    From across the zone, Regis¡¯s voice jumped into my thoughts. ¡®Should you have seen thising? Yes. Should you have spent more than a passing mental nod here and there considering how to reverse whatever Agrona did to your waifu? Also yes. Haven¡¯t we always basically just pulled the solution out of our collective butts when faced with seemingly impossible situations? Yet again, yes.¡¯


    Ellie moved to sit next to Sylvie, resting her head on my bond¡¯s shoulder. Sylvie took Ellie¡¯s hand¡ªthe one not attached to a broken arm¡ªin her own and gave it a familial squeeze.


    ¡°We know Tessia¡¯s mind is still in her body,¡± I said aloud for Ellie and Chul¡¯s benefit. ¡°Maybe Aroa¡¯s Requiem could be used to remove Cecilia¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Sylvie said, her eyes downcast. ¡°But your insight into that power is iplete, you said. And, being an aevum technique, you are not naturally aligned to it. I don¡¯t want to¡ª¡±


    ¡°But maybe you could use it,¡± I said, seizing on a sudden idea. ¡°If you could take the rune from me like Regis did with Destruction, perhaps you could make full use of it.¡±


    She looked up apologetically. ¡°But how would we do that, Arthur? Regis was a part of you, capable of manifesting within your body and transferring the rune while it was still forming¡­¡±


    Chul¡¯s face was marred by a deep frown. ¡°If this Legacy is such a threat, would it not be safer just to kill her?¡±


    Ellie jumped to her feet and rounded on Chul, pointing her finger like a dagger. ¡°What is it with you and your incessant need to fight and kill? There are other factors to weigh, and not everything can be solved by smashing it.¡±


    ¡°But this can,¡± Chul answered with a shrug.


    Groaning, Ellie threw herself back down on the bed.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find a¡ª¡± I bit the words off, unable to finish the sentence. No matter how much I wanted to reassure Ellie, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to give her that kind of hope.


    ¡®Why not take her to Mordain?¡¯ Regis suggested. ¡®He''s a bit of a hippy, but he''s also one of the oldest and most secretive asura that we know.¡¯


    I felt my brows knit together. ¡°That''s¡­actually not a terrible idea.¡±


    ¡°Wait, was that Regis?¡± Ellie asked, sitting up again. ¡°What did he say?¡±


    Sylvie quickly exined the suggestion.


    ¡°This, too, is a good n,¡± Chul agreed. ¡°Mordain has great insight into matters of reincarnation, and he worked beside djinn like my father for many years. Then, if there is no solution, we can still kill her.¡±


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t get ahead of ourselves. Even assuming we¡¯re able to defeat the Sovereign, we really don¡¯t know what we¡¯ll be walking into regarding a fight with Cecilia.¡± I shifted ufortably in the cushioned chair. ¡°But one way to figure it out is to face her directly.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Chul said, hammering his clenched fist into his chest. ¡°The best way to understand someone is to fight them.¡±


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be so set on fighting her,¡± Sylvie countered. ¡°What reason does Cecilia have to fight for Agrona, really? Maybe we can talk to her, convince her to leave him. Honestly, we¡¯re more likely to want to help her than he is. There is no way he¡¯s not using her talents as the Legacy for something awful.¡±


    Ellie wrapped Sylvie up in a big hug, squeezing her. ¡°I¡¯m¡­not going to go with you this time, am I?¡±


    Looking at my sister¡¯s bandaged wounds, I felt some of the tension ease from me, realizing I¡¯d already made up my mind on this topic. ¡°To fight an asura and the Legacy? No, sis, sorry. You¡¯re going to stay here with Regis and heal up.¡±


    ¡®You really want to go into this fight without the Destruction rune?¡¯ he asked from his jarred head.


    I pictured the Wraiths being unmade one by one at my hand, Destruction devouring my enemies and myself side by side. I didn¡¯t let the thought leak through to Regis, but it was actually a relief to be leaving the Destruction godrune behind. It was too great a temptation, and only increased the likelihood of something happening to Tessia during the battle.


    They need you here for now, I sent back, pouring my appreciation for his efforts into the thought. We¡¯ll figure out how to get you out of that jar when I get back.


    Regis and the others were all quiet, which suited my stirring thoughts just fine.


    Despite what I¡¯d said, I wasn¡¯t sure that trying to capture Cecilia and take her to Mordain was the best option. My fear was that, rather, it was a selfish one. If she was so dangerous, could I in good conscience bring her into the phoenixes¡¯ home? It wasn¡¯t entirely unlike carrying around an unstable explosive and hoping it didn¡¯t go off and hurt someone.


    But the other option was just as uneptable.


    Was I wrong not to kill her at the Victoriad? I asked myself, careful to keep my thoughts from Sylvie and Regis.


    I would have to deal with Nico either way. Thinking back to the pure hatred he had exhibited when we¡¯d fought, when I learned who Elijah had really been the entire time I¡¯d known him, I couldn¡¯t imagine not having to kill him to get to her. But he took Tessia, I reminded myself, trying to conjure up my rage toward Nico, but it had long since gone cold in my guts.


    I couldn¡¯t hate either of them, not the way they hated me. It was tooplicated.


    A vision of Virion¡¯s face twisted with hatred and despair popped up in my mind¡¯s eye. Could he ever forgive me if I killed his granddaughter, no matter the reason?


    Could I ever forgive myself?


    A mana signature broke away from those gathered in the tavern below and ascended the stairs. I could immediately tell it was Caera. The lull in our conversationsted until she reached the outside of our door, where she hesitated a moment before knocking lightly.


    I rose and crossed to the door, opening it and standing aside. Her eyes tracked across my face before settling on the others behind me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I wasn¡¯t sure where I¡¯d be needed most, but the conversation downstairs has devolved into arguments about provisions and the division of each blood''s stores, so¡­¡±


    I waved her in, then focused on the others. ¡°Pick a room and try to get some rest.¡±


    Sylvie stood, pulling Ellie up with her. ¡°Bunk with me?¡± she asked, her arm around Ellie¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Actually, Lady Sylvie, I was hoping to speak with you as well as Arthur,¡± Caera said, looking down and tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.


    Sylvie¡¯s brows rose, but she recovered quickly, releasing my sister and easing back into her seat. ¡°Of course.¡±


    Ellie high-fived Caera on her way past. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep for like a whole week, I swear.¡±


    ¡°I do not need sleep,¡± Chul said as he reached the door in Ellie¡¯s wake, not looking at me. ¡°I think I will explore this ce.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably not a¡±¡ªthe door closed behind him¡ª¡°good idea¡­¡±


    Caera settled into the chair I¡¯d vacated. ¡°Vritra¡¯s horns but it¡¯s been a long day¡­days? I pity anyone who gets stuck in a convergence zone with you three. Ascenders will die by the dozens.¡± She nched, sitting up straight and correcting her posture. ¡°My apologies, I don¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    I gave her a wry smile. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you this stressed in a while. I think you were more rxeding out of Vajrakor¡¯s prison. This highblood lifestyle really doesn¡¯t suit you.¡±


    Caera straightened her clothes. The effect was minimal considering all the bloodstains, tears, and bandages. ¡°It never really has.¡±


    ¡°What do you need to tell us?¡± Sylvie asked, a hint of a frown creasing her brows. ¡°Is everything all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you. This¡­will be easier to show you, I think.¡±


    Caera undid theces of her left boot and pulled it off, then the bloody sock beneath it. She fiddled with something around her pinky toe, struggling with it momentarily before it slid free. In her hand was a thin, in ring with a subtle aura of mana around it.


    I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°You managed to keep a dimension ring hidden from everyone in Vildorial.¡±


    ¡°Like that old cloak of yours, it is runed so that a casual look will slip right past it. No one inspected me close enough to discover it, thankfully. They¡¯d already found my normal dimension ring, after all.¡± She rotated her wrist, letting the in band catch the light so I could just see the markings etched into its surface. ¡°Quite expensive, actually, especially considering the size of the extradimensional space contained within.¡±


    ¡°And what is stored inside that space?¡± Sylvie asked, her eyes never leaving the ring.


    ¡°Just one thing.¡± Caera swallowed hard, then channeled mana into the artifact. ¡°It¡¯s a message. From Scythe Nico. He said¡ªwell, he said to tell you that you have to save her. That you¡­owe her a life.¡±


    A rough sphere appeared in her other hand. It was white, and toorge for her tofortably hold in one hand. The outer shell was very slightly transparent, revealing a hint of purple within. My heart began to beat rapidly at the sight of it, and my throat went dry.


    It was a dragon¡¯s core. Sylvia¡¯s core.


    I carefully epted it from Caera, holding it as if it were made of brittle ss. It was empty, nothing more than a relic full of painful memories. Nico must have known that, and yet he had risked sending it anyway, and with that message¡­


    No, it wasn¡¯t just an empty organ. It did bring with it painful memories, but also, it brought hope.

 Chapter 442: A Snapped Thread

    <strong>CECILIA</strong>


    Voices above, around. Familiar, but far away. So, so far away¡­


    The words, talking about the mes in my flesh, dancing like sprites. Swirling, eager mana, burning, burning. Too much. More and more, drawn to me, mes to the moth. Filling me. My blood, my bones.


    Mine.


    Mine, like the hole. Deep and endless. A frost-filled pit. Can¡¯t remember¡­what was there before? In the hole?


    Magic. Mana. A key. A core.


    The words again. Strange voices, and familiar ones. ¡°Delirium.¡± ¡°Fever.¡± ¡°Danger.¡± ¡°Time.¡±


    Time. A snapped thread, frayed, incoherent.


    Light, dark, light, dark¡­dark¡­


    Eyes open. A darkness full of color. Red, yellow, green, blue¡­mana.


    Figures looming. Needles in my flesh, metal pressed against my skin. More words. ¡°Dy.¡± ¡°Will.¡± ¡°Soul.¡± ¡°Healing.¡± ¡°Integration.¡± ¡°


    Darkness again.


    I woke up trembling. The echo of a scream ringing in my ears, heart racing, bursting. Terrified.


    There were stars. Outside my windows. The purple silhouette of mountains. Their name escaped me. Something was wrong. With my mind, with my magic.


    I closed my eyes, tried to think. It hurt. I hurt. My skin was burning. Muscles ached. Every breath was full of ragged pain. Pain and¡­mana. Every breath was full of mana. Not flowing into my core but¡­into me.


    Calm down. The mana was there. The magic was there.


    Wind blew through me, cooling my bones. Sleep slipped back over me.


    I blinked awake again, an unknown presence filling my rooms. At the foot of the bed, a man stood. Like Agrona, but also nothing like Agrona. His eyes, two bright rubies, pierced me like blood-tipped spears. I shivered, feeling his gaze on my skin, under my skin, peeling me apartyer byyer.


    He had a cold, gray face, impassive around his cutting eyes. Two horns corkscrewed up from the top of his head. I knew that face, I thought. Only¡­


    He said something, and someone else moved into view, his own presence dwarfing the first man. Agrona. He smiled down at me, and spoke kind words.


    Sovereign Oludari Vritra of Truacia.


    Names and ces, the meanings of which I couldn¡¯t seem to capture.


    Oludari replied, concerned.


    Agrona brushed the concerns aside, confident, assuring. Daunting.


    Oludari, unassuaged. Agrona,manding. Oludari, subservient. He cast an uneasy nce at me, and my spirit shriveled. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe.


    When I opened them again, I was alone. Time felt more tangible¡­more real. I could tell that several hours had passed.


    I struggled to think back to Agrona¡¯s conversation with Oludari, but it was like trying to remember a dream after waking. The more I tried to cling to the memory, the more it slipped through my grasp.


    My fever had broken. How long has it been? I wondered. Weeks, I suspected.


    ¡®Long enough that I wasn¡¯t sure we were going to survive after all,¡¯ Tessia said in my mind. ¡®Integration¡­I never could have imagined experiencing it myself. How would everyone rea¡ª¡¯


    I groaned and rolled over, pulling one of the sweat-stained pillows over my head. Leave me alone.


    There was no reply.


    After a few minutes, I pushed away the pillow and kicked my legs over the edge of the bed. The floor was cold against my hot skin, and when I stood, my legs shook violently. I stumbled to the balcony door, which was open, and leaned against the railing. The wind off the mountains was bitter cold, conjuring gooseflesh all over my body and making it shake even worse.


    Mana flowed to my limbs, and the shaking eased. It filled my lungs, helping me to breathe deeply. It sparked within my mind, clearing my thoughts.


    Before, I¡¯d felt like I was at one with the mana. It listened to me, reacted to my thoughts and desires, a tool I could do anything with. I should be stronger now, but¡­


    There was this inescapable sense of irony. I couldn¡¯t remember feeling weaker and less myself since being reincarnated into this world. I was the Legacy, and now I¡¯d gone through Integration, making me perhaps the most powerful mage in the world. But I couldn¡¯t stop my knees from shaking or the sweat from beading on my brow. Every breath felt like I was forcing it into my lungs, like the next time I tried to breathe I might not be able to.<center></center>


    Agrona had told me I was past the worst of it, but it didn¡¯t feel that way. Whatever had happened to me while I was unconscious, right after my Integration, I couldn¡¯t see how it was worse than these weeks of healing and sickness.


    There was a frightening sense of incorrectness to it. Kind of like when I¡¯d had a huge ki center, but hadn¡¯t been able to stop it from surging out of me and hurting Nico¡ªand Grey.


    Leaning forward, I was sick over the balcony''s edge. I propped myself up on the cold railing, tasting the bitterness of my own bile on my teeth and losing myself for a while. Then, slowly, I stumbled back to my bed and fell in it, but sleep was distant and unreachable.


    I justy there, able to do nothing but drag the spotlight of my attention across the internal workings of this fragile elven body. It was still in the final stages of limating to the mana, now infusing every cell. It was a strange sensation to have mana that was not constrained by a core. I really was one with mana. That¡¯s what Integration was. Agrona had tried to describe it, but what he¡¯d told me couldn¡¯t match with reality. Maybe his asuran mind couldn¡¯t even conceive of what Integration really meant. But then, I thought, no one who hadn¡¯t experienced this sense of bnce and power could hope to understand it.


    Tentatively, I began to experiment with it, sensing the flow of mana around and through me. Water-attribute mana soothed my aching muscles while wind-attribute mana cooled my skin. Earth-attribute mana hardened in my bones and fire-attribute mana warmed my blood.


    This detached kind of observation helped bring some rity. Integration, I realized, was actually a lot like awakening to mana after spending my entire former life trying to control my ki.


    In the same way that mana had felt so much moreplete and magical, Integration felt exponentially more potent than relying on a core to use magic. The creation of a mana core was simr to the condensing of a ki center since each required the concentration of energy to form, with the sensation of mana filling and flowing freely through my body very simr to ki maniption on Earth.


    I felt myself shrink back from this thought, still afraid that my mana¡ªlike with ki¡ªwould surge beyond my control. Without a core to control it¡­


    I sat up and pushed my back against the wall, slowing my breathing. Being the Legacy hadn¡¯t stopped that from happening before, on Earth. I¡¯m in control, I assured myself, repeating it over and over again like a mantra.


    Eventually, sleep crept up on me, and I drowsed.


    I woke screaming, and an echoing scream came back to me.


    Bolting up from my bed, I stared wide-eyed at the startled attendant who had been cleaning my room. Nico was sitting at my bedside, and he quickly dismissed the attendant, who bowed and rushed from the room with a frightened backward nce at me.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Nico asked, his voice soft. It almost sounded like his old voice, his real voice, the way he¡¯d sounded back on Earth.


    I looked at him more closely. Not his dark hair and sharp features. No, his cryan face wasn¡¯t his any more than Tessia Eralith¡¯s thin elven face was mine. But the way he dug his nails into his palm, the way he tried not to show it when he was biting the inside of his lip, how he leaned toward me every so slightly, like he wanted to be just that little bit closer to me¡­in those moments, I could see him. And when I closed my eyes, I could picture him so clearly.


    I tensed suddenly as Tessia¡¯s voice entered my mind.


    ¡®Show him the mana, from before.¡¯


    I knew what she was talking about immediately: the mana I had taken from Agrona¡¯s rune-covered table, the one I¡¯d woken up on after my Integration. It had stayed within me, still carrying the shape and purpose it had been given by the strange runes.


    ¡®Remember, Cecilia. You felt like something was wrong when you first woke up. There is more to all this than what you¡¯re being told.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t acknowledge her, but she was right. I had woken up on that table feeling weak but myself, only to sink back into sickness the very same night. Half-remembered words tumbled in the back of my head, out of reach.


    Haltingly, I began to exin to Nico what I¡¯d seen and done upon first waking, and the difort I¡¯d felt at being surrounded by the strange mages.


    ¡°You did¡­what? That doesn¡¯t make sense, Cecil.¡± He gave me a pitying look. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­well, possible.¡±


    I held out my hand, palm up. Warm light issued from my skin as a wisp of mana appeared in the air, burning in the shape of the runes that had originally given it form.


    Nico¡¯s eyes widened and his breathing became shallow. He leaned forward, peering at the mana, his struggle to understand and ept it clearly written across his face.


    I told him about the runes, and what I wanted to do.


    Moving gingerly, Nico pressed the tip of his finger down into the mana. It condensed into a swarm of individual particles and was pulled into his body. I held my focus around it, allowing the spell to keep its form instead of being dissolved into the individualponents of its mana. Nico¡¯s eyes closed, jumping around beneath his lids.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­I¡¯m not sure.¡± Nico¡¯s words rolled out of him in a slow drawl as his focus stayed on the spell. I felt him channeling mana into his regalia. ¡°The structure, the runes¡ªthe magic, it¡¯s not like anything I¡¯ve ever seen, but¡­¡± His eyes opened, and he stared at me. His fear was obvious. ¡°This is going to take some time. We¡­shouldn¡¯t tell anyone else about this.¡±


    I agreedpletely.


    Nico hesitated, clearly thinking hard about something, then added, ¡°Except¡­Draneeve, maybe. Only ifpletely necessary. We can trust him, because¡ªwell, just know that we can trust him. I¡¯ve had him keeping an eye on you whenever I couldn¡¯t.¡±


    Despite not really understanding, I acknowledged what he said.


    After that, Nico came to my rooms as often as was prudent. Slowly, more of my time was spent awake than asleep, but the experience of Integration left behind a deep-rooted fatigue that kept me in my chambers.


    Nico was restless when presented with a problem, a puzzle to be solved, a knot to be undone. His mind could focus on nothing else, and even when he couldn¡¯t be with me¡ªmy presence was required to hold the shape of the mana¡ªhe thought about it ceaselessly.


    I could tell something was bothering him, but he was hiding his fears from me. In all this time together, I hadn¡¯t wanted to derail his thoughts and so hadn¡¯t gone into more detail about the return of my old memories¡­but no, really, that¡¯s just an excuse. I was afraid. Afraid of what I might hear after confessing. What would that conversation lead to? I wasn¡¯t ready to tell him that I had killed myself and let Grey take the me.


    Whenever someone knocked on my door, I expected it to be Nico. I was surprised, then, the day that Melzri strode in. She wrinkled her nose as she looked around my room, not hiding her distaste. ¡°Hello, Legacy. I¡¯ve been tasked with fetching you for some training. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re just as excited about the prospect as I am.¡±


    Ignoring her sarcasm, I stood and gestured wordlessly for her to lead the way. We were quiet as we passed through the halls of Taegrin Caelum, and I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of scurrying like a mouse in her wake. I hated feeling so vulnerable.


    Melzri¡¯s long bright-white braid bounced with each step. The way her horns curled back over her head, they were pointing at me like spears. We¡¯d never got along, but I couldn¡¯t help but admire her obvious self-confidence, the way she was entirely at ease in her own skin. I thought about trying to make small talk to break the awkward silence between us but didn¡¯t know where to begin.<center></center>


    She was a Scythe, and all of crya knew her story. When her blood manifested, the resulting conflux of mana killed her highblood foster siblings. Her foster father¡ªthe man who had raised her for twelve years¡ªflew into a rage and tried to kill her. Defending herself, she burned the heart out of his chest. After that, she was taken in by Agrona and raised within this very fortress.


    It was probably why she¡¯d be so bitter toward me. After all, she¡¯s been like a daughter to Agrona before I arrived. In some way, I was certain she thought that I¡¯d supnted her.


    And I suppose, really, I had. That didn¡¯t make me feel bad for her or anything. In fact, as I considered the situation, I felt more and more strongly that she¡¯d gotten exactly what she deserved. Melzri and the rest of the Scythes were self-important, cruel people. They¡¯d been awful to Nico. Suddenly that self-confidence I had admired only seconds earlier seemed unearned.


    I clenched my jaw and walked in silence.


    We ended up in a long hall deep in the stone at the base of Taegrin Caelum. The bare walls and floor were cracked and ckened with scorch marks from the many powerful mages¡ªretainers, Scythes, even Wraiths¡ªwho had trained here over the decades. There was no equipment or weaponry, nothing to help with training. Anyone strong enough to be brought here didn¡¯t need things like that.


    I was unsurprised to find Scythe Viessa already present, along with Draneeve and a handful of nameless mages I didn¡¯t recognize. Of those present, Viessa had the strongest mana signature, then Melzri. Draneeve was a distant third. The others were all mediocre mages at best. I could only assume they were researchers or scientists, not warriors.


    Melzri stopped beside Viessa, glowering at me. Viessa¡¯s porcin skin was washed out in the dim light, her purple hair dark and her void-ck eyes even darker.


    She would have been terrifying except¡­


    I looked down at my own hand, rubbing my fingers together. I could see the mana in each of them, watch it churning in their core as it was purified, and knew better than they did themselves just how strong, or weak, they really were. I could break these Scythes with a snap of my fingers. If I wanted to.


    Draneeve bobbed forward, his expression hidden behind his awful mask. ¡°Ah, Lady Cecilia. Lord Agrona sends his regrets that he can¡¯t join us at the moment. But he hopes Scythes Melzri and Viessa will¡­¡± He trailed off, his eyes jumping to the Scythes behind the mask. He cleared his throat, then finished, ¡°That they will make suitable partners for your training today.¡±


    Viessa hissed under her breath. ¡°We should be helping Dragoth dig out the traitor, not babysitting this reincarnate child.¡±


    Melzri only rolled her shoulders and grinned. ¡°Now, sister, don¡¯t be like that. The Legacy needs all the help she can get. Despite everything the High Sovereign has done to get her to this point, she hasn¡¯t had so much as one real victory for him.¡±


    Viessa scowled, circling around me and away from Melzri so the two were nking me. ¡°Your mana signature doesn¡¯t seem as strong as before, girl. Without a core, you seem¡­deted.¡±


    All of my self-doubt and anxiety melted away in the face of their taunting. These two were nothing to me. I sure as hell wasn¡¯t intimidated by their desperate jabs.


    Draneeve had taken several steps back, and the other mages followed his example. ¡°Lady Cecilia is to test her powers, you two should¡ª¡±


    Viessa thrust her hands forward. Dark mana coalesced around them, spilling out like a swarm of locusts.


    And then vanishing.


    She stared at her hands, disbelieving, and thrust them forward a second time. Nothing happened. The mana didn¡¯t respond to her at all.


    Melzri summoned her de, which burst into ck mes, and lunged at me. The mes snuffed out halfway, and her de grew so heavy that she stumbled before it was ripped from her fingers, striking the floor hard enough to crack stone.


    ¡°Stop this at once,¡± Viessa breathed, the mana in her core seething as it flowed out through her channels and veins. But she couldn¡¯t form it into a spell.


    Melzri balled her fists. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    I felt myself smile. It was cold and cruel, the kind of expression that would have frightened me if I¡¯d seen it on another face. And then I told her. I exined what I was doing¡­and what I was going to do.


    It was not without a sense of self-satisfaction that I watched them struggle to understand, but it wasn¡¯t until both fully realized the situation that I knew I had the stomach for what was toe.


    Closing my eyes, I took control of all the mana Viessa had just released and turned it back on her, driving it into her veins, scouring her channels and bombarding her core. I heard her knees strike the stone as a choked scream echoed through thebat hall.


    ¡°You bitch¡ª¡±


    Melzri¡¯s voice cut off with a gust as her body mmed into the ground, the force of gravity so great I knew her bones were crushing the meat of her body.


    There was no difference between the mana in my body and that in theirs, or in the atmosphere around us. As the Legacy, my ability to control mana was unparalleled. And now that I had Integrated, I no longer required that my mana be drawn into a core, purified, and released before being manipted. From this new perspective, even the idea of purified mana seemed inconsequential. I didn¡¯t need to wash the mana and make it mine in order to control it.


    I already controlled it all.


    The Scythes were helpless against me. Even these shadowy Wraiths I¡¯d heard about would be hopeless against me. What good was an asura¡¯s strength in magic if I could wipe away their spells before they formed, pull their bodies apart from the inside with their own power, starve them of what made them special. Even Agrona wasn¡¯t a threat to me¡ª


    ¡®Which is why he¡¯s encouraged you to be so subservient,¡¯ Tessia¡¯s annoying voice suddenly chimed in, interrupting my thoughts. ¡®He knew what you¡¯d be, or hoped at least, and he doesn¡¯t allow anyone else to be truly powerful. So he taught you to be obedient.¡¯


    I mped down on my mana, attempting again to smother Tessia¡¯s voice. But I couldn¡¯t. It was the one thing I couldn¡¯t control.


    ¡°Um, Lady Cecilia, perhaps¡­¡± Draneeve¡¯s simpering voice trailed off suggestively.


    I opened my eyes and looked down at the two Scythes, one writhing in pain to my left, the other ttened against the stone to my right. I released the pressure of the mana ripping at Viessa¡¯s insides and the gravity crushing Melzri, but I kept their mana in check, preventing either of them from forming a spell.


    Tessia kept talking. ¡®He¡¯s got this promise to send you back to Earth hanging over your head, and Nico to threaten if you ever get out of line. He doesn¡¯t care about you or love you. He probably doesn¡¯t even intend to let you control this power. Why would he when he can just override your mind?¡¯


    I pushed her voice away. Although she could interrupt my thoughts, she couldn¡¯t affect my actions and my words.


    Floating off the ground, I brushed aside a lock of silver hair. ¡°Get up, you two. I want to understand just how far my control goes.¡±<center></center>


    ***


    The sky above Taegrin Caelum was heavy with dark clouds. I flew through them like a bird, enjoying the sensation of all that mana condensing around me, drawn to the natural storm. Turning upward, I shot through the cold air, moisture collecting against my skin, until I burst up into clear sky.


    Below me, clouds rolled away as far as the eye could see in every direction.


    I liked it up there. It was peaceful. Separate. Training with my new powers was more like exploration¡ªseeing what my limits were. I didn¡¯t have to learn through repetition, only to think with a clear enough vision, and keeping a clear head was a lot easier to do in the open air than buried beneath the fortress.


    The clouds began to swirl in yful patterns. Steam rose up from them, condensing into spheres of water that floated around and caught the light. The clouds lightened from a deep gray to soft, fluffy white. Floating down, Iy atop the clouds, resting my head on my hands and crossing my ankles as I stared up at the blue expanse above.


    ¡°Tessia,¡± I said, my voice floating away on the gentle breeze.


    No response came.


    Tessia, I thought sharply, unable to suppress my irritation at having to call for her twice.


    ¡®This power y doesn¡¯t suit either of us,¡¯ she answered after a few seconds. ¡®We both know the only reason you¡¯re calling for me is because it gives you a false sense of control. You¡¯ve done it, you¡¯ve achieved Integration, you¡¯ve tossed the Scythes around like they¡¯re ragdolls, yet you can¡¯t do anything about me, and that eats away at you.¡¯


    I closed my eyes, rolled over, and sank down into the clouds. I held a picture in my mind, reaching with tendrils of mana all throughout my body, searching. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was working¡ªif it even could work¡ªbut when I opened my eyes, I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    I was no longer surrounded by cool wind and fluffy clouds but was standing on soft green grass beneath the spreading limbs of tall, silver-barked trees, their shadows dappling the ground and making the entire world look like it was swaying gently.


    Tessia Eralith was standing not far away. Her silvery braid hung over her bare shoulder, an emerald green and gold gown draped off her lithe frame.


    I looked down at myself. I was shorter than her, a bit stockier. My hair was in brown and boring, chopped off around my shoulders like it¡¯d been hacked apart with sheers.


    I let out a deep breath to steady myself. ¡°I hate talking to you in my head. It¡¯s gross¡­like a vition. This is better.¡±


    ¡°A vition¡­yeah, I think I know exactly what you mean,¡± Tessia said, her undertone of sadness cut through with a vague sense of irritation. ¡°You know, after I learned through you that Arthur was reincarnated, so much made sense. His intellect, his wisdom, his maturity. It seems foolish, now that I think about it, that I tried so hard to chase after him. I used to get really angry at myself about how different we were when I thought I was a year older¡­but it turns out he was thirty years older.¡±


    Sheughed, and I scowled.


    ¡°Why should I care?¡±


    ¡°Because I thought you¡¯d be the same, that you¡¯d be¡­different. I was confused at first. But then I realized¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve said all this before.¡±


    ¡°So, are you ready to listen?¡±


    I kept careful watch on the elderwood guardian, which was writhing around the outskirts of the clearing I had created for our conversation. ¡°You can see in my head, can¡¯t you? My every thought and desire is an open book to you. So you tell me.¡±


    Tessia caressed the hair hanging over her shoulder, her eyes on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s not about you talking to me. It¡¯s about you being honest with yourself. After everything you¡¯ve learned, you¡¯re still fighting this war. Why help Agrona get what he wants? Do you really trust him to send you back to your old life after all this?¡± She looked up, her gaze burning into mine. ¡°And is it really worth it?¡±


    I rubbed my eyes in frustration, turning my back on her. ¡°What do you want me to say? I¡¯m selfish? A shitty person? A stunted child believing in fairy stories? Fine. Whatever. I¡¯m all of those things and more, Tessia. Maybe I am a bad person. But I¡¯vee too far, done¡±¡ªI choked up, swallowed heavily, then continued¡ª¡°things, killed people, and that can¡¯t just be for nothing. It can¡¯t all have been for fucking nothing.¡±


    Tessia was quiet for long enough that I turned around, wondering if she was still there. She was. And as she stood there and watched me thoughtfully, I sagged, the weight of my own words settling on my soul.


    ¡°Would you really burn this world to the ground if it means you and Nico get to go home?¡± she asked.


    I shook my head. ¡°And leave Agrona to rule over the ashes.¡±


    ¡°And if you¡¯re stuck here in the ashes with us?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Then at least there won¡¯t be anyone left to judge me,¡± I said slowly, suddenly very tired.


    Before she could answer, I swept my hand across the mental projection, wiping the clearing away and opening my eyes. The clouds were dark and heavy with rain. Lightning shed and thunder boomed.


    I sank beneath the clouds and into heavy rain, letting the coldness of it soothe my skin, refusing to acknowledge that the flush of my cheeks was from shame. And the streams running down my face aren¡¯t tears, either.


    ¡°Cecilia!¡±


    I flinched, not having noticed the approaching mana signature.


    Nico, flying in a cocoon of wind conjured from his staff, pulled up twenty feet away, his face shielded against the wind and rain by a hand. ¡°Are you all right? This storm came up out of nowhere!¡±


    I stared at him nkly, and it took several seconds for my thoughts to click into ce. As soon as they did, the rain stopped. The clouds melted away, and we were flying in the bright, cold afternoon sun, Taegrin Caelum jutting up from the mountains beneath us.


    An ufortably warm breeze kicked up, whipping around us and leaving us both dry in moments.<center></center>


    ¡°Um, Agrona called for all the Scythes and¡­you. The others have already arrived. He¡¯s expecting us immediately.¡±


    As he turned away, I blurted out, ¡°Am I a bad person, Nico?¡±


    Reversing course, Nico flew closer, his worried frown deepening further. ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I blurted. ¡°Nevermind. We shouldn¡¯t keep Agrona waiting.¡±


    I sped ahead, plunging down toward the fortress, flying at speed around the sprawling exterior to Agrona¡¯s private wing andnding on one of his many balconies.


    A wall of noise hit me as the rush of wind in my ears subsided: the stomping of booted feet, the call and response of barkedmands, the rush of channeled mana.


    Beneath the tower, thousands of mages were arrayed in formation in the courtyard. Banners from every dominion were disyed, showing where soldiers from Etril stood separately from those of Vechor and Truacia, each force having been brought by the Scythe of that Dominion.


    The ss balcony doors were closed, locked, and warded, but the mana unfolded at my approach, and thetch jumped up, allowing a gust of wind to push the doors open.


    Beyond was afortable sitting room. A fire was burning in a huge firece, and Agrona was leaning against a low bar. He was dressed formally in ck and gold, and the ornaments in his horns caught the light and twinkled like stars as he turned to look at me. He looked just as he always had, ever since I¡¯d known him. But, as he regarded me, his brows lifting ever so slightly, I couldn¡¯t help but think something had changed. He had changed, but I couldn¡¯t put my finger on how, exactly, and had to wonder if I was just imagining it.


    Or maybe, I thought, I¡¯m the one who has changed.


    Nico eased into the room behind me and carefully closed the doors, his uneaseing off him in waves.


    ¡°Ah, we are finally all here,¡± Agrona said with a too-wide smile, gesturing for us to enter.


    I was surprised to see Melzri and Viessa already present, seated ufortably on one of the plush couches filling the room. Neither met my eye. Dragoth was also present, standing in front of the fire with his back to me. His shoulders were hunched, his broad horns drooping.


    More surprising was the presence of the retainers. The sickly Bivrae hunkered in the shadows, while the statuesque Echeron lingered near Dragoth, trying and failing to hide his nervousness. Mawar hovered near the windows and stared out at the Basilisk Fang Mountains, the cool light painting her changeable skin an almost translucent pale marble color.


    For the first time since arriving in crya, I thought I understood a little bit of how Agrona must have felt when he saw all these powerful people gathered together. Anywhere else in the world, they would have been a formidable, even overwhelming force, but here, now¡­they seemed so unimportant. They were nothing.


    I felt Tessia¡¯s disappointment bubbling up from within.


    What?


    ¡®Do you suppose this is how the researchers felt toward you as they poked and prodded you? Under such high authority, maybe they saw you as nothing more than how you are now looking at the Scythes¡­as an asset, soldiers to be tolerated perhaps, but not respected.¡¯


    I swallowed hard, carefully keeping my thoughts to myself.


    ¡°All my mighty Scythes and their fearsome retainers together again,¡± Agrona said, his arms out wide. ¡°We are missing only our lost littlemb, Seris, and her faithful hound. Her presence would have been a wondrous gift, but s¡­¡±


    Dragoth had turned when Agrona started speaking, and he nched at thisment. Beside him, Echeron stared at his own feet.


    ¡°Still, don¡¯t be too hard on Dragoth.¡± Agrona shed us a wide grin. ¡°You¡¯ve all suffered your share of defeats and failures¡ªof embarrassmentstely, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Agrona smiled around like a proud and understanding father. He pushed himself up on the bar, letting his legs kick back and forth, his heels asionally knocking against the wood.


    ¡°But we, all of us, sometimes must take our licks and keep moving.¡± He knocked his knuckles against the bartop a couple times. ¡°To mix metaphors, we¡¯ve allowed our house to gather dirt for long enough. The Seris situation wille to a close in due time, but there are many other ces we can begin cleaning up right now.¡±


    The Scythes and retainers exchanged uncertain nces, but no one dared interrupt Agrona, especially when he was giving off the pretense of a good mood.


    ¡°The dragons¡¯ presence in Dicathen means there is no longer anything to be gained from our infighting,¡± he continued. ¡°While Dragoth will continue to pursue Seris in the Relictombs, the rest of you will put our house back in order. I expect, before our efforts in that department areplete, we¡¯ll be seeing Arthur Leywin poking his head out as well, and when he does, I want you to capture or kill him.¡±


    Melzri and Viessa shared a meaningful look.


    ¡°What are you going to be doing?¡± I asked, frustrated by this flippant mention of killing Grey. Grey had already defeated a squad of Agrona¡¯s asura killers. I knew Agrona didn¡¯t expect any of these Scythes to actually beat Grey.


    Agrona cocked his head to the side, jangling the ornaments in his horns. His smile didn¡¯t falter, but his legs stopped swinging. ¡°Why do you ask, Cecil dear?¡±


    I swallowed heavily, something about the look in his eye making me second guess my forthrightness. ¡°I¡­just meant, if Grey is such a threat¡­¡±


    Agrona¡¯s smile widened, baring his canines, and he slid off the bar, standing tall. His shadow seemed to fall over everyone at once. ¡°Despite my feigned weakness, that cautious old dragon has been satisfied to let the situation on this world linger, allowing me to plumb the depths of the Relictombs and grow my understanding of this world¡¯s power. Finally, though, thanks to our wayward reincarnated friend, Arthur, Kezess has opened the way between Dicathen and Epheotus. Now, as you end this silly civil war and hunt Arthur Leywin, I will be¡­preparing to take full advantage of Kezess¡¯s misstep.¡±


    Anything pleasant slid from Agrona¡¯s face like he¡¯d taken off a mask. Beneath was something dark and dangerous. ¡°In my own pretense of weakness, some of you have allowed yourselves to be actually weak. I¡¯ve given you new regalias along with my patience. It is time to prove yourselves worthy of both.¡±


    The room seemed frozen, as if the others were no longer even breathing. Time could have stopped, and it would have changed nothing.


    Agrona¡¯s eyes traveled slowly across each of us in turn. ¡°The Legacy will focus primarily on Arthur Leywin. If you can¡¯t bring him whole, at least bring me his core. Make use of the Scythes as you see fit to ensure that this is done.¡±


    He turned and swept from the room, leaving behind him a deep-set and brooding silence.

 Chapter 443: Horns of Exeges

    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    The night was dark, the stars hidden behind thin clouds blowing down from the Basilisk Fang Mountains in the distance.


    We¡¯d hurried through the city of Nirm in silence. Four guards had been posted at the descension portal when we arrived; their deaths had been quick, but the fight had interrupted a conversation I¡¯d been having with Sylvie. Now, as we crept up the side of a tall tower that overlooked Sovereign Exeges¡¯s pce, with my nerves growing more taut by the second, I focused on what she¡¯d been saying to keep my mind from spiraling into unhelpful scenarios regarding the battle toe.


    ¡°Who do you think the voice was, then, when you were in the aetherial in-between ce?¡±


    Still d in the relic armor, Sylvie was climbing about four feet below me to my right. It would have been easier for her and Chul to fly, but they needed to suppress their mana signatures as much as possible.


    ¡°I¡¯m still not sure,¡± she said quietly. ¡°You¡¯ve seen my memories. The physical aspect of it shifted¡­¡±


    ¡°But you think it could have been¡­your mother?¡±


    Sylvie was quiet, her thoughts muddied.


    We crested the top, pulling ourselves over the short wall surrounding the t roof of the sandstone tower.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She knelt at the opposite edge of the roof, looking down on the Sovereign¡¯s pce with deep frown lines etched into her face. ¡°The shape was obviously a construct of my own mind, so it might not have anything to do with the voice at all.¡±


    Her tale of drowning and being saved by an amorphous entity had fought for space within my thoughts for the entire journey from the Relictombs¡¯ second level. I had hoped I would gain some insight from her story, but it only resulted in more confusion. The fact that her aetheric aptitude had changed from vivum to aevum was strange, but in a way, it made sense. Her being allowed into the Relictombs, however, made less sense to either of us. But it had been difficult to focus with the prospect of fighting a full-blooded basilisk looming on the horizon.


    I had elected to bring only Sylvie and Chul with me, leaving Caera and Ellie behind to recover from their injuries¡ªand to keep them out of harm¡¯s way. Regis was, of course, continuing to keep the protective shields running in the second level of the Relictombs, and I was already second-guessing my choice to do this without the Destruction godrune. Although I didn¡¯t want it anywhere near Tessia¡¯s body, I couldn¡¯t pretend that facing Exeges wouldn¡¯t have been a less concerning prospect if I had the power of Destruction in my back pocket.


    In truth, Sylvie¡¯d had precious little time to practice her new abilities, and Chul wasrgely untested. The half-phoenix had grown more quiet and focused as we approached Nirm and our target. Sylvie and I had kept our steady stream of conversation out loud so as not to exclude him, but he¡¯drgely ignored us, his thoughts turned inward and forward.


    I knew how he must have felt; this would be his first true test outside the safety of the Hearth. He¡¯d trained against full-blooded asuras his entire life, but he¡¯d never fought one to the death before. In all, it left me less confident in the oue than I¡¯d have liked.


    And then, if we are sessful, we will have to face Cecilia as well¡ªthe Legacy, and all her unknown power.


    Shaking off the thought, I took in the scene before us.


    Even in the dark, the pce was an impressive structure, all graceful curves, golden domes, and jade arches. The sprawling pce wasn¡¯t surrounded by a wall, but rather a mote of water gardens that caught the asional star and moonlight peaking through the clouds and reflected it like a many-faceted gemstone. The city of Nirm sprawled around the pce, with the Basilisk Fang Mountains carving purple silhouettes in the distance.


    ¡°Arthur¡­¡±


    I focused on the pce, bringing myself back into the moment. I realized immediately what Sylvie had sensed. ¡°There are no mana signatures. None at all.¡±


    Chul¡¯s big hands gripped the top of the short wall that ran around the roof. When he spoke, there was a razor¡¯s edge in his voice. ¡°Perhaps this basilisk is not present. Or he hides his signature. Basilisks are all paranoid, or so I¡¯ve been told.¡±


    Although I couldn¡¯t entirely discount Chul¡¯s thoughts, it didn¡¯t make sense to me that Exeges, Sovereign of this dominion, would keep his mana signature suppressed inside his own pce. My ability to passively detect mana was only recently returned, and so I couldn¡¯t be sure if a powerful basilisk would be strong enough topletely shield himself from Realmheart or not. Thoughts and fears began to stampede through my mind as I tried to consider all the many possibilities.


    ¡°Perhaps it is too much for his cryan guards, or even the people of the city?¡± Sylvie suggested. ¡°Aldir and Windsom have always kept the full force of their auras withdrawn when in lessernds.¡±


    ¡°But I sense no guards, no servants. He wouldn¡¯t only keep unadorned soldiers around him, unless¡­¡± A basilisk such as Exeges had little to fear from his people. Did he really need guards? Still, this wasn¡¯t what I had expected, and I was sharply on edge.


    Chul went down on one knee, his bright orange eye shining in the dark. ¡°You suspect a trap?¡± His fists crunched through the sandstone barrier, making all three of us flinch. ¡°We should not have entrusted so many cryans with our n,¡± he added in a stage whisper.


    We watched in silence for several more minutes, tension slowly mounting between us, but the streets were quiet and there was no activity from the pce or surrounding buildings. Finally, I epted that there was only one way to get a better understanding of what we were facing. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Leaping off the roof, I plunged toward the ground below. By reinforcing my body with aether, my legs absorbed the shock of thending noiselessly.


    Sylvie and Chul drifted down behind me, whisper-quiet and leaking only a hint of mana.


    We darted across the road and along the wall of a single-story building, then into the water gardens. Bounding from rock to rock, we avoided the natural paths through the water garden, which were all lit with softly glowing lighting artifacts. I could tell where several guard posts were naturally integrated within the sprawling pools, tall grasses, banks of hedges, and carefully ced river stones. But, as I¡¯d seen from the rooftop, the gardens were empty.


    An eerie feeling crawled across my skin, but I kept my course until we stood beneath the outer wall of the pce, near the main entrance.


    Peaking around the corner, I confirmed that there were no guards outside.


    Before moving out into the open, my eyes swept the gardens and the city beyond for anything I could see or sense that might hint at an onlooker. The densest concentration of mana was in a rectangr two-storyplex nearby. Judging from the simplicity of the building and the density of mages within it, I could only assume it was some kind of barracks. Most of the very few people we¡¯d seen moving in the streets were mages as well, almost all guards patrolling the city.


    Once sure that we weren¡¯t being observed, I slipped around the shadowy corner and darted to the brightly lit main doors. The towering doors, painted dark green and iid with gold, silver, and jade, opened with a light push, noiseless on their well-maintained hinges.


    The entrance beyond was brightly lit, revealing a mosaic floor broken by two rows of pirs. Carefully maintained nts draped from the ceiling and grew along the walls. No guards were present.


    I could sense Sylvie¡¯s unease leaking through our connection. Maybe it really is empty, I sent.


    ¡®Could Agrona have withdrawn his Sovereigns, fearing something like this might happen?¡¯ Sylvie asked as she and Chul followed me into the pce. ¡®Maybe Chul was right, and some part of our n was leaked.¡¯


    I pushed the door shut behind us, my mind cluttered withpeting ideas, each one less likely than thest. There were too many questions, but the only way to get more answers was to delve further inside.


    We crossed the entrance hall to a series of smaller doors that opened into a wide hallway that ran down the center of the pce. ording to Seris, we would find Sovereign Exeges¡¯s throne room directly ahead.


    After taking a moment to sense for mana signatures beyond the row of closed doors, I eased one open. A weight pushed from the other side, forcing it open more quickly than I¡¯d expected. I stepped back, an aether de in hand and aimed at the door.


    A figure slumped through, their armored head hitting the tile floor with a noise like a bell. The ringing resounded through the silent pce for what felt like the length of a song.


    Chul, his huge weapon held ready in one hand, stepped cautiously forward until he was standing over the armored man. Frowning, he met my eye. ¡°Dead.¡± With his other hand, he opened the door wider, revealing a dozen more bodies on the other side.


    I leaned down next to Chul and pressed my fingers against the guard¡¯s neck. Not only was there no pulse, but the flesh was as cold as the steel covering his body. His skin was pale, and there was a haunted gauntness to what I could see of his face. A quick inspection revealed no marks of battle on either the steel or flesh, though. Wanting to be thorough, I rolled the body onto its side, but there were no wounds on the back either.


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for the rest,¡± Sylvie said softly as she moved from corpse to corpse. ¡°And look at how they¡¯re lying. It¡¯s as if¡­¡±


    ¡°They just copsed,¡± I finished.


    Each body was crumpled like a puppet with cut strings. Their weapons weren¡¯t even out of their sheaths. Stranger, though, was the fact that they were devoid of purified mana, with only traces of water and earth-attribute mana lingering around them.


    Chul clutched his weapon in both hands, staring up and down the hallway as if expecting to be attacked at any moment. ¡°It¡­it¡¯s as though the candle of their lifeforce has simply been snuffed out.¡±


    ¡°Come on.¡± I moved cautiously, following the thick red carpet that ran down the center of the hallway. There were more than a dozen doors to the left and right, providing a perfect kill chamber for an ambush. I kept my senses trained on them, waiting for the scratch of boots on tile or the moan of hinges turning, but the only noise was what we made. ¡°We have to know if Exeges is here or not, then we can get the hell out of here.¡±


    ¡°The sooner the better,¡± Sylvie said under her breath. ¡°Something is very wrong here.¡±


    A huge arched, gilded set of doors blocked the end of the hallway. Holding my breath and infusing my senses with aether, I listened at the door. All was quiet beyond.


    I gave a nod to Chul, but as we reached for the door, the lighting artifacts at the far end of the hall flickered. I whirled, an aether de in my hand.


    No one was there, and I sensed no mana either.


    ¡°May the ancients guide us and shield us from wraiths in the quiet night¡­¡± Chul mumbled under his breath like a prayer. When it became clear that we were still alone, he cleared his throat and turned back to the door, looking at me questioningly.


    Together, we pushed, and the massive doors swung open.


    ¡®What in the world¡­¡¯ Sylvie thought, her wide-eyed gaze slowly tracking across the space beyond.


    We had reached the throne room, a cavernous space capable of holding a fully grown, transformed¡ªor basilisk, I thought. ck iron arches swept from floor to ceiling in graceful architectural designs, stark against the golden dome of the roof and the reds and golds of the tile floor, carpets, and rugs. The walls were covered in stained ss and woven tapestries, but I only took note of them in a vague way, as I couldn¡¯t focus on much else beyond the dozens of bodies syed throughout the room.


    My attention caught on one body in particr.


    Near the far end of the chamber, an ornate throne of ck iron sat on a golden plinth. A man was draped over the throne.


    I took a step toward the throne, then flinched and spun at a heavy ringing crack from behind.


    The head of Chul¡¯s weapon was partially embedded in the shattered tiles at his feet. His face had flushed a deep red. ¡°Who could have beaten us to the Sovereign?¡±


    ¡°And how did they manage to do¡­all this?¡± Sylvie asked, moving carefully between the corpses.


    Like before, these people all seemed to have simply dropped dead wherever they sat or stood.


    I crossed the throne room to the throne itself, where Sovereign Exeges¡¯s remains rested. His skin was ashen and had a taut, sunken appearance as if it were pulled too tight over the bones beneath. His open eyes stared blindly, the irises colorless. He looked as if someone had drained all the blood and life from his body, but there was no wound anywhere, except¡­


    To each side of his head, a slightly bloodied hole remained where someone had ripped the horns from his skull.


    ¡°This must have happened recently.¡± Sylvie had moved up to stand beside me. One hand covered her mouth as she stared at the ghastly remains of the Sovereign. ¡°Surely the pce would be swarming with Agrona¡¯s soldiers and mages if anyone else had discovered this yet.¡±


    ¡°What does this mean for your n?¡± Chul asked, half lifting one of the many bodies to examine it, then letting the limp form fall unceremoniously back to the floor.


    It means perhaps there is still time before I¡¯ll have to face Cecilia, I thought, careful to keep my relief from bleeding over to Sylvie. Out loud, I said only, ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. It¡¯s possible we have some as-yet-unknown ally, but before we can figure out who killed these people, we need to know how they died.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like the work of dragons¡­¡± Sylvie thought out loud, kneeling next to a body. ¡°Although, perhaps some powerful aether technique¡­?¡±


    Chul, now standing next to me, took hold of Exeges¡¯s face in one overge hand, turning the head this way and that. ¡°Pah. This death should have been mine.¡± His hand moved down to the dead basilisk¡¯s throat, but I caught his wrist.


    ¡°Stop. We need the corpse intact. Taking out your anger on it won¡¯t help anything.¡±


    Chul gritted his teeth. ¡°You are right. But how do you intend to discover who is responsible for¡ª¡±


    Mana zed into motion everywhere at once, condensing into a solid barrier that epassed the entire pce grounds. The ceiling quaked, copsing a huge chunk of gold-ted stone. A gale of freezing wind whipped through the opening, coiling into three smaller vortexes that wrapped around Sylvie, Chul, and me.


    Aether erupted from me, deflecting the wind, and my gazey locked onto the figure floating down through the broken ceiling, her gunmetal hair billowing.


    Tessia. Cecilia.


    My jaws clenched as I held her gaze, staring deep into those turquoise eyes for any signs of the girl I had loved.


    Cecilia¡¯s focus slipped away from me to the corpse on the throne, her lips pursing into a contemptuous pout. ¡°What sort of trick did you use to kill Sovereign Exeges without even a scratch on you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I stared, taking a moment toprehend the meaning of her words. ¡°We didn''t¡ª¡±


    Chul let out a cacophonous battle cry as he ripped through Cecilia¡¯s spell and charged, his weapon leaving behind a trail of orange phoenix fire.


    Cecilia raised her hand, the wind-attribute mana sparking as she transformed it into its lightning deviant. The vortexes burst with white light as dozens of lightning bolts ripped through me all at once.


    The ss cage of inaction around me shattered.


    Reaching for the aether interwoven throughout the twin vortexes buffeting Sylvie and me, I ripped at the fabric of the spell. It resisted. I pushed harder, forcing out more of my own aether, and as Cecilia¡¯s attention turned to Chul, her hold over the mana weakened. The spell dissolved, and the cyclones melted away.


    As Cecilia gathered a spell to counter Chul¡¯s charge, I experienced a sh of cold realization: in her sternum, where her core had once been, now there was a void. The mana that reacted to her did so from all throughout her body, and even the atmosphere around her.


    She had no core.


    ¡°Chul, no!¡±


    A barrage of glowing missiles streaked through the air between Cecilia and Chul, lifting him up off his feet and hurling him backwards through the air.


    The shadows coalesced above where he fell, and an inky ck de shed at his throat.


    Conjuring an aether de in the air above him, I deflected the blow. Chul jumped to his feet, spinning as he did so in order to backhand his attacker, a shadowy figure who looked like she¡¯d been dipped in ink. She flew backwards, crashing through the wall and vanishing in a cloud of dust and rubble.


    Cecilia bared her teeth, snarling, and the mana all around us began to pull back. Chul stumbled, and Sylvie let out a surprised gasp.


    If I hadn¡¯t been ready for this kind of attack, having seen her attempt the same thing at the Victoriad, the fight might have ended before it even began.


    Expelling two concentrated bursts of aether from my core, I sheathed Sylvie and Chul in violet energy. My aether mped down on the mana around them both, holding it in against the violent draw of Cecilia¡¯s power.


    ¡°Cecilia, wait!¡± I shouted, holding my hands up, most of my focus on mypanions.


    The ground liquified, the stone tiles running like water. I plunged in up to my waist, the mana-affected stone sucking me down like quicksand. Aether flowed out of me to counter the mana, rending the spell and shattering the floor as it was sted away by the opposing forces. All that energy spilled back along the traces left behind by Cecilia¡¯s mana maniption, but before it reached her, she rested control of the mana away from me again, and thebined aether and mana dissipated.


    In that instant she was distracted, I activated God Step and vanished into the aetheric pathways, appearing wreathed in amethyst electricity just behind her.


    Her arm whipped around, a concentrated ze of lightning and fire gathering in her fist. I twisted the mana and aether between us. The spell fired from her fingers as a solid beam, but distorted as I pulled it apart mid-cast. A hundred smaller rays seared past me in every direction to demolish the wall behind me.


    Batting away her arm, my fingers closed around her throat. Her eyes went wide and she copsed backwards, mming into the ground with my knee pressed firmly against her sternum.


    ¡°Listen to me,¡± I pleaded. ¡°I want to help you, Cecilia¡ªto save you and Tessia both¡ªI just need¡ª¡±


    A barrage of different elements bombarded me from above, knocking me back.


    A handful of figures flew down through the hole in the ceiling.


    I recognized the Scythes Viessa and Melzri immediately. The third figure to enter, who dropped down heavily instead of flying, caught me off guard, the garish, grinning mask sending me wheeling into shbacks of years before. The masked man who led the attack against Xyrus Academy¡ªDraneeve¡ªhad fled with Elijah before I arrived, but I¡¯d heard the stories and descriptions in the years after.


    I was even more surprised when the twisted but familiar visage of Nico followed Draneeve.


    Nico had aged since I¡¯dst seen him; he had dark bags under his eyes, standing out against his pale flesh, and his hair was windblown, his clothes loose over his thin frame. His core was no longer true white but stained by the wound I¡¯d given him. I couldn¡¯t immediately guess how it had been healed but assumed either Cecilia or Agrona were responsible.


    From Caera¡¯s message, I knew he was alive. But I hadn¡¯t expected to meet him in battle again, not after the Victoriad.


    He clutched a staff that radiated a tremendous amount of mana that cycled between the four crystals inset in its head, each one glowing in the color of a specific elemental attribute: green, red, yellow, and blue.


    Elijah. Nico. My oldest friend in either world.


    I saw this all in the space between one heartbeat and the next, and then my focus was drawn back to Cecilia.


    Mana had condensed around her body in a thick barrier, a radiant silhouette. An arm of transparent mana, sprouting from just beneath her own, reached for my throat. I shed backwards as more spells rained down on me from above and Cecilia floated up off the ground, wreathed in this halo of mana that made it look as if she had six arms.


    ¡°Well done bringing this incursion to our attention, Mawar,¡± Viessa said, her voice like ck ice. ¡°You and Melzri, handle the dragon. Draneeve, with me. Let the reincarnates handle their own.¡±


    ¡®Focus on Tessia,¡¯ Sylvie thought from across the room as she prepared to defend herself. ¡®Chul and I can handle ourselves against the others.¡¯


    Nico was staring at me with such intensity that I hesitated. Mana was building in his staff, the green and red gems ring, but the desperation shining in his eyes was just as bright.


    Cecilia¡¯s mana-formed limbs all thrust forward simultaneously. The world seemed toe undone around me as the air turned to fire, wind to des, and stone tova.


    The aether sheathing my skin trembled against the onught, but I couldn¡¯t exert my will on the mana, couldn¡¯t break the spell or even distort it. Her focus was too great, her control too precise. As my skin began to crack and blister beneath the fading aether, I God Stepped away, blindly following the paths into the air to appear between Cecilia and Nico.


    The first thing I saw from my new perspective were Nico¡¯s dark eyes. He was staring straight into mine. ¡°Don¡¯t fight us, Grey,¡± he said instantly, the worlds bursting out of him in a rush. ¡°If youe peacefully we¡¯ll let your bond and the phoenix go.¡±


    A hand formed of mana wrapped around my ankle and dragged me downward. Spinning, I unleashed an aether-d kick against Cecilia¡¯s side. The impact of aether and mana sent a shockwave through the throne room, tumbling the ck iron arches and bringing parts of the ceiling down on us from above.


    Gritting my teeth, I God Stepped again, blinking behind Cecilia as she struggled to right herself in the air.


    Instantly, a barrage of frozen fire mmed into me from behind as Nicounched the spell he¡¯d been charging. Most of the bolts burst against my defense, but a few pierced my weakened barrier, where they shattered inside my skin, sending shrapnel of burning ice spraying through my muscles.


    Pain wed through my body.


    I raised my arm, an aetheric st ripping out of my palm and at Nico. Conjured wind and earth sprang up as a barrier between us, but it gave me time to disrupt his spell and break down the shards burrowing into my muscles. Even with the aid of his staff, his control over mana was simplistic next to the Legacy¡¯s.


    Aether rushed to the wounds and began healing me instantly.


    The air suddenly thickened like porridge in my lungs. It coalesced over my eyes, making the whole world go blurry. When I tried to rend the spell with aether, it resisted again, Cecilia¡¯s control pushing back against my own.


    Closing my eyes, I stepped into the aetheric pathways again, appearing in the center of the throne room and sucking in a deep breath.


    From the corner of my eye, I watched as Chul¡¯s weapon shattered a wide stretch of tile floor, Draneeve only just darting out of the way. Viessa was flying high above, near the copsing roof, a constant stream of ck missiles spilling from the shadows around her and striking Chul from every direction.


    Even as I considered moving to help him, he spun with surprising speed and drove the butt of his weapon into Draneeve¡¯s face. The grotesque mask shattered, and blood burst from the nose, mouth, and eyes of the in-featured face beneath as Draneeve crashed to the ground.


    Behind the throne, Sylvie was dodging between thebined assault from Melzri and her retainer¡ªMawar, Viessa had called her. The two cryans were a whirl of des and spells, but Sylvie seemed to move faster than should be possible, her body skipping and jerking through space with strobelike shes of aether. With each aveum-oriented lurch of her physical body, a bolt of pure mana appeared, jerking just as unnaturally toward her opponents.


    Mezlri dashed one aside with her soul me-wreathed de and spun around another. Mawar seemed to melt into the shadows, no clear beginning or end of her body, as two bolts seemed to pass right through her. A third struck home, and I could make out a choked gasp of pain, but my attention was forced back to Cecilia before I was able to confirm the retainer¡¯s state.


    The Legacy¡¯smand over mana was incredible¡ªfar beyond anything I¡¯d seen before. She could manipte andbine atmospheric mana with a thought, using it in a way I could have only dreamed when I was a quadra-elemental mage. I couldn¡¯t keep up with her in that way; it was foolish to waste energy trying to overpower her control of mana.


    In both lives, though, she¡¯d been reliant on the unusual amount of power granted by her nature as the Legacy. Her technique was sloppy, and her mana maniptioncked creativity. These were weaknesses I could take advantage of.


    Aether condensed in my muscles and joints, and Burst Step, powered by hundreds of precisely timed explosions of aether, carried me back across the room in a near-instant blink. Aether burst along my shoulders, biceps, elbow, forearm, and wrist, and shrouded my fist protectively, delivering an impossibly fast and powerful blow at the end of my step.


    The blownded against Cecilia¡¯s chest even as her eyes stayed focused on where I had been a moment before.


    As if time had slowed down, I watched cracks spread across her mana shroud, white-hot lightning bolts over her physical form. Like a dark mirror, the same cracks raced over the aetheric barrier around my arm, from my knuckles up to my elbow.


    Her body twisted to the side, and my Burst Strike skated off the surface of her protective spell, my momentum carrying me past her. In my left hand, I conjured an aether de, sweeping it behind me. One of her arms came up to ward off the blow, and once again aether shivered against mana, the two opposing forces struggling for superiority.


    This time, my concentration won out. The de sheared through her transparent mana arm and jammed into her side, only just breaking the skin.


    An enraged shout came from above, my eyes flicking up to it automatically: Nico was breathing hard, his face red with anger. Clenching his fist, he jerked it upward, and I felt the mana condensing below me. Leaping into the air, I avoided a dozen ck iron spikes that ripped through the floor.


    cing one foot on the side of a spike, Iunched myself higher, taking aim at Nico.


    As I flew toward him, I remembered his message. You owe her a life. He didn¡¯t know. Even after all this time, he didn¡¯t know why Cecilia had really died. And yet he had still reached out to me, sent me Sylvia¡¯s core as an offering of peace. But here, he¡¯d attacked me, made no effort to stop this fight from happening.


    In the end, it came down to just one thing: if he wanted anything from me, he had to earn it.


    My de drove at Nico¡¯s throat. The wind gusting around him turned, pulling him up and away, but too slow. Flesh parted as the shaped aether opened the side of his neck¡ª


    I jerked to a halt as something wrapped around my arm.


    Looking down, I was caught off guard by an emerald green vine, thick as my waist, sprouting from Cecilia¡¯s hand. Her mana form was gone, and in that moment, it was like thest couple years just faded away. I was seeing Tessia as she had been: radiant and desperate, protective and frightened, beautiful¡­


    Then a nova of mana boiled out from her, hurling me away. Corpses were tossed like dolls across the room, the iron supports twisted and ripped from their moorings, walls blew outward, parts of the ceiling copsed heavily all around us.


    Inded on my feet across the throne room, leaning forward to stop my backward slide. Cecilia was floating over a giant hole in the floor, which had been sted down into a crater by her attack. Next to her, Nico had shielded himself with a spherical bubble of multicolored mana.


    Most of the throne room was alight with phoenix fire. Uncontrolled bursts of it were leaping from Chul in seemingly random directions as he shouted and swung his weapon wildly; Viessa was nowhere to be seen, and I couldn¡¯t sense her mana either.


    ¡°Stop cowering in your shadows and face me like a man!¡± Chul roared, his eyes zing and chest heaving with each furious breath.


    "Is swinging your club like a beast truly the extent of the Ascelpius n''s strength?" An icy voice radiated through the air, oozing out of the shadows from every direction at once. "As weak-minded as your mother, it would seem."


    The mes leaking out of Chul turned jagged and frenzied, mirroring his emotions. ¡°How dare¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, Chul''s head snapped to the side as he caught sight of his target. He leaped into the air with a victorious shout as his burning weapon drew a bright orange arc toward Sylvie, Mawar, and Melzri.


    The weapon came down, followed by a trail of fire like aet.


    Sylvie gasped as the blow struck her across the side of the head, crumpling.


    My stomach dropped and bile rose up as sudden understanding filled me like water in my lungs.


    Behind me, I sensed the condensing mana as Cecilia unleashed yet another attack. Before me, Chul lifted his weapon for another strike.


    I stepped into the aetheric pathways and appeared standing over my bond. The weapon came down, and I grabbed it by the handle, my arms quaking beneath Chul¡¯s asuran strength.


    His eyes bulged. ¡°My brother in vengeance! Why do you protect the enemy?¡±


    ¡°An illusion,¡± I ground out, hardly able to speak. ¡°Chul, snap out of it, it¡¯s Sylvie, you¡¯re attacking Sylvie¡ª¡±


    A de wreathed in soul fire sliced across the aether protecting my torso. A ck de of shadow struck against my back.


    Swords of aether appeared floating in the air around me, and I shed out with them wildly, driving the Scythe and retainer back.


    Chul wrenched his weapon free and stumbled away, shaking his head, his eyes going in and out of focus. He waved a hand through the air like he was brushing aside cobwebs. ¡°No¡­no! You¡¯re¡ª¡±


    I was forced to dodge aside as a st of mana took Chul in the chest, lifting him up and mming him into the twisted remains of a ck iron pir. Behind me, Sylvie floated up from the ground, her zed eyes on Chul, her face a stoic mask. st after st of pure mana pummeled Chul, driving him through the iron and then into the wall beyond.


    As I prepared to yet again activate God Step again, a force like the hand of a god itself came down on me. The floor beneath my feet ruptured, my body growing so heavy not even solid stone could support me. My back bent and my head bowed. I struggled to move, even to step into the aetheric pathways.


    Cecilia fell upon me like a thunderbolt. She was again wreathed in her otherwordly mana form, sts of wind, ice, fire, earth, and lightning erupting from her mana mana-forged limbs to rain down atop me.


    I raised one hand and unleashed an aetheric st. A cone of vibrant purple force crashed against her mana, and for an instant, I felt a reprieve.


    Raking my aether through the air like a hand through cobwebs, I tried to disrupt the illusions affecting mypanions, but the air was so thick with the distortion of Cecilia¡¯s mana that it was impossible to iste and cancel Viessa¡¯s illusions.


    A white hot beam of radiant fire-attribute mana enveloped me. I carved through it with the aether de, splitting the beam in two, the twin shards carving fifty-foot-long trenches in what little remained of the throne room to either side of me. As the de whirled in the air, I was already activating God Step, the aetheric pathways lighting up before me like so many arcs of amethyst lightning.


    The light faded, and my gaze met Cecilia¡¯s.


    Her stare, had I seen it on Tessia¡¯s face in any other circumstance, it would have cut right through me. But just for a second, I thought I saw something else too. Regret? Understanding¡­maybe even a strange, twisted reflection of my ownplicated feelings.


    My jaw clenched at the choice that had to be made.


    The aether de plunged into the interwoven threads of aether.


    A scream rent the air.

 Chapter 444: A Sword Struck

    My sword, conjured of pure aether and held together by my will alone, plunged into the interwoven threads of aether around me.


    Revealed by the God Step godrune, thework of amethyst paths connected every point to every other point around me¡ªthrough the aetheric realm, I had learned from thest djinn projection. The godrune had changed when I made that realization, and the knowledge had sat dormant in the back of my mind ever since, a deepening of insight but without a clear use.


    Until the moment of necessity when I had no choice but to trante knowledge into action.


    My senses flowed through the aether, the paths, the in-between space that connected everything together.


    I saw Cecilia, the final vestiges of herst attack still burning the atmosphere between us, the many-armed silhouette of mana wrapped around the body she¡¯d taken from Tessia. And Nico beside her, his uncertain gaze drifting between us, his hand reaching for her shoulder but not daring to touch her.


    The aether de plunged deeper into the lightning-boltwork of aether.


    I saw Draneeve, his unconscious form curled up beneath a chunk of fallen stone from the roof, his shattered mask in the rubble at his side, and Mawar, the inky shield clinging to her flesh not able to hide the steady flow of blood from her hips, and Melzri in front of her, her bloodshot, blood-colored eyes slicing through the air like her des as she moved focus from me to Sylvie¡¯s back.


    The pathways drew my strike into themselves, guiding it through space itself.


    I saw the collection of mana particles shrouding the figure in the shadows of the twisted and broken ceiling, the threads of mana under her control spilling across the chamber and down on Sylvie and Chul like probing fingers in their brains.


    The de struck home, and a scream rent the air.


    Each point, connecting each other point. The connective tissue of this world, the aetheric realm. A strike delivered from one space but falling in another.


    A beam of violet light hovered for an instant in the air. Shadows rippled, and Viessa formed around it, the de sprouting out of her sternum. She coiled in on herself like a spider, her scream cutting out just as sharply as it had sounded, but her mouth remained open, her silent cry somehow even worse than the banshee wail. As she writhed, waves of purple hair rose up around her face like a ghostly nimbus.


    I pulled the de free, and it retracted back through the aetheric paths, sliding out of her body so that she plummeted to the ground.


    Cecilia and Nico had both nced toward the source of the scream. Mezlri was frozen in ce, horrified and transfixed as she watched the other Scythe bounce off the crumbling tiles. The only noise for a handful of heartbeats was the crackling of phoenix fire.


    Despite the blood matting her hair to her head from where Chul had struck her, the pieces of Sylvie¡¯s confused mind slid smoothly back into rhythm with the illusion spell broken. She lunged forward to grab Chul¡¯s arm. His face was ck, his eyes zed over, and he did not fight her as she jerked him out of the way as Cecilia sent twin des of mana slicing down toward them.


    ¡°Cecilia!¡± I shouted, unleashing an aetheric st from my open palm.


    Nico dodged to the side, but Cecilia took the st head on, aether rippling over the surface of the mana condensed around her. With one mana-formed hand, she waved away thest vestiges of the st like smoke. Still, her attention snapped back to me, her spell slicing deep into the floor but missing mypanions.


    I let the point of my sword dip toward the ground, but my knuckles were white as I gripped the aetheric handle. ¡°Enough of this.¡± I looked up from my de, my gaze hard. ¡°Cecilia,e with me. I¡¯ll try to find a way to separate you and Tessia.¡±


    She scoffed, her cheeks turning bright red, her lips twisted in a disbelieving sneer. ¡°As if I could be so easily swayed¡ªor tricked. You are a liar, Grey, and a bad one.¡±


    Behind her, Nico¡¯s mouth half opened. He hesitated, his throat working dryly, then finally said, ¡°We should hear Arthur out¡­his insights into aether surpass even the dragons. Maybe he can¡ª¡±


    Cecilia cut him off. ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled.¡± It was Cecilia¡¯s turn to hesitate. Her eyes flicked from Nico to me, then back again. ¡°He''s the one that killed me, remember?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a dry, humorlessugh. ¡°Has your mind twisted your memories after all of these years or did Agrona do that for you?¡± Speaking to Nico, I continued, unable to mask the bitterness in my tone. ¡°The hatred you have for me¡ªthe reason you¡¯ve strived so hard to destroy everything I cherish¡ªwas based on a lie. I wasn''t the one who killed Cecilia. She¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Cecilia screeched, the blistering emotion in her voice so raw that it stunned Nico and me both.


    ¡°So¡­¡± I started, realization dawning slowly, ¡°it isn¡¯t that you didn''t remember¡­but you¡¯ve chosen to lie to and manipte the only man that has ever loved you¡ª¡±


    Like a sudden hot breath on the back of my neck, ck wind mmed into me from behind. A pent-up scream exploded into the air, oozing fury and loss.


    I spared a quick nce back, squinting against the storm of void wind.


    Melzri was kneeling next to Viessa, the other Scythe¡¯s limp body pulled into her arms. She was rocking back and forth, her mouth half open, disbelief and horror written in every line of her face. The void wind was spilling out of her, a physical manifestation of her grief.


    Then her eyes met mine, and she seemed to copse into herself, the scream bing a snarl, all that tension exploding downward as she dropped the corpse and leaped into the air, one de gripped in both hands and trailing soul fire like a dark g.


    ck wind buffeted me, pushing dust and smoke into my eyes, coiling around my limbs and throat, entangling in my hair and attempting to pull me off bnce. Tendrils of Cecilia¡¯s mana wove in and around Melzri¡¯s, reinforcing the spell and holding it against my influence.


    I felt the regalia imprinted halfway up her spine activate as she channeled mana into it. Mana condensed from the atmosphere and into her spells. Her body swelled with it, hardening and strengthening. The sword zed darker, the mes roaring ten feet up from the de. The wind¡¯s ws sharpened, digging deeper and harder. Cold white mes licked her body, a thousand candle mes burning from her pores as her body overloaded on mana.


    Aether burst throughout my hips, spine, shoulders, and arms, instantly bringing my de up into a defensive position with enough power to rip through the clutching wind. The Burst Strike delivered all its potency directly into the center mass of her weapon.


    With a gust, the soul mes puffed out like a candle. Steel shrieked, and the sword exploded, sending a shrapnel of broken metal spraying across the throne room. Melzri¡¯s arm wrenched unnaturally, and something inside cracked and splintered.


    Her momentum carried her past me, where she stumbled and fell to her knees, clutching her broken hand and arm with the other.


    Mana condensed around her, scooping her up and carrying her away from me. ¡°Go,¡± Cecilia said. ¡°You are no more use here.¡±


    I could have stopped her, could have followed Melzri and struck her and her retainer down before she could withdraw the tempus warp from her dimension artifact, but I had a feeling whatever punishment that Agrona would deal out in response to their failure here would be worse than the quick death I could offer.


    As the tempus warp wrapped Melzri, Mawar, and Viessa¡¯s body in mana and pulled them away, I let it happen.


    Mana was already coiling around Cecilia, preparing to strike, but Nico flew between us. I was surprised when he turned his back to me. ¡°What did Grey mean just now?¡± he asked Cecilia.


    ¡°It¡¯s all in the past,¡± she answered, jaw tight and eyes ring. ¡°It¡¯s not what¡¯s important now¡ªor for the future!¡±


    ¡°I never murdered Cecilia!¡± I snapped, my ire rising.


    Nothing about Cecilia¡¯s or Nico¡¯s actions made sense to me. Nico had apparently made himself a weapon for an evil tyrant purely to revive his dead love, but then he had allowed her to be turned into a weapon as well¡ªa fate identical to that of herst life, which she had killed herself on my de to escape. In return, she hadn¡¯t even told him the truth and seemed to be using his hatred of me to continue to fuel this confrontation.


    He had reached out to me, hadn¡¯t he? Sent me Sylvia¡¯s mana core as a token and a plea so I would help Cecilia¡ªhow, I had no idea¡ªbut he¡¯d made no effort to stem the violence of this confrontation.


    ¡°Liar. I watched as your de went through her, Grey!¡± he yelled, bobbing up and down in the air, the mana vibrating around him in agitation.


    Cecilia shed her hand in the air, and I dodged as mana gouged through the floor like a giant scythe de. ¡°This isn¡¯t even about what happened on Earth! Nico, Agrona wants Grey¡¯s core. That¡¯s it! Grey doesn¡¯t matter anymore, he¡¯s just a road bump between us and getting exactly what you want, don¡¯t you see?¡±


    Before Nico could respond, the mana around Cecilia surged. Thousands of fist-sized chunks of rubble jumped up into the air, flying high above our heads. In an instant, they were burning bright orange, heated from within by her power. I saw what wasing before it happened.


    Shield yourself! I sent to Sylvie.


    The dark sky was alight with ten thousand new stars. Then the stars began to fall.


    Burning meteors punched through what little remained of the ceiling and burst against the floor all around me. The throne room vanished in a cloud of dust and the heat-haze afterglow of a thousand burning projectiles streaking the air.


    I sensed more than saw the swelling of mana around Sylvie and Chul as the first of the meteors struck them.


    I dodged back from one meteor, pivoted as another nced off my shoulder, then slipped into the woven paths of God Step to avoid a cluster of the projectiles.


    The pce was crumbling, the air choked with heat and dust. My ears rang from the concussive st of the meteor shower, and sulfur burned my nose and lungs.


    The beating of wings sent gusts of wind billowing through the pce, carrying away the dust inrge swirls and revealing a towering silhouette.


    Dark scales reflected starlight and huge golden eyes glowered around at the wreckage. Sylvie¡¯s graceful draconic neck lifted high toward the heavens, and she bared rows of fangs like swords. A long, serpentine tail shifted through the rubble, sending broken stone cascading into the many gouges ripped through the floor.


    She gave a shake of her neck and wings, dislodging the meteors that had prated her mana shields to lodge in her scales.


    Chul stepped out from her shadow, unhurt as he gazed up at the dragon in amazement.


    The beating of Sylvie¡¯s wings had revealed the full devastation of Cecilia¡¯s spell. The entire center of the structure had been leveled; the throne room was all but gone, just a pit in the ground.


    I felt a shift in the aether around me. The relic armor had left Sylvie when she transformed, and I could once again feel it tether to me. Touching that tether, I conjured the armor.


    Cecilia gazed down at me in disappointment as the ck scales feathered into being over my flesh. Beside her, Nico was pale and fidgeting nervously.


    I held his dark eyes. ¡°How do you expect me to help someone who doesn¡¯t want it?¡± I asked, unconvinced he would respond. ¡°Or was your message just meant to throw me off¡­¡±


    ¡°Message?¡± Cecilia snapped, looking sharply back over her shoulder at Nico. ¡°What message?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t surprised that he hadn¡¯t told her, but I seized on the opportunity to keep them both talking. ¡°Nico sent me a gift and asked me to help you. He said I ¡®owed you a life.¡¯ Because you never told him what you did.¡± My tone grew sharper as I spoke, my anger burning just below the surface. ¡°You killed yourself on my de, Cecilia! Do you even remember why?¡±


    She nched, and I saw in her haunted gaze the memory of that moment, and I knew she remembered all too well.


    ¡°W-what?¡± Nico choked out.


    Cecilia turned her back on me, reaching for Nico, although her fingers stopped just short of touching him. ¡°It¡¯s moreplicated than that, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°You knew they¡¯d use him against you, Cecilia,¡± I cut in, unable to mask the frustration and bitterness in my voice. ¡°You made me kill you because you knew there wasn¡¯t any other way out, not for you, not for Nico. You died to protect him!¡± I scoffed, clenching my fists so hard that the bones ached. ¡°Damnit, I don¡¯t understand either of you. There is nothing to justify what you¡¯re doing for Agrona¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Cecilia screamed.


    The word resounded throughout the ruined pce, growing louder and louder with each reverberation. The few remnants of structure around us copsed. My hands pped to my ears. I felt blood trickle from my nose. To my right, Chul leaned on his weapon, his arms wrapped around his head, his teeth bared like an animal. Above us both, Sylvie¡¯s head lowered, her eyes closed against the punishing volume.


    Taking a steadying breath, I reached for the mana with my aether. The manifestation was wild and uncontrolled,cking the overpowering force of Cecilia¡¯s focus. I broke it, and the noise faded away, leaving an echo ringing in my ears.


    Cecilia had already turned back to Nico. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I was afraid you were still under Agrona¡¯s influence, and that something bad might happen if I told you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true?¡± he asked, his voice barely a whisper. ¡°Grey didn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    She shook her head, her body tense, her limbs pulling inward like she wanted to curl up into the fetal position.


    Nico pulled away, aghast. ¡°But I saw¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Cecilia repeated quietly. She waited for a moment, watching him carefully. ¡°Does this mean your mind isn¡¯t controlled by Agrona?¡±


    Nico dragged his hands down his face. ¡°Whatever he¡¯d done to inte my rage and bury the talents of my previous life leaked out of my core when Grey pierced it at the Victoriad.¡± His voice was t, totally devoid of emotion. ¡°But I knew what he¡¯d done to your memories, Cecilia. I knew¡ªI helped¡­and I thought you were still¡­¡± He hung his head, his staff dangling limply at his side. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡±


    They werepletely engrossed in one another, their worlds having shrunk to the few feet around themselves in any direction. A cold, distant part of my mind¡ªthe piece of King Grey that I had resurrected to survive my trials in crya¡ªrecognized the opportunity. A quick thrust of my aether de and I could end the threat they each posed right there. Whatever Agrona nned for the Legacy made even Kezess Indrath fearful. Striking them both down would end that threat, and possibly the war.


    After all, I hadn¡¯t discovered some fatal w in Cecilia¡¯s magic. Fighting her had brought me no closer to understanding how to separate Tessia and Cecilia. Tess was a warrior, no stranger to risking her life in the field ofbat. She had been ready to die fighting in the dungeons beneath the Beast des, in the forests of Elenoir, in the city streets against Nico and Cadell¡­


    She would understand. She would forgive me.


    But could I ever forgive myself? I¡¯d already denied myself the chance once, choosing to strike out at Viessa instead of Cecilia when the opportunity had presented itself. Did I really think I was prepared to end Tessia¡¯s life alongside Cecilia¡¯s?


    ¡°How can you be so certain?¡± Nico asked, his voice raising in frustration and drawing my attention back to them. ¡°Because I don¡¯t know anymore.¡±


    After a beat of hesitation, Cecilia took Nico¡¯s hands in her own. ¡°Those are just the words of that awful Scythe sticking in your head. If Agrona can reincarnate us from across the universe¡ªbring us into this world and make us powerful with only the resources he has now¡ªwhy wouldn¡¯t he be able to send us back with all the power of Epheotus at his disposal?¡±


    There was a pause, and she dropped his hands, turning to look at me with dawning realization. ¡°Is that why you took that dragon¡¯s core? To ask Grey for help? You¡­want us to turn against Agrona?¡±


    Nico¡¯s pale face went even whiter. ¡°No, of course not¡ª¡±


    ¡°Grey can¡¯t help us!¡± she shouted, her voice magically amplified butcking the crushing resonance of herst sonic attack. ¡°We¡¯ve given everything to this, Nico, to Agrona. And we¡¯re so close! Don¡¯t let Grey manipte you, he just wants his precious elf girl back. He¡¯d kill me to get to her, you know he would.¡±


    Nico also looked at me, frowning with confusion. ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe I would,¡± I interjected honestly, my tone bitter cold. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t save you back then, Cecilia. I was so engrossed in my stupid quest to reach the top¡ªto be powerful enough to right the wrongs that happened to our home, to Headmaster Wilbeck¡ªthat I ignored everything else.¡±


    The air between us changed, bing charged with aether as I reached inward, pulling at all the strength and determination I could manifest. My gaze sharpened, aether swirling in response to this pull, as if it was acknowledging my will. All my focus and energy honed in on Cecilia. She stared back, those turquoise eyes hard and unyielding.


    ¡°And I''m sorry, Nico. I don''t think I can do what you asked.¡±


    God Step wrapped around me, and I appeared at Tessia''s side, aetheric lightning racing across the scales of the relic armor. A de shivered into being in my fist, poised to plunge into the hollow at the base of her throat.


    Cecilia¡¯s arms, both flesh and mana, flowed smoothly into position to block the strike, just as I¡¯d anticipated.


    Aether hardened beneath my foot, and I pushed off it with all the well-orchestrated force of Burst Step. The tform shattered, but not before I took the near-instant step to Nico, my arm moving faster than sight as I simultaneously activated Burst Strike.


    Barrier after barrier of mana hardened the air between my de and its target. Each one cracked and then shattered, one by one, the air between us bursting with showers of mana-like fireworks. The de came down on Nico¡¯s shoulder.


    Thestyer of mana surrounding him quaked, and Nico hurtled down into the rubble with a crash. A secondter, Inded lightly next to the crater, my defenses already turning toward Cecilia.


    The ruined pce burst into motion.


    Cecilia, her eyes bulging as she stared down at the crater, and her mouth open in a silent scream, took hold of all the mana around us and dragged at it, pulling it to herself. Aether spilled from me in response, fighting to shield mypanions from being drained in an instant.


    Even as I warded her mana-draining spell, I felt mana condensing as she prepared a second attack.


    A sh of bright orange me drew my eye to Chul¡¯s weapon as it flew like a meteor toward Cecilia.


    All of her mana arms flowed around her, stopping the weapon midair.


    It exploded into a golden fireball as a beam of pure mana bisected the crumbling throne room. Phoenix fire and dragon mana whirled,bining into a maelstrom of destructive force, and Cecilia vanished inside the detonation.


    Setting my footing, I conjured a second aether de above my left shoulder, then a third in position to shadow the de in my hand. Finally, a fourth appeared near my left hip. Aether exploded in sequence throughout my body, driving me forward. With all my concentration, I swung all four des.


    Something impacted against my chest mid-Burst Step. The world turned faster than I could make sense of, and I impacted something hard. I was back on my feet before I¡¯d made sense of what happened, with Sylvie towering over me, one w supportive against my back.


    I winced as thest of thebined magic of Chul and Sylvie swirled into Cecilia¡¯s body. She had absorbed it all.


    Through Realmheart I could see how her body broke down thevender-tinged pure mana that Sylvie had projected. The sight sent cold shivers through my body; without a core, the process seemed much faster¡ªalmost instant¡ªand much more horrible.


    ¡®She can absorb even formed spells?¡¯ Sylvie thought, aghast.


    Cecilia¡¯s hungry eyes drank in the sight of purple-tinged mana flowing over her hand and between her fingers¡ªdragon mana. For an instant, she seemed lost in thought, almost¡­amazed.


    From the corner of my eye, I saw Chul leap into the air, his fist wrapped in a w of shaped mes. Cecilia, intent on the mana she¡¯d absorbed from Sylvie, was slow to react.


    Blood iron spikes manifested from her shadow as the w shed across her throat, catching and deflecting the strike. The heat of Chul¡¯s spell cut through the ck metal and shed across Cecilia¡¯s jaw as she jerked away. Mana condensed into a battering ram that mmed into Chul and sent him careening away.


    Cecilia lifted her hand to her jaw, but the blow had left only streaks of ash across her fair skin.


    Nico rose from the crater his body had formed, his staff in hand, all four gems glowing. Blood ran freely from his nose and mouth, and his arm hung limply at his side. And yet, as he watched Chulnd heavily on his feet among the rubble, he still had the energy to fly after him, blood iron spikes firing ahead of him like a dozen ck arrows.


    With a heavy beat of her wings, Sylvieunched into the air, whirled above, and then dove at Cecilia, ws, fangs, and tail shing.


    Resummoning my aether des, I rushed to support my bond. Bright beams of violet energy hacked and thrust at Cecilia from every direction. One struck her shoulder but rebounded off her natural barrier of mana. Another thrust into her thigh but slid aside. Sylvie¡¯s tail batted her off bnce, and my third strikended solidly across her ribs.


    The mana gave way, and the aether de bit into the flesh there.


    She hissed out a curse, and the ground vanished from beneath my feet. Leaping off a shaky clump of hardened aether, I drove forward with all four aether des at once, knocking Cecilia back into my bond. Sylvie¡¯s w came crashing down on Cecilia, whose legs gave out as she sank down to one knee.


    Bolts of mana burst outward from Cecilia, peppering Sylvie¡¯s huge body. I could feel her weakening with each blow.


    Chul¡¯s battle roar filled the air as I sensed Nico attempting to fly in our direction. I split my attention, hacking and shing at Cecilia with my conjured weapons with most of my focus, but turning a sliver to the battle between Chul and Nico.


    Chul was wrestling with Nico in the air, the staff pulled back across Nico¡¯s throat. With a downward thrust, he mmed the much smaller Nico into the ground face first, then his fists were wrapped in orange mes as they began to pummel my old friend.


    A ck spike shot up from the ground and punched through Chul¡¯s forearm, but he only ripped it free, turned it point down, and raised it over his head as he prepared to m it into Nico¡¯s prone form.


    A bright light swallowed the battleground before the blow could fall.


    Sylvie! I shouted in my mind as I felt her mana being dragged from her.


    ¡°You should have known you couldn¡¯t hold out against me for long.¡± Cecilia¡¯s voice resounded through the battlefield as the light dimmed to reveal streams of mana pouring from Sylvie and into Cecilia.


    My heart missed several beats as desperation overtook me. The aetheric paths called to me, and I stepped into them.


    I appeared between them, mana pouring past me on all sides, but I didn¡¯t release my concentration on the God Step godrune. The lightning-bolt paths opened in every direction in front of me.


    Between Cecilia and me was a nearly imprable shell of oveppingyers of mana. So intense was her concentration of mana that it warped even the aetheric pathways, deflecting them so that they bulged out, blurred, and grew difficult to trace.


    I listened. Past the hum of mana, the shouts from Nico and Chul, the angry his of Cecilia¡¯s breath. Through the crackle of mes and the tter of stones. I listened, as Three Steps had taught me, to the aether¡¯s beckoning call.


    And I drove the sword forward.


    The de slipped into the pathways, disappearing just above my hand and appearing again inside the shield to slide up into and between her ribs.


    Her body was moving almost before the de appeared, and the strike missed her heart.


    I pulled my sword back, prepared to thrust again, but something else came with it. I hesitated for an instant, uncertain of what I was seeing. The de of my sword was wrapped invender-tinged mana. Suddenly something else was in control of the de, and it was twisting around in my wrist to sh across my own ribs. As the mana-wrapped aether struck my armor, Cecilia¡¯s mana exploded out of her, hammering my own weapon into me.


    I rocked backward, and the de¡¯s edge drove through both my aetheric barrier and the relic armor, carving into the flesh and bone beneath before striking my core.


    Nausea ripped the strength from my limbs, so extreme and ever-present that I fell to my knees. The sword vanished, my aetheric barrier dissolved, Realmheart faded, and even my sense of the atmospheric motes of aether around the battlefield flickered in and out.


    I pressed one hand against my side; hot blood gushed between my fingers. There was no sudden rush of aether to the wound, no itching warmth as the flesh knitted back together.


    I reached for God Step, but there was no glow of response from the godrune on my spine.


    ¡®Arthur!¡¯ Sylvie screamed in my head at the same time as she unleashed a fearful roar.


    Cecilia¡¯s eyes had gone wide, blood leaking from the corners of her mouth as it fell open in disbelief. Her hands were pressed to the gory wound in her side where my de had ripped out from between her ribs.


    A zing creature of fire and light swept past her. I saw only the outline of wings, blindingly bright against the ck sky, before a hot w curled around me and lifted me up, then bitterly warm wind, and we sped away from the pce, the city of Nirm rapidly diminishing behind us as we gained altitude.


    Sylvie! I thought desperately, panic writhing in my intestines.


    ¡®I¡¯m here!¡¯ she practically screamed in my mind, her nerves fried, so weak from the amount of mana that had been taken from her that she was struggling to maintain the draconic form. ¡®But they¡¯reing, Arthur.¡¯


    I stared through the darkness at the distant pce, smoldering with tiny mes and sending up little plumes of ck smoke that gathered in the sky above it. There was a spark in the night, like a shooting star chasing us across the sky. Slower, listing through the air as he struggled to keep up, was Nico.


    Chul let out a screeching caw that split the night sky like thunder. ¡°Couldn¡¯t finish the slimy¡­little¡­¡±


    A beam of white hot light split the sky, narrowly missing Chul¡¯s wing. ¡°Can¡¯t¡­keep¡­this¡­up¡­¡± he moaned, his voice husky and full of fire.


    I reached for the extradimensional storage rune and the tempus warp within, but it didn¡¯t respond.


    I fought to calm the rapid beating of my heart so I could focus and turned my senses inward, inspecting my core. The wound was deep and bleeding extensively. My sense for aether was rapidly fading in and out, and I could intermittently sense the particles themselves.


    All of the aether struggling to heal my body was focused on my core. A bright line had been scratched into the surface by the strike, and my healing aether was slowly filling it in, neglecting the rest of my body as it did so.


    ¡°Arthur¡ªcan¡¯t¡­¡±


    My heart flew up into my throat as I plunged downward, Chul¡ªonce again humanoid¡ªflipping end over end in the air next to me as my blood rained upward past us both.


    A ck on ck shadow closed in on us, and Sylvie scooped us each up in her talons just as another beam of mananced past.


    ¡®We¡¯re not going to make it far¡ªArthur, you¡¯re hurt. Really hurt.¡¯


    Lacking the time or energy to exin, I simply let her into my mind as I reached for the aether around my core. I willed it to flow down to my arm, where the spellform for the dimensional storage was. A trickle responded. I pushed again, harder, pleading as I impressed my intent upon the aether. A little more broke away.


    The spellform tingled in my flesh.


    Cursing, I dragged my forearm across the point of Sylvie¡¯s talon, leaving behind a deep cut.


    Another pocket of aether traveled down my arm.


    My mind linked with the dimensional space where my equipment was kept, and I withdrew the tempus warp. Sylvie shifted her w to pin it next to me.


    Shit, I can¡¯t activate it, I thought.


    Sensing Sylvie¡¯s intention, I watched as she shook Chul in her other w, then pinched him hard even as she dipped beneath a third beam from Cecilia.


    Chul gritted his teeth as he snapped back to consciousness. ¡°Gah, what¡­?¡±


    ¡°The tempus warp!¡± Sylvie boomed.


    His eyes struggled to focus on me, then the device pinned next to me.


    ¡°You need to¡­activate the device¡­¡± I choked out, blood filling my mouth as I spoke.


    Sylvie moved her ws together, and Chul rested his hand on top of the tempus warp. His mana flowed weakly.


    Sylvie gasped as a beam struck her, and we dipped in the air. Her ws loosened, and the tempus warp shifted. I wrapped my arms around it, my head swimming as my wound exploded with pain at the motion and effort.


    ¡®She¡¯s catching up!¡¯


    Chul pushed out more mana, and I programmed the device.


    Sylv, transform, I thought, waiting.


    Her own thoughts came back to me not in words but in pure disbelief, tinged with the suspicion that I had lost my faculties due to blood loss.


    Just do it!


    Her head curled around to look down at me, meeting my eye. Resignation leaked through our connection, and she was suddenly wreathed in mana. The ws around me, Chul, and the tempus warp receded, and Sylvie shrank back into the form of a teenage girl. We fell.


    I activated the tempus warp.


    A portal appeared in the air below us, and we all plunged through.


    On the other side, we spilled across the ground like rolled bones, the tempus warp bouncing before crashing into the middle of a rose bush.


    Untwisting myself, I stared through the portal into Cecilia¡¯s enraged face as the shining oval flickered out.

 Chapter 445: The Truth of Power

    <strong>CECILIA</strong>


    I stared at the space where the portal had been, its afterimage still visible against the darkness of the night and the slums below. My mind was nk, the fury of the battle washed away by the shock of its sudden end. Even the screaming pain of the wound in my side seemed subdued, distant as it pumped blood around my hand.


    I had failed. Grey had been there, right before me, but I hadn¡¯t been able to stop him. I¡¯d let him escape¡­


    I just couldn¡¯t make sense of it. I was the Legacy. My control over mana was such that I could drag it from the core of a still-living asura, and yet Grey had matched me¡ªhad wounded me, even, nearly killed me. If I hadn¡¯t sensed the distortion in the mana where his attack appeared, perhaps he would have. Again.


    Although I¡¯d only been able to draw in a meager amount of the dragon¡¯s mana, it had been enough to offer a spark of insight: Grey could apparently manipte the intery between aether and mana, using one force to move and guide the other, even going so far as deflecting or canceling mana-attribute spells with his aether; and through the dragon¡¯s mana, I saw the possibility of the same being done in reverse.


    The two forces pushed against one another, and so any application of mana caused some small change in the aether around it. I hadn¡¯t understood that before¡ªI barely knew what aether was¡ªbut I was starting to see.


    But I¡¯d been overconfident. The amount of mana and sheer mental will that had been required to barely move Arthur¡¯s conjured weapon, even catching him by surprise, had been cataclysmic. Gritting my teeth, I couldn¡¯t help but feel like I¡¯d wasted the opportunity. Next time I faced him¡ªand I had no doubt there would be a next time¡ªhe¡¯d be ready for it.


    At the very least, it seemed clear that Agrona had been wrong to view Grey¡¯s core as a mere curiosity. That, or he was hiding just how much Grey¡¯s control of aether impacted his ns. I couldn¡¯t be sure what he understood¡ªor didn¡¯t. A small part of me wished I was intelligent enough to dissect the situation ande away with a better understanding of what Agrona might gain from Grey, Nico, and me, but that kind of strategic thinking had never been my strength.


    The gusting wind of Nico¡¯s flying spell sent my hair blowing around my face as he caught up to me. My eyes touched his, but I quickly pulled them away, unable to bear the sight of him.


    He was pale, his face bloodied and battered, core exhausted, struggling even to maintain focus through the staff that allowed him to channel his spell. Even flying, he favored his left side, where Grey had struck him. He was little more than broken bones and pooling blood held together by bruised skin.


    Guilt coiled up from my stomach to wrap like vines around my heart. Should I have listened to him? I wondered, already starting to second-guess my every word and action. Could Grey really help us¡ªdo what Nico feared even Agrona couldn¡¯t? I didn¡¯t let the thought take root, but instead ripped it out and cast it aside. That was less an option now than it ever had been, the battle had made that clear.


    There was a haunted look in Nico¡¯s eyes as he inspected me, the uncertainty shining like tears about to fall, like he couldn¡¯t quite be sure if I was really there or if he might wake up and I¡¯d be gone.


    I¡¯d already grown used to the hard, rage-filled Nico of this world, the one who had gone to war for Agrona, who had killed to bring me into this world. He¡¯d scared me at first, when I was freshly rewoken from the void of death, but it hadn¡¯t taken me long to understand the necessity of his rage, his darkness. What Agrona required of us to earn back the lives that fate stole couldn¡¯t be aplished by the struggling orphans we¡¯d been on Earth.


    Now, seeing the helpless look on his bloodied face, I couldn¡¯t help but see that boy, the sensitive but intelligent young man I¡¯d reluctantly fallen in love with.


    But thinking of that Nico only reminded me of the weak, frightened little girl I had been. The years spent foolishly hoping I could get my ki under control as a child, then all that time locked away, experimented on, their training beaten into me every single day until all I could think about was the escape of death¡ª


    I opened my mouth and prepared to scream, but the frustration and pain lodged in my throat, and only silence radiated out from me.


    Then everything else came rushing back in. The fear, the guilt, the rage, the uncertainty, the hope¡­but the pain overwhelmed it all. For a moment, I remembered how it had felt to die.


    Forcing away the memory, I pressed both hands to the cut and flooded it with water-attribute mana, willing it to heal. But, although I could soothe a fever or the ache caused by long hours of training, I was no healer.


    ¡°Cecil, your wound¡ª¡± Nico said, but he cut off immediately when I waved away whatever he was about to say.


    Focusing instead on fire-attribute mana, I burned the gash closed, cauterizing it and stopping the blood loss. It wouldn¡¯t kill me before I could reach Taegrin Caelum and the healers there, and so I put the wound and the pain out of my mind.


    Nico cleared his throat. ¡°Guards and soldiers were already gathering outside the pce before we left. I¡¯ll return and inform them of what¡¯s happened. And¡­I need to find Draneeve, see if he¡¯s still¡ª¡±


    I scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re worried about that shattered, sniveling little creature at a time like this? Vritra¡¯s horns, Nico, we have more important things to¡­to¡­¡± I trailed off as I took in his expression.


    Nico¡¯s nose was wrinkled, his brows creased into a frown, and his lip curled up in a disbelieving sneer. ¡°I made him a promise, Cecilia. He helped us¡ªhelped you! I¡ª¡± This time, he cut himself off. Looking away, he dragged in a long, fortifying breath. When he looked back at me, he was calmer. ¡°I¡¯ve treated him terribly. For years. I understand how you see him¡ªhow you see everyone else¡ªbecause I used to be the same. That¡¯s why I want to help him escape this life.¡±


    The weight of his words nearly pulled me right out of the air. I felt my cheeks redden with shame at his chastisement. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nico. For not telling you what I¡¯d remembered sooner. I¡ª¡±


    He let out a huffing breath, somewhere between augh and a scoff. ¡°Please, don¡¯t apologize to me. It¡¯s not¡­it¡¯s¡­¡± He trailed off. As the wetness in his eyes finally began to fall down his dirty and blood-crusted cheeks as tears, he turned away and began slowly floating back toward Sovereign Exeges¡¯s demolished pce.


    The Sovereign¡­


    Balling my fists, I followed. I¡¯d almost forgotten about the Sovereign! It seemed unbelievable¡ªimpossible¡ªthat Grey was powerful enough to defeat a full-blooded basilisk Sovereign and his entire personal guard, and afterwards still have the potency to fight me to a standstill, even with two fledgling asuras at his side.


    Agrona needed to know what had happened immediately. A Sovereign had been assassinated, a Scythe killed, and our target had escaped¡­


    It was not a conversation I was looking forward to.


    ¡®You should have listened to Nico,¡¯ Tessia¡¯s voice sounded suddenly in my thoughts.


    I had been waiting for her to interject, in fact I was surprised only that she waited so long.


    ¡®You should have listened to me. We could be safely in Dicathen right now, far from Agrona and his ambitions. Arthur could help us, I¡¯m certain of it.¡¯


    The wind whipped up by my flight carried my answering snort away. As if I could ever trust him to do that. Even if Grey didn¡¯t set out to murder me, he still abandoned Nico and me in his hunger to be king. He¡¯s single-minded, has been ever since he was a kid. It seems he wants me dead badly enough that he¡¯s even willing to kill you to make it happen.


    ¡®He defended himself,¡¯ Tessia countered cooly, her consciousness wriggling under my skin like a parasite. ¡®Yet again, you are the aggressor putting him on his back foot as history repeats itself.¡¯ Her voice was silent as a tense pause hung pregnant between us, then: ¡®Are you really such a coward that you¡¯ll force him to kill you twice to escape your lives? You¡¯d put that burden on him again, a person you once considered your best friend¡ªsomeone you used to love, even?¡¯


    A bitterugh burst from my lips only to melt away in the night air as we approached the ruined pce.


    Love¡­as if. I was a child with a crush on the first person who¡¯d been kind to me. Besides, Grey was never like that¡ªromantic¡ªand he gave up on me the second she showed an interest in him. Gave up on me and Nico both. But Nico never gave up. That¡¯s why¡­that¡¯s¡­


    I swallowed hard. If you hate me and Nico so much, why help me defend him? I asked, thinking back to the emerald vines that had erupted from me to catch Grey¡¯s arm and stop him from taking Nico¡¯s head. You released the Elderwood Guardian¡¯s power to me, just for a moment. You are so sure that Grey can¡ªthat he would help us, and yet you know just as well as I do that he was ready to kill us both, if he¡¯d been able.


    Tessia didn¡¯t immediately answer. Her spirit was prickly, like the beginning of a headache.


    Scoffing, I pushed back against her. Although I could no longer block her outpletely, I could entangle her will in a struggle against my own, forcing her silence. I¡¯m not ready to die¡ªnor am I going to. I thought I only had one way out, before, and maybe in that world it was true. Here though¡­


    I followed Nico into the smoking rubble, casually conjuring a stiff breeze to clear the air.


    Here, I have the power to change my life¡¯s oue. I may be Agrona¡¯s weapon, but only because he is my best chance at getting what I want. When I¡¯m done with this world, I will return to Earth. Not as the Legacy, but as Cecilia, and I will live a quiet and loving life with Nico. I will¡­


    Even as I pictured it, my mind stumbled over the thought. Ever since Agrona had promised to make it so, I had only epted it as being what I wanted. I¡¯d never asked to be the Legacy, only to be allowed a life. But would the cozy cottage far from the cities, politics, and war of Earth really give me that? Could I sacrifice the power I now had for the life that I¡¯d lost¡­?


    To give someone this gift only to snatch it away from them? It was a fate worse than death.


    Hadn¡¯t those been my own thoughts, seeing Nico¡¯s wound? Was it really my heart¡¯s dearest desire to give up everything I¡¯d gained from this world¡ªfrom mana?


    Tessia receded deeper within me, pushing me no further, and I almost wished she would. Who else could I talk to, if not the voice in my own head¡­


    I pulled back from the contest of wills, no longer attempting to keep her silent. But she was nheless.


    Nico was shifting aside rubble where I could sense the faint signature of Draneeve¡¯s mana. Shouts wereing from the front of the pce.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the soldiers,¡± I said softly, biting my lip. When he didn¡¯t answer, I left him and flew out through the partially copsed entrance hall.


    A hundred or more mages were already gathered there, although they hadn¡¯t breached the pce grounds.


    An older man in heavy te armor and sporting a long, drooping mustache stepped forward. ¡°Legacy,¡± he said, going down on one knee in a bow. Behind him, the entire force of soldiers did the same. He held the bow for a respectable amount of time, then nced up at me for permission to stand.


    I granted it with a nod. ¡°The Sovereign has been assassinated,¡± I exined, my voice obscured with wind-attribute mana so that only he could make out the words. ¡°No survivors remain in the pce, but you need to get mages in to start putting out the mes so they don¡¯t spread. And prepare a statement for the city to exin the destruction, but do not announce anything rted to Exeges. You¡¯ll receive further instructions soon.¡±


    The man¡¯s face had gone ck as he stared up at me, uprehending.


    ¡°Send someone to prepare the closest teleportation gate to take us to Taegrin Caelum immediately,¡± I added before turning away.


    Flying back through the smoke and rubble, I found Nico leaning over Draneeve, who had been uncovered and was now propped up against the base of a demolished wall, head lolling in unconsciousness. I was surprised by how normal he appeared.


    ¡°He¡¯ll live?¡± I asked, trying to sound concerned but not feeling I quite managed it.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Nico answered. ¡°But his skull is fractured and there is a lot of swelling. I need to get him to a healer, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Not in Taegrin Caelum,¡± I filled in when he hesitated, understanding. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Agrona that he¡¯s dead.¡±


    Nico¡¯s jaw worked silently for a few seconds before he finally spoke. ¡°Be careful. Don¡¯t lie to him if you can avoid it. When I¡¯ve seen to Draneeve, I¡¯ll work with the city¡¯s forces to deal with things here, then follow you.¡±


    I nodded, but he wasn¡¯t looking in my direction. Reaching out, I almost set my hand on his shoulder but stopped just short. Cursed body, I thought bitterly before turning away.


    When I reached thepound where the teleportation gate was housed, it was already tuned to Taegrin Caelum as I had ordered. The guards let me through without preamble, and I found myself deep in Agrona¡¯s fortress. By the buzz and bustle, it was clear that everyone was aware of what had happened and on high alert, but I also detected a certain amount of confusion in the response. Although I received the customary bowing and scraping at my appearance, I had expected a message or orders from Agrona to be waiting for me in the teleportation chambers, but no one approached me.


    In fact, there was a distinct edge of fear in the way the attendants and soldiers watched me stalk through the chamber, with most avoiding my eye while others visually devoured me, breath bated, like they were waiting for me to give them orders instead.


    I grew more and more tense as I made my way up through the fortress and no one stopped me at all. It wasn¡¯t until I started up the stairs that opened into the hall connecting to Agrona¡¯s private wing that I started to understand. Above me, someone was screaming and shouting, her rage shaking the very stones.


    Before I could open the heavy iron-bound door, it was blown off its hinges just in front of me. It mmed against the opposing wall and exploded into a spiderweb of shattered wood and twisted metal.


    The previously ornate hallway was in ruins.


    The objects decorating the walls had been flung down, the furniture crushed, the thick rugs tattered and burned. A dragon¡¯s horn pierced the wall. Red and orange feathers, now ckened by the mes, had been cast all around, spotting the floor like so many blood stains.


    Standing in the middle of this wreckage was Melzri.


    Her back was to me. As I watched, she let out a howl and sent crescents of ck fire at a barrier preventing her from progressing farther down the hall. The mes crackled against the barrier but hardly even made the mana shiver in response.


    She spun around suddenly, her eyes ring, teeth bared, mana boiling into spells around her hands. ¡°You!¡± she shouted. She pointed at me, the mana writhing in her grip. ¡°You useless bitch, you were supposed to¡ª¡±


    I waved my hand in front of me like I was brushing away a cobweb.


    Her spells winked out. Her eyes bulged yet further somehow, her mouth opening and closing like a drowning fish.


    ¡°Where is Agrona?¡± I asked, looking past her to the barrier.


    ¡°He¡ªhe won¡¯t¡­¡± She hesitated, deting. ¡°He won¡¯t see me. Me. Viessa¡ªdead¡ªbut he won¡¯t even see me!¡±


    ¡°Is he here?¡± I asked, still not meeting her eye. There was something so ufortable about seeing a Scythe look this pathetic that I didn¡¯t want to acknowledge it. ¡°Agrona. Is he here?¡±


    Growling, she spun andshed out at the barrier again. ¡°How the hells should I know! If he is, he hasn¡¯t shown his damned face.¡± Gulping in a struggling breath, she screamed, ¡°Coward!¡± at the top of her lungs.


    Her voice grated on my nerves, making me wince. Almost without meaning to, I swept the mana from all around her, dragging it out even from her body.


    She stumbled as if she¡¯d been struck, looked over her shoulder at me in confusion, and then copsed onto the ground, unconscious.


    I felt a little bad, knowing the bacsh she felt when she woke would be truly awful. But at the same time, I hoped I was helping her. Saving her from herself, even. If she did meet with Agrona in her current state, the conversation would not go well. Better she sleep through the worst of her grief. I hoped.


    The barrier preventing her passage opened like a curtain before me and closed just as easily behind. I passed through the doors beyond, then into Agrona¡¯s private wing propper.


    I¡¯d seen only parts of this side of Taegrin Caelum. Agrona had let mee and go as I wished at certain times but had warned me against exploring too thoroughly into his space. It was dangerous, he had told me when I was justing to terms with my reincarnation, and I was expected to restrict myself to seeking him out directly if I entered this wing.


    Extending my senses outward, I searched for his mana signature.


    Many sources of mana shone throughout the fortress, some of them even asura, I was sure, but Agrona wasn¡¯t among them.


    I¡¯d never known him to be absent from Taegrin Caelum. Certain he was deeper within, his mana signature shrouded by his own doing or some aspect of the barrier he¡¯d wrapped around the entire wing, I pushed forward.


    Each room I passed through was plushly furnished and decorated with the spoils of his centuries of leadership. He was particrly fond of the body parts of other asuran races such as the horns and wing that had, before Melzri¡¯s tantrum, adorned the entry hall. But he seemed to collect a wide variety of portraits and tapestries as well, covering the walls with dozens upon dozens of them.


    As I explored deeper into his wing, reaching rooms I had not seen before, I realized there was a kind of story being told. A descent. From light into darkness. It was, I thought, a metaphor for Agrona¡¯s flight from Epheotus, told in portraits and scenery. Recognizing this made me¡­sad, and for a little while I forgot what I was doing there.


    A strangely ced stairwell drew my attention. Although the higher level continued to spread out, this stairwell, which interrupted an otherwise ornate dining room, made such a point of itself that I feltpelled to descend, just like the story the decorations were telling.


    The finery of the upper floor was left behind, and I entered into narrow halls of cold stone. The tunnel turned and turned again, intersecting a dozen others like abyrinth. Doors were inset at odd distances and in unusual locations, and when I thought to check behind one, I found a small room with a single ss orb resting within a narrow indentation in the top of a small pedestal.


    I touched the cold ss, but there was no reaction, and so I backed out of the room and closed the door behind me.


    Bypassing the next few doors, I tried another at random. The room beyond was empty except for a round grate in the floor, through which a constant trickle of water ran. The water seemed to being from the walls themselves, seeping out of the stone.


    When I found myself at the end of one branching tunnel, I opened the door to peek inside and caught my breath.


    Slipping inside, I closed the door behind me, then stared down at the object taking up most of the barren room. It was a table perhaps six feet long and three feet wide. Like before, looking at it filled me with a sense of wrongness, like invisible insects were crawling up my arms and legs. Hesitating, I ran my fingers along the grooved runes, just as indecipherable as they were thest time I¡¯d seen them.


    The table I¡¯d woken up on after my Integration.


    ¡®I wonder what the runes mean,¡¯ Tessia thought, suddenly resurfacing. ¡®Decipher them, and you¡¯ll know what Agrona was really trying to do when you awakened.¡¯


    A sudden bolt of fear hit me, quickening my pulse. I knew in that instant that I¡¯d gone too far. Whatever this table represented, whatever those runes did, Agrona would be furious if he knew I¡¯d found it. Even if he didn¡¯t punish me, he¡¯d have the table relocated or even destroyed, I was certain. If he did so, I wouldn¡¯t be able to show Nico the runes in theirplete form. Nico hadn¡¯t gotten far with the trace of mana I¡¯d takenst time, but if he saw the whole system of runes, maybe¡­


    I hurried from the room, making sure the door was shut, and moved quickly down another hallway, then another, putting distance between myself and the rune-etched artifact.


    ¡®Slow down, you¡¯ll forget where you¡¯re¡ª¡¯


    So suddenly that I almost screeched, I rounded a corner and found myself face to face with a robed young woman. She jolted away from me so hard that the object in her hands¡ªa round te of crystal that issued multi-colored light¡ªtumbled from her grip and hit the ground with a sickening crash.


    Wind and heat and light filled the hallway. The young woman screamed, the light dissolving her before my eyes.


    When the noise faded and the light dimmed, she was entirely gone, and the artifact that she¡¯d been carrying was nothing more than broken shards of crystal on the floor.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a shame.¡±


    I spun at the voice, my heart pounding in my throat


    ¡°Curious how so many of these old djinn relics are so dangerous, isn¡¯t it? Considering.¡± Agrona stepped up beside me, looking down at the ruined relic. ¡°Ah well. I¡¯ll have someone down to clean this mess up. Oh, don¡¯t look so distraught,¡± he added, taking in my appearance.


    My jaw was hanging as if it¡¯d been dislocated, and I could feel the blood rushing from my face.


    ¡°They¡¯ll be happy not to have to scrape her insides off the walls, you know? A nice clean disintegration¡ªnot even any dust left behind. Quite the feat, really.¡± Agrona offered his arm, and I took it, my mind numb and lips trembling. ¡°Or perhaps it wasn¡¯t the sudden death of that young¡ªand quite talented, I might add¡ªImbuer that has you so upset. Well, go on then. I imagine you didn¡¯t delve down into my private sanctuary on a whim, Cecil dear.¡±


    ¡®Protect your thoughts!¡¯ Tessia shouted in my head, filling every corner of my mind.


    When I had silenced Melzri and passed through the barrier above, I had been in control of my inner turmoil, ready to face Agrona. Now, I felt scattered and ill-prepared, and Tessia¡¯s intrusion wasn¡¯t helping. But I knew I had to keep my thoughts in order, or he would read me like a children¡¯s book.


    Taking a deep breath, I pushed aside all thought of the rune-etched table, the broken relic, the young woman¡¯s sudden demise, and even Tessia Eralith. ¡°I found Grey. He murdered Sovereign Exeges. We fought and¡­Scythe Viessa and Draneeve are no longer with us.¡± I stopped, pulling my arm free of Agrona¡¯s, and bowed deeply, struggling to keep calm. ¡°Forgive me, High Sovereign. Grey escaped.¡±


    I waited for a response, but none came. Eventually, I nced up through the silvery-gray hair that had fallen over my face. Agrona was watching me calmly, his brows slightly raised, the hint of a wry smile on his lips.


    ¡°Oh, that Arthur, am I right?¡± Biting his lip, he extended his arm again, and I took it. ¡°Like a bad egg floating to the top of the pot, he just refuses to be kept down, doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    I stared up at Agrona, entirely unable to read his mood. Outwardly, he seemed almost¡­giddy? But I couldn¡¯t trust his outward emotions.


    Chuckling at the look on my face, he gave a little shake of his head, setting the ornaments in his horns to jangling. ¡°Allow me to let you in on a little secret,¡± he said, smiling coyly. ¡°Arthur Leywin¡ªGrey¡ªis doing exactly what we want him to do.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± I asked, unable to stop myself from choking on the word. ¡°But you ordered¡ª¡±


    ¡°Good steel is forged in a hot fire, isn¡¯t it?¡± he interrupted, wiggling his eyebrows up and down. ¡°You¡¯re a tool, he¡¯s a tool. Tools need sharpening, tempering¡ªgracious, in Nico¡¯s case, the tool needed to be broken down and reforged entirely.¡±


    I swallowed heavily. This was how Agrona operated. Flippantness, sudden switches of extreme personality traits, vagueness¡­he always knew how to put his opponent off guard. And right now, he was treating me like an opponent.


    ¡°Nico nearly died. I almost died,¡± I snapped, stopping to point down to the wound in my side, blood soaking my clothes. ¡°If you really are¡­tempering us or whatever, what are you doing to ensure that we don''t shatter?¡±


    Agrona seemed entirely unconcerned as he looked down at the blood staining half my torso. ¡°Would you agree, Cecilia, that battles are won by strength?¡±


    I sensed the trap in his tone, but I couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°And wars are won by the strategic application of that strength. Yes.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly, no. Battle doesn¡¯t consist only of power levels. If that were the case, Kezess¡ªwith his vastly greater numbers and resources¡ªwould have sessfully assassinated me long ago.¡± Agrona began walking again, and I had no option but to follow. ¡°Regardless of whether you are studying lessers or asuras, there is a universal truth to violent conflict. The factors surrounding a battle¡ªthe emotions, intery of rtionships, crossroads between expectation and effort¡ªare equally important to the oue as the strength of thebatants.


    ¡°While the game of Sovereign¡¯s Quarrel may have a near-infinitebination of moves, you limit the opponent¡¯s range of creativity not by changing the game, but by changing them. For example, I was aware that Arthur left Dicathen with a lessuran phoenix in tow. There would be no reason to do so unless he intended to bring this lessuran into battle with him. Dragoth would have been a poor match for such a warrior, and so I kept him where he is, banging his thick, horned skull against Seris¡¯s shields.¡±


    ¡°Viessa¡¯s powers¡­¡± I started out loud, then trailed off.


    Agrona nodded encouragingly, like I was a toddler taking my first steps. ¡°It''s a shame she died, I suppose, but she served her purpose. The lessuran¡¯s impact on the battle was reduced, and even turned into an asset, disrupting Arthur¡¯s ability to focus on you and forcing him to protect hispanions while you were not so impaired.¡±


    I felt a cold chill run down my spine. I hadn¡¯t told him any of that; he¡¯d read it in my thoughts.


    Agrona was silent for a moment, his eyes tracking across the length of my body. ¡°After all, it seems you were able to absorb some of his dragon bond¡¯s mana, even if only a touch.¡±


    It was too much to absorb while also struggling to keep my thoughts in line. Squeezing my eyes shut tight, until white spots burst behind them, I focused on my breathing. Only after opening my eyes again did I feel confident enough to speak. ¡°So what is it that you¡ªwe¡ªwant Grey to be doing?¡±


    Pausing, he pressed a finger to his lips and looked up as if thinking. ¡°I¡¯ve never met another who can manipte aether the way he can. The djinn knew more, sure, could work aether in a way that seemed like, well, magic,¡± he said with a sharpugh. ¡°But they worked it. It was a tool to them, bricks in the wall. Do you think Arthur has survived this long because he is¡­what¡­more powerful than me? More intelligent than me? Better prepared than me? Oh, Cecil dear¡­¡±


    He gave himself over to a fit of softughter, his body shaking beside mine as we walked through the narrow corridor. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, when Nico and Cadell had him cornered, when they imed Tessia Eralith to be your vessel, I had written him off, thinking him dead and having no more use for him. But, after the Victoriad¡­¡±


    I shook my head, unable to decide if Agrona was telling the truth or simply covering up for his mistakes. ¡°But the Wraiths¡­¡±


    He shrugged, the movement pulling me out of step for a heartbeat. ¡°A crucible. The heat needed turned up, so to speak. An entire battle group of Wraiths was just enough to be decisive. Either they would kill him, or he would reveal his strength. If we¡¯re being honest, I would have been quite disappointed had it been the former.¡±


    But you set me the task of finding him, killing him. You knew¡­


    As if reading my mind¡ªI set my jaw and hardened my will against the possibility¡ªAgrona gave me a concerned, parental look and said, ¡°You and Grey need each other now, Cecilia. You are the hammer, he the anvil. It is where you meet that the truth of power in this world will be revealed.¡±

 Chapter 446: Scarred

    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    Rolling onto my back, I turned away from where the tempus warp portal had vanished. Something nearby was issuing a faint but worrying hum as dim light spilled across the garden: the tempus warp itself. It was glowing faintly and putting off enough heat that it had withered the flowers it had crushed only seconds ago.


    I stared at the artifact for far too long, struggling toprehend. I wasn¡¯t really thinking about the tempus warp at all. Rather, my mind was split between the battlefield in Nirm and the core in my sternum. The artifact was a distracting shroud to toss over the rest of my thoughts. I wasn¡¯t ready to start processing everything that had just happened.


    There was movement from the corner of my eye, and Sylvie appeared beside me. She couldn¡¯t disguise her fear. Her hands pressed against my side, where my own aether de had sliced through me, driven by the concentration of Cecilia¡¯s mana. Sylvie¡¯s eyes squeezed tightly shut, and I sensed her mind probing my own, my wound, my core. I could feel her searching for the vivum arts she¡¯d learned in Epheotus, just like I could feel the emptiness of her magic¡¯s response.


    Her aether affinity had changed. Her insight had been rewritten.


    I grabbed her hands, and her eyes flew open, startled. I¡¯m certain I¡¯ll be fine, I just need a moment to heal.


    ¡®But your core, what if¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve healed from a lot worse,¡± I said out loud, a sentiment that was undercut when the effort to speak sent me into a coughing fit, and I spit up a mouthful of blood. ¡°Is Chul¡­¡±


    ¡°Unconscious,¡± she said softly, her voice tight with worry. ¡°Bacsh, I think, from trying to hold his phoenix form.¡±


    I nodded. The motion sent fingers of pain wing through me.


    Light flooded the yard as magical spotlights red from a dozen directions. Wards activated a momentter, shielding the doors and windows of the mansion we¡¯dnded in front of.


    It wasn¡¯t long, however, before the front door opened and the ward fell again. Darrin Ordin stepped out, draped in a robe and rubbing sleep from his eyes, which shone with a slightly wild light; clearly, we¡¯d woken him.


    He waved a hand, and the light artifacts ring down on us dimmed, allowing me to make out a number of faces peering from the mansion¡¯s windows. ¡°Grey, what¡¯s¡ªVritra¡¯s teeth!¡± he breathed, rushing across the yard to my side. He looked from my wound to my face, then to mypanions, and finally back, his face pale. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get you inside, that wound needs¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said, forcing myself up onto my knees. ¡°I¡¯ll be okay. Just¡­need a moment.¡±


    My mind moved inward, focusing on my core. The cut across its surface was swarming with aether; the violet particles pressed into the scratch, where theypacted before melting into the surface of the core. All the while, aether poured out of the core as well, fueling the slow healing. Only a trickle returned, the atmospheric aether gravitating toward my armor before being drawn into the wounded core for purification.


    The strike to my core had been indirect, the resulting wound not enough to pierce the hard exterior. It had been a long time since I felt the fear of injury; this brought it back in full force.


    If she had managed a more direct strike, my core might have been crippled.


    ¡®Absorbing my mana must have given her some small insight about the interaction between mana and aether,¡¯ Sylvie replied, biting her lip. ¡®I¡¯m not sure I quite understand what happened, though.¡¯


    Beside Sylvie, Darrin¡¯s eyes stayed on my side, where the blood continued to flow.


    She wrapped enough mana around my de that she was able to force it back on me. I was confused, caught off guard, and when the second burst of mana went off, driving the de through me, I reacted too slowly.


    I felt a sudden coolfort in my side as, bit by bit, aether began to trickle away from my core to my wound, stitching together the muscle, bone, and internal organs. The flow of blood began to slow.


    Around my core, most of the aether had filled in the scratch, although the healing had left a faint scar behind and consumed most of the aether in my core. The scar itself itched, more a referred sensation in the back of my mind than on the surface of the core itself. I couldn¡¯t pull myself away from it; like a soldier staring at a freshly healed wound in the mirror, I mentally prodded the scar tissue, leaning into the difort as I tried to understand it.


    Only when thecerated skin of my side began to heal over did I turn away from the scar, instead tentatively reaching for my godrunes. Not to activate them, just to ensure they were responsive. Aroa¡¯s Requiem tingled on my spine, then Realmheart burned and brought into sight the atmospheric mana surrounding us. They worked as expected, although both were¡­heavier than they should have been.


    I¡¯m tired, and my core is nearly empty. Sighing, I released the channeled aether and closed my eyes, allowing myself the time necessary to heal.


    I heard Darrin return to his home, likely to inform the children what was happening. Sylvie left my side to check again on Chul, her concern lingering in the back of my mind through our connection.


    By the time my wound was healed, I felt well and truly exhausted. I couldn¡¯t remember my core being so strained in a long time, and certainly not since the formation of its thirdyer. I would need time to recuperate and absorb aether¡ªmuch more than the meager atmospheric aether avable here.


    Easing myself to my feet, I opened my eyes and looked again at the tempus warp.


    The hum had subsided, as had the glow of leaking mana. As I pulled the artifact free of the ruined garden bed, I realized that it was warm to the touch, and there was a fine crack running down the side of the hammered metal. Curious, I used my meager supply of aether to channel the mana required to activate the device. The scar¡¯s itch grew more pronounced.


    The tempus warp responded to my efforts, but it shed light at even that minor application of mana.


    ¡°You won¡¯t get more than a use or two out of that now,¡± Darrin said, reappearing in his yard in a simple traveling tunic and breeches. When I looked at him, he nodded at the tempus warp. ¡°They onlyst so long, even the powerful ones like that. Not sure I¡¯d trust it at all with that crack in it.¡± Smiling, he held out his hand, and I took it firmly. His gaze lowered to where my armor had sealed back over the gash. ¡°d to see things weren¡¯t as bad as they looked.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that yet,¡± I muttered before catching myself and returning his smile half-heartedly. ¡°Sorry to have stirred up your home. This was the only ce I could think of given the situation we were in. But we can¡¯t stay long. I just need to get mypanion back on his feet and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Grey¡ªArthur, there are things you need to know,¡± Darrin said, his voice low and urgent, his expression tense. ¡°ric is here. Wasn¡¯t woken by the perimeter rm, of course, the old drunk, but he should have crawled out of bed and put on a pair of trousers by now. Before you run off, you should hear what he has to say.¡±


    Darrin¡¯s serious delivery gave me pause. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, I nodded.


    After retrieving the tempus warp, we hauled Chul¡¯s unconscious body into the house andid him out on a couch. I left Sylvie to watch over him, and Darrin sent his many wards back to their rooms, including a frustrated Briar.


    When we entered the study, ric was already there, and had, of course, already poured himself a drink. Behind him, just where I¡¯d left it, was the active ascension half of the Compass, humming away in merry ignorance of all that had transpired since thest time I¡¯d used it.


    ric eyed me warily as I sat down across from him. The exhaustion was pressing in on me from all sides, but I could tell the grizzled ascender was just as tired as me.


    ¡°Old man,¡± I said.


    ¡°Pup,¡± he replied with a snort. Taking a fortifying drink, he sighed and dug his palm into one eye socket. ¡°So, can I assume it is your return to our fair continent that has kicked up such a shit storm?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms.


    ric threw up his hands, somehow managing not to spill his drink. ¡°What do I mean, he says.¡± He nced at Darrin, who only shrugged. ¡°Pushback, boy. Counter-offensives. Highbloods turning on us. Armies springing out of Agrona¡¯s puckered sphincter to retake cities he¡¯d given up on. I¡¯m talking about months worth of gains lost in a week.¡±


    Darrin was staring down at his hands. ric¡¯s bloodshot eyes were narrowed as he red past me into the distance. They were both exhausted¡­and frightened, I realized.


    ¡°Tell me more,¡± I said, leaning forward. ¡°Seris should know what¡¯s happening.¡±


    ric scoffed and drained his ss beforeunching into a bitter but detailed exnation of the many losses the rebellion had experienced just in thest week.


    Seris¡¯s force had never beenrge enough to stage armies and make direct attacks against the Sovereigns; they had relied on Seris¡¯s control of Sehz-r to maintain any kind of footing. Outside of Sehz-r, the fighting hadrgely happened in the shadows through spies and agents that ric and his connections organized. After Seris had retreated to the Relictombs, much of the active work of the rebellion had gone underground. Due to the actions of a few brave highbloods, however, they had gained and kept control of a handful of cities in Truacia, Vechor, and Sehz-r.


    Those cities had been essential staging grounds for other efforts, primarily provisioning. ording to ric, attempts to retake the cities had been minimal, with the rebellion forces scoring a handful of unexpected victories in the weeks after Sehz-r¡¯s fall.


    But in a span of days, these cities had fallen, the highbloods in control either calling on their troops to stand down or being executed by loyalist strike teams. To make matters worse, ric¡¯swork of connections, informants, spies, and operators was being targeted and assassinated.


    ¡°And not one by one, but in fucking droves,¡± he moaned, his cheeks ruddy beneath his unkempt beard. ¡°I¡¯ve had to send my folks running for the hills to hide out. It¡¯s hard to make sense of, boy. Like someone threw a Vritra-damned switch and unleashed a flood of death.¡±


    We continued on for a while, ric delving into more specific situations while I listened and attempted to digest it all. In return, I exined what Seris and I had nned and told them about the events of Nirm.


    Shortly before dawn, Chul woke, and he and Sylvie joined us despite my protestations that he should continue to rest.


    ¡°I¡¯ve rested too long. This body itches to redeem its pathetic disy during the fight,¡± he said, crestfallen.


    ¡°You were matched poorly,¡± Sylvie chimed in. ¡°Had you faced any other Scythe, you would have¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, he''s right,¡± I cut in. ¡°It was pathetic¡ªbut so was I. Best thing we can do is learn from it, own our mistakes, and get stronger.¡±


    Grinding his teeth, Chul posted up in the corner of the study and red around for the remainder of the conversation.


    The rolling fields visible out the study window were just turning from ck to orange-gray with the first rays of dawn¡¯s light when we were interrupted again.


    A sudden and rapid banging on the study door made us all jerk around, but before anyone could call for entry, the door burst open and Briar rushed in. ¡°Master Darrin! A broadcast¡ªquickly¡ªfrom Agrona!¡±


    We all exchanged a wary nce, then hurriedly followed her to a sitting room outfitted with arge projection crystal. A sweeping image of the Basilisk Fang Mountains was speeding by across the crystal¡¯s surface. When I stepped into range of the telepathic field, I heard a wakeful, nervous voice in my head: ¡°¡­repeat, a mandatory message from the High Sovereign himself will be yed in two minutes. All cryans must listen. I repeat, a mandatory¡­¡±


    I stepped back out of the field and gave Darrin a curious look.


    Frowning, he shrugged. ¡°Enforced broadcasts aren¡¯t unheard of, but they¡¯re pretty rare. We didn¡¯t even get one after what happened at the Victoriad.¡±


    ¡°The projection artifact just activated itself and started babbling about the mandatory message,¡± Briar added, her arms crossed as she red at the projection.


    ¡°So, a message from Agrona Vritra himself,¡± Chul mused as he stepped in and out of the telepathic field. ¡°If only I could punch his evil face through this crystal artifact.¡±


    ric¡¯s brows rose as he gave Chul an amused look. ¡°I¡¯m starting to see where his strengths and weaknesses lie.¡±


    I smiled faintly. ¡°If only we could, Chul.¡±


    We all waited in silence until the repeating message stopped and the scene melted away.


    A face appeared across the crystal projection.


    ¡°It really is the High Sovereign himself¡­¡± Briar whispered, a shiver running through her.


    Agrona appeared austere, but his severity was somewhat undercut by the glittering ornamentation in his horns. He stared out at us from the projection crystal for several seconds before finally speaking.


    ¡°My people of crya,¡± he began, his words purposeful and clear, ¡°children of the Vritra. Today, I speak to you directly¡­to each and every individual among you. Listen closely and carefully, because my words are for you.¡±


    He paused again, and I nced around the room; a handful of the teenagers were present, as was Darrin¡¯s housekeeper, Sorrel. They looked spellbound, all of them. Only ric, Chul, and I seemed able to keep mental distance from what we were seeing. Even Sylvie was wide-eyed, her lips parted slightly as she became wrapped up in this vision. But I could sense her emotions and some of her thoughts, and hers was a very different reason for being so invested.


    ¡®My father¡­¡¯ she sent to me, feeling my mind touch hers. ¡®I can¡¯t help but wonder¡­it still seems so unlikely. What could have brought Sylvia Indrath and Agrona Vritra together?¡¯


    Even through the projection, his force of personality was clear. If there had ever been a time before Agrona Vritra had given himself over to his cruel and sociopathic impulses, perhaps it was then that Sylvia had fallen for him. Or perhaps he had always been the same but had fooled her into seeing something that wasn¡¯t there.


    I carefully scanned Sylvie¡¯s enrapt face.


    Agrona didn¡¯t shy away from manipting even those closest to him, after all. Through a spell imnted in her egg before she was born, he had been able to inhabit her body even from crya. It had been a revtion that had nearly broken trust between Sylvie and me. I could only hope, now, that her death and rebirth had severed this connection, but it worried me that we had no way to know for sure.


    ¡°For months now, this continent has been divided by the strife of rebellion and civil war,¡± Agrona continued. ¡°Rest assured, I hold no ill-will toward those of you who have participated in this conflict. Such a contest of wills, whether it be betweenpatriots, generals, or even Sovereigns, will only ever strengthen you as a people in the long run. Conflict is necessary to grow in power.¡±


    He paused, his scarlet eyes seeming to stare right into mine. ¡°But strife at the wrong time can also weaken us all, and this is why I am speaking to you now. The gates of Epheotus have been thrown open, and dragons have marched through. Already, they¡¯ve countered much of our work in Dicathen, undoing the good you and your blood have fought for, diedfor. But their violence doesn¡¯t extend only to that distant continent. They¡¯ve shed blood right here in crya, at the heart of Etril.¡±


    Agrona¡¯s expression hardened, his eyes zing like fire. ¡°A dragon has assassinated Sovereign Exeges before fleeing like a coward in the night. Thousands of witnesses saw the asura wheeling above his pce, breathing down mana and death. A hundred or more pce staff died with him, helpless against such an onught¡ªregr cryans, burned to dust only for the crime of working in support of a different n.


    ¡°The war between crya and Dicathen is over. And so too must be this conflict between every loyal cryan and the supporters of Seris the Unblooded. The dragons are intent on taking over both Dicathen and crya. The same beings that invented the lie of asuran godhood¡ªthose who have long hidden away in Epheotus and offered only judgment on those who they call ¡®lessers,¡¯ providing no aid of provisions or magic, whose attacks on this continent created the Vritra¡¯s Maw Sea and ended a hundred thousand lives¡ªhave now decided to take everything you and your blood ancestors worked so hard to build.¡±


    In the silence that followed, the only sound was Chul¡¯s disbelieving huff.


    ¡°Due to the interference of the dragons¡¯ ally, Lance Arthur Leywin¡ª¡±


    I blinked, caught off guard by his mention of me. Several people in the room turned to nce in my direction.


    ¡°¡ªI was unable to prepare Dicathen for this eventuality, but I will protect crya and all who still call themselves loyal cryans from the invading dragons.¡± Agrona¡¯s chin was raised, his voice growing louder and more proud as he spoke. ¡°With your aid, of course. This continent must stand strong, united under my authority. Past is the time of Scythes and Sovereigns, the dominion of the Vritra n. Now I, Agrona, shall personally guide you through the dangers toe.¡±


    His expression softened, and he offered us an understanding smile. ¡°No punishment will be dealt to any who participated in this rebellion so long as theyy down their arms and return to their lives immediately. But, as I can ept no internal discord that will weaken us in the face of this enemy, all those who refuse will be dealt with immediately and with prejudice. Call on your bloods, your neighbors, and your friends to set aside their petty grievances for now. Tomorrow, we take a step forward as a nation. Unified.¡±


    Agrona set his jaw and gave a subtle nod of his head, making the ornaments in his horns sway and sparkle. Then the projection faded, and the crystal went out.


    Silence followed. Slowly, the children turned to look at Darrin, but he was looking at me. ric¡¯s gaze was on the floor, a scowl etched into his wrinkled skin. Chul was also watching me, as if taking his queue from my reaction, but Sylvie had moved away, her back to the room and her mind closed off.


    ¡°Go on, you lot,¡± Darrin said after a minute. ¡°No training or chores today. Go enjoy yourself.¡±


    Briar snorted. ¡°Go stew in our existential angst, more like.¡± But she, like the others, did as she was told and shuffled out of the sitting room.


    When the housekeeper didn¡¯t immediately follow¡ªshe was still staring forward at the projection crystal, a stupefied expression of her pale face¡ªDarrin rested his hand on her shoulder. ¡°Sorrel?¡±


    She jumped, one hand flying to her mouth to hold back a weak scream. ¡°S-sorry, Master Ordin. E-excuse me.¡± She got shakily to her feet and hurried from the room.


    As I watched her go, I considered Agrona¡¯s message. Not so much the specifics of it, but the intent. How it would affect people. The regr people like Sorrel.


    ¡°Interesting that he called you out by name,¡± Darrin mused. ¡°Aligning you with the dragons will help him to turn any poprity you¡¯ve garnered in crya back against you.¡±


    ¡°But why would your people support this snake over the dragons?¡± Chul rumbled, running his hand through his orange hair, making the darker shade coil and shimmer like smoke. ¡°My n bears no love for the tyrant Indrath, but he is not worse than Agrona.¡±


    ¡°The devil you know,¡± ric answered, his voice a low, tired growl. ¡°What better way to make people forget how horribly the Vritra has treated them than the threat of life under the boot heel of another asura n. And you lot¡±¡ªhe pointed at my chest with a wrinkled finger¡ª¡°gave them the perfect little piece of propaganda.¡± He shook his head and tumbled into a chair, fingers kneading his temples.


    ¡°At least this exins the sudden reversal of our fortunes,¡± Darrin said, worry clear in his features as he watched ric. ¡°Agrona must have been nning this move for some time. The assassination of¡­well, wait a moment.¡± He gave me a confused look. ¡°So, he¡¯s ming Exeges¡¯s death on the dragons, an easy enough thing to do even if you hadn¡¯t taken an actual dragon to the pce to assassinate Exeges¡­but who actually killed the Sovereign, then?¡±


    His focus moved to Sylvie. ¡°Lady¡­ah, forgive me if this is an imprudent question, but is it possible it wasyour¡­blood? Kin? The other dragons?¡±


    Sylvie shrugged and shook her head at the same time, making her wheat-blonde hair bob around her horns. ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure, but¡­it didn¡¯t feel like a dragon had been there.¡±


    Darrin¡¯s gaze shifted back to me. ¡°Then who, do you think?¡±


    His words were like chum on the churning surface of my thoughts. I had no more idea who could have killed the Sovereign than I had when we¡¯d first found the corpse. I felt certain we were only missing some small detail to help us put the pieces together.


    Why does this mystery draw my mind back to the missing third keystone?


    ¡®Do you think they¡¯re linked?¡¯ Sylvie thought back. I could tell from the tone of her thoughts that she wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡®Like¡­some third party who happens to be moving along the same path we are?¡¯


    Sighing, I took the seat across from ric and ran a hand down my face tiredly, struggling to think around the scar¡¯s itch. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I said, answering both Sylvie¡¯s and Darrin¡¯s questions at once. It¡¯s possible, I added mentally to Sylvie.


    I gasped, drawing wary looks from everyone except Sylvie, who was following along with my thoughts as I had them.


    ¡°All right, Arthur?¡± Darrin asked.


    ¡°Yes, just¡­nevermind,¡± I said, knowing I couldn¡¯t exin my thoughts to Darrin.


    Your dream savior from the Relictombs, the voice you heard. Your rebirth and change in aether affinity, the fact that you existed to save my soul before you were born. That¡¯s potentially created some kind of paradox, right? What if there really is a third party? With aevum arts involved, it could even be us, moving through some parallel timeline or¡­


    I trailed off, feeling Sylvie¡¯s thoughts pushing back against my own.


    ¡®The simplest exnation is often the most urate,¡¯ she said, quoting some schr we¡¯d both learned about at Xyrus Academy. ¡®Maybe I¡¯m wrong, but the relic, the Sovereign, and my savior don¡¯t feel connected. For the sake of argument, though, if we went back in time somehow to im the relic, then where is it? And if you were set to kill Exeges, why go ahead of yourself and kill him? Because you were fated to fail?¡¯


    Not me, but¡­you. Despite her arguments, I was starting to see a picture more clearly. When your insight into the aevum branch of aether bes deep enough, maybe you can go back in time and im the relic. If the battle against Exeges proved too difficult, Cecilia might have gotten the upper hand against me afterwards. And¡­what if the voice you¡¯re hearing is your own, messages sent back through time?


    Sylvie considered for a moment, watching me closely. ¡®Have you ever heard of an aether art that allows you to go back in time?¡¯


    Aroa¡¯s requiem can turn back time, I pointed out.


    ¡®That¡¯s not the same, though. Like, at all.¡¯ She gave me a pointed look.


    What about your time on Earth, then, watching my life? What was that if not time travel? I¡­


    She pursed her lips, her skepticism only growing. I couldn¡¯t make changes, though. You never even knew I was there.


    I¡¯m reaching, I admitted, leaning back in the chair and heaving another sigh. Spiraling, even. ¡°The simplest exnation is often the correct one,¡± I repeated out loud.


    Darrin looked up from mulling his own thoughts. ric scratched his beard but kept his eyes on his belly. Chul cracked his neck and paced across the room.


    ¡°But to kill a Sovereign¡ªa full-blooded asura¡ªis no simple task. There is, however, a short list of those who could have done so.¡± I held up my fist, all my fingers curled inward. Raising my index finger, I said, ¡°Another Sovereign.¡±


    ¡°Or a dragon,¡± Sylvie said, and I lifted a second finger.


    ¡°The Wraiths are trained to kill asuras,¡± I said, lifting a third finger.


    ¡°You?¡± Chul said, stopping and cocking his head to the side. ¡°But then, I know it wasn¡¯t you. Hm. The remaining members of my n gave up long ago on being warriors, but this Exeges did not seem so strong to me, either. Mordain or one of the others could have killed him, maybe.¡±


    Nodding, I lifted my little finger.


    ¡°Agrona,¡± ric grunted. ¡°Or his pet Legacy. Reports from one of my folks on the front lines at Sehz-r said the unnatural bitch can suck the mana right out of you.¡±


    I let my hand fall as I considered what he¡¯d said. My eyes touched Sylvie¡¯s as I pictured Exeges¡¯s corpse. Ashen, taut skin, sunken appearance, blind colorless eyes, like the blood had been drained from his body¡­


    ¡°But Cecilia seemed just as surprised to find the Sovereign dead as we were,¡± Sylvie said, thinking out loud. ¡°If she¡­drained him of his mana, she acted her part well. Maybe Agrona was willing to sacrifice Exeges to give Cecilia a power boost for her fight with you?¡±


    Quietly, I sensed Sylvie hoping this was the case, and that Cecilia hadn¡¯t truly been strong enough to fight us to a stand still all on her own.


    I stood suddenly. ¡°We don¡¯t know, and we¡¯re getting no closer to answers here. We need to return to Seris.¡± I shot a guilty look at Darrin and ric. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wish I could offer more, but¡­¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Darrin said, pping me on the arm. ¡°My home has no direct connection to the rebellion. I¡¯m simply a retired ascender training a few kids. As for ric¡­¡± He shot the older man another wary look. ¡°He¡¯s not really here. And if he was, he¡¯s certainly not connected to Seris¡¯s plot. And if he is, I had no way of knowing that. We¡¯re just old drinking pals, after all.¡±


    I started to leave the room but waspelled to stop and offer onest piece of advice. ¡°Do what he says. Stop fighting. Send your people home. Let me and Seris take things from here. In a war between dragons and basilisks, you¡¯ll be crushed.¡±


    ric scoffed. ¡°Your fault I got dragged back into this in the first ce. You and your connection to that Scythe. Bah. But I suppose you¡¯re right. Never toote to retire for the third time, I suppose.¡±


    I smiled, grateful. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Darrin gave a small wave, but ric only wrinkled his nose and resumed staring down at his stomach.


    I left, mypanions on my heels, and returned to the study where the Compass was still waiting.


    I paused before it, considering.


    ¡°We can¡¯t leave it here again. With the tempus warp nearly defunct, we might need the Compass with us. Moving through the Relictombs is the best way to avoid Agrona¡¯s and Kezzess¡¯s perceptive gazes, and might be our only way to get between crya and Dicathen moving forward.¡±


    ¡°Any ideas?¡± Sylvie asked, her hand brushing the field of energy surrounding the relic.


    ¡°And can we be certain that Lady Sylvie won¡¯t have another fit?¡± Chul asked, unsubtly looking at her from the corner of his eye.


    ¡°Here¡¯s hoping,¡± I breathed. ¡°Go through. I¡¯ll be right behind you.¡±


    Sylvie bit her lip. Chul just shrugged and stepped directly into the portal. When I nodded for her to follow, Sylvie hesitantly did so, vanishing into the shimmering oval hanging in the air.


    Reaching out, I felt the shape of the portal with my aether. Activating my core sent a deep, thrumming ache throughout my entire body, and intensified the itching sensation from the scar.


    There was a familiarity to the portal¡¯s aether that had nothing to do with my having used it before. Curious, I activated God Step, seeing the pathways without stepping into them. A confident smirk split my face.


    Continuing to channel God Step, I focused entirely on the portal, listening to its specific resonance among the many other points all around me. When I was certain I had it, I grabbed the Compass and deactivated it.


    The effect was immediate. The portal itself began to press inward against my will, but the point in space that connected to the lightning-bolt pathways sang to me just the same. Waiting only long enough to secure the Compass in my dimension rune, I stepped through the hole.

 Chapter 447: A Certain State in Time

    The matte ck cube rested on the bed in front of me, its weight pressing down into the surface of the soft nket. It was heavy, dull, and frustratingly nk,cking any indication that this was some repository of great insight. Had I not received it from thest djinn remnant, as well as already having worked through the long and frustrating process of unlocking the first two keystones, I might have given it up as some aether-rich broken relic and simply absorbed the power.


    Sylvie was sitting at the foot of the bed with her knees tucked up against her chest, gaze distant as it passed through the cube to focus on something very far away. She shifted slightly, a frown pulling down the corners of her lips. She had been troubled ever since the broadcast, although she had kept her feelings close to her chest.


    Our journey back to the second level of the Relictombs had been rtively uneventful. Sylvie hadn¡¯t experienced a repeat of her first foray into the Relictombs, which had allowed us to fly through the giant-tree zone and directly to the exit portal. A contingent of Denoir soldiers had been waiting for us, along with my sister. Ellie had proved a bit of a conundrum for the highbloods, as no one knew where she fit into their strict caste system, allowing her to do whatever she wanted¡ªwhich apparently included pestering and bossing around entire squads of highblood battle groups.


    Our reunion had been short-lived, however, as I¡¯d rushed to deliver my news to Seris. That conversation, too, had been brief, as she had asked for time to consider what this meant for our ns. Grateful for that, I¡¯d retreated to a room in the Dread Craven to rest.


    After an hour of quiet meditation and absorbing ambient aether, I had found my mind too cluttered to be restful, and so, as I often had since being rewarded with the very first keystone, I found myself intent upon a djinn relic as a way to focus my mind.


    Now, staring down at it, I had to wonder what I had hoped to aplish.


    Unlike the first two keystones, I couldn¡¯t even fully enter this one. When my aether imbued it, I felt myself pulled inward like before, but instead of transitioning into the aetheric space¡ªrepresented previously by a sort of wall of purple energy¡ªI was pushed back.


    The frustrating itch from my core only seemed to make focusing more difficult


    Acknowledging the scar made the itch worse, and I couldn¡¯t help but focus on it, my mind digging into that itch like fingernails.


    Aether no longer lingered around the wound. Aside from the scar, my core seemed to have healedpletely, and I hadn¡¯t sensed any effect on my ability to channel or store aether. But that didn¡¯t make the itch any less irritating.


    Releasing a small amount of aether from my core, I scratched at its surface to relieve the itch, but this did nothing. The sensation didn¡¯t feel like it was in my core, after all, but in the back of my mind. The worst part was, I couldn¡¯t tell if it was an actual physical sensation or just a thought that wouldn¡¯t let me go.


    I cycled more aether, pushing it out and reabsorbing it, a building desperation to scratch the itch swelling in my chest,ced with frustration that the wound had left behind this scar, like a memorial to my failure. Despite taking many wounds, some of them even more grievous, I¡¯d never been left with lingering pain or difort, not since my discovery of aether.


    ¡®Maybe focusing on it is just making it worse?¡¯ Sylvie suggested.


    I had twin shbacks to memories from both of my childhoods when my mother and Headmaster Wilbeck patiently exined that scratching my irritated skin would only make the itching worse in the long run.


    Sighing, I pulled my mind away from the sensation. I needed to be intentional, purposeful in how I thought¡ªor didn¡¯t think¡ªabout it. And so I forced my concentration back to the keystone.


    Settling my mind into a calmer ce, I activated Realmheart and began attempting to manipte the aether of the keystone in a variety of ways. Directly imbuing aether into it drew my mind toward it, but I was rebuffed without ever entering the interior keystone realm itself. Poking and prodding at the inherent aether and mana within the relic made the internal structure quake in an ufortable way, like I was at risk of breaking it, but did nothing to open it to me or reveal its contents.


    ¡°Not sure why I¡¯m so worried about breaking it, it¡¯s like it¡¯s already¡­broken¡­¡± I trailed off, realization wiping away my frustration and recing it with a sudden wary excitement.


    Sylvie¡¯s frown deepened and she sat up straighter, watching me silently.


    The scar on my core itched again as I activated it, pushing mana into Aroa¡¯s Requiem. Aetheric motes spilled down my arms and jumped to the keystone, buzzing over the matte surface before being drawn into the relic. Closing my eyes, I let my mind flow with them, and again I was pulled inward. Darkness extended before me, full of distant pinpoints of light.


    Then I was shunted ufortably back into my own body.


    ¡°Did you feel that?¡± I asked, too excited to be disappointed. ¡°Something was definitely different that time.¡±


    Sylvie shook her head and scooted slightly closer. ¡°But why?¡±


    ¡°The godrune lets me sort of¡­push time through an item, turning back the clock on something that is broken.¡± I considered the exit portal from the snowy zone where I¡¯d met Three Steps and the other Shadow ws. Then I remembered the visions of a potential future I¡¯d seen when attempting to unlock insight into that first keystone. ¡°Whether because of my own failures in understanding or some natural limit due to my affinity with spatium aether arts, I couldn¡¯t master it, not the way I did Realmheart. There are¡­limitations.¡±


    Still, I was eager to keep trying now that I¡¯d made some progress¡ªor at least thought I had.


    Activating Aroa¡¯s Requiem again, I let the amethyst motes gravitate toward the keystone on their own, not controlling them directly. I purposefully held my mind back, not wanting to be drawn into the keystone only to be forced out again, which would prevent me from tracking the godrune¡¯s progress.


    Aetheric particles buzzed over the keystone, some sinking into it, but only just below the surface. I felt them hanging there, suspended, almost trembling with suppressed purpose as my intention overrode the particles¡¯ natural inclination.


    I felt certain that Aroa¡¯s Requiem was the key, but some keys turned differently than others.


    My intent, I realized. Just as I had to purposefully consider the scar in a certain way to keep it from burrowing through my conscious mind, I had to channel the godrune with a specific intent as well. Because it didn¡¯t simply allow me to fix a static object, but manipte the way time had worked on that object.


    That was the key. The relic wasn¡¯t broken or in need of fixing, but perhaps it had to be aligned with a certain state it had been in time to open.


    ¡°Ingenious,¡± I muttered, wondering at the djinn mind that had created such a puzzle.


    Feeling myself beginning to grin, I adjusted the way I was holding the godrune in my mind, and started pushing the channeled aether through the keystone. I envisioned it not as repairing some broken internalponent, but rather turning back the hands of a clock, setting a series of cogs into motion within.


    As these metaphorical cogs turned, I put pressure on the relic, trying to ease into the keystone realm within.


    The room went dark again. And slowly, very slowly, the dark gave way to plum purple, then light pink, and finally I found myself before a wall of amethyst energy.


    It had worked, but I was not drawn through the aetheric barrier, nor could I push myself into it.


    But I knew now what needed to be done. There were four keystones. Each was needed to progress my understanding of the aspect of Fate. Since Aroa¡¯s Requiem had brought me to this point¡­


    With my mind entangled within the keystone, channeling aether into Realmheart took time. My connection to the godrune felt distant and tentative, but I was certain about my course and so never doubted what I was attempting to do.


    Dozens of white lines of pure mana appeared in my vision, spilling out of narrow gaps in the barrier, invisible without sight of the mana particles.


    Leaning forward, I drifted into one of the gaps. It carved through the aether like a maze, but by following the trail of mana I easily passed through. And it appeared within what I could only describe as an aetheric lightning storm.


    Violet clouds of aether burst with bolts of hot white mana with a noise like shattering ss, the crashing shesing one after another with sickening frequency. Within moments, I felt my temples begin to ache and burn, my consciousness already being drawn out of the keystone realm and back toward my body.


    I gritted my teeth and leaned into the sensation, forcing my way forward.


    A bolt of mana struck me, and my mind lurched to a memory.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m okay, Art.¡±


    Tessia¡¯s voice. Gentle. Her hands, a soft caress¡­


    I sank to the cold, hard floor. Sobs ripped from my throat. Head resting in Tessia¡¯sp.


    Her hands were warm, keeping me anchored, her voice like a healer¡¯s magic, easing the pain¡­


    A second bolt struck me from a different direction, and suddenly, the emotion was gone, leaving me hollow as I considered the ramifications of colliding technology and magical advancement, pondering what Dicathen might look like in three, four, even five hundred years.


    sh.


    Bile rose up in the back of my throat as my mind was yanked to the memory of a lecture on mana beast differentiation while I¡¯d been at Xyrus Academy.


    sh.


    Eight years old. A maid standing in the doorway of a noble estate, looking down at me curiously.


    ¡°Hello. My name is Arthur Leywin. I believe my family is currently residing in this manor. May I speak to them?¡±


    A familiar voice in the background: ¡°Eleanor Leywin! There you are! You have got to stop running to the front door every time someone¡­¡±


    My mother¡¯s eyes, wide, her words stopping mid-sentence, a bowl tumbling from her hands.


    In front of my mother, a little girl, dazzling brown eyes gazing up at me with innocent curiosity, ash brown pigtails on each side of her head.


    Bolt after bolt struck, jerking me from one random thought, memory, or consideration to the next until it felt like my skull would split down the middle.


    I let go, and the keystone realm hurled me out. My eyes snapped open, stinging with sweat.


    Sylvie was right next to me, a cloth in her hand, futilely attempting to wipe my face. ¡°There you are. I was worried sick. You went nk for a while, like your mind was totally empty.¡±


    My heart was pounding in my chest, and the ache behind my eyes was still very much present. Sorry, I thought, my throat too dry to speakfortably. It was¡­different, this time. Painful.


    ¡°What did you see?¡± Sylvie prodded my mind, and I opened up to her, drawing the events within the keystone forward. ¡°Oh. I see.¡±


    It¡¯s a lock, I think. To move past it, I need the insight contained within¡ª


    ¡°The missing keystone,¡± Sylvie said aloud as I thought it. She shook her head. ¡°I assume you¡¯ll be prioritizing finding it, then?¡±


    I sighed and rubbed my eyes. ¡°Looks like it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should go for a walk?¡± Sylvie suggested, passing me the damp hand towel. ¡°I¡¯m sure your sister would like to speak to you for more than a couple minutes.¡±


    ¡®You coulde visit me, you know,¡¯ Regis''s voice intruded from across the zone. ¡®Just because I¡¯m stuck in a head in a jar and you can telepathicallymunicate with me from across the Relictombs doesn¡¯t mean the gesture wouldn¡¯t be appreciated. Plus, I think I might be turning into a pickle here.¡¯


    I smiled despite myself and worked my fingers against my chest. Beneath the skin, my pulse was already beating slower, but this only brought attention back to my drained core and the itching scar across its surface. The feel of it wiped the smile off my face.


    ¡°Yeah, I better check in on everyone,¡± I admitted, stretching as I stood. ¡°Coming?¡±


    Sylvie shook her head before flopping down in the space I¡¯d vacated. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Arthur. What I learned when we first stepped into the Relictombs¡ªand with our fight now¡ªI feel like I need some time to process it. These powers don¡¯t quite feel like mine yet. I just need some time to consider everything.¡±


    ¡°I can help if you want,¡± I said, not really wanting to leave the room yet myself.


    She gave a small shake of her head. ¡°I was nning on making Regis help me. As my sounding board, I guess.¡±


    ¡®Sweet, something to do,¡¯ he thought to both of us.


    Understanding what she meant, I tussled my bond¡¯s hair¡ªto which she responded by pping my hand away yfully¡ªand left the small room.


    One of the servants was standing at the top of the stairs, and when they saw me appear they hurried over, bowed, and said, ¡°Lady Seris has stepped out but wanted me to inform you that she hase to a decision and would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you at your earliest convenience. She asked that I not disturb you, but wait until¡ª¡±


    I held up a hand, cutting them off. ¡°Thank you, I appreciate that. Message received.¡±


    They bowed and hurried away, vanishing down the stairs.


    I followed more slowly, checking the rooms around mine for Ellie, Caera, or Chul, but they weren¡¯t present. The taproom below was empty as well, except for a couple of guards. Two more stood outside the door, but they didn¡¯t say anything as I passed. I considered asking about the others but realized almost immediately I didn¡¯t have to.


    A crash resounded through the city, and I could sense Chul¡¯s mana from halfway across the zone.


    Following the noise of repeated concussive bursts, I passed beyond the boundary of the ascenders¡¯ neighborhood and found myself in an open park, the green grass bright beneath the faux-open sky. Fruit trees dotted the park, providing shade for tables and chairs where a handful of highbloods¡ªtheir station clear from their clothes alone¡ªsat and yed Sovereigns Quarrel.


    A burst of mana shook the leaves in the trees from not far away, drawing looks of ire from the concentrating highbloods.


    Following the street that ran past this park, I soon found myself at a small outdoor arena. Half-moon stands wrapped around a sunken fighting pit surrounded by a protective field of mana. A few dozen spectators had gathered, filling in the stands in little pockets to watch as Cylrit and Chul faced off against one another in the arena below.


    The two men stood slightly apart, Cylrit speaking deliberately as he repeated a motion with his arm, showing Chul something. I wasn¡¯t surprised Chul had sought Cylrit out for training and sparring. When considering them purely on scale of power, Chul¡ªa half-phoenix¡ªfar outstripped the Vritra-blooded retainer, but Cylrit was still likely the most powerful fighter in Seris¡¯s force, and he¡¯d been actively fighting a war while Chul was hidden beneath the Beast des living the life of a pacifist.


    I kept back, half-hidden around one end of the stands, not wanting to interrupt the two warriors but curious to see them spar.


    Imbuing aether into my ears, I heard Cylrit continue, ¡°As for¡­¡®burning yourself out like a zing candle,¡¯ I see what you mean. Your body is powerful, and because you know you can exhaust your mana quickly, you lean into that, pushing yourself hard at the beginning of a fight. And yet this only leads you to burn yourself out even more quickly.


    ¡°Your instincts for battle are strong, however, don¡¯t doubt yourself in that regard. However, you rely on them heavily. To an enemy powerful enough to stand up to the raw strength of your first onught, this will make you predictable. You need study to augment instinct so that you are able to vary your tactics, especially as you seek to be more efficient as well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m doing,¡± Chul said with a shrug of his broad shoulders.


    Cylrit nodded. ¡°Of course. Now, let us exchange a few more rounds. I want to see you put the strike I showed you into practice.¡±


    Chul fell back a few steps and Cylrit slipped into a defensive stance, his hands up, his gaze focused. Chul jolted forward, his fists snapping out in a series of crushing blows. Cylrit used minimal force to deflect the blows, letting Chul¡¯s own force aid in the subtle shifting of Cylrit¡¯s footing.


    They paused, and Cylrit offered a correction on Chul¡¯s followthrough, then they repeated the exercise again. Letting my enhanced hearing abate as the noise of their sparring increased, I couldn¡¯t make out the conversation and instruction passing between them, but I saw how quickly Chul adjusted and improved. There was an intentional focus to his training that I hadn¡¯t seen from him before.


    His embarrassment at the hands of the Scythe, Viessa, seemed to have been the evidence he needed that his lineage alone wasn¡¯t enough to bring him victory. Despite being more than twice my age, even considering both my lives, Chul was in many ways just a boy. His mother had been captured, imprisoned, and killed by Agrona, while his father¡¯s entire race had been exterminated by Kezess. He pictured himself a righteous avenger. I could just see him fantasizing about charging from the Hearth to single-handedly defeat both Kezess and Agrona, bringing justice for his people.


    I didn¡¯t have to imagine how he had felt when he realized that wasn¡¯t going to happen.


    They shifted their training, Cylrit putting Chul on the defensive and having him block a series of increasingly powerful blows. After a few minutes, Cylrit even drew his sword, forcing Chul to defend bare-handed, the bursts of mana from each exchange sounding like thunderps that rumbled throughout the zone.


    For some reason, seeing Chul so focused helped me rx. Although I¡¯d been too self-absorbed to acknowledge it, I was worried what the aftermath of our defeat would do to him mentally. Him showing such mental fortitude seemed like the best-case scenario, meaning I had one less thing to worry about. I left the arena with a smile, my mind turning to Caera and my sister.


    It took longer to find Ellie. She wasn¡¯t at the ascension portal, and none of the guards stationed there had seen her. Lauden of Highblood Denoir offered to send out a search party, but I assured him it wasn¡¯t an emergency and continued my search.


    Ellie¡¯s pure mana was unique, but it wasn¡¯t as visible as the show put on by Chul and Cylrit, and I couldn¡¯t sense it from as far away. In the end, it was something else entirely that led me to her.


    As I made my way down Sovereign Boulevard, using Realmheart to search the mana, I nearly walked right into Ma, who was carrying a basket full of fragrant food.


    ¡°Professor!¡± she said, doing a little skip of excitement. ¡°I¡¯ve been hoping to run into you since I heard you were back. I¡­¡± She hesitated as my gaze slipped away from her to scan the street. She turned to look over her shoulder, frowning. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    I rubbed the back of my neck, forcing a smile. ¡°No, I¡¯m just looking for my sister. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Ma bobbed up and down on her toes. ¡°Sorry, of course. That¡¯s actually where I¡¯m going now. Scythe Seris suggested we train together, Seth, Eleanor, and me, and we have been while you were gone. She¡¯s voracious, your sister. Barely stops training, but then¡­¡± She gave me an uncertain look. ¡°I suppose that makes sense, considering.¡±


    I held out a hand, offering to take the basket, and Ma handed it over. ¡°Can you take me?¡±


    Ma¡¯s face lit up like a lighting artifact. ¡°Of course! I think we¡¯ve just about be what you might call ¡®friends¡¯ while training together. Even Seth has loosened up a bit about the whole Dicathian thing, but¡­¡± She hesitated, suddenly insecure. ¡°I figured it might make this ce just a bit more¡­well, fun, y¡¯know? And Ellie seemed pretty open about hanging out with cryans, even if hanging out has only ever been training really¡­¡±


    I frowned, and her eyes widened.


    ¡°I hope we didn¡¯t overstep! Maybe you didn¡¯t want her to make friends with cryans¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m d to hear she¡¯s had people here.¡± I didn¡¯t voice that I¡¯d felt guilty about leaving her and Caera, despite understanding that it was the best decision. ¡°She¡¯s always had a lot of eyes on her. A lot of pressure with¡­me being who I am.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine¡­¡± Ma lost focus, her gaze downcast, then suddenly snapped back to the moment. ¡°Right, Ellie. She¡¯s this way!¡±


    As we walked, Ma kept up a constant stream of small talk, exining the research she and Seth had been helping with, at least as best as she understood it. She awkwardly danced around the subject of my presence in their lives being the reason for their unusually potent bestowals.


    ¡°Being honest, though, I¡¯m actually pretty ready to, you know, go home¡­¡± She shot me a quick nce, gauging my reaction. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to war in Dicathen. And I really don¡¯t want to fight dragons.¡± She shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself.


    I thought back to Agrona¡¯s message. Would these people really be spared his wrath if they simply agreed toy down their weapons and go home, putting this entire uprising behind them and abandoning what they¡¯d hoped to gain? It was difficult to picture. But surely even Agrona wouldn¡¯t punish kids like Ma and Seth for being dragged into this all without even understanding what was happening.


    My thoughts caught on a snag.


    Even if they weren¡¯t punished, they¡¯d still end up at war with Epheotus. Ma was a Sentry, and a potentially powerful one. How long would it take before she ended up right where Seth¡¯s sister had¡­


    Agrona might not punish her, but he would burn her as kindling in his conflict with Kezess, and he¡¯d never even know he¡¯d done it.


    ¡°I hope it doesn¡¯te to that,¡± I said after too long a pause.


    A short hiketer, we reached a guardedpound. The mage at the gate seemed to know Ma by sight and let her through without question. He considered me for several seconds before seeming to make up his mind and waving me through into the outer courtyard.


    I heard Boo¡¯s low moan and the thunk of mana arrows before I saw Ellie. Her arm was wrapped in a glowing cast of mana, her bow drawn, a mana arrow conjured against the string. A shooting range took up the right side of the courtyard, whilerge doors opened into the rest of thepound. A strong hum of mana came from within, and many mana signatures milled about throughout the building.


    Boo looked up and grunted. Ellie nced at me over her shoulder, her brows pinched together in a small frown, then turned back to her target and released the arrow. It split into multiple arrows mid-flight, each of which struck a separate target before exploding in controlled bursts of mana that sent up a cloud of debris.


    Seth, who had been sitting against the nearby wall with his eyes closed, flinched and nearly toppled from his bench. He grinned in embarrassment as he opened his eyes; seeing me standing next to Ma, the grin slipped away.


    I raised my hand in greeting, remembering thest time I¡¯d seen him. I didn¡¯t me him for being upset with me. After all, one moment I¡¯d been his professor¡ªhis mentor even¡ªand the next he¡¯d watched me fight two Scythes before vanishing out of his life without a word. And that was before he knew I was an enemy of crya.


    ¡°Hey, look who I found!¡± Ma said, her chipper tone sounding slightly forced as she took her basket and hurried over to the others. ¡°And, um, I brought the food, too.¡±


    Seth gave me a stiff nod as he took a couple of rolls filled with meat and cheese. He immediately shoved one in his mouth, staring down at the other as he chewed.


    Boo looked at Ellie and growled something.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry yet,¡± she said, firing off an arrow that spiraled into several beams of light that shed rapidly, making them difficult to look at.


    Boo growled again, lower this time.


    ¡°No. I need to keep going. My arm feels fine,¡± she shot back, an edge of anger creeping into her tone.


    Ma nced from Ellie to Seth, then gave me an ufortable smile. ¡°Um, anyway, Ellie¡¯s been able to tell us all kinds of stuff about your continent. It¡¯s been pretty¡­interesting¡­¡± She trailed off as I approached my sister.


    Laying a hand gently on Ellie¡¯s arm, I said, ¡°El, if even Boo is saying so, then it¡¯s probably time for a break. You¡¯re going to hurt yourself¡ª¡±


    ¡°I can handle it,¡± she snapped, releasing the held arrow. It fizzled and missed its target, bursting harmlessly against a stone wall. Grimacing, she drew and fired a quick shot, making the arrow bend and twist through the air so that it struck a different target.


    I watched quietly, my focus on her broken arm and the strain she was putting on it each time she drew her bow. As she shot, I realized she was also activating her spellform to push and pull mana throughout her body in an exercise to strengthen her control over it, something Lyra said would be essential to fully utilizing the spells it granted her.


    Clever, I thought, pride intermingling with worry.


    Watching my sister push herself so hard only reminded me of the many ways in which I had failed. My most important goal in this life was always to keep my family safe. It was hard to argue that I¡¯d done that as I watched my wounded sister practice killing our enemies.


    I nced at Seth and Ma, who were sitting on the bench eating in silence. Ma looked away toote, trying to act as if she hadn¡¯t been listening intently.


    Taking a step closer to my sister, I turned my gaze on the targets out in the distance.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t do it,¡± I said quietly, afraid to see her expression. ¡°I couldn¡¯t save her.¡±


    There was a pause before Ellie fired another arrow. ¡°Yeah, I figured.¡±


    She shot another, then another. The pulses of mana from her spellform swelled significantly, and then¡­a tremor ran through her. An arrow vanished from the bowstring, and even her cast seemed to falter, the mana fading in and out around her broken arm. She gasped in pain, and the bow slipped from her grasp to tter onto the ground before sinking to her knees.


    Boo moaned and rushed over to her protectively, pressing his nose into her hair and snuffling. Gold light flowed from him, suffusing Ellie.


    Ma and Seth were both on their feet. Ma had one hand over her mouth, while the other clutched Seth¡¯s in a white-knuckled grip. Seth was chewing on the inside of his lip and looking nervous.


    I reached for Ellie, but she batted my hand away with her good one. ¡°I can do it myself!¡± she snapped, clutching the broken arm to her stomach. Slowly, mana oozed into shape around it, recreating the cast. From the sweat on her brow and the way her shoulders trembled, though, I knew she was in incredible pain.


    ¡°El, let me¡ª¡±


    ¡°I said I got it!¡± she yelled, pulling back and ring up into my face. ¡°What¡¯s the point, anyway!¡±


    She fell back onto her rear and curled her torso around her arm, tears welling up in her anger-filled eyes. ¡°We¡¯ve had to sacrifice so much¡ªendure so much¡ªyou¡¯ve had to leave me and mom all the time, and we still can¡¯t even save the people we love!¡± Her voice grew louder and more raspy with each word until she was shouting. ¡°I want dad back! I want Tess back. I want my brother back!¡±


    All I could do was stand there, letting Ellie¡¯s emotions wash over me. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­so mad. And I feel so helpless. I can¡¯t do anything myself, can¡¯t change anything! No matter how strong I get, I¡¯ll never be strong enough to make a difference in a war where even you can lose a fight. And that scares me, Arthur¡ªit terrifies me.


    ¡°Sometimes I wish we all still lived in Xyrus¡ªor even Ashber¡ªjust some regr rural kid like any other girl my age. I could just look up at this great figure named Arthur Leywin and know deep down that he was going to protect me and everyone I loved¡ªsolve all our problems¡ªand I could leave big important matters to powerful people like him. But I can¡¯t.¡±


    She stared into my eyes, her jaw working as she clenched her teeth. ¡°Because that same person is my brother, and I see how even the powerful people all around me are struggling, and I know it might not be enough¡ªthey might not be enough¡ªyou might not be enough¡ªand so I have to do something, but I¡¯m just never going to be strong enough for it to matter¡­¡±


    The words spilled out of her until she had no more breath, and then she deted, struggling to breathe, trying and failing to keep herself under control.


    As I reached for her, Seth appeared next to me before easing down in front of Ellie. Ma sat beside her, wrapped an arm around her, and rested her head on Ellie¡¯s shoulder, heedless of the huge bearlike mana beast hulking over them.


    ¡°I¡­understand what you¡¯re going through, Eleanor,¡± Seth said haltingly. ¡°And you¡¯re right. About it all. Vritra, but I miss my sister. And I used to think just the same about her, you know? I¡­¡± He paused, clenching his jaw to hold back his emotions before speaking again. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever felt as helpless as when the news came back that she¡¯d died. I hated you Dicathians for that, and I hated the highbloods and the Vritra n for sending her. But¡­I think I hated myself even more. She¡¯d been so set on getting me the healing I needed¡ªI¡¯ve always been sickly, frail¡ªand I thought maybe she wouldn¡¯t have volunteered for such dangerous assignments if it weren¡¯t¡­well, you get it.¡±


    Ellie had gone quiet. Whether because they were her peers or just not her brother, she seemed more ready to ept thefort they provided in that moment.


    ¡°Professor Grey¡­¡± Seth cleared his throat. ¡°Um, Arthur¡­your brother¡­he was the first person who made me feel seen, like I was worth something, since Circe died. Like someone actually cared.¡± He shook his head, an amazed smile on his face. ¡°And then I learn he¡¯s not even from this continent. It really knocked me for a loop, you know?¡±


    He sat in silence for a moment, then seemed to remember he had been speaking. ¡°Anyway, my point is that you never know who¡¯ll have power in your life, or whose life you¡¯ll impact. Maybe you¡¯re not as strong as a Scythe or Sovereign. That doesn¡¯t have to be how you change the world. Maybe¡­maybe you¡¯re just kind to someone.¡± A flush suddenly crept up his neck to his cheeks. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just¡­well, I just wanted to tell you you¡¯re not alone.¡±


    He reached out and patted her hand awkwardly before standing up and taking a step back. Tentatively, he looked at me from the corner of his eye. I smiled appreciatively, and he looked back at the ground.


    I started to speak, wanting to add something¡ªanything¡ªbut I caught Boo¡¯s eye. The guardian bear gave me an empathetic nod, and I understood what he meant. She was going to be okay. What needed to be said already had been, and Ellie was in good hands.


    Returning his nod, I turned and left.

 Chapter 448

    <h4>Chapter 448</h4>


    Chapter 446: A Cage Opened


    Ascender-targeted shops and inns passed by on either side as I moved without purpose along the main thoroughfare. I was pulled back to my first foray into this microcosm of cryan culture, each aspect of it so hyper-focused, remembering the thug¡¯s ill-thought-out attempt to mug me, my run-in with ¡°Haedrig,¡± and my eventual¡ªunfortunate¡ªpairing with the Granbehls.


    It¡¯s a shame this all was built under Agrona, for no reason other than his own search for power, I thought, mentallyparing ascender culture to the adventurers of Dicathen. This ce could have been truly great. Even as I thought this, however, I realized that the idea behind the ascents was too far removed from the djinn¡¯s original intention to bring any real insight into the Relictombs¡¯ inner workings.


    After all, one didn¡¯t study a book by ripping the pages out of it.


    Recognizing the mncholy of my unfocused thoughts, I intentionally shifted back to the next task on my list.


    Seris was ready to speak to me. It had felt important to see mypanions before, however, and although I hadn¡¯t run across Caera, I knew it was past time to learn what Seris had nned for her people.


    After checking back in at the Dread Craven, the fortified inn turned base of operations for Seris herself, I received directions from a guard to a particr tower Seris often retreated to when she needed to think but didn¡¯t want to disconnect herself from the people under her care.


    I was surprised when I found the tower in question, which I had expected to be some wealthy highblood¡¯s status symbol or perhaps an intimidating guard tower. Instead, I found a in silo tucked away in the farthest corner of the zone amidst buildings that would have looked more at home on the first level among the industrialized areas.


    A bare metal staircase spiraled up the outside of the seventy-foot-tall structure, and I could sense Seris¡¯s mana signature on the top, stationary.


    The metal rang and creaked as I ascended, and when I crested the t roof, Seris was watching me. She wore dark, flowing robes and a distant expression. At first, she didn¡¯t say anything, only waved me over to where she stood looking out over the Relictombs.


    Taking her cue, I didn¡¯t speak, only took in the view as she did.


    The Relictombs looked different from up here. The faux-sky couldn¡¯t quite maintain its illusion when you could see the entire zone spread out around you, looking more like the inside of a painted dome than the sky itself, the edges not quite aligning properly with the ground and buildings.


    Except for a couple of parks, nearly the entire zone was built in, giving it a condensed, ustrophobic air from above. Even the highbloodpounds looked small and cramped from this angle, the size and grandeur a carefully constructed illusion.


    My thoughts must have shown on my face, because Seris¡¯s gaze slowly swept across the city as she said, ¡°Like a mana beast enclosure, painstakingly designed to disguise the fact that its residents are, in fact, penned in a cage.¡±


    I knew she was talking about more than just the Relictombs; it was the cryans¡¯ entire way of life that penned them in. One illusion of choiceyered atop the next, thoroughly caging them all while simultaneously making them feel free.


    ¡°What does it look like if you open the cage doors then?¡± I asked, leaning against a railing that wrapped around the silo roof.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I intend to find out,¡± she answered. Swaying slightly, she shot me a chagrined half-smile and eased herself down onto the cool metal, holding onto the rail for support. ¡°I had hoped to allow my strength to fully return, but¡­¡±


    I sat down beside her. ¡°Agrona¡¯s message.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She stared out into the zone for several seconds before continuing. ¡°His offer¡ªand ultimatum¡ªwill put pressure on those who support my cause¡ªthe ones who aren¡¯t already in the fold here, especially. But the cracks are formed, the wound dealt. crya has seen gods bleed and beg. This will fester in their minds and hearts, andter, when a choice must be made to die for their High Sovereign or live for themselves, more will choose themselves than would have otherwise.¡±


    We watched as a man in the ck and crimson uniform of a Relictombs clerk exited one of the nearby buildings through a back door. He eased the door closed behind him then leaned against the wall, sinking down it as his body, tiny in the distance, racked with sobs.


    ¡°The Legacy is, it turns out, exactly what Agrona said she would be,¡± Seris said softly as she watched the man in the distance, her expression curious but not uncaring. ¡°I had thought, perhaps, that Agrona hadn¡¯t sent her to the Relictombs yet because he didn¡¯t want to have her fail so publicly yet again, but now I think I understand his true reason.¡±


    When Seris didn¡¯t immediately continue, I prodded her gently, saying, ¡°What do you think his true intentions are, then?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the division of crya has yed into his hands,¡± she said severely. ¡°I suspect that he wished for this portal between our world and Epheotus to be opened. We have helped to make him look vulnerable, ensuring that the dragons finally came into y.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s what you wanted, right?¡± I said, recalling her speech to the highbloods about their grand purpose. ¡°Agrona and Kezess are each working to outmaneuver the other. Meanwhile, we have to figure out how to make sure our people¡ªboth the Dicathians and the cryans¡ªsurvive theing war.¡±


    She picked at her fingernails as I spoke, but froze when she seemed to realize what she was doing, then slowly lowered her hands. ¡°It will be important that they both continue to think they have the upper hand, yes. I know Agrona as well as any, but you understand Kezess Indrath far better than I do. Do you think he can be convinced to limit the scope of his war against Agrona?¡±


    ¡°He wants something that, for now, only I can give him: deeper understanding of aether.¡± I paused, watching as the crying man in the distance stood, wiped himself off, and went back through the door he¡¯d appeared from. ¡°As long as he can keep me friendly with minimal effort or sacrifice on his part, he¡¯ll do it. But I have no doubt that, as soon as the equation shifts, he¡¯ll just as quickly betray any promise he has made. No, he can only be relied on to do what will get him closer to what he wants.¡±


    ¡°Agrona and Kezess are much alike in that way, then. Despite any shreds of wisdom these asura may have gained over their long lives, their inherent selfishness and self-assuredness is a weakness we will have to exploit. For example, I am now firmly convinced that Agrona is intentionally pitting you and Cecilia against each other. It would seem foolish to us that he risks his greatest asset in skirmishes with you, his strongest adversary outside of the asuras themselves, but Agrona is a scientist at his core, and he operates on a timetable of centuries, not days. What is a few months of civil war or tens of thousands of lives lost to such a being? If he can learn something new about mana¡ªor aether.¡±


    ¡°She said something about him wanting my core,¡± I remembered. ¡°I guess I finally got his attention after all.¡±


    Seris drummed her fingers across the metal railing. ¡°Kezess wants to drain the knowledge from your mind, while Agrona wants to dissect you and see how you work. Not an enviable position. But I¡¯m trusting that you are strong enough, or will be strong enough, to handle that pressure. And it does give us an opportunity. If Agrona is going to keep sending the Legacy after you, it means will have another chance to defeat her.¡±


    My mind was forced back yet again to my battle with Cecilia. Despite the small insights I had gained, I knew bigger steps were required. No, not steps, leaps. It was now necessary that I find the third keystone as soon as possible and gain insight into the godrunes contained in both the third and fourth keystones. It could no longer wait, and nothing else took precedence.


    Only¡­


    There was so much else to do, so many people who were relying on me to protect them. Like all the people currently trapped in this zone.


    Even though the cryan loyalist forces under Dragoth had so far failed to prate the shielded portals cutting this level off from the first, I couldn¡¯t be sure that Cecilia wasn¡¯t capable of doing so. All I knew was that if anyone could, it was her. Which meant, as Seris said, that Agrona had chosen not to send her here, allowing the situation to continue despite potentially having means to stop it.


    Just like in Dicathen.


    We lost the war to an armyposed mainly of ves and unadorned soldiers. It had only taken the involvement of a couple of Scythes to ensure our defeat. Agrona¡¯s Wraiths¡ªeven a single squadron¡ªcould have demolished our continent in a week, and not even the Lances would have been able to put up a fight against them. He had the means, but instead he¡¯d created a sense of conflict, allowing us to imagine ourselves in a battle that we could win, when the reality was anything but.


    We hadn¡¯t beenmbs to the ughter. We had been fish in a.


    ¡°Optics,¡± I muttered.


    Seris nodded as she closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose, supporting herself with one arm. ¡°Yes, I think so too. A carefully choreographed stage y, although not for our benefit. I won¡¯t give him more credit than he deserves, however. I don¡¯t imagine your appearance and actions at the Victoriad were part of his grand design. I¡¯ve never seen him so angry as when you vanished out from under his very nose.¡±


    I smiled, and Seris gave a smallugh. She wobbled slightly as she did, and theugh died away as quickly as it hade. She shifted to the side, trying to get morefortable, and so I turned as well, putting my back against hers.


    She went stiff, clearly caught off guard, then slowly rxed and eased into me so that the weight of our bodies was supporting one another.


    ¡°I won¡¯t me you for our current situation, but I could, you know,¡± she said, wry humorcing her words.


    I looked up at the blue sky, watching the atmospheric aether move to its own strange whims all around us. ¡°That¡¯s what retainer Lyra thought. That you¡¯d started the rebellion to force Agrona¡¯s eye homeward and give me time to retake Dicathen. Do you regret it, knowing that that¡¯s probably exactly what he wanted?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said without hesitation. ¡°As I said, we¡¯ve wounded his image. Optics, as you said. Even a small wound can change the course of entire future battles. And I can¡¯t let you take such credit either, Arthur Leywin. I only adjusted things forward, I didn¡¯t invent this entire movement for your benefit alone.¡±


    I chuckled, my shoulders moving against Seris¡¯s. I could feel each of her breaths move through me, but we were bothfortable, rxed. That was strange. There were very few people I could have had this conversation with and felt so at ease. It was hard to imagine that I had once watched her rip the horns from a retainer¡¯s head¡ªa retainer who had defeated Sylvie and me together¡ªas easily as pulling the wings from a fly.


    Thendscape of the world¡¯s power dynamic had changed significantly since then, or at least my ce in it had.


    Hasn¡¯t it? I thought, suddenly unsure. Was my growth and sess just more dancing to Kezess and Agrona¡¯s tune, or was there something else to it?


    ¡®It¡¯s Faaaaate¡­¡¯ Regis intruded suddenly, the word drawn out like it was spoken by a ghostly apparition.


    No, I thought back firmly. It is me, my own doing, my own strength. My control over aether¡ªand my status as a quadra-elemental mage before that¡ªwasn¡¯t some machination of gods or fate or anything else. I worked to achieve it, built my strength in a way perhaps no one else in this world could have, I¡­


    Trailing off, I considered my own thoughts. I had only been able to utilize all four elements because I had been reincarnated with my previous life memories intact. And although it had been my own force of will that had forged the aether core, I still didn¡¯t really know how I¡¯d ended up in the Relictombs in the first ce. Looking at it like that, it was hard to disavow any influence of some power beyond my control, even fate¡­


    Regis gave me the mental equivalent of an appreciative nod. ¡®Damned right. Although, you have had a pretty good support structure, which has allowed you to get the most of both your natural abilities and the opportunities presented to you. For example¡ª¡¯


    I know, I thought, biting back a small smile. I¡¯ve nevercked purpose, and much of that hase from those around me¡ªmy family.


    ¡®Ah, shucks,¡¯ Regis thought back, reading the intention behind my words just as easily as hearing the words themselves.


    Seris shifted against my back, tensing slightly. ¡°But now, Arthur, it is I who need your help. Because I have decided what my people will do next.¡±


    I waited, giving her the time she needed to formte the words.


    ¡°All my designs for the Relictombs have failed. And even if they hadn¡¯t, I can no longer be certain in keeping the Legacy out when Agrona finally decides to unleash her on us.¡± She took her time, breathing deeply, considering her words before she spoke. ¡°I¡¯m not ready to destroy the portals. It strikes a blow against the very people I work to help as well as Agrona. Future generations may rely on this ce in ways we can¡¯t yetprehend. And so I¡¯m retreating from the Relictombs.¡±


    I had expected this. Regis¡¯s assistance in holding the shields was a temporary solution at best. Besides, without constant supplies from the first level and the outside world, no sizable poption could live in the second level for an extended period of time. ¡°And that¡¯s where Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Although I will force no one to follow me out of here, I will take anyone who wishes it to Elenoir, to the wastes where you have banished the cryan soldiers in Dicathen.¡±


    I took a moment to digest this, careful to hold back my immediate judgment. Inside, I was loath to invite yet more cryans to Dicathen¡¯s shores, even these ones. But my willingness wasn¡¯t even the biggest problem. ¡°And you want me to help settle this with the dragons.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°I need you to speak on my behalf. Convince the dragons¡ªKezess himself if you must¡ªto allow it, but not only that. It may be that Agrona decides this is definitive and moves against our people in the Elenoir Wastes. The dragons¡¯ protection is also needed.¡±


    I half turned around, looking at the back of Seris¡¯s head, which was leaning forward. I got the impression that her eyes were closed. ¡°This move also puts you in position to build an alliance, maybe even some good faith. It would even bring you a step closer to Kezess¡¯s ear, which is necessary if you intend to continue feeding the conflict between the two.¡±


    Seris¡¯s weight vanished from my back as she stood. The wariness melted away as she looked down on me imperiously, and I saw again the woman who had saved me from Uto so long ago. ¡°I intend to help you do so, Arthur.¡±


    After getting to my feet as well, I was the one looking down at her. ¡°What do we need to do then?¡±


    ***


    ¡°Here,¡± I said, handing Cylrit my tempus warp.


    He looked over the repaired exterior housing before setting it on the ground next to the one Seris had brought herself¡ªthe only two allowed in the Relcitombs zone, as they posed thergest threat of intrusion from the outside. ¡°You were able to fix it?¡±


    The crack was sealed, and physically it was in fine shape; I had used Aroa¡¯s Requiem on it in preparation for the journey. What I couldn¡¯t manage, though, was recing the magic that had been expended from within it. After this, the anvil-shaped artifact would be little more than a chunk of metal.


    I exined, and he nodded as if he¡¯d expected this. ¡°No wonder. The devices themselves are not made so much as reimed from pieces of old djinn relics like the teleportation portals. They are finite, like the dimension artifacts.¡±


    I blinked in surprise, not having known this. Mentally, I made a note to get Gideon and Wren a tempus warp so they could confirm what Cylrit had said.


    Having done as Seris asked, I bid Cylrit a temporary farewell and retreated to a less crowded section of the courtyard.


    People teemed around the arrival portals, which were still being disrupted by Seris¡¯s artifacts, powered by Regis. Although Seris had briefed me on exactly how many people were present in the second level, it was still startling to see them all in one ce. They spilled out of the courtyard into the alleys and side streets, and well down Sovereign Boulevard.


    Most appeared varying degrees of afraid. The less well-off folk, universally employees or business owners who had been trapped here when Seris blocked the zone off from the Relictombs¡¯ first level, werergely clustered around the disruption array. They were kept back by the many battle groups of mages that were guarding several highbloods who were also queuing around the portals.


    Rumors had started to fly almost immediately when Seris announced that people were to gather their belongings, packing up whatever they could take with no ns to return. Combined with the rumors floating around about Agrona¡¯s broadcast, many people instinctively believed Seris was standing down.


    Seris herself had visited the highlords and matrons of the present highbloods to exin her n and make sure they understood what was being offered.


    ¡°A new life, one outside the Vritra n¡¯s strict hierarchy of blood purity, a culture we can build for ourselves that doesn¡¯t run on the blood of our strongest and weakest,¡± she had exined to Corbett Denoir only the day before. ¡°Let me be clear what I mean by this. When we reach Dicathen, the notion of highbloods, named bloods, and unblooded all ceases to hold any meaning. We will all have to work together to build toward a society worth living in. The luck of your birth and the standing of your blood in crya will carry no weight, no power, where we¡¯re going.¡±


    Lenora¡¯s face had gone pale, but she had stepped forward first, holding her hand out to her husband. He took it as he joined her, chewing his lip before saying, ¡°We¡¯vee this far, Scythe Seris.¡± He shot a nce to Caera and then to me. ¡°I¡¯ve no interest in crawling on my belly in front of the Vritra n, hoping for the High Sovereign¡¯s leniency. Highblood Denoir is with you.¡±


    Caera had shaken her head, her jaw ck as she looked at her adoptive parents as if she didn¡¯t know them. Now, she stood by them proudly on the opposite side of the courtyard among the rest of their blood who were in the Relictombs.


    I hadn¡¯t listened in on all of Seris¡¯s conversations, but I knew not all of them had gone as well. Highlord Frost was furious at the retreat to Dicathen, seeing it as admitting failure and abandoning what they¡¯d set out to do. Matron Tremy, on the other hand, showed little emotion as she expressed her intent to ept Agrona¡¯s forgiveness and return to her newly formed highblood instead of leaving behind her home.


    ¡°Can¡¯t me her exactly,¡± Kayden said, pulling my gaze away from where Matron Tremy and all her people were gathered close to the portals. ¡°For most of these highbloods, this ¡®rebellion¡¯ was a way to elevate themselves by removing the Vritra. For others, they hoped to im the continent for us, the lessers. The idea of leaving crya for them is like leaving an essential part of their identity behind.¡±


    ¡°But not you?¡± I asked, watching the crowd carefully. Part of my role in all this was to ensure things didn¡¯t boil over between the two opposing groups¡ªthose following Seris and those staying behind.


    He shrugged, a perfectly executed and performed motion that expressed both hisck of passion for his homnd and disdain for a political structure that he had actively retreated away from when he became a professor at Central Academy. ¡°In the context of our world, cryan is little more than a term for a human with the taint of Vritra blood. Not sure what they think there is to be so proud about, to be frank.¡±


    Regardless of whether they were staying or leaving, both sides were desperate, their decision made more with hope or fear than logic. Only, those leaving crya with Seris were afraid to return to their previous lives and hopeful for better ones in the future, while those who were prepared to take Agrona at his word and give up on the rebellion feared Agrona¡¯s wrath and hoped that his offer was true.


    Ideally, we would have had weeks to prepare. Messages should have been sent to Lyra Dreide and Vajrakor, or even Kezess, and shelter and provisions prepared for the new influx of refugees to the Elenoir Wastes. But we hadn¡¯t had weeks. No, Seris had allowed her people only a day and a half to prepare.


    Carts and crates, mana beasts and self-pulling sledges, anything that could be used to haul goods and provisions had been dragged or driven to the courtyard¡¯s outskirts as servants, soldiers, and ascenders worked around the clock. But they weren¡¯t the only ones. Already I was seeing Seris¡¯s vision put into practice as highlords anddies alike rubbed elbows with the lowest members of their houses in order to be ready in time.


    Seris floated up into the air near where she had arranged to set up the tempus warps.


    A man in fine clothes near the exit portals¡ªa named blood shop owner, by the looks of it¡ªshouted something unkind, and a scuffle broke out as an older mage with dark bags under his eyes took exception. Several bystanders were quick to step in and prevent the fight from escting, but as my attention slid off the scuffle, itnded on another scene, practically hidden by the thronging mass of people.


    Ma and Seth hunkered together beneath the balcony of one of therge buildings bordering the courtyard. Ma had her arms wrapped around Seth, the top of her head pushing his sses up and to the side. She trembled with suppressed sobs even as she reached up to give Seth a peck on the corner of his lips.


    I looked away, not wanting to intrude on their private moment. Although I hadn¡¯t spoken to them since the conversation with Ellie, I could guess what was happening. Ma had a family back in Etril, a sister¡ªa reason not to leave the continent, in other words. Seth¡¯s family, though, was all gone, victims of the war and the destruction of Elenoir.


    ¡°Listen, cryans and friends,¡± Seris said, her voice projected magically so that all could hear her words, even the farthest away easily making out her crisp enunciation. ¡°I will not burden you with a long-winded speech. I will not insult you with pleas or threats. Your will is your own, each and every one of you. If ever there was a purpose to our act of rebellion, it is that.¡±


    The Relictombs were quiet in response, the crowd hanging on Seris¡¯s words like a lifeline, even those who weren¡¯t following her.


    ¡°For those of you returning home, epting and hoping for the grace of the High Sovereign, I wish you only health and hope. See to your families. Defend yourselves in whatever way you think best.¡± Her dark eyes swept the crowd, power oozing from her and making those closest step back. ¡°I will not judge you for it. Many of you did not join this long siege of your own free will, and to those of you, I offer both my apologies and my thanks for suffering thesest two months with grace.


    ¡°I offer my thanks as well to all those who follow me forward, stepping out from the High Sovereign¡¯s yoke and daring to imagine what a world beyond the conflicts of the asura might look like for us.¡± She let a small smile soften her severe expression. ¡°It will not be a safe road, or an easy one, but the path will be of our own choosing.¡±


    No cheer went up when Seris stopped talking, no eager shouts or chanting. The attitude of the crowd was split between a mncholy-tinged eagerness and wary readiness.


    At some unseen signal from Seris, two tempus warps were activated, creating twin portals that opened beside each other into Dicathen. Seris drifted down in front of the portals, and she was the first one to step through. Several clerks and officials in her employ began guiding the crowd in a kind of controlled chaos. Cylrit monitored the portals while a dozen battle groups lingered in the courtyard to keep the peace.


    Moving blood by blood, cryans marched through.


    On the opposite side of the courtyard, all those who wouldn¡¯t be traveling to Dicathen lingered. We couldn¡¯t deactivate the shield disruption array until everyone else had gone, and then those people would be on their own. I could only hope that Agrona would be true to his word, and they would be allowed to return to their lives. There would be nothing stopping Dragoth and his forces from cutting them down otherwise.


    I noticed Highblood Denoir lingering, not among the rush to be the first through the tempus warp portals, then caught sight of Caera snaking her way against the current of the flowing crowd. Matron Tremy met her in the middle, and they exchanged a few words. Although I couldn¡¯t hear, I knew that Caera was making one more plea for Maylis toe with them, but the matron only shook her head.


    Leaning forward, the imposing matron knocked her horns against Caera¡¯s, smiled, and turned away.


    Chul and Sylvie lingered around me, watchful and silent. Ellie, eager to be involved and still embarrassed about her outburst, was rushing about making herself helpful wherever she could, whether that was calming a frightened child or leading a mana beast toward the portal to help one of the less populous bloods.


    My own mind was strangely quiet as the exodus proceeded. It took hours, during which many of those staying left the courtyard, doing their waiting in a morefortable environment. Since nothing was needed of me, I only watched, keeping myself separate. This was their journey, after all. I was an outsider.


    Once most of the people were through, Seris¡¯s soldiers and a group of ascenders hauled stored provisions through, and those staying began filtering back. Ellie went through with a contingent of mages hauling magical items, throwing me a look that very clearly said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± and ¡°I¡¯m okay¡± as she vanished.


    Once the veryst of Seris¡¯s people had passed through to Dicathen, Cylrit deactivated my tempus warp, snapping his hand back as he touched it. It was glowing brightly, and there was a distinct heat haze above it.


    He searched me out and nodded from across the courtyard; the next step was up to me. Or rather, to Regis.


    Okay, it¡¯s time, I thought to him in his little ss jar as I started toward the tempus warp. Be quick, we can¡¯t be sure how fast they¡¯ll respond.


    The tiny horned ball of light drifted out of the ss jar and then solidified into the form of a shadow wolf. Regis shook his mane, making it re with violet light, and the nearest cryans yelped and stumbled away from him, pushing into the people behind them and creating a sort of miniature stampede.


    The effect on the artifacts projecting the disruption field was immediate.


    The aether, without Regis¡¯s intent keeping it flowing, simply ceased doing so. It began to leak from the wiring and the crystals, and without enough aether the field began to flicker in and out.


    Regis hurried across the courtyard. A couple of cryans must have had second thoughts, because they broke from the ranks of their peers and followed after him.


    Wordlessly, Cyrlit ushered them through the portal.


    ¡°Go,¡± I said, to Cylrit as well as Chul and Sylvie. ¡°I¡¯m right behind you.¡±


    Once they were gone, I picked up the tempus warp and held it under one arm. The disruption field failed, and people rushed to the bank of exit portals as cryan soldiers began pouring from the entrance portals; Dragoth must have been ready and waiting.


    Shouting rose up from both sides. A woman threw herself at one of the soldiers, grasping at the front of his battle robes as she begged for his help. The butt of his spear came up and cracked her across the ribs. The shouting intensified as the remaining highbloods demanded order and attempted to take control of the situation while those with lower blood status fought to get out the exit portals and the soldiers struggled to parse the situation. A few noticed me standing in front of the fading tempus warp portal, but they had their hands full with the crowd.


    Then Dragoth himself appeared, his bulk and bullish horns making him look like a giant against the swarm of cryans. His eyes found mine immediately, and he took a few aggressive steps forward, then drew up short. Even from across the zone, I could sense his fear.


    Good, I thought, hoping that fear was enough to ensure these people would be okay.


    Feeling the portal breaking up now that its connection with the tempus warp had been severed, I stepped backwards through it.


    Everything changed. The transition was smooth, not instant, but very nearly seamless. The false light of the blue Relictombs¡¯ sky was reced with true sunlight. Instead of the stifling atmosphere of the courtyard, I drew in a lungful of fresh air, and a cool breeze kissed my skin.


    Turning, I tried to get my bearings. We had appeared in the broad grassy patch ofnd between the Beast des and one of the cryan settlements on the outskirts of the Elenoir Wastes. I searched the hundreds of milling people for my sister, Caera, or Seris, but didn¡¯t immediately see any of them.


    Standing right beside me, though, were Chul and Sylvie.


    I met my bond¡¯s eye. ¡°Have you seen El¡ª¡±


    Sylvie¡¯s face was pale, sweat shining on her forehead. Her eyes were zed over, staring sightlessly into the void.


    Frowning, I reached for her, taking hold of her arm as my mind probed her.


    The strength left me and I felt my legs give out. I didn¡¯t even have time to wonder what had happened before my mind was being pulled away from my body, drawn along in the wake of whatever thought had stricken Sylvie.


    Light and color shed past on all sides, indistinct images appearing and vanishing again too quickly to make sense of. Although I couldn¡¯t see her, I could feel Sylvie just ahead of me. The world had melted away, and we were alone, just the two of us, speeding like an arrow through this tunnel of lights.


    I tried to speak, but I had no voice. I tried to connect with her mind but couldn¡¯t reach her.


    What¡¯s happening? I wanted to shout. Where are we going?


    As soon as I asked the question, I knew. We sped into a pool of roiling color, skating along a thin stream of silver light and into a blur of color and motion.


    The world coalesced back into a recognizable form around us.


    I reeled, taking a moment to get my bearings, but the scene was familiar.


    A conference room. The one where I hadst seen and spoken with the yders. But it looked quite different now.


    The long table had been removed to make room for an opulent throne, on which sat a dragon in the form of a man with long silver hair and deep plum-colored eyes. I didn¡¯t recognize this dragon, but the name Charon came to me from a distant memory: the leader of Kezess¡¯s forces in Dicathen.


    Two other dragon¡¯s, both also in a humanoid form, nked Charon, who was gazing down at a dozen humans, all of whom sat on their knees on the ground like children. Kathyln and Curtis were there as well, and many of their advisors. Words were being exchanged, but the vision sounded as if it were under water and a very long way away, so I couldn¡¯t make out anything.


    Suddenly something shifted, like a dark cloud had floated over the scene. Five figures melted out of the shadows, des and spells in their hands. There was no conversation, no hesitation. Even as they set on Charon, five more appeared around the two dragon guards, cutting them off.


    The vision blurred, wobbling dangerously, the details difficult to follow.


    When it steadied, the back wall of the chamber had been destroyed. Two Wraithsy dead, as did a dragon, and the cacophonous rumble of battle bubbled out of the dust and rubble that blocked my view beyond the room.


    Charon himself was still surrounded by the other five Wraiths, who were working together in a fluid symphony of violence. Charon raged in near-silence, and his body swelled into the form of a horrible, war-scarred silver dragon, his massive ws and tail stamping and crushing.


    I could do nothing as I watched Kathyln vanish beneath a wed hand. Beside her, Curtis was hurled aside. Golden light suffused his body, but it twinkled and faded when a ck de passed effortlessly through him, blood spraying from a bisecting cut severing him hip to shoulder.


    Horrified, I watched frozen outside of space and time, unsure what I was seeing or how I was seeing it, unable to react, no body or magic of my own.


    Charon¡¯s transformation had toppled the ceiling, burying most of the humans beneath a mountain of rubble. Disregarding any potential survivors, the dragon leapt up, desperately ripping his way free of the pce and taking to the air. Wheeling, he breathed death back down on everyone below, killing more Dicathians than the Wraiths had in his attempt to defend his own life.


    The scene shattered like a painted vase, the pieces spiraling away in every direction before melting away in the tunnel of color and light once again.


    My eyes snapped open, and I stared up into the face of Chul, who was leaning over me and looking concerned. Regis was beside him, and Ellie beside Regis.


    Movement under my hand made me look to my right. I was lying on the ground, Sylvie next to me, my hand still sped around her arm.


    ¡°Arthur!¡± Ellie gasped, falling to her knees and leaning into me to wrap her arms around my neck. ¡°Are you okay? What happened?¡±


    Through her hair, I was still watching Sylvie, who slowly turned to meet my eye.


    A vision? I asked, my thoughts sluggish.


    Her eyes fluttered shut. ¡®Of¡­the future,¡¯ she sent back ominously.

 Chapter 449

    <h4>TurtleMe</h4>


    Chapter 447: Ripple in Timeline


    10 minutes ago


    Rolling onto my side, I pushed myself up gingerly, the small crowd moving back to give me space. As I held out my hand to Sylvie to help her up after me, a bolt of pain through my skull made me stumble, and an arm wrapped around me.


    I looked down as Ellie leaned into me, trying to support some of my weight.


    Sylvie seemed less affected by the vision and had no problem rising. She looked me over nervously. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Arthur, I couldn¡¯t hold it back from your mind.¡±


    ¡°Hold what back?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°What happened?¡±


    I blinked and shook my head, making an effort to dislodge thest of the aching cobwebs the vision had left in my head. ¡°Nothing. Not here. We¡ª¡± I cut myself off, acknowledging the crowd that had gathered and not wanting to say anything that would be a problemter.


    Seris¡¯s approaching aura was enough to pull most of the attention away from me. Her dark eyes met mine, and she seemed to read the situation in an instant. ¡°There is much to do. Allow ourpanions a moment to catch their breaths. Remember, Lance Arthur Leywin has faced the Legacy herself on our behalf. Mind that you don¡¯t inadvertently start unhelpful rumors, yes?¡±


    The people who had been near enough to see my episode¡ªwhich, unfortunately, was a lot¡ªshrank back at Seris¡¯s thinly veiled ire.


    A cascade of me-red hair was the first I saw of Lyra Dreide as she hurried through the crowd. ¡°Go on, then, all of you. There is much work to be done, and no room for idle hands!¡±


    The cryans broke up and began milling away, although there was no shortage of backwards nces.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lyra asked, leaning in toward Seris, who was watching me from the corner of her eye, her lips pressed tight with obvious worry.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have this conversation somewhere more private,¡± Seris said, her words quiet but firm.


    I nodded my agreement, and Lyra led our group to a nearby empty building that turned out to be little more than a single open room with several roughly made wooden chairs filling the space. No one sat as we all shuffled in. Every pair of eyes turned to me, including, Highlords Frost and Denoir, who must have been speaking with either Seris or Lyra before my copse.


    Doing my best to keep the agitation from my inflection, I said, ¡°Mypanions and I need to leave. Immediately.¡±


    ¡°Just like that? You¡¯re not even going to tell me what happened, Arthur? This show of weakness could not havee at a worse time,¡± Seris replied. Her gaze turned away, focusing into the middle distance, and when she spoke again, it was to herself. ¡°But seeking eptance from the dragons is essential. If we tell the people that you have gone to ensure the peace, then most will ept it without question¡­¡±


    Her attention jumped back to me. ¡°Still, as your partner in this venture I would like to know the truth of what has happened.¡±


    I thought back to the vision I¡¯d shared with Sylvie.


    A Wraith attack on Kezess¡¯s general resulting in the deaths of the yders and who knows how many other important public figures in Etistin¡­


    My concerns were many, but primary among them now was to verify that it hadn¡¯t actually happened yet. If it hadn¡¯t, I could figure out how to prevent it. But sharing the information could be dangerous. If Elder Rinia had taught me anything, it was that attempting to change the future was exceedingly risky. I had to proceed with utmost caution.


    Additionally, I wasn¡¯t sure who, if anyone, should know that Sylvie was having visions of the future. I wasn¡¯t sure I could trust even Seris with that detail.


    ¡°I can¡¯t exin now,¡± I said. ¡°Not until I have a clearer idea of it myself.¡±


    There was a pause as our gaze remained locked.


    ¡°Nevermind then, I can see that you¡¯re set on this.¡± She broke our eye contact with a humorlessugh. ¡°Vritra¡¯s horns, life was easier when I was surrounded by people who jumped to do whatever I said¡­¡±


    I gave her a wry smile. ¡°You¡¯re working very hard to deprive yourself of such a life.¡±


    Shaking her head, she waved me away as if I were a particrly irritating fly. ¡°Go on, do what you must. I¡¯d have liked to offer you more preparation for your conversation with the dragons regarding our defection, but I suppose I trust you to handle it on your own. All I will ask is that you take one of mine with you. As my eyes, ears, and voice, as it were.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said, quicker and more forcefully than I¡¯d intended. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    Seris¡¯s look hardened, what little good humor she¡¯d maintained slipping away. ¡°No? Arthur, this partnership works in both directions. You have asked for me not to question your reason for leaving at this critical moment and without prior discussion. I am requesting that you make this concession in return.¡±


    I ran my tongue along the inside of my teeth as I considered. Being in between dragons and Wraiths was no ce for an cryan deserter, but it would tear open a rift between Seris and me if I forced the issue. ¡°I concede the point, then,¡± I said after a long pause.


    Highlord Frost stepped forward, giving the two of us a small bow. ¡°Lady Seris, I¡¯d like to offer my granddaughter, En, for this task. She is highly capable, and familiar with Regent Arthur from their time at the academy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Uriel, but I want someone slightly more seasoned for this task.¡±


    She nodded to him in appreciation, and he bit back anything else he wanted to say, retreating to his previous spot against one wall.


    She continued, her words directed toward Corbett. ¡°Caera would be a stronger candidate for the role I have in mind, not least of all because she has already worked alongside Arthur at length and has direct experience with the dragons. I trust her in this and am certain she will be willing. Can you fetch her?¡±


    I kept my thoughts to myself, not wanting to prolong this any further now that I¡¯d already given in to Seris¡¯s demand.


    While we waited for Corbett to return, Seris spent a few minutes providing me with the basis of her ns in the Elenoir Wastes so that I might pass them along to the dragons if I thought necessary. When Caera arrived, I bid Seris farewell and led mypanions out of the vige and into the Beast des.


    ¡°There is a town near the western edge of the Beast des, not too far to the south. It¡¯s the closest teleportation gate that will get us to Etistin,¡± I exined as we marched.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I¡¯m unhappy to being along,¡± Caera said, ncing around furtively as we moved into the dense treeline, ¡°but what exactly are we rushing off in such a hurry for?¡±


    Hopping over a downed tree, I turned and gave Ellie my hand to help her over, then Caera behind her. As I took Caera¡¯s hand, I said, ¡°I¡¯ve discovered some¡­evidence¡­that leads me to believe Wraiths will be attacking Etistin in the near future.¡±


    Chul mmed a bricklike fist into his open palm, heat rising from his shoulders in visible waves of orange light. ¡°A chance for vengeance.¡±


    ¡°Wraiths¡­¡± Caera said breathily, her brows knitting into a frown. ¡°But how could you know? Do you have a djinn relic in your pocket that shows you the future?¡± She attempted a yful smile, but it came across as pained.


    ¡°No, I¡­can¡¯t exin yet. I¡¯m sorry. Perhaps when we reach Etistin and have had time to scope out the situation there,¡± I said, rubbing the back of my neck.


    Ellie had gone pale as I spoke, and I was certain she was remembering the aftermath of myst fight against Agrona¡¯s secret asura-killers.


    ¡®So are we just going to, like, not talk about the whole visions of the future thing then?¡¯ Regis asked as he loped along at my side. ¡®Sylvie is amassing quite the collection of mysterious subplots, isn¡¯t she?¡¯


    She needs time to probe her own understanding and insight of this vision, I thought back. Until we have a better idea of why and what happened, no one else should know. Out loud, I said, ¡°Here is good enough,¡±ing to a stop in a small clearing and looking at my bond.


    Sylvie, whose mind was a muddle of surging and conflicting thoughts and ideas, forced herself to focus. The transformation was nearly instant as she grew into the form of a ck-scaled dragon.


    Caera gasped, her mouth moving silently as she stared up in awe.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that impressive. Wings are overrated, anyway,¡± Regis said as he stepped into me and drifted to my core. I hopped up on Sylvie¡¯s back at the base of her neck, and Chul helped Caera and Ellie mount between Sylvie¡¯s wings.


    Caera tentatively reached out and brushed her fingers along the back of one wing, a shiver running through her.


    From the ground, Boo growled low in his throat, his small eyes peering up at Ellie questioningly.


    I pressed my hand reassuringly against Sylvie¡¯s long neck as she stared down at Boo with one huge eye like a pool of liquid gold. ¡°It won¡¯t be too much?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Just as long as I don¡¯t have to carry Chul, too, I¡¯ll be fine,¡± she said, her voice rich and rumbling in her draconic form.


    Chul flew into the air and waited. Sylvie grabbed Boo in herrge front ws, gathered herself, and sprang up, her wings beating at the air with graceful ease. Chul moved into position beside her, and we took off to the southwest. We stayed just above the treetops, not worrying about an attack from any mana beasts; thebined auras of Sylvie, Chul, and myself would keep all but the most powerful and aggressive mana beasts from attacking, and we were a long way from the depths of the Beast des where such creatures dwelled.


    On dragonback, the journey only took us a couple of hours, saving an entire day or more of slogging through the dense forest below. Sylvie transformed back well outside of town, and wepleted the journey on foot. We had no need of the Adventurers Guild or any vendors, and so we didn¡¯t stop anywhere in town but instead went straight to the teleportation gate.


    Before approaching the gate attendant, who would program the gate to Etistin for us, I stopped mypanions and looked at them all seriously. I had been mulling over how to proceed for the entire journey and had made a few decisions that I knew not everyone would approve of.


    ¡°Ellie, you¡¯re noting to Etistin with us,¡± I said, ripping the bandage off what I knew was going to be a difficult conversation.


    ¡°I understand,¡± she said, catching me off guard. She looked embarrassed at my surprise. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t look at me like that. In spite of my¡­outburst, I know I can¡¯t be in Etistin with you if things turn out like you expect. But I¡¯m serious about getting stronger. I want to make a difference in¡±¡ªshe gesticted randomly with her hand¡ª¡°all this, in the best way that I can. If that means staying out of the way and being safe for a bit, then that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do.¡±


    She reached out her fist, and I bumped my own against it with a grateful smile.


    Regis, who had resumed walking with us in his physical form, reached up and ced a huge paw on our hands, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. Ellieughed, and I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°What, isn¡¯t this a team huddle?¡± he joked.


    Chul, who had watched our exchange with a deepening look of concern, huffed. ¡°Sister Eleanor can not be sent off on her own.¡± He ground his teeth, clearly considering his next words carefully. ¡°Though I wish to test myself against these Wraiths, I also hope to do my duty to you, Arthur, and make a difference,¡± he said, his tone conveying a not-quite-entirely suppressed somberness. ¡°If you wish it, I will escort her back to the dwarfhome, Vildorial, and watch over her in your absence.¡±


    I let out a sigh of relief, grateful that Chul had offered before I had to ask. With no long-distance teleportation gates remaining in Vildorial¡ªor anywhere else in Darv¡ªthe safest way for Ellie to return would be to fly. ¡°Thank you, Chul. I understand why you left the Hearth, and what this means to you. My hope is that there is no battle in Etistin, and that you don¡¯t miss out on any of the fun.¡±


    He grunted and gave me a serious nod. ¡°Yes, but if you do meet a Wraith, do give them a thorough butt-kicking for me.¡±


    ¡°Besides, Bairon and Mica will be in Vildorial. Maybe even Lance Varay! They¡¯re really awesome to train with,¡± my sister said brightly, her own fear and frustration barely evident. Boo rumbled, and Ellie grinned. ¡°Boo says he¡¯d be happy to bat you around a bit, too, if you need it.¡±


    Chuckling, I turned to Sylvie, Regis, and Caera. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    The mage quickly calibrated the portal and ushered us through. Thest thing I saw as I nced over my shoulder was Ellie nked by Chul and Boo. She waved. I lifted my hand and was whisked away.


    It had been a long time since I¡¯d traveled by the ancient mages¡¯ portals in Dicathen. I¡¯d gotten used to the cryan¡¯s tempus warp technology, which made teleportation much faster and smoother. The portals of Dicathen¡ªrelics left behind after the djinn genocide¡ªdragged the user across space, which distorted as it sped by, and had been known to make people sick the first time they used it.


    I realized halfway there that I should have warned Caera.


    As we appeared one by one in front of the receiving portal, Caera bent over and clutched her stomach, trying not to be sick. A soldier, who had likely seen this happen more than once, hopped back, his mouth snapping shut as he cut off whatever memorized message of wee he¡¯d been about to deliver.


    Caera took several deep breaths and held up her hand as if to ward off her nausea. ¡°¡®m fine,¡± she said hoarsely. ¡°But¡­what in the Vritra¡¯s name was that?¡± Finally, she stood and red at me. ¡°Absolutely barbaric.¡±


    The moment of amusement I felt melted away as I remembered why we were there, which coincided with the soldier snapping to attention as he realized who I was.


    ¡°Regent Leywin!¡± He stepped around Caera and reached for my hand with both of his. ¡°It¡¯s great to meet you, really, a true honor. You saved my father at the battle of Slore, sir, and I¡¯ve always hoped for the chance to thank you in person.¡±


    ¡°I should be the one to thank your father for his service,¡± I said with a practiced smile, allowing him to shake my hand.


    Suddenly remembering himself, the guard snapped back into a more professional stance. ¡°Sorry, Regent. I got a little excited. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re here to see Guardian Charon.¡±


    Looking at another guard, who was poking his head in through the door of the small building that housed the portal, he started to give an order, but I interjected. ¡°Actually, I need my arrival to stay quiet.¡±


    The guard hesitated, ncing from me to the pce in the distance, visible through one of the narrow windows.


    ¡°I understand you have your orders,¡± I continued, trying to sound both confident and consoling. ¡°I don¡¯t want to insult Charon by not going to see him right away, but lives are at stake. I really need you to just pretend like I never stepped out of this portal.¡±


    The guard hesitated as he inspected mypanions, frowning at Sylvie¡¯s and Caera¡¯s horns. ¡°But the yders were very insistent¡­¡± Trailing off, he shook his head and snapped into a solute. ¡°You have my word, Regent.¡±


    Returning the gesture, I marched quickly from the portal chamber and out into the courtyard beyond. Two more guards stood outside, including the one who had peeked his head in the door. I gave them a nonchnt salute and led mypanions out of sight, taking shelter in a narrow alley between two tall townhomes.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s one question answered,¡± I said.


    ¡°Etistin hasn¡¯t already been attacked,¡± Caera filled in. ¡°But the Wraiths may still be here already. From what Seris was able to tell me, they¡¯ll be adept at hiding their mana signatures and arranging the battlefield to suit them.¡±


    A figure crossed in front of the alley where we were huddled, but it was only an older gentleman out for a walk with his mana beast, a creature like a feathered lizard that skittered ahead of him on a leather leash.


    Addressing Sylvie and Caera, I said, ¡°I want you to go to the pce. Find Kathyln and exin what we¡¯ve seen. Question her about the dragons. Whatever you do, though, don¡¯t let her bring you to Charon.¡± My gaze turned up to Caera¡¯s horns. ¡°Or let them arrest you.¡±


    She crossed her arms and gave me a severe look. ¡°That wasn¡¯t my fault.¡±


    Extending my senses outward, I felt for potent mana signatures in and around the city. The pressure exuded by the dragons was evident even from where we stood, but I felt no other presence strong enough to be an asura or Wraith.


    I probed the dragons¡¯ signatures and felt a hint of familiarity.


    ¡°Windsom is here as well,¡± I confirmed. ¡°Neither can know you¡¯re in the city until we¡¯re ready to deal with them, Sylv. They might try to haul you away, back to your grandfather.¡±


    ¡°What will you be doing?¡± Caera asked, her eyes jumping to the blurred figure of a small child as they dashed past the alley mouth.


    ¡°Regis and I will search the city for any sign of the Wraiths.¡±


    Sylvie took my hand and squeezed it gently before letting it go. ¡°Reach out to me if you get into trouble. Yes, I know you¡¯ve faced Wraiths before, but don¡¯t getcent.¡±


    ¡°Be careful in the pce,¡± I said in answer. ¡°It¡¯s certain to be a political quagmire.¡±


    Caera and Sylvie made their way out of the alley, heading across the city toward the pce, while I leapt to the townhouse roof and activated Realmheart, Regis once again sheltering inside my core. I watched them forge their way into Etistin¡¯s city streets until they¡¯d disappeared from view, then I turned my focus to the task at hand.


    Atmospheric mana shone everywhere, with the specific elements closely aligned to where the mana lingered, such as earth-attribute mana clinging to the ground and stone walls while air-attribute mana whirled and danced along on the wind. These mana particles were nearly always in motion, being drawn toward a meditating mage or pushed away from the source of some spell, or just winding their way through the world in ordance with some inborn mechanical property of the mana itself.


    The aether in the atmosphere was much less dense. Only a thin curtain of purple particles could be seen filling in the spaces between mana particles.


    It was exactly the intery between those two forces that I was concerned with.


    The Wraiths couldn¡¯t influence aether, and so they couldn¡¯t manipte it to help mask their presence. I couldn¡¯t be sure just how effectively they could do so with mana, and so I couldn¡¯t rely on Realmheart alone in my search. Although the godrune let me see even the clustered mana of an invisible or illusioned mage, I theorized that a magic user with suitably refined control over mana could smooth away even that to make themselves truly undetectable, especially if they also bnced the input and output of their mana with a technique simr to mana rotation.


    Missing my ability to fly more than I had in quite a long time, I leapt from one roof to the next, needing to stay as high as I could get for maximum visibility. The intery between aether and mana was very subtle and easily missed.


    And we have a whole city to search, I thought, my mood sour. Still, a proactive approach seemed better than waiting at the pce for something to happen.


    With aether enhancing my senses and Realmheart granting me vision of mana particles, I proceeded to navigate from one neighborhood to the next, searching for any condensed mana without an obvious source, a hint of suppressed mana signature, or changes in the atmospheric aether than might indicate a powerful source of condensed but hidden mana.


    Meanwhile, I could sense that Sylvie and Ellie reached the pce but were still waiting for an audience with Kathyln.


    As I searched, I tried to remember what the city had looked like before the war, but I couldn¡¯t. The tall walls cutting the city off from the slope down to the bay hadn¡¯t been there, I knew, and the city¡¯s separate districts had been reshaped and walled off from each other, with some entire neighborhoods vanishing altogether. Etistin still carried a militaristic air, a city fashioned into a fortified hub of countrywide politics, but the people seemed to move about as if they didn¡¯t notice.


    A thought struck me. Keep a lookout for areas where people are behaving strangely, I sent to Regis, who acted like a second set of eyes. Areas people are avoiding without seeming to realize it. ces that rue dark nces, where passersby speed up to get past quickly.


    ¡®Yeah, no problem,¡¯ he replied, his tone oozing sarcasm. ¡®It¡¯s not like we¡¯re searching for a needle in a haystack or anything. An invisible needle poised to kill everyone.¡¯


    As I resumed my search, I jumped down into the street, swiping a faded turquoise cloak off a clothesline and dropping a coin in the pocket of a pair of trousers. The hood was deep, falling down to obscure my wheat-blond hair and golden eyes.


    It also covered the glow of my godrunes as I activated God Step alongside Realmheart.


    Slipping into the streams of traffic, I opened myself to my senses, experiencing the sights and sounds, but also the sixth sense that was the tug of the mana, which in turn was oveid with the sight and song of the aetheric pathways connecting every point to every other point around me.


    I followed the current of the city, moving with the natural ebb and flow of its people. It was there, I was certain, at the confluence of mana, aether, and human sensitivity, that I would find my prey.


    The passage of time became a meaningless blur, keeping track of it a sense that I lost as I focused entirely on the others. The movement of my feet was automatic, the subtle turning of my head to listen to a child¡¯s whimper or watch a woman hurry past a darkened doorway done without conscious effort.


    ¡®There,¡¯ Regis thought, honing in on a distant patch of city wall some timeter.


    Following the course of his mind, I watched as a pair of guards froze, ncing at each other. Aether rushed into my eyes, enhancing my vision so I could focus on the distant point. The guards were pale, sweating, the question in their eyes obvious: why am I suddenly afraid? As one, they turned and began marching back along their patrol route, but too quickly to be natural.


    I moved into the shadows of a building; the sun was setting, I realized, and the shadows were deep. With my hood drawn low and my back hunched, I shuffled toward the wall, suppressing my sight and hearing to instead focus on the mana and aether.


    There it was, what I¡¯d been looking for: a subtle distortion in the aetheric pathways, a twitch in the atmospheric mana.


    Then, it was gone.


    Frowning, I expanded my senses again, searching for the same phenomenon nearby. When I couldn¡¯t feel it, I risked jumping up to the top of the wall, where I immediately crouched behind the low stone edge and searched with my eyes as well.


    My sharp-eyedpanion again spotted it first. ¡®The marketce.¡¯


    Peering down over the townhouse roofs, I scanned the small market square tucked up against the foot of the district wall. Beneath that wall, the shadows grew deeper, and¡ªthere!


    No strong source of mana emanated from the marketce, and the only mana signatures were a handful of wandering mages, none of whom were higher than orange core. But in the heart of those shadows, the atmospheric mana distorted ever so slightly, so subtle I might have missed it if not for the faintest distortion of the aetheric pathways that suggested a powerful source of mana was pressing against the aether all around it.


    Everyone who approached the shadows turned away suddenly, wrapping their arms around themselves or shivering as if they¡¯d had a sudden chill before hurrying away to a different part of the marketce.


    I started moving in that direction, keeping my eye on that one spot.


    The distortion dissolved, mana and aether rxing as they eased back into their normal configuration.


    But it didn¡¯t take me long to find the distortion again, now on the other side of the wall within the shadows of a tower.


    ¡®It¡¯s heading out of the city,¡¯ Regis pointed out.


    It knows we¡¯ve seen it.


    Casting off the cloak, I pressed Regis, and he manifested from my long shadow, his paws on the wall¡¯s edge. The aetheric pathways opened before me, and I appeared in the tower¡¯s shadow, violet lightning bolts running up my arms and down my legs.


    I felt the pressure exuded by the invisible figure for half a second, then it vanished.


    ¡®On top of the city¡¯s outer wall!¡¯ Regis said, guiding me excitedly as he rushed along the wall to have a better view.


    Feeling the paths, I God Stepped again, this time into the shadow of a guardpost that topped the tall outer wall on the south edge of the city.


    ¡®Already gone,¡¯ Regis huffed. ¡®Over the wall somewhere.¡¯


    I had to search this time, but I was starting to see the pattern.


    South of the wall, many low buildings had been erected to rece those demolished before and during the war. I searched their shadows and found the disturbance just as it vanished again, reappearing behind a building a few hundred feet farther away.


    The aetheric pathways took me there, and again I appeared just as the distortion vanished.


    Distantly, through his senses, I felt Regis leap off the high wall and strike the ground running behind me.


    I found and God Stepped after the distortion again, but I had to look for my prey, whereas it just had to keep running, and again it kept just ahead of me.


    But after a few more rapid shifts, we reached the end of the slums built outside of the city walls. What few trees had grown on these stony steppes approaching the bay had been cut down during the war, providing a clear view for over a mile, and with the only shadows provided by wild shrubs, low bushes, or young, straggly trees.


    But the sun was nearly down now, and those shadows were growing longer by the moment.


    The disturbance appeared in the shadows of arge rock, suddenly veering eastward. I scanned the area beyond the rock, where a row of wild berry bushes provided the only shadow of substance.


    Charting the path through the aether, I God Stepped first to the rock, then to the bushes, not waiting in between.


    I would have grinned as the disturbance swelled right beside me, like ws through the shadows, except there was no time.


    A dark shard of ck ice stabbed out of the air, aimed at my throat. I parried, but when I reached for the hidden arm holding the de, I grabbed nothing but air. Another de thrust from the side, aimed at my hip, then another in front of me, driving up under my ribs toward my heart.


    I blocked both strikes, imbuing the third impact with an aetheric st that incinerated the bushes. Moving in the wake of the st, an aether de appeared in my fist, sweeping into the center mass of the disruption in a blur as aether exploded through my arm in precise sequence.


    I felt the de meet resistance as it found my target¡¯s flesh and bone.


    The shadows fell away like a cloak being pulled from my target''s shoulders as they rolled across the ground and back to their feet. One arm had beenpletely severed, the bloody appendage lying on the ground between us. The thin, pale man pressed his remaining hand against the gushing stump, ring at me with bright red eyes through the bangs of his dark, unruly hair. ¡°The ascender¡­¡± he said, his voice oozing out of him and staining my eardrums.


    ¡°Where are the rest of you?¡± I demanded, keeping some distance between us but ready to counter if he so much as twitched.


    He shook his head, but no emotions crossed his face beyond a twinge of registered pain. ¡°No warning,st time. The High Sovereign didn¡¯t tell them what you are. A toe-to-toe fight, a real one. A rare treat for them, even though they didn¡¯t survive. Won¡¯t happen again, ascender. But not here for you. Knives in the dark, but not for you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re standing on the wrong continent,¡± I said, shifting my weight forward slightly. ¡°Which means that even if you¡¯re not here for me, I am here for you. Now where are the others? How many? I know you¡¯re not here alone.¡±


    Regis approached from behind, circling around to pen the Wraith in from the other side.


    The pale man shook his head again and, strangely, seemed to rx. ¡°Already toote. Can¡¯t run, can¡¯t talk, can¡¯t win.¡±


    I cocked my head slightly. ¡°I¡¯m not running, but I promise you, I can win. But I am about done talking. If you can¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not you, ascender. He is watching.¡± He pointed to his red eye. ¡°My eye to his. He knows. So it is already toote.¡±


    ¡°He? You mean Agrona? He¡¯s¡ª¡± I took an involuntary step back as mana swelled within and around the Wraith.


    He let out a choked gasp and fell to one knee, then looked up at me with a wide grin on his face, dark blood trickling from the corners.


    Regis, back!


    I slipped into God Step even as the mana erupted.


    From several hundred feet away, with aetheric electricity still arcing over me, I watched as a nova of ck mana and blood iron spikes burst from the Wraith¡¯s flesh, spraying outward in a deadly dome that ripped the ground apart for a hundred feet in every direction. A rain of ck metal spikes continued to fall for many long seconds after the explosion.


    I was still staring at the field of spikes as Regis came padding up beside me. ¡°These cryans and their blood curses.¡± When I didn¡¯t reply, he added, ¡°Think that¡¯s it? Attack deflected?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said, knowing the truth.


    We hadn¡¯t stopped the attack. We had simply changed events to a future that we now didn¡¯t know.

 Chapter 450

    <h4>Chapter 450</h4>


    Chapter 448: A Silent and Unmoving Conflict


    Just now


    <strong>KATHYLN GLAYDER</strong>


    I hurried down the long, strangely empty halls of Etistin Pce toward the East Wing, where two very unusual guests were waiting for me.


    My pulse was beating quickly in my throat, driven by my own inexplicable nervousness.


    Calm yourself, Kathyln, I thought, my mental voice sounding all too much like my deceased mother. But everything had moved so quickly after the appearance of the dragons, with Curtis and I being swept along in a tide we could not control or fight, and I had just begun settling my head around this new normal. It was only natural that such visitors who asked for me and me alone, would make me nervous, given the political context.


    The clipped beating of my feet on the marble floor resounded off the walls and came back to me as a subtle echo, like someone was walking just behind me. Normally such sounds wouldn¡¯t be noticeable in the pce; the dull but constant drone of conversation, orpeting footsteps, or the ring of training des from the courtyard, would swallow it up.


    But few could stand staying in the pce now, so near the dragons¡¯ heavy auras¡ªthe King¡¯s Force, as they called it.


    I passed by a guard, whose arrow-straight posture straightened even further at the sight of me. He did not meet my eye, but I felt his gaze burning into my back once I¡¯d passed. Could he sense my anxiety, read me like an open book? I listened for the telltale armored steps of the man retreating down the hall to report my strange behavior to Guardian Charon.


    I¡¯m being foolish, I acknowledged. Do not sumb to your overactive mind. Again, the thought in my mother¡¯s voice¡­


    As I approached the sitting chamber where my guests had been ced to await my arrival, I straightened my dress and fixed a weing smile on my face, feeling it tremble only slightly.


    They were both already standing as I entered, their eyes on the door.


    Such inhuman eyes they had, one pair the liquid gold of the sun¡¯s reflection on water, the other like two shining rubies.


    ¡°Lady Sylvie,¡± I said, acknowledging her with a sharp but shallow bow, not exactly sure how she ranked in the currentlyplicated politics of Epheotus and Dicathen.


    She returned the bow, much deeper, a respectful but also carefree gesture that made me regret my own calcted greeting. Her pale hair tumbled over her face, bright against the dark horns curving up from the sides of her head. When she straightened, smiling, I was struck by her height and the sharpness of her features.


    I shouldn¡¯t have been. It was only natural that she would age and grow. But thest time I¡¯d seen her¡ªsometime during the war, I wasn¡¯t even quite sure exactly how long it had been¡ªshe had presented herself physically as a child when in her humanoid form. Now, she was a young woman, and yet the confidence and maturity that radiated from her like an aura made her seem much older.


    She stepped quickly forward, and her ck dress swished and caught the light, its thousands of tiny ck scales glittering.


    I stiffened as she wrapped me in a brief hug.


    She didn¡¯t seem to notice as she released me, still beaming brightly. ¡°Lady Kathyln. It is good to see you again. Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice. I have no doubt you are very busy, and I understand the nature of our arrival is somewhat¡­unusual.¡±


    As she said ¡°our,¡± I turned to herpanion with the red eyes.


    Blue hair fell down the full-figured woman¡¯s shoulders, simultaneously dark next to the ck horns wrapping around her head like a crown and bright as it framed those ruby eyes. She was cryan, one of the beings they called Vritra-blooded. She was suppressing her mana, preventing me from properly gauging her core level, although that alone told me something: she was stronger than me.


    The woman copied Lady Sylvie¡¯s bow, although she did not break eye contact, giving the motion an almost aggressive air. ¡°Lady Kathyln yder. My name is Caera of Highblood Denoir. As Sylvie said, thank you for meeting us.¡±


    I gestured to a stiff couch across from a high-backed chair, taking the chair for myself. My fingers automatically went to the carefully carved grooves in the arm¡¯s woodwork, tracing the lines as I considered them. ¡°Lady Sylvie, I find it somewhat disconcerting that you¡¯ve asked for me in some secrecy when there are members of your own race present in this very pce. Why not seek the counsel of your own kind? Furthermore, why keep your presence a secret?¡±


    Sylvie sat very properly, her gaze unwavering. It was very easy to see her as some divine princess from the far-offnd of dragons. It was a bit more difficult to keep in mind my own purpose and the guidance and direction I had received from Guardian Charon and Windsom about how Arthur and hispanions were to be treated in the event they returned to Etistin.


    Meeting with them in secret behind Guardian Charon¡¯s back was certainly not a part of said guidance.


    ¡°Arthur has sent me to inform you of a potential attack on the pce,¡± she said, managing to be both confident and consoling. ¡°An attack targeting the dragons that would nheless put you and your brother in extreme danger.¡±


    I felt my lips¡¯ desire to frown, but I held them firm, keeping every muscle in my face in its natural ce, just as my mother had taught me from a very young age. ¡°I hope you have more to say than that. An attack on the dragons¡­who would dare such a thing? The fact that you¡¯re here offering a warning makes it clear you find the threat to be sincere, but I can¡¯t imagine who, short of the opposing asuras, would be a relevant danger.¡±


    Sylvie seemed to consider something for a moment, then words began to flow out of her as she wove a story of visions and powerful, asura-killing assassins, dead dragons, and even my own death. I was surprisingly unmoved as she exined this part, although her mention of my brother¡¯s demise raised goosebumps all over my skin.


    I maintained my posture and expression throughout, but on the inside, I was a roiling sea of uncertainty. I was aware of Arthur¡¯s fight against these ¡°Wraiths¡± in Vildorial, as were Windsom and Guardian Charon, but it was the dragons¡¯ opinion that Agrona¡¯s soldiers did not pose them, or us, any threat. The war was over, and the dragons were protecting Dicathen.


    It was perhaps not fair to Lady Sylvie, but I was also skeptical of any such visions that imed to see future events. My parents, as the king and queen of Sapin, had been surrounded by soothsayers and seers attempting to peddle prophecies at every juncture. Except for Elder Rinia, I had never met anyone iming to be an oracle who could tell so much as the next day¡¯s weather.


    The cryan woman, Caera, listened just as raptly as I did, clearly not having known the full story until that moment. Another point of strangeness working against them.


    When she finished, Lady Sylvie was silent as she waited for my response, giving me time to properly formte it.


    ¡°Forgive me. That is a lot to take in,¡± I said, searching her golden eyes for any sign of deceit but finding none. I imagined Arthur stalking a faceless creature of shadow through the streets of Etistin at that very moment, and a shiver ran through me. ¡°I admit, hearing your tale has only made me more confused. If the goal is to prevent this attack on Guardian Charon, why not speak to him directly?¡±


    I thought through the question even as I was asking it and came to the answer on my own. ¡°You do not want the other dragons to know you are here until Arthur is with you. And Arthur does not want to go to Charon without some proof of the Wraiths¡¯ presence.¡± I felt the smallest frown purse my lips and smoothed it away. ¡°Are such gifts of foresightmon among your kind, Lady Sylvie?¡±


    Her head cocked slightly to the side as she considered me. ¡°No. Arthur has always trusted you, Kathyln, and so I chose to as well. I hope I made the correct decision.¡±


    Coming from anyone else, the barbed words would have drawn my ire, buting from this golden-eyed dragon, all I could think was that I also hoped that she was right to tell me the truth.


    ¡°There is a general council meeting tomorrow,¡± I said after a long pause. ¡°What you describe, it sounds like what we¡ª¡±


    Mana erupted in the distance, and I forgot what I was saying, instead staring at the wall in the direction of the source.


    ¡°A decay-type mana art,¡± Caera said, frowning. ¡°That was a lot of mana.¡±


    I stood suddenly, smoothing out my dress. ¡°Stay here. No one will bother you. But the dragons will have sensed that as well¡ªhells, the entire city will have. I need to make sure there isn¡¯t a panic.¡±


    Before either of the women could speak, I turned on my heel and marched out of the chamber. The guard from before had moved from his post and was standing in the middle of the hall, staring as if expecting an army of cryans toe pouring down it at any moment. He spun and snapped into a salute when he heard my approach.


    I whisked past him and headed for the main pce entry. As expected, I found Curtis already there, standing in the outer courtyard and staring east. He nced at me as I moved to stand at his side.


    ¡°Did you feel that?¡± he asked, frowning. Grawder, my brother¡¯s world lion bond, gave a low growl, and Curtis patted his mane.


    I didn¡¯t answer, as Windsom entered the courtyard at that moment, every hair in ce, his military-style uniform as crisp and well-kept as always. His ethereal, starry-night eyes stared upward, and I followed his gaze just as a transformed dragon appeared, its shadow sweeping over us and speeding toward the source of the explosion.


    ¡°I thought we agreed there would be no transformed dragons within the city proper,¡± I said halfheartedly, knowing my protest would fall on deaf ears.


    At my side, Curtis shifted nervously. The dragons made him inexplicably nervous, and he hated whenever I said or did anything he deemed ¡°impertinent.¡±


    We did not have to wait long for the dragon¡¯s return.


    The huge blue reptilian beingnded right in the courtyard with us, the wind of its wings making me stumble. Grawder moved between us, shielding Curtis and me with his body.


    And so I didn¡¯t immediately see the passenger who rode on the dragon¡¯s back, not until I lowered my arm and stepped around Grawder.


    Arthur, his physical appearance so changed that it still caught me off guard to see him, slid down to the ground and started walking toward us, heedless of the deity at his back, as if he rode on a dragon all the time.


    I startled, almostughing to myself, although my long-practiced sense of decorum prevented this. Of course, because he does ride on a dragon.


    ¡°Call for Guardian Charon!¡± Edirith, the blue dragon, announced, his voice just as gargantuan as his draconic form. ¡°I have brought the one called Arthur Leywin! Call for the Guardian!¡±


    Windsom stepped forward and raised a hand, and Edirith stilled and went silent before resuming his humanoid form. Windsom smiled warmly at Arthur and opened his mouth to speak, but Arthur walked right past him, instead approaching Curtis and me. I traced his sharp features with my eyes, searching for the boy I¡¯d known at Xyrus Academy or the young general he had be during the war, but just as thest time I¡¯d seen him, this new Arthur presented so little of who he¡¯d been before.


    And yet he is perhaps even more handsome than before, if that¡¯s possible.


    I cleared my throat, shaking off my distraction. ¡°Arthur, it¡¯s a pleasure to see you.¡±


    ¡°Kathyln.¡± Unexpectedly, he reached out and pulled me into an embrace. A tingle ran along my skin as his lips moved so close to my ear that I could feel the whisper of his breath as he said, ¡°The others?¡±


    Understanding I returned his embrace as I would an old friend and nodded ever so slightly.


    He let me go, and I straightened my dress again, carefully avoiding ncing in Windsom¡¯s direction as he instead held out a hand to my brother.


    ¡°Curtis,¡± he said simply as they shook hands. ¡°You¡¯re growing a beard. I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s working for you.¡±


    Curtis let out the boyishugh he was known all throughout Sapin for, but the joy of it didn¡¯t reach his eyes. He was guarded, wary, and Grawder picked up on the tension, lowering his head and shaking out his mane, his gleaming eyes locked on Arthur. Long gone were the days ofradery at Xyrus Academy between members of the Disciplinary Committee.


    I hated that politics poisoned my thoughts even in that moment, just as I knew what my brother was thinking. And yet there was no escaping it. Our country¡ªour entire continent¡ªwas too fragile not to consider every option as we attempted to rebuild.


    ¡°So, Arthur Leywin finally graces us with his presence,¡± Windsom said, his hands sped behind his back. ¡°Hello, boy. Where is my lord¡¯s granddaughter? I hope you haven¡¯t lost her. Again.¡±


    Arthur and Windsom matched unfriendly looks, a contest I couldn¡¯t help but expect the asura to win. And yet, Arthur did not seem like a man studying a deity. No, he was not lesser in this contest of wills. There was something distinctly predatory in his eyes that made me instinctively take a step back.


    ¡°Sylvie is fine. Safe, which in this case means far away from you at the moment. I have news for whoever is in charge of the dragons,¡± Arthur said, his voice absent of any obvious disrespect while still managing to sound directlybative. ¡°Imagine my surprise to learn that wasn¡¯t you, old friend?¡±


    With each word the two exchanged, I grew more ufortable.


    The dragons had spent months with us in Sapin helping to rebuild and keeping us safe from additional attacks from crya. They were sometimes difficult to understand, and their dispositions were not like any humans, elves, or dwarves I had ever met, but that was to be expected. They weren¡¯t like us, and it was improper to gauge them on our metrics.


    And yet it had been Arthur who swept across the continent like a storm of fire to burn away the cryan upation. Arthur, too, was responsible for the treaty with the lord of Epheotus, the dragon Kezess Indrath, which brought the dragons to our shores.


    Seeing their conflict caused a raw, caustic ache in my stomach. Dicathen couldn¡¯t afford for these forces to be pitted against one another, although I thought I understood the reason for Arthur¡¯s attitude, at least.


    After all, the smoke still rose over much of Elenoir, where our old ally, General Aldir, turned the forests to ash.


    I dreaded the thought of threading myself like a needle between these two titanic forces, but who else was there to do it? There was far too much at stake to let the antipathy between them derail the future of our entire continent.


    Taking a step forward so the movement would draw their attention to me instead of each other, I gestured toward the pce entrance. ¡°Windsom, Edirith, please attend me as I escort Arthur to Guardian Charon.¡± Keeping my tone as neutral as I was able, I continued. ¡°Charon Indrath has been¡­keen to meet with you, Arthur. I¡¯m certain he will be willing to hear you out.¡±


    Arthur rxed and fell in beside me, holding out his arm for me to take it. Windsom turned on his heel and marched away without a second nce, his hands grasped behind his back, while Curtis somewhat awkwardly marched on Arthur¡¯s other side. Edirith fell into step behind us, his agitated aurashing us like a whip. My body was rigid with tension, each step like I was crossing broken ss, but I held it all in.


    Somehow, despite his earlier intensity, Arthur seemed as rxed and at ease as if we were out for an afternoon stroll in the pce gardens. I¡¯d much rather be walking through the gardens than¡ª


    I clipped the improper thought off as soon as I recognized where it was going. I was the thread that would stitch the wound between Guardian Charon and Arthur, and I couldn¡¯t afford to start showing either favoritism. Thoughts eventually became action, even inadvertently.


    When we arrived at the throne room, I was unsurprised to see the entire council had already been convened. Although it took us ages to discuss even the simplest issues, when the Guardian called on them, they practically teleported to his feet. I didn¡¯t hold this against them, however. The dragons¡¯ presence was overwhelming, and the Guardian himself doubly so. They simply yed the game of politics as best they knew how.


    Otto and cousin Florian had their heads together, whispering animatedly. Lord Astor was lingering as close to Guardian Charon as he dared, and I saw Jackun Maxwell and Lady Lambert as well. The others of the council either spoke quietly among themselves or waited in tense silence.


    Charon himself sat stiffly on the dais at the foot of the throne, where he always sat when events caused us to use this room. The dragon didn¡¯t need a throne to make him look regal or powerful.


    A row of guards lined the walls to the left and right, at least four times the number we usually requested for such events. It was an impressive disy, taking me back to my days as a child in these very halls, when it was my father sitting on that throne with my mother at his side.


    I felt cold and distant as I thought of them. Knowing that particr emotion would be useful for what wasing, I held onto it tight.


    Windsom came to a halt before we¡¯d crossed a quarter of the throne room, forcing me to stop behind him. He opened his mouth to introduce us, but hesitated when the sharp sound of footfalls continued to resound through the cavernous chamber.


    All eyes gravitated to Arthur as he left me behind, marched past Windsom as if the dragon were as unremarkable as sagebrush, and headed straight for the Guardian, his stride unbroken by nerves or the bitterness of self-doubt. I could only watch, spellbound, as Arthur crossed the throne room like a riverskin hunting in the bay.


    Edirith hurried after him, his powerful hand closing over Arthur¡¯s shoulder. ¡°None approach the Guardian without¡ª¡±


    Arthur turned, his golden eyes shing like the edge of a de.


    The dragon faltered, and Arthur continued on, never breaking his stride.


    The entire chamber remained frozen in rapt anticipation.


    ¡°Guardian Charon,¡± Arthur said. He stopped walking as he spoke, standing just before the throne, and the sound of his voice was like the breaking of the spell, and the entire congregation seemed to take a breath all at once. ¡°Guardian. I didn¡¯t think to ask Vajrakor whose idea that title was. But then, he and I didn¡¯t get along very well. I¡¯m hoping this meeting will go better.¡±


    Charon stood, standing head and shoulders above Arthur from his ce on the dais, but he did not linger there, choosing instead to step down and meet Arthur eye to eye.


    Energy crackled like a physical force between them as they regarded each other. There was a silent and unmoving conflict between them, or rather the intent they both wielded like a weapon. In a way, they were a sort of mirror of each other.


    Charon was the same height as Arthur and yet seemed to tower over everyone around him. His build wasn¡¯t powerful, matching Arthur¡¯s lean and graceful athleticism, but his raw strength was visible in his every movement. He shared Sylvie¡¯s light-colored hair, which I assumed was an Indrath trait¡ªdoes that have something to do with Arthur¡¯s transformation, I wonder?¡ªbut his eyes were deep, dark pools of plum purple.


    In their faces, though, the two were nothing alike. Although Arthur had returned aged, his face sharper and more mature than before the war, he still looked like a boy next to Charon, whose features were grizzled with the scars of a thousand battles, pock-marked with old burns, and hardened into unbending expectation.


    It was a face that conjured both fear and respect with nothing more than a look.


    What it did not do was smile often, and yet the Guardian¡¯s scarred cheek twitched, and the corner of his lips quirked up in amusement. ¡°Yes, Vajrakor was quite thorough in his description of that meeting, as well as in his approximation of your abilities and temperament.¡±


    Windsom took this as some sort of cue and moved forward again, taking up his position to their left. The dragon guard nked Charon. Wanting my physical position to remain neutral, I stood opposite the group from Windsom, my brother at my side.


    ¡°Wee to Etistin, Arthur Leywin,¡± Charon said, his deep voice a thunderous rumble. ¡°It is good that we are finally meeting, even if the circumstances are less than ideal. The disturbance outside the city¡ªwhat were you up to?¡±


    Arthur scanned the crowd of counselors and guards. ¡°Perhaps we could speak in a less public setting?¡± Arthur suggested quietly.


    The Guardian made a sudden, sharp gesture with his hand. The two lines of guards spun on their heels and began marching out of the throne room, creating an aisle between them where the counselors and other noble types could leave as well, although thistter group did so hesitantly, without the snappy military precision of the soldiers.


    Curtis shifted, ncing at the retreating counselors, and I knew he wished he could join them. He and I had been under a constant bombardment of ¡°guidance¡± from our counselors since Lyra Dreide officially ended the upation of Dicathen and Arthur left us in charge of Etistin. Not all of the advice we received was what I would call ¡°good advice,¡± and that had only gotten worse since the dragons¡¯ arrival. Curtis in particr struggled to bnce his own desires with those of the people, the dragons, and our chosen council.


    The truth was that we needed the dragons. We needed their power and their leadership, and the confidence it gave our people in the future. Too much had happened¡ªthe death of the kings and queens, the defeat of the Lances, the loss of the war and subsequent upation, the destruction of Elenoir¡ªfor our people to simply expect that we could rebuild what we¡¯d lost.


    The dragons provided a new foundation on which to build, and without them, I feared the ground would always be waiting to slide right out from under our feet.


    And yet¡­I had been raised around politics and court intrigue my entire life. I could see the maniption of public opinion as it was happening; the dragons had silently been undercutting the people¡¯s view of Arthur. It was an ¡°out with the old, in with the new¡± mentality that I understood, but it was unjust and terribly unfair to a man who had given so much to save us.


    Then, he had been the one to bargain for the dragons¡¯ protection. I also felt it was necessary to trust that he knew what he was doing.


    Thest of the crowd left, and two guards worked together to shut therge throne room doors.


    ¡°Better?¡± Guardian Charon asked, holding his hands out to his sides as he gestured around the wide, empty space. ¡°Now, what are you doing here? What happened?¡±


    Arthur retold the story that Lady Sylvie had told me, although he left out the part about her apparently having witnessed the attack in a vision. Arthur, in fact, seemed to gloss over how exactly the evidence of an attack hade to him.


    ¡°Although I¡¯ve eliminated one, there will be others,¡± Arthur concluded. ¡°I can¡¯t promise that this will dissuade their attack, either.¡±


    Charon crossed his arms and shook a lock of hair out of his face. The look of intensity he projected was one I¡¯d seen many times before. ¡°I assure you, I have no need of protection against Agrona¡¯s soldiers. Your earlier defeat of the Wraiths should have disabused you of this notion that they can defeat my kind. Certainly not warriors. I promise you, Kezess did not send farmers or fledgling children in training to guard this continent.¡±


    Arthur took a couple of steps as he began to pace, then forced himself to be still. His eyes jumped to mine for the briefest instant of contact. ¡°Even a battle where you defeated them could result in the deaths of dozens, even hundreds of the city¡¯s residents. All I¡¯m asking is that you help me scour the city and surrounding countryside. Let¡¯s make sure they¡¯ve gone.¡±


    Charon shrugged, a motion that was at odds with everything else about his posture and expression, which rarely rxed into anything less than that rigidly militaristic. ¡°I don¡¯t want you scaring the people of Etistin by turning the city upside down in a search for ghosts.¡± He looked at Windsom. ¡°See what can be done, subtly. Perhaps call in a few dragons from the patrols, faces the people here won¡¯t recognize. And they should be adept at hiding themselves among the lessers.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Windsom said with a shallow bow.


    ¡°The presence of Agrona¡¯s most powerful forces on Dicathen only reinforces my other reason for being here, however,¡± Arthur continued, his voice carrying the weight of words he expected not to be taken well. ¡°I have spent some time in crya, fighting alongside Seris Vritra, the leader of a rebel faction fighting back against Agrona.¡±


    ¡°That is a rather generous way to phrase that,¡± Charon rumbled, a suppressedugh in his words.


    Arthur didn¡¯t acknowledge the interruption. ¡°I have offered Seris and any of her people that wanted to join her sanctuary in Dicathen, safely in the Elenoir Wastes with the submitted cryan army. Seris has asked me to extend my hand in friendship with you and your kin. She hopes that, in exchange for the protection you¡¯re already offering this continent, she can provide you with useful information about Agrona and crya¡¯s defenses among other things.¡±


    Charon¡¯s brows, left half bald and tattered by the scarring on his face, had slowly crawled up his forehead as Arthur had spoken. For a moment, he seemed at a loss for words. ¡°That is certainly a brave request, if not a rational one. That you can so boldly im to have smuggled an undisclosed number of enemybatants into this continent, reuniting an enemy general with many thousands of her soldiers in the process, and not seem to understand the ramifications, suggests to me that perhaps your reputation as a strategic genius is exaggerated by the people here.¡±


    I held my breath as Arthur cocked his head slightly to the side, but before he could respond I took a quick step forward. From the corner of my eye, I saw my brother reach for my arm, but I evaded his grasp and put myself next to Arthur, directly across from the weighty gaze of Charon¡¯s dark eyes.


    ¡°Guardian Charon,¡± I began, my words clearly enunciated and polite, ¡°thank you for including my brother and me in this meeting. We both havee to greatly appreciate the healthy working rtionship you have maintained with Etistin¡¯s new governing body, and I hope that you¡¯ll allow me to speak on Arthur¡¯s behalf. Having known him since we were children and benefited directly from his actions on multiple asions since then, I can tell you with no hesitation or doubt that the reality of his aplishments regrly goes well beyond the rumors that follow in his wake.¡±


    I took a breath, having rushed to get everything out before I was interrupted. Windsom was eyeing me with thinly veiled annoyance, but Charon was attentive.


    ¡°Although he has never taken steps to make it so, Arthur is looked up to by many as the de facto leader of Dicathen, uniting humans, elves, and dwarves in their respect for him. The presence of your kin here has been a blessing, Guardian, one we will never be able to repay, but not everyone has it in them to forgive the past and trust that the dragons really mean peace.¡±


    I looked between the two, mentally urging them to listen to me. ¡°You need each other, Dicathen needs you both, for this ever to work. Charon, as named regent of the continent, I believe Arthur is well within his authority to offer sanctuary¡ª¡±


    ¡°Regent is not a title we acknowledge,¡± Charon said smoothly, his deep voice swallowing mine. ¡°A title invented by invaders and handed down by a turncoat. There is no legitimacy in it.¡± He paused thoughtfully. ¡°But you are right beside that, of course. Our presence in Dicathen is down to this agreement between Arthur and Lord Indrath, and I don¡¯t intend to work against my lord¡¯s purpose. But neither will I ignore my own best judgment.¡±


    Before he could continue speaking, a heavy knock on the doors pulled everyone¡¯s attention in that direction. One opened partially, but instead of a guard, Lady Sylvie Indrath walked in, her fair hair and skin practically glowing against the darkness of her horns and clothes. I felt a spike of disconcerting fear, but knew that Arthur could speak with her telepathically. I could only assume her arrival at this time was by design.


    ¡°Cousin Charon,¡± she said, marching down the aisle toward us at speed, the soles of her boots cking with each step.


    Caera slipped through the door behind her, walking in her shadow.


    Windsom¡¯s nose wrinkled up in annoyance or frustration, I couldn¡¯t be certain which. He red at Arthur.


    But Charon gave a warm smile that softened his harsh features and broke away from our group, moving to meet Lady Sylvie. ¡°Second cousin, thrice removed, but I suppose that doesn¡¯t matter outside of Epheotus. Have you been slinking around the pce all this time?¡±


    ¡°Of course she has,¡± Windsom snapped, growing increasingly irritated. ¡°Charon, Sylvie is to be returned to Lord Indrath immediately, per his very explicit instructions.¡± Windsom¡¯s gxy-colored eyes bore down on Arthur. ¡°This is not a request, Arthur. If you value this continent, you¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°Guardian Charon, is it you or Windsom here who is inmand of the dragons in Dicathen?¡± Arthur asked smoothly, his note of feigned curiosity like the twisting of a dagger.


    ¡°Windsom¡­¡± Charon said, his tone thick with warning.


    As the two powerful asuras exchanged a long, meaningful look, my own gaze slipped away from the drama of their confrontation.


    Also sharing a meaningful look behind the asuras¡¯ backs were Arthur and Sylvie. Some silentmunication drifted through the air between them, drawn on nearly visible line of their shared eye contact.


    After a handful of very long seconds, Windsom straightened his uniform and nodded.


    Charon let his dark gaze linger on Windsom for a long moment even afterward, then turned back to Sylvie. ¡°Now, I believe we were having a reunion. Please, let us all go somewhere morefortable. We have a lot to talk about.¡±

 Chapter 451

    <h4>Chapter 451</h4>


    Chapter 449: An Impossible Sight


    An hour ago


    <strong>LYRA DREIDE</strong>


    I paused in my rush from one task to the next, drawing in a deep, fortifying breath.


    The sun was hanging over the mountains to the west, its final rays still warm. The near-constant breeze that blew across the wastnd had died down, lessening the fine cloud of ash that always hung in the air. It was a perfectly pleasant day, and yet I found it almost painful to rx, the effort straining against my body¡¯s urge to continue checking items off my list as fast as possible.


    My duties had pulled me from one minor emergency to the next for two days straight, and I hadn¡¯t had even a brief reprieve in what felt like hours. Closing my eyes, I turned my face toward the sun, letting its warmth touch my face. A shiver ran through me¡­built-up tension seeking a release.


    I felt my lips curve into a smile.


    This¡­this is what being a leader is. This is what I could have been doing my whole life, if only I¡¯d known¡­


    Being looked up to, respected, even¡ªdare I say¡ªloved¡­it was addicting, even more than the constant climb for power and authority had been before.


    Watching Seris work, working alongside her as we helped our people toe to terms with their new lives, was satisfying in a way I had never understood before. It gave me hope. It also, perhaps more than anything else, made me d that Arthur Leywin hadn¡¯t killed me in Etistin. I couldn¡¯t help but second guess myself at first, but now¡­


    It was clear I had made the correct decision.


    As I let the sun kiss my skin, I felt the sharp sensation of eyes burning into my back.


    Letting my eyes ease open, I slowly turned and searched for the watcher. He wasn¡¯t difficult to spot: a skinny bespectacled boy was sitting on the edge of a farm bed, now staring intently at his knees.


    Slowly, he tried to sneak a quick look up, caught me watching him, went red, and stared hard at the ground.


    My curiosity piqued, I started in the boy¡¯s direction, my movements unrushed in a way that I was already unustomed to. I felt a little bad as I watched him begin to panic, likely fearing a scolding or worse. He was one of the new arrivals, but I didn¡¯t know him or which blood he belonged to. By the tension with which he held himself and the fact that he was isted when everyone else was hard at work, I suspected he was here alone, perhaps even a lower-ss resident of the Relictombs¡¯ second level who snuck through during Seris¡¯s exodus.


    I stood over him, my arms crossed, lips pursed slightly. ¡°Have I wronged you, boy?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯re staring as if you¡¯ve sworn a blood oath of vengeance on me.¡± Cocking my head slightly, I added, ¡°Considering everything, I suppose that is possible.¡±


    He flinched, nced up at me, looked away, looked back again, then pulled his legs up to his chest and seemed to shrink.


    I rxed, softening my expression and stance. ¡°At ease, child. I only meant to startle some good humor out of you. Why don¡¯t we start again? I¡¯m sure you know my name already, but I¡¯m Lyra. Who are you?¡±


    He chewed the inside of his lip, the spinning gears of his thoughts visible in his eyes, then finally hopped to his feet and bowed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, retainer Lyra of Highblood Dreide. I didn¡¯t mean to stare. I just¡­¡± He swallowed heavily. ¡°I¡¯m Seth of Highblood Milview.¡±


    Milview¡­Milview? I rolled the name around, searching for any connection to it. I was slightly surprised to hear him name himself as a highblood, but less so that I didn¡¯t know anything about the name.


    ¡°Where is the rest of your blood then?¡± I asked, eager to ensure bloods weren¡¯t being separated as they were relocated away from the small settlement where they had arrived, which could not support all of them.


    The boy¡¯s face sank, and I realized the truth. ¡°You¡¯re all alone, then?¡± I asked. ¡°Was your blood lost in the war?¡±


    He nodded, a very slight, nervous movement, then sank back onto the wooden border of the raised farm bed. ¡°They were all killed¡­here.¡± He waved a hand at the asnds beyond the small vige. ¡°Recently elevated blood¡­because of something my sister did in the war. And then wiped away, just like that.¡±


    I sat next to him, considering my words carefully. ¡°You never felt like a highblood, did you?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Not really. The others at the academy¡­well, they didn¡¯t treat me like I was their equal. Not until¡­¡± He swallowed heavily. ¡°Not until Professor Grey¡­Arthur.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± I said, recalling what little I had learned of Arthur Leywin¡¯s time hidden in crya. ¡°You are one of his students, then. Is that why you came to Dicathen? To follow your mentor?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± he said, too quickly. nching, he nced at me from the corner of his eye. ¡°I mean, I just didn¡¯t have anywhere else to go. Scythe Seris wanted to know more about my bestowals, me and my friend, and I just thought, well, maybe here at least I could do¡­something?¡± He shrugged rather helplessly. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I could return to my blood¡¯s home or the academy. Not after everything.¡±


    I pressed my lips into a tight smile, not saying anything else. Clearly the boy needed to talk, and I was prepared to let him. At least, with what little time I had to spare.


    He hopped up again and took a couple steps away, facing the gray wastnd to the north. ¡°Why did Circe have to die just for¡­that?¡± he asked. ¡°She died mapping a way through it, that¡¯s what we were told. But now look at it. She died for nothing.¡±


    Milview¡­


    The name settled into ce in my mind, bringing back a report received ages ago. Arge number of Sentries had been tasked with charting a path through the enchanted forests of the elves, and it had been a young and talented Sentry named Circe of Named Blood Milview who had finally seeded where her peers had failed.


    ¡°Many died needlessly in this war,¡± I said, still sitting. ¡°The asura are heedless with lesser lives. But, perhaps¡­¡± I paused, letting the words hang. ¡°Perhaps their deaths aren¡¯t for nothing if they show us that the world needs to change. If they motivate us to make that very change. That seems to me like a more worthy cause to fight for.¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t respond, and my attention was drawn to an approaching figure. Anvald of Named Blood Torpor¡¯s broad shoulders and shaved scalp were obvious even from a distance.


    I stood and stretched, feeling my brief reprieveing to an end. ¡°I could use the assistance of a motivated young mage,¡± I said, resting my hand lightly on the boy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If you are willing. And I¡¯m sure we can find time for you to continue to help Seris in her research as well.¡±


    He stared at me, his eyes wide and watery. Clearing his throat, he removed his sses and wiped the back of his arm across his face. ¡°Uh, sure,¡± he said, fumbling the thick lenses back over his eyes.


    Anvald came to a stop several feet away, looking grim. ¡°Lady Seris has requested your presence, Lyra.¡±


    I didn¡¯t bother asking what this was about. The fact that Seris was requesting me meant it had to do with some conflict between the new arrivals and those cryan soldiers who had been consigned to the Elenoir Wastes by Regent Leywin.


    ¡°Come along then, assistant,¡± I said, only a little flippantly. Although I didn¡¯t look back, I heard Seth¡¯s halting footsteps behind me. ¡°What is it now, Anvald? Some new construction interrupting a used-to-be highblood¡¯s view of the endless ashy wastes?¡±


    Anvald snorted. ¡°Ah, better that I do not color your view of the matter.¡±


    Curious, I followed the ascender in silence until we reached the open doorway of the vige meeting hall, a small, pdash building we had left empty for meetings and such, just to make things feel a little more officious.


    Anvald stepped aside and waved me in. As I stepped through, my eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim light, but I began to make out what sounded like a long-running argument.


    ¡°¡ªblood Vasserecks the standing to im authority over Highblood Ainsworth soldiers,¡± the strong voice of an older man was saying. ¡°We have few enough left. I won¡¯t have them drawn off to other duties when they should be protecting me, my wife, and my heir, do you understand? After everything we¡¯ve done for this movement, everything we¡¯ve sacrificed, to now be asked to bend the knee to this¡­this¡­¡±


    I squinted slightly, and my eyes adjusted enough to see Baldur Vassere try and fail not to roll his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not¡ªugh, surely, Scythe Seris, you can see that I¡¯m only trying to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Again, I¡¯d like to remind everyone that blood station carries no weight at all in this new nation of cryans,¡± Corbett of Highblood Denoir interrupted.


    No, just Corbett Denoir, I reminded myself, the thought reinforced by the man¡¯s own words.


    ¡°As of two days ago, we all agreed to move forward as equals,¡± he finished.


    I moved to nk Baldur, whom I had worked with closely since this prison-turned-refuge was formed for the cryan soldiers. Arthur himself had put Baldur in charge of rounding up the first cryans from the armies around ckbend and guiding them into the wastnd.


    Seth didn¡¯t follow, but lingered next to the door.


    Seris¡¯s brows rose slightly as she addressed my arrival. ¡°Some of those who came with me have questioned Baldur Vassere¡¯s leadership, Lyra. I believe Ector here suggested that a ¡®second-tier cousin of a second-tier highblood¡¯ had no right to be giving orders to such potent highbloods as Frost and Ainsworth. It strikes me that this is, perhaps, exactly the right time to see some proof of this new societal concept of ours¡­one in which the ¡®purity¡¯ of one¡¯s blood, as determined by the Vritra, is not in fact the end-all be-all of one¡¯s worth.¡±


    I nodded in understanding. ¡°The leaders of this society must be people who have earned the right through action, who their peers look to as leaders willingly, with eptance, hope, and most of all, trust. Baldur Vassere has been that leader here. It was he whoid the foundations for the earliest encampments, gathering the defeated, despondent, furious remains of the cryan army and keeping them from imploding long enough to form a pipeline for food and water, as well as build a handful of ramshackle structures to keep the sun from baking them.¡±


    I met the eyes of those around me in turn: Ector Ainsworth, Lars Isenhaert, Corbett Denoir, a mage by the name of Udon insrunner who worked closely with Baldur, and Baldur himself, who turned to give me a weak smile.


    ¡°For your entire lives, you have held up shields of worry and paranoia, considering the implication of even the smallest interactions with other highbloods as you struggled to make space for yourselves and your bloods¡ªyour families¡ªin the midst of the never-ending feeding frenzy that was cryan politics.


    ¡°Now is the time toy down those shields, gentlemen. You are no longer jockeying for position among your peers but working to ensure our collective survival,¡± I finished.


    I shot Seris a nce to gauge her reaction, a reflexive motion I couldn¡¯t help despite the message I¡¯d just delivered to the others. It would take us all more than a couple of days to put aside a lifetime of hierarchy.


    Ector Ainsworth crossed his arms and looked away. Lars seemed to be taking his cues from Ector, while Corbett Denoir had the look of one who was both eager and deeply tired. Udon and Baldur, both soldiers who were not used to this kind of politics, shuffled ufortably.


    ¡°Perhaps we could take this conversation out into the vige,¡± I suggested, moving toward the doorway. I gestured for Seth to go through ahead of me. ¡°There are others I would like to introduce you to, leaders among the people here. Not by virtue of their military station or bloodline, but by their hard work, talent, and self-sacrifice.¡±


    Although the tension was still clear, especially from Ector, they all followed Seth and me out into the sunshine.


    ¡°Our mages with earth-affinity type runes have been invaluable,¡± I said, gesturing to the building we¡¯d just left. ¡°Along with the handful of mages in the wastes who had prior experience with the construction and conjuration of buildings. Perhaps you don¡¯t recognize it now, but the simple act of building a few houses waspletely essential for our sess here, and we owe much to those who were instrumental in the process.¡±


    Ector, Lars, and Corbett examined the structure unenthusiastically, clearly not enthralled by the exnation. I had to admit, the simple square building, formed of gray brick crafted from the ash, supported by timbers from the Beast des, and roofed with wavy interlocking tiles of colorless y didn¡¯t paint an idyllic picture, especially for thoseing from huge mansions designed by cryans best architects and Imbuers, but function, in this case, was many times more important than form. In the end, I hoped only that they would see the purpose of the structures and the importance of the people behind them.


    After giving them a moment to examine the building, I led them to a nearby patch of farnd, introducing them to Udon¡¯s brother, Idir, a soldier previously stationed in Xyrus who was now one of our most proficient cultivators of fertile soil brought in from the Beast des.


    ¡°An entire army at our disposal, and yet we suffer for ack of builders and farmers,¡± Lars murmured to Ector.


    ¡°On the contrary,¡± I chided, ¡°we have more than enough of both. They onlyck for training and practice. Thankfully, plenty of that is in supply for anyone willing to try their hand at something new.¡±


    Lars shuffled ufortably and cleared his throat, but he apparently had nothingelse to say.


    It was as we turned away from the plot of farnd that something in the air changed.


    Seris sensed it first, her head snapping around to the south. Cylrit, who had been nking her like a shadow, shifted quickly into a defensive stance in front of her. I followed the line of their serious stares into the trees of the Beast des. An instantter, it hit me as well.


    An intensely potent mana signature, apanied by a desperately crushing intent, was rushing toward us, flying over the wild tangle of foresnd and growing stronger by the moment.


    A ripple went through the gathered mages, wiping away all thought of the conversation we¡¯d been having. But it wasn¡¯t only the handful of us present. Idir and three others tended the farnd while dozens of cryans milled about, some carrying timber to new construction, others buckets of water, some only loitering, unsure what to do. Nearby, a handful of children were sitting with a girl with short golden hair as she taught them about magic.


    They all felt it.


    Beside me, Seth Milview grabbed my sleeve, his hands shaking.


    As the pressure built, some couldn¡¯t help but step back, reeling from the weight of it even at this distance. Others, I was worried to see, stumbled toward the signature, jaws ck and faces expectant, almost reverent. Hopeful.


    Fools, I thought absently, my own internal voice distant and quiet, as if my mind had already retreated away from the approaching power.


    Seris burst into action, takingmand and issuing orders. ¡°Ainsworth, Denoir, start gathering the bloods. Ensure people stay together, keep order, don¡¯t allow a panic to sweep our number. Those who are already preparing to leave the vige, get them moving. Vassere, organize a retreat into the wastnd. Anyone who remains here could be a danger to us or themselves. Split the vige east and west, toward the next towns in line. Go!¡±


    I took a few steps forward, pulling Seth with me as I squinted over the trees in search of the signature¡¯s source. ¡°There,¡± I said, although it came out barely a whisper.


    A winged creature, massive and ck and the night sky, flew into view, sweeping low over the trees. In seconds, it was wheeling above us, a harsh cry issuing from its enormous maw.


    My mind reeled. A Vritra, in its fully transformed state¡­


    To see a basilisk flying the skies of Dicathen¡­such a thing hadn¡¯t been seen in crya in my lifetime. Seeing one here, now¡­it seemed the height of impossibility.


    All I could think was that Seris¡¯s escape from the Relictombs had finally prompted Agrona to take extreme action and end our fledgling offshoot nation of soldiers and rebels.


    With the suddenness of a falling catapult stone, the basilisk descended,nding half in one of the farm beds, its wed feet churning the ground, ripping up the crops, and sending the farmers sprawling, their shouts nearly lost in the noise of the huge wings beating against the warm,te-afternoon air.


    Seth stumbled and fell backwards, but I couldn¡¯t pull my gaze away from the sight of the basilisk in front of me.


    Even through my fear, it was truly a sight to behold.


    Its body was a single long serpentine trunk ted with pitch-ck scales and lined with spines from the end of its whiplike tail to the base of its thick neck. Six powerful limbs protruded from the long body, each ending in a w tipped with talons like scythes, and four thin, leathery wings grew from above the forelimbs, now curled around the basilisk¡¯s squirming body like a protective shield.


    The reptilian head snapped side to side, glowering around at the vige, its maw opening and closing to reveal the dark void of its gullet, the apanying snap rending the air like the shattering of stone, the smell of raw meat and sulfur making my stomach churn.


    Its tail witched back and forth, splintering a withered tree and scything over the heads of the paralyzed children.


    Its zing red eyes, four on each side of the elongated face, searched each and every person present.


    Like it is deciding which of us to devour first, I couldn¡¯t help but think.


    But the basilisk¡¯s aura was frantic and punishing, striking us like the iing tide on a stormy morning. It was uncontrolled and wild, not the weaponized intent of a greater being but an untamed manifestation of¡­abject terror? It was difficult to conceive, especially with the weight of it crushing me to the spot.


    Seris¡¯s orders had not survived the basilisk''s suddennding, and I could no longer tell the difference between reverence and horror on the faces of those around me. All were frozen, every pair of eyes locked on the asura. No one moved at all.


    No one except Seris, who strode forward, somehow unbent by the pressure.


    The reptilian head,rge enough to swallow ten lessers in a single strike, snapped around, all eight eyes focusing on her. ¡°Scythe¡­¡± Its voice was like the des of a saw ripping through hard wood and the shearing of metal beneath a hurricane wind.


    Even Seris couldn¡¯t entirely disguise her fear as she faced the basilisk, her stance too rigid, her chin raised too high. ¡°Sovereign Oludari Vritra¡­¡±


    I felt my stomach clench painfully. Not just any basilisk, but the Sovereign of Truacia. I had met him before, but didn¡¯t recognize his mana in this form. But that wasn¡¯t what made me feel on the verge of sickness.


    There was no reason for a Sovereign to appear in Dicathen. The High Sovereign would not have sent Oludari to extinguish us, nor would Oludari have decided to take on such a task himself. It simply wasn¡¯t the way things were done. The Sovereigns hardly ever left their own dominions. They were paranoid and possessive, ever watchful and guarded. With Oludari being thest of the Sovereigns, he should have been taking every precaution against¡­


    Thest of the Sovereigns¡­fleeing to Dicathen¡­


    What does that mean? I asked myself, struggling to hold onto sense.


    He began to transform, shrinking as the powerful limbs became arms and legs, the serpentine body condescending into the upright form of a man. Wings fell down behind his bent back, bing a part of the dark battlerobes clinging to his thin frame. The pointed, gap-mawed face ttened until Oludari¡¯s pale visage was recognizable, his ruby eyes staring at us, two spiraling horns pointing toward the sky above them.


    Oludari, on the couple of asions I had witnessed him in person, had been impassive and focused. Now, there was a manic wildness in his eyes that I couldn¡¯t have imagined seeing from an asura, and his face was twisted with a fear so palpable and unexpected that it was difficult to look at, for seeing it made me want to bolt into the wastes and never look back.


    Oludari surged forward, and I couldn¡¯t help but stumble away, unable to keep myposure.


    My senses left me as I struggled to understand what I was seeing. It looked, to my eyes, as if the Sovereign threw himself at Seris¡¯s feet, his pale, shaking hands wing at the legs of her robes. Bleating words scratched out of his throat and between his teeth, my mind knitting together their meaning with all the efficiency of a boiled egg.


    ¡°Scythe Seris¡­thest, I¡¯m thest¡­going to kill me, too, I just know it! You must help me. Escape, return to Epheotus, but I can¡¯t¡­the portal, the rift, I can feel it, but I cannot find it! You must help me, I¡­Imand it! Please?¡±

 Chapter 452

    <h4>Chapter 452</h4>


    Chapter 450: Changes


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    ¡°Please?¡±


    Seris was still as stone as Oludari pawed at her, his expectant, pleading face turned upward.


    It seemed like something out of a nightmare. No piece of reality as I had been made to understand it fit properly with what I was seeing.


    ¡°I have so much work left undone¡­¡± Oludari whined, his spiderish fingers kneading at Seris¡¯s robes. ¡°There areyers andyers andyers to the world, just waiting to be peeled back, one by one, but not if I¡¯m gone. Agrona thinks he¡¯s the only one who knows, but I¡¯ve seen the shadows, I¡¯ve felt the rising surface tension of a bubble ready to burst, I¡­¡±


    The Sovereign choked on his own whimpering and began to cough, his shoulders shaking. When the fit passed, he drooped like a wilted nt.


    Blinking as if waking from a deep sleep, Seris nced around at the frozen crowd, then at Cylrit, and finally to me. For half a second, there was a question in her eyes, one I had no clue how to answer. ¡°What do I do?¡± her eyes were asking, but even as they touched mine, her expression hardened into resolve as she came to some answer of her own devising.


    Slowly, Seris pressed her hand against Oludari¡¯s cheek. ¡°Calm yourself, Sovereign.¡±


    Oludari suddenly took two fistfuls of Seris¡¯s robes and pulled her down a few inches. ¡°Help me! Hide me! The dragons, the Lance, you¡­you know them! You¡¯ve foiled him before. I don¡¯t understand how, but you have! Imand you to do it again! So¡­so has the Lance. Yes, take me to him. To Arthur Leywin.¡±


    Seris firmly wrenched herself free of his grip, then with the suddenness of a striking thundertail, pped him hard across the face.


    The Sovereign¡¯s head snapped to the side, his blubbering cutting off sharply. ¡°H-how dare you, I¡­.I¡­¡±


    ¡°Get yourself together,¡± Seris said, seeming more in control of herself now. She held out her hand, and Oludari took it, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet.


    The spell over the crowd broke, and most began hurrying away, disappearing into the vige. Udon rushed to his brother, helping him up and brushing dirt off his clothes, but Idir pushed him off, hurrying to one of the other farmers.


    That farmer, like all the others, was prone, unmoving. I could already feel it in the fading of their mana signatures; they were all dead.


    I looked away, angry and frustrated but unsure how to channel my emotions. The carelessness of the asura¡­


    More than a few people lingered, slowlying closer, their rapturous gazes locked on the Sovereign, apparently oblivious to his current sad state.


    ¡°Sovereign. Please, forgive us¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªtake us home¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªonly what we must to survive, Sovereign!¡±


    Cylrit shed his hand through the air, and the rambling pleas went silent, and the people fell back. All except for Lars Isenhaert, who rushed toward the Sovereign.


    Oludari¡¯s eyes went wide, and mana spilled out of him.


    Isenhaert was lifted from the ground and sent hurtling back into the crowd, knocking down a couple of others. It was enough to finally break their rapture, and they practically stampeded over one another to escape, leaving Lars moaning on the ground. Corbett, Ector, and a woman I recognized as one of Lars¡¯s soldiers hurried to his side.


    Seris shot me a look. ¡°We need to get the Sovereign somewhere more safe¡­for everyone.¡± She trailed off, her focus shifting past me into the distance.


    I turned to look, and my blood ran cold.


    On the horizon, the Grand Mountains cut the Elenoir Wastes and the Beast des off from the rest of Dicathen. Only moments ago, the snow-capped peaks had been lost in thick white fog. Now, a low ck cloud was racing over the mountains. Even as I watched, though, it dipped down the steep cliffs, cascading to the t asnds below, and billowed toward us at great speed.


    ¡°No,¡± Oludari moaned. ¡°No no no. He knows. He found me.¡± Oludari took Seris by the hand, squeezing so tightly that she winced.


    ¡°Wraiths¡­¡± Seris breathed, pulling herself free of the Sovereign and taking a few halting steps so she was next to me. Her hands clenched into white-knuckled fists at her sides.


    My frayed nerves shattered. Moving as if in a dream, I turned away from the cloud. My gaze swept across the panicked vige, taking in all the people I had worked so hard to protect and help to thrive after the war, people I considered my friends¡­family, even, to use the Dicathian word.


    A better word than ¡®blood,¡¯ my near-delirious mind offered up.


    Among them were those who had lived thesest months in the wastnd, building homes here, learning new skills, putting their hard-won magic to work as farmers, hunters, and craftsmen instead of soldiers¡­killers. People like the insrunner brothers, like Baldur Vassere. Like the children now huddling around the golden-haired Frost girl, green with fright.


    I looked down at Seth, who was still lying on the ground at my feet, his sses askew. He, like everyone else here, would be nothing butpost to feed the infertile ashen wastnd if caught in a battle between a Vritra n basilisk and a battle group of Wraiths.


    And there was nothing I could do to stop it.


    I had power, incredible magic, and yet next to these beings I was no more dangerous than an unad ve¡­


    ¡°¡ªyra!¡±


    The shouting of my name cut through my brain fog, and I jerked spasmodically. Seris gripped my arm, pulling me to face her. ¡°Find your calm, Lyra, your courage. Discard the rest, it won¡¯t help you now.¡±


    I stared into her eyes, wondering, not for the first time, where this inner strength of hers came from.


    I hadn¡¯t known Scythe Seris Vritra well before the war. As a wartime nomination for the position of retainer, I hadn¡¯t been in that club prior to being sent to Dicathen. But I had proven adept at getting the Dicathians to fall in line with minimal bloodshed, and that had aligned with Agrona¡¯s goals for the continent.


    During those couple of days working alongside Seris, I had felt repeated pangs of jealousy at the rtionship between her and Cylrit. My own Scythe, Cadell, had been cold, distant, and violent. In two days, I felt like I knew more about Seris than I ever had Cadell. My rtionship with him had been a matter of military necessity and nothing more, although I had foolishly coveted his strength and thetitude with which the High Sovereign allowed him to do his work.


    Doing as Seris said, Iyered these thoughts around myself like a weighted nket, the mental equivalent of a child pulling herforter up over her head to hide from the mana beasts under the bed¡­


    But it worked, and I felt myself calming. Seris may not have been my Scythe¡ªabyss, she wasn¡¯t even a Scythe anymore¡ªbut she had already inspired me, being a better mentor than Cadell or any other teacher or trainer I¡¯d had in my ascension through the ranks of power.


    There was no time to do anything else before the Wraiths arrived.


    The cloud split into four distinct forms, and several spells rained down on us at once, aimed at Oludari.


    I hurled out a barrier of void wind to block a gout of ck fire, the coteral damage of which was set to overtake not only Seris, Cylrit, and me, but a dozen other crayns who were still trying to get away.


    The Wraith¡¯s soulfire ate through the fabric of my shield, but a second barrier appeared within mine, and a third supported that, redirecting the soulfire to roll harmlessly over us before spilling across three freshly built houses and engulfing them instantly.


    As we struggled with the mes, twin bolts of lightning shed, one striking the ground in the midst of the fleeing crowd, sending up a spray of dark ash and throwing those nearest to the ground, including Corbett and Ector. The other hit Oludari squarely but deflected off his mana barrier before crashing into a distant tree, splitting it in two and causing the dry leaves to burn like so many little candles.


    The noise of splintering wood and roaring mes was still ringing in my ears as I felt the surge of mana from below. Seris and Cylrit were already moving, flying into the air and conjuring shields over the screaming bystanders. I grabbed Seth and pulled him into the air just as the ground around Oludari surged upward, a field of blood iron spikes stabbing through as the Wraiths struck from every direction at once.


    Oludari clenched his fists, and the blood iron shattered with an ear-splitting shriek. His face was taut with panic and desperation, his intent cascading through the vige like a hurricane.


    A shadow manifested between us, and the sun glinted off carved des as they cut toward the Sovereign. His hand snapped up, catching the sword, and with a jerk of his closed fist, he shattered it. His bleeding hand knifed outward, releasing a wide crescent of soulfire that only barely missed me and Seth, but the Wraith had already vanished again.


    There was a lull.


    Oludari red into the sky, where the four Wraiths encircled the vige at a distance, their killing intent like four raging bonfires closing in on us. The Sovereign grimaced, opening and closing his hand as blood seeped from the small cut he had taken. Sickly green tendrils discolored his pale flesh around the wound.


    ¡°Poison,¡± I whispered to myself.


    Oludari snarled, quickly scanning his surroundings, looking for a way out. His demeanor hardened, fear being pushed aside by the will to fight. Grimacing, he shot up into the sky past me.


    His body lengthened, swelling with mana as the monster hidden within the humanoid form burst out. He seemed somehow evenrger than before, the beating of his wings so fierce it knocked me off bnce, his squalling roar enough to take my breath away.


    His tailshed like a giant whip, and a Wraith dipped beneath it. His jaws snapped, closing just short of a retreating shape in the sky. The third Wraith came from the side, taking advantage of Oludari¡¯s distraction tond on the basilisk¡¯s back with twin des of ck ice gleaming in his hands. Thest rays of the sun gleamed off the edges as they sheared across the base of an enormous wing. The ice shattered like ss, and the basilisk roared and spun in the air, sending the Wraith flying off.


    Fat droplets of dark blood rained down on the encampment below.


    As Oludari thrashed and roared, a ck web knit itself into the air right in front of him, thin fments of blood iron affixed to points of condensed shadow. The basilisk tried to veer away, but toote, and crashed at full speed into the webbing.


    His bulk drove him through, shattering the construct, but even from below, I could see thework of thin, bloody gashes left all over his serpentine face and body. The blood iron caught in Oludari¡¯s wings and jaw, sawing back and forth with every movement, cutting more deeply.


    A dozen bolts of lightning converged on the metal, wracking Oludari¡¯s transformed body with spasms as the lightning raced along the metal and into the hundreds of little wounds, the two spells working together to bypass the Sovereign¡¯s protectiveyer of mana. More of the sickly green tendrils were spreading from the cuts on his wings, and heavy ice was condensing along the metal, the weight of it dragging the Sovereign down.


    The blood weeping from the cuts suddenly lit on fire, soul mes burning away the blood iron and ck ice, and sealing the wounds. On the ground, everywhere a drop of ming blood fell, it roared and caught alight everything nearby.


    A ck mist appeared to hover over the crowd, shifting rapidly to absorb as much of the raining, burning blood as possible, Seris¡¯s nullification magic eating it away before it could spread any further.


    Still, half the vige was already a congration.


    The streets were full of running people now, going every direction in their confusion, leaderless and rudderless as each was left to fend for themselves.


    Contradictory orders were shouted with a dozen disparate voices, helpless nobles wailed for their guards and attendants, and through it all were easily discernible the keening of the wounded and dying as Vritra soulfire coursed through their blood.


    The only leader worth her salt was the Frost girl, who had taken the group of children in her care and was leading them toward the Beast des and away from the battle.


    Shaking free of the enthrallment I had felt at watching the Sovereign battle these Wraiths, I pummeled the dry, hard soil below with a wave of sonic vibration, simultaneously pulling at the ground as it softened, the ash moving like liquid under my power, and dumped the gray slurry atop as many mes as I could, burying entire houses where I could sense no mana signatures.


    Above, Oludari closed on a Wraith, his jaws opening to unleash a torrent of ck mes.


    The Wraithunched upward over the fire, spun, and plunged down atop the speeding basilisk, dozens of knives conjured from dark ice hailing down around him.


    Those that didn¡¯t strike Oludari pummeled Seris¡¯s spell, most dissolving harmlessly, but enough still made it through to shred the buildings and people beneath them. I could do nothing but watch as bodies tumbled to the ground, blood running freely from holes punched through them.


    Oludari screeched, his long neck and head twisting at random as soulfire continued to spill from his jaws. Below, another house went up in mes, then another. The wind kicked up by the battle sent sparks drifting all the way to the Beast des, and I could already see little lines of smoke curling up from the dense forest.


    Everything had happened so quickly; people were still picking themselves up from the initial lightning strike. Ector stumbled away from the crater, his hand pressed to his ear, his eyes unfocused. Something exploded. Almost as if in slow motion, I watched as he was lifted up off the ground, a jagged shard of broken blood iron piercing his chest. His body tumbled over the ground when itnded, and by the time it stopped, I knew he was dead.


    The faces of the crowd blurred, the details lost among the smoke and the shadows. Someone else went up in a gout of ck mes, their scream choked out as the oxygen burned from their lungs. Another was buried as a house copsed just as they ran past it, the outer wall swallowing them.


    On the fringes of the encampment, small figures were pouring out into the t gray emptiness.


    I threw up another shield as a gust of wind pushed the mes of a nearby building too close to a group of retreating vigers, giving them time to drag themselves away from it.


    I searched for Seris through the chaos, hoping to find some guidance or direction, but what I saw instead wrapped an icy fist around my frantically beating heart.


    Cylrit was holding Seris up, his arm around her waist as she continued to channel her void spell, one arm wrapped around his neck, the other directing the mist like a conductor with an orchestra, absorbing and unmaking as many stray attacks as she could.


    But¡­she had arrived in Dicathen weakened by her long trials in the Relictombs. I had known that. But I hadn¡¯t¡ªI saw now¡ªreally understood it.


    She hadn¡¯t shown anyone the truth, keeping the face she presented to the world stoic and capable. But a lifetime of practice at putting up a strong front didn¡¯t correct an overstrained core. And her unique void wind technique took a significant amount of mana to channel, so much that she had already put herself on the edge of bacsh countering such powerful spells.


    And the battle has only just begun.


    It was at that moment when I truly understood the reality of our situation.


    Oludari was powerful¡ªa full-blooded asura¡ªbut he was no warrior. Already, I could sense his strength gging, his desperation building. The sickly green tendrils that discolored his ck scales radiated a diforting mana that made my stomach churn, and I knew it must be some kind of poison, perhaps even made specifically for this purpose¡­


    It was clear that the Wraiths would do what they were trained to do. Even as Oludari attacked two or three at once, the fourth was always able tond a strike against the Sovereign, their offense and defense woven together in a mesmerizing concert of dealing damage and death. There was no way Oludari could win. They would kill him, and there was nothing we could do to stop them.


    Then they would turn on us.


    A frantic thought to reach out to Arthur for help iled in my head, but I knew that wasn¡¯t possible. He was far away in Etistin, and I had no way to¡ª


    ¡°Seris!¡± Still holding Seth against my side, I flew up to her, dodging as a broken ck spike careened through the air from above. ¡°The tempus warp, where¡ª¡±


    She pulled a brooch off her robes and tossed it to me. I immediately imbued it with mana, sensing its contents. Among a variety of supplies and gear was the tempus warp, and I drew it out and plunged to the ground, releasing the breathless Seth Milview so I could focus on the artifact.


    It was a powerful one, capable of reaching from one continent to the other. It would have no problem getting me to the pce in Etistin, where I only had to find Arthur. How long would it take? A minute? Two? Ten?


    Will anyone here be alive by the time I¡ª


    Even as my mana activated and calibrated the tempus warp, a shadow appeared in front of me, casting the artifact in a deeper darkness than the cover of smoke and void mist already provided.


    I had only one painful thud of my heart to consider the narrow, pale, axelike face in front of me before heshed out with a forward kick at my chest.


    The air between us distorted, ck lines of sonic vibration rippling visibly for an instant before his blow struck home, shattering my defenses.


    The world pulled away from me¡ªor I from it¡ªand space seemed to rush by in an instant.


    I hit the ground hard, tumbling like a ragdoll.


    My core ached from the force of the impact as I instinctively felt for my mana, grabbing the ground and pulling it up and around me, a cushioning barricade to halt my wild roll. Before I could even wrap my head around what had happened, I was back on my feet and flying toward the tempus warp and the Wraith standing over it.


    He raised the index finger of his right hand, shaking it back and forth as if scolding a naughty child. Then his ck des of conjured ice swept down, carving through the tempus warp as easily as soft butter.


    Only a couple feet away, Seth stood paralyzed¡ªbut no, he wasn¡¯t frozen. He was moving¡­casting, channeling mana into his runes. Blue light spilled out of the boy, creating a powerful magical barrier that extended a few feet in every direction from his core. A Shield emblem? But that didn¡¯t seem right¡­


    The barrier hit the Wraith as it swelled, knocking him back half a step. A cold sneer appeared on that axelike face, and then his de was swinging.


    I threw up my hands, drawing stone up from the barren ash outside of Seth¡¯s own shield and conjuring a field of absorbing static, but the de was too fast, too strong. It sliced through both my half-formed spells, then met the blue barrier.


    Seth¡¯s spell shattered, the force of it sending him crashing to the ground at my feet, the blur of ice-formed des in the air where he had been.


    In the empty second I had to react, I considered whether I could protect him or not. Was it worth giving up my life to dy his death by the blink of an eye? If I fled, perhaps the Wraith would follow me instead of focusing on the boy, who was insignificant in the Wraith¡¯s eyes.


    Once, perhaps, I¡¯d have killed him myself, just to remove the distraction¡­


    Goosebumps rose up all over my skin and I leaped over Seth and fell into a crouch, holding up my arm and channeling mana without forming a spell yet. I swallowed hard, some well of emotion emptying inside of me. Even though I couldn¡¯t hope to protect the boy, I couldn¡¯t do nothing. At least he will die knowing I tried¡­


    The Wraith cocked his head, regarding me. His blood-red eyes, dark and soulless, filled with¡­was it pity I saw reflected back at me? With another sneer, he shot into the air and sped back toward the battle with Oludari.


    Spinning on my knees, I felt the boy¡¯s face, his neck, searching for any signs of life but expecting the worst. There was no breath, no pulse, no rising and falling of his chest¡ª


    The faint bump bump pressed against my fingertips, and I closed my eyes in relief. He was alive, but unconscious, his core screaming as he suffered bacsh from channeling such a powerful spell through his emblem.


    A roar shook the ground, snapping my eyes back open and dragging them skyward.


    Oludari was falling, plunging out of the air, cuts in the fabric of his wings pping against the rushing wind of his passage, blood weeping from a thousand wounds across his gargantuan body. No longer intimidating, his wounded basilisk form instead filled me with a deep sense of dread, like a tattered g falling and marking the end of the battle.


    When he hit the ground, it was as if a meteor struck. A dozen buildings vanished beneath his bulk before a cloud of dust and ash swallowed him. Four ck figures moved into formation above, encircling where the basilisk had fallen before drifting slowly to the ground.


    Seris and Cylrit did the same next to me. Cylrit appeared to be taking the majority of her weight on himself. His gray skin had gone nearly white, and a fine sheen of sweat clung to his brow. He, like the Scythe he protected, had pushed himself to the limit.


    We were alone, or nearly so. Everyone else had fled, at least those who were capable. Many, far too many, had perished in the crossfire. With a weary nce, I found the corpses of Ector Ainsworth, both the insrunner brothers, and Anvald Torpor. There were others I couldn¡¯t identify as easily. And that was just in the space directly around me.


    How many died across the encampment? I wondered despite myself, then pushed the question away.


    I sensed the change in the mana as Oludari reverted back to his humanoid form. His silhouette appeared through the ash as he stumbled, coughing, free of the rubble his fall had created. The Wraiths were waiting for him.


    ¡°P-please,¡± he coughed, sounding utterly pathetic. ¡°I¡¯ll go back, I will, just don¡¯t¡­don¡¯t¡­¡± He fell to his knees, coughing spasmodically, his thin body wracking horribly. He was still bleeding from a dozen wounds, his bodypletely covered in the green tendrils discoloring his flesh. ¡°Don¡¯t kill me,¡± he finished weakly.


    One of the Wraiths, a lithe, graceful woman in ck and gray leather and chain, clicked her tongue. She brushed jet ck hair out of her face, tucking it behind one of the horns that swept back from her forehead, and took a step toward the Sovereign. He flinched, and she chuckled darkly.


    ¡°Your life is not ours to take this day, oh great Sovereign.¡± Her hand snapped out and gripped one of his horns. ¡°Although we are not required to return you in one piece, should you think to challenge us further.¡±


    ck lightning crackled from her fist to dance down the horn and into Oludari¡¯s skull. He groaned, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he slumped to the ground unconscious.


    The Wraith scoffed and turned away, her deep red eyes, so dark they were almost ck, searching the vige andnding on Seris, Cylrit, and me. She started walking toward us, her stride as casual as if she were strolling along Central Boulevard in Cargidan City.


    The axe-faced Wraith who had destroyed the tempus warp moved in behind her and scooped up the asura, tossing him over one shoulder. The other two moved to his side, and I got a good look at them for the first time. One was missing an arm and half his face was cracked, ck, and bleeding. The other had tears of blood leaking from his eyes and a vacant expression on his otherwise stalwart face.


    At least Oludari didn¡¯t go down without a fight, I thought vaguely, immediately recognizing how strange it was to find myself on the Sovereign¡¯s side, considering.


    ¡°Seris the Unblooded. Retainers Cylrit and Lyra.¡± She smiled, revealing elongated canines, then nced around at the smoldering ruins of the vige. ¡°This is interesting.¡±


    Cylrit leveled his de at the Wraith, his intent pressing outward to add weight to his words as he said, ¡°Return to your shadows, ghost. The fact that we¡¯re still breathing tells me your master hasn¡¯tmanded you to bite, only to show your teeth.¡±


    Her smile hardened into something more dangerous as she ran her tongue over one protruding canine. ¡°You¡¯re right, although I wouldn¡¯t trust my leash should you keep barking, boy. The High Sovereign¡¯s disappointment would be¡­mild at best if I returned with your heads mounted proudly on the Sovereign¡¯s horns.¡±


    ¡°Perhata, quit ying with your food,¡± the axe-faced Wraith shouted. ¡°We have what we came for, and the others are in need of healing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just an arm,¡± the burned Wraith grumbled, looking down at his ruined side. ¡°I could still mop up these three traitors if¡ª¡±


    The woman, Perhata, raised a hand, and the others went silent. ¡°Victory ripped from the jaws of defeat, as it were. We hadn¡¯t even heard of Oludari¡¯s flight from crya when we sensed him bumbling about in the Beast des. Had your Dicathian friend, the Lance, not interrupted our previous work, we may not have made it here in time.¡± Her smile sharpened yet further, like a dagger sh across her face. ¡°Really, without this Lance¡ªArthur Leywin?¡ªa couple dragons would be dead, but a lot more cryans would be alive.¡±


    I scoffed. ¡°If you don¡¯t intend to kill us, then you better be on your way. After all, you don¡¯t want to risk facing off against Arthur, do you?¡±


    Seris shot me a warning look, but my blood was burning too hot to feel chastised. ¡°I recognize your name, Wraith. It was one even Cadell said with a note of fear. Named among the nameless and faceless¡­you must truly be a terror on the battlefield. And yet, I notice there are only four of you¡ªwell, three and a half. I always thought there were meant to be five Wraiths to a battle group? Could even you not defend your battle group against the Godspell?¡±


    Axe-face took a few aggressive steps forward. ¡°What you¡¯ve always thought is worth less than the rag I clean my ass with, you g.¡±


    Again, Perhata gestured for quiet. She tilted her head slightly as she regarded Seris. When a lock of dark hair fell out, she again ced it back behind her horns. ¡°You are granted a reprieve today. These soldiers still belong to Agrona, and you are their generals. Soon, they¡¯ll be needed again. The time to y farmer and backwater governor is over. When Agrona gives the order, you and your forces will march. They will fight for him, because if they don¡¯t, Agrona will burn the cores from every member of every traitorous blood on either side of the great ocean.¡±


    She stepped forward until Cylrit¡¯s de pressed into her sternum. Her presence alone was enough to make my knees quake.


    Her eyes settled on Seris¡¯s. ¡°Personally, I hope you defy him. I¡¯ll beg to be the one who gets to return here and rip the core from your chest, Unblooded, for you are a shadow of what you once were. But the reality is, we all know you won¡¯t. You can¡¯t. When Agrona gives the order, you will answer. It is the only way.¡± Casually, she reached up and wrapped her fist around Cylrit¡¯s sword. With a subtle twist, the de shattered.


    Cylrit gasped and dropped the hilt onto the hard-packed ash, staring at his shaking hand in disbelief.


    ¡°Soon,¡± Perhata said again, taking a few steps backwards before spinning around and signaling to the other Wraiths.


    The four of them flew into the air and sped north over the wastnd, vanishing in seconds. The pressure of their mana, though,sted much longer, and when that had faded, there was the emptiness it left behind.


    Seris sagged, and Cylrit hurried to let her down gently to the ground. Her eyes were closed, her breathingbored.


    Cylrit¡¯s eyes met mine. ¡°Go. Tell Arthur what happened. I will¡ª¡±


    Seris¡¯s hand lifted, silencing Cylrit as he kneeled next to her. She opened it, revealing a disc about an inch and a half in diameter. It was yellow-white in color, and a rune had been carved into it. From the rusty reddish-brown coloration of the rune, it was inked in blood.


    ¡°Give this¡­to Arthur,¡± Seris said, her voice hoarse with fatigue.


    I carefully took the disc from her hand, remembering Seris¡¯s pained expression as Oludari crushed her hand in his. Giving her this, I now knew.


    Standing, I turned away from Seris and Cylrit only to almost step on Seth Milview, who was just beginning to stir. The airwaves vibrated between us as I sent out a pulse of sonic mana, and he jolted awake.


    I held up a hand, forestalling any attempt he might make to speak. ¡°Seth. The people here need help. Every able body. Many have fled into the wastes or toward the neighboring encampments. Some went into the forest. Round up who you can and bring them back to clear the vige.¡±


    His dted eyes narrowed as he struggled to understand. I responded with a second pulse of vibration, and he yelped and jumped to his feet.


    ¡°This is important, Seth. Can you do it?¡±


    Swallowing visibly, he nodded.


    I reached out and fixed his sses, which were hanging half off his face. ¡°Good.¡±


    My feet left the ground as mana lifted me into the air, and in seconds I too was speeding over the Beast des in a headlong rush toward the nearest teleportation gate, the Wraith¡¯s words still ringing in my head.


    ¡°When Agrona gives the order, you will answer.¡±

 Chapter 453

    <h4>Chapter 453</h4>


    Chapter 451: Changes II


    Just now


    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    As I led Sylvie and Caera back into the throne room for what felt like the tenth time over thest two days, I couldn¡¯t help the sh of annoyance that passed through me.


    Edirith and two other young dragons were already there, but Charon and Windsom hadn¡¯t arrived yet. I could tell by Edirith¡¯s somewhat bored expression that their search had, yet again, been fruitless.


    The other Wraiths, which, if Sylvie¡¯s vision had been correct, included at least the remains of two battle groups, had melted away entirely.


    ¡®It seems unlikely that they¡¯ve simply given up and gone home,¡¯ Sylvie projected into my thoughts. ¡®They are certainly out there biding their time, even if we¡¯ve dyed their attack against Charon and Etistin.¡¯


    Charon had assigned three dragons to help search Etistin and the surrounding area. He hadn¡¯t actively hampered my work in any way, but he¡¯d made precious little time for a joint strategic conference and outright refused to allocate more resources to the effort.


    ¡®It¡¯s almost like they want the Wraiths to attack,¡¯ Regis mused. ¡®Like they¡¯re baiting them out or something.¡¯


    Sylvie shook her head as she scanned the faces of the other dragons with care. ¡®No, I think they genuinely believe that the threat is minimal. That their very presence will prevent it. They aren¡¯t stupid, they understand their orders and the danger presented, but they can¡¯t ept that danger as real. A lifetime of roosting atop the very peak of power and authority in Epheotus has convinced them that they¡¯ll be victorious no matter what happens.¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re all talking in your heads again, aren¡¯t you?¡± Caera said, her voice low, as she paced at my side.


    I nched, giving her a guilty look. ¡°Sorry, force of habit.¡±


    Caera waved off the apology, her gaze drifting to the three dragons. ¡°I imagine I¡¯ll get used to it if you keep me around long enough.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to feel unwee,¡± I answered quickly. ¡°I only keep asking if you¡¯d like to return to the cryan camps because¡±¡ªmy eyes flicked to the dragons¡ª¡°I know you haven¡¯t had the best experience with them so far.¡±


    Caera gave me a wry smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been sent here by Lady Seris as a representative, so putting my personal experience aside, I¡¯ll stay to fulfill that duty.¡±


    We slipped back into a strained quiet until Charon arrived a few minutester, strolling into the throne room as casually as if he were out for a leisurely afternoon walk. Curtis yder was kept pace at his side and gave me a familiar, although not particrly friendly, wave when he saw me waiting.


    ¡°Still no sign of any more Wraith activity,¡± Edirith confirmed to Charon promptly, snapping to attention. ¡°With all due respect, sir, I think we¡¯re wasting our time.¡±


    Charon stopped and smiled, his hands sped behind his back. He nodded as if he¡¯d expected this news. ¡°It seems your execution of their scout has ended this threat, Arthur. You¡¯ve scoured half of Sapin by now. With the element of surprise no longer working in their benefit, I think it¡¯s safe to say that the Wraiths have called off this attack.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t know that, but¡­¡± I let out a breath, expelling some of my frustration with it, ¡°perhaps you¡¯re right.¡±


    That, of course, was the problem with visions of the future. Elder Rinia had tried her best to drill the fact into my head that reacting to her visions, changing what they foretold, carried with it its own inherent dangers.


    ¡°Besides, the search has started to draw attention from the poption,¡± Curtis chimed in. ¡°People have noticed your presence, Arthur, and it is generating all sorts of worrying rumors after the explosion outside the city.¡±


    I nced at Curtis, remembering the vision. Watching the yders deaths had pushed me to act rashly, but I didn¡¯t regret it. With no way to know when the attack was going to happen, dying risked allowing that future to be a reality. On the other hand, lying in wait to spring some trap could have cost me days, even weeks, of valuable time. Once I¡¯d actually discovered the Wraith scout, it was toote to do anything but give chase.


    ¡®Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself,¡¯ Sylvie thought. ¡®Hindsight may be perfect, but even visions can¡¯t help us see all oues.¡¯


    ¡®Ah, well, you know what they say: the soldier who never makes mistakes takes his orders from someone who does,¡¯ Regis added.


    I¡¯m not sure how that¡¯s applicable, I thought back.


    Regis swirled around my core, his incorporeal form humming with amusement. ¡®Nothing, really, I just wanted to feel included since we¡¯re doling out little wisdoms, y¡¯know?¡¯


    I repressed the building sigh and turned my attention back to Charon.


    ¡°Now, Arthur, I had hoped we might have some time to speak privately. You¡¯ve kept yourselves so busy, I¡¯ve barely had any time at all to speak with my cousin.¡± Charon lifted a hand as I began to counter, stopping me. ¡°I won¡¯t withdraw the extra dragons I¡¯ve brought to Etistin just yet, but I think the city can live without you and Sylvie for a few hours.¡±


    In the end, all I could do was agree.


    Edirith was sent back to his duties, and Curtis bid us all farewell as he hurried off to some other meeting.


    Offering his arm to Sylvie, Charon led the way, effortlessly making meaningless chatter about the state of the city and the continent, what he thought of everything from the people to the food, and other such gossip.


    The drawing room he led us to was unnecessarily opulent, clearly a holdover from a time before the war. The defensive structure of the city and pce was momentarily left behind as we entered the white and gold chamber, all smooth lines and extravagance. The furniture looked as if it had rarely been used, the plush rugs were as bright as if they¡¯d been woven that very morning, and even though arge open firece burned merrily, there wasn¡¯t a smudge of dirt or ash on the white surfaces.


    Windsom stood with his back to the firece, watching quietly as we entered. He had given up on attempting to force Sylvie¡¯s immediate return to Epheotus, but I was certain he had already reached out to his master for instructions. If Kezess attempted to force the issue¡­


    Well, I wasn¡¯t exactly sure what I would do yet.


    I still hadn¡¯t gotten a read on Charon, who was either reasonable or just more patient and less obvious in his maniption than Windsom. Not being certain made me more wary of the scarred dragon than of a blowhard like Vajrakor, and yet he made a potentially interesting ally.


    If he is driven by something other than blind loyalty to Kezess, we could gain a lot by working alongside him, I thought, looking at his back.


    Loyalty was already proving to be a difficult problem to navigate. In particr, Kathyln and Curtis yder upied a worrying position. Specifically, I was ufortable with just how close they already seemed to Charon and his soldiers.


    ¡®Already?¡¯ Sylvie sent, responding to my thoughts. ¡®Remember, it¡¯s been months for them, and the dragons¡¯ powers of persuasion are far more potent than most humans can handle.¡¯


    ¡®They do seem problematically smitten,¡¯ Regis added in reference to the yders.


    We¡¯ll see, I sent back.


    ¡°Lady Sylvie, I apologize that this Wraith situation has dyed our chance to converse properly,¡± Charon said as he closed the drawing room door behind us. ¡°I¡¯ve looked forward to an opportunity to meet you again since learning of your survival. You are looked at as a bit of an enigma among the n¡­and that was before recent events.¡±


    I let Sylvie take the lead in the conversation. I knew I had been pushing back too hard these past few days, trying to force equilibrium between myself and the dragons. Sylvie was better positioned to speak on equal footing, capitalizing on her rtionship with Kezess, but only if I held myself in check. The link between our minds allowed us to speak as one when necessary, feeding off each other¡¯s knowledge with each response.


    ¡°That was made pretty clear to me when Arthur and I trained in Epheotus,¡± Sylvie said lightly as she moved around the room and admired the decor. ¡°Kezess insted me from much of it to keep me focused on the training, but I didn¡¯t miss the stares and whispers. A mixed lineage¡ªdragon and basilisk¡ªborn outside of Epheotus and bonded with a human? I am an oddity that has never even been imagined in Epheotus, or so I was told.¡±


    Charon¡¯s smile was warm if slightly chagrined. ¡°True, if perhaps not a polite way to phrase things. There were many among the n that resented Lord Indrath¡¯s tight grip on you. I think you would have found your n quite receptive to your presence, had it been allowed. Still, in the end, it only enhanced your mystique.¡± He chuckled airily, then sobered. ¡°When it was learned that you had¡­passed, well. It was quite a blow to the Indrath n.¡±


    I listened intently, absorbed in their conversation. I hadn¡¯t given much consideration to what the other dragons must have thought of Sylvie. She was my bond first and foremost. In my head, her mixed lineage and being granddaughter of the most powerful asura in Epheotus was always a distant afterthought.


    ¡°As you can see, the rumors of my death were clearly exaggerated,¡± Sylvie said, a note of humor in her tone despite her thoughts pulling away from considering what had happened after she sacrificed herself for me. ¡°I do¡­appreciate what you¡¯ve said though. I hadn¡¯t given much thought to my rtionship with the rest of the n, if I¡¯m being honest.¡± She leaned against the back of a couch and shot me a look. ¡°We¡¯ve been pretty busy fighting a war.¡±


    Charon cleared his throat. ¡°Please, make yourselvesfortable. We have much to talk about, and there is no need to be so formal while doing so.¡± Leading by example, Charon moved to a high-backed chair with golden leaves embroidered up and down the arms.


    Caera sat stiffly at the far end of the couch, away from Charon, and Sylvie moved around it to sit next to her, using her own body like a shield. I sensed Caera rx immediately, and had to appreciate my bond¡¯s social grace.


    Regis chose that moment to manifest, appearing from the soft shadows around my feet. He went to Caera and sat at her other side at the edge of the couch. Not being able to help himself, he turned and shot a re at Windsom before settling in menacingly.


    Windsom, who stayed by the fire, pretended not to notice.


    Charon inspected Regis thoughtfully. ¡°Sentient lorite born of aether,¡± he mused. ¡°The three of you are just as unique individually as in a group, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°So, have you thought of proper contingencies regarding the Wraiths?¡± I asked, sitting on the edge of a plush chaise lounge. ¡°Even if they¡¯ve retreated from Etistin and called off their attack on you, they¡¯re certainly still in Dicathen.¡± Considering my words carefully, I added, ¡°Who knows how many. Certainly more than a single battle group.¡±


    Charon seemed to mull over his answer before finally saying, ¡°If the Wraiths attack me, or the other guardians, directly, I am confident we will be able to defend ourselves.¡± Seeing the apprehensive look on my face, he continued, ¡°I understand that Agrona bills these Wraiths as his ¡®asura-killers,¡¯ and no doubt they are capable by lessuran standards. But I assure you, I am not the prey they were bred to hunt.¡±


    ¡°And the dragons out on patrol?¡± I asked, crossing my arms. ¡°How many do you even have? It doesn¡¯t seem like Kezess sent many of you. Are you willing to let your own people be picked off one by one?¡±


    Charon nodded slightly as I spoke. ¡°I do appreciate the danger there, and I will adjust the patrols to ensure my kin move in pairs. Should the need arise, they can retreat and call for additional reinforcements.¡± He cocked his head slightly. ¡°Does that satisfy you?¡±


    Caera leaned forward on her elbows, her ruby eyes intent on the dragon. ¡°What about the people of thisnd? What¡¯s to stop the Wraiths fromunching hit-and-run strikes across Dicathen to sow discord and chaos? Or, lest we forget why we¡¯re really here, attacking the cryans consigned to the wastnd beyond the mountains? Seris still needs the dragons¡¯ aid to ensure the cryan encampments are defended.¡±


    Charon¡¯s brows rose, and a wry smile turned up the corner of his scarred mouth. ¡°Spoken like a true cryan. And perhaps what you suggest is a possibility, although Agrona has never used his most potent tools for such menialbor before. As for civilian deaths¡­Lord Indrath¡¯s orders are to prevent Agrona¡¯s forces from destabilizing or destroying this continent. The emphasis of our protection remains on thergest, most influential cities, and the nobility that rules them. It was never part of his agreement that we would attempt to protect every single Dicathian life.¡±


    ¡°Oh,e on,¡± I said, leaning forward and twining my fingers together. ¡°You have taken pains to involve yourself with the Dicathian public. All I asked was that Kezess help me protect this continent, and you could have done that from behind the scenes, but you¡¯ve chosen to work directly with the people, building rtionships and trust.¡± I paused for a moment, then took a risk. ¡°You¡¯re clearly pushing to turn public perception away from me and toward the dragons and your allies¡ªsuch as the yders. If you allow Wraiths to roam freely and attack the continent, what will happen to the good will you¡¯ve been trying to foster?¡±


    This question gave him pause, and Charon didn¡¯t answer right away, so Windsom stepped in on his behalf. ¡°I have guided the people of Dicathen for generation after generation. Always, we have sought to ensure that they were on equal footing with Agrona¡¯s people. That¡¯s what we¡¯re still trying to do.¡±


    I looked over Caera and Sylvie to match gazes with Windsom. ¡°You concentrated power in a few families that you could control and handicapped our growth through the Lance artifacts. But then, you did so silently. This ying for public perception is new. What are you getting out of it? Surely it¡¯s more than the old stories of deities gaining power through the belief of their subjects,¡± I added, my tone biting but amused.


    ¡°Nothing so crass,¡± Charon interjected, giving me a tight-lipped smile. ¡°But it is important that the Dicathians have hope. What good would it be for us to keep them safe if they themselves have sumbed to the bitter darkness of living without belief in their own future? As for your poprity¡­¡± His smile tightened yet further, looking almost pained. ¡°Kezess rightly saw that split loyalty between you as this deified protector and my kin would potentially engender hostility between Dicathians. We have attempted to mute this by reinforcing the leadership of people like the yder siblings.¡±


    I nodded along, not buying a word of what Charon said. His excuse was as well-spoken and sensible as it wasplete bullshit, but I felt no desire to fight him on the subject.


    My motivations to grow stronger had never included the adoration of Dicathen¡¯s popce, and I¡¯d actively pushed back against the ¡°deification¡± that Charon mentioned.


    ¡°Regardless,¡± Caera inserted into the brief moment of silence following Charon¡¯s speech, ¡°your lord¡¯s strategy seems to rely on your mere presence being a deterrent, but what we¡¯ve learned proves that strategy has already failed. We¡¯ve been here for over two days, and you still haven¡¯t exined what you¡¯re going to do to help protect the crya refugees in Elenoir.¡±


    Windsom scoffed, but Charon was more reserved in his response, saying only, ¡°You are right.¡± We waited for him to continue, but he didn¡¯t seem intent on adding anything.


    Through the silence that followed, I felt multiple mana signatures moving purposefully toward the drawing room. Charon and Windsom had already noticed as well, and Windsom moved toward the door.


    ¡°In here?¡± a richly feminine voice said, pitchy with panic, and the drawing room door flew inward.


    Lyra Dreide regarded me with red-rimmed eyes, her shoulders rising and falling with each barely controlled breath. She took a couple halting steps into the chamber, her feet dragging across the marble. She was clearly exhausted, her mana signature weak.


    I pushed myself out of my seat. ¡°What happened?¡±


    She opened her mouth to speak but the words caught in her throat and she looked away.


    Kathyln was standing uncertainly in the hall behind her. ¡°She flew in, iming it was urgent¡ª¡±


    ¡°We are in a meeting,¡± Windsom scoffed, ring at Kathyln, who shrank back. ¡°Why have you allowed this Vritra pawn so deep within the pce?¡±


    ¡°Peace,¡± Charon said softly. ¡°There has been an attack, hasn¡¯t there?¡± His gaze flicked to me just as mine went to him, our eyes connected for the briefest instant.


    ¡°The Wraiths¡­¡± I said, the words almost a groan as they escaped my lips.


    Lyra shook her head, then nodded. Her eyes squeezed tightly shut, her teeth bared in an animalistic snarl. Words strained through those clenched teeth she said, ¡°Oludari and the Wraiths¡­¡±


    I felt my brows pinch together in confusion. ¡°Olu¡­dari?¡±


    ¡°One of Agrona¡¯s Sovereigns,¡± Caera said. Her face was pale, her red eyes locked on Lyra as she half stood, then slowly sank back down onto the couch, her hands going to her face.


    ¡°There was a Sovereign here in Dicathen?¡± I felt out of sorts, like I was missing some important context of this conversation. ¡°Lyra, I need you to focus. Tell me what happened. Please,¡± I added more softly.


    Charon moved to a low shelf along one wall where a few bottles and sses rested. He poured a ss full of red liquid and held it out for Lyra.


    It took her a moment to notice, but when she did her nose wrinkled in apparent disgust. Her hand flinched toward the ss, and for a moment I thought she was going to knock it out of Charon¡¯s hand, but she seemed to realize what she was doing and pulled back again.


    Swallowing heavily, she looked past the dragon and focused on me. ¡°I apologize, Regent. This wasn¡¯t how¡­it hasn¡¯t been¡­¡±


    She took a deep breath and stood up straighter. Charon slowly lowered the ss and took a step back to give her some space.


    ¡°Sovereign Oludari of Truaci arrived at one of the encampments, desperate for protection. He seemed to believe¡­his begging was difficult to make sense of, but he was terrified of Agrona, implied that the High Sovereign was behind the death of Sovereign Exeges and would being for him as well.¡±


    My confusion only deepened as she spoke. ¡°Why would Agrona be killing off his own allies? Especially his most powerful ones?¡± I looked at Charon and Windsom for support.


    The two dragons exchanged an unreadable look, some hidden thought passing between them. ¡°I can¡¯t be certain,¡± Charon said after a moment, ¡°but the basilisks have never been loyal. Not to themselves or the other asura.¡±


    ¡°He was babbling, said something about¡­about his work being unfinished.¡± Lyra¡¯s brows knitted as she concentrated. ¡°He said there were yers to the world,¡¯ and that he had ¡®felt the rising surface tension of a bubble ready to burst¡ª¡¯¡±


    ¡°The ravings of a paranoid lunatic,¡± Windsom said, waving away Lyra¡¯s words. ¡°It offers no hint of why Agrona might be hunting him. Perhaps he was mistaken? If he is thest of the Sovereigns, seeing the others fall one by one likely drove him to desperate madness.¡±


    Some small fact that I had read long ago jumped to the forefront of my mind. ¡°Thest? Aren¡¯t there five, and then the High Sovereign himself?¡±


    It was Caera who answered. ¡°Sovereign Khaernos hasn¡¯t been seen publicly in decades. He¡¯s sometimes impolitely referred to as the Invisible Sovereign¡­¡±


    ¡°We believe he is dead,¡± Windsom said indifferently. ¡°Perhaps he was the first victim of Agrona¡¯s fratricide. I don¡¯t know or particrly care.¡±


    The chamber went silent for a moment, and then Lyra continued her story, her voice tight with suppressed emotion. ¡°The Wraiths were not far behind Oludari. Four of them. They fought¡­the vige, destroyed¡­so many people dead.¡± Lyra¡¯s gaze, which had drifted to the floor, snapped up and burrowed into me, desperation written in the lines of her face. ¡°You, Arthur. They med you. Said that¡­¡±


    ¡°They were there because I diverted the attack on Etistin,¡± I finished for her.


    She nodded. Finally, she moved, half stumbling toward the nearest chair before slumping into it, her face in her hands. ¡°They defeated him, took him away. And they gave Seris a warning.¡±


    Charon¡¯s expression intensified. ¡°What warning?¡±


    ¡°That¡ª¡± Lyra ground her teeth together, cutting herself off. ncing from me to Charon, she licked her lips and started again. ¡°That this wasn¡¯t over. They left us alive because¡­because Agrona wanted to kill us himself.¡±


    My eyes narrowed as I regarded her. She was lying, I was almost certain of it, but not to me. She doesn¡¯t want the dragons to know what the Wraiths really said.


    ¡®Which likely means it is something that would endanger their continued protection of the cryans,¡¯ Sylvie added.


    ¡®For all the good that protection seems to be doing for them,¡¯ Regis chimed in.


    ¡°There is more,¡± Lyra continued, withdrawing something from her dimension device. She held it out to me. ¡°Seris told me to bring it to you immediately.¡±


    I carefully lifted a small disc from her hand. Judging by the silky texture and the off-white coloration, I was confident it was carved of bone. A blood-stained rune had been etched into its surface, and it emanated a potent mana signature.


    Focusing on the mana, I probed it with my aether. Immediately, another source of mana resonated with it from a long way away, ringing like a distant bell. Oludari¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s carved from his bone,¡¯ Regis informed me, sniffing the disc in my hand.


    ¡°Did Seris know what this artifact is?¡± I asked Lyra. She nodded.


    I ran the pad of my thumb across the smooth surface, tracing the ridges where the rune was etched.


    Caera, who had waited and watched, still as stone as she listened to the retainer¡¯s exnation, took a shaky breath. ¡°Is my blood alive?¡±


    Lyra looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Arthur, we need to return to the cryan viges. I¡­¡± She paused as if considering her words, almost looking surprised at her own thoughts. ¡°I need to make sure Corbett, Lenora, and the others are safe.¡±


    ¡°Give Lyra a moment to rest, and she will take you.¡±


    Caera gave me a strange, crestfallen look but quickly covered it up. ¡°Of course.¡±


    To Charon, I said, ¡°Those cryans need help. I understand your hesitation, but an attack is no longer some hypothetical situation we¡¯re discussing. Theyid down their arms, made homes on Dicathian soil, and risked Agrona¡¯s wrath.¡±


    Charon eyed me uncertainly.


    ¡°Are you worried about the danger they pose?¡± I asked more forcefully. ¡°Then consider just how much more dangerous they be if they¡¯re forced to turn back to Agrona because we abandoned them on our own shores.¡±


    Charon¡¯s eyes hardened, and through the scars I suddenly saw his resemnce to Kezess. ¡°Alternatively, what would happen if we proactively eradicated the potential risk that these refugees pose and be done with it.¡±


    Caera¡¯s and Lyra¡¯s heads both snapped around, their faces going pale.


    ¡°General Aldir followed Kezess¡¯s orders to shed innocent blood as well,¡± I said, speaking slowly and letting the words hang in the air.


    ¡°How dare you¡­¡± Windsom¡¯s intent red, knocking the wind out of Caera and Lyra.


    Regis and Sylvie remained deathly still and calm, their outward demeanor unaffected.


    Charon gestured Windsom for calm, then sighed and nodded. ¡°I will send two dragons and adjust the patrol routes through the Beast des. But we will be watching these ¡®refugees¡¯ just as much as we are protecting them.¡±


    I held out my hand, and he took it firmly. ¡°See that Lyra Dreide and Caera get there safely as well, would you?¡± In my head, I continued, sending instructions to Sylvie as well.


    Charon nodded again then released my grip. ¡°And what exactly will you be doing, Arthur?¡±


    Turning toward the door, I again pinged the artifact, gauging the location of the distant ringing response. ¡°It¡¯s what we will be doing, Guardian.¡±

 Chapter 454

    <h4>Chapter 454</h4>


    Chapter 452: Amongst the Fallen


    <strong>LILIA HELSTEA</strong>


    My legs burned as I crested the long incline of the switchback mountain trail. Hands on my hips, I turned to admire the wagon train stretching down the mountainside behind me.


    Jarrod Redner, who had been walking at my side, put his hands on his knees and gasped for air. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­understand¡­why we¡¯re¡­taking this old¡­mountain path,¡± he said breathlessly.


    Although I knew he was speaking rhetorically, I answered anyway. ¡°There isn¡¯t anywhere for these people to go in northern Sapin. Valden, Marlow, Elkshire¡ªthey can¡¯t support them. The farming viges between Xyrus and ckbend, though, have room. And there aren¡¯t any roads through the dense, marshy forest between Marlow City and Xyrus.¡±


    ¡°I¡­know¡­¡± he puffed, standing up straight and screwing up his face as he tried to control his breathing.


    A few of the adventurers acting as guards passed us, and then the first cart. A little girl stared forlornly off the edge of the mountain path as her grandfather controlled the reins of tworge skitters that were pulling their small cart. Her parents had died fighting at the Wall.


    ¡°Hello, Kacheri,¡± I said, giving her a small wave.


    When she didn¡¯t wave back, I slipped something out of my bag and tossed it at her. She watched it sail through the air andnd on the seat next to her with a vacant expression, then jumped with excitement and hurried to remove the wax paper.


    Her eyes widened, sparkling with excitement as she shoved the chewy caramel in her mouth.


    ¡°Poor kid,¡± Jarrod said under his breath as the cart rolled past.


    There were over two hundred people in our caravan, people like Kacheri who had lost almost everything, and the only hope they had was to escape the smaller viges like Ashber because they could no longer sustain themselves after the war. Families had been ripped apart, people enved, their properties taken from them or destroyed, and when the war ended so suddenly, Sapin hadcked the leadership and infrastructure to send help or rebuild.


    With countless mothers, daughters, sons, and fathers never returning from the war, too many families just couldn¡¯t survive so far away from the cities.


    Ironically, a few of those in the caravan were people we had helped escape the cities to begin with who hadn¡¯t been able to risk making the return journey on their own and had instead waited months for assistance. Some of them would return to Xyrus and ckbend, but others had no homes, families, or lives to return to. With no hope of their own, they needed someone to step in and help rekindle it for them.


    Nudging a small rock with my toe, I watched as it bounced down the steep mountain, the repeated ck, ck of stone against stone quiet under the continuous crunch of wagon wheels and the rumble of so many voices, both human and mana beast.


    Jarrod was silent but kept up a brave face for the sake of those who rolled past in the caravans.


    Ahead, I heard the guards calling out and turned my ear in their direction.


    ¡°Just announcing a rest,¡± Jarrod said, seeing my worried look. ¡°It¡¯ll take awhile to get everyone up this incline, so we can take a breather ourselves, right?¡±


    I nodded, hiking my pack higher up on my back and continuing up the road, which leveled out as it curved around a broad valley in the mountainside. ¡°At least half an hour to get thest carts up here, but we should all fitfortably on this t space.


    Jarrod cut through a gap between a cart and the family following it on foot, then beelined for arge boulder that had fallen from the mountain and cracked in half at the road¡¯s edge. By the cement, it looked like someone had moved it with magic a long time ago, and now it made a convenience table for Jarrod to pull out a few containers of food.


    I followed,fortable with the ritual by now. Withdrawing a few things from my own dimension artifact, Iid them out to share, then took up an apple and bit into it with a crunch.


    A heavy-set woman in bright-colored clothes whistled as she passed us by in her small chariot, which was being pulled by arge bird almost as bright as its owner. ¡°Oi, when are you going to ask me for a lunch date, Jarrod Redner?¡±


    Jarrod¡¯s cheeks flushed, and his mouth worked silently as he struggled for a reply.


    ¡°Maybe the day your very presence doesn¡¯t redden his face and steal his tongue, Rose-Ellen,¡± I shot back, thenughed behind my hand.


    ¡°s then,¡± she shouted, turning around in her chariot and straightening her tight blouse, ¡°I fear I am doomed to hear only the sound of silence from those wind-kissed lips of his.¡± She gave me a wicked grin. ¡°Unlike you, Lady Helstea.¡±


    I waved my hand to shush her, then hid my smile behind my apple, slowly taking a bite.


    Jarrod took his time ripping a strip of dried meat off a b and nibbling little bites off it, looking everywhere but at me. After a minute, he cleared his throat and said, ¡°Do you ever think about¡­before? Like, Xyrus Academy, and what life might have been like if the cryans hadn¡¯t attacked?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I answered, absently turning the apple over in my hands. ¡°It¡¯s hard not to, even when I know it doesn¡¯t help anything.¡± I hesitated, then met Jarrod¡¯s eye. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡±


    ¡°I just¡­¡± He paused and took a bite, chewing slowly. ¡°Everything that¡¯s happened since the attack on the academy has been¡­awful, you know? But¡­¡± He shifted in his seat, his eyes darting around as he searched for the words, and I realized he looked¡­guilty. ¡°I don¡¯t want to sound like I¡¯m discounting the horror that these people have faced¡ªthat everyone in Dicathen has faced, like the elves, like that girl, but¡­¡±


    He let out a dramatic sigh and finally looked at me. ¡°I just wanted to say, I like this. I¡­like what we¡¯re doing. Helping these people? Spending time¡­uh, making a real difference, I guess. If it weren¡¯t for the war¡ªif you hadn¡¯t saved my life when I literally tried to kill you, I just don¡¯t know who I¡¯d have be. Is it¡­bad, I guess, that I prefer who I am now?¡±


    I felt tears building behind my eyes and quickly blinked them away. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s bad.¡± I cleared my throat but wasn¡¯t sure what else to say.


    Sensing the awkwardness, Jarrod chuckled wryly. ¡°Speaking of saving my life, I think that¡¯s Tanner cresting the ridge over there, see? Who¡¯d have guessed I¡¯d end up working alongside that de wing rider again, huh? I swear I still have nightmares about Velkor¡­¡±


    I snickered into my hand. ¡°You should show some more appreciation for the mana beast that helped you escape Xyrus.¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to say,¡± Jarrod eximed, brandishing his jerky at me. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to ride the beast. I swear, I¡¯m still not sure Tanner even knew how to control it, really.¡±


    ¡°Well, he seems to have a good enough handle on it now¡ª¡± A gasp burst out of me unbidden, and I jumped to my feet as my entire body went cold with horror.


    The de wing was twisting wildly, its flight quick and erratic just moments before a green jet of lightnced across the sky and struck it from behind. Velkor and Tanner spun out of control, and the de wing¡¯s distant silhouette vanished from sight as it plummeted out of the sky.


    Four dark figures, at first only specks, grew quicklyrger as they approached, their killing intent expanding before them like a wave of ck, crushing mana.


    ¡°Guards!¡± I screamed, breaking into a sprint toward the front of the caravan. Jarrod didn¡¯t hesitate but followed right behind me, wind wrapping around his arms and legs.


    The adventurers had already begun to form ranks, some conjuring shields around the refugees, others chanting and preparing offensive spells tounch a counter attack at whatever approached.


    But we could all sense the strength of their unconcealed mana signatures, and already I saw the hopeless looks being exchanged between our guards and heard the quavering of their voices.


    Shouts went down the wagon train, bringing the carts to a halt one after another. Most of the people we were escorting weren¡¯t mages, and they couldn¡¯t sense what was approaching, nor had they seen Tanner shot from the air, but they saw the defensive spells being cast, and that was enough to send them into a panic.


    There wasn¡¯t time to organize, though. We couldn¡¯t turn around, run, or hide. The distance from the road to the ridge where the de wing had appeared melted away as the figures bore down on us in what felt like seconds.


    Diane Whitehall, one of the adventurers who was leading the protection of our caravan, chopped downward with her arm and shouted, ¡°Attack!¡±


    I held my breath as a volley of spellsunched into the air.


    Not a single one found its target.


    ck ice crystalized around the feet of our frontline defenders. The ice condensed into spikes and thrust upward, piercing mana, armor, and then flesh and bone with casual effortlessness.


    I heard chainmail rip and bones break. Men and women screamed, then went silent as their familiar physical forms became a shredded red mess staining the ck ice.


    Behind them, the second line stumbled back, defensive spells flickering out, no barrage of return fire evident as the horror of the disy stole the strength from even these hardened warriors.


    ¡°Fall back!¡± Diane ordered, hermanding tone reced by a manic shriek, but there was nowhere for any of us to go.


    Green mist billowed up from what remained of the corpses, engulfing the survivors. I couldn¡¯t turn away as their flesh began to run like candle wax down their bodies, their dying screams bubbling with bile and blood. Diane¡¯s freckled face and curly hair sloughed off to reveal the skull beneath, then she copsed.


    The skitters pulling the lead cart scrambled over each other to get back, get away, ripping out of their harnesses and wing over the driver¡¯s seat, ripping Kacheri¡¯s grandfather to pieces. Then the mist hit the cart, and I finally turned away, unable to watch what followed, unable to even feel my core past the sickening numbness that was gripping my mind and body.


    Suddenly Jarrod had a hold of me, dragging me back and away from the mist as it devoured the second and third carts in line as well. Everything was screaming¡­the mountain was tipping on itself, turning upside down as if trying to throw us off into the sky¡­


    I fell to my knees and was sick in the dirt.


    I¡¯d been in the war, in my own way. I¡¯d fought, I¡¯d killed¡­but I¡¯d never seen such casual and horrific death. Even in the worst days of the cryan upation of Xyrus, I hadn¡¯t experienced anything like this.


    ¡°Cast another spell and die,¡± one of the figures said, a woman by her voice.


    Trembling, I watched as shended amid the carnage of their attack, the mist dissolving around her. She had jet ck hair and red eyes¡­and horns.


    A Vritra, I thought, a word that only partially had meaning until that moment.


    ¡°Bare a weapon and die,¡± she continued, stepping toward the handful of adventurers still drawing breath. ¡°Run and die. Irritate me¡­and die.¡± She paused, standing over me, her crimson-colored gaze sweeping across the front of the caravan. I could hear her voice carrying down the mountainside, echoing so she could be heard even from the far end a half mile distant. ¡°Who speaks for you?¡±


    ¡°I¡ªI do,¡± I said weakly, although it wasn¡¯t true, strictly speaking. ¡°S-sort of, I guess.¡± Struggling, I wiped my sick-sshed hands in the dirt and stood. ¡°This isn¡¯t a¡­we¡¯re just helping people move to surviving towns, that¡¯s all. We aren¡¯t transporting anything of value¡­except human lives.¡±


    The woman smiled, a cruel expression on her blunt face. ¡°Convenient, because that is exactly what we need right now.¡± Over her shoulder, she said, ¡°Raest, head to the rear of the caravan. Ensure no one gets brave.¡±


    Raest was badly burned and missing most of one arm, but he gave no outward sign of pain as he nodded in understanding and flew off down the road.


    ¡°Varg, give the venerable Sovereign over to Renczi and assist me in the preparations,¡± she continued, her piercing red eyes flicking toward the sky.


    A second mannded beside her. He had a narrow, sharp face with a long curved chin, and short horns stabbed up from each temple above his small eyes. Over his shoulder, he was carrying a prone form. He stepped up close to the woman and spoke in a low tone that I could only barely make out. ¡°You sure this is the best idea, Perhata? We could¡ª¡±


    She bared her teeth at him, shutting him up. ¡°For the moment, we have the Sovereign but no tempus warp, since ours went up with Cethin. We need to send out a signal, and these Dicathian unads give us cover in case we havepany.¡±


    Her focus turned to me, sharpening. ¡°Your pulse quickens at my words, as if they mean hope for you.¡± She bared elongated canines and leaned in close. ¡°Know that if you survive this, it will be because you did exactly as I said. It will be because I spared you. Seek no hope from outside yourself, understand?¡±


    Swallowing past a lump in my throat, I nodded. When she extended a hand toward my face, I flinched away, but she was faster, her fingers mping around my cheeks. ¡°Go, child. Calm your people. Exin what is needed of them. Ensure that they understand their continued existence is firmly in their own hands.¡±


    She gave me a soft shove as she released me, and I nearly tumbled over backwards.


    Jarrod took hold of my arm to steady me. ¡°Lilia, are you¡­¡± He trailed off, then used his sleeve to wipe away a spot of vomit clinging to my lips, whispering, ¡°What are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°What she says,¡± I confirmed. ¡°Come one, let¡¯s keep these poor people from stampeding off the mountainside.¡±


    Despite my confident words to Jarrod, as we began making our way down the length of our caravan, speaking to family after family, I couldn¡¯t help but feel fraudulent in my attempts to spread calm. After all, hadn¡¯t I just stood frozen as a mere child was casually executed by their cruelty, and now here I was jumping to do the woman, Perhata¡¯s, bidding¡­


    It was perhaps a benefit that the four powerful mages were flying around and casting spells, their punishing auras like the weight of an oing thunderstorm, because most of the people in our care were too frightened to do anything except exactly what they were told. Just like me.


    ***


    ¡°Just stay with your family, and keep calm,¡± I told a middle-aged man whose six children were whimpering from inside their wagon. The four aurochs pulling therge vehicle shifted nervously, but he kept them firmly in hand. ¡°I¡¯m confident that when they get what they want, they¡¯ll leave us be.¡±


    I smiled and hated myself for it. Was I lying to the man? I had no way of knowing, and that broke my heart.


    As I stepped away from his wagon, which was perhaps halfway along the line of carts, wagons, and people on foot as they snaked up the mountainside, the ground rumbled and quaked beneath my feet.


    Stone exploded somewhere deep beneath us.


    I gasped as my ankle turned on a rock, and the four aurochs surged forward toward the back of the small cart ahead of them. The father shouted in panic, jerking futilely at the reins as his children screamed from behind the thick cloth covering their wagon. The lead aurochs dipped their heads and mmed into the back of the cart, splintering wood and sending it careening toward the road¡¯s edge.


    The lone woman on the cart screeched in surprise and terror, and her skitters hissed and tried to surge up the mountainside, dragging the broken cart behind them.


    The hissing lizards spooked the aurochs even more, and the beasts swerved right to get around the smaller cart, taking them¡ªand the family they were pulling¡ªtoward the edge of the road and the sharp incline down the face of the mountain.


    Reaching outward, I took hold of the limited water-attribute mana in the atmosphere and condensed it into a wall just before the aurochs plunged over the side. The beasts smashed into the wall and were forced straight, keeping them on the road as they raced along its very edge, the wagon rebounding off the wall of water behind them.


    Thrusting both hands forward, I sent the wall as a wave across the ground beneath the wagon, pushing it into the dirt and gravel, softening it into a thick muck to catch the wheels.


    The wagon slid side to side as the aurochs tried to force their way around the next cart in line. I conjured another wall at their side, preventing them from veering too far right and plunging down the fatal incline, but it was clear what was going to happen if the runaway beasts turned our caravan into a full-blown stampede.


    Gathering as much force as I could behind the wall of water, I condensed it into a scythe, dropping the liquid de across the harness connecting the beasts to the wagon. Wood and leather splintered, and the aurochs bellowed in terror, leaping from the road. For a moment, they held their formation, sprinting in unison down the steep mountainside, then one lost its footing.


    I looked away, unable to stomach the sight that followed.


    The wagon rested half off the road, the screaming of breathless, terrified children still issuing from its interior. With its wheels stuck in thick mud, it was stable for the moment, but I wasted no time rushing to the wagon¡¯s rear and ripping open the cloth covering. Six pale faces stared out at me even as their father struggled to get to them from the other side.


    ¡°Come on, out, out!¡± I urged, waving them toward me.


    Two older girls grabbed their two youngest siblings in their arms and hurried toward me. The other two scrambled to escape out the front, their father dragging them through the opening. As the weight shifted, the wagon slid sideways in the muck.


    I grabbed the first two children and pulled them to safety. As I reached for the second pair, the wagon slid again, and the older child yelled and slipped as the wooden floor lurched beneath her.


    A gust of wind mmed into the wagon¡¯s broad side, pushing it back toward me. The girl lunged, and I grabbed her and heaved, yanking her off the deck and onto solid ground.


    Jarrod ran up, channeling the gust of wind and slowly pushing the wagon back onto the road.


    Above us, the two skitters clung to the mountainside, a half-destroyed cart dangling beneath them. The driver was lying in the dirt a dozen feet away, nursing a badly bruised elbow and cursing her mana beasts.


    A deadly aura approached, and I looked up to see the one-armed Vritra, Raest,nd in our midst. He slowly gazed around, his eyes narrow and hostile. ¡°Keep your folk in line, girl.¡±


    My anger and anxiety overcame me, and I stepped in front of the cowering family and leveled a fierce re at him. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re doing feels like it¡¯s going to bring down the mountain with us on it! Your spells scared some of the mana beasts, and these people almost¡ª¡±


    I choked on my words as his killing intent wrapped around my throat like a wed fist. Eyes bulging, I scratched at my neck but couldn¡¯t force in a breath.


    The cryan stepped closer. ¡°Do not think that our need for you is so great that it makes us willing to be disrespected, girl. Perhaps the rest of this pathetic lot will be more pliant if I spread your guts from one end of the caravan to the other?¡±


    ¡°Please, that¡¯s enough!¡± Jarrod yelled, running to my side. ¡°We understand, all right?¡±


    Raest eyed Jarrod with disdain, then flew up into the air and away, his aura receding with him.


    I sank to my knees, tears streaming down my cheeks, and dragged in a rasping breath. ¡°Stupid¡­¡± I gasped, shaking my head and angrily wiping my tears away.


    ¡°So I¡¯ve been told,¡± Jarrod said, kneeling beside me.


    I wheezed ufortably, halfughing, half crying. ¡°Not you. I shouldn¡¯t have¡ª¡±


    ¡°Nevermind that,¡± he asserted, offering me his hand. When I took it, he helped me stand. ¡°Come on. There are a lot of people here looking to us for some kind of leadership.¡±


    Knowing he was right, I stood straight and did my best to collect myself. We helped the woman release her skitters. Several other families came forward to find ces for therge family to take shelter and redistribute the goods contained in their now-useless wagon.


    Assuming we ever leave this mountainside, I caught myself thinking. But then, perhaps it means they still have some hope. Otherwise, why bother?


    Feeling a little better, Jarrod and I continued along the wagon train, doing our best to exin what was happening and offer constion and guidance where it was needed.


    It took nearly two hours to reach the end of the caravan, where the one-armed mage was watching over the road to ensure no one tried turning around and fleeing. Meanwhile, the mountain continued to tremble like a volcano about to erupt, and our captors offered us no further exnation.


    A bitter wind had started to blow down the mountainside, turning the air cold, and most of the people had retreated to covered wagons to huddle around warming artifacts or built fires and set up tents against the base of the cliff that bordered the road. With my cloak pulled tight around my shoulders, I turned away from thest cart in our caravan and began making my way back up the mountain with Jarrod.


    ¡°Do you feel that?¡± he asked, stopping and looking westward, using his hand to shield his eyes from the sun.


    ¡°Impossible¡­¡± I breathed, the word little more than a groan.


    Mana signatures, just as powerful as those of the cryan mages who had taken us prisoner, were approaching rapidly. Within moments, I could make out a cluster of five shapes speeding through the air toward us.


    Perhata and Varg rose to meet them. The five new arrivals were all horned and red-eyed, just like Perhata and herpanions, and each one felt at least as strong as a white core mage¡­


    Nine such powers, I thought in dismay. How is such a thing even possible?


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll let us go now,¡± Jarrod said hopefully. ¡°If they get what they want, there is no reason for them to harm us, right?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t bring myself to agree with him, my mind lingering on the quakes that had been shaking the mountain for thest couple of hours.


    ¡°Maybe I can make out what they¡¯re saying¡­¡± Jarrod murmured, casting a spell.


    A light breeze seemed to turn against the cold winding down from the east, blowing only around Jarrod.


    ¡°They¡­Wraiths, I think that¡¯s what they¡¯re called. What are Wraiths? That man they captured, he¡¯s a Sovereign, whatever that means. They¡¯re waiting for one of their teleportation devices, but these new arrivals¡ªthey¡¯re responding to some kind of signal Perhata sent¡ªthey don¡¯t have one. They¡¯re arguing now, and¡ªoh, oh no. Shit¡­¡±


    There was a wet whisper, and bright blood bloomed like an opening flower across Jarrod¡¯s chest. He looked at me in surprise and confusion, his mouth opening and closing, then he sank to the ground. Somewhere, a scream sounded like a distant rm, made muddy by the pounding of my own pulse in my ears.


    ¡°J-Jarrod¡­?¡±


    I fell to his side, pressing my hands to his chest. There was a small tear in his shirt, and beneath it a clean hole in his flesh. Blood was pooling underneath him.


    His hand reached for my cheek, smearing blood across my face, then slowly fell back to his side. A pained moan escaped his lips, and then he was still, the light fading from his eyes.


    All I could do was stare in horror at my friend¡¯s body.


    With painstaking slowness, my head turned to where the Wraiths flew above us. They weren¡¯t even looking¡­


    People were moving around me,ing to see only to halt and step back as they realized Jarrod was already dead, but I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off the Wraiths as they flew away,nding near the head of our wagon train.


    Only then did my tear-filled eyes turn back to Jarrod.


    He stared blindly up at me. Shaking, I pushed his lids closed. I suddenly realized that, although I was surrounded by people, I waspletely alone. I¡¯d known some of the adventurers who were guarding us, but they weren¡¯t my friends, and most of them had died in the initial attack. The people we were helping relocate were nearly all strangers to me, at best people I had found and helped escape from Xyrus. Father and Mother were a long way away. Vanesy had helped organize this journey, but there had been no need for her to attend personally¡­


    I was all on my own, and I had no idea what to do next.


    My stomach twisted as a Wraith mana signature approached, their intentshing at me like a whip. The one-armed Wraith was drifting in our direction yet again. There was an awful smirk carved across his burned face. ¡°Perhata said it, didn¡¯t she? Cast a spell, die. Fools. All you need to do is sit still, shut up, and stay out of our way.¡±


    I had no strength to exchange words with this fiend out of my worst nightmares, but he wasn¡¯t listening anyway. His head jerked up, his grotesque, blistered nose sniffing at the air like a beast. A low growl emanated from his throat, and he red balefully down at me. ¡°Silence. Say nothing, on pain of death.¡±


    Then, one by one, I felt the Wraiths¡¯ presence vanishing. Even as I stared at Raest, I lost all perception of his stifling mana signature. In the space of a few breaths, it was like the Wraiths had disappeared.


    Blindly, my hand groped until it closed around Jarrod¡¯s already cooling arm. What the hell is going on?


    A distant but swiftly approaching emanation answered my question even as I thought it.


    Spinning where I knelt by Jarrod¡¯s body, I stared withoutprehension into the sky, where three massive winged shapes had appeared over the mountains and were flying directly toward us.


    Dragons! Three dragons!


    Breathless, I hungrily absorbed the sight of them: two beautiful crystaline-white beings with ice-blue webbing in their wings and gleaming spikes along their backs, led by a third, ck as midnight and seething with a killing intent unlike any I¡¯d felt before.


    I considered Raest from the corner of my eye as the dragons slowed, wheeling around to the west and investigating our caravan. He wasn¡¯t watching me, but had hunkered down beside a cart, his bloodshot eyes locked on the dragons.


    No, I thought, suddenly desperate, my fingers going white around Jarrod¡¯s dead flesh. They¡¯ll think we¡¯re just¡­us, they won¡¯t know the Wraiths are here, they¡¯ll leave!


    I swallowed heavily, steeling myself for what I needed to do. The Wraith would kill me, I saw that as clearly as I did the dragons in the sky, but I¡¯d been dead since the moment the Wraiths shot down Tanner and his de wing¡­


    Taking a deep breath, I prepared to cast a spell.

 Chapter 455

    <h4>Chapter 455</h4>


    Chapter 453: Amongst the Fallen II


    My heart fluttered inside my chest, hardly daring to beat as I reached for the mana necessary to cast a spell. It didn¡¯t have to beplicated, or even strong. A jet of water, condensed to burst like a firework¡ªjust enough to get the dragons¡¯ attention. If they flew away¡­


    Even though I couldn¡¯t feel his manifested intent, I knew the monster named Raest was barely a dozen feet away. He¡¯ll sense what I¡¯m doing, I thought hopelessly. There was no way I could hide the spell from someone as powerful as him¡­even if I suppressed my mana, he would see right through me. Despite his missing arm and cracked skin, he could cross the distance and break my neck without revealing even a blip of his mana. <strong> Read at readln.org</strong>


    Although I wasn¡¯t looking at it, I could feel Jarrod¡¯s lifeless body next to me, and I knew it didn¡¯t matter if Raest managed to reach me. Not if I could fire of the spell first¡ª


    I jumped with fright as the air crackled with power, and a voice like thunder boomed across the mountainside. ¡°Agents of Agrona,¡± the voice said, resounding as if projected by every bare stone. ¡°We know you¡¯re here, so-called Wraiths, and that you have the Sovereign, Oludari of the Vritra n. Guardian Charon Indrath is offering you this one opportunity to turn yourselves over to our authority and release your prisoner to us.¡±


    The ck dragon swept low, flying past our caravan of wagons beside the road, its bright yellow eyes scouring us in search of the hidden Wraiths. The wind of its passage made my hair fly back, and his aura at such a close range stole my breath. The spell I¡¯d been stealthily attempting to form died on my fingertips.


    Awe and relief overwhelmed me. I leaned against Jarrod¡¯s body, still clutching his arm with one hand, and wept silently.


    ¡°Consider yourself fortunate, dragon,¡± the harsh, bittersweet voice of Perhata answered. Her words were disembodied, emanating from everywhere and nowhere at once, giving no clue of her physical location. ¡°We aren¡¯t here for you, not today. But that won¡¯t stop us from delivering your wings to Agrona if you interfere.¡±


    The ck dragon wheeled high above, reconvening with the two white dragons, their wings beating slowly to keep their enormous bodies in the air. ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd,¡± it said, its tone thick with disbelief. ¡°Your flight is over, your incursion into Dicathen failed. You can no longer run, nor can you hide from us. You insult yourselves by not epting reality.¡±


    Someone farther up the caravan cheered, exalting in the dragons¡¯ presence. Several people quickly joined them, and my relief took on a tinge of fear. Be quiet, I pleaded, not wanting them to draw attention to themselves.


    Perhata¡¯s disembodiedughter echoed across the mountainside, drowning out all other noise. ¡°You have yet to mention that we hold not one hostage, but a couple hundred, yes? I have been trained since birth to kill your kind, asura, but know that in the process of fighting this losing battle, you would be condemning all these people¡ªthe very people you im to protect¡ªto a grisly death. You know as well as I that, if this mountain bes a battlefield, you cannot save them, not even from your own powers.¡±


    I swallowed hard, my swollen eyes instinctively tracking across the nearby wagons and carts, and the faces of those who rode in them.


    The dragon was silent for only a beat before answering. ¡°You are cowards. im to be our equals all you wish, but the fact that you hide behind magicless lessers to save yourselves tells us everything we need to know.¡± It twisted its long neck, giving the other two dragons a meaningful look.


    As if reacting to amand, they both descended, transforming as they did so. The gleaming white scales melded together and formed shining te armor, the reptilian features ttening and bing humanoid. By the time their feet touched the ground, both dragons wore the forms of severe but beautiful women, long blonde hair streaming down their backs from beneath scaled helmets. Each bore an identical tower shield and longspear.


    ¡°See how heartless your saviors are?¡± Perhata¡¯s voice oozed from the air. ¡°We were prepared to let you live, only desiring the return of one of our own. But these asuras, they think of you only as a flock of wogarts to be tended and maintained. If a few here and there need to be ughtered for the good of the herd, though, they won¡¯t hesitate. You all should have bowed to High Sovereign Agrona when you had the chance.¡± <strong>Read at readln.org</strong>


    The two asuran womennded on a t outcropping above the caravan. They remained there only a moment, searching the wagons below, before one of them leapt off, carving a graceful arc through the air andnding light as a feather near the end of the train, only a few wagons down from where I knelt¡ªand the Wraith, Raest, hid.


    ¡°Although unlikely, if any of you manage to survive this, tell your kin,¡± Perhata continued, her words an intrusion I couldn¡¯t block out or escape. ¡°Share with everyone you encounter the cruelty of the Indrath n and the kindness of the Vritra.¡±


    Lying, maniptive witch, I thought bitterly, but at the same time, I knew she was right about the dragons¡¯ willingness to sacrifice us. Squeezing my eyes shut tight, I pressed outward against my despair until my ears rang and my face burned red. These refugees¡ªmost women and children¡ªneed me to have hope, to care if they live or die. Because I might be the only one here who does.


    My mind went inexplicably to Kacheri, the little girl who vanished in an instant of spellfire, coteral damage as the Wraiths exterminated our mages and guards.


    I couldn¡¯t save her. And I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to save everyone now cowering in fear on this mountainside, either. My gaze dragged down to Jarrod. My fingers slid off his strangely still flesh, then curled into white-knuckled fists. One. Just help one person. That¡¯s all it takes.


    The asuran woman was approaching, walking along the inside of the carts as she searched them one by one. The men, women, and children upying them seemed frozen and slightly unreal, like the blurry figures in the background of a painting. Their eyes followed along with the asura¡¯s progress, but they otherwise remained unnervingly still.


    Raest was ever so slowly shifting around the cart as the asura approached. Even though I knew he was there and could see him with my own eyes, my attention wanted to slip off him, to look anywhere else.


    My breath caught as the Wraith and the asura maneuvered to opposite sides of the same cart, Raest¡¯s steps falling in time with the dragon¡¯s to hide even the whisper-quiet sound of his slow shifting. Everything seemed to be happening so slowly. Where are the other Wraiths? The second dragon? What are they waiting for¡ª


    Suddenly the longspear was carving downward, leaving a blurred silver crescent in its wake. <strong>Read at readln.org</strong>


    The weapon shattered the heavy cart, sending shards of broken wood and personal belongings flying in every direction. At the front of the cart, a man and woman were propelled off as if they¡¯d been fired from a catapult, so sudden and violent they didn¡¯t even have a chance to scream.


    On the other side of the cart, Raest threw himself to the side, so fast I could hardly see his movements, and still that wasn¡¯t fast enough. The longspear sliced down the side of his leg with a spray of blood even as he breathed out a cloud of noxious green poison.


    Conjuring an orb of water, I caught the pair of farmers who had been tossed from the wagon, but there was nothing I could do as their two aurochsen were inundated by the cloud, which dissolved both the long shaggy fur and the flesh beneath, so that their pockmarked bones sshed into the muck beneath them.


    Silver light radiated out of the dragon¡¯s shield, wrapping her in a moving barrier that repulsed the fog, but the cloud was spreading quickly.


    ¡°Run!¡± I screamed even as I scrambled back from the expanding mist.


    In a moment of hesitation, I reached for Jarrod¡¯s arm, wildly thinking I could save his body for a proper burial.


    That moment of hesitation nearly cost me my life.


    As I slowed and my hand reached out, the fog caught up with me, oozing around my fingers. I was already moving again, hurling myself away, before I registered the pain. The skin of my right hand cracked and blistered in an instant, entire patches sloughing away like shed snake skin as it melted.


    Biting back a scream, I cradled the wounded limb to my stomach and sprinted away,cking even the chance to honor Jarrod¡¯s sacrifice by watching as the flesh-decaying fumes subsumed him.


    The two farmers and I bolted past the next wagon in line just as therge feline mana beasts pulling it lunged away from the noise and ring mana, screeching as they jumped off the road and tried to sprint down the mountain in panic. And perhaps they could have, if not for the wagon connected to their harness, which crashed down on top of them, mana beasts and riders alike vanishing into the wreckage.


    Then the noise hit me. The screams were first and loudest, then the explosion of spellfire farther up the caravan. All the mana beasts were the worst though, terrified senseless and shrill enough in their panicked howling to cut through the rest.


    Still running, I looked over my shoulder at the fight. <strong>Read at readln.org</strong>


    Beyond the thick green cloud, I could just make out the shadows of others sprinting away down the mountain road, abandoning their wagons and carts.


    The asura¡¯s shield continued to repulse the spells as the Wraithunched attack after attack, pounding the silver spell with condensed spikes of foul, poisonous magic.


    The longspear thrust outward, but at the same time, the entire road fell.


    The sudden jarring motion pulled the asura off bnce, and the thrust went wide, then I saw no more as I toppled forward, the solid ground I¡¯d been running across vanishing from underneath me.


    Inded hard, crashing forward onto my elbows and the side of my face. I sucked in an agonized breath as dirt and gravel was embedded into the ruined flesh of my hand, and would have screamed if something heavy hadn¡¯tnded on me a second after. Even as I turned to see the panicking man I¡¯d saved iling to get off me, a boulder asrge as he was crashed to the road beside us, bounced, and struck him directly, missing me by inches. Boulder and man alike sailed over the edge of the road and vanished into the cloud of dust that now obscured everything in all directions.


    Unsure what had happened, I blearily stared around from my back. A small chariot beside me was overturned. Arge lupine mana beast was snarling and tearing at the leather straps connecting it to the wreckage in an attempt to be free. There was no sign of the driver.


    A woman¡¯s shouts pulled my attention away. It was the dead man¡¯s wife. She was crawling toward the road¡¯s edge, repeating a name I couldn¡¯t make out through the ringing in my skull.


    ¡°Stop, don¡¯t go close to the¡ª¡±


    A sudden burst of wind sted away the dust for a hundred feet in every direction, revealing Raest pinned to the ground with a dragon longspear embedded in his chest. His one remaining arm was clutching the spear as he gaped up at the asura.


    The mountain shook from the force of the blow, and the edge of the road crumbled yet further.


    The woman¡¯s shouting turned into a scream as the rock gave way beneath her, and she was pulled into the dust-choked void beyond. The scream cut out a secondter as I heard the wet impact of her body striking rock and tumbling down the steep slope.


    The ground trembled again, and I realized the entire mountain was quaking. Rocks were raining down from above and bouncing over the path, and entire sections of the road were caving in and spilling down the mountainside.


    Get up, I told myself, reaching for the strength to do so. You have to keep going¡­


    Shaking violently, I used my injured hand to push myself to my feet, then froze when I realized the asura was striding toward me. All around her, the wreckage of her brief battle against the Wraith painted a dire portrait. The hairs rose up on my arms and neck as her bright yellow eyes moved straight through me.


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to protect us,¡± I said, my voice a wheezing gasp, no thought of what I was saying. ¡°Help us!¡±


    She barely took notice, her searching gaze skating over me as she strode past, leaving the few survivors of the surrounding carts to fend for themselves.


    There weren¡¯t many, only those whose mana beasts had stayed within their control or who had abandoned their vehicles. I could still hear the sounds of battle from farther up, but the asura moved with unrushed purpose, her gaze sure and confident.


    Another survivor grabbed me, and suddenly I was being dragged along even as the road shook and threatened to give way beneath our feet. Over my shoulder, though, I was watching the dragon.


    Gritting my teeth, I pulled free of the hands holding me up. I recognized faces, but names escaped my frazzled thoughts. Questions, pleading, but too much fear to force me or to stand and wait. Because, even as the survivors sprinted headlong down the road and away from the battlefield, I turned and followed the asura. <strong>Read at readln.org</strong>


    She must have sensed me, because she nced back. ¡°Go. I won¡¯t be responsible for you, and there is nothing one of your kind can do here.¡±


    I wiped blood from my eyes as I kept stumbling after her. ¡°I¡¯m responsible for these people. I need to help whoever I can. Not to fight, just¡­¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°You are free to choose your own death.¡±


    Her steady strides carried her ahead of me even as I jogged to try and reach a crushed wagon that she passed by without a second nce. Each jarring step was pure torture on my hand. Conjuring a sort of gauntlet of cold water to ease the flesh, I firmly put the pain out of my mind¡ªor I tried, at the very least.


    Beside the wagon, which had been cracked open like an egg when the road copsed, an older womany with a man pulled into herp. Tears spilled down the crags in her aged face, and for a moment I feared the old man was dead. As I approached, his hand patted hers, and I realized he was speaking, but the words were too soft for me to hear.


    Behind the elders¡¯ broken cart, another man, brawny with deeply tanned skin, was attempting to get his family over the edge of the road and down the steep incline.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I said loudly, waving my uninjured hand to get his attention. ¡°There are more people over here, they need¡ª¡±


    The brawny man looked right at me, shook his head, and began climbing down after his family.


    Taking a steadying breath and trying not to me the man, I instead kneeled down beside the elders. ¡°Nevermind then. Let me help you up, we need to move¡ª¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t walk,¡± the old woman said inly. ¡°Got a bad back. I think something broke when the road jumped¡­¡±


    I flinched as mana burst somewhere ahead of us, shaking the ground again. I was afraid the mountain woulde down around us. ¡°Perhaps your mana beasts¡ª¡± I cut myself off, realizing the moon ox connected to the wagon was lying broken in its harness, having been struck by arge stone. ¡°Someone else¡¯s then, there are so many¡­¡±


    The woman was looking at me with such a heartbreakingbination of appreciation, understanding, and eptance that I couldn¡¯t continue.


    ¡°We¡¯re not getting out of this, child,¡± she said, her tears now dry. ¡°But you can. And don¡¯t go trying anything silly. I¡¯d rather not leave this life knowing there is blood on my hands, understand?¡±


    I shook my head vehemently. ¡°I¡¯m a mage, I can¡­¡± I trailed off, biting my bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. I didn¡¯t want to admit it, even to myself, but I knew there was nothing I could do for them.


    The old woman tried to give me a fierce and determined sort of look, but she couldn¡¯t manage it. Instead, she looked away, leaned down, and kissed her husband on the forehead.


    You are free to choose your own death, the dragon¡¯s words echoed in my head, apanied by the taste of blood. <strong>Read at readln.org</strong>


    Running footsteps were approaching, and so I stood, giving them a small bow as I prepared to address more survivors.


    The mountainside behind me shattered in a burst of mana. A shard of stone cut the air so close that I felt my hair move with its passage, and I jerked and fell again, mming my wounded hand hard on the ground.


    One of the adventurers, a quiet boy younger than me, had just appeared out of the thick wall of dust, pelting as fast as he could down the treacherous path, a few others behind him. The force of the explosion lifted their bodies off the ground, a spray of stone shrapnel ripping them to tatters.


    I stared at the bodies, my breathing faster and faster. What am I supposed to do?


    One small figure moved, shuffling and moaning in pain. I sprinted forward and scooped up a small boy into my arms. His face was covered with dust and blood, and he pulled back from my touch as I put pressure on his shoulder, which I thought might be dislocated. His eyes moved to me, his thin brows pinching together, but his expression was vacant.


    I could recognize the signs of shock well enough, but my own mind was a disordered blur. Standing, I turned in a slow circle, searching for a way to help this poor child.


    Ahead of us, a wide, t cart had overturned, blocking my view of the road. When it exploded, I jumped so hard I nearly let the child slip out of my hands. So wholly was I startled that I barely registered the figure smashing through the cart, passing by a few feet in front of me, and mming into the ground.


    The impact shook the mountain, and the road beneath my feet slid away.<strong>Read at readln.org</strong>


    Gasping, I half ran, half jumped across the sliding rock and dirt, scrambling for solid ground. For a moment, every other sound was lost beneath tons of rock crashing down the mountainside. Unsure what else to do, I threw myself behind the elderly couple¡¯s cart, which had miraculously remained on the road.


    My stomach turned as the figure rose from the sinkhole, a wicked de of ck ice held in each hand. Varg, I remembered, the Wraith who had argued with Perhata. Gravel crunched behind me, and I spun: the asura. She advanced with her shield out in front of her, the longspear extended out over top.


    ¡°You went to all the trouble of hiding among this lot just for a scratch?¡± the dragon asked, and I noticed the faintest cut beneath her eye, barely more than a red line drawn across her pale skin. ¡°If you are the best Agrona has managed in all these years, I find myself in wonder that this war still continues.¡±


    Varg did not bother with a retort but flew out into the open air, keeping well back from solid ground. The dragon wasn¡¯t bothered, of course, lifting up and floating out into the dusty void after him.


    And as she did, I got a closer look at her face, her wound. Something was wrong with it. Already, green tendrils were expanding outward from the scratch, discoloring the flesh around it.


    Moving with such sudden speed that I could not follow, she shed across the space between them, her longspear a blur in the air as sheshed out in several entwined strikes. The Wraith didn¡¯t attempt to fight, instead retreating and dodging so that her strikes always just barely missed. The speed of their conflict kicked up a wind that pushed back the dust, and I squinted down at the cloud¡¯s edge. Beneath them, nothing more than a silhouette, a second figure waited, hidden.


    The boy whimpered in my arms, and I shrank down and held him tight, my attention locked on the fight unfolding before me.


    Each of the dragon¡¯s attacks came faster than thest, lines of silver light following each movement, and pirs of dark ice formed to deflect the blows or cut off her momentum, but Varg was beginning to appear strained, his face a mask of dire concentration.


    There was another tremor, and with a jolt of fear, I hurried up the road, picking my way through the wreckage. I didn¡¯t dare to look back to see if the elders were still lying in the dirt beside their cart.


    My vision wavered and my joints seared with every movement I made, the boy¡¯s weight only adding to the pain. A cut on my side I didn¡¯t remember receiving bled freely while the agonizing pain of my hand helped to blunt the pain from the rest of my injuries.


    A massive shadow cut off the diffused glow of the sun, made blurry and orange by the dust rising from the mountainside. A beam of pure mana split the sky, so bright that I had to stop and look away. By the time I could start moving again, the ck dragon was wheeling away again, five figures darting around it, spells striking with clockwork coordination.


    Cart after cart had been left empty and abandoned. Some mana beastsy dead, others had ripped free of their fittings and fled. Scattered throughout the devastation were dozens of bodies.


    I quickly checked each one, looking for any survivors but only finding corpse after corpse. ¡°One, just one,¡± I murmured to myself, my search bing more and more desperate. Then, as my shadow crossed over the face of an armored woman, her eyes blinked open, and she stared up at me.


    I gasped, reaching out a hand only to pull back when I saw the stake protruding from the side of her armor, the wood having hit her with enough force to twist steel.


    Setting down the silent child, I took hold of the stake. ¡°This is going to¡±¡ªI jerked upward, unsure if the strength of my wounded hand would be enough¡ª¡°hurt!¡±


    The woman gasped with sudden pain, but the piece of wood pulled free. I tossed it aside, then conjured a spell to clean the wound of dirt and slivers. Withdrawing clean bandages from my dimension artifact, I did my best to stop the bleeding, then stepped back. By then, the child was beginning to whimper, and, although my body screamed in protest, I picked him back up.


    The woman groaned as she stood, then she conjured stone around the damaged section of her armor. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m just d¡ª¡±.


    A sudden sonic burst popped my right ear, and I wobbled, unbnced. The child let out a cry, and the adventurer beside me winced and clutched the rock-covered wound.


    ncing out over the dusty void, I saw only the white-armored asura, her bright yellow eyes seeming to pierce the dust like spotlights as she searched for the Wraith, who had vanished. Suddenly the dragon winced and pressed the back of her spear arm against the cut on her face, which was now half green from whatever rot the Wraith had infected her with.


    In that moment, Varg dove out of the dust, one de cutting down from his right, the other thrusting up from the left.


    The dragon was not caught off guard, and her spear shed through the air, shattering first one sword, then carving through Varg from shoulder to rib cage, and finally crashing into the second de, which exploded into a fine, glittering cloud.


    But from the spray of blood, a dozen ck metal spikes thrust out, growing rapidly. Most impacted harmlessly against the dragon¡¯s shield, and one nced off the side of her helmet. Another, however, pierced the inside of her spear arm, pushing through and out the other side, then expanding yet farther, so that in the blink of an eye, the arm was ripped free and sent spiraling, with her spear, down into the unseen depths below.


    The dragon spun away from the attack, her shield sweeping like a de and unleashing a crescent of white light, which carved into the dust in a circle around her. I fell to my knees, the boy pulled tight against my chest, just in time for the spell to part the air above me before mming into the cliff face and carving the solid stone like so much soft winter snow.


    Something hard hit the back of my head, and the world swam as the explosion of pain nearly ripped me free from the thread of consciousness I had been hanging onto. All I could do was blink as I pressed my head down onto the back of my arm and breathed through the nausea. Stay awake, I thought. Stay awake, stay awake¡­


    ncing blearily around, I saw a nearby cart and began dragging the boy and myself across the ground until I was lying beneath it.


    As I rolled over onto my back, the child whimpering in the crook of my elbow, I saw the woman I had just saved.


    She was lying almost exactly where had been when I first found her, severed cleaning in two by the asura¡¯s spell.


    I stared at her for a long time, unable to process what was going on around me. <strong>Read at readln.org</strong>


    Motion caught my pain-blurred eyes, and I watched through the spokes of a cart wheel as the second white-armored dragon woman flew out to the other. They looked nearly identical, though one was now missing an arm and had green tendrils spreading from her cut cheek so that nearly her entire face was sickly looking.


    Despite the rumble of the mountain warning me that this section of the road might copse at any moment, I couldn¡¯t look away from the divine beings. Even taking the form of humans, there was still something otherworldly about them¡ªtranscendent, even. I wondered what such beings talked about. I could see their lips moving, but the distance and noise were far too great to hear.


    Was she wondering what sort of creatures these Wraiths were, that they would sacrifice their own merely for the chance to wound her?


    I swallowed hard. How much is my life worth to beings like the dragons and Wraiths? Or how little? To them, I knew perhaps the answer was nothing, but for myself, I couldn¡¯tprehend the value of the human lives lost in that battle. Just help¡­one more person.


    As the ringing in my head began to subside into a steady but painful throb, I dragged my aching body out from under the cart and stood, painfully scooping up the boy once the stars behind my eyes faded. ¡°It¡¯s going to be all right,¡± I said, talking as much to myself as to the child.


    Two people were standing at the edge of a copsed section of road, staring down at the skree-strewn hole that had earlier been passable ground. They both jumped when they heard me scrambling out from under the cart, and the man spun and pointed the tip of a sword at me.


    ¡°The path¡¯s fallen down,¡± I said, my tongue feeling numb and drunken. I gave a little shake of my head, which I instantly regretted when a lightning bolt of pain struck out from the knot growing on the back of my skull. ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s a bit obvious, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Lady Helstea,¡± the man said, lowering his sword. ¡°By the abyss, everyone is¡­is¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no time,¡± I cut in, sobering as I thought of Jarrod and the adventurer I had just helped only to see her cut down again. ¡°You¡¯ll have to climb. Shimmy along the cliffside there. That rim of ground should hold, but¡­grab onto the wall too.¡±


    The woman pulled a bundle in her arms up to her chest, and it squirmed and gave a small cry.


    A baby, I realized. She was carrying a baby.


    Behind the family, I saw the ck dragon sweep back around, having flown up over the high peaks. None of the Wraiths were in sight.


    I nced at the boy in my arms, his eyes unfocused, his mouth open with a bit of drool dribbling down as he regarded me nervously. ¡°Down then,¡± I said.


    I struggled to channel mana through the fog still muddying my thoughts and had to set the child down to focus. After a moment, a wave condensed out of the air to hammer into the cart I had hidden under. Already half broken, the bed of the cart rolled off its axle,ing to rest at the very edge of the road.


    ¡°Go on, get in.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± the man asked, his face pale. ¡°You can¡¯t expect¡ªwe¡¯ll be crushed to paste.¡±


    The mountain quaked yet again, and high above, a peak copsed as a stray spellnced through it.


    ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± I assured him, ¡°but if you don¡¯t get out of here, this mountain mighte down on all of us.¡± Not waiting for a reply, I knelt beside the now isted cart bed, gently pulling the boy with me. Without its wheels and harness, the vehicle looked not unlike a small raft.


    Focusing on the point where the road had copsed, I felt for the distant atmospheric mana trapped within the stone. There wasn¡¯t enough by itself, but with the help of apetent water-attribute conjurer¡­


    Slowly at first, then faster, water began bubbling up from the cracks in the stone. Soon it was gushing, then finally the stone broke open, releasing a flood that ran down the steep ramp created by the rock slide like a rushing river. Tentacle-like protrusions reached out from the water and wrapped around the cart.


    I met the woman¡¯s eye, then looked pointedly at the squirming bundle in her arms. ¡°I can control the flow until you reach a safe ce below. But only if you go now.¡±


    She gazed at her baby for a few very long seconds, her face pale as death, then took a step toward the broken cart. The man grabbed her arm, and she leaned forward and rested her head against his chest. ¡°What other choice do we have?¡±


    He stared at me with raw, bloodshot eyes. ¡°Please¡­don¡¯t let us die. Don¡¯t let our baby¡­¡± <strong>Read at readln.org</strong>


    I nodded, all my concentration on the huge quantity of water I was attempting to control. The couple finally got up into the cart, sitting on the floor and wedging themselves between the two benches, their arms around each other and their precious cargo.


    ¡°And¡­I need you to watch after this little one,¡± I said, lifting the boy with my good arm while my ruined hand stretched out in front of me to help focus the spell.


    The boy yelled out as I set him in the cart, and the man, despite his fear, pulled the boy close, wrapping his arms around them all.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay,¡± I assured the child as he began to cry, squirming in the man¡¯s arms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you before, but I¡¯m Lilia. And I¡¯m going to get you out of here safely, okay?¡±


    The boy was too deep in shock to process what I was saying, but the man understood. ¡°Thank you, Lilia.¡±


    The watery arms dragged the cart into the little waterfall. I nudged the water so that it pulled the cart into itself, keeping it in the center and preventing it from just plunging to its doom. Still, the flow was fast, and the cart took off with such sudden speed that the woman gave a short, sharp scream. The cart wobbled, catching air and being pulled off course, but I held it in position with the flowing water itself, so the makeshift raft was carried rapidly but controlled down the steep slope.


    In an instant, they vanished into the dust, which was so thick now that I couldn¡¯t see more than thirty feet down the mountainside.


    The battle, which had for a few moments calmed, erupted again in a wave of ck fire that spiraled through the sky above. I couldn¡¯t be sure where it wasing from or who the target was. An instantter, there was a countering sh as the ck dragon swept down from nowhere, unleashing a deadly breath of silver mes. Light and darkness danced against each other, swallowing up the sky.


    Closing my eyes, I put all my mind and energy into the water itself, feeling its course, keeping the raft tucked into it. Somewhere below, a fireball impacted the mountainside. I felt the river buck as the couple¡¯s screams drifted up out of the valley, but I pulled the raft down tight against the water and held on for dear life. After a few seconds, the water began to slow and spread out. That was the edge of my strength, and with a gasp, I released the spell. Instantly, the river slowed to a trickle.


    My skin was warm. Eyes still closed, I turned my face to the sky; it felt like a midsummer sun was beaming down on me.


    ¡°Just help¡­one more person,¡± I whispered, hoping beyond hope that the family had made it, because that hope was all that I had.


    My eyes blinked open. The sky was nothing but fire, and the heat had pushed back some of the dust. All up and down the line of carts, fireballs were raining. Rocks were tumbling down and dragging away entire swaths of the road with them. The air was so hot my lungs felt as if they were burning.


    The ceiling of fire rippled, giving way from the center out, the mes untangling and then sputtering anding apart. A dark, humanoid shape fell through. Even from a distance, I knew it was a Wraith, though I couldn¡¯t be sure which one. The ck dragon¡¯s huge head followed, appearing from the center of the dying vortex as if from a portal to the abyss. The jaws opened wide, and the Wraith vanished with them.


    I heard the snap of their closing even from where I kneeled.


    Suddenly the air cleared, a st of icy wind sending an enormous cloud of dust out over the dense, marshy forests that grew along the base of the Grand Mountains in Sapin. With me and dust both gone, the full scope of the battle was visible to me.


    The two white dragons remained in their humanoid forms. The injured asura was wielding her shield to defend her twin, who focused on sending bright, silvery attacks at the Wraiths harrying her. Both were now spotted with green discoloration.


    Three more Wraiths still swarmed the ck dragon, each one attacking in concert with the others, keeping the dragon¡¯s attention divided between them at all times. The ck dragon flew low, banking so his back and wings were facing me, and I saw for the first time thework of dark green veinscing through the ck scales. Something has poisoned the dragons, and yet they survive while three Wraiths are dead, I thought, but I was too battered and weak to take anyfort in the thought.


    Shifting, I looked around, again taking in the wreckage of the mountain and feeling the rumbling of the rockslides. A war of attrition, I realized. The Wraiths can¡¯t overpower the dragons. But if they sacrifice a few of themselves tond a poisonced blow, then they can keep their distance until the dragons are too weak to finish them. And the dragons get no closer to finding this Sovereign they¡¯re searching for¡­


    As I watched the ck dragon closely, I saw how it wobbled as it banked tightly and snapped at a Wraith, and how, when it missed, the silver mes of its breath gleamed less brightly as they chased their target through the air.


    ¡°Just one more¡­¡± I muttered, my feet slowly starting to move again as they took me up the road.


    I had to navigate around another slide that had wiped out fifty feet or more of the road. On the other side, I nearly tripped over a prone body. Leaning down, I felt the face of a young woman I had only met briefly. There was no sign of breath in her body.


    Moving on, I found another corpse, then several more, and came to a ce where a circle of ck iron spikes had stabbed up from the ground. More corpses were pinned to them.


    I stopped, growing momentarily woozy, and my gaze returned to the sky.


    Spell after spell shattered against the ck dragon¡¯s scales as it chased after the Wraiths, unleashing its deadly breath at intervals. The two asuran twins seemed to be arguing, but as I watched, they suddenly separated.


    The wounded asura pulled away from the other and flew toward where I had stopped. At the same time, her twin lunged at Perhata, the longspear thrusting with blurring speed. A beam of pure mana erupted from the spear¡¯s head, carving through the air just past Perhata¡¯s horns.


    One of the Wraiths broke off and followed the wounded dragon. A dark cyclone was blowing around the Wraith, and from it issued missile after missile of ash-gray mana, each one pelting the asura¡¯s back with a low hum.


    She spun to face him, catching thest few missiles with her shield. <strong>Read at readln.org</strong>


    The cyclone grew, and as it did, more and more missiles poured from it, dozens at a time.


    Through the nimbus of swirling magic that was now crashing into her from every direction, I saw the dragon lift her shield. It was glowing brightly, and getting brighter with every attack it blocked. Feeling a sudden knife of panic in my ribs, I dropped to the ground, closed my eyes, and shielded my head.


    Even so, the sh that followed nearly blinded me, burning right through my eyelids.


    Peeking out from under my elbow, I just saw as the Wraith¡¯s spell came undone, the cyclone tearing itself apart as the mana spilled away in every direction. The Wraith reeled, and the asura lunged forward.


    Mana formed a softly shimmering silver arm where her missing limb was. This conjured fist wrapped around the stunned Wraith¡¯s throat and erupted into red gore. Spinning, she hurled the Wraith back against the cliffs, his body cratering stone and triggering yet more copses all along the road.


    A beam of white light channeled through the shield and poured into the crater after the Wraith until all hint of his lingering mana signature snuffed out.


    Above, the remaining Wraiths fell back to regroup, allowing the wounded asura to drift to the road, where she copsed onto her knees. Her twin and the ck dragon seemed satisfied to watch the Wraiths from a distance, biding their time as well.


    Uncertain, I stood and approached the asura. Somewhere ahead, someone was shouting¡­


    There are still survivors, I thought, no particr emotion springing to the forefront of my fatigued brain.


    ¡°So, you have not chosen your death yet,¡± the asura said, her voice creaking with wariness. ¡°I am¡­almost impressed.¡±


    ¡°No one here chose death,¡± I said through clenched teeth, my lips curling back into a grimace. ¡°To say otherwise is an insult to all those who survived the hellish war only to be coteral damage here today.¡± Biting my tongue, I took a deep breath to steady myself before continuing. ¡°Was it worth it? Have you even found what you wanted?¡±


    Letting out a pained moan, the dragon forced herself to stand. She was a full head taller than me, and her bright yellow eyes seemed to burn right through to my core as she looked down on me.


    ¡°The fate of worlds outweighs the lives of a couple hundred lessers.¡± She cocked her head, turning to look westward over the steep incline to where herpanions were hovering between us and the Wraiths. ¡°Or even three dragons.¡±

 Chapter 456

    <h4>Chapter 456</h4>


    Chapter 454: Amongst the Fallen III


    39 minutes ago


    The asura strode past me, and I couldn¡¯t help but take a step back as my stomach churned and my strength wilted from her aura. Despite my best efforts, I¡¯d been trying to avoid turning my thoughts inward to examine my many wounds, but the crushing force of the asura¡¯s presence made my own pains inescapable.


    Every inch of my body was battered and bruised, my ears rang, and there was a consistent, angry throbbinging from the back of my head. I couldn¡¯t even bring myself to look at my hand, much of the flesh of which had sloughed off to reveal the discolored meat beneath.


    Ahead of me, the dragon looked up, but her gaze was aimed away from the stalled battle above the mountain.


    To the south, a small cluster of dark shapes was approaching rapidly over the mountain peaks. They weren¡¯t bothering to hide their mana signatures, and there was no mistaking them for anything other than what they were.


    Every nerve in my body began to unravel at the sight, and I felt truly hopeless for the first time since the dragons arrived. ¡°Was it all really for nothing?¡± I asked, the words a whisper on my lips.


    The weight of the dragon¡¯s mana swelled, the air thick with it, her pressure palpable on my skin. Pain wracked me as I fell to my knees and stared up at the inhuman entity, sure that her mere presence would destroy me utterly.


    The asura sighed.


    Tears streamed from my eyes, and I involuntarily turned away, unable to bear the sight of the asura¡¯s raw power, only to see a streak like a ck star bearing down on us. Unable to even utter a cry of rm, I felt my body go rigid, then the dragon¡¯s aura manifested as a silver shield, capturing me within it by nature of my proximity.


    A seething morass of ck metal spikes churned around us, chewing at the barrier like a thousand grinding teeth. With a grunt, the asura shoved outward with her shield. Beams of silver light pierced the cold metal, and the spikes all burst at once, the dust of their remains drifting out over the valley below.


    I had a second of pure terror to watch as the ground cracked open beneath me before I slid backwards, being swallowed by an enormous, earthen maw. Broken stone, rock, half a carriage, and several tons of dirt copsed all around me.


    Reaching out, I wed the air and watched as the one-armed asuran woman floated into the air and sped toward Perhata, then everything but the falling mountain was gone and darkness closed in above me.


    Desperately, I struggled to conjure a protective barrier of water around myself. The mana sputtered and stalled as my broken concentration iled, then swelled into existence, embracing me in a cold but buffering sphere. I bounced around as gravel, stone, and soil battered me from every direction, only intermittent shes of light visible through the cascading rubble, then, with a suddenness that made my head spin, I came to a jerking halt.


    The noise of the mountain¡¯s copse continued everywhere at once, the rumbling inside my head, my chest, my guts. I couldn¡¯t see, couldn¡¯t breathe. My barrier was copsing, being crushed inward toward me by the weight of the mountain. I was trapped by my own spell, pinned, paralyzed, my concentration fractured.


    The spell burst. I wrapped my arms around my head, and the dirt and rocks settled on top of me. Something heavy crushed down on my leg.


    I screamed, but the soil swallowed the noise. My heart was beating fast, so fast I felt like it would run up my throat.


    This was it. Everything I had done¡ªlearning magic, rebelling against the cryans, surviving the war¡ªhad brought me here, to my literal grave. Buried alive. Better to have died alongside Jarrod, I thought wildly, bitterly. At least it would have been quick.


    Then, though, I remembered the man climbing down the mountain with his family. I remembered the couple with the baby. And the boy.


    They had struggled to survive, not giving up during the war or after, even continuing to fight for their lives as deities rained death and destruction down all around them.


    Regr folks¡ªfarmers, herdsmen, crafters¡ªwent through all that and chose to keep trying to live¡­


    I wriggled my arms, careful to protect my head, and made just a little bit of room for myself. Then my shoulders and hips, and made just a little more. The protective spell had prevented the soil and small stones frompacting around me, but something both hard and heavy was pressing down on my leg.


    I closed my eyes, even though it made no difference to what I could see. Taking a deep breath of the thin, musty air, I listened and searched with every sense avable to me.


    My breath caught.


    Below, not far, I could sense mana¡ªarge collection of atmospheric water-attribute mana.


    Shaking with nerves, I carefully¡ªvery carefully¡ªbegan using what little mana I still had to spray jets of high-pressure water into the ground, carving out a little space.


    The ground that was pressing in all around me gave way little by little. Afraid to be careless and yet knowing there was no time to collect myself, I used small bursts of water to carve down toward the atmospheric mana I could sense, trying to make enough room to crawl forward in my little cave. But the boulder on my leg was holding it fast; I couldn¡¯t move an inch.


    Closing my eyes, I stopped moving and casting for a moment, focusing on my breath. My head was foggy, my body had dissolved into one connected agony, and my core was nearly empty.


    Pushing up onto my elbows, I gathered my strength and cast a jet of water at the stone, trying to shift it. Some chunks of rock ked away, but the boulder didn¡¯t move. I gathered my strength, then struck it again and again, each jet in the same spot, until, with a muffled crack, the boulder split. The halves slid just a little, and suppressing a scream of sheer agony, I yanked myself free.


    Dirt rained down on me, then small pebbles, as the ground all around me shifted as well.


    Gathering what felt like thest of my strength, I sted downward with a powerful jet, and the floor of my little hole gave way.


    I plunged into open air, there was a brief sensation of light against my eyes, then I hit solid rock with a jarring impact that knocked the breath from my lungs and all sense from my skull. My senses flitted in and out as I struggled against the impulse to go to sleep, then something jolted me back to awareness.


    I stared up at the ceiling, which had partially crumbled where I¡¯d sted my way through.


    What had that been? Something experienced on the outer edges of my failing senses¡­


    Turning my neck was pure torture, but I had to find whatever had jarred my senses back to life. Next to me, only a couple feet away, a spike of ck metal protruded from the floor and up into the ceiling, with awork of fments extending from it to keep the ceiling lodged in ce. As I looked farther, I saw another, and then a third ck spike.


    Then it happened again, and I realized what it was: a voice.


    Despite the bone-deep pain, I turned in the other direction, rolling onto my side and propping myself up on one elbow.


    In a dim, sourceless light, I could just make out the shape of a man curled into a fetal position next to the ssy ck of an underground body of water. Red eyes stared back at me, glowing in the gloom.


    I sucked in a breath, and my ribs gave a stab of pain. Squinting, I realized he had long, corkscrew horns that poked up from his head, and there was a sharpness and definition to his features that made him look inhuman.


    ¡°The Sovereign,¡± I muttered weakly.


    ¡°Ah, you know me, good, that¡¯s good¡­¡± He tried to give me what he must have thought was a disarming smile, but it only made him look even more predatory.


    Except¡­something was wrong. He has no mana signature. Looking more closely, I realized that he was tightly bound with heavy chains and cuffs.


    ¡°You¡¯re a Dicathian lesser, yes? But a mage, at least.¡± A dark tongue flicked across his pale lips. ¡°I¡¯m in need of your assistance immediately, as you can see. Release me at once, and I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I yelped, unable to help myself.


    Irritation shed across the man¡¯s face. ¡°Do not be stupid. I am no longer an enemy of your nation. If the noise out there is any indication, your dragon allies are currently fighting against the soldiers who abducted me. Release me, and I¡¯ll turn myself into whichever lizard is in charge, and you¡¯ll be a hero.¡±


    I blinked, unable to process what was happening through the pain and exhaustion pressing on me like the fallen mountain above.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± he huffed. ¡°After all this, a breathing magic user falls into myp, so to speak, and she is an imbecile. Or concussed.¡± He narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°Lesser. You do speak thisnguage, yes?¡±


    I swallowed and eased myself into a sitting position. My wounded hand jumped to my ribs, which I thought must be broken. ¡°Yes, of course,¡± I said through gritted teeth. ¡°But I don¡¯t think I can help you. You¡¯re a¡ª¡±


    ¡°A coward,¡± a new voice said, a voice that had been ringing across the mountainside all throughout the battle.


    I froze, unable to turn around, but then, I didn¡¯t need to.


    ¡°Sovereign Oludari Vritra of the Dominion of Truacia.¡± Perhata¡¯s feet crunched across the sediment dusting the bare stone of the floor. ¡°Sworn in service to the High Sovereign, Agrona Vritra, father of our nation and our people. Betrayer, traitor¡­failure.¡± Perhata materialized out of the darkness. ¡°Have I missed any of your titles, Sovereign?¡±


    He seemed to dete as he released a deep sigh.


    Perhata kneeled beside me, took my chin in her hand, and pulled me around to face her, examining me closely. ¡°If it isn¡¯t the girl I promised to let live. Have you been a good little girl?¡±


    I suddenly felt like I was back in the lightless hole, trapped and waiting to die, blind and suffocating. A cold chill trembled through my body, offset only by the wet warmth spreading through my stained and ruined pants.


    Perhata regarded me with disdain. ¡°You have survived, which I suppose should be worth something. And yet¡­¡±


    Her brows pinched together, and she pursed her lips thoughtfully, then stood and moved to Oludari. There was a spark of mana, and she set a device down on the ground next to him. ¡°Sorry for the dy, Sovereign. We were waiting on this, which Khen¡¯s battle group was kind enough to bring for us. With five more Wraiths on our side, the battle above should be about over, don¡¯t you imagine?¡±


    She sucked in a deep breath and released it with almost giddy energy. ¡°If there has been one good thing about your fruitless attempt to defect, it was that my purpose was fulfilled this day. Dragon blood spilled¡­¡± One elongated canine bit down on her lower lip as she suddenly closed her eyes and turned her face toward the ceiling, visibly tensing.


    Then her smile faded, her eyes snapped open, and Perhata spun around, staring up through the mountain as if she could see the sky beyond. Even in the colorless light, I could see her face turning pale.


    It took a moment longer before I sensed the approaching intent.


    A seething, furious anger seemed to harden the air. Three more mana signatures¡ªeven more powerful than the dragons already there¡ªand among them, something else. Something cold and rageful and¡­dangerous.


    Perhata spun, diving for the device. Oludari squirmed in his chains,shing out with a knee and knocking the anvil-shaped artifact sideways. It slid in the dirt, rocking toward the water, and Perhata scrambled to get hold of it, mana building up as she tried to activate it.


    ¡°Lesser, the tempus warp!¡± Oludari urged. ¡°Disable it¡ª¡±


    Perhata, who had for a moment seemed to forget my existence, flicked out her hand in irritation. A dark streak sped toward me, so fast I didn¡¯t even have time to close my eyes.


    There was a bright purple sh in front of me, and then someone was standing between us, a figure wreathed in violet arcs of lightning. In the figure''s hand, little sparks of the purple current jumping around it, was the spike that had been aimed for my throat. Violet mes licked between his fingers, and the ck spike burned away to nothing.


    The burning silhouette of a wolf burst from him,unching itself at Perhata, while his head turned slightly, mid-length blond hair waving like a curtain, and a single gold eye meeting mine as his profile was revealed. ¡°Go,¡± Arthur said, his voice, like his expression, dark and solemn, but beneath that, frosted over with such a bitter, cold fury that it sent a shiver down my spine.


    Even as Perhata struggled against the creature in the background, spells starting to sh and fly all through the cavern, I reached out and clutched his arm. ¡°The dragons, they¡­they didn¡¯t care, they let us¡ª¡±


    That boiling, wrathful intent I had felt red, and Arthur¡¯s eyes zed. ¡°I know.¡±


    Before I could say or do anything else, Arthur blinked away, his arm melting from my grasp as he reappeared on the other side of Perhata, cutting her off from the Sovereign and the artifact. A bright beam of amethyst light swept across the dark cave, and the Wraith threw herself back, dragging the lupine mana beast with her.


    A spray of ck metal spikes filled the cave,unching outward from the Wraith. My senses weren¡¯t quick enough to follow them all, but at the same time, several swords molded from violet energy appeared in the air, shing in several directions at once, each one deflecting or destroying a spike.


    One speared the ground beside me, barely missing my leg after one of the swords parried it aside.


    Shaking loose of my paralysis, I tried to stand only to realize that my crushed leg wouldn¡¯t hold my weight. The pain of it was a distant echo that only manifested as I began to move, but it contained no strength. Instead, I rolled over and crawled desperately toward the underground body of water.


    More projectiles cracked the stone all around me, and with each agonizing jerk forward, I expected one to pierce my flesh and pin me to the ground. It was almost a surprise when my body slid down the wet slope and entered the cold water with a small ssh. Shoving out with mana, I projected myself along the narrow river, pushing the current to carry me even faster. A secondter, I slipped into a crack where the water drained out and was quickly pulled away from the battle.


    The underground stream wasn¡¯trge, and I had to navigate entirely by my sense of mana and the current. There was no way to know if there was an outlet ahead or I would find myself trapped in a continually narrowing gap, but I knew I couldn¡¯t stay in the cave.


    When the stream became too narrow, I shoved out with as much water-attribute mana as I could still manage, breaking away outcroppings of stone that created impassable pinch-points. I swam for a minute or more, until my head began to feel light and my lungs screamed for air, before I reached the end of the crevice.


    Freshly churned dirt and stone blocked the way forward. In a sudden panic, I wed at the dirt with my good hand, but it was no use. Digging through might take hours, but I had mere seconds¡­


    Conjuring bullets and beams of water, I sted the obstruction. Each spell was weaker than thest. Again and again I struck it, until the water turned to mud and my core cried out with each spell. Realizing I wouldn¡¯t make it, I tried to turn and swim back upstream, but the crack was too tight. I couldn¡¯t reverse direction, and I didn¡¯t have the strength to send so much water coursing against gravity to pull me back.


    My need to breathe was overpowering my ability to hold my breath. When it did, I would choke down lungfuls of muddy water and drown¡­


    I felt my mind sliding toward unconsciousness, and I was thankful. At least I wouldn¡¯t be awake for it.


    Even as I epted my fate, a sharp force tugged against my body, and I mmed against the rock wall. I was moving! The crack was so tight I scraped constantly against the walls, but the current was once again flowing, pulling me forward at increasing speed. A few, desperate seconds passed, then the walls widened before vanishing. I opened my eyes.


    Murky water surrounded me, but I could see light, and I swam toward it, my movements wild, no wherewithal left to cast a spell to speed my ascent. It seemed so far, and I felt certain that I would still drown, that I couldn¡¯t possibly make it such a distance.


    My head burst from the water and into open air, and I took the most painful breath of my life.


    Somewhere very close, a child screamed.


    Coughing wildly, I iled to keep my head above water. On the shore, several figures rushed about in hurried movement. There was a ssh, and strong hands took hold of me, pulling me toward solid ground. I copsed into soft soil, heedless of the muck molding around my face. All I could do was gasp for breath.


    There were voices, several, all around me, but I couldn¡¯t process their words.


    A shadow passed over me, and I instinctively focused on its source. Everything was blurry, and it was loud. So loud¡­


    The mountain, the Sovereign¡­


    ¡°Arthur!¡± I sat bolt upright, searching my surroundings.


    I was on the edge of a murky, slow-moving river. Tons of stone and dirt have copsed into it from the mountain above, nearly stopping the flow. I was in the valley at the base of the mountain. Above, it was still copsing in on itself, the cacophonous grinding of stone on stone loud enough to make me ill.


    But it was above that, far above, where my eye was drawn.


    A truly enormous dragon dominated the sky. The battle-scarred monstrosity had bone-white scales and vibrantly purple eyes that I could see even from the ground. His wings, though tattered and worn, stretched so wide that their beating cleared the dust from the sky.


    A smaller dragon, ck as night and almost lithe inparison to the big white one, flew at his nk, staying in formation. Just behind her was a man¡ªno, an asura, I thought¡ªkeeping pace through the air, flying like he had wings.


    The three were wreaking havoc among the Wraiths while defending two of the original three dragons that had arrived in search of the Sovereign. I quickly counted seven Wraiths, though it was difficult to keep track of them as they flitted about faster than my eye could follow. Despite his size, the scarred white dragon moved with incredible speed and precision, dodging the Wraiths¡¯ spells or batting them away with his wings as he shot dense silver beams of energy from his mouth.


    The humanoid asura didn¡¯t attack but seemed entirely focused on protecting the ck dragon, countering any spell that came even close to her. I couldn¡¯t be certain what the ck dragon was doing, only that her mana signature seemed to fluctuate strangely.


    I had only seconds to take everything in before the figure crouching next to me pulled my attention back to the ground. A painful gasp burst from me. ¡°Tanner! But what¡­¡±


    The de wing rider, who had worked for Vanessy Glory throughout the war, was bloated and discolored all down his left side. His skin was mottled smokey gray and green, and open sores wept thick yellow fluid. Before the Wraiths had first arrived, Tanner and his de wing had been struck by a spell and knocked from the sky, and I had assumed he was dead. Looking at him now, I was even more surprised to find him alive.


    ¡°Nice to see you too, Lady Helstea,¡± he said with a somber smile, wrapped simultaneously in grief and relief. ¡°How¡¯d you get¡­you know, nevermind. We need to move.¡±


    As he said ¡°we,¡± I focused on the other people standing around.


    There were at least twenty people hunkered on the river¡¯s edge, all staring at me. I immediately saw Rose-Ellen, the boisterous beast tamer who had teased Jarrod at every opportunity, and her stoic bond, arge birdlike mana beast. The brawny man who¡¯d ignored my pleas to help the elders was there, as was his family, and¡ª


    I nearly burst into tears as I saw the couple with the baby that I had helped escape the mountain. And I felt a sudden spark of hope and pride when I saw that the boy I¡¯d rescued remained with them.


    ¡°It¡¯s a few miles to the north and west before we reach road again,¡± Tanner exined, offering me his hand to help me up. ¡°We need to get farther away from the mountain. You can see how far some of these rockslides are reaching.¡±


    The gears of my mind suddenly began turning again, and I realized that, below all this stone and dirt not so far from where we stood, I could feel the bursts of mana as Arthur battled Perhata.


    I grabbed Tanner, and he winced. ¡°Not north. West, deeper into the marshes, as far from the battle as possible.¡±


    Tanner looked uncertainly past me at the river. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we can¡ª¡±


    The ground shook¡ªmore so than it already was¡ªand a towering obsidiannce at least forty feet high thrust out of the base of the mountain less than a hundred feet away. It arced through the air above us before crashing down unseen in the valley beyond. Just behind the spike, a shadowy figure sped out of the resulting hole at impossible speed.


    Perhata, who clutched her side, her face twisted in a grimace of pain and fear, didn¡¯t make for the battle above, but veered south and flew at all possible speed. The air in front of her crackled with amethyst lightning, and Arthur appeared as if from nowhere. A cone of energy roared from his hand, and the Wraith dipped beneath it, unleashing a barrage of deadly spikes back at him as she flew past. But Arthur vanished, once again appearing in front of her, this time conjuring and shing with a de of pure energy.


    Perhata screamed in frustration and rage as an armor of hundreds of small ck spikes appeared around her, and she caught Arthur¡¯s wrist while blocking his de with her upper arm. The two remained suspended for an instant before Arthur¡¯s de reversed, the sword end shrinking as a de grew from the other end of the handle and drove into Perhata¡¯s sternum, sparks flying where violet energy impacted the ck metal.


    ck mes erupted around her, throwing Arthur back and sending metal spikes raining in every direction. Even as they fell, though, they were swarming together,bining, and building on each other to form shapes.


    Arthur vanished again, reappearing in the air where Perhata had been, but the Wraith was no longer there. Instead, Arthur was surrounded by several dozen armored forms, each one identically molded out of hundreds of tiny ck spikes. Even as Arthur¡¯s gaze swept across them, each figure darted away, flying in a different direction.


    Arthur shed to one retreating figure, conjured a de, and sliced it in half. The spikes sshed apart, falling to the ground below like deadly hail. There was no flesh beneath them.


    As the rest of the armored figures spread out across the sky, a couple dipped lower, flying directly toward our weary group. Beside me, Tanner shouted. Someone else screamed, and everyone began to run, sshing into the water or sprinting along its shore.


    I could only watch until Tanner¡¯s arm wrapped around my shoulders and he pulled me to my feet, supporting me, but it was already toote. Tanner spun me away from the nightmarish amalgamation of ck spikes, putting himself between me and them.


    Time seemed to slow. I felt the trembling of his tense body, saw how the spikes seemed to flow over each other like liquid, pulsing with such monstrous mana¡­


    But my eyes were drawn to Arthur in the distance.


    He was falling through the air as if sinking down through water, his eyes closed, his expression focused, thoughtful, almost peaceful.


    His eyes opened with a golden sh, and his de blurred in a sweeping cut.


    A bright beam of violet energy stabbed out of the air, shing sideways and bisecting the armored figures. ck spikes burst apart, spraying the ground in front of us and churning the soft soil to mulch.


    Simr violet shes appeared all across the battlefield, and a dozen other retreating forms came apart. The de reversed direction, cutting back across the air in front of Arthur, and I saw this time as the de itself seemed to vanish, and a few more of the conjured suits of armor copsed as they were simultaneously struck all across the sky.


    But some, too many, were still escaping, flying over the mountains and across the lond marshes. And none of the forms Arthur had struck down had contained the living, breathing body of Perhata.


    Arthur¡¯s expression tightened with frustration just before he vanished from sight, crashing to the ground some distance away in the valley.


    Taking a steadying breath, I tentatively put weight on my crushed leg, reinforcing it with mana, then pulled away from Tanner. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get everyone out of here.¡±


    <strong>SYLVIE LEYWIN</strong>


    Despite everything, I felt a spike of relief as Arthur¡¯s weight pressed down on my back, the pulse of aether released by his use of God Step rippling against my scales. I kept tight against Charon¡¯s nk, not allowing the Wraiths to separate us. Windsom was still sticking to me like my very own shadow, all his energy spent protecting me from the Wraiths¡¯ iling attacks.


    My link with Arthur told me he was scowling despite my not being able to see his face.


    ¡®Go after her.¡¯


    Which one? I asked, still sensing the remaining blood iron formations escaping in different directions.


    Forced to dip down to the right, I avoided a jet of greenish-ck mana and breathed out a bolt of pure mana back at the caster.


    Arthur didn¡¯t answer, but he didn¡¯t have to. There was no way to know, and no reason to chase an empty suit of armor halfway across Dicathen when there were several Wraiths right in front of us, even if that meant this one escaped.


    But I didn¡¯t offer my bond any words of advice orfort. It was neither the time nor the ce for such futile gestures. Until the battle ended, I knew Arthur needed the armor of blistering fury that he had wrapped himself in, and so I remained silent. Even Regis¡¯s thoughts were quiet as he guarded over Oludari Vritra below the mountain.


    I sensed Arthur¡¯s intention before he acted. His weight left my body, and he appeared midair thirty feet in front of a Wraith. Aether condensed in his fist, forming a weapon. Several more appeared around him, folding into being, each one a physical representation of the apoplectic rage boiling barely contained below the surface of hisposure. The floating swords allshed out simultaneously, sweeping through the air to slightly different points.


    At the same time, his primary aether sword, the one in his hand, thrust forward. The Wraith predictably dodged the handful of flying swords, putting him in ce just as another thrust through the aetheric pathways and into his line of retreat. Even for a Wraith, there was no time to react as the de thrust down through his shoulder, heart, and core before blinking away a half secondter.


    Gravity had barely started to pull Arthur earthward before he was on my back again, his cold fury unabated by the calcted death.


    Arthur¡¯s arrival on the battlefield finally broke the remaining Wraiths¡¯ will to keep fighting, and all six of them split off and attempted to retreat in different directions.


    ¡°Get those three!¡± Charon thundered, banking sharply left and giving chase. ¡°Windsom, stay with the patrol!¡±


    I hesitated, knowing we were doing exactly what the enemy wanted of us. Windsom also clearly wanted to argue, but Charon was already speeding away, and Arthur¡¯s focus was entirely on our targets. I let his fury guide me and wheeled about, dipping my head and wings and flying at top speed. One was heading south, the other two southeast over the mountains. I felt their mana signatures melting away as they focused all their energy on shrouding themselves from me.


    I¡¯m ready, I thought, holding the spell I¡¯d been slowly weaving since our arrival.


    ¡®Now,¡¯ Arthur ordered, and I pressed outward with the tentative new aether art I had been trying to learn.


    The air rippled in a nova around me as my magic spilled through the atmosphere. I sensed as everything¡ªeverything except Arthur and I¡ªbegan to slow. In moments, the speeding Wraiths had oozed to a crawl, looking like three flies trapped in clear amber.


    Arthur and I dropped suddenly, and I took a deep breath as I remembered to beat my wings. The spell took all my focus, so much that even breathing¡ªeven the beating of my heart¡ªseemed difficult.


    Arthur didn¡¯t teleport away again. Instead, he stood and conjured his weapon. I felt myself shiver at the intensity of his focus. He carefully adjusted his stance, his form, the angle of his de.


    I knew I could only hold the spell a few seconds total. Already, the aether was fighting me, time unwilling to be bound in this way. But I didn¡¯t hurry him, didn¡¯t break his concentration. It would be enough.


    Soplete was his focus that I couldn¡¯t help but be drawn into it with him. Aether channeled into the God Step godrune burning on his back, and the aetheric pathways lit up in our vision, painting the sky with jagged amethyst lightning bolts. Beyond the barriers of mana dding their skin, past clouds of poisonous mana vapor and burning soulme auras, into the points between armor and skin¡ªthat¡¯s where Arthur focused.


    His concentration clicked into ce, and the de shed from left to right. I felt it slipping into the aetheric pathways, first one, then a second and third, all within the space of the de¡¯s near-instant movement. Deadly, chaotic as a maelstrom. And the sluggish, oozing Wraiths shed with violet light.


    My spell released, and I wobbled back and forth, struggling to keep us in the air.


    Three streaks of bright blood sprayed across the horizon ahead of us.

 Chapter 457: Equivalent Exchange

    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    I watched the Wraiths fall, detached, the spells that had been protecting them molting from their corpses as they plummeted toward the ground. A fine mist of blood hung in the air, marking where they each had died like incorporeal gravestones. As the red mist faded, I dug my fingers into my sternum, the diforting itch in my core a reminder of my failures even as I should have felt the flush of victory.


    Behind me, Windsom led the two wounded dragons to the ground, while Charon was still chasing the other three Wraiths north.


    ¡®Should we go after him?¡¯ Sylvie projected, her voice uncertain in my mind.


    No,nd by Windsom, I thought, careful to keep my anger from spilling over onto her. To Regis, I added, What¡¯s the Sovereign¡¯s status?


    ¡®Pissy,¡¯ Regis sent back, along with a mental picture of the bound and mana-suppressed Vritra ring up from the ground.


    Sylviended roughly, her ws sinking into the soft soil of the lond valley. I leapt off her back, hitting the ground with a wet squelching, and started marching toward Windsom and the other dragons.


    ¡®Arthur¡­¡¯ Sylvie thought in warning.


    ¡°Which of you is the leader here?¡± I asked, though my eyes searched Windsom for answers instead of the two battle-worn dragons.


    Therge ck dragon had transformed, resuming his humanoid form, which was tall and broad-chested with dark, battle-mussed hair and a short growth of beard. He had faint green traces of discoloration around his eyes and down his neck.


    He straightened, bristling at the tone of my question, and took a sure step past Windsom to face me. ¡°I am. And you must be the lesser who¡ªoof!¡±


    The back of my hand struck the side of his face with a crack like thunder. The asura reeled backward, stumbling.


    The silence that followed was deafening. Windsom regarded me impassively, the only outward sign of his surprise the slight raising of his brows. The female asura¡¯s mouth hung open, her red-rimmed eyes staring in disbelief at her captain. The ck-bearded asura himself seemed dazed, one mud-stained hand pressed against the side of his face where I¡¯d struck him, his eyes unfocused in my direction.


    The woman, whose white armor was stained with blood, snapped out of her stupor and took an aggressive step toward me, a longspear manifesting in her grip. ¡°How dare you, lesser! My sister has justid down her life in pursuit of your goals, and you show such disrespect to one of the Matali n?¡±


    Windsom rested a hand on her arm, holding her back. ¡°Do not forget yourself.¡± He regarded me in silence for a moment. ¡°What is the meaning of this assault, Arthur?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all too aware of the circumstances and the decision that needed to be made here,¡± I said, sharply enunciating each word. ¡°I know what needed to be done, what the stakes were. But did the thought of saving any of those you were entrusted to protect not cross your mind? As dozens of lessers perished from the mere sh of your attacks, did their deaths mean anything more to you than a statistical sacrifice that you deemed profitable?¡±


    ¡°Save them?¡± the downed asura repeated. Instead of standing, he flew up into the air, hovering so he could look down at me. ¡°The stakes were far too great to focus on anything but the battle. Capturing this Vritra, destroying these lessuran wretches, changes the face of the world. The deaths of these lessers, for better or worse, changes nothing.¡±


    ¡°And how many more of your lesser lives might be saved by what we¡¯ve done here?¡± the woman spat, turning away. ¡°I need to go find my sister¡¯s remains. One of the Matali n will not be left to rot here.¡±


    Windsom moved between us. ¡°These dragons just sacrificed one of their own to hold the Wraiths here long enough for us to arrive. It would do well for you to remember our greater purpose, Arthur.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not blind to your sacrifice,¡± I said, addressing my answer to the asuran woman. ¡°But your actions today were cold and counter to the mission that brought you here. After your callous disregard for human life here today, do you expect the families of the dead will mourn your own loss?¡±


    Her head dipped slightly as her eyes skated off me, then she was flying away.


    The ck-bearded asura shook his head. ¡°You may pretend to be an asura all you wish, Arthur Leywin, but it is clear that you still have the short-sighted view of a lesser.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully so,¡± I answered, feeling some of my anger cool, pushed aside by a bitter mncholy.


    The truth was, these guards didn¡¯t bear the full responsibility for what had happened here. Only one person could im that dubious honor, and I would take it up with him soon enough. First, though, there were other important details requiring my attention.


    The ck-bearded asura flew after hispanion, and I turned my back on Windsom and began marching away through the swampy morasse. Sylvie had transformed and joined me. Windsom said nothing, but he fell into step at Sylvie¡¯s nk.<center></center>


    Not far away, on the edge of a small river that had been all but strangled by the rockfall from the copsing mountain, Lilia Helstea had gathered a number of people, survivors of the group caught in the crossfire of this conflict. They were struggling to collect their wounded and get moving again, but all of that ground to a halt as I approached.


    Lilia looked like she was at the very threshold of death¡¯s door. Her long brown hair was matted with mud and blood, most of her visible skin was covered withcerations and the start of dark bruises, and¡ªto my horror¡ªshe was missing much of the skin on her right hand. I found myself suddenly transported back to my boyhood in Xyrus, living in her family¡¯s manor, teaching her and Ellie magic side by side, ensuring that they both awakened and formed a core. Lilia had been like a sister to me then, and I owed her more than the feeble protection she had received from the dragons.


    And yet, I didn¡¯t go to her.


    As the eyes of all those present settled on me, I knew my role here wasn¡¯t to offerfort to her alone, but to address everyone as a Lance of Dicathen.


    ¡°For those who do not know me, my name is Arthur Leywin,¡± I started. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry for what you¡¯ve experienced here today, but I also find myself d to see so many survivors of this terrible battle.¡±


    ¡°General¡­?¡±


    Looking to my left, I saw a man horribly disfigured by the effects of some spell. He didn¡¯t look as if he¡¯d survive another ten minutes, but somehow he was still standing. ¡°It is! You¡¯re the Lance!¡± He looked around at the others, tired but revitalized. ¡°It¡¯s Lance Godspell!¡±


    The spell that my arrival had cast over the other survivors broke, and a few surged toward me and Sylvie, some thanking me, others pleading for me to get them out of there, to save them or heal them. Worst of all were those who begged me to seek out their loved ones in the wreckage of the mountain passage.


    Sylv, I need you to stay with these people. Help them however you can.


    My bond stepped forward immediately, seeming to shine with an inner light that drew all attention to her and silenced the survivors. ¡°Peace, friends, please. We want to get you all away from here and to emitters. Now let¡¯s take stock of everyone¡¯s health. Windsom, stay and help me. Be efficient but thorough, we must¡­¡±


    My attention strayed back to Lilia. She gave me a small, almost imperceptible nod, and I tried to express with my eyes alone my sorrow for what she¡¯d experienced. Then, stepping back a few paces as Sylvie and Windsom became the center of attention, I activated God Step, following the aetheric pathways back into the cave beneath the rubble.


    Regis was sitting on his haunches and staring down at the Sovereign. ¡°You should have hit that prick with a fistful of aether,¡± he said, turning to look over his shoulder at me.


    I needed to send a message, not start a fight, I thought back. Out loud, I said, ¡°You¡¯ve arrived in Dicathen on a tide of blood, Oludari. Dicathian and cryan alike. I am not here to negotiate or barter with you, Vritra, and I¡¯m not yet convinced that the best course of action wouldn¡¯t be to simply kill you. Convince me I¡¯m wrong.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, if you were to release me, we could converse in a morefortable manner¡ª¡±


    My aetheric intent pressed down on the bound asura like a vice, stealing the breath from his lungs. ¡°We¡¯re off to a bad start.¡±


    ¡°All right, all right. You are just as bloodthirsty and cold as your disy at the Victoriad suggested.¡± He breathed a little easier as I eased back on the pressure I was exuding. ¡°You¡¯re intelligent enough for a lesser, shouldn¡¯t you have figured all this out by now? Didn¡¯t you yourself see Sovereign Exeges¡¯s remains? I had no intention of falling victim to the same fate.¡±


    ¡°You think Agrona killed Exeges,¡± I said, pulling from what little detail Lyra Dreide had been able to provide. ¡°Why would he do that?¡±


    Oludari¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Perhaps less intelligent than I¡¯ve been led to believe.¡± He cleared his throat, shooting me a nervous look. ¡°For the same reason you slurped up all the mana from retainer Uto¡¯s horn!¡±


    I kneeled next to him, not bothering to hide my irritation. ¡°Speak inly, Vritra. You don¡¯t seem to understand. You are an enemy and a threat until you prove otherwise. Keeping you out of Agrona¡¯s hands is in itself a victory, and I will kill you to do that if you don¡¯t prove your intent.¡±


    Scowling up at me, he took a moment to collect himself, then said, ¡°Above all else, Agrona seeks the concentration of power. He thought to find it in the Relictombs, among the bones of the djinn, but all they had left behind was old baubles and their damnablebyrinth of tedious puzzles. He wasn¡¯t left empty handed, however, as he discovered the use of the runes, with which he could build his own nation of mages, powered by basilisk blood.¡±


    ¡°I already know this,¡± I said acidly, sensing that the Vritra was dancing around whatever point he was trying to make.


    ¡°Of course, of course,¡± he wheedled, his conversational tactics changing by the second as he sought to cate me. ¡°Controlling so many lessers and mages in this way concentrated their power, made it his, see? Beholden to him for everything, they can¡¯t even betray him if they wish. I have long suspected that the slow whittling down of our number in crya had something to do with Agrona¡¯s lust for individual strength, but now I know for certain: he drained Exeges, took his mana for his own, to strengthen himself. He knows, you see¡­¡± He trailed off, his eyes widening ever so slightly.


    I raised a brow and leaned a little closer. ¡°Knows what?¡±


    The Vritra rolled onto his back, attempting to look nonchnt but only managing to make himself even more ufortable in his bindings. ¡°You know, I¡¯m having a difficult time maintaining this conversation. If I were morefortable, it would be¡ª¡±


    My hand was around his throat before he could finish the sentence, and I mmed him against one of the blood iron spikes that had reinforced this cave. Conjuring a sword in my left hand, I pressed the tip against his cheek until a drop of blood ran down his pale skin. ¡°Last chance, Vritra.¡±


    Oludari¡¯s facade of dispassion melted away, revealing the terror beneath. When I released him, he copsed to the floor facedown, his limbs pulled into an unnatural position by the chains.<center></center>


    ¡°Hm. You would have made a decent Vritra yourself¡­¡± he mumbled into the silt-covered stone floor. His head turned slightly, and he rocked until he tumbled onto his side. ¡°When we left Epheotus, there were hundreds of asura among the Vritra n and our allies. Kezess had long yed with the creatures of your continent as his little experiments, but he had ceded crya to Agrona¡¯s research even before we broke with the Eight.


    ¡°Some grew to regret their rushed flight from our home and attempted to return. Perhaps some were sessful. Others were hunted down as traitors. Many more died fighting Kezess¡¯s forces when they attacked, and some few were sacrificed within the abattoir you know as the Relictombs as Agrona tried everything to breach it with a full-blooded asura.


    ¡°But even those deaths never really exined our dwindling numbers. But as the Vritra grew fewer, the poption of crya expanded exponentially. Oh, the early days of that experiment. Imagine, molding an entire species in your image¡­¡± He stopped, a wistful smile softening his harsh face.


    ¡°Agrona was an epting leader, and we were free to experiment as we wished. Who had time to wonder why half our poption had vanished in the space of a century or two when there were such grand mysteries to unravel?¡± The smile soured, and he shook his head bitterly. ¡°The curse of the basilisk mind. It is difficult to see what is right in front of you when your gaze is always two hundred years into the future.¡±


    ¡°And you think he¡¯s been¡ªwhat?¡ªkilling and absorbing his own people since the beginning?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh, no, not exactly,¡± Oludari continued, shuffling like a worm in the dirt. ¡°No, he needed something special for that.¡±


    ¡°The Legacy,¡± I said without hesitation.


    ¡°Yes, her.¡± Oludari said it like a curse. ¡°The Legacy¡ªa spirit that carries its potential from one life to the next. Lifetime after lifetime of growth bound into one being. Agrona theorized that such a being could harness mana freely, pushing the bounds of both lesser or asuran magic. But they are exceedingly rare. Only one has ever been recorded in the lifetime of asuran civilization. And so to study one, Agrona needed to bring her here and ensure she would cooperate.¡±


    I nodded, knowing the rest. ¡°So from studying the Legacy, he learned how to absorb mana directly from his own people. But that still doesn¡¯t tell me why?¡±


    ¡°I already said it,¡± Oludari answered simply. ¡°The concentration of power. There areyers to this universe, folded over one another like the ce where the Relictombs rests.¡±


    ¡°And Epheotus,¡± I probed.


    ¡°Hm,¡± Oludari hummed, frowning. ¡°Not exactly. Epheotus is¡­something different. It is no longer here, but it is not entirely there, either. A projection of the physical world housed within another dimension. Perhaps the same one as the Relictombs, but I can¡¯t be certain. It is interesting, but you have, without knowing it, spotted the connection.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Oludari sighed and closed his eyes, looking resigned. ¡°I don¡¯t know everything¡ªAgrona has proven quite adept at distracting andpartmentalizing¡ªbut I will tell you what I can. After you release me and help me escape this ce. Take me to Kezess. I will tell you both everything, and you can push him to allow me back into my home. I can be useful to the other basilisk ns, I can¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I interrupted, taking a step back and turning around to stare into the smoothly flowing ck water of the underground river.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked incredulously. ¡°But why¡ª¡±


    ¡®Charon is on his way,¡¯ Sylvie sent at the same time that I felt the dragon¡¯s mana signature approaching.


    Once again in his humanoid form, the dragon swept down the tunnel left by the escaping Wraith andnded lightly in front of me. He seemed to shed his own cold white light into the dim cave. ¡°I would have preferred you wait to speak with the prisoner until I arrived,¡± he said without preamble.


    I waited a moment, sensing Windsoming after him. Windsom¡¯s feet touched the ground with a whisper, and he moved past Charon to inspect the Sovereign.


    ¡°He desperately wants to be taken to Kezess,¡± I said. Windsom started to agree, but I interrupted him, saying, ¡°Which is exactly why we won¡¯t be doing that.¡±


    Windsom scowled and looked at Charon for support. The scarred asura was frowning, but he didn¡¯t immediately counter me.


    ¡°Does this lesser speak for the great dragons of the Indrath n?¡± Oludari snapped, spitting on the ground in his anger. ¡°Truly you are a pathetic lot¡ª¡±


    Windsom¡¯s foot pressed down on the Vritra¡¯s neck, choking the words from his throat.


    ¡°Until we know more, Oludari doesn¡¯t get what he wants,¡± I continued. That was only half the truth, of course. Really, I didn¡¯t want to give Kezess any additional insight into Agrona¡¯s ns until I was certain that knowledge would be shared, or at least until I had managed to acquire it myself first.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t up to you, boy,¡± Windsom fumed. ¡°Oludari Vritra is too valuable a prisoner to be left here where he might be sought again, resulting in more attacks and more casualties.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I¡¯m asking for Charon to take personal authority over safeguarding Oludari. Make him too difficult a target to be worth the trouble, or even better, parade his body around and im he was killed along with three battle groups of Wraiths, Agrona¡¯s elite forces, while they attempted an incursion into our continent.¡±


    Charon took a moment to roll around his response before he spoke. ¡°So that Agrona¡¯s spies will report the Sovereign¡¯s death¡­and we dragons are able to present this as a victory to the people. Clever. And where will you be?¡±<center></center>


    ¡°Windsom is going to take me to see Kezess,¡± I said firmly. ¡°Now.¡±


    Windsom red, first at Charon, then at me. ¡°I knew when I first met you that you¡¯d be an obstinate creature. But a life in the spotlight of this lesser continent has given you the false belief that the entire world¡ªthe universe, even¡ªrevolves around you. The truth is that you are a very small piece on a veryrge board and the game does not hinge entirely on your every move, Arthur.¡±


    Unfazed, I leveled a steady gaze at the asura.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he said at length, standing up straight and brushing dust off his uniform. ¡°I eagerly await hearing you exin these decisions to Lord Indrath.¡±


    After sending some mental instructions to Sylvie and Regis, both of whom would be staying behind, I repeated my expectations for Charon¡ªincluding that no more Dicathians be endangered¡ªthen bent down in front of Oludari. ¡°I would suggest trying real hard to remember everything by the time I return if you want to see Epheotus again, Vritra.¡± Finally, I stood and regarded Windsom expectantly.


    Windsom looked back and forth between me and Charon, irritation carved into every line of his face. He let out a huffy scoff. ¡°Come then, Arthur. It would seem I have been reduced to a mere taxi service between realms.¡±


    Wasting no more time, he withdrew a round, t object and set it carefully on the floor. Drawing a drop of blood from the tip of his finger, he let the blood fall onto the disk. The disk expanded, projecting a column of light, just as it had all those years ago when he first took me to Epheotus for training.


    Be careful, I thought to Sylvie. Charon¡¯s still acting the role of reasonable leader, but I don¡¯t know if we can trust his intentions yet.


    ¡®You too,¡¯ she thought back. ¡®Things are progressing rapidly now, and there is still so much we don¡¯t know.¡¯


    Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the portal.


    The air grew cool as I appeared atop the mountain, just as I had the first time. Indrath¡¯s castle loomed over me, magnificent and ominous, a structure carved from thend itself and gleaming with a thousand sparkling gemstones. The many-colored, incandescent bridge spanned the two peaks as before, and a light breeze blew through the swaying pink petals of the trees covering the mountaintop.


    When I¡¯d been brought here the first time, I had been filled with a sense of otherworldly awe. Now, though, the cold fire of my suppressed anger burned away anything except the desire to get this over with.


    Windsom didn¡¯t wait for me, but marched away and across the bridge, not even looking back. I followed but remained all too aware of the probing tendrils of magic that writhed over and through me as I crossed the bridge of precious minerals.


    We reached the front door, which Windsom himself opened. When I stepped through, the expansive hall beyond twitched ufortably, then seemed to copse in on itself, taking me with it.


    I came out stumbling in a much smaller round room. I spun around, trying to get my bearings, an aetheric sword already clutched in my white-knuckled fist.


    Windsom was no longer with me, but after a second I recognized my surroundings.


    The well-worn Path of Insight dominated the center of the tower chamber.


    A powerful presence mped down on the aether in my fist and expelled it by sheer force. ¡°There won¡¯t be a need for that here,¡± Kezess¡¯s voice rang through the room.


    I stared around, not seeing him at first. Then, with a disorienting suddenness, he was standing on the opposite side of the circle worn in the floor.


    He was ying a game of power, I knew, trying to unbnce me and make me ufortable. I took a firm grip over myself, my breathsing out calm, my heartbeat slowing. Regarding him casually, I let out a soft sigh. ¡°Do you already know what happened?¡±


    Kezess cocked his head slightly, sending a wave of motion through his light-colored hair. ¡°Windsom has exined some of it. The rest, he said you would tell me.¡±


    ¡°Hardly weing of you. How long have I already been here? Surely you understand the importance of my expedient return to Dicathen.¡±


    He examined his fingernails, pointedly not looking at me. ¡°Perhaps you would be in less of a hurry had you brought my granddaughter and Oludari of n Vritra with you.¡±


    I let only a small frown show through on my face. ¡°You promised protection for Dicathen, guaranteed that the conflict between the asuras wouldn¡¯t spill out into the continent, but I have juste from a battleground that left over two hundred Dicathians dead, and I have no idea how many cryan refugees before that. How can I trust you with Sylvie or Oludari if you aren¡¯t going to hold up to your end of our bargain?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the Wraiths and their attack¡­ an attack you warned Charon of days ahead of time,¡± Kezess mused, motionless, his bright amethyst eyes sharp and serious as the edge of a sword. ¡°That was one point Windsom wasn¡¯t able to rify for me. How exactly did you know that the Wraiths were going to attack Etistin?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject,¡± I countered. ¡°I need your assurance that the dragons supposedly guarding Dicathen will have their priorities set straight. We have no use for soulless figureheads.¡±<center></center>


    Kezess¡¯s nostrils red, the only sign of his irritation. ¡°Soulless figureheads? What¡¯s next, will you snipe at me about my actions against the djinn again? I told you before, Arthur, I won¡¯t hesitate to sacrifice one lesser life for the greater good, or even two hundred, and neither will my soldiers. But then, you understand this well. Was it not you who said you wouldn¡¯t kill millions of cryans to save thousands of Dicathians? You¡¯ve done the moral arithmetic, just as I have.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to exchange barbed words, despite having plenty of choice ones stored up,¡± I said after a few seconds of silence. ¡°What matters is our agreement. Your soldiers aren¡¯t doing what you promised, and you yourself aren¡¯t telling me everything you know. I saw how Charon and Windsom reacted to news of Oludari¡¯s ramblings. They knew more than they wanted to let on.¡±


    Kezess¡¯s posture softened as he rxed. ¡°You are right. Your insight into aether will be of little use to me if Agrona wins the war in your world. I cannot afford Agrona to learn everything I know, or even what I guess at, and so I have insted you from certain information. I will continue to do so, but I can see now that there is a need for certain things toe to light.¡±


    I crossed my arms and leaned back against the wall, rxing slightly. ¡°Maybe you can start by telling me why you¡¯ve allowed things toe this far? You could have washed crya away in a tide of blood centuries ago. An army of asura against one n?¡±


    ¡°Agrona left Epheotus with his entire n in tow, yes, and that was part of the problem. And not just the Vritra, either, but some allies as well.¡± Kezess began to walk slowly around the worn circle that was the Path of Insight. ¡°This action was an existential threat to all lessers and asura alike. A conflict of that scale on your world would have been devastating.¡±


    ¡°The lessers, yes, but for the asura as well?¡± I frowned and shook my head. ¡°What¡¯s the part you¡¯re not telling me?¡±


    ¡°Agrona was practically daring us to go to war,¡± Kezess answered, staring down at the path as he walked its slow circle. ¡°His n and their allies had been ced very strategically to ensure that any battle would almost certainly result in the destruction of your world.¡±


    I was careful to control my tone and facial features, suppressing a disbelieving scoff. ¡°Assuming that is true, you had alreadymitted genocide against the world¡¯s dominant culture. Where is the line? What stopped you with Agrona but not when the djinn¡ª¡±


    ¡°Everything!¡± he snapped, his mask ofplete control slipping for an instant. ¡°Everything I¡¯ve done has been to keep this world alive, and it would be wise for you to ce that firmly at the forefront of any further assumptions you make about me.¡±


    In the silence that followed Kezess¡¯s unexpected outburst, remembered words echoed back to me from thest keystone trial. He told the djinn that their use of aether was a danger to the world. And Lady Sae-Areum said he¡¯d given them some kind of warning, something that prompted them to search beyond the borders of our world, but what had that been?


    Despite the desire to press Kezess further, I kept my thoughts to myself. I needed to understand, but I had to be careful.


    Kezess stood taller, his back straightening. The tension seemed to release from his posture all at once, and he began his pacing again. ¡°Instead of fighting a cataclysmic war, regardless of our ability to win, I sent assassins, as many and as powerful as I could risk. Many Vritra died, but Agrona proved impossible to reach.¡±


    This, at least, aligned with what I¡¯d been told before, but the words of Sae-Areum and of Sovereign Oludari were still bothering me. ¡°So what does Agrona really want, in the end? What has all this been for?¡±


    Kezess ceased his pacing and faced me. ¡°Let me share with you a bit of our history, Arthur, so that you might better understand.


    ¡°When Epheotus was still a third continent in the ocean between Dicathen and crya, the asura were much like the elves of Elenoir. Our ancestors were a people beholden to the natural world around them, in bnce with it. But bnce means strife, and through constant struggle, growth.


    ¡°Such was our growth that our magic surpassed the limits of our physical forms. When this happened to the djinn, they adopted the use of spellforms, empowering their bodies and enhancing their connection to mana and aether through runic tattoos. But for the asura, it was quite different.


    ¡°We sought out new forms. Physical manifestations of the raw magical ability that we had honed over many ages. We became the dragon and the hamadryad and the pantheon. And over many more ages, those traits evolved to be an inherent aspect of our races, which drew apart from one another, each branch of the asuran family tree growing more unique with time.


    ¡°We became masters of the world, subjugating both magic and the natural beasts, creatures far more terrible than those now upying your Beast des. And then, as our resources ran dry and our constant eagerness for growth expanded, we began to subjugate each other. The wraiths¡ªnot Agrona¡¯s lessuran soldiers, but an ancient branch of the asuran family tree¡ªwere the worst offenders. They were a race of war, and they built themselves up on the bones of those they conquered. Eventually, every race, every n, was drawn into a war that scoured the world clean, sinking continents and burning seas. We forgot that we had once been in bnce with thend as conflict pushed our magic to greater and greater devastation.


    ¡°It was only when the veryst of the wraiths fell that the rest of the asura saw what they¡¯d be.¡±


    Kezess paused, gauging my reaction.


    I carefully considered theyers of his story. ¡°Is this history or allegory?¡±


    Kezess gave me an amused smile. ¡°Both, I suppose. This is what happened as told by our records, but I am not merely giving you a history lesson. Agrona has forged for himself a nation entirely beholden to him. He has eliminated any rival in crya. And with his armies¡ªhis rune-covered mages, Wraiths, and even the Legacy¡ªhe seeks to subjugate your world, and then he wille for mine. That, Arthur, is what Agrona wants: to take what your people and mine have built, to conquer our worlds and im them for himself. He wants to rule all, to control all, at any cost.¡±


    I nodded in understanding, musing over his statement while concealing my growing doubt. Oludari had been clear in one thing: Agrona was seeking individual strength, depriving himself of his most powerful allies in the process. Through my time as a king, it was imperative to understand the importance of those you surround yourself with. And if what Oludari suggested was true, then even the Legacy was meant not just as a weapon for Agrona, but a tool for him to absorb the mana of his kin.


    Agrona had shown himself again and again to be three steps ahead of me, turning every situation to his advantage. And I realized then that I had always been missing something essential to any victory in war: understanding.


    The very thing that Kezess himself was keeping me from.


    I carefully considered his lies as my expression eased into a grateful smile. "Thank you for being honest with me, Kezess."

 Chapter 458: Remembrance

    Chapter 458: Remembrance


    Kezess¡¯s eyes shifted tovender as he inspected me closely. After a lingering moment, he gave a satisfied nod. ¡°Our agreement is one that requires a certain give and take. I trust that what you reciprocate reflects gratitude and not simply empty words.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I answered readily. After all, if I reciprocate your own behavior, there won¡¯t be much to owe.


    ¡°Now, perhaps you can tell me more about your conversation with Oludari,¡± Kezess said, leaving the Path of Insight to stand beside it. He gestured to the worn ring in the stone. ¡°And then, I think it is well past time that we resume the transference of your aetheric insight, as agreed.¡±


    ¡°Give and take,¡± I said, repeating his earlier words. ¡°With the dragons¡¯ failure to protect the people of Dicathen from their own bloody conflict, it feels unjust to ask me to hold up my own end of the bargain.¡±


    Kezess frowned ever so slightly, and his lips curled as he opened his mouth to respond.


    I raised a hand. ¡°But I don¡¯te empty handed. Instead, I have a different sort of information.¡±


    As we¡¯d been talking, I had considered this moment carefully. Outright refusing to deliver Kezess any new insights would lead to a conflict, one I wasn¡¯t prepared to push to its conclusion, but if I bowed to his demands without countering, I would unbnce our tenuous rtionship and give him more power over me.


    ¡°Sylvie is having visions,¡± I said without preamble.


    Kezess¡¯s eyes darkened as he stared at me, but he didn¡¯t interrupt.


    I exined everything, starting with the vision itself and then going back through the details of the events following her rebirth, including her seizure and what she experienced during it¡ªalthough I left out the part about how she experienced it in the Relictombs.


    When I was finished, Kezess turned away and stared out one of the windows encircling the tower chamber. Three young dragons were chasing each other around the mountain cliffs in some kind of martial training exercise. ¡°You should have brought her to me immediately. Here, I might be able to help her. But traipsing around Dicathen as your glorified pet¡­¡±


    He spun, and his eyes were like purple lightning. ¡°Sylvie must be careful. Dragons rarely gain the sort of visions you describe. And any unintentional engagement of her aether arts could lead to dire consequences. From what you¡¯ve said, it seems as though she was lucky to escape this dream world at all.¡±


    ¡°She has alreadye a long way in her understanding. I had thought perhaps she could find additional training here in Epheotus¡­if we both knew she¡¯d be safe.¡±


    ¡°Safe?¡± Kezess said, the word sharp as a de. ¡°Would my granddaughter be safe here, at the seat of my power? What notions you get, Arthur. Do you truly think me so horrible that I seem a threat to my own blood in your eyes?¡±


    ¡°I apologize for my phrasing,¡± I responded catingly. ¡°Of course, what I meant was that she would be orded the same freedom she has now, toe and go as she pleases, to continue participating in the war against Agrona, to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I understand,¡± he said, interrupting me and waving my words away. ¡°If it will put both of you at ease, then you have my word I will not lock my granddaughter in the highest tower and refuse to let her leave with you again should youmit to the staggering kindness of¡­allowing her to visit.¡±


    Kezess took a withdrawn breath, and there was a subtle shift in his outward demeanor. ¡°I ept this information in exchange for time on the Path. In truth, there would be little time for such a thing anyway. There is to be a ceremony of respect and returning here for the dragon who fell in Dicathen. As the Matali n¡¯s lord, I will host the ceremony within my own n¡¯s mausoleum, and then her remains will be returned to their n-home for a proper funeral.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said, my thoughts moving to what was next. ¡°Many lost their lives there, but the death of any one person doesn¡¯t lessen the impact of any other¡¯s demise. I¡¯m sorry for your loss, of course. If Windsom would be so kind as to return me to Dicathen, I will get out of your hair.¡±


    ¡°On the contrary,¡± Kezess said, his brows raising slightly, ¡°I would like you to attend.¡±


    ¡°For what purpose?¡± I asked, confused by his unexpected request.


    ¡°As the representative of your people, on behalf of whom this dragon warrior sacrificed herself, it would be a great show of respect,¡± he exined.


    I considered his words and the meaning behind them. He has now sent two asura to their deaths in Dicathen, I thought, knowing that must have impacted Kezess¡¯s rtionship with these ns. It would be politically expedient for him to parade me around in front of these asura, but I couldn¡¯t disagree with his logic. Although I was still furious with the dragons for how they¡¯d handled the pursuit of Oludari, they were nheless my allies, and a show of respect at that moment could help keep it that way.


    And, although it felt calcting even to let myself think it, I also knew that it was a unique opportunity to gauge how the other asura felt about Kezess¡¯s decisions and the war against Agrona.


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯d be honored,¡± I said after gathering my thoughts.


    ¡°Without bargaining or argument? Perhaps we¡¯re getting somewhere after all¡± Kezess said, his brow rising a fraction of an inch. ¡°The mausoleum is being prepared as we speak.¡±


    With those simple words, the tower gave an ufortable jerk, and suddenly we were standing within an expansive hall carved entirely of bright white stone. Pirs ran the length, while the walls were all set with statues, paintings, and small structures like¡­tombs. The center of the hall was dominated by arge marble table, atop which rested an armored figure.


    Servants were hurriedly rushing around the space, but they all stopped as we appeared, bowing deeply. Kezess dismissed their attention with a faint gesture, and they rushed back to their work.


    I watched, curious, as one young asuran woman breathed out a cloud of embers. They froze in the air around her, and she began plucking the embers one by one and cing them around that corner of the chamber. The result was dozens of dimly flickering mes providing a gentle but warm light. Near here, a man was flying near the ceiling, dark vines uncoiling from his arm to stick on the stone. As he slowly drifted along, the vines began to grow, spilling down to the floor. Yet another servant came along behind him, whispering to the vines. As she spoke, leaves feathered into being up and down the vines, perfect autumn leaves in muted reds, brows, and oranges.


    Even more were carting in food and drink of all sorts, some carrying wide golden trays, others with huge casks of drink tossed over a shoulder. One even bnced several dozen golden tes and goblets on small whirlwinds that trailed after him like a row of ducklings. The mausoleum was rich with the scent of food, bringing back long unthought of memories of my training here.


    I stepped up to the central table, taking a closer look at the fallen asura. She looked identical to her sister with her long blonde hair and white te armor. A tower shield rested on her left side while a longspeary to her right.


    Kezess rested a hand on the edge of the bier for a few seconds as we stood in silence. Wordlessly, he then turned and began to walk along the mausoleum¡¯s outer edge, gazing at each artifact of his n that we passed before eventuallying to a stop at arge mural of a man who looked a lot like Kezess himself. His hair was cut short and he wore a thick goatee and mustache, but the eyes and facial features were nearly identical.


    ¡°A rtive of yours?¡± I asked, gazing up at the painting.


    ¡°One of the ancient members of our n who brought us into Epheotus,¡± he said softly.


    I focused on the namete beneath the portrait. ¡°Kezess of n Indrath, first of his name. And which one are you?¡± I asked, cocking a brow.


    His lips twitched in a suppressed smile. ¡°Too many to count now.¡± He was silent for a while, just staring thoughtfully up at the mural. ¡°We dragons havebored alongside aether since the days even before Epheotus was formed. And yet never have we had such an opportunity as now to deepen our insight. This ¡®godrune,¡¯ Aroa¡¯s Requiem as the djinn called it, was quite interesting, but nothing a suitably sufficient understanding of aether, time, and the aevum branch couldn¡¯t simte without the godrune itself. I need to see more.¡±


    I paced toward the next tomb, an ornately carved structure of pirs supporting a pitched roof over a featureless sarcophagus, all carved out of cool blue stone that twinkled as I moved.


    ¡°But I think that¡¯s exactly the point,¡± I said, letting my eyes drift across the sparkling tomb as my thoughts raced. ¡°The djinn had mastered the art of manifesting magical knowledge in the form of runes. You said it yourself, it¡¯s how they made themselves as powerful as they were. The spellforms that Agrona has copied for his people do the same thing for mana, but because mana itself is much easier to directly control, forcing it into shape and capturing it as a rune is much easier as well.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Kezess mused, moving to stand beside me and pressing his palm against a carved pir. ¡°These ¡®keystones,¡¯ then, are the djinn¡¯s attempt to forge aetheric insight into a rune that can be ced by unlocking the stone itself.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± I exined, ordering my thoughts carefully. ¡°The keystones themselves don¡¯t forge the godrune. They contain¡­raw information, a sort of puzzle, that by working through, you gain insight and the godrune forms. But a keystone isn¡¯t required to form a godrune.¡±


    His mouth opened slightly, his brows shooting up his face before he could control his expression again, wiping the surprise away. ¡°You have godrunes that weren¡¯t formed by the keystones?¡±


    Slowly, I nodded. ¡°The Destruction rune.¡± I raised a hand to forestall theing question. ¡°It doesn¡¯t reside with my physical form, but that of mypanion, Regis.¡±


    ¡°So you can¡­spontaneously manifest a godrune.¡± He paused for a second. ¡°By gaining sufficient insight into the principle guiding the power gained?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my understanding,¡± I confirmed.


    Kezess¡¯s gaze sharpened as he refocused on me. ¡°And that is all?¡±


    I gave him a wry smile and continued on toward the next artifact in line, a towering statue of a stoic woman, her likeness captured in a moment of contemtion. The warm, cream-colored marble made her look almost alive. Behind us, a dragon was conjuring down the vines to hide the portrait of Kezess the first. Another dragon had now joined the first two, and wherever they touched the vines, a ck flower bloomed.


    ¡°It is, but hopefully not for long,¡± I continued, circling around to a topic I had hoped to cover with him. ¡°Of the four keystones hidden within the Relictombs, I have found three. The fourth, however, can¡¯t be opened without the third, and that one was taken from its guardian before I arrived. Quite some time ago, or so it seems.¡±


    Kezess¡¯s eyes lost focus as he looked into the distance. ¡°I know nothing of these keystones beyond what I have learned from you and your time walking the Path of Insight. But¡­¡± He turned, walking away from the statue and across the hall.


    There, a shrine of sorts was set up. Several silver candles burned, giving off a sweetly scented smoke that rose up to frame a portrait affixed to the wall. The painting portrayed a woman with very light blonde hair done up in a series of braids that wrapped around her head like a crown. She was a very handsome woman with a refined and noble look. I didn¡¯t recognize her at first, but as I took in her iridescentvender eyes¡ªcaptured with stunning detail in the painting¡ªI realized who I was looking at.


    ¡°Sylvia¡­¡± I said under my breath, an unexpected wave of emotion washing over me. ¡°I¡­never saw her in this form.¡±


    Kezess gently waved his hand in front of the altar, and the smoke coiled and whirled. Through the silver smoke, I saw not the woman but the draconic form I could still picture as clearly as if I¡¯d left her only yesterday, pearl white and covered in glowing golden runes.


    Then the smoke settled, and the portrait returned to its original state.


    ¡°Fate is a strange thing, Arthur,¡± Kezess mused, both his tone and expression unreadable as he looked at the image of his daughter. ¡°Despite our inability tomunicate or cooperate, I did learn a few things from the djinn. They had discovered the interwoven connection between aether and Fate itself, believing it to be a fourth aspect. I always thought they must have hidden this knowledge in the Relictombs. I feared, in fact, that Agrona had captured some piece of it.¡±


    His eyes jumped to my face. ¡°I can see it now. Four keys designed to unlock within the user depths of insight meant to then, in turn, open the way to understanding Fate itself.¡±


    I hesitated, unsure how to respond, but Kezess let out a small, knowing chuckle.


    ¡°No need to deny it now. I¡¯ve been puzzling over what this Aroa¡¯s Requiem meant, and what little of the other godrune you gave me. Realmheart¡­an ode to my daughter, I presume?¡± He scrutinized Sylvia¡¯s picture for several seconds before continuing. ¡°Now it makes sense. The djinn, along with my own daughter, sent you on a journey to gain control over Fate itself.¡± Kezess gazed up at the portrait again, and I saw real sorrow bleed through for the first time. ¡°Sylvia¡¯s final betrayal¡­¡±


    ¡°Not a betrayal,¡± I said firmly, squaring up against him. ¡°She knew who I was, even then. She must have believed this was the best way forward. You couldn¡¯t have reached the keystones, and neither could any agent you might have recruited from Dicathen. How many people would you have sent to their deaths in search of the keystones had you known sooner?¡±


    ¡°It hardly matters now,¡± Kezess answered, his voice t. ¡°Do you even understand what you¡¯re asking me?¡± He turned his back on Sylvia¡¯s image. ¡°To help you, I am by implication condoning your acquisition of whatever insight the djinn have secreted away. For that level of power to be condensed into one human¡­¡± He gave a small shake of his head, and his voice lowered as if he were speaking to himself. ¡°Perhaps it would be more prudent simply to kill you now, prevent anyone at all from gaining this knowledge, just as I did before.¡±


    My instincts kicked in, urging me to step back and shift my footing into a battle stance, but I held my ground.


    The room flickered, the light jumping slightly, and Kezess was no longer standing in front of me. I spun, finding him standing ten feet behind me, his eyes the zing amethyst of my aetheric lightning.


    ¡°The djinn who told me about Fate also told me something else.¡± Kezess seemed to crackle with power, a pressure unrted to his King¡¯s Force building in the mausoleum. The other dragons seemed momentarily frozen, their gazes carefully averted, their faces nk. ¡°A small faction had broken away, was attempting to reim this knowledge, which he said had been locked away.¡±


    ¡°Do you think one of these djinn might have taken the keystone, then?¡± I asked, keeping the tension from my voice.


    ¡°Perhaps, but no sign of such a thing ever came to my attention. If they did, the keystone you seek likely burned with their world.¡± Kezess gave a small shake of his head. ¡°Perhaps it is for the better.¡±


    I stood thunderstruck. I was so certain that it had been some agent of Agrona, one of thousands upon thousands of ascenders he had sent to their deaths in the Relictombs, who had taken it. Could the answer really have been right under my nose the entire time?


    After all, who had sheltered the rebel djinn as the rest of their kin carried on with their work, even as the dragons burned their civilization to the ground?


    ¡°Sylvia herself set me on this path,¡± I finally answered, looking back at her picture and trying to reconcile the woman¡¯s face with the person I had known. ¡°She thought it was so important that she embedded knowledge of how to find the ruins housing these keystones in my core.¡±


    ¡°My daughter had many strange and, in the end, unfortunate ideas,¡± Kezess said matter of factly, his aggression vanishing as quickly as it had surfaced. ¡°Do not forget that it was her own uninformed love for a creature as cruel and vicious as Agrona that resulted in her death. But I think we are done for the moment. Before the ceremony, however, perhaps you would like to¡­freshen up.¡± His gaze flicked up and down my clothes, which were still stained from the earlier battle. ¡°After the ceremony, Windsom will return you to Dicathen, and I will ensure Guardian Charon emphasizes the protection of your people in future altercations.¡±


    ***


    After being taken to a bath and given a change of clothes in the form of a perfectly tailored suit of some soft ck fabric I couldn¡¯t identify, I returned to the mausoleum. It was almost gloomy, like a forest at twilight, after having beenpletely transformed. With the tombs and sculptures hidden by curtains of flowering vines, the remaining space was smaller and more personal. Ornate tables were lined with golden trays of food and both bottles and casks of drink. Golden goblets stood like rows of little soldiers between each cask, and every table was nked by a servant.


    An altar had been set up at the foot of the dragon¡¯s funeral bier, on which sat a shallow bowl of oily red liquid. From the center of the bowl, a bittersweet incense was burning and putting off thin coils of smoke.


    Windsom was standing at attention by the door as if waiting for me to arrive. His military style uniform looked even more crisp than usual, and there was an unreadable heaviness to his alien eyes. He gestured me in with a simple wave.


    ¡°Hello again, Arthur,¡± he began, his voice crisp and devoid of any emotion. ¡°Lord Indrath has requested that you upy this position of honor with me. As this is a ceremony of returning and is being hosted by Lord Indrath, we act as his envoys, the first to wee any who attend.¡±


    Despite my surprise, I moved to stand beside Windsom. My arrival was timely, as the first guest stepped through the door only a minute or twoter.


    The ck-bearded dragon from the battle missed half a step as he saw me, his hand going to his cheek. There was no physical mark to show where I¡¯d struck him, but clearly the mental scar was still fresh. He had left behind his armor, appearing in a fine ck suit much like my own.


    ¡°Wee, Sarvash of the Matali n,¡± Windsom said, extending both his hands.


    The dragon, Sarvash, wrapped both hands around Windsom¡¯s right. Windsom¡¯s left hand then pressed against the back of Sarvash¡¯s right.


    They held this ritualistic posture for a couple seconds, then broke away.


    Behind Sarvash, the other survivor of the battle in Sapin walked arm in arm with another man. She had likewise left behind her bright white armor, as well as her shield and spear, and now wore her hair in a long braid down her left side, standing out in stark contrast to the darkness of her mourning dress.


    The man holding her arm was slightly shorter than her, and much rounder. His own hair was gray-blond, thinning slightly on the top. He was clean-shaven, revealing round cheeks beneath umbral gray eyes. Baggy ck cloth draped from hisrge frame.


    ¡°Wee, Anakasha of the Matali n,¡± Windsom said, reaching out for the woman¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Windsom of the Indrath n. It is a great honor for one of such rank to wee my fallen sister¡¯s return to Epheotus. On behalf of my n and n-friends, thank you.¡±


    ¡°The honor is mine,¡± Windsom replied solemnly.


    At the same time, Sarvash reached for my own hands, his nostrils ring and his gaze focused on the floor instead of me. Copying Windsom, I took his hands. He released me almost immediately and continued into the mausoleum, where one of Kezess¡¯s many servants escorted him to the bier resting at the center of the room.


    Anakasha, the deceased dragon¡¯s twin sister, moved from Windsom to me. Unlike Sarvash, she held my gaze with deadly intensity as we repeated the formal greeting.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss,¡± I said consolingly.


    A fine line formed between her brows as she gave me the smallest of frowns, then she pulled away.


    Beside me, Windsom was introducing the third asura. ¡°Wee, Lord Ankor of the Matali n.¡±


    They exchanged the formal handshake, and then he was standing in front of me. He held out his hands in an automated fashion, seemingly oblivious to me beyond my mere presence. We shook, but his red-rimmed gaze never met my own, and when he turned away after a couple seconds, he stared around as if lost until Anakasha took him by the arm again. A different dragon bowed to them and then followed after Sarvash and the other.


    More dragons arrived after that, some introduced as members of the Indrath n, others of n Matali. There were a few dragons from other ns, and even a couple pantheons, though there were no members of the Thyestes n, including Kordri.


    I found my thoughts drifting off. My course after Epheotus still wasn¡¯t clear, and the decision weighed heavily on me. Getting to Oludari before Windsom whisked him back to Epheotus was pressing, but the keystone was even more so¡ªand this was perhaps the first time I¡¯d had a real lead, shallow as it was. Despite that, I was also separated from mypanions and family, and I felt a growing urge to reconnect with them as well. But a decision would need to be made, and soon.


    ¡°Wee, Lord leiah, representative of the leviathan race among the Great Eight.¡±


    I reached automatically for the next pair of hands, then I saw who I was shaking hands with, and my focus was wrenched back to the present. The man in front of me was as different from the dragons as a dwarf was from an elf. He had pale skin, so light it was almost blue, and was so wrinkled he looked to be a hundred years old. Which means he¡¯s probably many times over that. Ridges ran along his temples, open like gills, and beneath them, his eyes were milky white in color.


    His hands were cold against my own, but his grip was firm and confident. ¡°Ah, the Leywin boy. Atst.¡±


    ¡°Wee, Lady Zelyna of the leiah n,¡± Windsom said next to me, taking the hands of a fearsome looking woman.


    She had a simr aquatic look to her as the old man, with aquamarine skin that darkened to a deep, navy blue around the ridges that ran along her temples. A shock of sea-green hair grew like a mohawk and floated above her, almost as if she were standing underwater. Her dark garb and her expression¡ªjust as dark¡ªboth suggested she could be there either to mourn the fallen dragon¡­or to pick a fight.


    When her stormy blue eyes turned to me, I strongly expected thetter.


    Lord leiah¡¯s right hand released mine, and his arm swept around my shoulder with unexpected familiarity. ¡°Let me introduce you to my daughter, Zelyna. Zely, this is Arthur Leywin. A human! They¡¯re from thend of Dicathen, if you didn¡¯t know. Fascinating, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Zelyna released Windsom as if his hands were covered in feces, and she crossed her arms and glowered. ¡°I know who he is well enough, father.¡± A muscle in her jaw twitched. ¡°The lesser who killed Aldir¡­¡±


    Windsom cleared his throat. ¡°Please, if you would be so kind, make your way into the mausoleum. You will find the Matali n over there, as you can see, should you wish to offer your condolences.¡±


    A bright-eyed young servant bowed and offered her arm to Zelyna, but she ignored her, choosing instead to force a falsely sweet smile onto her purple lips. ¡°Of course. Thank you, Loathsome¡ªI mean, Windsom. Forgive me my stumbling tongue, it is a long journey to Mount Geolus.¡± The smile slipped away and she shot me through with a blistering re, then whisked off to Lord Matali without waiting for the servant.


    Meanwhile, Lord leiah still had his arm around my shoulder. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about her, Arthur. Is she outwardly upset with you? Yes, but as you executed the man she hoped to wed, I¡¯m certain you can understand why. Being magnanimous, you won¡¯t hold her hostility against her. Besides, I strongly doubt she¡¯ll run you through with anything but her eyes.¡±


    ¡°I¡ªwhat?¡± I blinked over at the asura.


    ¡°Ah, but, although Aldir and I were old friends, I have led my people far too long not to understand such necessities.¡± Lord leiah paused and looked at me knowingly, his nose a scant few inches from mine. ¡°But let us speak no more of this sad tale, because we are here in support not of the Thyestes n but of Lord Matali and his people.¡± He gave my shoulder a friendly squeeze. ¡°Come, join me, and I will teach you the traditional mourning words of our race.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t, my lord. It would be remiss of me to abandon my duties¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, I believe we are thest,¡± Lord leiah said happily as he steered me away from Windsom.


    But we didn¡¯t approach Lord Matali or his daughter, or even the bier at the center of the room. Instead, we circled around the bulk of the attendees and made our way to the back corner of the chamber. Once there, his thin but powerful arm slid off my shoulder. I scanned the room, but no one was paying us any mind, except perhaps for Zelyna; I thought I caught her looking away just as I turned.


    ¡°What do you really want with me?¡± I asked softly, quiet enough to make sure we wouldn¡¯t easily be overheard. ¡°I¡¯ve met enough asuras to know this dotty old uncle routine is just a pantomime put on to lower my guard.¡±


    The leviathan smiled warmly. ¡°I won¡¯t me you for thinking so. Indeed, spending all your time with the likes of the Indrath n and even Wren Kain IV, it would be quite unlikely for you toe to any other conclusion. But I assure you, I am not inclined to falsely represent myself, not for you or any other. I am too old for such a thing, and it isn¡¯t in the leviathan¡¯s nature. Which is exactly why Zel¡ªforgive me, Zelyna¡ªwill have such a difficult time not outwardly showing her desire to pick her teeth with your bones.¡±


    I let out a surprisedugh, then sobered. ¡°Were she and Aldir really¡­?¡±


    Lord leiah smiled fondly, but I detected a wry bent to the emotion behind it. ¡°Ah, well, perhaps it was moreplicated than that, but I won¡¯t risk her ire further by talking any more about it. It has been a very long time indeed since we leviathans held the tradition whereby rulership was passed down to the young who proved capable of murdering and devouring their parent, but I would hate to give my daughter reason to resurrect the tradition.¡± His eyes twinkled as his smile softened. ¡°Forgive me. I simply wanted to exercise my curiosity about the lesser bonded to a dragon and gifted with an asuran physique. And all that despite having no mana signature, none at all. You are the most interesting development toe from the old world for a long, long time.¡±


    ¡°The old world?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Most don¡¯t think of it as such, perhaps.¡± One side of his browless forehead scrunched up. ¡°But then, most asuras don¡¯t think of it¡ªor the lessers who live there¡ªat all, despite the connection that still binds our world to yours. But never mind all that. Lord Indrath will be arriving momentarily.¡±


    He held out his hand, palm up. Resting on his palm were three small, bright blue pearls. As I let him roll them into my own hand, I realized they were full of liquid. ¡°A gift from the leiah n to the Leywin n. Tears of the Mother¡­or mourning pearls, if you prefer. Powerful elixirs.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lord leiah,¡± I said, rolling the marble-sized pearls around on my palm and watching the bright blue liquid inside bubble as it shifted.


    ¡°Veruhn. Let us leave the ¡®lord¡¯ stuff for meetings of the Great Eight, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Veruhn. But my¡­n has done nothing to earn such a gift,¡± I said, trying to hand them back.


    ¡°This is not a gift of earning,¡± he replied, taking half a step back. ¡°It is a gift of respect, of¡­acknowledgement. Such things are meant to be given, yes?¡±


    Before I could respond, there was a ring of mana and the sudden appearance of a heavy weight on me. Looking around, I immediately found Kezess standing beside the bier, his back to me. The pressure receded immediately.


    ¡°Thank you all foring,¡± he said as all eyes turned to him. ¡°And thank you to the Matali n for allowing n Indrath to host this returning ceremony. It is a tragedy of unparalleled proportions whenever a dragon warrior is taken before their due time. And yet we also celebrate those who sacrifice themselves in the defense of their n, their race, and their home, as Avhsha did when she faced the soldiers of our oldest enemy, Agrona Vritra.¡±


    There was some hostile mumbling at Agrona¡¯s name.


    ¡°Now, join with me in showing our respect for the fallen. Anoint yourselves with her heart¡¯s blood so that we may all be, in this moment, one n, the asuran n, bound together from now back into time immemorial, a single lineage in our remembrance.¡±


    Kezess stepped around to the front of the bier and dipped two fingers into the red liquid. He touched his red-stained fingertips to his temple, then sshed thest couple drops across the deceased dragon¡¯s white armor. Stepping aside, he bowed his head.


    Anakasha stepped forward next. When she dipped her fingers, she touched just below the corner of her right eye, and a red tear ran down her cheek. Then she, too, flicked a few drops of crimson across her sister¡¯s armor before moving to stand beside the bier, her hands resting atop it next to the spear.


    Lord Ankor approached the bowl next, but he only stood there, incense slowly rising to frame his face. After waiting several seconds too long, Sarvash stepped forward and helped the unusual dragon dab his fingers. He smeared the substance haphazardly across his face, then flicked the remnants all over the altar around the bowl. Sarvash quickly made his own obeisance, and together they moved to Anakasha¡¯s side.


    I felt Lord leiah lean in beside me. ¡°Go. They will all expect you to forgo this ritual, or to go veryst per your station as a lesser. It will emphasize that you are here as an equal to show respect to the dead if you do not wait.¡±


    Not seeing any reason why the old leviathan would mislead me, I joined a queue beginning to form. More than one dragon gave me a surprised look or did a double take, but no one intervened with my presence there.


    When it was my turn, I dipped three fingers in the liquid¡ªit was thick and oily to the touch¡ªand dragged it across my closed eyes like warpaint. ¡°I am not blind to your sacrifice,¡± I said softly, repeating the words I had given her sister. From the periphery of my vision, I saw Anakasha¡¯s eyes narrow as she watched me closely.


    Carefully flicking thest couple drops of ointment over Avhsha¡¯s armor, I stepped aside, moving to stand beside Kezess, my head simrly bowed.


    The ritual continued until everyone had anointed both themself and the deceased. By the end, her armor was so spattered with dots of red that it looked as though she¡¯d just returned from the battlefield.


    After the anointing, the remembrance began. It was true to its name: a retelling of Avhsha¡¯s life by her n, her family, trainers, and friends. One elder joked about her hatching with a spear in her hand, while a young dragon recounted how she had out-trained him every day for forty years straight, and no matter what he did, he could never keep up. Her sister described their endlessly rivalry for the respect of their parents and lord before telling the story of a hunt they had taken together when they were only seventy years old, and how her sister had both managed to save her life and still y the seven-headed serpent without taking a wound.


    Over the next two hours, these and many more tales were shared, some amusing, others impressive or even startling, but all tinged with somberness and loss.


    When it was done, Kezess stepped in front of the bier again. ¡°And so we remember the fallen warrior, her deeds both great and small, and the shape of her in our shared lives entwined by her heart¡¯s blood. Please, stay as long as you wish, nourish your body with our food and drink, your mind with conversation, and your spirit with shared mourning.¡±


    The low hum of conversation that followed his statement was like a dull roar after the solemn focus of the earlier story-sharing.


    I noticed that several asura immediately went to the Matali n and handed over a series of small items. Gifts, I expected. Reaching into my pocket, I rolled the three pearls around, wondering. A surreptitious nce at Lord leiah, who was sampling some kind of rolled and skewered sea creature, did nothing to reinforce my sudden suspicion.


    What was it he said? ¡°Such things are meant to be given.¡± The leviathan would have known about the gift-giving, of course. Had he correctly assumed I didn¡¯t, and prepared me for it ahead of time? But why? Would it be an insult to give away what he gave me? I thought about the words again and made up my mind.


    When a four-eyed pantheon stepped away from Anakasha, I approached. ¡°Lady Matali,¡± I said soberly, pulling the three orbs out of my pocket. I cupped them in both hands and bowed slightly, holding them out. ¡°Your sister¡¯s sacrifice was made for my people. I know what I give you today in return is nothingpared to the sacrifice of the Matali n, but I want you to have these: three Tears of the Mother to mark this day of mourning.¡±


    There was a sudden burst of murmuring from throughout the mausoleum, but the tall asuran woman only stared down at my offering, looking shocked.


    It was Lord Ankor who reached out, but he didn¡¯t take them. Instead, he closed my hands around the pearls and gave me a quivering smile, his eyes glistening with tears yet to form.


    Sarvash looked pale and crestfallen. Anakasha herself was unreadable, her gaze distant. Neither said anything, and so, with the pearls still clutched in my hands, I bowed a little deeper, stepped back, and turned away, uncertain if I had read the situation correctly. But I caught the old leviathan¡¯s eye for just an instant as I turned, and he winked before stuffing a skewer in his mouth.


    Suddenly ufortable, I moved away from the crowd, contemting whether to return Lord leiah¡¯s gift back to him. By the time I tore my gaze from the pearls once more, the leviathan was gone.


    Unable to find him through the crowd, however, I made my way long the edge of the dark curtains hiding the Indrath tombs. My mind trying to ept why Veruhn had given me such a valuable gift. Keeping myself from second guessing, I imbued the extradimensional storage rune on my arm and sent the pearls within, not wanting anything to happen to them.


    Remembrance.


    Another item in my storage rune called out to me. I felt a wave of sentimentality wash over me as I considered the item, but I didn¡¯t immediately withdraw it. ncing around, I assured myself that no one was paying too close attention, and I slipped through the ck-flowered vines and into the small alcove on the other side.


    I let out a breath I didn¡¯t realize I had been holding, and my shoulders sagged as I rxed. The noise of the subdued conversations was muffled, the burning sensation of so many gazes following me cooled, and I let myself sink down into the istion, casting off the obligatory noble veneer like a cloak.


    Lady Sylvia Indrath watched me from her portrait on the wall.


    I withdrew her core, holding it delicately in both hands. There was no aether left in it, or any mana for that matter. No message, no hint at how to continue. It was simply the empty, dried out organ of a deceased dragon. Soon enough, the asura lying on the bier thirty feet away would be little more than this. But she had been. I¡¯d heard her stories, seen her sacrifice. Despite my rage at how the dragons had failed to protect the people on that mountain, I also acknowledged that they had been ready toy down their lives to fight the Wraiths.


    The core in my hands wasn¡¯t Sylvia any more than the spear and shield resting beside Avhsha were her. I still couldn¡¯t wrap my head around what Nico meant by sending it to me, but I was pretty sure that he himself didn¡¯t know. He was fumbling, scrambling to do whatever he could to help Cecilia.


    Just like back on Earth.


    I closed my eyes, leaned forward, and pressed my head against the core¡¯s rough surface. I hadn¡¯t been here for her own remembrance ceremony¡ªdidn¡¯t even know if Kezess had given her one¡ªbut she deserved something, no matter how small.


    There were doors inset in the front of the shine holding the silver candles. I opened them, and inside was a small bowl full of oily red liquid. An empty incense holder stuck up from the center of the bowl. Carefully dipping in the tip of a single finger, I closed my eyes and pressed it to my forehead between my brows.


    ¡°You opened my eyes to a life I had yet to live. Saved me twice from a deathe far too soon. Trusted me with a vision of the future you wouldn¡¯t live to see. And¡±¡ªmy voice grew rough¡ª¡°most important of all, weed me into your family in name and act.¡± I let a single drop of ointment drip on the core and set it carefully on top of the incense holder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Sylvie couldn¡¯t be here, but I will bring her someday. When she is safe.¡±


    I carefully closed the doors and stood, a subtle weight off my shoulder as I left the core behind. The eyes of the portrait seemed to follow me, perfectly capturing that unknowable depth of understanding that Sylvia had reflected when alive.


    Swallowing the emotion creeping up the back of my throat, I slipped through the vines and met the ocean blue eyes of Zelyna standing a few feet away. She frowned and turned away.

 Chapter 459: Collisions

    <strong>CHUL ASCLEPIUS</strong>


    I sank back against the wall, breathing heavily and enjoying the feel of sweat pouring down my face. The cavern smelled of ozone and crushed granite, and the resounding noise of our training was still ringing in my ears.


    Bairon leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees, sweat dripping from his nose, each breathborious. Twenty feet to his left, the little one, Mica, threw herself on her back, huffing and puffing. Only Varay stood straight, her arms crossed as she eyed me thoughtfully.


    ¡°This was better, yes?¡± I asked, going back through in my mind each stage of our sparring. This was unlike the technical training I had done with the Vritra-blooded one, Cylrit; the Lances had pushed me to work with my body differently, and I had strained them to the peak of their capabilities¡ªat least without threatening their lives. ¡°Arthur¡¯s guidance about using what little mana I have in the best way is starting to make sense, I believe.¡±


    Bairon let out a scoff that didn¡¯t disguise his contented grin as he sank down to one knee, leaning on the crimson asuran-made spear he wielded. ¡°That spellyering technique¡­was that Arthur? Seems like¡­something he¡¯de up with.¡±


    I grinned. The human was right; Arthur was quite good at utilizing small amounts of energy to great effect, an unlooked for boon in my travelingpanion. My body required the mana output of a full-blooded asura to maintain itself, but my djinn father¡¯s blood had prevented my core from growing to its full potency.


    ¡°Your control is improving,¡± Varay said, watching me closely. Her gaze flicked to the dull metal bracer on my wrist.


    I shifted ufortably, realizing I had forgotten about keeping up my appearance as a mere human. ¡°Ah, yeah, this has been good. But you all are making progress as well?¡±


    Mica mmed a closed fist against her sternum three times. ¡°I sure hope so. My core aches. Am I the only one? I think it¡¯s¡­growing clearer. Purifying more. It¡¯s been a long time though, so¡­I¡¯m not really sure.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Varay answered, stretching her arms over her head. ¡°I feel it as well. Arthur was right. Our exertions are beginning to pay dividends.¡±


    Bairon stood and wiped sweat from his brow. ¡°What do the artifacts say, Emily?¡±


    A small human in sses came out from behind a barrier shrouding one corner of the cavern. She gave her fellow human a pained smile and shrugged. ¡°There has definitely been refinement of your cores, that¡¯s easy enough to see, but the enhanced speed of your mana activation and channeling is still too fast for the equipment to make an urate reading, even with the upgrades. Maybe if I had more time, but¡­¡±


    Mica snorted and rolled over onto her side, propping her head up on one hand. ¡°Yeah yeah yeah, you scientists and your big secret project. Remember when the Lances were treated like we actually mattered?¡± She sighed and mumbled, ¡°Mica remembers.¡±


    Emily roughed up her curly hair with one hand, then straightened her sses. ¡°S-sorry, it¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°I have heard that Wren Kain can be a harsh taskmaster,¡± I said, recognizing that the girl seemed less energetic than before, darker even. ¡°Do not let the titan grind you to dust under the heel of his drive for progress.¡±


    Her brows shot up as she gave me a startled look. ¡°Oh, uh, thanks¡­yeah, I¡­won''t?¡±


    ¡°When is Gideon going to exin what he is up to, anyway? It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t sensed those mana beasts he had brought in.¡± Mica¡¯s eyes narrowed at Emily. ¡°For reals. I¡¯m a general, I should be in the know.¡±


    Emily¡¯s gaze settled on the floor, a shadow passing over her pale features. ¡°I don''t think I¡¯d want to say even if I could.¡±


    ¡°Gideon and the asura have their reasons for secrecy,¡± Varay said sternly. ¡°Don¡¯t harass the girl. It isn¡¯t her choice, and she will do well not to speak of what¡¯s happening down there.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Mica bolted upright. ¡°You know, don¡¯t you! Why do you get to know?¡± Her re shifted to Bairon. He gave her a shrug, resting his spear across his shoulders, and she gasped. ¡°You too? What the hell, you guys?¡± Finally, her re settled firmly on me. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that everyone here knows except for me?¡±


    Pushing away from the wall, I stood straight and cracked my neck, already feeling refreshed from the rousing spar against the three Lances. ¡°No, Lady Earthborn. I have little interest in the machinations of the titan. They make good weapons, but I already have one of those.¡± I gestured to Bairon¡¯s spear. ¡°Though not perhaps so refined an implement of destruction as your spear, Bairon Wykes. You should listen to it more closely. It seeks to guide you, to teach you to fight like an asura. More than once, you missed an opportunity tond a blow because you fight against your weapon and not with it.¡±


    The human ran a hand along the shaft, considering the crimson steel. ¡°I am fighting with the spear, as I have been for months. But your words make a kind of sense. I can feel the guidance you speak of, only¡­¡± He shook his head, then gave me a suspicious look. ¡°You sometimes don¡¯t speak like a man, Chul. You speak as if¡ª¡±


    Mica snorted, interrupting him. ¡°You just don¡¯t want to admit that we¡¯ve been training toe to toe with one guy, and he seems to be as strong as the three of us together. It¡¯s like Arthur all over again.¡±


    Bairon turned in exasperation to Varay. ¡°Surely you see it?¡±


    Varay¡¯s piercing eyes lingered on me as I turned away. She frowned slightly. ¡°Are you okay, Chul?¡±


    My fingers dug into my temple as a sudden pressure pinched inside my head. ¡°Yes, I¡­you three pushed me harder than I thought. That¡¯s all. I¡ª¡±


    Inside my skull, I heard Mordain¡¯s voice as if through a thick door, dulled by distance and my own poor ability to receive it. ¡®Chul, forgive this intrusion into your thoughts. I have need of you immediately. Leave what you are doing and return to the Hearth at once. Be wary on your journey. The Beast des are not safe.¡¯


    As the message faded, I straightened and shook my head slightly, trying to knock loose the difort. Fear gripped me¡ªnot for myself, but for those I had left in the Hearth. Were they under attack? There was no way to know except to leave Vildorial and return home.


    ¡°I must go.¡± I looked between the Lances but settled on Varay. ¡°Tell the Leywins¡ªEleanor and Lady Alice.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°Of course, but¡­¡±


    The three Lances were all looking at me with concern, but I did not exin further, instead hurrying from the cavern, which was well away from where people lived. Still, it didn¡¯t take me long to reach the surface from the outer tunnels. None of the dwarven patrol stations gave me pause, being more concerned with anyoneing in than going out. Less than twenty minutes had passed before I was standing beneath the bright desert sun that hovered over the Darvish dunes.


    I didn¡¯t stop to take in the scene but lifted up off the ground and pointed myself eastward, flying at speed toward the mountains.


    I had not expected Mordain to call me back from my quest. In truth, I hadn¡¯t been sure he would want me to return. He was a kind man, a good man, but I had never understood his willingness to ¡°turn the other cheek¡± as he put it, no matter what insult was offered. I, on the other hand, knew that sometimes the only right answer was overwhelming force. Some crimes could never be made up for and should never be forgiven.


    Even as a child who did not yet understand what I was, my fiery temperament had made me stand out from the others. Although traveling with Arthur and fighting back against Agrona was exactly what I wanted, I still wasn¡¯t fully certain that it had been allowed because I wished it¡­or simply because it got rid of me.


    This doesn''t matter, I reminded myself, crushing the unwee thoughts within the vice of my will. Mordain needs me, and I will go. And when I am done, I will return and resume preparing myself to devastate our enemies, even if Mordain will not.


    The flight was long and tiring. It took little mana to sustain flight once it had been achieved, as I only needed to maintain the bnce between myself and the atmosphere around me, but it did require a level of focus that I found grating. Growing up beneath the ground, I hadn¡¯t practiced often.


    It was with a grateful breath of cold air that I crested the Grand Mountains and dipped down into the Beast des. Finally, I slipped free of the ufortable cuff Wren had designed to mask my mana signature so that I appeared human even to the dragons. Here, it was more important that I project my own natural mana signature, which would ward off the native beasts.


    Home was close.


    <strong>CECILIA</strong>


    The air was thick with the buzz of insects and the haunting susurration of some unseen beast. A smell like rotten eggs oozed up from wet, sucking ground. And, worst of all, the rift¡ªthe connection between the asuran homnd of Epheotus and the Beast des of Dicathen¡ªwas still hidden from me.


    It shouldn¡¯t be this difficult, I thought, my frustration interrupting my focus.


    I pulled back from the search, resting my senses. It had been days already¡­days spent in the dank depths of the worst the Beast des had to offer with nopany but Agrona¡¯s Wraiths and only a few intermittent moments with Nico.


    I hope his task is going better than my own. It was, maybe, a less important role, but depending on how everything else shook out, Nico¡¯s sess would still decide exactly how the next leg of this war would y out.


    The elderwood guardian stirred within me suddenly, and I immediately sobered. The beast¡¯s will had been more active since we arrived in the Beast des, pressing on me like a tension held just beneath my skin. Tessia, on the other hand, had beenrgely silent, the presence of her destroyed homnd looming like a dark cloud over her thoughts.


    I had expected her to give me trouble, considering. Being in Dicathen was a risk, but it never should have taken so long. But our search wasplicated by a number of factors. Grey¡¯s attack on the battle group in Etistin had caused a cascading failure of ns that was still rippling around me, and I had to believe that Oludari had purposely chosen that moment to seek shelter with the dragons. Combined with my continued inability to discover the exact location of the rift, it was difficult not to grow frustrated with this mission.


    It should have been a straightforward thing to find the point where so much power was converging and condensing, but the transmission of mana between Dicathen and Epheotus was tremendous. The flow of mana was so great that it sent echoes of itself all over eastern Dicathen, and, to make matters worse, there also seemed to be severalyers of powerful diffusive magic and shrouding spells in ce throughout the Beast des, which I could neither exin nor breach¡ªyet.


    Closing my eyes, I rubbed the bridge of my nose with two fingers. Focus, I scolded myself. My eyes snapped open and I unfolded from my floating position before drifting to the ground. ¡°No, I don¡¯t need to focus. I need a break.¡±


    Conjuring a bed of soft soil and woven nt fibers, Iy down and closed my eyes again, trying to doze as I waited for Nico and the Wraiths to return.


    I sensed Nico¡¯s mana signature ascend from one of the many dungeons he was searching some timeter. Flying over the treetops with his escort of Wraiths to prevent attacks by thergest of Dicathen¡¯s mana beasts, he was quick in returning. The Wraiths kept their distance, setting up a meager camp and lighting a fire to heat their food while Nico came to report on his mission.


    He wasn¡¯t having any more luck than I was.


    ¡°The timing of all this is starting to be a problem,¡± he said as he finished telling me all about thest couple of dungeons he¡¯d searched. ¡°The tether between Epheotus and our world, the dragon patrols, the teleportation gates¡­it all needs toe together just right, otherwise all the pieces copse individually.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think I know that?¡± I snapped, then looked away from him, immediately feeling guilty. Ever since our fight against Grey, there had been a queasy tension between us. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just¡­¡±


    He waved away my apology. ¡°I know. I shouldn¡¯t focus on the negative. Perhata¡¯s group took out a dragon, we know where Oludari is, and so far the wider operation in Dicathen seems to have gone unnoticed. We¡¯ve got time. We¡­¡±


    Something in the distance, an unusual movement within the mana, stole my attention, and Nico drifted off, clearly seeing the distraction of my features.


    ¡°Cecil?¡± Nico asked. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I said, frowning.


    The signature was simr to a mana beast¡¯s, but it was too concentrated, and it moved too fast and too straight for any of the more powerful beasts I was familiar with. I focused on it, searching the mana. Deep within my core, a familiar aspect resonated.


    ¡°A phoenix!¡± I eximed, unable to hide my excitement. ¡°Its mana signature is disguised somehow, more like a mana beast than an asura, but I¡¯m certain it¡¯s a phoenix. It must be one of Mordain¡¯s people¡­¡± Spinning toward the Wraiths, I gestured to one of the battle groups. ¡°You five, with me.¡±


    Flying up into the lower, thinner bows of the canopy, I sped off in the direction of the mana signature. It wasing from the mountains and moving fast, flying just over the treetops. As we moved south and west to intercept, I carefully shrouded even the most minor distortion of the Wraiths¡¯ mana.


    We flew for an hour or more before our paths converged. The Wraiths and I alighted in a tree, hiding within the deep shadows, and waited. A minute passed, and then there was the sudden rush of wind as arge man shed past above, sending a wave of motion through the broad leaves above.


    I gave a signal to the others, and we sped off in pursuit of the phoenix. Agrona would be quite pleased if this venture rewarded us with not only the location of the rift between Dicathen and Epheotus, but also that of the long-hidden refuge of Mordain and the other asura he¡¯d led from their homes.


    Finally, something goes right, I thought, carefully ignoring the prickling of Lady Dawn¡¯s memories in the back of my head.


    <strong>CHUL ASCLEPIUS</strong>


    As I flew deeper over the Beast des and closer to the Hearth, a dozen scarlet harpies burst up from the cover of the trees to my right and scattered, their squawking slicing at my ears like razors. I stopped, frowning as they flew away. Scanning the trees below, I failed to see what had caused their unusual behavior. A coven of harpies wasn¡¯t easily cowed; they weren¡¯t fleeing from my passage, that much was certain.


    The hairs on the back of my neck rose up as a chill tremor ran along my spine.


    Flying straight up, I spun around and bellowed, ¡°Come out! I know you are there. If you wish for a battle, you have found one, soe out and im it!¡±


    I conjured Suncrusher into my hands and pushed mana through it. Orange mes simmered within the fissures, but I was careful to not let too much mana escape needlessly.


    The forest below ripped itself apart.


    Hundreds of shadowy, winged creatures exploded into the air, spinning around me like a dark cyclone, and from the shadows dozens of needle-thin ck spikes flew toward me. I swung Suncrusher with all the speed I possessed, conjuring a gout of bright orange mes in a thin nova. Phoenix fire collided with blood iron and void wind, and the sky became an inferno.


    mes rained down on the canopy, and the forest began to burn.


    Flying right, I brought my mace up and caught a blurring scythe as it shed down, the movement so fast I only saw the big, ugly man holding it after our weapons had already collided.


    Toote, I sensed the hissing cut of another weapon, and something bit into my back. I spun away from the scythe, whirling Suncrusher in an arc around me, struggling to control the flow of mana to reinforce both my weapon and the thick barrier dding my skin. Both my attackers fell back, melting into the wall of zing shadow creatures and me.


    The shadow creatures were closing in, their spiraling flight speeding as they did so. Putting my head down, I sped onward into the tumult, pulsing mana rapidly into my barrier in preparation for their assault. I came up against an invisible resistance¡ªa repelling force¡ªentwining the creatures. My entire body jerked, my force matched by the enclosing cyclone.


    With a sound like breaking bones, the opposing spell burst asunder, and I smashed through into open air.


    Two horned men waited for me on the other side, both wrapped in dark mana. One thrust forward with a spear like a ck lightning bolt as the other breathed out a cloud of pure darkness.


    I jerked to a halt, sending the force of my forward progress out in front of me in a controlled burst. The man with the lightning spear twirled around the wave of visible force, but the second man wasn¡¯t ready and was batted aside, the spell spilling forth from his ugly mug clipping off before fully manifesting.


    Behind the Wraiths, the force wave exploded in a series of fireballs.


    Suncrusher and the ck lightning bolt collided, and coiling tendrils wrapped around the haft of my weapon and up my arms, making my arms go numb. My vision darkened as the winged shadows swarmed around me from the sides, seeking to close the loop of their cyclone again. Flying somewhere within their depths, I could sense three more signatures, indistinct and difficult to trace.


    I dropped my weapon and leaned into the spear-wielder¡¯s attack, forcing the spear down and away with one arm as I drove my other elbow into the man¡¯s mouth, rocking his head back. Despite my numb arms, I spun around behind him, gripped him in my quivering fists, and hurled him bodily at his shadow-spewingpanion.


    Pain ripped through my side, and I looked down to see the ck scythe embedded deep into my hip, the long curved de lodged into the bone. With a roar, I summoned Suncrusher again and mmed it against the scythe, wrenching it free of my body and nearly knocking it from the huge man¡¯s grasp. The blow continued into the man¡¯s knee, spinning him off bnce. Layered beneath the physical blow, I released a bursting nova of force and fire, throwing the man further away and deflecting a barrage of blood iron spears.


    The winged shadows had congealed around us again, spinning faster and faster, and all three of my attackers backed into the vortex, again melting from sight.


    I considered their strength, the dark feel of their mana, and knew them to be Wraiths: the experimentations of the Vritra n, bred by generations of controlled entwining of basilisk and cryan blood. A battle group of Wraiths wielding the decay-attribute magic of the basilisks.


    I let out a boomingugh of surprise but held back the eager taunts that jumped to my lips. Brute force and a quick end to the fight would not be enough to win this battle. I needed to stay mindful of the lessons I had learned traveling with Arthur, and I had to make my powerst.


    Lifting Suncrusher above my head with one hand, I felt for the five half-hidden mana signatures around me, then reached for the atmospheric fire-attribute mana that had drifted high into the sky above the Beast des, basking in the warmth of the sun. When my weapon swung down, columns of fire fell with it, scorching the sky like the fingers of an ancient god.


    The vortex of shadow creatures boiled away, revealing the five dark forms it had hidden. The Wraiths deflected the attack with outward ease, not bothering to dodge or hide because of its apparentck of power. As the columns of fire faded, a haze of my mana clung to them, making each Wraith glow like a firebug.


    They would find it difficult to use the shelter of their obscuring spells to hide from me now.


    Pushing mana into Suncrusher, I held the mace aloft and released a sh of blinding light. mes cracked as the weapon then carved an arc around me, firing off several bolts of phoenix me. Mana surged from the weapon back into me, and I released it as a solid beam of force.


    The spell caught the shadow-spewing Wraith in the arm as he attempted to blink away the blinding sh and dodge a much weaker bolt of fire, which exploded in the air as it passed him. His mana crackled against mine, then the skin beneath ckened and broke open.


    A ck spike punched through my barrier of protective mana and then through the muscle of my shoulder. A second ripped through my side, and a third my upper thigh. A quickly conjured aura of me wrapped around me, burning away the rest of the projectiles.


    Darkness took me. Like a living shadow, it wrapped around my face, covering my eyes, nose and mouth. I wed at the ck, but my hand came away empty.


    Suncrusher whirled around me defensively as I struggled for a way to free myself.


    A jolt struck my left side. A biting pain sliced across my right. Tiny ws of mana raked and bit at me from every direction.


    My weapon moved faster and faster as I whirled it around me, searching for the right mana signature. They had me on the defensive, having already shrugged off the most potent of my spells, and I could feel their movements slowing, their demeanor growing confident. The Wraiths¡¯ mana signatures blinked in and out, half suppressed and muddied by the confluence of so many spells, but they hadn¡¯t yet shaken off the lingering haze of phoenix fire that clung to them.


    Something pierced me from above, driving down through my shoulder and back into my hip before leaving my body through the back of my leg. Something shed through the shadows, ck on ck, like a bolt of dark lightning, and my body spasmed.


    Heedless of the pain, I focused on my target. The source of the suffocating ckness was nearby, closer than he should have been, more still, his guard down. I held my strike even as my blood pumped from my wounds.


    Sagging slightly, I gave a ragged, choked breath through gritted teeth and coughed up blood.


    The ckness swirled, and I felt the caster, now right in front of me, thrust his weapon casually at my throat.


    I shattered the inhibiting barrier of control around my core, letting my mana flood into my weapon. In a single motion, I swept Suncrusher upward, catching thezy thrust of a de of blood iron wrapped in shadows and incinerating the weapon and arm alike.


    My left hand, grip weak from the spike piercing my entire body, wrapped around an unseen throat, and the shadows distorted, briefly showing me the Wraith¡¯s face, his eyes wide and horrified, his mouth open in a shadow-spewing howl of agony.


    ¡°You have fallen for my ruse,¡± I growled before Suncrusher passed through his skull, burnt ck fragments of which sprayed out into the air as his blood-slick throat slipped free of my grip, sending the corpse tumbling toward the forest below.


    The shadows melted away. The Wraith with the lightning spear hesitated as he turned to watch hispanion plummet, while a long-haired woman cursed at the others to close ranks even as her conjured shadow creatures crawled all over me, their ws and teeth making tatters of my skin.


    Right in front of me, the big one¡¯s scythe was slicing down.


    Releasing Suncrusher, my right hand snapped up and grabbed the weapon just beneath the curved de, but my left arm quaked and refused to listen. The scythe¡¯s tip carved across my corbone and down my chest, drawing a torn and bloody line. From the corner of my eye, I could see a foot of ck iron still sticking up from my shoulder, its length pinning my whole body together like an insect on a mat.


    I jerked the scythe toward me, and the big Wraith was yanked forward with it. I drove my forehead into the bridge of his nose, then exploded into an aura of mes once against, sending the Wraith iling away as his weapon burned in my grip.


    The shadow beasts burned off my body. A bolt of ck lightning deflected and arced away.


    With a twist of my hips and shoulders, I shattered the blood iron spear piercing me, and it oozed from my wounds alongside my own blood.


    The next wave of attacks came too fast for me even to lock down my enemies¡¯ locations, and, despite my best efforts to conserve it, I could already feel my mana faltering. Pushing toward the Wraiths, I took advantage of the gap in their number to force them on the defensive. There was no time to slow down ore up with some n of attack. My thoughts grew slow and cloudy, unable to keep up with the four powerful enemies, and the lessons of my training bled from me.


    Fire and blows rained down in the direction of whichever Wraith was closest, but the conjurer¡¯s shadowy summons were everywhere, crawling over me, flying between me and my target, and although I pushed them back and prevented them from coordinating their assault, I did little enough damage of my own.


    The aura of fire faded far too soon. Though my many wounds were of no importance, my core itself ached as if a fist of iron were crushing it.


    I kept myself from ncing in the direction of the Hearth. The Wraiths had been shadowing me and hadn¡¯t attacked until I discovered their presence. It wasn¡¯t me for which they hunted. It was home.


    I grinned viciously and spit out a mouthful of blood. ¡°I have taken a life today, while you have only managed to shed a few drops of blood. Keep running and you will all join the fallen!¡±


    The lightning bolt spear shed toward me. I batted it aside. Arge blood ironnce thrust out of a passing shadow at my throat. I caught it on Suncrusher, shattering it. Gouts of uncontrolled me leapt from my body and weapon, burning away the shadow summons but only hastening the depletion of my mana.


    A frigid numbness clutched the left side of my body. I stared down at it, not immediatelyprehending.


    Blood drained from me in a curtain, chasing the tumbling arm and leg that had just been severed from me, pumping furiously out of the remaining stumps. I thought I could still see the afterimage of the ck scythe in the air where it had swept through me, parting me from my limbs.


    I wobbled, nearly falling out of the sky, my flight interrupted by the bitter shock attempting to seize my mind.


    ¡°Bah,¡± I spat again, waving Suncrusher before me, the fissures glowing bright orange as air rushed through them. ¡°One arm is enough, it is all I ever needed, I¡ª¡±


    A ring of blood iron spikes grew from the winged shadows, hovering around me. ck lightning struck them, chaining the spikes together so that they formed a solid barrier. Beyond it, the scythe-wielding giant floated into view. He was burned and favoring one side even in flight, but his face was unmarred by the expression of pain. Instead, he was grinning.


    ¡°You seem eager to die, asura. Would that I could give you that gift, but such is not my ce today.¡± His rasping voice tightened with excitement as he continued. ¡°But how much pain you experience, that depends on how long you keep up this meaningless conflict.¡±


    mes zed across my wounds, scorching my flesh and sealing them, filling the air with the scent of hot iron as my blood boiled. ¡°Do not think you can cow me with these small words. Even your cruel kind has not invented a pain that can break me. Either I will leave here victorious and your ashes will fertilize the forest below, or I will die a warrior¡¯s death and mypanions will bring down a mighty vengeance in rpense.¡±


    The Wraith scoffed and exchanged a look with the summoner. She tossed her long hair and shrugged.


    ¡°Then we will take the rest of your limbs, one by one,¡± the Wraith continued.


    He gave a signal with his hand, and the web of iron and lightning began closing in on me. I knew my strength was gging, but I had enough yet to use one arm at least.


    Pushing as much mana as myining core would allow into my weapon, I swung with all my might. mes jumped and curled from the fissures, creating halos of white fire around the round head and leaving a tail of sparks blurred in its wake.


    Suncrusher met thebined ck lightning and blood iron.


    Phoenix fire raged against the decay-attribute mana of the Wraiths. Blood iron twisted and the soulfire deviant lightning splintered. Energy ripped apart at the seams, fracturing outward in the form of mana shrapnel, the ruptured spells crashing over the Wraiths like a tide of consuming death.


    The scythe-wielding Wraith reared back even as my momentum carried me through the shroud of shattered mana, my weapon aimed at his head. His scythe came up, but too slow. Shadows pulled at my arm, hardened between us, and pulled the Wraith away simultaneously, but the pure white light of my fire cast them aside.


    At thest second, the Wraith dipped down, and Suncrusher collided with the side of one horn, sheering it from his head.


    Moving with its own hungry lust for enemy blood, Suncrusher swept around again, falling toward the Wraith¡¯s skull even as shadow and iron crashed all around me, then¡­


    The light darkened. The weapon slid free of my limp grasp, whirling end over end into the burning trees below. The fire in my core went out, and I began to fall as bacsh took me.

 Chapter 460

    Chapter 460


    Chapter 458: Lady Dawn''s Child


    <strong>CECILIA</strong>


    As I watched the phoenix slump, his core overdrawn, bacsh ripping him from consciousness, a memory that wasn¡¯t my own blistered up in my mind: a boy running andughing, his mismatched eyes¡ªone burning orange, the other icy blue¡ªsparkling with joy and wonder. Now those same mismatched eyes rolled back into his head as he tumbled into freefall.


    I was looking at Lady Dawn¡¯s child, there was no doubt. The taste of her mana lingered in my senses, creating a sort of resonance with his own. I could feel their connection, was now a part of it, like there were two mas linking us.


    Along with the connection came emotions that also weren¡¯t mine: protectiveness, despair, and a bright, blistering fury.


    Not my emotions. I thought bitterly of all the alien thoughts, memories, and ideas that had been stuffed into my head since being reincarnated. This isn¡¯t someone I care about.


    Taking a firm hold of the surging motherly instincts, I tamped them down, burying them.


    Khoriax swung low and grabbed the unconscious phoenix by the back of his clothes. He shot a questioning look at me where I was hidden among the smoldering branches of a broad-leafed tree. I opened my mouth to speak, but before the words left me, the world erupted into fiery hell.


    The mes started by the battle roared into the sky, painting the world in a red that burned like a falling sun. The air scorched my lungs,busting into smoke and fire. My clothes smoldered and little mes licked up from the protective barrier of mana shrouding my body. Even my senses seemed to burn beneath the swelling mana, as if I were staring at the sun.


    Reaching out, I took hold of the mana and tried to smother it¡­but the will controlling it resisted, driving me back.


    ¡°But¡­how? Who?¡± I gasped out loud, astounded.


    A man descended into the inferno. The sudden roaring wind seemed to barely ruffle his hair, just as the smoke failed to blind his yellow eyes.


    The four surviving Wraiths all faced the man, but they were having an even more difficult time resisting the effects of the spell. They exchanged uncertain looks and threw searching nces down into the trees in my direction.


    ¡°Servants of Agrona.¡± The reverberation of the man¡¯s voice suddenly told me who he was, his identity contained within the memories shared by Lady Dawn. ¡°Your hostility within my own domain will not be tolerated. This ce, and everyone within it, are under my protection,¡± Mordain of the Asclepius n said firmly. ¡°You test my sworn neutrality by attacking here. Give me this member of my n and go.¡±


    Khoriax¡¯s scythe reformed in his hands, and he pressed the de against Chul¡¯s throat. ¡°It seems to be showering phoenixes on us today. How convenient. Stop channeling this cursed spell and give yourself up, or I open this boy¡¯s throat and¡ª¡±


    Huge talons of fire manifested from the heat searing the atmosphere, wrapping around Khoriax. The ws burned through his mana and flesh alike, rending him into charred meat before he could even shout out. The half-phoenix slumped into the w, unharmed.


    I was still hidden, my control of mana ensuring that I would be unsensible even to one so powerful as this man. I worried the Wraiths might give me away, but the remaining three kept their focus on Mordain, their defenses up but making no move to attack.


    Suddenly the tree in which I hid was engulfed in a fire I could neither control nor sustain. Reacting instinctively, I leapt into the air and flew free of the mes, my skin red and sore even beneath my protective mana.


    ¡°The Legacy¡­¡± Mordain said. His bright yellow eyes were locked on me, his robes billowing around him and melding into the smoke. ¡°Even you cannot hide from me within my own domain spell. Do not not test your limits against my patience here.¡±


    My mind reeled. I didn¡¯t know what to do. This phoenix was powerful, his grip over mana irond. Dragons still swarmed over the Beast des, so even if I did defeat him, could I do it fast enough to return to my task without drawing their attention?


    It¡¯s not worth the risk, I told myself, hoping I was acting logically, as Agrona would, and not out of fear.


    ¡°Wraiths, with me¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, my body went rigid as a force inside of me thrust itself against my control. My hand raised of its own ord, snapping forward and releasing a whiplike vine that had coiled around my wrist.


    The whip carved across the space between Mordain and me, a green crescent that seemed to be moving in slow motion. The tip of the vine burst into mes, which raced along its surface, ckening the emerald green of its flesh.


    The whip blew away to ash just short of Mordain¡¯s throat.


    His expression twitched slightly, but he did not move to counter, hesitation leaking onto his face for a split second.


    Clenching my teeth until they creaked, I forced my body back into submission, breaking the momentary loss of control, then spun away and flew at all speed, bursting out of the domain spell¡¯s shell and back into blue sky and cool wind.


    What in the Vritra¡¯s name were you trying to do? I snarled inside my own head.


    Tessia didn¡¯t immediately answer, and I hurried to put distance between Mordain and myself. The three Wraiths fell in behind me, pushing to their limit to keep up.


    Looking over my shoulder, I realized Mordain¡¯s domain spell was a sphere wrapping everything within it in pure fire-attribute mana. Within that sphere, his own mana pushed out all the atmospheric mana, amplifying his spells and control while diminishing that of his enemies.


    You thought he could beat us¡ªkill us, didn¡¯t you? Inside that hellish terrain he created. Make up your mind, would you? Really, do you want to live or die? Do you even know?


    ¡®No, I don¡¯t want to die,¡¯ Tessia said softly, her first words to me since entering Dicathen. ¡®But I can¡¯t help but wonder if I¡¯m a coward not to try harder to make that happen. To hurt Agrona and keep everyone safe¡ªArthur safe¡ªyou need to die.¡¯


    I stopped suddenly, a shiver running down my spine.


    Mordain¡¯s domain spell copsed. For a moment, the presence of both asuras was crystal clear, then the atmospheric mana seemed to swallow their signatures as Mordain shrouded himself and Chul from me.


    And yet¡­something was still there. No sense of their mana signatures, but¡­the resonance I now felt with Chul couldn¡¯t be so easily disguised.


    Gathering my own mana, I pushed out a condensed sphere and sent it hurtling forward at about the same speed I¡¯d been flying. ¡°Follow as long as the spellsts, then return to the others and resume your hunt.¡±


    The three Wraiths gave me simr looks of confusion. When I waved them on, their hesitation broke and they sped away, following the miniature sun now rushing over the forest¡¯s canopy.


    Drifting down under the cover of the trees, I began slowly moving back in the direction where the Wraiths had fought against Chul. The wind carried the smell of smoke and burning, and there was a consistent flow of atmospheric mana back into the void left behind by the domain spell.


    Anger welled inside me: anger at myself for having to run away from Mordain, for allowing Tessia to take control.


    If it was your goal to kill us both, you should have let me die during my Integration, I seethed to the elf as I searched for the resonance.


    ¡®Was it easy for you? When you killed yourself on Grey¡¯s sword?¡¯ she responded, her voiceced with bitterness and regret.


    I chewed the inside of my cheek, careful to keep my mana in check in fear of Mordain sensing me. I still did it, didn¡¯t I?


    ¡®Yes, you did. But you did it to escape, to run away from what you couldn¡¯t handle.¡¯ A beat of silence lingered before she spoke again, her thoughts growing more confident. ¡®I didn¡¯t want to die then, and I don¡¯t want to die now. But I¡¯m trying to do what I can to help¡ªto fight back¡ªunlike you.¡¯


    Just because you know my memories does not mean you know what I went through, I snapped, pausing my pursuit. You have no idea what I¡¯ve had to endure¡­or what I¡¯m willing to do to make sure Nico and I get the life that we deserve.


    With newfound resolve, I took a moment to align my mana signature with the ambient mana around me and resumed tailing Chul, letting the slight pull from his core guide me. I moved forward carefully, quietly flitting through the lowerwork of branches, my entire conscious focus on that small tug in the distance.


    Suddenly, the connection with Chul¡¯s mana waspletely severed. I felt a spike of fear as adrenaline surged through me, and I increased my speed, aiming for thest ce I had felt him. My thoughts started to knot themselves into a jumble, but I tried to let my mind go nk again, remembering only the sense of where that tug had been before it was blocked.


    I slowed again as I got close to where I thought I¡¯d lost the sense of it and settled down into the roots of a giant, silver-barked charwood tree.


    It has to be nearby, I thought, almost hoping for a reluctant confirmation from Tessia.


    The entire Beast des were ringing with the echo of all that mana pouring between Epheotus and Dicathen, but there were multiple sources of shrouding magic at work in the des as well. Now, so close, I could feel the edges of such a spell, or rather, manyyers of the spell. It was subtle, nearly undetectable by design. But I could see the mana, feel the way the shrouding spell pressed against the atmospheric motes, taste theplexpression, smell the hint of that unique attribute that made phoenix mana different.


    Mordain¡¯s spell was powerful; it had to be. He¡¯d been hiding his people from Agrona Vritra and Kezess Indrath for centuries. But what mattered more than power was control, and mine was greater than either of theirs.


    I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing. My own mana was perfectly in equilibrium with the atmosphere, hiding me from anyone who might, in turn, be searching for me. The charwood was rough and cool against my back. The rich, smokey scent of its leaves reminded me of brewing tea. Manaden wind sent ripples through its leaves, which rubbed against each other with ovepping echoes of soft scratching.


    The tree was breathing. I could feel its life, its energy. Limbs lifted high, high into the air, spreading and seeking the sun and mana, while the roots dug deep down into the soil. It was almost beautiful how the tree took in sun, water, and atmospheric mana and, even without a core, purified that mana into something else, something new, a nt-attribute deviant form uniquely its own.


    That mana spread throughout it, leaching into the soil, mingling with the earth-attribute mana and giving it life and energy. I could sense it in every twig, leaf, and root. And the roots of this charwood, along with all the others in this part of the Beast des, seemed to grow at an angle as if they were drawn toward something. They didn¡¯t spread out evenly but were pulled in one direction, diving down deeper than any other trees nearby.


    I let my senses trickle down, following the deviant mana into the roots. They spread and entwined, and I felt the shrouding spells move past me like a parting veil as I followed, blind to everything except the nt-attribute mana. As my consciousness moved beyond theyers of shielding, I suddenly felt again the specific mana signatures of Mordain and Chul¡ªand many others besides.


    A smirk tugged at my lips as I wiped the bead of sweat threatening to roll into my eye.


    Do you see now? It was inevitable from the start. Your purpose, your fate was to be the vessel for my reincarnation, I thought smugly.


    ¡®If that¡¯s the case, I look forward to seeing what fate awaits you, a coward too afraid to even see the truth: that you¡¯re nothing more than a weapon, a tool for destruction,¡¯ Tessia replied, her voice unbearably pitying. ¡®If what you hope for ever doese true, I assure you it won¡¯t be earned through victory. It will be out of mercy.¡¯


    My fists clenched as every fiber of my being wanted nothing more than to snuff her presence out of my mind like a candle, but the hold I had on the mana past Mordain¡¯s shielding threatened toe loose.


    I turned my focus back to the task at hand, letting my mana permeate through the roots within the carved walls of the phoenixes¡¯ sanctuary, edging carefully forward like walking on a tightrope until¡ª


    ¡°¡ªneed to agitate his core, encourage it to draw in the mana. Stoke the fires, and bring me mana crystals and elixirs. Everything we have!¡±


    It was Mordain¡¯s voice. Tight with an edge of panic, no longer the controlled storm of power that he had shown me before. A dozen other conversations vibrated into the soil and the roots of the charwood trees, but I blocked them all out, focusing solely on Mordain.


    ¡°He¡¯s too far gone,¡± another voice said, slightly reedy and hesitant. ¡°His core is barely drawing mana, and his missing limbs¡ª¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Avier,¡± Mordain said firmly, cutting off the second voice.


    <strong>MORDAIN ASCLEPIUS</strong>


    Avier settled back onto his roost to watch in silence, his feathers ruffling slightly, but I could not afford to give him any more attention. There would be time for kindness and apologiester. After¡­


    Mana poured from my hands, heat rippling through the air between Chul and myself. Soleil and Aurora, two of my n members, copied me, their mana joining mine as we sought to agitate Chul¡¯s core, but although his skin reddened under the heat, his core itself remained dull and dormant.


    He was no longer processing mana. Even sleeping or unconscious, his core should have continued to draw in and purify mana to support his physical body. But he had put himself deeply into bacsh while his body was in a state of near death. Too much of his mana had gone into supporting and healing himself, and there was none left to heal the resulting strain on his core. Like a heart that has stopped beating, we had to find a way to get his mana flowing again, otherwise¡­


    ncing around the room, I tried to remember the lessons of my youth. It had been too long since I had been needed to heal the wounds of battle.


    A single bed was set in the middle of a small chamber in the Hearth¡¯s central nest. Due to our exertions and a rousing fire in the firece, it had be blisteringly hot. I stood to one side of Chul¡¯s bed while my two n members stood at Chul¡¯s feet and head respectively. Avier roosted atop a shelf affixed to the wall in his green owl form, hisrge eyes following our every movement.


    Chuly unconscious on the bed between us. Thest of his mana had gone toward burning his own wounds closed, so there was little blood, but the sight of him so ripped and torn, with his leg and arm missing, was enough to make my old heart squeeze painfully. When I let him go into this battle with Arthur, I had never envisioned him returning to us like this.


    I should have been more cautious, I thought tiredly. There was more at stake than the life of one n member. I needed Chul, needed to understand what he¡¯d seen and experienced since leaving the Hearth. He was my eyes in the world to see its current shape, the dowsing rod with which I would find the truth of the events unfolding across both continents.


    I closed my eyes and let out an old man¡¯s heartfelt sigh.


    ¡°Hello again, Arthur,¡± Avier said, and my eyes snapped open.


    Arthur Leywin was standing in the entrance, staring aghast at Chul¡¯s prone form. I hadn¡¯t felt him enter the Hearth. Hiding my surprise, I weed him. ¡°What trick of fate brings you here at this moment?¡± I asked, watching him closely for any sign of his intentions.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked, outwardly bewildered.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Words failed me, and myposure cracked, my intention to hide the deep pain I felt at my own failure slipping as my facial features trembled. ¡°I had to recall Chul to the Hearth, but I was unaware of the Legacy¡¯s presence within the Beast des. She attacked him with a group of basilisk lessurans¡ªWraiths, I believe they call themselves. You¡­are here just in time to wish Chul farewell. I cannot save him.¡± Even as I said the words, I understood them to be true. There was nothing else I could do for Dawn¡¯s child.


    ¡°Why did you¡ªwait¡­¡± Arthur seemed to struggle for a moment to make sense of what I¡¯d said. ¡°What do you mean, you can¡¯t save him? These wounds look bad, sure, but he¡¯s an asura¡­or at least half. He¡¯s¡ª¡± He suddenly went quiet, his gaze looking right through Chul.


    I knew what he was seeing. ¡°His body is too weak and injured to sustain itself. With so little mana, not only is he horribly wounded, but his body is starving as it tries to heal. We have been unable to alter the state of his core, and no elixir we have used has been properly absorbed.¡±


    ¡°The imbnce between the strength of his physique and his core,¡± Arthur said softly. His brows pinched together and he gave me a fierce re. ¡°You said the Legacy¡­she did this?¡±


    I rested my hand on Chul¡¯s burning forehead, remembering the feeling of her will battering against my own. Knowing now was not the time for the full story, I only nodded.


    Arthur moved closer to the table. His hands were clenched into white-knuckled fists at his sides. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t have been alone. He was supposed to be in Vildorial with my sister¡­¡± His eyes lit up as he had a sudden, desperate thought. ¡°Ellie! She can manipte mana, push it directly into a core. Maybe she can¡ª¡±


    I nodded along, already knowing what he intended to suggest. ¡°Although it is unlikely to stimte a core so weakened and unresponsive, I would try it dly¡ªI would try anything, but¡­there is simply no time, Arthur. By the time we can bring her from Vildorial, Chul will be¡­¡±


    ¡°You have to have some way to¡ªyou¡¯re phoenixes, damn it,¡± Arthur snapped, his re sharpening into genuine anger. ¡°Why the hell did you send him out there alone, Mordain? What were you thinking?¡±


    I knew he was speaking from fear and frustration for his friend, and I did not take his words to heart, epting their weight and feeling no bitterness toward him. When I spoke, I took care with each word, not wishing to cause him further pain in that moment. ¡°I thought the need was great, Arthur, but you are right to be upset with me. It was my own impatience that brought Chul into the open.¡± And I feel your frustration will only grow as you learn everything.


    ¡°The other asura,¡± Arthur said suddenly, jumping to a different trail of thought. ¡°Surely the dragons¡ªKezess¡ªwould have magic capable of healing even these wounds, right?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help the sorrowful expression that settled on my features. ¡°Perhaps. The dragons¡¯ vivum arts can be quite potent, but when an asura can no longer absorb mana, there is little even the most powerful healing spells or elixirs can aplish. Bacsh in an asura is rare, Arthur. We have sufficient mana in our cores to prevent it in all but the most dire situations.¡±


    ¡°There has to be something,¡± Arthur said, running his hand through his hair, his eyes wild. ¡°Maybe¡­¡± He did something, some magic with his aether that I couldn¡¯t sense, and then began spilling items out on the bed beside Chul. ¡°I have elixirs, all kinds of things I¡¯ve picked up in my travels, just in case. Here, go through it all. This?¡± He held up a small vial of rich, plum-colored liquid. ¡°Or these?¡± Spread out on the mattress were three faded green scales, each the size of a m shell.


    Soleil leaned forward, staring wide-eyed from the pile of treasures to Arthur, then to me. Arthur gave her a hopeful look.


    Moving around the table to stand at his side, I scooped up the artifacts and held them out. ¡°It¡¯s just not enough. Not nearly enough, but you know that already.¡±F???dd ??ew upd??t??s on n(o)v/e/l??in(.


    He seemed to dete, taking the objects and making them vanish again into some sort of dimensional storage. He searched my eyes, but for what I couldn¡¯t be sure. Some meaning in Chul¡¯s death, perhaps? Or the truth¡­and thinking that, I realized something.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I asked, hoping my voice sounded kind. ¡°You could not have known about Chul, so why did youe?¡±


    He waved the question away. ¡°Does that really matter right now? It¡¯s¡­important, but first we need to¡­to¡ª¡± His eyes widened yet again, and again he activated his dimensional storage. ¡°Elixirs! I¡¯d nearly forgotten that he called them powerful elixirs.¡±


    I felt my brows inch up. ¡°He? What Elixirs? Arthur, I¡ª¡±


    A gasp burst out of me before I could help it as I stared down at the three objects held loosely in his hand. Moving quickly but carefully, I wrapped both my own hands around his and gently pressed his fingers so they closed firmly around the three bright blue pearls.


    ¡°Careful, Arthur, careful!¡± His expression was thoughtful as he took in my reaction, like he was weighing it in his mind. ¡°Do you know the value of what you carry?¡±


    Arthur returned my uncertain gaze with a rity and purpose that surprised me, evening from one such as him. ¡°When I attempted to give these away before, an asuran lord refused to take them because they were too valuable to ept. I¡¯m not a fool, Mordain, I know how precious these mourning pearls must be, but all I care about right now is whether or not they will help him.¡±


    ¡°What are they?¡± Avier asked curiously, his head turning sideways.


    Soleil and Aurora were also looking at me without understanding. Young, so young, all of them, I thought, saddened that those in my ce no longer knew the Tears of the Mother¡­and yet hesitant to tell any of them the story.


    ncing at Chul, I could see what little mana was still lingering in his body burning away rapidly. It would only be right to tell Arthur everything before epting one on Chul¡¯s behalf. The weight of his sacrifice should not be done out of ignorance, but¡­I swallowed heavily, searching Arthur¡¯s eyes for the truth of his intention.


    Finally, I nodded and took a single pearl between two fingers, lightly easing it out of Arthur¡¯s palm. ¡°I believe it will, although I have not seen one used in many, many years.¡± My focus switched to Soleil. ¡°Go, find me the sharpest silver knife. Quickly!¡±


    Arthur stepped forward and leaned over Chul, and a de of vibrant amethyst power condensed into his hand in the shape of a dagger. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. Just tell me what needs to be done.¡±


    I dragged my finger along the burning skin of Chul¡¯s chest, above his sternum. ¡°We need to cut down into his core. Open the core itself wide enough to insert the pearl.¡±


    There was no surprise or hesitation in his mannerisms. Instead, he rested one hand on Chul¡¯s chest as the other guided his conjured de gracefully along the crease above Chul¡¯s sternum. The amethyst de parted flesh, bone, and even the toughened exterior of the core as simply as if it were slicing bread. It took only a single pass.


    Moving so slow it felt almost painful, I eased the bright blue sphere down beneath Chul¡¯s skin and into the core itself. I stepped quickly away, and Soleil and Aurora did the same.


    Arthur btedly copied us, his gaze moving back and forth between me and the wound in Chul¡¯s sternum. ¡°Is it working?¡±


    ¡°We will know in a moment. Until then, all we can do is wait.¡±


    Silence lingered as we all watched, equally uncertain what the result would be. Peace and calm settled into the deep-rooted tension, helping to break it apart. Everything that could be done had been, and now all we could do was wait.


    ¡°You said¡­Cecilia did this?¡± Arthur asked after a minute or more.


    ¡°Her soldiers did,¡± I exined, feeling an edge of anger invade the peace of the moment. ¡°She stayed hidden. I believe it was her goal that no one would discover her presence in Dicathen.¡± I hesitated. ¡°There was something¡­strange about the encounter. She¡­attacked me, but it was a feeble effort, and she seemed caught off guard by her own attempt. Then she fled.¡±


    Arthur was silent and contemtive, but he didn¡¯t respond.


    I considered everything that had happened, the unlikeliness of it all, from the Legacy¡¯s presence to Arthur¡¯s arrival with the mourning pearls. ¡°Tell me, Arthur¡­I need to know how you came to have these mourning pearls. Did you steal them? Take them by force? Did someone offer them to you in trade? If¡ª¡±


    He looked surprised and affronted, ncing at the other phoenixes and Avier. ¡°No! Veruhn¡ªLord leiah gave them to me. I assumed they were a gift to be given to the Matali n, but they refused them.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said, not meaning to interrupt him. ¡°Lord leiah¡­I won¡¯t pretend to have insight into his thoughts. To have gifted you not one but three such things, and without even exining what they were¡­¡± I shook my head, hardly believing it. ¡°Veruhn is ying a dangerous game. I am surprised Kezess even allowed you to leave Epheotus with these. Things are happening that I do not understand.¡±


    ¡°My lord Mordain,¡± Aurora said in her small voice. When I looked in her direction, she continued. ¡°What makes these¡­mourning pearls? What makes them so valuable?¡±


    ¡°Tears of the Mother¡­a leviathan ritual.¡± I gestured to Arthur, and he held up the other two. ¡°One created in a thousand years, perhaps less. It is exceedingly rare for an asura to die in infancy, before even being hatched. An unbelievable tragedy.¡± My throat grew raw, my voice husky. ¡°The leviathans¡­long ago they discovered a process by which¡­they break down the body of the infant but maintain its core.


    ¡°Held within an immature leviathan core, all the mana that should form and build a new life, sustaining an infant while they learn to manipte mana for themselves. A life. That is what each pearl holds. A new life.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what that means,¡± Arthur said, his voice soft.


    ¡°Mourning pearls are the greatest gift the lord of the leviathan race can offer. He bestows them only rarely, and only to ease the great suffering of a life that must be lived, do you understand?¡± I felt my mouth curving down into a deeper and deeper frown with each word. ¡°The history of Epheotus is rich with tales of princes, kings, prophets, and great heroes who were saved from certain death by a mourning pearl. But each one is bought with a life unlived, an infant who could not be saved. It is never a trade made lightly.¡±


    ¡°Three thousand years of mourning pearls¡­¡± Arthur muttered. He rolled them around gently, then made them vanish back into his dimensional storage, and I thought perhaps he was beginning to understand the weight of his decision. He gave himself a little shake. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t know¡ªyet¡ªwhat Lord leiah wants that he would give me these, but regardless of their value, if it can save this battle-hungry simpleton from¡­¡±


    He trailed off as blue light reflected in his golden eyes. Mana was beginning to flow from the mourning pearl. It was only a trickle at first, and then a stream. Within moments, a river of mana poured forth.


    Blue-white light, so bright I had to look away, glowed from the cut in Chul¡¯s chest. It spilled out of him, boiling over his flesh before being absorbed back in through his many wounds, enveloping him in a liquid light of pure mana. His wounds closed, wiped away as if they¡¯d been nothing more than smears of blood on his skin, and then, slowly, his missing arm and leg began to regenerate.


    I could hardly believe it. The mana of a birth, a life¡ªa rebirth. I knew Chul would be changed, but I couldn¡¯t be sure how. Rejuvenated not just from these wounds, but from a lifetime of growth and wear.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t sense it¡­¡± Arthur whispered. ¡°How could so much mana be hidden in that?¡±


    On the bed between us, Chul¡¯s chest expanded slowly as he took a deep breath. The tension eased from his face, and the shroud of mana began to dim as it subsided back into his flesh, filling him once again.


    ¡°His core is¡­fixed,¡± Arthur said, his voice strained.


    My gaze flicked to his face, which was torn with conflicting emotions. His fingers dug into his own sternum, pressing hard enough to whiten his knuckles, and I understood.


    He cleared his throat and patted Chul¡¯s arm softly. ¡°I¡¯ve done what I can, my brother in vengeance. The rest is up to you now.¡±

 Chapter 461

    Chapter 461


    Chapter 459: King¡¯s Gambit


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    Mordain¡¯s story had conjured a diforting mncholy that sat like a stone in my stomach. My interaction with Lord leiah had been odd from its first moments to thest, and I still couldn¡¯t make much of everything that he¡¯d said and done, especially knowing this new context. It was clear the old asura wanted something from me, but what exchange would be worth the cost of the mourning tears?


    Theories ran rampant through my thoughts, but I had no way to confirm them, or even the inclination. Despite the knowledge that some potentially world-shifting game of asuran politics¡ªwith me at its center¡ªwas happening back in Epheotus, I had immediate concerns requiring consideration right here in Dicathen.


    The news that Cecilia was here was unwee. Anything she was involved in was likely to berge-scale enough to change the face of the war, but that wasn¡¯t the only reason I was ufortable. I didn¡¯t relish the thought of a battle between the Legacy and the dragons, and I wasn¡¯t sure which oue I feared more: that Cecilia would prove strong enough to kill even full-blooded asuran warriors or that she would fall and Tessia would be destroyed with her.


    It felt dangerous not to seek her out immediately, but without gaining insight into Fate, I was unsure how a second battle would prove different than the first.


    ¡°Come, Arthur, let us leave Chul to rest andplete his recovery,¡± Mordain said, patting the unconscious Chul¡¯s hair in a grandfatherly sort of way. ¡°Avier, would you do me the kindness of watching over him until he wakes?¡±


    The green owl bobbed his horned head. ¡°Of course.¡±


    Mordain thanked and dismissed the other two phoenixes before leading me out of the small room. With onest look at Chul, whose body was now swimming with mana, I followed.


    Mordain led us downward, walking along the bottom of the broad tunnels, which were clearly designed for flight. We left behind the central nest and entered into smaller, older tunnels, and I realized he was taking me along the same path we¡¯d used to reach the broken Relictombs portal before. Several minutester, we once again entered the moss-carpeted cave, illuminated by glowing crystals that grew like stctites down from the ceiling. Unlike before, no portal glowed within the rectangr stone frame in the center of the cave, the aetheric magic having faded.


    ¡°What are we doing here?¡± I finally asked as Mordain knelt down and brushed his fingers over the green and gold moss.


    ¡°Speaking where we won¡¯t be overheard,¡± Mordain said simply. Turning to face me, he eased himself down onto the moss, a strangely mundane action and posture for one so old and inhuman. ¡°You have juste from Epheotus. I can still feel the energy clinging to you.¡±


    Leaning against the cave wall, I crossed my arms and examined Mordain closely. ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°With so much facing you, you¡¯ve returned from Epheotus and chosen toe straight to me. Fortuitous as it was, I can see only one reason for you to do so,¡± he said, speaking slowly. ¡°You know I have the keystone.¡±


    I felt my eyes widen, unable to keep the surprise from my face. ¡°So you admit it, then? One of the rebel djinn stole the third keystone and gave it to you?¡±


    Mordain seemed to age before my eyes as he stared into some haunting vision of his past. ¡°Some very few djinn thought they could change the fate of their civilization. Even among those who sought sanctuary with my people, this opinion was rare. The Relictombs wasn¡¯t only a grand library holding all the collected knowledge of the djinn, but it contained pieces of aetheric knowledge that, when solved like a puzzle, could allow insight into influencing fate itself. The djinn, collectively, stored this knowledge in the hope that someone would eventuallye along capable of using it in a way that they were not, but those who sought to fight back were ready to attempt the feat themselves, even if it killed them.


    ¡°I tried to talk them out of it, preaching the wisdom of their collective, but having cast aside their kin even in the effort to save them, they were not willing to hear such a thing, even from me. But, as more of them went into the Relictombs and failed to return, their quest became more dark and desperate.¡±


    Mordain paused his story, his eyes fluttering closed as if they pained him. ¡°They intended to use this hidden power to sever this world¡¯s connection with Epheotus in order to end the genocide.¡±


    ¡°Would that have worked?¡± I asked, my own mind turning for the first time to exactly how one might use the aspect of Fate to solve the many problems now facing me.


    Mordain¡¯s eyes opened, shing with anger. I instinctively backed away from him, but the emotion was smothered as quickly as it appeared, and he let out a long, weary sigh. ¡°Epheotus was once a piece of this world, and in a very real way, it still is. If the¡­bubble surrounding it were to be cut off from this world, Epheotus would slowly starve of mana. The world asurakind has built for themselves would crumble and fade, and eventually the walls separating it from the dimension in which it is housed would wear thin. I do not think I need to extrapte on what would happen then.¡±


    I swallowed heavily, understanding why this would be a sore subject for the phoenix. ¡°It would have been an entirely different type of genocide. And you couldn¡¯t allow that.¡±


    ¡°No, I could not,¡± he said, his demeanor simultaneously tense and mncholy. ¡°When they seeded in iming this keystone, I destroyed their way into the Relictombs¡ªthe same portal, ironically, that youter repaired. Those who were set on their path left, deciding our goals no longer aligned, but most stayed and lived out the rest of their lives here in peace. Like Chul¡¯s father.¡±


    I considered the fiery-tempered warrior, born to two representatives of peaceful ns. He was so different than any of the other members of the Asclepius n. Or the djinn I had seen, for that matter. ¡°Does he get his temperment from his mother or father?¡± I asked, suddenly suspicious of something.


    Mordain¡¯s mouth quirked up in a wry smile. ¡°Both. Such a pairing. It was exactly that internal fire that brought them together, I think. Dawn was a great warrior. She would have preferred, I think, that our entire n perish in glorious battle against the Indraths, but she was equally loyal, and when I decided to take all who woulde and leave Epheotus, she was also the first in line behind me. And Chul¡¯s father¡­he was not exactly an ordinary member of the djinn race.¡±


    ¡°It was Chul¡¯s father who took the keystone, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Mordain seemed unsurprised by my guess. ¡°It was.¡±


    ¡°But he didn¡¯t leave when the others did?¡±


    Mordain was thoughtful for several long moments. ¡°I convinced him there was more to live for than the growing darkness within hispanions. It very nearly came to violence when he decided to stay and keep the keystone, but Dawn¡­convinced the others that such an action would be unwise.¡±


    ¡°Did he ever solve the keystone?¡±


    Mordain answered with a small shake of his head, and wepsed into silence. My thoughts were stubbornly quiet; I felt like a child being read a bedtime story, half asleep and no longer able to fully follow what was happening.


    Giving myself a little shake, I tried to force myself into the moment as I looked hard into Mordain¡¯s eyes. ¡°You knew I was looking for the keystones, and you¡¯ve had one this entire time. Why keep it from me?¡±


    His expression didn¡¯t change as he mulled over my question. ¡°It is no easy thing, to give a person¡ªany one person¡ªthe ability to rewrite the truth of power in this world. How could any one being hold in their hands the key to fate and not sumb to the inevitable corruption of such a thing? I thought then that it was better that the keystones were never solved, and I¡¯m unsure that my opinion has changed overmuch, but¡­¡±


    He sat up straight and gave me a serious look. ¡°Two worlds at least are caught between the machinations of Kezess and Agrona. I have started to believe that a change in the bnce of power is exactly what this world needs, and yet...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help the wry smile that crossed my face. ¡°How can you know if I¡¯m really the one who should wield this power?¡±


    ¡°How indeed,¡± Mordain mused, his eyes drifting to the portal frame. ¡°That is, in part, why I allowed Chul to apany you. He is a pure spirit, passionate but at times almost¡­childlike. I thought, if any would see through to the heart of you, it would be Chul. He didn¡¯t know,¡± he added quickly. ¡°I didn¡¯t send him to spy on you, only to get to know you. Through his eyes, I wanted to see who you really are, Arthur Leywin. And¡­now I have.¡±


    I waited for him to continue, unsurprised by what he had to say about Chul but curious as to where this was going.


    ¡°You came to me this day with matters of world-altering importance on your shoulders, and yet, despite not knowing Chul for long, you put all other concerns behind you and had a thought only for him, offering up anything and everything avable to you in order to save him without hesitation, even an artifact of quite incalcble wealth.¡± Mordain¡¯s voice grew slightly husky, and he paused. ¡°Feeling the conflict between the Wraiths and dragons, I knew things were escting. It suddenly seemed urgent to speak with Chul, to look into his eyes and understand the truth of his experience. Because only someone equally focused and selfless has a chance to touch fate itself and not sumb to the internal desire for power.


    ¡°Yet even in that we can see the workings of fate, for if I hadn¡¯t called upon Chul, this attack would not have urred, and you, Arthur, could not have proven yourself. In turn, I may not have carried enough trust for you to give up the keystone¡­and in that, I see the proof I need. Fate itself seems to want you to find it, Arthur. But before I can, in good conscience, contribute to your sess in this quest, I must know one thing: what will you do with the power, if you can im it?¡±


    I pulled away from the wall and approached Mordain, sinking down into a cross-legged position at his feet. He shifted his own posture, mirroring me.


    ¡°How can I possibly answer that question?¡± I asked, my voice steady, my mind clear. ¡°To tell you what I will do with the aspect of Fate would be to understand it, but I don¡¯t. I can¡¯t make a judgment until I gain the insight these keystones are leading me toward.¡± I held Mordain¡¯s gaze firmly, as if I were the ancient and he was hanging on my every word. ¡°You ask too much, and in doing so you condemn the world to fall either to the vision of Kezess Indrath or Agrona Vritra. Your fear has paralyzed you, and so instead of taking a risk and failing, you would choose to fail without trying. That¡¯s the cost of choosing to be passive in a war where loss means the end of everything.¡±


    Mordain¡¯s gaze fell to the gold and green moss between us. Absently, his fingers brushed across the rough surface. Then, unexpectedly, he gave a smallugh. ¡°You offer insults when it would behoove you to be political, even if you have to invent your reasoning. A less honest man would im to work for peace and the prosperity of all or some other calcted but weightless im. But you¡­you speak your own truth, and you speak wisely. I have held myself apart for too long. I will not fight this battle for you, Arthur, but I will no longer stand in your way. You may take the keystone.¡±


    He waved his hand, and mana scooped away the ground at the portal¡¯s base. Unsure what to expect, I was nheless surprised as the mana unearthed a skeleton buried several feet beneath the stone rectangle. There was a blue tint to the bones identifying them as something other than human.


    A dark matte cube identical to the other keystones floated gently free of the skeleton¡¯s clutching fingers and out of the hole, then the soil settled back in on the hidden grave, and the keystone drifted into my hands.


    Despite the weight of it, the cool, slightly rough surface, I was wary. Despite everything, obtaining the very item that I had spent so much time looking for this easily¡­I needed to make sure.


    With a probing tendril of aether, I imbued the cuboid relic.


    My mind lurched into the keystone, soaring down and into the expected veil of violet energy. I leaned into it, pushing through the wall until I manifested on the other side. Inside the keystone realm, I found myself surrounded by¡­I wasn¡¯t entirely sure what.


    They looked like scratches in the air, aetheric score marks that burned around the edges. Each one was different, the scratches intersecting like runes, but when I focused my attention on one, it would melt away, revealing even more at the edges of my vision.


    My disembodied conscious mind spun around, revealing that the keystone realm was full of these aetheric markings, but everywhere I focused, they vanished, while those on the periphery glowed even more brightly.


    Pausing, I took a moment to let my mind settle into ce, actively allowing it to unfocus. Looking without looking, I searched the markings around the outer limits of my visible space for meaning. I struggled at first, unable to bring them into focus without looking directly at them. They were little more than blurred shapes hovering within the aetheric air of the keystone realm.


    Calling on my years of experience meditating, I let my mind sink deeper into that rxed state, letting myself see without seeing, not actively attempting to understand but waiting for understanding toe to me as my subconscious puzzled out the shapes.


    Family, I realized, recognizing one of the shapes as a carved rune. Protect. Encourage. Shape. Future¡­


    They were all runes. And as I realized this, my gaze shifted to the rune that read ¡°Future,¡± and it melted away. I started again, slipping into that meditative state and reading the runes. Some repeated, and there were many others besides those first few, but I found myself uncertain. When I¡¯dpleted the first keystone, the puzzle¡ªthe action I was meant to take¡ªseemed rtively straightforward, even if the solution was not. But here, I saw the pieces clearly enough, butcked context into what to do or how to move forward.


    The startlingparison of the nk space in front of me to the second keystone interrupted my meditative state, and I felt a jolt of worry. What if I¡¯m not seeing the whole puzzle and, like before, something is missing because Ick some sense the djinn had? But my sense of mana had returned as my insight into Realmheart strengthened, and anyway, I realized, this seemed intentional. I just had to figure out what that intent was.


    I considered backing out of the keystone and returning to my conversation with Mordain, but meaning seemed to linger just at the edges of my understanding. Just a couple of minutes, I told myself,psing back into meditation.


    Burden. Insight. Evolve. Family. Learn.


    I read each word one by one without focusing on the runes, looking for some pattern or meaning. Protect family. Learn insight. Shape future, I thought, trying to pair them in case my thoughts would trigger some change to my surroundings, but nothing happened. Next, taking what I had learned from the first keystone, I sent out fingers of aether toward the paired runes, attempting to perhaps link them through my power, but when my aether brushed up against the runes, they vanished.


    I attempted this experiment a few times with different word pairings, then with matched words, and finally with an entirely random sequence of the runes, but every attempt met with the same result.


    Setting that aside, I returned to meditation to resettle my mind. One more minute, then I will leave, I assured myself.


    Without making a conscious decision to do so, my thoughts turned to Ellie and Mom. The rune for Family drifted around me and burned against the darkness, so I suppose it was no wonder. But as I thought of them, hoping they were well and wondering what kind of training Ellie had been doing with Gideon and Emily, my thoughts projected visibly into the nk space where the unfocused center of my sight was aimed.


    My mother and Ellie, both appearing as I saw them in my mind¡¯s eye, a kind of blend between what they looked like ten years ago and how they looked in the present, hovered in that central space, framed by runes. But some of the runes were fading out, and it took a concentrated effort of will not to turn my gaze away to see which ones.


    Instead, I kept that picture clearly in my thoughts and tried to settle my gaze so I could pull the meaning of the floating runes from the periphery of my vision as I¡¯d done before.


    Family. Protect. Guide. Love. Insight. Encourage. Grow. Learn. Burden.


    My focus twitched to this final rune, and it vanished, as did the image of Ellie and Mom. All the missing words reappeared around the edges of my sight.


    Guilt, I read, the word burning out of the darkness brighter than all the others. A subconscious connection, I wondered, or the keystone reacting to my own emotions? My family is not a burden, I thought forcefully, not expecting any response from the keystone.


    But I had learned something, and I needed to see if I could repeat it.


    Searching the runes through my periphery, I let my mind wander to the nexus of their meaning. This time, I conjured forth an image of the remaining Lances: Mica Earthborn, Bairon Wykes, and Varay Auray. In the image, they were in their uniforms, the white and gold and red not yet bloodied by years of battle, their features unscarred. Just as they had been when their images projected above the streets of Xyrus for all to see.


    And while I held the thought of them in my central consciousness, I watched as some runes faded away and others came into focus in my peripheral vision.


    Protect. Grow. Ovee. Shape. Fail. Shield. Learn. Burden.


    This time I held my focus, not letting the surface meaning of any one rune distract me. I couldn¡¯t interact with the runes via aether, but there had to be some other method of interfacing with the keystone.


    Grow. Learn. I held the meaning of these words in my mind, connected them with the Lances. Their meaning, their connection, was obvious. The Lances had to grow and learn if they were going to be able to fight the battles toe, but they had also been an important part of my growth and learning. The runes could be read either way.


    When nothing happened, I changed tact. Ovee. Fail. These words both applied to the Lances, but they were contrary, counter to each other. The Lances had failed to defend the continent against Agrona¡¯s superior forces; white core mages just had no chance of defeating Scythes or even Wraiths. But they had ovee their limitations and had never stopped attempting to grow.


    Something changed in the atmosphere, a kind of charge resonating between the runes Ovee and Fail.


    Reaching out with aether, I again attempted to manipte the runes, pulling them toward me. This time, they did not vanish, but were drawn from the edge of my vision directly into the center of my immaterial conscious mind, sending bolts of insight like lightning tingling outward through my brain.


    I suddenly understood. It was almost simple, a challenge I had inadvertently been preparing myself for through my training with the aether des, expanding outward with my consciousness as I controlled and reacted to several inputs at once. Through the effort of all those false deaths as I learned to manipte and control multiple des at once throughout a broad battlefield, I had been learning to focus in an entirely new way.


    And I thought I could see what it was building toward.


    Rapidly, I began cycling through thoughts that seemed to form at the nexus of multiple runic meanings, forging a solid picture and then connecting the opposing runes with attached meanings. It required not only considering opposing ideas simultaneously, but actively splitting my thoughts to see a picture differently from multiple perspectives while holding multiple thoughts in my head at the same time.


    Like wielding five des with two hands.


    The insight flowed like an open tap. Two or three at a time, the runes faded and the keystone realm became more empty as my mind seemed to bloat with understanding.


    With a suddenness that felt disconcerting, the keystone realm was empty, and I was being drawn back through the wall of purple energy. My eyes snapped open as fine ck dust ran through my fingers, spilling into the dense carpet of moss.


    A pair of bright yellow eyes met mine, and Mordain took a step back. ¡°Arthur? But what¡­?¡±


    I clenched my fists and tried to calm my breathing as my pulse quickened.


    From my back, I could feel it¡ªthe new godrune heavy in my mind. As it had before, a name and history presented themselves to me, centuries of design and purpose and intent woven into the insight like a tapestry.


    I reached for the ground to push myself up to my feet, only then realizing I was floating above the mossy floor. The atmospheric aether seemed to be pressing against me, like I was woven into it, holding me up against the force of gravity. Moving as if in a trance, I unfolded and stood firmly on my feet, a sudden sense of nostalgia mingling with the excited confusion of my sess in the keystone.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Mordain asked, his voice tight, uncertain. To him, I realized, it must have looked like I¡¯d gone catatonic for a brief time as I floated in the air.


    ¡°I solved it,¡± I answered, my voice rich with disbelief. After the long trials of the first two keystones, I couldn¡¯t have dared to hope that the third could be unraveled so quickly. ¡°I have it, Mordain. The third keystone power, another godrune¡­¡±


    I pushed aether down along my spine and into the godrune. A golden glow suffused the cave as my mind lit up like an endless web of branching starlight spilling across the eternity of my own thoughts.


    ¡°A crown,¡± Mordain said softly, his gaze focused at the top of my head, where I realized the golden light was primarily radiating from. ¡°A crown of light¡­¡±


    As I tentatively felt for the emanation he was seeing, I understood. ¡°The King¡¯s Gambit¡­¡±


    I released the godrune, blinking away the aftereffects of its use, breathless. I would need time to fully understand it and what it could do, but if that brief activation was any indication¡­


    ¡°I need to go.¡± I turned to the door, distracted. ¡°Please have Chul returned safely to Vildorial once he¡¯s¡ª¡±


    A strong hand grasped my wrist, stopping me. ¡°Arthur, before you leave¡­there''s something you must know.¡± Mordain¡¯s demeanor was suddenly grave.


    I forced myself into the moment¡ªdifficult after what I¡¯d just experienced¡ªand gave him myplete attention.


    ¡°You must be wary. The djinn didn¡¯t reveal much of these keystones, but there was one thing I learned from Chul¡¯s father inter years. The fourth keystone¡­when you enter it, Arthur, you will not be able to leave again until you have gained the insight it is attempting to teach you. A sort of¡­failsafe. If the task proves impossible, then your mind will be caught inside the keystone forever. And while you search for insight, your physical body will be vulnerable.¡±


    I considered what he¡¯d said, my jaw clenching as I worked against the building tension under my skin. Finally, I gave him a stiff nod, then turned away.


    CECILIA


    Keystones, godrunes, aether¡­Fate.


    So much had been revealed, so many details I hadn¡¯t known anything about before. About the past, and even about possible futures¡­but not all of it mattered. No, I focused on the most important parts.


    Arthur is searching for a power that will let him change ¡°fate¡± itself, but even he doesn¡¯t seem to know what that really means. ¡°But he¡¯s going to be vulnerable when he uses thest ¡®keystone,¡¯¡± I said softly, speaking half to myself, half to Tessia, who I could feel vibrating attentively, just as invested in what we¡¯d learned as I was.


    ¡®This could be it,¡¯ Tessia said, her excitement cut through with a sharp edge of fear. ¡®You have to see that, right Cecilia? We have to help Arthur find it, whatever it is. He could¡ª¡¯


    Iughed despite myself, then went quickly quiet, remembering where I was. Help him? Why would I? I lifted off the ground, flying swiftly but carefully through the lower branches of the trees. This is my chance to defeat him while he can¡¯t fight back.


    Excitement surged inside me, vibrating just under the surface. I realized just how much I had been hoping to avoid another confrontation with Grey, and now I had discovered the answer to how I could defeat him without testing myself against his magic again.


    ¡®Fate itself, Cecilia. You believe Agrona can send you back to some kind of life on Earth, but that Arthur couldn¡¯t even with this new power?¡¯ Tessia asked, her tone one of disbelief.


    I sobered slightly, a queasy, guilty sensation writhing inside me like the vines of the elderwood guardian. I know he wouldn¡¯t. After everything Nico and I have done, why would he¡­


    ¡®I know that¡¯s not true, I know¡­I¡­¡¯ Tessia¡¯s assurances faded off, and I could sense her doubt.


    Agrona may have wanted to see me strive against Grey in order to grow both our strength, but he¡¯ll never allow Grey to im this power.


    ¡®I¡¯m in your head,¡¯ Tessia reminded me unnecessarily. ¡®I know that you know this is wrong. This isn¡¯t who you wanted to be. In two lives, how many people ever showed you kindness, Cecilia? Not the people who wanted to turn you into a weapon¡ªa monster under their control. But Arthur¡ªGrey¡ªhe and Nico were there for you, they still could be, Nico wants¡ª¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what he wants!¡± I snapped, my voice ringing eerily through the quiet forest. Nico understands me, what¡¯s being asked of me, what I need to do, and he¡¯ll support me. He¡¯s had to make hard decisions just like I have, and I forgive him for them! Just like he forgives me¡­


    There was something else that I didn¡¯t dare give voice to, something new that creeped out even as I thought about Nico. Before, on Earth, I¡¯d done what I had so that they wouldn¡¯t use Nico against me, because I knew it woulde to that eventually. And if I ever turned against Agrona, he would do the same. He could make all that torturous experimentation feel like a walk in the park byparison, I was certain of it.


    Agrona is¡­he¡¯s my only chance to get what I want.


    ¡®But he¡¯s not, you just¡ª¡¯


    ¡°Enough!¡± I yelled again, louder, and a burst of mana spilled out around me, ripping several trees up by their roots and hurling them away.


    A gargantuan insectoid mana beast burst up from the ground, its pincered head snapping this way and that as it searched for the disturbance. Instinctively, Ished out with a whip of mana, and the mana beast split open from its head all the way deep into the long trunk that was its body. It gave a gurgling, chirping cry and copsed into a wet heap.


    Breathing hard, I sped forward even faster, letting my mind go nk as I felt and thought about nothing except the hurricane rush of wind through my stupid gray hair. Inside my skull, there was blessed silence.


    Despite their affinity for hiding themselves, the Wraiths couldn¡¯tpletely shroud their presence from me, and it was an easy enough thing to find them again, along with Nico.


    I didn¡¯tnd, keeping several feet between me and the soggy ground of the marsnds where they were waiting. ¡°Nico, we need to return to crya immediately. There is news Agrona must¡ª¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve found what we need!¡± Nico burst out with excitement, like a kid on his birthday. He grinned, oblivious. ¡°I decided to search one more dungeon while you were gone, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Later,¡± I snapped, eager to reach Agrona while all this information was still rtively fresh in my mind.


    Nico¡¯s eyes shone with hurt, and I realized my tone had been much sharper than I¡¯d intended.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said quickly, drifting down toward where he was standing and staring up at me. ¡°Nico, I¡¯ve learned things. The rift, the n, everything else will have to wait now. We need to get to Agrona.¡±


    Nodding, he withdrew his tempus warp from the dimension artifact he wore. ¡°Of course, Cecil.¡±

 Chapter 462

    <h4>Chapter 462</h4>


    Chapter 460: Abandoned


    <strong>NICO SEVER</strong>


    As the tempus warp enveloped us in its magic, pulling us across space to the preprogrammed destination, I examined the bone-deep aching sensation that gripped my chest like a prolonged cardiac event. It was foolish¡ªand human, too stupidly human. It wasn¡¯t really the sharpness of Cecilia¡¯s tone or her shrinking patience that made me feel like a twice-kicked dog dragging my tail in her wake¡­


    No, what really bothered me was the fact that I couldn¡¯t help but feel this treatment was deserved. I didn¡¯t believe in karma as any sort of actual manifestation of results based on the inherent goodness of one¡¯s own actions, but every time Cecilia snapped at me, I remembered myself in the early days of her reincarnation¡ªequal parts desperate and terrified¡ª and how that unhealthy alchemy of emotions led to the asional cruelty to her, the person I had done everything¡ªgiven everything¡ªto see again in this life.


    She had lied to me, kept things from me¡­but I had done the same to her first. I had helped Agrona corrupt her memories and imnt false ones in her mind, building myself up as some fairy tale hero of her previous life, scrubbing out Grey and inserting myself in every positive ce throughout her short and unhappy life.


    With jarring suddenness, we appeared in the receiving chamber near Taegrin Caelum¡¯s base. An eruption of motion and noise greet us as the soldiers and attendants hurried to solute, visibly caught off guard by our appearance. Instinctively, my gaze panned across the faces, looking for Draneeve, only for me to remember an instantter that he wasn¡¯t there and never would be again. I had helped him escape.


    I had helped him. After being cruel and awful to him, I had helped him escape the twisted life he had to live serving Agrona.


    Watching Cecilia¡¯s gunmetal gray hair bounce as she marched quickly past the surprised attendants, I steeled myself, wrapping up the hurt and crushing it down deep. I had failed Cecilia again and again, first in ourst life, where I had let her be taken and hadn¡¯t found her soon enough. And then again, in the end, when I had been right there, but I had only watched as Grey ran her through¡­


    I missed my step as I followed Cecilia up the stairs, a sharp exhtion slipping out. She turned to regard me with concern, but I waved it away, and she continued on, surging forward on a wave of tension and eagerness.


    It still didn¡¯t seem real, the knowledge that Grey hadn¡¯t intentionally murdered her. I inwardly cringed as I thought of all the things I had done, iming that moment as justification for the most horrible actions. For years, back on Earth, I had fomented this hatred, biding my time as I nned how to take King Grey¡¯s life in revenge¡­and then here, reincarnated, hadn¡¯t I made destroying Grey and reincarnating Cecilia my entire life¡¯s purpose?


    A memory surged unbidden into the spotlight of my consciousness. In it, I kneeled before a magical shield, rubbing my eyes and blinking in disbelief. Through the magical barrier, I was looking at a figure, hoping it was a trick of the light, a hallucination, a mistake, but then as now, there was no mistaking that gunmetal hair, even matted with dirt and blood.


    My mind had raced as I wrestled with the understanding that Tessia was there, in the middle of the attack on Xyrus Academy, when she was supposed to be with Arthur. Draneeve and Lucas Wykes had captured her, were ready to¡­


    I had been so angry. So ready to kill. Hadn¡¯t I repeated it over and over as my suppressed cryan self wed and tore its way to the surface? Feelings so strong they had broken the lock Agrona had ced on my mind, but why?


    I stopped climbing and leaned against the stairway wall. These memories had never been so clear. I needed to digest them, to understand something, a detail about my own behavior.


    Ahead, Cecilia stopped and turned, the runic tattoos highlighted against her skin, but I didn¡¯t see her. I looked harder, but I couldn¡¯t see Cecilia¡­only Tessia Eralith.


    The truth was that Tessia had been so important to me that witnessing her near death had been enough to shatter a spell ced by Agrona himself. But not because I had been close to Tessia. No¡­it was Arthur. I knew how important she was to him, and he was¡ªhad been¡ªso important to me¡­my entire life¡­


    Just as Grey had been on Earth. At least, until Cecilia arrived.


    My best friend. My brother. And¡­I had hated him, tried to kill him¡­because of something he didn¡¯t even do.


    ¡°Nico? Come on, we need to¡­Nico? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Cecilia¡¯s frustration melted away into tenderness as she took a step back down the stairs. Her hand raised, reaching for my hair, but she stopped just shy of actually touching me.


    My face was scrunched up with the effort not to break down into tears. ¡°You abandoned me.¡±


    Tessia¡¯s mouth turned down into a deep frown. ¡°Nico, I¡¯m right here. I haven¡¯t left you.¡±


    I shook my head, struggling to control my voice. I had to swallow twice before the words woulde out. ¡°I was doing everything I could to rescue you, and you left me behind. You gave up on me. Do you have any idea how torturous my life was after you died?¡±


    Her brows pinched together, her nose wrinkling as her frown pressed into a straight sh across her elven face. ¡°More torturous than my own before my death?¡± Regret immediately flooded over her features, and she let out a shaky breath. ¡°You¡¯ve never told me about after¡­on Earth.¡±


    ¡°There never seemed a point,¡± I answered, my voice a low moan that was almost embarrassing to hear.


    ¡°No, I suppose not. I¡­¡± She hesitated, swallowing heavily. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I thought I was protecting you.¡± Her expression cooled suddenly, one brow rising slightly higher than the other. ¡°We¡¯ve had days¡ªweeks¡ªto talk about this. I can see that you¡¯ve been simmering in your own anger, building yourself up for a fight, but now isn¡¯t the time¡ª¡±


    ¡°Cecilia!¡± I barked, my voice amplified by the close quarters.


    She flinched, and the expression of hurt was so purely Cecilia that she suddenly shifted in my eyes and mind, no longer the image of Tessia Eralith but once again Cecilia¡ªmy Cecil.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I breathed out, choked by the pain and desperation to be heard. ¡°I just¡­Grey. Arthur. I¡ªhe¡­¡± I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs from my stupid skull. ¡°I didn¡¯t just lose you. I lost him too, and without the two of you, I¡­don¡¯t know. I lost myself.¡± I clenched my eyes shut so tight that stars began to burst behind the lids.


    Soft fingersced through my own, and my eyes snapped open. Cecilia¡¯s face was hardly an inch in front of mine, looking down from one step above. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just didn¡¯t know how to tell you. It was¡­a shock for me too. It took¡­too long to sort out the real from the imnted.¡±


    I flinched at her words, which stung like the bite of a venomous hunter fly.


    Cecilia¡¯s jaw worked wordlessly as she seemed to struggle for what to say, then her gaze ttened and went nk, turning inward.


    When she didn¡¯t say anything for several long seconds, I cleared my throat. ¡°Cecil?¡±


    She scoffed and gave a small shake of her head, which she cocked slightly as if she were listening to something far away.


    I squeezed the hand that was still holding mine, and her eyes refused and jumped to me.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± I asked nervously, suddenly worried for her.


    Cecilia¡¯s jaw clenched as she ground her teeth. ¡°Nothing, nevermind.¡± She gave a small shake of her head and pressed her fingertips into her temples, looking pained. ¡°We just need to find Agrona, and I¡¯ll exin everything.¡±


    ¡°I¡­sure. Okay.¡±


    Slowly, Cecilia began ascending again, grabbing my hand firmly and pulling me behind her. I let myself be tugged along, emotionally drained and mind nk as freshly pressed parchment. There were too many things to think through. I didn¡¯t know enough,cked the understanding to make decisions. The dread that Agrona was lying to us still sat in my guts like curdled milk, but I couldn¡¯t be sure of anything.


    There was a sharp edge of fear to my thoughts. I had seen it: Cecilia fraying at the edges like this. Her behavior was bing more erratic, self-doubt bleeding from her very pores. It was too much pressure, to be the Legacy; that was no different in this world. I knew the spirit of Tessia Eralith remained dug into her mind like a tick, but she wouldn¡¯t ask Agrona to help soothe the voice again. If she let him in like that, he might see the lies.


    The thought was too much, and so I focused on the thing I always had: Cecilia herself. The feel of her skin against mine, the sway of her body as she climbed ahead of me, the one true piece of knowledge that I was absolutely certain of: I would do whatever it took to ensure our life together. If this world had to burn for our new lives to begin, so be it¡ª


    Except, even as I had this thought¡ªan old line of thinking worn into the pathways of my mind¡ªI had to second guess myself. I didn¡¯t allow myself to dig any deeper than that, not wanting to face the question of what, exactly, I would or wouldn¡¯t do to ensure that our vision woulde true. It was too difficult and painful. And I couldn¡¯t think about the fact that there might be a line out there, invisible but already drawn in the dirt, that I couldn¡¯t cross.


    Cecilia led me to Agrona¡¯s private wing, brushing past guards and servants alike, unlocking mana-locked doors with a wave of her hand as easily as I might brush away a cobweb. When she didn¡¯t find Agrona waiting for us in any of the expected ces, she led me down into abyrinthine series of tunnels and rooms that I had never seen before.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± I asked, immediately ufortable.


    ¡°Some kind of reliquary, I think,¡± she said off-hand. ¡°I found him down herest time I visited, or he found me. He¡¯s got to be here somewhere.¡±


    Cecilia didn¡¯t open any of the doors as she rushed around, clearly navigating by her sense of mana. Despite a powerful but dangerous-feeling sense of curiosity building with each door we passed, I followed in her increasingly desperate wake, allowing myself to be dragged along like a frightened child.


    After twenty minutes or more of going in circles throughout the expansive system of hallways and small rooms, Cecilia began to slow, the urgency of her searching draining out of her as it became clear Agrona wasn¡¯t there. We meandered a bit longer in silence, and I could see some thought simmering beneath the surface of her expression. Then, approaching it as if afraid of the contents, she came to a stop before one of the many, many doors.


    ¡°This is it,¡± she said after a moment, her tone uncertain.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked before sparking with understanding. ¡°The rune-etched table? The one you took that mana from?¡± She had told me she¡¯d found it but hadn¡¯t given me many details, and there hadn¡¯t been an opportunity to go in search of it before we were sent off to Dicathen.


    I immediately reached for the door, my many hours of considering and researching the piece of mana she had shown me surging to the forefront of my mind and pushing out everything else.


    ¡°Wait,¡± she said, bringing me up short. Her turquoise eyes were shimmering, and she bit her lip nervously. ¡°Should we?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± I said, excited to see this work of Imbuing for myself. ¡°If it answers our questions¡ª¡±


    ¡°But what if the answers aren¡¯t¡­good?¡± she asked, and I suddenly understood.


    ¡°Then all the more reason we should know.¡±


    Turning back to the door, I eased it open and entered. The room beyond was dimly lit from no definitive source and empty except for the artifact in question. A finely carved and crafted table, six feet long by about three feet across, took up almost the entire space. It was covered in runes etched deeply into the hard, glossy wood. They framed the top of the table with densely packed lines, then seemed to have been focused at certain positions across the surface.


    I activated my regalia, and the table lit up with lines of connection and understanding as the magic attempted to help me decipher the runes¡¯bined meaning. ¡°These formations, here, here, and here¡­if you were to lie over the top of them, they would be beneath your head, your core, and your lower spine.¡± I ran my fingertips across the runes, wondering.


    ¡°This bit seems to be a kind of array for storing mana¡ªno, not storing. Transferring or capturing, maybe.¡± I turned to Cecilia, who was standing in the doorway, still looking nervous. ¡°Perhaps it helped you contain the mana after your core broke down, but that seems counter to what I understand about Integration. And besides, the rest of the runes are tooplex for it to be only that. You were right, these really are like nothing I¡¯ve seen before. Maybe asuran in origin? A use structure originated by the basilisks and not integrated into cryan society?¡±


    I continued to mumble to myself as I searched from form to form, rune to rune, trying to pluck out the meaning from each one, both individually and as groups in a sequence. And as I read, a prickly sensation began to grow at the nape of my neck, and the hair there stood on end. I wasn¡¯t certain why, but the runes were making me ufortable. Was my subconscious beginning to peel away theyers of meaning in a way that my conscious mind hadn¡¯t yet caught up with?


    Taking a steadying breath, I pushed mana into the table, watching closely through the lens of my regalia.


    ¡°Nico!¡± Cecilia gasped.


    At the same time, the room copsed in on itself. Starting from the corners, it folded over and over like a piece of paper, too rapidly to react. The space was warping in toward us, caging us within a distortion of space itself. I pushed out with mana, a formless emanation to hold back the effect, but my mana was simply folded into the distortion.


    Shimmering within the field of twisted space, I could see another room, like a cage or cell. We were being folded through space into the cells beneath the fortress, I realized with a panicked jolt.


    But the folding of space was slowing, the deformed air trembling, and then, more slowly, unfolding. The spell quivered, the forces of magic so powerful I could feel the cracks they were making in the fabric of reality around us.


    ¡°Go, quickly,¡± Cecilia gasped. Both her hands were held up in front of her, clutched and wlike, and she fought against the trap, preventing us from being shifted away.


    I didn¡¯t need to be told twice.


    Rushing to the door, I had to wait a long and painful second before it fully reappeared, t and able to be opened, then burst through, reaching back for Cecilia. But she didn¡¯t need my help. Sweat was building on her brow, but with each instant, she seemed to settle, and she strode, tense but in control, through the door and into the hall. When we were both safe from the spell¡¯s effects, she released it, and the folded space snapped away, the table vanishing and leaving the room barren.


    ¡°He¡¯ll know,¡± I said breathlessly, my eyes wide, my pulse hammering in my throat.


    ¡°Come,¡± she said, hurrying away and leading us out of the reliquary.


    At each turn, I expected toe face to face with Agrona, but we reached the upper level without seeing anyone at all, and Cecilia led us to one of Agrona¡¯s sitting rooms, where she poured two drinks, handed one to me, and walked away to stand by the window and stare out at the mountains.


    I followed her lead in remaining quiet, knowing this was exactly the wrong ce to discuss the runes and what they meant, and so I eased into a tall-backed chair, took a sip of my drink, which tasted of bark and honey, and leaned my head back.


    Even if she had wanted to discuss it, I wasn¡¯t sure what to tell her. If I had days or even weeks to explore the runes at my leisure, I still wasn¡¯t sure I could fully decipher the intent behind them. But the more I thought about what I¡¯d seen, the more ufortable I became. It wasn¡¯t coherent, there was no specific meaning for my difort to congeal around, but that didn¡¯t change the impression that I held onto: whatever Agrona had been doing, I didn¡¯t think it was meant to help Cecilia.


    A bottle clinked, and I realized with a jolt that Agrona was standing behind the sitting room bar, pouring himself a ss of some crystal clear liquid. He filled the ss two-thirds full, reced the bottle, then took a small drink. He met my eyes, smacked his lips childishly, and sighed.


    Cecilia had spun an instant before I myself turned at the noise. She bowed her head, letting her gunmetal hair fall over her face, and said, ¡°High Sovereign! Forgive me for returning before my task is aplished, but I have urgent news.¡±


    Agrona stepped unhurriedly around the bar and then leaned back against it, raising his ss. ¡°To the unexpected!¡±


    Cecilia stared at him for a moment, nonplussed, before clearing her throat and continuing. She exined that she had followed a phoenix within the Beast des, and her Wraiths had fought him. Just as they seemed to have him defeated, however, Mordain arrived, channeling some kind of domain spell that turned the world to fire around them.


    ¡°I thought it would be unwise to engage in a prolonged battle with him, and so I let him go,¡± she exined quickly, adding, ¡°but I tracked the phoenixes back to their home¡ªthe Hearth. I know where they have been hiding all these years.¡±


    Agrona nodded slightly, his brows raised. ¡°And is that all?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she answered firmly, continuing with her story.


    I felt a knot of tension growing within me as Cecilia exined all that she had overheard while listening in on the conversation between Arthur and the phoenix. These artifacts of Epheotus¡ªthe mourning pearls¡ªseemed like something we should control, not our enemy, but they were barely a footnote in the tale.


    The tension built as Cecilia exined the keystones, Mordain¡¯s story, and eventually Arthur¡¯s gaining of a sudden burst of insight through the relic itself. Despite listening carefully to every word of her story, I had no idea what to think about it at all.


    Fate could mean anything¡ªor even nothing at all. If not for my little knowledge of reincarnation, I would have said it was nothing but a red herring, a false trail that we should let Arthur stumble down to inevitable failure. But¡­


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well to bring me this information, Cecil dear,¡± Agrona said after taking a moment to digest her words, just as I had. ¡°This makes ourplimentary goals in the Beast des even more important, but also esctes the need to deal with Arthur Leywin.¡±


    He smiled, looking inward as if sharing a private joke with himself. ¡°From what you¡¯ve said, it sounds as if this ¡®keystone¡¯ he retrieved from Mordain was thest piece of a puzzle he has been trying to solve for some time. Which means he has the final keystone already. He will go into hiding, of course, with no choice but to allow his allies to guard over him as the keystone leaves him vulnerable.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, I will carve through all of Dicathen if you ask me to,¡± Cecilia said fiercely.


    My gaze flicked to her, but I did my best to keep the discouragement from my features.


    Agrona gave her a proud, predatory smile. ¡°I know you would, my dear, there is no question about it, but your role in this has not changed. The rift remains your priority.¡±


    Cecilia¡¯s expression fell, and she took a half step toward Agrona. ¡°High Sovereign, I promise you this time Arthur won¡¯t escape me. I¡­¡± She trailed off under the weight of Agrona¡¯s stare.


    ¡°You forget yourself, child. You go where I wish, strike where I indicate. You are my sword to swing at my enemies¡¯ necks.¡± His zing stare softened. ¡°Besides. When we move on the rift, every dragon in Dicathen wille pping. If our effort there fails, then you will be caught between Kezess¡¯s forces and whatever guardians Arthur leaves in ce. While I am not willing to risk allowing Arthur Leywin to gain whatever insight the djinn have left behind should he prove capable of defeating their riddle, there is no route forward in which we do not control the rift into Epheotus, do you understand? That is your job. Without the dragons to defend him, I have other soldiers more than capable of rooting him out.¡±


    Cecilia took a quick step back and bowed her head, her eyes on the floor as she said, ¡°Of course, Agrona.¡±


    His attention turned to me expectantly. I cleared my throat. ¡°I found an intact device, High Sovereign. With this regalia, I am confident I canplete your vision.¡±


    One corner of his mouth curled up in a slight smirk. ¡°A match for your talents indeed. Perhaps I was wrong to be so dismissive of this power you¡¯ve acquired. There is no need to exin why it is now even more pressing.¡±


    He turned away, opening the door out to the balcony. A rush of cold air blew through the room, carrying the distant sounds of marching feet and shouted orders. Following him out onto the balcony, I looked down at one of the courtyards that were built into the sides of the fortress.


    The courtyard was full of milling soldiers. Instead of orderly ranks, I saw in their motions confusion and uncertainty. Even as I watched, more portals opened up, spilling soldiers in handfuls out into the milling crowd.


    ¡°Wraiths and Scythes will not be enough to aplish our many goals in Dicathen now,¡± Agrona continued. ¡°We need soldiers. If we¡¯re forced to search for Arthur Leywin, then we need eyes, as many as we can put on the continent.¡±


    Agrona turned around and leaned against the railing, waving me closer. I took a shuffling step toward him, and he suddenly ruffled my already tangled hair. I froze, looking up at him in surprise. With the other hand, he gestured for Cecilia, who approached with equal uncertainty. He put an arm around her, standing between us like a proud father preparing to have his portrait painted.


    ¡°A changewind blows, as they say in the old country,¡± he said to neither of us in particr. ¡°Everything is aligning as it should be. Our enemy will soon be divided, the Godspell in our power, and I have even invented a proper use for all those little rebel bloods who followed Seris in her futile efforts.¡±


    His demeanor hardened, and his gaze cut down toward me. The fingers threaded into my hair curled just enough to pull and be painful. ¡°And you two will be in your rightful ce at the center of it all, earning the fairytale happy ending you both have worked so hard for. You need only do as you are told. Fulfill my vision. It would be a shame if you failed me now, with our goal so close."

 Chapter 463

    <h4>Chapter 463</h4>


    Chapter 461: Not Without Cost


    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    Thick des of deep green grass bent under my steps as I walked beneath the charwood trees outside of the Hearth. My thoughts were heavy and grounded, keeping me grounded as well. A mental shroud separated me from Regis and Sylvie; I wasn¡¯t ready to have anyone else¡¯s thoughts in my head just yet, needing some time to digest everything that had happened.


    Everything I had learned, from both Kezess and Mordain, cycled through my head again and again. There were too many disparate paths to hold at once, and I wascking too much information.


    Leaves rustled in a low branch, and a fuzzy creature that could have fit in the palm of my hand shuffled along the underside, clinging to the bark with sharp ws. Its moon-silver eyes inspected me without fear. Despite its cute appearance¡ªsomething of a cross between a flying squirrel, a lemur, and a bat¡ªI could sense the condensed mana in its body, enough to ssify it as an A-ss mana beast.


    After sniffing around for a moment, the mana beast vanished back up the tree, drawing my eyes along the wide trunk of the towering charwood.


    ¡°If only our responsibilities were proportional to our size, then I could leave all this to you, couldn¡¯t I?¡± I said aloud, the words mostly nonsense spit out by my overtaxed brain.


    I watched idly as the scuttling creature made its way around the tree, dislodging a leaf several feet above me.


    As the bright leaf fluttered down like the burning ash of a bonfire, I imbued aether into my new godrune. A soft warmth radiated from my spine, keeping me grounded as I felt my cognitive abilities speed up several times over. The information I¡¯d received and problems I now had to solve wereid out like a deck of cards, clear in my consciousness even as my mind split into several threads of thought at once.


    Chul had faced off against Cecilia¡ªnearly paying for that encounter with his life¡ªbut I had been able to heal him. Not only that, with the mourning pearl, he wouldn¡¯t just recover but his underpowered core would likely be stronger than before.


    I had two remaining mourning pearls. I didn¡¯t know why Lord leiah had given them to me, but as all the events and conversations of Avhsha¡¯s returning ceremony connected to each other, I grew certain that he had anticipated the events of the ceremony itself, with his interest and ¡°innocent old uncle¡± act just that. He knew more than he was letting on¡ªperhaps even had some hint of future-sight about him. After all, Kezess had said specifically that dragons rarely experienced the kind of visions Sylvie was now having.


    Which meant I had been given three mourning pearls for a very specific reason, and it would be up to me to decide when and why to use them, knowing that to save a life, I potentially condemned another in the future.


    With the crown of violet light burning from atop my head, out of sight but still very much visible in my mind¡¯s eye, I understood exactly why such a thing was so valuable and rarely used in asuran culture.


    Parallel to these thoughts, I held another line for Cecilia.


    Her presence in Dicathen was arger problem than I¡¯d at first considered. Perhaps, with the assassination of Charon having failed, they¡¯d sent her to finish the job, but if that was the case, I didn¡¯t see why she would be lingering around the Beast des. It was just as likely that Agrona had decided to target Mordain, so Cecilia may have actively been searching for any sign of phoenixes when Chul stumbled right into her.


    Despite Mordain¡¯s pacifism, the phoenix presence was both a wildcard and a potential threat to Agrona¡¯s ns. It had worked in Agrona¡¯s benefit for some time, as Kezess had indicated that the number or strength of the asura present in this world had¡ªfor a reason I didn¡¯t yet understand¡ªbeen a barrier to his attacking Agrona. Now, however, Agrona may have decided the risk was no longer worth the benefit.


    But the most likely scenario was that Cecilia was searching for the way to Epheotus on Agrona¡¯s behalf. Icked the information to devise a solid theory about exactly why, although, under the effects of King¡¯s Gambit, my mind immediately spected on several different possible reasons, each equally likely. Even still, I couldn¡¯t be sure of anything except the fact that Cecilia was the most dangerous piece on the board, and her presence was a disruption and a danger to everyone on the continent, even the dragons.


    But Cecilia had been trying to cover her tracks, even staying out of the fight against Chul, which meant they didn¡¯t want us to know she was here. Either they were afraid of cing her on the front lines¡ªbecause she would be a target or, maybe, Agrona didn¡¯t have full faith in her¡ªor there was a chance that what she was doing could be interrupted. Having been caught by Mordain, it was usible she had already retreated out of the Beast des, or from Dicathen entirely. Even if she was still in Dicathen, I couldn¡¯t pursue her without potentially sacrificing days or even weeks to hunt her through the Beast des, and there was a significant probability even then that she could evade me. She had a clear advantage: she knew what she was doing, while I did not.


    Still, I couldn¡¯t let her potentially roam free throughout the continent. Charon would need to be warned and a patrol of dragons set to scouring the Beast des.


    As more and more new threads appeared, each new thought weaving into the tapestry of congruent ideas, I sensed a subtle itch¡ªthe ufortable sensation from my core left by the wound Cecilia had given me with my own aetheric sword. I focused on it, and like insects scattering under a light, the itch seemed to shiver along each of the individual threads of my thoughts.


    I stop channeling King¡¯s Gambit, shaking off the strange sensation. The leaf, which my eyes had been tracking in its flight, fluttered past my nose, then continued its way to the ground.


    My mind seemed cluttered and muddy, my thoughts out of focus. I had to force myself to stand straight, and found my fingers digging into my chest, scratching at the core-deep itch that had already subsided.


    It took some time before I could shake off the effects of the godrune and focus on my surroundings again. The creature had returned, creeping even farther down the branches, and was eyeing me hungrily.


    Letting out a deep breath, I let my mind return to the state I¡¯d been in after waking from the keystone. My feet left the ground, and I wobbled slightly. Instinctively, I pulled on the insight I had gained and drifted up a few feet, slowly growing ustomed to the sensation. Then, with sudden speed, Iunched past the little mana beast, through the outstretched branches and fire-orange leaves of the charwood tree, and high into the air over the canopy, letting the feel of wind through my hair help to clear thest of the godrune¡¯s cobwebs from my mind.


    Unlike flying with mana, which was simply a matter of raw power and control gained by transitioning to a white core, the ability to fly with aether had been triggered through my insight into King¡¯s Gambit¡ªor rather, some part of my journey to gaining insight had advanced my innate understanding of the intery between the physics of this world and the atmospheric aether to unconsciously defy gravity.


    The effect was the same: by projecting myself through the atmospheric aether, I was able to use it to push me up into the air and fly. But there was a lot less atmospheric aether than there was mana, and it was unnatural both in feeling and visualization, like discovering a muscle I¡¯d always had but had never used. When I pushed up, I flew, the aether pushing me even as it slipped aside to let me through.


    I looked back down at the trees. From below they had looked like towers, but from so high, they were diminished. Watching the wind move the forest canopy, I noted a sense of drawing down as some subtle aftereffect of King¡¯s Gambit left my system. I¡¯ll need to be cautious when I use this new power, I thought, noting the way it made me feel afterwards.


    Despite the weight of everything resting on my shoulders, I couldn¡¯t help but smile as I shot out over the trees and banked south, gauging the direction of my destination before leaning forward and flying away over the treetops, the wind heavy and moist as it blew over me.


    And so, as I pushed myself to fly faster and faster, projecting a strong aetheric intent to ward off any of the more powerful mana beasts that might decide to take a shot at me, I released the veil over my mind and reached out probingly for Regis and Sylvie.


    ¡®He returns,¡¯ Regis¡¯s voice sounded in my head almost immediately.


    ¡®Your thoughts are murky, Arthur,¡¯ Sylvie followed up. ¡®What¡¯s happened?¡¯


    I quickly exined everything that had happened since Chul¡¯s healing


    ¡®For someone who seems to have just won the ¡°get shit done¡± lottery, I¡¯m not sensing a lot of positivity here,¡¯ Regis said with his usual charm.


    I may have discovered a power that will let me think several things at the same time, but what I really need is the ability to be in several ces at once, I thought. Barring that, I need answers.


    Regis, who had stayed with Oludari and was now at the flying castle, guarding the Vritra¡¯s cell, brightened. ¡®Does that mean you''re headed this way? I¡¯d trade all the busty demondy¡¯s in crya to get out of here. I think I might be bored to death.¡¯


    ¡®All of them?¡¯ Sylvie chimed in, the mental projection of her voice tinkling like a silver bell.


    ¡®Well, not fair Lady Caera, of course,¡¯ he answered defensively.


    I shook my head. I¡¯d say you got along with the aether centipede best of all, wouldn¡¯t you? Now, changing the subject¡­


    The act of flying itself was exhrating, and Regis and Sylvie helped to lighten the weight of my manyyered worries, making it go by even faster. Still, with so many thoughts upying my skull¡ªand my ability only to process one thing at a time without King¡¯s Gambit active¡ªI was relieved when the tall walls and peaked roofs of the flying castle came into view, looming out of the fog like a giant bird of prey.


    The distortion field that had once hidden the castle was long since disabled, and tworge dragons¡ªone gleaming like sapphires, the other the dull green of mossy rock¡ªcircled around the exterior. It took them a moment to notice me, as Icked a mana signature for them to sense as I approached, but when the green dragon saw me, both banked hard and flew swiftly in my direction.


    ¡°Halt, who¡ªah, the lesser with golden eyes,¡± the sapphire dragon said, beating her wings to stay in ce. ¡°We were told to expect you. Follow me.¡±


    Wheeling around, she flew to an open bay door¡ªthe same one that Sylvie and I had so often used to enter and exit the castle during the war. As Inded behind her, she transformed, her body shrinking to reveal a statuesque woman with pearlescent hair and armor the same color her scales had been in her dragon form.


    ¡°Come, I¡¯ll take you to Guardian Charon and the prisoner,¡± she said stiffly, her deep-blue eyes, which were speckled with glittering white motes, studying me warily.


    ¡°I know the way.¡± I strode past her, heading for a nearby hall. ¡°Has there been any trouble?¡±


    She hurried so she was walking just behind and beside me. ¡°Some of the scouts came upon a forest fire, likely the sight of an intense magical battle. But we found no source.¡±


    Acknowledging her with a nod, I searched automatically through the castle, sensing the powerful mana signatures radiating strength. Charon and Windsom were deep in the bowels, where I knew the prison was: the same prison that had once held retainer Uto and Rahdeas, the traitorous dwarf who helped Nico infiltrate Dicathen under the persona of Elijah.


    I didn¡¯t think of Elijah often, and I didn¡¯t allow myself to do so now. It was too strange¡ªtoo painful¡ªto know that my closest friend in this world had never even existed, but rather had been a figment of Agrona¡¯s twisted mind.


    In all, I sensed five other dragons besides Charon and Windsom, as well as the familiar signature of an asura of the titan race. I didn¡¯t know what Wren Kain would be doing there¡ªhe should be back in Vildorial, finishing the project he and Gideon were working on¡ªbut I would find out soon.


    As I made my way down through the castle, my escort and I entered into a wide hallway that brought me up short. The memory of myst time in the castle surfaced with a sudden violence, and I recalled bodies scattered over the floor, half trapped in the rubble that had crushed them.


    It hadn¡¯t really urred to me earlier, but this was my first time returning to the flying castle since then. Since Cadell.


    ¡°It¡¯s been repaired,¡± I said out loud, speaking to myself.


    ¡°Yes,¡± my escort said stiffly. ¡°This flying castle was in poor shape, and it required significant work to make it fit for dragons of the Indrath n.¡±


    I brushed my hand against the restored wall, a pang of indignation bubbling up at the thought that any traces of Buhnd and all the others who had fought and lost their lives here were gone.


    Reaching the prison level, my dragon escort allowed me into the locked and warded dungeon but did not follow me within. In the guard room on the other side, I found Charon, Windsom, and Wren Kain waiting for me. Regis, I could sense further in, keeping an eye on our prisoner.


    Charon regarded me with clear interest. ¡°Ah. Arthur. Windsom has been filling us in on your journey to Epheotus.¡±


    ¡°Too bad about the young dragon,¡± Wren said, his tone empty of any actual sadness. ¡°Of course, her n will receive more rpense for her death than thebined families of all the lessers that battle destroyed, so I suppose there¡¯s that.¡±


    I searched Wren¡¯s gaze, looking for meaning in the dark eyes half hidden beneath his greasy, drooping mane.


    My expression must¡¯ve given away my thoughts because Wren gave a sharpugh. ¡°Charon invited me to speak to the basilisk.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know the two of you knew each other,¡± I responded, looking to the scarred dragon.


    ¡°Oh yeah, Charon and I go way back,¡± Wren answered with mock pleasantry. ¡°He¡¯s not bad¡­for an Indrath.¡±


    Windsom red at Wren, but Charon only chuckled.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve been helping¡ªtrying to help the dragons make sense of Oludari, but he¡¯s been purposefully obtuse since you left.¡± Wren crossed his arms, an action that made his hunched posture more exaggerated. ¡°For a supposed genius, he sure doese across as a lunatic idiot.¡±


    I considered this. The fact that I was pitting the word of a lunatic basilisk who had every reason to lie and manipte me against the lord of all the asuras¡ªmy ally¡ªwasn¡¯t lost on me. But then, I already knew I couldn¡¯t take anything Kezess said at face value either. Every conversation with him was like a match of Sovereign¡¯s Quarrel, except I didn¡¯t necessarily know what the objective of the game was. With Oludari, it was much clearer.


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate, but nheless, I¡¯vee to speak with Oludari.¡± I met Windsom¡¯s otherworldly eyes. ¡°Then, per my agreement with Kezess, you¡¯re free to transport him back to Epheotus.¡±


    Expressionlessly, Windsom replied, ¡°Ah, and here I feared you¡¯d spend weeks, if not months, beating around the bush as you lessers so love to do. I am d to see you being sensible for once, Arthur.¡±


    When I didn¡¯t reply except with a cool stare, Charon cleared his throat and gestured for me to follow. He led our group into the prison itself, which was empty except for a special cell that had been redesigned specifically for the basilisk. Oludari was chained to a wall with his arms held out to his sides, rune-covered cuffs of dull metal binding him at both wrists and ankles, and around his throat. When he shifted, his corkscrew horns ttered against the warded stone behind him.


    Seeing me through the small, barred window of his cell, he gave a wide grin and his lips began to move, but I couldn¡¯t hear the words until Charon sent a pulse of mana into the door and eased it open.


    ¡°¡ªto save me from the boredom of these dragons,¡± he was saying, the first half of his words inaudible within the warded cell. The affected grin slipped as his bright eyes burrowed into my own. ¡°So then, human? Have youe to your senses? Am I to be returned to my homnd and offered the protection of the lord of dragons?¡±


    Noting his unsubtle addition of protection to his demands, I stepped into the cell and looked around.


    Regis was curled in arge ball on the hard stone of the floor. His eyes openedzily as I looked down at him, and he winked. ¡°I¡¯m with the basilisk on this one. Please save us from the boredom of each other¡¯spany.¡±


    Oludari clicked his tongue. ¡°I rather thought you more interesting than the rest of these self-important asura. Heartbreaking that you do not share the sentiment.¡±


    They let you stay in the cell with him? I asked Regis, probing his mind for his experience of thest couple days.


    ¡®They haven¡¯t ¡°allowed¡± me to be present for the interrogations,¡¯ Regis sent back, carefully avoiding looking at Windsom and Charon behind me. ¡®But they¡¯veined loudly and often about how unreasonable and ¡°insane¡± Oludari is.¡¯


    You don¡¯t think he¡¯s insane?


    ¡®Something something fox and the hen house,¡¯ Regis thought ndly.


    Stepping up close to the chained Vritra, I let my gaze sweep across him, lingering on the shackles. ¡°I have spoken with Lord Indrath, and he has agreed to allow your return to Epheotus as a prisoner. But the specifics of that return¡ªhow long you linger in our world, a target for your High Sovereign¡ªare left up to me. Your future hinges on you answering my questions, fully and without any games.¡± I paused, letting him digest my words. ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten my previous threat: preventing Agrona from getting his hands on you is still my priority, and if it makes more sense to kill you than send you to Epheotus, I won¡¯t hesitate to do so.¡±


    Windsom shifted behind me, but Oludari was impassive, answering only with an understanding nod.


    I would have preferred to question him further without Windsom and Charon present, but I didn¡¯t give them the power to refuse by asking, as I already knew their answer.


    Crossing my arms, I widened my stance and made a show of mulling over my words. I knew what I wanted to learn, but extracting the information from Oludari without making either him or the dragons suspicious was a delicate operation.


    ¡°Why does Agrona want to take over Epheotus?¡± I asked after several long seconds passed. ¡°What is his goal in it all? Simple revenge against Kezess and the others of the great ns?¡±


    Oludari frowned slightly, his eyes tracking quickly across my features. He seemed to be puzzling something out in his head. Finally, he said, ¡°A good question, for what reason would the High Sovereign need control of Epheotus? To be surrounded by asura of the other races, many older and more magically powerful than he? To return to our homnd would, I imagine, be Agrona¡¯s worst nightmare. He has not spent thesest centuries surrounding himself with lessers and lessurans without reason.¡±


    He paused, his gaze now flicking to the two dragons behind me. ¡°Whoever told you this is, perhaps, attempting to distort your view of the overall picture of this conflict. The greater conflict between Agrona and Indrath, that is.¡±


    ¡°Foolishness,¡± Windsom scoffed. ¡°Of course Agrona is attempting to return to our homnd. There is no other reason to wage war against Epheotus as he has done. His entire effort in forcefully taking Dicathen was simply to set the stage for therger conflict, as we know well.¡± His tone was stiff, almost forced.


    Raising my hand for silence, I nced over my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯d like to hold off on the extramentary. I need to focus.¡± Preparing myself for the flood of stimuli, I activated King¡¯s Gambit.


    In Oludari¡¯s eyes, I saw the light swell around me, gathering and fusing until a many-pointed crown of pure radiance was hovering just over my hair, turning the pale blond to a bright, glowing white.


    The crease of his nostrils whitened as they red, and his pupils, focused entirely on the glowing crown, dted a fraction of an inch. The skin around his eyes wrinkled ever so slightly as he squinted against the light.


    The air shifted as it pressurized through a gap in the stone somewhere, and a few strands of Oludari¡¯s unkempt hair waved. ¡°There is a leak in the stonework somewhere.¡± My voice had a hollow quality to my own ears as it was filtered through the mind-enhancing aspects of King¡¯s Gambit both as I spoke the words and again as I listened to them vibrate through the air.


    Beneath the smells of dust and stone, and more subtly, the distant flora of the Beast des, Oludari had a metallic, ozone burn to his scent, and the faintest trace of nervous sweat. Charon smelled of old leather, de oil, and the blood of a fresh kill, white Windsom scented himself with some kind of flowery perfume that couldn¡¯t quite hide the distant, earthy fragrance of Mount Geolus.


    ¡®Ugh, why am I suddenly smelling myself? And why do I smell like brimstone and cinnamon rolls?¡¯ Regis projected, shaking his head slightly as my gondrune-amplified thoughts flowed freely between us.


    Behind me, I sensed Charon turn to look at Windsom, whose brows furrowed and jaw tensed as he red at my back.


    ¡°You said before that Agrona is attempting to concentrate power. That he knew something. That this knowledge is connected to theyered dimensions that make up this reality. You said you¡¯d tell me everything you knew.¡± My words thrust at him like the tip of a spear. ¡°If my current understanding is wed, then correct it.¡±


    Oludari¡¯s eyes seemed to¡­flex, as if he were forcing them into ce, preventing them from flicking past my right shoulder to Charon. ¡°Of course, your majesty,¡± he said, attempting toyer thick amusement over his voice, likely to hide the tension now gripping his throat and making his wordse out strained. ¡°Yes, as I said, he seeks power. Not to be a warlord and rule over Epheotus, but to consume everything. Like the world lion, he would eat even his own young¡ªthe people of crya¡ªfor dominance. But only after he has scoured Dicathen and Epheotus.¡±


    Ipared his words and tone to what he¡¯d said and how he¡¯d spoken previously, dissecting meaning and timbre as I established a baseline to establish truth versus the lies.


    Regis had sat up, and his eyes wobbled, going crossed. ¡®Nope, can¡¯t¡ªoh, this is horrible. I think I¡¯m going to blow chunks¡­¡¯ His mind disengaged from my own, a barrier forcing its way between us. I could feel the wall¡¯s edges, the cracks within it, and knew I could punch through if necessary, but there was no need to force Regis¡¯s engagement with the conversation, even if his perspective might help broaden my own.


    Somewhere far off, I felt Sylvie¡¯s mind simrly shield itself. The effects of the godrune don¡¯t extend to mypanions, I noted.


    ¡°As much as I would prefer not to be a victim of suchary cannibalism,¡± Oludari continued, ¡°I do think it is extremely amusing that you so dly hold the dragon¡¯s tail, letting Lord Indrath drag you along wherever he wills, considering his own crimes are just as great, are they not?¡±


    ¡°Watch your tongue, Vritra,¡± Windsom snapped, taking a step forward threateningly as Oludari spoke ill of Kezess.


    I felt the desire to frown but cut it off before the expression could manifest. There was a heightened quality to Windsom¡¯s voice, an edge that suggested¡­a premeditated response?


    ¡°Tell me more about theseyers,¡± I said to Oludari, holding Windsom at bay with the quickest of nces over my shoulder.


    Oludari¡¯s tongue dragged across the back of his teeth, and his fingers tensed, but he held them back from twitching. He had a high level of self control, physically, an ability that had previously not presented itself when he was held captive by the Wraiths. This suggested a deeply ingrained fear of physical harm to his person or even death. And, although tense, he was not currently afraid for his life. ¡°You yourselfe from a different world, correct?¡± he said. ¡°You have a different kind of magic there¡ªki, I believe I was informed. But neither of the other reincarnates could channel ki when they came to this world, because it is a different type of magic than mana, requiring a different atmosphere and biology.¡±


    Wren adjusted his posture, causing a muffled clink from inside his coat, like two links of a chain bumping together.


    Oludari spoke faster as he continued, leaning into the story he was telling. ¡°Another world. An entirely different structure of magic. Imagine it. The people of crya are often limited to a single spell and its variable forms, the people of your continent just one element of mana. My own people can control all four primary elements, but only through the lens of our own understanding, which you call the attribute of decay. The dragons can wield pure mana and toddle about with their little aether arts, whereas the djinn wrote with aether like they¡¯d discovered the nativenguage of reality.¡±


    He let out an awed sigh, as if he had just said something profound. I noted the pattern of him telling me only things I already knew, and as I did, I felt the itch again. It wasn¡¯t in my core, but crawling along the thread of thought itself, deep in the folds of my brain.


    ¡°These are theyers I spoke of: mana, aether, even ki. Perhaps there are other types of magic out there as well¡±¡ªthe pitch of his voice modted very lightly, and his eyes repeated the tense-without-looking flex from before¡ª¡°but regardless, Agrona has never been satisfied with the basilisks¡¯ lot in life. Why would we only be effective in utilizing decay-type mana arts when we should have it all.¡±


    This exnation didn¡¯t align with his previous statements. Tangential and perhaps even true, but nheless an obfuscation.


    ¡°You have been enemies with Kezess for a long time. You¡¯re aware of what happened to the djinn. Tell me, what do you think Kezess¡¯s overarching goal is?¡±


    Windsom¡¯s scowl was audible. ¡°Arthur, this isn¡¯t an appropriate line of questioning¡ª¡±


    Oludari snorted with amusement, interrupted Windsom. ¡°He¡¯s ying ¡®King on the Mountain,¡¯ obviously.¡±


    ¡°This basilisk is attempting to confuse you and pit you against Lord Indrath,¡± Windsom said, too quickly. ¡°I would rmend you do not engage with him further.¡±


    This time I was more certain. His words may not have been scripted, but they were premeditated.


    Several tangled threads of thought wound around each other, and each one amplified the skittering, buglike itch that was vibrating out of my core and into my mind. The itch was being echoed from each simultaneous thought, no more than a slight irritant by itself, but the longer I channeled King¡¯s Gambit and the more simultaneous threads of thought I activated, the more intense the sensation became.


    Charon cleared his throat, and rested a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Arthur, perhaps we should take a break. You seem¡­strained.¡±


    Some sign of the growing irritation must have leaked through onto my expression. I mped down on the parts of my brain responsible for both the purposeful and subconscious movements of my face and body, forcing my pulse to slow, my expression to soften, and my every breath toe out calm and level.


    ¡°Windsom, why did you give Ellie a guardian bear?¡± I asked suddenly, following a new thread as I continued to hold the others.


    There was a hesitation, a change in his breathing. I turned my head a few degrees, aligning my ear to better hear the micro-changes to his bearing that would normally be drowned out by everything else.


    ¡°I was trying to make youfortable so that you¡¯d leave your family. Even then, I knew how protective you were. Enough to forgo the experience of training in Epheotus if you were too worried about your family.¡±


    An honest answer, I gauged, but he¡¯d had to decide first how truthful he was going to be.


    ¡°What will Kezess do with Oludari when he¡¯s returned to Epheotus?¡± I followed up quickly.


    I heard his response, but I didn¡¯t worry over the words themselves, instead listening to the tone, the cadence. But it wasn¡¯t truly Windsom I was focusing on, but rather gauging the intensity of Charon¡¯s interest as we shifted topics.


    I waited, letting the silence linger well beyond the point of difort, watching and listening to everything the three asura did, even cataloging Regis¡¯s micro-movements.


    For the first time, something broke my concentration, and my thoughts stumbled: the itching was more powerful now, like a swarm of ants gnawing on me from the inside.


    But I was certain: Charon had made some kind of deal with Oludari. The Vritra¡¯s answers were specifically designed to obfuscate certain facts. He would be returned to Epheotus and rewarded in a way I couldn¡¯t duplicate.


    Shifting gears to ensure I covered the other essential topic before I could no longer keep the godrune active, I asked, ¡°The Legacy¡­before, you suggested she wasn¡¯t a weapon, but a tool. Cecilia is the key to Agrona¡¯s absorption of mana directly from the other Sovereigns, but not only that. He seeks to unlock new powers for himself. Tell me, will she survive this process?¡±


    A coy smile yed across Oludari¡¯s face. ¡°Are you asking about the reincarnate or the vessel?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been paying attention. You consider yourself intelligent, which means you¡¯ve nned for the worst.¡± I suppressed a shiver and had to forcefully hold my hand back from scratching my sternum. ¡°How would you fight back against the Legacy if she came after you?¡±


    Oludari raised one brow, his mouth parting slightly in surprise. He thought for a few moments, but his eyes never left my own. ¡°Complete mastery over mana. No core, so her entire body acts on and reacts to mana. And she is incredibly sensitive to mana¡ªwhich, I think, can be turned against her. She isn¡¯t terribly creative, and so doesn¡¯t make full use of her strengths, and she is mentally weak. If one were to overwhelm her senses and put her on her back foot, send her reeling, she would not quickly recover.¡±


    As Oludari spoke, a new thread of thought broke away, forming into an idea, fledgling and dangerous but irrepressible.


    I needed to delve into the fourth keystone to solve it and gain the aspect of Fate, but if what Mordain said was true, I might be trapped in it for an unknown length of time. Agrona had consistently proved to be several steps ahead of me, and I had no idea how many spies he might have in Dicathen. I couldn¡¯t simply trust that my absence would go unnoticed, and I had to ept that my use of the fourth keystone represented a dangerous moment for Dicathen. With Cecilia already on our shores pursuing an unknown goal, it would be the height of foolishness not to prepare.


    But I could simultaneously protect against an incursion targeting me or Dicathen while I was vulnerable and ensure Cecilia was neutralized, at least temporarily, at the same time.


    I asked a couple of follow-up questions, careful not to give away too much to either Oludari or the dragons, but was quickly reaching the end of my ability to withstand the itch, which came in the form of thousands of bugs crawling under my skin, amplified by everyyer of my woven thoughts.


    When I was done, I turned wordlessly and swept past the dragons and Wren, leaving the cell and marching down the hall beyond. Only then did I release my hold over King¡¯s Gambit, when no one would see how my face fell or the cold sweat that sprang to my forehead.


    I felt Regis¡¯s mind return, touching my own tentatively, then recoil again. ¡®Hey, chief, you going to be all right?¡¯


    I¡¯m fine, I sent back even as I powered through the godrune¡¯s aftereffects. By the time I reached the prison entrance, I felt at least able to speak without slurring my words, and I stopped and waited for the others to catch up.


    ¡°A waste of time,¡± Windsom said simply as he joined me in the outer guard chamber.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I have to agree,¡± Charon added, outwardly chagrined. ¡°I had hoped you¡¯d be able to get more out of him, when you activated that¡­spell?¡± He paused, looking at me questioningly.


    I almost responded honestly, the words on the tip of my tongue before I swallowed them back down. Instead, I said only, ¡°I¡¯m satisfied. Kezess is expecting him, and I¡¯d like this Vritra out of Dicathen as soon as possible¡ªright now, in fact. There is no reason to tempt Agrona into some effort to reim him, regardless of my earlier threat.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Windsom said, looking to Charon for confirmation. The scarred dragon nodded his eptance.


    Wren, who had listened thoughtfully throughout my questioning, especially once the conversation turned to the Legacy, hade to stand beside me. ¡°I¡¯m needed back in Vildorial. Are you heading there as well?¡±


    There were several parties I needed to speak with in the Darvish capital, but most of all I wanted to check in on Ellie and Mom. ¡°I am,¡± I agreed.


    ¡°We¡¯ve repaired some of this fortress¡¯s functionality,¡± Charon said from behind me. ¡°Including the teleportation devices, which were thankfully not destroyed entirely by the previous fighting. Vajrakor has also seen fit to relocate one of the long-range teleportation frames from western Darv into Vildorial, allowing us to move more quickly between strategically important locations.


    ¡°I can understand the convenience, but that¡¯s a big risk,¡± I noted.


    ¡°All precautions have been taken to ensure the security of the city and its people,¡± Charon assured me.


    I nodded, acknowledging that this was the dwarves¡¯ decision to make. I wasn¡¯t their ruler.


    He continued to speak about the infrastructure changes they¡¯d made around thergest of Dicathen¡¯s cities as I led the way through the repaired hallways to the teleportation chamber. Despite the fact that they kept the artifacts deactivated when not in use, there was still a single dragon guard in ce over the chamber, but they moved aside at our approach. Windsom and Charon stopped outside the chamber as Wren and I stepped through the wide doors.


    Memories flooded my fatigued mind, and an ufortable but nameless emotion gripped my stomach like a fist, twisting it. I saw, as if reliving it again for the first time, as wounded soldiers limped or were dragged from the room while I searched face after face, looking for the Twin Horns and Tessia. Tess had returned, but my parents¡¯ old friend, Adam, hadn¡¯t.


    ¡°Arthur?¡± Wren asked as he nearly bumped into me from behind. I had stopped cold without realizing it.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I muttered, experiencing a strong sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu as I faced Charon. ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to coordinate with arge operation soon, but I need time to n out the finer details. Will you be here or in Etistin?¡±


    Charon looked around at the castle. ¡°I have decided to stay here and make this our base of operations for the moment. It is close to the rift, and the teleportation array allows us instant ess to most of your continent.¡±


    Nodding, I quickly exined what I¡¯d learned about Cecilia¡¯s presence, leaving out everything about Mordain and the phoenixes and instead making it sound like Chul had been scouting on my orders when he was attacked, and I had learned everything from him.


    Windsom¡¯s frown deepened as he listened to my exnation, but he kept his thoughts to himself.


    Charon, on the other hand, hung on every word. ¡°That exins the site of their battle, then. I will ensure the guard on the rift is increased, although there is no way she should be able to locate it, if that truly is their goal.¡±


    I provided some suggestions on what to watch for and a few details about my previous battle with Cecilia, then Wren and I bid the others farewell, and we activated the teleportation portal and set it for Vildorial.


    The continent rushed by around us in a blur as we were near-instantly shunted from the eastern Beast des to the very heart of Darv.


    Over a dozen heavily armed and armored dwarves and a dragon in her humanoid form guarded the portal on the other side. They scrambled for a moment when we stepped through, but all quickly recognized Wren and myself, and we were allowed by without trouble.


    ¡°When can we expect you toe review progress on our experiment?¡± Wren asked, stopping where our paths diverged.


    ¡°Soon,¡± I said, ncing behind me to the gates of the Earthborn Institute. ¡°How long until you can have battle-ready prototypes in production?¡±


    The titan¡¯s brows rose behind his unkempt bangs. ¡°There are already prototypes, but each one is individual, as are the¡­¡± He nced around suspiciously. ¡°Wielders,¡± he finished slowly. ¡°It¡¯ll take time to stabilize additional units.¡±


    I felt my jaw clench and unclench as I considered my answer. ¡°I can give you two weeks.¡±


    His eyes widened, and he gazed down through the ground as if seeing his project through the stone, housed far below Vildorial in the deepest tunnels where prying eyes wouldn¡¯t stumble upon it by ident. ¡°Barely enough time to find new users, much less train and design¡­¡±


    ¡°We need as many as you can have ready,¡± I said, reaching out my hand to shake his.


    Instead of taking my hand, he held out something that he¡¯d been hiding behind his side, and I jerked my own hand back as if I¡¯d been burned, staring at the object.


    ¡°Charon¡¯s people found it in the rubble. When they realized it was asuran-made, they collected the pieces.¡±


    Held loosely in his grip was the handle of Dawn¡¯s Bad. About an inch of the blue de remained, gray and jagged along its shattered edge. ¡°It wasn¡¯t the best thing I ever made, but I thought you might want it.¡±


    Gingerly, I took the handle, turning it over and looking at it, ovee by the dizzying sensation of seeing a dream suddenly manifest in the real world.


    Then Wren held out a small box. When I took it as well, he opened the lid to reveal gray shards within: what was left of the de.


    The smallest hint of a wry smile turned up the corner of his mouth. ¡°I know how sentimental you humans can be.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Wren,¡± I said simply, staring down at Dawn¡¯s Bad, or at least what remained of it.


    He shrugged and turned away. ¡°Come find us soon. There are quite a few things to discuss if you want a two-week turnaround.¡±


    By the time I pulled my gaze away from his gift to say something, he had vanished into the steady stream of traffic moving along the highway that wound around the edge of the massive cavern.


    My feet carried me blindly through the institute''s gates and along its halls until I arrived at my mother¡¯s door. As I reached up to knock, the door eased inward to reveal my mother¡¯s hopeful face.


    She looked caught off guard, almost as if she had been looking for me but hadn¡¯t expected me to really be there. I could see the weight of a thousand words hanging on the tip of her tongue, and could practically imagine the scolding she would give me about Ellie¡¯s state when shest returned, and with only Chul, no less.


    But just as quickly, the tension and frustration melted away, reced by motherly warmth and a sad sort of joy. She gave me a warm smile. ¡°Wee home.¡±


    ***


    Mom snorted as Ellie recounted one of her many conversations with Gideon, and her hand covered her mouth in embarrassment.


    Ellie burst outughing, then purposefully mimicked Mom¡¯s idental snort. Mom threw a bread roll at her head, but Ellie caught it out of the air and took a big bite, looking extremely pleased with herself. The followingughtersted for a long time and felt like a washcloth scrubbing my spirit clean from the inside.


    ¡°So, Ellie, I¡¯ve been wondering,¡± Mom said, and my sister tensed, no doubt expecting some sort of ambush question. ¡°You¡¯ve never had a normal life, not since you were just a few years old. When your big brother saves the world and everything goes back to normal¡ªwhatever that is, really¡ªwhat do you think you¡¯ll do?¡±


    ¡°Be a housewife,¡± Ellie said without missing a beat.


    Mom and I both blinked several times in silence as we struggled to digest this information. Boo, who couldn¡¯t fit in the kitchen and was watching Regis jealously through the door as mypanion scarfed down a te of leftovers, turned his head nearly on its side as he gave Ellie a challenging stare.


    Ellie giggled and shook her head fiercely. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m kidding! Gosh. No, I think¡­¡± She hesitated, her eyes losing focus, and then a little smile curved up the corner of her mouth. ¡°I think maybe I¡¯d like to be an instructor in mana arts. At Lanceler Academy, or maybe even back in Xyrus. That would¡­kind of feel like going home, you know?¡±


    We chatted for a while longer, inventing increasingly silly scenarios about what we would all like to do when the long war finally came to an end and Dicathen was safe. Mom settled on writing a book about my exploits, iming she would be a rich elderly widow as she rode the coattails of my fame, while I assured them both I would retire, take up potato farming, and invent french fries.


    And yet, all throughout dinner and the conversation my thoughts lingered on Dawn¡¯s Bad, my conversation with Oludari, and the foundations of the n that had started to form in the back of my head.


    As the small talk petered out, afortable silence was left behind. Buttressed by this silence, I withdrew the remnants of the sword from my dimension rune and set them on the table. Mom and Ellie both watched curiously. Mom recognized the handle first, looking up at me with quiet surprise.


    I gave her a small smile as I opened the box and dumped the gray, broken pieces of the de out next to the handle.


    Regis lifted his head to see over the edge of the table. ¡°Ooh, are you going to use Aroa¡¯s to repair it? You know, I¡¯ve secretly been hoping this would happen.¡±


    Smiling contentedly, I swept the de pieces back into the box, set it on the table, and set the handle on top of it. ¡°No.¡±


    The broken de, I realized, had been the turning point for me. Up until that battle, I had alwayse out on top in the end. My belief in the inevitability of victory had been as sure as if I¡¯d seen it in a vision. All of my training, all of my quest for the power to protect those I loved, it all came crashing down, shattered along with the azure de of Dawn¡¯s Bad.


    Repairing the de wouldn¡¯t undo my defeat or the long series of consequences that followed to define the world we now lived in. I nced from Mom to Ellie, then to the wall, where a charcoal drawing of my father hung. Mom¡¯s eyes followed mine, and her hand reached out to settle on my arm.


    Ellie let out a world-weary sigh that sounded much too old for her. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for this stupid war to be over. To rebuild our homes, to live peacefully¡ªwhere our biggest worry is what clothes to wear on a date¡­¡±


    I raised one brow, regarding her seriously. ¡°Despite the fact that I¡¯d rather wrestle twenty Wraiths with my arms chained behind my back than watch you get ready for a date, I promise, El¡­I will do everything I can to make that future happen.


    ¡°But I¡¯m going to need your help again to do it. And it¡¯s going to be dangerous.¡±

 Chapter 464

    <h4>Chapter 464</h4>


    Chapter 462: A n in Many Parts


    10 minutes ago


    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    Vajrakor¡¯s tense steps carried him from left to right and back again in front of the dwarven throne. The noise of each footfall was muffled by the thick red rug that ran the length of the throne room, a cool, cavernous chamber held up by tall carved stone arches. Vajrakor was staring at his feet but stole a nce at me or the other people in the room every couple of steps. A single asuran guard stood to the left of the throne, staring straight ahead.


    Just as the silence reached the point of bing frustrating, he said, ¡°So why not bury yourself in the deepest hole you can find, somewhere no one can dig you out?¡±


    ¡°I considered it,¡± I admitted. ¡°Spreading a story that I¡¯d be going on an extended Relictombs trip or something to make sure my absence didn¡¯t spark a panic and then, as you said, hiding somewhere I¡¯m unlikely to be found. But the Legacy is in Dicathen, or at least she was, which means Agrona is preparing something. He¡¯s escting.¡±


    Curtis yder, standing near Vajrakor with his sister, frowned as he asked, ¡°Forgive me, Arthur, but why does her presence matter so much?¡±


    ¡°Because something important is happening just behind the curtain, but we don¡¯t know what,¡± I answered, keeping my voice level. ¡°But more importantly, the Legacy has a sense and control of magic that I can¡¯t even exin. And she¡¯s shown some understanding of the way mana and aether interact with each other, meaning I can¡¯t be sure I can truly hide anywhere. Not without her hunting me down.¡±


    ¡°But she can¡¯t follow you to the Relictombs,¡± Caera asked, her first words since the meeting began. ¡°Why not sequester yourself away within them¡ªyou could find somewhere safe with the Compass, I¡¯m sure¡ªand wait it out there.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ve already tested this theory. I can¡¯t breach the keystone¡¯s security measures within the Relictombs. Something about this one is different.¡±


    A tense lull fell over the conversation, and I looked around at all those present, meeting each of their eyes in turn.


    Bairon Wykes stood straight and tall beside Virion, who in turn seemed somehow thin and diminished, even though his gaze remained unwavering and his posture was poised.


    Next to them, Gideon and Wren Kain both hovered impatiently. A straight-backed woman stood with her hands behind her back at their side, her torso bare except for a strip of dark cloth across her chest. She was covered in scars.


    Caera stood just behind them, almost as if she were using them to shield herself from Vajrakor. Her red eyes caught mine, and she bobbed her head slightly, her azure hair shifting around the visible horns wrapping around her head. Regis was at her side, settled protectively between her and the dragons, who he glowered at unabashedly.


    Mica and Varay were present as well. Mica was unsettled, shifting her weight from one foot to the other constantly. Her remaining eye jumped from person to person in an endless loop, while the jet ck stone of her other seemed as if it were constantly fixed on me. Next to her, Varay was still as a block of ice,her short white hair fixed and unmoving.


    Across from Virion, near Vajrakor, the yders both stood with perfect royal posture. Despite obvious efforts not to, they both kept shooting furtive nces at the scarred soldier next to Gideon.


    Beside them and closer to me, Helen Shard stood a little back from the crowd with Jasmine, the two adventurers slightly out of ce among the royalty and asura. Of everyone present, it was these two old friends¡ªwho I had known longer than even Tessia and Virion¡ªthat brought mefort, which perhaps only made what I had to ask them even more difficult.


    Finally, standing at my side like a shadow, was Ellie. She fidgeted nervously, her eyes focused anywhere except the other people in the room. The unstrung bow version of Aldir¡¯s weapon, Silverlight, was strapped to her back. She hadn¡¯t yet learned to use it, but I figured its presence brought herfort.


    Virion let out a low, thoughtful hum. ¡°So why these locations specifically, then? Why this many?¡±


    I gave him a soft smile as I shook my head. ¡°I know my request is made more difficult by my inability to provide a thorough exnation. But this operation requires a certain amount of secrecy. I really can¡¯t tell you more.¡±


    ¡°So far, you¡¯ve spoken as if you know we¡¯ll be attacked,¡± Helen said, ¡°but you haven¡¯t even told us what this is about. How can you be so certain the enemy will strike now?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± I answered simply. ¡°This could all end up being unnecessary, but preparation is never wasted, especially in war. Agrona has proven more than adept at infiltrating and turning even the highest levels of our leadership. His spies have infested Dicathen for decades, and he has been ahead of us at nearly every turn. It would be foolish to simply hope that he won¡¯t discover and attempt to take advantage of my absence, either toe after me directly or tounch some kind of attack on Dicathen. We have to be ready.¡±


    Kathyln¡¯s brows rose slightly, and her eyes shed to mine. ¡°These ces¡ªthey will be targets. That¡¯s what you intend.¡±


    Ellie shifted beside me, and I rested my hand on her shoulder, shooting her a warning look. ¡°These locations will, by the very effort of our actions, likely be Agrona¡¯s targets, yes. It allows us to fortify and prepare in a way we can¡¯t otherwise, and protects less defensible areas through deflection.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re putting our people in more danger than they might otherwise be by following along with your request,¡± Kathyln replied, quiet but cutting.


    ¡°Unless Etistin were to be a target anyway,¡± Jasmine answered, dismissing the younger woman with a single look.


    Curtis shot Jasmine a re but backed down quickly when she matched it, her light red eyes ring like cinders.


    ¡°I fail to see how the elves can be of assistance here,¡± Virion said, sounding tired. ¡°We are no longer a military force in this world, Arthur, as you well know.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the elves I need,¡± I exined gently. ¡°It is you, Virion. You were themander of the Tri-Union¡¯s forces during the war. No one else here can match your strategic and military mind.¡± No one else that I can trust, at least.


    Vajrakor scowled at this but did not interrupt. Virion frowned as well, but his expressionmunicated something very different from the dragon¡¯s.


    Other concerns were voiced, and I did my best to ease them without downying the dangers. It was important that each of the leaders present understood what was being asked of them and what they would in turn be asking of their fighting men and women. These were the decisions required of rulers, but the fact that I couldn¡¯t be fully honest with them weighed heavy on my conscience. If people were going to die while I chased Fate, they deserved to be prepared, even if they couldn¡¯t know the truth of why.


    Wren hummed into the silence that followed their flurry of questions. ¡°And do these fortifications require the same escted timeline as my¡ªour,¡± he amended, looking pointedly at Gideon, ¡°project?¡±


    Raising my chin, I met the many pairs of eyes turned in my direction in a single sweep. ¡°Two weeks. That¡¯s all the time we can afford to make preparations. I¡¯d like to do it sooner, but I understand what I¡¯m asking can¡¯t bepleted overnight.¡±


    ¡°Two weeks!¡± Vajrakor said with a booming, humorlessugh. ¡°Two months would not be sufficient.¡±


    Wren¡¯s brows raised into his unkempt hairline, and he gave me a look that said very clearly, ¡®I told you so.¡¯


    ¡°My task can¡¯t wait any longer than that. If possible¡ªand if the risk to Dicathen weren¡¯t so high¡ªI would have started already.¡± Sensing the right moment for a distraction, I shot Wren a look and nodded subtly. ¡°You all need time to think things over. I understand. I would like to speak with each of you individually to better answer your questions and n the appropriate defenses. But while you are together, I wanted to give Master Gideon an opportunity to speak as well.¡±


    The old inventor cleared his throat and scratched his head as all eyes turned to him.


    ¡°As some of you are likely aware, we are currently working on a military project designed to help even the odds against Agrona¡¯s superior number of mages,¡± Gideon exined. He provided an overview of the fire salt-infused weapons, which the Forgemasters and Earthmovers Guilds were already working to produce inrger numbers. Then, he gestured to the woman at his side. ¡°ire, would you care to speak about the other project?¡±


    Moving with a stringent military march, her long scarlet hair bouncing with each forceful step, she strode out into the middle of the chamber. Wearing only the strip of dark cloth and a pair of tight-fitting leather breaches, therge jagged scar across her sternum was inly visible. Although this scar was old and healed over, fresher scars radiated out from around it, the newest still red and irritated¡ªonly recently healed.


    ¡°Officer ire deheart, current operator of unit zero-zero-one,¡± she said with clipped military precision, then bowed, first to Vajrakor, then to everyone else.


    Kathyln wore a subdued but proud smile, while Curtis¡¯s eyes kept being dragged down to the scars on ire¡¯s torso before snapping back up to her face.


    She immediatelyunched into what sounded like a rehearsed exnation about her role in the secret project, giving those in attendance the full details of the new weapons and what they were capable of. ¡°With the provided timeline, I believe that we¡¯ll have at least twelve candidates who will be able to offer instruction to the new cadets, once the next batch of units are made.¡±


    ¡°And how many of these¡­units will be operable in the next two weeks?¡± Bairon asked skeptically.


    ¡°Perhaps a hundred or close to it¡ªif we have the people to use them.¡±


    Mica snorted. ¡°Can a hundred make a difference? And against not Scythes, but these Wraith things, or hells, even asura.¡±


    ire went back and forth with a few of the others, offering some additional specifics on the capabilities of the project.


    As I listened to her exin things I already knew, I felt my insides squirm slightly with difort. There was a certain kind of morbid edge to Wren and Gideon¡¯s invention, but I understood the necessity. Perhaps, with time, the implementation could be more ptable. At the very least, it was an invention entirely of this world, created by Wren and Gideon alone, the fusion of human and asuran ingenuity.


    More so than the exnation itself, I found myself focused on ire. I had only just learned of her participation as an operator, but there was something correct about her presence. My old ssmate, the head of the Disciplinary Committee at Xyrus Academy. It had been around six years since her core was destroyed during Draneeve¡¯s attack on the academy, and when I¡¯dst seen her, she had been a ghost of her former self.


    Now she stood straight and proud, her exnation firm and exuding ambition.


    It gave me hope.


    After a lengthy discussion about the project, ire left, and Gideon and Wren went with her, excusing themselves to return to their work, which was now on an aggressive timetable. That seemed to be a signal for the others to break free as well, but I promised to visit each of them as soon as possible and offer any assistance I could in order to put my n into action. Caera hesitated, but I sent her out with a subtle gesture, and Regis returned to my side.


    Ellie, thest to leave, gave me a quick side hug. ¡°Should I wait?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re dismissed, soldier,¡± I said teasingly. ¡°I¡¯ll find you again soon so we can practice.¡±


    Nodding, she hurried out, leaving only Vajrakor and his guard with me in the throne room. The Guardian eased himself down on the throne, watching me curiously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t intend to draw more attention to Vildorial, but I¡¯m afraid it will be a target anyway,¡± I said, moving to stand before the throne, which meant I had to look up at Vajrakor. ¡°You need to be ready. I can¡¯t say what Agrona might throw at you.¡±


    He scoffed. ¡°You mean, if he attacks at all. You seem to be suffering from some mythical thinking in regards to Agrona, as if he has some magical insight into all that happens. It seems to me that even telling this group was a mistake.¡± Vajrakor leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. ¡°We haven¡¯t even seen any sign of the Legacy, as you so seem to fear.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the reality of our situation, which is that I refuse to discount Agrona¡¯s ability to see and take advantage of our weaknesses. Now, let us discuss what Vildorial can do to prepare for another potential attack.¡±


    ***


    After a frustrating conversation with Vajrakor, I left with Regis on my heels, already turning my thoughts toward the next conversation I needed to have, but I felt the weight lift from my shoulders as I entered the outer chamber of the pce entry and found Sylvie waiting for me.


    Despite her aging through the process of her ¡°death¡± and ¡°rebirth,¡± Sylvie still looked young standing apart from the few n lords and high-ranking guild members who lingered around the pce. Once, she stood out wherever she went, with her dark horns jutting up from her pale blonde hair, but now she wasn¡¯t even the only dragon in the room, as another of Vajrakor¡¯s guards lingered near the entryway, looming over everyone who came and went.


    How did things go with the survivors?


    ¡®Well enough,¡¯ she thought back, a throughline of sadness undercutting her words. ¡®Those people¡ªthe few who survived¡ªwon¡¯t recover quickly from the trauma they¡¯ve gone through.¡¯


    ¡®From one tragedy to the next¡­¡¯ Regis added darkly.


    I cleared my throat and indicated for her to follow me, leaving the pce and heading upward along the tunnels and stairs leading toward Virion¡¯s retreat. Sylvie filled me in on everything happening in Xyrus as we walked.


    Entering the cavern housing thest remaining tree from Elenoir was sort of like going through a portal into another world. So bright and green, it was easy to forget you were underground.


    The cavern had changed somewhat since we werest there. Arge section of the ground had been tilled and was now growing a variety of nts, mostly small tree seedlings. Virion was on his hands and knees in the soil, carefully uprooting one of the seedlings with a trowel. Bairon stood behind him wearing a pair of gardening gloves and holding a ss jar half full of soil.


    ¡°You¡¯re early,¡± Virion grumbled under his breath, easing the seedling down into the jar, which Bairon carefully set aside in a cart full of simr jarred nts. ¡°I assumed Vajrakor would keep you all day.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s all this then?¡± I asked, leading Sylvie and Regis over to the garden. ncing at Bairon, I added, ¡°That¡¯s a good look for you.¡±


    He regarded me with his usual coolness. ¡°Whether I wear steel gauntlets or leather gardening gloves, I do so for the good of Dicathen.¡±


    Virion gave a loud and indelicate snort. ¡°I¡¯ve been experimenting with the soil from Epheotus and the seedlings of this great tree. We¡¯ve already even transnted a few to various out-of-the-way regions around the Elenoir Wastes. I¡¯m hoping to extrapte the unique qualities of the soil and how it affects the seeds, but Tessia was always the expert in nt-attribute mana.¡±


    Quiet fell as the old elf stared down into the jar.


    ¡°Tessia¡­¡± Virion lifted his gaze, searching mine for any semnce of hope. ¡°How does she fit into all of this?¡±


    I had expected this from him and had spent quite a lot of time considering how to handle the Legacy. ¡°If Agrona attacks, we have to expect that the Legacy will be at the forefront. Not to put too fine a point on it¡±¡ªI met Bairon¡¯s hard gaze¡ª¡°but no one other than me can hope to even dy her, much less put up a fight. Even I¡¯m not sure I can defeat her in battle. Which is why we¡¯re not going to fight her at all.¡±


    I raised my hand, forestalling the barrage of questions I was certain wereing. ¡°I can¡¯t give you the details, but I¡¯ve already got a n on how to remove her from the battle, at least for a while¡ªwithout harming Tessia,¡± I added hurriedly as a scowl formed on Virion¡¯s face. ¡°As for you, I apologize for putting you on the spot earlier, in the meeting. You are right. You should take your people and go hide somewhere, away from the likely targets. The bordends at the base of the Grand Mountains, perhaps, or northeast Sapin where there is nothing to draw Agrona¡¯s attention.¡±


    Virion stood, seeming to shake off some of the fatigue and tiredness. He gave me a prating look. ¡°No, you were right. Vajrakor and the dragons can¡¯t be trusted to keep the best interests of the human and dwarven soldiers in mind. I can¡¯t leave the protection of this continent to the same creatures that destroyed my homnd, Arthur.¡±


    I mulled over my words before saying, ¡°There is no shame to stay out of the fighting, not after everything that your people have already sacrificed to this war. Elenoir deserves to be rented, and you deserve to be the one who aplishes that.¡±


    As Virion swallowed heavily, Bairon shifted, taking a half-step closer.


    ¡°Perhaps regrowing the forests of Elenoir won¡¯t be enough to balm the guilt of my many failures,¡± Virion said, his gravelly voice softening to barely above a whisper. ¡°And if I keep fighting, maybe I won¡¯t even live to see it. If that¡¯s what it takes to ensure that the elves are, one day, able to return to the forests that birthed them, then that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.¡± He took a steadying breath. ¡°Although, if I had onest wish, it would be to walk beneath the trees of Elshire once more with Tessia at my side. Then, I can call my time in this world well spent.¡±


    Reaching out, I wrapped my arms around his thin body, foolishly afraid that I might snap him in half as I gave him a light hug. ¡°Thank you for everything, Gramps.¡±


    He let out a rough snort. ¡°Brat.¡±


    With a firm shake of Bairon¡¯s hand, I gathered Sylvie and Regis, and we headed back down the long stairs that would return us to the pce. From there, my next stop was deep beneath the city, and so we wound down the highway that circled the city, built into the great cavern¡¯s walls.


    Once we were beyond the popted part of the city, I channeled King¡¯s Gambit. By lightly imbuing the godrune with aether, I could activate it only partially. While it still glowed golden from my spine, it didn¡¯t conjure the zing crown atop my head¡ªwhich seemed like a great way to start any number of unwanted rumors about me.


    The result was an ability less powerful than what I¡¯d used against Oludari but still allowed me to break my thoughts apart into pieces in a way that wasn¡¯t possible without the godrune. I¡¯d already found this invaluable as I outlined the manyyers present in the n I was attempting to put into ce.


    Sylvie and Regis followed my thoughts quietly, struggling to keep in tune as I considered my previous conversations, how the attitudes of everyone involved might impact the execution of this n, and also outlining the conversations toe. There was a coldfort to being under the effects of King¡¯s Gambit; it was easier to strip away the emotion¡ªall the fear and guilt¡ªand approach the necessary solution objectively and logically.


    With my n still sitting in its box like a jigsaw puzzle divided into many disparate pieces, it was difficult to see it all without the godrune, and so I¡¯d been spending every spare moment with King¡¯s Gambit active.


    As we crossed into one of therger caves on the way to the deep workshops, a sh from Regis dragged all of my threads of thought back into alignment.


    Caera stood by herself atop a t rock that divided a stream running through the cave. Her figure was little more than a silhouette in the flickering light of a fire that burned from the stream¡¯s shore.


    Moving slowly, she drew in a breath and then pushed her hands outward. Light filled the cave as a fiery wave of heat rolled out of her, the water hissing and steaming in response. I squinted through the heat distortion as Caera seemed to vanish, melting into the shadows and steam. She flickered in and out of view, then the heatwave and steam both diminished.


    Only then did she turn to look at us, a pleased smile half suppressed. ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d be down soon.


    ¡°Caera,¡± I said in greeting. ¡°How is your family?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± she said simply. ¡°Shaken up and, I think, questioning their decision to follow Seris¡­not really, but you know what I mean. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to stay out in those wastes with them, though, and I¡¯m d I returned. I¡¯ve been helping Gideon and Emily with the next stage of their testing with the spellforms. They wanted to study cryan runes, and to see if someone who already had some would experience these¡­spellforms differently.¡±


    ¡°I assumed,¡± I said simply, gesturing to the stream that had, only moments ago, been hissing with steam.


    A grin suddenly bloomed over her features, and she half turned and pulled up her shirt, revealing the runes hidden beneath, including one higher andrger than the rest. ¡°I received a Regalia! Or¡ª¡± She cut herself off, seeming to realize the position she was in, and then slowly lowered her shirt. Clearing her throat, she continued, ¡°That¡­wasn¡¯t verydylike. I apologize.¡±


    I heard the words preparing to bubble up out of Regis like a geyser before he had quite started to speak, and I trod heavily on his foot.


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t,¡± I answered, although I didn¡¯t try to hide theughter in my tone.


    ¡°Anyway, there is something distinctly less¡­forceful about the Dicathian application of spellforms,¡± she said, wry amusement lending a cutting edge to her tone. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely certain that these spellforms align to the same ssifications used in crya, especially for those of us who have benefited from your¡­proximity.¡± She nced away, one hand feathering through her hair as she tucked it back behind her horns.


    I was quiet for a moment, thoughtful, then I turned to mypanions. ¡°Could I¡­have a moment alone with Caera, please?¡±


    Sylvie¡¯s brows rose a fraction of an inch before she controlled her expression. Putting a hand on Regis¡¯s mane, she said only, ¡°Of course. We¡¯ll continue on, then.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, uncool. We¡¯re the horny trio, remember, trio, not the¡ª¡±


    Grabbing one of his horns, Sylvie steered Regis away, cutting off his protests. Caera raised her hand in a small wave, then regarded me thoughtfully.


    I waited until they were gone and raised the mental barrier between us. ¡°Do you know what we¡¯re doing down here?¡±


    She hesitated. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the mana beasts, but nothing more. Gideon rambles sometimes, but Emily Watskin seems efficient at keeping him on track.¡±


    I took a couple steps closer, stopping just on the bank of the stream, and stared down at my feet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Caera.¡±


    Although I wasn¡¯t looking at her, I heard the shifting of her posture. ¡°What for?¡±


    I shook my head, struggling with the words. My thoughts jumped immediately to King¡¯s Gambit, but I pulled back from the idea, not wanting to give this task over to the cold logic of the godrune. ¡°There is something I haven¡¯t been able to get out of my head. In Etistin, after the attack on Oludari, Lyra had lied about something, but the lie wasn¡¯t for us. It was for the dragons. And I know why.¡±


    I took a fortifying breath and held her gaze. ¡°Agrona ns to use the cryans on Dicathen. He ordered his Wraiths to leave them alive, but also to send them a message. I¡¯ve seen the curses your people can wield¡ªthat Agrona can wield. A Wraith detonated right in front of me before he could spill any of Agrona¡¯s secrets.¡±


    ¡°You believe you can¡¯t trust me because of my cryan blood.¡± She frowned at me, puzzled. ¡°But I¡¯ve been among those people, Arthur. There are no loyalists among them, not after everything they¡¯ve seen and experienced. I¡¯ve never heard of anything like that happening to regr foot soldiers. Surely he¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how or what kind of power he has over your people, but the threat was real enough that Lyra couldn¡¯t even speak the idea in front of others. I¡¯m sorry, Caera. You can¡¯t be involved in any of this. You can¡¯t know what we¡¯re doing¡­none of it.¡±


    Her head drooped, a curtain of blue hair falling over her face. Only a moment passed before she shook her hair out of her face, looking at me calmly. ¡°After everything, all our time together¡ªmeeting my parents, sharing my bedroll¡ªit alles down to blood in the end.¡± Despite her best efforts to make the statement sound like a joke, she didn¡¯t quite manage it.


    ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, Arthur,¡± she said, adopting the forced formality of her upbringing. Stepping down into the water, she waded across until she was standing in front of me, still up to her ankles in the cold stream. ¡°I may be an cryan, but I¡¯m a highblood. I can take bad news in stride.¡±


    She held out her hand like a royal waiting for supplication. I took it, bent low, and pressed my lips to the back of her gloved hand, ying along. But when I looked up at her face, there were tears in her eyes.


    Then her hand pulled out of mine, and she marched away, water flinging ahead of her with each step. As she reached the cave¡¯s exit, however, she stopped and looked back over her shoulder. ¡°I wonder how all this might have been different if I was born on this continent. Might we have met under different circumstances, what could our rtionship have be?¡±


    As she disappeared into the darkness of the tunnels, I forced myself not to call out to her. I¡¯d done what needed to be done, and I couldn¡¯t take it back. Not if I was going to keep Dicathen safe.


    It took a few minutes for me to get moving again, and I took my time as I marched along the downward tunnels toward the massive facility Wren and Gideon had built in the depths.


    A handful of dwarven guards stood at attention outside a heavy vault door, but the door was ajar, and they pulled it open as soon as they saw me, likely already expecting me from Regis and Sylvie¡¯s arrival.


    Inside, a small room was surrounded by mana-infused ss windows that looked down on the rest of theplex. Regis, Sylvie, Wren, Gideon, and Emily were already there, and their conversation died down as I entered.


    Emily crossed her arms as I approached and gave me a look that was half pout, half scowl. ¡°Two weeks? Are you nuts?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t bring myself to smile. ¡°I¡¯m certain you can do it. Because there isn¡¯t any other choice.¡± To Wren, I added, ¡°I¡¯ve figured out the rest. I know what I need you to do.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Once I enter, no one elsees in under any circumstances,¡± I exined, walking away from the chamber Senyir had built at the roots of the Wall itself.


    ¡°We understand,¡± Helen answered, following me with the others as we headed for the elevator that would take us to the top of the Wall. ¡°With the Adventurers Guild taking over fortification of the Wall, it¡¯ll be a lot easier to ensure your safety while holed up here. Many of the soldiers who were stationed here¡ªalthough good, loyal men¡ªhadn¡¯t gone home since before the war started.¡±


    ¡°And the civilians have all been evacuated?¡±


    I nced between Helen, Jasmine, Ang Rose, and Senyir, Jasmine¡¯s older sister. Senyir was taller and more muscr than Jasmine but had the same red eyes and dark hair. Her skin was tanned a deep almond in color¡ªa testament to long hours working out under the forge.


    ¡°They have,¡± Jasmine answered. ¡°Most to Xyrus and ckbend. The Helstea girl¡¯s team was helpful in that.¡±


    As we reached the elevator and a young adventurer with dull orange hair opened the door, I turned to Senyir. ¡°I know there wasn¡¯t much time to make this happen. Thank you. If everything else goes to n, I¡¯ll be back in about a week to start the final phase.¡±


    ¡°Of course, General Leywin,¡± she said forcefully, then gave an equally strong nod that was almost a bow. ¡°Thank you for this opportunity to right the mesworth name.¡±


    A sharp breath blew out through Jasmine¡¯s nose as she regarded her sister with an odd expression. ¡°The mesworth name does not need to be righted. Only the name Trodius suffers.¡±


    Senyir smiled sadly. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure our siblings would agree with you.¡± Senyir¡¯s hand caressed the back of Jasmine¡¯s hair. ¡°Still, I¡¯m d we¡¯ve had this time together, Jasmine.¡±


    Jasmine¡¯s intense gaze softened, and she patted her older sister twice on the back before hurrying into the elevator. Nodding to Senyir, I followed, and once we were all in, the elevator began lurching its way up the Wall.


    Ang Rose cleared her throat, looking from Jasmine to me. ¡°Are you sure this is the best ce, though? It¡¯s been pretty beat up. It¡¯s defensible enough, I guess, but isn¡¯t it a bit¡­obvious?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± I said, looking out of the mesh as the buildings grew smaller and smaller beneath us. ¡°This may all amount to nothing, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Arthur,¡± Jasmine interrupted, resting one hand on my arm. ¡°We all lived through the war, we¡¯ve seen what our enemy is capable of. Some people on this continent may be smitten enough with our dragon overlords to expect that they¡¯ll save us from any danger, but we know better. Whatever you¡¯re doing, however long it takes, we¡¯ll hold the line.¡±


    I nodded, suppressing the emotions her words conjured in me.


    We reached the top with a small jerk and stepped out onto the walkway. A cold wind blew down from the mountains, cutting across the top of the Wall with a noise like a howling mana beast. Sylvie was already up there, gazing out at the Beast des, her mind elsewhere. Regis manifested from me, stepping up out of my shadow and hopping up to ce his front paws on top of the crentions nking both edges.


    We all stood in silence for a bit, looking out over the Wall and the Beast des beyond. ¡°You all know what to do, then. I need to see to the other locations, and then I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    Jasmine squeezed my arm. Helen, grinning, reached up and tousled my hair.


    Suddenly, Ang Rose jumped forward, pulling me into a crushing hug. Memories of my first time meeting her with the Twin Horns surfaced as I looked down at the top of her head pressed against my chest.


    When did she get so small?


    ¡°You tell your mom we¡¯re going to take good care of you, all right?¡±


    I returned her hug, ignoring the jealous pang seeping into me from Regis. ¡°I will.¡±


    I finished my farewells with Jasmine and Helen as Sylvie rose up into the sky. Regis melted back into my body as I turned away, violet lightning wrapping around me as the aetheric paths lit up in my view. I resisted looking back, not confident I¡¯d be able to give them the genuine look of reassurance that I knew they wanted to see. I took a step up high up into the air, the Wall over a hundred feet below now.


    Leaning forward, I began to fly.


    ***


    ¡°I told you it wasn¡¯t much,¡± Madam Astera said with a shrug as we entered a small cave. ¡°You¡¯re certain this is where you want to¡­do whatever it is you¡¯re doing?¡±


    Kneeling down, I ran my fingers along a rust-stained patch of the floor, imagining how much blood must have pooled here to leave a mark well over a yearter. This was the very spot where Astera had led her troops after their defeat at the Battle of the Bloodfrost. ¡°I¡¯m certain,¡± I said simply as I looked around. ¡°I need an earth mage or a smith to craft a pedestal right here.¡± I indicated a spot directly in the center of the cave, marking it with a rock and providing specific dimensions.


    ¡°I feel it necessary to point out that you being so close to Etistin does cause some risk for the city, does it not?¡± Curtis asked with the air of a diplomat.


    ¡°Varay will be in the city to help with the defenses,¡± I assured them, ¡°and you will have your own forces as well as dragons. With the city so heavily defended, and the enemy¡¯s attention divided among several locations, I¡¯m confident you can hold out. At the same time, even if they don¡¯t attack, they won¡¯t be free to turn over every rock and tree with the city at their back.¡±


    Varay stepped forward and gave me a small bow. ¡°Arthur, in that case, I would like to stay here with you. If you are unable to defend yourself, you shouldn¡¯t risk¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said. The softly spoken word smothered Varay¡¯s argument like a pillow. Standing, I met each of their eyes in turn. ¡°My sess relies on not being found. Perhaps it will only be hours, and nothing will happen in the meantime. But we need to prepare for the worst. For you all, that means telling no one¡ªnot even our allies¡ªabout this part of the n. Defend your city¡ªyour people¡ªbut don''t draw attention to this spot no matter what happens.¡±


    ¡°But what if it seems as if they¡¯re going to find you?¡± Curtis asked, his confusion apparent.


    I met his eyes. ¡°Then distract them.¡±


    Kathyln¡¯s head fell, but only for a second. When she looked back at me, her eyes shed. ¡°Arthur, you are essentially asking that we spend our soldiers¡¯ lives to draw the enemy¡¯s attention so that you may stay safe, and yet you have not even told us what it is that you are doing. Please, we need to know more. We aren¡¯t your subjects to simply do as we¡¯re told.¡±


    I stepped closer. Kathyln¡¯s icy demeanor reminded me forcefully of how she had acted back in school, at Xyrus. But I knew it was only a shield that she put up to keep herself safe from those around here, and now was no different.


    ¡°I¡¯m preparing the final strike of this war.¡± I let the words settle down over the others like slowly falling ash.


    Madam Astera¡¯s jaw stiffened, and she unconsciously shifted her weight to her good leg.


    Curtis again nced at his sister, but Kathyln¡¯s eyes were on me, her face a hard mask.


    An involuntary tremble ran through Varay, the rare crack in her cold facade. ¡°Then we will ensure you have the time you need.¡±


    Once I had rified everything I needed to be done and set the deadline for only a few dayster, I left, flying toward Etistin¡¯s teleportation gates while leaving the others to return under their own power. Sylvie flew quietly at my side.


    ¡®It¡¯s not like you to put people in danger and not even tell them the truth about it,¡¯ she said at length, an edge of concerncing her thoughts. ¡®What if we return from the keystone and find Kathyln, or Jasmine, or even Ellie dead, because we didn¡¯t tell them enough?¡¯


    My mind was nk for a long moment, capable of forming no coherent thought. Ellie and Mom will be as safe as I can make them, I answered at length, not bothering to justify my actions.


    ¡®The rest, though?¡¯ Regis chimed in, his frustration clear even as he tried to keep up some barrier between us. ¡®Caera? After everything we¡¯ve been through together?¡¯


    I sighed, the wind whipping my breath away. If Agrona is able to target and use cryans against them, or turn any of them into a bomb as he did the Wraiths¡ª


    ¡®But you don¡¯t know he can,¡¯ Regis shot back. ¡®Just because that godrune makes you think fast doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll always think right. I know sess is important, but what¡¯s the point if you lose everyone along the way because of it.¡¯ He hesitated, searching inward for a moment, then continued, ¡®Wow¡­that did not sound like me. I¡¯m getting soft because of you.¡¯


    ¡®He¡¯s not wrong,¡¯ Sylvie thought, looking over at me from the left. The wind whipped her hair behind her like a g. ¡®I think the godrune brings forward the Grey in you, Arthur.¡¯


    I gritted my teeth and pushed on faster. Maybe that¡¯s what we need right now.


    ***


    It was almost time. The two weeks were up, and very nearly everything was prepared.


    Deep, deep beneath the desert, far even beneath the crumbling remains of the djinn sanctuary, Ellie, Sylvie, Regis, Wren, and I stood in the portal room, which had changed drastically since we¡¯d been therest.


    ¡°Will this be enough?¡± Regis asked, loping around and inspecting the chamber.


    Wren, who was drifting along in a floating marble throne, shrugged nomittally. ¡°I¡¯d be willing to match my ingenuity against the strength of any lesser in this world, but I can¡¯t speak for the Legacy. If the boy¡¯s idea works, this will work. If it doesn¡¯t¡­¡± He shrugged again.


    I approached a raised stone pedestal in the very center of the chamber, above where I knew the Relictombs portal now rested. ¡°Here, El. This one¡¯s going to be a little different from the others.¡±


    Ellie turned away from a notched piece of wall that she¡¯d been examining, concern etched into her features. ¡°What? Why?¡±


    I tapped the pedestal, and she hurried toward me. ¡°Since this is where I¡¯m actually going to be, this one needs to be more powerful to wash out my actual presence. But your mana still has to hold it. If it breaks down or gives out over time¡­¡± I trailed off meaningfully.


    ¡°It won¡¯t,¡± she said decisively. ¡°It¡¯s like¡­a splinter, stuck in my head. At least after they¡¯re set up. A little annoying, but they won¡¯t be an impediment, and I won¡¯t let them break down or fail or whatever. I can do this, Arthur.¡±


    I gave her a warm smile. ¡°I know you can.¡±


    Taking Sylvie¡¯s hand, Ellie began pouring silvery mana into the curved recess at the top of the pedestal. It formed into a sort of egg-shape, hollow in the middle with thick walls. Sylvieced her own into it as well, letting her signature radiate out from the molded mana.


    ¡°Better reinforce it even more,¡± I said, then watched as Ellie responded to themand, molding the container¡¯s shape as she input more mana.


    When it had wrapped around to nearlye to a close at the top, I imbued the central reservoir with aether, just as we had done in the mind zone to navigate from tform to tform. Compacting the aether inside the container, I forced as much as I could without threatening the integrity of the conjuration. When I eased off, Regis breathed his own aether into the egg, just to be safe, and then Ellie took back over, filling in the small space at the top and closing off the aether from the outside world.


    Breathing heavily, she took a step back and wobbled. Sylvie took her by the elbow, and Ellie gave her an appreciative smile. ¡°I¡¯m okay. That was just a lot of mana. At least it¡¯s thest one. How many is that, seven?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I answered, rubbing the back of my neck as I regarded my brave little sister. ¡°Thank you, El. I know this all hasn¡¯t been easy. This whole thing hinges on you¡ªyour magic. You know that, right? The fate of Dicathen is hanging by these threads of mana.¡±


    ¡°No pressure,¡± Regis said, lolling his tongue.


    Ellie approached me, leaned forward, and wrapped her arms around me, her cheek pressed against my sternum. ¡°You¡¯re really going to just¡­sit down here and meditate or whatever? For days? Weeks?¡±


    ¡°It could even be months,¡± Regis said helpfully, and Sylvie nudged him with her knee.


    I wrapped my arms around Ellie and pulled her close. ¡°Hopefully it¡¯ll be done in a day and all of this preparation will have been for nothing.¡± I couldn¡¯t quite put that hope into my tone, though. Not a day ago, word hade from ric in crya, stating that there was a lot of strange movement amongst Agrona¡¯s forces, only reinforcing my decision to take such involved steps to prepare.


    I released her, and Ellie took a step back, staring deep into my eyes, her expression inscrutable. ¡°Why does this feel so much like goodbye?¡± she asked.


    Caught off guard, I stumbled for a response. It was Sylvie who, squeezing my sister from the side and smilingfortingly, said, ¡°That¡¯s just the nerves talking. We¡¯ll be back before you know it, I have no doubt. You have to believe me¡ªI can see the future, remember?¡±


    Ellie giggled and nuzzled into Sylvie¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°All right, all right, I have earth-shatteringly important things to do back in Vildorial,¡± Wren said gruffly. ¡°Come on, girl, it¡¯s time to get moving.¡±


    I caught his eye and gave him a thankful nod, but he only scoffed in response.


    Ellie walked backwards as she made to follow Wren, who was already marching away. She waved, then turned and ran to catch up. In moments, they were out of the small chamber and ascending back through the tunnels. I waited, trailing them with my senses until they were well away, then turned to mypanions.


    ¡°Come on,¡± I said, gesturing to Regis and Sylvie.


    The journey to the refuge I¡¯d prepared did not take long.


    Inside, I kicked off my turnshoes and stepped down into the pool of glowing liquid. Withdrawing the keystone, I eased into a sitting position so that the liquid came up to my stomach.


    I stared down at the keystone¡¯s unremarkable form.


    Sylvie waded into the pool beside me. Her clothes feathered across her body, shifting to be a tight-fitting ck-scaled fabric that covered her entire body from the neck down. She sat facing me. ¡°We¡¯re with you, Arthur.¡±


    ¡®Whether we like it or not,¡¯ Regis jibed from his ce near my core.


    Everything that could be done already had been. Dicathen¡¯s protectors stood ready to meet any challenge that mighte from Agrona. All that remained for me¡­was to enter the keystone.


    Aether flowed from my core and imbued the keystone, and my mind followed as it had so many times before with the other keystones.


    A gentle application of Aroa¡¯s Requiem allowed me to approach the aetheric barrier, while Realmheart¡¯s vision guided me through the invisible pathways to the interior. For the first time, I faced the barrage of lightning-bolt-like memories with King¡¯s Gambit, which I activated immediately.


    My thoughts, instead of being overwhelmed by the storm, easily absorbed, processed, and arranged the mental feedback and noise. As the static information was fitted into ce¡ªlike puzzle pieces sliding together, or a key into a lock¡ªthe internal aetheric zone of the keystone melted away into utter darkness.


    No, not absolute ck. Because, in the distance, there was a glimmer of light. It was growingrge as it approached¡ªor as I approached it.


    As if I were looking through a foggy window, everything around me turned into a bright blur, forcing me to shut my eyes. Indiscernible sounds assaulted my ears, making me dizzy. When I tried to speak, the words came out as a cry. The cacophony of indistinguishable sounds slowly mellowed, and I heard a muffled voice.


    ¡°Congrattions, sir and madam, he¡¯s a healthy boy.¡±

 Chapter 465

    <h4>Chapter 465</h4>


    Chapter 463: A Cage of Light


    <strong>CECILIA</strong>


    My impatience stung liketles under my skin, but watching the surge of effort from the Instillers and their Wraith protectors was a balm to my nerves. Thest two weeks had passed slowly and with increasing frustration, but it was finally time. Everything was in ce within the Beast des. Althoughplicated by the dragons¡¯ increased patrols and taking over the flying castle hovering to the east, we were ready.


    Under a shroud of mist that hid our signatures, swallowed the noise of our passage, and obscured us from view from above, my people moved into ce.


    There were at least fifty Instillers, Agrona¡¯s most trusted and knowledgeable servants, all carrying a plethora of dimensional storage devices. I flew above while they marched in jagged lines like many ants below. Ten full battle groups of Wraiths flew around us, keeping to the cover of the drifting cloud of thick mist so their signatures wouldn¡¯t be noticed by any dragon guards.


    I could neither see or sense any dragons¡ªnot nearby, anyway. A patrol of guards was passing over the encampments built by the defeated cryan soldiers to the north, and a few blurred together within the flying castle some way to the east.


    Just above us, suspended in the sky a hundred feet or so above the trees, a very different sort of mana signature seemed to simmer just beneath the surface of what was normally detectable to the bare senses. There was no visual distortion, at least not from within our misty cloud and beneath the canopy of thin, half-dead trees.


    It was fascinating, really. Although we¡¯d been calling it a ¡°rift,¡± it was more like the mouth of a waterskin, and through it¡ªwithin the waterskin¡ªwas all of Epheotus. The magic required to bend space in this way, forcing a piece of our world to bulge out into some other realm, was iprehensible to me. But the mechanism by which it remained hidden, that I now understood.


    The presence of the rift, or rather the intense pressure of the mana flowing into and then back out of it, caused distortions that rippled out for a hundred miles in every direction. When the inward flowing mana¡ªwhich was being drawn into Epheotus¡ªwas bnced with the mana being projected back out of it by the asuras, that equilibrium disguised the rift¡¯s real location in the midst of all that disturbance happening elsewhere. It required only a bit of effort on the dragons¡¯ part to bend the light so that there was no physical manifestation of this.


    Once found, though, it was now impossible for me not to see. Neither Nico nor any of the Wraiths who had already been here could sense it, no matter how specific I was or how much they stared, but when I looked beneath the surface of what was shown, I saw the cyclone of mana beneath, simultaneously being drawn in and expelled.


    I indicated exactly where the rift was, and the Instillers got to work. Spreading out, they began to rapidly withdraw equipment from their dimension artifacts, assemblingrge devices in a circle around where the rift hovered high above. The mist spread as they did, creeping across the hard ground and between the crooked and dying trees that dominated this section of the Beast des, ensuring they remained obscured and undetectable.


    As I watched the Instillers set about their work, I thought of Nico, hoping he would be safe. Dicathen¡¯s defenders had been busily scuttling into strongholds across the continent. As Agrona had anticipated, Grey seemed to have vanished, going underground, but the information from our spies was conflicting. Even his own people seemed convinced that Grey was in multiple ces at once.


    My lips curled into a sneer. As if Agrona would be fooled but such a weak attempt at a diversion.


    The closest location was the Wall. As I waited, I expanded out my senses. It took time to go so far. The feedback was weak¡ªa dim cluster of distant signatures. I could feel Nico and Dragoth, as well as a bright spark of mana that must have been a Lance. It was subtle, but beneath the undercurrent of everything else, there was a small distortion in the mana, like an opposing force pressing against it.


    Grey and his dragonpanion? I wondered, trying to parse what I was sensing. I¡¯d tasted the dragon¡¯s mana, and there was a hint of it there, but it felt as if they were shrouding themselves somehow. Surely it won¡¯t be so easy as that¡­


    My eyes snapped open and my thoughts wrenched back to my own task. The ring of artifacts was half in ce. It was time.


    First, I felt for the edges of the spell distorting light to wrap around the rift. Though powerful, it reliedrgely on the swell of magical energy to disguise its very presence. Once I had the spell in my grip, I dragged it aside like a curtain over a window. Unexpectedly, the spell resisted, as if there were someone standing on the other side holding it closed.


    I pulled harder, and the spell ripped, pulling apart in a visible shower of pure mana. White light sparkled out in every direction to rain down on my people, and a sickening twist of mana seemed to churn the air inside my lungs.


    The white sparks burned brighter, hotter, as they fell, and I realized the danger almost toote.


    ¡°Shields!¡± I shouted, waving my hands to conjure a protective barrier over the Wraiths and Instillers. Wherever the white sparks settled, they burned against the shield, mana crackling and popping against mana.


    After a second of surprise, the Wraiths began to conjure their own barriers, buttressing mine against the intense potency of the falling sparks.


    Above, the rift was now fully in view, a gash in the sky, the air seemingly to fold around it at the edges, like flesh opened by a sharp de. The sky beyond was a slightly different shade of blue, just alien enough to conjure gooseflesh along my arms and neck. Inside the ripple in space, three distorted figures floated.


    The Wraiths burst into action, four battle groups remaining at ground level and focusing purely on defending our Instillers, without whom everything would fail, while the other six broke and flew away, maneuvering around well outside the shower of sparks and flying high, encircling the rift.


    I floated upward after them, moving the mana barrier with me, warping it to envelope the remnants of the strange burning-spark spell, the opposing forces grinding against one another like two tectonic tes. As the sparks failed and faded, the shield broke down, and I absorbed the remaining mana; it was tinged with a draconic attribute.


    The three figures flew free of the rift, and the atmosphere¡ªthe very fabric of reality itself¡ªseemed to tremble at their presence. Inside me, Tessia stirred in response. She was afraid.


    They spoke as one, three voices echoing over and under and through each other. ¡°This holy ce is under the protection of Lord Kezess Indrath. To attack it¡ªto affect it in any way¡ªis sacrilege of the highest order. The punishment for your presence here is immediate death, reincarnate.¡±


    I smirked up at them, enjoying the theatricality of it all. They were even dressed like they were in some kind of y and not on the field of battle, their ceremonial white robes gleaming with golden embroidery the same color as their golden hair. ¡°The bravery of your words is only just a little bit spoiled by the fact you were cowering behind a spell to keep you hidden from me. You know who I am, but maybe you don¡¯t know what I can do. If you did, you would have turned around and flew right back where you came from.¡±


    Mana rippled in the way it did around Arthur and his weapon, and the three dragons blinked away, appearing outside the ring of Wraiths. Their amethyst eyes lit from within, and violent purple beams of light zed between them, creating a triangle around us all, with the rift at its center.


    Panic surged up from deep within me, sudden and visceral and so certain. ¡°Attack!¡± I screamed.


    The sky transformed with dozens of spells as six Wraith battle groups unleashed their full offensive power on the three targets.


    A cage of light spread from the beams of what could only be aether, spilling down to the ground and closing over our heads. The Wraiths¡¯ spells burst against the inside of the cage, sending soft waves undting across its surface. The sound of hissing acid and crashing thunder and blood iron shattering against the aether made my ears ring, and the smell of toxic water and scorched ozone burned my nostrils.


    On the other side of the barrier, the three dragons seemed in a trance. They did not blink or flinch as so many powerful spells crashed into their conjured barrier. They didn¡¯t chant or gesture with arcane meaning. Except for the breeze blowing through their gleaming golden hair and white robes, and a subtle pulsing inside the brightness of their glowing purple eyes, they were motionless.


    My heart hammered inside my chest as something wed up at me from my guts. There was a feeling of wrongness within the cage, a sense of inevitable ruin. The Wraiths fought through it, but the Instillers on the ground had ceased their work, paralyzed by the oppressive force of the aetheric spell.


    Something was growing inside the cage with us¡ªan empty nothingness, like a hunger that couldn¡¯t be sated.


    Reaching out with desperate ws of mana and pure force, I ripped and tore at the inside of the aetheric walls, willing the mana to dissipate the aether. The aether rippled forcefully, but it didn¡¯t break.


    The Wraiths continued to bombard the walls as well, and I could sense my own desperation bleeding into them as they grew first uncertain and then panicked, but I struggled to rein myself in.


    Abandoning my attacks, I grasped for the mana on the other side of the barrier, but I couldn¡¯t reach it.


    And still, the three dragons were cold and emotionless. No glint of victory reached their eyes, no grimace of strain bared their teeth. They were like three frustrating statues emanating their aetheric spell. Even as I thought this, though, all three sets of eyes shifted slightly, darkening and focusing on the rift. My own gaze was pulled slowly along behind theirs.


    ck-purple light began to emanate from the rift, which was within the cage with us. The something that was being called, that I had felt from the instant the cage appeared, wasing through, closing in on us. I felt hunger gnawing at me, the bitter coldness of it gripping my bones in teeth of fear.


    I stared into the void, conjured through the walls between the worlds to swallow us whole. It spilled from the rift like a dark cloud, like blood from a cut, like fetid breath from a rotting mouth.


    Reaching out, I took hold of as much mana as I could and condensed it around the rift, a storm of ice and wind and shadow. The void consumed it, dragging the mana into itself, where it was snuffed out. And I suddenly understood. The void would spread throughout the cage, devouring all within. It was a trap from the beginning.


    My fear gave way to anger and frustration. I mmed a wall of mana into the void, attempting to disrupt it or push it back into the rift, but the emptiness only swallowed my mana, and my efforts only seemed to speed its growth.


    I needed to subdue it, dy it¡ªanything to give myself time to think. How did one stop nothing?


    I vacited rapidly between wanting to keep attacking the cage in an attempt to break free or focusing on the growing ck-purple darkness.


    ¡°You, you, and you, bombard the barrier! Focus on a single point¡ªmake a dent, a crack, anything!¡± I ordered, gesturing to three battle groups. ¡°All the rest, hold your positions!¡± I finished, watching breathlessly as the cloud of purple-ck nothing spilled down from above.


    All the beautiful blues, greens, yellows, and reds of the atmospheric mana dissolved to colorless nothing as the cloud crept down the sky. Soon, there would be no mana left inside the aetheric cage with us at all, and then¡­


    Knowing that I would need that mana, I pulled it away from the void, emptying the air around it of mana, matching it with a void of my own making.


    Its progress seemed to slow, oozing left and right, spilling outward like a puddle, and I startled. It reminded me of nothing so much as a wild beast sniffing around for prey.


    ¡°Wrastor, take your battle group and circle around. Get above the emanation, above the rift,¡± I ordered.


    The Wraith did not hesitate, snapping into motion as he and his brethren skirted around the edge of the darkness, disappearing from sight above. But I could feel the signature they were giving off, and so, apparently, could the void, because its downward progress gusted to a halt while it began inching its way up toward the Wraiths, expanding as it did so, filling up every space it passed over.


    The five Wraiths conjured barriers of protective mana around themselves so that they were wreathed in me, shadow, and wind. I drew away the mana between them and the void cloud, but this time, it did not stop. They were too close, perhaps, their signatures too strong.


    Tendrils of ck-purple darkness reached for them, forcing them to fly up, but they were near the ceiling already. So close, the void seemed to be dragging the mana away from them, their shields spilling into it, the mana particles blowing off them like dandelion seeds before vanishing.


    A tendril brushed against a Wraith¡¯s foot, and the appendage dissolved, conjuring a surprised scream.


    The mass of hungry emptiness sped toward the five Wraiths, spilling up into the sky above the portal.


    ¡°Everyone, focus on the walls there, there, and there!¡± I shouted urgently, pointing to the spots closest to the dragons.


    As if broken out of a trance, the other battle groups joined the first two I¡¯d assigned to attack the walls, bombarding the aetheric barrier with every spell at their disposal as they released a colossal outpouring of destructive mana. Blood iron, soulfire, void wind, and bile water-attribute spells struck, hammered, sshed, and sliced the walls containing us, all contained to those three narrow points.


    But my thoughts were condensing too slowly. There was only so much mana in this small slice of ground¡ªonly so much in me¡ªand the void cloud was consuming it rapidly.


    Cursing under my breath, I wished suddenly that Nico was there. He was the smart one, the one with the ns. He would have some clever idea, some way to turn the void against them¡­


    Outside, the three dragons remained in their trance, apparently concentrating all their effort on maintaining their spells.


    The dark cloud spread above us, cutting off the five Wraiths. The wounded woman attempted to fly around it and rejoin us, but the void moved with her. She tried to reverse course, but toote. With a truncated scream, it subsumed her, leaving nothing behind but more emptiness.


    In doing so, it brushed against the outer walls. When the first tendril of the moving void touched the aether of our cage, the vibrant purple energy shimmered, trembling outward across the entire surface of the vast magical structure, and the void recoiled, drawn toward four remaining Wraiths instead.


    Outside our cage, the dragons shifted for the first time, a trembling tension shared between the three, as if concentrating on their spells had just be that much more difficult.


    It was confirmation enough.


    Grasping the mana around the four Wraiths, I plunged it like a tether into the gnawing emptiness. As I¡¯d expected, it took in the mana hungrily, drawn naturally upward to fill the space above the rift. One by one, Wrastor and the rest of his team vanished within it. With the void suddenly expanding rapidly, it couldn¡¯t help but press against the walls and ceiling, sending crackling waves of energy rippling across the outside of the towering pir of purple light that entrapped us.


    One of the dragons shouted in dismay.


    ¡°Ready your spells!¡± I screamed, my voice cracking with fear and anticipation.


    The remaining Wraiths paused in their assault, focusing instead on the dragons as they waited, buzzing with tension and magic.


    Sweat trickled down the dragons¡¯ brows, and their statuesque stillness gave way to geriatric quivering.


    What I had learned about dragon aether arts returned to me through the fog of war. They did not control aether in the same way I controlled mana, only coaxed it to do as they wished. This spell was incredibly powerful, so much so that it took three of them to conjure it. And the void¡­whatever dark arts they used to summon it, surely their control over it was limited. I could see that in their strained and fearful expressions through the transparent walls of aether.


    This was an act of desperation. They were pushing themselves and their magic to the edge of their control to destroy me.


    Even as I realized what I needed to do, the darkness began descending yet again, creeping into the emptiness I had conjured between us and it.


    The atmosphere at the bottom of our cage was thick with all the mana that I¡¯d transnted to create that barrier. Now, I took hold of it, pulling it all close to me. Some of the Instillers and Wraiths cried out as they felt the mana go, but I had no time to exin.


    When all that condensed mana of the area directly around the rift was forced together like a hot white soup sloshing in the air around me, I took a long, shaking breath. With onest nce at where the void crackled and dragged across the aetheric walls, I hurled the mana upward, forcing it as far and as fast as I could.


    The living darkness of the void took it in greedily, absorbing and unmaking all the mana I could give it. It swelled and seethed, growing rapidly, surging down toward us and pressing against the barriers constraining it, dark tendrils digging into the aetheric walls. Like ice freezing the cracks between cobblestones, the void expanded.


    There was no explosion, no fireworks, not even a noise. One moment the cage surrounded us, the next it simply dissolved into purple mist and then to nothing at all, and the void lost form and shape, like a wisp of cloud quickly blown away.


    The dragon to my left sagged under the bacsh of the spell¡¯s failure and could do nothing to defend himself as the Wraiths¡¯ spells converged on him. As ancient and powerful as he perhaps was, he was still flesh and bone, and under the rain of destructive magic, his skin broke open, his bones shattered and turned to dust, and only very little of him at all remained to tumble like a wingless bird into the Beast des below.


    Despite a sudden punishing fatigue that made my arms feel like lead and my skull pulse with each desperate beat of my heart, I rushed to take hold of the mana around the dragon to my right and ripped it away, creating a pocket of empty space around him. His eyes rolled back into his head as he struggled to keep hold of his own mana, fighting back at my control and slinging out wild spells.


    A gout of silver fire scorched the air between us, and I intercepted it with a gleaming shield, my body aching with the effort. Burning whips cracked around the shield¡¯s edges, emanating from the silver mes, and I severed them with conjured des. The mesbusted,unching apart in several smaller fireballs that all dropped like catapult stones toward the Instillers still struggling to set up the equipment below.


    But the mes gged and withered to nothing as I fought to cancel out the spell, releasing the mana back into the atmosphere.


    From the corner of my eye, I saw spells flying at the other surviving dragon, but dozens of interlocking tes of bright violet energy appeared around her, moving smoothly past each other like the cogs of aplex watch to catch the Wraiths¡¯ attacks and diffuse them, never taking the full brunt of so many spells on any single te.


    The dragon whose mana I had forced away was struggling to stay upright, but my arms still trembled as I deflected his spells. We sat in equilibrium for a moment, both red-faced and sweating, his pure mana shing between us with each attack. I bided my time, just for a moment, trying to catch my breath and still my quivering muscles.


    Each attack was weaker and slower, until I was able to reach out and snuff a bolt of pure mana on the dragon¡¯s very fingertips. With a wary, desperate moan, I clenched my fist, and around him, the mana I¡¯d pulled aside surged back in, crushing his unprotected body like an insect between my fingers, and then his corpse also plunged from the sky.


    Mana moved behind me¡ªnot condensing into a spell, but being brushed out of the way of one¡ªand I dodged just as a short spear of aether thrust at the base of my neck. The blow, viper-strike quick, nicked the top of my shoulder, drawing a hot line of pain and blood.


    Elsewhere, dozens of other spears appeared out of thin air at the same moment, and several of my Wraiths cried out simultaneously as aether pierced their cores.


    Cursing, I barely dodged another attack, then a third, unable to strike back or assist the others as spear after spear formed and stabbed, each oneing from a different direction, intercepting my path or even attempting to thrust into the direction I would be forced to dodge.


    Remembering my battle with Arthur, I wrapped my hands in mana and feinted an off-course, lurching dodge away from one spear. When I felt the shifting of the air and mana that indicated a new spear forming, I grabbed it with both hands even before it couldunch itself at my throat. Mana swelled into my arms, shoulders, and chest, my physical strength surging, and I spun through the air.


    Before a new spear could manifest, Iunched the one in my hands, wrapping my own mana around it. It flew like the bullet of an old earth firearm, almost too fast to see with the naked eye. When it struck the spinning mechanism of clockwork magic tes, the aether spear shattered one small shield before mming into the woman¡¯s stomach. Her body lurched backwards, colliding with her own spell, which battered her back and forth several times before both the spear and the shields faded.


    She fell in slow motion, still conscious enough to channel her magic butcking the strength or wherewithal to keep herself aloft or prepare new defenses.


    Or so I thought.


    In the moment of hesitation that followed, the Wraiths all looking to me for orders, the womanunched herself toward the rift, bing little more than a streak of white and gold as her body expanded rapidly outward, wings sprouting from her back, scales growing over her flesh, her neck shooting forward as it elongated.


    Pushing off against the mana as if it were a wall, I hurled myself into her path.


    The enormous dragon¡¯s neck twisted around, glowing amethyst eyes alight with fear and fury. She bared teeth as long as swords and snapped at me.


    Gravity increased so quickly and with such enormous pressure that the reptilian jaws snapped shut again, teeth breaking and embedding themselves into the flesh of her mouth. Her wings bent awkwardly, the membranes tearing and the light bones snapping like twigs. All her forward momentum was absorbed by the gravity, and she tumbled back the way she hade. Not straight down, which would have damaged the equipment, but at a slight angle. When she hit the ground, several Instillers fell as well, the shockwave of her impact digging a hundred foot long trench into the hard-packed ground and obscuring her in a cloud of dust.


    The surviving Wraiths, each one with a spell burning in their hands, arranged themselves around the dust, prepared to eviscerate the dragon at any sign of movement.


    But I could feel her struggle, see the weak effort of her mana to push back against the gravity well. Under the cover of the dust, I saw her outline in mana shrinking, resuming her humanoid form. Unhurried, I drifted down into the dust. A breeze blew around me, pushing the dust away to reveal, lying at the bottom of a huge crater, the final surviving asura.


    I wondered, very briefly, who these three had been. How long had theybored to learn the aether arts they had performed today? I could only imagine the heights of their presumptuous arrogance as they epted the task their lord gave them¡­and the depth of their regret and despair as they realized that they¡¯d failed.


    The woman coughed up blood, her body spasming with pain, then rxed, unfurling across the ground to stare up at me. The weight of millenia settled on me beneath her gaze. All that life¡­and I have undone it. This thought was met with pride and confidence, but also¡­something deeper and harder to identify.


    I shook it off and kneeled beside the dragon. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed with difficulty. I thought perhaps she would say something, beg me for life or admonish me for my service to Agrona, but she was silent.


    Reaching out, I gripped her mana and began to siphon it away from her, absorbing it fully. Arthur¡¯spanion had only given me a taste, but it hadn¡¯t been enough to really gain a sense of the dragons¡¯ magic and abilities. I needed that insight in order to more fully counter their mana arts.


    She fought me¡ªshe could hardly do anything else, I imagined. It was instinct, like wing at hands wrapped around her throat. But she was too far gone, and her efforts were feeble.


    I braced myself for whatever mighte with the mana, afraid but also tantalized by the opportunity to see her memories. However, it seemed as if that part of the process was something unique to the phoenixes¡ªor, I realized somewhat ufortably, perhaps even a purposeful effect by Dawn in the moments of her death¡ªbecause all I experienced was the power itself.


    The particr aspect of dragon mana¡ªpure mana¡ªunfolded in my mind. No lesser core had ever rified mana so brilliantly, even my own. It shone like snowkes on a cold, bright midwinter morning. In some ways, it was the opposite of basilisk mana, which was dark and twisted, resulting in their decay-type mana arts¡ªor perhaps because of them. I breathed it in, reveling in the energy and power that suffused me.


    The asuran woman shivered, her flesh copsing inward as the mana-suffused tissue beneath it was wrung out. Her eyes faded to a palevender, her skin grayed, and her hair thinned. Her handsome beauty, like her strength, left her. And then¡­she was dead.


    I sucked in a deep, fortifying breath, the infusion of draconic mana crackling in my muscles and behind my eyes, undoing some of my fatigue.


    And then my eyes snapped open as I felt the distant movement of simr mana signatures. Simr, but less, I noted. None of the dragons I could sense had the strength of these three, but eight¡ªno, ten¡ªdragon mana signatures were approaching rapidly from the north and the east.


    ¡°Quickly,plete the arrays!¡± I snapped, shooting up into the air.


    Below me, the Instillers hurriedly continued the process of setting up the equipment. I scanned the horizon, but the dragons were still too far off to see. Can the remaining Wraiths and I hold off so many? I asked myself, but I knew the answer. It had never been the n for me to fight all the dragons on Dicathen at once.


    As I watched the Instillers finish their work, my mind turned inward. Frustration red as the adrenaline of battle wore off and I was able to consider the fight that had unfolded. That the dragons would be protecting the portal was obvious, but that spell, orbination of spells, or whatever the hell the dragons had been doing¡­


    My fists clenched, and the mana around me warped outward. I knew I couldn¡¯t have escaped this trap on my own. Without the Wraiths, without Wrastor¡¯s team¡¯s sacrifice, I would have been dissolved within that void, everything that made me me just gone.


    Bile rose up the back of my throat, and I tried to push the frustration¡ªthe cold and sickening rage¡ªback down deep. I was the Legacy. I couldn¡¯t just¡­lose¡ªjust die. And I shouldn¡¯t need anyone to save me, I thought desperately.


    Needing something else¡ªanything else¡ªto focus on, I turned my smoldering ire on Tessia, who had been silent throughout the battle, but whom I had felt writhe in disgust as I drained the dragon dry.


    No scolding, princess? I asked bitterly. Aren¡¯t you going to tell me what a terrible person I am? How evil and irredeemable? How blind?


    ¡®It appears there is nothing left for me to say that you don¡¯t already know,¡¯ she replied, her voice dim, distant, and empty of emotion.


    I scoffed but couldn¡¯te up with a reply. I wanted to argue with her, to fight her. I needed to defend myself, to make someone understand.


    Clenching my jaw, I tried to shake off the childish impulse. There was nothing to defend. I was doing my job¡­what I had to do. That was all.


    Below me, thest of the devices was assembled, and the power emitters¡ªlike antennas that collected and stored atmospheric mana¡ªwere being ced and connected.


    Struggling to be in the moment, I did the mental math. The Instillers were working too slowly.


    On the horizon, I could now make out five dots growing quicklyrger from the east.


    Cursing, I dropped down. The array was all connected together, it justcked the power it needed. Steadying myself, I pressed both hands against the first of the mana crystals. I envisioned mana traveling through me, then through all the wires and cables, filling each device and letting it fulfill its purpose.


    Thought became reality, and the huge circle of artifacts began to hum with energy, each one emitting at first only a soft glow. This light radiated outward, slowly at first but with building speed and intensity until, with a sudden rush of mana, a dome of protective force curved over us to surround the rift, cutting it¡ªand us, off from the outside world.


    Only momentster, a missile of pure mana crashed against the side of the dome, which trembled under the force. I pushed more mana, and then more still, thankfully swelling with it from absorbing the dragon. Another spell, and another collided with the barrier rapidly. Cracks ran across its surface, and the shield emitters began to whine.


    ¡°Get the rest of this mana battery up and running,¡± I said in a low, strained voice. There was a frozen moment as no one reacted. When my gaze swept over them a secondter, the Instillers jumped and hurried toply as more spells impacted the side of the dome.


    I needed more power¡ªmore mana¡ªto rapidly bring the emitters up to their full capacity. If only we¡¯d had just five more minutes!


    My searching gaze settled on the rift above me. Little mana was being drawn into it now, but a significant amount was still pouring out. Tethering myself to the crystal with mana, Iunched myself off the ground and flew into the middle of the distortion, not quite entering the rift but floating in that same in-between space the dragons had upied before the attack. There, I drank deeply from the wellspring of that mana, but I did not hold it within myself to be purified. Instead, I pressed it downward through the tether and into the array, which pulsed with energy as the projected shield surged and thickened, visible ripples of light pulsing along its surface to collide at the very top.


    The dragons arrived, their spells and breath and ws battering the barrier.


    I grinned, relief draining the fear out of me. The shield held.


    <strong>NICO SEVER</strong>


    I fidgeted as I watched the light show happening to the east. It was too far for me to know if it was working or not. Although the shielding technology had been designed by Sovereign Oeth to hold back even High Sovereign Agrona, and I had seen it stop even Cecilia from breaking through, it still seemed like it was asking a lot for it to hold up under constant attack by who knows how many dragons.


    And then there was the disruption technology we¡¯d developed based on the prototypes Seris left behind in the Relictombs. With it, we would interrupt the ability to travel through the rift, so Lord Indrath couldn¡¯t send dragons through from the other side. Like Seris had done on the second level of the Relictombs, we would cut the two worlds off from one another.


    ¡°Are we doing this or what?¡± Dragoth asked, scowling as he loomed over me.


    The rift was Cecilia¡¯s task toplete. I had my own.


    ¡°The other teams have confirmed everything is in ce?¡± I asked, more to get my head back in the process than because I worried they hadn¡¯t.


    One of the handful of Instillers who apanied us snapped out a nervous, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    I checked my timekeeping artifact, which had been synced with several other Wraith teams now spread out across Dicathen. ¡°Power up the teleportation frame.¡±


    The Instillers began activating the twenty-foot-wide teleportation frame. I watched them with a mix of trepidation and pride: it was an artifact of my own design.


    While Cecilia had been searching the rifts, I was scouring dungeons in the deepest parts of the Beast des in search of aplete djinn teleportation relic. The long-distance portals they developed still held up and were used throughout Dicathen and, to a lesser extent, crya. They could even reach from one continent to the other, as they had been used during the war.


    But Agrona¡¯s Instillers had never learned to replicate them. I figured it out.


    The frame emitted a low hum, then a curtain of energy spilled down within therge open rectangle. I checked the timekeeping artifact again. ¡°Complete the link.¡±


    The lead Instiller programmed in the directions to a portal frame in crya. The mana shifted, gaining rity. A momentter, it rippled, and a row of soldiers stepped through. Behind them, another row stepped through, and then another. I knew that our forces were pouring out of identical portals all across Dicathen, set up by teams of Wraiths moving near-invisibly.


    Apprehension filled me.


    Despite the effort that went into this moment just to allow these soldiers to step foot on Dicathian soil, I knew it was the easy part. As rank after rank of men filed through, I steeled myself for what was toe.


    No stone unturned, no vige unburned¡­those had been Agrona¡¯s words.


    Clearing my throat, I turned toward the Wall, less than a half-mile distant. And so begins the second invasion of Dicathen¡­


    ¡°Dragoth, you know what to do.¡±

 Chapter 466

    <h4>Chapter 466</h4>


    Chapter 464: The Order


    <strong>SETH MILVIEW</strong>


    It was a cloudy day, a good day for a fight. Deep red clouds hung low overhead as if they wereden with blood about to spill over us. Is it my blood, though, or my enemies? I wondered idly, hand clenched around the hilt of my de.


    ¡°Se-eth! Se-eth! Se-eth!¡± the crowd chanted, my name bing two sybles as they roared it loud enough to shake the soil beneath my feet.


    I looked across the battlefield at my opponent. Her thin and bedraggled hair hung down over her drowned-pale and puffy flesh, a tinge of green to it. She looked like she¡¯d wrapped herself in an old bed sheet, or maybe a curtain, instead of clothes. Sickly waves of poisonous mana wafted off her, but I didn¡¯t mind.


    I wasn¡¯t scared. Not even a bit. I couldn¡¯t quite escape the feeling that I should be, but with my sword in my hand and my name in the air like thunder, it was impossible to be afraid of anything.


    Giving Bivrae of the Dead Three a winning smirk, I sauntered forward. Only¡­my feet didn¡¯t move. It was as if I were rooted to the ground, stuck fast. My hand grasped the hilt of my sword, which was in its sheath, but the de wouldn¡¯te free. I tugged and tugged, but it was futile. Then, suddenly and with undeniable certainty, I understood that I was going to die.


    My body was frozen as the nightmare woman scuttled across the stadium floor toward me. I tried to shout, but the noise choked off in my own throat. Mana swelled in the atmosphere, building and building until¡ª


    I jolted upright, blinked rapidly against the sweat stinging my eyes. Groggily, I looked around, struggling to make sense of what I was seeing.


    The dimly lit interior of a simple one-room dwelling opened to an outside shaded by twilight.


    I jumped off the rough cot and grabbed my turnshoes, slipping them on and hurrying to the door. ¡°Seth, you fool, you fell asleep!¡± It had been a long couple of weeks¡ªmaybe a bit more, I couldn¡¯t be quite sure¡ªsince the Sovereign¡¯s appearance and the attack. I¡¯d only meant to lie down and shut my eyes for a minute, but¡­


    ncing westward, the sun had already gone beyond the distant mountains. I¡¯d slept away the entire afternoon!


    As I looked around in search of Lyra Dreide, a deep frown worked its way onto my face. Something was wrong. Everyone had stopped, and they were staring south. My own gaze followed theirs, and I suddenly felt it: mana, so much mana that I could hardly make sense of it. It swooned and swelled, battering back and forth, casting a distant pink glow against the twilight sky.


    ¡°Vritra¡¯s horns, but it can¡¯t be a battle,¡± a young woman I didn¡¯t know said from a few feet to my right. Sensing my gaze, she met my eye. The color had drained from her face. ¡°What kind of battle could cause such a¡­a¡­¡± Her words trailed off as she struggled even to think of an appropriate description for the sensation.


    Then we all, as one, ducked or flinched, cries echoing across the encampment as a shadow fell over us, dim in the wan light. Looking up in fright, I watched as two huge, winged reptilian beasts flew by overhead, leaving the encampment behind in a moment as they sliced through the air toward the distant battle.


    I swallowed heavily and unrooted my feet, an echo of my nightmare momentarily quickening my pulse. I needed to find Lyra or Lady Seris!


    As I burst into a run, the unmoving scene around me unfroze as well, and people hurried to find their blood¡ªtheir families¡ªwith a few others shouting out for leadership, and some eagerly grouping up to discuss the event. More than one, I noticed ufortably, watched the southern treeline with hungry expressions that seemed out of ce with everyone else¡¯s fear.


    I hadn¡¯t run far when Lyra Dreide strode around the corner of arger family-sized building, her brows knit, her expression intense as she watched the dragons melt away into distant dots before being hidden by the horizon.


    ¡°Lady Lyra, something¡¯s happening,¡± I said breathlessly. ¡°A battle¡­in the Beast des.¡±


    Her red eyes settled on me, and a strange expression softened her features. Goosebumps rose along my arms and neck, and I took a step back.


    ¡°Come with me, Seth,¡± she said, her voice soft, a kind of¡­ache half hidden within it. Without waiting for me, she walked past, heading for the southern edge of the encampment.


    There, we found most of the vigers¡ªthose who stayed there permanently and arge number who were only there for a couple of days to help build a few new houses¡ªalready gathered, and they were almost all still staring south. Many turned to watch us, and a few shouted out in response to Lyra¡¯s appearance.


    ¡°Retainer Lyra!¡±


    ¡°What is it, what¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°A dragon! I saw a dragon!¡±


    ¡°High Sovereign Agrona has finallye!¡±


    The crowd went silent, and all eyes turned to the young soldier who had shouted this. She seemed to realize her error immediately and shrank under so much attention¡ªmost of it clearly hostile.


    ¡°Please, I must urge you all to be calm,¡± Lyra said, her voice projecting across the small town so it sounded to each person as if she were standing right next to them. ¡°Do or say nothing now that you may regret in an hour''s time. We must trust that the dragons are protecting us as they¡¯ve agreed, until such a time that we are given reason not to.¡±


    ¡°Where is Lady Seris?¡± a man with short ck hair and a slightly ragged beard asked, stepping forward out of the crowd. ¡°Surely she would have more to tell us than that!¡±


    ¡°Su,¡± Lyra said, catingly. ¡°I understand your fear, but regardless of what is happening to the south, we cannot panic.


    ¡°I¡¯m not suggesting we panic, but perhaps we should do something besides sit here and wait to be saved,¡± he shot back.


    I nced between them rapidly, momentarily stunned by his attitude before remembering that Lyra wasn¡¯t a retainer anymore, just as Seris wasn¡¯t a Scythe. They had made themselves our equals, but that didn¡¯t stop most of us from looking at them like our leaders. In crya, she probably would have yed the skin from his bones without a thought, but then, that was exactly what we¡¯d worked so hard to escape.


    ¡°If it seems as if danger is¡ª¡±


    I fell to my knees as the world trembled. The skin of my back burned as if I¡¯d been branded, and a presence¡ªa consciousness not my own wrapped in a sheath of power¡ªwed into the space just behind my eyes. I tried to look around and see if it was just me, unsure if it would be better that way or not, but I couldn¡¯t focus, could hardly see, as if a thick, gray woolen nket had been pulled over my eyes.


    And then I heard the voice, and I knew it wasn¡¯t just me, because all around me, people screamed. The rumbling baritone made my bones quiver with desperation, like my skeleton wanted to rip its way out of me and run away. Even if I¡¯d never heard that voice before in my life, I¡¯d have known right away who it was.


    ¡°Children of the Vritra,¡± it began, rumbling so I couldn¡¯t tell if it was in my head or booming out of the air itself, ¡°you have waited. You have bided your time so very patiently, and now your long wait is at its end.¡±


    My vision slowly returned, and I saw dozens of other cryans in the same position as me. As if I¡¯d been forced to kneel before the High Sovereign himself, I thought wildly. A few had stayed standing, swaying on their feet or leaning against a wall or fence, but only Lyra seemed physically unaffected. The way she focused into the middle distance, staring blindly at nothing at all, was enough to tell me she could hear the voice as well, though.


    ¡°The time hase. The war begins anew, and you will be the edge of the de that will slit your dragon overlords¡¯ throats. You will lift up arms once again, and your subjugators will be but dust and blood trod into the roads on your way to victory. It begins with the one who put you here, who stole your strength and your freedom.¡±


    Without looking at me, Lyra¡¯s hand took hold of my shirt and lifted me ufortably back to my feet. It stayed there, clenched into the fabric like the w of some mana beast, as the color drained from her face.


    ¡°Find Arthur Leywin. Find the Lance they presumptuously call Godspell, and bring him to me. Alive if you can, but his core will suffice just as well.¡±


    Like a stone falling from the sky, a figure mmed into the ground nearby, pearl hair fluttering around her horns before falling back down over her ck battlerobes. Seris¡¯s dark eyes tracked over the crowd, settling on Lyra. She looked grim.


    ¡°Do not refuse me.¡±


    I flinched so bad I might have fallen if not for Lyra¡¯s grip as the same man from before shouted into the sky. ¡°But I do refuse!¡± His voice cut across the stillness like the noise of a sword shing against a shield, then hung there ufortably.


    ¡°Su, be silent!¡± Seris hissed, taking a step toward him and waving for him to settle down.


    Instead, he took a few steps out into the open, turning to look at everyone else. ¡°I don¡¯t know what magic this is, but he¡¯s just trying to scare us! Pick up our des and go to war? Most of us did everything we could to escape our eternal service to the Vritra! We risked our lives! Fight for him now? No. No, I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    I caught sight of En pushing her way forward, her face set, clearly ready to join him, but her grandfather took her by the wrist and jerked her back, scolding her so viciously that even my dauntless ssmate paled and was silent in response.


    But others dide forward to stand at Su¡¯s side. I recognized them all, even if I didn¡¯t know them individually. Most were those who had fought alongside Seris in crya as part of her rebellion, but a few I knew had been soldiers. Among them was the Sentry, Baldur Vessere. I knew him pretty well, as he¡¯d worked closely with Lyra, having be a de facto leader among the soldiers when Professor Grey¡ªArthur, I reminded myself¡ª tasked Baldur with rounding up the troops after the route at ckbend City.


    ¡°Lauden, no!¡± a woman hissed, dragging my confused gaze through the crowd to where a man was pushing away from an older couple¡ªclearly his parents, he looked just like them¡ªand striding proudly to join the growing crowd.


    ¡°Please, mother. We¡¯vee this far. Haven¡¯t we already given up every shred of power the Denoir name once carried? Abyss take us, but it was right, wasn¡¯t it?¡± He pped Su on the shoulder. ¡°I won¡¯t recant now.¡±


    Lauden Denoir. Lady Caera¡¯s brother, I acknowledged dimly, my thoughts refusing toe into focus. My brain felt like it was beingpressed within my skull.


    ¡°Stop! Be still, be silent,¡± Serismanded, suddenly shrill, a panic growing in her that I¡¯d never seen before. Beside me, Lyra was tense, the hand clutching my shirt trembling.


    ¡°Lady Seris, we all swore ourselves to your cause back in crya,¡± Su said. ¡°I won¡¯t cow before Agrona now, and not ever again. Not when I¡ªI¡­¡± Sweat was pouring down his face, and he grimaced as words seemed to fail him. One hand began scratching at his back, and a growing terror fell across his features. Suddenly he was wing at himself, moaning low in the back of his throat, and all those nearby stepped back, aghast.


    With wide, horrified eyes, he looked at Seris, but she was shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Su¡ªall of you. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    His shirt, which covered his runes, was smoking, a glow emanating through the cloth. As it lit on fire, burning outward from his spine, he fell to his knees and screamed. A sudden burst of ck-tinged wind lifted him off the ground, spun him around, and mmed him back into the soil. des of wind and fire sprouted from his body, spraying blood in a halo around him, then spun, eviscerating his body and silencing his agonized screeching.


    Toote, I turned away and closed my eyes.


    ¡°Still your minds!¡± Seris shouted, both hands pressing down into the air around her as if she could smother the growing terror. ¡°Do not answer him! Not aloud, not in your own thoughts, keep¡ª¡±


    Someone else cried out, and I couldn¡¯t help but look. One of those who¡¯d joined Su was engulfed in blue mes, their skin ckening and their eyes turning to jelly as they wed at the ground.


    The crowd screamed as one and pulled back yet further from the small cluster of those who had been brave enough to stand up and shout out their denial of Agrona¡¯s orders.


    Terrified, I tried to do as Seris ordered, smothering my own thoughts. Without meaning to, I inched closer to Lyra, and her arm wrapped around my shoulder, pulling me close.


    But my eyes fixed on one person. Lady Caera¡¯s brother, Lauden, was stumbling back from the crimson stain that had been the man, Su. He was smeared with Su¡¯s blood, but his face was nk, confused. I thought distantly that my own face must look pretty much the same.


    Beside him, another person began to die, their runes igniting and their own spells ripping them apart from the inside. Lauden¡¯s eyes pierced through the crowd to find his mother and father. The woman was weeping openly, pleading with her husband as he held her back from running to her son.


    My stomach clenched, wriggling sickeningly inside me, but no matter how much I wanted to look away, I just couldn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t.


    And so I watched, wreathed in the unexpectedfort of Lyra Dreide¡¯s arm, as Lauden Denoir¡¯s runes burst, their energy burning away his shirt and the skin of his back. Mana spilled out of him like blood from a butchered wogart, bubbling up from his lungs and out his nose and mouth as he choked and drowned in it. A vein in his neck burst, spraying outward, then another, and then¡­and then I did look away, in the end.


    For a moment, I was afraid that the same thing was happening to me, but when I wretched, only bile and my mostly digested lunch came up, spattering the ground and my shoes.


    ¡°I gave you the power you wield, and it is mine. Work against me in action, word, or even in thought, and the magic that was my gift to you will be your bane. These first brave few, for acting as my example to you, have spared their bloods from the same fate, but any others who disobey condemn their mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters to share their painful and gruesome end.¡±


    The voice went silent, but the clutching presence still pressed against my lower spine. As I wiped my mouth, I looked up, back into the vige, and met a pair ofughing red eyes.


    Standing as if petrified, with my sleeve half-dragged across my lips and my back hunched as I attempted to straighten, I stared at the Wraith. Perhata, I remembered. The woman who had subdued a Sovereign.


    Perhaps sensing my distress, Lyra turned as well, sucking in a sharp breath as she noticed the woman. ¡°Scythe Seris!¡± she called urgently, identally slipping into the habit of using her old title.


    The entire crowd dragged their gazes away from the smoldering remains of those who had died, and then as one flinched back as they saw the Wraith lurking behind them, her lips curved into a smirk, her stance and expression both rxed, almostzy. The energy of that moment tingled beneath my skin, raising the hair on the back of my neck. I couldn¡¯t recall ever experiencing such fear.


    Then Seris was beside me. Her fingers brushed my shoulder, and it was like she released me from some spell. I jolted upright and took a couple steps back, sshing in my own sick as I sought to hide behind Lyra like a child.


    ¡°I told you,¡± Perhata said, singsong. She took a bouncing step forward, her deep red eyes jumping from Seris to the corpses and then back again. ¡°These are Agrona¡¯s soldiers, understand? And the time hase that the High Sovereign is ready to make use of them. The order has been given, and you will march, as I said before. Or¡­¡± Her smile sharpened, like a dagger being drawn over a whetstone. ¡°Lead them elsewhere, Seris. Tell them to refuse, to stay here, to do anything except exactly what hemands. You know what will happen.¡±


    I stared at Seris, knowing she had to have some way around this, past it. She had to; otherwise, what had it all been for?


    Beside me, Lyra shifted. ¡°Lady Seris¡ª¡±


    Seris¡¯s hand snapped up, fast as a whip, and she half turned to look past Lyra to all the others gathered there, then off to the east and west, no doubt thinking of the thousands upon thousands of cryans in the other encampments. Did they all experience the same thing? I wondered somewhere in the back of my mind.


    Finally, Seris spoke. ¡°Gather what weapons and armor we have. We¡­we march to war.¡±


    <strong>CAERA DENOIR</strong>


    Alice set down a bowl of mushroom stew, still steaming and giving off a rich, meaty scent, and nudged the te of fresh-baked biscuits closer to me. ¡°Please, eat up, dear. You and Ellie have both been training so hard, I worry about you.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, but it was a sound of appreciation and wonder more than amusement. ¡°Thank you, this smells wonderful.¡±


    And it did, too. It was strange, that such a simple meal could seem soplete andplex and¡­homely. I¡¯d grown up with private chefs who were happy to prepare an entirely separate meal for each member of my family, but it had been a long time since something as simple as a meal had felt special like this one.


    Ellieughed too, slurping down a spoonful of her own stew, her focus somewhere deep below us. ¡°Speaking of, did you see Gideon today? He burned off his eyebrows again!¡± She giggled and sprayed stew on the table, which only made herugh more as Alice glowered at her.


    ¡°I know, the poor man,¡± I said, hiding my own smile behind a spoon-filled hand. ¡°And he was doing so well, too.¡±


    Alice tried to smile as she tossed a towel at Ellie to clean up her mess, but she didn¡¯t seem entirely focused on the moment, and I thought I could guess why. I didn¡¯t pry, however, and instead took up a spoonful of my dinner, blowing gently on the broth to cool it.


    ¡°I hope Arthur is all right,¡± she said, inviting us into her thoughts anyway.


    I set the spoon back into the bowl without tasting the stew, then met her eye. She returned the look only for a moment before her eyes darted away again, and I felt a squirming guilt within me. I hadn¡¯t told Ellie or Alice about my conversation with Arthur yet. He¡¯d be upset to know Ellie had invited me for dinner¡­although perhaps more so that I¡¯d epted. Perhaps it had been a moment of rebelliousness, or¡­


    No, I told myself chidingly. You were lonely, and you epted a moment of kindness even if you shouldn¡¯t have, that is all.


    ¡°No one is more capable of facing whatever is toe than Arthur,¡± I said aloud. When Alice met my eye again, it was my turn to look away, hurrying to stuff a spoonful of stew into my mouth and instantly regretting it as the sensitive tissue of my tongue burned. ¡°Hah,¡± I breathed out, searching for a change of subject. ¡°Anyway, I was surprised when Ellie asked me to dinner. I thought Arthur would have you two hidden away in a vault somewhere,¡± I said, only half teasing.


    ¡°Windsom was supposed toe get us today, but so far he¡¯s nowhere to be found,¡± Ellie exined, acting as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Her brother, I expected, would very much disagree.


    ¡°I just¡­¡± Alice sighed deeply and pushed her own bowl away before continuing with her previous thought as if it hadn¡¯t been interrupted. ¡°I know he has Sylvie and Regis, but they¡¯re¡­well, they¡¯re as much a part of him as his own thoughts, you know? I worry about him being lonely.¡±


    The word caught me off guard, like an echo of my own thoughts from just a minute earlier. I cleared my throat and dabbed at my lips with a napkin, unsure how to respond.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that the world has put him up on this pedestal.¡± Alice stared, unseeing, at the curling steam slowly wafting off my bowl. ¡°And he¡¯s so high up there, and with no one to keep himpany. No one who understands him, who can offer himpanionship. Not really.¡±


    I mulled over her words, thinking if I¡ªor anyone, for that matter¡ªcould be thatpanion. Or was I just one of the many looking up at him on that pedestal.


    After a beat of silence, I opened my mouth to offer her words of constion that I hadn¡¯t decided on yet, but all that came out was a ragged gasp. A warmth spread out from my runes, and my mana seemed to gust and swell, only half controlled.


    And then I heard the voice, unguent and viting. ¡°Children of the Vritra, you have waited. You have bided your time so very patiently, and now your long wait is at its end.¡±


    My eyes flew open, and I stared in horror at Alice and Ellie. They both stared back, reflecting only growing confusion. Pushing my chair away from the table, I stumbled toward the door into the sitting chamber, but as the voice grew in strength, my control seemed to weaken, and I barely made it to the opening before I copsed against the frame, looking across space as if I were seeing Agrona¡¯s face in a projection, his sneering, smirking visage looking down on me as he continued, exining everything.


    ¡°No, no that¡¯s not possible. I won¡¯t¡ªcan¡¯t!¡± I gasped, lunging toward the front door.


    A bulky brown shape appeared before me, and I bounced off the furry wall, copsing onto my rear, only half understanding. The bearish creature let out a low, dangerous growl as he loomed above me.


    ¡°Boo!¡± Ellie shouted, horrified. ¡°What are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Find Arthur Leywin. Find the Lance they presumptuously call Godspell, and bring him to me. Alive if you can, but his core will suffice just as well. Do not refuse me.¡±


    ¡°Arthur¡­¡± I moaned. He knew, but how? How could he have foreseen this? ¡°I have to get¡ªget out of here,¡± I said, staring up into dark, wet, beady eyes. ¡°But I won¡¯t do that. I won¡¯t. I refuse. I¡¯d rather die.¡±


    ¡°C-Caera?¡± Ellie stammered, hovering above and behind me. I could almost feel her hands extended toward me, frozen just out of reach. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Through clenched teeth, I tried to exin, but a sudden surge of pain and power from my runes split the words into a scream. I threw myself on my back, writhing. Alice grabbed Ellie and pulled her away, and Boo roared and leapt over me, putting himself between the Leywin¡¯s and my body.


    My body¡­but was it, even? Or did my Virtra blood make it Agrona¡¯s body? Was it even a body, now? Or had he turned me into a weapon, a bomb? And I had nted myself exactly where I shouldn¡¯t be. I¡¯d have cursed if I could have gotten a word out through the pain.


    My mind shed for just as second to my adoptive blood¡ªmy family¡ªand I hoped beyond hope that they were okay, but even that thought was swallowed as wind began gusting around me, turning my body half about and then lifting me up and mming me against the wall. Heavy paws pinned me to the floor, teeth bared in my face. I felt a de of wind cut a line across my cheek.


    ¡°Run!¡± I gasped, ragged and desperate. ¡°P-please, you have to¡ª¡±


    Small hands grasped mine, and I looked over to see Ellie kneeling next to me, tears spilling unnoticed down her cheeks.


    ¡°Agrona¡ªhe knows¡ªsearching for Arthur¡ªusing the cryans already in Dicathen¡ª¡± I stammered, struggling to get each word out. ¡°My runes¡ªusing my runes¡ª-¡±


    Ellie¡¯s presence was like a cooling balm against my burning skin, but even as I looked at her, a de of wind shed across her forearm. She winced, and I tried to pull free, but Icked the strength.


    I closed my eyes, feeling tears streaming down my own face now. I needed her to understand, I needed them all to run.


    I won¡¯t be the reason Arthur loses his family, I thought desperately. Not after what happened, the things he said. I can¡¯t.


    And then¡­Ellie was there, not just her physical presence, but her mana, pushing into me. She was reaching for my own, soothing it and calming the storm inside me. It snapped back at her, its agitation held in check but not quelled. Her spellform was a wonderful piece of magic, but this teenage girl couldn¡¯t match herself against the might of Agrona Vritra himself and expect to defeat him. I knew that all too well.


    The spellform! My mind lurched, my thoughts only half connected to one another.


    My cryan runes were swallowing up my mana, activating, and unleashing their pent up spells back against my body. But the spellform I¡¯d received in Dicathen was dormant, at ease¡­


    As Ellie struggled to control the self-destructive mana, I opened my core and pushed. As much mana as I could control flooded the spellform, and Alice gasped. I opened my eyes to see ghostly mes dancing across my body. Alice had flinched back even as Boo¡¯s jaws reached for my throat.


    ¡°Boo, don¡¯t!¡± Ellie screamed, and the creature hesitated.


    ¡°mes¡ªwon¡¯t hurt¡­¡± I gasped, but I couldn¡¯t voice more than that.


    Although I¡¯d practiced with the new spellform constantly for weeks, now the mes spilled out around me and across the floor without direction. The room vanished beneath them, so it was just me, Alice, Ellie, and Boo huddled amid a heatless congration. And¡­some of the tension eased with less mana being pulled to my other runes.


    Wind yanked at my heel, and my leg bent unnaturally with a tearing and cracking sound that summoned bile up the back of my throat. The mes faltered, and wind exploded, hurling Ellie back. The rest of my bones creaked as Boo pressed his weight down more fully, pinning me to the floor even as the blustering winds sought to tear me apart.


    I fought through the pain, kept channeling mana into the new spellform, then hot hands were pressing against my face and neck, a silver glow suffused me, and healing magic poured through me. The agony of my back and leg cooled. Ellie was there again, her will surging against the curse activating inside of me, the force of my own runes trying to tear me to shreds.


    More mana flooded out as ghostly fire, burning it all away. Desperate and wild, I activated the silver cuff as well, sending the thin spikes of silver out to hover around us all, imbuing them with all the mana my unfocused consciousness could grasp hold of.


    And as my core emptied, I felt Ellie¡¯s probing fingers of pure mana strengthen and tighten. She was taking control, holding my mana down as I burned it away, emptying this assault of the fuel it needed.


    My leg shifted and popped as it moved back into ce. A bloody gash on my hip I hadn¡¯t noticed happening sealed over. My core ached as I crushed everyst particle of my own native mana from it.


    With the same suddenness with which the attack began, it ceased, my body purged of whatever sickness was causing it.


    Ellie and Alice kept working, ensuring my body was healed and the little lingering mana in my veins remained under control, but Boo eased back, taking his paws off me. My corbone fused back together and healed under Alice¡¯s touch.


    Minutes passed as we ally in a heap, breathless and sweat-soaked, before Alice broke the silence. ¡°Caera, are you okay?¡±


    I only hummed my affirmative response, not sure how ¡°okay¡± I really could be.


    She swallowed and nced at Ellie before continuing. ¡°You¡­well, you said¡­about Arthur.¡±


    I stiffened suddenly as Agrona¡¯s voice once again filled my mind. ¡°I gave you the power you wield, and it is mine. Work against me in action, word, or even in thought, and the magic that was my gift to you will be your bane. These first brave few, for acting as my example to you, have spared their bloods from the same fate, but any others who disobey condemn their mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters to share their painful and gruesome end.¡±


    ¡°No, oh Vritra no¡­¡± Corbett, Lenora, Lauden, and the others. They were all in danger. Because of me.


    I struggled to sit up, but Alice pressed a hand against my shoulder. ¡°Rest, Caera. You need to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Vajrakor,¡± I moaned, pushing aside her hand and continuing to struggle. ¡°I have to warn the dragons. They must know.¡±


    Alice blinked in surprise, but Ellie stood and took my hand, pulling me to my feet. ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll all go,¡± Alice said firmly, an expression of fierce and protective love hardening her features. Without waiting for permission or even understanding, she headed toward the door.


    I stumbled after her, Ellie helping to support me.


    My entire body protested the movement, but I broke into a run after Alice, through thebyrinthine halls of the Earthborn Institute, out into the city of Vildorial, and up the long highway to Lodenhold, the dwarven pce.


    My heart sank when we found the outer halls full of nervously gossiping dwarves. No one stopped us even as we entered the throne room itself.


    It was empty. The dragons were gone.

 Chapter 467

    <h4><strong>JASMINE FLAMESWORTH</strong></h4>


    As the mana surged violently off to the east, another dragon flew over the Wall, speeding away with frightening urgency. I nced over at Helen but found no answers; she was just as uncertain as I was.


    The Wall¡¯s defenders, adventurers from guild halls all over Sapin, lined the top of the colossal structure, staring nervously eastward over the Beast des. There was little we could do except watch and hope nothing approached, but it seemed like Arthur¡¯s caution was borderline prescient; it hadn¡¯t even been a full day since he went into his refuge beneath the Wall.


    Lance Mica Earthborn came down from where she had been flying high above, hovering in the open air in front of us. Her stone eye, ck as a cloudy night sky, gave her a fearsome look. ¡°That was one of Vajrakor¡¯s guards, I¡¯m certain of it. Unbelievable. If they¡¯ve left the cities undefended, I¡¯ll¡­¡± She trailed off with a sigh and a shrug. ¡°By rock and root, what exactly am I going to do about it? But they shouldn¡¯t be leaving their posts. The rift must be under attack so they¡¯re going to defend it. The only thing that makes sense, really.¡±


    ¡°If there is a force in this world that can defeat the dragons, then this is all for naught anyway,¡± Helen said matter of factly. ¡°As for us, all we can do is the job that was entrusted to us. Arthur lies vulnerable beneath our feet. We need to keep him safe and whole long enough for him to aplish his goal. That boy¡¯s been fighting for us since he was fourteen years old. Now it¡¯s our turn to fight for him.¡±


    Lance Mica nodded gravely. ¡°He¡¯s our best hope, dragons or no dragons.¡±


    ¡°I wish he was here now,¡± Ang Rose said, leaning over a crention and looking down. ¡°Whatever¡¯s happening out there, it¡¯d be a lot less scary if I knew our resident Lance Godspell was protecting us, and not the other way around.¡±


    Lance Mica scoffed. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to make do with just me, but I¡¯ve been¡ª¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Ang asked, leaning a little farther out and staring into the trees. ¡°There¡¯s something moving in the shadows.¡±


    The Lance flew twenty or so feet away, then cursed and wheeled around. ¡°Man your posts, the enemy is¡ª¡±


    Dozens¡ªhundreds¡ªof spells erupted from the shadows of the trees. It shouldn¡¯t have been possible; no sizable force could move so quietly and without a glimmer of mana signatures, and yet somehow the cryans were right on top of us.


    Lance Mica batted away a handful of spells and dodged others while conjuring tes of stone to deflect as many more as possible. Bolts of fire and lightning, spears of ice and air, and bullets of every element collided with the front of the Wall or the gates far below, while more spells were aimed at the adventurers standing atop the structure.


    Like ants, hundreds of cryans poured out of the trees that were cut back a couple hundred feet from the base of the Wall to provide better line of sight to the ground¡ªnot that it¡¯d helped.


    Spells began to rain from the top of the Wall, but shields of a dozen different shapes and colors absorbed or deflected most of the damage. All around me, adventurers were shouting for orders or running to get to their positions, caught out of ce by the suddenness of the assault. Helen was directing traffic, but she had her bow in hand, and with every order shouted, she loosed an arrow down into the oing army.


    ¡°Ang, you¡¯re supposed to be with Durden at the vault!¡± Helen ordered, letting off another shot.


    Ang Rose hesitated before nodding and hurrying away, pushing past other adventurers who were rushing to the Wall¡¯s edge to start casting their own spells. There was too much traffic to wait for the long elevators, so she leaped down a flight of stairs and vanished from sight.


    A round de of wind hissed through the air between Helen and me, forcing us both to dodge away. It clipped a conjurer across the side of his neck behind us, taking him to the ground with a surprised yell of pain, then curved around and came back. I caught it on a wind-imbued dagger and deflected it back in the direction it hade from, but it carved a wide arc through the air and returned once more, this time bearing down on Helen.


    A shield of dark rock appeared in front of her, catching the disc but shattering under the force of its impact. A mana-infused arrow hissed through the remaining rubble, carving its long arc down into the army below. I didn¡¯t see who the arrow struck, but the cutting disc of wind-attribute mana dissolved only a momentter.


    Below, I saw a ck blur speed away from the enemy forces, and then a cacophonous crack rent the air, followed by the trembling of solid stone beneath my feet..


    READ FIRST AT READLITENOVEL.COM


    A single towering, broad-shouldered, horned man had stepped forward from the enemy¡¯s front line. The ck streak hade from him. Now, a sphere of gleaming darkness¡ªsolid, ck metal¡ªappeared in front of his outstretched hand before again flying at the reinforced gate at the Wall¡¯s base.


    Another crash, another tremble.


    A surge of mana responded, buttressing the structure¡¯s stone and metal with magic. ¡°The reinforcement is holding!¡± someone shouted, their words heavy with relief.


    ¡°But for how long?¡± Helen asked under her breath.


    A brightly burninget appeared in the sky above the battlefield, hovering for only an instant before plummeting down toward the man. I had to look away from the brightness, but the following sh and concussive st nearly knocked me off my feet. I grabbed the soldier next to me, steadying myself and her at the same time, then returned my gaze to the battle.


    The ground all around the horned man and the cryan frontline was scorched and sted, but he didn¡¯t seem harmed at all. In fact¡ªthough it could have been the distance ying tricks on me¡ªit looked like he was grinning. With a whip-crack flourish, he sent another projectile at the gates, and the Wall trembled.


    ¡°Not long enough,¡± I told Helen, already moving.


    Instead of wasting time with the elevator, or even the stairs, I bolted across the top of the Wall, nted one foot firmly on a merlon, and leapt out into open air. The buildings of the Wall¡¯s interior town were far, far below, but they rose toward me rapidly.


    Concentrating air-attribute mana beneath one foot, I caught some of my own momentum, slowing me perceptibly before my weight broke through. I repeated this again with the alternating foot, and then yet again, like I was running down the air itself. Despite flying down the Wall¡¯s interior side at great speed, when I hit the ground a few secondster, I didn¡¯t burst apart on the hard stone but instead pushed the collected momentum forward into a dead sprint toward the interior of the main eastern gates.


    Dozens of adventurers were already gathered there, conjurers holding fireballs in their bare hands or swirling with freezing air next to augmenters imbued with mana, some wrapped in stone or with burning weapons. Stone pirs had been pulled up from the ground to support the gate, and the soil was grown over with venomously green, thorny vines.


    The gates rang like an enormous gong as another projectile struck from outside. The mana pouring through the Wall¡¯s interior to reinforce it was like a physical presence in the air, but there was a whining, strained element to it that told me the defensive measure wouldn¡¯t hold out much longer as hoped.


    A scream punctuated through the resounding crash at the gates, and a man plunged down the inside of the Wall, only to be caught moments before striking the ground by a condensed cloud of wind and water. Outside the gate, I heard the earth shifting and stone grinding against stone.


    The gates burst apart as an enormous ck iron spike ripped through it,rge enough and with so much force that it cracked the foundations of the Wall around it.


    As one, the defenders flinched back. Many had already conjured shields or other protective barriers that saved many lives, buthe giant spike split into hundreds of spear-sized slivers, scattering death like so many thrown dice. Stone burst, mana cracked and copsed, and ice shattered as the spears carved a bloody swath through our number.


    Crawling to my feet¡ªhaving thrown myself beneath a barrage of the ck iron spears¡ªI stared through the newly punched opening. Hundreds of cryans were charging toward us, weapons and spells raised. Outside the shattered gates, the battlefield was littered with gleaming shards of some ck crystal. The Lance kneeled amidst the wreckage. She seemed stunned, as if she¡¯d taken a mighty blow.


    As I wavered on whether or not to rush to her side, the shattered remnants of crystal began to rise and fly to her, snapping into ce all over her body like tes of armor. She stood, and a wall of gravity, visible as a distortion in the air that raced ahead of her, pulling the dust to the ground and crushing the soil down several inches, barreled out toward the approaching soldiers.


    The hard-packed ground moved beneath her feet, and five ck fingers curled up from the soil, closing in around her like a fist. She raised one arm, and a huge stone hammer was suddenly clenched in her fist. She swung it straight down into the metal palm with all her might.


    Stone and metal screeched as both hammer and conjured appendage shattered, but the gravity wave had been interrupted, subsiding just before striking the charging army. Lance Mica cast a calcting look back through the tunnel mouth, and then she was flying through it at speed, back into our ring of defenders.


    ¡°For Dicathen!¡± she bellowed, hovering ten feet in the air above us, her hammer gripped in both hands.


    ¡°For Dicathen!¡± the adventurers shouted in response, their voices resounding through the fortification.


    A gout of green me spread out ahead of the charging cryans, burning away the thickly tangled vines, then an obscuring mist spilled out of the tunnel mouth, hiding the enemy from sight. An instantter, spells began firing out at us. As one, our cohort returned fire, dumping everything we had into the gap.


    ¡°Choke the breach with the bodies of their dead,¡± Lance Mica growled.


    Suddenly the mist fell out of the very air, revealing the progressing soldiers, hidden behind their conjured shields. They struggled to progress forward, their feet dragging across the ground as if they couldn¡¯t lift them.


    An answering bellow came from within the tunnel, and then the horned man burst out, flying over the cryan soldiers and colliding with the Lance. The two crashed through the wall of a nearby building and vanished from sight, as the cryans were once again speeding forward.


    Ducking beneath a beam of orange fire-attribute mana, I darted forward and threw myself at the first enemy I reached. A panel of mana appeared just where I struck, catching the blow and turning it aside. He raised a spear in response, thrusting in turn at my ribs. Whirling, I caught the spear on one dagger and moved it aside as I tossed the other dagger in the opposite direction. A panel of mana appeared to protect a different cryan soldier, but the dagger, held within a fist of air-attribute mana, curved around behind my target and drove in between his shoulder des. The spear went limp in his grasp, then my first dagger sank into his chest. With a twist of mana, the dagger in his back leapt to my hand.


    Recalling everything I had been taught about how the cryans fought and the way their battle groups were structured, I searched for their Shields, those mages who focused on protecting the others. All over the battlefield, swirling barriers of fire and wind appeared to deflect the spells and blows of my allies, and we were quickly losing the game of numbers as more and more of the cryans poured through.


    As I ducked past a Caster slinging bolts of condensed lightning, a building behind us exploded outward, raining rubble down on the battlefield. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Lance Mica swinging her hammer with enough force to distort the air around her, and each blocked blow seemed to ripple outward from the impact and send tremors through my bones.


    Her opponent¡ªa Scythe, I was certain¡ªdeflected the blows with a towering shield of ck iron that rang like a giant bell with each strike. He wore a look of ecstasy, reveling in thebat. Thankfully, he had eyes only for her. But I had no time to gawk at their fight.


    A Striker closed in on me, orbs of white-blue lightning spinning around them. A gusting barrier of wind moved with them, and not far behind, a Caster channeling mana into fiery bolts fixed me with a dire stare. As the Striker swung with his bare fist, the lightning orbs moved in an echo of the blow. I leapt back, imbuing mana into both daggers as I looked past the Striker to the rest of his battle group.


    The twin daggers flew, curving out around either side of the Striker, one arcing toward the Caster while the other flew farther, aimed at the Shield¡¯s core. The wind enveloping the Striker pulled away in a cyclone of dust, flying even faster than my weapons to intercept them. At the same time, I lunged forward, pushing a burst of air-attribute mana in front of me to knock the Striker off bnce. His orbiting balls of lightning cast about in the wind like fireflies, and I flitted between them to drive a wind-wrapped fist into his sr plexus.


    My daggers, which had been hurled off course by the wind Shield¡¯s spell, flew right back into my hands as I rolled past the gasping Striker. A single quick sh across his exposed back finished the man, and I bore down on the Caster, whose ming bolts pelted at me with dangerous speed.


    Off to my right, two battle groups broke and fled into the town. There weren¡¯t enough defenders to stop them.


    Cursing, I deflected one bolt, let a second nce off my shoulders, and then dove between three more, my des leading the way. The barrier of wind caught my forward momentum, sending me into a full backflip. As Inded, I flicked out with the right-hand dagger. The barrier jumped again, moving between me and the Shield, but the move had been a feint. Instead, the left daggerunched from my hand, propelled to lethal force by a gust of air-attribute mana.


    The barrier lurched, trying to move back into ce to protect the Caster, but toote, and the man choked in pain and surprise as the de punctured his chest, shearing straight through him before spinning around to the right and embedding itself in the Shield¡¯s side. The cyclone of protective wind wavered, and I ran through it, jumping and nting my knees on the Shield¡¯s chest, driving him to the ground even as my second dagger opened his unprotected throat.


    The Wall trembled above me as the Lance and Scythe mmed into it, bounced off its surface, and mmed into it again. The flow of mana into and through the Wall''s physical structure pulsed rapidly, and hail-sized bits of stone rained down on the interior town, cking off rooftops and bouncing across the street. A few bodies tumbled from the Wall¡¯s top with them,nding with a wet crunch.


    As I searched for my next target, I could only hope that Helen was not among them.


    More cryan battle groups had broken away, running into houses or along the base of the Wall instead of continuing forward into the line of defenders. Dozens of adventurers had advanced behind me, and the street was slick with the blood of both cryans and Dicathians, bodies strewn about like felled trees after a hurricane.


    ¡°Pen them in!¡± I shouted, projecting my voice with a burst of wind mana through my lungs. ¡°We can¡¯t let them have the run of the Wall!¡± My mind turned to the mages whose efforts had been feeding mana into the Wall, the source of the reinforcing magic. ¡°And send extra men to guard the support team.¡± Most of those mages were no longer fit to fight, too wounded from previous battles but still able to channel mana.


    More adventurers were finally arriving from down the long series of stairs that zigzagged through the Wall¡¯s interior. I pointed out the direction of enemy troops and shouted orders where it seemed appropriate. Most knew me, and those that did were quick toply.


    This wasn¡¯t my first battle in the Wall, after all. I didn¡¯t like to think of my time here just after the first war, and I enjoyed my memories of the battle against the army of corrupted mana beasts even less¡ªthe battle where Reynolds had died¡ªbut I knew the fortifications, and I¡¯d seen the cryans¡¯ strategy before.


    This was different. They didn¡¯t have the manpower, and they were pinching their forces through the narrow gates and then scattering, a strategy that would get them into the fortification but never allow them to keep it. Their losses were too great, even with the Scythe present to punch a hole in the Wall for them.


    ¡°Hunt down and take care of the stragglers,¡± I told several adventurers from ckbend as they charged down the street toward us. ¡°They¡¯re searching for where he¡¯s hidden. Don¡¯t let them find it. Root them out!¡±


    Running back into the fray, I cut down a Striker standing over a fallen adventurer, a young man no older than sixteen. Helping the boy to stand, I indicated that he follow me. ¡°Press forward to the gate! We have to close it off.¡±


    Men and women rallied behind me, shouting their warcries, and we surged into the press of cryans forcing their way through the rubble of the gate and the copsing arch that had once held it. Behind us, a three-story inn copsed as a wave of force radiated out from where Lance Mica and the Scythe fought back and forth through the air over the town.


    I focused on headhunting their Shields, flowing past the fighters like wind over rocks to bring down the men and women that kept them safe. Without the practice or natural talent for dding themselves in protective mana, my adventurers made short work of them without their Shields. As we made headway, their force began to clog up the tunnel, stuck there, unable to progress forward against the backs of the soldiers in front of them.


    A few of the adventurers threw spells into the tunnel, trying to take advantage of having them so crammed together, but the density of Shields made any such attack nearly impossible.


    All through town, I could hear the sounds of battle as our people hunted down those who had slipped past us. Their assault was gging, the intensity of it diminishing each second that they struggled to force their way through the gates and with each body that piled up, only adding to the barrier.


    There was a lull, and I realized with some disorientation that I¡¯d been tuning out the cacophony of crashes and explosions that were issuing from Lance Mica¡¯s battle with the Scythe. Looking up, I saw her wrapped in a mid-air wrestling match with the much, muchrger man. His shield was gone, as was her hammer, and they grappled each other bare-handed. She had one of his arms caught in the crook of her elbow, her fingers mped tight around his wrist, while her legs wrapped around his other arm. Her right hand twisted one of his horns, yanking his neck around viciously.


    For his part, the Scythe¡¯s body was trembling with barely constrained power. The pounding of his pulse could be felt with waves of mana hammering down on us, thudding in my chest with more force than my own heartbeat. His lips curled back in a sneer, and his arms closed inch by inch. I suddenly feared that he would tear the Lance in half.


    Then, with a sound like thunder, his horn snapped. The burst of mana that raged out in a sphere threw me to the ground and struck the side of the Wall with such force that it copsed in on itself, the reinforcing mana finally seizing and failing entirely.


    I watched with horror as a crack ran from the gate tunnel all the way to the top of the Wall. Stone shifted with a noise like an earthquake, then copsed downward, a fifteen-foot-wide section of the Wall falling into the void of the tunnel. Distantly, barely visible through the ensuing cloud of dust, bodies were tumbling down with the stone.


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    ¡°Move, move!¡± I shouted, scrambling back to my feet and sprinting away as boulders bounced over the rubble and out into the street, demolishing houses and crushing entire battle groups of cryans.


    Above it all, the Lance had released the Scythe. I could feel the wall of mana radiating out from her as she attempted to catch and stabilize the rockfall, both preventing it from taking down the rest of the Wall with it and from swallowing half our forces.


    The one-horned Scythe reeled back, nearly tumbling from the sky, his broad face a mask of disbelief and agony. His right arm hung limply, badly broken, and he wept dark blood from dozens of wounds.


    Audible even over the copsing Wall, a horn suddenly sounded. It was a deep reverberation that came up through the soles of my feet, vibrating my teeth and pummeling me behind my eyes.


    The Scythe¡¯s shocked eyes searched the ground before he spun and shot off into the air, flying up and over the Wall and vanishing from sight.


    I couldn¡¯t see any surviving cryans on this side of the Wall, and there would be little left of those who¡¯d been inside the tunnel when it copsed. Although I couldn¡¯t see them, I could sense enough of their mana signatures to know that those outside the fortifications were turning and fleeing back to the Beast des.


    My mind reeled. The attack hade on like a summer storm and ended just as quickly, but why? My gaze drifted to the bullish horn still clutched in the struggling Lance¡¯s hand, but it hadn¡¯t been the Scythe who had signaled the retreat.


    Cheers went up around me as people started to realize that we¡¯d won and they¡¯d survived. I could hear them all the way from the top of the Wall. Closest to me, the cheers became shouts for the Lance, her name repeated over and over.


    I could tell with a simple look that no answers to my questions woulde from her, however. The armor she had conjured around herself, made up of interlocking tes of the ck crystal spell that had been shattered earlier, was in ruins, blood covering as much of her body as the remnants of her armor. Her mana signature was fading and spiking dangerously, and her one eye stared around as if she were in a daze, only half hearing the cheers.


    My feet began carrying me away from copsed gates toward a nondescript door in the base of the Wall, one of many that allowed ess to the forges and other essential operations housed within the broad Wall itself. As the cheers faded behind me, I had the unshakeable thought that they were somehow unearned.


    The door was open, and several soldiers¡ªcryan and Dicathien bothy dead in the in stone room beyond. Following a tunnel into a series of identicalbyrinthine passageways, I made my way down into the bowels, picking up speed as I went until I was practically jumping down stairs.


    Reaching a lowernding, I found what should have been a secret door hanging off its hinges, smashed inward, the stone face shattered. Beyond the door, a narrow, hidden stairs went down in a different direction.


    Conjuring a gusting barrier of wind that ran just over my skin, I gripped my daggers tightly and proceeded down the hidden stairway, circling around and around as it took me into the bedrock on which the Wall had been built. Below, I could only sense one mana signature alongside¡­something other.


    Taking a deep breath, I jumped down the final stairs, preparing to face whoever was waiting below, but was brought up short with a gasp.


    The guard chamber beyond the vault, itself locked and barred, both physically and magically,y open. The room beyond was slick with blood and littered with the corpses of those who had been set here as ast line of defense.


    ¡°Durden?¡± I asked, my voice high and tight. My knuckles went white around the hilts of my daggers.


    Durden looked up at me from where he sat in the blood. His face was smeared with scarlet, as was his arm and the prone form pulled roughly into hisp. It took a moment to see the features beneath all the blood, and I felt myself harden against the reality.


    Wrenching my gaze up and away from the sight, I looked past the outer chamber to the vault door Senyir had crafted. It hung slightly ajar, and a silvery pink light was spilling out to reflect off the crimson pools. Stepping past Durden, who I could feel watching me¡ªhis heartbroken gaze attempted to find sce in my empathy, but I couldn¡¯t afford to give it, not in that moment¡ªI approached the vault door carefully, my des ready, already imbued with cutting wind that spiraled around the des.


    ¡°Arthur?¡± I asked, feeling foolish. I knew better than to hope. Still, I nudged open the vault door, which protested, its hinges twisted.


    Inside was the same in room I had watched Arthur step into a day earlier. Some kind of mana construct now glowed from atop the metal pedestal that Senyir had ced at the center of the room. The elongated orb filled the bowl that capped the pedestal, and itself seemed to be filled with a rich, purple energy that glowed out through the pure mana, giving the room its pink tinge.


    Arthur wasn¡¯t there. A cold realization spread from my guts outward, numbing me from the inside.


    Turning my back on the beacon, I returned to the guard room, my boots sshing in the lifeblood of those who¡¯d watched over this empty chamber.


    Light, rushed steps on the stairs drew my attention past Durden once again, who was no longer looking to me for support. Helen practically jumped down thest flight, just as I had, and she too gasped at what she saw, though the noise she made was choked with an emotion I had been suppressing.


    Now, though, I kneeled beside Durden and carefully wiped away the blood that shrouded Ang Rose¡¯s features. Her eyes stared lifelessly, and it was that more than anything that broke through the hard shell I was trying to maintain. Those eyes, in life so bright and full of teasing amusement, now empty of their spark. With a shaking hand, I pulled down the lids, telling myself it would look like she was just sleeping, even though I knew it wasn¡¯t true.


    Durden opened his mouth to speak, but only a raw moan of pure, condensedmentation bled from his lips.


    ¡°Arthur?¡± Helen asked, her voice strained as she took a faltering step forward.


    I swallowed heavily, standing suddenly and striding away from the rest of the Twin Horns¡­both of them that remained. ¡°Hopefully fine, wherever he is. Because he¡¯s not here, and he never was.¡±


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 Chapter 468

    <h4>Chapter 468</h4>


    Chapter 466: Words Almost Said


    <strong>SETH MILVIEW</strong>


    The couple hours after the Wraith¡¯s arrival and Agrona¡¯s message seemed like a fever dream. Lauden Denoir, Su Drusus, and the others weren¡¯t thest to sumb to our cursed runes, and there was just no way toe to terms with the person next to you spontaneouslybusting in a cloud of their own destructive magic.


    Just as there was no way toe to terms with the fact that I was being asked to pick up a weapon and take lives to save my own¡ªthe lives of people who Professor Grey had convinced to give us a chance.


    We didn¡¯t spring into action immediately. Our people had to be collected from across the bordend¡ªthe farthest of which was a journey of a few hours¡ªLady Seris was receiving our strategy and instruction from Perhata, and we were waiting for additional mages from crya.


    Lyra had handed me over to the quartermaster to help distribute equipment, and I was almost d to be shuffled off to therge meeting hall, out of sight and out of mind, where I stood behind a crate of spears and handed them out one by one to all who approached. In the absence of a need for logical thought, my mind wandered desperately, almost vindictively.


    When Circe went to war in Dicathen, she had little choice, but at least she had been a soldier going to war. She¡¯d thought that she was fighting for her home and blood, and that by doing it well she could provide me a better life when our parents couldn¡¯t. But this was different. I¡¯d made friends with Dicathians and had seen the rot at the heart of crya. It would be wrong to take the lives of others just to extend my own. Just because the High Sovereign held a guillotine over my neck¡­


    I nced at Lyra Dreide, who was overseeing things, encouraging those who hesitated, pushing all to action. Lady Seris and Lyra had seen so much more of the High Sovereign¡¯s cruelty than I ever would, and yet they both chose life. What did that say about them?


    What does it say about me? I wondered, handing a spear to a young woman I recognized from Central Academy but whom I didn¡¯t know personally. She nodded firmly and moved on to collect a shield from En of Highblood Frost, who was standing grim-faced nearby.


    Maybe¡­maybe it would be better to refuse, like the others. Go up quick, burn out like a candle me. I felt my throat constrict as I considered it. Not so long ago, I might have weed death as an end to my sickness and suffering. Then Circe had seeded where all other Sentries had failed in charting the elves¡¯ magical forest, and we¡¯d been elevated, and Mother and Father had gone away to establish themselves within Elenoir, and I¡¯d been cured¡­and had met Professor Grey and Ma and the rest of the students at the academy.


    For the first time in my life, I felt like I truly had something to live for, and yet the cost was too high. How many lives would I have to trade for my own? I bit back a sudden dark, humorless chuckle. None, probably. I wasn¡¯t a soldier. It was more than likely that I¡¯d be cut down in the first minute of the fighting, and I¡¯d die anyway.


    That thought brought a sort of peaceful calm with it, easing the tortured ache behind my eyes. I shouldn¡¯t die on his terms. If I have to end, shouldn¡¯t I do so the right way?


    I closed my eyes, unresponsive to the line of men and women still waiting for their weapons, and took a deep breath. High Sovereign. I hope you can hear me. If you can, listen very carefully. My name is Seth Milview. My sister was Circe. Ss was my father and Cerise my mother. They have all died for this war, for you, but I will not. I ref¡ª


    Amotion from outside interrupted my thoughts. The lines for weapons and armor were breaking apart as people tentatively made their way out into the sunlight, looking around. En cast me a dark look and then left her posting.


    Curiosity waging a war against the unthought words still burning in the back of my mind, I followed more slowly, almost clinging to the walls, nervous to leave the shelter they provided from the chaotic swell of activity throughout the encampment.


    Outside, in an open space near one of the raised fields, several Instillers had set up arge rectangr frame out of some dark material. It was powered by metallic blue wiring connected torge mana crystals. A portal already shined within the frame, and people were beginning to step out.


    My heart sank.


    I recognized some of them as members of the bloods that had epted the High Sovereign¡¯s invitation to abandon the rebellion and return to their normal lives, yet they supposedly offered to end the fighting in response to the dragons¡¯ presence in Dicathen.


    Those who arrived looked afraid and confused. They were armed much more effectively than our ragtag collection of weapons and armor, but they utterly failed to maintain any semnce of order. Seris, shadowed by the Wraith, Perhata, attempted to maintain at least a bit of organization, offering the force¡¯s leaders quick instructions about where to go and how long it would be.


    But I didn¡¯t take in any of her words. My focus¡ªmy entire consciousness¡ªhoned in on a single point.


    Even with her long brown hair hidden beneath a leather helm, Ma was unmistakable. Her bright eyes, wet with tears and crinkled in worry, shone like beacons through the press of bodies that surrounded her. She clutched an oversized pike close against her chest, the sharp tip pointing straight up into the air, and she looked around her with obvious terror.


    Breaking into a run, I pushed my way past other people, barely registering that they were just as out of ce and ufortable as Ma, trying to reach her. She was being pushed along with her battle group within arger patrol of mostly young cryans, none of whom I recognized aside from her. I searched their faces for an older girl who looked like Ma, but no one matched that description. Although it wasn¡¯t much to be relieved about, at least it seemed as though her sister hadn¡¯t been sent as well. As an unadorned, it was unlikely that Loreni would have survived even moments in battle with Dicathian mages.


    ¡°Ma!¡± I shouted, waving one hand over my head. ¡°Ma, over here!¡±


    She frowned, her neck twisting this way and that as she searched the milling soldiers for who was shouting. Through a gap between two huddled battle groups, her eyes met mine, and she broke down into sobs.


    I burst through the others and had to reign myself in so I didn¡¯t knock her down when I ran into her. Still, we came together like storm-tossed waves against seashore cliffs, knocking a struggling breath from both of us. A breathlessugh wheezed through Ma¡¯s crying, and I choked on the manypeting emotions tumbling through my own chest.


    A heavily armored young man who was a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier than me grabbed Ma¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Back in line, Fairweather, we need¡ª¡±


    Despite his obvious physical advantage, I pierced him with a white-hot re, and he jerked his hand away as if he¡¯d been burned, regarded me uncertainly for a couple seconds, then shrugged and rejoined the rest of the battle group.


    ¡°Vritra, Seth, what¡¯s going on?¡± Ma asked after a few more long moments, her voice strained. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they tell you where you were going?¡± I asked.


    She shook her head weakly. ¡°We¡¯re in Dicathen, right? We¡­we were all rounded up and brought to Taegrin Caelum. I thought they were going to kill us! And they did¡­a few, anyway. When they said they wouldn¡¯t fight. Because that¡¯s why we¡¯d been gathered together¡ªto be armed and sent to fight in Dicathen.¡±


    I was shaking my head in disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s worse than that, Ma. The High Sovereign, he¡¯s searching for Professor Grey. That¡¯s what we¡¯re doing: fighting our way across Dicathen to search for him. And if we refuse¡­¡± My eyes narrowed, a hot de of anger cutting through the confusion of all those other emotions. ¡°He¡¯s turning the runes against us, Ma. Burning us up with our own magic.¡±


    She somehow paled even further, her eyes ring. ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± I assured her desperately. ¡°He can sense it in us, that hesitation and refusal. If you even think you aren¡¯t going to follow him, he¡¯ll scorch you from the inside out.¡±


    I quickly exined everything that had happened, my will to refuse service waning. Ma grew more shocked with every word and was left empty and drained by the time I¡¯d finished. Unexpectedly, she suddenly brightened as some thought struck her. ¡°But Professor Grey¡­Arthur Leywin. He can fight back against Agrona. If we do find him, we can¡ª¡±


    I shook my head frantically and squeezed her hand tight. ¡°Don¡¯t. Don¡¯t even think about it. Whatever happens or doesn¡¯t, just focus on fighting our way through to the professor. That¡¯s it.¡±


    She seemed hesitant. ¡°But what if¡­¡± She swallowed, clearly not wanting to finish the sentence.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of each other,¡± I said firmly, trying to believe it. Even if I had been ready to make that decision for myself, I couldn¡¯t ask Ma to do it too. Neither could I take the easy way out and leave her to fight and maybe die in this battle, alone. ¡°We¡¯ll form our own battle group and do what we¡¯ve been told in our own way.¡± I was scrambling, searching for any path through this, but I was careful to control my thoughts. I wasn¡¯t refusing service, and neither was Ma. We areplying, I thought forcefully.


    Holding her hand, I began pulling her away from the lines of cryans still filing through the portal, and I had another revtion. Seris and Lyra¡­they aren¡¯t fighting back against these orders because¡­they can¡¯t ask us all to sacrifice ourselves. That was it, that was the trap. Even those of us who wouldn¡¯t fight to save our own lives would for our bloods¡­our families¡­the people we¡ªmy eyes jumped to Ma and away again even more quickly¡ªloved.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Ma asked, stumbling along beside me.


    ¡°To find the rest of our battle group,¡± I exined firmly, searching the crowd for familiar faces. When I caught sight of who I¡¯d most hoped to see, I waved. ¡°En!¡±


    En of Highblood Frost was easy to spot; her golden hair practically glowed in the sun. She was standing with some members of her blood, but thankfully her intimidating grandfather wasn¡¯t present. They all turned to look at me when I shouted her name, and I felt myself shrinking as my steps faltered.


    En said something to the others, then broke away and marched swiftly toward us. I stopped, d to be able to speak out of earshot of her blood.


    ¡°What is it, Seth? Shouldn¡¯t you¡ªMa!¡± En regarded the other girl skeptically. ¡°Is it true, then? They¡¯re forcing everyone associated with Lady Seris to fight?¡±


    Ma filled En in on what she¡¯d experienced, adding a few details that she¡¯d omitted previously¡ªlike the pile of bodies that retainer Mawar used to make an example of anyone too frightened toply with orders, or the fact that she was basically kidnapped from her own home by a couple of goons, leaving her mother and sister screaming after her. It wasn¡¯t just those who had walked away from Seris¡¯s rebellion in the Relictombs that came through the portal, however; their entire extended bloods¡ªat least, those who were mages¡ªwere forced to fight as well, and many residents of Sehz-r who were only tangentially connected to the rebel forces had been caught up in this too.


    ¡°Vritra¡¯s horns,¡± En cursed, her nostrils ring. ¡°All this for what? A wild woggart chase through Dicathen for the professor? I can¡¯t believe that after everything, I still ended up fighting in the High Sovereign¡¯s armies. Professor Grey, he said¡­¡± She trailed off and shook her head slightly. ¡°Nevermind. So what is it you want from me?¡±


    I cleared my throat and shuffled ufortably. ¡°I¡­well, Ma and I have no blood here. I haven¡¯t received a battle group posting, and she is ced with strangers who don¡¯t know her and whom she can¡¯t trust with her life. We¡¯ve trained together, and we all know what¡¯s happening. If we stick together¡­¡±


    En stare was intense and even a bit intimidating, but when I trailed off, she didn¡¯t hesitate to answer. ¡°My blood has formed battle groups of their own, but I wouldn¡¯t see the two of you cast off. I¡¯ll join you. Together, we can keep each other alive and proceed with this ¡®mission¡¯ in a way that will not stain our honor.¡±


    I breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Oh, thank you.¡±


    Ma practically fell forward and wrapped her arms around En, making the other girl look extremely ufortable. ¡°Thanks,¡± she let out through a choked sob, then pulled away and cleared her throat, standing a little taller. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said again more firmly.


    ¡°I¡¯m a Striker, obviously, and Ma, you¡¯re a Sentry?¡± En asked. When Ma answered affirmatively, En inspected me closely. ¡°I can¡¯t seem to recall talking to you about your runes or training, Seth. What role do you fill?¡±


    I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. ¡°I¡¯m¡­flexible. It seems like we need a Shield most, but I can work as a Caster as well.¡±


    En blinked. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Someone began shouting behind me, and I flinched instinctively. Irritated with myself for my skittishness, I forced myself to straighten. ¡°My emblem is a bit more flexible than most, I guess.¡±


    En¡¯s light brows rose, but her eyes flicked past me, prompting me to turn and look.


    ¡°¡ªsimply unfair! A rotting branch is reason to prune it, not to rip up the entire tree by the root and cast it into the fire.¡± A young woman with brown skin and dark eyes was making a scene. Lyra was cutting through the crowd toward her.


    I didn¡¯t recognize the woman, but I did know two of the people who surrounded her, clearly her blood. Director Ramseyer attempted to speak to her, trying to assure her of something, but she was refusing to look at him. As startling as it was to see the director here of all ces, though, seeing Valen standing several feet away, his arms crossed and back to his blood, a horrible scowl on his face, was even more so. But his eyes were red, and his dark skin wan and almost sickly looking, and I immediately felt a pang of worry for him.


    Lyra raised her voice as well, pointing at the Ramseyer blood usingly, when Valen noticed me watching him. He cast a disparaging nce over his shoulder and marched quickly away from themotion, which had gathered quite a bit of attention.


    ¡°You were aligned with Lady Seris?¡± En said in disbelief bordering on disgust.


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Valen snapped with his usual superior air. ¡°But my cousin, Augustine, failed to hold some city against Arthur Leywin, and my grandfather hired him and gave him significant support before his identity was revealed, and that is apparently all it takes to damn our entire blood. Sending an eighty-year-old man into war on a moment¡¯s notice, can you imagine? The High Sovereign has lost his Vritra mind.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re with us now,¡± Ma said with a weak smile.


    She reached out her hand to Valen, and the simple gesture was enough to crack his stone-carved exterior. He took her hand, outwardly relieved.


    We filled Valen in on what we knew and had nned, and his face grew stony and distant again. ¡°That makes sense. Looking at how disordered this rabble is, no one will think to counter us. Not the most battle-tested of groups, but if we stay close to the Ramseyer and Frost bloods, we¡¯ll be well protected.¡±


    ¡°While ensuring we adhere to the letter of the High Sovereign¡¯smands!¡± En said quickly, her voice growing momentarily thin with nerves as her eyes cast about like she expected to find the High Sovereign hiding in the shadows watching us.


    ¡°Then we have our battle group,¡± I said with a firm nod.


    En and Valen left to inform their bloods of their intentions while Ma and I shuffled out of the bustle. An awkward silence fell between us, swallowed by the greater noise of the preparations. Mages continued to file through the portal for a few more minutes with varying degrees of disorientation and resistance.


    My thoughts were aplicated muddle, and I could feel the same from Ma. We held hands, but I found it difficult to look at her, dressed in her leather and chain armor, the runes on her back proudly disyed. Her jaw was rigid with tension, her eyes downcast.


    We¡¯d been so close to a different life, but I felt like I¡¯d woken up from a dream all of a sudden, and the worst thing was that I couldn¡¯t even trust my own mind not to betray me. I had to keep my thoughts ordered and marching in neat little rows, carefully skirting around any rebellious intentions.


    I squeezed her hand. ¡°We¡¯re going to get through this.¡±


    She tried to smile, but the expression didn¡¯t reach her eyes. All she managed for a response was a weak nod.


    En returned first, grim-faced but set on her path. Valen was there a minuteter, his gaze distant and haunted. We didn¡¯t speak, only watched as people much older and more frightened than us struggled to follow orders and organize into battle groups. At length, the Instillers deactivated the portal, appeared to work on changing the settings, and then reactivated it.


    ¡°How do they know where to send us?¡± Ma asked.


    I thought perhaps it was a rhetorical question, but I¡¯d overheard the Wraith exining to Seris earlier, and so I answered. ¡°The dragons have apparently all been drawn to the ce where our world connects to theirs. We¡¯re being sent into a city called Vildorial. They¡¯ve deactivated their long range teleportation gates and even most of their local gates, but apparently this new technology can search out and link to any active portal. All we need is for them to miss even one of the portals, and we can connect and infiltrate the city that way.¡±


    ¡°And have they?¡± Ma said. ¡°Missed one, I mean?¡±


    Valen gestured to the freshly activated portal and the Instillers gathered around it with Seris, Lyra, Highlord Frost, Highlord Denoir, and a number of other ranking cryans, all under the watchful eye of Perhata. ¡°Seems they must have. I doubt there was any question. I don¡¯t know anything about this city, but it seems unlikely the High Sovereign would have left such a thing to chance. Not for an operation of this scale.¡±


    Suddenly Lyra¡¯s group was breaking up, and someone sounded a signal. Group leaders were shouting orders, battle groups fell into line, and my heart began to beat rapidly.


    En, I noticed, was looking away from the portal. I followed the line of her gaze to arge group of children being monitored by a handful of unadorned¡ªwho couldn¡¯t, lucky for them, be forced into this war by the threat of their runes, since they had none.


    When I looked back, Lyra was marching straight toward us. I straightened nervously.


    ¡°You¡¯ve found some people you can trust to have your back, that¡¯s good,¡± she began without preamble. ¡°ce yourselves near the middle of the line if you can. Avoid being on the front line, but being too near the rear could result in you meeting an already-engaged Vildorian defensive effort. Don¡¯t be heroes, but¡­¡± She paused, rolling her words around in her mouth. ¡°This thing we must do¡­there is no reason to make yourselves viins, either. Trust that there is more to all this than what you can see, and protect yourselves while being true to what you believe. The world has changed a lot in thest two years, for all of us. Don¡¯t despair that this change will result in nothing but a reversion to the worst of us. Understand?¡±


    A chill ran up my back. Although Lyra¡¯s words were directed to all four of us, her eyes stayed on mine the entire time. I nodded weakly. ¡°Of course, Lady Lyra. And¡­thank you, for everything.¡±


    She smiled very slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll see you on the other side, Seth Milview. You and your friends.¡±


    We found ourselves being herded toward a growing line of battle groups queued up to march through the portal. Although the gate on this end was wide enough for several people to walk through abreast, word went down the line that the receiving gate could only receive four at once, and so each battle group would step through together, one after another.


    It seemed, somehow, to take both a very long time and feel like time was moving very quickly, like it was fading in and out around me as the first battle groups¡ªthose brought by some of the highbloods from crya, actual organized mages with proper equipment and training¡ªmarched into the bright, opaque rectangle of the portal behind Lady Seris, her retainer Cylrit, and Lyra, who took the lead. Like a puncture through a dam, we began flowing into the little gap, disappearing four by four.


    My imagination surged and stumbled, conjuring all kinds of scenarios about what was happening on the other side, and then suddenly we were standing directly in front of the portal. Anvald, a broad man with shaved head who¡¯d once been the high mage of the Ascenders Association, was waving us through the portal. The Wraith, Perhata, was glowering at us with unconcealed derision from Anvald¡¯s side.


    I nced to my left, but En was staring straight ahead into the portal. To my right, Ma was clutching her weapon so tightly that her knuckles had gone bone white. On her other side, Valen sucked his teeth and gave me a sharp nod.


    As one, we marched into the opaque surface of the portal.


    The ground was ripped away beneath my feet, and I felt myself hurtling across the continent. The sensationsted only a second or two, then I stumbled out into a dark, dusty, and cramped space beyond, nearly running into the back of a middle-aged Caster who had been in line ahead of me.


    The chamber containing the receiving portal had partially copsed in some kind of magical explosion, and the mages ahead of us were forced to crawl over the rubble. En wasted no time in following them, forcing the rest of us to hurry after her as she pushed the mage ahead of us with a hand on his back.


    Spellfire crackled and boomed from beyond the copsed hallway. It wasn¡¯t a long tunnel, but the difficulty in navigating it had caused our forces to be congested there, slowing our progress to a crawl. Through the rubble and the asional space between bodies, I could see other cryans fighting beyond the opening, and beyond them a massive underground cavern the likes of which I¡¯d never even imagined.


    ¡°Seth, be ready with a shield,¡± En ordered with a quick look over her shoulder. ¡°Ma, you stay back with Seth. Use your abilities as a Sentry to read the cavern. Search for the professor, you remember what his presence feels like. Valen¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been through all the same battle group formation training you have, En,¡± Valen snapped. He had sweat on his brows, and there was a tremor in his voice. ¡°I know how to handle my own magic, thank you very much.¡±


    I swallowed, thinking about the runes marking each of our lower backs. ¡°Be careful with your thoughts, everyone.¡±


    The tension, already thick enough to carve with a battle axe, increased more still.


    As the mages ahead of us breached the tunnel¡¯s mouth, they immediately joined in the fighting, flinging spells, conjuring weapons, and ducking behind shields as they attempted to make room for those of using behind them. If the tunnel became blocked, our forces would be divided and quickly rendered powerless, waiting to perish one by one as we broke loose. And I had no idea what would happen to the portal if it had no ce to put new arrivals¡­


    The gruesome thought spurred me forward, and I channeled mana into my emblem. The magic activated easily, swelling outward through my channels and veins to wrap me in aforting sheath of magic that emitted a faint blue light.


    It had taken a long time and a lot of practice to get to this point, and even longer to realize the emblem offered more. I had only reached the first couple stages of its activation, but that was enough to understand that it was unusual. The officiant of the bestowment ceremony hadn¡¯t acted as if anything was strange, but I had never felt like the emblem fit into the strict categories usually given to cryan runes.


    Once the mana was clinging to my skin, I pushed it out, and it flowed forward to cacoon En. An instantter, she broke free of the rubble, and a stone bullet struck her in the side, shattering and sending a forceful ripple through the conjured shield¡ªand an ache like a punch into my core as the spell pulled at my mana stores to support itself.


    Still, it was better, having something to focus on. I buried everything else, all the fear and horror of battle andyers of conflicting emotions, beneath the focus required to hold the spell.


    ¡°Move, move, move!¡± a wiry mage was shouting, waving us forward. ¡°Break through the defenses and make your way into the city! Finding their Lance is your only priority, so go!¡±


    We hade out onto a kind of highway that corkscrewed around the outer walls of the huge cavern. Dicathian forces, made up mostly of dwarves but peppered with humans and elves as well, were penning us in from the left and right, giving our newly arriving troops little room to maneuver and almost nowhere to go. The defenders were still struggling to get into position, though, and had obviously been caught wrongfooted by our sudden appearance.


    Spells rained all around us, and I expanded the shield out from En so that it wrapped around all four of us as we crossed the highway to stare out into the dwarven city.


    It was amazing. I wished there had been a chance toe here before all this happened. The architecture was like nothing I¡¯d ever seen before, sturdy and purposeful and yet still quite beautiful. I should have been studying these people, not trying to kill them.


    A stray bolt of blue fire impacted the shield, which was both weaker and harder to manage at this size, and it wavered dangerously.


    ¡°Seth, pay attention!¡± En snapped. She pointed down the bend of the highway. ¡°There, that side street. If we can get past those groups of Dicathians, we could lose ourselves in the cover of the buildings clinging to the cavern¡¯s edge.¡±


    ¡°And how exactly do you propose we do that?¡± Valen asked scathingly, looking pointedly up and down the road. ¡°Our forces are stuck. This portal has brought us in far too high.¡±


    As if in answer, someone on our side conjured an enormous boulder of deep blue ice, which began rolling down the curved highway, ncing off the cavern wall and crushing the front porch of a home carved into the side as it built up speed, quickly approaching the line of defenders. Several spells broke or melted pockmarks into the ice, but many of the Dicathians, I realized as I watched, weren¡¯t mages.


    They arranged their shields in such a way as to catch and corner the boulder. It mmed into them hard enough to send several sprawling, and at least one looked unlikely to rise again. Those behind shifted positions to drive the boulder into the wall, using friction to counter gravity¡¯s effects on it. They were trying, I realized, to prevent it from continuing to roll or to go off the steep cliff-like edge of the road, which would have seen it plummet down onto the structures below.


    Several battle groups were following in the boulder¡¯s wake, however, giving the dwarves little time to wrangle the wayward projectile. ¡°There, with them!¡± En shouted, sprinting forward. I had little choice but to follow, and Ma and Valen were right there with us.


    Our side plunged into their scattered line with spells and des, widening the gap and forcing the defenders back. My stomach jumped up into my throat as I watched a dwarf driven over the edge by a te armor-d behemoth who appeared to have nopunction against killing.


    I had to pull the shield in closer to us, forcing our battle group to run in a tight knot. Red-hot metal bolts pinged against the shield¡¯s surface, and En was forced to deflect the blow of an axe that managed to sink through the protective barrier before I stabilized it. Her counter strike sent a dwarf reeling, and I looked away before she could deliver a killing blow, but she didn¡¯t go in to finish the dwarf off, instead leading us deeper into their lines.


    A thunderp from my left, out in the open air above most of the city, sent a jolt of shock through my chest and limbs, making my heart thump painfully and my feet stumble. I nearly tripped and fell, which likely would have been the end of our push forward, but Valen grabbed me by the arm and kept me upright.


    I just barely caught sight of Lady Seris and Cylrit flying in circles around a man in thick metal armor and holding a long red spear. His blond hair was flying wildly about him, and his eyes glowed the blue-white of a lightning strike. Electricity raced over his armor and shed toward the highway behind us, directly at the knot of cryans holding the tunnel entrance.


    ck mist boiled out of thin air and swallowed the lightning, unmaking the spell.


    With little attention to spare, I still felt a primal shock deep in my core as I watched the three exchange spells and blows, unable to believe that this single knight was holding his own against a Scythe and retainer.


    A punishing vibration, visible in the air as jagged ck lines, rolled like a tidal wave across the Dicathian forces. Protective shields of stone and metal appeared to disrupt the effect, but they all shattered. The dwarves around us pped their hands to their ears and fell to their knees, making way for us to sprint past unharried.


    En continued to lead the way, pounding down the paving stones of the curving highway in search for cover. More Dicathians were still pouring in from all over the city, and if we didn¡¯t find a way clear of the battle zone, we would be isted and¡­


    I tried not to think about that part of it. I¡¯d been so busy worrying about having to kill anyone, I¡¯d almost forgotten that it was a very real possibility I would die in this battle. The knowledge settled over me with the weight of my own funeral shroud, and I angrily wiped away scared tears.


    ¡°There!¡± En didn¡¯t wait for us but jumped off the edge of the highway, fell several feet, andnded on the sloped, tiled roof of a dwarven house that was formed directly to the cavern wall beneath us.


    Valen followed her without fear, tossing a bolt of crackling dark mana at a squad of approaching Dicathian soldiers as he flew through the air. I hesitated long enough to take Ma¡¯s hand, and we both jumped together, obsidian bullets colliding with my shield in the moments before we slipped beneath the road¡¯s rim.


    Inded awkwardly, and my feet went out from under me so that I was plunging down the sloped roof like a child on a snowsled. Ma¡¯s hand slipped free of mine as she caught herself, but all I could see was the looming end to the roof before it plunged down three stories into a garden of jagged rocks.


    My fingers scrambled to find purchase in the grooves of the tiles, but they only fumbled numbly. I felt my heart stop as open air yawned beneath me, the jagged rocks gleaming below.


    I lurched to a stop, my in brown leather armor choking me as someone held it by the back of the neck. Slowly, I was reeled back onto the roof¡¯s edge. Looking around, I met En¡¯s eyes. They were wide and red from the sweat pouring into them. ¡°Thanks,¡± I wheezed.


    ¡°We won¡¯t get far without our Shield,¡± she answered gruffly. But she didn¡¯t let me go until she was confident I had my feet under me.


    Above us, Valen and Ma were carefully making their way down the slope. Above them, a dwarf peered down from the highway. His hands were swirling around in front of him, his lips moving swiftly beneath his beard in some kind of chant as orange light was condensedinto liquid magma in front of him.


    ¡°Go, go!¡± I shouted desperately, conjuring the shield again¡ªhaving let the spell fall while I did the same¡ªandyering it over our heads.


    En didn¡¯t bother to verify what I was seeing before she jumped from the roof to a balcony several feet below. Valen was right behind her, Ma a few steps after.


    Blobs of bright orangeva sshed like thick rain on the shield, my mana popping and hissing against the dwarf¡¯s attack. Going down on one knee, I drew the shield in tighter, thickening the barrier, then, hoping that I didn¡¯t kill the man, I thrust upward. The shield flung theva away, spraying it against the cavern wall and up over the edge of the road.


    The dwarf yelped and dove out of sight, and I turned and jumped down to the balcony with the others. En was already climbing down a pir, with Valen waiting just behind, a jagged fistful of dark mana ready for anyone who attacked in the meantime. I sent my mana to En, protecting her while she was exposed and scanned the vicinity for enemies.


    Through the ss-fronted balcony door of the home, I met the eyes of several dwarves all hunkered together on the floor near the far wall of a dwarven bedroom. My chest ached as I considered my orders: was attacking innocent civilians a part of my mandate?


    I looked away, knowing deep down that I couldn¡¯t do that, no matter the cost.


    The ache in my chest moved along my spine and into my runes, and I felt the magic seething, just barely within my control, and the barrier rippled and came undone around En. Thankfully, she reached the ground without incident, but I was left gasping and shaking. Ma was our Sentry¡ªshe could find Professor Grey, she could, I knew it, and I had to protect her¡ªI was doing my duty, following orders¡ªand the tension eased, the mana crackling under my skin soothing and returning to my control.


    I conjured the barrier again, wrapping it around Ma as she descended. Trembling, I followed, doing my best to keep the shielding mana in a ce even as my mind went numb to the fear. Again, I leaned into the sensation of conjuring the spell, using it to force everything else beneath the surface.


    ¡°You all right?¡± Valen asked as he shimmied down after me.


    Unable to speak, I only nodded before turning away and hiding my face.


    En was scanning the narrow street. It was carved into the wall with surprisinglyrge houses lining either side. Yet more houses clung to the cavern wall below us.


    ¡°There!¡± a gruff voice said; two Dicathians had rounded the edge of the neighboring house, catching us standing open in the street.


    Valen threw a spell as En put herself between us and them, urging Ma to run in the other direction.


    One of the Dicathians¡ªan elf, by the look of her¡ªwas holding a strange two-handed de. The metal was ckened and gleamed with dim orange veins, and there was a strange bulkiness to the guard and handle, which fit awkwardly within her hands. Even as I noticed it, it red orange with a blistering heat I could feel from twenty feet away.


    Elves can¡¯t use fire-attribute mana.


    The thought came up from nowhere, some factoid sealed away forter use during my study of Dicathen.


    I was still wondering about it as the two Dicathian soldiers charged.


    I stumbled back farther, keeping Ma behind me and my focus on En in order to shield her. Valen hurled his spells, but the elf moved with stunning quickness for someone without a mana signature, flowing like wind around the ck bolts of mana. When the orange de carved toward her hip, En dodged instinctively but didn¡¯t bring her own de to counter, instead aiming a quick counter blow at the elf¡¯s arm.


    A gasp burst from my lips as the sword carved through the mana I was conjuring, just barely missing En. Her own surprise sapped the strength from her swing, and her mana-imbued de slid over the elf¡¯s armor harmlessly.


    But the sword was so hot it left En¡¯s hip scorched ck, and she immediately stumbled back, a hand pressed against the spot in horror.


    The human man drove shield-first against my mana the same instant that I forced it back together, sealing the wound left by the strange weapon. He spun, crashing a hammer into it, aimed at En¡¯s head, but the attack was deflected. A bolt of dark mana hit him in the chest an instantter, throwing him to the ground, the heavy metal armor over his torso ckened and torn.


    It might have been a fatal strike if not for the Dicathians¡¯ inherent ability to protect themselves with mana at all times.


    The elf carved into my shield again, this time attacking the spell directly and cleaving it open wide enough for her to leap through. She shed at En, forcing her to stumble back, still wrong footed, then thrust forward toward Valen. Instead of trying to shield him, I wrapped my mana around him and pulled him away from the blow, interrupting the casting of his next spell but getting him well out of reach of the fatal cut.


    But the elf didn¡¯t stop moving, lunging off her back foot and taking aim at my neck. My mana condensed around her arm, which stopped moving suddenly and with enough force to wrench her shoulder out of the socket.


    I grew nauseous as she screamed in pain, the sword falling from her limp grip.


    En¡¯s de sprouted from the elf¡¯s chest. My mana slipped out of my control, releasing the woman¡¯s arm, and she slumped to the ground, blood gurgling up from her mouth. I was frozen, unable to see anything except the woman I¡¯d just helped kill.


    How much of her family died in Elenoir with mine? I wondered, forgetting everything else.


    A roar of battle fury ripped the curtain from my eyes just in time for me to watch the man¡¯s hammer collide with the side of En¡¯s helmet, snapping her head sideways and dropping her as if she was full of grain instead of muscle and bones.


    Valen threw another spell, but it rebounded off the man¡¯s rune-etched shield, which hummed as it pulled mana from its wielder to support the enchantment. The man¡¯s hammer flew through the air toward Valen just as I was conjuring my shield again; I only barely deflected it away from him, but that forced it to strike Ma in the shin, and she copsed to one knee with an agonized moan.


    I took a half-step toward her, distracted, and only saw from the corner of my eyes as the man dove for the dead elf¡¯s burning weapon. Valen was falling back, hurling spells, but the Dicathian deflected one after another.


    When he reached the de, instead of continuing on, he fumbled with the hilt, and I felt a surge of magical energy from within it.


    Acting on pure instinct, I wrapped him in a cocoon of mana, but he drove the de through it, cutting his way free and issuing a wave of blistering heat that knocked me down and reddened my skin even through an additionalyer of mana. He raised the de with a trembling arm while fending off Valen¡¯s spells with hisrge metal shield, and I felt the power condensing inside of it like a building explosion.


    A streak of silver arced through the air from our left and struck the sword, knocking it from the man¡¯s grip and sending it flying. It stuck into the side of the house. There was a sh of heat and light, and I was suddenly lying face down on the ground ten feet from where I¡¯d started. The Dicathian, Valen, and Ma were simrly prone.


    Soft-soled boots hit the ground with a patter only barely audible over the ringing of my ears, and then a pair of legs appeared in my vision. I looked up into the gleaming point of a bright white mana arrow. Following the arm that drew the bow¡¯s string, I found myself gazing in shock into a familiar face.


    ¡°Eleanor?¡±


    She scowled, her eyes red within a face both fierce and full of rage. My only thought, empty of any real sense, was that the expression seemed so unlike the girl I¡¯d met in the Relictombs.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move, Seth. Don¡¯t make me kill you.¡±

 Chapter 469

    <h4>Chapter 469</h4>


    Chapter 467: Divergence


    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    ¡­Wait.


    I struggled to open my eyes, but even when I aplished the task, I could barely see. Only one thing was clear. Mom. She was younger, much younger, the stress of hard years lived not yet showing on her face. Her auburn hair was thicker and richer in color, her skin smoother, her eyes brighter.


    I felt myself fill with warmth as I stared up at her.


    ¡°Hi, little Art, I¡¯m your daddy. Can you say dada?¡±


    ¡°Honey, he was just born.¡±


    My tiny, strained eyes widened as I looked at my father. I¡¯d almost forgotten how charismatic he¡¯d been, especially back then. His square jaw was still cleanly-shaven, highlighting his youthful features, and his hair, ashy brown in color, was kept trim. A shadow of a memory, like anotheryer of my mind working separately beneath my consciousness, referred to his eyebrows as extending sharply like two swords, strong and fierce, but simultaneously drooping and gentle.


    As I gazed up into his deep blue, almost sapphire, irises, wet with tears, I felt my own eyes begin to water. Waves ofplex andpeting emotions rolled through me, and I broke down. A wild, infantile keening issued from my tiny mouth and lungs.


    ¡°Doctor, is something wrong?¡± my father asked. ¡°Why is he crying?¡±


    The doctor dismissed my father¡¯s worry, saying, ¡°Newborns are supposed to cry, Mr. Leywin. Please continue resting for a couple of days. I¡¯ll be avable in case you need me for anything.¡±


    I don¡¯t understand. This moment marked¡ªmarks?¡ªthe first day of my new life¡­doesn¡¯t it? But surely I haven¡¯t been reborn¡­again? I felt myself growing hungry and tired. It was difficult to keep my thoughts straight. I just¡­need to rest¡­to eat¡­then I¡¯ll think more clearly.


    Somewhere deep in the back of my head, I felt a pressure that was both cool and dark andforting, yet intense and vibrant and on guard, but I couldn¡¯t bring anything more to the forefront of my conscious mind than just that as I drifted into a cloud woven of fatigue, uncertainty, and the yearnings of an infant¡¯s body.


    ***


    I squealed with a baby¡¯s delight as my father swung me around his simple bedroom. Everything he did, I adored, rewarding him with wild giggles and starry-eyed stares. It seemed nearly impossible to maintain the dissonance and rational logic of an adult who had lived half a century across two different lives already, even before being reborn again into my own infant body.


    The memories of my previous time as a baby rested half-formed on top of my conscious mind, like oil on water. But my life was different, this time. I was different. I couldn¡¯t be certain why, but the pull of being a newborn was much stronger, like yet a thirdyer over my personality.


    In fact, whenever I stopped focusing on who I was¡ªthe Arthur Leywin who had already lived twenty years of life, who had fought Scythes and asura, who had mastered all four elements only to lose them before finding aether instead¡ªI seemed to sink beneath the surface, living my life exactly as before without conscious thought or effort. Much the same way one might walkmonly tread paths to arrive at their destination only to find that they have no recollection of the journey.


    There was a knocking sound and unexpected pain in my leg. An infant¡¯s instincts overrode my logical senses, and I began to cry, loud and desperate.


    Father looked around in a panic, pulling me tight against his chest and patting me on the back roughly. ¡°Hush, Art, hush. It¡¯s just a scratch, you don¡¯t need to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Reynolds, what did you do?¡± Mother¡¯s voice entered the room just ahead of the woman herself. She swept me out of my father¡¯s arms, glowering at him, then began to fuss over my scratch. ¡°Oh, my baby! Your father has mutted you. It¡¯s okay, little Art, it¡¯s okay. You¡¯re mummy is a healer, didn¡¯t you know?¡±


    Still crying, I was set down on their bed. Then, with a hup that shook my tiny, soft body, I stopped as light began to issue from Mother¡¯s hands. The light bathed my wound, and the scratch began to fade away as if it hadn¡¯t ever been.


    This moment was my first realization of how different magic was in Dicathen than ki on Earth. Watching Mother heal my wound had been a springboard into my interest in mana. Only, now¡­


    Purple motes drifted through the air, almost as ifing to investigate the light. They danced within it, swirling around my mother¡¯s hands and rolling along my skin.


    ¡°Aether,¡± I said, realizing several things at once but forgetting to maintain my posture as an infant.


    ¡°Excuse you,¡± Mother said with a silly smile, pinching my nose very lightly. ¡°See, all better.¡± She rubbed at the patch of skin that no longer bore a scratch, but I was no longer fully paying attention.


    I can see the aetheric particles¡­but I couldn¡¯t have seen or sensed aether at this point in my life. I was only a few months old, and I didn¡¯t even have a mana core. It would be many months before I would even start the process of gathering all the mana in my body into a core¡­unless¡ª


    Little things, moments, had been different, changed by my actions, but for the most part I had walked through this chance at my life in the exact steps as before.


    I felt a strange and diforting d¨¦j¨¤ vu as I remembered that I had activated the fourth keystone. Fate, I thought, scrunching up my face in concentration. I am searching for insight into Fate.


    This sudden revtion of aether drew my focus inward, to the yin and yang of darkness and light that pressed against the inneryer of my subconscious like a sound not quite heard.


    Sylvie! Regis! I felt my soft baby limbs squirm as anxiety flooded through the tiny frame. How had I forgotten them? They should with me, they¡ª


    ¡®They are,¡¯ a slightly distorted, feminine voice said. I turned my head clumsily, trying to look around the room. Mother was frowning down at me, asking a question, but I couldn¡¯t absorb her words.


    Instead, I met the golden eyes of my bond, Sylvie, except they weren¡¯t quite gold but see-through like the rest of her. She looked the way she had before, young and new, only barely having acquired her human form. Except she was also gaunt and¡­haunted. Even discounting her incorporeal nature, she seemed weak, like she was fading.


    Oh, Sylvie, you are here. Have you been the entire time? I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s much more difficult to maintain a sense of my self in this form¡ª


    ¡®No, Arthur. I¡¯m not the Sylvie who entered the keystone with you.¡¯


    I hesitated to respond, deeply confused. I was growing tired again, and my eyes were drifting closed as Mother rocked me in her arms and cooed me to sleep.


    ¡®I¡¯m the Sylvie who brought you to the Leywins, who watched over you on Earth, who has yet to be reconnected with the piece of me now held in stasis within my egg,¡¯ Sylvie thought, her words forming not in the air but directly in my head. She gave me an understanding smile. ¡®It¡¯s confusing, I know. Because, really, I¡¯m not that Sylvie either. I¡¯m your projection of that Sylvie. Because that¡¯s all this is, all any of it is. You¡¯re projecting your life into the keystone realm, and the magic contained here is allowing it to y out again while you sleep¡ªdream.¡¯


    My eyelids fluttered, and I felt my infant body rx. ¡®But¡­it feels so real. And if it¡¯s true¡¯¡ªI yawned and stretched my chubby arms¡ª¡®how would you know? You can¡¯t¡­know anything I don¡¯t¡­¡¯


    And then, although I tried to prevent it, I drifted to sleep again.


    ***


    With a rush of mana, the core formed in my sternum. It felt great, beyond words even. I simultaneously felt the rush of sess at having formed the core for the first time as well as the sentimental joy of feeling a mana core drawing in mana within my sternum once again, something I never thought would happen.


    I started to close my eyes to sense my newly formed mana core, but the memory of what happened next slipped through the time-fog that had been constantly swallowing me, and I instead stared around at the half-demolished home, the rubble of which was still raining down from the sky.


    Distantly, I heard my mother shout, ¡°Art! Oh, my baby! Are you okay?¡±


    But my focus was on something else. Not the newly avable sense of mana that tingled at the edge of my consciousness, but the amethyst motes of aether that had been disced by the outward pushing force of my awakening. Not only had those closest been disced, but aether beyond the sphere of wreckage seemed to be drifting closer, almost as if curious, like the aether itself wasing to investigate.


    But why would aether act like that? I had forgotten to consider how I could even sense it, much less what its presence and actions suggested, myst couple of years swallowed up within the rhythm of reliving my life as a toddler.


    In the background, Mother, who had taken me in her arms, weakly said, ¡°Congrattions, Art, honey,¡± while my father eximed, ¡°You awakened, Champ.¡±


    Struck by a sudden consideration, I tried to activate God Step. There was no glow of a burning godrune, no sense of aether flooding through my nearly three-year-old body, which made sense: I had no aether core and no godrunes. And yet, the aetheric pathways lit up dimly before my eyes, flickering and fading rapidly in and out, as if I were seeing twopeting images of the world set one atop the other.


    I immediately stopped attempting to channel aether as my sternum clenched painfully.


    ¡°Art honey, are you sure you¡¯re all right?¡± Mother asked, tears in her eyes and lines of concern wrinkling her smooth skin.


    Beside her,pletely oblivious, Father was practically jumping up and down within the wreckage. ¡°My boy is a genius! Awakened before the age of three! This is unprecedented. I thought I was fast, but this is on another level!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom, I¡¯m okay,¡± I said, resisting the urge to dig my fingers into my aching sternum.


    As a neighbor ran up to see what had happened, I reached for Father, who picked me up proudly and let me rest in his arms. Within thefort of his protective shell, I stared at the atmosphere around the house, watching as more and more aether seemed to gather, like so many violet fireflies.


    ***


    ¡°Stop,¡± I said, a rush of previous-life memory suddenly bringing my whole mind into the present. I looked around, truly realizing where I was.


    Perhaps it was something in my voice, but the caravan came to a halt as Durden pulled the skitters to a stop.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Art?¡± Father asked, looking puzzled.


    I swallowed heavily, growing frustrated with all of this for the first time. It was maddening to realize I had slipped away in the fugue of simply reliving my past life.


    A chill wind was blowing through the Grand Mountains as our skitter-pulled cart wound its way toward the gate that would take us to Xyrus. I was almost four, I¡¯d already been introduced to the Twin Horns, and we were approaching the most fateful moment of my life.


    Fateful¡­


    The world buzzed inside my head like a trapped bumble bee. Why am I only remembering this now?


    We were nearly upon the bandit ambush, the moment that would take me away from my mother and father for years, that would make me miss the birth of my sister.


    I looked hard at my father and felt a knot growing in my throat. I wasn¡¯t ready to leave him again, to lose him. Not when I could stop it.


    ¡°Art, honey?¡± Mother said, putting her hand against my cheek and then the side of my neck. Looking at my father, she said, ¡°Reynolds, he¡¯s warm.¡±


    ¡°Are youing down with something?¡± Father asked, hopping over the row of seats to get closer. ¡°Can you heal him, Alice?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sick,¡± I said finally, though there was certainly a sick twist in my guts.


    I genuinely didn¡¯t know what my life might look like if I didn¡¯t fall off that cliff defending my mother. But I couldn¡¯t just let us stumble into an ambush that might have gotten any one of us killed. It didn¡¯t, of course¡ªexcept for me, in a way¡ªbut how much had I already changed as I¡¯d lived through this life? Events had unfolded almost exactly the same, but what if it was just enough to cause some subtle change?


    What if, this time, the wounds that Helen and Father take turn out to be fatal? I asked myself.


    ¡°There is an ambush up ahead,¡± I exined in my small voice. ¡°We need to be careful.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Father asked, caught off guard.


    Durden and Adam exchanged a look, while Ang Rose peered around us as if she might catch some sight of this hidden ambush. Jasmine rested one hand on my shoulder protectively.


    Helen¡¯s eyes burrowed into my own, searching for truth, before she said, ¡°Safeguard formation. We proceed slowly, spells at the ready.¡±


    Instead of rxing, my heart only beat faster as I immediately began to wonder if I¡¯d done the right thing. I pressed into the light-and-dark spot behind my eyes, but felt only a dim, amorphous stirring. Ovee by the emotions of a not-yet four-year-old¡¯s physical form, I wanted nothing more than thefort of someone to assure me that I was making the correct decision.


    ¡®You won¡¯t find that here.¡¯


    My head whipped around, and I found myself looking up at the young, ghostly image of Sylvie, who was drifting a couple dozen feet up in the air, watching everything happen with a mncholy expression. What do you mean?


    She gave a small shake of her head, sending a wave through her transparent wheat-blonde hair. ¡®You¡¯re alone, Arthur. Maybe more so than you¡¯ve ever been before. And that¡¯s going to be the hardest part. Because no one else can understand, no one can guide you. You¡¯ll have to bear the weight of the consequences alone, too.¡¯


    I waited, expecting something¡­more. An affirmation or expression of positivity, or the assertion that, actually, I wouldn¡¯t bepletely alone, because she was with me, but no such kindness offset her harsh message.


    You don¡¯t sound like yourself.


    ¡®Of course not,¡¯ she said, the pitch of her voice rising. ¡®I¡¯m me, but as you interpret the ¡°me¡± that was left behind after I gave up being me so you could continue to be you. I¡¯ve told you what happened to me. Maybe¡­¡¯ She paused, considering. ¡®Maybe I¡¯m a little more me than that, since a part of the real me is here with you.¡¯


    But you said I was all alone.


    ¡®And you are. But maybe not forever. Remember that. It doesn¡¯t have to be forever.¡¯


    My face scrunched up in uncertainty. I was struggling to make sense of her words, and my gaze kept jumping away from her to search for the impending ambush by bandits. One of these times, when I looked back, she was gone.


    The fighting broke out suddenly. I was quick to point out the four conjurers and the leader: the Twin Horns took them down with expert precision, a much cleaner fight than had happened the first time. No one was even injured.


    After the battle, I slipped away from Mother and walked to the edge of the road. Sylvia was out there, watching, or so I thought. In truth, I had no way to know. Would she still save me if I simply slipped and fell, or even jumped off the ledge myself? I inched closer, breathing shallowly. Closing my eyes, I leaned forward, and¡ª


    A strong hand grabbed my arm, and I snapped back to reality. Turning, I found myself face to face with my father, who scooped me up and set me on his shoulder. ¡°Whoa, careful there, Art. That¡¯s a long old fall,¡± he said with augh. ¡°Hey, how¡¯d you know those guys were there, anyway?¡±


    I swallowed, looking back out over the forest far below. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just felt them I guess.¡±


    Heughed again. ¡°Just felt them, he says! If I¡¯ve told you once, I¡¯ve told you a thousand times, my boy¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°A genius,¡± Adam and Ang Rose said at the same time, their tones lightly teasing.


    We all got back in the wagon, and Durden made the skitters go with a gentle wave of the reins. My mother pulled me close, and I rested my head on her shoulder. She¡¯s pregnant right now, I realized, the knowledge fuzzy, like a fact only half remembered. Dad never got injured, so he didn¡¯t tell me to run with her or that she is carrying another baby. My sister, though they don¡¯t know that yet. Ellie.


    I frowned. It was hard to keep these facts in order. But maybe it was just because I was so tired. One of the problems of having a three-year-old¡¯s body, I mused, letting my eyes shut. For such a small body, it requires so much¡­rest.


    Thest thing I felt was Mother¡¯s fingers feathering through my auburn hair.


    ***


    Days flowed together into weeks, to months, to years.


    Xyrus was amazing. I had the best tutors, and they prepared me thoroughly to join Xyrus Academy, which I did at the age of twelve when my core was already light red! My memories of my past life as King Grey had continued to fade, but that was okay. It became easier and easier to just be Arthur Leywin, bi-elemental augmenter and a lightning deviant, too!


    Sometimes I regretted that I hadn¡¯t be a tri-elemental or even quadra-elemental mage, but I knew that was silly. No one could be adept at utilizing all four elements. Still, there were times when shes of my life on Earth would leak through, and I remembered ki, and I felt like there was more I could have done.


    I even helped my little sister, Ellie, awaken early. Not as early as me, but Dad said not everyone could be a ¡°once-in-a-generation prodigy.¡± Mom had smacked him, and Ellie had pouted for days. I tried to help the girl we lived with, too, but Lilia couldn¡¯t quite get a grip on the mana. It wasn¡¯t surprising, I guess, since her mom and dad weren¡¯t mages either, but it did remind me that there were just some things I couldn¡¯t do.


    A good lesson for a twelve-year-old, I thought.


    ¡°You seem nervous,¡± Dad pointed out as we sparred in the days leading up to the start of my first term at the academy. We were out behind the Helstea¡¯s residence, which they had been kind enough to invite us into. ¡°It¡¯s only natural, Art. But even though these other kids might be older, not many of them will be more talented.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not nervous!¡± I insisted, lunging forward and sweeping my wooden practice sword at his shin. When he sidestepped, I brought it around and across my body, aiming at his ribs on the opposite side. He only barely got his own weapon into ce. ¡°I¡¯ve still been a mage as long as they have. Maybe even longer!¡±


    He parried a thrust, and I overextended, moving forward too far and exposing my nk. With a chuckle, he attacked my open position.


    I jumped into a forward roll to avoid his strike and came back to my feet facing him. ¡°I did awaken younger than anyone else has, ever.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky,¡± he admonished, although he couldn¡¯t hide the obvious pride in his quivering lips, flexed jaw, and gleaming eyes. ¡°Just remember, don¡¯t let those nobles and royals push you around, but don¡¯t go starting fights either.¡±


    Taking my weapon in both hands, I thrust forward and released a geyser of steam, catching Dad off guard. He stumbled back, coughing and hacking, the skin of his face slightly red from the heat.


    ¡°But make sure and finish them if someone else is stupid enough to fight me!¡± I added, repeating advice he had given me many times before.


    He waved me off, trying to catch his breath. ¡°That¡¯s¡­right¡­¡± he coughed out eventually. ¡°Okay, okay, that¡¯s enough for the day. Your tutor should be here soon.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help the rolling of my eyes. ¡°Come on, today? I¡¯m ready.¡± I brightened. ¡°Let mee with you to the auction house instead! I won¡¯t be home as often once term starts, and I want to spend my time with you, not listening to another lecture about mana maniption theory¡­¡± I trailed off as my father¡¯s slightly damp brows rose in his red face.


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± I said, giving up my half-hearted effort to escape lessons, my head hanging.


    A calloused hand roughed it up. ¡°Maybe your mother can bring you down after lessons. And dinner.¡± I looked up gratefully. Dad¡¯s nose wrinkled. ¡°And a bath.¡±


    I thought of that moment a lot as term started and I was pulled into academy life. It was difficult there. I was a good fighter and strong for my age, but the prodigy-like talent I had disyed as an infant faded with the memories of myst life. Still, that wasn¡¯t so bad. It was a lot easier to just be a kid and not have all this stuff about Earth and being a king stuck in my head.


    But yeah, Xyrus Academy was still difficult. I thought about the lessons Dad taught me whenever people tried to pick on me because I was so young. This happened a lot, especially from the noble kids, who all sucked pretty bad. The princes and princesses of Sapin and Elenoir even went there, although I stayed well out of their way. Still, barely any of them could manipte two different elements, much less a deviant, and the director was really nice, although kind of intimidating.


    It was almost too bad that I was stuck with so many of them for my very first field trip when my Team Fighting Mechanics I ss was taken to a real dungeon in the Beast des, Widow¡¯s Crypt.


    ¡°All right, is everyone ready?¡± our Professor, an intense woman named Vanessy Glory, asked. ¡°Then let¡¯s head in. Brace yourselves¡ªonce we get inside, it¡¯s going to be chilly.¡± She stepped through the entrance, which appeared to be a narrow stairway leading into darkness.


    In a single-file line, we all began making our way down the stairs. The temperature dropped noticeably with every step we took.


    ¡°W-w-what the hell? I d-d-didn¡¯t think it-it¡¯d be this c-c-cold!¡± a boy named Rnd said through chattering teeth.


    ¡°Augment yourself, you dolt,¡± I heard Clive, the student council vice president, say from behind. It was too dark to see anything more than the vague outline of each person.


    I nced at Clive, and my gaze shifted automatically to the elven girl beside him: the student council president, Tessia Eralith. She didn¡¯t see me looking, but Clive did. He sneered, and I looked away, feeling my neck grow warm.


    As if I¡¯d ever be interested in a posh elven princess, anyway, I thought angrily.


    We made our way down into an enormous, moss-lined cavern.


    ¡°That¡¯s odd. Usually we¡¯d see a fair amount of snarlers already. Why don¡¯t I¡ª¡±


    All of a sudden, hideous noises began echoing all around us. Peeking out from behind the numerous boulders and from small caverns dotting the walls of the cave were innumerable beady red eyes.


    I clenched my fist around the hilt of the in but serviceable de the school had provided for this expedition. All around me, students were casting wary looks at Professor Glory, but I forgot about everything else as I felt the thrill of really getting to test myself for the first time.


    ¡°This is so odd. Even on the lower floors, there are never this many snarlers bunched together,¡± Professor Glory said, bracing herself. ¡°There are a lot of them but they aren¡¯t impossible to handle. However, since this is just a ss excursion, I think it¡¯s best to go back up, just in case. Safety is our priority.¡± But as Professor Glory started slowly ushering everyone back toward the stairs, a fireball flew past her.


    The fireball exploded and six of the mana beasts, known as snarlers, were flung in different directions. Their smoking bodies, each about four feet tall with thickly muscled chests and arms and short bowed legs,y motionless.


    ¡°See?¡± a snide noble named Lucas Wykes scoffed, brandishing his staff. ¡°These nasty little beasts are weak. Professor, don¡¯t tell me you brought us all here just to go back. Even a small fire spell was enough to kill six of them.¡±


    Not to be outdone by the less talented mage, I burst forward and imbued fire-attribute mana into my de, making it dance with bright mes. The burning sword carved a bright arc through the dimly lit cavern, striking through one of the ugly creatures¡¯ thick gray coat of fur, which smoldered and gave off a horrid stench. Its beady red eyes stared up at me from a boarish, snouted face.


    ¡°Arthur!¡± the professor shouted, not able to hide her frustration and worry given the context. ¡°Damn it, you two. Everyone, split into your teams and take different parts of the floor! We don¡¯t want any friendly fire happening in here. And Lucas, Arthur, if either of you do something like that again, there will be consequences.¡± Professor Glory swept a menacing look across the two of us.


    I nodded, feeling my cheeks burning.


    ¡°Prince Curtis, take your team and make your way toward the left side of the cave. Princess Tessia, take your team to the right of the cave and hold your ground. Thest team, with me. I¡¯ll be keeping an eye on you at all times, but stay vignt and don¡¯t underestimate the snarlers, especially in these numbers.¡± With that, Professor Glory motioned for the teams to move forward.


    ¡°Rnd, I want you to be the vanguard, since you¡¯re the best at close range,¡± Princess Eralith ordered, her voice carrying throughout the cavern. ¡°Clive and Owen, you guys take positions behind him to his left and right and make sure he¡¯s covered. Lucas, stay in the center, behind Rnd and between Clive and Owen; I¡¯ll cover your back. We¡¯re going in the diamond position we learned in ss.¡±


    But I was with the professor, of course, since neither of the royalty had use for someone not from a noble household, even a bi-elemental mage. The battle was intense, and Professor Glory kept us on a shorter leash than the other teams had to deal with, but as I spun and ducked, my de shing, lightning imbuing my muscles to swing it even faster, I fell into a rhythm of dealing death.


    And the thing was, I was good at it. And that felt good. I wanted more of it, that thrill of power. I¡¯d wanted to be an adventurer ever since I was a little boy, but I really knew at that moment that I would follow in my father¡¯s footsteps.


    This is great!


    Just then, there was a crack from above, and a huge spike of ice mmed into the ground just next to me. I was thrown off my feet and had to wrap myself in a shield of water-attribute mana to keep off the swarm of snarlers that leapt at the chance to take me down.


    Professor Glory waded in with her two giant swords, one held in each hand, carving through multiple mana beasts with each swing. She didn¡¯t see the two winged monstrosities drift down from the ceiling until one had her by the shoulder. It lifted her up and tossed her away like a ragdoll.


    I could do nothing as the second creature¡ªsomething like the snarlers, but twice asrge and with broad wings¡ªleaned down toward me. Each of its front limbs had four long, sharp ws that glistened menacing as they approached.


    My barrier came apart like tissue paper, and the ws plunged into me.


    I closed my eyes, unable to understand what was happening. It couldn¡¯t end like this, it just couldn¡¯t. I was special, unique even. As the pain gave way to numbness, all I could think was, What a waste¡­


    Everything faded to ck. And then, within the ck, a faint bit of distant light.


    The light at the end of the tunnel, I thought, not yet cognisant of the fact that I should no longer be thinking at all.


    The light grew closer, brighter, and then, as if I were looking through a foggy window, everything around me turned into a bright blur, forcing me to shut my eyes¡ªdespite being sure they were already shut. Indiscernible sounds assaulted my ears, making me dizzy. When I tried to speak, the words came out as a cry. The cacophony of indistinguishable sounds slowly mellowed, and I heard a muffled voice.


    ¡°Congrattions, sir and madam, he¡¯s a healthy boy.¡±

 Chapter 470

    <h4>Chapter 470</h4>


    Chapter 468: Manaless


    <strong>CAERA DENOIR</strong>


    The pce was abuzz with activity, which was no surprise. Slightly more surprising was the fact that no one had told me to get out or tried to p me in irons yet, but I was thankful they hadn¡¯t. They needed the information I could provide because I knew what wasing.


    In the unnned-for absence of Guardian Vajrakor and his cohort of dragons, I had turned to Virion Eralith, de facto leader of the elves, to deliver the news of Agrona¡¯s attack. Arthur had left him as militarymander of Vildorial, much to the dwarven lords¡¯ collective chagrin. Within the hour, he had assembled his war council and began preparing for a potential assault on the city.


    Durgar Silvershale, son of Dan, lord of their n, presented himself before Bairon and Virion as his father looked on proudly. ¡°The city is sealed up tight,¡± he said as Virion acknowledged him. ¡°Every entrance grown over with several feet of solid stone, like you said.¡±


    ¡°With the new bunkers in ce and any assault funneled through so few possible points of attack, the people will be safe,¡± Hornfels Earthborn added, smiling as if this was the greatest possible news.


    Dan Silvershale cleared his throat. ¡°Yes, well, you Earthborns have had two whole weeks to make that happen, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Lance Bairon stepped into the middle of the conversation, silencing a potential argument before it could fester. ¡°We¡¯re still waiting for confirmation that all of the teleportation gates in Vildorial are deactivated,¡± he said, making no effort to disguise his frustration as he looked from the Silvershales to the Earthborns. ¡°It should have beenpleted hours ago.¡±


    Dan Silvershale cleared his throat. ¡°We have disabled the new long-range teleportation gate brought in from western Darv, as well as all the short-range portals in the lower levels and the outskirts. The, ah, lords believe that keeping the gate here in the pce active is essential, and a few of us have private artifacts in our own estates, some of which should be kept in working order so that the nobility will be able to escape if necessary. Disabling all gates, along with sealing the great cavern, would trap us within the city, would it not? If what the cryan girl has said is true, and we are without both the dragons and Arthur Leywin, then I wouldn¡¯t see our beloved home be an abattoir, not when we can save some, rather than none.¡±


    I bit my lower lip as the dwarf brought me into it.


    Hornfels looked sheepish. ¡°In this Lord Earthborn shares the Silvershale n¡¯s opinion. After all, Commander Virion, you yourself have sent your people out of the city for their safety. It would only be proper to leave us a potential escape route should such a thing be necessary.¡±


    Lance Bairon rubbed the bridge of his nose, his mana seething around us. He spared a quick nce at Virion and then said, ¡°No portals are to remain essible for any reason, Lord Silvershale. Deactivate them immediately.¡±


    The dwarven lord crossed his arms and glowered right back. ¡°This should be decided bymittee, general. May I remind you that Commander Eralith and yourself have no official capacity to give orders in Vildorial. Arthur Leywin, while a great hero, is not king of all Dicathen.¡±


    Virion gave Silvershale a friendly smile, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. ¡°You are right, of course. I can¡¯t make you do anything. But if you do not deactivate them, Bairon here will smash them to rubble. Bairon.¡±


    The serious-looking Lance nodded, and his feet lifted off the ground as he flew toward the doors of the war room. Daglun paled and sputtered incoherently as he chased after Bairon. ¡°Wait now, see here, one of those gates is in my estate. Don¡¯t you¡ª¡± His words were lost to the general noise as he raced down the hall after the Lance, followed by Durgar, several attendants and members of his n, and even Hornfels Earthborn.


    Virion turned to the next person waiting for his attention, a kind-looking elven woman whose auburn hair was just starting to gray. ¡°What news from our people, Saria?¡±


    The woman gave Virion a soft, mncholy smile. ¡°They have set up a temporary camp in the forestednds west of Mirror Lake. Aside from some tension with a few farmers, the journey appears to have been blessedly anticlimactic.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Virion said, his voice a growl. ¡°Then I would like you to join them. Bairon will be taking you and a few other members of the small council, then he will stay to watch over the people there.¡±


    Saria¡¯s brows shot up and she took half a step back. Others within the war room were pretending not to watch the exchange carefully. ¡°Forgive me, Virion. You have always been kind to my family. In many ways, the Triscans and Eraliths have been like kin. But I would not have you treat me as a child. I may not be my cousin, but neither am I helpless. Please, I would stay.¡±


    Virion sighed and turned to a stack of scrolls, unrolling one and beginning to peruse it. ¡°You¡¯re worse than Bairon. No, Saria. Our people need leadership as well, and protection. Would that I could be in two ces at once, but I trust you and Bairon to serve well in my stead.¡±


    The woman bit back her response, gave Virion a shallow bow, and then turned and strode quickly away.


    Virion looked up from his scroll, his gaze tracking across the room. No one else was waiting for him, and so he turned his attention to me. ¡°And what of you, Caera? Are you certain you want to risk the long journey to the Beast des after what has happened?¡±


    ¡°I have to,¡± I said earnestly, thinking about what must be happening in the cryan encampments.


    What would be worse? If Corbett, Lenora, Lauden, or the others had hesitated to fall in line¡­or if they were readying their weapons to go to war in search of Arthur¡­


    ¡°Lady Seris needs to know what I discovered. If I can help the others¡­¡±


    ¡°Onest thing I should ask, I suppose, and I hope you¡¯ll forgive me, but¡­you¡¯re certain whatever happened¡ªthisbustion of your mana¡ªwill not continue to be a threat? I can¡¯t put others in danger if Agrona can use you as a weapon.¡±


    I bit my lip, considering my words carefully. ¡°I can¡¯t be certain, Commander Virion. I didn¡¯t even know this trap had been set in my very flesh until today. No one did, I¡¯m certain of that. But I can feel how it affected me¡­like it hollowed me out somehow. My own runes¡ªmy magic¡ªfeel distant, less mine. So no, I can¡¯t be certain, but I feel that the thing inside of me has gone¡­ burned up. I should have burned along with it, so perhaps they did not anticipate needing to set it off more than once.¡±


    Virion extended his hand, and I took it firmly. ¡°Arthur trusted you, so I will too. I may not know you well, but I can see you¡¯ve got a good heart,¡± he said, surprising me. ¡°That as much as anything gives me some small inkling of hope for the future of our two peoples. I¡¯ll send word that the long-range teleportation gate can be active briefly, just to let you through. We can get you as close as Xyrus City, although it¡¯s still a journey to the Wall from there. If you don¡¯t mind epting a suggestion, see if you can link up with a group of adventurers from the guild, since they¡¯re¡ª¡±


    The harsh rumble of an explosion shook the pce and brought dust cascading down from the ceiling. A wave of tension washed over the faces of all present as they turned to Virion.


    He closed his eyes and seemed to be searching with his mana for the source. ¡°It¡¯s only Bairon,¡± he confirmed a momentter. ¡°It seems as though Silvershale and the other dwarven lords proved less than amodating about the portals,¡± he added somewhat harshly.


    There was some grumbling from the dwarves in the room, conjuring a palpable tension, and Virion softened. ¡°Forgive me, friends. Your people deserve better leadership than they¡¯ve gotten since the Greysunders, but you all have performed admirably.¡±


    This simplement seemed to diffuse the tension, and finally, Virion returned his attention to me. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve rambled enough. Good luck, Lady Denoir.¡±


    ¡°You too, Commander Virion,¡± I said, feeling slightly awkward as I turned and marched quickly toward the door.


    Behind me, I heard one of the dwarves say, ¡°Commander, a message from Etistin. They¡­they¡¯ve spotted cryan forces near the city.¡±


    I slowed, turning back slightly to hear more.


    ¡°Damn it. Get word down to Gideon and that asura. No more time to wait. If they¡¯ve got some weapon cooked up, they need to mobilize it now.¡±


    Just then, a powerful mana signature appeared as if from nowhere, cast across the city like a giant shadow.


    I gasped, spinning on my heel to meet Virion¡¯s wide eyes. ¡°Seris!¡±


    The sounds of battle followed almost immediately.


    I didn¡¯t wait for the Dicathians, instead springing away as fast as I could. My body ached and my core was depleted, but I cast the pain aside. If Seris was here herself¡ªwith Cylrit and Lyra of Highblood Dreide, so far as I could sense¡ªthen they hadn¡¯t known how else to prevent the cryan refugees from bing walking bombs.


    But Arthur wasn¡¯t in Vildorial. He was the objective. Perhaps if I am able to convince them of that fact, they can leave without retribution from Agrona, I thought hopefully.


    By the time I had exited the pce, cryan soldiers were already streaming from a partially copsed tunnel into one of the dwarven n¡¯s personal residences. Dicathian soldiers were hurrying out of the pce ahead of me and forming up across the road above the breach, preventing the cryans froming this way.


    The response from below was slower. Most of Vildorial¡¯s soldiers had been arranged in support of the sealed-off gateways into and out of the city, as well as at strategic defensive positions to protect infrastructure and the civilians.


    The flow of cryans wasn¡¯t exactly rapid, with the tunnel they were exiting from half-copsed, but Seris and the two retainers must have arrived first, paving the way for the others.


    Now, Seris and Cylrit were engaged with Bairon over the city. Even as I watched, Bairon unleashed attacks at the cavern wall, attempting to close off the tunnel from which cryan soldiers were issuing, but clouds of dark mist¡ªSeris¡¯s void technique¡ªabsorbed every one of his lightning sts before they couldnd.


    I stood frozen, unsure what to do next.


    Was my blood down there, fighting for Agrona? Or had they resisted and met the fate that would have taken me if not for my new spellform and Ellie?


    I couldn¡¯t reach Seris while she was fighting the Lance. Even if I¡¯d had the energy to fight, I couldn¡¯t turn against either the cryans under Seris¡ªmost of whom I had served with throughout the short-lived rebellion¡ªor the Dicathians that had allowed me to live among them.


    Waves of magic, drawn in the air like lines of ck noise, spilled across the battlefield below. Retainer Lyra. As the foundations of an idea churned sluggishly to life in my head, I began sprinting down the highway with the forces still trickling out of the dwarven pce.


    I hadn¡¯t gone five steps before another problem presented itself.


    I slowed well before the fighting, not wanting to get caught up in it. Lyra¡¯s me-red hair was visible like a battleg near the center of the cryan forces. The Vildorian soldiers wereunching spells and mundane attacks from both sides, but Lyra countered many of them all by herself. cryan Strikers were driving into the Dicathians, trying to burst through the lines.


    ¡°Lyra!¡± I shouted, but she gave no indication of hearing me. The sounds of battle¡ªspellfire, shouted orders, and the screams of the wounded¡ªswallowed my voice before it could reach her.


    And yet it was far too great a risk to try and press through the front lines, where I could be mistaken as an enemybatant by soldiers on either side.


    With the little mana I had drawn in and purified since the detonation of my runes, I reached for the emblem that empowered my wind-attribute spells. Fatigue burned behind my temples in response, but the magic only flickered.


    A stream of boiling water arced over the front line of Dicathians and fell among the mages, sizzling against the stonework only a few feet from me. At the same time, the highway trembled beneath my feet as, below, a huge boulder of ice crashed down into the forces attempting to block the lower direction.


    Before I could gather the strength to attempt another casting, a shockwave of subaudible noise mmed into the Dicathian lines, tossing dozens upon dozens of dwarves and their human and elven allies to the ground. cryan mages forged up the highway toward me, sprinting right past the prone soldiers.


    ¡°Into the pce!¡± Lyra¡¯s voice sounded, issuing from the air itself as if she were standing right beside me. ¡°Search every room, every level. We must find Arthur Leywin.¡±


    Behind me, the elite pce guard, all mages, moved into position across the pce entrance. They held up rune-etched shields and worked in concert to conjure a magical barrier over the heavy doors, which were being dragged shut behind them.


    Making a decision, I rushed forward, weaving between the retreating Dicathians who were being pushed back by the sudden surge. If only I could reach Lyra, I could¡ª


    ¡°Caera!¡±


    My gaze snapped around, searching the lines of charging cryans. It was with a mixture of relief and horror that I met the eyes of my adoptive mother, Lenora. Corbett was with her, as were Taegen and Arian, my protectors. I recognized soldiers and guards of the Denoir blood interspersed throughout the surrounding battle groups as well.


    Fortifying myself with a deep breath, I plunged onward, dodging the asional spell and avoiding the Dicathians as best I could. My adoptive blood was slowing, other battle groups rushing onward, flowing around them in a tide of magic and steel. Behind, though, those Dicathian soldiers knocked down by the sonic st were slowly getting back to their feet.


    ¡°Arthur isn¡¯t here!¡± I found myself shouting as soon as I was close enough to make myself heard clearly. ¡°Fall back! He isn¡¯t in Vildorial!¡±


    ¡°Vritra¡¯s horns, Caera, you¡¯re alive,¡± Lenora gushed, wrapping me in her arms. She was sobbing, I realized, and a cool dread drew in my chest. ¡°Where¡¯s Lauden?¡±


    Corbett, looking out of ce in his ill-fitting leather armor and wielding a shield and spear, blinked several times and wouldn¡¯t look directly at me. ¡°It would seem you and Scythe Seris¡ªLady Seris¡ªinspired in your brother a reckless courage, Caera. He¡­¡±


    Corbett hesitated, but I already knew what he was going to say. I swallowed down the conflicted emotions Lauden¡¯s sacrifice conjured within me. There would be time to face themter¡ªif we survived.


    ¡°You have to fall back,¡± I forged on. ¡°Retreat from the city if you can. Take your men, as many as will follow you.¡±


    The mask of pain on Corbett¡¯s face cracked. ¡°Did you not hear me? Your brother is already dead, and you would have us meet the same fate? There is no refusing this, Caera.¡± He suddenly regarded me with suspicion. ¡°Although this does not seem true for everyone equally.¡±


    Lenora stepped in front of him, scowling viciously. ¡°By the Vritra, Corbett, use that blistering intellect that brought me to love you.¡±


    He stared at her, affronted.


    Farther down the road, the front line of the Dicathians had been cornered into a knot, now surrounded by our people. The cryans who exited the copsed tunnel were dispersing out into the city with only token opposition.


    ¡°Please, listen to me,¡± I begged him, something I couldn¡¯t recall ever doing in my adult life. ¡°I heard the message. And your mission here is alreadyplete, father. Arthur isn¡¯t here, I swear it on my life.¡±


    As the word ¡°father¡± left my lips, Corbett¡¯s expression softened. ¡°I¡­of course. I see.¡± He nced around at the perimeter of battle groups who had hesitated to move forward without him, all members and servants of the Denoir blood. ¡°Men! Fall back to the portal. Fall back! Our quarry isn¡¯t in the city.¡±


    I suppressed a surprised smile as Lenora wove her arm through mine. Arian gave me a small nod and a quick wink, while Taegan glowered around at the battle still unfolding above and below us on the highway, a big hammer clutched in two white-knuckled fists.


    ¡°If I can reach Lyra Dreide, I can¡ª¡±


    A bolt of ck and blue mes streaked into our midsts, exploding against a quickly conjured shield only inches away. I felt myself lift up off the ground andnd hard before rolling. With hardly any mana to protect me, the impact with the hard stone felt like being trampled by a herd of wogarts.


    Corbett had been driven to his knees, while Arian had managed to catch Lenora. Taegen rushed forward, putting himself between my blood and the attacker, but then he hesitated.


    There was a glint of flickering silver wire, too fast for a shield to form, and blood spurted from Taegen¡¯s throat. The big warrior looked down at the blood spilling over his chest in confusion, then one hand pressed against his neck. Realization hit him toote, and his hammer clunked against the ground, followed quickly by his knees as he copsed.


    ¡°No¡­¡± I breathed out, the effort sending a sharp pain through my ribs and chest.


    Still on the ground, I followed the line of Taegen¡¯s dead-eyed stare to my great-uncle, Justus. His hair and thick goatee had gone a little more gray since thest I¡¯d seen him. His dark eyes red with rage. Unlike Corbett, Justus wore ornate armor and carried a beautiful sword at his hip. A sliver-thin fment of silver wire orbited around him.


    ¡°What in the abyss do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Lenora snapped, causing Arian to pull her back and shift his footing to ensure he was in front of her. ¡°Exin yourself, Justus! Give us one reason not to¡ª¡±


    Another blue-ck ball of fire leapt at them, but several shields appeared this time, absorbing it all. My focus seemed to fade in and out as I searched for the Caster, and when I found her, I could hardly believe what I was seeing.


    Aunt Melitta was holding another me in her hand. The expression of purest hatred on her face would have been enough to take my breath away, if I had caught it to begin with.


    ¡°Melitta?¡± Corbett said in disbelief. He scanned the mages who had gathered around Justus, triggering me to do the same. They were Denoir soldiers, and several members of our extended blood.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare speak to me, Highlord Denoir,¡± she snarled, her voice like a scythe through the noise ofbat. Looking Corbett in the eye, she spit on the ground. ¡°You¡¯ve destroyed us, you and that witch, Seris.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± Corbett asked, his voice dark with dread.


    Tears leaked from Melitta¡¯s eyes, and her entire body clenched like a fist. I thought she was going to throw another fireball, but instead the tension burst out of her in a choked yell. ¡°Arden is dead, you bastard! And Colm¡­Arlo¡­my husband and children, dead. Because of you. Because you chose to fight against a god.¡±


    Corbett paled. The Denoir blood had always been aggressively political and the rtionships between blood members fraught with tension, but Corbett and Arden had always remained steadfastly loyal to one another.


    And the little ones. Colm¡­Arlo¡­ ¡°Who would harm children?¡± I asked, but my voice was lost beneath the waves of sound issuing from the battle both above and below us.


    ¡°The moment you sided with Seris, you damned Highblood Denoir,¡± Justus said, coiling the silver wire tightly. ¡°But I will reim our honor. First, by killing you and all your traitorous unnamed, and then by finding and delivering Arthur Leywin to the High Sovereign.¡± He shed with his hands, and the silver fment shed.


    Shields sprang up and spells exploded from both sides. Both sides charged, and suddenly a third front to the battle erupted, except this one was cryan against cryan, blood against blood.


    A shockwave knocked me back again, and I felt myself roll several times before sliding to a stop. I reached for my new spellform, and mes danced across my skin, but the effect was weak, and the effort conjured a screaming pain from my core.


    Desperately, I searched down the highway for Lyra. If she stepped in, the fighting would have to stop¡ªbut there had been a surge of dwarven troops from the city center, and they were pushing up the highway. They had nearly reached the tunnel still issuing cryan soldiers, and she was upied fending them off.


    The fight between Seris, Cylrit, and Bairon had moved out of sight. Although I could still feel the waves of their power crashing against one another in the distance, Seris or Cylrit could not help me either.


    Slowly, I stood. Corbett was locked in battle with Justus, while Lenora fended off spells from Melitta. Arian was engaged with two Denoir Strikers, and soldiers on both sides fought and died all around them. The crimson de of my sword rang as it slid from its sheath, two of the silver shards ejected from my bracer and began to orbit around me, and I strode forward with a calm I didn¡¯t feel.


    A woman I recognized as one of Justus¡¯s personal guards charged at me, a frosted steel axe held firmly in both hands. Again, I imbued mana into my new spellform, pushing more forcefully this time, and mes spilled out from me, racing along the ground toward the woman. The smoke and fire twisted and danced around me while forming into several burning silhouettes identical in shape to me.


    The Striker hesitated, her focus shifting rapidly between the different apparitions. My de hissed as it cut the air, and she whirled and brought up her axe, catching the blow. At the same time, ance of ck fire burned into the woman¡¯s calf from one of my orbitals. She screamed and went down on one knee, and I kicked her in the chest, sending her sprawling.


    ¡°Stop this!¡± I shouted, trying to imbue my voice withmand. ¡°Lay down your arms and listen.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve listened to you too much already!¡± Melitta screamed, turning her mes on me even as my own illusory fire was fading. As her fireballunched toward me, a shield of rapidly whirling dark mana appeared to deflect it back at her. She had to dodge out of the way, and one of their own soldiers was engulfed unexpectedly.


    Then blood sprayed the ground, and Corbett fell, a long, snaking gash down his leg.


    Justus didn¡¯t wait to savor his victory but turned his attention onto me. ¡°You are just as culpable as your adoptive father, you selfish, traitorous girl.¡± Even as he spoke, his silver wire was shing toward me.


    I batted it aside, but the force of the blow made me stumble back. Lenora had bent over Corbett, wrapping them both in a protective barrier, and no other Shield was nearby to protect me. When the next strike came, my block was even more desperate, and I was quickly forced back across the highway.


    The plunging edge loomed in my periphery, and I suddenly realized my back was to a hundred-foot fall to the next level of houses.


    I blocked again and again, and then suddenly the silver wire had wrapped around my crimson sword. With a sharp tug, the de went flying, ttering over the stone too far away for me to reach.


    Lenora had realized what was happening by now and struggled toe to my aid, but Melitta once again had her pinned down, and it was all she could do to keep herself and Corbett from being burned to ash.


    Justus¡¯s cold, hate-filled eyes stabbed into my own. ¡°For Highblood Denoir,¡± he said proudly, and his spell shed.


    A thin rapier caught it, deflecting the wire and preventing it from cutting my throat. Arian flourished his weapon, appearing as if from nowhere to step fully in front of me. ¡°Apologies for the dy, mydy. I should¡¯vee to your aid sooner.¡±


    The wire coiled and snapped at Arian like a sovereign cobra, but my protector¡¯s rapier shed with blinding speed as he blocked again and again, seeming more than a match for Justus.


    A fireball exploded directly in front of us. A rapidly cast shield absorbed part of the blow and kept the heat from incinerating us, but Arian was lifted off his feet and thrown into me. I fell backwards, feeling my feet leave solid ground. The road¡¯s edge rose up and away from me as I plummeted beneath it.


    In pure desperation, I scrambled to hold onto Arian, who was falling with me. Despite the buffeting wind of our fall whistling past, he twisted with catlike grace, wrapping his arms around me and turning our bodies. I realized toote what he meant to do, but he had crushed my body to his and was supporting my head and neck against his chest. Mana wrapped around him and infused his muscles, extending slightly out to me.


    I shut my eyes.


    The darkness went red, and I understood only pain as all the air left my lungs. Everything was ringing and moving, and I felt the contents of my stomach erupting up my esophagus. This physical sensation drew my attention to my body, specifically its individual parts, all of which were now in agony.


    And yet the fact that I felt pain at all meant I wasn¡¯t done.


    I struggled to open my eyes. I was lying on my side, and the first thing I saw was Arian. Blood leaked from his mouth and pooled around his head. His eyes were closed, but there was an uneven rising and falling of his chest.


    I experienced no sense of time as Iy there unmoving, thinking only that I needed to get up, needed to help him, butcked the ability to do so. I was struggling to breathe, and through all the pain, I could almost feel my pulse weakening.


    My body is in shock, I deduced with the air of one discovering a new aspect of magic.


    I began honing my senses in on my limbs one at a time. First, I wiggled my toes, then rolled my ankles. When I moved my legs, pain shot through my hips and back. Next, I moved my arms, and finally, I rolled onto my stomach.


    Burning ws of agony drove into my abdomen and chest, and I was sick again.


    Shaking, I pushed myself up, first to my hands and knees and then, wobbling, onto my feet.


    It was a minor miracle that my legs held my weight, but they did. I stumbled and had to support myself against the wall of a carved-stone house, but I didn¡¯t fall.


    Movement farther down the street I¡¯dnded on pulled my head around, which caused it to swim dangerously and my bnce to falter. I leaned my back against the wall and closed my eyes, waiting for the spinning to stop. When I could open them again, I watched a familiar figure with ash-brown hair vault over a rooftop and a white arrow of pure manaunch from her bow.


    Taking deep breaths, each one of which made my chest thrum with a deeply inset pain, I cleared my head and pushed myself away from the wall. My only thought was to reach her. Ellie would help me. Alice could heal Arian. Couldn¡¯t she?


    The walk down the street seemed to take a lifetime. The noise of battle was everywhere, but there was no fighting directly around me. The road carved into the cavern wall, and I lost sight of Ellie. It wasn¡¯t until I rounded the bend, clearing a row of dwarven homes, that I saw her again.


    I stopped, wobbling again as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing.


    ¡°Kids?¡± I said aloud, certain it was a hallucination or some trick of my injury.


    Because it looked to me as if Ellie had taken a handful of the students from Central Academy prisoner. But why would they be in Vildorial?


    Everything snapped into ce.


    ¡°Eleanor!¡± I gasped, stumbling toward her.


    She looked away from her prisoners and let out a horrified gasp, taking a couple of halting steps toward me before remembering to keep her arrow trained on the students. ¡°Caera¡­but what happened? Are you¡­¡± She snapped out of her stupor. ¡°We need to get you to my mom.¡± To the students, she said, ¡°Pick up your friend. Come on, you¡¯re prisoners of war now. My mom¡¯s an emitter¡ªa healer.¡±


    The students seemed confused and uncertain, but as Ellie let down her bow and rushed to me, taking some of my weight, theyplied.


    ¡°Arian¡ªmy guardian¡ªhe needs¡­¡±


    Mana rushed into me as Ellie activated her spellform, easing the aching of my core. Without conscious effort, the mana then seeped out into my body, helping to ease the pain.


    I faded in and out as I sagged onto Ellie in relief, conscious only of putting one foot before the other. The students and Ellie exchanged a few words, but I didn¡¯tprehend them. We crossed paths with other cryans, but they looked at me and passed us by. Then we met Dicathians giving chase, but they looked at Ellie and left us alone as well.


    We took a winding, difficult path downward, avoiding the main highway, which was fraught withbat.


    I could see the Earthborn Institute, and beyond it, the lower levels of the cavern, when the trembling began. Like an earthquake, it ran through the entire cavern at once. Far below, a perfectly circr hole opened up in the floor of the lowest level, barely visible to me. I squinted, thinking perhaps the hole was in my vision, but something wasing out of it.


    Again, I thought it must be the shock or perhaps a concussion, but then the others began speaking as well.


    ¡°Vritra¡¯s horns, what is that?¡±


    ¡°Is it some kind of beast?¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t that a person?¡±


    ¡°Look, there are more of them.¡±


    ¡°Abyss take us, look how many¡­¡±


    Knowing I wasn¡¯t seeing things, I looked closer. The first creature to crawl out of the hole was lizardlike, though it walked on two hind legs, half again as tall as a man. Except¡­the mana beast seemed to be only an organicponent of something else. Glowing veins traced its scales, which were pale gray, as if bleached of all color. The chest was covered in a thick, rune-etched te of blue-gray metal, but the stomach was open, revealing a mechanical substructure beneath the organic surface, shielded by a gently glowingyer of transparent mana.


    The lower jaw had been removed, revealing more of the translucent mana. Through it, I could barely see the concentrating face of a young man, his eyes hidden behind a rune-etched band.


    His arms, too, were slightly visible through gaps within the organic mana beast flesh and underlying substructure of gray-blue metal, where more translucent mana protected the inner arms of the mana beast¡ªI wasn¡¯t sure what to call it. Armor? An exoskeleton of some sort? Clutched in one overge, wed fist was a sword too big for an unadorned tofortably wield, but which fit therge mana beast perfectly.


    ¡°Is that a person?¡± Ellie asked with a shiver. ¡°There''s no manaing from them, yet they''re releasing such a strong aura. But how¡­?¡±


    My tongue felt thick in my mouth as I spoke. ¡°So, this is Gideon¡¯s secret project.¡±

 Chapter 471

    <h4>Chapter 471</h4>


    Chapter 469: Hunted


    <strong>ELEANOR LEYWIN</strong>


    ¡°Is that a person?¡± A shiver ran down my spine as I realized what I was seeing. ¡°There''s no manaing from them, yet they''re releasing such a strong aura. But how¡­?¡±


    ¡°So, this is Gideon¡¯s secret project,¡± Caera said beside me, the words thick in her mouth.


    I shot the young woman with the short golden hair a worried look. ¡°We need to get you all to a healer.¡± Hesitant, still not quite sure what these cryans were thinking, I added, ¡°It¡­looks like the battle is turning.¡±


    The lizard-person-thing was so fast that it had already reached the highway, leaping twenty feet in the air to clear a little pastry shop andnd on the embankment right in front of several groups of cryans who had reached the lowest levels.


    The cryans began to throw spells, but the many streaks of orange, green, and red mostly bounced off the gray scales. The thing¡ªsoldier? Suit? I couldn¡¯t make up my mind what to call it¡ªspun, swiping away two Strikers with a single blow of its tail and showing us its back, which had a framework of some kind of metal fixed right into the flesh, scales, meat, and bone. Any gaps in the steel and flesh were covered by more of the transparent mana barrier.


    A second of the human-piloted mana beast suits reached the battle. This one had thick bleached-gray fur, missing in tufts. The arms were powerfully built and supported with more metal, and armor tes were inset into its flesh across its broad chest and ribs. Tusks protruded to each side of the pilot¡¯s face, where the mana beast¡¯s wide jaw would have been. It cleared a ten foot jump with ease, soaring past a Striker to crush and gore a Shield.


    More of the strange, somewhat grotesque, things came out, and soon a small army was sweeping the cryans from the streets. I probably should have felt relief, or even glory at the victory, but really all I felt was a faint queasiness, which moved into my head and made me dizzy.


    Searching inside, I realized I¡¯d depleted more of my mana than I¡¯d first thought. Within my body, five spheres of mana burned brightly, each one sitting at a primary intersection of my mana channels. I reached for one of these spheres, which I had painstakingly gathered and stored within myself. When my consciousness touched one, it melted away into pure mana, which then rushed through my channels and into my core, revitalizing me.


    My grip on Caera tightened. ¡°Come on, we need to find Mom. Boo¡¯s with her, hopefully still at the Earthborn Institute where I left her. We¡¯re almost there.¡±


    ¡°But my guardian¡­¡± Caera looked over her shoulder, back in the direction she¡¯d originally appeared.


    In turn, I shot a pointed look at the rest of our group: the two cryan boys carrying the unconscious girl with the short golden hair, Ma, and Caera herself, who could barely stand even with the mana I¡¯d given her. I knew I could condense mana into a kind of litter to carry her friend, but it was already going to be a difficult journey. ¡°We¡¯ll have to send someone when we reach the institute.¡±


    Caera reluctantly nodded, and I started moving away cautiously, leading the group of cryans toward shelter and, hopefully, my mom.


    We hadn¡¯t gone far when one of the pilots, this one in a silver-furred mana beast much like a bear, its torso open but shrouded with the transparent barrier, its insides supported by a structure of bluish metal, charged up to us. Thankfully he recognized me¡ªalthough I wasn¡¯t sure how he could see with the rune-covered cloth across his eyes¡ªand quickly epted that I had taken the group of wounded, tired young cryans prisoners before moving off again.


    We made it to the level of the Earthborn Institute not far from its gates, and I was surprised to see them shut. Still supporting the majority of Caera¡¯s weight, I shouted up at the guards. ¡°Hey! Open up, I have wounded prisoners who need to reach the emitter, Alice Leywin!¡±


    A dwarf with a trimmed ck beard and t, crooked nose peered out of an arrow slit, his helm scraping the sides of the narrow opening. ¡°The Earthborn Institute is in lockdown, Eleanor! I can¡¯t unseal the doors until Lord Carnelian himself releases the hold!¡±


    I gaped up at the guard, whose name was Bolgermud. ¡°Is my mom still there?¡±


    He nched. ¡°I¡¯ve heard her yelling even through the inner doors. I believe it was her intention to join the fighting, or at least get out there to utilize her skills as a healer, but she was caught within when Lord Earthborn locked the pce down.¡±


    I turned around to look at my ¡°prisoners.¡± Although their curse hadn¡¯t been set off by their ¡°defeat,¡± I couldn¡¯t be confident that they weren¡¯t still a threat, or that they themselves weren¡¯t in danger.


    My eyes slid off them to where more of the mana beast pilots were fighting in the distance, pushing the cryans back and hunting them through the city. Perhaps it didn¡¯t matter; Gideon¡¯s secret project seemed to have been a sess, and although the battle hadn¡¯t been won yet, it wouldn¡¯t take too long now. Still, I couldn¡¯t seem to release the knot that had formed in my stomach.


    ¡°Is there somewhere else we can go?¡± Ma asked, her voice small. ¡°En needs help. She¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯ll be an emitter or two up in Lodenhold,¡± I answered, knowing I didn¡¯t sound entirely confident. ¡°We might be able to reach the pce, if the fighting isn¡¯t too bad¡­¡±


    ¡°Seris,¡± Caera said, her voice raspy with pain and fatigue. ¡°We should find Seris. Or Lyra. They need to¡­know everything. They can end the fighting.¡±


    Remembering the presence of the two powerful cryans, who were my brother¡¯s ally¡¯s, I searched for the signs of their battle only to realize that I could no longer sense it. Activating the first phase of my beast will, I drew on the senses of a guardian beast and scanned the city. Following the signs of where the powerful mages had shed, I sensed the distant but muted mana signatures of white core mages.


    ¡°Lance Bairon has driven them into some of the side tunnels.¡± I pointed. ¡°There, where that barrier ispletely shattered.¡±


    Caera had closed her eyes and was frowning with concentration. ¡°I can barely sense anything. I¡¯m too weak.¡±


    Nerves gripped me like the ws of the mechanized mana beasts now battling the cryan invaders all across the city, but I shook them off. My own life, and the lives of those following me, relied on me keeping a level head.


    Since there was no point in begging Bolgermud, I instead inspected the smooth stone walls of the Earthborn Institute¡¯s outer courtyard. They were twenty feet high at least, with no grooves or imperfections for getting a handhold. There was no way I could get Caera or the injured girl over. There were the newly installed bunkers, but we¡¯d have to go all the way through the city to reach them. And even if we did, would there be any emitters there? En needed help immediately.


    ¡°We have to do something,¡± the boy with the dark skin¡ªValen, I thought they¡¯d called him¡ª said, tense as a drawn bow. ¡°We can¡¯t just stand here and wait for one side or the other to decide to attack us.¡±


    ¡°No one is going to attack you¡ª¡± I started, but my words turned into a yelp as dark fire suddenly rained from the air, sshing against the Earthborn Institute¡¯s outer walls. I threw up a barrier of bright white mana around us, and Seth conjured a barrier beneath mine. ¡°What the¡­¡±


    I felt the fire burning through my mana like it was alive inside my mana veins.


    ¡°Soulfire,¡± Caera gasped. She was frantically searching the cavern for the spell¡¯s source. ¡°But who¡­?¡±


    I gritted my teeth so hard they hurt, giving every ounce of my concentration to holding the barrier in ce. The ck mes¡ªsoulfire¡ªkept burning through in small patches even as I absorbed a second of the mana reservoirs, and it was only due to Seth¡¯s secondary barrier that we weren¡¯t engulfed. It was the most powerful spell I¡¯d ever felt, and it wasn¡¯t even targeted toward us; the mes were raining down over half of Vildorial.


    On a level below us, I watched as the gray fur of an upright thorned growler, which was supported by aplex exoskeletal structure of the bluish steel and mechanical parts I couldn¡¯t describe, dissolved beneath the mes. The translucent barriers of mana shrouding the pilot within fizzled away, and then the mes ate into the pilot too. The suit and pilot copsed, neither moving again.


    Suddenly the fiery rain faded, and I released the shield with a gasp. There were several explosions all at once, and three of the stone-shrouded passageways out of the city burst inward with a hail of rock and dust. Soldiers in the ck and crimson of crya began to pour through in groups of three and four.


    I gaped at Caera and the others, but I could tell from their expressions that they were just as surprised as I was.


    The soldiers piloting the mana beasts suits began to turn away from the route of the first cryans and back toward the new arrivals, but even I could see that they were struggling to organize. This fresh wave of enemies was more organized and dedicated to the fight, and they showed no inclination to break free of the defense and into the city, instead taking the fight directly to any Dicathians they saw.


    The closest of the breached tunnels was only a level below us, and already the cryans were spilling up the road. We would be trapped with our backs against the massive iron gates, and there was no way we¡¯d reach the bunkers now.


    ¡°We need to head back up, toward the pce,¡± I said, finally deciding on a course. ¡°If we avoid the highway, we can probably stay away from the advancing forces and the worst of the fighting until we¡¯re almost there.¡± As I spoke, I reached out for Boo, mentally calling him. Knowing Mom was safe inside the Earthborn Institute gave me the confidence to summon him away from her, and the big guardian bear appeared beside me with a faint pop.


    I scratched him between the eyes. ¡°Thanks, big guy.¡±


    He rumbled, then his small dark eyesnded dangerously on the others aside from Caera. They backed away nervously.


    I turned to lead them back up the cavern, but three cryan battle groups had already broken away and were quickly marching toward us. Behind them, two of the mana beast machines mmed into the front lines of therger force.


    ¡°You''re my prisoners, and your mission in this city is over. If you try to escape, I¡¯ll have no choice but to kill you,¡± I said, trying to add a level of fierceness to my voice that I didn¡¯t feel.


    Caera suddenly took me roughly by the arm and began marching in the direction of the other cryans.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I hissed nervously. Boo rumbled, bristling.


    She shot me a re. ¡°Just y along,¡± she said from the corner of her mouth. The sudden hostility didn¡¯t extend to her tone of voice.


    I steadied my breathing, trusting herpletely.


    ¡°You there, who is inmand of this force?¡± Caera yelled when the cryan soldiers were still fifty feet or more away. ¡°There is no sign of our target here. Report to yourmander; we¡¯re falling back.¡±


    A short, thick woman who could have been mistaken for a dwarf eyed Caera¡¯s horns. ¡°A Vritra-blooded among the rebels and traitors? That¡¯s a surprise. And a damned shame. No mind, though. I¡¯ve got my orders and you¡¯ve got yours. Do your bloody job or the High Sovereign will light you up like a candle, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve done my job,¡± Caera insisted, holding herself firmly, her presencemanding despite her fatigue. ¡°The signal needs to be sent. Lance Arthur Leywin isn¡¯t in¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait a second,¡± the woman interrupted, her focus settling on me. Her eyes flicked between me and Boo, then went wide. ¡°You¡¯ve captured one of our targets. How¡¯d you do that then?¡± Instead of waiting for an answer, she looked at the man next to her, a wire-thin mage wearing dark battlerobes with crimson pauldrons and blood-red chain lining peeking through. ¡°That¡¯s her, isn¡¯t it? The sister? She¡¯s even got the bear, like they said.¡±


    I felt my eyes widening before I could stop myself. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It is!¡± the woman said, practically shouting. ¡°Hand her over. We¡¯ll deliver her to Scythe Melzri directly.¡±


    Caera nced at me, caught wrong-footed. I gave the smallest of nods.


    Spinning, I ripped my arm free of her grip, unslung my bow from my shoulder, drew, and fired at the enemy soldier¡¯s throat before her brows even finished rising.


    A shield of green-tinged wind enveloped my target as the thin man cast a spell, and my arrow burst against it.


    Caera lunged forward, her hands sprouting ck mes. At the same time, she melted away into several ghostly copies of herself, each one drawn in gray fire. The stout woman was bringing up her gauntleted fists to defend herself, but Caera reappeared right in front of her, and her me-wreathed hand pierced the shield and wrapped around the woman¡¯s throat.


    The ck fire didn¡¯t burn the woman¡¯s flesh. Instead, it almost looked like it was being drawn into her pores.


    The soldier let out a choked gasp. One gauntleted fist mmed into Caera¡¯s chest. Blue hair waved like a g as Caera was tossed backwards, a secondary shield appearing far toote to help dampen the blow as Seth struggled to react in time.


    Caera hit the ground hard, her breath rushing out in a pained gasp.


    I dodged away from a st of concussive sound, threw out three small discs of condensed mana, tucked into a roll, and came back up to my feet with an arrow of golden light against the string of my bow. Caera struggled to stand as the arrow struck her in the chest. It melted against her body and wrapped around her, giving her a protectiveyer of pure mana.


    The stout cryan soldier was already on the ground, ck fire dancing from her mouth, nose, and eyes. I could feel the mana burning in her flesh.


    Boo let out a resounding roar and charged.


    The Shield cursed and started to fall back. ¡°Melzri wants the girl alive if possible, but don¡¯t hesitate to kill her if necessary.¡±


    Several of the other cryans surged forward, weapons drawn and spells prepared. The discs of mana exploded, sending the two remaining Strikers and one Caster flying as the Shields struggled to react. Boo pounced on the fallen Caster, who was only saved by a gleaming shield of ck stone that formed a dome over them.


    A winged creature shed by overhead, diving into the chaos and tossing the remaining cryans aside. The dragons! I thought, my heart in my throat.


    But it wasn¡¯t a dragon. Nor was it a beast; at least, not entirely.


    The mechanical mana beast form stood at least nine feet tall and looked kind of like a lithe griffon standing on its hind legs. Steel-gray feathered wings opened out to its sides like scythes, and as it spun the feathers sliced through a barrier of gusting wind and then the thin Shield behind it. The form wielded a huge glowing orange sword in one taloned forew, which it brought down on a reeling Striker. The big cryan seemed infantile next to the huge machine, and his mana-imbued de like a child¡¯s toy.


    Steel sparked, and the Striker¡¯s arm gave way a moment before glowing hot steel parted his flesh from shoulder to hip.


    A sparkling ball of lightning nced off the gray feathers and flew harmlessly away. One wing came around to block a steaming ball of ck ice and metal spikes. As the machine spun, I saw through the transparent mana sheathing where the beast¡¯s throat used to be to the woman within. Although her eyes were covered by the same rune-etched band of silk I¡¯d seen on the other pilots, I still recognized her: ire deheart.


    I¡¯d seen her around thebs while working with Gideon and Emily to test my spellform. I didn¡¯t know her, but I knew about her, especially how her core had been destroyed years ago, during the attack on Xyrus Academy that caused Arthur to be arrested by the Lances. But watching her move now, I wouldn¡¯t have guessed that she had no magic of her own; she fought like a silver core augmenter.


    With the talons of her free w, she ripped open an enemy Caster, then did a kind of mid-air pirouette. At the conclusion of the spin, several feathersunched from her wings like arrows. A few pinged off the two barriers being conjured by the enemy Shields, but more struck home, dropping three of the enemy mages in a single strike.


    A woman wrapped in conjured stone-and-metal armor and spikes threw herself on ire¡¯s back and pummeled spiked fists into the mana barrier covering parts of her exposed lower back, which could be seen through a mesh of mechanical braces.


    Shaking off the horrified awe of the fight, I sent an arrow of pure mana through thest Striker¡¯s eye. She went limp and slumped off ire, who proceeded to wade through the remaining cryans with brutal efficiency.


    When thest Shield fell and the dome of obsidian copsed, Boo¡¯s jaws closed over the final mage¡¯s skull with a wet crunch, then he returned to my side, sniffing the air warily as he regarded ire.


    She, in turn, was scanning our surroundings. Apparently deciding it was safe enough for the moment, she turned the griffon¡¯s beaked face toward me.


    ¡°Eleanor Leywin. You shouldn¡¯t be out here,¡± she said. Her voice was muffled and distorted, almost as if she were speaking to me from under water. The griffon¡¯s head shifted slightly so ire¡¯s face pointed toward Caera, who was still on one knee. ¡°And Lady Caera Denoir. You very likely shouldn¡¯t be either. You would both make likely targets for the enemy.¡±


    ¡°These mages¡±¡ªI indicated the field of corpses¡ª¡°said they were looking for me.¡±


    ire nodded once, sharply, the beak of her machine scything down. ¡°Then we need to get you to safety. I can carry you, but only you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got injured with me,¡± I hurried to say. ¡°These two both need healers immediately. If you could guide us to the pce, help guard us, we could¡ª¡±


    Suddenly ire was spinning and bringing her de up to deflect a blow I hadn¡¯t even seening. The shockwave threw me off my feet, and Inded on my back hard enough to knock the air from my lungs. When I looked up, I found myself on the edge of a crater that had been smashed into the street outside the Earthborn Institute.


    ire was face down at the center of the crater. A woman with pure white hair and jet ck horns stood over her. The woman¡¯s dark eyes were full of disgust as she regarded thebination of organic mana beast and magical mechanisms that supported it. Through the transparent patches of mana along the back of the torso, I could see ire struggling inside.


    The same ck mes from before wreathed one of the woman¡¯s long curved swords. She raised the de over ire¡¯s helpless form, then brought it down with a sh of dark fire.


    ng!


    Wind blew through my hair from the force of the strike and nausea threatened to overwhelm me.


    The fire-wreathed sword was hovering a foot and a half above the back of ire¡¯s neck. A crimson spear had appeared beneath it, catching the blow. Lance Bairon held the spear¡¯s haft with both hands, and bright blue lightning ran across the surface of the armor covering his straining arms.


    The woman regarded him with red-rimmed eyes. When she spoke, her voice was thick with fatigue. ¡°For my sister¡¯s death, I¡¯vee to im several deaths in return, as I am owed. I will start with yours, Thunderlord.¡±


    Bairon grunted as he pushed her sword up and away, forcing her back a step. ¡°Evil begets evil, Scythe. You can¡¯t hope to live a life of dealing death without that same death eventually finding you.¡±


    She shifted her stance to something a little more cautious and began to circle around him to have a clear path toward us. ¡°Evil?¡± She scoffed, jaded. ¡°The High Sovereign wants Arthur Leywin¡¯s core, but I don¡¯t give a shit about any of that. Leywin killed Viessa, and so I am honor-bound to kill his sister. After that, all these asura can choke on their own blood for all I care.¡±


    Bairon¡¯s back foot shifted, and stone cracked beneath him as he pushed off, driving the crimson spear forward in multiple quick thrusts. The scythe I assumed to be Melzri blocked and countered with the burning sword even as her second de became wrapped in cutting lines of ck wind. This second sword snapped out, and the ck wind carved the air all around us.


    I curled into a ball where Iy, instinctively pushing outward with mana to form a silvery bubble. The bombardment of cuts and shes tore my mana to ribbons in an instant. A heavy, furry presence crushed down on me, pressing me into the street. Metal screamed as it was ripped apart, and something heavy struck the ground hard enough to make it tremble beneath me.


    I couldn¡¯t open my eyes, but I felt each release of mana like a physical blow to my chest. Pained grunts, desperate moans, and frightened screams issued from all around me, but I couldn¡¯t move even an inch as spellfire tore the street to shreds.


    This isn¡¯t the Relictombs, I thought with sudden desperation. If I die here, I won¡¯t just step out of a portal to try again¡­


    The desperate thought seemed to sap my strength and clutch my lungs, making it impossible to catch my breath. I couldn¡¯t fight Scythes or retainers or Wraiths like Arthur could. I wasn¡¯t even as strong as ire or Caera. And I¡¯d never get that strong if I died huddled on the ground, fear pumping into me with every painful squeezing of my heart¡­


    Boo¡¯s pain leaked through our shared connection.


    My eyes snapped open. Through Boo¡¯s shaggy fur, I could just make out Seth huddled nearby, his focus on holding a shield around Valen and En, both of whom were lying unmoving on the ground. Ma was crawling away from us toward where the gates of the Earthborn Institute had copsed under the weight of Melzri¡¯s spellfire.


    ¡°Let me up, Boo, we have to move!¡± I shouted, struggling to free myself. The heavy weight and dense fur eased off, and I scrambled forward toward Seth and the others. ¡°Grab the boy,¡± I ordered mypanion as I absorbed another of my stored mana reservoirs and imbued mana into my body.


    Boo grabbed Valen, lifting him up like a mother shadow panther carrying her kittens as I threw En over my shoulder and held out my hand to Seth. He stared at it for what felt like forever, then grabbed it and let himself be pulled up.


    Caera was ahead of me, lifting Ma and dragging one arm around her shoulder so she could support the younger girl¡¯s weight.


    I flinched as a shadow fell over me, but when I nced backward, I found ire, blood-stained but on her feet again, her wings spread wide as she tried to shield us all from behind. ¡°Go!¡± she shouted, pressing a huge talon against my back.


    Instinctively, my gaze tracked across the mechanism she piloted. It was generating its own shielding barrier from within, but the potent aura of mana it was giving off was weakening by the second as des of wind bit into her. Uncertain it would work, I pushed out my own mana, targeting the core of the machine¡ªa beast core, I assumed, and a very powerful one at that.


    My mana infused the beast core, and the machine¡¯s aura intensified. There was no time to wonder about the specifics, and I drained yet another of my mana reserves and hurried my pace, quickly catching up with Ma and Caera as we tried to flee into the now-open outer courtyard of the Earthborn Institute, which would at least give us some shelter from the rapidfire battle happening behind us.


    A force of dwarves filled the dust-choked gap where the institute gates had been. ¡°Inside, inside!¡± Bolgermud shouted, waving to us.


    Seth shot me an uncertain nce, and I pushed his back, urging him onward. We all broke into a hobbling jog, moving between the lines of dwarves with their weapons bared. They fell into position across the opening after we¡¯d passed, magic humming around them as they focused on defensive spells.


    Outside of the copsed gates, Lance Bairon moved like a lightning bolt, and Mezlri responded as a tornado of ck fire and wind, their exchanges little more than a blur of mana-tinged motion that even my enhanced senses could not follow.


    In the face of such power, the tall walls seemed like littlefort.


    We huddled behind the dwarves, alone at the center of therge barren courtyard that led down into the institute and our home there. Valen stirred when Boo set it roughly on the ground, then sat up blearily. I eased En down beside him more carefully; she was still unconscious, her skin pale and mmy. Ma and Seth hurried over to administer what care they could to their friends.


    I didn¡¯t dare waste even a moment of the brief reprieve, and I started absorbing mana. By activating my spellform, I could pull it more quickly and hurry its purification. But I only had moments before a horn was sting, resounding throughout the entire cavern, seeming to issue from the stones themselves and filling the air with a crackling tension.


    ¡°That¡¯s the signal that the city has been cleared,¡± Seth said breathlessly, looking around as if expecting an exnation to manifest out of the dust. ¡°At least for those of us who came with Seris, they should begin pulling out of the city now!¡±


    Ma let out a breath of relief that turned to squirming pain. She reached around and clutched clumsily at the small of her back, which was flickering with visible disys of light.


    Caera grabbed the girl¡¯s face in both hands, forcing Ma to look at her. ¡°This isn¡¯t over. Mission parameters have changed. You need to retreat from the city and await further orders, but you are a prisoner of war. Think it, girl.¡±


    Ma squeezed her eyes shut tight, a look of intense concentration on her face. The rest of us watched breathlessly until, a few secondster, the crackling light along her spine faded.


    Shouts from the line of dwarven guards drew my attention as a line of cutting void wind crashed into them, ripping up the stonework but just missing any of them as Bairon managed to deflect part of the mana. My hands pped over my ears at the following thunderp, and Melzri vanished in a sh of light that left the image of a crimson spear imprinted on my eyeballs.


    Following the sh, the world seemed to go green, and I blinked, trying to get rid of the afterimage. The green fog now clouding my vision only thickened, until the dwarves were nearly hidden from sight. That¡¯s when the screaming started.


    The green tint wasn¡¯t an after-effect of the sh, but a thickly pooling noxious gas that was swallowing our dwarven defenders. As I watched, their exposed skin began to darken, then blister and burst open in bloody boils. One by one, they wed at their faces, eyes, and throats before copsing. Out of the mist, stepping heedlessly through their remains, came a creature that seemed to have crawled up from my deepest nightmares.


    She had stick-thin limbs that stuck out at exaggerated angles like a spider. Thin, damp, swamp-green hair clung to the sides of her malformed face, and rags of dark cloth were practically glued to her jutting ribs.


    ¡°R-retainer Bivrae¡­¡± Seth stammered. Despite his terror, he conjured a shield between us and the horrible woman.


    She bared her teeth in what might have been an evil grin, then swept a wed hand through the air. The shield shattered, and Seth let out a pained gasp.


    Caera stood between us and the retainer. Ghostly mes danced along her body and the ground around her.


    The retainer cocked her head and sniffed like a wild mana beast, inspecting Caera warily.


    As I watched her move, recognition sparked in my mind: she looked like the retainer Tessia had fought in Elenoir, and like his brother, the one Boo and I had killed.


    With a bestial snarl, the retainer lunged to her left, shing her ws in the air. Caera melted away into shadowy mes, which parted as cutting mana sliced through where Caera had been only an instant before. There was a glint of silver, and beams of ck fireunched at Bivrae. The retainer batted them aside, and her dark eyes turned to the rest of us.


    Boo charged with a roar, but she caught him by the snout with one hand, spun with snake-strike quickness, and hurled him away using the force of his own weight and momentum. I drew and fired, my golden arrow nearly parting Bivrae¡¯s bedraggled hair before impacting Boo and wrapping him in a protective barrier only an instant before he crashed into the guard tower and was swallowed by an avnche of stone.


    ire, towering over the retainer in her mechanical monstrosity, brought down the glowing orange de in an overhand arc. Bivrae skittered out of the way, but ire whirled a wing, the sharp feathers spread out wide, the cutting edge sweeping directly at Bivrae¡¯s neck.


    The retainer dipped beneath the attack, ripped her ws through the machine¡¯s left leg, which was covered in fur and had a paw like a world lion, and then breathed out a spray of acidic bile that stuck to the machine wherever it touched and began eating into the barrier of mana.


    I watched this with one eye, searching for the best opportunity to assist. With the other eye, I was scanning our surroundings, trying to keep track of mypanions and the fight beyond the gates.


    Seth was huddled over the others, his shield wrapping them all in a dome of mana. Caera shed around the battlefield, hidden within her illusory mes and sendingnces of soulfire at Bivrae¡¯s back. I tried not to look at the group of dwarves, including Bolgermud; they were all dead, and their corpses were a gruesome sight.


    There was a surge of mana from ire¡¯s griffon-suit. Her wings beat, lifting her a few feet up in the air as she avoided a sh to her throat, then the oversized sword exploded with a dry heat I could feel from thirty feet away. The suit''s aura was suddenly visibly as a wavering gray light emanating from within it, and an orange echo of the de followed it as it moved.


    I released my mana arrow.


    It split into two. These two split, and then split again, and the resulting barrage sank into the solid stone of the courtyard tiles.


    ire surged down in an orange and gray blur. Bivrae started to skitter away, then the field of arrows began to explode around her, knocking her off bnce. Both sword and the talon clutching it hitched in midair as they came into contact with the mana dding Bivrae¡¯s gray skin, then hot steel sizzled through flesh, muscle, and into bone as the sword lodged in Bivrae¡¯s shoulder.


    The retainer gave an inhuman screech as a nova of venomous green mana exploded out of her. ire was sent flying backwards, end over end, andnded in a heap, her wings tangled.


    Slowly, Bivrae straightened. She nced at the ck blood flowing from her wound, then seemed to discard it. A ck-firence bore down on her, but she deflected it back at Caera, whose illusory mes had faded, and Caera was forced to leap out of the way.


    Bivrae focused on me again.


    ¡°Run!¡± I shouted to anyone who would listen, but I didn¡¯t follow my own advice. Instead, I stepped toward the retainer, outwardly calm, hoping to keep her attention on me.


    But instead of listening to me, Seth was hurrying to the copsed mana beast machine. The mana barriers that helped to bind the construct together had all faded, and there was no longer any hint of an aura emanating from the mana beast core inside it. But ire was still moving within the prone mechanism.


    I drew the string of my bow and conjured an arrow against it. ¡°Did you have two brothers?¡± I asked, ying for time.


    The horrible woman¡¯s head turned too far to the side as she regarded me silently.


    ¡°I think I met them,¡± I continued, my limbs trembling slightly. ¡°My friend, Tessia, killed one. The retainer. She¡¯s the Legacy now.¡±


    Bivrae scowled, and she began to walk toward me.


    ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t know,¡± I said, resisting the urge to take a step back. ¡°But your other brother¡­I killed him, not Tessia.¡±


    She stopped, her wed fingers twitching. ¡°Impossible. You are a gnat.¡±


    Caera had moved to Valen and En and was dragging them as far away from thebat as possible. Seth was helping ire disentangle herself from the machine, both of them wrapped in his shield spell. Behind Bivrae, Boo shook himself free of the rubble, his small eyes jumping from me to the retainer and back. His urge to attack burned angrily in my mind.


    ¡°Maybe, but I¡¯ve proven pretty hard to swat so far, witch.¡± The arrow flew with the soft hum of my bowstring.


    Bivrae flowed away from it, not moving her feet but contorting her torso to avoid the strike. The arrow exploded just behind her, and Boo charged through the white mana, mming into Bivrae from behind. I hit him with another barrier arrow just as her ws came around to bite into his side, and his jaws closed on her shoulder.


    Pulling from myst mana reservoir, I loosened arrow after arrow, forcing them full of mana so they exploded around Bivrae¡¯s feet and head, knowing I couldn¡¯t do much damage but keeping her off bnce as best I could as I sprinted for Caera.


    A resonant hum came from the mana infusing the charwood doors leading into the Earthborn Institute itself, and they burst open with enough force to crack the facade. Dozens of dwarves spilled out with a thunderous battlecry and began hurling spells and weapons at the retainer. Trapped in Boo¡¯s jaws, she couldn¡¯t avoid the battery of attacks, and small wounds appeared all over her twisted body.


    Relief washed through me, though not because of the reinforcements. Over the heads of the small army of Earthborn soldiers, near the rear of the long entrance hall, being held back by Hornfels Earthborn, I could see my mother. Her eyes locked onto mine, and I felt her distress like a fist around my heart, but also relief and, more importantly, even trust. In that instant of connection, all her emotions seemed to flood into me, and I felt the same burst of confidence I got when Boo infused me with his will.


    Seth and ire made it to the doors, while Caera supported Valen with one arm and had En draped over her other shoulder. Turning to face the battle, I followed behind the others through the lines of dwarves while continuing to release arrow after arrow, some targeting the retainer, others fortifying Boo, who was absorbing the brunt of her fury.


    I was halfway across the entrance chamber and could hear my mother shouting for me when the wall into the institute burst apart.


    Everything was flying stone, steel, and fire. I lost the sense of up and down and my vision went white as pain override all my other senses.


    Blinking rapidly, I searched around myself, trying to get some sense of what had happened. Dust choked the air and lightning crackled across the floor, through which a kind of trench had been dug up out of the tiled floor. Little ck fires burned everywhere I looked. The Earthborn soldiers were scattered across the floor like abandoned ragdolls.


    In a crater at the far side of the room was Lance Bairon.


    Someone shifted beside me, and I looked over to see my mom partially covered in rubble. Caera was already back on her feet, but she was sagging, her mana signature very weak again. I wasn¡¯t sure where the others were.


    An overwhelming mana signature approached. I turned toward the source, where the entire front of the Earthborn Institute had been sted away. A silhouette floated within the dust, one arm holding the other, the figure''s posture seeming fatigued even hanging in the air. As she drifted forward, her dark eyes came clear, and Scythe Melzri was staring down at me, and only me.

 Chapter 472

    <h4>Chapter 472</h4>


    Chapter 470: Caught


    The Scythe, Melzri, drifted forward through the thick clouds of dust. The front wall of the Earthborn Institute was a ruin beneath her, the rubble strewn with prone dwarven warriors. Her stark white hair was pink with blood, and she supported one arm with the other even as she flew. She was entirely focused on me, her expression cold and businesslike. There was something so terrible about the simple math of her bloodlust that I had to look away.


    Seth and Ma were nearby, half trapped under a pile of broken stone tiles, a quivering bubble shield holding back the heavy chunks of crumbling wall. Seth grimaced in concentration, his eyes shut tight, sweat scoring little lines through the muddy dust caking his face. Ma was tucked into the crook of his arm.


    Boo growled furiously as he dragged himself free of the rubble. The cryan student, Valen, was in the hollow Boo¡¯s body left behind. I couldn¡¯t tell if he was alive or dead.


    I didn¡¯t see Caera, ire, or En anywhere.


    Rocks sliding beneath unsteady feet drew my gaze to the rear of the room. Mom was picking herself up off the ground, her own wide eyes tracking quickly across the chamber until she found me. She seemed to shrink as she let out a breath, then her focus shifted, and her face transformed with fright.


    My head snapped back around. Melzri was flying just above me. Bivrae¡¯s spiderish silhouette was visible behind her, lurking ominously in the dust-choked void.


    There was a roar from Boo, and he threw himself at the Scythe, ws out and fangs bared. She vanished, only to reappear on the other side of me. She reached down to grab me, but instead of closing around the front of my leather armor, her pale fingers wrapped around a bright line of silver that appeared above me. We both regarded the manifestation with some confusion, then the silver line twisted violently, jerking out of her hand and sending her reeling back.


    Boo stepped over me as Silverlight settled onto my chest, motionless once again. Mom scrambled to my side a momentter, healing magic already glowing around her hands. Bairon, leaning on the crimson spear, appeared in the corner of my eye.


    My breathing eased as the scrapes and deep bruising of the explosion were washed away by Mom¡¯s touch.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Eleanor, we¡¯re here,¡± Caera said from somewhere behind me as Hornfels moved aside the rocks crushing down on Seth and Ma, freeing them.


    Melzri let out a manicugh, half-turning toward Bivrae, still mostly hidden in the cloud of dust. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me. Do you all really n to die for this brat?¡±


    No one moved. No one spoke. Pressure built and built in my chest until it threatened to push tears from my eyes as I considered the people around me. Using Silverlight like a cane, I pushed myself up. Mom tried to move in front of me, but I rested my free hand on her shoulder. She searched my eyes, an emotional alchemy of terror, eptance, and desperation reflected in her own. It was a look that told me, quite clearly, that even though she knew she couldn¡¯t protect us from this enemy, she would die trying, and she was at peace with that.


    But I wasn¡¯t.


    With a gentle but firm pressure, I encouraged her to move aside and stepped forward. A low moan like a whine quivered from Boo, but he stayed where he was. My left hand balled into a tight fist around Silverlight, still in the shape of an unstrung bow; I had no idea where my other weapon had ended up. ¡°Killing me won¡¯t bring your sister back.¡±


    Melzri regarded me as if I¡¯d told her that two and two made green. ¡°Bring her back?¡± She scoffed. ¡°You misunderstand. I have no love for Viessa, nor she for me. Your death simply bnces the scales. It is a duty, not some wrath-filled pursuit of a broken heart. I am Vritra-born, a Scythe, not some angry child storming across both continents seeking revenge.¡±


    ¡°I am Vritra-born as well,¡± Caera said, her voice strong even if her mana signature radiated weakly. ¡°But there is no need to be a ve to the Vritra n¡¯s selfish wishes just because their ck blood runs in my veins. Scythe Viessa died doing the High Sovereign¡¯s bidding, did she not? me him for your misfortune, not¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up,¡± the Scythe snapped. A muscle twitched in her jaw, making her look slightly crazed. ¡°I¡¯m tired, and I¡¯m sick of this pointless fight. Either let the girl die, or die to prolong her life by mere moments. Either way, do so quickly and quietly because your whining exhausts me.¡±


    A sudden chill swept through the chamber, like a dark cloud had just crossed over the sun. I felt an outpouring of power from the city behind Melzri, then a mass shifting of mana. As I instinctively focused more fully on my enhanced senses, I felt the distant army of mana signatures snuffing out like so many candles.


    Ma gasped, sinking to her knees. One of her spellforms was active, radiating mana. Her eyes were shut tight but moving rapidly behind the lids. ¡°The battle, it¡¯s¡ª¡±


    I¡¯d felt people die before, but this was different. Someone had done something, figured something out¡­


    ¡°Tell her,¡± I urged Ma, taking another step toward Melzri. I knew the Scythe could snap me in two before I¡¯d even see her move, but she¡¯d already fallen into the trap of talking instead of fighting. Seris and Cylrit were still out there, along with Lyra. And an entire army of beast core-powered Dicathian warriors. If I could just dy her long enough¡­ ¡°Tell her what you see, Ma.¡±


    ¡°Clouds of ck mist spilling from Lady Seris,¡± Ma said at once, her voice raspy. ¡°Like an army of locusts, burrowing into their skin and eating their mana.¡±


    Mezlri¡¯s expression darkened, and she turned away, looking out through the smashed entrance.


    Only then did I notice that a different silhouette was standing where the retainer had been only a moment ago. A sharp-angled lump of a bodyy in a heap at the neer¡¯s feet, emitting no mana signature.


    Melzri sneered. ¡°Cylrit. Stabbing poor Bivrae in the back? How dishonorable of you.¡±


    ¡°Ie with a message from Lady Seris,¡± Cylrit said, stepping forward. His ck hair was windblown and messy from the battle, and his armor had several deep gashes in it. ¡°She would like to speak to you herself, and asks that you wait until she has resolved her current task before you do anything that can¡¯t be undone.¡±


    Melzri blinked at him, her grip tightening around the two swords she carried. She spoke mechanically as she turned her back on him, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll do my duty.¡±


    Cylrit flew forward, his sword a dark blur. Both of hers came up to deflect the blow, then Cylrit slid to a stop between her and us. ¡°You need not wait long,¡± he said, his voice as level as if they were having this discussion across a desk, not at the point of each other¡¯s des.


    ¡°Scythe Melzri Vritra.¡±


    Yet another person appeared, limping out through the obscuring clouds. Her pearl hair and white robes seemed to glow with some inner light, banishing the dust as she passed through it.


    Melzri turned again, watching her approach with an inscrutable expression. ¡°Seris, unnamed, fugitive and blood traitor,¡± she said, sucking her teeth in annoyance.


    With her focus on Seris, I let my right hand inch toward where the string would appear if Silverlight had one.


    ¡°Stand down, Melzri,¡± Seris said warily.


    ¡°You don¡¯t give orders here,¡± Melzri replied in the same tone. ¡°I¡¯ll have the blood I¡¯m owed.¡±


    My fingertips pinched the air, searching for a string I couldn¡¯t see. Please, Silverlight. You chose me, so help me. I wouldn¡¯t just stand there like frozen prey if Seris couldn¡¯t talk Melzri down.


    Pearl hair spilled over the bright white shoulder pads of Seris¡¯s battlerobes as she shook her head. ¡°If your heart beats so fiercely for blood, why didn¡¯t you kill the Lance?¡±


    ¡°Because you have interrupted me!¡± Melzri barked, but something in the catch of her voice told me she wasn¡¯t telling the truth.


    Bairon stiffened, looking affronted. ¡°Our battle wasn¡¯t finished yet, Scythe.¡±


    ¡°You have not killed him because he is interesting to you,¡± Seris said in the same tone Mom used when I was young and she had to exin my own childish decisions to me. ¡°You crave adventure and excitement. You yearn to be challenged. It¡¯s a trait you haven¡¯t been able to escape since even before your blood manifested. To kill him would be to cut the thread of fate on his potential.¡±


    My fingers plucked at the air again, futilely searching for a string that didn¡¯t exist, expecting and hoping that I could manifest it through sheer force of will alone.


    ¡°You know what your problem is, Seris?¡± Melzri asked, her back fully turned to us now, almost as if she¡¯d forgotten we were there. ¡°You think you know everything, all the time. Of all the Scythes, you¡¯re actually the most like him.¡±


    Seris nodded in eptance. ¡°Perhaps this is why I can see what you have not yet epted: in a future where Agrona has dominated both this world and Epheotus, what role will Scythe Melzri Vritra y? What, in that future, would there be to excite you¡ªif Agrona had a ce for you at all.¡±


    This time, Melzri was silent.


    ¡°But I can free you of Agrona¡¯s hold over you and show you a different vision of the future. One in which you help me to kill a god, and in doing so, see a new age of the world born.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡± Melzri cut herself off with a humorless bark of desperateughter. ¡°You im to know me so well, and yet you expect me to turn my back on everything I¡¯ve fought for my entire life? To abandon my purpose? I take back what I said, Seris. You are a fool.¡±


    My fingers snagged something, and a string of glistening silver mana manifested beneath them. The bow¡¯s body bent into shape, taking form. I imbued mana into it, forming an arrow, and pulled back.


    The string wouldn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°You strive for a purpose that is and has always been an illusion. Has this war not already proved it? At every step, some new power has been revealed that has made the battles before insignificant. We were made redundant by the Wraiths, who will in turn fall to the asura. If this continues to its natural conclusion, in the end, all that will remain is Agrona himself. And you will have spent your entire life fighting to ensure his future at the cost of your own.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help the surprise I felt as Melzri appeared to actually listen to Seris, but I did not give up on my effort to draw the bowstring. No matter how I pulled, though, Silverlight refused to bend further.


    ¡°You can¡¯t resist him,¡± Melzri said after a moment. ¡°Even if you¡¯re right, and our entire lives are made pointless by the war¡¯s oue, it doesn¡¯t change anything. The result is the same regardless of which side you fight for.¡±


    ¡°The proof that it is possible to resist Agrona stands right there,¡± Seris said, indicating Caera. ¡°Tell her how you¡¯re still alive, Caera.¡±


    ¡°It was Eleanor and her mother, really,¡± Caera said, then continued on to haltingly exin some of what had happened.


    Seris smiled victoriously, shedding some of her fatigue. ¡°See? A regr teenage girl with only a single spellform broke the power of Agrona himself. These people here, cryan and Dicathian alike, have risked everything to stand against him and protect each other as best they can, even against the most terrible odds. Do not tell them the result of this war doesn¡¯t matter, that their effort doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    It grew so quiet that I could hear the distant shouted orders and mechanical whirring of the mana beast suits¡¯ movement.


    Melzri stared at Seris for a long time before her gaze swept across the rest of us, settling on me. I couldn¡¯t read the look we shared, but after a tense moment, she scoffed and flew up into the air, speeding over Seris¡¯s head and vanishing into the distance. Her mana signature receded until no sign of her was left.


    Seris turned to watch her go, her expression nk. After a few seconds, she looked back at all of us, and it was like the breaking of a spell.


    Mom wrapped me in a crushing embrace, all the tension of thest few minutes seeping from her, but she didn¡¯t stay. After gently touching her forehead to mine, she hurried away, first to Valen, then to En, healing enough of their wounds to bring them back to consciousness.


    Silverlight¡¯s string vanished, and the body of the bow straightened again. Seris scrutinized it with a hint of sadness, then her focus moved to Caera. ¡°I¡¯m¡­d that you discovered how to defeat the curse on your own, although I had hoped you would.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. Thank you,¡± Caera said, her brows furrowing as she gave Seris a slight bow.


    Seris¡¯s observant eyes again flicked to me, then she moved on to regard the four cryan students. En struggled to her feet to stand stiffly before Seris, but Valen stayed sitting in the rubble, his eyes slightly unfocused. Seth and Ma stood slightly apart from the others, holding hands so tightly that their knuckles were white.


    ¡°These others, though.¡± Seris approached them, suddenly businesslike. ¡°You have done well to keep your thoughts in check, but I fear it is only a matter of time. For now¡­¡±


    ck mist spilled out of her and pushed through them. Faint against the flood of her mana, I sensed theirs being pushed out of their bodies, almost in the inverse of what I could do with my spellform. As one, they each sagged, forced to the ground by the sudden bacsh of their cores emptying.


    ¡°This will keep you safe until we discover a more permanent solution,¡± Seris exined. ¡°Do not actively attempt to refill your cores. Your body will do so unconsciously, but if you expel your mana before it can build up, you will remain safe.¡±


    To Bairon, she said, ¡°You fought well today, Lance Wykes. I only regret it took me so long to convince you of the truth. Regardless, your Commander Eralith is above, arranging¡­amodations¡­for all the cryans in the city. I believe he could use your assistance.¡± When Bairon hesitated, she added, ¡°Retainer Bivrae is dead, and Melzri is no longer a threat to you. The fight may continue in other parts of your continent, but Vildorial is, for the moment, safe.¡±


    ¡°That remains to be seen,¡± he said, eyeing her distrustfully. Finally, though, he gave me a subtle nod, which caused a warm re of pride in my chest, and flew off.


    Finally, Seris approached me, causing Boo to shuffle closer, pressing his furry side against me so I could feel the expansion of his breath and the quick rhythm of his pulse. Mom, who was now helping to heal some of the dwarves that had survived the explosion of the front wall, paused what she was doing to watch.


    ¡°There is much of your brother in you, Eleanor.¡± Her eyes seemed to draw me deeper and deeper in, like bottomless dark pools. ¡°It is good, that you are strong. This world may rely on Arthur¡¯s strength, but he in turn relies on you and your mother.¡± Her lips curved up as her brows furrowed, and she gave me a wry look. ¡°You are like the two anchors that keep his power bound. Without you, he would be untethered, and who knows then what might be of the rest of us.¡±


    My mouth hung open, but I could not for the life of me think of a response to her unexpected words.


    But Seris¡¯s attention was already turning elsewhere. ¡°Caera, with me. There is much to do, and I have need of you.¡±


    Caera swallowed visibly. ¡°My blood¡­and Arian. He was wounded badly. I was seeking a healer¡ª¡±


    ¡°Come, take me to him,¡± Seris said with a sharp gesture. Then she was walked swiftly away, her battlerobes billowing behind her.


    Caera, like Bairon, hesitated, but there seemed to be little choice other than do as themanding Scythe ordered, and so she followed. I considered following as well; with the danger so suddenly disbursing, I couldn¡¯t quite convince myself that the battle was really over, and I wanted to stay busy and remain helpful. When I looked at Mom healing the worst of the wounded dwarves, though, apulsion to stay kept me where I was.


    Hornfels, who was in charge of the Earthborn forces, arranged to have Seth, Ma, Valen, and En taken up to where the rest of the cryans were being gathered into groups under the watchful gaze of an army of the mana beast machines. Valen and En, at least, had families up there, and were eager to find out what had happened to them, or at least as eager as they could be given their current state.


    Before they left, though, Ma approached me, each step sending a flicker of pain across her face, and wrapped her arms around me. ¡°Thank you,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°I¡¯lle find you soon,¡± I said, growing emotional and then embarrassed. ¡°Get some rest.¡±


    As we watched them pick their way over the rubble behind a detachment of Earthborn soldiers, they passed ire, who was standing over the prone mana beast machine, which now looked like little more than a tattered griffon corpse. She activated a handful of heavy bangles that ran up both arms and a sort of wide belt around her waist, and the machine began vanishing one part at a time.


    ¡°Dimension artifacts?¡± I asked, walking up to her as she finished.


    She regarded me thoughtfully before saying, ¡°Yes, though not simply that. They order theponents in a specific way, allowing activation of the dimension artifacts to store and then automatically rebuild the exoform. The artifacts were specially designed for use by a non-mage. I can¡¯t say I entirely understand the principles, but it works. As long as you activate everything in the appropriate sequence, that is.¡±


    I stared at the machine, my mind spinning futilely as I tried to understand it. After a few seconds, I echoed, ¡°Exoform?¡±


    She tapped one of the bangles. ¡°The suits. Anyway, I had to overclock mine and something burned out, so it won¡¯t be of any use to anyone until it gets repaired. I should check in with the rest of the Beast Corp, then report back to Gideon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I blurted out a little awkwardly as she started walking away.


    She didn¡¯t stop or even turn around, only raised one bangleden arm above her head in farewell as she said, ¡°d to be able to help.¡±


    I watched her leave, feeling a sense of wonder at everything that had just happened, but my mood immediately soured again when she had to walk around the corpses of Bolgermud and the other guards who had been stationed along the outer wall.


    Their deaths were so senseless, I thought, unable to clear my head of the image of their sudden, unstoppable demise.


    I turned back to the Earthborn Institute, but the motion conjured stars behind my eyes, and I suddenly felt dizzy. I took a step, missed my footing, and went painfully down on one knee. Slowly, like a tree just starting to fall, I tipped over onto my side andy on the broken courtyard tiles.


    So much had happened so quickly, and I¡¯d pushed myself so hard, that I could feel my mind and body both sumbing to the strain. It was almost like I was watching it happen from above, seeing myself lying there, each breathing in abored gasp, my eyes vacant¡­but I didn¡¯t panic. I didn¡¯t really feel or think anything at all, just let myself go nk.


    Then someone was forcing something down my throat, and I sat up, choking as a jolt of mana sparked inside of me. A dwarven medic kneeled over me, an empty elixir container in his fist as he spoke soft, consoling words. Boo was next to him, one eye on me, the other distrustfully on the medic.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I insisted, blinking away the moment of emptiness and refocusing on what was happening around me. ¡°Please help the others.¡±


    Many more people had appeared,ing up from within the Earthborn Institute. Mom was healing thest few injured dwarves, and she didn¡¯t seem to have noticed my copse yet, which I was thankful for. Others¡ªdoctors, herbalists, and non-emitter healers¡ªwere now bustling around dealing with the wounds that weren¡¯t as life threatening.


    I stood despite the medic¡¯s protests, shaking away thest of the cobwebs. Although I was tired and sore, and my core ached from using so much mana¡ªeven more than would usually be possible for me through use of the stored mana orbs¡ªthe elixir had reinvigorated me.


    I gestured for Boo¡¯s help, and we began assisting the Earthborns as best we could. The dwarves were efficient, and the Earthborn Institute was of course full of some of the best minds in the city, so although Bolgermud¡¯s group was a total loss, surprisingly few of Hornfels¡¯ soldiers died during the attack, and the earth-attribute mages rebuilt the wall within the hour.


    ¡°I need to rest and gather mana, then I¡¯ll head out into the city to see what else I can do to help,¡± Mom said tiredly after we¡¯d been dismissed with many thanks by Carnelian Earthborn himself, lord of the Earthborn n.


    I bit my lip, unsure whether to voice the thought that had been growing in my mind as we¡¯d helped with the clean-up effort. The words built and built, though, until they burst out in a rush. ¡°Mom I¡¯m really worried about Arthur and I think we should¡ª¡± I cut myself off almost as suddenly as I¡¯d started, looking around nervously.


    Mom eyed me with concern. ¡°Let¡¯s speak at home.¡±


    I nodded, relieved that she understood, and we wound our way down into the tunnels of the residential area. After Mom let us in and Boo threw himself down in front of the extinguished firece, I continued. ¡°I think we should check on Arthur. With the stone thing¡­the creeper¡¯s stone.¡±


    Mom¡¯s brows red dramatically, and she nced around as if searching for anyone who might overhear us even there. ¡°Ellie, your brother went to great lengths to hide himself even from us.¡± As she said this, she couldn¡¯t help but let a hint of regretced bitterness seep out. I knew exactly how she felt. ¡°We would be betraying his trust to search him out, and we don¡¯t know if that would even work, anyway¡­¡±


    From her tone, I realized immediately that Mom wasn¡¯t trying to convince me; she was trying to convince herself. I had been about to sit down, but I stopped halfway, straightened, and began pacing the small space. ¡°Mom, there was just no way Art could have foreseen everything that is being thrown at us now. The dragons disappearing? Turning Seris and all the other cryans back against us? Wherever he is, he didn¡¯t give anyone else¡ªus¡ªthe chance to guard or protect him. I just want to make sure he¡¯s okay.¡±


    Mom bit the inside of her cheek, her emotional struggle visible on her face.


    On the one hand, she was right: Arthur clearly didn¡¯t want us¡ªor anyone else¡ªto find him. But on the other hand, he wasn¡¯t perfect, and he could make mistakes just like anyone else. Since he¡¯d gotten his new godrune, I¡¯d seen him pulled farther and farther away from everyone around him, even me and Mom. When he used it, it was like he became a ve to logical calction. I couldn¡¯t help the feeling that, maybe, he needed protection from himself as much as Agrona.


    When Mom let out the breath she¡¯d been holding in a rush, I knew she¡¯d given in, as much to her own impulses as mine.


    ¡°Come on,¡± she said, speaking quietly. She hurried from the room and down the short hall that led to her bedroom.


    My pulse quickened as sparks shot through my nerves. I double-checked that we¡¯d locked the door when we¡¯de inside, then gestured for Boo to remain in the living room before following Mom.


    By the time I reached her room, she¡¯d already dug the dull, many-faceted stone out of its hiding ce. She was sitting on the foot of her bed, cupping the relic in both hands. She didn¡¯t look at me as I sat down beside her. I didn¡¯t offer her any pressure orfort. I didn¡¯t say anything at all. As an emitter, only her healing magic would conjure the spark of aether needed to activate the relic. But I could tell she wanted to check on Arthur just as much as I did, and so I didn¡¯t press her.


    After a minute or more of tense silence, she took a deep breath and channeled her mana. It moved across the stone¡¯s surface without any obvious interaction; the mana simply passed it by, with none being imbued into the relic. Regardless, the stone activated with an intangible sensation that couldn¡¯t be simplified down to just something I was seeing or hearing, or even feeling with my core. It was more like the magic of it brushed up against every particle of my being.


    Mom¡¯s eyes went ssy, and I could tell she was somewhere else. ¡°Show me,¡± I said, more pleading than I¡¯d meant to sound.


    She released the relic with her right hand and sped mine. I felt her magic as something weird and ephemeral and distinctly other as it pulled me. My instinct was to resist, but I forced myself to rx. In my mind¡¯s eye, I saw myself being pulled away from the room, rushing after a mote of power that I knew was Mom. We flew up through the cavern ceiling and then the desert above, and rushed across Darv in a blink.


    My already rapidly beating heart only hammered faster and harder as we traced the path to our destination, ending in a small, roughly constructed chamber containing a pool of glowing liquid and little else. Sitting cross-legged in the pool, Arthur and Sylvie meditated side by side with the keystone hovering in front of them.


    Neither moved, giving no indication of what they were experiencing. I knew their minds must have been inside the keystone. Trapped, at least until it is solved, I thought with a sense of foreboding. But they were unharmed; no one had found them. I let out a relieved breath and distantly felt Mom squeeze my hand. I wasn¡¯t sure how long we stayed, but it wasn¡¯t long. When Mom began pulling away and withdrawing from the relic, I was pulled along in her wake.


    My eyes blinked open.


    Windsom stood in the doorway, his inhuman eyes fixed on the stone.


    Mom gave a yelp of surprise and tried to hide the relic behind her back.


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± the asura said, offering a very slight bow. ¡°For both startling you and for my tardiness. Events conspired to keep me from immediately fulfilling Arthur¡¯s request, but I am here to take you to Epheotus as promised.


    Mom and I exchanged nces. ¡°Of course,¡± Mom said, her voice a little higher than usual. ¡°We¡¯re all packed. Just let me¡ª¡±


    ¡°Bring the djinn relic,¡± Windsom said, nowmanding. Mom froze. ¡°Aldir told me of his experience of being watched while cleansing Elenoir. I suspect this is how it was done, correct? It may prove useful, especially if you are able to see Arthur with it.¡±


    I felt my breath catch. How does he know?


    Mom hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m notfortable with¡ª¡±


    ¡°We are allies,¡± Windsom interrupted, his tone hardening. He took a step forward and held out his hand. ¡°I shall hold onto it for you. Then you can gather your belongings and we will go. The path to Epheotus is difficult to navigate at this time, but still manageable for me, if few others. We need to get through before anything else changes.¡±


    Mom still didn¡¯t hand the relic over, and Windsom¡¯s expression darkened ever so slightly.


    I held out my own hand to her. Her chestnut eyes narrowed as she looked down at it, expression tightly guarded. After a short pause, she set the relic in my palm.


    Windsom gave his hand an impatient shake.


    I felt for the reservoir of magic inside the relic. I couldn¡¯t sense aether, but I felt the way it moved against the mana. Not daring to gather my mana before acting, I let out a surge of pure mana into the heart of the relic, as sudden and forceful as I could manage.


    It cracked, splintering through the many facets.


    Slowly, I dragged my gaze away from the broken chunk of rock to Windsom, whose only reaction was a tightening of his jaw.


    ¡°Unwise, young Eleanor. Lord Indrath will not appreciate this outward sign of your distrust, not when he is risking so much to keep you safe.¡± Windsom shook his head, oozing disappointment. ¡°Nevertheless, my role here is clear. Come. Epheotus awaits.¡±


    I stood, cleared my throat, and tossed the stone under the bed. Windsom watched it roll but made no move to pick it up, instead turning on his heel and marching promptly away.


    My hands shook as Momced her fingers through mine. I could only hope I¡¯d done the right thing. Mom squeezed my hand again supportively and nodded.

 Chapter 473

    <h4>Chapter 473</h4>


    Chapter 471: Falling into ce


    <strong>CECILIA</strong>


    Everything was falling into ce.


    With shield generators keeping the dragons at bay, the Instillers were able to work freely and establish a ring of disrupting artifacts that worked to distort and interrupt the rift between Epheotus and Dicathen. While the shield generators protected us from the dragons in Dicathen, these disruption artifacts prevented Indrath from sending support from Epheotus, effectively cutting the two worlds off from one another.


    The dense ambient mana of the rift itself powered both arrays. If Indrath were somehow able to stop the flow of mana, we had enough power in batteries to implement the next stage of the n. And if that fails, the Wraiths themselves be the source of mana.


    Instinctively, I waited for the judgemental evaluation of my thoughts from Tessia, who hovered near the surface of my consciousness.


    ¡®You¡¯ve already considered your justifications for why such a cruel act is necessary,¡¯ Tessia said in answer to the spotlight of my attention. ¡®All I¡¯ll say is that you¡¯vee a long way, Cecilia, if you¡¯re feeling guilt for your cruelty to these soldiers, since before now, you¡¯ve only ever looked at them as tools.¡¯


    I bristled, but knew there was no point in arguing against the feeling of guilt worming its way through my guts. Not when the person I was arguing with was already in my head. It may be unpleasant, but that doesn¡¯t make it any less necessary. Besides, it¡¯s Agrona¡¯s n, and they¡¯re his soldiers to do with as he wills.


    I sighed even as the words formed in my head, knowing how it sounded. Regardless, I don¡¯t need your affirmation.


    ¡®And yet recently, you¡¯ve been poking around inside my mind to see what I think more often.¡¯


    Your insight into these events is valuable, I admitted while forcefully pushing down the more honest, but also more embarrassing, reason for my behavior.


    ¡®I¡¯m d you recognize this fact.¡¯ Tessia¡¯s voice, projected into my head, was even and without sarcasm.


    Shaking off the brief but frustrating conversation, I returned my attention to my immediate surroundings.


    The dragons continued their bombardment of the outer shield for another hour but stopped with the arrival of their leader. I recognized Charon of the Indrath n by description: a big, bone-white, battle-scarred lizard with purple eyes and tattered wings. He spent some time conferring with the other dragons present, of which there were now many.


    It¡¯s almost like they¡¯ve brought every dragon in Dicathen, I mused.


    Eventually, Charon approached the barrier, flying in his dragon form. His wings beat slowly, and his voice issued from him as a bone-deep rumble. ¡°The Legacy, chief hope of a mad basilisk, who has herself been convinced she is a god.¡±


    I regarded him coolly but didn¡¯t rise to his bait.


    ¡°Straight to the point then,¡± he rumbled. ¡°What does Agrona want? He has captured the rift to Epheotus, but he cannot use it, nor can you hope to keep it, which means this is a bargaining tactic. Tell me your master¡¯s offer, and I will confer with Lord Indrath.¡±


    I raised one brow. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, dragon. Travel between worlds requires this rift to be essible, even with your teleportation artifacts. You are cut off. The High Sovereign has no message for you, no request. You are irrelevant in this and all things.¡± From the corner of my eye, I saw one of the Instillers on the ground reviewing a message, his eyes darting to me every couple of lines. ¡°Feel free to exhaust yourselves against the shields, if you must. Or don¡¯t. The noise is as irritating as your efforts are futile.¡±


    Turning my back on Charon Indrath, I flew toward the ground, feeling good about the brief exchange. It gained me nothing to have won the verbal spar, but I was already beginning to chafe at my role as stationary guardian of the imprable shield, and releasing some of that frustration as barbed words made me feel a little better.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked as my feet touched the ground.


    The Instiller, who had watched me approach from the corner of his eye, swallowed visibly. ¡°A dispatch from Scythe Nico.¡± He held out the magical scroll, which disyed the words written on a matched scroll in Nico¡¯s possession.


    I read through it once rapidly, then forced myself to go over it again, slower. ¡°An emanation¡­powerful mana, sustained somehow, wrapped around a pocket of amethyst magic that can only be aether.¡± I felt myself frowning, struggling toprehend everything that Nico had attempted to exin in the short message.


    Grey hadn¡¯t been at the Wall. As expected, he had carefully hidden his real location, even from his own people. The emanation of aether was interesting, though. The mana signature I sensed before the battle¡­


    It was camouge. A false signal that mimicked the presence of his bond and the distortion caused by aether could only be intended to disguise his real location, of course. And I was the only person on Dicathen that might be able to sense it. Unless he hides from his own dragon allies as well¡­


    The dispatch then went on to detail the efforts in Vildorial and the Dicathians¡¯ new weapon that had been revealed. A fusion of organic mana beast parts along with magical and mechanicalponents? I couldn¡¯t picture what Nico described, but I felt certain that even Agrona hadn¡¯t ounted for such a thing.


    The ex-Scythe, Seris, had discovered a way to end the fighting in Vildorial and keep her people safe from the curse Agrona had hidden in their blood and their runes, but Nico expressed a strong sense of confidence that Arthur had not hidden himself in the city. Additionally, the ulterior objective¡ªto capture the sister or mother¡ªhad failed, and Scythe Melzri had gone missing.


    As I read through it all for a second time, my focus returned to the part about the aetheric emanation at the Wall.


    Biting the inside of my lip, I wracked my brain for what else it could mean, but I could think of no other way to read it than my first impulse: Grey was calling me out directly. This conjuration was meant to blind me to his real location, and he intended me to know and understand that fact as well.


    I found myself wishing Nico were here instead of just his note. I considered sending him a reply and waiting for a response, but I didn¡¯t want to give him the impression that I couldn¡¯t think for myself.


    Besides, I already knew exactly what my mission parameters were. The real question was whether or not I would continue to blindly follow them. After all, the rift is sealed. I am wasted here.


    There was little room to get away from anyone within the shielded area. The Wraiths flew in a perimeter, staring out at the dragons, just as pent up as I was, while the dozens of Instillers ensured the equipment continued to function perfectly. But I moved to a secluded corner and sank to the ground between two of the shield generators. Closing my eyes, I let my focus expand out into my surroundings.


    The bnced flow of mana in and out of the rift no longer existed, leaving the atmosphere around the shield thick with it, though it was dimmed by the blinding presence of so many asuran mana signatures. But like before, I continued expanding my reach farther and farther, until my senses reached the Wall. There, I again felt the hint of his bond¡¯s mana, as well as that telltale distortion that gave away a powerful source of aether.


    But I didn¡¯t stop there. Instead, I continued pushing, reaching, sensing even beyond the Grand Mountains and across the Elenoir Wastnd to the north.


    As if I were Zeus looking down from the top of Mount Olympus, I saw the tide of mana as it moved in waves across the entire continent spread out before me. Breathless at its beauty, I eased my mind into that ocean, letting my focus be pushed and pulled not by my purpose but by the mana itself. I thought I already understood mana, better than anyone else in this world, but I¡¯d never experienced it like this. I had no words to describe the wonder of the phenomena.


    Do you still see this world as¡­fake?¡¯ Tessia thought, her voice like a stone in the calm ocean. ¡®Some kind of limbo that will cease to exist once you¡¯ve returned to your old world?¡¯


    What?


    ¡®This gift you have¡­you may be the only one in all the world who can see this.¡¯ She was quiet, musing, then continued. ¡®I look down on this and feel my heart break, knowing the turmoil and suffering happening beneath these vistas. It just made me wonder if the sight affected you¡­but what kind of impact can this have on someone who doesn¡¯t believe in the reality around them, and more importantly of their effect on that reality?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t answer, because the truth was I had no answer. I had used the thought of this life as a kind of temporary purgatory to soothe my own guilt at what I¡¯d been asked to do, but I was not a child who had convinced herself that this world wasn¡¯t real.


    The thought brought me out of my reverie and firmly back to my purpose. I was no longer floating on the tide of the ever-moving surface of that ocean of mana, but instead I was fighting against it, pressing outward, expanding to cover more and more of the continent with my senses. The feeling of peace faded, and I was once again aware of the dragons massing around the shield, my tense soldiers and scientists filling the small space, and the dispatch from Nico in my hands.


    As my untethered mind reached across Sapin, Darv, and Elenoir, I felt those ces where the mana was distorted by aether brush against the surface of my senses. In each ce, there was a strong presence of aether mingled with the mana signature of Gray¡¯s dragon bond. Based on what Nico had said, each one was likely a conjuration, a shell of mana housing a core of densely packed aether.


    The closest was the Wall, and after that an isted ce deep in the Elenoir Wastes. This, byparison, was a tiny blip barely sensible against the gray emptiness due to theck of atmospheric mana. The outskirts of the wastnd were like storms where new mana rushed into the void, but the interior of Elenoir was still nearly empty of it.


    The third signal to appear was in central Darv, where I thought the Dicathian rebels¡¯ refuge must have been, which was discovered after Arthur¡¯s escape from the Victoriad. It was stronger and brighter than the Wall. Not by a significant margin, but the difference was clear.


    Others became visible as well, near the city of Etistin and on an ind off the south-eastern coast of the Beast des, and then more still as my consciousness expanded to contain the entire continent.


    But most of these matched the Wall in intensity, and I quickly wrote them off as decoys. We already had troops moving in those areas, which aligned perfectly with where we¡¯d seen increased military activity, and they would verify whether or not Grey was really in each location without help from me.


    The signatures in the Wastes and in Darv, though, were different. One nearly hidden, the other burning brighter and stronger than all the others. Neither had been a focal point of Dicathian troop buildup or fortification, like the Wall had been. Both were far enough from civilization to avoid coteral damage if the locations were attacked.


    And both, I knew from Tessia¡¯s shared memories, were important to him.


    The emanation I could sense from Elenoir was very close to where the capital city of Zestier used to be. He had lived there¡ªwith Tessia¡ªfor much of his childhood. And the buried vige beneath Darv was where he went when the Dicathians lost the war, where he was reunited with his mother and sister after Agrona very nearly captured them.


    Either Grey is trying to hide where he thought I wouldn¡¯t be able to sense him¡ªin Elenoir, where there is little mana to give him away¡ªor he failed to perfectly replicate his own aetheric signature, which causes a stronger disruption in the mana than these false beacons he has created. Either way, he has made a mistake. But which direction does that mistake lean?¡¯


    I struggled to bring to mind everything I knew about Grey from our world andbine it with what I¡¯d learned of him in his life as Arthur Leywin.


    The ancient mages¡¯ vige makes sense, if Arthur was confident in his ability to disguise his real position, my thoughts continued. To provide so many false positives only to hide where his real signature couldn¡¯t be sensed at all within Elenoir would truly be the act of a coward.


    ¡®Arthur isn¡¯t a coward,¡¯ Tessia thought matter-of-factly.


    And yet, either way, he hides while his allies fight and die to conceal his location, I answered.


    Tessia soberly considered my words and didn¡¯t respond right away.


    I agree with you, I thought to Tessia, making up my mind. He isn¡¯t a coward. But he is overconfident in his own abilities.


    The moment I decided on a course of action, I was presented with another problem.


    Standing, I left the meager cover of the shielding artifacts and inspected the smooth shield that wrapped around our location, extending high into the air to contain the rift. A secondary ring of artifacts projected distorting mana directly into the rift, preventing anyone froming through from the other side.


    But I was kept within the shield just as effectively as the horde of dragons were kept out. I could prate the barrier, of course, but doing so would expose me to Charon¡¯s army, and would even momentarily open up the equipment inside to their attacks. That wasn¡¯t eptable. I ignored the fact that Agrona would definitely find my abandoning my post to be equally uneptable; if I brought him Grey, however, I knew that he would forgive me.


    I gged down Lorcan, the Wraith assigned to support me and deliver my orders down to all the others. Scarred and pale with jagged, unnaturally shaped horns, Lorcan had an unpleasant look to him, but he was a real soldier. Hecked the self-importance of so many of the other Wraiths and pursued Agrona¡¯s goals feverishly and without question. ¡°Legacy?¡± he asked, his ruby eyes empty of anything except expectation.


    ¡°The situation has changed, and I am needed out in the field,¡± I exined perfunctorily. ¡°I¡¯m leaving you inmand of the rift. Keep the Instillers on task and the shielding arrays functional, and I have no doubt everything will continue to unfold as predicted.¡±


    If Lorcan was surprised, he gave no indication. ¡°Of course, Legacy. At the High Sovereign¡¯s will.¡±


    I nodded in dismissal, and he returned to the air to go notify the leaders of each Wraith battle group.


    Returning to the rtive solitude between two of the shield artifacts, I sat down cross-legged and waited. It had been maybe thirty minutes since Charon had arrived and the asional attacks against the shield ceased. I didn¡¯t think they would wait much longer before attempting an assault with their leader present.


    While I waited, I extended my senses out through the ground, feeling for where the shield emanated and closed off beneath us, as well as where the soil was softest. If I were to leave, I needed to do so unnoticed if I nned to search for Grey without being hounded by the dragons.


    Five more minutes passed in rtive silence, then all at once, the atmosphere outside of the shield transformed into a storm of mana, the air going white as if we were caught in the heart of a lightning bolt. The hair on my arms lifted at the charge in the air, and my skin was prickled with gooseflesh. The ground and sky alike split open as dozens of asuran spells crashed against the shield.


    I took hold of the earth-attribute mana, and the soil flowed like water, allowing me to sink down into it. At the same time, I clenched tightly onto my mana, preventing even the tiniest leak that might be sensible as a moving mana signature. To morepletely camouge myself, I smoothed over any movement in the atmospheric mana that might provide some hint of my whereabouts to the sensitive dragons.


    The noise of the battle changed from the sharp crack of thunder to the deep rumble of an avnche. Earth-attribute mana projected me forward through the ground itself, which folded out of the way before filling back in behind me as if I were swimming through the hard-packed dirt.


    The tangible force that made up the barrier loomed in front of me. Reaching into it, I took hold of a thread of that mana and pulled. Like the seam in stitched fabric, it came undone, and I passed through. I waited on the other side for a few moments until the barrier healed itself, powered by the constant pressure of the array of artifacts above, then continued.


    Even with my nearly perfect control of mana, it was still more difficult and slower to part the earth and thework of roots woven through it than to fly through air. But since the dragons could range so far so quickly, and more were still trickling in from across the continent, I wanted to ensure I wouldn¡¯t be detected, and so I flowed along deep under the ground for a long time. Dungeons and caves dotted thendscape of the Beast des, but I maneuvered around them rather than slow my progress further by going through.


    ¡®If Arthur is really unable to defend himself, then he has no choice but to hide. And his friends¡ªall the people who love him¡ªdefend him willingly,¡¯ Tessia said out of the blue.


    It took me a moment to connect her thoughts to our previous conversation. And do you? Really love him, I mean. I didn¡¯t think I needed to ask, since our minds were connected, but Tessia¡¯s emotions around Grey wereplex and difficult to parse even when she wasn¡¯t trying to disconnect me from them.


    ¡®I have since I was just a little girl,¡¯ she said after a very long pause. ¡®He was my first love, I think.¡¯


    But now you know what he is. Who he is. That he lied to you the entire time you¡¯ve known him. With all that baggage, can you still really love him?


    ¡®I don¡¯t think Arthur ever pretended to be anyone except who he really was,¡¯ she answered slowly, forming every word with care. ¡®I can only imagine how hard it must have been for him¡ªthe loneliness, the guilt of having to keep such a secret.¡¯


    He lied to you because he had to, I continued, my mental voice softening.


    ¡®What other choice did he have?¡¯ she asked. ¡®I won¡¯t pretend I understand what it means to build emotionally on top of all this. Is the love of a child real? Maybe not. But I know that I care for him, respect him, and want him to have a happy life after all this. If that isn¡¯t a foundation for real love, then I¡¯m not sure what is.¡¯


    Her words helped me give context to my ownplex emotions. I feel pretty much the same about the lies Nico helped Agrona ced in my head. They were for a purpose, and Nico felt like he had to do that. It was for my own good, like Grey to you.


    ¡®That¡¯s¡­not what I meant,¡¯ Tessia said tentatively. She paused for a few seconds. ¡®Arthur needed to protect himself with lies. Right or wrong, it wasn¡¯t an action made to control me.¡¯


    It was not difficult to read the unspoken implication of her words, which I considered in silence for some time. You think you¡¯re justified in forgiving Grey¡¯s lies but I¡¯m foolish for forgiving Nico and Agrona.


    As if anticipating what I¡¯d say, she replied immediately. ¡®I think you¡¯re still trying to figure out who you are, Cecilia, and that you struggle to make decisions you are confident in because you constantly question the source of any thought you have. Is it you or Agrona? Or even me? I don¡¯t want to be the voice in your ear guiding you to do things my way.¡¯


    Again, I had no answer, and so we both fell silent, our thoughts like two murky clouds just intermingling at the edges. I let the sight of the soil unfolding in front of me pull me in and wipe away any lingering thoughts about Grey or Nico¡­or myself.


    I lifted up from the soil only after verifying that there were no dragons for a very long way, then flew out over the Grand Mountains. The cold air felt good after the ustrophobic tunneling of my underground flight.


    The mountains and then the desert beyond flew by in a blur, reminding me of the teleportation gates utilized by the Dicathians. They were relics of the ancient mages, much like the underground vige I found as I lowered myself through a gaping hole in the desert floor where the cavern ceiling had partially copsed. Huge piles of sand had umted below, covering half the cavern. What I could see of the rest waspletely demolished.


    ording to the rumors our spies had sifted through, Grey fought an actual asura here. Looking at the damage, I could believe it.


    This close, I could now sense the aether-mana emanation from below even without forcefully extending my senses. Despite the windingwork of tunnels that spread out from the destroyed vige, the emanation was like apass, pointing where I needed to go. Aside from a few huge rodent-like mana beasts, I saw nothing as I sped along the dark tunnels, my eyes enhanced with mana in order to see.


    I was nearly at my target when dread suddenly came over me, dousing my anticipation like wind to a candle me. My feet touched the ground, then instinctively shuffled backwards as I searched the square hallway for the source of my dread. It was like a miasma hanging in the air, an intangible thing with very real ws that wanted to rake at my eyes and lungs and heart, but there was no spell, no mana that I could¡ª


    An aetheric effect, I realized. A dread that can¡¯t be passed through or cast aside. The perfectyer of protection.


    Though I¡¯d continued to waffle back and forth, second-guessing my decision toe to Darv instead of Elenoir, I knew then that I¡¯d chosen correctly.


    Gritting my teeth, I pushed outward with mana, both my own purified mana that circted through my coreless body and the atmospheric mana that lingered in the tunnels deep below the ground. Cracks ran up the walls and spiderwebbed across the floor, and visible distortions of light and heat flickered in the air. Ice condensed over the walls then shattered and ran as water to pool across the floor before hissing to steam and circting back into the air, where it was again forced outward from the pressure I exuded.


    The dread lessened, then receded, still present but distant andcking power. I couldn¡¯t control the aether, nor could I break the spell and end its effect, but by moving a strong enough force of mana, I had disrupted it momentarily. Wasting no time, I sped forward, quickly leaving the zone of dread behind.


    When I turned the next corner, I came to an abrupt stop.


    A wall of living stone bisected the tunnel, moving constantly from left to right across the path. Despite the tons and tons of rapidly shifting stone, it hardly made a noise.


    ¡°What other trick do you have up your sleeve, Grey?¡± I asked, my voice ringing loudly against the muffled rushing of the spell.


    As I watched it move, I noticed the small details. It wasn¡¯t a solid wall of stone, but many smaller tes that fit together like puzzle pieces, all flowing within a groove cut perfectly to fit the machination. It radiated a powerful and alien vor of mana. This, more than anything, suggested an origin that was neither Dicathian or cryan.


    I pushed against the mana with my own, and it shoved back hard enough that I stumbled a step and was forced to catch my bnce. A scowl fell across my face. Holding up one hand to help me focus, I grabbed hold of the rapidly shifting stone with earth-attribute mana, trying to grind it to a halt.


    The interlocking tes of stone shivered as the power controlling them fought back against mine. Without releasing the pressure I was exerting, I reached for that power and tried to draw on it. It held, heavy and inexorable, as immovable as the roots of the world. I pulled harder, straining against the weight of that power until the tes forming the moving wall splintered, shattering and grinding to a halt, filling the hallway with broken chunks of rock. The walls trembled, and a terrible rumbling noise threatened to shake the very foundations of Dicathen to pieces.


    Then, as suddenly as it had happened, the shaking and grinding stopped.


    I bent down to inspect a chunk of the stone. It had a slight luster to it, dimmer than obsidian and without the telltale smooth striations where the breaks happened. Instead, there wereyers uponyers ofpacted rock pressed together, almost like the rings of a tree.


    It was difficult to put my finger on, but there was almost a kind of life to the stone. When I ran a finger along the rough surface of the break, gooseflesh roughened my skin, and I pulled away.


    The hallway continued beyond the wall of moving stone into darkness. Standing straight, I stared at the gap. ¡°I know you¡¯re here, asura. I¡¯m sure you can hear me. I suppose threats or promises will be met with equal silence, so I won¡¯t insult you by trying to sway you from your course. But in ten minutes, when you are taking yourst ragged breaths, remember this moment, and how you could have chosen differently.¡±


    A dull chuckle echoed from the darkness, and a man stepped out of shadow and into the range of my mana-enhanced eyesight. His back had a slight hunch to it, enhancing the frail look of his physique. Dark, tired eyes stared at me from beneath a curtain of greasy ck hair. ¡°Bravado. That¡¯s what happens when you give a child endless power. You spend far too much of your energy convincing yourself you really are as great as people keep telling you, despite the fact that you feel like an imposter in your own skin.¡± He cocked his head slightly, letting the greasy mop of hair hang down. ¡°Well, except that you¡¯re an imposter in someone else''s skin, but nevermind that.¡±


    My jaw clenched painfully, and Ished out with a crack of thunder and spear of lightning. The attack struck the asura in the chest, and he exploded apart, his flesh and bones spraying across the smooth floor with a tter. Except, it wasn¡¯t flesh and bones, but only more of the striated stone.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect an asura to y children¡¯s games,¡± I said, trying and mostly seeding to keep my voice level. ¡°If I¡¯m not as powerful as they say, why run and hide?¡±


    No words came back to me but my own voice resounding softly in the cramped space.


    Cautiously, I stepped through the gap into the hallway beyond. The tunnel almost immediately split into a ¡®y¡¯ shape before turning again shortly in both directions, limiting the distance I could see. The walls were made of the same type of stone. When I ran my hand down the wall, I found it warm to the touch, then pulled away when it thrummed with a sort of pulse, much slower than my own heartbeat but no less real.


    Grey¡¯s aetheric signature resonated from my left, not far.


    Tessia¡¯s silent tension sat in the back of my skull like an impending migraine.


    I went to the left, and the low, narrow tunnel turned left again after twenty feet or so, only to turn right shortly after that. When I reached the next split, I understood. A maze¡­


    Closing my eyes, I honed in on the distortion in the mana I knew was Grey. When I pulled at the earth-attribute mana infused into the stone wall in that direction, the entirebyrinth quaked. I mmed my entire will against it, and the wall exploded.


    Thebyrinth became a churning thresher of stone tes moving in every direction around me. Ducking beneath a guillotine-sharp chunk, I wrapped myself in mana and watched breathlessly.


    It seemed to be wild chaos, but it wasn¡¯t. No, the roiling stone, in the form of tons upon tons of interlocking tes, was as controlled as the workings of a clock, fitting together just so and sliding past each other with perfect integrity. It was truly a work of art, a use of mana so inexplicably beautiful that I could never hope to recreate it.


    Like a stone in the clockwork, I interrupted the mechanism, and a few tes cracked against my mana, but others shifted seamlessly to rece them.


    In moments, the entirebyrinth had reformed around me, leaving me standing at a dead end, the broken wall reced by an entirely new one.


    Closing my eyes, I felt around me, tracing the lines of mana. The maze was thick with atmospheric earth-attribute mana, like a heavy dust that clung to everything and choked the air. Arthur¡¯s signature radiated out from the center of the maze, but the brightness of the mana was such that I couldn¡¯t cleanly follow the maze only with my senses.


    I pulled back and mmed into the walls again. Again, they exploded, the tes forming them spinning through the air, reconnecting, and reforming new walls before sliding smoothly back into ce.


    I tried to see through the hole before it closed, but the chaos blinded me until the maze had reformed.


    Giving myself time to think, calm down, and absorb more mana¡ªsearching specifically for the pieces of the asura¡¯s mana I could pluck away from the greater cloud¡ªI began to follow the maze instead of attempting to smash my way through again.


    Moving cautiously as I maneuvered through the twists and turns, I tried to be patient and methodical. That, unfortunately, was not my strong suit.


    ¡°Damn this ce,¡± I cursed as I ran into yet another dead end.


    Bit by bit throughout the maze, I drew in hints of this asura¡¯s mana, and my insight into its particr attributes grew. It wasn¡¯t the same as draining Dawn, the phoenix, of all her mana, but I could feel the scales tipping in my direction moment by moment.


    ¡°Your control really is remarkable,¡± a voice said from behind me, and I spun around to find the frail-looking asura not thirty feet away. ¡°Gaining insight into titan mana by drawing directly on it, forcing it away from me? That is a kind of mastery I wouldn¡¯t have thought possible.¡±


    I inspected the figure closely, looking for anything that might tell me if this was the real asura or just another golem. I hadn¡¯t noticed it before, but there was a subtle pattern to his skin, and a sharpness of his features, that replicated the texture of the stone maze. ¡°Likewise, it¡¯s pretty incredible that you can make such a convincing replica of yourself.¡±


    I thrust forward with both hands and a storm of hailstones, each one vibrating with a core of condensed sound-attribute deviant mana, hissed down the hall. A wall of the moving stone tes shifted into ce between me and the asura, and a sound like old Earth gunfire erupted through the hallway as the hailstones and wall both exploded.


    The conjured wall copsed, revealing the asura, half his face blown away. The remaining part of his mouth smiled, and then the golem tipped backward, struck the floor, and burst apart into a thousand sharp shards.


    Instantly, I turned gravity against the stones, making them tumble across the floor to me. Mana was still wicking away from their surface, like gently smoking embers. I drew on the mana, pulling in as much as possible.


    Something clicked into ce.


    I squared off with the maze wall that faced toward Arthur¡¯s signature. I took time to gather my power, letting purified mana wash out of me, collect across the surface of the stone wall, and creep into the miniscule cracks where the connecting tes intersected.


    Instead of mming my will into the magic holding the walls in ce all at once, I firmly but consistently ramped up the pressure, starting with a small push and then slowly applying more and more force. Soon the walls were quaking again, the opposing forces acting on the manapressing the individual particles like they were caught in a vice, the tes of stone warping to reveal the cracks between.


    Pressing wed fingers of mana into the cracks, I peeled them apart, ripping my way through the wall. This time, when the surge of magic began to rebuild thebyrinth with me still inside it, I grabbed hold of the spell. Many thousands of stone tes separated, shifted, and then froze in the air, hovering deconstructed all around me, like the individual motes of snow with a snowglobe.


    The dust and stone swirled before me, manifesting the asura yet again. He thrust forward, and a fist of stone struck my sternum, lifting me off the ground and sending me flying backwards. As my concentration broke, my hold on his spell released, and the stone tes spun and twisted into ce, reforming the maze.


    I smashed into a solid wall, which buckled, then went flying through it. Another wall rose to meet me, and then another, as I was driven through them like a hammered nail.


    Fighting to retain my senses, I forced gravity to pull toward me from every direction, forcibly stilling myself at the center of a crushing gravity well. My teeth ground together as I fought to ignore the screaming pain that clutched at every part of my body. Releasing all that tension, energy, and pain as a wild shout, I shoved outward.


    The maze ripped itself to pieces, a wall of gravity, wind, and pure mana-born force carrying an arsenal of stone tes away from me in a tide of bloody violence.


    I sagged, resting my hands on my knees, unable to hold myself fully upright. The resistance seemed to shrink, diminished. Looking through the curtain of gunmetal gray hair, I saw arge, t chamber opened up around me. It was smaller than I might have imagined, and almost empty aside from the rubble strewn about.


    The asura was on one knee not far away. Bloody shes covered his body¡ªthe real one, I was certain. He turned his head toward the center of the chamber, where a second figure rested atop a thick cushion, sat with his legs crossed beneath him and his arms resting over his knees, eyes closed. ¡°Arthur, wake up!¡± the asura wheezed breathlessly.


    Adrenaline and the flush of victory pushed down my pain, and I strode toward Grey. With a flick of my hand, stone tes scythed through the air, knocking the asura to the ground. ws of mana reached toward Arthur, apanied by a spike of fear and disbelief from Tessia.


    Arthur¡¯s eyes snapped open, and he gave me a wry grin.


    My stomach lurched as the ground beneath me gave way. Bursts of mana exploded like fireworks in front of my eyes and echoed across the chamber, mming into my senses from all sides. Mentally reeling, I wrapped myself in mana and tried desperately to dim my senses and catch my fall.


    An external force pushed on me from above, driving me downward.


    With a furious shout, I wrested away control of gravity and locked myself in ce. My eyes fluttered open; the dark chamber was mostly lost beneath a sea of white spots sparkling across my vision, but I could see, right beneath me, an oily, dimly shining opaque surface within a carved frame: a portal.


    Another battery of mana collided with me from above, forcing me down toward the portal, which opened beneath me like the maw of some great mana beast. Understanding, I shoved downward into the portal itself, warping the surface and pushing it away from me as I sank inch by inch toward it. My mana wrapped around the frame, and I heaved, trying to rip it apart and destroy the portal within.


    But more and more mana was pressing down on me, tidal waves of mana. Inching around, I red back over my shoulder.


    Grey was flying above me. Where he had been, there was now a stone pedestal topped with a glowing ellipsoid made of silvery white mana and amethyst aether. His face, framed by waving wheat-blond hair and set with golden eyes, was sharp, his wry expression bitter and stiff.


    With one hand, I wed at the portal. With the other, I reached back and attempted to grasp him. If I could drag him down with me, into the portal¡­


    Tessia¡¯s panicked ws sank into the back of my mind as she struggled to exert herself. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Cecilia, but I can¡¯t let you do this.¡¯ Emerald vines wrapped around my arms and my throat.


    But after what happened with Mordain, I was ready.


    Within me, vines of pure mana mimicked her own, finding her spiritual essence and wrapping around it, binding it, choking and crushing it.


    My focus was too divided. I couldn¡¯t fight Grey, Tessia, and the portal all at once.


    I met those golden eyes and released my hold over the portal. Spinning my body in ce, I wrenched the vines from Tessia¡¯s control and sent them snaking up. They wrapped around Grey¡¯s arms, legs, and neck, and, with a jerk, pulled him toward me. The vines closed crushingly around the trapped limbs, the thorns digging into his flesh and conjuring small droplets of blood that ran down his body.


    I had him! And even better, I had interrupted his focus on the keystone. He would never control fate¡ª


    Relief washed over me, but not my own. Distracted, I looked inward toward Tessia. She was pulling back, no longer fighting me.


    Above, cracks spread out from where the vines constricted around Grey¡¯s limbs. Where the blood droplets ran, they washed away the color of his skin, revealing t gray beneath.


    My eyes widened, jumping from Grey to the ellipsoid conjuration of mana and aether sitting in the pedestal. I thought of the heavy earth mana nketing this entire cavern, of the slightly imperfect golems and the asura¡¯s apparent desperation as he struck out at me when I¡¯d controlled his spell. Layer afteryer of deceit, all performed perfectly.


    Grey, who projected none of the tension between mana and aether that I should have felt, winked at me with one golden eye, and when it opened again, only gray stone stared out of a gray face. One arm shattered, and instead of blood and bone, stone sparked, revealing the same tight rings ofpaction I had noticed in the stone tes.


    As my back hit the portal and I felt it wrapping around me and pulling me in, Grey crumbled to dust. Behind where he had been, the asura sat in a floating earthen throne, one thin brow raised disdainfully as he red down at me, a hand pressed over his blood-darkened side.


    Then the world turned violet and gray, and the portal took me.

 Chapter 474

    <h4>Chapter 474</h4>


    Chapter 472: Reckoning


    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    Nico looked at me and gave a mischievous smirk. ¡°There¡¯s going to be a new one today. Another girl. Draneeve let it slip this morning.¡±


    I only shook my head as I proceeded with my stretches to prepare.


    ¡°I hope she¡¯s as cute as that Maylis girl.¡± Nico watched me eagerly, knowing that talking about this stuff always made me blush. I tried to hide it but still felt the heat creeping up my neck. Nicoughed, watching me stretch without making any effort to do so himself. ¡°I think that one liked you.¡± The grin became forced. ¡°More than she liked me, anyway.¡±


    I rubbed the back of my neck and brushed a lock of auburn hair out of my face, mumbling, ¡°I think you¡¯re missing the point.¡±


    I hated it when he tormented me like this. I had the feeling he¡¯d always been like that, even in our past life, but my memories of Earth and being a king weren¡¯t very clear anymore. Some stuff, like all the physical training I¡¯d done, stuck out clearly, but my life itself seemed all fuzzy.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know,¡± Nico said, rolling his eyes before casting a vacant stare across the training chamber. ¡°We¡¯re searching for some mythical third Musketeer for our dynamic duo.¡± Nico frowned suddenly, an expression I felt myself matching.


    ¡°What¡¯s a Musketeer?¡± we both asked at the same time.


    Nico shrugged, chuckling, but I couldn¡¯t release the question quite so easily. We often found ourselves drawing on some shared fact or piece of cultural memory from our lives on Earth, but they just as often made no sense to either of us. I couldn¡¯t help but ask myself if it had always been like that since my reincarnation, but like the memories of Earth, my life before Scythe Cadell saved me from that dragon and brought me to crya was also fuzzy.


    I suppose they would be though, I considered. I was only like four or five when that happened.


    My thoughts lingered on this subject, picking futilely at the fabric of those memories without gaining any new insight into them as Ipleted my pre-training warm-up. Only when Scythes Melzri and Viessa appeared did Nico hurry to follow my lead. The two Scythes watched us silently, Melzri appearing bored while Viessa radiated a constant undercurrent of disappointment.


    When Scythe Cadell arrived shortly after, I hopped up and stood at attention. With him was a girl who appeared to be about my age. She had navy hair the color of the deep ocean water I¡¯d seen when visiting the coast of Vildorial with Cadell, but it was her eyes that really stood out. They were like two shining rubies inset in her slightly round face.


    Cadell snapped his fingers, and I jolted to attention, realizing I¡¯d been staring. Beside me, Nico kept shooting expectant nces at me, but I ignored him as best I could.


    ¡°Grey. Nico. This is Caera of Highblood Denoir.¡± Cadell watched us closely, his red eyes dark inparison to the girl¡¯s. Aside from his lips and eyes, not a muscle twitched. He stood so still he might as well have been carved of stone. ¡°She is descended of Vritra blood, though she has not yet awakened. She will be training with you for the next few days. This opportunity is a great honor for the Denoir blood.¡± His tone changed as he said thisst bit, making it clear he was speaking to the girl without even looking at her.


    She bowed deeply, her navy hair falling down over her face. ¡°Of course, Scythe Cadell Vritra! Thank you for this incredible opportunity. Highblood Denoir will prove its purity to the High Sovereign.¡±


    They¡¯re all the same, I thought, remembering every other young Vritra-blooded foster child that had been brought to train with us over thest couple months. It was hard to see the world from their perspective. To them, the High Sovereign was this mystical, unknowable force, a god among men. And he was a bit intimidating¡ªand so weird¡ªbut mostly, he was just Uncle Agrona.


    Cadell gave me a meaningful look, forcing me to straighten even further, then turned his attention to the other Scythes. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the minutiae of today¡¯s training to you.¡±


    ¡°As always,¡± Melzri said under her breath as Cadell swept from the room. I knew he had insane hearing and must have heard her, but Melzri was always snide, and he always ignored her. I liked Cadell, but I couldn¡¯t imagine smarting off to him¡ªor being anything other thanpletely and perfectly respectful, actually. In some ways, he was a lot scarier than even Uncle Agrona.


    Viessa stepped forward and motioned the three of us into a line. Melzri took three imbued training des from their stand and handed one to each of us. They were made of charwood, a ck wood that was hard, dense, and difficult to work with, but that held magic easily.


    ¡°Nico, Grey, you will start,¡± Viessa said, her voice sending a shiver up my spine as always. ¡°Show Caera the speed and intensity of sparring that we expect. Focus on form and proper delivery of your strikes. Your equipment will be set to correct sloppiness.¡±


    I felt my muscles tense, and Nico stiffened behind me. The runes carved into the des and handles of our training swords helped to track the speed, force, and precision of our movements. They could also be set to deliver painful shocks to either the target or the wielder, depending on the performance of both sides. When Viessa led the training, it was often both, and the painfulness of the ¡°correction¡± was always intensified.


    ¡°Caera, we expect you to be able to match these little idiots¡¯ pace without the aid of any mana usage,¡± Melzri told the girl. ¡°Pay attention. Internalize their speed and style. Remember, we¡¯re looking to see if you can train together effectively, and that means smoothly duplicating their efforts.¡± She gave Nico a meaningful look. ¡°Unless they¡¯re cking, then don¡¯t hold back, and definitely don¡¯t worry about hurting them.¡±


    Caera¡¯s eyes flicked uncertainly toward Melzri for a heartbeat before her expression settled again. ¡°Yes, Scythe Melzri Vritra!¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± Nico grumbled, struggling to keep the pout off his face. As much as he was happy to be the teaser, he hated when Melzri picked on him, which only made her do it even more.


    He moved to the center of the training area, spun, and stepped into a tail stance, the de of his sword facing backward from me with his arms across his body. I raised my brow questioningly, and he gave a small nod. Taking this seriously today, I guess. But his gaze kept slipping past me to the girl, and I¡¯d trained with Nico enough times to know this was already over.


    With my own left leg forward, I let the point of my sword dip down into the fool¡¯s stance and took a breath, letting most of my body rx. Then I waited. Nico was never very patient, but he was a lot more impatient when he felt like he needed to prove something. Like when there is a girl around. We stayed like that for only a few seconds before he tensed.


    He opened with a sweeping upward cut, which I avoided with a quick backstep without even bringing up my own weapon. Nico¡¯s sword swung around from right to left, maintaining the momentum of the heavy charwood, then sliced down toward my shoulder. Instead of dodging left, which would have been the natural direction, I ducked my head and stepped right, moving beneath his de and bringing my own up into his side with a soft thud.


    He grunted and backed away, gritting his teeth.


    There was a jolt of mana from my training sword, racking my arms and chest with shooting spikes of pain. I clenched my fists, trying not to let the pain show as I looked at the Scythes questioningly.


    ¡°If your opponent was wearing armor and had the protection of mana, he would not even have been wounded by the force of your strike,¡± Viessa exined in her cold manner. ¡°Do not fail young Lady Caera by showing weakness in front of her. You know better than to think that level of force would be eptable, boy.¡±


    Frustrated, I nodded sharply and reset. This time, Nico was more patient, and I went on the offensive first. The heavy charwood des cracked together loudly several times, followed by a pronounced thump and a growl of pain from Nico. We reset again.


    ¡°Better. This is the speed we expect.¡± Viessa said to the girl. ¡°Any traditional forms are eptable. There will be an opportunity for trainingter that encourages you to break free of established stances, but today, we wish to see if you are trained well enough to identify and counter the styles used by Nico and Grey.¡± Speaking to us again, she snapped, ¡°Well? What are you waiting for? Do not waste my time.¡±


    Nico and I sparred for twenty minutes, exchanging three times that many strikess. Of every strike thatnded, three out of four were mine, and my training sword did not ¡°correct¡± me again. Nico, on the other hand, started to twitch at each pause after the fifth time his sword shocked him.


    After that, Viessa called a halt and brought the girl forward, and Melzri pulled me to the side. She forced me to stand with my back to the sparring session with my eyes closed. With her powerful mana signature so close and only barely restrained, it was difficult to focus on any other sense but that of my mana core. ¡°Narrate the sparring session,¡± she ordered.


    I honed my natural senses toward the sounds and movement of the much dimmer mana signatures of Nico and the girl. Their turnshoes scuffed across the floor. The skin of their hands creaked as they tightly gripped the leather-wrapped handles of their training swords. Nico¡¯s breathing was heavier and faster than the girl¡¯s.


    ¡°Caera struck first,¡± I began narrating, doing my best to picture their fight in my mind¡¯s eye. A series of wood-on-wood cracks resounded through the chamber. ¡°Nico is fighting defensively, not striking back. He¡±¡ªthere was a pulse of mana followed by a muffled groan¡ª¡°is holding back.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Melzri said, sounding slightly bored. ¡°Continue.¡±


    I kept up a constant narration of the sparring session for the next twenty minutes, receiving a sharp rap against a thigh or biceps whenever I missed something or got the flow ofbat wrong.


    But as I listened, I felt my attitude beginning to change.


    The girl had clearly trained extensively. The problem with these foster Vritra-bloods¡ªfrom those I had met¡ªwas that they were simultaneously treated like weapons and like they were made of ss. Haughty and filled with self-importance and unearned social power, none of them had been focused or put in the work. Naturally talented, yes, but well-trained, no.


    Except for this girl. Slightly on the heavy side, she was stronger than even the boys we had trained with, but still fast. She only missed a few steps over the whole twenty minutes as she fell smoothly in and out of a dozen or more stances. As much as Nico wasn¡¯t exactly the hardest worker in Taegrin Caelum, he was still better than any of the other kids we¡¯d trained with by a mile, but this girl kept up,nding a strike for every one Nico gave her.


    By the time they were done, I found myself reconsidering my earlier thought. Perhaps they aren¡¯t all the same after all.


    ¡°Nico. To me,¡± Melzri snapped, marking an end to Caera and Nico¡¯s sparring. ¡°Grey. Go. Do not disappoint me.¡± She looked at my training sword meaningfully as she handed it over.


    Having studied Caera carefully over thest twenty minutes, I assumed I knew what to expect when our turn to spar began. She surprised me immediately, mimicking the fool¡¯s stance I¡¯d adopted earlier against Nico only to feint her first strike forward, step back into the tail stance, spin, and deliver a leaping downward cut at my left arm. I only just brought my own de up in time, catching her strike and driving forward so her own de was pushed back at her. She rotated in the air, her feet flying forward, and she crashed onto her back, her head bouncing off the stone tiles.


    Nico cursed and spun around to see what happened only to get a strike across the back of his knees from Melzri. I instinctively moved forward to offer Caera a hand up and make sure she was all right, but a cold re from Viessa stopped me in my tracks.


    Caera rolled over, pushed herself up, and rubbed the back of her head gingerly. Her fingers came away spotted with red.


    ¡°Do you require a healer, girl?¡± Viessa said, the question sounding more like a threat.


    ¡°No,¡± Caera said immediately, straightening. She wiped the blood off on her pants, then turned back to me, her training sword held tightly in both hands. ¡°Nice move. I thought I¡¯d catch you off guard with the jump, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°But you sacrificed your ability to adjust your stance and absorb the pushing force from a strong defensive maneuver,¡± I interrupted.


    She only nodded. With amand from Viessa, we began again.


    Our twenty minutes passed by in what felt like moments, and I realized when it was over that I¡¯d actually been having fun. Caera was experienced, but she was also very intuitive. Whether due to a bnce in our talents or her own quick ability to gauge an opponent and adjust, she matched Nico and I near perfectly, much better than any of the others. I knew even before the first hour was over that she would be the one.


    The thought made me inexplicably nervous. What is she really here for, though?


    ¡°Not bad, you little beasts,¡± Melzri said, eyeing us with an ufortably predatory gaze. ¡°Drink. Take a few minutes to rest and talk. We have several more hours of earth-shatteringly exciting training ahead of us today.¡± She walked away, taking Viessa with her.


    I filled three stone cups from the fountain running down one wall of the training chamber and handed them to the others. Nico only grunted, but Caera took the cup with both hands and bowed slightly to show respect. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°So where¡¯d you learn all that?¡± Nico burst out, failing as usual topose himself. ¡°You¡¯re better than you should be.¡±


    Cup halfway to her lips, Caera bristled. She slowly lowered the cup and regarded Nico with poorly veiled irritation. ¡°And how good should I be, exactly?¡±


    Nico¡¯s eyes widened, and he almost took a physical step back. ¡°That¡¯s not¡ªI just meant¡­¡± He looked to me for help, but I pretended not to see as I took a deep drink, draining my cup. ¡°I just meant that you¡¯re really good is all.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am, I¡¯m of the Denoir blood,¡± she said, her chin raised. Although it was perfectly practiced, there was a hint of being forced that undercut her haughtiness. Softer, and with less attitude, she added, ¡°I¡¯m going to be an ascender one day. I have to train to be ready.¡±


    Nico¡¯s eyes lit up, and the tension dissolved as the conversation turned to the ascenders association, the Relictombs, and the des that could be found within it. I found myself smiling through the conversation, and more and more I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off of Caera of Highblood Denoir.


    Time rushed by, and everything except the three of us melted away. As I lost myself to a blur of fighting, training, and tutoring, Caera¡¯s face always stayed in focus. As she was tempered by the grueling pace of Uncle Agrona¡¯s training over the following years, her face thinned, never entirely losing its roundness but bing more defined, more mature. More beautiful.


    Her hand was mmy as it squeezed mine. She didn¡¯t look at me out of the corner of her eye, but I could feel her attention on me, her desire forfort and support. It wasn¡¯t like her to be so nervous, but then again, this wasn¡¯t exactly a normal day.


    Nico, Caera, and I were standing together quietly in the outer foyer of Agrona¡¯s wing of Taegrin Caelum. Not wanting to break the tension, I simply stared ahead. A huge wing covered much of the wall across from me. The thick membrane connecting the framework of bones had been torn and then repaired in a couple of ces, and the white scales looked dull and faded in the dim light. I wondered if the wing had belonged to the dragon that took me from my family when I was just a boy, the one Cadell had saved me from.


    I felt eyes on me and nced at Nico. He looked away, but not before I saw the expression on his face as he took in Caera¡¯s hand holding mine.


    I would have sighed, but I didn¡¯t want to break the tense silence.


    There had always been apetitive rivalry between Nico and me. I progressed faster, trained harder, and received higher-level runes; it was only natural that he asionally grew frustrated by alwaysing in second. I didn¡¯t me him for it. He had been my best friend through two lives. We were bound together by fate, or so I thought. But the dynamic between us had changed when Caera arrived. She had been¡­well, whatever Uncle Agrona was looking for. Talented, driven, and striking a perfect bnce, socially, between Nico and me. At least, until previously mentioned feelings.


    There wasn¡¯t a lot of room to figure out things like rtionships in the way we lived, and I didn¡¯t exactly get pointers from people like Scythes Cadell, Melzri, and Viessa, who were our primary teachers, among dozens of other powerful mages who served Agrona. And I didn¡¯t ever n for it. We just kind of stumbled into it as the mutual attraction between us started to invade into our constant training and schooling. We spent almost every waking hour together, after all. Maybe it was inevitable.


    So, though, were Nico¡¯s feelings. I knew he¡¯d been smitten with Caera from the moment she walked through that door into the training chamber years ago. He couldn¡¯t help himself, it¡¯s just who Nico was. He also, unfortunately, couldn¡¯t help his resentment at alwaysing in second to me. And he¡¯d pulled back from us almost immediately the first time he caught us holding eye contact with each other just a little too long.


    The air pressure in the room changed, and I realized the doors had opened. Uncle Agrona, dressed simply in a loose-fitting tunic but with his customary ornamentation draped from the antler-ish horns extending up from his head, regarded the three of us with a pleased smile. ¡°Ah, here they are, the three most important people in all the world. Come in,e in, we have much to discuss.¡±


    Caera squeezed my hand again then slipped her own free, following Agrona first. Nico raised his brows and shrugged, falling in beside me as we trailed after.


    We proceeded through a series ofvishly decorated hallways and rooms until we reached a chamber I didn¡¯t remember visiting before. The heady smells of rich soil and a mixture of many different kinds of nts wafted out of a half-open door that led into a kind of indoor garden. Sunlight poured in through a ss ceiling, and water trickled in small streams down the walls and into troughs inset into the ground.


    nts sprouted up from the soil haphazardly, winding into and through one another as if they each fought for their own survival. Flowers that looked too delicate topete stabbed up through thick, thorn-covered brambles. Grasping vines hung down the walls, and they recoiled visibly as we entered.


    Agrona chuckled and reached up to stroke one of the vines. ¡°You are very lucky, Caera,¡± he said. His back was to us, but I could hear the smile in his voice. ¡°Very few in this world will ever have the opportunity to fulfill their purpose sopletely as you.¡±


    Caera swallowed heavily. ¡°What is my purpose, High Sovereign?¡±


    Agrona paused and turned to look at her, one brow raised above the other.


    ¡°Uncle Agrona,¡± she corrected with a small bow.


    He resumed moving through the room, bending to smell a flower here or plucking a petal there. ¡°You are the vessel, Caera,¡± he said, as if that exined everything.


    I felt myself frowning, but I knew better than to interject. A vessel is something you put something else into¡­


    ¡°Your friends have fulfilled their purpose as anchors admirably, forging for me the perfect vessel,¡± Agrona said, which didn¡¯t exactly rify anything. ¡°You are going to change the world, dear one.¡±


    Caera shot me a slightly panicked look. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Uncle. I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Agrona turned with a flourish, his hands extended out to his side. ¡°But of course you don¡¯t! How could you. The Legacy is beyond yourprehension, but not for long. Soon, you will understand perfectly.¡±


    My eyes twitched to Nico¡¯s at Agrona¡¯s mention of the Legacy. Our expressions were so identical, it was almost like looking into a mirror.


    Cecilia¡­


    Cold fury like hot coals settled into the bottom of my stomach as I finally understood. I looked away, unable to meet Caera¡¯s eyes, unable to ept what I had done to her. I didn¡¯t really listen as Agrona continued, and when he dismissed us, I went straight back to my own room and didn¡¯t answer the door when Caera came knockingter. I couldn¡¯t face her. I didn¡¯t want to hold her hand and look into her eyes and know I had killed her.


    Instead, I threw myself into our training. I lived for it¡ªthe progression, the power it provided. I¡¯d never felt powerless in this life until I learned what Agrona had in store for Caera. I hated that feeling more than anything, and so I decided not to be powerless. One day, I would be stronger than them all.


    Charwood thudded heavily against steel in rapid session. The mana imbuing the two des crackled and sent sparks flying around them. Nico was on the defensive, all his effort exhausted just in keeping my de away from him, but his hands alone weren¡¯t fast enough, and he was forced to retreat back a half-step with each blow.


    I varied my attacks, striking swiftly from alternating directions while continuing to press forward, waiting.


    He missed his footing, and his de twisted out of position. The charwood¡ªshaved down to a deadly sharp edge¡ªstruck him high on the arm. The mana clinging to his exposed flesh and the outer surface of his armor sundered, carved open by my own mana, which also sliced through the mana beast leather beneath it. Nico twitched in pain as my de met flesh, scoring a shallow cut along his upper arm. Instead of falling back and regrouping, he drove his shoulder forward, pushing the edge of the de deeper and forcing me to pull my strike or risk causing him real harm.


    I didn¡¯t see the punching until it was toote.


    Nico¡¯s fist, wrapped in mes, cracked against my cheek. My own mana blunted the strike, but the soulfire sent agony shooting across my cheek and up into my eye. I stumbled back before going to a knee, thenid down my weapon in a sign of surrender to end the bout. ¡°What the hell, Nico¡­¡± I grumbled, rubbing my eye, which was watering and immediately irritated, blurring my sight on the right side. ¡°This was supposed to be infusion only. No mana arts.¡±


    ¡°Especially not Vritra-based spells,¡± Melzri drawled, amused. ¡°Still, it was a good tactic. Sacrifice a small wound to deliver a¡ªif this were a real battle against a different opponent¡ªfatal attack. Nicely done, Nico.¡±


    I turned to re at Melzri. ¡°It was hardly ¡®nicely done.¡¯ Nico took advantage of my adherence to the established rules of our fight to strike an unfair blow.¡±


    ¡°Following rules of engagement in battle is a paradox,¡± Melzri answered, watching me carefully. ¡°vish adherence to such rules only serves your enemy.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re not enemies.¡± Standing beside Melzri, Caera¡¯s face looked pensively between Nico and me.


    It¡¯s been months, and I¡¯m still doing that, I thought, frustrated with the situation and myself. Somehow, it was still so hard to think of the person beneath that navy hair, those ruby red eyes, and her crown of horns as not Caera. And yet it was impossible to view her as Caera, either, because the two were so different. And so I thought of Caera¡¯s hands, her face, her arms now covered in runic tattoos that ran up her neck, instead of thinking of her by name.


    Cecilia, I told myself, standing slowly. Her name is Cecilia.


    ¡°You¡­okay?¡± Nico asked, finally, if fleetingly, meeting my eyes.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I answered firmly, staring into the side of his head until he cleared his throat and made a show of turning his back on me to walk away, acting as if he were simply resetting the battlefield.


    Melzri chuckled as she tossed her snow white hair back, settling it around her horns. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough swordy for the moment. Grey, Cecilia. Spells only. No movement.¡±


    Nico sent his de into an extradimensional storage device around his wrist and hurried away from me. I looked down at the charwood sword in my hand. It wasn¡¯t a training weapon, even if it looked mostly like the blunt sticks Nico and I had been hitting each other with since we were children. Its edge had been carved down to be sharp as a razor, and the t was imbued with several runes that bound the weapon to me, making it difficult and painful for anyone else to use, but also fortified the charwood. In the end, it still wasn¡¯t as durable as a steel sword, but the charwood channeled mana much better than any metal weapon I¡¯d ever held. With enough application of mana, it would be far stronger than the simple de Nico wielded.


    Regretfully, I too reached for the mana that would open my dimension ring, then stored the de away. I knew what wasing, and I wasn¡¯t exactly looking forward to it.


    As Nico and Cecilia passed each other, she reached out and squeezed his hand, then pulled him to her and quickly kissed his cheek.


    My gaze fell to the ground.


    ¡°Hey, none of that shit on my watch,¡± Melzri barked. ¡°You¡¯re the Legacy, not some love-sick school girl. I don¡¯t care if you have been dead and separated for however long.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Scythe Melzri Vritra,¡± Cecilia said, blushing and offering the Scythe a quick bow before hurrying into ce opposite me.


    I tried to clear my head, but the throbbing in the side of my face only intensified as I watched Cecilia approach. Channeling wind-attribute mana, she conjured a cushion of air beneath herself, carefully crossed her legs, and settled atop it, hovering about two feet off the ground.


    I couldn¡¯t help but grind my teeth. A few months, and already she is capable of something like that.


    The rapid purification of her core and expansion of her abilities had been far beyond anything I could have expected. It seemed to defy everyw of magic I had learned in this world. I myself had a regalia, two emblems, and a crest, providing me aptitude with three of the four traditional elements. I also learned some of the Vritra mana arts, focusing on bile water and void wind topliment¡ªor counter¡ªNico¡¯s specialization of soulfire and blood iron.


    But Cecilia had only needed time to grow acquainted with the body she now inhabited before almost immediately disying affinity with all four elements and each of their possible deviants, and without any additional runes bestowed after her reincarnation.


    This was another thing I found myself doing often: I couldn¡¯t bring myself to acknowledge the full truth of Cecilia¡¯s presence in this world with us. Because it hadn¡¯t simply been her reincarnation; she hadn¡¯t randomly inhabited a body, or been reborn into her own. No. Her spirit had required a vessel. And Caera¡¯s had to be disced in the process, I thought with a building anger. Agrona killed her. Cecilia killed her.


    Melzri said something that I didn¡¯t catch, and then mana swirled into a visible spell around Cecilia.


    Jerking out of my stupor, I formed a barrier around myself, already on the back foot due to my poor focus.


    A blue bolt of lightning crashed against my shield, followed by the crack of concentrated thunder. The sound-attribute deviant mana, purified in Cecilia¡¯s core, shivered through the barrier protecting me, starting at the point of the lightning strike and rippling outward, like a stone thrown into a pond.


    I leaned into the barrier, reinforcing it with all the mana I could muster. I felt Cecilia pushing into the center of the ripple with her will, not casting a spell but simply pushing on the mana directly by opposing my control over it.


    The shield melted away suddenly, and a concentrated fist of wind struck me in the chest, lifting me off the ground only to m me onto my back and send me sprawling.


    ¡°Grey, you moved.¡± Melzri¡¯s voice was followed with the re of mana, then a whip of ck mes licked across my back.


    My vision went white for several seconds as pain overwhelmed me.


    ¡°I think that was a new record, Cecilia,¡± Melzri continued, disregarding me writhing on the ground. ¡°But your use of mana iszy. While it is impressive that you were able to burst his shield almost entirely by opposing his control over the mana, that ability is a crutch. If you learn only to overwhelm your opponents by sheer force of mana, then you will fail to foster the creativity necessary to make use of your full range. You are the only mage in crya who can control all attributes of magic. Make use of that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Scythe Melzri Vritra!¡±


    ¡°Grey, get your ass up. Let¡¯s go again. And focus this time!¡±


    I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed myself up with shaking arms.


    Life became an unhappy haze of repetition as the gap between Cecilia, Nico, and I grew wider. My sense of powerlessness only deepened, a dark and empty well that yawned beneath me. And if I looked down into it, I knew I might fall and never recover. If not for Agrona¡¯s continuing push for us to live, study, and train as a group, I couldn¡¯t have bared it.


    ¡°You¡¯re angry, Grey. Good.¡±


    My jaw clenched until it ached, and I tried not to re at the High Sovereign.


    ¡°Use it, boy. Don¡¯t hold back. Your rage is a survival mechanism, meant to push you past the threshold of your abilities. To reign it in is to hobble yourself. If you make less of yourself than you could be, then you are simply waiting for death.¡±


    I took my stance and glowered at Nico across from me. A heavy weight settled over my limbs as Cecilia suppressed my mana, forcing me and Nico to rely only on ourbat training. I saw her mouth, ¡°Sorry¡± out of the corner of my eye. If only Agrona would ever match me against her without our mana. Then I wouldn¡¯t be so damned powerless against her.


    I shook off the thought, focusing.


    ¡°Begin.¡±


    This time, Nico lunged to my right, opening aggressively. His de thunked against mine. I stepped into the attack, forced his de out of the way, and nted my foot between his own. But his lunge had been a feint, and he pirouetted around me, his de turning to a reverse grip and thrusting backwards at my stomach.


    I struck the t of his weapon with my palm and again stepped into his attack, too close for swords to be fully effective. My elbow snapped up toward his mouth, but he twisted and took the blow on the jaw as he pulled his sword back toward him, shing across my body. My own sword whirled into ce, deflecting the cutting edge from my skin. Without mana imbuing the charwood, I felt the steel bite into the razor thin edge of my weapon, notching the de.


    Feigning a step back, as if I were correcting my stance, I unleashed a forward kick at the side of his knee. Toote, Nico tried to correct his footing, but my boot impacted firmly, bending his leg sideways with an awkward pop.


    Nico grimaced and flourished his weapon defensively, creating a barrier between us, but there was blood in the water now, and I could smell it. Springing off my back foot, I lunged forward and struck directly at his sword¡¯s handguard. His attempted block was clumsy, and the de was jolted out of position. I thrust forward, pushing the edge of my charwood sword across his ribs.


    He tucked in toward the wound, bringing his head down into my knee, which connected with the crunch of breaking cartge.


    Nico stumbled and fell back, his weapon wheeling across the floor with a dull scraping noise.


    I turned angrily toward Agrona. ¡°We all know I¡¯m the better swordsman. What is the point of this exercise?¡±


    Agrona''s smile sharpened. ¡°Healer, get Nico on his feet. Then, we go again.¡±


    My mana came back in a rush as Cecilia released the suppression in order to aid Nico¡¯s healing. Nico was silent as the healer eased the swelling in his knee, set his nose, and stopped the bleeding from the cut across his ribs, but I could feel him seething. Cecilia watched everything nervously. She kept trying to catch my eye, but I ignored her.


    When Nico was back on his feet, we returned to our starting positions and fell into our opening stances, waiting for Agrona¡¯s word.


    ¡°Begin.¡±


    Nico came forward from a high stance. I opened with an overhead block, my feet already aligned with my path through the strike and behind Nico, where I would deliver a sh to the back of his legs.


    Our two weapons met. Steel again bit into the unprotected edge of the charwood. The weapons caught each other with the expected resistance, jerked, then continued forward through each other.


    A bright line of pain ran across my shoulder and down the outside of my arm.


    Thest two feet of ck wood ttered to the ground, bouncing. In my hands, I held only the handle with a foot of de, sliced cleanly off on the end.


    I kept with my original motion, but instead of attacking the back of Nico¡¯s legs, which my weapon was no longer long enough to reach, I spun and released the hilt.


    Nico had stepped through his swing and half turned, hesitating as he looked down at the charwood de as it bounced a second time, spinning as if in slow motion.


    The remaining length of de struck his unprotected sternum, sinking into the hilt. Nico¡¯s eyes went wide with surprise, his mouth forming a soundless, ¡°Oh.¡± He stumbled backwards once, tripped over the still-bouncing charwood de, and fell to the ground with a crash.


    There was a moment where no one moved, then Cecilia¡¯s scream of, ¡°Nico!¡± split the air like a thunderp.


    She ran to his side and reached for the hilt, but her hands hovered over it fearfully. ¡°Help!¡± she called, casting about a frightened look for the healer, but he was watching Agrona, waiting for the High Sovereign¡¯smand.


    As Cecilia¡¯s emotions surged with turmoil, her will crushing down on my mana jerked back and forth like a wolf tearing at its prey. ¡°Release my mana, Cecilia.¡±


    ¡°Agrona!¡± Cecilia yelled, staring at the High Sovereign with a sort of pleading confusion.


    ¡°Cecilia, release my¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Cecilia screamed, and something inside of me tore.


    I copsed like a puppet with cut strings, my hands wing at my sternum. The mana, previously constrained to my core by Cecilia¡¯s power, was leaking out and growing dim. Outside my body, the warm sense of mana that radiated from everyone in the room grew cold. I gasped, unable to breathe, choking on my own dread, drowning in my fear.


    ¡°Healer, see if Nico can be saved.¡±


    My eyes closed. My ears rang so loud that the words became almost unintelligible.


    ¡°And the other, High Sovereign?¡±


    ¡°The boy¡¯s purpose isplete. Leave him.¡±


    My fingers went numb, and I could no longer feel them digging into my skin, desperate to reach the pain inside my sternum. Bile filled the back of my throat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Cecilia dearest. Remember, while an anchor may give you stability, it will also hold you back. I think you have reached the point where the weight of such rtionships must be cut loose. It is time for you to fly free.¡±


    Cecilia¡¯s sobbing was thest thing I heard before the world went ck.


    And then, within the ck, a faint bit of distant light.


    The light grew closer, brighter, and then turned into a bright blur, forcing me to shut my eyes. Indiscernible sounds assaulted my ears. When I tried to speak, the words came out as a cry.


    ¡°Congrattions, sir and madam, he¡¯s a healthy boy.¡±


    Everything came rushing back in, and I remembered where I was and what I was doing. The context of the life I had just lived fit into ce, as did the previous attempts. It all felt like a horrid dream, but it didn¡¯t fade as I woke.


    Because I¡¯m not really awake.


    I forced my infant body to quiet and ignored the fussing going on around me as I turned my focus to the puzzle of the keystone. I can¡¯t lose myself every time I try to do something different, I thought in frustration. How can I solve a puzzle if I forget what I¡¯m doing every time I pick up a piece?


    Full of the chill of that sad, unwanted existence in crya, a shiver ran through me. For the first time, I felt the fear that I might truly be trapped in the keystone forever. I clung to my mother¡¯s warmth with genuine need but couldn¡¯t escape the feeling of mncholy loneliness that subsumed all other feelings. In many ways, I had forgotten what it was like to feel alone, to be by myself in my own head. I wished I could takefort from mother and father, but in that moment, with the life of Grey in crya still so fresh in my mind, I couldn¡¯t entirely ept them as real.


    Sylvie, Regis, where the hell are you?

 Chapter 475

    <h4>Chapter 475</h4>


    Chapter 473: Beckoning Fates


    My infant years passed by unattended, my life happening on a kind of autopilot as my mind focused on the problem of the keystone and my missingpanions.


    In this alternative reality presented by the keystone, even small changes seemed to snowball into an entirely new life that I had to live. But as the simted life got further from reality¡ªor perhaps, as the person I grew into inside the keystone became further from who I really was or had been¡ªthe part of my mind that was conscious of events outside of the keystone seemed to go to sleep, causing me to forget my purpose and even the fact that I was living out a fake, simted existence.


    The memories of my time growing up in Taegrin Caelum resurfaced. It was difficult to parse everything; I remembered it clearly, but the person I had be under those circumstances seemed so far from who I actually was that it was almost like I¡¯d had someone else¡¯s dream. But where, I wondered, had that scenarioe from? Is the keystone realm just inventing responses to my actions, or is Fate somehow involved? Could the keystone know what really would have happened¡ªor what will happen in the future? I considered aether and Fate, and knew I couldn¡¯tpletely discount this fact.


    Elder Rinia could search through possible timelines and potential events using her magic. Certainly the djinn could do the same, with their heightened control of aether, including the branch of aevum. Still, inparison to the mechanism behind each of the previous keystones, these unfolding worlds and timelines seemed impossiblyplex. Does gaining insight into Fate require seeing how all these realities yed out in response to each small change?


    I felt my stomach sink as I wondered just how many times I¡¯d have to relive my life in different permutations to gain this insight, and this nerve-wracking thought brought me to yet another unnerving consideration: How long have I already been here?


    If the keystone world moved at the same scale of time as I lived it, then I¡¯d already been inside for decades. I had to assume that time spent in the keystone wasn¡¯t one-to-one with the outside world. Time didn¡¯t seem to move at a constant pace in the keystone, it flies past at incredible speed when I didn¡¯t focus on the world it was presenting. If nothing else, that suggested that time was highly subjective, perhaps even an illusion entirely.


    What if that¡¯s it? I jolted into a scene of my toddler self flipping through the Encyclopedia of Mana Maniption. Staring around in confusion¡ªit felt like I was born only minutes ago¡ªI tried to draw myself back out of the life and allow it to simply y out before my eyes.


    My excitement seemed to tether me to the moment. I squeezed my eyes shut, concentrating on disconnecting from myself. Something seemed to tug at me from my sternum, like I had a fishing hook embedded in my chest and someone was pulling on it. My eyes shed open, and I stared around, wondering what the sensation could have been, but I saw and felt nothing obvious.


    Realizing I was letting myself get too anxious and excitable, I forced my small body to take several deep breaths. My mother came into the room, chattering away about me always staring at those books and how cute it was, and time began to spill away from me.


    In moments, I was awakening, then we were already heading up the mountain path that would lead us to the ambush. It yed out as it had in life, and suddenly I was with Sylvia. Although I had ideas about how my time with her could have yed out differently, I avoided changing anything, even the smallest detail, in order to test my current theory.


    My time with her ran out, and then my life as a boy in Elenoir was speeding past. Before I knew it, I was seeing my family again, and then Jasmine and I were adventuring together in the Beast des. My time in Xyrus started, leading to the Widow¡¯s Crypt, the attack on Xyrus Academy, and my training in Elenoir. The war itself was already over, culminating with my battle against Nico.


    It was as my body began to fail from overuse of Sylvia¡¯s beast will and Sylvie¡¯s impending sacrifice loomed that I had another realization.


    Focusing on the moment, I attempted to step back into my body and take control of the situation, knowing what I wanted to change.


    Only, I couldn¡¯t.


    Time was passing by even more quickly now, with Sylvie¡¯s death, my first unintended ascent into the Relictombs, and then my time in crya all going by in the same breath. Suddenly I was bidding farewell to Ellie, having lied to her about where I would be while essing the fourth keystone, and Sylvie, Regis, and I were activating and stepping into the keystone again.


    I waited in darkness, breathless and confused about what had just happened. Again, the light in the distance. Again, the words, ¡°Congrattions, sir and madam, he¡¯s a healthy boy.¡±


    My mind was nk for quite a while. Time didn¡¯t slip away from me and start the loop over again, but I could feel the shock seizing control of my faculties, and instead of fighting it, I simply let myself be.


    I had thought, perhaps, that the lesson of this ce was something trite, like that my life had yed out just the way it was supposed to or that I couldn¡¯t change the past. I certainly hadn¡¯t expected to lose control and get dragged along as my life repeated exactly as it had, unable to enforce my will on it at all.


    It was like being caught in a rushing river, I thought in wonder after the shock began to settle. But what is the point of that? How does it lead to insight into Fate?


    I struggled to see how this new data point fit in with my previous theories. Obviously, it shattered the idea of simply not changing anything. In fact, this vortex effect suggested the opposite: that I had to explore the many opportunities of this life¡ªor lives¡ªin order to gain insight into the aspect of Fate.


    I rolled this idea around for quite some time but achieved no new insight. Finally, I turned away from it, again considering a moment from the previously rushed-through life. As I had approached Sylvie¡¯s sacrifice, a wild thought had urred to me. How can I exist in this life if Sylvie doesn¡¯t sacrifice herself for me, splitting her essence to be drawn across the cosmos where she then watches my life as Grey unfold? Because, if she doesn¡¯t do that, how can she then pull me away from Agrona¡¯s effort to reincarnate me and instead ce me inside this body?


    I looked around, searching for the ghostly apparition of Sylvie that I knew must be watching me. After Sylvie had experienced my life as Grey, she had followed my spirit through the cosmos as it was dragged to this world by Agrona. At thest moment, she had forced me aside and brought me to the Leywins. And that is where this simtion of my life began.


    It was a paradox. Although the keystone lives always began at my birth, in reality, my own life began long before that, with my birth as Grey on Earth. I clung tightly to that fact. The presence of a potential paradox was a data point, a w in the system, one I could identify and potentially extrapte information from.


    ¡®I suppose, in this ce, my presence at your birth¡ªand also everything I did before your birth¡ªis like a fixed point,¡¯ a distorted voice said. I turned my overlyrge head on the neck that still didn¡¯t support it, staring off the side of a straw-filled mattress to see the same slightly see-through, younger version of Sylvie that I¡¯d encountered before. ¡®You can¡¯t change something that was already set in stone before your arrival.¡¯


    I was looking for you, I said, meeting her transparent golden eyes.


    ¡®I know,¡¯ she answered.


    I have an idea, I thought, instinctively stuffing a chubby fist into my mouth. Will you help me with something?


    ¡®In the context of this life as it is currently ying out, I have just watched Grey grow from desperate childhood to disconste kingship. I then crossed an unknowable expanse across time and between worlds to keep Agrona from iming you,¡¯ she thought back matter-of-factly. ¡®I have already sacrificed everything for you, Arthur, and I will do so again. And again. As many times as is necessary. So yes. Of course I will help you. Just tell me what you need.¡¯


    I quietly gathered my thoughts before projecting them to her. You are a part of Sylvie. Before, you called yourself a projection of Sylvie as I understood her to exist in this moment, right?


    ¡®That¡¯s correct,¡¯ she confirmed, watching me curiously.


    But there is another part of Sylvie here as well, I continued. Her real conscious mind from the outside world. Except she¡¯s¡­sleeping, her and Regis.


    ¡®That¡¯s true.¡¯


    My infant face scrunched up in concentration. Her mind hasn¡¯t woken yet. I think, maybe, that¡¯s because it hasn¡¯t had a time and ce to do so inside the keystone. Even in the lives where I¡¯ve bonded with her, that version of Sylvie has her own personality intact, consistent with who Sylvie was in that timeframe, without the memories of our life outside this ce. That leaves no room for my Sylvie, the real Sylvie, to wake up.


    The ghostly face watched me expectantly.


    But you¡¯re already only a piece of her. And in a few years, you¡¯re going to be drawn back into your own egg and reborn as that version of Sylvie.


    ¡®That¡¯s also true.¡¯


    If you¡­attached yourself, somehow, to Sylvie¡¯s mind¡ªthe real Sylvie¡ªthen maybe she could wake up and act through you, and then be born back into herself.


    There was a long pause, and I had to concentrate very hard to keep my mind and infant body awake and focused on the moment.


    ¡®How?¡¯ she asked eventually.


    I didn¡¯t really know how, but I was convinced that waking Sylvie and Regis was essential to making progress within the keystone. They represented different aspects of aether that, together with me, forged a moreplete insight of spacium, vivum, and aevum as a whole. It was my hope that, as outside consciousnesses, they wouldn¡¯t suffer the same effects of deviating from my regr life and could somehow tether me to myself.


    It¡¯s all guesswork at this point, but I can feel Sylvie¡¯s mind inside my own. Can you¡­enter my body? Maybe I can act as some kind of bridge between you.


    The ghostly image nodded in understanding, then drifted forward, passing through the bed and into my flesh. A shiver ran through my tiny body, and I could feel a new,forting presence floating just beneath the surface.


    Wiggling my infantile body, I got morefortable on the straw mattress and closed my eyes.


    Her mind is inside me somewhere. We just have to find it.


    I focused on the ghost¡¯s warm presence, trying to follow her within myself as she searched for the real her. Such an internal, meditative practice would have been easy in my years as a quadraelemental mage orter, once I had an aether core. I¡¯d practiced searching inside of myself with mana and aether for more hours than I could hope to count.


    But now, in the body of a tiny baby with no mana core of my own, I realized that Icked the facilities I would normally rely on.


    Do you feel any sense of her? A resonance, or a pull, or anything?


    ¡®No, but don¡¯t despair,¡¯ she assured me.


    As my focus honed in on finding Sylvie and forging a connection between the two partial versions of her¡ªone real, the other manifested by the keystone¡ªI lost my sense of the outside world. Even when my infant body slept, my adult mind remained intent on the connection between Sylvie¡¯s apparition and her sleeping mind. Time passed discordantly, with the outside world seeming to rush by while only minutes or hours passed ording to my consciousness.


    And yet I sensed nothing concrete within myself but the mana slowly concentrating inside my sternum, where my core would eventually form.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t working,¡¯ ghost-Sylvie thought, her voice cutting through the fog of my hyper-concentration. ¡®We need to do more, but what? I have no knowledge of this process.¡¯


    I took several deep breaths, struggling to think through the building tension. In a couple of years, your spirit naturally rejoins your unborn body, held in stasis by your mother¡¯s magic. And thenter, you are reborn through a natural process I don¡¯t fully understand, abination of a magical reaction to your sacrifice and a tremendous amount of aether channeled into that second egg.


    ¡®Both rebirths then required an egg¡­¡¯ she mused, her mentally projected voice quiet in my head, nearly buried beneath the thumping of my pulse. ¡®But both were also influenced by outside magic tying back to the sacrifice of my body to rebuild yours. We need a catalyst to awaken the real me and bond me with this simtion of myself.¡¯


    But what kind of catalyst would suffice?


    The ghostly simtion of my bond didn¡¯t answer. She was gone.


    I let time pass, thinking about my next steps, until I reached the cliffside and once again saw her. But the battle exploded, and I followed along with the necessary sequence of events that would lead me to Sylvia. I looked for a time or way tomunicate with the watching ghost, but no such opportunity presented itself, and then, once again, I was tumbling from the cliffside.


    By the time I came to at the bottom of the long fall, lying next to the broken corpse of the bandit I had dragged down with me, Sylvie was already gone.


    I considered simply allowing the simtion to y forward to its beginning again in order to continue my attempt to wake Sylvie, but the idea of wasting an entire life simply watching it fly by chafed at me. It was obvious now that my goal of waking the real Sylvie into the ghostly manifestation of her spirit would be a work of more than one lifetime, but there was still a lot I didn¡¯t understand about the keystone trial, and I didn¡¯t want to waste an opportunity to learn more, either.


    I continued on until Sylvie was reborn, but she was not born with any memories, either of her life outside the keystone or our discussions before her birth. She was an infant asura, growing quickly in both intellect and power, but she was Sylvie as she had been then, not mypanion as she now slept.


    My time in Elenoir and then as an adventurer and student unfolded without significant change, but I remained watchful of each passing decision to avoid the vortex effect pulling me straight through to the end again. It was difficult, as I lived through the same events yet again, to avoid second-guessing the many decisions of my life. Where could I have chosen differently? What other power could I have gained or what piece of knowledge might I have obtained if only I¡¯d walked a slightly different path?


    Years passed before the moment I¡¯d been waiting for came, and I sank into myself, bing fully present in the unfolding events.


    Virion was nodding to me as he dug into the inside pocket of his robe. ¡°There¡¯s onest thing you need to think about.¡±


    I already knew what he was going to pull out when he opened his hand in front of me to reveal a ck coin the size of his palm. The coin glimmered at the slightest movement, drawing my attention to theplex engravings etched all over it.


    ¡°This is one of the artifacts that were handed down to me. I had given them both to my son when I resigned from the throne, but after Alea¡¯s death, he gave this one back to me, saying I should choose the next Lance.¡±


    I stood there silently for a moment, carefully considering the oval coin that seemed to pulse in Virion¡¯s hand. ¡°This is the artifact Alea had.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Bonding it with your blood and mine will trigger it, giving you the boost that allowed all the other Lances to break into the white stage. I know you¡¯re not an elf, but I¡¯d be honored if you¡¯d serve as a Lance under me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll fight for you even without this bond, but I can¡¯t ept it. I may regret this, but it doesn¡¯t feel right for me to cheat my way into the white stage. I¡¯ll get there on my own.¡±


    These words echoed back to me from what felt like a lifetime ago. It was true, I had reached the white core stage on my own, but it took so long¡­and when I finally came face to face with Cadell at the flying castle, it still wasn¡¯t enough.


    And soon after, I lost everything I¡¯d worked so hard for when my core was broken.


    ¡°It would be my honor to serve as your Lance,¡± I said at length, bending into a bow before Virion.


    The Lance ceremonies¡ªthe actual bonding of blood and service¡ªhad always taken ce secretly, and so it was for me. Only Virion, his son Alduin, Lance Aya Grephin, Lord Aldir, and Sylvie were present, all gathered within an unadorned chamber deep within the flying castle.


    I knelt in the center of the chamber, Sylvie sitting beside me in her small, catlike form, her side pressed against my leg. Virion stood before me, while the others were half in shadow encircling us. He held out the ck oval coin. Its etched surface reflected the dim light like stars on the ocean at night. After a few seconds, he released the coin. Instead of falling to the ground, it stayed where it was, hovering in the air between us at my eye level.


    ¡°Arthur Leywin, son of Reynolds and Alice Leywin, silver core quadraelemental mage. Unexpected protector and unlooked for grandchild, raised among both humans and elves in Sapin and Elenoir, a child of two worlds. The title of Lance must not be limited by birth or status, or even race, and can only be earned through hard work, talent, and strength. In that, you may prove to be unparalleled.¡±


    Virion gave a brief pause, letting his words sink in. ¡°Arthur, do you swear to serve and protect me asmander of the Tri-Union¡¯s military forces, the Eralith family, and by extension all of the people of Elenoir, elven or otherwise, and never to turn this power back against me, my family, or my nation?¡±


    ¡°I swear,¡± I answered firmly and honestly.


    ¡®So do I,¡¯ Sylvie said fiercely into my mind.


    ¡°As a Lance of Elenoir, do you swear to stand between me, and by extension all of Elenoir, and our enemies, no matter their strength or origin?¡±


    ¡°I swear,¡± I answered again.


    Virion¡¯s rasping voice was husky with suppressed emotion. ¡°Will you submit yourself in blood and body to my cause?¡±


    ¡°I submit.¡±


    ¡°So these words are spoken¡±¡ªVirion drew a knife and dragged it along the edge of his palm¡ª¡°and so they are bound in blood.¡± As he said the word, his blood began to drip from his hand, hitting the ck metal with small sshes.


    He held out the knife, which I took. I tried to imagine how I would have felt in this moment, had it really happened. Isn¡¯t it really happening? The thought came back to me so immediately, so unexpectedly, that I had to stop and think about it, reminding myself that I was in the keystone and working toward a solution for the trial and insight into Fate itself.


    ¡°Go on, Art,¡± Virion said, his tone kindly. ¡°I have faith in you.¡±


    Standing, I set my jaw and cut myself as Virion had. ¡°So these words are spoken, and so they are bound in blood.¡± Sylvie echoed the words in my thoughts, except hers were directed to me instead of Virion.


    As my blood joined Virion¡¯s, the surface of the oval coin rippled, and the blood was drawn into it. The coin pulsed with a tremendous fluctuation of mana, then began to fall. I grabbed it before it had tumbled more than a few inches and inspected it intensely.


    The artifact was heavy, smooth, and warm to the touch. Beneath the ck sheen, there was now a hint of deep red. There was a strange kind of resonance between the mana within the coin and my own purified mana, like they were calling to each other. I yearned to let the mana free.


    Virion beamed at me, his eyes sparkling with pride. ¡°I name you Godspell, Lance of Elenoir. Wee, Lance Godspell, to your service.¡±


    Lance Aya stepped forward, her expression unreadable. ¡°You will want somewhere quiet and¡­away from others for this next step.¡±


    Virion made a low humming noise from his nose. ¡°It takes time, but you should dedicate the next few days to the process. After that, you can approach it at your leisure, although, from what I¡¯ve seen in the past, most Lances find it difficult to stop once the process has started.¡±


    Lord Aldir spoke for the first time. ¡°I hope you both know what you are doing. I can¡¯t help but wonder if it wouldn¡¯t have been better for Arthur to reach white core on his own.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for that,¡± Alduin cut in.


    I could tell from Virion¡¯s expression that he was torn. ¡°We shall see.¡±


    Mouth dry, I gave Virion a deep bow, then shallower bows to Lords Alduin and Aldir, then Sylvie and I followed Aya to a chamber that looked more like a forest de than a room buried deep in the bowels of a flying castle. ¡°Good luck,¡± she said with a coy wink before retreating back down the hallway with a sashaying walk.


    ¡®Oh, this is exciting,¡¯ Sylvie said, slinking around the chamber and sniffing the nts. ¡®You¡¯re going to be a white core mage. How long do you think it will take?¡¯


    ¡°We¡¯re going to find out,¡± I said out loud, sitting down, crossing my legs, and holding the oval coin up in front of me.


    ***


    Everyone in the hall held their breath as I came into view, silently waiting for me to speak.


    I stood wordlessly and surveyed the outdoor gallery from atop the stage. Every person present seemed entranced, but I could hardly me them. Bathed in light and posing dramatically next to the two blocks of ice, I knew I cut quite the heroic figure.


    My long auburn hair was tied loosely in a knot, and I was garbed in a loose-fitting silk robe in the elven style. Completing my refined ensemble was a rich fur pelt, as white as snow, slung over one shoulder.


    It seemed like only yesterday that I¡¯d stood before all of Dicathen d in extravagant armor that had dazzled the people. Now, standing in the column of light in my elegant attire, I knew I was more than just dazzling; I radiated an otherworldliness that matched even an asura like Lord Aldir.


    Gauging my timing well, I turned my head first to my left, peering deeply at the Vritra retainer encased in ice, and then to my right, repeating the action toward the second retainer.


    The gallery, already quiet, took on a deep, breath-held silence as I turned back to face those present. Keeping my voice low and steady, I began my prepared speech. ¡°Disying the corpses of our enemies as if they are simple trophies or keepsakes for the masses to gawk at is something I deeply disapprove of, but those of you attending this event tonight aren¡¯t simplemoners. Each noble here knows that the workers, civilians, and inhabitants of yournds are waiting impatiently for news regarding this war. Until now, vague assumptions and baseless theories were the only things you could give them.¡±


    I paused, letting the quiet crowd simmer as they waited for me to speak again. ¡°Born to a humble background, I have been able to climb to where I am now thanks to my family¡ªas well as the friends I met along the way. I am now a Lance, and the youngest one at that, but I¡¯m not the strongest.¡± I smiled warmly to hide the lie I told. In truth, I was the strongest by a significant margin, but the narrative required an alternative view of events. ¡°The Lances out there, some of whom are fighting battles as we speak, are far above me in power, and yet even I was able to defeat not one but two retainers, the so-called ¡®highest powers¡¯ of the cryan army.¡±


    I paused once more, letting the excited murmurs ripple through the crowd. ¡°As you can see, I¡¯ve sustained no injuries from my battle with these supposedly powerful forces, and am healthy enough to chatter on like this amongst a crowd of nobles.¡± I widened my smile as myments elicitedughter from the audience.


    cing one hand on the tomb of ice holding the corpse of the retainer, Uto, I carefully shifted my gaze to where the Council was seated. ¡°This is not only my offering to the Council, who has granted me this role, but is also a gift that I hope you can all take home and share with your people¡ªfiguratively, of course.¡±


    Cheers andughs erupted as I bowed, signaling the end of the speech. The illuminating artifacts turned back on as I jauntily descended from the stage, and Virion took my ce. People pped my shoulder or my back as I passed them, shouting out for me or trying to get me to stop and speak with them.


    When Virion spoke, however, the crowd¡¯s eyes were drawn to him, and the hubbub died down somewhat. ¡°The Council thanks Lance Godspell for this gift. He has single-handedly changed the course of this war, proving without doubt that crya¡¯s forces are not indestructible, as our enemy has attempted to convince you.¡± Virion paused as the crowd cheered in response. ¡°Already, our dwarven allies are assisting our greatest minds in reverse engineering the teleportation technology used by the cryans to reach our shores, and soon we will take the assault to them!¡±


    The crowd roared even louder, the nobles momentarily forgetting themselves as they got caught up in Virion¡¯s speech. Soon, a chant of ¡°Lance Godspell, Lance Godspell¡± was resounding through the gallery.


    Through the crowd, I caught sight of a particr pair of beautiful teal eyes, shining with delight, and I couldn¡¯t help but smile in return.


    ***


    Silver bells filled Zestier with the sweet sound of their ringing, mingling with the chirping of birdsong and the whisper of a light breeze through the boughs. Bright roses, peonies, lilies, and hyacinths sshed reds, oranges, pinks, and blues across the crowd gathered to either side of the street and perfumed the air with a bouquet of sweet scents. Elven children threw confetti of petals into the street ahead of us, transforming the paving tiles into a mystical highway of color.


    Beside me, Tessia giggled as she watched a young girl, no more than three or four, overturn a basket full of rose petals, spilling them into a heap, then hurriedly wiggle chubby hands through the petals to spread them out as she looked around to see if anyone saw. Tessia reached down and brushed the girl''s head lightly with her hand as we passed.


    She turned to look at me, and I felt myself slipping away into those teal eyes, which shone turquoise in the sun. ¡°I love you, King Arthur,¡± she said softly, my name barely a whisper on her lips.


    ¡°And I love you, Queen Tessia,¡± I answered. More than anything, I yearned to lean forward and kiss her painted lips, but I held myself back, submitting to the decorum of the day. In truth, I would have rather foregone the ceremony and pomp entirely and instead spent the day just the two of us, insted from the needs of the wider world.


    I admired my queen, who was draped in a fitted wedding gown of whitece, the long train that dragged through the flowers woven with emerald and gold vines that collected the petals as we moved. Her gunmetal silver hair fell in waves down her back, pinned with golden flowers inset with sapphire and emerald gems, and her face had been lightly painted, adding shadow to her eyes and a bright flush to her cheeks.


    But as I looked at her and fantasized about a life outside of the public eye, I also considered my new role as king. Just coronated, my first act as the new ruler of all Dicathen was this very wedding, as agreed by her mother, father, and grandfather. Ours was a union that morepletely aligned the human and elven races, but to me, it was the culmination of two lives lived. Being reincarnated in Dicathen had been a chance for me to discover who I really was, to have a family that loved me, but also to search out the kind of supportive and romantic love I had never experienced as Grey on Earth.


    I will be the king here that I could never be as Grey, I thought, brushing my fingers along Tessia¡¯s arm, which was woven through my own. And it will be because of you.


    I locked those words into my mind, promising myself to tell herter, in the safety and confines of our own chambers within the Eraliths¡¯ pce in Zestier. The flying castle would be our permanent home, but I had agreed to spend two full days in Tessia¡¯s birthce as a sign of support and goodwill to her family and her people; even though I had been a Lance of Elenoir and was marrying their princess, it was still a shock for the elven people to bow before a human king.


    I forced my gaze away from my wife. As I smiled and waved at the rows upon rows of onlookers, I saw none of the tension that I knew was simmering beneath the surface. Instead, these people weed me with joyous cheers and thrown flowers. Day by day, my hesitance toward epting the kingship faded away. I have trained for this over two lifetimes, I reminded myself.


    ¡®There is no one better suited for the role in any of the three countries you now rule,¡¯ Sylvie thought from where she walked behind me, and I realized I must have let my thoughts slip out into our connection.


    Thank you, Sylv. If what you say is true, it is only because I have you in my life. I wouldn¡¯t be the man I am today without you. I was careful to keep concealed my concern for her. My bond, who was like a daughter to me and Tessia, was infected with her father¡¯s poisonous magic. I hadn¡¯t even told her that he could take over her body and speak through her yet.


    Our procession continued through the city of Zestier and ended on a raised balcony high in the branches of one of the great trees. Thousands of onlookers gathered on tforms spread around us. Tessia and I stood side by side, surrounded by her parents and mine, Virion, Lance Aya, and an entire retinue besides.


    Feyrith Ivsaar III stepped forward from the retinue, taking the teal half-cloak that hung over my shoulder. I nodded to him and smiled, thinking about how funny and strange life could be that my once-rival had be such a close friend and advisor.


    Stepping forward, I projected my voice with mana so it would carry easily to the spread out tforms grown into the boughs of the massive trees. With an easy smile and a baritone rich with warm confidence, I addressed my subjects as a married man for the first time.


    ***


    I awoke to a sharp tug of pain in my sternum. The moon spilled silver light through the window and across the floor but left most of our bedchamber pitch ck. My fingertips pressed into my sternum, and I jolted awake as I felt wetness. Waving my hand, I attempted to conjure a me to see by. The chamber remained in darkness.


    Gasping at pain and sudden, horrible realization, I reached desperately for my magic.


    There was no response.


    My body spasmed at the same time as thentern beside our bed bloomed with orange light. Tessia was asleep beside me, her hair a tangled mess around her face, her limbs askew, half in and half out of the nket. Her lips curved up in a secret, sleeping smile as she dreamed of something pleasant.


    Beyond her, beside the bed, a man tinkered with the lighting artifact, turning down the brightness slightly. There was no mistaking his marble-gray skin, red eyes, and the onyx horns that curved down the sides of his head, following his jawline.


    Sylvie, to me!


    I felt no response to my frightened call, which only heightened my fear and disorientation.


    The Vritra¡ªthe same one who had killed Sylvia all those years ago¡ªraised a finger to his lips. The gesture seemed strange and out of character, like something from a dream. ¡°Do not shout for your guards, my king,¡± he said, his voice cold and hard. ¡°My soulfire burns within you, and I have destroyed your core. Although you still draw breath, you are, in reality, already dead.¡±


    I opened my mouth to shout, but pain wracked my body, clenching my throat shut and making my limbs spasm. Beside me, a concerned frown formed on my wife¡¯s face, and she rolled over fitfully.


    ¡°You are a victim of your own sess, King Arthur,¡± the Vritra continued. ¡°Had you proven less sessful¡ªless powerful, less of a threat¡ªperhaps the High Sovereign would have attempted to bargain with you.¡± He gave a small shake of his head, and an expression that was almost, but not quite, a smile crossed his face. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I would have liked to see what you were capable of, but the High Sovereign thought a simple assassination best.¡±


    Through the pain, I reached for Sylvie again, but I couldn¡¯t sense her mind. I didn¡¯t know if she could even hear my thoughts.


    ¡°Still, you have served your purpose,¡± the Vritra mused. ¡°The way is paved for the Legacy.¡± His hand reached out toward Tessia, and I found myself powerless to stop him as he rested his outstretched fingers on her neck. ck, ghostly mes wreathed his hand for a moment that felt like an eternity, then flowed down into her like smoke through her pores.


    My wife¡¯s beautiful eyes snapped open, her mouth stretching wide in agony, but only a brief choked gasp escaped her. Tears spilled from her eyes before they rolled back into her head, and she slumped.


    ¡°N-no¡­¡± I moaned, extending a trembling arm toward her. The world went white, then ck, then gray slowly faded back in. The bed beside me was empty, and I could no longer see the Vritra, but I couldn¡¯t turn my head to search the room. Vaguely, I was aware that I was now lying in a wet pool, the fine sheets of my royal down mattress sticking to my skin.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, boy.¡± The Vritra¡¯s voice came from somewhere beyond the edges of sight. ¡°Your queen lives, and will continue to do so, after a fashion. I am told she will be one of the most important people in the world.¡±


    I closed my eyes, pushed out a shaking breath, and failed to draw in another one. Alone in a bed full of blood, I felt the soulfire burn through thest of my lifeforce, and everything went dark.


    And then, within the ck, a faint bit of distant light.


    The light grew closer, brighter, and then turned into a bright blur, forcing me to shut my eyes. Indiscernible sounds assaulted my ears. When I tried to speak, the words came out as a cry.


    ¡°Congrattions, sir and madam, he¡¯s a healthy boy.¡±


    My eyes struggled open, and I cried. I howled with the despair of waking and realizing that the life I¡¯d lived was a dream. A beautiful, wonderful, horrible dream.


    Mourning that version of myself, of the love I had been allowed to share that I had withheld from myself in my real life, I could only plead with the keystone. Enough, I begged. I don¡¯t want to keep doing this. Please. That is enough. Let me go.

 Chapter 476

    <h4>Chapter 476</h4>


    Chapter 474: Cracks in the Ice


    <strong>VARAY AURAE</strong>


    ¡°If the army attacks, I don¡¯t think we have the forces to hold them back.¡±


    ¡°Of course we don¡¯t! We haven¡¯t had a chance to recover from the war and the Battle of the Bloodwater. Without the dragons, we might as well throw open the gates and let the enemy march right on in!¡±


    ¡°Spoken like a true Beynir.¡±


    ¡°How dare you, madam! House Beynir is the oldest and most loyal supporter of House yder!¡±


    ¡°And yet Sir Lionel, your brother, was part of a treasonous plot to take over the Wall and hold it alongside the mesworths for his own personal enrichment.¡±


    ¡°That was¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Lord Curtis didn¡¯t raise his voice in anger; instead, he just sounded tired.


    I nced at him surreptitiously from the corner of my eye. He had dark bags under his eyes, his usually impable mahogany hair was disheveled, and there was a certain softness to the way he slumped into his chair that reminded me intensely of his father.


    Beside him, Lady Kathyln looked as she always did: rigid, sharply aware, and immediately present in the conversation. Her dark brown eyes gave away no hint of her thoughts, and, unlike her brother, not a single jet-ck hair was out of ce as it framed her pale face and cascaded down her straight back.


    Even the mana the two royals exuded was the pr opposite: Curtis¡¯s flickering and fiery mana seemed to ebb and flow with everyment, while Kathyln¡¯s was still and stoic, just like her.


    Across the ornate table from the royal siblings sat their council. Otto Beynir, a short, pudgy man with particrly unhealthy-looking skin red at Lady Vesta of House Lambert. The older woman, who looked every bit the part of the elder stateswoman of her house in her puffy purple and maroon dress and her silly feathered hat, did not re but simmered with derision, one brow raised and her lips slightly pursed.


    Sir Abrham of House Astor, a man of middle years with a paunchy belly and a patchwork beard from the scar across his left side, cleared his throat ufortably. ¡°I struggle to see how Otto is wrong here, Vesta. Look at the facts.¡± He stabbed the mahogany table top with a calloused finger, his mana wavering with suppressed nerves. ¡°We put everything we had into guaranteeing a rtionship with the dragons, but they¡¯ve up and left us to die. Arthur Leywin¡¯s mysterious strategy has spread Dicathen¡¯s defenders thinly across the continent. We¡¯re facing an opponent who already defeated us once, and handily I might add. The only positive development I can see is that the cryan forces haven¡¯t turned their attention to Etistin yet.¡±


    Miss Mountbatten trembled as she leaned forward over the table. The elected voice of themoners, Dee looked more like a baker than a royal counselor, but she was normally a voice of reason within the council¡¯s politics. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand. You promised that the dragons would protect the people!¡±


    Jackun of House Maxwell let out a boomingugh, causing a surge of mana to ripple through and around him. The retired warrior was a big man, and when he wished it, his voice easily swallowed everyone else''s. ¡°They¡¯ve left us proper fucked. It¡¯s clear we were utter fools to ever put faith in them.¡±


    A chorus of admonishments erupted around the ornate table, but Jackun waved them off with his customary disregard for the expected niceties.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t helpful.¡± The council chamber fell silent as Lady Kathyln¡¯s icy voice cut across their arguments. All eyes turned to her, even her brother¡¯s. Her steady gaze swept across the counselors. ¡°You forget yourselves, all of you. Our purpose here is to serve the people of Etistin, and all of Sapin. This panic, infighting, and fatalisticining hardly does so. We are not defeated, so we are not abandoning our duty.¡±


    She paused, inviting the counselors to respond, but the chamber was the quietest I had ever heard it. Within the silence, though, was a palpable tension that I sensed as a kind of focusing of the multiple mana signatures. An expectant shiver ran through my core, and I shifted ufortably.


    ¡°We have made mistakes, all of us,¡± she continued, some of that sharp edge leaving her tone. ¡°Curtis and I were eager to believe the dragons were our salvation, and perhaps we have allowed that desire to cloud our judgment. But you all speak as if hope is lost when there is a greater n unfolding that we don¡¯t fully understand.¡±


    Otto Beynir scoffed. When Kathyln answered with a piercing re, the shifty little man at least had the good graces to appear apologetic. ¡°My Lady yder, it would be a fool¡¯s hope to trust that Arthur Leywin can stop what is unfolding.¡±


    ¡°Was it not Arthur who warned us not to trust the dragons?¡± Kathyln interjected. ¡°I am ashamed to have allowed the malcontent of this counsel to convince me that it was Arthur who posed a danger over the dragons.¡±


    ¡°Lady, let¡¯s not act as if Arthur Leywin is infallible,¡± Beynir countered. ¡°If the messages we have received are correct, the cryans so ignorantly ¡®imprisoned¡¯ on the other side of the Wall have turned against us, and cryan forces have struck out across most of Dicathen. The only saving grace at all is that they seem to be focusing their efforts on finding Leywin himself.¡±


    Florian yder, third cousin to Curtis and Kathyln, brushed his fingers through hair that matched Curtis¡¯s in color before speaking for the first time in several minutes. ¡°And that, I think, is our strategy. We have already evacuated the surrounding countryside, bringing everyone within fifty miles behind the walls. We have provisions tost through a siege if they attempt such a thing, which would be unlikely since Lance Godspell is not within the city anyway. We just need to stay within our walls and wait.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it would be best if the man were caught,¡± Vesta said tentatively, as if she were verbally testing the waters of this line of thinking.


    My gaze jumped to Curtis and Kathyln. Curtis leaned forward and rubbed his chin with his fingers, a small frown creasing his brow as he considered his advisor¡¯s words. His mana jumped and sparked like a fire struggling to catch in wet wood. Beside him, his sister had frozen, her mouth open slightly, a crack in her carefully managed facade.


    ¡°Finally, thedy from House Lambert speaks sense,¡± Otto said, throwing up his hands.


    ¡°That¡¯s a terrible thing to say,¡± Miss Mountbatten said at nearly the same time.


    ¡°Now, Dee, it may seem cruel, but think about it,¡± Abrham interjected with a gesture of peace. ¡°Arthur Leywin has been antagonistic toward the dragons and disrespectful to Lord and Lady yder. If the enemy wants him this bad, finding him might just give Guardian Charon enough time to settle whatever emergency he¡¯s been called to so he can sweep the rest of the cryans from the continent.¡±


    ¡°The dragons spit in your face, and you open your mouth to drink it in like fresh spring rain,¡± Jackun growled, shaking his shaved head. ¡°I don¡¯t care much for this high-and-mighty Leywin feller, but the dragons have shown us just how much they think of us. How many of those scaly bastards are in Dicathen? And they don¡¯t leave even one to guard Lady Kathyln and Lord Curtis? Nah, you¡¯d have to be aplete moron to expect that they¡¯ll be back to help.¡±


    Otto leaned forward, pressing his palms into the table top. ¡°Perhaps, but that doesn¡¯t discount the rest of the n. We know where the Leywin boy is hidden. We could eliminate two threats at once if we offered to trade that information for a promise of peace.¡±


    Kathyln¡¯s head tilted to the side, and her eyes narrowed dangerously. ¡°So your suggestion is to offer the enemy what they want and beg for them to just leave us alone?¡±


    ¡°It would be a more sensible path than using the bodies of your people as shields for a man who refused even to exin why he expected us to die for him!¡± Otto barked.


    There was a sharp scraping noise as Kathyln pushed her chair back from the table and stood suddenly. ¡°You go too far, Otto. Go, now, and be d that I¡¯m allowing you to do so instead of locking you in the pce dungeon.¡± Kathyln¡¯s re was bitterly cold and empty of emotion. Herck of anger only made the expression more cutting.


    ¡°L-L-Lady, I¡­¡± Otto stared at Kathyln with wide eyes as his voice left him, his mouth continuing to puff mutely.


    ¡°Kathyln¡ª¡± Curtis started, reaching a cating hand toward his sister, but she silenced whatever argument he was preparing to give with a single look.


    Curtis cleared his throat and stood, gestured for the chamber doors to be opened, then lingered beside them and spoke briefly to each counselor as they left. I followed behind Florian, but Kathyln spoke my name, stopping me and indicating I should stay. When all the others were gone, Curtis also dismissed the guards and then closed the doors behind them.


    He regarded his sister warily. ¡°That was poorly handled, Kathyln. These people are just as powerful as we are, perhaps even more so, and we owe much of our sess to them.¡±


    ¡°I do not see that as the benefit you seem to,¡± Kathyln answered matter-of-factly. ¡±They were out of line, and they needed to be reminded of their role here.¡±


    Curtis raised his hands in a gesture of peace. ¡°I¡¯m not suggesting we follow through with Otto¡¯s n, of course, but they aren¡¯t exactly wrong to be scared.¡±


    Kathyln took a deep breath, outwardly settling her nerves. ¡°I¡¯m afraid Otto¡¯s desire mighte to pass even without our interference. ording to our scouts, the cryans are growing near to finding the hidden cave. Our earth-attribute mages covered it well, but we can¡¯t know what kind of magic these invaders may be using to search for Arthur.¡± Kathyln¡¯s eyes met mine. ¡°Lance Varay, I would like to know what you think we should do.¡±


    My voice was slightly rough from disuse, and I had to swallow to wet my throat. ¡°I do have a suggestion, but I¡¯m¡­not entirely certain you will like it.¡±


    Kathyln allowed herself the smallest of smiles, while Curtis crossed his arms and regarded me with undisguised concern. ¡°Go on,¡± Kathyln said.


    ¡°Arthur made one thing clear to us,¡± I began, calling back to ourst conversation with him before he went into hiding. ¡°He asked us to do everything in our power to ensure that his location was not discovered. With the cryans searching the surrounding wildends, it seems like only a matter of time. We need to draw their attention in a different direction.¡±


    ¡°What exactly do you have in mind, Lance?¡± Curtis asked, stiffening.


    ¡°The coastline to the southwest is full of natural caves. The cryan forces haven¡¯t yet concentrated on them, but we have reports of a few scouting parties moving in that direction.¡± I paused, knowing how the next part sounded. ¡°I will fly there immediately and strike, acting as if I¡¯m preventing them from searching the coast.¡±


    ¡°You would use yourself as a distraction?¡± Curtis asked, his voice full of disbelief. ¡°Absurd. I know how powerful you are, Varay, but you can¡¯t hope to fight off an entire army on your own. What if they are led by retainers or Scythes?¡±


    Or even Wraiths, I acknowledged, though I didn¡¯t speak the thought out loud. ¡°The harder fought the battle, the more it will sell the diversion.¡±


    ¡°You are too valuable,¡± Curtis answered, shaking his head and taking a step closer to me and Kathyln. ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to risk yourself for Arthur, especially since we have received conflicting reports of his actual location.¡±


    Kathyln¡¯s brows rose. ¡°Arthur has asked us to buy him time. If he had a reason to make us believe he was in that cave, then it doesn¡¯t matter if he is actually there or not. We must act as if he is.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it matters,¡± Curtis countered immediately. ¡°If he isn''t here, then we don''t need to risk Varay''s life or the lives of the soldiers behind the walls.¡±


    ¡°And yet giving in and letting the cryans pass would allow them to search their next destination even more quickly,¡± Kathyln countered.


    ¡°That is a problem for the defenders of those locations then!¡± Curtis burst out, crossing his arms defensively.


    A sudden crack silenced all three of us, and even Kathyln seemed surprised as she pulled back the hand that had just pped Curtis¡¯s face. Mana seethed between them, rearing up like two opposing hades serpents preparing to strike. But the shock and hostility melted away almost instantly, and Kathyln continued. ¡°Are we not meant to be leaders, the hope and strength of Dicathen, not just of Etistin? Don''t lose sight of the bigger picture. Do not be our father, Curtis.¡±


    The royal siblings regarded each other for some time, Curtis¡¯s hand still pressed against the cheek Kathyln had pped. Although his face was pale except for the red mark where his sister¡¯s hand had struck, his shock faded to a kind of steely grit, and he nodded, his eyes hardening with determination as he met first Kathyln¡¯s eyes and then mine.


    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss the specifics of this n. Please, Varay, continue.¡±


    With no time to waste, I provided the details of where I would strike and what my fallback n was in the event that I became overwhelmed. And within the hour, I was flying southwest along the coast.


    I kept high, within the cloud cover. Cold moisture collected on me, but I didn¡¯t feel the chill. My mind remained abuzz with considerations of how the assault could unfold, and by the time I sensed the cryan search parties below, I felt confident in what was to follow.


    Coming to a stop high above my targets, still shrouded within a dark cloud, I directed my senses toward the dim mana signatures below. Four battle groups moved together, scouring the countryside. By the way their formation moved, I was certain that at least two of the mages were Sentries. Spells were active, the crackle of their mana present in the atmosphere around the cryans, sparking like a lightning spell across the surface of water.


    A deep, unfocused piece of me wondered what it would be like to see the individual particles of mana the way Arthur could. If he were present, could he tell me what the spells were doing just by looking at the way the mana formed? But the entire reason I am here is because he can¡¯t be. And I need to ensure that he remains protected.


    The moisture within the cloud condensed into needles of ice, each one a foot long. These needles rotated around me as I drifted to the bottom of the cloud and emerged into open air. I already had a strong sense of exactly where my targets were, and it took only a moment to visually hone in on the sixteen cryans. Aiming very carefully, Iunched the series of needles in a sudden hail of death.


    Barely audible cries floated up to me on the wind as half of the cryan mages crumpled, killed instantly by the strike. Shields of wind, water, and fire erupted colorfully over the remaining cryans just as a second volley of ice spikes struck them. A beam of sickly green mana speared through the air toward me, but I wove around it easily before catching a series of blue fireballs on a heavy shield of ice.


    I countered with more spells, which deflected off the interlocking shields. The cryans¡¯ shouts were unintelligible, but their panic was clear. They could do little aside from huddle beneath their shields with theirst two Casters hurling weak spells.


    Pushing mana into my eyes, I peered through the distortions in the air to watch them closely. A woman I¡¯d identified as a Sentry was channeling a spell, her attention turned to the east, while a Striker rapidly scrawled across a crumpled parchment with a shaky hand. I hit the shields with more ice spikes, making sure not to overpower the mages conjuring them.


    The Sentry¡¯s eyes snapped open, and she shouted something I couldn¡¯t make out. Word sent. The cavalry should arrive soon enough.


    Weaving a of fine, nearly invisible ice fments, I cast it over the remaining enemies. A couple of Strikers darted out of the way with a burst of speed, but the others came together, hunkering beneath their protective barriers.


    The fine fments sliced right through the mana and eviscerated the handful of soldiers beneath it, dousing their spells in an instant.


    The two Strikers sprinted away at impressive speeds. Instead of cutting them down, I floated back up into the clouds, vanishing the same way I had appeared. There, I prepared for the next stage of the battle.


    My first series of strikes had been precise, killing the strongest mages and most of the Casters while only wounding the others. The following barrage had been weakened purposefully, pinning the cryans down but giving them time to send word for reinforcements with whatever artifacts or magic they had at their disposal. With that concluded, there was no reason to allow them all to live, but letting the final two Strikers escape provided a backup in the event that the earlier messages went awry. It should also, I calcted, provide a sufficiently believable oue considering the image I was attempting to portray.


    The dense cloud, heavy with moisture and already bitter cold, was the perfect staging ground for me to prepare for the next phase of this diversionary battle.


    Drawing on the atmospheric mana, I felt it rush into my core and begin to purify. At the same time, using the technique Arthur had taught me while removing the asuras¡¯ limitations on my growth, I began releasing my own purified deviant ice-attribute mana, which clung to the vapor that made up the cloud. The sensation of mana rotation never failed to conjure goosebumps along the back of my neck as I absorbed mana, channeled it, and continuously rified my core simultaneously. Even the simple act of rifying my core felt strange and exhrating after spending so long in the white core stage with no change.


    The clouds around me began to harden, freezing into a kind of cocoon or shell, which my mana kept stationary. As that cloud froze, the effect extended outward, the ice crawling over and through each vaporous mass, hardening and growing heavy in the air.


    It required a meditative mindset to utilize mana rotation in this way, and my mind was full only of the act itself as I froze the very sky. I experienced no sense of time focusing so intently, and so it was with a slight jolt of adrenaline that I felt the approaching mana signatures in the distance


    At first, there were only two heavy, potent auras. The mages exuding them were confident enough that they approached openly, without attempting to suppress their signatures. I did not recognize the signatures, but based on the strength they exuded, I thought they couldn¡¯t be Scythes or Wraiths.


    Confident as they seemed, the approaching signatures halted well away from where I¡¯d defeated the scouting party. Churning behind them, only sensible from this distance as their numbers grew, a host of cryan mages gathered as well. Hundreds at least, perhaps thousands, I thought in a detached kind of way. Once, perhaps, I would have balked at the idea of facing such a host. After all, hadn¡¯t Lance Alea and her entire regiment been defeated by only a single retainer and a much smaller force of cryan mages? And yet much has changed since those days.


    Tense against the strain of holding such a great weight of mana-formed ice aloft, I waited. Continuing to utilize mana rotation, I did my best to suppress my own mana signature and disguise my mana usage within the dense, heavy atmospheric water- and air-attribute mana.


    The retainers lingered at a safe distance, likely conferring with their Sentries or the heads of their various battle groups as they searched for signs of danger or hints regarding Arthur¡¯s whereabouts.


    I breathed deeply and settled my mind. Patience was a skill I had cultivated from a young age. The patience of the iceberg, of the permafrost, I chanted silently to myself.


    More and more cryans gathered until an entire army waited on the horizon. Then finally, at some shouted order, they began forward. The retainers stayed back, I was surprised to note, leading from the rear, but that suited my n well enough.


    Several battle groups collected around the corpses from earlier, investigating the evidence of our brief battle, but most marched toward the coastline behind me. They moved purposefully and with care, their Shields conjuring protective barriers of every element and design, while Casters and Strikers had their own spells at the ready, mana channeling into many hundreds of cryan runes all at once.


    More and more of them entered the shadow of the frozen clouds, but I waited. The forefront of their lines passed beneath me, and I felt the touch of probing mana as the spell of some Sentry sought me out. A ripple ran through the army, and I felt as their collective attention turned fearfully skyward.


    Gritting my teeth, I gripped the frozen clouds within my power and shoved downward. The ice slipped past me as it fell, leaving me floating above the falling floor of rippling gray. The clouds plummeted, their unnatural movement looking momentarily strange, like a child¡¯s drawing instead of the real thing.


    I sensed the barrage of spells from below, even though I could not see it past the solid gray mass. Bolts of fire and jets of burning acid burned into and through the clouds but did little to interrupt the descent. Hundreds of shields red bright.


    Tons upon tons of solid ice struck the ground with a cataclysmic shockwave, and I forced mana to my ears to deaden the explosion of sound.


    The frozen clouds shattered, bing a maelstrom of razor-sharp des of ice that flew in every direction. I pulled the shards back and forth across the shattered earth, and my enemies were as stalks of wheat beneath a thresher¡¯s des. Mana signatures winked out like stars hidden behind storm clouds.


    The attacksted ten seconds, no more. From my vantage hundreds of feet in the air, the ground gleamed in blue, white, and red: snow and spikes of ice, as if a sudden and violent storm had raged, littered with the blood-soaked corpses of hundreds of cryan mages.


    A ck bolt of mana careened toward me from the distant figure of the retainer. I ducked beneath it, but it exploded, filling the sky with an obscuring shadow that stole not only my sense of sight but seemed to smother my feel for mana also, well and truly blinding me. In the darkness, something hard and cold gripped my arms and clutched at my throat. The ice forming my left arm cracked, sending a shiver of phantom pain up into my shoulder and chest.


    A frozen nova erupted from me, and the grasping limbs shattered. Freed from their unseen clutches, I dove beneath the darkness. Frost crept across my skin and armor, dding me in a frozen barrier that deflected a burning ive that nced off my ribs before spinning around and returning to the hand of the man that had thrown it. The impact sent a jolt through me, and my core ached¡ªNo, not an ache¡­a shudder?¡ªwith the force of my focus on maintaining my defenses.


    A statuesque man in ck and crimson te armor flew only a hundred feet away, and he caught the ive as it returned to him, flickering with dark fire around his gauntleted fist. Silvery gray eyes shone from beneath his helm, through which protruded two short onyx horns. From the description I¡¯d been provided, I knew this to be Echeron, retainer of Vechor.


    Past him, hovering just above the ground a half mile or more distant, wrapped in a cloak of shadow that left her barely visible except for a shock of white hair and two bright yellow eyes, was the second retainer: Mawar of Etril.


    Echeron swept the ive across his body, and a wave of dark fire-attribute mana spilled across the sky in an arc.


    Condensing the ice further around my body, I crossed my arms in front of me and plunged into the mes. Ice hissed and cracked as the mes sputtered and withered, and I punched out the other side. My arms shed outward, and two des of ice carved through the air before me and closed like scissors toward Echeron¡¯s neck.


    He brought his burning ive up, catching both attacks, and there was a burst of the dark fire. A ming echo of my spell flew in reverse back toward me. I changed direction, dipping to my left, but the burning echoes followed as if tethered to me. I swerved again as a series of ck bolts of manaunched by Mawar burst all around me like so many dark fireworks.


    ¡°Casters, fall back and attack from a safe distance,¡± Echeron ordered, his voice booming through the battleground below. ¡°Strikers, Shields, and Sentries, focus on protecting your Casters!¡±


    The rear lines of the cryan force had avoided the worst of my spell and were now scrambling back toward Mawar¡¯s location. Some few survivors of the fallen ice clouds also managed to pick themselves up and drag themselves through the shatteredndscape of broken rock and shards of ice.


    I pulled up short as the ive flew just in front of me, then rapidly hurled a series of frozen crescents toward Echeron. Dark fire enveloped him, and the crescents shattered ineffectively against his armor.


    Every nerve in my body lit ame as the echo of the twin des caught me from behind. They didn¡¯t burn flesh or bone, but I felt them carving through my mana and burning up something I couldn¡¯t name within me. Breathing rapidly, I dropped beneath a volley of spellfire from a pocket of cryan Casters, then reached toward the atmospheric mana around Echeron.


    The heat of his mes pushed back any natural cold or moisture in the air, and so I poured out my own, willing the air to freeze as solid as the deepest permafrost.


    A crystalline barrier of ice formed in the air around the retainer, gleaming in the sunlight that hadn¡¯t yet been swallowed by fresh cloud cover. But where the ck fire touched my ice, the two forces spit and snapped, breaking each other.


    A jagged bolt of lightning sparked across my back, and I went into a spin to avoid several other spells targeting me.


    Within the cage of ice, Echeron was momentarily distracted, his focus on holding my spell at bay. When his ive returned to him, however, it shattered the ice and snapped back into his hand.


    A flick of my wrist sent dozens of spears of ice raining down on the closest cryan soldiers. Some burst against shields, but many more found their targets, and more mana signatures went dark on the ground below.


    Echeron flew forward, his sudden movement causing a burst of noise and leaving a visible trail in the air. The burning ive spun, leaving behind a ck afterimage.


    The ice of my left arm extended out into a shield, while a sword formed from manyyers of ovepping blue ice appeared in my right hand. I smashed the ive aside with the shield and thrust the sword at his hip. Shadows emanating Mawar¡¯s dark signature condensed around him, forming into scything tentacles that writhed wildly as they caught and deflected my blow.


    The ive twirled and came down on the top edge of my shield. The haft flexed, and the de parted the hairs atop my head. I thrust up and away with the shield, then forward, smashing his gauntleted fists. As the shield went up, I drove the point of my sword down toward his legs, but again the shadowy tentacles deflected my blow.


    Echeron pushed off my shield, flying into a backflip before thrusting forward again with the burning ive. The impact of the de against my shield rocked me back, and I felt the follow-up strike nce off my ice-covered side. I snapped my arm down, pinning the haft against my ribs, and swung the edge of my sword toward his shoulder. A shadowy tentacle wrapped around my arm, but I twisted my wrist and drove the point of the ice de into the gap between Echeron¡¯s gorget and helmet. It trembled against his mana and was turned aside, but I felt him jerk next to me and saw blood at the tip of my sword.


    As we fought, dozens of spells from the soldiers on the ground continued to hiss through the air all around us.


    Echeron attempted to pull back and collect himself, but I kept his weapon trapped at my side. The shadow tentacles emerging from the dark creases of his armor snapped and cut like ded whips, punching into my shield and sending cracks spider-webbing across its surface. A sharp pain radiated out from my shoulder, and I pirouetted away from the offending shadow, ripping the ive from Echeron¡¯s grasp.


    Several more spells from the remaining soldiers struck me, and there was a sharp tug from my core as mana surged out to maintain my protective barriers.


    Echeron eased back, watching me warily. ¡°You Lances are more potent than I expected. You have fought well and earned a clean death.¡± His wariness melted away, and the ive jerked free of my grip painfully, flew through the air, and settled back in his fist. He smiled haughtily. ¡°Do not despair. Your people are simply unprepared to face the true might of the cryan continent¡ª¡±


    As he had been speaking, the core of his spear was freezing solid, my ice overtaking the runes embedded into the haft. The ck mes moved jerkily, then froze in ce around his arm, unnoticed by the retainer. It wasn¡¯t until the frost had crept halfway up his arm that he noticed its burn through his heavy gauntlets.


    Echeron cursed and tried to toss the weapon away, but it was frozen to his hand.


    I met his eyes as they widened. My own face showed no emotion. ¡°I offer you death in return, cryan, but it will not be clean.¡±


    Flying backwards toward his allies, Echeron continued to il with the spear, attempting to free himself of the creeping ice that now covered his entire arm up to his pauldrons. The protective shadows conjured by Mawar receded as the other retainer left him to his fate, prompting him to turn and shout, ¡°Help me, damn it!¡±


    Spells continued flying from the remainder of their army, but I deflected them with a sparkling curtain of ice-attribute mana, which also penned Echeron in, preventing him from retreating. His left hand was wing at his right arm, the metal gauntlets scraping audibly across theyer of ice. This wing became hammering as he drove his fist into the frozen appendage. With a sound like shattering crystal, his right arm broke off just below the shoulder, it and the spear tumbling together toward the ground a hundred feet below.


    But the ice was in his mana veins, and from there, his channels. Normally the barrier of his flesh would have prevented me from controlling the mana in this way, but his own weapon and runes worked against him, as his magic bonded to mine to create the echo effects he had used to attack me earlier.


    In moments, the ice reached his core, and then he was falling. Gray eyes stared up at me in disbelief, and I watched as frost crept over them, turning the silver-gray to a blind blue-white.


    When he struck the ground, he exploded into rough chunks of frozen red and bone white.


    The spellfire from the remaining cryans momentarily eased.


    Taking a deep breath, I refocused myself on mana rotation. My core ached with the effort of oveing Echeron¡¯s mana, and I still had a retainer to face. As I did this, I flew down to the ground and picked up the frozen ive, which had survived the fall intact. Flying only a few feet over the ground, I approached the cryan army. Mawar now hovered at the front, watching me with an unreadable expression.


    The retainer had short, bright white hair that stood up in a series of spikes. Her predatory yellow eyes followed me closely out of midnight ck flesh, and most of her body was indistinct, lost in a cloak of moving shadow.


    I held up the ive in one hand, parallel with the line of soldiers, then squeezed forcefully. The frozen haft shattered, and the two ends tumbled from my grip. ¡°I give you all this one chance. Arthur Leywin is under my protection, as is this continent. Leave it now. Return to your High Sovereign and tell him that he has failed. Do not return.¡±


    Mawar didn¡¯t outwardly express any emotion at my statement. ¡°Kill her.¡±


    My hand shot toward the sky, then dragged downward. A hail of ice spikes rained down on the force, manifesting from the shreds of the pale clouds that had filled back in above us. The soldiers copsed into disarray as their Shields struggled to hold off the bombardment while the remaining Casters and Strikers just fought to stay alive.


    A dozen dark and writhing ded whips formed of shadowy mana snapped and speared at me from Mawar, and wherever they cut, the color bled from the surrounding area, leaving it cold and devoid of atmospheric mana. I dodged rapidly between strikes, building up my next spell.


    Ice-attribute mana filled in a space the size of my fist, condensing until it became visible as a transparent floating sphere. As I flitted across the battlefield dodging Mawar¡¯s attacks, I put all of my mana toward this sphere. The transparent shell darkened, bing white, then growing denser and taking on a blue color. I imbued into it not just mana by my intention, giving the spell both power and purpose.


    When an opening between attacks appeared, I unleashed the sphere. It shed toward the retainer, leaving a line of frozen air behind it.


    Mawar gave a warning shout and melted into shadow, flitting away. The sweat on my brow froze as I gritted my teeth against the strain of the spell. As if I were pulling against thousands of pounds, I struggled to twist my wrist even slightly, causing the ice-crystal sphere to turn sharply and follow behind the streak of shadow, the air freezing behind it as it flew into the center mass of the retainer¡¯s shadowy form.


    Mawar jerked to a stop, appearing as nothing more than a swirling incorporeal mass, at the center of which was the ice-crystal sphere spinning rapidly in ce.


    The trail of frozen air the sphere had left behind fell to the ground and shattered.


    Tendrils of ice snapped through the shadows like bright blue lightning. Steam was rising from the shadow in a cloud, and where the cloud spilled over nearby soldiers, they screamed and their skin ckened from the cold.


    Pain erupted from my leg as a ded tentacle pierced the ice of my armor and myyer of protective mana. It parted flesh, cracked bone, and then stuck out the other side of my calf. I sank to one knee,rgely ignoring the wound as I tightened my focus on the spell. The shes of cold came in bursts, overwhelming my enemy¡¯s defenses with sudden spikes of power, and inch by inch the shadows solidified.


    Suddenly the vaguely human-shaped shadow burst apart in a soft puff of ck ice, and Mawar melted away. In the same moment, something mmed into me from behind.


    I was thrown onto my face, then dragged up from the frozen ground by the tentacle piercing my leg. Upside down, I met Mawar¡¯s emotionless gaze; she was wrapped in shadow, forty feet behind me, unharmed by the sphere of ice that was still pulsing and shing.


    Spells mmed into me from every direction, and I could only harden my barrier against them. The effort sent a quaking ache through my core, and I felt the leading edge of bacsh cutting through my focus.


    With a jerk of my limbs, I sent the sphere through the heart of the cryan army. Each pulse sh-froze a dozen men or more, but there were no cries of pain; they died with the air frozen solid in their lungs. The spellfire let up as mages dove out of the spell¡¯s path, but more of the tentacles were grabbing and striking me. Some turned aside, but others broke through my armor, and wounds began to umte all over my body.


    The ice-crystal sphere curved around, passing through where Mawar stood, and again she melted away. I fell from the air, spun, andnded on my feet. The sphere was moving in a spiral pattern through the battlefield, and when it closed in on me, I grabbed hold of it and drew it back into my body, reabsorbing the mana I had spent in the casting.


    A stabbing pain came from my core. I gasped and fell to my knees, clutching at my sternum as if I could dig it out of me. Something was wrong. Reabsorbing the mana should have eased the bacsh, not intensified it.


    Looking up slowly, realization dawning bitter and unwee, I watched as Mawar, once again hidden behind her remaining soldiers, raised a hand and shouted her orders. The cryan forces rushed back into formation, and dozens of spells again hissed through the air in my direction.


    My head snapped back as the pain reached a crescendo. Never before had bacsh felt as if something were ripping and wing at my core from the inside. I grew cold and frightened, knowing that the retainer¡¯s shadow magic could be doing to me something like I¡¯d just done to Echeron.


    The army¡¯s spells closed in on me.


    As one, the spells stopped.


    I blinked away tears, staring at dozens of elemental bullets, balls of fire, bolts of lightning, and steaming rays of yellow and green mana that were hovering in the air around me. Time seemed to freeze.


    Slowly, so very slowly, the core in my sternum cracked. I could feel the pieces begin to separate from each other.


    The frigid ws of death beckoned to me, but I held them at bay. If I was to perish here, then I would not die alone.


    Utilizing mana rotation, I fought to keep drawing in and cycling the mana that my core was no longer capable of manipting properly¡­trying to shape and condense it to burst out like a bomb.


    I felt something, some primal recognition, spark in my mind just as my core split open.


    A scream ripped free of me, and with it a nova of bright blue mana.


    As if seeing myself from above, detached from my own body, I watched as the nova moved outward, consuming the floating spells before colliding with the enemy force. In an instant, a hundred mages froze solid, their bodies clear as ss.


    The expanding nova rippled, and cracks ran through it, then it was reversing, sucked back into me in a blink.


    The explosion that followed shattered the ss soldiers and my consciousness both.

 Chapter 477

    <h4>Chapter 477</h4>


    Chapter 475: Transcendence


    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    ¡°I think he¡¯s sick,¡± my mother said, rocking me back and forth in her arms. ¡°He¡¯s not eating, Reynolds, and he hasn¡¯t made a peep all day.¡±


    My father moved to stand at Mom¡¯s side. He stared down at me nervously. ¡°I can send for the doctor?¡± He made the statement a question, his voice rising along with his brows as he regarded my mother, uncertain.


    Mom¡¯s brows, on the other hand, descended thunderously. ¡°Can you, Rey? That would be lovely!¡±


    My father flinched back, rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, and mumbled, ¡°Um, of course, I¡¯ll¡­¡± Whatever else he might have said trailed off as he hurried away.


    Mom rolled her eyes at his back, then refocused her attention on me. ¡°That father of yours¡­¡± She tried to smile, but the expression didn¡¯t quite reach her eyes. She poked my stomach gently, wiggling her finger back and forth to tickle me. ¡°With any luck, you¡¯ll get his good looks but my brains, little Arthur.¡±


    I was aware of this exchange, but I did not think about it. My conscious mind sat nestled within my infant body, in control and living with it moment to moment instead of allowing the keystone to pull time away from me the way you might pull a carpet out from under someone¡¯s feet. I clung to it, desperately intent on remaining myself, being myself.


    I will not lose myself again only to wake up with the memories of another man¡¯s life, I had told myself repeatedly while pointedly not thinking about the heartbreaking events of my previous attempt at the keystone. And I meant to keep this promise to myself. Only¡­I still didn¡¯t understand how.


    But I was starting to understand a piece of the keystone, at least. After myst two lives, I felt confident that I saw the trap in it¡ªthe reason one could not leave until they had pleted¡± the keystone¡ªand why that was so unlikely. The lives lived were punishing in a way I hadn¡¯t expected. Already, my memories of these lives were full of bitterness, regret, and loss. Despite not really being ¡°myself¡± during these events, the memories of my decisions, of my feelings¡ªmy deaths¡ªwere vivid.


    I was still unsure if Sylvie and Regis, and their respective abilities, were central to my continued progress, but now I was sure there was more to it than just that. Despite the djinn¡¯s ability of foresight, it seemed like a bridge too far to think that they had ounted for, expected, or even required the presence of three connected minds to enter and alter the keystone in whatever way would fulfill its purpose. What they had ounted for, on the other hand, was the requirement that a mage already know three very specific aether arts to have reached this point.


    The abilities taught by the previous keystones had acted as keys to enter this puzzle, but as I sat within the days and weeks of mulling rumination, I grew more and more convinced that they had to be more than just keys.


    After first arriving and experiencing the miracle of my own birth for the second time, I shouldn¡¯t have been able to see the aether gathering for my awakening, but I had. The importance of that had been lost on me in the following repeated attempts at this life, but in retrospect, this strange fact felt like some kind of clue or hint toward the keystone¡¯s solution.


    But pursuing any clue was itself a problem I wasn¡¯t sure how to solve. After all, how could I attempt to make a change to learn more about it if the act of making that change meant I lost all sense of what I was doing, at least until I was born yet again with an entirely new life¡¯s memories stuffed into my exhausted brain.


    There has to be a way to navigate this ce more purposefully, I told myself, thinking of the Relictombs and the Compass.


    A cry erupted from my tiny form, and I pulled back, letting time pass as my mother cleaned and fed me, a distinctly ufortable experience to focus on. Before I knew it, I was a toddler yet again, already near my awakening.


    I lurched back into the present with a jolt of fear. I¡¯m not ready to go farther. Not yet.


    Perhaps due to my temporal proximity to the day of my awakening, I was again reminded of the strange sight of aetheric particles swarming as if to spectate that event.


    I should not be able to see aether, but there are times that I can. What could that mean?


    Tentatively, I reached for Realmheart. My infantile body contained no godrunes, of course, but my real physical body did. If there were times I could see aether, it could only be because some sense of it was bleeding between the mental keystone realm and the physical world.


    But if there was some physical connection, I could not find it. Like my search for Sylvie, attempting to activate Realmheart revealed nothing.


    Sylvie¡­


    ¡®I am here.¡¯ The ghostly apparition of my bond manifested in front of me. She was sitting with her legs crossed and watching me carefully. ¡®It¡¯s fascinating. I can see it all in your mind, everything we¡¯ve already discussed across these multiple lives you¡¯ve lived.¡¯


    Good, that at least saves me the trouble of exining it over and over again, I answered, realizing I hadn¡¯t been shielding my thoughts at all, because there had been no need.


    ¡®To continue our previous conversation, I think I may have an idea.¡¯


    I waited, silently encouraging her to continue.


    ¡®If we need a catalyst to wake the real Sylvie¡¯s mind and allow me to bind to her, perhaps we can channel the energy of your awakening.¡¯


    How?


    ¡®I have no clue.¡¯


    I sat with the idea for a while, trying to use what I knew about magic to piece together a possible solution. Unlike with Sylvie¡¯s resurrection egg, however, I was not handed some strange mystical answer. Whatever I did would be up to me, and if it didn¡¯t work, I might drastically alter the timeline and end up forgetting all over again.


    I began reaching for Realmheart again, more as a meditative practice than any expectation that I would actually make the connection. It was like trying to curl the fingers of a hand that was no longer attached to my body. Sylvie and I remained there for what felt like hours to my disconnected brain and body, but I was certain that my mother would havee to check on me if that were the case.


    Pudgy fingers raised to dig into my bare sternum.


    I scrunched up my face and scratched more vigorously. There was an itch deep inside my chest that I couldn¡¯t seem to reach.


    My vision flickered, and for a moment Sylvie lit up like an old Earth Christmas tree, her body made of light, both mana and aether.


    The sudden change made me flinch, and it blinked away.


    ¡®What was that?¡¯ Sylvie asked, looking at me with a mixture of concern and excitement. ¡®Do it again.¡¯


    I looked at her and tried to unfocus my eyes, to cross them, to stare so hard that the lights would appear again. When they didn¡¯t, I closed my eyes entirely, clenching my little fists and straining to reach that mindset that had just flickered past me like a moth in the dark.


    There was a sudden rumble, and the room filled with an embarrassing smell. I grimaced, and my mother reappeared to clean and change me. I endured the experience, afraid to slip free of the bonds of that moment. When she was done, instead of leaving me to my business, she carried me out of the room on her hip, bouncing me and singing softly.


    I was so close, I grumbled to Sylvie, who walked patiently along at Mother¡¯s side. My fingers dug into my sternum again.


    ¡°Do you have an itchy, Art?¡± Mom asked suddenly, holding me up for inspection. Her fingers brushed the spot with a soft humming noise. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything, but¡­¡± Her fingers sparkled with magic, and I felt the soothing mana move through me. Although it wiped away the ache in my legs and backside from sitting so still for so long, it only highlighted the strange itch I felt in my¡ª


    My core! I squirmed, and my speech came out as a burbling coo.


    ¡°Art, what¡ªoh!¡±


    I had shaken free of Mother and pattered away in my toddler style, doing my best version of a run back to the bedroom.


    ¡°Okay then, I can take a hint,¡± my mother said with mild sarcastic amusement as I crawled off.


    Plopping back down, I turned my focus inward as best I could. Closing my eyes, I again reached for Realmheart.


    The itching sensation grew more pronounced.


    I felt a lopsided grin tremble across my face. My core, Sylv. I can feel my actual core. That damned itch¡­I can feel it.


    Following the ufortable sensation like a beacon, my keystone-bound consciousness reached for my physical body.


    Although my eyes were closed, the air within the bedroom grew warm with the sudden glow of atmospheric mana and aether.


    Slowly, I opened my eyes and gaped at the motes of red, yellow, blue, green, and purple that swam all around me. I took a deep breath, and a little shudder ran down my spine. With Realmheart active, I simply sat and stared. It was beautiful, and it changed everything.


    I quickly began to feel tired, so I released my connection to the godrune. The floating mana particles faded away, leaving only the purple motes of aether. After another few seconds, they too vanished. Despite this fatigue, I wasn¡¯t discouraged. In fact, I was exhrated.


    I have an idea.


    Despite spending most of my conscious time living in the present moment, the next couple of months seemed to fly by in a blur. With the ghostly version of Sylvie at my side, I practiced connecting to and activating Realmheart, Aroa¡¯s Requiem, and King¡¯s Gambit. While Realmheart seemed to work more or less as expected, I couldn¡¯t utilize Aroa¡¯s Requiem to repair a broken item as I had in ¡®real¡¯ life, and King¡¯s Gambit served more to muddle my thoughts than to rify them, and I had yet to duplicate the effect of splitting my mind and considering many possibilities at once. I suspected that it was due to my inability to actually manipte aether inside the keystone.


    Still, Sylvie and I had a n that we were confident in.


    The day of my awakening arrived atst. I began my meditation as usual, slowly condensing all the mana within my body to my sternum. Sylvie floated within me, hovering at the center of that spot like Regis so often did. She was silent, but her thoughts were hyper-focused on the real Sylvie¡¯s slumbering mind. Despite being asleep, her connection to me remained.


    Which meant that there were two halves of Sylvie¡¯s whole present inside of me.


    It¡¯s beginning, I projected to Sylvie. Hold on, it might get a bit bumpy in there.


    Using the itch in my core as a tether back to my body as I¡¯d done before, I activated Aroa¡¯s Requiem and focused on the ghost Sylvie. At the same time, I opened my mind to the real Sylvie, reaching through our link to give her a strong mental shake. Or trying to, at least. I couldn¡¯t be certain if I was sessful.


    A powerful pushing force erupted out of me as my core formed and I awakened. Closing my eyes, I channeled Aroa¡¯s Requiem into Sylvie, willing her to be whole andplete again. I projected my desire and request to the aether I knew was gathering around our home to watch the explosion unfold, drawn by some unknown twist of Fate. I couldn¡¯t manipte it the way I did my own purified aether, but if I was right¡­


    In a kind of echo of my condensing mana, the atmospheric aether also gravitated toward me, through me. Within the pushing force, within my body, within the core that was rapidly forming out of the explosion that leveled our house, the violet motes shimmered and danced around the ghostly manifestation of Sylvie. The force of my awakening rippled outward not only in the keystone space, but it also vibrated through my physical body and the connections I had with mypanions.


    Somewhere outside of my self, I felt Sylvie¡¯s eyes snap open.


    Her ghostly form spilled out of me, transparent golden eyes wide as she spun around. Momentarily untethered from reality and uncertain what was happening, her thoughts snapped and sparked across the surface of my mind like the scales of the lightning drake. There was a liquid texture to her transparent body as she seemed to shift and reform, aging and then deaging rapidly as she vacited between the younger, pre-rebirth version of herself and the slightly older Sylvie I was familiar with over thesest many months.


    Sylvie, you¡¯re all right. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re just waking up.


    My bond gazed down at her incorporeal body, let out a scream only I could hear, then swelled outward, bursting into the form of a dragon. Her broad, ck-scaled chest rose and fell heavily, and her long neck twisted back and forth, scanning the environment. Had her very real fear not been pumping directly into me, the sight of this huge, transparent dragon iling around while my mother and father tended to me none the wiser would have almost been humorous.


    It wasn¡¯t until Mom and Dad began taking me out of the rubble of our home that Sylvie seemed to focus, her head snapping down and her eyes fixating on them as if they were a lighthouse seen through a long-fought storm.


    Grabbing onto that attention, I tried to reach her again. Sylvie, it¡¯s going to be okay. It¡¯s me, Arthur. I¡¯ve managed to wake you up and¡­bind you to the ghost of your past self. I struggled to put the strange thought into real words I knew she would understand. We¡¯re in the fourth keystone. And I need you.


    Despite being able to see through them, I held her golden eyes. The huffing and puffing of her massive body slowed. One tentative footstep after another, she followed where Mother and Father carried me, their conversation meaningless background noise at this point. Her huge wed limbs left no prints in the wreckage of the home as she passed.


    ¡®Arthur?¡¯


    I let out a breath I didn¡¯t realize I was holding. It worked.


    Sylvie opened her mouth to speak, but I held her mind and focused on the memories of everything that had transpired in the keystone so far. It took time for Sylvie to work her way through the shared visions, but I didn¡¯t rush her. Instead, we sat with my mother in the shade of a small tree as Father inspected the ruins and spoke to a neighbor, who hade running at the noise.


    Finally, Sylvie¡¯s focus returned to the present. She had shrank back into her humanoid form and now regarded me with disbelief. ¡®I saw some of what was happening, like I was dreaming. This is all¡­¡¯ She trailed off with a shake of her head. Sylvie watched my mother slowly brushing her fingers through my hair for a minute or two, then continued. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Arthur. I¡¯m so sorry. The things you¡¯ve had to endure here¡­it¡¯s sick.¡¯


    I think you get out of it what you bring into it, I answered, watching Father pick through the rubble without truly seeing. The lives I lived here were the direct result of my own choices. Deviating from the experiences of my real life nearly always ends up resulting in¡­


    I stopped, frowning, as a new thought came to me. Almost tentatively, I again followed the distant itch back to my physical body and activated Realmheart. While there was no physical manifestation of the godrune activating on my toddler body, aether and mana swam into my vision.


    A fiery w squeezed my heart, which began to beat rapidly.


    Among the familiar colors that I expected to see, something else lit up under the influence of Realmheart.


    ¡®What is that?¡¯ Sylvie asked, sharing in my vision through our mental connection.


    There was a nimbus of golden light radiating from the house. Thin golden threads seemed to connect the demolished house, me, my parents, and ces that weren¡¯t ces, but rather times, both forward into the future and back into the past.


    Fate, I thought breathlessly. This has to be Fate.


    The gears of my mind spun as I tried to determine what had changed, what catalyst had allowed me to suddenly see this manifestation. Was it Realmheart, or Sylvie¡¯s awakening in conjunction with my own, or some more subtle insight I¡¯d gained that expanded on the properties of my abilities?


    Curious, I released Realmheart. Again, the visible mana particles vanished instantly, while the aether lingered and faded more slowly. The golden threads remained longer¡ªso long in fact that I began to think it may not be rted to Realmheart at all¡ªbefore the threads finally began to dim and go out, leaving ghostly little afterimages in my eyes. Eventually, even the afterimages melted away.


    ¡®If this is Fate, then perhaps you can see it now because it has decided you can?¡¯ Sylvie asked haltingly.


    You think that Fate might be¡­conscious? Aware?


    Sylvie blinked, nonplussed. ¡®I hadn¡¯t really meant it that way, but¡­it¡¯s possible, isn¡¯t it? Aether has a kind of consciousness, after all. Would Fate not also, if it is an aspect of aether? So far, it seems as if the lesson you¡¯ve learned about your life¡ªyour ¡®fate¡¯¡ªis that you already lived through the best case scenario. After all, you said yourself that every time you¡¯ve changed something, it has resulted in a worse series of events.¡¯


    And you think that the keystone, or Fate, or the djinn¡ªwhatever is driving this sequence of events¡ªis trying to show me that things have unfolded for a reason?¡¯


    Sylvie shrugged her incorporeal shoulders. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t dare to hope it¡¯s that simple, and it does seem to fly in the face of your living through life exactly as you already had, since that resulted only in a sort of time loop¡­but as for why you can suddenly see these golden threads connecting moment to moment of your life, if this understanding is putting you on the right track, then you¡¯ve gained some insight that Fate wants you to have.¡¯


    I nodded along slowly. What she said made sense, but it was also very disconnected from how I thought about mana, aether, insight, and even the previous suppositions I¡¯d made about the aspect of Fate itself, and I found it difficult to fix this new paradigm in my mind.


    ¡®Why don¡¯t we continue forward,¡¯ Sylvie suggested. ¡®We can check other points in your life for these trails or threads as well. Maybe we can confirm more about it or unlock some new insight.¡¯


    We don¡¯t know if you can travel along the timeline with me, I pointed out. If I retract my mind and allow events to proceed forward, you may be drawn away on the path you originally took during this time.


    ¡®Then I will see you at my birth,¡¯ Sylvie answered with a wry smile.


    I squirmed in Mother¡¯s arms, and she let me scramble free. With onest concerned look, she stood and returned to my father.


    I sat on my knees beside Sylvie. ¡®Enter my body. Just guesswork, but maybe it will shield you or keep us together.¡¯


    She did, and I pulled back from the world, letting time rush by.


    Are you still with me? I asked.


    ¡®I am,¡¯ Sylvie confirmed, and I felt relief wash through me.


    Progress. We were making progress.


    I plunged back into the rapidly passing time as we once again approached the mountain pass where the attack happened and I was separated from my family. I found myself sitting in the cart with my mother, who was watching the scenery pass while chatting with Ang Rose and paying me no mind.


    With the itch in my real core as a guide, I reached for my physical body and focused on the Realmheart godrune.


    As expected, the world lit up with particles of aether and mana. And running through them, a thin thread of golden light, leading onward to the site of the ambush and the cliff. Thinner, fainter threads ran back from the glowing aura around the mountainside to each of us, as well as the hidden bandits. Pieces were clicking into ce.


    ¡°Stop,¡± I said, my small voicemanding.


    Durden pulled the reins, bringing our cart to a halt. The adults all looked at me with surprise.


    ¡®What are you doing?¡¯ Sylvie asked, then, ¡®Oh!¡¯ as my thoughts passed to her.


    ¡°There is an ambush ahead.¡± I continued, exining to the Twin Horns and my parents what was going to happen. As they hurried into position to counter the bandits, I released Realmheart and activated Aroa¡¯s Requiem.


    This time, although the mana and aether particles faded out of view, the golden lines remained.


    I reached out and took the golden thread leading away from the battle in my fingers and gave it a small tug. The world around me rushed by, only it was moving in reverse. That small tug took me back a few minutes. When I released it, the cart was again moving forward, my mother still seated beside me chatting with Ang Rose, paying me no mind. The point where I¡¯d stopped the cart passed, and we rolled forward toward the fight that separated me from my family.


    Activating Aroa¡¯s Requiem again, I pulled the thread forward.


    The fight rushed by me as if time were sped up, but it was different than when I disassociated from my body and stepped away, letting life y out as it had happened without conscious effort or interference. This speeding up of events felt more intentional, with my mind and location both staying relevant to my ce in time. Events still yed out the same way, but there seemed to be no risk of me being caught up in the rushing tide of time and the vortex effect I had encountered before.


    Even as I plummeted off the cliffside yet again, I grinned.


    Everything was starting to make sense.


    I hurried forward to Sylvia¡¯s cave. It was another point in time marked with the golden aura of Fate, which was no surprise.


    ¡®I can feel the egg pulling me in,¡¯ Sylvie said as we descended into the cave where I would meet my Grandma Sylvia¡ªand Sylvie her mother¡ªfor the first time.


    It¡¯s fine, go to it. I¡¯ll see you on the other side.


    Despite my curiosity about using Realmheart and Aroa¡¯s Requiem to explore the different potential oues of my time with Sylvia, there was something else more immediate that I wanted to aplish. Sylvie was reborn as herself, and as I had hoped, the real Sylvie¡¯s mind remained awake and conscious inside of her newborn body.


    We sped forward, examining each major turning point in my life, unsurprised to find they were all marked by Fate. It was as Windsom transported us to Epheotus for the first time that I was brought up by an unexpected and rather ufortable thought.


    All of these moments marked by Fate¡­were they destined to happen that way? Did Fate make these moments happen?


    Hearing my thoughts and understanding the underlying context, Sylvie¡¯s tone was consoling when she answered. ¡®You made these choices, Arthur. You know that. No one was pulling the strings making these things happen.¡¯


    Still, I could feel herck of surety, only partially veiled from our connection. There were so many ces where it could go wrong. Even when I have made better choices in the keystone, the result has always been my premature death. What if¡­Fate is prioritizing my survival over the good of the world?


    ¡®Or,¡¯ Sylvie began, her tone that of someone exining something very simple to someone very dense, ¡®your survival is what is best for this world. But I think I have to point out that this keystone and the events it creates aren¡¯t real. How could it know what would have happened in every given scenario?¡¯


    Fate, I reminded her.


    ¡°Arthur, Lady Sylvie. I must insist we continue on,¡± Windsom said, turning to look at us against the backdrop of the many-colored bridge and Kezess¡¯s castle, the twin peaks of Mount Geolus swallowed by an endless expanse of fog.


    Activating Aroa¡¯s Requiem, I sped forward through the bulk of my training until I reached a specific point.


    ¡°The fact is that you¡¯re a walking collection of statistical improbabilities,¡± Wren said, looking at me with clear exasperation. ¡°You have an innate ability toprehend the workings of the four main elements, as well as some of their deviating elemental forms, coinciding so neatly with the fact thatprehension of all four elements is necessary to unlock the mysteries of aether, which the very princess of dragons just so happens to have kindly bestowed upon you. Everything about you is an outlier, boy. Even asuras don¡¯t have that much innate talent and luck.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s your way of cheering me up, thank you,¡± I chuckled, getting to my feet. ¡°Now, what¡¯s next on our to-do list?¡±


    ¡°Before that, give me your dominant hand.¡± Wren rose from his conjured earthen throne and approached me.


    Spreading out my right hand, palm facing up, I stared at the asura, waiting in anticipation. The next step was one I was less certain of than the previous revtions regarding Aroa¡¯s Requiem and Realmheart, or even ofbining Sylvie with her keystone-ghost self.


    Wren pulled a fist-sized ck case from his coat pocket, then opened it and removed a small pyramidal opaque gem. ¡°This is a mineral called lorite. By itself, it¡¯s a rather rare but useless piece of rock. However, with the right refining and synthesizing process¡ªwhich I will keep unto my grave, so don¡¯t bother asking¡ªit is capable of something remarkable.¡±


    ¡°Like forming a weapon. Or even, in the right circumstances, a living being,¡± I replied.


    Wren¡¯s brows rose up into his unkempt hairline, and he regarded me with undisguised astonishment. ¡°So someone has been spilling secrets before their due time, I see,¡± he said after a moment, recovering and ncing around sourly as if he would find the guilty party hiding behind a rock. ¡°How unprofessional.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you something, and you don¡¯t have any choice other than to believe me,¡± I started, having already confirmed that this was one of those moments marked by Fate. I took confidence from the knowledge that I could simply reverse course and attempt this again if I failed.


    Wren made a face, but I pushed on. ¡°Although it takes much more than a year, this lorite does in fact grow into a weapon: a conscious beingbining aspects of Sylvie, Sylvie, myself, and a Vritra retainer named Uto.¡±


    Wren¡¯s mouth curved into a wry smile as if he thought I were teasing him.


    ¡°Listen, Wren. This being is born in a ce called the Relictombs¡ªthe system of dungeons or ¡®chapters¡¯ created by the djinn, and so he is able to feed on and utilize aether. Some part of that being¡¯s consciousness¡ªhis name is Regis¡ªis currently sleeping within me¡ªkind of, except my body is¡­outside of this space and time¡ªand I need to wake him up. I think this lorite is the key to doing that.¡±


    Wren¡¯s smirk had slowly slipped off his face. He was frowning at me as if I were delirious or worse. ¡°How could you know any of this, boy? The elven seer? Even if she¡¯d shared some kind of vision with you, how would the¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s moreplicated than that,¡± I interrupted, drawing a scowl from my tutor. ¡°Suffice it to say that I know with utmost certainty that the consciousness that will grow out of this lorite is here, now, with us. Sleeping. I want you to help me bind the mind back to the stone and awaken Regis early.¡±


    Something clicked into ce in Wren¡¯s expression. It wasn¡¯t belief, really, but more like¡­intrigue, and a very real willingness to explore this possibility further. ¡°What are you suggesting?¡±


    ¡°First, set the lorite under my skin,¡± I said, holding my hand out again.


    Wren let out a long breath, then took hold of my hand and began pressing the opaque gem into my palm. I hardly registered the pain, and soon enough the lorite disappeared underneath my skin.


    I flexed my hand a couple of times, staring at my palm. Nothing happened.


    ¡°Now what?¡± Wren asked.


    ¡°This is your area of expertise. How could this rock turn into a conscious, living creature?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rare,¡± Wren answered. He, too, was staring at my hand. ¡°With suitable focus, determination, and input of energy, a weapon grown from lorite will contain some measure of self-determination. This is born of the wielder, and fully binds a weapon to its user. But for the lorite to grow into a fully self-aware, conscious being, this transfer of energy must be matched by an incredible will and, usually, a significant amount of desperation. Your state of being when the weapon manifested ys an essential role, as do the source and variety of inputs prior to manifestation.¡±


    I smiled in amusement, recognizing Wren¡¯s words here as an echo of what he¡¯d said when he discovered Regis was a conscious manifestation in my real life. ¡°And something of the lorite remains, though. You said¡­well, nevermind, but if Regis were here in body, you would be able to sense the lorite¡¯s energy, right?¡±


    Wren rested his hands on his hips and tapped his fingers rapidly. ¡°I would. A being born of lorite is mutable in nature, but the signature of its origin should be perceptible even if it were present only in a disembodied form. Unless that form was shrouded inside the body of another living being, where its own signature would be disguised by the mana and natural rhythm of the host¡ªthe heartbeat, breathing, cirction from core to channels, et cetera. This may be made yet moreplicated if the being is¡ªhow did you put it?¡ªoutside space and time, whatever that means.¡±


    ¡°But if you knew it was there, and the host in question allowed you, could you find that sleeping mind?¡±


    Wren regarded me as if I hadpletely lost my own mind. ¡°I won¡¯t pretend to even fully understand what that means, but¡­¡± His eyes narrowed, and he mussed his already tangled hair. With a scoff, he waved a hand and conjured a t bed of rock, indicating I should lie down. I did so, and he stood over me. ¡°Close your eyes and stop the noisy gears of your senseless brain from spinning so I can focus.¡±


    I bit back a sarcastic retort and tried to do as he ordered, letting my mind still and go nk. My breathing slowed, as did my pulse. Calling back on multiple lifetimes of practice, I fell into a meditative nkness.


    Wren¡¯s hands passed over me. I could sense them, but I didn¡¯t focus on them. He hummed thoughtfully, then let out an irritated huff, his warm breath washing across my face. Then, after what felt like a very long time, ¡°Aha¡­¡±


    Physical fingers pressed down over my sternum, and fingers of magic probed deeper, wriggling through flesh and meat and even deeper than my core into something ethereal and intrinsic to my being¡ªthe nexus of where my waking consciousness in the keystone met my physical body outside of it. I focused on the weak sense I had of Regis¡¯s sleeping mind, which I felt even in that first moment after appearing inside the keystone, and hoped that the spotlight of my thoughts would point Wren in the right direction.


    ¡°Stop that, boy. Justy there and act like the braindead loon you are. I take back every positive thing I¡¯ve ever said about you. There¡¯s no way you are anything but aplete and utter kook¡ª¡± He cut off with a sharp inhtion, and I felt the incorporeal fingers close around something. ¡°By the ancients, you are right. An lorite-born being¡­I can feel it tethered to you¡ªno, woven into and through you, as tied to you as your own nervous system¡­¡±


    A warm, familiar energy floated up from my sternum through my chest and into my arm, then down the arm to my hand, guided by Wren¡¯s magic. He snorted with delight. ¡°I¡¯ve never rehomed a consciousness that already exists into an lorite crystal before. It shouldn¡¯t work, but if you¡¯re right and this¡­Regis¡­was really born from this lorite¡­¡± The lorite burned hot as molten iron in my palm, and I gasped at the pain. Wren grabbed my wrist, pinning my arm to the stone.


    Purple light glowed through my skin, which felt like it would burn away at any moment.


    ¡®Arthur, what¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s happening?¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s voice sounded in my mind from where she still trained with her grandfather in Castle Indrath.


    My eyes rolled back into my head as my body bucked. A powerful hand pressed against my chest, holding me t and preventing me from hurting myself. Not that I could have felt it past the agony of the lorite.


    A ck will-o-wisp the size of my clenched fist floated free of my flesh, and the pain vanished. I sank back, no longer bucking against Wren¡¯s arms, sweat pouring from my face and my breathing in desperate gasps. I just barely made out the ball of dark light, within which two bright sparks glinted like eyes and a ck sh below them looked like a wry smile.


    I had no breath to speak, no focus to generate words. Even my mind seemed clouded, and I couldn¡¯t sense the thoughts of either Regis or Sylvie.


    The will-o-wisp darted closer to me and dipped low.


    ¡°Behold, master. I, Regis, the mighty weapon gifted to you by the asuras so long ago, have finally manifested in all my glory!¡± The two bright sparks glinted as if they were blinking, and the wisp turned slowly around in a circle. ¡°Wait, what the hell is going on?¡±

 Chapter 478

    <h4>Chapter 478</h4>


    Chapter 476: Ji-ae


    <strong>TESSIA ERALITH</strong>


    As the portal swallowed us, myst thought was of disappointment. For a moment, it had felt so good to see Arthur, but that feeling crumbled with the stone structure of his golem¡¯s body.


    Space and time inverted, stretched out and flipped upside down by the portal as it dragged us away, and then¡­


    And then I was surrounded by nothing. Absolutely nothing. Emptiness in every direction.


    And I was alone.


    I was alone.


    I couldn¡¯t sense Cecilia or hear her thoughts. Nor could I feel the body that I shared with her.


    Tentatively, I tried to speak her name, but no sound came out. I had no fingers or toes to wiggle, no neck to turn my gaze left or right.


    Then, like I was stepping out of a thick ck fog, space materialized in front of me.


    I was looking across a ground made of ck ss at Cecilia. Not Cecilia in my body, but the way she pictured herself in her head, an athletic and feminine figure with cream-colored skin and dusty brown hair tied up in a tail. Beyond the strangeness of looking at her in a way I had only seen in thought before, something else was wrong. She was t, like a reflection of herself in a dark mirror, and she was very still, making only asional, unnaturally jerky movements.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± I asked, and my voice came out distorted and strange to my own ears.


    Across from me, Cecilia¡¯s face pinched into a scowl. ¡®I should¡¯ve known you would attack me as soon as you had the chance.¡¯ Her voice resounded hostilely inside my mind.


    I shook my head. I wasn¡¯t exactly hiding that fact. Whatever delusions or reasons you have to act the way you do, that applies to me too. But that''s not important right now, is it? Look around us. Where are we?


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s a blessing in disguise. When I escape this, whatever it is, I¡¯m going to leave you here.¡¯ In her frame, Cecilia¡¯s hands came up, and it looked as if she were pushing against the surface of a t piece of ss.


    Muted as my senses were, my nerves were still on fire throughout my body as I considered the full implications of what Cecilia and I were experiencing. We had fallen through a portal and been transported somewhere, but more than that, we had somehow been separated from one another and imprisoned. How is Arthur capable of this?


    ¡®Oh, Vritra take me,¡¯ Cecilia cursed, letting her hands drop. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I fell for his trap. I¡­Agrona is going to be furious. Not only did I disobey him, but I failed as well.¡¯


    I felt myself frown in a distant, numb sort of way. Surely you¡¯re more angry at Arthur for trapping you than you are afraid of Agrona?


    When Cecilia looked across the emptiness at me, I could see I was wrong. Her emotions were distant and clouded, but the expression on her face was easily readable. ¡®You don¡¯t understand. He¡¯s losing patience with me. I¡¯ve sensed it. And I¡¯m afraid that¡­he¡¯ll do something to Nico to punish me.¡¯ She turned left and right, up and down as she searched her prison for any hint of a way out. ¡®I need to escape this ce.¡¯


    Cecilia¡¯s thought brought me up short, and I had to be careful to not send any more thoughts to her. I was scared, and I wanted to escape too, but¡­Arthur had done this on purpose, knowing Cecilia and I would both be trapped here.


    I had to ask myself what Arthur¡¯s intention was. I didn¡¯t know where we were, what the purpose of this ce was beyond the obvious, or what would happen if we remained. Arthur knew I was still conscious inside of my body along with Cecilia¡ªor at least I thought he did. He would have expected me to be here. That could have been why he devised this prison to separate us. Perhaps that meant he would being to free me¡­but was he really capable of such powerful magic?


    Fear turned my stomach. It was also possible that the separation of our minds had nothing to do with Arthur¡¯s actual n, and he had finally decided that removing Cecilia was worth sacrificing me in the gambit. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to disagree with the sentiment or be angry at Arthur if this were the case, but I still felt afraid.


    ¡®I can feel your mind whirring over there,¡¯ Cecilia interjected, interrupting my thoughts. ¡®It¡¯s annoying. If you¡¯re not going to help me figure out how to get out of this prison, the least you can do is shut up.¡¯


    I sighed and wrapped my arms around myself. I don¡¯t know what this ce is, but to be honest, I don¡¯t really care. Arthur finally beat you, Cecilia. There is nowhere for you to go, nothing for you to do now. Sit and seethe in your silence and fear.


    I closed myself off to her before she could reply,psing into a sullen and fretful silence. But I still had to watch her; I couldn¡¯t look anywhere else. Seeing her thrashing and gesticting inside her two-dimensional prison brought me neither pleasure norfort. I expected her efforts to be short-lived but was surprised as the tenacity of her efforts only built. No magic or spells manifested in the open air between us, but a charge built within the strange prison that made the hair on my neck stand on end and roughened my skin with gooseflesh.


    A tremor ran from my toes up to my scalp, and something tugged me forward. I flowed through a thinyer of ssy energy and found myself standing on the smooth surface I had seen before. I spun around to see an identical window like the one Cecilia was still trapped inside; I could feel her burning eyes stabbing into my back.


    Beyond the window, around our smooth t tform, which couldn¡¯t have been more than twenty feet wide, was an endless ocean of emptiness. It was so ck that my eyes yed tricks with me, inserting color in a haze of purple and shapes like shadowy creatures crawling over each other inside the dark and the void.


    I turned away and hurried to the very center of the tform between the two windows, eachbored breath aching in my chest. ¡°What have you done, Arthur?¡±


    As if from a great distance, Cecilia¡¯s muffled voice was shouting my name.


    My hands trailed up my arms to my shoulders, then to my face, feeling the warmth of my skin, the shape of my nose, cheeks, and lips. My hair, I thought, running my fingers through it, lifting a lock of the silvery gray strands.


    ¡°Tessia!¡± Cecilia shouted again, her voice cutting through my revery like a bonesaw.


    I wrapped my arms around myself in a sort of hug, hunching over and closing my eyes. ¡°Just¡­give me some time, please. Let me have this moment.¡±


    My legs were trembling, and I sank to the ground and pulled my knees to my chest. Pressing my face into my knees, I began to cry. My body shook with the relief of it. Slowly, I exercised the pent up emotion of my long imprisonment, and the tears eased. My breath came easily. Every muscle in my body rxed.


    Cecilia cleared her throat. ¡°How did you escape?¡±


    ¡°Imagine, the two of us fused together for so long,¡± I said, my voice empty of all the emotion I had just released, ¡°only to find ourselves imprisoned together when we are finally separated.¡±


    ¡°Tessia, please¡­¡±


    My gaze slowly lifted to meet Cecilia¡¯s. I had spent so long now inside her thoughts that I knew her probably better than she knew herself. I¡¯d seen her switch from a megalomaniac to a vulnerable girl like I might switch on and off a lighting artifact, but I also had to remind myself that she was a child who had been manipted into being little more than a weapon¡ªnot only once, but through two different lives.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I felt you pushing mana across this tform, and a charge built up inside my window, then suddenly I was drifting out¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Cecilia said desperately. ¡°These windows or whatever must have to be opened with mana or¡ª¡± Her face fell suddenly, growing pale with fear. ¡°Or aether.¡±


    I thought back to the moment Cecilia had used Arthur¡¯s own weapon to strike a blow against him and went silent.


    ¡°If I moved enough mana, it is possible that some aether interacted with the window as well¡­but I can¡¯t pull mana to me in here,¡± she continued softly.


    I didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°Which means you would have to be the one to release me,¡± she finished after a few long seconds.¡°We have to work together. You¡¯re going to have to let me back in.¡±


    She was referring to the mental block I had ced shortly after arriving inside the zone, cutting her off while I was imprisoned inside the window. I¡¯d left the barrier up, but now it slipped away, joining our minds yet again.


    Cecilia¡¯s tangle of emotions burned hot and ufortable, like an ache behind my eyes.


    ¡°Except there is one other problem,¡± I started, digging my fingers into my temple with a grimace. ¡°Even if I wanted to release you¡ªI don¡¯t know if I do¡ªI can¡¯t control mana.¡± I could sense the mana contained within the strange prison, but although I had my body back, I hadn¡¯t regained my ability to cast spells. I tried not to think about the fact that I did not have a core at all.


    Cecilia didn¡¯t respond immediately, but I could feel her thoughts turning over and over. I stepped away from her window, moving to the edge of the tform and staring out into the nothing beyond. The writhing shadows, ck on ck, made my skin crawl even as I wondered if it was real or if I was simply seeing things.


    ¡®Why can we still hear each other¡¯s thoughts?¡¯ Cecilia asked, her voice seeping into my head unexpectedly.


    I returned to her window. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but then, I can¡¯t even imagine what kind of magic could separate us to begin with.¡±


    ¡°What if we haven¡¯t been separated?¡± she asked, her voice soft and echoing as if resounding up from the bottom of a well.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    She gestured at my torso from within the window. ¡°You have your body, but I look like myself¡ªlike before, on Earth. And yet the runes that bound my reincarnated spirit to your body still mark your flesh. You are walking around inside an Integrated body and should be able to use magic, while I have a ki center and not a core, but I can manipte mana.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t hide my surprise as I regarded her. ¡°Of course. I should have seen that before. So you think¡­that we are still in the same body? Only our minds are divided?¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯re in the Relictombs,¡± she confirmed. ¡°If there is anywhere that could trap our minds in a prison while our body sleeps somewhere else, that would be the answer.¡±


    Cecilia had been taught about the Relictombs, although not extensively, and I shared her limited knowledge. Together, we considered what we knew. ¡°That must have been an ascension portal that we fell through.¡±


    Cecilia nodded at me from within her window. ¡°Grey would only have chosen this zone if it was somewhere he thought we couldn¡¯t escape.¡±


    ¡°Which means that it likely does require control over aether to navigate,¡± I said, circling back to our earlier line of thought. ¡°So we really are stuck here.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Cecilia said, now shaking her head. ¡°I already released you. That means we can interact with this zone, even if not in the intended way. You can release me, and together we can clear this zone and find our way out.¡±


    I bit my lip, unsure what to do. ¡°Is this ce any worse than out there, where I¡¯ll be a prisoner in my own body again?¡±


    ¡°Please, Tessia,¡± Cecilia begged, sagging in her frame. ¡°I can¡¯t stay trapped in here. I have to get back to Agrona, to exin myself¡­¡± Her eyes burrowed into mine. ¡°I can¡¯t let him punish Nico for my mistakes.¡± When I didn¡¯t immediately respond, she added, ¡°I know you don¡¯t understand why I do the things that I do, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t, but I also can¡¯t say I haven¡¯t done something simr.¡± I swallowed down a lump in my throat, wondering at the simtion¡¯s ability to create such a realistic sensation. I chose to go to my parents that day, and Arthur and Sylvie almost died¡ªno, in a sense, they did die¡ªbecause of my decision.


    I knew that Arthur wanted to keep us¡ªto keep Cecilia¡ªin this ce for as long as possible. Maybe he meant her to stay here forever, or maybe he knew she would break free eventually. I could only hope that my actions were a part of his n, because the more I thought, the more my mind felt made up.


    ¡°What do you want, Cecilia?¡± I asked. ¡°Really? In the end, I mean.¡±


    Cecilia let out a deep breath, her eyes never leaving mine. ¡°I want it all to have been worth it. In the end.¡±


    Nodding my understanding, I made a decision that I could only hope I wouldn¡¯t grow to regret. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to give me control and¡­to teach me how to use magic without a core.¡±


    What followed was a difficult back and forth as Cecilia and I both worked against our instincts. If we were right, the zone was a kind of projection, little more than a dream, and for Cecilia to release her hold over my body and allow me to manipte the mana within the dream, we both had to ept that the zone was simultaneously not popted by our real selves while also allowing our real shared body¡ªand magical ability¡ªto be utilized by both of us at the same time.


    It would have been far easier to simply wake up, but whatever magic formed the zone and held us within it wasn¡¯t so easily beaten. Still, I had been right beside Cecilia for all of her many advances in mana maniption, and the pain that I had been subjected to was not without some benefit.


    Many hours, maybe even days, passed as I sat in front of Cecilia¡¯s mirror and sought the magic. Despite the passing time, Cecilia seemed to calm as she stepped into the role of guide and teacher, simultaneously handing me the reins of our detached physical body while guiding me toward the magic and teaching me how to manipte it without the lens of a core to focus through.


    I followed her impromptu exercises with a singr focus, and we both embraced the trial and error necessary to impart her insight and understanding.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s not working, but I think we can change tactics slightly,¡± Cecilia said after one of many failed efforts. ¡°I can sense the mana reacting to your focus, but you¡¯re not taking hold of it, at least not yet.¡± She looked at me with her brows pinched in confusion. ¡°What?¡±


    I realized I was smiling and quickly smoothed my features. ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just¡­you seem so motivated. Almost like you¡¯re having fun.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± she started before trailing off. ¡°I guess it¡¯s just nice to be working together for a change.¡±


    I nodded, understanding what she meant. ¡°We¡¯re almost there, I can feel it.¡±


    It was difficult to describe, but it felt like there was a scale inside me, and that scale was tipping slowly, lifting me up and bringing me into bnce with the opposing force¡ªCecilia. And as that scale bnced, my sense of the mana drifting around us heightened until I could feel something brushing across the tips of my reaching fingers.


    And then, finally, my fingers closed around what I¡¯d been reaching for.


    I drew in a sudden, shivering breath, and my hands clenched into fists. The mana particles lit up in my vision the way Cecilia could see it. The particles were sparse, floating over the tform but not suffusing the void beyond.


    ¡°See how the mana moves?¡± Cecilia used our mental connection to draw my focus to a specific point. There was a sort of tension in the suspended mana particles. ¡°This ce is much thicker with aether, and that tension is the two forces pressing against each other. If you press all the mana toward my window, you can¡¯t help but move some aether too. That has to be how I released you, I think.¡±


    I stood and took a few steps back, working to slow and steady my breathing, which was threatening to run out of control as the flush of sess and the joy of controlling the mana washed over me. My concentration tightened on the mana, taking hold of it particle by particle but not yet enacting my will. I tried to visualize all the aether particles that were filling the gaps between the reds, yellows, greens, and blues. The thought that Arthur must be able to see the entire picture flitted into my head, and thinking of him helped steady me and give me confidence.


    ¡®Now push with all your might,¡¯ Cecilia ordered.


    I hesitated.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Cecilia asked, a hint of her desperation leaking back into her demeanor.


    ¡°If I help us get out of here, you owe me one,¡± I said, watching her carefully. ¡°As long as it is in your ability, I need you to promise that you¡¯ll do one favor for me in the future.¡±


    Now Cecilia was the one to hesitate, her jaw working silently in the window, her thoughts shrouded momentarily. ¡°I promise.¡±


    Letting out a deep breath, I pushed.


    The t ne of the window containing Cecilia rippled, and she drifted out onto the tform. Behind her, the mana I had projected spilled out into the void and was swallowed by the darkness.


    Cecilia looked down at her hands, then spun in a circle, her eyes wide as she gazed around.


    I smiled, but almost immediately, the expression faltered as a sleepy fatigue gripped me. I stumbled suddenly. Cecilia¡¯s eyes widened with surprise and she grabbed me to keep me from falling. Her worried face grew blurry as the dark void behind her pulsed, fading in and out.


    I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again I saw only a sh of darkness and ws. Closed again, then open¡ªa waterfall in the distance, sparkling under a red sun¡ªa blink, and howling, explosions of mana, monsters falling beneath a wave of spells¡­


    Pain leaked through the fugue state, and I came to, realizing Cecilia was marching quickly through the halls of Taegrin Caelum. What happened?


    ¡®You¡¯re awake again,¡¯ Cecilia replied. ¡®I thought maybe that zone had done something. Destroyed your mind.¡¯ There was a hint of relief in her words that surprised me. ¡®I had to fight my way through a handful of zones to escape the Relictombs, but we¡¯ve made it back to the fortress. I¡¯m on my way to report to Agrona now.¡¯


    Weakly, I considered just what sort of horrific trials the Relictombs must have conjured for someone of Cecilia¡¯s strength. Considering the way she was limping and favoring a number of still-healing wounds, her struggle was clear.


    Cecilia¡¯s tension rose with each step as we hurried through the fortress toward Agrona¡¯s private wing. The doors were open when we arrived. I could feel Agrona¡¯s presence emanating outward from deeper inside his private chambers, and Cecilia followed that aura like a beacon.


    We found him waiting on one of the many balconies overlooking one of the central courtyards of the sprawling mountain fortress. He made a show of reading a scroll that he had stretched out in front of him, not immediately taking notice of us. A minute passed, then two, and Cecilia became almost physically ill as she waited to be acknowledged, standing within the frame of the open ss doors to the balcony.


    Finally, Agrona rolled up the scroll before tossing it over the intricate railing. It caught fire as it fell, smoldering into ash and smoke. Only then did he turn. Dark fire smoldered in his eyes, and his bodynguage and expression were both stiff.


    ¡°Cecilia. You return. I hope you do so with an exceedingly interesting tale to tell,¡± he said, his voice a threatening baritone rumble.


    Speaking in a rush, Cecilia began to exin what had happened. She rambled, speaking too quickly but without enough detail, rehashing her journey out of the Beast des and her battle against the asura, then giving a spotty exnation of the trap we had found ourselves in. She kept jumping back to details she had omitted earlier, making her exnation difficult for even me to follow, and I had been there.


    Agrona¡¯s eyes never left us, and the longer Cecilia talked, the more agitated his aura became.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Cecilia finished, going to one knee and bowing in front of Agrona. ¡°Please forgive me, High Sovereign. I made a terrible mistake in judgment.¡±


    I watched from the prison of my own body as Agrona approached. When he spoke, there was a biting edge of poorly concealed sarcasmced through with disappointment. ¡°I have overestimated your maturity, Cecilia. If this had been a test, I would say that you failed spectacrly.¡± His jaw worked silently for a moment. ¡°And yet perhaps I have also underestimated the way in which Arthur Leywin affects those around him, including you.¡± There were ripplelike heat waves in the air around Agrona. ¡°It isn¡¯t the man¡¯s personal strength that changes the bnce of power. Rather, it is the way the world reacts to him.¡±


    Agrona gave a small shake of his head, and I realized that as angry as he was, some of that was turned toward himself. ¡°I see my mistake clearly now. Thankfully, the dragons continue to fall into line just as expected, so I can afford to turn more of my resources to locating Arthur. What you¡¯ve told me aligns with all of the reports I have received; Arthur has been very thorough in his attempt to avoid my countermeasures. But the time for y and experimentation is over. At this point, there is no other choice but to take care of things myself.¡±


    Cecilia rose smoothly, but she was trembling as we followed Agrona, who led us down into the reliquary Cecilia had visited previously.


    What does he mean, take care of things himself? I asked, but the question bounced right off of Cecilia, whose own agitated thoughts were a chaotic muddle.


    Agrona took us on a winding course through the reliquary halls to a door that was different from all the rest. Powerful enchantments emanated from it, and the dark gray metal surface was covered with geometric patterns, which upon closer inspection revealed themselves to be row after row of small, tightly arranged runes.


    A ck crystal was affixed to the wall beside the door by a bronze fixture. Agrona ced his hand on the crystal, and it glowed with white light through the ck. Several locks released, and the door swung open on its own.


    The room beyond wasrger than those Cecilia had looked into before, including the room where she¡¯d discovered the strange rune-covered table. The interior walls shimmered with a mana barrier that epassed the entire chamber. Arge pedestal dominated the floor, nearly filling the room. The pedestal itself stood ten feet high but was made evenrger by a series of glowing stone rings that gyrated smoothly around the pedestal, somehow without striking each other. Indecipherable runes covered both the pedestal and the rings.


    Above the pedestal, in the middle of the stone rings, there was a glowingvender crystal. It pulsed slightly as we entered.


    ¡°Cecilia, meet Ji-ae,¡± Agrona said, extending one arm toward the artifact.


    Cecilia walked slowly around the tform, careful to stay outside of the arc of the gyrating rings. ¡®What is this? He said that as if this was a¡ª¡¯


    The crystal pulsed brighter, and a rich feminine voice with a strange ent vibrated sourcelessly through the air. ¡°A pleasure to meet you, Legacy. Your presence here is the culmination of many djinn lifetimes of theoretical aetheric study. Quite amazing, really.¡± The voice grew sharp with excitement as it spoke, almost gushing by the end.


    What does that mean? I wondered, but Cecilia either ignored or didn¡¯t notice my thoughts. Her own mind had only grown more clouded and confused.


    ¡°Ji-ae, have your power levels evened out after the brief interruption to the Relictombs?¡± Agrona asked, speaking to the crystal as if it were a trustedpanion.


    ¡°I¡¯m still recovering, unfortunately,¡± the voice answered. As if to demonstrate this fact, the crystal flickered feebly. ¡°I expect it will take another twelve days or so to fully replenish my reserves of aetheric storage and return to normal operating levels, Agrona.¡±


    Cecilia had stopped walking and was now staring through the gyrating rings at Agrona, who was leaning against one wall and absently clinking one of the ornaments dangling from his horns. ¡°What is this?¡±


    Agrona¡¯s expression was unreadable, but he kept his eyes on the crystal as he said, ¡°Ji-ae was one of the djinn¡ªa genius, even among her people. Her mind was stored in this housing, which was connected to the first level of the Relictombs as a kind of index for all the knowledge thaty within.¡±


    What? I thought. At the same time, Cecilia asked, ¡°What?¡±


    Agrona raised one brow as he regarded Cecilia, making her shrink back into herself. ¡°I have never shown her to anyone before. In fact, I¡¯ve never even told anyone of her existence. You are the first¡ªand the only¡ªperson I will tell.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Cecilia asked.


    ¡°Because I need you to understand,¡± Agrona answered stiffly. Still, there was a softness in his gaze that felt out of ce. Is that¡­sadness? Hurt? ¡°I feel it, Cecil. The tension that has been building between us. The distrust. Grey¡¯s gravity pulls at you. The little voice in your ear maniptes you. Even Nico¡¯s weakness infects you, making you doubt yourself and, by extension, me. After everything, what cuts deepest is that you still chose not to trust in me when you disobeyed a direct order and abandoned your post and your soldiers.¡±


    Cecilia swallowed, an existential quiver running from the base of her skull all the way down to her toes.


    I wanted to reach out to her, to support her and make her understand that he was manipting her¡­but as she looked into his eyes, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Was the emotion he felt genuine? Was this a crack in Agrona¡¯s shield or a carefully portrayed facade of anger and hurt?


    Sensing my attention on her, Cecilia preempted any argument I might have made, thinking, ¡®Don¡¯t. Let me think for myself, Tessia. Please, just¡­don¡¯t.¡¯


    I considered the promise she had made me, wondering if I could force her to listen by calling on it, but I knew instantly that I couldn¡¯t put words to the fear and distrust in my heart. I would only drive her away by pushing too hard here. I bit my metaphysical tongue, withdrawing deeper into myself and carefully watching the situation y out.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Cecilia said, stiffly walking back around the tform so she could see Agrona clearly.


    ¡°Ji-ae here has taught me much,¡± Agrona continued, his voice soft. ¡°The mystery of the djinn spellforms, the presence of the ruins, even reincarnation. Though it was my genius that allowed for the implementation of the stored djinn knowledge, it was Ji-ae sharing that information that allowed me to bring you and Nico back to life on this world.¡±


    Cecilia waited, her mindtching onto a specific question she wanted him to answer, but she didn¡¯t dare ask.


    Agrona pushed away from the wall and approached Cecilia. ¡°And with that same djinn knowledge, she is why I will be able to send you home to a new life, just as you wish.¡± His eyes narrowed, and his demeanor hardened. ¡°When our work together is finished, of course.¡±


    Cecilia¡¯s jaw worked back and forth as she mustered the courage to ask. I resisted the impulse to urge her on. ¡°And after my Integration? Those mages, the runes and table¡­there was more to all that than simply making sure I survived, wasn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°There was,¡± Agrona answered simply. ¡°Seris triggered the Integration too quickly, and it was possible that this fragile elven body wasn¡¯t strong enough to cope with it. I prepared the ability to transfer some portion of the Legacy¡¯s potential to myself.¡± He met Cecilia¡¯s eyes unflinchingly. ¡°This is a war. In the event something happened to you, I couldn¡¯t in good conscience fail to prepare a failsafe, or several even.¡±


    Cecilia¡¯s teeth ground together, but I could feel his words swaying her.


    Agrona seemed to roll some unspoken word around in his mouth before turning suddenly back to the djinn artifact. ¡°Ji-ae. I need to find Arthur Leywin. He has been in the Relictombs and visited the other ruins. He will project a strong signal of aether, and he has multiple spellforms. He should not be difficult to trace with so many of my people in Dicathen to cast the.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I have enough power, Agrona, but I will try,¡± the feminine voice said, emanating from the air around us.


    ¡°Cast the?¡± Cecilia repeated, her own attention turning sluggishly to the glowing crystal and the gyrating rings.


    Agrona gave her a self-satisfied smirk, the earlier tension easing. ¡°Part of the function of the runes I developed from the ancient djinn spellforms, the runes imprinted on every adorned cryan, is to provide a point from which Ji-ae can gather information.¡±


    Cecilia blinked with quiet awe. ¡°Is that why you invaded Dicathen at the cost of so many cryan lives? To expand this web through the soldiers?¡±


    ¡°I told you I needed eyes on the ground there,¡± Agrona said casually. ¡°I just didn¡¯t say whose eyes I was really looking through.¡±


    Seeming to understand, Cecilia quickly rattled off all the locations where she had sensed Arthur¡¯s aetheric signature.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to search one location at a time,¡± Ji-ae said apologetically. ¡°I just can¡¯t manage a wider search all at once.¡± Then, after a few moments, ¡°The signatureing from beneath the ancient djinn refuge of¡­forgive me, the settlement¡¯s name does not appear to be contained within my memory. The signatureing from beneath the desert of the Dicathian nation of Darv definitely isn¡¯t Arthur Leywin, though from what you have said it was certainly created by him.¡±


    A picture of the chamber where Cecilia had fought the asura appeared in my thoughts, focusing on an egg-shaped ball of amethyst energy.


    One by one, Ji-ae repeated the process for each of the locations where Arthur might have been. I dreaded each one, then felt a sudden but short-lived relief as it proved not to be him before she quickly moved onto the next. In all the process took several minutes.


    ¡°The density of signals capable of reaching the location indicated within the remnants of the elven nation of Elenoir are fairly limited. Based upon what I can sense, however, I would calcte that there is a¡­ny-five percent chance that Arthur Leywin is not at this location.¡±


    Agrona¡¯s face tightened into a slight frown as Cecilia fidgeted. ¡°Clever, Arthur. So all of your hiding ces are fakes, and your real signature was hidden well enough to fool even the Legacy.¡± Agrona chuckled. ¡°This was a brazen gambit for one who ims to hold the lives of his friends and family in such regard. Okay, Ji-ae, focus on exactly those ces where Arthur hasn¡¯t attempted to draw attention. What is he trying to keep us from seeing?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Agrona. This may take a moment.¡±


    Agrona and Cecilia waited in silence.


    A map shed suddenly into my mind, followed by the disembodied voice. ¡°Strange. There appears to be an aetheric anomaly present at this location.¡± A red light burned on the map in a spot near the Grand Mountains between the Beast des and what used to be Elshire Forest. ¡°While not an aether source, this anomaly bears the same signature as the conjurations used to obfuscate Arthur Leywin¡¯s physical presence. Based on the information I have ess to at the moment, this carries all the trademarks of a conjured pocket dimension.¡± The crystal pulsed as the voice finished speaking, seeming proud of itself.


    Agrona¡¯s face carved into a tight, predatory smile. ¡°Ah, Arthur. I should have realized it myself. We think so much alike, you and I.¡± Reaching out, Agrona ran a hand along one of the spinning rings, which slowed to let him do so, thevender light of the crystal flickering. ¡°Well done, Ji-ae. Rest now. I won¡¯t call upon you again until you have regained your full strength.¡±


    The crystal brightened. ¡°Be careful, Agrona. Tampering with Fate is¡­dangerous.¡±


    The ancient asura winked boyishly at the glowing crystal. ¡°You old flirt, Ji-ae.¡±


    Hurry, Arthur, whatever you¡¯re doing, I pleaded, knowing no one but myself could hear.


    Agrona opened the door, and a shouting voice echoed through the halls to reach us. The voice was shouting Cecilia¡¯s name.


    Cecilia hurried past Agrona, who stopped to secure the door behind us. ¡°Nico!¡± she yelled, turning around twice as she tried to figure out which direction his voice wasing from. ¡°I¡¯m here!¡±


    Running footsteps resounded off the hallway walls, and Nico burst around a corner, sliding to a stop. He was red-faced and breathless, regarding her with relief and fear. ¡°Cecilia¡­I was so afraid¡ªthey said you¡¯d left the rift¡ªwhat are you¡­¡± He stopped, struggling to catch his breath. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Both Cecilia and Nico stiffened as Agrona caught up with them. He whistled jauntily, all pretense of his early anger and disappointment washed away. ¡°Well well, Nico, you are just in time to return to Dicathen with us. We¡¯re going to pick up your old friend, Grey.¡± Nico¡¯s brows fell and his mouth opened, but Agrona kept talking. ¡°Yes, we have in fact found him. And yes, he is in fact resting right where I sent you to look, inside Sylvia¡¯s cave, the cave your report assured me was empty.¡±


    Nico only looked more confused, his eyes jumping from Agrona to Cecilia as if her gaze alone could answer his questions.


    Agrona rolled his eyes. ¡°I swear, Cadell would have noticed a pocket dimension if it was staring him in the face. But then, you¡¯re no Cadell¡­¡±


    Nico sagged, but Cecilia bristled. ¡°Agrona¡­¡±


    Agrona took his hands from his pockets and raised them defensively. ¡°Nevermind. This is a moment for celebration!¡± He wrapped one arm around Cecilia¡¯s shoulders, then did the same to Nico on the other side. ¡°Because together, we¡¯re finally going to kill Arthur Leywin.¡±

 Chapter 479

    <h4>Chapter 479</h4>


    Chapter 477: Ascension


    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    It all made sense now. For whatever reason, Tess was the vessel for Cecilia. Maybe it was because of our rtionship in this world, which had to create the bridge, but that didn¡¯t matter.


    If both Nico and I became this strong after reincarnating into this world, how strong would Cecilia¡ªthe ¡°Legacy¡±¡ªbe if she reincarnated into Tess¡¯s body?


    The distant echoes of my thoughts resounded over and under my present, wakeful self.


    ¡°Sylvie. You know what Rinia said.¡± My voice came out pleading, but only because of the keystone¡¯s strange effect that caused events to y out just as they had. ¡°We can¡¯t let them have Tess.¡±


    I felt Sylvie shake her head against the small of my back. She was holding me, keeping me from continuing to fight. Because Cadell and Nico were about to take her. And I was dying. ¡°We¡¯ll both get stronger,¡± she said, her voice muffled. ¡°As long as we¡¯re alive, we have a chance.¡±


    With Aroa¡¯s Requiem channeled, I reached out and pinched the golden thread between my fingers. Time froze.


    Tessia was still in the act of turning away from me. She had just spoken the words I had feared might be thest she ever would. It was almost funny, in a way; I was so distracted that I still hadn¡¯t heard what she said. I considered reversing time, paying closer attention, only¡­


    Beyond Tessia, battle-weary and blood-stained, Cadell and Nico waited for her. The city of Telmore was burning around them, the sky-high mes like stained ss against the smoke-filled sky.


    This was the moment everything changed.


    And this is our next challenge to bypass if we want to continue forward, Imunicated to Sylvie and Regis.


    Sylvie¡¯s body untensed from behind me as her conscious self exerted control. Her arms rxed, falling to her sides, and she stepped around, her gaze sweeping across the frozen battlefield.


    Regis manifested beside me, stepping out of the darkness and into the keystone world in hisrge shadow wolf form. ¡°And how exactly do we do that, princess?¡±


    We had spent some time following the threads of time and Fate back and forth through these early years of my life, but we hadn¡¯t unlocked any new insight into the keystone¡¯s mechanics or the aspect of Fate. Whether by the nature of interacting directly with the golden threads through Aroa¡¯s Requiem or Sylvie and Regis¡¯s grounding presence, I¡¯d discovered that I could make changes and explore alternate events without forgetting myself.


    Even as I thought this, Regis loped away from me to stand beside Nico. With a mischievous look, Regis reared up and closed his jaws around Nico¡¯s throat. The thread jerked loose from my grip, and the world lurched into motion again. There was a spray of blood, and Nico stumbled backwards, falling hard on the ground with a choked, gurgling cry.


    Before the scene could go any further, I grabbed hold of the thread again with Aroa¡¯s Requiem and pulled slightly, reversing time to before Regis¡¯s attack. ¡°Feel better now?¡± I asked Regis, my voice thick with exasperation.


    ¡°Not really,¡± he admitted, his lupine shoulders rising and falling as he sighed deeply.


    ¡°Focus,¡± Sylvie chided him gently before turning back to me. ¡°Go ahead, Arthur. I¡¯m ready.¡±


    I focused on the Aroa¡¯s Requiem godrune again, barely noticing the constant itch in my physical core anymore. Slowly, wanting to experience everything as it happened, I pulled us forward along the golden thread, experiencing again my creation of the pocket dimension that allowed me to safely remove Tessia and the others from the battlefield through a portal created from Rinia¡¯s medallion.


    Sylvie cast her own spell¡ªif that was even the right word for what she¡¯d done in transferring her own life energy to me¡ªand we looked at each other as, once again, she faded.


    I gripped the thread tight, freezing us again.


    Sylvie was still there, a person in two parts: a ghostly aspect formed within thevender and gold dust, and a bright silver spark of her own life force that was drifting toward me with all the rest of her energy, attaching itself to me. Sylv?


    The silver mote sparkled while the ghostly image remained frozen. I clenched my fists and pumped my arms in excitement. It worked!


    ¡®It did, although¡­I¡¯m having a hard time forcing myself to remain conscious in this form¡­¡¯


    Of course, I thought back, feeling foolish. Drift into me. Regis, guide her.


    Regis, who had already returned to his incorporeal state, drifted out of me and flitted to the silver spark. Buzzing around each other like glowflies, the dark wisp and the silver spark fluttered jaggedly, growing closer with each sharp turn until they vanished into my chest.


    ¡®Oh!¡¯ Sylvie thought, her mind rxing and allowing me to release a tension I hadn¡¯t realized I was carrying. ¡®That¡¯s a lot better.¡¯


    Let¡¯s go.


    The thread again moved through my fingers, and I fell into the portal that I had conjured.


    Only¡­it didn¡¯t take me to the underground sanctuary as was intended. It had worked for Nyphia, Madam Astera, and Tessia, but as I fell into it now, stepping carefully forward through time, I could see the weave of aetheric magicing undone. As the portal copsed, it left behind a sort of hole.


    A hole into the aetheric realm, I realized.


    Just on the other side was arge circr hall with smooth white pirs holding the ceiling up, lit by a warm glow.


    Golden energy was oozing out of solid stone, pressing against the edges of the hole left behind by the portal, keeping it open as I entered. The portal was gone, and the hole between dimensions swallowed itself the moment I passed through it. The golden light flickered and faded, and I was left lying on the floor, just as I had been when I first awoke in the Relictombs.


    Sylvie? Regis?


    ¡®We¡¯re here,¡¯ they answered together, two nodes of warmth and consciousness within my now broken core.


    I rolled onto my back and grinned up at the nk ceiling. ¡°It worked.¡±


    Regis manifested beside me and trotted across the chamber. He sniffed around for a minute. ¡®The egg thing. It isn¡¯t here.¡¯


    We must not need it then, I thought, nervous and hopeful both. Sylv? Are you able toe out?


    ¡®I¡¯ll try.¡¯


    The silver spark drifted out of my chest. It was hesitant, bobbing the air just beyond the shelter of my flesh and bone. Regis¡¯s wolf form became transparent and immaterial, then changed into a dark wisp, which zipped to Sylvie¡¯s side. The two whirled around each other momentarily, then¡ª


    Regis swallowed the silver spark. Or at least, that¡¯s what it looked like. For a couple of seconds, Sylvie was visible only as a small amount of silver light leaking through the dark wisp¡¯s incorporeal body. Theirbined thoughts were distorted and difficult to parse, but I waited, trusting them both just as much as I trusted my own self.


    Regis began to glow with dim golden light. Gold andvender particles began emanating from the wisp and to take shape in front of me. Sylvie was drawn in bright gold out of thin air, her featuresing clear as the halo around her faded. Regis reappeared at her side, dark against her light.


    With Realmheart still active, I watched the threads of Fate carefully. Interestingly, the timeline was not drastically altered by Sylvie¡¯s appearance in the flesh.


    ¡°I was always here, in a way,¡± she said, picturing the stone egg in her mind. ¡°That piece of me never left you.¡± She turned her hands over and looked at them questioningly. ¡°It¡¯s strange, though. I don¡¯t feel quite¡­real.¡± Then, without warning, she dissolved back into light, appearing only as the spark. ¡®Look! I can¡ª¡¯


    The spark darted forward, moving effortlessly through my flesh to drift around the ruined remains of my core. ¡®But why would I be able to do this?¡¯


    ¡°Could be just a glitch in the matrix,¡± Regis said, sitting back on his haunches, his tongue lolling. ¡°But my incredibly educated opinion is that Fate is just fucking with us.¡±


    Sylvie reappeared before me again. ¡°Mouth, Regis,¡± Sylvie scolded gently, biting back a smile.


    ¡°Thews of reality do seem to be breaking down the more powerful we get,¡± I said as I reached out and squeezed my bond¡¯s hand. ¡°It does beg the question though: what happens when we leave here? It makes sense we will still know anything new that we learn or any insight we gain through the keystone, but what if I¡ªI don¡¯t know¡ªunlock a new godrune? Just as an example.¡±


    ¡°An interesting question, but the bigger one still remains,¡± Sylvie replied. ¡°How is this getting us any closer to insight into Fate and escaping the keystone?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t quite hold back the frown that I fell across my face. ¡°The Relictombs is where all the djinn knowledge is kept. Everything they knew about Fate is here, somewhere. Looking back, my path through it was full of missed opportunities. First, I want to see what happens when I rebuild my aether core inside the keystone. After that¡­we do what all ascenders do.¡±


    ***


    Navigating the Relictombs inside of the keystone was different than it had been in reality. My ability to pull us back and forth through time allowed me to explore in a way I couldn¡¯t before. Curious, I drifted forward until Caera and I imed the Compass from the Central Academy reliquary, then stored the Compass in my extradimensional storage rune and reversed time again, all the way back to the first zone I¡¯d entered.


    Once again standing inside the unadorned chamber, I looked into the extradimensional space. The Compass was there, waiting for me, despite my having technically acquired it in the future. Feeling a rising excitement, I withdrew the Compass and turned it over in my hand. The burnished sphere was still a dead relic, so I channeled Aroa¡¯s Requiem and proceeded to again repair it.


    ¡°Now we can go anywhere,¡± Regis said, padding around me eagerly, his ws tapping against the stone floor. The tapping stopped, and he looked up at me with a frown on his lupine face. ¡°Anywhere except the millipede. Never again¡­¡±


    I chuckled in good humor. There was a sense of hopefulness shared between the three of us. ¡°Actually, I was thinking. We¡¯ve now got everything we need to navigate the Relictombs together, but before we do, there is something else I want to know.¡±


    Sylvie¡¯s brows rose as she realized my intention. ¡°I¡­would like that. Do you think¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t see why not. It¡¯s the keystone, after all. And if something goes wrong, now we can easily try again.¡± I tapped my sternum. ¡°Better get inside me, though. We¡¯re going pretty far back.¡±


    Sylvie¡¯s gold eyes shone brightly for just a moment before she transformed back into the sprite, and both her and Regis took shelter within my core. Taking a deep breath, I activated Realmheart and Aroa¡¯s Requiem, took the golden thread in my fingertips, and pulled hard.


    My lifetime flew past in reverse, unspooling all my many aplishments and failures in a matter of moments. The war, Epheotus, Xyrus Academy, the Beast des with Jasmine¡­and then I was again standing in front of Sylvia¡¯s cave, only a boy freshly separated from my family. And yet my young skin was marked by the spellforms and godrunes. More strangely, the core in my chest swarmed with both aether and mana.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see what grandma has to say about this¡­¡± I muttered, starting the climb down into the cave where Sylvia awaited.


    All the other times I had lived through this moment yed in the back of my mind, the memories ovepping and blurring together. A realization struck me. After enough time in here, one life would be indistinguishable from another.


    ¡®The keystone would swallow you whole,¡¯ Sylvie added, and a shiver ran down my spine.


    The end is in sight. It has to be.


    Inded at the bottom of the long fall, supporting my body with both mana and aether andndingfortably.


    ¡°So child, we finally¡­¡± Sylvia¡¯s resounding voice trailed off. She gaped down at me, her tree-story-tall frame sitting stiffly in the throne of jagged stone. Those red eyes¡ªso petrifying to me as a child¡ªwere full of wonder, confusion, and¡­fear as they burrowed into and through me. The massive horns growing up from her demonic visage turned slightly as her head did the same. ¡°But I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if you did,¡± I answered casually. Sticking my hands in the pockets of my childhood trousers, I bobbed up and down on the balls of my feet and regarded her with a smile. ¡°There is a lot we need to talk about, Grandma Sylvia.¡±


    An hourter, Sylvia and I sat together on the ground in front of a small fire. Instead of her demonic or dragon forms, Sylvia looked the way I had seen her in her portrait. She was a handsome woman, refined and noble, somewhere in her middle years by human standards. Her light blonde hair wasn¡¯t braided around her head like a crown, as it had been for the painting, but hung in a single thick braid over her shoulder.


    Her iridescentvender eyes met mine, still the azure I¡¯d inherited from my father. ¡°That is¡­quite a story, Arthur. How many times have you rewound time to bring us to this point?¡±


    ¡°None,¡± I said in my small voice. ¡°Assuming you believe me. Otherwise¡ª¡± Realmheart activated, lifting the hair on my head and conjuring glowing runes under my eyes.


    She raised a hand to forestall me. ¡°I do. How could I not? But then, you are filled with the confidence of one who knows they cannot fail.¡±


    I grimaced and released the godrune. ¡°Can¡¯t fail here, with you, maybe. But the greater picture¡ªFate¡ªis still very much undecided.¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡± She hesitated, her fingers unconsciously ying with her braid. ¡°And my daughter?¡±


    I smiled softly. ¡°Prepare yourself, Grandma Sylvia.¡± Come out, Sylv.


    The silver sprite floated free of me, drifting like a leaf on the wind around me. Sylvia watched it with intense apprehension. After several long seconds, the little light spread out, molding into Sylvie in much the same way her human form changed into the dragon. She appeared with her hair intricately braided and wrapped around her head, not entirely unlike Sylvia¡¯s portrait, and wearing a battledress of ck scales.


    Sylvie¡¯s jaw worked silently. Grandma Sylvia stood, favoring her wounded side. The two regarded each other without words, a subtle tension building between them.


    Then, at the same moment, they both stepped forward and wrapped their arms around one another. All the tension flowed away as if carried on a receding tide. Sylvie let out a surprised, childish, lovelyugh, and her mother followed suit. Grandma Sylvia looked down at me over Sylvie¡¯s shoulders, and her eyes shone with tears.


    Finally, Grandma Sylvia pulled back, although she kept her hands on Sylvie¡¯s arms. ¡°You are more beautiful than I ever could have hoped. Oh, my daughter. I thought¡ªwell¡­¡± She swallowed visibly and gave a small shake of her head, causing a single tear to slip free of her eye and trail down her cheek. ¡°It seems as though entrusting your egg to Arthur was the wisest decision I could have made.¡±


    The two began to talk, Grandma Sylvia asking questions and Sylvie answering them as best she could. The tale of Sylvie¡¯s life so far was not entirely a happy one, and Grandma Sylvia alternated between flushing red and growing pale as Sylvie answered her questions to the best of her ability. It was strange, seeing her like this: huddled around the little fire, sitting on the ground with Sylvie, both in their humanoid forms.


    I¡¯m d I got to see her like this, even if it¡¯s only a simtion, I thought to myself, my throat constricting with suppressed emotion.


    Regis shifted, resting his chin on my leg. ¡®Emotional support weapon of mass destruction, reporting for duty, sir,¡¯ he teased.


    I felt a small smile smooth away my frown and rubbed him between the ears. At ease.


    The conversation between Sylvie and her mother continued only for ten minutes before Grandma Sylvia hesitantly broached the topic of Agrona.


    ¡°Yes. I know Agrona is my father,¡± Sylvie answered, lifting her chin and looking suddenly defiant. ¡°I have tried not to let that fact color my view of you too negatively.¡±


    Grandma Sylvia gave her daughter a soft, understanding smile, but her eyes were cast toward the ground. ¡°That is maybe more than I deserve, then. Thank you.¡±


    I cleared my throat and rubbed the back of my neck, hesitant to intrude on the moment, but I reminded myself that, as real as this may feel to Sylvie, this version of Grandma Sylvia didn¡¯t exist. We hade for a reason, and I needed those answers. ¡°When you fled from him, how did you learn about the djinn ruins? Where did you get that map?¡±


    Grandma Sylvia bit her lip, an unexpected expression to see on her regal features, and shot a look at Sylvie before turning her attention back to me. ¡°Since you already know so much, I don¡¯t see the harm in exining further, although I¡­never expected to be telling this to anyone.¡± She paused to gather her thoughts. ¡°There was a device in Agrona¡¯s fortress¡ªa relic of the djinn. Only, it had a djinn mind housed within it.¡±


    ¡°Like in the ruins,¡± I said, startled. ¡°But how?¡±


    Sylvia¡¯s brows pinched together slightly, and her eyes were focused somewhere beyond the fire, looking at a past only she could see. ¡°He found her in the early days, when his people had only just begun exploring the Relictombs for him. It was her job to help navigate the ce, as well as to store and catalog the djinn¡¯s knowledge rted to their creations. But Agrona had already managed to remove her from the Relictombs and install her deep beneath his fortress by the time he was banished and I so foolishly tried to warn him of my father¡¯s ns.¡±


    ¡°Her?¡± Sylvie asked.


    ¡°The djinn¡­spirit. Ji-ae,¡± Grandma Sylvia answered, looking away. ¡°It was from her that I learned the truth.¡±


    Sylvie leaned forward and hugged her knees to her chest. ¡°What truth?¡±


    ¡°When I returned for Agrona, I found him a shell of the asura I had fallen in love with. Perhaps it was the real him, and I had only ever known a shadow, or perhaps his banishment and betrayal of the other asura¡ªincluding, he thought, me¡ªbroke something in him. He imprisoned me when he learned I was pregnant, desiring to experiment on his own child, to learn more about how dragons manipted aether and how he could use it against them. His own daughter, and he saw you as nothing but another experiment.¡±


    Her teeth clenched tight, and a bright fire burned in her eyes. ¡°Ji-ae showed me what was in store for you¡ªfor both of us. But she said¡­¡± Sylvia hesitated, taking a shaky breath. ¡°She said Fate had something else in store for you. She showed me a boy, told me about the reincarnation of a king from another world, Grey, and how he would protect you, if only I could find him.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s how you got the map to the djinn ruins.¡± I shook my head in disbelief. ¡°Yet again, Fate seems to be ying with me. Lining everything up just so.¡±


    Wepsed into silence, and I watched the small fire crackle away merrily, its bright orange mes blissfully ignorant of the pressure resting on my shoulders.


    Although I had learned what I¡¯de for, it didn¡¯t leave me satisfied. In fact, the revtion that Agrona had one of the djinn remnants at his disposal, and that it was apparently both willing to help him and had a more in-depth understanding of the djinn people¡¯s knowledge than any of the remnants I had discovered, did not bring me peace of mind.


    It¡¯s time. We should go, I sent to Sylvie.


    ¡®Just a bit longer,¡¯ she thought back, her golden eyes turning toward me pleadingly. ¡®I may never get the chance to speak to her again.¡¯


    You¡¯re not speaking to her now, I replied gently, consolingly. This isn¡¯t Sylvia, only a shadow of her created by the keystone.


    ¡®I¡­you¡¯re right, of course.¡¯ Sylvie stood stiffly, no longer looking at me. ¡®I¡¯m losing hold of my emotions.¡¯


    Standing, I gave a respectful bow. ¡°Grandma. Thank you. I¡­know this conversation probably hasn¡¯t made a lot of sense from your perspective, but you¡¯ve been a great help. Unfortunately, we should go¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± she said, clutching her side as she stood. ¡°Before you do, I¡¯ve been thinking. You said I gave you my will and that through it you were able to utilize the Realmheart technique. I know why it destroyed you, and I think that I can provide you with the insight necessary to better control it.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t necessary,¡± I answered with a small shake of my head. ¡°When this is over, I won¡¯t be able to use mana anymore, and although I¡¯ll regain Realmheart eventually, it will be in a different form.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± Sylvia said, a pleading tone audible in her voice, and I remembered the fact that, when I stayed with her in my real life, she had kept me for months longer than necessary. She¡¯s lonely, I knew. She continued, saying, ¡°Perhaps this insight will be applicable to your version of Realmheart, then. I¡¯d like to know that¡­this knowledge lives on when I am gone.¡±


    My building urge to be on our way subsided, and I released a deep breath, feeling myself dete. Forcing on a grateful smile to hide theplicated emotions this meeting had stirred up within me, I said, ¡°Of course, Grandma Sylvia. Please, show us.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Well, the first djinn remnant wasn¡¯t any more helpful this time around,¡± Regis noted grumpily as I activated the Compass to take us away from the first ruin.


    ¡°He was helpful enough, but he didn¡¯t have anything more to give us,¡± Sylvie replied, her gaze sweeping across the messyboratory onest time.


    ¡°At least I got another look at that aether technique of his,¡± I said. I had tried to get the old djinn remnant to teach me, but he was fixated on the test.


    The portal whirled as its destination changed under influence of the Compass, and mypanions took shelter within my core. I stepped through.


    The shattered entrance to the second ruiny behind. I hurried through until I reached the ck crystal gate, trapped in its cycle of breaking and reforming. ¡®Enter-wee-descendant-please.¡¯ The words formed in my head. As before, I activated God Step and jumped to the other side,ing to stand before the second djinn remnant pedestal.


    As Sylvia had taught me more about Realmheart, I came to a realization that had previously only floated on the edges of conscious thought.


    I didn¡¯t know what I was supposed to be doing, really. I couldn¡¯t escape without discovering insight into Fate, but I didn¡¯t know exactly how to pursue that insight. Unlike the previous keystones, this one waspletely open-ended. No puzzle wasid out before me, no goal provided. I had learned how to navigate and manipte the world created by the keystone, and that had brought on some small insight in the form of the golden threads, but since then I had gotten no closer to unlocking whatever power the keystone contained.


    But that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t do something.


    The second djinn projection stepped out from behind the pir. Short and thin with muted pinkishvender skin and short-cropped amethyst hair, she wore white shorts and a chest wrap that disyed the interlocking patterns of spellform runes that covered her body.


    She gave me a weak, sad smile. ¡°So someone recovered my creation after all. In truth, I expected its shrine to sit undisturbed until the end of time¡ªwait. You¡¯ve heard these words before. You¡¯ve¡­seen me before.¡± The smile turned down into a distrustful frown. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°You already know. And I think you also know what I¡¯vee for. There is no need to worry about the test you¡¯ve been tasked with. Instead, I want to learn what only you can teach me.¡±


    Her brows slowly rose. ¡°I can see it in your mind. You have the strength to fight back, to strike and spill the blood of our enemies. You are exactly who I have been waiting for, and I will train you to wield aether not only as a tool of creation, but as a true weapon of destruction.¡±


    A long, thin, curved aether de appeared in her left hand, then a second in her right. She crossed them in front of her, sparks flying through the air where they touched. ¡°I will train you.¡±


    I summoned my own sword of aether, holding it in both hands. Then a second manifested to my right at shoulder height, and a third to my left beside my hip.


    The djinn regarded me with surprise and delight. She took a step back, and several more swords appeared around her. ¡°Yes, you are who I have been waiting for.¡±


    It is difficult to say how long we trained. Time became an aetheric blur, space shrank to that single small chamber. Her words came back to me as we fought: Only after you understand aether as itself can you begin to understand Fate. I recited it like a mantra, pushing myself to understand every aspect of my abilities as I fought her. When she began to slow, no longer capable of pushing herself to the full depth of her abilities due to the failing mechanics of her housing, I pulled the thread back to the beginning and did it all over again.


    Mypanions were not left to watch. Although they didn¡¯t fight beside me, the djinn projection kept up a steady lecture on the aevum and vivum arts. It turned out that she knew quite a lot about the nature of Destruction, and I could feel Regis¡¯s insight deepening as he absorbed her teachings.


    By the third repetition, however, I knew there was a limit to what this single djinn remnant could teach us. I needed to push myself further, harder¡ªwe all did. And so, we moved on.


    The three of us passed from zone to zone, finding and conquering challenge after challenge. Instead of passing through each zone, or chapter as the djinn called them, we examined the foundations of the spaces and the tests they provided us. After all, that was the purpose of the Relictombs: to house the djinn¡¯s aetheric knowledge, with each chapter providing a real, physical example of said aether arts.


    It proved a difficult task. I was reminded of theputers of my old world, with programs coded in a specialnguage invented just for the task. Studying the Relictombs was like trying to learn thatnguage by studying the output of a program. Icked the underlying knowledge required to even begin seeing the entire picture.


    But through use, practice, and hardship, Sylvie, Regis, and I honed our own abilities across dozens of chapters and trials, against thousands of enemies. Only one ability didn¡¯t increase in potency. In fact, I had yet to be able to make use of it at all.


    As we stood in the frozen dome at the heart of the snowy zone where I had originally met Three Steps and the other tribes with Caera at my side, I considered King¡¯s Gambit. The godrune was provided by a keystone; it would have made sense for it to be an essential part of navigating this keystone, just like Realmheart and Aroa¡¯s Requiem. And yet it seemed to do nothing at all. Nothing aside from filling my thoughts with fog and giving me a headache, anyway.


    It was for that reason that I had returned to this zone. The zone¡¯s tribes had an instinctive sense of aether use that even the dragons couldn¡¯t im. The Shadow ws in particrmunicated in a way that required mental maniption of aether, and I thought that they might be able to offer some useful insight.


    What I found instead was an empty wastnd. The tribes were gone. There was evidence of battle spread across the zone, the skeletons of Shadow ws, Spear Beaks, Four Fists, and Ghost Bears scattered through the snow like leaves fallen from the trees. Frozen wounds like ws and bites marred their bodies, and although we had searched, we found none alive.


    ¡°Maybe, since you and Caera never came, the ¡®wild things¡¯ grew beyond control,¡± Sylvie mused as I repaired the exit portal.


    ¡°Where are they now then?¡± Regis asked from where he was nosing through a pile of bones at the foot of the central dais.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    The aetheric motes of Aroa¡¯s Requiem ran down my arms and along the portal frame. I didn¡¯t have the pieces of the portal frame, but I didn¡¯t need them this time. As the godrune rebuilt the portal, I reminded myself that this wasn¡¯t real.


    ¡°We could return back to the time when you¡¯d just entered the Relictombs and then allow time to move forward as normal until you reach this ce again?¡± Sylvie suggested, her face bathed in a lightly purple glow from the portal that appeared inside the repaired frame.


    ¡°That could work. I¡­¡± I trailed off as I looked through the portal.


    It was translucent, showing a slightly blurred version of what was behind it. Only¡­the portal didn¡¯t show a different ce, only the other side of the frame. On that side, though, the weathering of the dais was different, the stone smoother. The light was a warmer shade, and there were¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s the same ce, but a different time,¡± I gasped. ¡°Regis!¡±


    He leapt from the floor below all the way to the top of the dais, then vanished into me. Sylvie did the same just behind him, and I stepped through the portal.


    It didn¡¯t feel like traveling through the Relictombs¡¯ portals usually did. It was more like walking through a door from a cold outside to the warm interior of a house. Spring smells hit my nose, as did the musky odor of some kind of animal. The air was filled with voices, some deep and sonorous, others more cutting and beaky.


    I stared around in wonder.


    The white stone of the zone¡¯s central dome gleamed with clean golden-white light. Dozens of Shadow ws, Spear Beaks, Four Fists, and Ghost Bears wandered between rows of tables and stalls on one side of the dome. The other was an open space where even more yed games or sat and watched, chatting animatedly. The bipedal catlike Shadow ws touched paws with huge white Ghost Bears, engaged in memory-speech, while Four Fists and Spear Beaks eagerly exchanged bags of nuts for vials of greenish liquid.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    I spun around, realizing a man was leaning against the other side of the portal frame, watching the people move around below. He had light-blue skin with a tinge of purple around his eyes and mouth, purple hair that was dark enough that it was almost ck, and every inch of his exposed flesh was covered in spellforms.


    ¡°You¡¯re a djinn,¡± I said stupidly.


    His soft pink eyes flicked to me for barely an instant before turning back to the mingling tribes. ¡°They all said I was mad, trying to create sentient life. And that was from the nice ones. Those who were more honestpared me to the dragons.¡± Heughed lightly, a soft and musical sound. ¡°Imagine? All that, everything that was happening, and still a djinn would have the gall to call another djinn an Indrath under her breath as she passed me in the halls?¡±


    I stared nkly at the djinn man, utterly bemused.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m d you coulde, Arthur-Grey.¡± The djinn pushed himself away from the portal frame and held out his arms. ¡°There is much to discuss, my old friend. About the future.¡±


    I rubbed the back of my neck and regarded him uncertainly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, how do you know me?¡±


    He cocked his head slightly to the side. ¡°We¡¯re old friends, Arthur-Grey. I¡¯ve told you everything about my work, and now I need to discuss what happens next. In the future. The far future, in fact. I can¡¯t do this without you, old friend.¡±


    ¡®This is getting weird,¡¯ Regis thought, his focus turning around and around as he attempted to watch everyone inside the dome all at once. ¡®It feels like one of those build-ups just before a jumpscare moment. I don''t like it.¡¯


    ¡®I can¡¯t help but agree. Something is definitely not what it seems,¡¯ Sylvie added.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know you,¡± I said firmly, taking a step back. ¡°What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Arthur-Grey, I am Haneul, your old friend.¡± The djinn regarded me not with confusion or suspicion, but with a soft smile and deep, trusting eyes. ¡°You know all about my creation of this chapter and the many trials I¡¯ve ovee.


    I looked around, feeling more and more like I was on the outside of some joke I didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Ah, but I see my mistake now,¡± Haneul said, frowning down at his feet. ¡°I have chosen poorly. These memories were stored in some kind of device. Because the device is within your extradimensional space, I did not immediately recognize them as being separate from your person.¡± Haneul sighed. ¡°I think you might say it is humorously ironic that I have waited for so long to introduce myself to you, and yet still I have somehow managed to make a mistake.¡±


    ¡°What device? What are you¡ª¡±


    The djinn memory crystal. Clear as day, I recalled picking up the crystal and the way many versions of the same voice were yed across my mind. It was Hanuel¡¯s voice. I never listened to the messages contained inside that crystal. It must have been like a journal. His log of the work being done¡­here, in this chapter of the Relictombs.


    ¡®If this ¡®Hanuel¡¯ can see even into the extradimensional storage space linked by that spellform¡­¡¯ Regis¡¯s thoughts trailed off meaningfully. Suddenly, I understood.


    As if responding to my understanding, reality began to unwind.


    It started with the portal frame, the stone of which turned to something like cotton candy, which pulled apart and floated away. Then the dome was billowing above us, dispersing like light clouds to reveal the blue sky beyond. But cracks were running through the sky to reveal the ck-purple emptiness beyond.


    By the time I looked back down, all of the tribal people were gone, as was the dais on which I¡¯d been standing.


    Only the djinn and the portal remained, floating in the emptiness of the aether realm.


    ¡°Fate.¡± The word came out without my meaning it to, but as soon as I said it, I was sure it was true. I activated Realmheart.


    Sylvie manifested to one side, Regis to the other. Our three connected minds were equally in awe of what we were seeing.


    The djinn was no more. Instead, a knotwork of golden threads was tied together into a vaguely human form. Dozens, maybe hundreds or even thousands, of threads extended away in every direction, vanishing into the endless expanse of the aetheric realm.


    ¡°Arthur-Grey. I have been awaiting your ascension.¡±

 Chapter 480

    <h4>Chapter 480</h4>


    Chapter 478: Horizon¡¯s Edge


    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    Despite having no visible eyes, the knotwork face of the golden, glowing being stared into me, right down to my bones. My own mind seemed nk, destitute of intention or conscious thought. I could feel the golden threads knitting their way through my mind and memories, my past, present, and future. The sensation terrified me on an existential level.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± My voice was hollow and soft, the baritone resonance swallowed by the void and my own doubt.


    ¡°You have already said it.¡± The threads pulsed and vibrated as the entity spoke. ¡°I am Fate. Or¡­an aspect of Fate. The mouth.¡±


    As I struggled toe up with something else to say, I desperately searched the wide expanse of aetheric void that surrounded us. The only concrete feature of the vast ck-purple emptiness was the portal. I wondered what would happen if I tried to flee back through it.


    No, this is why we¡¯re here, I reminded myself, trying to mentally force my way through the uncharacteristic fear that was robbing me of my senses. ¡°What was that, back there? Haneul? The Shadow ws and other tribes? Why the charade?¡±


    The golden threads unraveled, shivered through the air, and wound themselves back into the humanoid form to our left, putting us between Fate and the portal. Sylvie and Regis rotated around me to keep the three of us facing Fate.


    ¡°I chose a figure from your memories that I thought would put you at ease in order to make this conversation morefortable.¡± Again, the threads vibrated, a hint of which came through in the resonant, inhuman voice of Fate¡¯s aspect. ¡°You carry with you many hundreds of hours of remembrances from the one called Haneul, giving the appearance of great importance.¡± Something like augh shivered through the form, sending ripples along the many hundreds of golden threads extending outward from it. ¡°Perhaps it was notfort you needed to introduce you into this conversation, but confusion.¡±


    I nced at Sylvie, who met my eye with a raised brow. ¡®This¡­isn¡¯t exactly what I expected.¡¯


    Regis tilted his head, perplexed.¡®Me neither.¡¯


    ¡°Your expectations could only prove to be malformed,¡± the figure responded, as if it could hear our thoughts. ¡°You know so little, but your insight has brought you to the cusp of greater understanding. To the horizon¡¯s edge. Your growth, your power¡ªyour many sesses and failures¡ªhas prepared you for one thing, and one thing alone.¡±


    ¡°To wield the aspect of aether known as Fate?¡± I asked aloud, a shiver running up my spine.


    ¡°No.¡± The word hung in the air, seeming to resound from each and every string that made up the entity¡¯s physical form. ¡°But your misunderstanding is very¡­human.¡±


    Before I could reply, colors spilled across the void, swirling and melting together to form a cloudy blue sky, a verdant green field, and an expanse of rolling ocean, each white-capped wave gleaming like so many diamonds in a yellow sun. By the time my focus returned to the aspect of Fate, it had again wrapped itself in the blue-skinned, pink-eyed djinn, Haneul.


    I took an experimental step; the ground beneath my feet seemed solid. Bending down, I ran my palm over the des of grass, feeling each one bend and then spring back into ce. Something about the scene was familiar. ¡°Where are we?¡±


    ¡°It depends on when you are,¡± Haneul replied. He approached the edge of a tall cliff that rose vertically up from a wide beach below. Shadows rushed suddenly across thendscape, and buildings began to rise out of the sand. Dark figures moved across the beach like many thousands of ants. ¡°The wraiths were the first to build here. A very, very long time ago.¡±


    A great city grew up before us, alive with the little dark figures that appeared and disappeared too quickly to make out. The city swallowed the coastline and the cliff, extending as far as the eye could see in every direction. Then other figures appeared. White shadows, then blue, then red and brown, all descended on the city. Although the distant scenecked detail, it was obvious that a terrible battle was unfolding. Both sides suffered greatly, and, by the time it was over, thendscape had been returned to its previous state. Nothing was left of the city.


    I recalled what Kezess had told me about the ancient branch of asuras called the wraiths. ¡°We just saw all the other asuras banding together against the warlike wraiths, didn¡¯t we?¡± I said, mostly speaking to myself.


    Soon, white figures were swarming the beach and, just as the dark figures representing the wraiths had done before them, began building up a great city. Only, before the city wasplete, all the white blurs vanished. I frowned down at the half-built ghost city for several long moments. Just as I was about to turn to Haneul and ask what had happened, thend opened up and swallowed the city whole.


    ¡°When the dragons took Epheotus from this world, they scrubbed all signs of their civilization from thend so that future people would know nothing of them.¡± Haneul looked sadly down on the empty beach. The construction and fall of the two cities had left thendscape roughened and the cliff face carved away in part. ¡°It is always here. This ce calls to every civilization that grows from the soil of thisnd.¡±


    ¡°What do you¡ª¡±


    I went silent as a new people spread across the beach. Their progress was slower than the wraiths or the dragons. Starting with small huts, they grew their vige into a town, and then into a small city pressed up against the cliff face. Thend around us was tilled and churned to brown soil where crops were grown. Thick plumes of smoke began to pour from the chimneys of some buildings, which were now made of brick instead of y or wood. Docks extended out into the ocean, and small sailing vessels appeared. Their progress seemed to halt for some time, and then¡­


    White blurs rained down white fire, and the city was erased in the blink of an eye.


    My first thought was of the djinn, but I had seen a djinn city. This hadn¡¯t looked the same. But, as before, the white shapes were the dragons¡­


    A chilling notion darkened my mind, and I turned to Haneul for confirmation. His pink eyes stayed on the beach.


    Not long after, another group of people appeared. Like before, they slowly built up thend, surpassing the previous civilization as towering structures became the backbone of a walled city that spread down the coastline in each direction. Then, the blurred white shapes came again, and the buildings crumbled. By the time the dragons left, all signs of the city were undone.


    Sylvie gave a low, pained moan, her gaze unblinking as she watched the shadowy destruction y out before us.


    ¡°This is one small corner of one little continent of this world, during one narrow window of time,¡± Haneul said, his voice strangely empty of emotion. ¡°You need to see this to understand. Only when you understand will you be able to see.¡±


    Time continued to pass by in a flood, and several more cities grew up and were destroyed, each one representing a civilization, an entirely new people. Then a city grew up that I recognized.


    ¡°The djinn city. The one I saw in the trial. Zhoroa.¡±


    We were standing near the gazebo that overlooked the city, just to the side of the small waterfall. The peaceful era of the djinn seemed tost longer than the other civilizations, but I knew what wasing. When it did, I looked away. I¡¯d already seen the end of Zhoroa; I didn¡¯t need to experience it again.


    When I looked back up, the djinn city was gone. No scrap or speck remained, not a ruined wall or a foundation. Nothing. ¡°I¡¯ve seen, but I don¡¯t understand,¡± I said at length.


    ¡°I know,¡± Haneul said.


    Soon, people were back. This time, though, I could make some of them out. They were building atop the cliff, which had been worn down over time to create more of a slope. Instead of a in stretch of ocean coastline,rge parts of the wide beach had been destroyed by the preceding destruction, creating a familiar bay.


    ¡°Oh...that''s fucked up,¡± Regis eximed as realization dawned on him. ¡°That''s where Etistin is now.¡±


    The scene melted away, the ground dissolving under my feet, the skying apart in thin rags of color. We were once again floating inside the aetheric realm beside the portal. Haneul was gone, and in his ce the aspect of Fate returned, its glowing silk body shedding light across me and mypanions.


    ¡°Was that real?¡± Sylvie asked breathlessly, unable to keep her growing panic and disgust concealed from our connection.


    The light around the aspect of Fate dimmed. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°All those civilizations¡­¡± I had to swallow, moistening my dry, swollen throat. ¡°The dragons destroyed each one?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be,¡± Sylvie said, shaking her head and turning away.


    I didn¡¯t need to see her face to feel the tears leaking from her eyes. I rested my hand on her back in an attempt tofort her. ¡°What insight am I supposed to take from this? That the dragons didn¡¯t only wipe out the djinn, but also many other civilizations before them? How does that help me to understand Fate?¡±


    The aspect unraveled again, only to reform right in front of me. ¡°It is the foundation on which you must build your new understanding of aether.¡±


    ¡°How can we believe you? How can we believe anything in this ce?¡± Sylvie¡¯s words came out sharp, usatory. ¡°We¡¯re in the keystone. You could be just a fabrication. Everything we¡¯ve seen¡ªeven this conversation, even you¡ªit could all be a fantasy.¡±


    ¡°Sylv¡­¡± I said, my tone consoling. Through our mental link, I drew her toward me. Although she didn¡¯t move physically, her will rested against mine. A shiver ran through her, and her breath eased.


    The aspect of Fate hung motionless in the void. ¡°It is incorrect to state that we are in the artifact you call a keystone.¡±


    Even as the entity spoke, I dug my fingers into my sternum, suddenly aware of the horrible itching sensationing from my core. I wasn¡¯t back in my physical body, I could still sense the distance between it and me, but at the same time, I could almost feel my breath moving evenly in and out of my lungs, my chest expanding and contracting. When I focused, I could even hear Sylvie next to me, her breath quicker, sharper, like someone about to be woken by a nightmare.


    We were closer to ourselves, and yet not fully in one ce or the other.


    ¡°That is true, Arthur-Grey. You are not fully in the keystone or the real world. Your mind is here, with me, in this prison.¡± The golden light fluttered with what my hindbrain tranted as anger. ¡°You three may believe this by simply choosing to do so. Fate is both within and without the keystone, just as you are.¡±


    ¡°A prison?¡± I asked, not fullyprehending what the aspect of Fate meant.


    The golden-thread arms raised to the figure¡¯s sides, a gesture that seemed to epass the entire aetheric realm. ¡°The world beyond, the ne of fire and earth, water and air, has not been allowed to grow in its natural course. This ce¡ªthis aether realm as you think of it¡ªis a symptom of the world being repressed, constricted. It is unnatural, its formation like a cyst on the waking world.¡±


    Sylvie had drifted back a few paces. Her skin was pale, and she fidgeted with the sleeves of her ck-scaled dress. ¡°The destruction of all those civilizations¡­¡±


    Her grandfather¡¯s words came suddenly back to my mind: Everything I¡¯ve done has been to keep this world alive, and it would be wise for you to ce that firmly at the forefront of any further assumptions you make about me. But there was more to it than that. Kezess had spoken of bnce and of asuras battling and destroying the world. I couldn¡¯t help but think that, perhaps, he had meant something other than by physical destruction.


    I considered everything I knew about aether: it harbored a sort of consciousness, requiring the dragons to work alongside it, coaxing it into the shape they desired; by absorbing and purifying aether through my own aether core, I changed my rtionship with it, allowing me to directly manipte it instead of fighting only to influence the way the dragons did; aether could change time, space, and the vital energy of life itself, being powerful enough even to connect, or separate, one¡¯s spiritual essence from their flesh and blood body.


    Although the first question in my mind was why, why the dragons and Kezess would want to suppress the world¡¯s advancement, it wasn¡¯t the question I asked. ¡°What is aether, really? What is Fate?¡±


    ¡°Aether is everything before life and after death,¡± the aspect said. As it spoke, the golden threads wound around themselves and the doll-like figure grew. ¡°Aether is both space and emptiness. It is endless and boundless time. It is the very essence of magic in this world.¡± The threads were wrapping around us now, like we were at the center of a ball of cotton yarn. Images yed across the knotted string.


    I saw¡­myself, falling. Only, the image that yed in light across the inside of the sphere of golden thread wasn¡¯t focused on me, but rather the man next to me. We fell and fell, and then¡­we stopped. My fall was arrested just before the collision with the hard ground, but the bandit wasn¡¯t so lucky. The scene seemed to freeze. While Iy unconscious, thest few weak beats of the bandit¡¯s heart pumped blood out into the soil from a hundred wounds, and the small amount of mana that clung to his body released into the atmosphere.


    Then, something else released too; a few tiny motes of aether, like amethyst sparks, drifted up from his body and were absorbed into the thin fog of atmospheric aether that sparkled to life in the image.


    Beside and slightly within the image of the bandit¡¯s death, another image was ying as well. This one showed me dropping from a tree, my hand wreathed in a de of wind. A quick strike across the carotid artery of a ver, followed by a quick death. Again, the release of blood, mana, and finally, a few small motes of aether.


    Other images yed alongside these. Each one showed a different scene, but they were all the same: scenes of death. And apanying each death, a release of aetheric particles.


    Among the scenes, I locked onto one in particr. ¡°No,¡± I said, or at least I thought I did. I couldn¡¯t hear my own voice over the drumming of my pulse in my ears. I didn¡¯t want to see, but I couldn¡¯t look away.


    In the image, my father¡¯s bodyy broken among the carnage of battle. I thought he was already¡­gone, but the mana was still clinging to him. His lips were moving, just a bit. I couldn¡¯t take my gaze away from the horrible image. ¡°Alice. Ellie. Art.¡± The slow, silent movement of his lips spelled out our names. ¡°I love you. I¡­love you. I¡­¡± His lips went still, and the constricting force of his core released. Purified mana rose off him like steam on a cold winter morning. And then, the aether.


    I closed my eyes. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡­understand.¡±


    When I opened my eyes again, the aspect of Fate had returned to the humanoid collection of tightly wound golden thread.


    Sylvie wove her fingers through mine and gripped my hand tightly. I could feel her taking on a share of the emotional weight the scene had deposited on my shoulders.


    To my other side, Regis shook his head, causing the mes of his mane to ripple like a g. ¡°So aether is¡­what, exactly? Dead people?¡±


    The golden threads pulsed with an angry light. ¡°Aether is the concentrated magical energy left behind by a living being when they pass on.¡±


    ¡°And it¡­carries some sense of their intention,¡± I added, the pieces falling into ce in my mind. ¡°Aether is aware and can be influenced¡­because it was once alive.¡±


    Tears shone in my bond¡¯s eyes. ¡°That is why it remembers the shapes it has taken before. Entire civilizations of the dead. Others besides the djinn must have reached a stage where they could utilize aether. The spellforms¡­are the echo of their collective consciousness bonded into living magic.¡±


    The aspect of Fate trembled, and the entire aetheric realm seemed to close in around us. ¡°The cyst that is this realm must burst if the world is to be set back onto its proper course,¡± the aspect said. ¡°The world suffers without aether, and the aether suffers without the world.¡±


    I pictured the souls of all those who had passed in this world condensed into the aetheric realm and couldn¡¯t help but wonder if some piece of my father was there as well. Not only my father, but Adam, Sylvia, Rinia, the Eraliths and the yders, Feyrith, Cynthia¡­there were too many dead to name. Were they suffering, trapped inside this unnatural prison?


    ¡°She said that the aetheric realm was how things ended¡­¡± Sylvie said, giving herself a little shake and pulling her hand free of mine. ¡°From my vision, in the Relictombs.¡± Her eyes narrowed as she regarded the aspect of Fate. ¡°How, exactly, is the world being repressed?¡±


    The faceless head turned to regard Sylvie. Instead of words, images shed through our collective minds: fields of the dead, their aether rising up like violet ghosts above them; the silhouette of a dragon breathing a hole into the fabric of the world; a ce in between ces sucking in amethyst motes of energy like a sponge; waves of focus spilling out of a rift in the sky and reverberating across the surface of the world¡­


    The images faded, and the aspect of Fate continued. ¡°A scaled fist is closed around the world. Only when its grip is broken will the false walls corrupting the natural order be torn down.¡±


    My stomach sank. I couldn¡¯t ce the sensation exactly, but something in the being¡¯s tone made me ufortable. ¡°What happens when these ¡®false walls¡¯e down?¡±


    ¡°Existence continues. The worlds spin on. Time moves forward as it should.¡± With each word spoken, the golden threads flickered with wan light.


    ¡®Entropy,¡¯ Sylvie thought, the word resonating ominously inside me. ¡®The natural order is to follow the arrow of time. Just like she said.¡¯


    The aetheric space around us hardened, taking on defined edges, then color, and finally texture, a scene of the real world again bleeding into being around us. The bright and unmoving blue and gold scene was like standing inside a stained-ss window. But when I turned to look around, the hard edges blew away, just sand on the wind.


    We were standing in the desert. A heavy wind blew from the east, whipping sand into our faces. The figure of woven threads was once again Haneul. He waved a hand, and the wind subsided. Sand drifted like fine snow back down to the desert floor. In the distance, I could see the tall standing stone that had marked the direction of the hidden djinn refuge.


    Haneul crossed his arms, slipping his hands into the opposite sleeve like some old monk. His eyes closed, and he turned his face toward the sun. ¡°Channel the rune you call ¡®God Step.¡¯¡±


    I hesitated. Instead of following Haneul¡¯s instructions, I bent down and ran my fingers through the sand. ¡°Is this the real world?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Haneul did not look at me but maintained his meditative posture. ¡°We are still in between. What you do now will have no effect outside of the keystone, but it will allow me to show you the answer to your question.¡±


    ¡®Be careful, Arthur,¡¯ Sylvie thought.


    Standing straight again and brushing sand from my skin, I took a deep breath. With one foot in the real world and one in the keystone, it was easy to channel aether into the godrune. The aetheric pathways, bright lines of violet light, connected each point in space to every other point. Except the paths weren¡¯t straight as they always had been before. The individual points that marked possible destinations for God Step bulged, as if something were pushing them from the other side, and the connective paths bent and warped.


    Haneul opened his eyes again. The light pink irises were tinged with motes of amethyst in the sunlight. ¡°I have brought you to a future where you have already defeated your enemies, Arthur-Grey. The intent constricting this world has been released, but you are still needed. I will teach you how tonce the wound.¡±


    Sylvie nervously shifted her footing in the sand beside me. Regis eyed Haneul warily.


    Instead of stepping into the aetheric paths, I took hold of one, much the same way I did with the golden threads representing Fate.


    ¡°Good,¡± Haneul said. ¡°Now, envision in your mind how every pathway is interconnected in a continuous loop, like the string of a cat¡¯s cradle, running in and out of each point in space. Empower the rune you call Aroa¡¯s Requiem and rip the string free.¡±


    While maintaining focus on God Step, I split the output of my aether and channeled a stream to Aroa¡¯s Requiem. Distantly, I could feel the ghost of the runes warming my back. Bright purple particles of aether ran down my arms and swarmed over my hands. Fixing my grip on the path, I heaved.


    My arms bulged. Aether instinctively flooded them, and I pulled even harder. I began to tremble, but the path remained secure, not even bending beneath my strength.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a test of brute physical force but of insight,¡± Haneul patiently exined. ¡°Your insight into this rune is iplete, and your understanding of the path of aevum is limited. But you are entwined with one who is better aligned. Share this burden.¡±


    Rxing without releasing the path, I looked to Sylvie. She met my gaze with a serious nod, then dissolved into the silver sprite, which drifted into my core.


    ¡°Open your minds to one another,¡± Haneul continued once we were joined. ¡°The dragon¡¯s insight is imprinted on her spirit, not learned. She must open herself to youpletely for you to seed.¡±


    I felt Sylvie trying toy her mind bare, letting go of the barriers that we had both erected over the years to protect each other and ourselves, but it was not easy. ¡®Insight requires risk. Growth requires pain,¡¯ she thought, then repeated it again. ¡®I am made from you, and you¡¯re made from me. I can bend the arrow of time¡¯s path, so you can too.¡¯


    Slowly, I felt Sylvie¡¯s understanding bleed into me, one bright spark at a time.


    The sudden image of her body dissolving into gold andvender motes cut across my focus. Sylv, are you okay?


    ¡®I am,¡¯ she thought back, her voice rising up from a fugue of fierce meditation. ¡®I can feel it, can¡¯t you? The pull of the insight. I passed through time itself, and time marked me. I¡¯m not sure I understood what that meant, before. But now¡­¡¯


    Slowly, our minds melded, bing as one. In that moment, the warped aetheric pathway in my grip moved, and when one moved, they all did. A thousand drooping strings tightened, and the entirework of connective points and paths flexed. I wasn¡¯t fully cognisant of whatever understanding Sylvie was sharing with me that was allowing this to happen, but Haneul had been right.


    One by one, the points began to rip open.


    Aether spilled through.


    I kept pulling, ripping the gap wider and wider until¡ª


    The fabric of reality gave way.


    I grabbed Regis, who dissolved and took shelter in my core with Sylvie as an eruption of aetheric force like nothing I had ever seen or could have imagined rolled across the desert. Sand lifted up into the air as the atmosphere boiled away, the foundations of the continent shattering far beneath me, unable to resist the force.


    Somehow, I wasn¡¯t obliterated but instead floated up off the ground and into the air as the surge rolled endlessly past me. All I could do was watch from my ever-higher vantage as the explosion scoured the desert clean and cracked the world down to its core. The violet wave wiped Sapin clean next, then ttened the Grand Mountains. Soon, all of Dicathen was gone, lost beneath the violet ocean.


    I floated free of the eruption, up and up, watching the aether swallow the oceans and then crya before spilling freely into the emptiness of space beyond.


    ¡®Movement from order to disorder, form to formlessness. The dissolution of structure. Entropy.¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s mentally projected voice was hollow. ¡®The natural progression of all things.¡¯


    Haneul was gone, but the thread-woven form of Fate¡¯s aspect floated with me. ¡°This is freedom. This is the absence of constraint. This is where your path takes you, Arthur-Grey. You are the key.¡±


    I turned toward the doll-like figure, my movements slow, my expression haunted. ¡°All those moments where you poked and prodded me, making sure things turned out just so. This is what it was all for¡ªwhat you¡¯re trying to aplish?¡±


    ¡®Arthur, destroyer of his world, or keeper of the universe,¡¯ Regis thought darkly. ¡®Talk about perspective.¡¯


    The aspect of Fate¡¯s nk face regarded me emotionlessly. ¡°The wind does not seek to topple the tree. The ocean waves do not conspire to wear away the cliff face. The current state of reality is counter to the natural progression of this world. The moment your spirit entered your body, you became the instrument through which this would be corrected.¡±


    I waved weakly down to the demolished, still surrounded by the ever-expanding wave of aether. ¡°But this? How is this better than what Kezess or Agrona have done?¡± I threw up my hands, nearly ovee with despair. And beneath it, a building rage. ¡°No. No, this isn¡¯t the future. I deny it. I refuse.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± the aspect of Fate said, dim golden light flickering along the threads binding its form. ¡°Now. But this is the only path forward. And you wille to realize this in time. There is no limit to the number of times we might have this conversation. Eventually, you will live the perfect sequence of events that allows you to see the truth.¡±


    I gaped at the doll-like form. ¡°If I never leave the keystone, I can¡¯t destroy the world.¡± My expression hardened into a fierce re. ¡°If necessary, I¡¯ll stay here forever. The pocket dimension holding me will eventually copse, and my body will decay and die, or Agrona will find me and kill me.¡±


    ¡°The possibilities are endless.¡± The glow flickered across the figure¡¯s nk face, and I couldn¡¯t help but think it was smiling at me. ¡°But all eventualities lead to the breaking down of the barrier and the release of the aether back into the physical realm. And in every version, you are thence that bursts the cyst.¡±


    ¡®It can¡¯t know that,¡¯ Sylvie thought.


    ¡°Space, time, life. Together, these aspects of aether produce Fate. And Fate is the act of knowing, of aligning just so,¡± the aspect replied. ¡°If I know, it is only because there is no other way the world could be.¡±


    Regis scoffed, the noise running through me like a shiver up my back. ¡®What a crock. This is total bullshit. Maybe the bits and pieces that have coagted into Fate used to be alive, but this mouth, this aspect of Fate, doesn¡¯t understand the living,¡¯ Regis added.


    ¡®It sees across time and space the way we look across a room,¡¯ Sylvie said, continuing with Regis¡¯s thought. ¡®How many millions¡ªbillions, maybe¡ªof lives lived and ended havee together to form Fate? It may be able to see forward and back in time to study cause and effect, but it doesn¡¯t understand motivation, and it can¡¯t value the individual. To something that has experienced so much death, such breadth of loss, us¡ªour whole world¡ªwe¡¯re just too small.¡¯


    The silver sprite drifted free of my chest before manifesting beside me. ¡°Is destroying all the life of this world a necessary part of returning everything to normal?¡±


    ¡°No, it is not necessary. It is natural. It is unavoidable. It is¡­not important.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯ve seen every future, every possible oue?¡¯ Regis asked, his mental projection turned directly to the aspect of Fate.


    ¡°Fate is every future, every possible oue,¡± it answered calmly.


    Below us, the world was gone. Whatever connection linked Dicathen with Epheotus was gone. The aetheric soup hid the distant stars, the sun, and the moon, making the sky indistinguishable from the aetheric realm.


    ¡°But you¡¯re not infallible,¡± I said, my voice soft, my attention turned inward as I struggled for some counterpoint. Regardless of what I¡¯d said, I had no intention of staying locked forever inside the keystone. ¡°You can¡¯t see everything¡ªokay, maybe you can, but you can¡¯t understand everything you see. When I arrived, you mistook the memories stored inside that crystal for my own.¡± My words came faster as I continued speaking. ¡°You thought this Haneul, some ancient djinn who died long before I was ever reincarnated in this world, was somehow my friend, even though I¡¯d never even seen or heard of him.¡±


    The glow flickered sporadically up and down the thread-wound body. ¡°But infallibility is not a necessaryponent of sess in reaching a state of natural equilibrium. Failure in action is how the world evolves, a naturalponent of entropic decay.¡±


    I closed my eyes and pressed my palms against them in frustration. The conversation was infuriating. There had to be a way forward, but¡ª


    I gasped, realization hitting me like ice-cold water. We were half in the physical realm, and I had effortlessly been able to reach for my godrunes.


    Aether released from my core and traveled along the channels I had forged in theva pits of the Relictombs to my back, imbuing the rune there.


    My mind sparked to life, my focus splitting into several splintered directions at once. King¡¯s Gambit. The dull fatigue and brain fog I had experienced earlier were gone. I was close enough to my body to utilize the godrune normally. Immediately, my mind began chasing along several different possible arguments simultaneously, shedding the anger, frustration, and dismay I had felt and cocooning itself in the coldfort of reason and factual evidence.


    A single gold thread followed each thought. With every consideration, Fate was there, watching the line of thought y out. No matter how many thoughts I held at once, the threads of Fate were woven into every one.


    There was a necessary sequence to events, and Iid them out in the necessary order as I began attempting to solve each step. Like the aetheric pathways connecting into and through both the physical realm and the aetheric void, however, each step connected to the next in a loop. I couldn¡¯t aplish any individual goal¡ªsuch as escaping the keystone with insight into Fate¡ªwithout knowing how to aplish what came before and after.


    The golden threads acted like apass. Instead of Fate examining my thoughts, I used these threads of Fate to pull individual frames of my own split mind forward or back into time, not only considering the many different possibilities but actively searching through them using the keystone¡¯s ability to forge entire worlds and timelines.


    In the many different spotlights of my mind¡¯s eye, I saw dozens, even hundreds of possible conversations with Fate unfold, ying through each simultaneously and in its entirety. I mentally manifested just as many battles against Agrona and Kazess, searching for an effective n to scour them both from the world without inadvertently destroying it. Finding a solution to the problem they presented was in turn required to even consider the act of releasing the pressure of the aetheric realm and putting our world back on its proper trajectory of growth, because any attempt to do so relied entirely on the results of the first two events. Despite my best efforts to explore potential solutions to the release of the aether, the results of any specific sequence of cause and effect was dramatically altered by how I resolved the previous situations, creating a cyclical loop of endless destruction in which even King¡¯s Gambit struggled to find meaning.


    There was no sense of a passage of time, only the unfolding of so many possibilities.


    It was only at a brush of a finger across my face that I snapped back into some sense of myself, separate from the ever-expanding, ever-branching sequence of my many disparate trains of thought.


    Sylvie was hovering in the void in front of me. She looked down at her hand, which was streaked with blood. I licked my lips and tasted salt and iron.


    ¡°Arthur, your nose¡­¡± Sylvie said a momentter.


    I tried to focus aether toward the bloody nose. My core didn¡¯t respond.


    Dozens of separate branches of thought collided together by ones and twos, each collision sending a spike of pain through my skull. It was a struggle to collect enough focus to look inward.


    My core was empty, thest of my aether burning away as fuel for my godrunes, all of which glowed warm and gold from my back.


    My eyes fluttered, and I felt myself sagging. A strong arm wrapped around me, holding me in ce despite our floating freely in emptiness.


    ¡®Hey, chief, you need to absorb some of this aether,¡¯ Regis encouraged me, his bright and wakeful mind sending hot embers of pain down the base of my skull.


    ¡®He can¡¯t¡­¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s fear sent tremors up my spine. ¡®It¡¯s his real core that¡¯s empty!¡¯


    Their thoughts faded in and out. I couldn¡¯t process them, couldn¡¯t keep track of which thoughts were mine or theirs. Was King¡¯s Gambit still active? My brain felt as if it had been sliced into a hundred pieces, like those old scientific disys on Earth that were just thin slices of a person, eachyer pressed into ss and set out for the world to see¡­


    The world couldn¡¯t see my brain. But the threads of Fate could. Fate had been with me, entangled with every single considered course, every theorized sequence of events. Those golden threads were wound through every branching thought I¡¯d had.


    The golden threads weren¡¯t thepass, I thought with thest vestige of sense I had. I was thepass.


    Darkness took me, swallowing my mind and my thoughts, and even the entangling golden threads.


    Through the closed lids of my eyes, within the vast ck emptiness, a small dot of light appeared in the distance. The light grew closer, brighter, and then turned into a bright blur, forcing me to shut my eyes. Indiscernible sounds assaulted my ears. When I tried to speak, the words came out as a cry.

 Chapter 481

    <h4>Chapter 481</h4>


    Chapter 479: One Last Word


    <strong>CECILIA</strong>


    The sound of Agrona¡¯s quick, confident steps blocked out all other noise in the halls of Taegrin Caelum. My own stride felt dragged along, timid even, as I floundered in his wake. At my side, Nico walked blindly, his eyes on me, not paying attention to where his steps fell. Twice, he stumbled on an unexpected stair, but still, his eyes pressed into the side of my face like two iron pokers hot from the fire.


    His fingers clenched and unclenched as his teeth gnawed at the inside of his lip. Several times, he opened his mouth, looked at Agrona¡¯s back, closed his mouth again, and returned to chewing his lip. He couldn¡¯t have made it more obvious that he needed to tell me something if he¡¯d etched the fact in runes across his forehead, but he clearly couldn¡¯t say whatever he wanted in front of Agrona.


    Whatever it is, it¡¯s going to have to wait, I thought, my own gaze settling on Agrona¡¯s back. We¡¯re going to Dicathen. To kill Grey.


    Tessia had buried herself down deep. Throughout my conversation with Agrona, I had felt flickers of her emotions¡ªmostly the relief she felt every time Ji-ae had failed to locate Grey¡ªbut she was keeping her thoughts from me.


    So much has happened so quickly. Tessia had released me from the trap Grey had set, allowing me to escape the Relictombs and return to Agrona. I tried not to think about the promise I had made to her. Is that why you¡¯re silent now? Regret?


    There was no response, but I didn¡¯t expect one.


    We reached a teleportation chamber that I had never visited before. I knew we were still in Agrona¡¯s private wing, so I assumed this was his personal tempus warp. The octagonal chamber was small whenpared to therger sitting rooms, studies, and other such spaces that made up the parts of his private wing that I had seen.


    Light beamed down from an angled ceiling to highlight a tempus warp resting on a granite pir in the center of the room. Even as we entered, the tempus warp activated, runes burning brightly along its sides. Though having the same roughly anvil-shaped form, Agrona¡¯s tempus warp was silvery smooth andrger than most I had seen.


    ¡°Gather round,¡± he said perfunctorily, moving to the far side.


    Nico stood to his left and I to his right. Deep inside me, my guts seemed to squiggle around, and I couldn¡¯t be sure if the nerves I felt were my own or Tessia¡¯s leaking into me.


    Agrona provided no warning as the three of us were suddenly pulled out of Taegrin Caelum and carried across the face of the world. There was a distant sensation of passage, but the transition was so smooth as to be almost ufortable, creating an uncanny valley of movement. When my feet sank into ankle-length grass, I actually stumbled.


    Nico grabbed me tighter than necessary and peered at me with worry. ¡°Cecil? Are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I said, easing my arm out of his hands and looking around us.


    We were standing on the edge of a small stand of trees. In front of us, there was a cluster of rocks that formed a narrow cave entrance. I searched for any interruption of the mana that might hint at Grey¡¯s presence, but there was nothing. ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s here? Could Ji-ae have been wrong?¡±


    The ornaments in his horns jangled slightly as Agrona looked at me, his brows raised incredulously. ¡°Cecil dear, don¡¯t be a fool.¡±


    I nched, making Agrona smile as he turned away and started toward the rocks.


    Nico took my hand, his eyes smoldering as they burned into Agrona¡¯s back. He waited a moment, letting Agrona get a few steps ahead, then leaned toward me. ¡°I need to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Come along,¡± Agrona said, his smooth baritone vibrating in my chest.


    I squeezed Nico¡¯s hand, then pulled away and hurried after Agrona. I sensed Nico¡¯s pause before he followed hesitantly.


    Agrona stepped into the crack in the rocks and floated slowly down into the darkness beyond. Just before he left my sight, he looked back up at me, and his gaze grabbed me like a leash. Without a second thought, I stepped in after him. For a second, I plunged down into the darkness, but the falling sensation evaporated as I grabbed hold of myself with the mana and began slowly drifting down.


    Inded on rough, bare rock beside Agrona. A secondter, Nico alighted on my other side. Before us was a barren cavern. The only noticeable feature was the remains of a huge throne. It had been shattered, and the fragments scattered across the cavern floor. Still, I sensed no disruption in the mana, no telltale signs of an aetheric presence. To all my senses, the cave was empty. If Grey really was there, there had been no chance Nico could have located him without assistance.


    ¡°I turned this ce inside out looking for hidden tunnels or chambers,¡± Nico said, the path of his thoughts following mine.


    ¡°Mundane,¡± Agrona muttered. Resting his hands on his hips, he stared up toward the very center of the cave. As far as I could tell, he was staring at nothing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry yourself about it, little Nico. It isn¡¯t your fault. After all, Arthur is just¡­so very much smarter than you.¡±


    Nico flinched as if he¡¯d been struck and looked at his feet. I felt like I should intervene, but my mind was too busy with the puzzle of Grey¡¯s hiding ce. ¡°So how do we find this¡­pocket dimension? Isn¡¯t that what Ji-ae called it?¡±


    ¡°The aspect of aether called spatium is, as one might expect, quite adept at manipting physical space,¡± Agrona said, his tone changing. Instead of the cold, goading sarcasm, he sounded like an eager professor exining a favored topic. ¡°Such pocket dimensions have all kinds of uses. The extradimensional storage artifacts somonly used throughout both continents were designed based on a simr premise. Of course, the djinn could do many things that are, today, seen by most as impossible.¡±


    Agrona walked in a circle around the cavern, his eyes always focused on the same point. ¡°When bound into an item with runes, such spaces are rtively stable. But when projected as such¡­¡± Agrona stopped pacing and took a few steps back. Although he stood in a rxed posture, waves of dark mana began to radiate forward from him. Dark striations appeared in the air as his mana disrupted that in the atmosphere, scattering it throughout the cavern.


    A transparent, ethereal bubble became visible, revealed by the waves of mana. It shimmered, shining with an internal light that was somehow contrary to the dark mana bombarding it. It was small, only a few feet across, and hovered fifteen feet in the air. Only then, looking at it with so much mana highlighting it, did I sense the distortion that might have revealed its presence.


    One part of me was embarrassed that I had failed to sense it before, while another was amazed¡ªand a little afraid¡ªthat Ji-ae had found it from across the ocean and with the cryan search forces so far away.


    I was also curious by how easily Agrona seemed to identify and manipte it, but as it all worked together, it mostly showed me exactly how unfair Agrona¡¯s jab at Nico had been. When I nced at Nico, I realized he was still watching me, not examining the dimensional pocket. I gave him a small, apologetic smile, hoping that he understood.


    The mana issuing from Agrona intensified. Lashes of void wind were striking the bubble over and over again, growing slowly stronger. The edges of the bubble were fraying, and space seemed to warp strangely around its edges, bending and twisting the mana.


    ¡°Stand back,¡± Agrona said suddenly, gesturing with his hand.


    Nico and I quickly shuffled away from where the jagged lines of dark mana crashed into the transparent bubble, eachsh striking with more power.


    With a rush of air, the bubble popped. Inside was¡­difficult to understand. A three-dimensional space several timesrger than the bubble had been folded up inside it. I saw the space that had been hidden within as if looking at it through warped ss, its proportions entirely out of whack, the physical attributes making it up losing all meaning except for the presence of a soft glow.


    Further confusing the sight was the fact that it was rapidly unfolding itself as it spilled out into the cavern, transitioning from the pocket dimension back into normal space like a ship''s sail unfurling.


    With the grinding of stone and a sluggish sshing noise, the hidden space settled in the center of the cave. Glowing liquid sloshed back and forth in a small pool, partially hidden by a pinkish mist that surrounded the pool in smooth panels like walls. Even as we watched, the mist began to disperse.


    Sitting in the pool, eyes closed, was Grey. A girl with his same wheat-blond hair sat across from him. I had never seen her in this form with my own eyes, but I knew from Tessia¡¯s memories and her unique mana signature that this was Sylvie, his dragon bond in her humanoid form.


    A dark cuboid relic floated in the air between them, snapping and sparking with violet jolts of aether.


    Both had their eyes closed. Neither moved as the pool water settled, the gentle sloshing against their clothes ceasing.


    They don¡¯t even know we¡¯re here, I thought. Despite being buried deep within me, Tessia trembled.


    Nico swallowed heavily as he stepped up beside me, his eyes locked on Grey. Once, I¡¯m sure he would have already been in motion, blood iron bearing down on Grey¡¯s undefended neck. Now, though, I couldn¡¯t read his expression.


    The soles of Agrona¡¯s boots crunched against the dirt-covered floor as he approached the pool gingerly. Surprisingly, his dark eyes were entirely on the girl. Once at its edge, he kneeled and reached out, his fingers just barely brushing a lock of her hair. ¡°Daughter,¡± he said, his lips carefully enunciating the word that he only barely whispered.


    Suddenly, he stood. His fists clenched, and the mana around him seemed to pull away in fright. ¡°Such a waste. Such a disappointment.¡± He looked away and started to turn his back on her but, as if being grabbed by some external force, stopped and looked back. ¡°You think like a lesser, daughter. Short-sighted and desperate. Your mother¡¯s act¡ªbonding you to a lesser like somemon beast¡ªdestroyed your potential.¡± He shook his head, and his fists unclenched.


    With a sigh, he finally turned away, and his eyes, their color lost within the reflection of the light from the pool, locked onto mine. ¡°Kill her, Cecil dear. Take her mana, and then we can decide what to do with your old friend Grey.¡±


    I froze. The effort to look away from Agrona to Sylvie¡ªhis daughter¡ªfelt herculean. I had tasted her pure mana before. At the time, I had wanted dearly to absorb every drop from her. What insights into mana, or even aether, would a full, healthy, powerful dragon¡¯s reservoir of mana provide me?


    And yet my focus turned inward, searching down deep to where Tessiay. I had been waiting for her protestations from the moment Grey and his bond appeared, and yet she had been silent.


    She stirred as she felt my attention turn to her. ¡®I am in your thoughts, Cecilia. You already know what I would say, because you feel the same way.¡¯


    I flinched back from the mental contact as if she¡¯d struck me. After everything, that¡¯s all you have to say? Why bind me to a promise if you¡¯re not going to call it due?


    She didn¡¯t respond.


    I swallowed ufortably. A slight rise of Agrona¡¯s brow forced my focus back to him.


    This was an unfair request. She was his daughter, and she was defenseless. It was cruel to ask me to absorb her mana. If she has to die here, why does it have to be by my hand?


    Another, deeper, more frightened part of me acknowledged something else. She is his daughter, and he is willing to spend her life this easily. The truth was, hadn¡¯t I tried to see Agrona like a father figure? Hadn¡¯t I tried to be a daughter to him? I never had a family on Earth. Just Nico. And Grey, I acknowledged with some difficulty. And Headmaster Wilbeck, who was always kind to me.


    ¡°Cecil dear¡­¡± Agrona prodded, a dangerous edge in his voice.


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± I said around the lump in my throat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Agrona. Please, don¡¯t ask me to do this.¡±


    Agrona took a step toward me. His face was impassive, as nk as if it were carved of marble. ¡°You are the Legacy, Cecilia. The path before you will be replete with demanding obligations. You cannot balk at each one, needing me to hold your hand throughout. Our wills¡ªyour will¡ªmust be absolute.¡±


    My jaw worked silently as Agrona held my gaze. I couldn¡¯t look away from him. ¡°I will fight your battles for you. I will destroy your enemies. I will master every aspect of asuran magic, and I will make the world kneel, if that¡¯s what you wish.¡± I let out a shaky breath. My legs felt like jelly, and my guts squirmed like fire eels. ¡°But please don¡¯t make me do this.¡±


    ¡°This is your line?¡± Agrona¡¯s stony visage cracked, but it did not shatter. He looked into the middle distance between us and gave a soft huff of something likeughter but very much not. The motion made the ornaments in his horns tinkle softly. ¡°After all the deaths you have caused, this is where you decide not to kill? What sort of inconsistent logic bars you from killing my daughter? Is it her tie to arthur? Or¡­her rtionship with me? No. You are afraid of what might happen to you, knowing that I could do this to my own flesh and blood.¡±


    ¡°No¡­yes. All of it. I¡­¡± I looked inward to Tessia, wishing she would beg me not to kill Sylvie or Arthur. ¡°I won¡¯t do this.¡±


    Agrona scoffed, a bitterly cutting noise. ¡°Be careful, Cecilia. You see what happens to those who disappoint me.¡± He gestured delicately to the immobile girl in the pool.


    Nico stepped in front of me and held up the charwood staff he had designed, its four differently colored crystals gleaming dully. ¡°Enough!¡± His voice was higher than usual, and there was sweat on his brow. ¡°After all she¡¯s done for you¡­after everything! You don¡¯t get to threaten her, Agrona.¡±


    My heart gave a strange pitter-pattering jump in my jest, and I yearned to reach out and wrap my arms around Nico, pulling him to me and keeping him safe. But then Agrona began tough. The sound of his wild amusement echoed off the walls and rooted me to the spot.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had a lot of time to think, and I figured it out,¡± Nico continued, his voice shaking almost as much as the staff in his hands. He was still looking at Agrona, but I knew he was talking to me. ¡°The table, the runes, the energy transference, all of it.¡±


    Agrona¡¯sugh petered out, and he wiped a single tear from his cheek. He gave Nico a predatory smile. ¡°Oh, go on. You¡¯ve clearly been dying to have your big moment, hero.¡±


    Stumbling, Nico began to exin. I struggled to follow all the technical details. Still, the purpose was clear enough: the artifact table, in conjunction with the runes marking my body, worked to transfer magical abilities from one person to another.


    Tentatively, I reached out and touched Nico¡¯s shoulder, and he stopped speaking and turned to look at me with desperate hope. ¡°Nico¡­he already told me. I¡¯m sorry. I know.¡±


    His brows knit together in confusion, and his mouth worked silently. Finally, he said, ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve caught me!¡± Agrona said, raising his hands as if preparing for them to be manacled. ¡°Amazing detective work, Scythe Nico. You have realized that I have backup ns. What a terrible shock for you, I know.¡±


    Nico turned fully toward me now, setting one hand on my shoulder and leaning toward me until our faces were almost touched. ¡°It¡¯s not some emergency option, Cecil. It¡¯s the entire n. He can take the Legacy from you. All that potential, all that knowledge¡­insight into all the other asura¡¯s mana arts, everything.¡± Nico¡¯s grip tightened, and his eyes shone with anger and fear. ¡°He¡¯s never going to send us home. It¡¯s all a lie. Everything.¡±


    Behind Nico, Agrona rolled his eyes. ¡°As usual, Nico, you fail to see what is right in front of your face. Do you think you and Cecilia can return to Earth and live a cozy, happy little life if she is still the Legacy?¡±


    Nico spun back to Agrona, again brandishing the staff. ¡°You¡¯ve pushed me and taunted me and belittled me. Fostered my anger while taking everything else away from me, baiting me along in your service with promises of bringing Cecilia here and then sending us back to Earth to have a life together. You never stopped moving the goalposts to ensure that nothing¡ªnothing!¡ªwas ever enough for you. But this¡­this is the line I won¡¯t cross. I won¡¯t let you do this to Cecilia!¡±


    I looked back and forth between the two. Agrona had already told me what he and those mages were doing when I woke from my Integration, and based on what Nico was saying, it seemed as if he¡¯d been truthful. But Nico was frightened¡­and angry. I¡¯d never seen him stand up to Agrona before, and to know that he was risking Agrona¡¯s wrath to defend me¡­


    ¡°Enough,¡± Agrona said, any hint of humor in his demeanor vanishing between one heartbeat and the next. A cold wind whipped through the cave, throwing dust in our faces. His eyes gleamed an angry scarlet as he looked past Nico to me. ¡°Cecilia. I am tired of this game. Absorb this failure of an asura¡¯s mana now. Kill her or¡­watch Nico die instead.¡±


    My ears filled with a terrible ringing. A heavy pressure seemed to descend onto my chest, crushing the air from my lungs.


    Somehow, Nico seemed unaffected. His staff cut through the air, conjuring a shield of all four elements gusting, ring, and swirling into and through one another. He spoke, and although I recognized the words as defiant, I couldn¡¯t process them beyond the drumbeat in my skull. I wanted to stop him, to protect him, to beg Agrona to understand, but I felt like I had been turned to stone.


    From deep down inside my very being, I felt a sensation like wiggling my bare toes in cool grass. ¡®It¡¯s okay, Cecilia. I¡¯m here. You know what is right, and you have the strength to do it.¡¯


    As I leaned into those words, truly appreciating Tessia for the first time since my reincarnation, something hot and wet sprayed across my face. Only as a kind of echo, I realized there had been a surge of mana.


    Slowly, my gaze fell, from the flickering lights within the gemstones inset in Nico¡¯s staff, to his tangled ck hair, down his neck and shoulders. There, my focus caught, snagged on what I saw but I was unable to process it.


    Nico copsed to his knees.


    The shield cracked, the elements splintering and turning against each other as the magic in the air faded.


    To either side, Nico held one half of his staff in each hand.


    I saw all this in a detached sort of way, peripheral to the focus of my gaze, which remained on Nico¡¯s back, just below his shoulder des, where a ck spike of blood iron had erupted from him. Dozens of smaller spikes burst out from the blood that ran down the ck metal, and even more spikes grew from those, each one tipped with a drop of blood. These drops rained down like petals from a rosebush to pool beneath him.


    My hand raised, brushing against my face. It was the act of looking down to find my own skin red with Nico¡¯s blood that finally snapped me out of the otherworldly fugue.


    I drew in a ragged, desperate breath and threw myself onto my knees at Nico¡¯s side just as he began to pitch forward. Scooping him into my arms, I eased him down onto the ground. ¡°Nico. Nico! Nico¡­¡± His name kept tumbling from my lips, my inflection changing each time, almost as if I were uttering the chant to a spell.


    His dark eyes turned to me, glossy with pain. His lips moved, but no sound came out, and I was too dull with shock to read them. They flicked up and away from me, and I followed them, looking up into Agrona¡¯s face just as his fingers tangled in the gunmetal gray hair I had always hated. With a fistful of my hair, Agrona jerked me up onto my feet and dragged me toward the pool. I thought I was screaming, but I wasn¡¯t sure.


    With a shove, I pitched forward onto my hands and knees beside Sylvie, almostnding in the pool with her and Grey. Red spilled into the liquid, slowly tinging the bluish light an angry purple.


    ¡°Kill her,¡± Agrona said coldly, his killing intent pressing down on me so I couldn¡¯t rise.


    Turning my head, I looked up into his face. There was no sign of the man who had brought me to this world, who had given me the strength and the confidence to dare for a new chance at life, in Agrona¡¯s expectant but emotionless gaze. Now, just like the researchers of my old world, he looked at me as if there was no doubt that he would break me. I would do his will as I always had. This was just another test.


    I closed my eyes against the pain that clutched my rapidly beating heart like venomous ws. epting what it would mean, I uttered onest, unexpectedly liberating, word.


    "No."

 Chapter 482

    <h4>Chapter 482</h4>


    Chapter 480: Providence


    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    Through the cacophony of indistinguishable sounds, I heard a muffled voice.


    ¡°Kill her.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    A bright blur in the heart of darkness. The bitter backdrop for the echoes of ten thousand splintered aspects of a mind pushed beyond the edge of capability, of sanity.


    Against the back of my closed eyelids, aether seeped like blood from the pores between worlds. Interposed over this image was another: golden threads stretching beyond the bounds of one world and into the next, through a rift, reaching far and wide as they spread from the nexus point that was a single man, a man whose hands were red with the blood of civilization after civilization. In the image, I cut the cords of Fate and watched an empire fall. In the image, I looked down at my own hands, and they were red like his.


    Not like that. I cast the vision aside. A small dot of light was growing behind it.


    I tried to speak. The words came out as a cry.


    Another image. One I considered harder, longer: me, a crown of light above my brow, the threads of Fate wrapped around me like armor, Agrona powerless against me. In the vision, I struck him down ten different ways, and yet each Fateful blow reverberated across time and space to ensure failure and destruction, and ten different visions within the vision copsed around me. Me, standing at the epicenter of failure.


    I cast the image aside with some difficulty.


    The light grew closer, brighter.


    I pondered thest vision, the only way. It was a door I could open but not see beyond. But it was the only way.


    The visions melted into a bright blur. I tried to close my eyes, but they were already shut.


    Indiscernible sounds battered my ears.


    ¡°Kill her.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Arthur-Grey.¡±


    Lightning behind my eyes. Breath trapped in my lungs. A world written in fire, seen through closed lids.


    My eyes snapped open, and a weak cry escaped my lips.


    I saw myself from above, a mind out of body. I was sitting cross-legged in the pool of aether-rich liquid, which rippled slightly and cast an uneven blue-purple light across the interior of therge underground cavern where Sylvia had hidden so long ago. Beside me, Sylvie sat in an identical position. Her face was scrunched into a tight frown, her eyes still closed, the lids moving as the eyeballs below raced back and forth, as if she were having a tortured dream.


    There was no emotion in what I saw before me. The scene was still too detached from me, too distant and unreal.


    Tessia¡ªno, Cecilia¡ªwas on her hands and knees next to the pool. Her gunmetal hair hung down in front of her face. Almond-shaped teal eyes narrowed, glowering through the silvery strands at the man standing above her. Blood pooled around her fingers and spilled into the pool, staining the dimming blue light.


    I didn¡¯t have to search for the source to know it wasn¡¯t her blood, but my eyes still flicked to Nico. Each faint beat of his dying heart sent more of what little blood he had left pouring from the unearthly, branching ck spike that protruded from his back.


    Neither did I need to guess at how this hade about. The mana that had conjured the fatal spell still floated around Agrona, barely controlled. He had already forgotten Nico, I knew. His entire will was bent on Cecilia as he matched her glowering stare with a look of cruel, expectantmand.


    Many golden threads ran between the three. Those around Nico were beginning to snap one by one. Most led from him to Cecilia, wrapping around her, and fewer to Agrona. A couple of threads bound Nico to me, but these were trembling with tension, ready to snap.


    While few threads connected Nico and Agrona, Agrona himself radiated more than I could count.


    And yet I was covered in even more golden threads than the others. Wrapped around every inch of my body so that I was nearly hidden beneath them, the golden threads connected me to all the others, and then spread out into the wider world, just like Agrona. So thickly were the threads wound, that I almost looked like¡ª


    ¡°Arthur-Grey.¡±


    Through the woven threads, dimly glowing around me like the wrappings of an ancient mummified king, I saw it. The aspect of Fate, in and around me, bound to me, sitting just behind and above me¡ªnot in three-dimensional space, but in time and the pressedyers of the fabric of the universe that separated the physical world and the aetheric realm in which it was trapped.


    ¡°I ept the vision of the future you have offered as also being within the natural order, the necessary advance of the arrow of time,¡± the aspect continued, its voice only for my ears. ¡°But I offer also a warning.¡±


    My vision retracted even further, pulling back through the roof of the cavern and the soil above it into open air. Instead of looking down on the Beast des, I was above Etistin, just like in the visions Fate had shown me of the past events there.


    Now, it showed me the future.


    Just like before, white blurs representing the dragons arrived, and Etistin as I knew it was wiped from the face of Sapin. The bay looked lonely and forlorn without the city looking down on it, but time sped by, and soon a new civilization was building there. The simple structures they constructed did notst long before they too were wiped out. The speed of the vision seemed to be increasing, so that I only saw shes of each new city being built before it was destroyed.


    I withdrew further, until the entire world was only a distant bit of color against an expansive dark sky, empty except for the distant stars. All the wide universe wasid out before me in exaggerated colors, the stars bright pin-pricks of light against a swirling, oil-on-water backdrop of purples, blues, and grays.


    And humming just beneath the surface, pressing against the walls of reality, was the building pressure of the aetheric realm. A consistent rhythm began to pulse outward from the aetheric realm like a heartbeat, and with each pulse, the stars brightened and bulged. The beats grew stronger, faster, and I suddenly understood what was about to happen.


    As if my understanding had conjured it into existence, the world ruptured. It was like the vision I had seen before¡ªthe future Fate was attempting to conjure into being through me¡ªbut the resulting cataclysm didn¡¯t ur on a global scale.


    It was with a deep, vague horror that I watched as the aetheric explosion spilled across the sky, wiping away the stars and leaving behind only an endless void.


    The scene faded away, and I was once again looking down on myself and the aspect of Fate sitting within and around me.


    With the fading of the vision, my horror faded as well. What it left behind was like a distant dream only half-remembered in the deep dark of the night. One that none-the-less stops the dreamer from returning to sleep for fear that the nightmare will resurface.


    ¡°Kill her.¡± The cold words issued from Agrona, and he pressed down on Cecilia with his killing intent, pinning her to the ground on all fours.


    She closed her eyes, her pain written in the golden threads that connected them. Two by two, the threads connecting her to Agrona were snapping and fizzling away to nothing.


    Through gritted teeth, she uttered a single word. ¡°No.¡±


    My eyes snapped open, and a weak cry escaped my lips.


    Agrona¡¯s head began to turn toward me, his intent sharpening into a killing de. Crouching at his feet, Cecilia¡¯s eyes shifted to me, and through them I saw down deep into the heart of her, where a trembling Tessia uncurled and reached outward. Knots of golden thread strung back and forth between the two, a muddy, chaotic mess of past and future tying them together.


    Another thread connecting Nico to Cecilia snapped, and I sensed that the breath leaving his lungs was thest he would breathe in this world.


    ¡°Nico!¡±


    The pool erupted intomotion as, beside me, Sylvie burst upright. Her hands flung out, and a silvery, half-formed shield began to wrap around me.


    The scythe of Agrona¡¯s intent struck it, and it burst with a sound like a bell. Sylvie was lifted up, her body spinning through the air like a ragdoll.


    Warmth spilled into my empty core as Regis desperately expelled all his own aether, forcing it through the gates around my core. Strength ran through my channels likeva, burning and inexorable.


    Agrona rebounded back from Sylvie¡¯s shield, stumbling a step.


    Beside him, Cecilia rose.


    Just as Fate hovered above and behind me like a golden shadow, a silver shadow rose with Cecilia. Emerald vines writhed through the silver light as Cecilia and Tessia stood together. The knotted golden threads binding them were unwinding. Not breaking, but unspooling, each frayed knoting undone and straightening rapidly.


    The silver shadow that was Tessia raised her arm. Half a heartbeatter, Cecilia did the same.


    Emerald vines erupted from Tessia, snapping like green lightning through the air between her and Agrona. They mmed into him, knocking him back another half a step and clutching at his wrists and horns.


    Cecilia¡¯s hand tightened into a fist, and the threads around her flexed and vibrated, pulsing with golden light. Her jaw worked, her eyes closed, and tears leaked from them. Her hand fell an inch.


    Agrona scoffed, and Cecilia was lifted off the ground. She hurtled into the air until her back mmed against the cavern roof, losing a hail of small stones, and then she fell back to the ground,nding heavily in front of me. A dozen threads or more snapped and burned away between Cecilia and Agrona.


    The silver shadow that was Tessia was gone, dragged back into the prison of her body.


    Agrona¡¯s scarlet eyes lingered on Cecilia, his lips curling into a disappointed grimace.


    I raised my hand. Agrona¡¯s eyes shifted to me, widening.


    Many threads still bound Cecilia and Agrona. Aether hardened between my thumb and forefinger, and I pinched down on the golden bundle, shearing through the threads of Fate as if they were no more than spun wool.


    A shockwave rolled back in both directions from the cut, mming into Agrona and spilling over Cecilia¡¯s prone form, tossing her into the pool at my feet.


    Agrona stumbled and fell, going to one knee. His eyes lost focus, and in the rippling of space and time I saw the burning away of all potential futures in which Agrona was able to use the Legacy, as a weapon in the form of Cecilia or as his own power. The shockwave continued to jolt through him, striking him again and again as each potential future copsed in his mind.


    Leaning forward, I pulled Cecilia toward me, holding her face-up on the surface of the dense liquid, now depleted of aether and casting a weak purple light. Many threads still connected her to the wider world. I reached for them next, but even the faint cutting edge of aether around my hand was difficult to maintain.


    Reaching into the emptiness around me, I grabbed hold of the relic armor.


    ck scales began to fold into existence over my skin as the armor formed, spreading out from my chest to cover my entire body.


    But as the armor spread, brilliant white tes and ridges started forming over it, growing into pauldrons and greaves over top the ck scales. Heavy ted boots melded seamlessly into the greaves, and delicate gauntlets grew around my hands between my skin and Cecilia¡¯s in my arms.


    I had no time to consider the implication of this change, and, as the armor began drawing in aether from the surrounding atmosphere, I turned my attention to absorbing what I could. The aetheric edges around my gauntleted fingers grew firm again, and I again reached for the golden threads extending from Cecilia.


    Time seemed to stutter. Beneath me, the blood-stained pool exploded upward, forming into swords, axes, and spears. ck-lined wind struck me like a battering ram, and I pulled Cecilia closer to me, shielding her as best I could. The wind began to pick up the weapons and spin them, leaving me at the center of a deadly vortex.


    As the liquid swords and axes struck me, the armor pulled at my meager aetheric reservoir, fighting to reform as each blow ripped it apart piece by piece.


    Through the storm of swords, I met Agrona¡¯s eyes, now the color of clotted blood.


    With a shaking hand, I reached for the golden threads. My fingers closed around a handful of the threads of Fate, and the aether bit into them.


    Again, shockwaves rolled along the strings, spreading out across the entirety of the world. I felt every one, saw behind my eyes a hundred different cascading effects as the lives of cryans and Dicathians everywhere were changed forever. My legs trembled and my arms shook under the weight of it.


    The vortex subsided, the conjured weapons sshing back down into the pool, now stained with my own blood as well. Agrona was on his hands and knees, his body heaving with every breath, his face a grimace of pain and desperate perseverance.


    Only a few threads remained around Cecilia, while the golden lines radiating from Agrona were uncountable. I had seen so many possibilities in the keystone when searching for the way forward so that Fate would free me of its bonds. I didn¡¯t know what I¡¯d have done if I¡¯d faced this moment before. Even now, it was a difficult decision to make, to ept. It felt wrong. It felt unfair.


    There was no thread spreading out from Agrona that I could cut that would result in a victory here. No blow I could strike against him directly would bring about a world in which the future I had shown to Fate coulde to pass.


    I looked back at Cecilia. Her eyes fluttered open. There was no hint of Tessia in them; she had exhausted her strength and was buried deep underneath the stronger spirit of the Legacy, bound by Agrona¡¯s magic and the spellforms drawn into her flesh.


    Another thread between Tessia and Nico fizzled out. Only a single thin golden line remained.


    Mana was starting to leak from Nico¡¯s core and rising from his skin like steam.


    Some wills were stronger than others. Certain visions of the future were so potent that they rewrote probability and potential, forcing reality to shift in order to manifest that future into being. That, I now knew, was the truth about how one altered Fate: through action and will and unassable belief. It was not another power to be manipted or controlled. The keystones had never been about controlling Fate, only about understanding it. But through understanding, it could still be influenced.


    But it hadn¡¯t only been my will that had influenced Fate.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, and all my many regrets about how I¡¯d handled everything between us came spilling out with those two words.


    Cecilia said nothing, only stared back at me. There was no desperation in her gaze, no hope, no fear. It wasn¡¯t trust, either. As I looked into those teal eyes, I saw only eptance. She knew this was her end, and she no longer had the strength to fight it.


    I didn¡¯t acknowledge my own feelings. I felt guilt for my own actions, but I did not feel as though Cecilia or Nico had earned my mercy. Neither of my once-friends had been granted a fair life, neither on Earth or on this world, and I didn¡¯t me them for that. But both had chosen to treat this ce¡ªthis life, this entire world¡ªas if it didn¡¯t matter. While Earth was little more than a bad dream to me, it had be their fixation, both past and future, and they had treated my world¡ªmy family¡ªas a meaningless stepping stone to move from one life on Earth to the next.


    I didn¡¯t acknowledge my own feelings. But if I did, I knew I would find bitterness, and anger. And hatred. I didn¡¯t acknowledge my own feelings because I didn¡¯t want to react emotionally. I didn¡¯t want to repeat their mistakes by letting the past destroy an opportunity for a better future. They didn¡¯t deserve my mercy, and they certainly hadn¡¯t earned redemption.


    But punishing them wasn¡¯t important either. Not in the grand scheme of things. Fate had shown me that.


    A roar shook the cavern, and more stones and dust fell from above. Out of the shadows, purple light dancing across ck scales, Sylvie swooped over us. The earth shook as her w came down around Agrona, pinning him.


    A scythe of transparent ck mana carved through the pool beside me, nearly taking off my arm and Cecilia¡¯s head.


    I reached for a golden thread that led from Cecilia up through the ceiling of the cave. I took hold of it, but I didn¡¯t cut it. Instead, I channeled Aroa¡¯s Requiem into it, empowering the potential and conjuring a resonant hum through the thread that spread out in both directions. All of the other threads around Cecilia began to release, snapping like spider silk and turning to golden light and then to nothing but distant, inessible possibility.


    Thest of the knots binding Cecilia to Tessia unwound. When the knots were gone, these threads too faded.


    Only two remained: the empowered thread, vibrating out into the universe, and the fraying thread connecting her to Nico, who had already breathed hisst breath on this world. Thest of his mana drifted free of his core and then out through his mana veins. A knot of bright amethyst motes of energy floated out of him.


    A small knot of golden thread, tentative and flickering, extended back to Cecilia.


    ¡°Go,¡± I said, my voice hoarse and weak.


    Tears leaked from Cecilia¡¯s eyes, and her lip began to tremble. For a moment, I saw neither Cecilia in Tessia¡¯s body or Tessia herself. Instead, I saw the orphan girl who struggled to make friends for fear of hurting them. With only a slight nod, she turned her gaze along the path of the thread. Although I knew she couldn¡¯t see it, she could feel it pulling her on.


    Her eyes rolled back, and the essence of her being burned bright within the golden light of the thread of Fate¡ªthis one tying her back to Earth. The aetheric motes that had risen from Nico dissolved into the thread as well, and together, two small purple lights ascended up through the gold. Behind them, the string melted away.


    The final shockwave erupted from Agrona, tossing Sylvie away as if she was a dry fall leaf. The force of the wave crashed out along the threads of Fate connecting Agrona to the world, and my mind was ripped out of the cave along with it.


    I saw the Beast des beneath a rippling portal in the sky. Devices of obvious cryan design surrounded the rift, cutting it off from the world and hammering it with waves of disruptive force. Dozens of Wraiths floated in the air within the shield that protected them from the small army of dragons outside.


    The shockwave rolled along the golden threads until it struck the Wraiths and Instillers like a physical blow. Like insects in a hurricane, they were swatted from the air.


    When the first Wraith crashed into one of the shield generating artifacts, sparks flew from the device and the shield began to flicker. Then a second, third, and fourth Wraithnded among the fragile equipment, and an explosion rocked the cryan fortification. Starting first at a single point, the shield surrounding them began to copse inward. The hole grew wider and wider until it wasrger than the shield itself, and then the shield was gone.


    The dragons hovered on the edges, staring in shock. Charon, floating at the front in his scarred dragon form, gave a bellowing shout, and the dragons descended on the prone cryans.


    At the same time, across the continent, another shockwave struck hundreds of imprisoned cryans. Screams erupted in their cells, echoing out through the underground city. Backs arched as people threw themselves on the ground, wing at spellforms and cores. I saw among them Corbett Denoir and the warrior Arian, Caera¡¯s protector, but also the young Highblood from Xyrus, Augustine Ramseyer, and many others I was familiar with.


    I saw as Seth Milview and Ma from Maerin town clung to each other, their faces twisted with pain and fear as they shook against the impact. Seris, Lyra Dreide, and Caera moved among them, seeming to be the only three of all the cryans not crippled with the colliding force of changing Fate.


    Elsewhere, I rode the shockwave as it sped over Etistin. It found Scythe Melzri as she searched through the carnage of a horrible frozen battlefield. The Scythe bent down to check for signs of life from a pale-skinned woman with short white hair¡ªthe retainer, Mawar. Lance Varayy nearby, stirring slightly. Melzri regarded her warily, then drew a de just as the shockwave reached her, lifting her off the ground before dashing her through a field of ice spikes.


    More threads connected across the wide ocean to crya. There, my understanding of what was happening began to break down as the effects of the st were too widespread for my tired mind to track it all at once.


    Instead, whether by some thought of my own or some trick of the reverberating Fate, I focused on Taegrin Caelum, Agrona¡¯s distant mountain fortress. Many Fate threads connected to points throughout the fortress, and such was the strength of the shockwave as it mmed against the stone walls that the mountain shook and the stone began to crack. A high tower burst apart at the base, sending down an avnche of shattered stone to crash among the lower levels, the roof of the tower sinking into the imploding base in a cloud of dust.


    In the distance, far behind Taegrin Caelum, a geyser of bright orangeva erupted from the caldera of Mount Nishan. ck smoke boiled out to cover the Basilisk Fang Mountains in an imprable ck cloud, and the ground trembled.


    As if in one voice, the entire magical poption of the continent screamed out together, and then I was back in Sylvia¡¯s cave, lying in the shallow, mostly empty pool beside Tessia.


    The aspect of Fate no longer lingered just behind and above me. It was gone, and my vision of the threads of Fate connecting us all was gone with it.


    I rolled onto my back and looked up at Agrona. Hey on his stomach, his back rising and falling steadily but his eyes staring emptily ahead, nk and lifeless.


    A stato beat against the wet ground drew my attention back to Tessia; she was seizing, her entire body shaking so violently that her heels ttered wildly against the stone. I dragged her into myp, cushioning her head from the convulsions of her body.


    Golden eyes shone in the dark, and Sylvie stumbled toward us, one arm cradling the other, which hung limply at her side. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    The answer was self-evident.


    The high density of mana that waspacted in Tessia¡¯s body was beginning to spill out of her, creating a kind of rainbow aura that flickered and danced in the air like the Aurora Constete. ¡°She can¡¯t control it.¡±


    Regis, little more than a dark wisp with bright eyes now, flew out of my chest. He hovered in front of my face for a moment, then dipped down and vanished into Tessia¡¯s body. ¡®She¡¯s trying, fighting. Cecilia taught her, or tried to, but¡­it wasn¡¯t enough. She¡¯s¡­dying.¡¯


    I ran my hands over her arms and up her neck where the spellform tattoos had helped to bind Cecilia to the body and maintain control over Tessia¡¯s spirit, along with whatever other dark designs Agrona had woven into them for his own purposes. But they were gone. The spellforms had been destroyed by the process of removing Cecilia from her body.


    ¡°She has no core, and she isn¡¯t the Legacy,¡± I said, holding her tightly to still the worst of the trembling. ¡°It was Cecilia who went through the process of Integration.¡±


    ¡®Art¡­¡¯ Regis¡¯s thought trailed off for a moment. ¡®She says¡­that it¡¯s okay. She wants you to know¡­that you did the right thing.¡¯


    I swallowed and ran a hand over Tessia¡¯s hair. It was strange, thinking of it specifically as Tessia¡¯s hair again. Her body. Her.


    I winced as my core clenched. The wounds caused by Agrona¡¯s attack were struggling to heal. Despite Regis¡¯s sacrifice and the relic armor, my body was starved for aether. My lids were heavy, and every movement felt sluggish and painful. I felt weak, weaker than I had in a very long time.


    My fractured focus returned to Tessia with a jolt. Mana was still pouring out of her, creating the dancing lights around her.


    Without the aspect of Fate tying me directly back to the keystone and everything I had seen inside of it, the many potential futures I had looked at, using abination of King¡¯s Gambit, Fate, and the keystone itself, seemed blurry and distant. It had all been so clear, before, right up until the moment I had severed Cecilia and the Legacy from our world¡­


    Only the aetheric realm¡¯s future retained rity. That, I understood. That, I knew what to do with. Hopefully I can do what needs to be done¡­


    ¡°Arthur,¡± Sylvie said from right beside me, making me wince. I hadn¡¯t noticed her kneeling down next to me. ¡°We have to do something.¡±


    ¡°I know, I¡­¡± I closed my eyes, squeezing them tight and then rxing again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just having some trouble¡­focusing.¡± With a little shake, I forced myself upright and adjusted Tessia in myp.


    ¡®She¡¯s saying¡­ah, shit, Art. I wish I didn¡¯t have to be the go-between here.¡¯ Regis winced, a mental expression that sent a twitch through my own ck face. ¡®She¡¯s saying that she understands. It¡¯s okay. You¡¯ve done everything you can. She wants you to know that, after everything¡­well, she¡¯s d you¡¯re here in the end. You and Sylvie. And me, but she added that as a kind of afterthought, and I¡ªokay, okay. She, uh¡­she loves you, Art. And she wants me to tell you¡­goodb¡ª¡¯


    ¡°Stop,¡± I said, suddenly fully awake again. ¡°Don¡¯t. This isn¡¯t goodbye.¡± I looked around the cave as if I might find the solution lying out in the open somewhere.


    Agrona stillyatose. The murky purplish light of the pool had faded, its aether spent. A single tear had traced down Sylvie¡¯s cheek, and she leaned against my arm, her breath shallow.


    The light of the mana interacting with the atmosphere around Tessia began to fade.


    I tried to lift Tessia and stand, but I couldn¡¯t. Sylvie did stand, but she wobbled on her feet, unsteady. ¡°Ick the strength to transform right now. I¡­can¡¯t get us out of here, Arthur.¡±


    Without even the strength to lift Tessia, I struggled to make a mental inventory of all the tools at my disposal that might help her. I couldmunicate with her through Regis, I¡ª


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said suddenly, realizing that I hadn¡¯t really responded to her properly. ¡°This isn¡¯t goodbye, Tessia. This is wee back.¡±


    Even as I said the words, I didn¡¯t know if they were true. I only had one option, but I didn¡¯t know enough about it to be certain it would work. Her body wasn¡¯t badly wounded. Could an elixir give her the strength to control a coreless body?


    With the little aether I had left, I imbued the spellform on my arm and plucked the two small, bright blue pearls out of my dimension rune. ¡°Help me hold her.¡±


    I eased out from beneath Tessia, who was no longer spasming but still twitched asionally. Sylvie and I adjusted her so that she was t on her back, and Sylvie did her best to stabilize Tessia through the twitching. With the pearls held in one hand, I conjured a small aether de in the other. Pain shot through my temples and core as I forced the manifestation into ce. The de flickered slightly, then solidified.


    Taking great care, I sliced through her top, then the smooth skin above her sternum. The de parted cartge and bone as easy as skin, opening into where her core should have been.


    Although her eyes were closed, Tessia¡¯s body trembled as I pushed one of the mourning pearls down into the cavity. It settled there, sitting like a tiny, bright blue core in her chest. The core of a leviathan infant who never had a chance to live their life¡­a life now given to Tessia. I felt my jaw working as I clenched my teeth, the tension palpable, and forced myself to rx.


    Regis pulled back from her body at mymand; there was no longer any reaching her mind within, anyway. She was fully unconscious, her pulse barely beating.


    Both Regis and Sylvie had shared in my memories of using the other mourning pearl on Chul, but I could feel their anticipation and distress as the seconds continued to tick past and nothing happened. ¡°It takes time,¡± I assured them.


    I felt Sylvie¡¯s attention shift, and I followed her gaze back to her father. ¡°The Legacy was as intrinsic to his ns as the mana veins are to a conjurer. Removing it¡ªeven the possibility of it¡ªsent a shockwave through Fate that rippled across the entirety of our world. It was like reaching into his chest and pulling out half the channels running through his body.¡±


    Sylvie red at her father¡¯satose form. ¡°I saw parts of it. I¡­couldn¡¯t keep up with everything. What are we going to do with him?¡±


    ¡°I never was able to see past this,¡± I said, sagging. The effort of talking was draining the veryst of my strength. ¡°The shockwave¡ªI¡¯m not sure. It acted like a sh of lightning, blinding me of everything after. I saw a lot of other possibilities, but it wasn¡¯t like seeing the future, really. More likeing up with a n and convincing yourself nothing would happen except what you nned for. But I never found a way to strike Agrona directly¡ªor Kezess for that matter¡ªthat worked.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Without the aspect of Fate here to tie me back to it all, I can¡¯t exin it.¡±


    ¡°He is going to wake eventually, though, right?¡± Regis asked, bobbing up and down and ring his bright eyes angrily. ¡°I know that using your ¡®Fate Scissors¡¯ technique to beat him won¡¯t give us the future we want, but why not just¡­y¡¯know¡ªcut his head off now while he¡¯s unconscious? Use the other pearl to get your strength back if you have to.¡±


    I looked between the three of us, then down at thest pearl, still clutched in my hand. With a painful pulse of aether, I send it back into the dimension rune. ¡°I don¡¯t know if the pearl would even do anything to me. I admit, Ick the strength to even summon an aether de now, but I won¡¯t risk wasting thest mourning pearl.¡±


    Sylvie struggled to stand again. She aplished the task, but looked as if she might fall over at any moment. ¡°I might have the strength¡­to strangle him while he¡¯s unconscious. Maybe Fate appreciates¡­irony.¡±


    Regis let out an appreciativeugh, and I smiled tiredly in spite of myself. Sylvie looked very serious¡ªand as if she seriously might struggle to choke the life from a wounded raptor squirrel. Her expression cracked, and then she too wasughing at herself. I joined in, each shake of my shoulders sending pain quaking through every part of me, but mostly in my temples and the base of my neck.


    There was one part of me that didn¡¯t hurt, however.


    Looking inward, I realized the scar Cecilia had left on my core had healed, and the itching sensation had subsided.


    Suddenly, blue-white light, so bright I had to look away, glowed from the cut in Tessia¡¯s sternum. At first there was only a trickle, but it quickly became a flood. Mana spilled out of the cut and scrubbed away her scrapes and bruises. Within her, that mana hardened into a dark ck pit around the little blue pearl. As more and more mana poured out through the hard ck shell, it lightened to red, then orange, yellow, and silver. Finally, the newly formed core turned a bright, snowy white.


    Her breathing settled, and the tension in her brows and lips eased. She did not immediately wake, but afortable smile yed across her sleeping face, as if she were having a pleasant dream.


    I smoothed back her hair, wanting nothing more than to hold her in my arms and keep her there. But a part of me was hesitant as well, perhaps even afraid. She¡¯d lived inside the head of someone who wanted nothing more than to kill me. She¡¯d have learned all kinds of things about me¡­and maybe been subjected to any number of lies as well. Our story had been anything but simple up to now, and it would be callow and irrational to think we could pick right back up where we¡¯d left off at the beginning of the war.


    The sudden appearance of an oppressive mana signature ripped my thoughts away from anything so mundane as romance.


    It approached with absurd speed, somewhere between flying and teleportation, and it was nked by a cadre of lesser¡ªbut still inhumanly powerful¡ªsignatures.


    The weight of it was too much to bear, and I couldn¡¯t help but sink to the ground, lying t on my back. Regis took shelter in my core, little tremors running through his wisp form. Sylvie sank to her knees and stared at the base of the long shaft that connected to the surface.


    Dust billowed out as the approaching signature arrived, and I had to turn away and close my eyes against the stinging cloud. When I finally turned back, I was unsurprised to find Kezess standing there. Windsom and Charon, and¡­a person I had not seen in a very long time arrived a momentter.


    Charon hurried past Kezess, ignoring us and going to Agrona, who had still not moved. ¡°Alive,¡± he said, lifting Agrona¡¯s head by one horn slightly, then letting it fall back to the floor with a thunk.


    Lady Myre, wife of Kezess and, long ago, my mentor, stood beside her husband with all the grace I remembered. Her gaze seemed to pass through Agrona to something deeper. ¡°He is¡­wrong inside. Broken.¡±


    With a light touch on Myre¡¯s arm, Kezess took a few steps forward, moving in a casual, unhurried manner that I was too weak to be irritated by. Hisvender gaze swept over me and Tessia, then settled on Sylvie. ¡°Bring him. Bring them all. Call for all asuras to return to Epheotus immediately. There, we will close the rift and be finished with this war for good.¡±

 Chapter epl1: Vol 11 Epilogue

    <h4>Chapter epl1: Vol 11 Epilogue</h4>


    CECILIA SEVER


    The smell of smoke alerted me and I dropped the wool bundle that I was tingling before rushing to the kitchen. My hip hit the side of the side table and I turned around toote to catch themp, which tilted to the side and broke against the uneven nks on the ground.


    Suffering a sigh, I decided to do what I could for themp after saving the ruins of dinner, and I continued into the little open-air kitchen, where a pot boiled violently and released ck smoke. I had already learned what it was to grasp the burning iron handle with my bare hands ¨C I lifted the heavy pot of the sr heating element and put it on the table. The iron feet left small ck marks on the surface of the wood.


    Mying my lip so as not to sigh again, I took a woodendle and I stirred the soup, hoping that it had not burned too much, but knowing that we would eat it in one way or another.


    I stirred the soup for a minute or two to prevent the still hot iron from burning it further, then I took off my hand and picked up the crackedmp. Looking at her with regret, I walked towards the door, but stopped in the frame to turn around and look at the little house.


    "House," I said, the word being strange on my lips. Nowhere else had this word agreed to me before, but the little hut, well outside the city, with its capricious electricity and its endless maintenance problems, seemed to me quite simply to be a house.


    I smiled as I walked down the three brick steps and bypassing the outer wall of the hut by a worn gravel road that held more from the earth than from the rock.


    The hut overhanged a meander of one of the many simted rivers that surrounded the city, whose constant flow of fresh water was the fruit of pumps and valves rather than gravity. A thin row of evergreen trees bordered the bank of the river. A disused dock advanced from the edge of our property in the moving water, but we had never managed to obtain the permit to use a boat to enjoy it.


    Between me and the river, on four legs on the rocky ground which we had got rid of grass and weeds, was Nico. For a moment I saw him not as he was, but as he had been at the same time the boy I remembered and the dark face he had worn in this other life.


    This thought made me shake my head, as if I had got up too quickly and saw stars. It was hard to remember all of this. It was easier not to try to remember. But sometimes thoughts came back to me, and I couldn''t help but think about it. I had a life on Earth, as the Inheritance. This version of me had lived a short and tortured existence before being annihted by my own actions.


    My eyes closed and I had to be careful not to breathe too fast. At the risk of sinking under the waves of the following memories, I bite the side of the cheek and forced my eyes to open again, and then began to strolling on the gentle slope towards Nico. The sight of this Nico had faded. He had be himself again. Although her hair was still ck, her face was soft and kind, his eyes tender. Just watching him eased my anxiety.


    He looked up. There was a stain of ck earth, or perhaps fertilizer, on the edge of his nose and on his cheek. I could not help smiling at this sight.


    "That''s exactly what I feared," he said, smiling at my smile. But when he nced at the ground, the expression disappeared to give way to a frown of thoughtful eyebrows. "This ground is horrible. The river has not been there long enough to irrigate the surroundingnd, and it''s really rocky." He passed his fingers into the earth, biting his lip. ¡°Despite everything, we should be able to do it.¡±


    "The dinner is ready," I said stiffly. I knew he wouldn''t say anything about the fact that he was burned, but I kept thinking about it. "Unless we can go to town? Buying something good? The soup willst for a few days.¡±


    Nico got up and brushed his hands on his dirty pants. "You burned it, didn''t you?"


    I uttered a dismayed moan. "I don''t know what happened. The saucepan was lit and I got lost..."


    "I know," he said to console me. Suddenly, he found himself right in front of me and his powerful arms drew effortlessly to him.


    I pressed my face on the curve of his shoulder and started shaking.


    "I know," he repeated, with his hand running through the back of my long brown ash hair. The detail remained in my mind. Ash brown, not silvery grey. "It happens to me too," Nico whispered, shaking me against him. "I''m thinking about something, and the next moment, an hour has passed and I haven''t moved. I think he swallowed loudly and his hands go down my arms until his fingers mingle with mine. "I think that''s what Grey did."


    What Grey did.


    Forgeing a radiant smile, I sped his hands and moved him away from the struggling garden. "Come on, let''s go to the city."


    He looked at me suspiciously. "This is your only weekend off a month, Cecilia. You know that if we go to town..."


    "I promise you I won''t train you, okay?" I looked at him beggingly.


    Laughing, he pulled me until his arm was draped on my shoulders, our fingers always intertwined. ¡°I should be washed and put on my city costume.¡±


    I leaned against him, smiling on his lips.


    Once we were both ready, it took us 20 minutes to walk to the station, where we could take a train to the activities district. We talked about where to eat and whether we could buy tickets for an old retro movie, or maybe even check the license office for a car or boat license, but it was just words in the air. We both knew that we could not afford anything other than travel by train and an economical dinner for two.


    Once we got into the maglev and took our seats, we''re silent. I guessed that Nico was sinking into a disturbing memory of the way his smile faded and how his unfocused eyes filled with sadness. I wanted to know what he was thinking, but I didn''t want to interrupt him. No, it wasn''t quite that. The truth is, I didn''t want to share this dark memory. I had my own share of these moments and memories, and sometimes the smells of blood and burnt flesh swallowed everything else. I felt cowardly, but I didn''t have the strength to shoulder part of Nico''s burden.


    Nevertheless, I shook his hand and put my head on his shoulder, so that he would be there when he came back.


    "How long have we been here?" he suddenly asked, his cheek leaning against the top of my head.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Here." He made a vague gesture around us. "This life. This world."


    "Nico, we were..." I walked away and put a leg on the seat so I could turn and face him. ¡°We are both born in this world. We have known each other since we were children at the orphanage. We have a lifetime of memories together..."


    He nodded his head with a distracted air, the attention always elsewhere. "I know. I remember everything, but I don''t feel like it happened to me. I hardly remember other things, like my childhood in crya, I broke through the evocation of the other world, but they still seem to me to be real. Here, I remember everything that happened before we bought the property and we were finally immersing ourselves together, the marriage, everything ... everything is so clear, but I have the impression ...¡±


    "Like a life that someone else lived," I ended up for him, passing my fingers through his ck hair.


    He nced at my expression, then lowered his eyes to his hands stirring on his knees. "I''d like to understand what happened. I remember the cave, Agana, ma..." He swallowed heavily and closed his eyes. His breath escaped in a tense shudder. "I''m dead, Cecil."


    "No," I said firmly, seizing his hands and drawing them on myp, forcing him to turn to me and look me in the eye. "And even if that were the case, it doesn''t matter. I''m dead too, remember? All that matters is that we are here, together. There is no Heritage, no fight to be king, no crushing weight of fate on our shoulders. We can just live. Together. Whatever Grey did, whatever he did it, he got rid of that fate and brought us here."


    A little sad smile blossomess on Nico''s serious face. "I don''t think it''s Grey. Well, maybe his power, but I don''t think he chose this life for us." In front of my empty gaze, he rolled his eyes. "It''s you. This life, this picture in which we have been ced with all these perfect memories, is exactly what you always wanted it to be. It can''t be a coincidence. It had to be you."


    "I don''t know..."


    Part of me knew that I had not lived through all the memories I had of this life. It was a new reincarnation, but instead of being ced in a ship ¨C a brand new body that would force us to take the ce of someone else. Grey had somehow ced us in our own lives, our own bodies. I had checked the previous events and confirmed that my duel with Grey had indeed taken ce and that this version of me had died at that time. This had not been written. His reign, the wars he had waged, his sudden and unexpected disappearance in this world, everything was as before.


    I did not understand him, but the power he had given us in existence as if we had always been there. We ended up where I had imagined: in a little hut on the banks of the river, normal people who were doing the best they could. No inheritance, no mana, no ki. We were just... ordinary.


    Perfect and ordinary.


    There was a ding, and the maglev began to slow down appreciably. I jumped, realizing that we had been sitting in silence for a long time. "I''m sorry, I..."


    "I know," said Nico, ving my leg as a sign of understanding.


    We went down the activity district and walked along several streets of the city, where we sat quietly in one of our favorite restaurants and enjoyed a simple but delicious meal ¨C and not burned. As we finished, mymunicator rang, informing me that someone was trying to reach me. I had done a madness by equipping myself with a mobilemunication device, but my work required me to do so.


    Looking at Nico with guilt, I pressed the button of the bracelet to answer the call.


    "Director, I''m really sorry to bother you," said my assistant immediately, Evie. She looked exhausted. ¡°There was apparently a problem with one of the bills, and two officials from the city office are here.¡±


    ¡°Dinner time, on a Saturday?¡± I asked in disbelief, without waiting for an answer. "Luckily, I''m already in town. I can be there in twenty minutes."


    Nico watched me carefully, the expression was carefully empty. He would not be upset by my inability to keep my promise, but I knew that he would mercilessly teasing me about it.


    ¡°Oh, thank you, Director,¡± said Evie, sighing relief. I heard her pass the information on to those responsible.


    ¡°At right.¡± I cut the call and I made Nico my most beautiful pout. "I''m sorry, it''s an official thing, I have to..."


    He raised a hand to warn the rest of my unnecessary apologies. "You know what I think of what you''re doing. These children--all the children of the orphanage--you''re-a-great-great-great-great-great-girl--you''s--you''s-a-great-get-get-get-get You''re the best manager they can hope for."


    ¡°Expecs Director Wilbeck,¡± we said at the same time. Weugh lightly again asking for the addition.

 Chapter v11ex1: Vol 11 Extra 1: Early Truth

    <h4>Chapter v11ex1: Vol 11 Extra 1: Early Truth</h4>


    A/N: In this extra chapter, Arthur purposefully explores an alternative possible timeline in which he meets Cecilia only shortly after she is reincarnated. The intent of this sequence was to show Arthur being more purposeful in his use and navigation of the keystone before gaining the ability to freely manipte it, as well as to help establish the experiences that led to Arthur¡¯s eventual decisions with Fate. While the events didn¡¯t end up fitting into the narrative of Volume 11, I think Patreon readers will still enjoy the look into both Arthur¡¯s and Cecilia¡¯s motivations, as they connect directly with the plotline¡¯s eventual conclusion.


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    From the cover of the trees, I watched Tessia pace back and forth through the sun-dappled de. Except she was no longer Tessia. Not really. Not now. Tess was there, buried beneath a freshly reincarnated and still confused Cecilia, but it was Cecilia who piloted Tessia¡¯s body as she meandered, head down, her lips moving constantly as if rehearsing something.


    The sequestered corner of the vige of Eidelholm seemed empty except for Cecilia, but she hadn¡¯t just been left alone in this precarious moment. When I arrived, I had found several emblem-bearing cryan mages on guard within the treeline. One of their bodies was growing cold not ten feet from my vantage point, and the others had all been dispatched simrly. More problematic was the vitriolic mana signature I could sense not far away. Despite my rushed passage through the Relictombs to reach this point before Aldir¡¯s iing attack, I was confident I could defeat Nico if necessary, but it would eat up valuable time and potentially cost me my chance to speak with Cecilia.


    It had taken several attempts to pass through the Relictombs in a way that allowed me to escape back into Dicathen with enough time to breach both the mystical fog of the Elshire forest and the spreading cryan influence. Due to the vortex effect that caught the momentum of my passage through the keystone¡¯s timeline, each life had to be lived at least somewhat inside each moment; I did not relish the idea of being forced to attempt it all again if this conversation went poorly.


    If only there was a better way to navigate this challenge, I thought for only a moment before redirecting my focus back to Cecilia. With how much I¡¯d already changed to reach this point, I couldn¡¯t afford to lose concentration, or I might forget my overall purpose again and slip away into this new life without aplishing my greater goal.


    Drawing in a steadying breath, I slipped out from beneath the shadows of the forest and walked into the open. Cecilia had her back to me as she paced toward the rear of a sprawling elven estate. Reaching the end of her circuitous route, she turned on her heel, took two steps, then came to a sudden halt as she saw me, her far-away gaze refocusing on me.


    This was not Cecilia as she had been when we fought within the empty ruins of Exeges¡¯s pce. In the present of this keystone-manifested timeline, she was freshly reincarnated, confused, and barely able to manage the new power she¡¯d been given. And yet, in a few hours, she will go toe-to-toe with an asura at Nico¡¯s side. It wasn¡¯t hatred or even eptance I saw reflected back at me in her gaze this time. Instead, I saw confusion and fear. And, perhaps, even a small spark of hope.


    ¡°Cecilia.¡± I said her name calmingly as one might speak to a frightened animal. ¡°My name is Arthur. I¡¯d like to talk.¡±


    Her eyes narrowed very slightly, and her hands raised to the level of her waist. Mana stirred around them. ¡°Arthur Leywin. I¡­know who you are. But¡­¡± She closed her eyes and turned her head away, a pained expression flickering across her features.


    I took a few tentative steps closer. ¡°You¡¯re experiencing the memories of the woman whose body you¡¯re inhabiting. Tessia Eralith.¡±


    Cecilia bared her teeth in a sour grimace, her eyes still closed. ¡°You were¡­promised to each other. Stop. Stop it!¡± Thesest words were sharp, almost pained, and seemed to be directed inward.


    ¡°She¡¯s fighting you.¡±


    ¡°She thought¡­you were dead¡­¡± Cecilia¡¯s eyes shed open, and she red at me. ¡°You¡¯re our enemy! You fought Nico.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more to it than that,¡± I replied, still keeping my voice soft and nonthreatening. ¡°You were reincarnated from another world, a ce called Earth. Nico was, too. And so was I.¡±


    She froze, going nk. ¡°What?¡±


    Relief washed over me at her obvious surprise. I knew that Agrona had used¡ªor rather, was currently using¡ªthe freshly reincarnated Cecilia to deliver a message to the elves as Tessia, and I had guessed that they would not have had time to start manipting her memories or poisoning her with Nico¡¯s hatred of me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how clear your memories of that previous life are, but I¡¯m hoping you will remember me.¡± I held my hands out to my sides, my palms facing her to show clearly that they were empty. ¡°In this world, I¡¯m Arthur Leywin. But during thest, I was called Grey.¡±


    Cecilia gasped, her own hands falling as the magic concentrated around them slipped away. ¡°G-Grey? But¡­how?¡±


    ¡°Agrona,¡± I said simply. ¡°Nico and I were the anchors for your own reincarnation. Our rtionship with Tessia forged her into your vessel.¡±


    Cecilia¡¯s mouth opened and her brows turned down sharply, but she didn¡¯t find whatever words she was searching for. After a moment her mouth closed again. She half turned and cast a look over her shoulder in the direction of Nico¡¯s mana signature.


    ¡°I don¡¯t bear you any ill will for what happened on Earth,¡± I said firmly, trying to draw her focus back to me. ¡°You took the only road you could see. I regret everything that happened, but we were both used by forces greater than us. And Cecilia, that¡¯s why I¡¯m here now. Because it¡¯s happening again.¡±


    Her gaze was slowly reeled back to me, suspicion seeping over her features. ¡°Tessia. Her mind is cloudy and distant, her thoughts incoherent. She had been silent until your arrival. She¡¯s¡­confused. In pain. You lied to her.¡±


    I inwardly flinched, although I tried to keep the tic from showing on my face. My purpose here didn¡¯t involve attempting to hash things out with Tessa. That would have to wait until I¡¯d solved the keystone and found a way to remove Cecilia from Tessia¡¯s body without killing Tess. But I hadn¡¯t anticipated Tessia interrupting this conversation or dragging it off course.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Tessia, both for the lie and that you found out this way,¡± I said, speaking through Cecilia to the half-wakeful mind beneath. ¡°But if you ever have held any love for me, then I need you to let me speak to Cecilia without interfering.¡±


    Cecilia¡¯s gaze turned downward, almost as if she were looking into herself. ¡°She¡¯s gone quiet. She¡­trusts you.¡± Her focus returned to me. ¡°What do you want, Grey? What do you mean, it¡¯s happening again?¡±


    Letting out a deep breath, I took a seat on arge rock at the edge of the de. ¡°How much do you know about Agrona and why you¡¯ve been reincarnated?¡±


    She hesitated. ¡°Nico has told me only that Agrona is our benefactor. He is giving us another chance at life in exchange for our help. Nico¡¯s lived for nearly two decades in this world already.¡±


    ¡°Why does he want you, specifically?¡± I asked, even though I already knew the answer.


    Cecilia¡¯s features twitched in distress. ¡°Because I¡¯m the Legacy.¡±


    I nodded, letting out a shallow sigh. ¡°Agrona is a master of mental maniption. He can even remove and rece your memories. He¡¯s already done it to Nico, and he¡¯s going to do it to you, too. What you went through on Earth will seem kind byparison.¡±


    Cecilia took a half step back, looking at me as if I¡¯d attacked her. ¡°Nico wouldn¡¯t do that to me. He knows what I went through, better than anyone.¡±


    I shook my head sadly. ¡°He¡¯s not the same person he was before. In part, that¡¯s because of Agrona¡¯s maniption. But he lived on after you killed yourself with my de, Cecilia. And all that time, he thought I¡¯d murdered you just to be king. That hatred festered inside him for the rest of his life. Then, after he was reincarnated, Agrona fed that rage, turning Nico into a weapon.¡±


    ¡°No that¡¯s¡­¡± Cecilia trailed off, again looking toward Nico¡¯s distant mana signature. ¡°Why are you here, Grey? Why are you telling me any of this?¡±


    I knew I was pushing it. But if I was going to get anything useful from Cecilia in this conversation, I needed her to be ready to tell me anything. ¡°If he hasn¡¯t already, Agrona is going to promise to send you and Nico back to Earth. Not into your old lives, but to any life you desire.¡± When I finally escaped the keystone, I would eventually have to face Cecilia. The truth was, though, that I didn¡¯t know how to defeat her without destroying Tessia. ¡°This promise is a lie. Agrona is using you, and he has no intention to reward either of you.¡±


    Her brows knit and her gaze sharpened. ¡°How could you possibly know any of this, Grey? You seem very well informed for one of Agrona¡¯s enemies.¡±


    ¡°I know quite a lot,¡± I admitted, meeting her eye. ¡°But I need to know more. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. I need your help. If you can tell me what I need to know, I will help you, too.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°What do you want, Cecilia?¡± I stood, taking a couple of tentative steps toward her. ¡°You¡¯ve been given a second chance at life. I was a king on Earth, but here, I was given what I really always wanted: a family. It may seem like a strange trade, but it¡¯s one I¡¯d dly make no matter how many times I relive this life. But what about you?¡±


    Cecilia ran a hand over her face, sagging slightly. She walked clumsily back a few steps and slumped onto a bench that rested against the back wall of the elvish estate. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Taking a chance, I cautiously closed the distance between us and went to a knee a few feet in front of her. ¡°I know you¡¯re already dealing with so much, and I¡¯m throwing a lot more at you. But I need to know this, Cecilia. If you could do anything with this new life, what would it be?¡±


    She considered for a long time, then finally said, ¡°Normal, Grey. I want to be¡­normal.¡±


    I remained silent, giving her room to continue speaking.


    ¡°I am not the Legacy. It may be a trait that I have, but it isn¡¯t me. I just wish¡­well, I wish that someone, somewhere, saw me as anything else.¡± Her frown shifted into a wry half-smile. ¡°I guess that¡¯s Nico.¡± The brief smile vanished, and she looked up through Tessia¡¯s gunmetal hair, which had fallen across her face, to pierce me with a viscous re. ¡°I will protect him, Grey. If you intend on fighting him, you¡¯ll have to fight me, too.¡±


    Eager to make myself as non-threatening as possible, I eased down onto both knees, then sat back on my heels and folded my hands in myp. ¡°I understand that. And so does Agrona. You may not believe this now, but I want to help you, Cecilia. You and Nico, and Tessia. But I don¡¯t understand enough about what he¡¯s done to you. Do you know anything that would help me release you from this prison?¡±


    Cecilia seemed to shrink into herself as she pressed her face into her hands. ¡°I¡¯m so confused, Grey. I don¡¯t¡­what¡¯s happening? I was dead. I remember it, the quiet darkness, the relief at the end of so much pain. But I¡¯d barely shut my eyes and then¡­white light and a broken heart. God she¡¯s in so much pain.¡±


    My jaw clenched until my teeth creaked as I imagined Tessia trapped inside her own body, bound and gagged by the runic tattoos running up Cecilia¡¯s arms to her neck. Limb by limb, I flexed my muscles until they hurt, then released the tension. Finally, my grinding teeth separated, and I let out a calm breath. ¡°How do I release you from each other?¡±


    Cecilia shook her head, her hair waving around her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Nico¡ª¡± She choked on his name and had to swallow before continuing. ¡°Nico said that she¡¯s¡­not really there. She¡¯s dead, and I¡¯m experiencing an echo of her memories. Agrona can calm them, even take them away if necessary.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± I said, careful to keep my voice soft. ¡°Nico may not know it, but he¡¯s only passing along Agrona¡¯s lies.¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡±


    Cecilia jumped to her feet, looking around for the source of the voice, but I stood more slowly. Nico had suppressed his mana signature as he approached, and with Realmheart still limited in this life-line, I wasn¡¯t sensitive enough to have noticed his approach. He was standing in the shadows of the trees, a ck silhouette within the gray.


    ¡°Nico, Cecilia.¡± I put an edge of warning into their names. ¡°Today, your speech will be interrupted by an attack from Epheotus. Two asuras. They will destroy all of Elenoir and everything you have built here. You will fight them, lose, and flee. I will find you again after. One month from today in Victorious City.¡±


    ¡°What bullshit,¡± Nico snapped, stepping out into the light of the de. ¡°You¡¯re a murderer, Grey. I wouldn¡¯t believe you if you told me the sky was blue and water wet. You were a fool toe up, and an even bigger fool if you think I¡¯m going to let you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Nico, he didn¡¯t murder me,¡± Cecilia interrupted, walking hurriedly past me to meet him.


    His re turned to her, but something trembled at his edges. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying. You¡¯re confused, Cecilia. I was there. I watched him¡ª¡±


    ¡°I do remember,¡± she insisted, again cutting him off. ¡°I goaded him into it, pushing him harder and harder, then let down my defenses at thest moment. It may have been his sword that struck the blow, but it was my doing.¡±


    Nico took a step back as if he¡¯d been struck, his already pale face going ghostly white. ¡°That can¡¯t be true, it¡­¡± He wrenched his gaze away from her tond on me. ¡°No, you killed her. I saw it with my own eyes!¡±


    ¡°Victorious City,¡± I said again. ¡°One month.¡±


    And then I turned and fled into the forest. I felt Nico start toe after me, but Cecilia intercepted him. When I felt like I was at a safe distance, I used the short-range tempus warp I had absconded with to teleport back to the nearest Relictombs gate, buried and broken in the heart of the Grand Mountains but now repaired by Aroa¡¯s Requiem. I had already considered Ellie, but I knew she escaped alive, and besides, this wasn¡¯t real anyway.


    With ast nce up at the rocky roof toward Elenoir, which would cease to exist within the hour, I stepped back into the Relictombs to begin the next phase of my n.


    ***


    Victorious City surged below me like an enormous ant hill that had just been kicked. Not only did it operate as a military center for the west coast of crya, with a constant stream of soldiers entering and exiting the city, its people were also preparing for the Victoriad. That was exactly why I chose this location: I didn¡¯t think it would be difficult for Nico and Cecilia to invent an excuse to be here on this day in particr.


    Technically, I couldn¡¯t know for sure they would arrive, but after my warning about the asuras was proved to be true, it was difficult to imagine them not.


    Giving off no mana signature of my own, it had been easy to move around crya unnoticed. From the vantage of a central belltower¡ªan ancient rm system that had long ago been reced by more efficient magical artifacts¡ªI would be able to sense their powerful mana signatures the moment they arrived.


    The early morning passed uneventfully, and I enjoyed a breakfast of fresh fruits. As I was spitting out the seed of thest one, Regis drifted through the tower floor in his wisp form. ¡°ric¡¯s people confirm that there hasn¡¯t been any hubbub among the local soldiers. They seem to have kept quiet about this meeting, whether they intend to be here or not.¡±


    I only nodded and tossed him a strip of dried wogart jerky, which he snapped out of the air. Silently, we resumed our watch.


    No more than twenty minutes passed before the air changed as two new, powerful signatures appeared in the city. They left the tempus warp tforms and moved purposefully away. I waited. They changed direction, then again, and I rxed. ¡°Go get them.¡±


    Regis melted away again, descending through the tower and rushing off on an intercept course for the two potent signatures.


    I did not have to wait long for them to return.


    Instead of navigating the streets and stairs, Nico and Cecilia flew over the rooftops. I stood at the edge of the belfry, waiting. They stopped fifteen or so feet out, hovering in the open air. Their expressions were difficult to read, but they immediately felt standoffish and wary.


    Regis returned just behind them, solidifying at my side. His hackles were up.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you survived Aldir and Windsom¡¯s attack,¡± I said, crossing my arms over my chest and giving them a stoic look.


    It was Nico who answered. ¡°What you said ended up being true. Both about the asura and about¡­Earth. So the real question now is, what do you want, Grey?¡±


    I had been thinking about this moment over and over for a month. I saw no benefit in drawing the conversation out or dancing around the subject. ¡°How can I convince you to leave Agrona?¡±


    They exchanged a subtle nce. ¡°Is that really why you¡¯ve gone to such great lengths to meet with us, not once but twice?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my only question, no.¡± The hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end, but I wasn¡¯t sure why. ¡°How did Cecilia¡¯s reincarnation work? Does Agrona know how it might be undone without killing either spirit housed inside the body? What is Agrona¡¯s true purpose for the Legacy?¡±


    I still didn¡¯t really know what kind of power Fate would provide me when I escaped the keystone, but I needed to figure out how I was going to deal with Cecilia and Nico¡ªwithout killing Tessia in the process.


    When they didn¡¯t reply, I directed my focus to Cecilia. She hadn¡¯t been in this world as long as Nico, and there had been less time for Agrona to corrupt her. ¡°I can¡¯t promise that I am able to fulfill all your wishes, but I can promise you both that Agrona will never follow through with his end of any bargain. As long as you¡¯re valuable to him, he¡¯ll keep you, and once you¡¯re no longer valuable, he¡¯ll cast you aside.¡±


    I grew frustrated as the pair continued to look at me without answering. It was almost impossible to see them as Elijah and Tessia now. Even though they wore the same faces, they were firmly Cecilia and Nico.


    That¡¯s when it clicked.


    I closed my eyes and let my head hang. ¡°A trap.¡±


    Suddenly the tower was plunging down into the ground, like a sword into soft flesh. My feet left the floor, and I mmed into the ceiling. Beside me, Regis yelped and became incorporeal before flying into my chest. I reached for God Step, but a wall of horrible noise pressed down on me, mming me into the still-moving floor hard enough to shatter it. The wretched, screeching squeal stole all sense from my skull.


    Distantly, I was aware of falling through the center of the belltower, then of a sudden stop and many tons of stone and soil copsing around me, crushing me. The squeal remained, like ss shards rubbing against each other inside my brain. My body struggled to heal, but much of it was crushed and many steel bars pierced me. I should have suffocated, but I couldn¡¯t escape the agony of breathing nothing but dirt.


    Fortunately, I remainedrgely insensate, and the worst of the pain was smothered by the spell that was simultaneously drowning my ability to think clearly. It took time, but my conscious mind began to pull itself through the noise. I knew this because the pain grew stronger as I grew more aware.


    The weight on top of me shifted, and I came back to myself just in time to watch half of the belfry roof be lifted away, floating up into the air.


    Agrona floated in the gap that was left behind, made visible by a glowing star that orbited Cecilia. He looked strangely out of ce in his finery amidst the tower wreckage deep beneath Victorious City.


    He was shaking his head. ¡°Bold, Arthur. Too bold. A sad ending to our game.¡± He nced at Nico and Cecilia. ¡°They¡¯re mine. Did you really expect to win them over so easily?¡± He waved a hand, and the wreckage of my body floated up from the crater. Pain wracked every sinew, every joint, every limb and organ. ¡°Well, your story isn¡¯t written yet. There is still much we can learn from your body.¡±


    I closed my eyes and let out a genuinely amusedugh. The sound was cut off as I began coughing up blood. ¡°Indeed. I am¡­interested to see what else we can learn. Together.¡±

 Chapter v11ex2: Vol 11 Extra 2: A Brief Repit

    <h4>Chapter v11ex2: Vol 11 Extra 2: A Brief Repit</h4>


    Extra 2 ¨C A Brief Repit


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    Repressed memories of another uncertain and drifting life have invaded me, homogenizing with many previous lives in a confused cloud of half-experience.


    As I floated in the aftermath of this life, my mind haunting my own child''s body as the ghost of an old and restless spirit, I recognized him for the first time: I was tired.


    The keystone punished me in a way that I could not have anticipated. Like a candle that falters in the face of a strong opposite wind, I was in danger of turning off. I knew it, but I couldn''t do anything about it. I had no opportunity to back down, or give up. But with every life, the possibility of failure was bing more and more real.


    The life of the infant rushed as Inguished in this post-mortem cloud. I allowed the memories of my decisions to float, without taking the time to dissect myst attempt to resolve the key as I had done for the previous time. There was a new collection of puzzle pieces that had to fit in one way or another together, but my very human consciousness was tired, and my little infant brain wanted to do nothing but eat, sleep and be clean.


    Suddenly, I was a young child again. How many times now? I asked myself, briefly, without seeding, to align all the lives of the keystone in order, each version of me resembling a little toy man ced on a shelf.


    The young voracious version of me was already devouring the library books in my parents'' office and was beginning to umte mana towards my sternum. It was enough for me to blink for the house to be destroyed when I woke up and so that everything started again.


    By sinkingpletely into my body, I took possession of myself and stopped. I couldn''t deal with all this again, not yet. I needed to rest. There was time... it took time.


    Standing on my chubby and slightly arcuate legs, I gave up meditation to... y with cubes in my room. They weren''t painted in color like the ones we had for the youngest children in the orphanage, but they were expertly carved to form small brick patterns, and I quickly arranged them to form a coarse wall. I indulged in the grey matter of my physical form as a child, and the instinct of a toddler took over. I started ying, effortlessly and without worry.


    The day when I should have formed my nucleus and awakened, and Arthur Leywin''s worries, Lance and Regent of all Dicathen, were overwhelmed by the desires of a toddler who quickly became a boy. Sometimes I had annoying echoes of memories, like my fourth birthday, when I suddenly thought we should have moved to Xyrus, but they fainted as fast as they hade. After a while, I no longer knew whether they were real or whether they were just half-forgotten little dreams.


    I was approaching my thirteenth birthday when I first spoke about these strange memories of my father.


    He stopped to ramble the rushes and looked at me with a pensive air. ¡°Few people believe it today, but some ancients still speak of ancient customs. People thought their minds were reborn in a new body when they died. Reincarnation, I think they called it that way. One of the things they were based on was that kind of memories. You know, memories that don''t seem to be yours." With a shrug of his shoulders, he returned to raking, pulling the old rods towards the door.


    I pushed my own little pile of dirty rushes on the floor without really cleaning anything, my mind being absolutely not upied with this task. "But sometimes, I remember... the magic."


    Dad froze. I stared at him from the corner of my eye, and his face passed by several expressions one after the other. The surprise was quickly overshadowed by the pain, which melted into disappointment before finally being covered with a painful smile. "I don''t think that''s so strange, Art. All children dream of doing magic."


    He sighed and pressed his rake against the wall. I did the same and dropped myself against him. He hugged me and mp me against him.


    "I''m sorry," I muttered into the rough cloth of his shirt.


    "What?" he asked, caught off guard. ¡°Why?¡±


    "I know you''re disappointed that I didn''t wake up." I tried to keep a stable voice talking, copying the tone he used when he and Mom were arguing, but he didn''t want to feel like it was.


    He clenched and the embrace became troublesome. Slowly, he released me, then ced one hand on each side of my head and forced me to look it in the eye. "Listen to me, Art. You don''t disappoint me. No," he added quickly when I tried to look away, unable to believe it. ¡°Listen. I''m sorry if I gave you that impression. He interrupted and let go of me, struggling to keep his calm.


    His jaw contracted as he picked up his rake and began cleaning the ground again. After a few seconds of hesitation, I followed his example.


    "You have done nothing wrong, Art," he continued, the grater of his voice fading. "If I seemed disappointed, it''s not because of you. I... I wanted so much that you were a wise, and maybe I''m disappointed with the situation, but never by you. I know you may not see the nuance now, but it''s important that you try. I don''t want you to grow up thinking you''ve disappointed me. On the contrary..." He interrupted himself to raking arge pile of rushes and went aside so that I could do the same.


    "I''m afraid it was I who disappointed you," he ended by looking at me with watery eyes.


    I wanted to tell him that he had not disappointed me, that I loved him, nor was it his fault. But I couldn''t find the words.


    He scraped his throat. "Hey, what do we do to melt? Your mother and sister will onlye back from the market in a few hours. Why not put down these rakes and fetch the training swords?" His face became lighter, unknowingly, if it was a real excitement or a mere false aspy. ¡°We can finish the chorester.¡±


    I didn''t really want to, but I still gotten acquiesced, knowing that he was just trying to help. Dad put an arm around my shoulders to hug me, and then gave me an elbow so that I could get past the front door. By the time I came back with the two training des in my hand, I was already rxing, leaving behind the dark thoughts of strange memories and magic to focus on the feeling of the leather-wrapped handle in my hands. When I put his sword back on dad and settled in the center of the courtyard to make us more flexible, I had almost forgotten the whole exchange.


    I wasn''t afraid to admit that I was good at a lot of things. Almost everything I was trying, actually. I might not have been able to form a nucleus, but I was doing pretty much everything very naturally. Sword fighting was no exception.


    Dad had started training very early, and it was so natural for me that I was constantly surprised with my technique. It''s at least what he liked to tell me. I didn''t remember everything that had happened when I was four or five years old, but I knew I had always felt veryfortable when we were training, especially with swords. It was as if everything else was going in the background and I could focus on what I was doing.


    As I leaned over, I caught my father, looking at me pensively, with eyebrows frowning by concentration. He looked away as soon as I looked at him, and I understood that he was still thinking about the conversation. "I shouldn''t have talked about it," I thought, reprimanding. I knew that dad tended to think too much and be emotional. I had to support him. I was no longer a little child running after his parents whenever things seemed difficult. I was almost a man.


    I stood upright and made the sword spin in light wood. "Are you ready, old man?"


    Dadughed, surprised, and turned his foot, bringing back the tip of his sword so that it was directed towards my face. "I''m always ready to give you a beat, little one."


    As I smiled, I pretended a forward slit that turned into a push under his care. He moved his hands slightly, cing his de in a better defensive position. Leaving my right foot, I moved abruptly to the left and took a quick shot to his thigh instead. He changed his attitude, retreated his right foot to avoid the blow, and shot his gun on my shoulder.


    I fell into a front roll, quickly inverting my grip on the training sword in order to tighten it tightly against my body. Despite the speed of this maneuver, dad had already turned and was rushing when I was back on my feet. I was younger and faster than he was, but he had much more training and the benefit of mana improving his speed and strength.


    ¡°Experience always prevails over young people,¡± he said with a smile beforeunching a series of quick moves.


    I blocked them all to thest. Feeling the end of his burst, I dived under thest blow and pushed my de into the ground between his feet. Deceiving in the direction of the attack, he tried to retreat and stumbled over the de. His eyes widened and he struggled hriously as he lost his bnce and began to fall back.


    I rushed forward to carry the ¡°dead¡± blow, but the ground moved, sneaking under my feet. I copsed, my de escaping from my hands as I tried to catch up on the ground. "Tricher," I shouted as I fell.


    The sweet grass cushioned my painless fall, but the blow that followed against my shoulder des hurt me as a dog. "Gah." I drove away from dad trembling withughter on the floor, his training de held softly in his hand. "No mana maniption in training," Iined, trying to get my hand behind me to rub my shoulders. I knew the blow was going to leave a painful mark.


    ''I had to answer your invitation,'' he said nonchntly, putting himself on the side and supporting his head with one hand. "That was clever. I waspletely destabilised."


    "You think I''m good enough to be an adventurer even without mana?" I asked casually. "Where could I ever be one day? I have heard from other boys that the younger members of the adventurer''s guild are my age or less.¡±


    Dad got up and held out my hand. I took it and he trained me after him. ¡°This is not unusual. Non-Mai mas adventurers, I mean. But it''s pretty rare, and they never rise higher than the first rank or the first two. The thing is, mana beasts are much more dangerous than you think. l?ght\n§àvel\c§Ñve~c`§à/m. Entering a dungeon without mana improving your senses or creating a barrier around you is practically a death sentence."


    In front of my mine, Dad hastened to add, "But the magi represent only a small percent of the Fir poption. There is simply not enough wizards to fill all guard posts or form an entire army. There are even tournaments for non-mage fighters. You''re good, Art." He brushed the dirt of his trousers. "Too good, maybe," he added with a smile. "But you''re so smart. Many of the best scientists and inventors that exist are non-mages. I have no doubt that whatever you do, you will be the best in your field."


    I rubbed my neck and tried to hide my smile. "Thank you, Dad, I."


    "If you keep working," he said, winking. "Now, let''s go. Enough warm-up. Let''s see what you really know how to do, Art."


    With the same smiles, we put ourselves back in position before exploding again in a series of strikes, parades, skies, and quick counter-attacks. One hour or more has psed in intense blurring. The fight ended only when my father suddenly lowered his guard and stiffened in the middle of the exchange, which caused him a violent blow to his forearm.


    He grinned, dropped his training sword, and rubbed the spot, while addressing a painful smile to mom ascending the alley, frowning. "Uh, darling. Your visit to the market was quick today.¡±


    She passed him in his eyes to the front door, where one could clearly see a pile of dirty rushes and two rakes. "You say that every time, Reynolds."


    Next to Mom, Eleonore pretends to roll her eyes. "Yes, Dad. Every time."


    I hid a smile behind my hand as Dad rushed towards Mom, kiss her quickly and took the big basket full of basic necessities she wore. He tried to walk on the back of Ellie''s shoe, pulling him halfway through his foot, and then cast an innocent nce at my wide-eyed eyes that made me cheer with embarrassment in the face of his stupidity.


    "Beautiful shot, Arthur," said Mom, continuing to pass in front of the house. "Your father will beg me to treat the blueter, I promise."


    Ellieughed loudly, turning around and pointing her finger pointing.


    "I won''t do it." Dad defended himself, the air was upset. ¡°I am an adventurer and a mage, not a baby who needs to be kissed him bobos.¡±


    Ellie is shundering. "I don''t know, Dad. Are you sure? Say ''goo-goo gah-gah'' just to be sure."


    Mom smiled and winked at me, then she straddled the heap of dry, fibrous grass into the house. Ellie straddled her, grabbed a rake, and started removing the scrub from the doorway to let dad pass.


    Facing the door, Mom turned around and looked at me, a little fold between her eyebrows. "Are youing back, Art?"


    I realized that I had looked at mom, Dad and Ellie, all three gathered around the door of our house. A distant memory resurfaced, and I saw my father''s body lying on the ground, torn like a beast and covered with blood. Then it was Ellie, a red spear piercing her body. And finally, mom... my mother, looking at me with a shocked air that turned into furious unbelief.


    ¡°My brother?¡±


    I shook my head and the vision became clearer. I saw my parents and sister, who were all looking at me with family anxiety. This vision left me a ball in my throat, and I suddenly wondered if I had not been hit harder than I thought when I had been in a sh with dad.


    "I''m here. It''s just that..." I had to take a break to clear my throat. "I''ming.¡±

 Chapter 483: What Was Lost

    <h4>Chapter 483: What Was Lost</h4>


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    ¡°Hello, Arthur.¡±


    The voice drifted to me through a haze¡ªdistant and ethereal, but familiar. I was drowsing, nestled deep within a cozy nket of thoughtless fatigue. There was something exciting about the familiar voice, but that alone wasn¡¯t enough to draw me out of my metaphorical nest. As this thought pierced the fog of my sleep, it set a spark to something else, and a burning idea radiated through the fugue.


    This fatigue felt wrong. Unnatural, even. Like the sleep had sunk its ws into me and wouldn¡¯t let me go.


    Aether bloomed from my core in response to my jolt of difort, and the fog boiled away. I sat up suddenly and looked around, half in a panic with no memory of how I¡¯d reached my current location. I was surrounded by bright white stone, molded smoothly into curves and arches.


    ¡°Peace, Arthur, peace.¡±


    Turning away from the unusual architecture of the building around me, I instead focused on the elderly woman sitting by my bed. Her wrinkles deepened as she gave me a warm smile, and for a moment, I was fifteen years old again. The panic eased almost as quickly as it hade. I was in bed. Regis, in his puppy form, was lying on top of the nket at my feet, sleeping deeply. I was safe.


    ¡°Lady Myre. It¡¯s been a long time¡­¡±


    ¡°To me, it seems as if only a short time has passed,¡± she answered simply.


    I considered the difference in our perspectives and wondered at the validity of my own reckoning of time. After all, how much time had passed in the keystone? How many lives had I lived between myst meeting with Myre? By one interpretation, it had been an eternity. From another, though, it was only a few short years. For the first time, I truly glimpsed the alien perspective of asura like Kezess and Agrona, and thought I understood just a little of how they see the passage of time.


    ¡°Where am I?¡±


    ¡°Epheotus,¡± she said. Her eyes flicked to one of the arched windows, and my own gaze followed hers. ¡°More specifically, you¡¯re in the town of Everburn.¡±


    Through the arched window, I could see the buildings across the street. The walls were clean, smooth, white or cream stone that arched up to roofs tiled in turquoise and cyan. Arched windows, mirrors of the one I was looking out of, dotted the fronts, but I could make out little of what was behind them. As I examined the buildings, a mossy green-haired asura strode by, his brows knit in concentration, his mouth moving as he talked under his breath, apparently to himself.


    Behind the buildings, the shadow of a massive, distant mountain, little more than a blue silhouette against a blue sky, towered over the city. The mountain had a distinctive split shape.


    ¡°One of several dragon towns in the shadow of Mount Geolus, yes,¡± Myre continued. ¡°I thought this would be morefortable, for your family. Than the castle, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Where are Ellie and my mother?¡±


    Although the grandmotherly smile never left her face, Myre¡¯s gaze was intense and watchful. I couldn¡¯t help the feeling that she was reading me like a book. ¡°I felt you waking and sent them on a short errand. Forgive me, Arthur, but I wanted a moment to speak to you alone.¡±


    Frowning, I eased myself up into a sitting position and swung my legs off the bed. I was dressed in silken nightclothes that I didn¡¯t recognize, their glossy white contrasting against the deep-forest green of the bedsheets. ¡°Speak to me? As a guest, or as a prisoner?¡±


    ¡°Do not forget that you yourself requested Windsom bring your family to Epheotus,¡± she answered, but her tone remained gentle. ¡°You are, as before, my very wee guest, Arthur.¡±


    I mulled this over as the shattered fragments of my memory continued to slot themselves back into ce. ¡°Agrona?¡±


    Myre nodded, her silver-gray hair bobbing around her face. ¡°Imprisoned within Castle Indrath. He and his kinsman, Oludari Vritra, both. But¡­¡±


    Her hesitance and her nervous expression made my stomach twist. ¡°What is it, Myre?¡±


    ncing out the window toward Mount Geolus, she leaned forward slightly. ¡°Agrona is mute. Even Kezess has been unsessful in driving Agrona to speak. Even his thoughts are shrouded, if there are any. But he feels¡­wrong. Empty. Arthur, I need to know what happened in that cave.¡±


    I quickly considered what Kezess might already know. Have they been able to take anything from my mind without my knowledge? I wondered darkly. As much as I wanted to trust Myre, I couldn¡¯t trust Kezess, and she was his wife. They had appeared together in the cave, right before I fell unconscious, and she could be operating on his behalf at that very moment.


    Carefully activating King¡¯s Gambit, I split my mind into multiple branches, each one focusing on a differentyer of truth, potential truth, and outright lie. Aloud, I said, ¡°Using a power the ancient djinn called Fate, an aspect of aether, I was able to destroy the Legacy¡¯s potential by separating it from both the reincarnated version of Cecilia, my old friend from Earth, and from Agrona himself, making it impossible for him to ever utilize its power for himself. There was some kind of¡­shockwave from the act. Perhaps it did something to his mind.¡±


    Again, that piercing look. ¡°You have learned to control this¡­Fate, then?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said, letting my eyes fall and my voice fill with regret. The disparate branches of my thoughts wereyered over one another, all thinking the same thing. ¡°It was not something I could use, only¡­influence. And even then, only in the moments after I¡¯d solved the keystone. The power is not something that can be controlled.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if I spoke the truth or not, really, but I kept the thread of that thought buried beneath several others. With the aspect of Fate¡¯s presence and assistance, I had been able to directly alter those threads in a way I didn¡¯t fully understand, but there had been no time to examine my agreement with Fate or the keystone¡¯s aftermath. I didn¡¯t yet know what those events may have unlocked within me. My only concern right now was that Kezess not learn everything I knew¡ªneither about Fate nor about the dragons¡¯ repeated genocides.


    ¡°Ah, well, perhaps that is for the best,¡± Myre said, giving no outward indication that she doubted what I said or even that she could read the several interwoven branches of my thoughts. ¡°Such things are better not tampered with.¡± With a little shake of her head, she refocused on me, and her smile returned. ¡°You¡¯ll be wanting to know more about what¡¯s happened, of course. All the dragons have been recalled to Epheotus, and the rift has been closed again. Whatever Agrona hoped to aplish by taking it over, he has failed.¡±


    I frowned, focusing on one small detail. ¡°My understanding was that Epheotus would die if the rift was closed.¡±


    ¡°The connection remains,¡± Myre exined patiently, ¡°but the portal is shut. It would take aetheric knowledge beyond any yet alive¡ªeven you, Arthur¡ªto cut the tether that binds Epheotus to your world.¡±


    Which is what the rebel djinn hoped to use Fate to aplish. I¡¯d seen the possibility in my own searching, with Fate at my side, through potential futures. But to do so would be an act of genocide just as horrible as what the dragons themselves had done. Perhaps I would if there was no other way to prevent Kezess from repeating history, but even then I didn¡¯t know if I could condemn all of asuran-kind to slowly waste away as Epheotus dissolved around them.


    ¡°I see,¡± I said after a moment, releasing King¡¯s Gambit. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t stay long, then. I don¡¯t mean to be rude, Lady Myre, but I¡¯d like to speak to my family.¡±


    She waved away my words yfully. ¡°No rudeness in that, Arthur.¡± Her tone quickly hardened, bing more serious. ¡°You¡¯ve been through an incredibly trying experience. I can still feel the shattered echoes of so many false memories crashing around inside your mind. Take some time to rest and speak with your loved ones. You are wee here as long as you need. You have done both our worlds an indescribably incredible service by ending Agrona¡¯s long rebellion.¡±


    She stood just as I heard Ellie¡¯s and Mom¡¯s voices from outside. ¡°I will leave you to your family. I¡¯m sure you have much to tell each other.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said, another memory finally slotting into ce. ¡°What about Tessia?¡±


    Myre gave me a knowing smile. ¡°Not to worry, she is here. She will wake soon, I imagine. You both had to recover.¡±


    As she turned away, it was as if a veil was lifted from behind my eyes. My mind touched both Regis¡¯s and Sylvie¡¯s, my thoughts entwining with their own.


    ¡®Arthur, you¡¯re awake!¡¯ Sylvie thought, surprise rippling outward through the threads of our mental connection. ¡®I didn¡¯t sense you beginning to stir.¡¯


    Regis¡¯s head lifted off the nket and he turned to look blearily up at me. ¡®About time, Sleeping Beauty,¡¯ he said, his thoughts thick with fatigue. He had exhausted all his aether giving it to me, after I burned it up searching the future with Fate, King¡¯s Gambit, and the power of thest keystone¡­


    Outside of my room, Myre directed my sister and mother to me. The curtain that had just parted to allow Myre through was thrown wide open again as Ellie ran into the room, her eyes wide and mouth agape. Seeing me already sitting up, she started forward as if she might throw herself at me, then hesitated. Her smile flickered, strained by worry. Finally, she stepped forward and bent down to give me a gentle hug.


    I epted the embrace gratefully, d to see her uninjured by the trials she must have endured in my absence. Uninjured, but not unaffected. Behind her, Mom lingered in the doorway, one hand holding back the curtain. ¡°Windsom upheld his end of the bargain, then? And you¡¯ve been treated well?¡±


    Ellie pulled back, crossing her arms and looking stern. ¡°Actually, we¡ª¡±


    ¡°We have been very well treated here,¡± Mother said quickly, cutting across Ellie. My sister shot her a look, which Mom answered. I couldn¡¯t read exactly what nonverbal cue passed between them, but it was clear they were holding something back. ¡°It¡¯s astounding, Arthur. Like a whole new world.¡±


    I sat up straighter, feeling suddenly awkward in my silk night clothes in this strange bedroom. ¡°I saw some of the cryan attacks from within the keystone. I¡ª¡± An influx of tangled memories stole the words from my lips as they washed over me in waves. I remembered Varay, lying unmoving at the center of a sted battlefield. I remembered the cryans copsing in their jail cells. But there were other memories too, muddled with time, distance, and a kind of unreality. In them, I saw the aftermath of things that hadn¡¯t happened yet, or might not happen at all.


    Sylvie¡¯s presence gripped me like two strong hands on either side of my face, forcing my attention forward. ¡®Breathe, Arthur. We¡¯re here to support you. You don¡¯t have to carry the entire load by yourself.¡¯


    Leaning into her presence within my mind, I shifted some of the weight to her. Regis stood up on shaky legs, a frown on his puppy-ish face. Together, my twopanions leaned into it, but the sudden smothering presence of the waves only intensified. Like a drowning man, I was dragging them down with me.


    ¡°Arthur?¡± Mother had taken a step forward, but her face was a blur, her expression nothing but a smudged shadow across her face.


    Without conscious intention, aether released from my core and filled my limbs, attempting to buttress me against the mental weight of so many lifetimes of memory unfolding through my consciousness all at once. Regis stumbled forward, dematerialized, and drifted into my body, anchoring himself within me. More distantly, I felt Sylvie gasp against the force of so much raw memory.


    Realizing that King¡¯s Gambit had been helping me hold back the tide, I reactivated it fully. I saw myself reflected in my mother¡¯s shining eyes, the crown of light glowing atop my wheat-blond hair. My consciousness split, then split again, fracturing so that everypeting thought and memory was supported by its own branch of focused awareness.


    Before me, Mom and Ellie exchanged a nce. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ellie asked, her tone thick with worry and an undercurrent of disappointment. Her narrowed eyes flicked repeatedly to the glowing crown.


    I had used King¡¯s Gambit extensively in the leadup to attempting the fourth keystone. Although I had learned to partially activate the godrune, resulting in a heightening of my faculties without the full manifestation of a golden glowing crown on my brow, I couldn¡¯t possibly fail to notice the change in her behavior while I was nning with the godrune¡¯s help.


    There were many possible reasons for Ellie¡¯s antipathy toward King¡¯s Gambit, but the most likely was that she didn¡¯t like the change I underwent while channeling the godrune. Although it allowed me to split my mind and think several ovepping thoughts at once, drastically increasing the speed of my cognition, it also necessitated a more purely logical view of events, shedding the trappings of emotional response. l?ght\n§àvel\c§Ñve~c`§à/m. It was only natural that my sister, a person with whom I had argely emotional rtionship, would find this unptable.


    As this thought was flitting down one branch, my mother came into focus on another. Instead of worried or hesitant like Ellie, the shadows around her eyes, deepening of her wrinkles, sallowness of her skin, and sagging posture suggested nothing so much as exhaustion bordering on debilitation. The events leading up to and uring during my absence had drained her thoroughly. She had softened for just a moment, rxing for the first time in what must have been weeks, but that had quickly metabolized into a newyer of fatigue when I was struck by the sudden influx of keystone-born memories.


    My mother wanted nothing more than for me to be present, to be strong, and lift some of the burden of worry from her.


    Running in parallel with these thoughts were branches of focus that processed andpartmentalized all the memories of my many different lifetimes lived inside the keystone. But the lifetimes made up only a small percent of the memories, and my final efforts were to convince the conscious aspect of Fate that there was another way forward besides fully rupturing the aetheric realm and allowing the concentrated aether there to incorporate into the physical world in an explosion that would destroy Dicathen, cryan, and Epheotus.


    The timelines and futures I had seen were nearly without count. The keystone¡¯s ability to simte alternative realities, whenbined with King¡¯s Gambit and the presence of Fate, had acted like a near-infinite kaleidoscope, with each fractal pattern an entire reality and sequence of events through which I had simultaneously searched for the solution both to my own problem and Fate¡¯s. Thetter, it had turned out, was the simpler of the two to figure out, while even my¡ªat that moment¡ªnear-infinite resources had only revealed the start of the path I needed to take, not the resolution I had sought.


    Entropy. In the background, I was still dissecting the idea. An unnatural pressure building behind the veil of our known dimension, like water behind a dam.


    Fate, it had turned out, was neither the builder of the dam, wanting to obstruct its flow, nor the water itself, only flowing as its bounds demanded. No, it was closer to a conscious embodiment of the natural sciences and their expectations. An arbiter of thews of magic and science. Where water can¡¯t feel the desire to move beyond the dam and cares nothing for the banks of the river, Fate¡ªand by extension, all of aether¡ªfelt the urge to flow. More urately, aether was the dissipating fog, the particles of moisture forming the fog spreading out until you could no longer see them. It¡ª


    ¡°Arthur?¡± Mom repeated.


    I smiled, fully aware of the expression¡¯s mechanical appearance. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m d you¡¯re both well. When I see Windsom, I¡¯ll give him a piece of my mind.¡± Focusing on Ellie, I added, ¡°And don¡¯t worry about that old djinn seeing relic. I¡¯m certain it can be repaired.¡±


    The two exchanged that look again. I eased back on King¡¯s Gambit until I felt the crown fade. With the influx of memories processed, I no longer needed the full effect of the godrune. I didn¡¯tpletely stem the flow of mana into it again, however, recognizing that it had been a mistake to do so the first time. Instead, I allowed a constant trickle of aether to keep the rune activated and support my sluggish mind with additional threads to process everything that was happening.


    Mom stepped forward and lightly pressed one hand on my cheek. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you, Arthur. You did it. You saved the world.¡±


    In my mind¡¯s eye, I saw the dragons destroying civilization after civilization, resetting the world again and again. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s true. Not yet, anyway. But I¡¯m not done fighting.¡±


    Ellie grinned suddenly, bouncing on the balls of her feet. ¡°And you saved Tess! I always knew you¡¯de back, but I couldn¡¯t believe it when the dragons brought you and Sylvie and Tessia here!¡±


    The branch of my thoughts considering Tessia and what had happened to her moved to the forefront of my consciousness. ¡°Where is she?¡±


    Ellie faltered at the seriousness of my tone but gestured back through the curtain closing off this room.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see her.¡± Not waiting for a response, I stood and strode past Mom and Ellie, pushing aside the curtain and moving through the door in a single motion.


    Therge living area beyond was airy and full of light. The tall, curved ceilings and arched doors and windows were distinct from any architectural style I¡¯d seen utilized in Dicathen or crya. The walls were of a smooth white stone that was unmarked by tools. Blues, greens, and yellows stood out against the white in the forms of rugs, wall hangings, bright crystals that shed light into the darker corners, and blooming flowers that filled the space not only with color but also a bouquet of sweet smells.


    Sensing Tessia¡¯s mana signature shining brightly from her now white stage core, I navigated around a small table that had been grown from a single piece of wood toward another room, also divided from the rest of the house by a curtain. Pausing for a heartbeat before pushing the curtain aside, I considered just what Tessia would be facing when she finally woke.


    She¡¯d been a prisoner in her own body since before the destruction of Elenoir. She¡¯d watched Cecilia be a weapon for Agrona, helpless to intervene. She¡¯d learned the truth about me and my past life, but also had certainly been subjected to all kinds of lies as well. As much as I was still conflicted about what any kind of rtionship might look like, what would Tessia feel?


    The memory of our exchange at the Wall had been reying in the background of my thoughts on repeat.


    ¡°I love you.¡± Even now, I almost couldn¡¯t believe I¡¯d told her. It was soplicated, with my previous life memories still a secret, and the fear that she would react like my parents, or even worse, was potent.


    ¡°I love you too, idiot. But we¡¯re at war. We both have responsibilities, and people that need us.¡± Her voice had been a solemn whisper and her eyes full of tears, but her lips had twitched with an uncertain smile as we teased each other to break the tension.


    I know. And I have things I want to tell you, so how about we make a promise?¡±


    ¡°What sort of promise?¡±


    ¡°A promise to stay alive¡ªso that we can have a future together, a rtionship¡­ a family.¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    It seemed unbelievable to me now that I¡¯d been brave and hopeful enough to make such a promise. I had experienced so much since then, had so many close calls, seen the truth of power in this world¡­


    Now, it felt like a fool''s promise. Desperate and blind and wild with hope.


    My hand pressed into the glossy fabric of the curtain, pushing it aside.


    In a small room nearly identical to the one I¡¯d woken up in, Tessy in a simr bed with the same thick, emerald-green nkets, although hers had been half kicked off. She was dressed simrly as well, in silky night clothes of white fabric embroidered with green vines, so perfect for her that I suddenly wondered if Myre had ordered them be made just for Tessia.


    As I took a step into the room, she stirred slightly. Her gunmetal hair pooled on the pillow around her, and for an instant the image of her that I could see was oveid with another picture of her, from another life, when we had only just been married andy in our marital bed together for the first time¡­


    Not real, I reminded myself as blood stained the memory.


    I took a second step, and she opened her eyes. I sank into those ssy teal orbs, moving as if in a dream to the edge of her bed. My fingers brushed the surface of her nket but didn¡¯t touch her. My tongue seemed to grow several times over inside my mouth. I realized distantly that I had forgotten to keep channeling aether into King¡¯s Gambit.


    Ellie was beside me then, bending over and crushing Tessia in a fierce hug. ¡°Tess!¡± she eximed.


    ¡°E-Ellie?¡± Over Ellie¡¯s shoulder, I could see Tess staring around in wonder and confusion. ¡°W-what happened? Where am¡ªsky above!¡± She released Ellie and raised her hands behind my sister, staring at her outstretched fingers. ¡°My body! I¡¯m in control of my body!¡±


    Ellie choked down a sob as she backed off, one hand over her mouth. Mom rested a hand on her shoulder, exerting a light pressure. ¡°Eleanor, we should give them some time.¡±


    Ellie¡¯s mouth opened but no words came out. After a couple of seconds like that, she just nodded and turned away. Mom gave me a look that was half plea, half warning, smiled at Tessia, and then backed out of the room after my sister.


    ¡°Arthur¡­¡± Tessia breathed, scooching to sit up with her back against the headboard. ¡°Of course. Forgive me, I remember now. We¡­we were saying goodbye. I thought¡­¡± She swallowed heavily and looked down at her sped hands.


    ¡°I was never going to let that happen,¡± I assured her. The words felt hollow as I spoke them, framed against the backdrop of my multiple battles against Cecilia and my waffling about what to do with the Legacy. It seemed certain that Tessia would have understood my struggle¡­and my failings.


    The ghost of a smile flickered over her features. She was pale, especially around her lips, and a mncholyt had settled into her resting expression that I didn¡¯t remember. Otherwise, she was exactly how I still pictured her in my mind: strong, beautiful, and regal. Although I didn¡¯t mean to, I nced at her neck, aware of the absence of the cord that should have carried her half of the leaf-heart pendant. My hand rose to my chest, where my own should have rested, but I had lost it in Telmore City after the battle against Nico and Cadell.


    She seemed to understand. ¡°It really was beautiful. The pendant, I mean. Well, the moment. The promise. It was all beautiful. Not the way I had thought it all would go, of course. Not then, and certainly not after, but¡­at least we had that. It was real.¡±


    ¡°It was,¡± I assured her. My gaze was fixed on the ground. Suddenly I felt her hand grasping for my own. Her fingers entwined within mine. Slowly, I turned to look at her. ¡°I meant everything I said then.¡±


    She was staring at our entwined fingers. Her jaw was tense, her eyes searching, her lips pressed tightly together. It wasn¡¯t the look of someone seeking sce or physicalfort in touch. No, it felt more like she was holding me like an anchor.


    ¡°At least I finally understand why you could never reciprocate my affections when we were younger.¡± The ghost of a smile returned. ¡°To me, you were this¡­mystical, beautiful fascination. I was infatuated with you before we even made it to Zestier. Having you living there in our home with us¡ªwith me¡ªfelt like something out of a fairy story.¡± The line of her gaze slowly drifted up my arm, neck, lips, to finally settle on my own eyes. ¡°But to you¡­I was just a kid. A silly little girl.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t tell you,¡± I said quickly, holding eye contact. ¡°I never wanted to lie to you, I just couldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she said into the lingering silence after I trailed off, words failing me. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you¡¯ve done that I haven¡¯t already forgiven.¡±


    I searched her eyes, the sharp downturn of her brows, the tension in every breath, the stumbling beat of her heart. What does this mean for our promise? I wanted to ask, but I held myself back. It was too much to put on her right then. Demanding an answer from her just to help myself sort out my own emotions would be unfair.


    But one thing was clear. Things between us were different than when we¡¯d made our promise, and I didn¡¯t know if we could get back what we¡¯d lost.

 Chapter 484: Grounded

    <h4>Chapter 484: Grounded</h4>


    As the Epheotan sun rose, I joined the many dragons who gathered to meditate around the fountain that gave Everburn its name. For the first couple of days, I had stared around at the dragons, entranced by their variety. Being in this city made me realize just how little of the asuran world I had seen. Now, though, with King¡¯s Gambit burning on the small of my back, I only paid attention to my surroundings with a partial branch of my awareness, and that was done more to ensure my safety than to gape at the asura.


    Most of my conscious effort was put toward the fountain. Set within a circle of stones thirty feet wide was aether so thick that it pooled like water bubbled up from a deep well. ording to the locals, the well actually punctured the boundaries of the world, letting the aether seep in from outside the boundaries of Epheotus; The aetheric realm. It was sacrilege to enter the Everburn Fountain, but that hadn¡¯t stopped me from seeing if the mythology was based on fact.


    Out of the bubbling pseudo-liquid, thin jets of purple fire rose up like geysers. These would surge to over ten feet high, then fade until they were only a couple feet, then surge again. There was aplex pattern to the surges, coupled with a singr geyser in the center of the burning aetheric fountain that regrly gusted up to twenty feet or more above our heads. Each re was apanied by an outpouring of aether, and it was this effusion that the dragons gathered to meditate under.


    The dragons couldn¡¯t absorb aether like I could, but they nheless used the intense buildup of atmospheric energy to meditate on their vivum, aevum, and spatium arts. The density at the Everburn Fountain made such practice far easier, just as it aided my own process of refilling my threeyer core after draining it to the point of bacsh.


    ¡°Back again I see, human.¡±


    I nced at the speaker, a pink-haired woman who, if she were human, would have looked to be middle-aged. Glossy scales slightly lighter in


    color than her fair skin surrounded her eyes and extended down her cheeks even in her humanoid form. I had seen her at the fountain every morning, but she had not spoken to me before.


    I sank down onto my knees a few feet outside of the ring of stones before addressing her. ¡°My own meditation should be done this morning, after which I won¡¯t trouble your city further.¡± I left unsaid that I was only still there because Kezess hadn¡¯t seen fit to collect me yet. Myre had said only that I should rest and recuperate, and that when I was ready, her husband would meet with me.


    My eyes closed, and I reached for the aether, drawing it into my core. The sensation of it brought rejuvenating energy and a bright wakefulness.


    Calloused feet scuffed against the paving tiles, and a potent presence settled beside me. ¡°Your absorption of the aether here has been the source of much consideration among us. There are those who see it as profane.¡±


    The primary branch of my thoughts was turned inward, focused on the absorption and purification of the aether. Still, even with just a few threads of King¡¯s Gambit, I was able to stay attentive to the asura well enough to hear the question in her words. ¡°You want to understand what it is like for me.¡±


    ¡°I would like that, yes,¡± she said, a hint of a smile in her voice. ¡°We cannot judge your actions if we don¡¯t understand them, and yours is a kind of magic that even the oldest among us have never seen before.¡±


    Something about her curiosity stood out to me. ¡°Don¡¯t you fear angering your lord by asking such questions?¡±


    ¡°I have asked no questions,¡± she responded. Cloth brushed over skin as she shrugged her shoulders. ¡°We are merely talking, seeking middle ground. Share only what you wish.¡±


    I considered her words. Distracted, the primary branch of my focus turned toward her, and I opened my eyes to find her glistening silver gaze studying me carefully. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Her eyes wrinkled at the corners with amusement. ¡°For days now, you have taken your rest in my vige, replenished your strength from my fountain, and yet you do not know me? I would be insulted, if I did not know that you had been insted from this knowledge on purpose. Lady Indrath had her reasons, no doubt, but she also did not forbid me from speaking to you. My name is Preah of n Inthirah, and Everburn is my domain.¡±


    I bent into a slight bow. ¡°Lady Inthirah. Forgive me, I didn¡¯t realize I was speaking to a noble.¡±


    She huffed slightly and turned to look at the fountain, the purple mes reflected on the surface of her silver eyes. ¡°Perhaps once, when n Inthirah was as a sister to n Indrath, my forebears would have insisted on the recognition of noble peerage, but it has been long since any dragon not of the Indrath n was considered nobility.¡±


    She spoke without bitterness. In fact, I sensed pride more than anything in the tilt of her chin and the inflection of her voice. ¡°My role as Lady of Everburn requires not that I be noble, but that I speak on behalf of my people and ensure their continued wellbeing. At this moment, learning about your interaction with aether is how I am doing so. Now, you suggested that I want to understand what it is like for you to absorb our aether, and I have admitted that I would.¡±


    Her statement was left open, inviting me to pick up the conversation from before the distraction of her identity. ¡°It¡¯s not much different from how it feels for you to use mana. Or, at least, how it feels for a human to use mana.¡±


    ¡°But what about the aether¡¯s inherent purpose?¡± she asked, leaning slightly toward me. ¡°Do you not feel the pull of the aether¡¯s intent?¡±


    I considered, wondering how much, if anything, the dragon understood about the true nature of aether, as I had learned in the keystone. ¡°Lady Myre has exined the dragons¡¯ experience with it at length. I don¡¯t experience it the same way.¡±


    ¡°Strange,¡± she said. Her fingers traced the gap between two paving stones, and her eyes lost focus as she looked into the middle distance. ¡°And this, of course, is why Lord Indrath has been so invested in your world. He seeks true understanding of your abilities.¡± She refocused on me, and her brows came together in a soft frown. ¡°The oldest of our legends speak of dragons who could do what you describe. Not¡­absorb the aether, but to wield it as easily as mana.¡±


    ¡°It was those asura who brought Epheotus here from my world,¡± I said.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Preah asked suddenly. She had leaned away and was looking at me as if I were a dangerous beast.


    I realized I was scowling. I had been thinking of the events that had caused aether to pull back from the dragons, lessening their ability to wield it freely. I tried to smooth my features. ¡°I¡­apologize. I¡¯m still recovering from an ordeal. Sometimes¡­my mind wanders.¡±


    Preah cleared her throat and brushed a coil of pink hair out of her face. ¡°Well¡­yes. Of course. I will leave you to your meditation. Perhaps we can speak again. When you¡¯re feeling better.¡±


    I only nodded my appreciation before turning back to the fountain. My eyes closed again, and I resumed focusing on absorbing aether. Distantly, I felt the Lady of n Inthirah move away.


    Within the hour, my core was full. Something like a hangover lingered from the depth of the bacsh, but I was certain that too would fade in time. Most pleasingly, the itch of my wounded core had not returned. The scar of Cecilia¡¯s attack was healed.


    As I walked through the wide streets of Everburn toward the estate where we¡¯d been staying thest few days, the eyes of every asura I passed followed me. I found myself studying their mana signatures,paring one against another and then to Tessia, whose signature lingered on the edge of my perception.


    The asura were powerful, of course, but most of them were far less so than Kezess or Aldir, or even Windsom. The dragons who had defended


    Dicathen¡ªVajrakor, Charon, and their soldiers¡ªwere also fairly strong inparison to the average dragon going about their daily business in Everburn. These people are farmers, merchants, and maids. Once, I had assumed every asura was as powerful as Windsom, and although I now knew better, it was still interesting to see asura who were only slightly more powerful than a white core mage.


    ¡®It puts their plight into a different perspective, doesn¡¯t it?¡¯ Sylvie asked, her voice like a cool breeze in my mind. Woven into her thoughts was her focus on a conversation she was having with a handful of other dragons on the other side of Everburn.


    Like the cryans, they are a people at the mercy of their lord, I answered, walking past a young dragon who appeared, by human standards, to be no more than twelve or thirteen years old. Her amber eyes jumped between me and the ground at her feet jerkily as she tried and failed not to stare. I raised my hand to wave, but she only hurried away.


    ¡®What do you make of Lady Inthirah?¡¯


    Not sure, I admitted. She seems protective. Curious. Not particrly fond of your grandfather. Why?


    ¡®I was just wondering about that thing she said. That her n had been like a ¡°sister¡± to the Indraths. It¡¯s strange that Myre introduced me to other dragons here, but not to her.¡¯


    I puzzled over this with one lesser branch of my King¡¯s Gambit-fueled thoughts. Perhaps you should get to know Preah more.


    My bond silently agreed.


    A few minutester, I found my mother sitting at a table in the small front yard of our borrowed estate. She set down a steaming mug and smiled at me. Although the expression was warm, worry hid within it like worms in an apple. ¡°Arthur,¡± she said, gesturing to the chair opposite the small table. ¡°Will you sit with me?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I eased into the chair, which was made of woven blue grass tied to a metallic frame. ¡°Is everything okay?¡±


    Mom leaned her elbows on the table, rested her chin in her hands, and regarded me seriously. ¡°No.¡±


    My pulse quickened, and I clenched my fists at my side. ¡°Did something happen? Was it the dragons? Just tell me who¡ª¡±


    ¡°You, Arthur,¡± she said.


    I gaped at her. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Arthur. Art.¡± She let out a shaky breath. ¡°Tessia needs you, and you¡¯re doing everything you can to avoid her. It isn¡¯t proper. It¡¯s not fair.¡±


    I rubbed the back of my neck, rocking the chair onto its hind legs. ¡°I¡¯m not¡ª¡±


    Mom¡¯s brows rose.


    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know how to be around her,¡± I admitted, not able to meet my mother¡¯s eye. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    She reached across the table and held her hands palms up. I rested my own atop hers, and she squeezed my fingers. ¡°That girl has gone through something indescribable. Her body¡ªher magic¡ªwas taken away from her. She became a prisoner in her own flesh. And when she finally got it back, her core was gone. She almost died.¡±


    ¡°I saved her,¡± I pointed out softly.


    Mom clicked her tongue. ¡°But in doing so, her body has gone through a change. She doesn¡¯t know how to use her new core, and she is stranded in a strange ce where no one except you could even hope to understand or help, and you¡¯ve spent days trying to be anywhere except where she is.¡± She sighed, gave my hands onest squeeze, and leaned back in her chair. Only after taking a sip from her mug did she continue. ¡°You¡¯re the strongest person I¡¯ve ever known, Arthur. You can handle a little awkwardness.¡±


    Heat rose in my face and I felt my cheeks redden. She was right, of course.


    I¡¯d been acting like a child.


    ¡®Even walking cataclysms need advice from their mommy every once in a while,¡¯ Regis put in.


    Despite my several congruent threads of thought all bncing different topics, I had been careful to keep all of them away from my connection with Regis. He had been left to watch over Tessia, and I hadn¡¯t wanted to see her struggle through his eyes.


    Standing, I moved around the table and leaned down to rest my forehead against my mother¡¯s. ¡°Thank you,¡± I breathed.


    ¡°What are mothers for?¡± she asked, feigning exasperation but unable to hide her smile. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you what will happen in the long run, Arthur. Maybe you and Tessia really have been through too much to ever be¡­together, romantically.¡± I pulled away, wincing at my mother¡¯s awkwardness. She swatted my arm yfully. ¡°But she is your oldest friend in this world, and she needs you.¡± Her smile sharpened into something mischievous. ¡°Your presence, your guidance. Not your rippling thews.¡±


    ¡°Mom,¡± I groaned, hurrying toward the door. ¡°I take back my thanks.¡± ¡°No you don¡¯t!¡± she barked, mockingly scolding.


    Pushing aside the curtain, I marched into the estate only to stop immediately, still grappling with my mother¡¯s teasing and caught off guard when I found myself almost nose to nose with Tessia.


    ¡°I thought we heard you out there,¡± Ellie said, swooping by me and holding aside the still swaying curtain. ¡°We were going to go get something to eat before doing some training this afternoon. You shoulde with us!¡±


    Regis trotted past us and out the door, his tail wagging. ¡°I know we don¡¯t need to eat, princess, but I, at least, really, really like to!¡±


    Tessia reluctantly looked away from me to Regis. ¡°Princess?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Don¡¯t ask.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± she said, her face falling. ¡°Um, you don¡¯t have toe with us, I know you¡¯re busy¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually, I was, uh¡­¡± I trailed off, my mind nk. I realized that I had forgotten to continue channeling King¡¯s Gambit. Without it, my thoughts felt sluggish and unsubstantial. I gave myself a little shake, all too aware of Ellie¡¯s eyes on my back. ¡°My intent¡ªrather, I mean, I was hoping that we could¡­work together. On your core. Helping you get the hang of it, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Tessia¡¯s eyes widened, and she took a small step back. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m not terribly hungry, I can train now.¡±


    ¡°You just said you were starving,¡± Ellie said. I nced back at her, and she red fiercely at me. ¡°Arthur Leywin. Don¡¯t you dare force her to train without lunch.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just grab something here really quick,¡± Tessia said, already turning and jogging to the kitchen. ¡°Go ahead, Ellie!¡±


    ¡°Oh, fine, I¡¯ll just go get lunch by myself then,¡± Ellie grumbled quietly, throwing her hands up and letting the curtain fall back across the entrance.


    ¡°Hey, what am I, chopped liver?¡± I heard Regis say from outside as he followed my sister. ¡°Does no one want to spend time with me?¡±


    Their back and forth was lost to me as the hammering of my pulse strengthened to a drumbeat in my ears. I followed Tessia to the kitchen and pretended not to watch as she quickly scarfed down a couple pieces of bread thered with butter and honey. Her back was to me, and I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d noticed my presence. When she started to turn around, I ducked back out of the kitchen and waited.


    When she came around the corner, I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    She froze, her hands halfway to her hair as she made to pull it back into a tail. ¡°What?¡±


    Stepping forward, I brushed crumbs from the corner of her mouth. ¡°Not very princess-like of you to make such a mess eating.¡±


    One of her sharp brows raised slightly as she withdrew a handkerchief and dabbed it at the corners of her mouth. ¡°I shall have to be more careful, since I¡¯m no longer the only princess around.¡±


    I let out a surpriseugh, and the tension melted away.


    ¡°So, what did you have in mind?¡± Her brow rose even higher. ¡°Unless this talk of training was just a ruse to get me alone in this house¡­¡±


    I choked on myugh, and for a moment I thought the weight of the tension flooding back in might crush me. Remembering what Mom had said, I did my best to shrug it off. I only need to be present. ¡°Well, I thought, seeing as how you¡¯re a white core now, you should learn how to fly. It¡¯s a natural extension of your power, provided by the expansion of your mana reservoir and increased attunement to the¡­movement of mana¡­¡± A chagrined smile spread across my face as I rubbed the back of my neck. ¡°Sorry. You probably don¡¯t need a lecture on why you can fly now, considering.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t read the expression on Tessia¡¯s face. Her eyes flicked to my hands as if she was considering taking one, but after a moment she walked past me, headed for the door. ¡°I understand how the Lances fly, and I understand how Cecilia flew, but perhaps this theoretical knowledge will help me understand how I can fly.¡±


    Wishing suddenly that I could reverse time as I¡¯d done in the keystone, I followed her more slowly out into the sunshine. Mom, Ellie, and Regis were already gone.


    ¡°There is a quiet garden just down that street over there,¡± Tessia said without looking back.


    We walked in silence, passing a sprawling three-story estate that was almost entirely open to the elements, a smaller cottage with a pond out front full of glittering, golden fish, and the bare bones of a home that appeared to have been torn down and was currently being rebuilt¡ªwell, more like regrown¡ªby two dragons. Their movements conjured white stone up from the ground like the ribs of some great beast.


    Tessia paused to watch them work for a few seconds. ¡°It¡¯s like¡­poetry in magic.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty impressive.¡±


    She looked at me again with that unreadable expression, then continued on. We slipped through a gap in a tall hedge to our right and found ourselves in a walled garden. Dozens of different kinds of flowers grew, all of them alien to me. A few moved, the face of their petals following us like a sunflower turning toward the warmth of the sun. Several scents, both sweet and bitter,yered over one another.


    ¡°Do you know what any of these are?¡± I asked, just wanting to say something.


    ¡°No, but they are beautiful,¡± she said matter-of-factly. ¡°I had hoped someone mighte along and volunteer to educate me on Epheotan flora, but so far the dragons have shied away from me.¡±


    I thought back to my conversation earlier that morning with thedy of the city. ¡°I expect that¡¯s Myre¡¯s doing. Or Kezess¡¯s, more urately. I¡¯m not sure why we¡¯re still here. Either he¡¯s letting us stew, or he wants us to take away something from our time here. Otherwise we¡¯d be at his castle somewhere. Maybe at Myre¡¯s cabin, where I stayed when she trained me before the war.¡±


    ¡°That seems like another life,¡± Tess said. She paused as if she¡¯d caught herself off guard with her own words. ¡°I guess, probably not for you. Since you¡¯ve lived two lives.¡±


    ¡°In a way, so have you,¡± I said gently. I bent down in front of a thick-stemmed purple bulb. It had a faint aetheric aura. ¡°You lived Cecilia¡¯s life alongside her.¡±


    ¡°Am I on my third life, then?¡± She brushed her hands across a golden flower. Sparkling pollen rose up into the air, buzzed around her arm like a swarm of bees, then settled back into the puffy flower. ¡°I¡¯m beating you.¡±


    ¡°If you consider the keystone, I¡¯ve lived dozens of lives, and seen the course of an uncountable number more.¡± The words came out without consideration, and I felt their effect immediately.


    ncing over my shoulder, I found Tessia motionless, her eyes fixed at a spot between two beds of flowers.


    She gave herself a little shake and straightened. ¡°How old does that make you now? A few hundred years? A few thousand? You are more asura than man now, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. If thebined age of my life lived on Earth and my life here represents the true age of my mind, perhaps my time in the keystone also should.¡±


    Tessia gave me a sad look, her brows drooping, her lips pouting and pale. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Arthur. I know we made a promise, but I don¡¯t think I can be with someone who is several thousand years older than I am.¡±


    Iughed, and she rewarded me with a genuine smile. ¡°I¡¯d only ask that you make no hasty decisions, Princess Eralith.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Here you go with the princess thing again. Call me Tess, or Tessia or¡­my love, maybe. Anything but princess, or I will take up Regis¡¯s name for you in return.¡±


    I raised both hands. ¡°Please, my¡­ah, Tessia,¡± I said, stumbling over my words, ¡°anything but that.¡±


    She plucked at her gunmetal hair, which shone almost silver in the soft light of the garden. ¡°Okay, then. With that settled, shall we begin my flying lesson?¡±


    I moved to a small patch of grass amid the flowers, paths, and water features. Sinking into a cross-legged sitting position, I settled my mind and focused on my core and the atmospheric aether, which was thick in the air. Tessia sat across from me, copying my posture.


    ¡°Flying isn¡¯t quite the same thing as casting a spell,¡± I started, holding Tessia¡¯s gaze. ¡°You don¡¯t shape the mana in your mind, giving it purpose


    and destination. Instead, your enhanced sense for mana and the ability to manipte the atmospheric mana around you almost subconsciously through the jump in power from silver to white core allows you to create push as the mana physically supports your body. l?ght\n§àvel\c§Ñve~c`§à/m. This is doable before reaching white core with training and patience, but even a high-silver core mage would drain their core in moments.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s strange. Cecilia spent so much time flying, but it¡¯s difficult to equate her use of the ability to my own.¡± Tessia looked up into the sky. ¡°She simply¡­flew. Nico, on the other hand, cast a wind spell that carried him like an invisible chariot.¡±


    I was aware of Nico¡¯s abilities, granted by a staff he had apparently designed himself. It was a shame that the staff had been destroyed during the battle. I had no doubt that Gideon and Emily would have loved to study it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to control the mana and shape it around you like that,¡± I warned her gently. ¡°Instead, simply think about rising up through the air. Will it, like Cecilia did. You won¡¯t have her inherent ability, but you do have some of her insight. Use it.¡±


    We sat still and silent for several long moments. Mana swirled around Tessia, but she didn¡¯t move, didn¡¯t rise. I considered both my first learning to fly after my own ascension to the white core stage and my relearning after gaining insight into King¡¯s Gambit. I considered activating the godrune then, to better think through the path Tessia needed to take, but something held me back.


    Instead, I remained silent. This was her journey. I¡­needed only to be present.


    A minute passed, then five. After nearly ten minutes, she opened her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why I can¡¯t do it. I¡¯ve flown before.¡±


    I stood and held out a hand to her. ¡°Can I try something?¡±


    She grabbed a hold and pulled herself up, her palm warm against mine. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Raise your arms out to your sides,¡± I instructed as I moved to stand behind her.


    Tessia nced back at me over her shoulder as she followed my instructions. Lifting her up by her arms, the two of us began floating into the air. Her arms tensed as the whole weight of her body rose from the ground.


    ¡°Don¡¯t concentrate. Feel. Feel the cool wind, the warm air, the ever-present mana.¡± We rose higher up off the ground. I could feel the mana stirring at her effort, but it still wasn¡¯t clicking. Releasing some of my own aether, through it I encouraged the mana to move around Tessia, pushing against her and providing lift. ¡°Like this.¡±


    Suddenly the weight of her in my arms lessened. I released my grip, providing her support but no longer bearing her weight.


    A tense shiver ran through her. ¡°Don¡¯t let go,¡± she said breathlessly, her voice trembling with equal excitement and nerves.


    ¡°I¡¯m still right here,¡± I assured her as she drifted up and away from my touch. Slowly, I settled back down onto the ground.


    A breeze made her hair flutter and rocked her back slightly. She let out a nervous giggle. ¡°I think¡­I think I¡¯m ready to try it on my own.¡±


    ¡°Turn around,¡± I said, hiding my smile.


    Slowly, she did so. A frown creased her brow as she looked straight forward, then down to see me. A gasp escaped her lips, and the mana supporting her slipped away. She fell.


    I stepped forward and smoothly caught her before she struck the ground. My lips trembled with suppressed amusement. ¡°You did great, Tess. Really. That was¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, well done, Princess Tessia,¡± a voice said from nearby.


    Tessia¡¯s eyes went wide as she looked at something over my shoulder. She took a quick step back from me and straightened her skirt. I did not need to turn around to know who had spoken.


    ¡°Come, Arthur. It is time we discussed recent events.¡±


    Aether raced from my core into King¡¯s Gambit. Not enough to fully activate the godrune and summon the crown of light, but enough to allow my thoughts to split into several individual threads. I quickly calcted the best way to handle the confrontation.


    Tucking a stray lock of gunmetal hair behind her ear, I stepped away from Tessia. ¡°It looks like we¡¯ll have to continue this lessonter. Perhaps Sylvie can give you some more instruction in my absence.¡±


    From across the city, my bond¡¯s voice entered my mind. ¡®Be careful, Arthur.¡¯


    ¡°I was expecting my granddaughter to be with you,¡± Kezess said from behind me. Space began to fold around me, and for a moment I could see both the garden and the interior of Kezess¡¯s tower containing the Path of Insight. ¡°But nevermind. Time enough for thatter.¡±


    The aetheric spell shivered to a stop at my beckoning, and the bare stone room faded as I pulled away from Kezess¡¯s power, grounding myself firmly to the garden in Everburn. Only then did I turn to regard the lord of dragons, taking in the slight twitch of his brows. ¡°Why don¡¯t we fly? Mount Geolus is close enough, and I would like to see more of thisnd of yours.¡±

 Chapter 485: Renegotiation

    <h4>Chapter 485: Renegotiation</h4>


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    The city of Everburn looked small against the sprawling foothills that climbed consistently toward the base of Mount Geolus. Although I could no longer see the small garden we had just left, I could feel Tessia¡¯s mana signature even among the thousands of more potent auras. ¡®Be careful, Arthur,¡¯ Sylvie repeated as I sped away, flying at Kezess¡¯s side.


    Kezess himself did not speak. I had experienced his silent treatment before, and had already shown him that I wouldn¡¯t simply sit and wait for his attention like one of his servants. He may choose to keep Windsom waiting for hours or even days if the other asura upset him, but I wasn¡¯t one of his servants, a member of his n, or even an asura. I owed him no allegiance.


    With King¡¯s Gambit partially powered, I was better able to think through the potential results of our conversation. I couldn¡¯t see the future, but I could read the small movements of his body¡ªthe tics of his face and his mana signature¡ªand pull from everything I knew about Kezess, both from our previous interactions and what I had learned in the keystone, all at the same time and at greater speed than I would otherwise be capable.


    And yet this magical enhancement to my cognitive abilities also served to drive home how dangerous my situation now was. My family, Tessia, and Sylvie were in Kezess¡¯s power, and it was well within his character to use them as leverage against me. I had delivered his greatest enemy and threat to him on a silver tter; he hadn¡¯t even had to raise a finger, juste to collect Agrona¡¯s unconscious body. Most dangerous of all, though, was what I now knew. The cycle of maniption and genocide the dragons perpetrated against my world had gone on since before the asura even left it, and given his long life, it seemed highly likely that Kezess himself had been responsible for the destruction of more than just one civilization.


    ¡°What progress have you made with Agrona?¡± I asked to break his stony silence.


    He looked askance at me as we flew, his expression calcting. He was considering whether to answer at all, no doubt. In the end, though, he elected to answer after a pregnant pause. ¡°He remains mute.¡± There was a brief hesitation, and I thought he might go back to giving me the quiet treatment, but then he asked, ¡°What did you do to him, Arthur? I need specific details. This seems¡­unnatural.¡±


    I considered what had happened, and how much I could safely tell Kezess. Or even wanted to tell him. Thankfully, King¡¯s Gambit helped to tamp down my own anger and proceed logically. ¡°Myre has shared what I told her?¡±


    ¡°She has,¡± he said, raising one brow at my casual use of her first name. There was a deeper emotion hidden behind his cid mask, buried deep in his eyes and visible only by their slight dtion.


    Fear.


    I marked this emotion without thinking about it too deeply. There would be time to dissect this conversationter. In the moment, I focused on controlling my own thoughts and bodynguage. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know how to describe it now any better than I did for her days ago. Perhaps walking the Path of Insight can help us both make sense of it.¡±


    Kezess¡¯s eyes narrowed, little more than a twitch. He hadn¡¯t expected me to volunteer to take the Path so readily or so soon, which I had anticipated. We were flying over a wide field of tall, corn-like stalks with golden bulbs at their top, and he watched the farmers go about their work for several long seconds before answering. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve learned much in this final keystone to share. I can feel the eagerness with which your aether rears up to do your bidding.¡±


    I knew this was a subtle allusion to my canceling his attempt to teleport us back to the castle earlier. He was showing restraint, but I didn¡¯t think it was rted to that spark of fear I had seen. Instead, it seemed more likely that he desired to keep mefortable and confident so that I would not hold back on the Path of Insight.


    He could also be sensing King¡¯s Gambit, one branch of my thoughts identified. Windsom and Charon will have already told him about the godrune¡¯s ability, but they only saw it fully active. Kezess knowing that I had such a tool was one thing, but I had no doubt he would consider it an act of hostility if I outwardly used it against him.


    ¡°I have,¡± I admitted, seeing no benefit in denying my progress. ¡°I have no doubt I can share enough insight to keep you busy with your research for quite some time.¡±


    What I did not, say, of course, was that I knew the dragons¡¯ control over aether had slowly lessened over time. In the final keystone, I had learned that aether was really the distilled magical essence of a life, and even maintained some semnce of knowledge and purpose. The dragons had ended so many lives that the aetheric realm was now bursting with the remnants of people who hated the dragons, and so aether became more and more difficult for the dragons to direct.


    Because my core purified the aether, it created a bond between the energy and me that the dragons couldn¡¯t replicate, so I didn¡¯t know how much of the insight I provided would even prove useful to Kezess.


    Hopefully not much, I found myself thinking antagonistically.


    Indrath¡¯s Castle loomed ahead of us. We passed through a sort of invisible bubble that rippled over my skin like warm water. There was an inherent hostility to it, like dozens of hungry eyes turning toward me in the dark, but this diforting sensation settled instantly. Kezess led us high up into a familiar tower.


    The arched windows opened to look around in every direction, some showing only the steep roofs of the castle, others the foothills and distant fields of Kezess¡¯s domain. Strangely, I thought I could make out Everburn in the distance, although I had never noticed it while in the tower before.


    The well worn ring in the stone floor seemed even deeper than before, but logically I knew it was a trick of my perception.


    ¡°Show me,¡± he said simply, gesturing to the Path.


    I regarded the eroded stone thoughtfully, considering the King¡¯s Gambit godrune. Leaving it active within the Path of Insight would increase my ability to control my own thoughts and deal with whatever magic the Path bore that pulled insight directly from my mind. However, there was also risk in potentially revealing more about King¡¯s Gambit than I wanted to, or even having my branching thoughts carry ideas into the Path that I didn¡¯t want. The fact that the godrune broadened my consciousness and allowed me to think several thoughts in parallel could prove to be either a blessing or a curse, depending on how the Path of Insight itself functioned. l?ght\n§àvel\c§Ñve~c`§à/m. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t know enough about it to make an educated decision.


    I need every advantage, I finally decided, leaving the godrune partially activated as I stepped onto the Path. My feet moved of their own ord, and the branches of my mind mped as firmly in ce as a steel trap around memories of my time in the fourth keystone.


    First, I walked through the keystone itself, one thread of thought focusing on its mechanics, another reying the memories of my unwinding them. There was no version of these events that I could weave without revealing the aspect of Fate, and so I stepped into those memories next, the conversations we¡¯d had. I focused closely on Fate¡¯s insistence that the aetheric realm was unnatural and needed to be burst. With these threads, I carefully told him a story that maneuvered around what Fate had revealed about the dragons and didn¡¯t reveal my agreement with Fate.


    But the more I attempted to hold back, maneuver around, or obfuscate, the more I felt an outside force drawing on my thoughts, pulling them in different directions. Suddenly I was thinking about the keystones and the trials that had been required to im them. I snipped off that thread, but another was considering theplex key required just to enter the forth keystone. I quickly pruned that thought as well, focusing instead on Fate¡¯s confusion about the memory crystal I had carried in my dimension storage rune that resulted in my quickly discovering its attempted ruse. This thought morphed into my memories of Fate itself, which spread throughout every branch of my King¡¯s Gambit-enhanced consciousness, and for a moment I struggled to control so many thoughts at once.


    Leaning into this force, I followed Fate through to the end, reliving the moments after I was released from the keystone, when Fate stood behind me after I reappeared inside Sylvia¡¯s cave to find my pocket dimension copsed, the sustaining pool now sitting embedded in the cave floor. The force was pulling me back, hunting for a different memory or train of thought that I hadn¡¯t yet focused on. I cut loose the branches that required the most struggle, the fiercest control, and focused the rest on Agrona, demanding Sylvie¡¯s life, on Nico, already near death, and on Cecilia and her refusal toply.


    The alternative thought paths came faster, and I struggled to deflect. Instead of thinking about the events, and how I had sat at their confluence, I let the pull force every branch of thought to the aspect of Fate itself. Instead of the conversations, the knowledge shared, the hunt through all those future timelines for a workable solution to the problem of aether, it was thosest moments that came clear. The threads of my tangled thoughts wove together into the rough shape of a man, just as the threads of Fate formed Fate itself. And in the spotlight of that focus, it was revealed how the aspect of Fate had guided me, moving through me as if I were the one held up by strings..


    Enough, I thought, trying to retake control over my feet. I stumbled and nearly fell as my body resisted me, my legs eager to keep treading the endless loop as the Path¡¯s power siphoned my insight from me. Gritting my teeth, I forced through the unnatural inclination, and my pacing stilled. I stood breathing heavily beside the worn ring of stone.


    Kezess wasn¡¯t looking at me. His gaze pointed at nothing, focusing into a middle distance at something I could not see. Slowly, as if just waking, he looked around without seeing. Finally, a spark of life and understanding shone in his golden eyes, and his brows curved down like descending des as he looked at me¡ªinto me.


    The tower copsed around us. I reached for the aether but, caught off guard, I could not hold back the onught of Kezess¡¯s power. Beyond the tower, all the castle was copsing into stone and sand and dust. The sky darkened, and ck clouds were split by red bolts of lightning. We stood upon a precipice, a rough circle of dark stone that extended out from barren ck rock over a sea of bubbling maga. The heat and choking stench scorched my throat as I dragged in a heady breath.


    I wobbled, forced to shift my footing to keep upright. My heels dipped, and I realized I was only just barely standing upon the edge of the rough sphere.


    It wasn¡¯t Kezess¡¯s power that kept me frozen, but the bitterness and frustration of his unrestrained anger as he said, ¡°You cannot know what you know, Arthur Leywin. Alive, you pose too great a danger. Agrona thought he could learn the nature of your core even after your death. Perhaps I can do the same. Do you have a message for my granddaughter before you die?¡±


    My mind reeled. Cannot know what I know? But what does¡ª


    All the entwined thoughts and memories of my time on the Path of Insight came crashing back in at once, and I realized my mistake.


    ¡°She knows, too,¡± I said, my voice raw from the blistering air and strangling smoke. ¡°Are you going to execute your own blood to keep your secret?¡± Although Kezess had caught me off guard, I was starting to get my footing once again. There was a chaotic surging to the aether here, but my own remained steadfast.


    He shook his head. ¡°When you have gone as far as I have to protect your people, there is nothing you won¡¯t do to ensure that protection remains.¡± His hand moved forward, a slow, inexorable motion.


    Aether released from my core, flowed through my channels, and imbued the King¡¯s Gambit and Realmheart godrunes. My vision changed, shifting to bring into visual range the individual motes of mana that I felt in the atmosphere. Wild red swarms of fire-attribute mana billowed on the breeze kicked up by the rivers of molten rock, battering against the thick atmospheric aether and creating the surging sense of chaos I had noticed before.


    A wall of pure mana mmed into me. A radiant amethyst light shimmered across the rough tform in response. The division of aether and mana in the atmosphere, two forces pressing up against one another, delineated further as the purple particles pushed back against the white and red.


    Instead of being thrown off the tform, I lifted up in the air. The aether trembled, but Kezess¡¯s spell broke against me.


    Instead of surprise, I saw in the narrowing of Kezess¡¯s eyes a cold calction. His hand fell to his side. The molten rock far beneath us hissed, popped, and bubbled, loud to my hyper-focused senses.


    ¡°I did not intend that you discover what I¡¯d learned yet,¡± I said, my voice bitter-sharp. ¡°I miscalcted my ability to resist the effects of the Path of Insight while controlling my own entwined and ovepping thoughts. Still, perhaps it is better that there are no lies between us. The aspect of Fate showed me what the dragons have done to this world, but you yourself only know half the story.¡±


    His eyes darkened to the thunderous purple. Although he stood outwardly casual, every muscle was tensed to spring into action and heavilyden with mana. I could see the way it coiled into the dragon within him, ready to spring out and transform his flesh. ¡°None who have learned what you have and threatened to use it against me remain. None except Mordain, who your thoughts have betrayed. I saw your journey to the keystone and his role in it. All these centuries, and not only does he survive but he continues to work against me.¡±


    I tasted bile in the back of my throat as he spoke. Even worse than revealing what I knew about the dragons¡¯ actions, giving away Mordain and his people was a very unfortunate result of my time on the Path. But I would have to deal with the threat between Mordain and Kezesster, and so settled it well into the back of my mind. ¡°Once, your ancestors were so potent in the aetheric arts that they formed an entirely new world, a dimension within a dimension, to house your people, away from a world that couldn¡¯t support you. But now, you can barely scrape by begging the aether to mold to your desires. I¡¯m curious, Kezess. Do you even know what changed?¡±


    A sh in his eyes. A tightening of his mouth. The most subtle shift of his feet and whitening of his knuckles. Words he wished to say were caught behind clenched teeth, and his tongue ran along the back of them to push the words down. ¡°As maintaining a certain bnce became essential, some drawing down of the dragon¡¯s aetheric magic was also.¡±


    I eased back down onto the tform. The stone was hot beneath the leather soles of my boots. ¡°You know you can¡¯t undo what¡¯s been done simply by ripping out my core, assuming you are capable of doing so. My core alone wouldn¡¯t provide you my insight, not only into the aetheric arts but also my capacity to draw in and purify aether. To bond it to me. Nor my ability to freely navigate the Relictombs, where an entire civilization of insight rests. I have imed and used the djinn¡¯s keystones, I have met Fate itself. Only I have what you need, and only as I live and remain cooperative can you gain ess to it. Which is why this little ruse was never about killing me.¡±


    Kezess¡¯s eyes lingered on the glowing crown I could see reflected back in them. ¡°What makes you think I am unwilling to make that sacrifice?¡±


    ¡°The hungry fire burning in your chest.¡±


    Kezess gave a small shake of his head. ¡°You truly are incalcbly arrogant, child.¡±


    Another thread of my conscious thought snagged on a detail. Although Kezess had been very cautious of his emotions leaking out, there was nothing that I had read from him that I found unusual, except perhaps one thing. Kezess had shown this front of anger because my knowledge of the repeated genocides leaked through into the Path of Insight. But there had been no sign of surprise at the events themselves. He knew about all those other genocides as well, all the way back to the very beginning.


    ¡°I think perhaps we should resume your walk another time, after we¡¯ve both been able to process this conversation,¡± Kezess said.


    I looked down and found myself standing within the ring worn into the tower floor. Out the window, I could see blue sky, white clouds, and distant rolling foothills. But the smell of brimstone lingered on the air, and heat still radiated up into the soles of my feet. I considered what I had said earlier about the dragons¡¯ aetheric abilities, and I wondered. Kezess still had some secrets from me.


    Releasing Realmheart and easing back on King¡¯s Gambit enough to dispel the crown of light but keep several branches of simultaneous thought active, I stepped off the Path. ¡°I think, perhaps, that we need to renegotiate the terms of our agreement. It was your promise to defend my people, but I need your assurance that this agreement extends not just to Agrona and the cryans, but from your own people as well.¡±


    Kezess scoffed, a rare slip of his control. ¡°You seek to renegotiate after my own end of the bargain has already been fulfilled?¡±


    I approached the window facing toward Everburn, which I could still just make out many miles distant. I leaned into the window, my hands on the sill. ¡°Considering what I am asking, and why, I don¡¯t see any reason for you to refuse.¡±


    My back was to Kezess, and I closed my eyes to better focus on my other senses. My ability to hyper-focus was far less without King¡¯s Gambit fully activated, but my aether-infused senses were still sharp, and I still had multiple threads of consciousness running in parallel.


    Kezess flexed his fingers. His pulse beat irregrly. His breathing was forced, too controlled. He licked his lips before speaking. ¡°You don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re asking, Arthur.¡±


    ¡°Then enlighten me,¡± I said inly.


    My mind raced through our previous conversations, but even with the godrune, his talk about bnce and his wariness to send more asura¡ªstronger asura¡ªto my world still did not fully make sense to me.


    ¡°We are done for now,¡± Kezess said emotionlessly, still as a statue. ¡°I will consider your proposal. Now, would you prefer to fly back to Everburn, or can I teleport us the distance?¡±


    I turned around, leaned back against the sill, and crossed my arms. ¡°This conversation hassted long enough. I won¡¯t stop you from teleporting me.¡±


    A tiny quirk of his brow was the only sign of his irritation. He wasted no time and said nothing else, but space folded as the tower moved away, and suddenly we were standing in the sitting room of our estate in Everburn. There was a beat, then my sister, who was sitting in a chair there, looked up and let out a startled yell. Boo bristled beside her, letting out a low growl and knocking over a dainty brass side table.


    My mother came bounding into the room, mana already building around her hand, but she came up short when she saw Kezess. Her eyes flicked to me, then back to Kezess, and she gave a stiff bow. Ellie, recovering quickly, jumped up and did the same. The curtain to Tessia¡¯s room moved aside, but Tessia froze standing in the doorway. I moved away from Kezess to stand beside Ellie and rested a hand on her shoulder, silently offering her my support. To Tessia, I shot a quick wink, telling her that it was okay.


    ¡°Ah, Lord Indrath,¡± a quavering voice said from the kitchen, which extended off the central chamber.


    Lord leiah was standing there beside the kitchen ind, looking incredibly out of ce. As before, I noted his pale, wrinkled skin, the ridges that ran along his temples, and the milky-white film that covered his eyes. His face wrinkled even more deeply as he smiled at us. He made no move to bow.


    Beside him, Myre gave a respectful curtsy to her husband. ¡°Auspicious timing. Lord leiah and I were just discussing an¡­interesting proposal from the rest of the Great Eight.¡±


    Myre, wearing the youthful, beautiful visage that matched her husband¡¯s perfectly, stepped out of the kitchen and moved regally to Kezess¡¯s side. Their eyes met, both a striking shade ofvender, and something I could not read passed between them. I considered that they had some kind of telepathy, just as I did with mypanions.


    As I thought of Sylvie and Regis, the curtain to the street outside opened, Sylvie holding it aside so Regis could enter first. He gave Kezess a wide berth as he circled around to my side. Sylvie herself moved to one wall and leaned against it, keeping her distance.


    Kezess turned toward her, waiting.


    He expects you to formally recognize him, I thought to her.


    ¡®I know,¡¯ she sent back, an edge to her thoughts. ¡®But I owe him no fealty. Dicathen is my home, not Epheotus.¡¯


    I kept myself from smiling as Kezess continued to wait silently.


    Lord leiah, or Veruhn as he had requested I call him, gave a scratchy cough. ¡°Arthur Leywin and Lord Indrath, both the people I wanted to speak to. Truly an opportune moment.¡±


    Kezess turned his back on Sylvie, who remained uncowed. ¡°Perhaps this is something that should be discussed in more official environs, Lord leiah¡ª¡±


    ¡°Because the others have been discussing, and we havee to the decision that we¡±¡ªVeruhn leaned against the counter separating the sitting room and the kitchen, grinning around in his dottering way that I knew must be a projection¡ª¡°would like to formally name our belief that Arthur Leywin represents not only the human interests in Epheotus, but that he himself has evolved, and is now the first member of an entirely new branch of the asuran family!¡±


    Veruhn¡¯s eyes sparkled as he looked at each member of the group now in the room. The only sound was a hushed gasp and the whisper of the curtain to Tessia¡¯s room falling back into ce as she stepped out of view.


    ¡°We would like to officially petition that this new asuran race be recognized, and that n Leywin be its founding n.¡± A happy smile trembled onto his wrinkled lips. ¡°Of course, a new race would require a new lord ordy to be appointed, and a new seat to be added to the Great Eight. Or Nine, I suppose!¡± The old asura chuckled.


    In the center of the room, Kezess¡¯s fiery gaze remained on the lord of the leviathan race, carefully avoiding my own. Beside him, though, Myre was staring at me with a fierce, dire expression.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to be royalty?¡± Regis and Ellie said at the same time, Regis quite loud and Ellie under her breath.


    ¡®I doubt it will be as simple as that,¡¯ Sylvie answered.

 Chapter 486: HELL OF A TIME

    <h4>Chapter 486: HELL OF A TIME</h4>


    ALARIC MAER


    Leaning forward, I let my forehead knock against the rough surface of the table with a dull thunk. ¡°I¡¯ll go myself,¡± I grumbled, the words half smothered by the wood. ¡°We¡¯re pissing in the dark, here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a horrible idea,¡± Darrin answered matter of factly. The others quickly echoed the sentiment. ¡°We don¡¯t know how close to Taegrin Caelum your people managed to get before disappearing.¡±


    I knocked my aching skull against the table a second time. ¡°We should know more shortly, then I¡¯ll go. Without contact from Dicathen, seeing inside Taegrin Caelum might be our only way to know for sure.¡± I sat up straight, and the world wobbled drunkenly, which was incredibly ironic considering that I myself was stone-cold sober.


    Looking around, I took in the fifteen or so people gathered in the second-floor study of a stately townhouse that overlooked Cargidan¡¯s main thoroughfare. Some were keeping up a pretense of staying busy and not outwardly paying attention to my conversation with Darrin, but all their ears were conveniently turned in our direction. Most didn¡¯t bother to hide their attentiveness, waiting with nervous eagerness to be involved, one way or another.


    Not one of them looked particrly enthused by the idea of me limping off into the Basilisk Fang Mountains to see why our people kept disappearing around the fortress of Taegrin Caelum without so much as a bloody trail of offal to follow. ¡°What? You don¡¯t think I¡¯m up to it?¡± I growled, meeting eyes two by two, then smirking in grim satisfaction as they fell or turned away. All except


    Darrin. I waved him off, reached for the sk on my belt, stopped short, and then rapped my knuckles against the wood before me. ¡°Bah. Go home, Darrin. There¡¯s nothing for you to do here, and your peck of orphans will be missing you.¡±


    Darrin¡¯s face fell, and I felt a flush of guilt and regret rise up my neck.


    Most of those in Darrin¡¯s care were the children of mages who had either been in Dicathen already or were sent to Dicathen in the most recent attack.


    To hunt down Arthur Leywin. With nomunication from Dicathen¡ªand few enough soldiers returning¡ªwe had no way to know how many of their bloods survived. ¡°Too many ascenders have been swallowed up into the belly of this war,¡± Darrin said softly, looking at the floor. ¡°Between those who went with Seris, those conscripted tounch this failed attack, and those still suffering the aftereffects of the shockwave, all of crya has ground to a halt. Those who are left need help.¡±


    A movement in the shadows behind the others drew my attention. The specter of my formermander stood with her arms crossed, her face hidden by shadow and the golden hair that fell half across her face. I swallowed heavily, took a stuttering breath, and then stood suddenly, nearly knocking my chair over. Turning my back on the specter¡ªand everyone else in the room¡ªI moved to a window overlooking the street.


    The usually busy road was empty. Highblood Kaenig had dered martialw in Cargidan in the hours after the shockwave, cutting off all unofficial travel, shutting down the Ascenders Association and Central Academy, and consigning residents to their homes except for essential workers. There had been rumblings of a minor rebellion, but the appearance of Scythe Dragoth and a retinue of soldiers, mages, and Instillers silenced any willingness among the poption¡ªmostly weak mages or unadorned¡ªto challenge the highbloods. Dragoth and his retinue had taken over Central


    Academy and had so far been very aggressive about allowing anyone else within a fireball¡¯s throw of the campus.


    <i>But they¡¯ll get in. I¡¯m sure of it.</i>


    As if the thought conjured him, a reedy little stick of a man, drowning in unkempt robes, appeared at the end of the street, sprinting up the street like there was a pair of shadow panthers on his heels.


    He was alone.


    I cursed.


    One of our enforcers, a rugged bruiser named Akron, rushed to the window and looked out. He cursed as well. ¡°Everyone wrap it up! There¡¯s a decent chance this location is blown.¡± ¡°Saelii, start clearing the building,¡± I barked, already hurrying toward the stairs down to the first floor. ¡°Akron, Vaalish, your teams with me.¡± Catching Darrin¡¯s eye from the corner of my own, I added, ¡°And you, get the abyss out of this dominion. Go home, Darrin. I mean it.¡±


    If he answered, I didn¡¯t hear it over the stomping of many sets of feet on the stairs and the hammering in my head. I was across the house and crashing out the front door and into the street in moments.


    Still halfway down the block, Edmon of Blood Scriven¡ªa shady little man who had acted as my backdoor into the academic circles¡ªscreamed when he saw me appear. A couple hundred feet behind him, four Highblood Kaenig soldiers gave chase. Even as he turned to nce desperately back at his pursuers, one of them raised hand, and mana red.


    The shadows in the street were growing long as the sun moved into the west overhead, and suddenly those shadows red with green light. Radiant ooze sshed across the paving stones, sizzling and popping as they ate into the road and the mana shield that had enveloped Edmon at thest second. The Shield beside me had sweat running down her face as she fought to hold off the potent attack. ¡°Sir?¡± Vaalish asked, his voice lisping through his scarred lips. I met his one good eye and nodded.


    A sharp pop sounded amidst the pursuing mages, and they all hit the ground, shouting in pain and covering bleeding ears with their hands. The air around them distorted as Akron¡¯s crest activated, pressing heavily down on their chests with abination of dense air and enhanced gravity. l?ghtn\§àv§Öl§ã\§Ñv§Ö~c`§à\m. Conjured shields caged them in, blocking theirst few futile spells until, one by one, their eyes rolled back in their heads and they passed out fromck of oxygen.


    Edmon stumbled to a stop in front of me, his hands on his hips and his head thrown back as he sucked desperately at the air. ¡°Th-thanks,¡± he choked out after a moment.


    I glowered at him. ¡°Where¡¯s the Severin boy? Tristan?¡±


    He nched, taking a half step back. ¡°They caught us, ric. We ran for it. I just barely made it over the wall, but the boy¡­¡± He trailed off, refusing to meet my eyes.


    I nced at the surrounding buildings. A few faces were already pressed against windows to watch themotion. Turning to Akron and Vaalish, I said, ¡°You know where you need to be. Go.¡± Darrin was standing in the doorway to the townhouse we¡¯d just evacuated. ¡°I said go home. You¡¯ve a bunch of potential orphans who need you. I¡¯ll be in touch.¡±


    Grabbing Edmon by the cor of his shirt, I hurriedly marched him to the closest alley and shoved him into it. ¡°If they¡¯re not already on the way, reinforcements from Highblood Kaenig will be soon. Or worse. Was there any sign of the Scythe? His retainer? Nevermind. Let¡¯s get moving. We can talk when it¡¯s safer.¡± As I finished speaking, I heard footsteps following and turned back.


    Darrin pulled a hood up to cover his features as he ducked into the alley after us. ¡°I still have a couple things to do in Cargidan before I head home.¡±


    I chewed the inside of my cheek and fingered the sk at my belt. ¡°No. I won¡¯t be responsible for telling that foster kid of yours that you got yourself caught or killed being obstinate.¡±


    Darrin¡¯s brows raised, and he gave me a tight-lipped smile. ¡°You¡¯d know all about being obstinate, Al. Why are you still carrying that sk around if you don¡¯t want to drink from it?¡± ¡°I need to be myself,¡± I said under my breath. Carefully not to look at the shadow of the woman standing beside Darrin, a small squirming bundle in her arms, I added, ¡°I need to be more than the drunken ascender I''ve been for thesest decades¡­¡±


    Darrin¡¯s mouth opened to reply, he didn¡¯t have the words.


    Sighing and flexing my shaking hands, I considered how best to get rid of Darrin, but I had to be careful. I checked the windows and corners to ensure we weren¡¯t being followed by anyone else, then turned and went down another alley. After a couple more hurried turns, I knew that any looky-loos who might have watched us leave the fight wouldn¡¯t be able to see us anymore, even if they¡¯d hurried through one of the buildings on this side of the street to try and keep track of us¡ªand win some favor from Highlord Kaenig or Scythe Dragoth for their efforts.


    Fumbling with one of the buttons affixed to my leather wristguards, I activated it and called on an item within the attached dimensional space. A fancy silver ne appeared in my hand. It was feminine and far too dainty to look natural on anyone but a highblooddy, but I hadn¡¯t exactly been able to choose the design. I pressed the ne into Edmon¡¯s hands. ¡°Put this on. Now,¡± I growled when he started to question me. ¡°What good is hiding my features now?¡± heined. ¡°I never should have agreed to¡­¡± He trailed off, and the apple of his throat bobbed as he swallowed hard before fumbling to get the dainty jewelry around his scrawny neck. ¡°Oh, hurry up!¡± I snapped, looking around again. Mana was pumping into my ears, enhancing my hearing as much as I was capable. I thought I could hear armored feet pounding down the street quite a distance away. ¡°Here, let me,¡± Darrin said, giving me a look and helping Edmon fasten the ne.


    Once it clipped around his neck, there was an immediate pulse from the mana contained inside it, and the features of Edmon¡¯s face seemed to go kind of blurry and indistinct. Depending on the angle I looked at him from, he could have looked like a dozen different people. At a nce, no one would be able to recognize him or properly describe him afterwards.


    Taking a heavy cloak from my dimension artifact, I pressed it into him hard enough to knock him back into the wall. ¡°Wrap yourself up, be quiet, and follow me.¡± I turned, set my jaw, I looked hard into Darrin¡¯s eyes. ¡°We need to split up. You go that way, we¡¯ll go this way.¡± I gestured with my thumb.


    Darrin shook his head, his arms crossed over his chest. ¡°Stop trying to be so damned self-sacrificing, Al. If we get tangled up with a patrol, you¡¯ll need someone who can actually fight.¡± He carefully avoided looking at the blurry Edmon beside me. ¡°Damn it, boy, you¡¯ll only draw extra attention to us!¡± I snapped, panic building in my guts. ¡°Go that way. Circle back around and head to the library. It¡¯s shuttered, but a couple of the guards on duty respond well to bribes. Keep trying to follow us, and I swear I¡¯ll knock you on your ass.¡±


    Darrin¡¯s jaw fell ck, his eyes as wide as if he¡¯d just seen a woggart ying Sovereign¡¯s Quarrel. I turned my back on him and marched quickly away. Edmon hesitated only a moment, then began to follow. We kept mostly to the alleys, at least in the beginning, but we were soon forced onto therger roads. While the empty streets meant a lot fewer eyes to avoid, it also meant there was no crowd to blend into. Even if passing guards couldn¡¯t identify Edmon, they¡¯d surely recognize that something was wrong, or clock us just for being outside. ¡°So? What¡¯s happening at the Academy?¡± I asked under my breath when I thought it was safe to talk.


    Edmon, his blurred face barely visible beneath the deep hood, cast about nervously before replying. ¡°All of the Instillers and staff that have been trickling into the city from Taegrin Caelum are holed up there, as you thought. I would go so far as to say they¡¯re imprisoned, really. Dragoth is working hard to ensure that word of what¡¯s happening doesn¡¯t leak out into the popce.¡± ¡°And were you able to find out anything about what¡¯s happening?¡± I asked. ¡°Apparently, part of the fortress copsed when the shockwave happened. After that, the fortress itself seemed to¡­turn against its inhabitants. Friend or foe alike. Many, many dead.¡± ¡°And the High Sovereign?¡±


    There was a long pause. I grabbed the sleeve of Edmon¡¯s shirt and pulled him closer. ¡°Were you able to learn anything about Agrona?¡±


    Edmon cleared his throat nervously. ¡°It¡¯s only a rumor¡­¡± ¡°By the High Sovereign¡¯s inmed arse, Edmon¡ª¡± My words cut off as I saw the lithe silhouette of mymander¡¯s specter half hidden in a nearby doorway, face in shadow as it was framed by her hair. Distracted, I thought about exactly how long it had been, wondering if her hair had actually sat that way on her face, or if I had simply made it up as my tired, sober, brittle old mind manifested the dead woman as if she were really there.


    Edmon failed to notice the direction of my gaze. ¡°Apparently a few of the mechanical recording artifacts around Dicathen are still operational.¡± He hesitated again, his expression muddled by the disguising artifact. ¡°One of them was collected by a Wraith, who returned it to crya. Only a few saw its contents.¡±


    I waited, growing increasingly irritated with Edmon¡¯s beating around the bush.


    Perhaps he noticed, because he hurried onward. ¡°Almost everyone who saw the recording was killed.¡± ¡°Then how does anyone know what was on it?¡± ¡°Because one of the Instillers responsible for reviewing it fled before Dragoth caught wind of this all,¡± Edmon said. His brows rose, and he gave me a meaningful look. ¡°Do these rumors suggest what¡¯s on this recording?¡±


    Edmon¡¯s answering smile was strange on his nebulous mug. ¡°Only that it proves that the High Sovereign is gone for good.¡±


    My mind was racing as I redrew my ns on the fly. This gambit had already been reckless, but if Taegrin Caelum really was inessible, even to a Scythe, and there was proof that Agrona was dead or captured¡­


    It has to be worth it.


    I led Edmon off the street and around the back of a closed-up des shop. As I channeled into the mana lock, the door opened from the inside. I had only a moment to take in a man in ck and crimson te armor. One short onyx horn stuck up from unkempt hair above a bright red eye, while no horn was visible on the other side, where the eye was a murky brown.


    Suddenly his fist was wrapped in the front of my shirt, and I was flying forward. I had just enough time to protect myself with mana before I smashed through the shop¡¯s front window and went sprawling across the street.


    With a moan, I lifted my head from the paving stones and brushed ss out of my beard. A little bell rang, and the front door of the shop opened.


    The Vritra-blooded man dragged Edmon through it. He stopped in front of me, staring down a beaklike nose.


    I trembled with pain and rage. One scarlet eye, one brown eye¡­


    I spit blood at his feet. ¡°Wolfrum of Highblood Redwater.¡± Traitor and double-agent. I¡¯d heard of his treachery, how he had nearly captured Lady


    Caera, but I hadn¡¯t seen him in this form, only as the bent-backed little weasel that had been his cover, and I hadn¡¯t immediately recognized him.


    The ghostly vision of my oncemander, now leaning against the wall behind him, gave me a sad look and an apologetic shake of her head, almost as if she regretted not being flesh and blood so she could help me.


    The sun was behind me, only just peeking over the distant rooftops. Conditions weren¡¯t ideal for any of my magic, but I couldn¡¯t let him take me in without a fight.


    In Wolfrum¡¯s grip, Edmon began to shake and wheeze. ¡°P-please, he made me, I didn¡¯t have a ch-choice! I can tell you whatever you want to know, just don¡¯t hurt¡ªhrk!¡±


    The silver ne constricted rapidly, choking off Edmon¡¯s words before sawing into his neck. Blood ran hot and thick down his chest as his face came clearly into view. He stared at me, horrified and confused, his white lips moving wordlessly.


    Sorry Ed, I thought, retracting my mana from the artifact, which assured anonymity in more ways than just hiding one¡¯s face. As Wolfrum regarded the dying man with surprise and irritation, I took advantage of the distraction to begin channeling my emblem, Sun re.


    The Vritra-born dropped Edmon unceremoniously on the street. ¡°And themoners think we¡¯re ck-hearted,¡± he said, turning back to me with one brow raised.


    Mana rushed into Sun re, and the re of the sun zed across the street, turning the entire sky white. Wolfrum hissed and raised a hand over his closed eyes.


    Activating Myopic Decay, I focused it on my own eyes instead of my enemy¡¯s, dimming my vision against the re as I scrambled to my feet and made a run for it. Something hit me from behind, lifted and spun me in the air, and mmed me down again. I was vaguely aware of bouncing a couple of times before I came to blessed rest, unmoving. I knew that, this time, I hadn¡¯t escaped unscathed, but as long as I didn¡¯t move, I wouldn¡¯t feel all of the pain quite yet. ¡°Hell of a time to quit drinking,¡± the shade of mymandermented, leaning down beside me. ¡°Hell of a time to be dead,¡± I shot back breathlessly.


    Both my spells had faded, and I expected Wolfrum would be satisfied with my attempt to run. Instead of approaching me, though, he gave a grunt of effort, and there was a dull rush of air.


    I jerked over onto my side, my entire body raw and bruised, but I barely felt it past the roiling of my insides and the clenching of my heart.


    Darrin flew up the street from behind Wolfrum, sting the Vritra-born with a rapidfire series of wind-lengthened punches and kicks.


    Filled with desperation, I sent out a sharp pulse with Aural Disruption, focused on Wolfrum. He flinched, just missing with a jet of ck mes¡ªsoulfire¡ªaimed at Darrin¡¯s chest. ¡°Damn you, boy,¡± I grunted, heaving myself to my feet. Every joint from my neck downined, and I could feel a broken rib stabbing at the soft tissue of my insides. Forcing the pain down, I reached for the third level of Myopic Decay.


    My body became a series of shadowy blurs. I stumbled forward, no longer able to run or even pretend to. My entire n had fallen apart between one breath and the next. ¡°Go, fool! I¡¯ve got this¡­under control.¡±


    Darrin gave no indication he¡¯d heard me as he danced around a series of soulfire bolts carried on ck lines of void wind.


    From my dimension artifact, I withdrew a handful of paper-wrapped capsules. Tossing them into the air, I released a quick st of Aural Disruption, destroying them. Thick smoke began to pour into the street. Very fine, sparkling dust was suspended in the smoke, and I again poured mana into Sun re. The dust shone like ten thousand stars, burning through the smoke and making it impossible to see through.


    Bending low, I ran toward where I could still feel the bursts of mana and hear the hiss and pop of spells mming together. Darrin was falling back into the obscuring cloud, but gusts of void wind were wiping away the cover as quickly as it could form. A ck de appeared in my hand, and I imbued the charwood with as much mana as I could spare to focus on.


    With a sudden burst of Aural Disruption, followed by a lesser casting of Myopic Decay targeted at Wolfrum, I flew past Darrin as he deflected a series of whirling skulls of fire and threw myself at his attacker. Wolfrum¡¯s mismatched eyes narrowed in intense concentration, and a shield of ck wind wrapped around him. My de dragged across the surface of the shield, and our mana sparked and crackled as it fought against each other.


    His proved the stronger, and my weapon failed to pierce his shield.


    I pulled the shortsword to my side and fell forward into a roll, barely avoiding a scything de of void wind that cut the air behind me. ¡°ric of Blood Maer.¡± The Vritra-blood¡¯s voice was like ice water in my face. ¡°You¡¯ve been quite the irritant over thesest months. You should have quit while you were ahead. Sticking that bulbous red wart you call a nose into Scythe Dragoth¡¯s affairs will be the end of you.¡±


    I was back on my feet, my de held out in front of me. Behind Wolfrum, the cloud was slowly starting to disperse, but I couldn¡¯t see Darrin. A grateful breath escaped me. He¡¯d escaped. ¡°Tell you what, boy,¡± I said, releasing the mana channeling into Sun re as the stone dust settled, no longer providing a surface to enhance the light of. A hard box appeared in my left hand, which I kept hidden behind my back. ¡°The war¡¯s over. Your High Sovereign is probably dead, your boss the Scythe was mutted and embarrassed. My boss, much as she never really was that, is missing and hasn¡¯t made contact with crya since the shockwave. Why don¡¯t we just agree to go our separate ways, aye?¡± I raised a brow meaningfully. ¡°This continent is hurting. How many mages haven¡¯t recovered yet? Entire cities like this one have shut down. All we¡¯re trying to do is get people back on their feet.¡±


    Wolfrum¡¯s face had settled into a sneer as I spoke. ¡°The High Sovereign will return, and when he does, we will gift him a mountain of skulls, which is all that will remain of your traitorous faction.¡±


    I took a step back, my eyes darting around as if searching for an escape route.


    Wolfrum smiled. In his confidence, he rxed. ¡°Pathetic. I expected more of a man trained as one of crya¡¯s finest spies.¡± His countenance darkened. ¡°Yes, we know who you are, now. It¡¯s impressive you managed to survive this long. Like any old, sick dog, though, therees a time when you need to be put down.¡±


    His hand curled into a fist, and dark fire and wind began condensing around him.


    In the mes to either side of Wolfrum, the shadowy figures appeared again. My oldmander, the woman who had helped me escape my service to the High Sovereign, stood to Wolfrum¡¯s right, the shape of her flickering and dancing. To his left, the other woman. The one with the dark bundle in her arms. My wife. My family. ¡°It¡¯s your funeral,¡± I grumbled, although I knew the words were only that.


    A burning skullrge enough to swallow me whole coalesced around Wolfrum before plunging forward, its gaping maw open wide. I tossed down the mana cage I¡¯d been clutching. The transparent mana sprang upwards and folded out into a t, transparent wall between me and him. l?ghtn\§àv§Öl§ã\§Ñv§Ö~c`§à\m. The skull struck it, and the barrier trembled.


    With a burst of Aural Disruption and as much mana as I could manage into the third level of my crest, I turned and sprang away.


    The street in front of me exploded as a wall of ck void wind ripped up through the stones. I mmed hard on my back, the breath crushed out of me by the blow.


    Aching and breathless, I couldn¡¯t move, only watch, as Darrin appeared from the high balcony of a nearby home, his body wrapped in wind-attribute mana. In the half second it took him to fall, a hail of blows struck Wolfrum from behind and above, staggering him. Darrin struck the Vritra-blood with a knee between the shoulder des, driving Wolfrum to the ground. Fists wrapped in cutting wind fell faster than my wavering, red-stained vision could follow.


    The giant skull of soulfire and void wind erupted. Darrin was lifted off Wolfrum¡¯s back by a ze of ck fire, and the mana barrier shattered with a sound like cracking stone. As if everything moved in slow motion, I saw clearly how the ck fire was drawn into Darrin¡¯s open mouth and eyes, even into his pores. I felt the soulfire take root inside his core, the spectral heat of it burning within him.


    He struck the ground like a bag of sand, his body limp, his eyes rolled back into his head.


    With a rush of adrenaline, I threw myself back to my feet and stumbled past Wolfrum, who was himself standing slowly, as if unconcerned for our ongoing battle.


    I barely noticed the screaming of my knees as I fell onto them beside Darrin, gripping his limp hand in my own. ¡°I told you to go,¡± I moaned, all my strength leaving me.


    The shadow of my oldmander knelt across from him. Her fingers brushed across his cheek, not smudging the dirt and blood that stained him. ¡°Forgive me, boy,¡± I choked out as the soulfire was burning away everything that made Darrin himself. I sensed Wolfrum moving behind me, but the danger he posed no longer mattered.


    At the sound of my voice, some life returned to Darrin. He gripped my hand, and his eyes found mine. They were full of dancing soulfire. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a pained groan. His teeth clenched, and his back spasmed. His hand was wrenched from mine.


    The ghost of mymander shifted, suddenly in front of me. Her hands cupped my face, and her piercing brown eyes burrowed into mine. ¡°This isn¡¯t your fault, ric. None if it has been your fault.¡±


    I let my head hang. ¡°We both know that¡¯s not true, Cynthia.¡±


    Strong fingers took me by the hair and dragged me to my feet. ¡°Pick up your friend. So long as you don¡¯t resist further, I¡¯ll withhold my fire. Test me, and he dies in an instant. In case you think that you might end his suffering that way, trust me that dying by soulfire is not a fate you would wish on any you care for, and in the end would only increase your own suffering many times over.¡±


    I spat blood on the ground at my captor¡¯s feet, but I bent down to lift Darrin as hemanded. ¡°You don¡¯t know shit about suffering, boy. Nothing you can do to me now can be worse than what you inbred Vritra dogs have already done.¡±

 Chapter 487: Contingencies

    <h4>Chapter 487: Contingencies</h4>


    SERIS VRITRA


    I stood silently, surrounded by a coge of orange, purple, and aquamarine crystals sparkling with yellow and white. The Hall of Lords within Lodenhold was a surprisingly pretty ce for the gruff dwarves to convene, but I¡¯d always found the dwarven people to be a cautious alchemy of pragmatism and romanticism, even though they would certainly find the description insulting.


    Around the long, ornate table at the geode¡¯s heart were several dwarves representing multiple ns. Chief among them were the Earthborns and Silvershales. Also present were Virion Eralith, de facto leader of the remaining elven people, Kathyln yder, who represented the affairs of the human nation of Sapin, and Gideon Bastius, chief inventor and scientist behind the advent of the Beast Corps, Dicathen¡¯s newest weapon.


    Their conversation had gone on for quite some time with minimal input from me. This suited me just fine. The people of Dicathen were terrified. The dragons had retreated to their home of Epheotus with only a cursory notice to this world''s leaders. Few beyond this chamber even knew that they¡¯d captured Agrona Vritra.


    crya was free of him, even if it didn¡¯t know it yet.


    But his sudden absence created a host of new dangers for my people. Allowing Agrona and Kezess Indrath to further weaken each other had been essential to the continued safety of our world. I feared this was a mistake on Arthur¡¯s part, although, I could not see all ends, and only time would tell. So much work undone in an instant¡­ I caught myself and tamped down my frustration before it could leak out onto my face. No, perhaps not undone entirely. But, if Arthur isn¡¯t able to dissuade them, the asuras of Epheotus are now potentially an even greater threat.


    Near the far end of the table, Durgar Silvershale, heir apparent to his father, Daglun, Lord of n Silvershale, had been silently stewing on some thought for several minutes as the others discussed the situation in Vildorial. I¡¯d watched the way he tossed his graying hair, scratched at his freshly trimmed beard, and kept shooting me dark looks, his te-gray eyes full of fear and contempt.


    Finally, he burst out. ¡°Why do we not take the battle to crya?¡±


    The hall went silent as the other lords and their guests turned to him.


    Cheeks turning ruddy at bing the center of attention, Durgar nheless lifted his chin and met all eyes with a look of challenge. ¡°We have many of their warriors imprisoned here in Vildorial. As you were just discussing, the number of prisoners is so great that we¡¯ve had to dig out two additional fresh prisons just to hold them all. Their supreme leader is gone, many of their greatest powers defeated. For the first time in this whole damn war, we can attack from a ce of strength!¡±


    Although several of those present nced at me as if awaiting a response, I was not invited to speak, and while that was not strictly a deterrent, it was in my benefit to adhere to their decorum for the moment. I¡¯d seen this anger and frustration building within the people of Dicathen over thest couple of weeks, but I also saw their fatigue and war-wariness. Although some may push for more violence, now that, as Durgar had correctly suggested, the bnce of power was perhaps tipped toward Dicathen, I did not think there was any danger.


    Lance Mica Earthborn leaned back in her seat and kicked one leg up over the other. Her ck gemstone eye reflected the many-colored crystals around us. ¡°Arthur is in Epheotus. Lance Varay is recovering from her wounds in Etistin. Our own armies are haggard and depleted from half a decade of constant conflict. If Agrona really is defeated, then there is no reason to continue the war.¡±


    There were a few mumbled agreements to her words, but others looked less sure, including her own father, Carnelian Earthborn, whose voice would be essential to any decision the council came to.


    ¡°We have these¡­machines,¡± Durgar answered, gesturing to Gideon. ¡°The Beast Corps and¡­what did you call these things again?¡±


    ¡°Exoforms,¡± Gideon answered. Ink-stained fingertips brushed over patchy brows as he considered the table. His eyes only barely touched mine before focusing on Lord Earthborn. ¡°Since Arthur isn¡¯t here to speak¡ªand it was on his orders and with his support that the Beast Corps was formed¡ªI will risk speaking on his behalf. He would not agree to attack crya.¡±


    Daglun Silvershale, lord of his n, tugged at his braided beard anxiously. ¡°And is Arthur Leywin, a human boy less than half the age of my youngest son, the king of all Dicathen now? Perhaps I missed his coronation, butst I checked, he was a Lance in service of the elven empire and nothing more, regardless of his personal strength and his service to Dicathen.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention the lies of his whereabouts that got so many killed,¡± Lance Mica said under her breath. I made note of thement and set it aside to consider more deeplyter. This is a problem that Arthur will need to address before it can fester.


    There was a ssy tter as Lance Bairon Wykes shifted his stance, the steel of his boots ringing against the crystal b on which we all stood. ¡°Arthur is not our king, but he nheless represents both our continent and our world inmunication with the asuras. If what we¡¯ve learned is urate, he is in theirnd right now, certainly treating with their lord. Can anyone else at this time im to have done such a thing?¡±


    I held back my smile, appreciating Bairon¡¯s straightforward defense of Arthur, and all the more because his words were true.


    Gideon cleared his throat. He pointedly met Virion¡¯s eyes, then Kathyln¡¯s, and finally Carnelian Earthborn¡¯s. ¡°No, but I do think Durgar is right on one point: the cryan presence in Vildorial is a burden the city can¡¯t support. The cost of food alone, even prison gruel, is likely to bring the city to its knees in less than a month.¡± Finally, the old scientist turned his attention to me. ¡°I propose, and I¡¯m certain Arthur would agree, that the only way to move forward is to release the cryans and send them home.¡±


    He had presented the argument, which we had developed together in the days leading up to this meeting, with more sarcasm than I¡¯d have preferred, but given both his audience and his station among them, I had to admit it was effective. I let a smile show through. Not sharp or victorious, but soft and grateful, as if I were hearing his words for the first time.


    It had been difficult tomunicate properly, as I had only recently been allowed to leave the prisons that still held the rest of my people, even those who had fought alongside the Dicathians like Caera Denoir and Lyra Dreide. l?ght\n§àvel\world~c\§à\m. The dwarves had shown little interest in speaking with me, and, even after my release, I hadn¡¯t been allowed to leave Vildorial tomunicate with the human leaders.


    Virion Eralith had been willing to meet with me, proving himself to be an understanding and patient man. The support of both Arthur and Lance Bairon gave his voice an outsized weight inparison to the station he now held, but there was no longer an armed conflict to bemander of, and his people were decimated and scattered. I expected him to stick to his values, but hecked the strength to fight for my people when his own needed so much of him.


    It had been in Gideon that I had found the attentive ear I needed to bend. He saw the problems facing his people and my own clearly and without the haze of hatred or sorrow. For a man barely half my age, he was quite intelligent, but most of all, he was unburdened by an overdeveloped sense of propriety, meaning he could speak his mind openly even among the powerful.


    These thoughts and others bounded swiftly through my mind in the beat of silence that followed Gideon¡¯s promation.


    ¡°We¡¯ve tried to live peacefully beside them already¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªturn right around and attack us¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªdeserve justice for the crimesmitted against them¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªeager to see them gone, but we can¡¯t trust them!¡±


    One of the lesser dwarven lords, a blister-cheeked woman with gray hair named Stoyya, said above the rest: ¡°And who exactly gave you authority to make suggestions at this table?¡±


    It was Virion¡¯s rough, calm voice that answered. ¡°Master Gideon has proven himself time and time again. Even if hecks an official title after the dissolution of the Tri-Union Council, he has been integral to every stage of this war. Even now, he represents a significant military power in Dicathen. Should those he represents not have a voice if we¡¯re to rely on their strength?¡± He gazed around the room levelly. When no one responded, we continued. ¡°That said, I must ask: even if we wished to release the cryans, how could so many be sent back across the ocean? Weck ships capable of making the journey, and our capabilities for teleportation can¡¯t match that which brought them to our shores.¡±


    ¡°We could send them all into the Relictombs,¡± Lance Mica suggested with a shrug of her small shoulders. ¡°They¡¯de out in crya eventually. Those that survived, anyway.¡±


    Virion frowned. ¡°Many would not, and we would have no say over who lived and who died, should we be considering justice.¡±


    Lady Kathyln yder folded her hands together on the table in front of her. ¡°Keep in mind that there are children imprisoned here as we speak, and more still living on the very border of the Beast des, left with only the protection of their non-mage caretakers. Any solution needs to ensure that we are not unjustly punishing those who have had no choice in this war.¡±


    Seeing my opening, I took half a step forward. The small motion was enough to draw every eye to me. ¡°Many of those who raised arms against you and your people might be said to have had no choice in fighting this war. crya is not a nation where leaders earn the respect of their people. Rather, it is one where beings more ancient and powerful that we can fully appreciate control the people absolutely, even defining their very worth on the purity of their blood. It is a nation where any small disrespect¡ªeven unintentional¡ªmight mean death not only for you, but your entire family, even your friends and allies. There are those who refused to fight, and we all watched them die horribly. When a god-king tells you to go to war, you go.¡±


    I let my head bow solemnly. ¡°At Arthur¡¯s urging, you allowed many cryans to live in Dicathen alongside you, as your neighbors. And the trust you ced in us through Arthur was betrayed. But when we marched alongside the invading force that entered Vildorial searching for Arthur, it was not because you were or are our enemies. I trusted to find here a way to save as many of my people as possible, while endangering your own as little.¡± I raised my chin and looked down at the seated lords anddies defiantly. ¡°Can any of you truthfully say you¡¯d have done differently? That, upon watching the magic within your own people¡¯s cores erupt and kill them, that you would simply let them die rather thanply? Because if you can tell me that, then perhaps you are a stronger leader than I. Or perhaps you are simply more ruthless with the lives of those who rely on you.¡±


    Blinking faces regarded me with surprise. This surprise quickly turned to anger for some.


    ¡°A pathetic excuse!¡± Durgar roared.


    ¡°To be called ruthless by an cryan,¡± another of the dwarven lords spat, his thick mustache quivering and flecked with spittle.


    ¡°You should watch your tone, Scythe,¡± Lance Mica said, leaning forward in her chair, her one good eye narrowing.


    Carnelian Earthborn, her father, raised a hand. ¡°At ease, Mica. Lord Silvershale.¡± He shook out his mahogany hair and scratched at his matching beard. ¡°After all, we¡¯ve invited Lady Seris here to represent her people, and that is what she is trying to do. As for my part¡­¡± He gave a long, thoughtful look at his daughter and the other Earthborn present, Hornfels, his nephew. ¡°I can¡¯t say what I¡¯d have done in your situation, but I¡¯m not ready to condemn your entire people based on the orders of a corrupt lord. If we dwarves did that, few enough of us would have been left to fight this war at all.¡± He red at Daglun and Durgar. ¡°Or have you forgotten the Greysunders already?¡±


    Daglun Silvershale sputtered. ¡°Forgotten¡­? It was we who led the resistance, who fought and refused to submit, refused to take sides with¡­with¡­¡± His eyes narrowed at Carnelian, who only smiled back. ¡°Yes, well¡­I concede your point, Lord Earthborn.¡±


    Gideon cleared his throat. ¡°Commander Virion, I believed you asked a rather important question before this meeting started to go off the rails. How could we hope to send so many people back to crya at such a distance? Thanks to our asuran ally, Wren Kain IV, I already have an answer.¡± He raised his half-grown brows and looked smugly around the table. ¡°The cryans¡¯st attack was aplished with the use of a new teleportation technology. Well, I say new, but the reality is that it is as close to what the ancient mages aplished as I¡¯ve ever seen. l?ght\n§àvel\world~c\§à\m. Despite their efforts to prevent it, we have captured one of the devices. It was a rtively simple matter to then reverse engineer the working copy.¡±


    Durgar pped his palm against the table. ¡°This is excellent! It puts us on even footing with their ability to strike at a moment''s notice. With the speed and mobility of the Beast Corps, we can¡ª¡±


    ¡°This councilcks the authority to send my exosuits and their pilots anywhere at all,¡± Gideon snapped.


    Durgar¡¯s face went red as a bloodberry, but his father spoke up before he could manage a response. ¡°It is clear that the Council of Lords has little stomach for further fighting. It would be best to listen, Durgar, and gauge the temperament of our peers before demanding more blood and war.¡±


    Durgar¡¯s jaw clenched several times beneath his beard, and he looked down at the table, meeting no one¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°So it seems,¡± Lady Kathyln said into the silence that follows, ¡°that we have means if we also have desire. On behalf of Sapin, I would suggest we follow Master Gideon¡¯s suggestion. Send these people home. Allow them to begin rebuilding their homes, so that we might do the same.¡±


    Virion nodded his agreement. ¡°Well said. On behalf of what remains of the elven nation of Elenoir, I agree.¡±


    Among the dwarven lords, Silvershale and Earthborn were the most powerful. They exchanged a look, and then Carnelian answered for them all. ¡°We agree to release the prisoners and allow them to return home.¡± There was a brief pause, and then, ¡°On one condition.¡±


    I eyed the dwarf expectantly; in armed conflict, no victor backed down with an incentive.


    ¡°Great harm has been done to the nation of Darv by Agrona, and on his behalf,¡± Carnelian said with a rehearsed air. ¡°We expect rpense from crya for its war crimes. Justice in material wealth, in the absence of justice in blood.¡±


    ¡°You have taken the words straight from my mind,¡± I said quickly, before anyone else could intervene. ¡°Dicathen has suffered greatly under Agrona¡¯s attacks. Perhaps not as much as crya has suffered under his rule, but your point is nheless valid. Although I am no longer in a position of political power and can make no promises for the dominions of crya, I¡¯m certain you can make any future leaders see the sense of your demands, just as I do.


    ¡°In fact, I would offer more.¡± Now, my focus turned to Virion. ¡°Although it was the asura and not crya who did such horrible damage to Elenoir, a cowardly attack that took many cryan lives as well, we nheless would offer simr justice for the elves. Currently, the borders with the Beast des are defended only by the viges my people set up there. Should the elves seek to rebuild their homnd, they would be prey for the ranging monsters that have grown consistently more bold over thesest months. I hope to leave some of my own people there, in the viges we have already established, to tend the border with the Beast des. Perhaps, in time, they might even be trading partners with the elves, as we¡¯ve established hunting grounds and crops in the otherwise lifeless wastnd.¡±


    Virion, his hands on the table, pushed back into his chair slightly. This and the slight widening of his eyes were all that gave away his surprise. Ideally, I¡¯d have sought his agreement beforehand, as I¡¯d done with Gideon, but I trusted his sense of fairness and equity to win out.


    ¡°Your offer of aid is¡­very wee,¡± he said at length.


    Carnelian was frowning deeply. ¡°And yet the agreement was that all cryans be sent back to their homnd. This would allow some to stay on our shores, where they have already proven a danger once.¡±


    ¡°Elenoir and the Beast des are far from Darv,¡± Virion said easily. ¡°The risk is firmly on the elves, and I¡¯m willing to ept that risk in exchange for Lady Seris¡¯s offer of support and protection for my people as we begin attempting to revive the Elshire Forest.¡±


    Durgar muttered something about the softness of elves, drawing a cold look from Virion¡¯s assistant, a middle-aged elven woman named Saria Triscan.


    ¡°There is yet more we might offer,¡± I continued. ¡°The technology of crya is advanced. We will share our knowledge. Agrona was only one asura. There is an entire nation of them out there still, any one of which could be just as dangerous to us. crya will share our knowledge, because it is that, not Vritra blood, that makes us strong. Dicathen and crya may assure continued peace between our two continents by equalizing our nations in power, but as our world grows stronger in total, we also help to safeguard ourselves against future asuran involvement.¡±


    I withdrew a leatherbound sheaf of parchment. A dwarven attendant took it and carried it around the table to Lady Kathyln as I indicated. She took it with care, regarded it curiously, then turned searching eyes back on me.


    ¡°I start with a gift for Lance Varay Aurae, who I believe will benefit greatly from this knowledge, which was taken from Taegrin Caelum before we fled crya, at the cost of many cryan lives.¡±


    Kathyln¡¯s expression hardened, and she gave a single sharp nod as she set the bound parchments on the table and rested her hands protectively atop it.


    ¡°Now, unless there is any further business, there is much to do to organize my people for travel. Master Gideon, please bring me the specifications of these portals so we can establish a timeline.¡± I let my gaze sweep across the room, staying respectful but businesslike. ¡°Commander Virion. I must speak with my people to see who is willing to return to the border viges, and then I will provide you numbers.¡±


    Turning away, I walked confidently toward the closed dwarves. The startled guards straightened, looking from me to someone behind me, then hurried to open the doors.


    As I marched quickly through the pce, I felt Virion¡¯s mana signature follow after, noting the silence of his footsteps as he hurried to walk at my side.


    ¡°That was well done in there,¡± he said quietly. ¡°It seems you got exactly what you hoped for, unless I¡¯ve read things incorrectly.¡±


    ¡°I did what all leaders do: sought allies to support my positions,¡± I answered in the same low tone. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t misunderstand. It wasn¡¯t my intention to manipte, but rather to ensure a strong bargaining position.¡±


    He raised his hands and gave me a rough smile. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the game yed for a long time, but seeing you in action makes it all the more clear that we should be on the same side of things toe.¡±


    That is more true than you may realize, I thought, but out loud, I only bid him farewell for now.


    The pce was soon behind me as I marched with a rapid surety toward the closest of the prison wards, which was not far down the curving highway. The outer guards barely twitched their beards at my approach, but the warden within hurried to retrieve the keys and allow me into the cells.


    In the hours and days after the battle, my people had beenmingled without thought into cells, many even held in the bunkers built in the base of the city to protect the civilians. Several fights had broken out between Agrona¡¯s loyalists and those who had followed me out of crya to begin with. It had only been with Lance Bairon¡¯s assistance that I¡¯d convinced our jailors to separate the loyalists and ce them in one of the newly dug out prisons.


    Now, the upper cell contained mostly those who were least a threat to the Dicathians, and those most in need of protection from potential reprisal.


    I stopped to greet and check on members of the Ramseyer blood, which had suffered great losses during the battle, and then on the Arkwrights. Umberters and Frosts, Belleroses and Isenhaerts. I greeted young Seth Milview and Ma Fairweather, interrupting their reading as they poured through a book together. Something one of the dwarven guards had given them. That look of awkwardness and surprise at being addressed by a Scythe¡ªeven if I no longer held that title¡ªwas barely a flicker on their faces now.


    I felt eyes following me and turned to catch Corbett and Lenora Denoir watching me carefully. Caera turned away from some conversation with them and dipped respectfully. ¡°Lady Seris. What news?¡±


    I gestured for her to follow me, then continued deeper into the prison, searching for Lyra and Cylrit. Caera did not ask any more questions but followed me patiently.


    I found them in one of the few cells that had solid walls to provide some privacy for conversations within. Normally it would be locked and warded, but like all the other cells, it was open into the central chamber, affording those imprisoned here some level of freedom to intermingle and move about theplex. Even if the lords of Vildorial had wanted to p every cryan mage in mana suppression cuffs, they wouldn¡¯t have had enough for even ten percent of the prisoners, but I had specifically convinced them to allow Lyra and Cylrit¡ªamong the strongest of those jailed after the battle¡ªto go without such precautions.


    Lyra was sitting cross legged on her bunk with her back against the wall. Her me-red hair pooled around her head like a halo, bright against the stained, off-white stone. Cyrlit stood against the opposite wall, his thumbs hooked through his belt. His normally well-groomed appearance was slightly disheveled, his hair unkempt around his horns; imprisonment hadn¡¯t agreed with him, and I knew he was eager to return to the fight, whatever that might look like now.


    Both looked grave, as if they¡¯d been discussing something quite serious. Although they looked at me in tandem, neither spoke to ask what had happened. Instead, they waited.


    I gave them a soft smile, and their demeanors rxed.


    ¡°It went well, then?¡± Cylrit said finally, pushing himself away from the wall with his elbows.


    ¡°More or less as expected, yes,¡± I confirmed. I closed the door behind Caera, then activated the muffling wards with a pulse of mana. ¡°Their eagerness for a simple solution overwhelmed baser desires, and with Master Gideon there to provide solutions to their concerns, it was fairly straightforward.¡±


    Lyra let out a slow breath between pursed lips. ¡°Forgive me for saying so, but I wasn¡¯t sure. If the tables were turned, who in crya would have shown the same grace?¡±


    ¡°Something you should remember in the days toe,¡± I answered, my tone growing somber. ¡°As we begin to rebuild our nation, there is much we can learn from how the Dicathians treat each other.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t stop thinking about what must be happening back in crya,¡± Caera said, half to herself.


    I reached out and lifted her chin with a finger, meeting her eyes. ¡°Right now, there is a vacuum of power. Already, those highbloods loyal to Agrona will be struggling to fill it. But there are still many who will be working for the betterment of our nation as well. Removing Agrona was only the first step.¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡± Cylrit hesitated. ¡°What about our ns?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to judge the state of our home continent.¡± I looked from Lyra to Cylrit to Caera, lingering on her the longest. ¡°It is certain that the conflict isn¡¯t over yet. The fight toe will be for the very soul of crya.¡±


    ¨Cby ZEXOS specially for ligh\tnove\lwor\ld~c\o\m. (NC: Thanks)

 Chapter 488: A Great Gathering

    <h4>Chapter 488: A Great Gathering</h4>


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    It was Lord leiah who met us inside the entrance to Indrath Castle, not Kezess. Although I wasn¡¯t surprised by his presence, I was pretty damned surprised to be there at all, regardless of which asuran lord stood in front of me. I had expected Kezess to shut down Veruhn¡¯s idea¡ªthat I should be recognized as a new branch of the asuran race¡ªimmediately. Instead, he had agreed to hear the other great lords out, then he and Myre had left.


    Now, barely a day after he threatened to murder me, he would be presiding over a meeting where his peers discussed the possibility of my bing one of them¡­


    ¡°Lord Arthur, Lady Sylvie, so good to see you both again,¡± Veruhn said, smiling like he meant it and waving us forward excitedly, the skin around his milky white eyes wrinkling.


    I peered into those eyes, wondering just what kind of machinations hid behind the cloudy film.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m here too,¡± Regis said. Mypanion was in the form of arge shadow wolf, his backing up above my hip. Purple mes shimmered around his neck and along his tail, and his bright eyes flicked from face to face, marking each guard and Veruhn himself, vignt despite his flippantness.


    ¡°Well of course you are. You three make up a special kind of trinity, don¡¯t you?¡± The old leviathan sighed, his thoughts seeming to turn elsewhere. After a long moment, he gestured for us to follow, turned on his heel, and marched quickly along the entrance hall.


    There was little time to look around or consider where I was. My mind was upied with the many potential ways this meeting could go wrong. Since the effects of King¡¯s Gambit, even powered only partially, allowed me to follow several of these threads at once, it also enhanced my ability to delve into the undercurrent of worry.


    Veruhn greeted several of the dragons we passed by as he led us deeper into the castle. Although they were respectful to him, most eyes lingered on Sylvie instead. Servants and guards bowed deeply, and a few asuras who might have been Indraths or courtiers from other ns seemed to barely constrain themselves from rushing up to meet her.


    I sometimes forget that you¡¯re such a stranger to your own people, I thought as an asura with radiant blond hair and lc eyes tripped over his own feet as he tried to bow but forgot to stop walking first.


    Sylvie gave the young man an empathetic smile as we walked past. ¡®I can¡¯t help but wonder if that otherness was on purpose. My grandfather didn¡¯t know who I was, really, or what I would be. Keeping me at arms length¡ªa curiosity rather than a member of the family¡ªcreated a buffer to ensure I didn¡¯t negatively impact the Indrath n or Epheotus.¡¯


    Padding quietly beside me, Regis looked up at Sylvie. ¡®The dude¡¯s scared of what you represent. Change, an alternative path, an existence outside his little bubble.¡¯ His tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth as he grinned. ¡®He¡¯s right to be. The prodigal princess returned.¡¯ Regis snorted. ¡®Two princesses, in fact.¡¯


    As Veruhn led us, he kept up a steady stream of small talk, providing facts about the other inhabitants of the castle, the portraits we passed, and the history of n Indrath and Kezess. I listened with one branch of my thoughts, but my main focus remained on preparing for the following meeting.


    ¡®You know, Regis, you could be a princess too, if you wanted,¡¯ Sylvie thought back to ourpanion. ¡®If Arthur bes Lord Leywin, and you are born directly to him, then you be a princess.¡¯


    ¡®Excuse me, but I am a magnificent weapon of untold destruction!¡¯ With a snort, Regis padded ahead, moving to walk beside Veruhn.


    ¡®That¡¯s no reason why you can¡¯t wear a tiara.¡¯ She nced at me. ¡®Especially if you choose one that matches Arthur¡¯s.¡¯


    I caught Sylvie¡¯s eye, and we both smiled. Some of the tension eased.


    Veruhn led us out onto a balcony that overlooked the cliffside. Although blue skies stretched away in every direction, a carpet of white-gray clouds hid the distant ground. ¡°We¡¯ll take a shortcut, I think.¡± He lifted up from the ground and drifted like a wisp of cloud, moving slowly upward.


    Regis became incorporeal and moved into my core before Sylvie and I followed. Despite his ims of taking a shortcut, Veruhn¡¯s flight was unhurried, like mist on a gentle wind. He pointed out windows and turrets, statues and engravings, and even stopped to admire the nest of a small bird with shimmering ck and red feathers.


    ¡°Mountain Wings,¡± Veruhn exined with a look of pure, childish fascination as his milky eyes stared at the bird. ¡°Also called the stonecunning swallow or cliff swallow. They only live here, although they usually do not nest this high, preferring the cliffs of Mount Geolus below.¡± He turned his head toward Sylvie. ¡°They were a favorite of your mother¡¯s.¡±


    Sylvie raised a hand toward the bird in its nest, hesitated, and pulled back. It watched her warily with beetle-ck eyes. ¡°It¡¯s lovely.¡±


    Veruhn drifted onward, leading us toward a high balcony in one of the many towers. Hended lightly as a feather, then turned his face up toward the sun as he waited for us tond as well. ¡°Ah. A beautiful day for politics.¡± One brow raised, he faced me. ¡°Are you ready, Arthur?¡±


    I considered everything I knew¡ªand the vast ocean of what I didn¡¯t¡ªand gave the old leviathan a tight-lipped smile. ¡°I suppose we will know soon enough.¡±


    The balcony doors, made of ss or crystal framed in ornate coiling vines of silver, opened as Veruhn approached. The mana and aether were so thick in the air that it nearly hid the powerful signatures of those present within the chamber beyond.


    It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light as I stepped into the tower behind Veruhn. In that twilight moment where it felt like I moved between worlds, the hair on the back of my neck stood and my skin roughened with goosebumps as I felt the hungry eyes of predators following me.


    The airy chamber rified.


    Within, elegant white arches wrapped around the circr chamber, each one carefully carved and molded to look like the branches of thin trees. These opened to simrly arched windows and balconies identical to the one I¡¯d just stepped in from. The light of these many windows and ss doors reflected around the room, making it almost as bright within the chamber as without.


    Arge charwood table in the shape of a near-full moon dominated the space. Its darkness was in stark contrast to the brightness of the walls and ceiling. Seven ornate, high-backed chairs sat equidistant along the rounded side of the table, while a silver and gold throne with gleaming gemstones floated several inches off the floor at the t side.


    We were not the first to arrive.


    An asura with dusky skin and smoky orange hair pulled back in a bun stood from the nearest chair. He wore a flowing sort of robe reminiscent of the kimonos of Earth, expertly embroidered in shimmering thread that looked like true me against the silky ck fabric. His gray eyes seemed to take all of me in within a breath, and then he turned and gave a shallow bow to Lord leiah: the gesture of an equal.


    ¡°Lord Novis of n Avignis,¡± I said, addressing the phoenix member of the Great Eight with a bow that was only slightly deeper than that shared by Veruhn and this phoenix. I hadn¡¯t been named an asura¡ªor the lord of an entire n or race¡ªjust yet. It was important not toe across as too presumptuous, but I also couldn¡¯t afford to be seen as weak or timorous, either.


    ¡°Arthur Leywin, a pleasure to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hello!¡± a sharp, airy voice cut across Lord Avignis¡¯s words.


    The speaker was a small woman with light blue skin that seemed to¡­move, almost as if she weren¡¯t quite corporeal. She had drifted out of her chair and was floating across the massive ck table, bobbing around like an apple in a shallow stream. Her youthful face was split by a wide grin, revealing brilliantly white teeth that came to points. Her misty blue-gray eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as she did a kind of midair curtsey. Her dress, which seemed like nothing so much as a sort of windy mist that she¡¯d wrapped herself in, fluttered at the motion.


    One small hand brushed through white hair that simrly floated around her head like a cloud. ¡°I¡¯m Lady Aerind, but as a soon-to-be member of the Great Eight¡ªor Nine, but that doesn¡¯t work quite the same¡ªyou can call me Nephele!¡±


    Before I could respond, the sylph did a flip in the air, flew to the room¡¯s third upant, and wrapped her arm around the extremely tall woman¡¯s shoulder. ¡°And this is Mads!¡±


    The woman stood stiffly, her features practically carved of wood. As I looked more closely, I thought I could see faint lines in her skin that did, in fact, remind me of tree bark. ¡°Please, Lady Aerind, show some sense of decorum,¡± she said, stepping sideways to break free of the grinning sylph. ¡°Greetings, Arthur Leywin. I am Lady Mapellia, representative of my n and all the hamadryads among the other great ns of Epheotus. You are¡­wee.¡±


    There was a slight hesitation that suggested quite strongly that I was not, in fact, wee, and I looked more closely at the highdy of the hamadrayds. There was no flicker of hostility in her butter-yellow eyes despite the severity of her expression and attitude. Outwardly she would have been intimidating, but the simple river-blue gown that clung to her reedy figure and volumes of green hair that fell in thick ringlets down over her bare shoulders served to undercut this impression.


    I repeated my careful bow. ¡°Thank you, Lady Mapellia.¡±


    ¡°Mads!¡± Lady Aerind said in a stage whisper before bobbing back to her seat.


    ¡°My name is Morwenna, Lady Aerind,¡± the hamadryad said in exasperation.


    At this moment, another asura appeared from a stairway beyond an open set of doors carved of some light-colored wood and bound, like much of the room, in silver vines. At first I thought he must be a servant or attendant, mostly because of the fact that he took the stairs instead of flying or simply appearing in the meeting chamber. Then, I fully registered him.


    Although dressed inly in a beige shirt that stretched over his broad chest and bulging muscles, the belt that kept up his leather breeches was iid with gold and studded with strange, multicolored gemstones. His beard was long and bushy but otherwise well maintained, and he wore diamond studs in his ears. There was something very solid about the man, and his mana signature immediately reminded me of Wren.


    ¡°Ah, Radix, perfect timing as always,¡± Veruhn said, putting his hand on my back and gently guiding me around the table. Behind me, I heard Lord Avignis introduce himself to Sylvie.


    ¡°So this is the pup, eh?¡± The man¡ªRadix of n Grandus I now knew¡ªstrode forward and shook Veruhn¡¯s hand roughly. I had at first taken him to be a few inches shorter than myself, but as he¡¯d approached, he seemed to grow. By the time he extended his hand to me, he was exactly my height.


    I shook his hand, which was rough at stone. His fingers sped my hand with enough strength to shatter bone if my body hadn¡¯t been strengthened by aether. Whereas the other lords had so far focused entirely on me, Radix looked right through me to Regis. His flint-ck eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Is that the signature of Wren of n Kain, fourth of his name?¡± he rumbled.


    Instead of waiting for confirmation, he brushed past me and knelt in front of Regis, who watched him warily. Mypanion¡¯s eyes widened when Radix took him by the jaw, forcing his mouth open. The titan inspected Regis¡¯s mouth like a tinker might inspect a horse.


    ¡°Hm.¡± He said only that, then stood, scratched Regis behind the ear, and finally tossed him what looked like a piece of dried meat that had appeared as if from nowhere.


    ¡°I feel strangely vited yet ttered,¡± Regis said while chewing the meat. ¡°And my god is this jerky good. What even is this?¡±


    Radix slumped into his seat and kicked one booted foot up on the table. ¡°That¡¯s a special treat usually reserved for our guardian beasts.¡±


    ¡®When you¡¯re an asuran lord and member of the Fine Nine or whatever, you have to get that recipe,¡¯ Regis thought desperately. ¡®I don¡¯t care if we have to go to war over it.¡¯


    One of the balcony doors opened of its own ord, and shadow condensed within it. From the shadow stepped a thin man in ck battlerobes. His dark red eyes flicked around the room rapidly before catching on me. He fiddled with one of his horns, which sprouted from his forehead and swept back before curving forward again, pointing at me like two spears.


    I was caught off guard by the basilisk¡¯s sudden appearance. I had known, logically, that n Kothan represented the basilisks in the Great Eight, but I had failed to consider that he would actually be present.


    Making a snap decision, I strode around the table toward him. The basilisk watched me approach warily. Not out of fear, I thought, but uncertainty about me or my intentions. I stopped before him and extended my hand, just as Radix had done. Lord Kothan¡¯s deep red eyes flicked past me to where I knew Lord Avignis stood. Are they allies? I wondered. It made a kind of sense; both the basilisks and phoenixes had lost their great ns in the Vritra and the Asclepius. The part of my mind that was active with the magic of King¡¯s Gambit began dissecting this information.


    After a beat of hesitation, the basilisk took my hand. Despite his somewhat frail appearance, he had a strong grip. ¡°Arthur Leywin. The human who felled Agrona Vritra.¡± Suddenly he released my hand and went to one knee. The air in the chamber seemed to grow very tense, and I could feel the weight of the others¡¯ attention threaten to bring me to my own knees. ¡°I, Rai Kothan, representative of n Kothan and all the basilisks of Epheotus, owe you a great debt.¡± He looked up to meet my gaze, and something blistering and wrathful and dark swam just beneath the surface of his blood-clot eyes. ¡°The Vritra n nearly destroyed our race in their selfish pursuits. You have brought us justice. That will not soon be forgotten.¡±


    Even with King¡¯s Gambit partially active, I couldn¡¯t think of anything to say and only nodded firmly in response. Thankfully, Sylvie appeared at my side. She extended a hand to Lord Kothan, who took it with the same wariness with which he had watched me earlier. ¡°Lord Kothan. We appreciate your words and the intent behind them, but rest assured, the fight against my father was one we pursued for the good of all living beings across both our worlds. You don¡¯t owe us anything.¡±


    Well said, I thought to her gratefully.


    Rai stood and straightened his battlerobes. Without speaking further, he rounded the table and took a seat next to where Lord Avignis was now sitting.


    It seems we¡¯re only missing the lord of the pantheons and Kezess himself.


    ¡°Arthur, you and Lady Sylvie will join me here,¡± Veruhn said, gesturing to where a gap had been left between his seat and Radix¡¯s, directly across from Kezess¡¯s throne. ¡°It is customary that you stand until you are either dismissed or, in this case, offered a seat at the table.¡±


    Nepheleughed, and a cool breeze that smelled like sweetshrub and gardenias blew through the chamber. ¡°Oh, this is so interesting.¡±


    I stood in the expected spot, Regis to one side and Sylvie on the other. The six gathered lords anddies eyed me expectantly for a moment, then as one turned toward the throne. Suddenly Kezess was sitting in it. There was no sh of light, no sense of movement, only a ripple in the aether.


    His gaze settled on the only empty seat at the table. He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them to look at Lady Mapellia. ¡°Lord Thyestes is purposefully taking his time, it seems, but he will be here momentarily. Until then, we shall wait. In silence.¡±


    At his left hand, Lady Mapellia sat stiffly. Beside her, Nephele fidgeted restlessly. The rest of the lords¡¯ demeanorsnded somewhere in between. Kezess¡¯s gaze settled not on me but his granddaughter.


    Veruhn caught my eye as I was looking around and gave me a subtle wink.


    A full minute passed in this awkward, forced silence. It was finally broken when a tall, athletic figurended on the same balcony we had entered from. The doors opened, and he strode in purposefully. This man, who I knew to be Ademir Thyestes, lord of his n and all the pantheon race, moved like a predator. His four front, forward-facing eyes flicked to me for only an instant before focusing on the empty seat between Lord Grandus and Lord Kothan. The bright purple eyes on the sides of his head moved constantly, however, from one lord to the next, to me and mypanions, and regrly back to Kezess.


    Kezess watched Lord Thyestes get settled for several long seconds before returning his attention to the room atrge. ¡°As we all know why we have been called together¡ªand most, it seems, have already discussed the situation in more private environs¡ªI expect this meeting will be a short one.¡±


    The hamadryad, Lady Mapellia, stood. ¡°It has been suggested that this human, Arthur Leywin, may in fact have evolved beyond being a mere lesser into what might be considered a new branch of the asuran family tree.¡± She paused and stared around to ensure that everyone had heard. ¡°Our only task today is to decide if this is true. First, we open up this session of the Great Eight to any lord ordy who wishes to express their opinion.¡± She then sat.


    I nced from the corner of my eye to Veruhn, but he remained still and silent.


    Surprisingly, it was Lord Thyestes who stood. He looked straight at me as he said, ¡°It is nothing but wishful thinking that you all engage in. This lesser has killed two of the Thyestes and brought down the Vritra n as well. None of us wish to believe a lesser could do such a thing, and yet this one has. Instead of acknowledging reality, however, you seek to make him something he is not. Because he is not an asura, and even killing General Aldir of n Thyestes can¡¯t make him one.¡±


    Kezess wasn¡¯t watching the pantheon, rather he was inspecting me closely.


    Nephele, floating above her seat, let out a huff that made her flutter around. ¡°Only a pantheon would think you earn your way to being an asura by killing people. Ademir! Look at him. That¡¯s no lesser physique. I mean, he even has golden eyes!¡± She turned thoughtful and looked at Lady Mapellia to her right. ¡°Do lessers normally have golden eyes?¡±


    Morwenna returned her look stone-faced and gave a small shrug.


    Ademir sat, his arms crossed. ¡°We¡¯ve all heard by now the tale of Lady Sylvie¡¯s sacrifice and the physical rebirth of both their bodies. Perhaps she gave him some asuran aspect, but how does that match up against the eons of evolution and empowerment that each of our races has gone through?¡±


    Lord Grandus leaned forward, his elbows on the table and his hands folded into his thick beard. ¡°If we look at this boy¡¯s actions, then we are forced to consider how these actions were performed. The actions themselves aren¡¯t the reason we¡¯re here, only the catalyst for the discussion.¡± His deep voice rumbled through the air so that I felt it in my chest. ¡°My n has long made it our business to study the advancement of life, and even to mold that advancement. There is no reason, through the application of powerful enough mana or aether arts, that a human couldn¡¯t be something more. And in that event, even if they did not evolve alongside the rest of the asura, a case could also be made for folding them into our culture for a variety of reasons. We should resist the urge to jump to a decision and instead take time to study Arthur further.¡±


    ¡°While study is warranted¡­¡± Rai of the basilisk n, Kothan, had raised a finger into the air as he started speaking. He hesitated in the middle of his sentence, shooting a furtive look to Kezess, who nodded very slightly. ¡°While study is warranted,¡± he began again, ¡°we shouldn¡¯t overlook the current situation.¡±


    He stood, pressed his palms into the top of the table, and leaned forward. ¡°Agrona Vritra has been a danger to us for many hundreds of years, and his upation of our mothend¡ªthe very soil that birthed Epheotus¡ªhas been an insult and a threat. We have been shut off from the growth of the lesser world for too long because of Agrona, and it has blinded us to their progress. Arthur Leywin is standing here as proof of their evolution, and his service in defeating the Vritra n should be rewarded appropriately.¡±


    ¡°The name asura isn¡¯t merely a title to be traded for political good will!¡± Ademir snapped.


    The meeting dissolved into arguing and bickering. It only ended when Kezess sent out a pulse of King¡¯s Force that drew all attention back to himself.


    ¡°We¡¯ve heard base emotional reactions, but none of you have presented any proof, only suggested we find it.¡± Kezess¡¯s focus shifted to Veruhn. ¡°I was told that this conversation had already begun, encouraging me to bring it into a more formal environment. But I find myself¡­unconvinced by what I¡¯ve heard here today. Only Lord Thyestes seems to be making sense.¡±


    I noticed Ademir¡¯s jaw tighten and his lips go white as Kezess mentioned him. There was a stony look in his eye that almost might have been hostility. I considered what I had learned about Aldir¡¯s flight from Epheotus and realized that Ademir still harbored some anger about Kezess¡¯s treatment of his nmate.


    Lord Avignis cleared his throat. ¡°Forgive me, Lord Indrath, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯re being fair to Rai. His words bring many questions to my mind. Questions that, I think, would be best answered by Arthur himself.¡±


    The phoenix turned to look at me, his gray eyes smoldering with me-orange sparks. ¡°We have all been made aware of certain facts, Arthur. You nearly died while channeling the will of a powerful dragon, Sylvia Indrath, but you were saved by your bond with her daughter, Lady Sylvie. The result was that your body became something closer to asura than human. You have a core, but it is made of and maniptes aether instead of mana, empowering your body directly with aether, unlike even the dragons. And you channel certain¡­aether arts. Such as the ability you used to interrogate the Vritra criminal, Oludari.


    ¡°It remains unclear, however, exactly how you disabled Agrona Vritra.¡± The sparks in his eyes red, even though the rest of his expression remained passive. ¡°What power did you use?¡±


    The hamadryad, Morwenna of n Mapellia, hummed in irritation. ¡°How does this question help us in our consideration of Arthur¡¯s asuran state?¡±


    It was Radix who answered, leaning forward over the table now so that his chest practically rested on top of it. ¡°Of course, Novis! It was necessary for us to take on new forms to contain our growing power, even back before our ancestors forged Epheotus from the soil of the lesser world. In doing so, we branded our mana arts with our own specific strengths. While Arthur¡¯s use of aether is interesting, it is also rather obvious. He was granted the will of a dragon in addition to being bonded to Lady Sylvie here. That alone proves nothing. But this power that captured Agrona¡­¡± His steely gaze hammered into me like he was trying to unearth the truth from me with a pickaxe. ¡°What was this power? Is it some lesser ability, or a product of your exposure to the dragons?¡±


    All eyes were on me, so no one else aside from my ownpanions saw the re Kezess gave me. The warning was obvious.


    Regis, who had sat down and was now scratching his ear with one hind paw, sent me a mental roll of his eyes. ¡®Oh screw him. I say tell them. You¡¯re Arthur Leywin, Master of Fate! Cue evilughter.¡¯


    Sylvie shifted beside me. ¡®Not to use hisnguage, but Regis may be right. If Kezess has kept the revtion of Fate from the rest of the asura, revealing it may swing things in our favor.¡¯


    I thought back to my conversation with Kezess over the fields ofva. Maybe, but we also don¡¯t quite see the whole picture yet.


    ¡°All of my magic is aetheric in nature,¡± I said in answer to the questions that had been posed by Lords Grandus and Avignis. ¡°As I gain insight, I am able to tap into magic held within the conscious aether itself, forming what I¡¯ve called godrunes¡ªpieces of powerful magic that are branded directly into my flesh.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how fascinating!¡± Nephele said, floating over the table toward me. ¡°Can we see?¡±


    Before I could answer, Veruhn coughed against the back of his hand then stood slowly. Nephele bit her cheek and drifted back to her seat.


    Verun¡¯s back straightened segment by segment, giving the impression that he was even older than he looked. His smile as he gazed blindly around the chamber was tremulous. In human terms, he seemed to have aged fifty years between our arrival and now, but I couldn¡¯t tell if it was a show or somehow the result of the conversation itself.


    ¡°It is deeply correct that everyone currently gathered at this table is passionate about this conversation,¡± he said, speaking slowly and enunciating each word carefully. ¡°Never before has such a thing been considered. We asura are slow to grow, slow to change. It is not in our nature. And so we have remained as only eight races since the failure of the wraiths. Even the intermingling of our races has never resulted in a new branch of our long and storied family tree.¡±


    Veruhn paused to collect himself and catch his breath. His milky white eyes seemed to focus above the heads of all those seated at the table. ¡°But we cannot deny what fate has ced right in front of us. For this evolution to happen now, as the situation with Agrona seemed to be building to a full out war, is certainly no mere chance. Arthur¡¯s growth, his transformation, was necessary for both our cultures to survive. Now we have an opportunity that we have never had before: to change and grow as a people, together with the lessers whom we have for so long been apart. Let n Leywin speak on their behalf, be their voice. We cannot afford to let their world fester and spawn another Agrona.¡±


    The other asuras regarded Veruhn thoughtful as he struggled to sit back down. I could see how his words had settled over them, changing the direction of the conversation in mere moments.


    ¡®They do not all respect each other, but they do him,¡¯ Sylvie noted. ¡®I can¡¯t help but wonder if we¡¯re not being put in the middle of a building power struggle between the asuran ns.¡¯


    I traced back the threads of each encounter with Veruhn. Why did he give me the mourning pearls? I wondered yet again. Out loud, I said, ¡°Thank you, Lord leiah. I appreciate your vote of confidence.¡± After pausing to ensure I had everyone¡¯s attention, I continued, ¡°When I was first told about this¡­offer, I¡¯ll admit I myself wasn¡¯t entirely sure it was right, or that I even wanted it.¡±


    Ademir¡¯s brows pinched together in a frown, while Morwenna turned her nose up slightly.


    ¡°I have a home to return to, and people who rely on me that are probably suffering as we speak. Dicathen and crya need me, not Epheotus.¡± I let these words sink in.


    Kezess was listening politely, his expression otherwise carefully nk. Beside him, Novis whispered something to Rai.


    ¡°But listening to you all speak here today, I¡¯vee to understand something.¡± At my mentalmand, Sylvie and Regis took half steps closer to me so that we were almost touching. ¡°Those people do need me to be here. They need me to protect them, and that means having a voice among the asura.¡±


    Nephele had sunk down into her seat properly and had her arms crossed on the table, her chin resting on her forearms. It was difficult to tell if she was enraptured or thinking about something else entirely.


    ¡°I may not have been born among the asura, but I have been entwined with your people since before I was even born,¡± I said firmly. ¡°I have bonded to you, been trained among you, fought beside you and against you. And, like a crucible, the presence of the asura in my life has molded me into something other, something new.¡±


    I looked directly at Radix, who had eased back into his seat bit by bit as I spoke. He was running his fingers through his beard, deep in thought. ¡°Not only have I gained great power and evolved beyond the limitations of my humanity, I, like the asura, have transformed to contain this power.¡±


    Releasing a sudden rush of aether, I fully activated both Realmheart and King¡¯s Gambit. Vibrant aetheric runes burned along my skin and beneath my eyes. My hair lifted up to drift around the crown of light floating above my head. Aether condensed in my channels until it shined through my skin in glowing veins.


    My voice resonated as I spoke, the words pieced together from a dozen parallel lines of thought.


    ¡°You have asked, and I will answer. The power that I wield is Fate itself.¡±

 Chapter 489: Nor a Gift

    <h4>Chapter 489: Nor a Gift</h4>


    ¡°You have asked, and I will answer. The power that I wield is Fate itself.¡±


    The words, thick with the resonance of the aether that imbued them, hung heavy in the air.


    The full force of my aetheric intent pressed down with the weight of all my power, responsibilities, and fears, and with King¡¯s Gambit burning bright and hot against my spine, my mind fractured into dozens of parallel branches in order to process every potential shred of information from the asuras¡¯ responses.


    Their eyes, all different colors, shone with the reflection of purple and gold light from the aether glowing through my skin and the crown hovering above my floating hair. Each asuran lord¡¯s reaction carried a throughline of true surprise, but each also was branded with a particr emotion individual to themselves alone.


    Straight across from me, Kezess revealed the least about his thoughts through his outward expression. His lips were slightly parted and his eyes dted by a fraction. There was a stiffness in his shoulders, down his arms, to his left hand, which rested on top of the charwood table. This alone spoke to his surprise. It was the twitching of the small muscles of that hand and the darkening of his purple eyes that gave away his anger. It wasn¡¯t a wrathful anger that was likely to burst the boundaries of his control, but a simmering bitterness that I registered distantly as being more problematic. Not because of any danger, but because I didn¡¯t fully understand it.


    To his left, Morwenna of n Mapellia, great n of the hamadryads, was giving me only half her attention. Her lips were pressed tightly together, highlighting the subtle wood-grain pattern of her skin. She had pushed herself back from the table, and the muscles of her legs, hips, and back were tensed as if she were ready to spring to her feet ifmanded. Every half a second, her eyes twitched to Kezess.


    Beside Morwenna, the leader of the sylphs, Nephele of the Aerind n, had sunk down into her chair. Her mouth was open in an almost perfect circle, and a snapping wind was blowing around her, making her hair and the cloud-like cloth of her clothes whip about. Her blue-gray eyes had gone lightning-white, and there was something hungry in them that I couldn¡¯t quite parse.


    Veruhn, just to my right, was no less surprised than the others, but within his surprise, there was something more. Under the influence of King¡¯s Gambit, I didn¡¯t feel any emotional response to what I saw reflected back at me in Veruhn¡¯s reaction, but I recognized what I should have felt. Because, through the doddering old uncle act, beneath the feeble exterior he presented, there was a being much greater and older and, most of all, fiercer than he allowed anyone to see.


    In that instant, Veruhn couldn¡¯t hide himself. Some of the faded color returned to the ridges that ran along his head, and there was a purple flush to his cheeks. The wrinkles smoothed, and a grim, victorious smile shed across his face. Even his King¡¯s Force surged, the leviathan hidden beneath the wrinkled old man iling to be set free.


    ¡°And beings of light descended, bringing with them magic unimagined. Bringing with them power too terrible to behold. And they called themselves deva, and they, in their power, were terrible and unimaginable. They marked the world with their power, and then they left, never to return.¡±


    The softly spoken words came from Lord Rai of n Kothan, the basilisk who had reced Agrona among the great ns. Sitting to Kezess¡¯s right, he was pale as a ghost, and his hands, sped before him on therge charwood table, trembled.


    ¡°Silence,¡± Kezess ordered without looking at the basilisk.


    Rai¡¯s words sent ripples through the room. Beside him, the phoenix lord, Novis of n Avignis, had been watching me with wary thoughtfulness, his brows creased as he fidgeted in his seat, but he stiffened as Rai spoke, ncing at the basilisk from the corner of his eye nervously as Kezess ordered silence.


    On Rai¡¯s other side, Ademir Thyestes crossed his arms and huffed. ¡°We should all be embarrassed by the utterance of fables and fairy stories at this table.¡± But, with King¡¯s Gambit active, I could see the truth. The hairs on Ademir¡¯s neck stood on end, and the pantheon lord¡¯s breathing was shallow and troubled. He shot a nce out one of the windows, and by the way his eyes focused, he seemed to be looking at something a long way off. Following his gaze, I could almost make out a vige far, far in the distance, well beyond the range of sight, surrounded in green and blue grass.


    Simultaneously to my examining the response of the asuras, I was attempting to dissect what Rai had said.


    ¡°And beings of light descended, bringing with them magic unimagined.¡± Beings of light? Could the magic be mana, or maybe aether?


    ¡°Bringing with them power too terrible to behold.¡± This is from the perspective of the asura, I have to assume. What kind of power could be too terrible even for the asura?


    ¡°And they called themselves deva, and they, in their power, were terrible and unimaginable.¡± I¡¯d never heard the term deva before. The repetition of terrible and unimaginable really drivesthis message home, but this is also a kind of asuran storytelling I wasn¡¯t expecting to here.


    ¡°They marked the world with their power, and then they left, never to return.¡±


    This final passage, I didn¡¯t know what to make of. I reached out for Sylvie or Regis to help, but both had been forced to pull their minds away from mine, unable to stand the effects of King¡¯s Gambit.


    Lord Radix of the Grandus n stood. His eyes, which sparkled like the multicolored gemstones that studded his belt, studied me intently. His own surprise had quickly subsided, and unlike the dismay that the others had disyed at Rai¡¯s utterance, Radix was intent, his eyes darting side to side in an indication that he was thinking rapidly as he considered something.


    The titan took a step closer to me, stroking his beard. The mana was moving strangely about him, like it was acting as an extension of his senses. Like he could see and feel through the mana itself. Although Radix had a simr signature to Wren, I had never experienced this phenomenon with Wren before.


    ¡°That is enough, Arthur,¡± Kezess said firmly, his voice tight with carefully concealed frustration and, I thought, even a quiver of fear.


    I held his gaze for several long seconds before releasing my godrunes and recalling the aether that was providing the glowing effect back into my core.


    I was left feeling sluggish without the godrune active, and I had to steady myself to keep from wobbling.


    ¡®You good?¡¯ Regis asked, easing back into my thoughts.


    It¡¯s nothing. There is always some sense of¡­sobering up when I release King¡¯s Gambit entirely, I answered through the brain fog.


    ¡®Look sharp, Arthur,¡¯ Sylvie thought, dragging my attention back to Radix.


    The titan rested a hand on my shoulder, forcing me sharply back into the moment as my knees trembled from the unexpected weight of it. Aether flooded my body to strengthen my legs. My shoulder ached, and I realized that Radix was manipting the density of his own body to somehow test mine.


    ¡°May I?¡± he asked, moving around behind me and reaching for the hem of my shirt, forcing Sylvie to step out of the way, her brows raised in surprise.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± was all I managed before the titan had pulled up my shirt to regard the skin of my back. There, I knew he would see the false spellforms that the first djinn projection had provided, meant to disguise my godsrunes when I was among the cryans. What I didn¡¯t expect was the tingling I felt within the godrunes themselves.


    Through my connection with Regis, I felt Radix¡¯s eyes trace the connection between us beforending on mypanion. Regis¡¯s hackles raised defensively, and I could feel Radix¡¯s prating senses outlining the shape of the Destruction rune contained inside Regis¡¯s physical form.


    ¡°I see,¡± the titan said, his voice an earthquake rumble, and then he returned to his seat.


    I felt myself frowning, but before I could ask, Nephele beat me to it.


    ¡°Well, do share with the rest of us, Rad. What¡¯s really going on here?¡± The sylph was floating above her seat again, her hands on her hips, her entire body rotated at a thirty degree angle.


    Radix leaned back into his seat, his arms crossed, one hand stroking his beard thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough to change my mind, and I call for a vote of the Great Eight on the subject of Arthur Leywin¡¯s status as a new race of asura.¡±


    This sudden promation seemed to catch the others off guard.


    ¡°Now wait just a moment, we need to¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªbut what did you see? It would be beneficial for us all to¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªblessedly short meeting, and then we can¡ª¡±


    ¡°This is not a decision to be rushed!¡±


    Thisst was apanied by a heavy fist mming down on the charwood table, making it jump and cutting off the other voices as they spoke over each other. The others bristled, even the carefree Nephele, as Ademir red around at his fellow lords anddies. His King¡¯s Force was like the edge of a de pressed against my throat.


    ¡°Many of us at this table measure our lives in millennia,¡± he continued, more controlled. ¡°In the centuries I have sat across this table from you, I have never experienced such a sudden urge for immediate resolution.¡± His attention shifted to Rai. ¡°The decision to name n Kothan to the Great Eight to rece the Vritra n took us fifty years, and even that was a short time inparison to our deliberation on what to do about Agrona himself.


    ¡°Now, faced with a question that, depending on our answer, could very well redefine the nature of our world for the next ten thousand years, we are supposed to vote based on a bare few minutes in the presence of this boy?¡± Ademir¡¯s gaze fell to his fist still pressed against the tabletop. ¡°If you are set on forcing this vote, Radix, then let me be the first to refuse. The pantheons will not recognize Arthur Leywin or his n as members of the asuran race.¡±


    Anger flushed hot through me. He wasn¡¯t just voting against me but stating inly that he refused to ept the results of any vote at all. Regis, standing at my side with the mes of his mane snapping around him, reinforced my emotions, but Sylvie attempted to temper us both. ¡®Don¡¯t forget that the pantheons are a warrior race. They meet challenges head on. And as far as he knows, you are responsible for the deaths of both Taci and Aldir.¡¯


    ¡®It may be that you¡¯re not the real source of his anger,¡¯ Regis added begrudgingly, surprising me.


    Realizing I was letting myself get frustrated, I channeled aether into King¡¯s Gambit. Only a little, just enough to expand my thoughts out to a few simultaneous threads, which had the added benefit of dampening any emotional reaction I had to the proceedings.


    ¡°Those are dangerous words, Lord Thyestes,¡± Morwenna said, her eyes narrowing. A slight flush crept up her neck, again emphasizing the subtle patterns in her skin. ¡°Express your opinion as you wish, but remember that we have all sworn to uphold the will of the Great Eight, even when we disagree with its decisions.¡±


    Rai cleared his throat. Holding direct eye contact with me, he said, ¡°My mind has not changed. I vote that Arthur be named first of his race, head of his n, and a member of this council.¡±


    ¡°Sure, me too,¡± Nephele said, looking very seriously up the ceiling, having rotated half around so she was nearly upside down. ¡°Let¡¯s see what fate has in store for him?¡± She chuckled suddenly and flew down to nudge Morwenna. ¡°Fate? See what I did there?¡± She giggled happily to herself, apparently oblivious to Morwenna¡¯s icy look in response.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough,¡± Radix said in answer to the vote he himself called for. ¡°Perhaps, in the most traditional sense of the word, Arthur is not an asura. But whatever transition he has undergone has brought him closer to us than the lessers he was born to.¡± Speaking directly to me, he continued, ¡°I hope, Arthur, that you¡¯ll work alongside the Grandus n in more fully exploring these changes in the future. But for now, I agree that you should stand among us.¡±


    I nodded, not wanting to promise anything yet. Most of my mind was still on Ademir¡¯s words as I considered the potential ramifications and fallout if he followed through on his threat to refuse the will of the Great Eight. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to believe that his hostility hadn¡¯t been ounted for by either Kezess or Veruhn, which meant that one or the other was likely working directly against him.


    Ademir shook his head as he stared around the table. ¡°Novis? Morwenna? Surely you won¡¯t fall victim to the wishful thinking of the others. You must agree with Lord Indrath and me.¡±


    Morwenna looked up at Kezess, whose floating throne made him slightly taller than any of the others.


    Kezzess nodded. His face was so carefully cid that it seemed almost smug in the absence of expressed emotion.


    ¡°I am in agreement with the others,¡± Novis said simply, his demeanor reserved.


    Morwenna¡¯s head cocked slightly, and she gave Ademir a hard look as she said, ¡°I bow to the will and wisdom of the Great Eight. I find myself convinced to, at the very least, give n Leywin their ce at the table. We shall see what happens beyond that.¡±


    Ademir scoffed. Almost in desperation, he turned to Veruhn, but the old leviathan smiled sadly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, old friend. You know well where I stand on the issue.¡±


    Ademir¡¯s jaw clenched and his expression turned stony. Slowly, defeated, he looked at Kezess as if he already knew what the dragon was going to say.


    Kezess stood, carefully tossing his wheat-blond hair. There was a gleam in hisvender eyes as he tugged on the gold-embroidered cuffs of his fine shirt.


    Sylvie shuffled her feet. ¡®Why does this feel staged?¡¯


    ¡°Friends. Leaders of your respective ns and people. Members of the Great Eight. I respect your opinions and thank you for sharing them.¡± His gaze lingered longest on Ademir, and despite calling him a friend, there was no friendship in the look they shared. ¡°This body is divided, but the opinion of its majority is clear. While I¡¯ll admit I have my reservations, I am nheless in agreement. Arthur Leywin has transcended his nature as a human. Despite some draconic aspect, he is not a dragon, making him something entirely new.¡±


    There was a cadence to his speech that reminded me of watching a y, just as Sylvie had suggested.


    ¡°Arthur Leywin is henceforth named an asura, his lineage that of an entirely new race. His n, the Leywins, will transcend the boundaries between human and asura, even if they themselves do not share his qualities. As leader of his n, the only n of his race, he is also immediately offered a ce among us here, a member of the Great Eight.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll need a new name,¡± Nephele said in a stage whisper to Morwenna.


    Ademir stood and red at Kezess. The sh of their opposing King¡¯s Force seemed likely to rip the tower down around us, but itsted only a moment. Without another word, Ademir spun on his heel, crossed to the nearest balcony door, jerked it open, and flew quickly out of sight.


    Even Kezess, always so carefully controlled, could not hide a half-formed smirk before he returned his attention to the rest of the group. A chair appeared behind me, and the rest shifted slightly to amodate it. Those sitting in them hardly seemed to notice.


    ¡°Speaking of names, Arthur, you will have to name yourself,¡± Kezess said, forcing a tight smile to more fully hide his smirk. ¡°Have you given any thought to such a thing?¡±


    I opened my mouth but didn¡¯t speak, realizing that I hadpletely failed to consider what my race might be called. Despite the asuras¡¯ decision, I wasn¡¯t sure if I¡¯d ever think of myself as anything other than human.


    ¡°I have a suggestion,¡± Veruhn said. He paused to cough into his hand before giving the others an apologetic smile. ¡°Long ago, it was theorized that beings of power might one day coalesce out of the barrier between worlds itself, formed of that power and carrying the spark of it as their consciousness.¡± He paused, taking a few breaths before continuing to speak. ¡°Their appearance never manifested, but the name we gave their myth still echoes down through the ages today.¡±


    ¡°The archons,¡± Radix said, steepling his fingers in front of him and breathing through the shape it made. There was a re of mana, but I couldn¡¯t tell what he¡¯d done.


    Kezess eyed me curiously for several seconds. ¡°Arthur Leywin, head of his n, archon of the Great Eight. Is this eptable to you?¡±


    ¡®I like it,¡¯ Regis thought immediately. ¡®It¡¯s very¡­august, you know. Regal. One might even say majestic.¡¯


    Doing my best to ignore him, I addressed Kezess. ¡°I ept your offer to be recognized as a member of the asuran race, and the name of archon. Thank you.¡± To Veruhn I added, ¡°I appreciate everything this council has said.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Arthur Leywin, lord of the archon race. Wee to the Great Eight. Now, I¡¯m afraid I have other business to attend to,¡± Kezess said abruptly. ¡°I encourage each of you to carefully consider what today¡¯s decision means for your people.¡±


    Then, just like that, he was gone. None of the others seemed surprised.


    Rai and Novis turned to each other and began speaking in low voices. Morwenna, Radix, and Veruhn each stood, while Nephele blew over to me on a gust of wind that tossed my hair and made the fabric of my shirt flutter.


    ¡°Oh, but thank the summer grass and winter winds for a short meeting,¡± she said, her tone softening as she released some of the forced cheer she¡¯d held onto throughout the meeting. ¡°It is tedious being indoors, don¡¯t you think? These meetings would be a lot more productive under the open sky or the boughs of trees.¡± She grew wistful and stared out the window. ¡°I think I¡¯ll go, for a while. I¡¯ve had enough of great events and the insides of buildings for one day.¡±


    Nephele¡¯s body became incorporeal and mostly invisible, little more than the shape of her drawn in white lines of wind. She grinned, her eyes pressed shut, and she flew out through an open window, did several twirling summersaults, then vanished against the blue sky and floor of white-gray clouds.


    ¡®I¡¯ve learned of the sylphs, of course, but I expected their queen to be more¡­refined,¡¯ Sylvie thought as she watched Nephele go.


    ¡®I don¡¯t trust her,¡¯ Regis answered. ¡®To be fair, I don¡¯t trust any of them, but she seems a little¡­flighty.¡¯ He gave a barkingugh at his own joke.


    I held back my groan, focusing instead on Radix, who was reaching for my hand. ¡°Thank you for your vote of confidence,¡± I said as I took it.


    ¡°Confidence?¡± His beard twitched with apparent amusement. ¡°No, Lord Leywin, do not thank us for what we¡¯ve done. It isn¡¯t a gift, nor does it show confidence. Each of my fellow lords anddies will have their own reasons, but mine I would call a fledgeling understanding.¡± His gemstone eyes sparkled. ¡°Until next we meet, then.¡± His hand released mine, and the titan descended the stairs without a nce back.


    Morwenna gave me the same respectful bow the others had shared when first arriving at the meeting chamber. ¡°Do not celebrate this as a victory. It is a responsibility of the highest honor to represent your people among the Great Eight. Our choices shape worlds, Lord Leywin.¡± Moving as stiff and straight as a tree with legs, the hamadryad followed Radix down the stairs.


    ¡°That was nicely done, Arthur,¡± Veruhn said, standing straight and unbent now that the proceedings were over. ¡°A good show with the godrunes. Even caught me off guard, if I¡¯m being honest.¡±


    I nced at the phoenix and basilisk and raised my brows slightly.


    Veruh waved away any concerns I had about speaking in front of the others. ¡°Lords Avignis and Kothan are as interested to see what you might aplish with your new station as I am, Arthur. It may have seemed like a sudden decision today, but we have spoken at length about this possibility.¡±


    Rai and Novis stood as Veruhn spoke, and they both nodded their agreement. ¡°Before I go, I¡¯d like to extend an invitation to visit my family within my home, Featherwalk Aerie. It is tradition for a newly named representative of the Great Eight, generally, to travel Epheotus and present themselves to the other lords. There will be an official ceremonyter, of course.¡± Novis gave me a pained smile. ¡°I think it took¡ªwhat?¡ªhalf a decade to n the ceremony for my own naming, even after n Avignis was promoted to the Great Eight.¡±


    ¡°n Kothan extends the same invitation, of course. At your leisure,¡± Rai added. Unlike Novis, he had a pinched expression and was clearly worrying over something, but he didn¡¯t speak his fears aloud. ¡°The way things move here may seem very slow to someone used to moving at the speed of lessers, but I¡¯m certain you¡¯ll adjust to a somewhat¡­longer-lived pace.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d be honored to meet your ns,¡± Sylvie said. ¡°For the moment, though, our own n needs to be informed of today¡¯s events.¡±


    Novis and Rai exchanged a look at the words, ¡°our own n,¡± but neither mentioned it. Instead, they wished us farewell for the moment and left out different balcony doors.


    ¡°Might I escort you back to Everburn, Arthur?¡± Veruhn said, holding open the door Novis had just left from.


    ¡°Of course. Thank you, Veruhn.¡±


    As we took flight, I yearned to fully activate King¡¯s Gambit to better dissect what had been said during the meeting. I was afraid, however, to give Veruhn, or anyone else who might be watching, the wrong impression. Instead, I let my body go on autopilot and turned all the branches of my thoughts to the meeting, aware only of the asional words shared between Veruhn and Sylvie as we flew.


    Of some things I was certain, but the meeting had left more questions than it had provided answers. I was confident that Kezess had manipted things in order to put Ademir on the outside, but why? Was I just a pawn in somerger game I didn¡¯t understand? And were the other lords ying the same game, or their own?


    Am I really being ced on even footing with these ancient beings? Or do they see me as a pet?


    I could hazard several guesses on why Kezess might really have allowed my ascension. Even if he feigned otherwise, I couldn¡¯t discount the fact that I¡¯d just be subservient to him in a way I hadn¡¯t been before. And yet, I also had a certain equality with him, now recognized officially by the rest of the Great Eight.


    ¡®But how independent are they each, really?¡¯ Regis thought from where he hovered near my core.


    That was a good question. Despite their im that the Great Eight was a ruling council, it had seemed that everything still hinged on Kezess¡¯s will. What would have happened if everyone else had been in agreement, but he had still declined?


    I became distantly aware that someone was speaking to me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡±


    Veruhn gave me an inscrutable look. ¡°Forgive me, Arthur. Clearly you were deep in thought, which I understand entirely. I do not wish to intrude on your first meeting with your newly named n, and so I will leave you here.¡±


    ncing around, I realized that we were already on the outskirts of the city.


    ¡°Before I go, however, I wished to extend the same offer as Lords Kothan and Avignis. Please, visit me in my home. It is on the very coast of the great Boundary Sea. I think you will find it worth the journey. There is much yet for us to discuss, I think.¡±


    ¡°I will, of course,¡± I answered, genuinely interested in the leviathan¡¯s home. ¡°But first, I¡¯m afraid, I need to settle something. My friend, Tessia, has waited patiently for me here, but it is time for her to return home.¡±


    Cheerfully stating his understanding, Veruhn dismissed himself. With a wave, he disappeared into a wave of rolling, frothy sea water.


    Wepleted our journey in the air, flying over the rooftops of Everburn. As we approached the residence where my family had been staying, Inded on the sloped roof of a house not far down the street, careful not to dislodge the tiles, and looked down on Ellie, Mom, and Tessia. They were sitting at the table in the small front yard and chatting animatedly with a couple of young dragons who appeared to have stopped on their way past, their armsden with cloth bags, likely from the market.


    Everything was going to change now. My life would never be the same, and neither would theirs. The risk suddenly seemed borderline foolhardy, the danger creeping in from every direction. I was a n of five, and two of them were humans.


    Sylvie and Regis remained silent, not intruding on my introspection but buttressing me against the weight of my thoughts.


    We sat like that for a long time, until Mom, Tess, and Ellie all stood and went back inside. I sighed and prepared to inform my family that they¡¯d been promoted to deities.

 Chapter 490: The Promise

    <h4>Chapter 490: The Promise</h4>


    <strong>TESSIA ERALITH</strong>


    ¡°It¡¯s so strange, always being the center of attention,¡± Alice said as she refilled our sses with cold water from a pitcher. ¡°We¡¯re just these very in people, surrounded by actual deities¡ªor at least what we¡¯ve always thought of as deities¡ªbut they¡¯re all so interested in us.¡± She stared down into the pitcher, her eyes zing over. ¡°It feels like I¡¯ve slipped and fallen into someone else''s life.¡±


    I twirled a lock of hair around my fingertip as I considered the dragons we¡¯d been speaking with. ¡°I guess I was always the center of attention in Elenoir, but they seem a lot more interested in the fact that I¡¯m an elf than a princess. The things they ask about¡­¡±


    I chuckled, and Ellie and Aliceughed alongside me.


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re kind of weird,¡± Ellie said with an amused smile. ¡°One little girl insisted I couldn¡¯t really be a lesser, because she¡¯d been told lessers could barely speak or stand upright!¡±


    ¡°Well, things here are going to get a whole lot weirder.¡±


    We all turned toward the door, where Arthur had just pushed back the curtain. I began to smile, but the expression faltered as I processed his words and the pained expression on his face.


    Ellie¡¯s hands flew to her face and she slumped back into the seat she¡¯d been hunkering on the edge of. ¡°No. They didn¡¯t! You can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    Alice¡¯s hand began to shake. I quickly took the pitcher from her and set it down on the tile-topped end table before it spilled.


    ¡°You¡­better sit down,¡± Arthur said, rubbing the back of his neck in that silly way he¡¯d done since he was a kid.


    His words and demeanor could mean only one thing, as Ellie and Alice both seemed to have already guessed: the asuras had agreed to Lord leiah¡¯s proposal.


    I found myself wishing that Arthur hadn¡¯t spent so much of thesest couple of weeks away. He would certainly be pulled into other duties, and it was likely there would be little time to work through everything between us that needed to be addressed. Still, I told myself, perhaps that was for the best. Maybe what we really needed was time.


    Forcing myself to appear calm, I took a seat next to Ellie, who had pulled her legs up into the seat tight against her chest.


    ¡°I¡­have officially been named an asura,¡± Arthur said. He spoke mostly to his mother, but twice his eyes flicked to mine, almost too rapidly to notice. ¡°I¡¯m the first of a new race. An archon.¡±


    I felt my eyes ze over, my thoughts dissociating from my physical presence as I struggled to understand what this meant. So much had changed since we sat above the Wall and made our promise to each other. A promise to stay alive. To have a future together. A rtionship. A family. It had been a beautiful moment. It was a lovely n. But Grandpa Virion had taught me early¡­


    No n survives contact with the opponent.


    Was it fair, now, after everything that had happened, to hold Arthur to a sweet promise made naively in the middle of a war that neither of us could control the oue of?


    The room had gone silent. I forced myself to focus. Ellie sat beside me, thunderstruck. I could see the gears of her mind working, and her mouth moved silently, but she seemed at a loss for words. Alice, on the other hand, was looking at Arthur as if he¡¯d just told her to wrestle a world lion with her bare hands. I shared their feelings, but I couldn¡¯t let those feelings run away with me.


    ¡°What happens now?¡± I asked to break the silence. ¡°What does this change, exactly, and how would this affect Dicathen and crya?¡±


    Arthur hesitated, exchanging a nce with Sylvie. ¡°Although a new race has been invented for me, really I¡¯ll be a representative for our world among the asura. In the end, I think it¡¯s necessary to ensure protection for both Dicathen and crya.¡± His head drooped slightly. ¡°With this authority, I can make sure what happened in Elenoir never happens again.¡±


    I nodded, and the conversation continued, Ellie and Alice asking a few questions of their own. Despite my best efforts, the longer we spoke, the wearier I began to feel. Afraid that my control might slip and derail the conversation, I waited for a lull and excused myself, returning to my room and sagging into the bed. Closing my eyes, I breathed deeply and thought back to my lessons.


    I can¡¯t control the world around me, but I can control myself and the way I move within it. It was a lesson my father had tried to drill into my head when I was only a small girl, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever truly appreciated his meaning until I lost that control.


    Outside the room, Arthur continued speaking, although I would have sworn I could feel his gaze lingering on the room curtain separating us. ¡°We¡¯ve been ¡®invited¡¯¡ªI think it¡¯s more of an expectation, honestly¡ªto visit some of the other lords at their homes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­¡± Alice started but then trailed off, her voice weak.


    ¡°I know, Mom,¡± Arthur answered. The sound of his voice changed; he must have moved across the room. ¡°I know what I¡¯m asking you to do, and I know how dangerous this is for all of us, but¡­¡±


    I took a deep breath, forcing myself to remain calm.


    The idea of being dragged to another asuran city made my insides clench like a bloody fist. I missed my family. I missed my home. I was ready to return to Dicathen. I knew Elenoir was gone¡ªmy mother and father were gone¡ªbut I wanted to see my grandfather. I wanted to be with elves, to hug them and cry with them, to mourn our shared losses in a way I hadn¡¯t been able to do yet. Not while I was locked away beneath Cecilia¡¯s will.


    The rustling of the curtain made me turn my head. I was expecting, or maybe just hoping, to see Arthur there, but I wasn¡¯t disappointed when Sylvie stepped into the room and let the curtain fall behind her again. She looked down at me with such understanding that the pressure of sudden tears swelled up behind my eyes as if from nowhere.


    I sat up, kicked my legs over the edge of the bed, and blinked back the wetness in my eyes. Sylvie eased down next to me. Instead of speaking, she rested her head on my shoulder.


    We sat there like that, just the two of us, for quite a while. In her presence, I felt myself settling again. She had a way of transporting me out of the moment and taking me back in time to simpler days. It was so strange that the little fox-like beast that used to ride around on Arthur¡¯s head had grown into this powerful, empathetic young woman. I could so clearly remember when she¡¯d first hatched in Zestier¡­


    I sank into the moment, enjoying the peace and quiet. Instead of worrying about the future, I listened to the rustling our clothes made against the bedsheets with each small movement. I watched as the sunlight refracted through the window to sparkle against the walls. I listened to our breathing as we fell into sync with each other, and sensed the thrumming of Sylvie¡¯s mana signature beside me, moving with the same subtle twitchiness as eyes beneath closed lids.


    Slowly, the tension all released.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said eventually.


    She reached out and grabbed my hand, taking it in both of her own.


    ¡°I¡­wanted to tell you,¡± I started, suddenly awkward. I knew what I wanted to say, but the words themselves seemed difficult to hold onto. ¡°Good luck. You know, when you go to visit the other asura. You¡¯ll protect him? Nevermind, I know you will. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ll miss it, but¡­I need to go home.¡±


    Her hands squeezed mine. ¡°Of course. Arthur told them that they¡¯d have to wait.¡± She regarded me with sudden understanding and then a sympathetic smile. ¡°We¡¯re taking you home first, Tessia.¡±


    ***


    The air changed as I stepped out of the portal into darkness. Appearing so suddenly in the cool, dank underground felt almost like waking after Everburn''s nearly perfect atmosphere. Like Dicathen was more real, somehow.


    My eyes began to adjust, and I found myself standing in the center of a wide, nondescript tunnel. Arthur was already there, having arrived through the portal first.


    Behind me, Ellie and Boo appeared, followed by Alice, and then Sylvie.


    Our appearance was met by a shout, and we all looked to see several heavily armed dwarven guards hurrying toward us. Behind them was a roughly made wall inset with a small gate.


    Before they could reach us, another figure came through the portal. Dressed in the same richly appointed militaristic uniform I¡¯d always seen him in, his otherworldly eyes unreadable, Windsom brought the dwarves up short with a nce.


    On first seeing Windsom, I had been thrown back to the battle between Cecilia, Nico, and him. This dragon had helped General Aldir burn Elenoir to ashes. I was mostly catatonic at the time, but Cecilia¡¯s memories of the fight were clear enough. It seemed patently unfair that this dragon was still happily serving his lord, able to flit between our world and his at a moment¡¯s notice, while the shattered remnants of my people were cast off and homeless with nowhere to go.


    ¡°Darv, as requested,¡± Windsom said in his clipped manner. ¡°The city of Vildorial is beyond that gate.¡± He indicated the guards. ¡°Virion Eralith and a procession of elves are here, though the bulk of the refugees were relocated before Agrona¡¯sst attack.¡±


    The dwarves, finally able to look past Windsom at the rest of us, recognized Arthur immediately. ¡°Regent Leywin! You¡¯re alive¡­¡± The dwarf in charge turned to one of his men. ¡°Go to Lodenhold immediately. Inform Lords Earthborn and Silvershale that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hold that thought,¡± Arthur said, raising a hand. ¡°I have business to attend to, then I¡¯ll go to the council myself.¡±


    The dwarves looked at each other awkwardly, but none of them moved.


    ¡°Well, Arthur, if there is nothing else, I¡¯m afraid I am too busy to shuttle you around¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lord Leywin,¡± Arthur said, cutting Windsom off.


    Despite my anger toward Windsom, I couldn¡¯t help but flinch at the confrontation of their opposing intents. It wasn¡¯t only me, as Alice and Ellie instinctively backed away within the confines of the dim tunnel, and Boo moved to shield them from the conflict.


    ¡°Of course¡­Lord Leywin. I apologize.¡± Windsom bowed low, hiding his expression from sight.


    ¡°No problem, Windsom.¡± Arthur''s gaze was prating, his tone frosty. ¡°It¡¯s quite the change for you to get used to, I know. But I¡¯m certain you will.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The asura feigned an attitude of servility, but I could practically see his irritation seething just beneath his skin. ¡°I¡¯ll return in two days to open the way back to Epheotus.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dismissed for now, then,¡± Arthur said, turning away from Windsom.


    The dwarven guards, who had watched the exchange like wide-eyed statues, bent into deep bows before Windsom as he turned toward the portal.


    I caught Ellie and Alice exchange a nce, but neither moved to show any obeisance to him. I raised my chin and stood tall, but he did not look back at any of us before vanishing into the portal, which then melted away.


    I didn¡¯t voice my thoughts out loud to Arthur, but I felt a thrill at seeing him put Windsom in his ce. A part of me wished that Arthur had been even crueler.


    The thought turned sour as soon as I had it. I¡¯m not Cecilia, to take pleasure in such things. As Arthur approached the guards and waved for them to stand, I pushed the thoughts away, making room for the jittery nerves I felt at the thought of seeing Grandpa Virion.


    A hand slid into mine, and I looked over at Ellie, who smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve got that face on again.¡±


    I gave her an embarrassed smile back. Over thest two weeks, she¡¯d started calling me out whenever I had my ¡°worried face¡± on. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t apologize,¡± Sylvie said from my other side just before taking that hand, so the three of us were walking along in a chain like we were children. ¡°You¡¯ve been through a lot, and you¡¯ve only had a couple of weeks to recover. That kind of trauma could take years just to start unraveling.¡±


    ¡°Geez, thanks,¡± I said teasingly, pulling Sylvie closer so our shoulders bumped together. The three of us all shared augh.


    The guards opened the gate, and Arthur exchanged a few more quiet words with them as the rest of us stepped through into the massive cavern that housed the city of Vildorial.


    ¡°Wow,¡± I said, turning around to take in the entire cavern.


    Vildorial wasn¡¯t unlike a beehive that had been turned inside out. Dwellings of all shapes and sizes were carved into the outer walls, while a curving highway circled round and round as it descended, connecting the various levels. Its people, mostly dwarves, moved about busily, some wearingrge packs, others dragging carts or leading mana beasts to do it for them.


    The flow of traffic past us began to slow as people realized that Arthur was with us. He quickly began leading us up the highway as the first shout of, ¡°Lance Arthur!¡± resounded through the cavern. The crowd gathered behind us, with many of the dwarves abandoning what they were doing to follow along and shout out their thanks or messages of wee. But not all of them were d for his presence.


    ¡°You abandoned us!¡± one woman yelled. ¡°My boy¡¯s dead. The cryans killed him when they attacked, and where were you!¡± Someone tried to grab her, but she shoved them away. ¡°Our regent? Our protector? Look at him!¡± Thisst part was directed at the gathered crowd. ¡°He¡¯s no better than the dragons or the cryans!¡±


    ¡°You shut your mouth,¡± a rough-looking dwarf yelled.


    ¡°They¡¯re just letting them all go!¡± another man shouted, gaping at Arthur desperately. ¡°The cryans who attacked us. Letting them go!¡±


    ¡°Enough with outsiders!¡± the first woman shouted. ¡°Darv for the dwarves! Hang them all by their¡ª¡±


    Someone else shoved the woman, and a scuffle quickly broke out, interrupting the frenzied tirade. Boo began to growl, interposing himself between Ellie and the aggressors.


    Arthur hadn¡¯t paid the shouting any mind, but now he stopped and turned back. As physical blows started to fly, he waded into the melee, separating the dwarves with his presence alone. The brawl ended as abruptly as it began. A group of nearby guards, who had started in our direction, hesitated and nced at each other nervously.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss,¡± Arthur said, his voice soft enough that the dwarves around him had to strain to listen. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for all who lost loved ones in this war, whether it was in thest battle or the first one years ago,¡± he continued, looking around at everyone. ¡°I know all kinds of rumors must have spread in the absence of factual information over thesest couple of weeks. Don¡¯t fall prey to those who would feed on your fears. I am on my way now to exin everything to your leaders. They will share the truth soon enough.¡±


    Wide-eyed, sweating dwarves watched as Arthur moved among them. A couple even reached out, their fingers brushing his arm or the back of his hand. They lingered there as we moved on, the whole crowd just kind of standing in the highway, clearly uncertain what to do now.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s to be expected, I suppose,¡± Ellie said softly, almost as if she were talking to herself. ¡°I hope everyone else is okay.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll find out soon enough,¡± Arthur said over his shoulder.


    The highway led directly to the dwarven pce, but Arthur did not take us to see the dwarven lords. Instead, he guided us into a series of smaller tunnels and eventually to a very long switchback stair. We passed through a small cave into¡­


    Well, into something I hadn¡¯t expected at all.


    I knew that Arthur was leading us to Grandpa Virion, and it felt like we¡¯d climbed nearly all the way to the surface to reach this chamber, but even then, I would have expected desert¡­not this.


    A gorgeous oasis within all the stone opened up before us. The grotto was brightly lit by little bobbing lights that floated and danced over verdant green moss and emerald vines that grew to hide the walls.


    Most amazing of all, though, was therge tree that filled up the center of the grotto. I recognized its broad leaves and pink buds immediately. ¡°This tree is from Elshire Forest¡­¡±


    ¡°And gives this ce its name,¡± Arthur said softly. ¡°This is the Elshire Grove.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± I said, looking around again. This time, my focus caught on a patch of ground where the moss had been cleared away in favor of dark, fresh soil.


    Many seedlings poked up in neat rows. It was among the seedlings that I first sensed my grandfather¡¯s signature, and my head jerked back to the tree just as he stepped out of the small house grown into its branches.


    ¡°Arthur, is that you? I¡­¡± His voice trailed off as he looked down from the balcony of the small treehouse.


    A fear I had been quietly nursing came rushing forward.


    Cecilia had done terrible things while wearing my face, my body. The average dwarf on the street might not have recognized me¡ªor her¡ªby sight, but I was terrified that my grandfather would see not me, but her. I didn¡¯t think I could stand to see a look of horror on his face at my appearance.


    And yet¡­


    As his jaw ckened and his eyes grew wide and sparkling, a light seemed to shine through from within him. There was nothing like apprehension or horror on his face, and in an instant, I watched as years of fear and hardship melted from him.


    He sprang over the balcony rail, fell lightly to the ground over a dozen feet below, and sprinted toward me. ¡°T-Tessia!¡± he choked, his throat constricted with emotion.


    Already feeling myself beginning to break, I ran to meet him. We collided, and Grandpa flung his arms around me. I copsed into them, a desperate sob wracking my body. All the stress, anxiety, confusion, and existential dread I had felt over thest two weeks burst out of me like I¡¯d cast a water-attribute spell from my eyes.


    Grandpa sank down to his knees, holding me like he¡¯d done when I was just a child. He made calming noises and petted my hair. Icked the wherewithal to feel shame or guilt at this disy in front of Arthur and his family.


    ¡°H-how did you know?¡± I gasped out through choked sobs, desperate for him to understand.


    ¡°You¡¯re my granddaughter,¡± he said, his rasping voice asfortable as a weighted nket. ¡°One look at you is enough.¡±


    As I continued to cry, it wasn¡¯t just thest couple of weeks that poured out of me. I couldn¡¯t easily calcte the exact length of time I had spent behind Cecilia, from the moment Elijah¡ªNico¡ªcaptured me in Elenoir to the final fateful hours after I helped Cecilia escape the Relictombs and return to Agrona. A year, probably more, but it felt like a lifetime. Two lifetimes. I¡¯d died and been reborn an entirely changed person.


    And all of it, every agonizing moment of sharing mental space with the stunted, damaged child that was Cecilia, the memories of all the horrible things she¡¯d done while in my body, all the memories of Arthur¡¯s past life that Cecilia had shared¡ªboth the real and the invented ones¡ªevery strange thing I¡¯d experienced and discovered¡­


    It all came pouring out of me.


    Arthur was speaking. He said something about Agrona and the asura. Exining where we¡¯d been for thest couple of weeks and why he didn¡¯t bring me home sooner.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I wish I could stay, but there are several other people I really need to speak to, and I¡¯m not sure how long I¡¯ll be in Vildorial,¡± he finished. ¡°We¡¯ll give you some time¡­just to be in each other¡¯spany.¡±


    My sobbing subsided, and I wiped my eyes and began to disentangle myself from my grandfather. He held me protectively, but I smiled up at him. ¡°No need to hold me so tightly, Grandpa. I promise, I¡¯m not going anywhere. But¡­I need a moment alone with Arthur before he goes. Just a moment.¡±


    ¡°The brat¡¯s had you for two weeks already, I¡­¡± Looking into my eyes, he trailed off. His face was an indecipherable mess of conflicting emotions forged into a single expression, but joy and trust shone through brightest of all. With an understanding smile, he helped me stand and took a few steps back.


    Sylvie, Ellie, and Alice gave me hugs in turn and assured me they¡¯d be back to help me get settled in. Arthur then sent them ahead, exining he would catch up before leading me to stand by the small arboretum full of seedlings.


    I bent down and ran my fingers through the soil. It was the richest I had ever seen, teaming with earth-attribute mana. ¡°There is a touch of Epheotus in this.¡±


    ¡°There is. It was a gift. From¡­Aldir. A token, something to help make up for what he did,¡± Arthur exined. ¡°Not that anything could.¡±


    I¡¯d already heard the truth of what had happened to Aldir, the asura who¡¯d burned my home. This information brought me no peace, but I couldn¡¯t help the spark of homesickness and¡­hope¡­that the Elshire trees brought me.


    ¡°What did you want to say?¡± Arthur asked, leaning down beside me and pretending to examine the leaves of a tree. Really, though, all his attention was on me. He was taut as a drawn bowstring.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to say the wrong thing or bbor it so I¡¯ll try to be straightforward,¡± I said, the words rushing out of me. ¡°A lot has changed, Arthur. Too much. Everything.¡± He opened his mouth to speak, but I pushed on, afraid that if I didn¡¯t, I¡¯d lose my nerve. ¡°We said it before: the promise we made¡ªthe moment and the words we shared¡ªit was all so beautiful. And it was real. And¡­it was important. There were so many times I wanted to just give up, to let myself fade or sacrifice myself to destroy Cecilia. In the end, it was that promise between us that gave me the strength to survive when death was so much easier. But the truth is, I¡¯m not the person you made that promise to anymore. And¡­and¡­¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m not the person you thought I was when you made that promise,¡± Arthur said inly. He was calm. Serious. Understanding.


    I shook my head, and my hair fell down in front of my eyes. ¡°I know who you are, Arthur. I do, really. And that¡¯s why I¡¯m releasing you from the promise we made. Thank you for making it. I¡¯ll cherish that moment forever, but I won¡¯t cling to it at the expense of the world¡¯s future.¡±


    I stood, brushing back my hair. Arthur immediately raised a hand to wipe away my tears, but there were none. He hesitated. I took his hand in both of mine and held it between us as I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his. My heart broke at the softness of his lips and the unsteady rhythm of his pulse, but my resolution didn¡¯t wane. The heart wants what the heart wants, but my spirit was at ease with my decision.


    Pulling away, I let myself dive into the twin golden orbs of his eyes. They really were the most beautiful eyes I¡¯d ever seen. ¡°Be careful, Arthur,¡± I heard myself say, barely cognisant of the words. ¡°Don¡¯t lose yourself in all of this.¡±


    I let his hand slip out of mine, and I turned away, knowing he needed me to. I could feel the intensity of his gaze on my back like the rays of the sun, and I bore it.

 Chapter 491: Homecoming

    <h4>Chapter 491: Homing</h4>


    ARTHUR LEYWIN


    As I watched Tessia walk away from me, my fingers went automatically to my lips, where I could still feel her kiss lingering. Her words yed over and over in my mind: ¡°I¡¯ll cherish that moment forever, but I won¡¯t cling to it at the expense of the wo3rld¡¯s future.¡± It was exactly as I¡¯d feared: too much had happened for us to simply pick back up where we¡¯d left off.


    ¡°The world¡¯s future.¡± I clenched and unclenched my fist. It always came down to that, didn¡¯t it? Putting the world first. Had there ever been room for me to be happy? Somehow, I knew that wasn¡¯t what Fate had intended for me.


    Memories of my time in the final keystone came back, spilling into my cracking emotions like the iing tide. I¡¯d seen versions of my life where I had love, and where it was taken away from me, every single time. Every decision, every bit of unusual luck, every coincidence had pushed me inexorably toward my meeting with Fate, and its aspect cared only for one thing. Any part of my life where I had found some semnce of love orpanionship had only been a stepping stone in the path Fateid before me.


    My eyes closed as the weight of that expectation grew heavy beyond even my ability to support it. Is there really no room for anything else?


    Comfort radiated outward from my core, and I felt my burden ease as Regis and Sylvie both moved in to take on some of the load.


    ¡®She¡¯s doing what she thinks you need,¡¯ Sylvie sent, her thoughts bobbing along in the floodwater of my memories like silver lights beneath the surface. ¡®She still cares about you, Arthur. So much that she¡¯d sacrifice the one thing she wants from you: you yourself.¡¯


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re feeling, obviously, but¡­take it for what it really is,¡± Regis added softly as he manifested from my core to appear next to me. ¡°If everything she said wasn¡¯t a big old profession of her unyielding love, then I¡¯m a guppy.¡±


    Tessia was nearly to the base of the tree. Virion was walking beside her, but he kept shooting furtive nces back over his shoulder at me.


    Aether radiated down my back to the cluster of godrunes. My mind unraveled into dozens of separate threads, each one capable of holding individual thoughts, examining specific arrays of information, identifying patterns in sequence with the other expanded branches of my consciousness.


    I couldn¡¯t afford to be selfish. The entire world couldn¡¯t afford for me to be selfish, as Tessia had suggested. Every decision I make could send out ripples that would topple continents or end timelines. I¡¯d seen it over and over again inside the keystone.


    And so, my conscious mind awork of interconnected lightning bolts of thought, I examined every failed opportunity I had seen in the keystone, every moment of connection with Tessia throughout my life, every indication I had about what potential future might lie ahead for both of us. Regis and Sylvie pulled away, withdrawing their buttressing support as they shielded their minds from the cascade of information. The crown atop my head grew brighter as my brain thrummed with aether-driven introspection.


    I couldn¡¯t afford to be selfish. But I couldn¡¯t afford to be hopeless.


    Connection. Care. Hope. Love.


    Grey hadcked these things. I, as Arthur, had made them my strength and the purpose for my reincarnation. Perhaps Agrona had something different in mind for me. Fate did too. Outside forces had been responsible for my rebirth, but that didn¡¯t mean they could dictate what I did with my new life as they had for Cecilia.


    Hadn¡¯t I made Fate itself change its mind?


    Aether branched out from King¡¯s Gambit into Realmheart and God Step, and I was pulled almost without effort or thought into the aetheric pathways.


    I appeared in the air before Tessia and Virion. Light from my body painted their upturned faces pink. Virion bit his lip and took several steps back, his gaze falling to his feet.


    Slowly, I floated down until I was hovering only a few inches off the ground. There, I gestured at my own body. ¡°This is what I am now, Tess. What I am may define my future more than who I am or who I want to be.¡±


    I released the godrunes and settled back onto the ground. The light dimmed as the crown and runes faded away. ¡°I¡¯ve changed in ways that I can¡¯t describe with words, and so have you. The people who stood above the Wall and promised to have a future together are gone, and so is the promise they made.¡±


    I paused, reaching out to take her hand, unsure if she¡¯d reciprocate. When her fingers closed gently around mine, I continued. ¡°The future is uncertain, and any promise now would be a lie. But the past we¡¯ve shared is set in stone, and nothing can take it away from us. I love you, Tessia, and nothing will ever change that. I don¡¯t need a promise to hold me to that.¡±


    Tessia did not weep or go weak in the knees. She didn¡¯t throw herself at me and plead her love. Her grip tightened around my hand, and she pulled me toward her, gently but firmly. Our arms wrapped around each other. Her head rested against my chest. I felt how our breath and our heartbeats fell into rhythm. Mana stirred within her core, and aether within mine. The two forces pushed and pulled at one another, just as they did in the atmosphere.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡± she said softly into the cloth of my shirt.


    I pressed my trembling smile to her gunmetal hair. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    Tessia and I stood together like that for quite some time before she pulled back just enough to look up at me. ¡°You let me build myself up for this grand gesture for thest two weeks for nothing, you know.¡±


    I let out an embarrassed chuckle, then looked at her more seriously. ¡°Everything has just gotten so¡­big. I can¡¯t promise you much of a love story¡­¡±


    ¡°No, maybe not.¡± Her understanding smile cut me to my core. ¡°But if our feelings for each other can survive everything we¡¯ve been through, what else could fate throw at us?¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer right away. I wanted to exin everything about Fate and the aether realm right then and there, but even thinking about it was daunting.


    Her expression faltered. ¡°We take whates. We¡¯ll have to learn about each other all over again. It may stille to the point where we just don¡¯t¡­work. I meant what I said about not clinging to the past.¡±


    I caressed her cheek. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to go back to Epheotus in a couple of days.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll be staying here, at least for now,¡± she answered, her eyes darting to Virion. She didn¡¯t need to exin more than that. She needed time with her family, her people.


    I wanted to stay there with her, to linger in the afterglow of our reconnection. It was difficult to conceive of the fact that, only minutes earlier, it seemed as if our stumbling rtionship was trulying to an end. But there was no time.


    She read the thought on my face. ¡°Your family is waiting for you. Go. Be the hero Dicathen needs.¡±


    Running my fingers through her hair, I pulled her gently toward me. This time when our lips touched, it wasn¡¯t stained by a goodbye.


    The following farewell was short and bittersweet. We embraced and promised not to wait too long before speaking again. When we finally released each other, Virion stepped in, his own arms stretched out wide. Iughed, and the somberness of the moment eased. ¡°About time, brat,¡± he mumbled into my ear as we hugged.


    My steps were light as I left the grove behind, turning only once to wave to Tessia and Virion, who stood at the base of the tree and waved back. Tessia¡¯s eyes were dry, but a single tear dripped down Virion¡¯s cheek.


    I found Mom, Ellie, Boo, Regis, and Sylvie waiting for me just outside, joking half-heartedly about the long climb back down the stairs after such a short stay.


    Ellie, a small frown ying across her face, regarded me curiously. ¡°Everything okay?¡±


    I suppressed a goofy grin as the butterflies of this renewal fluttered in my stomach. ¡°Of course. She¡¯s in good hands. Come on, we have quite a few people to talk to.¡±


    ¡®I told you so,¡¯ Regis thought. ¡®Grand gestures. Nice touch with the whole godrune, archon-form thing. It was just the right amount of dramatic.¡¯


    Sylvie gave him a nudge with her hip. ¡®Don¡¯t tease. This has been an emotional breakthrough for him. Although, if I can offer a bit of constructive criticism, you could have conjured the armor too, since you¡¯re going for the whole knight-in-shining-armor trope.¡¯


    I burst out with a surprisedugh, prompting Ellie toin that we were all talking in our heads again.


    As we descended back toward Lodenhold, however, I tried to turn my thoughts to everything else that needed done while I was in Dicathen. It was incredibly difficult to take my mind off Tessia, and after a few minutes, I admitted defeat and channeled a lesser charge to King¡¯s Gambit, splitting my consciousness into multiple branches and giving me space to focus.


    My first priority, and the closest, was to deliver news of everything that had happened to the dwarven n lords.


    We found Lodenhold abuzz with activity. I sent word with a runner that I wanted to see the council as soon as possible. While we waited, guards, clerks, and members of the various guilds came and went at a frenzied pace. My appearance was no less noticed within the pce than it had been after our arrival, but the dedicated folk there did not stop in their duties to speak with us.


    We were still standing there when a familiar face unexpectedly passed by.


    ¡°Caera!¡±


    She jerked to a halt, startled. ¡°A-Arthur,¡± she said after a moment, stumbling over my name. ¡°You¡¯re back. You¡¯re alive.¡± Waiting for a group of guildsmen to pass by, she hurried over to us. Ellie grabbed her hand and squeezed, and Mom patted her on the shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ve been worried sick. Even Seris, although she tries not to show it,¡± she said.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked, focusing on a bundle of scrolls in her arms.


    She quickly exined, connecting the dots with what the dwarves had been shouting earlier.


    ¡®No wonder they¡¯re upset,¡¯ Sylvie thought. ¡®It¡¯s the right thing to do, but that¡¯s not an easy sell to a wounded and angry popce.¡¯


    Ellie had listened raptly. ¡°How are Seth and Ma? And their friends? We kind of got kidnapped right after the battle.¡±


    Caera¡¯s brows rose.


    ¡°Not really,¡± Ellie quickly rified, ¡°but kind of.¡±


    ¡°They seem to be holding up fine,¡± Caera said slowly. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯d be d to see you before they return to crya. They¡¯re still closed up in the prison, but the guards might let you in if you throw your brother¡¯s name around.¡±


    Ellie looked at me for permission. I looked at Mom, who rolled her eyes and nodded. Smiling at us happily, Ellie hurried off to go visit her friends, Boo trundling protectively after her. She only remembered to turn and say goodbye to Caera when she was almost to the huge pce doors.


    As we were watching her go, the dwarven runner I¡¯d spoken to earlier returned. ¡°Lance Arthur, the lords will be with you shortly. I can take you to¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be speaking to them on his behalf,¡± Sylvie said, sensing my desire to finish my conversation with Caera.


    The dwarf looked unsure, but when Sylvie marched past him toward the corridor that led to the Hall of Lords, he had no choice but to scramble after.


    My mother touched my elbow lightly. ¡°Actually, Art, all this marching all over Vildorial has left me a bit tired. I¡¯d like to go check in at home, if that¡¯s okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I said, looking over her with worry. She was a little peaky, and there were dark circles forming under her eyes and a drag to her movements. It was as much mental as physical, but nothing that some rest and a return to normal wouldn¡¯t cure.


    If things ever return to normal, I thought.


    We shared a quick side hug, and she followed in Ellie¡¯s footsteps out of the pce.


    I reordered my thoughts with one branch of King¡¯s Gambit as I turned my attention back to Caera. Despite the fact that it was incredibly busy in Lodenhold, the crowd was loud and bustling enough that we could easily speak in confidence. ¡°Thank you, by the way. Ellie told me about the battle. You¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me,¡± she said, an edge to her voice. ¡°It was exactly as you feared. You were right to distrust me.¡±


    Her sentiment surprised me. Even with King¡¯s Gambit partially powered, the threads of my thoughts had been so focused that I hadn¡¯t noticed Caera¡¯s agitation. Now, I looked closer.


    She stood stiffly, and her eyes regrly jumped to the nearby dwarves, scanning their faces and hands warily. When she wasn¡¯t speaking, her jaw was clenched tight. Her gaze returned to me every couple of seconds, and when she looked at me, her lips twitched in a suppressed frown.


    Regis manifested out of me in a sh of amethyst fire. Some of the closest dwarves startled, but Caera gave him a fond smile.


    ¡°What are you even talking about?¡± he said in his rough way. ¡°You didn¡¯t sumb to Agrona¡¯s will, you didn¡¯t attack any Dicathians. Right? When that whole fate-shockwave-thing happened, we didn¡¯t even sense you get smacked like the rest of the cryans. You¡¯re separate from him.¡± He shot me a look that was almost a re. ¡°Listen, Art was neck-deep in King¡¯s Gambit when he was nning all that stuff, and what he said about you¡ª¡±


    She chuckled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯d still have died if not for Ellie. My own runes were going to rip me apart. And then, just minutester, my blood, who had done their damndest to escape Agrona¡¯s control, arrived to hunt for you, Arthur, fighting and killing your people because Agrona made them. So no, Regis. Arthur was right.¡±


    The self-deprecation of her tone conjured a guilt that wed at my insides, even through the thin veil of King¡¯s Gambit. Caera and I had faced a lot together. I regretted that my words had broken her down, making her doubt herself now. ¡°Agrona is defeated. He can¡¯t control, threaten, or hurt your people again. I¡¯m d Seris was able to make Sapin¡¯s and Darv¡¯s leaders see sense. But you didn¡¯t mention¡­are you going to stay or return to crya with your people?¡±


    She looked searchingly into my eyes, but I wasn¡¯t sure exactly what she hoped to find there. After a long pause, she swallowed and looked away. ¡°My blood has been shattered. My brother¡¯s dead. Corbett and Lenora are¡­¡± She gave a small shrug. ¡°I¡¯m needed in crya.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± I considered what to say very carefully. I could tell that part of her agitation was rted specifically to me, but I didn¡¯t think it was regarding the false trails I had set for Agrona¡¯s soldiers. No, this seemed more personal, more¡­like she was surrendering something. ¡°And¡­Caera?¡±


    Her eyes returned to mine. There was a hopeful bent to her guarded expression.


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± I said.


    Her brows knit together, and she seemed to shrink in on herself slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t be.¡± Swallowing heavily, she shuffled the scrolls in her arms and cast about for something else to say. ¡°Did you¡ªthe Legacy. Tessia Eralith. Is she¡­?¡±


    I nodded and gestured upwards. ¡°With Virion now.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Despite this response, her body was suddenly tense as she straightened again. ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯m happy for you, Arthur. Really.¡± Her focus fell to the scrolls in her arms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I really do need to go. There¡¯s¡­a lot to do.¡±


    She rearranged the scrolls so she could rub Regis¡¯s head and give him a quick scratch behind the ear. Then, catching me off guard, she leaned against me and pulled me into a hug. We lingered there, like that, lost in the crowd. There was a catharsis to the contact, but not mine. It felt like goodbye.


    When she finally released me, she straightened her scrolls, opened her mouth as if to speak, gave me an uncertain smile, and turned away.


    ¡®What was that?¡¯ Regis thought, looking up at me.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked absentmindedly, my thoughts muddy. I¡¯d inadvertently released King¡¯s Gambit, I realized.


    ¡°That was like six hippopotamuses.¡±


    I blinked down at him. ¡°Hippo¡ªwhat?¡±


    He rolled his bright eyes as if I were being inordinately stupid. ¡°Listen, princess. The standard hug is three hippopotamuses tops. Six is borderline scandalous.¡±


    I didn¡¯t reply to Regis, only stood and watched until she had left the hall.


    It might have only been seconds or maybe several long minutes before I moved again, blinking back the sluggish aftereffects of channeling King¡¯s Gambit. I turned my head, looking for the source of a strong mana signature that had caught my attention enough to pull me from the fugue. I didn¡¯t recognize the shouts of dismay until I saw the huge hammer swinging at my face.


    Raising my arms, I blocked the blow with crossed forearms. The force of it sent me sliding backwards across the glossy tiles of the floor, my heels gouging shallow trenches through them.


    Snarling and ring with angry purple mes, Regis gathered himself to spring.


    Stop, I ordered him, staring at Mica.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ Sylvie sent from where she was meeting with Lord Silvershale, two of his sons, and a couple of other lords. ¡®I can¡ª¡¯


    I¡¯m fine, I answered, not wanting her to be distracted. Her conversation was just as important as the one I was about to have.


    Mica was floating off the ground so our eyes were level. She was puffing angrily, her cheeks apple red. ¡°Liar!¡± she shouted, brandishing her massive hammer. Her knuckles were white around the haft. ¡°Do you even know what you did? Varay almost died! Your own sister almost died! Mica was at the wall and watched a hundred adventurers defend your lie with their lives.¡±


    She flew forward a foot, her hammering up as if she was going to strike again, but she held herself in check. ¡°We were your friends, Arthur. You could have told us. We could have helped. So why?¡±


    I let out a shaking breath, sagging. I¡¯d known this was a possibility, but¡­ ¡°There was no choice, Mica. Agrona¡¯s been ahead of us the whole time, well before the war even started. Everythinges down to the aspect of Fate. Everything. I didn¡¯t know how much time I¡¯d need, or how Agrona would respond, but I knew I needed to seed.¡±


    ¡°And so you created secret ns and convinced people to protect nothing at the cost of their lives! Small price to pay when you¡¯re the chosen one with the weight of worlds on your shoulders, I suppose?¡± Her good eye shone furiously. ¡°Maybe ask the Twin Horns how they feel about that.¡±


    A bitter worry settled into my guts. The hall was silent now, and still. The many dwarves who¡¯d been passing through stood frozen in ce, watching raptly, a coge of emotions from terror to bloodthirsty excitement on disy across their faces.


    ¡°Those who fought against Agrona¡ªwho died fighting¡ªdid so to protect their homes and families, and they seeded.¡± Despite my fear for the Twin Horns, I kept both my voice and my expression firm. My gaze swept across the onlookers, making eye contact with many of them. ¡°Don¡¯t cheapen their sacrifice by suggesting it was for nothing.¡±


    She let out an expansive breath and seemed to dete. The hammer in her hands fell apart into sand, which in turn seeped down into the cracks in the floor I¡¯d made. ¡°I expected better of you, Arthur.¡± She lifted off the ground and, without looking at me, flew out of the pce, leaving a gust of wind in her wake.


    I opened my mouth to call her back, but thought better of it. Instead, I quickly considered everyone who I¡¯d worked with in preparing for the fourth keystone and who might know more of what had happened outside of Vildorial during Agrona¡¯s attack. If Mica knew something more, it was likely that her father or the other dwarven lords did as well, but I didn¡¯t want to intrude on Sylvie¡¯s meeting, which she had well in hand.


    Instead, I brought Regis back into my core and then flew out of Lodenhold after Mica. Instead of following the highway, I went over the edge, flying straight down to the Earthborn Institute. The dwarves there shouted out an rm as I flew over the wall and straight to the open doors, but I didn¡¯t bother waiting for them to identify me. Instead, I headed straight for the simple chambers my mother and sister had been allowed to live in.


    The front door was closed, but not locked, and I let myself in.


    Mother was sitting on the couch, a letter held loosely in her hands. Tears rolled freely down her pale face.


    My heart sank, and I hurried to her side. Wordlessly, she held up the letter.


    I scanned it quickly, then read it a second time more slowly, making sure I understood its contents. ¡°Ang Rose,¡± I said hollowly.


    ¡®No¡­¡¯ Regis sank deeper into my core, his grief seeping through our connection and amplifying my own.


    Mom rested a hand on my forearm, but she didn¡¯t look at me.


    The letter went into some detail regarding the attack and its results. Ang died defending the chamber where I¡¯d told them I¡¯d be hiding. I¡¯d known Cecilia would be able to sense my signature, that Agrona¡¯s forces would be drawn to those locations. This had always been a possibility.


    ¡°You tell your mom we¡¯re going to take good care of you, all right?¡±


    Those had been herst words to me. Had I told her? I thought back but struggled to remember everything from the weeks of preparation. I¡¯d had King¡¯s Gambit active nearly all the time then, with my mind racing in a dozen directions all at once. It made the memories¡­muddy and difficult to parse. I must have, I thought. It wasn¡¯t the kind of detail I¡¯d have missed at that moment.


    The letter contained more than just this news, though. ¡°Durden is retiring.¡± I couldn¡¯t find this surprising, nor what else the letter said. Adam, my father, Ang Rose¡­


    Half of the adventuring party had given their lives to the fight against Agrona.


    ¡°The Twin Horns are disbanding,¡± Mom said. She leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. ¡°I thought the name, at least, would live on forever. Or at least¡­oh, I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m trying to say. As long as there is a Helen Shard, I thought there¡¯d be the Twin Horns.¡±


    The tone of the letter was disciplined, factual. Written by Helen herself, it avoided casting me, and Helen even asked about me. ¡°Have you heard from Arthur? Jasmine and I hope beyond hope that, wherever he was, he aplished what he set out to do. I¡¯m certain he had a good reason for making us believe his life was in our hands.¡± Reading between the lines, in the strokes of the quill and the cool detachment of thenguage, I saw her pain. Not just at the loss of Ang, which must have still been raw when this letter was written, but at the reason for her death.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you not to me yourself,¡± Mom said, finally turning to regard me. She reached for the letter, which she sat on the table, and then took my hands. ¡°Knowing you, I¡¯m sure you already are, but I also know that this is something you ounted for. So¡­¡± She had to swallow down the emotion forming a lump in her throat. ¡°So you can me yourself, but not forever. Because the more you wallow in that me, the longer you make Ang''s life and mission about yourself and not her. You should remember who she was and what she did. Don¡¯t simplify her life down to just her death. Keep doing what you need to, Arthur, but¡­you, more than anyone else, also need to look at the big picture.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t me myself, Mom. I ept responsibility for what has happened. There¡¯s a difference.¡±


    She pulled me to her, so my head rested on her shoulder. Her tears had dried, and we existed in a shared, mournful fatigue. I let myself be transported back in time to when I was only a toddler.


    Had that been thest time she held me like this? Real memories blended with the false ones from the keystone, and I found myself second-guessing my own thoughts.


    ¡°I should visit Helen in ckbend,¡± she said after a while. ¡°The letter didn¡¯t mention anything about a service. I don¡¯t know what I can do, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Go,¡± I said, softly encouraging. ¡°Take some time. Windsom won¡¯t be back for us until the day after tomorrow.¡±


    We settled into mournful silence.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry about Ang, Arthur,¡¯ Sylvie thought, her tone suggesting that she had been waiting to speak without interrupting me. ¡®The dwarves¡­struggled to ept that the war is really over, despite their agreement to release the cryans. They still want to speak to you, and they¡¯d like you to be present when the prisoners are sent home tomorrow.¡¯


    Tomorrow? I thought back, remembering the bustle around Lodenhold. I should have put it together myself that it would be happening so soon. Good. Yes, we¡¯ll be there.


    My mind trailed back along the tracks of the emotional rollercoaster I had been on since leaving Epheotus¡ªand even before. Tessia¡¯s release of our promise and our attempt to start over, giving ourselves and each other a chance to learn again who we are. Caera¡¯s goodbye. The violent exchange with Mica. The news of Ang Rose.


    A homing fit for what I had to do.

 Chapter 492: Amateurs

    <h4>Chapter 492: Amateurs</h4>


    ALARIC MAER


    A low roar, like thepping of waves on a distant shore. Hot red light pushing through closed lids. Pain, fuzzy around the edges.


    I opened my eyes, regretted it, and closed them again. In that brief, blurry look at the world around me, I confirmed only that I was in a small dimly lit room. More carefully this time, I opened only my left eye.


    The room was in, unadorned except for the rough cot I was currently lying on and the chamberpot in the corner. My wrists, I realized, were shackled with mana suppression cuffs. The low roar was the blood drumming in my own ears, as if there were a tiny, angry man hammering his way out of my skull. The hot red light was the bacsh.


    The bastards didn¡¯t even give me time to recuperate before pping these unad-makers on. I could have died.


    It was something, though, that they hadn¡¯t cared enough to make sure I survived. That meant they didn¡¯t really need me, which in turn meant there was only a limited amount of damage I might be able to do if the Redwater whelp and his Scythe leash-holder broke me.


    The memory of thosest moments wasing back in bits and pieces. Edmon¡¯s death, Darrin¡¯s ill-fated attempt to save me, the soulfire¡­


    ¡°You better be alive, boy,¡± I said aloud, my tongue thick and my voice raw. I pictured Darrin¡¯s eyes as Wolfrum bloody Redwater¡¯s soulfire danced behind them, and bile rose up in the back of my throat.


    Something bumped against the wall just to my left. I leaned closer, pressing my ear to the wall. I attempted to imbue mana into my ears to enhance my hearing, but of course this failed. ¡°Who''s there?¡±


    There was no immediate response, and so I knocked twice on the wall.


    ¡°Keep it down!¡± a man hissed from the other side. ¡°We¡¯re not allowed to speak to each other.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I said, modting my voice to a low rumble that I knew would carry through the wall without sounding across the entireplex, wherever we were.


    A few seconds passed before the timid response. ¡°No one. Just an Instiller from Taegrin Caelum. You don¡¯t need to know me.¡±


    I felt a jolt of interest that helped to clear my head, and I sat up in the cot. ¡°Taegrin Caelum? Is it true the fortress turned against everyone who was there after the shockwave? What¡ª¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t say. I don¡¯t know much, only that I barely got out.¡± A pause. ¡°If they hear us talking, they¡¯ll hurt us.¡±


    I snorted. ¡°They likely intend to kill us both anyway.¡± When this didn¡¯t engender confidence in the Instiller, I tried something else. ¡°I was brought in with a man named Darrin. Do you know if he¡¯s in one of the rooms nearby?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know. The guards don¡¯t speak around us.¡± Another hesitation. ¡°None of the other rooms were opened when you got dropped off, though. At least not close to me. I¡¯d have heard.¡±


    I let my head knock against the wall in irritation, but I wasn¡¯t too worried yet. Wolfrum hadn¡¯t needed the threat of killing Darrin to get me here; he¡¯d already defeated me. There was no reason he¡¯d have brought us both if they didn¡¯t have some n for Darrin as well, which meant he was probably still alive.


    Unless I¡¯ve been unconscious for longer than I think.


    The shadowy figure of Cynthia sat down on the foot of the cot. ¡°You can tell from the depth of your cottonmouth that it''s been a few hours or so. The cuffs have chaffed your skin, but they haven¡¯t broken through from your tossing and turning.¡±


    I sat up and considered the cuffs, trying to ignore the hallucination. They were standard issue mana suppression cuffs, reliant on exterior runes. By destroying the right runes, it was possible to disable them. Then, with my mana back, it wouldn¡¯t be too much trouble to break out of them. I knew this, but I didn¡¯t act immediately.


    ¡°Good boy, Al,¡± the phantom said, bending forward slightly and looking at me in my periphery. ¡°You ended up right where you wanted to be, so there¡¯s no hurry to get out of here. Not before learning more about what¡¯s happening.


    Right now, only your enemies know who this runaway Instiller is and what was on that recording. That¡¯s priority.¡±


    ¡°Darrin is priority, the fool,¡± I grumbled, leaning back on the cot and kicking my feet up so they passed through the hallucination.


    There was nothing else to do, then, but wait. As it turned out, I didn¡¯t have to wait for very long. Only about an hourter, I was roused by the sound of heavy booted steps stopping outside my door. I¡¯d listened carefully to the guard walking up and down the hallway, memorizing his timing, but he¡¯d never stopped before. They wereing for me.


    As the door was unbolted, I stood and ced myself in the center of the small room. The door swung inward, just missing the foot of the cot.


    ¡°I demand to be taken to the proprietor of this establishment,¡± I said.


    The soldier¡ªa young man, Striker by the looks of him¡ªtook a single step in, his mouth open as if to say something. He startled slightly and pointed a shortsword shakily at my chest. Clearly, he¡¯d been expecting me to be unconscious or too battered to move.


    ¡°Hey! What are you¡ªs-sorry, what?¡± he asked haltingly.


    I snorted. ¡°The service here is abysmal, the bed¡¯s shit, and¡±¡ªI rattled the short chain of the manacles¡ª¡°the provided sleepwear was damnably ufortable.¡±


    An older soldier pushed the young man aside, smirked at my joke, and drove his gauntleted fist into my mouth. With no mana, I didn¡¯t have the response time to dodge and took the full force of the blow. My lips split open with a shock of bright pain, and my mouth filled with blood.


    The soldier caught me before I fell, then half dragged, half pushed me past him. I stumbled out into the hall, lost my bnce, and fell headlong into the opposite door, which shook from the blow. Someone gave a frightened shout from within, and the guards yelled for her to shut up. Two of them grabbed me under my arms and dragged me back to my feet, then I was being hauled bodily down the corridor.


    It took a minute to shake off the knock, but by the time we were outside, my head was clear again. The indistinct silhouette of a woman and her babe looked sadly out at me from the shadows beneath a nearby gazebo.


    Aside from ghosts and loyalist mages, the Central Academy campus seemed to be all but empty. The students were gone, as was the staff. Whatever folk Scythe Dragoth had under hismand, they were out of sight as well. Most of the buildings were dark, and with the cuffs on, I couldn¡¯t sense any mana signatures at all, leaving me feeling blind.


    They dragged me past the reliquary, which was under heavy guard, and the ancient portal frame, sans portal, that the academy was so proud of. I was familiar enough with the campus from my previous exploits there, but when they hauled me down a narrow alley toward a squat building, I realized I didn¡¯t know where we were going.


    ¡°No time to visit the staff baths then?¡± I asked. Bending my head, I sniffed my underarm loudly. ¡°I¡¯d hate to show up to my date with sweet old Dragoth smelling like¡ªoof!¡±


    An elbow came up into my jaw, snapping my teeth together. I felt around my mouth with my tongue, making sure everything was still in its proper ce.


    The building I was dragged into had a sterile air. Portraits of Instillers I didn¡¯t recognize lined the entryway, and then we descended a dark but clean stairwell. I guessed that we went down two floors before I was hauled through a door, down a corridor, a left, a right, and then through another door into a dimly lit room. It wasn¡¯trge but was nheless cramped with tools and workbenches along its exterior. The middle of the chamber was dominated by what appeared to be a surgical table,plete with straps to bind a patient.


    The soldiers tossed me roughly onto the table and then, instead of tying me down, began to drive their fists and elbows into me, striking my stomach, chest, legs, and arms with ruthless efficiency. I curled in on myself, shielding myself as best as I could, not bothering to shout or plead with them.


    Stars exploded behind my eyes as a stray punch caught me in the cheek and bounced my head off the metal table. I felt my body going limp as my mind lingered at the very edge of consciousness, no longer caring about the assault, but a muffledmand sank into my ringing ears, and the attack halted. My arms and legs were jerked into ce, and by the time I came back to my senses, the straps around my wrists, ankles, throat, and waist had been secured.


    I coughed up blood and spat off the side of the table. One of the soldiers cursed and jumped back as red spittle sprayed across his shins.


    ¡°He¡¯s a tough old piece of rawhide, you have to give him that.¡±


    My head swam as I turned toward the source of the voice. I was disappointed to find Wolfrum of Highblood Redwater instead of Scythe Dragoth himself, his two different colored eyes sparkling with amused malice. Or maybe that was just the stars I was seeing.


    He approached, manifesting out of the corner like one of my hallucinations. Before speaking again, he pressed a hand against my chest. ck mes erupted from his flesh and burrowed into mine. My jaw clenched and my body bucked despite my best efforts; every nerve in my torso burned like a candle wick under my skin.


    ¡°Why was your man digging around at the academy?¡± Wolfrum asked, leaning down to peer at me.


    I sucked in a choking, desperate breath against the pain. ¡°Looking for¡­evidence,¡± I ground out through clenched teeth.


    ¡°Evidence of what?¡± he demanded.


    ¡°That¡­th-that¡­¡± I paused, forced to swallow, hoping I didn¡¯t choke to death on my tongue. ¡°That your mother was a mountain goat.¡±


    Wolfrum smirked. ¡°You¡¯re old, ric. Only a little life force left. And it¡¯s burning away by the second. Each word you utter should be spoken with care. It could be yourst.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll make sure¡­not to waste them,¡± I shot back, forcing out a chuckle that turned into a bubbling cough as blood seeped up the back of my throat.


    He patted my shoulder. ¡°And I¡¯ll try not to kill you too quickly.¡±


    The questions continued. The pain came and went. It was better when it stayed, lingering, consistent. The mind adapted to it. But the mes jumped and danced, falling only to swell again, burning first in one part of my body then another. It was agony, and soon enough my jokes grew half-hearted and ill thought out. I lost track of what Wolfrum had asked or how I¡¯d answered. Names and locations, the structure of the organization, information on Seris¡­


    Through the fog of pain, I recognized the tactic. He was verifying information he had already received from others and getting a baseline for how truthful I was being. Unsure exactly what I¡¯d told him, I could only hope I hadn¡¯t given away anything essential. Not that there is anything essential about our operation at this point, I thought somewhere deep in the back of my mind, where the pain couldn¡¯t reach.


    When Wolfrum suddenly withdrew his soulfire, a shock struck me like being plunged into icy cold water. I gasped and choked, writhing in the straps as the leather burned my flesh. Something else was there, oppressive, looming in ce of the pain. A seething, wrathful intent.


    Powerful fingers wove into my hair and jerked my head back, nearly snapping my neck.


    I stared up into the broad, dumb face of Scythe Dragoth Vritra. Only, he was missing a horn since thest image I¡¯d seen of him. Icked the strength to mention it.


    He growled something, demanding information. I gawped stupidly up at him.


    ¡°You smuggled stuff for Seris. Food. Weapons. People.¡± The hand not trying to rip my scalp off wrapped around my throat instead, but it didn¡¯t squeeze. ¡°Tell me everything. Who, where, how. I want every detail of yourwork.¡±


    I sputtered something out, although I wasn¡¯t sure exactly what. The names of dead men and sunken boats, and the locations of burned safehouses, I hoped.


    He released me and began pacing back and forth beside my table. Wolfrum had slunk back into the corner.


    ¡°How do people¡ªclients¡ªcontact you? I want everyone who might bring someone into your group. Everyone. I¡¯m told you know them all.¡±


    He stopped his pacing suddenly, grabbed the sides of the table, and lifted it up so I was no longer horizontal. Even if I hadn¡¯t been strapped to the metal table, I couldn¡¯t have done anything as he rammed the table legs into the wall. Stone gave way with a horrible crunch as the metal legs were impaled into the wall. I hung painfully from the straps, which were meant to keep me down, not hold me up. Dragoth was face to face with me, close enough for me to see the hairs up his crooked nose.


    I spit out a few names, all of them in Dicathen and of no use to Dragoth. My thoughts swam in and out of focus.


    ¡°Vritra damn it all,¡± Dragoth cursed, rounding on Wolfrum. ¡°He¡¯s no use to me like this. Take him away. Have a healer make sure he won¡¯t die. When he can speak again, tell me.¡± Without waiting for a reply, he started to leave.


    ¡°And the other one?¡± Wolfrum asked, his tone strained and nervous. ¡°I¡¯m confident he doesn¡¯t know anything of value.¡±


    Dragoth stopped and looked closely at me. ¡°Hold him for now. If pain isn¡¯t enough to motivate this one, watching his friend be pulled apart one joint, one ligament at a time might.¡±


    ¡°Get him out of here,¡± Wolfrum said after Dragoth had left. The soldiers, who had lingered outside the room until that moment, hurried to obey, and I let myself slip into blessed unconsciousness.


    It did notst nearly long enough. I woke feeling hollow. Bruises were forming in my flesh, but the scars of the soulfire were much deeper and less tangible. Still, I¡¯d gotten what I¡¯d needed.


    The thing about torturing someone with the expectation that their throat will soon be slit and their carcass dumped for the mana beasts was that certain details easily slipped into the questioning. Neither Wolfrum nor Dragoth were practiced at any of this, a fact made painfully obvious by their amateurish demands for information andck of subtlety. In particr, Dragoth wore his desperation and fear as clearly as the one remaining horn on his rock-filled skull.


    They didn¡¯t know where their defector was, meaning the Instiller had escaped. And there was something else. I couldn¡¯t bepletely sure, but the outward fear Dragoth hadn¡¯t been able to contain made me think he was still guarding this recording. He thought I¡¯d sent Edmon and the Severin boy into the academy to find it.


    This tracked. He was on his own. Despite being a Scythe, he was a servant. Everything he¡¯d ever been given was due to the Vritra blood that pumped like poison through his veins, but now there were no Vritra to pat his head and give him treats. He was too scared to destroy the recording, and he was too scared to keep it.


    This suggested a narrow window of time.


    I started to sit up, let out a grunt of pain followed by a long moan, and eased myself back down.


    Instead, I rolled onto my side and carefully pushed up into a sitting position.


    There was a knock on the wall behind me, quiet but persistent. ¡°Hello?¡± came my neighbor¡¯s muffled voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± I said, again modting my voice so that it was deep but quiet to better pass through the wall. My lungs and throat protested this use of them.


    There was a muffled noise, and then, ¡°Your friend. He¡¯s here. Three doors to the left, across the hall. I heard them talking about him when they brought you back.¡±


    This news perked me up. Spending time searching for Darrin was exactly the kind of time I couldn¡¯t spare, but I wasn¡¯t about to leave the boy here to fester and die at the hands of a cankerous lump like Wolfrum. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    There was no response from the other side as the guard went by on his patrol along the hallway.


    Taking a deep, aching breath, I reached into my mouth and felt around for my false tooth. It moved when I touched it, and I could only be grateful that it hadn¡¯t been knocked out by the beating I took.


    Tipping my head forward, I wiggled the tooth until it dislodged from the gums, quickly removing it from my mouth afterwards to avoid identally dumping its contents into my mouth.


    When the tooth was tipped upside down over my palm, a capsule fell out. The waxed parchment was slightly see-through, revealing a small amount of powder inside. My fingers trembled as I attempted to twist the package open.


    ¡°Steady your nerves, Al,¡± Cynthia said from the cot beside me. Her incorporeal hands reached out and wrapped around mine.


    Despite how she wasn¡¯t really there, the trembling eased. I unwound the package with great care, then adjusted my arms to expose the runes etched into the metal of the left cuff. With painstaking precision, I sprinkled the powder onto the runes. As dehydrated as I was, it took a minute to gather enough spit to catalyze it, and when I let the frothy liquid drip from my lips to wet the powder, it was tinged pink.


    Regardless, it did the job. Acrid smoke began to curl up from the powder on contact with the spit. In moments, sparks were jumping off the cuff, bright and hot. I didn¡¯t move even when one of them burned through my sleeve and into the skin of my forearm. Others smoldered in the cot, peppering it with little ck scorch marks, or jumped across the floor sending out more sparks.


    Within seconds, the steel curtain that the cuffs wrapped around my mana fell away. My sense of mana stuttered, swelling and receding as the magic of the cuffs failed. I pulled at the atmospheric mana like a dehydrated man gorging himself at an oasis. What already purified mana had been contained within my core flushed through my channels, infusing my muscles to provide both strength andfort.


    I had to give myself time to ease into it, and listened to the guard pass by twice more before I was ready to act. At least my mana signature was so weak that it was no trouble to suppress it.


    Finally, when I gauged the timing to be right, I pushed mana into my arms and twisted the left cuff. The chain snapped at the connection point.


    Quickly, I pried the cuff off, then used it to break open the right cuff by sliding it between the irritated skin of my wrist and the metal, then twisting. My efforts had made a little noise, but I didn¡¯t sense any reaction from the guards.


    Moving to the door, I channeled mana into Sun re and waited. When the pacing guard was just outside my door, I reached for the lighting artifacts in the hallway, causing them to re with horrible brightness. The guard shouted in dismay. The rested barely a blink before the lighting artifacts shattered, plunging the hall into darkness.


    I smashed into the door.


    It ripped through the frame and swung outward, the hinges jerking free of the hall. The door mmed into the guard, who was bent over and rubbing his eyes. He flew back into the door opposite mine and copsed in a heap. Once again, a startled cry came from within the room, but this time it was followed by shouts up and down the hall, including from two other guards.


    They charged into the darkness, mana burning around their weapons and further blinding them. I couldn¡¯t manage a second pulse of Sun re and instead channeled Myopic Decay, targeting both at once. They cried out in rm as their already insufficient eyesight went blurry and their eyes began to water painfully.


    Whipping a dagger from the boot of the guard at my feet, I hurled it at the closer of the two guards. It sank into the man¡¯s neck. With my other hand, I took up a sword and sprinted toward the remaining guard. Hearing my approach, she swung blindly, but her glowing weapon was easy to dodge. My own found the gap in her armor just above her hip, thrusting upward. I covered her mouth and eased her to the ground as she died in my arms.


    Shouts erupted from the surrounding rooms, the prisoners desperate to make themselves heard.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªto help us, please, we¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªdamned fools, Dragoth will kill us all, shut up, shut¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªhave to let us out!¡±


    Darrin¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t among them, meaning he was either unconscious or smart enough to keep his mouth shut and listen instead of bellowing like mad.


    The guard I¡¯d struck with the door was still breathing. I quickly rectified that, then relieved his corpse of a ring of mundane keys. Thankfully, they had numbers punched into them.


    I went straight to Darrin¡¯s room, as indicated by the Instiller who¡¯d spoken through the wall. The keyring jangled as I fumbled for the right number, the metal slick in my blood-stained fingers. I needed to hurry.


    The lock turned with a smooth click, and I pushed open the door and stepped back. Darrin was standing there, his torso bare and covered in wounds, both eyes nearly swollen shut inside a pulp of bruising, and a broken cot leg clutched like a dagger in his fist.


    ¡°What exactly were you going to do with that, then?¡± I asked, nodding at the improvised weapon.


    ¡°Stab you for taking so long,¡± Darrin croaked, his voice hardly recognizable.


    The keyringcked any way to deactivate or remove the cuffs. Instead, I took the guard¡¯s dagger and wrenched the chain free from one side, allowing Darrin full freedom of movement with his arms. It didn¡¯t fully disable the mana suppression effect, but it did destabilize the artifact, which relied on both sets of runes being connected.


    ¡°There. At least mana should begin circting through your body again,¡± I said. ¡°We can finish when¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s get going then,¡± he demanded. His gaze kept jumping from one end of the hallway to the other, then to the corpses. ¡°Surely some kind of rm must have gone up.¡±


    ¡°One second, boy.¡±


    I hurried to the door next to mine, unlocked it, and pushed it open. Inside, curled in on himself in his cot, was a small man with a couple weeks worth of beard and eyes wide and wet with terror. I shouldn¡¯t have felt sorry for the poor bastard, considering he was one of Agrona¡¯s pet Instillers. Who knew what kind of horrors he¡¯d been involved in at Taegrin Caelum. Still, I couldn¡¯t just leave him¡ªall of them. And their escape would help cover our own.


    I tossed him the keyring. ¡°I assume you can get those cuffs off on your own?¡±


    He nodded weakly. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste any time.¡± With a sharp flick of my hand to bid him farewell, I marched away, gesturing for Darrin to follow. Despite his worries, no rm had gone up.


    ¡°They¡¯re amateurs,¡± Cynthia said, following along after us, her hands held behind her back as if she were examining a training session. ¡°Desperate and iling. Thest gasp of a dying empire. Soon, Dragoth will be dead, and everyone will see what pathetic creatures the Vritra were.¡±


    Here¡¯s hoping it¡¯s that easy,mander.

 Chapter 493: For The Days To Come

    <h4>Chapter 493: For The Days To Come</h4>


    <strong>CAERA DENOIR</strong>


    I stood high up on the curving road that ran around the outer wall of Vildorial¡¯s primary cavern. The highway connected the lowest levels, from which hundreds of interconnecting tunnels branched out, all the way to Lodenhold pce at the top of the cavern. Dozens of roads and hundreds of homes and businesses were built into the walls along the path. The pce was at my back, its sharp lines jutting out of the bare rock, while threerge portal frames filled most of the highway not far in front of me.


    The frames were alien in design to anything I had ever seen in crya, but I knew they¡¯d been developed by Scythe Nico during the final days of Agrona¡¯s reign. Based on the teleportation gates of the ancient mages, these portals could create a stable connection from one continent to the other by detecting and connecting to an existing portal or tempus warp receiver.


    It was almost ironic that the very technology that had allowed Agrona¡¯s final assault on Dicathen would now be used by the Dicathiens to send our people home.


    The scene was tense. A small group of cryans stood around me, including Cylrit, Uriel Frost, and Corbett. The once-powerful men and women looked strange in their simple tunics and pants, absent the trappings of their old stations.


    Behind us, barring the way to the pce, was a small army of dwarves. They wore heavy armor and their weapons were drawn. The dwarven lords stood behind them on a raised dais of stone, along with Lance Mica Earthborn and two elves. These two stood out among the dwarves just as much as I did.


    It was odd, seeing Cecilia¡¯s image there. Or rather, the face I had known as Cecilia¡¯s. I found myself inspecting her more closely now. She was of average height, perhaps a bit shorter than me, and quite slender. She was dressed in a simple green gown, but aurel of blue flowers woven into her metallic gray hair elevated her look to that of a princess. Which she was, I had to remind myself. She remained silent as Commander Virion spoke with Lords Earthborn and Silvershale, her gaze drifting thoughtfully around the cavern.


    What was the reunion between her and Arthur like? I wondered despite myself. Even considering my ownplicated feelings toward him, it was difficult to picture him being romantic, inmed with passion, pouring his heart out to this silver-haired beauty¡­


    I put the elf out of my mind. There was too much at stake to lose myself in such thoughts. Although I regretted the way things had gone, petty jealousy was beneath me. Arthur was my friend, but even that was a difficult rtionship to maintain with someone in his position. I didn¡¯t envy anyone who attempted to be more than that with Arthur, although I did wish them both well.


    Giving myself a small shake, I refocused on what was happening. In front of us, arranged in rows behind the portals, were approximately thirty exoforms and their pilots. The bestial machines were supposedly there to ensure our peaceful teleportation to crya, but, alongside the army of dwarven soldiers, they seemed more like a threat than a promise of protection.


    There was no part of me that med the Dicathians for this. We¡¯d attacked them, and instead of destroying us, Arthur had given us a home, such as it was. In thanks, we¡¯d attacked them again to save ourselves from the curse of our own magic. If this had happened in crya, the offending bloods would have been wiped out utterly, man woman and child. Although I was d for the Dicathians¡¯ mercy, I could hardly believe they were capable of it. A small part of me¡ªthe Vritra-blooded part¡ªeven judged them for this mercy, knowing that it could be taken as a weakness.


    That wasn¡¯t the part of myself that I embraced, however, and I left these thoughts to linger in the dark corners of my mind.


    The normally busy highway was empty of its usual traffic. Every gate and side road was blocked off by dwarven guards. The way near the bottom, below the lowest of the newly constructed prisons, was barred as well. A crowd had gathered there, and even from the top of the cavern, I could hear their shouts. Not the words, specifically, but the deep rumble of their noise. They clearly were not cheering in celebration.


    Three figures watched everything from above.


    Seris had donned her gleaming ck battledress, and her mana was coiled tightly around her, suppressing her aura but not hiding it. There was an intentionality and protectiveness to the act, like a mother sovereign cobra coiling around her eggs. The tendrils of her power seemed to extend out to wrap around all of the cryans still locked up in the dwarven prisons.


    Beside her on her left, Lance Bairon Wykes gleamed in shining te armor. A long crimson spear was heldfortably in his left hand, its point down. Outwardly, he seemed stoic¡ªperfectly calm¡ªbut there was a crackling energy to his mana signature that felt tense and nervous.


    Arthur floated to Seris¡¯s right. He was in his conjured relic armor, but it had changed since Ist saw him. The ck scales now sat beneath white pauldrons, gauntlets, greaves, and boots. The heavy ting had an organic look to it, as if it had been carved out of bone. Even from such a distance, his eyes gleamed golden.


    He looks the part of an asura, I thought, having heard the rumors already circting throughout Vildorial. It wasn¡¯t difficult to imagine him shouting down dragons and basilisks around a gilded table atop some high tower in the farawaynd of deities. At the very least, he stands out just as much as I do with my horns.


    My gaze flicked to the elven princess and away again, wondering what she thought of all that.


    I¡¯m not doing a good job of not thinking about them, I admonished myself, firmly redirecting the spotlight of my attention.


    Seris made a gesture. Many seconds dragged past, then cryans began to stream from the lowest prison. It took them quite some time to ascend the highway. As they walked, they shuffled into three distinct columns, each one aligned with one of the portal frames.


    The portals were activated one at a time by a number of human and dwarven mages under the watchful eye of Gideon. Each portal hummed with mana, and an opaque, oily pane of energy rippled into being within the frames.


    ¡°This is not what we want!¡± Someone shouted, their rough voice carrying through the cavern like falling stones.


    Distracted from the procession, I searched around for the source of the cry. At the mouth of the closest side street, which descended to the first row of dwarven homes beneath the level of the pce¡ªthe same street, incidentally, that I¡¯d nearly died falling onto¡ªa couple dozen dwarves had gathered. They pushed angrily against the line of guards blocking ess to the highway, and it looked like a few even carried weapons.


    ¡°Justice for the fallen!¡± a red-faced dwarven man bellowed.


    ¡°Backstabbers!¡± a woman was screaming. ¡°Liars! Betrayers!¡±


    ¡°Justice! Justice!¡± Several more were shouting now, picking the word up as a kind of chant.


    Corbett shuffled nervously next to me. ¡°Why aren¡¯t they shutting those people up?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t their way, to govern with an iron fist,¡± I pointed out distractedly.


    The lines of cryans reached a level with the screaming crowd. As I looked further down, though, I realized that all of the side streets that I could see were likewise thronging with protesters. The dwarven guards at the very bottom, only barely visible, were being pushed back, forced to slowly follow the lines of cryans as an angry crowd drove them along. Another squad was hurrying down the highway, apparently going to reinforce them.


    ¡°Vritra, there are hundreds of them,¡± Uriel Frost said, scowling.


    Among the front lines of the cryans, I caught sight of Justus Denoir, Corbett¡¯s uncle, and my pulse quickened. When I¡¯dst seen him, he¡¯d been actively attempting to kill Corbett and Lenora. He had killed Taegan, my longtime guard, and Arian had almost died during the altercation as well.


    I understood the dwarves¡¯ anger. They were not the only ones who had suffered and been betrayed. But then, was Melitta¡¯s rage any less justified? Her husband, her children, had been ughtered in retribution for our defiance. No, her rage was justified¡­but it was also misced. Justus and his faction of the Denoir blood had med Corbett and me for leading us into this folly when they should have med Agrona; it was the High Sovereign who had butchered sweet little Arlo and Colm like animals.


    The cycle of hostility and revenge would be endless. Every reaction, every death in the name of ¡°justice,¡± would only spawn another in response. In the end, though, the true originator of these crimes, Agrona himself, was already gone. It didn¡¯t feel like justice, but it was as close as any of us would ever get.


    I knew, though, that the protestors couldn¡¯t see it that way. I had lived my entire life in the shadow of the Vritra, but these Dicathians saw us as the aggressors, the backstabbers. To them, Agrona and his ilk were nothing but that: a shadow, distant and indistinct.


    I knew it would take a strong leader to bring the two sides together.


    ncing up at Seris, I considered what came next, but sudden motion drew my focus back to the ground.


    Two of the exoforms had left formation. Before I realized what was happening, burning orange weapons were drawn, and swift blows fell against the leftmost portal frame.


    The frame shattered with the terrible noise of breaking stone and shearing metal. The opaque surface inside it tore and melted away in an oily swirl.


    I stood frozen among the other once-highbloods, not quite believing my eyes.


    At nearly the same time, explosions of stone and fire struck the cordons, and suddenly spells were raining down on the unarmed cryan lines. A few shields flickered into existence to defend them, but most of the cryan mages were still too weak to use magic following the shock of Agrona¡¯s defeat.


    ¡°How dare they!¡± Uriel shouted, and his voice snapped me out of my stupor.


    Cylrit was already moving. I lunged to follow, heedless of Corbett yelling behind me.


    One of the rebel exoforms was bringing their de around toward the second portal. There was a purple sh, and the de halted as Arthur caught it on his own. ¡°Stand down,¡± he ordered, his voice vibrating withmand.


    Well ahead of me, Cylrit struck the hand from the second exoform. Its de flipped around in the air before driving into the stone at its feet. The machine stumbled back a step.


    The rest of the exoforms seemed frozen as they searched for someone to give them orders. Only one moved: the tall, lean form of an upright griffon leapt high into the air only to dive atop the back of the first exoform, hurling it to the ground and pinning in at Arthur¡¯s feet. ¡°Positions, damn you!¡± ire deheart¡¯s distorted voice boomed.


    Behind them, further down the road, a ck mist of mana condensed around the cryans, swallowing the spellfire before it could reach the cryans. Beneath the cloud, many bodiesy still. Several shes lit up the cavern, and the sharp crack of thunder in the distance cut across all other noise.


    As I sprinted through the lines of shocked exoform pilots, the silver spikes released from my relic bracer and flew into the air ahead of me. Beams of soulfire shot from their points, forming a protective barrier around those cryans leading the way.


    Behind me, the sluggish exoform pilots began to move. They hurried to form up alongside the outer edge of the highway, using their bodies or shields to fend off hurled spells and weapons.


    Violet lightning struck group after group, and pulses of what I knew to be Arthur¡¯s aetheric intent drove the dwarves to their feet.


    My orbitals followed along with the cryans, covering them from spells or projectiles that the mists couldn¡¯t, until they reached the portals. The process was supposed to be regted by Gideon and his staff, not letting too many through at once, but they¡¯d all fallen back after the first attack. There was also supposed to be a test, with predetermined individuals going through and returning to ensure the connection was stable and the teleportation didn¡¯t go awry. Now, there was no time. Those leading the charge¡ªJustus himself right at the front¡ªplunged into the portals without a second¡¯s hesitation.


    This was not how I¡¯d imagined our return to crya, nor the role I would take on in this new world now that the war was over.


    Over? The word echoed bitterly in my head as I sought out Seris or Arthur, the two touchstones of strength and sanity amidst the chaos. What could these people have hoped to aplish in the presence of these great powers? I couldn¡¯t see Arthur or Seris, but no more spells were being thrown by the protestors. The brief conflict had already been quelled.


    The dwarven lines that had guarded the pce and their lords were in disarray, I noticed btedly. Some were on the ground, most had their weapons drawn. Corbett, Uriel, and a couple of the others were watching the dwarves with distaste.


    Seeing no more need for my protective barrier, I released it and started back toward the others. Gideon¡¯s voice was echoing through some kind of amplification artifact, demanding order and calm or ¡°you¡¯re all likely to end up in crya in pieces, damn it.¡± I didn¡¯t think the words had quite the effect he was looking for as a cry went down the lines of cryans.


    ¡°Peace,¡± I said to no one in particr. ¡°Peace, friends. The threat is gone.¡±


    I passed the portals, pausing only a moment to watch people vanish into them before rejoining Corbett, who had stayed behind a conjured shield until the violence had passed.


    ¡°That seems to be settled, then,¡± Uriel said as I approached, his arms crossed over his chest, one hand absently brushing down his bushy blond goatee. ¡°It seems to me this attack could have been ended sooner had our defenders acted more forcefully.¡±


    I raised my brows and regarded him with barely disguised contempt. ¡°You act as if trading Dicathian lives to defend cryans is the obvious choice here. We are lucky this wasn¡¯t much worse.¡± As I spoke, I peered down the highway, trying to see how many bodies had been left behind in the wake of the attack, but a hundred or more cryans crowded around the portals, pushing and shoving to be the next through. ¡°No, our people don¡¯t need Dicathian protection. They need cryan leadership.¡±


    ¡°Well said, Caera.¡± Corbett patted my back just once, a soft, supportive touch.


    I felt myself begin to flush red and turned away under the pretense of looking at the dwarven lords. Once, I would have given just about anything for such support from Corbett or Lenora. Then, for a long time, I would have smiled politely at such words only to spit on them behind my adoptive parents¡¯ backs. Now, though¡­


    Nearby, writhing vines pinned a group of dwarven soldiers to the ground. Even as I noticed it, the vines began to unravel, snaking their way down into the ground. Tessia Eralithnded between me and the dwarves, her hair billowing lightly in the wind of her own movement. Before any of the soldiers could get back to their feet, twenty others had surrounded them. In moments, their weapons were taken and they were being lined up with the rest of those who¡¯d participated in the protest.


    ¡°The soldiers were a part of it as well?¡± I asked, unable to suppress my surprise.


    Tessia faced me. I could sense her mana, twisting around her like the vines she¡¯d conjured. It almost seemed to glow from behind her eyes. There was sweat beading her forehead, and her jaw was tight, as if she were trying to hold back a grimace of pain or concentration.


    ¡°Poor choices made in the heat of the moment,¡± she answered, her gaze drifting to the side.


    Before I could think of anything to say in response, Commander Virion came running up. He stopped with his hands outstretched, not quite touching the sides of her face. ¡°Tessia? Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± she said, smiling wanly. ¡°Still adjusting to my core is all.¡± Her gaze flicked to me, then back to Virion.


    Behind the pair, Arthur floated down from above,nding in the middle of the dwarven ranks. A couple of dwarves in blue battlerobes pushed through to meet him, checking each prone form and administering some kind of magical aid.


    My attention was snapped back to the pair of elves in front of me. Virion had just asked me a question. It took a couple of seconds for his words to sink through.


    ¡°Um, yes, we¡¯re all well, of course. Thank you, Commander Virion. And you, Lady Tessia.¡± I nodded deeply, a respectful gesture but not quite a bow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry our first meeting couldn¡¯t have been morefortable.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps another time, although¡±¡ªArthur was shouting at someone in the background, and Tessia¡¯s mouth pressed into a thin line, her eyes crinkling into a diforted squint¡ª¡°it may be awhile before we meet again.¡±


    She focused on something behind me, and I turned to find Seris walking quickly toward us from the remaining portals. The cryans from the first prison were now all gone.


    Uriel led the way as he and the others attempted to intercept Seris. She didn¡¯t break stride as she waved them off. ¡°Go to your families. If you intended to travel to Truacia, you¡¯ll need to go to Central Dominion or Sehz-r instead. But choose quickly. We won¡¯t be waiting here to see the aftermath of this tragedy.¡±


    Seris paid them no further attention as she approached me. Her red eyes flicked over my shoulder to where we could still hear Arthur shouting, but they returned to me before she spoke, a small smile surprising me. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe, but there has been a change of ns. I need you to go through to Central Dominion immediately. Many of those now there were not meant to be, and instead of a stately procession, we¡¯ve just dumped hundreds of panicked people into Cargidan City without warning.¡±


    ¡°And the Sehz-r portal?¡± Corbett asked, havinge to stand supportively beside me.


    ¡°Cylrit has already gone,¡± she answered, again looking past us to Arthur.


    I couldn¡¯t help but turn to look as well: he was hovering in front of the dwarven lords and Lance Mica, wreathed in amethyst light and shouting down at them. I could only make out one of every few words, but still the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave immediately,¡± I said. To Corbett, I added, ¡°Please check on Seth Milview and Ma Fairweather. Invite both toe with our blood to Cargidan, if they wish. We can help them get wherever they want to go once the smoke of this has cleared.¡±


    ¡°Be careful, daughter,¡± he said in answer. His hands twitched as if he wanted to take hold of mine, but he held himself back.


    I nodded firmly, my jaw set. ¡°Father. Seris.¡±


    There was no need for further instructions. I knew what was needed of me. I marched through the inventors, exoforms, and dwarves, heading straight for the central portal, which was still active. Far down the highway, the second prison had been opened, and the first of those contained within were starting to pour out. Unlike the stately procedure of the first group, these people were rushed and desperate, bumping into one another and failing to form proper lines.


    Arthur flew by overhead, moving to join Bairon, who was already present among the cryans. Mica Earthborn hurled past just behind him.


    I paused only briefly to collect myself. When I had fled crya, only barely escaping Scythe Dragoth and his double agent, Wolfrum of Highblood Redwater, Agrona had still been in power. The conflict in front of us had seemed nearly unwinnable. Each act had been one of desperation. Now, I was returning to a continent suddenly free of Agrona. The Vritra were gone. The entire power structure of our continent had melted away nearly overnight.


    Fixing my shoulders back, settling my expression, and calming the rapid beating of my heart, I stepped through the portal.


    The dim light of the cavern was almost brightpared to the dark building I found myself in on the other side. Cries of pain and despair resounded out of the shadows, washing over shouts for order and attention. The only light in the massive building came from the open front doors, which were draped with broken chains and hung listlessly on their hinges; they¡¯d been smashed open.


    There was more shouting from outside.


    I marched across the lobby of Cargidan¡¯s great library, moving from darkness into light as I approached the open doors. Although the lobby was full of breathless, weeping people, few took notice of me.


    Stepping out into a fine, sunny afternoon, I found the street outside full of bodies pressed together. Mages in ck and crimson had cordoned off the street from both sides. Their weapons were bared, and many had already ignited their runes to channel spells.


    I was unsurprised to see Justus leading the conflict; he stood nearly nose to nose with a well-groomed young man I recognized, shouting at the top of his lungs so spittle sprayed the young man¡¯s face.


    ¡°¡ªnearly died at the hands of Dicathian barbarians and have returned home to be treated with such disrespect! I am highlord of the Denoir blood, you gawping little leech! If you don¡¯t let me pass immediately, I¡¯ll hang the entire lot of you with your own guts, I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°Justus Denoir!¡±


    The crowd parted around me as all eyes swiveled in my direction. My great uncle, his face blood red, a vein bulging at his temple, spun to re across the street at me.


    ¡°Forgive us, Lord Kaenig,¡± I continued, holding eye contact with Justus. The tension of thest few minutes melted away. I stepped into myself, into themand and authority I¡¯d been trained to wield like a weapon. ¡°Am I to assume your highblood is in control of the city?¡±


    The young man, Walter of Highblood Kaenig, smirked pompously at the side of Justus¡¯s head before looking in my direction. ¡°Ah, Lady Caera. A voice of reason in all this madness.¡±


    Walter ran his fingers through his wavy blond hair and stepped out of the line of guards, brushing past Justus. My great uncle bellowed and took a swing at Walter from behind. The cheap shot came up short as one of the guards lunged forward and caught him by the arm. Two more piled on, and Justus was mmed face first into the paving stones.


    Nearby, Melitta screamed at them and a dozen or more unarmed Denoir foot soldiers channeled their mana. The reaction was immediate as shields appeared and weapons were brought to bear.


    ¡°Please, tell your men to hold,¡± I said firmly, marching up to Walter, who had turned to look down at Justus. Some of those who were trapped in the street were already retreating back into the library to escape what could turn into a bloody confrontation. ¡°There has been more than enough violence already, especially between cryans.¡±


    Walter took his time in scanning the surrounding people, all of whom looked terrified. ¡°From what I¡¯ve been able to gather here, you are the remnants of thest attack force against Dicathen.¡±


    I took a moment to exin, and by the way he nodded along, unsurprised, my version matched what details he¡¯d been able to glean from those who arrived before me.


    ¡°As you¡¯ve already surmised, since the shockwave, Highblood Kaenig has taken custodianship of Cargidan until further orders are received from the High Sovereign,¡± Walter said smoothly in his rich baritone. ¡°With most operations in the Relictombs shut down and many of our mages still struggling to recuperate, the city is in an uncertain state at the moment and requires a firm hand.¡± He paused, eyeing me thoughtfully. ¡°I understand your plight of course, Lady Caera, but we do not have the manpower or resources to deal with these people. They are simply not wee at this time, and the Dicathians had no right to dump them into our city. You will stay here until¡ª¡±


    ¡°Your people have been allowed toe home,¡± I said sharply, cutting him off. ¡°And I can assure you, there won¡¯t be any additional orders from Agrona. He was defeated in Dicathen. That was the shockwave you describe¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lies,¡± Walter said, the back of his hand snapping toward my face.


    A thought flitted through my head in the instant I had to react. Every one of the cryans who had juste through that portal was a mage, but most were still experiencing some level of shock from the st that had struck them. Some couldn¡¯t reach their mana at all, still, while the rest were weak and in no condition to fight. Most of the mages in crya were likely in a simr state.


    Walter had casually assumed the same of me.


    I caught his hand, mana flooding my arms to strengthen them. With a twist, met with a pained gasp, I brought him to his knees. His soldiers started to move, but I held up my hand in a gesture to stop. They hesitated.


    Leaning down slightly, I held his gaze. ¡°Send word to your highlord. Convene every noble in the city. We will need every soldier at your disposal. Over a thousand cryans wille through that portal today, and it is up to us to assure they get home safely. Primarily, we¡¯ll need to organize as many tempus warps as we can. Can I rely on your assistance in this matter, Lord Walter?¡±


    The man swallowed visibly. ¡°Of course, Lady Denoir,¡± he said, unable to contain the harsh edge of pain that crept into his words.


    I released him, and he quickly stood and took a step back, favoring his twisted wrist. He shot a look at one of his men¡ªthe captain of his guard, based on the uniform¡ªand I thought perhaps he was going to shout for me to be taken into custody.


    I reached for my magic, ready to defend myself if necessary.


    Instead, he said, ¡°Send word to my father. We have¡­refugees in need of assistance.¡±


    He looked back at me, his face slightly pale, but I was focused beyond him. ¡°And please let my great uncle up. He may be an awful old ass, but he, like the rest of these people, has been through a hell not of his own making, and he deserves some small amount of grace.¡±


    I clenched my fists and kept my expression cool and even, not letting my true feelings show through as I turned back to the library¡¯s dark interior. More people were beginning to appear on the receiving tforms, forcing others to either retreat deeper into the building or be pushed back out the doors.


    The lines of the Kaenig men broke, and the refugees began to spread out. Calls for calm rang out. Many went to their knees, tears streaming down their faces as they regarded the cryan city or the Basilisk Fang Mountains nearby. Others shouted their good cheer, and for the first time I noticed the many cloistered faces that stared down at us from townhouse windows all up and down the street.


    Everywhere I looked, I found faces twisted with hope, fear, fatigue, and jubtion.


    I took in all these emotions, on disy both from both those newly arrived in the city and everyone who¡¯d been no doubt bound to their homes as the highbloods struggled to figure out what was happening.


    How many of them, I wondered, would ept that Agrona was truly gone?


    More importantly, I considered just how much work there was to do to build our nation back up in the Vritra n¡¯s absence. Each step would be made even more difficult by those who refused to see the truth¡­the need for change.


    Without fully meaning to, I began to n for the hours, days, and weeks toe.

 Chapter 494: An Icy Fist

    <h4>Chapter 494: An Icy Fist</h4>


    <strong>ALARIC MAER</strong>


    Ourbined footsteps were ufortably loud in the confined stairwell. The thud and creak of the wood resounded sharply from the rough stonework of the walls. With only a small amount of mana to support myself, my aged body was already feeling the strain of so much exertion


    And all of this without a drop of alcohol to dull the pain. I consoled myself with the fact that, despite being perhaps a quarter my age, Darrin looked a lot worse.


    ¡°Quit your huffing and puffing,¡± I snapped in a staged whisper. ¡°You¡¯re going to bring every loyalist mage for a mile right down on top of us.¡±


    Darrin only huffed and puffed louder. ¡°As if they could hear me over the noise of your creaking knees, old man.¡±


    I scoffed, d he still had the energy to be a smart ass. It meant his injuries weren¡¯t as bad as they could have been.


    Reaching the top of the stairwell, it opened out into arge, emptymon room. On the wall, a rickety woodendder continued up to a trap door in the ceiling. I ignored the top floor of the student dormitory and ascended thedder. The trap door was locked, but a single strike against the mechanism twisted the thin metal and allowed the door to swing upwards.


    The square of sky I could see was gray-blue. Early morning, not yet full sunrise. Darkness would have been better, but I could work with twilight.


    I heaved myself out onto the dormitory roof, then turned and pulled Darrin up behind me. We both ducked down immediately as shouts rang out from below.


    After easing the trap door back down into ce, we crept to the roof¡¯s edge and looked out at the Central Academy campus. Several loyalist mages were rushing toward the building across the hedged yards. A few more came running out of the castle-like Student Administration Office, and more could be seen in the distance gathering outside of the Chapel, a looming ck building that contained the Reliquary.


    ¡°If we¡¯re going to make it off this roof, I need out of these cuffs,¡± Darrin whispered. ¡°How¡¯d you get out of yours, anyway?¡±


    ¡°The old fake tooth,¡± I said while scanning the nearby rooftops. It wouldn¡¯t take long for them to find us.


    Darrin snorted. ¡°Still doing that? I¡¯m telling you, one of these days you¡¯re going to get punched in the mouth, and yourst thoughts will be of me while that crap burns out the back of your throat.¡±


    ¡°Took quite a beating this time around, and I¡¯m still here.¡±


    I¡¯d broken the connecting chain on Darrin¡¯s mana suppression cuffs, allowing him freedom of movement and a small amount of cirction through his mana core, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to cast any spells until the cuffs werepletely disabled. Considering the distance we would have to jump to get to the next roof, having help from a wind-attribute mage sure would go a long way.


    My dimensional storage artifact had been confiscated with all of my tools, and I¡¯d only had the one fake tooth. Considering my current situation, I had a fleeting thought that investing in a second might be worth the trouble, regardless of Darrin¡¯s protests. After all, we¡¯d both still be locked up without the burning powder.


    At the moment, though, all I had was the dagger I¡¯d taken from one of the dead guards downstairs.


    ¡°Let me see those cuffs, boy,¡± I grumbled, taking Darrin¡¯s wrist. By imbuing the dagger¡¯s de with mana, I could harden the steel enough to score the runes. It took longer than it should have with my core in its current state, but after a tense minute apanied with the sound of the rest of Dragoth¡¯s forces descending on the dormitory, I was able to begin scratching away some of the runes on his cuffs.


    It was a delicate process. The dagger was less effective than the burning powder, and the mana suppression cuffs were equally hardened by the same mana they withheld from Darrin. I had to scour away the proper runes without inadvertently altering the spell into something that would harm Darrin, but I had to be careful not to break the point of the dagger or slip off the smooth, curved metal surface of the manacles and slit Darrin¡¯s wrist. The trembling of my hands sure as hells didn¡¯t help either. What I would do for a goddamn bottle of rum, I thought before reminding myself why I¡¯d quit in the first ce.


    Cynthia bent down beside me, taking my hands in her own. The trembling eased, and I let out a breath I hadn¡¯t realized I¡¯d been holding.


    It took another minute, perhaps two, to sessfully mar the runes. We could hear Dragoth¡¯s soldiers in the building now, shoutingmands to each other and the escaping Instillers. I felt the moment that Darrin¡¯s mana came back under his control. His signature reappeared, spiking and diving rapidly as his core attempted to reassert control. After this, it was easy enough to break the manacles off his wrists. They struck the t roof with a metallic clunk.


    At almost the same time, the trap door was thrown open again, only ten feet away.


    A woman''s head appeared in the opening. From her desperate grimace and look of physical mise, I knew she was one of the prisoners, not a soldier. She saw us immediately, and her mouth opened to speak. If we had any hope of hunting down Dragoth and the recording artifact, we couldn¡¯t have a trail of his loyalist bloodhounds on our heels¡­


    I hooked the manacles on the end of my boot and kicked out. Whatever she¡¯d been about to say turned into a scream as the manacles struck her across the face, and she plunged back down through the hole. There was a crash and shouting, followed by the sound of fists striking meat.


    Darrin gave a quick jerk of his hand, pulling a gust of wind toward him. It caught the trap door and mmed it shut again. Biting back a curse, I bent low and started running while trying to keep my footfalls as light as possible. Anyone with half a brain would see the manacles and know someone else had been up here.


    The most likely escape route took us north, across another rooftop and into an adjacent building via a balcony window, but we were standing on the western edge to look out over the campus. It wasn¡¯t far, perhaps fifty feet. I was nearly there when the trap door mmed back open. Myopic Decay red with power, and a man cried out before ducking back down into the hole and rubbing frantically at his eyes.


    nting my foot firmly on the roof¡¯s lip, I used what mana I could to strengthen my legs and jumped. A gust of wind pushed me from behind, and I heard Darrin let out a grunt of concentration.


    I cleared the fifteen foot gap, absorbing the impact of the descent to the other roof by tucking into a forward roll.


    My battered and bruised body protested, but I came to my feet already sprinting, no longer concerned about noise. Before we could search for the recording artifact, we had to lose our pursuers.


    I heard Darrine down hard behind me. A quick nce over my shoulder revealed him favoring his left leg slightly, but I didn¡¯t slow down. I¡¯d seen him dismantle a convergence zone guardian with expert efficiency before; I had no doubt he could handle a bit of torture and a twisted ankle, even with his limited pool of mana.


    Reaching the far side of the second roof, I leapt across to a balcony, turning my shoulder into the arc and using myself like a battering ram against the ss door. It shattered, and I felt a burning line across my cheek as broken ss cut my skin. My feet slid out from under me, and I collided with a bulky lounge chair, sending both the furniture and myself sprawling with a crash.


    Behind me, I heard the crunch of Darrinnding in the broken ss. His shadow loomed over me, and he grabbed me by the front of my shirt and hauled me to my feet. ¡°No time for a lie-down,¡± he muttered.


    A ck bullet of force clipped his right shoulder, knocking him into me and sending us both sprawling again, and the apartment¡¯s far wall exploded. A jet of orange fire sprayed over our heads. mes engulfed the room in an instant.


    ¡°Eyes!¡± I barked, reaching for Sun re.


    The orange mes catching in the carpet, furniture, and support beams zed bright, transforming their glow into a blinding re.


    Sending out a sonar-like pulse with Aural Disruption, I grabbed Darrin by the back of his ruined tunic and dragged him along behind me, both our eyes shut tight. The heat of the mes blistered my skin, and several more concussive strikes of force shook the apartment. Somewhere to our left, a roof copsed.


    Only when I sensed our proximity to the door¡ªnow hanging off its hinges and smoldering¡ªdid I risk releasing Sun re. Through my lids, I saw the hot white light dim to a dancing orange and yellow, and I opened my eyes again. Standing and heaving Darrin in a single movement, I thrust him through the door in front of me.


    The hallway was choked with thick ck smoke, and the copsed wall and ceiling had sent embers flying. In a minute or two, this entire floor would be in mes.


    ¡°At least the bastards can¡¯t follow us in that way,¡± I mumbled to myself.


    Ahead, Cynthia was gesturing me toward the stairwell down. ¡°They¡¯lle in through the ground floor and try to trap you.¡±


    ¡°No shit,¡± I grumbled, running past her.


    Darrin rubbed at his eyes and stumbled in my wake. A racking cough burst out of him. ¡°What?¡± he choked out around the coughing fit.


    I didn¡¯t have the breath to reply as I led the way into the stairwell. Its stone walls rebuffed the heat, and the temperature dropped twenty degrees in a few steps. The smoke floated up it like a chimney, rising on the hot air, and the floor below was clear¡ªfor the moment.


    We descended two floors as quickly as we could, then turned into one of the hallways that connected to other rooms, sprinting its length. The window at the end exploded with a casting of Aural Disruption. There was no neighboring building to jump to, but the ground wasn¡¯t yet swarming with Dragoth¡¯s soldiers.


    I paused, taking two seconds to breathe and bemoan the loss of all my equipment, which included at least five different artifacts that would have eased our descent.


    Darrin went first this time, crawling through the broken window, hanging from its outside, and then dropping down to the next ledge. Gusting wind stabilized his fall.


    As he prepared to drop to the one below that, a man in rags ran around the corner, sprinting as if the fire of the abyss chased him. My guts dropped into my shoes.


    Two mages came running after him, both in ck and crimson. One fired a weak shock spell that struck the escaping prisoner in the back. The man pitched forward,nded on his face, and slid a couple of feet along the cobblestones. Neither seemed to have seen us yet.


    Darrin, who was still thirty feet from the ground, pushed off the wall, leaping back in a graceful arc.


    The second of the two mages, his eyes drawn to the movement, gave a shout and threw up a quickly manifested shield in the form of gusting, circr wind.


    As Darrin descended, heshed out with abination of strikes. Wind-attribute mana formed around his limbs and projected the force of the strikes forward and down. The lightning-attribute Caster had half turned toward his shoutingpanion but was too far forward to be protected by the quickly cast shield. The blowsnded like hammer strikes, driving him to the ground.


    Darrin used his own wind-strikes to cushion his descent, but he stillnded too hard. His injured leg gave out, and he copsed to the ground with an audible thump.


    The Shield shot a furtive look up at the window, and I pulled myself back, hoping he hadn¡¯t seen me. Slowly, I peeked out again. The Shield was creeping toward Darrin, a short de in his hand, the cyclone of wind-attribute mana still spinning in front of him.


    I waited until just the right moment.


    Leaping out the window, I aimed myself like a catapult stone at the Shield. As I fell, I bellowed a warcry.


    The mage flinched, automatically pulling his shield up above his head. I struck it full on. The swirling wind caught me and redirected my momentum, tossing me to the side. I hit the path in a roll, tumbling across the ground like a tossed die. The fall should have broken every bone in my body, but between the shield absorbing the brunt of the impact and redirecting the force, and my own mana infusing my muscles and bones, I rolled up to my feet with nothing but a cracked rib.


    The Aural Disruption rune was already alight on the small of my back, and I channeled the spell into the mage¡¯s ears before he could recover and reposition his shield. He yelped, his face crimping into a tight, pained expression, and the wind-attribute shield flickered. The confiscated dagger flew through the air, spinning end over end toward his ribs.


    The wind-shield caught it and flung it aside. The mage¡¯s hands tightened around his de as he regarded me with a calcting expression.


    ¡°Well, shit,¡± I grumbled, struggling even to stand.


    A strong wind mmed into me from the north, making me stumble. The Shield fell backwards, leveled by the force. I lunged forward, dove on the man, and fought him for his sword. The fingers of one hand dug at my face with the other tried desperately to hold onto his weapon. My own fingers wed at his, trying to pry them away from the hilt. I only needed a little bit of give¡­


    An icy fist reached inside of me and grabbed my core¡ªthe very mana that filled it¡ªclosing tight, like a wyvern¡¯s w through flesh. With a horrified gasp, I reeled back from the Shield, clutching at my sternum. I spun around instinctively, looking for the source of this horrible sensation, but no one else was there. Distantly, I saw the same look of terrified confusion on Darrin¡¯s face, the same clutching fingers scrabbling against his flesh in bitter difort.


    My mana was ripped away. A blood-speckled cough burst out of me, and I copsed.


    Visible in the air, bright streams of mana streaked from every direction, pulled on the wind back northward, toward the mountains.


    Through the ringing of my ears, I heard gasping and weeping from nearby. My head lolled toward it.


    The Shield was curled in on himself, blood flowing freely from his nose, the sword abandoned beside him. Thinking only of survival, I began crawling toward him. He took no notice, even as I lifted his de. Finally, in the instant before I drove it down into his chest, he acknowledged me. Tears were streaming down his blood-smeared face. He grimaced, and his gaze turned away, following the glowing lines of disappearing mana. My strike ended his life almost instantly.


    Sagging back, I waited for someone else to run around the corner and catch us, but no one came.


    It took some time for me to gain the breath to speak. ¡°Darrin? You alive?¡±


    He had to swallow, which he did with some difficulty, before responding. ¡°I think so. What in the Vritra¡¯s horns was that? My core¡­I¡¯m practically at the edge of bacsh.¡±


    I sensed for his mana signature, but it was feeble and inconsistent. My own wasn¡¯t much stronger, but it seemed I had been better able to resist the draw of that¡­pulse, whatever it was. ¡°It got a good bit of me, too. Nearly drained that Shield dry, I think.¡±


    Coughing and spitting out a mouthful of blood, I struggled to my feet. ¡°Come on, boy. Maybe this will give us the cover we need to get out of here.¡±


    Standing beside the fallen Instiller, Cynthia regarded me skeptically. ¡°ric Maer, the optimist.¡±


    I ignored her, watching the Instiller¡¯s body for the rise and fall of breath. There was none. He was still as marble. As still as a corpse, you mean, I said to myself. I was certain it hadn¡¯t been the shock spell that had killed him, though.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Darrin asked as I headed north. ¡°The gates are that way.¡± He pointed toward the tunnel leading beneath the Student Administration Office.


    ¡°Can¡¯t leave yet,¡± I said, the words mumbled, almost incoherent. ¡°Dragoth and the recording first. If we can get that¡­¡±


    I figured Darrin would protest, but he only grumbled and fell into step as we hurried for the shadows of the neighboring building.


    I¡¯d already considered where Dragoth would most likely keep such a thing, if it still existed. When soldiers had been running toward us from other buildings, those in front of the Chapel had stayed in ce. That, I was certain, was where the recording artifact would be stored.


    The Chapel was rtively easy to reach while staying out of sight. We kept to the twilight shadows, snaking through the alleys between buildings or moving along the hedgerows that bordered Central Academy¡¯s manywns. We didn¡¯t see anyone else, and the noise of the earlier search seemed to have died away after that pulse. If that didn¡¯t convince us that the same thing had happened to everyone else, what we found at the Chapel did.


    ¡°The guards¡­¡± Darrin murmured unnecessarily.


    Syed out across the stairs leading up to therge double doors were two full battle groups of cryan mages. Most were sitting or lying on their sides, rubbing their heads or stomachs and rolling around like drunkards nursing a hangover. A couple didn¡¯t move at all. None of them looked to be in a position to fight.


    The Chapel loomed behind them, more like a small fortress than a school building. Three stories tall and devoid of balconies or windows, only a single set ofrge double doors allowed entry through the front of the building. Narrow slits looked down over the road and would have been the perfect ce for Casters to hurl spells from, but I saw no faces in those windows, and sensed only the vaguest of mana signatures from in or around the building.


    Dragoth wasn¡¯t there, at least. That gave us a chance.


    ¡°Think we can take them?¡± I asked, calcting our odds. We weren¡¯t exactly in good shape, but they looked even worse off, and we could hit them by surprise.


    ¡°Maybe we won¡¯t need to.¡± Darrin had bent down to rub his ankle, wincing. ¡°Bluff it?¡±


    I snorted in amusement. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s bluff it.¡±


    We took a couple of minutes to prepare ourselves and talk through the n, then circled around behind the Chapel. We caught sight of an escaped Instiller stumbling through an alley a few buildings away, but they didn¡¯t see us. Darrin took the right side of the building, and I came down the left.


    We were able to round the corner and maneuver all the way to the top of the stairs before any of the guards saw us.


    A Caster in his forties looked up as my shadow spilled over him. His skin was tinged green and he was sitting next to a puddle of his own sick. His pupils were dted, and he squinted even in the shadow of the Chapel.


    Seeing an opportunity, I channeled Myopic Decay into all their eyes, further degrading their vision. ¡°What are you doing sitting on your ass, soldier!¡±


    The man flinched and all his buddies turned in surprise. Darrin grabbed him by the cor of his armored robes and jerked him to his feet.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you smell the smoke? Didn¡¯t you feel that st! The whole damn campus is likely to go up any minute, and you lot are just sitting here.¡±


    He blinked rapidly. ¡°W-what?¡±


    Darrin gave him a little shove but held on so he wouldn¡¯t go spilling down the stairs. ¡°The rest are in bad shape. A few dead. But they¡¯ll be here shortly. They¡¯re relying on you.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re abandoning the academy,¡± I said as if it were obvious. ¡°Get the portal active.¡±


    ¡°Go up?¡± he asked, obviously struggling to keep up with what we were saying.


    ¡°Get moving!¡± I snapped, letting my scowl sweep across all the guards.


    In a confused muddle, they began to struggle to their feet. A couple were in such poor condition that they required help just to stand and had to be dragged down the stairs one step at a time. No one bothered to move the corpses, which Darrin and I made a show of inspecting. As I¡¯d hoped, one had a rune-key, which I took.


    A few of the guards threw backwards nces at us, but we headed straight for the door, continuing to act as if we were supposed to be there and knew exactly what we were doing. If any of them suspected we weren¡¯t supposed to be there, they kept it to themselves.


    The doors opened to the rune-key. The vestibule beyond was empty, and the doors into the Reliquary portion of the building were open. The room beyond was in disarray, the relics of the ancient mages tossed around and their disys overturned. Only a single weak mana signature was present in the building.


    ¡°Careful, there must be another guard,¡± I said, eyeing the open doors across the hall warily.


    We closed the exterior doors behind us to give us some warning if the other soldiers returned, then passed through the vestibule and across the hallway that ran all the way around the Reliquary.


    I paused again at the doorway, leaning forward to look in.


    Dragoth stared back at me.


    I froze, my pulse leaping and my guts turning to liquid. Darrin continued forward for half a step before he saw the Scythe, and then he too went rigid. Some insane, exhausted part of my brain hoped that, just maybe, if we stood still enough, Dragoth wouldn¡¯t see us.


    But he was staring straight at me. All I could do was stare back. Neither of us moved, not even the rise and fall of our breaths, which we both held.


    I let out my own breath in a gust as realization struck me.


    Though Dragoth was a huge man, he looked somehow shrunken, sitting in an ornate padded chair that seemed very out of ce in this room. His head was listing to one side, pulled by the weight of his single horn. His face was pale and frozen in an expression of fear and confusion.


    He had no mana signature, none at all.


    I pressed a hand to my chest. ¡°Abyss, that about gave me a heart attack.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­dead,¡± Darrin said, taking a step into the room.


    And he was right. Dragoth Vritra, Scythe of Vechor, sat stone dead in his puffy chair. At his feet, a small piece of carved crystal caught the light and refracted it into a ssh of rainbow colors across the floor: the storage crystal from a recording artifact.


    I was halfway to it before I remembered the other mana signature.


    A bolt of soulfire flew out from behind an overturned table. I threw myself to the floor, and it passed just overhead, striking the wall behind me. From this new vantage, I saw the sweaty, pain-wracked face of the Redwater boy. He, too, was lying on the ground, wrapped up in his own ck cloak, his mana signature barely a glimmer. Blood fell like tears from his eyes, which were red from sclera to pupil.


    ¡°Sure you want to do that, boy?¡± I grumbled, slowly pushing myself back up. ¡°You don¡¯t look too good. Did that¡­pulse do that to you?¡±


    He grimaced, and ck fire wrapped around his fist. Wind gusted as Darrin moved beside me, covering me until I stood. Wolfrum pushed himself into a sitting position, his back against the wall. He held the mes up protectively, but he didn¡¯t answer me.


    Slowly, I shuffled forward until I could reach the crystal.


    ¡°No,¡± he said, his voice scraping out of him like his throat was full of ss. ¡°Try to take it, and I will k-kill you.¡±


    ¡°We could fight, and maybe you could take us,¡± I said nonchntly. ¡°Or maybe you couldn¡¯t. Maybe that pulse, whatever it was, hit you a lot harder than it hit us. You willing to risk that, boy?¡±


    He hesitated, and I scooped up the crystal. The mes writhed through his fingers, but he made no move to attack.


    I began backing away, and Darrin followed my lead. I wanted to plunge the sword I still carried through the little shit¡¯s core and leave him there to die, but I¡¯d spoken the truth: I couldn¡¯t be certain that we¡¯d win. Even if we did, there was no telling how long it would be before more soldiers started to stumble back here, trying to figure out what was happening.


    That pulse, like a wind that ripped mana straight from the core, had given us an opportunity to retrieve the recording and get out of here with our lives. That would have to be enough. Wolfrum bloody Redwater could wait for another day.


    Back outside, we found a few stragglers making their way to the portal. We circled around the back of the Chapel before they caught sight of us, made a wide berth around the centralwns and Student Administration Office, and eventually to the gate that opened out to the Ascenders Association Hall. We didn¡¯t run into any more trouble.


    We were through the gates and halfway down the street when a woman in fitted leather armor wearing a leather mask that obscured the lower half of her face stepped out of the shadows of a doorway. She looked ill, but lit up with relief beneath her hood and mask. ¡°ric, sir! You¡¯re alive. I¡¯ve been keeping a lookout.¡±


    Looking Saelii up and down, I gave a shake of my head. ¡°That pulse, then. It hit you too? The Whole city?¡±


    ¡°Did it ever,¡± she said, one hand on her hip, the other pressed against her stomach. ¡°Honestly, I was just about to leave. Report back in. Sir¡­¡± She hesitated, ncing behind her into the city of Cargidan. ¡°The refugees from Dicathen. They started pouring out of a portal in the big library a few hours ago.¡±


    I cursed. They¡¯d have been hit too, then. Were they the reason for the pulse? Was it an attack of some sort? Agrona¡¯s parting farewell? I tried to remember what it felt like, that cold fist ripping the mana right out of my chest. But it was all spection at this point. Inside my pocket, my fingers sped the recording crystal.


    ¡°No time to even enjoy your victory,¡± Cynthia said with a smirk from the shadowed doorway that Saelii had been waiting in.


    ¡°Whose in charge of the refugees? What¡¯s the response been?¡±


    ¡°Kaenig¡¯s forces were mobilized to help organize transportation,¡± she answered promptly, surprising me. Highblood Kaenig hadn¡¯t exactly been charitable over thesest couple of weeks. ¡°As for who¡¯s in charge, it¡¯s apparently Lady Caera of Highblood Denoir, though tensions are high between her and Highlord Kaenig¡ª¡±


    I started stumping down the street, each step painful. ¡°Take me to her. We¡¯ve got a lot to talk about.¡±

 Chapter 495: Us Lessers

    <h4>Chapter 495: Us Lessers</h4>


    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    A thousand worries¡ªsome small, others asrge as the sea between Dicathen and crya¡ªvied for my attention as Windsom activated the teleportation artifact. I couldn¡¯t help but second guess my return to the asuran homnd. Should I have dyed, or have nned to stay longer in Dicathen to begin with? Which was more important, the unfolding struggle for power in Epheotus or the continuing tension that threatened to burst between the peoples of my home?


    I had done what I could to ensure some stability before I left, but there just hadn¡¯t been enough time to resolve every potential problem, nor to visit all the people who deserved my attention. The aftermath of the protestors¡¯ attack on the cryan refugees had been a mess to clean up. Lord Silvershale had nearly been killed by one of his own men; the dwarven lords were calling for a hostile takeover of the Beast Corps project, iming that the project had relied on dwarven resources and beenpleted under dwarvennd, making it their intellectual property; and all of Darv seemed poised for yet another civil conflict.


    Meanwhile, I hadn¡¯t even had time to visit the yders in Etistin or Chul in the Hearth. I could only hope the rest of his healing had gone well and that he¡¯d woken up. A part of me had hoped that he¡¯d seek me out before we left Dicathen again, but I knew I couldn¡¯t take him with me to Epheotus. There was no telling how either Kezess or Novis, lord of the Avignis n and the phoenix race, would react.


    I had to keep King¡¯s Gambit partially empowered just to keep myself from copsing under the weight of all thesepeting threads of thought. Although I would have preferred to fully activate the godrune, which would have given me the bandwidth to thoroughlypartmentalize and develop these individual thoughts, I didn¡¯t want to create that barrier between the others and myself.


    Windsom stepped aside and gestured for me to go through the portal he had created, a golden oval that hung above his artifact. I quickly met the eyes of Ellie, Sylvie, and my mother, gauging their readiness. My focus also looked inward to Regis, who waited excitedly to reach our destination.


    With a wink to my sister that expressed a yfulness I wasn¡¯t feeling, I stepped through the portal.


    The smell of soil and damp transformed, bing salt and brine. The silence of the apartments deep within Earthborn Institute was reced by thepping of waves, cawing of distant sea birds, and shouts of children ying. The Epheotan sun warmed my skin, and a breeze off the water cooled it again.


    We had appeared in a square of smooth sandstone. Ornate jade arches opened up into surrounding streets, which ran between alien buildings that appeared to be grown from coral, molded from sandstone, or even formed of pure, gleaming pearl. Just ahead of me, the square opened out onto a beach of silver sand, but my attention was drawn beyond the beach. Everyyer of my mind focused on the sight.


    I found myself stepping out onto the beach almost unconsciously. Everything else faded away as I stared at a massive expanse of water, stretching endlessly left and right, extending out beyond the line of sight ahead of me. I had seen oceans before, but¡­


    The warm blue water was interrupted by shallow, consistently spaced waves, which curled over and crested not with white foam, but purple. Aether filled the ocean and the atmosphere above it. Beyond the ocean, just at the horizon, at the very edge of my sight, blue sky gave way to a purple-ck one, like I was looking out into the aetheric realm.


    I had thought the fountain of aether in Everburn had been impressive, but this ocean was second only to the aetheric realm in its density. I suddenly turned back to ask Windsom about it, but he had gone without a word.


    Not far down the beach, a group of leviathan children were ying under the watchful gaze of an elder. The children were chasing each other across the silver sand, with those being chased having to transform their body before being caught, covering a limb with aquatic scales or growing fins, ws, or even a tail in order to avoid being tagged ¡°it.¡±


    One little boy in particr, who appeared to be no older than a human seven-year-old, had stopped running and was staring at us with wide magenta eyes. He had a light blue coloration and t braids of green hair that spilled down around his shoulders like seaweed, and one hand was covered in blue scales with webbed and bearing sharp ws. His mouth opened wide, and he bellowed, ¡°Look, it¡¯s the lessers!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be impolite, little one,¡± the elder admonished him patiently. ¡°This is Lord Arthur of n Leywin.¡±


    The children immediately gave up on the game and came running to greet us. Regis manifested beside me, but instead of scaring the children, his appearance only made them even more interested.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a lesser before!¡± one little girl said excitedly, the ridges along her temples trembling, her white hair floating upward in the gentle breeze. ¡°Is it true some of you can¡¯t use mana at all?¡±


    The boy who¡¯d first shouted out gave her a disappointed sort of look. ¡°Really, Lord Leywin is an archon. Obviously, he can use magic!¡± He bit his lip and looked at me, no doubt noticing myck of a mana signature for the first time. Then he brightened and pointed to Regis. ¡°I mean, just look at his guardian beast!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a guardian beast,¡± one of the others said, crossing arms that still had fins protruding from them. ¡°It¡¯s a summons. Probably.¡±


    ¡°Oh, please do forgive their behavior, Lord Leywin,¡± the elder said, tussling the boy¡¯s green hair fondly. ¡°They¡¯re just curious, and in their excitement they¡¯ve forgotten their manners. Now, children, do you think n Leywin is here to stand on the beach and be poked and prodded¡±¡ªshe gently knocked away the hand of a little girl who was pulling at Mom¡¯s hair and clothes as she inspected her¡ª¡°or to visit Lord leiah?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we know the way!¡± the first boy announced, reaching for my hand.


    A ripple of purpose passed through the gaggle of children, who immediately began speaking over each other in an effort to assure us that they would be the best guide, and the others were likely to get us lost or drowned. Before this could turn into anything more than a couple of adolescent shoves, our fingers were grabbed in small blue, green, pink, and pearl hands, and we were being pulled along the beach.


    Balconies, paths, walkways, and arches opened onto the beach from the city, and as we went, we saw more and more leviathans. They wore open, flowing clothes in bright colors, and most had skin to match the young ones, although in a wider variety of tones. Many had no hair at all, but those who did sported strange haircuts in a plethora of inhuman colors, floating like sea grass or clinging to their heads in tight, mossy curls.


    To our left, in the ocean, a pair of transformed leviathans followed our progress. Their long bodies crested the ocean waves only to vanish into them again, providing glimpses of gleaming sapphire and turquoise scales. They were long, thin, and shining, with ridges and fins all down their spines and sides.


    Although notrger or more fantastic than the other homes along the beach, it was still somehow obvious when we came to Veruhn¡¯s residence. Pearlescent walls curved upwards, interrupted by round, open windows. Deep sea-green tiles like scales covered the roof and formed awnings over the windows and balconies. All varieties of colorful nts grew around the house, waving gently in the sea breeze.


    Our escort held back as we approached the beach-front porch, and Zelyna stepped out from behind an ivy-covered sandstone wall. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she wore dark leather instead of the bright, breezy garb favored by the other leviathans we¡¯d seen. Her storm-blue eyes were intense as she regarded us, but I couldn¡¯t read her expression.


    ¡°Wee to lesia,¡± she said, the greeting lukewarm at best. ¡°Lord leiah has been awaiting your arrival and invites you into his home.¡± She gestured across an open porch to an arched entry, which contained no door, nor even a curtain like those in Everburn City often had.


    ¡°Thanks for being our guides,¡± Ellie said, waving at the children.


    They all waved back happily, then burst out in a delighted squeal when Regis suddenly red with amethyst mes and gave an exaggerated howl. Mom let out a light, innocentugh as the kids turned tail and sprinted away, chased by their own peels of excited screaming. I belt a bittersweet pang, wondering when I¡¯dst heard Mom sound so carefree.


    Ellie caught my eye and gave me a knowing smile, clearly thinking the same thing.


    Smiling back, I followed the direction of Zelyna¡¯s gesture, crossing a covered porch constructed of carved sandstone bricks tinged with a mild red coloration. Inside the domicile, it was bright, airy, and sweet-smelling. Colorful tiles formed swirling patterns on the floor and up the walls, which were also covered in ces with living coral. Light issued from effervescent lighting artifacts and silver mes that hovered above colorful candles.


    The room wasid out like a parlor, full of driftwood furniture with doors leading to multiple other chambers. I¡¯d hardly crossed the threshold, though, when pping feet could be heard sprinting across the tile floor. A creature appeared from around a corner and skidded to a stop. I gaped down at it.


    Its body was long and broad, its head t, triangr, and gaping in a tooth-filled grin. It looked a bit like an Earth alligator, except instead of a leathery hide it looked as if it had rolled in tiny gemstones. Its legs were still reptilian-like, but longer, and bright wings were tucked against its back. Its jaws snapped closed rapidly, sending out a cking kind of warning or greeting.


    ¡°Oh, but it¡¯s so pretty,¡± Sylvie said, easing forward and extending a cautious hand for the creature to sniff, heedless of the many broad teeth.


    ¡°Ah, I see you¡¯ve already met Flutter Step.¡± Veruhn¡¯s familiar voice entered the room just before he did. His milky white eyes crinkled around the edges as he regarded the creature. It spun in a circle, chasing its own long tail, then skittered back out of the parlor. ¡°Windsom didn¡¯t join you?¡± he asked, his attention turning to me. ¡°A pity. I do so love hispany.¡±


    Although the words were spoken inly, without biting sarcasm, I couldn¡¯t help but suspect that he meant them that way nheless.


    ¡°You¡¯re being rude, father,¡± Zelyna said coolly as she maneuvered around my family and me and into the house. ¡°This is Lord Leywin¡¯s first royal visit to lesia.¡±


    Veruhn waved her words away. ¡°Arthur and I are old friends by now. There is no need for stuffy titles or ceremony between us, I¡¯m sure. But please, doe in. Pull up a chair, as I believe the human expression goes.¡±


    A leviathan woman entered the parlor behind him from a cozy dining room, multiple trays floating around her on little white clouds.


    ¡°Ah, thank you, Cora,¡± Veruhn was quick to say, stepping out of her way as sheid out the trays on the small tables throughout the room.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure what less¡ªah, that is, what n Leywin would like,¡± Cora said. The deep bow she made didn¡¯t quite hide the purple flush of her blue-green ridges.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure whatever you¡¯ve prepared will be excellent,¡± Mom was quick to say, settling herself somewhat ufortably on a couch framed with driftwood and covered in woven padding that looked like sea grass.


    The leviathan woman bowed again and backed out of the room. Zelyna watched her go with one brow partially raised, an amused smirk turning up the side of her mouth. ¡°You make people nervous,¡± she said, and I wasn¡¯t quite sure whether she was talking to me, my family, or Sylvie.


    Regis snapped a couple of what looked like crab legs off a tray as before he stalked toward the doorway where the creature, Flutter Step, had disappeared earlier. He stopped as if frozen, chewed slowly, and then turned back toward the food. ¡°Oh man. That¡¯s like, the best thing I¡¯ve ever eaten.¡± His bright eyes jumped to my mother. ¡°Ah, no offense, Alice.¡±


    Mom had picked up a green-tinged pastry from another tray and was sniffing it uncertainly. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t bother, Regis. I know what I¡¯m good at, and cooking certainly has never been it.¡±


    ¡°Well, Cora is the best cook in lesia, perhaps all of Epheotus,¡± Veruhn said, chuckling. ¡°She¡¯s also a skilled hunter; the ten-thousand-legged crab is no mean opponent.¡±


    ¡°Oh posh,¡± Cora said from the other room, embarrassment practically oozing from her words.


    ¡°You have a cook?¡± Ellie said as she picked up a stack of thin, papery green wafers. More quietly to Mom, she added, ¡°That¡¯s so weird.¡±


    ¡°And why shouldn¡¯t we have a cook?¡± Zelyna asked, steel in her tone.


    Ellie froze with a seaweed wafer halfway in her mouth. ¡°Oh, I just¡­um¡­¡±


    Zelyna turned her nose up. ¡°Did you think we, perhaps, simply magicked our food out of thin air?¡±


    There was a tense moment. Ellie looked to me for help, but I was watching Veruhn. If there were anything to worry about in Zelyna¡¯s attitude, I was certain Veruhn¡¯s expression would tell me, but he was ying the doddering old uncle again, enraptured by the flickering mes of Regis¡¯s mane.


    ¡°Well, I mean, maybe?¡± Ellie said after a long pause.


    Zelyna snorted and sat down in an empty chair near Ellie. ¡°You have much to learn about the ways of the asura, girl.¡±


    Veruhn gave a very small, very unsubtle cough.


    ¡°Eleanor, I mean,¡± Zelyna was quick to correct herself, not looking at her father. When she continued, her tone was didactic but not insulting. ¡°For example, the foods we eat are rich with mana, and a skilled asuran cook is adept not only at making ptable cuisine, but also maintaining or even enhancing the natural bnce of mana within it.¡±


    The conversation turned, and Sylvie and I spent time making small talk with Veruhn while Zelyna began to drill my mother and Ellie on asuran culture and etiquette.


    I found myself surprised by just how homely it all felt; I¡¯d been worried about bringing Mom and Ellie into the middle of this politics, but I also knew I couldn¡¯t do what needed to be done without them. The Leywins needed to be a n, not just me. They had needed this. I had needed this.


    An hour or more slipped away as we all grewfortable and at ease. I was standing in front of the open doorway out onto the beach, listening to Sylvie exin the difference between n, race, and family to Mom, when I realized Veruhn was standing next to me, so close our shoulders nearly touched. ¡°I was hoping we might have a word in private,¡± he said, his voice low, absent his usual jocrity.


    ¡°So soon?¡± I asked, looking first at my family and then to him. ¡°I assumed we¡¯d have more time to settle in¡ªaddress the pleasantries¡ªbefore we got to business.¡±


    The old leviathan hummed, something between a chuckle and a scoff. ¡°When you upy a seat in the Great Eight¡±¡ª¡°Fine Nine,¡± Regis tossed out from nearby, where he and Flutter Step were having a staringpetition¡ª¡°there is little and less done or said that does not rte to ¡®business,¡¯ as you put it. Come.¡±


    He brushed past me, leading the way out onto the porch. Instead of taking me to the beach, we circled around the house, passed through a kind of tide-pool garden and under a jade arch carved in the shape of a transformed leviathan. The beach beyond it was silent and empty. A path of turquoise stones cut across the sand to a¡­


    I had to look twice. It was like a pier, but made in the shape of¡ªor perhaps just made of¡ªbones. Not just bones, but the nearlyplete skeleton of a giant sea creature. It didn¡¯t run straight but wound out into the ocean like a snake. It was at least a hundred feet long, perhaps longer.


    Despite his milky white eyes, Veruhn didn¡¯t hesitate to step out onto the ribs of the skeleton. He stepped lightly from one to the next, making it a dozen feet out or so before turning back to see me standing on the shore. ¡°Ah. Don¡¯t worry. No rtion. You won¡¯t offend by treading upon the dead.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the skeleton of one of your people?¡± I asked tentatively as I began to follow him.


    He let out a guffaw. ¡°No, though I suppose I can see your confusion. You know, of course, of the Walking Mountain, Geolus?¡± He waited for me to confirm that I did, then continued. ¡°This was something like that: a force of nature, a living act of creation. Aquinas, the World Serpent.¡±


    ¡°Seems a bit smallpared to Kezess¡¯s mountain,¡± I said.


    Veruhn was silent until we reached the end, the bones growing smaller until the pier dwindled to a stop. He then turned and gestured to the silver beach. Frowning, I followed where he pointed, not seeing anything. By some trick of the design or leviathan magic, the vige itself wasn¡¯t visible. Only the beach could be seen, stretching away in both directions as far as the eye could see, gently winding back and forth, asional ridges in the silver sand¡ª


    ¡°I see,¡± I said, realizing the truth: the pier was made up of only the end of the skeleton¡¯s tail. ¡°Does this monster¡ªAquinas?¡ªhave something to do with why your ocean is so richlyden with aether?¡±


    Veruhn sped his hands behind his back and looked toward the distant horizon, where the skyline turned ck and purple. ¡°No, just the meandering thoughts of an old man. The ocean is the border, Arthur. The ce where our world ends and that which lies beyond begins. Aether and mana bothe in and out on the tides. I¡¯ve always thought of it as the breath of Epheotus.¡±


    ¡°I thought Epheotus was contained within a¡­well, like a bubble,¡± I finishedmely, not sure how else to describe it.


    ¡°Oh, but it is. Of a sort.¡± He was silent a moment. The breeze kicked up, blowing stronger, and he closed his eyes and smiled as he turned into it. ¡°At the very least, it¡¯s a convenient metaphor. The truth is moreplex.¡±


    As I tried to understand, my thoughts turned to Fate. In the ck-purple of the horizon, I saw the building pressure of the aetheric realm. All that aether, released over millennia as people lived and died, constrained and packed into an unnatural cyst instead of being used and spread throughout the world, the universe. A cyst that would eventually explode, ripping through the world like a bomb and wiping out all life for as far as Fate¡¯s vision had allowed me to see.


    I had shown Fate an alternative, but even inside the keystone exploring the infinite possible threads of potential to see how action and reaction would unfold in the future¡­I hadn¡¯t been able to see every ripple through space and time that my actions would cause.


    ¡°I have to empty the aetheric realm,¡± I said. Voicing it aloud was like releasing a pressure that had been building inside me, just like the aether. ¡°The force I came to understand as Fate¡ªa kind of¡­conscious manifestation of aetheric will, I think¡ªsees the aetheric void as a constraint. Like¡­water in a skin. Fine, under a normal amount of pressure, but if you keep pushing water into the skin¡­¡±


    ¡°Eventually, it will explode.¡± Veruh opened his eyes and turned his back on the horizon. ¡°I have seen this. In the waves¡­¡±


    I bent down and lowered a hand between two huge ribs, letting the cool waterp around my fingers. ¡°I suspected something like that. You have foresight?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Veruhn said, rubbing his chin in thought. ¡°We see¡ªsense¡ªechoes, carried back to us on the ocean waves. I believe you might call it a spatium art, but we do not influence aether the way the dragons do. Still, it speaks to some of us. The ones who learn to listen. But that is neither here nor there. I interrupted you. Please, continue.¡±


    ¡°The aether needs to be allowed to expand, to settle. To¡­fill in the cracks and crevices, like silt at the bottom of the ocean. Otherwise, it¡¯ll explode. Fate has manipted me since the very beginning, even in bringing me to this world. It was set on holding me in thest of the djinn keystones until it could make me see things its way.¡±


    Veruhn thoughtfully ran a hand along the ridge at his temple. ¡°Except¡­you were the one to convince this Fate of the correct path?¡± Although spoken as a question, there was a confidence in his words that surprised me.


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°How, then, will you do this, Arthur Leywin?¡±


    Standing again, I looked down at the aether-rich ocean water dripping from my fingers. ¡°The only way I can. Veruhn, I have to teach others what I¡¯ve learned. By drawing aether from the void, by using it on a scale even greater than the djinn, I cannce the cyst that is the aetheric realm. That is what I¡¯ve promised Fate. It¡¯s the only way to save my world. Perhaps many worlds.¡±


    An expression of deep sadness came over Veruhn, but he didn¡¯t speak immediately. I gave him time; I already knew what he was just nowing to understand.


    After a full minute of silence, surrounded by the slowlypping waves, he said, ¡°In saving your world, Arthur, you will destroy mine.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    My memories of thosest moments in the keystone were clouded by the nature of the experience. I had seen the future I spoke of, where I taught others to utilize aether as I did, and the pressure was slowly released as more and more aether was drawn back into our dimension, where it spread throughout first the world and then beyond, radiating into time and space.


    I had seen this, and many, many other potential futures. Epheotus was destroyed in all of them.


    ¡°If I do nothing, the building pressure will inevitably explode and Epheotus will be destroyed,¡± I said. ¡°It can¡¯t be saved, Veruhn.¡±


    Veruhn nodded, his expression distant. When he spoke, it sounded as though he were talking to himself. ¡°Epheotus isn¡¯t inside this ¡®aetheric realm,¡¯ as you call it. But it does empower our world, allowing the binding to hold its ce. To return to the bubble metaphor, it is a thinyer of that ce that works to separate Epheotus itself from the dimension beyond. Perhaps if one were to¡­no. That would not do. Still, this ¡®inevitability could be eons, yes? If we instead¡ªah, but no, of course not. Hm. I must consider this information, Arthur.¡±


    He met my eyes. ¡°You must not speak of this to any other. Whatever designs Kezess might have for you, he will not allow you to live if he understands what you intend, regardless of eventual inevitability. Fate itself, by sun and sea.¡± He let out a shaky breath. ¡°Kezess is most dangerous when he is frightened, and this is an idea that will terrify him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I kind of figured as much.¡± I paced along the ribs a few feet, then back toward Veruhn. ¡°Which is why I¡¯m telling you. I saw what I could before because of Fate and the keystone working with my own abilities. You, though, with your sense of foresight¡­¡±


    Veruhn gave me a piercing look. ¡°Before I answer, Arthur, tell me: what is your purpose here, in Epheotus? In lesia?¡±


    ¡°You invited me here,¡± I said carefully.


    ¡°So you came only because the other lords and I bid it?¡± Veruhn asked pointedly.


    ¡°No,¡± I admitted. ¡°It¡¯s essential that I acquaint myself with the other asuran ns, surely you can see that.¡± I let a scowl sharpen my features and knit my brow. ¡°We both know what I seek, but the path there is still to be decided. My hope is that I will find more than and of distant, bitter deities feasting on their crab legs and looking down in amusement on the tragic fate of us lessers.¡±


    ¡°Us lessers?¡± Veruhn mused, his focus turning inwards. Before I could respond, he waved his hand, silencing me.


    As the silence stretched on, however, I spoke again. ¡°I need to know if you¡¯re with me, Veruhn. I believe that Kezess is at the center of everything. Whatever he¡¯s been doing in my world¡ªwhatever reason he has for destroying civilization after civilization¡ªit¡¯s tied to the building pressure.¡±


    Veruhn gave no indication of surprise at my words. ¡°What I see is murky. Since you came along, I am rarely able to make sense of the echoes brought to me on the waves.¡±


    ¡°Then why¡¯d you give me the mourning pearls?¡±


    His eyes closed again, and he spoke as if reciting scripture, energy seething within every syble. ¡°Three parts to your being. Three boundaries to your transcendence. Three lives bound to you in obligation.¡± His eyes opened, and they swam with a pearlescent color. ¡°You are the heart of the maelstrom. All around you, chaos. In your wake, destruction.¡±


    I frowned deeply, searching his face for understanding. ¡°If you believe that, why help me?¡±


    The energy dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. He blinked, and his eyes were once again in milky white. ¡°Because in the aftermath of the storm, there is rebuilding. I am with you, Arthur, whatever¡ªah.¡± He cleared his throat and straightened up. ¡°Hello, Lord Indrath.¡±


    I spun on my heels, careful not to slip off the ribs and into the water. Kezess was standing near the midpoint of the pier. The sun gleamed off his blond hair, and the sea-born wind tossed his white cloak, making the golden embroidery wink yfully. His amethyst eyes zed with internal light.

 Chapter 496: Trust

    <h4>Chapter 496: Trust</h4>


    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    The rolling waves beat against the shoreline. Cool wind wove in between the three of us, each a lord of our n, our race. In the distance, an Epheotan seabird cried a hollow, mournful tune, as ifmenting what was about to happen.


    ¡°Lord Indrath. Wee.¡± If Veruhn was surprised by Kezess¡¯s sudden appearance, he hid it well. ¡°It is a rare treat for you to visit us here in lesia.¡±


    The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. How much had Kezess heard? I readied myself to fend off an attack.


    ¡°Arthur is needed at my castle,¡± Kezess said perfunctorily.


    I hesitated. His tone bore no hostility. He wasn¡¯t seething with suppressed mana or aether as if containing his rage. There was no outward sign of displeasure, not even the darkening of his eyes. If he¡¯d heard anything dangerous, he was ying it incredibly close to the chest.


    His request could have been a cover. It seemed unlike him to havee all this way to collect me in person, especially when Windsom had left me here barely more than an hour ago. Perhaps he wants to relocate this conversation to somewhere he has more power. I considered refusing. I¡¯d be leaving my family¡ªmy n¡ªbehind, without my protection. Even though I trusted Veruhn and his people, it was a ready-made excuse. Putting myself in Kezess¡¯s power was foolish.


    There was also the power dynamic between us to consider. I didn¡¯t want to give the impression that I was distrustful or unreasonable. Every exchange between us couldn¡¯t turn into an exaggerated pissing contest, like the battle of wills above theva fields, or I would fail in my mission before I¡¯d even begun. If he hadn¡¯t overheard our conversation, I couldn¡¯t afford to rouse his suspicion now.


    ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± I asked, watching him carefully as I walked along the skeletal pier to stand face to face with him.


    ¡°I shall tell you when we arrive,¡± Kezess said. To Veruhn, he added a perfunctory, ¡°Farewell,¡± and then his power was wrapping around me.


    I resisted on impulse, sheathing myself in aether. Kezess¡¯s power struggled against my own, but only for an instant. I let him through, and then we were being shunted through space, appearing in a nondescript corridor only a momentter.


    Torches flickered on the walls, highlighting a clean hallway with no doors and no apparent way in or out. ¡°Hauling me off to the dungeons already?¡± I quipped, using the humor to hide my actual nervousness. ¡°Do the other lords of the Great Eight know about this?¡±


    Kezess didn¡¯t answer. The tails of his jacket red as he marched down the hallway. Rolling my eyes, I followed.


    ¡®Arthur, where are you?¡¯ Sylvie¡¯s voice in my mind was light and distant.


    I quickly exined what had happened.


    Regis¡¯s indignation burned beneath my skin. ¡®Let us know if we need to stage a heroic rescue.¡¯


    No, hang tight, I urged them both. Just make sure my family is safe. I can handle things here. I mped down hard on any doubt I felt about that statement, not wanting mypanions to know just how nervous I really was.


    After a hundred feet or so, Kezess stopped, and the wall to his right began to unfold. The stones separated like the teeth of a zipper, then rotated away and folded back as if made of cloth.


    On the other side was a cell. It was bright, mostly due to a beam of light that extended from floor to ceiling in the middle of the room. Suspended in that light was Agrona.


    He looked just as he had when I¡¯dst seen him: nk-eyed and ck-jawed, like a puppet with its strings cut. His opulent clothes were wrinkled and stained, the chains and ornaments in his horns tangled together. In a word, he looked truly and utterly pathetic, less than a shadow of the horror that had for so long dominated my mind.


    ¡°No change then?¡± I asked. ¡°Don¡¯t you have healers?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Art.¡±


    Turning back to Kezess, I found Lady Myre standing beside him, although I had felt no sign of her arrival. Tall and graceful, she wore the form of an ageless, beautiful woman instead of the wizened figure I¡¯d first met. Her powerful aura only hit me after I realized she was there.


    ¡°We have ess to incredible healing magic,¡± she continued, moving to stand right in front of Agrona. She had to crane her neck to look up at his nk face. ¡°But nothing has managed to make so much as an eysh flicker. Even Oludari Vritra could shed no light on Agrona¡¯s condition.¡±


    ¡°Where is the Sovereign?¡± I asked, surprised they had involved him in this at all. It seemed dangerous to give him any knowledge he might turn against us, and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he knew more than he was letting on.


    ¡°He¡¯s a guest in my castle, for the moment.¡±


    ¡°He is nless,¡± Myre added. ¡°Lord Kothan has been happy to let Oludari remain in our care. There is a good chance the basilisks would kill him if he attempted to go home. Perhaps one day.¡±


    I didn¡¯t respond. The Vritra n was a blight, and Oludari was no better. I was certain Kezess had only allowed him to live so far because of some deal Oludari made regarding me, but it was the wrong time to address that topic. ¡°He seemed half mad when I spoke to him. It¡¯s no wonder he knew nothing about Agrona. His gaze seemed to be focused well away from crya.¡±


    Kezess eyed me for a moment, considering. ¡°Indeed. He agreed only that Agrona¡¯s body is alive. It continues to cycle enough mana to maintain itself, as if Agrona were sleeping. But there is no mind present within the shell. Our best maniptors of mental energy¡ªan aspect of magic that Agrona himself was an expert in¡ªcan find nothing to read or cling to inside him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s as if his mind was destroyedpletely,¡± Myre said. Sucking her teeth, she turned around to regard me, her expression calcting. ¡°We need to understand what happened, Art. What else can you tell us about what urred between you in that cave?¡±


    I activated King¡¯s Gambit.


    Aether flooded my mind, which opened like the canopy of a great tree, every branch holding its own individual thought. The crown on my brow shed light over the faces of Kezess and Myre. Kezess¡¯s jaw tightened, and his eyes shifted to a plum shade of purple. Myre cocked her head slightly, her gaze trailing from my aether core, along the channels I had forged to manipte aether, and through the window of my eyes into whaty beyond. It was unclear just how much of what she saw she could understand.


    My feet lifted off the floor, and I rotated around Agrona and the beam of light, studying him intently.


    The threads of Fate were gone, not that I could see them without Fate¡¯s presence. I had cut them away, which had resulted in the dissolution of Agrona¡¯s impact on the world. The result was a sudden shockwave that tore across both continents. I couldn¡¯t exin why it had left Agrona in this vegetative state, however, and even King¡¯s Gambit was not able to invent new information out of nothing. Theories began to pile up, though, and a gnawing concern bit at my insides.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything I know.¡± Briefly, I reiterated my use of Fate, which I had already exined to Myre upon first waking in Epheotus. ¡°Perhaps his mind simply couldn¡¯t cope with the effects of being entirely severed from his people and ns.¡±


    ¡°But what does that mean?¡± Kezess said, pacing back and forth in front of Agrona in irritation. ¡°What you describe is not possible.¡± He shot me a suspicious nce. ¡°And if you had this power, why not kill him outright? Why stop at severing these ¡®connections¡¯ you have described.¡±


    Had I not been deep within King¡¯s Gambit, I would have had to suppress a smirk at his difort. As it was, this uncharacteristic show of emotion from Kezess was noted by only one of many parallel thought processes. ¡°Fate, as the djinn correctly surmised, is another aspect of aether. It binds us together and helps to order the universe.¡± I purposefully kept the description vague and guessable. I didn¡¯t want Kezess to understand the full truth yet. ¡°The djinn had theorized a way to influence Fate, but it was limited.


    ¡°As for your other questions, the answer is simple.¡± I gazed down at him from where I floated. ¡°Looking at the potential impact of my decision, I saw only a single path forward. Removal of the Legacy was the key, not destroying Agrona.¡± Kezess knew nothing about the building destructive force inside of the aetheric realm, unless he had overheard my conversation with Veruhn. I continued to hold eye contact, watchful for any flicker of acknowledgement or spark of understanding that would suggest he knew more than I¡¯d told him.


    ¡°The way forward to what, exactly?¡± Kezess crossed his arms and held my gaze intently.


    ¡°A future that serves the most people in the most positive way,¡± I said, framing the answer obtusely.


    He scoffed, but in his derision, I saw the truth: He hadn¡¯t overheard the conversation. It was a relief, although I did not have to try to keep the emotion from my face due to King¡¯s Gambit.


    A separate thread of thought was examining him in a different light. I wondered, if I could still have seen the golden threads of Fate¡¯s connections, what Kezess would look like. Over millennia, he had forced himself into the very center of power to influence both my world and Epheotus. His decisions impacted every lifeform on both worlds, hismands ended civilizations and gave birth to new races. Would he look like Agrona, bound in an uncountable number of those golden threads, or would he look more like the aspect of Fate itself, a being woven into the fabric of destiny?


    ¡°Perhaps in time, we wille to understand more,¡± Myre said catingly, one hand brushing the back of her husband¡¯s neck briefly. To me, she added, ¡°There is one more thing we would ask of you, Art.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you could release that ridiculous form,¡± Kezess said. His eyes were narrowed, but only very slightly, creating fine wrinkles around the corners. There was tension in his jaw and neck, and his irises had shifted toward magenta. He stood motionless. Whatever they were about to ask, he was uncertain, either about my answer or whether to ask at all.


    Curious, I lowered to the ground and moved to face the pair of powerful asuras. Kezess¡¯s request was most likely an attempt to handicap me, as he knew exactly what benefits King¡¯s Gambit provided. ¡°Perhaps you can forgive a small amount of caution on my own behalf, but I feel morefortable with my godrune active. I wouldn¡¯t ask that you shut yourself off from the mana that empowers your body in order to speak with me.¡±


    ¡°It disys a distinctck of trust,¡± Kezess insisted. ¡°I might even go so far as to call it an insult.¡±


    ¡°On the contrary, I have allowed myself to be ced under your power because I do trust you,¡± I lied. ¡°You asked for me toe here, and I have. You asked for me to exin what happened to Agrona, and I have. The only reason for you to ask me to release my power is that you are distrustful of the advantage it provides me, an advantage that only serves to put us on a more even ying field.¡±


    ¡°If you feel morefortable in the embrace of this magic, Art, then please keep it active,¡± Myre interjected.


    Although she didn¡¯t look at Kezess, something passed unspoken between them. He attempted to rx but wasn¡¯t entirely sessful.


    ¡°Although, as someone who you once might have called your mentor, I would suggest you be careful,¡± she added with a kind smile. ¡°What you describe sounds like it could grow beyondfort into an addiction.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Myre. I¡¯ll be cautious,¡± I said, respectfully dismissive on the outside. One thread within the woven tapestry of my conscious thought focused entirely on her words, though.


    I knew my family didn¡¯t enjoy being around me when I spent too much time under the effects of the godrune, and mypanions were forced to shut their minds off from me entirely. Reliance on the significant enhancements to my cognitive abilities and the dampening of emotions could prove as dangerous as any drug. In Epheotus though, where my opponents were all many thousands of times my own age and had lifetimes of experience that I could never hope to replicate, I had to take every advantage.


    I also did not fully trust Myre¡¯s intentions. ¡°Now, what is it you want?¡±


    Kezess stood before Agrona, not looking at me. His fists clenched. ¡°There has been no criminal among the asura in all the time of my rulership more horrid than Agrona Vritra. He has been let off too easily. An example must be made, but I can¡¯t do that with him in this state.¡±


    ¡°Use Oludari then,¡± I said. ¡°Let him be the receptacle of your performative justice.¡±


    Kezess rounded on me, his nostrils ring and his eyes shing. ¡°Performative? Be careful, boy. Although asura in name, you are nheless¡ª¡±


    ¡°Trust,¡± Myre said, emphasizing the word. ¡°That is what we need now, between each other. Trust. Antagonism and impatience can only serve to harm the significant effort you¡¯ve both gone to in order to reach this point in your rtionship.¡± She gave me a look of mild disappointment. ¡°You are the ambassador of your entire world. The archon race may be small, but those who are relying on you are many.¡±


    Despite the matronly tone of constructive criticism, I felt the threat of her words in my bones. She was right, though. I wasn¡¯t ready to be Kezess¡¯s enemy. Not with everything I had to aplish to reach my goal.


    I rxed the flow of aether into King¡¯s Gambit, and the godrune faded to a partial charge. Empowering it this way was second nature by now, and helped to take the edge off the fatigue of releasing it. When I spoke, I did so slowly to not trip over my own tongue and give away my lethargy. ¡°I apologize, I spoke too inly. I didn¡¯t mean to offend you.¡±


    Kezess returned to his cid facade as swiftly as he had grown angry. ¡°My wife is right, as is usually the case.¡±


    She smiled at him fondly. When she spoke, though, there was sadness in her tone. ¡°Oludari will not serve the same purpose Agrona would. I¡¯m certain you agree that this basilisk deserves true justice. Those we both love suffered as his hands more than most.¡±


    I thought of Sylvia, hiding in her cave between the Elshire Forest and the Beast des with the enchanted egg of her only daughter, a daughter she shared with a man she thought she¡¯d loved¡ªa man who then had her killed so he could experiment on his own heir. I thought of Sylvie and the life she would have had if he¡¯d been sessful. I thought of Tessia, and the life she did have, imprisoned in her own body as the vessel for Cecilia¡¯s rise to power.


    ¡°Of course he deserves justice,¡± I said solemnly. ¡°But it seems to me as if he¡¯s had it. Take his head and be done with it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still not enough,¡± Kezess said, his anger now directed toward Agrona¡¯s mindless husk. ¡°Which is why¡­we would like you to heal him, Arthur.¡±


    In my current state, I didn¡¯t immediately understand what he meant. Under the weight of both Kezess¡¯s and Myre¡¯s stares, the realization was like a heavy stone in my stomach. ¡°You think the mourning pearl will heal him?¡± After everything I had learned about the pearls, I couldn¡¯t believe they¡¯d even suggest it. ¡°Even if you¡¯re certain it would¡­you want to waste it on him?¡±


    ¡°It is a valuable resource, but I am willing to spend it.¡±


    Tessia and Chul were only alive because of the other two pearls. My consciousness turned inward, feeling within my extradimensional space for the items stored there, including thest mourning pearl. Its value to me was incalcble. It could be my sister¡¯s life, or my mother¡¯s. If I¡¯d had such power when my fathery on the battlefield, dying of his wounds¡­ ¡°It is not your resource to use, regardless.¡±


    Kezess darkened. Even the beam of light suspending Agrona seemed to dim. ¡°Imand you to hand over the mourning pearl.¡±


    I cocked my head slightly, not cowed by his theatrics. ¡°I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to remind you that I am also lord of a great n. Are the others so easily cowed by you? Surely the role of the Great Eight extends beyond the pretense of self-rulership to keep the other races in line.¡±


    Myre quickly stepped in, unable to hide the sh of exasperation that crossed her features. ¡°Please, Art. Take some time and consider it. I know what you¡¯re thinking. That pearl could be used to save Sylvie, or Ellie, or Alice. But you are the head of your own n now, and your decisions impact all asura. You can¡¯t think only about yourself.


    ¡°Beyond simply justice, think about everything we could learn from Agrona, together. There is much about his actions in your world that we don¡¯t understand, and may never if he isn¡¯t revived. Let him answer for his crimes, for the good of all Epheotus, Dicathen, and crya.¡±


    I bit back a sigh. ¡°I¡­will think about it.¡± Could Agrona himself somehow be the third life bound to me in obligation? I wondered, recalling Veruhn¡¯s words.


    She shot a quick nce at Kezess, who still looked like he was on the edge of an eruption. ¡°Then that is all we can ask. We¡¯ll return you to lesia and your family. Once you¡¯ve had time to consider, we will speak again.¡±


    Kezess remained silent as we left the dungeon, which sealed over again behind us. Myre bid me farewell, and Kezess¡¯s magic again wrapped around me. When I appeared standing in silver sand, I was alone.


    I took in a lungful of the sea air, held it for several seconds, and slowly released it, trying to let the tension flow out with it.


    The beach around me was empty. The purple horizon had expanded toward the vige, the darkness extending farther up the sky as the sun went down. I kicked the sand, sending up a spray that shone like glitter in the dying rays of the sun. The conversation with Kezess had not turned out as expected, and the very real fear of being overheard had transformed into a more distant and bitter emotion.


    Veruhn had asked me what I was doing here, in Epheotus. It was an astute question. There was much that needed doing back in Dicathen, and I knew Caera and Seris would have appreciated my presence and help in crya as well. But none of them truly understood the danger. Nothing I could aplish there would mean anything if Kezess decided to wipe our civilization from the face of the world. Integration, exoforms, or even aether would do little against an asuran death squad. No, if I was going to protect the people of my world while working toward Fate¡¯s ultimate goal, I had to do it from Epheotus.


    As these thoughts tumbled around inside my skull, I proceeded up the beach toward the city, where I¡¯d appeared on the outskirts of. Bonfires glowed in the distance, and soon the empty beach was crowded with leviathans ying and eating. Though distracted by my own rumination, I felt my face break into a smile at the sight. These people seemed so carefree, so easygoing. They lived a simple life, at least when viewed from the outside.


    None of them knew that their lives were bought with the blood of civilization after civilization in my world. I didn¡¯t yet understand why, but I knew it was true. Neither did they realize that they¡¯d built their home on the edge of a volcano, and the pressure of eruption built every passing day.


    After slowly hiking along the beach for thirty minutes or more, I finally found a couple of familiar figures. I stopped as soon as I noticed them; they hadn¡¯t seen me yet.


    Several leviathan children were lined up in messy rows with their ankles intermittently in the water as it came and went. These children were older than those who had greeted us on our arrival to lesia, appearing to be in their early teens, at least inparison to humans. Ellie stood with them, her brown hair and fair skin making her stand out amongst the leviathans¡¯ color. Zelyna, Veruhn¡¯s daughter, stood facing them fifteen feet ind.


    She was offering instruction, and I immediately expected it to bebat training. When she moved, though, it wasn¡¯t to wield a weapon, form abat spell, or even drill them in a martial arts form. The sand around ran like liquid before rising up and forming itself into the rough shape of a seashell. I couldn¡¯t hear what she was saying over the noise of the ocean and the people rxing beside it, but a pleasant smile came and went across her purple lips as she spoke, and her storm-blue eyes were crinkled at the edges with clear joy.


    The students began to cast their own spells. They worked with wet sand, which would flow more easily, especially if they were more attuned to water than earth. Ellie watched the other students and stared at the ground in turns. She could have created anything she wanted out of pure mana, of course, but she was actively attempting to emte the leviathans¡¯ efforts instead. I watched her until Zelyna spotted me. After a quick word to the group, she strode my way.


    As she approached, she seemed to appraise me. Her eyes sweeping up and down my form and lingering on my own golden eyes, so unlike any other human. Her fingers ran through the mohawk of sea-green hair that grew down the middle of her head beneath navy blue ridges.


    ¡°You cost me ten jade,¡± she said, her tone serious even though she appeared rxed. ¡°My father was confident you would return, but I bet him you were headed straight to the dungeons in Castle Indrath.¡±


    I gave her a chagrined smile. ¡°You were both right. I did go to the dungeons, but I have also returned from them.¡±


    Her brows knit together. ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask for my jade back then.¡±


    ¡°Jade?¡± I asked, raising a brow.


    She flourished her hand, and a round piece of jade, carved with a stylized drop of water with a hook on one side, was resting in her palm. ¡°We rarely have need of currency, but when we choose to use it instead of simply bartering or offering aid, we use jade.¡± She flipped the jade piece toward me, and I caught it out of the air. ¡°Keep it. As a souvenir.¡±


    I chuckled and reversed the motion of her flourish, making the jade vanish into my dimensional storage rune. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    She gave me a lopsided smile. ¡°Anyway, what did Old Man Dragon want with you?¡±


    I chuckled at the irreverent moniker, but my amusement died away as my thoughts returned to the meeting. ¡°He wants me to do something I¡¯m not willing to do.¡±


    ¡°Such is the nature of your position,¡± she said with a shrug. I regarded her with surprise, and her lopsided smile returned. ¡°Just talk to my father. Being lord of a great n means navigating the choppy waters of Indrath¡¯s unpleasant temper. He will attempt to force you to do things his way, and you will swim against the tide as best you¡¯re able, trying to end up as close to your own goal as you can while still cating him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­what your father says?¡± I asked hesitantly.


    She let out a barkingugh. ¡°Sea and stars, no, of course not. The great Veruhn leiah would never speak so bluntly. Surely you¡¯ve noticed he enjoys taking the meander course of the river, not the straightforward flight of the gull.¡±


    We both grinned at that. I hadn¡¯t known Veruhn for long, but what she said was obviously true.


    ¡°Don¡¯t agonize yourself into an early grave over it,¡± she said, again giving me a small shrug of her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m confident you will be able to handle what¡¯s toe.¡±


    I rubbed the back of my neck and stared at the students practicing their spells for a long moment. Ellie hadn¡¯t noticed me yet, so intently was she studying the leviathans¡¯ magic.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked after the pause.


    ¡°Back at the dragon woman¡¯s returning ceremony.¡± My confusion must have shown on my face, because she rified, saying, ¡°I saw what you did. cing Sylvia Indrath¡¯s core on her altar in the castle. I was wary of you, and had sworn to keep my eyes on you. I¡­didn¡¯t mean to intrude on the moment, but I¡¯m d I did.¡±


    The look of appraisal returned. ¡°You are powerful, Arthur Leywin, and you are intelligent. All your peers in Epheotus are also both of those things, some much more so than you. But¡­you are kind, too. And that is something often missing among the highest ranking of asuras, regardless of race.¡± She looked at me meaningfully. ¡°That can be a strength, but it can also be a weakness. In you, though, I think it can be transformational. For the Great Eight, and for all of Epheotus.¡±


    Before I could reply, one of the students shouted excitedly and yelled for Zelyna¡¯s attention. Ellie looked over finally, saw me, brightened, and waved eagerly. Zelyna¡¯s lopsided smile returned, and she began walking away without another word.


    I watched her go, equal parts surprised and confused. Zelyna¡¯s affirmation had been entirely unexpected, but her words about my transforming Epheotus were far more true than she could even know.

 Chapter 497: To Be Ready

    <h4>Chapter 497: To Be Ready</h4>


    <strong>ARTHUR LEYWIN</strong>


    I left town before the Epheotan sun had even risen over lesia the morning after my visit to Agrona¡¯s husk. Alone, I circled around Veruhn¡¯s home to the World Serpent¡¯s tail, which seemed to take me directly out of the city and into a wilderness of rocky beaches, overgrown forests that reminded me of Earth¡¯s jungles, and a sky half consumed by the purple-ck of the aetheric realm.


    The atmosphere was thick with aether, which blew off the waves like seafoam and out into the jungle. Sea birds crowed and unseen creatures answered from the depths of the jungle with powerful roars.


    Each breath was full of cool, salty sea air and warm, eager aether. I wondered if this ce had always been so rich with aether or if, over the millennia, the building pressure of the void had forced more through the rolling ocean border and into Epheotus.


    My mind was full and there was so much to sift through. With my thoughts carefully shielded from Regis and Sylvie, I channeled King¡¯s Gambit. My mind splintered into dozens of different stages, each one shining a spotlight on a specific thought.


    I directed several of these lights at the problem of the aetheric realm as my gaze lingered on the purple-ck horizon. I had been under the effects of King¡¯s Gambit when I discovered the solution, and it was difficult to hold it all together in my mind without the godrune. Other portions of my mind focused on Fate itself, while still others considered the tension between Dicathen and crya, the fate of Epheotus, and my own ce as the needle and thread required to stitch it all together.


    Despite all these simultaneous lines of thought, I kept a careful watch on the sea and jungle. I didn¡¯t have to walk far before I reached a rocky cove that suited my purpose. There, I found a wide, t stone that jutted up from the waterfront and sat cross-legged on top of it.


    The atmospheric aether answered readily. With my eyes closed, I felt¡ªrather than watched¡ªthe aether. At first, there was no intention to the action; I simply experienced it, absorbing and then purging the aether, forming the particles into abstract shapes that flowed in a rough torus encircling me. Like a child drawing patterns in the sand.


    Fate¡¯s overriding desire was to release the pressure building in the aetheric realm, allowing the natural process of entropy to continue. Although it had proven heedless of the consequences for our world, its primary reason for escting a resolution appeared to be avoiding a much greater disaster, one that may have no safe distance in all the known universe.


    Only bybining King¡¯s Gambit, the fourth keystone, and Fate¡¯s presence together had I been able to see a solution, but reaching that potential future wasn¡¯t without its own set of barriers.


    Foremost among them, of course, was the difficulty in aplishing what I¡¯d set out to do. Fear that Kezess would destroy the people of crya and Dicathen before my efforts came to fruition was a close second.


    I had exined part of my n to Veruhn, but utilizing aether drawn from the void was only one piece of aplex puzzle.


    My eyes opened, and I dropped back down to the stone roughly; I had been hovering several inches above it without realizing. I stood atop the rock for several minutes, motionless. Restless tension built in me until it was like a ripple across the surface of every thought at once. I took in a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. I needed to move¡ªto do something.


    Focusing on my core, I began conjuring swords of pure aether. First two, then four, then six. I stopped at eight as the bright violet des floated around me.


    With the conjured weapons in ce, I activated Realmheart, bringing the thick haze of mana particles into view. Their greens, blues, reds, and yellows painted the beach like the brush strokes of some clumsy artist. I felt my hair rise from my scalp as the hidden runes across my body burned with aetheric light.


    Next, I pushed aether into God Step, bringing the connections between every point clearly into view as well.


    Aroa¡¯s Requiem activated next, glowing warmly against my back with the other godrunes. Its purpose in this exercise was primarily to add mental weight, making the use of the other godrunes more difficult.


    Additional partitions of my conscious mind broke off to guide each de, to calcte each trajectory, and to control each godrune.


    Using the ability to see the intery of mana and aether through Realmheart, I formed eight aetheric bubbles, which dipped into the ocean and filled with water before floating back into the air. These targets spread out in front of me, at different heights and distances.


    Starting with only one at a time, Iunched an orb away from myself, then thrust a sword into the aetheric pathways. The de appeared from a different point to pierce the orb, allowing the water within to ssh back down into the sea. Two more flew in different directions, and I repeated the exercise. Within a couple of rounds, all eight were beingunched like sling bullets with one part of my mind, while another part attempted to strike them all simultaneously. Each time, I reconjured and filled the orbs.


    The Relictombs were the key. The djinn¡¯s knowledge of aether and how to utilize it on arge scale was written into the bones of the structure. Emptying the aetheric void safely without destroying our world would be impossible without that knowledge.


    My conjurations faded away, but I kept channeling aether into all of my godrunes. My feet lifted off the ground, and I hung in the air like a marite. I imagined my core as the aetheric realm and began absorbing more aether from the atmosphere. Curious about something, I captured a cluster of mana particles within some of that aether.


    The mana was drawn into my core, but the organ made no effort to purify it. Instead, the motes of mana floated around amid the increasingly dense aether, just like the Relictombs in the aether realm. How long will the Relictombs survive before degradation and the building pressure force it to copse entirely? I wondered.


    My aether core was surrounded by organic gates that opened out to channels I had forged myself. As I floated there and watched, the mana was slowly pushed, bit by bit, until it was expelled through one of those gates. From there, the water-attribute mana lingered, but the rest slowly escaped my body and returned to the atmosphere.


    As my thoughts churned, I continued through a series of exercises, molding and conjuring aether in a variety of ways to enhance my precision and continue the absorption and purging of energy. It was more like meditation than true training, since nothing I did managed to challenge me.


    I briefly considered leaving the beach to strikeout into the jungle and battle the beasts I¡¯d heard there. ncing behind me to look into the shadows beneath the thick canopy, I was surprised to see Zelyna leaning against the base of a tree, watching me thoughtfully. I let my concentration fall away and settled back onto the t rock. ¡°I didn¡¯t sense your approach.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t wish to be sensed,¡± she said with a shrug of the leather pauldrons thaty over her shoulders. Bands of leather crossed over her chest and revealed the pearlescent scales of some great beast in the gaps between. The leather was densely stamped with images and runic symbols. She looked like she was dressed for battle. ¡°Not until I had gauged what you were up to.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± I asked, holding out my arms.


    A frown pinched her brows and turned down her lips. ¡°I¡¯ve trained dozens of young warriors, all of them powerful, talented, and motivated. And yet, any one of them could be distracted by just a single irrelevant thought, and a day of training lost. You turn on this¡±¡ªshe drew a circle around her floating hair with her finger¡ª¡°and you unleash a hundred differentpeting thoughts into your squishy lesser brain.¡±


    Her lips quivered as she suppressed a smile, and she pushed away from the tree to walk confidently toward me. ¡°My father tells me you trained your body with Kordri of the Thyestes when you were only a boy. Did he teach you to fracture your mind into a hundred pieces to fight?¡±


    I stepped down off the stone. The sand gave just a little, letting the soles of my boots sink into itself.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking, not training.¡±


    ¡°And how far have your thoughtse?¡± she asked, stopping ten feet in front of me.


    ¡°Not very far,¡± I admitted, not quite meeting her eyes. She waited for me to continue. I hesitated, then eventually said, ¡°I feel¡­rudderless. I know what I have to do, but all I see are impediments. The goal itself seems so far removed. I¡¯m not sure what I should be doing right now.¡±


    She crossed her arms and raised one brow. ¡°Whether thinking or training, you are doing so for one reason: to be ready. A wise asura prepares to face the unknown. Even in victory, we may face uncertainty. Do not focus on thepletion of only a single task.¡±


    I blinked at her, surprised. The words were very simr to those once spoken by King Grey in another life.


    Zelyna¡¯s expression hardened into one of intense focus, and she drew a short de from an extradimensional space. ¡°I would like to fight you. Perhaps that would provide the challenge and focus you are seeking.¡±


    I shifted my right foot back and conjured an aetheric sword in my right hand. The de was a few inches shorter than usual, to better match Zelyna¡¯s weapon. ¡°I suppose a spar wouldn¡¯t hurt¡ª¡±


    She lunged forward in a sea-green and dark brown blur. I blinked away with God Step, appearing behind her, and thrust the point of my de backwards, aiming at her thigh. Her body rotated in midair, seeming to defy physics, and her knee struck my wrist. Bone cracked, and the aetheric sword melted away. I God Stepped again, appearing on top of the t rock holding my broken wrist.


    Slowly, she turned her head around to look at me, her body turned sideways in profile from my new position. ¡°Be careful if you employ that technique against a dragon. One strong enough in the aether arts might push back against you.¡± Her brows crept up as I shook out my wrist, already fully healed.


    ¡°You should practice strengthening your muscles and boneswith aether at all times, even when you sleep. You are an asura now. Imbuing your body should be as natural as breathing or the beating of your heart.¡±


    I held my arm straight out in front of me and conjured another weapon into my fist. This time, I moved first, nting one foot on the edge of the rock and burst stepping toward her. An eager grin shed across her face, and the sand beneath me burst with several jets of superheated water. The world twisted as I moved through the aetheric pathways, reappearing above her. A second weapon shimmered into being in my other hand as


    I fell toward her like a diving re hawk. (tuah?)


    Zelyna dove forward into a roll, and I struck nothing but a thick soup of sand and water that immediately attempted to drag me down. Aware only of a green and brown blur in front of me, I God Stepped again, this time creating some distance.


    Thirty feet away, Zelyna¡¯s de swept through the air above the quicksand she¡¯d conjured. Her arm carried on farther than was natural for the strike, and then her de was flying like an arrow. Aether exploded along the muscles and joints of my right arm, hand, and fingers, which closed around the weapon¡¯s hilt. Wind blew through my hair, conjured by the arrested force of the thrown sword.


    I flipped the weapon in the air, caught it by the tip of the de, and held it out. Zelyna wore her lopsided smile as she approached to take it back. ¡°Not bad, archon. You are quick and mobile. But blinking all around the beach is only training you to run. Train yourself to fight.¡±


    Her aquamarine skin darkened to navy, and she began to expand outward, her features stretching and distorting. The leather armor melted away as dark tes and thick scales formed over her skin. Her trunk extended as her legs melded into a single tail. Her arms swelled, growing thick and muscr, and wicked talons grew from her three-wed hands.


    In an instant, she was towering over me, fully transformed. Her elongated head, split by wide jaws that showed rows of teeth like daggers, turned to look down at me through four burning blue eyes, two on each side. In her leviathan form, Zelyna¡¯s head was covered in toothed tes as if she were wearing a helmet. These tes extended down across her shoulders like jagged pauldrons, then further along her spine. The bare scales of her piscine underbelly were the same aquamarine color as her humanoid form.


    I rolled my shoulders and adopted afortable stance before conjuring an aetheric sword, which burned and winked with violet light. A second appeared in my other hand, then a third hovering near my left shoulder. Finally, a fourth manifested at my right hip. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll stop holding back then.¡±


    Zelyna slithered forward, using several tentacle-like appendages to drag herself across the sand. Each tentacle ended in a broad, leaf-shaped paddle. When she spoke, her voice boomed across the beach, rich and vicious. ¡°I hope you will. I would hate for my victory to be stained with the dishonor of knowing you didn¡¯t give me your best.¡±


    One of the long, tentacle-like appendages whipped toward me. I dodged back as an aether de moved to deflect the blow. In the fraction of a second it took for the blow to fall, the fleshy paddle hardened into a ridge of bone. My de was flung aside by the force of the blow, and sand sprayed into the air. The bone de carved a furrow through the sand where I¡¯d been standing.


    I pulled the flying de back toward me and sprinted to my right. Another limb struck, mming into the ground just behind me. I sent a de flying at Zelyna¡¯s exposed underbelly, but a third limb smashed it aside.


    Despite her size in this form, Zelyna was still incredibly quick. Her long limbs struck like whips and came from several directions at once. I had to turn more and more of my branching conscious mind to the task of fending off her blows and supporting my des; without my full power behind them, the des couldn¡¯t withstand the force of her strikes.


    Attempting to take advantage of her proportions, I God Stepped to her back and struck a probing blow against the protective ting. My de left a faint scratch on its surface, but I barely had time to register it before a clublike tentacle swept past.


    Flying up, I narrowly avoided that strike before another came down from a different angle.


    I flew beneath it just as Zelyna¡¯s huge head snapped around, jaws wide.


    The aetheric paths folded me in and deposited me on the other side of her still-closing maw. Aether hardened behind me even as amethyst lightning rippled down my arms and legs. I pushed forward,unching myself off the conjured wall. My lightning-wreathed fist struck the side of her head.


    Zelyna¡¯s huge bulk tumbled sideways, crushing the forest undergrowth and toppling several trees. I waited for her to right herself, wanting to make sure she wasn¡¯t badly hurt.


    Her limbs all worked in concert to easily push herself upright. It was difficult to tell, but it almost looked like she was grinning. ¡°I thought you were going to stop holding back?¡±


    Grinning in return, I reached for my armor. The ck scales and white bone coalesced around me eagerly, familiar yet foreign. The leviathan lunged, and I drove forward, des shining.


    ***


    Panting and drenched in sweat, I dropped down to the cool sand. Nearby, Zelyna stepped into the water up to her knees, seeming to take strength from it. She was back in her humanoid form, but her armor had been reced by a tight full-body suit of indigo scales, much the same way Sylvie¡¯s clothes shifted to match her mood and purpose.


    I only realized then that my entire mind, even with King¡¯s Gambit active, had turned toward the fight. Briefly, my attention had been taken away from the aether realm, Fate, Epheotus, and Kezess.


    Although physically tired, I felt mentally rejuvenated.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said. With my hands behind my head and my ankles crossed, I stared up at the sky, painted a dark blue with the ck-purple of the aether realm. ¡°I do feel better.¡±


    Zelyna nodded, not looking at me. Her gaze stayed on the sea. ¡°You¡¯re proficient, when you aren¡¯t lost inside the catb of your own brain. This King¡¯s Gambit¡­you¡¯ve started to see, but do you understand?¡±


    I considered. My godrunes had faded, but I still channeled King¡¯s Gambit partially. In part, to stave off the crushing aftereffects of the godrune¡¯s use, but also¡ªI had to admit, even if only to myself¡ªbecause I no longer felt like myself without it. ¡°I was more focused. Using multiple branches of thought, but honing in on the battle specifically. I wasn¡¯t thinking about everything else at all.¡±


    ¡°When transformed, a leviathan isrge and has many limbs. These limbs do not all work individually, but in concert. To swim, to fight. Your power is a tool, but like all tools, there are many ways, both right and wrong, to use it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty perceptive. And straightforward without being blunt.¡±


    She snorted and rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, I am almost a thousand years old. That is another thing you shouldn¡¯t lose track of: most of your opponents in Epheotus have lived longer than your entire civilization has existed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± I said, although I wasn¡¯t likely to forget the fact. Memory of the dragons destroying civilization after civilization will always be just beneath the surface of my thoughts, as well as the danger Kezess still posed to Dicathen and crya.


    Standing, I stretched and looked back the way I¡¯de. With a clear mind, I opened myself back up to Regis and Sylvie, eager to speak with them. I need to talk. Where are you two?


    ¡®Where are we?¡¯ Regis answered instantly. ¡®The nerve of this guy. Disappears for hours, no note or nothing.¡¯


    The amusement in Sylvie¡¯s thoughts were clear as she chimed in. ¡®At the pier with Veruhn. He¡¯s regaling us with tales of ancient asuran heroes.¡¯


    Zelyna and I continued to chat about our training as we walked back. She reminded me quite a lot of Kordri, although he had never been as open with me as she now was.


    It wasn¡¯t long before the World Serpent¡¯s tail came into view. Veruhn was standing at the beginning of the skeletal pier. Regis loped back and forth along the spine bones, and Sylvie stood up to her waist in the water, rocking back and forth with the rippling waves that constantly brushed up against the shore. The aether danced and twirled around her like glowflies.


    Zelyna broke away before we reached the others. Speaking back to me without breaking stride, she said, ¡°Aldir thought you worth his sacrifice, Arthur. I hope you will prove him right.¡± She walked away, passing out of sight as she entered Veruhn¡¯s tidal pool garden and the pearl-walled house.


    I watched her go from the corner of my eye as I approached the others. This proud leviathan warrior-woman was still a mystery to me, and so were her motives. She had caught me off guard with her words when I¡¯d returned from seeing Agrona, and she¡¯d surprised me again today. Although not entirely sure where the feeling came from, I couldn¡¯t shake the thought that she was, somehow, essential to my sess in Epheotus.


    ¡°Ah, Lord Leywin, you have returned,¡± Veruhn said pleasantly. ¡°I was just educating Lady Sylvie and young Regis here on the tale of Aquinas, the World Serpent, and its defeat at the hands of Antioch of n leiah. A rousing tale, if somewhat cautionary. I hope you¡¯ll excuse me, but I¡¯m afraid I need to speak to my daughter and don¡¯t have time to recount it again just now. Later though, if you¡¯d like.¡±


    The old leviathan gave me a respectful nod, repeated the gesture to Sylvie, winked at Regis, and then walked slowly back across the beach toward his home. I watched him go, wondering what was cautionary about Aquinas¡¯s defeat.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Regis said after he was gone. ¡°I kind of faded out there, just for a second.¡±


    Sylvie was silent, frowning. Her thoughts were troubled.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, moving to the point where the skeletal ribs and spine first protruded from the sand. I rested one leg up on the high point of the curving rib.


    ¡°There is¡­so much noise here.¡± She stared out into the water as if it were an cryan projection crystal. Giving herself a little shake, she wrenched her gaze away to focus on me. ¡°It¡¯s like¡­there is something happening¡ªsomething big¡ªbut it''s just beyond the edge of my sight, so I can¡¯t quite make out the details.¡±


    I kicked off my boots, careful not to get them full of sand, and stepped across the ribs until I was level with Sylvie. I eased down to let my feet soak in the water. ¡°Is it your power? Maybe¡­another vision?¡±


    She shook her head but bit her lip uncertainly. ¡°It doesn''t feel like a vision.¡±


    I bit my tongue, eager to talk about my unfolding thoughts, but Sylvie was rarely pensive; clearly she needed my full attention.


    Connected to both Regis and her, I felt myself pulled in opposing directions by their emotions. Regis was at ease, having enjoyed his time in lesia and feeling no rush to move on. Sylvie, though, was standing in the eye of a hurricane of apprehension and contemtion. Probing these thoughts reminded me of what it felt like to be under the effect of King¡¯s Gambit, except she had only a single train of thought to contain it all.


    She felt my prodding. ¡°I can sense it out there, in the ocean.¡± There was a short pause, then she rified, ¡°Fate. This ocean, the connection to the aetheric realm¡­it¡¯s like Fate is standing just behind me, its breath on my neck.¡±


    ¡°Creepy,¡± Regis said, lying down beside me.


    ¡°It¡¯s watching, I¡¯m certain of it,¡± she continued, finally turning toward me. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to capture some of what we had in the keystone again. There, that power¡ªthe aevum arts¡ªfelt right. Here, it is still distant, difficult to grab hold of.¡± Her gaze returned to the water. ¡°I feel like Fate¡ªor something, anyway¡ªis just there, reaching for me. It wants me to understand.¡±


    ¡°Fate?¡± I rified.


    ¡°Yes¡­or no?¡± She shrugged, her pale blonde hair flowing over her shoulders. ¡°Something. Do you think¡­¡± She trailed off.


    Her thoughts trickled through our connection, only partially formed. ¡°The Relictombs. The presence that saved you?¡± I asked, trying to follow along. ¡°You think it might have been Fate?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    We sat in silence for a minute or two. The sun overhead conjured a pleasant tingle in the bare skin of my arms.


    ¡°How are we going to do this, Arthur?¡± Sylvie asked at length.


    I kicked my feet back and forth. A small, luminescent silver fish swam up to my toes, bobbed around for a second, then vanished back into the depths. ¡°One step at a time,¡± I answered, our shared connection confirming what she was really asking. ¡°There is a lot to do before either world will be ready. First, we need to secure our standing with the other ns. We can¡¯t do this without allies.


    Tomorrow, Veruhn will apany us to Featherwalk Aerie, home of the Avignis n.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow? So you¡¯ve decided? You¡¯re definitely going to refuse Kezess?¡± Sylvie¡¯s eyes burrowed unblinking into my own.


    I held her gaze. She could hear my thoughts, so she was only asking to hear me speak them aloud. ¡°We can¡¯t give in to Kezess in this. His reasoning is petty. This is more about depriving me of a valuable resource than about Agrona. Absolutely nothing good woulde of reviving him, if the pearl even worked.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Sylvie said viciously. ¡°He is gone. Irrelevant. That is truly justice for Agrona. Striking his name from history is a far more fitting punishment than carving his infamy across Epheotus onest time.¡±


    ¡°When that is done, we need a method to begin teaching people,¡± I continued. ¡°We can¡¯t assume others will be able to create an aether core, but spellforms allowed djinn to work with both aether and mana. The Relictombs are the key.¡±


    Regis lifted his chin from his paws, his lupine brows rising as he read my intentions.


    ¡°The Relictombs can¡¯t stay in the void. It¡¯ll be destroyed, either by the rising pressure or the void copsing, just like Epheotus. We need to bring it into the physical world.¡±


    Sylvie was nodding along. Her hands continued to y across the top of the constantly rising and falling water. ¡°That way, people can study them properly, not just fight the monsters inside them. Without the aether realm to pull from, the monsters may even stop forming.¡±


    ¡°Will that screw something up?¡± Regis asked, looking between us. ¡°Each zone is like a chapter in an aether encyclopedia, right? Maybe losing ess to all that aether would be like¡­pages in a book getting old and brittle. Falling apart and stuff.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to figure out a way,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Maybe the djinn remnant in Agrona¡¯s fortress can help. Ji-ae, Tess called her.¡± I decided that next time we left Epheotus, a visit to Taegrim Caelum would be necessary. It would also afford time to check in with Seris and Caera.


    ¡°If Grandpa Kezzy lets all this happen, of course,¡± Regis said. ¡°He¡¯s the real stick in our collective craw here.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t call him that,¡± Sylvie said, sshing water at Regis.


    Regis shook out his burning mane, his tongue lolling.


    I stared down into the water, heat rising on my neck and a flush going to my cheeks. ¡°Kezess won¡¯t repeat his past crimes.¡±


    Sylvie¡¯s thoughts bounced back and forth between Kezess, Myre, Agrona, and Sylvia. Her family, such as it was.


    ¡°Thank you, Sylv. For doing this. For¡­being at my side.¡± I couldn¡¯t pretend to understand what it was like for her, not really. I was fighting for my family, but her father and grandfather were our two most dangerous adversaries. ¡°I know this is difficult.¡±


    She tossed her hair and gave me a bright smile, her mncholy falling away. ¡°Since it turns out I was the one that dragged you to Dicathen, I can¡¯t exactly abandon you now.¡± More seriously, she added, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be anywhere else, Arthur.


    Together, we¡¯re going to change the world. Make it better. That is how I¡¯ll heal the wounds my family has left on me.¡±


    As we both thought of our family, Tessia came into my mind. So many of those who had traveled with me, fought beside me, and supported me were now left with nothing to do but wait and hope back in Dicathen and crya. I wished then that she, at least, could havee with me, but I knew why she couldn¡¯t, and I supported her desire to be with her people. After everything that had happened to her, she deserved to get exactly what she wanted.


    But I couldn¡¯t help but daydream, just a little. I imagined her traveling at my side in Epheotus, standing shoulder to shoulder with asuran royals. She would be training with me in ce of Zelyna, and with my help, she would reach the Integration stage again. Then¡ªa small smile came to my lips¡ªI would teach her to wield aether as an archon, queen of the Leywin n¡­


    It was a beautiful daydream.


    But there is much to do, if it is ever going to be anything more than just a dream.

 Chapter 498: A Call For Aid

    <h4>Chapter 498: A Call For Aid</h4>


    <strong>TESSIA ERALITH</strong>


    ¡°She¡¯s going to be incredible,¡± I said, grinning. My fingers brushed over the soft leaves of a sapling nearly as tall as I was. ¡°Varay was already powerful, but watching the way she can reach for mana now¡­¡± I turned to my grandfather. I knew I was gushing, but I couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°She¡¯s mastered her Integration with such dignity.¡±


    Grandpa Virion chuckled as he poured water from a spout onto a fresh seedling. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear she¡¯s in good health. The first person to experience Integration in the memory of our modern era¡­¡±


    As he had avoided mentioning Cecilia, I followed his lead. ¡°Varay¡¯s recovered well, yes. The experience seems to have cracked the ice of her personality a bit, too. She seems to have discovered a certain fondness for sweets during her recovery.¡± I fell into a fit of giggles as I remembered seeing the stoic Lance with powdered sugar coating her lips.


    ¡°She gives you hope.¡±


    I felt myself catch, like a notched de pulled from its sheath. ¡°I guess I hadn¡¯t thought of it like that.


    But yes.¡± My gaze turned back to the nts. I took up my own watering can and resumed moistening the tilled earth in which they grew. ¡°Right now, it feels like Art is all that stands between us and the cruelty of the asura. I know Varay isn¡¯t as powerful as that, but seeing her work so hard to improve, even at her level, makes me feel better about our chances.¡±


    Virion set down his can and pruned off a few weak branches on therger saplings. When he was finished, he stood with his hands on his hips and regarded the arboretum with pride. ¡°The soil is just as potent as Arthur described. Imagine the growth if these trees had proper airflow and sunlight.¡±


    Smiling, his attention settled on me. ¡°You know I wasn¡¯t talking about the future, Tessia. I was speaking about your future.¡±


    I bit my lip as he approached me. His hands settled lightly on my shoulders, and he looked deep into my eyes. ¡°It¡¯s okay, little one. You don¡¯t have to feel guilty. You touched power¡ªreal power¡ªand you want it back, because you want to stand beside Arthur and not behind him. There is no shame in that.¡±


    My throat constricted. I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around Grandpa Virion, resting my head against his chest. ¡°How can you know what I¡¯m thinking when even I don¡¯t?¡±


    He scoffed. ¡°You¡¯ve never been able to hide anything from me. Like these saplings, I watched you grow from only a little seed. I¡¯ve been there for every sess and every mistake. You are the best of both your mother and father, and the beating heart within my chest. How could I not know what you think?¡±


    ¡°I love you, Grandfather,¡± I said breathlessly, my cheeks wet with tears.


    He patted my head like he¡¯d done when I was a child. ¡°And I love you, Tessia.¡± He cleared his throat, took me by my arms, and moved us apart a single step. ¡°Now, we¡¯ve waded through enough of these emotional brambles. There¡¯s work to be done. We need to¡ª¡±


    He went quiet, turning toward the entrance. A couple secondster, Bairon flew into the cavern andnded just beyond the border of the arboretum. The human Lance didn¡¯t slow down to greet either of us. ¡°There is word from crya. The dwarven lords have called a council, and they want you to attend.¡±


    Virion gave the Lance a grave half-smile. ¡°You mean they demand I attend. With the war seemingly over for good, the dwarves grow more bold¡ªand restless¡ªwith the elves who remain.¡±


    Bairon nodded, running a hand through his silken blond hair. ¡°The sentiment that led to the attack on the cryans hasn¡¯t entirely vanished. Even if you weren¡¯t wanted at the council, Virion, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re needed. As a voice of reason.¡±


    Sighing, Virion dusted himself off and started toward Bairon. He paused after only a few steps and looked back at me. ¡°Would you pick a few subjects for our next transfer to Elenoir? Saria Triscan is chomping at the bit to start another grove.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯d prefer toe with you,¡± I answered.


    ¡°After my recent visit to Etistin, well, I¡¯d like to be more involved.¡± Stripping off my leather gloves, I tossed them next to the rest of our tools, conjured a gust of wind to blow off the dirt that still clung to Grandpa and me, and looked at him expectantly.


    I knew he wouldn¡¯t decline my request. He¡¯d been gently prodding me to get out of the cavern and be more involved, which isrgely why I had gone to Etistin to begin with.


    My grandfather grinned and gestured for Bairon to lead the way.


    Virion had already been catching me up on the politics of Vildorial, Darv, and Dicathen as a whole. The dwarves respected my grandfather, but they were resentful of Arthur¡¯s insistence that Virion act asmander of Darv¡¯s defensive efforts in the final weeks of the war. The dwarven nation was still badly fractured after the Greysunders¡¯ betrayal and subsequent civil conflict, and both the dwarven lords and people were hungry for leadership from within their own race.


    The problem of what to do with the elves and cryans¡ªa ¡°problem¡± in the council chamber only, as almost all the elven refugees had left Vildorial before crya¡¯s final assault, and the cryans themselves had been sent home¡ªcontinued to split the dwarves right down the middle.


    We found the council chamber already ringing with raised voices. Durgar Silvershale, who had stepped into his father¡¯s shoes as Daglun recovered from his wounds, had stood and was jabbing his finger into Lord Earthborn¡¯s face.


    ¡°¡ªabove and beyond for those cut-throats! This is none of our concern.¡±


    Skarn Earthborn, Mica¡¯s scowling cousin, was guarding the door. He stepped forward with a hand on his weapon.


    I didn¡¯t know the Silvershales, but I had fought beside Skarn and his brother, Hornfels, in Elenoir before my capture. I rested my hand atop his. He glowered viciously at Durgar, but he held his position.


    ¡°Friends,¡± Virion said, loud enough to cut across the arguing.


    The chamber¡ªthe inside of a massive geode that reflected a kaleidoscope of colors¡ªwent silent. Durgar straightened his tunic and returned to his seat. Carnelian Earthborn watched Durgar carefully, then made a gesture of wee to Grandpa and me.


    A woman stood at the head of the table where the others sat. From the back, she had long fire-red hair. She was dressed simply in traveling leathers. At the sound of Virion¡¯s voice, she turned.


    My heart stopped.


    I was standing in a press of bodies. So tight they held me on my feet even as I struggled to breathe. A honeyed voice, oozing through the city square. Pirs of stone raised high above. Red hair billowing like dancing mes as that same face looked down at us¡­


    Around her, bodies. Bodies on ck metal spikes.


    ine and Prisci yder and¡­my parents.


    I looked into the eyes of the woman who had paraded my parents¡¯ corpses across Dicathen while espousing Agrona¡¯s divinity.


    Virion was speaking. He stepped forward, took the woman¡¯s hand. She answered, her honeyed tones running thin,ing out desperate.


    Didn¡¯t he know? I wanted to p her hands away from his, to¡­to¡­


    Of course he knows, I answered myself.


    I knew of Lyra Dreide¡¯s role in the war, both before and after she ceded the regency of Dicathen to Arthur. She¡¯d done a lot of good for Dicathen, by all ounts.


    The words they exchanged finally coalesced into meaning in my ears.


    ¡°Lyra Dreide. You¡¯vee a long way, and so shortly after leaving. What¡¯s this all about?¡±


    ¡°Virion. I¡¯m d you¡¯re here. Please, Seris needs your aid.¡±


    Carnelian Earthborn grunted. ¡°We were just discussing our response before you arrived, Virion.¡±


    ¡°What is it you¡¯re asking us to do?¡± Grandpa asked the woman.


    Lyra was shaking her head, her red hair flying like a burning g. ¡°The st nearly killed Seris and Cylrit, but it wasn¡¯t targeted. Apparently, it did kill Scythe Dragoth Vritra, and many others besides.¡±


    Lance Mica clicked her tongue. She stood nking her father with her arms crossed, her face pinched into a scowl.


    ¡°We let your people go home against our better judgment,¡± Durgar cut in, half standing again. ¡°Now, they beg for aid because they find their home inhospitable. You¡¯re lucky we don¡¯t march our soldiers straight through those portals and¡ª¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have that kind of authority, boy,¡± a dwarven woman said, smacking her hand on the table.


    ¡°Please, my lords.¡± Grandpa¡¯s voice resounded off the colorful crystals. The dwarven lords went quiet. He motioned for Lyra to continue.


    ¡°Lady Caera Denoir had hoped her message might reach Vildorial before Arthur left,¡± Lyra said, an edge of bitterness in her voice. ¡°He needs to know what is happening.¡±


    ¡°Perfect, let the regent handle it,¡± Daymor, youngest of the Silvershale n, said while miming brushing dirt from his hands.


    Carnelian hummed thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯m inclined to agree.¡± To Virion, he added, ¡°Do you know how we can get a message to Regent Leywin?¡±


    ¡°We have an asura right here in the city,¡± Lance Mica said, pointing downward through the floor. She was speaking of Wren Kain, of course. ¡°If anyone can get to Epheotus to deliver a message, it¡¯s him.¡±


    With permission, Durgar sent a runner to fetch the asura, and two chairs were added to the table for Virion and me. Bairon stood behind Virion. Lyra was left to stand at the head of the table.


    The shock of seeing her had slowly receded as the lords, Virion, and Lyra spoke. I followed their conversation in a kind of fugue, hearing but not absorbing. In the incredibly awkward silence that settled over the Hall of Lords, my mind churned into a slow, muddled mess of thoughts.


    The asura arrived more quickly than I had anticipated. Although I¡¯d heard he favored flying around in a conjured seat like a throne, he marched into the Hall of Lords on his own feet, stepping without hesitation across the floating stones that led the way to therge table.


    Without preamble, he ced his hands on the table, leaned forward, and said simply, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We need to send a message to Arthur.¡± It was my grandfather who answered. ¡°Can you help us?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Wren Kain straightened, spun on his heel, and marched away.


    ¡°Please, Lord Kain,¡± Lyra said, taking a couple of faltering steps after the asura. ¡°It¡¯s quite literally a matter of life and death.¡±


    Wren Kain stopped and looked back over his shoulder.


    If not for the incredible pressure of his mana signature, I wouldn¡¯t have thought much of the man just to look at him. Unkempt and hunched, the asura was hardly the picture of unimaginable power. And yet, when his gaze swept across me, the hair stood up on the back of my neck and gooseflesh roughened my skin.


    ¡°Aldir had the resources to travel between Epheotus and your world. I do not.¡± Wren Kain¡¯s words were spoken inly, but they gripped the room in a chokehold.


    I swallowed against the pressure, considering whether to ask the question that came to my mind. After all, I was one of very few who knew that Wren Kain was not the only asura in Dicathen. Although Cecilia was gone, my memory of following Mordain Asclepius to the Hearth remained.


    ¡°What about¡­Chul?¡± I asked, not wanting to say Mordain¡¯s name in front of so many others.


    Everyone present knew of Chul, even if they didn¡¯t know his true identity as a phoenix, but they were not aware of the hidden conve of asuras beneath the Beast des.


    Wren¡¯s thick brows rose. ¡°Maybe. I can¡¯t say for sure. You¡¯d have to ask¡­Chul.¡±


    The dwarves, Bairon, and Grandpa were looking on expectantly. The dwarves, even those not hostile to the cryans, seemed universally eager to see someone else step up and take responsibility for the situation. Virion kept his face passive, but I could read him well enough to see his encouragement.


    Lyra Dreide looked back and forth between us. ¡°Chul? By why¡ª¡± Her eyes widened, and I saw understanding bloom within them. To Wren, she said, ¡°Can¡¯t you send a message or seek him out on our behalf? There is nowhere else for us to turn, Master Kain.¡±


    The asura turned fully back toward us. His heavily lidded eyes were bright, and his teeth ground together, causing the muscles of his face to clench and unclench. ¡°Fine. No promises it¡¯ll do any good though.¡± His eyes narrowed as he looked at Durgar Silvershale. ¡°If you lot interfere with the Beast Corps program, there¡¯ll be hell to pay when I get back.¡±


    The Silvershales and their allies on the council paled at the threat, rage and terror warring on their faces.


    ¡°While this council continues to believe that we deserve some say in the use of the exoforms, it¡¯s a conversation for another day,¡± Carnelian said, his voice even more hoarse than usual.


    Wren Kain nodded, and there was a dire finality to the small gesture. ¡°Give me your message then.¡±


    ¡°I will tell you everything on the way,¡± Lyra said, some of her nervousness settled and her posture growing more confident. She turned briefly back to the council and gave them a shallow bow. ¡°Thank you for your assistance,¡± she said, a bite in the way she pronounced thest word.


    Wren Kain only shrugged at Lyra¡¯s words, then gave us a dismissive wave as he again started to leave.


    I stood suddenly ¡°I¡¯d like toe with you. If we are going to ask¡­¡± I hesitated, aware I still had an audience. ¡°If we are going to ask for aid, a representative of Dicathan should be present.¡±


    ¡°But what¡¯s this Chul boy have to do with anything?¡± Daymor Silversale asked. A couple of other dwarves echoed his question.


    ¡°He is connected to Arthur in a way that may transcend the boundaries of our two worlds,¡± Wren lied quickly and easily. To me, he said, ¡°Well? Come on, then. We apparently don¡¯t have all day.¡±


    I squeezed Grandpa¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Maybe check in with Saria and our test growths while you¡¯re there,¡± he answered with a wink.


    There was a brief conversation about whether the dwarves should send a representative as well, born by Durgar¡¯s questioning of my authority to represent Dicathen in any official capacity. Only Lance Mica volunteered, but the council quickly forbade her from leaving, and the argument died.


    Wren Kain and Lyra Dreide gave me enough time to retrieve my belongings, then we hurried toward the surface. The asura flew in his conjured seat while Lyra and I struggled to keep pace behind him.


    Once under the scorching desert sun, the sand beneath our feet transformed into the deck of a small sailing vessel made of stone. I bent down and ran my fingers across the surface, and was stunned to find it indistinguishable from the wood that it mimicked. Lyra grabbed hold of the mast as the ship shot up into the air, and then we were flying across the desert at a speed I thought even the Lances would have struggled to maintain.


    Wren stood at the front of the ship and watched thend melt away beneath us.


    ¡°It hardly looks like he even has to concentrate,¡±


    Lyra said in a low voice, barely audible over the rush of wind. She had released the mast and moved to the railing, which she gripped tightly as she looked down at the desert floor far below.


    I didn¡¯t reply. When she spoke, I heard only her unctuous voice announcing the ughter of my parents¡­


    ¡°I¡­know who you are,¡± she said after an ufortably long pause.


    I leaned against the rail and took a deep breath, watching the mountainse quickly closer.


    ¡°You must hate me, and I won¡¯t me you for that. Under Agrona, I was eagerly cruel. I genuinely never considered any other way to be. But fear and hope are both powerful motivators, and Regent Leywin has given me many reasons to feel both.¡±


    At Arthur¡¯s name, I finally looked at her. Really looked at her. Although this was the same face that had looked down on us from beside the corpses of my parents¡ªthe same light red eyes and burning hair¡ªit was not the same woman.


    And I was surprised to discover that I didn¡¯t hate her.


    I¡¯d experienced exactly what Agrona was capable of. Only someone who¡¯d been on the receiving end of his maniptive magic could really understand. Even if he¡¯d never dragged his venomous ws through Lyra Dreide¡¯s mind, the influence he had on every cryan could not be overstated. This only made the people who had fought against him even braver¡­


    I brushed my hair out of my face and forced a smile. ¡°Arthur¡¯s pretty good at that. I¡¯m¡­still trying to live by his example. I won¡¯t hold it against you.¡±


    The cryan woman¡¯s brows climbed up until they vanished behind her hair, which was whipping in the wind. ¡°Really? Sorry, I don¡¯t mean to question. I just forget, sometimes.¡±


    I cocked my head slightly, not sure what she meant.


    A wry smile yed over her lips. ¡°How¡­kind you Dicathians can be.¡± Straightening, she slipped one arm through mine and tugged me toward the cabin door. ¡°Come on. Why don¡¯t we get out of this wind? I want to know more about you, Tessia Eralith.¡±


    Bemused, I let myself be dragged along.


    ***


    The journey to the Beast des was impossibly short. Twice, Wren Kain defended our ship from flying mana beasts, but most of the creatures were kept away by his aura alone. When we reached our destination, he did notnd the ship. Instead, it dissolved beneath our feet. Left standing on small stone discs, Lyra and I floated gently to the ground, while Wren did the same in his throne.


    shbacks of Cecilia tracking Mordain and Chul to the Hearth yed behind my eyes, and the answering guilt twisted my stomach.


    That wasn¡¯t me, I reminded myself.


    Wren floated us down a deep ravine that entered into one of the many dungeons that dotted the Beast des. Inside, we found the mana beasts ughtered. Wren shielded us all in mana and flew ahead. Lyra and I jogged to keep up. Technically I could fly, but my control wasn¡¯t perfect, I didn¡¯t want to bounce off the walls like a manic baby bird trying to keep up with the asura.


    Although I, or rather Cecilia, hadn¡¯t entered into this dungeon, I still recognized the shape of it. When we came to therge ck doors into the Hearth, Wren finally slowed.


    The doors, carved of charwood and imbued with mana, were engraved with the image of a phoenix with its wings spread and inset with metal that gleamed orange in any light. Wren hammered on them impatiently.


    They opened without dy, revealing a muscr man who stood over seven feet tall. A bearlike mana beast that reminded me forcefully of Boo¡ªonly muchrger¡ªstood at his side. Its small dark eyes pierced us one by one, and it gave a low growl.


    ¡°Wren Kain IV,¡± the giant said, his voice a deep rumble that I felt in my bones. He was obviously asuran, but I wasn¡¯t sure of his race beyond that. There was a metallic tinge to his mana signature that felt simr to Wren Kains, making me think perhaps he was a titan. ¡°This is an unexpected visit.¡±


    Wren scoffed. ¡°Could have fooled me. The red carpet was all but rolled out. Why is the dungeon clear, Evascir?¡±


    The other asura cocked his bald head slightly. ¡°Mordain has been keeping a closer eye than usual on the outside world. The scouts require clear passage.¡±


    Wren frowned thoughtfully, but he didn¡¯tment on what Evascir said. ¡°Bah. Are you going to invite us in or should we wait for this dungeon to devour the scourges¡¯ mana and birth them all over again?¡±


    The giant examined Lyra and me closely. ¡°These two smell of the Vritra n.¡±


    ¡°Lyra Dreide, once a ve of Agrona, now the leader of her people in the Beast des. She¡¯s practically your neighbor, Evascir. And Tessia Eralith, princess of the elves,¡± Wren introduced in azy drawl.


    Evascir bared his teeth. ¡°The Legacy. I know of you.¡±


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± I said, stepping around Wren¡¯s floating throne. ¡°Cecilia¡ªthe Legacy¡ªwas banished from our world, and I have reimed my body. I¡¯m here to ask Mordain for help on behalf of all Dicathen.¡±


    Evascir¡¯s jaw worked as he considered my words. ¡°So be it. Enter. Mordain will know of youring.¡±


    We passed through the outer guard chamber into a warm passage carved of granite and lit by silver sconces. The walls were green with vines, and for a moment, I forgot we were deep underground. Something about the scent of this ce reminded me of my childhood home in Zestier.


    This passage led to a balcony, which overlooked a wondrous garden. Despite being inside and underground, multiple towering trees grew from soil to ceiling. I took a deep breath, drinking in the smells of sweet flowers and rich, dark earth. The trees, which had silver bark and bright orange leaves, gave off a spicy scent like cinnamon.


    But Wren didn¡¯t pause to smell the flowers. He flew off the balcony and straight through the garden, leaving Lyra and I to hurry down the stairs after him. A handful of people with burning eyes and hair¡ªphoenixes¡ªwatched us enter from around the garden. They all wore nearly identical expressions of reserved concern.


    Wren nced back to see us gging behind. The ground lifted up beneath us, and a disc of stone whisked after him. I went to one knee and grabbed the edge of the disc, my stomach flipping. Beside me, Lyra did the same.


    Wide tunnels shed past until we came out high up in another huge room. Like some kind of theater, severalyers of balconies encircled a stage that held arge circr table.


    Only a single figure sat at the table. He stood as Wren approached. The floating throne melted away, and Wren¡¯s feet touched down smoothly onto the ground. Lyra and Inded just behind him, stumbling onto the tform.


    Something shuffled from the rail of the closest balcony: a green, horned owl. I recognized the creature from my time in Xyrus Academy.


    ¡°Hello, Tessia Eralith,¡± it said softly as Mordain and Wren greeted each other. ¡°Wee to the Hearth.¡±


    ¡°Wee indeed,¡± Mordain echoed, stepping around Wren and holding out his arms wide.


    I had seen Mordain through Cecilia¡¯s eyes when she attacked Chul, but this was my first time meeting him in person as myself. Glowing markings ran down the sides of his surprisingly youthful face, but they were rendered dim by the brightness of his eyes, which glowed like the sun. His golden, feather-embroidered robe flowed around him when he moved, as did his untamed mane of fiery hair.


    ¡°This one almost looks as if she belongs here,¡± he said jauntily, looking at Lyra¡¯s hair. ¡°Lady Lyra of Highblood Dreide, if I am not mistaken.¡± He folded both her hands into his own as she gaped in surprise.


    When he turned his face toward me, his expression softened into aplicated smile. ¡°Ah, Lady Eralith. It is both a pleasure and an honor to have you here.¡±


    My cheeks reddened. The way the phoenix lord spoke and looked at us, it was like we were the only people that mattered in the whole world.


    ¡°Come, sit. Tell me why you are here.¡±


    We all took seats around his table, and Lyra recounted the message she¡¯d received from crya, as well as the discussion with the dwarves in Vildorial.


    Mordain listened with careful patience. He didn¡¯t interrupt, even to ask questions, and seemed to hang on to every word. When she was finished, he let out a long, thoughtful hum. ¡°We felt this disturbance even here. A great outpouring of mana, and an even greater swelling back in on the source.¡±


    My mouth fell open as I stared at him in shock.


    ¡°What?¡± Wren was quick to say, uncrossing his legs and leaning forward over the table. ¡°I didn¡¯t sense it!¡±


    Mordain gave him an understanding look. ¡°Your sight is inward, Wren. We have been gazing outward.¡±


    ¡°How could something be so powerful that it was felt across the entire ocean?¡± Lyra asked breathlessly. ¡°What was it?¡±


    Mordain gave a small shake of his head, turning regretful. ¡°I do not know, my dear, but I admit that it strikes fear into my heart.¡±


    ¡°Will you help us then?¡± I asked too quickly. I swallowed down my anxiety and straightened my posture. ¡°Please, can you help us get a message to Arthur?¡±


    Mordain opened his mouth to speak, but a ze of power filled the chamber, crashing down on us like aet. I instinctively wrapped myself in mana as I jumped up from my seat.


    A broad-shouldered, barrel-chested man mmed into the ground hard enough to make the giant table jump, sending a candle holder rolling. The green owl pped its wings in agitation.


    The man pointed his weapon at me: arge iron sphere on the end of a long handle. Fissures in the metal red with orange light. ¡°You! Come back to finish the job, have you? I think you¡¯ll find me a much better match this time around!¡±


    ¡°Chul!¡± Wren, Lyra, and Mordain all spoke his name at once.


    Like a man waking from a dream, Chul blinked, gazing around at the others. His eyes¡ªone icy blue, the other burning orange¡ªwidened. ¡°I¡ªI felt¡­¡±


    Mordain smiled wryly, one brow inching up. ¡°And you thought that I had simply allowed the Legacy to wander unhindered through the heart of our home?¡±


    Chul swallowed visibly and lowered his weapon. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Mordain¡¯s ever-present smile took on a kinder, softer edge. ¡°Chul Asclepius. Meet Tessia Eralith, princess of Elenoir and close friend and ally of Arthur Leywin.¡±


    Chul¡¯s eyes widened even further until he looked like a child¡¯s caricature of a man. ¡°Tessia! Arthur¡¯s pining love, who he spent so many sleepless nights agonizing over?¡± With a boomingugh, he lunged forward and lifted me into a crushing hug, nearly knocking over Lyra in the process.


    ¡°Chul¡­¡± Mordain scolded, but the half-asuran seemed to take no notice.


    I could only hold my breath until Chul set me back on my feet. He took a step back and beamed down at me with his hands on his hips. ¡°You are much more beautiful and less horrible now than when you were the Legacy! Perhaps not quite so beautiful as Lady Caera of n Denoir, who also vies for the heart of my brother in vengeance, but I can see now why the mere thought of you stutters his heart.¡±


    I felt my eyes ze over as my mind went utterly nk, unable to conceive of any way to respond to thisment, which seemed toe out of nowhere. ¡°Th-thanks?¡± I managed to stammer.


    Mordain hummed again, his lips pressed into a thin line. ¡°Chul, these representatives of Dicathen and crya havee because they need to send a message to Arthur in Epheotus. They seek our help.¡±


    Chul rested his foot on the seat of the closest chair, which also happened to be the one Lyra had just vacated. He leaned one elbow on his knee.


    ¡°It is time, then. I am prepared. I will take this message to Epheotus.¡±


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